IWH Chapter 13

-- Xai Mountains, Dragons tail rivers, 6 am--

The system of rivers that flowed through the Xai mountain range was known as the Dragons tails. The countless individual streams twisted and turned throughout the region providing waters to the rainforest and spanning off for miles to ultimately empty to the oceans in the south. The early morning fog blanketed the surrounding area that Yuko and Hisayo now traveled through in a white curtain. The girl yawned as she propped her elbows on the railing to look into the dark waters beneath the boat. Hisayo had come to fetch Yuko from her room well before dawn, promptly leading her to the docks at the lower levels of the compound, and ushering her onto a riverboat without a word. She could barely see the shore, more or less the area in front of the boat as they steadily floated down the river.

“So girl,” Hisayo finally said. “You saw my daughter fight? Describe to me, in the way that you do, what you saw.” The woman spoke from her seat at the stern of the watercraft, her legs crossed as she sat elegantly on her seat.

“She was faster than I was able to see, more graceful than I could ever be, and more deadly than I could possibly imagine,” Yuko responded. “She is truly someone to be feared, and also to be admired.”

A proud smile formed on Hisayo’s lips as she listened to Yuko. “But of course, she is my daughter after all. She will one day take my place as head of the family. I expect nothing less of her.”

As the woman went on boasting about her daughter, Yuko debated about bringing up what Ella had said. She quickly decided against it considering the location and her chances of survival should Hisayo react….excessively.

Besides, it was not her place.

“If you don’t mind me asking. Where exactly are you taking me?” Yuko asked. “I assume didn’t want to take me for a pleasure cruise down the river.”

“Look at you getting bold,” Hisayo commented with a smirk. She shifted in her seat, Yuko noticed the woman's expression change, it seemed she was seemed nervous.

“You are accompanying me to the family crypt. Today is my father’s birthday and I always visit his grave on this day.” As they continued their voyage, Yuko noticed that the fog was getting thicker, the weak morning light failing to penetrate the veil.

“Is it just me? Or is it getting darker?” Yuko commented. The boat moored at a wooden dock. The path leading up to the landing was lined with landing lit by bright torches.

“Your observation is correct. You should congratulate yourself girl. You are one of the few humans to ever set foot in the center of this rainforest. Welcome to the Heart of Darkness,”

The ramp extended towards the dock, the ominous path laid before them.

“Well, Ms. Hiragi. After you,”

--Xai Mountains, Hattori Compound, 9:30 am--

“God this place is huge,” Haru marveled as she explored the Hattori mansion’s many hallways. She had been around mansions before, she had spent a lot of her early years in her superstar uncle Keisuke’s southern villa, but this was something far beyond what she had ever seen. She continued through the maze of hallways until a sound caught her ear. It was a mesmerizing melody accompanied by a voice that captivated her ears and plucked at her heartstrings. This music? It's so beautiful…..yet so sad. Haru let the singing lead her through the halls to the small garden outside. The koi pond was filled with beautiful water lilies and colorful fish. Sitting on a rock near the pond edge was Akane, her eyes closed as she produced the beautiful noise from her erhu. She continued to sing the tune in a language Haru could not understand, but she still stood entranced by the girl’s beauty, the sun shone softly on her hair giving her an angelic appearance in the morning light. Haru stepped closer, accidentally crunching on a few fallen leaves, startling the Akane. She grew bright red as a blush colored her porcelain skin.

“F-forgive me. I did not think anyone would be around the courtyard at this time. I will leave.” Akane packed her instrument and started towards the door, only to be stopped by Haru.

“No! Not at all….I’m sorry for startling you. It was just…your voice and your playing, they were beautiful. I was legit mesmerized listening to you.” She responded. Akane blushed a deeper shade of red upon hearing the girls compliments.

“I..well….thank you..” Akane nervously responded, reaching a hand to her head to fidget with a loose strand of hair. Haru took a seat on a bench near the pond.

