Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Ai Ai Nikushimi ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 2: Curse of the Full Moon

 

Betrayal in the Chaukra clan meant certain death.

 

SLASH!

 

A man's head had just been decapitated with a katana. Blood splashed everywhere, including the garments of the katana's owner as the head rolled on the floor. The body falls lifelessly on the ground as blood began to pour out of its neck where its head use to be. Everyone stands around in horror as the owner cleans the fresh blood off its katana.

 

“Let this be a testament to all the rest of you. Should you betray our clan, the consequence of certain death is absolute.” Declares Tarowara Chaukra. The crowd cheers and declares their loyalty as the sun starts to vanish behind the mountains, leaving behind spectacular shades of pink, orange, red, and blue to decorate the sky.

 

The clan was called to an unexpected and mandatory meeting earlier during the day, much to Tsuyu's dismay. She had requested to take the rest of the day off to do… other things. Skipping this meeting was not an option apparently, as she was scolded by her brother for being too disconnected with the clan. She was now a valuable asset to the clan and her brother wanted her in the clan more than anything… contradictory to the earlier years.

 

The meeting took place in the courtyard in the middle of their central base where it was decorated with a small pond, garden, and a gray stonewall around the perimeter. The cherry blossom trees and assortment of flowers were in full bloom, making the garden look exquisite and full of color. Everyone gathered around as Tarowara stood on a small stone platform to elevate himself from the rest of the clan. Tsuyu and other high-ranking members stood around him as well. As he gave a vast speech about the consequences of betraying the clan, the people listened attentively and let all the information sink in.

 

A man tied with rope and full of bruises was then brought out into the middle of the courtyard. Whispers were being exchanged within the crowd as they observe the middle-aged man tied in rope. As Tarowara explains the situation, Tsuyu was completely lost in thought, staring at the man without registering his presence in front of her. There were other things more important to think about than the traitor that was kneeling down in front of her and the elite members of the clan.

 

The middle-aged man condemned as a traitor cowers in fear as one of the elite members steps out and unsheathes his katana. A smirk forms on the member's face as he raises his sword high in the air, preparing to cut down the insignificant creature in front of him. It was a public execution.

 

“DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL—“ He shouts as he jerks his head up desperately, directed at the first person that was in his line of vision… Tsuyu Chaukra. She allows a quick gasp of surprise as his dark eyes made contact with hers, anger filling in every corner of his expression.

 

SLASH!

 

He could say nothing more. Tsuyu watches vigilantly as his flaccid body falls to the ground in a heap and his head roll a couple feet away from him. She clenches her fist as an irate expression was plastered on her face, and walks away. Everyone was dismissed. A janitor figure goes to clean up the mess. Tarowara grabs hold of his sister's right wrist as she begins to walk away from him.

 

“Tsuyu, is something the matter?” He asks her. She turns around and looks at him in an emotionless expression, irritation hinted behind her eyes.

 

“If it's the execution of this man that's bothering you, you shouldn't worry, he betrayed our clan and was associating with the Hiruseki clan behind our backs. He deserved this punishment.” He says, as he looks intently straight into her eyes. She shakes her wrist free as she scoffs in disgust and continues walking. Her brother frowns and watches as she walks away. He sighs deeply and gazes at the sky, dusk beginning to form in the pink atmosphere.

 

Tsuyu continue to walk down the many halls until finally coming to a halt. She opens the shoji door to her right and enters. She quickly slides the door close and walks over to sit down on a mat in front of her small table against the wall. She sighs as she takes out the tanto blade hidden in her obi and places it gently next to a small neat treasure looking box. She then reaches behind her head to relieve her hair from the red ribbon that bounded it together to form a low ponytail. As the last knot vanishes, her brown hair flows freely down her back in a fashionable way and she places the red piece of ribbon on top of her tanto blade. She shakes her head a few times to spread her hair evenly down her back as pieces frame the edge of her face. She then takes off the red obi decorated with white petals to her yellow kimono with flower designs all around and places it on a hanger settled right beside her small table. Her yellow kimono loosens and slips off her shoulders as they fall to the ground, revealing her under-dress. She takes the yellow kimono and places it on the hanger next to her small table while she grabs the soft green yukata on a different bar on the hanger with her other hand. She slips her arms through its long sleeves and pulls the yukata over her shoulders. She shakes the yukata to loosen it up and to make it more comfortable around her slender frame. While standing up, she reaches over and grabs a blue obi over at the hanger and proceeded to tying her yukata. After finishing, she puts on her tabi socks and sits back down.

