Heaven Knows Everyone Is Miserable Now
Chapter 18: Miracle
Gintoki loosened the muscles woven tight around the smaller body trapped in his arms. At Hijikata's words, Gintoki had stilled—allowed himself to feel the extent of pain wrought by the knife stuck in his forearm. He heard his blood drip onto the ground. In the quiet of the forest, it mixed with the fluid of the dead rotter he had steered to ambush Hijikata's assailant.
That's her brother.
The words rang disconnected in Gintoki's mind. The meaning took its time sinking in. Gintoki had stopped for the pleading look in Hijikata's eyes, too real and incompatible with the situation to be overlooked. Gintoki was certain nothing else would have stopped him.
His pulse had quickened at the sight of Hijikata with a knife at his throat and a gun pressed into his side. For a second, he had blacked out. Impulse and despair had combined to summon ruthless methods he would have otherwise curbed, too aware of the thin line that kept him apart from the ghosts. Gintoki still didn't know why he should spare the man twisting in his arms. The pace at which he processed the reason why didn't match the survival instincts drilled into his body; stronger than his will.
He heard the man gasp for breath in a last effort to set himself free, then he fell silent.
Only the wind rustled. As it should.
"Let him go!" Hijikata cried out again, "Gintoki!"
Gintoki released the short man on command and watched him stumble towards the ground. The man's knees took the brunt of the fall. He kept a steady grip on the handle of his gun, though he was too out of breath to pull the trigger. His chest rose and fell as he took haggard breaths to regain oxygen. His other hand, relieved of the blade he had the smart notion to stick in Gintoki's forearm, clutched at his own neck, which already displayed signs of bruising from Gintoki's brutal chokehold.
"Are you alright?"
Gintoki repeated the question when Hijikata didn't answer.
"I said, are you alright?"
Hijikata lifted his gaze from the wheezing figure on the ground to look at Gintoki, surprised that the question had been directed at him and not at the man whom he had just saved from certain death.
"Y-yeah," Hijikata replied, eyes darting to the blood dripping down Gintoki's forearm, "You-?"
"I'm fine," Gintoki replied. He pulled the knife from his arm with a groan, ignoring the choked sound that left Hijikata's mouth at the sight, "Not my first rodeo." Gintoki added.
The sounds of rushing footsteps rose around them. Instinct kicked again. Gintoki flicked the blade he had pulled from his forearm with one hand and adopted a protective stance over his wound with the other, which held his own knife dirty with rotter blood.
Across from him, Hijikata seized the gun of the gasping man on the ground. Gintoki heard him rack the slide twice before grasping the gun with both hands and covering the area behind him. They greeted the newcomers with weapons aimed and ready, yet Gintoki did not expect to hear his name ring out.
"G-Gin-san?"
Four figures encircled them. Three appeared from behind Gintoki and another from behind Hijikata. The latter slunk into view from behind a cluster of young pine trees. Long locks of lavender hair framed her features, having escaped the loose ponytail tied at the back of her head. Gintoki recognized the woman's red-rimmed glasses and the dark circles under her eyes.
"Gin-san, it's really you…" Sarutobi lowered her blade as her eyes settled on Gintoki.
Gintoki kept his two knives up. He felt his heart beat quickly. Something akin to relief flooded his veins, but suspicion held most of it back. He sought Hijikata's gaze for confirmation, but the approaching footsteps at his back clamored for his attention. He turned around.
The dull look on Hijikata's face should have sufficed him. Behind him stood three strangers. Three men. The one in the middle, wearing glasses and a somber look on his face, took charge of the situation.
"Lower your weapons, you're outnumbered." he said.
Not all of them were armed with guns, but they had enough of them to be bold about their approach. Resentment and disappointment tugged at Gintoki, speeding the venom climbing up his throat.
"Strength in numbers is out of fashion nowadays, haven't you heard? You're already one man down."
"Knock it off." Hijikata grunted.
"I can't believe you are alive-" Sarutobi's voice cut the charged moment. She noticed the man on the ground sat with his legs spread out and a displaced smile on his face, "Hey, is he alright?"
Hijikata answered before Gintoki could provide another sarcastic remark.
"He's fine."
The expression on Sarutobi's face hardened at Hijikata's voice. Her lips formed a thin line. She walked past him to kneel beside the other man.
