Note: There will be four prologues to introduce each character.
Enjoy!
Prologue - The Awakening (Part 1)
SAYAKA -- The Water Samurai
A woman with a strong structure. Sharp eyes, defined jawline, finely sculpted muscle. A goddess with exceptional beauty beyond compare, and a warrior with a heart that could never waver.
She was the Samurai Princess of the Water Element, "Kai." She was smart and very precise with her movements of the sword, and never lost her target. She never lost her cool and was, in a way, very manly.
However, when she did not fight, she had a family of her own to take care of and protect.
Brave yet kind, strong yet caring, the epitome of the Samurai and a Princess at heart, even though she wasn't born in royalty.
Now, in Okinawa, her newest incarnation rules as the head Samurai to the Imperial Palace. And, yes, once again, she was the only girl, but some could barely tell from her masculine complex.
Her name; Sayaka Akimoto.
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Sayaka Akimoto's POVI unsheathed my sword as my opponents circled around me. As my eyes closed, I centered my energy and released all my tension.
"Maeru."
As they approached me, I gripped my sword tight and started my attack.
I stopped one sword with just the tip of my blade and threw it into the air, causing it to fly in the air and land on the ground. Spinning around, I blocked off my opponents attacks and stopped him in his tracks.
I heard a yell from behind and quickly turned the man around to knock the two of them to the ground.
"You're going to have to be a bit faster for me..." I chuckled under my breath.
I turned my head and saw one last opponent standing behind me, his sword tightly held in his hands.
Only one left...I was ready to attack, when...
*CLAP*When I looked, I saw General Takahashi leaning against the wall, slowly clapping her hands. She had a slight grin on her face and she hid her eyes under that hat of hers.
"Very well down, as usual, Akimoto."
"General..."
"No wonder the title of 'Leader Samurai' goes to you." she smiled as her hand waved off my last opponent and walked towards me.
"Thank you very much for your compliment." I answered as I bowed to her and sheathed my sword.
"Don't be so stiff to me, Akimoto." laughed off the General and pat my shoulder. "Come, let's have some tea in my office."
She headed me off from the open ground towards the corridors before eventually arrived at her office. She pointed me to sit as her other hand waved off the servants to get some tea.
"So.." began General Takahashi as she sat followed by me. "I've been wondering about who's going to replace me one day if I were to retire. And it seems I found it.." she smiled towards me before sipping her tea. "You are the perfect candidate for it, Akimoto."
"You praised me to much, General." I bowed again before sipping my warm tea.
"Hey, you deserved it." she said lightly before sipping her tea again. "But now, I have a mission for you." she put down her cup and the look on her face suddenly went serious.
I automatically also put down my cup and edged closer.
"There have recently been some disappearances in Okinawa. And not just that, but there have been many killings and animal attacks in certain sections of Japan." She unraveled a map and pinpointed some areas where the attacks took place. "It started out small, but eventually, local security couldn't even take care of things."
"So you want me to check it out."
"I'll alert the other palaces to be on high guard. I want you on patrol tonight."
"Of course." I bowed down in front of her and took the map in my pocket.
"You will leave tomorrow morning and send me reports from your hawk. We can contact each other with that." said General Takahashi. I turned and about to head out when suddenly she called me again, "Akimoto. Whatever is going to happen, I'm here for you." she said all the sudden.
"Yes ma'm." I saluted to her and threw one of my rarest smile before heading out of her room.
Then I remembered that I left my gauntlets in the office, I cursed lowly and turned back to the office. The office door wasn't closed properly and before I could knock on it, the voice of General was heard from the room.
"Are you sure she's the one?" asked General's voice sounded anxious.
"Takamina, how many times I heave to say it again to be clear?" asked another voice. My eyes widened, it was the sound of Kojima Haruna, the Imperial Fortune Teller. "Something is going to happen to her tomorrow!"
"Is it good or bad?" asked the General again.
"I don't know, my concern is right now is that whether you've told her or not." answered Kojima.
"I haven't." answered Takamina.
"Takamina!!" scolded Kojima. "Now how is she suppose to know her real fate then if something were to happen to her tomorrow? Akimoto Sayaka's real fate as one of the Legendary Samurai Princ-"
"Shhhhh!" I heard the General hushed. "We can't talk about it out loud here!" she whispered angrily. "Someone is listening to us."
My eyes widened wider realizing that the General might heard me. I rolled behind to one of the stone pillars nearby and made it just in time before the General blasted the door open. I froze and dared not to breathe nor to peek. The General is known very well for her sharp eyes and hearing abilities, I prayed silently so she won't hear me. But luckily, she doesn't. And Kojima was on the time to leave.
"Fine, I'll tell her tonight!" said the General in the tone of defeat.
"You better, Takamina." warned Kojima before she left. The General took a deep breath and walked back in with the door closed behind her. I sat there in silence, thinking what I heard before. The General was hiding something from me and so is Kojima. I took a deep breath and rethought about what I heard so far, something about "Legendary Samurai."
"I'll find it out later.." I whispered to myself and stood up from my hiding spot. My gauntlets can wait, because I knew now it's not the best time for me to visit General Takahashi.
