Chance encounter

When Amaterasu tucked the sun behind the mountains and the full new moon rose, I took leave of heaven; descending the top of Mount Fuji in the late night hours. Luckily, drawing out my power to separate the particles of my body to teleport through the realm layers and down to the mortal realm and collecting them again was much easier than it sounded. Time stopped for a moment, and then it moved backward with the stars and clouds following behind as I broke the barrier between our worlds.

My white Kimono turned a soft gold as my feet met soft grass and hard rock. The path leading from the base of Mount Fuji felt familiar and new all in the same instant. The grass in the mortal realm felt different to me now. The blades were sharper and more harsh than the grass that blanketed Takamagahara's grounds. My body even felt heavier as I took quick steps in the direction of Hiroshima Castle. It took no more than 10 minutes to travel through the dense forestation to reach the high walls with lit red paper lanterns hanging from thin pillars driven into the ground around the property. As I stood on the very edge of the tree line, a light breeze lifting my hair, I took in my former home and how similar it still looked. I was eager to go inside; eager to smell the familiar teakwood incense that were lit all through the long hallways I used to stroll down. And my mothers garden...

my heart ached at the memory I still held of spending my early mornings there before my daily classes, or breakfast with Otosan.

Closing my eyes once more I pulled myself and all the power I held inward and felt myself be carried on the wind and when I opened my eyes again a gasp escaped me as tears filled my eyes. The flowers....

the once bright and cheerful blooms of wisteria, Lilies, roses, and Orchids were now wilted and dying. The grass was a dull green and the ponds that housed the enormous Koi fish were murky. What had happened to Mama's garden?! I had never seen it this way before. It broke my heart, and angered me in the same breath. I slid my slippers off and took a deep breath, looking both ways to make sure I was not seen by the servants or the guards I knew patrolled these halls. I walked around the piles of rock to the stream and slowly stepped in. I felt the smooth stones beneath my feet and I reveled in it for just a moment before crouching low and lowering my hands into the water as well. Taking a deep breath I began the chant of life, and as I did the murky water started to glow, turning the brightest blue I had ever seen. As I chanted faster I glanced around me and my eyes lit up when the drooping stems of the flowers began to stand upright again, and the petals on the flowers grew healthy and bright, and the grass swayed lightly as my power overtook the space and layered it all in this ethereal mist . As I stood, admiring my work, I felt the scales of the Koi fish as they swam happily through my legs; thanking me in their way.

"I have missed you all..." I murmured contentedly.

I exited the pond and took in the scene before me once more before bringing my hands together and bowing low. "Kon'nichiwa Mama."

It was amazing that I still felt close to her here. But it was slightly different now. My cultivation was not that of a mortals anymore and now I could actually FEEL her spirit in this garden. Tears fell in drops as I realized that she never left us. She had always remained here; forever an Empress, and beloved mother. Though I received no response from her, I felt her happiness. That would be enough for me to carry in my soul as I turned and reluctantly took my leave, in search of the Emperor.

I ghosted through the open halls being sure not to be seen by any. There was not much time for me to take in every detail as I knew that I only had a short amount of time to fulfill my goal. Absentmindedly I gripped the hand with the scar from the burns Kusanagi gave me and knew that after I found my father, I would only have a few hours more to find the information Ama sent me here to discover. I came to an abrupt halt as I hesitated to knock at my fathers massive Jade doors leading to his throne room. There were multiple floors and rooms that he could have been occupying but my Chi told me that he was here. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I tried to form words that I would say to him as knowing that they would ultimately be my last. Guilt overtook me but I swallowed it back, and knocked hard.

"Hairu"

my breath caught as he ordered for me to enter the throne room.

My mind reeled as it tried to continuously wrap itself around the vision of the man that turned to face me. The father I'd left was no longer the same.

"Otosan..."

The shock in my voice drew my words out into a whine. Immediately I was no longer Amaterasu's heavenly secret. I was no longer the anticipated earthly deity directly descended from the all powerful goddess. I was Okai's daughter, only daughter and heir to the great Emperor of Japan.

