Chapter 13

The greenery stretched into the beyond, waltzing with the winding rivers into the horizon. On a nearby cliff, Ro sat with a straight back on his horse, overlooking the expansive view of the valley.

He carefully scanned the scene below.

Much time had passed since the middle leaders failed to capture the women, and Ro had shown mercy to them, just as the King had shown to him. Truth be told, he hadn't punished the men much at all. And why would he? After all, Ro didn't think of the mission as all failure; the information they had gathered from it had been quite invaluable.

From the soldiers' recount of the event, they had only faced off with one of the women — the one with red-eyes — while the other did not fight at all. This simplified things; they only had one opponent then, and although the woman was said to be quick with decent combat skills, she still relied heavily on her peculiar gift. Ro couldn't help but feel a swell of fascination — and what a gift it was! The extent to which the woman could control minds was a rare thing, almost unheard of these days, and any counter-attack would have to be carefully considered.

For days on end, Ro had mulled the thought over and over in his head, combing through the report to the tiniest details, until he finally settled on a couple items that could help them. First, every time the woman had used her gift, she had spoken aloud; this meant that there was a verbal component to her powers, and if rendered voiceless, her gift would be essentially useless. Even more, it seemed as if it was possible to resist the commands. The soldiers who made it back alive had explained the feeling in great detail — that although they had succumbed to her words, they still felt an inner struggle taking place, deep in the mind.

Ro's eyes gleamed with a thrill at the thought. There were two battles then: one physical and one mental. He clenched his hold on the reins with a snap. Leave the mundane work to the upper leaders — how could he just sit around when there was such an opponent to face!

Despite his excitement, there was something else, too — something more serious.

When the surviving soldiers described the red-eyed woman's companion, a strange feeling had crawled up his neck. Her face, her height, her stature… was that not of the princess who had supposedly died in the fire? Could it be that she was still alive? It was difficult to know for certain, and before he lit the alarm, he had to see these women for himself.

"Where now?" Ro asked, turning to the men beside him.

On the impromptu journey he was now on, he had brought with him a select loyal few. Besides the two soldiers who had fought with the red-eyed woman, he had brought another soldier — one gifted with the ability to track.

At the prompt, the tracker knelt down to the ground and pressed both palms flat in front of him. He lowered his head, scanning the surface unblinkingly. "It's strange. There's no other sign," he said. "Any leads have been covered up from here."

Ro stroked his chin. It was true that the journey had been a slow one. Any signs of movement by the two travelers had been hidden expertly. To his chagrin, it had taken more time than expected to find their next whereabouts. But this couldn't be the women's own doing — no, that would have taken far too long. Someone had to have been helping them.

Ro stared at the men with determination. "We've made it this far on your work alone. Keep an eye out for anything strange, no matter how small. Go!"

The men nodded, and in a flash, they began to search.


"Here you are," Kowa said as she approached, carrying a wooden tray filled with steaming drinks.

Shizuru looked at her with a smile. It was an unplanned meeting; the pair had unexpectedly bumped into each other, and with the rest of the villagers busy with daily activities, they had decided on a short chat over tea. Now, underneath the shade of a tree, Shizuru found herself sitting on a brightly patterned mat.

Kowa placed the tray on the ground in front of them and extended a drink. "It's a tea made out of the wildflowers that grow around here."

"Thank you."

When the warmth of the wooden cup bled into her hands, Shizuru glanced down. The tea was an interesting concoction — bits of colored petals danced on its surface, and it smelled slightly spicy, almost like cracked pine needles. When the warm liquid met her lips, Shizuru allowed herself to relax with a silent breath.

It was a well deserved reward after a horrible night.

If there was a word to describe the events that took place, it would be suffering — hours and hours of it. Just how many times did Natsuki fumble in the dark as if running from ghouls? The action was nearly constant, neverending. For a good part, it was the noise that had kept Shizuru up — but matters took a turn for the worse when the silence came. That was when she truly felt unnerved.

At one point, while Shizuru sat awake staring into darkness, she had noticed a creeping quiet settle in; no more movement was coming from the other side of the partition. It would have been a relief if Natsuki had finally fallen asleep, but her sensitive ears had failed to catch even the slightest hum of sound.

When she peered around to take a look, the woman's figure was limp and unmoving. A dark thought had crossed her mind — could it be that Natsuki had stopped breathing altogether? But things changed the minute her fingers touched Natsuki's skin — like the undead coming back to life, Natsuki awoke with a deep gasp.

For the rest of the night, the tossing and turning persisted, and Shizuru had kept a careful watch, unable to fall asleep.

But that wasn't the end of it, was it? A soft sigh escaped her lips.