“Where did you learn that song?” She asked. “I couldn’t quite make out the whole thing but it sounded rad.” Akane sat down opposite her, a furrow of thought on her brow.

“When I was very young, My mother used to sing and play it for me as a lullaby. It’s a song that has been passed through our family for generations, so the language is a little...outdated.” She looked at the stringed instrument in her lap. “I had to teach myself how to play the erhu sometime later. It helped me…cope.”

“With what?” Haru asked. Akane looked at her with a tinge of sadness in her eyes that quickly turned back into a controlled, neutral gaze.

“You are quite curious for someone who doesn’t trust us. Who thinks of us as monsters.” Haru shook her head.

“I may not trust you, but I do not think you are monsters. You shot me, but you also saved my life. You may be dangerous killers, but you’re not monsters. In a way, I kinda get why Yuko is so comfortable with you all despite everything.”

“And you think this is okay? Are you sure it is not a natural method to lure our prey into a false sense of security? From the position we are in now, it would be very easy to kill you if I wished it.” Akane said, her threats were lost on Haru who sat unperturbed.

“Yet here we are,” she said. “You could kill me and there would be nothing I could do to stop you, yet you haven’t. You even covered for me yesterday. I don’t think someone who wanted to kill me would do that. So cut the edgy bullshit and just have a chat with me.” Haru’s forwardness broke Akane’s facade, forcing her to avert her gaze as yet another blush covered her face.

“I...don’t suggest getting close to me. I’m different than the others. I’m-”

“You’re gay.” Haru interrupted. Akane sat with a stunned look on her face, an awkward silence passing between the two. “You were going to say because you’re gay right. Because you’re into girls and the others don’t know. Don’t worry It was pretty obvious, nothing to be ashamed of though. I’ve experimented myself, Yuko and I got reeeeealllllyyy drunk one night and we…well you know, sometimes you have to do it with a girl to know you don’t like doing it with a girl know what I mean?”

“N-NO! I wasn’t going to say that at all! I...I…” Akane’s face grew red from embarrassment and frustration. She had reached her maximum tolerance for being flustered so far, and Haru’s sudden utterance was something she literally could not handle.

“I have….a thing to go do,” Akane flimsily excused herself and nearly broke out into a sprint from the garden, her heart beating a tumultuous rhythm against her chest. Once she was safely out of view in the hallway she leaned against the walls, fighting back a slight panic attack. Control it, do not let your emotions control you. Akane repeated the words in her head until she got a handle on her breathing. She would need to be careful interacting with the girl in the future. But why was she reacting this way to her? Yes, she admitted that Haru was rather..attractive but- Oh No Not again. Her heart rate sped up again as the thought of the girl passed through her mind. Haru still sat alone in the garden, confused as to why Akane left.

“Was it something I said?”

--Xai Mountains, Rainforest depths. 9:30 am--

True to its name the Heart of Darkness was unusually dark. The deep fog, as well as the dense canopy of trees, made it near impossible for sunlight to pass through; which resulted in Yuko stumbling after Hisayo in near pitch darkness at 9 in the morning. It felt as if they had been following the torchlit path for hours, but all she could see ahead was more darkness.

“How is it that you can see so well in the dark?” Yuko inquired. “I’m tripping over myself here.”

“It's a genetic family trait you could say,” Hisayo replied, casually strolling through the darkness. “Most of our more bestial traits were acquired through millennia of genetic manipulation and selective breeding. Or you can go with the joke that our ancient ancestor Hanzo mated with an actual beast.” She chuckled lightly to herself. “But yes our tapetum lucidum, as well as our enhanced physical abilities, are all a result of this. It’s part of the reason we isolate ourselves from the normal population.”

“For fear of hurting someone?”