"Watashi no musume....Misaki."

"His once rich dark hair was now a pristine white. The salt flakes in his beard now dominated his jawline. His wrinkles around his eyes that were once small ripples in a pond were now stretched out and much more prominent. My eyes took in the stress of the country and the toll it took upon my dear fathers body.

'This could not have happened in a year! How long? How long had I been gone?! It was only supposed to have been a year, but...'

My mind in its confusion ran back to when Inari and I had last spoke.

"Papa?" I asked fearfully.

"Hai?"

"How-how long has it been?"

Once the question was asked I immediately regretted it; suddenly wanting no answer.

The longing in his eyes was only growing as his jaw tightened.

"Almost ten years."

I stumbled back against the thick pillar beside me. His hand flew out to grab hold of my arm to steady me; but I saw the hesitancy within him. I closed my eyes tight and laid my head back against the cool marble. "No, no it couldn't have been... I was only absent a year.." How could I have missed so much time?! This cannot be right."

'Had Ama known this entire time? If so, why had she never told me?'

I swore silently to myself to ask her once I returned.

My Kunai dug into my back as I leaned against the cool pillar. It was Uncustomary for a woman to carry any type of weapon on the town streets, let alone inside the palace. So i concealed them beneath my robes. I carried many weapons. Just because I had not mastered Kusanagi did not mean that I had not taken a liking to many other choices of weaponry. Opening my eyes I pushed all of my panic and anger to the back of my mind and focused on my now aged father.

"Pa, I am sorry. So very sorry."

His smile was somber and sincere. Tears touched the ducts of his eyes, nodding his acceptance of my apology.

"My daughter, do not feel guilt. I have been well. Although," his smile broadened. "I am saddened by a particular matter."

My back straightened and I stood up in alarm, prepared to fix any problem he may have been having. "What is it Pa?"

Unexpectedly, he opened his arms, his long sleeves draped over his wrists.

"I have not embraced my daughter in over a decade. Come here child."

Our smiles were identical as I needed no other invitation. I practically flew into his arms and fought the urge to allow my legs to give out from under me. As he wrapped me up in the extra fabric of his opalescent Yukata I basked in the fact that although I had missed so much, his smell and his warmth remained the same. In the back of my mind I was aware that time was not on my side; she would expect me back quite soon.

"Misaki-san, there is something that I must tell you."

We made no motion to break apart. I wanted to hold onto him as long as I could. Fear enveloped me after seeing him. I was now afraid to blink for fear that the next time I did so he would be gone from this world.

"Tell me," I murmured into the folds of his layered Kimono. His sigh was deep and unsure. Just as sound left him the guards now at the opposite side of the doors made an announcement.

"Queen Li Mae has arrived!"

The-Queen?

The words of the guards drew me back. Who was Li Mae? When had she become the queen? When had my father remarried? I had even missed this?!

As the doors slid slowly open with the weight I tried to fully separate from him but he would not allow it. Instead, he gripped my hand hard. A woman of frail medium build with auburn thick hair wound into braids crowning the long strands winding down her back. Her Kimono was an elaborate blue that swept long across the floor as golden pins wove their stories within the black clouds of her hair; she was beautiful.

"Otosan!" A small cheerful voice accompanied by a boy, no older than his seventh year came bounding up to father, hugging him just as close as I had.

Otosan...father...no...

My eyes went from the excited child to my father. A sense of sadness overtook me at the easy smile on his face as he held fast to the boy.

Li Mae, the queen, eyes darted between father and I, narrowing along with the line of her sealed lips. He soon remembered the oddity of my sudden presence.

"Your majesty." She bowed customarily. He returned it hastily.

"Wife."

I flinched at the affection in his voice. So many things had changed in my year. Human life had continued on in my absence. The immanent feeling of being left behind infected my entire being. I belonged in the past, not here. Here was a stranger to me.

