The Beauty Of The West

Chapter 23: Back Here

It wasn't long until Kanbe and I were well on our way to Honno-Ji. I didn't want to go back...but after this, I wouldn't have to. If the demon king was coming back, I had to be ready for anything underhanded he would pull. I just kept telling myself; I was trained for this. This is what Sensei trained me for.

My heart was pounding. I hoped the rumors Kanbe had heard were just rumors.

"Hey kid...are you okay? You're quiet." Kanbe bumped my arm gently with his elbow to get my attention.

"Yeah, I'm just...not too thrilled to be going back there. " I sighed. "And I didn't even leave a note for Mitsu. I hope he isn't angry with me when we return."

"He should understand. Besides, I have faith that you will kick Oda's ass and be back home before the Dark King even knows you're gone."

I chuckled at the thought. Mitsu was rather dramatic, I could picture him just yelling at Yoshitsugu for long periods of time until he decided to seppuku or something.

I began to feel guilty for my decision to leave without a word. What if I fought Oda and never came back? I didn't even tell him I loved him before I left.
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It was a 9 hour walk between Osaka castle and Honno-Ji. Close enough that we wouldn't have to stop for a rest or to set up camp until after the deed was done. I couldn't wait to be free of my fear, my anxiety, always wondering if they would find me and torture me the way they did back then. The world needed to be free of them. And I was going to be the one who made sure they were gone for good.

There was nothing but clear skies, broad daylight outside. It was a beautiful day, but when we came within range of Honno-Ji, it was like the sky had no sun. It faded to black, only lit by a few torches in the various camps.

I saw some people who probably would have recognized me. I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other to confront these men. At first I wanted to come alone, but now I was thankful that he insisted on coming with me.

Before I took a step further, I felt something cold around my ankles.

"Stop that Kanbe." I demanded.

"Huh??" He looked at me, confused. He stood beside me, but not close enough to grab my ankles. I looked down, finding something black and transparent. I opened my mouth to scream, but whatever it was covered my mouth too.

Before I knew it, I was lifted off my feet. Kanbe was grabbed too, and we were separated.
I was held by one ankle, hanging upside down when I came face to face with a woman, seemingly about my age. She had long hair and dark eyes. She was definitely not normal, with the way she controlled phantom arms...

"My my...what a pretty thing you are.." she giggled a little, but in a very creepy way.  She was with a few men, who recognized me.

"Hey that's the girl that escaped a while back!" One pointed at me. My eyes widened, fear filling my entire body.

"Oh? Is this butterfly a friend of yours...?" This woman's voice was soft and innocent.  I desperately tried to no my head to tell her that they weren't.

"The boss had us keep her in the castle. We had lots of fun with her." One of the men explained with an evil grin, that I remembered all too well.

"I see...!" She gently put me down, lowering me to my feet." She retracted the shadow arms and looked at me.

"I want to hear all about the good times you had...but perhaps...it should wait..."

"There were no good times!" I tried not to shout too loudly. "They used and humiliated me for their own satisfaction! There wasn't a day when I could sleep well. And they stole me from my family!"

"Oh, no...this isn't true is it...?" The woman asked, turning to her men. It was silent as she looked at them, waiting for an answer. But the silence told her enough.

The shadow arms that grabbed me, suddenly grabbed each of the men by the neck.

"Now, that wasn't very nice was it...? It isn't good to clip the butterfly's wings..."

She kept her cool, and kept calm with her soft voice while she slowly strangled the men, right in front of me! I wasn't one for torture, and I felt evil for watching and feeling some kind of satisfaction.

"I do apologize for them..." she slowly turned to look back at me.

"What's your name?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oichi..."

"I'm (Y/N)." I smiled. What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Something is calling me here...I think...it is my brother. He has come to find me..."

"You lost your brother here? Well...I guess I can help you find him..."

"That would be lovely..." she looked at me, then returned Kanbe. Where was she keeping him??

Kanbe kept looking at me strangely, doing some weird gesture with his eyes. Why he didn't just tell me what was going on, was beyond me at the time. So I lost interest after a while of trying to figure it out.

"No...he isn't here..." oichi sang softly as we made our way through a few.  camps . There were no live people guarding it so we were able to pass, but it was strange how there was just a pile of dead people sitting there. I looked over it, since it didn't seem to bother Oichi.

From what I remembered, Honno-Ji had a circular path that led from the temple. In other words, we could split up to cover more ground, but that was probably not a good idea. It was dark, who knows who could have been hiding in the shadows. I somehow felt safer with Oichi. She looked like she knew her way around, which was suspicious, but I didn't read too much into it.

We saw a light, which illuminated the sky a dark red. It was a huge Oda crest, the blossom, surrounding a camp with live guards. The crest flashed slowly, closing in on the men like a ring that wouldn't let them escape.

"What is that??" I asked, in a panic. "What is happening to those men??"

"He is near...brother..." she whispered, as she slowly took a few steps forward. Kanbe and I stayed behind her and looked at each other. No doubt he also thought she was a little disturbed. I had no idea though.

As we made it to the men in the bright Oda crest, it began to flash faster, and faster the closer we got to it. Part of me wanted to tell them to run, but the the other part didn't care for their safety.

Finally, when we were close enough, the camp filled with a bright light, blinding us. I couldn't see what was happening to those men, all I knew was that it was painful, and when the light dimmed down, the men were dead.

"Poor souls, so terrible..." oichi giggled.

We saw some towers light up with a red and black flame and with every camp that died, another tower lit. There 7 total.

We came to a ledge that we could have climbed down. It had an arena-like setting. There, in the center, was someone I recognized. Someone I wished I would never see again. Someone that had to die. The Devil King himself, Nobunaga Oda.

I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be. I was angry. Part of me couldn't wait to get my hands on him.

"Brother....there you are.. " Oichi smiled and began walking slowly to climb down the ledge. I was shocked to hear her say that. Maybe that was what Kanbe was trying to tell me earlier.

I watched as she climbed down, and followed shortly behind her so I could stay hidden. Was she in affiliation with Nobunaga? Would we have to fight them both? I was anxious to find out.