Read spoiler first 0_0
“Sayuri-sama!”
They stood silently across from each other; each poised in a graceful battle stance, bearing their wooden staffs at the ready. Samurai.
Both were clad and masked identically in black; but one was more taller and muscular than the other. A gentle breeze pressed upon both their figures, but failed to break the extreme awareness each warrior had of the other. Samurai.
“Sayuri-sama!!”
Suddenly, both warriors broke into a silent run, raising their wooden staffs to strike. The gap between them was beginning to close; they were inching closer and closer…
…who will win?
“SAYURI-SAMA!!”
“Argh!”
Abruptly the shorter warrior stopped. Noticing the opening, the taller warrior struck the staff of his opponent, effectively knocking it out of the shorter warrior’s hands. The duel was over.
The shorter one pulled of their mask to reveal the head of an annoyed looking young woman. Her face was pale, and her small eyes were darker than night. Her hair, which was extremely short and an inky black, was ruffled by both the mask and the gentle breeze that now kissed it.
“Haiiro! What do you want?! You made me lose!!” Sayuri yelled, looking around for the source that was calling her.
As soon as she had taken off her mask, Sayuri became abruptly aware of the world around her again. It was a shocking feeling. It was a similar feeling to one dunking their head in cold water and becoming more wide awake, or one getting slapped in the face. She was back. Gone was the intensity of the duel, which was replaced by the huge, rectangular, stone courtyard in which she stood. The courtyard was surrounded on three of its sides by trees, and on its fourth side by a graceful landing which led into the palace. She sighed. She was back at the palace.
She looked towards the palace end of the courtyard, where a grand staircase led to the graceful landing. Behind this landing were the great, beckoning gates that were opened and led into the palace. She squinted at the landing, noticing the small, old figure of the servant Haiiro.
“Forgive me, Sayuri-sama. My Lord has summoned you to the Great Hall at once.”
“Father?” Sayuri replied, startled. “He couldn’t use his Communicator?”
Haiiro shook her head.
“He requests your presence at once, Sayuri-sama.”
“Alright, tell him I’m coming.” She sighed. “And it’s ‘Saya’! How many times do I have to tell you?!”
“Sayuri is such a beautiful name granted by the Great Lady of my Lord. It’s hard not to use, Hime-sama.” She bowed her head. “I will inform my Lord at once.” She strode through the gates and back into the palace.
The taller warrior pulled off his own mask to reveal the pale face of a handsome young man in his late twenties. He had short, jet black hair, and small, black eyes identical to Saya’s.
“I win.” He grinned.
Saya shook her head. “Unfair. I was distracted.”
“And in a more realistic situation, there are a ton distractions. Trust me, I would know.”
“Keh!” Saya scoffed. “Nii-san, of all the rounds we played, I won the most. So, I win.”
He shrugged. “Only because I let you.”
The siblings began to walk side by side towards the grand staircase, masks and staffs in hand.
“I wonder what Father wants,” Saya mused, looking up at the clear sky. “Any ideas, Shiro?”
“Well, he’s in the Great Hall. And he didn’t use his Communicator. So that must mean it’s a formal event. Be on your best behaviour, there will be people watching.”
“What a waste, sending someone over. He could’ve just called! I hate the formality.” Saya sighed.
Shiro glanced at her.
“Y’know, Haiiro’s got a point. I should start using ‘Sayuri’ again. You’re nineteen now.”
“And what does being nineteen have to do with my name?”
“Well, your overage now. An adult. Father’s going to start giving you more responsibilities. Like sitting in meetings, making important decisions, he might even give you your own region to rule, like how he gave nii-san the Wind region.”
“So? Why does that mean I should be called ‘Sayuri’?
Shiro rolled his eyes.
“It’s formal, stupid. It’s your title. The one you would use when you rule.”
“What’s the point? I’ll never get the mantle of authority anyway. There’s nii -san, then onee-san, and then you. Even your children come before me in the line of succession according to the rules, - if they’re old enough. I’ll never be a ruler. I don’t like the idea of leading, and I wasn’t born to be a leader.”
Shiro shrugged.
“We don’t know what the future holds. So you should be prepared to rule, if the time were to suddenly come.”
They climbed the staircase and reached the palace gates, where two guards stood as stiff and silent as statues. A bin of wooden staffs was placed next to the gates.
