Dark Arrow
By Marie Darkholme
12. Dead!
The brown mare stopped abruptly, unable to keep the pace that the young blond had imposed on it. Takeru himself was too tired and he knew he should have better rest, but while his mind told him that, his heart screamed that he needed to keep going, he needed to find Koushiro and Sora, he needed to save Hikari, and those were the thoughts that kept him going, restless, riding the breathless horse, through the almost unseen road. The fog had blocked completely the vision and for any reasonable person that had been the time to stop, no matter what, but Takeru wasn't being reasonable, he was letting himself being driven by his feelings.
Pulling the reins and beating with his boots on the mare's chest, Takeru obliged Hika to go on. The horse started trotting, until the blond made a little more of strength with his boots and it started galloping. Once again, Takeru began his journey between the invisible branches that constantly beat on his face. Energized by a sudden strength or just the adrenaline, he tried to go faster and faster… A sudden thud was heard, and Takeru's body fell to the floor, immediately unconscious, or perhaps just too tired to wake from the fall.
Koushiro walked silently down the path that just a few minutes earlier had taken both him and the auburn haired to the house of a strange lady with lavender hair. He had not wanted to stay by the door waiting, or in the room listening to the conversation. It was too private. So, he decided to walk back to the beautiful city of Nagasaki and stay in a bar or something like that. He needed the time anyway, to think about his own problems.
He was nearing the port when he found a suitable tavern. The place was rustic and made of old ships' wood. In the entrance, there was a sign saying Memaid Taven with horrible designed letters and wrong spelling of words. He entered with a small smirk on his face. The place was as to say crowded. He had been a long since he had seen such a busy place. The tavern was composed by a long counter and about ten or eleven table disposed in a disorganized manner through the large room.
Walking towards the counter, he noticed a mass of brown hair with a blue headband. He walked towards the man and rested a hand on his shoulder. Taichi didn't seem to notice as he kept staring at his glass, half empty from the translucent brown liquid, but as Koushiro was about to say something, the brown haired man turned his face to see who was standing there. A smile of confusion and hope scattered through his features.
"What are you doing here?" the captain asked, motioning him to sit. Koushiro noticed his glance around the room, obviously hoping for someone else to be there as well. "Well, I left Sora talking with the person she came to meet and decided to go for a walk." Koushiro replied. There was a small disappointment in Taichi's eyes but he fought it back, and returned to his drink. With a sip he finished it, dropping the cup on the wooden counter, hard enough for Koushiro to feel the vibrations it had made in contact with the surface. Then, with his deep voice Taichi called for one of the servants in the place. A woman appeared in instances. Koushiro noticed how airy she was, and came to the conclusion that the place might not only work as a tavern. The woman had big breasts barely covered by the small neckline of the dress she was wearing. She had a slim waist and dark brown hair falling from the scarf she wore in her head.
The captain ordered for another two drinks that came within seconds to his hands. Handing one of the glasses to Koushiro he started the conversation again. "So… " he started. Since he had met the two friends he had been curious about their motivations for the ride, about what they did for living, where they came from. He had managed to get some information from Sora. In the beginning she started telling him stories that he immediately recognized as lies. Then she had told him the truth, but not everything, having left behind many details that he knew she was hiding. Now he had Koushiro with him, and he was forcing himself not to ask what was on his mind. He wanted to know why she had left but he didn't find it right to ask Koushiro that, behind her back.
Silence fell between the two, until the red haired man found a suitable issue to talk about. "When are you leaving?" he asked, out of his curiosity. "Probably tonight. When the men have discharged everything, we'll leave. The night has become foggy and that's a good thing for us." He replied grinning. Koushiro laughed to his small joke. "And where are you going after?" he asked.
The brown haired man was silent for a second or two as he pondered his way. "That's a good question, you know?" he replied, drinking a sip of his drink. "Maybe to Miyazaki." The captain took another sip of is drink and stared at the ceiling. "What about you two?"
