The cool night air swirled around us. I closed my eyes for a moment to better enjoy the playful wind, inhaling the party of scents that were wafting up from the pleasure house below: chai tea and roasted chestnuts and cinnamon.
My gaze slowly returned to the vibrant concourse—somewhat distractedly, as the woman’s words began to occupy my attention. I thought I heard a subtle undertone to her voice, like a threatening purr; it warmed me up. When I turned my head to notice that she’d shifted away, my eyes naturally trailed down her lower back to sneak a glance at her... tail?! I wrenched my gaze back to the crowd, not wanting to stare for too long and seem indecent.
Did some women have tails? I had never encountered such a thing in all my life. She really was a feline creature. All manner of image crossed my mind, but my attention was shifted back to the present when she said her name. Akane, hmm? Fitting, I’d say. Sounds just like the feisty type, hehe. I noted with amusement that she seemed to avoid my question. When she asked about my role as bait, I began to stroke my chin in thought; I hadn’t planned that far, in all honesty. But the wheels of my mind began a-spinning, and it wasn’t long before I had concocted a scheme that made me grin mischievously.
I had an idea as to why a shinobi had been tasked with monitoring this place, as opposed to someone cheaper, like a petty officer or local gang, and so my plan took that into account. I cleared my throat, obviously pleased.
“So, here’s the gist. Lately, the son of one of the wealthiest men in Iwa has been drinking up and then coming here with his friends to cause trouble, harassing the working-girls in public, even targeting the geisha,” I quietly intoned, a look of irritation surfacing. “It’s become a thing these past couple weeks, but we’ve all been forced to suffer him out of fear—you know, his wealth could bring ruin to any number of the houses here, if he so desired. And the police aren’t foolish enough to detain him—he'll be ushered out as soon as word reaches his family; they line everyone’s pockets, from what I hear.”
I sat up and turned towards her, rubbing my hands together as I began to explain the simple but, I thought, ingenious plan. “So here’s my idea. Back in the academy, I read once about this foreign form of henge. Maybe you’ve heard of it—the sexy-style henge jutsu. I’ve been practicing on my own and I think I have it down.” I gave her a reassuring nod. Really, I was being modest, lest she get the wrong idea about me.
“So once they show up, I lure them to a secluded place, and you trail us. Once we have them alone, we ummm, give them a good scare—you know, teach them a lesson. Hehehe, simple as that.”
Last Edit: Nov 21, 2021 12:42:09 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
Gong! The bell tolled once more. I was peering across the room with the intensity of a midday sunray, but the darkness lay too thick. A tension loomed, like a partner to the shadow. But then the muted thud of footsteps crept up from the stairwell, bursting the tension and causing me to jump, startled.
My katana jerked into defense, but it was only another shinobi, and then two. One looked to fiddle with the scrolls strewn across the floor. The feeling of impending danger began to evaporate, so I stepped from the deepest dark of the corner, making my presence known; surely the thing would have attac—Tssss! A rattlesnake sound emitted from the man’s hand. Wait, is that a... It was too late to retreat—a sudden light flashed, illuminating the room.
And then—Whapp!!! I cowered from the blast reflexively, curling in the opposite direction, head down, two slivers of steel guarding my exposed side.
It was over in an instant. The pain bit at me like a swarm of bee stings, pricking my left lower-back and... rear end. “Youch!!” I yelped. My katana, proximity, and reflexes had reduced my profile, saving me from the brunt of the shrapnel, but the cluster that landed... hurted. I leaned my left blade on my leg, drifting my hand over my left butt-cheek, wincing as my fingers delicately caressed my torn kimono and felt the warm wetness of fresh blood.
A fury fumed within me like a steam train in the heat.
I sheathed both of my katana and hushedly stomped toward the two men, fire-eyed. A jolt of pain shot up my left side. “Ooph!” I clutched my bloody buttocks. “The... the hell was that?!” I whispered vehemently. “My ass! Susanoo’s-sake! My beautiful, soft, un-blemished ass—ravaged! Look!” I hissed, turning so that the clawed flesh showed through ripped cloth.