“For fear of them hurting us,” Hisayo admitted solemnly. She turned to Yuko, her gold eyes faintly glowing like a predator in the dark. “Our eyes alone have given the world reason enough to fear us. It’s why one of our first monikers was ‘The Demon Clan’. In feudal times those with eyes like ours were hunted down or persecuted for being ‘denizens of the underworld’. Foolish.”

“I’m surprised, you all would actually be afraid of something like that,” Yuko added.

“You would also be surprised at the danger of angry mobs with torches and pitchforks.

Yuko could hear the small trace of sadness in Hisayo’s tone. “Ms. Hanabi said that she was able to live a normal life briefly. The people that came after her, must have just had some good sources to know who she was.”

“Oh, dear child. Such lowlives would never have an employer that informed. My sister started wearing colored contacts when she left. She remembered one day when she was out with her so-called friends, she forgot to wear them. Unbeknownst to her at the time that’s all it took to give away her identity. I can only assume that whoever hired them wanted my harvest my sister’s body for the black market.”

“What do you mean by harvest?” Yuko asked, afraid of the answer that would follow.

“It's exactly what you’re thinking, girl,” Hisayo said. “Our blood, our eyes. There are many who would pay a small fortune to possess those, and people who would pay even more to have one of us..alive. Over the years I have found my deceased brethren disrespected in..many ways. The worst of which was a set of eyes a mob boss had bought for his daughter, because she deemed them ‘pretty’. She would shine a light at them and watch in wonder as they reflected and shone brightly like ‘stars in the sky’.” Yuko could see the woman visibly tense up at the recollection, her hands forming tightly into fists. She’s sad? Yuko didn’t think the woman would be capable of any emotion besides ‘scary’ or ‘slightly less scary’. Seeing the woman visibly hurt over her family's suffering was...surreal.

“What did you do to him?” Yuko’s curiosity drove her to press further. Hisayo brow furrowed as her eyes took on a deadly look, her rage barely in check as she was forced to recall.

“Kyushu Jiro, the leader of the Kyushu crime family. We dismantled an destroyed his empire, we stole his revenue streams and slaughtered every member of his family. Everyone. It brought me great pleasure as I made him watch as I burned his daughter alive. Only when it was all over, did I send him to hell to reunite with his wife and daughter.

Ok, maybe she’s still scary. Still, I can’t believe they were responsible for the Kyushu disappearance! I need to ask about that in more detail later.

It felt like they were walking forever, and as far as Yuko was concerned they have been. Her mind had grown accustomed to the droll march and the unchanging scenery around her. The dark forest was so dull to her she had failed to notice that the torches lining their path, had all gone out, and their surroundings had become completely dark. She ran into Hisayo who had stopped dead in her tracks.

“Hey! Why’d you just-” Then she saw. In the shadows of the of the forest, she could see dozens of pairs of golden eyes peering at the two from the canopies and bases of the trees. She could feel the overwhelming presence of death hanging in the air. She heard the faint, harsh whispers of: “Intruder, Outsider, or Shin'nyū-sha.” Hisayo positioned herself between the assailants and Yuko.

“Stay close to me, and do not move. We are surrounded.” The older woman whispered. She then cleared her throat and confidently flipped her hair back. “My dear brethren! I’m sure you all know who I am, yet you still surround me dripping with such malice. I will excuse such transgressions if you allow us to pass and continue with our business. However, if you continue to block my way, I will not hesitate to remind you of your place. The choice is yours.” Hisayo’s confident ultimatum was met with silence. Giving rise to a tension so thick, Yuko swore she was choking on it. She remained still as she was instructed until an insect flew close to her face. She tried her best to ignore it, but it's buzzing became too much to handle and she swatted at it. Suddenly there was an explosion of movement as dozens of shadows leaped from their hiding spots, a multitude of weapons drawn, all aiming straight for Yuko. In the same instance, a loud SMACK! Resounded through the area. Hisayo had disappeared from sight, and the charging assassins began to fall from the sky, dropping like the leaves from the surrounding trees. As they tumbled unconsciously to the ground, Hisayo reappeared in front of Yuko, dusting off her hands and shoulders. Yuko could make out the figures and they plopped down around her. They were all clad in black garb, wielding a variety of deadly weapons ranging from, swords, sickles, knives, and other tools of the eviscerating type.

