To Be Loved By You
Written by Remi
Edited by Chi~ 1 ~
Yearningly, Akane stared up at the window of her room. What she could see of the vivid blue sky through the open portal beckoned her relentlessly, as did the afternoon sun that flirtatiously shone atop her head.
She sighed dejectedly and frowned, pondering if she should accept the invitation or heed her mother's words. With an impish grin and a gleam in her eyes, she concluded that she could do both.
In one gigantic leap, she jumped up and tried to grab the tall windowsill, but it was inaccessible. Refusing to give up, she squatted down once more on the soft carpet and sprung up, extending her arms upward. Her fingertips reached above the wooden sill. She latched onto it. Kicking her feet against the wall, she pulled herself up. She would have reached her goal had not a voice stopped her.
"Akane!" Immediately, she was seized her from behind. With haste, she was set to the floor. But the arms that seized her remain locked around her.
She struggled under the uncomfortable embrace and glanced at her captor. "Can't breathe, mommy."
"Akane! You could have fallen out the window! Haven't I ever told you not to do that?" Breathlessly, her mother reprimanded.
"Don't worry mommy, I wouldn't have fall."
"You could have." Her mother looked at her sternly.
Not able to meet her mother's gaze for long, she glanced guiltily at her feet.
Her mother sighed and tenderly stroked her hair. "Promise me you won't do that again."
She eagerly nodded. "I promise. But why won't you let me go outside?"
"I'm sorry honey, but now is just not a good time."
"Why not mommy?" She gave her mother a melancholy look, she was certain the effect would work.
"Because we have some guests right now." The word guests were hissed through gritted teeth. Her mother's voice then shifted back to normal, a soft caring voice that Akane was so fond of. "I'll tell you what. You could go outside to play after they're gone."
"Really?" Her eyes light up as she gazed up at her mother beseechingly. "And can I stay up later to practice katas, also?"
"All right," her mother smiled, "but just this one time. You do need to get some sleep, or how else would you have energy to play?"
"But mommy, I'm strong." To demonstrate her capability, she raised her right arm and flexed. Remarkably, a little muscle became apparent.
Her mother stared at her tiny biceps, then conversed in a burst of laughter. "Sweetie that I am very aware of."
Playfully, her mother tapped her miniature muscle and affectionately kissed it, which caused her to giggle uncontrollably at the tickling sensation. Her ribcage was then tickled mercilessly and her mother did not stop her onslaught until she was helplessly lying on the floor in a fit of laughter. The blithe moment between them was only interrupted by sudden sounds of intensifying arguments originating from downstairs.
"Mommy, what's going on?"
"It-it's nothing for you to worry about, sweetie. Now, you stay here. Mommy is going to look after the guests, okay?"
"Can I come with you?" She looked at her mother with doleful eye but this time her mother would not fall for it.
"No, sweetie. You stay right here."
Seeing her mother's stern expression, she solemnly nodded.
"That's a good girl. All this will be over soon, darling." Her mother promised and gave her a kiss on the forehead before shutting the door firmly behind her.
Nervously, Akane sat on the floor and waited. The angry voices from downstairs had continued and become increasingly louder each second. She couldn't discern or understood what the arguments were about, but it gave her fear.
"Mommy said everything will be fine . . . " she whispered repeatedly to herself as she hugged her knees. What comfort, she could find in the small gesture was short-lived as she heard her mother screeched out in pain, followed by an enraged voice of her father.
With quivering fingers, she urgently reached for the doorknob. Similar to the windowsill, the doorknob was barely reachable. But the continued cries of distress from her parents induced such anxieties within her that she furiously clawed for it like a wild caged animal. In reward for her efforts, the doorknob finally came within reach and she latched onto it.
She twisted the handle. It yielded under pressure and swung open. She gazed at the doorway, hesitating on whether she should proceed or heed her mother's words. It was the concern over her parents' wellbeing that had made her decision.
She dashed through the corridor and headed downstairs as if a swarm of bees were on her tail. Abruptly, she halted at the bottom of the stairs when she noted a large group of strangers occupying the living room.
At the center of the room sat her parents. Her father was holding her mother protectively in his arms as he glared with hatred at the people that stood before them. A gruesome claw mark had already formed on one side of her mother's cheek as a fine line of blood ran down her chin. Her father was in no better condition. His eyes were bloodshot and his face sported numerous cuts and bruises, anymore, she would not have recognized him.