Koushiro was gotten by surprise. He hadn't thought about it yet. Their only objective was to arrive at Nagasaki and meet Miyako, but they hadn't made plans. "I think it depends on what happens with Sora." He replied. Taichi eyed him. "What do you mean, what happens to Sora?" he asked confused and scared at the same time. "Wrong words I guess. I mean, we'll decide after she knows what she came here to find." The red haired cleared. The captain saw the issue closing to the theme that he had so hardly managed to keep away from his answers. What does she wants to find out? The question assaulted him, and without warning he gave voice to his thoughts. The red haired looked at him, a look of sorrow on his face. "Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you." He replied.
Feeling the consequences of his unthought-of acts, Taichi worried himself to stop the confession that the red haired was about to make. He felt like he was corrupting the way things should go between him and Sora if Koushiro told him what he wanted so badly to know. "You don't need to tell me. It was a stupid question. Forget about it." He excused himself, turning his attention back to his glass.
"She came to find what happened to her parents." Koushiro said. He felt like Taichi should know. After all, the brown haired man was an important part on Sora's life and the reason that had made Sora hid it from him was because she didn't want to talk about it and preferred he didn't know anything about her life. In a way, she was afraid that he would loose his interest on her by knowing from where she was or what she was searching. He found it rather stupid, but he respected her wishes. But now there was nothing keeping him.
"A friend of ours died. Or better saying, he was murdered. He left Sora a note that he handed her right before he died, saying that her parents hadn't simply died, and she should come here to find the truth. Without saying anything she left us and headed here. I followed her path and met up with her half the way. Since then, we've been travelling together." Koushiro finished his well resumed story. He didn't give many details about names or places, but he had told him the truth.
The captain was thoughtful for a while. He pondered if he too should tell Koushiro about his lost ones. He somehow believed he already knew something about it, but not all, of course. "I'm sorry to hear that. I completely understand what she's going through. I've lost someone too." He said, his voice sounding sorrowed and distant. "Yes, I've heard a little about it." He said, careful not to mention neither Ken nor Sam names. "A sister I've heard." He continued. He too was curious about the pass of such great pirate. The story about a boy who had drowned seemed strangely familiar to him.
"And my mother, but I suppose Ken and Sam told you that." Taichi replied with a small grin. Koushiro was kind of worried for moments. "Nah, don't worry, they told me, besides is no big secret. I just don't like to talk about it." The captain tranquilized the red haired man. "But let's not talk here. The walls have ears and I wouldn't like to jeopardise what's rest of a family that thinks I'm dead." Taichi said. They paid the drinks to the woman and left the tavern.
The port was silent at night, as they walked without any destination. The fog had enveloped every single boat, and rose quietly from the sea in a mystic way. The night itself was a bit chilly, and the wind had started blowing again, but nothing more than a zephyr. The two men walked side by side in silence, enjoying what they thought would be their last time together.
The auburn haired woman scanned the area. This surely wasn't a good place for a fight. It was way too small to keep a safe distance from the two attackers. The one who had talked was a tall, well built man with two katana in his hands. He had black hair and his eyes where dark as an empty whole. The other was a little younger and shorter, but he possessed the same well built body, dark hair and dark eyes. They dressed all black, what had allowed them to get in without being seen, and by their positions, Sora could see they moved as shadows in the night. The younger carried a long stick with a sharp curved blade in one of the extremes, and in his back, a small bow.
"Sora get out of here. I'll take care of them." Miyako said. The auburn haired looked behind her to see a well prepared lavender haired woman, holding her own weapons. She had been well camouflaged by the clothes she was wearing and Sora could have not seen it coming. Miyako hold in her right hand a wakizashi and in her other hand, between her long skinny fingers she held with skill three darts.
"I will not leave you here alone." The auburn haired woman protested. A smiled crossed Miyako's features. As much as she preferred that the youngster would have runaway, she admired her courage by staying and it made her remember her perished masters. "I would prefer if you leave me, but I admire your courage. We shall fight and win this together then." Miyako replied. The older of the two assassins allowed himself to smirk. "Then you shall die together, you mean." He mocked, laughing loudly. "Let's stop the talking and get to business." The impatient youngster said and with that he charged towards Sora, his blade crossing the space where seconds ago she had been, but the auburn haired had deviated from it with easiness. Not wanting to just watch his younger partner, the other one attacked Miyako with incredible speed and ferocity. It would appear that he had a certain rage against her. His katana cut the air with rash movements as he swung them towards the lavender haired woman. Miyako backed all she could, until she found herself near the wall. The man smirked, feeling he had trapped the woman, but as he attacked her, Miyako used the wall and gave herself impulse to jump in the air and appear behind the man.
