Keiko's Charity

She thought as soon as they disappeared into the castle walls, Kiyo would sneak stealthily out the opened gate. She thought the violent night was over. But she was wrong. As they arrived at the castle gate at the end of the long avenue, the empty night silence was broken by the loud and echoing sound of a horse's cold, haunting neigh. The ghoulish noise seemed to come at them from all directions. The guards jumped in fright and drew their swords, swiveling around, searching anxiously for the source.

Calm hooves stomped on dirt road, heralding the appearance of a tall, black mare from the castle stables. A dark figure sat hunched over on the powerful war horse's back, silhouetted against the backdrop of the pale, glowing moon. The horse snorted in the frigid air, causing cold white condensation to billow from her flared nostrils. She stamped at the dirt restlessly with her front hooves and shook her mane in anticipation of the violence for which she was bred. The long naginata held by the dark figure atop the war horse glinted in the moonlight. It was Kiyo, armed for combat.

Kiyo hoisted her naginata and pointed it at the six guards. She shouted, "She comes with me!"

"You can barely sit on the horse," one of the guards laughed. "Try to take her, bitch!"

They raised their swords up and walked toward Kiyo in a formation, leaving Keiko laying on the road, exasperated. Keiko shouted, "What are you doing Kiyo! Just escape!"

Kiyo did not listen to her pleas. With her mouth she made a loud clicking sound at the mare and kicked her stirrups. The horse understood and obeyed, jumping into a full gallop, racing like a banshee straight for the waiting swords; leaves and dirt flew into the air behind the dark mare in a flurry. Kiyo leaned over, and with every ounce of strength she had, she plunged the naginata with surgical precision into the chest of the closest guard, causing the shaft of the spear to explode into splinters as the blade went through and out of the guard's back. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he fell backwards onto the dirt, dying quickly as blood gushed from his body. The horse tackled another guard in the violent charge, throwing the guard, and causing his head to bounce with a sickening thud on the road. The others dove out of the way of the massive war horse and scrambled to a safe distance.

Tossing the broken shaft of the naginata, Kiyo unsheathed her katana and jumped from the panting horse onto the street, landing effortlessly into a crouch. The four remaining guards circled around her, their swords raised. Kiyo rose slowly like a shade from the underworld, her katana hanging at her side, hands tightened around the hilt of her sword. In silence, she waited for the guards to make their move.

One lunged screaming, swinging his sword wildly in wide arcs. Kiyo stepped to one side, and in a brilliant silver flash of steel, the guard cried out in agony and fell to the ground, his insides spilling out from his abdomen. Another guard followed suit, and in another flash, he went down as well, blood spraying across the dirt. The last two stood horrified at the result of Kiyo's quick work. Their swords trembling in their hands.

"Flee. And live," Kiyo said calmly as she lowered the katana back down to her side. The two guards grunted and charged in unison; katana raised above their heads. One brought his blade down with the violence and recklessness of a crashing wave. Kiyo parried it aside with a sharp clang. As he stumbled past her, she thrusted her blade cleanly into his spine. A sheen of blood covered the blade as she withdrew it. The other guard thrusted, but she was ready for him. She turned to her side to allow his blade to shoot past her, cutting only the air. She swung her katana down onto his outstretched arm, lopping it clean off. The guard turned to face her in wide-eyed shock. Without wasting a moment, Kiyo swiveled her blade and thrusted it into his gut holding it there while a dark, wet circle grew from the point of entry. The guard coughed out a glob of blood and fell to his knee. His last breath escaped his mouth in a gargling wheeze. Kiyo kicked the lifeless body off of her katana.

Silence fell again in the night. Even the crickets refused to chirp in the macabre, corpse-ridden aftermath. Keiko clambered to her feet and ran to Kiyo to embrace her. The mare walked over to get a congratulatory pat on its muzzle.

"You could've just left," Keiko cried.

"I couldn't let you die here," Kiyo replied.

Harsh bells resounded from the castle walls. Shouting. Torches illuminated the windows of the castle as awakened guards rushed down to meet them.

"They're coming for us. We have to move," Keiko said. Kiyo nodded and hoisted herself up onto her horse, then pulled Keiko onto the saddle.

"Hold on tight," she said. Keiko wrapped her arms around her. Kiyo leaned forward and squeezed her legs and kicked the stirrups. The mare took off into a gallop towards the open drawbridge.

Though the loyal samurai of Erimo took chase, they had taken too long to don their heavy armor, and their horse were not swift. Their chase was futile. Kiyo and Keiko disappeared into the night and into the misty autumn mountains. Kiyo was returning home. Her vengeance complete. Keiko, with nothing left for her in Erimo, did not know what awaited her in Keito. She clutched Kiyo's waist tightly and pressed her head against her back in the bitter cold night. Not hopeful, but not fearful of what comes next for her.