Бесплатный фрагмент - In The Darkness

In the Darkness

Part I In the Shadows

1

* * *

Have you ever feared the shadows that surround you wherever you go? Well, in some cases — this fear is more than necessary.

This world was ruined. It collapsed under many different things, among which stood the arrogance and vanity of those, who called themselves scientists. They dabbled in things they should have left untouched. And because they made a huge mistake — the world fell and many people died.

No one knew why the experiments went awry, but the result was devastating. Portals started opening almost in each and every shadow there was — portals to different planes and times, and chaos began spreading as people started disappearing and various creatures began appearing from elsewhere.

Hard as it was, those who survived the initial attacks began organising survival camps and trying to sort things out. And while the remaining researchers and scientists were doing their best to close the portals — others were staying alive.

When the first shock subsided and people started understanding the new order, there was a lot to take in. First, and foremost, there was no longer a way to tell if the person you have met on the road belonged to the same world that you have. And so began the paranoia and the hatred that drove people apart.

Humans could no longer trust each other, and all the scattered groups of survivors began succumbing to violence.

People killed people for the simple fact that they seemed weird or not themselves.

Kara loved the new world for a number of reasons. She was never a big part of the society — rather, the outcast in any group, so staying alive all by herself was something she was used to. She was tough and before the Shadow Rifts appeared — she was always engaged in learning something that could help her be the master of her life.

Over the years she heard a lot of discouraging things from her family and the few so-called friends she had, but she always pushed through. As long as she felt happy and excited — nothing really mattered to her.

And when everything crumbled, and she was separated from her family — she just accepted how things were and found herself a little place hidden deep under the city. There she made her private bunker, where she kept the provisions and weapons she managed to find.

Everything seemed perfect — Kara found her little safe haven, where she could practice and relax, not bothering to think about anyone else.

However, it didn’t matter how well-lit any building or home could be. And the generators could also break and extinguish all the light sources, opening a way for the Shadow Rifts to open any time.

And so was the case with Kara’s hideout.

The generator died on her when night was creeping up, so the rooms of her bunker immediately went dark, forcing her to retreat upstairs, to the still vaguely lit rooms of the building, under which she found her new home.

There she lit all the lamps and candles she could find, but suddenly heard movement in the shadows that surrounded her.

Turning to the source, she noticed a few peculiar figures that seemed very much out of place — or, rather, out of time.

It was a small group of samurai — Japanese men, equipped like ancient warriors and armed with beautiful weapons Kara had seen only in museums.

Feeling her spine tense and her fists tighten, the young woman readied herself for a fight. Cursing at herself for not grabbing any weapons to defend herself with, she could only trust in her skills in hand-to-hand combat and her extensive training.

When the first man attacked, she managed to step aside and trip him over her foot, while jumping forward to another one. She noticed an empty champagne bottle on the floor and swiftly picked it up to hit the attacker with it right in his face.

This gave her time to jump over a table and grab the only things that could pass for weapons — two drumsticks which lay there after she was having fun with the drum set that stood in the far corner of this room.

Angry at the men, who dared to invade her home, she taunted them, drumming out a short, but war-proclaiming tune on the table, before readying for the fight again.

It was then that Kara noticed an exceptionally looking older man, who walked up to the table, looking straight at the young woman.

He said something to his men, and they stepped back.

«Alright. You must be what… their warlord, or something?» Kara growled under her breath, trying to keep everyone in her sight. «Leave. And don’t come back.»

The man smirked and tilted his head a bit to the side.

To Kara’s surprise, there was someone she didn’t notice before. But she heard him taking a step right behind her. She ducked just in time to avoid two strong arms that tried grabbing her from behind. After that she suddenly found herself swirling around the man, avoiding his hits and at one moment she was fortunate enough to reach him with one of the drumsticks.

The tip hit him in the eye, crushing the back of the eye-socket with a grim crunch, and the man stumbled back, then froze for a moment and fell to the floor.

Before she could turn to the others, someone hit her on the back of her neck, and she fell to her knees.

«You assholes!» she mumbled angrily, trying to stay conscious, but another hit sent her flying into the darkness.

When she awakened, she found herself lying on a hard wooden floor of some tented cart, surrounded by boxes of what she realized was her stuff. She saw provisions and herbs she had back at home, the notebooks and books, clothes and some of the other things she had as a memory of the world before it fell.

Feeling dizzy and a bit irritated, she looked at the back of the cart and noticed a samurai sitting there. He must have fallen asleep or was weary from the road, because he didn’t hear her wake up. Kara found a knife she used to have in her kitchen and took it, finding these samurai men quite stupid for not binding her hands.

Her attack was quick and the man fell to the road with a knife sticking out of his neck. Kara fell out as well, but quickly jumped to her feet and darted off into the thicket — moments before she heard horses riding after her.

Within a minute she was surrounded by the samurai again, and forced to stop.

The men were talking among themselves, but she couldn’t understand anything, so she took this time to think of a way to escape.

She never liked hurting animals, but there was no other way than to jump to one of the horses and hit it in the nose to startle the beast and try running by, while the rider was trying to calm his horse.

But as she was running to the trees to get some cover from the riders, someone kicked her in the back and she fell, rolling on the leaves and ground — already too hurt to get up. Before falling prey to the dark, she saw the lord commander jumping down from his horse right next to her and shouting something to his men.

The second time she came to her senses, her hands were tightly bound by a piece of rope. After looking around and finding herself not guarded, she used her teeth to untie the rope and set herself free. She kept the rope, as she didn’t find any more weapons around.

This time she decided not to act so impulsively and tried thinking of a plan to get away.

Fortunately for her, one of the samurai climbed inside the cart and was caught off-guard when she jumped to him, wrapping the rope around his neck and chocking him before he could make a single sound.

She pulled the rope so hard that she heard something crack before the man stopped moving. Kara set him down as gently as she could and took his katana. When she looked out of the flaps that covered the cart’s backside, she noticed two samurai walking beside the cart, and another two — riding horses a little bit further.

Something told her that she won’t have much time left on the road to escape. She needed to get away, even though she didn’t even know where she was — these men obviously dragged her through the rift.

She found a bottle of absinthe in one of the boxes nearby and took it. Her head was hurting, and she definitely needed some food, but that was not as essential as running away from her captors. She gulped down some alcohol and thought that it could serve as a great distraction.

Kara steadied her nerves before jumping out of the cart and hitting one of the men with her foot. The bottle flew out of her hand into one of the riders and as he unleashed his sword, it shattered the glass into pieces, making the horses jump to the sides of the road. Not wasting her time, Kara hit the last man with the sword, meeting his own, and kicked him back. Before he could dart forward to her — she was already running away into the forest.

This time she was running far longer, before one of the riders managed to catch up to her and hit her from behind. She found herself in the dark again even before she fell to the ground.

As she opened her eyes once more, she felt very weak. She tried getting up and noticed her hands chained. The heavy shackles rattled and she heard a man laughing in the far corner of the cart. She looked at him and saw one of the samurai men sitting there with his katana ready to be unsheathed at any time.

The young woman sat up on her knees and sighed. Chains were obviously a serious complication — as was the guard that was watching her. But she had to do something — she couldn’t just give up and let them take her hostage!

She looked around and noticed the little cans of food and spices.

Kara knew that she was hungry, and didn’t mind the guard, so she took the box down to the floor and started going through the cans.

Her guard shouted something, but she ignored him and kept looking for anything to eat and drink and — maybe — for a way to escape his watchful eyes.

She found a pack of dried meat and opened it, biting down on one of the pieces. When the guard shouted something again, she simply threw the pack to his feet, offering him to take one and shut up. But he didn’t even look at it, standing up to approach her.

Before he could even touch her to push her away from the box, she found what she was looking for — a small tin can with powdered chili pepper. Kara opened it and threw the contents into his face, blinding him.

He screamed from pain and anger, but it was too late for him — she hit him with the chain and threw it over his neck, pulling him down and choking the man.

When the flaps flew apart and the others looked inside the cart — Kara shouted at them, feeling the guard under her lie motionless.

The samurai threatened her with their weapons, but didn’t approach. Instead, they stood there, at the back of the cart that was stopped.

Finally, Kara saw their leader step up. He looked at yet another dead man and smirked, then started clapping to the young woman.

«Very… Impressive!» he said with a harsh accent.

He gestured her to get out of the cart, and Kara decided not to test his patience — something in those black eyes seemed far more dangerous than the promise of violence she had ever seen in any man’s eyes.

She slowly stood up and walked to the man. And as he stepped away, she jumped down onto the road and looked at him without any fear.

But as soon as she did that — a katana appeared at her throat.

«I have been… patient and kind.» The commander said. «And I lost four men. Now, since you will not stay calm… you will walk.»

Kara growled, and the samurai men quickly shackled her to the back of the cart, cutting off any possibility for her escape.

«Stop killing my men.» The commander smirked again and went back to his horse.

Kara was left to walk behind the cart under the watchful eyes of several samurai men, who were now more composed and alert because she had killed so many of their comrades.

Fortunately, the road wasn’t long, and by the time evening started creeping in, Kara noticed a castle ahead. It was big and very beautiful, and looked like it was meant for someone very rich and powerful. In terms of the samurai — it was fit for a Shogun.

When they arrived — the gates opened immediately and the samurai entered the castle grounds. Kara managed to notice that they, in fact, had a few carts, filled with different goods they stole. At least two of those were filled with her own things, including a number of weapons she salvaged — from a collection of knives and daggers to a few swords and spears she found.

One of the men freed her chains from the cart and started dragging her inside the castle, following his commander.

Feeling surrounded and helpless among the hundreds of armed men and women that were inside the castle, Kara felt a pinch of hopelessness in her heart. She knew nothing of their reasons and couldn’t understand why she was still alive — even though she killed four men in the raiding party that captivated her.

The samurai took her through endless corridors and stairs, finally bringing her to a large underground storage hall, which had a couple of cages standing near the far wall. They threw her in, and locked the door before she could get to her feet.

«Sleep well.» The commander smiled to the young woman through the bars and left.

Growling under her breath, Kara looked around, but found no way to escape — especially, since they left her shackled. Furious at this fact, she started kicking and hitting the bars of her cage, but none of her captors could hear her — they already left.

Soon enough, she was so tired, humbled and hurting, that she fell to her knees, gasping for air and trying not to let tears fall from her eyes.

2

* * *

Kara’s awakening was brutal — someone kicked the cage door and this made the young woman jump up, ready to fight. The shackles, however, made it hard to take a proper fighting stance.

As soon as she saw the three samurai behind the cage door, she growled — she was not about to give up without a fight. Two of those men were armed with long poles, and were ready to strike as soon as the third man opened the cage door.

Knowing that she won’t be able to fight off three men at once, Kara growled again.

«Hands!» the first man commanded.

Kara leaped to him in an attempt to knock him down, but the other two were quicker than she thought they would be — in a matter of seconds they caught her by the neck and pressed her to the bars on the opposite wall of the cage, leaving her no opportunity to move at all.

«Enough!» a woman’s voice sounded behind the men and they relaxed, but only a little.

Holding Kara captive between the poles and bars, they moved aside and Kara noticed a beautiful young woman in a fine white and red kimono. Unlike the kimono Kara knew to be worn in ancient Japan in her world — this one was made differently and looked more like that a samurai would wear, making it more similar to a men’s haorihakama.

«Let her go.» The woman ordered, and the samurai stepped back.

Having no more force pushing her into the bars, Kara fell to her knees, feeling that the men were about to choke her if it weren’t for the mysterious woman that came to her rescue.

«Get those shackles off her!» the woman ordered, and the men complied.

As soon as her hands were free, Kara jumped to her feet and landed a blow on one of the men, sending him to the floor.

Before anyone could do anything, the woman in the kimono stepped up and placed a blade against Kara’s throat.

«I said enough!» she said firmly. «You are not being punished and we do not intend to hurt you. Calm down and follow me.»

«What do you want from me?» Kara flashed her eyes with fury.

«That is for Master Ryuu to decide. My job is to get you acquainted with the castle.» The woman took the blade away and in a split second she looked unarmed again. «I was told to inform you that you are our guest, and not a prisoner. Now come on, I will take you to a bath, and we will get some food for you. You must be starving.»

She stepped away and gestured towards the stairs that were leading up to the first floor of the building.

Kara glanced to the three guards, who froze under this woman’s command, and stepped out of the cage.

«My name is Ayame.» The woman said, leading Kara out of this cellar. «I serve master Ryuu and you are now under my care. You will not be able to leave the castle grounds. However, you are free to roam about the castle, except for the gardens.»

«So I am your prisoner.» Kara replied with a grimace.

«You are Master Ryuu’s guest. And in due time he will tell everything you need to know. But in the meantime — I will try to answer all your questions to the extent that I am able to.»

«Why am I here?»

«Master Ryuu will be able to answer that. But, as I heard, you showed quite the fighting spirit in the Land of the Broken. I suppose, this could be the reason you were taken to our realm.»

Kara watched all the corridors and people that she saw, and very soon found herself lost in the maze that the castle was.

«Even though you are free to roam about the castle, be aware that you will not be alone. A number of special guards will be following you always and making sure you don’t bring harm to anyone in the castle. They will also be watching over you so that you will not be hurt by anyone.» Ayame said.

«I don’t need protection.» Kara growled.

«Yes, I saw. You are quite a fighter. But they are there to make sure you don’t try to leave as well.» Ayame opened a sliding door and Kara saw a room with stacks of sheets and towels.

Hesitating for just a moment, Kara stepped in. Ayame followed her and closed the door behind them.

«You can leave your filthy clothes here.» Ayame walked across the room and opened another door. Behind it was a comfortable bathroom with a hot tub ready for Kara to take a bath and clean herself from all the turmoil she lived through on the previous day.

«And you are going to watch?» Kara smirked.

«I can leave, if you want. But believe me — you will not be able to escape.» Ayame bowed and left the room.

Kara stood among this beautiful pristine room and thought for a little while, before entering the bathroom and taking a look around. She noticed a door on the opposite side of the bathroom and stepped up to it. But before she could reach out and try to open it, the door slid to the side and the woman saw a tall man in dark shinobi clothing — he was one of those that many people in her world mistakenly called ninjas.

He shook his head and stood there, staring at her coldly. Behind him she saw a beautiful garden with multiple cherry trees and many different flowers planted.

«So I am a prisoner…» Kara sighed and turned her back to him.

Knowing that he will be there to watch over, she decided to agree to the warm bath that these people provided her. She started to undress, but as soon as she began taking off her blouse, the shinobi behind her slid the door to close it, though Kara didn’t hear the actual hit of the wooden frame against the door itself.

Not minding his presence, she threw her clothes off, baring her bruised body. She looked at her scratches and bruises, and, finally, got into the tub. Only then she noticed the door silently slide shut.

As she bathed, washing away all the dirt and sweat from her skin, she looked over all her multiple tattoos, reminding herself why she made them in the first place. Feeling cornered, she caressed the dark phoenix on her left arm and pulled her knees to her chin.

She wanted to break down and cry — she was away from her home, she was all alone, among those, who could kill her at any moment. And there was not a single person she could really trust.

Kara dived under the water — just to let it wash away any tears that were starting to break through, and when she sat up again, the door was slightly open — enough to be unnoticeable to most — but not to her. The shinobi was watching her — making sure she won’t commit suicide, no doubt.

Just to taunt the man a little, she stood up — naked and shameless, and walked out of the tub. She took one of the towels to dry herself and noticed that the man was there, still watching. But when she finished drying her hair — the door was shut again.

Kara wanted to get dressed, but found her clothes gone. Who could have taken them — and when — was a mystery. Instead of her old clothes she found a haorihakama — similar to the one Ayame was wearing, but deep green in colour. It took some time for her to dress up, but as soon as she did — she found the clothes quite comfortable and very fine in quality.

It was unsettling — everything was strange and felt surreal, as if she was dreaming.

Many years ago she could only dream of something like this, but now — there she was, in a castle, among samurai and shinobi… and without a single clue why she was there.

As she walked out of the bathroom, she noticed Ayame sitting next to the door.

«Ah, that looks much better on you than I anticipated.» Ayame smiled. «Green complements your eyes.»

«Thank you?» Kara never knew how to react to compliments, especially those coming from a woman.

«You still haven’t told me your name, but I need some way to call you…»

Kara took a few moments to think, and decided to tell Ayame a name that fit the circumstances. She had used this name many times before.

«Mariko. Call me Mariko.» Kara replied.

«Very well, Mariko. Follow me. We have a meal prepared for you.»

Ayame led Kara through the maze again and showed her the vast kitchens of the castle. She said that Kara can come any time and even cook her own meals if she wishes — only, to the extent of not having any knives.

«If you need anything cut, ask one of the cooks or servants.» Ayame added and when Kara looked at the people working in the kitchen, they bowed to her.

Kara nodded and Ayame offered her a bowl of rice, topped with some meat and vegetables.

As she ate, Ayame kept talking — she told about all the possible ceremonial habits of the people inhabiting the castle and asked of Kara to uphold these traditions. Finding everything very similar to what Kara knew about ancient Japan, she agreed to try her best.

Her initial concern was to keep everyone thinking she is compliant to at least some extent. Perhaps, when they will feel less threatened by her — she will be able to escape.

After the meal, Ayame showed Kara some parts of the castle, except for the parts Kara was interested in. She was denied access to the training halls, as well as rooms where guards were staying between their shifts.

Seeing the amount of people and guards in the castle, Kara knew that escaping it unnoticed will be close to impossible. Though, it didn’t mean that she will not try.

But first — she needed to learn about where the guards are and where the doors that were leading outside were located. Every detail could help her find a way to run.

Very soon she understood that with all the guards following her at all times — including the hidden shinobi she barely noticed at all — running was turning to something out of her reach.

With each passing day Kara felt more and more depressed. Her captors were strict, numerous and the shinobi were almost always very well hidden.

There were, however, times that she found herself at ease, but only for a little while. For instance, the castle had an amazing library with loads of scrolls and books from all over. She found books from her home world and started reading them at first. Then she turned to books from other realms — fortunately, the librarians kept the books well-organized. But there were books she couldn’t read — for instance, there was a closed off part of the library, where librarians wouldn’t let her go.

One of them even told her that even if she did — she wouldn’t be able to read those texts, as they were written in a language she could not know as it was native to the Dark Realm.

