The Untitled Past 6
Roku Hen - A Story Left Untold
Recca awoke. Everything seemed to rush in with a blur.
|Kurei|
He sat up from his futon and realized that he was back in his room. Pain came and he remembered that he had been stabbed by a woman after Raishin disappeared, thinking that he was some Eiji person.
But it wasn't the time to worry about her. He had to know the truth about Kurei. He struggled to stand up and go to his parents.
He found them in the dining room, talking with Kamiya.
"Jubei suddenly disappeared along with his son," he said worriedly.
Ohka nodded his head. He was worried about Recca. It could be possible...
"Otousama!" he heard his son's voice say.
"Recca!" his wife, Kagerou exclaimed. "You shouldn't be standing up yet." She rushed to Recca's side. "Here, I'll help you get abck to your room."
"NO!" Recca shouted.
"Let him be, Kagerou," Ohka said quietly. Come here and sit with us, Recca."
Recca walked towards the low table and sat cross-legged on the floor, although with difficulty. Kagerou quickly gave him a glass of o-cha.
They kept silent. Recca had so many questions in his mind that he didn't know which one to ask first.
"Suzume and Tetsu are fine."
"Huh?" Recca asked.
"The young woman who brought you here, Mizuko, told me what happened to _you_. She cut her wrist in front of us to show remorse for what she had done."
Recca nodded.
"Raishin and Jubei have disappeared," Kamiya added.
"We presume that you know something about what just happened Recca. Tetsu is still unconscious to say anything, while Suzume..."
Kamiya shook his head.
Ohka continued with his speech. "Suzume seems to be fine, physically, but lately she's been hiding in her room, trembling, and whispering Raishin's name. Tell me what you know, Recca."
Recca paused for a while then told everything he knew, but halted when Kurei was about to be mentioned.
"And Raishin, he said..." He stopped, then started to tremble.
"What did he tell you?" Ohka asked.
Recca narrowed his eyes.
"Recca, tell us," Kagerou pleaded gently.
"He said, that someone wishes me well before I die."
Ohka looked at Recca seriously. "Who is that someone? Did he tell you?"
He kept silent. For some reason, he was afraid to tell his parents about Kurei. Even at mentioning or thinking about his name, a shiver crept through Recca's spine.
"Damnit, Recca, tell us," Ohka said. His son looked afraid, and he didn't want that. He was sixteen years old, almost a man, yet he was showing a child, a scared and trembling child inside.
"Ku..."
"Kurei..."
Ohka closed his eyes. He knew that this time would come.
Recca started to shake. "Otousama, what does this mean? Tell me the truth!"
He leaned over the table and grabbed Ohka by the collar and shook him. "Otousama! What is it? What have you been hiding from me?! Speak up!" He continued to shake Ohka while recklessly destroying the utensils on the table.
"Otousama! Tell me the truth!"
Ohka gave Recca a hard punch on the face, which sent him flying accross the room. Kagerou quickly tried to help him back to his feet.
"Ohka, don't be harsh on him!" she said.
Recca pushed Kagerou's arm away and staggered to stand up on his own. He walked towards Ohka again. His father hit him on the face, repeating the previous event.
"Stay calm and listen!" Ohka ordered, almost angrily. Recca sat up from his positon with Kagerou assisting him in the process.
He cleared his throat. "Kurei is my son with a woman named Reina." Ohka began. "He is four yars older than you, and born with the flame, meaning that he is destined to become the next Hokage leader."
"Everything seemed fine but the Elder had his doubts. Anyhow, Kurei grew, with Reina instilling pride in him. Four years later, you were born."
"Everyone thought that you wouldn't be gifted with the flame, so Reina was still confident that Kurei would be the next one to lead Hokage. Your mother, on the other hand, was thrilled since you didn't have to carry such a heavy burden on you shoulders. But Reina souldn't be more contented with that. During your second night, she and Kurei came here with a gift of skulls, meaning death. But it's most probable that she just wants to express Kurei's superiority over you. "
Recca interrupted. "I already know that."
"Shut up and listen," Ohka reprimanded him, then continued. "During your seventh night, we discovered that you are also gifted with the flame, and two flame casters in one generation mean bad luck. We went to council to settle the matter."
