Writing Judgements: Hikari's tale

[wiccansamurai]

This was for my creative writing class.

[I]Ash flew through the blistering air, settling in the young girl?s hair. She stood there, an emotion just off of apathy showing on her dirty face. Tears ran down her cheeks, smearing cinders across them. A long cut spread across her right fore arm, coming[/I]

I ran across, using my shining silver blade to make a path through the field that thrummed with chaos. Missing all the monster?s beasts, I slayed all the ones that I hated so much. Men screamed as I passed and ended their worthless lives.
Cowardice wasn?t like me, but the signal to retreat had sounded. Many of my comrades must have been wounded and slaughtered. As long as I am going this way, I?ll get rid of the useless wretches. I heard a sobbing, something full of confusion and sorrow. Behind a large piece of rubble a girl, maybe fourteen, lay curled up in a ball of frightened misery. She wore a ragged cotton dress, stained with the fruits of war, crimson and shining.
The dress stuck to her sweating body as she quivered in the warm air. Taking her up in my arms, she stared at me in bewilderment. Putting my arm around her waist,
I started for our fortress that was on the edge of the attacked town. Running with her frail figure in my arm was no problem for me. Finally, I reached the walls of spiked wood. Still carrying the girl, I looked out onto the battlefield to see if any of the other men still alive were out there. Grimly, I shut the gate. I had seen so many blue uniforms stained with crimson. Setting the girl on
the ground, I examined her. Probably a farmer?s daughter from town, though I did not recognize her. Then again, I rarely tangled with the town?s people. Brown hair, near the same color as mine, ran in gritty strings onto her shoulders. Teary eyes were brown and full of mourning. She wore simple clothes and no adornments that the wealthy adored to decorate themselves in. Thin, but not unhealthily so, I can guess that the boys in town spent their afternoons trying to woo her.

?Who?s that?? A gruff voice said from behind me. Turning to face the General, I bowed deeply in respect. He looked scrutinizing at the girl, his face showing no opinion.

?I couldn?t leave a child on the battle field, General Toei, sir.? My voice is hard as I salute him, daring him to say anything. He took the bait, to my disgust.

?She can?t be that much older than you. How old are you, child??

?F-fifteen.? The girl shivered and looked up at the big man through thick eyelashes. He easily towered over her.
?See, Hikari, she?s no younger than you are.? The man laughed through his red beard and patted my back in amusement. Glaring at him, I left to wash up.

Water dripped on my black coat, darkening the fabric. My black coat always set me apart from the rest of my companions, because I refused to wear the cobalt uniforms issued by Toei. I covered my face in soap and washed away the blood that I had spilled all day. Me, a child! The idea makes me laugh. I have more
blood on my hands than an executioner. I rinsed out my dark auburn hair and relaxed.

Sitting on my bunk, I looked at a star shaped birthmark on my right wrist. It was the color of oak and the size of a grape. The mark had run in my family. A scar raced down my arm, touching one of the points. I sat back, my eyes drooped.
So tired? I have to take a nap.

?Come on, Mommy! Kali said she?d be on top off the hill waiting!? The young girl ran through the meadow. A woman, laugh lines framing her face and eyes crinkled in joy, followed. Suddenly the woman stopped. The child turned to chide
her mother when she saw the smoke. ?Mommy, what?s that?? An arrow flew through the warm air and there was no answer. The young girl screamed.

I woke from the nightmare I relive every night sweating. The crew was having dinner together, so I headed to the mess hall. Sitting in my usual seat, I noticed a chair for the girl had been set across the table. She sat there dazed, staring down at her food as if it wasn?t there. Men ate quietly in respect. Seats remained empty after the battle. Toei walk through the door.

?Men, as you all know, we lost eight men today. Can we have a moment of silence for them?? Men bowed their heads and battled tears. The only one that would not be looked down upon if I should shed a tear, I had still never done so for years. The death of comrades was part of my job. I never got close to any of them. ?The good news is we left more of their dead on the field. Child, we?ll return you to what?s left of the town once the Asha clan clears out. Until then, you?re welcome to share in what we here have to give. Hikari, would you share a room with her
tonight?? I nodded and the girl smiled at me bleakly. Then she looked towards Toei nervously.

