|
Kasumi
Chapter One: "Rebel
Without a Clue"
Current Location: forest between
Toran and Banner Village
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
When I
was young - younger, anyway - I was known, by almost everyone who
knew me, as the village bully.
Amazed?
How can anyone could find something wrong in a charming girl
like me, you wonder?
I'm only
kidding.
It was
the truth, though; I *was* a bully. I remembered picking on some of the
other children, making them fork over whatever treasures they had found
and secretly tucked away just for the fun of it; remembered intentionally
going against my superiors' orders during the early stages of my
training. They weren't fond memories, but they were memories all the same.
Back
then, I'd liked to think of myself as a "rebel". After all,
"bully" is such an ugly word.
And
now, here I am.
How
quickly one grows up over the years.
I'm
glad that no one holds any grudges today; I've tried to make up for
it so many times now. I'm glad that I'm not the girl I was before.
I
suppose it all boiled down to the typical teenage resentment, although
more serious than other young people undergoing that stage.
Maybe it was because I lost my family at an early age. Maybe it was
because I just looked at things differently than others did.
Or
maybe I make up all these excuses now to hide the fact that upon
reflecting upon my twelve year old self, I decide that I didn't really
like her at all.
And
maybe, just maybe, I hate the fact that buried somewhere inside
my head, she's still there.
Sometimes I scare even myself.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Kasumi was
finally free. She'd formally filed her leave of absence. Whatever
precious few possessions (was it her imagination, or where there a few
clothes missing from her closet?) she had were nestled against a flimsy
silk wrapping, safe inside the duffel she currently carries. She'd briefed
Raiko and Saiyo for about the twenty-fourth time, reminding them to sort
through the status reports, to continue negotiations with Seika and the
Kobold Village, to stay away from sharp objects and other items that were
capable of starting fires; the list went on and on. Her proteges,
unaccustomed to seeing her fussy, merely laughed, assured her that they
knew what they were doing, and promised to order take-out instead of
cooking their meals.
She must be
more nervous about this than she had thought.
Kasumi was
free. But she was also lost.
Puzzled,
she took note of her bearings, one of which was a large tree in the middle
of the circular path she was taking. She checked the small pocket map
in her hands, then opted for north, no real destination in mind. This was
new territory; she could find her way from Pannu Yakuta to Antei
without getting lost once, but she'd never ventured out into this area
before. It only reminded her of how much of the world she has yet to see.
Good
one Kasumi, oh-yea-ninja-of-the-world. You've barely left Gregminster, and
now you don't even know where you are.
The
way consisted of trees, for the most part. She caught herself going around
in circles only once; but Kasumi was sure that she had done so many times
by now. After an hour spent wandering around the thicket, she came to
a decision: walking would get her nowhere.
With that
firmly in mind, she promptly shinnied up the nearest tree.
It's been a
long time since she had tree-hopped; it was a lot like riding a bike. It
felt good, and it surprised her on how much she had missed it;
feeling the wind in her hair and the sun in her uncovered face; even
hearing the birds squawk in protest whenever a foot comes down
dangerously close to their nest was music to her ears.
She
brightened at the sight of a small tendril of smoke blowing in the
direction she was heading off to, smoke that looked like it was coming out
of a chimney. Smoke meant civilization, and civilization meant people who
knows where they are, and people who knew where they are meant that she
wasn't lost anymore, at least once she got there. She quickened her pace,
blurring from one tree branch to another.
She had no
idea that the Toran border would be surrounded by so many trees.
She didn't
know that the forest was inhabited by people either, until a long sword
sailed through the air and imbedded itself onto the upper part of a branch
Kasumi had just stepped on. It was all she can do to hug the tree
trunk to keep from tumbling down. Equilibrium restored, she blinked.
I
didn't know samurais lived in forests.
The samurai
in question, despite his near-accurate aim, didn't seem to know where
she was; he was crouched down on the ground, another sword in hand,
spouting off an endless stream of graphic obscenities at his unseen
opponent.
He must
have heard her, but he just didn't know where she was.
From what
Kasumi could decipher under all the curses, he was stating that he was
lord of the forest, and she, insignificant as she is, a
trespasser punishable by death at his hand.
He was
insane. Probably from all the weight of that gleaming metal. Kasumi had
always been against wearing armor that made one look like a walking
garbage can.
But he
didn't know where she was.
For a
moment, Kasumi considered escaping through the trees; the samurai was
encased in so much steel that she probably would have blunted her metal
claws trying to dent him. But she was feeling mischievious for some
reason; perhaps she was too much in a good mood, too long since she'd been
in a good fight.
Besides,
the man was getting offensive.
Her hand
crept sideways along the branch until it came into contact with a smooth
oval object the size of her hand. As a kid, Kasumi was adept at stealing
birds' eggs from their nests.
Drawing her
arm back, Kasumi paused for a brief instant, then chucked it at the
samurai.
It struck
him squarely on the forehead, yellow goo coating his head and visor.
Shocked at the very notion that someone would actually attack him with an
egg, the samurai flailed helplessly, taking a fatal step backwards. His
foot struck loose earth, sending him careening backwards onto the hard
cement. Hard.
Kasumi winced. Unexpected things
were happening to her nowadays. Lucky, but unexpected. Maybe she shouldn't
have done that. Samurais were prudes when it came to maintaining their
so-called honor, and she wasn't sure in what category of dishonor did
"getting-knocked-out-by-an-egg" entailed. "I guess I'm not
all that rusty." She said, a little sheepishly, to no one in
particular. Gingerly hopping down, she pried the visor off the fallen
warrior, then expertly peeled back an eyelid. "You okay?"
The
samurai, she noticed, was too busy being unconscious to answer. His eyes
were glazed, and a small spurt of blood trickled out of his nose. He would
be alright, at least.
Alright,
but poorer. Kasumi found a small bag containing some potch lying a
few feet away; apparently it had been knocked away from him when he
had fallen. Upon second thought, she returned half of the potch back
into the bag and left it beside him.
After all,
the poor man had enough bad luck for one day, his head hitting cement the
least of it.
Cement?
Her
eyes widened. Sure enough, there was a small gravelled path leading into
what looked like a small village. Finally.
Unable to
stop a relieved grin from spreading over her face, Kasumi took off towards
the village entrance, unfortunate samurai forgotten.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Back to
Kasumi |