Chapter 28
I'll look forward to it
About ten or fifteen minutes had passed since Ayaka entered the teahouse with her brother. However, to Kazuha, each minute felt like a torturous hour. Sitting there, in front of the establishment in the company of Tomo and under the watchful eye of the two Yashiro guards and also Kozue, he couldn't help but constantly look at the front door hoping that at any moment, Ayaka's figure would be present once more. But that didn't happen.
Kazuha had always been a very calm person and in control of his emotions, especially the negative ones. His time in nature had taught him to keep his mind and spirit calm in any situation and let everything flow in the course it was meant to flow. However, it seemed a bit more complicated when the problem did not fall on him but on someone he cared about, such as Kamisato Ayaka.
"No matter how hard you look at the door, your princess won't be back any sooner," Tomo murmured slowly from beside him, a hint of humor in his tone. "Don't be so restless; he is her brother, after all. Worry more about us."
Mentioning that last, he glanced sideways at the two guards standing just a couple of meters from them. But beyond the two guards keeping an eye on them, the curious scene had already caught the attention of a few passers-by passing on the street to one side of the tea house. And several of them had taken a moment to whisper slowly to their companion while they looked in Kazuha and Tomo's direction. That would not take long to draw the attention of real Tenryou guards.
A little over a minute later, the door to the teahouse finally opened, and Commissioner Yashiro's serious face peered out from behind it. Seeing him, Kazuha immediately jumped to his feet and turned to him.
"Lord Kamisato…" he murmured slowly.
Ayato then started walking in the direction of the street, right next to the two wandering swordsmen, but without actually turning to see them. Although, when he passed in front of Kazuha, the swordsman did perceive that he was whispering to him in a low voice:
"I hope you enjoy your stay in Inazuma, Mr. Kaedehara."
And without saying more or waiting for an answer, he continued advancing toward the two guards who accompanied him. He gave them a slight hint that Kazuha couldn't hear anymore. Then the three started walking down the street, Ayato walking in front and the two men in purple armor following close behind.
"Does that mean he won't arrest us?" Tomo questioned, a little confused.
Kazuha didn't have a clear answer to that question, but everything seemed to indicate that he wouldn't. They would have to wait for Ayaka and see if she could clarify the situation better for them.
A while later, someone else came out, though not the person Kazuha expected, but the housekeeper, Thoma.
"My friend Thoma, is everything alright?" Tomo exclaimed enthusiastically at the sight of him, also standing up.
Thoma turned to look at them, an expression of mild surprise on his face, almost as if he had hoped they would no longer be around when he left.
"If you mean about the commissioner, you have nothing to worry about," the servant clarified calmly. "He didn't come here for you. And as far as he's concerned, you are just Lady Ayaka's guests. And obviously, he hasn't been informed about your visions either."
"That calms us down a bit, right?" Tomo stated with a smile, turning to Kazuha for confirmation.
Kazuha was calmer, indeed. Although not completely.
"Ayaka is alright?" Kazuha asked right after, taking a step towards Thoma.
He opened his mouth intending to answer, but the presence of precisely the person in question became evident in the door frame, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Kamisato Ayaka stood straight in the doorway and watched them from her position with a calm countenance. Unlike Thoma or Ayato, although her gaze was fixed on his two guests, especially Kazuha, her eyes seemed to convey relief, even joy, to see them still there.
"Ask her yourself," Thoma stated in response to Kazuha's question. And, without further ado, he started walking towards the street, in the same direction Ayato had left. "Excuse me, I have to take care of something."
Thoma moved away, and Ayaka moved closer to them. The young Heron Princess walked towards her friend, standing in front of Kazuha with a half-smile on her lips. Overall she looked good, but… not precisely the same. Something had changed in her mood compared to how she was when she entered; Kazuha could see it vividly just by looking at her.
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," the young Kamisato apologized. "But my brother came on another matter, so you don't have to worry."
