A foreign bird cried waking Sarane from her originally peaceful sleep. She rubbed her eyes and slowly opened them. To her horror she was still in that dream world she had entered with the black haired man.
"So it wasn't a dream." She whispered aloud to herself, "Well if it wasn't a dream…then Yasu…Are you there?"
Milady now is not the time there are youma about.
"Youma?" Sarane gently reached behind her back, "Are they dangerous?"
Yes, but they will not attack you as long as you stay here under this tree.
Stay here?" Sarane whispered, "I'll be safe?"
Yes milady, Yasu's voice seemed impatient, you will be safe.
Another cry rang through the forest this cry recognizable to Sarane's ears. She stood up and listened again as this time the cries became screams of terror, than faded into oblivion only to be joined by higher and even more hopeless screams.
"Yasu…those are human screams aren't they?" Sarane's eyes narrowed trying to guess at which direction the screams could have come from.
Milady…
Sarane began to run in the direction of the screams. The thorny and rocky path she created was slowly marked with her blood. Scratches from the trees and boulders covered her legs. It took about three minutes to race to where the screams were coming from.
Her eyes stung from the sudden movements into light and dark spaces but as they begun to focus her eyes unfolded a horror story before her.
Wolves and large birds were around the bodies of things that might have once resembled humans. Sarane turned and threw up anything that she had in her body. Her eyes once again scanning the carnage and enemies. There were still screams coming from a little further down the blood splattered trail and she looked toward them, then as if she had no control over her frightened body she began to run towards them.
Before she heard the multitude of shrieks she saw a large group of people some with only farm equipment for weapons, defending themselves against both small and large birds.
Koucho and Kingen Yasu said almost in disgust
"What are they?" Sarane stared at them her blue eyes glittering dangerously, "And who are those people?"
They are refugees from Kou I believe. Yasu's voice shifted slightly.
Sarane looked at the people. They were very thin, most didn't even have shoes, men were dying around the children left and right but the children looked on blankly. The shrieks she had heard before were from a baby lying on the ground not five feet in front of her. She saw the blood soaked cloth and tears raced down her face.
Milady? Yasu asked, Are you alright?
"Where is this place? To be so cruel to one so young! This is hell or my imaginations take on it!" Sarane growled, "Why am I here? Where am I? Why are all these terrible things happening?"
Milady, stop it! Yasu's voice cut through Sarane's self pity, this place is called The Twelve Kingdoms, you are on the Border of Kei and En, and you were brought here to become Queen of Kou! Now if you don't open your eyes and look at the people of yours who are struggling before you what are you going to do?
Sarane looked up to see more dead bodies than before. The people looked hopeless. She took a deep breath and ran at the giant birds. She heard a gasp from the people in front of her as she spun holding one of the two red blades in her hand killing the first of several large birds. She didn't know what was happening with her body but it seemed to know how to fight.
In less the fifteen minutes the four large birds were dead and several smaller ones as well. She turned blood soaked to the people behind her. The children looked afraid and even the adults looked like they had seen the God of Death himself. Sarane turned away and looked at the crying baby only feet from her. She gently bent down and picked the squalling baby up then turned back to the crowd, "Who is his mother?"
A woman who had tear marks across her face ran over to Sarane, "Thank you Lady Sennin."
"Huh?" was Sarane's direct and intelligent answer, "Sennin?"
"Aren't you one?"
asked the woman holding the baby tighter, "Or are you another demon
trying to trick us by becoming our friend."
"Yasu?" Sarane
whispered, "What are they talking about?"
Sennin, mountain gods, or if you like officials of state, they think you have to be a Sennin to have hair like the sun I guess.
"Oh I am no god," Sarane smiled at the people, "Just a clumsy warrior."
The people seemed to relax a bit. The haunted eyes of the people made Sarane want to promise things she knew she could not give to them. She watched as the people began to gather wood and other things and move on. She turned back to the blood soaked ground why were these people attacked?
Because they were on Sou's ground Sarane.
"Huh?"
Sou is an enemy of Kou, but I even do not understand why the Youma are here now. Sou is a peaceful country besides for being on the opposite side of this war.
"Oh," Sarane looked at the trail the people took and began to fallow them. She noticed as the many people walked in front of her that they were all wearing scruffy clothing that bordered on being just rags. When they finally stopped and began to build camp some of the children came over to her.
"Hello," one little girl grinned up at her; her smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Hello." Sarane answered, "I'm Sarane what is your name?"
"I'm Maiko." The little girl pointed to the two little boys next to her, "This is Yang and Ban."
"Nice to meet you." Sarane smiled kindly patting the boys on the head. They both shifted and stared up at her with blank expressions.
"Thank you for saving Ran's baby." The little girl bowed, "If we can be of help to you miss please use us but if not please leave."
Sarane realized at this point that they sent the children to tell her this information because they feared that she would kill and adult.
