Author's note:
I truly appreciate all the reviews I got last chapter. I would like to say thank you to my readers that have kept up with this story thus far. I look forward to your reviews. Also, an extra special thanks to my beta reader, 14Phantom, who I'm always learning something new from.
I'm sorry for all the frequent late updates. I'll try to update more regularly.
Back in the Sengoku Period, the Oni was united into ten clans under the leadership of the great Oni, Yase-hime. Sometime around the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi the humans developed a powerful elixir to compete with the powers of demons. This elixir was referred to as generation X. The legendary monster, created from testing generation X, became the most powerful Rasetsu that ever lived. It even possessed strengths and abilities that surpassed demons. Sometime after transforming, it lost all reason and even began attacking human villages in a lust for blood. All ten heads of the demon clans, a group called the Jukkishuu, came together to fight one fierce battle against this transcendental beast. It took the efforts of all the clans to finally bring it down. It is rumored, that two samples of generation X were lost during the chaos. The humans are currently searching for ways to perfect what they now call the 'Water of Life' in order to re-create an improved version of generation X. The original formula for generation X, however, has been lost since the battle of Sekigahara. Most Oni leaders are speculative about the presence of generation X still lurking in this world since they don't believe any trace of it could possibly be left behind after all these years…
~Kingdom of Stars~
Chapter Thirteen: Preconceptions from the Heart
"Ahhh! I can't believe this!" I screamed, in a panic.
"What is it?" He grunted, both alert and anxious.
"The, the…" I stuttered, rustling through my clothes. "Where is it?! It was just here!"
"What was?" His red eyes searched me, curiously.
"My bottle! It was tucked into my clothes and now it's missing. I must have dropped it." I cried in distress. "I have to trace my steps back and-"
"Is that it?" He interrupted, angrily. "Forget that useless bottle, do you want to make it to Koufu Castle in time or not?"
"You don't understand. It means so much to me. I have to at least try to find it."
Without thinking, I turned around and dashed back in the direction Kazama and I came from. My eyes scanned the dirt around me as I hastily traced my steps until I noticed something sparkle by a bush. I bolted to the shiny object concealed in the dirt.
I lifted the object into my hands and brushed the dirt off the glass. I sighed in relief upon realizing I had found the bottle. Then I heard some rustling in the woods besides me. I sprang onto my feet and spun around facing a man dressed in dark western clothing. Two garnet beams of light shone from under his head gear. I concealed the bottle in my clothes and glared at the man.
"A fury!" I confirmed.
His nostrils flared. Stupefied and heinous from the desire of blood, he charged at me. I held my stance, unyielding, and prepared to fend him off.
SLASH
A waterfall of blood sprayed out of the furies back as he collapsed. Once the waves of crimson liquid fell to the ground I saw Kazama standing over the fury with his sword in his hands. The fury twitched, trying to stand up. Then Kazama plunged his sword through the furies back, piercing the heart, and killing the fury. Kazama glanced at me.
"You think it's wise to just run away from me like that, do you want to die?" He questioned, growing aggravated. I shook my head. "Hn, fool-"
"Foolish woman, I know , I know." I interrupted, finishing his sentence. "But, look! I found it." I asserted, briefly showing him the bottle.
"Why didn't you move or call for me? Weren't you afraid?" He continued, sheathing his sword.
"Eh? No, not at all." I shrugged. Kazama blinked. I gave him a smile. "We've encountered several furies before. Besides what could I possibly be afraid of when I'm traveling with such a powerful demon?" I added, joyfully. He stared at me with a blank expression. "Kazama? What is it?"
"You humans change so rapidly." He grumbled.
"Huh?"
"Just keep quiet and follow me." He remarked as he advanced down the path.
"Right!"
"Stay close."
"Okay!" I cheered, gleefully trotting behind him.
Kazama and I had been marching in the direction of Koufu Castle on a path in the woods, for most of the day. The sun was starting to set. Our destination this time wasn't far at all. He had told me that this short path would lead us straight to the battle field. Throughout our journey though, he hardly uttered a word to me. The only time he did say something was to remind me to focus or stay close to him.
A gentle breeze chilled through the air causing me to cough turbulently into my hands.
"Ahh-cho!" I sneezed, forcefully as I inhaled the dust blown in from the wind. I placed my shaky hands on my mouth. Kazama didn't seem bothered at all from the light wind. I leaped forward once to get closer to him. A sudden uproar within me caused me to halt in my tracks.
"Ahh…Choo!" Another sneeze pierced through my lips. My eyes watered and my cheeks felt very warm. Kazama had stopped walking to glance back at me.
"I'm fine." I sniffed.
His eyes studied me then he continued down the path. I treaded close behind him. My mind began to wonder. I pondered over what Sen had told me about her ancestors; that they had fallen in love with humans.
If it was possible for demons and humans to fall in love maybe someday Kazama and I…
Nah, who am I kidding?
