Thursday, November 14, 2013

Living By A Blinded Sword

There would always be a wound from the unexpected knife that slipped between her shoulder blades. The feeling was stronger than any grief she could imagine. She belonged to a mighty group of hunters who were raised without any parents to teach them right or wrong. They had to decide what the noble and best path to walk on was. Three of them were skilled with a spirit weapon; only one was not and decided he would not follow his siblings’ path. The middle child, Hantori, became a normal baker, working within the run-down city of souls to try and feed the hungry. The rest continued on the "righteous" path of bloodshed. His soft, short, brown hair and deep, blue eyes were made to never see death; or at least, some people thought.
Out of this group of three warriors were the biggest brother, the littlest brother, and the fiery sister. The eldest, Nakemi, was the first to join the Knight’s Circle. In his teen-age years, he had reached the status that the captains were on. The charming male with long, brown hair and soft, brown eyes knew how to pull his way through the system. The boy made the connections, and by the time his other siblings arrived at Knight’s Circle, he was one of the three captains.
The littlest brother was the next to follow after him. The blonde-haired and blue-eyed boy, named Tamori, got lucky and didn’t even need to lift a finger to get pulled into a squad. Nakemi put him in high regards and got him placed within his elder brother’s troops. He didn’t reach any high status, or anything like that; just another disposable soldier.
The passionate sister was the last one to get into the Knight’s Circle. Tokutei was always very competitive. Growing up with the tough love of three brothers, probably didn’t help. She had to be strong and fierce so her brothers wouldn’t gang up on her. The Academy was a different way to show her worth to her brothers. Even though they were the ones to first teach her how to love and care for others, she couldn’t help but feel useless.  How could she return the love they gave her? She needed to do something wonderful.
Not only did she feel the need to pay back the favor of taking care of her, but there was another reason for her drive. Nakemi never gave her any credit for the work she did.  He never really gave her compliments to her sword fighting. She never craved someone’s brotherly love and affection like she did for his. She didn’t understand what she did wrong, or what she needed to do to get his attention. She decided that if she could make herself a captain, one day, her brother would be able to say he was proud.
During the female’s time at the academy, there was one man who filled her heart with anger. The long, red-haired boy was named Raidyn. Tokutei claimed that the brown-eyed male was the demon. It all started on the day she was sparring with some forgettable woman. She swung the sword wide and accidently hit him over the head. The boy’s lip twitched as a bump formed above his right eye brow. Tokutei tried to apologize again and again, but the male would not accept it.
“I’ll get you back for this,” he warned her.
Raidyn’s warning was not forgotten, and soon turned into a curse. Everything she did, he would butt into her, or be a pest. Tokutei, in return, became the same annoyance that she couldn’t stand. Every day was full of vicious competition. She even forgot her real reason she was there. Every single sun rise to sun set, she would train with her wooden sword. Tokutei practiced and practiced until her hands bled. The girl remembered to even practice her magic. Her goal was to defeat him. When he joined the Knight’s Circle, she followed soon after. He wasn’t getting off that easily.
Her very first captain was a mighty and strong man. He was built like an ox, with mighty shoulders and rippling muscles.  The man loved to fight and craved to battle every single day. From that day on, she was forced into training with her spirit sword, every day. Day by day, she grew stronger by her captain’s side. Her and her elder got attached, challenging and pushing each other to their limits. Her senior was impressed with her, as she grew into a true warrior in front of his eyes. She did as he told her to, twisting and rearranging her body and mind to fit into the style of a disciplined killer. He taught her meditations to increase her power within her spirit's sword.
Through her intense training, and fiercely concentrated breathing, she got to know her first and only spirit sword’s name. Panissha was the weapon's female name; a blade of punishment and torture. The male spirit within the sword was Kiba; the hilt of obeisance and strength. The two together, dominant master and faithful lap-dog, were built to fit Tokutei. Panissha was unmerciful and dangerous. She represented the fighter within the fiery sister. Kiba was the longing to please those held dear. Tokutei took it to mean to have the right to rip apart the man named Raidyn. Knowing the sword's names gave her ten times more power.
She told her captain of the wonderful news. Her sword and her bond grew stronger. With that in mind, he dismissed her after a final spar between student and sensei.
“It seems that you will be going to a different captain. Captain Ryoa is waiting for you,” he announced after mopping the floor with the tired girl.
It was an extreme switch for her. Not just for the fact that it was a whole new team, but her captain was so fun and loud. Captain Ryoa was...well…dull and scary. Not only was there a new captain, but the lieutenant was the one and only, Raidyn.
Once Raidyn and Tokutei were forced into the same group, Captain Ryoa was not expecting it be the worst decision of his life. All the two did was argue and fight. Everything they did was a contest. Things went by fast, but the responsibilities given to them turned out to be sloppy, and done for just the sake of getting it done. It was a nightmare to the young ones when Captain Ryoa, who wasn’t much older than themselves, brought them into his office and stuck them with paperwork.  That was what their life was filled with after that; paperwork and training.
Missions made up what the stubborn two looked forward to while working with their Captain. War was always breaking out between cities and clans. They were always sent out together to work on something Ryoa needed them to do. From assassinations to defending villages, they became an unstoppable team.
As the two worked together, it slowly became less violent and mean. Their fighting was playful and fun.
“When did Raidyn become my friend?” She once asked Ryoa.
“The day I thought it was a good idea to pair you guys up together,” he simply responded. His lips tugged into a half smirk. Tokutei stared out the window. He had planned this, but she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Raidyn.
It took a few years, but the two young adults were finally falling in love.  They were always being competitive, but there was something so hauntingly fresh and sweet to them. The two wouldn’t admit to the affection they shared until the day Raidyn got injured. Tokutei visited him the first day, bringing him some flowers and paperwork to do, so he didn’t sit there bored. His side was deeply cut, but he was living and still kicking.
“You have to be more careful,” Tokutei had warned him as she sat next to the bed.