"We realize though you may not be a bad demon miss, that you are possessed by a Hinman. My papa saw your eyes glow red."
"Oh." Sarane blinked what was so bad about having a hinman?
"So please leave us be."
"Does everyone in the camp know?" Sarane asked calmly.
One little boy nodded
which made Sarane smile. She looked up at the three children, "Well
I guess I must leave then mustn't I?"
The little girl began
to nod but was cut off by a scream, "The army is here!"
Sarane and the three children began to turn around but the sight
that met their eyes was just as frightening as the Koucho. A dark
army had appeared and had begun slaughtering the refugees. The smell
of blood was on the air and the children began crying. Sarane glared,
"How can they do this?"
Lady Sarane! Screamed a voice from nearby, Sarane wondered if it was who she believed it was. She turned to look and their in the air was a beautiful black shape. A creature that reminded her of a unicorn but yet seemed more graceful, its ebony mane fluttered majestically in the wind. The voice sounded again; there is too much blood milady I cannot reach you. You need to get out of there!
Sarane looked at the screaming people and the massacre taking place before her eyes. She looked at her feet in growing anger. How could this happen? She was letting these people die. They were defenseless, weak with hunger, and waiting for a King that had appeared and didn't want the job.
Milady? What are you doing!! Kouki's voice sounded extremely strained, as if it was taking all his energy just to speak.
These refugees are my people correct? Sarane looked at the crying children behind her, "Run and hide. Don't come out of the forest until I come for you. Understand?"
The children nodded.
Yes but…Kouki was going to protest but Sarane had known what he was going to say before he said it.
"Then I have to save them don't I?" Sarane glared at the picture in front of her, "I'm going Kouki, and you can't stop me. I accepted your offer and I plan to follow through. If you want to help with your Sirei than you may but otherwise don't even try to come and stop me. I know Kirin hate blood."
Sarane felt Kouki's stubborn resistance to her will. She began to run towards the army and felt the wall of resistance fade and Yasu began to take control of her movements. She was almost to a man who was about to strike down a young woman when she heard Kouki's reluctant answer, I will do what I can.
"Thank you." She said aloud as her sword cut through an enemy soldier, "I won't forget it."
Suddenly a large wolf like beast was beside her she glanced at it briefly and wondered what its name was as it attacked another soldier nearby.
My name is Seiko, a very feminine voice answered her, and it means force of truth.
Sarane nodded then noticed the very frightened refugee under Seiko. She yelled, "Seiko will not hurt you, nor any who are people of Kou. Find your family and run to the forest to hide."
The man nodded quickly then ran as Sarane blocked an attack from an enemy soldier, "Seiko, is their any other Sirei that are fighting?"
No but one is protecting the children in the shadows for you.
Sarane nodded then went back to the battle. It ended as soon as it began. The enemy had only been forty odd soldiers but they had seemed many more because of how well they had been organized. She sighed and looked upon the field. Many of Sou's small army were dead. She sighed, "I thought Sou was a good kingdom?"
They were once, Seiko's voice came to her, But after ruling eight hundred years without any major flaws one was bound to happen soon. The ruler of Sou was a good ruler but even the greatest can be tempted. Something came and changed him.
"Something?" Sarane asked looking at the bodies of many of the refugees.
No one knows what changed the King of Sou. Once he was an ally and now he is not. But it is said a black cloud hangs over Sou. Many of the Kirin of our enemies have disappeared as well but none of our allies know what has happened to them. Kouki and Enki have been looking.
Sarane nodded thoughtfully. Then looked at the grim sight again, "Let's look for survivors."
Seiko nodded and began searching, as did Sarane. She looked through the bodies hoping that she would find more than one refugee alive. The way many of them had been slaughtered was horrific. This massacre was uncalled for. These people were defenseless, that was what fueled her anger.
Milady, there is an enemy alive over here. Should I eat him? Seiko's voice called. Sarane grimaced at the thought of allowing the Sirei to eat the man. She walked over to Seiko and looked at the bearly breathing man.
"He'll be dead soon anyway. Leave him." Sarane glared at the man.
He seems young milady, and he is an immortal of a kind.
"What do you mean?"
He will heal lady the wound is not so deep he will die. He is an official of some kind I believe.
Sarane looked at the man again. She kneeled down next to him listening to his laboring breath, she slowly removed his helmet. She dropped it as soon as she laid eyes on the young man who was gravely wounded, "That was not what I was expecting."
Expecting? Asked Seiko.
"I was thinking of someone a little older and uglier." Sarane sighed, "This guy cant be much older than me."
Seiko laughed, Lady, armies are made up of the strong not the old…So can I eat him?
"No."
Then are you going to kill him?
"No."
Lady you will have to do something with him.
Sarane looked at the wolf thing thoughtfully, "I think...I think he will travel with us."