Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams of a Rose ❯ The Memory that Lives ( Chapter 1 )

Dreams of a Rose

Chapter 1: The Memory that Lives

 

Bara felt as if she was floating, the ankle-length blue hair that she normally kept in a high ponytail was all over, no restrictions given. She was surrounded by black, no idea where she was. Her eyes closed, she could feel nothing. She slowly opened her eyes. The stale black around her made her skin cold and she had goose bumps all over. She shuddered and attempted to move her arms so that she could rub her arms to give her body some warmth, only to find that she was paralyzed.

 

Her eyes went wide as she looked at her wrists. Green rings of light held her wrists down. A voice could be heard but she could not make out who it was. “Bara, for god's sakes, wake up…Please…” There was desperation in the voice. She looked around for the source but couldn't find it. She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a pathetic whimper. She started to struggle against the green binds and then a figure appeared in front of her. Her eyes widened immeasurably as the deep voice spoke.

 

“Hey, Crimson Rose. It has been a while.”

“R-Rebel Wolf!” Bara shouted with joy. The serious look on her friend's face made all of her joy ebb away. “What is it?” She asked seriously. Her friend walked closer. “Bara, do me a favor.”

“Anything for you, Rondavis.”

“I need you to keep them from reviving me.”

“Who's trying?”

“I must go.”

“No! Wait!” Bara shouted as the figure that slowly faded to black.

 

She found herself being hurled into the past again. She burst out crying as she saw the memories that had haunted her for centuries…

The fury of the battle had Bara's senses spinning. The smell of blood, sweat, and dirt filled her nose and she could see blood, corpses, and fighting men for miles. Occasionally, the glint of a sword or spear could be seen. It was a dark day to her. She drew Kaminari no Ishi, gazing at her commander whose arm was up along with his sword.

As soon as the sword came down, Bara leaped forth, her arms crossed in front of her and her glaive's blade at her side. "LIGHTNING BARRAGE!!!" She shouted, drawing everyone's attention to her. The soldiers on her side knew to back away as the black clouds began forming. Lightning ripped through the area, the bolts destroying everything in their path. Once it was over, Bara gazed upon the dead army in front of her feet. She strapped the glaive to her back.

A THRONG sound was heard and Bara looked to the source of the sound. An arrow was headed directly for her leader...The first thing she did was leap in front of the kind man she had known for so long. The arrow pierced where her heart should have been. It made the cavity ache and caused her to gasp and lose her footing, falling on the ground. She trembled, keeping her pain silent. The last thing she heard before she passed out entirely was a large number of footsteps and concerned shouts.

Bara's eyes blurred, black edging her vision. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to shut down everything but her breathing. Her consciousness faded, making her unable to reply to the concerned shouts or to hear them. Her breathing was struggled and she sought to attempt healing herself. She could feel the immense pain as the arrow was pulled out. Warmth quickly followed the feeling and then nothing. Nothing but the stale, cold darkness.

Bara choked back her tears.

 

Bara sat bolt upright, a cold sweat on her face. She looked around and realised that she was in the tent she shared with her leader. A slight sigh of relief escaped her. She looked at herself, finding her clothes to be stained in blood. She noticed something black and gazed at it. It took her a moment to register that it was cloth.

A note sat on top of the clothes. Bara picked it up and opened it to read it.

Crimson Rose;
Here is a change of clothes. Leave your current clothes in there and I'll wash them. Also, come out so that the others can be sure you're fine. Someone is anxious to see you.
Your Commander, Rebel Wolf

Bara smiled slightly as she stripped so that she could change into her new clothes. As soon as she dropped the shirt over her head, she relaxed. It was her commander's extra set of clothes. She sighed, knowing it would all be too big. She pulled on the pants and groaned. FAR too big. She spotted the sash and sighed in rlief, tying it around her waist to hold the pants and shirt on.

As soon as she was out, there were cheers of "Huzzah" for her protecting the commander. The commander was chatting with someone. Someone that she recognized. "Daimaru!" She shouted happily, slipping past the soldiers to get to her friend, who grinned at her. His silver hair hung loosely around his shoulders, the slight breeze lifting it from his shoulder. "You okay, kiddo?" He asked.
"Yeah..."
"What happened?"
"I'm sure that Rebel Wolf has told you already."

Daimaru yawned. "Well, I guess I'll be off. You don't need my help, do you?"
"Nah, we're fine," Rebel Wolf replied. His real name was Rondavis. His short, spikey, red hair swayed in the wind. His eyes followed Daimaru's departure into the nearby forest. He clapped his hands and whistled. Everyone silenced.

Bara sit next to her friend and commander. He was explaining the next day's plan. Bara couldn't help but to feel that something was amiss...

“I should have known, I should have known…” Bara choked.

Bara was surrounded by fire, her eyes glowing red as the fire began spreading to the surrounding people and villages. Black consumed her and she felt as if she was floating...

