Kara noticed Itsuki tense up in a split second. He looked in the direction the child ran off, then glanced back at Kara and nodded.
6
* * *
They found Akiko’s house and learned that the strange girl was staying there. Kara noted that every time the girl was near – the brand on her arm would start aching and burning. But whenever she left – the pain disappeared as well. This made her realise that the girl is definitely not what she wanted to seem.
When the evening came, the three shinobi followed the child into the forest, doing their best not to get noticed. At some point Kara saw, how the girl fell to all fours and, shaking off her human form, turned into a black fox with four tails. She ran off, even faster than before, but the shinobi continued their pursuit, not letting her out of their sight. There was no more doubt that this child was a young kitsune.
They used every shadow and bush to hide from her whenever she looked back to check if anyone was around, but at some point she jumped over a rock, and as soon as she landed – there were three of her!
Kara noticed Itsuki gesture at her to follow the one on the left, and as the foxes separated and ran off, the shinobi divided as well. Kara felt her brand slightly burning, as she was following her mark, but she could no longer signal her friends that they were following the illusions, and not the real kitsune.
The woman noted every place the four-tailed fox stopped, every mark she had left on the trees and stones. It seemed like the kitsune girl followed a strange path that led her all around the village. When she could, Kara cut down the marks off the trees, carrying them with her to show the mystics later, together with the position of the strange, twisted runes she took down.
The night was creeping in, but the kitsune continued her way, until she suddenly turned and noticed Kara behind.
Cursing at the cunning creature, Kara darted towards it, but the fox ran off towards the village – even faster than before. Staying on her track, the woman did not let her get away. She ran after the fox, cornering her each time. And even though the girl tried making illusions again – Kara continued following the real one, feeling the brand ache and hurt, pointing her in the right direction.
Finally, the fox tumbled and turned back into her human form, continuing her way – inside the village. Kara followed, ready to strike down the creature at first opportunity. As they ran onto the street, the girl slowed her pace and changed the expression on her face from menacing to fearful. It took only a matter of seconds, but Kara caught up and unsheathed her katana.
«Mama! Mama!» the girl suddenly tripped and fell to the ground.
Kara finally jumped up to the creature, with her katana up and ready to end the life of the little demon before her.
«Mama, help!» the girl cried out, as Kara slashed her throat, ending her life.
«Murderer!» one of the villagers screamed.
«She killed a child!» shouted another.
«Demon!» a woman shouted and the others agreed with her.
Kara looked around, realising that the villagers saw how she cut down the little kitsune. They didn’t know that the child was a demon – they thought she had killed an innocent girl!
Panicked and threatened by the surrounding people, Kara darted away, running off towards the woods. She whistled loudly to call upon her stallion, and as soon as he galloped up – she jumped into the saddle and rode off, pursued by the villagers until she managed to get away, hidden from them in the dense forest.
She didn’t know what to do – she couldn’t return to the village, and the evening was quickly turning into night. Having no way to contact Itsuki or the others, she hid in the woods and watched the village from afar, letting the other shinobi do their job. Perhaps, they will be able to convince people that she killed a kitsune, and not a human child.
She settled near the village, but stayed vigilant for any sign of trouble or one of her comrades.
The night, however, brought her only more surprises.
As the moon rose, she noticed shadows in the thicket. At first she thought that the shinobi found her, but that thought dissolved under the growing pain she started feeling in her burn.
There was no mistake anymore – the brand signalled each time something dark was near.
She forced herself to unsheathe both her katana, ready to take a stand right there and then. She might have felt vulnerable and weak, but there was nothing else to do, but to face the fight and try her best to come out of it alive and victorious.
Before engaging the first shadow, she kissed Kage and then Kurayami, as if asking them to be faithful to her.
All alone, relying on her own strength and wit, she had only one mission – to survive.
And when the first creatures approached, she took the fight – fierce, and relentless, she did not doubt herself. Itsuki’s words kept sounding in her mind, helping her find the strength and will to fight, as more and more of the creatures appeared around her.
Akuma fought by her side – kicking and biting anyone, who came close enough. But they were only two warriors against a small horde of creatures.
Weak as they were, they truly were a horde, and with each creature and ghost Kara cut down with her katana or Akuma crashed with his hooves – two more appeared, leaving them both surrounded.
Kara knew exactly what had happened and why this was happening – the brand on her arm called to these dark entities, making her a target for their insatiable thirst for her blood.
It was maddening, tiring, but she fought nonetheless, aided by her stallion, who seemed to grow more and more furious that someone was trying to hurt his first – and only – friend. Covered in scrapes and bruises, fighting for their lives… Kara and Akuma stood through the whole night until the first rays of the rising sun had chased the creatures away.
«Nakano!» Kara heard, before falling to the grass, too tired to stand on her own. The battle took all her strength and now all she wanted was to be left alone and have a little time to recuperate.
Akuma lay down next to her – tired, bruised and hurt almost as severely as she was. But he too was happy that they managed to stay alive through the night. He reached out his head to her and she caressed his cheek, happy that the stallion didn’t leave her that night.
Trying to catch her breath, Kara saw one of the shinobi and smiled at him.
«Tell master Inei I am fine.» She whispered. «But let me rest a bit right here… I’ve had a very rough night.»
She noticed how the shinobi signalled to someone, and gestured that everything is fine.
It took some time for Itsuki and Ayame to arrive, but when they did – Kara was already a bit rested and capable to tell them about everything that transpired during the night. Though they listened attentively, she could see the doubt in their eyes.
«I don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way… but you can see for yourself, if this repeats at night again.» She said, finally.
Both Spy Masters decided not to rush into conclusions, and left this matter open – for the next night to clear everything.
But for the time being, they needed to meet Lord Ryuu and his army and give their full report. One of the first things Itsuki did after they greeted Lord Ryuu and his few regiments, was ask for a couple of mystics to take a look at Kara and her burn that she received during their encounter with Kaito.
As the mystics surrounded her and started chanting some kind of a prayer, Kara felt a little irritated and wanted to leave. But she knew that she needed to stay in order for the mystics to find out what the brand was and how it could