Chapter 15: Memories of Spring
It was a beautiful day. The sun shining down onto the earth like a benevolent god beaming with happiness. Hisashi did not know where he was, what he was doing. All he knew was that he was seeing something, events, transpiring before him. What they were he did not know, but he felt as if it was something he should know. Before him was a large, beautiful patch of pristine grassland. The quiet wind delicately blew over the grass, making the individual blades dance in the sunlight.
Hisashi saw, no it was more like his eyes were guided, towards a large house standing atop a hill in the middle of the plain. The house was incredibly beautiful and it reminded him very much of his own home, albeit much more detailed and colorful. It looked very much like an ancient home of old, a feudal age house to be more precise. Hisashi could make out two figures sitting on the porch of the house and he found himself walking closer to them to make out who they were.
One was a girl. A girl that Hisashi recognized. Her long, raven hair surrounded her like a blanket and her sapphire eyes glimmered as the sunlight bounced off of them. It was Archer, a broad, happy smile on her face. Hisashi tried to speak, but no voice came from his mouth. In fact she did not even seem to notice him, it was as if he weren't there at all.
The other one was a man. He looked to be incredibly young himself, just a few years older than Hisashi. His hair was a pitch black like Archer's and his eyes were of a dark brown. The man had his head on Archer's lap, and he stared at her with a love that even Hisashi could sense. The two laughed, although Hisashi did not know what for. Archer's delicate fingers ran through the man's hair and the two shared a kiss, Hisashi found himself entranced by the display. Was this really the Archer that he knew? She seemed completely different from the way she was now. In fact, what was he seeing? Was he seeing Archer's life before she became a Servant?
In an instant, the couple shot up from their position and a look of worry spread across their faces. From across the plain was a group of horseman. From the looks of it, they were samurai. Their armor was varying in color and there were at least thirty of them, all riding side by side. They stopped their horses just in front of the two's home and the man walked over to meet them, a concerned look on his face. Dismounting his steed the lead samurai, his armor a bright red, bowed and held a slip of paper for the man to see. Looking over at Archer the man spoke a few words, Hisashi himself could not hear what he had said but whatever it was it did not seem good. A tear ran down Archer's cheek, but she simply bowed and stood where she was like a statue. From there the man went into his home, disappearing for what seemed like ages.
Archer herself seemed to not care and her sapphire eyes reflected a cold, almost resentful expression. Emerging from the home was the man, now fully clad in black and green armor. At his side was a pair of swords one smaller than the other, both sheathed in black scabbards. He bowed towards Archer, who payed him no attention and a single horse emerged from the legion of samurai. Mounting the horse, the man looked at Archer one last time, before riding off with the samurai. As they left her sights, Archer fell to her knees and wept.
Without warning the entire landscape changed and the sky turned a blood red. His body forcefully turned him around and Hisashi was staring the corpse of a dead man. His body lay limp and there before him was Archer, her face smeared with the blood of her victim. Her face was cold, unfeeling and emotionless. In her hand was a ninjato, a black sword that reflected the shadows around her.
Hisashi's eyes opened in an instant, and he was greeted by the pitch black, darkness of the room. He tried to get up, but found that his left arm was completely gone. Instead of an arm, there was a stump where his elbow once was. He punched his soft futon repeatedly and began cursing under his breath. How was he going to live without an arm? What was he supposed to do? Was it all for nothing? Was Archer safe at least? The numerous questions spiraled throughout his head like a hurricane of doubt. He held the stump with his right hand and sighed.
"You are awake," said a voice from the shadows. Emerging from the dark was Archer, her black hair seemed almost invisible in the black room. However, her blue eyes shined as beautifully as ever.
"Yeah, I guess so," said Hisashi, his voice raspy.
"Are you feeling well?" asked Archer with her usual monotone.
"As well as a guy with one arm can feel," Hisashi joked, it was the best he could do to calm himself down. He was still rather tired from what had happened and the invasive thoughts spiraling through his head did nothing to help him.
"I do not know if that is a good thing."
"It is, don't worry about it so much."
"I see," replied Archer, "It was just that you were tossing and turning in your sleep. I had thought something was bothering you."
"It's nothing. I was just having a bad dream. A weird dream."
Archer paused for a moment and quickly asked, "What did you see?"
"Huh?" queried Hisashi, taken aback by the sudden question, "I didn't really see anything, I mean it was just a dre-"
"What did you see?" interrupted Archer, her voice reflecting the impatience growing within her.