Four figures in the room distinguished themselves from the group. One was a tall handsome man in his mid-twenties with icy blue eyes. Surprisingly, he had silver hair. It was brushed back from his forehead and left to run freely to his shoulders. He was dressed in an expensive ivory colored suit with a navy-blue tie, which did nothing to hide his powerful physic. With one hand inside his pants pocket while the other rest at ease along his side, his stance spoke of confidence as he stood askance in front of her parents. By his sanguine posture, it was unmistakable that he was the leader of the group.
The second eminent figure was a good-looking boy with wavy hair, black like coal, clipped around his ears and shortened at the back of his neck. His hair was brushed back along the sides of his head, but several locks still fell forward almost obscuring his eyes. Yet it only made him more appealing as his startling emerald color eyes sparkle from beneath. In an elegant dark blue colored suit accompanied by a yellow tie, the clothes the boy wore made him look older. Despite the appearance, he was only a few years her senior. However, with the emotionless expression on his face that seemed to have carved from stone, he must have had more than his share of hardships. Silently, the boy stood there with his hands resting at his side.
A gigantic bald man in his prime with dark sunglasses was the next prominent figure. He was colossal to be exact. She had never seen a man so huge. A little girl, like her had every reason to be wary, for his mannerism reflected his threatening features, massive size and sheer strength. Light reflected of his polished head and dark glasses as he stood unmoving with his arms crossed.
An attractive blond with long flowing hair made up the last of the quartet. She was a woman of her early twenties. In a tight sleeveless shirt that showed much of her voluptuous bosoms, she also had on a skimpy white skirt, which barely reached down her derrière. Her clothes were designed for maximum exposure and judging by the looks, she got from some members of the opposite sex, she thrived by the attention. Confidently, she stood with one of her arms akimbo on her hip, while the other bent toward her face as she examined her finely manicured dark red nails. Which was, without a doubt the same tool used to make the grisly marks on her mother's face. She even carried the triumph smile to proof it.
At that moment, Akane desire nothing more than to swipe that smirk off her face. If the leader had not spoken, she would have done just that.
"I ask you one more time. Give me the katana."
"There's no way I'm going to give it to you, Hojo! You better get the hell out of our house before the police gets here." Fearlessly, her father stated.
"Fool! Nobody threatens Hojo." It was the blond woman that had spoken. She directed a wicked smile at her father. "I'm sure Genzaburo here, could teach you a lesson . . . "
The blond woman inclined her head to the colossal bald man, who in turn looked toward Hojo.
Hojo's lips lifted slightly in consent.
"For once I agree with you, Aida." Genzaburo grinned maliciously as he cracked his knuckles. Haughtily, he walked up to her father. In one fluid movement, he unceremoniously lifted her father up by the throat, dangling him in the air as if he weighted nothing.
"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Her mother cried out helplessly. Desperately, she tried to pull Genzaburo away from her father, but was quickly held back by two men.
In silence, Akane watched the scene unfold before her. Her eyes flared with anger as her hands tightened around the banister of the stairs. She was consumed with rage unlike anything she had ever known. As the thirst for blood overfilled her veins, she charged into the living room and headed straight for Genzaburo.
The impact was comparable to that of a bicycle colliding against a large stationary bus. Genzaburo stood unharmed as she fell on her buttocks. She got up and tried again. This time going straight for his legs, she repeatedly pounded it with her small fists.
"Akane no!" Her mother screamed.
"Stop, Akane . . . " Her father choked out in a ragged voice as Genzaburo continued to hold him by the neck.
She ignored them and continued to hit Genzaburo. It hurt immensely, like hitting a boulder, but stubbornly she refused to give in. She punched him until she could no longer lift her hands. She took a step back and breathlessly looked up to see the damage she had done.
To her dismay, she found Genzaburo grinning at her. He had already released her father, who now joined her mother, both being held back by several men. She immediately ran to them, but was prevented from doing so when she felt herself being lift off the ground.
"Not so fast little one." Genzaburo chuckled.
"Akane!" Her mother cried out in horror.
"Let her go!" Her father roared and tried to break free. Their struggles only lasted for a second before they ceased under the threatening pistols that were held against their heads.
"Now, what have we got here?" Genzaburo held her up at arms-length.
