Author's Note: Here's Chapter 2...I hope I'm not just posting this to take up
space...I hope someone will read this...anyway, moving on...
Chapter Two: The Miko's Spell
Mei Lhi rose from her warm futon with a start. She clumsily stumbled around in the dark. She found the door and slid it aside. Charred flesh and burned wood reached her nose. She could hear the villagers screaming and men yelling angrily. She slid the door shut and walked over to her closet and found a red and white kimono. She threw the red top part over herself, and found a pack bag and stuffed the red bottoms and white kimono top into it. She slung the pack over her shoulder, and held the red kimono shirt closer to her small body. She slid the door open, and was greeted by a flood of smoke and anxious flames wanting to lick hungrily at her flesh. She slammed the door shut, and ran across the room to the window and jumped out, landing on her side. She shakily stood up and saw the men of the village run inside her home. The tallest and most cruel looking of the bunch was barking orders at the men.
"Find the hanyou brat! Kill her, then her family!" He roared, spit flying from his mouth.
A quiver went through Mei Lhi's spine. Her eyes wandered around the ground, and stopped on a woman laying on her stomach, bleeding badly.
"Mother!" Mei Lhi cried.
She ran over to her mother and dropped to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Mother! Mother! Are you ok?!" Mei Lhi asked, sobbing.
"Mei Lhi...you're...alright...I'm glad..." The woman replied weakly.
"Mother! You're hurt! We have to get you help!"
"No...I'm going to die...I want you to do something for me..."
"What?"
"Go to the temple. Find the miko. Then, give her this..."
Mei Lhi's mother reached into her kimono and pulled out a necklace with a single Japanese character with a small blue bead attached to its black string. She pressed it into Mei Lhi's hand and smiled.
"I love you...Mei Lhi..."
Then, she died.
"I love you too, mother..." Mei Lhi whispered, as tears fell from her eyes once again.
'I have to find that miko. I have to fufill mother's final wish.' Mei Lhi thought.
The men were starting to come out of her burning house and they had spotted her.
"There she is! There's the little brat! Get her!" They shouted.
"No!!!" Mei Lhi shrieked.
The men ran at her, and charged so quickly. She shut her eyes tight, expecting to feel the pain of white-hot torches and the sting of wooden clubs upon her body, but the pain never came. A new voice had entered. A woman's voice. Slowly, she opened her eyes again and saw standing before her, the miko. The miko had a bow and arrow ready to shoot, and by the looks of it, the miko had created a protective barrier.
"You will not hurt this girl. She is an innocent child. You will have to stand against me if you want to harm her." The miko shouted in a clear voice.
The men lowered their weapons. The miko was too highly respected in the village. They didn't want to hurt her. They knew her great power.
Unfortunately for the men, their leader was determined to rid the village of Mei Lhi.
"Men! She's just a simple woman! We will kill the hanyou and anyone who gets in our way! Now go! Attack her!" He ordered.
Reluctantly, the men did as they were told, but couldn't get past the miko's barrier. The miko lowered her bow, and turned to Mei Lhi.
"Come with me." She said quietly.
The miko took Mei Lhi's hand and led her away from the men and into the temple just up the road. They quickly went inside. The miko put up another barrier, then motioned for Mei Lhi to sit down.
"I'm Hana." The miko said.
"Mei Lhi."
The two were quiet for some time. Mei Lhi opened her hand and saw the necklace.
"Hana...my mother...before she died, she gave me this necklace. She told me to find you." Mei Lhi said finally.
"Oh?" Hana asked curiously. "May I see the necklace?"
Mei Lhi put the necklace in Hana's outstretched hand, then focused her attention quickly on a spot on the ceiling. Hana nodded in understanding upon looking at the necklace.
"Mei Lhi...it's time for you to learn about your family..." Hana said, bringing the child before her to her feet.
Chapter Two: The Miko's Spell
Mei Lhi rose from her warm futon with a start. She clumsily stumbled around in the dark. She found the door and slid it aside. Charred flesh and burned wood reached her nose. She could hear the villagers screaming and men yelling angrily. She slid the door shut and walked over to her closet and found a red and white kimono. She threw the red top part over herself, and found a pack bag and stuffed the red bottoms and white kimono top into it. She slung the pack over her shoulder, and held the red kimono shirt closer to her small body. She slid the door open, and was greeted by a flood of smoke and anxious flames wanting to lick hungrily at her flesh. She slammed the door shut, and ran across the room to the window and jumped out, landing on her side. She shakily stood up and saw the men of the village run inside her home. The tallest and most cruel looking of the bunch was barking orders at the men.
"Find the hanyou brat! Kill her, then her family!" He roared, spit flying from his mouth.
A quiver went through Mei Lhi's spine. Her eyes wandered around the ground, and stopped on a woman laying on her stomach, bleeding badly.
"Mother!" Mei Lhi cried.
She ran over to her mother and dropped to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Mother! Mother! Are you ok?!" Mei Lhi asked, sobbing.
"Mei Lhi...you're...alright...I'm glad..." The woman replied weakly.
"Mother! You're hurt! We have to get you help!"
"No...I'm going to die...I want you to do something for me..."
"What?"
"Go to the temple. Find the miko. Then, give her this..."
Mei Lhi's mother reached into her kimono and pulled out a necklace with a single Japanese character with a small blue bead attached to its black string. She pressed it into Mei Lhi's hand and smiled.
"I love you...Mei Lhi..."
Then, she died.
"I love you too, mother..." Mei Lhi whispered, as tears fell from her eyes once again.
'I have to find that miko. I have to fufill mother's final wish.' Mei Lhi thought.
The men were starting to come out of her burning house and they had spotted her.
"There she is! There's the little brat! Get her!" They shouted.
"No!!!" Mei Lhi shrieked.
The men ran at her, and charged so quickly. She shut her eyes tight, expecting to feel the pain of white-hot torches and the sting of wooden clubs upon her body, but the pain never came. A new voice had entered. A woman's voice. Slowly, she opened her eyes again and saw standing before her, the miko. The miko had a bow and arrow ready to shoot, and by the looks of it, the miko had created a protective barrier.
"You will not hurt this girl. She is an innocent child. You will have to stand against me if you want to harm her." The miko shouted in a clear voice.
The men lowered their weapons. The miko was too highly respected in the village. They didn't want to hurt her. They knew her great power.
Unfortunately for the men, their leader was determined to rid the village of Mei Lhi.
"Men! She's just a simple woman! We will kill the hanyou and anyone who gets in our way! Now go! Attack her!" He ordered.
Reluctantly, the men did as they were told, but couldn't get past the miko's barrier. The miko lowered her bow, and turned to Mei Lhi.
"Come with me." She said quietly.
The miko took Mei Lhi's hand and led her away from the men and into the temple just up the road. They quickly went inside. The miko put up another barrier, then motioned for Mei Lhi to sit down.
"I'm Hana." The miko said.
"Mei Lhi."
The two were quiet for some time. Mei Lhi opened her hand and saw the necklace.
"Hana...my mother...before she died, she gave me this necklace. She told me to find you." Mei Lhi said finally.
"Oh?" Hana asked curiously. "May I see the necklace?"
Mei Lhi put the necklace in Hana's outstretched hand, then focused her attention quickly on a spot on the ceiling. Hana nodded in understanding upon looking at the necklace.
"Mei Lhi...it's time for you to learn about your family..." Hana said, bringing the child before her to her feet.