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"Of Ashes and Blood" (Suo) ---------------------------------- Yukimo Village, Yamato - 17 years ago - Late Afternoon ---------------------------------- Suo ran as if he could outrun time itself. The summer was passing; the cool gusts that blew threw his hair had the first teeth of the autumn chill and the sun's blessed light was becoming less each week. Already the fiery orb was slowly dipping down behind the crags that marked the western coast, getting ready to ease herself into the ocean. The day was drawing to a close, and soon he and the others would have to go back home. Really, they probably should have been on their way back already; it was dangerous along the coast anytime since the troubles with the merfolk began, but particularly at night when the creatures of the dark became restless. Not that Suo had ever seen merfolk or demons outside of his mind's eye, but he been taught to fear such things. Soon he would be back home, and tomorrow, his father would leave again. His father was a great merchant, one whose wares and reputation were slowly gaining the interest of the Shogunate. Suo didn't truly grasp the implications of that, but he understood by the nearly childish expressions of excitement his parents got when the spoke of it that it was a Good Thing. Being a great merchant sometimes required his father to be gone for weeks at a time. During those times, his mother would become quiet and withdrawn, her life and laughter somewhat eclipsed by disuse. Suo did not yet have a mature enough intellect to say it was due to her loneliness. He could not say that their strange status as the family of a merchant somehow put them somewhere among the bottom rung of society, despite all his father accomplished. His father had tried to explain the celestial hierarchy to him before, and though he could repeat it, he still did not understand it. If they did so much for the Empire, how were they just barely above the unclean, the eta? Whatever the reason, other peasants kept a distance from their family. Despite this, his father had established relationships with other merchants and even a few samurai, but none lived in Yukimo. The children of the village, only aware enough to know something was Different about the family, still were willing to play with Suo. However, his mother had no such friends or company. All she had was Suo and his father. Suo could not put this to words if asked, but in his heart he knew it. So when his father left, he would stay home with his mother while the others played and keep her company. But for now, she had his father, and he could play with no such burdens on his heart. Since he did not know how long his father would be gone, he intended to make it last as long as possible, regardless of what the sun tried to say. He could hear the voices of the others behind him - below the rise of the hill he'd just run over - and had to fight to keep the laughter from bubbling up. He was the undisputed master of the chase: at least in the village of Yukimo. Taller at seven than some of the ten year olds, Suo was a much faster runner than all of the other children. He was also wily, and would do things they didn't expect. Like he planned to do now. The children knew the lay of these hills from all the times they had raced across them, but he usually noticed things they missed. He knew of a good outcropping of stone just past the edge of the field, hanging over the ocean, offering a spectacular view of the horizon and the coast. On the days his mother worried for him being cooped up in the house with her and told him to go play with the others, he'd come here, just to see the ocean for a time, then return to her. It was one of his private places, one he knew well. He doubted the others did. He had led the other children on a merry chase, using his speed to gain a good lead. For a small amount of time he would be hidden from view by the swell of the hill, giving him the opportunity to disappear down onto the outcropping and let the others run past. Then, he'd climb back up, call to them (after they'd run a good bit, naturally), and they could begin the long chase home. Grinning at the thought, with seconds before the others crested the rise, he skidded to a stop and hopped over the edge of the field. He had done this small ritual hundreds of times, this seemingly dangerous leap having become as ritual as navigating the steps up to his home. He held his breath as he went over so they others wouldn't hear his panting as they ran past. However, something was different this time. Something was already there: something large, something wrong. His feet connected with a hard surface (hard, but not stone) a few feet before they expected to. His arms cartwheeled, trying valiantly to regain his balance. As his lungs gathered the air to scream, his head connected with the side of the cliff, and darkness washed over him. *** When he came to, there was a ringing in his ears and spots danced before his eyes. Pain seemed to have blossomed from the back of his skull and was throbbing angrily for attention. Small filaments of it seemed to run down his spine, making his fingers and toes tingle unpleasantly. The sun