“I know. You want to know something, though?” he asked. Tokutei just hummed in reply. “I learned that we will never know when we are going to die. I’m going to take a chance with this but… I think I’m in love with you," he proclaimed that day. His cheeks were heated, and his eyes were tightly shut.
“You know what? I love you, too,” Tokutei chuckled and locked her lips to his. He kissed back without a second thought. Some things in life were never meant to be, though.
Months later, Tokutei showed up her little brother multiple times. The last fight she had with her little brother finally got her the attention of her eldest brother. He took her out to the pub.
“I was wrong,” he told her. “A woman does have a place within the battle field. I have been wrong to look down on you because you were a female. I have never been good at the affection thing, but I never meant any harm by it." Tokutei’s eyes let the waterfalls stream down her face.
“Your approval was all I was after,” she choked on her tears. All she ever wanted was to know was that he saw her and valued her. She never expected him to apologize to her. She thought nothing could ruin the gratitude she felt.
They headed down the road to get back to the barracks. While passing through the silent and abandoned town square a figure stood in the middle, with a group of dead soldiers at his feet. Nakemi noticed and placed an arm out to his sister. The male raised his index finger to his lips and approached to get a better look. They quietly approached the male and were shocked to find that it was the mid-child, Hantori, covered in the warrior’s blood.
“Hantori..?” Tokutei voice cracked at the terrifying sight. He looked up at her with dull eyes before pointing up. The female went to look up, but her eldest brother pushed her out of the way and drew his spirit sword, Kira. The black blade absorbed the impact of another sword clashing down from out of nowhere. It was the youngest brother, Tamori.  Tokutei was so confused. Why had their little brothers attacked them?
“What is the meaning of this!?” Nakemi demanded of his two brothers. The youngest child jumped away and landed next to Hantori. The eldest glanced at Hantori, eyeing his blood-stained, red blade. “I thought your spirit sword never appeared to you?” he added with a glare at Tamori.
“You’re not the only two with the talent,” the mid-child’s voice said dully. He sounded nearly apathetic. The lone sister never remembered him being like that. She wondered if he was like this because they left him in the village. It was his decision.
“I’m sick of you guys getting all the glory! Being all successful while I am still just a lowly soldier. If you are dead Nakemi, than I can take your place as Captain! I can bring Hantori in without needing to go through that whole academy crap,” Tamori announced. The jealousy of his older siblings ran so deep that he had forgotten their first real love and bonds. Tokutei shook her head at the thought. How could that happen? Had she been so stuck on gaining approval and beating everyone that she forgot the most important thing to her; her family?
“Brother… please stop this madness,” she spoke softly, and gently. She never wanted it to be like this. Why had she been so blind? Love… the different kinds she had experienced in her life… had certain loves blinded her from others?
“Madness!? The day you abandoned me, and didn’t even come see me again! That is madness,” Hantori snapped. Tokutei winced at his words.
“Enough talking! Sister, draw your weapon!” Tamori smirked. “Or, die without honor.”
She shook her head but Nakemi grabbed her sheath pulling her sword out for her. “I can’t…” she started, but he interrupted her.
“They plan on killing us. They are like any other strangers, and they will be without remorse,” he warned her. “We are knights; we are prepared to fight anything.” How could he say things like that about their own flesh and blood? She gripped onto her sword and closed her eyes. What should she do?
“Fight!” Two voices rang in her head. Panissha and Kiba were telling her to fight. She opened her eyes. Couldn’t there be another way?
“Here we come!” Tamori laughed and ran towards Nakemi. Hantori ran towards Tokutei.
The best she could do was block the attacks that came at her. She stumbled back as she refused to fight back against him. He kept coming at her. Nakemi was right. They were not going to let up, or go easy on them. She felt nausea at the thought of dueling her brothers to the death. She heard the clashing of blades, and the sounds of magic exploding against each other. She bit her lip, looking over at her elder brother for only a moment, until pain raged through her shoulder. Hantori slashed upon her shoulder and cut her deeply. She fell back with a hand to the wound, shakily breathing from the raw agony of the open flesh.
“Why aren’t you taking this seriously?” Hantori kneeled next to her and tilted his head, just slightly. “What will it take to make you take me serious?” With that he left her and rushed into the battle with the eldest brother. Nakemi barely avoided Hantori’s sword, dodging both of his brothers. They were relentless, though. The two boys kept at him like two rabid dogs. Tokutei watched from the ground while her blood gushed out of the wound. She couldn’t do it; she just couldn’t. This thought continued until Nakemi was overwhelmed. A sword sank into his gut quickly. Tokutei's eyes were as big as the full moon.
“NO!” She screamed and forced herself up. She held onto her blade and slammed the hilt into Hantori. She held her hand out toward Tamori, chanting a few words as a red ball of energy blasted him into a house made of stone. She dropped to her knees beside her brother’s side. “Nakemi!” She held her hand to his wound to stop the bleeding, but it was no use.
“It’s too late,” he breathed as blood rolled out his mouth. “Run, Tokutei… they won’t get away with this. You don’t need to fight or revenge me. The courts will tear them apart for you, so run. Be the witness of this foul act,” he gasped. The woman moved her other hand to his cheek. Her tears rained over his chest.
“I won’t leave you,” she simply told him. She stabbed Panissha into the ground and placed her body over her elder brother’s. “You die here, then I’ll die with you.” She thought about the rest of her friends… her old captain, Captain Ryoa, and handsome Raidyn. She loved them all, in different senses. Then she remembered her roots.  She remembered the first family love she had ever felt; the first real human connections. “I can’t kill them, but I can’t abandon you, either,” she told Nakemi. “May they do their worst,” she said through gritted teeth, as Hantori’s sword stabbed into her back and out Nakemi’s back.
Both coughed up blood. Tamori stabbed his sword through them, as well. Nakemi died first, while Tokutei held onto life tightly. She knew this was it. Deep down, she felt it fit. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. It would be atonement for letting other loves distract the first and most important love of all; family. No other love could be truer than this woman’s love for her brothers. No matter what was to happen to her, even in her dying breath, she never turned her sword to them. Even though they let greed and envy take over their minds, she still loved them until her last breath.


