It was considered a dark age in mankind. War was the only thing seen by the eyes of civilians and warriors alike. Almost every part of the world was thrown into chaos and nothing truly seemed to be peaceful, even when there was peace.
And it was then that there was a moment where all was calm. Not a soul would dare mention the storm that was sure to be ahead. Even the children, the future of each and every country and home, couldn’t speak a word of the disaster awaiting.
All except for one.
A young woman, barely falling into the category of an adult, whispered prayers to herself before leaving her lonely one-bedroom flat. Her hair, crimson like the blood coursing through her body, danced in the wind of the calm breeze. She pulled on the hood of her dark, almost black cloak.
She was leaving and not even he knew when she’d be back. She was, after all, on a mission.
Infiltrate the enemy clans. We cannot afford to have any mistakes, so you must go. She wouldn’t be able to be home for what she was sure to be years.
And they were years that she knew she’d despise.
Just as she locked the door to the flat, she heard a sniffling. “Hm?” Her hair tufted from the front of her hood as she turned to the small blonde child wringing her hands tightly.
“H-hey, miss… you’re not leaving, are you?” Two big blue eyes looked up at the red haired woman, begging for her not not leave.
“Sorry, but I really need to get going…” she crouched down to the young blonde’s level, sighing softly. “I won’t be back for a really long time, so can you look after my home?” she smiled at the child, already knowing the answer.
“Yes! I-I won’t let any trouble happen here!” the child nodded rapidly, jumping up and down at the idea of helping her role model do something-- anything, really.
“Good! Do take care, now!” She stood to her full height and turned around, taking long strides towards the back gates of the Kitagawa, which was the northern part of the clan compounds.
“I-I will! Please come back soon!” the young girl bowed lowly, her hands intertwined as she did so. The older woman said nothing, only waved a hand in the air as she continued forward.
She jumped up onto a roof nearby and hopped from each building in front of her, heading towards her destination. Each home had different roof tiles and the colors seemed so vividly bright as she passed.
She stopped at the roof next to a tall, perhaps four story, government building. She dropped down to the dirt road below and walked in elegantly, hoping to get it over and done with quickly.
The leader of the Hikawa clan had always resided on the top floor. This time was no different. The red-headed beauty walked up the steps at a leisure pace and quickly made her way to the familiar mahogany doors of the main office. she passed by many framed pictures and historical drawings of previous clan leaders, not bothering to spare any a glance.
She stopped before the mahogany double-doors of the clan leader’s main study, knocking twice. She could barely make out the voice on the other side, but walked in knowing the leader said so.
“Ah! Satomi Rin Chizuru Shizuka Hikawa!” the names of her clan members, both royal and not, had always been a mouthful, but she never actually minded. “How are you?”
The clan leader’s joyful tone almost made her sigh. She bowed lowly, eyes staring at the cloth covering the wooden floor. “I am well, Clan Leader.” The man before her sighed, almost sadly, when she spoke.
“How many times do I have to say it… I’m your father, can’t you act like it?”
Satomi Rin Chizuru Shizuka Hikawa had been blessed with the final name of Hikawa, which was the name of the royal bloodline. Technically, she was next in line to become the clan leader, though she didn’t want children, nor did she want to be the leader. Her powers were far too powerful to stay locked in a single room, signing documents all day and staying in one place, unable to unleash a gift given by the higher powers. She was considered a woman blessed with the power to change the world. Old women on the streets of her home often told her she would change the outcome of the generational wars, even.
But she was a fire surrounded by water when pressed with government issues. She wouldn’t take up the title of clan leader unless completely necessary. Which was not the case, due to the fact that her father, the current clan leader was still young enough to have another heir.
“Forgive me, Father Hikawa. I came here on business, however.” She spoke almost apathetically, which caused the redheaded man to sigh again, violet eyes staring at the woman still bowing.
“Rise, Satomi Rin Chizuru Shizuka Hikawa.” Immediately, she followed orders and gracefully raised her body, straightening to her full height. “You will be leaving for infiltration missions around enemy territory, no?”
Violet eyes stared into violet eyes, almost identical yet so dissimilar. “Yes, Father Hikawa.” she nodded curtly.