 

She sighs deeply once again as she closes her eyes. Her body relaxes as she opens her eyes again and reaches over to the small treasure-looking box and pulls it closer to her near the center of the table. She then grabs hold of her black tanto blade and unsheathes it. As she gazes at the shiny reflection on the tanto blade, she lets another sigh escape her lips. She tightens the grip on her blade as she places the tip of the blade in a small keyhole on the box and twists it slightly clockwise, releasing the lock off of the decorative box. The metal box was fairly small, around 1 ft. by 1 ft. Decorated around the perimeter were golden dragons against red fabric. It belonged to her mother long ago and it was passed down to her. She sheathes the tanto blade and places it down on the table next to the box.

 

Creeak!

 

The small metal box always made that soft creaking noise when it opened. Inside, were filled with a pile of… letters. Neatly folded inside the box, there were quite a few letters. She picks up the one on the top of the pile and puts it on the top of the table. She places her right hand on top of the letter and rubs it gently with her thumb as if it was something incredibly soft. She then picks it up again and opens it, reading its content.

 

To my dearest Miss Tsuyu:

 

It's a nice day today isn't it? I have just gotten back from another assassination and I'm really tired actually. The contemplation of you floating around in my thoughts had forced me to write you another letter. I was unable to relieve you from my mind during the assassination, but I carried out the job as planned. It's a real shame I am unable to visit you as I please, just a glance your beautiful face is enough for me. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury, so the only belongings that I have to remind me of you are your letters. Miss Tsuyu I miss you greatly, and I hope that someday in the near future, we will be able to be face to face without worrying about the consequences of death. I am looking forward to that day where we can finally be in peace and free to love whomever we please. Let's wait together for that day. I sincerely love you.

-Hiruseki, Sasuke

 

Her heart fluttered at the sound of his name. She read the last sentence over a few more times. A small smile crept up upon her lips as she closes her eyes and places that piece of paper closer to her chest. Sasuke wrote to her frequently ever since they first met 4 months ago at that restaurant. After the first few letters, she quickly fell in love with him. In love with the enemy.

 

She had a messenger to personally deliver her letters to another messenger that Sasuke sent to retrieve her letters. It was rare that they saw each other, and were able to only catch glimpses of each other on the streets occasionally. She folds the letter back to its original shape and places it back into the box, sighing loudly as she secures the box with the lock. She places the box next to her tanto near the upper right edge of her table.

 

`What am I suppose to do now?'

 

The thought of having to find an alternative way to deliver and retrieve their letters troubled her. The man that was executed earlier had been the messenger that she sent to deliver and retrieve her letters. He had promised to keep her secret, and being a man of his words, refuse to speak up when he was caught in the act, choosing death over the loss of his pride. He truly wasn't a coward.

 

She frowns a bit at her loss, and then decides to go take a bath to relieve some stress. She gets up from her cushion chair and walks to the other side of the room to grab a towel, then proceeds to opening the shoji door. As she walks out, an old woman servant was passing by, delivering food for another member. The woman servant acknowledges her presence and stops to bow her head in respect. Tsuyu bows back slightly in respect.

 

“Lady Tsuyu, are you heading to the bath room?” She asks her as she notices that she was carrying a towel in the palms of her hand. Tsuyu smiles and nods her head. The servant woman smiles back.

 

“I'll be right over to heat up the bath for you, My Lady.” She says politely as she bows again.

 

“Oh that won't be necessary, I can heat up the bath myself.” She replies as the woman servant begins to walk away to deliver the food. The woman turns around and eyes her strangely.

 

“Don't worry about it, it's a simple task.” She says as she continues walking down the hall to deliver the food. Tsuyu was in defeat. She never really supported the idea of having servants around, but this woman servant seemed to take joy in her work, even without pay. She was Tsuyu's personal servant, but aided the needs of other members occasionally. She had been with Tsuyu ever since she was a young girl and they have certainly bonded, for Tsuyu never treated her harshly, but instead as a friend she could confide in. The woman's appearance seems to make her in her late 50's, perhaps early 60's. She enjoys treating Tsuyu and was almost a mother figure in her life. Tsuyu never punished her for wrongdoings and often shared her food with her. Tsuyu trusted her and treated her kindly, unlike other members of the clan that abuses her service.

 

As Tsuyu approaches the bathing house at the edge of the Chaukra base near the back, she picks up a couple of stones about the size of her palm and took them inside with her. She sets her belongings on the floor and the goes back outside to add the firewood into a small oven-like space in the outside of the building. She then lights the firewood and returns inside the bath room. Inside, she takes off her slippers and places them neatly in front of another sliding shoji door that lead into the actual bath room. She grabs a white robe on a hanger near her and sets it in front of her as she takes off the obi and her soft green yukata. She folds both of them neatly and sets them besides her slippers and puts on the white bathrobe. She takes the towel with her inside the bath room and sets it on the platform where the bathtub was… which was against the wall. She then takes the small stones on top of the towel and places them against the wall of the platform. She then walks over to the water pump located inside the room and begins pumping water into a bucket. After a while, when the bucket was full of water, she takes it and walks over to the tub, pouring the water inside. Then she returns to the water pump to pump more water into the bucket to fill the tub. After a while, when the tub was finally full after numerous buckets of water, she strips from her white bath robe and sets it neatly next to her towel. She grabs a spare ribbon and a smaller towel from a closet located to the right of the bathing platform. She sets the smaller towel down as she ties her hair up with the spare ribbon. Then she wraps her hair around with the smaller towel to prevent it from getting wet in the bath. She then proceeds to climbing inside the tub and into the nice warm water.

