Chapter 39: Bloodlust

Kazuki's eyes flew open as the carriage jolted over a rut in the road. Darkness enveloped him, a musty cloth pressed over his face. His wrists burned where ropes dug into his skin.

"Obanai?" His voice rasped, throat dry. No response came from the inert form slumped against his back. Kazuki twisted, trying to jab his elbow into Obanai's side. Nothing. Obanai was out cold.

Kazuki clenched his jaw, yanking against the ropes. They held fast. The clop of hooves and occasional whinny told him they were on the move, destination unknown. Kidnapped. But by whom?

As the carriage rumbled on, navigating the uneven terrain, Kazuki's ears became attuned to the surrounding noises. The whispering rustle of the leaves and the faint sounds of bodies darting from one tree to another sent shivers down his spine.

"At least ten... each one more skilled than the last," he estimated to himself, recognizing the lethal agility of his pursuers. His heart pounded like a frantic drum within his chest.

Suddenly, the carriage jerked to a halt, leaving Kazuki's thoughts racing with horrifying possibilities. Was this his execution? Was his chance for vengeance against Kuroyama and Namida slipping away? As his breathing quickened, an icy voice resonated through the air.

"You truly seem pitiful," Tsukiyomi's detached tone offered no comfort.

Exhaling deeply, Kazuki forced his muscles to relax. "You're correct, I apologize. If today is to be my end, then it's destined. However, I won't go down without a fight."

An authoritative feminine voice ordered the removal of Kazuki's blindfold, revealing an imposing temple on the outskirts of Toyooka City. Surrounded by the Kunoichi women, garbed in their sleek, black ninja attire, Kazuki finds himself being directed towards the temple entrance.

Alongside him, one of the Kunoichis tenderly hoists an unconscious Obanai, their collective procession moving with quiet purpose.

Desperation tinted Kazuki's voice as he called out to his captors, "If you harbor any desire to live, release us immediately."

Yet, his words faded into the suffocating silence. It was then that a familiar sensation stirred at his back – the Tanto sword. The small blade, a gift from his master and cloaked in the energy of lightning, had been forgotten amidst the chaos of his journey.

A smirk curled the edges of his lips as he silently pledged to himself, "Patience... I must wait for the opportune moment to turn the tides." His mind flickered to his two prized swords, especially his master's esteemed long sword. "I will reclaim them, no matter the cost," he vowed to himself.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

An oppressive hush fell over the congregation. In the stillness, the measured clack-clack of wooden 'geta' sandals against stone resonated, the footsteps growing steadily louder.

Every Kunoichi surrounding Kazuki knelt simultaneously, their bodies bending in a respectful bow as if moved by some unseen force. The entire world seemed to be holding its breath.

"Who comes?" Kazuki found himself whispering.

And then, as if to answer his question, she emerged. Namida Minamoto, the phantom who dwelt in his deepest nightmares, materialized from the temple's entrance.

Her eyes, twin orbs of hazelnut, seemed to penetrate the very essence of Kazuki, locking him in a gaze he couldn't break. Hair as black as a raven's wing fell in a cascade over her shoulders, obscuring part of her face in a tantalizing dance of hide and seek.

Her form-fitting Kunoichi garb of blood-red only served to accentuate the dangerous curves of her physique.

The intricate dragon tattoo on her right arm snaked menacingly, its ominous design glistening in the low light. In contrast, her left hand clutched a chain sickle, the weapon appearing as a lethal extension of her own body.

"Such strikingly blue eyes you possess, young man," she proclaimed, her voice resonating like a funeral toll, as she initiated her advance towards him.

Kazuki felt a chill run down his spine, a shiver of anticipation.

Kazuki's body tensed, every muscle coiled tight like a viper ready to strike. He could feel the familiar icy caress of the shadow deity Tsukiyomi stirring within him, responding to Namida's presence.

Namida halted her approach, mere feet away from Kazuki's immobilized form. Her gaze flickered briefly to the shadowy mist around him.

"Well, if it isn't Kazuki," she mused, her tone laced with recognition and a touch of amusement. "Without this shadowy mist, your identity might have remained concealed." All the while, she idly twirled her chain, each rotation an echo of the threat she posed.

"Tsukiyomi has selected you, yet it appears no pact binds you together. How curious," she mused, her voice laced with intrigue and a purr of satisfaction.

Kazuki's lips curled into a twisted grin as he responded, "You have no idea what you've awakened within me."

Namida's eyes widened ever so slightly at the unbridled bloodlust in his voice. She took an involuntary step back as the temperature plummeted, frost forming on the ground around Kazuki's feet. The kunoichi surrounding them shuffled uncertainly, weapons at the ready.

"My, how frightening," Namida said, a hint of unease in her tone. "But you are mistaken if you think you have any power here."

"Any type of restraints nullify your bestowed abilities, so it's best if you stay calm," Namida admonished, her voice laced with icy amusement. "And could someone fetch the unconscious Obanai ? That boy seems to have an inability to learn from his past mistakes." Shaking her head and chuckling, she reveled in the power she held, her eyes sparkling with wicked delight.

She snapped her fingers and the kunoichi reacted instantly, blades flashing as they moved to surround Kazuki. He tensed, ready to unleash Tsukiyomi's power.

Namida's voice rang out, "Enough!"

The kunoichi froze, blades inches from Kazuki's throat.

"Lord Kuroyama desires him untouched... for the moment," Namida revealed, a wicked grin teasing at the corners of her lips.

"Imprison them both within the temple. I intend to claim those breathtakingly blue eyes later in the day." She shuddered with perverse delight, blushing at the thought of showcasing them as her newest precious trophies. Her infatuation with all things beautiful bordering on manic obsession.

Kazuki's blood ran cold at the mention of his nemesis. Kuroyama held all the cards and Kazuki was merely a pawn in his game. But Kazuki swore to himself that it would not end like this.