A few days later.
While Yumi had dealed with Susanoo. Sugi, healed. was having the time of her life talking to the cute Yokai's that had healed her.
"You should've seen the look on his face when he saw I wasn't blind!" She laughed. And they laughed back.
Yumi walked in. Sliding the door behind her. A little smile on her face.
Sugi grinned. "Yumi, Right that me and you embarrassed a whole army of men?"
Yumi nodded. "You seem well." She laid beside her on her knees. "What did they say?"
Sugi sighed as she tucked her arm over her knee. "They said I can't fight until tomorrow without another leakage.
Yumi look disappointed. "Hmph."
Sugi agreed. "It is not what I want. But I don't want to be dying and bouncing on horseback."
Yumi nodded. And smirked a little at her words. "Get well soon then. You used to chase attention. Now it's chasing you." She stood up . Sugi seemed confused. "How come?"
Yumi looked back. "You're showered with affection. Take it while we're not showered in blood."
Sugi smiled. "And you're gonna fight my half of the army?"
Yumi walked forward as she slid open the door. "Well…" turning aroundand looking back at Sugi. "If I must."
Inside the room. Yoshio and Nuraihyon were planning on war. Looking at the desk in front of them.
Nuraihyon looked fiercely at his choices. And then sighed. "Everything we can do is a suicide. We do not have enough men or creature to fight back."
Yoshio had his hat off. Hand over his mouth "The land is very convenient to enemy attack. There's nothing around it."
"I can help with that." Yumi put her hand on the desk. Nuraihyon sighed. "Lady Tachibana, this is no—"
Yoshio broke his word. he crossed his arms. "Tell me, Samurai. What plan do you have?"
"Sugi and I were roaming through Jin and Gakido. They had multiple villages and bases with people in cages. Some of them I can tell were some of your warriors."
"Why yes, My lady." He tilted his head. "And How do you get pass The goddess's 'men?" He says sarcastically."
"We've beaten smaller camps by ourselves, my lords. All I need a dozen men of each race."
Yoshio seems surprised by her confidence. And looked at the elder god. Who had his eyes closed. "Go ahead. We will be on check."
"Taka." Nuraihyon calls for his servant. "Call up any Yokai who's brave."
The human looked eyes wide with his jaw open. "Ohh…" But he giggled. Transforming into a Taniki with a twirl. "We're coming!!" And Dashes on all fours.
Fast forward. Yumi is putting on different pants compared to the ones she had on previously. Rather then the loose ones that looked like a ronin's regular attire. She went for something tighter with thigh and shin guards. With chains around her forearms black sleeves. And finally. puts on the black wrap mask. Opening her eyes. "Men," she comes out of the dojo. "It is time."
At a army base men were next to the prisoners. Their stomachs rumbled. And the soldiers guarding them chuckled. He looked back at his mate. "Hey, you know who this reminds me of?" He smirked.
"Who?" He raised an eyebrow.
"It's my wife, feeling the pain of not being filled with food when I ask for it!" The two die of laughter at their own dark joke.
"Man… women, am I right?" His friend says. Before a smoke bomb is slammed in between them. Coughing. And looking around rapidly. "What was that!?"
The man receives a diving Katana to the collarbone by Yumi. Ripping it out as soon as she just drives it in. Shocking his friend. But he's too slow to react as she stabs him in the side with the hidden blade before stabbing him in the head reverse grip with the Katana. And then ripping it out again and twirling to face it forward as she charges.
There was an archer watching the butchering in terror. And he was struggling get the words out of his mouth. "…!! Help—!" And he immediately receives a Kunai to the throat.
"Since a frontal attack is impossible. They want to take us by the throat. My uncle used to say, 'Face your enemy as the sun faces the earth— without the shadow.'" She says before this rampage to the men. And in current time Slashing through an enemy with a knee slide. And then digging into anothers chest with a slash that drops them. "Fine."
"Then we'll be the opposite; the moon. Face them at night, the shadows our cloak. And the moonlight our question— answers they'll never see get." Some of the Ronin kill soldiers. in their sleep. While some of the Yokai devour them.
"We strike anyone who makes noise for reinforcements. And appear from the rear. Once we free the others, only then We fight on equal foot." The ronin and Yokai a team enforcement. Some of them watched as Yumi stabbed some in the spine. Shocked by how brutal she is.
"We are not fighting to become a folktale of heroes, Unlike Samurai. We're going zero to hero, doing the dirty for the clean. understand that."
They free a group of ronin and Yokai. They look up at Yumi. Trembling. "H-how…?" The ronin looked up sheepishly.
"You're safe," She assured. "Fight with me." After him came many more after, and slowly, they turned the tides on everyone.
Multiple camps later. Yumi jumps off and grabs one of the last soldiers head. Yanking their head to the sky as she slits their throat. One of the soldiers crawl away in pain and fear after seeing the brutality. Whimpering. However, Yumi isn't up for that. And stabs him in the back.
