Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Shades of Sorrow ( Chapter 93 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: MellyN

XxXxXx

Sacrifice

Chapter 93: Shadows of Sorrow

By: Revamp/Melissa Norvell

XxXxXx

In their hotel room, everyone was resting after their fight with Ceres. Fife laid on the ground on his stomach with his legs kicked up behind him and his hands propping up his face. The gentle breeze of a fan flowed in his face, causing his shaggy hair to dance around his face as he smiled wistfully. "Thank goodness for some modern perks." Recently, they had only ventured to places with little to no modern technologies. Finding a place that used some of them at least was like heaven.

"Don't get me near that thing. Technology kicks my ass," Hiroshima glared at the fan as if it were possessed. He hated anything that had the so called 'modern perks' to it. As an angel who knew little of these man-made machines, he decided to steer clear of anything much.

Looking away from the fan, Fife turned back to his comrades. "Where are Ko, Zangetsu and Chichiri?"

"They're passed out in the back somewhere. I'm surprised you're not there with them," the angel commented on how much energy they had wasted during their battle. He thought for sure that most everyone would be asleep by now.

Keiji sat cross legged in the floor with his hands on his knees. He was dressed in a black kimono with green, wispy clouds on it. "I'm actually kind of used to fighting like this now, so I just need a nap and I'll be fine."

The blue-haired vampire turned his face back into the fan. "I'm not tired, really. Just thinking."

Tsurugi, who sat in a tea serving position on the ground, questioned him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Stuff."

Hiroshima rolled his eyes. Typical.

XxXxXx

Ko, Zangetsu and Chichiri were fast asleep on the floor of their room. The white-haired girl slept in the middle, her body was restless as if she was having trouble or struggling inside of her personal dreamscape. Her pale form tossed and turned violently and small mewing noises escaped her lips.

A dark figure loomed over her, smiling as they ripped her clothes off with brash, strong grips. The shredding of a cotton candy pink kimono with small, red flowers sounded in her ears. The girl screamed out and tried to desperately fight them off, but her wrists were pinned on either side of her head. The figure, which appeared to be nothing more than a black shadow, leaned down near her face.

"You're mine now, Hotohori. If you would have picked me over him, I wouldn't have to do this, but you gave me no choice," the young male voice sounded in her ears with dark promise.

"Please! Don't! You don't know what you're doing," she attempted to reason with the figure, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"You should enjoy it, the blossoms are beautiful today. Just stare at them and it will make things easier," the figure chided as her blue eyes slowly looked up to the tree above them, pink with fragile blossoms that fell around her. With tears in her eyes, the girl stared at the falling flowers. The little wonders reflected in her eyes on that fateful day.

The white-haired girl flung herself up off of the floor, her heart raced as she gasped for air. It was as if her struggle had taken place in the real world as well as in her dream. Quickly, her blue eyes darted around as paranoia gripped her heart, clenching it like a vice being tightened. She looked to one side to see Zangetsu calmly sleeping with one hand over his chest. His face was turned towards her. Looking to the other side, Chichiri was sprawled out with his arms and legs everywhere, snoring lightly. "Zangetsu? Chichiri?" She questioned lightly before exhaling a sigh of relief. "Thank god…" Closing her eyes, Ko was happy that it was only a dream.

There was a knock at the door that caused Tsurugi, Hiroshima, Keiji and Fife to simultaneously glance at the door.

"We have a visitor," Fife smiled, resting his head in his now crossed arms.

"I'll get it," Tsurugi told the group as he walked over to the door and slid it to the side to reveal a man who looked in his early twenties. He was dressed in an elaborate kimono that was a jade green with a pattern of dragons and clouds adorning it. His hair was shoulder-length, straight and black in coloration. "Hello, may I help you?" The dark angel blinked in confusion. He had never seen this man before. Tsurugi wondered what he could possibly want from them.

The man bowed respectfully. "Hello and welcome to our village. I am Kazama Dai. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

The angel bowed in turn. "You may call me Tsurugi."

"Nice to meet you, Tsurugi. I just wanted to welcome you all; since I saw all of you come into the market square. Your clothes were out of sorts, so I didn't recognize you as being from our village."

"Well, yes, we've been traveling around, so we're not exactly a native to this town," Tsurugi smiled. They were more foreign than this man thought, but he decided not to push it. Keiji walked up behind him and questioned the man's identity. Dai pardoned himself and reintroduced himself, noting that he was son of the village elder.

"I'm Keiji. What do you want?" His words were stiff and stoic as they always had been. They showed neither joy nor regret that the man came to their room.

