“The Melon Maiden’s Prince part 1"

Chapter 10:

“The Melon Maiden’s Prince part 1"

―“Why won’t you die already!”

A pained voice cries out, swinging its kanabo down.

**CLANG**

The thunderous roar of steel colliding against iron echoed throughout the desolate village as it’s swiftly blocked by its foe's wakizashi blade. A short sword specifically made for the close-quarter fighting style that he was used to. Such a blade wouldn’t normally be strong enough to withstand this sort of blow considering kanabos were designed to destroy swords in this close of combat. He reinforced the groove with his own hand to prevent it from giving.

“What!?”

“That’s impossible!?”

“This should have broken that scrap metal you call a sword!”

“Just who the hell are you?!”

A curiosity to know its enemy better causes the primate to lower its weapon. This would soon prove to be a fatal mistake.

In this brief moment of rest, it was finally able to get a good look at its opponent.

The man appeared to have long and flowing royal blue hair. He wore a purple kimono that had been tied together with a green hakama and a mask. All of which had been stained by the blood of the yokai’s fallen comrades.

Though the smell of death lingered throughout the area. The bodies were long gone.

Upon first glance, one may not think there’s nothing special about the ronin. His most notable features might change that though.

The mask he wore was a red kyogen mask parodying the appearance of the god of war Bishamon.

These masks were generally used in plays. Specifically by actors who had to impersonate gods. The ronin had the fortune of being gifted such an item by a playwright he saved months prior. Whenever traveling, the ronin would refuse to take off the mask. Believing it to be the only thing helping him distance himself from being recognized for his past.

Despite this, the masked ronin had once again found himself hunting yokai.

Ever since his forced resignation from the Four Heavenly Kings, accepting small jobs from the village people was the only way for him to truly sustain himself.

In this scenario, it wasn’t payment he was after.

They had taken something dear to him, something that he could never get back no matter how hard he tried. Money was the last thing on his mind. The ronin only desired revenge.

The creatures he was up against were Sarugami. A cult of primates who succumbed to corruption, transforming them into warped versions of their former selves.

The group that the ronin faced here were the ancestors of what would later become known as the Japanese macaque.

Something had possessed them, making these creatures take more humanoid forms. While still having monkey-like characteristics, they now carried the intelligence and stature of an average human.

Some however used their newfound sapience to push far beyond the limitations of a mere primate.

For weeks on end they went unchecked, traveling from village to village in search of their next meal. Wherever the Sarugami went, they spread their wickedness through unconventional means. Their leader went as far as dragging the village elder and head of one of the fiercest clans out by his hair so that he could watch as they dragged his son away. Taking pride in the fact that the man’s final memories of his son were of him crying. Though the son desperately pleaded not to be eaten, his fate was inevitable.

They were powerless to stop these creatures on their own. While some would succumb to asking for outside help, their hopes would soon shatter.

The Four Heavenly Kings was an organization created by four of Japan’s best swordsmen at the time. Like most of the world’s governments, these people unfortunately were crueler than the yokai they were tasked with defeating. Using their social status, they found themselves to be above the law. Three of the members pretended to be on the side of the people to gain their favor over the years. This proved to be just a part of their plan, hoping to reap the rewards the first chance they got.

Though the people begged, the Four Heavenly Kings adamantly refused to take action. Ever since they cast out their leader for disagreeing with their methods, the three samurai had no one to stop them from fully expressing how twisted they truly were.

Despite only having three members remaining, they still wore the title “The Four Heavenly Kings” proudly. Why wouldn’t they? Just the title alone held more power than they ever could. As the name implied, they were practically god’s amongst the citizens. Free to do whatever they wanted, whenever.

Despite not making any efforts to do good by the people, they knew that at the end of the day they would always have people supporting them blindly due to how they held themselves under their former leader's command.

Even without their strongest member, the group was more than capable of putting an end to the Sarugami threat.

Yet, they only chose to help the people whenever it served as a way to immediately benefit them.

Seeing as how the villages that sought help were often lacking when it came to payment. The group would hardly ever take action. Even when knowing the reasoning for the lack of funds, they still turned a cold shoulder.

It was as if the mere suggestion of their services being needed by what they deemed as “unworthy people”, served as an insult for them.

