TheSeekerChronicles, branch1:ReinaAizuru, book1: The Foundling, CHAPTER ONE

[TigressAyura]

ok people here is chapter one!! MAKE SURE YOU READ THE PROLOGUE FIRST!!!

if you havent here it is

http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/302993-theseekerchronicles-branch-1reinaaizuru-book1-the-foundling-prologue/?p=6219668

 

hopefully that link works. the summary of the story is on that page too.

and finally, Reina's here! Ok i will admit his is a REALLY LONG CHAPTER. lolol it was 10 pages on microsoft word. but bear with me

 

and off we go:

 

Chapter One: The Night of Memory

 

Faster, faster. No one could ever catch me. I was confident that I would get people off my back for a while with that stunt. But I was so furious with myself! How could I have been so careless? Screwing my cover like that? I had already been caught three times. Three times this week. I berated myself internally for being such a clumsy idiot.

 

And even worse, I’d been caught by him. That traitor. I had helped him escape his own life; I had trained him in my ways, and made him what he is today. He was my partner. For the longest time we watched each other’s backs, even risked our lives for each other. We were the best of friends…

 

Until he sold me out. And became General.

 

I forced myself not to think about him. I knew that these raids were wrong. Hiding was wrong. Living this way was so messed up. But it was necessary, necessary for survival. Was I the Tengu’s Messenger? If there is such thing, it’s not me. I only used that name to instill fear. Fear kept me safe. People are afraid of others who are different. The fear them, hate them, shun them. So here I am, in seclusion, in hiding, and stealing to survive.

 

Both of which I’m perfectly fine with.

 

I ran back to where I had hidden my precious few belongings. I took a cursory glance around me, then bent down as I hid my new supplies in the hollow of a tree, separate from the other things I owned but fairly close to them. I smiled to myself. These would last me for another few weeks. I opened up a dark grey tunic from among the new goods and smiled, reminding myself that looking different every time would confuse any pursuer. I draped it over my violet-dyed long sleeved shirt, tucking it in to my brown pants. I reached for a leather strap, slipping it on as a belt. Then I ran off again towards the highest hill that I knew was nearby.

 

The really annoying thing about hiding is that if you’re caught, you have to come up with a story on the spot. That always involves lying, and then you have to ‘live up’ to the lie. So that statement I made about the eagle? There were no eagles in this region. Way to go, me.

 

Unless…

 

I reached the top, puffing lightly all the while. Before I permitted myself to enjoy the vast view of the world beneath me, I brought my hands up, cupping them over my face, ad let out a piercing shriek. Just like an eagle. I listened to every resounding echo as the sound carried into the distance. I had no doubt that it would send the villagers scurrying home. Perfect. I was safe, here and now.

 

I gazed into the distance, my lines of sight grazing, then falling over the rocky boulders that lay below me. The forest and its hidden secrets. The village of Susukino. The trade path winding through, and the harbor, which I could not see, but where my thoughts had carried to. Then up to the night sky, that was the witness of my truth, up to the stars shining their light upon me, and I closed my eyes. As their rays settled upon me, I regained strength, and I felt refreshed, rejuvenated, even rediscovered in my sense of clarity. My anxiety eased.

 

This is one of my many secrets. My energy fed on starlight.

 

I opened my eyes again, feeling born anew. I surveyed the beautiful that lay before me. The wash of moonlight over the peaceful forest, glinting off the boulders below, the night still and silent. I stared at the houses of Susukino in the distance. I imagined all of the children in their beds at this time, and I longed to live as they did, as I had done so many times before. Maybe I could forge another identity for myself and live among the villages…but no. I wrenched myself from those fantasies, my expression turning to stone. I had tried that before, and I’d failed. I had learned the hard way not to trust anyone but myself. But then my gaze wandered to the moon, which had attained a creamy yellow that verged on white, reminding me of that same tone of moon on the fateful night the changed my life…

 

A tear slid down my cheek, and I stopped, hesitating, before I let the rest go and welcomed the flood of memories.

