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 Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2005 12:38 am
As Shinta and Sasha walked down the path away from the pagoda the eternally blooming cherry blossoms fell around them like pink snow. As always, the presence of Natsuko followed close behind.
Before they were out of sight, the two turned and gazed at their home, bidding a silent farewell. Sasha grabbed Shinta's arm and squeezed. He smiled at her and she grinned back, full of hope and excitement at going back home and of seeing new places.
They turned and continued walking. Slowly, the cherry blossoms gave way to towering pine and oak. The wind blowing through the oak leaves made a pitter-patter sound like spring rain falling. Sasha began chattering amicably about the manuscripts she had found in the library. To Shinta, her chirping voice seemed to blend with the bird sounds in the canopy high above. Out here on the road he usually preferred to remain quiet, his senses attuned to any possible danger. Even so, he found her voice oddly comforting, even if he was not attending fully to the words.
He could sense Natsuko smile at that.
They had traveled for a few hours in this way when Shinta stopped and put one hand in front of Sasha. Putting his lips near her ear, he whispered, "Wait Sasha-dono. Can you hear it? The birds have stopped singing." Shinta's right hand clasped around the hilt of the sword at his side. His eyes, wide and serious, scanned the trees around them.
((So what is it that has Shinta so worried? You decide. wink ))
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:49 pm
Emmersed in her own conversation the swordsman's quick gesture made Sasha jump..."Shi..." She fell silent upon hearing the tension in Shinta's voice..stopping she closed her eyes..sensing their surroundings...
She hadn't realized how quiet it had gotten...
...
Now completely still..the only sounds she could hear were the sounds of her and Shinta's hearts...something is in the air..I can smell it...she thought...
~A rustling sound gave way from the trees above them..but it was very sudden~
Opening her eyes Sasha looked up in that direction..nothing..but through the leaves she could see the sky had become gray..small raindrops began to fall on her face...she blinked them away..
..."Rain"..she whispered turning to Shinta...
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:59 pm
Shinta laughed. "To think I could be fooled be a storm. My old master would be very disappointed in me!"
He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. "It must have been the energy from the thunderstorm that alerted me..."
He looked over at Sasha and tried to smile despite his razor blade nerves. "We need to find shelter."
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:25 pm
She had already though of that.."I've got just the thing!..C'mon Shinta-sama follow me!"..she giggled as she grabbed his hand and led him to a a space in the woods where fallen trees had formed a small clearing..
~Sasha loved to get any chance she had to show off her powers to the swordsman whom she had formed a strong attachment to~
...Standing in the rain she pulled off her cloak and flung it across the lowhanging branches of the tree nearest to her...the cloak shimmered with the drops of rain and stretched into a tent comfortable enough for both of them..it repelled the rain which was just what they needed...
Beaming she said.."This was my home away from home before I came across the pagoda!"...and she went inside..
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:32 pm
Shinta smiled at her eagerness. He wasn't one to be impressed by parlor tricks, but Sasha's magic had a certain practicality that he liked.
The hairs on the back of his neck rose again.
"It is a good shelter Sasha-dono, but I worry about the lightning." As if to support his statement, thunder crackled overhead.
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 12:18 am
Hearing the thunder clap, She poked her head out of the tent looking up at the expression of concern on his face, and came out again...
"Take a look for yourself"..she said with a gleam in her eye as she held out the silvery object hanging from her necklace..the talisman spun in her hands, it whirrred and unleashed a small shot of lighning at the tent..as it hit it's target it appeared to bounce right off and get absorbed into the ground..
"See..no worries" she said looking up at him ((OOC: Damn Sasha is short!))...
"Before I left..mom gave me this cloak and told me that it would protect me from anything...no matter what.."
~She smiled sadly as an image of her mothers gentle face, and long black hair came into her mind~
...
.."I think she put a whole bunch of wards on it so that you can be safe as long as you wear it..."
"but if you want to look for a better shelter..I understand Shinta-sama"..she said rubbing her eyes as a small yawn escaped from her mouth...
~~the rain kicked up and the drops were as big as marbles now~~
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 2:55 pm
Shinta jumped back reflexively as the magical lightening hit the tent and bounced off."Forgive me Sasha-dono... I must compliment your mother when we meet."
The floodgates opened above, and Shinta cast a broad smile at his companion before diving inside the tent out of the rain.
Once inside, he moved as far back as he could so she could fit comfortably.
He looked concernedly at her when she yawned again deeply. "I am sorry if I pushed you too hard Sasha-dono. This one should have thought to stop and rest earlier."
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 8:33 pm
...Before he had finished his sentence, Sasha had already crawled into the make-shift tent and plopped down fast-asleep...a smile appeared on her sleeping features...
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 8:48 pm
earlier..." Shinta finished, then smiled at Sasha's crumpled form, already asleep. A lock of hair fell in front of her face and danced in her breath. Carefully, he reached over and and brushed it to one side.
"Good night Little One." He spoke softly, then laid down with his back to her. Holding his sword in both hands, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Overhead the 'pitter patter' of rain continued, with the occasional rumble of distant thunder.
