Chapter 6 Journey into the mountains
"Tohru don't forget the antiseptic ointment." Arisa called out.
"Hai, Uo-chan. I just finished preparing our lunches I'll start putting together a first aid kit now."
"Hana, is it really going to take us three days to get to this guys place?" Arisa asked. Hana swallowed nervously and nodded.
"Three days there and three days back and however long it takes to conclude our business with this man." Hanajima was nervous about dealing with the guy. She had told as much to both Tohru and Arisa but Tohru would not be put off. Before she returned to face the Sohma's she had to find a way to protect her mind. Hanajima's grandmother had grave misgivings but she was out of her depth when it came to Hatori's power.
It was the same when dealing with the power of her grand daughter. Saki remembered a painful conversation that had occurred just days earlier.
"Little cub, I can teach you no more about your abilities."
"But Grandmother, there is so much I need to know." Saki had protested.
"Sweet little cub, so little of the claims of power in this world ever hold true. My intuition is keen as was my mothers before me as is your father's. But your power is a greater thing than ever have I known. Your fear will never allow you to fully control your gift and so I fear for you if you use it."
"But grand mother I have learned much in how to control my abilities."
"But you fear it… as do I." Saki rocked back on her heels. What she had always feared had come to pass; one whom she loved feared her because of her abilities. Her face flushed hotly. She stood to leave, her hair falling around her face to conceal her pain. Her grand mothers hand shot out grabbing hers.
"Little cub it does not diminish my love for you. Tread carefully if you approach Aodoriku, he will know your power. He may have designs on it. Be cautious. Be wary." Hanajima nodded but the hurt did not fade. She moved off in search of Tohru. Her tender smile would banish her pain.
It was precisely because Tohru loved and accepted her unconditionally that Hanajima resolved to do whatever it took to get her the aid she would need, regardless of the cost to herself. This was her resolve. To protect the one who accepted her completely. Aside from her precious brother Megume no one had ever fully accepted Hana for who she was. Arisa was her dear friend but ever since she had shown her power against Akito there had been a strain between them.
Tohru approached her with a sunny smile, shrugging on her knapsack. As spring returned to the world so too had it returned to Tohru's smile. It was as if she were awakening from hibernation and the thought of being with the Sohma's had sent her into full bloom. Saki hardly dared admit it even to herself, but she was jealous of Tohru's devotion to the Sohma's. She returned Tohru's smile with one of her own.
"Let's go, shall we?" The three girls departed, they steadily left behind the town of Hume and the terrain became rougher and wilder. Eventually they left the road completely behind and began trekking up an old deer trail treading lightly over the seldom-used path.
"Wow, Hana-chan, Uo-chan, look at these, aren't they beautiful!" Hana rubbed the sweat out of her eyes with a lavender scarf she had borrowed from her grandmother. She looked to see what Tohru was looking at.
It was fireweed. They bloomed in untamed abandon over the hillside amidst the fern and bamboo shoots. Some were crimson and others orange and yet more a golden yellow. That Tohru could take such unmitigated delight in a simple weed was just like her.
"Tohru, I am delighted you can find such beauty on this trip but honestly I detest nature especially this much of it, let's keep going." Arisa tried not to let her annoyance show but she was clearly uncomfortable far from the boundaries of concrete and steel.
The path was getting steeper so all talking ceased as the girls continued trudging upward. At last the deer path ended and a winding road wide enough for two to walk abreast appeared before them. Hanajima lead the way.
Tohru's training served her well. Almost a year previous Tohru would have never made it this far, her clumsy, inexperienced steps would have faltered, her lungs would have given out, and she most likely would have twisted or broken something.
Now her footsteps were carefully placed, her stride wide and sure and her breath came in even gasps as she was hardly winded. The path was not easy going. It was strewn with thorny brambles and rocks and loose sand drifts in some places that made swift passage difficult. To make matters worse, the superglue on Tohru's right shoe had come undone and the sole was barely hanging on.
It was an exhausted trio that stopped for the midday meal. Tohru broke out the water bottles and onigiri she had prepared for them. They ate mostly in silence. Tohru was excited about finally meeting with this Aodoriku. She hoped fervently that he would have a way to protect her mind from Hatori's power. A few minutes later the three resumed their trek. They were making steady progress.
"If we keep this pace we may reach Aodoriku's home in two days instead of three." Hanajima commented eyeing the position of the sun with satisfaction. Arisa laughed huskily.
"That'd be great. The sooner we get there the sooner we can get back and away from all this damn nature. I swear to God its all over me, even places it shouldn't be!" She griped as she pulled a piece of foliage from the armpit of her blouse. Tohru giggled softly.
"Kyo-kun would love to see you now. This is his element. Trekking through the wilds, he would just love to show you up Uo-chan." Arisa laughed again.