Even her morning had been difficult. She had tried to reason with Natsuki about seeking help, but to no avail. Natsuki had stayed silent, refusing to say a word, and beyond all reason, Shizuru had kept her promise to not call for a healer. Since then, nagging thoughts refused to leave her, and she couldn't help but to wonder: why did Natsuki insist on dealing with this illness alone? The question was like a knife to her thigh and she dearly wanted to rip it out.

"Young miss?"

Shizuru blinked and mustered up another smile. "Yes?"

"Is everything alright?"

Shizuru looked at Kowa with the gentle tilt of her head. It seemed as if Kowa had taken pity on her as of late, and even today, the girl had asked her this question more than once.

"Yes, everything is fine."

Kowa nodded. "I'm glad then. I've also been meaning to tell you… I've just received word from the chief. Yamada has sent you a message."

Kowa handed her a tightly rolled slip of paper, and Shizuru unfurled it.

Seven days blame it on The Ravaging.

Seven? Another round of troubled thoughts spun in her head, and Shizuru stared down at the tea with a frown. Of course, it was just her luck that the scratch she had requested wouldn't be coming in any time soon. But seven days? If anything should happen, what should she do? Her fingers curled tightly around the cup, and she felt a headache coming on.

"Are you sure everything is alright?"

Kowa's concerned expression came into view, and Shizuru regained her composure.

"Yes," she repeated. "Everything is fine."

Kowa did not seem convinced. "Well, even so… perhaps the hunt will take your mind off of things," she said gently. "You'll be attending, won't you?"

With all that was going on, Shizuru had nearly forgotten about the event. She gently placed the cup down beside her. "When will it be held?"

"The chief will be speaking soon, but that won't be very exciting. The hunters will usually come back right as the sun dips behind the tops of the trees. If you want, you should head down then."

"Very well," Shizuru agreed, but soon after felt suddenly uncertain. Would it be safe to leave Natsuki alone in that state for so long?

She blinked heavily and moved to stand. "Then in the meantime, I'd like to check on my companion."

Kowa nodded in understanding. "Yes, of course. I'll see you at the field later."

With a final nod of farewell, Shizuru made her way back to the hut.

In contrast to the preceding days, it was a surprisingly quiet walk. The curious stares and sheepish greetings she had come to expect were nowhere to be found, and with the absence, the trek felt almost lonely.

For the next little while, the fluttering of birds kept her company, and she continued on without pause. But when the sole of her shoe hit the inside of the hut, she stopped abruptly.

Something isn't right, she thought, forcing another step into the room. That dreaded silence she had experienced the night before filled the air, and her gaze fell on the partition.

It can't be. She quickly went over to the other side, but to her surprise, Natsuki was nowhere to be found.

Just where could she have possibly gone? Shizuru was stunned. It wasn't long ago that she left, and even then, Natsuki still looked no better than the night before. So how did she…? An unfamiliar sensation threatened to well up inside her, and Shizuru buried the emotion back down with a bite of her lip.

Well… perhaps this is a positive sign. If Natsuki was feeling fine enough to go out on her own, it may mean that things were getting better. Yes, that must be it.

Still, Shizuru felt uneasy, and she let out a self chastising sigh. To feel this unnerved — really, how foolish she was acting! Did she really want to spend the rest of the day ruminating?

Perhaps Kowa is right, she thought. Viewing the hunt could take her mind off things, and she wasn't in a position to refuse a distraction. Shizuru brushed a hand through her bangs, and with one last look around the empty hut, turned to leave.

By the time she arrived at the field, the mats had already been long filled with the lazing figures of the villagers. Trays of sweet bread were set nearby, and she could smell the faint scent of the tea Kowa had made for her earlier. A few people glanced her way as she neared, and amidst the chatter, she saw a familiar hand dart in the air, beckoning for her to come.

"You're earlier than expected," the owner of the hand said, gesturing to a nearby spot. "Have a seat."

Shizuru gently waved at the group in front of her in greeting. All the women of the embroidering session had joined together, sitting in a tight semi-circle facing the open field of grass.

"I'm glad you could make it," Kowa said as Shizuru took a seat next to her.

Shizuru scanned the crowd. "Have I missed anything?"

"Nothing yet. Here, help yourself." Kowa handed Shizuru a cup, while another woman passed along some of the sweet bread. "How was your friend?"

"...She's well." Shizuru quickly changed the subject. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the hunt — what exactly should I expect?"

"If we're being honest, there's nothing really to explain," one of the women interjected just as Kowa was about to reply. She gestured to the field with a handful of sweet bread. "The hunters are just beyond those trees somewhere. When they come back, they'll be bringing in a kill. The one who brings in the largest catch will be given a prize."

