Chapter 09.
A little clue

9 years ago…

Kamisato Kayo passed away following Ayaka and Kazuha's first meeting during the next winter. The doctors and servants had mentioned that she got slightly better in the middle of the year. Everyone believed that this had been thanks to the visits that her young daughter had begun to pay her. In these, the young Kamisato told her about all the new things she was learning, everything that happened in her day-to-day life, and how excited and happy Kazuha's visits made her. Ayaka used to sit by her bed and talk to her long and hard until her mother's exhaustion forced her to rest, even if she didn't want to.

Some thought these were good signs and even began to hope for a possible recovery; among them, Ayaka herself.

However, in the end, Mrs. Kamisato had only managed to gain enough strength to resist a little longer. As the weather turned colder during the fall, her health slowly declined again; at that point, Ayaka was no longer allowed to disturb her. And her body, by then too exhausted and eaten away by the disease, finally gave up.

People from all corners of Inazuma showed up at the Kamisato Estate to pay their respects to the commissioner and his family. Representatives of the vassal clans of the Kamisato attended, the commissioners Hiiragi and Kujou in person, as well as their children, and even a group of priestesses from the Narukami Grand Shrine, representing the High Priestess, to offer a solemn prayer for the rest of Mrs. Kamisato.

And among these attendees, of course, were Kazuha and his uncle.

However, rather than offer comfort to the mourners, Kaedehara Naruhito was more concerned with appearances, being on Kamisato Ayato's good side, and perhaps even seeing if he could somehow take advantage of these moments of possible weakness in the young lord. Sure, he never openly told Kazuha any of those things. Still, even then, the Kaedehara boy was well aware that his uncle's intentions weren't entirely empathetic.

But Kazuha had something far more important on his mind right now than his family's hidden purposes. So while his uncle went to rub shoulders with the commissioners and other prestigious attendees at the wake, Kazuha sneaked off to find Ayaka. He was surprised, and at the same time worried, not seeing her next to her brother in the main hall. He fully understood the desire not to be surrounded by so many people overwhelming her at such a difficult time. However, he wasn't sure if being alone would be much better...

The Kamisato Estate had been wholly plunged into a heavy and sad air, but especially in anguished silence. Kazuha walked the lonely halls of the residence, hearing only the sound of his own feet against the wooden floor and nothing else. If he didn't know that many people were gathered in the other wing, he would have assumed that he was the only one there.

It was a particularly cold day. The sky was completely closed, and snow had begun to fall during the afternoon, filling the courtyard with an almost uniform layer of white. And it was right there that Kazuha finally spotted her, away from the room, sitting on the same rock where she had found him some time ago. But the scenario was totally different this time. The branches of the beautiful cherry trees were now bare, without any leaves on them. They were still at least two months away from being covered in beautiful pink flowers again, and perhaps then that place could be filled with hope once more. But for now, all that was perceived was mere melancholy and pain.

Kazuha stepped forward, his feet clicking a little as they pressed against the snow. Ayaka had her back to him and had her head down. She wore an entirely black outfit, similar to what he wore, and her hair was wholly collected. As it used to happen when he found her studying, she didn't seem to notice his presence as he walked towards her. But of course, that was a very, very different situation…

"Ayaka?" He spoke slowly, standing right behind her.

The little girl jumped, startled at the sudden realization that she wasn't alone. She turned quickly to see him over her shoulder, but it was only for an instant. As soon as she managed to see and distinguish that it was him, she quickly turned away again, hiding her face. Still, Kazuha managed to catch her slightly reddened eyes...

"Kazuha," Ayaka murmured slowly as she turned her back on him, discreetly rubbing her eyes with her hands. "Tha… thank you for coming to join us at this time. Excuse me, please. I'm feeling a bit unwell..."

"I know," Kazuha murmured serenely.

He then allowed himself to go a little further and sit on the stone, right next to Ayaka. She instinctively turned more to the opposite side he was in to keep her face away from his sight as much as possible.