They dropped their staffs in the bin and were about to pass through entrance into the palace, but then Saya stopped once more and turned to her brother.
“I’d rather be samurai. Or shinobi.” She declared, crossing her arms.
He looked at her appraisingly.
“The samurai methods and shinobi techniques are useful in actual combat. But, there are instances where using a gun or a laser is much easier. Anyway, I don’t think father will allow his precious young daughter to collaborate with the military.”
“Even if he did, ninjutsu would be forbidden” She sighed.
“Of course it would,” he countered. “Everyone thinks the Uzuki family are descendants of samurai. We can’t let anyone think otherwise. Actually, the entire public assumes that no one practices ninjutsu anymore; to them, it’s something in a textbook. There aren’t anymore shinobi in the world except in – “
“The Lightning Country, the last place for us to conquer.”
Both siblings turned around at the sound of the new voice; there, a few steps ahead and within the palace stood a tall, beautiful, pale faced young woman also in her late twenties. She was dressed in a pink silk robe adorned with a flowery design. Long, straight black hair hung sleekly from her head, reaching her lower back. She looked like a doll, compared to Saya’s plain appearance.
“Interesting conversation you’re having, children.” The woman teased. She wore light make up and earrings, as well as ornaments in her hair. With her high cheekbones and the aristocratic style she dressed in, she contrasted much with the Saya and Shiro.
“Ah! Obaasan!” Saya exclaimed, running past the palace entrance to hug her.
“Ouch, you’re squeezing me – I’m not an old lady – “
Saya retracted her hug.
“Do you really think we need to conquer the Country of Lightning as well, onee-san?”
“They’re a threat. They’ve got shinobi, and highly advanced technology. Technology that could meet ours. I don’t want to hurt anybody, but they’re not exactly our friends.”
“But if we just left them alone, - “Shiro began
“I think in a way both of you are right, nii-san, onee-san. I would rather leave them alone in peace, but at the same time, I must be weary.” Saya stated. Then she shook her head.
“Back to ninjutsu. I would be allowed to use it, if I were in an emergency, right?”
“Yeah, of course,” Shiro replied. “That’s why you’ve been trained. But Saya, seriously, refrain from doing it as much as possible. I don’t think you understand how dangerous it would be for the public to know who we really are.”
“Best not to discuss this,” Setsuke looked around wearily.
“It’s safe here.” Shiro replied. “Where you off to anyway?”
Setsuka cracked a grin.
“To train! See ya!” She stepped outside into the courtyard, passing her siblings.
“Oi!” Shiro called after her. “Getting married in a month, and your off to train?!”
Setsuka was beginning to make her way down the staircase, and to the middle of the courtyard. She raised her arm, and without looking back, yelled “Yeah!”
He chuckled, and then shook his head. “Typical Setsuka. She’s going to miss that courtyard.”
The two siblings entered the palace hallway, where the ceiling was as high as the sky, and where orb-like lamps that hung on the walls resembling miniature suns lit their way. This was the guest hall, and each door was guarded by a solider. They reached its end, where there was a staircase that went both up and down.
Shiro motioned upwards. “I’m going up. Have fun with father.”
“Wait, you mean you’re not coming with – “
All of a sudden the great palace began to shake. There was a huge thundering sound, as though the earth was rumbling in anger. Saya fell to her knees from the shock. Screams filled the air. Few lamps within the hallway fell and shattered into pieces, allowing darkness to swallow what little light was left. Thick smoke was emanating from down the stairs, covering any possible view of the lower floor.
Saya was suddenly pushed and shoved as a crowd of servants began to push their way upwards, away from what seemed to be the source of trouble. The smoke was making her cough.
“Attack! There’s been an attack! Intruders are in the palace!”
Multiple guards were shouting. But the smoke was thick, and the lights were out; Saya couldn’t see them. She couldn't see anything. The sound of gunshots began to mingle with the screams. An alarm siren began to sound.
Someone was pulling her up by the arm.
“Go get Setsuka!” Shiro yelled, pushing her in the direction of the courtyard. “Both of you leave the palace. Stick together. Use your Communicator if something’s wrong!” Then his shadow disappeared into the smoke as he slipped down the stairs.
