An Old Tale

By: Esuna

Chapter One: A Hasty Retreat

Anastasia could barely understand what that meant. With her two trembling hands still held outstretched before her, she spun around and scurried towards the mirror on her bare white knees. She gasped out loud in seeing blood along the corners of her mouth. Dumbfounded, the girl looked down at her hands again. Blood. Lots of blood. She could barely swallow the fear down her throat. Anastasia chewed her bottom lip again as if contemplating some important matter.

Retreat.

The girl stood on her two feet all of a sudden. That's right. Retreat. She had to get out of this village at once. Beating a hasty retreat from this place and mostly from "him" would do her some good, she thought. Why though? Even she could not quite pinpoint that reason either. Her whole mind revolved around that one single word: retreat. Yes, the farther she got from this place, the better.

Without another thought, Anastasia rushed over to her wash basin near the edge of the tatami and dipped a white cloth into it. She sponged up the water in one quick squeeze and rubbed the cloth over her face and mouth several times. Afterwards, she dipped her two still bloodied hands into the basin and began rubbing and scrubbing them with much force, as if she committed some unmistakable crime and that she attempted to wash away all evidence of it. When done, the cloth as well as the water had turned to a sickening red.

All Anastasia could do was stare at it as if lost in a daze. Where to pour it? The girl picked up the basin immediately and went to the sliding screen door. She opened it slightly and peeked outside, looking left and right in both directions. When she felt absolutely safe that no one was outside in the yard, she opened her door a little wider and stepped out with the bloody basin.

She scurried into the yard like a small black shadow and poured the red liquid over the grass there. The cloth, although it was now a light pink colour, had to be disposed of at another location. With that conclusion, the girl sponged it off some more over the grass and placed it into the basin again. She fled into her room at once.

Inside the safety of her bedroom, Anastasia placed the basin down and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She looked undeniably pale and perhaps, even horror-stricken, like someone lost in a foreign landscape. Slowly, the girl stripped off her beloved autumn kimono and allowed it to fall onto the tatami. With that, she went over to the closet located beside her bed and opened it. She reached for her Russian outfit but halted midway. Since she was still in Japan, it would be wise if she wore a kimono to reduce the risk of being identified as a visible minority. Anastasia reached for a beautiful powdery pink kimono that was provided by the residence. The girl placed that on the same way as she did with the autumn kimono and she tied up her long wavy hair into a high pony-tail with a green ribbon.

Anastasia knelt down on one bare knee and began packing her belongings – everything from dresses to souvenirs that she got with…Kurando. Kurando. The girl froze in her spot at the thought of the young man. Wasn't it only yesterday that Kurando went fishing with her? Wasn't it only yesterday that they went up the hills to gaze at the sunset together? Wasn't it only yesterday that they were so happy together?

And when they finally returned to Inugami Village…what happened there?

The first person who greeted them in the village was her. Sayori. Almost immediately, Anastasia could see the chemistry going on between them. She could tell by the way they gazed at each other. A strange fire seemed to burn intensely in both their eyes. Yearning? Desire? However, the girl simply dismissed those suspicious thoughts at that time. How strange it was to think about it now. All this time, she had been going through self-denial. She wanted everything to go her way all the time. Even if that meant they were only mere thoughts.

So in the end, Saki had not seen the vision of them being destined together after all. It was merely a way to satisfy Anastasia's girlish dreams. Why did she have to deceive her in this way? She was giving her false hopes. Hopes and dreams that she knew she could never achieve in this lifetime. Winning Kurando's heart being the first. Anastasia sighed pitifully to herself as she began stuffing the rest of her belongings into her grey sac.

That awful, excruciating pain returned again. It began to claw at her chest as her heart began to race at an alarming rate. The girl refused to let out another coughing fit again. She gnashed her teeth together and shut her eyes tight as she clasped both hands over that aching spot. She thought she swallowed something hot like acid down her throat. However, the girl opened her eyes again as the pain in her chest had suddenly subdued.

