♦⊱ Chapter 2 - Edo Period ⊰♦

Ruka pov:

I was slightly dazed as I stared into the emerald eyes. My vision panned out to see the entire face of the man who had caught me. He was smiling and I momentarily panicked at the thought of this person too being one of the men who were chasing me. However, he gently helped me stand and pushed me behind him protectively. Unbalanced, I clung to his back, burying my face in the fabric of his clothes.

"As much as I like you clinging to me, I think you should take a step back, miss. Things are going to get rough," the man said making me flinch.

I let go of him and stepped back, noticing that the person who had saved me wasn't quite a man yet. He appeared to be around my age or perhaps a year or two older at max. He was a few inches taller than me with messy brown tousles, dressed neatly, and carried a katana at his waist. His katana, unlike those of the men in front of us, was well maintained.

The guy unsheathed his katana and ran at the men, slashing them mercilessly with quick maneuvers. Blood spurted out of the deep wounds he inflicted, stained the ground in big splotches, and the men fell to ground dead. I slapped a hand over my mouth in horror at what I had just witnessed, barely holding back a scream. My eyes prickled and tears fell from them and I felt sick to my stomach.

This has to be a dream...this has to be a bad dream, I thought to myself desperately.

The guy who had saved me and killed five men like it was no big deal shook the blood off his katana before sheathing it. My heart rose to my throat when he turned to face me, smiling no less. My stomach churned. I stumbled back, panicking more with every minute that passed. I wanted to run away but the pain in my back made it hard for me to just step back and even harder for me to remain awake under all the stress I was feeling. Everything spun suddenly and energy drained out of me.

I tried hard to not lose consciousness in vain. My eyes rolled back and I fell forward into darkness.

When I came to, I had a throbbing headache. I groaned and slowly opened my eyes that seemed to be stuck together. I winced and shut them when I was greeted by brightness, though blinked several times to adjust to the light. When my vision was clear enough, I saw wooden planks of dull brown as the ceiling.

I turned my head this way and that way to see that I was in a small, plain room, lying on a mattress, a little away from a pair of wooden-framed, paper sliding doors. I was enveloped in silence except for an occasion chirp of a bird in the distance. I tried to sit up but gasped at the searing pain I felt through my upper body, mostly concentrated on my back. I held my breath to help ease the pain. It was several minutes later that I heaved, sweating profusely from the after effects of the pain.

Memories of what had happened just before I passed out flooded my mind making my heart skip a beat. What had happened wasn't a dream. The lightning strike, waking up in a primeval setting, being chased down and wounded by people with katanas, being saved by someone, and him killing the five men without hesitance – none of it was a dream. My eyes stung but I clenched my jaw to maintain composure.

Inhaling deeply, I turned to my side slowly and pushed up on my hand. Tears fell from my eyes because of the pain but I finally managed to sit after a few moments of agony. The sheet that was covering me fell to reveal a light pink kimono that I wore instead of my jeans and t-shirt, delicate cherry blossoms painted on it here and there. Inside my kimono were bandages wrapped around my chest and torso.

"What in the world," I mumbled to myself. I swallowed thickly, feeling immensely uneasy.

It took me at least ten minutes to stand, wincing with every shock of pain I felt from the slightest movement. I then limped to the doors and slid them open. I stepped into the hallway and gazed over the beautiful courtyard of grass and trees and flowering shrubs briefly before picking a random direction to walk in.

While I shuffled forward, I thought of where I could possibly be. The buildings I had seen reminded me of historic settlements I had read about and seen in illustrations in my history textbook. It was ridiculous to think that I had traveled to the past because of a lightning bold but I couldn't really come up with any other explanation to my current situation. The very thought of something so fantasy-like happening freaked me out.

I inhaled deeply yet again to regain some composure, solely so that I didn't do something stupid. I turned a corner but stopped walking when I saw a middle aged man a few feet from me. He was balding but whatever hair he had left was tied in a top knot. He wore a haori and loose hakamas and had a katana at his waist, just like the other men I had seen since I found myself in the dark alley. It roused apprehension in me again but I stopped breathing when the man saw me. I deliberated turning and running despite the pain in my body but the warm smile he gave me made me hesitate.