Saya began to run through the hall and back towards the courtyard. Bodies of the guards she had passed earlier with Shiro were on the ground. She didn’t stop to check on them, but felt nauseous.
She entered the courtyard. The skies were covered with dark clouds, as though to warn her away. The wind was howling. She looked around for the guards that were by the gates. Both were on the ground. She couldn't see any blood, but she knew they were dead because they were silent. No, its because they're lifeless. Her body became cold with horror. She forced herself to move forward.
“Setsuka! Setsuka!!” Saya called.
She saw the pink form her sister lying on the ground face down in the courtyard, her long black hair strewn about. She sped down the staircase.
She probably fell from the quake, Saya thought desperately.
She reached her sister.
“Setsuka come! Are you OK? Did you hear the noise? We need to get out!”
There was no response.
Saya reached for her sister’s hand and pulled. Her sister was much too heavy. Saya’s bones chilled with fright. Her heart began to beat faster. Something was wrong.
Did she black out? Saya was panicking. She frantically pushed her sister’s shoulder, in more effort to wake her up.
“Come on!”
There was no response.
Saya lifted and peered into her sister’s face. She gasped, her eyes widening in complete horror. She let go of her sister in fright and let out a short scream.
Setsuka’s eyes were wide open, but the mark of a bullet was buried in her forehead, leaving a trail of blood seeping down across the delicate face of the doll princess.
I think I wrote horribly this chapter. If there are any mistakes, tell me. I'm SICK of editing, over and over.
Gomenesai. I'm sorry. I'm a bad author. My updates are infrequent, and my plot moves ever so slowly. *bows head*
We don't get to see the protagonist here. At least, the one I showed so far. Sorry. Perhaps you'll see him in the end of next chapter, after I rewrite and edit it.
This chapter lacks..well, its written a bit differently than ch.1, and the prologue. There's a lot more dialogue, and I'm explaining the story more. By the way, its set in the future, but I wanted the palace to have a more traditional/old style within. I hope this doesn't cause confusion.
Obaasan = old woman
Btw, when you read the word 'collaborate', just wondering, was that the right word o.o ?
Oh, and I promise not to write such a long chapter again.
We don't get to see the protagonist here. At least, the one I showed so far. Sorry. Perhaps you'll see him in the end of next chapter, after I rewrite and edit it.
This chapter lacks..well, its written a bit differently than ch.1, and the prologue. There's a lot more dialogue, and I'm explaining the story more. By the way, its set in the future, but I wanted the palace to have a more traditional/old style within. I hope this doesn't cause confusion.
Obaasan = old woman
Btw, when you read the word 'collaborate', just wondering, was that the right word o.o ?
Oh, and I promise not to write such a long chapter again.
You must be registered for see links
-------------------------------------------------------------
Intrusion
Intrusion
“Sayuri-sama!”
They stood silently across from each other; each poised in a graceful battle stance, bearing their wooden staffs at the ready. Samurai.
Both were clad and masked identically in black; but one was more taller and muscular than the other. A gentle breeze pressed upon both their figures, but failed to break the extreme awareness each warrior had of the other. Samurai.
“Sayuri-sama!!”
Suddenly, both warriors broke into a silent run, raising their wooden staffs to strike. The gap between them was beginning to close; they were inching closer and closer…
…who will win?
“SAYURI-SAMA!!”
“Argh!”
Abruptly the shorter warrior stopped. Noticing the opening, the taller warrior struck the staff of his opponent, effectively knocking it out of the shorter warrior’s hands. The duel was over.
The shorter one pulled of their mask to reveal the head of an annoyed looking young woman. Her face was pale, and her small eyes were darker than night. Her hair, which was extremely short and an inky black, was ruffled by both the mask and the gentle breeze that now kissed it.
“Haiiro! What do you want?! You made me lose!!” Sayuri yelled, looking around for the source that was calling her.
As soon as she had taken off her mask, Sayuri became abruptly aware of the world around her again. It was a shocking feeling. It was a similar feeling to one dunking their head in cold water and becoming more wide awake, or one getting slapped in the face. She was back. Gone was the intensity of the duel, which was replaced by the huge, rectangular, stone courtyard in which she stood. The courtyard was surrounded on three of its sides by trees, and on its fourth side by a graceful landing which led into the palace. She sighed. She was back at the palace.
