The Untitled Past 5
Go Hen - Hyoumon Onna
The downpour was strong as I viewed it from my hut near the outskirts of the Hokage village. The dark sky brightened with every strike of lightning that came and broke the monotonous sound of fallling water when it's sister, Thunder arrives.
I really don't want to remember my life. For me, it seems like a heavy punishment bestowed for not doing anything at all. The seventeen years that have passed seem to be nothing but pain and sorrow.
My name is Mizuko. It may seem strange for a young woman like me to live in a flimsy hut away from the village. A regular woman of my age would be accepting suitors right now, and learning the ways of the female. But I was made to be different. The events of the past are always within my heart, causing me to distance myself from other people, to avenge the angry soul within me.
My mother died after giving birth to me. I was left under the care of my father and my older sister, Miyuki, seven years my senior. I remember her as always being sickly and frail, but I love her very deeply and I miss her now.
Our father died in war, defeding the village when I was three years of age. He left us the Ensnui the madougu which can control water. Our uncle, Eiji, took us in.
He was my father's younger brother, and like him, he was adept at using the Ensui. The first few years seemed fine, but when my young eyes slowly opened to see the world, I realized that things aren't all that happy and nice.
Every night I would hear moans from my Uncle Eiji's room. They sounded like Miyuki, crying for help, as if she were in great pain. I wanted to see what was going on but Uncle Eiji strictly told me that I should stay in my room every night.
In the morning, I would ask Miyuki. "Oneechan, what happened last night?"
Uncle Eiji would glare at Miyuki and she will just shake her head. This went on, and life became an everyday cycle. I would wake up, eat breakfast, take a bath, then play with Miyuki. I never played with the other kids, since I only wanted to be with my sister. I felt that I should protect her since she was so weak.
Then the sounds during night. The cycle went unbroken, except that Miyuki seemed to get weaker everyday.
Uncle Eiji started training me to use the Ensui at age seven. He said that female fighters would bring pride and honor to our family. He said that Miyuki should have been the one to inherit it, but she was too weak to become a warrior.
I quickly mastered it with barely any problems. It took me only four years to finish my training. Uncle Eiji would usually bring boys form the village and I defeated them all. He beamed with pride. On the sidelines, Miyuki's health continued to waver.
One night, I was sitting in my room, getting ready to sleep. I was lying on my futon, looking at the Ensui, and wondering how I could have possibly mastered it. Then, I heard the whimpers from my Uncle's room again.
I haven't noticed those whimpers for quite some time already, since I was too tired after every training session. Forgetting my Uncle's strict reminder to stay in my room at night, I silently crept through the halls.
As I got nearer, questions started to rise in my mind. They were answered when I finally arrived at the door.
My body froze. I could hear Miyuki's cries for help, and that she was in pain. All these years, Uncle Eiji and Miyuki hid secrets from me. I thought everything was fine, and Miyuki's disease was natural. But then, I realized that her situation was worsening because of the person I trusted to take care of the both of us.
It took me some time to recover from the shock, then anger took over. I took out the Ensui from my obi and I sliced the paper door open.
I could barely look at the scene that unfolded before me.
"Mizuko..." Eiji snarled.
There, Miyuki layed naked, and barely breathing.
"What's the meaning of this?!" I asked angrily. "Miyuki! What's this? Tell me!"
Of course I knew what was going on, but my anger merged with confusion. Why was Eiji doing this? Why didn't Miyuki tell me?
Eiji gave me a sly amile. "Well, Mizu-chan, what do do you think?"
I couldn't think straight. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"
I rushed towards him with the Ensui above my head. When I striked him, he held the water sword with the tip of his fingers. I tried to release the sword form his grip, but amazingly, he kept his hold without any difficulty.
"I was the one who taught you, Mizuko. Don't expect to defeat your master that easily."
"Let go of me, you fool!" I cried as I struggled to relase the sword, but before I knew it, he gave me a punch on the abdomen. I fell to the floor. Though conscious, I couldn't stand up with the pain his blow gave. The Ensui layed in front of me. If I could have reached it back then, the horrible events couldn't have happened.
"Mi-mizuko," Miyuki said weakly.
I tried my best to stand up, but all my efforts were futile. Uncle Eiji went back to Miyuki and continued the horrific activity. I wanted so much to stand up and stop him, but my body seemed to disobey me.
