Whoosh.

I felt cold drops of water fall on my face and roll down to my neck followed by a crisp breeze. I s.h.i.+vered. Slowly, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was a dark and angry sky. It looked like rain. I placed an arm on my forehead. Trying to remember what happened, not caring that I was lying on the ground.

Nothing. My mind was blank.

Still feeling disoriented, I closed my eyes for a few minutes. When I opened them again, I was once again greeted by grey clouds. I tried to get up but an intense discomfort on my left knee made me gasp. Memories of what happened before I fainted flashed before my eyes. I slowly eased myself into a sitting position, grimacing as the skin on my knee stretched and moved.

Another gust of cold wind blew, making me hug myself. "How long had I been out for the temperature to drop this much?" I asked myself. I looked around to check my surroundings. I frowned, the place looked different. The moss that I had so greatly appreciated just a while ago has turned into yellow flowers and tall gra.s.s. I was no longer in a manicured garden, I realized. Instead, I was in some sort of meadow. A clap of thunder interrupted my thoughts, frightening me. Forgetting my wound, I stood up abruptly.

"Argh," I gasped at the pain. "I need to get out of here lest I become the target of lightning." I tried to walk but ended up limping instead. The broken strap of my sandal added to my difficulty. I limped aimlessly, I was clueless where to go. With every step my mind warred against itself. I was scared, alone, and lost. I had no idea where I was. At the same time, I had to move. I needed to go somewhere safe.

I didn't know what I got myself into. I was just chasing after a cat earlier but now I was in an unfamiliar place. After some time, I saw the silhouette of what seemed like a pine forest. The wind howled in my ears while thunder and lightning made me force myself to go faster. When I reached the forest, I picked up a piece of branch from the ground and turned it into a cane. With the added support, I was able to walk better.

When it started to drizzle, I immediately looked for some sort of shelter. Thoughts of hypothermia and dying in this unknown place almost paralyzed me. My clothes didn't provide much protection. I was wearing a long sleeved white blouse, a knee length flounce black skirt, and a pair of black strappy sandals. Inside my bag were my makeup and medicine kits, powerbank, my Rove water flask, small folding umbrella, and cellphone.

Umbrella.. Cellphone.

A light bulb came on over my head. Why didn't I think of this sooner!? Under the shade of a particularly bushy pine, I rummaged my bag for both items and almost kissed them when I found them. First, I unfolded and opened my umbrella then I placed my right index finger on the fingerprint sensor of my phone to unlock it. Hurriedly, I called the number Asami gave us before the tour.

Toot toot. Toot toot. The call got disconnected. I was about to check if I got the number wrong when, to my utter horror, I saw the signal bar empty. The place had no reception! I was screwed!

"No, no.." I shook my head a few times before taking a couple of deep breaths. "Hinata, don't panic. You've got this! This isn't the end of the world."

I placed my phone in the pocket of my skirt then grabbed my walking stick. With forced courage (what choice did I have?), I went deep into the forest. I checked my watch, it was half past five in the afternoon. It will be dark soon and the temperature would drop even further. I wanted to cry but I stiffened my resolve. I had to look for a cave or some sort of shelter for the night.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard the sounds of horses. I stopped, focusing on the direction the sounds came from. "I am saved!" I rejoiced. I turned to the left, following the sounds of the equine hooves.

As I neared the area, I was startled by the high pitched scream of a girl. Ignoring the protests of my knee, I ran to the girl's direction. There, I saw a little girl who appeared to be four lying with her face on the ground. Her body was tied in a rope which was attached to a horse saddle stirrup. Three men clad in traditional j.a.panese garb that needed was.h.i.+ng had their backs on the girl and were facing another man. I did not expect to arrive at a kidnapping scene. I decided to walk away, afraid that I might get involved.

"Onii-chan[1]!" The girl cried. "Save me, onii-chan!"

I stopped on my tracks. This part of the forest was a denser area so the torrential rain didn't pour as heavily in it. However, that didn't mean that the ground wasn't wet and muddy from it. My heart ached as I saw the little girl struggle to avoid the rain splatters on her face.

