Accused [Hiatus]

Chapter Four

Shirogane stood bewildered as Shou repeated, “You are under arrest for the murder of Hashi, Kane.”

“You must be joking,” Shirogane chuckled. “I just spoke with him along with my father just two days ago. I haven’t seen him since; he was just fine when I last saw him.”

“A witness has reported seeing you at Kane’s home just five hours ago,” Cliff held a disappointed look. “There are marks around Kane’s neck, signs that he had been strangled and his hands are bruised also. He must’ve fought back and you were the last person there.”

Shirogane shook his head now becoming angry, “You’re accusing me of murdering Kane? He was the father of my closest friend and you dare accuse me of murdering him?”

“You were upset about his abdication,” Shou responded quickly.

“But I wouldn’t kill him!” Shirogane snapped, “Yes, I was upset but not to the point that I would do such a thing!”

Shou and Cliff stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the general, Cliff being taller than he but Shou was fairly the same height as Shirogane. He was confused and angry, he just wanted to kick something and beat it until his hands were numb. He quickly pulled on his boots and shoved his way between the two who grabbed his arms; Shirogane pulled himself from their grip with a glare. “Relax; I am not going to run! I want to speak to Ohaneh”

“Why?” Cliff said, taking his hands from Shirogane.

“I know he sent you two for me,” Shirogane muttered.

The three of them walked down the quiet streets, the only source of light shining over the streets shined from the moon and some light from a few homes. The sound of their shoes clicked after every step they took down the wet pavement. Shirogane looked around the empty town, seeing a few of the soldiers eyeing him from a distance and then he suddenly stopped. He stared at the building that held the dead prince’s memorial, a large painting of Tamotsu smiling alongside his mother, his dark brown hair tied up in a bun. He remembered the beautiful painting that was created shortly after his friend’s death, this painting was nowhere in sight. Painted over, erased from the memory of the kingdom. Shirogane looked at the two behind him, “Where is the memorial?”

“Ohaneh had it removed,” Shou answered. “He said there was no use of keeping a memorial like that in sight, it would only bring grief for the people of the South. Ohaneh thought it was time to move on”

Shirogane was gently pulled away from the sight by Cliff. He was no longer angry but furious with what Ohaneh had done. The memorial was for remembrance of Tamotsu and his mother who were both murdered by unknown assassins, the queen died two years before Tamotsu had. The citizens of the Southern Kingdom were in mourning for the queen for three years and went back into a depressed state once the prince had been assassinated. His body burned in anger for Ohaneh, loathing him more and more.

“Shirogane,” Cliff shook him, “are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Shirogane muttered.

…X…-…X…-…X…

Shirogane pounded on the door of Ohaneh’s office, “I want to talk to you, open up!”

“Shirogane, be patient!” Cliff warned.

“Excuse me? You want me to be patient?”  Shirogane snapped. “Sure thing, I’ll be very patient”

He stood in front of the door with arms crossed across his chest. Before a minute could pass, Shirogane again begins to slam his fist against the door. “Open up!”

The door suddenly is slid open, Ohaneh’s face twisted in anger and exhaustion. “So I was right, that mouth of yours sure can get anyone’s attention can’t it?”

“I’m not here for small talk,” Shirogane entered the room without being invited and shuts the door behind him leaving Cliff and Shou on the other side. He glared into the older man’s eyes, “You painted over the prince’s memorial and send those two out to arrest me for a crime I did not commit? Where is your evidence?”

Ohaneh smiles, “Oh so that’s why you are here? I was just as surprised as you were when a witness reported they saw you leave the crime scene.”

Shirogane’s eye twitched as Ohaneh swiftly walked to his desk, his hair free of braids and his robe tied loosely around his bare chest. He looked at the young general and pulled on a false look of concern, “I don’t know what to say, General Kusakawa. But to be safe I ask that you leave with Betancourt and Hisami to be held in captivity.”

On cue Cliff and Shou enter the room both taking each of Shirogane’s arms with blank expressions and guide him out of the office. Shirogane looked behind him at Ohaneh who quickly hid his smirk. Cliff instructs Shirogane to hand over his dual swords once they exit the room, Shou stands behind him making sure the general does not pull any stunts. Reluctantly, Shirogane unbuckles the straps of the sheaths and hands them to the taller man. In an instant, he stomps on Shou’s foot behind him, turns on his heel and swiftly kicks the weapon from Cliff’s hand. He grabbed the swords in midair and ran down the hall, not looking back to his comrades who shouted after him.  

Shirogane shoved the entrance doors open, tripped over the stairs and somersaulted quickly as possible. He looked up at the line of soldiers who blocked the main entrance of the palace, and scanned around for another exit. Shirogane heard footsteps behind him and sprinted off to one of the nearby trees, climbing it swiftly and jumped over the gate landing on the roof of a home. He cursed at himself and leaped from roof to roof towards to the main gate of the Southern Kingdom. He hopped off out of sight from the other soldiers on horseback and ran through the allies; he crept into a departing pottery cart leaving. Shirogane gritted his teeth and peeked through the curtains of the cart watching the palace gates gradually shrink in distance.

Shirogane sat quietly bored in the shaky cart, his eyes growing heavy from exhaustion but he knew he was unable to rest. So much happened in a blink of an eye the events replaying in the small theatre in the back of his mind. Anger, confusion, betrayal, the churning of his stomach was warning him just as he suspected would come: the feelings everyone ignored, but he could not blame Ohaneh for what had happened. No evidence that Ohaneh might be Kane’s murderer, for all he knew some stranger could have done the job and immediately blame the one who no one would have suspected. At the same time he thought about Ohaneh’s first appearance in the Southern Kingdom, the way the older man looked at him, the way he acted towards him when no one was around. Ohaneh new something and whatever it was gave Shirogane butterflies. He felt sick just thinking about Ohaneh.

The sun was beginning to rise, startling Shirogane. It felt like a day had passed but he knew his escape from the cuffs was just a few hours ago and felt uncomfortable being outside the palace walls. The cart came to a halt and began to become hot inside. Shirogane removed his coat folding it up and crept back out the cart without being noticed. A gust of hot air hit his body, the air was dry as a bone and he looked around his new surroundings. He almost slapped himself; he was in the Desert Lands.  He looked at the cart he came out from seeing no symbol of the X.T. Kingdoms which made perfect sense to how the cart and its owner had entered the forbidden land.

From what Shirogane understood, the Desert Lands and Xiao Tong weren’t exactly known as best friends. Years ago the X.T. Kingdoms had gotten into a conflict with one of the most ancient cultural kingdom in the Desert Lands. The kingdom began to harass the Eastern Kingdom, warning if the East had not given them any resources a war will be declared. The East stood strong and seemed to have dared this kingdom to make the first move, but one of the largest desert kingdoms known as “Death’s territory” stepped in to protect the smaller desert kingdom. The East was attacked and war had begun between the “Death’s territory” and the East. The kingdom was told it had been diminished along with the people in it; “Death’s territory” was now nonexistent.

The current location he was now in he did not know of, but Shirogane knew he had to get away before he was questioned by any of the villagers. At the same time, he needed to know where he was at in order to get to one of the X.T. Kingdoms…

Shirogane shook his head, unknowingly leaving village miles behind him. Where can I go? If Ohaneh’s speech reached the North in less than a day, the order of my arrest has already spread. He felt lost and now stressed. He sat in the hot sand scooping up some in his hands and letting it fall with gravity and dug a hole burying his armband and his coat, “What now?”