Life Never Ending (Part 1)

Posted on Mon May 23rd, 2022 @ 7:01am by Kyle Cragen [Reece] & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson

Mission: Tales from the other side of the Mirror
Location: Earth, Japan
Timeline: 1587 AD
2910 words - 5.8 OF Standard Post Measure

***Greetings, my friends, and welcome to another possible story that has played out in the vast number of universes out there. While there are multiple outcomes for each and every decision made in your reality, so the same goes for your main alternative reality. Let us sit back, and watch, as the path of one of the Mirror Universe's inhabitants, not only differs from what would have been, but alters to something completely different.***

Japan, 1587, Noto Province, Near modern day Toyama

Two horses pulled a lone cart through the dead of night. The cart was laden down with boxes of belongings and a Slim female girl, aged 18 winters, rode atop the wagon, guiding the horses as quickly as she could away from the battles behind her, heading for the nearest temples.

Akayama Natsuko was the last of her family. A family she had known since birth though now she was alone.. She had packed her family's belongings after they were attacked, and all had died except her. She had woken, covered in blood and wearing clothes cut by swords, stained with the fluids of the men who raped her, surrounded by the bodies of her family. She had run through the fields to the man who she was meant to marry only to find the same carnage there. Knowing that she had little time and a young woman alone would cause comment, she had struggled but managed to hitch the two horses to the family's largest cart, and pack in it, her father’s swords, her mother’s kimonos, the family’s money and jewelry as well as clothes and food for an extended journey.

===Meanwhile===

Kyle rode through the district, dressed like a Ronin, the mask hiding his Caucasian features. He saw the destruction that the humans were bringing to themselves. It pleased him to see so many dead. Since his parents had been burned at the stake, nearly two hundred years prior, he had set out to kill every human he came across.

So far, he had been rather busy. In the first hundred years alone, he completely eliminated the entire British Empire that was located on the British Isles. He used the citizens of the Empire itself to do the deed, then he dispatched the survivors.

Now, he was in Japan, after hearing about the strife that had taken hold, he descended upon them.

After eliminating nearly three thousand over the past five years, he moved through the countryside when he came upon the young woman in the cart. He reached for his sword, but then stopped himself when he felt an odd stirring in his bones. There was something different about her.

In perfect Japanese, he asked, "Hold, maiden! Where are you going?"

Natsuko looked up and pulled the horses to a halt and in the way of a young noblewoman lowered her gaze and said "Sir, I go from my home here in Noto to the temple up the mountain. She pointed to the mountain in the distance. "If i am trespassing forgive me, I am new to this part of Noto."

Kyle looked over the woman. Something about her made him want to protect her. "Follow me. The countryside is not safe at night right now. There is a foreigner moving about, killing all he encounters. I know of a set of caves where you and your horses can rest in safety." He turned his horse around and started to lead the way to the caves.

A Ronin was not normal in this area but she clicked the reins and followed without a word. If he killed her at least she would be with her family.

Nearly an hour later, as promised, they arrived at a set of caves, located at the base of one of the mountains in the district. He dismounted his horse and led it into one of the caves that included a hitching post and fresh hay. "Your horses can be secured here."

"Thank you." Natsuko replied as she climbed down from the cart and began unhitching the horses. She kept her head down and did it as best she could.

Seeing that she was struggling, Kyle moved over and gently took the reins. "I will take care of them, and secure your wagon inside as well. Go to the other cave. You will find a spring from which you can freshen up. I will remain out here until you call out that you are done and dressed again." There was something about how he spoke to and treated her that gave a clear signal that he was no threat.

Natsuko bowed and took a small pack from the cart and did as he bid her. She returned a short time later, changed in clean clothes that were better than peasant clothes to be sure. It marked her as one of the nobility but she had tried to downplay it by tying it simpler than normal and wearing her hair like a servant. But it was clear she was no servant.
She bowed perfectly to the Ronin. "Thank you for your assistance, Sir"

By this time, Kyle had secured, brushed and fed the horses, and had hidden the wagon in the cave near them. They would remain here for the time being. While he was certainly not finished with his mission, he felt that a break was needed. When the young woman stepped back outside, Kyle was quietly standing guard, his back to the caves, as he kept an eye out for any bandits that roamed the countryside.