With a deep breath, Anastasia stood on her two wobbly feet and gazed at herself one last and final time in the mirror. A beautiful young girl was glaring right back at her. She appeared almost unrecognizable. Other than having light-brown hair and bright green eyes, she could still pass as a Japanese citizen. The girl slipped onto her dark brown boots that reached slightly over her ankles. She stooped over to tie both the laces into a tight knot. Finally, she was ready to leave. Leave Inugami Village and most importantly, leave Kurando.

He would not miss her… No, he definitely would not. Anastasia scoffed bitterly at that remark. All this time with him, she was really living in a nice rosy dream world. It was time she moved on with her life. Because Kurando simply did not care for her the same way as she did for him.

The girl slung the sac over one shoulder and turned her back to the mirror. She nearly stepped on the autumn kimono by the tip of her boots. Her eyes began to sting again. However, she rubbed them before tears would run down her tender cheeks. The girl took the kimono in both hands and held it to her bosom for a moment before digging her face into it. At last, she folded it neatly and placed it over her untouched bed.

This time, she was seriously ready to leave Inugami Village for good. The girl opened the sliding screen door with a small crack and poked her head out first. No one was around. Perfect. Anastasia stepped out cautiously and shut the door one last time. She sped-walked through the yard and to the main village, hoping to reach the exit soon. Somehow, she felt her heart race in a different way. Could it be…fear? Nevertheless, Anastasia hurried along the way. Retreat was the first thing in mind. Still, she did not understand why.

"You there!" a young masculine voice suddenly hollered behind her.

Fear tickled her limbs. Already, the girl could feel her legs giving out on her right on the spot. However, she refused to submit to that but instead, she glared at the source behind her. She nearly jumped in alarm. Standing at a distance, there was Kurando. Although the whole village was nearly pitch black, the moonlight was enough to cast an outline over his whole existence. She knew it was him – his tall lanky figure and especially his traditional samurai wear was enough to prove it was him indeed. However, he did not seem to recognize her…yet. Perhaps, it was her new hairstyle and kimono outfit that made her unrecognizable. The girl nearly forgot that he was on guard duty tonight.

"Who are you and what are you doing in this village at this late hour?"

Anastasia turned half her body towards him but held her tongue.

"Identify yourself, stranger."

Still, the girl could not reply. Her body trembled unexpectedly. She felt immense fear now.

When Kurando took two cautious steps forward, the girl was roused to alarm. She had her full body turned to him now but took a few steps back, studying him but still, he had no intention to stop now. Anastasia's brows furrowed down in deep contemplation. She had no choice but to run. Can she do it? Kurando was a professional swordsman…a samurai, to say the least… He could easily outrun her. And perhaps, even slice her up to bits and pieces. But still, she had to risk it and make a hasty getaway before her identity goes revealed. If so, then what would happen?

No, she had to do it! What choice did she have left anyway? Immediately, Anastasia whirled around and ran like she never did before. She prayed that she could run like the wind. After sprinting past the village's exit, everything seemed to zoom by in a wild distortion. All she could hear were the rustling sound of the wind and trees including her much frantic footsteps. In fact, not only her footsteps but presumably, Kurando's as well.

Anastasia forced her slender legs to run faster although it felt like her lungs would burst out in flames any second now. Wild plants including some twigs scraped at her fragile legs but nevertheless, she hardly felt the pain as escape was the only thing in mind. The footsteps behind her were getting closer now and she swung her head over her shoulder to see just how close Kurando was to her. Too late. Right then and there, the young samurai had already grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back ruthlessly.

The girl shrieked at his roughness but refused to submit to him as prisoner without a fight. In a wild frenzy, the girl squirmed violently in his tight grip while he tried to maintain his control over her. Both struggles lasted for about a good minute before they were both sent tumbling down the gentle slopes of the Forest of Wind together. Anastasia gasped in fear as she clung onto the front of Kurando's traditional samurai wear. He held one arm behind her back and pressed her face firmly against his chest while his other arm searched frantically for something to grab onto.