My eyes were filled with tears of terror as I watched. Ironically, I wanted to cover them, but at the same time, I couldn't just leave my sister. My heart screamed in anger.
Eiji saw me watching them. He laughed then walked towards me.
"You blasted brat," he said then stepped his foot over my back. I screamed in pain. He did that for several times, then raised me by grabbing the collar of my kimono, then gave several but painful blows on the face. Lastly, he gave me a punch on the abdomen, finally knocking me unconscious. As the light faded, I heard Miyuki scream my name.
When I awoke the next morning, rain was pouring down. My body was aching terribly and I could barely stand up. I looked around and realized that I was still in the same plce where Eiji knocked me the previous night. Miyuki was missing. Frantically, I called her name.
"Oneechan?" I asked, softly at first. "Oneechan? Miyuki? Miyuki-oneechan? Miyuki!" I finally shouted. I saw the Ensui lying on the floor and grabbed it, then I quickly ran out of the room and looked for her in the other parts of the house. The kitchen, the dining room, her room, an finally, in my room.
There she was, lying on my futon, with her body and clothes stained with blood. Of course he was unconscious.
I quickly ran towards her and nestled her head in my arms as I shook her awake.
"Oneechan! Oneechan!" I shouted. Tears fell again.
A teradrop fell to her cheek. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
My heart screamed with joy. She was alive. But it was only short-lived.
"Mi...zu...ko..." she said slowly. She raised her hand to my cheek and touched it gently. "B...be...care...ful...I'll always...watch over...you..."
"What are you talking about?" I asked frantically. "You'll live, come on!"
She smiled at me.
"Miyuki! Miyuki!"
But she wouldn't move anymore, nor speak. There her smile remained as if it was carved on a piece of stone. She slowly became cold. I reached for her pulse, and found nothing.
So cold...
I found a note beside where I found her body. It was written with blood. I opened it and read:
"Mizuko, you're the only one left. My vow is almost finished."
I tried to understand the meaning of the note. Obviously, it was from Eiji. I knew that it meant something about killing me, but I wasn't afraid. I didn't care wheter I should live or die. There was nothing left worth living for.
Except for vengeance. Ther was nothing else left.
I burned her body, then threw the ashes down the river. The other villagers sympathized with me, but not even the heaviest of tears could remove the pain in my heart. They all invited me to stay in their houses, but I refused, thinking that I could trust no one. With that, I alienated myself and lived in an abandoned hut outside the village, and planted a small garden for my food. People were quite amazed with that, but I was glad that they knew better to let me be and leave me alone.
Eiji disappeared. I vowed to kill him the moment I see him again.
The hut never provided warmth for me during the winter, but I love the cold. It gives me some kind of comfort that helps me go on with my life, along with the desire to avenge my beloved sister, Miyuki.
=====================
The rain continued to pour down. Thunder clapped. It sounded so near that it seemed to have hit something by the river where I threw Miyuki's ashes in. So much for the past. I decided that this would be the perfect time to visit her.
When I reached the river, I saw two bodies liying on the ground and a young male with black hair.
|Black hair...| I thought to myself. The person reminded me of Eiji. Suddenly the desire of vengeance inside me rose again. This person _is_ Eiji. There could be no mistake about it.
"Eiji!" I shouted at him.
He turned towards me, with a face of fear and shock. I was mistaken, it wasn't Eiji. But emotions took over common sense. Perhaps Eiji was already dead, but yet...
I rushed towards him as the water blade of the Ensui rose up. He remained there standing as if he saw a ghost.
I pierced the sword through his abdomen. Nothing happened.
"Eiji! You bastard!" I cursed as I pulled the sword out of him.
He looked at me with eyes of void. "Ku-kurei..."
Just then did I realize what I did. I let myself be carried away, that I stabbed the wrong person. Only the hairstyle was similar.
"Shit!" I cursed. His body fell to the ground, unconscious. Blood flowed out of it like a flood.
To my surprise, he stood up. I realized that he was Recca, the son of Ohka, the village leader. He looked so much like Eiji that I lost control of myself.
I decided to make up for it by bringing he and the two others back to the village.
|He couldn't have died with that,| I thought, then lifted his body. As for the two other bodies, I carried them, too. So much for charity...
