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Tears of Blood
By : SultrySundina
Category: +. to F > Blade of the Immortal
Views: 1863 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Please read disclaimer in each chapter.
Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Tears of Blood (My Story Arc: Finale to Blade of the Immortal):

Disclaimer and Rights: This story is not-for-profit fan fiction. The characters and universe of Blade of the Immortal/Mugen no Junin are copyright by Hiroaki Samura and do not belong to me. I will in no way receive any kind of funds or monies for this story, nor will any monies or funds come into my hands in consequence of this story. Please do not sell or print for sale. Do not archive without my written permission. Permission is granted to print for personal use, and to distribute this document in electronic form, without charge, without alteration, and with this disclaimer and my name attached.

*Also please note that I have replaced shoji with shōji in all the chapters. This is the proper format for it and although it took a little bit, it was worth it. Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Losing Silence in the Sound

Rin felt sick to her stomach. The carnage around her, the smell of blood and death, seeping into her very soul. She moved away from Washi and stumbled over to Manji.

"Manji-san," she choked out, "what are we going to do now?"

"Rin-chan you shouldn't be moving," Washi paused; concern in his voice, "Either of you." He was now glaring back at Manji. "Please rest in my room, it is on the other side of my mother's. I will take care of this."

"Washi-chan, gomenasai for the trouble we have caused you. Arigatou, but I should take care of this, it was because of me they..."

Washi cut her off, "I will not allow that Rin-chan. Consider this partly my thanks for what your family did for my father and I when I was younger. Your father did not have to allow us to leave the dojo for my mother's sake, but he did."

Rin was about to protest again, but Manji simply grabbed her arm and lead her out through the hole in the wall to avoid stepping over the body in front of the shōji.

"Manji-san I should..." Rin began to protest.

"Shut it Rin. If he's offering, take him up on it for now. We can repay him later. Right now you gotta take care of that damn foolish head of y'ers and clean that." He pointed to the small gash on her collarbone.

Manji hauled her down the hall to Washi's room. When they entered the room Manji closed the shōji behind them. Rin collapsed on the floor and let out a long sigh. "Manji-san how do we know there aren't more?"

"We don't, but right now clean up and stop bitchin'. You're gonna give me a headache." Manji didn't want to hear anymore. He knew all too well the possibilities that were probably more men coming, but right now he knew Rin had to get her wounds cleaned, especially the one on the back of her head, and he had to get his shoulder back in place and attached fully. She was so helpless and annoying sometimes. He didn't like relying on that brat but right now he had no other options. Neither he nor Rin would be able to travel yet in the state they were in, but his wounds would heal much faster than hers.

Rin began to clean herself up at the wash bucket in the corner of the room. She saturated the white cloth in the cool water and began to wipe the blood from herself. She grimaced in pain every time she touched the back of her head and her collarbone with the damp cloth; each time it quickly became stained red with her blood. After a few moments she was satisfied with her job and seated herself beside Manji with the bucket and cloth in tow. He was sitting again the wall, eye closed and breathing heavily as he held his shoulder in place. Rin could see the worms now making quick work of repairing his body but his shoulder was still in need of cleaning and bindings.

Rin moved Manji's hand out of her way and tried to carefully peel away his kōsōde from his shoulder. Manji hissed at her in pain. She ignored him and continued with her work. She dipped the cloth in the water, rinsing it as clean as she could and began to wipe away the blood from his arms and shoulder without reopening the wound. When she finished she grabbed a white sheet nearby and quickly tore strips from it. Manji looked at her through his eye and began to speak, "Leave me be woman, I'm..."

Rin interrupted him, "It's need to be bandaged or it won't heal right Manji-san so sit still and stop complaining." Her voice was concerned, but stern.

Manji grunted, but just put his head back against the wall and let her continue. He didn't feel like arguing with her right now. Rin bandaged his shoulder in place as quickly as she could, and every time Manji hissed in pain she told him again to sit still and stop complaining. She wrapped the bandages around his torso to hold his shoulder in place properly, so he wouldn't have to hold it himself anymore. When she was done she inspected her work and nodded to herself, pleased.

Back in Manji and Rin's room Washi had dragged and wrapped the bodies in a few blankets he had lain out, then he heard footsteps and then a loud sigh come from the open shōji.

"I should have guessed that samurai-san would be trouble. Onii-chan let me help you before they notice downstairs." Suzume's voice was low and full of dread.

"I am fine. It is almost done anyways." Washi did not want to involve his mother in the mess that lay before him. "Besides if you go sing some more they won't notice. You can be very persuasive you know." He smirked at the knowledge of how he knew first hand how his mother's voice could enchant anyone who listened, and they would pay attention to nothing else but her. "Keep them in the dining room, I need to dispose of these bodies. I will get the samurai's help. I'm sure he's almost ready now."

Suzume wanted to protest but knew her son was right. She would have to distract the immense crowd downstairs if they weren't going to notice her son remove the bodies. She knew the moment her son had left the dining room earlier, with a scowl on his face and a nod to her, she would have to sing louder with his exit. This only confirmed her suspicions that something was amiss and her son was going to see what it was. Being a samurai was such a noisy and bloody venture. She had wished her son did not wish to follow in his father's footsteps. She knew all too well where it lead.

"Onii-chan what will you do with all the blood?"

"I'm going to rip up the flooring and dispose of it as well, so please, sing many, many songs."

Suzume had began to try to recollect her memorized collections of ballads and tunes, only this morning, so she hoped what she had remembered would be enough to distract the crowd from what was happening up here. "And what shall we tell the owner of this lovely ryokan?"