My chest heaved up and down as I caught my breath before turning back around, letting the initial anger dissipate from my body like smoke from a stamped-out fire. I sighed as I beheld them both. “Er, you two okay?” I relented, my tone sympathetic as I began to fully process what occurred. A sudden pang of worry stabbed at my gut, like I was forgetting something, but I was too distracted by the throbbing pain to pay it much attention.
Last Edit: Nov 20, 2021 8:50:45 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
A carnal longing seethed behind my eyes as my blade tore through the foul air. Oddly yet, I was left unfulfilled when the steel connected with flying flesh. In a strange sequence, each bat would evaporate into a plume of smoke as my katana pierced them, denying me the fresh blood that I desired.
A scowl escaped me. I turned toward the other shinobi, witnessing the same end, again and again. It only churned the hunger within me, tempting me to recklessness. So when the swarm of bats dispersed against the grenade’s impact, I blazed through the opening and into the courtyard of the shrine. There was little hesitation as my gaze jumped from the well to the sinister doorway. The thought of water-gathering bored me any longer; blood-craving, I was too agitated to consider it. I wanted to throw my hand in with the war.
My taupe nin-sandals sliced through the grassy opening toward the shrine. The muted glint of my katana shone on either side of me, still unsheathed. I slowed my breath as I approached the entrance to the building, smelling and seeing, my pupils darting left to right as I overtook the door’s threshold.
A stench laced the atmosphere, causing my nose to crinkle before becoming attuned to the odor. The room looked empty, at first glance; yet a horrible presence seemed to submerse the space. I felt a chill course my spine, and my primal thirst began to dissipate. I slid from the entrance and into the shadows of the corner opposite the menacing bell, as swift and silent as a stalking fox. I noted a group of large, leather-bound scrolls laying on the floor nearby.
Gong!—a sound rang from the other side of the room. My eyes darted across the wooden expanse separating us. Gong! Again.
I gulped—not of fear, but anticipation; my expression was energetic, my sword-guarded body tense, like an alarmed hare, raring and fully-alive.
Life or death, we asked for this. No running now! Let’s play.
Last Edit: Nov 9, 2021 22:58:48 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
Her tone enticed me. I had grown accustomed to the flattering lilt of working-girls and hostesses, which one preferred when the effort was to relax. But the apathy of the tsundere had the strange power to lift me from my languor, loins aflame. The chase. I released a leopard's smile as she finished.
“Hehe, wouldn’t put it that harshly,” I chuckled, my right hand caressing my chin as I considered her question. “But I’ve had some... fun, in the past... And not always at my own expense, if you catch my drift.” My eyes found her own once more, drawn to their subtle glow in the night, like two floating embers. I smiled, wryly. “People tend to lose their sense of humor when the joke’s on them... so I like to keep a watchful eye, is all.”
It was the partial truth. But I knew that the masochistic thrill of being hunted was what fueled my escapades, as much as anything. That primal bloodrush. It was simply exciting, being sought-after, and life needed excitement. I also liked to rationalize that it was good practice for my profession, at the end of the day. Or maybe I was just a thrills-junkie. Just maybe.
As she approved of my proposal, I gave a nod in hidden pleasure, turning away from the building’s edge as her shadowy figure slipped through the darkness that surrounded us, a creature of the night. Her preternatural agility still startled me to witness, but I followed suit as she lowered herself to lay, coming to rest beside her, wiggling closer as she situated herself until we were close enough for our scents to intertwine. My lips wanted to curve into a slick grin, but I held back and settled my gaze upon the lusty panorama below.
Only our heads were visible above the roof’s pinnacle, like two sea-otters coming up for air. I heeded her warning, though couldn’t help snickering at the idea. “How’d you kn—nevermind. Understood,” I whispered loudly.
Almost forgetting my manners in the moment, I would take a breath, slow as the moon, and compose myself. Sound slid from my mouth like silk. “My name is Kikuyō, by the way.” I gave her a warm look before returning my gaze to the dancers and their loyal flock. After a few moments, I would follow with a question; I was more than a little curious about this mysterious woman. “So, is this what you do for fun?” I asked amusedly. Was she the type to blend work and personal life, like so many ninja? I wondered.
