26
To my surprise the horse was still where I had left it. No one had taken it. I quickly mounted it and began to ride back through Tokyo. The soldiers had started to march? Surely Katsumoto and his samurai would have already been on march as well. People moved out of the way as my horse ran swiftly. As I began to move from the village, I found myself before the forest once more and I pulled back on the reins to stop the horse. I turned and looked back at the city, my mind racing. Where would they be meeting? I looked up at the sky to see birds flying across trying to remember when Nathan and I first arrived in Tokyo.
I was with Nathan in Tokyo along with Simon Graham a British interpreter for Nathan so the soldiers could understand him. He is kind to me and I enjoyed watching him take pictures of the villagers. I was in a black dress, wearing some gloves with my hair pinned up as usual. Many women had passed by and Simon translated that they were asking to touch my hair. At the time I felt no reason to reject the them, because I was so used to being touched. I was standing beside Nathan as he leaned against some of our stuff drinking of course. I shook my head.
"How will you fight the samurai if you're drunk?" I asked, and he shrugged.
"Same way I do all the others, by aiming and shooting." he said and I just shook my head with worry.
"Nathan." I said lowly, voicing my worry and he smiled.
"Don't worry Grace, I will be fine." he announced looking off down the road of the village and immediately something caught his attention. I followed his eyes and noticed it was a man differently dressed than most of the villagers. This man wore a blue kind of outfit I had never seen before, but was sure it was nothing special to the villagers here. I never realized that in that moment I had met silently met Ujio. He walked with such pride and such determination, his stare hard and intimidating. And he stood out, but no one seemed to bother him or be bothered by him. Except when two men in black approached him. I didn't know what they were saying, but by how they stood on either side I could tell they were trouble.
"Samurai." Nathan said lowly and I looked at him stunned. By now Simon and Zebulon Grant, a friend of Nathan's, had turned to look. One man was speaking to him and it seemed Ujio easily disregarded him as he began to walk around both men.
"And quite a proud one from the looks of it." Simon replied. Nathan and I watched the interaction as the men seemed to casually block Ujio's path. I watched at Ujio's eyes cut from the man in front of him and over to the next. I had never seen someone look so different so, captivating in a way. "Oh my this is bad. He's expecting them to show deference."
It didn't seem to be going that way at all. Ujio said something to the men which resulted in them laughing. Suddenly, one of them raised their canes to poke at Ujio and in seconds, he withdrew his sword and swiped it right across the man. Immediately his head fell right off and calmly and casually he placed his sword back in its sheath.
"Oh my god!" Simon said looking away. My mouth dropped as I covered it with my hand. He just killed that man, in front of everyone! Nathan stepped forward not even looking away from the sight. Death was nothing new to him. He could never look away from it. Ujio was walking our way, holding on to his swords as he moved. The people behind him just stared as he walked away from them. I was taken from my thoughts as Nathan's hand grabbed mine to pull me back behind him and I moved behind him, not wanting his eyes on me.
I've learned not to stare at anyone for too long. Nathan watched as Ujio began to walk by him and when they finally made eye contact Ujio slowed his walk down just a bit. Simon immediately bowed and I just winced glancing over at Ujio from behind Nathan's shoulder. I glanced to the ground numerous times and back up at Ujio to get a glimpse of him. He continued to walk past us and I turned and kept watching as he walked away. He then lingered for a split second turning to look over his shoulder at me and I tensed leaning in to Nathan now. It was only a brief moment before he turned and continued on his walk.
"Come on. I'll take you to the battlefield where we plan to engage the samurai." Zebulon said with a wince as he looked from Ujio to us. Nathan agreed and I followed the men from the town and into the forest. After walking for almost an hour, the lush forest finally cleared and now we were all staring at a large plain. The grass was a rich green and the sky complimented it with its beautiful blue. My eyes widened as I looked it over. Nathan and Zebulon discussed plans for training the soldiers, while I just stared at its beauty. Nathan glanced at me noticing how fascinated I was. He grinned.
"Want to go down there?" he asked. I looked at him stunned.
"Can I?" I asked and he nodded motioning his head for me to go. I smiled and held up my dress and slowly moved down to the field. The ground was sturdy beneath my boots and I kept my dress held up as I slowly began to move about the field. It was so wide and large, that I could see across to the hills that were out to the distance. And there would be a war on this land? Blood would paint this land and destroy the life beneath it? I looked up toward Nathan smiling weakly at him. He would be fighting the samurai here. He would be risking his life here.
I gasped as the memories faded from me. I knew where they would be.
"Yah!" I snapped to the horse and it took off into the forest. The trees were different and nothing looked the same, but the trail beneath me had not changed. Thank god! The horse moved fast and swiftly, the wind pushing at my curls making them bounce as the horse moved. Ujio, Nathan, Katsumoto, all of you please don't die.
My grip on the reigns tightened as I rode. I didn't know what I would find or even what I would do once I got there, but I knew I had to see this to the end. I had to somehow be here for him.