The other thing that kept Kara a little bit sane — was cooking her own meals. Though not allowed a knife, she utilized her hands for the purpose. Instead of cutting tomatoes — she tore them apart making them mashed. Instead of dicing onions and garlic — she broke them into pieces. And when she was in need of meat — she asked for a slice from the cooks. But she never allowed them to cut it up for her. Instead, she softened the meat by beating it with her fists before frying it in the pan.

This unusual way of preparing a meal was very strange to the cooks — as well as for the shinobi that followed Kara everywhere. Most of the time — when she was cooking something, everyone would look closely at the way she did everything and sometimes she would catch curious looks and even some kind of respect.

One day after preparing a meal, Kara took the bowl and walked to one of the few windows that she was allowed to look through. It led to an inner court where various people waited to be received by the shogun.

Kara stood there, slowly eating her food, when suddenly someone grabbed her hand and jerked it outside together with the bowl of food in it.

Hitting the window frame with her shoulder, the young woman grunted from the sheer force she was pulled by someone.

«Ah, my fair lady! We are starving!» she heard and a man in tattered clothes appeared. He was holding her hand very tightly, not allowing her to pull it back. The second man was greedily eating from the bowl.

«Let me go!» Kara hissed at them, hanging on with her free hand on the frame.

Before the men could say anything else, Kara noticed a black shadow run up and a katana fly through the window to one of the men’s throats.

Kara felt the bowl snatched from her fingers, and her hand being released at once. She pulled her hurting arm inside and ran off, feeling the overwhelming pain in her shoulder. She knew exactly what kind of pain it was — the shoulder was dislocated.

«Shit!» she hissed to herself, cradling the arm.

This meant only one thing — she needed to fix it as soon as possible. She felt her shinobi protector touch her back, but threw his hand off.

«Don’t touch me!» she screamed in both — pain and anger.

She stepped up to a pillar and pushed the joint back into the socket, feeling the pain wash over her in waves that made her eyes see darkness.

When she finished, she stepped away, still cradling her arm not to stress the shoulder more. The shinobi tried approaching again, but Kara was so hurt and irritated that she screamed at him again:

«Leave me alone!»

And then she ran off to where she usually stayed only at night — in the cellar, behind the bars of her cage. All she wanted at that moment — was to be left alone. She stayed in the corner for hours — unbothered by anyone, until she finally dozed off into sleep.

But her sleep didn’t last long.

She awakened to a brutal kick in her stomach. When she looked up, trying to catch her breath — she noticed one of the samurai she saw in her first few days. Incapacitated, she was unable to fight off the other two men, who caught her arms and quickly tied them to one of the bars of the cage.

They were talking — but she didn’t understand a word they said. She did understand, however, what was about to happen. Her shoulder was very painful and she was tied, but she still had her legs free, so she started kicking and hitting her attackers. Angry and growling, she tried as best as she could to throw off the men who started tearing apart her haori.

She couldn’t care less if they wanted to rape her just for the sake of it or to get revenge on her for killing their friends and comrades. All she cared about is not letting them do it at all.

But it was an extremely difficult task, since she was hurt and tied. And with each hit she took from her attackers, she was feeling less and less capable of fighting. Feeling her strength leaving her, Kara screamed in anger.

And that’s when the man who was on top of her flew back and crashed into a pile of boxes near the cage.

Kara pulled her legs to her face, covering her body as much as she could. Through the pain and blurry vision she saw how the shinobi beat her attackers with what she could only call true cruelty. One of the men ended up with a broken wrist — he will probably never recover and be able to use that hand again to wield a katana. The other one was beaten senseless by such a long and strong series of punches that he could have died, if the shinobi wouldn’t have stopped at some point. And the last one, who finally got free from the boxes he was thrown into, received a few hits, but was knocked unconscious.

Before letting her consciousness slip away, Kara saw the shinobi walk up and untie her hands.

When she came to her senses again, she was covered by a blanket, her injuries were treated and her shoulder bandaged tightly.

Feeling ashamed and a little broken, she didn’t even want to get up. But she noticed that Ayame was sitting by the cage door.

«I am sorry for what happened last night.» She said to Kara. «This will not happen again.»

Kara remained silent. She would have rolled over to face the wall, but couldn’t because of the sore shoulder. Instead, she simply pulled the blanket over her head and remained in her bed.

To Kara’s surprise, everyone respected her wish not to talk to anyone or be disturbed. Food was brought to her, but she refused to accept it. She took only the herbal teas Ayame provided every day — those made her injuries feel less painful.

But after five days passed her shinobi protector walked into the cage and offered her his hand. She refused to get out of bed, but he shook his head and picked her up instead.

Kara didn’t fight — she finally gave in to the life she was thrown into. She didn’t care anymore — these people could do anything they wanted with her.

The shinobi carried her through the castle and into one of the smaller gardens. Kara couldn’t believe that she was outside and the breath of fresh air gave her some strength back. The man gently set her down on the wooden floor of a tiny teahouse, and a servant brought them a tea set.

Kara kept silent all the way while the shinobi prepared her the fragrant tea. He didn’t say a word, and Kara was grateful that he didn’t. It gave her the possibility to listen to the wind and the birds that surrounded the teahouse.

When the shinobi passed her the cup, she smiled faintly and he bowed.

The tea he made was delicious and warming, but the feeling of the sun on her skin warmed her even more. Whatever she felt for the past few days now seemed far away.

«Thank you.» Kara said to the shinobi.

He bowed again, acknowledging her words.

«Thank you for saving me that night.» Kara said, sipping her tea. «And for today. I needed it.»

The man bowed once more — collected and self-disciplined, as always.

They stayed in the garden for at least a couple of hours before Kara felt her strength returning. When she stood up to take a short walk around the garden, her shinobi stood up as well and followed her — a silent and vigilant guard.

Kara was charmed by the beautiful composition of this garden — it had everything to soothe a troubled mind and help recover from anything that stressed her out. She sat by the small pond filled with koi fish, then breathed in the fantastic scents of various flowers planted all over the garden, and, finally, admired the statues that stood above a tiny rock garden in one of the corners.

«Mariko…» She heard Ayame’s voice and noticed the woman standing by one of the doors. «Master Ryuu wanted to speak to you.»

Kara felt shame that she had to leave such a beautiful and tranquil place, but she knew that if she refused to see the lord commander of this castle — the consequences might be dire. So she nodded and followed Ayame inside.

Ayame took her to one of the halls Kara had never been to before — it was a large, well-lit hall that had various paintings on the walls. On the far side of this hall Kara noticed a luxurious cushion — one of those that were usually used by the shogun in ancient Japan.

On it sat her captor — the lord commander of the castle.

Once he saw her come in, he nodded and offered her to walk up.

Ayame and the shinobi stayed at the doors, while Kara walked up — close enough to hear what the commander had to say, but not too close so that she wouldn’t offend him. She bowed to him, even though it was still hard to do because of her injured shoulder.

The lord commander looked to the side and nodded, and immediately a servant ran out from behind a screen and lay down a small cushion on the floor beneath Kara’s feet. She sat down in the manner people here were used to — on her knees, with her feet under her.

Some why she felt the need to bow again to the lord — only this time — very low, almost touching the floor with her forehead. Usually this meant leaning on both hands, but she had only one — her left arm was wrapped tightly to her torso, so that the dislocated shoulder could heal.

The man in front of her smirked.

«You know our etiquette well, Mariko.» He said.

«I learn quickly.» She replied looking at him.

«Good.» He nodded again. «Now, I have called you here for a number of reasons. First of all, accept my deepest apologies for the attack that happened to you a few days ago. Such behaviour is below a samurai and the men responsible will be punished.»

«Thank you.»

The lord shouted something and the screen doors on one side of this chamber slid open. Kara looked outside and saw a small courtyard, where her three attackers stood kneeling and strapped up by their arms to bamboo poles.

The lord commander stood up and walked up to the doors, gesturing Kara to come too. The woman had some trouble standing up, but when she managed it and approached the lord, he looked at her with a strange expression on his face.

«Inei wanted to execute them at once, but I decided that you should be able to see them being punished for the horrible crime they have committed against you.» The lord said.

Kara looked back and noticed the shinobi nod to her.

«You are here to see the execution and, if you wish, carry it out yourself.» The commander said and Kara looked at him with surprise.

She took a moment to recollect herself.

«I beg your forgiveness, my lord, but I am in no shape to carry out an execution.» She replied.

«Perhaps, you would like to name someone in your stead?»

Kara looked at the shinobi again and noticed his eyes flash with a dark will to do it if it pleased her.

«Inei!» the lord commander shouted and the shinobi ran up to them and knelt.

For a few moments he was looking down, but then looked at Kara and she suddenly noticed something she wasn’t able to see all this time — the shinobi had deep blue eyes.

«Would you be willing to be my hands today?» Kara asked him, and the shinobi nodded and stood up, unsheathing his katana.

Silent as always, he walked out into the courtyard and approached the first prisoner.

Inei stopped for a second, turned to face Kara and his commander, and with a swift move ended the man’s life, chopping his head off. He stepped to the next one and once again raised his sword and swiftly decapitated the man. The third man started begging, but Inei walked up and ended his pleading with one move of his katana.

When the execution was done, Inei bowed to Kara and his commander and walked inside again.

As he was walking past Kara, she caught his arm and he froze mid-step.

«Thank you, Inei.» She said and the man gently freed his arm, turned to her and bowed before walking away to the doors.

«Now that this is done…» the lord commander smiled. «Would you like to join me for dinner tonight? I will be able to answer any questions you have.»

«It would be my honour.» Kara replied, bowing to him.

«Ayame! Please be so kind and find Mariko an appropriate haorihakama for tonight.»

«Yes, Lord Ryuu.» Ayame bowed.

As the lord of the castle left, Kara followed Ayame again. Inei walked behind her and she felt grateful for him being there. He did not only protect her that night, but went even further to help her understand that what those men wanted to do was not tolerated among the samurai living in Lord Ryuu’s employ.

It was a lot to take in, and she now felt a little safer having the shinobi by her side.

«Do you have any preferences to your clothing? Colours, ornaments?» Ayame asked, making Kara dive back to reality from her thoughts.

«Black, red, dark green.» Kara replied, naming her favourite colours. «As for the ornaments… I don’t know. Something without flowers. I don’t do well with flowers on my clothes.»

Ayame glanced at her for a second and smiled mysteriously.

«I think I have a perfect haori for you.» She said.

Kara was taken to the bath again, but this time there was a servant girl who helped Kara undress and bathe, since her shoulder was still injured. And when Kara got out, Ayame was already waiting with her new haorihakama.

At first glance Kara understood that this one was far more exquisite than the one she wore before. It was made from fine silk — plain black hakama and silk black haori with a beautiful tiger on one of the sleeves — with its head on the right shoulder.

Ayame helped Kara to get dressed, and the servant girl tied Kara’s long red hair into a beautiful braid.

Even though Kara had never been dressed, she knew — without help she would have taken forever to get into the clothes, since she still had her arm tied to her torso to let the shoulder heal.

«I found this in your old clothes…» Ayame showed Kara a plain leather string with a sword hanging on it. «I think you should have it back.»

She put it on Kara’s neck and smiled.

«Thank you.» Kara whispered, feeling very relieved that she got this little trinket back.

«Now you are ready, Mariko. Follow me.»

Kara didn’t object and very soon Ayame entered a small hall, where Lord Ryuu was already having a conversation with one of his men. He looked at the women and nodded, then sent the man he was speaking to away and gestured to the table.

«Please…» he said with a faint smile.

Kara watched as Ayame left, closing the door behind her. Feeling a little insecure, the young woman took her place on the opposite side of the table from Lord Ryuu.

«I know that we have started on a…» Lord Ryuu stopped for a moment, trying to find the correct words. «Bad page… is that how you say it? But I want you to know that we took you here not because we needed a captive.»

«Then why?»

«Well…» Lord Ryuu gestured to someone and a couple of servants began serving the table. A few minutes later, as they exited, Lord Ryuu continued, while having a bite of meat. «You see, your realm is lost. It’s broken. It is dying. And we were scouting. But we found you.»

Kara frowned a bit, not understanding his reasons still.

«Usually we kill anyone who attacks us. You, however, are different matter entirely.» Lord Ryuu explained. «You have… potential.»

«So you took me prisoner because I have… potential?!» Kara twitched her eyebrow.

«We took you, yes. Prisoner? No.» the man smiled. «For the moment you are my guest.»

«Who sleeps in a cage, yes.»

For a second she thought that some servant or guard would jump out and strike her down for talking so rude to the lord of the castle. But no one came — and Lord Ryuu started laughing.

«Only because you managed to kill four of my men.» He finally replied. «As I said before — potential. I could not let it go to waste in that graveyard of a world.»

«I still don’t understand why…»

«I am looking for people like you, Mariko. If you get to know my people better, you will find a lot of those who don’t come from this realm. They were stranded, and they were taken — just like you, and they have prospered here. Just like you can. You have skills that can blossom into something great. We can help each other.»

«But how do you travel between worlds?»

Lord Ryuu immediately became collected and serious.

«We do not travel on purpose.» He said. «The gates open once in a while and always lead to different realms. Sometimes we walk through the gates to scout if it is connected to the Dark Realm. On that day the gate took us to your world.»

«And you can’t open them again?»

«People do not open them.»

«Then who does?»

His black eyes pierced Kara to her heart with a cold and long stare before he answered:

«Oni.»

Kara froze — oni were demons in the vilest way they could ever be described. Destroyers and murderers that left nothing but blood and bones. She knew that — because she had seen them. Oni came through her world and kept coming in groups through some of the Shadow Rifts that were left after the dreaded experiment gone wrong.

«How long have you battled the oni?» she asked.

«Generations. Our gates started appearing a long time ago.» Lord Ryuu replied, concentrated on his food. «But we manage as best we can. And we find fighters like you and bring them here from their dying worlds.»

«Inei?» Kara whispered more to herself, but the lord heard her and chuckled.

«Yes, he too was a lost soul a long time ago. But he is now one of the most powerful men in the castle.» The man twitched his eyebrow and gestured towards the food. «Are you not hungry?»

Even though she was too lost in her thoughts, Kara took a little bit of meat and vegetables, but her appetite was very faint. She took a few bites not to insult her host and it gave her a little time to decide on what to ask him next.

«Has anyone tried closing the gates?» she asked.

«Yes. We have a number of capable… mystics who do this for us. But closing the gates is easier than battling the hordes of oni that can come out.» Lord Ryuu looked Kara straight in the eyes again. «You don’t seem to be at all shocked hearing of oni.»

«Yes, I… I have seen them.» Kara said quietly. «And killed a few. Small ones, but still.»

«And you did this all by yourself?»

«Yes. Why?»

A strange expression of acknowledgement and respect appeared on the lord’s face:

«You are much stronger than you appear, Mariko. Others might miss it, but I have an eye for potential and talent. You have both.» He said. «And you understand some things that others might find… barbaric and unacceptable.»

«Like executing three men…»

«Exactly! With all my searching I have come across various people. Most of them are not worthy of saving at all. They are weak, flawed, and either enjoy killing too much, or do not kill at all, even when it is absolutely necessary.» Lord Ryuu fell silent for a couple of moments, studying Kara’s face. «But you do not enjoy violence. You do not kill for the sake of killing. And you fight with honour.»

«I spent too much time surviving on my own. I kill only when threatened. That is why I killed your men — you kidnapped me and I was defending myself.»

«We had no time to persuade you. So I took the risk. And I am sorry to have snatched you from your home.» Lord Ryuu suddenly bowed. «But I could not let you die in that place.»

Kara looked down into her bowl. She knew that even if she could come back — there was nothing to go back to. Her world was dying and Lord Ryuu was right. Perhaps, he did what no one else could do for her — actually saved her from the lonely existence and constant survival that was slowly driving her insane.

«Inei said that you enjoyed my garden?» Lord Ryuu woke Kara from her thoughts, returning her to reality.

«Yes. Thank you. It was very beautiful.»

«I told Inei that he can take you out into all of the gardens within the castle walls. You will be able to see how we live and, perhaps, understand us better?»

«Thank you, Lord Ryuu.»

«I hope I have answered your questions?»

«Yes, quite.»

«Then, perhaps, you can tell me a little bit about yourself — where did you learn to fight like that and what you did back in your home world?»

Kara smirked and took a few bites of food before starting her story. She had nothing to hide and didn’t see any need in doing so. She told him everything he wanted to know.

3

* * *

Lord Ryuu was right about taking strolls in his gardens. Kara learned about the people and their traditions more by looking at how everyone lived — including the simple people, like the gardeners and servants who tended to the needs of people living within the castle walls.

She loved spending time in the gardens, and she didn’t mind her silent guard — the shinobi Inei, who followed her everywhere and never said a single word. She knew that he was watching her and studying her just like she was studying everyone else.

Her shoulder healed and she returned to her training every morning and evening, but she also found that having a little time to meditate in the garden was a pure bliss.

One day, as she was walking on a path she had never taken before, she came across a small pagoda with a drum inside. Intrigued, she walked in and found a monk sitting behind the drum and meditating.

Kara took her time looking at the beautiful carvings and paintings on the massive columns that held up an intricate roof of the pagoda, before the monk stood up and walked up to her, offering her two big drumsticks.

«You are welcome to pray, if you wish.» The monk said with a gentle smile.

Even though he was a young man, he spoke with such confidence and tranquillity that Kara felt a little lost. She glanced back at her shadow — Inei stood at the entrance and slightly nodded at her silent question.

She hesitantly took the drumsticks and stepped up to the drum.

«I’ve never prayed like this…» she said quietly.

«All you have to do is let your soul out and follow it through the beating of the drum.» The monk replied and stepped back, leaving Kara by herself.

She looked at the drumsticks and at the massive drum in front of her, then closed her eyes and sighed. For the weeks that she already spent in the castle there was enough in her soul that needed some way to escape. She raised her arms and two beats sounded, as she gently hit the drum.

Then something inside her opened up, and she began beating a melody that sounded somewhat soothing and familiar. It was as if a giant horse was trotting in the midday sun on a road to somewhere. Then the trotting turned into a gallop and the melody changed into a more powerful, vibrating sound of strength and a sense of purpose.