"How are you?" he asked in a small whisper, but Ayaka didn't reply. "Sorry… it's a silly question, right?"

"No, don't… don't worry," the young Kamisato murmured, slowly shaking her head. "I'm fine. Now my mother can rest, and she will be with dad and all our ancestors. And her blessing will always take care of us..."

The way she had pronounced that sounded a bit… familiar to Kazuha. She had a feeling it wasn't something that had come directly from her, but somewhat she had just repeated precisely the same thing the adults had been telling her. Something she thought people expected her to say, even if she didn't really mean it.

Kazuha looked up at the sky, silently watching the white snowflakes slowly descending towards them, similar to how the cherry blossoms fell on that spring day.

"I… the truth is that I never knew my mother," he suddenly uttered after a while, "and I was never very close to my father when he was alive either. So it wouldn't be entirely accurate if I told you that I know how you feel. But... I know very well that you did love your mother very much. And while it hurts you to see her so sick, I know you're going to miss her too. So don't try to hide it like that..."

Ayaka kept her back to him as he said that, but Kazuha knew she was listening. And an instant after saying it, he could feel how her shoulders trembled a little, and he heard how the thin sound of sobs gradually became present.

"I… I…" Ayaka began to mumble, her voice cracking a bit. "I'm supposed to be strong… I'm supposed to be firm and confident in front of people… I'm not supposed to… I'm not supposed to…"

Each word felt more painful than the last as her breathing became heavier.

Suddenly, to little Kamisato's astonishment, Kazuha approached her and quickly wrapped his arms around her, hugging her firmly from behind and resting his forehead against her head. Kazuha didn't even think about it; his body had moved on its own, but he didn't regret it at all.

"You can," Kazuha mused slowly. "You can be strong with everyone else, but you don't have to be here. You don't have to pretend with me..."

A part of Ayaka continued to resist, trying to cling to the little composure she had left as if she were dangling off a cliff. But that warm hug and the words of her friend leaving the door open for her simply completely disarmed her.

Ayaka raised her hands, clinging somewhat tightly to the arms around her. And for the first time since that horrible thing happened, she let out a loud scream into the air, followed by several more. Tears overflowed from her eyes like a waterfall, and she cried; she cried and cried like she had never allowed herself to cry before. And in all the time that this explosion of feelings lasted, Kazuha did not let go of her, nor did he say or do anything other than being there...

Present time…

Waking up that morning, Ayaka was surprised to find that her eyes and cheeks were wet. Had she been crying in her sleep? In her mind, there were only remnants of what she had been dreaming of just before waking up, so she wasn't entirely sure.

She rubbed her hands quickly over her face as if desperately wanting to erase the clues of some crime. So many years had passed, but the situation was still the same: she couldn't allow anyone to see her falter like that.

When her mind was sufficiently clear and her body relaxed, she carefully sat down on her futon. As she did, however, she found her head aching a little. It hadn't been a particularly good night. She had trouble falling asleep and had been waking up often throughout the early hours. Too many things to think about, too many memories, and they all had to be kept very deep. That could become exhausting for anyone, even the Heron Princess.

She dressed quickly, putting on a haori over her nightclothes, and left her room. She would ask Furuta to prepare some medicine to alleviate her discomfort; she always had a trick in store for any occasion.

Ayaka saw the Hiiragi clan guards already breaking their camp by walking near the yard. Indeed they were already preparing to leave for Inazuma. Before they left, she had to say goodbye to Chisato one last time and thank her for her company the day before. But first, she needed to recover a bit.

Before she continued on her way to the kitchen, something near the front door caught her eye. Madarame was talking to a couple of guards in purple armor. And if her eyesight did not fail her, these men were not from the Kanjou or Yashiro commission; they were apparently Tenryou guards. That caught Ayaka's attention, and she overcame her discomfort a bit to go over to investigate. Maybe something serious had happened...

