Blood splattered all over the floor and Soujiro's eyes darted at the
cut that she was supposed to bear. After all, the dagger was sharp and it
was possible to sever her whole hand within one slash. Horror struck him,
and the coldness he feels whenever she was with him turned even harsher.
Soushi stayed calm, but his skin grew paler, just as pale as what his
sister was. What had Nagi done now?
THE WANDERER'S EYES
(Chapter 18: Black Butterflies Hiding from the Silver Mirror)
"Are you nuts?" Soujiro barked. Blood, buckets and loads of blood covered every inch of the floor. He immediately grabbed her hands and clasped them tight as if he was trying to glue them together with his hands.
She was trembling. Soujiro could feel the frozen, yet soft texture of her. She smile remained as it was, but her smile was never a smile really. Her nose crinkled a little and her eyes closed. Tears fell from her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks. She whispered with the lowest most possible tone, "Stop... Stop it."
Suddenly, all the blood that had poured on the floor became black. From what he could see, the black liquid took itself from the floor.
Every single one took the shape of a butterfly. The fluttered around as their wings shed the black marks and had vivid colors, as much as a rainbow can produce. One of them flew to Soushi's hair. In the few seconds that Soujiro felt aghast and amazed, Soushi's hair turned yellow, pale yellow.
The cuts that he assumed to lay on her arms cannot be touched. He took off his hands off her, and he was even more mortified. Her hands were clear. There was no trace at all that it had been cut or damaged.
He muttered, "How? How is it-"
"That I'm not hurt?" She added, "My friend, once you've passed on, you gain no physical pain. However."
Her hand reached a butterfly that had one of its wings torn while it shed. More tears poured from her eyes. Soushi walked closer and embraced her. Soujiro placed his hands on her shoulder, but she seized them and grasped them.
Chills from his spine evoked a less painful prick that made him want to collapse.
"Do you think that everyone is able to accept themselves for what they are, though they wish that what they were weren't what they should be?"
Soujiro knew this was another question that were to never leave his head. He shuddered and did his best to release his hands without her noticing it. He was, to his misfortune, can't do it. She clutched them tighter, with a much colder sense.
She spoke with a lonely and distressed voice, "Do you think you could ever forgive me?"
He was even more hazed. He wanted to shake his head, but he didn't comprehend what she said. What was he going to be mad at her for? She never did anything to him.
"Of course I will," He remarked bluntly, "We're friends. Probably even more."
He held in his arms the two sibling, "Yeah. We're more than friends; we're almost like brother and sister."
To us who is reading his mind, he had nothing much to say at all, to tell you the truth. He didn't see her only as a friend. Neither did he think of her as a beau. She was something more. She was part of him, just like how Soushi is with her.
A thud was the last word or sound ever heard there. Soushi had been awake for too long. It was not safe, in his condition, to be up and waste his breath on petty conversations. Nagi was about to carry him to his bed, but Soujiro had gotten hold of him first. He tucked the sick child in his bed, kissed him goodnight. Nagi did the same to him, and added a new hot pack/towel on his shoulder, the kind he liked most.
They exited the area and strolled the halls to the room Soujiro slept in. They entered and found the chess set to be again played. "I never knew why," Soujiro stated, "It's always like that, I guess."
Both sat down. Nagi took a slip of paper from her sleeve and showed it to him.
"What's this all about?" Soujiro commented. There was hardly anything on the paper at all. There was only a little dot in the center of the page and it can hardly be seen.
She spoke, "I've searched for it for you. It was a piece of the parchment you lost. It-"
Soujiro interrupted her, "How did you know about the parchment?"
"Gyen. Gyenryu made it for me. It was a map of the city where there are tunnels. Some type of underground cave, he said. He said he couldn't decipher it. I looked at it and I never understood it either. I only wanted to see Soushi happy again," She moped, but it wasn't that she pitied herself. She just wanted to please her brother.
"Hmmm." Soujiro examined the piece of paper. He didn't want to tell her he had been to one of the underground caves. He didn't want her to feel bad, nor did he want to argue about it with her if she was skeptical. The piece of paper was no bigger than his hand. He concluded it was nothing more than just a piece of junk.
Nagi pointed to the chessboard, "I know you knew that the chessboard was a secret parcel. I saw you once take the piece of paper, which was supposed to have saved my life. I also saw you once take the journal entry Saicho wrote after my funeral; but."
Her fingers strayed and slid on the top of the set. The once golden rim was already thrown away, and the pieces slipped to the floorboards gently. She held it upright and showed him the mirror side of it.
"So?" He said, wondering what she was about to do.
"Do you notice something?" Her trembling voice asked rather drowsily.
He nodded, "I see myself. What's the big deal?"
Her index finger glided on the surface of it. That was the only time Soujiro become aware of it. In the middle of the mirror was a hole. The hole was big enough for him to stick three pieces of his hair, but nothing more. Even though he saw it, he still didn't get the point she wanted him to realize.
"What's the whole point? What are you trying to say?"
"This. The hole in the mirror; doesn't it strike you as much?" She replied enigmatically, "Do you see any resemblance at all to anything?"
The puzzle tried him hard, and he doubted that all she said made any sense at all. Then, he remembered.
Gyenryu's mirror.
Soujiro bursted, "You mean to say this was part of Gyen's door. The mirror-"
"Yes," She shouted, "It does. I hope you notice the way it doesn't show you what's exactly around you. Can't you see it? Can't you see that it's showing you something else? Another reflection perhaps?"
