A light breeze blew through the trees. The leaves rustled playfully and the creek tripped over itself in hyper excitement. Birds above twittered happily welcoming the warm weather and bidding it to stay for a long time. The grass and leaves were a deep healthy green and the flowers were in full bloom. The Sakura trees were just beginning to bud. Soon a shower of pale pink snow would veil the earth.
A mournful melody danced on the breeze. It felt very out of place among the new life and happiness. A chipmunk followed the sound up the tree. He gazed up at the girl who sat playing the haunting melody. Her hair fell around her shoulders, but in the breeze the strands repositioned themselves. As she finished her song she enjoyed the serenity. Even though everything was new and buzzing with healthy life, she enjoyed the silence that winter had left behind. Spring was a time for a new beginning, a time when everything healed. She wondered if she would ever experience a spring in her heart. She wondered if she would always feel the bitterness of winter.
A rustle caught her attention and her eyes opened slowly. Someone was underneath her tree. They were foolish. She was a ninja, trained in the art of hiding and killing, and yet someone tried to sneak up on her. It took only a second for her to pull the razor wire from her pouch. She threaded her fingers through the loops and pulled it tight. A shurinken whizzed past her making her hair flutter. That was the final straw she decided. With a graceful, quiet and deadly leap, she sprang from her branch.
She evaluated the situation before she hit the ground. Whoever it was, was hiding in the bushes. A few bent leaves had tipped her off. She tip-toed around the bush and pounced on her victim. She had the wire around her victims throat in a split second. She pulled just tight enough to convey her message.
"You should be more careful when sneaking up on someone Hikariko."
"What are you doing?" The girl asked fearing the wire around her neck.
"The question is, what are you doing?" She released her grasp on the wire and began to wind it up.
"I dont get it Yamiko, why are you always like this?"
"I hope you never have to know." Yamiko put the wire back in her pouch and turned on her friend. "Be careful, next time you might get killed."
Hikariko watched as her friend left her. What had happened to make Yamiko so cold? She wished she knew. It was something that Yamiko kept locked with in herself. Hikariko wondered if maybe one day Yamiko might tell her. She had tired on several occasions to get Yamiko to talk about it. All she ever got was, I hope you never have to find out. What exactly was Yamiko talking about. Hikariko had never trod to deeply into it. She figured that Yamiko would tell her when she came to grips with it. It was after all, her demon.
Dismissing her thoughts Hikariko turned on her heels and made her way back to the village. If she was light and Yamiko were darkness in the end they would balance each other out. When things came to harmony between Yamiko and her inner demon, then Hikariko was sure Yamiko would tell her everything.
He placed his nunchakus on the wooden peg on the wall. He sighed and pushed his dark hair out of his face. His fingers ran over the white cotton covering his left eye. He drew it back quickly as if he had been bitten by a snake. He pushed aside the adrenalin that rose in his throat. He could feel his pulse quicken and he tired to put it back in check.
He walked past the mirror he had mounted on his wall. He caught a glimpse of his reflection. Why had been so stupid? Shame washed over him. What was he thinking? It had been his choice after all. Perhaps if he hadnt been so foolish, no if he hadnt been so selfish, then things would be different. For one, he would have the use of his eye. For two, he would not be suppressed by this curse. This was his demon, however, and he was the only one who could change anything.
Shame and anger coursed through his body and his fist flew into the reflecting glass. He withheld a cry as the glass cut into his soft flesh. Warm crimson life trickled down his arm. He watched it like a child pondering the death of a small animal. What made this crimson so special? What made this liquid life so important?
Until I can take away someone elses pain, I will live with this curse. He reminded himself quietly.
As the door opened, Inochi grabbed a towel that he had placed on the side of his dresser. He quickly tried to hide the blood that was trailing down his arm. He scolded himself for letting his temper get the better of him. He spun around and was greeted by his two comrades.
"Inochi, how are you?" One greeted.