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~
============================================================
Go Hen - Hyoumon Onna
The downpour was strong as I viewed it from my hut near the outskirts of the Hokage village. The dark sky brightened with every strike of lightning that came and broke the monotonous sound of fallling water when it's sister, Thunder arrives.
I really don't want to remember my life. For me, it seems like a heavy punishment bestowed for not doing anything at all. The seventeen years that have passed seem to be nothing but pain and sorrow.
My name is Mizuko. It may seem strange for a young woman like me to live in a flimsy hut away from the village. A regular woman of my age would be accepting suitors right now, and learning the ways of the female. But I was made to be different. The events of the past are always within my heart, causing me to distance myself from other people, to avenge the angry soul within me.
My mother died after giving birth to me. I was left under the care of my father and my older sister, Miyuki, seven years my senior. I remember her as always being sickly and frail, but I love her very deeply and I miss her now.
Our father died in war, defeding the village when I was three years of age. He left us the Ensnui the madougu which can control water. Our uncle, Eiji, took us in.
He was my father's younger brother, and like him, he was adept at using the Ensui. The first few years seemed fine, but when my young eyes slowly opened to see the world, I realized that things aren't all that happy and nice.
Every night I would hear moans from my Uncle Eiji's room. They sounded like Miyuki, crying for help, as if she were in great pain. I wanted to see what was going on but Uncle Eiji strictly told me that I should stay in my room every night.
In the morning, I would ask Miyuki. "Oneechan, what happened last night?"
Uncle Eiji would glare at Miyuki and she will just shake her head. This went on, and life became an everyday cycle. I would wake up, eat breakfast, take a bath, then play with Miyuki. I never played with the other kids, since I only wanted to be with my sister. I felt that I should protect her since she was so weak.
Then the sounds during night. The cycle went unbroken, except that Miyuki seemed to get weaker everyday.
Uncle Eiji started training me to use the Ensui at age seven. He said that female fighters would bring pride and honor to our family. He said that Miyuki should have been the one to inherit it, but she was too weak to become a warrior.
I quickly mastered it with barely any problems. It took me only four years to finish my training. Uncle Eiji would usually bring boys form the village and I defeated them all. He beamed with pride. On the sidelines, Miyuki's health continued to waver.
One night, I was sitting in my room, getting ready to sleep. I was lying on my futon, looking at the Ensui, and wondering how I could have possibly mastered it. Then, I heard the whimpers from my Uncle's room again.
I haven't noticed those whimpers for quite some time already, since I was too tired after every training session. Forgetting my Uncle's strict reminder to stay in my room at night, I silently crept through the halls.
As I got nearer, questions started to rise in my mind. They were answered when I finally arrived at the door.
My body froze. I could hear Miyuki's cries for help, and that she was in pain. All these years, Uncle Eiji and Miyuki hid secrets from me. I thought everything was fine, and Miyuki's disease was natural. But then, I realized that her situation was worsening because of the person I trusted to take care of the both of us.
It took me some time to recover from the shock, then anger took over. I took out the Ensui from my obi and I sliced the paper door open.
I could barely look at the scene that unfolded before me.
"Mizuko..." Eiji snarled.
There, Miyuki layed naked, and barely breathing.
"What's the meaning of this?!" I asked angrily. "Miyuki! What's this? Tell me!"
Of course I knew what was going on, but my anger merged with confusion. Why was Eiji doing this? Why didn't Miyuki tell me?
Eiji gave me a sly amile. "Well, Mizu-chan, what do do you think?"
I couldn't think straight. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"
I rushed towards him with the Ensui above my head. When I striked him, he held the water sword with the tip of his fingers. I tried to release the sword form his grip, but amazingly, he kept his hold without any difficulty.
"I was the one who taught you, Mizuko. Don't expect to defeat your master that easily."
"Let go of me, you fool!" I cried as I struggled to relase the sword, but before I knew it, he gave me a punch on the abdomen. I fell to the floor. Though conscious, I couldn't stand up with the pain his blow gave. The Ensui layed in front of me. If I could have reached it back then, the horrible events couldn't have happened.
"Mi-mizuko," Miyuki said weakly.
I tried my best to stand up, but all my efforts were futile. Uncle Eiji went back to Miyuki and continued the horrific activity. I wanted so much to stand up and stop him, but my body seemed to disobey me.