"It's like Hijikata-san said. I'm fine," the man said, fingertips brushing the bruise on his neck. Gintoki noticed then how young he looked, how barely close he was to being a grown man at all. He couldn't be much younger than Shinpachi, perhaps even Kagura's age. But something murky clouded his eyes. He had the lines of expression of someone who had roamed the wasteland long enough to find himself at home there, to travel with the light step Gintoki too had acquired at heavy expense.
"Your friend here ruined my surprise."
Hijikata's voice had regained its gruff.
"Shut up, Sougo."
"Why don't we all introduce ourselves, seeing as you four seem to know each other well?" the man in glasses proposed.
The suggestion was a good ice-breaker. Everyone lowered their weapons and exchanged their names one at a time. The guy with the glasses, Kitaoji, seemed as uptight as Hijikata—a veritable stickler for the rules but with less than half the allure. The two men accompanying him spoke little. They watched Gintoki and Hijikata warily and stayed alert for nearby rotters while Kitaoji got over the introductions.
"We've heard about your settlement," Hijikata told him, "How far is it from here?"
"Who told you about it?"
"That's none of your business."
"Hey, hey, Hijikata-san, now's not the time to go all mysterious on us." Sougo said, standing up.
Hijikata's frown deepened. He looked at Gintoki and then his eyes fell on Sarutobi, who was now standing next to Gintoki patching up his bleeding forearm.
"There are survivors sheltered not far from here. We were on our way back to them. They're in need of medical help. How close is your place?"
"How many are they?"
Hijikata pushed down a growl.
"You ask a lot of questions for someone who doesn't like hearing them."
"We're not a raggedy bunch of half-starved freaks who wander the wastes. We have people to protect." Kitaoji told him. His voice was steady, not missing a beat. The men behind him tightened their grips on their weapons.
"Can't say I miss much of civilization if whatever's left is full of pricks like you." Hijikata retorted.
"Ok, boys. Let's wrap things up here, shall we?" Sarutobi tied the last knot over Gintoki's bandage and stepped between the two men to commandeer the conversation.
Gintoki stopped her. His voice was small and hesitant as she left his side.
"Are they alive?"
The question escaped his mouth unrestrained, but he was too strung up to let his emotions get the best of him. He hated how Kagura and Shinpachi's faces blurred in his memory. How hard it was to conjure the tiniest detail of their expressions. How long ago it was since he had heard their voices. Gintoki needed to know. Good or bad. He needed to know. And he needed to know now.
Sarutobi's eyes opened wide before narrowing with a warm smile. She placed a hand on Gintoki's shoulder and squeezed softly before replying.
"Yes, they are alive. They will be so happy to see you."
Gintoki nodded silently, eyelids fluttering to push back tears of relief. He put one hand over his bandaged arm, tethered by the waning pain.
"Thank you."
"At least one of us got lucky," Sarutobi cast her eyes down, seized by their shared history, their past mistakes, "Did he suffer?"
Gintoki remembered the feel of Zenzou's blood over his skin. The squishy feel of his insides as he dug into him and coated himself and Hijikata in his festering remains.
"No," Gintoki lied, "We made sure he went quick."
Sarutobi nodded meekly, but when she looked up her eyes searched for Hijikata and whatever she found in his expression silenced her doubts.
"These guys found me and the kids at the farms I told you about," Sarutobi explained, hand gesturing towards Kitaoji and the two armed men behind him, "We've been staying at their settlement while trying to get word or sight of you two."
"We're looking to get those farms up and running again. There's a lot of people to feed." Kitaoji said.
"And a lot to trade." Sougo snuck in, earning a dirty look from Kitaoji.
Crackling branches called the group's attention to a pair of rotters lumbering down the mountain. The two men behind Kitaoji hastened to get rid of them.
"We should get out of here," Kitaoji said, "It's gonna be a tight fit. Will you two be coming with us?"
Gintoki and Hijikata answered at the same time.
"No."
"Yes."
"What do you mean 'yes'?" Gintoki's brows shot up as he turned towards Hijikata.
"You're going with them," Hijikata said, "Isn't it obvious? The kids are waiting for you."
"But I gave the old man my word. I gave Pirako-"
"You gave them a headache. Leave them to me. I'll take the meds back to them and meet up with you guys later," Hijikata said. He checked the safety on the gun and tucked it behind his back, "I'll be keeping this," he told Sougo.
