Hello everyone! How're you all? Well, here Misty comes back with the second as well as the last *Sobs* chapter of AROB. I hope you all will like it...and feel free to do anything when you get the surprise in the end *Sighs*
Bunches of thanks to shinubowrites, kaihil fanfiction, Black Eilla, Sohana Sarkar and ananyamishra1505 for reviewing the last chapter. Also, special thanks to shinobuwrites, Black Eilla and kaihil fanfiction for following the story. Your supports are more than enough to continue and complete this fic for me, specially when the site has become so dead :(. Thank you all, once again! :)
So...let's go!
The head canopy of the campsite was quite enormous in size, made of pure white cotton fabric where square-shaped loopholes were created for proper ventilation. In front of them, the short, white curtains made of net were drawn aside and bound in golden brackets. The sunshine was seeping inside through them since their reflections were twirling on the walls of the awning due to the gentle rhythm of the morning breeze outside. On the ground, a vast silver velvet runner was laid with golden linings around it. Bows and arrows, longswords and shields were attached to the four barriers of the tent, perfectly carrying the identity of the camp and its actual goal. Scimitars, javelins, axes, and Katana were arranged nicely in different shelves along with the armors of the Japanese warriors.
Nevertheless, the warriors present there weren't seen discussing the strategies or practicing. Instead, two of them were facing each other in a mind-wracking chess duel, sitting on two bamboo chairs and keeping the ligneous chessboard at the center of the round, three-legged table. Nearly twenty-five honey maple and ebony pieces were scruffily scattered on the 64 squares of the board, other seven were placed outside on the table cloth as they had already been eliminated. Five of them belonged to the darker shade. Eyeing them once with satisfaction, the brunette slid her rook right for four squares, removing the most precious piece of her opponent from the court and adding it to her collection as her sixth prey in that round.
"Here it goes!" However, the elder blunette smirked, letting his rook cross the whole C lane, eliminating her castle and blocking all the ways for her king with other pieces of him, "Checkmate, lady Hiromi!"
Flabbergasted, the chocolate-haired woman blinked once and leaned forward to have a glance all over the atmosphere created around her king on the checkerboard. Chuckling, Hitoshi Kinomiya propped his back comfortably against his seat, "No way, Hiromi. All the streets and lanes are being guarded by my men. Or say, the queen was so indulged to destroy everyone whoever would put her eyes at her king that she didn't notice the real danger of the king."
"Defeat accepted." Hiromi stood up, shrugging.
At this sentence from her, both the elder blunette and the younger who was restlessly treading inside the tent from this corner to that and waiting for the game to end as soon as possible, gawked as if they had been failing to believe. Hiromi Tachibana always was a cunning and alert player, be it on the battleground or on the chessboard. Not only were her defeats very rare, but also, she could never accept it easily. Why was she so indifferent today? However, not paying any attention to their staggered looks, Hiromi headed to the shelves and picked up a Katana so that she could check its keenness.
"Hiromi, what happened to you?" The navy-haired guy approached her, "Till yesterday, you were so pissed off at our last defeat against the Russians. You wanted to teach them such a lesson that they would never forget it for an entire lifetime. You wanted to bathe in their blood, you wanted to turn their blood into your nail-paint and tattoos. You were eager to crush their bones underneath your feet and bury them at least six feet under the ground. But you have started accepting defeat?"
"Come on, little bro," Hitoshi patted his head, "If a human being is dead, he rots. If he is alive, he changes. Knowingly or unknowingly, he changes."
"Takao," Hiromi didn't remove her eyes from the blade, "Who can speak about the future which is never seen and known? In the life of a person, two different moments can never be the same. Sometimes, the surety, the faith of this time gets completely shattered with the arrival of another time. What you see seems wrong, what you avoid becomes the right. Just look at today's match. In front of my eyes, all the pieces were arranged. But being blind, I played and lost it."
"I am not blind," Takao coughed, "But I don't like to get defeated too, Hiromi. I always support the concept of building my fortune on my own. I won't rest for a while until I erase all the shame and disgrace of mine and those of all the dwellers of Nippon. To them, I want to return the hundred of the blows which were made on us by them."
"Really…" The brunette tucked the sword inside its case on the shelf, turning back to Takao. Pulling her shoulders back, she brought a confident aura all over her face out of nowhere, tightening her jaw and making an elongated eye-contact with her co-warrior, "The battle which I lost before a while was just a game, a medium of light entertainment. But we must not lose the real battle at any cost, for the sake of our dear motherland and her people."
"That's like lady Hiromi!" The younger blunette appreciated his comrade, clapping, "I was expecting this same confidence from you. Yes, we must not wait anymore, nor must we waste a single moment. We have to charge, right now!"
"Things aren't so easy, Takao," Hitoshi interrupted, "Without the order or the permission of the emperor, how will we attack them?"
"Simple," Hiromi retorted, "We will seek permission from His Majesty. We will explain to him how the Russians are entering into the territory of Japan and planning to destroy our kingdom, taking the reading of each and every weakness, each and every threat present here. We will show them the letters sent by the family members of those valiant combatants who left their worldly bodies in the last battle, particularly, the words of the women and children. None but you have to carry out this job for us, Hitoshi-san."