Bara woke with a startled gasp. "That dream again..." She said quietly. She gazed at Rondavis and smiled because he was still asleep. She looked at her clothes. They were folded. She rose up and changed into her normal clothes silently. She gazed back at her sleeping friend and smiled before exiting the tent. She sat at the edge of the camp.

A breeze drifted from the direction of the enemy grounds. She breathed deeply before freezing in shock. She hopped up and started opening every tent and shouting, "THEY'RE COMING!!!" Of course, everyone was ready in a matter of minutes, Bara and Rondavis at the front of the lines. The enemy approached, an army three times larger than the ones from previous days.

Bara growled and Rondavis kept a stoic gaze on the approaching army. His horse reared up as he held his sword up in the air, the army watching silently. He pointed it forward and shouted, "CHARGE!!!" The armies clashed. Bara was barely able to keep from jumping into the fray. She loved to help her comrades and she had no choice but to stay with Rondavis. Rondavis glanced at his friend. "Crimson Rose...It is now your turn..."

Bara's smirk and excitement couldn't be hidden. She dashed forward, a black fire forming behind the opposing soldiers and a phoenix forming from that fire. The black phoenix screeched, insighting fear into the opposing soldiers who looked back. Of course, seeing their chance, Bara's side side attacked the stunned soldiers. Bara hopped into the middle of the men and starts killing them off.

Within minutes, the army was demolished. Bara coughed because of the heavy smell of blood. Rondavis had already blocked out his sense of smell but he knew that Bara didn't have that ability. He walked over and handed her a black sash without a drop of blood on it. On the black sash was a mark that symbolized his leadership of the rebel army. Bara tied it around her nose and mouth with a grateful nod to Rondavis.

Bara stiffened when she heard laughter. She spun around to see where Rondavis was glaring. Rondavis looked at his men. "Go back to the camp. Bara and I will take care of him." The soldiers, not willing to disobey, started running for the camp quickly. Rondavis dismounted. He drew his sword, as did the young lord opposing them. The young lord, Deredoria, laughed a cold laugh. "You resort to the help of a woman?"

Bara snarled and nearly charged but Rondavis held his hand in front of her. He prevented her from charging. Bara looked at him, her eyes glowing red. Rondavis was still staring at Deredoria. The lord grinned and raised his sword to attack.

Bara whimpered, trying to banish the memories.

Rondavis and Deredoria's battle had been going on for a while with Bara at the sidelines. Suddenly, Rondavis motioned for her to take over. She knew he was preparing his most powerful attack. She worried that he didn't have enough energy to complete it. but as soon as she saw his sword glowing with fire, she backed away. She could hear his steady chant and knew what was coming. A large flash of red light struck. Bara surrounded herself in a barrier that blocked the attack.

The light faded away. Bara looked around as dust that was kicked into the air settled down. She dashed out of her barrier towards the figure of Rondavis near-dead on the ground. Tears poured down her face as she pulled him into a sitting position. "Please," she begged, "just hold on!"
"I am afraid..." Rondavis whispered, "That I shan't make it back...You are in charge..."
"No...You have to survive...Rebel Wolf..."
"...Call me Rondavis now...There's no reason not to." He smiled at his friend. "Lead us into the victory and leadership of the Central Lands...I am counting on you."
"Rondavis!" Bara shouted before he went limp in her arms. The tears poured down her face faster as she picked up his body, struggling to get it on the horse before mounting herself. The Rebel Wolf was no more.

Her eyes went dull and she stopped struggling. “It was my fault…” She whispered, not for the first time.

Bara had been sitting in the tent for hours, still shocked. She was entirely silent and knew that there had been murmurs amongst the army about what had happened. Bara had single-handedly prepared his body to be buried, cleaning it up and putting on fresh clothes that symbolized him. She had kept his black sash with the marking of a rebel on it. The color on it showed he was the rebel leader. Now, Bara was the rebel leader.

Bara had finished burying Rondavis hours ago. She was staring at the rebel's mark. Tears poured down her face again. She growled as she rose, opening the flap to her tent. The soldiers silenced. She glanced at them all before sitting down. She was still grasping his sash in her hand. "Tomorrow, we move out."

There was a murmur amongst the soldiers of agreement. Bara was wearing her extra clothes as her war clothes were drying in the wind from a tree. Trying to lighten the mood, she asked, "Why is it that you guys don't wash your clothes every day but I do?"
"You're much more powerful than us like Rebel Wolf..." One soldier pointed out quietly. Bara sighed deeply. The mood was heavy and awkward for the rest of the evening.

Bara heard the voice again, this time more demanding. “BARA, WAKE UP!!!” She hung her head, unable to hold the tears back any longer. A sharp sting found its way to her cheek and she felt warmth, could tell that the sun was on the other side of her closed eyelids.

~*~

Should I continue? Give me your opinions. Ja ne.

Note: I am going to continue writing The High School Days but this is a story so I don't get bored.