Kara dissolved in these sounds, creating something insane and magical — something that made her soul sing and cry at the same time. She kept beating and beating, until a scream rose from deep inside and escaped with the last hit she made before falling to her knees — emptied of all the anger, hate and hurt that were living inside her for so long. She felt tired, but free.

When she looked at the monk, she noticed that he was looking outside — at the sudden storm that was rumbling and roaring with thunder above the gardens. Heavy rain was falling from the skies, and Kara stood up and walked out of the pagoda into the rain, soaking in the feeling of its cool embrace and the thousands of fingers that caressed her face.

She had forgotten how it felt — to be free, soaking wet and happy just to be alive. And she started laughing, swirling under the cold rain in a simple and yet captivating dance.

Kara didn’t know how long she was enjoying herself, when suddenly she bumped into Inei — the man caught her mid-step and embraced her gently. She looked into his eyes and smiled — something in his gaze was different. Softer, more intrigued than ever.

He nodded his head in the direction of the castle and she understood that he was asking her to go inside. Maybe, he was worried that she would catch a cold?

Bursting into laughter, Kara nodded. Inei took her hand and they ran off towards the castle, where it was dry and warm.

«I’m sorry.» Kara smiled to her shinobi. «I don’t remember when I felt so… good.»

Even though she couldn’t see his face — she noticed that he was smiling under his mask. And for some reason this made her feel warm inside.

It wasn’t until the evening when the storm started to weaken and Kara found out that it was a very much needed rain — the land was suffering from draught all the time she was there. She even overheard some people talking about someone praying at the pagoda right before the storm broke out. She understood that it was her they spoke about, but she couldn’t understand how her beating the drum would cause for the weather to change so quickly. All she did was dissolve in the music she tried getting out of her heart.

Whatever the case was — she now felt much better and found it in herself to really dive into the life she was now given.

And, most of all, she was grateful to Lord Ryuu for letting her go out into the gardens. She loved this little routine — walking in the morning and evening to set her mind at ease. Sometimes she would even train in the far corners — watched by the shinobi, but never distracted. She began looking at him as her own shadow.

One evening, as she was returning to the castle from her usual walk, she noticed movement on the castle roof and froze mid-step. Looking into the thickening shadows of the creeping night, she saw multiple figures among the rooftops — hiding in the smallest crevices and behind the statues that decorated the rooftops.

She felt the shinobi touch her shoulder and slowly raised her hand to point him in the direction she was looking so intently.

«There’s someone on the roof.» She said, and at that very moment she noticed a detail that made her heart stop for a moment. It was a tail! «Oni!»

She darted forward, feeling a cold wave running down her spine. She needed to warn others about the demons — they could rain down onto the people any moment!

Fortunately — she ran into the courtyard at the same time as someone finally noticed the figures hiding in the dark.

«ONI!!!» someone screamed at the top of his lungs, and the evening switched from a calm and tranquil one into a fierce battle in a split second.

«Get everyone inside!» Kara nudged a couple of servants that froze in panic towards the doors, and the people scattered, hurrying everyone, who wasn’t armed inside to the safety of the castle walls.

The figures started jumping from the rooftops, raining down into the courtyard and immediately engaging with the samurai. Screams and clashing sounded in the evening air, creating a cacophony of different tones.

«I need a weapon!» Kara darted towards a young mother, who was trying to pick up her tripped child to his feet. Kara grabbed the boy up and shoved him into his mother’s arms, pushing them towards the doors. «Go! NOW!»

She turned to face the fight, and noticed that the oni kept coming, and the men were fighting frenzy. Kara glanced at her shinobi, finding him only a few steps away, already on two strange creatures that towered over him with their bodies large and muscular. They roared, trying to surround him, but he was quick and managed to evade every attack they made with their sharp claws.

Desperate to find a weapon — any kind of weapon — Kara noticed a broom nearby. She grabbed it and broke off the end, making it into a makeshift spear. The next moment she jumped into the fight, diving under one of the oni’s arms and shoving the spear into his throat and up — into his skull.

When the demon fell, Inei slashed his other opponent across the back and immediately cut his throat, ending the demon’s life.

«I need a weapon!!!» Kara screamed at the shinobi, but he shook his head and stepped away to take the fight with another oni that was approaching.

Kara growled at this, but noticed a samurai a few steps away — he was knocked down and battling some winged creature that tried reaching for his throat. Having no other weapon, Kara freed her makeshift spear from the demon she killed and ran to help the samurai. She used the force from her movement and pierced the flying oni through its side, throwing it off the samurai.

The spear broke — after all, it was only a broomstick and not fit for heavy fighting. But the samurai was safe. The man accepted her helping hand and got up, running off into the fight again.

It was insanity around her, and she felt so helpless and powerless, but she still wanted to help. She turned to find Inei and saw that he was fighting, and a small flying oni was creeping up from his back. Kara decided to help, even though she was unarmed — she could at least leap onto the creature and save the shinobi from its claws.

Kara ran to them and leaped just in time, catching the flying oni mid-air in its jump and knocking it to the ground. They tumbled into a ball of claws, fists and blows. Kara hit the creature as hard as she could — again and again and again, feeling the bones breaking under her fist, until the creature twitched and fell to the ground without movement.

«Someone give me a fucking weapon!!!» Kara roared angrily into the deafening sound of battle, and jumped up to her feet, ready to fight again. She saw some fallen samurai near and ran to them in hopes of picking up something that she could use against the vile demons.

She slid next to one of the wounded, avoiding the claws of one of the flying oni, and picked up a katana. Feeling more capable to help, she jumped up and sliced the oni’s head off as it was returning to attack her. Noticing another katana by her feet, Kara picked it up and jumped into the fight with all her will.

The battle turned into bloodshed — more and more demons came, but the castle had enough of capable warriors to defend it. Kara was fighting fierce, not even bothering to realise the danger of such a battle. She simply sliced, hit and jumped from one encounter to another, until the courtyard was filled with dead bodies — more of demons than men.

Suddenly she heard a deafening roar behind her and turned just in time to see a giant black-skinned creature jump from the roof. It was at least two times taller than the young woman, but instead of making Kara fall to fear — it only made her angrier.

«Come on!» Kara screamed at the top of her lungs to the creature and ran towards it, as it too jumped to her.

Kara used her small size to avoid the giant’s attacks — for her it was slow, clumsy and not very coordinated at all. She jumped from one hooved leg, slicing into its hide, to another, cutting the tendon.

As the demon tripped and fell to one knee, Kara cut into its other leg, then slashed his back and, finally, under his arm.

Black thick blood covered her already, but she continued her frenzy dance around the demon. She jumped to its arm and sliced the muscle along the inner biceps, rendering his arm useless, and turned to the belly. The beast was still very much dangerous and roared from pain and anger, but Kara ignored, making it her target to just stay alive and take this thing down.

As she was cutting it from the front she finally noticed the samurai gathering around the oni and trying to help as best they could. They gave her the few opportunities to wound the beast even deeper, before it fell to its more-or-less healthy arm and close enough for Kara to jump up and hit its throat with both swords.

The creature twitched and tried grasping at the throat, Kara took a couple of steps back — still ready to hit it, but already very tired and trying to catch her breath. Her muscles felt tense, her whole body was hard as a rock and capable to do everything that she will ask of it.

But the oni fell to its side, then twitched for the last time with a long and deep rumbling groan, and stopped moving.

Still trying to catch her breath, Kara looked around and found herself surrounded by samurai and a couple of shinobi. She noticed Lord Ryuu — bloodied and armed, looking at her with a strange expression.

The woman sighed, lowering the weapons and understood what they all wanted from her. She stuck the swords into the ground and stepped back from them, feeling her head becoming a little dizzy from all the fighting she went through.

Showing everyone that she is unarmed, she continued to step back, before turning her back to them and walking towards the castle.

«Stop!» Kara heard Lord Ryuu’s voice and froze.

Feeling threatened and very vulnerable, she turned to the shogun.

«You have fought well! And you deserve a worthy name! I name you Nakano! Thank you for helping us protect our home!» Lord Ryuu said loudly.

Feeling a little shaken, Kara collected herself and slowly bowed to Lord Ryuu. The samurai all around raised their weapons and shouted her new name.

«Nakano! NAKANO!»

Kara nodded, acknowledging this honour, but knew, that she needed to sit down and rest a little — the battle was really tiring for her.

She turned her back on the warriors, leaving them to take care of the wounded and dead, and walked off to the castle. She didn’t see, but rather felt that Inei followed her — silent as always.

Half way to the cellar she now called her home Kara suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and tripped. Fortunately, she was walking next to the wall and managed to catch herself upright, by grasping at it. But even though she stayed on her feet for a second, her legs bent under her weight and she fell to the floor, realising that something was terribly wrong.

She saw Inei by her side, frantically checking her body for injuries, and felt something warm flowing down her side.

Kara couldn’t hear anymore — her ears were ringing, but she thought that it was because of the adrenaline rush she had experienced during the battle. Now she knew — it was because one of the creatures actually got to her. She slowly realised that one of the claws reached her and cut through the back and side, leaving her wounded, while she was ignoring this injury during the fight.

As she slipped into the warm embrace of the dark, she thought that it might be for the better.

* * *

Kara woke up to a scent of some herbs and a feeling of overwhelming pain clutching her body. She lay in a fine bed — on the floor in a big room. There was a small table next to her bed and someone was sitting in the corner. Through the mist in her eyes, she tried to get up, but the person jumped up and ran up to her, gently forcing her down.

It was hard to concentrate her eyes, but when her sight became clearer, she saw that it was Inei. Her own shadow was watching over her.

«Hello, Inei.» Kara whispered, not expecting him to answer.

Instead, she heard him sigh with ease.

She stopped trying to get up — she felt too weak to do that anyways, and the man reached to a small cup on the table. Very gently he raised her head a little and offered her the drink. She didn’t refuse — her mouth felt dry and harsh, as if she hadn’t drank anything for days.

«Thank you.» Kara whispered to the shinobi.

She felt him press on her chest a little.

«You’re right. I’ll stay in bed.» She smiled, feeling sleep creeping over her.

For the next few days she was staying in bed all the time — in and out of sleep. Inei was always there by her side, tending to her how he could — gentle and careful. He helped her drink and fed her soup, while she was too weak to hold a bowl.

But, bit by bit, she recovered, and by day five she forced herself to her feet — not without Inei’s help.

The wound still hurt and it was very painful to walk, but Inei helped her to walk to the doors of the room and opened them. Behind them Kara saw a beautiful private garden — a very small one, but just enough to have some time to herself while having some fresh air.

Inei aided her down onto the tiny patio, and as she sat down, she leaned against one of the poles that held up the roof.

«Can I ask you to bring me some tea?» Kara sighed, feeling the chilly morning air entering her lungs.

Inei nodded and walked off. A few moments later he returned with a tea set on a beautiful lacquered tray that could be used as a tiny table.

«I don’t suppose you will join me for a cup?» Kara smirked, already knowing the answer.

Inei shook his head, confirming her guess. He set down the tray and began preparing her a cup of tea.

«Well… Maybe, some day we will be able to actually have a conversation.» Kara smiled. «And share a drink or two.»

She heard a very quiet chuckle and noticed how the man shrugged his shoulders.

He handed her the tea and for a few minutes Kara stayed with the warm cup in her hands — just to feel it warming her body a little bit. She knew that she must have lost quite a lot of blood to feel so weak and cold. And she was grateful for someone so attentive like Inei taking care of her.

Kara sipped her tea, carefully examining her capability to move. Since the wound was located on the left side, she needed to know how fast she could get back to her usual self. So while drinking tea she slowly raised her left arm and lowered it, moved it around just a few times, feeling the wound stretch and burn with pain each time. Inei watched, but didn’t force her to stop. Perhaps, he knew it was for the best to keep the blood flowing and the muscles return to their usual form.

Little by little Kara used every day to sit in the tiny garden and work on her movement. With each day she felt more and more confident, and a bit stronger than the day before. Very soon, right after the healer examined her wound and found it healing quickly, she asked Inei to take a walk in the castle gardens again. The man thought for a few moments before nodding.

When they returned to Kara’s quarters, Ayame was waiting for them with a smile on her face.

«Nakano, Lord Ryuu invites you to join him and his war council for dinner tonight.» The woman said. «If you feel well enough to attend.»

«Tell Lord Ryuu I will be honoured to come.» Kara bowed slightly — her wound still hurt too badly when she tried bowing fully.

When the evening crept up, Kara was ready to come to Lord Ryuu’s dinner. Ayame helped her to get dressed in a new haorihakama. This one had plain black hakama and silk bloody red haori with dark red stripes that imitated a tiger’s. Kara loved the design, and felt good wearing it.

As they entered the dining hall, Kara saw a long dark table with fourteen people behind it. It was a mixed company — men and women, all dressed in fine silk haorihakama and with swords lying beside them.

Kara followed Ayame’s lead and bowed — as best as she could, even though pain was still quite strong in her healing side. But she tried her best not to show it to the others.

Ayame stepped forward and took her place on Lord Ryuu’s left hand side. To his right sat a handsome man — very tall, with wavy dark hair and blue eyes. Next to this man was an empty place, and Lord Ryuu gestured Kara to take it.

Feeling very strange and knowing that such places were usually kept for either guests of honour or someone very high in rank, Kara took the place and slightly bowed to the lord again.

Servants served food and drinks and filled the little cups with warm sake. As they left, Lord Ryuu raised his cup and others followed his lead. Kara decided to follow them without question.

«Let’s start!» Lord Ryuu nodded and gulped down the sake.

Everyone did the same, forcing Kara to take the full cup of burning alcohol without a doubt.

Lord Ryuu introduced her to his war council, starting from Ayame, naming her as Spy Master, and the blue eyed man to his right.

«Spy Master Itsuki.» Said the shogun and the man to his right bowed slightly.

Kara realised that she had already seen these intriguing blue eyes somewhere.

Whenever Lord Ryuu introduced her to another one of his counsellors, Kara bowed, and by the end she felt her side hurt more than when they began the introduction. She hid her pain, though, trying to seem better than she felt.

As they began eating, Lord Ryuu addressed her.

«I was told you were recovering quite fast.» He said to the woman.

Kara glanced at him, feeling a little angry that he brought it up.

«I don’t like being weak, Lord Ryuu.» She replied, trying not to sound rude.

«And that is worthy of respect of every warrior. You have shown yourself very strong in our last battle. Your help is greatly appreciated. And that is why I am putting you under the command of Itsuki. He will take you as one of his own and train you.»

«And here I thought I was quite skilful in my training.» Kara smirked, remembering the battle.

«True.» Itsuki smiled. «But there are things you need to learn to become one of us. Plus, we need to help you get back into form after the terrible wound you have suffered.»

«I am sure Inei will help me with my training.» Kara glanced at Itsuki, noticing a small smile on his lips.

«Speaking of…» Ayame reached out to take a piece of rice bread. «He told us a great deal of the tattoos on your skin.»

«Yes, I have quite a number of those.» Kara replied. «Each was done for a reason.»

«I was told you have a dragon on your back?» Lord Ryuu looked at Kara with interest.

«Yes. My protector.» The woman replied. «He keeps me safe.»

«We have a belief that one who bears a dragon on their skin can come down to its fierce soul and become one with the dragon.»

«Well, you could say he offers me his strength in battle.» Kara smiled. «I’m not very fierce in life, except when it is needed.»

«And the phoenix?» Itsuki asked, nodding to her left arm.

Kara pulled up her sleeve, showing the black and blue phoenix on the skin.

«She reminds me that I always have to live, no matter how hard life tries to kill me.» She said, running her fingers down the phoenix to another tattoo. «And this paw print is the mark of the beast, a reminder of a long lost friend that died years ago.»

She turned her arm and on the inner side saw the Latin words, which made her tense a little.

«Gods favour the strong.» Ayame said, surprizing Kara with her knowledge of Latin. «A reminder?»

«Yes.» Kara pulled the sleeve down, covering her left arm again. «A very long time ago I was weak and unable to stand up for myself. When I started to, I made it to remind myself that weak people do not get anywhere in life.»

She noticed a respectful smile on Lord Ryuu’s face.

«I believe you have a few others?» he asked.

«Yes. A raven…» she touched her right shoulder. «Munin, a raven in service of the gods, who watches over everything and tells the gods what I do. And a falcon…»

She touched her left shoulder.

«Collin, my faithful friend who lends me his swiftness and speed.» Kara said, then touched her right biceps. «And I also have some armour on my right arm, as a sign that I am always protected.»

«But there is a rune on the lower part of it that seems…» Itsuki fell silent for a moment, trying to find the words. «A little out of place.»

Kara pulled the right sleeve a little bit up to bare her intricate bracer tattoo, which surrounded a rune on her wrist.

«This rune is a sign of what my life was like. It means that I was meant to be a sacrifice. But I did not succumb to this and made my own destiny.» She replied, caressing the strange rune. «That is why I have a bracer around it, helping me battle any evil that I come upon.»

«From what I see, you are a warrior.» Lord Ryuu said with a smile. «And I am glad we found you, Nakano.»

Tea was served, and Master Ryuu summoned a servant, who brought a large lacquered box to his lord.

«Nakano, you were brave enough to jump into battle, even though you were unarmed at first. But after what I saw, I want to gift you something.» Lord Ryuu opened the lid of the box, showing Kara its contents and she saw two amazing katana inside. «These are very special. Their hilts and sheath are made from the demon’s horns. The very same demon you managed to kill on your own.»

Kara was left silent in surprise, and Itsuki took the box and handed it to her.

«May they protect you and bring you many victories.» Master Ryuu said and bowed a little.

Kara bowed down, feeling honoured and strange from all the attention she was given during this dinner.

«Thank you, Master Ryuu. It is an honour to receive such a gift.» She said, hoping her voice wasn’t trembling.

When she looked at the shogun again, he was holding up his cup with tea.

«To you, brave Nakano.» He said and others joined in to this cheer. «And to your future victories!»

* * *

When Kara returned to her room — grateful she no longer stayed in a cage — she first put down the box with the katana on the floor and sat in front of it. After a few moments she opened it and took out one of the katana, feeling the masterful work of the armourer, who made the sheath and hilt a true masterpiece. She ran her fingers down the polished sheath and grabbed the hilt, freezing for a split second before taking the katana out.

It felt very well balanced, and fit her hand perfectly.