"Who?" The elder blunette cocked a brow, pointing at himself, "Me?"
"Yes," The brunette nodded, "Emperor Kogoro has full faith on and respect for your strategies, intelligence and heroism on the field, Hitoshi-san. Only you can do this."
"His Majesty will come here anytime," Takao informed, "He will meet us today and fix a date for the battle. Together, we have to inform him that we don't want to delay a bit. If possible, the attack must take place tonight."
"Takao," Hiromi questioned, sensing his words to be a little fishy, "We are also waiting to teach that bunch of Russian tyrants a perfect lesson. But…how did you get to know that we will get the chance tonight?"
At this query of the chocolate-haired lady, the blunette didn't seem a little uneasy. Rather, pouring fresh water into a bamboo goblet from the wooden jug on another table, he took a sip, "Hehe…last night, our agent had a visit to the Russian camp."
The brunette's orbs became dilated; she gulped and tried to read the facial countenance of her comrade. Was he suspecting her? What about the agent? Had he seen her by the way when she had been with Kai? In the worst case, he or she might have seen the brunette with the dual-haired half-Russian, in his chamber. No no, Julia had been keeping an eye along with her trustworthy soldiers. No way, she couldn't get caught like this…
"Our agent?" Hitoshi's eyebrows twitched, "As far as I know, neither I paid a visit there, nor did I send any of my agents. What about you, Takao?"
"I also didn't go," He gave a toothy smile, "Besides, my sleep is very dear to me. Why would I go to my enemy's territory, breaking my siesta?"
"Then…Hiromi?"
Hearing her name, the soul of the brunette jolted; she felt a lump at her throat. Trying her best to act poised and truthful, she quickly shook her head and replied in the negative, "No, I didn't."
"Strange!" Hitoshi looked clueless and stuck, "Then who?"
"Me."
Right at that time, being the answer to Hitoshi's question and the savior of Hiromi Tachibana, clarifying all the doubts and suspicions, the redhead appeared in front of the tent. Getting a nod of approval from both the blunette brothers, he came in with a scroll in his hand. Seeing him, the brunette sighed in relief, wiping her forehead silently. They knew each other and also had seen each other in the Russian camp many times. They were quite aware of the goals of each other, so it wouldn't create any chaos or doubt. Nonetheless, the other two guys present there weren't looking so satisfied. Especially the older one.
"Who are you?" Hitoshi asked, although he'd seen the redhead before.
"Yuri Ivanov," He replied, "One of the agents of Nippon."
"Where were you last night?" The elder blunette kept interrogating him.
"In the Russian camp." Straightforwardly, the reply came.
"The night before it?"
"In the Japanese camp."
"In the previous one?"
"Russian."
"We cannot find a way to understand whether you come here from the Russian base or vice versa," Now, Takao was also getting impatient, "Whom do you belong to actually?"
"I am single." Yuri shrugged as the brunette pressed her lips, somehow trying not to start laughing. She mentally appreciated the scarlet-haired guy for his wit and calmness.
"Anyways," She decided to interfere before getting the matter worsened and out of her hands, "What's the news you have brought from there?"
"They have gone reckless," The redhead informed the warriors, "They are planning to prepare an attack on us within two or three days. They are running out of necessary foods and other supplies and so they have decided not to wait anymore. Additionally, it has also been fixed which battalion of theirs will attack from which direction on us."
"Oh lord!" Takao facepalmed, being frustrated as others gave him a look of sympathy, "And we are sitting here, keeping hands in hands? If some serious decisions aren't taken yet, we will surely be gone!"
"That's why, I have brought the second news for you," Unfolding the scroll, Yuri handed it to the elder blunette, "His Majesty has already permitted us to wage a war against the Russians."
All the three pairs of eyes lit up, hearing the garnet-haired messenger. Giving one another excited and satisfied looks, they all mustered around the parchment to have a glance of it once. Signatured by the emperor himself, there was the date and time of the strike upon the Tatars which was the night of tomorrow. On the other side of the page, the strategies, possible tactics of their opponents, positions, weapons to be used-everything was written and explained so clearly that the combatants in the tent had no problem in understanding. Smiles became broad in the lips of both the blunettes. Whereas, the brunette was looking satisfied but somewhere in her heart, a part of her was feeling quite anxious and gloomy.
"Great!" Takao punched in the air dauntlessly, "If other soldiers understand everything once and act according to it, all the Russians will be gone! Victory is inevitable!"
"Don't need to be overconfident, Takao," Hiromi warned, "In a battlefield, we should never underestimate our enemies."
"Especially when one of their troops is being led by Kai Hiwatari himself," Hitoshi included, giving a tremble to the brunette and making her heave a light sigh which were unnoticed by others, "Honestly speaking, he's managing everything singlehandedly there and also has deep knowledge about Japanese warfare and battle diplomacies."
"Don't worry about him, Ni-san," The younger blunette assured his brother, "I know far well about his strength, valor and intelligence. Yet, victory will put her garland around our neck this time."
