A/N: Trigger Warning - If you've read the manga or watched the anime, then you'll know there's an attempted rape scene coming up. My adaptation of it is in the last quarter of this chapter. It's not long, nor graphic, but I know these things can be unsettling. Read responsibly. Know your limits play within its.
Thanks to anyone who is reading. I don't know why this shoujo from the 90s has roosted in me so, but here we are.
Chapter 3: The War
The following morning Tsukushi's nose burned with the smell of smoke. She shot upright in bed. Her sleep-addled thoughts raced: The house! They're burning it down!
She stumbled out of bed and rushed to the main part of the house, but everything was calm. The front door was barricaded with the furniture they had piled up last night. The shutters were drawn and her father was asleep in a nearby chair—his version of "standing guard". But still she caught acrid whiffs. Turning to one of the windows she creaked open a shutter cautiously. No one was in sight. Apparently the townsfolk had tired of mocking a sealed up house and opted for a restful sleep, no doubt to store up their energy for today's torments.
Tsukushi was not usually one to hide in silence, and the destruction of the relative peace she had cultivated since moving to Eitoku emboldened her. Tying a kerchief tightly around her head and throwing on her father's old coat, she unbolted the back door and quietly exited. Poised with the house behind her she took in her surroundings.
She thanked her lucky stars that their house was situated so close to the woods. No townspeople would venture too far into the forest. Some fear held them back, which Tsukushi had always assumed to be the legends of the beast. The dark quiet which the townspeople found ominous had always brought calm to Tsukushi and today she was thankful that its presence prevented a surprise attack from the west.
Cautiously she began to sneak through the gardens she and her family tended. The raised beds provided useful obstacles to block her from view, but beyond the garden was a grassy plain, the other edge of town and, farther, the farmer's fields. Soon the comfort of the familiar garden reached its limit, and she emerged in the wide openness of the fields.
A gasp escaped her lips and that empty dread returned. A large column of black smoke rose from the distant crops. Now she could see the dust kicked up along the horizon from the town to the fields, a dirt road exodus caused by fire. That's why no one is around.
Hiking up her skirts, Tsukushi began to sprint. Oh, you're in for it now, Tsukushi, she worried, You ought to stay far away from where any townspeople may be. But still she ran, curiosity and an urge to help driving her straight towards the smoke. A stitch in her side started to burn, and her kerchief slid down the back of her head.
Once close enough to see, Tsukushi slowed, hand held to her aching side. Even from a distance waves of unnatural heat rolled over her. One of the farmer's fields was ablaze, and the townsfolk were desperately trying to cart water out to quench it. Immediately Tsukushi could see the fruitlessness of the effort. There was no hope of saving this crop.
Too late she realized that one of the young men hauling water had recognized her. "There's the one responsible!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger. The townsfolk began to turn, eyes glaring with cruel intent. In the crowd Tsukushi recognized her friend. "Makiko!" she cried out, hope springing in her heart for a sympathetic face. Makiko turned and fled.
Tsukushi heard a gravelly laugh from beyond the burning wheat and a mocking voice called out, "How cheap is the friendship of the common." Claws unsheathed, teeth bared, the great beast stalked out through the blanket of smoke, and the crowd scattered. Its wolfish face seemed to sneer. "You need to learn your place, girl."
Tsukushi knew she should cower in fear, beg for mercy, or at the very least begin the certainly fruitless attempt at running back to the cover of her home, but something inside of her pulled taut and snapped. "Learn my place? That's some nerve, coming from an animal like you!" Her fists balled tightly at her sides; her shoulders squared; there was no way but forward now. "Was defending my friend so wrong? And who made you the king, anyway, to do with us as you like? Big fish in a small pond you may be, but we're scraping bottom of the barrel if you're our king. Ha! I've invented a new saying for you: It's like settling for fish in a barrel!" I'm insane, she thought to herself, He's driven me mad.
The beast's eyes widened at this outburst, then narrowed. "Don't play with me, you know what you've done. Return what's mine or I'll tear this whole place down." Whipping around, the beast slipped soundlessly back into the smoke.