Turning to face her, Kyle was briefly taken aback by just how beautiful she was. Before, when she was filthy and wearing the blood covered and destroyed clothing, it had been difficult to fully appreciate. He bowed back respectfully. "You are most welcome, my young woman. It was my honor to assist you." He straightened up and stated, "You must be hungry. Please, make yourself comfortable. I will secure us some dinner." He then set out to catch some wild game to prepare.

She watched him go and sat on a rock near a wall. She knew her own strengths and knew she would not be able to out run such a man. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the wall behind her. She just had to make it to the Monastery and then she could send letters to the Shogun for help. Her family, they must not have died for nothing.

A little while later, Kyle returned, carrying three dead rabbits. "Forgive me, I should have started a fire so you could be warm. Please give me a few moments." He paused briefly, then asked, "Do you have any tea or a pot to boil water in?"

Natsuko nodded and stood "Yes, I have a number of food items we can use.'' She went to her cart and pulled out a number of utensils, a large stew pot, a teapot and tea, and some herbs.

By this time, Kyle had moved deeper into the other cave and had started a fire big enough to both cook their food and keep them warm through the winter's night. He had already skinned the rabbits and was starting to break them down when she returned.

Taking the stew pot from her, he moved back to the fountain and filled it with fresh water. He then carried it back, filled the tea pot, then placed the stew pot over the fire. He then started to add the chunks of rabbit to it, as well as the herbs that she had offered. Once dinner was going, he moved off to the side, to both allow her to start the tea, and to start to remove his armor. While it was clear, by his physical size, that he was not Japanese, his eyes and skin had been completely covered, until now.

Removing his helmet, his long blonde hair tumbled down to his shoulders. He still had a cloth wrap covering his lower face, but his eyes, when they looked at the young woman, were the clearest, sharpest blue-green that she had ever seen.

Natsuko let her gaze do a quick once over. "You are a foreigner to our lands" She said as she checked the tea. "Are you part of the army that attacked us?"

Kyle shook his head as he continued to remove his armor. After peeling his breastplate off, he carefully removed his swords and leaned them against the reddish armor. "No," he said simply. "I am something else, altogether." He finished removing the rest of his armor, then moved back into the light of the fire, as he pulled down the cloth covering his face. "My name is Kyle Cragen, and my people come from lands far from this place, so far, you would never have heard of it." He sat down, on the other side of the fire, both to allow the young woman to feel as safe as possible, and to allow her to see him fully when he spoke to her. He wondered how she would react if she knew exactly who and what he was.

"You speak our language well for someone from so far away." Natsuko said. "Why are you here?"

"My parents taught me everything I needed to know, in order to survive in this world." His features turned darker as he replied to her question. "I am here, carrying out my mother's dying plea. She, and my father, were burned at the stake, after being accused of being witches, when I was a young boy. I was hidden in the trees by my home at the time. With her dying breath, she screamed out to me, in our native tongue, to seek vengeance against those that did this. So I did. I killed those immediately responsible, then continued on doing so, killing every human who stood in my way.." He paused for a few beats, before adding, deciding to tell her more of the truth.

"That was nearly two hundred years ago. I have been in more wars and battles than I can remember. And no matter how often I am cut down, I rise back up again. I cannot die."

Natsuko's gaze spun to him and she stared. "Cannot die?"There was something in her voice that said she was not frightened of him, but curious about it. "I... " she broke off.

Kyle stayed where he was seated, as he watched her intently. After a few beats of silence, he asked, his voice a bit softer. "You're like me, aren't you? What happened?"

Natsuko looked away from him. "I don't know. They came, they attacked us, men took... liberties with my sisters, my mother, myself, they," Here she placed a hand to her throat. "They cut my throat, stabbed me. Everything went black. I do not know how long, then I woke up."

Hearing what had been done to this beautiful woman, Kyle could feel his anger start to grow again. The humans truly had no right existing, if this was how they treated their own, or, those they thought were their own. Looking at her through the fire, he finally spoke. "I am sorry, for all that has happened to you..." He suddenly remembered that he didn't know her name. "What is your name?"

