NB: I apologize for the long hiatus. I was really stuck with this story but I seem to have gotten my muse back so I hope this story is satisfactory enough. =)
I am open to suggestions as to how Chapter 4 would turn out like.
***
When the reached the next town, it was nearly dusk but it was still bustling with life. Eating houses and wineries were filled with people; the smell of their food wafted through the air and conversations seemed to take place all at the same time, making the atmosphere chaotic.
Miyu tried to take in all the sights and sounds of her surroundings. Then she caught sight of a woman, dressed in a beautiful kimono, her hair tied in the most exotic bun and her face painted white. Her clogs too were different from the straw sandals she was wearing.
Seeing the half frown on her face, Hiro smiled. The woman had greeted him with a sweet smile and he had nodded in acknowledgement.
"Did you know her?"
"Of course not. She's a Geisha... well, if we were on holiday, I'd bring you for drinks where we'll be served by them. She was just being polite and friendly."
"Gei...sha?" said Miyu quizzically.
"Never mind that now Miyu... we're here."
She wasn't sure what 'here' meant but he seemed to have brought her to someone's house. The house was a bit off the main road of the town but seemed to stand out against the backdrop of lush trees.
"Mother, Father, I am home!" said Hiro as he stepped into his courtyard. Miyu followed him silently, admiring his house from a distance. Indeed, his house was beautiful and befitting of his class.
"Ah, Hiro-kun... we've been waiting for you for weeks! Eh...?" said a woman, whom Miyu assumed was his mother as she greeted them at the door.
"Mother, this is Ryunnosuke's daughter. Unfortunately, he could not be present himself and sent his daughter in his place."
"Ah, but..." his mother started to protest but was quickly silenced by Hiro's stern look. "Come this way Fukui-san."
"Ah, you can call me Miyu, Madam... I must thank you for your hospitality. You are most gracious for receiving me," said Miyu, bowing respectfully before Hiro's mother.
"It is no bother my dear," she said as she smiled and led Miyu to an empty bedroom at the back of the house.
"Miyu my child, you must pardon me but I have not seen you since you were a baby... time flies so fast... But forgive me Miyu, for I must ask... how did your father die? Did he die honourably?"
Miyu looked at the elderly woman with surprise.
"Yes he did Madam. He died protecting our village. He died carrying out his duty..." the change in her tone earned her a sympathetic look from Hiro's mother. She kept quiet for a few minutes before continuing.
"It hurts me to see you here Miyu. You must not go with Hiro when he asks you to go to the palace... I have a foreboding that something bad is going to happen... You need not go there in place of your father... "
"But I have to. It is my duty to the Shogun..."
"Ah... loyalty... it is what kills them... it is what kills every one of them... believe me Miyu when I say this..." sighed the elderly woman. With that, she left Miyu alone in the room.
Sitting down alone in the middle of the room, Miyu started to cry; letting out all the hurt of remembering her father's death. Was Hiro's mother right to tell her to go home? Putting her fingers on the pendant around her neck, Miyu tried to concentrate and tried to sense what Hiro's mother meant.
Miyu had been brought up and trained to be a priestess at their local Shinto shrine. One thing she had learnt and been able to master was to read off the energy left by people inhabiting her surroundings.
"Mmmm...." she chanted and as she was about to get immersed in her trance, a knock on her sliding door jolted her.
"Miyu-san?"
"Yes?"
"Would you like to have dinner?"
Hiro had already opened her door and was standing in her room staring down at her. He seemed so much at home in his worned kimono and for a moment, Miyu did not want to move but simply stare at him.
"Miyu?"
"Ah... perhaps not... I have no appetite."
Hiro stepped inside her room and closed the door behind him.
"We will be meeting with two other samurai tomorrow and then we will move on to the next village. Do you still wish to follow me, Miyu?" he asked. Miyu looked at him and saw that he bore no expression.
"I am not strong enough."
"What the shogun needs is not just strong allies... he needs intelligence, craftiness and above all... he needs loyalty."
"I'll think about it..."
***
Later that night, she woke up with a jolt upon hearing her name being called. The candle that was burning earlier had died and she was shrouded in darkness. Unable to see, she focused her other senses to gauge her surroundings.
She could hear breathing. Definitely. It was almost easy to miss if she wasn't straining her hearing. She slid her hand slowly to check if her
daito
and the pendant were still under her robes and was assured when she felt the hardness of the scabbard.
As her eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness, she felt the air stir; suggesting movement... stealthy and almost elusive to an untrained eye. Whoever was in her room was unaware that she had been alerted because she had not moved and her breath was controlled.
Then she felt the intruder jump and land silently, her face facing his feet. She could hear the clear treble of a sword slicing the air and then...
"THUD!" The blade of the sword hit something hard right above her head. Miyu dared herself a peak and saw that she was encased in a bright red ball of fire. Then she saw the perpetrator. He wore the clothes of a ninja but his eyes, now gleaming from the light of the fire were staring at her with a look she comprehended as fear.
The ninja inched away from her, then jumped out of the window.
Still encased in the fire ball, Miyu tried to get out but the protective barrier seemed to be locking her in. As if aware of her intention to escape, it constricted and became smaller, almost choking her. Miyu felt the pendant also heating up, burning the skin on her chest. The barrier began constricting her, until she felt all the air from her lungs escaping...
When she woke up, it was already morning. Looking down under the covers, Miyu was relieved to find both swords and pendant were still with her.
Perhaps she had been dreaming about the whole thing. If there had been a ball of fire, surely some parts of her room would be burnt.
Pulling on her outer robe, she combed her hair and opened her room door to find Hiro. It was still early in the morning but she could already hear the sounds his sword was making as it sliced the morning air.
She followed the sound to a cascade clearing a few meters behind the house. It didn't appear strange to Miyu at first that she could hear from such a distance because she was concentrating only on the sound. But when she noticed Hiro, she snapped out of her daze and looked around her. She had walked quite a distance! The house could not longer be seen from where they were.
Hiro was focused on his sword training that he didn't noticed her at first. It was only when she started walking towards him that he turned his head to look at her.
