Chapter 4: Dragonfly
The hot air from the flames warms her face as she watches motionless as the figure rises in the midst of the battle that could have lasted the blink of an eye. Breathless, with eyes mesmerized by the man who emerges victorious, but with a deeply shadowed face. His eyes sparkle like a diamond amidst the darkness.
Kasumi can only utter his name in a faint whisper that does not reach her ears. Completely incredulous, unable to recognize what her own eyes see as true. But it can't be, it's inconceivable, no one can be so monstrously powerful.
The soldier she pointed Satoru's sword at watches in terror as he falls near a pile of corpses and recognizes in one of the disfigured faces a comrade. His hands tremble and his legs barely respond when he tries to start his escape and Satoru's dark pupil chases him like a fly, but before crossing the walls that separate the red district from the city of Osaka, he falls collapsed on the ground.
Kasumi has not even had time to turn her face, but it was enough for Satoru to take an ownerless sword and throw it right in the middle of his skull.
She hears the body fall and closes her eyes tightly, unable to continue watching such horror. And when there is nothing but silence interrupted by the sparks of the fire that begins to make the district disappear, she feels his blue eyes on her. She opens her eyes and he watches her for an instant, when the table in Hamari's office turns over with a bang and the voices of the girls force her to turn around.
Women and men pile out of the pleasure houses, at least those who survived. Everything seems to indicate that most of the conflict centered on stopping Gojo Satoru.
Behind Kasumi the courtesans begin to gather to see with their own eyes the first signs of the war that is approaching over the whole country. Hamari makes her way through the women and stands next to Kasumi, her face exhibiting a stern expression. Kasumi is struck by her temper and the way she looks at the corpses and at Satoru. She notices that they both share a complicit look and nod at the same time.
"Gather your things, bring whatever horses and carriages we have. Take only what you can carry. We're getting out of here."
Just like Satoru's friends, the rest of the Shinmaki women start working almost immediately, without saying too many words, they all seem to share the same thought. In less than thirty minutes they have managed to extinguish most of the fire and the sun begins to rise on the other side of the horizon. Satoru has not addressed a word to her so far, and she has spent her time helping the courtesans load their carriages, avoiding at all costs to see the bodies scattered along the street again.
Outside the walls of Shinmaki Kasumi finds Oguri, waiting for them and upon seeing her the animal stretches its head demanding a petting. Kasumi hasn't said much during the last few hours, but she dares to imagine that this is not the only massacre this animal has witnessed. He is too calm to be inexperienced. Far from running away from danger, he moves almost inviting her to climb on his back. Satoru's hand reaches over Kasumi's head to stroke Oguri's fur and she looks up to find his smiling face. He looks calm and judging by his smile one might assume it's a normal day.
Kasumi slides her gaze down his neck, small black drops clinging to his white skin. The blood has already dried, on his skin, his hair and clothes, but he doesn't pay too much attention to it.
"We have to leave, you ready?" he asks her and she nods.
"Hey, Kai," Kasumi directs her gaze to the caller. Hamari on the other side, standing next to a carriage pulled by two horses watches her and invites her to approach one last time. As if asking permission, she looks at Satoru and, after seeing him nod, walks towards her. Her mouth is tight, the time has come when she must keep her word and confess the truth to Satoru. Reluctantly she walks up to Hamari and with her head down she waits for what she will demand of her. "You were very brave," she says in a soft tone and she looks up. "You took good care of us... and that's why I'll give you the chance to tell Satoru the truth on your own terms, when your heart is ready. But don't take too long..."
With one less burden on her back she sketches a hopeful smile that barely fades when Hanami takes her face in her hands and leaves a soft kiss on her lips.
Blushing, she looks into her eyes in disbelief. Hanami laughs and opens her carriage door, then stretches out a hand to wave to Gojo.
"Take good care of him, we'll entrust him to you!"
