Traitor
It was still dark by the time Taki and the others arrived into familiar territory. The Fu-ma no Sato were people of the night. They dared not swell out of their hideout when the sun remained high in the sky. To be a ninja was to be in shadows at all times.
But for once this was not the reason for Taki's haste. It was the shard that had occupied most of her thoughts. She needed to know what it truly was, and why it was embedded into the woman's palm. There had to be a connection.
"Yes, fly far away, my loves. Retrieve the shards."
Wings batted in the darkness as a girlish giggle echoed into the night. Soon, a flock of crows gathered around a petite figure and circled around her several times before scattering about.
"Your plan had better work. My patience is wearing thin," a booming voice snarled cruelly.
The girl looked up to her left and spotted a knight clad in dark blue armor. It was the Azure Knight.
"My familiars have yet to fail me. They are as ruthless as they are cunning. They will have no trouble retrieving the shards," she replied, her lips arching into a smirk. "They will not fail me."
The Azure Knight pointed his giant sword at the girl, snarling loudly, "See to it that they do not, or I will be sure to make you suffer my power. Those shards are not to be trifled with. No evil hands can touch them until they are tainted with the blood of the innocent. The purer the soul, the more negative energy is released."
The girl laughed mirthlessly, her eyes gleaming with a satanic glow. "My dear, Nightmare," she said playfully, clasping her hands behind her back, "that is exactly what I intend to do."
The shard burned as it pressed against her skin. With a startled gasp, Taki awoke and unsheathed both her swords in reflex, ready to attack if necessary.
But there was no one there.
With a sigh, she sheathed her weapons and brushed her bangs away from her face. Just how long had she been asleep? Checking the window, she realized it was still dark. Not long after all.
Taki stretched and splashed some water over her face from a basin beside her. She had been so tired all of a sudden and decided to close her eyes to rest. She had not meant to fall asleep.
No matter, she thought to herself. She was awake now and could finish what she had started. Carefully, she removed the shard tucked inside her boot and noticed it glowing brightly. It felt hot, as if it had been on fire.
Taki scowled and dropped the shard in the basin. But it did not sizzle when it hit the water, unlike other hot metals. Instead, it emitted a humming noise, very subtle yet profound.
Suddenly, a terrible noise echoed into the night. It was the cawing of a crow. With each passing second, the caws became louder and more bone-chilling.
Immediately, Taki grabbed the shard and wrapped it with a cloth before tucking it back in her boot. Crows were a bad omen. It would be best if she kept the shard hidden until the crow passed.
But that was not to happen anytime soon. A second crow cawed into the night, joining the first, and then another and another…Soon the air was filled with horrible caws.
What's going on? Taki thought, peeking out her window once again, wondering why so many crows had gathered all in one spot. As she caught a glimpse of their black feathers, she soon realized that they were hovering over the shrine she and the rest of the Fu-ma clan had resided. It was as if they were looking for something.
But what?
There was a soft rapping against the shoji, and Taki immediately moved towards it, wondering who would seek her at such a time. Slowly, she slid the shoji door open and found a shrine maiden prostrating before her.
"Forgive me, Master Taki. Master Toki seeks your counsel," the shrine maiden said, still bowed before the ninja.
Taki nodded and slipped out of her room, closing the shoji door behind her. Quietly, she made her way through the darkened halls and finally made her way to the heart of the shrine. There, she found a middle-aged man dressed from head to toe in black.
"Sensei."
Master Toki of the Fu-ma no Sato was arguably the most powerful man in Japan. It was he who pulled the government's strings and used whatever forced necessary to get what he wanted. In the 'underworld' he was known as the Demon Emperor of Japan, and his name was whispered amongst the street urchins, in fear that the Demon Emperor would come one day and take their lives. Toki was responsible for countless assassinations, and was feared amongst the nobles. Only those he saw fit to rule Japan were spared of his carnage.
Master Toki was the very man who had raised Taki, and taught her all he knew in demon exorcisms and the ways of a ninja. He had raised her to take his place one day, and even regarded her as the daughter he never had.
Taki bowed in reverence before her master. "Sensei," she greeted him once again, looking up to meet his gaze.
"The crows are gathering, Taki. There are demons afoot. Something draws them here," her master said, staring at Taki with his usual stony gaze.
"I don't know, sensei," Taki replied, fishing out the shard hidden within her boot. Holding it up towards her master, she explained, "This was found embedded within a woman's hand. She had been possessed by a demon when I had found her. It was only when I had vanquished it that I noticed this on her."
Master Toki held out his palm as Taki handed him the shard. For a long moment he remained silent, studying the shard careful in his ever watchful gaze. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he looked back up to meet Taki's gaze. "There is power within this shard. How can a mere woman come by such a thing? Are you sure you found this on an ordinary villager?"
Taki nodded. "I am sure of it. Her dialect was of this region, and she carried the mark of a servant. There can be no mistaking it," she replied, her eyes narrowing slightly. There was a strange gleam in her master's eye, one she had never seen before. They were menacing in a way, almost inhuman. Something was wrong.