They’d laugh in their faces, threatening to kill the villagers themselves if they didn’t remove themselves from the premises.

Though the ronin heard the creature, he willfully chose to ignore it. Such a sign of weakness was just proof that it knew it wasn’t capable of defeating him. So the ronin decided to not prolong the inevitable. It was time to finally enact his revenge.

“It’s time to put an end to this..”

“I’m..”

“Tired of fighting..”

He states, calmly lowering his weapon as well. Such a tactic was one he often would resort to only as a last resort. He had to feign sadness. Banking off of the hope that the yokai would believe his realistic display of emotion. The ronin swiftly wrapped his arms around the creature, forcing it into a bear hug for extra measure.

“Showing affection to your enemy during the middle of a battle!?”

“You must not have cared for that girl as much as you let on!”

This sudden sign of affection seemingly amuses the primate.

The thought of seeing the same man who had come to seek revenge for the death of his newborn daughter hugging the very thing that killed her was just pitiful in its eyes.

“The fool desperately thinks turning the other cheek is the key to victory..”

It thought to itself, looking off into the distance.

In the back of its mind, it can’t help but feel a bit of fear.

This opponent was unlike any it’d fought prior. Just a mere moment ago, it faced a situation that would have surely ended in its death. It was left to wonder what could have possibly changed that.

“Since it’s your final moment alive, I'll humor you mortal.”

“Release me and I'll do the honor of killing you so that you can reunite with her.”

“Am I not merciful? Giving you the opportunity to die by my h-”

A sudden chill surged throughout the creature's body. It couldn’t feel its arms. Actually, it couldn’t feel anything below its torso. He was a fool not to realize it sooner. A look of genuine terror spreads across the creature's face as it glances down to see that its lower half was being consumed by a strange grayish-white aura. It was starting to dither, slowly becoming one with the television static.

“W-what type of magic is this..?”

“What did you do to me!”

It asks looking down at the ronins hand, confirming something that it feared.

In its hubris, it had let its opponent get close enough to literally stab it in the back.

“H-how did you-”

“No..”

“How could-”

It tries to muster, looking straight at its opponent's mask. Using the final bit of its strength it slams its head into his mask, cracking it. Finally revealing his face. He was none other than Junpei Saotome. The former leader of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Surprisingly, he didn’t react much to his cover finally being destroyed. Rather, he seemed unfulfilled as he watched the creature begin to fade away completely in his arms. Leaving nothing behind but remnants of the wispy white noise.
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The night has fallen and Junpei finds himself kneeling inside of an empty building. It was a Japanese-styled mansion. By the looks of it, it seemed as though no one had been living in it for years.

In front of him is his blade and what appears to be a plush bear with one of its eyes missing. Turning his attention to it, he is filled with an immense sadness. Reminded only of the daughter he couldn’t save. Though he attempts to remain cool and collected. He can’t help but feel a sharp stinging in his eyes.

“What is this..?”

He asks himself, feeling as the liquid begins to coalesce down his cheeks.

“Why am I crying..”

“Is this not what was supposed to happen!”

He shouts, slamming his fist into the tatami flooring.

Though he avenged his daughter, he ultimately failed his mission in more ways than one. After all, his wife’s dying words were clear.

“Make sure the evils of this world do not corrupt our child.”

“Promise me that she will experience the best it has to offer.”

She was weakened from child birth. No medic across Japan would serve his family due to his reputation. Constantly being rejected whenever he’d attempt to get his wife something as simple as a check-up.

Even before she gave birth to their beautiful daughter Mikan, she was suffering from an illness that they just couldn’t find the proper treatment for. Something that would in later generations be classified as anemia.

Luckily enough, Junpei’s playwright friend just so happened to have a medical shed. When his wife started to go into labor, he did his best to deliver their beautiful baby girl. Yet, this caused the wife to lose too much blood.

As she lay dying on her deathbed, she had made Junpei promise to keep her safe. Hoping that their daughter wouldn’t meet an early demise as well.

“Please forgive me Haru..”

“I tried my best for our girl..”

“But in the end, my best just wasn’t good enough.”

“I thought that killing those responsible would finally fix this..”

“I really did..”

