Chapter Two:
"No! I don't want to go with them! I want to stay here!" Kakurenbo cried, clinging to her father as tears rushed down her reddened cheeks. "I wanna stay home with you and Hyo!"
It had been three days since Kakurenbo and Baillon had overheard the conversation between Ichiro and the elves. She tried her hardest to forget about it, but the thought of leaving her home was overwhelming. And when two days had passed she finally got herself to believe she was indeed remaining at home. But once again, Fate turned on her.
"I know, Ren, I know. But I need you to go with Corin and Minyasil. They can protect you better than I can," Ichiro said despondently.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Kakurenbo sobbed. "I'm not going away! I'm not!" Sniffling, she turned to her brother. "You won't let them take me, will you, Hyo?" Hyottoko looked down at the floor, his black hair falling in front of his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Ren… But it's the best we can do for you at the moment." His voice was quiet and sorrowful. He didn't really believe there was going to be an attack, did he? No, that was not possible. Hyo never went by what people told him. He always went by what he found out for himself. He couldn't really be saying this…
Kakurenbo glanced behind her at Minyasil and Corin. They looked just as upset as Ichiro and Hyo did. Then she looked to her newfound friend, Baillon. He, too, was looking at her sadly, but a small reassuring smile was resting upon his lips.
Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.
That had all happened years ago. Kakurenbo was now twenty five years old and still living in Windycliffe. She and Baillon had been engaged for four months now, and were living together in their own home.
It had been eighteen years since she had set foot in Nightsedge, eighteen of the longest years of her life. She had received no word from her father or her brother since she left, but she felt slightly better knowing that there had been no attack on the city. Surely they were perfectly fine.
Life in the City of Wind was more than she could hope for. She worked in The Dragon's Fang, the local pub, as a waitress and often times an entertainer. Kakurenbo found it slightly ironic that she wound up working at the inn, and it only made her more homesick. But returning to Nightsedge at that time was unthinkable. The war that was going on at the time had escalated. Kakurenbo did not know the full details, but frankly, she didn't care. As long as those she cared for were safe, she would not get involved. At least, that's what she told herself.
The sun had long since set, but Kakurenbo was still hard at work in the Fang, bustling from one table to the next, balancing plates and cups on various trays. A large group of "peace activists," as they called themselves, had wandered in. But from the looks of it, this group was not too intent on creating or fighting for the peace they proposed.
"Hey, sweetheart!" one of them called, his speech horribly slurred. "Bring us another round!" His comrades cheered in agreement. Kakurenbo looked over her shoulder disgustedly from where she leaned against the bar.
"Well, you heard them, Rorin," she said darkly. "Get 'em another round."
"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Ren? I mean, they've already ordered five rounds, and they were all pints," the barkeep said quietly.
Kakurenbo smirked. "Hey, it's their choice. Besides, they won't be too happy with themselves when they all wake up with hangovers tomorrow morning."
Rorin gave a little laugh as he filled the mugs to the brim with the frothy ale. Gracefully, the Shadow Walker moved to their tables, setting down the pints before each "activist." She was just about to head back to the bar to continue the conversation with Rorin when someone grabbed her wrist roughly.
"Sings us a song, love!" Kakurenbo looked distastefully down at the ugly human who had her wrist in his drunken grasp. The alcohol obviously had a strong effect on these pathetic creatures, and it only made them even more stupid.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said as sweetly as she possibly could at that moment. "I'm not on the entertainment shift tonight. Now, if you'd please," She tried to free her wrist, but the man only pulled her back.
"You ain't goin' anywhere," he hiccupped. "Now get up there and sing, wench!"
The anger boiled within Kakurenbo, and she found it very hard to resist punching the drunken idiot.
"Sir, if you don't release her, I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave." Rorin's voice was dark and menacing. The man looked up at the raven haired elf questioningly and angrily.
"I don't have to listen to you! We're on a quest for peace!"
"Peace? Well, if you want peace, perhaps you shouldn't go upsetting innocent women," Rorin snapped, his gold eyes flashing dangerously. "I'll ask again, let her go."
Immediately, the drunk released her, grumbling to himself as he turned back to his pint.
"Thanks for the help, Ror," Kakurenbo said as the elf led her back to the polished oak bar. She took a deep breath as she sat down, letting her anger ebb away. "Those jerks… It's people like them that give humans a bad name… Not that they don't have a bad one already."