was halfway into the ocean, watching like a baleful, reproachful red eye. He sat up, and the world seemed to tilt and swirl as he did so. Bracing himself with one hand on the outcropping, he touched the back of his head, gingerly feeling the warm stickiness he found there. He was then aware of something cool and sticky touching the hand he had braced himself with. He also realized his legs were propped across whatever it had been that had disrupted his practiced jump. Trying to move his head as little as possible, Suo gathered his legs underneath him, permitting him a better look at what he had landed on. It looked like a discarded suit of samurai armor. Suo always watched the samurai - who wouldn't? In their full armor, there was something mythical, something powerful about them. They looked liked living legends; even the ashigaru troops made up of peasantry looked larger than life in their regalia. He recognized the coloring (one of Father's lessons) as those of Akahiko - the seat of the Shogunate. It was a light suit, missing some of the heavier plates of a heavy soldier's attire. Perhaps that of a scout, or a messenger? But who would throw it away here? And where was the helmet? It was then that, through his painful daze, he realized the suit wasn't empty. Trembling suddenly, his stunned mind stumbled over what his eyes were telling him. Slowly lifting both hands, Suo looked between them. On his left, the fresh blood from his own skull: on his right, a dark reddish-brown coat of something with frightening similarities. Looking down, he saw a large pool of it had gathered under the armor (/body/). It looked like it came from where the helmet should have been... Suo vomited then, an act that sent pain lancing through his head and hunched him over the armor (/headless body/). Dazed, terrified, his thoughts scattered like blossoms on the wind. He tried to gather them, but few where helpful. One asked him, /Is it a crime punishable by death to heave on a dead samurai?/ He felt like laughing... or crying. He wasn't sure, but he might have been doing both. He scrubbed his hands on his kimono trying to get the blood off. That was when he noticed the scroll tucked into the armor's (/Father, help me, it's a headless body/) belt. The scroll bore a cracked seal, but one still recognizable as the seal of the Shogun. Suo stared at it, suddenly having the detached feeling as if this were all some strange, terrible dream. His head throbbed, and small spots still danced occasionally passed his eyes. He could feel a small trickle of blood slowly slide down the neck of his kimono. The wind from the coast had whipped up, and it felt like it was clawing at him - him and the scroll. A small, calm thought whispered audibly under the pain and confusion, curious as to what the scroll would say. Listening to that small voice of strange sanity, his hand reached for the scroll, clutching it to keep it from being tugged loose. Part of the broken seal slid off, and the lip of the scroll unfurled in the wind. Suo's other hand shot out and grabbed the free end, staining it slightly with his blood. Since he had been three, his father had been teaching him how to read, write, manipulate numbers, and even how to meditate and concentrate. They were the skills that had served his father well, and Suo was getting very good at them. Some of the words on the scroll meant something to him, though many did not. What he could understand, however, turned his blood into liquid ice. Oni. Three days north of Yukimo. Order of the Shogun. All civilians moved to southern port of Motoyama. Samurai guard their passage. An oni. Coming to Yukimo. His father's voice floated up to him from some distant lesson. /Akahiko? I will take you there someday, but it is a trip left for another time. It is a good five-day ride, and I will have to be heading south soon. We'll go next year; by then, I'll have a fresh supply of weapons to trade/. Five days ride from Akahiko. An oni three days north. With that same dream-like detachment, he wondered how fast an imperial messenger could travel. Obviously not fast enough. With this realization, a sheer surge of understanding and terror made him jump to his feet, somehow enabling him to ignore the pain and vertigo caused by his aching head. Scrabbling, he clawed his way up onto the field of grass, casting about for the others. "Aki! Yashi! Mana!" Only the wind answered, howling mournfully. The last red light of the sun seemed to cling to the grass like blood. He had lost time with the fall. How long? Fifteen minutes? Had the oni killed that messenger? Had it killed the others? Was it going to the village? Worry caused his small voice of detachment to dissipate, and feverishly he hoped they had already headed home, HAD to have already headed home. He began to run, the pain in his head kept away by some inner strength that surged through him, helping him run faster than he ever had. He kept fearing that he would stumble across the bodies of the other children as he dashed madly back towards the town, the Shogun's scroll clutched in one bloody hand. There was always samurai at the bell towers, and the one by the north gate was a grizzled old veteran that seemed to like Suo - at least