Saturday, November 9, 2013

Dear Brother.


Brother?
Why should I bother?
All I have to say is I'm done with you.
Out of everything we have gone through.
You treat me terribly because I don't agree.
And you metaphorically try to kill me?
Not my fault I work hard.
Trying to perfect being a bard.
I been working for this my whole life.
You fucked up yours with your greedy strife.
Making stuff up because you think I'm ignorant?
Not my fault people hate you being arrogant.
We gave you everything and that wasn't enough.
You have no right to say your life was rough.
You had everyone at your finger tips
Yet you let the lies drip off your lips
I once had faith, but it's down the drain
I tried to help, but it ends in vain
I want to believe, but I cannot
Because my heart just aches a lot.
No body can fix you if you are part of the problem

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Thursday, November 7, 2013

Room Of Gold

 The color of gold fills his room. 
Each brick of the wall carefully placed together 
As the family members are whipped. 
He smiles smugly against the bright royal background of wealth. 
No other man has as much money as he. 
He makes sure to drown them 
In rivers of lies and molten metal if they ever get close. 
Gold throne,
Gold room,
 Gold crown, 
And a golden life.
 Why would he ever complain?
 He has everything that he wants and needs. 
Yet he still wants more; he wants it all.
No matter who he crushes
 It doesn't matter, as long as he has all the best.