Never in life had I seen father misplace his words but I currently watched him fight to find the right ones. Of course it could not have been easy. It was easier to explain a soft quiet beauty. I was no longer that. The softness of adolescence had long since left me. Where my cheeks were once round and full were now acute narrowed lines that brought seriousness to my face. My hair was pulled into a tight high ponytail, and my kimono still the deep gold I descended in. My Shurukien wound around my waist and a Kunai blade in the scabbard strapped to my back, invisible to the human eye. But still, I was no longer a proper lady within the eyes of my culture.

"Wife," he took her hand with his free one, pulling her closer. "This is my daughter, Misaki."

Part of my training had been to hold myself above such human matters and emotions. It was a lesson still being learned.

"Your...daughter."

Familiarity struck her as she turned her fresh smile to me. "Ah! You are the beauty sent abroad. I feared I would never obtain the chance to meet you in this lifetime."

Every muscle within my body held anger; anger for missing so much of my life here. Anger at the unshakable feeling of being forgotten.

"Hai," my father answered. "She has come home to visit for a while."

I bowed politely to her and the little bag in front of her. "A pleasure to meet you, your highness."

She shook her hands quickly. "Please! Please! There is no need for formalities. You are first heiress to Japan."

But the formalities WERE a necessity. I did not know this woman or the family I'd stepped into.

"Will you be joining us for tea-"

Her sentence was not given the chance to form an actual question before a gleaming silver star whisked through the air, slicing a stray strand of Li Mae's hair before striking the wall with such force that it remained lodged there. She screamed in a panic, clutching at her son. My shiruken was already out. The length of the chain still wrapped around my frame, the curved blade gripped in my left palm; I focused. My energy drew itself in and rolled into a solid ball within my chest. My hearing became fixated to locate footsteps; there were none.

Weaving my hands together light appeared between them. When bright enough I juggled the mass in one hand before tossing it into the air. It remained there, rolling over and over on itself. It was too dark in here; too many places for an intruder to hide.

"Guar-"

My hand came up to gesture for my father to halt in his command. To alert the guards would put off whoever had mustered up the courage to enter the palace in the first place. This would need to be taken care of as quickly as possible.

The light from the spell I'd cast as a guiding light destroyed any and all darkness within the large room. No one stood anywhere within it but my senses could not have been wrong; something was here. Abruptly, I turned and took steps to the wall, yanking the star quickly from it. It clattered to the floor as the tips of my fingers burned with a sort of black smoke.

'What the hell...'

And then the screaming came from beyond.

(Chi)

'Must kill! Must kill! Must kill!'

My head throbbed and the ground beneath my feet shook; but she was in there. She had to be in there. Even within my chaos I'd still felt the moment she re-entered our world. The feeling had been so sudden I'd thrown up and passed out on the path I could not seem to have wandered from. The memory of her beautiful face smacked me like a ton of bricks. I wasn't even aware that I knew this woman, but the fog of insanity cleared for just a moment when her face appeared in my mind. When I'd woken up our hunger was beyond murderous and impossible to contain. They were screaming so profusely that it turned into a steady ringing within my ear drums. My temples throbbed and my vision was being overtaken by darkness; my personal countdown to murder. The time where innocent people were more perceptive to die. But no matter the cost or the amount of time I would drag myself to catch a glimpse of her.

In the hour of my blackout I could recall nothing. In the hour nothing but my hunger mattered. To my recurring horror I knew that I'd taken more lives. I was full and lazy now. The voices were low and a bit more loose. However, the newest additions to lose their lives to a Muramasa remained louder than the seasoned. Gritting my teeth I contained my beast the moment I heard screaming. My feet moved before they then stopped short. I swore to stay as far away from her as I could.

I should not enter here, but I was not sure why I felt that dread. But I knew this woman; I knew her well. So many memories that barely held a place in my mind anymore. So many memories that I had run from so long ago. Those memories piqued my demons palette. And although I was full at the moment I did not trust myself enough to be within her or her fathers presence. I forced myself back into the tree line. I'd watched her train across the bridge of life and death a few times early on, when I'd first lost her and I knew well that she now knew how to handle herself.

"Misaki-san!" her father roared.

I closed my eyes briefly as I listened to her breathing. It remained controlled but her heart was telling a different story.

