Shopping for food ingredients with Byrocks was a trial. Hisui's never-very-deeply-buried temper was rising as they made their way through the temporary market, with Byrocks fussing over freshness and bargaining for cheaper prices like an experienced housewife. The problem was that he had a tendency to protest against everything that Hisui picked up, insisting that something else would be better. That this tomato was overripe, that these vegetables were cheaper but less fresh, that sweet potatoes were far better for health and you really shouldn't buy regular potatoes unless necessary!
"If you're so good at this, why don't you just shop alone?!" Hisui finally snapped, after Byrocks snatched a pile of mushrooms from him. His raised voice caused many around them (including stall owners) to turn and stare at him, and Hisui could feel his cheeks beginning to burn. He wasn't being that loud; the bargainers and shoppers and stall keepers advertising their wares were far noisier than he!
"...That may be best. Please return to the inn and have a good rest," Byrocks said politely, nodding apologetically to the mushroom lady before him, who was glaring at Hisui. Hisui scowled, then turned and left.
Gus, the Village of Healing, was a small settlement that greatly relied on tourism for business. The hot springs were the main attraction, and every fortnight, merchant traders from various ports would travel down to set up a trading market for the locals and tourists. Their party needed to replenish food and equipment before heading to Bamell Volcano, so while the girls visited the hot springs, the men split up to visit the market.
"Never again. Next time, I'll go with Shing instead," Hisui muttered as he walked back to the village head's house. Considering the boy's lack of experience with cooking, he probably wouldn't even know the difference between cauliflower and broccoli.
The shouts and cries of the bustling market slowly diminished to a soft buzz as he went, giving way to the much gentler sounds of bubbling water and a lone shishi-odoshi. As he passed the hot springs house, Hisui idly wondered if the girls were still inside. It would probably be a while before the others returned.
He climbed onto the engawa running along the side of the house. Gus, in some ways, reminded him of his hometown Norquin. Lack of snow aside, both had a peaceful and warm atmosphere, with faint sounds of nature in the background. Cultural influence was also strong in both villages, like...
Rounding a corner, Hisui stopped. Lying in the middle of the corridor before him was a single koto, its finger picks casually laid out beside it. The koto was a stringed instrument with a long history; this one had seventeen strings, identical to those they had in Norquin.
"You used to play this when you were younger."
Startled, Hisui looked up. Richea was approaching from the other end of the corridor, her long green hair still damp from the baths. She smiled at him, and he cursed inwardly at the sudden leap his heart made.
"Done already? Where are Kohak and the others?" he asked instead.
"No, Peridot, Innes and Beryl are still inside. Beryl snuck her paintbrush and canvas in, so Kohak and I escaped," Richea admitted. Hisui sighed exasperatedly.
"That Beryl. Always lacking any sense of privacy for others. Where's Kohak?"
"She went to the market to find Shing and Galado. I... didn't want to cause a ruckus there, so I stayed."
Hisui turned to look at her. Richea was gazing out over the streaming water, her hands clasped loosely before her. Although Paraiba, Shing and Kohak had won most Celleids over with their speech at the castle, there were still some who believed that they could gain favour with Kreed by handing the emerald-haired princess over. Walking out in the crowded market would probably stir up chaos amongst the people who would give her up, and those who would protect her.
Hisui raised a hand slightly, then let it fall. What could he say? It was true that Richea and Kreed were at fault when they made their plans two thousand years ago. The people of Celland had good reason to dislike her. And yet...
Richea turned back, and bent to touch the koto. "Seventeen strings, just like Aiora's." She chuckled softly. "I remember watching you from Kohak's spiria. As a child, your arms could barely reach the strings on the far side. You were so adorable, leaning up and stretching across, getting angry when you couldn't bring out a nice clear sound like Shiira's..."
"T-that was a long time ago!" Hisui protested, his face reddening, as always, at the thought that Richea had been watching him ever since he was a child. "As I am now, I'd definitely play better than I used to!"
"Oh? But it has been years since you touched the koto. Don't you think you would be out of practice?" She was still smiling, damn it. Hisui gritted his teeth, then knelt down in front of the koto, unequipping Galearc from his arms as he did so.
"Just you wait," he muttered, pulling off his gloves and then fitting the finger picks on.
"Are you sure you should be playing someone else's instrument?" Richea queried, kneeling gracefully beside him.
"Heh, it's only for a bit. I won't break it," Hisui replied. "Now..."
HIs thumb plucked the first string. The sound was sweet with waves of nostalgia, but Richea was right. He was out of practice, and the tone was unclear. Frowning, he plucked at the rest of the strings in turn, checking the tuning as he tried to familiarize his arms and fingers with the movements once more. It was tuned to the diatonic scale, which Hisui preferred over the more traditional pentatonic scale. There was more freedom in the tunes he could play then.
He began on an old Norquin folk song, one of Shiira's favourites about the snow and sun. Recognising it, Richea hummed along softly. The familiar melody, along with the familiar sound of the koto, brought fond memories to both minds. Memories of Norquin, where the sunlight was warm and the music of the koto rang clearly over the frozen snowscape.