Satoru watches the exchange with surprise and for a small moment his cheeks flush red. The girls open the carriage windows and wave as they take their leave, blowing kisses to Kai as they drive away. Their flattery doesn't reach her ears. Kasumi has a hand over her mouth, her face ablaze with flames.
"I think she liked you," Satoru says beside her. "Hamari never goes to all that trouble... I don't want to know what you did last night, but did you have fun?"
Kasumi purses her lips, unable to shake off her feelings of modesty. She turns to climb on Oguri's back by herself while Satoru begins to ask her the most indecent questions in her ear.
"We can do it again in another city..." he says, pressing her. "If the girls are so happy with you, they must have a good reason. I wonder what Hamari told them, then I'll ask you what your tricks are, maybe I'll steal some from you," he continues, about to burst out laughing.
He doesn't know the effect his words have on her, not after seeing with her own eyes the things that transpire inside the red-light district and the way sex really looks. Kasumi squeezes her legs over Oguri's back enduring Satoru's indecencies.
"Do you want me to tell you what my first time was like?"
Kasumi's heart stops in the middle of the trail, to her mind travels an image that gives her goosebumps and twists something in the middle of her chest. This feeling she is forced to admit... it's jealousy.
"No," she says in a whisper.
"No?" asks Satoru behind her.
"No! I don't want to know!"
"Well... it was just a topic of conversation. What do you want to talk about?"
Kasumi doesn't know if she should mention the attack on the Shinmaki district. At times she thinks that his carefree manner is a kind of mask. No one can be so cold as to murder at least thirty soldiers and not say a word about it.
"How do you feel?" she asks in a soft tone. "I mean... a lot happened last night and I just... Would you let me clean your clothes? They're covered in blood and..."
"It smells bad, I know," he answers. His face is stoic. "We have to stay away from Osaka for at least one more day. We don't know how many soldiers are nearby or if the Zenin clan's army has moved from the imperial city."
"Were they heading for the castle we saw in Osaka?"
"Maybe they were looking for me. Or perhaps Naoya intended them to swear allegiance to him, but they can never enter the castle, it is impossible. It's an impenetrable fortress."
"Last night... I listened to several of your stories. You never told me you served the former emperor."
"I didn't? -And you... never heard of me?"
She denies.
"How disappointing, I expected at least a few songs to be sung about me by now."
"So why are they looking for you?"
"I'd bet all my money that they intend me to serve the new empire as well as the old one, and since I fled the imperial palace... maybe they'll say it was treason."
'Treason is punishable by death,' Kasumi thinks with her heart squeezed inside her chest. She suddenly doesn't feel like asking any more questions. Maybe all the ideas she had gotten about him are not true. But to fully trust him she knows she has to keep her promise to Hamari and be completely honest. With the decision firm in her chest, Kasumi decides that she will find the ideal moment. It will be when she can look him in the face, when she will tell him what she has been hiding since she met him.
"I got you a sword, I hope you don't mind that I killed its previous user. Your sword wasn't of much use after last night... I have a feeling you'll need something sharp."
She looks over her shoulder at him in surprise.
"It's okay... I-I don't mind... too much."
"It'll be temporary... when we get to the next town, we'll look for a blacksmith who can make you one according to your size. Mine is too long and heavy for you, isn't it?"
Kasumi nods.
"By the way... When we were evacuating the district, I noticed a trace of cursed energy... the kind that forms when you use an incantation. Do you have an innate technique that you didn't tell me about?"
"N-not exactly... There is a technique that my master taught me, but to use it I must make a binding vow."
"How interesting, I've always been very curious about them, you know? Did your master teach you that revealing your ritual to another sorcerer can make your incantation stronger? It's a double-edged sword, revealing the ritual can make your opponent figure out how to defeat it, that's why you must be quick. You shouldn't waste a single second after revealing it."
"My master mentioned it to me, but I never felt the need to use it in a real combat until today."