The metal of the blade seemed darker than what she had seen in museums in the ancient Japanese sections, and she suspected that it might be some kind of a special metal used for a very tight circle of warriors. She remembered that she saw similar blades in Lord Ryuu’s hands and the shinobi Inei.

«I suppose, you both need names, since you are to be my partners…» Kara whispered, feeling Inei walk into her room silently.

She looked at the blade and sighed, caressing a dark grey stone in the hilt.

«Kage. Shadow.» She said and smiled. «To remind me of my own shadow, who follows me all the time.»

She glanced at Inei and noticed him chuckle. She returned to her swords and put the katana back into the sheath and took the other one.

This one had a black stone in its hilt. She repeated her little ritual and realized that she has a perfect name for the second sword.

«Kurayami. Darkness.» She smiled. «Because I fought my first real battle in the dark…»

As she set the swords back into the box for the time being, she already knew that having them in her life will certainly heighten her chances of survival.

«So, Master Itsuki…» Kara stood up and looked at Inei. «Are you ready to have a real conversation?»

She heard the man chuckle again, before he raised his hands and took off his mask and hood.

«If you wish, Nakano.» He replied with a charming smile.

«Tea or sake?» Kara asked, tilting her head to the side.

The man stepped back to the door and knocked on it. A servant slid it open a bit and Itsuki whispered something. The servant nodded and closed the door.

«Might I suggest talking in the garden?» Itsuki gestured towards the opposite door and Kara nodded.

They settled on the patio, and a moment later the servant appeared with two cups and a clay bottle. Setting the tray between Kara and Itsuki, the servant bowed and left. Itsuki poured the fragrant wine into the cups and offered Kara one of them.

«I always wanted to ask why do you stay by my side? There are other shinobi to look after me.» Kara took the cup with a shy smile.

«I was assigned as head of your safekeeping. Even though you didn’t need me all the time.» Itsuki replied.

«You did help a lot, however. And I am grateful you were there for me.»

«Of course.»

«But was duty the only reason?»

The man sipped his wine before answering:

«No. You… intrigued me. You are different. And I was trying to get to know you better.»

«You know, usually people talk to reach that goal. You, on the other hand, were as silent as a mute.»

He chuckled again:

«I find it easier to know people by what they do and how they act around others. You have shown a great deal without words.»

Kara took her time before saying anything else.

«I am sorry.» She said finally, looking into her cup.

«For what?»

«For my actions in the battle. I was unarmed and should have stayed out of it.»

«You did what you thought was right. Though unarmed, you helped. And you saved my life…» Itsuki smirked. «Twice.»

«And you watched over me when I was wounded, so don’t mention it.» Kara winced.

«It’s not the same thing, Nakano. You saved my life twice.»

«And you haven’t?» Kara glanced at him. «The two starving men at that window, remember? And the three men that tried to rape me later that day…»

He shook his head with a stern expression on his face.

«That was different. The first ones would hurt you, but were not about killing you. And the three… Well, they were after your body and not your life.» He said.

«Still…» Kara reached out and touched his hand. «Thank you for being there for me then.»

To her surprise, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

«I still owe you a debt.» He said. «Thank you for saving my life.»

«It would have been easier if I had a weapon from the start.» Kara tried to joke, though she felt strange after such a gentle sign of affection from him.

She wanted to free her hand, but he squeezed it a little and smiled.

«I hope I will not make you uncomfortable, but I have a question about that rune of yours…» he set down his cup of wine and pulled Kara’s sleeve up, showing the bracer with the red rune in it.

«Yes?»

«You said it was a mark that you were meant to be a sacrifice?»

Kara tensed up a little, before answering:

«Yes. My world is different from this one. I was meant to listen to others, follow what they think and do what I am told. I was raised to sacrifice anything I want for something I did not need…» she said with a sigh. «I was not looked at as a person. Rather than… someone’s property…»

She noticed that Itsuki narrowed his eyes and for a split second he looked very shocked and angry.

«Seems to me you have escaped from all that.» He finally said.

«I did. But it cost me a lot.»

«Your family?»

«And my so-called friends.» Kara shrugged her shoulders. «So I was very used to living on my own even before the portals sent my world falling down into the abyss…»

«I am sorry.»

Kara glanced into his eyes and noticed his sad look.

«For what? I was never really a part of the family, nor was I ever a great friend, according to those guys. What I lost… is what I did not need.» She answered with an awkward smile.

«Still… To live through something like that — it’s… ghastly.»

«True. But I try not to think about it. If it weren’t for them and their despicable ways, I might not be here today. And who would be saving your life then?»

Itsuki chuckled.

«Destiny has its own ways, I suppose. And you are right. If it weren’t for you, my life could have ended… And the castle might have been overrun with demons.» He smiled at her.

«You give me too much credit.»

«I’m serious. The oni you killed last… it was a demon lord.»

Kara frowned, surprised, and shook her head.

«No way…» she smirked.

«It’s true. While everyone was busy with the horde, the demon lord could have opened a few more portals. And we would have lost the battle. But you called him to a duel and he couldn’t resist.»

«Wait… you mean to tell me that not everyone can put those down?»

«Well, yes. Lord Ryuu and a few other warriors could, but most samurai in the castle are unable to face a demon lord one on one and win.» Itsuki shrugged his shoulder. «You surprised us all there.»

«Oh.» Kara froze, looking away. For a couple of minutes she sat there, thinking over what he just said and drinking wine to settle her nerves.

«Do you remember the drum?» Itsuki suddenly asked.

Kara glanced at him and raised her eyebrow:

«At the pagoda?»

«Yes. I’ve spoken to the monk after your little prayer and the storm…» Itsuki said with a gentle smile. «The man thinks you’ve been heard by the gods no less.»

«I’m not sure if I really believe in gods, Inei… Itsuki…»

«Call me whatever you like, Nakano. They are both my names, as are many others.» Itsuki chuckled. «As for the gods… I think you are twisting the truth a little. After all, you have so many on your body. Dragon, Phoenix… they are gods… Your raven is also a servant of the gods… and the phrase on your arm…»

«Yes, you’re right… Gods favour the strong.» Kara sighed, looking down. «I guess… I look up and see the skies, wishing the gods could hear me? Or, maybe… I don’t know…»

She suddenly pulled her knees up to her chin and hugged her legs, shrinking to a little ball as if to protect herself.

«You know, I’ve had a lot of time to watch you, Nakano. You have more strength in you than many other people I know. I understand why Lord Ryuu took you here. I understand what demons might haunt your soul.» Itsuki smiled gently. «And I want you to know that if you need, I am always here. You can always talk to me.»

«I have. Though, we didn’t use words before.» Kara smiled back.

«Ah! Well, that would be my fault.»

«Don’t. Everything is alright. I enjoyed your company nevertheless.»

«I hope you won’t get tired of me, because from now on we are going to be spending much more time together. And I must warn you — I am a very strict teacher.»

«I don’t mind, Master Itsuki. I love learning new things.» Kara smiled again. «I just hope I will be able to keep up, considering I am not fully healed yet.»

«Don’t worry. At first I will be teaching you some things that are not as physical.»

«If you are about what a real shinobi actually does, I know some of that…»

«Oh, really? Enlighten me.» Itsuki sounded flirty, when he wasn’t hiding behind that mask of his, and Kara liked his expression. He seemed open, happy even. It could be a result of him being a little drunk from sake and wine, but he looked genuine.

Kara laughed with him and told him everything she knew about the shinobi she read about in her world, and very soon she found out that for the most part her knowledge was quite extensive. But he still corrected her on some things and started telling about others that she knew nothing about.

In that long and deep conversation they spent most of the night, before Kara started dozing off. Itsuki convinced her to go to bed and returned to his usual self — a masked and hooded silent warrior who will be looking after her while she slept. Though Kara didn’t know — he actually slept through the night, although he stayed vigilant even in his sleep. He was used to staying in the far corner of her room, hidden in the shadows and ready to come to her aid if anything happens.

He also knew that this would be the last night he would be able to spend next to her, and this brought a faint sense of dread into his soul.

4

* * *

The next morning Kara woke up to a neat stack of dark shinobi clothing next to her bed. Itsuki sat in the corner — just like before, but this time he seemed sleeping, because his eyes were closed. As Kara stood up to get dressed, the man opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. The young woman noticed that he was about to leave and smirked.

«Stay. You’ve already seen me naked. What’s the point in leaving, if you’ve seen it all…» she said to him.

Itsuki, however, turned away.

«It doesn’t mean I shouldn’t respect your privacy.» He said.

«I don’t mind.» She shrugged with a smile on her lips. «Unless, of course, my ugly scar makes me less attractive than before…»

Itsuki didn’t answer and Kara dressed up in silence. When she finished, she felt Itsuki near and turned to him.

With a strange expression in his eyes, he checked her clothes and nodded.

«Let’s go and find out how well you are with your body.» He said and walked out of the room.

Kara followed, feeling very strange.

He took her to the gardens again — to the parts that had lots of various stones and paths that could be easily used for training.

For the next few hours he demanded she would balance and jump and run, showing him how well she knew the basics and what she could improve. Even though her wound was still giving her a hard time, she didn’t complain once.

As they returned to the castle, Itsuki was silent, but Kara knew — there was something more behind that silence than just her performance during what he called assessment.

«So did I do good?» she finally asked, tired of the silence between them.

«Better than I anticipated. Tomorrow we will try sparring.» Itsuki replied. «I’ve seen you in battle with a demon, but I must know how you fight a human as well.»

«Can I ask you something?»

«Sure.»

«Did Lord Ryuu tell you what he saw when he met me?»

«Yes. He was surprised when you asked him and his men to leave. Most people he encountered — either ran, or attacked. He also told me how you killed one of his men with a drumstick. And then how you killed three others in various ways. He was quite impressed.»

«I’m able to turn almost anything into a weapon, when my life depends on it. Even a drumstick…» Kara sighed.

«I believe you. Lord Ryuu, by the way, kept the second one as a memento of your first encounter.»

«Did he?»

«Like I said — he was very impressed.» Itsuki glanced at her with a twitched eyebrow.

«That’s strange, because you don’t seem to be.» Kara smirked, trying to get some emotion in reply.

«If I don’t show it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there, Nakano. You will have more opportunities to impress us all, I assure you. But for the moment, we must concentrate on your training.»

«So what’s next then?»

«Well…» Itsuki turned to the far corner of the courtyard, which was out of limits for her before. «Have you ever ridden a horse?»

«Frequently. Before my world fell.» Kara saw the stables with many different horses that varied in height and colour.

«Good. Then you will choose yourself one.» He led her past the stables behind the building where they kept horses in small paddocks.

One of those stood a little way off from the others and contained one single horse — a giant black stallion. Intrigued, Kara headed toward him, but Itsuki caught her by the arm.

«He’s off limits.» He said firmly. «He already killed three men. We keep him for breeding, not for riding.»

«Let me see him, please.» Kara replied. «In all my years as a rider I have never met a horse who couldn’t be tamed. I have worked with so-called killers and turned them into fine companions each time.»

«Fine.» Itsuki sighed.

They walked up to the paddock, and Kara noticed the stallion tense up and run at them aggressively. He couldn’t reach people behind the tall fence, but he was obviously not happy with them being there. She watched him for some time, and climbed the fence before Itsuki could stop her.

Walking towards the stallion, she showed the animal her empty hands as a sign of peace.

The horse snorted and jumped, furious at the intruder, but Kara stopped in the middle of his paddock and froze, looking straight at the stallion.

«Nakano! Get back here now!» Kara heard Itsuki calling, but ignored him.

«Hello, handsome.» She said to the horse and noticed the stallion jump to her.

She didn’t move, when the stallion ran up and dug into the ground, stopping himself. She didn’t move when he tried scaring her by stomping and kicking near her.

Kara let him thrash around, until he finally stopped and looked at her in confusion.

«Your tricks won’t fool me, pretty boy.» She said calmly, feeling that this horse was never spoken to or treated with kindness. «Would you like to be my friend?»

She slowly reached out her hand and the stallion snorted angrily, stomping his hoof onto the ground. But she didn’t flinch, staying still and looking at him expectantly. She watched him, as he flinched and jumped nervously, too afraid to approach her. But she was patient and kept smiling, catching every move and glance that he made.

A long time had passed before the stallion reached his neck out and sniffed her palm — not even touching her, but getting acquainted to her smell.

«See? I’m not that bad.» Kara whispered. «And so are you.»

She slowly turned her back to the stallion and stood like that for a couple of moments before taking a careful and slow step forward.

Kara could hear the stallion stepping behind her — attentive, tense and ready to jump away. But he was intrigued and wanted to know more of this strange human who wasn’t afraid of him.

«I’ll share an apple with you tomorrow, if you let me touch you today.» Kara smiled, noticing Itsuki and a few other men frozen at the fence with their mouth open from shock.

She stopped, not reaching the fence, and let the stallion walk up to her. He first sniffed her back, then stepped a bit closer and sniffed her shoulder and head, brushing his nose against her cheek.

When he reached over her shoulder, glancing at her with curiosity, Kara slowly raised her hand and let him sniff it again, before gently touching his nose.

The stallion flinched for a second, snorting with surprise, but then approached again and let her touch him once more.

«There you go.» Kara smiled and turned slowly to face the stallion. «See?»

She caressed his forehead, while letting him sniff her clothes. She reached up to scratch under his mane and noticed a small red star-shaped scar on his forehead.

«Did someone hurt you? Is this why you’re so angry all the time?» the young woman asked, gently petting the horse.

The stallion shook his head and turned away, looking at the people watching them.

«It’s okay. Go. I’ll see you tomorrow.» Kara smiled and caressed the stallion’s neck.

He stepped away and calmly walked off, leaving Kara by herself. The young woman chuckled and went back to Itsuki. As soon as she jumped off the fence, he looked at her with awe.

«I have no idea what magic you used with that beast!» he said. «And I don’t even want to know.»

«You said I have to choose my horse.» Kara smiled. «I want him.»

«Akuma?! You want Akuma?» one of the men asked in shock.

«I don’t know how you tried to tame him, but he seems quite tame to me. Perhaps, you just don’t understand him?» Kara shrugged her shoulders. «Of course, I won’t be able to ride him straight away, but give me a little time and he will become a perfect friend for me.»

Itsuki exhaled, shaking his head.

«When will you ever stop surprising me, Nakano?» he whispered.

Kara shrugged her shoulders, feeling quite confident that Akuma can become a perfect horse.

«Oh, did I miss it already?» suddenly they heard Ayame’s voice. «I was told Akuma was killing our guest.»

«He didn’t even try, Ayame.» Kara replied with a smile.

«She’s a wonder! He tried scaring her and she didn’t even flinch!» Itsuki replied. «You should have seen it! He even allowed her to touch him!»

«Nakano, I hope you won’t mind if I join you some time to see what you have done to this demon of a horse?» Ayame glanced at Kara.

«You can join me tomorrow, when I’ll try and work with him trusting me a bit more…» Kara replied with a chuckle. «If I will be allowed to take him, of course.»

«I am sure Lord Ryuu will agree that there can be no other way, Nakano.»

«Meanwhile…» Itsuki said with a sigh. «I wanted to see how you do on a horse, not next to it.»

«We can offer a couple of training horses, Master Inei.» One of the men said. «But I’m not sure if Nakano would want to ride them.»

«Oh, I can ride any horse. I just love mine with an attitude just like mine.» Kara smiled.

«Saddle Sakura for her.» Ayame smiled. «I am sure she will suffice.»

«Yes, Spy Master.» The men bowed to Ayame and ran off.

«Take care of my mare, Nakano. She has a temper, but I am sure you will find a way to negotiate with her.»

«I will do my best, Spy Master Ayame.» Kara bowed slightly.

«And you…» Ayame turned to Itsuki. «Take care of Nakano. Lord Ryuu will be furious if our wounded hero will get hurt riding a horse.»

«Some why I doubt she will be the one hurt.» Itsuki chuckled.

«I’ll look after him, Ayame.» Kara winked at the woman.

Within minutes the horses were ready and Itsuki jumped into the saddle. He was riding a big stallion — black and with a very lush mane and tail. If Kara wouldn’t know better, she would have said this stallion was Akuma’s brother, no less.

Sakura, on the other hand, was a beautiful mare — long-legged and fair, she would be perfect for a queen. The mare’s coat was a rare cream colour, making her stand out from all the other horses in the castle.

Kara admired such beauty, as well as the strength of these wonderful creatures, and Sakura definitely seemed like a strong and resilient horse.

As soon as she got onto her back, Sakura tensed up and beat her front hoof on the ground — she was obviously looking forward to have a good time.

«Take care of her, alright?» Ayame caressed her horse on the neck.

Itsuki led Kara out of the castle and they set off through a picturesque road that curved through the forest.

Kara felt that Sakura could do better if she were to let go, and so she allowed the mare to quicken her pace and burst into an amazing gallop. Itsuki followed, knowing both horses better than Kara, and easily keeping up.

It was obvious that these horses knew each other well and worked perfectly in tandem — they ran in unison, turning and slowing when needed.

Feeling the freedom of galloping on a road again, Kara started smiling, happy to be on a horse.

* * *

Kara started her days with training — Itsuki was relentless when it came to her and it helped her return to her form after the wound she suffered in the battle. After her usual morning training sessions she went to the stables to spend some time with Akuma.

As the days passed, the stallion was becoming more and more susceptible to her. He stopped being angry and nervous all the time, turning out to be a very calm and confident horse. And with each new day he started waiting for her to come to his paddock and greeting her at the gate.

And it wasn’t because she had a couple of treats ready for him, he wanted to receive her gentle touch and feel her combing his mane and tail. Very soon she managed to put a special bridle she had made. It was different from the usual bridles that others used, and the leatherworker was surprised to make such a thing at Kara’s demand. But he dared not refuse — after all, Kara was favoured by Lord Ryuu, and the master leatherworker feared his wrath.

Akuma received the bitless bridle with ease, and the very same day allowed Kara to get up on his back. The young woman took a short ride, showing the stallion how to react to her subtle commands, and let him be. She didn’t want to rush him into anything, and proceeded with caution.

When she worked with Akuma in the paddock, others would sometimes come and watch. Ayame and Itsuki were the most frequent witnesses of her «magic’, but Lord Ryuu visited them as well. He never said anything, but whenever Kara noticed him among others — he was standing there, watching her closely with a very concentrated expression on his stern face.