When the men were talking to one another, Hiromi moved away from them and looked outside. The soldiers were having a light practice session which she could see through the rectangular tent window. Unknowingly, blobs of waterworks brimmed in her ruby orbs, heart pounded heavily inside her chest. Shutting her eyes tight, she forced her tears back and clutched the corner of the fabric of the canopy with the fingers of her left hand. Her chin was firm; she was also firm towards her goal, their united motive. A deep exhalation came out through her nostrils, vanishing into the vapors. How badly she wanted to rush towards the Russian camp and kneel down in front of the slate-haired man, pleading to him to return to her, to the Japanese.
'It won't be possible, you know…' She pondered, swallowing once in order to give it a futile try to digest the bitter truth, 'So do I, Kai. So do I.'
Though the time was the deadest hour of the night when almost all the living beings in this world drifted into the universe of a peaceful siesta excluding the bats travelling across the ebony vacuum and the round-eyed owls sitting on the twigs of the dense trees and surveilling the movements of rats amidst the crops, the moon princess decided to give it some life. That's why, her luminosity was seeping through the diamond-shaped loopholes of the dance hall, accompanied by the gust of nightly zephyr which pushed the transparent, baby-blue georgette curtains a little, making a way for reawakened heartbeats of the midnight. Inside, only a pair of scented candles were lit, at two different corners of the chamber, set on long, metal candle-stands.
No, not two. Another was also there, in the form of a beautiful young lady. Moonlight descended on her bronze skin and unbound wavy tresses; thick, waist-length, deep violet in color and bedecked with a wreath made of green leaflets and blue cornflowers. A sleeveless, halter-neck gown, having aquamarine chintz-pattern on dark-blue background, was embracing her slim figurine, with a floral turquoise belt encircling her slender waist. A pair of long, teardrop oxidized earrings, studded with two blue beryl-stones, were swaying from her earlobes. Wrists were bound in silver cuffs where twin aquamarines were flashing. At last, but not at least, bell anklets were tied around her lean and smooth ankles, hidden underneath her skirt. Her legs were parted in half a right angle, so were her arms in 180-degree.
Pleasant tunes come to my lips, to be sung,
But my heart makes excuses which are different,
Your memories haunt me, pester me,
Now, my heart regrets, it regrets…
There was no music, no tune, no beat. Yet, when she moved her right leg behind the left, the dead silence in the room became shattered just like a crystal mirror with a clink of her anklets. Her hands twisted from their former positions and formed a lotus near to the middle of her chest. On both of her ankles, she twirled and opened her eyes slowly, revealing the candid exquisiteness of her circular, turquoise orbs, guarded by thick, dark violet lashes under her arc-shaped eyebrows. Though she was enjoying her dance, surprisingly, there was no smile on her lips at that time. Bending her knees, a tad, keeping her both feet opposite to each other, she switched her position into a mini-squat. Then again, a rotation occurred, like the earth around her own axis.
My beloved,
I touch your feet,
Please, don't go, don't leave me,
My beloved,
How do I coax you?
Love pricks this heart so badly…
"Smack!"
The large, double-portioned, ligneous door of the dance hall remained open unexpectedly since her anklets stopped, so did her movements while her back was facing the entrance. The breeze roaming inside decided to change its direction and the magnitude of the speed, detecting the presence of a second person in the compartment. Nonetheless, the purplette didn't bother to turn back and have a glimpse of the comer. Smiling faintly, she went to one of the candle-stands. Picking up a crystal lantern from the ground, she lit it up and approached the navy-haired guy gently, enlightening the room a bit more. Her heart was still pounding hard, blobs of perspiration were sticking to her temple and cheeks. Teal orbs captured his image on them, on the cramming globules of waterworks.
"Dancing at such a moment?" Takao cocked an eyebrow, "Of course, it suits none but you, Dew-chan. You surely know how to turn a night into daylight."
"But without you," The dancer asserted, "Even the daylight seems darker than the black, Takao-kun."
"I'm extremely sorry, Dew," The blunette sounded a little sheepish, "You know how busy I remain all day long. I can barely manage time even for myself. You must be very annoyed with me, right?"
"Annoyed? With you?" The purplette snickered, placing the lantern on a nearby table, "How can I be annoyed with that person who is the only source of happiness in the life of this mere court-performer? I was just…missing you."
"I missed you too, my purple rose." Takao laid a palm on her left cheek, with an attempt to dive into her orbs which apparently had no depth.
"Duh, liar!" Grimacing, she turned her face away and brought a pair of low, lightweight wooden stools. Placing them on the floor, she sat on one of them and showed her beloved to have a seat. Once he occupied it, she asked, "So tell me, how are your days going in the camp?"
"Not so fine," The navy-haired guy sighed and shrugged, "The Russians can launch a raid on us within the next two or three days. That's why we will charge them tomorrow night. Before a while, I had to prepare a complete battalion and attend two training sessions."
"Takao-kun, don't worry," Dew placed a hand on his shoulder, "I have full belief in you, your gallantry as well as all the valiant warriors of Japan who will be fighting with you, remaining by your side always. Together, you will make Japan victorious. I will pray for you so that this battle becomes successful."
"Thank you so much, Dew-chan," Takao beamed as his restless heart calmed down, hearing her once, "I really needed it a lot."
"So…" The purplette took a few moments to utter her next words to him, "Is it all for which you came to meet me?"