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That night, I was circling the grounds as I kept guard of the palace entrance. My eyes darted around, keeping good watch, and every sound I heard made me more alert.
Looking out of the corner of my eye, I saw some kind of shadow move quickly from the darkness.
"Who's there?!" I ran in the direction it went and saw strange footprints on the ground.
The grass was burnt, smoking, as if it was hit with acid, and there was this black blood-like liquid staining the grass like ink.
What could've done this?I heard a growl from my right and saw the shadow move once more, into the palace.
"Stop!"
I hurried and found the footsteps leading to the training room. I slowly approached the end of the black stained path, and it disappeared right at the entrance to the room. Taking slow, careful steps, I looked around to try and find the creature invading.
As I stopped in the center of the room, I looked carefully and didn't see any black ink anywhere.
Then, I felt my foot step on something round. I looked down and saw a small, blue orb on the ground. I knelt down to pick it up, then, an amazing shock of wind was released and the energy around the room changed.
I unsheathed my sword to protect myself and was about to slice the orb, but as the tip of the blade touched it, it glowed brightly and the orb's light wrapped around my blade. It started vibrating madly in my grip, and in my panic, I shut my eyes tight and quickly closed it back and everything went back to normal.
As my eyes opened back up, I saw that my sword's cover had changed from normal. As I took it off and revealed the metal blade, I saw these strange markings carved into it that weren't there before.
And, more importantly, the blue orb was now at the end of the handle.
But, how?Before I could react to what just happened, I heard a low growl and smelled something rotten. Something that smelled like it was dead.
When I turned, something that seemed like a giant black lizard covered in black ink charged at me, emitting purple smoke, and had glowing red eyes staring right at me.
Before I could even see its full figure, I snapped my eyes shut in fear and swung my sword, cutting it in half and killing it. A high-pitched scream echoed in the room and I saw the strange creature vanish in smoke and the black ink melt on the floor, leaving the acidic residue and horrid scent.
I covered my mouth, looking at my sword stained in the black blood, and it didn't burn. It cleanly slid off and dripped off the silver metal, burning a hole in the floor near my foot.
"Ite!" I took a step back, cautiously aiming my sword around the area in case someone was watching me.
I heard a creek from the wood floor, and when I swung my sword around, I stopped as I saw it was the General I almost sliced, behind her was the Fortune Teller Kojima.
"General? Kojima-san?"
"Akimoto... did you...just kill that?"
"Sayaka-chan, your sword..!"
I pulled back my sword and put it back at my side, bowing to them. "I'm so sorry!"
"You killed a demon, and the ichor didn't burn your sword..." Takahashi sounded after a long silence.
Demon? Ichor?"What?"
"Did you see a small crystal orb in here, Sayaka?"
"Wha-?" I was about to ask what was going on, but when I looked down at my sword, I couldn't help but feel confused as to what was happening. "I did... It's right here." I held up my sword and showed them how it had changed.
Haruna gave her a serious glare. "Takamina, it's time to tell her."
"Tell me what?"
Takahashi sighed out and took off her hat, looking at me with this serious change in her eyes. It was different from normal; it was more serious than normal.
"Sayaka..." she rarely calls me by my first name. Only when she's serious does she do that. "You are one of the Samurai Princesses."
What?!
"Now how is she suppose to know her real fate then if something were to happen to her tomorrow? Akimoto Sayaka's real fate as one of the Legendary Samurai Princ-"
A Samurai Princess? What is that?"I'm a...what?"
"Come." Haruna gestured to both of us.
She led us down through dark corridors, turning left and right before eventually arrived in front of a big red door. Haruna pushed the door which automatically clicked open, revealing a big hall lit by candles.
The room was big as the throne room and in the middle of the room stood a pile of sticks mountained up high into the ceiling, on the walls were hung many beautiful paintings and calligraphy, many ancient scrolls lied open on the floor, and the most magnificent of all was the large hole above the pile of sticks which revealed the beautiful night sky dotted with silver stars.
"This room is called The Room of Fate. I used this room for my work as fortune teller," explained Haruna as she circled the wood pile. "For many years, my ancestors would use this room for most of their work, serving the royal family to foresee and told what fate has in store for them and the country. And now..." she grabbed a torch from a nearby fire holder and glanced at me.
"Your fate shall be told by me." she finished her sentence and threw the torch to the pile.
A big flame blazed up high, staggering me back. But Haruna stayed where she stood before, her mouth muttered some prayers and her eyes were closed. Green mists swirled around her, making her robe and hair floated in the air. The flame danced on the pile, this time images started to shift from the flame.
"Long ago, in ancient Japan, when the Sun Goddess and Moon God were at peace and balance.." Haruna's voice echoed loud and clearly. She opened her eyes and staggered me back again with her eyes which glowed in white. Not only that, when she opened her mouth, it also glowed in white. I shifted my sight again to the flame, this time the flame showed two blinding figure stood side by side.