Contemptuously, she glared at her own image that reflected off his dark glasses. "Let go of me!"
The response she got was another chuckle. In frustration, she threw a punch at his face. It was roughly seized before it made contact.
"Aida?" Genzaburo said in surprise and released her.
She turned around and saw that it was the tall blond woman who had sharply yanked her arm. She tried to pull loose. "Let me go!"
In response, Aida smugly grinned and squeezed her arm harder. Her nails digging deeper into her skin as she added more pressure. Akane couldn't help but to recoil in pain. In retaliation, she slapped Aida's hand.
"Why you little slut!" Aida screeched in rage and raised her hand in attempt to return the favor, this time aiming for her face.
"Akane!" Her mother screamed.
She raised her arms up to defend herself.
The blow never connected.
She was once again lifted off the ground by a pair of arms and was kept at a fairly safe distance from Aida.
"Shinji, she's mine!" Aida hissed and stalked toward her once more. After taking one step, Aida immediately stopped in her tracks. The look of anger on Aida's face turned slightly to uncertainty. After a second of indecision, she straightened her posture. With a tilt of her chin, she flung her hair over her shoulders as she retreated. "Fine, you can have the little brat."
Akane relaxed her tense muscles in relief. She was already quite worn. She doubted she had any strength left to fend off Aida. In curiosity, she glanced back to see who her savior was.
Her golden eyes met that of emerald.
The boy, Shinji . . . he was beautiful.
She continued to stare at him as he gently set her to the floor.
"Quite a show this little vixen has given us."
She turned her head toward the voice and saw that it was the leader that had spoken.
"Yea, she's quite a mink, ain't she, Hojo?" Genzaburo chuckled as Hojo strode toward her.
"More like a hellion." Aida said haughtily.
"Jealous already, Aida?" Genzaburo's remark was met with a glare from Aida, which he promptly ignored.
Hojo laughed. "Let's just see who she is."
Roughly, he tilted her chin upward. The mirth left his face the moment his eyes were set on hers. He arched his eyebrows in consternation as he continued to stare. All the while she glared furiously at him. If he had been made of flammable material, he would have been set ablaze.
"M-Miya . . . " Hojo huskily said the name after a moment of silence. He let go of her chin to brush aside her hair that obstructed his view. His action was gentle. It almost felt as if he was caressing her.
She shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Sensing her distress, Shinji wrapped his arms tighter around her to keep her still.
"She does look a lot like Miya. Doesn't she, Hojo?" Aida remarked softly as she noted the rare tender gaze in Hojo's eyes. With a twisted smile, she added, "Just like a slu-"
All it took was a single raise of an eyebrow from Hojo to silence Aida. Noticing his displeasure, Aida instantly clamped her mouth shut.
"She's your daughter, Tendou?" Hojo asked without once looking at her father.
Her father didn't respond.
Hojo frowned. A minute passed before he questioned her. "Your name is Akane?"
She looked at him warily and refused to answer.
"By the way how you acted earlier, you don't seem to be the silent type." Hojo flashed his gleaming white teeth at her, but it only gave her an impression of a wolf trying to snare a lamb.
"I don't like you, and I don't want to talk to you." She said disdainfully in hopes of ending the conversation. The response she got was a chuckle from him.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Akane." He crouched before her. "Do you know why?"
She kept silent.
"Because I am beginning to like you a lot." He tugged her chin. "I like courageous girls, especially very cute ones like you."
Annoyed at being touch, she twisted her head to escape his hold.
Hojo laughed and was soon followed by Genzaburo's deeper tone that seemed to resonate within the room. "Quite spirited too. Now, that I like very much . . . " Hojo said with a devil of a smile as his icy blue eyes brimmed with amusement.
She glared at him.
"Do you know what's happening here, Akane?" he asked softly as he reached out to stroke her hair.
"You're hurting my daddy and mommy," she said as tried to dislodge his touch, but Shinji's unwavering hold on her was making her efforts futile.
"No, I'm not hurting them. It's those men that are hurting them." He gestured to several men clad in suits around him. "They did that because your dad and mom won't give them what they want."
"What do they want?" She asked curiously.
"A legendary katana that your dad and mom have. These men are willing to pay a lot for it too, but your dad and mom still refused." He shook his head in disappointment and sighed. "Now, I'm going to have to persuade your dad and mom to change their minds."