 

She relaxes as the warm water comes in contact with her skin. As she sits in the tub, she closes her eyes and loosens up her body, letting all her stress drown in the water. She looks up at the small window and sees that the moon tonight was nearly full. She then closes her eyes and let her thoughts wander.

 

Moments later, she hears footsteps approaching the back of the bathing room. She registers the person's ki and relaxes again.

 

“How is your bath Miss Tsuyu?” She hears the old woman servant addressing her from outside as she adds a block of firewood into the fire.

 

“It's fine thank you.” Tsuyu answers politely and returns to her thoughts. The woman servant walks away to go do her other chores. A few minutes later, she feels a few more ki approaching, this time, from the front of the bathing room. They seem to be moving slowly and stealthily, trying hard not to make a sound. They were already inside the first room.

 

“Are you sure its Tsuyu in there and not Tarowara?” One of the guys whispers to the other two guys.

 

“Yeah, I'm sure, I saw her walking in.” Replied one of the other guys. Tsuyu's keen sense of hearing had picked up the conversation and places her right hand on one of the palm size stones she had brought in with her. She closes her eyes in annoyance as she rubs the smooth surface of the stone.

 

“I can't wait till I see her naked!” One of the men whispers as he smiles pervertedly. The other two men nod in agreement. One of the men crawls next to the sliding shoji door quietly as the other two crawled behind him. He inaudibly opens the sliding shoji door, just wide enough so stick his head in. Big mistake.

 

Tsuyu growls softly as she keeps her eyes closed, picks up the palm-size stone and hurls it towards the man as he was poking his head into the room. The stone hits its target dead on and the man faints and falls backwards with a bloody nose. The other two men peeks into the room curiously just to have two more stones hurled at their face, causing them both to faint with bloody noses. Tsuyu then gets out of the tub, dresses in the white bathrobe, and walks over to close the shoji door. Then, she returns to her bath.

 

“Perverts.” She mutters to herself as she closes her eyes again in irritation.

 

The next morning was rather peaceful. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the sounds of birds chirping were to be heard everywhere. The flowers began their daily routines of bathing in the sunlight, and the morning dew sliding off their petals. Tsuyu was sitting on the cushioned mat in front of her mirror again, brushing her hair and putting on her daily makeup. Then she hears a knock outside her sliding shoji door.

 

“Are you awake yet Tsuyu?” Her brother's voice calls to her softly from behind the door. She frowns as she replies.

 

“Yes I am, brother, you may come in.” She says as she puts down her brush. Her long brown hair was gathered over her right shoulder as she was brushing it. Her brother then enters her room and takes a seat next to her.

 

“We have a big battle tonight.” He says as he flashes her a letter. She looks at him eagerly then back down at the table.

 

“Against?” She asks him as she picks up the brush to resume brushing her long brown hair.

 

“Against Hiruseki, who else?” Her brother replies as he smiles. Tsuyu frowns a bit as she continues to free her tresses of tiny knots.

 

“What's wrong? You're more than good enough to handle it.” He says reassuring her with a kind smile.

 

“It's not that… don't worry about it, I'll get ready for the battle.” Tsuyu says as she flashes him a fake smile to reassure him. He eyes her skeptically as if to find a hidden meaning. He found none and is in defeat.

 

“Hmm… alright then. I'll have to help the members prepare for battle, you prepare yourself and go eat breakfast, Miss Sona was nice enough to drop by this morning to help with making breakfast. You should go thank her, the food was marvelous.” He says as he gets up and leaves. After the door was closed behind him, Tsuyu frowns as she reaches over at the hanger to get a hold of a small piece of cloth. Then she dips the cloth in a bucket of water that she took with her from the bathhouse last night. She twists the cloth to remove excess water as she wipes her face clean of makeup. She rinses the piece of cloth back into the bucket of water to clean the piece of cloth before she puts it back onto the hanger to dry. Then she takes off her blue obi and places it on the hanger. Her faded green yukata loosens around her frame as she resumes to take that off too. Soon, she was in her under-dress as she heaves a deep sigh. She reaches over to grab her white kimono top and her red hakama bottom. She puts those on and ties the obi. Then she reaches behind her neck to pull her hair out from under her white kimono shirt. She ties it high on her head with a white ribbon and lets the rest of her hair flow down naturally. Then she puts on her tabi socks, her wrist and hand gloves (very similar to the ones Soujiro Seta wears), and stands up to straighten out her clothes. She liked to be neat and tidy. After putting on her socks, she puts on her zori shoes and fastens the strap. She then reaches under her low table to retrieve her katana and wakizashi pair. She fastens them quickly to her obi on her hakama and leaves her room quietly.

