« You're not sleeping. »
Mika had stayed mute for hours before breaking the silence. The fire was still burning between the two of us and it was very agreeable to have it warming us. If Koan was right, no one could see it apart from us. This kind of magic was impressive.
« I do not sleep much. » I answered in my toneless voice.
« I understand » she nodded with a smile « I prefer living at night too. »
It's not that I prefer it. It's that my body gives me no choice. I'm always so exhausted during the day and so full of energy at night...
Mika was looking at Haruhi, still peacefully asleep even with Koan's snores. She really must be tired to not be woken up by such noises.
« She's your daughter ? » she asked eventually.
« Ha. » I answered.
« She reminds me of my sister. » she added, looking at Haruhi's tiny face.
« You have a sister ? » I asked, surprised.
« Half-sister. » she corrected « she was human like my mother. »
« Oni can have children with humans then ? » I asked.
« Of course they can, otherwise there would be a lot more pure blood Oni. » she chuckled.
I stayed silent. It wasn't because I was human then. It wasn't because of me. It was just bad luck...
« Do you see her often ? » I asked « your sister. »
« No. » she smiled « she's dead now. »
« I'm sorry. »
« Don't be. It's been a while. » she smiled genuinely.
« How did she die ? » I asked eventually.
« Old age. » she answered with a smirk.
I frowned. How could that be even possible ? Yasha Mika seemed to be in her early twenties.
« How old are you, Yasha-san ? » I asked, curious.
« I'm seventy-nine years old. » she answered and my eyes widened in surprise. « You weren't expecting that. » she chuckled.
« Indeed. » I confirmed with a nod.
How can she look like this at nearly eighty years old ? Does Chizuru also have that lifespan ? Am I going to grow old and die while she stays the same beautiful young woman she is ?
« Do all Oni live that long ? » I asked with knots in my stomach.
« Oni have the same lifespan as humans. » she replied « your woman will grow old with you if that was your question. I'm a daughter of Koan, times apply differently. »
So that means they are not Oni ? What are they then ?
« My older sister has been kind to me, contrarily to my mother. I think my sister was about Haruhi's age when Koan came back to take me. It's not like my mother would have been able to raise me properly anyway. It's not that she was a bad mother, but we were too different. She was glad to get rid of me. I was bad luck to her, that's why she called me Mika, New Moon. It's a bad omen. She nearly threw me out when she saw Koan outside. I've been with him ever since. »
Haruhi moved in her sleep and we stayed silent for a moment, fearing we might wake her up. I pulled a blanket over her, the fire didn't seem to be enough to warm her little body and if she were to fall ill, it really wouldn't be convenient with the way we were traveling. If she was that exhausted after the first day, the next would be really difficult for her.
« You made the right choice taking her. » said Mika.
« Why ? » I asked, surprised.
If I was the one travelling with someone who deliberately took a burden with him, slowing the entire group, it would drive me mad. I couldn't understand tre reasons behind Mika's words except maybe politeness.
« I wouldn't like to be separated from Koan. » she answered with a shrug. « She's lucky to have you and you are lucky to have her. »
« Don't you think our mission is too dangerous for a child ? » I asked with a bit of sarcasm that I couldn't control after words so naive.
« No one would know she's there. » she smirked « Koan will hide her in case of danger and even if she's too exhausted to walk, I'm pretty sure he would carry her, just like he did for me when I was a kid. »
I looked at the man deeply asleep and snoring. Could he really hide Haruhi like he did for the fire ? But no way I would let him carry Haruhi in case of tiredness. I was younger and stronger and she was my daughter. I would do it.
« How old is Koan ? » I asked.
If Mika looked in her twenties and was seventy-nine then I supposed her father's face did not give his age either. Mika chuckled gently and served me a playful smirk.
« Koan is eight hundred and fifty three years old now. » she answered « it was his birthday last month. »
That... that old ? He saw the birth of the Kamakura shogunate, its fall, the Sengoku Jidai, the birth of the Tokugawa shogunate... and he was still around now to witness our war... And if he really lived that long... How can we not be surrounded by Koan's children ?
« Are there other children of Koan ? » I asked.
« There are a lot. But they are all humans. » she answered, putting more wood in the fire. « I'm one in a thousand of Koan's children and so, I inherited his blood like one every thousand. »
Thousands... I guess he didn't raise them except for Mika then.
« What are you, Yasha-san ? » I asked, puzzled.
She chuckled again. Apparently, spreading doubt and confusion in my head was something extremely pleasant for her.
« You tell me what you are, Saito-san, and I'll tell you what I am. » she replied playfully « you don't look like any other Oni or Yokai that I met before. »
« That is not any of your concerns. » I replied coldly.
As much as I wanted to know more about my companions, the Ochimizu and the Rasetsu were a shogunate secret. I wasn't allowed to talk about it and I would not break that order.
« As you wish. » she chuckled « I guess I'll find out eventually. You really pique my interest and curiosity, Saito-san. I believe traveling with you will be entertaining. »
I didn't answer and reported my attention on the dancing flames in front of me. I watched them for a moment and closed my eyes, trying to sleep. We still had a lot of road ahead of us and I'll need all the rest I could get even if my body wasn't really eager to sleep at night. I stayed with my eyes closed for several minutes, trying to control my mind, my heartbeat, and fall asleep but I failed. Maybe after another day of walking, I would be able to sleep then. I wasn't tired enough to overcome the Rasetsu nature. I wasn't experiencing bloodlust though and that was already a success. I hoped it could stay that way but if I failed, I still had the medecine anyway, four little bags. It should be sufficient to reach Edo and find Chizuru. Once we would be reunited, she would be able to help me find solutions other than relying on her blood. Kazama was a bit more than two weeks ahead of us. I hoped Chizuru was alright. I hoped she knew, deep inside, that I was coming for her, that I came back from the dead for her, because I would not let him have her.