ETERNAL DARKNESS

EPIDODE I

A sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. Near a waterfall that resembled a sheet of diamonds sat a young man in pensive meditation, his long black hair, in a ponytail, waved in the wind gently as if a person was playing with it. He was struggling to expel the demons from his head that had caused Him so much pain.

These were thoughts that most of the Hitokiri have, the thoughts of those he had killed the last look on there face as his blade passed through them. Suddenly His eyes snapped open and reflexively his katana left its sheath and cut a man In two. The lifeless body of an assassin fell to the ground hand still holding the sword meant for the young mans neck. There are more. He thought. Sensing the energy of the others he sheathed is katana.

“Kaze Mushashi!” three men walked out from the wooded area that surrounded the small waterfall. One carried a double-sided naginata, the others face was partially masked and he carried a katana, and the next carried a set of sai.  “Kaze the mightiest of the living Hitokiri. I see why” the masked one looked down at the fallen assassin. “Your swordsmanship is…. Well impressive. You have precognitive skills, you can’t be human. Any other person would never have noticed that man sneaking up on you.” Kaze’s cold eyes looked at the masked one. “Who are you?” why did you attack me?” “don’t you worry about that all you need to know is the name of your killer. I am Kagemusha now DIE!”  
Kaze raised his eyebrow. Kagemusha signaled to his followers to attack. Kappa threw one of the sai and ran at Kaze. Kaze ducked and unsheathed his blade with a horizontal slash cut Kappa across the stomach. “Im sorry” The stunned Kappa feel to his knees as the blood pooled around him. An’un yelled in grief for his dead brother and in a fit of rage carelessly attacked Kaze. He succeeded in nothing but aiding Kaze. The Naginata swept down on the blade of Kaze’s  Katana. Kaze charged in ducked down and hit An’un in the chest with the butt of his handle. A spray of spit and blood came from An’un’s mouth as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Kagemusha laughed “so the legends are true! You are the greatest of the Hitokiri of the old way. But I will not loose to you!!! Not with this!” Kagemusha pulled out a new western pistol and pointed it a Kaze,NOW DIE! HAHA!” Bang!! The shot of the pistol rang loud. Kaze reflexively at the sound of the gun rolled left. The bullet tore into his chest, Kaze collapsed to the ground, but caught him self with his sword. Kaze spit blood that had found its way into his mouth. He looked at his adversary with anger. And could not comprehend why such a proud man would forsake his honor and resort to this method of winning over death. “COWARD!!” Kaze yelled as he got up and charged at his enemy, Bang!! Bang!! The next two shots went wide because the user of the gun was startled at Kaze’s attack.

The Blade cut into the flesh of Kagemusha’s Stomach. Penetrating the entire body coming out of his back covered in blood. “You shall die here on this soil,” Kaze smiled and kicked Kagemusha of his blade and let him lay there. ”and bleed to death like a pig” Kaze spit on Kagemusha. And he himself collapsed to the ground and blackness came to Kaze Mushashi’s eyes…….

Night fell and the severely injured Kaze lifted himself slowly, painfully, coughing. He tasted the blood in his mouth. He surveyed the field Kagemusha was gone. His blurred vision barely could pick this up. He heard footsteps and he grasped for his katana. It lay to far away. So he tried to draw the Wakazashi that hung at his side still but he could not it was too painful. A soothing voice and soft touch of a woman told him it was ok and she was here to help him. She called out and another person was there. A man. Together they picked Kaze up and put him on there cart and quickly took him home.

Kaze woke with a start and saw what he thought for a split second to be an angel. Her hair was dark and sleek reflecting light like a mirror, her eyes were stone gray and deep, her small lithe body was perfect, her breasts were small but they fit well with her body, she bent over and kneeled beside him and spoke comfortingly, softly. “Drink” she commanded him. Kaze looked at the cup and took it. The warm Saké slipped down his throat. Kaze sighed and sat up and clutched his chest. And closed his eyes in pain. “Please Mr. stay down you are not well enough to stand the wound has not fully healed you might tear the stitching open” she gently pushed him back down. He looked at his chest and saw it was bandaged up in white cloth. It had a fresh blood spot just below the color bone were he had been shot. He then looked out side and wondered why he had been spared. Why had he lived? Why had didn’t he bleed to death? He slipped into another darkness filled with the nightmares of his deeds.

Kaze heard a crash and a scream. He slowly got up and grabbed his Katana. And went outside. There before him stood 10 men one was holding the young woman, she was screaming as he proceeded to tear her clothing off. The men were all leering and poking her. Kaze noticed that the man was dead. They had cut his head off. Stop now and leave if you value your lives” at this the men stopped laughing and looked at the wounded Kaze as nothing but a joke. And went back to their fun.