“Satomi Rin Chizuru Shizuka Hikawa, I want this war to be over by the time you get back. Whether you annihilate the entirety of the enemy clan or by somehow making peace with them, I will not accept you back here in this room or in this entire place you call “home” unless either one has been done. Understood?” He glared harshly at his own flesh and blood, hoping and failing to intimidate his daughter.
“Yes, Father Hikawa.” she bowed again, gracefully nodding as she did so.
“Now, go before you have to wait another day to leave. I hope to see you in a couple of years, my dearest Daughter Hikawa, but I truly have a feeling that shall not be the case.” For a brief time, the clan leader seemed to have a moment of thinking to himself. “I hope higher powers give you blessings to succeed, Satomi Rin Chizuru Shizuka Hikawa.” They both bowed to each other for a minute, as was usual when asking for a blessing from the higher powers.
Then, she was gone, leaving an emergency summoning charm, which was only to be used when the matter was more important than the war itself.
While sprinting through the cold forest, she read scrolls about different country norms that she otherwise wouldn’t have known. The enemy had cultural differences compared to her home land, which was expected, but she didn’t think that the differences would be so vast. She would even have to shorten her name to a first and “middle” name, seeing as the enemy was a land that wasn’t prone to surnames.
She would from then on be called “Chizuru Shizuka,” which was the part of her full name that was given to her by her biological mother, a woman who often played a part in the spy network for the Hikawa clan. She would have to meet with her mother every couple of months to update the Hikawa clan about any enemy movements and any other situations that seem important enough to share.
Chizuru Shizuka had spent two days in the forest by the time she saw the face of another being. She easily saw their weapons and went into her “acting mode,” which was reserved for when she needed her exceptional lying skills.
A tall, burly man with a beard longer than her arms walked with two large, intimidating swords crossing on his back. He had beady, blue eyes and his hair was a peculiar shade of orange-red and hints of gray. His clothes were those of someone who traveled, just like hers. He wore a large cloak, shaded with different greens, and gray pants made for warmth. The way his beady eyes looked at her made her uncomfortable and almost squeamish.
“‘Ay, little lady… where’re yah heading all alone?” He grinned a toothy and yellow smile, making her almost cringe as she stopped walking.
Her voice immediately grew softer and higher in pitch, masking her true emotions. “Ah… I-I’m heading to the next village…” she smiled softly and bowed a little, hoping to hide her memorable looks from a potential enemy.
“Why don’ I show you…!” He grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her in the direction of the surrounding forest with obviously ill intentions.
“Ah! L-let go! Please! I-I beg of you…!” Her voice continued in its different tone as she tried to keep her face out of the man’s vision. He pulled extra hard, making her stumble forward. Finally, she stopped on her own.
The man wasn’t able to pull her suddenly, confusing him. “I asked you to stop, yet you will not let go?” her voice was apathetic and toneless. She looked up at the man, her eyes glowing. “You do not deserve the right to touch me.”
He immediately let go of her hand and pulled his bulky sword from its holder. His grip on the handle was tight enough to make his knuckles white. He frowned and rushed at the red-headed woman, sword high above him in a show of strength.
Her arm lifted slowly, showing her opponent the palm of her hand. Energy was sucked from the air and the trees and swirled an inch from her skin. The energy took a dark, almost black hue and crackled with life. Her eyes were wide and crazed as she grinned at the man who stilled when he saw her face.
“You… you’re insane!” he cried out as the energy flew with a sudden burst of movement and speed. “Ah-gh!” he cried out in agony, eyes wide and suddenly lifeless. She had killed a man.
Her face composed itself and she took his weapons and lit a match, throwing it behind her as she walked away, removing the evidence of the scene and continuing to the next stop: enemy territory.
Said enemy territory had vast walls that surrounded the area and she had only one way to get in. A very large door-like gate stood there, closed and unwelcoming. She immediately stepping into her acting shell and knocked hesitantly on the wood. “Please! H-help me!” Her voice was desperate and her eyes were wide with fear. A small rectangle opened where she knocked, showing a pair of lemongrass eyes.
“What da’ya want, lady?” He sounded bored, and she immediately knew he hated his job.
“Please, help! T-there was a fire in the f-forest and a wolf chased me away!” She felt tears prickle the corners of her eyes and she begged the gate-keeper. “Please… p-please let me in!” tears started to streak down her cheeks, making yellowish eyes widen in slight concern.
