Hikari no Miko
Chapter 5: The Peaceful Dead
Mirei lay on the floor of the decrepit house in the dreaded cemetary. Her bloody wrists were tied behind her back with a thick rope. The miko's robes were a bit torned because of the beatings she recieved from the Midori Ninjas that worked for her uncle, Morimoto Hotsuma. Her face was almost covered in a mask of blood, only the trails of her melancholic tears and sweat cleaned some of the blood off.
While lying there, she brooded about a lot of things. She wondered what happened to her friends, the Azuma Ninjas. The last thing she saw before passing out was Ayame getting struck down by the sword of a kunoichi or female ninja. She was ashamed of the fact that she vomitted because of the copper smell of blood. Mirei knew there was probably no hope for poor Kiku-hime to survive. But she had to try to get back to Gohda Castle.
Mirei writhed and twisted to try to free herself. She fought against the drunken laughter of the ninjas outside of the house, the unbearable heat of the afternoon, the bloody results of her torture, and the detrimental ropes that enslaved her to Hotsuma and the Midori ninjas. She gave up when she could not endure the pain anymore. She slammed the side of her head onto the dusty floor in agony. There was no way to escape, the ropes were tied too tight. Mirei then wearily scanned the area around her. Maybe there was something that could cut the rope...
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When dusk had arrived in Gohda Realm, Ayame slowly woke up. She looked around her and saw that she was in her room in Gohda-sama's castle, lying in her own bed. She lifted a sore arm to her head and noticed that her short hair was no longer up in a flare. She also saw that bandages were neatly tied around her chest; her short sleeveless top lay next to her tatami sleeping mat. Her thick sandals and her blades were there too. Her blades were in their scabbards looking as innocent as mockingbirds. Her thighs did not feel nude, so she was still wearing her baggy black knee-length pants. The black cloth that was usually wrapped around her ankles weren't there.
She stopped her scrutiny and looked up at the opening screen door. Rikimaru entered and quietly shut the door behind him. He had a shuriken and a piece of paper in his right hand. The mysterious black cloth that usually covered his mouth and nose hung loosely around his neck revealing his handsome face. He smiled at her. "How do you feel?"
She didn't smile back. "Did you--?"
"Yes," He interrupted,"I put the bandages on you. But don't think I..."
"Oh no. I know you wouldn't do that," she said sarcastically.
He sat down on the floor near her sleeping mat and gazed at her. She met his gaze with an angry one. "So what happened to Mirei?"
"She was captured and is now being held in the Cemetary according to this paper," said Rikimaru setting the paper and the shuriken on the floor just half an inch away from Ayame's sleeping mat.
"Why didn't you save her?! Why did you let them take her?! Do you know what this means?!" screamed Ayame. Then she began to hit Rikimaru's chest with clenched fists. Her fists deliberately stopped and she slowly fell into his warm embrace. She buried her head into his hard chest, finally letting her emotions free. She had always hidden her love for her fellow Azuma ninja with an acriminous mask, hoping that he would never suspect her true feelings for him. But now, she wanted him to know that she loved him with all her heart.
"Why did you have to save me?" she whispered while listening to his steady heart-beat.
He gently caressed her lower back with his fingers while hugging her. "You know I could never leave you to die."
"Rikimaru, you should have thought about Kiku first. She needs Mirei," said Ayame. She then hugged Rikimaru's waist even tighter; she wished she could sit in her room and hug the man she loved until the end of time. But Ayame knew there were people who needed her help.
She got away from Rikimaru's warmth and began to get her clothes and accessories on. She did not even bother to put her hair back up. Then she sauntered towards two glowing blades at the other side of the room. When she touched them, their great spiritual power overwhelmed her. Ayame quickly slid them away in the scabbards of her usual blades.
"Ayame, you're not well enough. You should rest," protested Rikimaru who stood up too.
"I don't want Kiku to die," Ayame said grimly. With that said, she rushed to the large window in her room and leaped out.
Rikimaru tied the black cloth on his neck around his mouth and nose. Then he followed Ayame out the window.
*****************************************************************************************************************
The dark night had replaced the orange glow of dusk when Ayame had reached the Cemetary. She unsheathed Kasumi and Shizuku, the glowing blades that use life to kill the undead. When she touched the cryptic blades, langour bombarded her injured body. She felt weak but she took her mind off her weariness when she sensed someone nearby.
She stealthily headed towards a thick tree and a dim latern. While hiding behind the colossal form of the tree, Ayame peered at her target. It was some sort of undead. The undead was short and imp-looking. It moved in a demented way: sending its arm up in the air while walking clumsily. When the undead eventually turned its back on her, she wasted no time in eliminating it.
