Fan Fiction ❯ Silver Tear ❯ A pitfall ( Chapter 11 )

A Pitfall

All was well that morning. Hoku thought it would be nice to sleep in for a change as the rising sun illuminated that landscape and warmed her skin. She was in her usual place high up in a tree, and didn't want to be bothered by anyone, but she couldn't debate the fact when a sudden yelling made her lean over and look down to see Kitasato being chased by a rabbit girl with a large wooden plank in her hands and threatening to hit him with it.

Hoku grumbled and allowed herself to roll off the branch and onto another where she limply hung her arms down and lazily watched the fray. She found it rather amusing to see Kit being beaten on. His misery was normally her pleasure.

Sukura stood off in the sidelines like usual and frantically called out suggestions to Kit. She was unable to help him, for her only method of warding people off was her sword, and she didn't want to use that.

The rabbit, unnamed at the time, had lost her memory a few days back. So Kit was starting to get used to being beaten on so much. About three times a day, not counting waking hours, the rabbit forgot who he was. The odd thing about this was that she didn't remember any thing from her own name, who anyone else was, or where she came from, but she remembered Hoku.

Just a few days ago, Hoku learned something about her. Kit's theory was that she was able to see spirits like he could. Later on, Hoku tried to ask the rabbit again what she was talking about, but she had forgotten everything that happened that day after she slipped and fell down a cliff.

"Hoku!" Kitasato called when he spotted her lying in the tree. "I could use a little help here!"

"I don't know…" Hoku yawned. "You ARE the one who caused all of this."

"Please!" Kit pleaded. "You're the only one she remembers. She'll listen to you!"

"Fine… whatever." Hoku sighed. "Hey, rabbit girl!"

The rabbit stopped and raised her ears. She had a big smile on her face.

"Don't worry Hoku." she said. "This man tried to molest me in my sleep, but I'm taking care of it."

"You sure are." Hoku grinned. "But unfortunately, that is Kitasato, the idiot who waked you on the head."

"I know someone named Kitasato." the rabbit said thoughtfully. "Now where have I seen him… I remember he had yellow hair, and blue eyes… and he was a fox."

Kit tapped her on the shoulder.

The rabbit turned and smiled.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "Where did you go?"

Kit just shrugged.

"Well… at least she remembers your name…" Sukura said as she stepped out from behind a tree.

"Look!" the rabbit exclaimed as she pointed at Sukura. "A theif! I'll take care of her!"

She was starting forward when Kit held out his arm and held her back.

"Let's get something to eat already." Hoku sighed as she landed next to them. "I'm hungry."

As they walked to the nearest village, Hoku looked around. There was a tense uneasy feeling in the air. They were in a thick forest, and there were plenty of places for enemies to hide.

"This place is creepy…" Sukura said.

"What's the matter?" Hoku asked as she grinned over her shoulder. "Afraid of demons?"

"You…"

"I feel her worry." Kit said. "It seems a lot more intensifying to walk somewhere now that we've got people looking for us."

"Why are people looking for you?" the rabbit asked.

"We're special that way…" Hoku said.

"The emperor sent hunters out to slay Hoku," Kit said. "He's afraid of her power. Not only that, the hunters get more if they take Sukura and I along with her as accomplices."

"Did you do something wrong?"

"No…" Kit sighed. "but evidence such as that that doesn't overrule the power of the empire."

"That isn't fair…"

"Nothing is fair." Hoku hissed.

They continued walking until Hoku heard something. It seemed to be way off in the distance. So she didn't pay any mind to it. That is until Kit rushed forward with his staff and held it in front of the rabbit's chest.

The rabbit gasped when she saw the knives stuck deep in the wood. They obviously were aimed for her.

Hoku peered around.

"Come out coward." she hissed as she flexed her claws.

There was nothing.

"I don't like the look of this." Sukura said as she drew out her sword.

