Why Me? by Nakamura Ayumu (book club reads .TXT) 📕

Trek to Dead Man’s Castle

Prologue: Why Me?

“Why does it have to end this way?” I screamed out as blood leaked feverishly from my mouth, my legs, my arms, and my forehead. I look all around me to see that all my partners are lying motionless on the cracked granite floor, now stained crimson with large pools of blood. All sense of life taken from them at such an early point. My knees could hold my weight no longer and collapsed from underneath me. I cursed under my labored breathing. I clutched my chest as if my life depended on it, in this case it did. I felt the urge to cry, so I let the tears I had so urgently tried to fight back fall carelessly from my face because I knew that deep down I had failed my parents, my friends, the five kingdoms, sensei, and above all I had failed myself. I knew that this was the end, but I was willing to put everything on the line to defeat my opponents. I let myself succumb to rage, feeling strength return to my legs I slowly lifted myself up from the ground and I menacingly glared at the female in front of me, her face contorted into that of satisfaction.

“Even though you have killed my sibling, I can and will bring him back to life. There is nothing you can do in this point and time to save your sorry little ass!” She spoke with such confidence, but I cannot let her words of discouragement get to me. I looked up at the sky.

(Here goes everything! Please work!)

“Sora wa chikyū ni, hikari ni kurai, jigoku ni, akuma to tengoku o kami kami. Watashi dakedenaku, zeimusho no ōkoku ni heiwa o fukugen suru ni wa, watashi no yūjin no fusei shisha no ada o utsu tame ni. kono tatakai de watashi o shien suru tame ni roku hogo no kami kami O nozomu!” I looked around for a sign for something to happen, there was no signal. I began to tear up knowing that all hope was potentially lost, then that wretched girl opened her mouth to speak.

“Aw, does the crybaby need a timeout? Or does she need to face the reality that she’s going to die on this floor?” I gritted my teeth in frustration and looked up at her.

“You can say whatever you want, you can call me whatever damn name you want, but this is not over until I say it’s over!” I shouted and raised my katana. I jumped up to her and prepared a finishing blow but of course the worst case scenario that we all don’t want to happen just happened. I feel a very intense burning sensation in my left arm, I hear that demonic girl laugh her wicked laugh, blood staining her dress as well as her face. I look at my arm to see what was causing the stinging sensation on my arm to reveal that I no longer have a left arm. I hold the katana in my right hand, although the right arm is not my strongest.

“I swear on my life that I will kill you, you bitch!” I jump towards her again, and my right arm is sliced off in one fell swing. She looks at me, eyes filled with boredom.

“Are we going to continue playing this little game of cat and mouse? Or are you going to spice things up?” I fell to my knees and sobbed out all the energy I had left.

(Please, please help me!)

I mentally shouted, knowing that the end was near. I felt warmth surround me as I was being levitated in the air. I heard a lot of familiar voices trying to speak to me, but I could make out nothing that was said. The intense stinging in both my arms had left me as I saw two beams of light restore my arms as well as it replenished my health, I was feeling a lot better than I had a few minutes. All my gashes were sealed and faded away. I felt a large electrical shock zip from my toes and exit through my fingertips and forehead. I was slowly set on the ground. Aku’s expression changed from confident to slightly losing her composure. She began to back up just a bit.

“I-it can’t be! There’s no way! You’re the legendary mage?!?!?” Her voice quivered, but she quickly regained her composure.

“Let’s finish this.” We both lunged at each other forcefully as booming battle cries ripped through the calm cloudless night. We readied our weapons for the intense battle that was about to take place.


Chapter 1:
The Facts of Life Never Change.


"Wake up Sunshine you've got your Lessons today!" I groaned in irritation as I turned over, my shoulder-length brown hair dimly shining as it covered my bright muddy-topaz eyes. The drapes were shifted open to reveal the sunlight that had revealed 'the dawn of a new day'.

(Morning…oh how I loathe thee)

Oh! Where are my manners, I have completely forgotten to introduce myself; I am Princess Kuro Ayumu of the five Kingdoms, and above all I'm no fan of the morning. The man who had woken me up is none other than my sensei, an extremely handsome 22 year old man with shoulder-length golden-blond hair parted to the right shined like angel hair in the soft rays of the sunrise. His hair is usually put up in a samurai topknot. He's about my height, 5"6', and he has the most vivid aquamarine eyes you'll ever see next to the color of water on the Caribbean Sea. Today he was wearing his usual outfit that consisted of a Burgandy dress shirt, black dress pants, and a black leather messenger bag filled with today's lesson plans. I turn over to look at him, he's like a parental figure to me because both my parent's were fatally wounded, I instantly fought that flashback out of my head. I had to take the throne at age 10, I'm 15 mind you. I shook my head and fought back the tears that began to well up.

