Rebel Encounter

Here is the second chapter! Chapter three is done as well, I\'ll just wait for responses for the first two. And Cac, don\'t worry, I\'m not done with Yume\'s story yet!

Chapter 2

The sounds of the summer locusts woke Yume from her slumber. Opening her eyes she stared into a ceiling she didn’t recognize. She looked to the open door, and felt panic begin to set in. There was a garden with a koi pond she didn’t recognize. She worried even more when she sat up to discover her naked body covered in nothing but a light sheet. She pulled the sheet closer, and noticed bandages covering not only her arms, but her hands as well. The bandages over her fingers were crusty with dried blood. Yume made a move to stand up, but her feet would not hold her weight, and she tumbled to the floor. Turning her body, she used her shoulder to take the brunt of the fall.

Looking around her surroundings, she saw walls decorated with dragons weaving in and out of clouds, and cherry blossoms dancing in a fake breeze. She looked at herself again, completely uncovered. There were more bandages on her feet and wrapped around her thighs and midsection. ‘What the hell happened to me?’ she thought. Using her elbows she crawled toward the small dresser, pulling her body across the hardwood floor. Sitting up on her knees, she opened the bottom drawer to find a short kimono, black with a red silk lining.

Making her way outside the door to the outer walkway, she settled against a column. Closing her eyes, a gust of summer wind moved through her hair, and she contemplated about recent events. Yume remembered the night the chief came to visit, but this time it wasn’t scheduled. Even the Yakuza bouncers couldn’t stop him from dragging her into the muddy street. Tying her hands and feet, she was thrown into a police wagon and taken away from the home and life she had made for herself. The chief rode with her, kicking her in the stomach every time she asked a question. Yume realized quickly her questions were not going to get answered, so she quieted down.

The un-pleasantries continued once she was inside the station. She was chained face first against the wall by her wrists and ankles. The room was dark; the only light coming in was when the door was opened. She couldn’t see who had come in, and didn’t get the chance when a hand grabbed her head and pushed her face into the wall. Hot breath against her ear confirmed why she was here. “Where is he?” the voice asked.

“What are you talking about?” Yume asked. The hand removed itself from her head only to grab her neckline and rip her yukata down the back. “I’ll ask you again, and I hope for the sake of your body that you answer me. Where is he?” This time she knew it was the police chief, her former lover turned tormentor. He was now in her line of sight, a look of disgust on his face. “Chief Nanaka, in my line of work I come across a vast number of men. You are going to have to be more specific about who ‘he’ is,” she responded, spitting the words into his face.

A stick of bamboo cracked against her back, and she screamed from the pain.
She remembered that was only the beginning, that the interrogation continued into the daylight hours. She wasn’t actually sure of the timeframe, but when the chief finally ceased his all-out assault on her body, more light poured from the doorway. Not only had he bled her back and legs with the bamboo, he cut the bottoms of her feet and slashed her arms. The final assault came when he released her from the shackles, and ravaged her bleeding body on the dirt floor. She realized now that this was how her fingers got bloody, from clawing this man’s flesh, breaking her nails in his skin. ‘I hope he’ll keep those scars,’ she thought. She had no other memories after watching him go out the door; her body and mind succumbed under the pain of betrayal and loss of blood.

Opening her eyes she caught the smell of food in the wind. Footsteps moved toward her. A shapely woman with a tray rounded the corner, and nearly dropped it when she spotted Yume out of her room. “You should not be outside!” she stated, rushing to Yume’s side. “I have brought you some meat to give you strength. Wait here and I’ll get the master!” And with that she was gone as quickly as she came. Yume stared at the fish, but couldn’t coordinate her hands well enough to pick up the tray.

A heavier set of footsteps moved her way. “I told you to send her back to bed!” came a voice from around the corner. She only had a moment of recognition before her memories came flooding back. ‘It’s all right, we’ll care for you now…’ she remembered hearing in her feverish dreams. A hint of fear showed in her eyes as she watched the man approaching. He was different this time, no ninja gear or mask to hide his face. His hair was long and free, his yukata hanging loose against his figure. Her rebel….