Dai blinked at his forwardness. Usually people didn't react quite like that to him.

"He just wanted to welcome us into town. The people here seem quite friendly," Tsurugi turned to the green-haired boy. It was refreshing considering places like Sumeria and Shaffon, whose residents were less than happy to meet them or outright hated them and tried to kill them.

Keiji turned to the angel, leveling him with a dead panned look as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. "Then why don't you let him in?"

Tsurugi's sweat dropped mimicked Keiji's as he smiled nervously. "Good idea." He turned to Dai and gestured inside with one hand. "Please, come in."

Dai walked into the room, his sandals clacked against the hardwood floors. As he walked in, Ko walked out from the back room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The two saw each other and paused, staring each other down with looks of realization for a moment before they morphed into shock.

"Hotohori?" Dai was the first to speak after minutes of silence.

This caused Ko's face to twist in anger. "No, my name is Ko. Not Hotohori." She shot, coldly.

"I sense tension!" Fife sing-songed before he was smacked in the back of the head. "Ouch!"

"Shut up, Fife," the female ninja glared as the vampire sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

"I was only trying to lighten the mood."

"This mood won't be lightened. You don't even know what kind of man he is," she took another verbal jab at the elder's son.

Hiroshima, who was standing against the wall with his arms crossed looked over to the man and said nothing. Like hell he was getting into this fight. He knew his boundaries. This was something that Ko was going to have to face herself. If anyone else interfered it would only cause more unnecessary drama.

Dai jerked a finger to spiky-haired man. "Who's the evil-looking guy in the corner?"

Oh joy, it seemed he was going to get pulled into it whether he wanted to be in it or not. Next time, he was just going to ignore whoever came into the room. "The name's Hiroshima. Next time, you can ask me yourself."

Dai turned back to Ko. "I didn't intend on you being here."

"What? Afraid to walk around in shame?" She placed a hand on her hip.

"Hardly," he smirked.

"Why do they hate each other?" Keiji questioned from the sidelines.

"I don't know, but it certainly got interesting, didn't it?" Fife was obviously amused with the situation. He seemed amused with everything.

"Always the drama. I have to face facts, even when it is peaceful; it's never that way for long," his donor sighed. Between their personal problems, secrets and encounters of the strange and angering, their group was under constant stress.

His master rested his head on Keiji's shoulder. "I feel remotely peaceful, as long as I'm not fighting."

Keiji blushed, "y-yeah."

"Aw, you do love me," Fife teased, nuzzling his neck.

Irritation crossed the boy's face. "Would you stop that?" He grumbled.

If no one else was going to step in-between them, Tsurugi decided that he was going to do the job. "I take it the two of you know each other?" It was an innocent question, though he knew the answer. It was more something to clear up those left in confusion than anything else.

"Don't act stupid. You know we do," Ko shot Tsurugi the death glare, a silent message that it was best if he didn't talk anymore.

"I suppose you're right," he bowed out of the conversation.

Dai prowled up to Ko, arrogance etched on his face. "Hey, it's been a long time." Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it away harshly in rejection.

"We are not friends, nor will we ever be."

"Don't be like that, Hotohori-" He was cut off yet again by her correcting him.

"My name is Ko, now remove yourself from my sight,” she just got there. She wasn't ready to face, him and she shouldn't have to in her own hotel room. She didn't care if he was the elder's son or not.

"This is my village," Dai crossed his strong arms proudly over his broad chest, puffing it out. His words were laced with possession and pride. "I own this hotel and everything in this place."

"That doesn't mean you can come in whenever the hell you feel like it," Hiroshima grumbled. This guy was a raging asshole, and if it were up to him, he would forcefully kick this guy out, but they really didn't have enough money for another hotel so he bit his tongue and dealt with it in the most passive way possible.

At that moment, Chichiri walked into the room. His hand was scratching his head; long hair was a mess from his haphazardly sleeping habits. He let out a loud yawn; his kimono was barely on his body and hung from his shoulders. The white belt was tied loosely. "That was a good sleep-huh?" The man cut himself off and paused in mid-step, looking at Dai with confusion and sleep that clung desperately to his face.

Well, this was embarrassing.

"What's going on?" He asked in a groggy tone. He went to rest for a little while and woke up to some strange man, staring Ko down like he wanted to pummel her into the ground. The whole situation was quite a conundrum.

"You might own material objects but you don't own people," Ko continued to argue, disregarding Chichiri's half-dressed form looming in the background.

Dai smirked. "I own enough of them."