"My presence on this site didn't cause you any trouble?" Kazuha asked, clearly dismayed.
"No more than I already have, I assure you," answered the blue-haired girl, with a tiny hint of humor. "But that does not matter now. How is your wound?"
Kazuha reflexively turned sideways to his shoulder, gently placing a hand on it.
"It does not hurt anymore. Honestly, I had forgotten about it."
"It's still worth checking it out. Do you want to come in?"
The wandering samurai merely responded with a slight nod.
"I'll wait for you here," Tomo said eloquently. "I think you both need to talk a bit, don't you?"
He finished off his comment with a slight wink from his right eye.
This would have made Kazuha uncomfortable or even annoyed in other circumstances. This time, however, he was a little grateful for the gesture because he did indeed want to talk to her a bit, and perhaps find out what her brother had said to affect her in that way.
Without having to give any further instructions, the two headed back into the teahouse together.
Commissioner Kamisato had stated that he was going to rest from his trip at Uyuu Restaurant, so that was where Thoma went in search of his master.
The streets of the city were particularly quiet at the moment. It was already getting dark, some businesses had already finished their work for the day, and it was still relatively early for the nightlife to start. The interior of the restaurant was in a fairly similar state. Only one customer was sitting at the bar, apparently started drinking early because he had his head resting on it. Additionally, a couple were eating calmly and in silence at a table. Most notable, of course, were the two purple-armored guards standing on either side of the stairway leading to the upper floor, clearly guarding it.
"Is he upstairs?" Thoma asked both men cautiously, approaching them.
"He said to let only you through as soon as you arrived," one of the guards answered quickly.
That instruction inevitably brought an amused smile to Thoma's lips. Was he so predictable that Ayato knew in advance that he would come after him? That made him rethink the idea of going upstairs and satisfied him with being right. But he was already there and wanted to make sure he was okay. So, swallowing his pride, Thoma started up the stairs.
The upper floor was even lonelier than the lower one. Ayato was in one of the more private rooms for diners, with the door open enough for his servant to identify which one he was in. Thoma moved towards this room, and soon he visualized his master sitting calmly at the center table, waiting.
"You're just in time, Thoma," Kamisato's head muttered, looking up at the newcomer and smiling at him. "I just ordered drinks and food for both of us."
"Did you know I would come after you, my lord?" Thoma questioned with some irony.
"I knew you couldn't help but worry about me, like always. That's how you are, and it's not a bad thing."
A waitress approached at that moment, so Thoma stepped aside to make way for her. The young woman was carrying a tray, on which were two cups of steaming tea. She crouched down to the side of the low table and placed one cup in front of Ayato and the other on the stand in front of him.
"Thank you very much," the commissioner agreed with gratitude, the same gesture that the young woman responded to him in a much more solemn way. The waitress left, but not before sliding the door closed. "Sit with me, please," Ayato stated next, extending his hand towards the teacup with the young servant's name implied on it.
Thoma sighed a little, and without further delay, he approached the table and sat in front of the offered cup. He had already had quite a bit of tea that day and wanted something a little stronger. But he still hoped a lighter drink would help calm his lord's spirit a bit.
"I feel like my trip ended up being for nothing," Ayato commented, smiling albeit slightly bitterly. "Evidently, Ayaka already had everything under control."
"I wouldn't say it was for nothing," Thoma pointed out hopefully. "Lady Ayaka knew that sooner or later, suspicions might fall on her, but she was unaware that they already existed. So I think your warning about the situation was certainly timely."
Thoma's face turned somewhat more serious and thoughtful at that moment. He looked down at his mug, staring at the slightly distorted reflection of his own face.
"I promised to always take care that she didn't get into trouble," he murmured slowly with regret. "And even so…"
"You have nothing to apologize for," Ayato interrupted sharply. "As Ayaka rightly said, all her decisions have been on her own. None of us is guilty of them, although sooner or later, we may have to deal with their consequences."
