♦⊱ Chapter 4 - Stranger ⊰♦

Ruka pov:

I wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand as I planted seedlings in the wet ground. It was noon and the sun was directly overhead. The sun wasn't harsh since the winter season was starting to set in but it was enough to make sweat drip down the sides of my face.

The cold was more noticeable in the evenings. We had to put on extra layers of clothes to keep warm and keep the chill out of our bones. Well, I wasn't really too bothered by the weather because I enjoyed cool weather. I found it to be pleasant and perfect for reading a good book while drinking something hot.

A whole year had gone by since I came to this time period. I had given up on any hopes of going home and accustomed myself to the lifestyle here, even liking it quite a bit. I suppose it was even fine to say that I had become one amongst those of this village, a replica of them in many ways. I still missed home every now and then but it wasn't as painful as before.

Working in the fields and doing house chores had become easier. I assume my endurance had got better thanks to the routine and I didn't feel all that tired after all the work I had done over the day. I had also become a better cook, having learnt many dishes from Lady Kana. There were even times when I took care of cooking from start to finish by myself when Lady Kana was busy with other cleaning or tending to unwell villagers who came to her for treatment.

My hair had grown out to reach my hips now and I hadn't bothered to cut it. I quite liked the way it looked, actually. I usually wore it as a long braid, sometimes a ponytail and other times tied only half and left the rest open. I kept it in a braid when I worked in the fields though, so it didn't get in the way. I had received compliments from Lady Kana that I had become more beautiful, a fine young woman in her eyes. Her words had flustered me but also made me happy.

Close to nine months ago, most of the men from the village had left to fight in the war. It was not only hard to send people we cared about into danger but managing many things became difficult due to the lack of men with good physical strength. I was especially sad that Tomo kun had left since I had become rather attached to him. His presence had been reassuring to me and important, enough to feel like a part of me was being taken away when he left.

Perhaps if he was going away for only a few days, I might not have felt so uneasy but the fact that he was going to a war from where he might not ever return had filled me with more sadness and worry. It was a question of life and death, and with no way to contact them to know if they were still alive or not...it was something that left me feeling terribly uneasy. I thought of him often and prayed for his safety and the safety of all the other people fighting in the war.

Even though we were in the dark about the people of our village, we had received good news that our armies had been able to reclaim one province so our emperor had three provinces under his rule now. However, the damage the province had suffered under the rule of Lord Kurai was devastating. Many villages were suffering in poverty now, their houses destroyed, their agriculture lands dry and dead, and many tormented by illnesses.

It seemed that Lord Kurai was only interested in power and domination, wanting to rule all the lands he could conquer. Well, there were several villages that still flourished under his dictating rule, bringing in wealth and high standards of living for all its residents through business and trade. But it was not right of him to neglect the smaller villages in the provinces he ruled. They were important too and deserved a prosperous life too. Didn't the concept of 'little drops make a mighty ocean' apply here too?

Besides, each and every village, no matter how small surely had people capable of bringing prosperity in one form or another. Perhaps business and trade were the most important means of prosperity but even handicrafts, pottery, animal husbandry, and so many other small-scale occupations could bring prosperity if done right. And agriculture was the most important occupation of all – it was the only means of food in this time where storage and transport of goods to and from other countries across oceans wasn't possible without the food spoiling. Agriculture had to be given a lot of importance and it began in smaller villages that Lord Kurai was neglecting.

He was being cruel...

I suppose ignoring small villages wasn't as cruel as the punishment he gave to those who did something wrong. If someone did something he didn't like, their limbs were cut off. If anyone spoke something he didn't like, their tongue would be ripped out of their mouths. If his orders were disobeyed or rebelled against, people were killed.

I couldn't stop the shudder from shaking my body at the thought of all the ruthless things Lord Kurai had done to people. He cared about no one, nothing besides power. He used cruelty to get what he wanted and he always made sure he got what he wanted. He had even killed three of his brothers because he wanted the throne...how coldhearted could someone be?

I shook my head to push away unnecessary thoughts for now. I finished planting all the seedlings and stood, smiling at my handiwork. I had planted them in straight line and with enough gaps in between so they wouldn't have any lack of space. Planting seedlings was a trick that I had only perfected after several tries.

