(http://imageshack.us/a/img10/6794/t4ug.png)
Prologue (http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=35953.msg1205512#msg1205512)
Chapter 1 (http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=35953.msg1208054#msg1208054)
Chapter 2 (http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=35953.msg1222962#msg1222962)
A/N: Hello again people! Here I am with yet another fic, which is just going to slow down the updates of everything else but I guess I’m just going to have to work harder now XD I don’t really want to say too much about this fic other than it’s a little bit more like “X” compared to the other things I’ve done and it’s also set back in the edo period, so they might be some unusual words or terms in later updates but I’ll make sure to explain those when they come up. Also I’d like to say a big thanks to Sherin for the wonderful poster and being part of the reason I’m writing this fic XD Now without further ado I hope you all enjoy!
Prologue
It was supposed to be a simple life. A mere dot on the map where we would be born, raised and eventually die; never caring about anything that existed beyond the confines of the village. We all just got on with our lives appreciating everything that our various ancestors had built up for us. Nothing interesting would ever happen but then that was what we were all used to. There was never any expectation for excitement in our peaceful setting; the furthest anyone ever travelled was into the forests beside us to hunt for more food. It was as if we had an unwritten agreement with everyone else that as long as we didn’t bother them they would leave us be and we certainly never ventured any further than we needed to.
Yet the whim of a single man was all it took to cause our tranquil world to come crashing down. Bored of a period without conflict the shogun called for a search amongst the lands to find the two strongest people to replace him as the leader of the nation. Wanting to taste power for the first time many of the weak and desperately took up arms killing each other in fear of someone else taking ahold the title before they did. Thus the entire country soon became a battlefield bathed in blood, the innocent constantly living in fear of being caught in the conflict between the countless thugs and we were no different…
Fleeing from the thugs I rushed through the scorching labyrinth, continuously dodging the sparks of red hot ash spitting up from the searing beams of wood that were falling all around me. Pausing only to briefly scan my eyes through the ruins I continued on my frantic search until my foot caught something and sent me tumbling down onto the smoldering ground. Scrambling back up to my feet I glanced back at the cause of my fall and immediately gagged as the stench of the charred body slammed me square in the nose. Then all of a sudden a familiar shriek pierced through my head causing my eyes to expand in panic. Fearing the worst I took off in the general direction of the cry praying that I would be able to get back in time. Not caring about being spotted by the thugs I leapt out from the flames and raced down the dirt tracks that extended through the entire village. However just as I reached my destination there was an even louder scream come from the burning house, sending a blood curdling shiver down my spine. Bursting into the building I stepped straight into a thick wall of smoke yet beyond it I could vaguely make out the shadow of four bodies, two of which were motionless on the floor.
Realizing exactly what the limp bodies meant I shifted my dejected eyes onto the two remaining shades as one of them began raising their axe wielding arm high above their head before swinging it back down again, while the other one remained still on the floor as if they were presenting themself to death. Just as the weapon was about to strike its target the cogs of time came to a grinding halt and I felt a terrible sense of despair clutch at my heart. With everything around me frozen I was left to just watch the execution and let it happen; a mere bystander to the unavoidable terror that was about to unfold.
Thwack. A gut wrenching shriek reverberated through my head as I stared at the blade lodge itself into the side of the neck at a grotesque angle before yanking itself out, causing a frightening amount of crimson liquid to come gushing out. Still not satisfied with the amount of bloodshed the axe came plummeting back down again and ripped straight through the rest of the neck. I wanted to scream. I knew that if I stayed here I would end up being killed yet I didn’t even move an inch. My body had completely shut down, becoming a petrified statue, waiting for the cold blade to some slicing through my own neck. However the crazed killer was too busy enjoying himself to even notice me or the house that was starting fall around him. He began psychotically laughing as he manically slashed across the toppling body, making sure to completely mutilate it before moving on to the next toy.
“Jurina! We’ve got to leave!” Suddenly someone grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the house right as its last legs finally buckled away. Being dragged along like a puppet we raced across the sea of flames and dove into the thick hedges of the forest in order to find somewhere to hide.
“Don’t let them get away!” Hearing the ferocious roars the search began to hasten becoming more and more frantic with every second that elapsed. Eventually I had two scar covered arms wrap around my shoulders and draw me in beneath an uprooted tree. Resting my head on the surprisingly comforting arms I shut my tiring eyes, countless images of the horrors I had just witnessed flashing by my mind. As the screams of suffering echoed around my head, the rest of my body began to uncontrollably tremble. With tears of anguish dripping down my face I turned around and wrapped my arms around my guardian angel.
“Yu-Yuki…. They killed…” Barely forming words with my hysteric sobs I felt my nails digging deeper into flesh as the flames of fury came gradually rising up from the pits of despair. Along with my hands the grip of the arms surrounding me became increasingly tighter, pressing our bodies right up against each other. Then there was a voice. A voice shaking with rage whispered into my ears.
“I know Jurina, and they will all pay for their sins.”
TBC