The echo of the shot, loud and sharp, still rang in her ears.
Scared to death, she crouched even closer to the ground, hoping the tall grass would give her enough cover. For the first few moments, she had no idea what was happening or why she was suddenly in the middle of a gunfight. Her hands were shaking and her heart was pounding.
Tamiko had never been in a real fight before. Despite what her mother did, battles had always miraculously avoided their home. But that luck ended tonight.
She caught a glimpse of a body slumped to the ground not far from where she lay. The Imperial soldier's face was covered in blood, his dead eyes staring at her expressionlessly. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep from crying out loud and averted her eyes.
The shots and screams still reached her. She could smell the dirt on her face, the evening dew wetting her long hair as she clutched as close to the ground as she could, praying that a stray bullet wouldn't hit her.
A stranger's hand gripped her forearm, pulling the girl unsteadily to her feet. She looked closely into the eyes of an enemy soldier in a black rebel uniform. His face was hairy, but even his long beard and hair could not hide the burns on the right side of his face and his partially disfigured eye. Perhaps it was because of that, but the man looked terrifying.
He grinned unpleasantly. "What's a beauty like that doing here?"
He leaned even closer, almost as if he wanted to kiss her. She shivered slightly at the smell of his foul breath and pulled away as hard as she could.
"Take her," he pushed the girl towards the two other soldiers who had emerged from the surrounding darkness, "we'll talk to her later."
She wanted to scream, but completely paralysed by fear, she could do nothing.
"We're not supposed to attack civilians," objected one of the men who had just arrived. It was his hand that gripped Tamiko's so tightly that she couldn't escape. "Our orders are to head straight for the capital."
"Shut up," the one with the burned face interrupted. "Fuck the orders. I haven't eaten in two days. Besides," he ran a lustful eye over the girl in the thin dress. "I want to have some fun. Who knows what will happen to us after the battle."
Tami shuddered in disgust, her eyes filling with tears as she realised what they were planning for her.
Staring numbly at the burned man's face, the girl listened to them argue. Her gaze was constantly drawn to his crippled eye.
Suddenly, just then, the man's eyes widened, his mouth opened, but no scream came out. Only red blood spurted out. The body slid silently to the ground.
The one who was holding her, managed to scream. The other didn't.
In less than a heartbeat, three dead soldiers lay at the girl's feet, and she watched, uncomprehending, as bright red splashes soaked into the snow-white fabric of her dress. They reminded her of red rose petals.
Numbly, she looked up from her bloody clothes.
He was standing before her. Fear, shock and incredible relief. She felt it all at the sight of her saviour.
His long hair flowed wildly around his face, his blue-grey eyes icy and deadly, as dangerous as the blade of his katana.
"Are you all right?" He asked.
"Yes," she blurted out, proud that she'd managed to get at least that one syllable out of her trembling lips.
No, she wasn't all right. Her stomach heaved at the smell of blood and death, she struggled to stay on her feet, her knees shaking. She wasn't all right at all.
He wiped the bloody blade on his sleeve and ran his searching gaze over her once more.
"Did they hurt you?"
She just shook her head. She was trying to look strong and brave in front of him, even though she felt exactly the opposite. Like a weak and incapable girl.
He reached down and picked up the gun of one of the fallen. He checked it and took two more magazines, putting them in his pocket.
She jerked and yelped as more voices and footsteps reached them.
The black-haired assassin instinctively pulled her behind him, ready to defend the girl. But she soon realised, as he did, that it wouldn't be necessary. The group of soldiers approaching them wore the red uniforms of the Empire.
"What are the patrols doing?" He snapped at the approaching men, lowering the barrel of his pistol. "How come you let them pass almost to the house?"
"All the men on patrol are dead, sir," one of the soldiers replied. There was a note of respect in his voice, he even bowed briefly to the Imperial assassin. Almost as if he were standing before the Emperor himself. "We stopped one group, but more enemies are coming."
"How many?"
"Forty...fifty? Maybe more, we don't know. But there are many," his voice trembled a little. He was afraid.
Tamiko noticed that several other Imperial soldiers had joined them during the conversation. They were retreating, back to the house, she understood. Another wave of panic washed over her as she realised that a battle was about to break out.
"Take the girl back to the house and warn everyone inside," the black-haired man ordered one of the soldiers.
By now, even the girl had noticed the moving shadows that had crossed the walls and entered their garden. They were heading straight for them. The rebels were about to attack.
"What are the orders, sir?" Another of the soldiers echoed nervously, looking expectantly at the man with the katana. "Are we to fortify inside?"
"Why?" he grinned without the slightest hint of concern or fear. "Because of a few rebels?" He pointed with contempt at the approaching enemies.
His face showed excitement, his eyes gleaming in anticipation of the coming battle.
While most of the Imperial soldiers had great respect, even fear, for him, he was the one in whom their hopes were now being placed. His reputation as a formidable opponent had preceded him. His tenacity in battle, his cold-bloodedness were legendary. How could they lose fighting at his side?
The thought drove away their fear. It gave them the courage and determination to face enemies who outnumbered them at least two to one.
"Let's show them what we do to uninvited guests."
Then he and his men moved forward.
In the dark night, she could barely make out the silhouettes of the soldiers, but his tall figure, his arm swinging a sword, was easy to see even in the darkness.