"He would at that. Ol' Orangey never did like losing to me, everything was a competition between us, and he really got off on pitting his strength or skill against anybody." Tohru smiled and nodded.
"That's Kyo-Kun, always so passionate about everything. His entire life he has had to fight for anything to be his own, he was left out of everything, but never allowed to go off on his own. Akito-sama always made him stand on the outside looking in. But Kyo-Kun, he never let it bring him down, he fought on, and when other people would have crumbled he fought to build an identity for himself. Other peoplem except for Kazuma- they never believed he was any good, so he would pit his strength against theirs to show them how good he was. He just wanted to be accepted, or acknowledged. Even when he failed he would get up and try again. Quitting or giving up is not how Kyo-kun lives. To fight and struggle, that is Kyo-kun's life. Even now while he is locked away, kept from the sun and living alone he clings to life. He will not allow Akito or anyone to defeat him. He will live, if for no other reason than because they don't want him to." Arisa and Saki stared in awe at Tohru, her face was glowing as if a light had been lit inside her.
Her voice was so full of warmth and love that both girls felt the stirrings of envy. As Tohru spoke her eyes welled with tears. She let them fall as they may. She seemed unaware of the path they tracked through the dirt on her face as she talked of Kyo's struggle.
"And that is why I will never give up. Kyo-kun would fight for me to the end of the world. He would never allow me to be locked away from the sun. I will use his strength to help me save him and all the others. That is why I will not give up." She stood resolutely and smiling brilliantly through her tears she stepped forward. The other two girls fell in beside her.
They continued their hike until dusk. As the light began to fade and the sky turned from blue to crimson, to lavender, Arisa called a halt.
"I'll begin to set up the tent, Hana, can you get us some firewood?"
"Not a problem Arisa." Hana began searching the perimeter of their impromptu campground for dead wood to use for a campfire.
"I'll gather stones and dig a fire pit." Tohru volunteered. She pulled out a collapsible shovel they had packed specifically for that purpose and began digging. In a few moments the pit was dug, the ground wasn't especially hard. She then looked for stones to ring the pit, but there were none to be found.
"It's okay Tohru, just line the pit with a ring of the soil you just dug up." Arisa told her when she spied her problem.
"Hai!" Tohru complied. After lining the shallow hole with a ring of soil Saki placed the wood she had found into the pit. As Tohru fumbled through the knapsack for the lighter they had bought the fire roared to sudden life. Tohru jumped back in surprise. Saki laughed.
"It's okay Tohru, I was just trying out my new abilities. I've definitely mastered at least a small level of control." Saki sat down next to Tohru. Tohru was still staring at the crackling fire in surprise.
"You did that Hana-chan?!" There was a note of wonder in her voice. It brought a rich smile to Saki Hanajima's face, the smile reserved solely for Tohru and sometimes her brother Megume.
"I did. Does my talent frighten you Tohru-Chan?" Hana asked suddenly very serious. Tohru thought for a moment before answering.
"I guess it would, if you were anyone else. But you are Hana-chan. I know your heart. I have no need to fear you, or your power." Tohru shot her a quick smile as she dug through the knapsack for the yams and Raman cups they had brought with them. "I actually think its cool, I wish I had a skill like that." Hana relaxed as she watched Tohru prep the meal. Her dark eyes lightened as she discerned the slight furrow on Tohru's brow and the curl of distaste on her nose as she put water over the fire. Tohru really did disapprove of instant food
it's just not healthy she had told them countless times.
As the last rays of the sun dipped behind the horizon and night unfurled her blanket of stars Hana delighted at the play of firelight over Tohru's hair and face. Tohru had grown taller the past year. Her childhood angles had been replaced by the sinew and curves of a woman. She had lost weight so her face was a tad gaunt and her hips a bit bony, but it lent her a waif-like, and fragile appearance that Hana found endearing. As Tohru continued her work Hanajima realized that she was more content in that moment than she had ever been in the whole of her life.
Being at Tohru's side, helping her dear friend reach her goals, she was filled with a sense of peace and contentment. Tohru was home, she realized. Hana knew in that moment as Tohru sat bathed in firelight that she would do anything to aid and protect Tohru.
"Well the tent's up." Arisa announced. "Dinner almost done?"
"Hai." Tohru affirmed, "Just let me pour the water over the noodles and we will be ready. I'm baking the yams for tomorrows breakfast."
The three girls ate and laughed and talked excitedly about the adventure they were about to embark on. They avoided the topic of the mystic they were on their way to see and instead focused their conversation on the boy's reactions when they saw Tohru again. They made up several scenarios each more ridiculous than the last. They smiled and joked until the moon hung high overhead. At last they cleaned their meal and retired for then night knowing they had yet another day of hiking ahead of them.