"You know what I find most interesting? The vow can take many forms, but you can't make a deceptive contract. That is, you must offer something in exchange for something else. I guess your spell isn't too risky, but if you were to give something really important to you... like your body or your heart, the result must be just as important. Also, I imagine there is something on the other side capable of listening to you, otherwise how would the power be obtained, right? For example, if I wanted to, I could sacrifice my right hand in exchange for a technique that would allow me to do incredible things, but... what if I only give a finger? Would that mysterious force on the other side give me the technique I desire, or the strength I implore? It's something I often wonder... Anyway... am I rambling?"
"No... actually... it makes sense. In my case... I just have to keep my feet on the ground."
"Sounds very like you, Kai-chan," he says and stretches his neck to see her face, a playful smile painted on his lips.
She should feel strange riding alongside a man capable of committing a massacre and still wear a smile on his face, but she doesn't. Her confidence grows with every step Oguri takes and her heart begins to accept the nature of her feelings. Although she constantly questions whether what is born within her will last, and whether it is right to feel this way given the circumstances, all doubt is dispelled when she sees him smile. She finds herself swallowing when he sets up camp in the middle of the woods and stares for too long at his neck and his Adam's apple bobbing after every word he utters. She gets a knot in her stomach when he gets too close, invading her space with his magnetic, unpredictable aura. All it takes is a pat on the shoulder, his hand ruffling her hair, or the slightest rose to take her breath away. And as she watches him sleep another night she wonders if it will make any difference that he knows she is actually a woman.
After all... it's Gojo Satoru. And he could fill a town with all the women who have fallen prey to his smile. However, she slowly gathers courage and the next day when they stop again to give Oguri a break, Kasumi makes up her mind.
This will be the day of truth.
"It's not necessary, I can do it myself," says Satoru handing his haori to Kasumi, but she denies and he is stunned for a moment to see the sweetness of her smile.
"I want to do it; I'll have it very clean. I promise."
It's become his habit to put his hand on the crown of her head and ruffle her hair as she melts under his touch, even if he doesn't realize it. Kasumi can't even see him, as it is now, bare torso and skin glistening in the intense sunlight.
"I'll bring something to eat for both of us. I won't be long," he promises her, and she nods with a smile so wide it could touch both her ears.
With Satoru's clothes in her hands, she watches him walk away, following the river. Then she carefully walks down a slope until she reaches the shore and gets down to work. Although Satoru doesn't know it, this is not the first time Kasumi has had to clean blood from her clothes. Her first bleedings took her by surprise while training with her teacher Kusakabe and more than once she has been badly beaten, leaving her crawling. And although the passage of days complicates her work as the blood is dry and stiff as stone, she tries her best as if she were going to give this haori to a nobleman.
Kasumi, completely immersed in removing all the stains from Satoru's clothes, rubs the cloth against the stones incessantly. She wipes the sweat from her forehead again and again until the stains begin to disappear leaving behind pink haloes.
She doesn't notice a pair of watchful eyes on her.
After wringing the clothes tightly until the last pink drop falls into the river, she retraces her steps and trudges up the hill, the haori slung across her back.
Fortunately, Satoru always brings ropes with him to hang the haori, holding it between two trees. She stretches out the clothes with a smile, with the sun as intense as it is today it won't take long for it to dry completely. Perhaps he can put it on by the time they finish eating. She dries her hands on her skirt and turns to prepare the firewood, figuring it won't be long before Satoru returns.
When she finishes, she sighs, looks off into the horizon wondering how much longer it will take. He doesn't usually take so long, it's easy for him to fish.
"What a pity, I thought you'd be together."
The voice behind her chills her to the bone and, turning around, Kasumi finds a woman leaning against a tree. Her sharp smile gives her chills, how could she get so close without making any noise?
She quickly takes the katana that Satoru offered her and unsheathes it without hesitation in front of her rival. With her fingers tightened on the hilt she points the blade towards the woman who smiles at her and she walks confidently shortening the distance. The cadence of her body exudes more confidence than that of Gojo Satoru himself; her steps are intimidating, as is the smile on her face. However, she is surprised that she cannot sense any trace of cursed energy.
