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

still in my mages' form, so I took my hand to where the gash was and whispered to myself rather hastily;

"Iyashi bīmu [healing beam]” The gash in my torso had slowly sealed itself to the point where it looked as if the incident had never occurred. I got up and carried the man towards the moat that was outlining the castle like a thick line. I placed the corpse in the moat for it to decompose over time. I walked back in the castle and went straight to my room. I had found the pan flute, my mother was supposed to give me the pan flute today. I picked it up and played the tune that my mother taught me; the song that Aika taught my mom, which was used to soothe a child to sleep. I had played it perfectly whilst tears streamed from my eyes knowing that I wasn't going to see my parents ever again in this life. I began to feel woozy and I fainted.

~*~

Once I had woken up I realized that I was back in my original outfit and was in the infirmary. I noticed Kanagawa-sensei’s face change from anxiety to relief.

“Well, you gave us quite a scare.” I looked apologetically in his direction.

“I’m sorry sensei, but I passed out for no reason, what happened?”

“You don’t remember?” He looked concerned.

“No, all I remember is my parents, then I passed out and that was it.” He looked a bit confused then smiled.

“It’s ok you don’t have to worry about it.” That was the last thing I heard from him before he left, leaving me alone in the infirmary.'

~*~
I had reached the throne whilst fighting back tears after reminiscing in nothing more that a vivid, yet faded memory of the past. I took my seat; the room was filled completely with commoners to wealthy tavern owners and businessmen almost instantaneously. I looked around and I did find Amaya, Akio, Kazuhiro, and Kanagawa-sensei in the farthest part of the room. The courtsmen all entered the room with their trumps, they all aligned them perfectly and they played the same fanfare that they did on my mother's coronation day. Chancellor Daisuke entered the room with the new crown on the exact same pillow.

(It's the exact same thing except the one to place my new crown on my head is Junichi, not my father; it's almost an exact repeat, oh well)

I sighed silently to myself.

(Let’s get this over with.)

Chapter 3: The masked knight

I watched intently as Chancellor Daisuke briskly strolled up to the throne with my new crown. Chancellor Junichi took the crown off the pillow. He then held the new crown above my head; I took the one that I was wearing off my head and placed it on the pillow and sent off Daisuke, as I waited for Junichi to place my new crown on, he gasped while choking up a fatal amount of blood, he had dropped the crown to the floor as he had staggered back a few steps then fell to the ground...dead.

(Crap, it is

a complete repeat; I guess that means that I'm next up to meet the same fate as my mother.)

I looked off into the distance as I notice a man dressed exactly the same as the masked man that had killed my parents, I stood up and grabbed for my fencing sword.

"I may have to warn you in advance that I am an amazing fencer." I looked at the man un-phased, I turned to the crowd, "Everyone! Please leave NOW!" Everyone had heeded my command and left out the front doors. The man standing in front of me had kneeled down as if he was a respected part of the kingdoms, I did not recognize this man and my face contorted into that of deep confusion, he grabbed my arm and he began to sprint out the only door of the throne room, me getting dragged along.

"Who in your

right mind do you

think you

freaking are?" I shouted in his ear, and quite loudly at that.
"There's no time to explain princess, but first we must get you to the sacred tower." He continued to run with my hand now intertwined with his, I'm a little relieved that Amaya, Akio, Kazuhiro, and Kanagawa-Sensei had stayed back in the throne room to see me being dragged by this man that I have no clue who he is, or why he even came to help me in the first place, the four of them were sprinting right behind us. The man had stopped dead in his tracks, causing me to bump right into him. I tore my hand away from him as if I had touched a hot pan on the stove. We were standing right in front of the Sacred Tower, the place that I have been to many time, it almost felt like a second home to me.

"The Sacred Tower." I looked at it with a smile beginning to form on my face.

"Shall we enter?" He asked, proceeding to enter the tower with me following closely behind. Preceding the entrance to the tower I looked off to the far left, and noticed a woman that I recognized sitting within the comfort of the shadows.

"Akemi?" My second mother Akemi, she was about age 32 with dark raven-black hair that made her seem older than she really was, and it was tied back in the same white silk ribbon that she always wore. She wore a gown of white that brushed just passed her ankles revealing brown leather boots. She had walked over to us and curtsied to me and the man next to me, the four others had joined me in the room with the masked man and Haku. She led us to the staircase indicating that we needed to proceed up that staircase to get somewhere eventually. On to the first level in the tower! I look at the five others and decide to consult with them.