To her as well as to their enemies.
"Shira!" She heard his name shouted.
The rebel soldiers, though outnumbered, hesitated greatly. The name alone could cause fear and panic in their ranks.
Tamiko saw nothing more. A soldier standing nearby grabbed her arm and urged her to hurry.
She went with him, but kept looking back. Still, she felt no more fear. At that moment, she was sure that he would defeat all enemies. As long as he was here, nothing could threaten her. They wouldn't get past him.
They reached the porch, where her mother was looking down at her with a stern expression.
*
They waited. Amidst the screams of the wounded and the loud gunfire. They waited to see how the battle would turn out.
It could have been only minutes, and yet each one seemed like an eternity.
Then, slowly, the gunfire died down. So did the screams. There was a silence that seemed even more sinister than the previous sounds of battle.
Footsteps and a few approaching figures.
Tamiko gripped her mother's hand tighter, but she didn't move. She wasn't running to hide in the house, she wanted to see whose soldiers were coming towards them.
She recognised him first. Her heart leapt with joy and relief.
His shirt was no longer white, but bright red, stained with blood. So were his neck and face. He held his katana in one hand and his pistol in the other.
"We have defeated them. You are safe. But the large group is heading further south towards the capital. We must move now or they will cut us off from our army."
"Understood. Good luck," the lady of the house wished him, giving him a friendly smile.
He bowed to her briefly before turning and walking at a brisk pace across the garden to the small house to retrieve his belongings.
After a minute's hesitation, Tami followed him.
*
When she stepped inside for the second time that evening, he was standing over the washbasin, rinsing the blood from his hands and face with quick, economical movements. His bloody shirt, gun and katana lay on the floor.
She ran her eyes down his naked back, looking for any injuries. Finding none, she asked anyway: "Do you need a doctor?"
"I'm not hurt," he turned to her briefly. His face and hair were wet, but most of the red marks on his face and neck had disappeared.
"You saved my life," she spoke slowly, standing stunned in the middle of the room. "You saved us all... thank you."
"You don't have to thank me, I'm a soldier, it's my job."
He grabbed a towel and wiped his face and hands. He pulled his long hair back, a few drops running from the wet strands down his neck and further down his bare chest.
She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to run her fingers over his smooth skin.
"Why did you turn me down before?"
She had to know.
"Why Yva and not me?"
He sighed and shook his head. "You're too young, you wouldn't..."
"I wouldn't understand?" She grinned. That was the exact phrase her mother used. And she hated it. She hadn't been a little girl for a long time.
"Okay," he turned to her, interrupting her thoughts. "What Yva asked of me, a few hours of fun, I could have given her. What you asked of me..."
"I didn't ask for more than she did."
"Of course you did," he smiled so beautifully she almost forgot to breathe.
She would never have believed that those icy, deadly eyes could look so gentle. She wanted him to look at her like that all the time. She wanted to see his beautiful smile and know that it was meant only for her.
He moved closer and ran his fingers lightly down her cheek. "You wanted love and... commitment."
She realised that he was telling the truth. Even though she'd come here determined to spend just this one night with him, she couldn't help but expect so much more. She wanted him to fall in love with her, to care for her, to stay with her. Yes, she wanted so much more from him.
"You deserve someone who can offer you these things. Someone like Reiji. I can't give that to you."
With that, he stepped away from her.
She nodded and watched in silence as he put on a clean shirt and then his leather coat.
He gave her a last look. "Take care of yourself and your mother, Tami."
And then he leaned down and, to her surprise, kissed the girl. Briefly. It was just a goodbye kiss, but even that was enough to make her shiver.
"W... will I see you again?" She stammered out, her cheeks flushed.
"Who knows?" He said simply, picking up his katana and leaving to join his men without another word.
*
*
*
*
Eventually she saw him again.
Many months later.
By then the Empire was in ruins, the Emperor dead and the rebels celebrating a great victory.
Yes, she saw him again.
Lying in blood and dying.
When she recognised his face among the dozens of wounded who had been brought to their house since the early morning, her heart almost stopped.
Reiji, who was standing nearby with a grim expression on his face, came closer to examine his injuries. Then he turned to Tamiko and shook his head.
"There's nothing we can do," he took her by the shoulders to lead the girl away.
"He's still breathing! Help him!" She screamed hysterically, tears streaming from her eyes.
"He won't survive. We don't have the necessary means, there are others who need..."
"Please, Reiji, please," she begged desperately. "Try something."
The young doctor bent down to the wounded man again, trying to feel the faint echoes of his heart on his neck.
Then he looked into the tearful face of his beloved girl and nodded. "He will need blood and we must operate now. But the chances of him surviving..." he didn't finish. "Go, get Dr Soichiro."
She was about to run when the dying man's hand shot out and clasped her wrist, an unfocused gaze fixed on the frightened girl.
She leaned over him, trying to ignore the horrible wounds on his chest, the open leg fracture, the trails of blood, the acrid smell of which assaulted her nose.
"We will help you," she promised, determined to do whatever it took to keep that promise.
The wounded man didn't listen to the comforting words, he had no idea where he was, he was on the verge of death.
Still, he looked into her bright blue eyes for a few moments, that beautiful smile appearing on his lips as he whispered the name that hadn't been allowed to be spoken in this house for many years.
"Taira..."
Her brother's name.