Sougo returned Hijikata's nod with an eye roll and a loud sigh.
After the way Gintoki had found the two of them earlier, it was hard for him to wrap his head around the sudden change in their dynamic. Hard to believe the boy he had almost choked to death minutes before was the brother of Hijikata's beloved dead wife; someone who knew Hijikata in ways Gintoki never would.
It didn't help that anytime Hijikata spoke to Gintoki, Gintoki caught the sly little bastard staring at them. His eyes fixated on Gintoki with a strange intensity, which Gintoki couldn't pin entirely on what he considered a reasonable wish for retaliation. Sougo didn't look afraid of him either, if anything, Gintoki thought the boy was fascinated, charmed even.
"And how do you suppose you'll be getting back on your own in a car that has run out of gas?" Gintoki spat, unhappy at the turn of events.
Hijikata turned towards Kitaoji for his answer.
"Can you spare me enough for a day's journey? If the roads are clear, it will be enough."
Kitaoji conferred quickly with the two men who had returned from disposing the rotters. After a brief, hushed conversation, he nodded.
"Yes. But I'll be going with you." Kitaoji said.
"Oh? Afraid I'll warn the army of freaks holing up at our place?" Hijikata sneered.
"No. You said they are in need of medical help. We can't spare the only nurse we have here," Kitaoji said, glancing at Sarutobi, "But I can go in her place. Perhaps I can convince your people to join us. Besides, you'll need someone to show you the way back to the estate."
He seemed frank enough that Hijikata let out a heaving laugh.
"Estate, uh? Fair enough. You can try."
While Gintoki and Hijikata sorted their cargo for the split, Kitaoji brought the settlement's van up the road, escorted by Sougo on his motorbike. They had enough space in the van for Gintoki and his heavy pack full of medical books, which Sarutobi instantly delighted over. She tried to pry more about them from Gintoki, questioned him about the clinic, what other meds they'd found there, if they had found any message from the Sweepers other than their trademark trail of destruction and mayhem, but Gintoki was too busy coming to terms with what was currently happening—what meeting Sarutobi again and getting word of Kagura and Shinpachi meant for him and his near future—to answer her with full sentences.
Every minute, his eyes sought Hijikata to make sure he was still at his spot by the Toyota, pumping gas into the car that would soon drive him away from Gintoki again.
"Don't trouble yourself, Gin-san. Watch your arm. I'll take those," Sarutobi nudged Gintoki aside to clear some space for him inside the van. When he didn't reply, she beckoned his attention with a shrewd observation.
"So, you finally got what you wanted."
It wasn't an observation. Gintoki understood her clearly.
"Yeah."
Unconsciously, Gintoki raised a hand to his chest, looking for the small weight he used to clung to around his neck.
The clouds parted. Sunlight streamed over their heads, bathing the world in color. Gintoki committed Hijikata's figure to memory. How many times had he bitten his own words by now? You're afraid of it too, right? How good it might be. You won't be able to live without it after. Whatever the answer, Gintoki was about to be put to the test.
"You may live to regret it." Sarutobi told him.
"I might already have." Gintoki said and walked in Hijikata's direction.
Sarutobi shook her head.
"Stupid man."
When Gintoki got to Hijikata's spot, he was met with a sideways glance. Hijikata measured him head to toe with a frown plastered on his face. Gintoki waited to make eye contact, but when Hijikata refused, insisting instead on rattling the last few drops of borrowed gas into the Toyota's tank, Gintoki's chest burst with excitement at the first thought that barreled through his head.
He's jealous.
But what came out of Hijikata's mind pulled the ground from under Gintoki's feet. Hijikata put down the plastic gas tank Kitaoji had brought him, and the sound of it clattering on the asphalt echoed in the interval of Hijikata's words.
"Her name was Mitsuba. Okita Mitsuba."
Gintoki picked at the knot of his new bandage, utterly lost. He had resigned himself to never learning the name of Hijikata's dead wife, though a wicked part of him had already begun to consider the ways through which he could pluck it from her devilish brother. After all the failed attempts, all the humiliating things he had done and said to Hijikata, the shame he had tried to inflict on him, the debasement of the one thing still physically connecting Hijikata to his wife, Gintoki didn't think he deserved to know her name anymore. He thought that, in the future, if he ever got to redeem himself enough to know it, he had imagined the big reveal as a momentous occasion—life-changing, world-shifting. Not a throwaway line in the middle of the road just before he and Hijikata went their separate ways once more.