Inochi nodded. "Fine."
"You dont sound fine." The other butted in.
"Thanks for the concern, but I am just fine."
Inochi made his way across the circular room. He reached up for his medicinal box with his good hand. Taking it down, he took it to his dresser. There he took the lid off and began to administer the proper herbs to the wound.
His friends let themselves in and made themselves at home. The shorter of the two began a conversation on their newly assigned mission.
"Orders from the top. He said proudly. Inochi is to lead the attack." He beamed proudly at Inochis back. "Aww seems like yesterday we were just teaching him the ropes. Now look at him. Getting special orders from the TOP!" He emphasized the last word.
Inochi grinned under his mask. He was pleased to hear this as well. He wrapped his hand in a cotton like material and returned the box to its shelf.
"So, Sensou, what is this mission?" Inochi asked looking for the utensils to make tea with.
"We are to infiltrate Nijo castle."
"Nijo?" Heiwa, the taller of the two asked in disbelief. "Thats suicide!"
"Just because everyone else who has done it has died, does not make it suicide." Sensou replied. "In fact, think of the text! We could get our names in the text if we can infiltrate that castle."
"Yeah, and we could lose our heads! Think about it! Exploding death time!" Heiwa exclaimed!
"True. You have a point." Sensou admitted. "That doesn't change the fact that we have been ordered to go to the castle and kill the princess."
Inochi looked up from his weak looking fire. "Kill?" He asked.
Sensou nodded. "Thats right."
Heiwa looked at Inochi. "This is a problem?"
"Its not." Inochi began. "Its just, a princess is a woman. Didn't we vow to never kill women?"
"We don't kill women. But this is a order from the top. If we dont follow through then we could be exiled from the clan." Heiwa added.
"It just doesnt feel right." Inochi said. "Thats all." He began to prepare the tea.
"When do we leave?" Heiwa asked, toying with a loose thread on his shirt.
"Tonight." Sensou replied. "After the sunsets."
Yamiko woke from her slumber. The once warm day had turned to a drastically colder and more angry day. The sky was no longer blue, angry clouds shrouded the once azure plane. The wind caught the red ribbon in her hair and blew it around her. She lifted her face to the gray sky and felt for the sprinkle of spring rain.
It wouldnt be long before she would have to inform Hikariko of the infiltration. It wasnt something she was looking forward too, but the princess needed to be protected. She stood and gathered her wooden flute and a leather bound bag.
She bean to make her way back to the village. If everything went according to plan, then they would be back before the night grew to dark. Sunset was quickly approaching, she could feel the sun sinking behind the clouds. It was up to her and Hikariko. Only they could save the princess now.
As she neared the village, dread washed over her. She had a feeling that things would not be in their favor. Focusing her ki she tried to look into the future, alas it was clouded. She sighed, we just have to be very careful. Very careful, she thought. She would inform Hikariko of her unease. Perhaps it was just the anticipation of battle that unnerved her. A warm herbal tea would most likely calm her.
Yamiko pushed open the wooden curtain that served as a door. Hikariko sat next to the fire and was tending to a pot of what Yamiko believed was stew. Hikariko smiled brightly and stood.
"Hello! Im almost done with dinner. Are you hungry?"
Yamiko nodded. "Yes. What have you made?"
"Beef Stew. I got it when we went to the port in Yokohama. Its an imported recipe from some country across the sea. Im very excited to try it." Hikariko said happily.
"Yokohama it has been a long time since we went there." Yamiko mused.
"Nearly a year." Hikariko piped.
"Hiko, could you make me some tea? The herbal kind, my nerves are shot. We have a mission tonight." Yamiko said reverting to their childhood nick-names.
"Tea, yeah I can have it ready shortly. What is our mission?"
"Protect Princess Ai."
"The Princess Ai? The one in Nijo Castle?" Hikariko asked.
"Thats the one. We leave before sunset." Yamiko said sitting on her futon.
