The Cloaked Samurai

You left that village as soon as you could. You couldn't believe how evil you had become. As much as you tried to scrub your hands in the stream, the blood wouldn't come off. Every time you closed your eyes, you saw the bloody corpses of the innocent villagers. You could still hear Miyoko's screams echoing in your mind. You knew this would haunt you forever.

You ran through the forest, trying to cleanse your brain of the terrible images. You were far worse than Keiji. He only terrorized a few women for one night, but you were a murderer. You killed helpless people and robbed children of their innocence. What would your parents think if they could see you now?

That evening, as you were sitting beneath a tree and contemplating your options, you heard a rustle in the bushes. You put a hand on your katana and narrowed your eyes.

"Come out and fight like a man!" you commanded loudly. Miyoko stumbled from the undergrowth. She kept her distance, and tears smeared down her face as she sobbed.

"What are you doing here?" you asked in surprise.

"You're the only thing I have," she whispered. "Everyone is dead. The man who might have been my husband will never marry me. My parents can only watch over me from heaven, now. I have no one to take care of me."

"Miyoko, I killed your brother," you reminded her, still amazed that she followed you all the way here.

"I know, but..." Miyoko sniffled and shivered, hugging herself to keep warm in the chilly night air. You watched her silently for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do. She was right. She was a helpless pregnant girl with no where to go. You were the one who put her in this position. The least you could do was take care of her until she found a place to stay.

"Come closer to the fire," you commanded, and Miyoko silently obeyed. She stayed on the opposite side of it, though, watching you with wide, frightened eyes as she warmed herself. The rest of the night was spent in uncomfortable, untrusting silence. Miyoko finally fell asleep, but every sound made her bolt upright like a scared animal. You slept lightly as well, keeping careful watch for ninjas. Miyoko cried out in her sleep sometimes, but it didn't bother you as much this time.

As soon as the sun began to turn the sky gray, you did your best to hide all signs of a camp. Miyoko stirred, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Without a word, she picked up your bundle as a quiet offer to carry it. You started walking further into the woods, and she followed, not making a single sound.

This silent alliance continued for many days, a symbiosis between predator and prey. Miyoko did what she could to help you build a fire or scavenge for food, and you made sure she was protected at all times. Perhaps your original mission would be accomplished after all. Maybe her child could prove to the world that Keiji was not fit to rule.

Nearly two weeks after you had first met Miyoko, you come across a group of soldiers traveling in the same direction.

"Ho, now! Who is this?" their leader asked, pointing down from his horse at Miyoko.

"A peasant girl. She is no one important," you answered uneasily.

"You have heard of the legendary Cloaked Samurai, have you not? There are new rumors spreading across the kingdom," the leader continued. "They say he travels with a girl bearing a royal child."

"Only stories, I am sure. You know how simple-minded people love to gossip," you replied.

"But Emperor Keiji himself has given command kill such a Cloaked Samurai and a girl with child," the leader said, drawing his sword. "And that girl with you seems to be swelling with child. You are those whom they speak of, are you not?"

"Don't let them kill me!" Miyoko suddenly screamed, hiding behind you. She might as well have admitted to everything. There was no other choice now.

The soldiers attacked, and you whipped out your katana. Before they could even prepare for your attacks, that indescribable rage filled you. You slashed and sliced furiously as if you had returned the night your family had died. In no time at all, the soldiers were all dead. Miyoko was curled into a ball on the ground, sobbing and covering her head.

"They're dead, Miyoko. You're safe," you told her, wiping off your sword and putting it away. "There's no more reason to be scared."

"I'm not scared of them!" she whispered. "I'm scared of you!"

You felt guilt running through your veins again. This poor girl would never be normal. You needed to hurry to the emperor's palace in Najo. The sooner you dethroned Keiji, the sooner Miyoko could lead a better life. But where would she go? She had no living relatives, and no one would take in a girl with an illegitimate baby.

"Stop killing people," Miyoko begged. "I don't want anyone else to die!"

"Miyoko, if I don't kill them, they'll kill you," you reminded her, kneeling next to her.

"But they have families waiting for them!" Miyoko sniffled. "At least if I died, no one would care!"

"I would care," you blurted out before you could help yourself. Miyoko wrapped her arms around your waist, crying into your shoulder. You rubbed her back until she finally calmed down.

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You continued traveling in search of a town that would accept you. No one wanted to risk housing the Cloaked Samurai, and you couldn't really blame them. You slept in a field again, hoping you could make it to Najo by winter.

One day, when you were busy skinning a rabbit for dinner, you heard Miyoko gasp.

"What is it?" you asked hastily, your hand flying to your sword.

"It's beautiful!" she cried out in delight, lifting your blue silk kimono out of the bundle. "And a matching veil! Oh, where did you get these?"

You were about to make up a story when you noticed something glittering in Miyoko's hair. It was Kioko's jeweled comb. The night it was given to you comes flooding back. You could remember every striking detail: the feel of the wooden floor, the warm spring air, the candlelight on Kioko's face, the sound of her voice as she said, "Take this as a gift. As long as you have this, I'll always be with you."