Sora avoided another hit from the sharp blade of the dark haired man, and tried to hit him with one of her own attacks. The blades joined and the metal crunched once and then twice, until the two opponents retrieved their weapons back. The auburn haired grasped her katana tightly and let out a forced breath. The man attacked once again, twirling the stick within his fingers with agility. Sora avoided the first hit by deviating from its path, and defended the second above her head with her katana. Using all her strength she pushed the stick and forced the man to step back. Taking the opportunity she came forward and swung her blade towards the man, but a sudden dizziness made her loose her balance and the hit missed the target.
Regaining her sense of balance, she didn't have the time to think what was happening to her, as the young man came towards her. She ducked the first blow, followed instantly by a second to her feet that she didn't manage to avoid, falling on her back to the ground. The man made the effort to hit her with the sharp blade when she was down, but Sora rolled to her side, and the blade hit the floor and got stuck there. Seeing another opportunity to strike, the auburn haired woman stood on her feet and kicked the man's hand, making him loose his grip on the stick. Now he was unarmed and it would be easier to confront him like that.
The fight continued on both sides, and Miyako was getting tired. She wasn't used to these things anymore. Nevertheless, she was fighting better than she had ever fought. She took complete advantage of the short range of her wakizashi and the long range of her darts. She had tried to hit the man with one when she was in disadvantaged, making him back away, but she hadn't been able to actually hit him. He was stronger, younger and more agile than her, but she had the advantage of being smarter and more skilled.
The man moved forward. He cut the air with his right katana in a vertical movement, followed by an horizontal movement of his left katana. The lavender haired avoided the first and blocked the second with her wakizashi, taking the opportunity of their proximity to hit him on his nose. A thin thread of blood fell from it, and the black haired smirked as he wiped the blood with his right sleeve.
"You'll pay for that bitch." He smirked mischievously. "Make me." Miyako challenged. They glared at each other in the eyes, walking in circles, as both of them seemed to be studying the opponent. "I'll have to admit one thing, though." The man said. Miyako launched him a suspicious look. "What!" she asked. The man smiled stopping and assuming a completely vertical position, resting his left katana over his shoulders. Miyako glared at him. "You were a worthy opponent." He replied. The lavender haired smirked. "I'm not dead yet, you bastard." With that, she threw one of her darts to him, but the man blocked it with his katana. She charged over with her wakizashi, cutting the air. The three swords met with a clashing sound. The two opponents fought in strength to knock down the other. The man smirked, as Miyako's legs began to fail her and she slowly bended by the strength. She gritted her teeth in efforts to stand when a sudden move by her opponent made her sword fly in the air and end up on the other extreme of the room, leaving her unarmed.
"You were saying!" he mocked. Miyako backed to the nearest wall as the man advanced towards her, his blades crossed in front of him. "No place to run my dear." He replied.
Sora kicked her opponent, making him fall to the ground. She raised her katana in the air, ready to finish him when the reflection on her blade told her that Miyako was in troubles. Forgetting her unarmed adversary, she ran towards the older of the two men, ready to strike Miyako and launched herself on top of him. the hit threw both of them to the ground, making the older man drop his two katana.
Recuperated from the kick, the younger man stood and walked towards the two persons on the floor. Miyako ran to him, ready to throw him to the ground as well, but something caught her feet and she fell on the floor. Sora tried to stand and continue her fight, but the moment that she raised her head, a strong headache followed by dizziness made her fall to the ground again. She was completely disturbed, Miyako was on the floor and the two invaders were standing up.