"Unlike what you know, Kurei didn't die of a disease. We went on with the meeting. Reina said that you should be killed because your birth will give bad luck to the clan. The elders thought otherwise and that having a second flame caster means that the first one wasn't good enough."
"Kurei...was to be killed?"
Ohka nodded. "Your mother and I pleaded that he shouldn't be killed. He was also my son, I couldn't let him die, either. S the council decided on just exiling Reina and Kurei to the outskirts of the village."
"Kurei received mockery since then, and Reina's health condiditon started to waver. A year passed and one night, Kurei came here, and stabbed you on your cheek which went through the mouth in an attempt to kill you."
Ohka saw the terror and confusion on his son's face, but decided to continue.
"Kurei went to jail, and Reina died three years later. But taht doen't finish the story. Do you remember the attack of the Oni Clan when you were seven years old?"
Recca nodded. That was the war wherein Tetsu's father died.
"Kurei somehow escaped jail, and we had never heard of him ever since."
All four of them kept silent, but Kagerou broke it a few momets later.
"Recca, we're sorry to have hid all of this from you. "We thought that it's better for you to know about all of this when it's time for you to take leadership," she explained.
Recca sat there, staring into space. Confused, he raised his hand shakily to his cheek, and felt the rough contours of the scar embedded on it. There were no questions anymore, yet, he was still unsure.
"It's possible that Raishin and Jubei joined with Kurei long before and planned to betray us right form the start," Kamiya said disappointedly. "I always thought I could trust that man. Why did he do this?"
The door suddenly opened. It was Koujiro, one of the messengers.
"For the ears of Ohka-sama and Kamiya-sama only."
Ohka nodded and looked at Kagerou to take herself and Recca out of the room. Recca obeyed. He felt too weak and confused to object.
Kagerou helped him lie down on his futon. "Just rest there, Recca. Everything will be just fine."
He fell asleep and woke up the next day. He went outside and was surprised to see his father preparing the fighters.
"Otousama, what happened?" Recca asked.
"We're going to war, Recca," he said firmly.
Recca thought that it was one shock after another, but he didn't know that this one was a blessing in disguise.
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~
Roku Hen - A Story Left Untold
Recca awoke. Everything seemed to rush in with a blur.
|Kurei|
He sat up from his futon and realized that he was back in his room. Pain came and he remembered that he had been stabbed by a woman after Raishin disappeared, thinking that he was some Eiji person.
But it wasn't the time to worry about her. He had to know the truth about Kurei. He struggled to stand up and go to his parents.
He found them in the dining room, talking with Kamiya.
"Jubei suddenly disappeared along with his son," he said worriedly.
Ohka nodded his head. He was worried about Recca. It could be possible...
"Otousama!" he heard his son's voice say.
"Recca!" his wife, Kagerou exclaimed. "You shouldn't be standing up yet." She rushed to Recca's side. "Here, I'll help you get abck to your room."
"NO!" Recca shouted.
"Let him be, Kagerou," Ohka said quietly. Come here and sit with us, Recca."
Recca walked towards the low table and sat cross-legged on the floor, although with difficulty. Kagerou quickly gave him a glass of o-cha.
They kept silent. Recca had so many questions in his mind that he didn't know which one to ask first.
"Suzume and Tetsu are fine."
"Huh?" Recca asked.
"The young woman who brought you here, Mizuko, told me what happened to _you_. She cut her wrist in front of us to show remorse for what she had done."
Recca nodded.
"Raishin and Jubei have disappeared," Kamiya added.
"We presume that you know something about what just happened Recca. Tetsu is still unconscious to say anything, while Suzume..."
Kamiya shook his head.
Ohka continued with his speech. "Suzume seems to be fine, physically, but lately she's been hiding in her room, trembling, and whispering Raishin's name. Tell me what you know, Recca."
Recca paused for a while then told everything he knew, but halted when Kurei was about to be mentioned.
"And Raishin, he said..." He stopped, then started to tremble.
"What did he tell you?" Ohka asked.
Recca narrowed his eyes.
"Recca, tell us," Kagerou pleaded gently.
"He said, that someone wishes me well before I die."
Ohka looked at Recca seriously. "Who is that someone? Did he tell you?"