“A-alright, lady! Hold on!” she nodded thankfully as the small door closed and the large gate started to open up for her. She walked in with quick strides and hope that she wouldn’t be found.
He prompted her to write down who she was and her business in the “great Kimura clan.” She had effectively lied and said that she wished to start a new life after selling her deceased lover’s old swords.
The man with green-yellow eyes and spiked black hair had completely been fooled and blushed when she smiled to him.
“A-as a precautionary, all visitors or new-comers have to see the clan leader due to the wars. I’ll have to call someone in to escort you, so, uh, just wait by me…” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, confusing Chizuru Shizuka greatly.
“Ah, yes! Thank you!” she smiled at the awkward man, hoping the escort would be quick.
Her prayers were answered as another man dropped down next to her, making her jump. “Hello! I’ll take you to the clan leader, now!” The man had light blonde hair and sparkling emerald eyes that stared into her violet eyes. sharply, as if expecting her to lash out and kill everyone.
The man was no doubt intelligent. She just smiled and followed him while strapping the heavy swords to her back. They hardly spoke a word on the trip, which was the opposite of what she was expecting after his first happy impression. He constantly looked at her fidget from the corner of his eye and she tried to keep her gaze forward, but couldn’t stop herself from looking around at the tall buildings as they passed. She immediately noticed how similar the structure of the buildings were very similar in style and length. The thought of enemy spies in her home village passed for a moment and she added it to the small, but still growing, list of information to tell her spy of a mother.
The buildings were much taller than the ones in her home village, a couple stories higher than the government building, even. She would have to learn to live with it, seeing as she would be living here for a couple of years at the very least.
Before she knew it, they were in front of the tallest building she’d seen since arriving. The building was a tall forest-green building with many trees surrounding the entrance. She could see the top leaves of more trees behind the very tall building. It was a very beautiful village, surrounded and filled with trees. It truly gave good reason for the village name… Kimura, afterall, did mean “Tree Village.” Her own village was named after the founder, her ancestor, Shiori Ken Hideaki Daisuke Hikawa. He had once had scarlet hair and a blue eyes, like water. The name Hikawa means “Red River,” which was very fitting for the clan leader. Many of the clan members were married into the clan, which meant that not everyone had the signature red hair, but everyone was loved all the same.
Chizuru Shizuka followed the man up a few inconvenient flights of stairs and to wooden double doors, just like her own clan leader’s building. Her escort knocked on the door and they waited in silence for a moment before they were signaled in with a sharp “Come in.”
The blonde opened the door and bowed to the leader with less grace than she would’ve given. She clumsily bowed before the leader alongside him. “Kazuki Yoshi, you are dismissed. Leave us.” The leader’s tone was slightly arrogant, but she immediately knew the man was young by his voice. “Red, stand straight and step closer.” She did exactly as she was asked as the blonde left the room in a slight hurry. She stood a couple of feet from his desk, but was beckoned to step closer again.
She stepped up and stood just before the desk. “What is your business here, woman?” his tone was too arrogant to like, but even she could admit that the man was handsome. With dark, raven strands of hair framing his cheeks and a sturdy jaw line, he was sure to be a lady killer.
“I-I’m here to start a new life and sell my deceased husband’s swords to help pay for living expenses…” the man nodded, listening with a bored expression on his slightly tanned face.
“You have a very unique hair color. Who are you affiliated with?” She blushed in what looked like embarrassment while looking into the leader’s deep ocean eyes.
“I am an o-orphan from a far village that attempted to stay neutral in the wars…” The leader nodded, knowing that the only village that was neutral was thousands of miles away, which seemed unrealistic, but made her look far more desperate than what she really was. “I had been travelling with my husband a year ago when he died. I switched directions and came here instead of our original destination.” She forced another blush onto her face and looked to the ground, lying through her teeth.
“I see…” She looked back up at the leader, who now held her chin in his light grip. The man had stood somewhere in the middle of her monologue. He towered over her by a head and she looked up at him. “I shall help you with living accommodations and help sell the swords. You shall live in the same building as myself until I feel comfortable letting you leave. What is your name?” She forced a bright smile onto her face and felt herself tear up.