 

My name is Reina Aizuru, and I am fourteen years old. I am the very last remnant of my clan. And I have many secrets. These secrets both helped and hindered me. My life in isolation isn’t easy. It never was. Well, it was, once. But that was a long time ago…

 

(flashback)

 

 

Young Reina ducked again, dodging another kick. While her opponent was still on one leg she dropped down, extended her leg, and spun in a sweeping low-kick, tripping him. But instead of falling, he put his hand on the ground and did a last minute flip, landing easily on his feet. Reina was already behind him, and she landed a push-kick square on his back, sending him staggering forward. He used that momentum to pivot on his right foot, landing a hook punch to her side. She fell back, grabbing his arm and bringing him down with her. But not a second

after they hit the ground, she was back on her feet, but so was he.

 

She rushed at him with redoubled fury, landing one-two-three-four punches and a swift spinning kick to his head. Even with his head jerking back from the blow, he seized her ankle and tried to twist it. Reina spun in such a way that he didn’t. Her hands now on the ground from being hoisted up by her slightly taller opponent; she wrenched her leg free and somersaulted to her feet. She threw a blunt punch at him, but he saw it coming, and he lunged toward her, sliding easily past her and slipping behind her.

 

A split second later, she stopped. Her hands were behind her back, wrists held together tightly by her opponent, with his other hand pointing two fingers in inch from her neck. For a few agonizing seconds, neither of them moved.

 

“Out,” her elder brother finally said, chuckling as he let go of her, and arms flopping to his sides as they both relaxed. He panted slightly as he took a few paces away from her, flexing his fingers and brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Nice job, though, you held out much longer this time.”

 

Reina huffed in frustration. They’d been at the secret training grounds all day and she’d still had not managed to get the length of endurance she’d desired. “Not as long as I want.”

 

“You’ll get there,” he assured, watching as she wandered idly towards the shrine in the corner. His somewhat taunting gaze lingered on her face. “Heh. Nice stripes, tigress.”

 

Her head snapped right to face the nearest mirror – the one that leaned against the shrine, patterned with intricate edgings. Two horizontal black stripes – tiger stripes, in fact – crossed over each cheek. Reina closed their eyes, willing them to fade, and they receded into her skin. Her eyes opened, but her gaze was at the ground. “Sorry. They always come up, especially in a fight.”

 

“Be careful,” he warned, “No one else outside of the clan knows of this. You need to control it.”

Reina nodded, but looked at him earnestly. “I’ll try…but Sairo!” she protested. “I’m only eight, you know! How am I supposed to contain a sprit that can destroy a single blow, much less control it?”

 

He said nothing, but merely shrugged. He glanced at the dark sky, and Reina did too, staring aimlessly at the creamy white moon with just a hint of yellow brushed upon it. Sairo sighed.

 

“Come on, Rei. It’s getting dark. We should get going now.” Without another word, they ran the quarter-mile home, and Reina burst through the front door.

 

“Mama, Papa, we’re home!”

 

A tall, slender and beautiful woman with long brown hair entered the main room. “Reina, Sairo! There you are! Where have you been?” She bent down and hugged each one of them in turn. “I’ve been worried sick.”

 

“We were just training, Mama,” the little girl reassured her. Her mother smiled.

 

“Hm. Training, have we?” She stood. “Well then, that’s enough training for today. You have all day tomorrow, don’t you? (was it just Reina’s imagination, or did her mother’s expression look slightly pained as she said this?) It’s late, and you should both be in bed.” Sairo shuffled away, grumbling, but Reina stayed. Her uncanny way of sensing other people’s emotions alerted her.

Something was wrong.

 

“What’s going on, Mama?” she asked curiously, concerned. The woman looked down on her daughter with longing in her eyes (or was it pity?).

 

“Nothing, darling. Just anxious, is all.” Her voice remained steady, but her delicate features were stressed, and her face almost grave. She sat upon the couch, and Reina sat with her, holding her mother close. But there was something else that troubled the child, who buried her face in her mother’s nightdress.

