The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon

stared in amazement at this vision before her eyes. She had seen it before. She knew it. "Faster!" she screamed. "They'll catch us!"
    The woman shook her. "Calm yourself. That is what we are doing."
    "God, no!"
    The woman pushed Youko's body flat against the back of the panther-beast. "Hold on," she said.
    "What are you . . . ?"
    "I shall attempt to impede their progress. Tighten your grip, do not let go of the sword."
    Assured that Youko had understood her instructions, she took her arm from around Youko's waist and vaulted rearward, kicking up and away from them. For a moment Youko caught a glimpse of the golden stripes running down her back before she was swallowed up by the darkness..

    Youko could see nothing but the engulfing gloom. They were buffeted by gust of wind. She plastered herself against the beast's back.
    "H-Hyouki- san ?" she said.
    "What is it?"
    "Are we going to get away?"
    "That is hard to tell," he answered, inscrutably. He shouted, "Watch out! Above you!"
    Youko looked up and caught a faint flash of red.
    "A gouyu. " Hyouki turned without warning. Something slammed into its side and fell away.
    "What was it?"
    Hyouki continued on, dodging from side to side. Suddenly it slowed. "Draw your sword. It is an ambush. They have cut us off."
    "What do you mean, an ambush?"
    Peering ahead into the darkness she watched as another crimson light blossomed, watched as the hoard came leaping towards them out of the shadows.
    "Oh God."
    The thought of raising the sword again filled her with loathing. At the same time the cold tendrils touched the insides of her legs. With a force that made her joints crack her knees clamped to the beast's sides. The icy worm crawled up her spine. Her body peeled unwittingly from Hyouki's back. Her hands released their grip, her arms prepared for battle. She drew the sword, tucked the scabbard into the belt of her skirt.
    "Stop it!"
    She extended the sword with her right hand, with her left she grasped the beast's mane.
    "Please!"
    They closed on each other, tore into each other like storms colliding. Hyouki plunged into the midst of the hoard and Youko's sword sliced into the onrushing flood. She could do nothing but scream and close her eyes. It wasn't just the killing of living things. She couldn't even bear the sight of a frog autopsy in biology class. Her existence should not demand so much slaughter.
    The sword halted its motion. Hyouki called out, "Open your eyes! Jouyuu cannot defend you otherwise!""
    "No!"
    The beast reared, threw back its head, doubled back. Youko kept her eyes tightly shut. She was not going to cause any more death. If shutting her eyes stilled the sword, then that is what she would do.
    Hyouki swerved abruptly to the left. They struck hard, a collision like hitting a wall. She heard the yelp of a wounded dog. She opened her eyes and saw only black. Before she could grasp what had happened Hyouki keeled over.
    Her legs lost their grip. She pitched into the air.
    Before her startled eyes charged a beast like a wild boar. In her right arm she felt the impact as steel severed muscle and bone, heard the roar of the eviscerated monster, her own screams.
    And then nothing. No sight, no sound, no taste or touch or thought. Only her falling and falling through the endless dark.

Part II
    ouko awoke to the sound of crashing waves. She felt the spray of the ocean on her face. She opened her eyes, raised her head. She had fallen onto a sandy beach not far from the water's edge. A big wave broke against the shore. The water swept along the strand, bathing her feet.
    Unexpectedly, the water was not cold. Youko lay there on the sand and let the waves wash against her. The rich smell of the ocean surrounded her, a smell something like the smell of blood. The sea was in her veins. That is why, when she closed her ears, she heard the distant roar of the ocean.
    The next surge flooded to her knees. The sand churned up in the tide tickled her skin.
    That deep scent of the sea.
    She looked at her feet. The water lapping against her body was stained red. She glanced at the gray surf, up at the wide, gray sky. She looked down again. The water was indeed red.
    She searched for its source. "Ah," she said.
    Her legs. The crimson streams were washing from her skin. She bolted to her feet. Her hands and feet were stained red. Even her navy blue school seifuku uniform had turned a dark maroon.
    Blood.
    She moaned. Her whole body was soaked with blood. Her hands were black and