A Matter of Honor - by PM2K

[PM2K]

New/old story by me... typed this up more than a decade ago, and then it took ages to find it again, then retype/rewrite it so I can post it. Just finished it up last night. Enjoy!

A Matter of Honor - by PM2K (written 1999, rewritten 2007-10)

Kaeda squats down close to the forest trail. She frowns intently. The track is faint, a mere scrape, easily overlooked by casual travelers. But she is hardly that. Nodding grimly, she rises and runs, continuing on her long journey.
The night is dark, save for a faint glimmer of moonlight veiled by a thin sheet of clouds in the sky. The woman, shapely, yet firmed by years of training and combat, is clad completely in black, wrapped securely in the one piece cloth of a ninja. The only exceptions were her feet, clad in thick soled leather sandals, notched at the big toes for grip, and her head, left bare of the traditional hood. Her long ebony hair is swept back in a pony tail, kept clear of her eyes and face by dark ribbon.
Strapped to her back in a simple yet elegant black sheath is a long, gently curved sword, its slim hilt wrapped in black leather strips. Its metallic guard glints with gold intricately woven with complicated patterns, and its silvery blade glitters razor sharp. An heirloom, folded 700 times by the hands of a master, it is the deadliest weapon anyone could wield in the heat of battle... yet to Kaeda it is useless against the foe she needs to stop, even at the cost of her own life.

"Please.... I beg you..." Tomoe looks down at the man prostrating himself before her. A mere farmer, she thinks, not bothering to hide the sneer of contempt which slides across her pretty face. A half dozen warriors stand around in a rough circle, each holding down a person by the shoulders, forcing them to kneel in the mud which forms the center of this simple homestead and farmyard. Those they hold in place are of varying ages, from ancient to four summers old. One is this man's wife, and all have swords held to their necks.
"Spare them.... please..." the man whimpers. "I don't have much, but it is yours... just.... just don't hurt them..."
Tomoe keeps staring at the man and scans the fearful faces of the prisoners, all members of the same family. She snorts. She is dressed in dark leather armor, much like the men, except her midriff is left bare, golden skin exposed from navel to below her breasts. Her legs are bare as well, except for a pair of knee high leather boots, topped with a pad studded with small metal knobs.
The outfit allows her maximum movement, and she finds exposing her sleek form distracts her opponents, who never take seriously the idea of a woman warrior. Much to their regret...
Tomoe glares down at the man, She shakes her head in disgust, her shoulder-length loose hair swishing quietly in the night air.
"You sicken me..." she says, her voice and almond eyes ice. "You are supposed to be their protector, willing to set aside your life, to die for them.... Instead, you just snivel and sob and beg me, your enemy, to spare their lives..."
"Please...." the man says again, his voice a strangled whisper.
Tomoe snorts again. "If you aren't willing to try and save them, why should I?" she says, and makes a gesture with her right hand. As one, her band slam their blades home, ending six lives. On hearing his family's death cries, the man looks over, and his face becomes torn in despair. He looks up at the woman standing before him, his eyes drowning in tears. Tomoe stars back coldly, then her right hand slaps against the hilt of the shorter of two swords tied to her waist. With one motion she draws it out and slashes open the farmer's throat, feeling his hot blood splash across her bare belly.
She stands easy, watching the final throes of the man as his body thrashes on the wet earth. Leaning casually over his dying form, she grabs the sash surrounding his waist and pulls it free, using the cloth to wipe her blade clean.

Kaeda kneels in front of seven mounds of earth, quietly offering a prayer for the dead in front of burning sticks of incense. From the tracks and the smoldering remains of the farm, she knows she is an hour behind Tomoe and her band, but her sense of duty won't allow her to pursue them until the family she buried is properly honored.
She rises, frowning in anger. This cannot be allowed to continue. It just cannot...
A vision bursts forth unbidden.... Tomoe sneers at her, then slams a blade home..... "You cannot kill me...." she laughs, as Usagi slumps to the ground, his white kimono stained with blood...
Kaeda shakes her head to clear the image. No... this cannot continue.... I will not allow it to continue.... Her lithe form dashes off into the woods, driven by fiery purpose.

