Thread: Kingdom of Shadow (Athene & Silverknight)

Baiken Fire was all around a younger version of Baiken. Not much older than a preteen, if even that. Amidst the sea of flames were bodies. Blood - both her own and belonging to the corpses around her - flowed freely from numerous sources. Her small figure shuddered as she blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her sight despite being brutally blinded. Her head turned, a fearful yet equally furious whimper passing her lips as she saw what used to be her right arm now tossed carelessly on the arm. Her left fist clenched tightly as she whipped her head upon hearing the sound of laughter. Maniacal, crazed laughing. I'm amazed you're still alive, girl. Why not just give up? Join the others. It's not like you can do anything against me. The voice made Baiken grip firmly onto her lower lip. I'll kill you myself! she hissed through gritted teeth, resulting in a snicker from her assailant. You ? Kill me? Hah! Hardly! Look at yourself! Could you even pick up a blade, hmm? I WILL! JUST WATCH ME! ONE OF THESE DAYS, I'LL -- The movements had been so fast that Baiken hardly noticed the silhouette leave her field of vision. A quick but rough sensation registered as a hand found the nape of her neck, forcing her into unconsciousness. Maybe later, she heard, But not tonight. Your test begins will you wake up and survive all of the blood loss? Or will you lose your will to live? Let's find out ... MOTHERFUCKER! Baiken woke up, a cold sweat steadily falling down her face as she panted and breathed heavily, her left hand gripping tightly onto the sheets of her bed. Time healed all wounds, or so the proverb went. In the most literal of senses, it was only partially true for Baiken. The anger and pain from her past had helped strengthen her. And yet, in some regards, it could be argued it had weakened her. But that was why she'd eagerly taken up a role. Her role, to be precise. Kyoto had recently come under rule of a new Daimyo, the previous one meeting an unfortunate demise due to illness. Not everyone took to change very well, though. Then again, the emergence of the still rather fresh Meiji Era hinted there were just some individuals who couldn't deal with 'new things'. As such, it was no secret that quite a few of the civilians were plotting. Quite a few had already tried, and all failed. That was where Baiken came in their efforts to overthrow the new Daimyo had - specifically - failed because of her . She wasn't the only bodyguard for the new leader, but she was one of the most recognizable faces and names. Over the years, she'd kept her word to That Man and taken up the art of the blade. It wasn't easy. In fact, it was anything but that, particularly with Baiken having to force herself to adapt to only possessing one arm. Nonetheless, she succeeded in her endeavors and eventually became an expert in the art of Iaido sword fighting. With so many people making the same mistake of underestimating her due to her handicaps, it was easy to defeat any rebels who would otherwise attempt to bring ruin to Kyoto. Granted, there were some curiosities that even Baiken herself had. For one, she'd never personally met the new leader, which led to why she had been selected at all. Or maybe the more appropriate wording was how had they known she would be a good choice? Prior to being asked to be a bodyguard by one of the Daimyo's messengers, everyone else had dismissed and thought next to nothing about Baiken's mere existence. But this man - she'd heard the Daimyo was a male, anyway - had more than enough faith to believe in her. She knew it shouldn't matter at this point. But something always pestered her. It gnawed at the back of her mind for a good few minutes before finally ... Baiken wove her hand through the air, dismissing it. She'd had this talk with herself more than enough times. No point dwelling over it, she muttered, glancing over and using the appearance of the outside scenery to take note of the time. The sun was already up, indicating it was probably early morning. A few hours past dawn, to be more precise. Baiken nodded, taking a deep breath and kicking the covers off of herself. She was probably a bit late, and needed to make up for lost time. Iaido hadn't been the only thing Baiken made herself get accustomed to with one arm. Daily tasks like getting dressed or simply surviving in any shape or form were also included. Baiken would thus emerge from behind a dressing screen clad in her usual kimono, sandals adorning her feet. Her sword hung at her side, and over her missing eye was an eye-patch. After swiftly but gracefully enough pulling her hair in a tight ponytail, the peach-haired bodyguard walked out, knowing fully well what was expected of her. Shopping. For food, to be more exact. A dull yet very necessary evil. Though the Daimyo had tons of other servants, including handmaidens, everyone else was getting ready. If she had to guess, some sort of festival or special event was coming up. Whatever it was, the list of items alone gave enough of a hint that something huge was about to occur soon. Reaching down into her pocket, she pulled the parchment out, beginning to scan the list for herself as she exited the palace and entered the streets. There weren't many places that had all of these. There were only a select few but thankfully, Baiken knew where they were, and thus - by default - which direction to go towards. Her feet began confidently guiding her through the streets of Kyoto as she started the steady trek towards a specific shop, run by an individual whom, according to what Baiken heard, was a skilled chef himself.