 

“Why am I the host of the Platinum Spirit?” she murmured, remembering the numerous stories of the spirit, great and powerful, one to be feared but praised. The violent defender, whose wrath was not one to be incited. “What if I lose control, or…” here her voice was barely more than a whisper.

 

The woman turned in her seat and wrapped her arms around the child, her child of destiny. Unseen to Reina, her face crumpled in sorrow, even as her steady voice replied, “My dear, I wish I knew. But all will be revealed…” she paused to plant a kiss on her daughter’s head. “…in time. Remember, everything has a purpose.”

 

 

A long, hollow note, a drone that shattered the peaceful silence, followed by a clamor of voices shouting in anger, even fear. Reina awoke, still on the couch, sweating. It was the dreaded horn. The clan village was under attack.

 

Senses on hyper-alert and a surge of adrenaline mixed with fear made her feel more awake, alert, and alive than she’d ever felt before. She dashed to her parents’ room, cried, “Mother!

Father! The Horn!” and dashed out as they scrambled to their feet. She ran across the house to her brother’s room, and nearly broke the door with her sheer force as she slammed it open.

 

But much to her surprise, his bed was empty; his covers were pulled back carelessly, as if he had left in a rush. But where—

 

A rubbery, gloved hand clamped down on her wrist and dragged her out of her brother’s room. Reina shrieked as if she was helpless, and pretended to thrash about but for only a moment before lashing out and twisting her attacker’s thick arm. The big man cried out, stumbled as she tripped him, and grunted again as she grabbed his arm again and flipped him over. He hit the wooden floor with a thud, metal armor clanking.

 

For a split second, Reina froze. That sound. That armor. There was no need for her to see the Royal Emblem emblazoned onto it, no need to see the metal’s peculiar shape and style; the sound was enough. The man was an Imperial soldier. Their army had found the village.

 

Without a second thought she jabbed her two fingers into his neck, and he became still.

 

A bright light disrupted her night vision as she rushed back into the main room. Half of it was ablaze! Even the sturdy door, with the most flame-resistant wood, was beginning to be consumed. Waves of heat emanated from the growing inferno. Reina hesitated, then took a deep breath, trying not to cough or choke on the smoke that rose in plumes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her parents watching in horror as she lunged at the door, throwing herself into the flames. Using her arm as a battering ram, she used her momentum to bash through the door, rolling out onto the cold, hard ground.

 

She stumbled to her feet as her parents staggered out too, unharmed but armed. Reina looked back at her home longingly. It would be gone soon, and there were many memories in that house…

 

The sound of several hoof-beats in the distance, and the three of them—father, mother, and daughter—turned to face their enemy. A large group of Imperial soldiers on horseback rode towards them, banners flying. Reina felt her body moving into a subtle fighting stance: legs a bit more than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent but ready to spring, fingers curved into fists yet not stiff. Her father saw this movement.

 

“No, my young Tigress,” he stated in a low voice, which cracked slightly. He reached behind his back, unfastening one of the two swords he carried, and threw it to his daughter, sheath and all. Reina caught it easily but fumbled with the book tied to it. She stared at these items. The book, whose contents her father a kept a secret for as long as she could remember. She had always longed to leaf through its pages and discover what lay within it. The majestic broadsword; this was the weapon he used most often, that had saved his life countless times. Often times she had wished to use it to train, but she’d known that he would always refuse. This was her father’s weapon of choice. Wouldn’t he need it to fight?

 

 “Hide, Reina!” he hissed.

 

 “But Papa…this is your—”

 

“Go! Safeguard the Tigress! Run!”

 

But Reina couldn’t move. She was frozen with confusion, sorrow, anger, and frustration. She knew that she had two choices. The first was to disobey, and to fight, and reveal her other spirit. The next was to run away and never return, and to stay safe, but she would never know what would happen to her parents. She couldn’t bear the thought of not knowing. She was a child. She couldn’t even imagine life without her family, without her clan.