"What's wrong, Madarame?" she murmured once she was close enough. The Yashiro Representative and the guards immediately turned to her, all suddenly taking a firmer stance.

"Ah, Lady Ayaka, good morning," Madarame pronounced solemnly. "He is Captain Imatani of the Tenryou Commission."

"It's an honor, Lady Kamisato," one of the Tenryou soldiers quickly exclaimed, a tall man with close-cropped black hair and an intense gaze. He looked familiar to Ayaka. She remembered she often saw him near the headquarters in Inazuma. "Sorry to break into your home so early."

"Don't worry, captain. Everything is alright?"

"Commissioner Kujou sent them to reinforce Commissioner Hiiragi's security," Madarame informed her, "and make sure he gets to Inazuma safely."

"There have been reports of several road robberies by ronin in recent days," Captain Imatani added. "Just yesterday, some of our officers witnessed a fight between two travelers and them on the road that leads to the city."

"Yes, I heard something about a band of robbers," Ayaka agreed, remembering what Thoma had said to her the day before. "How terrible. Have you not been able to apprehend them yet?"

"We are working on that. We already have the description of several of them and some spoken portraits."

The captain nodded for one of his men to come closer. He did so, carrying in his hands a small bundle that apparently consisted of several sheets of parchment.

"We were just mentioning to Mr. Madarame that we wanted to take the opportunity to also ask Commissioner Kamisato for his support so that the Yashiro representatives would distribute these drawings among travelers, and urge them to be careful when walking the roads, especially at night. Likewise, we have already pasted some on the bulletin boards of the city. We hope that someone can give us more information."

"That won't be a problem," Ayaka agreed, approaching the soldier with the pamphlets to take them herself. "Thank you very much for your hard work."

"I appreciate your words, Lady Kamisato," Imatani answered, bowing his body respectfully towards the young woman, just like the other soldiers. He turned right after Madarame again. "Please tell Commissioner Hiiragi that we are ready to go when he and his men say so."

"I'll inform him immediately," Madarame commented.

While both men finished their conversation, Ayaka allowed herself to glance at the posters. They had the classic composition of a "Wanted" poster, with a portrait as close as possible to the suspect's description, with the same writing below accompanied by the crimes they were accused of. There were five different drawings, each one with very different appearances, although maintaining certain similar features, expected considering that surely they were all drawn by the same person.

Ayaka silently contemplated the first four drawings without many reactions. However, the fifth and last stunned her as soon as she laid eyes on it… It was the image of a square, hard-faced man with a bushy beard and shaved head, with intense eyes and broad shoulders. Despite being only a drawing, it was as familiar and vivid as if she were seeing it again right in front of her.

This man... is Katsumoto... she said to herself, once her astonishment allowed her to give form to her thoughts.

Katsumoto, the man Kazuha had once pointed out to her as the best swordsman in the service of the Kaedehara clan and "perhaps the best in all of Inazuma." Ayaka had seen him several times in the dojo Kaedehara, on all those occasions she had gone to train with them when she was a child. She remembered him as a big man and somewhat frightening but quite kind to her. And, especially, very strong...

What did this mean? Why was there a drawing of Katsumoto with those ronin muggers? Did he…?

"Milady," she heard Madarame pronounce suddenly next to her, making her jump a little when she was taken out of her thoughts. "Would you like me to distribute them among the representatives?"

Madarame held out a hand for her to pass out the pamphlets. Ayaka hesitated for a few moments and discreetly took one of them, the one with Katsumoto's drawing, setting it aside from the rest.

"Yes, thank you, Madarame," she indicated with a small smile, handing over the rest of the posters. "I count on you."

"Of course, milady."

After a slight nod of approval and farewell to Madarame and the Tenryou guards, Ayaka turned on her feet and walked away… perhaps a bit more hastily than she should have.

