Samurai 2.0 - Destiny: A Harem Fantasy Adventure

by April O'Malley

  Akio was quiet for a moment. “Thank you,” he said. “How were you able to feel when he passed?”

  “With the fire soul comes our training. With our training comes connection. With connection comes power,” Aichu said.

  “So, you were connected to him?” Akio mused. “Did my father come here?”

  “No,” Aichu said, “your father was never shown the way here. But he was not the one. You are.”

  “I still don't understand what that means,” Akio said, shaking his head lightly. He ran his hand along the flat side of the sword. “I don't know what you want.”

  “We want only to share our knowledge with you. To help you in your lifetime. One day, you will bear a son that will become very important too,” Aichu told him.

  He blushed. “I'm not married yet, even though my mother is in a hurry for me to do so. So, a son might be far off.”

  “Eight point fifty-six Earth years, to be exact,” Aichu said.

  He was dumbfounded. “That is when I will have a son?” He paused, considering the information that he had just learned. “How could you possibly know this?”

  Aichu was quiet for a bit, then said, “We know.”

  He sat back down in the chair and contemplated everything for a moment. It had not fully hit him that he was in an alien vessel, aliens from another planet, in another galaxy, in another space far away from his own part of the universe. He was more blown away by the fact that in eight years he would have a son. “So,” he said slowly, “what do I do now? What do you want me to do?”

  Aichu changed the screen from all of the symbols to one specific that was also the largest on his sword's hilt. “This is the first symbol,” Aichu said. “Let us teach you its power.”

  The chair that he was sitting in began to shift around him. He started to panic, but a calming effect came over him. The chair molded around his body until he was almost lying down, reclining in the soft white material. As the chair finished it transformation, it began to glow a soft purple. Deep in his body, he felt something being added to his being. It fluctuated with an electric power that he had never felt. It was warm, soothing, yet so powerful that he could feel it just wanting to be let out.

  It flooded through him for several minutes. As it did so, he began to see symbols at the edges of his vision, and he knew them instinctively for what they were. One symbol was for fire, one for water, one for dirt, one for air. Another was for the sky, the ocean, rivers, lakes, fish, bears, animals of all sorts. More symbols for power, for stealth, for skill, for age. Then one symbol began to take shape in the front of his vision and he instantly knew it for health.

  “This symbol is your first lesson,” Aichu said. “It is our power symbol for what you call Health. For your life force. It is now ingrained inside of you, deep in your core.” He felt a burning on his forearm and jerked his shirt up. On his right forearm, inside the elbow, the symbol appeared in a deep black ink beneath his skin. “It will protect you now and always, until the next one is ready.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, rubbing the mark on his skin. It was warm to the touch.

  “The symbol will allow you to heal from wounds almost immediately, even wounds that would kill other men. It means you will never get sick, you will never suffer health ailments, and you will just not die easily,” Aichu said. “The symbol is you and you are the symbol. Please repeat.”

  He looked up. “Repeat?”

  “The symbol is me and I am the symbol,” Aichu said.

  “The symbol is me and I am the symbol,” Akio said. As if it heard, the symbol flashed a bit of a jolt through his body, and he immediately felt amazing. He was no longer tired from the day, he was no longer worried about anything, and the slight ache in his back from sitting in the chair at the ceremony vanished.

  “Time is short today,” Aichu said, “so we will teach one more symbol. Then you will return tomorrow for more.”

  “Well, I don't know when I can come tomorrow...” he started to say.

  “You will be here after the time of dinner,” Aichu said matter-of-factly.

  “Okay then,” he said, “I will be here after dinner.”

  On his forearm, another burning sensation and another symbol. It appeared right under the first one. “This is the symbol for Strength,” Aichu said. “It is the symbol that will make you stronger than most people you come against. However, this symbol is not without growth; this is only the beginning symbol. You must learn the others at a later time.” The symbol finished its tattoo on his arm. “Now repeat: The symbol is me and I am the symbol.”

  Akio repeated it and another jolt went through his body. He could feel the strength radiating throughout his entire core and it felt amazing. He couldn't wait to train tomorrow and discover what this new found strength could do. Hell, he might do a bit of practice on the trees on the way home.

  “Now,” Aichu said, “it is time for you to return to your home, Akio.” The chair morphed back into its original position and he stood up.

  “I don't know what to say. I don't know how to thank you,” he said.

  “You will thank us one day,” Aichu said. “Do not worry now.” At the other end of the room, the door opened. He picked up his sword and headed toward it.

  “Tomorrow,” he said, pausing in the doorway, “how do I come in? Do I pull on the metal lever again?”

  Aichu replied, “We know when you will be coming and we will be waiting for you.”

  At the end of the hallway, on the other side of the door, the hatch opened for him. He took another look around and headed to the exit. The door to the room closed behind him. When he stepped out of the hatch, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness that flooded in. The hatch closed behind him, and blended right back into the earth around it.