"You're not going to leave the matter to Ms. Ayaka alone, are you?"
"There may not be much I can do directly, but I'll manage to somehow stay on top of the Tenryou Commission's investigation. If I feel they're getting too close..."
Silence fell, leaving that sentence halfway, and Thoma was somewhat expectant to know how it would end.
"What will you do if that happens?" asked the servant with slight concern.
Ayato widened his sly smile a little more, one of those that Thoma knew very well hid more than what was seen with the naked eye.
"Some things are better not known," he answered suddenly, followed later by a sip from his cup.
"I know," Thoma whispered slowly, knowing fully that he couldn't get more information from him. "But if you need anything, you know you can count on me."
"Now that you mention it, I need you to enlighten me on another matter," the commissioner stated, lowering his cup back to the table. "Kaedehara Kazuha. Tell me, what exactly is happening?"
Thoma couldn't help but let out a small laugh. This could be because the role of the overprotective brother in Ayato was, in addition to novelty, fun. But it could also be part of a nervous laugh since it was not exactly a topic that Thoma felt comfortable talking about since he saw it as a matter that did not concern him.
But in any case, he listened to his master's request. He summarized the events in the best way he could, since they left the Kamisato Estate the day before, the search for Katsumoto, and the events that occurred in the old Kaedehara Estate. Of course, without omitting everything he had seen and heard in the teahouse, both the night before and that day.
While Thoma narrated all this, two waitresses appeared, bringing with them the food they had ordered. Thoma didn't stop his story because of the presence of the two women, but he tried not to reveal who he was talking about too much.
Ayato listened to him attentively the whole time, just asking a few questions in the process to make some points clearer. His expressionless face did not give a little clue about what it all seemed to him. But when Thoma finished telling everything, he went straight to asking a question that perhaps summed up the commissioner's real concern:
"Tell me the truth, do you think Ayaka's interest in that boy is... something else?"
"You mean if she's interested in him... romantically?"
"Or physically. Or both. Ayaka is no longer a child, after all. And both already have a previous story that is very difficult to ignore."
"I know. But I think that's something you should ask her directly, my lord. I can only tell you that I have seen her behave this way with someone on very rare occasions."
"In what way?" Ayato questioned, clearly attracted by that last comment.
"How to describe it?" Thoma muttered, looking up at the ceiling as if searching somewhere for the right words. "So… normal, so natural. Leaving for a moment to be the pristine Heron Princess, to allow herself to be more how she really is. I don't know if that means she has a particular interest in him or just that she trusts him because of that previous story you just mentioned."
Ayato seemed to want to question more about it, but he didn't. Instead, he just silently ate from his plate and perhaps meditated a bit on what Thoma had just told him.
"So normal." That implied that, regularly, Ayaka didn't behave "normal" at all. But was there anyone in their position who actually did? What was being normal for them, really?
"Seeing them together actually transported me back to that time for a moment," Ayato commented suddenly with a distracted voice, glancing fleetingly to the side. "I almost thought I saw them again as those two innocent children, playing in our yard. If things had been different, perhaps both would have celebrated their marriage around this time or earlier."
There was a pause, which the commissioner used to take another bite of his plate. And after chewing it for a while, he continued:
"Ayaka mentioned that there was nothing she had to forgive him for. That both were victims of the actions of others, including me. Tell me something, Thoma," he muttered thoughtfully, glancing back at the servant sitting in front of him. "You were by my side in this from the very beginning. Do you think my actions with the Kaedehara affair were correct? Or maybe I could have handled it differently? Could I perhaps have done something to hurt Ayaka less?"
Thoma was silent at first. The question did seem to have thrown him off balance a bit, though… not entirely. He could clearly see where it came from. However, what Thoma was most hesitant about was what kind of answer his master was really expecting.
"Are you asking me as your servant, my lord?" he murmured slowly with solemnity, although almost immediately, he added with a much more casual tone: "Or as your friend, Ayato?"