Last Edit: Nov 8, 2021 20:24:09 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
My gaze swept across the scenery. It wasn’t long before I spotted a patch of green amidst the violent grey. Eyes squinting, I honed in on the seemingly untouched speck of land—and eyes widening, there was the well!
Fading smoke-clouds unveiled a temple standing meekly beside it, and all around, lush greenery swayed serenely, oblivious to the mortal flames swelling just beyond their view. An oasis in a desert of ruin. Hopeful, I descended my perch with the haste of a sun-dried beggar at the sight of pouring water. My sandals met the dusty earth and I was a speeding arrow toward the shrine.
To have gone unscathed all this time. The place must have been blessed, I thought. Touched by the hand of some divine protector. And then I looked up into the choking sky and had my comforting thoughts smothered in oil. The hell-bat came hurtling down through the clouds like a winged meteorite, taking its rider along for a crash headlong into the very shrine that I was approaching. “What are the odds,” I gasped, lamenting the sanctuary’s loss of innocence as much as my own uncertain future. Still, I continued ahead... if cautiously.
My hesitance was well-placed, it seemed—just as I crossed the threshold from war-torn hell into green-grove heaven, the once holy temple declared its newfound heresy, vomiting a legion of bats from its cracked roof to terrorize any trespassers. I looked down at my planted feet and then back up.
🦇 🦇 🦇
Eek! Three abandoned the swarm and came shrieking towards me. A sickened look lined my face, though there wasn’t much time to remain disgusted as they quickly overtook me in the garden. My hands gripped either of my two katana as the trio sped past a pile of logs, wanting to surround me. I studied them intensely, biding my time; two drew near, with one just behind.
I wouldn’t allow them a chance to situate themselves around me; as soon as the first two entered striking distance, my left-hand blade lashed out from its sheath in a diagonal swath, attempting to bisect both bats in a single swoop. My other katana rose more quietly from its sheath, awaiting my final assailant. Should the slash triumph or fail, the striking blade would leap into guard, covering the front of my abdomen, while my right-hand blade would seek to skewer the last bat, shooting forward in a controlled stab as it approached.
In the midst of my wrangling, I heard a sonorous voice ring out, commanding. A wave of relief rolled over me, knowing that I wasn’t here alone, and that a more experienced shinobi was around to direct the coming fight. When the bang! of the grenades blared out, I felt the residual impact in my periphery, the concussive wave forcing the ground to tremble.
Excitement tickled me suddenly, then, as if by foreign hand, and I sensed the ancestral call for blood begin to hum through me. There was no turning back, now. We were caught in the throes of war, and so blood must well.
As I crested the rooftop, my vision opened to the sea of darkness below. The day had ended and with it, the warmth of light. Now a lunar coolness coalesced with shadows the color of a sapphire’s core, shading Iwagakure from coast to coast. The torches lining the village glittered like so many stars.
A cool night breeze meandered across my face as my sandals padded down the coarse roofing, while my gaze befell the lady once more. She looked ready to pounce. I almost flinched and instead slowed my pace, stopping a couple meters ahead of her. It struck me how suited she seemed to the night, her cocoa complexion and sleuthy demeanor blending fluidly with the darkness.
Her words fell on ears that were anxiously waiting. They surprised me.
“Wait, wha?” I blurted in reaction, rapidly recounting the events that had led me here alongside this new information. It did make sense, though one couldn’t fault me for being precautious. Still, I felt silly. “So you weren’t…”
My gaze drifted from her crouched figure to the tiling between us in recollection, calling back that initial gut feeling. “I felt like I was being watched... and assumed the worst,” I explained, shrugging my shoulders, “Can’t be too careful, hehe.” Yet, realizing that my easygoing attitude might do more harm than good in this situation, I added, “My fault for almost blowing your cover... Really thought you were someone else.”
I took a step closer to the roof’s edge, looking out at the sleepy village with an expression of contentment. Haha, what a relief. I could have swore I was being stalked. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with a gentle chill before exhaling with a slight smile. I turned back toward the shadowy woman.
