Feathers of a Crane

A battlefield....
A battlefield so extense that I couldnt see its end
A sea of steel
A sea of steel and souls
A sea of souls that will leave its earthly prisons today
And there I was
Under Lady Amaterasus smile
Arashi in its saya, seemed eager, like its name, it seemed to rumble and howl.
By my side
By my side there she was
She who has been by my side since the war started
Our bodies battered
Battered of many other battles
Many other battles we fought together
A tide
A tidal wave
Like a tsunami the forces of the enemy charged against us
Their brown and yellow armors, the manes of their helmets, approaching and roaring
The ground crumbling, the earth crying in pain as their relentless march brought them
closer
There was no need for words
My soldiers know me
My soldiers trust me
My soldiers
My soldiers knew all I could tell them
And she
She knew more than anyone
More than any person in this battlefield will ever know about me
And she knew
She knew what I couldnt say
The wave was closer
It was a sight that brought me a smile
Because it was beautiful
Beautiful because it was a perfect example of valor and self sacrifice
They knew they would die
Yet they still came
My mind
My mind was drifting
Memories -My fatherThoughts -DestinyFeelings -LoveI came back to myself a moment before the wave crashed
By my side there she was
Silent
Graceful

Deadly
My disciple
My
But she wasnt ready
And the arrow was going to take her life
Finally
I felt the pain
The steel bit deep in my armor
Broke my left shoulder
Blood blood running freely from the wound
I knew I would die
I was dying a thousand deaths
A thousand deaths that lasted until the battle was over
My wife
My children
My house
Visions that drifted in front of my eyes
She was holding my head
I was feeling her warm breath over my skin
That was before the cold started to take over my body
Sempai!! Sempai!! She was shouting
Do not leave me!! You promised!! Her voice tearing my soul apart
I L.. I couldnt hear anything else, but I knew those words already.
There was she
Her lips moving but I couldnt hear
Her fair falling over me but I couldnt feel it
I knew her pain I saw it I felt it It was my own
I raised my hand and sought her
Sought her because she would be the last thing I would have
I found nothing I found nothing
But she found it and took my hand
My last sight before my vision died was her
Her black hair
Her violet eyes
And a single tear rolling down her pale skin
Deep
Deep inside my being
I
I
I
I

felt the sting of the arrow again

felt the blood coursing my veins freely wetting the soil
felt her skin her hair her warm breath and her tears falling on my face
never felt greater pain than when it all suddenly as it came disappeared again

"Hana wa sakura gi hito wa bushi" ((Above all the flowers, the sakura. Above all men,
the warrior.))
That was all what came to my mind that was all I could say
Before
Before
Before

A
A
A
A

field
field of death
field
field of life

Because I died for her to live

Arashi Storm
"Hana wa sakura gi hito wa bushi" ((Above all the flowers, the sakura. Above all men,
the warrior.))