Power
She jogged for as long as she could. And when she couldn't jog anymore, she walked. It was a
little before dawn when she stopped for rest. The adrenaline from before had drained away
hours ago and all she was left with was the fear that her father would find her. She stumbled to
a small stream and dipped her aching feet in the cold water. After a long soak, she reluctantly
started to look for shelter. And to her luck, she found a snug cave that had plenty of room for
her to stretch out and sleep. It was discreet and the entrance was partially hidden by trees
standing nearby. She was starting to enter when she heard the rustle of cloth behind her. She
twirled around to see an elderly woman with a bent back. A hundred year's worth of wrinkles
were all on her face but her eyes twinkled with the joy of living. She gave a crinkled smile and
bowed as low as she could.
"Will you allow this poor old woman to stay with you for a while?"
Kaoru's heart went out to the old woman and gave a cheery smile, despite her weariness.
"Of course, please, come in."
The woman walked into the cave and Kaoru followed.
"It has been a very long night and I'm exhausted from all the walking I did." the woman
explained.
Kaoru took off her shawl and offered it to the old woman as a sort of blanket from the cold.
The woman took it gratefully.
"You're quite a beauty, my dear. What is your name?"
"Kamiya Kaoru."
"You may just call me Grandmother. It's been my name for ages beyond ages. So where are
you traveling to? Or running away from?"
Kaoru dropped her head a little. *Can she tell I'm running away?*
"Just...off to see the world."
Grandmother just patted Kaoru's hands lightly and started to lay down to sleep.
"It's alright, dear, he won't find you yet...that lazy man isn't smart enough to look."
Kaoru was about to ask how she knew but the old woman was fast asleep. Kaoru settled down
herself and was soon asleep as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the late afternoon when Kaoru woke up to the delicious smell of cooking fish. She
opened her eyes to see Grandmother roasting three fishes and cooking a pot of rice over a
fire.
"Late lunch?"
Kaoru's stomach growled in reply and she gave a sheepish grin. The old woman took out two
bowls and two pairs of chopsticks from out of nowhere and set them before Kaoru. The wood
was old and the paint on the chopsticks gave only telltale hints of what they used to look like.
But Kaoru didn't mind at all and ate with a healthy appetite.
"Child, where are you planning to go?"
"Anywhere but back ho-I mean, anywhere at all."
"How would you like to accompany me to the next village? It's only a few hours away and we
should be there well before dark. A helpless lady like me needs a young and strong escort to
help her."
"Somehow, I don't think you are very helpless...but I will."
"Wonderful, shall we get going?"
Kaoru was going to offer to clean the dishes but the pot was already gone and the only dish
around was the bowl and chopsticks in front of her. Puzzled, she didn't say anything but
wondered who the old woman really was. During their steady walk down the worn road,
Grandmother began to talk about everything. From Japan's old history to the villages around
that were torn apart by gangs of thieves. Kaoru would try not to wince when Grandmother
began to talk about a particularly nasty band of thieves called the Black Fists. But she didn't
stay on the topic for long and began to talk about her profession.
"I've been a healer ever since I could talk. I know every plant's uses and how to heal anybody.
It doesn't matter what you have, I can heal it."
"That's amazing...so is that why you wander? To go to villages and help?"
"You hit the target, dear. I've been looking for an apprentice who can carry on my job. But
decent people are hard to find these days. I have yet to see someone who is worthy enough to
carry such a burden."
"Well, I hope you find someone before your time runs out, Grandmother."
The two talked on and on about various things and Kaoru sometimes felt like Grandmother
was looking into her very soul. Every question or topic always seemed to depend on Kaoru's
opinions and thoughts. It was getting close to dusk and the village was still a mile away.
"Grandmother, will we get to the village before dark?"
The old woman stopped in the middle of the road and Kaoru looked questioningly at her.
"Grandmother?"
"Someone must carry the burden and do what they can to patch this old country up. I cannot
do it for it's not my place on the earth to do so."