By the time Kara felt confident that Akuma will be able to behave outside the paddock, she saddled him up and opened the gate.

The people who were watching scattered aside, fearing that the stallion would bolt through them, but Akuma stayed by Kara’s side — she wasn’t holding the reins, and yet the stallion was listening to her. All he did was look out with a curious gaze.

Kara finally took the reins and calmly walked out of the paddock with him.

Surprisingly, Akuma listened to her every move and did not even try to run or hurt anyone. Instead, he reached to the other horses he was passing by and seemed to be greeting them — relaxed and calm as he could ever be.

Kara checked the saddle and jumped onto Akuma’s back.

The stallion stood still, looking around with wonder, and by the time Itsuki and Ayame got onto their horses, Kara was ready to take Akuma for his first ride outside the castle walls.

«Are you sure about this?» Itsuki asked her, while they led their horses to the gates.

«I’m confident in him, Master Itsuki.» Kara replied. «Have faith in us.»

When the guards opened the gates and they walked out, Akuma tensed up for a split second, but allowed Kara to calm him with a short stroke of her palm across his neck.

They took it easy, and Akuma showed himself a trustworthy and attentive horse, surprising both Ayame and Itsuki. He listened to Kara so well that they couldn’t believe their eyes!

As soon as they returned to the castle, Lord Ryuu met them in the courtyard.

«I see, you have tamed Akuma, Nakano.» He said with a smirk.

Kara jumped off the stallion and bowed to Lord Ryuu.

«Thank you for the opportunity, Lord Ryuu.» She replied.

«I hope he will be a worthy partner for you.»

Kara smiled, caressing the stallion on the neck.

«He already is.» She said.

Lord Ryuu nodded and walked off, leaving Kara and the others by the stables.

«He’s impressed!» Ayame nudged Kara on the shoulder and Akuma flinched — he still didn’t trust anyone near, except Kara.

«You think so?» Kara replied, calming the stallion down by caressing his nose.

«We know so, Nakano.» Itsuki chuckled. «And he is not easily impressed.»

Kara took Akuma back to his paddock, still doubting that the two Spy Masters really meant what they said. It was strange for her — being in employ of a shogun, becoming part of his warriors. But everything seemed so natural, so easy. Though she put a lot of effort into training and working with Akuma — she already knew a lot before she came to this world. And it must have played its part, otherwise things could have been different.

Leaving Akuma to rest, she took the saddle and bridle to the stable masters and joined Ayame and Itsuki, as they too left their horses to be watered and fed.

«Are you up for some sparring?» Ayame asked Kara, as they walked off towards the castle.

«Do you want to knock me down again?» Kara chuckled in reply, remembering how Ayame knocked her prone last time they sparred.

Even though Kara was a skilful fighter, Ayame was training ever since she was a child, and could teach a lot about shinobi fighting. Of course, Kara was still looked at as a very skilful warrior, but sometimes she felt much less so, when it came to some of the techniques the shinobi were taught.

Kara would even scold herself every time she felt that her chaotic, mixed fighting technique made her fall prey to the mastery of Itsuki or Ayame.

«We’ll see, Nakano. See you in the training hall in an hour?» Ayame smiled.

Kara nodded, agreeing to yet another lesson. She wasn’t even thinking about refusing — she only wanted to show them that she was capable of becoming what they expected from her.

As Ayame walked off, Itsuki nudged Kara in the side.

«I see you’re overthinking again.» He said. «What is it about?»

«I keep thinking if I even deserve to be here, Master Itsuki.» Kara shrugged her shoulders.

Itsuki caught her arm and stopped her, turning to face him quite rudely.

«Stop!» he said firmly. «You are here for a reason! You are stronger, than you think — and you’ve already proved that multiple times! So stop thinking you don’t deserve to be here! If that was the case, Lord Ryuu would have never even bothered taking you with him!»

Kara felt shaken and even a bit scared, seeing such anger in Itsuki’s eyes. He must have realised it, because he suddenly looked away and gently released her arm, stepping back. Without a single word he walked off, leaving her alone. She decided not to pursue him — he definitely needed some time by himself.

An hour later she came to the training hall and found Ayame waiting for her. Throwing Kara a couple of bokken, the woman smiled and readied her own training weapons.

Used to seeing Itsuki whenever she was training, Kara realised that without him it felt strange. But she forced herself to concentrate on her opponent and they started their deadly dance. Other people watched them from afar, noting the skills both women showed in wielding the weapons they had.

Kara and Ayame kept sparring again and again — they fought swiftly and with unimaginable speed, forcing each other to retreat and attack, but never having enough to win the fight.

After some time Ayame stepped back and bowed to her opponent.

«I think it’s enough for today, Nakano. It was a great fight.» She said, breathing heavily.

Kara bowed in return — her feelings were mutual. This time she didn’t let Ayame win a single time, and it definitely looked like a victory to her.

«See you tomorrow?» she asked.

«Get some rest.» Ayame nodded.

Kara walked off back to her room, feeling tired and happy that she managed to stay on her feet throughout the whole workout Ayame gave her. She took the long way back to her quarters — first visiting the nearest bath to wash off the filth and sweat from the hard day. And as she was returning to her room, dressed in a fresh haorihakama, she suddenly received a visit from someone she didn’t expect.

«Nakano!» Kara heard Itsuki and turned to him, surprised to see him at all after what had happened between them earlier.

«Yes, Master Itsuki?» she tried sounding calm, but deep inside she felt ashamed for doubting herself in the first place.

He walked up and offered her a small lacquered box.

«Please accept my sincerest apologies.» He said, looking at her with such sadness and guilt in his eyes, that she suddenly felt confused.

«What?» she asked, trying to guess what exactly he was apologising for.

He bowed, still holding the box.

«I was disrespectful and rude. I am sorry.» He said.

Kara took the box, opening it. Inside she found a small batch of Japanese treats mochi. She loved these even when she was living back in her home world.

«Itsuki…» she whispered, surprised that he would offer her this adorable gift as an apology. «It’s alright.»

Kara reached out and cupped his face with her palm. She wanted to feel him and his warmth — it was already unbearable that he was there all the time — so close and so unreachable…

But he surprised her again. He pulled her close and kissed her lips, making her feel a wave of shivers run down her spine.

It was a long and passionate kiss — one that people could call longed for. As if he wanted to do this for a very long time. Kara felt him pressing her against his chest, and let herself melt in the moment, yearning for more.

Finally, he grunted and picked her up, carrying into her bedroom and shutting the door behind them. Within moments they were down on the floor, embraced in an unimaginable desire. Itsuki could barely keep his calm, eager to touch Kara and feel her in his arms.

But he took his time undressing her and caressing her skin. And she allowed him to do whatever he pleased, receiving every touch and kiss with a trembling wave of lust that grew deeper and deeper in her soul.

He made her gasp for air and want more, until he let himself go and they united as one in a pulsing and overwhelming burst of desire.

It took them hours to quench their thirst for each other, before they fell to the floor — tired and happy in each other’s arms.

He caressed her — gently and attentively, touching her thigh and running his fingers higher, to where her scar was. But he didn’t pull back — instead, he touched the scar and ran over it.

«Your scar… it doesn’t make you ugly or less attractive, Nakano. It shows how bravely you fought.» He whispered and leaned in to kiss Kara again.

Itsuki had a lot of scars as well, but Kara didn’t ask — only ran her fingers over some of them, feeling the texture and getting an idea how deep a wound could have been to leave such a scar. One of the scars ran across his chest and looked like someone slashed him with a katana.

«An assassin.» Itsuki said, glancing at that scar and Kara smiled.

«Looks like he knew nothing about killing if he left you alive.» She said.

«I was faster.» The man replied with a smirk. «Though, suffered a wound, I still saved my shogun from being killed.»

«And this one?» Kara touched a dark round scar on his side. «Looks like a round spear?»

«That was a demon’s horn. About a year ago…»

Kara embraced him, feeling his back, covered in more scars.

«Claws?» she asked, caressing the lines.

«Yes, three demons surrounded me and knocked me to the ground.» Itsuki ran his fingers down her arm and gently took her wrist. «Your scars are more subtle and hidden.»

Kara looked away, understanding what scar he was referring to. But the man caressed her cheek and turned her to face him again.

«That particular scar is a sign of my weakness.» She said and her voice gave out her pain. «I covered it so that I won’t have to see it anymore.»

«What happened?»

Kara tried to keep her eyes from tearing up.

«I tried to take my own life.» She whispered. «A very long time ago.»

«Why?» Itsuki sounded hurt by what he heard.

«For many reasons. I felt… all alone in a world full of people. I felt betrayed and broken, and tired of fighting everyone and everything. And I felt so much pain, that I simply wanted it to stop…» Kara felt a lonely tear run down her cheek. «I was a coward.»

Itsuki pressed his forehead against hers and sighed.

«I am glad that you survived.» He said.

«I’m not sure what happened then… I took the sharpest knife… and I ran its blade over my skin many times.» Kara looked at the scar, hidden by the intricate tattoos. «But it didn’t… cut. It took all my strength to force it in… and the cut closed within moments. It left a scar, but… it was as if someone denied me the death I was looking for that night. And a week later I made this tattoo…»

She showed at the Latin phrase «Gods favour the strong’.

Itsuki embraced her tightly, and she lay there in his arms, feeling vulnerable, but protected — something she hadn’t felt before.

«It still pains me to remember that moment of weakness…» she whispered.

«Admitting your weakness is brave. And you haven’t tried again, so that says more about you than that single night.» The man kissed her gently. «I am grateful for all the gods that have watched over you and didn’t let you take your life. They must have known you will be needed elsewhere later.»

Kara smiled faintly, and looked into Itsuki’s eyes. His gaze was warm, soft and caring, and he was genuinely happy to see her beside him. He smiled and kissed her once more.

«I am glad the gods brought you to me, Nakano. Because you are a magnificent woman!» he said with a smile.

«I just hope I am good enough for you…» Kara whispered.

Itsuki shook his head with a smirk:

«I’m afraid, it’s the other way around. I’m not sure I can be good enough for you, my deadly flower.»

A little confused, Kara giggled:

«Deadly flower? That’s an interesting way to call me.»

«You are as beautiful as a flower, and yet deadly, as the weapons in your hands, so… how else am I to call you?» Itsuki smiled back.

5

* * *

When the morning came, Kara woke up with a feeling that all that happened was a dream. But it wasn’t — Itsuki was there, next to her, lying in a tumbled bed and with a faint smile on his lips. It was so sweet to see him like this, and Kara reached out and gently touched his face, caressing his cheek.

He groaned though his sleep and opened his eyes.

«Hi.» Kara smiled at him and he pulled her closer, as if not wishing to let her go.

They could stay like that all morning, but someone knocked at the door — very faintly, but quite persistently.

Itsuki growled, burying his face in Kara’s neck.

«Who is it?» Kara decided to reply, since it was, after all, her room.

«I beg your forgiveness, Nakano. Lord Ryuu is asking for you and Master Itsuki to attend an urgent war meeting.» She heard a servant’s voice.

«Thank you.»

Itsuki sat up, looking puzzled.

«An urgent meeting…» he whispered under his breath.

«We shouldn’t keep our Lord waiting.» Kara jumped to her feet and stretched, before dressing up. Within two minutes she was ready to go, as was Itsuki.

He grabbed a couple of mochi to have a snack on their way.

«Why do I have a bad feeling about this?» he said, offering one to Kara.

Kara took a bite before answering:

«Let’s not speculate and just wait until we hear what’s it about?» she sighed. «Or… are you worried that last night might have been out of line?»

«No, I don’t think that’s the case, Nakano.» Itsuki smiled at her, and she noticed his confident glance.

«But I am surprised that he called me as well.» Kara shrugged her shoulders, trying to shake off the nervous feeling.

When they approached the hall, servants opened the doors and let them in. Lord Ryuu greeted them with a very concerned expression.

Kara and Itsuki bowed before taking places in front of Lord Ryuu — next to Ayame and a couple of other samurai and shinobi Kara had seen around the castle.

«It has come to my knowledge that one of the northern villages is to be attacked by demons in a weeks’ time.» Lord Ryuu said. «Therefore I need a group of my finest to ride out and scout the land before I arrive with the main force. Itsuki, Ayame, gather your men, take Nakano with you.»

«Yes, Lord Ryuu.» Itsuki and Ayame bowed.

Kara bowed as well, feeling tense and nervous.

«Nakano!» Lord Ryuu sounded very strict. «Keep your eyes peeled and return victorious!»

«Yes, Lord Ryuu.» She replied, bowing once more.

«Leave at once!»

Itsuki and Ayame jumped to their feet, followed by Kara. All three bowed and ran out of the hall.

«Gather your things, Nakano. We’ll see you at the stables!» Ayame said, running off into one of the corridors.

Itsuki nodded at his lover and disappeared in another corridor.

Kara ran to her room and grabbed her weapons, quickly changed into her shinobi outfit, and ran off to the stables, grabbing the remaining mochi in a piece of cloth to have something to eat on their way.

She got to the stables before others and managed to saddle Akuma before Itsuki and Ayame appeared with their bags. Itsuki threw a saddle bag to Kara and she caught it, quickly putting it on Akuma’s back — to her surprise, the stallion didn’t even flinch at this and remained calm, while she was getting him ready.

Kara rode out of the paddock a few seconds before Ayame and Itsuki — their men and women followed them, only a few moments behind. Within minutes, the whole group of thirteen shinobi were already galloping off on the road leading north.

Everyone was silent all the way while they were on the road. They stopped in the forest for the night — off the road, hidden from prying eyes, and slept without a fire.

The next day they continued their way, pushing their horses as hard as they could and stopping only when necessary. Though the shinobi were used to such long galloping, Kara wasn’t and felt a little frustrated. At first she wasn’t sure if Akuma would be able to keep up, because he was, after all cooped up in a paddock for a long time. But he showed himself as a very tough and strong horse. He even tried getting ahead all the time, and Kara had to keep him in line.

As they settled to spend the second night in the forest, Itsuki approached Kara and quietly sat down next to her.

«You’re doing well, Nakano.» He whispered. «I am glad.»

«Thank you.» She replied. Even though he couldn’t see her smile under her mask, she smiled nonetheless.

«I wanted to ask you to take the first watch tonight. Can you manage?»

«Of course!» she nodded, ready to do everything that was needed.

«Wake me up in three hours.» Itsuki leaned back against the tree Kara was sitting next to and closed his eyes.

Before Kara stood up to check on the horses, she felt him touch her hand slightly, and smiled again.

After checking the horses, she circled around the camp, seeing everyone falling asleep. Fortunately, she was used to walking on the forest floor and running silently — even before she came to this world. So climbing a nearby tree without a single sound was easy. She settled on a high branch — high enough to see if anyone were to approach the camp, but low enough to jump down in a moment’s notice if the need arises. Alert and tense, she stayed vigilant throughout her watch, noticing the smallest rustle and sound made by the forest creatures.

When the time came, she got down from her branch and circled around the camp once more, looking out for any trouble that might be hidden in the night. However, everything was quiet, and she returned to her comrades, ready to wake Itsuki up.

But, when she walked up to where he was sleeping when she left, he was nowhere to be seen.

For a split second Kara felt surprised, but then someone grabbed her from behind and put a blade to her neck.

«Distracted, Nakano?» Itsuki whispered right next to her ear.

«Not a bit.» Kara slightly touched his side with her own blade.

The man frowned and looked down — she caught him off guard, almost hitting him with her katana, when he didn’t even notice.

Isuki put his katana down and stepped back, acknowledging her swift move with a nod.

«Excellent.» He said, obviously smiling. «Any trouble?»

Kara put her katana back in the sheath just as silently as she unsheathed it and shook her head.

«All quiet, except for the mice and owls that hunt in the night.» She replied.

«Then go get some rest. We need to be at our best tomorrow morning.»

She nodded and stepped away, brushing against his arm with her palm. Walking off to the tree, where Itsuki slept before, she sat down and leaned on the trunk, relaxing just a little. She closed her eyes, but could feel the stillness of the night and the faint movement of the animals that roamed through the trees and forest floor.

She dozed off almost immediately, but didn’t sleep long. Something tore her out of her rest into the cold still twilight. The moon came out from behind the clouds and gave out enough light to see in the dark.

Something was wrong, and Kara felt it. She wouldn’t be able to name it or say what exactly woke her up, but a sense of something unexplainable clenched her whole body, making it impossible to sleep.

Kara stood up — silent and alert, and watched everyone in the camp. Her hands squeezed the hilts of her swords, ready to unleash them at any time, and the young woman stepped away from the camp, trying to find the reason for her awakening.

Following her intuition, she moved through the forest, seeking out the source of this strange feeling, until she approached a small meadow.

Almost immediately she noticed a lonesome figure of a very tall and thin man. She couldn’t see his face in the dark — only his profile against the moon. He seemed unreal, as if consisting of angles everywhere — from his sharp nose, to his long joints.

It was unusual to see anyone alone in the forest — even more so at such a dark hour in the night.

Kara could have thought he was doing some kind of ritual to honour his gods, but the man just stood there — twisted in his spine at a very strange angle and not moving.

She did, however, hear his breath — a deep, wheezing sound escaped his mouth with each breath, but he looked unbothered by it. A living person would have been suffering from such thing, but this man was definitely not normal.

Suddenly the man twitched with a disgusting cracking sound and Kara heard him sniff the air. He couldn’t have caught her smell in any way — she was standing where the slight breeze moved her scent away from the meadow, not towards the man.

But he obviously smelled something. Or someone.

Feeling a wave of uneasy goose bumps running down her spine, Kara took a careful step back. She didn’t want to engage — she didn’t know what to do, so all she could — is keep watching him from afar, hidden by the trees and thickets.

Minutes passed, and Kara suddenly noticed a few shadows moving next to her. She glanced and saw the shinobi spreading out in a wide circle, surrounding the twisted figure.

Itsuki appeared by the nearest tree and nodded to her silently. Kara showed him one finger, telling him that she saw only one man.

The shinobi exchanged glances between each other, then stepped out into the meadow as one. Kara followed their lead and they began approaching the man, closing in on him in absolute silence. Stepping very slowly and extremely carefully, the shinobi tried getting as close to the man as possible.