“A shinobi, then?” I wondered out loud, though it was almost rhetorical. “Looks like we have something in common.” I twisted so that my right side faced her, lifting the hitai-ate that hung from my sash so that it reflected the moonlight. I then clasped my hands behind my back, giving her a honeyed look. “Well, seeing as I’m here... let me lend you my eyes. I know this place like the back of my hand,” I touted. Really, I wanted to continue observing her. “Besides, the sun just finished setting. Trouble won’t be here for a while, yet. Give ‘em some time to drink up and you’ll see.”
My gaze then met the darkness again. I had a good guess as to why she had been chosen for this task. I wondered if they would come out tonight.
Last Edit: Oct 31, 2021 16:11:36 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
My blood leapt when the dusky woman jolted into vision. In a blink our gazes met and I beheld her in full. Her eyes glowed like amber under the moonlight, complementing soft, coffee-toned skin that you could almost taste. Yet there was a sabertooth ferocity to her glare that made me shiver.
I was moments from raising my voice in alarm when she descended upon me, covering my mouth and then pulling my hanging body onto the roof. Her speed and strength caught me off guard. This was no ordinary woman. A ninja? Looking up at her as I scurried to my feet, I noticed a faint familiarity, though too vague to identify. She signaled for me to hush before removing her hand from my face. I caught the same sultry scent from earlier as she turned away and couldn’t help but lick my lips again, my expression fox-like.
Questions were soaring through my head, but I wasn't fool enough to disobey her brusque order. I would be quiet, for now. My eyes traced her sensual figure as she pressed ahead, ascending the sloped rooftop. Excitement and fear raced within at this mysterious woman, and I felt a surging satisfaction knowing that my intuition hadn’t failed me. Yet, had it delivered me into the hands of my own demise? I wasn’t sure, but I was too curious not to find out.
So like a bee to honey, I stuck to her path. Smells good...
She wove through the night with an inhuman, feline grace. I imagined that I looked rather clumsy in comparison, as I focused on keeping up with her pace while maintaining my footing. I almost called for her to wait up, before the image of a sinister finger pressed against smooth lips flashed across my mind.
Mouth clenched firmly shut, then, I used my arms to propel myself across the roof’s peak and onto the other side, gaze fixated on the woman in curiosity, still replaying the speed she had displayed earlier, mindful of what she could do to me now, if she so pleased. It occurred to me that she could have been working for the Tsuchikage himself, if he cared to keep tabs on me—which I did doubt. But she didn't seem overeager to aggress, so almost involuntarily, like a wasp to firelight, I drifted as close as I dare to her side.
Last Edit: Oct 28, 2021 20:17:46 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
My furtive gaze rummaged through the treetop like a thief inside an empty house. There wasn’t a nook or cranny spared, though we emerged empty-handed nonetheless. My eyes squinted suspiciously as I stood there, retracing the oak’s gnarled arms; why had my gut led me here?
Before I could dismiss the intuition as mistaken, I had to take a closer look. Knees slightly bent in preparation, I raised my hands and leapt for the sky, catching the top of the wooden fence at the apex of my jump. In a single movement I vaulted (read: scrambled) over the makeshift wall and into the bosom of the oak’s shadow. Creeping closer, until I could feel the corrugated rooting of the tree-trunk under the soles of my sandals, I peered up and had my initial doubts confirmed.
Hmm… I rounded the stalk of the oak curiously, sauntering through the shadows and toward the tree-side that faced the vibrant plaza. The Koumi girls were lost within the whirlwind of a second dance; the encircling crowd sat glued to the performance, while passersby slowly began flocking toward the perimeter of the seated spectators.
As I stood transfixed at the tree-front, my nose sniffled. The faintest scent lingered past, like a lover reluctant to say goodbye, drifting along the bark. Eyes closed with renewed focus, I inhaled deeply and explored the subtle aroma. It was hard to pinpoint; you could sense a touch of the feline, but I knew the scent of a woman when I smelled it. My left eyebrow rose and the slightest smirk slid across my face. Well, well... I licked my lips and began to follow the enticing scent, a stray dog on the hunt for an evening morsel.