"You know, maybe you should head home now, Ren. You've been here all day and night. You look tired."
"Nah. Baillon is still out. He said he was working all night, and I need something to keep me busy until he gets back. Besides, we could use the extra money," she responded, running her fingers through her long ebony locks.
"I still think you should head home, Ren," Rorin persisted.
"Give it up, Rorin. I'm working until morning whether you like it or not."
Rorin heaved a defeated sigh. "All right, all right. I give up."
A smirk spread across Kakurenbo's face as the elf picked up another mug and began cleaning it. The bell over the door rang sharply in her ears and she winced as she turned to see who had entered: a group of four consisting of three half-elves and a human.
"Well, this is an interesting group," she whispered as Rorin leaned over to her. "Half-elves traveling with a human. Either the war has let up and we don't know about it, or something is up with them."
"Probably more so-called "Peace Activists," Rorin muttered angrily, returning to wiping down the long oak bar. Kakurenbo stood, smoothing out her white apron, and approached the strangers, her tray tucked under her arm and a forced smile upon her face.
"Good evening," she said cheerily. "Welcome to The Dragon's Fang. My name is Kakurenbo. How may I be of service?"
"Actually, we were just looking for a room for the night," the auburn-haired human said. As much as Kakurenbo detested him, she kept the smile on her face.
"Oh, of course. Come with me and I'll get you set up." She placed the tray on the nearest table and led them to a desk at the back of the room, opening the thick book that sat upon it. "What name shall I make the reservations under?"
"Yggdrasill," the blonde-haired elf answered. Kakurenbo looked down at the fourteen year old and cocked her head slightly.
"…All right," she said quietly, scribbling the name onto the thick paper. "You'll be in rooms fifteen and sixteen." She brought out two sets of keys from within the desk and placed them before the group. "I apologize in advance for any noise," she whispered. "But if you're lucky, they'll all pass out for the rest of the night." She indicated to the large group of drunken humans talking their usual nonsense.
"You! Wench! Bring us some more beer!" one of them ordered, pointing at the infuriated Shadow Walker.
"Oh, you'll get yours…" Kakurenbo growled angrily, clenching her fist. She took in another deep breath, once again forcing herself to smile cheerfully at the group in front of her. "If you're hungry or want anything to drink, just take a seat at any of the tables and I'll be right with you."
She traipsed over to Rorin and gave him a little nod. The elf rolled his golden eyes, once again setting out the various pint mugs. As soon as she had served the drunks for what seemed like the millionth time that night and was about to turn to the group of strangers, someone burst through the door.
"Kakurenbo! Get out here! Now!" It was Rowan, Rorin's twin sister and a close friend of Kakurenbo and Baillon. Kakurenbo looked at the elf questioningly.
"What? Why?"
"Your house! It's burning!"
"What!" Kakurenbo dropped the tray, leaping over it as it crashed to the ground. One of the drunks made an attempt to grab her wrist as she passed, but all they managed to do was receive a strong punch in the face.
She rushed outside, Rorin and Rowan at her side, running as fast as they could to get to the blazing house. What seemed like the entire village had gathered, some using water magic to put it out, others rushing to and fro from the well with large buckets of water. Kakurenbo pushed through the crowd, franticly trying to get closer to the flames. Some people tried in vain to hold her back, one of them being her own fiancé.
"Let me go!" she shouted as Baillon grabbed hold of her. "My necklace is in there!" But she knew that it was too late. The necklace that her father had given her eighteen years ago was gone, probably having been shattered as the burning beams fell.
"Kakurenbo! Stop! Running in there and getting yourself killed won't do any good!" Baillon said, tightening his already strong grip on the struggling girl. As the building crumbled to the ground in a wave of flame and sparks, Kakurenbo did just that. Her most prized possession was gone.
"No…" she whispered. "Father… I'm sorry…"
She stood in what used to be the pathway to her home, clutching Baillon's hands in her own as the two watched the flames die away and the thick smoke continue to rise into the night sky.
"How could this happen?" she asked no one in particular, her oddly colored eyes dulled by sadness. "How did this all start?"
"I'm sure we'll find out how this began soon, Ren. For now, we need to figure other things out," Baillon said softly.