"Who are you?!" Kasumi exclaims and for a moment she fears she is surrounded by enemies hiding in the forest.
"Black hair, blue eyes. It's you, isn't it? Gojo Satoru's companion."
"He's not here! He's gone!"
"And... he's not planning to come back for his clothes?" she says and smiles, pointing at the freshly laid clothes with her thumb.
Kasumi sees her feline eyes fixed on her. She diverts her blue eyes to the forest with the thought that she can't be alone, but she sees no one. Then she discovers a weapon she carries at her waist. It is a cursed weapon, the kind Kasukabe has told her about. But she perceives nothing in her, not an ounce of energy. How can she be able to hold it? So many doubts cloud her mind, but she is forced to come to her senses quickly when she throws the blade in her direction. Its shape resembles that of a bat's wing and it moves so fast that it almost cuts her cheek. Had it not been for the sword Satoru left her she would have been decapitated.
Drawn by a chain, the sickle returns to the woman who threw it.
"I'd be pitiful to kill you," she says with an almost bored gesture, "just tell me where he is and I'll let you live."
Kasumi's lips are tight, as are her hands on her katana. The disadvantage is clear and perhaps her only alternative is to wait for Satoru to return. She can only resist.
"You're not going to tell me? Would you really give your life for that idiot?"
"He's not an idiot!"
She opens her eyes as if she's surprised.
"He's your master? He's really lousy at his job!" She shouts at her with a laugh as she hurls her cursed weapon at Kasumi again and again, forcing her to retrace her steps.
The steel trembles, Kasumi feels her sword quiver in her hands after each thrust. Kasumi's cursed energy is the only thing holding it together, the steel at any moment will snap.
Cornered between the cliff to the river and the woman who subdues her, Kasumi sees her intentions etched in her brown eyes. Her sinister smile widens as she throws the weapon once more and she is forced to use her only recourse.
"New shadow style, unsheathe!"
The dark field that spreads around her fills her with energy and with her sword she manages to shake off her enemy's accurate strike. But when it vanishes a second later, she is at her side, so close that she can see her face to face. This time, without a weapon, with nothing but her fist, she strikes straight at Kasumi's face and sends her tumbling down the slope several feet.
She rests a hand on her waist after seeing her knocked out, her katana lying by the river and the young man unconscious.
"I expected more from Gojo Satoru's disciple..." she says and chirps as she walks away without paying any more attention to him. "I guess he wasn't as strong as everyone said..."
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With three salmon on his shoulder and a pair of new sandals he got from a traveling merchant, Satoru retraces his steps following the river. The sky is clear and the sun is beating down on his back and drying his damp skin with its heat. After each step he plans his next destination and what will be the best route to reach the village where his old friend lives. He is so focused that he has not noticed that for some time now he has not heard any birds singing, there is nothing but silence around him, nothing but the sound of his own footsteps.
Suddenly a wave of curse energy comes from behind him, so quickly that he barely has time to pull his sword out of the scabbard. The weapon passing by his nose after screeching against the steel of his sword leaves a small cut on his forearm.
Incredulous, Satoru concentrates his attention on the energy around him, but he can perceive absolutely nothing. Forced to remove his glasses, he sees her as if she were a mirage.
A woman in a green sleeveless kimono, shaking on her right hand the cursed weapon chain while with her left hand she holds a large link chain.
"And you, what are you exactly?" -Satoru asks intrigued. "Do my eyes see the outcast of the Zenin clan?" he asks smiling.
"Humpf!" she blurts out, twisting her face. Her smile fades and she frowns. "I'll show you who I am, you idiot!" she yells, throwing her deformed and obtuse weapon.
Her expression transforms again. Confident from her previous fight, she forgot for a moment who was in front of her. Alert, she watches the way Satoru smoothly dodges her attack, the edge of his weapon slips through the air and before she can pull the chain to try a second strike, the samurai thrusts his sword into one of the links of the chain as if time was running slower for him.