She looked towards the palace end of the courtyard, where a grand staircase led to the graceful landing. Behind this landing were the great, beckoning gates that were opened and led into the palace. She squinted at the landing, noticing the small, old figure of the servant Haiiro.
“Forgive me, Sayuri-sama. My Lord has summoned you to the Great Hall at once.”
“Father?” Sayuri replied, startled. “He couldn’t use his Communicator?”
Haiiro shook her head.
“He requests your presence at once, Sayuri-sama.”
“Alright, tell him I’m coming.” She sighed. “And it’s ‘Saya’! How many times do I have to tell you?!”
“Sayuri is such a beautiful name granted by the Great Lady of my Lord. It’s hard not to use, Hime-sama.” She bowed her head. “I will inform my Lord at once.” She strode through the gates and back into the palace.
The taller warrior pulled off his own mask to reveal the pale face of a handsome young man in his late twenties. He had short, jet black hair, and small, black eyes identical to Saya’s.
“I win.” He grinned.
Saya shook her head. “Unfair. I was distracted.”
“And in a more realistic situation, there are a ton distractions. Trust me, I would know.”
“Keh!” Saya scoffed. “Nii-san, of all the rounds we played, I won the most. So, I win.”
He shrugged. “Only because I let you.”
The siblings began to walk side by side towards the grand staircase, masks and staffs in hand.
“I wonder what Father wants,” Saya mused, looking up at the clear sky. “Any ideas, Shiro?”
“Well, he’s in the Great Hall. And he didn’t use his Communicator. So that must mean it’s a formal event. Be on your best behaviour, there will be people watching.”
“What a waste, sending someone over. He could’ve just called! I hate the formality.” Saya sighed.
Shiro glanced at her.
“Y’know, Haiiro’s got a point. I should start using ‘Sayuri’ again. You’re nineteen now.”
“And what does being nineteen have to do with my name?”
“Well, your overage now. An adult. Father’s going to start giving you more responsibilities. Like sitting in meetings, making important decisions, he might even give you your own region to rule, like how he gave nii-san the Wind region.”
“So? Why does that mean I should be called ‘Sayuri’?
Shiro rolled his eyes.
“It’s formal, stupid. It’s your title. The one you would use when you rule.”
“What’s the point? I’ll never get the mantle of authority anyway. There’s nii -san, then onee-san, and then you. Even your children come before me in the line of succession according to the rules, - if they’re old enough. I’ll never be a ruler. I don’t like the idea of leading, and I wasn’t born to be a leader.”
Shiro shrugged.
“We don’t know what the future holds. So you should be prepared to rule, if the time were to suddenly come.”
They climbed the staircase and reached the palace gates, where two guards stood as stiff and silent as statues. A bin of wooden staffs was placed next to the gates.
They dropped their staffs in the bin and were about to pass through entrance into the palace, but then Saya stopped once more and turned to her brother.
“I’d rather be samurai. Or shinobi.” She declared, crossing her arms.
He looked at her appraisingly.
“The samurai methods and shinobi techniques are useful in actual combat. But, there are instances where using a gun or a laser is much easier. Anyway, I don’t think father will allow his precious young daughter to collaborate with the military.”
“Even if he did, ninjutsu would be forbidden” She sighed.
“Of course it would,” he countered. “Everyone thinks the Uzuki family are descendants of samurai. We can’t let anyone think otherwise. Actually, the entire public assumes that no one practices ninjutsu anymore; to them, it’s something in a textbook. There aren’t anymore shinobi in the world except in – “
“The Lightning Country, the last place for us to conquer.”
Both siblings turned around at the sound of the new voice; there, a few steps ahead and within the palace stood a tall, beautiful, pale faced young woman also in her late twenties. She was dressed in a pink silk robe adorned with a flowery design. Long, straight black hair hung sleekly from her head, reaching her lower back. She looked like a doll, compared to Saya’s plain appearance.
“Interesting conversation you’re having, children.” The woman teased. She wore light make up and earrings, as well as ornaments in her hair. With her high cheekbones and the aristocratic style she dressed in, she contrasted much with the Saya and Shiro.
“Ah! Obaasan!” Saya exclaimed, running past the palace entrance to hug her.