“W-who were they?” Yuko asked as she clung to the older woman.

“They’re just some cousins of mine. The ones who live here are a bit more feral than my sister and I. Even so, they wouldn’t just attack so recklessly. Even if you are an outsider you are with me, and the risk itself would not be worth it. Unless…” No sooner had Hisayo finished her sentence did she whirl around, whipping out her leg to intercept a powerful kick targeted at her face. A shockwave blasted through the area form the point of contact, shaking the limbs of the trees and forcing Yuko a few steps back. Hisayo grabbed her offender's foot and tossed them through the air, only to have them gracefully land on their feet after a somersault. The new challenger was female, pretty, about Hisayo’s age. She wore a short dark blue kimono with long-thigh length boots. A long fishing spear was strapped to her back, and a pair of goggles hung around her neck. Her pupils were narrowed and beast-like and gazed at Hisayo with an intensity that made Yuko’s hair stand on end.

“Genbu’s runt,” The woman spat at Hisayo. “It seems you still feel the need to be reminded of how worthless you are. And on top of that, you bring a Shin'nyū-sha to our family’s crypt. I should kill you both where you stand.

“Hisui,” Hisayo said. “Still single and bitter as usual. Maybe me roasting you alive will improve that pale, sun-deprived complexion of yours.” The woman known as Hisui’s eye twitched. She stared daggers at Hisayo. The two women rushed at each other, their hands locked together in a titanic shoving match, steam rose from where their palms met as they pushed against each other each person failing to force the other back. Their feet began to dig fissures in the dirt, slowly creating a small sinkhole from where the super-powered women pushed.

“I knew it was you...rghh..who ordered the sentries to attack me,” Hisayo said through gritted teeth.

“It’s the same greeting I give to pests or troublesome beasts. Sorry..mmf….couldn’t tell the difference.” Hisui retorted. The stalemate ended and the two fighters leaped back, gaining distance from each other.

“You’ve gotten stronger runt. I should have drowned you when I had the chance back then.” Hisui reached for her spear on her back.

“We aren’t kids anymore Hisui, I won’t let you do as you please.”

“We’ll see about that, little Sayo” Hisui said as her eyes began to glow, water began to envelop her skin like a protective cloak. Hisayo pushed Yuko backward as she activated her own fiery aura.

“I did not come here to fight. Stand down and let us through.”

Hisui smiled fiendishly, displaying rows of sharp shark-like teeth. “Not a chance, Suijin and I shall send you to the depths!” The women prepared to lunge for each other again.

“That's enough!” Hisayo and Hisui were forcefully slammed to the ground by an invisible energy. The two women struggled in vain, as the ground began to crack from the magnitude of whatever was keeping them pinned to the dirt.

“My my, you kids never seem to grow up.” An old man hobbled into view, flanked by an attractive pink- haired young woman, and a tall, handsome young man. The older man placed his hands on his cane as he looked at the two women struggling on the ground. The assassins Hisayo had subdued earlier had regained consciousness and moved to surround her, weapons pointed at her as she remained pinned to the ground.

“Ah, I see Genbu’s little cub has come to pay her respects yet again. And..” He made a beckoning motion towards Yuko, the girl felt weightless for a moment as she was lifted off of her feet and pulled towards the old man as he inspected her.

“You seem to have brought a gift for us,”

“Uncle….Tenri..” Hisayo eeked out. The old man tapped his cane to the ground as the same force hammered itself in the back of the two women’s heads knocking them out cold. Yuko still suspended in the air, became cold with terror as all eyes turned to her.

“Now tell me young one, what are you doing in my forest.”