Tomoe whirls about in the dark, her eyes straining to make out any trace of her opponent, the one who has just killed her men. It had been sudden, silent and violent. They had made their way towards the river, two hours march from the farm they had sacked, and were about to enter the marshlands lining its banks when it happened. Something swept through their ranks like an avenging spirit, and one by one they fell; by dart, by blade, by throwing star, within mere moments of each other. It was only when the last of her band collapsed in front of her, a sharp thin blade jutting from the base of his skull, that Tomoe knew who she is facing...
"Kaeda...." she says quietly, unsheathing the longer of her swords. She backs away towards the thick curtain of marsh grasses, scanning the woods. Her hands tighten around the hilt. "You found me.... I knew you would..." she says aloud.
"You know I have to stop you..." The voice is cold, seeming to come from all directions, and despite the warmth of the night, Tomoe shivers. She shifts her weight, ready for the strike.
It comes with the speed of lightning. A mere flicker of movement detected out of the corner of her eye allows Tomoe to parry the thrust and slash of the ninja, who flies past her in a blur. An afterimage of Kaeda's face is burned briefly into her vision, then it is gone again. Tomoe shudders, then prepares herself again, assuming her fighting stance. Listening intently, she hears nothing, then decides to speak again, her tone mocking.
"You are losing your touch, Kaeda..." she says, dark eyes cooly absorbing the dark underbrush. Nearby, the river quietly gurgles behind the thick marsh reeds. Beyond it, the wetlands, where one could lose herself from almost any pursuer....
"A mere apprentice would have at least drawn blood..." Tomoe sneers. "This cannot be the same woman who slew a half dozen outlaws with as much regard as a farmer scythes rice..."

A rush of wind alerts Tomoe, and with a series of wind milling slashes she manages to deflect a dozen sword blows, each impact announced by a sharp clang of metal. As the last sound fades, she spins about, but sees little but a flickering of a form fading into the darkness.
"Impressive..." Tomoe says, her hands and arms still tingling from the force of the blows. Any one of them would have easily split her in two if they had landed... yet none did. She is a good enough sword master to know she didn't perry them all. No one could have... "....but I know your weakness, Kaeda! That code of yours!" she laughs. "When I take your head, you can follow that code of yours to hell!"

In the dark grass Kaeda crouches, staring at Tomoe and quietly seething. She frowns.... before her mind's eye Usagi dies, and again she hears Tomoe's icy laughter. Over the years, this sound gains strength, as she heard tale after tale of homesteads destroyed, villages terrorized, men, women and children found slaughtered or worse...
During one of the many wars of succession for the Shogunite, Tomoe's army wrecked havoc across the territory, while Kaeda trained and fought her own battles in the service of her lord, who supported the Shogun. She lives in dread of hearing news of Tomoe's rampages...
Then, as the wars faded, the Shogun grew weary of the instability of the northern provinces, and sent in his army to do the job his feudal lords could not. When word arrived the marauders had been cornered and destroyed to a man by the Shogun's forces, Kaeda wept and felt relief in equal measure...
Three weeks ago, she received a summons from the temple where she and Tomoe had first been exposed to the Way of the Warrior.
"I cannot..." she said, kneeling before the temple's master and her sensai.
"You must..." he replied. "It is the way of things. It seems fate has determined your paths will converge again. It is the time of testing..."
"My honor... my promise..."
"...will also be tested."