 

As she was walking down the hall, her woman servant passes her by.

 

“Lady Tsuyu, is there a battle going on tonight?” She asks her. Tsuyu nods a yes as she continues to walk towards the kitchen.

 

“Be vigilant then! I hope to see your safe return!” The woman servant calls after her as she flashes a kind smile. Tsuyu turns around and smiles back.

 

“Thank you, Miss Otaka! I'll come back safely don't worry!” She addresses as she continues her way to the kitchen. Miss Otaka nods as she continues to smile. Before long, Tsuyu has reached the kitchen. As she snoops around for some food, the woman known as Miss Sona looks at her oddly.

 

“Uhm… Lady Tsuyu, I've prepared a meal for you, please wait with the other men in the dining room, I'll deliver it shortly.” She says while chopping up some onions. Tsuyu looks at her and nods before heading out again. She walks down the hall and opens a shoji door to her right. Two rows of men were sitting and chatting with each other while waiting for their morning meal. They all looked well prepared for battle, with katanas set right besides them and some even having armor on. They were among the clan's best warriors.

 

“Why, good morning Miss Tsuyu.” One of them calls out to her. The other men stare at her in wonder.

 

“Good morning.” She says impassively as she takes a seat closest to the door. An empty tray was set in front of her with a small teapot containing tea and a small cup next to it. A small empty bowl was placed right next to the teacup in an upside down fashion. She stares vacantly at the tray as if something extremely interesting was happening on top of it.

 

Soon noticing that half the men have stopped talking and were eyeing her and whispering amongst themselves, she looks up at them and glares at them requesting that they stop immediately. They shrug and continued on their conversations. She continues to stare at her tray with utensils blankly.

 

“Miss Tsuyu, if you don't mind me asking, will you be participating in the battle tonight?” A rather large man with armor asks her respectfully as she takes the pot of tea on her black tray and pours it into her tiny teacup. She looks up at him after setting down the teapot.

 

“Yes I will.” She replies as she smiles slightly. More whispers were passed around the room. She consumes the small cup of tea and pours herself another cup.

 

“Lady Tsuyu, has the thought ever crossed your mind that you might be too young for this kind of thing?” Another man asks her. He was a middle-aged man and he glanced at her with a hint of concern.

 

“During times like these, the only thing that matters is survival. Having enough strength and will power to survive is essential. Fighting to protect what you believe in, in hopes that one day, things will change, is also important. Having enough skill to carry out these things rules above everything else, and if you have any objections to me fighting in this battle, then feel free to prove that you have enough skill and will power to perform better than myself.” Everyone in the room stares at her in awe. It was quite difficult to imagine such words coming out of the mouth of a fourteen year old.

 

“Arrogant bitch.” One of the men across the room mutters under his breath and then takes a sip of his cup of sake. Tsuyu sends him a death glare from across the room and he instantly shuts up and looks away.

 

Just then, the shoji door slides open to reveal Miss Sona, carrying a big pot of rice. The men cheer in delight as she walks pass them, seating herself in the center of the room. The men then proceeds to passing their bowls to her to be filled with rice and bow their heads slightly after their bowls were filled. Tsuyu was the last person to have her bowl filled with rice. She ate in silence as the men chatted amongst themselves. Carefully picking up the sticky rice from the bowl on her black tray, she lifts the chopsticks with rice to her lips and consumes it. The rice was rather tasty with seto fuma furicake seasoning. (Seto fuma furicake is this mixture of salt, bits of seaweed, sesame seeds, and spices.) After a couple more bites, the bowl of rice was half empty. As the men asked for more refills and continued on trying to flirt with Miss Sona, Tarowara walks in to announce the events. Everyone instantly gave their undivided attention to him.

 

“Attention all, I will now announce the battle that will take place tonight. We will be fighting against the Hiruseki clan in an all out battle in the plains south of Kyoto tonight at sundown.” He announces as he reads off a piece of paper.

 

“THOSE HIRUSEKI CLOWNS ARE GOING DOWN TONIGHT!” One of the men cheers. The rest of them join him as they chant and boost their egos. Tarowara takes a quick glance over at Tsuyu and nods at her. She nods back at him and finishes the last few bites of the rice in her bowl quickly. She sets the pair of chopsticks down on top of the small white bowl horizontally and gets up, carrying her daisho—the wakizashi and katana pair—with her as she leaves the room with her brother. They started chatting about the battle later that day while walking down the halls leading out to the courtyard in the back.

 

“So do you want a horse? If you want one, I can easily get one for you.” Tarowara asks nicely and in a good mood… but he was always in a good mood.

