Fan Fiction ❯ Silver Tear ❯ Solitude ( Chapter 14 )

Solitude

Staring eye to eye with a Zodiac dragon was the last thing Hoku wanted. Since her journey from the west, Hoku never expected she'd run into half the people she encountered. First it was humans, then it was powerful demons. It was obvious that most of them came from far away just to destroy her. The thing she was most confused about was that she was being hunted in the first place.

"Why do you want me!?" Hoku yelled.

"The question isn't why." Moro replied. "It's how."

Hoku gasped when the dragon dove down at her. She didn't have much of a choice but to leap out of the way.

Moro only laughed.

"What's wrong Hoku?" she asked. "Are you afraid?"

"Never!" Hoku hissed. She then leapt at her and slashed with her claws.

Moro stepped back as Hoku landed behind her. She peered over at her over her shoulder as her shredded Kimono slid off her. She was completely naked now.

"What was that?" Moro asked with a smile. "If I'd of known that, we'd make a great couple."

"Say what!" Hoku hissed, feeling revolted.

The dragon turned. She then held out her hand and a little ball of flame appeared. It was obvious that she didn't care about her exposure.

"Let's see you dodge this…" she said as she gave it a toss.

The ball of flame grew larger and larger as it got closer to Hoku. She didn't move or block. She just stood there as it hit. Her body reflected it and sent sparks flying in several directions.

"Nice try." Hoku grinned. "I'm fireproof."

"That makes two of us."

Hoku growled and charged her again. Since she was unable to use her fire attacks, she slashed at her with her razor sharp two inch claws.

Moro leapt out of the way and swung her huge tail again.

Hoku was ready for it this time. She grabbed it and heaved it over her, taking Moro.

A large tree snapped and fell over as Moro was hurled into it.

Hoku backed up as the dragon stood up. There wasn't a scratch on her body.

"Kit…" Hoku hissed. "Where the hell are you?!"

"I'm here."

Hoku gasped. Kit was standing right next to her. He was back in his strange clothing and his hair was black again.

"I'm here too!" Sukura appeared on Hoku's other side. She had her sword drawn out.

"Bout time…" Hoku said under her breath. "I don't know why all these demons want to kill me. It's like at a war or something here…"

"That's because it is…"

"What are you doing here?" she asked when she spotted Yuu Harumaka standing next to him with his long sword drawn out.

"I'm here to help you." Yuu said. "This dragon is under some kind of control spell."

"How can you tell?" Sukura asked.

"I can sense someone nearby controlling her." Kit said.

"She's also a good friend of mine." Yuu said. "She sometimes has fun with humans, but she'd never kill innocent people."

Moro was holding back. She was staring at Sukura more than anything. She then stepped back.

"I see you've made more friends than we imagined…" she said. "No matter. I'll come back for you."

"Stop right there!" Hoku yelled as Moro turned away.

"There!" Kit thrust his staff at the dragon. It didn't hit her, but it hit the area right next to her. With a bright flash, it was hurled away. Something had reflected it.

Moro paused for a moment, then collapsed.

"What the hell is going on?" Hoku asked in shock as she stared at the spot where Kit was aiming.

Hoku didn't get a clear look, but there was a human woman standing there. She wasn't very tall and she had long white hair. She had a staff held out in front of her with a blue crystal ball on the end of it.

"My-my barrier!" she gasped. With a pause, and a glance at Sukura, she vanished.

"Are you okay?" Yuu was kneeling next to Moro.

Moro's yellow eyes opened.

"Wha- what happened?" she blinked.

"Just as I suspected." Kit said. "The dragon was being controlled by some kind of mage."

"What do you mean?" Hoku asked him. "You mean that woman was a demon?"

"No…" Kit said. "She wasn't a demon."

"What?" Moro exclaimed after Yuu told her what happened. She stood up. "You mean I was under someone's control?"

Yuu nodded.

"Damn!"

"Why was that woman staring at me?" Sukura gasped. She hadn't moved since the woman vanished.