Kaeda waits in the reeds, sword ready. She tries to keep from flinching as Tomoe continues to mock her, just has she had when she left the temple, stained in Usagi's blood.... her beloved Usagi...
"You cannot kill me..." she laughs. Kaeda's lips thin, her muscles tense. "You cannot... it is not within your nature..." Tomoe continues, confidence evident in her movements as much as the iron in her voice. "Not then, when I took that idiot's life from you... and not now, no matter how many women and children lie rotting at my feet..."
The continuing silence of the night infuriates Tomoe. Damn her!
"You are such a fool!" she spits out suddenly, anger fired by near madness. "The star pupil... the temple favorite.... the one groomed to lead the clan... the one who had it all... yet you cannot even kill the one who slew your husband right before your eyes!"
"Honorable? Hah! Try weak and pathetic! A cheap excuse for cowardice!" Tomoe laughs loudly, then the sound clogs her throat and dies as she spots a dark clad figure slowly strolling towards her, its shadow looming out of the gloom. The pale moon flickers lightly over Kaeda's blade, which glows white hot in the cold light. Tomoe again feels a chill. There is enough light in the night to reflect the cold flint within her opponent's eyes.
"I see... finally willing to betray your precious honor for a little revenge?" she says, as the two women slowly circle one another. "I'd have thought it would have taken the screams of a lot more innocents dying to make you compromise that..."
"You mock what you never had..." Kaeda says quietly, yet her voice possesses the strength of a thunderclap.
"Honor? Don't make me laugh!" Tomoe snarls. "What is that, anyway? Something to say to please the teachers? Make them smile and nod? Something to use to feel superior to others? No... it is a weakness.... an excuse to avoid doing what you do not have the courage to do..."
Kaeda stares right into Tomoe's eyes. "Explaining honor to you would be as describing colors to those born blind..." she says without a hint of warmth. "And I will stop you.... no matter what."

"Damn you, you bitch!" Tomoe snaps. With a shriek, she leaps at Kaeda, sword flashing. Kaeda reacts with a blur of motion, and the pair lock into combat. They dash about each other, slashing, parrying, blocking, dodging... looking for openings while defending the ones they leave exposed, all in a rapid frenzy of battle. Swords clash and flash, the warriors occasionally drawing blood, blows announced with flares of pain each ignores as they continue the savage dance. Deeper into the reeds they fight, blades clearing a path through the tall growth almost inadvertently. Their eyes never leave each others. Their arms and legs acting separate from their inner selves.
Iron concentration doesn't allow them to see their surroundings, how they fight their way deeper into the marshes. The ground grows wetter, and their movements splatter their clothing with droplets of dark mud. Their golden skin glistens with sweat. Blood trickles from thin cuts, whether caused by blades of grass or steel, and they sting as their body's salt touches them.
Then, Kaeda slips on the mud slick ground, allowing Tomoe an opening. She slashes viciously downwards, and only Kaeda's reflexes save her arm from being removed by the blade. However, her sword is knocked free, spinning off into the rushes. Too much a veteran to take her eyes off of her opponent to pursue the sword, she instead leaps up and prepares to fight bare handed.

Tomoe laughs. "That honor of yours isn't much use against a sword," she says, then slashes several times at Kaeda, driving her back. The tip of the blade catches her, raking across her abdomen. Again Kaeda's reflexes save her, but she receives a nasty wound, which burns with pain. Blood flows freely down her exposed skin.
"A little deeper, and I would have seen what you keep hidden from the world," Tomoe taunts, then slashes again. Kaeda ducks, feeling the blade pass close by her head, then strikes, lunging forward before Tomoe could reverse her swing. Grappling with her foe, the ninja pushes forward with her feet in an effort to unbalance her opponent. In reaction, Tomoe scrabbles backwards, trying to counteract the attack, but in doing so her concentration slips, allowing Kaeda the opening she has been looking for... With a quick nerve strike, she disarms Tomoe, forcing her to drop her sword. Absorbed in their duel, neither are aware of the flat expanse of wet muddy ground which lies nearby, strangely clear of most vegetation...