?But when Asha leaves, I?ll have no one to return to. They are the only family I have.? At her words, my heart ran cold and my veins flowed with fire and ice, jumbled together to make my mind stop all thoughts. A low growl came from my throat and I jumped up and drew out my sword. Pointing it at her frightened face, I
sneered.

?I will not break bread with a murderer! You have no right to be here! You are with the dirty rats that ruined my life!? I made for her throat with my blade; killing is an act I carried out with no thought. There was no home for me because of them! No parents! No life!

Thick arms held me down to the wood floor, tearing my sword out of my sweating palms. The men carried me to my bunk and left me there.

The girl stood with her hands wringing behind here back. Toei looked to her apologetically. ?We, in no way, blame you for being part of the Asha Clan. As was stated before, you are but a child. Hikari means no harm, in her own way. She has her reasons.?

?How am I but a child while you never refer to her as the same. We are both fifteen.?

?When Hikari was only five, the last time she was truly a child, her village was attacked by your clan. They left only her as a survivor. This village had no contact with the outside world, miles away from any other town. It was a year before we
were traveling through the parts and found the savage woman of six. She had lived thirteen months from what she had and what she could forage. Hate, mourning, and solitude had driven her crazy, and in time left her almost inhuman. Taking her
in, she relearned how to act. Try as we might, we could never keep her out of the battles, especially with raiders like Asha.? Toei poured himself a drink. ?Killing become an instinct, and now I?m beginning to wonder if she?s returning to how she
had been when we found her. Now, what?s your name, child??

?Kali. And I have no one, no family. Only the Asha clan to call my own. I?ve always been alone. They were the ones to take me in when I was young and an orphan. Today was my first day helping on the field.?



I woke with a start as horns sounded. Getting dressed quickly, I prepared for the oncoming battle. Men grumbled about the early morning as my spirit rose and I grabbed my sword. First out the gate, I looked at the field. Normally I?d consider it a town. Now, most of the buildings had been burned down and the inhabitants that were still alive sat waiting in an underground tunnel in fear. The cobblestone road was cover in the dead and rubble and Asha warriors. The wind blew my cloack around, the cold air made my shoulder guards freezing cold. Letting out a war cry, I released all of my emotions and let the battle engulf me. Asha men came at me with swords, axes, and spears. Defeating them all before I even broke a sweat gave me confidence. The battle went on. The reasons for the fighting were forgotten as men fell to the ground in pain. A man wearing nothing but a pair of breeches wounded my bare arm and blood seeped out the slash, reminding me of the wound I was given as a child on the opposite arm.

Adrenaline covered up the ache in the injured area. Finally the battle wore down, us, yet again, leaving in victory.

A horse galloped across the field, its rider hooded and wearing only one thing atop it?s clothing: an Asha seal. Going faster and faster to the raider?s camp, the Asha was approaching me.

Having no mercy for the piece of scum, as the rider
passed, I cut her down. The girl the men had tried to keep me from killing last night lay on the ground, bloodied. Looking at her with no emotion, Toei came behind me. Eyebrows knitted together he looked at me, his eyes filled with disappointment. Killing a child. But she is an Asha! She deserved what she got, all
Asha are murdering dogs.

?I guess you killed Kali in the end.?

?Kali?!? I snapped wildly, turning to him. ?What do you mean? Are you telling me this Asha girl was named Kali! How? no? it?s not?? This can?t be the same girl! I knelt down beside the limp body and lifted up the right arm.

Horrified, I stared at the birthmark. It was the same size and shape as mine. Turning from her, held my sword in my hands. I realized what killing had done to me, what a monster I had become. Was it really worth it to get revenge? I killed the last member of my family, my own twin. I?m done killing. I can?t do it anymore. Facing myself another day, the face of a murderer in the mirror, was over with.

Tell me what you think!