Kara noticed a change in the figure. She heard a quiet cracking sound that repeated itself a moment later, then again and again. The twisted man was laughing!

She froze, crouching lower and grasping her katana at the ready. Something was telling her that this man was not what he seemed. Itsuki gestured to the others and they froze — tense and alert. But the man kept laughing, as if nothing bothered him at all.

The air in the meadow became cold as ice, raising the hairs on the back of Kara’s neck.

Suddenly, the man twitched and turned with an unimaginable speed, giving out a wheezing roar at the shinobi. A gust of ice-cold wind hit them with such force that they crouched down not to fall. But Kara was ready — she didn’t even flinch, when the figure darted towards them.

The creature leapt from one side to another, confusing its enemies, before making a speedy turn towards Kara with his long arms stretched out and his sharp claws at the ready to slice her to shreds.

Kara ducked down, rolled to the side and slashed with her katana at the creature, feeling how one of her swords met with its flesh and bone. Something slumped down to the ground; the creature screeched, stopping for a moment and in a split second disappeared in the trees.

The shinobi ran after it, but it was obvious that they were no match for the creature’s speed.

Kara noted where the creature was heading and started looking at the grass beneath her feet, trying to find what fell from it when she hit it. It didn’t take her long to find a small puddle of something very dark. She guessed it could have been blood, but even for a demon — it was too thick and smelled of something disgustingly sweet.

Carefully investigating the splashes and puddle, Kara noticed that there should have been a hand lying there, but the body part was nowhere to be found.

«That fast bastard…» Kara whispered to herself, realising what happened. «He took his hand!»

When she stood up, the others were already returning — except for two shinobi. Itsuki ran up to Kara, concerned that she might have been hurt in the short fight.

She gestured him to the puddle of black liquid and shortly told him of her findings. The man looked back to where the creature went and shook his head.

«He headed back to the village. We might be a little too late…» he said.

«So what do we do?» Kara asked, feeling her body tense up again.

«We go to the village, as asked by Lord Ryuu.» Itsuki replied and whistled to the others. «Saddle up, we’re leaving now!»

As they ran off — back to where the horses were waiting for them, Itsuki stayed by Kara’s side.

«Don’t go off into the dark alone next time, Nakano.» He said. «Call someone to back you up.»

«I wasn’t sure, that’s why I left on my own. But I will not be so foolish next time.»

«Thank you.»

When they reached the horses, they quickly packed up their camp, jumped into the saddles and, pulling two of the absent shinobi’s horses behind, rode off towards the village to try and catch up with the creature they’ve encountered in the meadow.

Within an hour they reached the village and met with their comrades — trackers lost the creature, but were certain it went into the village and hid among the buildings there.

«All is quiet, no evidence of demons roaming this land, Master Inei…» the men finished their report.

«Surround the village, look out for the creature. Ayame, Nakano and I will go in and investigate.» Itsuki ordered and the men and women scattered, riding off in different directions to follow his orders.

Ayame, Kara and Itsuki, on the other hand, quickly changed into plain grey haorihakama and sent their horses slowly on the road to the village.

Everything seemed calm and safe, but Kara knew how misleading such a feeling of false security can be, so she looked out for any signs of the twisted creature among the dark corners and small spaces between the buildings.

It was not a very big village, and it had a relatively nice tavern at the end of the street. On its stairs sat a young man — leaning back and very relaxed, he was enjoying the chilly night with a bottle of wine in his hand.

«Hello, travellers!» he said quietly. «Are you in need for a place to rest for the night or are you passing by?»

Kara studied the handsome face of this man, finding him quite charming on first view. He was tall, skinny, and with a pair of very cunning amber eyes. Obviously a little drunk, he scratched his bare hairless chest that was showing from underneath his open haori.

Something about this young man seemed wrong to her. As if he was playing a part and not being genuine. Akuma tensed up under Kara and she tried to calm him down.

«Have you seen anything strange or anyone worth noting in the past few days?» Itsuki asked.

«I help around the tavern, there are all sorts of strange in here all the time. People babble about kitsune and oni every evening after a few cups of our wine.» The man replied with a cocky smile. «Speaking of… would you like some?»

«No, thank you.» Ayame answered coldly.

«Then a room, perhaps?» he ran his long slim fingers through his brown mane of ruffled hair. «I am sure you would rather spend the remaining night having fun with your beautiful ladies, rather than stay here in the cold.»

The three shinobi glanced at each other and Itsuki sighed:

«A room will be greatly appreciated. Where can we leave our horses?»

«Stables are that way.» The young man smirked, showing to the side. «Leave them in the far stalls, those were cleaned today and have some fresh water and hay.»

Itsuki nodded and rode off, followed by Ayame. Kara stayed for a moment, before riding after her companions. Something in the way this amber eyed man looked at her seemed very suspicious. She felt watched, studied, as if he was trying to learn all about her. But, at the same time, the cocky, arrogant way he treated his guests was something that gave out his absolute indifference towards people.

As soon as the horses were set up in the stables, Itsuki signalled one of the shinobi that was hiding in the dark — the man will watch the horses through the rest of the night.

«I don’t like the way he looks.» Ayame whispered to Itsuki.

«He’s watching and studying us, even though acts like he doesn’t care.» Kara agreed very quietly.

«Even more so. He was watching you closer than us…» Itsuki sighed, shaking his head. «Keep your eyes open, Nakano. I don’t like this one bit.»

Kara nodded and they walked out of the stables. The amber-eyed young man was waiting for them on the stairs — still half-lying on them and very relaxed.

«So… one room? Food?» he said with a smirk. «Call me Kaito.»

«One room, we’ll take food if you have any to offer.» Itsuki answered.

«Ai, ai, ai, who do you take me for? Of course we have food!» Kaito jumped to his feet, a little wobbly and drunken-looking, then turned and walked into the tavern.

It was cosy inside, very clean and smelled of fried meat and rice. The young man led them through the main area, where people drank and ate — even this late in the night there were still a few patrons, who were either drinking wine or slowly eating.

They walked through a short corridor and Kaito opened the farthest door. Behind it was a small, but tidy room with a window opened to let in the fresh air.

«I can offer you rice, some vegetables and meat to go with it.» Kaito said, inviting the shinobi to go inside.

«And tea.» Itsuki added coldly, walking inside first.

Ayame followed him, but when Kara stepped past the young man, Kaito bowed slightly and suddenly sniffed her long hair with a cheeky smirk on his face.

Kara tried her best not to give away her knowing she noticed, and walked in, looking around the room.

«I’ll be just a moment.» Kaito bowed once again and closed the door.

Kara listened to his footsteps as he went to the kitchen, and when he was far enough, she glanced at Itsuki. She tried remembering the sign language he taught her to communicate in silence, but couldn’t find the right signs to tell him that Kaito gave her the creeps. Frustrated at herself, she let herself shiver with a disgusted wince.

Itsuki touched her shoulder, looking very concerned, but she just flinched, showing at the door. The man nodded instead of a reply and offered her to make use of the bed roll that was lying in the corner.

«You haven’t slept at all tonight. We’ll look around the village in the morning.» Itsuki whispered to her.

Kara sighed, agreeing with him, and started unrolling the bed. Ayame sat down on the corner of the bed and smiled reassuringly.

«Don’t worry, Mariko, one of us will keep watch.» She said.

Kara understood why Ayame used her other name and nodded. But she couldn’t fall asleep just yet. She wanted to wait for Kaito to return with the food and see how he acts.

When the young man returned, he gave Itsuki a tray with three bowls of rice and a small teapot with a stack of cups on its side. Before leaving, Kaito bowed again and Kara noticed his lustful glance aimed at her.

As soon as the door closed, Itsuki smelled the food and tea and nodded — everything seemed fine.

They ate in silence, deep in thoughts, and Kara felt that even though she hadn’t slept, she was restless. Ayame noticed this and offered her to go for a stroll and see if she can spot anything.

«Maybe you will find what we seek with that intuition of yours?» she whispered. «Like earlier tonight?»

Kara glanced at Itsuki and saw him nod. He trusted her enough to let her go on reconnaissance alone.

«I’ll go for a walk.» Kara said loudly enough for anyone, who could be listening to hear it clearly. «Don’t wait up for me. And sorry if I will smell of a bit of wine later…»

She noticed Itsuki nod again, as she walked out, leaving Ayame and him alone.

Kara walked through the corridor, nervous and tired at the same time, and let herself fall to her old habit. Before becoming part of this world, she was confident, but always acted like she felt — and she didn’t care about people or what they thought.

This time it was very different. This time things could go wrong at any given time. But she hoped that the katana hidden under her haori were enough to face any danger that could appear.

She approached the entrance to the tavern and noticed that Kaito wasn’t on the steps, as before. She stepped out into the chilly night air and sighed with ease. Stretching her arms and legs, the young woman sat down on the steps and looked at the seemingly calm and sleeping village.

Soon enough, she heard footsteps approaching from behind.

«Can I offer you my company, pretty lady?» she heard Kaito smirk again.

«Sure, I don’t mind.» She replied, looking up at him and noticing his strange glance.

He sat down and offered her his wine bottle — by the sounds of it, he just filled it with a new portion of wine. Kara took it and cheered at him, before taking a big gulp of the strong and sweet wine.

«Mmm! I’ve been yearning a taste of wine for the last few days!» she said with a flirty smile, giving back the bottle.

«Long road?» Kaito winked at her, and Kara felt a wave of shivers run down her spine.

«Very.»

«So what are you three looking for?» Kaito sipped some wine and smiled.

«Nothing in particular, we were wondering of strange meetings or people just because we encountered someone peculiar on the road to here.»

«Someone… peculiar?» Kaito asked, glancing at Kara very intensely.

«A man. Very… strange and twisted. He ran off, but we were puzzled at who he was.»

«We don’t have anyone like that around here. At least, I haven’t seen one like that.» Kaito handed her the bottle again and Kara suddenly saw a thin scar running around his wrist.

«I’m not sure if we saw a live man or a ghost. Maybe we were simply tired from all the riding…» she said, sighing.

«Ai, ai, ai… when you’re tired, you can see things that are not there.» Kaito leaned back on the steps lazily.

For a couple of moments they sat in silence — Kara sipping the wine, and Kaito looking up at the moon with a cocky smile on his face.

«You know…» he said suddenly, leaning to Kara a bit. «I am wandering what your name is. I have told you mine, but none of you three said yours.»

She looked at him with a smile and offered her hand for a handshake:

«Mariko.»

He gently shook her hand with a smile on his lips and nodded:

«A beautiful name for a beautiful woman, ai!» then he looked back into the tavern and smirked. «Tell me, why are you out here, while your friends are back there alone?»

Kara smirked, already knowing how to twist the truth to play the part:

«They decided that I was not very nice today, so asked me to leave them be while they… enjoy each other’s company before going to bed.»

Kaito chuckled and jumped to his feet, then turned to her and bowed, offering his hand.

«Then can I offer you to take a refreshing stroll with me, beautiful?» he asked with a smirk on his lips.

Kara smiled and took his hand, standing up. He acted like a gentleman, but his amber eyes seemed very sharp, suspiciously cunning — even more than before. But Kara followed his lead, feeling that this might prove useful.

«Have you ever watched the moon just for the sake of enjoying its light, Mariko?» Kaito asked, caressing her hand, which he held on his arm.

«I actually enjoy looking at the moon. I find it… rejuvenating.» Kara replied with a smile.

«Kumo ori ori… hito o yasumeru… tsukimi kana.» Kaito sighed out.

«Oh! The moon gazing where some clouds… From time to time repose the eye!» Kara struggled to remember the words, but managed to translate them anyways.

«Ai, ai, ai! You are beautiful and know haiku!» Kaito chuckled.

«I try my best.»

«You are a wonder! A sight for sore eyes! These filthy peasants know nothing of art! They do not appreciate beauty like I do!» the young man showed her a very charming smile.

«Sometimes people decide that beauty is nothing compared to a full belly and a roof over their heads.» Kara smirked.

«But it’s a pity, wouldn’t you agree? They live in such a beautiful land, and don’t notice it at all!»

Kara took a sip of wine and offered him the bottle — he barely drank the wine, having her sip all the time. She knew what he was trying to do, but tried not to show it.

«Mizika-yo ya… Yume mo utsutsu mo… Onazi koto.» Kara said, trying to remember one of the haiku poets she had ever read — Takahama Kyoshi.

Kaito laughed, clapping his hands:

«The short summer night… The dream and real… Are same things.» He translated. «Amazing! I love it!»

«I hope I didn’t spoil the haiku by my awful knowledge of this wonderful language.»

«Not at all! You sound much better than most people here, my dear.»

Kara didn’t like to be addressed in such a familiar way by people she just met, but this time she needed to play her part well to see if Kaito knows anything. For the time being she just needed him to think she’s a little drunk and charmed by his act.

«Thank you.» She smiled at him and he smiled back.

All this time he was leading her through the village and only now Kara understood where — a little ways off there stood a small hill with a single sakura growing on top. And he was leading her there, but what seemed like a beautiful spot from afar, up closer was, in fact, a cemetery.

«I hope cemeteries don’t frighten you?» Kaito asked with a very chilling smile on his face.

«Not at all, I find them relaxing. They are tranquil and quiet.» Kara replied. «I don’t like people very much, you see…»

«Oh, I am honoured to be one of those you found worthy of your precious time, Mariko.» He gestured towards the tree. «Come, I want to show you the magnificent view.»

When they approached, Kara saw the vast lands that lay under that hill, and sighed — whatever his act was, the view really was beautiful and worth seeing.

Kaito started laughing — it began with a quiet chuckle that very soon turned into a loud and vicious laughter that sent a new wave of shivers down Kara’s back.

«I love your scent… Marrriko.» Kaito’s voice shifted into a more growling range and when Kara turned to him, ready to bare her swords, she noticed how quickly Kaito’s figure shifted from a handsome young man to a twisted angular mess of long sharp joints. His eyes turned dark and his fingers grew longer and sharper in a matter of seconds.

«And I’ll love cutting that smile off your ugly face.» Kara bared her teeth.

«We’ll see about that, Sacrifice!» Kaito darted towards her, but she jumped away from his claws, unsheathing her katana.

She knew something he did not — she had her friends around, and at least two of them were following her all the time while they were walking away from the tavern. But before they would engage in battle, she needed to make sure to distract this creature as much as she could.

They began their fight, swirling in a deadly dance — the creature fast and bloodthirsty, and Kara — with a clear purpose in mind. She tried her best not to let him near and slashed at his flesh, sometimes even feeling her swords cut deep. But whatever she did — it seemed that the creature didn’t mind the wounds and recovered from them very quickly.

As Itsuki jumped into their fight, the creature darted to the side and suddenly — at Kara, grabbing her right arm.

Something hissed, and Kara felt her arm burning. Clenching her jaws, she kicked the creature in one of the joints, but it didn’t let go. Ayame appeared in time, cutting of its hand. Kara stumbled back from the fight, desperately trying to get the creatures hand off her arm. The pain burst again and again — in overwhelming waves, and Kara started growling, bending the clenched fingers from her arm, and once that didn’t help — began hitting the limb higher with her sword.

It took her a few moments and, finally, the stump fell to the ground, freeing her from its grasp.

Not being able to hold her katana with the right arm anymore, she sheathed her weapons one by one and saw the bottle under her feet. It was a long shot, but she looked at the creature, which seemed quite unbothered about the loss of a limb, and decided to give it a try. She tore a piece of her sleeve off and wet it with the wine, then quickly set out a spark with her sword and it flamed up.

«Strong wine!» Kara sighed with ease and ran towards the fight, looking for an opportunity to set the creature aflame.

As Itsuki and Ayame stepped aside to each take a swing at their opponent, Kara threw the bottle, aiming straight at the creature’s face.

The clay bottle broke and spilled the burning contents onto the creature, blinding it and burning through its skin.

Having such a great moment, Itsuki brought his sword down across the creature’s head, cutting it in half and sending it to the ground — lifeless and twitching.

Kara walked up, watching the body burn, and sighed — it seemed that the creature was now, finally, dead.

«Are you alright?» Ayame asked, glancing at Kara.

The young woman shook her head instead of replying. She pulled up her sleeve to see how extensive the burn was, but was surprised to see what the creature had done. The burn was located over her tattoo — the very rune she had made a long time ago. And it was shaped just like it!

Shocked to see this, Kara stepped back from the shinobi.

«No… this can’t be!» she looked at the burning body.

She turned away and started walking back to the tavern, unable to process something she thought to be impossible. How could it be possible at all if the rune was made in a completely different world?

Hurt and in shock, she stepped down the hill, ignoring her friends, until Itsuki ran up and stopped her, grabbing her shoulders and making her look at him.

For a few long moments Kara continued mumbling about the rune and demons and a blood sacrifice. But then Isuki shook her, trying to get her attention.

«What are you talking about?» he asked, freaked by her state.

«He marked me!» Kara whispered. «That bastard marked me as a blood sacrifice!»

She showed him the burn that now covered the rune — exactly how the rune was done, but now it was a real burnt rune, instead of a tattoo on her skin.

Ayame ran up, looking very concerned for Kara:

«I’ve ordered the men to burn the body and whatever we cut from it. They will report when everything is done.» She said, and looked at Kara. «What did that thing do?»

Kara showed her the burn and Ayame took her arm and examined it with a very puzzled look on her face.

«Is it possible that demon knew you?» she asked finally.

Kara shrugged her shoulders, not knowing the answer to that question.

«I don’t know…» she said. «I don’t think so.»

«Demons have a dark need to play on people’s fears and belief.» Itsuki said firmly. «My guess is that demon could have been in your world and seen you. That’s why he was so interested in you from the start. And that is why he marked you… with the rune you put on your skin years ago — because he had already seen it.»

A little lost, and still in shock, Kara let Ayame put some kind of herb onto the burn and bandage it. Itsuki — however worried he was — asked her to take Kara back to the tavern and stay with her until he will return.

Kara didn’t mind — she let Ayame walk her back and even agreed to lie down in the room that Kaito provided in the first place. As she closed her eyes, succumbing to the dizziness, Ayame sat next to her — a silent guard and caretaker for the moment.

«Rest for now, Nakano…» Ayame whispered, holding Kara’s hand. «Don’t let this bother your sleep.»

«I don’t want to be a sacrifice…» Kara replied, feeling sleep take over.