Tsukushi was left open-mouthed. By a trick of the eye she had thought for a moment the dark beast had grown in size, swallowing up the smoke rather than being enveloped by it. Just as he will swallow the whole town and me in it, she thought bitterly. Courage no longer needed, her buckling knees gave out and she sank to the ground. For not the first time, nor the last, she asked herself, What have I done.
The first day of the siege passed. Susumu had put on a brave face and snuck out to try to attend school that morning, but had soon returned to safety after being pelted with clods of dirt and acorns by the other children. Sakurako thought her beauty and the favor she had with the men of the town would protect her, but on her attempted foray she was fiercely mocked and her dress torn.
Haruo Makino was, as usual, useless. He did little more than pace the house in worry, dreaming up one scheme to leave town after another. However, the family coffers had suffered too great a strain from Haruo's foray into the betting world. The family seemed resigned for the time being to house arrest.
And what a faithful watch the town set upon their home. At each hour of the day someone was on hand to beat the door with sticks, hurl rotten eggs at their windows, and strew garbage in front of their home. When Tsukushi, peering through the shutters, was able to catch sight of someone in the act, she was surprised to see how gleefully the townsfolk performed their role. This was not the solemn shaming by a town resigned to do what was best for the community, but rather a sort of game. Vilifying the Makinos had become a grand entertainment, and if anyone caught site of a Makino sneaking out the back door to fetch food from the garden or use the privy, there was a great clamor as townsfolk tripped over themselves to be the lucky one to land a shot.
As evening approached these sentries grew tired. The Makinos were determined to spoil the fun, since having taken their chances in the morning neither hide nor hair of them was seen all afternoon. Eventually the last one drifted away in search of supper.
Tsukushi took advantage of the quiet and hastened to the garden to bring in food for the next day, happy to deny the townsfolk any pleasure in this perverse game, but when she stepped outside her heart sank. The garden had been completely destroyed. The raised beds had been pulled apart, the dirt scattered roughly, and the vegetables trampled beyond recognition. The creeping vines had been torn down and anything edible had been stolen away. Apparently, the tedium of the afternoon had not been wasted.
Overwhelmed with anger at the sight of the ravaged garden, Tsukushi turned to her beloved woods and ran. Heedless of where she was going in the darkening twilight, she tripped over root and stumbled through creek. Frustration mounted over the townsfolk's mindless cruelty and drove her deeper and deeper into the trees. They haven't a scrap of decency. They ought to unite against the beast, not act as pawns in its game.
Bursting through the thickets and into a familiar meadow, Tsukushi threw herself onto the ground. Swiping at the frustrated tears in her eyes, she raised her face to the sky and screamed, "You're all a bunch of miserable wretches!"
"Amazing!" exclaimed a voice behind her.
Whirling around, she could barely believe her eyes. There, illuminated by the flickering light of a lantern, reclining on a grassy knoll, was the stranger from her dreams, violin and all. Despite the absurdity of a dream come to life Tsukushi's thoughts remained firmly mundane. He has quite classical features, she noted.
"He won't let up, you know. You ought to do as he says." The handsome stranger gave this advice casually, as if continuing an earlier conversation.
Tsukushi was brought abruptly out of her stupor. "He? Are you talking about that beast?" The thoughts in Tsukushi's head began to whirl. The forest she frequented by day had been what she expected: tree and bush and woodland creature. At night the place now seemed an altogether different animal: dreams came to life and were acquainted with the beast who tormented her. Is this a prank? she dimly wondered.
She collected herself. It was not every day one had an opportunity to talk with dreams. "Do you know the beast? What does he want? What can I possibly have taken that's his, besides his dignity?"
The stranger let out a bark of laughter. He opened his mouth to reply, but an odd look passed over his face. The corner of his mouth quirked up and he avoided her gaze. "I'm afraid you won't be getting anything out of me. No, you had best pack up and leave town."
Tsukushi's cheeks flushed at these words. "How can we leave when we have no money. We're as poor as they come, and no one in town at all will help us. My father has no trade and has lost all our meager savings."
The stranger raised a hand to interrupt her and stared off vacantly. "Slow down. I have no interest in other people's problems."
A chill ran down Tsukushi's spine. She leapt to her feet, "What good is a dream if it's not even on your side!" she declared, then dove back into the woods, trying to escape the cold ache around her heart.