 

A tender hand on her shoulder made her turn around. It was her mother, her face pleading, but with a grim acceptance hidden within it. The first tear had made its way down her cheek. She easily slid off her ornate bracelet from her wrist to her daughter’s. The hoof-beats thundered ever louder as she hugged her daughter tightly. She placed her hands on Reina’s shoulders.

 

“Listen to your father. Hide.”More tears brimmed and then spilled over. “Hide where no one will be able to find you, where even the fires of war can’t reach you.” She paused to wipe the watery tracks the caressed her cheek. “The Guardian Spirit, the Platinum Tigress will help you. But go. Do this one thing for us.” She gave her child one last peck on the cheek. “I love you. We love you, Reina.” Without another word she straightened her posture, wiped another tear from her face, and strode away to stand with her husband, fearlessly standing in the soldier’s path. Still Reina didn’t budge.

 

“But Mama!” she cried desperately as her own first tear slipped out of her eye.

 

“Go, Rei!” her mother shouted back, never faltering in her stance and now determined expression. The young girl hesitated, then scampered away, cradling the sword and the book, and holding her bracelet hand tightly to her chest. Her tears flowed freely and she squeezed her eyes to let them go. She ran, but deep inside she refused not to know what would happen to them. She spotted a barrel off to the side of the street, and skidded to a stop, crouching behind it. She set the sword and book to lean against the wall of an abandoned home, whose lifeless shell stood beside her. She peeked around the barrel to watch.

 

Her father never flinched once as he faced the oncoming horde. He waited until the horses were nearly on top of him, then lashed out with his other sword, cutting through a few of the horses’ legs, and many of them neighed – some in surprise, some in agony – and quite a few of them threw off their riders as others collapsed under them. Amidst this chaos Reina’s mother somersaulted backward, flipping high in the air and landing on a rider-less horse as it passed, using her own katana to parry any strokes the Imperial swords tried to deliver.

 

Both mother and father cut down soldiers left and right, and Reina could only watch in awe as they seemed to fight effortlessly, without a strain on their faces or sweat on their brow. Every enemy that faced them was cut down without further ado.

 

Then time seemed to slow down. Reina’s father was dueling three soldiers at once, his one strike always matching their three. Reina watched on horror as a fourth soldier took a stance behind her father, brandishing his sword and preparing to take his enemy from behind. She longed to burst out and warn him, to defend him, but an unseen force held her in place.

 

Her mother also realized the danger. “TAKUTO!” she shrieked as she tried to rush to his aid. But as he turned to face his assassin, Reina’s father was stabbed in the back. Reina took in a choked gasp, struggling to restrain herself from crying out in sorrow and alerting the enemy to her presence. The killer chuckled lightly as he withdrew his sword from his victim, and Takuto fell to the ground. Reina inhaled sharply. A hot ball of fire was forming inside her, but she fought to hold it in. That particular soldier’s victory, however, was short-lived, before being mercilessly having his head lopped off by his victim’s wife. The rest of the soldiers crowded around her horse, but even than she was taking them out one by one.

 

During her mount’s brief delay due to a misstep, a soldier seized his opportunity and slashed forward with his sword, cutting down the steed’s front legs. The horse fell to the side, and its rider collapsed alongside the poor animal. Reina did what she could to remain still and silent as she watched her mother being bound by her wrists and forced to her knees. But the woman fought them every second. It took three of the men to restrain her, and even then she turned sharply, causing one of them to topple over in surprise. Then she stopped as one of the other soldiers, this one with more ornate armor – the leader, Reina assumed – came forth and drew his sword, pointing it a few inches away from her chest.

 

“Since you have already disrespected your superiors, I should’ve killed you on the spot,” he stated, flicking his wrist, and the blade with it. “But I’m going to give you another chance, miss. Will you surrender to Emperor Udo?”

 

“Never!” she immediately retorted. “Never in a million lifetimes!” Her furious eyes bored into his

unflinchingly.