 

“No, I'm fine. I can walk.” She replies simply.

 

“Is there any extra equipment I can get you?” He asks her again.

 

“Nope, I'll be alright with my daisho. Don't worry about me.” She replies again while flashing her brother a warm smile. Her brother smiles back as they reach the courtyard. They continued their friendly brother to sister conversation there.

 

Soon, it was near the afternoon where the sun is higher up in the sky. A soft wind blew to the east as the leaves in the trees sway the very same direction. Birds continue to chirp their afternoon tunes and the streets of Kyoto are filled with life as people go about their business. The ports are as busy as usual with shipments from all over Japan being received and delivered, and fishermen casting in and reeling in their lines. Young children run around in small parks with their parents as the older-aged citizens stroll cautiously about.

 

Things were pretty busy at the Hiruseki main headquarters at the foot of the mountain to the west of the city. People were running around and down the halls as they also prepared for the battle that takes place later tonight. People sharpened their swords in the backyard as well as their skills as they cut down dummies made out of straw. The cooks were busy in the kitchen preparing the afternoon meal for the people.

 

Sasuke Hiruseki and Takahashi Hiruseki were seated room along with other top members in their clan, facing each other and deciding battle plans.

 

“Should we take them by surprise?” One of them asks.

 

“No, we should have an all out frontal attack.” Takahashi replies.

 

“But an all out frontal attacks could mean a greater amount of casualties…” Sasuke explains. Takahashi ponders for a moment.

 

“Then how about this, we split up into four groups, and attack them from all sides? That could serve as a frontal attack AND an attack from behind. While they're preoccupied with the attacks from the front and back, the remaining two groups could strike them from both sides, catching them completely off guard. Then it shouldn't be that difficult for us to win the battle.” Takahashi was a man known for his clever battle strategies. The members in the room agree that this was the best plan and decided to go with it.

 

“Okay then it's settled. Sasuke, you lead the group in the frontal attack, Atshimi, you take the group and attack the right side, and Atsuko, you're in charge of the group that attacks from the left side. I will guide the last group in an all out attack from behind.” The members nod their heads in acknowledgement as their positions were assigned.

 

“You will have until dusk to prepare for this battle. The battle will begin at sundown in the plains south of Kyoto.” With that, everyone was dismissed. Sasuke returns to his room as Takahashi returns to his. Sasuke slides the shoji door open with his hand and enters. He walks over to a desk to pick up his katana and wakizashi and heads towards the opposite end of the room. He slides open another shoji door, this time, leading out to the courtyard where everyone was practicing their swordsmanship and sharpening their blades. He takes a seat and examines the people practicing. He sets his katana and wakizashi on his lap and gazes at the site in from of him.

 

`Half of these people won't even make it back alive after tonight…' He contemplates to himself sorrowfully. One of the men walks up to him and takes a seat beside him. Sasuke continues to stare straight ahead at the other men as they practiced.

 

“Hey I saw you score some hot chick the other day.” The man winks and says as he smirks and nudges Sasuke on the elbow. Sasuke's face remains emotionless as he shifts his eyes over at the man's direction.

 

“Your eyes were playing tricks on you.” Sasuke answers back blankly as he starts to get up. The other day, they were walking down the street when they spotted Tsuyu. They exchanged quick greetings and continued on with their business to make it less obvious that they were suppose to be mortal enemies.

 

Sasuke gathers the two blades that were set on his lap, gets up, and starts walking towards an empty dummy. He straps both of his swords back to his obi and presumes a fighting stance. With his left leg behind his right, he lowers his body as he puts his right hand on the hilt of his wakizashi. His left hand held the sheath of the wakizashi steady. With a great amount of concentration, he closes his eyes focuses on this stance. The batto-jutsu stance. People nearby him stop their practicing to watch him execute his next move.

 

Moments later, he quickly grips the hilt of his wakizashi, takes two steps forward in front of the dummy, and draws his wakizashi. All in a blink of an eye.

 

THUMP!

 

The straw dummy flies 10 feet away from its original spot with a clear-cut halfway through its abdomen. His was holding the hilt of the wakizashi with his right hand and his left hand was thrusting against the center back of the blade. The crowd stands in awe and cheers for the fifteen-year-old swordsman. He then walks over to the straw dummy and absent-mindedly stab where the heart would be. He tightens the grip of his wakizashi and walks away, completely ignoring the roars and cheers from the people behind him. He takes the sheath of his wakizashi from his belt and sheaths it in front of him. Then he places both his katana and wakizashi down on the wooden deck of the house and takes a seat once again. He stares at the people as they continue to practice their swordsmanship out in the open and sighs.

 

“Hey! Was that batto-jutsu you just did?” One of the men that was practicing asks him. Sasuke looks up as he answers.