Monday, November 4, 2013

A Demon's Mercy

(This is a post I did within a Forum. Tell me what you guys think!)
        The screams of the villagers of a small farming town echoed through the forest, right on the rim of the grasslands. The flames crackled as the rundown house burned within the raging heat. The smoke was seen in the sky for miles, smelling too sweet for the fact there were burning corpses. 
        Two children ran through the trees, breathing heavy. The elder sister held a baby close to her chest, while her younger brother ran in front of her. He kept glancing back time after time to make sure the beast wasn't following. Their bare feet were treated roughly on the forest floor. Rocks, thorns, and other things ripping their feet open, leaving a trail of blood droplets.
       “Keep running!” the boy, age ten, called to his sister. He was trying to be the man he needed to be. He wheezed a little, never having to run for his life before. He licked his lips, struggling with the burning sensation within his lungs. He tasted the salt of his sweat and even a little blood.
       “I’m running as fast as I can!” the girl, age fourteen, told him. The baby squirmed in her arm, and the girl tried to soothe the child. She knew if the infant started crying… it would all be over. The youthful female was so focused on the child that she missed the giant root in front of her and tripped over it. She slammed down and rolled on the ground, pulling the infant as close as she could. The wailing of the baby seemed to echo as the brother turned and forced his sister up.
       “Let’s go!” He tried to force her to run, but she let out a loud cry of pain. The boy looked down at his sister’s ankle and gasped at the twist, the blood, and the bone sticking out of the skin.
        “I can’t,” she cried. “I can’t. Take the baby,” she sobbed. She held the child out as the tears rolled down her face. “Take her and go!” the girl demanded.
        “I will never leave you!” he declared and refused to take the infant. He removed the overly big sword from his back and stood in front of her.
        “You will get us all killed!” his sister snapped. Her brother did not reply, trying to ignore the baby’s cry. He swallowed hard as he heard the sounds of running within the forest around him. He couldn't tell which direction the footsteps were coming from, as an eerie laugh bounced off the trees all around them. Soon it was all silent. All he heard was their breathing and the baby sobbing. He heard a muffled scream behind him He turned to look at his sister, only to come face to face with the demon and her piercing green eyes.
        “Boo,” Kiku smiled, blood dripping from her lips.
        “Ahh!!” He swung the sword this way and that, angling towards the demonic woman. She dodged by rocking back on her heels and caught the sword on it's next swing. She placed her finger to her bloody stained lips, slightly amused.
        “So, young boy. You think you can wield a sword like this? I’m embarrassed for you. This junk won’t do anything,” she said smugly.
        “Oh yeah!? Father told me that our family sword was made next to the mystical sword of Jerbral!” he exclaimed. “Our mighty sword will kill you just by touching it!” The kid really seemed to believe it. He grinned like crazy, waiting for the sword’s touch to send her away to hell. Kiku stared at the little boy nonchalantly, running a hand through her black hair. She had heard of the actual mystical sword of Jerbral before, somewhere; she just didn't remember where. She moved her thumb down the blade with a sigh.
        “I’m still standing,” she stated as she bent the sword all the way back. The boy stared with shock.  Kiku ripped the sword from the child’s hands, and threw it into the forest. He glanced up at the much taller monster with terrified eyes. The only hope he had was destroyed before him. The kid trembled and turned to run. The boy had forgotten his sisters and had only one thought… to rescue himself and live.
        “BROTHER!” The sister screamed, shaking with fright. “DON’T LEAVE ME!” Her brother didn't even look back. She shook and started to sob as she held the baby closer. Kiku's eyes grew black. The sister heard a shallow scream before the sickening sounds of someone being ripped opened. The young girl watched as shadows grabbed the boy’s arms and legs. The pieces of flesh, tissue, muscle, and even bone slowly ripped apart. The blood splattered everywhere as the two halves of her brother plopped to the ground. The girl felt sick and shut her eyes tightly as she quietly sobbed.
        “He betrayed you,” Kiku told the young woman as she knelt next to her.
        “SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASE!!!” she screamed in hysteria, thrashing around at the demon and at the baby with in her arms. The girl went to crush the baby’s throat as an act of mercy, but the demon stabbed her hand through the young female’s chest with her long and sharp nails. The young woman gasped as Kiku pulled out the young woman's heart and showed it to her. 
        "..This isn't my heart either, what a shame,” Kiku sighed. The girl fell forward and the baby roared loudly with cries. “How annoying,” she stated as she rolled the dead girl over. She raised her sword over her head, but she just stared at the leech-like infant. She went to stab it through the child but froze. “You didn't do anything yet,” the demon said softly.
        Her hands trembled and the small voice, she remembered from long ago when she was a child, whispered, “I’m scared. I don’t want to die.” Kiku growled quiet and lowly as she sheathed her sword. She placed her bloody hand over the baby’s mouth, quieting its awful noise. She hooked her nail within the blanket that the infant was in and grabbed the family sword as she stormed through the trees. She straightened the sword’s blade and carried the baby with her through the forest.
        She reached a path that travelers used and grabbed the infant’s blanket. She held the squirming and obnoxious baby to the tree and stabbed the family sword through the blanket into the tree. She stared at the child whose cries, for some reason, stopped. The baby stared at Kiku with big blue eyes.
        “Now fate will decide whether you live or die. Perhaps a traveler will see you and save you. They might take you to a village and take you to a church. Maybe a wolf will eat you, or a demonic army will march through. It’s up to nature to decide whether you live or die. Good luck, little one,” Kiku said gently, stroking the kid’s cheek. The baby’s face was almost completely covered in blood now. The infant made a gurgle noise. Kiku walked away from the path, and the baby stayed quiet like it knew it needed to be. “Clever baby; well played,” she chuckled as she faded away from the forest path. She headed towards another village; the home of the rumor she was reminded of by her prey. 
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Friday, November 1, 2013