The movement of the links through the air stops so suddenly that it manages to knock her off balance and before she can realize it, Satoru manipulates her weapon and pulls the chain and drags her across the ground.
"How fun! It's been a long time since I've had a real fight!" Satoru exclaims. "Too bad we don't have an audience. I would have loved to have a couple of spectators, but what the heck!"
"Yeah!" the woman shouts, planting her feet on the ground, "Too bad your disciple isn't here to see us!"
Satoru falls prey to her words for an instant, or so she is led to believe when she retrieves her weapon victoriously.
"Are you talking about Kai?"
"I didn't give him enough time for introductions. You're a pathetic teacher! He didn't last me more than a couple of seconds."
"Wow... so that happened, huh? Well, you've made things very difficult for me if what you say is true. I have no choice but to murder you."
In the blink of an eye, she feels the air caress her cheek. She sees him out of the corner of her eye, as quick as lightning. She has no use for a weapon of that caliber in a melee, so she throws it without a second thought and jumps before receiving Satoru's accurate blow.
"So deep down you're as sentimental as anyone else. Who would have thought it! I thought you were nothing but a bootlicker when you abandoned the imperial palace and your lord."
"And I thought the Zenin had banished you long ago for your... disability. But it seems they still send you on their errands for them, you must know what it feels like to be a bootlicker, don't you?"
She clenches her teeth and pulls a red, double-edged cane out of her back, she rests both feet firmly on the ground and with both hands she lunges at Satoru, but he dodges each blow with the greatest lightness until he finally decides to stop her with his sword. She looks him in the eye, unnerved by the smugness of his smile. He has only one hand on his katana and yet he was still able to parry her attack. And, before she can make the next one, Satoru uses his left hand to flick the cane and hit her in the middle of the forehead with it. Again and again, like a taunt, until she jumps up and away.
A red thread runs out of her nose and down her chin. A drop of blood breaks on her sandal. Eyes fixed on her opponent, she wipes her face and spits. She gathers air in her lungs and launches into her next attack, but this time he simply retraces his steps deflecting her weapon with the gentle touch of his hands until with a slap he drives the weapon into the ground. He takes the staff in his left hand and slides around the woman, moving across her back until he grabs the other end to point it in her face with its edge.
Out of breath, she watches him intently, and coughs a soft laugh.
"So... you were strong."
"The strongest," he replies and takes the staff in both hands before breaking it over his knee.
To the Zenin clan woman's surprise, Satoru tosses her one end of the staff and smiles at her. He is daring her to continue to the end. He doesn't plan to give her a quick death and that manages to bring a smile to her face.
"What an arrogant idiot."
"That's what I've been told," he answers with a smile spreading across his lips.
They both raise in the air a part of the cursed staff, as if they were two swords. With a dueling stance they both look each other in the eyes before taking their first step forward, but without her being able to see it, Satoru slides across the ground and makes a deep cut in her rib.
'There's no comparison,' she thinks before dropping her weapon and falls to the ground on one knee, clutching tightly over the cut. 'It's impossible, there's no way to stop him, he's too fast.'
He pushes her onto the ground and she falls backwards. Satoru's figure eclipses the sun above her.
"It's not fatal, at least for now," he says looking at her with empty eyes. "Did the Zenin clan really send you?"
She spits.
"N-no... I just wanted to... do the job I knew they couldn't. I wanted to present your head to Naoya and say to his face 'see? I could do it'..." she says surrendered, laughing, her face stained with blood. "I wanted to see what the bastard's face would look like when I did it."
"Revenge?"
"Pride."
"I get it. What's your name?"
"M-Maki..."
"Any last words?"
She gives a soft smile, diverts Satoru's gaze to the river flowing a few feet away.
"When you kill Naoya... release my sister."
Satoru raises his eyebrows as he listens to her, slightly interested.
"Okay. What's her name?"
"Mai, she's my twin sister. Naoya has her in his harem. I've been trying to free her for a long time, I thought maybe if I killed you, I could finally take her with me...but...here we are."
