A/N: I'm sorry for not updating earlier (as I am for most updates, haha). I'm doing my best to finish this one and another short story. Bear with me. Hope you enjoy! :)
"Let's go." Hayato's voice resounded through the darkening sky.
It was just after the sun had descended that they had gathered back to where Hayato had been sitting the entire time. Evidently, it seemed as if he had gone for a run or a hike – as Moriko and Tatsuo walked back towards Hayato, they could see a sheet of sweat glistening on his skin.
Moriko stole a glance towards Tatsuo. His eyes moved, notifying her that he had seen her look. He replied lowly as they walked over. "Hayato went for a hike. It's a ritual. He would work himself until he's at his limit and then come back for the raids, sweating."
That's vile and disgusting! The more she found out about Hayato, the more she was coming to dislike him.
The young man nodded a greeting, wiping sweat from his brows as they reached him. He waited until they were about a meter's length away until he spoke. "Tatsuo, you know the routine," he turned to the girl, who returned the gaze. "You'll be watching in for now and you'll join in the raid after the first five minutes,"
Moriko was about to nod when she suddenly remembered something. Tatsou and Hayato had already begun walking towards the end of the cliff – the side closest to the village from their area. She watched with interest as they drew two circles on the ground. Inside one was the contour of a dragon, the other, a hawk.
The sky was shutting its blinds for the day, filling the horizon with a red.
Moriko smiled grimly to herself. How fitting...a red sky for a bloody night.
The young men were standing in their respective circles – Tatsuo with the dragon, Hayato with the hawk. In complete synchronization, they removed the pendants from their necks and held it in their left hands, their weapons in the right. They slashed the hand holding the pendant, drenching it in a wave of blood. The crimson liquid was dripped until the contour they were standing on were glistening with red.
The girl felt a wave of horror rush through her on earth would spill their own blood to massacre a village? In the night breeze, she heard the words that were spoken ever so lightly ring with power in her ears.
"Kuchiyose: taka no katagi."
A loud rumble shook the plateau. The contour withinn Hayato's circle grew larger, the blood turning into flames, and the line growing thicker. Hayato was raised, standing on top of the growing drawing. As they soared higher and higher, the drawing solidified, the flames were extinguished, and the fully-fledged form of a nine-meter wide hawk could be seen from even where the other two Intou stood. The bird of prey gave a loud screech and dove towards the village.
Moriko turned back to Tatsuo, who was still to summon his spirit. She saw his mouth open and called out, "Tatsuo! Wait,"
He turned around to face her. The drawing beneath him flared as if annoyed its summoning had been interrupted.
The girl felt foolish. "Have you ever had more than one spirit?"
Tatsuo nodded. "Once. But they're gone now. The only one I have left is this one." He turned back around before she could ask another and spoke his words.
Another rumble trembled the cliff and Moriko walked towards him as he was lifted into the sky, the dragon beneath him growing bigger. The mythlogical creature was a beautiful pine-green and, with its wings, ten meters in width. Now it flapped them gratefully in the air and blew a stream of fire from his mouth, illuminating its sharp teeth. Moriko ran to the edge of the cliff just as it flew towards the village, wings stretched out majestically, nearly knocking her back at the speed they were going.
The valley echoed with the screamings from the village and Moriko saw the first house to go up in flames.
She turned from the screams. I can't just stand here and do nothing! Clenching her fists, she lowered her head and sighed in exasperation. Fluidly, she crouched down on all fours, the cries of the villagers echoing in her ears.
"Mummy!! Daddy! Where are you?"
A little boy walked around bare chested. He was scared; all around him, flames were eating up the houses. Something grabbed his hand and he shouted in alarm, tugging.
"Chiaki, it's me. Stop pulling so I can get us out of here."
The little boy opened his eyes and saw his sister staring furiously down at him. A house exploded on their right, causing both of them to duck in fright. There were screams and people running around everywhere. His sister tugged on his hand again. "Come on!"
Chiaki's round eyes grew wider with fright as he picked up his feet and ran alongside his sister towards the edge of the village, where the smoke was thinner.
Anju moved as fast as her brother would allow her and her eyes moved frantically, looking for open paths that led out of the village. As her eyes ran to and fro both sides of the village, she watched as people caught flames and she saw the charred, burnt, bodies of villagers. Her eyes brimmed with tears of fright and sadness and her shoulders began to shake. What had happened to their parents? And her teacher? And her best friends? Why was their village being attacked?
A hawk's screech connected her thoughts to reality once more and she swiveled around, looking for cover; she had already seen several people dropped from the sky by the creature. The screams in her ears grew louder with the roaring flames and she pulled her brother along towards the edge of a forest, not yet a part of the blazing inferno. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something brown and gray headed towards them. She gave her brother a shove and shouted, "Chiaki! RUN!"
As her brother ran, Anju scrambled desperately, looking for some sort of cover. There! She dove towards a smoggy ditch, but it was too late. The hawk had stretched its legs and grabbed her by her middle before soaring upwards again.