* * *

She was running — barefooted, on sharp rocks and twigs on the forest floor. The night was silent, cold and intimidating. There wasn’t a breeze of the wind, there were no animal cries and calls that usually filled the air — there was nothing. But someone was chasing Kara. It was something big, vicious, bloodthirsty and extremely fast.

The woman knew she didn’t stand a chance against the hunter that pursued her. She understood this because she saw that the hunter wasn’t alone. Everywhere she looked — there were eyes in the dark — glowing, hateful eyes of demons that were after her.

Whatever she tried — they were there to cut off any way of escaping them and their master, who was always behind Kara, but never stopping.

She was getting tired, breathless, but she felt that if she would stop — he would get her and then…

Tripping over a rock, Kara fell down onto the moist, fragrant earth. Her hands desperately grasped at everything they could find. She needed to get up — her life depended on it!

Suddenly she clenched a large branch and turned to hit her attacker, feeling the burning sensation in her rune that was burnt into her right arm. Through the black mist in her eyes, she could barely see who it was — right in front of her — leaning in and…

«Nakano!» his voice finally got to her, and she recognised Itsuki — eyes wide in fear and holding the blade of her katana with his bare left hand. «It’s me!»

Kara realised how tense her body is, and looked at her palm — she was holding Kurayami. Confused and shocked, she released the hilt and crawled back, understanding what she had done.

«I’m sorry!» she whispered, feeling tears bursting from her eyes. «I’m sorry!»

Itsuki put her katana aside and moved closer to her. Before she could move away, he embraced her gently and pressed to himself, trying to calm her down.

«It’s alright, calm down. It’s me. It’s Itsuki…» he whispered to her ear, slightly rocking her to give her a sense of movement and warmth in his arms.

«I’m sorry…» Kara sobbed very quietly.

«I know. You didn’t mean to. You just had a nightmare, that’s all.» He caressed her hair, making her feel less and less fragile. «You’re safe. I’m here and I won’t let anyone hurt you.»

«Why am I so weak?»

«You are not weak… Remember!» Itsuki leaned back to look into her eyes. «Remember and come back to me!»

Kara looked down at her bandaged arm — from under the linen bandages she could see the top part of the bracer that was tattooed around the rune.

«That’s right!» Itsuki smiled. «Remember how strong you are! Don’t let that demon win!»

«It hurts…» Kara whispered, touching the rune that was hidden under the bandages.

«It hurts being strong! But we endure it to fight our battles and win!» Itsuki cupped her cheek and made her look at him. «And I will lend you my strength any time you need it.»

Kara studied his sad, gentle eyes and nodded.

«Thank you.» She whispered, covering his hand on her cheek with her palm.

She looked at his left hand and saw that it was bleeding. Itsuki noticed that and squeezed his hand into a fist.

«Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.» He said, pressing his forehead to hers. «It looks worse than it is.»

«I’m sorry.» Kara reached out and he allowed her to hug him, pressing her against his chest again.

«And I am sorry that I wasn’t fast enough to stop him from burning you.»

«It’s not your fault.» She smiled faintly.

He kissed her, feeling her shivering a little, and embraced her once more, before letting go.

«Never forget!» Itsuki touched her left arm, where she had her motto tattooed. «Gods favour the strong. You are strong. Don’t ever forget that, Nakano.»

«I’ll try not to. I promise.»

«I will remind you if you will.» He smiled, caressing her cheek.

«Thank you.»

«I suppose you won’t be able to sleep, so, maybe, you can join me in circling around the village while most people are still sleeping?»

Kara nodded, finding it very hard to admit what made her wake up in such a violent manner. A distraction was welcome, and she definitely needed to clear her head.

«On one condition…» she whispered, taking his left fist into her hands. «You let me bandage your wound.»

Itsuki sighed and agreed with a sad smile.

After Kara cleaned his palm and bandaged it, feeling very guilty for hurting him, she stood up, grabbing her katana. But Itsuki, rising next to her, caught her by the shoulders and embraced again.

«I love you, Nakano.» He whispered to her.

«I love you too, Inei.» Kara pressed against his chest, grateful that he was so gentle and understanding.

As they left into the chilly night, Itsuki stayed near Kara — yet he was vigilant and ready to face any demon that could appear.

Things still felt very calm — people were slowly waking up, as the sky on the horizon already began brightening. Very soon, the street was filled by people that began their usual morning routines — gathering their things and going to the fields, setting up the shopping carts to sell their goods, starting their trade and going about their business. Children appeared too — running and playing before their parents would hurry them to begin with their chores.

Kara and Itsuki studied the people closely, finding them quite mundane and not dangerous in any way. Even though her arm hurt from the burn she had suffered at night, Kara kept herself collected and tried to see everyone who lived in the village.

At some point a group of children surrounded Itsuki and Kara and ran around them, playing tag. Itsuki didn’t mind them, but Kara suddenly tensed up, as her burn began aching more than a moment before. She looked at the children, trying to figure out if it was one of them, who could have triggered it, but the children giggled and ran off, too busy with their game to notice anything.

Wincing at the pain, Kara gently rubbed her burn.

«Are you okay?» Itsuki asked, glancing at the children.

«My burn hurts again. Badly…» Kara sighed, noticing how the pain started to lessen its grasp on her injury. «I’m okay. I’ll live.»

They continued their way and spent a couple of hours investigating the village and speaking to some of the people. However, everyone seemed to be in great spirits and not knowing of anything strange happening.

Finally, they approached an old woman, who was sitting near a small shrine and looking at the children that were playing nearby.

«Hello, young ones.» She said with a small smile, greeting Itsuki and Kara. «I’ve heard there were travellers in our village. Have you come to pray at the shrine?»

«No, grandmother.» Itsuki replied. «We wanted to ask you if you have seen anything strange around here lately.»

«Oh, there’s a lot going on nowadays. Demons hunting in the forest… kitsune sighted near our village…» the old lady answered. «But who would believe an old woman like me?»

«Tell us.» Itsuki sat down next to the old woman and Kara stepped aside — towards the shrine, to examine it.

«A month ago a little girl came to our village. Before she arrived, we only had one creature living in the woods and killing deer and sometimes wolves.» The old woman started her story. «It ate all our dogs too…»

Kara did notice that this village was strangely lacking dogs or even cats.

«But after the girl came and Akiko took her in…» the old woman shook her head. «We are having more and more trouble. And a kitsune seems to be running about at night.»

«What trouble are you talking about?» Itsuki asked.

«First, our chickens began disappearing. Then Akiko’s husband fell sick and died. Now Akiko herself is sick. Our fields are infested… And the children are having nightmares almost every night.»

Kara stepped up to the shrine a little closer and noticed a small girl glancing from behind it. When the young woman approached, her burn burst with a new wave of pain, confusing her of the unusual way pain seemed to be coming and going in an unexpected manner.

Trying not to show how much pain she was in, Kara leaned in towards the girl.

«Hello, little one.» She said with a friendly smile.

«You killed Kaito!» the girl hissed quietly, surprising Kara.

Before the woman could do anything — the girl ran off, disappearing in the thicket. Puzzled at this strange encounter, Kara glanced to Itsuki and wondered if she should interrupt his conversation with the old woman. She decided to wait, cradling her aching limb and watching the thicket, where the girl seemed to be hiding.

Finally, Itsuki thanked the old woman and walked up to Kara.

«Did you find anything?» he asked her.

«A strange girl…» she replied, feeling her burn stop aching. «A very strange girl.»

«How’s your burn?»

«I’m not sure…»

«What do you mean?»

«One moment it hurts like it did when I got it, but a few moments later it’s as if nothing’s there.» Kara shrugged her shoulders, not understanding what was happening to her.

«I’ll ask one of our mystics to take a look, when they get here with Lord Ryuu.»

«Don’t bother them. I’m sure they have enough on their plate as it is.»

«Nakano, I am only worried for your well-being. If that demon poisoned you or cursed you — we need to know.»

«Fine. I’ll see the mystic.»

«Thank you.»

«Meanwhile… Can we set up someone to watch Akiko’s house?» Kara whispered to Itsuki, hoping that the girl is long gone and not listening in to their conversation.

«Oh, so you were listening!»

«More than that… I think the girl I’ve met is the girl that old woman was talking about. And this child seems… very unusual.»

«Is this that intuition of yours, or an observation?»

«She knows that we killed Kaito.»

Kara noticed Itsuki tense up in a split second. He looked in the direction the child ran off, then glanced back at Kara and nodded.

6

* * *

They found Akiko’s house and learned that the strange girl was staying there. Kara noted that every time the girl was near — the brand on her arm would start aching and burning. But whenever she left — the pain disappeared as well. This made her realise that the girl is definitely not what she wanted to seem.

When the evening came, the three shinobi followed the child into the forest, doing their best not to get noticed. At some point Kara saw, how the girl fell to all fours and, shaking off her human form, turned into a black fox with four tails. She ran off, even faster than before, but the shinobi continued their pursuit, not letting her out of their sight. There was no more doubt that this child was a young kitsune.

They used every shadow and bush to hide from her whenever she looked back to check if anyone was around, but at some point she jumped over a rock, and as soon as she landed — there were three of her!

Kara noticed Itsuki gesture at her to follow the one on the left, and as the foxes separated and ran off, the shinobi divided as well. Kara felt her brand slightly burning, as she was following her mark, but she could no longer signal her friends that they were following the illusions, and not the real kitsune.

The woman noted every place the four-tailed fox stopped, every mark she had left on the trees and stones. It seemed like the kitsune girl followed a strange path that led her all around the village. When she could, Kara cut down the marks off the trees, carrying them with her to show the mystics later, together with the position of the strange, twisted runes she took down.

The night was creeping in, but the kitsune continued her way, until she suddenly turned and noticed Kara behind.

Cursing at the cunning creature, Kara darted towards it, but the fox ran off towards the village — even faster than before. Staying on her track, the woman did not let her get away. She ran after the fox, cornering her each time. And even though the girl tried making illusions again — Kara continued following the real one, feeling the brand ache and hurt, pointing her in the right direction.

Finally, the fox tumbled and turned back into her human form, continuing her way — inside the village. Kara followed, ready to strike down the creature at first opportunity. As they ran onto the street, the girl slowed her pace and changed the expression on her face from menacing to fearful. It took only a matter of seconds, but Kara caught up and unsheathed her katana.

«Mama! Mama!» the girl suddenly tripped and fell to the ground.

Kara finally jumped up to the creature, with her katana up and ready to end the life of the little demon before her.

«Mama, help!» the girl cried out, as Kara slashed her throat, ending her life.

«Murderer!» one of the villagers screamed.

«She killed a child!» shouted another.

«Demon!» a woman shouted and the others agreed with her.

Kara looked around, realising that the villagers saw how she cut down the little kitsune. They didn’t know that the child was a demon — they thought she had killed an innocent girl!

Panicked and threatened by the surrounding people, Kara darted away, running off towards the woods. She whistled loudly to call upon her stallion, and as soon as he galloped up — she jumped into the saddle and rode off, pursued by the villagers until she managed to get away, hidden from them in the dense forest.

She didn’t know what to do — she couldn’t return to the village, and the evening was quickly turning into night. Having no way to contact Itsuki or the others, she hid in the woods and watched the village from afar, letting the other shinobi do their job. Perhaps, they will be able to convince people that she killed a kitsune, and not a human child.

She settled near the village, but stayed vigilant for any sign of trouble or one of her comrades.

The night, however, brought her only more surprises.

As the moon rose, she noticed shadows in the thicket. At first she thought that the shinobi found her, but that thought dissolved under the growing pain she started feeling in her burn.

There was no mistake anymore — the brand signalled each time something dark was near.

She forced herself to unsheathe both her katana, ready to take a stand right there and then. She might have felt vulnerable and weak, but there was nothing else to do, but to face the fight and try her best to come out of it alive and victorious.

Before engaging the first shadow, she kissed Kage and then Kurayami, as if asking them to be faithful to her.

All alone, relying on her own strength and wit, she had only one mission — to survive.

And when the first creatures approached, she took the fight — fierce, and relentless, she did not doubt herself. Itsuki’s words kept sounding in her mind, helping her find the strength and will to fight, as more and more of the creatures appeared around her.

Akuma fought by her side — kicking and biting anyone, who came close enough. But they were only two warriors against a small horde of creatures.

Weak as they were, they truly were a horde, and with each creature and ghost Kara cut down with her katana or Akuma crashed with his hooves — two more appeared, leaving them both surrounded.

Kara knew exactly what had happened and why this was happening — the brand on her arm called to these dark entities, making her a target for their insatiable thirst for her blood.

It was maddening, tiring, but she fought nonetheless, aided by her stallion, who seemed to grow more and more furious that someone was trying to hurt his first — and only — friend. Covered in scrapes and bruises, fighting for their lives… Kara and Akuma stood through the whole night until the first rays of the rising sun had chased the creatures away.

«Nakano!» Kara heard, before falling to the grass, too tired to stand on her own. The battle took all her strength and now all she wanted was to be left alone and have a little time to recuperate.

Akuma lay down next to her — tired, bruised and hurt almost as severely as she was. But he too was happy that they managed to stay alive through the night. He reached out his head to her and she caressed his cheek, happy that the stallion didn’t leave her that night.

Trying to catch her breath, Kara saw one of the shinobi and smiled at him.

«Tell master Inei I am fine.» She whispered. «But let me rest a bit right here… I’ve had a very rough night.»

She noticed how the shinobi signalled to someone, and gestured that everything is fine.

It took some time for Itsuki and Ayame to arrive, but when they did — Kara was already a bit rested and capable to tell them about everything that transpired during the night. Though they listened attentively, she could see the doubt in their eyes.

«I don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way… but you can see for yourself, if this repeats at night again.» She said, finally.

Both Spy Masters decided not to rush into conclusions, and left this matter open — for the next night to clear everything.

But for the time being, they needed to meet Lord Ryuu and his army and give their full report. One of the first things Itsuki did after they greeted Lord Ryuu and his few regiments, was ask for a couple of mystics to take a look at Kara and her burn that she received during their encounter with Kaito.

As the mystics surrounded her and started chanting some kind of a prayer, Kara felt a little irritated and wanted to leave. But she knew that she needed to stay in order for the mystics to find out what the brand was and how it could influence her in the future.

Although she already had her suspicions, the mystics came to the very same conclusions.

«It burns with demonic magic.» Said one.

«And it seems to be drawing in any type of darkness around.» Said the other. «You said you were attacked at night?»

«Yes. Multiple creatures came at me as I was hiding in the woods at night.» Kara replied. «They weren’t as strong as the creature that branded me, but there were a whole lot of them…»

«I am afraid this is the first time we see anything like this.»

«But we will do our best to try and find a way to get this off you, Nakano.» The other one said confidently.

«So for now I will have to stay clear of civilians and fight each night. Got it!» Kara replied with a smirk.

Though trying to joke, she understood the severe implications of this brand that was now on her skin. And she feared that nothing can be done about it.

She also gave the mystics the runes she had cut down from the trees when she was following the kitsune, and they recognised some of them as those that appeared sometimes when gates opened near villages.

Lord Ryuu assigned Ayame and Itsuki to remain by Kara’s side each night to aid, if the need arises. She was grateful and reluctant at the same time — she did not want her new found friends and a loved one to get hurt because she wasn’t able to keep one of the demons away from putting a Sacrifice brand onto her.

But she dared not to refuse — she feared Lord Ryuu might take it as a personal offence if she did. Having had the villagers see her murdering what they thought to be a child, she couldn’t return to the village, so she stayed back by the forest to keep an eye out for any more suspicious creatures that could still surround the land. Itsuki and Ayame offered to circle around the village with her and Kara agreed.

Akuma still needed some rest, but he didn’t want to leave her side and walked behind her, as they walked on the road that curled around the village. They didn’t notice any more problems, but that didn’t keep Kara from being tense and ready.

By the time the sun was at its highest, she felt her strength leaving her and asked to have an hour or two of rest to have at least some sleep. Ayame and Itsuki agreed and they went off the road — into the woods, there Ayame showed Kara a little meadow near a rocky hillside, where a small waterfall crashed against the stones and flowed out of the tiny pond as a spring.

Kara was grateful for this opportunity to clean up and wash all the blood and dirt off herself. So as soon as she got into the water, she felt relieved from all the pain that her body was experiencing. She hesitated putting her burn under the cool waters, though.

She did take off the bandages, feeling how badly they needed to be changed. But when she noticed the burn being dark and smeared by blood, she realised that she might have to deal with this for the rest of her life — as long as she will be capable of fighting whatever creatures will hunt her every night.

Taking a very deep breath, she lowered her right arm into the water and immediately winced from the pain. It took her a couple of moments to try and gently wash the blood and dirt from the burn.

When she raised her aching arm from the water, she felt Itsuki behind her. He knelt down and gently grasped her wrist to take a look.

«Does it still hurt?» he asked.

«Not really. It burned like hell last night, though.» Kara shrugged her shoulders and felt her shoulder blade ache. «Right now everything else hurts way worse…»

Itsuki let go of her arm and carefully made her lean a bit forward. She heard him sigh with anger.

«I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.» He said, running his fingers down a bad bruise on her back.

«Is it that bad?» she asked.

«It’ll heal…» he replied.

«Don’t beat yourself over this, Inei.» Kara sighed. «That kitsune girl tricked us all.»

«I’m going to have to learn to trust your intuition more, Nakano.»

«Have you always felt the demons near?» Ayame sat down next to them.

«I don’t know. I mean… even back in my home world I usually felt a chill run down my spine whenever there was one near — even before I could see them…» Kara replied. «But I’m not sure if it’s an intuition or just my heightened sense of self-preservation.»

«Have the mystics said anything about that?»

«No, they only spoke about the brand… why?»

«Well, perhaps you have their powers — at least, to some extent?»

«I’m not sure that’s the case, Ayame.»

«Whatever the case — we are glad you survived the night.» Itsuki stepped away for a moment and returned with some herbs and new bandages.

«I couldn’t let you down, Inei. Your words kept sounding inside my head and not letting me put my weapons down.» Kara smirked, allowing him to apply the healing herbs onto her burn and bandage the arm again.

When he finished, he gently squeezed her arm.

«I’m happy that my words found their way to you, Nakano.» He said with a smile.

