The Dragon Queen // (Under Revision)

And Hope To Die

"Let me go, you old hag!" Tsuyoi pulled her arm out of the old lady's grasp. "Don't you dare touch me! That hurts!" She rubbed her wrist. The woman's gnarled fingers left prints on her skin.

The old biddy whipped around, eyes blazing. Her green hair was mounted atop her head and held in place by a mass of traditional pins and topped off with a massive gilded headdress. Tsuyoi could see her reflection in the smooth gold as the woman leaned down to growl in her face.

"I am your master, foolish little girl. You would do well to remember that." Tsuyoi flinched, but not out of fear. Her breath was hot. "You will obey me from now until the end of your days."

Tsuyoi frowned. The gears in her brain started to turn. "But Hayate isn't the Dragon Queen anymore, and she's not here for you to boss around. She said she was going on her Journey."

Chizu grabbed her arm again, eyes flashing. She dug her fingernails into her skin and tugged viciously, nearly wrenching it out of the socket. Blood welled from the scratch marks. Tsuyoi yelped in pain and let herself be pulled along, to avoid being gouged again. They took a forest path that branched off to one side, away from the rest of the caravan. Tsuyoi felt fear pump through her with every step. Her instincts screamed danger, but still, her feet stumbled along after Chizu. The old lady suddenly turned, twisting Tsuyoi's arm the wrong way and forcing her to her knees.

"On this day, ten years from now, you will be sacrificed to the Dragon King, Lord Chikyu. You are going to die."

Tsuyoi stared blankly, cradling her hurt arm.

"The Dragon Queen is the Dragon King's dinner. He's going to suck your soul out of your body, slowly, in the most painful way you could ever imagine. And then some."

"In ten years..." Tsuyoi said, her voice quavering. "But I don't wanna die like that!"

Chizu slapped her, so hard her vision went white for a moment. Tsuyoi cried out, clutching her cheek.

"No one cares about what you want, Tsuyoi Arakawa. No one cares about what you need." Chizu's voice filled her skull, resonating. "From this day forward, my job is to prepare you for your death. Do you understand?"

Tsuyoi nodded, lip trembling and tears dotting the corners of her eyes. But she refused to let them fall.

"Say, 'Yes, Head Lady Chizu.'"

Tsuyoi's eyes hardened. She shook her head. Rage flared in Chizu's eyes.

"Say it!" She howled.

Tsuyoi's dairokkan tattoos (that had just appeared a few months before) pulsed in defiance.

Chizu's hand came down again. Lightning struck from a clear sky. Tsuyoi's head snapped to the right. Her neck and face exploded like fireworks. She muffled another cry. Blood flooded her tongue.

Chizu snatched Tsuyoi's shoulder-length hair, yanking it savagely, forcing her to look her in the eye. "Say. It."

"Y-yes, Head...L-lady Chizu.." she forced out, her voice faint. No one had ever hit her like that before.

"I'll break you yet, Tsuyoi Arakawa." Chizu stood and walked away towards the main road. "I'll break your soul."

Tsuyoi gripped the grass and trembled in silent fury. She hated the way the old biddy said her name. She said it like it was a curse.

"Run, Tsuyosugiru."

Daddy... She closed her eyes and felt tears run down her cheek.

She wished she would have listened.