Gintoki stared at Hijikata, mouth agape, heart drumming a steady beat. Unnaturally calm. He used what words he could to dispel the heavy atmosphere that had set around them, too stunned to ferret out Hijikata's purpose.
"Damn, what a lady. To catch a no-good bastard like you."
His answer brought Hijikata's eyes to him at last. Impenetrable, deep blue, so striking that Gintoki wished he could get lost in them without restraints. He saw a hint of those reflected at him. Chains that had not been there before. When Gintoki took one step forward, itching to bridge the gap between them, Hijikata stepped back. He looked at a spot over Gintoki's head, and Gintoki followed the direction of his gaze to the kid slouched on his motorbike thirty feet away, legs splayed out on either side of it, staring right back at the two of them.
"Not a big fan of yours, is he." Gintoki observed.
Hijikata's mute reply said everything and nothing. It made Gintoki hate their situation even more. They were about to part ways with an ocean of questions between them.
"Don't take long," Gintoki said, stepping in front of Hijikata so as to block Sougo from view, "If the old man doesn't want to leave, let him. Don't stay around to play the hero."
"Yeah, I'll leave that to you." Hijikata scoffed.
"I'm serious."
"I won't leave them on their own. The old man might not have long. We don't even know how he will react to the meds-"
Gintoki cut in, fed up with Hijikata's generosity, which Hijikata seemed to dispense to everyone except him.
"Remember the last time you tried to help a guy hankering' to get himself killed? Or is the sight of Kinky-Glasses over there not enough of an eye-opener?"
Hijikata frowned.
"Nobody asked you to follow me!"
"No, I'm just fucking stupid like that," Gintoki spat, "I always have to stoop to your level."
"Here."
Hijikata placed something cool in Gintoki's hand. He closed Gintoki's fingers around it and tightened both of his hands over Gintoki's.
"Return it to me after."
Gintoki watched Hijikata's lips move while barely making sense of the words. The string of the ring necklace hung from his fist like a lifeline. Gintoki's clasp was so tight around it, he could feel the blood pumping from his new wound into the pretty bandage Sarutobi had wrapped around his arm.
Kissing Hijikata would be pointless—even though Gintoki yearned to do it, choked on it like kissing him was a physical need. Oh, it was worse than being out of breath. If Sougo decided to act his revenge and trap Gintoki in a chokehold of his own that very second, Gintoki was sure it wouldn't hurt as much as it did keeping away from Hijikata's lips; to keep from giving him an answer Gintoki only trusted his body to give.
As it were, circumstances dictated Gintoki must use his words, so he replied with a bashful scowl, blushing like a fifteen-year-old.
"You'll have to return to me first."
"That's the fucking point, dumbass." Hijikata said, too oblivious to realize he had given Gintoki another gift before he went. Perhaps not one as gratifying as a kiss, nor one as tangible as his ring, but one just as memorable. A promise.
"Her again?" Kyuubei sighed, head cast down, "Wasn't she down with a fever?"
"She absconded from the infirmary!" Lady Otaki cried out, motioning Kagura to sit on the cushion in front of Kyuubei's table, "The doctor didn't say she could leave! I found her at the kitchens stealing food!"
Kagura slumped on the cushion and crossed her arms.
"I've been stuck in that bed for days eating that gunk, I couldn't stand it anymore! I'm fine!"
Despite Kagura's blatant display of health—voice loud, furrowed brows and fast moving neck, which she twisted back and forth while alternating between a facade of strength and nonchalance in front of Kyuubei and a murderous scowl at Lady Otaki—the bandage around her wrist was visible under the sleeve of her shirt.
"Rice porridge is not gunk, you ungrateful little-"
Kyuubei's voice rose a notch to stop the fight between the two loudmouths.
"Lady Otaki, you can leave us."
"B-but Master Kyuubei, this isn't even her first offense! I wouldn't dare to-"
"Thank you for your concern, Otaki-san, but I think it's better if you let us talk one-on-one."
A sepulchral silence filled the room as Kyuubei stared Otaki down to compliance. After a long minute, during which Kagura was courteous enough not to turn around and stick her tongue out at Otaki, the old lady left the room with a hmph and slid the door shut after her, pride intact.