He leaned down and kissed her in the temple, making Ayame giggle.

«I was wondering when you two would make it official.» She laughed.

«I wasn’t sure something like this is allowed at all.» Kara answered.

«Don’t worry. We are not prudent people.» Ayame bumped her slightly. «Only the royal family and the top aristocrats are needed to uphold some sort of secrecy in their love life. People like us are left to live freely.»

«That’s actually…» Kara leaned back, feeling her muscles ache less and less with each minute spent in the water. «A great thing to hear.»

«I told you not to worry about it.» Itsuki sat down behind her.

Kara let her eyes close and relaxed. But very soon she dozed off — she was extremely tired and needed the rest. Her friends let her stay like that for a little while, before waking her up.

«We’ve made camp.» Itsuki said. «Eat something and you can sleep a little before we continue.»

Kara got out of the water, feeling very refreshed, and dressed up. After a hot meal, she sat with her back against the rocky side of the hill and dozed off again.

By the time she woke up — the sun was already going down. Ayame and Itsuki seemed to grab a bit of sleep, with one of them always watching out for anyone out in the forest. But their rest was calm, and Kara felt much better after having this stop.

«Lord Ryuu asked me to bring you back before the night sets in. I think he wants to make sure that brand does what the mystics said.» Itsuki said to Kara, offering her some herbal tea.

Kara took a few sips before answering:

«Sure. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.»

«Lord Ryuu’s warriors are very capable.»

«Don’t worry, the meeting point is ways away from the village, so none of the civilians will be in harm’s way.» Ayame added.

After finishing the tea, they packed up the camp and left to the rendezvous point. Akuma recovered his strength and was now eager to run again with Kara on his back — he kept nudging her with his nose all the time while she was preparing the saddle and checking the bridle.

As soon as they rode off, Kara felt how great of a horse Akuma really was — he was very strong, faithful and so amazing at listening to her every move, that she was glad to have found him.

When they reached the field — Lord Ryuu and a regiment of his soldiers were already waiting for them. Five mystics were standing at the ready, chanting something around Lord Ryuu.

«The sun is setting, Nakano. Are you ready to see if our suspicions are true?» the commander said.

«Always, Lord Ryuu.» Kara jumped from Akuma. «I’d take the horses to a safe place, though…»

Lord Ryuu shouted a short command, but when a samurai stepped up to Akuma, the stallion snorted angrily at the man.

Kara caught the horse’s head and pressed her forehead against his nose.

«Akuma, please. I don’t want you to get hurt. Let this man take you somewhere safe. And I will see you in the morning, I promise.»

The stallion snorted again, hitting his front hoof on the ground, but stepped to the man, allowing him to grab the reins and nervously lead him away.

«Can I offer you some tea, while we wait?» Lord Ryuu proposed, and the Spy Masters agreed by slightly bowing to him. Kara did the same, finding it better to have some kind of a distraction before the possible battle.

They sat down in the middle of the field, surrounded by nearly a hundred men that stood some distance away. Two servants served them tea and once they were left alone, Lord Ryuu looked at Kara with a stern expression.

«The villagers told me you killed a child.» He said.

«It was not a child, my lord. It was a kitsune. A shapeshifter. It tricked the people into believing it was a small girl.» Kara replied.

«So my mystics said.» The commander nodded. «They also found a couple of stones on the girl, marked by demon runes.»

«I believe the creature Kaito, who we killed and the kitsune girl were working together and were trying to open the gates that you were warned about.» Itsuki said, glancing at Ayame.

«The girl did know that Kaito was dead, before any of the villagers even realised the man who they knew as Kaito went missing.» Ayame added.

«Have you, or your men seen any more creatures around?» Lord Ryuu asked, sipping his tea.

«No. We believe there were only two of them…»

«At least, if we are not taking into account the smaller demons that attacked Nakano last night.» Itsuki nodded.

«We will hope that tonight will be calm and the danger has passed.»

Kara suddenly felt her arm warm up where the brand was located. She glanced around, tense and vigilant for any signs of creatures that might appear. It was still dusk, but even though many of Lord Ryuu’s men lit torches, the field was quickly turning dark.

Before anyone noticed this change in Kara’s stance, a sudden chill running down her spine made her jump to her feet. As she looked around, noticing a faint bit of shadows appearing behind Lord Ryuu’s men, Itsuki, Ayame and Lord Ryuu rose as well.

«They’re coming…» Kara whispered, unsheathing her katana.

In a matter of seconds the men began shouting and getting their weapons ready.

But the shadows that flew from the surrounding forest ignored them and headed straight at Kara.

«I think that if you don’t engage — they will ignore you!» Kara jumped away from Lord Ryuu and her friends, and then ran off to face the first few ghostly figures, that were screeching and howling from anticipation.

The creatures surrounded her, trying to pass her blades, but she was already swirling in her deadly dance, slicing their ethereal bodies and killing them as they approached.

She remembered the previous night, when she was alone and fighting for her life. She used less force this time, and she saw that all of the men around her were engaging the fight as well — first it was Lord Ryuu, Itsuki and Ayame, then the others joined in, getting to some of the passing creatures.

Very soon the whole field was engaged in battle — moaning and groaning ghosts, shadow-like slithering creatures and smaller demons that flew from the skies were fighting the people in a fierce battle for their lives.

Kara noticed how some of the men suddenly froze and turned to their comrades, stepping to hit those who were fighting alongside them. Then she saw how one of the ghostly creatures entered a man and took over him, making him its vessel.

«Don’t let them get inside you!» she screamed, fearing that the creatures that will find themselves human vessels can do much more damage than those without.

Her brand ached and pulsated with each wave of enemies she took upon, but she started to ignore the pain, channelling it towards anger and the will to cut, slice and kill anyone who approached her with ill intent.

At some moment she found herself standing back to back with Itsuki — he cleared his way to help her and as they battled the creatures, they seemed to feel each other’s moves, turning into a tandem of two warriors, eager to take on anything that comes up.

Unlike the previous night, this time the angry screams of the demonic creatures summoned more and more enemies, as Kara was not alone. But no matter how many there were — they couldn’t get to her.

As the first light scattered the remaining creatures from the field — the people left there emerged victorious.

«That was a great fight, Nakano!» Lord Ryuu walked up and slapped her on the shoulder, as she was catching her breath.

Even though the fight seemed over, Kara glanced around, trying to feel out if anyone among the men could still have the ghostly entities inside. For the moment everyone seemed fine.

«I can’t put you in harm’s way, Lord Ryuu.» Kara said, looking at Itsuki and Ayame. «These creatures are weak, but at some point the brand will call upon someone much stronger.»

«And we will face it together!» he replied, smiling. «Gather the men! We’re returning!»

Kara dared not to argue.

* * *

Though Lord Ryuu offered her his help in battling the demonic creatures every night, Kara decided not to keep the people in the castle in harm’s way.

On the third night she sneaked out beyond the walls and hid in the forest, battling the creatures on her own. And after that — she continued disappearing from the castle, not letting anyone know where she was — she was too scared for everyone else.

It was her burden — and hers alone. No one else needed to be hurt because of it.

Itsuki knew that she was running from the castle each night, but she managed to avoid him every time — and the other shinobi as well. Fortunately, she already knew a lot about their methods and how they could pursue her, and that gave her advantage.

Ayame was worried that Kara was doing this, but she respected her friend, and though she was always ready to help — she did not push and force Kara to accept it.

Kara, on the other hand, felt more in control, when she didn’t have to watch others around her. It made her fights easier and less stressful.

It became something of a habit — changing her timing and ways to leave, so Kara became quite confident whenever she left the castle. As she did on the nights before, she escaped from her friends and swiftly got over one of the walls — unseen by a single guard. She disappeared in the dusk before the night even started darkening the shadows among the trees. Kara went to her favourite place — a big meadow where she had enough space to fight and see the approaching danger.

She got ready as soon as her brand started burning with pain. But this time it was different. She felt the pain rise from its usual waves to a much higher level — at some point Kara felt shivers running down her spine, as the pain increased and made it extremely difficult to handle the katana.

Clenching her jaws together, Kara noticed two Greater demons come out into the meadow — the smaller creatures darted away, fearful to get in their way, leaving Kara face-to-face with the two disgusting demons that approached.

Kara jumped to the first one, not even giving the snake-like creature the time to curl up for a strike. The first few hits that Kara landed on its body were the last — the demon tripped and fell to the grass, already gasping for the last breath with a throat cut from the chin down to the sternum.

But the second one was much faster.

«You are mine!» Kara heard a deep, rumbling voice and a heavy blow sent her flying for a few seconds and tumbling on the ground.

She must have passed out for a couple of moments, because when she came to her senses, she was half-naked, and caught in a hot, lustful embrace. Through the mist in her eyes she saw Itsuki. He lay on top of her — caressing and kissing her body. But something felt different. He was too forceful, harsh and impatient.

Kara tried to move, but he pinned her to the ground.

«No!» he growled in a very low manner.

She suddenly realized that her right arm was burning with pain and screamed out in anger and realization. This man on top of her — it wasn’t Itsuki!

«Get off me!» she screamed, arching her back and trying to throw the man off, but he was too strong and too heavy. It felt like he was supposed to be at least three times as heavy as Itsuki!

«You are mine!» the demon growled, leaning in to force a kiss on her lips.

Kara didn’t let him come close — instead she hit him in the nose with her head and bit down on his neck, feeling his flesh give in under her teeth. The demon roared loudly, darting away from her, and throwing her to the side.

The young woman spit out a piece of flesh of the beast and jumped to her feet.

«You whore!» screamed the demon, changing from his human form into his own.

Seeing the giant Greater Demon and realising that she was unarmed, Kara frantically glanced around in search of her weapons. She noticed one of her katana by the demon’s feet, but the second one was nowhere to be seen.

«I will kill you!» the demon roared. «But not before I rape you bloody!»

Kara saw the black oily blood pouring down from his neck, where she tore off a piece of his flesh, and grinned:

«I will tear you bit by bit with my bare hands and teeth before you do that!»

Suddenly a shadow flew out of the nearby trees from behind the demon and landed on its back. The demon screamed out in pain and anger, and started thrashing around, trying to throw off his attacker.

Kara realised that it was Inei, who shoved his katana deep into the demon’s back, using his opportunity while the demon was concentrated at Kara. For her it meant that she could dart towards the fight and try and retrieve her katana — having at least one weapon, she could help Itsuki — the real Itsuki! — to take down the demon.

Inei seemed furious — he cut and hit the demon, while it was thrashing. Again and again the shinobi was landing more and more blows on the beast. Even before Kara jumped in to help and began slicing the demon’s legs and arms, Inei managed to cause a great deal of damage, growling louder and louder with each hit he landed onto the beast.

Finally, Kara managed to come close enough to cut across the demon’s belly, letting out his hot, steaming entrails onto the ground. It took a few moments for the beast to realise its demise, before it twitched for the last time and fell to the ground lifeless.

Kara, shaking and shocked, stepped back, trying to cover her half-naked body with whatever clothes she had left. By the time she covered herself up a bit, she saw Itsuki walking up to her. His eyes burned with anger, but he stepped up to her and embraced her — gently and lovingly.

«Did he…?» the man asked.

«No. I didn’t let him.» Kara replied, still feeling the salty, oily aftertaste of the demon’s blood on her lips.

«My deadly flower bites.» Itsuki kissed her forehead, and Kara relaxed from his warm touch.

«Help me find my katana, please.» Kara sighed, realizing that she was still missing one of her weapons.

Together they searched the field and managed to find the katana in no time. For a couple of moments Kara got distracted by the sunrise that turned the skies to a beautiful set of colours from bright orange to pale violet. She stood there, watching the sun rising and thought about how badly things could have turned, if she wouldn’t have fought back.

«Who did he look like?» Itsuki asked, taking her hand to show that he was close.

Kara took a moment to reply, wiping the demon’s blood off her face:

«You. He took your form, Itsuki… He thought I wouldn’t notice the difference.»

He embraced her once more with a heavy sigh.

«Don’t dare say that you’re sorry you weren’t here!» Kara whispered. «Because you were! You came just in time!»

«Why do you leave every night, Nakano? You would be much safer with us at your back.»

«I don’t want people to get hurt because of me. I leave, so that no one else will die.»

Itsuki kept silent for a moment, then gently touched her chin and lifted her head to make her look at him. When she did, he leaned in and kissed her lips.

«You care for others more than yourself.» He said. «I admire this trait in you. However much you say that you don’t really like people, you sure try your best to keep them safe. Even if it’s at the expense of your own well-being.»

«I’m capable of withstanding more than others.» Kara replied with an awkward smile. «Even if sometimes I forget about it…»

«You have to start accepting help every now and again, though.»

Kara sighed heavily.

«I know, Itsuki.» She said. «But accepting someone’s help means accepting the possibility they will come to harm…»

«Oh, my deadly flower…» Itsuki hugged her with a smile on his face. «Do you really have so little faith in me?»

Kara couldn’t tell him the truth — she never had anyone by her side to trust and have faith in. She lived all her life relying only on herself and the relationship that bloomed between her and Itsuki was a first to her. She did have an occasional lover back home, but never something this deep of a connection.

Suddenly, Itsuki frowned and pressed his forehead to hers:

«Or have you never had anyone by your side at all?»

Even though he smiled, Kara felt fear crawl into her heart.

«Is that what’s it all about?» Itsuki asked. «You’ve never had anyone?»

«I’ve had lovers. They never stayed for too long.» She finally admitted. «I’ve never…»

Her voice gave out and she couldn’t understand why. Perhaps, because she was afraid that he would also leave her?

«Are you afraid you would lose me?» Itsuki gasped is a sudden burst of realisation.

He did not even wait for her response — he simply embraced her closely. Kara didn’t know if he did it to help her feel his warmth, or to make her understand that she was no longer alone and there was no need to be afraid anymore.

Kara stayed silent, soaking in this moment.

7

* * *

«It has come to my attention that you have been fleeing the castle every night, Nakano.» Lord Ryuu definitely didn’t sound like it, but Kara still felt his anger.

«I am sorry, Lord Ryuu… I can’t have your people risk their lives for me.» Kara didn’t even want to raise her head bowing low before him.

The man grunted and commanded her to look at him. But when she rose to look up, he slapped her on the face, throwing her to the floor.

«This is for defying your lord’s wishes.» Lord Ryuu said firmly. «And this is for the bravery that is worth praising.»

When Kara looked up, she saw a box next to him.

«If you’ll be facing the demons by yourself, have this to aid you at least.» Lord Ryuu said. «Take it and go. You have a few hours of sunlight still. My men will no longer stop you if you wish to leave the castle each night.»

Without a word, Kara bowed again, took the box and left, feeling that for some reason Lord Ryuu trusted in her wish not to get his people falling prey to the demons. Perhaps, he finally realised that losing a few men every now and again was far worse than letting her try and fight her battles alone. Or, maybe, he knew that this would help her grow even stronger.

As she exited the hall, she noticed a terrified glance Itsuki gave her.

«Inei!» Lord Ryuu shouted, and Itsuki ran inside, having no time to confront Kara about what had happened.

Kara went straight to her rooms, realising she had very little time to get ready and look at the gift Lord Ryuu gave her, even though she obviously offended him.

As soon as she was alone, she opened the box and found a set of arm and leg armour — it was black in colour, but had some kind of runes engraved in each part. Among the pieces of armour she noticed a scroll. Kara read it, understanding that the armour was imbued with defensive magic — specifically for battles against demons.

It was an amazing gift and much needed one — even if it was not a full samurai set of armour, but only pieces that shinobi used sometimes. For a couple of moments Kara once again thought why she was given such an honour. But then she sighed, remembering Itsuki’s words.

She shook her head and smiled, taking the armour out and having a closer look at it. Deciding that it was time for her to get ready for the night, she began taking off her haorihakama, not taking her eyes off the gift.

When she changed into her shinobi clothing and began putting on the armour, she felt someone enter her room and glanced without giving out that she knew that someone came in.

«Lord Ryuu is really impressed by you, my deadly flower.» Itsuki walked up and gently embraced her from behind. «Such gifts can become a source of jealousy among other warriors of the castle.»

«Then, perhaps, they should double or even triple their effort in becoming worthy?» Kara replied, weighing the feeling of the bracer on her right arm.

She heard a smirk and let Itsuki press her against his chest.

«I was given a very important assignment.» Itsuki said.

«Oh?»

«I am to leave tonight.»

«Please be careful.» Kara sighed.

«Always, my love.» Itsuki kissed her neck. «But why are you so sad?»

«I will miss you.»

He chuckled, sending a warm sensation down her neck.

«How can you miss me, if we will be together?» he said. «You are my assignment.»

«What?»

«Lord Ryuu ordered me to stay by your side each night and help if you need it. He particularly made it clear that I should not engage unless absolutely necessary.» Itsuki replied, kissing her again. «He wants to know how strong you can become. And he also needs all the information about the creatures that I will be able to gather.»

«Oh.» Kara froze for a second, then gently freed herself from his embrace and turned to face him. «Are you up for the task in seeing me battle all night long?»

Itsuki cupped her cheek with his right palm and smiled.

«I take pleasure in seeing your deadly dance, Nakano. I promised to my lord not to engage if you don’t require my help. I too want to know how far you can grow in your skill. And I will need to report to Lord Ryuu on how many demons and creatures you cut down each night. Plus… I want to see how well your new armour keeps you safe.»

«I never wore such armour. I’m not even sure if I put it on as it should be…»

Instead of replying, Itsuki began checking each part she put on and tightened some of the straps to make sure the armour is placed right. A few moments later he nodded and smiled again:

«May it serve you well, Nakano.»

«Thank you.» Kara looked into his eyes and sighed. «Have you already figured out that my name is not Mariko?»

«Long ago, my deadly flower. But we all know that if you chose to tell another name — you were either looking for a new life, or lying. You were definitely not lying. Hence, we knew you were only turning a new leaf.»

Kara looked away, feeling guilty.

«We do not care about what lay in the past. If you want to be Mariko or Nakano, then so may it be.» Itsuki said.

«And you don’t even want to know my birth name?»

«I will not ask of you something you don’t want to share. That goes for that name of yours as well. To me you will always be my deadly flower, my Nakano.»

«Then I no longer need that name.»

«No, you don’t Nakano.» Itsuki embraced her with a smile on his lips.

* * *