"Baillon." Kakurenbo turned to face the elf. "I need to go back to Nightsedge. Something… Isn't right. I need to know my father and Hyo are all right."
Baillon looked at her curiously. "Why are you bringing this up now? I thought for sure you would have when your letters never got responses."
"The necklace… I don't know how to really explain it, and I know it may sound crazy, but as long as I had that, everything felt right. But now that it's gone…"
"Something tells me you're not telling me everything."
Kakurenbo paused, looking up into Baillon's stunning crimson eyes. "I… I think someone may have found out…"
"Ren, you can't honestly think that! We haven't told anyone!"
"But what if I've been found out, Baillon? You and I both know how much Shadow Walkers are hated. Maybe that's the reason our home just burned down."
"Nature causes fire, as well, Ren. You know that."
"Yes, but I can't think of anything that would have caused this. Can you?" Baillon was silent. "My point exactly. Listen, Baillon, I'm not asking you to come with me. I just want to see my family again."
"But the whole reason your father sent you here was to keep you out of harms way, Ren. The war is still going on and Nightsedge is most likely still no longer safe."
"I can take care of myself, Baillon. I can fight. I'm not seven years old anymore. Dangerous or not, I have to see them. And nothing you do or say is going to stop me from going home." Baillon gave a defeated sigh.
"Damn your stubbornness," he mumbled. "It always seems to get the best of me."
Kakurenbo gave him a small smile, cupping his cheek in her hand. "I know you're scared for me, and I am, too, but the fear that I've lost my father and brother is far greater. You understand, don't you?"
"Of course I do, Ren." He took her hand in his as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Which is why I'm going with you. There's no way I'm letting you go alone, especially during a time like this."
Kakurenbo's smile widened and she embraced him, letting a deep sigh escape. She may have lost her home and the necklace that had meant so much to her, but at least she still had the elf she fell so deeply in love with all those years ago. Knowing that she would have him forever and always made things seem slightly better.
At least, that's how it was for a short while.
It had taken a week of traveling on horseback to reach Nightsedge. Kakurenbo was rather surprised they had not run into any trouble on the road with the amount of fighting in the area. The entire trip was rather monotonous, not that she was complaining.
The sky was dark with menacing gray clouds when they entered the city, and small droplets of rain sprinkled down upon them, splashing on the familiar cobblestone road. The streets were empty, but Kakurenbo could see faint glows of light in the windows of the houses. Everything looked as it had eighteen years ago, but something was different. The air seemed heavier, and a great sadness loomed over the village. Kakurenbo was not used to seeing such barrenness in her home.
But it was only when her old house came into view that she knew something was terribly wrong. The old barns she played in as a child had mostly collapsed over the years, the once green grass of the fields was brown and dead. The white paint on her home was chipped and peeling, the windows cracked and poorly boarded up, and the front lawn horribly unkempt.
Kakurenbo pulled her horse to a halt and stared dumbfounded at the sight before her. She could not bring herself to believe that this was what had become of the home she so loved.
"Oh, gods…" she whispered, placing her hand over her mouth. "What happened here?" Baillon was silent as he, too, stared on in shock.
None of this was making sense to Kakurenbo, and she could tell Baillon did not understand either. No news of an attack on Nightsedge had ever reached Windycliffe, which was odd considering it was the closest city. And yet everything seemed in ruins; at least the people were, anyway. The village itself still looked the same.
The old boards on the porch creaked loudly as Kakurenbo and Baillon neared the front door. Hesitantly, the Shadow Walker raised her fist to knock on the beaten up oak door, but just as she was about to, it swung open, groaning softly on its hinges.
"…Kakurenbo…?"
"Hyo…" Kakurenbo rushed forward and threw her arms around her brother in a tight embrace, tears of both sadness and joy pricking at her eyes.
"Oh, Ren! Thank the gods!" Hyo cried, hugging his sister back tightly. "I thought you were dead! After I heard about the attack on Windycliffe, I was almost sure of it!"
"Hyo, what happened here?" Kakurenbo asked, stepping away from her brother. "Where's Father?" The happiness drained from Hyo's crimson eyes, leaving them dull and sad. He seemed hesitant to say anything.
"Hyo, tell me," Kakurenbo pressed. "Where is he?"
"…He's dead."