"Yuki, don't worry! Onii-chan will definitely save you!" the man facing the three kidnappers shouted, anger evident in his voice.

The three men laughed in unison when they heard what the man said. The man in the middle took a few steps towards the little girl's brother, unsheathing his sword before haughtily pointing its tip at the other man's face.

"You dare to go against us!? And all alone at that! Do you have any idea who we are!?" Middle man said.

With a voice dripping with mockery, the man on the left said, "We are the legendary First Three Riders! We are feared all throughout the Kansai region[2]!"

Big brother snorted, "I don't care who you are! All I know is that you will all die here tonight!"

"Such audacity!" Shouted the third man. "You're asking for death!" He then drew his sword and launched towards big brother.

Big brother also drew his sword and deflected thirdie's attack. Thirdie then swung his katana but missed big brother's shoulder. This time, big brother decided to counter his opponent's advances by bombarding him with a series of sword attacks and kicks. Seeing that thirdie was about to be beaten, middle man and leftie joined in on the fight. Big brother drew another sword and fought them with two katanas. I watched with my mouth open. This wasn't something I saw everyday.

I heard the girl whimper on the ground as she struggled to break free from the ropes. I instantly recovered from my shock and decided to act fast while the bandits were still preoccupied. I sneaked into where the horses were tied and started untying the rope. The timing was odd but I suddenly remembered the man in my dreams doing the same thing last night. Shaking my head, I expeditiously untied the rope that connected the girl to the saddle. Sensing my presence, the girl rolled to her side to look at me. I put my finger to my lips, signaling her to keep silent. The young girl looked at me with a curious expression before nodding.

Once I successfully freed the girl, I hurriedly dragged her to my original hiding place. There, I cleaned her face and arms with wet tissues. "Are you okay?" I asked her, worried that she might be hurt somewhere.

"No," she shook her head. "Onee-chan[3], who are you? Why are you dressed so weirdly?"

I was about to reply when we heard the anguished cry of one of the kidnappers. Peeking through the bush, the little girl and I saw that middle man and thirdie were all slumped on the ground, their bodies soaking in the mud mixed with their own blood. I covered the little Yuki's eyes, afraid that she might get traumatized. Thankfully for me, we were far enough from the scene for me to not get sick again.

"Wait! Don't kill me! Please!" Leftie begged as big brother slowly walked towards him. He dropped his sword and knelt next to the bodies of his fallen colleagues. "I'll set the girl free, just let me go!"

"Is this the only thing you've got? And here I thought that the Three Riding Brothers were a match for the great Kousai Ishokushou[4]!"

"W-what did you say?"

"You heard me. I said I am the legendary Kousai Ishokushou."

"Impossible! We heard he was not in town!"

"I was out of town, but then I heard my sister was abducted by three vile creatures yesterday!" Big brother stopped to where leftie was kneeling and, without warning, decapitated him with a single blow.

I screamed, the sight of the headless body of the bandit still spurting blood made my palms clammy and my forehead break out in cold sweat. Without realizing it, I removed the hand that was covering little Yuki's eyes.

"No! Nooooo!" I started screaming and crying uncontrollably.

"Onee-chan, onee-chan! Don't cry, it's okay!" I heard the girl comfort me but I couldn't stop my screams. I was having a mental breakdown.

When big brother heard me, he returned his still b.l.o.o.d.y katanas to their respective sayas[5]. He then ran to where his sister and I were.

"Calm down, woman!" He cupped my face and made me look at him. "It's alright! They are all dead now, there is no need for you to panic."

That shut me up.. Temporarily. "Yes, they're all dead! But that's why I'm scared out of my wits, you idiot!"

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[1] Onii-chan is a cutesy term for big brother.

[2] Kansai* is a region in the south of Honshu, j.a.pan's main island. In its center is the city of Kyoto, j.a.pan's capital from 794 to 1869.

[3] Onee-chan is a cutesy term for big sister.

[4] Kousai Ishokushou means odd eye or heterochromia iridis.

[5] Saya refers to the scabbard of a katana.