 

The leader laughed and shook his head. “What a waste.” He moved the sword and placed a tender hand on her cheek. “With a beauty like yourself, if you had surrendered, the Emperor might’ve taken you as a maid or noble ladies in his court…” he smirked. “…or even a concubine.”

 

His captive spat in his face, and he wiped it off casually, without taking his eyes off her. But as he withdrew and brought back the threatening sword, his expression became emotionless again. “Well, if you can’t respect the ones who control your fate at the moment, have it your way. How many others are left? I demand an answer!” his voice rose at the last sentence, and he brought the sword closer to her chest, expecting her to be frightened into submission.

 

To his surprise, she grinned in triumph. “Definitely one. Possibly two. My children.” She threw back her head and laughed. “But they’re long gone. And even if you found them, they would never surrender. They’re not like other children you’ve slain or taken.” Her once gentle smile was now so sweet it was intimidating, and she had no fear for the danger before her. “And of you value your lives and sanity, don’t go after my daughter. She could destroy you.”

 

Reina’s ears perked in shock and confusion. Was her mother serious?

 

The soldier seethed with rage and cried out, “I’ve had enough of this nonsense!” And with that, the thrust the sword into the woman’s chest. Both mother and daughter gasped, and fresh tears brimmed in Reina’s eyes as she truly realized that she would never see her mother and father again.

 

The child stared, not knowing what to think as she watched the soldier withdraw his weapon

and her mother fell to the ground. With the last of the woman’s strength, she turned to the sky and murmured, “Lord, receive me. Protect my children, and take me away to where my husband awaits…” Then the last traces of vitality faded from her eyes, and she was gone.

 

Reina could no longer contain the hot ball of fire within her, that had worked its way behind her face, and she finally let go, and wept in silence. She clung tightly to her best memories of her parents; her father training with her and encouraging her whenever she tried and failed; her mother embracing her after she’d passed one of her father’s harsh tests. Father taking her to the village and playing with her in the creek. Mother wrapping a wound she’d received from a fall. Father praising her progress. Mother holding her hand. And both of them telling her never to give up. To be strong. Be strong… Reina could hear their voices, and anger began to overpower her grief. Be strong, Reina…

 

She rose to her feet, tears sliding off her face freely, and walked out to be seen in plain sight. Her anger overpowered the sorrow, the fear. There was only hatred, a loathing that she placed in her stare as she fully directed it onto the leader of the soldiers, who turned to see her and laughed – he saw no threat, only an angry child – sheathing his sword. He muttered something to his comrades, apparently amused.

 

One of the other soldiers stepped forward and beckoned to the girl. “Come here, little girl,” he coaxed. “Come with us and we’ll take you somewhere safe.”

 

“Why…” Reina started, trailing off. Then her voice regained its strength. “Why should I?!” she spat at them. “After what you did to my mother and father?!” she waved a hand, gesturing to the lifeless bodies at their feet. She felt something stirring deep inside her, and she felt it growl within her. Words came tumbling from her mouth. Somehow she couldn’t stop herself. “My mother’s right, you know.” Her voice was firm and was filled with a confident clarity. “Run along. Unless you want to fight?” She paused with a ready expression on her face, but inside she was appalled at herself. Did she just threaten an Imperial soldier? They were feared throughout the country – and the Emperor’s finest combatants. It felt like an outside force was speaking through her. Then she knew. The Tigress. “The Shining Guardian would only have to roar once. You’d be either be dead or running.” Reina felt the entity, the powerful spirit stirring again restlessly. It was ready to emerge at any moment now, and there was no stopping it.

 

A couple of soldiers began to back away, but their leader waved them to come back, chastising, “You cowards! Aren’t you all trained soldiers? What harm can this child – this little girl do?”

 

“More than you might think,” Reina replied slowly, letting the Tigress direct her words and allowing its lower voice to intermingle with hers. Both voices stated, “You’ve destroyed my village and killed my clan. Suffer the wrath of the Guardian Spirit.”