She felt Kasumi and Shizuku shake with glee when she killed the undead. The blades feasted on its life and gave Ayame new strength. Energy rushed back into her weary body as she catapulted herself off of the elevated land and onto another undead near secluded trees. It reeked of dried blood and rotting flesh; flies endlessly buzzed around its skeletal body. She nimbly twisted its head around with her legs, breaking the skeletal undead's frail neck. Her glowing blades once again shook with joy and her life was renewed.
Ayame's ki suddenly became alert. She turned towards the tavern and saw two Midori ninjas coming at her. She slashed the first one that reached her in the stomach and sent him backwards. She quickly kicked the next ninja in the ankles causing him to trip. She did not have time for two-on-one confrontations so she sped away from them, leaving a trail of sharp caltrops.
****************************************************************************************************************
The confrontations with the enemy ninjas seemed inevitable to Ayame. She wondered if she really was that reckless while she cut down a kunoichi with fast combos. She heard a couple of ninjas behind her shriek in pain. She turned abruptly and saw that Rikimaru had killed them.
"Are you all right?" he asked as Ayame flung her arms around him.
"I'm fine. We should hurry to the house, that's probably where they have Mirei captive," Ayame replied while letting him go.
Suddenly, a piece of paper was thrusted onto the forehead of an enemy ninja who was trying to get back up. The ninja lay immobile on the dead grass. The Azuma ninjas quickly let go of each other and averted their attention to the person who had emerged from the shadows of a tree.
"Mirei!" exclaimed the ninjas in unison.
The disgruntled, hideous, and scarred miko that was once the flawless Mirei grinned at Ayame and Rikimaru. She slowly got up on her feet, supported by a spear.
"Can one of you cut these ropes off me?" Mirei whispered hoarsely. The ropes tied around separately on her wrists were stained with dark red like some of her hands.
Rikimaru was quick to comply and gently took her hands in his. He sliced the ropes with the Muramasa, another glimmering weapon that used life to kill the undead. Mirei did the rest by peeling the cut ropes off. Her blood was like glue, causing the ropes to stick onto her skin. She then ripped some of the dirty white sleeves attached to her robes. The miko loosely wrapped the rags around her wrists to cover the wounds and to ease the pain.
"I got away from them by using this spear to cut the ropes apart," explained Mirei indicating to the spear she held in her right hand,"And we can go back to Gohda-sama's castle, I managed to obtain some of the herbs I needed."
Her ugly fingers went into the front of her robes, she pulled out a medium sized pouch. She loosened it and showed them the thick, verdant herb.
But before anyone could move, a raucous voice shook the placid silence of the Cemetary. "Stay where you are!"
Ayame, Rikimaru, and Mirei swerved around to the challenger. An old, but burly man stood before them with numerous Midori ninjas. His hair was black with streaks of white and gray in it. The man wore fancy pale green robes with a pattern of white bamboo sticks on it. The sword he held loosely to his side had a richly decorated hilt, it also had an aura of power surrounding it.
Mirei gasped. "Uncle Hotsuma?!"
Morimoto Hotsuma, the leader of the Midori, laughed cruelly. "Come back to us, Mirei, and we won't hurt your little Azuma friends."
Ayame glared at Hotsuma with her violently pretty eyes. "Hey old man! Aren't you a little too old to be craving for young women like Mirei?"
Hotsuma's face filled with hot embarrassment at Ayame's rude comment. He roared like a wild man and held his sword high. He responded by charging straight at the beautiful Azuma ninja. The other ninjas at his side did the same.
Ayame blocked Hotsuma's quick attack with both Kasumi and Shizuku. Their weapons clashed like thunder through out the night. Before Ayame could recoil, Hotsuma shoved her roughly to the ground. She fell down and rolled back in time to dodge Hotsuma's next attack.
Meanwhile, Rikimaru and Mirei were fighting the Midori ninjas. When Mirei blocked an attack, the spear she held was cut in half. She tossed down both pieces of the futile weapon and took some scriptures out of her robes. She dashed to two ninjas and stuck the sacred papers on their foreheads, causing them to freeze.
Rikimaru slashed away three ninjas with his powerful sword. He felt his life replenish when Muramasa was satisfied with the new lives taken. He looked over at Mirei and noticed that she had not killed any of her opponents, but she did leave them magically frozen.
