first proof of fourth chapter
Road of two shadows
-You gotta save her- Next morning had come. It wasn't hot and sunny anymore.
Rikimaru was still in his bed even as there weren't so many hours till the
midday.
This was not something that he did every Saturday or even Sunday, he just
didn't want to get up yet. He had slept badly, turning one side to another.
No-one wouldn't visit him so even for that he didn't have to get up. All his
mates were out in a mission or had personal things to do. Ayame was away
and Kiku probably wouldn't even speak to him after yesterday evening's preach.
Things didn't look very bright for Rikimaru as he wrenched him self out of bed.
He dibbed out and sow that clouds were covering the sky. Would it start to rain again, he wondered.
Kiku had been up for hours. Her dad, Lord Gohda, had come home last night.
Kiku and her dad had started the day with early breakfast. Gohda had told Kiku
about what had happened in their neighbour villages, but of course he tired to
spare her daughter by not telling her everything.
He told that his friend had gotten him self quite difficult situation, but now
as this war was ending, he would end up to be one of the victorious.
Kiku was his dad's girl, no doubt about that. She listened her dad with out
blinking her eyes when he talked about current, political, situation. All
thought,
guess she didn't have much of a choice. That was one of the only child's
advantages; didn't have to make the choice.
As other people started to be awake and waiting to hear Gohda's plan to keep
the village safe. There would be many after Lord Gohda's head. Luckily no-one
outside the village didn't know his present residence.
In the very same time Rikimaru had gone out of shower and was slipping into
his pullover. He walked to his desk that hadn't anything on it, except one old
book.
He took it in his hands and leaf through its pages that felt like sand paper on
fingers. In well-thumbed, leather cover could been read the words;
-Non- fiction about ancient beast's-
It was Kiku's book. He had already read it so he might as well return it to
her.
Kiku was watching the sky that holds dark-blue clouds.
-"Would it start to rain again?"- She wondered by her self as her dad was in
another room, behind the fall. She could hear her dad walking around in the
room
and mumbling something by oneself. Kiku went to look what was it about and sow
her dad in front of a bookshelf.
She gulped and dried to back out whit out his dad noticing.
"Kiku, have you seen my book about –Ancient beasts-?
Rikimaru saw Kiku standing in door way. She was about say something to -someone- in the room but then she saw Rikimaru and hurry to him.
"Thanks for borrowing it to me?" Rikimaru said handing her the book.
"Glad if you like it." She answered smiling. –"What is she smiling about"-
"Guess what? My dad's home."
Rikimaru didn't get to answer as she all ready continued. "Wanna go talk to him?"
"…Is he busy?"
"He's in there." Kiku nodded to the door way where she had been standing. Then
she disappeared round the corner.
Rikimaru looked in the room wich he knowed to be the library room. He saws
Lord Gohda squatting to his knees trying to look under the bookshelves. He
didn't
understand why Kiku had taken the book to opposite direction. As he watched the
corridor that Kiku had gone Gohda stood up.
"Ah, Rikimaru…"
Rikimaru walked to him bowing his head a little.
"My Lord, good to see you back home. How was you journey?"
"I shouldn't complain, I got of easy… Hell is breaking lose out there."
Gohda said perfectly normal tone. He cleaned up his clothes of the dust by his
hands.
Heaving words out of his mouth he asked:
"Here is so peaceful, has it been like this for whole time?"
"Yes"
"I'm afraid it will not be for long, I'm afraid for Kiku's sake."
"You should not be, she's crown much since the last war."
Gohda walked to balcony that surrounded all most three sides of the building.
Rikimaru fallowed as Gohda continued. "This stupid battle for power has crowned
in to a meaningless war. Thank for god's it's ending now… But we still have a
lot to do before we can put our guard down…" He kept silence in some time as he
said:
"I heard that Ayame hadn't come back yet, is it true?"
"I'm afraid it is, she should have come back days ago."
They kept walking.
"So, you are afraid that something has happened to her?" Gohda watched
Rikimaru's expression as he lay down the question that had hunted Rikimaru's
mind for
many nights and days.
Rikimaru didn't have to answer as Gohda said:
"You know where I send her?"
"I do…"
"Good,Bring her back." he turned and watched down to the yard. "If you still
can."
"I leave immediately. I bring her back, where she belongs…" Rikimaru said as he left Lord Gohda standing at the balcony.
Rikimaru had hurried to his room to change his clothes. After he had done
that he opened another closed, Izayoi was at its own pedal. He took everything
that he thought he need.
In couple of minutes he was ready. He thought of getting to leave before it
stardet raining. As he came running down the few steps from his terrace, he
hear someone
yelling after him. He turned around and saws Kiku running towards to him. Kiku
nearly knocked him over as she run to him. She trapped him by holding his arms,
like just to make sure he wouldn't go anywhere before she had asked what she
had come to ask. Rikimaru wasn't going anywhere at least for now, he took
princesses shoulders
into his hand's to sow that he was there.
"You are going after her, aren't you?"
"… Yeah"
Kiku looked miserable as she watched to the ground. Rikimaru in behalf watched the sky and the water drop's that had started falling.
"I have to go now…"
Lord Gohda wondered where had his daughter gone and stepped out side. One of
his advisers was all so at the terrace and when Gohda asked had he seen his
daughter, the adviser nodded
to the direction where Kiku and Rikimaru where standing, in each others arm's.
They looked quite sad, standing in the growing rain.
Suddenly Kiku tied her arms around Rikimaru's shoulders and whispered to his
ear:
"You gotta save her and your self, I don't want to lose you both…"
"You are not losing anyone, Kiku, I promise you."
Gohda and his adviser were still standing at the terrace.
He poked Gohda to his side, so he would get his jaw back in line.
All three watched how Rikimaru vanished to the rain. Kiku Was left standing the middle of the yard.