He kept silent. For some reason, he was afraid to tell his parents about Kurei. Even at mentioning or thinking about his name, a shiver crept through Recca's spine.
"Damnit, Recca, tell us," Ohka said. His son looked afraid, and he didn't want that. He was sixteen years old, almost a man, yet he was showing a child, a scared and trembling child inside.
"Ku..."
"Kurei..."
Ohka closed his eyes. He knew that this time would come.
Recca started to shake. "Otousama, what does this mean? Tell me the truth!"
He leaned over the table and grabbed Ohka by the collar and shook him. "Otousama! What is it? What have you been hiding from me?! Speak up!" He continued to shake Ohka while recklessly destroying the utensils on the table.
"Otousama! Tell me the truth!"
Ohka gave Recca a hard punch on the face, which sent him flying accross the room. Kagerou quickly tried to help him back to his feet.
"Ohka, don't be harsh on him!" she said.
Recca pushed Kagerou's arm away and staggered to stand up on his own. He walked towards Ohka again. His father hit him on the face, repeating the previous event.
"Stay calm and listen!" Ohka ordered, almost angrily. Recca sat up from his positon with Kagerou assisting him in the process.
He cleared his throat. "Kurei is my son with a woman named Reina." Ohka began. "He is four yars older than you, and born with the flame, meaning that he is destined to become the next Hokage leader."
"Everything seemed fine but the Elder had his doubts. Anyhow, Kurei grew, with Reina instilling pride in him. Four years later, you were born."
"Everyone thought that you wouldn't be gifted with the flame, so Reina was still confident that Kurei would be the next one to lead Hokage. Your mother, on the other hand, was thrilled since you didn't have to carry such a heavy burden on you shoulders. But Reina souldn't be more contented with that. During your second night, she and Kurei came here with a gift of skulls, meaning death. But it's most probable that she just wants to express Kurei's superiority over you. "
Recca interrupted. "I already know that."
"Shut up and listen," Ohka reprimanded him, then continued. "During your seventh night, we discovered that you are also gifted with the flame, and two flame casters in one generation mean bad luck. We went to council to settle the matter."
"Unlike what you know, Kurei didn't die of a disease. We went on with the meeting. Reina said that you should be killed because your birth will give bad luck to the clan. The elders thought otherwise and that having a second flame caster means that the first one wasn't good enough."
"Kurei...was to be killed?"
Ohka nodded. "Your mother and I pleaded that he shouldn't be killed. He was also my son, I couldn't let him die, either. S the council decided on just exiling Reina and Kurei to the outskirts of the village."
"Kurei received mockery since then, and Reina's health condiditon started to waver. A year passed and one night, Kurei came here, and stabbed you on your cheek which went through the mouth in an attempt to kill you."
Ohka saw the terror and confusion on his son's face, but decided to continue.
"Kurei went to jail, and Reina died three years later. But taht doen't finish the story. Do you remember the attack of the Oni Clan when you were seven years old?"
Recca nodded. That was the war wherein Tetsu's father died.
"Kurei somehow escaped jail, and we had never heard of him ever since."
All four of them kept silent, but Kagerou broke it a few momets later.
"Recca, we're sorry to have hid all of this from you. "We thought that it's better for you to know about all of this when it's time for you to take leadership," she explained.
Recca sat there, staring into space. Confused, he raised his hand shakily to his cheek, and felt the rough contours of the scar embedded on it. There were no questions anymore, yet, he was still unsure.
"It's possible that Raishin and Jubei joined with Kurei long before and planned to betray us right form the start," Kamiya said disappointedly. "I always thought I could trust that man. Why did he do this?"
The door suddenly opened. It was Koujiro, one of the messengers.
"For the ears of Ohka-sama and Kamiya-sama only."
Ohka nodded and looked at Kagerou to take herself and Recca out of the room. Recca obeyed. He felt too weak and confused to object.
Kagerou helped him lie down on his futon. "Just rest there, Recca. Everything will be just fine."
He fell asleep and woke up the next day. He went outside and was surprised to see his father preparing the fighters.
"Otousama, what happened?" Recca asked.
"We're going to war, Recca," he said firmly.
Recca thought that it was one shock after another, but he didn't know that this one was a blessing in disguise.
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~