Nightfall gathered; the sun had surrendered its oversight to the moon, gone from view, its final glance forming a glowing halo around the horizon. Still, I took care to cling to shadow, even risking losing the scent to uphold my secrecy. Yet, when the muted fragrance trailed beyond the darkness and into the open expanse of the Yuniwara, I knew I must leave the trail altogether. Still, they wouldn't escape that easily; the question of who they worked for was too intriguing for me to simply abandon the hunt.
I moved purely on instinct, looking around for the ideal vantage point and spotting one nigh immediately. Swiftly sneaking back behind the tree, I took the behind-route to the largest building overlooking the risque expanse.
Sharpened bone extended from each of my fingertips as I approached the side of the pleasure house, which I then proceeded to scale as silent as the sea-floor, further cloaked by the beating music that resounded from the other side of the building. In moments I was hanging just beneath the moonlit tiling. With breath held, my head popped up from the side of the roof, turtle-like.
Last Edit: Oct 26, 2021 0:16:53 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
We barged through the clouds of soot and smoke in a feverish haze. The flames could be felt before they were seen: waves of heat radiated through the smog, swelling in intensity with each step we took, buffeting our persistent advance and tearing at our clothes like the talons of satan himself.
“Almost there!” yelled a muffled voice from our vanguard, stabbing through the growling inferno that tore at the backbone of the village.
We fought forward. The cries only grew louder, colliding with the hurried shouts of commanding shinobi. Tumbling smoke gave way to a sinister glow that revealed the base of the hospital, submersed in flame. The medical center had devolved into an earthen oven that promised to cook its inhabitants alive. Medics and patients alike poured out of the building like termites from a falling tree. It was nightmarish, yet awe-inducing; I fought the urge to gawk dumbly.
Another group of shinobi, assumedly Suiton users, scurried to relieve us upon our arrival. Like relay racers, we passed the titanic baton of well-water into our comrades’ raring hands, wiping ours clean. Hardly a second later we were berated with orders from above that sounded both desperate and vital.
“You lot! Up here! Spread out and scout for more well-water! The north is depleted! Let them handle the fire here. Quick! Lives are at risk!”
Just then a window shattered, spitting out a charred body with disgust. There was no time to think amidst the burning chaos that threatened to engulf us. With a swift nod we each split in a different direction; I took the southeastern charge, hurdling over wreckage and ruin as I departed from the medical hub. Adrenaline coursed through my veins; my gaze darted from building to building, searching for a viable vantage point.
It felt odd, finding myself so motivated to help this village of strangers, but the terror of their situation had evaporated any resistance of my own. I sprinted at least two blocks before a worthwhile perch revealed itself—an in-tact structure that could’ve been a multi-story inn. Scaling the western side of the building, I caught a beam of light flashing through the sky, dazzling as a shooting star. The cloudy outline of the goblin and its flying steed twinkled to the far north, where the flames lay the thickest. A needed relief.
In seconds I clawed my way atop the roof. Even here the detritus of war lay strewn around my feet. Taking care not to step on anything organic, I lifted my attention across the surrounding townscape, hoping to find a water source.
Last Edit: Oct 24, 2021 8:09:06 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
My bones pulsed with desire as I stood waiting. A familiar feeling, the ancestral call for blood; it always flared with the prospect of combat. To fight it was to struggle against nature itself, for it was just as enduring, just as undying, even when the lives through which it seethed fell and fell and fell.
Still, I took a deep breath, removing my right hand from the katana hilt and sliding it along my side, until it once again stroked the sandy texture of my hand-fan, which I would withdraw and unfold. Waving it gently, cool winds washed across my face. The scent of jasmine emanated from the paper, sailing along the cool currents and drawing a sigh of ease from my lips. “Ah..”