Hoku looked around at everyone.

"Something strange is going on." she said.

"Indeed there is." Kit said. He was back to his normal self again. "First this bounty… Then the snake, now the dragon. It's starting to add up, but I still can't put it together."

"It's obvious." Yuu said as he appeared next to him.

"What's that?"

"Well, someone wants Hoku dead, that's for sure." Yuu said in a matter of fact tone. "And they aren't holding back."

"I could have told you that." Hoku hissed. "Anything you'd like to point out that I don't know?"

Yuu nodded.

"For starters, when a powerful person wants to get rid of another powerful person, that means that they want to do something to the weaker people." he said. "You know, so nobody stronger than them is standing in their way."

"Who are you?" Sukura asked him. "We know your name, and you told us why you came, but why are you really here?"

"I see I can't hide much from you." he said. "We come from the north like I said. Sukura, I'm sure you've heard about the Taisora."

"You mean that group of bandits that took over the north?" Sukura gasped.

Yuu nodded.

Sukura's hands balled up into tight fists.

"You're a spy for them aren't you?" she asked angrily. "Do you have any idea how much trouble they've been giving the empire?"

"I'm sure we have." Yuu said calmly.

Sukura drew her sword.

"I'm tired of your smart talk!" she said bitterly. "For years I've been pinned up in that palace. My job was to ward off demons, but instead, I fought off crooks and terrorists from the Taisora. Our pointless battles were a waste of my time and training. It was disgraceful!"

"Who are they exactly?" Hoku asked.

"We are a growing empire from the north." Yuu said. "For years, we've been trying to take out the Japanese empire and take over the rest of the land, but Sukura here said it correctly. For the longest time, our mercenaries have been raiding the palace. She actually, did the highest percentage of resistance. All by herself…"

"What?" Sukura gasped.

"Moro and I, have been sent from there to here to find out about Hoku and her power." Yuu said. "We've been following you for quite some time actually. That place you found in the forest was merely one of the hideouts we have in this region. We had no idea how strong Hoku was and why the emperor wanted her dead so badly."

"So, what concern of it is yours?" Kitasato asked. He had an unhappy look. It was obvious that he didn't like what he was hearing. "Are you here to kill her too?"

"The fact of her death is no concern of mine." Yuu said. "But the circumstances are."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the condition of what happens on the count of her death are what concerns us." Yuu said. "I was sent here to see why the empire wants her dead so badly. To find out if that's a bad thing for us or not."

"What are you talking about?!" Hoku hissed. Like Sukura, her fists were clenched with anger. "Since when is my death a concern of anyone's but my own?"

"Since they started coming after you." Yuu frowned.

"Who is `they'?" Kit asked.

"They are a powerful force." Yuu said. "They are able to travel through

time and space. They stared many wars in many different places. I studied

about them in scrolls and even ancient texts. Some say they were sent from hell

to raise it to the surface, and others they are gods of chaos. In other words,

they're bad and they want death and destruction."

"I'm confused." Sukura shook her head. "What makes you think they even exist and how do you know that they're trying something now?"

"Rumors." Yuu said. "My only job is to figure out the facts."

"This is ridiculous." Hoku growled. "Look, you may all think that we're in some kind of peril from some rumors, but I only have one objective, and that's to have my revenge. Since more and more people have been joining me, the more I'm held back. I was sent here to carry out a task too, and that wasn't to help anyone but myself." She turned away from them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving." she said without even a glance at them. "And I'm going alone. You can all do what you like, but leave me out of it."

With that, she started to walk away.

"Hoku!" Sukura called. She was about to start after her when Kit held out his arm.

"Leave her." Kit said. "Don't worry. It's not like we'll never see her again. She's bound to run into a giant spider or something…"

"But Kit!" Sukura wailed. "We can't just let her go by herself. You care about her just as much as I do! Go after her!"

Kit looked away from the angry girl. Having made up his mind, he let his arm fall and he looked the other way.

"…"