A Reluctant Warrior
* * *
* *
* * *
* *
Takao had been up
all night reading the strange book that had abducted his daughter. His eyes
ached from reading in the attic's dim light. Finally, around midnight, he moved
into the kitchen downstairs, where the light was brighter. Before reading
again, he began boiling a pot of water to make the strongest tea he could. He
needed the caffeine. There was no way he was going to let himself sleep while
Suzuno was still inside the book.
With the water
heating on the stove, he sat down at the kitchen table and opened the book.
The next day, the Priestess of Byakko set
out with her Warriors, Toroki and Karasuki, to find the third Warrior of
Byakko, Tatara. Little did they know that danger lay on the road ahead...
* * *
* *
"These are
the best horses in Sairo." Jianna said. "With these, you should reach
Konan in a few days."
"Are you
sure you're ready to travel again?" Toroki asked.
Suzuno sighed and
gave him an exasperated smile. "I keep telling you; yes!" She
appreciated Toroki's concern but there were too many reasons why she had to
summon Byakko as soon as possible. She couldn't let a hurt ankle slow her down.
"Besides, we'll be riding anyway." She added.
"If you say
so." Toroki relented, climbing up into his own saddle. "Let's get
going."
"We're going
to take a slightly longer path." Karasuki said. "It's a less traveled
road so we won't be as likely to run into any trouble." He reached over
and handed Toroki a small sword. "You know how to use one of these?"
"Uh,
yeah." Toroki replied, attaching the sword to his saddle. "I get the
basic concept. Where's yours?"
"Don't need
one." Karasuki replied with a smile. "I'm not really that good with
them either."
"Good luck,
Priestess." Jianna said. "We will all be praying for you."
* * *
* *
"Are you
sure this is a good idea, Your Highness?" Her chief advisor asked as the
three figures disappeared into the distance.
Jianna sighed.
"It's a little late to be having a better idea now Liu." She said.
"Please
Highness, I meant no disrespect." The older man said. "But a farm boy
and a librarian hardly seem adequate to protect the Priestess of Byakko. Especially
when so many of our hopes rest on her shoulders."
"They are
Warriors of Byakko. He will protect them." Jianna replied. "Or have
you no faith in Him either?"
"I'm not
sure I understand the implication you are making, Highness."
Jianna sneered at
that. "I'm not so young and unfit a ruler that I don't know what is said
about me while my back is turned, Liu."
"I'm sure I
don't know what you mean, Highness." He feigned ignorance. "I would
never question your abilities..."
"Good."
Jianna cut him off. "Because while your own thoughts about who should be
in power and how they should wield it is your own business; the fact remains
that I am in power. And as long as I
am, I will rule in whatever way I feel is best." She turned and stormed
back into the palace, leaving her advisor alone in the courtyard.
"And you
will drag us all down with you." He muttered before following his Empress
into the palace.
* * *
* *
The dirt road was
just barely wide enough for the three of them to travel side by side. Suzuno
rode in the center, with Toroki and Karasuki on either side. There weren't
supposed to be any Kutou soldiers along this route, but her Warriors weren't
taking any chances. They road all day without incident. When night began to
fall, they made camp by a small lake, ate a light supper, and went to sleep.
A sudden noise
woke Suzuno in the middle of the night. She sat up, alarmed, and glanced around
for the source of the noise. She relaxed when she heard it again. One of the
logs in their fire, now little more than a patch of embers, had snapped. She
was about to go back to sleep when she noticed someone sitting on a large log
by the fire. She immediately recognized Karasuki; not from his face, in the dim
light it was impossible to see that much detail, but from the orange light
reflecting off of his glasses.
"Karasuki?"
She asked.
Karasuki jumped
slightly, startled. "Oh, Suzuno." He said. "Did I wake you
up?"
"No. It was
just the fire." She replied. "What are you doing?"
"Just keeping
watch." Karasuki said.
"Mind if I
join you?"
"Go
ahead." He smiled, sliding over to give her space on the log to sit down.
"So...."
Suzuno searched for something to say. "Where do you think we should start
looking for Tatara?" She finally asked. "Once we reach Konan, I
mean."
Karasuki sighed.
"I don't know." He admitted. "The Scroll isn't very specific
about where in the southern kingdom
we'll find him. And Konan is a really big place. Even bigger than Sairo."