  He walked back toward the manor house the way he had come. As he did, he was lost in thought at what just happened. Every time he considered the idea that it was a dream, he looked down at his forearm and was reminded that it was not. As he neared the back gate, he noticed someone was waiting for him. It was Kiso.

  “Kiso,” he said as he approached, “why are you out here at such an hour.”

  A worried look crossed her face. “You need to come with me.”

  He started to ask how she knew he was out here, where they were going, and several other things, but the look she had told him that something was wrong. He followed her down the other path towards town. She produced a farmer's hat and cloak and handed them to him. “Put these on. We don't need anyone recognizing you right now.” Intrigued and a bit worried now, he put the items on. “And hide your sword better. Everyone in town knows that sword.” He adjusted the sword so that it hung down straight instead of at a slant, and made sure the cloak covered almost all of it.

  Kiso stuck to the darker streets and sides of the walkways as they made their way into town and then toward the center. They were headed toward the tavern district. At the end of the main row of inns, they took a right and then she pulled him into a small alcove. “We are going into that tavern there.” She pointed across the street. “But, we must enter separately. I will go first and I will have a seat toward the rear of the room, at a small table next to a group of soldiers. You will come in within a few minutes and carefully make your way to the table. Do not let the soldiers see your face. They are soldiers that brought your father's body home and they have been drinking enough to let flow some information that you need to hear.”

  “Then why don't I just make them tell me?” he said, a bit furious. “I am in charge. I am their leader now.”

  “They do not care yet, Akio,” she said. “They will eventually, but right now, they do not. So, we will go in this way and learn what we can, what you need to know about your father's death.” She left the alcove and carefully made her way across the street, a shadow moving in the shadows. Quickly, she slipped into the tavern and was gone. He waited for a few moments, unsure of how long to
wait exactly, and finally made his way to the tavern door. Pausing with his hand on the handle, he wasn't sure if he wanted to go in, but he had to.

  The decision was made for him when a drunk patron pushed open the door, causing him to step to the side. As soon as the patron was out of the way, he slipped inside and quickly found Kiso at a table in the back. He slid his way around the outside edges of the room. He approached the table and sat down. A waitress came over and placed a tankard of ale in front of him. Kiso told her thank you and the waitress grunted and left.

  The table behind Akio was full of soldiers, at least six of them. They were all deep in conversation and he began to listen in.

  Within about ten minutes, and not even a sip of the ale, he had learned all he needed to know. His mind was boiling with rage. According to the soldiers, a group of outlaws had attacked his father, two aides, and three soldiers while they had been out hunting for deer in the woods next to their camp. While they had fought back heroically, there were just too many of the outlaws. The soldiers recounted how gruesome the torture had been that was inflicted upon his father: fingers sliced off, toes flattened with hammers, his tongue and nose removed and more that he did not want to hear. Angry tears flooded his eyes, but dared not spill down his face.

  Kiso watched him carefully as he stared at a blank spot on the table in front of them, listening intently. She also was hearing the tales being told behind them and had heard much more already before retrieving Akio. Finally, he heard the piece of information he needed: the outlaws responsible for this had moved into a nearby town close to the large monastery. He also overheard a description of their leader, the man who had put his father to an honorless death, and the crest that these outlaws wore on their swords and clothing. Akio stood slowly and made his way back toward the door of the tavern. Kiso had no time to get him to pause so she had to get up and go after him quickly.

  Outside, in the darkness, she barely caught up with him as he headed back toward his house. “Akio!” she whispered loudly, “Akio! Wait!” He did not stop, but slowed a bit until she was next to him. “We need to form a plan.”

  He nodded. “I will kill them all.” She could feel the white hot rage seething from his body as she walked closer.

  “Yes, we will,” she said.

  They walked in silence back to the rear gate of his manor house. She followed him inside, afraid to leave his side just yet. They had been friends since they were toddlers, they had trained together all these years, he was her best friend; and she would not allow him to bear this on his own. The two moved quietly across the manicured yard; they passed the pond with the golden fish he loved, and the ornate flower garden his mother tended to like a favored child. When they reached the porch, he opened the door to his suite for her and she entered. Inside the dimmed room, he stood for a moment, trying to focus on what he needed to do. His heart was so heavy in his chest, he feared it would drop right out of his body.

  Kiso watched him carefully. She wished that she could help. Several times, she started to say something and then thought better of it. He finally sat down on the bed and she came and sat beside him. Both were quiet.

  Finally, he said, “Tomorrow, we form a plan. I will take a look at my soldiers and form a plan of attack to avenge my father's murder. No one will be spared.”

  “I will be here to help you every step of the way. You simply tell me what you need and I will do it.”

  He looked over at her and once again was caught by her beautiful eyes. He hated that she had to live as a boy. He hated her father for making her dress and look like a boy. She was beautiful, and allowed to look as a woman should, she would be one of the most breathtaking women in the whole area. But, that is not the way things were.

  He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. He wished things were different and he could make her his wife.

  “Akio,” she said, pulling back a bit, “we shouldn't. I... I thought we said only that once.” She blushed.

  “I'm sorry Kiso. I didn't mean...”