"A prize? And what would that be?"

For a moment, the group eyed each other with growing grins, and Kowa snickered gently at her side. Then, all at once, the women erupted in laughter.

"Poor dear, just how many flowers did you give out, yet you didn't know?" One member plucked a piece of sweet bread and took a hefty bite. "I suppose that's our fault for not fully explaining. You see, when you give a flower, you're also agreeing to a deisa."

Just then, Shizuru felt a creeping tingle on the back of her neck. "Should I be afraid?" she asked, raising the cup to her lips for a sip.

The woman laughed. "Well, that depends. A deisa is a romantic evening between the courtee and the courted — to see if they'll be well suited for each other."

Shizuru felt the hot tea burn down her throat. A romantic evening? Did she hear that right? Despite this, she only held a stoic expression on her face. "I see."

If that should ever happen, hopefully by then they would have long left the village.

"Speaking of deisas," the same woman said, "Kowa, won't Yono be asking you if he wins?"

Oh? Shizuru glanced at the girl beside her with a smile. She hadn't heard about this before.

"Well…" Kowa said bashfully. "Let's not talk about that until later."

At Kowa's behest, the group dropped the subject, and a new topic quickly took its place. For a long while after, Shizuru sat in silence, listening to the women as they chatted amongst themselves. Then, as the sun started to fall just below the forest line, a nearby hand pointed to the distance.

"Oh! See there!"

The dark silhouette of a man appeared against the backdrop of trees.

A hunter had returned. Thick rope was looped across the front of both his arms, and with every jerking step, he dragged behind him the body of what seemed to be a large buck.

"Oh, It's Yono!" one of the women said excitedly, and they all stared at Kowa. "Well, look at that. Maybe he'll win after all."

Just as the words were spoken, the hunter named Yono grasped both antlers of the buck and heaved it upwards in display. The crowd erupted into cries of admiration, and a group of others clapped. Yono and Kowa shared a glance, and immediately, the girl blushed. The group of women chuckled, and Shizuru hid her smile behind a raised cup of tea.

"Oh, stop." Kowa whispered, patting both her cheeks.

Not long after, a slow moving figure emerged from the forest and into the field. This time it was an elderly man. He had his hands behind his back, hiding his catch.

"Oh, that's Mugo," a member of the group whispered to Shizuru. "When he was younger, he was one of the best hunters. Now and again, he likes to participate for fun."

By the time Mugo had made his way next to Yono, the members of the group had finished another few pieces of sweet bread. They paused to watch the old man move, and in an exaggerated act of showmanship, Mugo pulled the catch from behind his back. It was a small hare, not much larger than the head of the buck.

"We've got our winner!" Someone yelled from their seat.

The crowd broke into a bout of chuckles, and Shizuru couldn't help but to softly laugh along with the women.

"Oh Mugo," Kowa said, shaking her head. "He's always been like this."

"That he has," another agreed. "Speaking of which, did you —"

Just then, a small figure came barreling through the trees.

"— ah, isn't that Noya's boy?"

As the young man ran, he hit a rock with his foot and went tumbling on the ground. In an awkward mess of flailing limbs, he rolled forward twice, landing with a thump.

The villagers grew louder in excitement, and another round of laughter filled the air.

"Oh we shouldn't be so hard on him," one member said as she took a sip of drink. "He's new to the hunt — I don't think he's gone out more than a handful of times."

But the chattering never stopped, and amidst the noise, Shizuru watched the stumbling youth with a growing apprehension. Her muscles tensed intuitively. Something wasn't right.

"Ru !"

"What did he just say?" Kowa whispered. "Is he alright?"

It was only when the young man neared that they could hear him screaming.

"Run!"

The young man nearly tripped again. "Hurry!"

"What —"

A howling snarl sounded abruptly, and from the trees exploded the massive shadow of a bear. Its coat was marred with mats of red, and extending from its back was the broken handle of a spear. Its crazed expression and bloodied jaw signaled something terribly wrong with it, and Shizuru quickly moved to stand.

The crowd surged, and a wave of terrified gasps resounded.

"You heard him, let's go!"

"Wait!" Another voice cried out. "Only those that can't fight, leave! Others get the weapons!"

But the words were soon drowned out by the screaming of people and children. A flurry of hands and stumbling feet filled the space as they began to run.

"Come on! Get up, get up!" The women urged each other on, and the members jumped to their feet to move with the mob.

Through the chaos, only Shizuru held her ground, eyes trained on the lumbering shape in the open field. With a deep breath, she gripped the beast's mind.