"What do you think?" The commissioner replied carelessly, smiling at him in a much more sincere way.
And was clear at the time that the opinion of a servant was not the one that would help him at that time. So taking off the role of housekeeper a little, Thoma tried to answer the question as honestly as possible.
"The three of us were quite young back then. Boys forced to take on adult roles pretty soon. I don't know if your decision to separate yourself entirely from that matter was the right one or not. Still, I am convinced you did it because it seemed the most appropriate at that moment. The most appropriate thing a young boy in your position could think of, wanting above all to protect his sister. And Ayaka knows it too. But now that all these years have passed and you have become older and more experienced, and your position as commissioner has become stronger, perhaps your way of seeing it has changed. If you had to face the same situation again in these times, would you do something different?"
Now it was Ayato who was silent. He lowered his eyes, contemplating his plate of food while contemplating the scenario that his servant (and friend) proposed to him. Would he do something different if he could? It was hard to tell. And any answer would most likely be meaningless eight years after when it really mattered.
"What impression does the Kaedehara guy make on you?" Inquired Ayato after a while with curiosity. "Do you think he is approaching Ayaka with bad intentions?"
"I haven't spent much time with him, but it doesn't seem like he's become a bad person over the years, just the opposite. And Ayaka was the one who searched for him, not the other way. He actually seems very worried that his presence will bring some trouble to her."
There was a small and somewhat strange pause where Ayato sensed that something in Thoma had changed. A thought had surely taken over his mind when talking about that, and Ayato didn't have to ask him about it before he got up the courage to share it.
"I'm most worried about his companion, this Tomo guy," Thoma declared firmly and even slightly hostile when pronouncing that name.
"Are you saying that for any reason in particular?" questioned Ayato. "Or is it just a bad feeling?"
"I don't know. It's just that everything about him feels so… fake, starting with his name. He always has that carefree smile on his face, but that doesn't entirely mask the sense of constant danger that comes with him. As if it was hiding deep down..."
"A great rage about to explode," Ayato quickly complemented, externalizing his own conclusion.
"I guess you noticed it too."
"Something like that."
That fleeting encounter in front of the teahouse hadn't left him with an entirely solid impression of this mysterious individual. It was too early to consider him a threat, but he certainly hadn't inspired confidence either. And now that Thoma shared that concern with him, it inevitably tipped Ayato's mental scale further to one side.
"Whatever his business here in Inazuma was," Thoma completed, "I don't think he would be interested in approaching Ayaka with any ulterior motives beyond helping and protecting his friend."
"Wouldn't hurt to keep a close eye on him anyway," Ayato concluded without hesitation. "Just in case."
Having said all that had to be said, they both continued to eat a little calmer. At least on the outside, because inside, the worries didn't leave them entirely.
Ayaka and Kazuha went upstairs back to the former's private room. The Heron Princess carefully closed the door for privacy. Without prompting, Kazuha knelt on the ground and carefully removed a portion of his worn kimono, revealing his right shoulder. The bandage was still wrapped around the injured area; under it, there was a slight reddish trace.
The Kamisato went to one of the drawers in her closet, where she had kept the bandages and medicine she had used the night before. With both in hand, she returned to her companion and sat on the floor before him. She then began to remove the bandages little by little. Kazuha remained serene and motionless while she took care of everything. The closeness of the boy, and his partially exposed torso, did not cause Ayaka the same discomfort as before, but it did… something else.
Once the bandage was removed entirely, she took a look at the wound. It seemed to have bled a little, but nothing serious to the naked eye.
"It doesn't look too bad," Ayaka stated with relief. "But I'll still apply more of the medicine, okay?"
Kazuha only nodded in response, and similar to the night before, the blue-haired girl took some of the strong-smelling greenish substance and began to carefully apply it to the wound on his shoulder. The brush of her fingers in that area caused a slight burning but also a pleasant sensation in its way.
"Did your brother bring you bad news?" Kazuha asked suddenly.
