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Beautiful Moon
Chapter 1
It was well into the night. The air was crisp as the night sky was filled with the many stars of the universe. It was a cold Novembers night and was no snow yet to have fallen. The leaves had shed from the trees and the lands across Japan rolled into autumn.
It was a horrific night. A small village near Iwate in the Tohoku region on Honshū Island, Japan. It was suppose to be a night just like any other where the men of the village would go out fishing and hunting to prepare for the long winter months ahead of them while the woman and children stayed at home handling the households and other needs that needed tending to.
It was also the Fourteenth century of feudal Japan, during the Heiji War. Since this was only a small quiet fishing village, most men did not attend to war since it mostly resided in the south western region of Japan, therefore giving the villagers peace and undisturbed days.
But to look down upon a more observant character, her life would forever be changed, no matter what path she was to choose. Only at the tender age of seven, this young girl was unlike others in the village. She was strong, dedicated and held much compassion in her eyes. She would always be seen with a smile upon her face and always willing to help out those in need. Her father was a renowned samurai warrior who would teach her and her older brother the arts of samurai fighting as well as judo. Her mother was the caretaker of their home and, like many of the woman in the small village, tended to the everyday needs of their families and village. She also had an older brother. Only 9, but was a very energetic and smart boy who followed in his father’s footsteps in learning to become a samurai.
To her, she had everything that she could possibly need. A loving family that took care and taught her, lived in a small but comfortable village that she had adapted and grew to love with each day that passed. She enjoyed doing the everyday things whether it was helping with fishing, cooking, cleaning, helping other villagers, she would always be there. She was blessed with good fortune and a loving environment.
For so it would seem.
No one would have expected what would happen next. A fateful night that changed the lives of many.
Whenever the sky was clear, she would go down to the nearby lake where she would gaze up at the stars and moon while sitting in the glass. Tonight, it was a full moon. The water was clam with no wind in sight. It was truly a beautiful night. She would close her eyes and lay in the glass, letting go of her thoughts and enjoying the silence of the countryside. This was true peace. Opening her eyes, she gazed up at the moon. The night guardian that watched over and protected the Earth as it feel into slumber. The moon, surrounded by all the stars still seemed lonely in her eyes every time she came down to the lake to watch over it. And every time she would think about it, an image of her mother would appear in her mind. Remembering her mother’s words that she spoke to her every night she was tucked into bed.
The moon, at its calm and serene face. Sometimes it’s bright, like a smile of a child. And sometimes it’s dark, like the face of a depressed girl. But it’s always there, watching over us, protecting us as we sleep. It always was and always will be there, from the day you were born, to the day where you will eventually die.
She’s always had a fascination with the moon, which she calls her guardian of the night. Her mother’s poem she would never forget.
But a disturbing sound halted her peaceful thoughts. Galloping horses and an echoing sound of shouting. A sudden feeling of fear grew in her body, becoming numb. As she rose from the grass and began to run up the hill away from the lake, there in her nearby village were bright lights—flames. Screams filled her ears as well as the sound of cries and metal clashing against one another.
To this young girl, she had not the slightest thought to what could be happening. At that moment, the only thing she was worried about was her family. And that was all she needed to tell herself to return to the village. Although dangerous, she begins to run—running down the forest path which led back to the village. Up close, it was even more horrific than from what she saw back at the hill. Men dressed in black riding horses held torches, which were used to burn the homes. Others were on the ground with a ninja-to in hand. She was quite familiar with the weapon. A ninja-to was the primary weapon of a ninja, much like a samurai sword but was considerably shorter, about only 24 inches in length, and the quality of the swords was inferior of a samurai sword. Still, it was a powerful weapon and could still be used to kill many. Seeing as they were using that weapon, the logical assumption was that these men were in fact ninjas. Ninja’s weren’t a respected social group in Japan. They were an underground society and were highly trained guerilla warriors that used every weapon in the book. Her father had once told her about ninjas that dressed completely in black that raided villages. They were known to be apart of a group only known as The League.
But why would they attack a small fishing village? They had no valuables of any sort or anything in the village worth taking. Still, she felt that she had to know—had to know the reason. Running into the village, she scouted looking for her family. The ninjas were burning all and killing everyone. She felt her eyes water up from the sights and sounds. She couldn’t really find the right words to describe what she saw. It was more then what words could describe…
“Mizuki!”