He grinned sheepishly. "Actually, I'm sort of looking forward to spending
a few days there."
"Really?"
"Well, I'm
kind of a curious guy." Karasuki explained. "I've always wanted to
travel the world and see new things. But the only places I've ever been allowed
to go are in Sairo. I've always just used reading as a substitute for the real
thing. I think I've spent most of my life in the archives at the Palace, just
reading. Anything I could get my hands on."
Suzuno laughed
softly. "A man after my own heart." She said.
"What do you
mean?" Karasuki asked.
"I've always
been into books and libraries and things like that." She said. "My
friend..." Her voice caught slightly. "Takiko...well she used to say
that the only way she could spot me in a crowd was to look for a book instead
of a face." She looked down, frowning. "That's...actually what got me
into all of this. I was just looking for something to read and...I really picked the wrong book."
Karasuki seemed
to frown at that.
"Oh, I'm
sorry." Suzuno said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. This world
is beautiful. It's just..." She trailed off, pushing back tears.
"I
know." Karasuki said sympathetically. "You miss your home. I know how
you must feel. You see; when I was young, much younger than you are now, I had
to leave my home and live in, for all intents and purposes, a different world.
So...I know how you feel." He smiled. "And don't worry. I promise
I'll help you get back to your home."
"Thank you
Karasuki."
He smiled.
"You should go back to sleep now." He said gently. "We're riding
all day tomorrow."
* * *
* *
"When you
said 'all day' I didn't think you meant like this." Suzuno said, trying
desperately not to fall asleep, as that would involve tumbling off of her horse
and probably injuring herself again.
"Yeah."
Toroki said around a yawn. "It's not day until the roosters start crowing.
Don't you know that?"
"You've been
on that farm too long, Toroki." Karasuki said cheerfully. "The day
begins at sunrise." He pointed the brilliant red orb climbing steadily up
the horizon. "As you can see; clearly daytime."
"Fine."
Toroki relented. "But tomorrow 'morning' you get to wake up Suzuno." He added, rubbing the small bruise
on his cheek.
"I said I
was sorry about that." Suzuno said. "I'm not a morning person."
Even as she said it, Suzuno realized what a complete understatement she was
making. Her need for what her father jokingly referred to as 'beauty sleep' was
perhaps her greatest vice, even more so than her addiction to the printed page.
To put it another way, the small alarm clock next to her bed back home was
probably the single most abused piece of clockwork in the entire world.
The only time
when Suzuno ever tended toward violence occurred within the few minutes directly
after she woke up in the morning; as poor Toroki had learned the hard way.
"Anyway, we
should reach Konan by the end of the day." Karasuki said. "You'll
probably sleep better in a real bed." There was a note of hopefulness in
his voice. Clearly he was not looking forward to the next morning.
Suzuno was about
to say something in her own defense when they suddenly came to the edge of the
woods and saw a wide, fast river blocking their path. A narrow bridge spanned
the river. On the bridge, a lone man waited for them.
"Damn."
Toroki whispered, letting his hand drift slowly toward his sword.
"Get that
hand back where I can see it!" A voice behind them said harshly. Toroki
swore again under his breath and quickly moved his hand back to his horse's reins.
"What's
going on?" Suzuno asked.
"Bandits."
Karasuki whispered back.
"Stay
between us, Suzuno." Toroki said.
"What is
this?" Karasuki yelled at the bandit on the bridge. "Some kind of
private bridge?"
"Not
exactly." The thin man replied. "This here's a toll bridge. If ya
wanna cross, you'd better have some money on 'ya."
"Hey
Chang!" The bandit behind them called to his partner on the bridge.
"Take a look at this girl!"
The man named
Chang seemed to study Suzuno for a moment. He whistled softly. "Looks like
today's our lucky day." He said, grinning. "Never mind the money.
We'll just take that girl off your hands. How's that sound?"
"Like hell
you will!" Toroki yelled.
"Calm down,
Toroki." Karasuki said softly. "If you want her that badly, then come
get her."
"Karasuki?
What are you doing?" Suzuno asked.
Don't
worry. Karasuki's voice echoed in her mind. Just play along. When I tell you,
hit the ground. You get all that Toroki? In the corner of her eye,
Suzuno saw Toroki nod.