"Hmm…" The blunette couldn't reply to this question of hers directly. His gazes were lowered, lips were folded inside. How would he tell her that he came only to view her in front of his eyes, maybe…for one last time? Warriors didn't have the guarantee to live a long life, both he and she were well-aware of this fact. An awkward silence fell in the chamber, encircling them from all the four directions. The gale also stopped humming, realizing the intensity of the situation. Did the rays of the moon refrain themselves from peering into the room? Did the curtains cease dancing?
"It's okay…" After a pregnant pause, it was the purplette who broke the bizarre tranquility, "I can understand, Takao-kun. You can barely get time to rest. Even in this situation, you have come to meet me. Thank you so much."
"Thanks for feeling me too, Dew-chan," The warrior somehow managed to give a smile, "Don't worry. Teaching those Russians a perfect lesson, obtaining victory, I will return to you soon."
"Wait.." The purplette tucked out an azure thread from her waist-belt, speckled with a sapphire at its center. It gleamed when the blazes of the candles and the quartz lantern boogied in front of it.
"What's it, Dew-chan?" Takao was curious.
"Today morning, I had a small visit at the shrine of lord Bishamonten. Praying to him for you, I brought this sacred bracelet," Taking one of the wrists of the combatant, the danseuse tied the string around it, "Takao-kun, to be frank, I trust your Katana more than these rituals. Besides, I don't know whether the prayers and wishes of a court-performer are heard by the holy deities or not. But those who are loyal to their kingdoms, determined to save their territories and can fight till the death to attain victory, lord Bishamonten never turns his face away from them. It will protect you on the battlefield."
"Hey…" The Samurai squeezed her shoulders gently, "Don't belittle yourself, my purple rose. It is the fault of those lustful and dirty eyes which try to eat you when you dance. In my eyes, you have always portrayed the purest form of art and you are one of the holiest souls in our kingdom. I promise, I'll tie the knots with you once this war is over. Then, not a single pair of eyes will be able to throw those dirty and suggestive glares at you."
"Takao-kun…" Holding his hand between her palms, she rested her forehead there and sobbed.
"No, Dew-chan, it's not the time to shed tears," Throwing an arm around her shoulders, he stood up along with her. Wiping her cheeks, he emptied his lungs once, "They will only block my path. Bid me a temporary farewell, my love. Pray and wait for me. Very soon, we will be reunited. Then, even this river of blood won't be able to flow between us."
"I'll keep my eyes on the way till your comeback, Takao-kun," Dew tearfully leered, "Be victorious!"
Placing a mellowing peck on her temple, the blunette turned back and crossed the boundary of the dance-hall with very quick, yet, heavy footsteps. Riding his stallion, he pulled its rein as it neighed, thudding the ground with his front hooves galloping on, creating a mini sandstorm behind which blinded the turquoise orbs of the purplette. Once it was clear, there was no one. Biting her lips, Dew-chan rushed inside. Her anklets chimed and resonated all over the room but couldn't surpass the tempo of the beats of her heart. She looked at the pair of the stools, one of which had been occupied by him even before a few moments. Her Takao-kun.
No one knows the pain of my heart
Only my heart, knows
And also, this hateful world doesn't know…
The clouds don't come to rain the water
So that bees and flowers get faded in the orchard…
The breeze, for the last time that night, paid a visit to the compartment as the curtains pulsated periodically once. Before the departure, it didn't forget to smother both the candles and the lantern, leaving the place completely plunged into darkness. The thick clouds in the sky surrounded the silver moon and captured her into their dungeon. As a result, the moonlight also couldn't peep inside anymore. There was no light, no sound, no warmth anymore. The anklets also rang for one final time, done with those hours as she kowtowed on the ground and buried her face amidst her palms. Then, the only sounds remaining in the chamber belonged to her tears and heart-wrenching sighs, reverberating from walls to walls.
After fighting, I only remorse,
But can't find a way to convince my lover,
To whom did I share the secrets of my hearts?
And tell my anguish?
My lord, don't leave my wrist,
I beg you, please don't forget me…
The preparations for the war were going on in the bastion of Nippon which had begun even before the sun had woken up in the east. Now, the source of daylight was blistering at the center of the bright blue sky, keeping the white cotton shafts busy, roaming around it. Soldiers were carrying sacks of crops and dry foods on their shoulders and marching. The stallions and elephants were grazing in their barns, some of them were wandering in the open meadow and a few were training with their respective masters. The combatants were practicing with their Katana, javelins, axes, bows and arrows. Hiromi, Takao, Hitoshi and others were surveilling everything going on. Everywhere, there was a heated passion to melt all the pride of the Russians like their icebergs.
The brown-haired lady was standing a little farther from the rest, near some dense shrubberies linked with the jungle. Dressed like a kunoichi, her left hand was holding a longbow and the quiver of arrows was attached to her back. Sweat was trickling down from her forehead. Still, her heartbeats were quite fast from the labor she'd experienced during the archery session of two long hours. She was seeming to keep an eye on the forest so that no intruders could enter their camp through that path. But, in reality, her assignment was to do more than it, that was also hiding from the rest of the warriors. Her eyebrows were fixed at their positions, lips were pressed and a small sigh was let out through her nostrils.
"Cheek-chee! Cheek-chee!"
