Yuno

Epilogue

It was a cold day. Snow fell slowly upon the village of Karui. A wagon slowly made its way up the mountain pass towards the village.

"Looks like a merchant," one of the guards watching at his post commented.

The wagon slowly made its way up the mountain to the gates of Karuo. The carriage seemed to be empty. The horses had stopped just outside the gate.

" We should check that out," Said the guard to one of his companions.

They walked over to the wagon and began looking it over. The horse was starving and the wagon seemed to have been attacked. Arrows were stuck to the sides and a wheel had almost come off.

"Looks pretty beat up. I guess the goblins or kobolds got to them first," The guard remarked as he climbed inside the wagon.

" I found something," he said as he stepped out with a bundle of blankets and a katana in an obsidian black sheath. Crying began as he jumped from the wagon and woke the baby sleeping in the bundle of silk cloth. The baby was a girl, she cried as he tried to soothe her in his arms, slowly rocking her gently back and forth. 

A note slipped out of the blanket and was lost in a puddle of mud and ice.

"Damn," the guard said as he tried to save it, though it was difficult with the baby and sword in his hands.

The note was nearly unreadable after fishing it out of the mud. The only discernible words left were; Yuno, safe, away, and sword.

" I wonder what the message was?" The guard said.

The guard took the baby to the Daisho's palace in the village.

"Lord Ryo we searched a wagon that rolled into town. We found this inside," The guard said as he bowed and gently laid the baby and sword at the Daisho's feet.

" Where did this wagon come from?" Ryo asked as he picked up the sword and tried to pull it from its scabbard.

The sword would not budge. He set it down and picked up the infant. She quietly gazed into his eyes as he stared down at her.

"What is the child's name?" Ryo asked.

" Yuno, sir. We believe that is the child's name from a small note that was accidentally destroyed when we carried her out of the wagon," The guard replied.

Still holding the infant, Ryo looks into the child's eyes. And for a brief moment, the cold-hearted Daisho's eyes flickered with compassion.

"Have the child raised as a samurai, I want no mercy given to this child if the village has to raise it. When Yuno here is old enough she shall guard the village as my servant. Give her to Grandmaster Tao," Ryo declared as he handed the child back to the guard.

"As for this, have it sealed away until swords master Niju has returned," Ryo said as he handed the sword to one of his servants.

The guard left the palace with Yuno and brought her to the barracks. Tao later came to care for the child, where he would raise her for the next seventeen years.

Hours later, Master Niju arrived at the palace steps, entering its royal courtroom after being summoned upon his arrival in Karui. His kimono still had dirt from his long journey down the mountain, he had just finished a ceremonial sword-fighting tournament at the Temple of Cherry Blossoms. Thoroughly exhausted from his long day, Niju bowed before lord Ryo and took a seat at the tea table, sitting on the rice mat with his legs folded.

"How did you fare in the tournament?" Ryo asked as he sat at the table, opposite Ryo.

"Fairly well lord, I hoped to win but to my displeasure, I was bested in the semifinals," Niju replied

"Perhaps next year," Ryo replied." Though I was hoping you had won the tournament, that is not why I summoned you here."

Ryo gestured towards a servant to bring forward the obsidian black sword. Upon further inspection, Ryo had noticed much more detail along with the scabbard than originally. The was highly decorated with a black dragon gliding along with the scarab. The hilt was artistically inlaid with black iron clouds and bolts of lightning shattering through to the solid ebony steel hilt guard. The bottom of the sword is inlaid with a black diamond.

Niju let out a breath of awe, taking the sword offered to him by the servant. A spark from the metal raced along with his hand as he grasped the weapon. He winced at the pain but continued to inspect the blade. He tried to pull the sword from its scabbard, but it would move.

"It will not allow anyone to pull it from its sheath," Ryo explained as Niju struggled to pull on the handle.

"I will meditate with it for a moment, perhaps I will discover its secret," Niju replied as he placed the sword in his lap, still holding the handle firmly in his hand.

Moments later with his eyes closed, Niju began feeling a strange tingling in his hands as he focused his chakra on the sword. A blinding light flashed into his vision. A vision of onyx storm clouds, roiling with lightning, gathered in his mind's eye.

"I wait for the girl," A voice boomed inside his mind, the sound was nearly unbearable.

Niju gasped as he let go of the sword, severing the connection and releasing him from the vision. Sweat trickled down from his brow. Ryo calmly sipped tea and waited for Niju to say something. After a few moments of relaxing his breath, he grabbed ahold of the sword's scabbard and lifted it towards the middle of the tea table.

"The ancient spirit inside the blade, it spoke," Niju said as he placed the sword on the table. " It said it's waiting for a girl. Do you know who it's talking about my lord?"

Ryo raised an eyebrow, slowly placing his tea on the table.

"I believe I do."

End of prologue