Ayaka didn't head to the kitchen to find Furuta like her original plan; her headache had vanished by itself by that time. Instead, she found a secluded corner where she could pull out the poster she'd brought with her and take another quick look at it.

The more she looked at it, the more she became convinced that this man was Katsumoto… or someone who looked a lot like him. She had to admit that at least eight years had passed since she had last seen him, and the man in that drawing had a more disheveled appearance than the neat and disciplined man she had known as a child.

But she also had no knowledge of what had become of him and the other samurai of the Kaedehara clan when they fell from grace. Becoming a ronin was, sadly, a possibility.

Although, of course, all that could be just absurd speculation, and perhaps at some other time, she would have chosen better to believe that. However, she couldn't get it out of her head that yesterday she thought she had seen Kazuha in Inazuma… And that drawing wasn't a product of her imagination; it was physical evidence on her hands.

What if Kazuha was with these men? What if her old friend had also become a ronin, raiding the roads…? The possibility seemed harrowing and impossible to conceive of. Not the sweet boy she had known in the past...

But even if Kazuha wasn't with them, it could also be that Katsumoto knew what had become of him after his family's misfortune, or even where he was now. If only she could talk to him...

She had to at least try to get rid of that thorn that did not leave her calm. But what was she willing to do to achieve it?

She folded the pamphlet quickly and hid it inside her outfit. She took a deep breath, stood firm, and began to walk with apparent (and faked) calm towards her new destination: her brother's office.

Ayaka thought carefully about what she would say once she was before him. Still, she was not entirely sure when she was already at the door. But she didn't let that stop her anyway.

"Brother, can I come in?" She spoke loudly to make her presence known.

"Come in, Ayaka," Ayato's voice spoke from inside.

Ayaka carefully slid the door. Inside the room, she did indeed meet Ayato, but he was also in the company of Thoma. Both were apparently reviewing some papers together; some of them seemed familiar to her at first glance.

"Sorry to interrupt," Ayaka said slowly, entering the room.

"Have Commissioner Hiiragi and his men already left?" Ayato inquired, without taking his eyes off the report notebook in his hands, which, if Ayaka wasn't mistaken, was precisely the one she had given him the night before with the details of the next festival.

"Not yet," Ayaka denied, taking a seat on the floor next to the two. "Some Tenryou guards have just arrived to escort them."

"So unusual."

"It's as prevention for a series of assaults that have been taking place… but I think Madarame will be able to give you the details."

Ayato simply nodded, apparently not really interested in finding out more at the moment. Surely he was anxious to get his visitors gone at once; he had had enough of Commissioner Hiiragi last night.

"Well, it doesn't matter," he muttered, turning to his sister with one of his usual smiles. "It's good that you came. I'm reviewing the arrangements for the festival with Thoma and tallying up some of the numbers in your report."

"Brother, I told you that you shouldn't worry about that matter, that I'll take care of everything," Ayaka replied, sounding almost reproachful.

"Of course, I'm not distrusting in your work, Ayaka. It's just that as commissioner, I want to have at least the general picture of the matter for any details that may arise. And so far, everything seems to be okay."

"Well…" Ayaka muttered suddenly, lowering her gaze a little nervously. "I need to talk to you about that… I want to ask for your authorization to return to Inazuma; today."

Ayato and Thoma alike, and they both immediately stopped what they were doing to turn to look at her. Their inquiring eyes made the Heron Princess even more nervous.

"To Inazuma?" murmured Ayato. "Didn't you just get back from there yesterday?"

"Yeah, but…" Ayaka stammered and tried her best to calm down to shape her words correctly. "There are other matters that I left pending, and they need my immediate attention."

"Really?" inquired Ayato, obviously skeptical. "What urgent matters would those be?"

"Nothing that needs you to worry or stress about it. You have too many obligations, and you know that I am here to lighten your weight as best I can."

"As thoughtful as ever, Ayaka. But I think I can tolerate a small dose of additional stress in exchange for you telling me about those matters that force you to return to Inazuma so soon. Especially since your report says that anything leftover can be handled by the reps, and Thoma had just told me the same thing."

