The darkness felt welcoming as Hoshiyo's red eyes closed. Her breaths came heavy, the scent of gunpowder sharp in her nostrils, dragging her back to the day she entered that burning village. Then, like a blade to her throat, realization struck: she was somehow still alive and unharmed.
"What?" Hoshiyo whispered.
Opening her eyes, she saw Lady Gekkoin suddenly scream in agony, clutching the remains of her left hand. Blood spurted out like a geyser, the horrific sight sending waves of distress through the gathered crowd.
"What's wrong, Lady Gekkoin? What happened?" a warrior cried out. Soldiers rushed to help the house lady, mindlessly leaving Hoshiyo and Utaku tied up.
"What just happened?" Hoshiyo asked.
"It doesn't matter; we have to get out of here," Utaku said in a panic.
On top of the stone walls, Seiko knelt with a shotgun, still peering through the scope to admire the damage she had inflicted on Lady Gekkoin. She smirked and whispered, "Bingo!"
Hoshiyo was the first to notice her. She glanced up, eyes sparkling. "Seiko, when did you get here?" she yelled.
Seiko lowered her shotgun to her lap, smirking brightly. "Takeko saw the horses approaching and came for us while we were on our way."
"The others are here too?" Hoshiyo asked.
"The girls are here. Kill them!" the leading Samurai commanded.
Rei strolled through the gate, holding a brown bottle of clear liquid. The Shogunate soldiers drew their swords and charged toward her. Rei, unfazed, casually removed the cork from the bottle and tossed it at them. The bottle struck a Samurai in the face, splashing its contents over several others. They screamed in agony as steam rose from their reddened eyes. The bottle shattered on the ground, sending glass shards flying everywhere.
Amidst the chaos, Rei slipped past the flailing soldiers and quickly untied Hoshiyo and Utaku. "I'm glad the two of you are unharmed."
"We have to get out of here," Hoshiyo whimpered.
Rei nodded, following Hoshiyo and Utaku out of the gate to where the horses stood by the stable. Hoshiyo paused at the entrance, compelled to look back at the chaotic scene. The screams of the Shogunate warriors and the fierce battle cries of her sisters filled the air.
Rokuko leaped over the wall, wielding a bamboo pole with deadly precision. She danced through the battlefield with her masterful martial arts, kicking high and using the bodies of her enemies as springboards to launch aerial attacks. Her strikes were swift and precise, targeting pressure points with unerring accuracy. Her arms moved like serpents, weaving around swords and bending them with her bare hands, emerging unscathed.
Behind her, Yoko drew her sword, effortlessly matching the Samurai's skills despite their years of training surpassing her own. Her small stature allowed her to duck and weave, slicing through torsos easily. She could not take betrayal lightly, and her sword skills reflected her determination.
Hoshiyo watched in disbelief. Her sisters had gained so much knowledge and skill in such a short period while she had been waiting for her mother to recover. A pang of disappointment welled inside her, knowing all she could do was stand in awe of their unique talents.
In her daze, staring at the battlefield, Hoshiyo felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and the delicate sound of bells ringing. She jerked, sensing immense power beside her. A familiar, gentle voice, Motoko's sweet little voice, reassured her, "We're here now, don't worry."
When Hoshiyo looked up, she saw the twins in red and white Miko robes beside her. Their dark purple and bright pink hair swayed together like a single entity in the wind.
The twins rushed to the battlefield, holding colorful ribbons and golden bells on staff. They danced and chanted aloud, performing a spell to summon the mighty forces of the Yokai. Suddenly, dozens of black crows with glowing green bodies appeared out of nowhere, swooping down to attack the Shogunate.
Ceres raised her staff, which grew longer and shone brighter than the moon. She spun it deftly, using it to defend herself whenever a Samurai came too close. The intense training the twins had undergone was unparalleled, driven by the harsh reality of kill or being killed. They had risen to the challenge and emerged victorious.
Takeko approached from behind and gently tugged on Hoshiyo's Yukata. "I'm so glad you're okay, Hoshiyo. We want you to know you're not alone in this fight. We're here to protect everything you stand for and spread peace worldwide."
Hoshiyo sighed and replied, "It's not as easy as it sounds."
"One step at a time," Rei said encouragingly.
Utaku crossed her arms and quietly walked back to the horses. She picked up the stolen swords and examined the symbols on the blades. Finding them unrecognizable, she returned to Hoshiyo and handed the swords back to her. "Are you going to fight?" Utaku asked.
Before Hoshiyo could reply, Rei interjected, "Our mother gave us strict orders to protect her. Mother wants to train her personally before she enters the fight."
Utaku scoffed, "She's not a damsel in distress. Why are we treating her like a princess while working tirelessly to fight for our survival?"
"I don't know," Rei countered. "Mother has a reason for everything she's done over the last sixty years. We may not understand it now, but it will make sense later."
"She better have a good explanation after all this," Utaku muttered, frustration evident in her voice. She stormed onto the battlefield, her anger fueling her actions. With a swift motion, she unleashed poisonous needles from her robes, aiming for the Samurai's legs. Her rage made her more decisive but also reckless.
Hoshiyo frowned and turned to Rei. "What exactly did Mother tell you?"
Rei's eyes were saddened. "She passed after instructing me to tell everyone to protect you until the time came when she gave you her power. I don't know what she meant by that, but that's all she said."