Kagura pawed at the hem of her sleeve unconsciously, pulling it down with nervous fingers.
"Thanks," she said, breathing a sigh of relief, "She's a hag- sorry, I mean a drag."
Kyuubei placed their hands together over the table and shook their head with a soft smile.
"I'll let you in on a little secret," Kyuubei said, voice low, "Lady Otaki only pays attention to people she cares about. I think she dotes too much on you."
"Wow, you really are a one-eyed crackpot, mister." Kagura said.
Kyuubei chuckled.
"Are you really feeling better?"
"Yes! Much better!"
"I'm glad to hear it, but you were down with a nasty fever for days," Kyuubei reminded her, "The doctor still hasn't completely ruled out tetanus. So until he does, you will stay in the infirmary. You do know there is no cure for tetanus, don't you?"
Kagura tried hard not to roll her eyes. She tried to think of everything Sarutobi had taught her, everything she had told Kagura and Shinpachi about the estate, Kyuubei's plans for the future, the deal Kyuubei had struck to get the three of them to Biwa, and, just like every other time Kagura pondered that amalgam of information, she came to the same conclusion. It didn't matter. Without Gintoki and Hijikata there, nothing mattered. Whether Kagura trusted Kyuubei or not, whether Kagura kept her promises to these people or not, it didn't matter. It was too much work. Too many lies to keep count of. And the weight of Kagura's own lie weighted too heavy on her conscience for her to attempt anything other than a straight face in front of Kyuubei. She would play the Yes Man for as long as she could. In that regard, Shinpachi had taught her well.
"Yeah, but I wouldn't trust a dentist to say whether or not I have tetanus," Kagura said with a shrug of shoulders, "And, yeah, I know he is doing what he can, but my wound is healing. It doesn't take a genius to agree on that." she added, pointing to her bandaged wrist.
Kyuubei took a deep breath.
"Yes, I can't deny that is a good sign. But please, for your sake, stay at the infirmary for the time being. We don't want to put neither you nor your immune system at risk."
"If that gunk is all I get to eat, my immune system is done for anyway." Kagura snorted.
"Well, I'll see what I can do about that-"
The door slid open behind Kagura again. A shadow fell over her back. The voice should have surprised her, but it didn't.
"Yes, the caravan people will need you healthy if they are to take you to Biwa."
"I thought I told you not to come unannounced, Toujou." Kyuubei said terse.
"I'm sorry, Young Master. I bumped into Lady Otaki in the halls. She told me the devil-girl was at it again."
"Toujou." Kyuubei admonished him, but it was too late to stop the growl from Kagura.
"Come here, I'll show you who's a devil!"
"She seems to have acquired a guard dog too." Toujou observed. He sat down beside Kyuubei on the table and sent Kagura a wary look.
Kyuubei frowned.
"A guard dog?"
"Not the glasses-boy," Toujou replied, "I don't think he finds her defiance aligns with his goals. Not good at keeping friends, are you?"
Kagura's hands balled into fists. Her cheeks flushed red. She wished she could pummel the smugness out of Toujou's ugly mug.
"Shut up! You and that old hag are the ones who keep piling chores on 'Pachi so he won't have time to see me! But he does! He still does! If Sacchan was here-"
At the mention of Sarutobi's name, Toujou shuddered. Beside him, Kyuubei's one seeing eye widened.
"Well, but she isn't here, is she?" Toujou hissed, "You should take this time to reflect about the person who want to be and how you want to contribute to any kind of community in the future. All you seem to be good for is emptying our pantry and waste the good doctor's time. Is your wound even real? Was your fever?"
Kagura opened her mouth to blast him off, but the words got caught in her throat. Her fingers trembled with hate and fear. Fortunately for her, Kyuubei stepped in, too aware of Toujou's vicious nature to let him continue his onslaught of vitriol.
"Toujou, enough! I'll have to ask you to leave us if you keep on like this."
"I won't leave you alone with this girl while that guard dog is waiting for her on the other side of that door. You should be more careful about the kind of allies you let into this place, Young Master."
Kyuubei glared at Toujou with pursed lips. The comment stung, though not as much as it stung Kagura because she knew exactly who Toujou meant. Kagura knew exactly who it was that guarded her on the other side of the sliding door. The one who had kept her secret. The one who had taken a look at the bite mark on her wrist that night and immediately understood what must be done. The one who had taken her own knife to carve a senseless shape out of that mark. The one who had muffled Kagura's screams as she did it. The one who'd made sure nobody in the infirmary found out what had truly caused Kagura's fever.
