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Self-Reunion - Lost Memories, Lost Identity
The Man Who Hides Behind a Mask
By TBOtaku
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Aoshi stumbled into a thorn bush and closed his eyes. The pain was nothing to him now. [Hannya…Beshimi…Hyottoko…Shikijou…] They were gone. All gone. Never coming back. Never.
[All because of ME!]
Aoshi let out a soul-wrenching cry…
[Agony!]
[Fury!]
It was too much. Aoshi wept bitterly, tears streaming out of his eyes only to be washed away by the rain that poured down on him. The rain that now flooded the nearby stream, the rain that pelted down onto the roof of the decrepit shrine facing the clearing where the broken man now lay, the rain that washed over the shallow graves of his friends.
[My selfishness…My foolishness!]
Lightning flashed, illuminating the ground, the trees, and revealing four mounds of earth.
The rain poured down.
~*~
[Pain!]
[Noise!]
[Surrounded!]
[Why can't I see? Something's on top of me! Everything hurts…hurts! Pain…]
A hand pushed up and strew earth over the ground. Gasping the cold mountain air, a hunched form looked up at the sky. Water splashed onto something onto stinging eyes, washed mud from torn clothing.
Rain…
Slowly, inch by inch, the figure clawed itself along the ground, no destination in mind, no coherent thoughts at all, just the need to keep moving. An instinct. Inch by inch by inch by inch-
The man's head fell forward onto wet leaves, clenched hands became relaxed. Sweet darkness staked its claim.
Yukiyo Takamura galloped along. Or rather her horse did. She silently cursed her luck. Coming back from the market, the storm had caught her only halfway to her village. She hoped the goods she had traded for hadn't been ruined. Slapping the reins, Yukiyo urged her horse faster, faster, faster-
Lightning flashed suddenly, bringing the scene into view. The young woman's horse reared, neighing in fright, forcing Yuki to clutch at the reigns and struggle to bring the horse under control. [Shit! The wagon's going to get knocked over if this stupid horse doesn't calm down!] In a daring move, she leaped from the back of her horse and fell onto the ground, rolling to reduce the force of her impact. She hit something soft with a smack. "Ow…" Rubbing the back of her head, Yukiyo turned to see what she was lying against-and nearly had a heart attack.
It was a body.
Yukiyo scrambled to her feet, quickly getting hold of herself. She rolled the figure over and gasped. A hideous leering face looked back at her blankly.
[It's a mask! But why would someone be all the way out here…?]
Yuki knelt down on one knee and pressed her ear against the man's chest. Her eyes widened in surprise.
[He's still breathing! Oh, kami-sama, I have to get him to a doctor! But how? My horse can't possibly carry two people; it's far too small! So then…?]
Another flash of lightning and the crackle of thunder solved her problem.
[Of course! The wagon!]
Grasping the wounded man's shoulders tightly, the young woman groaned with the effort as she slowly dragged the poor soul towards the large wooden wagon.
~~~
"…a miracle he's even alive! This man must be incredibly strong…"
"…found him near the shrine…all muddy…that mask!"
"…several bullet wounds…at least half a year before he'll be fully recovered…We were so lucky that Takata-sensei was visiting, or this young man would surely have died!"
The man opened his eyes slowly, waiting for his eyes to focus. He was lying on something soft. A futon. As he blinked drowsily, he noted his surroundings. Sunlight streamed into the residence from various windows, basking the room in gold. Birdsong drifted sweet and pure into his ears. He shifted his head to the right, to the source of the voices, and stared blankly at the two people kneeling by him, sipping tea.
"…Where…where am I…?" he managed to croak out.
Yukiyo started, then turned to him and smiled. "You're awake…good! You're at the Takamura estate, and lucky to be alive, I should say."
Yukiyo's father looked sharply at her. "Yukiyo! Mind your manners!"
The young woman blushed. "Ohayo gozaimasu. Takamura Yukiyo wa namae desu." She said humbly.
He stared at her. "Doozo yoroshiku…" he replied weakly. "Ano…Arigatou gozaimasu for helping me."
Takamura-san smiled warmly at the injured man. "Yare yare…what else could we have done? Certainly not leave you to die, ne? But you have not told us your name, good sir. May I be so bold as to ask it?"
The man did not reply.
"Young man?"
The young man slowly sat up, crying out in pain as he did so. He fell forward onto his palms and gasped as his entire body burned. Yukiyo hurried over to him, supporting him with her arms. He gratefully slumped into them.
The minutes passed, and the Takamuras waited worriedly.
Slowly, the man raised his eyes upward, his eyes gazing vacantly into space.
"My name…"
["What is my name…???"]
~~~
Okay...I would like to dedicate this fan fiction to all those girls(*sigh...* alright, guys too. ^_~V)who have always drooled(/wanted to know for you guys)while fantasizing about WHAT THE HECK IS UNDER HANNYA'S MASK. This is for you, peopo~~!!!! "O^_U V"
Thank you, thank you... -TBOtaku~~ (Yey!! And I promise I'll do fan art!! ))
Self-Reunion - Lost Memories, Lost Identity
The Man Who Hides Behind a Mask
By TBOtaku
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aoshi stumbled into a thorn bush and closed his eyes. The pain was nothing to him now. [Hannya…Beshimi…Hyottoko…Shikijou…] They were gone. All gone. Never coming back. Never.