The other is on the floor realizing he's up next. And Yumi walks slowly toward him. And narrows her eyes. Almost sneering at him.
But instead of killing him at her distance. She points her Katana at him. And points away. "Tell her I'm coming." She says coldly.
The Ronin and Yokai watch in awe. In a way that's almost as ambiguous as her.
One spoke up. "Samurai have never fight like that, ever."
Yumi flicks her eyes toward him. Taking a soft breath to take in his words. "Hm. It was nothing." She said aggressive. Sheathing her Katana.
"What matters is we won." A ronin defends her. Surprising her. Another comes in. "What he said." And another. "We're turning the tables!"
Just as she was conflicted. She smiled. Closing her eyes as she took off her mask. Turning around from the blood she just layed. "That's everyone, yes?"
"No, my lady. But we found a hidden door." The men say as they part bamboo from a path leading to a small hut. Yumi raised an eyebrow.
She went in first as the others waited for her to come out. Inside. She gasped. It was bathed with gold. "Gold… they couldn't fit in their castle?"
"We're rich!" The man behind her cackled. The others cheered. "We'll drink until we're lazy to pick up bottles!" Some said and agreed. "Yeah!" Yumi wasn't happy with what they were planning to do with it.
"Stop!" She yelled. Everyone went silent as she crossed her arms and glared. "The people are our needs first—"
She was reminded of Sugi mid speech. "…Then our own greed. Correct?"
Everyone shouted "yes ma'am." As they all bowed. And she smirked. "But… that doesn't mean we won't celebrate victory."
Back to the castle of ronin and Yokai. Ronin poured and drank aimlessly, cheering, laughing, and singing making a musical of joy. Even the Yokai were drinking a bit.
Sugi lifted her cup. "Cheers! For both women and men alike." She chugs her cup.
"Hey!!" They shouted back. Copying her. Yoshio comes from behind Yumi who's sat down watching her friend in amusement. Yoshio put a hand behind her shoulder. "I'm impressed." He says. While she chuckled and took a sip of her cup. "I keep my word."
He sat down next to her. "I've never been more relieved in a long time to have all of my men safe."
Yumi looked at Sugi who was enjoying her attention.
"Sounds like you need a woman." She advised. Yoshio flustered only a little.
"I have a wife and child, already. I couldn't risk them getting hurt, so I payed with the little I had to send them on a boat to Elyngard. I miss them every, single, day."
Yumi hears that. And she looks at him. Looking into his eyes. "I'm… sorry to hear that. Why didn't you go with them?"
Yoshio smiled. "I wasn't gonna leave my other family behind, the Ronin."
Yumi put her head down with a nod. "That's honorable, even for a—"
"Lowly Ronin?" His gaze narrowed. Yumi choked for a moment with her mouth open. "I didn't—"
"I'm only joking, Tachibana." He chuckled.
"I know your father didn't tell you many things, but I knew him. He was a good man."
Yumi raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"There was almost too many things to count. I fought by his side next to warriors like Sasaki Kojiro, and Miyamoto Musashi. They clashed often, but he was the one to calm them both down. even I was the third-man between them."
"When Haruto died that night, they immediately picked their allies and started a civil war between each other on who's fault it was. And it was sun goddess that made them fight to stop her, to redeem themselves as true warriors. And they failed."
"…" Yumi doesn't know what to say. But it makes her concerned. Yoshio taps her back. "Just know that your father would be proud. And hopefully, you will be better then him." He hopes. And with only looking forward. She hopes too.
Sugi interrupts, letting out a refreshing, "Ahh…" licking her lips. "I love all of you. You are my people." She says looking around. The crowd loves her back. "Yet I am not yours."
"I was gonna leave all of you behind, knowing each one of your emotions. Trust me, I am not as cold and strong as the cups we drink. And I see everything, although I can't."
"But with this gold, I will take all of you with me." She looks at Yumi. Who's glaring at her. She looks away "After we help the others, of course."
"To Elyngard!" She shouts and the others shout with her.
Outside. Yumi is on the roof. And Sugi joins her. Everyone having their fun.
"You keep a lot of promises." Yumi said amused. Sugi chuckled. "And I'm keeping all of them."
"I must say, the person behind these sake bottles knew what they were making." Yumi chugs the drink herself. While below them a man chokes on it. Sugi laughing. "We have a choker," she points at him. "Slow down, bud!"
The men next to him laugh as they tap his back. "Shake it off, brother."
But he quite literally can't. He holds his own throat as the cough turns into a wet gurgle. blood foaming from his mouth, the others pull back and gasp. The same man throws up blood on one of his friend's clothes. And he looks in terror, the same thing happens to multiple others. Some of the Yokai that drank, they start shivering as they turn pale. Doing the exact same until they die. It's a blood fest of vomiting all over.
Yumi and Sugi watched in terror. "Poison..!" Yumi looked at herself mortified, thinking she was poisoned. She grits her teeth. The only safe sake was the one inside the palace. "Bastards…!"