"You're awake," he said, walking up to me. "I was quite worried when Tomoki returned with you from his rounds yesterday."

"Tomoki?" I stuttered, my voice hoarse.

"Yes, he's the one who brought to you here. He told us what happened and we were glad that he was able to save you from those rounin before they did anything to hurt you."

"We?" I croaked. Was he talking about himself and the guy who had saved me or were there more people?

"Ah, how rude of me," he said with a soft laugh. "My name is Matsumoto Keita. I'm the owner of this dojo – it's small but enough to teach the children and men of this village basic fighting skills."

"This is a dojo in a village," I more so stated blandly.

"Yes. I mostly teach hand to hand combat and the ways of the katana. Tomoki, the one who brought you here, is one of my students."

"Um, where exactly are we? We aren't in Tokyo, are we?" I asked, feeling the headache return from my reeling thoughts.

"Tokyo? Hmm, I haven't ever heard of such a province," he replied, touching his chin in thought.

Okay, now I was really beginning to freak out. Had I really traveled through time and landed in the past? Was that even possible?? I mean, Tokyo was one of the biggest metropolitan cities in the world, an iconic city that everyone in the world would know about. But if this man was saying he had never heard of Tokyo, let alone calling a province, I was really in quite a fix.

"That aside for now, I should take you to Lady Kana," Matsumoto san interrupted my thoughts.

"Who is Lady Kana?" I asked, my voice soft.

"She's kind of like the caretaker of this dojo and tends to those who are injured. She was the one who wrapped your wound and changed your clothes."

I sighed deeply in relief, glad that it was a woman who had tended to me when I was unconscious. If this man or the guy Tomoki had been the one to tend to me, I would be embarrassed to the core. I nodded to Matsumoto san and he led the way to Lady Kana at a pace that was comfortable for me to walk.

I soon began to hear people shouting. The sound got closer and it was not much later that we came across a room, both its sliding doors open. There were about twenty people standing as a group with enough distance between each other, all holding wooden katanas and practicing swinging movements. Every time they brought down their katanas, they shouted. Beads of sweat rolled off their faces and every practice blow they made was powerful.

It was quite a sight to see, actually. They were all in perfect sync and the obvious strength visible in their swings was mildly frightening.

"Stand straight! If you have such a weak stance, you will be killed in an instant, you fool!" a voice suddenly bellowed through the room, making me almost jump out of my skin.

Matsumoto san chuckled, "That's quite enough, Tomoki."

Upon hearing Matsumoto san, the guy who had saved me looked at us, his small ponytail swishing with the movement. I had only observed little of him when I had run into him but now I could tell that despite being lean, he was well toned. He wore a dull beige haori but instead of hakamas wore poufy trousers that looked like it was held down with elastic near his ankles. And he had two katanas at his waist now. I cringed.

"You're finally awake!" he said cheerily while he walked to us. I forced an awkward smile, gave him a chaste bow with my head and averted my eyes to the floor.

I heard shuffling and felt curious stares on me. I didn't look up, though stumbled back startled when I noticed Tomoki san's face way too close to mine. I shut my eyes reflexively and clenched my jaw, waiting for something to happen or for someone to say something. I had witnessed this guy of maybe 17-18 years old slaughter five men and being this close to him was not only uncomfortable but also chilling.

"Hmm, you don't look too good. Maybe you shouldn't have got up," Tomoki san said. I opened my eyes and shuffled back a bit only to feel excruciating pain from the sudden movement. I gasped, the strength left my legs, and I fell forward.

Tomoki san caught me, being the closest, and the men in the room erupted into laughter and teasing. I held his haori in my fists tightly, clenching my jaw and shutting my eyes tightly while I waited for the pain to ease out a little.

"Well, aren't you happy, Tomo kun? A pretty girl is hugging you to say thank you!" one of them teased.

"That's right! And maybe Tomo kun has finally met someone who'll take care of him!" said another.

"Yeah! Found himself a possible wife too!" came another teasing.

"Shut up, you guys!" Tomoki san yelled sounding flustered but Matsumoto san was the one to break them from their fooling around.