[All because of ME!]
Aoshi let out a soul-wrenching cry…
[Agony!]
[Fury!]
It was too much. Aoshi wept bitterly, tears streaming out of his eyes only to be washed away by the rain that poured down on him. The rain that now flooded the nearby stream, the rain that pelted down onto the roof of the decrepit shrine facing the clearing where the broken man now lay, the rain that washed over the shallow graves of his friends.
[My selfishness…My foolishness!]
Lightning flashed, illuminating the ground, the trees, and revealing four mounds of earth.
The rain poured down.
~*~
[Pain!]
[Noise!]
[Surrounded!]
[Why can't I see? Something's on top of me! Everything hurts…hurts! Pain…]
A hand pushed up and strew earth over the ground. Gasping the cold mountain air, a hunched form looked up at the sky. Water splashed onto something onto stinging eyes, washed mud from torn clothing.
Rain…
Slowly, inch by inch, the figure clawed itself along the ground, no destination in mind, no coherent thoughts at all, just the need to keep moving. An instinct. Inch by inch by inch by inch-
The man's head fell forward onto wet leaves, clenched hands became relaxed. Sweet darkness staked its claim.
Yukiyo Takamura galloped along. Or rather her horse did. She silently cursed her luck. Coming back from the market, the storm had caught her only halfway to her village. She hoped the goods she had traded for hadn't been ruined. Slapping the reins, Yukiyo urged her horse faster, faster, faster-
Lightning flashed suddenly, bringing the scene into view. The young woman's horse reared, neighing in fright, forcing Yuki to clutch at the reigns and struggle to bring the horse under control. [Shit! The wagon's going to get knocked over if this stupid horse doesn't calm down!] In a daring move, she leaped from the back of her horse and fell onto the ground, rolling to reduce the force of her impact. She hit something soft with a smack. "Ow…" Rubbing the back of her head, Yukiyo turned to see what she was lying against-and nearly had a heart attack.
It was a body.
Yukiyo scrambled to her feet, quickly getting hold of herself. She rolled the figure over and gasped. A hideous leering face looked back at her blankly.
[It's a mask! But why would someone be all the way out here…?]
Yuki knelt down on one knee and pressed her ear against the man's chest. Her eyes widened in surprise.
[He's still breathing! Oh, kami-sama, I have to get him to a doctor! But how? My horse can't possibly carry two people; it's far too small! So then…?]
Another flash of lightning and the crackle of thunder solved her problem.
[Of course! The wagon!]
Grasping the wounded man's shoulders tightly, the young woman groaned with the effort as she slowly dragged the poor soul towards the large wooden wagon.
~~~
"…a miracle he's even alive! This man must be incredibly strong…"
"…found him near the shrine…all muddy…that mask!"
"…several bullet wounds…at least half a year before he'll be fully recovered…We were so lucky that Takata-sensei was visiting, or this young man would surely have died!"
The man opened his eyes slowly, waiting for his eyes to focus. He was lying on something soft. A futon. As he blinked drowsily, he noted his surroundings. Sunlight streamed into the residence from various windows, basking the room in gold. Birdsong drifted sweet and pure into his ears. He shifted his head to the right, to the source of the voices, and stared blankly at the two people kneeling by him, sipping tea.
"…Where…where am I…?" he managed to croak out.
Yukiyo started, then turned to him and smiled. "You're awake…good! You're at the Takamura estate, and lucky to be alive, I should say."
Yukiyo's father looked sharply at her. "Yukiyo! Mind your manners!"
The young woman blushed. "Ohayo gozaimasu. Takamura Yukiyo wa namae desu." She said humbly.
He stared at her. "Doozo yoroshiku…" he replied weakly. "Ano…Arigatou gozaimasu for helping me."
Takamura-san smiled warmly at the injured man. "Yare yare…what else could we have done? Certainly not leave you to die, ne? But you have not told us your name, good sir. May I be so bold as to ask it?"
The man did not reply.
"Young man?"
The young man slowly sat up, crying out in pain as he did so. He fell forward onto his palms and gasped as his entire body burned. Yukiyo hurried over to him, supporting him with her arms. He gratefully slumped into them.
The minutes passed, and the Takamuras waited worriedly.
Slowly, the man raised his eyes upward, his eyes gazing vacantly into space.
"My name…"
["What is my name…???"]
~~~
Okay...I would like to dedicate this fan fiction to all those girls(*sigh...* alright, guys too. ^_~V)who have always drooled(/wanted to know for you guys)while fantasizing about WHAT THE HECK IS UNDER HANNYA'S MASK. This is for you, peopo~~!!!! "O^_U V"
Thank you, thank you... -TBOtaku~~ (Yey!! And I promise I'll do fan art!! ))