Alone In The Dark

"Where the hell are they?"

Kanasagi asked us as if we knew. He was the one supposed to be in charge so why was he asking us where they were supposed to be?

"How should we know? Didn’t you send a scout out to search the area?"

I, Shinma of the Royal Guard, asked.

"Yes but he never returned."

"He was killed?"

a younger soldier asked.

A woman’s scream came from the forest. I stood up reaching for my Giant Axe, Eternity, knowing Kanasagi was going to send me out to retrieve what ever had made the sound.

"Shin–"

Kanasagi let out before I interrupted him.

"Yes Sir."

I said and made my way through the forest.

I walked steadily making sure my armor didn’t clang together creating too much noise for the enemy to hear me. There wasa rampage of footsteps coming towards me, I shadowed myself behind a tree to await its arrival. Moments later I saw the woman run past me, followed by three grueling men armed with swords. As the run past I stepped out and began to follow their howls.

The woman ran herself into a shallow cave, cornering herself.

"Please, please don’t hurt me. I’ll give you whatever you want just don’t take my life from me."

she begged as I came up behind the men.

"Oh, you’ll give us what we want."

one of the men said as he approached her, he
placed his sword lightly between her breasts. As he began to slide the sword down her shirt I stepped into the cave.

"Miss, get down."

I gave everyone the knowledge of my arrival.
Two men near the entrance of the cave charged me. I took them both out with one swing of Eternity, decapitating them both. Their bodies fell lifeless with a clang of metal and stone as their heads rolled towards my feet. I averted the final mans attention to me with the kick of his comrads severed head.

Placing Eternity in the ground by its gigantic blade, I drew my sword.

"Let the woman go."

I said dragging the tip of my sword on the ground as I approached him. The cave lit up with each spark as the sound of metal and rock ground through the air.

He turned to me, sword ready. A maniacal smirk fell across my face as I dashed at him swiftly getting close enough to attack. In a few seconds I stood covered in blood, yet he remained standing tall his sword above his head as if to attack. After I wiped my sword of blood the man exploded into
thousands of small pieces and the woman was accidentally drenched in blood.

She threw herself against me, in tears yet not tears of sadness. She cried only the joyful tears of living, I dropped my sword and grasped her tightly. I felt her right hand slide down to her side and suddenly there was a sharp pain in my stomach. I pushed her from me and fell to my knees holding myself.

"Treacherous witch."

I grumbled reaching for my sword. She placed her hand on
the back of my head grabbing my hair and snatching my head back, exposing my neck. She slid the knife to my neck.

"And you call yourself a Royal Guard?"

she said as she was about to slit my throat, yet she was greeted by my sword in her solar plexus. As I stood she
gasped for air and fell backwards letting go of my hair. I went to wipe my sword of blood again yet I couldn’t, I could not take the life of a woman.

"Death comes to us all, if you don’t remember anything, remember that."

my mother said to me.

"Why mommy?"

"And remember that I always loved you, you are very–"

she gasped for air,

"Very special, gifted. Let lo–"

she never finished what she’d tried to say.

Memories returned to me as I decided the fate of the foul creature before me.

"Do you wish to die, witch?"

She continued to gasp for air yet she managed to shake her head no.

"Are you of an ally of my enemy?"

She managed to nod her head yes.

"Where are they?"

"Hi– dd– en"

she said between gasps for air.

"You shall die here but not of my sword."

I said as her gasping seemed to slow
and elongate. I stood there and watched her as she eventually died from suffocation. I turned away from her and wiped my sword, her body vanished, I went to retrieve Eternity and went back to our camp outside the forest edge.

"What have you found?"

Kanasagi asked upon my return.

"The woman was a ninja."

"She was of our enemy?"

"Yes, she spoke of the enemy being hidden."

"In the forest?"

"Possibly."

"Shall we enter the forest?"

"You are our leader, so why are you asking this of me?"