Satoru gathers air into his lungs and then sighs.
"You understand why I have to kill you, don't you? I respect your motivation, but... you killed Kai."
"The boy? You still have time to see him... if you hurry..."
Satoru looks strange, opens his eyes wide and searches through her expression for a hint of a lie. He wastes no more time. He sheathes his katana and leaves without another word.
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She can hardly get up from the ground, her arms are shaking and she feels a prominent pain on her cheek. Her memories blur, a moment ago she was washing Satoru's clothes in the river and a second later...
The sound of footsteps puts her on alert and Kasumi rolls over onto her back completely terrified, trying to think in less than half a second where she threw her sword. When her vision clears she sees him in the eyes. His eyes the same color as the open sky look at her with concern and he hurriedly grabs her arm and turns her over on the ground looking for something. He feels her body without asking permission, everywhere, Satoru's big hands run over her, they grab her face stretching her neck, looking for something she doesn't know. Kasumi doesn't know what to say, he inspects her and touches her everywhere until she gathers enough strength to push him away. Her expression startled, her skin exuding heat from every pore.
"What are you doing?!"
"Aren't you hurt?" he asks with a frown, as if it bothers him.
She lets her guard down and repeats Satoru's work on her own body, slides her hands from chest to hip and then denies, but he doesn't seem satisfied. He looks at her quizzically and stands up straight looking off into the horizon. Then he smiles to himself and lets out a small laugh.
"How clever..." he says to himself and turns to look at her, lying on the ground, then holds out his hand. "You survived Maki Zenin, Kai-chan. Well done."
"I rather think she spared my life..." she replies embarrassed, standing up, shaking off her clothes.
They don't need to cross many words to understand that they have no choice but to set up their improvised camp and look for another place to spend the night. Although Maki was not sent by the Zenin Clan, Satoru is certain that they are on his heels.
The afternoon falls reddish over them. They break camp so quickly that Satoru's clothes don't dry completely. Before saying much more, they both mount on Oguri's back and march briskly to gain distance until the sun begins to fade.
Kasumi listens to Satoru's account of his fight with Maki with incomparable admiration. She can almost imagine his movements despite never having seen him fight with her own eyes, but after seeing what his unimaginable strength leaves in its wake she has no room for doubt. Her small chest limited by the sash she hides under her kimono fills with pride, and not a drop of envy fits inside her.
"It was a good way to make me doubt, making me believe that she killed you."
"She did?" Kasumi asks, her heart shrinking in her chest. "I guess you wouldn't be able to find the children without me, would you?"
"I know I'd find them eventually, otherwise. But it would complicate me quite a bit if we're talking about time. But that's not all, you know, I'd feel really bad if because of my carelessness someone hurt you."
Kasumi blushes so much that she feels like she has a fever, everything burns, her cheeks, her ears, her neck, her chest. Something strange fills her chest, as if she is drowning from a feeling that leaves her breathless.
"Thank you for coming back for me... again," she says, trying to live with the permanent feeling of warm suffocation that Satoru provokes in her.
When the night arrives, starry, Kasumi feels her eyes heavy. Oguri walks slowly, probably tired after such a long journey and so little rest, but he does not stop. He is a strong, feisty animal, like his owner. She listens to crickets chirping in the grasses and lifts her chin, watching the stars in total silence. She smiles, imagining that probably, when they stop to rest, she will have to confess her lie. The thought leaves her shy, tight-lipped even though she has finally accepted that it is time.
"Kai-chan..." Satoru murmurs and lets his body fall gently against her back.
Stiffly, Kasumi whispers his name. Incredibly his closeness never ceases to amaze her. Gojo's breath caresses her ear and ruffles her free hair under her ponytail. She shifts her shoulders, uncomfortable, but he doesn't move from her side. He's glued to her, almost hugging her, encircling her with the reins of his horse and she trembles like a leaf. She swallows saliva, unsettled by the wild pounding of her own heart.