I could hear loud explosions and shouting and finally, I made it to the lining of the forest and was met with what I had feared most, the beauty of the land painted by the blood of man. My eyes widened as I watched guns firing and swords slashing at flesh. And it continued over and over. Men were dying in ways so gruesome, it was like the assassins coming for Katsumoto in the mountains. Men were slashes in half, bullets pierced samurai armor and one by one the only outcome was death. I looked around quickly trying to find the faces of anyone I knew, but I could not. It was an absolute massacre on both sides. I looked further out to finally see a band of samurai charging the field and leading them was Ujio. My stomach tightened in both fear and relief upon seeing him. His sword was out and he was not ready to fight, he was ready to kill.
The men he led collided with the imperial soldiers wish such force and brutality. This is what they have been fighting for. Finally, I caught a glimpse of red and my eyes widened as I saw it was Nathan. He too was okay, fighting back to back with Nobutada. I got off the horse and moved over to the closest tree and watched as they moved with such swiftness and precision. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. But my eyes immediately came back to Ujio as he rode his horse into battle. Before I could blink, a spear had lodged itself into his horse making him fall forward and roll onto the ground. His helmet flew off, his hair flying wildly, and immediately he pulled his sword out and was slicing away at his enemies as he made his way back to his feet.
He is so fast that my eyes could hardly keep up with him, but everyone was like this. I could see Nathan now shoulder to shoulder with Katsumoto as they cut down men. Blood pours from open wounds and the more it went on the carnage grew. My lips quivered as I watched more soldiers shooting the samurai which only made them want to fight harder for what they believed in.
I wanted to get closer, but I couldn't move. I placed my hand over my stomach watching as more men fell to the ground.
Ujio's POV
My rage kept me going, kept my movements sharp enough to dodge these pathetic men who called themselves Japanese. And it was the only thing that could distract me from the fear of not knowing where my beloved was. If I continued to kill, then I would not have to focus on where she was. Did the emperor imprison her, did he kill her? Omura, that rat, has poisoned his mind. They were probably torturing her. Why Grace, why did you leave?
I shouted fiercely as my blade tore through imperial men. They fell but they never got up. I hear a bang and now it feels like fire exploded inside my back and tore through my stomach.
My entire body freezes before I fall on one knee, my sword propping me up. Damn, I had been hit. I knew that now time was truly not on my side today. I feel my brothers grab at my shoulders, but I did not need their worries for me. They had to focus or else they too would die.
"GET OFF!" I demanded pushing them away from me. I prepared my sword and my stance as they did as well. Blood is going up my throat and I immediately spit it out and continue to fight. The fire was still inside me and I would not stop until my lord' enemies were dead. I yelled as I sliced and stabbed any man in a suit. I grabbed one man and broke his neck swiftly throwing him to the side and continuing my rampage. As I was only seeing blood red, feeling red on my face, smelling red through my nostrils, finally a different shade crossed my eye sight.
It was not like the harsh battle colors of this war… but it was pink. Enough warriors surrounded me enough to notice the cherry blossoms dancing through the air and over the war beneath them. I shouldn't be so distracted, but the petals danced in a direction off to the hills and forest around us and finally I saw someone standing in the trees. My eyes widened and I wiped the blood from my face as if to help me see. The adrenaline from the war, my blood lust was not playing tricks on my mind.
"Grace." I whispered. There she was, standing there, the window blowing her hair onto her face. She was here. She was alive. My heart was pumping blood faster now as blood poured through my wound. The sound of a horn finally blared over the sounds of yelling and I knew it was the sound of retreating. I looked toward the hill where the soldiers came from. They were returning over the hill, but I knew what that meant. More soldiers were waiting for us. I looked around at the ground to see many warriors dead. Algren rode his horse up to me and looked at me.
"We're going to charge them... to the last man." he announced. I looked from him to the hills and he followed my stare to see Grace standing there watching and hiding. His eyes widened and he looked with upmost relief. Many warriors were mounting their horses now and I grabbed the closest horse and got on ignoring the fiery pain in my stomach. Now was not the time to feel pain. Algren and I looked at each other, our eyes fierce and strong as we knew what must be done. My lord and Nobutada approached and looked from the hill to me. I knew my duties were to him and I would not abandon him. But suddenly distant shooting made us all look and we saw as some soldiers were firing at the trees and my eyes widened as I saw Grace's body disappear from sight. Four soldiers were running up to the hills. They had obviously saw her. Algren yelled and I felt fear strike me again knowing they were going after her.
"GRACE!" he shouted, and Lord Katsumoto looked at me with wild eyes.
"Kill them!" he demanded. He did not have to tell me twice as I yelled angrily and rode my horse to the hills with great speed, my sword out and ready to take a little more blood. The anger exploded in me again and any pain I felt disappeared from my body. I would not die until I knew she was safe!