The Return

[Madoka]

The stillness of the air was shattered by the sudden urgent flapping wings of a flock of crows. Their loud caws accompanied the strong thrusts of their powerful wings, beating the air around them into submission. The branches of the evergreen trees in the deep forest swayed and bent, then snapped back to their original position, springing some dead leaves from their natural wooden prison and enabling them to gracefully fall down to join their other brethren on the musky forest floor.

 

Twigs snapped underneath the hooves of a powerful stallion, the head shaking loose some leaves as the rider urged the steed out into the open meadow from the shadows of the forest. Stopping in the clearing, the rider took a moment to glance up at the flock of crows, the sunlight shining down on his cloaked head. His gaze wandered down from the sky to the town lying beneath the cliff, his eyes hesitating on the run-down castle in the centre of the town.

 

Kicking the side of the steed slightly, he urged the stallion down the cobbled path to the gates of the town, stopping when the two sentries blocked his path.

 

"Identify yourself, stranger!"

 

The stranger merely gazed at each of the sentry, his eyes penetrating each of the soldier's soul. A gauntleted hand lift and waved slowly, almost lazily, in the general direction of the guards. A sense of power emitted from the unknown rider, overpowering the minds of the feeble sentries. The broad axes of the sentries dropped, allowing passage to the unknown rider. With a slight kick, the rider and his steed swept past the sentry, his cloak billowing out behind him sharply. A metalshod hoof stamped down on a piece of broken wood, where the partial Kanji word 'Edo' was etched in faded paint.

 

The cloaked rider continued on along the main road to the run-down castle, noticing the lackluster way the townsfolk went about their daily business. The town was eerily quiet; the marketplace a sombre affair. Townspeople rarely lifted their eyes from their tasks to glance upon the stranger; those that did quickly averted their gaze and continued on their dull task.

 

Unchallenged, the stranger rode up to the final gates of the castle, where his entry was barred by a rusting steel gate. Stopping, he dismounted his steed and approached the gate, his eyes examining the details critically. Again he lifted his hand towards the gate and mumbled a phrase. With a groan, the gate slid upwards, the chains clanking around their spools.

 

"STOP! You shall not pass!" a surprised guard shouted, clambering down the steps. He stopped in front of the stranger, his breath heavy with the afternoon ale that he had just quaffed. The stranger stood still, his face hidden in the depths of his cloaked hood.

 

The guard squinted, his face trying to penetrate the darkness surrounding the face of the stranger provided by the sudden passage of a cloud over the sun. Seconds later, as the sunlight flickered through the darkness of the hooded cloak briefly, the guard's eyes widened.

 

"YOU!"

 

The guard rushed at the stranger, his broadsword suddenly in his hand, quickness surprisingly rising to the surface underneath the deceptive rolls of fat covering the body. The smell of the ale evaporated from the guard's breath like the snuffed flame of a warm candle.

 

The sword hissed through the air where the stranger had just been. Before the guard could react, a metalshod gauntlet slammed into his face, crushing the nose into a crimson pulp. With a strangled cry, the guard went down, slamming onto the hard stone of the courtyard.

 

Boots clapped on the stones as more guards, alerted by the plaintive cry of the downed, hapless guard, rushed in. Seeing the stranger stand over their brother with a cocked fist, a thin trail of blood dripping down to the ground from the knuckles, they drew their swords, the steel hissing on the scabbards as they exited. Circling the motionless stranger, they studied their prey intently.

 

Without a signal, without a cry, one of the guards charged the stranger, his sword slicing down at the head from the overhead. He grinned at the stupid stranger as his arms followed through, bringing the sharp edge of his sword down at the stranger's cloaked head.

 

Gauntleted hands snapped up, clasping the edges of the sword and stopping the blade from completing its downward arc. The guard grunted, his eyes widening in surprise as the stranger snapped kicked the guard, sending him to the ground. A slight twist of his hands and the blade snapped, the shattered pieces clattering to the stone.

 

The other guards attacked, their swords a blur of motion. The stranger was faster -- here, there, here again, and there again. Not one sword found its mark; not one blade ever managed to caress a single thread of the white cloak draped over the stranger's shoulder. One by one, the stranger dealt brutal blows to the guards with his metal-clad fists and feet, not once deigning to draw the katana at his waist, revealed in glimpses by the billowing cloak.

 

In just seconds, it was over. A single blade clattered forlornly on the cobblestones of the courtyard, its owner already unconscious not far from the blade. In the center of the crumpled bodies and discarded weaponry stood the stranger, the wind ruffling the cloak slightly. A bird chirped, its song mixing in with the soft moans of the beaten guards.

 

"A challenger, I see."

 

The stranger looked up at the sudden appearance of an Asian man, the sunlight gleaming off his armored pauldron. Wind whistled through his short raven hair, his brown eyes staring hard at the cloaked figure.

 

The distinct twing! of an unlocked katana from its scabbard shattered the still air as the Asian guard leapt, his air slashing lightning quick from the waist up. The cloaked stranger bent backwards, the blade of the katana just passing inches from his face. A clasp on the front of the cloak jumped into the air, freed from its place by the sudden passage of the katana blade.

 

The cloaked stranger leapt backwards, landing in a crouch a few feet back, his hand and knee on the floor. The Asian guard spared him no quarter and no breathing room, attacking in a swift lunge, his katana sweeping gracefully yet deadly through the air at him. The stranger leapt almost impossibly high into the air, his legs springing him over the Asian guard. Twisting in mid-air, the stranger finally drew his own katana.

 

Landing on the ground softly, the stranger seemed to smirk at the Asian guard, the sunlight gleaming off the shining blade. The two combatants glared at each other for a second before the Asian guard charged, once again committing a series of blindingly fast slashes at the stranger that would have already decapitated a lesser foe.

 

Sparks flew and jumped off the clashes of the two katana blades as the two combatants strucked and parried each other. The few beaten guards who were conscious could only gape in awe at the finesse and prowess displayed by the combatants before them. The Asian guard slashed again, grunting as his swing was once again parried. A boot flashed, kicking the stranger and knocking him off balance slightly. Taking immediate advantage, the Asian threw a fast punch, connecting with the head of the stranger and snapping him back. Pressing his advantage, the Asian guard brought his katana across, intending on slashing his opponent's chest and ending the fight.

 

The stranger ducked, deceptively fast, his cloak billowing up. The guard's katana swept through the air, managing to only slash cloth instead of flesh. The stranger exploded upwards, his fist swinging up and slamming into the forearm of the guard, jarring the katana loose. Stepping in, he jabbed the guard's face, managing to snap his head back. A series of swift kicks to the legs and chest ended the fight, knocking the now-dazed guard to the ground.

 

The Asian tried to leap up, but only got as far as a crouch before he felt the tip of the stranger's katana on his exposed neck. Freezing, he waited for the final slash, but only felt the tip pressing urgently upwards. Lifting his head slowly, his eyes travelled up the armor of the stranger to the head.

 

A gust of wind blew across the courtyard, catching the slashed cloak of the stranger and lifting it up. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, the cloak slipped off, revealing the slim physique of a woman. Her shoulder-length raven hair billowed slightly in the aftermath of the gust as she smiled down at the Asian guard.

 

"It's been a long time, ne, Hikaru-san?"

 

"Madoka-san!" Hikaru Ichijo gasped. He bowed, his forehead almost touching the cobblestones.

 

"I have returned, Hikaru-san," Madoka spoke softly. "And you have a lot of explaining to do."