When Tsukushi finally emerged from the dark forest, she was grateful to see the lights of town. Not used to navigating the woods at night, she had fallen off course and emerged much farther from home than she would have liked. She now found herself in the difficult position of having to work her way through the edges of town to reach her home.
The town was lit by gas lanterns, a rare luxury the nobility allowed to be shared with their poorer neighbours. These created no small obstacle to Tsukushi's desire to remain unseen, but she made the best of it by ducking and dodging between the shadows cast by the lanterns' jaundiced glow.
As she neared the most inhabited part of town that lay in her way, the sound of a quite rustle made her pause. A small voice whispered from the shadows behind her: "Tsukushi."
Tsukushi jumped, but it was Makiko who quickly stepped into the light. She nervously glanced all around before thrusting a covered basket into Tsukushi's hand. Glancing under the lid revealed a collection of foodstuffs: fresh vegetables and orchard fruits, a loaf of bread, cheeses, and cured meats. Through the dark storm clouds of Tsukushi's day broke a ray of sunlight. She's risking her safety. For me.
Makiko's eyes welled with tears. "Tsukushi, I'm… I'm sorry," she began, but Tsukushi cut her off.
"Thank you for this, Makiko, but you mustn't be seen with me. It could put you in danger. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She beamed a smile at Makiko that bore more bravado than belief.
Makiko paused, gave a curt nod, and darted down an alley, and out of Tsukushi's line of sight.
Tsukushi's heart sank as she saw her only friend disappear. Makiko may have abandoned her once, but she had come back and shown more courage and decency than this whole town had to offer. Thanks to her goodwill the Makinos could survive another day of the siege intact, but afterwards... afterwards Tsukushi had no idea how they would manage.
Wrapped in these thoughts and absorbed with feeling, Tsukushi failed to notice in time that she had caught the attention of a gang of young noblemen loitering in the dark behind a local tavern.
One of them elbowed his companions, "Hey, hey, it's Makino!" Their languid figures sharpened into action, and they began to stalk towards her. "Things haven't been looking so good for you, have they?" one said with a dangerous smile, "Maybe we could be moved to help, if you showed us a good time."
"Leave me alone. I'm warning you." Tsukushi backed away, her mind fiercely calculating just how far it would take to get to the woods and whether fear could be enough to counteract their ill-intent.
"Don't be like that," sneered another, "The ladies of Eitoku have told us stories about you. You know your way around town." They matched her step for step.
Her eyes widened and equal parts helplessness and rage warred inside her. "No! It's not true! I would never let scum like you touch me!"
"Sounds like a challenge!" came the reply and the nearest man lunged for her.
Tsukushi struck out with her basket, catching him in the face. Then she turned and ran. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening.
The pounding feet behind her grew nearer. Fear made her frantic. Her foot caught on a broken cobblestone, causing her to stumble. A rough hand reached out and caught her hair. Pain shot through her scalp as she was roughly pulled to the ground and surrounded.
"Caught you!" They pinned her legs.
"I think she broke my nose!" Her face was shoved into the ground.
"We'll teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!" Hands began to grab at her as the shouting multiplied.
Suddenly a cold voice broke through the noise. "What are you doing?"
The men paused in their restraining of her, and Tsukushi looked up. Before them stood the stranger, severe and imposing. He appeared unnaturally tall, and the moonlight gave him an ethereal glow. He seemed a specter risen from the earth to exact a vengeance of blood.
The young men backed off, but seemed reluctant to fully relinquish their quarry. "What has any of this got to do with you?" they demanded.
In two quick strides he was upon them, a looming giant whose command was not to be disobeyed. "Let her go."
The men fled in terror.
The stranger knelt and offered a hand to Tsukushi. As he helped her up, she was surprised to find he was not mythically large after all, but a mundane taller-than-average. Overcome at how near a brush she had had with the utmost evil Eitoku could muster, Tsukushi's knees trembled and her eyes filled with tears. She looked up at the fair-faced rescuer, thanks welling in her heart, but he brusquely interrupted her.
"Don't get the wrong idea," he said. "I just don't approve of this sort of thing." Thrusting his hands in his pockets he turned from her and wandered off into the town.
Unable to find the words to stop him, Tsukushi watched him go. You don't belong here, she thought, You're different. You're honest and forthright. And I don't know how I'll ever repay you.