Chapter 3
Muffled voices woke her up. It was hard to hear them over the ringing in her ears.
"Chizu. Chizu! Are you okay? What happened? Where's Yuichi!" Kitsune was holding her by the shoulders, shaking her like a ragdoll.
"Please, Kitsune, be gentle." Mrs. Usagi filled Chizu's vision next.
"Chizu, you poor dear. You've got quite the head wound. We'll get you inside in just a moment, but we need to know – do you know where Yuichi is?" Her voice quivered a little at the end of her sentence but Chizu could see the rabbit was trying to be strong.
"Ninetail clan ninjas. They took Yuichi…I couldn't stop them…I'm so sorry!" she rasped out.
Hot tears stained her fur. "They want to kill him…revenge on Miamoto…" she was having trouble talking. Her head throbbed and her vision went in and out of focus like a damaged camerabotto.
"What!" Kitsune and Gen exclaimed.
"One more question, and then you can rest," Mrs. Usagi said, worry creasing her face. "Do you know where they took him?"
She shook her head weakly. "No, I don't. They have a clan headquarters somewhere, but I don't know where…" She sat up and coughed. "We have to find him. We have to - ow…" She held her aching head and glared into the darkness of the woods where she had last seen Yuichi being dragged. She could hear Gen and Kitsune crashing through the forest while calling Yuichi's name.
"Do you see any signs of a struggle? Any tracks we can follow?" Mrs. Usagi called.
"A little bit, but not enough to go off of!" Kitsune shouted back. As a fox, she had excellent night vision along with Chizu, but the cat knew from experience how good ninjas were at covering their tracks.
"I'm so sorry," Chizu whispered, adrenaline draining from her body as she sagged in defeat. "He's probably long gone." She heard Mrs. Usagi draw in a shuddering breath, as if the elderly rabbit was struggling to hold back tears.
"Was he still alive when you last saw him?"
"Yes. Their leader commanded them to keep him alive. But for how long, I have no idea." He let them take him to save me.
It wasn't fair. She was the one burdened with a shameful past of wickedness and deception. If anyone deserved to be slain by ninja, it was her, not her innocent, kindhearted friend who desired nothing more than to help others.
Gen and Kitsune returned to the clearing, breathing hard. "When I get my hands on those ninja scum, I'm gonna tear them limb from limb," Gen growled.
"Only if I don't get to them first," Kitsune snarled. "Dirty Ninetails, they don't deserve to share my species."
"Children, you're not helping," Mrs. Usagi said sternly. "Did either of you find Spot?"
Kitsune's eyes filled with tears. "No. I think they took him too," she whimpered.
Chizu fought to stay conscious. "I don't understand why they would take him. They…only wanted…Yuichi."
Mrs. Usagi's arms supported Chizu as she leaned backwards. "Maybe Spot ran away. We must hope for the best, and get Chizu to safety."
Chizu found herself slipping in and out of consciousness as Gen carried her back to the farmhouse. "How…did you find me?" she managed to ask Mrs. Usagi.
"I had a feeling Yuichi would take you to his old training ground. We used to go there almost every day when he was little."
The pain in her voice made Chizu's heart ache. As she slipped back into blackness, one last thought rang in her mind.
I have to make this right.
Soft morning sunlight streamed through the window of the upper loft in the farmhouse, illuminating floating specks of dust. Sickening dread crept into her insides as memories of the night before came swiftly into focus.
I have to get out of here. I have to do something.
"Oh, you're awake!" Hana's sweet voice exclaimed. The kit was sitting at her bedside on a small wooden chair. "How do you feel?"
Chizu sat up, and was pleasantly surprised to feel no dizziness in her head. There was still a dull ache, but it wasn't as bad as she had feared.
Hana wrung her paws as she watched Chizu cautiously felt under the bandage around her head, assessing the damage.
"Not too bad, Hana." She smiled kindly at her little friend. She had always been fond of Hana, and she was so happy the little kit was safe here with her "Auntie". But she was shaken at the suddenness at which Yuichi had been taken away. Maybe this farm wasn't so safe after all.
"How do you feel?" Chizu asked, eyes fixed on the kit. For a moment she had forgotten that she wasn't the only one who must be hurting.
Hana blinked away tears. "I miss Yuichi so much. And Spot's gone too. I'm trying not to think about them, because when I do, I get really sad." She started sniffling, and rubbed her muzzle messily. "What are we gonna do?"
Chizu sat with her arms crossed on her knees, staring at the floor. "That's a good question. Well, first, we're going to need backup. The Ninetail clan is no joke. You are too young to have experienced the massacre that happened between our old clan and their foxes, but I'm not. I saw the whole thing. This scar-"
She pointed to the notch in her ear, which Hana stared at wide-eyed. "That's from one of their axes. Sliced my ear right open."
"Chizu, you're going to scare her," Mrs. Usagi scolded, walking in the room and leaning heavily on her wooden stick. She looked like she'd aged ten years overnight.
"My apologies, Mrs. Usagi, but Hana has lived in my clan for several years, she has heard and seen a fair share of dark stories."
"Which is exactly why she shouldn't have to hear any more!"
"It's okay, Auntie," Hana said, patting her arm. "I'm okay with dark stories, because the darkness only makes the light shine brighter."
The rabbit gave her a bemused look. "Where did you hear that, child?"
"Yuichi. He's actually really wise, you know, when he's not acting silly. But don't tell him I said that."
Chizu smiled weakly and patted the kit's head. "I promise I won't." She rose to her feet, wobbled for a moment, and then stood strong. "Mrs. Usagi, where are Kitsune and Gen?"
"Kitsune's searching the forest for anymore clues. Gen is patrolling the house, looking out for any attacks. Who knows if those foxes will come back to take another one of us." She sighed wearily. "I pray to God that He's keeping my baby safe from those ninja. It was hard enough losing his dear mother and father. At least he wasn't old enough to remember that."
Chizu put a hand on her shoulder and gazed into the old rabbit's eyes. "Mrs. Usagi, I promise that I will bring your nephew back, or die trying. You have my word."
"I cannot ask you to do such a dangerous thing, but if it is what you wish to do, I will not stop you. I will say the same to the others."
"Oh, I'm not asking them to join me. They need to stay here to protect you and Hana. I'm going to find someone much stronger to assist me."
"Who?' Mrs. Usagi started to ask.
"I know!" Hana piped up. "My friend, Karasu-Tengu! That's who you're gonna ask, right?"
Chizu grinned at her. "Exactly. From what I've seen her do in battle, I believe if anyone has a chance to take down these ninja, it's her. And I'm sure she'll want to help her pupil, even if he gets on her nerves sometimes."
"Yay! I'll tell you the best places to find her," Hana said. "She told me, in case I ever needed to find her and get help."
Mrs. Usagi faintly smiled. "You remind me so much of Yuichi when he was your age." Her face turned serious as she looked to Chizu. "I think that is a wise idea, but be careful. I am grateful for the training Karasu-Tengu has provided my nephew, but she is still unpredictable and dangerous, not to mention, a Yokai."
"I understand," Chizu said.
She spent only a few minutes gathering her supplies, and soon was ready to head out on her journey.
"Please let my friends know where I am going, and that I ask them to stay here." She gave a respectful bow to Mrs. Usagi and ruffled the soft fur on Hana's head.
"Be well, child!" Mrs. Usagi called after her as she and Hana stood at the entrance of the farmhouse. "I will pray for the safe return of you, Yuichi, and little Spot."
Chizu glanced behind her, gaze lingering on two of the most important people in her life. She didn't know if she would ever see them again on this side of existence, and she wanted to remember them.
"Arigato!"
Then she was gone.