Blackened Blood: Hekari

Chapter 1: Black night.. Red

It is the feudal times in the northern outskirts of medieval japan. 

These are the hard and bloody times, the daimyo of Okinawa has ordered samurais to relinquish their power and dominion over their lands. The emperor has issued orders to make the country one- "how?" is the bloodiest question every samurai ask. Those who oppose the Tokugawas either have everything lost or everyone brutally murdered and killed. No one must disobey- everyone must comply, obey!

In that little village of Okinawa, far from the prying sight of its government is a small group of outlaws- who donned their lives with the fear of being hunted like dogs. They pride themselves of the black and dreadful ways of the arts- ninjitsu. They are the last of the dreaded bane of the Samurais- the Kage Ookami (Shadow of the Wolf) clan of the Iga’s, the deadliest of the shinobis (ninjas).

 Izumi cares for her children, hidden in the depths of the dark night as Katsuo grazes the lower grounds like a prowling dog assuming its territory. 

Izumi looks at her daughter- and twin son.  Gazing ever so gently as if she is not capable of breaking a man’s bone with her hands- but she is like any other woman tonight, she is a mother of twins.  She positions herself to calm the restless babies, not an easy time to lay a child to rest.  Her breasts provided the cradle and life for her younglings.  Her heat provided the warmth.  Her soft gazes provided them her love..

Katsuo stills after an hour of grazing the grounds for danger.  After all, they are fugitives.  He cannot rest a minute, as his children and wife are now in the shadow of death- they are wanted men, without any reason of doubt for life.  The daimyos of the Tokugawas have issued an order to hunt them down- kill if found, without a second look of remorse. 

He closes his eyes as thoughts wander..

A few hours ago, Katsuo has a small village to tend, it cant even be called a village- a 30-man strength, less than half are women, some children. They were tending to their young preparing them for their sleep as the night boasts of it’s bright and glowing moon- but the night was at its darkest.  The moon is full and its beauty shows their location to the brim making their settlement an easy target for the daimyos’ army of death. 

It’s the perfect night to strike.  It takes only a few minutes for the night to shake- Katsuo’s village is now under attack. 

Hidden assassins creep and fly through the night- no one knew, much more felt- it was a sudden and swift move.  All that can be heard was the cracking of skin. Air thickens with the moisture of blood and its smell through the air.  Katsuo is aware of blood flowing around him and how it filled the mist of air surrounding their settlement- sleep cannot blind his senses.  

He taps his wife and gently they move- swifter, if only to be alive.  Both grab their katanas and in the still of the howling night, the darkness provided shelter as the light of moon provided a creeping and silent death to everyone.  Their movement was slow- but effectively sharp and calculated.  They cannot alarm the assassins that they are aware- they have children with them.

Katsuo’s eyes open with the crackling of dried leaves against a step. He vanishes into the thicket- like every ninja to cover and ready himself for a battle that can rage.  Blanketed by the stillness of the night, only the breeze and noise of water and creepy insects fill the place. No movement- until the first splash of blood flows- from another ninja that crept.  Katsuo knew there would be others who will follow the scent of spilled blood.

In a few seconds, from the ground bush, Katsuo unleashes his sword unto three others.  Red blood falls onto his faces as he makes a crevice onto their throats with shuriken (star blades) from the ground he laid hidden.. There are more!

Katsuo crawls fast onto a bush and leans himself to the thick leaves that engulf the whole shrub.  In minutes, the next two appear.  Like hounds they smell fresh blood near- a matter of answering where.  They look around, slowly and carefully.  As they draw near the bush, Katsuo knows he was found- he springs with his katana slicing half the neck of the two.  One dodges the blow- and all four come out from hiding.  Clashes of katanas draw sparks as it tangles with each other. 

Katsuo has the upper hand- he knows these forests well.

One falls as his foot gets stuck in a stray wood planted on ground- Katsuo sees the opening and cuts his bellows from his back and brings death after another swing of a dagger.  The dagger is thrown to another, rampaging towards him- death comes fast as it hits its mark on the throat.

And then there was one- the last, the pack’s hunter.  Knowing that both have seen each other- Katsuo shows himself to parry the fight with pride.  He sits down waiting for the challenge.  The pack hunter sits across- they will fight with honor and pride, as they are both ninjas.  Both perform the Kuji-kiri. Both are experienced killers- this they both know from the kuji-kiri (esoteric prayers) performed.

Katsuo strides to lash the first strike- clash of katanas howl the darkened night.  The run towards each other to find the killing blow, only to know that one has defended the other and yet another. Katsuo grips his sword away from his shoulders, gesturing a taunt to attack.  The pack hunter realizes he is being challenged- jested to take the assault, thus he meets Katsuo head on.  Katsuo throws a happo (a shell of blinding powder) and cringes his body to throw himself to the air- and cut his opponent’s head.  He falls light on his feet with a cut in his stomach, long and deep. 

Family- Katsuo thought.  Sits and prays kuji-kiri to start healing himself.  A few seconds of kuji-kiri and he grips his stand.  His thoughts now wander to his family- his son and daughter.  He runs for them.

Laying before him is his dead wife’s body, scorned with blades and a thrust in her heart that still flows of her warm blood.  Izumi did not go down without a fight, without a ravenous fight.  There should at least be five shinobis that took Izumi down, He knows Izumi is a capable ninja- but with children in her arms she did not have the chance against them.  He can only hold her hand on last time.

And his children? They would be both dead and thrown to the disgusting waters of the nearby shores by now.  He had fought of a diversion so the others can get to his children- the fiery bloodline of Kage Oogami.  It was a regret leaving her behind.  As any shinobi will do, he must prowl the area- but it took quite longer than expected to subdue seasoned hunters as the ninjas of the tokugawas.

A second to close his eyes.. and a crying chill- his son is still alive.  Izumi has managed to save one of the children.  Katsuo runs to where the cry comes, the child bathed in grassy mud to protect its scent.  He takes the child and sighs in relief that no one found it, no shinobi caught its warm breath. His little body covered with mud- but safely untouched.  He can only smile and wonder how his little son was able to hide through the shinobi hunters.

He holds in his hand- Hekari, his first born son.  The last of the child of the Kage Ookami clan.