Hikariko nodded. "I'll have everything ready Yamiko."
Yamiko nodded and laid on her futon. She covered her eyes with her arm and began to meditate. Focus on the mission, not your unease, she thought to herself.
They leapt through the trees. They were silent, and in the dark, unseen. Inochi focused on his footing, not having his left eye made stealth in the dark exceptionally difficult. He continued on, pulling a shoge with a hook on the end from his belt. With it, he planed to scale the walls of the castle. He was very quick and could be over the wall in a matter of seconds. He began to swing the chain as they neared the castle. It made a whirling sound.
Inochi leapt from the tree and released the chain. It hooked on the other side of the castle wall and he scaled it effortlessly. Once on the other side he pulled a set of nunchakus from his belt. He took a moment to assess his surroundings while tightening his belt. There were two samurai guards a few feet away. They hadnt noticed him, and he scoffed. He didnt want to kill them, but he knew it would be inevitable. He had to make it quick and quiet.
He reassessed his surroundings. A shoge was hooked on the wall just above the samurai. Inochi knew that any moment Heiwa and Sensou would be over that wall. He had to take the samurai out before they alerted more to their post. Chanting a spell, he swiftly ran behind the samurai. With a harsh knock to each of their heads, he knocked them out.
From the corner of his eye he caught sight of a red ribbon fluttering in the air. It was only a split second and he could not figure out what it belonged to. He pushed it to the back of his mind. It wasnt important at the moment. The important thing was finding the princess and taking care of the job.
Heiwa and Sensou joined Inochi.
"Nice work Inochi." Heiwa complimented. "Out like babies."
Sensou nodded. He kicked one samurai in the foot to make sure they were out. He was pleased to find that Inochi was very thorough with his attacks.
"We need to split up. This should be taken care of quickly. Heiwa you and Sensou take the bottom of the castle. I will take the upper levels. Hopefully we can end this before it begins." Inochi said looking up to where the ribbon had been.
"Right. We regroup just south of here. Stay away from the sea if you can." Sensou said as he and Heiwa turned and ran to the back of the castle.
Inochi silently acknowledged the meeting spot. He turned to the stone wall. The stones were far enough apart that he could easily scale the wall to the first level. After that things would be difficult. He would have to find a window. He took a moment and examined the castle. He found a path and began to climb. It took only moments before he was on the roof of the first level. Inochi found a room with the lights out and slipped inside.
So-far so-good he thought to himself. No one had been alerted yet. He slid on a pair of ashiko and shuko spikes. With them he could easily climb the walls and sneak along the ceiling undetected. Placing his palm gently on the castle wall he began to ascend to the rafters. Inochi, however, could not shake the feeling that something was very wrong.
Yamiko studied the floor. She hated it. She gently stepped on a wooden plank. It screamed in the silence. What a dumb floor, she scowled. Why? Why would anyone put a floor like that in the main entrance? Sure it was a good idea, but if you had to leave in the middle of the night the whole castle would know. Dumb floor! Squeek squeek squeek! No wonder its called Nightingale floor, she thought to herself, They should call it dying bird floor. She gently stepped on the wood again. She complimented the craftsmanship of the floor. At least if anyone snuck into the castle they would not know about the floor until it was too late. It would only take one creek before the castle residence would be alerted of an intruder. She stepped on it once more before turning and stepping back outside.
The stars were dim, Yamiko crossed her arms. The heavens did not grace her with enough light. It was a perfect night for an attack, and she would have to be on her guard. A light breeze tugged at her hair, pulling it away from her face. She looked to the sky. Her mind was blank, it was as if all of her thoughts had vanished. She became lost in herself and reverted to an old childhood past time. She stared blankly across the palace garden and began to count. She didnt count anything in particular, she just began to count. Yamiko found this helped her relax and become focused.