That was shot through her heart, and she felt the recoil from that near deadly verbal blow. Blue eyes widened with the realization that he had that one factor over her. He took the one thing that she could never get back. That hurt and pain that she had harbored inside all of this time came to a boiling point and pulled out her shurikens and flung them at the offending man. Quickly, he dodged and landed on one knee as the tenacious pieces of metal dug into the wood of their hotel room.

"You dare to try and strike me?" Dai huffed and shot forward, elbowing her in the stomach with such force that she coughed up fluids and held the afflicted area, taking a step back. The others all stared with looks of shock written on their faces.

"Ko!" Chichiri ran up to her, but was soon stopped by the woman, holding out her arm as if to tell him not to come any closer.

"Let me handle this. It's between me and him." It was not a request, it was a command.

"Ko…"

The woman stood straight up and stared Dai in the eye with a stern expression. "Let's go outside. I want to settle this once and for all." Even though she had feared this very moment, it was time to face the past. She could no longer run from this confrontation. It was now or never, and she didn't feel like backing down.

Dai placed a hand on his hip as he shifted his weight to one side. "So, you think you can beat me?"

"I know I can. You won't have any power over me any longer." Winning would even the score, it would rectify her as a human being and the pain would cease its haunting assault on her mind.

XxXxXxXx

"So, Ceres has been defeated," Eclipse lounged on one of the leather couches that adorned the spectacular, wide-open abode where the group who worked under Soel resided.

Looking down from her elaborate throne, Soel replied. "Yes, I want you to take her place as my new general."

"What about Fable?" She one-eyed woman arose, walking to the bottom of the staircase that ascended to her. It wasn't as if she was questioning her choice, and the offer was flattering, however, Fable would have rightfully been the next in line to gain the title as 'in charge'.

"Fable is doing the part I assigned to her. It's your job to oversee the mission," she instructed as Zangeif, who was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed looked over to their forms.

"And the girl?"

"You'll see. She has a special part in my plan. Her powers are more important than you could ever realize." A slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. This was all her grand design, and no matter what happens, the odd were minimal to zero. Soel was beyond pleased with the way things had turned out.

All of the pieces were in place.

"I take it you're going to use it to your benefit to acquire the legend?" The mechanical one's voice reverberated through the large room.

"Absolutely, and with Eclipse taking the lead, we're guaranteed success."

The short-haired woman bowed with one arm straight across her mid-sized bust. "Yes, my mistress. I will not fail you," she straightened up, opening her eye. 'Now that Ceres is out of the way, the fun can begin. I'll make those travelers wish they had died when they faced off against Ceres.'

XxXxXxX

The hillside was steep and littered with abnormally large rocks. The grass waved in the wind as Ko and Dai stared down each other, both standing on two different rocks. They both wore feudal warrior attire. Dai wore a large torso plate that was black with a leather strap holding up the right shoulder. On his left side was a large plate that outreached over his shoulder. Pleated material hung around his hips, as well as a sword that was strapped to his side. The nearby cherry trees shed their blossoms and pink flowers danced in the air as they made their descent to the ground. There was a large area of flat land nearby that bordered a rushing river. A short distance from the two was a large cherry tree where Fife, Keiji, Chichiri, Zangetsu, Hiroshima and Tsurugi were standing. Their eyes were locked on the two forms before them, ready to watch as they battled it out.

"What is this place?" Chichiri asked after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"It's a place from her past," Hiroshima answered.

"Huh?"

"Everyone has their demons. Right now, she's fighting hers."

"That guy…is her demon?" He didn't quite get the analogy.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Tsurugi replied.

"You think you're strong enough to beat me? I've always been above you, Hotohori," Dai told her, closing his eyes with an arrogant smirk. It was a prize well won. Just as the last time, he would be above her yet again. She was such a foolish girl for ever thinking that she could win this.

"Enough talk," Ko jumped off of the rock and shot up into the air, trying to kick him but he grabbed her leg. At the same time, the girl's hands touched and ground and she flipped, sending her opponent into the air, landing on his back with a thud. Darting over to his form, she kicked him in the ribs; his armor made a bonging sound as he rolled downhill and landed in the river with a splash. She was on his tail, jumping down to the water's edge as he shot up and grabbed her arm. Spinning her, he threw her against one of the trunks of a nearby cherry tree. Her back bounced off of it as her armor was jolted and the pleats of her warrior skirt smacked against her thighs. Knocked off of her balance, Ko fell into the dirt.

"That looked painful," Chichiri commented from the sidelines.