[Guest LokiofAsgard]

Wow, Wic , that was great. You have really deep thought. Put it to good use for me will ya! Maybe you can impress that person that you want to impress ^_~

[wiccansamurai]

This one is another thing for my class. (BTW, I just like the name Maki and any last name that sounds like Haguya or higuya)

Man, life sucks, I thought as I kicked some pebbles out of my path. I stuck a rogue strand of hair behind my ear. My wavy black locks had been smooth this morning. Now the wind whipped it across flawless face. Nothing is going right. This world is a mess, and I just want out. This isn?t where I?m supposed to be, of that I?m certain.
As I walked through the abandoned, run down street on my way home from school, I adjusted my book bag strap. I was walking alongside an old building, a grocery store that had been closed for ages. The owners had moved to the other side of Japan, and it had never been bought. Now the paint was chipping and a large yellow neon sign, its message lost forever, had crashed and shattered onto the parking lot. It was shattered just like my life, into a million sharp, painful pieces.
Stumbling with brass buttons, I took off my school uniform blazer, throwing the stiff, dark blue jacket into my backpack. My foot hit some piece of large junk on the ground, causing me to falter. Swearing, I looked to see what had tripped me.
Light that had somehow missed the cherry blossom?s branches hit the object, making it glitter and shine in the sunlight. Leaning over with a grace that I had mastered, balancing my bag and managing to keep my skirt from flying up, I picked up the object. It was a cube, no longer than the length of my thumb, but like my exotic eyes, it was a shade of deep lilac, shimmering in a peaceful way. Each of the six, smooth sides held a different rune, their meanings, their words unknown to me. The symbols looked as if they were held inside the cube, coming up as blue shapes. I resumed to walk, but in a sluggish pace so I could examine the cube more. I was so engrossed in my treasure, I didn?t even realize it when they surrounded me.
Hearing a sharp crack of a branch snapping somewhere behind me, I jumped into the air in surprise and fear. Twirling to see what was going on behind me, my heart sunk. Maybe this wasn?t settled. I guess I had been wrong about being able to walk home from that place in peace.
More of them appeared ahead of me and I found myself surrounded in them. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Looking for a way out, a route that would take me away from here, I found myself empty handed and hopeless. Yasuyuki?s friends, acting in his track-induced absence, backed me swiftly into the white washed brick wall. Tatsuya, second in charge of the group of hot shot seniors who had decided they ran the small town, stepped up to the sidewalk in front of where I was standing. His choppy brown hair that girls moaned about in the ladies bathroom ran into his face effortlessly. Like me, he and the rest of them were all clad in their dark blue school uniform. Towering above my short figure, only Yasuyuki had ever been taller than him. The green eyes, which resembled deadly, stinging acid to me, had romanced many naïve girls, most of them younger than him by a few years. Despite his popularity with many girls, Tatsuya was always second in line. He has never outdone Yasuyuki, and Yasuyuki had never, ever been told no by a girl, not under any circumstances would a high school girl give up the chance to be with him. His azure eyes, bright and clear, dark hair the color of rich wood, and highly defined muscular body had been pluses to all of his past ?relationships? and none of them had seen past his good looks to see what a monster he had become. So of course, no one had ever said no to Yasuyuki. Until he asked me to go with him. That?s when all of this mess had started to unfold.
After I had refused his halfhearted request, he got angry, like a bull being teased by a young child. Threatening me with everything he could think of and beating me until I was bloody everyday, I slowly got worn down. Not being able to take it anymore, I gave in to what he had wanted, feeling like I had sold my soul to the devil himself.
Yasuyuki had paraded me like a trophy, just like any of his others, and I continued to war with my emotions. There wouldn?t be much longer until he got tired and dumped me. The challenge, though, of getting me had been to much for him to waste. He held on to me, never dropped, but never once showed he cared for me. Finally, yesterday, I couldn?t go through it one more day. I faced him, stared him straight in the eye and bravely told him it was over. I thought that was the end of it, he had dropped it and I wouldn?t have anything to worry about. On the other hand, this didn?t look like he had dropped anything, except his own heart.
?Maki Haguya,? Tatsuya said, crossing his arms. ?How glad we are to see you.? Kouta, a short stocky red head with a temper the size and ferocity of a hurricane, pushed me roughly against the coarse wall at my back. I stared up at the boys thoughtfully. How can they do this, live like this? In Yauyuki?s shadow, they were practically nothing, tasteless sidekicks with no color or meaning to them. Living like that, in constant inferiority, would drive me crazy. How can they follow his every command as if he was their savior, yet getting nothing but second hand dates and a false popularity? Besides Yasuyuki and Tatsuya, no one had anything good to say about the group.