Her ears twitched at the chirping of the bird. It was a signal, coming from the depth of the jungle. Glancing at the atmosphere around her once, when she found out that no one was watching her, she emptied her lungs once and refilled them. Then, very cautiously, she stepped into the bush and quickly tiptoed towards the spot from where the tweeting was made. She caught the side of a familiar redhead, waiting for her. Seeing her, he blew off, "Lady Hiromi, the time is very short. Someone wants to meet you, right now."
"Meet…me?" Hiromi raised a brow, "Who, Yuri?"
"You yourself will be able to see," The scarlet-haired guy huffed, "I am going outside to keep an eye. If someone suspicious comes here, I will send you the signal again."
"Okay." The brunette nodded. No sooner had the redhead been out of her sight than another guy took his entry here. He could easily be recognized by the brunette, with his two-toned hair; the slate bangs, not following any barrier of the black shawl that was wrapped around his head and shoulder, covering his amethyst orbs, through which the summer wind was flurrying and the dark-indigo extension gently lying on his bullneck. Pervading the bushy leaves of the tall trees around them, the sunshine was stroking his porcelain skin. His vision was curved down, robust arms were crossed on his chest. The slightly bent Shashka blade was tucked in his belt, by the left side of his waist.
Hiromi's eyes were shot wide-open as they had the view of the dual-haired Russian. Hot and unsteady breaths came out from her nose. Since she wasn't expecting him to be there, it was obvious for her to be shocked to this extent. Her orbs glittered with moisture, she clenched her fangs and tried her best to turn away her vision from him. At the same time, a question popped in her mind: Did Kai get to know about their plans somehow? Nothing could be worse than that at that time…
"What brings you here?" Her tone was stern and direct, not portraying those one hundred emotions rummaging through her heart.
"Missed you." His reply was also not less straight.
"Kai…" She whispered, not pretending to be an iron-lady anymore, "Come closer to me."
"No." Shaking his head, he refused her offer.
"Why?" Revolving to him, she frowned, "Who will stop you here, valiant warrior?"
"Nobody," The twin-haired man scrutinized the area once, "Besides, stop calling me that. I don't feel proud of my courage anymore."
"How long are you going to stay here?" Now, her voice got a little softened, flinging an indirect request at her lover not to end the time so soon.
"As soon as possible." Nevertheless, something else was roaming in the mind of the Tatar.
"For this?" The brunette couldn't help cocking an eyebrow, "For this only, you have come here putting your life at stake?"
The Russian didn't retort immediately. Outstretching his head, he placed his aventurines at her rubies. She could see how much tolerated pain, how many dried teardrops and how many unpronounced words which might have stopped at the tip of his tongue-were gathered in his pupils. Not speaking anything, he gradually came closer to her and pulled her into an embrace. Suddenly, in his toned biceps, the brunette felt much comfortable and easy-far away from the hectic battle strategies, the vows to create a river of blood of the enemies in the battlefield, serene and happy like an ordinary, yet, deep lover. Slowly, her petite arms bound his well-built torso in their garland; she placed an ear against his heartbeats.
"At first, I thought not to visit you," Kai dipped his nose in her chocolate locks and received their seraphic fragrance with a heartfelt inhalation, "But couldn't hold myself. I feared….what if I cannot meet you anymore? What if you stand in front of me and there is a river of blood between both of us? What if I get drowned in that river and become unable to open my eyes to have a single glimpse of yours for one last time?"
"You're ruthless!" Hiromi bit her lips and snapped, "You're freaking horrible! I don't know you!"
"The thirst of these eyes has finally been quenched," Kai gently released the brunette from his embrace and stepped back, "Let the angel of death come, I don't care, I don't fear. I have already painted your portrait in my heart. Even if my eyes get covered with blood now, that light will never get extinguished. Never."
"Kai!" The brunette shrieked.
"Hilary…you're my sole source of energy, my pride…" His final sentences had been uttered before he vanished into the depth of the forest and his voice faded away, "You are my queen."
Shutting her eyes tightly and biting her inner lips, the chocolate-haired lady kowtowed on the ground, letting her head hang down and clutching the edges of her top with her nails.
The war, taking place in the great meadow of Kirov and bits of jungles, was gorier and more intense than the anticipations made by the warriors and sages of both the kingdoms. The Russians completed the array of the soldiers in trident style, quite narrow the front three blades were, with a longer tail. On the other hand, the echelon built by the soldiers of Nippon was just a reflection of that of their opponents; a three-bladed spear-but much wider than theirs. Numerical superiority, of course, favored the Japanese warriors. The Tatars were being led by Kai Hiwatari, Bryan Kuznetsov and Spencer Petrov whereas Hiromi Tachibana, Takao Kinomiya and Hitoshi Kinomiya were the three musketeers from the land of sunrise.
Elephants trumpeted, stallions neighed, swords clinked and bunches of arrows were released from both sides-with a view to thrashing the others completely to demise. Though the Japanese soldiers were more in number, things weren't so easy for him-thanks to the presence of Kai Hiwatari himself. He singlehandedly slaughtered more than hundred ninjas, including one elephant regiment and one stallion regiment fully, dashing past their battalion with his black steed and thrusting them off like cleaning dust particles from his cloth, not caring whether his beloved was included there too or not. For a time, he became a real threat for Nippon. He was spreading so much panic among the Ninjas that in order to stop him, Hitoshi had to attack him from behind. Wounded gravely, he had to be arrested by the soldiers of Japan.