What the hell is happening to me? The auburn haired girl asked herself as she struggled to get on her feet what she eventually managed, but before she was completely balanced, the youngster of the two assassins punched her on the face, making her head throb in pain. She didn't fall to the floor nevertheless, since the guy was holding her by her shirt. Miyako wasn't in better situation. She had had a bad fall and had hurt her arm, but she was still fighting. Without arms, the two elders were having a hand to hand match and Miyako wasn't in any advantage. The man punched her in the stomach, making her bent in pain. He clinched her arm and pulled her up. Miyako groaned in pain, her lavender hair over her injured features.
"As you see, honey…" the man said to her, throwing her against the wall with a strong burst. "You're only delaying the inevitable." He walked slowly towards his lost swords and picked them. Sora struggled to get loose from the youngster grasp, but whatever was causing her headaches, was drowning her strength from her. She could barely stand, and breathing was turning out to be very difficult. The man had no trouble at all in turning her and grab her arms from behind. The auburn haired watched helplessly as the other dark haired man reached for his katana with murder impulses. She struggled against the grasp of her captor but it was no use as she felt all her strengths quickly leaving her. Only his grasp was keeping her from falling to her knees.
Miyako looked up. Her opponent was standing there, holding his katana. I'm going to die. She thought. Once again I failed in protecting your daughter, my queen, but this time, I shall not go easily. She reunited her little strengths and stood with her knees lightly bended. She glanced over to Sora. "I'm sorry my child."
The dark haired man stood in front of her. He guarded one of his katana, and slightly passed his finger through the blade of his other katana, grasped tightly on his right hand. "Any last wishes?" he replied approaching Miyako. He was surprised and confused to see that she was actually smiling. "Yeah, burn in hell." She replied as she spit on him and in a completely unexpected way took a small knife from her clothes and hit him on his stomach. The man backed away in pain. "You bitch." He shouted at her and with it, he crossed her fragile body with his katana.
A cry of pain was heard as he retrieved the sword, now filled with blood. Miyako backed away, her hands in her chest. Sora screamed full lungs. She couldn't stand it, not again. Seeing another person dying. She had seen enough with Jyou and now they had killed Miyako too. A sudden strength invaded, perhaps because of the adrenalin rising in her veins from anger and hatred, pure hatred. She got free from the youngster's grasp and stumbled towards the other man who was trying to stop the bleeding on his stomach.
"You bastard, I'll kill you, I swear I'll kill." She screamed, her vision blurred by the tears. Her movements though were too slow, even for an injured man. He easily got her and pulled her against the wall. She winced in pain as her head seemed to explode and the blood on her veins began to boil like hot water. The man approached his face to hers. They were so close that she could actually feel his breath on her face.
"Maybe one day we meet in hell, but you're going first." He replied, an angered face masking his own pain. He then threw her to the opposite wall, and Sora beat against the hard wood knocking down the chairs that were on her way.
"Are you okay?" the younger assassin asked his partner and master. "Yeah, let's get out of here. I need to get this treated." The other replied. "What about her?" the younger inquired. "Don't worry." The dark haired master said as he walked over to Sora and kicked her on her ribs. "She'll be death in less than an hour and even if someone finds her, there's no cure that can stop this venom." He smirked. The two left, leaving a moribund Miyako, bleeding to death and a delirious Sora rolling on the floor as her blood boiled within her, while her skin was cold as ice.
"We're here, my love." King Yamato mocked as he walked out of the dark carriage into the fresh night. Mimi made her way out of the carriage as well; refusing Yamato's stretched hand to help her, she picked her long skirts and stepped out, stumbling slightly as her feet met the ground. The blond smirked at this, and extended his hand to help Hikari down, but the brown haired girl also refused the help, jumping to the floor with noticeable stability. Irritated, he began his way towards the large doors of his palace.
Hikari shivered with the sight of the castle. It looked like one of those castles from ancient stories of dark princes and evil magicians, and the night just made it more mysterious and frightening. It had two high towers, one each side. Between the two intimidating towers, the building was as well frightening, engulfed in shadows and guarded by dark dressed soldiers; it did look like a dark castle.
They passed the doors and entered a large hall. Armours decorated the corners of the chamber, all in ancient Japanese uniforms. There were also tapestries covering the floor with scenes of battles. In the walls some paints figured scenes of death and even some nakedness.