enough to speak with him every time he wandered to the northern fields. Suo just knew that, somehow, if he got this message to Hachi, everything would be right again. They would be safe again. He would wake up from this dream. By the time the tower was in view, his lungs burned from exertion, a stitch had developed in his side, and his vision kept trying to blur. He tried to call out for Hachi, tried to scream for someone to come to him, but what air he had was doing its best just keeping him moving. If anyone in the town had noticed his approach, they did not seem worried by it, as no one seemed to be emerging to greet him. Indeed, he could see Hachi sitting in front of the bell tower, seemingly watching his approach. Tumbling to the dirt in front of the samurai, Suo tried to speak, but could only pant in ragged breaths as he fought the dizziness returning with the pain in his head and the pounding in his ears. Instead, he held out the scroll, hoping there was enough left on the seal for Hachi to recognize. For one brief, shining moment, Suo believed that everything was going to be fine. Hachi didn't speak. He didn't take the scroll from Suo's hand. Looking up, Suo wiped the sweat and hair from his eyes and tried to focus his attention on the guardsman. His found his voice again, forcing it out between great gasps. "Found... on the coast... imperial message... Oni coming..." He thrust the scroll at Hachi, wondering if the samurai could be asleep. Then he noticed that Hachi's eyes were open, but dull and unseeing. There was an odd bulge in the old samurai's breastplate, as if his heart had tried to leap forth from his chest, only to be stopped by his ancestral armor. Then Suo saw the blood, and the pounding in his ears seemed to become eerily silent, allowing him to finally hear the distant screams. A terrible roar rose from the eastern part of town, a roar that likely would have made the young boy gone fetal had he not already suffered so much shock in such little time. Black smoke began to boil up from the village as if it had been there waiting, just waiting for him to look. The oni had come. Logical thought fell apart. The world had ceased making sense. All Suo wanted to do was go home, go home and have his parents wake him, reassure him that this was not only a dream, but something not even possible, even in times as dark as the elders claimed these were. Stumbling upright, his feet mechanically carried him towards home, past broken bodies and burning homes of people he knew. He did not hear the ringing of the southern bell tower, calling the survivors to retreat. He did not hear the yells of the samurai who tried to engage the beast as it moved back from the east towards the center of town. His mind would not acknowledge the dark cloud of smoke broiling up from where his home was, nor did it dwell on it when he arrived. For there, on the courtyard leading to the street, was where his parents rested. His Mother and Father looked like broken dolls that some god had grown weary of playing with and tossed aside. A samurai looked as if he had tried to protect them, just as Father looked like he had tried to protect Mother. The top half of the samurai was smoldering, his katana twisted and partly melted beside him. Suo shuffled over to his parents, and knelt beside them. He laid the scroll next to his father's head, in some small attempt to show he had tried. Both of them were face down, and for that, Suo was strangely thankful - he didn't want to see the dull looks (like Hachi) on their faces, or any other terror that might have been captured there. He did call softly to them, hope a small trembling, fragile, and ultimately blind spark in his heart. Maybe, just maybe... but there was no answer, no movement. The detached voice in his mind whispered again, telling him he had known better. The spark faded and he turned away, eyes stinging. Before him, flames had started to claim the village of Yukimo, just as they were claiming his home behind him. Somewhere in the city, he could hear the nightmarish laughter of the oni. He imagined he could see it briefly, a hulking form that moved through the smoke down the southern path, visible but a moment before being concealed by the wind-whipped smoke. The ice that had been flowing through him all this time, all the fear and the terror of the past hour shifted subtly, and something gave way in the boy, like a tree falling before a storm. A strange heat began to fill his stomach; fierce, consuming, like the fire around him. It slowly crept its way through his guts, up his spine. Its heat touched his mind, and Suo knew rage. It was gone, all gone, his life, his family, his home... everything that was anything was gone with no warning, no reason, no rhyme. Taken by an oni. In the distance, its laughter had changed, became words still audible to him, even over the flames. Mocking. Suo's eyes fixed on the smoldering samurai's short sword - his wakizashi - untouched by the heat that had broken the katana. His small hands closed around it, ignoring how it stung his hands with heat, pulling it from its sheath. He rose to his feet, hefting the sword with both hands. He could not tell between the fire and the blood, but his vision