Natsuko's presence surrounded them.
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2005 12:32 am
~The rain continued it's silent song as the two slept peacefully... night began to creep into every crack of the still forest~...~Off in the distance, beyond the darkening wood lay a bay, rocky cliffs and caverns created by the surf were scattered about...in the growing darkness a dim light from a lantern could be spotted within the cabin window of a boat that lay docked at the foot of one of these cliffs...through this window..three figures could be seen..they were all seated around a small wooden table..and all of them were talking over each other excitedly...a fourth figure was situated away from the others in shadowy corner..overseeing the scene~ Quote: "Hahaha..I w-won't owe anyone n-n-nothin after t-this is over!!" the scrawny man sitting on the edge of his stool chattered, his eye twitched violently afer every word that he stuttered... "Heh, aww c'mon Taro, 't ain't no fun without havin' you around to poke fun at..where's your sense of devotion?" hollered a bulky man as he slapped the other on the back...this one looked more like a rock than a man.. "It's in my p-pocket, t-that should be jinglin' w-with gold b-by now Yamaki!" he yelled back at him peeved, and slumped in his chair... Amused now the bigger man slammed his massive fist on the table, "Heh heh this is gonna be our big payoff boys!!..no more petty crime after this!" he let out a hoarse, violent laugh that made his hair, that was tied into a dark braid, shake...there were a few bottles of beer scattered around the place and it seemed that this guy had more than his fill..and was already drunk... "hmhmhm" the third man that had been silently sitting at the table up until now laughed slighly "I suppose the liquor has made you forget one very improtant detail..Yamaki" he pronunced the man's name with contempt as he lightly brushed his neat hair out of his face, this one held an air of superiority over the other two "Hmm..sure the girl..a true Cetran will sell for a nice sum and will be easy to handle..however..we will still have the "Demon Sword" to deal with..bounty or not..he's dangerous..and he isn't worth risking m--i mean our lives for"... The mention of the legendary asassin made Taro choke on his own beer and nearly topple out of his seat "S-s-shhhh d-don't say th-that n-name! It's b-bad luck K-k-kitsukawa-san!" he sputtered as soon as he regained his balance.. "Hahaha!" boomed Yamaki "Aww c'mon Kitsu-chan!..Your scarin' Taro..b'sides..this Demon Sword is still only one man!..He don't stand a chance against all o' us! "Don't call me that you b*****d" growled Kitsukawa "You shouldn't underestimate this man...if you do your body will end up being fed to the dogs after you are slaughtered by him" he smirked darkly as he mused on the idea of Yamaki's death.. Ignoring that comment Yamaki proceeded to have a heated argument with Taro about whether or not he was in-bred ~~~ Quote: ~Finally growing impatient, the fourth figure moved out of the shadows to join the other three... "Silence" he said simply in a gruff voice, and the others did...all attention was on him... His presence loomed over them, his muscular body was marked with various scars, he reminded one of a tank, but what held the most power over the others was the dangerous glare from his right eye, the other was coverd by an eyepatch and an old wound ran across his face, his head was covered by a worn blue bandanna... "You worthless rats aren't getting anywhere arguin' and drinkin' he growled.."Make yourselves useful and make preparations for a quick cast off after we capture our bounty" Taro suddenly sat up on his chair.."B-b-but B-boss!..wh-what are we gonna d-do about"..he paused and glanced around.."Y-you know!" The man studied him for a while and something that sounded like a laugh escaped his mouth.."You mean the Demon Sword..haha all of you don't have a fighting chance against him...but don't worry I have seen to that little problem..." "Heh watch'ya got in mind boss?...haha we can just throw Taro-chan here at em' to distract them.."..he let out a thundering, drunken laugh... Boss just smirked and moved away from the lamp.."Take a look for yourselves"..he paused and crossed his arms.."YOU can come out of your hiding.." he called behind him..as he did..his shadow, the work of the glow from the small lamp began to grow..it shivered and formed three separate shadows..entities that glided across the walls..they slid down to the floor...and finally rose up behind the one that summoned them... The other two were unsure of what was going on but Kitsukawa's eyes widened.."Boss...those are.."..his voice was tinged with fear but didn't tremble as he watched the swirling, dark masses take shape into three hooded figures with three sets of sinister leers.. Boss only grinned even more.."That's right K-kun..they are wraiths..I hired em' for this special assignment.." "But..Boss!...we don't need..I mean..what exactly do they get in return?!" Kitsukawa burst out more passion than usual... "If you're talking about the money K-kun..don't worry..they aren't interested in material things...in fact its a matter of them having something that they want"...Boss said simply The others looked towards him doubtfully..but then agreed upon the idea seeing that the money wasn't an issue...one of the wraiths leaned over and whispered something to Boss...and then melted down into the floor, leaving a chill/eerie presence behind them.. Nodding to himself he said "All right boys..get some rest, we leave at sunup"..with that Boss went out of the cabin leaving the others to absorb what they had just seen... "T-h-is c-can't be good" whispered Taro "Hmph" said Yamaki as he left for his sleeping quarters... Kitsukawa was left alone.."..I wonder.."..he remained there for some time, thinking... ~The light in the cabin window had finally gone out~
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:39 am
All around him the voices called...they called for his blood...for his mind...for his soul...
