Chapter 12

Rain was falling hard that night. Moving along the outskirts of the forest, Leo was glad for the cover of the trees. He wished he had brought a mino (rain coat) with him, but he couldn't bring himself to go back now. He could only keep walking through the misty rain as it fell quietly from the dark sky.

Kaki had lived farther from the village then he imagined. It was at least another day's walk away. He knew because he could see the faint glow of the village's lights along the horizon.

Honestly, he wasn't comfortable being so close to the woods. The demons were now at large with Kaki dead. But he didn't have a choice. He wasn't about to take his chances in the open rain when the temperature was dropping by the minute.

Pulling his kimono tighter around himself, Leo trudged on. It was hard to tell because of the clouds, but he sensed that night time was approaching. He needed to find shelter and fast. Entering the forest, he picked a tree close to the road.

Climbing wet bark is incredibly difficult, and having soft-fleshy hands makes it even more so. But somehow Leo managed to grip a sturdy branch and lift himself up. Ignoring the discomfort, he roped himself to the trunk with the sash of his kimono. Tight enough so as to stop himself from falling, but loose enough so he could free himself easily if there was danger.

Lying back, he rested his swords across his lap and watched the rain droplets slide effortlessly across the tree's leaves and into the air. The endless rhythm of the pitter-patter echoed in the empty forest. Suddenly feeling tired, Leo closed his eyes and let a steamy breath escape his lips.

But sleep was not something his mind would reward him with. Instead, it teemed with anxiety over all the problems that surrounded his predicament. Like, once he reached the village what exactly was he going to do? He had planned on just finding Kari, but with Kaki out of the picture, he was faced with another issue. The apprentice shrine maiden, the girl she had spoken of, was also in the village. And she was now the last obstacle between the demons and total chaos.

He should've been worried only about himself and returning home to his family, but he felt an obligation to Kaki. His selfishness had cost her her life. He could not let the same thing happen to this young girl.

And Kari? He had planned on killing her for her betrayal, but the vendetta seemed dull and pointless now. Initially, he reasoned that he would just be ridding himself of another enemy, but she could be of some use. He would rather not battle alone against every demon in the forest. Because there's no doubt he would die a gruesome death if he did. But joining up with Karai again would require him to swallow his pride.

Finding himself at an impasse, Leo sighed angrily. Nothing was easy when it came to Karai. Which led him to another problem: what if Karai wasn't even in the village? It had occurred to him that if Karai looked almost exactly like Kaki that she would be signaled out as the sooth-slayer. The attention and recognition would ruin her plan of hiding incognito and gaining information.

So had she played along with the facade or returned to the forest? The question lingered in his head as he somehow fell wearily, asleep.

…

Either the tug of his sash digging into his side or the throbbing of his head-ache woke Leo up that morning. Wincing, he sat up straight and slowly untied the sash. Even though he had slept through the night without disturbance, he felt considerably drained. Rubbing his still tired eyes, he squinted at the patchy rays of sunlight that now lit up the forest around him.

It presented a surprisingly beautiful scene with the light dancing off yesterdays scattered rain drops. Nothing like the grim, terrifying horror it held at night. 'If only it could stay daylight forever' he found himself thinking.

Leo frowned. He needed to pull himself together and focus; not wander aimlessly in thought.

Standing up, he leapt from the tree branch and landed carefully on the damp grass below. He gazed outside of the forest and gripped his swords tightly as he steeled his resolve. He didn't know what awaited him in the village or beyond, but he would be ready. His life, and the lives of others, depended on it.

"No more innocent blood will be spilled while I still draw breath." he muttered quietly as he walked out of the tree's shadow.

TBC...

[Japanese Notes: Mino- traditional straw rain coat, Kimono- traditional garment or tunic]

A/N: Just wanted to warn my followers that the continuation of this story is going to slow down for a bit. Up to this point, all 12 chapters have been pre-written, so now I'm back to the drawing board. But it IS summer, so hopefully that won't be too much of a problem. Thanks for reading this far and I look forward to seeing your reviews.