had become painted red. He began to run again, running to follow the deathbringer, that evil that had destroyed his life. As he ran around the corner, he tore past a slim samurai who swore a startled oath, then tried to call him back. From the breeze close to his neck, Suo's small logical voice piped up that the samurai might have been trying to stop him, but the rage that ruled his mind didn't care. Ahead he could see the hulking form of the oni, standing at least eight feet at the shoulder. Its skin was black like the night falling around it; it's arms and legs like the trunks of trees tipped with monstrous mimicries of hands and feet. Two great curving horns rose from its head, but its face was towards a group of four samurai (Akahiko colors, his logical voice noted) who had fanned out in front of it. One of the samurai yelled something; maybe at him, maybe at the demon, he didn't care. He did not slow, did not stop, just braced the sword as best as he could and ran on, wanting it to die, to suffer, to... With a speed Suo's eyes could not follow, the creature stepped aside. He heard a great whooshing of air, felt a great weight smash into him, piercing him, lifting him and sending him flying. For one brief, agonizing moment, he knew nothing but pain, and he screamed in defiance of it. Then the darkness came back again, pulling him down into its depths, mercifully washing the blood and fire from his mind. *** Suo awoke, his mind muddled, but free of any physical pain. A soft hand was resting on his forehead. For an instant, he thought it was his Mothers, but then knew with a crushing surety it was not. He was mildly confused to find himself still alive: perhaps a bit disappointed, as well. He looked up into the dark, troubled eyes of the lady kneeling next to him, and she smiled. Absently, he noticed she was somewhat plain without that smile, but very pretty with it. "Welcome back, young one." She motioned with her other hand, and Suo was vaguely aware of another presence slipping out of the room, the rice paper door closing behind with a soft /clack/. His eyes roamed the room, but he did not recognize it. He felt strangely empty; the sorrow and the anger were gone. That was fine with him - a welcome change to the turmoil. The lady slid a hand under his head, raising it slightly to place a warm cup of tea to his lips. The smell was pleasant, but it could not hide the faint smell of smoke that permeated the air. "Drink some of this; it will help you regain your strength." He sipped obediently. The tea was sweet and unfamiliar, spreading pleasant warmth through his body. "My name is Takara Niko. It is good to meet you, young one. May I ask your name?" His response was automatic, free of real thought. "Kawada Suo." Niko pursed her lips slightly, her expression hard to read had he even tried. She helped him finish the tea, then placed a gentle hand against his forehead, easing him back onto the pallet. He had the feeling she had intended to ask more, but perhaps something in his voice had forestalled her. He did not know how long he stared at the ceiling before the door opened again. He was aware of Takara's bow, and her whispered consultation with the man (he could tell by the rumble of his voice that he was a man) who entered, but he did not care to summon the energy needed to raise his head and see who it was or even eavesdrop. The man moved over to him, knelt beside him. In his peripheral vision, Suo could see the man was wearing heavy samurai armor; his helmet tucked under one arm. The coloring was of Akahiko, like the others he had seen, but distinctive somehow. He was splattered with blood in a few places, and coated in soot. "I am Koh Rijun, Kawada-san. Do you know me?" "Hai, Koh-sama. You are the Shogun." Another fact his mind rattled off without his need to help; his Father (he flinched at the pain that touched off, but it quickly subsided back to his shell of emptiness) had taught him well. The small voice returned, warning him of his rudeness in not bowing, as he knew he was capable of doing - whatever had happened to him, he was whole now, even the wound on the back of his head. Suo didn't care. Shogun Koh did not seem to be offended by this, either. His dark, intelligent eyes watched the young boy, noting the flash of pain that crossed his face after he answered. "I assume you have already met Takara-san? It is she whose magicks saved you." Suo nodded, realizing this was an inadequate show of thanks, but knowing at the moment he wasn't thankful. The Shogun seemed content to let that slide, as well. "Today, you may well have saved my life, the lives of several of my men, and the lives of many of those in your village. Were you aware of this?" That didn't make any sense. Suo sat up, looking at the Shogun in apparent confusion. His apathetic shell cracked as he tried to explain to the Shogun just how abysmally he had failed. "But I didn't get the message back in town in time. I didn't save anyone! I didn't even stab the oni!" The peaceful emptiness that had cushioned his mind threatened to become a cold void of loss. His eyes burned, but he ignored them, refusing to cry in front of the Shogun (for his family's honor, he would not cry). The Shogun's