  She lunged forward slightly and kissed him hard. Their tongues searched each other out as if the whole world depended on it. Soon, they were toppled over on the bed, kissing, touching, moaning.

  “We have to be quiet,” he whispered to her with a laugh after a particularly loud moan when his hands had found a special spot on her body. She giggled.

  “I couldn't help it. That feels so good.” She pulled his hand back toward that spot and guided his fingers where to go. “Don't stop, Akio.”

  The two made love twice that night and Kiso fell asleep on Akio's bed in the early morning hours. As dawn arose and the birds outside called for their mates, Kiso awoke and began to get dressed.

  Akio leaned on one elbow to watch her. “Why don't you shed this life as a boy and come live with me, here?”

  She paused in her dressing, her back to him. “Oh, Akio...” she said “I cannot...” He heard her voice crack. “I cannot bring shame to my father like that.”

  “What has your father ever really done for you, Kiso?” he asked, almost angrily. He hated the man as much as she did. “You are here every day anyway, come and live here. Come and be a beautiful woman, Kiso. Be the woman beside me, rule with me. Be my wife.”

  She kept her back to him so he would not see the tears on her cheeks. Her heart told her to turn around and go to him, to take him in her arms, tell him she loved him. But her brain told her that her father would disown her. In her mind, she could hear her father's words of disgust toward her. She could only hear how ugly she was, how disgraceful she was, and how no man would ever want her.

  Although she knew these things were not true, they played through her mind on a never-ending loop. She would be shamed and would never make Akio a good wife. “I cannot, Akio. I would shame you and your family.” She picked up the rest of her clothing and moved to the screen in the corner of the room to finish dressing. When she reappeared, she once again looked the part of the warrior she had been trained to be. She moved to the door and paused. “Maybe in another life, Akio. Maybe then things will be different.” She opened the door and started to step outside into the predawn light.

  “Kiso,” he said, causing her to pause before going out the door, “you can in this life. This life is all we have.”

  She shook her head. “It can never be.” With that, she stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind her, leaving Akio to his thoughts as angry tears flowed down her face.

  ***

  Ratnakar was pleased with himself. The girls had chosen their own room in the farm house and were cleaning it up and making it better. The boys that had been at the house when the trio arrived were amazed and a bit disturbed to see that there were now girls in their stolen home. Ratnakar assured them that these girls were special. He introduced them as Fate and Karma. The boys were a little more than leery of them.

  While the girls cleaned quietly, Ratnakar looked at a couple of the other rooms in the house and chose one for himself. He claimed the biggest room and pulled his bed mat back into it. Throwing out some debris that had been left inside, he made it his own. It was easily triple the size of his room at the monastery, and he knew that within a short time, he would have it as his sanctuary.

  As he was imagining what he could do with the space, the girls appeared at the doorway. He smiled at them. “Come in.”

  The two entered and glanced around a bit. Fate turned to him. “We will clean this for you.” And Karma finished, “This is not worthy of you.”

  Ratnakar was flattered, yet he said, “Girls, you don't have to do that for me. I promise.” But both girls held up a hand, causing him to pause and raise his eyebrows.

  Karma said, “You saved us from the boys in town...”

  Fate finished, “We are yours now and forever.”

  He started to object once again, but then though, hell, why not? He did save them from something truly horrible. So if they wanted to repay him by tidyin
g up his room, why not let them? He moved to the side, graciously bowing to them and opening his arms to indicate the room was theirs. Then, he headed out into the main room where the boys relaxed.

  Several of the boys had returned while he was gone with some spoils. There was a small pile of fruits, a pile of dried meats, a few utensils, some cloth, and other miscellaneous items that were laid out on the counter top in the kitchen area. He was impressed. It wasn't even noon yet.

  He plucked an apple from the stack and took a bite of it. The juice was so wonderful against his lips and in his mouth. He then grabbed another apple and some berries as well as some of the dried meats, and he told the boys that they could have anything they wanted. As he moved away from the table, the boys descended on it like locusts.

  The light outside was fading as the sun was tired. The beautiful pink light cascaded all over the rooms of the house. He told one of the boys to make sure a fire was lit for the night and the boy nodded. A couple of them rushed out to find kindling and some wood.

  He returned to his room and offered the fruits and meats to the girls. The pair sat in the floor facing each other, the food in their laps, and ate together. Their mannerisms were so odd, so intriguing, that he couldn't help but watch them. It was strange that he was so taken with them, but he had never really been around girls at all, much less ones his age. At least, he assumed they were his age, he hadn't asked.

  He opened his mouth to ask and Fate turned to him at that exact moment. “We are seventeen,” she said to him. He blushed and looked away.

  “I... I wasn't going to...” he stammered and then stopped as the girls stood up together and faced him.

  Karma walked to him and took him by the hand, guiding him toward the bed mat. Fate went to the door and closed it as best she could with the broken pieces. Then, she moved to join her sister. Karma lightly pushed Ratnakar onto the bed mat and he sat down hard, unsure of what to do or say. Then the girls turned and began to undress each other.