The fiendish lust ebbed ever so slightly, leaving me room to notice the precise moment when the feeling of being watched suddenly departed. It was odd; it felt like someone had finally removed their hand from the back of my neck. I could almost feel the direction in which it had pulled away. My eyes were drawn back to the oak tree. Only for a moment, before drifting inconspicuously around the Yuniwara and then forward as I began to walk, merging with the light crowd circling through the landmark of the pleasure district.
If it had been a contracted merc, I couldn’t imagine them hiding for this long only to abandon their mark altogether. Then perhaps something else… a private investigator? Someone hired to track my comings and goings, my behaviors, who had trailed me to my preferred place of leisure and, having gathered their evidence, meant to report my doings and whereabouts.
I wouldn’t let them. The tree was my only lead—and an unlikely one, at that. A purely intuitive leap. Regardless, snaking through the crowd, I slithered into one of the establishments that enclosed the circular clearing.
“Kikuyō!” a familiar hostess gasped as I entered the pleasure house. I shook my head, tapping on the hitai-ate that hung from the right side of my obi sash. “Can’t play today—on duty,” I lamented in passing. “Could you lead me to the back door, Ena-chan?” I then asked, the question half-rhetorical, slowing my pace slightly but not stopping. “Aw… um, okay. It’s this way.”
ꕤ ꕤ ꕤ
In a fraction of a minute I stood on the opposite end of the building, obscured by shadows that fell where the fading sun couldn’t see. I knew this place like a sailor knew the sea. None of its hidden pathways were foreign territory, including the back street that I slid through now. It was only moments before the shadowed half of the oak lay in my sight; I clung behind a latticed wooden fence, quiet and still as an untouched pond, watching closely. My turn.
Last Edit: Oct 22, 2021 13:19:28 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
Flames blanketed the trembling horizon. A crowning backdrop to the hellfire that carved through the Onomichi streets. The remains of bodies and buildings alike lay torched, now nothing but cinders. Tortured cries echoed through a blind miasma of smoke and ash. The only reply—another cry. The tragic village had finally been converted into a living bonfire.
But it still made no sense. Why me? Well... there was a growing suspicion. And the further this place descended into hell, the more plausible it seemed.
I could still recall the voice of the jerk who had barged in on my morning massage. “Kikuyō Kaguya. You have been specially selected for a high-profile mission, direct from Tsuchikage-sama himself! Get dressed and come with me for your briefing. Now. Official Orders.”
Bah! What had I to do with fire-breathing bats and undead samurai? Me, a lowly genin? There were plenty of missions in the Stone that needed tending. Plus, I had business of my own; and who was going to gratify the Yūkaku with me gone? No, I hadn’t been selected for my lengthy record of Samurai slaying that didn’t exist. This was punishment. My reward for being a ‘less-than-ideal’ citizen. Personally, I didn’t see the real issue. I mean, I wasn’t burning down buildings and... falling on distracted shinobi with a mouthful of fire..?
“Ahhh!” I dove across the smoky street, landing underneath the awning of a local shopfront. Eyelids clenched shut, I cursed myself, awaiting the intense burning that I knew would come. One breath, two. Huh? My eyes sprang back open, hands propelling against the warm earth to flip myself around. No fire at all. A relieved laugh leapt from my belly before the cursed voice of that diabolical creature turned my expression sour, and then intense.
We had to find some cover while we had the chance. All of that fire-spewing must have worn it down. Whatever the case, I was here. And the mere thought of returning alive and proving my naysayers wrong sparked my blood.
Jumping to my feet, I caught the renewed smells of charred flesh and bone and grimaced. A dense heat clung to the skin, smothering. The spared roadside wouldn’t be safe for long. Like an omen of the end, the incinerated carnage of neighboring streets littered the ground from pole to pole. Get moving. I turned to sprint, but before I could make it past the corner, a group of four shinobi barged into my path. Heaving an enormous leather sack like the funereal pallbearers of leviathan itself, they rallied toward the ravished north.
“Just gonna stand there?” One sounded as they brushed past, unceasing. I sighed, lowering my head before accepting the stark prospect of what was to come. It was less dangerous than scrambling around alone, I guessed. I caught the tail end of the mammoth pouch as it passed, speeding our pace somewhat. It sloshed under my hands. Well water.
