Hello! I am the Cheshire Cat! ^_^
I do not own RK though, I wish I did! So this is my disclaimer!
And now on with the story, please read the author's notes at the end of the chappie!
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~ Affections of Fire: A memoir ~
Suppose you and I were once dear friends from far away. And, as if by chance the two of us came across one another during a walk along a stream. You had been traveling from somewhere distant and I only intended to take a quiet stroll on this breathtaking morning.
As we recognize one another and welcome each other in warm welcoming embraces I insist that you come join me in my house for tea. When we arrive we sit ourselves on comfortable zabutons wile enjoying the sabering taste of green tea and sweet rice cakes.
You and I chat for hours and you tell me all the things that have happened over the years and why you where leaving our home town. Then you are curious to know about me, and I begin telling you of something that happened long Ago.
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The day was still young, though it didn't appear to be. It had been storming in the most peculiar way all week. The sky was stained an eerie ebony black. It seemed to be an everlasting world of night.
I sat quietly in a dimly lightened room known as our "family tea room" wile gazing out a small window that overlooked the castle grounds and the village down the road.
Rain was pounding on the roof and a crackle of thunder shook the sturdy walls of the castle. I sighed and watched the lightning perform an exotic dance in the sky. Storms such as these were occurring frequently all throughout the summer. The storms were effecting our rice fields and our soldiers in battle.
Not a single person doubted that The Demon Lord Nagato (who we were currently fighting in a terrible war) was using his powers to create these storms just to piss us off a ruin things for us further.
How were we humans supposed to defeat a powerful army of demons with only normal swords and weak spells? The truth was, that know one knew themselves, and though it was hard to admit, we were losing terribly. But despite all of this we still had hope, me and my friend Sano that is.
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Not too long ago Sano came to Yorasaki (The town where our castle is) to visit me. Sano was a captain of a small group of samurai know well throughout Japan and had just returned from a battle nearby and payed me a visit.
Sano knew that I was not permitted to talk to samurai such as himself, nor was I aloud to hear certain information concerning the war. I believe he took pity on me and tried to tell me everything I wanted to know but, he would mainly only tell me the positive sides to the war.
Anyway, Sano did visit me not long ago and mentioned to me that despite all the bitter things that were happening we still hade hope. I looked at him Questioningly and he continued to say " There is an extraordinary man that I have witnessed with my very own two eyes." he said seriously. This got my attention.
"He has speed that could mach a god's and can slay nearly a hundred demons with only one simple stroke! He is called the Battousaii! He said.
"Sano!" I said responding like anyone ells would hearing this. "You big fat liar! You expect me to believe that? Ha! If that were ever true we'd have won the war ages ago!" I argued
"Believe whatever you want Jou-chan! I know what I saw!"
"Well, I think you probably had one sake too many seeing this!"
Despite all the teasing I gave poor Sano after telling me this, I wanted to believe him and I eventually convinced myself that this "Battousaii" was actually a real person, for I began to fantasize about him after Sano's later description, which was that his mane was stained with the color of a demon's red blood and had fierce amber eyes that flamed with the desire to kill and made even the most strongest demons quiver in fear.
Hearing all of this sent shivers up my spine and yet it all intrigued me. my mind then became obsessed with this mysterious man called the Battousaii.
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I was still sitting in our family tea room along with my father and two brothers soujiro and Yahiko. We all sat silently waiting for mother to join us. My father (king Atoshi Kamiya) had gathered all of us to the tea room to disscuss somthing "very important" as called it, and that usually meant something unpleasant.
I continued to gaze outside the window and my mind was screeching pleas for the storm to be over with. I wasn't allowed outside anymore because during the war, demons would break into human villages to rape women and slaughter men and children.
Non of this stopped me from still wanting to go outside the castle grounds, but could you really blame me? I was like a bird trapped in cage! So, I often snuck out at night when every one retired to bed. I would go out and have a fun time at the village or just simply go to a quiet area in the forest to enjoy my solitude.
All of a sudden the rain, thunder and lightning came to a halt, and the blackness of the sky melted away from the crisp golden rays of the sun.
I smiled with satisfaction that my pleas had bean answered. My thoughts were the interrupted by the sound of a shoji screen sliding open to reveal my mother walking in, quickly followed by a maid carrying a tray of freshly made green tea and higashi (dry sweets).
My mother smiled at the site of the sun and the beautiful rainbow that had been newly painted on the sky. She was wearing a beautiful silk kimono with a long kosode with flowers over it, similar to what I was wearing. She walked over to my father and sat herself on a zabuton next to him. The maid set the tray down in the middle of our circle(which was how we were seated) bowed and left.
Mother pulled up the long sleeve of her kosode and poured my father's cup with hot tea, as I did the same for Soujiro and Yahiko. When we finished, father began to speak.
"Now that everyone is here, it is time to say what is needed to be told and I'm afraid it isn't very good news."
"What's so bad about it?" I managed to ask.
"We are losing this war terribly!" my older brother soujiro answered for him. "We are can no longer deny that there is no way we can defeat these beasts!"
"Which is why," my father spoke again. "We have decided to put the war on pause and invite Nagato himself to our castle and try reach a negotiation with him." when he said this everyone's faces went blank.
"What!" My little brother Yahiko cried. "We're surrendering just like that?"
"Father, soujiro, you can't meant it? We cant let him into out home, we can't trust him!" I said
"Really Atoshi dear, there must be another way!" my mother pleaded.
"There isn't."
"When we he be coming?" I asked
"We don't know yet." said soujiro. "I spoke to the general yesterday about delivering the message to Nagato."
The room was silent until I decided to break it.
"Father....." I managed to say just above a whisper, for I was afraid of his reaction to my next words. "What if I were to tell you, that there was a man amongst our samurai who had godlike speed and could slay a hundred demons with a single stroke?" He looked up from his tea and stared at me.
"Battousaii the demon slayer, h's truly only a man of legends." he finally said. "I'm surprised at you Kaoru! One, for believing these ridiculous samurai stories and also for conversing with one when you know you shouldn't be. The legend of the Battousaii is only useless story that samurai try to fool themselves with believing everything will be fine"
He looked like he was about to say something more until there was a knock on the shogi. It slid open to reveal a messenger carrying a letter. His eyes showed a look of fear, as if the letter was poison. He handed Father the letter, bowed and left.
My fathers eyes scanned the writing on the piece of paper. He finished it quickly and tucked the letter inside his gi.
"Seven days" he mumbled with his bangs covering his eyes " Seven days until he arrives so prepare yourselves."
And with that said, he stood up abruptly and quickly left the room with Soujiro following him.
Mom, Yahiko and I just sat there stiff as a board, trying our best to face the bitter reality coming right toward us. My mind was racing with panic with thing like 'what are we going to do!' 'How could we let this happen?' 'seven days!' 'Seven days!'
~TBC~
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So how did you like it, ok?
I just finished reading a really good book called memoirs of a geisha, thats what made me decide to make this fic a memoir.
Some things you should know:
remember that this is set is the feudal era of Japan, so the clothing is different. The kimonos are a little differnet and the obi sash is really different the what you see on RK the obi is skinny, long and is rapped around the waist several times. A kosode is one of those big colorful robes princess or nobles wear, if you don't know what I mean then think of the clothing they wear on Inuyasha.
Who is Nagato? (If you care) I don't know of any Nagato on RK if there is one then slap me! But, I'm pretty sure I made him up, I was imaging him as a character like Narocku (SPL?^_^,) From Inuyasha so you can picture Nagato as him if you wish.
Plz read my next chapter, our favorite red haired samurai should be introduced then!^.~