brow crinkled slightly as he studied the young boy. "What message? I would like it if you would tell me your story, Kawada-san, from the beginning." Suo did. Given a task, his small voice reemerged, and he was able to rebuild his shell somewhat. His account was delivered in near monotone, including details that Suo had noticed before, but had not dwelled on. During his telling, Takara gave him another cup of tea and a reassuring touch on his hand. He nearly broke at that touch, but managed to bury the emotion it conjured. Shogun Koh simply listened, only once or twice asking for clarification. Suo did not believe it took long, perhaps five or ten minutes, but he felt drained by the recounting. He noticed his hand tremble as he started to lift the tea cup for a final sip, and instead let it remain there as he waited for the Shogun to speak again. Shogun Koh remained silent for a few moments, always studying the boy. "Do you have any other family, Kawada-san?" Suo knew there were other members of his family, cousins he believed, in the northern cities, but he did not know them. "I have not met them, Koh-sama, but some live in the north." "Do you know where?" Suo shook his head. Koh made a noise, a small 'mmm' sound, like a grunt of affirmation. "What you did today, Kawada-san, was create a diversion that none of us expected - not myself, my men, or Gurendaru, the oni you charged." A sliver of ice wormed its way down Suo's spine, despite his shell. He had faced Gurendaru? It was a name that most parents used to scare their children with in Yamato. However, in the Namara province, it was a name spoken only in whisper, and rarely voluntarily. Some of the elders claimed there was no greater evil. Suo knew part of Gurendaru's legend -- there wasn't a man, woman, or child in Yukimo that didn't -- but did not know its history. Gurendaru was an oni -- a very powerful and cunning demon that had made itself known to Yamato many years ago, when it allowed one man to crawl away from the destroyed port town of Meriun. The only information that could be understood from the broken man's babblings was the name of the creature; reason had fled from some time during his terrible ordeal. The man passed away from his gruesome injuries soon after he was discovered. Meriun had not been a thriving city, but it had boasted a handful of retired samurai, including one who had become the yoriki of the town. The yoriki, in addition to the normal enforcement of imperial laws, was known to recruit a few of his retired friends to deal with local bandits and foreign slavers, enhancing his reputation as a warrior of the people. He was found dead, propped up in the center of the destroyed town with a single character charred into the front of his broken armor: Osore. Fear. The shogun of that time ordered a search for the oni, offering great prestige and favors to anyone who could bring proof of the creature's destruction back to the capitol. Five groups of veteran samurai were formed from voluteers and sent to scour the cliff-riddled hills along the Namara coast. Two returned, reporting no sighting of the beast. Two disappeared completely. The only sign of the third group was when the distinctive helm, crushed, of one of the samurai was found in a fisherman's net a few miles north of where Meriun had stood. The army was mobilized and the cliffs were scoured in force. While several undead and oni were destroyed, none announced themselves as Gurendaru nor seemed as formidable as the creature that had laid waste to Meriun. After a decade, the hunt was forgotten, and many believed that one of the lesser oni had been the creature calling itself Gurendaru. Then the small fishing village of Horobiru was found in ashes; its residents slaughtered without sign of sword or arrow. One man was found propped up in the center of town bearing the mark of Osore. Every decade or so, the mark was discovered on a body in another destroyed village. Despite hunts and investigations, no creature calling itself Gurendaru was ever found. Several oni were killed in the hunts, but none seemed to be a creature powerful or wily enough to have evaded an army and slain so many veteran samurai. However, with no way to be truly certain one of the oni was responsible for the devastation, the shogunate would lay the blame onto the largest oni destroyed by the hunt. Assurances were given to the daimyo who ruled over the Namara province that his territory was safe again. While few believed such claims, speaking against them would have caused a great loss of face for the shogunate. No loyal samurai would do such a thing to the arm of the Emperor, and no peasant dared. While Suo didn't know these facts, the legend it had created was what the children (and most of the adults) in the village used to measure all other fear against. Koh continued, "Because of that one moment of surprise, we were able to get a mortal blow against the creature. You interrupted us in one ploy, but only the goddesses of Fate could say if it would have worked or not. I do believe we would have lost several more samurai if you had not surprised it like you did. The bravery you showed today would make your parents and your ancestors proud." Suo did not believe what