Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Kazemaru and Miharu ❯ Chapter 31

Miharu had awoken that morning to find a single white feather tangled in her hair. It was more than enough of a signal. Today he was coming. She rushed her handmaidens to dress her in all of her favorite kimonos, doing up her hair beautifully until she looked like something out of a woodblock print. Her heart seemed to beat twice as fast, and her impatience grew with every minute. By the time she was dressed and ready, it was already past noon. She ate hardly any lunch, and then waited.

 

Not more than an hour later, she felt a tickling sensation at the back of her neck. There was a familiar sensation, as if from far away, and she knew. He was here.

 

Trying to seem as nonchalant as possible, she suggested that they all take a little stroll. Her maids seemed confused, since walking would be difficult with all she wore, but they complied.

 

As they strolled the grounds, it took every ounce of Miharu's effort not to dash for the audience chamber. She should give them time to negotiate, she reasoned, and it would look odd if she arrived too early. As they came around to the front of the complex, she noticed a few guards standing near the wall.

 

One of them held Kazemaru's kusarigama.

 

Miharu frowned. Something was not right. Why would he be without his weapons? All guests were allowed to carry weapons. It was an insult to ask a Samurai to hand over his swords.

 

“Wait here,” she instructed her maids, and they obeyed. She walked to the guards, smiling cheerily.

 

“What are those?” she asked, sounding very curious.

 

The guards smiled and bowed to her a little. “Ah, lady Miharu. It's the weapon of a Yokai we just trapped,” he said cheerily.

 

Miharu's heart stopped a moment, but she did not let it show on her face. Trapped? What on earth? “Can I see it?” she asked, still playing the part of the curious girl.

 

They laughed. “Be very careful, they're quite sharp,” the man said as he handed the two scythes and the chain to her.

 

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “It's quite light, not what I expected…” she recalled this response from the first time she had held them. Of course, at the time she had just been trying to get them off Kaze as quickly as possible, along with everything else he wore.

 

“Do you mind if I go show my maids?” she asked.

 

They laughed again. “Sure thing. Just be careful,” they warned.

 

She smiled and nodded, making her way back to the palace where the ladies waited for her. She carefully walked up the stairs, and made as if to turn towards them. Instead, though, she grabbed the biggest handful of her kimonos she could, lifted them out of the way of her feet and ran for the audience chamber.

 

***

 

Kaze was intensely ignoring Nakamura's snide gloating when suddenly the shouji at the entrance to the room flew open, nearly knocking the door out of it's frame. There stood Miharu, dressed in all her finery, holding his weapon, and severely out of breath.

 

She straightened herself, catching her breath, and assessed the situation. Suddenly she started to snicker, and then giggle, and then full out laugh loudly. She couldn't seem to stop, and was partially doubled over.

 

“Child, have you gone mad? What are you doing here?” Nakamura demanded.

 

She slowly forced herself to stop laughing. “You…” she gasped for air. “You honestly thought THAT would hold him?” she laughed again for a while, and then straightened once more. “You… fools!” she continued giggling.

 

Kaze grinned, and took this opportunity to stand. The fuda disappeared in a small burst of flame as he began to transform. The ropes snapped as his arms and chest expanded, until he stood the whole 8 feet tall, towering over everyone else in the room. He laughed a little, and turned to face Miharu, taking his weapon from her. Suddenly he tilted his head, looking at her as if she was not quite in focus, and his face deepened into a frown.

 

He whipped around to face Nakamura's men, and spoke slowly through clenched teeth. “Which…one of you… stripped her… of my JYAKI?” he demanded.

 

In the back of the room, the priest paled considerably, and began to step backwards.

 

“How DARE you touch her!” Kaze dropped one of the scythes until it hung a foot above the ground, and begun to swing it in a circle, faster and faster. “You die first,” he growled, smiling.

 

“Koishii…” Miharu had come around to the side opposite of the deadly circle, and reached up to place a hand on his arm, standing on her tip-toes. “Please…”

 

The scythe slowed it's motion and stopped. Kaze still glared at the priest, etching his face into his memory. At last he stopped, and turned to Miharu. He coiled up his weapon, and with a pulse of energy detransformed. His haori was tattered, and his hair hung loose, but he didn't care. He'd never get out without killing anyone in that state.