When he looked at Ayame, he frowned because he saw that she was having some trouble with her opponent. Hotsuma was slow but very strong, most of his attacks knocked her off her feet. Ayame's quickness helped her a little, but her attacks were too weak and could not compete with the old man's defense.
To aid Ayame, Rikimaru sprinted towards Hotsuma and tried to get him with a lunging attack. The old man was too aware and dodged it by side-stepping. But he was not fast enough to parry Mirei.
The miko was behind him and she kicked him between the legs. The top part of her foot collided with his groin, which made him scream and crumble to his knees. While Hotsuma was trying to recover from the strange attack, Rikimaru cut him twice across the torso. Blood stained the old man's pretty robes and hands. Ayame finished him by round-house kicking his neck down and striking his neck with one of her cryptic blades. The old man's head fell off savagely and his body followed it slowly to the blood-littered ground.
Mirei stared at the dead body in disbelief. She then stared around her at the living and the dead that inhabited the callous Cemetary. Her knees gave up on her and she fell to the ground feeling week and glad. Her nightmares were finally over.
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When Mirei had returned to her patient, she wasn't even concerned about her own wounds. She immediately made tea using the herbs for Kiku-hime. Kiku was too weak to move on her own but they all managed to help her sit up. The tea was very sedative and caused the young girl to fall asleep. But Mirei was glad that the hectic coughing ceased.
Mirei, Ayame, and Rikimaru left Kiku's room so they wouldn't disturb her much needed rest. Mirei looked around at her companions and smiled. "I think I have enough of the herb to help the other people afflicted with the illness. I'm sure Fujioka Tesshu is having lots of trouble with all of the patients."
"Mirei, thank you. You saved Kiku's life," said Ayame quietly.
"It really wasn't me, the medicinal herbs saved the hime," Mirei said modestly. After that she bade them farewell and sauntered down the dim corridor. Each of her passing steps seemed to grow faint and distant, almost as if they would never see the kind miko again.
THE END
(Author's Note: I bet everyone who's readin' this right now is going,"Yay! The story's over!" Well, I really enjoyed making this story cuz it was a bit out of the ordinary for me. I don't usually make serious stories. When I saw the reviews for Chapter 4, I was really surprised. I guess you were right, Lynn, and thanks for your support. Oh, and thank you to the other people who reviewed the story, I shouldn't have thought that people weren't reading it.)
Chapter 5: The Peaceful Dead
Mirei lay on the floor of the decrepit house in the dreaded cemetary. Her bloody wrists were tied behind her back with a thick rope. The miko's robes were a bit torned because of the beatings she recieved from the Midori Ninjas that worked for her uncle, Morimoto Hotsuma. Her face was almost covered in a mask of blood, only the trails of her melancholic tears and sweat cleaned some of the blood off.
While lying there, she brooded about a lot of things. She wondered what happened to her friends, the Azuma Ninjas. The last thing she saw before passing out was Ayame getting struck down by the sword of a kunoichi or female ninja. She was ashamed of the fact that she vomitted because of the copper smell of blood. Mirei knew there was probably no hope for poor Kiku-hime to survive. But she had to try to get back to Gohda Castle.
Mirei writhed and twisted to try to free herself. She fought against the drunken laughter of the ninjas outside of the house, the unbearable heat of the afternoon, the bloody results of her torture, and the detrimental ropes that enslaved her to Hotsuma and the Midori ninjas. She gave up when she could not endure the pain anymore. She slammed the side of her head onto the dusty floor in agony. There was no way to escape, the ropes were tied too tight. Mirei then wearily scanned the area around her. Maybe there was something that could cut the rope...
**************************************************************************************************************
When dusk had arrived in Gohda Realm, Ayame slowly woke up. She looked around her and saw that she was in her room in Gohda-sama's castle, lying in her own bed. She lifted a sore arm to her head and noticed that her short hair was no longer up in a flare. She also saw that bandages were neatly tied around her chest; her short sleeveless top lay next to her tatami sleeping mat. Her thick sandals and her blades were there too. Her blades were in their scabbards looking as innocent as mockingbirds. Her thighs did not feel nude, so she was still wearing her baggy black knee-length pants. The black cloth that was usually wrapped around her ankles weren't there.
She stopped her scrutiny and looked up at the opening screen door. Rikimaru entered and quietly shut the door behind him. He had a shuriken and a piece of paper in his right hand. The mysterious black cloth that usually covered his mouth and nose hung loosely around his neck revealing his handsome face. He smiled at her. "How do you feel?"
She didn't smile back. "Did you--?"
"Yes," He interrupted,"I put the bandages on you. But don't think I..."