"Persuade?" She said dubiously, not quite sure of the meaning of the word.
Hojo grinned. He lifted his lapel and pulled out a beautifully crafted short sword and displayed it to her
The blade drew her eyes, like the gaze of the mythical basilisk.
"Do you know what this is, Akane?"
She gazed with desire at the splendid weapon before her and watched as Hojo ran his fingers temptingly along the edge of the blade. She recalled then how her own mother had practiced with the longer version, the katana. However, she was more attracted to this short sword because it was the perfect size for her. Not to mention that it was a real blade, unlike the wooden bokken that her parents made her practice her katas with because of her age.
Finally able to find her voice over, she answered, "It-it's a wakizashi."
"Yes, that's right." Hojo said with slight upturned lips. Slowly, he glided the short blade across her chest.
Her mother cried out helplessly as her father attempted to soothe her fears, which did little good, as he was in much the distress. She felt Shinji's body tensed up in reaction behind her too.
Unaware of the danger she was in, her own reaction was fascination not fear.
The platinum blade drew her eyes like a magnet. It glittered under the light, reminding her of the shimmer of the katana that her mother wielded as she did her katas.
Noting her intense gaze, Hojo questioned, "Do you like this wakizashi, Akane?"
"It-it's pretty." She honestly admitted.
"Yes, it is. It's also magical . . . " His eyes gleamed.
"Magical?" She shot him a skeptical glance. Although she was young, she was still old enough to know that katanas were just weapons. The effectiveness and power of the weapons depended on the ability of the user as her parents had taught her. They do not possess magic . . .
"Yes, magic. Would you like me to show it to you?" Hojo spoke in a soft voice and brought the wakizashi near her face. With the flat surface of the blade, slowly, he traced the outline of her jaw and moved it intimidatingly along her cheek.
The sensation of the cold blade against her skin caused a shiver to run down her spine. She felt her hair stood on its ends as goosebumps formed. Her parents gasped in shock in the background, as she remained motionless, mesmerized by the sheer wicked gleam of the blade at such close proximity. She could only stared in awe.
"The magic of this wakizashi lies with its blade. The more blood it drinks the more sharper it become." Hojo whispered.
Intrigued by his words, she took her eyes off the blade long enough to glance back at him in wonder.
"No!" Her mother cried out in panic. "Hojo, she's-"
"Hojo!" Her father roared.
Smiling confidently, Hojo shot a glance at him.
With a heavy sigh, her father stated, "You win . . . "
"I'm glad that you finally agreed." Hojo smirked and signaled Genzaburo. "Go with him and get the katana."
"And Tendou," Hojo glanced at her father. "Don't even think about playing any games with me, for I have your wife and daughter, or should I have said daughters?" He raised one of his eyebrows in mockery. Hojo had somehow had knowledge of her other two sisters that were away at school.
Her father gritted his teeth in anger and left the room with Genzaburo, along with two other men at his heels.
"Looks like the persuasion works, Akane." Humorously, Hojo grinned as he stroked her hair with his empty hand, while Aida looked on with unsuppressed envy.
Hojo fingered the soft tresses of her short hair. In bemusement, he then lightly caressed her cheeks with his knuckles. "The more I look at you, the more you remind me of Miya."
She looked at him in confusion.
Hojo nodded in answer to her questioning gaze. "You have her hair color, her face, and her eyes . . ."
She cranked her head curiously at the remark.
Hojo only smiled. "How old are you Akane?"
She took a moment to decide on whether to answer him or not, before she held up her hand letting all of her fingers extending outward.
He stared at her hand before turning his gaze back to her face.
Unnerved by the sheer intensity of the look, she snuggled deeper against Shinji, to get as further away from Hojo as possible.
Sensing her discomfort, Shinji gave her a soft squeeze. She glanced up and found that he was looking down at her. His face was unmarked of expressions and his eyes were unreadable as he stared at her.
"Five years old . . . " Hojo continued on in a husky voice while her mother looked on with distress.
Akane glanced back at Hojo and watched as his ice blue eyes slowly ran once more along her face. Like a storm brewing in a distance sky, his eyes were cloudy and turbulent. It was a voracious gaze, similar to that of a predator stalking its prey. Yet, there was still something else, but it was nothing that she could fully discern.
He traced a finger along her jaw line. His callous fingers felt rough against her skin, and it left scorched trails. "In a few more years, you would have been an splitting image of her . . . " As he said that, the scowl on Aida's face deepened, and his men grinned like jackals.