"Akayama Natsuko, of Clan Akayama." she replied softly. "My father was a prestigious land owner, one of the many nobles in this land."

Kyle rose to his feet and moved around the fire to kneel in front of her. Pulling the dagger from the sheath strapped to the inside of his right forearm, he showed it to her. It was an elegant blade, not something one would expect a warrior of his size, or gender, to wield. "This was my mother's." Without hesitation, he wrapped the fingers of his right hand around it and jerked it free from his grip, cutting his hand. Raising his clenched fist over the fire, several drops started to fall in, sizzling as they evaporated. "On both her memory, and my blood, I will protect you, keep you from all harm, until the day comes that I draw no more breath."

Natsuko had drawn back at the sight of the blade but when the oath was done she raised her eyes to him. "Thank you" She said softly. "I had planned to write to the Shogun. About the attacks."

After wiping the blade clean, he slid it back into its sheath, then removed it from his arm. Next, he presented it to her. "Please, take this as a token of my allegiance to you, Natsuko."

She took the blade gingerly.

After she took the blade, he responded to her earlier statement about the Shogun. "He cannot help you." He then opened his right fist, to reveal the slice from the blade, heal completely closed in front of her eyes. "Only I can."

Natsuko nodded, "I believe you," she said softly. "Will I live as long as you have?"

He was silent a moment before replying. "If you are truly like me, then yes. Our people live a very long time, compared to the humans."

she said softly. "Am I their child?"

He considered this, then shook his head. "I remember my parents teaching me once, that there were lost members of our people here. Some had children who were never found. You must be one of those lost children. The humans who took you in, probably never even knew your true heritage. We...have a biological cycle..that would be impossible to ignore." He decided that the test needed to be done, to be sure.

"After dinner, we will need to perform a test. You have my word that it will not harm you in any way. In fact, it will help you start to understand exactly who you really are."

"Very well," Natsuko nodded. "Then let us eat."

After Kyle spooned out the stew and poured the tea, they sat and ate together. She asked him questions here and there, about his childhood. He answered and did the same.

After they had eaten, Natsuko set about cleaning up their dishes, giving him time to himself.

Kyle moved to his saddle and pulled a few items from it. Moving back into their cave, he laid the roll he was carrying under his left elbow, out onto the ground near the fire. He then set up a few small icons at apparently strategic locations. Taking a burning stick from the fire, he lit the incense that was in each one, then put the stick back into the fire. Standing back up, he looked at Natsuko. "When you're ready, undress and lay down on his mat. I'll turn away to give you privacy. You have my word that I will never look upon you unless and until you wish it. Once you are in position, I will tell you the word you must say to start the test."

"Very well." Natsuko replied and nodded. She wanted to learn more about this whole situation. She began to undo her sashes. "Face down?"

"No,"He said as he kept his eyes pointed outside the cave. "On your back."

Once she was done she did as he bid.

When it sounded like she had finished moving, he asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," came the soft nervous reply.

"Then, turn your head to your right and say the word, Delratta. The mechanism will do the rest. Do not be afraid of what happens next. You are safe here."

"Delratta."

As soon as she said the word, four thin wires rose up at the corners of the mat. A soft yellow beam connected the tips of each wire, and then, Natsuko was bathed in the same yellow light. Suddenly, she was lifted a few centimeters off of the mat.

Natsuko cried out despite the warning then fell silent as the cocoon covered her and she went unconscious.

Kyle waited until.he heard the cocoon fibers harden, before turning to look back. He was pleasantly surprised to see that his suspicions were correct. She was El Aurian, just like him. Had she not have been, the device would not have activated. Moving closer, he sat down by the fire, staying near Natsuko as she began her initial healing. When she re-emerge, three days from now, things would be very different for her, and for him. He reached out and placed a gentle hand onto her cocoon, feeling a slight electrical spark run up his spine as he did so. "You will never be alone again." He said softly. He then repositioned himself and began to meditate.

~TBC~

 

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