Satoru suddenly falls off Oguri's back against the trail in the middle of the night and the horse is shocked. She holds onto his fur, trying to grab the reins that Satoru let go.
"Gojo-san! GOJO-SAN!"
Hastily she climbs down from the horse and crouches over Satoru's body. His forehead glistens cold sweat, his whole body feels icy. Kasumi touches his forehead, shakes it hard as she screams his name that echoes in the forest as if nature is screaming for him, until she finally finds the reason for his condition.
Kasumi gasps as she sees a gash over his right arm, a purple creeper breaks away from the incision and spreads across his forearm.
"Venom..." says Kasumi breathlessly and turns in all directions searching fruitlessly for help. There is nothing around, nothing but trees, mountains and river. No smoke from a campfire, no sign of a nearby harbor. Kasumi sees Oguri as if it were an insurmountable mountain. Satoru is at least thirty centimeters taller than her and maybe even forty kilos heavier. "Oguri... I don't know if you understand me... but I need your help... We have to get him to safety."
Oguri snorts and moves a few steps back and forth. He may not understand Kasumi's words, but he has understood her tone. The animal lies down on the ground before the incredulous blue eyes watching him. Her gaze moistens, touched by the way the horse wheezes as if telling her to 'hurry up'.
"We're in this together, Oguri..." she says, taking Satoru's long arms to carry him on her back.
She cannot extend her legs; he is even heavier than she had imagined. It must be the clothes and the sword. Kasumi crawls with Satoru on top of her, panting her breaths. She barely manages to leave him on Oguri's back when she falls flat on her back on the ground and the horse gets to its feet.
After mounting his back and making sure he was safe, she fiercely takes the reins in search of an uncertain place, anywhere that would serve as a refuge, perhaps a hermit's home, perhaps a small village.
In her despair tears run down her cheek and fly in the distant darkness of the night. Hopelessness invades her after a few minutes of a deserted trail, the illusion of finding a nearby village with a healer, fades by the minute.
Her heart vibrates at the sight of a small house, battered by the inclement weather. Devastated, she analyzes her situation for a moment and soon after decides that she has no choice but to accept what little fate has given her. She drags Satoru on top of her and leaves him sitting inside the small hut. It doesn't look like anyone has lived there in many years, the wood on the walls looks deteriorated and the roof about to fall off after the next gust of wind. But for now, it will do to keep him hidden.
He takes her hand, her face distressed, her heart squeezed.
"I'll come back with help, hold on a little longer..." she promises, taking his hand firmly and before leaving she feels him squeeze it tighter.
When she turns around, he opens his eyes, barely separating his eyelashes. He looks at her with gentleness despite his convalescence. Kasumi sees through his gaze a hint of resignation.
"You tried to escape a couple of times..." he begins almost breathlessly. "This is your chance... look through my things... there are a couple of talismans there... they'll keep you safe on your journey. You can leave, there is no village nearby... It's too late."
He lets go of her, closes his eyes and lets himself fall against the wall of the hut without saying anything else, he closes his eyes and drops the hand that was holding Kasumi's on his stomach.
She has no words, she wants to say something, but she doesn't know what. The wind whistles behind them bringing icy gusts. She, living every second with extreme slowness tries to sort out her thoughts. If what Gojo says is true and there are no villages nearby perhaps there is nothing she can do but wait for the poison to consume the rest of his body. The idea twists her lips, tightened so as not to prematurely mourn his death.
There is no point in throwing herself into his arms to cry, she needs to do something, anything. With trembling hands she removes an old wooden bucket, lying in the middle of the hut, cleans the earthen pit used to build a fire, and hollows it out to quickly go out and gather all the firewood she can find. Old dry leaves and yellowish grasses. She builds a pyre and takes two flat stones in her hands. She strikes once, twice, three times, four times, but her hands don't seem willing to stop shaking. She cannot create a spark strong enough and not to be extinguished by the autumn breeze coming through the absent door.