"Look…" Kit said as he kneeled down and found a thin string. "She must have tripped this. It was a trap."

"Keep on your guard everyone." Hoku said. "The sooner we get out of this place, the better."

They walked a little further. Keeping their eyes peeled, they watched the ground, the air and the sides for any unsuspecting objects. Just then, Hoku was in the air upside down. Her foot was caught on a rope that was tied to a tree branch.

Kit laughed.

"Just help me down!" Hoku hissed.

"Sure thing." Kit said as he pulled out a knife and slashed it.

Hoku fell right on her head.

"I thought that cats landed on their feet." Kit chuckled.

"I'll land something on you!" Hoku hissed as she raised her fist. She stood up and looked around some more.

"I can't stand this! I'm going to kill whoever set these traps!"

"Unless the traps kill you first…"

"Let's just keep going." Sukura said. "I don't want to end up hanging like a slaughtered pig!"

They walked some more. Now even Hoku was getting nervous. She didn't detect the other trap, so she raised her alertness. Her ears gave a twitch when there was snapping sounds beneath her feet. Then suddenly, she was falling.

There was a painful thud as she and someone else landed in darkness. It was a pit fall, and she fell right into it.

She rubbed her butt and sat up. She looked up at the circle of light.

"Kit!" she called.

Two heads appeared at the mouth of the pit.

"Hoku!" Kit's voice echoed down to her. "Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine." Hoku replied.

"Can you climb up?" Sukura's voice called.

"I'm not sure, but I'll give it a try."

She stood up and felt around for a wall. When she felt hard dirt beneath her fingers, she dug her claws in the soil and started upward. Just then, she felt something on her arms. It was moving.

"You look funny with those spiders crawling on your arms…" the rabbit said behind her.

"Sp---???"

Hoku screamed and fell back. She landed next to the rabbit and brushed her arms off.

"What's going on?" Kit called down to her. "Is the rabbit-girl down there too?"

"Yeah." the rabbit called up. "The walls are crawling with spiders."

"Oh great…" Hoku heard Kit mumble. "This'll take a while."

"That's that?"

"Uh… nothing." Kit said. "Wait there, I'll go find a rope or something."

"You've got to be kidding!" Hoku exclaimed. "Kit! Don't leave! Why don't you and your sidekick, little chirpy, call your spider friends away from me!"

"Little chirpy?" Sukura huffed.

"I don't think it would be that easy." Kit frowned.

"Great…" Hoku huffed. "I'm stuck down in spider hell… How am I going to get out of here?"

"Let's take the path." the rabbit said.

"The what?"

Hoku turned and watched the rabbit disappear into the shadows.

"Wait for me!"

It grew darker and darker. Hoku had good night vision. She was a cat after all, but the deeper they went, the harder it was for her to see. Instead of relying on vision, she relied on her sense of hearing. The rabbit's footsteps were loud and clear. Suddenly, there was a burst of light as a torch lit up.

Hoku closed her eyes. They weren't used to the light.

"This way Hoku." the rabbit said. She was holding the torch in her hand.

Hoku opened her eyes and glanced around. They were in a long tunnel. The ground was thick with moss and dirt and the walls looked of stone. She noticed the little nook where the rabbit found the torch.

"Where are we?"

"In a tunnel silly." the rabbit said.

"Specifically?"

The rabbit shrugged.

"There's only one way to find out."

Hoku looked around for any signs of spiders. She then sighed.

"All right." she said. "Stay close to me… We could get lost in here."

"Right." the rabbit said.

They walked for quite a ways. Hoku kept her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. She knew that whoever set the traps, was the same person who dug the tunnel, and she wasn't going to let them get away for making her a fool.

They walked on. Since it wasn't so dark anymore, it was easier to see where they were going. Making them feel less tense. The tunnel widened as they entered a small cavern.

"What's this?" the rabbit said while looking downward.

Hoku looked too. There was a small circle of stones. Inside them were charred wood and ashes.