Only after that, victory was able to kiss the toes of the land of sunrise, after a lot of struggles to cross the piles of bodies, heaps of severed heads, fingers, hands, legs and of course- a river of blood.
"We have won!" The emperor, in his own consultation chamber, gleefully jubilated, "The whole battlefield has turned into a river of blood of the Russians. From the core of my heart, I thank all of you for your courage, dedication and cooperation."
Both the blunettes nodded smilingly and bowed. Pride was evident on the face of the elder brother upon this conquest. Takao had a glance of his left arm which was hanging from his neck through a sling. Bryan Kuznetsov hadn't thought for the second time while smacking the elbow of the navy-haired guy with his mace. Yet, Takao could say that the aim of the lilac-haired Russian had been nothing but his head; the Japanese had had to bring his arm in front of his face to save himself. He sighed in relief, thanking the Almighty for keeping him alive and giving him more chances to meet his beloved.
"Thanks a lot, your Majesty," Takao bent his head, "Your strategies, rules and regulations, cool temperature and experience made us win in the end."
"That's so humble of you, Takao," The bald ruler glanced all over the room once, "By the way, Hitoshi, what about Kai Hiwatari? It's you who got him arrested, right?"
"And I am ashamed…" Hitoshi hung his eyes below, "I shouldn't have followed the filthiest way. But at that time, we had no other option except it."
"I can understand," The king named Kogoro nodded, "How's he now?"
"We have made all the arrangements for his treatment in the prison," The elder blunette confirmed, "The physicians are giving their best efforts. The guards of his Majesty themselves are in charge. We can expect that Hiwatari will come round very soon."
"Good to know," Kogoro asked, "Where's Hiromi?"
Right then, being the answer to the query of the king, the brunette stepped at the territory of the courtroom, accompanied by the garnet-haired agent. Though she'd changed her outfits and taken a bath after the war, a few scrapes and minor cuts were still visible on her cheeks, forehead and neck. Her right palm, which had been holding the sword during the battle and slashing the Russians, was freshly bandaged now. Blood had flowed from the wound opened there but she had never dropped her weapon, clutching it firmly till the end. Clearing her throat, she asked for permission, "May I come in, your Majesty."
"Yes." The emperor permitted. Getting approved, the chocolate-haired lady entered and bowed to the ruler. Sharing greetings and congratulations with her co-combatants, she turned to the king, "I'm sorry, your Majesty. I was busy recruiting the female ninjas to guard the cells of prisons where female captives were kept."
"No problem, Hiromi," Kogoro acknowledged, "Well, it's really such a great, joyful and proud day for all the Japanese, especially those who fought with their hearts and souls to attain victory. That's why, I would like to promise you to give you whatever you want-within my abilities and limitations. Tell me what you want from me today."
At this offer from the king, all the warriors and the agent became a little surprised but more satisfied than that. Firstly, Hitoshi, being the eldest, thanked the emperor and made his demand to free all the female and child prisoners arrested from their opponents, especially those who hadn't taken part in the war directly. When the Japanese ruler gladly granted his wish and ordered the soldiers to do so, the ocean-orbs of the scarlet-haired guy flickered once with tears as he felt grateful to both the king and the combatant. Julia Fernandez, his lover, was held captive among them too. Now, she would be freed and able to meet him once again.
Expressing his gratitude to the emperor, Takao wished to get Dew freed and to marry her, claiming that they both had been in love with each other for the past one year. According to the royal laws and regulations of Japan, it wasn't legal to free a court-performer without his or her permission but when Dew arrived in the court, summoned by the ruler and confessed her feelings candidly for Takao, the emperor agreed. Tears twinkled in their auburn and turquoise orbs too, together, they had the reflections of each other on them. Now, nobody or nothing could separate them, not even a river of blood.
"Hiromi," It was the turn of the only female warrior in the room now, "What's your demand?"
"Your Majesty," She bent her head, "At first, let me thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity. To be honest, being by your side and fighting for my motherland, my life has already become blessed. I don't think I need anything else."
"It's your humility which makes you a great warrior, my lady," Kogoro insisted, "Yet, I have promised all you three to reward you. Don't hesitate to express your demand to me, Hiromi."
"If you are telling me to ask for something from you, it's my responsibility to let you know my wish, your Majesty," The brunette's eyes went moist a little, she couldn't utter any word for a few seconds. Clenching her teeth, she scrutinized the consultation chamber. Yuri, Takao, Hitoshi-everyone was eagerly waiting for her to speak it out. Everyone there, more or less, was excited to know what she wanted. Her neuron cells sent a few signals to her, warning her that it wouldn't be appropriate for a patriotic soldier like her. Then again, her heart begged, "My lady, you have always listened to your brain in your life. Please, keep my request at least once in this lifetime."
"I want Kai Hiwatari to be set free from the prison as soon as possible." Emitting carbon-di-oxide from her lungs, she let out her wish.