"No...you cannot have me..." He replied, glaring fiercely into the dark. "I am not that person anymore!"
"You can never change..." The voices whispered mockingly. "Don't try to fool yourself, you know that the killer still lies within you...it is only sleeping..."
"No, now I live to protect!" He cried out. "I swore I would bury the demon forever."
"You never can." the voices taunted. Cruel laughter sounded, and all around him dripping, dripping...
Shinta struggled as shadowy hands gripped his arms and legs, pulling him down into the the sticky red-tainted darkness. The metallic liquid flowed into his nose and mouth, choking him, muffling his scream...
"You can never escape..." The voices hissed.
Shinta's eyes snapped wide open. He found himself standing, sword drawn towards an invisible foe, his body tensed and ready to spring. Outside, the rain had decreased to a steady shower. He took a slow, silent breath to soothe his racing heart, then sheathed the sword as silently as possible. He looked down and sighed in relief.
Sasha lay there, peacefully asleep. He hated to worry her... Thankfully, (as his mind phrased it), he had grown so used to these dreams that he no longer cried out upon waking...
Shinta sat at the edge of the tent and contemplated the woman sleeping near him. Her forgiveness had made the worst of his dreams go away... So why did he dream now?
He felt Natsuko's arms draw around him in support. "It's okay Shinta...Just sleep for now..."
Shinta nodded and lay back down. Natsuko was right. He must learn to let go of the past and move on. Soon he fell asleep to the clicking lullaby of the cicadas.
Natsuko sighed.
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 12:45 am
~Into the last few hours of the night the rain had finally stopped...a light, misty fog settled on the forest~
Chill air seeped into the tent, waking up Sasha from a dreamless sleep, she opened her eyes but remained laying down trying to get her eyes to adjust to the darkness...looking around she saw the silhouette of the sleeping swordsman...she shivered...
It's so cold...but at least it's not raining anymore she thought sitting up slowly, so as not to make too much noise...
...quietly, she got out of the tent and stood resting her hand on it...she heard the sound of rustling leaves coming from somewhere deep within the mist-filled woods...but she couldn't see a thing, it was too dark...
"Hmm lets see..maybe I can make a fire for us" she whispered to herself as she took a few steps away from the tent..
she saw outlines of a few large fallen branches...collecting them into a pile she stood over them holding out the silvery talisman..it gleamed even in this dark..it began to spin like last time and a fiery spark flew out, hitting the branches..
((ooc: btw enchanted fire solves problem of going out on the wet branches 'XP))...
The fire she had made illuminated the clearing, she came closer to warm herself in the glow of the flames, they made her shadow dance on the ground...
"Much better" she giggled to herself...
~While crouching there the girl hadn't noticed that the shadows cast by the flames had begun to have a life of their own, swirling and dancing, closing in on her...~
Sasha felt a chill run down her spine and before she had a chance to react...it was too late...dark whip-like masses had begun to wrap around her arms and legs..."Ahh...n-no!!" she let out a scream as the hold tightened against her frame...what are these things...so cold...someone..help me.. she thought..her eyes widened...fear now coursed through her as she tried to struggle against the downward pull of these things..."L-let go of me!!"..she gasped..it felt as if the life was quickly being drained out of her small body..
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 1:24 am
The scream sounded through the woods. All at once Shinta awoke.
"Sasha-dono!" Heart pounding, he ran outside the tent to find her struggling, wrapped in swirling black.
On reflex, he drew his sword and hacked at one of the vine-like tendrils of shadow, but it only disintegrated for a moment before reappearing.
Fire Shinta! Use Fire! Natsuko yelled in his mind.
Grabbing a burning branch from the fire, he brandished it at the creature, but while the bright flame made it seem to shrink away in pain, it did not release Sasha.
Frantically, he clasped one hand on her arm and tried to pull her loose while continuing to wave the torch around them.
He cried out desperately."Sasha-dono, please hold on!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:10 pm
((OMG creepy shadows of doom O__O!!!...what next!!))
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:38 pm
~The beings shrinked back from the flames slightly loosening their hold on Sasha~
Shinta's touch brought her out of the darkness that was quickly spreading over her consciousness...she tried to struggle harder..."S-shinta-sama!..."she said as she grasped hold of his arm..trying to pull herself out.."nhgg"..she gasped as one of the rope-like things tightened their grip around her neck...
voices seeped in whispering incoherently in her head...they were sinister..unnatural...ssshe's...he...r...sshe's clossse...almosssst...
.."These things"...she thought, they reminded her of a being that her mother had warned her about during her training, she felt that they were trying to break into her thoughts.."g-get..get out of my head!"..she tried blocking them out which only made their grip tighten even more..and pull harder downwards...making her gasp in pain again...
~One of the shadows broke away and swiftly slid across the ground behind the swordsman furiously retalliating by grabbing onto his other arm, attempting to force him to let go of the girl~
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