True, Soujiro didn't see himself. He saw a man of his likeness, but not him. No, it was younger. Suddenly, it took another shape. It looked young, a very young boy. He was even more puzzled of the face.
It was Soushi..
It was Soushi, dying.
THE WANDERER'S EYES
(Chapter 18: Black Butterflies Hiding from the Silver Mirror)
"Are you nuts?" Soujiro barked. Blood, buckets and loads of blood covered every inch of the floor. He immediately grabbed her hands and clasped them tight as if he was trying to glue them together with his hands.
She was trembling. Soujiro could feel the frozen, yet soft texture of her. She smile remained as it was, but her smile was never a smile really. Her nose crinkled a little and her eyes closed. Tears fell from her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks. She whispered with the lowest most possible tone, "Stop... Stop it."
Suddenly, all the blood that had poured on the floor became black. From what he could see, the black liquid took itself from the floor.
Every single one took the shape of a butterfly. The fluttered around as their wings shed the black marks and had vivid colors, as much as a rainbow can produce. One of them flew to Soushi's hair. In the few seconds that Soujiro felt aghast and amazed, Soushi's hair turned yellow, pale yellow.
The cuts that he assumed to lay on her arms cannot be touched. He took off his hands off her, and he was even more mortified. Her hands were clear. There was no trace at all that it had been cut or damaged.
He muttered, "How? How is it-"
"That I'm not hurt?" She added, "My friend, once you've passed on, you gain no physical pain. However."
Her hand reached a butterfly that had one of its wings torn while it shed. More tears poured from her eyes. Soushi walked closer and embraced her. Soujiro placed his hands on her shoulder, but she seized them and grasped them.
Chills from his spine evoked a less painful prick that made him want to collapse.
"Do you think that everyone is able to accept themselves for what they are, though they wish that what they were weren't what they should be?"
Soujiro knew this was another question that were to never leave his head. He shuddered and did his best to release his hands without her noticing it. He was, to his misfortune, can't do it. She clutched them tighter, with a much colder sense.
She spoke with a lonely and distressed voice, "Do you think you could ever forgive me?"
He was even more hazed. He wanted to shake his head, but he didn't comprehend what she said. What was he going to be mad at her for? She never did anything to him.
"Of course I will," He remarked bluntly, "We're friends. Probably even more."
He held in his arms the two sibling, "Yeah. We're more than friends; we're almost like brother and sister."
To us who is reading his mind, he had nothing much to say at all, to tell you the truth. He didn't see her only as a friend. Neither did he think of her as a beau. She was something more. She was part of him, just like how Soushi is with her.
A thud was the last word or sound ever heard there. Soushi had been awake for too long. It was not safe, in his condition, to be up and waste his breath on petty conversations. Nagi was about to carry him to his bed, but Soujiro had gotten hold of him first. He tucked the sick child in his bed, kissed him goodnight. Nagi did the same to him, and added a new hot pack/towel on his shoulder, the kind he liked most.
They exited the area and strolled the halls to the room Soujiro slept in. They entered and found the chess set to be again played. "I never knew why," Soujiro stated, "It's always like that, I guess."
Both sat down. Nagi took a slip of paper from her sleeve and showed it to him.
"What's this all about?" Soujiro commented. There was hardly anything on the paper at all. There was only a little dot in the center of the page and it can hardly be seen.
She spoke, "I've searched for it for you. It was a piece of the parchment you lost. It-"
Soujiro interrupted her, "How did you know about the parchment?"
"Gyen. Gyenryu made it for me. It was a map of the city where there are tunnels. Some type of underground cave, he said. He said he couldn't decipher it. I looked at it and I never understood it either. I only wanted to see Soushi happy again," She moped, but it wasn't that she pitied herself. She just wanted to please her brother.
"Hmmm." Soujiro examined the piece of paper. He didn't want to tell her he had been to one of the underground caves. He didn't want her to feel bad, nor did he want to argue about it with her if she was skeptical. The piece of paper was no bigger than his hand. He concluded it was nothing more than just a piece of junk.
Nagi pointed to the chessboard, "I know you knew that the chessboard was a secret parcel. I saw you once take the piece of paper, which was supposed to have saved my life. I also saw you once take the journal entry Saicho wrote after my funeral; but."
Her fingers strayed and slid on the top of the set. The once golden rim was already thrown away, and the pieces slipped to the floorboards gently. She held it upright and showed him the mirror side of it.
"So?" He said, wondering what she was about to do.
"Do you notice something?" Her trembling voice asked rather drowsily.
He nodded, "I see myself. What's the big deal?"
Her index finger glided on the surface of it. That was the only time Soujiro become aware of it. In the middle of the mirror was a hole. The hole was big enough for him to stick three pieces of his hair, but nothing more. Even though he saw it, he still didn't get the point she wanted him to realize.
"What's the whole point? What are you trying to say?"
"This. The hole in the mirror; doesn't it strike you as much?" She replied enigmatically, "Do you see any resemblance at all to anything?"
The puzzle tried him hard, and he doubted that all she said made any sense at all. Then, he remembered.
Gyenryu's mirror.
Soujiro bursted, "You mean to say this was part of Gyen's door. The mirror-"
"Yes," She shouted, "It does. I hope you notice the way it doesn't show you what's exactly around you. Can't you see it? Can't you see that it's showing you something else? Another reflection perhaps?"
True, Soujiro didn't see himself. He saw a man of his likeness, but not him. No, it was younger. Suddenly, it took another shape. It looked young, a very young boy. He was even more puzzled of the face.
It was Soushi..
It was Soushi, dying.