Hitoshi's jaw dropped, Takao confusedly gawked at the brunette, Yuri's icy pupils displayed some relief and the eyebrows of the emperor got scrunched at her request. Not caring, she kept saying, "Though he is a half-Russian and served the Tatars in this war, his birthplace is Japan. Two years ago, before his departure, he worked in our battalion too. It is his misfortune as well as ours that he had to raise his sword against us, against her own people but he cannot be blamed fully for it. Besides, I think our victory is the gravest punishment for him, more than this will be called excess. Please, don't keep such a warrior behind the bars who always dreamt for peace and amity between two kingdoms, yet, fell as a victim of destiny."
"Shut up, Hiromi!" The elder blunette shrieked, "Kai is one of the greatest warriors in the world and I have no question regarding his valor but…do you have any idea what you are wanting from the emperor? The life of a traitor? How can you be so sure that he won't backstab if we release him?"
"No, ni-san, don't call Kai a traitor," Takao's opinion was something else, "If he were, he would never want to decrease his salary to stay in our battalion two years ago. Had he been, he might have left us during the time of anarchy, when the whole of Japan had been suffering in the reign of the former emperor. Remember one thing, he didn't leave us on his own. Rather, it was the condition of our kingdom for which we had to bid him farewell."
"Takao, calm down," The emperor himself decided to interrupt, "Hitoshi, you too. Hiromi, I have listened to all your opinions and requests regarding your wish. It's true that Kai was our enemy before a while, but it's also true that he deserves the best treatment from all of us. That's why, I have decided to make him free. Takao, write a parchment of his exemption using my royal seal as soon as possible. It will be enough."
The brunette's ruby eyes glistened in pleasure and gratitude. Forcing her voice not to sound choked, she bowed her head in front of the emperor, "Thank you so much, your Majesty. I will be thankful to you forever for this."
"That's my pleasure, Hiromi," The king smiled, "But…in return, you also have to do a task. You have to make Hiwatari agree to join our battalion of Samurais. I don't think he will refuse."
"Leave it on me, your Majesty," Her garnet pools flashed in excitement as the same feeling seeped through her voice, "Once he recovers, I myself will manage his agreement in this case."
"Okay, fine," The ruler stood up from his seat, "I am going to rest now, you all also may leave."
Bowed and regarded by everyone, the king left the chamber, accompanied by Hitoshi and Yuri. Before departing, the brunette approached the younger blunette and beamed, "Thanks a lot, Takao, for supporting Kai."
"No need to thank me, Hiromi," The navy-haired guy returned the smile to her, "You know, I am also a lover. I know what goes through a person when he or she cannot get together with the person whom he or she loves the most in this world."
"It means…" Her orbs got dilated in astonishment, "You knew it all?"
"Yep," Takao nodded, "But don't worry. I know that you successfully buried your feelings deep inside your heart during the battle, only being patriotic and loyal to your kingdom. Hiromi, your time was tough, you sacrificed a lot for us. It's time you reconciled with your lover."
"I wish every warrior in Japan could be like you, Takao," She sighed, "Thanks again, for everything."
"Hey…no problem," The blunette chuckled, scratching his temple, "Well, I'm preparing the application of freedom for general Hiwatari. You also get ready to meet him. See you soon."
The prison was situated beneath the marble floor of the royal castle of Japan. It was such a place where the sunlight could never enter, always plunged into blinding black without the sources of brightness. To the black pewter walls, metal torches and eroded candles on rusted candle-holders were attached, between each two cells. Golden-orange blazes were boogying from them, leaving the eerie, bouncing silhouettes of the guards on the barriers who were marching from here to there along the passageway, enclosing bare Katana swords in their fists. Walls of the cells were bearing the dried stains of blood and paintings, words-scribbled by the prisoners. Some were gossiping with one another, some were sleeping, some were just sitting, propping their backs against the partitions and keeping waiting.
The cubicle of the Russian was larger than that of anyone else. Its doors were made of tamarind-shaded wood, with two large, brass rings hanging in the middle. Three pairs of soldiers, by both its right and left, were leaning their backs straightly against the walls and outstretching their naked blades. Their eyes remained open, ears were vigil and jaws were gnashed. Before a while, the doctors had left the chamber, letting the patient sleep a bit. The twin-haired Russian had responded to their treatment, even a few surgeries had also been needed which had gone successful. They had said that they would come back after a few hours in order to have a checkup.
Together, they rotated their heads in the same direction, sensing the footsteps of a few people who were coming through the way to the same chamber. At first, from a certain distance, their faces looked quite vague and figures seemed shadowy. As they came closer, their appearances became clearer. Hiromi Tachibana was leading that small group of five people. Behind her, at the left, there was Takao Kinomiya, possessing a folded scroll in a bronze pot in his right hand. Beside him, the purplette was there. Yuri and Julia were at the opposite side, secretly grabbing the hands of each other and sharing contented gazes filled with love. The Spaniard was still in the garments of prison. She wanted to meet Kai so much that she forgot to change her dress.
The brunette was, of course, in one of her finest attires today. Her petite, yet attractive figure was dazzling in the shades dark-blue and violet on full-sleeved, plain sheath gown beneath a sleeveless, claret surcoat with golden quatrefoils. Wavy chocolate tresses remained unbound on her slim waist enclosed within a thin gold-made girdle, studded with a ruby. Golden jewelries speckled with garnet stones and amethysts were embellishing her neck, ears, wrists and forehead. The collected smile rising all over her façade was confident and full of enthusiasm to meet her lover. Footsteps were poised, shoulders were back, spinal cord was straight and eyes were glinting proudly. She was looking so bright that with her aura, the darkest passageways of the prison got enlightened, humbling the rest of the blowlamps and tapers.