"Ruka chan, I've got lunch!" I heard Miyuki san call from the pathway between the fields.

I waved to her with a smile, "I'll be right there!"

I stepped out of the field and washed my hands and feet. I walked to where the others who worked in the fields usually gathered for lunch and greeted everyone. Was sat on the ground around Miyuki san who opened her basket to hand each of us seaweed onigiri. We thanked her for the food and dug in, hungry from all the work we had been doing since the morning.

Miyuki san was a kind woman in her mid-thirties who working in the fields too. Her twelve year old son helped out too though did easier jobs that suited his age. He was bright boy, bubbling with energy and someone I had grown fond of. I saw him as a younger brother, just like Kojiro. In that way, I felt like I had the slightest presence of my real family with me here.

I finished with my share of onigiri soon and excused myself. Just as I was done washing my hands, Akari and her friend Maya walked up to me. They came to a stop in front of me with sharp stares I was so used to and I faced them, waiting for them to speak.

"Maya and I are going to go for a walk so watch over our fields as well!" Akari said. She didn't wait for me to answer as she linked arms with Maya and walked away.

"I can't believe she still treats me like this even though Tomo kun isn't even here..." I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

I walked to the usual lookout post to keep an eye on the crops and keep crows and other possible pests at bay. The parts of the fields where Akari and Maya worked were close by so I didn't find it too hard to keep an eye over them too. I took a seat on a boulder and leaned back on my arms to watch the fields and the sky every now and then.

The view from here was really beautiful and the desire to save it as a memory bubbled within me. I pulled out my phone and opened the camera to take several snaps of what was around me. I took pictures of the fields, the clouds, the trees and houses in the distance and even a few birds that flew past while chirping.

I put my phone away and settled into the serenity of the afternoon. Soon a tune came to mind and I began to hum it. I felt like singing for I hadn't done so in quite a long time. Closing my eyes, I parted my lips and began to sing.

Lord Kurai pov:

I cursed under my breath while applying pressure on the wound on my arm. A good amount of blood had soaked my clothes and was dripping down the sleeve of my cloak to leave a trail of blood on the ground. The pain was bearable but I had to do something to stop the bleeding before I lost too much blood.

I looked at the fields of the village I was in, a small part of the province I planned to take over soon. This wasn't a big village, or worth much, but the bigger villages were business centers of arts and iron that would flourish if governed properly. It would increase my power and control over all of Nihon.

I had put on a disguise to ensure my identity was not revealed when I inspected the villages of this province. I had come alone, covering myself from head to toe in a dark cloak with no worries of being attacked – I was strong and skilled enough to hold my own if I was confronted by even as much as twenty men. I had run into some annoying bandits before I entered this village – though I had taken care of them easily, one of them had been rather annoying. While lying in a pool of his blood, he had thrown a dagger at me and left a clean cut through my upper arm. Enraged, I had ripped his heart out of his chest with my bare hand. How dare a filthy bandit lay his hands on me, on the Lord Kurai they all feared!

I cursed under my breath again, though not at the bandit or the wound on my arm, but at the revolt I felt at the thought of the title I had been given because of my past and who I was in the present. I hated how I was hated by people, I hated the way they detested my actions and methods of running my empire, I hated the looks of disgust they had behind their fear. I hated every last one of these foolish and ungrateful people and so I wanted to control them. I wanted them to know who was in charge, who was their master, I wanted to show them their place – what they deserved, how they should be and what they should be doing instead of being fake and selfish and ungrateful. I wanted to gain control over all of the provinces to show each and every person that they could not subdue me no matter how hard they tried.

My mother and father, my foolish parents had given me the name Kichiro meaning 'fortunate son', hoping that I would bring prosperity to the empire they ruled, or so I had heard. But I wasn't fortunate for them. I was a burden, a bringer of doom and destruction. Soon after I was born, my mother passed on due to an illness, the empire was struck by an epidemic that took thousands of lives, and my father was assassinated.

I was blamed for it all.

My three brothers despised me, all relatives of the royal family despised me, and every last person of the empire despised me. I was made an outcast, considered an evil existence that would only bring despair to everyone. I was filth at everyone's feet, beaten and bruised every day, treated as a slave, as trash, locked in the dungeons and blamed for mistakes I didn't commit. I was unwanted, I was nothing.