"Her wound is bleeding again! Where is Lady Kana?!" Matsumoto san hollered.

Tomoki san shifted so that he was holding me against himself, supporting all of my weight. If this was any other time, I would have definitely shoved him away in fluster.

"I'm right here, jeez," I heard a woman's voice followed by a soft chuckle. "Now which one of you punks hurt yourself?"

"Lady Kana, it's the girl!" Tomoki san hollered. His words were followed by a gasp and I felt a gently hand on my shoulder. I couldn't stop a whimper.

"Oh dear, this isn't good. Bring her to the room, Tomoki – I have to treat her wound again," Lady Kana instructed.

Tomoki san lifted me into his arms while trying not to make too much of a movement. It still hurt a lot and I bit on my lip hard enough to draw blood. I took slow, shuddery breaths as Tomoki san hurried behind Lady Kana and gently set me down on my front on a mattress. He was shooed out of the room and I winced when Lady Kana slowly cut open my kimono to see the wound.

I yelped when she applied something on the wound, making it sting like it was on fire. She bent a little so I could see her face through my hazy vision, "I'm sorry, dear. I know it hurts but you have to bear with me for a little while."

"I understand, Lady Kana," I said weakly. I kept my eyes shut and my fists clenched tightly until she had finished applying whatever she was applying on my wound.

"Can you sit up, dear? So I can wrap your wound," she said when she was done. I pushed up on my arms and managed to sit. I lifted my arms as high as they could go and Lady Kana wrapped fresh bandages around my chest and torso.

My cheeks were red in embarrassment the whole time. I had never been undressed in front of anyone before, let alone a stranger, and this felt really awkward. Sure, she was a woman, but still. Lady Kana seemed to notice my embarrassment and she smile, "You don't have to feel shy, dear. I'm a woman too, after all."

I managed a halfhearted smile and waited on pins and needles until she was done wrapping my wound. Feeling the salve she had applied numb out the pain to make me feel a little better, I regarded her with a smile, "Thank you, Lady Kana."

"You don't have to thank me for something so small. Anyway, here – you can wear this for now. We'll probably have to go shop for some kimonos for you later."

She held out a light blue yukata but I hesitantly met her kind gaze, "Um, would it be alright for me to wear something similar to what Tomoki san is wearing?

"A tomboy, huh?" she mused with a short laugh. She got up and stepped to the cupboard to get the clothes I had requested. She returned with clothes similar to Tomoki san's but in blue.

I thanked her and put on the clothes before sitting in front of her, "Thank you for helping me, Lady Kana."

"You should thank Tomo kun first because he saved you from those despicable rounin. I just patched up your wounds," she answered.

"That's true, I guess," I mumbled, looking down at my hands in my lap.

"Would you tell me your name?"

"O-oh, right, where are my manners?" I said, mentally scolding myself. "My name is Ruka."

"Ruka, that's a lovely name! I think it really suits you."

"Thank you," I said, smiling. My expressing fell to one of nervousness before I spoke again, "Lady Kana, could you tell me where we are and what day it is? As in the date."

"Oh? It seems like you've not been keeping track things, hmm?" she said, sounding a little sad. "You are in Hokin Province, in one of the villages in the south. It's the 18th of the ninth month today."

"What year is it?" I pressed.

"It's 1624," she answered. "Maybe you should rest, Ruka dear. Forgetting the year and the date and where you are...I think you need to rest to recuperate."

Nothing she said after the year registered in my brain. The number 1624 echoed in my mind over and over again, stunning me beyond belief. I was nearly four hundred years in the past! I was in the Edo Period! A period of war and political instability and samurai and katanas and...oh my goodness, what was I going to do?

"Oh dear, are you alright? You've suddenly gone pale," Lady Kana said, cupping my face with one hand.

"I-I'm fine, just a little off track," I stuttered and moved her hand away from me. I chewed on my lip anxious. What was going to do now? Stuck in the past, how was I going to survive? Where would I live? How would I live??

"Did you lose your home?" I met Lady Kana's gaze and my heart skipped at the beat at the somberness of her expression. She then whispered, "Was your village destroyed too, by that man?"

"That man? W-who are you talking about?" I asked, curious. She, however, put a finger to my lips to silence me.