I eyed Tatsuya stubbornly. ?Get over it, I dumped him! He wouldn?t have even cared about what happened if I had told him yes the first time, because for him, it?s always use and move on, right? I?ve been used, just move on!? Tatsuya?s eyes filled with hate and spite, making me recoil. ?I?m just not as mysterious as you guys think I am!
The only words to describe his ghastly smile were wily malice and cunning cruelty, and that reminded me of Yasuyuki. I have to change the target of my attack, I realized. ?And I wouldn?t have seemed so mysterious if you guys hadn?t changed! Yasuyuki, you, and me? We used to be tight, have childhood memories and all that crap together, what happened to you? It?s been a long time, but still?? There was no change in his expression, no show of emotion at all! All those adventures we?d had together, and none of that touched him at all? His heart must have died when he lost the laughter he once had. Nothing had ever come up on Yasuyuki?s face when I mentioned anything that we had gone through, either. Nothing mattered to them anymore now that they were teens except for picking up girls and popularity. That behavior, that way of thinking, it disgusts me. How empty-headed can they become?
He leaned in, his hand propped on the section of brick next to my face. Bending close to me, close enough for him to my baited breath and for me to feel his against my clammy cheek. Lips curling, he whispered dramatically. ?You, of all people, Maki, should know what happens when you make us mad.? He ran his hand through my hair, stopped and pulled back. Gritting my teeth and clenching my hands, I prepared myself like a condemned man waiting for the executioner?s blade.
Something was pressed into my palm. Realizing I still held the violet cube, I calmed. All of my senses faded and I felt peace. Getting closer to where I was supposed to be, I knew. My head was still being held back, but I was unaware of my body and the world connected to it. All I could feel was calm and peace.
A smooth breeze ran across my relaxed face. A field of sapphire grass and crystal flowers stood before me, the sky looming ahead was violet, with rose clouds hanging in the air like cotton candy. Unruffled, I stood in the blue plains. I am relaxed. I am calm. This is where I am supposed to be, where I was supposed to be all those years.
Out of the blue, I felt a lurch in my chest then a sharp pain in my head. An excruciating pounding in my stomach followed all of that. My head and stomach complaints were due to Tatsuya and the gang. He punched me in the stomach again and I doubled over, out of breath and with tears running down my face. Why can?t I go back? That was the first time I felt like I belonged.
?There?s no way out this time.? Tatsuya said into my ear. I knew he was right. I can?t give up because there?s no farther down I can go from here. Hiroma, the blonde star of the baseball team, held my right arm. Kouta went for my other.
Expecting all of my courage to leave me, for my body to give up like it has down like it had done before, I received a surprise. Fire went through my veins. Glaring at them, I said something to the gang in a language that not even I really knew, a language that came from my soul. Somehow I knew what I had said was what was written on the cube. It came alive in my hand, changing substance, changing shape. Before Kouta had a chance to wrap his hand around my arm, I held out my palm to let the cube grow.
As I watched it change, my face remained blank, I was calm. The guys? eyes widened in horror and uncertainty. Finally, the cube, which was no longer a cube, stopped. The long staff was taller than I was and it looked like it was made out of amethyst. On one end there was a silver glaive fastened on that looked like an over grown can opener; it gleamed in the afternoon light. To the other side, there was a gold, old-fashioned skeleton key. Kouta was the first to run. Tatsuya looked once at my face, then the blade, his mouth dropped, then backed away from me. He twirled, falling over his own feet and stumbled away, the remains of his followers behind him. Their figures disappeared into the distance and I felt both free and possessed.
Not really understanding what I was doing, I turned towards the wall. Running my finger along the old white bricks, I walked along the side of the decrepit building. There was a missing brick and somehow I knew. It was like there was energy emanating from the hole. The energy warmed my fingertips and tickled my nose. Maybe, just maybe?.
Then I lifted the gold key and I pushed it into the hole. The key wouldn?t go in, so I pushed harder. There was a click, and the sweet aroma of blooming flowers hit my senses. Knowing filled me. I?m close to getting home. Slowly, I turned and a song rose to my lips. Letting it out, I heard a soft winding chant, sweet in the still, stagnant air. The song seemed to fit with the portal that had opened on the wall. Climbing into the world of blue grass, my heart sung with my voice. I was going somewhere I really belonged. This is my home.

I never once looked back.