My eyes were filled with tears of terror as I watched. Ironically, I wanted to cover them, but at the same time, I couldn't just leave my sister. My heart screamed in anger.
Eiji saw me watching them. He laughed then walked towards me.
"You blasted brat," he said then stepped his foot over my back. I screamed in pain. He did that for several times, then raised me by grabbing the collar of my kimono, then gave several but painful blows on the face. Lastly, he gave me a punch on the abdomen, finally knocking me unconscious. As the light faded, I heard Miyuki scream my name.
When I awoke the next morning, rain was pouring down. My body was aching terribly and I could barely stand up. I looked around and realized that I was still in the same plce where Eiji knocked me the previous night. Miyuki was missing. Frantically, I called her name.
"Oneechan?" I asked, softly at first. "Oneechan? Miyuki? Miyuki-oneechan? Miyuki!" I finally shouted. I saw the Ensui lying on the floor and grabbed it, then I quickly ran out of the room and looked for her in the other parts of the house. The kitchen, the dining room, her room, an finally, in my room.
There she was, lying on my futon, with her body and clothes stained with blood. Of course he was unconscious.
I quickly ran towards her and nestled her head in my arms as I shook her awake.
"Oneechan! Oneechan!" I shouted. Tears fell again.
A teradrop fell to her cheek. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
My heart screamed with joy. She was alive. But it was only short-lived.
"Mi...zu...ko..." she said slowly. She raised her hand to my cheek and touched it gently. "B...be...care...ful...I'll always...watch over...you..."
"What are you talking about?" I asked frantically. "You'll live, come on!"
She smiled at me.
"Miyuki! Miyuki!"
But she wouldn't move anymore, nor speak. There her smile remained as if it was carved on a piece of stone. She slowly became cold. I reached for her pulse, and found nothing.
So cold...
I found a note beside where I found her body. It was written with blood. I opened it and read:
"Mizuko, you're the only one left. My vow is almost finished."
I tried to understand the meaning of the note. Obviously, it was from Eiji. I knew that it meant something about killing me, but I wasn't afraid. I didn't care wheter I should live or die. There was nothing left worth living for.
Except for vengeance. Ther was nothing else left.
I burned her body, then threw the ashes down the river. The other villagers sympathized with me, but not even the heaviest of tears could remove the pain in my heart. They all invited me to stay in their houses, but I refused, thinking that I could trust no one. With that, I alienated myself and lived in an abandoned hut outside the village, and planted a small garden for my food. People were quite amazed with that, but I was glad that they knew better to let me be and leave me alone.
Eiji disappeared. I vowed to kill him the moment I see him again.
The hut never provided warmth for me during the winter, but I love the cold. It gives me some kind of comfort that helps me go on with my life, along with the desire to avenge my beloved sister, Miyuki.
=====================
The rain continued to pour down. Thunder clapped. It sounded so near that it seemed to have hit something by the river where I threw Miyuki's ashes in. So much for the past. I decided that this would be the perfect time to visit her.
When I reached the river, I saw two bodies liying on the ground and a young male with black hair.
|Black hair...| I thought to myself. The person reminded me of Eiji. Suddenly the desire of vengeance inside me rose again. This person _is_ Eiji. There could be no mistake about it.
"Eiji!" I shouted at him.
He turned towards me, with a face of fear and shock. I was mistaken, it wasn't Eiji. But emotions took over common sense. Perhaps Eiji was already dead, but yet...
I rushed towards him as the water blade of the Ensui rose up. He remained there standing as if he saw a ghost.
I pierced the sword through his abdomen. Nothing happened.
"Eiji! You bastard!" I cursed as I pulled the sword out of him.
He looked at me with eyes of void. "Ku-kurei..."
Just then did I realize what I did. I let myself be carried away, that I stabbed the wrong person. Only the hairstyle was similar.
"Shit!" I cursed. His body fell to the ground, unconscious. Blood flowed out of it like a flood.
To my surprise, he stood up. I realized that he was Recca, the son of Ohka, the village leader. He looked so much like Eiji that I lost control of myself.
I decided to make up for it by bringing he and the two others back to the village.
|He couldn't have died with that,| I thought, then lifted his body. As for the two other bodies, I carried them, too. So much for charity...
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~
============================================================