Yume wanted to run, but she couldn’t will herself to move. Swiftly he bent over and scooped her into his arms. He continued walking toward a gated area when the woman from before came up behind him. “Sir! She needs to eat! She’ll never regain her strength if she doesn’t!” she yelled. He continued his stride until he reached the gate. “She needs to bathe and have her dressings changed. I will bring her back shortly,” he said, passing through the gate and locking it behind him. Yume pulled her head away from his chest to see they were in an outdoor spring. She immediately began to squirm against his grip.

“Stop it!” he yelled. “You’ve got nothing to hide from me, remember? Now sit still and let me care for you. It’s the least I can do with the help you have provided me.” With that he set Yume on a stool, and proceeded to pull the kimono from her body. Her skin immediately warmed to the sun that it had been denied for so long. (She was never allowed to leave the brothel, not until all of her family’s debts were paid.) Looking to the side, she saw her rebel begin to strip away her bandages. She cringed when he got to her feet, dried blood pulling away with the used bandage. With the bandages discarded, he piled her hair high on her head, and secured it with a ribbon.

The bathing session was quick. He was gentle with her tender areas, which seemed to cover the entirety of her body. When he was finished, he untied her hair and washed it as well. His fingers felt wonderful massaging her scalp, and she thought for a moment that she might fall asleep. But the sensations finally ended, and she got a chill from the breeze blowing over her damp body. She heard some rustling behind her, and before she knew what was happening, he picked her up again and made his way to the spring. Feeling his bare skin against her flesh, she realized she wasn’t going into the water alone.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked. He stepped into the spring, easing both of their bodies into the water. The heated water rushing into her wounds caused her to suck in a breath. “Stop making a fuss,” he said. “I don’t want anything to happen to you while you are in my care.” He settled her body on a rock in the shade. “The minerals in this water will help speed your healing. I’m staying with you so you don’t fall asleep and drown. Those were the doctor’s orders.” “When did I see a doctor?” she asked.

Sitting himself next to her, he said, “I had a friend of mine tend to you. When I first found you, I thought you were dead.” Yume looked next to her to find a man deep in thought, his eyes closed and his head bowed. “Where…where did you find me?” she asked, feeling a tear leave her eye. “I came to pay back that promise I made,” he said, looking to the sky. “When I arrived, I found your body outside, naked and bloody under the awning. The bouncers at the door wouldn’t answer my questions, said that you were ‘no longer their concern’. I put you in my carriage and brought you back to my home. I want to know who did this to you. Was this about our encounter?”


Yume sniffled, not able to hold back her tears. “He kept asking me where you were. I couldn’t answer him. You see what a lack of answers got me. How could I tell him where you were? I don’t even know your name!” She started crying harder, not because she was sad, but because that was all she could do with her anger at this time. Careful of her wounds, he reached his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. She settled against him, and realized he was still wearing his undergarments. Shocked, she looked up into his face. “What?” he asked. “You thought I would take advantage of you like this?” Yume laughed, heat rushing to her face. “No, but I think the heat is getting to me. Can we get out now?” He nodded, picking her up and carrying her out of the water.

After a bandaging session, he returned her to the room she occupied. He fed her the fish from the tray, and helped her drink her tea. He helped her lie back and get comfortable on the futon. “I want you to know you can stay here as long as you like. I owe you a debt that I may never be able to pay. Consider this your new home,” he said, getting up from his seat. “Wait, what do you plan to do?” she said, reaching for him. He bent down and kissed her hand. “I need to have a talk with my subordinate,” he stated, and rose to leave. Yume stared at him in disbelief. “Your what? Then that means…” she couldn’t say anymore. Sleep was setting in. ‘Damn it, he drugged my tea!’ she thought to herself. He turned one last time before departing. “Yes, I am his commanding officer.” With that he slid her door closed. Closing her lids, Yume had one last thought before slipping into a long slumber. ‘Damn it! I still didn’t get his name…”