"There was a fire here." Hoku said. She then kneeled down and examined the ashes. She took a steady breath through her nose. "It was put out recently. We mustn't be the only the only ones trapped down here."

"No… I think someone lives down here…"

Hoku stood up and looked around. There were pillows, a table, even a bed.

"Who would live in a place like this?"

"Who goes there?"

Hoku gasped and looked to where the voice had come from. There was another tunnel on the other side of the cavern, and someone walking out of it.

It was a human youth. He wasn't as tall as Kit, but he had short spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, halfway covered by a large white headband. He also wore strange clothes. Nothing like Hoku had seen before. His pants only went to his knees and his light blue kimono had short sleeves with another long sleeved one underneath it. There was a sleepy expression on his face.

"Who are you? Have you come to loot me?" he asked as he drew out a very long sword. The blade was longer than the person wielding it. "I warn you… I may look scrawny, but I do know some skills."

Hoku just stared at him.

"Hey there…" the rabbit said nervously. "No… we're just passing through."

"My home?"

"It's kind of difficult to avoid it when you have a hidden hole that goes into it." Hoku hissed as she folded her arms. She couldn't believe that a mere human had startled her.

"You mean it worked?" he asked.

"It worked?"

"Yeah." the stranger nodded. "It was supposed to trap large animals so I could easily hunt them down here, but I see that even a human is dense enough to fall into it."

"Human!" Hoku hissed. "And what do you mean? How could we tell, there was no warning!"

"Uh… apparently demons can't read…"

"What?"

"There was a sign right next to it." he said. "It said: `Warning, Pit Fall' on it."

"Damn!" Hoku growled. "I should kill you for humiliating me like that!"

"On the contrary," the stranger grinned. He held out the sword. "I was trained to fight with the art of Kendo. I know moves that could wipe out entire samurai armies."

"Ha!" Hoku laughed. "No human can defeat me! I'm the dreaded Demon Hoku, the once proud ruler of the east lands."

"What!" the stranger exclaimed. "Then you're…"

"Hold it!"

A blade appeared right in front of his face. Holding it was Sukura. She was standing behind him, holding the blade to his throat.

"Hoku…" Kit appeared next to her. "Are you okay?"

Hoku nodded.

"Sukura…" the stranger whispered without even glancing at her.

"Do you… know me?" Sukura asked. She looked a little shocked, but she remained her position.

The stranger nodded. His face went a little pink.

"I do know you…"

"You have no proof of that!" Sukura said angrily.

"Cricket…"

Sukura gasped and stepped back. She drew her sword away from the stranger's throat.

"Enough of this!" Hoku hissed. "I don't know who you are, but don't you dare interrogate her without my permission."

"It's interesting to see that a demon like you has such compassion…"

"What?"

"This is getting us nowhere." Kit said calmly.

"You must be Kitasato." the stranger said.

"I am." Kit said. "How do you know of us?"

"I'm a hunter from the south." the stranger said.

"A bounty hunter?"

The stranger nodded.

"I came here seeking profit." he said. "In my homeland, I heard a rumor about a gang in the east. I couldn't refuse the offer. You've got quite a bounty on your heads. One thousand in gold to be precise…"

"That's it?" Hoku scoffed. "I'm worth more than that."

"Each."

Sukura's jaw dropped.

"But then… once I got here, I learned the names of the wanted ones. They indeed match yours, but when I heard the name Sukura, I didn't want to believe that it was the same person I knew long ago."

"Enough!" Sukura yelled. "You're lying. I've never seen you before in my life! My father and first master were the only ones who cared about me!"

"Master Tahn…" the stranger bowed his head. "I knew him well…"

"What?" Sukura gasped. "You- You…"

"It's me." the stranger said. "Yuu Harumaka. Master Tahn's first student."

"These are pretty…" was the only sound being made as the rabbit awed while staring at a pile of shiny rocks.