"I see we are on equal footing now..." Kaeda says, smiling for the first time, although her expression is devoid of warmth. Tomoe, still stinging from the assault, growls in response. Shifting her weight suddenly, she lashes out, putting all of her strength into one powerful lunge. The move catches Kaeda off guard, enabling Tomoe to break her grip and spring back, out of reach. Quickly adopting a fighting stance, she counterattacks, leaping back at Kaeda. She responds, and the pair quickly begin to exchange blows and counterblows, spinning about each other with frightening speed.
Then, Tomoe reaches for the short sword which has remained at her waist. Her change of expression tips off Kaeda, who springs forward to embrace her, preventing Tomoe from deploying the weapon. Once again the two grapple in a grim parody of a dance, moving backwards, kicking at each others' feet, pinning each others' wrists, each trying to unbalance the other.
Tomoe, her face a grim expression of determination, struggles with Kaeda with all of her might, but the ninja holds on and counters. The two women spin violently, their footwear becoming slick with mud. Then, Kaeda manages to pin Tomoe's right arm in an elbow lock, disabling her sword arm. She attempts a hip toss and gets the warrior off of her feet, but as she spins around Tomoe gets a grip on Kaeda's black outfit, hauling her along. The cloth rips, exposing Kaeda's breasts to the night air, and the momentum carries both women onto the wide patch of bare mud...

Both land near the middle of the space with a wet smack, splattering muck in all directions. Tomoe lands a few feet further away from Kaeda, losing her second sword in the process. The women quickly attempt to rise to their feet, but are surprised when the dark ground dissolves into wobbling slush beneath them, driving both knee deep into the ooze. Kaeda and Tomoe exchange glances, then break eye contact as they try to extract their legs from the soft earth.
Kaeda feels the looseness of the mire around her sandaled feet, yet is amazed by its strong grip. It sucks hard on her limbs, plastering the black cloth of her leggings against her skin. Struggling, she feels her feet slip deeper, and in no time is up to her thighs in the quaking mass.
Tomoe, too, is fighting the mire's soft hold, trying to maintain her balance in the sodden shifting earth. She is amazed at how deep she has sunk in such a short time. She flinches as cool mud oozes over the tops of her boots, filling them with slime, and with a growing alarm notices the area around her wobbling to mirror her every movement. Unable to move her feet, Tomoe is unnerved by how she keeps sinking deeper into the ground. Arching her body backwards in an effort to free herself, she only succeeds in loosening the mud, and slips down past her groin in seconds...

Kaeda, now waist deep, stops struggling. Her feet tell her all the effort would do is drive her down faster. She knew staying still would only buy her time, as she can feel her body continue to slip ever deeper into the yielding mass. The ninja turns her head to face Tomoe, who, when their eyes meet, barks a short laugh. Her opponent is sinking before her, slipping past her hips as she watches. As the mire encircles her bare belly just below her navel, Tomoe smirks.
"Well.... at least you get to die with your honor intact..." she hisses.
Kaeda stares at her for a moment, then reaches inside her garment, retrieving a thin cord which had been wrapped around her narrow waist. She trembles as the cool mud flows over her waistband and touches her bare skin, a movement which makes the mire respond likewise.

Tomoe, her firm belly submerging in the bog - which gurgles and bubbles around her in seeming delight - watches as Kaeda plays out the thin line, coiling it in her left hand. Twisting around and leaning forward, a movement which drives her bare chest deep into the heaving muck, the ninja flings one end of it towards the shore. An ancient gnarled tree is Kaeda's target, and the small metallic grapple to which the silken line is tied to arcs true. It loops around several stumpy branches of the dead wood, and its hooks sink into it firmly. She tugs at the line to ensure it is secure, even as thick mud flows over the small of her back, swallowing her prone form. In moments, only the back of her shoulders, her outstretched arms and head remain above the mire's surface.

Tomoe continues to sink as she watches her opponent's struggles, shivering as the thick cool surface of the bog glides upward over her bare skin... surrounding her torso.... oozing its way over her ribs one at a time... Just as Kaeda begins to pull hard on the line, Tomoe settles chest deep in the muck, her arms outstretched on its wet, stinking surface.
"Marking your grave, are we?" she says quietly, the tension in her voice apparent. Kaeda is barely visible, her wiggling struggles having sunk her well past the tops of her shoulders, now reduced to humps of mud. Tomoe can see how she is having trouble moving forward despite the line.