From the battlefield, Ceres cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "Hey, Hoshiyo, we've got a live one!"
Hoshiyo's gaze shifted to the sisters on the battlefield, her eyes fixed on the bloody staircase and the figure crumpled at the bottom like discarded trash. She began walking towards them, with Utaku, Takeko, and Rei following closely. Each step was deliberate, her mind racing with thoughts of who might be sitting on those wooden steps, bleeding out. Her heart narrowed down the possibilities, cycling through the strongest and weakest of their enemies.
When she arrived, Hoshiyo gently pushed her sisters aside. "Move aside, I want to see."
There, gasping for air on the wooden staircase, was Lady Gekkoin. She lay there with one hand remaining, her kimono torn to shreds. Her face was cut up, and her left eye bled from a horrific sword cut. Shivering and spitting blood, she stared back at Hoshiyo with clenched teeth and furrowed brows. Her skin sizzling from the chemicals.
In agonizing pain, Lady Gekkoin rasped, "What did you throw at us?"
Rei pulled a brown glass bottle from her pocket, waving it proudly. "This is sulfuric acid, one of my favorite corrosive substances. Depending on the level of exposure, it can cause pulmonary edema or even death. Breathing it in won't harm my sisters and me, so you're in for a rough ride. I hope you have a good doctor."
Lady Gekkoin gurgled in pain, "The Shogun will never forgive you for this. You will face retribution before he lines your heads on bamboo sticks across the Land of Stars."
Hoshiyo replied, "Until that day comes, we will do everything to bring real peace to the Land of the Rising Sun."
Interrupting the conversation, Ceres asked, "How did you know it doesn't affect us?"
Rei nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "I had no idea it wouldn't harm us either. None of us felt any irritation in our upper respiratory tract, so I thought it was safe."
Ceres pulled on her collar, exasperated. "Seriously?"
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again," Rei quickly apologized.
"Just be more careful next time. We can't afford mistakes like that," Ceres insisted.
"Okay, I promise next time I'll ensure I have all the details," Rei assured.
Meanwhile, Hoshiyo focused on Lady Gekkoin, who was fading away. She watched as Lady Gekkoin's face grew pale, gasping for air. Her plans for revenge crumbled as her life slipped away.
Hoshiyo whispered, "Goodbye, Lady Gekkoin."
Rei kneeled to check Lady Gekkoin's pulse on her neck. After a few moments, she nodded and said, "Yeah, she's gone."
Ceres tried to wipe the blood off her yukata, but it only spread over her hands and fingertips. She said, "We must clean ourselves up before anyone sees us. Do you think any more of the Shogunate will show up soon?"
"Don't ask me; I'm not cleaning up this mess," Rei replied.
Hoshiyo shrugged and stepped up the staircase to see the courtyard from the platform. Surveying the bloodbath, her sisters had created to protect her; she felt no remorse. Instead, a sense of power surged within her as if she could rule the world. Her sisters looked up at her, waiting for her to say something to help them process the horrific act they had just committed.
Hoshiyo bowed deeply to her sisters, saying, "I don't fully understand Mother's intentions for us, and I am deeply sorry that your lives are now dedicated to protecting me. But believe me, I would have done the same for any of you. I did not choose to be her exact human clone, nor did I choose this rogue lifestyle. I am sorry."
Rei nodded at Hoshiyo's genuine apology and replied, "We're all in this together, remember that, everyone."
The sisters nodded in agreement, understanding they could overcome any challenge if they had each other. They were willing to fight the world to make their dreams come true.
"The lot of you are so talented now. I am so proud of you all," Hoshiyo said.
Ceres smirked and asked, "Well, what will we do with this place? The Shogunate knows who we are, so there's no point in running, right?"
Hoshiyo nodded and returned to the staircase to stand with her sisters as equals. She turned to the house with a smile and said, "I don't know, girls. Should we keep it or burn it to the ground?"
Rei gasped and argued, "Burn it? Are you sure? If we burn the house, everyone from as far as the other islands could come to investigate."
"Then it's decided," Hoshiyo said with a nod. "We will live here now and call it our home. We will defend it with our lives."
Ceres chuckled and said, "Finally, we can have our rooms now."
Rei pointed to the bodies and replied, "Yes, but we still have to do something with these bodies."
Utaku scoffed and picked up a corpse with her hands. As she began to drag it, she said, "They never showed the village or us any mercy, so why should we care about them? Let's display them at the front gate. They'll figure out soon enough that we've taken over the house."
"Display them?" Rei countered. "We'd be no better than them if we did that. We must hide them on a horse carriage and throw them off a cliff. People fall from that height all the time."
Utaku dropped the body, crossed her arms, and sighed. "Fine. Lead the way."
"With pleasure," Rei replied, already prepared with a plan.
A little boy with short black hair and dull gray eyes stepped into the sunlight, wearing a Jinbei. He wiped his eyes with his fists and yawned, whimpering, "Mommy?"
Hoshiyo and the others stared at the boy, their eyes wide and mouths agape. They were astonished that Lady Gekkoin had never mentioned she had a son. They stood speechless amidst the blood of his mother, wondering what he would say.
The boy opened his eyes and took in the horrific scene before him. Unable to find words to express his emotions, he did what any boy his age would do—he screamed and cried, pointing at Hoshiyo and her sisters with pure terror.