BLOOD BOURNE

CHAPTER 4

RETURN.

The rest of the journey, was a nightmare for Kiko.
It almost seemed as though their departure from kōga was a bad omen.

A bridge that once sealed the gap created by the river Toyohira, had washed away as a result of poor construction. Thus increasing the journey by a few more days.

The path they were forced to follow didn't make the situation any better. She felt like she was riding on a cart without wheels. The perils of the journey, brought back memories of their most recent residence.

Only recently, she recovered from a flu she had contracted in Nishigô.
~
Nishigô, was a village in the Nishishirakawa district in Japan.

A few months ago, she woke up one morning to discover that she was going on a Journey. Although she was a child, she couldn't fathom why she was being shipped across the country. For reasons best known to her father, it was a necessary trip

With that, she was sent with a small army to a palace in Nishigô. It was only when she got there, she knew it would be a long vacation.
~
"I was told you haven't eating anything all day" came the voice of Yamada Tarô, The guard who had chased Rokai away.

"I am not hungry yet". Kiko said without looking in his direction. She was still mad at him for chasing Rokai away.

With that, Yamada backed off. He knew better than to argue with Kiko. She was a 'stubborn little brat' in his opinion.

Kiko felt knots tighten in her stomach at the thought of Rokai. She had only just met him, and there already seemed to be a bond. She wished she could just make him appear in the palace waiting for her. She needed a friend.

Every child does.
~
Kiko was awakened by the the sound of ancient civilization. She fell asleep during the last lap of the journey she swore never to make again.

As the convoy made it's way into Kamakura, Kiko saw the life she had been denied the past few months.

This was the most important city in Feudal Japan, as it housed one of the three most powerful men in the empire.
The evidence could be seen in amounts of people and soldiers that littered the streets.

Their convoy was ignored, as a lot of other convoys moved through Kamakura on a daily basis.
~
Hitachi Genji couldn't believe what his eyes were looking at. Was this the convoy that had carried Kiko away a few months ago?. They weren't supposed to be back by now. As he walked down the large corridor that led from the palace residence to the courtyard, a lot of things flooded his mind at once. He had wanted Kiko to stay away for a couple of years. He didn't want her around for what was coming.

It was too risky.
He knew that this was going to automatically divide his attention.
'Yamada better hopes he has a good explanation for defying my orders' he thought angrily.

Yamada Tarô parked the convoy in the courtyard just in front of the main entrance into the palace. All through the long journey back home, he couldn't get his mind off the fact the fact that he was defying his master. He knew doing that attracted serious punishments. But there was a good reason.

Yamada gave the order, and the rest of the men began offloading the carriages. Looking towards the entrance of the courtyard, he could see his master standing.

Yamada swallowed hard.

Radiating from his Hitachi's face, was ineffable fury. An emotion comprised of anger, confusion, disappointment, but mostly rage. There was nothing he could do now. He just prepared for the worst.