"What are you talking about."
"Me dear, I wasn't joking when I said I've been around for ages and ages."
Kaoru's eyebrows were pressed together in confusion but her eyes went wide open in surprise
when the old woman began to glow. Her form began to change, the back straightening, the old
and crippled legs getting long and healthy, and the face. Her face smooth into one of
incredible beauty. Her hair grew into thick and shiny locks of silvery blue and her twinkling
eyes changed into dark blue hues similar to Kaoru's eyes. The rags from before transformed
into a silky fabrics that looked as if it was spun from the heavens. Grandmother gave a smile,
showing white and even teeth.
"I'm sorry for deceiving you, Kaoru, but I had to know."
"Know what." Kaoru murmured, her eyes lighting up with wonder.
"If you were the one to give the gift to. I've been waiting for you for ages and now I can stop
looking. Come closer Kaoru."
Kaoru obeyed and moved closer to the glowing goddess. Grandmother opened her palm and
on it was a silvery dust. She blew gently and the dust began to settle everywhere on Kaoru.
But instead of sticking to her clothes and hair, it started to melt into her skin. Kaoru could feel
a tingling all over her body and she gave a small shiver.
"What was that?"
"My gift to help the mortals, the power of healing. With one touch of your hands, you can heal
anything at all. But there are a few drawbacks. Every healing you do will take some of your
own life energy. If you use the gift too many times in one day, then it will have repercussions
on your body. So be careful, Kaoru! As a goddess, I wish I could do more. But even the gods
have rules and this is as much as they will let me give."
Grandmother leaned down and gave Kaoru a light kiss on the forehead, much like a mother
would do. Kaoru closed her eyes at the unfamiliar feeling, trying her hardest not to cry.
"He will find you one day, but it will not be as it was before. So don't be afraid of your past or
your future."
"Father?" Kaoru said, tears in her eyes.
"You can't run away forever. And eventually he will find you, but as I said, it will not be as it
was before. So don't be afraid."
A strong wind picked up from nowhere and blew around the goddess, making her fade away
like dust in the breeze. Kaoru looked down at her hands, wondering if it was just a dream. But
Grandmother was nowhere to be seen, except for the scarf that Kaoru had given her. She
picked it up and carefully wound it around her head. Dark was pressing in fast and she would
have to reach the village before thieves start roaming about. Kaoru began to walk quickly
towards the village but it would be too late.
"Please let me get there safe, please let me get there safe." Kaoru chanted quietly. But trees
began to look threatening and every sound and crack of a leaf was the menacing sign of a
nearby thief. Her eyes darted side to side but she kept her pace up. Just as she was getting
close someone grabbed her from behind and she was knocked unconsious on the head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Loud drunken voices woke her up and her head burned from before. Her hands were tied
back and her scarf was trashed in a corner. The flickering lantern light hanging above showed
the haggard faces of thieves. Tattered clothes and blunt swords marked the traditional
uniform of ruffians. Bottles of sake were strewn about and the floor was sticky from spilled
alcohol. Kaoru wrinkled her nose at the terrible stench emitted from the men as they laughed
in drunken reverly.
"Hey, she's awake!"
All the men turned from the seats by the rotten table and stared at her, a few licking lips. Lust
were in all their eyes and Kaoru became terrified by the animal passion in their faces. A few
got up and started to stumble towards her.
"Who wants to go first? Nobody break her too hard, we all want a turn tonight!"
They all started laughing at the callous remark and Kaoru steeled herself from their
disgusting touches. Something crashed outside and all the laughing stopped. The men drew
their swords and ran outside. She could hear their voices calling out accusations and insults.
Another man talked back to them in a low and quiet tone. The men laughed and Kaoru could
hear them all rushing at the poor unfortunate man outside. It was over in a matter of
seconds, there was a clash of steel and some shouts of pain. Then all was silent and Kaoru
once again steeled herself for the men coming back. But only one man stepped inside the
room.