Kaeda grimaces at the mud's cool touch. I'm so deep... so deep... The mire is sticky, loose and heavy, pressing down on her from all angles, and she flinches at the odd way the entire mass of the bog wobbles beneath her. Even skimming the surface of it is nearly impossible, but she strains hard anyway, sliding a little bit forward each time she pulls...
Kaeda is also sliding downwards, slipping deeper under the quaking surface with each passing moment.... She flinches as the cool mud cradles her chin, then rolls to press against her lower lip. Her nostrils flare, inhaling the thick sloppy stench of wet earth and decay, and she struggles to fight off the sense of panic rising within her...
No! This will not be my grave! Not this awful place!
Then Kaeda becomes aware of the weight of the mud which has flowed inside her clothing, filling them, and plastering itself in wet clumps against her bare skin beneath it... the weight which even now is acting as an anchor, dragging her down... Reaching a decision, and maintaining a firm grip on her line, Kaeda reaches beneath the mud to grab at the tattered edges of the cloth which had been torn in her fight with Tomoe and pulls hard, tearing the fabric wide open.

Tomoe, her cleavage filling with chilly mud, stares in astonishment as Kaeda wiggles suddenly in place, then slips under, her movements driving her beneath the mire's surface. It churns and shudders for what seems a lifetime, a scene eerie in the light of the moon. She keeps staring as the mud shudders once more, then stills. Tomoe finds herself chilled, and not solely by the mud. That's not a way for a warrior to.... then feels herself gasp as a pair of hands emerge from the dark slime.
Slowly... painfully slowly, Kaeda feels herself rise to the surface, the sticky weight of liquid mud sliding off of her face and head in thick curtains. She gasps for air, sputtering. Lighter now, her mire sodden clothing peeling off of her nude form, she continues to pull hard on the line, and feels herself slipping free of the bog's sucking grasp. Inch by inch, the rest of Kaeda's form slides closer to the surface. While still submerged, her body is now mostly level with the mud. Her legs slowly ease out of the trap as she maintains a steady pull on the line, and in time she finds herself within reach of the old tree and the thick reeds lining the edge of the mud pit. The ground is firmer here, and Kaeda digs her free hand into it, using both the silken line and her own arm as leverage to haul herself free of the grim death trap. With a final surge of effort, she feels her hips come free, the mire loudly protesting this action with an obscenely wet slurp.
With a cry of relief, Kaeda flops forward, her torso pressing hard against solid ground. Clad only in her sandals and a thick coating of dark mud, and near the end of her strength, she crawls the rest of the way out of the mire. Rolling over onto her back, panting and gasping, Kaeda now lies still, exhausted. The urge to scrape the awful mud off of her bare skin is nearly overpowering, but she contents herself with gently wiping more of the wet earth off of her face. Moments later, the sharp sound of harsh laughter forces her to sit up, staring towards the muddy trap.

"Well played... well played..." Kaeda frowns. A few feet away, well out of reach, Tomoe is floating, just barely, in the bog. Her breasts consumed by the hungry mud, only her shoulders and arms remain on its surface. As Kaeda watches, the trapped warrior continues to settle deeper into the slowly quivering morass.
"Cheated death again... not that I'm surprised," Tomoe says. "You always were resourceful..." The mire shudders and burbles, and she feels herself slip down a little deeper into it. She bites her lower lip, but manages to keep her voice steady. "Now, I suppose it's time to had back to the Shogun, prize in hand, honor restored..."
"No."

Tomoe's eyes widen. Did she hear that right? Her eyes lock on Kaeda's, who has drawn her legs tight against herself, and hugs her knees. "What? What did you... what did you say?" she stammers, not believing it.
"I said no..." Kaeda replies quietly. There is a strong tone of sadness in her voice, detectable even through her exhaustion. "No, Tomoe... it ends here..."
Tomoe keeps staring, incredulous. The mud oozes over her collarbone, and it is only with a real effort she is able to lift her arms free of the mire's surface. She stretches them towards Kaeda. "Please... just toss me the line... Don't let me die like this..."
Kaeda keeps staring, holding on to her legs tightly. She no longer tries to clean the mud off, and makes no move towards the line coiled beside her.