“I… I am Chizuru Shizuka!” her voice was filled with a happiness and strength that seemed to surprise the leader, whose eyes had widened slightly. “Thank you so much…” tears dripped down and touched his hand, which still held her face.
“I am only doing this for a future inhabitant of my village, there is no need to thank me.”  she nodded hesitantly while he patted the top of her head comfortingly.
And later that day, the clan leader did exactly what was promised. She was given a room in the same place that the clan leader himself lived, which was very stressful due to her status as a temporary spy. She looked over scrolls and documents about the culture and history of the Kimura clan. She would stay up all night studying like the students of the Hikawa clan then sit with the clan leader for the entire day. She, being the specially trained warrior she is, could stay up for two days straight and only need a two hour break for sleep afterwards. However, she had started to drop her act as the days went on. Her tired body and mind was almost unable to keep acting.
By the time Chizuru Shizuka had been there for a year, the clan leader started to trust the young woman and tell her things that wouldn’t have been said to any other person in the planet. He spoke about his parents and the future of the clan as well as plans for what he wanted to do in war. She had listened in on every conversation and remembered every word he said.
Her shell broke loose just as his did.  they warmed up to one another and had formed a bond stronger than steel. She hadn’t moved out, like she had intended. She’d ruined her plans to annihilate the entirety of the clan and went down the opposite path: peace.
“Chizuru Shizuka. Stand closer to me.” She nodded, a soft smile on her full lips.
“Yes, Kiyoshi Hibiki?” She spoke his name softly, standing much closer than friends usually would permit.
He laughed and grabbed her face slightly roughly. “My parents keep complaining about a wife…” he sighed sharply, obviously annoyed. His fingers softened against her cheeks and drifted away, falling back down to his side. “Who could I get within only a few days without causing political unrest?” He let out another annoyed breath.
“Hm, I’m not sure…” she tapped her chin, seemingly in thought. Though she would rather continue on as friends, she wouldn’t mind a political marriage, as long as she could bring peace the the wars.
The clan leader turned sharply, staring at the redheaded woman with unusually bright blue eyes and an uncharacteristically large grin. “Ah! Chizuru Shizuka!” he roughly grabbed her hands and looked down at her much shorter figure. “Marry me!” she only laughed and nodded, happy to help with the situation.
“As friends, or for romantic reasons?” Chizuru Shizuka winked playfully, expecting the tall man to joke with her.
“Chizuru Shizuka… this may be partly for political reasons, but I wouldn’t marry anyone else!” She blushed as he gripped her small hands between his own, sharing warmth. “I love you!” he blurted out very unexpectedly, throwing Chizuru Shizuka for a loop.
“Kiyoshi Hibiki… there are some things I must tell you. I love you as well, and I want to accept your marriage proposal, but if you cannot accept these things, I will be forced to decline.” She looked at the ground, gripping his hands back with much more force than necessary.
“I originally came here as a spy for the Hikawa clan… I was supposed to figure out a way to end the war.” the clan leader took a step back, still lightly holding her hands in his own. “I… I had plans to kill everyone in this entire village, Kiyoshi Hibiki. I… I am so sorry. I want peace. I want to marry you. I want…” she paused, looking up at her love-interest and only friend with teary eyes and red cheeks. “I want to start a family with you and tell my father that I cannot be the next clan leader. I want to continue to help restore peace all around this god-forsaken planet and I want to tell my mother that I got a husband using her part of my name.”
She sobbed softly, gripping his hands and falling to her knees. “I love you… you are my friend and more… you are my own little star, hope in the future…” she stopped momentarily and her shoulders shook with exertion. “But my family back home… I love them as well. They are what holds my body together and my own flesh and blood.” she took a shaky breath and sat on her heels, losing the strength to keep holding his hands. “But how does one choose between the love of family and the romantic future?” She sat on the floor next to his feet, expecting rejection and a fight.
“I will marry you and your clans will no longer fight. It will be like a contract, and you will be the glue to this peace, along with our future children. I will write a peace treaty now, so get off the floor and kiss me, idiot.”
She did as told and they shared a tearful kiss, pushing all of their passion and love into it. There would be no reason for her to kill any longer, no matter how dark she and her powers truthfully were.