No sooner had they reached the gate of the special cell than the guards crossed their swords in front of it, not allowing them at the first stage. Takao handed the scroll to one of them, "Release general Hiwatari. It's an order from the emperor."
Unfolding the parchment, they all had a glance of it and removed their weapons from the door, allowing them to enter. Turning to her comrades, the brunette ordered, "Yuri, Takao-you both remain here. Julia and Dew will go with me inside."
"But…" The blunette tried to protest. Stretching a palm before his face, Hiromi stopped him, "At this moment, Kai needs me more than anyone else. When he will fully recover, you both can come and meet him. Otherwise, without my call, please stay here."
"Okay." Both the men nodded and let her go inside. With a crack, the double-door was opened, just revealing a stilled, barely transparent, black, silk curtain which was separating both the spots. After the women had plodded inside gently, the blunette turned to the redhead, "Congratulations, man. You have been successful, both in the battleground and in your life. Such fortunate people are very rare in this world."
"What about you, Takao?" The scarlet-haired guy got a small smirk on his lips.
"Me? Uh…" The warrior bashfully scratched his head, letting the pink tints spread throughout his cheeks, "Hehehe…anyways, you haven't expressed your real identity yet. From which kingdom are you actually? Japan? Or…Russia?"
Before the redhead could open his mouth, a blood-freezing, heart-wrenching scream of a feminine voice from inside shook them both, including the pebbly floors and walls of the prison.
"KAI!"
The men exchanged a baffled and shocked look, hearing the sudden cry. Then, both of them didn't hesitate for a moment to rush into the room, along with the soldiers who were guarding the area. The scene inside, of course, wasn't that for which they all had been waiting to behold. The brunette miserably knelt down on the ground and cupping the face of the reposed Russian between her palms. Tears were oozing down relentlessly from her kohl-streaked eyes. The purplette and the dual-haired woman were squeezing her shoulders from behind gently, trying to console her. Their eyes were wet too, but not more drenched than those of the chocolate-haired lady.
"Why haven't you responded to my call, Kai?" She wailed, shaking him by his shoulders, "Why haven't you woken up? Walking on blistering cinders, pierced by so many arrows, crossing a river of blood by swimming, I came only to you, only to get together with you forever, and you just…fell into the arms of slumber? Why, Kai, why?"
Kowtowing beside the Russian general, the redhead lifted his left wrist once and tried to feel his pulse. No, blood circulation had already stopped in his veins, his heart wasn't also going through typical systole and diastole. No oxygen was entering his lungs, no carbon-di-oxide was being emitted through his nostrils. Although the Japanese had vowed to melt all the icebergs in Russia, he successfully opposed them, containing them into his skin cells. Despite so many signs of leaving the world, he wasn't looking like a corpse. Rather, all the people in the room felt as if he'd been sleeping with much contentment, without any kind of disturbance. Even the color of his lips didn't fade away. Were they saying to the brunette, "Look Hilary, I promised you that Japan will get all her glows and glories back one day!"?
"Oh…" Biting her lips hard, she sobbed, stroking his forehead gently, her pure tears kept drenching his face and washing all the disgrace, all the false accusations which had been portraying him as a traitor in front of the world, "I won't wake you up. I have understood that you haven't slept for many days. Closing your eyes, you couldn't push the dazzling flames dancing in your heart for a single moment. Sleep, my man, sleep in peace. Now, nobody will disturb you, nobody in this world…"
At the order of Takao, two pairs of soldiers approached the lifeless body of the half-Russian and gently lifted the cot over their shoulders, covering his corpse with a black velvet blanket from his head to toe. With him, they departed from the chamber in order to prepare for his last rites, leaving a broken, devastated and bitterly weeping brunette behind in the arms of the ladies on the tough, ruthless-yet, not so merciless as her luck, pewter ground. Yuri gritted his fangs and curled his fingers into fists, trying his best not to shed a single bead of waterworks. Sighing from his heaved chest, Takao pressed his lips and turned away his gazes from the mourning brunette.
'Whatever the Almighty does, He does it for welfare only,' The blunette mused, 'He's the king of the kings, making an order of freedom for general Hiwatari too, alongside emperor Kogoro. His order is way more precious than that of any ruler in this material world. Kai Hiwatari is really a hero, a valiant warrior.
That's why he made no mistake in choosing the right one!'
*Cries* I know, you won't forgive me after what I have done in the end. But...it happened as it happened *Cries again*
I hope you all have liked the story. Well, this is my first-written multichaptered KaiHil medieval which I have been able to complete finally *Yay!*. Which character here has pleased you the most and which character has annoyed you to no end? Be honest, okay?
Some questions weren't clarified in this fic. Like, "For whom did Tala/Yuri work here? Japanese? Or...the Russians?" Then..."Why did Kai die despite the success of the treatments?" I leave the answers on the readers of this fic to be decided, keeping them as mysteries ;)
Do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and spelling errors. Take care, see ya soon! :D
-Misty ^_^ ^_^