"Get down
off that horse!" The lead bandit ordered her. She looked at Karasuki. He
nodded.
* * *
* *
Reluctantly, the Priestess climbed down to
the ground and stood before the bandit. The other bandit came around from
behind them and stood next to his partner.
Takao sat hunched over the book,
reading each new word as soon as it became visible. He gripped the edges of the
book tightly and strained his eyes, as if doing so would somehow make the words
appear more quickly.
Standing there, the Priestess felt fear
creep into her. All she could do now was trust in Karasuki and wait for his
signal.
* * *
* *
I sure hope you know what you're doing,
Karasuki. Toroki thought.
Have
some faith.
Karasuki gave the
bandits a placating smile and pointed to the bandage around Suzuno's ankle.
"As you can
see, the lady is injured." He said. "She's in no condition to walk,
I'm afraid. One of you will have to help her."
The lead bandit
nodded at his partner. "Go get her." He said.
* * *
* *
The other bandit
began advancing toward Suzuno. She had to fight the urge to turn and run. Her
only chance was to trust Karasuki. Before she knew it, the big man was right in
front of her, reaching out to grab her.
NOW!!!!!
Suzuno didn't
have time to think, so she acted instead. She threw herself to the ground and
the bandit's hands closed on empty space. An instant later she felt something
pass quickly over her head. The bandit gasped as if he had been kicked in the
stomach. Suzuno looked up just in time to see him fly through the air, past his
bewildered partner, and splash down into the river.
Before the other
bandit could react, he too was thrown through the air. Luckily for him, a large
tree blocked his path to the river.
Suzuno heard
someone moving behind her. In the blink of an eye, Toroki was off his horse,
standing over the bandit with his sword drawn. He leaned over and poked the man
in the stomach with the tip of the sword, just hard enough to wake him up.
"Go.
Away." Toroki growled.
The bandit nodded
and ran away as fast as he could, throwing a backward glance at Toroki every
few paces, as if he expected the younger man to give chase.
Toroki sighed
walked over to Suzuno. He smiled and helped her to her feet.
"That was a
pretty neat trick, Karasuki." He said.
"I told you
I didn't need a sword." The older man replied.
"Wait a
minute." Suzuno said. "You
did that?"
Karasuki smiled.
"Well mind reading only takes you so far in this world."
"Impressive."
A third voice called out from behind them. "Telepathy, Psychic Attacks.
These are the powers of Karasuki of the Byakko Seven, correct?"
They turned to
see a tall, thin man dressed in black. He wore a long cape whose collar covered
his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Toroki
immediately stepped in front of Suzuno, drawing his sword. Karasuki also leaped
off of his horse and stood between the man and Suzuno.
"Oh
please." The man in black sneered. "If I'd been sent here to kill
your precious Priestess, she'd already be dead. And you're only fooling
yourself if you think that sword of yours could stop me, boy."
"Come here
and find out!" Toroki yelled.
"You'd like
that, wouldn't you? A chance to show the Priestess how big and strong you
are." He laughed. "I suppose you think you're pretty heroic. But
remember this, boy; heroes often die young."
And then he was
gone. He didn't turn and walk away, or fade into the shadows of the forest. He
was simply there one instant and gone the next.
"Damn."
Karasuki muttered. "I thought we'd get a little further before they caught
on to us."
"Who was
that?" Suzuno asked.
"Kutou
assassin." Toroki said bitterly. "Sadistic bastards. All of
them."
"Hey, watch
the farmhand language." Karasuki said, smiling. "There's a lady
present."
"You can
call a rat by a nicer name but it'll still be a rat so you might as well call
it what it is." Toroki replied. "The same principal applies
here."
"You sure
you aren't just mad because he called you 'boy'?" Karasuki asked.
"What the
hell's the matter with you?" Toroki asked furiously. "Would you please take this seriously? There are
assassins after Suzuno! Doesn't that disturb you?"
"Of course
it does." Karasuki replied. "But you saw that guy. We wouldn't stand
a chance, and you know it. The best thing we can do for Suzuno is find the
other five Warriors as soon as we can. And that means moving on and finding
Tatara, not standing here worrying about things we can't control."