 

“I did what you asked,” he said quietly to her.

 

She smiled sadly. “I know.”

 

Kaze turned back to Nakamura, who stood behind several rows of guards. “Kaito! I am giving you one last opportunity to take my offer. I have been very generous.”

 

Kaito laughed. “Generous??? Offering me an alliance I can hardly trust, making me little more than your vassal, depriving me of an heir? How on earth have you been generous?” he demanded.

 

Mihauru bit her lip. “Father…. He is offering to pay for something he has already acquired.”

 

Kaito stared at his daughter, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. Shun had removed the spell right? “And what would that be?” he asked, suspicious, the horrible feeling of realization creeping over him before she even said it.

 

Miharu looked at the floor and blushed, not from shame but because she had to say it in front of so many men. “My mizuage,” she said quietly.

 

Kaito watched her lips form the words, though he heard nothing. His mind refused to hear the words, it was just too, too awful. His own daughter, a tramp. And with a yokai at that! He turned his back on her.

 

A single tear began it's path down Miharu's face, and Kaze quickly brushed it away. “Let's go, Miharu,” he said kindly.

 

She nodded. “Goodbye, Father,” she said.

 

He made no response.

 

Miharu bit her lip, and Kaze gently ushered her out of the room. He was about to pick her up and take off when a voice stopped him.

 

“Kazemaru!” a girl's voice called, and they turned to see the owner of the voice just as she whipped off the last of her kimonos, revealing a sparse fighting outfit. “Your opponent is me.”

 

Miharu frowned. “Chiaki???” she said in disbelief.

 

Chiaki smiled and removed her katana from the sheath on her back. The outfit gave her free range of motion at the cost of protection, but if the guy liked human girls she was going to use every distraction at her disposal.

 

Kaze looked her up and down, snorted delicately, and made to leave again.

 

Chiaki frowned. “Kazemaru-sama of the east! I challenge the honor of your blood!”

 

Kaze froze, frowning. He left Miharu's side and stood inches from Chiaki, easily inside her defense. He took a deep breath in and tilted his head. “How much blood have you?” he asked.

 

She grinned. “One in sixty-four,” she gloated. “Not enough to smell but enough to call you out.”

 

Kazemaru sneered. “Why you dirty little Han—”

 

“Ah ah ah!” Chiaki scolded. “I wouldn't call me that if I were you, since any descendant of yours by her would be the same,” she gestured to Miharu with her sword.

 

Kazemaru growled, low and frustrated.

 

“Kaze…” Miharu said quietly, “Forget her, let's go…” she was very nervous.

 

He glanced back at her, concerned.

 

Chiaki laughed maniacally. “He can't! If he refuses to defend his honor he loses it! Not that he'll have much left after they find out about you.” She addressed Miharu. “Some yokai might pass it up, though, if they don't have much to loose. But your would-be husband here has quite a bit at stake. Title, vassals, land… Oh yes, land is very important to Yokai. I don't think you know exactly what caliber of yokai you're sleeping with, Lady Miharu.”

 

“Hime,” Kaze corrected with a growl.

 

“What?” Chiaki and Miharu said at the same time.

 

Kaze narrowed his eyes at Chiaki. “You will address my mate properly, part-blood.”

 

Chiaki smiled a little. “Oh yes, that's right. Excuse me. Miharu-hime, forgive me.” She said sarcastically.

 

Miharu paled, feeling a bit faint. Hime? She was a princess now? Chiaki was right—she hadn't known.

 

“Why?” Kaze demanded. “Why would a part-blood like you care about blood honor? Especially in this case.”

 

Chiaki smiled. “Well, for one, I'm being paid very handsomely to kill you, but more importantly it is my destiny. My great-great-great-great grandmother was a powerful Miko, but she was struck down and accosted by an evil demon. Since then her descendants have sworn to remove the scourge that is yokai from this land.”

 

Miharu frowned. “But you…”

 

Chiaki nodded. “When I die, I'll be sure to drag a couple more bastards into hell along with me.”

 

“Enough talk. If you're going to fight me, let's do it today, alright?” he said, irritated.

 

Chiaki nodded and jumped back, assuming a fighting stance. “No one interfere!” she called out to the bystanders. “And nobody touch the gi—hime, got it?”

