A Taishiro like Tokito, who used to spend her time sleeping more rather than doing something unduly useless, might rarely do watch sun as it rose from the gap of two snowy mountains, even though Mibu terrain was stretched out near the great Mount Fuji. And staring at the ruddy fiery orb as it's creeping downwards until being vanished gracefully under the trace of west horizon? No, not Tokito if she's done such a melancholic whim. She'd rather toying with flames of life candles than trying to feel the warmth of sunlight when dawn broke as beginning of a day. She'd love to dart her tarot cards to slay some low Mibu soldiers than to delight in having a sight of marvelous twilight. No, not Tokito if she would be so friendly to the sun.
Sun was mundane for Tokito.
Thereupon, she named her palace Tsukikagejyo, Palace of Moon Shade. Not a gibberish titling, but as a declaration, she didn't like everything about sun. Without sunlight, she could read mere humans' fate, which flickering in the depth of fire, more clearly. Without sunlight, she wouldn't recall her memories around her childhood ages, which she mostly spent dancing under the sunshine, watched by her father and mother and uncle and Hishigi. Before, she was placed in oblivion about the second reason. But now her eyes were opened and after reconsidering everything, she started to hate sun even more. She hated when sunshine hit her as hard as harsh realization did: she was completely alone, her father and mother and uncle and Hishigi all had passed away, not to mention her swords and servants and even her soul once in a critical moment. Everything about her had changed, but the sunlight remained same as the way it illuminated her and her family years ago. She hated when she felt like suppressed by the sunshine. The sight of sun imprisoned her in her own memory about the pass. Sunlight reminded her that her all had gone, leaving her alone. No one was staying at her side.
She cried, well, clumsily in front of at least ten people. Once when she's awaken from fake idea about her identity, her vulnerable soul lost its bearings and her feeble side surfaced. Sunlight broke through burst windows of her palace, as if it was an ominous of bad moment and another catastrophe was about to happen. And once when she saw her newly found father passed away under her nose, she proved it to be true. She was snarling indignantly, spouting all of her thought to her father when Akira pinched her shoulder, told the truth she was denying. Fubuki was dying and nothing her naïve behavior could do. She cried while falling down to the ground, her inner and outer soul begged for a cure from Former Red King to re-heal her father, so she could snuggle for his paternal warmth once again. But her prayer was not granted. Former Red King even sent a blaze of perilous arrow to kill her as a reply. Her father's body broke into million dusts as he set his physical form to be her shield. The last thing she saw before her life taken by Former Red King was, no doubt, sun. Fiery gas ball that radiated without mercy, burning her soulless form ruthlessly.
-
"Tokito, stop following me."
Akira exhaled tiredly for hundredth times that noon. This desert was taking his willpower a lot and he could not tolerate the girl anymore.
"Oh shut up, you blind coward! Just come and fight me now," Tokito shouted in demand, aiming his neck with her new blades. Akira shrugged.
"Never until you know how to ask for something politely, okay? Bye," Akira turned his back on her, ready to leave. She sheathed her double swords back.
"NO! Get back here, brat!" Tokito yelled angrily, half-panicked, trying to seize his sleeve. Her movement drove him to turn around and face her again.
"What again, now?" Akira pinched his chin none too firmly with one hand. "A mighty Taishiro is afraid of being alone on a desert?"
Tokito's face reddened as her blood boiled in temper. She narrowed her eyes as she said, "I don't know what good a worthless former Shiseiten is doing right here, in the middle of desert, with so many sand and sweat."
"You will not and never understand unless you try it by yourself," Akira said coldly. "Not that I invite you," he added, to make things clear.
"I don't need to pay a trial," Tokito stated.
"You'll do, even though you think that you don't need to, if you still keep on tailing me like this."
"My purpose isn't to have an experience of roaming thru such a parched place like here," Tokito said while freeing her legs of the sand. "I'm challenging you to fight me, as what you told me to do previously!"
"I didn't expect you'd take it in seriously. I was just joking, so forget it."
"Jerk," She chattered her teeth emotionally. Akira had walked forward on his pace, leaving her far behind.
Sunshine radiated Tokito's figure, causing her to dehydrate. Her entire body had been sweat-stained and her head was aching. She didn't really know whether it was because of hallucination, which occasionally seen by travelers on desert, or because her trauma of sunlight, her eyes blurred and she felt like seeing another universe, in which her father and mother and uncle and Hishigi lived.
"Father?" She frowned, trying to figure out what happened. She was still on earth, right? But the people… her most beloved people were there, much too real. She lifted her hand slowly, reaching out for them. "Mother… uncle?"
Her family waved to her, smiling kindly. Her mouth opened a bit then closed again, her cheeks began to wet with tears, together with her sweat. She tried to walk but her feet refused to obey her. The certain universe was surrounded by thin haze, lights were coming from several candles.
