eight|Sunshine
"Why do we stay with the Himuras?"
Akira lifted a sheet high above her head, enjoying the sight of sunshine being diffused through the fabric. Wind created ripples that brushed against her bare legs, and she smiled at how soft the sensation was. She wiggled her toes as they drowned under excess fabric, catching the folds between her little digits.
A tug at the side of the sheet pulled her attention toward the woman sitting beside her. Wakana's lips pursed in annoyance, but her brown eyes flashed with amusement, and Akira knew everything was okay. Her mother took the sheet from her hands and pulled it into her lap, beginning to fold it into a tight square. "Lady Yuzuki has been good to us, has she not?" She asked the girl, her voice deep but harmonious.
With her hands now free, Akira bent down and picked up another sheet from the basket. She watched Wakana's movements closely, trying to mimic the steps. "Yes, but…"
Rather than speak, Wakana waited for her to come to a conclusion. Another breeze traveled over them, this one much colder than the last, and they could hear the wildlife scampering from branch to branch as they too felt a shift in the air. Wakana pulled at the sheet in Akira's hands, and placed a hand at the girl's hip, giving her a small nudge. As Akira closed the distance between them, Wakana pat the ground beside her.
Akira sat down in accordance to her wishes, and Wakana placed the sheet in Akira's lap. Taking her hands into her own, Wakana guided Akira through folding the sheet. "A long time ago, the Himura family saved ours. For seven generations, we have followed them through everything, hoping to repay them for all they've done," She paused to finish their task, chuckling as Akira beamed at the sloppy but finished fold. Wakana gathered all the items into her basket before reaching down to brush hair from Akira's face. Blonde and thick, just like her own. "Akira, one day, you and Etsuko will be where Lady Yuzuki and I are now. She will depend on you more than anyone else. You must be there for her, for that's the purpose of the Kawaguchi family. Do you understand?"
Young green eyes stared into matured brown ones. Wakana waited for a response, patient and imploring. Committing the scene to her memory, Akira nodded. "I do."
Wakana's controlled demeanor broke out into a rare smile that took up half of her face and almost made her eyes vanish. Wrapping a hand around the handle of her basket, she asked, "Now let's go home, okay?"
o
The heat was oppressive. It ate at her skin and nipped at the roots of her hair, and tiny red sparks that glowed like suns leaped out at her from the flames. A pair of arms secured around her shoulders felt like her sole protection, the body they were attached to jerking around behind her. Some say adrenaline blocks out the danger, but for scared little Akira, her adrenaline just emphasized the situation. Her skin began to burn from the inside out, like flames rushing through her bones. She shivered and hunched over, trying to hold her arms and squeeze the feeling away.
"Akira." Wakana's voice yanked her from whatever reverie she was falling into, and her head shot up. Wakana watched her from over the shoulder, but all Akira could make out in the shadows the fire cast were reflections on blonde hair. "Stay calm. Do you understand?"
Do you understand? The words reminded Akira of all the promises she made to her mother. They reminded her of why she was there, and who was important to her. Her new concentration cooled her bones, and she felt her adrenaline dying down.
A crash on the other side of the room made it clear to Akira that others were still present. Numerous shadows stood several feet from them, never approaching, just blocking all hope of escape. Etsuko had been yelling from behind Akira all this time, pulling her back and crying tears that dripped onto her head.
Between the girls and Wakana, stood Lady Yuzuki. Her tight grip on Wakana's arm was flushing the colors from her knuckles, but she refused to let go. "Wakana, we need to leave!" She yelled over the chaos.
Wakana's head turned toward the shadows. She stepped back, pushing Yuzuki closer to the girls. "Take the children and run," Wakana ordered.
The words upset Yuzuki, who shook her head and placed her other hand on Wakana's arm. "I'm not leaving you!"
"Protect our children!"