"Karasuki's
right."
Toroki and
Karasuki turned to look at Suzuno, as if they had forgotten she was even there.
She smiled, trying to look brave. "If they're sending assassins, then we
must be on the right track." She said. "All we have to do is find the
others and then Byakko will take care of Kutou for us, right?"
Karasuki nodded.
"All right
then!" Suzuno said. "Let's go find Tatara!"
* * *
* *
Two hours later,
Suzuno and Toroki sat at a small table in the far corner of a dimly lit tavern.
"Alright."
Karasuki said, approaching them from across the room. "The owner says
there's some kind of strange hermit living out past the edge of town."
"...I mean
where does he get off calling me that?" Toroki asked Suzuno, who had spent
the past few minutes nodding in what she hoped was a sympathetic way. "You
know; where I come from, I've been a man for years. Guys my age are usually
married by now."
"Hey, did
you hear me?" Karasuki asked as he sat down. "I think we should go
see this guy."
"You think
this hermit is Tatara?" Suzuno asked.
"Well rumor
has it that he's made crops grow in the middle of winter. I think that alone
makes it worth looking into."
"Well let's
go."
* * *
* *
The house, if you
could call it that, was little more than an assortment of stones that were
somehow precariously stacked upon one another to form four walls. Hundreds of
thin vines crept up the walls, weaving in and out between the stones. They
twisted and held each other at the top, forming a tightly woven canopy of green
that served as the shack's roof.
"This must
be the place." Karasuki said as they approached the tiny dwelling.
They hesitated at
the open doorway. The house was too dark for them to see into it.
"Should we
knock?" Suzuno asked.
"On
what?" Toroki replied. "If we touch any of these rocks, the whole
place might cave in."
"Hello?"
Suzuno called into the darkness. "Is anyone home?"
"Who's
there?" A man's voice answered. "I'm around back." He added a
second later.
They rounded the
house and saw a figure crouching in a small patch of vegetables, his back to
them. He seemed to be pulling weeds out of the ground.
"Um...hello?"
Suzuno asked again.
The man stood up,
brushed the dirt off his knees and turned to face them. Standing, he was a few
inches taller than Suzuno. His long, brown hair covered the left side of his
face almost completely. The visible parts of his face, however, were simply
stunning. His face, though not exactly delicate, certainly didn't bear the
rough features one expected to see on a hermit living in the wilderness.
"Hello."
The man said, favoring them with a smile. "Can I help you?"
"Uh...I...uh...we
were..." Suzuno stammered. "Do you have any strange markings on your
body?" She finally blurted out.
"That's
rather a personal question, isn't it?" The gardener asked.
"Perhaps I
can explain." Karasuki said, stepping forward. He gestured to Suzuno.
"This girl is the Priestess of Byakko. Toroki."
Toroki stepped forward
and rolled up his sleeve to reveal the mark on his wrist. Karasuki unbuttoned
his own shirt and slid it halfway down his shoulders. For the first time,
Suzuno got a look at Karasuki's symbol. The "Investigator" Kanji
glowed brilliant white directly between his shoulder blades. Karasuki turned
around so the man could see his mark.
"I get
it." The gardener said. "I can live out here and make things grow, so
I must be a Warrior of Byakko, right?"
"You
mean...?" Suzuno asked.
The handsome man
shook his head sympathetically. "I'm just a normal farmer. I'm sorry you
came all this way for nothing."
* * *
* *
Long after the
Priestess and her Warriors had disappeared from sight, Kasaru stood alone in
his small garden. Slowly, he removed the glove on his right hand and turned it
over. The symbol was there, dull gray, just as it had been all his life. But
Kasaru was willing to bet that, had he looked a minute or two earlier, the mark
would have glowed white, just as the others' had.
That symbol is a Divine Gift. It means that
you are special, that one day you will defend the Priestess of Byakko. When she
appears to you, you must do everything in your power to keep her from harm. You
exist to protect her.
"Damn
it." He muttered. Without a backward glance, he set off into the woods
after his visitors.
* * *
* *
"I don't get
it. That guy must be Tatara."
"Why would
he lie?" Toroki asked.
"I don't
know." Karasuki replied. "But who else could build a house like that?
You saw those vines. They were holding the place up."
