Where am I?
It's dark. Was there a blackout?
There are people. Lots of them. I hear murmurs but can't really make out what they mean.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. I could see the silhouette of people huddled together, seemingly shivering but whether it was of the cold or out of fright, I can't say for sure.
This is definitely not my apartment. My fingers felt wood under me and I could feel a slight rocking beneath me. A boat? Was I kidnapped?
I could hear a child begin to cry. His mother tries to stop him by covering his mouth. It seemed like everyone was afraid to make a sound.
My head began to hurt and I began to feel nauseous. I stumbled up the ladder that leads to the deck.
Maybe some fresh air will help, the thought crossed my mind. Was that mine?
I realized that there was something hanging by my waist and my hand subconsciously rested on it. My fingers ran over what seemed to be a hilt of a katana, until it made contact with a sword tassel.
Various images flashed in her mind.
A ghost.
A man covered with bluish white aura.
Blood on my finger.
A red tassel.
The images seemed familiar yet strange at the same time. I felt like I should know what they are, but the answers were like a frayed rope dangling just beyond my reach.
I found myself stumbling onto the warship's deck. Wait. How did I know that it was a warship? I haven't even seen how it looked like yet.
The deck was only just a bit brighter than inside. It was a dark night and the moon was covered by a thick cluster of clouds. But at least there was fresh air.
Suddenly, the nausea grew stronger. It felt as if the world was spinning around me and my consciousness began to fade.
No. I must stay awake. I need to get home.
A heavy sense of panic spread to my body like a cold chill.
Who am I?
I can't seem to remember my name.
Am I losing myself?
No. I need to find a way.
I walked towards the side of the ship and looked at the water's surface. Thankfully, there was a break in the cloud cover and the moonlight shone on the waves.
Pink flowing hair… and red eyes.
I remember.
Saki. My name is Saki.
This is my face.
My hand slowly went to my face
This is not my face, a voice in my head said.
And in an instant, the image mirrored on the water became distorted and changed into another face. One that I don't recognize.
All at once, I felt my identity shatter like fragile glass.
I screamed.
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My name is Saki.
I heard a voice in my head say right before I looked at my reflection on the water. What stared back at me was a face whom I do not know yet at the same time felt familiar to me.
Pink flowing hair… and red eyes.
This is not my face.
This is my face.
I held out a hand in front of me and tentatively placed my fingers on my face. The reflection in the water mirrored my movements. But the face I saw was not my own.
I screamed.
And inside of me, I felt as if I heard an echo.
My scream was suddenly cut off as a hand covered my mouth and I was pulled back into the deck.
"Are you out of your mind?" demanded a familiar voice as I tried to pull myself free.
I instantly relaxed at the sound of his voice. "Kaede," I said with relief as I realized who it was.
"Onee-san, why were you screaming?" my brother asked. "You could have alerted the enemy regarding our location."
"Kaede," I said, one hand gripping on his shoulder. "You know me well. Tell me, who am I?"
He looked at me incredulously. "What has gotten into you, onee-san? Have you hit your head or something?"
"Just tell me," I begged him forcefully.
He gave me a worried look, before sighing in resignation. "You are Nakano, proud warrior of the Taira clan and bodyguard of the Dowager Empress. Although we are twins, you were born a few minutes earlier thus making you my onee-san."
A wave of relief washed over my body at the sound of my own name and an image quickly assembled in my mind.
Yes. I am Nakano. One of the few female warriors of the Taira clan.
The unending battles must be taking such a toll on me that I begin to lose myself.
Kaede looked at me with concern. "Is my answer unsatisfactory?" he asked.
I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I wasn't really feeling well a while ago. But I'm all better now."
"Good. Get some rest. We'll probably arrive at Yashima in the morning."
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The gleaming eyes in the darkness sorted out the shadows created by the faint moonlight. Despite his heightened awareness, his breathing is steady and his mind as clear as the night sky. He is waiting for the light to appear. The steady pulse of the subject is reassuring but the varying degree of audibility is somewhat disturbing.
Then the unmistakable purr of a Lambo engine pierced the proverbial hum of the atmosphere. He waited until the screech of the tires signaled their arrival.
The eyes shifted to the parking lot. Two tall figures alighted. One stood to seemingly look at the moon but he knows that he is secretly scanning the surroundings. The taller one hurriedly went inside the building.
The shadows around the eyes coalesced into Tizon and he quietly went towards the one sniffing the air.
"You are late," he scolded Hamarr.
"This is an ungodly hour," Hamarr grumbled.
Together they set up the energy mappers and immediately went inside to join Hunter.
"How did this happen?" Hunter is carrying Saki to her sofa.
"No clue. Just dropped like a sack of potatoes all of a sudden," replied Tizon.
"Can you not use potatoes to describe her?" Hunter irritably admonished.
Tizon said nothing.
Hamarr was looking at a portable energy scanner with a frown on his lined face.
"You should take a look at this," he showed Hunter the screen.
"Did you search the area for the source?" Hunter said while intently looking at Saki's immobile body.
"SHE is the source," Hamarr said gravely.