"I will tell her I was visiting Rin-chan and she tripped over the table when she was serving me and hit her head badly, so there was blood on the tatami."

Suzume chuckled to herself a little, "That does sound like our Rin-chan, but what of the wall here?" She pointed to the broken wall.

"I will say that her yōjimbō heard her fall and didn't bother to use the door."

Again, Suzume chuckled to herself. From what she had learned of the man it seemed to fit. Then she looked over at the broken beam of the wall and without missing a beat, "And the splintered beam?"

"You miss nothing do you Okaasan?"

"Of course not onii-chan. I never have. Perhaps it best if you say you and the immortal had a 'friendly dual' of sorts, ne?"

"Very well. Will you please check on Rin-chan while I finish here, and ask the ronin if he would assist me. I'm sure the bas...I'm sure he is well enough now to assist." Washi bit back the words he wished to call Manji. He knew it would do him no good to harbour ill will towards the man who on many occasions, as Rin had described, saved her life. He couldn't help but want to hate Manji however; simply for the fact that Rin's heart did not belong to him.

"As you wish onii-chan, as you wish." Suzume sighed and left the room to try to fetch the rogue samurai. "A ronin hmm?" She thought, "I suspect that he is no more a ronin as she is unspoiled now." She smirked to herself, "Even men will find themselves helpless at the feet of their 'true' master." She chuckled lightly at her last thought. She reached her sons room and opened the shōji. When she stepped inside Rin was helping Manji put his kōsōde back onto his shoulder. It was badly stained with blood.

"Rin-chan are you alright?" Suzume saw the bruising on Rin's neck and when Rin turned around to look at Suzume she also saw the cut on Rin's collarbone and gasped.

"I am alright now Suzume-chan, please do not worry." Rin's voice was low and she tugged her furisōde and yūkata back into place and made sure her obi ties were tight.

"Rin-chan I can look at it for..."

Rin cut Suzume off, "It is fine Suzume-chan. I have already taken care of it. Please, do not worry." Rin now stood up, straightening out her garments. They were also stained with blood, her hair was dishevelled and her face was fatigued, her body trembling. She was a mess.

"Very well Rin-chan." As the wife of a former samurai Suzume knew not to challenge the little kenshi's wishes. She knew she was a determined girl, perhaps too determined. She smiled at the girl, "Perhaps Rin-chan you should visit the bath house. I will be downstairs entertaining the other guests to distract them while Washi-chan and your yōjimbō here eh, take care of other duties." Suzume shot a look of contempt at Manji, and he glared back at her.

He didn't feel like arguing with anyone however, so he rose up, his shoulder now healed. He didn't even really need Rin to bandage him but she insisted, it was one of her ways of feeling useful he presumed. He walked out the shōji past Suzume and down the hall to what was left of the room he and Rin had occupied.

"Arigatou, hai." Was rin's only reply to Suzume. She rose up and walked with Suzume downstairs.

The bustle from the dining room was starting to settle as people finished their meals. Suzume quickly hurried Rin to the bath house; and when Rin undressed and put a towel around herself, Suzume took Rin's clothes and called for a maid to come to clean them. She also asked for a fresh yūkata for Rin and the maid placed it on a stool near Rin. Rin bowed slightly, fatigued, and stepped into the bathing area. Suzume quickly left the room and headed for the dining area.

Rin began to scrub away the rest of the blood and sweat that had stained her pale complexion as she sat on a bathing stool. When she finished scrubbing her body and moved to her hair she winced when she touched the back of her head, the bruise and bump where she had hit the wooden beam now very evident. She decided that she would not put her hair in her usual braids until the morning, when some of the swelling had subsided. In the distance Rin could hear Suzume as she began to sing a melody and she stopped washing herself to listen...

Painted masks, royal silk, pale and sad

Untouched souls and folded hands,

keep the secrets of many lives

that have split blood many times.

A blade that can never be wiped clean

has the duty to protect the silken queen.

Bodies that should remain untouched

will try to escape love's clutch.

But fate is cruel and unkind

and lets the lovers be entwined

Eyes filled with lust and hate

will seal the lovers' fate.

They will touch and let their guard down

but in the end it will bring only frowns

Sadness and death will follow them on their way

as the lovers`fate is for their paths to lead them astray

Never to be able to touch again

their bonds will not remain.

Blood and tears will prove too much

and the lovers will never be able to really touch.

Rin felt her heart sink as she listened to the words. The song was long and the melody was filled with sadness. She felt as though she was being swept away by the tune. The crowd clapped for the performance and Rin could hear them begging for more, but her own ears would not allow her to listen to anymore and she shut herself off into silence.

Rin walked over to the fusuma and closed it. She couldn't have been more thankful for the heavy wooden doors as she was now. She did not want to allow any more sadness into her heart as there was already. She walked back over to her stool and finished washing her hair, being careful not to touch the wound on the back of her head. When she finished she stepped into the bath. The water was hot and relaxing. She needed to calm down and relax. She sunk into the silence that was now enveloping her as she ducked beneath the water and came up only to have her face above it, leaning back. She had the entire bath to herself and she was going to take full advantage of it. The silence was no longer lost in the sound. She had found a small salvation to her rampant thoughts.
- 11
- 12
- 13
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Tears of Blood	By : SultrySundina Category: +. to F > Blade of the Immortal Views: 1863 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Please read disclaimer in each chapter.

Tears of Blood