 

The shocked guards nodded, and the two yokai went at each other. After an initial clash, Kaze took off into the air, gaining his most obvious advantage. He made a few shots at her with the scythes, which she deflected.

 

“Long-range weapon, huh?” she asked, darting around with a speed that was easily non-human. “You know they aren't as efficient.”

 

Kaze recoiled the scythe and sent out a spinning shot. “I find it works quite well, actually.”

 

She deflected it again, but Kaze had only let out half the chain and threw the other end quickly, surprising her. She let go of her sword with one hand and dodged the scythe, grabbing the chain after it had passed her. She jerked on it hard, but only got slack from Kaze. He pulled back, and she was smart enough to let go before the blade cut off her fingers. The next time he threw she caught it with her sword, a more reliable anchor for pulling. Kaze ran out of slack and was forced to the ground.

 

“That's better,” Chiaki smiled. “I want to see your eyes when I kill you,”

 

From the walkways, Miharu gripped the railing tightly. He was fighting differently than he usually did. It was if he was watching, waiting for something. She sure hoped he knew what he was doing.

 

Kaze retrieved his second scythe but Chiaki was on him before he could fly again. He caught her sword with the scythes crossed, and she pressed him hard. He took a few steps backwards and she followed, still pressing. She didn't notice she had stepped over the chain until Kaze slipped out of her press and jerked both ends of it hard. She jumped out of the trip, but just barely. Before she could fully regain her balance Kaze went at her sword from cross-wise directions. The metal was good, and so the sword didn't break, but the shock of it was too much for her wrists and it flew from her hands, landing 10 feet away.

 

She glanced at him, and made a run for it. He shot for her feet and tripped her. She landed hard sprawled out on the ground, her outstretched hand only 6 inches from the handle of the sword. She inched forward for it.

 

Kaze winced, aimed well, and threw.

 

Chiaki's scream of pain pierced the tense air in the castle as blood freely gushed up around the scythe point embedded deeply in her left shoulder blade. Kaze was beside her instantly, holding her arms down just below the shoulders.

 

“Don't move,” he warned tersely, “If you move you will lose the use of your left arm permanently.

 

Chiaki cursed him profusely but did not move.

 

Kaze sighed. “You're pretty good, but you're about 100 years too early to beat me. It would be a useless waste to kill you, so I'll give you a couple pointers. Don't get so cocky, and don't talk while you're fighting. You may be trying to distract your opponent but you're really distracting yourself. Have a backup weapon, something long range like knives or stars. Oh, and” he glanced down. “Wear some armor, for heaven's sake.”

 

Chiaki was silent and petulant.

 

“Now I'm going to remove the blade. Let it heal properly before you start training again or you will cause yourself more harm than help.”

 

With that, he whipped the blade out cleanly and she screamed again. Her bleeding became worse, and as Kaze backed off a few guards rushed forward to help her.

 

“The next time we meet I hope your performance will not be so disappointing,” he chastised, and then walked to Miharu.

 

“Come, let us leave,” he said.

 

She nodded, and glanced at her handmaidens, who stood a good distance off, watching with expressions that ranged from shock to horror to scorn. There was nothing for her here now.

 

Kaze pulled her into his arms and lifted off the ground. No one even acknowledged their departure. Before heading to the island, Kaze stopped some distance from the castle.

 

“Kazemaru?” Miharu asked, curious.

 

“I'm removing the barrier,” he explained.

 

Miharu frowned. “But the war…”

 

He shook his head, kneeling next to the line he had carved in the ground. “It's over. He'll only have to face the same he did before.”

 

Miharu paused. “Alright.”

 

Kaze drew his scythe through the line twice, breaking the circle. There was a shimmering of light, and then nothing.

 

They stood there a moment, as Miharu gazed at the ancient, familiar palace. She wondered if she would ever see it again. She turned to Kaze, who was watching her quietly.

 

She pushed the tears from her eyes and walked into his arms. “Take me home, Kaze,” she said quietly.

 

He nodded, and they left for the island.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: YAY!!!!! I think it went rather well, considering I don't read much action to go by. So, I have a question for you guys now:

 

Should I write some lemon or skip ahead to when the plot gets interesting again?

 

Tell me what you think and I'll go with the most popular opinion.

 

Thanks for all your comments!!!