Yumi smashes her cup. Yelling, "Everyone! Whoever drank from the sake bottles is wolf's bane victim."
Sugi slides down the roof as she rolls over and dashes to her people. Holding one of them on her knees as they convulse. Blood all over her sleeve. And she looks up and sees Yoshio. Gritting his teeth. Tears falling down. "The Sun goddess…" He looks at Sugi. Narrowing his eyes. Sugi does back. "We'll kill her."
Nuraihyon is in stun. And screams. "They were children!!" He looks at the Yokai.
Susanoo hid stealthily behind the palace. Looking with a look of guilt on his face. But he looks down. And crawls away.
Yumi watches with a disgusted look on her face, how could someone commit such atrocities back? But in the end, it was a taste of their own medicine.
She saw blood splattered into a sentence. And it spelled, 'He's in that castle.'
Yumi narrowed her eyes. "My uncle…" she muttered. She closed her eyes. The bridge of her nose curling. "We're done." She opened her eyes to a world of vengeance.
"Are you insane!? You want to go by yourself." Sugi yells at Yumi. Yumi narrows her eyes. "You don't understand, we need her head."
"They have my uncle," Yumi clenched her fist. "That's their invitation for me to her." Yoshio walked up. A concerned look on his face.
"Yumi… if I could help you, I could. But I only have 47 out of the 500 ronin I had."
Nuraihyon closed his eyes. "I believe there is a fighting chance, but we must be united."
"Be like your father, Yumi. Be the wind." Nuraihyon said as she took a step out of the palace.
"I can't." She only glanced back. "I am the storm, something the sun will never conquer."
At Amaterasu castle.
Back in the frozen wasteland, Amaterasu stared into nothingness with a bored look on her face. Her hand on her cheek.
Lord Takao had plates and plates of food in his room but not one bite. Just a glare. And a longer beard.
"Mmm. Are you not going to eat, Samurai? After all, it will be your last meal." Amaterasu pondered.
Lord Takao responded back. "For pity alone, I will kill you."
"Hm." She chuckled. "Then wait until I get your niece. Only then will you take away your samurai act."
As she says that. She hears screams, and her eyes widen. "Ah," she smirked. "That must be her."
Yumi stabs a soldier through the chest and rips it out of him with a kick. Roars let out as Yumi narrows her eyes, In front of her is several thousand men. All with different weapons, but she didn't let her guard down.
"Where is your leader, I want to talk to her." She yelled.
"Stop!" Amaterasu yelled to her soldiers, Silence stood for as long as it could. And just like Yumi wanted. She jumped from her palace. Landing just a few feet from Yumi. "So you've come to face me."
"I thought my invite to you was cruel… but I gave you a taste of your own medicine, taste of a god."
Yumi furrowed her eyebrows. "You are no god, you are a divine monster."
Amaterasu nodded with a grin. "Oh, but I am not alone. What would your uncle say about your new ways?"
"You forced it upon me." Yumi's Katana crackled with lightning, "And that will not stop me, I understand there is consequences to my actions, just like you'll receive yours."
"Ah, yes, it's all in a full circle, is it not?" She receives a drink. Taking a chug. Her flames flattered by their compliment as they flare up. "We are all here for our consequences, in fact. You, and your uncle, chose this war."
"You couldn't leave me with my island, could you not? In fact, you are so desperate, that you are willing to lose your honor, and your pride, for nothing!"
Yumi walked forward. Slowly, "These are my people. If you expected my code to cost them their lives, you are falling victim to your own plan." Her glare were daggers back to Amaterasu's.
"Foolish girl, You did not know the Aragami was a trickster. Playing his games on you."
Yumi gritted her teeth through her mask. "What are you talking about?"
"You know he was there, lurking."
Yumi couldn't believe it. She remembered looking at the direction of a presence she felt. And it's like the wind told her. She yelled, "Liar! Susanoo would—"
"Never? Ha!" She laughed into her hand. "I cannot blame you, he plays his cards exceptionally."
"He's like you, in the way he's conflicted. But be grateful, if it wasn't for me. You wouldn't be here."
"I wanted this to be a…'honorable duel'. And of course our last meeting was anything but with my solar flare." She chuckled her words. "I'd call this… a sparring session. Only 3 of my 5 legionnaires have been killed, and the more they die, the more strength I get back."
Yumi was disgusted that this woman took the code of honor and made it to make her look weak. But she closed her eyes. And took a deep breath. "I chose lightning to be my element to punish those who deserved it." she grabbed her scabbard and threw it to the side. Turning around to put distance between her and her enemy. Turning back to face her. "So be it."
She put her blade under her arm. Swiping the blood off as slowly as her words. "One… god… at a time."
SHING! She released her blade. Her arms open wide as if inviting her to the fight. And then Getting into stance.
"Just how I like it." Amaterasu summoned her giant double edged scythe. Spinning it. And Yumi bursts forward with lightning.
To be continued…