Tomoe keeps looking at Kaeda, as she feels the mire swirl thickly around her form. The mud reaches her shoulders and flows over them, encircling her slender neck. The tips of her hair brush the surface, her upper arms slip under, weighed down by the heavy ooze. Only her forearms and hands remain free of the muck.
"You cannot do this! You cannot!" she says, her voice made shrill by the panic she feels rising within. "What about your precious honor? You have to save me... you have to!"
Kaeda closes her eyes and sighs deeply.
"No.... no, I cannot..." she says softly.
"You must!" Tomoe stresses loudly, or as loud as she can. The mire is pressing under her chin now, making it hard to breathe beyond a series of gasps. She tilts her head in an effort to keep her mouth free of it. "Remember your vow! You swore an oath you'd never harm me... that you would never draw my blood..."
Kaeda sighs deeply, and slowly shakes her head. "That is true... I am bound by that oath..." she says slowly. "But I am also bound by a vow to prevent any further dishonor... to our temple... our people... and our father."

Tomoe pants and gasps, the mud pressing hard against her as she struggles to stay afloat. Her earlobes meet the mire, her chin slips under, and her lower lip kisses its surface. "But... but... doing nothing and letting me die is the same... as if you drove your sword into me... the same!" she sputters, as bits of wet muck invade her mouth.
Kaeda again slowly shakes her head.
"No.... no blood is being shed..." she says.
Tomoe feels the cold mud shift beaneath her, and feels herself slipping under. Her eyes roll in terror, her voice pleading. "But... I'm your sister! Of your blood! This isn't what mother had in mind when she made you swear... the night we entered the temple together..."
"I know..." Kaeda says, her voice breaking slightly. "But this has to end... you have to end... so you and the clan and our family can atone for your crimes..."
"But... but Kaeda... you can't just sit... and watch me..." Tomoe coughs and sputters, her hands grasping helplessly at the cold quaking surface, desperate to find something to save herself.
"Yes... I must..." Kaeda says. "My punishment is to keep this moment with me for the rest of my life... and pray you are able to make up for this life in the next..."

Tomoe cries out with a mix of terror and helplessness, a whimper which tears at Kaeda's heart. Still, her gaze never wavers as she watches her sister slips under...
The mud fills Tomoe's ears, slops against her eyes, which betray her fear. She tries to cry out once more, but her voice is cut off in mid-word as the quaking gag of muck flows into her open mouth... "Kaeda! Please... help me... hel.... mmph!" Kaeda stares as the dark mire swallows the rest of Tomoe. Her nose, cheeks and forehead slip under in a filthy spray of bubbles. Her dark hair is visible fopr a moment longer before the top of her head vanishes. Her hands wave and flex before digging deep into the mire's churning surface, reflecting the woman's desperate struggles beneath it.
"Please.... please, Tomoe... please die... just die..." Kaeda whispers, tears welling in her eyes. The hands slip under, and a burst of bubbles breaks the thick skin of mud. Kaeda sits quietly for awhile, watching as the mire heaves and gurgles, then slowly stills. Only her devotion to duty prevents her from joining her sibling.
A final spray of bubbles disturbs the now calm surface. The dark, wet mud slowly quivers, then stills as Kaeda begins to weep.

[Viridian]

Superb style. Another grand story from you!

[nachtjaeger]

Domo arigato, PM2K-san.

[PM2K]

Thanks, guys!

[quagmire_uk]

Yep a pleasure to read.

[PM2K]

Thanks again!

[water_bug_62208]

Finally had a chance to read your story. Sorry for the delay.

Most outstanding! It has the feel of that episode from Xena, but with a very nice twist. Excellent description and detail of the action, well-placed flashbacks, and definitely action packed and suspenseful. Very well-written piece! Thanks for sharing!

[PM2K]

No worries, waterbug! Glad you liked it.

Funny you mention Xena... it was the inspriration for the story, as you guessed. I watched that great scene a few times and still had visions of Lucy and Mina dancing in my head and it just came together.

Thanks again for the kind words. I like to think it is one of my better efforts here.