 

“No. That was just the stance of the batto-jutsu.” He replies as he lifts his head up to gaze at the sky.

 

The sun slowly starts to set over the mountaintops and the blue sky fades into a colorful blue, pink, and orange. The Hiruseki clan assembles its members into four groups as planned, each leader leading their force into battle. People were equipped with swords, spears, axes, etc. Each group took separate routes to the southern plains south of Kyoto, hoping for a surprise attack from all sides.

 

The Chaukra clan had just finished assembling their members as the final preparations were readied. Warriors carried swords, axes, knives, spears, etc. Tsuyu was well prepared and was strapping on her wakizashi and katana onto her obi. Tarowara was equipped with a kunai axe with a chain and a katana. Their plan was to send two forces at different times to catch their opponent off guard. Tsuyu was to advance with the first group onto the battlefield and fight out the beginning portion of the battle, and while the enemy is weak and weary, Tarowara would advance and execute a surprise attack following after Tsuyu.

 

Tsuyu led the first group down the streets of Kyoto as the everyday people started to watch the massive group of people walking down south. It was an odd sight to see a young 14-year-old girl leading a massive group of people down the street… people would start to wonder. Whispers were passed along the crowd that witnessed the marching of those people. Various thoughts were rushing through young Tsuyu's mind. Soon, nothing around her seems to be of importance and her eyes were fixed on the road ahead. Her mind continues to wander despite the fact that she was leading a huge group of people.

 

Will I see Sasuke there on the battlefield?

I don't want to fight him…

Why did I have to be a part of this…

 

Sasuke and the Hiruseki clan had arrived on the battlefield. It was a simple stretch of land with boulders here and there, and the grass was pretty thick. Everyone on the field was nervous for the fight. Some were confident that they would live through it to fight another battle again, and some acted like this was their last day of life.

 

Who was to blame them for thinking that way?

After all, you never know when your life would end… so suddenly.

Every minute could be your last…

Having fought so many battles…

Gives you a whole new perspective on life…

And how to cherish and live it to the fullest,

So when the day comes and you finally lose…

You wont have any regrets.

 

Having taken life without fully understanding what that life meant,

An untold story lost in the midst of chaos…

Their blood stains the very core of the soul.

 

Tarowara had just completed assembling his forces and was about to mount his brown horse. He stares off into the distance at the fading sunlight just disappearing over the mountaintops.

 

“ALRIGHT MEN, LET'S BRING HOME ANOTHER VICTORY!” Tarowara yells with confidence at his group of men. They cheered and waved their weapons in the sky as they marched onward, towards the plains south of Kyoto.

 

Kenshin Himura was on his way to a restaurant in a different part of Kyoto to meet someone when an acquaintance of his bumps into him. They start to walk besides each other and exchange greetings.

 

“Hey, I just saw the Chaukra clan led by Tarowara Chaukra down the road back there.” He says as he points behind him. Kenshin's expression remains indifferent.

 

“They're probably on their way to have another duel with the Hiruseki clan.” Kenshin replies emotionlessly. His acquaintance nods his head in agreement.

 

“They're always going at it.” He says as he sighs. They keep strolling down the street, as the last glimpses of the sun are barely visible behind the mountaintops.

 

“It's best if we all stay out of their affairs.” He says again.

 

“I could care less.” Kenshin says blankly, fixing his eyes on the entrance to the restaurant. He walks inside and disappears among a crowd of people.

 

The sun was finally down when Tsuyu arrives on the battlefield. She and the Chaukra clan face the Hiruseki clan in the plains. Winds start to pick up as it blew westward. Tsuyu's hair swayed with the wind as she glares at the Hiruseki clan without showing much emotion. Much to her dismay, Sasuke was leading the Hiruseki clan in this battle.

 

`Why him…' She thinks to herself as she gazes into his eyes across the field. The sky was beginning to grow dark and gloomy.

 

`Why did it have to be like this…' Sasuke ponders as he gazes into Tsuyu's eyes and notices a tiny hint of sadness and sympathy behind them.

 

The west wind begins to gust over Sasuke's side of the field and his short brown hair sways with the wind in harmony. The men behind him start to get restless as they examine their opposition about 50 feet in front of them. They kept their guard up as they waited for a signal from their commander, Sasuke.

 

The east wind blows over Tsuyu's side of the field as she stands tall, an intent look in her eyes as she gazes over her opponent. The group of men behind her growl nervously as they start to shift anxiously in their position. Their intent on killing the opposition heightens as time progresses. They too, were waiting for a signal from their commander, Tsuyu.

 

The Hiruseki's secret tactic lies in the woods around their battlefield. Takahashi's group hid in the midst of the city behind the group led by Tsuyu, waiting for the perfect moment to catch them by surprise. The remaining two groups of the Hiruseki clan lay stealthily on their grounds, surrounding the entire battleground without giving away their position. The second group led by Tarowara continues to march their way down the city towards the south, hoping to arrive at just the right time to aid Tsuyu's group in battle.