"Well, I saw a house...It looked kind of like this one but it was a little bit bigger. Then I saw...you."
"Me?"
"Yeah and a guy. He was laying down in your lap."
Archer's eyes narrowed and she grew silent. Her fists clenched and she seemed to be growing increasingly irritated at Hisashi.
"Then suddenly these samurai appeared out of nowhere," continued Hisashi, "They showed him a paper and then he rode off with them. He said something but I didn't really hear what."
"I'm sorry Chiyome," whispered Archer to herself.
"What?"
"I'm sorry Chiyome," repeated Archer, a bit louder than before, "That's what he said to me." Hisashi could make out tears forming in Archer's eyes, but she did not seem to even notice.
"Who was he?"
"Are you ordering me to tell you Master?"
"No, I mean, it's none of my business but I think I deserve to know a thing or two about my Servant. A Servant who I just lost an arm for mind you."
Archer was silent and she turned her back, facing the window where a crack of shimmering moonlight flowed into the dark room. "Very well. I guess it is only fair." Archer was silent for a moment, and after a few seconds continued, "He was my husband."
Hisashi almost gasped in surprise, "Your husband?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Archer didn't seem like the kind of girl who would want to settle down, she seemed more of the fighter type.
"Yes. He was a lord and those samurai you saw were his men."
"Must've been something," said Hisashi, trying to ease the tension, "Being the wife of a lord."
"It was luxurious if that is what you are implying. But all of the grandeur didn't matter to me. I loved him and he loved me, that was all I really needed."
"Wait, so why did he leave you then? I'm pretty sure a guy like that wouldn't leave that easy."
"I wish it were so. One day, he was called to war by the ruling daimyo."
"And just like that he left? What kind o-"
"Do not question his loyalties," barked Archer, breaking her usual calm, "You know nothing of him!"
Hisashi was still for a few minutes, averting Archer's cold stare, "I'm sorry...What happened to him?"
"He died in battle."
"He...He died?"
"People are killed everyday. Some deserve it, some do not. It is our job to not let their deaths effect us. A ninja feels nothing and should always feel nothing."
"Don't give me that bullshit!" yelled Hisashi, "I mean, I may be stupid but even I can tell when someone is in pain? How can you just sit there and tell me that crap? It's insulting! Not just to me but to your husband!"
"How dare you!"
"No! How dare yo-" In an instant, the wind was knocked out of Hisashi and he fell to the floor with a loud thud. He had just been struck across the face by Archer. It was painful, but Hisashi didn't care. He had felt worse.
"You forget your place magus! Now be quiet!"
"Look at you," said Hisashi, wiping a faint stream of blood from his mouth, "You tell me to never let my emotions get the better of me and yet what has your entire life been? Yet every day of your life has been run by emotion! Don't lie to me Archer! What exactly did you feel that day!"
Without a word Archer delivered an explosive kick into Hisashi's stomach, causing the boy to roll into a ball on the floor as he was pummeled. The punishment continued for what seemed like ages to Hisashi until finally Archer dropped to her knees and wept into her own hands. Hisashi had never seen this side of her, and frankly, it was enough to make him feel a great sense of remorse.
"I felt...sadness," said Archer, her voice so quiet it was almost a whisper, "The last emotion I would ever feel. I became a merciless killer. I didn't feel scared, lonely, happy. Most of all, I never felt sad ever again. The only thing I knew was death and I liked it. Every time I killed, every time I saw death it made my husbands death all the more miniscule."
"That doesn't excuse anything," said Hisashi flatly, "Do you think he would want for you to be like this? Do you think he would want you do go about your life acting as if he never even happened?"
"No, he wouldn't have." The two stood quietly in the room, Hisashi rose up, using his one arm to pull himself back onto his futon. He lay staring at the ceiling while Archer sat on the floor next to him, her gaze never leaving the floor. "The funny thing is," whispered Archer, "You remind me of him."
"You don't say?" said Hisashi with a smirk, hoping to ease the tension, "How's that? I don't think someone as lazy as me could replace a guy like that."
"Perhaps one day, I'll tell you."
"I'll hold you to that promise." He turned to face Archer and gave her a warm smile.
"Go back to sleep," ordered Archer, "That beating I gave you probably set your healing back a few days."
"Whatever you say," With that Hisashi closed his eyes, "Good night Chiyome."
"Good night, Hisashi." Archer gave him a radiant smile and her eyes twinkled like stars.