“Where are we headed?” I shouted tentatively, hardly wanting to know the answer. “To the hospital,” one hollered back, “Just up ahead!”
And with that, we tore down the lane and into the infernal mouth of chaos.
Last Edit: Oct 17, 2021 16:11:55 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
A thudding lightly rattled my seated frame. I had been alert as a daybreak rooster since that last debacle, refusing to be caught off-guard again. I had even paid off my year-running tab at the Wild Stag! The look on their faces as I strolled merrily away—sweeter than a sun-ripe cherry.
But... when you lived a left-handed lifestyle, there was always some sour-faced dupe despairing to seek revenge. Some sap who felt cheated or suckered, another hoodwinked. Sore losers, if you asked me. But they were all around, so you never knew who might be lurking in the shadows. My shinobi senses were my only defense, and they remained vigilant now, eyes squinted above the grooved fan that fluttered like a hawk’s wing, head on a swivel.
Still nothing. I scanned the crowd again, who were still chirping in unison, perky with the warmth of mutual cheer. They didn’t notice my searching gaze as it combed through their trunks. The dwindling sunset had dyed their faces the color of firelight, and I couldn’t find a single shadowy scowl among them. But the itch persisted. I turned around, my sight tracing the patch of merchant stalls that littered the other half of the Yuniwara, and then to the passersby circling around, and then to a sun-clawed oak tree, and then along the open windowing of each building encircling the setting—and again, nothing.
“What the hell…?” I mumbled under my breath.
I almost began questioning my own wits. But I couldn’t be mistaken—no, I was being watched. Why were they hiding? I was growing impatient. My left hand habitually caressed the patterned hilt of its corresponding katana. I felt an anger rising. Maybe they wanted me to leave the crowd? A hired merc, then, tasked with my abuse? Well, they wouldn’t catch me unawares. I rose from my seat, tired of waiting, half-stomping from the flock in obvious indignation.
My geta unsettled the earth as I trounced into an unpeopled patch of the clearing. I folded my fan and tucked it back into my sash, hand remaining perched on my hip, eyebrows slightly raised in urgency.
Come out and play, you damn bandit.
Last Edit: Oct 17, 2021 12:12:04 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
A rosy sun languored in the lazy afternoon sky, casting its final swaths of warmth across the Stone as it softly sank into the western horizon. Hues of red and orange blended with the faintest purples, breathing color into the taupe earth of our land. The day was fading, and with the call of sunset a small crowd had gathered in the heart of the red light district.
If you had ever walked through the Yūkaku streets, you were eventually led here—a broad, circular opening called the Yuniwara, where with the first ebbing of sunlight at each day's end, the courtesans of different pleasure houses were brought out to showcase their talents before village patrons. Today, the Koumi house was on display. After a long morning of shinobi busywork, I was excited to kick my feet up and enjoy a showing from this house in particular, who were known for a foreign style of dance that I had grown to savor.
♨️ ♨️ ♨️
We were all seated on wooden stools that had been aligned in a half circle to behold a round clearing. There they danced, a group of Yūjo who had foregone their traditional attire for a foreign ensemble: exotic makeup, short and snug tops that left their arms and bellies uncovered, and either streaming skirts or tight-fitting pants that flared out at the legs.
Their motions were hypnotic, flowing in unison to the rhythm of up-beat taiko drumming and the lyrical melodies of bamboo flutes. My gaze loyally followed their swaying hips and fluttering arms as they waved and twirled. Their giggles cut through the music and sounded like the running water of a sunlit stream, though their movements felt like a river in flight. Time fell away. The slightest redness arose in my cheeks as the group gradually weaved into a beguiling finale, wherein their bodies turned and undulated with an anger that sent tingles down my spine. I raised an autumn-colored hand fan to my face in the final moments of their dance, flushing my warm visage with cool wind.
Yet, more chilling, as the crowd came together in applause, I caught that indescribable feeling that I was being watched. I gulped—the presence didn’t feel ordinary. I brought my fan closer to my face, thinking it too obvious to simply swivel my head around. Who had found me here?