Master Toki shifted his gaze back to the shard and remained silent, as if in deep thought. Finally, he closed his palm over the shard and closed his eyes. "What do you intend to do with this, Taki?"
"I plan to find its origins and send it back to where it came," Taki answered honestly, beginning to feel a foreboding chill running down her spine.
A loud shrieking suddenly erupted. The crows were drawing near.
"No," Master Toki said firmly, his hold on the shard tightening. "The shard will remain here. There is power within this, and I will see to it that this power is extracted fully."
Another shiver ran down Taki's spine. Something bad was going to happen. "Sensei," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, "we know nothing of that shard's origins or its powers. It would be unwise for us to use powers we cannot grasp fully."
"Do you fear this shard, Taki? Do you fear power?" Master Toki asked, his voice sounding distant and not his own. "What have I taught you? A ninja knows know fear, only death. Have you forgotten already?"
"Something's not right, sensei," Taki said sternly, rising up to her feet. "You have always taught me to trust my instincts, and my instincts say that no good will come of this shard. I beg you of you, sensei. Listen to me." And with that, she took a cautionary step forward, raising her hand up towards him.
But Master Toki would not be moved by her words. "Taki, know your place before you anger me. I do not harbor the weak in this clan. I have had enough of this discussion. Go!" he commanded powerfully, poiting towards the door for Taki to leave.
"The shard is evil, sensei!" Taki shouted, no longer able to hold onto her stony composure. "We cannot succumb to its power!"
But Master Toki was no longer listening. Something had changed within him. He was possessed.
The beating of wings could be heard echoing inside the shrine. The crows were flocking inside quickly, charging at her master.
"Sensei!" Taki screamed, dodging the flock of birds.
Still there was no response. Master Toki paid no heed to the crows and slowly opened his palm. In an instant, as if responding to the crows, the shard began to glow brightly, causing Master Toki to cackle maniacally.
Taki had no choice. The shard was evil. It had to be destroyed. Unsheathing her weapons with lightning speed, she leapt forward and slashed her master's open palm, causing the shard to fly out of his grasp. A crow immediately darted forward, catching the shard in its bloody beak.
With a surprised cry, Master Toki stumbled back, clutching his bloody hand. "What are you doing?!"
Taki held her swords before her in her signature stance, her eyes never leaving her master's. "You are not the sensei I knew. I will not be a part of this madness." And with that, she hurled one of her swords into the air, spearing a crow in flight against the wall.
The dead crow opened its beak, and the shard tumbled out of its mouth.
Quickly, Taki ran towards the shard and caught it before it landed on the floor. Then rolling forward, she yanked her sword out of the dead crow and kicked another one out of her way.
With a horrible shriek, the crow flew into a burning candle and knocked it over, setting itself ablaze. Within seconds, a raging fire began to spread quickly throughout the entire shrine.
Loud shouts could now be heard amidst the chaos. Ninjas began to rush to the scene, only to find their surroundings crumbling before them. Crows immediately darted towards them, attacking all at once.
Taki took this opportunity to flee. She had to get the shard as far away from the shrine as possible. Once she found the source of its evil, she would destroy it.
"Sempai! What's going on?" a ninja asked, running towards her, knives in hand.
Taki spared no time in explaining the situation. "Get out of here now! Go!"
Dumbly, the ninja stared at her in shock, unsure whether or not to follow Taki's orders. "But–"
"Do it!" Taki snapped furiously, shoving him out of her way. And without another word, she rushed out of the shrine, the crows in hot pursuit.
One crow flew by her and pecked at her neck, inciting a sharp gasp from her.
Taki immediately snatched the crow out of the air and hurled it against the wall. She then continued to bolt past the dark corridors, never stopping to catch her breath.
Behind her, she could hear more crows screech after her. They would soon be upon her if she didn't do something about it. With no other alternative left, Taki knocked down as many lamps along the way, setting the shoji doors on fire. Within seconds, the paper screen caught fire and spread quickly throughout the entire hideout.
"I'm sorry, sensei," she said breathlessly as she bound for the exit.
The ceiling above her gave a loud crack and collapsed before her. Quickly, Taki tumbled forward and moved away from the fallen beams just in time as it came crashing down onto the floor. Wincing, she sprang back up to her feet and clutched her left shoulder, which had been singed by the fire.
Deal with it later! she scolded herself, ignoring the searing pain. She needed to get out now!
Running as fast as she could, Taki charged out of the burning shrine just as a flock of crows burst out behind her. As she felt their wings beat over her head, she fell forward on the ground and remained perfectly still, her eyes watching the frantic crows.
In all the fuss, the crows seemed to have forgotten all about her and decided to fly as far away from the hideout as possible. It was only when they were completely gone that Taki finally got up from the ground.
Now she stood alone, a traitor to her clan.
As the shrine crumbled before her, engulfed in flames, the sun rose…
She had never felt more alone.