T/W: suicide/murder warning!!
Miko opened her eyes to find out that she had went into the memory of the spirit. She carefully touched the wooden, carved entrance of the house she was at. Indeed, it was all an illusion. A memory.
"I've told you! You will be marrying the Shogun!" A male voice thundered. Miko peaked into the room, past the entrance she was at. It was tastefully furnished, a sign of a high ranking family.
"But I don't want to! He's already over thirty! I'm only eighteen!" A female voice desperately answered.
"So are his wives! That means you'll be in favour! But you are just looking for an excuse to marry that peasant anyway! Let me tell you! I. WILL. NOT. PERMIT. IT!" the voice thundered again. The scene in front of Miko was a daughter punished by her father. She was kneeling in front of her father, but her eyes resolute and determined.
"SLAP!!"
"HOW DARE YOU LOOK AT ME THAT WAY! GUARDS! TAKE THIS FOOLISH AND NAIVE DAUGHTER OF MINE BACK INTO HER QUARTERS! DRESS HER AND PUT HER ON THE MARRIAGE SEDEN TOMMORROW TO BE SENT TO THE SHOGUN'S RESIDENCE! GUARD HER QUARTERS AND IF SHE WERE TO ESCAPE, YOUR HEADS CAN ROLL INSTEAD!" The father yelled.
"Looks like you are eager to sell me, father. You care more about your money than my happiness!" The girl argued back.
"DRAG HER OFF NOW!"
"Yes master!" The guards immediately replied and dragged the young miss away, not wanting to recieve his waves of fury.
Miko stared at the scene in front of her. The young girl was dragged out through the entrance where she was standing, but nobody noticed anything weird, such as Miko herself. Afterall, this was all an illusion, a memory. How could anything change? It was in the past.
Suddenly, the scene changed. Miko was standing at the entrance of a grand hall, with red banners tied to the pillars, and a woman dressed in red walking down the aisle. Both the bride and groom swallowed three cups of tea, sealing their promise of marriage.
The scene changed once more. Now, the girl was nowhere to be seen. Instead, what Miko saw was the building, where she and Tashi were staying, with the iconic cherry blossom as their landmark. Miko carefully approached the building, to see several rows of handmaids tied up and gagged.
"What do you want?" The young girl asked, fear showing in her voice.
"Heh, ever since you came, the shogun stopped visiting us. Instead, he heads to your quarters for the night. Tell me, isn't this something I should, or rather, the rest of the women here, be worried about?" Another woman answered. She was dressed in a blue kimono, with red floral imprints. As for the girl, she was dressed in a pink kimono...
"I didn't ask for his visit," the girl simply replied, although her voice was quaking.
"Oh, are you saying we are incompetent and unwanted? Do you think thats what you should be saying now?" The woman asked, gesturing towards the rows of handmaids.
"What do you want?" The girl asked, her voice trembling, knowing the request was mostly likely impossible, to which the woman in blue simply smiled.
"It would be unreasonable for me to ask you to turn the shogun down, with it being against the rules. How about..." The woman in blue walked closer towards the girl in pink, and began to whisper to her, but Miko could grasp the story. It was clear who she had been watching the whole time was the spirit, and this was likely the final important memory of her short life.
The maids shook their heads violently, as if they could tell what the woman was trying to say. The woman only gave a smirk, knowing what the girl would do. The girl complied, heading towards the sakura tree. She took a knife offered from the woman, and cut off her long, luscious hair, which has reached past her waist. She took a stool near the tree, and tied her hair into a loop. The woman simply gave her an approving nod, gesturing for her to continue. The handmaids spoke up, but their voices were muffled by the gag. It was clear they did not want their mistress to follow the first wife's command. However, their mistress never looked back. Placing her chin on the noose, she kicked the stool over.
Her legs began to kick, violently. She was choking, but she could not get off, even if she regretted her decisions now.
"HAHAHAHAHA! FOOLISH GIRL! FOOLISH, BUT I SHOULD THANK YOU! YOU HAVE MY THANKS!" The woman cackled.
"Leave no one alive by daylight," She coldly replied, switching back to her cool and collected self once more, before walking out. The girl on the noose was still struggling, as other maids began to throw dead leaves and burning splints onto the ground. The maids continued to struggle, but it was futile. Even if the building was made from fire resistant wood, none of them could be protected if they were in contact with the fire themselves.
A tear slipped out from the girl's eye. Either way, since she entered here, she knew whether she struggled for power or not, this would be her end. There was no escape from fate. From her position, it would looked like she tied up the maids and lit the fire before killing herself. It would look like suicide, even if she didn't want to die.
The world in front of Miko faded away, returning into the peaceful night. The spirit was also fully purified, her smile now pearly white with teeth, and her eyes present, shining like the stars in the sky.
"Let go of your resentment, and enter the reincarnation cycle. I'm sure you will be able to have a better life," Miko said. The young girl simply nodded her head, before fading away in orbs of golden light. Some of those orbs floated towards Miko instead, settling in her core. She would need to fully absorb those some other time. Right now, the threat was over, and she needed to heal that wound of hers.