I bore all the insults and abuse, still hoping that there was at least one person who wouldn't see me as unwanted. There was no one though and it was then that I decided that I could only survive if I became strong, if I became cruel, if I cared nothing of anyone around me. I could only survive if I gained enough power to control everyone and make them understand their place, show them who I was without allowing any mercy.

I took advantage of my uncle who offered to raise me, to help me overcome the misfortune that was thrust upon me. He trained me with the wits and skills of an assassin, having no weakness and aiming for the throne. He was the one who wanted the throne and only intended to use me as his puppet until he got what he wanted – I knew that but went along with his plans despite being used as a tool, beaten, bruised, starved like a wild animal kept in prison. I lived in the very pit of hell but I was patient, bearing everything that was thrown at me while plotting to make every person who had mistreated me feel the same hatred and humiliation that I was going through.

When I turned fifteen, I decided it was time that I put my plan in progress. I killed them all – I killed every last one of those who treated me like filth, every last traitor, every last selfish b****** who thought they were the greatest people to walk these lands. I killed my brothers and all the relatives of the royal family as well as several ministers who I knew would be a hindrance to my rise to power.

I remembered that day as if it was yesterday – I stood with a bloody katana in hand, my clothes soaked in blood while lifeless bodies lied still all around me. People began to fear me from that day onwards. They fell to my feet in subjugation, silent and unquestioningly obeying my every order. If they failed even in the slightest, I made sure they were punished with absolutely no mercy.

I was called a demon, a monster...and the Emperor of Darkness, Lord Kurai. I did and would continue to do whatever was necessary to attain absolute power and keep every single person well in line. I needed no one to show me kindness or pity or concern nor would I show any of these three to others.

Five years have passed since that day and I had only expanded my empire since then and become more powerful. I was yet to achieve the final goal, to reign over all the provinces of Nihon, but it wasn't far away from happening. But to think that one of the provinces had slipped out of my grasp recently...how demeaning!

Once again, I cursed under my breath at what had happened over the past few days. I pressed harder against the wound in my arm and it caused blood to ooze out from the portions where it had clot. The pain I felt from this wound was nothing – I had been through far worse and I had survived through it without anyone's help. This time too, I would be fine. I healed quickly and the wound was already clotting.

I was now merely a suspicious person walking through the village with onlookers who didn't bother to ask me if I needed any help. They didn't have the basic courtesy to see if someone wounded needed help. their nervousness and gazes of suspicion were obvious and annoyed me to no end.

I was called a monster but these people lacked even basic humanity to help someone in need. How deplorable.

I stopped walking, my train of thought coming to a halt when I heard someone humming in the distance. Keeping my face hidden, I looked to the side only to spot a young girl, perhaps in her mid-teens, sitting on a boulder. The loose strands of her long braid fluttered carelessly in the light breeze and so did the loose folds of the men's clothes she wore. She appeared petite under the loose clothes and she wasn't very tall.

She continued to hum an unfamiliar tune before she began to sing.

[Honey and the Bee by Owl City ~<3]

"Don't remind me that some days I'm the windshield

And other days I'm just a lucky bug

These cold iron rails leave old mossy trails

Through the countryside

The crow and the bean field

Are my best friends, but boy I need a hug

'Cause my heart stops without you

There's something about you

That makes me feel alive

If the green left the grass on the other side

I would make like a tree and leave

But if I reached for your hand, would your eyes get wide

Who knew the other side could be so green..."

I narrowed my eyes unable to understand the words she sang. But she sounded happy and alluring. Her voice made a sort of serenity settle in me. Her smile widened as she continued to sing, accentuating her perfect beauty.

"Don't remind me, I'm a chickadee in love with the sky

But that's clearly not a lot to crow about

'Cause when the stars silhouette me

I'm scared they'll forget me and flicker out

I taste honey but I haven't seen the hive

Yeah, I didn't look, I didn't even try

But still my heart stops without you

'Cause there's something about you

That makes me feel alive

If the green left the grass on the other side

I would make like a tree and leave

But if I reached for your hand, would your eyes get wide

Who knew the other side could be so green..."