"I found Mom's koto when Aunt Shiira was cleaning the house one day," Hisui said. "When she told me that it had belonged to Mom, I asked her to teach me to play it." A wrong note. He smiled wryly. "Goodness knows why. I don't even remember hearing her play."
"Aiora often played for you," Richea said. "When she was carrying you, sometimes you would get restless and kick her from within. She would sit before the koto, and sing to you as she played. You always quietened down after that. "
"Huh. I only recall the singing." He came to the end of the song, and clenched his fists. Aiora had died before Hisui was two; his memories of her were few and faint. The lullaby she sang, the warmth of her arms as she held him, the smell of the amber cherry blossoms... A sudden wave of homesickness passed over him. "Wish I could have remembered. Wish she'd lived longer."
There was a short silence. Richea sighed. "I...I'm sorry," she said.
Hisui turned to her. She was gripping one hand with the other, her eyes downcast.
"Why are you apologising?" he asked.
"Aiora's spiria wouldn't have been destroyed by Kreed if it weren't for me. She... she lived only long enough to give birth to Kohak, and then..." Richea bit her lip, then laughed hollowly. "It is ironic, isn't it? In my battle to protect Celleids from Kreed, I have killed them instead."
"Richea-"
"Aiora worked so hard to protect me. To fight against Kreed by my side, because she believed that I could stop him," Richea whispered. "In the end, she died, and yet, I survived."
"Richea!"
She jumped slightly at his suddenly raised voice. Hisui was scowling, his forehead creased in a frown. "You can't blame yourself for Mom's death," he said. "It's not a crime to survive."
"I-I know, but..." Richea trailed off. Hisui watched as she clenched and unclenched her hands around the fabric of her dress.
Given what had happened to Quartzia, the amount of guilt that ate at her from within must be overwhelming. Nameless thousands had died because of the mistaken ideals she and Kreed had believed in. But in a way, the deaths of those whose spiria Richea had shared probably hit her worse.
A month ago, Hisui would have said that she deserved to feel such guilt. Now, however, he had seen how hard she was working to atone for her mistakes, to make sure someone she used to trust didn't commit the same mistake again, and above all, to make sure that no one else in the world would have to die because of Gardenia again. She wasn't blameless, yes, but she had suffered enough, and he would do anything to allay the look of grief and uncertainty he could see in her eyes.
"Remember when Mom sent you into Kohak's spiria?" he said abruptly. "She said, 'Dona, Richea, I'm leaving my child to you.' Mom... didn't just do that to protect you from Kreed." He looked her in the eyes. "She did it so you could watch over Kohak after her spirune shattered."
"I... Aiora..."
"And remember that time when Kohak got lost in a snowstorm?"
She was five, and had escaped from the safety of the village because she was angry with Shiira over being forbidden to eat miso squid. Soon after, a vicious snowstorm hit. Shiira and the other villagers had searched frantically for her for hours before Hisui found her hidden in a snow cave. "I asked her if she was scared. And she replied that no, she wasn't, because 'Richea' was by her side."
Richea smiled at the memory. "Kohak kept saying, 'I'm sure my brother will come for us!' She never stopped believing that you would find her."
Hisui grinned. "Yeah, well, Aunt Shiira refused to let me out of the house until the worst of the storm was over. Meanwhile, you were the one who comforted her and sang to her, kept her awake and thus alive. If she had fallen asleep, she might not have survived the cold."
"Hisui..."
"I actually didn't believe in you back then, you know?" Hisui rubbed the back of his head somewhat sheepishly. But at that time, he had been so grateful that Kohak was safe, he told her to thank Richea for him. Judging from the sudden giggle that escaped her, she remembered that too.
"All these years, you've been protecting Kohak and watching over her. So... thank you. If Mom were here now, I know she'd thank you, too. And, uh, well..." He paused, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "I'm glad you survived. I'm glad that I could meet you."
Richea closed her eyes. She hadn't realized until then how much it meant to her to hear that Aiora had trusted her with her children, that she was grateful to her. That she was still needed in this world for a reason other than to stop Kreed and Gardenia. That it was all right for her to live. The tears began to fall.
"Whoa, why are you crying now!?" Hisui demanded, looking flustered. Richea wiped her cheeks with the back of one hand and smiled up at him.
"Thank you, Hisui," she said. He looked away from her, but she could see that his face was furiously red.
"I-it's nothing! I'm just telling it like it is," he insisted, running one hand through his dark hair.
Richea laughed softly. "Hisui... Will you play for me?"
He turned, and their eyes met for a long moment. Then he lifted his hands to the koto, and the melody of the familiar lullaby rang out. Richea closed her eyes, and began to sing.
"Although it's raining outside, it's okay.
Don't cry, and close your eyes.
There is nothing to fear from darkness,
For warm feelings reflect the same dream
Upon our two spiria that come together.
Blue moon, fly over the rain clouds
The wings of our thoughts come together as one
Although it's raining outside, it's okay
Because you are not alone.
I give to you a kiss
And for now, good night.
I'll run through the forest at night
To meet you, even at the ends of the earth
The crystal of your heart reflects us both
Although we may argue, upon awakening we reconcile
I caress your cheek gently
And for now, good night."