 

The dark clouds in the sky begin to form as the howls of the winds increases. The grass in the field dances around both clans as they take their positions. Men from both sides of the field proceed to drawing their weapons with eagerness to slaughter their opposition. Sasuke and Tsuyu continue to stare into each other's eyes intently, as if waiting for a signal to begin.

 

The constantly moving dark clouds above them shift continuously and soon, the golden moon is presented high in the night sky. It was a full moon tonight. It's bright white light shines upon them like a magical spell, just waiting to be cast… waiting to conjure a deep dark secret. Its beams of light casting dark figures around their bodies.

 

BA-BUMP!

 

Tsuyu's heart pulsates violently inside her chest. Her eyes widen as she feels this uncontrollable sensation rushing through her veins. She can sense this dominating emotion inside her conscious, taking over her whole entire body. She feels as if she was losing control over herself, her body disobeying her every command. The hatred rushing through her veins so suddenly… feels unreal. Her eyes transforms into piercing sharp daggers as she glares over at her enemy with every intent on killing. She's lost control to all her thoughts, actions, and… emotions.

 

Kill…him…

 

A shadowy voice in her head infiltrates her mind. Her hand reaches for the hilt of her katana as she takes the batto-jutsu stance against her will.

 

BA-BUMP!

 

Sasuke's heart pulsates vigorously inside his chest. His eyes widen as he clutches his chest in the area on the outside where his heart would be. He lowers his head as the pain in his chest increases. The corridors in his heart begin to fill with this… uncontrollable darkness. Darkness that threatens to take control over his every thought, his every action, and his every emotion. Soon, he is forced to give into this unnatural sensation and his whole entire body has been conquered. His hand is removed from clutching his chest and is kept at his side as his eyes grow dark and sharp. He jerks his head up and glares menacingly at his opponent. His whole body has been conquered and he no longer had control.

 

Destroy…her…

 

A gloomy voice in Sasuke's mind commands his every movement. His body forces a batto-jutsu stance as his right hand grasps his katana. The clouds continue to move overhead.

 

CLING!

 

In a blink of an eye, the swords of the Chaukra and Hiruseki clans collided in a contest of strength. Their two swords thrusting against each other sent sparks of metal flying around them, caused by the friction between their blades. They grit their teeth as they strive to exert additional force to their blades in attempt to knock each other over. Then, they both jump back, getting ready to execute another attack.

 

Screams of men could be heard as they slaughter each other in the field. Some were getting stabbed, some were getting sliced in pieces, and some were getting beheaded… but no matter how they are killed… the grass in the field was being flooded with a dark red liquid.

 

The groups led by Takahashi and the other two members started charging towards the field in hopes of catching the enemy by surprise and destroying them. The men in the Chaukra clan seem to be surprised when their enemies had all of a sudden tripled. Yells and cries were heard as more and more men were being slaughtered. Sasuke and Tsuyu seemed to be in their own little world, oblivious to the bloody action surrounding them. More screams of men could be heard in this pointless bloodshed.

 

Just when it seems that all hope is lost, the group of men led by Tarowara Chaukra arrives on the battlefield to aid the remaining men left to fight against the enemy. More screams of men could be heard as the new arrivals slaughter their way into the heart of the battle. Tarowara soon arrives at the place where Tsuyu was facing off against Sasuke.

 

“TSUYU ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!” Tarowara yells to his sister from atop his horse as his horse rears up from the oncoming waves of men. Tsuyu didn't seem to hear him as she glares at her opponent, her eyes lost in a pool of menace. Soon, Tarowara becomes occupied with his own group of men that is threatening to take his life.

 

CLING!

 

The collision of Tsuyu and Sasuke's swords could be heard on the battlefield. Both caught in between a contest of strength again, but this time, Sasuke decided to use both of his hands to thrust his blade downwards at Tsuyu, causing her to weaken at her knees, losing against the stalemate. She takes this time to execute a counter attack as she shifts her body weight to her left, out and under from Sasuke's sword. This sudden movement didn't give Sasuke enough time to restrain from the great amount of downward force he was exerting from his sword, thus making his sword come in contact with the ground. This left him wide open as Tsuyu takes advantages of his split second weakness and thrusts her sword upward, cutting him slightly on his side, but also receiving a small cut on her right arm from Sasuke's quick retaliation. They both leap back and kept their guards up.

 

Blood begins to trickle down the slight wound on Sasuke's side, soaking his dark blue kimono top and brown hakama bottom. The same crimson liquid began to soak Tsuyu's white kimono sleeve from the slight cut she's received from wounding Sasuke on the side. They both showed no signs of weakness as they continue to glare at each other with their menacing eyes.