"But then an evil darkness named Maou awakened to darken the world with misery and despair. His awaking has caused many to fall to their deaths and suffered under the riot he had caused..." this time a big dark figure shifted, making the flame suddenly turned to black.
"Only the Sun Goddess' most powerful warrior, the Tiger King, was the only one able to match the Maou Dragon's power." Haruna continued on and the flame showed another big figure in blinding light, facing on the dark figure. "but Maou was so strong that he could not be defeated alone by the Tiger King." Both figure then clashed to each other and created a a splitting fire where one side was bright and the other one was dark.
"To seal the Maou's power, the Moon God gave his soul to four chosen princesses and transformed them into Samurai Warriors.." this time the first figure appeared again and four circles of light shot out of her hand towards four different figures. As soon as the ball reached them, they glowed in bright light.
"Using the magic of the Moon and Sun, the Tiger spirit and Moon soul defeated the Maou Dragon King and banished him to the Underworld." the four figure then were faced with the big dark figure. Together, the four clashed to the incoming darkness, creating a big plume of flames to ceiling. After it settled down, the flame slightly grew weaker and weaker before eventually blacking out by itself.
I looked back at the fortune teller, her eyes were closed again and the mist vanished into the air. Her hair and robe fluttered down, so did the fortune teller herself.
"Haruna!" called Takahashi as she ran towards Haruna and caught her just in time. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Takamina.." croaked Haruna as she slowly opened her eyes back which has turned back to normal. "Just a little tired. But most importantly.." she glanced at me with a cautious eyes.
"You will meet the other three of the chosen Samurai Princess, Sayaka." she said lowly. "Everything will be tested, your strength, endurance, loyalty, and heart. All will be tested as you meet your allies and enemies. Dangerous path awaits as you and the other destined Samurai Princess journey down to the day where the Legend shall repeat again..."
I held my head, gripping my sword as I swallowed down all the information.
"So...what's going to happen to me?"
"Tomorrow, when you leave Okinawa, you will be exposed to the Maou's demon minions. You will have to be extremely cautious." Takahashi pulled out something in her pocket. It was a red eye mask. "Wear this so no one knows your true identity."
I nodded and took the mask, wrapping it around my head onto my face.
"You look beautiful, Sayaka-chan!"
"I'll get you your proper uniform before you leave. Haruna, I'll leave her to you." Takahashi left us alone, then Haruna and I went back to my room.
"So, Kojima..."
"You don't need to be so formal, we're the same age. Just call me Haruna."
"Haruna, this mission..."
"It's definitely not one to do alone. You actually have been chosen very well."
"Eh? What do you mean by that?"
"The four Samurai are represented by the four elements, depending on their personality. You were chosen with water, and I think that suits you well. Sayaka, I know you can do this, but even if you can survive on your own, you'll need the other three to defeat the Maou's more powerful minions."
The four Samurai Princesses... I'm water, so that leaves earth, fire, and wind.
God... this is happening so fast, though.
I guess I don't have a choice. I need to be careful, who knows what could happen to me now.Takahashi came in with a kimono folded up in her arms. It was a light blue kimono patterned with blue wave-like markings to look like water, and a navy blue belt supported by some magenta string. There were small blue and light pink flowers on it and it felt like silk against my skin.
The two girls helped my change and I tied up my hair in a velvet dark blue ribbon.
"Perfect."
"You look just like a princess, Sayaka."
I smiled softly seeing my reflection in the mirror.
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The next morning, before anyone else woke up, I sheathed my sword onto my waist and headed out.
I took one last look at my home. This palace, where I was raised from my youth for so long. I could remember, the life I had before this. I never met my mother, I only had my father and my brother. My father took care of us in our life of poverty, and my brother trained me to be strong. Eventually, my dad succumbed to death and me and my brother went our separate ways.
I wonder how he's doing. He's been in the Japanese Army now, fighting the war, but all I can do for him now is pray for his safety. I haven't seen him in so long, I can only imagine what he may look like now. How much he's grown since we were kids...
It seems silly, doesn't it? Even though he's younger than me, he had to protect me, his older sister. I was actually very weak, long ago. I couldn't fight for myself. But then, he helped me, when I was fragile and timid, he made me stronger and more out-going.
"Sayaka." I heard Takahashi's voice that broke me from my deep thoughts.
"General... I was just about to leave."
"I know, but..." she reached into her pocket for something. "I have a present from you... it's from your brother."
Eh?!I took the small box and saw a note on it. He wrote it.
"Sayaka, I hope you're living your life happily. Keep fighting and do your best for me, Nee-chan. -Ryota""Ryota..." I opened up the small purple box and found a beautiful sapphire necklace in the shape of a butterfly. "It's beautiful..."
Takahashi took it out and wrapped it around my neck. It fit perfectly and dangled against my collar, I put my hand over it and felt my heart beating over it.
"Good luck." she said to me one last time before leaving.
As I turned back around, I wiped a single tear falling down my face and put the mask on. Then, holding my sword tight, I headed out into the darkness, ready to face whatever came my way.
To Be Continued
Topic: Samurai Princesses: No way out (Part 2) [ON HIATUS] (Read 61209 times)