A Tiger's Call
Part 4 - "Escape"
By Jannah P.
Her captor never ceased the constant pressure at the small of her back, pushing her endlessly forward. The hallways seemed oddly silent and empty - perhaps the women she had met had no concern for young girls doomed to die at the tip of a blade. Nodoka swallowed the fear rising in her throat, her eyes resting on the sliding door which led to the outside. Outside. Away from this strange palace. She felt her eyes water, inwardly questioning why she would be saddened to leave. She still had no idea what or where she was. Yet... the women here had been so kind.

She stumbled, and her captor's free hand moved from the small of her back to steady her, carefully avoiding any pressure against her injured arm; he didn't say a word. They reached the sliding door within a few steps, and he slowly turned the both of them around so that his back was to the door, and freedom. His free hand slid the door open, and he backed out into the heavily forested front garden, still pulling Nodoka with him. The door remained open behind her, and she could now make out the faint sound of heavy running footfalls. Her captor took several more steps backwards before ducking into a cluster of bushes. The dagger fell away from Nodoka's throat, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her captor took several steps away from her, then sank to the ground, breathing heavily. The crimson-haired girl backed away from him, winding up against a tree. He didn't seem so frightening, like that... The crumpled body behind the prison door and the lingering memory of the dagger tip at her throat jolted her back to reality.

"You're a.. a murderer.." the words were little more than a whisper on her lips. "Wh-what do you want with me?"

"What do I want with you?" he repeated through heavy breaths, gingerly tucking the dagger inside his oriental-styled costume.

"You killed those women, and now - and now - " Nodoka found herself twisting the hem of her skirt with her free hand. She took another step backwards, hitting her other arm against the tree trunk. The sudden jolt of pain running up her arm reminded her of the sling - and her handicap.

"You think I'm going to kill you, it seems," the young man replied, having recovered somewhat from his loss of breath. He clambored to his feet, listening for the sounds of his pursuers.

"Please - I'm of no importance. I don't even belong here. I'm just a high school student who works in the local library. I-" She was stopped as the young man raised a finger for silence. Nodoka shut her mouth, listening as well. Again, footfalls could be heard, although these were closer than before. The young man turned to her, finally.

"If you're of no importance, they wouldn't miss you, ne?" Nodoka's eyes widened. "Heh - fooled you, girl." The young man grinned, running a hand through his gray-green bangs. Dark green eyes peered at Nodoka's ashen face.

"But.. the dagger.. and those women.. the boat.."

He chuckled softly. "They must have told you an interesting story. It's true I use a dagger, and I did kill one of the women on this island - the one you undoubtedly saw in that prison cell. As far as a boat is concerned - " He stopped abruptly, listening for the footsteps again. They were closer. Closer and louder. His voice grew quieter in response. "they sank the one I was sailing on, from Konan to Kutou. We were ultimately from Sairou, but the trip required a stopover to change ships." He shook his head. "They sank the ship and either killed or captured all the men aboard. I was one of the lucky ones, I guess - captured. A friend of mine had his heart ripped from his chest and crushed in front of his face all before he had the chance to die." The footsteps were nearby now, accompanied by shouting female voices. The young man stretched himself out on the ground, motioning for Nodoka to do the same. "Whatever you do, stay quiet until they pass," he hissed. She nodded, swallowing hard.

The footsteps became louder, several stopping beside their hiding place. Voices called to each other, and other footsteps moved away in various directions. Someone swore under her breath, and a final pair of footfalls marched away from the bushes. The young man sat up, glancing through a hole in the nearest bush to check for their pursuers. Satisfied that none were nearby, he turned around to face Nodoka.

"Why would they tell me such a horrible lie, though?" she asked quietly, sitting up as well.

The young man shrugged. "Any number of reasons. Probably because you were a stranger and may have helped me escape were such a story not told to you beforehand." He glanced at his clothes, noting several rips along the sleeves and large gashes across the front. "Guess I'll need a change of clothes when we get out of here, ne? Speaking of which.." He peeked through the bushes once again. "Don't seem to be any of them around. C'mon. We should be able to get at least to the edge of the island. From there, we can try and find a boat." He turned his head slightly to see if Nodoka was agreeing. "Oi, sit down! They'll see you for sure!"

"I'm very sorry!" Nodoka exclaimed, bowing as low as her injured arm would allow.

"Hey, hey, there's no need for that!" The young man stood up himself, stepping around the nearest bush before offering his hand to Nodoka. "You'll need to be careful with that arm - what was it?"

"Nodoka. Doushin Nodoka"

"Nodoka-san. Well, be careful with that arm, ne?" She placed her hand in his, and he pulled her from the bushes, releasing her hand almost immediately. He glanced around them, searching for the Nyosei royal army. "I'm Shou Guihun," he said in way of introduction without turning his head. He motioned with one hand, then proceeded forward cautiously. Nodoka followed as silently as she was able.

**********

Almost as soon as they started out, Guihun motioned for a stop. He moved behind a tree, practically yanking Nodoka behind him. Several feet ahead were three armed female warriors, all of them on full alert. Guihun shook his head.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to keep doing this. I'll be dead on my feet by the time this day's over." He sighed. "Can't be helped, ne?" With that, he closed his eyes, a faint glimmer of white appearing just beneath his left shoulder. A faint wind stirred the grass at their feet, and Nodoka recognized the same misty hands as before. They swirled out from Guihun's feet to move towards the women up ahead, taking shape into Guihun's form as they did so. The women up ahead shouted, catching sight of the ghostly young man, who proceeded to run in the opposite direction. Without a second thought, they followed him past the trees where Nodoka and Guihun were hiding. Guihun opened his eyes, his breaths coming in shallow gasps.

