The Cloaked Samurai
The Decision
Once the crowd of peasants had disappeared from the scene, a new figure emerged from the forest. His black hair was tied out of his face, revealing cold, dark eyes. He was dressed entirely in black, blending perfectly with the shadows and moving with ease and grace. He knelt beside the corpses of the men, examining their wounds.
"It must have been a skilled samurai," he murmured in a deep voice, narrowing his eyes. He stood up, trying to control the rage threatening to destroy his composed appearance. "I will hunt down the man who killed my friends, the man who threatens the revolution sweeping the kingdom." He touched a small pouch that hung at his waist full of throwing stars. "They're hungry for his blood," he smiled maliciously, already planning the death of this mysterious samurai. He heard a noise coming from nearby, and he leaped into the shadows of the trees, disappearing into the forest.
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As the sun slowly rose above the horizon, Prince Keiji and his men rode up the hill, heading towards the ashes of the manor of the once powerful Lord Natsu.
"Search for the remains of the inhabitants," he commanded loudly. His men dismounted and obeyed, running around and searching the ashes. Prince Keiji's eyes scanned the bodies littered across the ground. Who were these men? They looked like ninjas and were probably the ones who set fire to the house in the first place. But who murdered them? It didn't add up.
After a while, a man came up to Prince Keiji.
"Your royal highness, we have taken count of all the bodies. We know the exact number of all who were living here, including the servants, but the number dead doesn't match this number," the man explained.
"Are you certain of this? Who is missing?" Prince Keiji asked.
"Judging from the layout of the house, everyone was asleep at the time of the fire. We have yet to confirm it, but the room of the youngest daughter, Lady _____, is empty. We believe she is the missing corpse. It is too early to say, but it is possible that she escaped," the man explained. Prince Keiji thought about this. _____ was the only one to make it out alive? Was it she who fought these men? Impossible! Surely it was someone else!
"Continue your investigations and report all new discoveries to me immediately," Prince Keiji demanded. Everyone bowed as he rode away, heading back to his castle. A determined look was set on his face.
"_____, if it is true you have escaped, I will find you," Prince Keiji murmured. "I will find you and make you mine if it is the last thing I do."
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Farren carried you to a spare bedroom, and you tried to sleep. Nightmares flashed through your mind, pictures of your family all burning to death peacefully in their sleep and images of the bodies of the rebels. Everything was chaos until a single nightmare finally took over.
You were slowly sinking into a deep lake, the water pulling you down like quicksand. You screamed and reached out for someone, anyone. Farren appeared above you, floating in the air with white wings. He grabbed your hand and tried to save you, but your hand slipped from his grasp. You shouted his name as the water devoured you. You looked down at your legs and discovered they had become a gray fish tail. You could breathe underwater now, but before you started to relax, an evil laughter echoes through the water. You saw Prince Keiji riding a black horse and coming towards you. You swam away through the dark water, but he only drew closer and closer. You couldn't escape. You suddenly heard a scream in the distance. The girl screaming came into view. It was Farrah, and she was limping as she came towards you. She collapsed, and you saw the many ninja stars implanted in her back, the blood streaming from her wounds.
You finally woke up when the door to your room opened. Farrah walked in carrying a bowl of soup. She knelt next to you, asking, "How are you feeling, Lady _____?"
You suddenly remembered your current situation. "Better than I did last night," you said softly, trying to put the events from your mind.
"Here, my lady. It isn't much, but I thought you might be hungry," Farrah offered you the soup. You took it and tentatively tried a bit. It doesn't taste very good compared to the food you were used to, but it was better than nothing. You were thankful for Farrah's generosity, and you quickly ate all of it.
"I am sorry about what happened, my lady," Farrah said, bowing her head and not looking you in the eye.
"Will you stop calling me that? I'm not a lady anymore. My home was destroyed, and my family is dead. I can't inherit any property. I have nothing," you said, tired of her formality. You wished she would go back to her casual, cheerful self.
"But Lady _____, you will still marry Prince Keiji. When you are feeling better, Farren will send word that you have escaped the fire," Farrah said, taking the empty bowl and leaving the room.
"Wait!" you called after her, but she either didn't hear you or didn't respond. You sighed, knowing she was right. You had to marry Prince Keiji now and become his first wife. It was only a matter of time before someone discovered you were still alive.
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About thirty minutes later, the door opened again, and this time it was Farren who walked inside.
"Lady _____, I'm glad to see you're awake," he smiled, but like Farrah, he didn't make eye contact. He only stared at the ground as he spoke. "Would you like me to inform Prince Keiji of your survival now? You will be able to go to his castle immediately if you are feeling up to it, my lady."
"Do you really think that's what I want?" you asked, sitting up. Farren was shocked and couldn't form words.
"Teacher, you know me better than that. I can't go back now. I killed those men last night instead of running away in fear like a normal woman. I think... I think that when I made that decision, I picked a different road than the one everyone wants for me. I can't marry Prince Keiji and be a princess. I want... I want to stay here with you," you said, grabbing his arm. He finally met your eyes. He looked surprised by your words.
"I want to stay at the dojo," you said in determination. "I can't go back to who I once was. I won't cry anymore. I won't be weak. I'll train my hardest to be a samurai. I failed to protect my family; this time, I'll protect all of the helpless. I won't be _____ any more." You let go of his arm and tied back your hair. You smiled at him, lowering your voice and saying, "From this day forward, I will live as Akio."