 

As they face off against each other again, their eyes remain indifferent, as if they were set in a malevolent trance. Their intentions to kill remain definite as they glare into each other's eyes, their entire beings being controlled by the inner malice and abhorrence rushing through their veins. Sasuke sheaths his sword and takes a defensive stance to fend off against any attack Tsuyu decides to use next in attempt to counterattack and land an attack of his own. Tsuyu lowers her sword and points it to the ground to her right as her eyes remain fixed on Sasuke's figure. Her blade was facing Sasuke's direction. In a split second, her eyes narrow and she appears right below Sasuke, her sword in a ready position to execute her next attack. Her quick speed made it seem like she disappeared from her original spot and appeared next to Sasuke. Sasuke didn't have enough time to react as his eyes widen and tries to pull his sword out in front of him. Tsuyu thrusts her sword upwards as she leaps up into the air with one foot, spiraling her body in three full circles before landing gracefully on the ground. As soon as she lands back onto the ground, three slash marks bursting with blood appeared on Sasuke's chest, furthering tainting his dark blue kimono top. His sword was drawn halfway in front of him, deflecting a portion of Tsuyu's attack, but not enough to block the entire oncoming attack. He tightens his grip on his katana as he takes a leap towards Tsuyu, as if the wound on his chest caused him no pain at all. Tsuyu sees Sasuke's attack coming and leaps out of the way just in time as Sasuke's sword hits the ground. Just as fast as Tsuyu evaded his attack, in a quick blur of blue and brown, Sasuke retaliates to her evading by swinging his sword upwards, his sword coming in contact with hers.

 

CLING!

 

The sounds of their swords echoed into the late night sky as they dodged and evaded each other's attacks, occasionally wounding each other and men surrounding them, even if they belonged to their own clans. Their fighting was ruthless, cutting down anything in order to kill their target, even their allies.

 

In this battle…
There are no allies.

Just you and me…

In this cursed night of the full moon…

 

Throughout their entire battle, not a single word was uttered between them. They were entranced by the hatred rushing through their veins, unable to break free from its intense grasp. The whole entire night was filled with the sounds of screaming men as their blood become a permanent marking on the grounds of the plains, and the sounds of Tsuyu and Sasuke's swords colliding with each other.

 

Sasuke and Tsuyu seem to be in their own little world. Everything around them seems to be nonexistent as they heartlessly attempt to slay each other. Blood continue to stain their clothes as more wounds appeared on their bodies, but their expressions remain indifferent and emotionless… trapped in the malicious trance that is forcing them to slay each other.

 

The moon slowly travels across the night sky as its ominous light touches the pale skin of Tsuyu and Sasuke. They show no signs of weakness as the moon journeys further and further down the sky. Sparks continue to fly off their swords from their constant collisions as they engage in a contest of strength, skill, technique, and speed.

 

When the East wind meets the West wind, they rage a silent war…

 

That was the infamous battle that raged on between Sasuke Hiruseki and Tsuyu Chaukra. For the next 10 years, similar uncontrollable clashes raged on between them on every full moon night. Their bodies and minds become entranced as they engage in an all out war between themselves. They destroy everything in their way including buildings, walls of wood, and even people. Once the sun rises and the full moon disappears, their trance disappears with the moon and their bodies and emotions are freed. The trance only triggers if they are within striking distance of each other during the night of the full moon.

 

Even during the era of the Meji where there was supposed peace for all people in Japan, people scarred with the destruction of the revolution struggled to live a peaceful life. The Chaukra and Hiruseki clans dispersed and its members either died in previous battles or scattered across the country after the revolution. Tarowara had died shortly after the revolution from tuberculosis and Takahashi died from a harsh battle wound. The deaths of their leaders caused the clans' downfalls and all its remaining members separated to live different lives. The hatred in their blood eventually begins to subside and they were able to live in peace.

 

Tsuyu and Sasuke however, could not live the peaceful life they sought after. They could not settle down together and live a peaceful life for their fear of the full moon catching up to them unexpectedly, since it was hard to tell the difference between a full moon and a moon that is not quite full yet. They were deeply upset and wounded by the fact that they couldn't live together in peace. They did not desire to fight each other or wound any one else in the process, but the turmoil in their blood gave them no other option. They were together quite often, but always with the fear that something dreadful had a possibility of happening.

 

The Meji police were on their backs often, attempting to get them to pay for the destruction of buildings and properties during their unexpected outbreaks under the full moon. Other members of different clans that were against the Chaukra and Hiruseki clans often sought after Tsuyu and Sasuke to settle their long-term disputes, often endangering them.

 

Despite the odds against them of a peaceful life, Sasuke and Tsuyu lived a rather peaceful everyday life, enjoying all the smaller things. They both have inherited the central bases of the two clans from their brothers and turned them both into famous restaurants in Kyoto. That was the life they chose to live after the revolution…

 

But that wasn't the end of their curse of the full moon…