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She jogged for as long as she could. And when she couldn't jog anymore, she walked. It was a
little before dawn when she stopped for rest. The adrenaline from before had drained away
hours ago and all she was left with was the fear that her father would find her. She stumbled to
a small stream and dipped her aching feet in the cold water. After a long soak, she reluctantly
started to look for shelter. And to her luck, she found a snug cave that had plenty of room for
her to stretch out and sleep. It was discreet and the entrance was partially hidden by trees
standing nearby. She was starting to enter when she heard the rustle of cloth behind her. She
twirled around to see an elderly woman with a bent back. A hundred year's worth of wrinkles
were all on her face but her eyes twinkled with the joy of living. She gave a crinkled smile and
bowed as low as she could.
"Will you allow this poor old woman to stay with you for a while?"
Kaoru's heart went out to the old woman and gave a cheery smile, despite her weariness.
"Of course, please, come in."
The woman walked into the cave and Kaoru followed.
"It has been a very long night and I'm exhausted from all the walking I did." the woman
explained.
Kaoru took off her shawl and offered it to the old woman as a sort of blanket from the cold.
The woman took it gratefully.
"You're quite a beauty, my dear. What is your name?"
"Kamiya Kaoru."
"You may just call me Grandmother. It's been my name for ages beyond ages. So where are
you traveling to? Or running away from?"
Kaoru dropped her head a little. *Can she tell I'm running away?*
"Just...off to see the world."
Grandmother just patted Kaoru's hands lightly and started to lay down to sleep.
"It's alright, dear, he won't find you yet...that lazy man isn't smart enough to look."
Kaoru was about to ask how she knew but the old woman was fast asleep. Kaoru settled down
herself and was soon asleep as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the late afternoon when Kaoru woke up to the delicious smell of cooking fish. She
opened her eyes to see Grandmother roasting three fishes and cooking a pot of rice over a
fire.
"Late lunch?"
Kaoru's stomach growled in reply and she gave a sheepish grin. The old woman took out two
bowls and two pairs of chopsticks from out of nowhere and set them before Kaoru. The wood
was old and the paint on the chopsticks gave only telltale hints of what they used to look like.
But Kaoru didn't mind at all and ate with a healthy appetite.
"Child, where are you planning to go?"
"Anywhere but back ho-I mean, anywhere at all."
"How would you like to accompany me to the next village? It's only a few hours away and we
should be there well before dark. A helpless lady like me needs a young and strong escort to
help her."
"Somehow, I don't think you are very helpless...but I will."
"Wonderful, shall we get going?"
Kaoru was going to offer to clean the dishes but the pot was already gone and the only dish
around was the bowl and chopsticks in front of her. Puzzled, she didn't say anything but
wondered who the old woman really was. During their steady walk down the worn road,
Grandmother began to talk about everything. From Japan's old history to the villages around
that were torn apart by gangs of thieves. Kaoru would try not to wince when Grandmother
began to talk about a particularly nasty band of thieves called the Black Fists. But she didn't
stay on the topic for long and began to talk about her profession.
"I've been a healer ever since I could talk. I know every plant's uses and how to heal anybody.
It doesn't matter what you have, I can heal it."
"That's amazing...so is that why you wander? To go to villages and help?"
"You hit the target, dear. I've been looking for an apprentice who can carry on my job. But
decent people are hard to find these days. I have yet to see someone who is worthy enough to
carry such a burden."
"Well, I hope you find someone before your time runs out, Grandmother."
The two talked on and on about various things and Kaoru sometimes felt like Grandmother
was looking into her very soul. Every question or topic always seemed to depend on Kaoru's
opinions and thoughts. It was getting close to dusk and the village was still a mile away.
"Grandmother, will we get to the village before dark?"
The old woman stopped in the middle of the road and Kaoru looked questioningly at her.
"Grandmother?"
"Someone must carry the burden and do what they can to patch this old country up. I cannot
do it for it's not my place on the earth to do so."