"It's forbidden to talk about him but I will tell you little, since you seem a little...unaware of things. The man I am speaking of owns three of the seven provinces of these lands. Our province is currently at war with him, the lords doing their best to protect us from him. That's why the men here too are training. They will soon go to war, risk their lives to protect us and our province. However, that man is strong and he has burned down two of the villages whilst trying to take over our province – no survivors remain. I remembered this when I asked if you lost your home to him," she explained.

War, burning down entire villages, learning to fight – I was really in the Warring States Era. But the person she did not wish to name, who was he? It seemed that he was a very...frightening person, perhaps a leader, or an emperor.

"Lady Kana, who is the man you speak of?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper because of a subconscious fear that had stirred within me.

I regretted asking the question when Lady Kana shuddered. I clenched my fists, feeling a queasy tightness in my chest when she spoke, "He is known as Lord Kurai, the Emperor of Darkness. He is a ruthless and power hungry man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He aims to take control of all the provinces in this land...how many villages, how many lives have been sacrificed in this war against him. He is powerful, his army is enormous and our emperor is slowly losing, our hope is crumbling. We are afraid that we will soon lose the people we love too."

The pain and fear in her voice made my eyes sting. I felt sad for the tough life these people lived, though it was because of so many people living their lives in fear that the modern world was a safe place to live in. Their sacrifice had given me and the people of my time the freedom and haven we had. But since I was here now, I too would have to live like these people, in fear, at risk, unsure and uncertain about the future. The mere thought of it frightened me.

The title 'Emperor of Darkness' was more than enough to send a chill down my spine. I could only imagine how scary and cruel the man could be if he had gained such a title from commoners. But that matter wasn't what I had to worry about at the moment. I had to tread carefully, be always aware of my situation and make sure I didn't let slip the truth about myself. I had to go with the flow for now and just hope that everything would go smoothly until I found a way back home.

"I-I..." I began and Lady Kana met my eyes, "I am from one of the nearby villages, though began traveling a few years ago after some...things happened. I didn't know that things were so dangerous and grim...forgive me for not knowing."

Lady Kana only smiled understandingly, "It's not your fault for not being aware, dear. After all, parents do everything they can to protect their children. So did I...but I wasn't very lucky. I lost both my sons in the war."

I averted my gaze from her, feeling a suffocating weight on my chest. Taking a deep breath, I looked at her again, "May I stay here at the dojo? I don't want to travel alone anymore, not when things are so dangerous. I will do anything I can to help around and not be a burden."

"You don't have to be so uneasy, child. You can stay here at the dojo as long as you want to. You remind me very much of Tomo kun – he too came here after a traumatic incident. Now he is a part of our family."

"Thank you," I said, thoroughly grateful.

"Oi, Tomo brat!" she yelled the next moment and Tomoki san popped his head in with a scowl.

"What is it, old hag? And don't call me brat!" he protested. I couldn't stop a chuckle that escaped.

"Ruka here is going to be staying with us from now on. She is your responsibility. Treat her kindly, understand?" Lady Kana instructed.

Tomoki san scowled again but I noticed a slight blush as well. I brought my hand to my lips and coughed back a chuckle but it didn't go unnoticed by either of the two people with me. While Lady Kana gave a smile of amuse, Tomoki san blushed a little darker.

"Why don't you take her out and show her around the dojo and the village now?" Lady Kana said, reaching for her mortar, pestle and some herbs in an open cupboard a little away from us.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. C'mon, Ruka chan, follow me," Tomoki san said, motioning for me to follow him with a wave of his hand. I struggled a bit to stand but it was definitely easier than it was before. I gave Lady Kana a chaste bow with my head and followed Tomoki san.

When we were out of the dojo, I said, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Tomoki san. And thank you for saving my life. I'll be in your care from now on."

"Eh, it's not any trouble," he said, clasping his hands together behind his head. He turned slightly to look at me as he walked, sparing a friendly smile, "And you can call me Tomo kun like everyone else."

"Alright, Tomo kun," I said and we began my tour around the dojo and the village.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welp. Ruka has landed in the past, a period of war and struggle between powers. How is she going to survive??

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:D