The white-haired warrior pulled herself to her knees. Dai charged at her with a loud yell, as he drew closer, she catapulted herself off of the ground just in time as his sword tore into the earth below her. He continued to rush the girl as she sped backwards. He swung his sword at her and she jumped back, evading it, and flipped through the air, landing on a rock after she smacked him in the face with her heel, causing him to fall forward.

"It's too bad that you really couldn't live up to whatever expectations you had for yourself," she boasted from her position on one of the medium-sized rocks.

Dai shot for her, grabbing her leg. Ko tried to leg sweep him, but it was ineffective. Jumping up, she kicked him in the chin, sending him backwards. She performed a replacement spell and ended up in front of him, kneeing him in the stomach with her powerful leg. He fell for a moment before another powerful blow from a spin kick send him skidding across the ground. Regaining her erect position, the girl stood there with her hands on her hips.

"I have a lot more where that came from. Do you want to go on?" If he knew what was good for him, he would give up now. Ko had enough anger to fuel her for quite a while, and she intended to really beat him down if he decided to persist on continuing.

"Way to go, Ko!" Chichiri shouted in support and pumped a fist into the air.

'I don't get it. Why does she hate this guy so much?' That one question had been on repeat in Keiji's head since they met Dai back in the hotel room. What was the big deal about this fight anyway? He glanced towards the angels, who held their normal expressions.

"Well, this is interesting," Tsurugi commented.

"This is like blood sport," Hiroshima told his lover.

"You're so barbaric."

Her opponent slowly pulled himself off of the ground. He is on his hands and knees as shock and horror riddled his visage. This girl was truly unbelievable! This was not the person he knew back then. 'How can she be that strong? This isn't like the Hotohori I knew at all. She should be easy to overpower, like she was in the past.

She was the daughter of a kendo master. She always acted so untouchable and she wore a pink kimono with red flowers. Even if I deny it, she was the girl I once loved. Even though I had feelings for her, she never wanted to return mine. I became obsessed with making her life unbearable when she decided to date my best friend. The torment of seeing them together drove me over the edge. Seeing her, standing there under that cherry blossom tree, as if she was some sort of deity made me sick. I couldn't stand seeing her, knowing what she and my best friend were doing. I even approached her on the matter.'

Walking up to the girl, the sakura petals fell in the wind and danced around the two of them in a stunning setting. Ko glanced over her shoulder to see him standing a few inches from him. "Dai?"

"Why? Why did you turn me down, only to go out with my best friend? Can't you see how much I love you? I physically hurt not being with you. Don't you understand that?" His face twisted into a pained expression, and his heart wrenched inside of his chest. Dai almost felt as if he wanted to cry on the spot. He felt just was wretched.

"I don't really feel that way about you. You can't make the heart feel something it doesn't," Ko felt bad about it, but she hoped that he would one day get over him and find someone attractive, someone who made him feel like a great man, to settle down with. Ko cared deeply for Dai, but held no romantic interest. It made things complicated between the three of them.

Dai felt panicky, and snapped at the long-haired girl. "You don't even try! You won't even give me the chance! That's all I want!" Why didn't she understand that? He could make her love him. Dai knew that if she only gave him a thought, a passing glance, anything, that it would surely change her mind or make her cognitive processes a little different towards their relationship.

"I won't break up with the man I truly do love to go on a trial date with you that won't even last. Besides, we're getting married next week," Ko had decided long ago that this was the future that she was ready for. She wanted to settle down and raise a family with Dai's best friend. He was the perfect man for her, and she would not forsake him for the world.

Dai looked as if he'd been hit with a ton of bricks. "What?" His pupils shrank and his eyes were wide with horror. Frantically, his mind tried to grasp everything that she'd said. 'At that point, I felt something in me snap. It was like I had turned into a completely different person.' Suddenly, he lunged at the girl, grabbing her harshly as he put all of his force into slamming her against the rough tree trunk. "I won't let you! The only one you belong to is me!" His words were filled with livid rage as he shouted in her face. His thoughts were nothing but blurs now.

"Stop!" Ko violently struggled against him, trying to get herself free from his grasp. "Let me go!" She pleaded before she was wrestled to the ground. The girl looked up to her assailant with fright-filled eyes. "Please, don't! You don't know what you're doing!"

"You should enjoy it. The blossoms are beautiful today," he spoke in a detached, crazed manner. He was all too calm for the situation. "Just stare at them and it will make things easier."

Staring blankly up, the helpless girl watched the petals fall as they reflected themselves in her hollow eyes. Her pink kimono was taken off and he lay on top of her.

In that moment, an ear piercing scream sounded through the air.

'After that instance, she vanished from the village. It was rumored that she committed suicide shortly after.'

…To Be Continued