No sun… no reminder that my family has gone. Look, they were smiling and let me come closer to them. I want them… I'm tired of challenging a mere human who tantalizes me about fighting him…
A deep hollow in her heart slowly overflowed again with warmth and glee. She was missing her family so much, she was tired of being lonesome.
Carve the fatigue, slither the damned forlorn… I need a haven. No one could save me from the grief.
I need a place to rest, far from the sunlight and daily stress. Far from him…
She'd got nearer to her family heavily when she saw smiles faded from their faces. They shook their heads. Tears began to fall down from her mother's hazelnut eyes. Her father rubbed Hitoki's shoulder while shaking his head with a worry face. Hishigi looked at her with hid sad eyes and Muramasa's face went pale.
'Never get here!' They shouted.
'Wh-why?' Tokito questioned confusedly, not completely aware about the condition.
'This is not your place, Tokito, go back to where you come!' Fubuki said.
'You're not supposed to be here yet, dear,' Muramasa sounded softly.
'No, I want to get there with you all!' Tokito stated stubbornly.
'Not now, Tokito,' She could hear the deep voice of Hishigi's.
'Tokito,' a gentle voice of a woman heard from Hitoki, calming her bewildered daughter. How much Tokito missed the voice, warm and soft voice almost forgotten. Her tears poured out again.
'Mother…' Tokito seemed to get lost. 'I'm confused… I walked forward and recede here and there but no one wanting me. I… I stuck in the middle. Let me come, Mother, I don't want to be lonesome again. I'm tired, staying and roaming without anyone care for me. I… I'm tired,' She sobbed lightly. 'Let me come to your hug…' She said in a small, plaintive voice, while trembling.
'Tokito,' said the voice of Muramasa's. 'You'll never be alone. Just be back and see…'
'I don't want to see anything!' Tokito shook her head. 'I want you all…'
'Don't,' Fubuki said. 'In your age, you have not seen anything and you must see all before you can go here.'
'Father!' Tokito definitely lost her bearings. Her tears flow like a stream of agony. 'I can't hold on anymore!'
'Yes you can,' Hishigi told her, once became paternal. 'We believe in you, thus you must believe in yourself. Like you used to do so far.'
'It's just a fake mask. I…'
'We believe in you, dear,' Hitoki smiled to her, hearten her. 'Hug your belief and live on. You still have something to do, someone to run for, right? Reach out for your own sun.'
'I…' Tokito's eyes widened as the sight of her family faded. 'No!'
She felt a sensation like all lights in her world were switched off and she would never see brightness again. She didn't know whether she still had her eyes or not. There was only darkness, endless hollow that she was put into. Ground under her crumpled and got her collapsing into a curved abyss.
-
"Tokito…?"
Dark.
Tokito opened her eyes slowly, revealed a pair of emerald eyes. She blinked several times while getting the atmosphere in.
"A-Akira?"
"Thank God you're alright," The ice boy exhaled in relief. Tokito frowned, not fully hold herself in completely different situation. She attempted to sit upright. He helped her gently.
"Where is here?"
"Still on the dusty desert. In a cave near an oasis, particularly," Akira answered, busying himself to do something, his back was facing Tokito.
"What happened to me?"
"Weren't I the one to ask?" Akira shot back, turned around with a package of food and a pouch full of water. "Here," He handed the things to her.
"What-why am I here?" She questioned, seemed like confused with herself.
"I wondered why you didn't follow me after our last short chitchat. W-well, not that I hoped but… yeah, I am human, okay, a mere human," he explained, suddenly became sarcastic at the end. "…have a humanity. I worried and looked back and… found none. I stepped back and finally found you, fainted on the sand, pale and cold. I panicked and carried you here."
"Oh," She looked down, her heart skipped a beat as she remembered her experience. Her sweat formed again and her tears came to surface.
"Tokito?" Akira's face appeared in front of hers, took her aback. "What's wrong?"
"N-no," She replied weakly, wiped her tears and sweat.
"Crying again?" Akira kneeled beside her, a query written on his face.
"N-no!" Tokito shook her head, her eyes widened in disagreement.
"Good, then," Akira shrugged and stood bolt upright. He walked away from the cave slowly. "The sky is beautiful now."
"Sky?" Tokito asked, bent over backwards to stand up.
"Mmm," Akira nodded, still staring at a point outside. "Have you seen twilight from a desert?"
Don't mention the place, I even have not seen twilight for years, Tokito thought. "Is it so great?"
"Fabulous. The shade of light from sunset perfectly illustrated the formerly blue sky and its cloud formation and of course the rift."
"Wait," Tokito frowned, still could not make herself moving on. "You can't see, can you?"
Akira smirked. "I bet you've forgotten," he said. "I can differentiate between brightness and darkness, thankfully, even with these eyes shut. Don't you want to see? Before it's off."
"I don't like sun," Tokito declared.