"It must have been a skilled samurai," he murmured in a deep voice, narrowing his eyes. He stood up, trying to control the rage threatening to destroy his composed appearance. "I will hunt down the man who killed my friends, the man who threatens the revolution sweeping the kingdom." He touched a small pouch that hung at his waist full of throwing stars. "They're hungry for his blood," he smiled maliciously, already planning the death of this mysterious samurai. He heard a noise coming from nearby, and he leaped into the shadows of the trees, disappearing into the forest.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
As the sun slowly rose above the horizon, Prince Keiji and his men rode up the hill, heading towards the ashes of the manor of the once powerful Lord Natsu.
"Search for the remains of the inhabitants," he commanded loudly. His men dismounted and obeyed, running around and searching the ashes. Prince Keiji's eyes scanned the bodies littered across the ground. Who were these men? They looked like ninjas and were probably the ones who set fire to the house in the first place. But who murdered them? It didn't add up.
After a while, a man came up to Prince Keiji.
"Your royal highness, we have taken count of all the bodies. We know the exact number of all who were living here, including the servants, but the number dead doesn't match this number," the man explained.
"Are you certain of this? Who is missing?" Prince Keiji asked.
"Judging from the layout of the house, everyone was asleep at the time of the fire. We have yet to confirm it, but the room of the youngest daughter, Lady _____, is empty. We believe she is the missing corpse. It is too early to say, but it is possible that she escaped," the man explained. Prince Keiji thought about this. _____ was the only one to make it out alive? Was it she who fought these men? Impossible! Surely it was someone else!
"Continue your investigations and report all new discoveries to me immediately," Prince Keiji demanded. Everyone bowed as he rode away, heading back to his castle. A determined look was set on his face.
"_____, if it is true you have escaped, I will find you," Prince Keiji murmured. "I will find you and make you mine if it is the last thing I do."
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Farren carried you to a spare bedroom, and you tried to sleep. Nightmares flashed through your mind, pictures of your family all burning to death peacefully in their sleep and images of the bodies of the rebels. Everything was chaos until a single nightmare finally took over.
You were slowly sinking into a deep lake, the water pulling you down like quicksand. You screamed and reached out for someone, anyone. Farren appeared above you, floating in the air with white wings. He grabbed your hand and tried to save you, but your hand slipped from his grasp. You shouted his name as the water devoured you. You looked down at your legs and discovered they had become a gray fish tail. You could breathe underwater now, but before you started to relax, an evil laughter echoes through the water. You saw Prince Keiji riding a black horse and coming towards you. You swam away through the dark water, but he only drew closer and closer. You couldn't escape. You suddenly heard a scream in the distance. The girl screaming came into view. It was Farrah, and she was limping as she came towards you. She collapsed, and you saw the many ninja stars implanted in her back, the blood streaming from her wounds.
You finally woke up when the door to your room opened. Farrah walked in carrying a bowl of soup. She knelt next to you, asking, "How are you feeling, Lady _____?"
You suddenly remembered your current situation. "Better than I did last night," you said softly, trying to put the events from your mind.
"Here, my lady. It isn't much, but I thought you might be hungry," Farrah offered you the soup. You took it and tentatively tried a bit. It doesn't taste very good compared to the food you were used to, but it was better than nothing. You were thankful for Farrah's generosity, and you quickly ate all of it.
"I am sorry about what happened, my lady," Farrah said, bowing her head and not looking you in the eye.
"Will you stop calling me that? I'm not a lady anymore. My home was destroyed, and my family is dead. I can't inherit any property. I have nothing," you said, tired of her formality. You wished she would go back to her casual, cheerful self.
"But Lady _____, you will still marry Prince Keiji. When you are feeling better, Farren will send word that you have escaped the fire," Farrah said, taking the empty bowl and leaving the room.
"Wait!" you called after her, but she either didn't hear you or didn't respond. You sighed, knowing she was right. You had to marry Prince Keiji now and become his first wife. It was only a matter of time before someone discovered you were still alive.
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About thirty minutes later, the door opened again, and this time it was Farren who walked inside.
"Lady _____, I'm glad to see you're awake," he smiled, but like Farrah, he didn't make eye contact. He only stared at the ground as he spoke. "Would you like me to inform Prince Keiji of your survival now? You will be able to go to his castle immediately if you are feeling up to it, my lady."
"Do you really think that's what I want?" you asked, sitting up. Farren was shocked and couldn't form words.
"Teacher, you know me better than that. I can't go back now. I killed those men last night instead of running away in fear like a normal woman. I think... I think that when I made that decision, I picked a different road than the one everyone wants for me. I can't marry Prince Keiji and be a princess. I want... I want to stay here with you," you said, grabbing his arm. He finally met your eyes. He looked surprised by your words.
"I want to stay at the dojo," you said in determination. "I can't go back to who I once was. I won't cry anymore. I won't be weak. I'll train my hardest to be a samurai. I failed to protect my family; this time, I'll protect all of the helpless. I won't be _____ any more." You let go of his arm and tied back your hair. You smiled at him, lowering your voice and saying, "From this day forward, I will live as Akio."