to strike as soon as the third man opened the cage door.
Knowing that she won’t be able to fight off three men at once, Kara growled again.
«Hands!» the first man commanded.
Kara leaped to him in an attempt to knock him down, but the other two were quicker than she thought they would be – in a matter of seconds they caught her by the neck and pressed her to the bars on the opposite wall of the cage, leaving her no opportunity to move at all.
«Enough!» a woman’s voice sounded behind the men and they relaxed, but only a little.
Holding Kara captive between the poles and bars, they moved aside and Kara noticed a beautiful young woman in a fine white and red kimono. Unlike the kimono Kara knew to be worn in ancient Japan in her world – this one was made differently and looked more like that a samurai would wear, making it more similar to a men’s haorihakama.
«Let her go.» The woman ordered, and the samurai stepped back.
Having no more force pushing her into the bars, Kara fell to her knees, feeling that the men were about to choke her if it weren’t for the mysterious woman that came to her rescue.
«Get those shackles off her!» the woman ordered, and the men complied.
As soon as her hands were free, Kara jumped to her feet and landed a blow on one of the men, sending him to the floor.
Before anyone could do anything, the woman in the kimono stepped up and placed a blade against Kara’s throat.
«I said enough!» she said firmly. «You are not being punished and we do not intend to hurt you. Calm down and follow me.»
«What do you want from me?» Kara flashed her eyes with fury.
«That is for Master Ryuu to decide. My job is to get you acquainted with the castle.» The woman took the blade away and in a split second she looked unarmed again. «I was told to inform you that you are our guest, and not a prisoner. Now come on, I will take you to a bath, and we will get some food for you. You must be starving.»
She stepped away and gestured towards the stairs that were leading up to the first floor of the building.
Kara glanced to the three guards, who froze under this woman’s command, and stepped out of the cage.
«My name is Ayame.» The woman said, leading Kara out of this cellar. «I serve master Ryuu and you are now under my care. You will not be able to leave the castle grounds. However, you are free to roam about the castle, except for the gardens.»
«So I am your prisoner.» Kara replied with a grimace.
«You are Master Ryuu’s guest. And in due time he will tell everything you need to know. But in the meantime – I will try to answer all your questions to the extent that I am able to.»
«Why am I here?»
«Master Ryuu will be able to answer that. But, as I heard, you showed quite the fighting spirit in the Land of the Broken. I suppose, this could be the reason you were taken to our realm.»
Kara watched all the corridors and people that she saw, and very soon found herself lost in the maze that the castle was.
«Even though you are free to roam about the castle, be aware that you will not be alone. A number of special guards will be following you always and making sure you don’t bring harm to anyone in the castle. They will also be watching over you so that you will not be hurt by anyone.» Ayame said.
«I don’t need protection.» Kara growled.
«Yes, I saw. You are quite a fighter. But they are there to make sure you don’t try to leave as well.» Ayame opened a sliding door and Kara saw a room with stacks of sheets and towels.
Hesitating for just a moment, Kara stepped in. Ayame followed her and closed the door behind them.
«You can leave your filthy clothes here.» Ayame walked across the room and opened another door. Behind it was a comfortable bathroom with a hot tub ready for Kara to take a bath and clean herself from all the turmoil she lived through on the previous day.
«And you are going to watch?» Kara smirked.
«I can leave, if you want. But believe me – you will not be able to escape.» Ayame bowed and left the room.
Kara stood among this beautiful pristine room and thought for a little while, before entering the bathroom and taking a look around. She noticed a door on the opposite side of the bathroom and stepped up to it. But before she could reach out and try to open it, the door slid to the side and the woman saw a tall man in dark shinobi clothing – he was one of those that many people in her world mistakenly called ninjas.
He shook his head and stood there, staring at her coldly. Behind him she saw a beautiful garden with multiple cherry trees and many different flowers planted.
«So I am a prisoner…» Kara sighed and turned her back to him.
Knowing that he will be there to watch over, she decided to agree to the warm bath that these people provided her. She started to undress, but as soon as she began taking off her blouse, the shinobi behind her slid the door to close it, though Kara didn’t hear the actual hit of the wooden frame against the door itself.
Not minding his presence, she threw her clothes off, baring her bruised body. She looked at her scratches and bruises, and, finally, got into the tub. Only then she noticed the door silently slide shut.
As she bathed, washing away all the dirt and sweat from her skin, she looked over all her multiple tattoos, reminding herself why she made them in the first place. Feeling cornered, she caressed the dark phoenix on her left arm and pulled her knees to her chin.
She wanted to break down and cry – she was away from her home, she was all alone, among those, who could kill her at any moment. And there was not a single person she could really trust.
Kara dived under the water – just to let it wash away any tears that were starting to break through, and when she sat up again, the door was slightly open – enough to be unnoticeable to most – but not to her. The shinobi was watching her – making sure she won’t commit suicide, no doubt.
Just to taunt the man a little, she stood up – naked and shameless, and walked out of the tub. She took one of the towels to dry herself and noticed that the man was there, still watching. But when she finished drying her hair – the door was shut again.
Kara wanted to get dressed, but found her clothes gone. Who could have taken them – and when – was a mystery. Instead of her old clothes she found a haorihakama – similar to the one Ayame was wearing, but deep green in colour. It took some time for her to dress up, but as soon as she did – she found the clothes quite comfortable and very fine in quality.
It was unsettling – everything was strange and felt surreal, as if she was dreaming.
Many years ago she could only dream of something like this, but now – there she was, in a castle, among samurai and shinobi… and without a single clue why she was there.
As
