• Yuki Sakanura ran through the forest quickly, swinging her sword back and forth to cut down vines in her way. The forest was dense, but her sword was sharp and fast. The enemy was far behind, but not for long. They would catch up swiftly, for ninjas were quick.
    She slowed down long enough to listen for any sounds, but all she could hear were birds in the distance, a stream of trickling water, and the leaves of the trees rustling overhead. Then, she heard the faintest sound - the sound of an engine; the engine of a 480 RedHawk, to be exact.
    The sound of feet softly hitting the ground declared that there were enemies on the way, pursuing her. The fast-paced feet padded softly against the ground as they ran. Yuki launched back into the dense part of the forest, speeding ahead to outrun the craft and the others. They approached too soon for her to get to the underground caves, but she ran on anyway.
    The caves were just up ahead. Yuki raced towards the secret entrance, but the ninjas were faster. Quick footsteps ran up behind her, and she swung around to face the enemy. They had reached her; Yuki yelled out for someone to come while she struggled against the ninjas, but no one answered. She swung her sword around her and made contact with a body. She smiled maliciously as she heard a grunt of pain, followed by a scream. Blood spurted from the wound, spraying the ground deep red. She swung her sword again, making contact with a rapier.
    The ninjas rushed at her, yelling out. She ducked down, avoiding the attack. Dust was being kicked up all around her. She flung her sword around again, blindly, but hit nothing.
    A smoke bomb fell by her feet. “No!” she shouted. “Anyone! Save me!”
    She bent down to throw it back, but before she could look up, she blacked out. Two of the ninjas picked up her limp body and carried her to the RedHawk, and the craft flew away...

    ***********
    Keiro Isanaki sat down in his couch, sighing in relief. He reached over to the side table, opened a drawer, and pulled out a pill bottle containing sleeping pills. He opened the bottle and took two. The pain would have to torment him in his sleep; he was just too tired.
    He thought about the raging war going on in the Roukum Empire. The front attack on the city of Migasuko had been successful, and the enemy had been laid down. He winced at his bruises on his lower back and shoulders, but smiled with glee. High Senator Hiranaka would no longer reign in complete anarchy, thanks to Captain Keiro’s squadron and their guerrilla attacks.
    Keiro had been fighting in the war for three long years now, and finally he could get some well-deserved rest. The war had been hell on the Empire, but the Rebellion had been eradicated and the missions successful. Millions of people had died, including his brother, Ruika. His sister had been taken to the other side, but he had yet to find out what had happened to her. Keiro felt like she was no longer family, for what she had done to him.
    Suddenly, the videophone rang. Keiro, wincing slightly, got up from the black couch and went over to the phone. He pushed the “Answer” button, and stepped back.
    “Captain Isanaki, congratulations! You were successful to the fullest extent on leading the attack at Migasuko. Your vigilance was exciting and fairly uplifting for all your men. I hereby promote you to Lieutenant Commander,” said Chief Commander Ngurari Usanaka. “What do you have to say?” she said happily. She looked at him expectantly.
    Keiro grinned, and then replied, “ I would be honored to be promoted. This is excellent news, and I will be sure to uphold my rank with utmost prestige.”
    Chief Commander Usanaka saluted him, and then the screen went black. Keiro turned the machine off, and limped back to his chair. He sat down, and pulled out a magazine from the side of the chair. The sleeping pills began to kick in, and within minutes, he had fallen asleep.
    Screams filled his head as he slept. In his mind, he watched men fall to the ground, stuck with small arrows and darts. The blood filled his heart with despair and regret, as he watched his brother die beside him, over and over in a constant loop of horror and sadness.
    A strange dream broke out in his mind. There was a girl with light red hair, running through the forest. He stood by, watching her run by. He shouted out to her, but it seemed that she couldn’t hear him. He walked ahead, and saw some caves and a ravine with a river at the bottom. He watched the girl battle with ninjas from Migasuko, and he rushed forward to help her. She shouted out, “Help me!” in a light, jingling voice, but no one heard her but him.
    “Wait! Let me help you,” he tried to shout, but it was too late. The ninjas threw a neuro-bomb at her, and she fell to the ground. They picked her up, and carried her to a 480 RedHawk and flew away. Keiro was left standing, shouting, “Who are you?” up at the sky.
    Keiro suddenly woke up, covered in a sheen of sweat. He was breathing heavily; the magazine had fallen to the ground. The dream seemed so real, he thought. Who is that girl? Oh, it’s... it’s just a dream. I’ll never mind. He fell back asleep.

    ***********
    The room was dark. Yuki looked around, but there wasn’t enough light to see anything recognizable. She tried to raise her hand, but it was shackled to some sort of chair. “Hello?” she called out, but her voice sounded muted, dead. She couldn’t feel the shackle on her body, she realized. She couldn’t even hear her own breathing quite right. How long have I been in here? she thought. What happened to me?
    The room had no temperature and it seemed smaller than it really was. What was going on here? Yuki could not tell if she was up or down. Her sense of balance and perception was diminished and nothing seemed right at all.
    Time went by. She guessed it had been at least an hour before the door opened to her cell. The blinding white light that came out from outside made her close her eyes. It was painful, almost. Then, a booming voice shattered the silence.
    “WHERE ARE THE SWORDS?”, the voice shouted at her. She started to scream, the sound was so loud. “TELL ME. WHERE ARE THE SWORDS OF MIGASUKO?” the voice shouted again.
    “I don’t know,” she whimpered. “Where am I? What is this place? Who are you?” She tried to open her eyes to see who this person was, but the light was still too bright.
    She began to feel the shackles around her, and realized that they were cutting into her skin as she sat. She tried to open her eyes again. This time, she looked around, but everything was blurry. Something was obstructing her vision. She realized that it was blood was running down the side of her face and in her eyes. There were bruises all over her body and her clothes were in tatters.
    “Where am I?” she asked again, this time a little louder. Her voice pounded against her head.