"What a pity. You know, you can't live without sun. How come you don't like it?"
"I just don't like it when the sunshine radiated me."
"That's weird. It's a gift for you to see such marvelous thing with your own eyes."
She shrugged. "It's your own decision to be blind."
"Do you think, if I have the damned samurai blood in my arteries, I would do slash my own eyes and be blind? No, I don't do it because I like darkness. I do it because I want to be stronger. My decision is not to be blind, but to be strong."
Tokito exhaled while telling her legs to allow her standing. "It's still your stupidity, brat."
"Well," Akira sighed. "At least you remain rude as always. I don't have to worry."
"No one tell you to do so," Tokito had almost managed her way to stand upright and walk on when her feet once again lost its competence. She drooped and lost her power.
"Tokito?" Akira turned around to see and quickly approached her, held her physical body before it hit the ground. "Hey, hold on!"
Her body shivered and covered in sweat. Tokito didn't know why she still had the effect from her recent experience with her family. Hours had passed, why she still could not bear it?
Akira frowned at the little girl whose frail figure he was supporting. Something has gone very wrong.
'Reach out for your own sun.'
Tokito heard the whisper in her mind. Her mother's utterance.
'You still have something to do, someone to run for, right? Reach for your own sun.'
"Akira," she said feebly. "I want to see the sunset."
"What?" Akira needed a few seconds to register her will. "Well."
He picked her up and carried her outside without knowing why he should grant it. There was the last moment of twilight.
"It's beautiful," Tokito said while wheezing. "I've never wanted to know before."
"Tokito, are you alright?" Akira could not hide his anxiety about her state.
"Umm." She nodded heartily. Watching beautiful scenery that I've never seen before, how can I be not all right?
"It's night already," Akira noticed when he saw sky darkened and stars started forming. "And it's cold. We'd be better go inside."
Akira brought her inside the cave. He put her down carefully and started to make a campfire.
"Akira?"
Akira looked away from his activity. "Huh?"
"Wake me up tomorrow morning. I want to see the sunrise."
"Aren't you the one who stated such an 'I hate sun' declaration?" He teased her.
"I want to deal with it, and deal with all problems," she inhaled deeply. "One of the things that you told me before, right?"
He smiled. "Good, one of the most important ways to strengthen your heart."
She looked down, "But I can't grapple alone."
Akira continued making fire. "I bet there was something happened before we met again," he said nonchalantly, albeit deep inside he wanted to know everything.
Tokito raised her sight and staring at Akira's back, not really focusing on him. "Do you want to know?"
Akira turned his head to face her again. "Only if you want to tell me."
Before she could think clearly, her mouth had opened itself and started to elucidate the tale, her short 'meeting' with her family and even the history of her hatred about sun. She even could not control herself to stop speaking. Her small body trembled and shivered in the idea of being left by her family. Her tears flew and her body got sickened over and over again.
"So that's what happened," Akira said in a plaintive voice, got closer to her. Her impudent mask was utterly worn off. Akira was about to reach out for her shoulder.
"I will always be alone," she let out a quiet sob, causing his hand to freeze in the middle of its way. She continued her wail, "I… I follow you because I don't want to be alone. In Mibu I will be all alone. I'm an outsider even in Yu An's family. But… but even you don't want me… No one wants me… I'm completely alone…"
Akira went silent. He never thought that he had a deep meaning for her. "Who said that I don't want you?"
"You always push me away, don't you?"
"I…" Akira took a deep breath. He actually didn't want to confess it and intended to keep the feeling just in his head but… The situation forced him to break the idea apart. Gently he engulfed Tokito with his arms, causing her body to stiff. "I know a persistent little girl like you won't take the words in seriously. I know when I spouted my harsh utterance you will take it as a challenge and… yeah, I don't really mean to evict you."
"Wha-you…" Tokito didn't know how to react.
"If I don't care for you," he continued, his face blushed hard. "I wouldn't look for you when I missed the sight of you. I'd let you hold on yourself. I would leave you alone and we wouldn't be here together."
"I…" Tokito was bewildered. "I… you…"
"I won't push you away anymore, if it hurts you," he took her hand and pull her closer. "Okay?"
Tokito nodded and wiped her tears with his hakama. "Well, you aren't allowed to forget that you must fight me soon. I must try how good Julian's blades, compared to Hakuto Shichisei." She told him while snuggling closer, and was glad when she saw him nodding with a grin. She was she and would never change.
'You'll never be alone. Just be back and see.'
Her uncle's voice echoed all over her mind. Tomorrow, she would see sun when it rose from the line where sight of sandy field ended, together with the ice samurai.
--
Well, since I have no idea to continue my fanfic about Akira-san and Tokito-chan, I decided to make this one. Only one chapter, so there's no risk of neglecting this without continuation. Again, I'm sorry for my terrible grammar and lack choice of vocabs. However, I hope you enjoy! Comments appreciated.