While Yamiko was lost inside herself, a shocked squeal erupted from the opposite end of Nightingale floor. It violently threw Yamiko from her meditation. On reflex she pulled a kunai from her leg pouch, and held the little knife in a striking position. The floor inside the castle began to wail. The wailing grew louder and louder as the sound of hurried footsteps grew nearer. Yamiko was ready to strike when a excited Hikariko stumbled from the palace.
"Hiko? What?" She watched as Hikariko tumbled to the ground.
"Yamiko, thank the gods, they're here!"
"What?" Yamiko asked trying to sort through what had just happened.
"From the other clan! Inochi and his men are here!" Hikariko said out of breath.
"And you left the princess!" Yamiko shrieked.
Hikariko shook her head. "No! I found her a hiding place."
"How do you know they are here?" Yamiko asked.
Hikariko pulled herself together. "We dont have time! Ya-Chan! Just trust me!"
Yamiko fell silent and stared into the depths of the darkened castle. "You've given away our position."
"What?"
Yamiko pulled Hikariko away from the entrance as a Yari flew past her face. The long spear like weapon stuck in the wood of the castle floor. Yamiko glanced at the handle and assessed the situation.
"Hiko, this could get ugly. Take these." She passed her friend a handful of smoke bombs. "Use these only if you have to. Try and get them outside and away from the castle. Remember sand is your friend."
Hikariko nodded. With that, Yamiko slipped around the side of the castle and left Hikariko to handle the two men that were hiding in the entrance to Nightingale floor.
Inochi had heard the squealing. It had been several levels below him but the floor cried as if it were a dying animal. He hid in the rafters of the castle waiting for someone to run past him. When no one came, he took a seat on the rafter and began to remove the spikes that had helped him get to his desired hiding spot. As he was putting them in his bag, another sound caught his attention.
Someone, or something had just made it to his floor. He stood and took a step back, keeping in the shadows. His right eye darted around the hall. No one was below him. That meant one of two things, either they had left this floor, or they were above him. He looked up. There was nothing but darkness above him. He looked below him again to make sure. He went to take a step into the light when a creaking sound froze him. It was the sound of weight landing suddenly on wood. He scanned his surroundings. Nothing. He took a step back and listened for the groaning of wood as body weight would shift. It did not come.
Inochi took a few moments to wait before attempting to step out. He was cautious as he left his hiding spot. Whomever it was, he knew, was still there watching him. The faint rustle of cloth caught is attention. He watched the darkness, and held his hand above his head. When he brought it down he held in between his fingers three silver ninja disks.
Shurinken, nice. He thought. He dropped them on to the wooden pillar and awaited for more silver disks or knives to leap from the darkness. When none produced themselves, he took another step forward. The rustle of cloth caught his attention again and he prepared for more silver disks to come whizzing at him. Instead he was shocked to find a young girl charging him. Unsure what to do, Inochi stood still.
The girl tackled him, knocking him hard on the wooden support beam. He was surprised to find very sharp wires around his throat. He pulled his hand away from the wire at his throat knowing that if he struggled his throat would be cut clean open.
"What are you doing here?" She hissed. Her once fine hair was tousled and stray locks lined her face. Her red ribbon was falling from the once neatly arranged pony tail at the back of her head. A chord was struck in Inochis memory and he lay gaping up at her.
"You're the girl..." He was cut off as the wire tightened.
"I'm asking the questions." She snapped. "I wont ask again. What are you doing here?"
Inochi thought for a moment, should he tell? What was more important to him? Life or this mission? And what was with this girl? He smiled up at her.
"Why are you smiling? I should just kill you and be done with it."
"That you should." He said drawing a kunai from his pocket. "He didn't want to use it, but if it became necessary he wouldnt hesitate."
He watched as the girl tried to conceal the flicker of rage he had caused. She blinked at him unsure of what she should do. Her hold on the wire, however, did not relax any.
"You'd better hurry." He taunted.
Chapter 2 coming soon...
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