They had stopped
by the river to rest. Suzuno wasn't sure whether she agreed with Karasuki or
Toroki. The man did seem very anxious
to get rid of them once they mentioned Byakko. But why would a Celestial
Warrior lie and pretend he wasn't one?
Since she
couldn't decide which side of the argument she was on, she decided to stay out
of it. She sat down on the bank and stared at the water.
A minute or two later,
she heard Toroki and Karasuki getting ready to move out again. She stood and
headed back to where they were, but she barely made it three steps before
something snagged her foot.
She cried out and
fell forward. An instant later, she felt a something strong pulling her back
toward the river. She turned and saw a huge head sticking out of the water.
Suzuno's first
thought was that a huge frog had grabbed her. The tongue wrapped around her leg
certainly looked like a frog's. But the head attached to the tongue was not
that of a frog. The creature had an elongated snout, like a crocodile, and
huge, serrated teeth. Its eyes were bloodshot and had a wild look to them. This
was no animal. She was staring at a monster.
Suzuno wanted to
scream, but her throat was paralyzed by the sight of the impossible beast. She
couldn't make a sound. Slowly, the monster drew its huge tongue in, pulling her
toward its gaping maw.
Help! HELP!! She tried to scream, but the best she could manage was a
strangled whisper. It was no good. She was going to die. Suzuno squeezed her
eyes shut and waited to feel the monster's jaws close around her.
Suddenly, a
deafening *CRACK* rang out. Suzuno recognized the sound. Someone had just
cracked a whip. There was another *CRACK* and the pressure on her leg released.
Suzuno opened her eyes and saw the strangest sight yet. The frog-monster was
being held at bay by a vine.
The thin green
vine waved back and forth in front of the monster. Suddenly it jerked like a
whip being snapped, though no hand held it. Once again, a deafening *CRACK*
echoed across the river.
The monster
reared back from the snapping vine, retreating to the river. But it found no
safety there. As it backed away, a dozen more vines rose from the water and
began wrapping themselves around its body. The creature tried to shake free but
the vines held it fast and dragged it deeper and deeper into the river. Within
seconds, the monster had vanished completely. As soon as the threat was gone,
Suzuno found her voice and screamed.
"Are you
injured Priestess?"
Suzuno fell
silent and turned to face the speaker. It was the gardener.
"You?"
Was all she could say.
"SUZUNO!"
Toroki and Karasuki burst out of the woods. Toroki had his sword drawn and
Karasuki seemed ready to unleash one of his psychic attacks at a moment's
notice.
"Suzuno, are
you alright?" Toroki asked. He suddenly realized they were not alone and,
putting two and two together, came to the wrong conclusion. "You!" He
yelled. "What did you do to her?"
"I saved
her." The gardener said calmly. "Your Priestess was about to be eaten
by a monster."
"What
monster?" Toroki demanded. "I don't see any monsters around
here!"
"Well it's drowning
on the bottom of the river right now if you want to go take a look."
"And leave
you alone with her again? Not likely!"
"Stop it
Toroki!" Suzuno demanded. "It's the truth. There was a monster
and...he saved me."
"Who are
you?" Karasuki asked.
"Exactly who
you thought I was." The handsome man held up his right hand. On the back
of his hand, radiating brilliant white light was the "Lasso" Kanji.
"Tatara."
Karasuki said. "Why did you lie before?"
"I had my
reasons." Tatara said.
"You want to
explain your 'reasons'?" Toroki demanded.
"No."
Tatara said. He turned to Suzuno, leaving Toroki fuming. "Priestess. I
apologize for deceiving you. And I pledge my life to you. Will you accept my
service?"
* * *
* *
The man named Tatara stood before the
Priestess of Byakko and pledged his undying service to her.
Three
down, four to go. Takao thought. Each new warrior brought Suzuno one step
closer to home. But one thought kept nagging at him. What then? What if the
same thing happened to Suzuno that had happened to Takiko? Was there any way he
could save her? What he really needed was a chance to look through Einosuke's
notes, but he dared not tear his eyes from the Book, even for a minute.
He needed a
partner. Someone to read for him; to keep an eye on Suzuno while he examined
his friend's notes. But whom could he trust? Who would even believe him?
* * *
* *
To Be Continued...
* * *
* *