Finally, a familiar voice. To her side, she saw her father approach. He was covered in dirt and blood from fighting off the ninjas. Half his sword was covered with blood. It was the first time she actually saw her father using his sword. After retiring from the life of a samurai warrior from when he was in Tokyo, all he had ever done with his sword was maintain its sharpened point and polished texture. It was suppose to only remain an ornament, a symbol of his hard work and efforts from when he was in the war. But now it had been stained with blood once again.
“Father…” Her voice was sad and isolated, filled with concern at his image.
“Mizuki, we must get you out of here!” Her father then picked her up and retreated for their home, which was yet to be harmed by the flames of fire. Inside, he opened a secret compartment under the floor and carefully dropped her in. “Even if our home is destroyed, you will be safe in here.”
“Father, no!” She retorted, crying. She could feel her heart race, eyes swelling up from the tears. “Where is mother!? Where’s Ichiro!?”
“I will go and bring them back.” He spoke. “Stay here, stay low. You’ll be safe.” And with that, he closed the compartment door, leaving her in the dark basement shelter alone.
“Father! Father!” She continued to scream. “FATHER!” But it was no use, for her words went unanswered as she heard his footsteps leave the house and back outside. She closed her eyes huddled in a small ball, wishing for it all to end. But the cries and screams did not come to an end. They continued well into the night until finally…there was a silence.
But Mizuki could not leave the shelter. Was it that she was so scared that she could not move her legs? Or was it because of that silence that she was afraid to see what was of the village? Perhaps it was a mix of both. But truthfully, it was also because she was alone. Her father had told her that he’d bring mother and Ichiro back. That was the main reason why she was afraid of the silence. If it was over and the ninja’s had left the village, where were her family?
As dawn approached, Mizuki finally found the courage to leave the shelter. Doing so, she opened the compartment door and jumped up back into her home, which was almost completely destroyed. There were still small flames around burning what was left of the wooden huts. Leaving the home, she stood there in complete shock.
The chaos was indeed over.
But what remained of her village was close to nothing. All homes were destroyed and as for the villagers, their cold bodies laid on the ground, drenched in their own blood.
She took in a deep breath, trying to prepare herself. She began to walk forward and to her own disbelief, found both her parents to be dead as well. It was all too much to take in, finding tears to once again beginning to escape her eyes. A hurtful reality that she was forced to face.
To be surprise that very moment, she heard a movement, the sound of someone. Looking into the directing, Mizuki saw something that would have never of expected. In the distance, someone lying on the ground, breathing. What more, when she approached the person, she felt her heart beginning to pound even faster then before.
“Ichiro!!” She screamed, running to his side. Kneeling down beside him, Mizuki carefully placed his head on her knees, staring down at his face. He was wounded, blood drenching his shirt.
Gathering of what strength he had left, he opened his eyes to be confronted by his younger sister. With his breathing doubling, he forced a smile, relieved to see her alive and unharmed. “M-M-Mizu…ki…”
“Ichiro…Ichiro…” She cried. “What do I do Ichiro? Everyone is dead…everything is gone…Ichiro…I…don’t know what to do…”
“…Mizuki……” He forced out. “Live…live Mizuki…”
“Ichiro…”
In his right hand, he held a sword, a samurai sword that their father had got him. Mizuki knew it well. It was a Katana that their father had brought back with him from Tokyo last year. Ichiro being fascinated by samurai, he gave him the sword and began to teach him the way of the samurai, just as he was taught in Tokyo. Becoming a samurai was all that Ichiro wanted more than anything. He wanted to bring the Heiji War to an end.
“Take this…Mizuki…” He spoke, giving her the sword. “Mizuki……live…become strong…”
“No…Ichiro…ICHRIO!” But there was nothing more that could have been said or done. He had closed his eyes, falling into the deep slumber of death that had taken his life. Mizuki gripped tightly onto his katana, crying. “Ichiro…”
Just as day becomes night, autumn into winter, or a simple smile into a frown, adversity had come and took everything away. Such a simple and carefree life turned around. She had no family. She had no home. Fate that had come and taken everything she had ever known and loved away.
But why? Why did she deserve such a fate?
At that very moment in time, something changed inside of Mizuki. Her smile was no more. She felt her confidence shrivel and compassion drift away. She felt isolated and alone, for she now was. Lost hope and an undecided path in life. But one thing was for sure. The League. She would make sure that they wouldn’t go unpunished. She couldn’t allow them to get away with these crimes.
When it seemed that all was lost, someone came. Someone saved her. And it was then she knew…her life would never be quite the same.