At last, Kurando was able to grab hold of the trunk of a small tree. The unexpected grip sent the two swinging forward feet first before spinning around and falling flat onto the trail. Kurando was on top of the girl now. They were completely breathless but neither Kurando nor Anastasia stirred in their spot. In fact, both had their arms around each other as if they were lovers in a tight embrace. Nothing but the sound of crickets and the rustling of the leaves could be heard as they lay entwined there. One could say the tranquility lasted for a long time.

However, it did not last forever. With his prisoner thus trapped under his weight, the young man finally got off her with caution. He had one knee over her heaving torso while the other was by her side. He kept a firm grip on her two shoulders. A few dark strands of hair fell before his fiery red eyes. Kurando gazed down at her intently, finding no possible way in seeing her face in this dark forest. However, one thing for sure, he was now certain that his prisoner was in fact a female all along.

"I repeat," he rasped at last, "What were you doing in our village and then escaping? I am the new village leader of Inugami, Kurando Hyuga and I have every right to be suspicious of you."

The response he wanted caught him totally off guard. The girl began to weep under his ruthless grip. At first, he only heard some tiny sniffles but eventually, she let out some pitiful sobs that Kurando didn't know what to do anymore. He felt quite ashamed of himself. Perhaps his wild side took over again. Cursing himself for misbehaviour and especially towards a young female, he removed his knee from her heaving chest and pulled the girl forward so as she could sit up.

"…Forgive me," he said, almost in a whisper.

Anastasia could only respond by pulling her hands up to her pained face and crying out some bitter tears. Kurando could only watch her helplessly, obviously guilty over his immediate actions over the girl back in the village. However, there was something that troubled him immensely. It had to be this girl's…voice. There was something about it that troubled him greatly. It sounded awfully familiar. Could it be…? Could it be…her? No way. No. It just couldn't be. No. But... Her voice...!

Kurando's thoughts had wandered far too long that he didn't realize the girl had been reduced to only mere sniffles. However, she sat there gazing up at him in complete silence. In return, he simply peered right back at her, trying his best to distinguish who this mysterious girl could be. The young man gave up in asking for her name. He attempted to do so twice already. But he had to find out. He must know right here, right now.

"…Anastasia," he stated in a hushed whisper, after much curious hesitation.

The girl was dumbstruck. How could he possibly know…? She tensed in her spot, so obvious that she knew Kurando was aware of it. He leaned closer to her as if to inspect every detail of her face. The girl refused to let him scrutinize her. She cast her face to the side, hoping to avoid his sight altogether, although she knew and he knew that they couldn't see each other in the dark. However, the girl could still feel his ruby red eyes glaring so intently at her.

"Anastasia, I…," Kurando began, after a long pause.

Somehow, the girl dreaded what will come next. She remembered him saying the same thing outside her room door just a while back. He was going to tell her right then and there…that the one and only person he truly cared about was Sayori and not her. No, not her. It hadn't been her. After all those memorable adventures they've been through together, no, it hadn't been her all along.

Anastasia feared for the worst. She couldn't understand what made her do it. Impulse, perhaps. The girl raised her arm and slapped him clean across the face with a loud unforgiving 'smack' that echoed through the forest. Kurando had his face twisted to the side as a few strands of stray hair dangled before his perturbed eyes. Anastasia didn't wait a second longer to anticipate his reaction as she scrambled onto her feet and ran as fast as she could from him.

Perhaps Kurando remained that way for a very long time. He still knelt in that same position but in a state of shock, confusion, and disorientation. Finally, he brought his gloved hand over his throbbing left cheek. Eventually, the young samurai turned his head slowly to the direction that the girl ran off to. He scarcely understood what just happened there.