The brown haired girl approached her mistress, and Mimi immediately got a hold on her, pushing her closer with fear pasted in her features, paler than usual. Yamato walked around giving orders to the guards until he came to their side again. He was smiling widely. "So, my Princess, do you like your new home?" he inquired. Mimi made a disgusted face. "It seems like the lair of a rat." She spitted. Yamato looked angrily at her, but then smiled again. "If you wish, I can put you with the rats, woman." He stated with a grinned evilly. "But … I wouldn't do that to my dear fiancée." He continued with a mocking tone, approaching her. Mimi backed away some steps, but Yamato got a hold on her and pushed her against him. "My love, are you trying to walk away from me?" he said as he leaned and smelled her hair. Mimi's face blushed in anger. "Get away from me, creep. I will not marry you. I rather die, than marry you." She replied convict, pushing him away. Yamato smirked and grabbed her again. He leaned once more to her. Hikari tried to push Mimi back to her, but Fujitso had grabbed her.
Yamato leaned on Mimi. She trembled in fear and anger. She could feel his breath on her neck, as he placed a kiss on it. "Death is an easy path to take, Princess." He whispered in her ears. "I would never kill you. I would rather take advantage of you." He continued. Mimi could feel his hand pushing her dress up, exposing her leg. "I could have fun with you, make you suffer, make you wish you were death, but never giving you the opportunity." He warned her, feeling her thigh on his hand. Then, he pushed her away. "So, don't make me go that way, Princess. Take them to the guests' room." He ordered two soldiers that obeyed immediately followed closely by Fujitso.
They led the two girls to the second floor and into a large red chamber. Pushing them inside, Fujitso closed the doors. "No one gets pass this door except His Highness King Yamato." He growled to the two soldiers that nodded vehemently.
Inside, Mimi and Hikari found themselves in what looked like a blood filled chamber. The fact was that everything, except for the furniture was blood red. The chamber had a large bed with red mattresses and curtains surrounding it, also transparent red. In front of the bed was a secretary with a small candle and some books. There was also a couch on the other end of the chamber and in an adjacent room a bed for Hikari along with a closet and a bathroom.
"Oh, my goodness, Hikari what are we going to do now?" Mimi cried as she threw herself onto the mattresses, sobbing. Hikari sat by her side and rested a comforting hand on her back. "Don't worry Mimi. I'm sure that Takeru is going to find Koushiro and Sora and then they are going to rescue us. Just hang on." The youngster replied, trying to comfort the Princess and at the same time, reassure herself that everything was going to be okay and that she wouldn't have the same twisted faith as Hika.
Down stairs, King Yamato sat on his large poltroon with a small golden glass on his hand, twirling the wine inside it. His thoughts lied on the two girls that he kept on the upper level, and in another girl, that, if everything had gone smoothly, would be twisting to death with venom on her veins. A smirk played across his lips when his captain arrived.
Fujitso walked to the poltroon where his King laid, playing with his wine and bowed respectfully. Yamato laughed. "There's no one here, Fujitso, you can quit the courtesies." He replied. The man stood and smiled, sitting on the poltroon next to Yamato. The blond continued. "Grab a glass, let's drink to my victory." He smiled. "You shouldn't be so sure of yourself, Yamato." Fujitso alerted him. Yamato took a sip of his glass. "I know that my brother hasn't been captured yet, but he will." He stated. Fujitso shook his head. "It's not your brother that worries me. Is that girl. Are you sure that that group can finish her?" he inquired. Yamato sat glaring at Fujitso. "Do you doubt my decisions?" he demanded him. The elder shook his head. "No, I doubt their capacities." He wisely said. The king laid again. "So do I." he confessed. "But I don't doubt that they can at least hit her once, make a small thread of blood." He replied looking at his wine twirling in the glass. "And I don't doubt the power of poisons." He laughed, drinking the last of his wine.