Akane could not comprehend what Hojo had said, but she felt fear all the same. She shifted uncomfortably under their stares and burrowed closer against Shinji. He tensed and held her more firmly. She looked up at him and saw that he was staring at Hojo. The taunt muscles along his jaws and his stiff body were the only signs of his emotions, of what she was uncertain.
The sound of footsteps broke the tension in the room. Her father had came back with Genzaburo and two men. In her father's arms was a long dark wooden box.
"Bring it here." Hojo called out as he raise to his feet.
Genzaburo took the box away from her father and presented it to him.
"Open it." Hojo ordered.
The cover of the box was flipped open. A long object wrapped in an exquisite sapphire silk cloth was displayed. It was cushioned with great care by smooth black velvet linings.
Hojo's eyes feasted on the sight and the wakizashi that he once held laid forgotten on the floor. He reached out and slowly lifted the item from the box. Cautiously, he then removed the silken cloth.
The sapphire silk slipped away to reveal a black elegant sheathed katana of about three and half feet in length. The katana's sable sheath glimmered under the light, giving it an almost unnatural glow. A slight curve marked its pointed end and its handle was painstakingly bonded and lined horizontally with ebony leather strips. Although, the katana was simply oriented, it was nevertheless a magnificent piece.
Hojo held up the katana in admiration. "So, this is the legendary Masamori."
"It's cursed, Hojo. Only its true owner could wield it." Her father warned.
"Oh, are you saying Hojo isn't the rightful owner?" Aida sneered.
Her father snared back a reply. "The Masamori chooses its owner. Only if the Masamori sees you as worthy, would you then be able to use it."
"Really . . . " Aida said dryly while Hojo continued to examine the katana without once touching the hilt.
"Tell me what you know of the curse." Hojo said as he fingered the hilt.
Her father turned to look at her mother, who nodded her head upon meeting his eyes.
"Legend has it that the Masamori was first owned by an young swordsman by the name of Hajime Matsuyama." Her mother began. "He came to own this katana by bravely saving an old woman from a group of bandits. The old woman turned out to be Goddess Yu in disguise. So impress was Goddess Yu by Hajime's courage and kindness, she presented the Masamori to him as a gift. Goddess Yu had also blessed the Masamori with powers to aid Hajime in his travel to become a true swordsman."
"So how come its curse?" Aida interrupted.
"I was getting there." Her mother said sourly. Ignoring, the heated glare from Aida, she continued on with her tale. "With the Masamori at his side, Hajime's accomplished many great deeds, gaining popularity and fame. His friends became envious of his good fortune. In their jealousy and greed, they decided to steal the Masamori for themselves. They band together in one stormy night and coldly slaughtered Hajime in his sleep, taking with them the Masamori. This dishonor act did not go unnoticed by Goddess Yu. Seeing how her gift had been taken by the undeserved, Goddess Yu brought the Masamori to life with an order to only let those worthy of it, wield it.
"The Masamori felt that only its deceased master was worthy. Angry over the lost of its master, the Masamori possessed one of the killers that tried to wield it and used him to carry out its vengeance on those that had a hand in slaying its master. And to this day, the Masamori still seeks those murderers.""That's just wise tale." Aida threw in. "How could a katana be alive? And in this day and age what would you need a katana for when you have guns?"
They all looked at her in disbelief. With one remark, Aida had dismissed all of their hard work in searching for the Masamori for the last few months. Even if swords where not that useful as they once were, they were still valuable and held importance in Japanese tradition. Not to mention that it was the Masamori that they were talking about which happen to possess unimaginable power. To be the true wielder of the Masamori was almost like being a god . . .
"Aida, just let Tendou finish her story." Genzaburo said in annoyance. Although, he had not openly told Aida to shut up, she was bright enough to know he mean just that.
Aida angrily glared at Genzaburo but was prevented from retorting when her mother continued.
"As the years went by, the thirst for blood that the Masamori had for Hajime's murderers grow deeper. Consumed by hate, the Masamori began to curse anyone that dares to unsheathe it. It uses that wielder to kill indiscriminately, and then to suffer and die in agony. Now, that you know the history of the Masamori, do you still want to risk possessing it, Hojo?"
An ambitious smile appeared on Hojo's face.