She paused singing when the breeze got stronger for a moment. Fine dust rose and she closed her eyes to prevent it from entering her eyes. She shifted, turning to face me when the breeze didn't settle. When she opened her eyes, she spotted me. She watched me silently for a moment before noticing my bloody sleeve. I was expecting her to just stare at me in suspicious like everyone else but her reaction surprised me.

She gasped and sprinted towards me with an expression of worry, "Oh my goodness! Are you alright? Your arm is bleeding!"

She reached out to touch my arm when she was close enough to me but I narrowed my eyes and shuffled back quickly to put enough distance between us. She seemed surprised by my reaction and watched me silently, her doe eyes glistening in the sun. She still seemed worried and it caused my chest to tighten unexpectedly – not once had anyone worried about me, not even as the stranger I was now. But this girl had worried about me without hesitance – were there still people who had humanity?

Hesitant, she stepped up to me and crouched in front of me. She tried to get a glimpse of my face but I shifted to make sure she didn't. She sighed but then laughed softly, "I'm sorry for suddenly rushing up to you. You must have been surprised, huh? But you should really get that treated so it doesn't get infected."

I didn't say a word or make a move. I only watched her, narrowing my eyes while wondering why she was being so courteous. Was she expecting something in return? Surely that's how people were – if they pretended to be courteous, it was because they wanted something good in return.

"Alright," she said after a moment, "if you don't want it treated, may I at least tie something around your arm to help stop the bleeding?"

I hesitated a moment but decided to see go ahead with her whim. I raised my arm and her smile widened. She took a hold of her sleeve with her teeth and tore it off, making it into a strip that could be used as a makeshift bandage. She then wrapped the cloth over the wound tightly but not enough to cause pain.

Her gesture made me tense yet feel calm. On the very first glance and meeting, I found her to be different from everyone else. Her concern was wholehearted, unbiased, and not something that could be seen in just anyone. The way she had seen me without hidden, negative emotions made me want her. I wanted her for myself, to treat me like I mattered, like I was human. I wanted her to smile at me, to give me affection like she was doing now, to give me all the affection that I desired.

Yes, this girl would give it to me. She was different from the rest of the pathetic world and she would give me the affection, attention, respect, and importance that I desired. She would give it all to me no matter what...I would take her for myself soon along with this province.

Ruka pov:

I tended to the stranger's arm carefully, wrapping my ripped sleeve over his bleeding wound firmly but gently, hoping that I wasn't causing him more pain than what he was already going through. When I reached the end, I tied the cloth in a double knot to prevent it from coming off until this stranger got it treated.

I wasn't really sure if this person was a man or a woman because they were covered in a dark cloak from head to toe. Even their face was completely hidden from view. Although, I had a feeling that this person was a man, for he seemed tall and his arm was rather muscular. I didn't bother too much about it though and was just glad that I was allowed to at least help stop the bleeding of his wound.

I retracted my hand and smiled at the man. I tried to get a peek at his face again but he only lowered his head to keep it well out of my view. I shook my head with an amused smile at his secrecy though assumed that he had a good reason to hide his face.

We stood up and I took one step back to put some distance between us. As I had observed before, he was quite tall, standing almost a whole head more than me. He was also quite broad and it only confirmed my guess of his gender.

"I've done what I can to help stop the bleeding so you should get it treated as soon as you can, okay?" I said, smiling at him.

He didn't speak a word and brushed past me. I blinked dumbly for a moment before turning to stare at him as he got farther and farther away from me. I resisted a scoff from being a little bothered by his rude behavior. But I shrugged and walked back to the boulder to sit.

I gazed at the sky, momentarily wondering who that person could have been. A queasy knot rose in my stomach at the thought of him being a spy, one of Lord Kurai's men who had infiltrated our village. However, I soon dismissed the though – if he was a spy, I doubt he would have left me unhurt, let alone allowed me to tend to his wound. He was probably just a weary traveler.

Nonetheless, I could help but think of him as strange. Something about him was dark yet sad...and I had no idea why I had felt that way.

"Weird," I mumbled to myself.

I shook my head to push away unnecessary thoughts and leaned back on my arms smiling and proceeded to complete the song I was singing.

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

Omg, Ruka has just met Lord Kurai and it seems he has developed an interest in her, one that's going to land her in quite a pinch. How soon will he come for her though? What awaits her in the near future?

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:D