Koushiro and the captain stopped in front of Dark Arrow, still ducked in the port, but almost ready to leave. Ken and Sam had come to join them. "Is everything ready?" Taichi asked his two friends. "Almost, another ten or fifteen minutes and we'll be ready to leave." Sam informed. Koushiro sighed. "Guess that it will be a while until we see each other again." He replied. Taichi patted him on the back. "Believe in Sora. Maybe not." He said, now in a better mood. Koushiro smiled. "Yeah, you're right Captain Yagami." He replied, calling him by his last name. Ken and Sam exchanged confused looks but did not ask any questions.
They all said goodbye for the second time that night, and Taichi, Sam and Ken, watched as Koushiro walked away in a rather quick pace. With a sigh, Taichi turned back to his ship and entered. There were still a few boxes in the deck, ready to be put on the warehouse where they kept their things. Most of them they would give them to poor people, other they sold in the black market.
Koushiro walked in a fast pace that denoted his worry. Something in his heart told him to hurry, but he could not put his finger over it. His mind, previously meditating in his conversation with Dark Arrow's captain about his pass, was now set only on the two women that he had left alone in the small house in that kind of desert place. He now wished he could have brought Autumn Leaf with him. It would have been of great help, because he would get there faster than walking. Besides, the horse was his trusted friend when it came to quickness and escapes.
He had already left the lights of the city behind when two strangers crossed his path in black steeds at high speed. He noticed how one of them was holding his stomach tightly, and his concern only grew more. He started running and he didn't stop until he arrived to the door of Miyako's house. He took several deep breaths before knocking on the door. To his surprise, the door opened just with his simple touch. In his mind, a voice screamed for him to get in as fast as he could and find Sora immediately, but the rational one told him to be careful, so he calmly reached for his katana as he pushed the door open.
The red haired suppressed a scream on his throat as he stepped onto a small puddle of blood. He feared to look ahead, frightened by the vision that could appear, but he did it, he had to. Lying a metre or so away from the beginning of the puddle of blood, Miyako's body lied. He put his katana away, forgetting about all carefulness he should be having, as he kneeled next to the moribund woman. He held her head as she struggled to speak. Her lavender hair was soaked in blood, and her clothes hid the trespassing wound that she had suffered. Miyako didn't know if they had done it on purpose or if had just been a strike of relative luck, but they had not hit her in any vital organ. Nevertheless they had left her there to bleed to death and her body throbbed too much for her to do something against it. Now, her only matter was that Sora was okay, which she knew she wasn't.
"My boy…" she trembled as she spoke. "…you must…help the Princess…Sora… She's…poison…help…fast." The words seemed senseless as her voice failed and she closed her eyes, breathing one last time. Koushiro's was blind with tears as he cursed the damned minute he had left their side. He stood and quickly searched for any clues on his beloved friend. His eyes rested over her spasmodic figure. She trembled in an uncontrollable way, and her eyes turned every now and then. He ran to her side. He could see she was no longer in control of her body and she wouldn't even listen to him if he tried to spoke to her. He quickly searched for any bad injuries but she had none. Aside from the cut on her face, some bruises and what looked like some misplaced bones, she was okay. But inside she was in very worst shape.
"Oh, my goodness, what am I going to do?" he asked himself as he lifted her body from the ground. It was difficult to hold her as she was constantly having spasms. He could feel her body burning. She had been poisoned, no doubt there, but with what? He smelled the wound on her face in search of some trail over the venom used. His face went pale and his muscles almost gave in as he smelled the familiar spider venom. It was an ancient weapon, deadly in a few hours… and it had no cure. He collapsed on his knees, trying hardly to think of a way out of that. He knew it wouldn't do no good to try sucking the venom because it had already spread trough all her body, and none of the several herbs he had could make a big difference. Maybe just a few more hours but she would eventually die. He was desperate. He watched her once again. She had stopped trembling and her muscles had gone limp. Her mouth opened a little and a small cloud of water vapour came out of it. Her face contracted in what seemed fear and pain and her lips were turning blue.
"She's dying…" he mumbled as he lifted himself with her body on his arms. Her clothes were dirty from her blood and from the blood Koushiro had carried with him from Miyako's corpse. "She's dying…"
A cliffhanger. Hope you've liked this chapter and sorry for the long delay but, well, what can I say, I'm really uptight with all the exams and stuff. Hopefully the next one will be up sooner. See ya.
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