"Oh no. I know you wouldn't do that," she said sarcastically.
He sat down on the floor near her sleeping mat and gazed at her. She met his gaze with an angry one. "So what happened to Mirei?"
"She was captured and is now being held in the Cemetary according to this paper," said Rikimaru setting the paper and the shuriken on the floor just half an inch away from Ayame's sleeping mat.
"Why didn't you save her?! Why did you let them take her?! Do you know what this means?!" screamed Ayame. Then she began to hit Rikimaru's chest with clenched fists. Her fists deliberately stopped and she slowly fell into his warm embrace. She buried her head into his hard chest, finally letting her emotions free. She had always hidden her love for her fellow Azuma ninja with an acriminous mask, hoping that he would never suspect her true feelings for him. But now, she wanted him to know that she loved him with all her heart.
"Why did you have to save me?" she whispered while listening to his steady heart-beat.
He gently caressed her lower back with his fingers while hugging her. "You know I could never leave you to die."
"Rikimaru, you should have thought about Kiku first. She needs Mirei," said Ayame. She then hugged Rikimaru's waist even tighter; she wished she could sit in her room and hug the man she loved until the end of time. But Ayame knew there were people who needed her help.
She got away from Rikimaru's warmth and began to get her clothes and accessories on. She did not even bother to put her hair back up. Then she sauntered towards two glowing blades at the other side of the room. When she touched them, their great spiritual power overwhelmed her. Ayame quickly slid them away in the scabbards of her usual blades.
"Ayame, you're not well enough. You should rest," protested Rikimaru who stood up too.
"I don't want Kiku to die," Ayame said grimly. With that said, she rushed to the large window in her room and leaped out.
Rikimaru tied the black cloth on his neck around his mouth and nose. Then he followed Ayame out the window.
*****************************************************************************************************************
The dark night had replaced the orange glow of dusk when Ayame had reached the Cemetary. She unsheathed Kasumi and Shizuku, the glowing blades that use life to kill the undead. When she touched the cryptic blades, langour bombarded her injured body. She felt weak but she took her mind off her weariness when she sensed someone nearby.
She stealthily headed towards a thick tree and a dim latern. While hiding behind the colossal form of the tree, Ayame peered at her target. It was some sort of undead. The undead was short and imp-looking. It moved in a demented way: sending its arm up in the air while walking clumsily. When the undead eventually turned its back on her, she wasted no time in eliminating it.
She felt Kasumi and Shizuku shake with glee when she killed the undead. The blades feasted on its life and gave Ayame new strength. Energy rushed back into her weary body as she catapulted herself off of the elevated land and onto another undead near secluded trees. It reeked of dried blood and rotting flesh; flies endlessly buzzed around its skeletal body. She nimbly twisted its head around with her legs, breaking the skeletal undead's frail neck. Her glowing blades once again shook with joy and her life was renewed.
Ayame's ki suddenly became alert. She turned towards the tavern and saw two Midori ninjas coming at her. She slashed the first one that reached her in the stomach and sent him backwards. She quickly kicked the next ninja in the ankles causing him to trip. She did not have time for two-on-one confrontations so she sped away from them, leaving a trail of sharp caltrops.
****************************************************************************************************************
The confrontations with the enemy ninjas seemed inevitable to Ayame. She wondered if she really was that reckless while she cut down a kunoichi with fast combos. She heard a couple of ninjas behind her shriek in pain. She turned abruptly and saw that Rikimaru had killed them.
"Are you all right?" he asked as Ayame flung her arms around him.
"I'm fine. We should hurry to the house, that's probably where they have Mirei captive," Ayame replied while letting him go.
Suddenly, a piece of paper was thrusted onto the forehead of an enemy ninja who was trying to get back up. The ninja lay immobile on the dead grass. The Azuma ninjas quickly let go of each other and averted their attention to the person who had emerged from the shadows of a tree.
"Mirei!" exclaimed the ninjas in unison.
The disgruntled, hideous, and scarred miko that was once the flawless Mirei grinned at Ayame and Rikimaru. She slowly got up on her feet, supported by a spear.
"Can one of you cut these ropes off me?" Mirei whispered hoarsely. The ropes tied around separately on her wrists were stained with dark red like some of her hands.
Rikimaru was quick to comply and gently took her hands in his. He sliced the ropes with the Muramasa, another glimmering weapon that used life to kill the undead. Mirei did the rest by peeling the cut ropes off. Her blood was like glue, causing the ropes to stick onto her skin. She then ripped some of the dirty white sleeves attached to her robes. The miko loosely wrapped the rags around her wrists to cover the wounds and to ease the pain.