Kaze unsheathed his blade. “I said leave her alone” he coughed heavily and small amounts of blood filled his mouth. One of the men came up to Kaze and laughed look he wants to play samurai!” The man swung his spear at Kaze.  Kaze side stepped to the right and swiftly snapped the blade down across the mans neck and a spray of blood followed as the head fell to the ground with its eyes open in shock. The jet of blood hit Kaze slightly in the face. Kaze winced in pain from the quick movement. But did not let his enemies see this. They all unsheathed their swords and other various weapons in anger. “You peace of shit! Your gonna die for that!!” one yelled as he launched a spear into the air at Kaze. It hit the ground right in front of him. Kaze’s eyes did not even blink. “One last chance to leave with your lives please” he offered half-heartedly. They all charged him at once.

The girl looked on in horror; surely they were going to kill him just because of her. But she could do only one thing and that was look away. Kaze stood his ground firmly as the first of the men got there. The first man swung his spear in a diagonal motion Kaze cut the spear in two and simultaneously cleanly cut the mans head in two across the face. Quickly he turned and swept the legs out from under another and stuck the blade into his back and twisted breaking the spine. Four men attacked Kaze simultaneously Kaze grabbed the firsts Naginata and rolled back and put his feet on the mans chest and threw him back into another man. Kaze jumped up and delivered a devastating kick to ones head and broke his neck. The other thrust a Bo staff at Kaze, Kaze caught it in his hands and jerked it, but the man was not so easily deprived of his weapon. He dropped low and tried to sweep Kaze’s legs but he found a Naginata blade sticking out of his chest. He was picked up and thrown across the yard by a man cloaked in dark green. His hood hid his facial features. Standing next to him was a young woman dressed in a kimono. She held two Kodachi in her hands.

The cloaked man moved towards Kaze and touched the blood stained cloth. Kaze winced. Then he smiled and took off the cloth. The bullet wound was gone. “Thanks old friend.” The cloaked man nodded. “Kaze you always manage to get into some kind of trouble without us around.” Laughed the woman. “Yumi if I remember right when you and Mizu are around trouble seems to find me a lot more.” Yumi rubbed her head and pushed her dark hair out of her eyes. She had short hair but her bangs were longer than the rest of her hair. “Yea I guess but you don’t get hurt so much when Im around to protect you. Ha.”  She walked up to him “So you just gonna let them run off??” the last few men had ran at the site of the new combatants. “Yea why not. They’re not worth it there just petty scum”

Mizu laughed, “So this Kagemusha is not human? That’s not hard to believe. Kaze we need you. Taimot has arisen from the underworld.”  Yumi looked up. “ People have seen her. Kaze. We need you to help us your the only thing that could even hope to stop her.” Kaze looked at her surprised. “Heh you’re flattering, no human could touch her Yumi not even me.” Mizu laughed. “Kaze how could you be so blind? You’re not a normal human I know it and so do you. We can all sense it. What else could explain the reflexes you have? The speed? Strength? Kaze you’re not normal.” Kaze looked at Mizu, like you? You’re a demon Mizu are you saying Im a demon?” “No, but your not a normal human either” “They say Kaze, that half human half demons are more powerful than both.” Yumi spoke softly, poetically, her eyes far off. “All you need to do is find out how to unlock your demon half. Let it become one with your human half. You maybe the last hope for a planet in the shadow of great evil. But a warning to you Great Hitokiri should you fight Taimot you will also perish. In one hand you hold atonement and salvation of your soul, in the other eternal damnation for your deeds and the death of a planet. Choose wisely Hitokiri.” Yumi fainted. Kaze looked at her puzzled by what had just happened. Mizu looked up at the sky and smiled. “Well Kaze looks like a certain god offers guidance.” He started laughing and lowered his hood. His golden eyes glittered in the sunlight, the baldhead gleamed. “Kaze you must choose to help the world that hates you or shun it and let it die. Will you give the ultimate sacrifice for those who would kill you with out hesitation or will you choose the path of damnation?” Kaze picked up his sword and put it into his belt, and walked off.

Kaze went into the room the young woman had given him. He picked up the old armor he had used in his days as a Hitokiri; memories came back of all the death, destruction, and blood. Kaze reluctantly put on the armor on, it fit perfectly even after all these years, it had been at least fifteen years since Kaze had last worn this armor as a private Hitokiri, Kaze looked down at the dull black scaled metal and smiled bitterly “just like old times” a woman’s voice, Yumi had woken and was standing in the doorway “lets go Kaze” “no Yumi you two cannot go if you died I could never forgive myself.” “Shut up Kaze Im not letting you go alone. Besides if I stayed behind what fun would that be??” Kaze smiled and walked to Kaze and put a hand on her shoulder “this is something I must do alone Yumi Im so sorry” she looked at him confused “wha- uh” hit Yumi in the stomach and gently laid her down. “Im so sorry but it’s for your own good” Kaze stood and went out the window as quietly as if he had never been there.

Kaze took off at a full run into the nearby forest, and mounted a horse that the young woman and her husband had owned. Kaze spurred the horse into a full gallop. Kaze did not know were he was going, but his heart told him it was the right way. His thoughts went to the evil dragon Taimot. Her image filled his head; this startled him, as he had never seen Taimot before. Kaze shook his head. He knew something wasn’t right she was close. Very close.

END OF EPOSODE I