Kagura would not have the slug dirty her name.
"You are here, aren't you?"
Toujou's nostrils flared.
"How dare you-!"
Kagura stood up and gave Kyuubei a short bow of gratitude, if only for their attempt to keep Otaki and Toujou off her back.
"Thanks for hearing me out. You didn't have to, but you did. I'm sorry for the food I stole. I hope you'll keep your word about the porridge."
Kyuubei nodded silently and with a soft hand gesture told Kagura she was free to leave.
"Don't forget the doctor's orders." Kyuubei noted.
"Yessir." Kagura replied, crossing her fingers.
She left the room and as soon as she slid the door shut behind her, a figure materialized beside her. Nobume's red eyes pored over hers, their dark maroon so similar to Gintoki's that the resemblance left Kagura speechless. A sweet scent wafted from her. Some oil she applied to her hair. Or maybe it was the soap she used to wash her clothes. Whatever it was, Nobume smelled clean and nice and safe. Kagura instantly relaxed in her presence.
"Let's get the hell outta here." Kagura said.
Nobume nodded without a word. She followed Kagura until they were out of reach of Kyuubei's room and walking a stone path between two estate buildings towards the infirmary.
"So? Did you see it?" Kagura asked in a hushed tone.
There was no need for Nobume to lower her voice. She always seemed to speak in whispers, compelling people to pay attention to what she said.
"Yes. It's alive."
"What a relief!" Kagura sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her back.
Since the night she had fled the room under the trapdoor, the suspicion everyone knew what she had done plagued her every waking second. During the days she had been under fever, sweating out whatever sick corroded her wrist, she'd had nightmares about people finding out; hallucinated infected monkeys crawling over the walls of the infirmary; her skin decaying as she rotted from the inside; her voice withering—she had a vivid memory of trying to answer the doctor with nothing but growls before biting him.
Then the fever had lifted and reality came crashing down around her, cold and boring. Kagura had spent the next few days lying in bed, weak, dribbling on herself and swallowing the worst porridge she had ever eaten in her life. Her blurry memories of those days were interspersed with images of Shinpachi and Nobume's faces beside her cot, talking to her, feeding her, watching over her. If Sarutobi had visited her, Kagura couldn't remember it. According to Shinpachi, Sarutobi had seen Kagura while she had been under fever and, after it finally broke, she had left on a scouting mission to the infested mountain.
"I swear I thought the doctor could read it in my eyes," Kagura said, "You killed the master's pet monkey and now you will suffer for it for all eternity!" she mimicked the dentist with the bald spot that was in charge of the infirmary and whom she regarded as the third miniboss in the hierarchy of antagonists of her life at the estate.
"Nonsense." Nobume muttered.
"I know it's nonsense, but I needed confirmation!" Kagura whined.
Their plan had been simple. Kagura would raise a racket in the kitchens by stealing some food and, in the ensuing confusion, which would draw people's attention to Kagura and the lackeys Lady Otaki would send to stop her, Nobume would slip into the adjoining room with the trapdoor and get a visual on the pet monkey.
"Did it attack you?"
"No. But I got close enough to see it is infected." Nobume said.
She had kept a steady pace beside Kagura while they walked the stone path, but now she stopped. Something animated her usual dull expression. She looked like one of those cover models with doll-like faces in the urban fashion magazines Kagura used to gawk at in the convenience store while Gintoki teased her from two aisles away.
"You know, you're a miracle." Nobume told her.
Kagura's stomach flipped. Her cheeks burned hot against her will, but she did not drop Nobume's serious gaze.
"W-what are you saying?"
"That monkey isn't sick with rabies. It is infected like the rotters. And you survived its bite."
Kagura hadn't thought that far. Kagura hadn't thought about it at all. She had been too hungry, too depressed and too scared to even think about why and how she had recovered from her fever. She nodded slowly while coming to terms with the notion.
"I'm sorry."
Nobume's apology sunk into Kagura like rock—a weight that replaced the one she had just gotten rid of. Her side bangs hide her expression. She didn't say anything more.
Kagura watched her walk away, long dark hair billowing behind her, wondering what the hell Nobume had apologized to her for.