Chapter 5:

MO SUKOSHI/A LITTLE MORE.SAISHO NO BUBUN/FIRST PART

Sakura Flower Of Shadow,Blade of New Light.


SAKURA

Things have escalated in the last week since my attack,since the battles have of late been against the loyalists favor and become ever the more likely that this battle that they had won will be lost this time.
What on earth could have brought about such a change?
My presence could not have been the only factor,I studied my visions enough to know that I somehow always return to my time and my home after two years,the Meiji era begins fully when I pass and it is almost always by a red well near the home of Tennami where I am slain or die from killing myself or the most painful one I recall was of a broken heart.

Lord Takanori and The Warrior are rarely present now,the battles are becoming such a blood bath that neither barely make themselves present to any of us here.Lady Takanori remains active in keeping the women servants trained in battle techniques as well as medic style work to which I try very hard to keep up with even if my mind just won't focus on it.All the smell of blood from the wounded that come.

Ally and foe alike.
And the sheer force of the screams from the blood on their swords,some are so angry they lost others weep for experiences they never had or loved ones.

Like a coward I flee from them sometimes but if I do otherwise people may get hurt.
"Sakura-San!Sakura-San!!"
I hear Io,Lady Takanori's oldest and trusted of her maid servants,call to me.I rush to her forgetting the bundle of flowers I was preparing for a young warrior to give his mother upon his return home to her.
"What is it?What is the matter Io?....."
She can barely breathe she is so shaken but her hands strong as a lifelong washerwomans hands would be,she grips my arms hard and I think I may have a mark from the complete strength of it."You must go young one....Go before they find you..I a with Lady Takanori on all things and she believes you are good and true so I do.Go!"

Io shoves me hard away with a small parcel and urges me on and away.I try to fight my way back to the house but she pushes me hard again and pulls out a short but deathly sharp dagger."I will not let you pass nor will I allow those animals to take you.Choose!"
My eyes weep and my heart pounds,I mutter "why?" or "what could it be?"to her but she stands guard like the warriors I read about that some I have seen in the flesh now.
The moment lasts not long though before she is thrust through with a half dozen arrows.Only then does my sense to run kick in far too late.

And I do.

I run.
My breakneck pace though doesn't appear to be enough as these warriors near me fast,they do not appear to be either loyalist or shinsengumi.
Perhaps a rebel faction?
Who cares right now,I am running and more ashamed than ever that I did not do more to save Io,she treated me like a daughter when I first came here.
She treated my wounds,helped clean all the old blood that remained on me,
Listened to me weep over people she did not know and comforted me over nearly slaying men during the blood of tiger incident.

I am thankful though that most of the household,even Kiko were not present when this all occurred,whatever this is.
"There was no battle here during the early fall....."I mutter to myself trying to piece it together and even recalling my dreams as I run prove fruitless as I am much to distracted by my feet until my eyes get all the distraction needed.

Thirty men,all armored in deep red and white armor with masks that are like if you were to merge a snake and a lion together but I could see no eyes.
None of them actually looked at me just made a circle that closed in the further I tried to run this way or that.It's a pity I forgot that I should stick to the woods like The Warrior taught me.I am in the center of the village now where the merchants would normally be quickly selling or bartering and now I am here praying to GOD knowing I am not alone but honestly still scared.

"Don't let her have a moment to think.....!"I hear a man's voice yell out,it sounds like the man who tried to take me from before and  the very one I scared.

In response to that I try to keep myself moving in varied directions as they close in  on me,no one attacking or actively pursuing me.
Just closing in.

"Help me GOD not to hurt anyone just to stop them."

I allow my mind to picture what is around me and I virtually crash onto the had ground as I let myself go entirely mind bound to envision all around me having threads of blood coming out of them,just enough so to make them evade or run.
Anything really and I open my eyes to see it happening.

Thirty men,all of them having long,dancing lines of blood coming out of them but the curious thing about them is the blood is brown and thick.
The warrior who took me before screams in horror at the little strings of normal blood escaping his open crevices.
The others though only barely slow down,I hear them moan like the dead in this old horror movies but they do not cease so I imagine the blood streaming out of them.

It does,very gruesomely and I almost vomit from the sight but they do not cease and one catches me,as always.
From behind.

ANOTHER TIME.

It is almost correct now.
Forgive me for all of this my dear one,I promise you will get a lifetime and more of your happy ending.
But a little more suffering to deal with and the rest will be lovely as you are for dealing with all of this so bravely.
Everytime.
It is almost done now my beloved,almost.



Aura-
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A. Aishi Riku
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