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Four hundred years ago, the world was at an unforgiving war. Small towns and villages slaughtered one another and captured innocent people to be used as slaves; or to be killed off to show supremacy. One village reigned the most secretive and power-hungry of any in the lands. Deep in the Lost Mountains, was a village controlled by Azukaru Himitsu, the most powerful leader. He was one that no one wished to encounter.
His rank and success with his small army proved him to have everything he wanted in life. He was wealthy, had a large share of slaves, an army that respected him and never backed down, and a beautiful wife. When his first son, Hokori was born, he was pleased to finally have a blood relative to be a part of his army someday. He trained Hokori once he was old enough to walk, and taught him everything he would need to know for battle. Six years passed since Hokori’s birth, and Azukaru’s luck changed quickly. His wife had given birth again, but to his dismay, to a girl. Enraged, Azukaru tried to kill his new born daughter, but his wife, Yuna, stopped him. Angered at the fact that he would not be able to have two sons to rule his army someday, he allowed the girl to live but forbid her to be a part of his name. The family had to refer to the daughter as ‘girl’, ‘child’ or ‘sister’. Four years passed since the day she was born, and still was not allowed a name. Hokori felt bad for his sister, and did not understand why she was so different from him. Whenever Azukaru had to leave for battle, Hokori would take his sister and his friend Tamashii out somewhere so they could all play together in secrecy.
A few more years passed, and Azukaru was confronted by his daughter. She explained that she could help with his army, and that she was stronger than most of the boys her age—and older. Azukaru laughed. His thoughts for women being put on Earth was only for men’s enjoyment. His daughter became upset at this, and would disobey her father’s orders. She would get into fights with the young boys in the village, and beat every last one of them. Trying to prove her worth to her father turned quickly on her. Azukaru became embarrassed and enraged. He would often hurt his daughter for even suggesting that she would make a better fighter than the boys he had trained. After several months of watching her daughter struggle to prove her worth, Yuna argued with her husband. She scolded Azukaru, told him he had more duties than just being a general. Frustrated at his wife for doubting his authority, he murdered his wife. Watching her father stab her mother repeatedly, the daughter stood in the corner of the next room completely shocked. Azukaru who realized what he had just done, smirked and walked off to go off to battle. The girl ran to her mother’s dying body. She was one of the only people who cared for her in her messed up life. Yuna, using her last bits of strength, stroked her daughter’s face. As tears rolled down her cheeks, she murmured with her last breath, “Farewell, my sweet Namida…” The girl stared at her mother’s body and recited the lines over and over in her head. She then decided that whatever her father did, or said, she would be known as “Himitsu Namida”.*
Months after their mother’s death, Hokori and Namida, along with Tamashii began to wander deeper into the forest to try to escape the constant screaming from their father. One day they came across a large opening near a cliff. As the children began to play, they realized that something wasn’t right. They were being watched—or more importantly, stalked. As they began to return back to the village, Tamashii was ambushed by a panther. It lunged and clasped its teeth deep into his shoulder. As Hokori rushed to help his friend, a wolf leapt down and snatched his leg. The wolf had snapped Hokori’s leg, and as he lay in pain, Namida rushed to try to save her brother. The wolf turned and clamped down on her hand. Suddenly, the wolf collapsed to the ground, as did the panther. Tamashii rushed over to Namida and stood looking at the two dead animals. Something was wrong with them. But the two did not know what. They quickly retrieved Hokori and dragged him to the security of the village.
The children figured out what was wrong with the animals they had been attacked by. They were sick, and somehow their disease must have transferred to them and messed up their DNA. The night after the attack, on a full moon, the children all turned into the animals they were attacked by. Azukaru learned about this, and thinking about how big of ‘freaks’ they were, he banished them from his home. Tamashii’s father, allowed them to stay with him, he admired how much strength the children had. Four years later, Tamashii’s father failed to return from his mission he had been sent on 6 months earlier. After Namida overheard her father talking to another one of his warriors about how Tamashii’s father was killed by him, she confronted him again. She was furious that her father had killed two people who actually cared for her from her life. She smiled and stepped out from the shadows mumbling “I tried everything to please you. Cut my hair, slept out in the cold, went through years of abuse…and you still treat me like s**t. I cried tears of blood for fourteen painful years for nothing. But now, you’ll cry them for me.” She took out the same weapon used in her mothers murder and stabbed her father. Hokori and Tamashii came by as Azukaru bled to death. Hokori rushed to his blood stained sister, and embraced her. He was glad she had finally rid their lives, and children to come of his evil.
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* Himitsu Namida is Japanese for ‘secret tears’
 I Okamiotoko I · Sun Jun 07, 2009 @ 09:16pm · 0 Comments |