 

Strength, energy, and power coursed through her body, and her anger intensified tenfold as the Tigress’ rage joined with hers. A gale of wind billowed around her, and her shoulder-length hair was blown to one side.

 

“She’s demon possessed!” a soldier cried. “Run!” Many of them turned and fled. There were shouts and cries as tongues of fire swirled around the girl and followed that path of the wind, encasing Reina in a ball of fire. But the soldiers didn’t make it very far when the fire burst into a searing light, that expanded and consumed all, enveloping the soldiers in its fury. The shadow at the light’s core was no longer that of a girl, but that of a rearing, majestic tiger whose roar of rage and loneliness echoed through to the forest beyond…

 

(end of flashback)

That was six years ago, when I lost my family and experienced the Guardian Spirit’s power for the first time. It was also the beginning of these many years as a fugitive.

I took my time descending the hill, wiping away the tear tracks as I clung to my mother’s last words to me. The Guardian Spirit, the Platinum Tigress, will help you. But go. Do this one thing for us. I love you. We love you, Reina. Go, Rei! The Tigress has been my constant companion and consistent guardian, just as she had promised me. With its entity on my side I was always confident, and I felt invincible against every enemy I had faced.

 

I had also kept my heirlooms from that day. The bracelet, which I wore now, in fact; my father had carved it from a bamboo tree, beads and charm alike, and it was my mother’s prized possession. The beads were simple orbs, separated with a couple of millimeters of thread. The charm, a small flat disk the size of a marble, with a tiger carved into the front and the starry sky on the back. My father’s book had taught me I had ever needed to know: fighting techniques, weapon uses, dealing with ropes, and plant information – which ones were edible, poisonous, used for healing, and more. I learned something new every day. And the sword – which I had loved from the very beginning – had saved my life countless times. Of the few possessions I truly owned, I considered these three the most precious.

 

I walked back to the campsite in no hurry at all, ready to rest for the night. The night was still, the trees silent. Not even a single cricket chirp for as far as I could hear, and I had excellent hearing. It unsettled me, but I kept going. It was probably just my senses overreacting agai—

 

The sharp cry of a hotogisu bird startled me, and my head jerked to that direction. The pitch…it wasn’t a natural bird cry. It was a quarter-pitch lower than normal. Someone was making the cry. Someone was here, and my heart began to pound. But who? The only person I knew who could do that was my brother. Was he here? Something deep down told me no. It couldn’t be. He was long gone.

 

A twig snapped behind me, and I spun around, already grasping the hilt of my sword. Nothing.

A bush rustled to my left, and my stare flew there. Nothing. Someone was definitely onto me. But who? How many were there? Had they followed me? Or just found me now? These were little questions, but the big question remained: Could I lose them?

 

Something moved to my left, and I bolted right. My pursuer chased after me, and I listened to the sound of footsteps and stole a glance back. A wave of relief washed over me; only one person. I sighed. Good. It was much easier to lose one person than, say, thirty. Judging from the sound the stranger was about fifteen yards behind me. I took a sharp left turn, backtracked quickly along a different route, then took off again. I listened again, then gritted my teeth; still there. I urged myself to run faster, and the distance between us slowly but surely began to increase. But I knew I couldn’t run forever. I needed something, a physical feature, an obstacle. Something that would take me to my limit, but would be almost impossible for other people…

 

I spotted a crevasse a hundred yards ahead and coming fast, and I sprinted, sprinted, sprinted until the dark trees were just a blur around me. At the very edge I leapt, flying, soaring above the abyss. I landed in a forward roll (remembering to tuck in my head) and kept going. Then I took another peek back just in time to see my pursuer land in the same manner I did, only with more precision. I mean, what the heck?

 

I took in what little starlight I could as I wove though and around clumps of trees. I laid eyes on one with a thick trunk, and I jumped onto, it, seeming to ricochet off it to another tree, hopping back and forth to climb and perch onto a high but sturdy bough. I figured that my best chance was to disable my opponent, then flee.

