A New Story

Naoki's story:

My life has been a sad poem from the very start. My first memories, a night filled with fierce fires and screams that woke me from a child's dreams. I couldn't have been more than 4 years of age when the first village we live in was destroyed. I only remember being carried away into the flood of villagers running away from the fires and death. Chaos and Decay had become my mentors, an understanding that the world was quick to dissolve way the happiness you had. That people were as savage as animals when civility has been rotted away. Carrying what little we could from out homes that were no longer there, we made our way to a new village, but had to barter for our stay. The cold shoulders and uncaring hands of these village leaders did little to heal the fresh wounds and broken hearts we already had. There was bitterness in every plea and resentment in every thank you, a hardworking and productive village was reduced to beggars and the possession of slavers.

Fortunately village leaders never rule for long, and soon the masters that reigned over us were drawn down to peck at the dirt like the magpie they were, as a new ruler took their place. A ninja clan seized ownership over our village and their families took precedence within our homes, but it was not a sad change but a celebration. The ninja were kind, first inspecting us for our talents and warranting work best suited for our abilities, their pay and their consideration of our labour, was fair.

I wasn't very old when I met Kazumi, 'The beautiful harmony and peace'. She was, very special to me, her laughter and joy for living made my life ache for more. I opened my heart to happiness, letting chaos and decay fall way into ash cloud memories. Together we committed each other to happiness. Kazumi had a singing jutsu, historically used by ninja to amplify killing intent and battle morale. However she used it to emanate joy and happiness. This happiness couldn't last for long and a much darker front was approaching. The village was attacked.

Again fresh fires sparked fear in my eyes as people were drawn out of their homes, screaming in horror. I ran out, ran to where I knew I would be safe. The other villagers did the same, gathering weapons and shielding themselves with wooden crates and broken barrels, we ran to the Village leader; A ninja. Our faith in our leader remedied our spirits of fear, rallying us to defend our homes, but there was no hope to be found, only death, chaos and decay. The blood that spilled and the shields that shattered, covered the ground with misery and disappear. My Kazumi ran out, the buildings burning, and together we tried to run away, but out of the darkness they came. On Horseback they rode, and our speed could not match the fierce storm of hooves that galloped to the pounding of our hearts. With very little effort, we were captured, collected by the baskets they saddled to their animals.

I only remember the darkness of those weeks to follow. The cold and damp of the underground cage I was kept in, alone. The absence of joy in my heart and the constant worry I had for Kazumi, never left me. Where she was, what had happened to my village, I could draw no happy endings. My mind would have splintered from the maddening thoughts I felt tear at my soul, if it was not for the memory of her that kept me lucid, even though they too were a cause for distress.

The prison keepers split light from the opening, dragging in a dirty and ruffled person. The cloths, the prisoner wore, so torn that I could not identify if they were male or female. Their hair so mattered and long, that I could not distinguish the face hidden by bruises and scuff marks. I could not recognise her, but the voice I knew. She was placed in the cage next to me, the keepers leaving no light for me to see her by. I recognised her voice but she did not respond to me calling her name, she just sung a song I'll never forget no matter how hard I try.

Her lullaby continued on for days, he mind destroyed by whatever she endured. She pauses only to fall into complete silence to my pleas. The slow harmony of the lullaby as beautiful as it was horrifying; I could hear her smile as she sung it. The pain in her pulsating, my very being aching, the tone of her voice a burning agony that was felt. The depth of sorrow within the air, the threads of tears harmonised with every tip toe of the tongue, raging storming fires within me as I tried to rattle myself out of my cage to the song that would never stop echoing. Her dreadful lullaby became so concentrated within the walls of the prison that the hollowed spaces began to chime sinisterly along to it. Eventually they come again to take her out, all the while she sung this horrid lullaby.