“I thought that it would finally rid me of this pain that constantly shadows over me..”

“But I realize now, nothing can replace family.”

“I was a fool to even try..”

Gritting his teeth, he begins to slowly unsheathe the sword.

Despite the battles earlier in the night, not a single drop of blood stained it. He nods, raising the blade so that the point faces his stomach.

“So please..”

Upon finally getting revenge, he realized that there wasn’t anything left for him to do in this world. He no longer had a family, he had been stripped of his rank, he was no more than a wandering samurai. Lost in the sense that he couldn’t seem to grasp his purpose. His reason to go on.

Junpei had finally reached a point where he believed that the only honorable thing he could do, would be to put an end to his tale once and for all. Just the mere thought of his life ending brought a smile to his face. Picturing a scenario where both his daughter and wife run into his arms.

“Wait for me on the other side...”

He’s about to plunge the blade into his stomach when the sudden sound of crying comes from just outside the mansion.

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“Who’s there!”

He demands, quickly rising to his feet. This mansion couldn’t have been accessed through normal means. He had created this temporal rift specifically so that he could be shut off from the outside world. Upon his termination from the Four Heavenly Kings, he spawned more enemies than he could count. Villagers would constantly attempt to take their anger out on him for the current state of their world. Believing that since Junpei was the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings that he condoned their actions. Something that proved to be the furthest from the truth. Yet he shouldered the blame all the same. What other choice did he have?

No matter how many times he’d attempt to fight these claims with logic rather than violence. More and more people would seek to challenge him.

Yet, Junpei despised violence. It was one of the main things responsible for the loss of his family after all.

This however wasn’t the only reason he was cast aside from the very group he progenerated. The other three members grew to fear him. Rather they grew to fear the power he held. Not knowing for sure what the man was capable of. After the death of his wife and daughter, Junpei became a shadow of his former self. He’d abandon his post for days on end, not revealing to the others where he’d be off to.

At the foot of the Iriomote Island, he heard rumors of a creature that could make any of his deepest darkest secrets come true. That creature would turn out to be an amanojaku.

This very yokai was a tricky one. It was said that while it would help, there was a risk that it would corrupt its clients into becoming the worst versions of themselves.

Yet, Junpei was willing to take this chance. Even in his weakened state, he felt as though he could handle whatever she threw at him.

Junpei knew the risks, but he wanted to see his family again more than anything and was willing to do whatever to make that a reality.

Surprisingly enough, the other three kings would warn him not to seek out the creature.
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“There’s no bringing them back.”

“You need to let go..”

They’d tell him, attempting to warn him of the possible dangers.

They believed that visiting this creature would only cause more damage than good in the end, but Junpei didn’t listen to them.

So despite being at their behest, he ventured off to the island and struck a deal with the faceless creature.

“Give me the ability to have a second chance..”

“I want to be able to make things right!”

Hearing this only seemed to please the creature.

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The crying outside only seemed to be getting louder the closer Junpei got to it.

The sound had oddly enough originated from his watermelon fields.

He was confused, looking through the vines for any sign of life. A part of him was wishing that it was an animal that somehow made its way past the barrier. This had happened from time to time. Sometimes he’d consider it a blessing. They’d either serve as a free meal, or a muse to keep him going throughout his day.

His search eventually led him to a singular watermelon. Its size was comparable to a paper lantern.

This particular watermelon only caught his eye due to two very distinct things. The first being the fact that it twitched ever so slightly. Rocking itself back and forth. It felt as though something was trying to escape the fruit.

The second being the fact that the screaming seemed to be coming out of a small crack at the top.

“Must be an animal after all..”

He thought, gently beginning to cut into the watermelon.

“Don’t you worry little guy. We’ll get you out of there in no ti-”

After the first layer of its green exterior is removed, he freezes in place, attempting to make sense of what exactly he’s witnessing.

There in front of him rolling around in a watermelon was an infant with her thumb in her mouth.

As he lifted her, he couldn’t help but realize the uncanny resemblance she had to his daughter.

Thinking back to his encounter with the amanojaku, he’s left to believe that this was the second chance she had promised him.

“I’ll name you Suika..”

He thought, gazing lovingly at his newly adopted daughter.

“Suika Urikohime”