"I got away from them by using this spear to cut the ropes apart," explained Mirei indicating to the spear she held in her right hand,"And we can go back to Gohda-sama's castle, I managed to obtain some of the herbs I needed."
Her ugly fingers went into the front of her robes, she pulled out a medium sized pouch. She loosened it and showed them the thick, verdant herb.
But before anyone could move, a raucous voice shook the placid silence of the Cemetary. "Stay where you are!"
Ayame, Rikimaru, and Mirei swerved around to the challenger. An old, but burly man stood before them with numerous Midori ninjas. His hair was black with streaks of white and gray in it. The man wore fancy pale green robes with a pattern of white bamboo sticks on it. The sword he held loosely to his side had a richly decorated hilt, it also had an aura of power surrounding it.
Mirei gasped. "Uncle Hotsuma?!"
Morimoto Hotsuma, the leader of the Midori, laughed cruelly. "Come back to us, Mirei, and we won't hurt your little Azuma friends."
Ayame glared at Hotsuma with her violently pretty eyes. "Hey old man! Aren't you a little too old to be craving for young women like Mirei?"
Hotsuma's face filled with hot embarrassment at Ayame's rude comment. He roared like a wild man and held his sword high. He responded by charging straight at the beautiful Azuma ninja. The other ninjas at his side did the same.
Ayame blocked Hotsuma's quick attack with both Kasumi and Shizuku. Their weapons clashed like thunder through out the night. Before Ayame could recoil, Hotsuma shoved her roughly to the ground. She fell down and rolled back in time to dodge Hotsuma's next attack.
Meanwhile, Rikimaru and Mirei were fighting the Midori ninjas. When Mirei blocked an attack, the spear she held was cut in half. She tossed down both pieces of the futile weapon and took some scriptures out of her robes. She dashed to two ninjas and stuck the sacred papers on their foreheads, causing them to freeze.
Rikimaru slashed away three ninjas with his powerful sword. He felt his life replenish when Muramasa was satisfied with the new lives taken. He looked over at Mirei and noticed that she had not killed any of her opponents, but she did leave them magically frozen.
When he looked at Ayame, he frowned because he saw that she was having some trouble with her opponent. Hotsuma was slow but very strong, most of his attacks knocked her off her feet. Ayame's quickness helped her a little, but her attacks were too weak and could not compete with the old man's defense.
To aid Ayame, Rikimaru sprinted towards Hotsuma and tried to get him with a lunging attack. The old man was too aware and dodged it by side-stepping. But he was not fast enough to parry Mirei.
The miko was behind him and she kicked him between the legs. The top part of her foot collided with his groin, which made him scream and crumble to his knees. While Hotsuma was trying to recover from the strange attack, Rikimaru cut him twice across the torso. Blood stained the old man's pretty robes and hands. Ayame finished him by round-house kicking his neck down and striking his neck with one of her cryptic blades. The old man's head fell off savagely and his body followed it slowly to the blood-littered ground.
Mirei stared at the dead body in disbelief. She then stared around her at the living and the dead that inhabited the callous Cemetary. Her knees gave up on her and she fell to the ground feeling week and glad. Her nightmares were finally over.
*****************************************************************************************************************
When Mirei had returned to her patient, she wasn't even concerned about her own wounds. She immediately made tea using the herbs for Kiku-hime. Kiku was too weak to move on her own but they all managed to help her sit up. The tea was very sedative and caused the young girl to fall asleep. But Mirei was glad that the hectic coughing ceased.
Mirei, Ayame, and Rikimaru left Kiku's room so they wouldn't disturb her much needed rest. Mirei looked around at her companions and smiled. "I think I have enough of the herb to help the other people afflicted with the illness. I'm sure Fujioka Tesshu is having lots of trouble with all of the patients."
"Mirei, thank you. You saved Kiku's life," said Ayame quietly.
"It really wasn't me, the medicinal herbs saved the hime," Mirei said modestly. After that she bade them farewell and sauntered down the dim corridor. Each of her passing steps seemed to grow faint and distant, almost as if they would never see the kind miko again.
THE END
(Author's Note: I bet everyone who's readin' this right now is going,"Yay! The story's over!" Well, I really enjoyed making this story cuz it was a bit out of the ordinary for me. I don't usually make serious stories. When I saw the reviews for Chapter 4, I was really surprised. I guess you were right, Lynn, and thanks for your support. Oh, and thank you to the other people who reviewed the story, I shouldn't have thought that people weren't reading it.)