"What are you talking about."
"Me dear, I wasn't joking when I said I've been around for ages and ages."
Kaoru's eyebrows were pressed together in confusion but her eyes went wide open in surprise
when the old woman began to glow. Her form began to change, the back straightening, the old
and crippled legs getting long and healthy, and the face. Her face smooth into one of
incredible beauty. Her hair grew into thick and shiny locks of silvery blue and her twinkling
eyes changed into dark blue hues similar to Kaoru's eyes. The rags from before transformed
into a silky fabrics that looked as if it was spun from the heavens. Grandmother gave a smile,
showing white and even teeth.
"I'm sorry for deceiving you, Kaoru, but I had to know."
"Know what." Kaoru murmured, her eyes lighting up with wonder.
"If you were the one to give the gift to. I've been waiting for you for ages and now I can stop
looking. Come closer Kaoru."
Kaoru obeyed and moved closer to the glowing goddess. Grandmother opened her palm and
on it was a silvery dust. She blew gently and the dust began to settle everywhere on Kaoru.
But instead of sticking to her clothes and hair, it started to melt into her skin. Kaoru could feel
a tingling all over her body and she gave a small shiver.
"What was that?"
"My gift to help the mortals, the power of healing. With one touch of your hands, you can heal
anything at all. But there are a few drawbacks. Every healing you do will take some of your
own life energy. If you use the gift too many times in one day, then it will have repercussions
on your body. So be careful, Kaoru! As a goddess, I wish I could do more. But even the gods
have rules and this is as much as they will let me give."
Grandmother leaned down and gave Kaoru a light kiss on the forehead, much like a mother
would do. Kaoru closed her eyes at the unfamiliar feeling, trying her hardest not to cry.
"He will find you one day, but it will not be as it was before. So don't be afraid of your past or
your future."
"Father?" Kaoru said, tears in her eyes.
"You can't run away forever. And eventually he will find you, but as I said, it will not be as it
was before. So don't be afraid."
A strong wind picked up from nowhere and blew around the goddess, making her fade away
like dust in the breeze. Kaoru looked down at her hands, wondering if it was just a dream. But
Grandmother was nowhere to be seen, except for the scarf that Kaoru had given her. She
picked it up and carefully wound it around her head. Dark was pressing in fast and she would
have to reach the village before thieves start roaming about. Kaoru began to walk quickly
towards the village but it would be too late.
"Please let me get there safe, please let me get there safe." Kaoru chanted quietly. But trees
began to look threatening and every sound and crack of a leaf was the menacing sign of a
nearby thief. Her eyes darted side to side but she kept her pace up. Just as she was getting
close someone grabbed her from behind and she was knocked unconsious on the head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Loud drunken voices woke her up and her head burned from before. Her hands were tied
back and her scarf was trashed in a corner. The flickering lantern light hanging above showed
the haggard faces of thieves. Tattered clothes and blunt swords marked the traditional
uniform of ruffians. Bottles of sake were strewn about and the floor was sticky from spilled
alcohol. Kaoru wrinkled her nose at the terrible stench emitted from the men as they laughed
in drunken reverly.
"Hey, she's awake!"
All the men turned from the seats by the rotten table and stared at her, a few licking lips. Lust
were in all their eyes and Kaoru became terrified by the animal passion in their faces. A few
got up and started to stumble towards her.
"Who wants to go first? Nobody break her too hard, we all want a turn tonight!"
They all started laughing at the callous remark and Kaoru steeled herself from their
disgusting touches. Something crashed outside and all the laughing stopped. The men drew
their swords and ran outside. She could hear their voices calling out accusations and insults.
Another man talked back to them in a low and quiet tone. The men laughed and Kaoru could
hear them all rushing at the poor unfortunate man outside. It was over in a matter of
seconds, there was a clash of steel and some shouts of pain. Then all was silent and Kaoru
once again steeled herself for the men coming back. But only one man stepped inside the
room.
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