"Are you alright, Guihun-kun?"

"Yea. I just usually don't have to keep doing that under these kind of conditions. I need a break." He took a deep breath. "Well, we better use the time that bought us. They'll be chasing that ghotsly figment for a while, but they'll probably figure it out eventually. Hopefully we'll be long gone by then." He moved out of the protection of the trees and headed through the forestry at a brisk pace, Nodoka trailing. They encountered no further difficulties, which caused Guihun to be overly cautious, stopping every few steps to listen for sounds of pursuit.

"That symbol," Nodoka began after some time, "the one that appeared on your arm when those ghostly hands formed. What is it?"

"It's just that - a symbol," Guihun answered over his shoulder, "it means 'net', or something like that." They proceeded forward, arriving at what appeared to be the island's shore. "I don't like the feel of the air," Guihun muttered, the ghostly hands already beginning to swirl around his ankles. Waves lapped quietly against the shore, soaking through Nodoka's slippers. Guihun's dark green eyes searched the waters for some sign of a ship, although the chance of that was highly unlikely. His eyes locked on the cliffs rising from the opposite shore. Perhaps he could signal a ship from there..? It was worth a shot. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Nodoka.

"Can you swim?"

"Not well..." She looked out at the water, then across to the cliffs Guihun seemed interested in. "It might just be safer to stay here, Guihun-kun."

"I fancy keeping my eyes right where they are, thank you."

"W-what?" Guihun chose to ignore Nodoka's ignorant and shocked reaction, instead dissipating the ghostly hands around his ankles. Mentally, he measured the distance to the opposite cliffs. He glanced at Nodoka, then back to the water. How deep was it? He couldn't tell. I his current weakened state, there was no way he could carry her, and the poor girl was too naive to be able to survive on her own. How long until a ship passed by? How long... Maybe it wouldn't be necessary to wait and flag down an approaching ship. Guihun surveyed the shore, walking some distance in both directions. Where would they keep all the ships they've hijacked? He spotted what he was seeking further along the shore, half-hidden by overgrowth.

It was the remnants of a ship, badly burnt and completely unusable. The masts were all splintered, at least one lying within ten feet of the ship. The locations of the others was unknown. The only thing remaining of the sails were tattered scraps of cloth clinging to the splintered wood that had once been the masts and upper deck. The hull was peppered with cannonball-sized holes, allowing several of the inner cabins to be readily seen. Scrambling over the wreckage of the main mast, Guihun climbed aboard the ship's remains, searching. Nodoka watched from the ground, clutching her injured arm to her chest. She lifted one foot, then the other, in an attempt to shake off some of the water that had thoroughly soaked her slippers. The effort wasn't quite a success, and resulted in one slipper flying into a nearby shrub.
Blood-red hair falling over one shoulder, Nodoka scrambled into the shrubbery around them in search of her lost footwear. Soggy as it was, it was all she had at the moment. She had forgotten to ask for her shoes before the whole - incident. How could they have lied like that? The slipper, now covered in dirt and a few leaves, dangled from her free hand as she lifted it from its resting spot. Brushing away the dirt and leaves, she tucked her foot inside and scrambled from the bushes to check on Guihun. When she reached the side of the dilapidated ship, she found him practically ready to burst.


"I can't believe it! This is better than I had thought!"

"What is?" She stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at what Guihun was speaking of.

"This!" He raised a pair of wooden oars above his head, waving them around enthusiastically. "We can pull off a chunk of the wood from the ship, jump on, and row the raft across the way to those cliffs! It's great!" He dissappeared behind the side of the ship again, digging around. "Ne, are those women anywhere nearby, Nodoka-san?"

Nodoka looked around, poked her head around a nearby tree, then shook her head. "Doesn't seem li-" Voices. Close voices. Close female voices. Close ANGRY female voices. "G-G-Guihun-kun.."

"Ne, what is it?"

"They're heading this way." Her voice dropped to a whisper as Guihun's head appeared above the side of the ship. He paused to listen for a moment, then reached his hand over the side.

"C'mon. We'll hide in here until they pass by, then we'll construct that raft and head for the mainland. Maybe a ship will pick us up on its way to Hokkan." Nodoka walked to the side of the ship, reaching up her hand. He grasped her arm in both of his hands and managed to pull her up after several tries. The voices grew louder, seemingly within a few feet of the ship. The pair ducked, and Guihun motioned for them to head down below to the space beneath decks. Nodoka nodded, and they proceeded down one of the holes in the upper deck.

"Rotten tricks. We'll find that blasted male if we have to scour every inch of this island."

"We've sent scouts out already, ma'am."

"Send more. I want this one brought back alive. I want the satisfaction of killing him myself. We should have done that when he first came ashore." The voices continued talking, now directly outside the ship.

"Heh - YOU were the one who wanted to keep him around, Rian."

"I think we should make him into a nice soup - or maybe a wine..." The women's voices trailed off as they walked past, laughing at the thought. In the bowels of the ship, Nodoka could see Guihun's outline plastered against the far corner of the room, his green eyes wild. Faint tendrils of ghostly mist swirled around his body, glowing the same faint white as the character on his arm. Nodoka tucked her knees against her chest and leaned her back against one wooden wall of the room to wait.