What if Sen was being serious when she said that Kazama could be all mine since he no longer has a definite reason to pursue Chizuru anymore and even Sen, herself, refuses to marry him. Was it even possible for a demon like kazama to care for a human, like myself? Perhaps Kazama did care about me since he let me travel with him again and he came back to rescue me. In fact, Kazama had saved my life several times. So could that mean that he had grown to care for me? I felt a smile crease across my face at the thought.
I kept my eyes on his back as he treaded onward, toward our destination. I wanted to ask him if he believes demons and humans could care for one another until my eyes fell onto his sword and I suddenly became curious over another matter.
"Hey, Kazama, may I ask why are you trying to get that oni slaying sword?"
"To fight that man in the Kouyou Chinbutai." He remarked without looking back.
"But why do you want to fight him so badly?"
"I gave my word that we would settle the score and demons always keep their word." He asserted, beginning to sound annoyed.
"But why would you be fighting him in the first place?" I inquired, skipping closer to him. He ignored me. I grew frustrated with his unresponsive behavior. "Is it because Chizuru, a demon, follows him?" I sneered, almost taunting him. Kazama spun around and faced me in the blink of an eye.
"I don't understand why you enjoy prying into my business all the time." He growled.
"Um, I don't mean to pry; I just want to find a way to help if I could." I wondered if it was the mentioning of Chizuru's name that caused him to responsed to me or if I was actually right.
"The Shinsengumi are nothing but a bunch of incompetent warriors; I don't like that a demon stays with them. Humans only know how to betray those they care about."
"Maybe it's possible for humans and demons to care for one another or even fall in love and perhaps that's why she stays with him." I argued.
"That shouldn't happen. Demons and humans are too different from one another." He chuckled, giving me a disgusted look. "That idea is so absurd. He will betray her one day. She's so pathetic for staying with those humans; it's actually humorous.;
"Well, if they want to be together, don't you think it's wrong to condemn them just because she has oni blood and wants to be with a human?!" I stuttered.
"I don't expect a lowly human to understand."
"But, I thought that you care for…" I blushed and turned around. I heard Kazama stepping toward me and I struggled to hide my red face from him.
"Hn...so this outburst of yours; it wasn't about Chizuru at all." He grumbled beside me.
"Huh?" My head popped up toward Kazama. He grinned then turned away from me.
"Hn, women." He grunted as he began venturing forward.
"Kazama?" I blinked then skipped toward him.
I bowed my head and kept quiet as we continued to tread down the path to Koufu Castle.
Bang!
The ear splitting boom of a gun pierced through the calm air, in front of us. I saw birds flying upward from bushes, escaping the menacing cry of bullets.
Kazama turned towards me and observed my face for several long seconds.
"Go back to Sen." He ordered.
"What?!" I gasped. "No, I-"
"Look at yourself."
"Huh?" I just realized I was shaking. My knees trembled and sweat dripped off my face.
"You're scared." He confirmed. "We'll be entering a battlefield. It's too much for a young girl, much less a human girl." He turned and started walking away from me.
"I'm not scared! You know I have to find the Kouyou Chinbutai and going to Koufu Castle is my only option. I'm going, with or without you!" I panicked.
Kazama took a few steps then paused, without looking back. The rays of the sun gracefully illuminated around his figure while slowly setting onto the horizon.
"I won't go directly into the battle field." I continued. "I'll just wait until they successfully win the battle and seized Koufu Castle then I'll make my move."
"Enough," Kazama interrupted. "The Kouyou Chinbutai's enemy has already seized Koufu Castle. They stand no chance against the imperial army. The Kouyou Chinbutai will lose this battle." He sneered bitterly. "They will be crushed like the vermin they are." He mocked.
"Their enemy already seized the castle?! How do you know that?"
"I was informed about the movements of the imperial army back at Sen's residence. It's obvious that they have already taken Koufu Castle by now, which is why you should return to Sen's residence. Besides, if anything happened to you Sen would never let me hear the end of it."
"I don't care! Don't underestimate the brave men of the Kouyou Chinbutai. They will win this battle for sure and I want to be there when that happens." I boldly shouted.
Bang!
A beam of wind gushed through the side of my face like a flash of lightening. My hair waved forcefully around my head. I turned around and saw a bullet hole in a tree directly behind me. I gasped realizing that whoever was firing those guns were shooting at us and almost shot me in the head. Kazama instantly materialized in front of me with his sword drawn.
"Kazama!" I cried.
"Go now." He demanded harshly.
"No! I already told you, I'm going to Koufu Castle." I shouted. A group of soldiers with western weapons marched down toward us from a hill a distance away. "Please, let me help you get that sword you want."
"You'll only get in my way if you stay. Why would you even assist someone who is enemies with the man you're searching for?"
"Because that person is my friend and I care about him!" I huffed then bolted in front of Kazama.
"Hey!" I called out to the soldiers. "Please don't shoot at us! We are just passing by."
Bam! Bam!
I screamed and shut my eyes from the screeching sound of bullets.
