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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…»