A strong flame appears in front of her eyes and gradually consumes leaves and grass, then branches and trunks. Kasumi turns her moist eyes to him. Satoru smiles softly, his hand outstretched towards the pyre and a sign still throbbing on his fingertips.
Hope blooms within her and, as if he could embrace her in the distance, Kasumi feels her chest calm and her hands stop shaking. Without a word, she walks out of the hut in the middle of the dark and cloudy night with an idea in mind. She climbs on top of Oguri with the bucket in one hand and sets off on a journey through large pine and cedar trees, heading dangerously deep into the forest.
The dense foliage of the tree canopy blocks the moonlight; she can barely see in front of her nose, but she moves forward without stopping until she finally finds a pool of water.
Many years ago, Chiro —the son of Kota, the innkeeper—, was bitten by a coyote, Kasumi, only eight years old, accompanied the local doctor into the forest. The bite was not Chiro's problem, but the infection that swelled his leg and, in order to avoid having to amputate it, Kiosuke, who was also an apothecary, suggested treating the leg with leeches. Kasumi's job was to find them, as many as she could in the shortest possible time.
Thanks to that Kasumi knows that under the stones of stagnant water there may be a remote possibility of finding them. Perhaps, if she tries hard enough, maybe fate will lend her a hand.
With her hands blue with cold, her legs wet and her clothes damp, Kasumi sees drops falling on the water. It looks like it's raining, but Kasumi is actually crying. She can't see anything thanks to the lush forest around her and the density of the standing water. She blindly plunges her hands into the water until she can't bend her knuckles and ends up cursing like she has never done before in her life.
Her scream echoes through the forest and scares away the birds resting on the treetops and when she can no longer move her hands, she climbs out of the water and falls to the side of the pond. On her knees, bent over, she weeps bitterly at her own uselessness. She throws one of the stones from the pond, unable to control the restlessness that overwhelms her, then screams at the top of her lungs and after a last pitiful sob, sits down in the middle of nowhere letting the tears fall freely down her face.
Clumsily wiping her face, she lowers her gaze; her knuckles pale, bluish. Her hands tremble restlessly. Suddenly, like a sign from the gods, a small insect lands on her skirt.
Clumsily she wipes her face, lowers her gaze; her knuckles pale, bluish. Her hands tremble restlessly. Suddenly, as a sign from the gods, a small insect lands on her skirt. A dragonfly. It slowly moves its tired wings and then flutters away and as she turns her face following its trail she sees a swarm of fireflies.
With tired eyes she sees their light pulsing softly, quietly, like a breath, they fly with their translucent wings toward the pond. Turning around, Kasumi sees with surprise the fireflies that have emerged from the bush she threw the stone at, illuminating the night and warmly giving her a little breath.
.
.
.
.
'Dragonflies are the symbol of the samurai' Kasumi recalls with a smile. Her bucket full of water, with six leeches she hopes will buy Satoru a little more time. Hopefully she thinks back to an afternoon when she looked for Kano at the blacksmith's house. He had a helmet hanging proudly over a fireplace where he was heating his hammer to shape armor. She asked him that day...
'Why does that helmet have dragonflies engraved on it?'
'They are the symbol of the samurai. That's... because dragonflies only move forward. They never move backward, they always move forward, whatever the circumstances. They are the symbol of strength, courage and perseverance. And also good luck. That's why they are called 'kachi-mushi,' the victorious insects.'
Hello readers! This chapter was a bit shorter than the previous ones, but you can expect this to be the minimum length of each one, maybe some will end up being longer. I hope that won't be too much of a problem when reading! I wanted to leave greetings to everyone who has left comments, especially Ina (who is my vip reader), Escarlata, Ohagiri_03, Wandd, astridhanmar and Gomi-chan. I'd like to reply, but I've been busy writing, translating and drawing. I hope you liked this chapter and if you can I'd love to know what you think so far. I don't know whether to leave the updates for Saturdays or Sundays, what do you say? I'll read you in the next chapter!