"Take that out!" you shouted in rage. You flung your knife aside and lunged at Miyoko, who cringed away. You grabbed the comb out of her hair, leaving a streak of rabbit blood across her hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I... I didn't mean to..."

"Never go through my things again," you commanded harshly, quickly wrapping everything up in the yellow shawl again.

Miyoko obeyed, never again daring to open the bundle. You let her wear your veil, though, to keep people from recognizing her face. You kept your promise as well, attempting to fight your enemies with the sheath still on the sword. It was clumsy and awkward, but you wouldn't kill any soldiers or ninjas unless Miyoko gave her approval.

Miyoko still screamed in her sleep, but she seemed to genuinely not know about her night terrors. It was the only real sign that the memory of her rape haunted her more than she let on. For the most part, she seemed normal, apart from her strangely passive obedience and the way she could accidentally cut herself with a knife and not seem to feel it.

Miyoko was growing larger with each passing day, and it was harder for her to travel long distances. Winter was approaching quickly, and you knew there was no chance of reaching Najo before the temperatures dropped dangerously low.

"Only a few more weeks, I think," Miyoko said one day as you stopped to let her rest. She poked and prodded her stomach. "It kicks a lot. I wish it would stop."

You looked up at the cloudy sky. The clouds were white instead of gray; it would snow before nightfall. You hadn't seen any kind of civilization for miles, and you're worried about Miyoko's health.

"Cloaked Samurai? What do you think will happen to me? I mean, once we get to Najo and tell everyone the truth, what then?" Miyoko asked, looking at you with wide eyes. She was shivering with cold, and she was so thin that her visible, frail hipbones can barely support her baby. You had lost a lot of weight yourself. Your clothes barely fit anymore.

"We should keep moving," you said, avoiding her question. You took off your cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Look! It's snowing!" Miyoko pointed at the sky.

"Come, Miyoko," you commanded, taking her hand and leading her through the field of brown, dead grass. If you were at least in a forest, even the trees would provide some shelter!

Miyoko's steps were slowing down. She dragged her feet and closed her eyes against the freezing wind. You had to pull her along like she was an unwilling horse.

"I'm tired. I want to sleep," Miyoko murmured, coming to a stop and trying to sit down.

"You have to stay awake!" you said urgently, lightly slapping her cheeks. You rubbed her hands and blew on them, trying to transfer some heat to her numb fingers.

"Stay with me, Miyoko! You can't give up yet!" you encouraged, but Miyoko only collapsed weakly in your arms. You tried to carry her, but you couldn't get very far. You hugged her close and tried to shield her from the wind. You rocked back and forth, praying that help would come.

Suddenly, you were surrounded. Ninjas were everywhere, and you couldn't even reach your sword.

"We've finally found you!" one of the ninjas shouted over the sound of the blizzard. You had no chance of fighting them in these conditions, and Miyoko was in poor shape. Perhaps they would take pity on her.

"I give up!" you yelled, putting up your arms in surrender. "Take me to Takumi, dead or alive."

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The ninjas carried Miyoko for miles, and you walked with your hands tied behind your back. The snow finally slowed down, but there were several inches of it covering the ground. You trudged along until you reached the edge of another forest. Not too far inside, you reached a campsite. You felt chills all along your skin, and it had nothing to do with the cold. You would be meeting Takumi again face to face for the first time in months. He would kill you, and that would be that. Would he spare Miyoko? Could you convince him to take care of her?

"Master isn't here right now, but he should return to the camp soon," one of the ninjas said. They set Miyoko down next to the fire and immediately began covering her with blankets.

"We've heard about her. Is it true that she carries the child of Emperor Keiji?" one of the ninjas asked.

"She's our chance! She will save our kingdom from Emperor Keiji! She holds proof of the corruption in the monarchy!" another added excitedly. "We can't let her die!"

It was a little sad that they saw her as a tool to overthrow Keiji and not as an actual human, but it didn't matter as long as they took care of her.

"Cloaked Samurai," Miyoko whispered after a few minutes. She reached out her hand, and you wished you could take it.

"She's very sick," a ninja said, brushing her veil away and touching her cheek. "How could you let the Veiled Lady become so ill?"

"The Veiled Lady? Is that what the peasants are calling her?" you asked in amusement. "She'll like that."

She did, too. As soon as Miyoko woke up, you told her who you were with and what they called her.

"I'm a legend now, just like you!" she smiled weakly. Her smile quickly faded. "These are the cursed ninjas? They're going to kill us. I don't want to die!"

"I'll make sure they don't kill you," you shook your head. "You're perfectly safe."

"But what about you?" Miyoko asked worriedly. You turned your head, unable to answer.

"Don't leave me! I'm scared when you're away!" Miyoko started crying. "Don't let them kill you! You have to stay with me! Please don't die!"

"Sh, I'm right here," you shushed her. You could see part of yourself reflected in her frightened eyes. She looked up to you the way you had always looked up to Kioko. She trusted you completely, and you couldn't let her down.