he had done was bravery; he had not even known it was Gurendaru, or things might have been different. Wisely, he did not argue with the Shogun. He did like the thought of having done well by his family. A parting gift, perhaps, though that thought also threatened to break him, as well. He cast it aside, and listened again to the Shogun. "The messenger was sent four days ago. I had hoped he would arrive in time to evacuate the village, but it seems he ran afoul of the oni. I do not believe simple bandits would have dared attack an imperial messenger. I gathered my men and followed as quickly as I could. I... truly regret not having arrived in time to save your family, Kawada-san, or the others of your village." Suo blinked rapidly, gritting his teeth against the urge to cry. "Because of this, because of your lack of close family, and because of your display of bravery today, I would like to offer you the chance to become a samurai in my charge. There are many children who come to learn the way of the warrior in Akahiko; they all become wards of the city, under my protection, until their training is complete. Then they are free to return to their families. You have much potential, Kawada-san. And you have earned a place there." Suo didn't know what to say. This was something completely unexpected. It was, of course, a great honor; a Good Thing, like being a great merchant, though better in the eyes of the celestials. /That/ he knew. He was too young to carry on his Father's name, his training incomplete. There was nothing for him left here, and he knew none of his family in the north. Numbly, he simply nodded. The Shogun smiled slightly, his right lip rising in a half-smile. "Do not be too hasty, young Kawada. You have the day to think on it. We will not be moving again until morning, once order has been restored here and we are certain the city is clean of evil. Until then, rest, and think on my offer. I will take your true answer in the morning." Then Koh inclined his head slightly to Suo. Suo bowed this time, touching his forehead to the floor. The Shogun turned; Suo heard the door slide open, then shut, as he left. Suo did not rise. Takara rested a light hand on his shoulder. "Kawada-san? Are you hungry?" Suo looked up at her, and for some reason the concern in her eyes rendered him unable to hold back the tide any longer. He cried. The shrine maiden held him, rocking him gently as he did. He cried great, wracking sobs that left him drained, his eyes blotchy. The emptiness was still there, but it did not seem as profound as before, not something insurmountable. His sobs eventually dwindled, and sleep eventually claimed him, easing his mind. In all of his life, there would only be one other time he would ever cry again. *** When morning came, the survivors of Yukimo were already starting to put their village back in order. Well over half the village had burned due to the magicks of the Oni and the wild wind, but the casualties were much smaller than most expected; barely a quarter of the village had died during that evil night. Many had heard the Shogun's proclamation the previous night of what Suo had done. Despite where he was born in the celestial order, there were none in Yukimo who had seen Gurendaru or the bodies of their friends that doubted Suo was a true samurai. They kept a respectable distance when they saw him emerge from one of the southern houses the Shogun had claimed for his men and the wounded. Most watched as he trudged back to the ruin of his parent's house and made silent prayers before the small, nondescript urns that held their burned remains. They saw the Shogun approach the young boy, and though they could not hear the question asked of him, they saw the boy's nod in response. The children that had known and played with him had indeed made it back home the previous night, having heard the first scream of the oni shortly after Suo had performed his disappearing trick. They longed to ask him what had happened. Many others simply wished to give thanks to the small boy whom the Shogun accredited with their survival, but they were never given a chance. Suo left with Rijun Koh and his entourage. Not long after that night, the villagers cleaned the remains of the house on the Kawada family's land. By order of the Shogun, that land now belonged to the Shogunate and they were not allowed to parcel it out. However, after a written request from the elders of the village was sent to Akahiko, they were allowed to erect a small shrine to the Kawada family. Six years later, a new order came in from the Shogun, and a new house was built there for a samurai known simply as Suo. Servants moved in, and the house was an elegant and well kept estate. Many suspected that the Suo who owned it was the boy they had known, but they were never given a chance to find out. While it was true that the samurai known only as Suo was the same boy, he never returned to Yumiko. (Summary: Suo's family is killed by an oni, and his village nearly destroyed. The Shogunate adopts the young boy, and he is taken back to Akahiko to begin training as a samurai.) ------------------------------------ "Of Ashes and Blood" (Suo) By Damon Earley ------------------------------------ |