A Mother's Fear

 (After watching a horror movie of a kid convincing his parents to go to a party on Halloween, and wind up being killed by something horrific, I had a thought. What does it feel like for a mother to lose her child after the kid convinced her to let them go?)

     A mother's wish for her children is for them to grow up to be the best they can be, and to be as happy as they can be. Now, I was a lot more strict when raising my baby boy than most parents are. I actually made sure he stayed on top of his school work, and kept him on the "narrow line". Any good mother has that day when her child says he, or she, hates you. I got that many times, but I smiled because I knew my son would thank me in the long run. No one wants to expect the worse to happen to their kid. In my case, however, I fretted about all the worst things that could happen to my darling.
    When my boy turned eighteen, I was the most nervous woman alive. Not only did he give me the "I'm an adult now!" speech, but he went on and on about this party he was going to go to. Back in my day, partying always involved the worst trash, drugs and alcohol. As a youth, I never found the whole partying, or the drug and alcohol thing, to be that fun. Of course, with this in mind, my son going to a party brought back these old images of debauchery.
   "Mom, you raised me better than that. Just trust me!" Those words struck a sour cord with me. I now wished they didn't. I allowed him to go with the trust I had within him. The truth of the matter was that I trusted him, but not the others around him.
   When I got the call, it was the worse day of my life. I rushed to the hospital just to be told I was too late. That party turned out to be a spot for a shooting. Apparently a boyfriend's girl broke up with him, and the guy just lost it. He came to the party and shot her dead, along with ten others. My son was included.
   When I got that news I didn't know what to think or do. I fell into a chair and stared blankly for a few minutes until I started to sob into my hands. How could I have known? I knew I couldn't, but I felt like the worst mother on the face of the planet. For weeks I couldn't eat. All I did was cry.
   Even to this day, it haunts me. The fact I allowed him to go, even though I knew all the right things to force him to stay home, I let him go.  I've been told by people that all things happen for a reason. "When it's time for someone to go.. it's time for them to go." I don't necessarily believe that. I can't stop thinking what would have happened if I stopped him that day. Would he still be with me now while accomplishing his dreams, or would he have ended up dead, either way?
   Being a mother wasn't hard. The choices decided that change your life and your child's life; that is what is haunting. No other fear could feel more terrifying than that of losing the one that means the most to you, until you actually do.