Chapter 14

Leonardo's fever ran dangerously high and he tossed and turned in his sleep restlessly. An agonizing pain had spread through his body and a fog veiled his mind. Time passed by in a blur and Leo dreamt.

He was himself, but not. He felt torn between two identities, two responsibilities. Who was he? What did he need to do? Who was he supposed to protect?

Lost in a swirl of emotions, Leo slipped in and out of conciseness. One moment the blind girl would be by his side, bathing his forehead with cool water and the next, she was gone.

Sometimes he thought he heard his brothers urgently calling him, but whenever he opened his eyes the noise disappeared. And a horrible possibility rose in Leo's mind. Maybe…maybe they were already dead. Maybe all this time, it had been too late. His family could've been slaughtered by one of their countless enemies and he wouldn't even know. Couldn't know.

The despair welled up inside him and guilt ate away at him. He was helpless, utterly helpless. And that nightmarish pain of powerlessness hurt more than any physical pain he was feeling now.

'Screw it. Screw all this crap,' he thought bitterly, 'It doesn't matter. I'm not Hamato Leonardo anymore. I'm just a wolf in sheep's clothing or better yet, a turtle in human skin.'

The memory of seeing his reflection in the well flashed in his mind. He hated that face; that pathetic human face. He lifted up his hand to pull away the mask of human flesh, but it wouldn't budge. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of that face. He couldn't revert back to his old -self.

And then a cold hand touched his shoulder. He turned; catching a lingering glimpse of black-hair and green eyes.

….

"Traveler-san!"

Leo started awake to find white, empty eyes staring worriedly at him. The girl, the shrine maiden apprentice, was kneeling beside him, a tiny hand gripping his shoulder.

"You were scratching at your face. Were you having a nightmare?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a coughing fit prevented him from answering. The girl leaned back and held up her hands in apology. "Ah, sorry. I shouldn't have asked, you're still not well. Lie back down and get some more rest."

Ignoring his shuddering body, Leo asked in a raspy voice, "How long have I been here like this?"

She stared at him for a moment and then answered quietly, "2 weeks." He blinked in astonishment. 2 weeks?! It felt like only 2 days had passed. He laid back and ran a hand across his hot face, fresh with multiple scratches. "What's wrong with me?" He wondered out loud.

Surprisingly, she answered. "Your body is fighting itself because two different kinds of blood flow through your veins. And it's affecting you not just physically, but mentally. You are at war with yourself."

Leo blinked in shock. Damn, she was incisive! So, the 'cure' Kaki had given him actually hadn't worked completely? Then mutant DNA still coursed within him. Did that mean he could really revert back? But… what if the moon stone's solution in him stabilized? He could remain human forever.

As much as that bothered him, something else bothered him more. How did the blind girl know all this?

Abruptly, the girl rose. "I shouldn't say anything now. You need sleep if you wish to recover. Please excuse me."

As she walked away, Leo pushed himself up from his futon and managed to call after her, "Wait! Please tell me, what's your name?"

The girl stopped and turned her head slightly, staring at him dead on from the corner of her eye.

"Mitsue."

"Mitsue," Leonardo continued carefully, "…how can you tell? How can you tell what's wrong with me-" "-Even though I can't see?" she finished. He averted his eyes guilty.

"Because I am a tsukiko. And I can see the moon's light glowing in your blood."

And with that, she left.

…

More weeks passed by. The pain faded away, he slept peacefully, and no changes occurred. Apparently, the solution had finally stabilized. Soon, Leonardo re-gained enough strength to end his bed-ridden term. Of course, the old manager badgered him about how much his 'illness' had cost her and he was forced to give her all the money he had (which wasn't much).

Therefore, he re-assumed his cover story: a ronin from the mountains called Ryo (authentic Japanese, but close enough to 'Leo' to be recognizable) looking for his only remaining relative. He had hoped she would sympathize with him, but he should've known better.

Once he was able, he started working at the inn: cutting firewood, running errands, and doing any physical labor required. The villagers questioned his 'employment' and were always watching him. He avoided them as much as possible, but never for long. He was actually thankful when the old hag stood up for him once and gave an earful to some drunks who kept pestering him.

Eventually, Leo fell into routine and the villagers began to overlook him. He knew that he needed to leave as soon as possible, but he hesitated because he needed to take Mitsue with him. Taking her would mean telling her about Kaki's death and how the fate of the village rested in her hands.

But she was too young. He could he give her that responsibility? And how could he possibly take her without the old lady objecting and raising the villagers' suspicions?

So, Leo stalled, hoping the right time would present itself. A decision he would inevitably regret later.

It was on a seemingly peaceful day, while Leo was upstairs in his room playing with Mitsue that she appeared.

Mitsue had just won her fifth game of Jan, Ken, Po, (irritating Leo to no end because she was blind), when she froze. "Someone…some-thing bad is here.", she whispered.

With ought a word, he rose immediately and took his katanas in hand, slipping them quickly in his kimono's sash. Sliding the fusuma open, he entered the hall and made his way down the stairs. He restrained himself from going quietly; allowing the wood to creak loudly as he descended.

Once he reached the bottom, he made his way casually to an empty stall while scanning the room for any suspicious characters. As he sat down, he wondered if the demons were finally making their move and coming after Mitsue. Either way, this definitely served as a sign that they needed to leave ASAP.

A waitress appeared offering sake and he gladly obliged. While she poured into his cup, the door to the inn slid open. And a woman entered.

Tall and pale, with an air of superiority, she entered. The expensive kimono she wore was open suggestively around her chest and hung loosely around her figure. Leo could tell that he wasn't the only one staring at her. She had captured the attention of every man in the inn.

But Leo wasn't staring at her chest, like they were; he was staring directly at her face. A face shrouded by strands of raven-black hair. Her eyes, as green as jade, stared back inquisitively and she licked her blood-red lips.

She had changed since he had last seen her, her hair falling almost past her shoulders, but there was no mistaking it.

Karai was back.

TBC

…..

[Japanese Notes: Ronin- a samurai who lost his master and wanders adrift, Kimono- traditional garment or tunic, Fusuma- sliding door or shoji, Mitsue- branch of light, Tsukiko- moon child]