 

I didn’t have to wait long.  Seconds later the stranger came, glancing about, searching for me, and slowed to a stop under my branch. I finally got to get a good look at her appearance. It was a girl about my age, with very short, blonde hair. She wore clothes of black and grey, and a black mask covered her face and mouth. She had long bangs that hid her eyes in shadows.

Who was she?

 

“Where are you?” she murmured in a low voice. Smiling, I leapt off my branch and landed crisply behind her.

 

“Right here.”

 

Immediately she whipped around, throwing a roundhouse to my face. I ducked easily and punched her back, sending her staggering forward. Suddenly she pivoted and hurled a hook punch, and I stepped to the right, but a second too late – I gasped as I felt an impact on my side. I redirected a few more punches with my forearm, sidestepped a kick, and then flung a kick at her, which collided painfully to her hip, and she slid away. I shot my fingers at a certain point to her neck, to end this—

 

She swatted my hand from its path and launched a spinning back kick. I crossed my arms to block it, but that delay cost me. My arms were forced behind me and I felt my wrists being bound. Then I cried out as she shoved her foot into my back, straightening my arms to a painful extent.

 

“Who are you?” she hissed in my ear. “What is your purpose here?”

 

I clenched my teeth and used my usual response (which was true anyways), “I am but a wandering soul, seeking only for a chance to truly live again.” Then I yanked my wrists from her grasp and executed a smooth no-hands flip, twirling in midair and dancing away from my captor. I lifted my sword hilt with one hand (using both arms) a couple of inches, and the ropes sliced easily, my wrists springing apart.

 

“This is the last time I’ll ask: Who are you? And what is your business in my forest, trespasser?!” she cried. She drew out a dagger and I a knife.

 

“Your forest?” I retorted. “I’ve lived here for six years and I’ve never seen anyone who claimed it as their own.” I couldn’t help smiling at her stunned reaction. “And as for my identity, I won’t say. I am the last of my clan, and I bear my name proudly!”

 

I lunged at her, seizing both of her wrists, and we wrestled each other, each trying to force the other to the ground. I found her winding her leg around mine, and I lifted my leg, which accomplished two things: I didn’t get tripped and I hit her in the stomach with my knee. She gasped out at the impact, and I elbowed her aside.

 

My conscience shrieked, Now! And I leapt as high as I could, hurling the knife at a single spot in front of her. I landed atop a branch, and in a pouncing motion I threw myself off, and like a gymnast I grabbed another smaller branch and flung myself away back into a run. But before I did, I took a glance back and saw her grasp a rock to stand, then draw it back quickly as my knife landed in the exact spot where her hand would’ve been.

 

Leaves whipped my face as I ran faster. I almost cursed myself. Caught twice in a day…! It was a brand-new low for me. I had already been found, yet I was still careless enough to be found again! Did I hate everyone else in the world? No. But I refused to put myself at the mercy of others. Why? Because I can’t… trust… anyone… but myself—!

 

Something caught my foot, and before I knew it I was on the ground, skidding to a stop.  I chastised myself for tripping and being a clumsy fool, and I stood—

 

I gasped as something wrapped around my neck without warning and tightened around it. An arm—I didn’t care whose—had caught me in a crushing headlock. I jammed my fingers into what little space there was between my attacker’s arm and my neck and fought to pry myself loose.

 

My nose and mouth was suddenly buffeted as a damp cloth was shoved onto it. Instinctively I held my breath, but even so I could still smell the sickeningly sweet smell that it emitted. How was I going to get out of this? I racked my brain for an answer. Come on, Rei, think! They’re drugging you, for crying out loud! I was running out of time.  My vision was getting fuzzy, my eyes heavy, my mind cloudy. No…I won’t…

 

I groped my sleeve for the familiar handle of another knife, and I blindly stabbed behind me…I felt the vibration and knew it hit, but no longer heard the stranger cry out in pain…dropping me…and it was all slow motion as I hit the ground.

 

I only had one thought left as I lost consciousness.

 

Crap.

(CHAPTER TWO: CAPTURED! COMING SOON!)

hope you liked chapter one