"Pa! You must leave!"

I hissed low as my resolve fell away. The familiar strain of chaos wreaked it's havoc upon my mind and in those dark seconds the black smoke accustomed to my sanity consumed all of me. My hand flew out against the smooth inner wall to steady my blurred vision. Her voice rang like bells in my ears along with the clashing of metal.

Blood stained her left cheek and the sleeve of her gold Kimono was torn, exposing slit skin. I recognized her father almost instantly as he gripped a child and woman to him in a corner of the wide throne room. Misaki's Shurukien shot out in a wide arc catching on one of the men decked in black's jaw. There were three of them advancing on her still. My step forward was a difficult one, as releasing whatever power I held ended up waking the condemned and the damned.

"Otosan please! You must move!"

The seasoned hunter took a leap forward, his foot landing a powerful kick to her chest, causing her to stumble back. As a bit of blood spewed from her lips I realized that these killers were not human; to be able to damage her in that way. And whoever sent them had not been human either.

As she fended off the two the third saw an opening that led straight for the king. My perception of the situation told me that she would not make it in time. Pulling any remaining strength I had forward I disappeared.

The Muramasa whispered continuously as soon as I drew it. I felt the familiar bite it issued, turning the blade a deep red. It hung out the front of the assailants ribcage, blood soaking the floor as the queen issued a scream. Before I was able to ask for reassurance that no one was harmed the shurukien screamed its anger past my ear and wound tightly around my neck.

"Touch them and I will slay you where you stand."

Her voice was it's own dagger as I turned around, my fist tight around the chain leading to her hand. "Hime..." I sighed, finally able to say it.

(Misaki)

My hand shook violently but just as quickly as the pain made itself known my body instinctively shifted aside and turned. The assailant seemed to appear out of thin air, advancing on me with a sharp Katana he held tightly in his left hand. I wasn't left much time to deflect his blows because his advances were so quick that if my mind deviated for even a slight moment my life would be over. But even as I used the metal beaded line attached to the hilt of my Shurukien to keep from getting split in two my mind realized that this battle was being used to keep me away from my father.

'what could he possibly want with father?'

They continued to cower in the corner of the great throne room, my father using his body to shield his wife and my new brother. My mind whirled at the sight but I couldn't focus on that now because the assassin landed a blow to my chest that knocked the breath from my lungs. The hit did more damage than i initially depicted as my mouth filled with the taste of bitter copper.

I quickly calculated that all of these men surrounding me were here to kill the Emperor, and I'd just gotten in the way. Sadly for them I was letting them nowhere near him.

In my absent mindedness I was quickly bought back when the edge of one of their blades split the skin at my upper arm. Spinning out of the line of one of the fours blades I gripped my arm where the wound was. The searing pain and heat of blood on my skin helped ground me once again. My eyes quickly located each of the intruders. This fighting was costing me time but I felt my power swelling and building as we continued our assaults on one another. It was in torment, begging for release.

As my tiring muscles wound my weapons chain around my dominant hand black smoke filled the room, if only for the breath of a moment. It gathered almost solidly into that of someone...or something...

It moved in hasty shadows, raining down bone-crunching stealthy moves upon my enemies. If I had not been of the gods I would not have caught this beings movements at all. The assassins barely did so. He laid waste to them as if they were animals. When he finally stilled long enough to obtain solid lines of shoulders and a jaw line that framed against a lean neck. Black thick snaking lines decorated his skin, traveling into the cover of his all Black Yukata and hooded cape.

Those lines...

where had I seen those lines before...

The robes were tattered in places but the fabric still shone in the light of the swaying lanterns and candles.

The four assassins lay in pools of their own black blood, the guards finally moving fully into the room. Whatever he was, took a step toward father. With the flick of my wrist and a hint of my prowess my shurukien shot out and coiled around his neck. His movements stopped, as was customary whenever anyone was caught beneath my blessed weapon. I was taken aback however, when he turned, hand curled around my chain; no worry or fear within any inch of his black-lined, blood stained face.

"Hime."

His tone was one of guttural relief. As if he... As if he knew me...