Mana: Before The Rise - 4 Sakura In The Shadows 1
Library

4 Sakura In The Shadows 1

Rachel wakes up again, and she looks down at least she has a chest this time. Before looking at what appears to be a large tree in full blossom if was a sight to behold

'How long will I have to do? Why do I have to do this?' thoughts like this roamed her mind. 'I have already died three times' she thought softly looking around.

.

.

Soul Transfer Complete…Initiating Memory Transfer.

.

.

Rachel moved her as the familiar voice told she closed her eyes to brace for impact. But

Strangely it didn't hurt as much as it did last Time.

Ina Ise, a young girl, born in Edo, j.a.pan. But something was different from what she initially knew of this time-period of j.a.pan.

Ise is a very talented little girl even more so than her mother, who has currently left home to accompany her great-aunt, who recently lost her husband.

Rachel opened her and Quickly noticed the Annually just as the voice spoke again.

.

Mission: Save Ina Keijo

.

.

'Save her, Father?' Rachel questioned before getting up and going to her room. She took out her three-stringed shamisen. And put the little cloth cover on her hand and picked up the tortoisesh.e.l.l plectrum, handling each item with respect for whatever reason.

Rachel was following the body instinct or what could be said whatever it wanted to do. The instrument was not a fine one. Its sound was not very good. Still, it made her feel somewhat lovely to play and sing. The body's mother never liked her playing so much so that she had forced the teachers do not praise. But Isa was an excellent player her songs could reach the heavens.

Rachel paused she hear Ise's fathers voice raised in anger making her little legs run towards him in alert, but she is stopped by someone.

"We Mustn't make a sound," her Cousin Amari said. Rachel took a deep breath and nodded after her cousin, who had put her hand from her lips and then together, and they crept around the edges of the sakura tree near their home — keeping behind the thick tree trunks.

'Something is wrong…' a Young girlish voice said from within her mind.

Rachel agreed because of the few servants that were around and the human screaming in the background had spiked up and then suddenly stopped. But, you could still here the sound of whinnying and kicking from another location father in. Then, they pair pf children stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the black-clad soldiers by the side of the house.

Trembling, the little voice inside said, 'Where is my father? What had they done to him?'. Then Rachel felt the familiar feeling of death approaching.

"This is ludicrous!" Ise father screamed as this soldier looking guys, drag him into view. At the same time, Rachel knew she needed to move, but for some reason, her feet were locked in place. The sense of death getting stronger and stronger.

'Why can't I move?' Rachel thought her mind in full blown panic.

They held Ise's fathers' arms and bent them painfully behind his back. His tall, lean frame and pale gray kimono made him look weak and vulnerable.

Rachel wasn't thinking about that at the moment as her panic-stricken face tried to force herself to move. Full of adrenaline but unable to move, she kept repeating in her mind 'MOVE, MOVE'. Her heart seemed to struggle in her chest, as she watches Ise's father struggle against their hold.

The Leader of the troop, with his white-faced helmet, made a movement with his hand, and the two men forced her father down to his knees.

'NO, NO, NO' Rachel kept struggling 'I need to save father' her body still wouldn't move.

"You are Ina Keijo," the leader said formally, emotionlessly.

"You know who I am." Her Father bit the words out, his eyes burning like coals in his white face "I want to know exactly what I have been accused of and who has laid the charges, so that I may defend myself. I am innocent, and I intend to prove it."

"You have been found guilty." The leader said coldly before nodding at his men, and they released her father's shoulders, who in turn sprang to his feet. The leader then unwrapped a katana and handed it to her father.

They wanted him to commit suicide with his own sword. Dishonor, when a man forsakes his house and the only way to regain that honor is to destroy himself.

A Traitor's Death

'They are accusing father of plotting against the moon prince' the little voice said.

"I refuse, I am innocent" Her father argued without taking the sword at all his eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with fire.

"Very well" the leader said, dropping her father's katana like of was nothing more than trash.

Stab.

Rachel's heart dropped at sight. 'NO, NO, NO' "Father!" the voice of Rachels and the little girls overlapped as they screamed. They watched him fall, stabbed from behind by the leader's men.

Death had come for him.

"Get the girl," the leader ordered. As the soldier who had killed her father took steps toward her, a bloodied blade still is drawn.

.

Mission Failed

.

.

.

Soul Fragmentation at 2%

.

.

.

Recalibrating

.

Rachel heard the voice and ran with her cousin, who was still in shock. Due to their hand holding and Rachel is pulling Aimi. The Other little girl broke out of her excitement and ran with Rachel far into the trees.

.

.

Mission: Survive

.

.

Rachel didn't know how long she ran or where she ran two, but she had lost her cousin long ago. Catching her breath, she squatted down by the sakura tree and hid in its shadows. She heard the number of people running around looking for her.

She trembled as she held her mouth holding back the tears while the little voice in her mind screamed 'Father, no, father'

Soon she heard her cousin voice grunt making her turn her head to see her cousin whose face was being held to the ground and then the familiar voice of the leader gives a bone-chilling order.

"Kill her."

"Ahhhhhh" the blood-curdling scream of her cousin before death. Aimi's wide eyes staring stare at soul lifelessly.

Rachel turned her head back to the darkness closed her eyes and waited for who knows how long.

.

.

.

Mission Success

.

.

.

.

Soul Fragmentation at 2.5%

.

.

Recalibrating

.

.

.

Mission: Stay within the Sakamoto household for Two years