SHINTO - 6

Chapter 6: Questioning, Kept Quiet.

The bulky shadow that belonged to the Khan loomed over my brothers and I. My brothers were scared, their eyes teeming with fear and tears.

As for me...I was quiet. Deep down somewhere...I felt like I knew this was going to happen.

While I was unconscious, the Khan had taken my blade away from me, and kept it stashed in the far-right corner of the room, along with the herbs I had taken for my brother. In between the pole that tied my brothers and I and the Khan was a square table with two chairs, one on each side.

"Tsuji Takeichi," He began, putting the knife he held down, "My apologies. I did not wish to intimidate you...I simply want to have a conversation."

I responded with silence, and a glare of hatred for making my brothers afraid.

"Hm...do you not trust me?" He asked sincerely, "Do you not trust that we can converse? As friends?"

I kept quiet.

"It seems so..." the Khan muttered. "Ah, this should change his mind..."

He turned to two guards that stood against a wooden door that resembled an exit.

"You two...untie the boy and his brothers, and give him his sword back."

The guards' eyes widened, frozen in confusion.

"Did I stutter?" The Khan ordered, "Now!"

The two guards hastily untied us, and they gave me my sword. The two regrouped back at the door.

"Leave us." The Khan ordered, and the two guards exited the room.

I was confused as to why the Khan did that. That was stupid. He could die right now.

An opportunity to kill him...

But...I'm not moving.

"I'm completely defenseless." The Khan said, raising his hands into the air, "You can kill me right now if you wanted to. But you won't..."

Then, a smile appeared.

"It seems I have gained your trust..."

I took a step back, shielding my brothers.

"You don't know anything about who I trust." I hissed defensively.

"Really?" The Khan reclined in his chair, "Then kill me. Right now."

I didn't move. It was almost as if my legs were glued to the ground. I swallowed as my intense eyes were locked with his.

"You trust me." The Khan concluded. "Now please, sit. I would like to speak to you."

"About...what?" I asked.

"Your power, of course." The Khan answered, "The elephant in the room!"

Then, it clicked in my head.

"I'll talk with you on one condition." I said.

"Hm?" He asked.

"Grant my brothers a discreet and safe passage out and away from this village. After our conversation, I will be notified of their location and will regroup with them."

"Alright, consider it-"

"-No witnesses. No issues. No soldiers." I cut him off. He was silent for a moment.

"You drive a bargain. Deal." He smiled.

"Guards!" He ordered the cowardly guards back into the room, "Get these two boys out of this town. If anyone sees them, or if you try to hurt them, consider your head on a platter."

"Be gone." He ended, the guards taking my brothers out of the room.

Now it was just us.

Alone.

Slowly, I sat down in the chair. As I moved, a smile became wider and wider on his face.

"Good...Now, tell me how did you receive this power?" He asked me.

I stayed silent for a moment.

"I had a dream. When I woke up, your men were burning my village and invading my home...Then...I don't know. It activated on instinct, and I've just gotten better at using it." I stated.

"A dream? Describe it to me."

"A woman...glowing like the sun...took my hand. That's all I remember." I said.

"A woman, eh?" He said, "Hm...You must believe in Shinto then. It only seems right for a believer to receive the power of-"

"I was the only person in the village who didn't believe in Shinto. I'm not sure why I was even chosen." I stated.

"So...you think the gods just...took a lucky guess?" He asked.

"If that's what you want to call it, then yes." I agreed.

"Wow. I find it...hard to believe." He finalized.

There was a long pause between us.

"I got these powers to...I guess...save Japan from you. You're a monster. You enslave countless women and children for fun. You deprive the poor of the ability to live their already horrible lives..."

"I got these powers to kill you. And your entire empire." I ended, staring him dead in the eyes.

His smile slowly faded away.

"You're an interesting one, Takeichi..." He muttered, "You don't believe in Shinto, yet you inherited the power of the gods...your goal is to kill me, yet you don't do it."

"You're one of the people I hate the most." He finished, "A fake."

He sighed.

"Fine. In order to make you want to kill me, I'll just have to..."

Below the table, I gripped my sword.

"Guards." He said, "Kill the boys you escorted."

"No!" I yelled, leaping out of the table and drawing my sword.

"I'll kill you-" I tried.

"Ah-ah-ah!" He taunted, "Either you waste your time killing me while your brothers die...or you go after your brothers, and leave me alive."

He walked over to the wooden door, holding it open for me. He tilted his head upward, revealing a clean slice at his neck.

"The choice is yours." He smiled cockily.

"We finish this later." I said, running out the door and into the town.

As my feet hit the ground, I frantically looked around for my brothers, using Fujin as an aid. I discovered both my brothers cornered against a tree with three guards surrounding them. Akaji was shielding Kiyoshi, ready to fight for him.

"Get the hell away from them!" I yelled in anger as I charged the three guards, slicing one's throat, gutting another, and grabbing the third soldier from behind, putting my sword to his neck, and pulling back, decapitating him. As the three soldiers's bloods mixed together in a pool of red, I ran over to my brothers, embracing them in a hug.

"We need to go." I said hastily.

Once again, my brothers and I found ourselves running in the dark woods.

Only this time, we were being hunted.

Chapter 6: Questioning, Kept Quiet, End.