This was my birthday present from Kichiri!! ^o^
He sat there, gazing motionlessly out the window. The mighty armies of Kutou moved before his eyes, undaunted by the perpetual cold rain that pelted down upon them. They really had no choice in the matter; rather they did, but not a very good one. Death was not a very pleasant option, in most cases.
They marched in strict lines, controlled by sergeants and commanders, forcing them into formation, marching them off to battle.
He was glad he was no longer among them.
Instead he had been elevated to a more envious position as one of the emperor's favoured generals. He was feared by most and despised by the rest. This suited him perfectly; he had no need for the sympathy of others or their petty feigned attachments.
A sight outside caught his attention and he turned to look at the spectacle taking place in the line of soldiers. A girl was desperately trying to convince the leader of that contingent to let her husband go. She was screaming and pleading quite loudly, enough that a crowd had begun to gather around her, mostly, of course, to stare in awe at both her foolishness and audacity.
He snorted. The stupid woman was lucky that she and her husband were even alive, although after this that would most likely change. He tossed a brief glance outside once more only to see that the army had once again taken up its stiff marching as if nothing had even happened. The crowd had also dispersed which led him to believe that the woman was dead and possibly her husband.
Inexplicably irritated by the event, he rose and strode off to check on the preparations for the next invasion.
But her screams haunted him throughout the days, her desperate cries for a mercy that she would never find among the soldiers of Kutou. For some reason, it plagued him, no matter how he tried to push away the thoughts.
As he walked down the halls of the imperial palace, a group of young girls passed by him, no doubt heading towards the emperor's quarters to earn their keep. The thought disgusted him beyond any description.
The halls were relatively empty at that hour, and a stern silence shrouded the palace, broken only by the calls of the guards in the palace, or by the occasional burst of noise from the emperor's chambers. He had long ago noted that the servants didn't speak, even in their private chambers. No one spoke here, even the generals. Perhaps it was because they were all servants in a way.
A ragged sob found its way to his ear. Uncharacteristically curious, he sought out its source. In the depth of a barren, filthy room crouched an equally filthy woman. He was startled to discover that it was the same woman who had begged for her husband's release earlier that day. She now sat, sobbing uncontrollably in the far corner of the room. Her clothes had been roughly torn and she had obviously made an effort to cover herself up. Judging from her proximity to the imperial chambers, he had no trouble figuring out what had happened.
It suddenly struck Nakago as he watched her cry, that this woman had a dignity that showed through her tears. She cared too much for herself and her people and the emperor had taken great pleasure in crushing that. Yet strangely enough, she seemed to be trying to salvage her pride and self from the savagery of the day.
She noticed his presence and looked up. As she did so, he noticed that she changed her bearing slightly, her dignity taking hold of her ravaged body. She looked at him with icy eyes, hardened and proud, almost daring him to try and break her.
Nakago suddenly realized that he had been standing there for a little while now. He composed his thoughts behind his mask of indifference and returned her gaze undaunted.
"I don't know what you people think you're doing to your country, but it won't last forever. We won't take it forever and when the end of this terror comes, we will have vengeance." She looked at him with a hatred that he had never seen before.
He replied smoothly. "Soon you'll learn to stop crying. No one does here anymore; it doesn't help." But the words didn't come out as harshly as he had intended. He felt a sudden impulse to console this unknown woman and he knew that she could sense that.
Nakago quickly turned on heel and exited the room. As he left, he heard her voice call softly after him.
"You'll get your vengeance too one day."
Nakago hastened to his room. He knew that she would be dead in a day or so, since she likely wouldn't give up her pride. A mirror caught his eye. He stared in fascination at his reflection in it; his face bore the same expression of hatred as the woman's had a few minutes ago.
He tore himself away from the image of his hating face and stalked over to the bed and began removing his armour. Vengeance. It was a good word and it had taken on a bigger meaning. Vengeance, for himself as well as for others. That thought had never occurred to him before - vengeance for himself as well as for the others who had been abused. Somehow it gave him strength and a strange new sense of conviction.
Nakago pushed away the thought. Vengeance was all-important to him; why should he be concerned for others?
He threw down his armour and got into bed, willing himself to sleep.
In the morning, the barren room next to the emperor's quarters was mysteriously empty. And somewhere in Kutou, for once, a little bit of justice had been done.
Owari no da ^_-
Copyright 1998 Nakago-sama / Story Copyright 1998 Kichiri