"Now you do realize that I can only take four of you into this tower with me, so who's up for it?"

"I am." Kazuhiro said while stepping forward confidently.

"I'm in." Amaya and Akio said simultaneously.

"Princess, I wish to aid you on your quest." the masked man speaks as he steps forward. I look at the man and I weigh my options at this point.

"I guess that I can require your assistance during this bleak period of time." I look at the man, and somehow, I gain some form of confidence in my trust with him.

(Who is this man, and why does he want to help me

?)

~The First level in the tower~

I usually know that this tower is heavily guarded by knights in bulky armor. I know to be careful in certain parts of the floor, and to not be caught by any of the guards in the tower so they capture us. After proceeding up the staircase, I enter the door first, and it leads into a huge room equivalent to the throne room back at the castle. Out of nowhere a man dressed in a great deal of formal wear steps out from the shadows.

"Ah princess, it's good to see you again."

"Who are you?"

"I am Takeshi Toyama." he replied with a soft yet deceiving smile, "In order to pass this level you have to defeat me in a duel.”

"Of course, I'll take on any duel you can challenge me to."

He chuckled softly, then spoke with the up-most confidence.

“Well then, if you’re so sure that you can defeat me in a duel of my choice, then I gladly pick a traditional sport: Kendo.”

I stared at him wide eyed and speechless…Kendo?! Of all the things he could’ve picked, he had to choose Kendo?!? Takeshi looked at me, the smile on his face emitting more malice than the welcoming feeling he gave off earlier.

“What seems to be the matter princess? Are you a little nervous?” He laughed, that laugh was one that could send chills of foreboding down one’s own spine.

(Please great spirits in the sky, mom, dad, everyone, I request your help in this desperate time of mine.)

Those words were the last coherent thought that I could manage before the fight could begin.

“Please pick the sword of your choice.” He motions over at three sheaths, I have to make the right choice, and here goes everything.


Chapter 4: The masked man show his real use

(Please aid me in this desperate time of mine.)

"Ojou-sama!" I look in the corner to see that the Masked man jumps into the air and turns into a kendo sword.

(What the hell, a shape shifter? So that's his real use, I'm highly impressed.)

I toss the other kendo sword and it lands in the sheath. I try to take a step forward, but find myself standing in the exact same spot.

“Wait, what's going on?”

“‘Ojou Sama, I'm highly sorry that you are unable to control your actions as of now, but when you placed me as a kendo sword in your hand you became a 'portal' in which I am able to help you in this fight.”

“I'm very upset that you didn't let me know this earlier, but I guess that I can let this transgression slide, but notify me when your going to do this again.”

“Indeed I will princess.”

He took the correct battle stance and watched intently for Luki to make his moves. Takeshi makes a swift jab forwards and the man quickly dodges it. They went at it for about an hour of heated intense battle, until I heard one of them shout in a very distinct voice. "Point." I sighed in relief as the man was the one to shout point instead of Takeshi, the sword incantation of the man was thrown into the air as he returned to his human form, I had regained my body, and in doing so I began to thread myself within the halfway point between consciousness and unconsciousness. Kazuhiro had dashed to my side as I had collapsed under my own weight. A soft white light had changed my outfit had changed back into my luxurious ballgown. I could hear the faint pleas comming desperately from the others. The last one that I had heard from the group was from Kazuhiro.

"Princess Kuro, please hold on until we get back to the castle." I barely had enough time to respond so I left them with one final comment.

“D-don’t take me b-back,” I coughed and my voice becoming hoarse “L-leave me i-in the c-care of A-Akemi, she’ll k-know exactly w-what to d-do.” I managed to say coherently between coughs, as time seemed to crawl its way through the hour, my eyes began to roll back and I heard the almost inaudible gasps emit from the crowd.

(If today isn't just my lucky day, huh? and seriously, this masked man seems really interesting, I'd like to get to know him better. On a more important note I want to fix this huge mess that I've created, save the kingdoms and restore peace, I swear it on my life that my "Little sister" Princess Sora WILL be saved, even if I die in the process, but I have to do it, no matter what, I can't let everything that my mother had established disappear in an instant.)

With that last statement, everything had completely