"You know where the enemy lies and of the dangers of attacking them now."

"Do as you wish."

Kanasagi turned from me and went to gather our troops to enter the forest. As he did we were ambushed, many of our troops were lost as the Ninjas ran their path of destruction. I stood Eternity in the ground by its blade and fought many with
my sword yet it was not enough to win the battle. As all seemed to calm there were twelve men standing around me, seeming to be frozen still. As I wiped my swords blade, they all seemed to fall dead. I went to find survivors.

There was Kanasagi, and a young female ninja.

"Should we take her in?"

Kanasagi asked, I don’t know why he always asked me what to do when he was the leader but I answered him.

"Are you wishing that we leave her here for death?"

"Well, why have remorse for the enemy?"

"Because the heart of a woman is pure in intention and unharmful even though her
blade maybe deadly."

"You speak true words yet I don’t know if it is the right thing to do, yet I hold no leaders position any longer not that I had deserved this position."

"Who else would have this position?"

"Who do I always ask what to do, and why we should do it?"

I dropped to my knees, "I shall not relieve you of your pos–"

"Who are you two?"

she asked standing holding the left side of her small frame.
She was almost completely naked and covered in blood?

I stood, "Why are you not of armor?"

"No, Shinma, you’ll make her cover."

Kanasagi answered.

"Well, I need to wash my wounds and I can’t do that with my armor on."

she returned.

"I see, well there is a spring deep in the forest."

I said to her, our eyes never lifting from one another.

"She is enchanting is she not."

Kanasagi answered, yet I returned not an answer.

"Well are you going to just stare or are you going to take me to the spring."

I sheathed my sword and put Eternity in a strap on my back and pulled her affront me, "Walk in front of me."

"You wanna look from behind?"

she said smiling at me as her slender plentiful body wandered its way affront me. It took awhile but eventually we got to the spring.

"Here you are."

I said to her.

"Are we going to get in with her, because I could use a bath."

Kanasagi whispered to me.

"You can if you want, you’ve already seen me."

she answered him. I turned my back to the both of them, because I knew what was next. I began to walk away, I could feel their eyes following me.

"Where are–"

Kanasagi asked.

"Don’t worry about him, it’s just me and you. Hurry up and take off that armor and get down here."

she said looking at him seductively. I stopped in a naked patch of wood and stared up at the moon, taking down the
heavy Eternity from my back and digging it into the ground by the hilt. I relieved myself of my armor and sword. The blood from where the woman stabbed me had grown dry and stuck to my skin. It hurt, but I ignored it. I sat there listening to the lulling sound of the wind and the beauty of the full moon’s
light. I leaned back with my hands behind my head, I watched and waited for the moon to rock me to sleep.


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"What is your name?"

Kanasagi asked her.

"Miko-san, Miko Tousuragi of the Village of the Black Tiger, and you are?"

"Kanasagi Hirohito of the Imperial Order."

"Who was the other man?"

"Who, Shinma?"

"The only other man that was with us you idiot of the order."

she teased.

"That was Shinma Tokumaru, no one knows where he is from, he just showed up at the start of the war, he is the best we have. Though there is something of him that does not fit."

"What is it?"

"You’ve notice how big and how long the moon has been out lately, well that all started when he came to us."

"The moon hasn’t fallen since Shinma-san has been here? Is he of this world?"

a fear struck in her.

"Possibly, but the King hasn’t given us orders to do anything with him yet, although I fear after the war we will be ordered to kill him."

"Is he that much of a threat?"

"Maybe to the King."

"Have you done you’re deed yet?"

an unknown voice came from the shadows.

"Who are you?"

Miko asked.

"A being of the shadow, yet not of the ninjas."

"Shinma?"

Kanasagi asked.

"Not of me."

"Who then?"

Miko asked again.

"Togaru."

"Where is Shinma?"

Kanasagi asked, and the being pointed at itself.