Last Edit: Oct 13, 2021 19:31:43 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
Nothing matched the molten rush enflamed by violence. You could never feel more alive than when life itself was at risk. But what drink lacked in such primal exhilaration, it redeemed in an easy and thoughtless euphoria. What one liked, after the shedding of blood. Like water to fire.
The sake met my lips effortlessly. I savored its liquid warmth as it rinsed down my parched throat. In moments I pulled the flagon away, gently gasping, and then brought the container over my put-upon katana, allowing the alcohol to trickle over the blade’s edge in a slow trace. Only after sheathing both of my weapons did I look up to see the singularly odd sight of the gargantuan man tending to the crew of goons that he had just finished razing. Huh?
Before I could fully process the wacky image, his voice travelled across the alley with a question. Rhetorical and even more unbelievable. The stories were true, then. I couldn’t help but notice the difference between the gentle being here now and the demonic beast that had raged here moments earlier. It took me a few moments to consider his question, as preoccupied as I was with Goro himself, who I couldn’t quite pinpoint. In the end, I spoke without a hint of regret, and almost with a tinge of disgust at the pretense to loftiness he seemed to display. What could he know about my life?
“I know that he would have done the same thing to me, given the chance. And that’s all that I need to know.” My gaze drifted down to Yasuo’s body, still draining into the earth. My shadow lay overlapping his abdomen, and I couldn’t help but notice something sinister there.
Startled, I forced my gaze up and away, looking back toward my superior.
“When you endeavor to kill someone, you risk being killed yourself, don’t you? It’s the way of the world.” I spoke matter-of-factly, though my words didn’t seem to sway him any, as he continued caring for his assailants. “Whatever. Even if you can’t see that, I still have to thank you. If you hadn’t come when you did, it would have been my blood pooled there. And my body there.” The truth of those last words made my spine crawl.
It was a sobering thought, and while I couldn’t bring myself to feel remorse for that psycho-killer who had proclaimed me dead only minutes ago, some sliver of Goro’s sentiment had etched itself into me. I never went out looking to kill. But when threatened with lethal force, I had learned to respond in kind. Growing up in the backstreets of the Stone, without that impulse you became a mark, a target to be taken advantage of by any number of Yasuo’s.
And perhaps I need not remain that way, given my life now as a shinobi.
Was I to become like him, however? Hide my impulses from the world and become a faithful servant to the whims of ordinary people? To stop gambling, deny myself life’s pleasures and thrills, become a 'good boy'? In other words, lose everything that I am for the sake of what—the approval of people who never cared for me, anyways? No. That would never be me.
But I did hear his words. Another swig of sake would ease my thoughts, the taste suddenly bringing to mind my plans before my day had been entirely interrupted. Plans that I saw no reason not to reignite. So when Goro rose to leave, I followed in stride, giving the headless body one final glance before setting my sights ahead. The big man’s resolve to take responsibility did tickle me, but I doubted that there would be any responsibility to take, given that the man and his men most likely had bounties on their heads.
But, on the off-chance that they didn’t, I simply nodded in gratitude, eager to be done with the situation. I would likely spend the remainder of the day pondering his final words. Unfortunate for whom? And for what? I could have been dead, but instead, through sheer chance, I had been spared death—it seemed quite the fortunate situation. For me, at least. Facetiousness aside, I did recognize what he meant, and it would be considered.
I did offer a final few words of my own, which felt necessary. Something that had been gnawing at me since seeing him tend to those men.
“But hey, you know what’s so ironic? The moment these people see what I saw today, they’ll cast you aside without any of the affection that you show them. In a heartless way. Me? I wouldn’t. I thought it was quite the sight. Haha! But what do I know?” I shrugged, turning in the opposite direction of Goro and disappearing into the flowing streetway.
Although we didn't see eye to eye, I couldn't help but feel a warmth toward the goliath and his gorilla companion—who, honestly, I owed my life. His choice to cover for my own fatal blunder was a gesture that couldn't be forgotten.
Until we meet again.
Last Edit: Oct 10, 2021 10:08:56 GMT by Kikuyō Kaguya