"Leave," Shizuru commanded. "Leave!" But the bear did not respond, not even when she pressed upon it a clawing feeling to get away. She clenched her hands, mind running amuck. What else could she do? Were there any other commands she could try?

"What are you doing!" Rough fingers latched onto her shoulder, and Shizuru turned to see the face of a villager. "You need to leave now!" he cried, pulling her a step back. "Let's go!"

In an instant, the yelling abruptly stopped — the bear had moved. In a fury, it swung its large head, curling its upper lip back in a bloodied cry. Finally, with snapping jaws, it sprinted forward in a fervor, rushing at the stragglers.

Through the haze of it all, the soft rustling of white cloth caught Shizuru's eye.

Natsuki?

The bear charged.

Shizuru's body moved before her mind could reason. She ran towards Natsuki, heart drumming wildly, legs moving with surprising speed. With each heavy pound in her chest, everything around seemed to slow to a blur.

So close, she thought, reaching out just as the shadow of the bear loomed over her. When her hand made contact with the white robes, she leapt forward to drag the woman away. But there was resistance — like dead weight, Natsuki fell into her arms. Shizuru stiffened. Had she fainted? A curse fell from her lips, and the sudden smell of iron and musk tore through her lungs.

They were out of time.

Movement flashed across Shizuru's vision, and down came the crashing of knife-like claws.

Will this really be the end for you?

A terrible calm blazed within her, red hot like a newly lit fire. She moved her lips without restraint.

"Die."

In the next instant, there was a crack — shards of the bear's mind burst in her invisible grip like glass thrown on rock. Shizuru could feel the splinters fly, ricocheting back at her like daggers. Piercing pain struck the inside of her head, and she held up a hand to the side of it, wincing.

In the haziness, Shizuru saw the bear move. As if in a prayer, it lifted its head to the sky. Then, in a sharp movement, it slammed its snout to the ground. Once. Twice. Blood splattered with each terrible thump, over and over again. Finally, there was the raw sound of a snap, and the creature fell dead to its side.

Like feral flames finally extinguished, strength in her legs left her; Shizuru dropped to her knees as a whisper of a thought crossed her mind — you're alive. She looked down at the woman in her arms, and her temporary relief changed into a worry in her chest.

Natsuki was curled up on her side, having fallen unconscious once again. Her skin was slick with sweat and her body limp; the only movement was the subtle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

For a little while, all was quiet.

Then, nearby, the startled shout of a man rang out.

"I — I saw you!"

Shizuru turned her head to catch the wide-eyed stare of the villager she had seen earlier.

"— You killed it! You did! I heard you speak. How… how did you do that?" His jaw clenched with fear, and his throat moved as he swallowed more than once. He raised a pointing hand. "Look…"

It was then Shizuru noticed the blood. With each crash of the creature's head, it had colored the surface of their robes with a speckle. And was that something warm on her cheek? She touched some fingers to her skin. Red. No wonder the man was so scared.

"And that's not all," the man said, his voice growing louder with vigor. He held his hands in sudden fists, and his next words came out in a hiss. "When you ran, I saw something else. A blackened arm! You're scorned aren't you?"

The scene quieted as Shizuru felt the eyes of three dozen villagers on her.

From the crowd, the chief pushed through, stepping forward. "Is this true?"

Shizuru tilted her chin up and held his gaze, unflinchingly. "It is."

Great dismay overtook the man's expression. For a moment his gaze broke away from hers, and with a deep heaviness he beheld the terrified crowd.

"I know that you have saved us here today," he said gravely. "But I'm sorry. I can't allow you to stay here any longer. The people are afraid."

Shizuru couldn't help but to look at them. Among the trembling onlookers, she caught sight of the women she had come to know over the past few days. They avoided her gaze, expressions twisted in fear as if they did not recognize her. Even Kowa kept her gaze fixed to the ground, shaking.

A dark feeling gripped Shizuru's chest, and she almost wanted to laugh. She tightened her arms around Natsuki and stood, lifting her up.

The chief continued hurriedly. "We'll set up another place for you — it will be just outside the village, but still near enough should you need anything."

"Oh?" Her voice came out eerily sweet, and she could see the chief's quickened breaths as she cast her gaze upon him. Was that fear? A bout of bitterness rose in her throat, and Shizuru felt the corner of her lips lift mockingly. "Well, we can't scare the children, can we?"

The man fell silent, hands clenched into fists, and her smile grew.

"Then I'll be waiting."

With that, she moved, leaving the villagers with a strange view: a bloody apparition walking across the rainbowed mats that checkered the grass.


A/N: Last chapter for today.