Her mother sadly shook her head. "A reward for an honest deed from Goddess Yu had turned out to be a root of evil because of human greed." She looked at the katana in Hojo's hands. "The Masamori had been passed through numerous hands before my ancestors came to possess it. For many generations, none of my family had once unsheathed it. We believed we have made the right choice."
A peculiar silence filled the room as her mother stopped talking.
"You're don't believe that nonsense? Do you, Hojo?" Aida broke the silence. With a hint of irritation in her voice, she added, "Besides, she's just trying to scare us."
"Believe what you want. We have given you the katana. Do what you want with it. Just don't wield it in our house!" Her father angrily stated.
"Why you-"
Ignoring Aida, Genzaburo interrupted. "Hojo, there may be some truth in what the Tendou said about the curse."
"Oh? And how would a bonehead like you know?" Aida snorted.
Genzaburo's clenched his jaw and growled. "Bitch."
"Enough!" Hojo commanded. Glancing at the Masamori in his hands, he made his final decision. "We won't know what's going to happen unless we try it . . . "
Her parents gasped in shock as Aida smiled in victory. Genzaburo looked on with a precarious expression on his face. While Hojo's underlings glanced uncertainly at each other as they all cautiously watched him.
Gripping the hilt of the Masamori and intending to unsheathe it with one swift move, Hojo pulled.
He was surprised when it would not so much as budge. Baffled, he applied more force.
The hilt of the Masamori would not even move a single centimeter.
Disgruntled, he turned to her mother. Before he could say anything, his hand began to quiver uncontrollably.
And that was when she saw for the very first time, the Masamori became alive. It began to give off an eerie dark blue glow.
Hojo's underlings looked on in horror and fascination as they gradually backed out of the living room to the front yard, for fear of the indiscriminate killings that her mother had spoken of.
"This is incredible!" Aida cried out in delight, but her amazement was soon replaced by fear as Hojo howled in pain. "Hojo! What's wrong?"
"The Masamori, it-it's burning my hand!" Hojo clenched his teeth in pain and swung his right hand violently as if a snake had attached to it.
"Shit! I knew this would happen. We have to stop him before it's too late!" Genzaburo shouted urgently and glanced at Aida.
"What?" Aida shrieked. "What do you want me to do?"
Not getting any helpful response, Genzaburo turned to Shinji. "You got any ideas?"
Shinji did not answer. Instead, he released her and gently pushed her off to her parents. Her father quickly grabbed her and handed her over to her mother. He herded them both to the front yard. Protectively, he then stood between them and the Masamori. Which was now flaring out ghostly trails of light, as the dark glow that surrounded it spread further out the room.
"Shinji?" Genzaburo asked again.
Shinji looked on thoughtfully as more of the glowing auras wrapped itself around Hojo's hand on the hilt, making him howled in pain. "Cut off his hand." He said simply.
"What? You can't be serious?"
Genzaburo ignored Aida's outburst and questioned, "There's no other way?"
Shinji shrugged his shoulders. "Can you think of a better idea?"
"Hell no! I was thinking he shouldn't have even unsheathed that damn thing in the first place, if it weren't for Aida here-"
"Don't you dare blame this on me!"
"By the time you fools finish arguing, I'll be long dead! Just get me a cursed knife!" Hojo snarled as sweat trickled down his face. For the pain he was going through, he was surprising holding up rather well, to still be able to lash out his temper.
Shinji picked up the wakizashi that Hojo had discarded earlier and handed it over to Hojo.
Hojo immediately grabbed it and in one swift motion cut off his own right hand.
Dark red liquid splattered onto the ceiling, on the floor, on the walls, on the furniture, and on everything that was within six feet radius from Hojo, including Shinji, Genzaburo, and Aida. Endlessly, blood gushed out from Hojo's truncated wrist.
Akane had never seen so much blood in her life or realized that there was so much of it in a human body. Her mother had tried to shield her view, but it was already too late. She had seen everything. She had even saw how the Masamori fell heavily down onto the floor, along with Hojo's detached hand as it rolled off twitching. She surprised herself that she was not screaming her head off at the horrendous sight, but before she could think much about it, her vision faded into the darkness.
Japanese words used:
katana -- long Japanese sword, slightly curve, one-sided blade
wakizashi -- shorter version of the katana, slightly curve, one-sided bladevers: 7/15/01