"Kanagawa-Sensei, if you're going to be the biggest idiot I know.” I made a failure of an attempt to scowl in his direction “Whatever, just leave me be so I can get changed. I’ll meet you out in the courtyard." He looked me in the eyes with a serious expression on his face.

"I told you to call me Ryo, not Kanagawa-sensei, ok?"

"But then you'll be of lower status, and I don’t like the way that seems so I call you Kanagawa-Sensei instead." The smile on my face was given away by the tone of my voice.

"Ok, I'll meet you in the courtyard." He chuckled warmly and walked out the door. I walked out of my room to the marble bridge that connects my room to my parent's room, and I see that he's already in the courtyard.

(Holy crap, he got to the courtyard fast.)

I walk from the bridge back to my room and take a look around, it's nothing special. The walls are all Quartz. The room is filled with portraits of my parents, as well as vivid self portraits. The floors are elegantly covered with Burgandy carpeting, and that's laced with gold trim around where the carpet meets the walls. I walk over to my closet to pick out my usual outfit of a traditional Burgundy and black geisha’s kimono, I fold the kimono in the correct order right side first then the left. I grab the Burgandy obi, and I tie it without Kanagawa-sensei’s help. I've always had trouble tying the bow. One time, it actually got to the point where I’ve had to call Kanagawa sensei back into the castle from the courtyard to help me tie said obi. After I had tied it correctly, I smiled in satisfaction on a job well done. I put on my thigh high black and Burgandy stripped tabi and my black zori. I looked myself in the mirror then realized I was missing two things. After glancing at myself for a good two minutes I finally noticed the things that I was missing.

"Oh, my bow." I grabbed it lightheartedly giggling to myself. Placing it at a slant to the left on my head. I looked around the room for my katana; it was nowhere to be found.

(Where did I set that thing?)

I thought frantically as I looked all over the room for it. Running across the bridge into my parents' elegant bedroom I noticed it above the mantle of their fireplace, I just realized that it was underneath the portrait of both my parents when they were 20 years old each. I bent down on my left knee and began to recite an oath.

“Mom, dad, I can reassure you 100 percent that I will avenge your death as well as dad’s and I will use everything in my power to restore balance and peace to the five kingdoms.” I slowly lifted my head, strolled out of my room on to the bridge and looked down from where I was standing. It was about 10’ off the ground. No sweat right? I jumped off the bridge with out a second thought. I was going too fast to even consider looking for something to cushion my impact. I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed, bracing for impact face first. I felt myself cease to continue falling; I slowly opened my eyes and began to look around to see that I had landed on the courtyard floor on my feet; I was ready to begin my daily lessons. I brushed off the incident and began looking around the courtyard to reveal that it isn't anything special, it's just an open section of the castle and the only thing that's in the courtyard is nothing other than Lilacs and Sunflowers. I look over at Kanagawa sensei and nonchalantly walk over to him.

"Are you ready to begin your violin lessons?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be" I said confidently as the chancellor walked by with his assistant. The chancellor was a man of a tall build with a height of 6'0", and he has vivid red hair and luminous red eyes. His assistant however is of an average build with a height of 5'10", and has lustrous turquoise hair and blindingly bright turquoise eyes. The chancellor is wearing his common outfit which consists of a red top hat with a white ruffled dress shirt and a Red petticoat to go over, he's also wearing black dress slacks and black dress shoes. I have never seen him without his cane, which is likewise for his assistant. I do have to involuntarily make the one remark that they are incredibly inseparable and as for what his assistant wears, the only difference is that his colors are turquoise.

"Good morning Chancellor Junichi, Good morning assistant chancellor Daisuke." They both nodded casually and continued walking by. Daisuke mumbled something along the lines of 'good morning my ass' way out of earshot so I really couldn't make out what he was saying. Little did I know that I had a small three person audience hidden within the ominous shadows of the courtyard. Sensei handed me his violin. The cherry wood violin was a vintage heirloom passed down in his family, and very ornate in design. I handed him my small six piped pan