Clink
I peeked open and saw Kazama standing in front of me, using his sword as a shield from the bullets.
"Why aren't they listening?" I mumbled.
"They can't they're mindless furies." Kazama asserted.
"Wait, are they from the pro-imperialist faction?!" I yelped. "Oh no, the Kouyou Chinbutai; they're up against furies?!"
BAM!
"They're up against a superior army." He remarked.
One of the fury soldiers fired his gun directly at Kazama as he swiftly drew his sword to deflect the bullet.
Snap!
At that moment a piece of Kazama's sword broke off and a crack appeared on the steel. His eyes narrowed.
"Get down." He ordered.
"Okay."
The soldiers charged toward us. Kazama manifested in front of them and sliced his sword through their hearts swiftly and they all fell on the ground, dead. I dashed to Kazama's side and glanced at his sword.
"Damn." He grunted glaring at his cracked sword. It looked like it would break apart any second. His eyes fell on me for a moment. Then he sighed, sheathed his sword and advanced toward the woods off the path.
"There's a small village not far from here. It's another way to get to Koufu Castle. I doubt whoever is keeping the oni slaying sword, the Douji-giri Yasutsuna, at that castle will just hand it over, so I'll need a new one before I pursue my ambition and," He paused briefly observing me. "It's safer for you since we won't encounter any imperial soldiers in the village."
"Alright, I'm with you every step of the way." I chirped.
We treaded through the ominous dark woods for several minutes in search of this village. When the sun buried itself beneath the skyline, our path was once again lighted by the stars that reached their light out to us, from above the heavens. I became mesmerized by Kazama's star in the sky. I smiled, unable to keep my eyes off that star. I suddenly felt myself get excited and resisted the urge to bother Kazama with my discovery.
"Watch where you are going." Kazama reminded me, growing curious over my joyful demeanor.
"Right." I reassured him, trying to focus. My eyes wondered again to that star. When we passed under some tall trees, I galloped around searching for the light of the star from the thick dark branches that blocked my view. I eventually lost sight of it and sighed. Kazama turned his head slightly back at me.
When it reappeared I hopped with glee and debated whether it really was the same star that Kazama had pointed out to me on that life boat. When I glance back down I could see nothing but blackness and realized I had lost sight of Kazama. I thrashed forward.
"Kaza-AH!" I yelped when my collar was suddenly pulled back from behind me causing me to almost choke.
"I thought I told you to stay close." Kazama growled as he let go of me. I spun around and looked up at his irritated expression then we both continued to march toward the village.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep my gaze off the sky, searching for that star. It reminded me of the first time Kazama was ever kind to me. I imagined myself resting on his side while he spoke gently down to me. That memory led me to believe that Kazama, a demon, could really have cared about me, a human girl. Suddenly, I blindly felt my body slam into something.
"Ouch!" I moaned then noticed that I had bumped into Kazama.
"Alright, what is it?" He grunted.
"Eh?! Well um, look!" I stuttered, pointing my arm across Kazama's face at a star in the sky. "It's beautiful isn't it?" Kazama kept his eyes on my face and without paying any attention to the sky then he began walking ahead of me. I pouted while catching up to him. "Don't you remember?" I questioned.
"Hn?"
"This is the same star that you showed me right?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know, back on that life boat you used this star to get us to Edo…"
Kazama paused in this tracks to glance up at the night sky.
"Yeah. What of it? We're not going to Edo."
"I just thought it was really pretty and got excited when I saw it again."
"Don't ponder over such needless things." He lectured.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled.
After sometime, Kazama and I stumbled onto the entrance of the small village. I yawned and stretched, relieved. Suddenly I saw something dripping off my forehead and realized that I hadn't stopped sweating from when those soldiers attacked us and my face was hot despite the chilly breeze that crept around in the absence of the sun. I paused to observe myself.
"Come on." Kazama ordered.
"Okay, I'm come-" My words were interrupted by a gagging cough that hacked out of my throat. "I'm." I sniffed. "Coming!" I called out limping over to him.
His mouth opened slightly as he observed me.
"What's wrong?" He inquired.
"I'm okay. We made it." I smiled at him, kindly.
Kazama and I then ventured into the village. A haunting gust in the wind gave me an eerie sensation. The streets were completely vacant and none of the houses were lit. Amid the sense of danger and ambiguity a foreboding ache clawed at my gut.
"The sun just set a moment ago. So, where is all the people?" I asked, scanning the lifeless area.
A gloomy fog brushed on the streets and the moon shone with a sickly purple tint. A roaring wind pierced through the air and lashed out at us, accompanied by a sinister and unfriendly howl. I bolted into Kazama's back and tightly griped his clothes with one hand as we treaded through the streets. He didn't pay any attention to my actions.
"Um, Kazama, I think something is off about this place." I whimpered. Kazama placed his hand on his sword then halted abruptly and spoke.
"I'm feeling it to."
To Be Continued…
Author's note:
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