Saying the latter, Ayato turned back to his aide sitting before him, seeking confirmation.

"That's what I had understood, my lord," Thoma answered a little hesitantly. This seemed to take him quite by surprise as well.

"Ah… well…" Ayaka stammered again. His fingers moved nervously over the fabric of her kimono. "I need to…review the fireworks, the assignment of stalls to the tenants, and the orders for the offerings that will be given on the day of the festival."

"Weren't those issues what you went to check these days?" Ayato questioned seriously.

"Right… but I only realized until I was here that I missed completing some of those tasks. And they're not in the report because... I also missed putting them there, obviously."

"It's strange that this happens to you, Ayaka."

"I know, and I apologize. That is why I wish to remedy my mistake immediately."

Ayato watched her silently for a while. His face was so stoic and unchanging that Ayaka couldn't guess what was going through his mind. Had he believed her? Or would he keep questioning her until she slipped at some point and had to tell the truth? And, was she willing to tell the truth if that happened…?

"Are you sure these aren't things that Thoma or one of our representatives could check on their own?" asked the commissioner after a while.

Ayaka shook her head.

"Since I started it and it was my mistake, I would prefer to personally handle this. If it is convenient for you… brother."

"Okay," Ayato snapped back without much further ado, taking Ayaka off guard. "But take Thoma with you again."

"Oh," exclaimed the youngest of the Kamisato, trying to moderate her reaction, "I... I wouldn't want to bother Thoma because of my mistake. He has a lot of work here, and I have already kept him very busy with the previous trip. I was going to ask Commissioner Hiiragi if he could travel with them to Inazuma."

"It does not bother me to accompany you, milady," Thoma interjected at that moment in a jovial tone. "It will be a pleasure as always to help you take care of those urgent matters."

Ayaka quickly considered what to do next. She could insist, but she really had no compelling reason in mind for Thoma not to accompany her. Not to mention that doing so would make everything more suspicious than it obviously already was.

She had no choice but to accept and make Thoma aware of her true intentions. And, of course, to trust that he would support her, or at least not inform her brother about it immediately.

"Okay…" she nodded slowly. "Thank you very much, Thoma. I'll go get ready then," she said, standing up quickly and heading for the door. "With your permission, brother."

"Go ahead," Ayato replied, by now having his attention back on the report in his hands. "You know what to do, Thoma," he added once Ayaka had withdrawn and closed the door behind her. "Whatever she's really up to, just make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble."

"You can count on me, my lord," the servant replied solemnly, bowing his head forward.

Ayaka was no longer a child, and she definitely knew how to take care of herself. But like his older brother, Ayato felt the obligation (as well as the desire) to continue to keep an eye out, just in case.

He then continued to review Ayaka's report, which already seemed to be coming to an end. However, turning to the next page of the booklet, he found something a little out of place. There were several scratches on the page, or rather words or phrases that had been crossed out in some frustration. Turning to the next one, there were a couple more similar, but on one side were three legible lines written in her sister's distinctive and perfect handwriting:

Fleeting spring flower
you take my sadness with you
flying in the wind.

"A haiku?" Ayato muttered slowly, a bit confused.

"My lord?" Thoma exclaimed cautiously, noticing his slight change. "Everything is alright?"

Ayato remained silent for a few seconds, rereading those verses a couple more times. Then, without further ado, he closed the booklet and set it aside.

"It's nothing," he answered in a calm voice, intending to move on to another matter.

But the truth was that little haiku, as regular as it seemed, had particularly caught his attention, and he couldn't quite understand why.

Why does it feel so familiar?

Author's Notes:

—Kazuha's uncle, as well as his name of Kaedehara Naruhito, are totally my creation since the game has never given more details about the Kaedehara family. I still don't know if he will appear in the story. For now, it will be limited only to mentions like the ones we've had so far.