Yuzuki fell quiet, looking for any sign on Wakana's face that she would give in if pushed a little further. Hard eyes and a deep frown stared back at her. Somewhere too close for comfort, there was another crash as the building continued to collapse. Yuzuki jumped at the sound, pulling the ends of her dress closer to her. She looked down at the cowering pair of girls, and steeled herself. She leaned down, sweeping the two up in her long arms, and nodded her head toward Wakana.
Upon noticing this action, the shadows in the room made a move toward them. Wakana bent her knees and slammed her hands together, squinting to see through the flames. The shadows seemed to come to a standstill, and Yuzuki took the opportunity to run for the door.
No amount of struggling made her drop Akira, who screamed and reached out for the shrinking image of her mother.
o
Akira sat on her knees in an empty hallway, forehead pressed against the edge of a door left ajar. She peered into the room, squinting her eyes. The setting sun glared through the windows, casting an orange glow and harsh shadows. Akira flinched when she first saw the sunset after the attack, and even now, she had to fight the urge. Behind the door, her father stood closest to her, with his back facing her and his fingers intertwined, shaking, behind him. There was a chair across from him, the seat taken by a man whose head was lowered into his hands. Yuzuki lay in a bed in the corner of the room, lifeless. Dead just days after the attack.
Taro pressed his fingers into his head. Taking in a shaky breath, he pushed his hair back and sat up. His eyes, glazed over and numb, never locked in on anything in the room. "Already, the company scrambles to replace her. None of them will ever be as great as they were." His voice was low and empty, but the delayed speed at which he spoke showed the internal struggle to maintain his composure.
"They will not." Akira winced at her father's voice. It was soft and fast, and she knew it was all he could do to not choke on his emotion.
The wheels in Taro's mind started to turn. He had little time to grieve; there were snakes lying in wait, and sheep stumbling without direction. "I must keep things going until Etsuko can take over. That's all that matters," He murmured, more so to himself than anyone. Blinking and turning his chin up toward the other man in the room, he called out, "Osamu."
Akira's father nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, my lord?"
Taro watched his friend, unable to understand how the man could stand there before him after losing Wakana. I would want to hate me, were our roles reversed, He thought to himself. "You are here by marriage, not blood. I won't hold you to the Kawaguchi family's oath. You should take Akira and go. Build a better life for her."
Breath left the girl in the hallway, and she covered her mouth to prevent any noise. Neither man noticed her, and the room fell under tense silence.
Taro had started to look away when Osamu finally replied. "If I may speak freely, my lord…" When he received a nod of approval, he sighed. "Akira loves Lady Etsuko. She will not want to leave, and I…," He bowed his head, saying, "You are here by marriage, as well. I cannot leave this burden on you alone, Taro."
The missing honorific was not lost on Taro, whose shoulders seemed to relax with the knowledge that he would not be carrying all this without help. He looked toward his wife, now a body that looked nothing like the woman he knew and loved. "We will never be as great as they were." It came out as but a whisper on his breath, but it sounded so loud in the quiet.
Osamu nodded. "We will not."
Knowing that they would remain in their positions for the rest of the night, Akira stood, taking great pains to not make a sound. She moved away from the door and began to walk down the hall, wiping at her eyes. She didn't know what she expected to find by eavesdropping, but the further twisting of her heart wasn't it. She wanted to fall to the floor and weep, or scream at the sky until someone's god took pity on her. She wanted to take away everyone's sorrow.
She found Etsuko standing in the hall outside Akira's bedroom door. The girl's hands were clenched around her arms, and she paced back and forth with her face twisted in barely contained agony. Akira sniveled, and the sound caught Etsuko's attention. She spun around, and the two of them made watery eye contact.
It took them just a second before they ran to meet, wrapping their arms around each other and holding tight. As the taller of the two, Etsuko buried her face into Akira's hair, clutching the back of her head. Akira dug into Etsuko's shoulder, letting her knees buckle as she fell into the older girl, who didn't seem to notice the added weight. "I'll always be here for you, Akira. I promise."