Chapter 21
Good Night

Ayaka hurried down the hall towards the stairs, quickly descending each step with her eyes fixed on the road. Her mind, however, wandered a bit to the room she had just left, and specifically to one of her guests.

She didn't like the thoughts that were going through her head at the moment, but she didn't make much effort to put them aside either.

Why was Kazuha so insistent on wanting to leave as soon as possible? In fact, if it wasn't for his friend's intervention, he probably wouldn't even have gone there with them. Was he really doing it out of concern and not to be an annoyance? Or was he just insisting with the same excuse because the reality was that he didn't want to be near her? Was her company so horrible to him...?

Or, maybe she had pushed him too hard? She thought he would be as excited to see her again as she was, but clearly, he wasn't. His escape the day before must have made that clear to her.

That made her start to feel a little silly. After all, they weren't the same kids they were eight years ago, especially him. He had traveled, met many people, and lived many experiences… Why would he want to spend time with a girl who had never taken more than a few steps outside her house? Surely to him now, she was just a stuffy, boring, and bland noble girl who perhaps brought him here just to rub her position in his face...

"My lady, wait," Thoma's voice spoke from behind her. "Slower…"

Ayaka stopped in her tracks, realizing that she was feeling a little agitated. Was it because of the thoughts she was having? Or because she had been almost running without realizing it?

She turned slowly, noticing Thoma a few feet away from her, catching his breath a bit.

"I'm sorry, Thoma," she murmured, shamed. "I was a little distracted."

"Are you okay?" asked the servant, already recovered. "Are you… upset?"

"No, not at all," she replied without hesitation, even smiling at him with apparent normality. "Why are you saying that?"

Her smile might seem sincere, but Thoma knew her well enough to know that other kinds of emotions were behind it. And equally, he knew that they were not his concern to question.

"No, nothing," he murmured slowly, looking away. "It's in this room. That's where we put him."

Ayaka then turned to her right, realizing they were already a few steps from the door.

"Let's go in then," she said calmly, approaching the door to carefully slide it open and peek inside.

Inside, Ouji was lying on a futon while one of the waitresses watched him at his side. Noticing the presence of her mistress, the young woman stepped aside to let her pass. Ayaka approached the futon. Ouji still had his eyes closed, but he was fidgeting a bit, seemingly slowly coming out of the drowsiness expected after being unconscious for so long. His sword rested on the floor beside him.

"Mr. Ouji?" The Heron Princess murmured slowly, sitting down beside him. "Can you hear me?"

The samurai did seem to hear her. He turned his face in her direction and slowly opened his eyes. It took a while for his vision to be able to see Miss Kamisato's smile clearly. His reaction, however, was actually one of some disgust. He quickly sat down on the futon and backed away from Ayaka. His face reflected confusion and perhaps a little fear.

"Don't be afraid. It's me," Ayaka whispered slowly, placing one hand on her chest and gently extending the other to her guest. "You are safe. We brought you to..."

"Get away from me!" Ouji exclaimed loudly, slapping Ayaka's hand hard to push her away. Then he quickly grabbed his sword and jumped back, practically at the opposite end of the room. His right hand near his hilt, ready to draw.

"My lady…!" Thoma exclaimed in alarm upon seeing this and quickly approached her.

The waitress, also present, jumped to her feet, also frightened.

"Go get Kozue, quick!" The servant told the waitress in a firm tone, and the girl hurried without a word to obey the order.

"No, Thoma," Ayaka murmured as she held her slightly reddened hand from the slap. "He's just confused..."

"I'm not at all!" Ouji moaned forcefully, his throat-clearing voice injected with anger. "I am very aware of everything..."

He lowered his body at that moment, separated his feet, and tensed the fingers of his hand close to his sword. He had taken a clear attack position.

"I saw what you did there, with your visions…" the samurai muttered gravely. "You said you want to help, that you are different from the Tenryou Commission. But while our visions are taken from us and our souls with them, you, the people of the Yashiro Commission, can strut freely with yours, can't you?!"

Ayaka flinched, stunned at such an accusation. She had not anticipated that her actions could have been perceived in such a way. While it was true that she mostly tried not to show people so openly that she still had her vision, the situation indeed called for it. But that stance was not because it was a secret, but just to avoid misunderstandings like that.

"No, it's not what you think…" she tried to explain, taking a step towards him. Ouji, however, reacted badly to this approach.

"Don't come any closer!" the ronin exclaimed angrily, yanking his sword from its sheath and slicing the air in front of him with its dangerous edge. That forced Ayaka to step back again.

"Hey, you better put that away," Thoma warned him sternly, holding out a hand to him. "You don't know what you're doing."

"And if I don't?" Will you burn me with your vision?"

"I wouldn't want to. But if necessary, I will not hesitate..."

"You're just a child. I'm sure you received your Pyro vision just minutes ago. I had mine for twenty years! I perfected my style based on it; it became a part of me! You couldn't even imagine what that is..."

The commotion and screams didn't go unnoticed by Kazuha and Tomo, who were already on their way, so they quickened their pace. They arrived at the door just at the same time as Kozue, alerted by the waitress. The three of them stood in the doorway, quickly surveying the situation. There wasn't much to analyze, though: a man had his sword out, yelling like crazy at Ms. Kamisato; no further context was needed.

Both Kazuha and Kozue had the reflex to spring into action, but Tomo grabbed both of their shoulders to prevent them from going too far.

"Don't be too hasty, you two," the samurai murmured scoldingly.

"Don't touch me!" Kozue exclaimed, taking his hand off of her. "What do you think you are doing?"

"The situation is a bit volatile, and if you guys jump into the attack just like that, you'll only make it worse."

"I know very well how to do my job..."

Her words were instantly cut off as Ouji continued to bellow in anger.

"What makes you better and more deserving than me?! Just because my name isn't Kamisato? Does the Vision Hunt Decree only apply to those of us who don't kiss the Shogun's feet?! Is that how this is?!"

"It's not like that at all," Ayaka uttered with amazing calmness, even starting to walk towards him.

"My lady, no," Thoma exclaimed with concern, and he wasn't the only one.

"Ayaka...!" Kazuha blurted out right after, and again both he and Kozue walked into the room. This time, however, it wasn't Tomo who stopped them.

"Everyone stay back!" Ayaka yelled loudly, turning to the others with a commanding voice and posture. Kazuha, Kozue, and Thoma stood perfectly still out of sheer reflex. Their feet were unable to move and disobey that order.

Ayaka turned back to the ronin and moved a little further, to the minimum distance that allowed her to be out of direct range of his weapon. The man remained tense and awaited the attack. Still, Ayaka raised her hands in front of her, indicating that she had no hostile action in mind toward him.

"Mr. Ouji, I'm not your enemy; you can be sure of that," she whispered softly but firmly. "I know that the current Inazuma situation has tested the kindness and hearts of many. But you must not allow yourself to be consumed by despair, and especially you must not lose hope. What I told you before is true: this won't last forever. You will get your vision back; everyone will. You just have to trust me. I know it's hard to do, but you have my word it will end sooner or later."

Uncertainty was palpable on Ouji's face, and it was impossible to predict what he was thinking. But he was not abandoning his position at all. His fingers gripped its hilt tightly, almost turning white. His jaw was tense, his eyes wide. The danger was latent around him, suffocating the air in the room.

"I don't want to listen to you…" he suddenly pronounced dryly. "You're just another Shogun lapdog!"

And throwing that cry into the air, he lunged straight at Ayaka with his sword in hand, directing the blade's tip right at her.

"Ayaka...!" Kazuha exclaimed loudly, and without the slightest hesitation, he charged forward, being propelled forward by a gust of wind. He was not the only one, as Thoma and Kozue also jumped ahead with great agility. However, none of the three were faster than Ayaka herself.

Seeing that sword heading toward her, the Heron Princess did not lose her composure. In fact, instead of backing away, she also charged forward, meeting her attacker. She didn't have her sword with her, but she didn't need it. She extended her right hand, covered in concentrated Cryo energy. And as soon as her palm touched the steel of the blade, it froze completely, making it so vulnerable that a direct blow from her other hand snapped it in half.

Ouji stared at this in astonishment, perhaps as much or more than Katsumoto himself had when he saw his broken weapon a few hours before.

Ayaka did not stop because once her opponent's weapon was eliminated, she quickly turned on herself, moving with great agility and elegance, sliding her feet along the ground until she completely turned around the samurai. She finished right behind this one in just a few seconds. And from her position, she extended her hands forward, hitting the man's back with her palms, accompanied by a small burst of elemental energy. Ouji's body was thrown forward, his back covered in frost.

It all happened in a matter of seconds. Kazuha and the others had to stop and move to the side to avoid Ouji rushing toward them after being pushed by Ayaka. The ronin inevitably ended up lying face down on the ground, quite disoriented and in pain.

Incredible, Kazuha thought in wonder, turning to see Ayaka. She was calm and intact; not a hair had moved from its place.

Kozue immediately went to Ouji and quickly grabbed his arms, and pinned him to the ground before he tried to get up.

"Don't hurt him anymore, please," Ayaka started with a small plea.

The young Kamisato walked towards him, brushing past Kazuha… without looking at him. She then stood in front of Ouji. He raised his still furious gaze at her from the ground.

"I'm sorry it ended like this, Mr. Ouji," the blue-haired girl stated with sincere regret in her voice. "Please take him to the exit."

Kozue didn't wait a bit to carry out the order and immediately made him stand up to escort him out.

"I can go out by myself!" Ouji muttered angrily, shaking himself to free himself from Kozue's grasp. The wounds from the previous day clearly still hurt him. Still, his insistence was stronger until he let go of the woman's grip, inevitably ending up face down on the floor again.

"Let me help you, friend," Tomo stepped forward to help him to stand up before Kozue grabbed him again. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it, miss," he indicated to Kozue with a sparkling smile, which she didn't seem to take kindly.

Regardless, Tomo hurriedly picked Ouji up, placed an arm on his shoulder, and began to guide him towards the door. His last escape attempt seemed to weaken his strength enough that he had no choice but to let himself be carried away by the samurai.

Once the room was a bit clearer, Ayaka allowed herself to reveal a bit of the pain that covered her left hand. Glancing at it, she noticed that her skin was reddened where she had struck the steel to break it. Even if it had been icy, it was hard enough for her hand to feel the blow.

"Ayaka," she heard Kazuha's voice utter. When she looked up, the boy was only a couple of steps away from her. His reddish eyes looked at her injured hand. "Are you…?"

Kazuha took a step towards her, reflexively wanting to hold her hand. Ayaka reacted, however, brushing her hand away from him and even taking a step back. Kazuha was stunned at this reaction. And when he looked into her eyes, he noticed how she looked at him in a way that he couldn't identify. As devoid of any emotion, even anger or happiness.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, looking away, though Kazuha felt as if those words weren't really meant for him. "I think it's been enough for this day, don't you think? Let's go to sleep at once."

And with that said, she began to walk hurriedly towards the door. Again, walking past Kazuha without looking at him.

"Please show Mr. Kaedehara and his friend to their room." She asked Kozue while she left the room. "Good night, everyone."

"Good night, Lady Kamisato," the gatekeeper said, bowing her head respectfully.

Kazuha didn't dare say good night or turn to her as she left. And although his face looked calm, that cold way of treating him had actually caused stabbing pain in his chest.

He noticed Thoma looking at him out of the corner of his eye, a little hesitant. It seemed that he even wanted to tell her something, maybe a few words of comfort? His mouth opened, but nothing came out of it. Instead, he just uttered a:

"Good night, Kaedehara."

And he retired too.

Although on the way to the gate Ouji was quite cooperative with Tomo, as soon as they were outside, this changed.

"Let me…" he muttered gruffly, slipping out of Tomo's grasp to walk on his own. "I don't need the help of a servant of the Kamisato ..."

Despite what he had said, he barely took a step before almost falling if it wasn't for his quick grab on a pole.

"You're wrong; I'm not a servant of the Kamisato clan," Tomo pointed out, watching him from behind. "In fact, I serve no lord. So you and I and this Katsumoto guy have more in common than you think."

The wandering samurai cautiously advanced forward, passing Ouji, who was watching him reluctantly. Once on the street, he raised his eyes, contemplating the starry sky.

"But just because we don't serve a lord doesn't mean we have to be alone," he declared suddenly, like a thought in the air. "I know some people who would be happy to lend you a hand and greatly appreciate someone with your skills and way of thinking. Go to Watatsumi; you will find good friends and perhaps even a new home there."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ouji mumbled suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"My friends call me Tomo," the swordsman from the Electro vision answered, turning back to him. "And I'm just another wandering samurai. But you can take my word for it. Go to Watatsumi; you will not regret it."

And having said what he had to say, he headed back inside the establishment. Ouji didn't look at him as he left, and it was hard to tell if he had taken his words to heart, much less guess if he would take his advice or not.

Limping and using the scabbard of his now-broken sword as a walking stick, he began to make his way down the street toward the city's exit as fast as the pain of his injuries would allow.

It was finally bedtime, and at least Tomo seemed so pleased and happy about it that he was practically snoring within minutes of laying down on his futon. Tama lay beside him, curled up on herself. Kazuha, lying on their respective futon next to them, did not have the same luck.

His eyes could not close and were fixed on the ceiling, though he could only vaguely make out its beams and timbers in the shadows that engulfed the room. This insomnia was not due to his friend's slightly strident snoring; for better or worse, he was used to them. It wasn't that he didn't feel tired either; quite the opposite, in fact. Everything originated in reality for two reasons, not correlated with each other.

The truth was that in the last couple of years, he had probably slept under a roof on well fewer than half of those nights. Most of the time, he had had to sleep outdoors, at most protected under the shelter of a tree. And although it could certainly be quite uncomfortable at the time, one got so used to it in the long run. And trying to spend the night surrounded by four walls, a floor, and a ceiling ended up being a bit suffocating.

But that alone wasn't enough to keep him up all night, especially if he'd had a tiring day. However, on that occasion, he would have to add the constant concern that was spinning around in his head, derived from what happened a while ago with Ayaka. He had promised not to hurt her or do any harm again, and it seemed he had broken that promise quicker than expected. He wanted to apologize to her and try to explain the reason for his behavior (at least as much as he could explain without compromising her). He really hoped he'd get a chance to do it before they left the following day.

So at the moment, he couldn't do anything to fix the matter with Ayaka, but maybe he could do something about the other thing. He thought he saw that there was a back garden in that place. Maybe he could take a walk outside, get some fresh air, and clear his mind. Maybe that would help him.

Taking care not to make any noise to wake Tomo and Tama, Kazuha uncovered himself and climbed out of the futon. They had both been given light yukatas to sleep in; his was red with a white poppy pattern. He also took his sword to take with him on his walk. Years of wandering back and forth had accustomed him to never stray too far from her.

He slipped out of the room, carefully closing the door behind him. In the same way, he began to advance down the hall towards the stairs. On his way, he would have to pass in front of Ayaka's room, so with more reason, he prepared to pass quietly so as not to wake her up. However, as he approached, he noticed that the door of the said room was slightly open, so much so that a ray of silver light came out of it and drew a line on the floor of the corridor.

This irregularity worried him a little. Would Ayaka be alright? Was she perhaps out? As he thought about it, his feet cautiously approached the door. He'd take a quick look just to make sure everything was okay.

Peering through the small gap between the sliding doors, it didn't take long for him to visualize the room's occupant. Indeed, she was there, but she didn't sleep either like him. Instead, he found her sitting right in front of the open window of the room, her back against the wall and her gaze fixed on the view of the starry sky. The light that entered through the window was that of the stars and the moon, which bathed the figure of the Heron Princess in an almost ethereal way. A light breeze gently caressed her face and stirred the bluish strands of her hair, totally loose at that moment. She wore a light blue yukata, made of thin fabric and fitted to her slender figure.

A poem formed in Kazuha's head to try to describe such a beautiful image, but he felt that no words would do it justice. It seemed almost unreal, straight out of some strange dream. And, in fact, Kazuha began to wonder for a second if it wasn't really just that: a dream. But no, this was the real world. And the easiest way to tell it was that, if it was a dream, he would have the courage or the audacity to walk into that room, walk up to her, and…

He shifted his gaze quickly to the side, feeling for a moment unworthy to even look at her or let his mind imagine anything else. He forced his feet to move and continue on his way. However, he only managed to move a few steps from the door.

"Who's there?" He clearly heard Ayaka's voice pronounced from inside the room, abruptly breaking the silence.

Kazuha stopped in his tracks, wincing like a child caught about to get up to some mischief. And being that way, he had no choice but to go back in his steps and stand again in front of the door to move it to the side and fully reveal his presence.

"Kazuha?" Ayaka exclaimed slowly, looking at him from the window with surprise in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," the Kaedehara boy apologized cautiously. "I didn't want to bother you. I was just looking for a way to get out to the garden and get some air."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, don't worry. It is just that…"

Kazuha averted his gaze to the side as if feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I think I've gotten a little unused to sleeping in enclosed places."

That statement seemed a bit peculiar to the young Kamisato. Still, it was understandable considering what he had told her earlier.

Ayaka didn't respond at that point and instead turned her gaze to the window, staring back at the sky like a while ago. Kazuha guessed that up to that point her interest outweighed the disgust she surely still felt towards him. So as not to bother her anymore, he prepared to leave and continue with what he was doing. But the young woman's voice sounded again before he left, preventing her from going too far.

"Why don't you come in and sit by the window with me for a minute?"

Kazuha jumped, a little surprised by this sudden proposal. Turning towards her once more, Ayaka looked back at him. Her face drew one more of her affable and beautiful smiles, which Kazuha had learned to appreciate so much, quickly.

"Perhaps that will help you feel better," added the young woman next.

Kazuha was silent for a moment, but he didn't need to think too hard to figure out what he wanted to do. He knew from before that he would do whatever she asked of him if she did it with a smile like that on her lips. So without much thought, he took a step into the room.

"I think I'd like that," he replied cautiously, carefully closing the door behind him.

Author's Notes:

The first disagreement of our protagonists, which luckily is not so severe. But can they solve it? We will see it in the next chapter; that and much more… And for the moment, Ouji also leaves the scene, but we will likely see him again at some point.