"Why do you think so?" Ayaka answered somewhat evasively.
"It's just that the air in this room feels much heavier than it did a while ago. And also, your mood obviously changed a bit."
Ayaka remained silent as she finished applying for the medicine. She then continued to place new bandages around his shoulder.
"I don't want to interfere in matters that don't concern me," Kazuha added. "I just... I want to make sure you're okay."
"I am," Ayaka answered clearly. "It's just that, like you, I also have some matters that I can't speak freely about and require my attention at the moment."
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No, don't worry about this. It's a matter I have to take care of myself."
Ayaka finished putting on the bandages and then started to put everything in its place again. Kazuha, for his part, covered his shoulder with the kimono again.
"I understand," the wandering samurai whispered. "If that's the case, maybe it's better that I retire so that I don't take up any more of your time and you can attend to these matters."
Ayaka was startled to hear him say such words and immediately turned to him urgently. Everything in her gaze screamed that she wanted to tell him not to do such a thing. However, as much as she wanted to continue behaving as if she were a person capable of making such decisions, the reality was that she couldn't let her wishes get in the way of her duty.
She was a Kamisato and couldn't hide there forever pretending nothing was wrong.
She turned back to the bandages and the medicine, finishing placing them all in their box, biting her lower lip lightly in some trepidation. She took a deep breath, and taking courage from within, she replied:
"I wish that weren't the case, really. But I'm afraid I won't be able to be an entirely pleasant company for the next few days."
"You don't have to explain yourself," Kazuha quickly commented. "You have done enough for me. I… I am indeed glad that I was able to spend this time with you."
Still with her face turned in another direction, Ayaka felt her lips almost willingly draw a broad smile on her lips. Of course, there was no recrimination in the boy's words, nor questioning. Just a sincere understanding, a desire to support her, and to know that he only cared for her, even if their time together had been short. In truth, every minute she was more impressed with the wonderful and genuine person his old friend had become. But at the same time, that also made it hurt more that they had to say goodbye so soon.
But, maybe it didn't have to be a goodbye exactly; not yet.
A little calmer, she turned back to sit directly across from him, no longer bothering to hide the feelings that must have flowed so vividly from her face.
"I'm glad we met too, Kazuha," the Heron Princess whispered slowly, then subtly extending one of her hands to him.
The swordsman contemplated for a moment the hand that was offered to him. He did not really need any further explanation. He extended one of his towards her as well, making it so gently that their fingers barely touched each other. However, that small contact was enough for a slight blush to break out on both their cheeks and a subtle smile that, together with their looks, said more than words.
"You told me you were leaving after the festival's first night, right?" Ayaka commented after a while, still unwilling to move her hand away.
"That's right," Kazuha agreed.
"I see. So on that day, before you have to take care of what you must do… could you come to visit me? To say goodbye..."
Kazuha seemed surprised by the request, though not in a bad way. He thought about it a bit, considering his options. They didn't have a specific time for the exchange yet. However, it would most likely be at night, when the festival was at its busiest, and they could still get out of town without attracting too much attention. If so, there would be no problem if he just went a little earlier. And even if there was… the truth was that Kazuha had no desire to leave without properly saying goodbye to her.
"Yes, of course," he replied confidently after a few moments. "I'll be here. It is a promise."
"Thank you," Ayaka added, her beautiful, luminous smile widening even further. "I'll look forward to it…"
And just like that, both of them had to part again. But this time, it wouldn't be for long.
Author's Notes:
I threw like crazy every day on the Kazuha banner until the last day of this one, even paying for gems to complete the rolls. And what was the result? I got Mona… It was so sad… It has nothing to do with the story or why it took me so long to update, but I wanted to share my regret, hehehe.
A little clam chapter, I know, but with a couple of conversations that will be important later. In the following chapters, there will be several new characters (for this story, of course, but well known to some around here), and we will see that little outing agreed between Ayaka, Chisato, and Sara. And, of course, several other things...