Beautiful Assassin by Erin M.

Waking in the Shadow of Betrayal

Erin M.: Hey guys! This is awesome story so please review if you like it. I will try and update every week so keep a look out for new chapters. Thank you for checking out my fic! Enjoy!

I let out an ear-piercing scream as I jolted myself off of the floor bed, beads of cold sweat trickling down my forehead. My head was spinning in and out of focus as I scanned the surroundings around me. I was in a small fire lit hut with not a soul in sight. I lifted my hand off of the hard wooden floor and placed it upon my stomach. I felt the bandages that were wrapped endlessly around my waist. Then, slowly, my hand reached itself upon my right shoulder. More bandages.

'I'm alive...' my mind raced. 'I'm alive...after all that those bastards did to me...'

Suddenly, I could feel the heat rising in my face. I clenched my fists as more sweat flow down my face. There was only one thing plastered on my mind.

'Why?' I wondered in the tiny hut. 'Why did they betray me? Why did they-?"

But then my mind stopped short. My eyes widened as I made my realization. In a split second, my hand was throttling my neck, searching for it.

"No..." I whispered. They took it from me. They stole it from me.

Suddenly, the door flap behind me opened and in walked a young village girl. She was carrying a small barrel of water and a rag.

"Oh...you've finally come to Miss." The girl said with a smile on her young face.

"How long have I been asleep?" I questioned her with a hurried voice.

"Er...3 days Miss." The girl replied, setting down her tub of water.

3 days? Had it really been 3 days since that fateful day at the shrine? My head started to throb with immense pain. I placed my hand on the side of it and tried to comprehend everything the girl was saying.

"What a state you were in Miss. My husband found you at the shrine, bleedin' to death. Found Miss Kaede too Miss, but she was a goner."

"Ka-Kaede...is dead?" I breathed, barely able to understand it.

"Yes Miss. Poor girl. My husband thought that you was a goner to Miss. But he carried you in here, he did, and says to me 'she's still breathin'."

That's when something caught my eye. In the corner of the very small hut was something that was bundled up tightly, stained red with blood. It was my kimono...my beautiful kimono. Suddenly, I whipped the heavy blankets off me and quickly stood up, staggering slightly.

"Miss?" The girl asked perplexed as to why I was leaving.

"I must go now." I said as I fumbled in my yellow bag for my skirt and blouse.

"But Miss! Your wounds aren't complete healed yet, that they aren't!" The girl cried standing up as I headed towards the door.

"Thank you for your hospitality." I replied curtly. And with that, I raised the door flap and headed through the village at a quick pace.

It was true that my wounds hadn't healed. Every step I took felt like someone was stabbing a knife in my gut. But I didn't let it stop me. I knew what I had to do. I would go home and seal that cursed well forever. I would tell my mother everything that happened. I would never return. That's what I had set in my mind. I entered the clearing where the well was; my heart was pounding with a strong desire to bound into the well, only to never return again.

I made my way over to well and carefully slipped into its vast darkness. As always, I could feel myself soaring through the mysterious dimension, which separated me from my closest allies and my most dangerous enemies.