“Ouch, you’re squeezing me – I’m not an old lady – “
Saya retracted her hug.
“Do you really think we need to conquer the Country of Lightning as well, onee-san?”
“They’re a threat. They’ve got shinobi, and highly advanced technology. Technology that could meet ours. I don’t want to hurt anybody, but they’re not exactly our friends.”
“But if we just left them alone, - “Shiro began
“I think in a way both of you are right, nii-san, onee-san. I would rather leave them alone in peace, but at the same time, I must be weary.” Saya stated. Then she shook her head.
“Back to ninjutsu. I would be allowed to use it, if I were in an emergency, right?”
“Yeah, of course,” Shiro replied. “That’s why you’ve been trained. But Saya, seriously, refrain from doing it as much as possible. I don’t think you understand how dangerous it would be for the public to know who we really are.”
“Best not to discuss this,” Setsuke looked around wearily.
“It’s safe here.” Shiro replied. “Where you off to anyway?”
Setsuka cracked a grin.
“To train! See ya!” She stepped outside into the courtyard, passing her siblings.
“Oi!” Shiro called after her. “Getting married in a month, and your off to train?!”
Setsuka was beginning to make her way down the staircase, and to the middle of the courtyard. She raised her arm, and without looking back, yelled “Yeah!”
He chuckled, and then shook his head. “Typical Setsuka. She’s going to miss that courtyard.”
The two siblings entered the palace hallway, where the ceiling was as high as the sky, and where orb-like lamps that hung on the walls resembling miniature suns lit their way. This was the guest hall, and each door was guarded by a solider. They reached its end, where there was a staircase that went both up and down.
Shiro motioned upwards. “I’m going up. Have fun with father.”
“Wait, you mean you’re not coming with – “
All of a sudden the great palace began to shake. There was a huge thundering sound, as though the earth was rumbling in anger. Saya fell to her knees from the shock. Screams filled the air. Few lamps within the hallway fell and shattered into pieces, allowing darkness to swallow what little light was left. Thick smoke was emanating from down the stairs, covering any possible view of the lower floor.
Saya was suddenly pushed and shoved as a crowd of servants began to push their way upwards, away from what seemed to be the source of trouble. The smoke was making her cough.
“Attack! There’s been an attack! Intruders are in the palace!”
Multiple guards were shouting. But the smoke was thick, and the lights were out; Saya couldn’t see them. She couldn't see anything. The sound of gunshots began to mingle with the screams. An alarm siren began to sound.
Someone was pulling her up by the arm.
“Go get Setsuka!” Shiro yelled, pushing her in the direction of the courtyard. “Both of you leave the palace. Stick together. Use your Communicator if something’s wrong!” Then his shadow disappeared into the smoke as he slipped down the stairs.
Saya began to run through the hall and back towards the courtyard. Bodies of the guards she had passed earlier with Shiro were on the ground. She didn’t stop to check on them, but felt nauseous.
She entered the courtyard. The skies were covered with dark clouds, as though to warn her away. The wind was howling. She looked around for the guards that were by the gates. Both were on the ground. She couldn't see any blood, but she knew they were dead because they were silent. No, its because they're lifeless. Her body became cold with horror. She forced herself to move forward.
“Setsuka! Setsuka!!” Saya called.
She saw the pink form her sister lying on the ground face down in the courtyard, her long black hair strewn about. She sped down the staircase.
She probably fell from the quake, Saya thought desperately.
She reached her sister.
“Setsuka come! Are you OK? Did you hear the noise? We need to get out!”
There was no response.
Saya reached for her sister’s hand and pulled. Her sister was much too heavy. Saya’s bones chilled with fright. Her heart began to beat faster. Something was wrong.
Did she black out? Saya was panicking. She frantically pushed her sister’s shoulder, in more effort to wake her up.
“Come on!”
There was no response.
Saya lifted and peered into her sister’s face. She gasped, her eyes widening in complete horror. She let go of her sister in fright and let out a short scream.
Setsuka’s eyes were wide open, but the mark of a bullet was buried in her forehead, leaving a trail of blood seeping down across the delicate face of the doll princess.
-------------------------------------------------------------
I think I wrote horribly this chapter. If there are any mistakes, tell me. I'm SICK of editing, over and over.
Last edited:
