— Wake up.
With her eyes still closed, Kazumi heard the deep voice order next to her.
— Wake up – he asked again.
She blinked twice, slowly. She was lying on a funny surface. She felt small leaves poking her skin, but not really hurting her. It was grass. The sky was blue, beautiful and cloudless, as expected on a summer morning.
"It was a dream," she thought. She remembered the world where she was attacked, in the darkness partially illuminated by a sky as red as blood. She concluded that it was just a nightmare, but when she turned her head to the side, Kazumi came face to face with a man who, sitting in front of her, stared at her with a cold and indifferent expression. He was dressed in dark clothes and carried a Japanese sword, which, for Kazumi, could not be a good sign.
She sat up in a startle, frightened. She moved away as much as she could, cornering herself against the trunk of a tree.
— Who are you?! — Kazumi asked impulsively, even though she knew that confronting a stranger was not the smartest thing to do.
So, she realized the pain was stimulating her nerves. Her ankle throbbed, her whole body burned with wounds, and the worst part: there were two perfectly symmetrical holes in her left wrist, surrounded by smaller marks, forming a dental arch.
— What is this…? — she questioned herself, not really expecting to get an answer — It can't be...it wasn't a dream? But that creature...That thing doesn't even exist!
The man stood up and approached her, saying nothing. Kazumi whimpered helplessly and he sighed tiredly, thinking about how exaggerated her reaction was. He then untied the white band that covered the third eye on his forehead. The Jagan, which was initially implanted only to increase his own power, was now used to erase the memories of humans who accidentally arrived in Makai. So they would forget everything they saw.
Seeing the demonic eye open, emitting a purple light, Kazumi held her breath, unable to believe what was happening. Taking advantage of the fact that she had no escape, Hiei surrounded her with his arms, preventing her from moving. She stared at him, hypnotized.
– You will forget everything you saw. You will close your eyes, and when you open them again, you won't remember the attack you suffered or how you got these injuries. You will believe you had an accident while walking. You fell, hit your head, and fainted. Close your eyes.
Kazumi trembled without realizing it. She listened to his words attentively, but at the same time, she didn't understand what he meant. She didn't close her eyes as he asked, not even dared to blink. Then, an awkward silence hung between them for a few moments. Hiei changed his expression, not understanding why she didn't obey him.
– Close. Your. Eyes – he repeated, more slowly and deliberately.
This time, she did as he asked, but Hiei soon realized that something was not right. She didn't seem to be in a trance, as expected. Actually, she remained completely aware of his presence. Proving this, she peeked at him again with only one eye, just to make sure he was still there. Annoyed, Hiei backed off. He was sure that Jagan wasn't the problem. For a year, he had been messing with the minds of humans, and although the technique was not perfect yet, he was sure it was good enough to achieve the goal.
— What trick is this? — Hiei confronted Kazumi, with a malicious look that made her tremble from head to toe.
— Trick? I don't know what you're talking about…
— Don't lie! How are you doing this?
Kazumi's breathing was heavy. Nervousness overcame her, no matter how hard she tried to stay calm.
— Look, please, let me go — she pleaded — I swear I won't tell anyone or call the police. You want me to forget what happened, so you can consider it forgotten. Please…
Hiei didn't even pay attention to her, because he was too disturbed to respond. Indignant, actually. He concluded that this woman was simply deceiving him, but he didn't know how. He approached her with irritation and, without hesitation, forcibly grabbed her arm. Kazumi struggled in fear, trying to break free. She screamed and thrashed, but he held her tighter, immobilizing her.
— What are you going to do?
Hiei once again did not respond. In a swift motion, he picked her up in his arms and ran, leaving her completely dizzy with the superhuman speed that dragging her to an unknown place.
xxxx
Kazumi was still dizzy when Hiei set her down. She felt slightly nauseous and almost fell when her weak legs gave out. She looked around and didn't recognize that place. From the wide view on the horizon, Kazumi noticed she was on a mountain, far away from the city. Ahead, there was nothing but an ancient temple. She swallowed hard because she knew what that meant: kidnapping.
— Keep going — Hiei ordered in an unfriendly tone.
Kazumi didn't move. She had no strength, even if she wanted to. She was paralyzed. Seeing her state of shock, Hiei grabbed her wrist and pulled her, dragging her against her will. Kazumi tried to resist, planting her feet on the ground, but the difference in strength was glaring, and Hiei didn't need to make much effort to make her move.
— Please...don't do this… — she muttered.
He continued on, opened the temple door, and pushed her inside. Kazumi stumbled in, afraid of what kind of captivity she might find. But, unlike everything she had imagined, she found a clean, airy, quiet, and well-lit environment.
Kazumi thought that strange and looked at her captor, ready to plead for her freedom. But as she opened her mouth, she heard footsteps approaching at a gentle pace. A young woman appeared where they were, with a curious expression as if she wasn't expecting any visitors.
— Hiei! — she exclaimed in surprise, relieving the tension in her expression. Kazumi thought she saw a hint of happiness on the girl's face — I didn't expect to see you today.
— I need to talk to Genkai — he said simply.
— Ah...I see. Who is she? — Yukina turned to Kazumi, who by that point, didn't understand absolutely anything that was happening.
— She's no one — Hiei replied, leaving Kazumi dumbfounded.
— But she's injured — concerned, Yukina approached Kazumi, reaching out to touch her blood-stained face. On impulse, Kazumi recoiled, still scared.
— She's fine, Yukina — Hiei said — This is nothing.
Kazumi glared at him angrily. After all, who was he to speak so authoritatively about what she was feeling? Her whole body ached, but he couldn't possibly know that.
Yukina sighed, as if she could read Kazumi's thoughts.
— Give me a minute. I'll get something to clean her wounds and call Master Genkai to talk to you.
– You don't need to, Yukina. I'm already here.
An elderly woman emerged from behind the koorime. Her short stature did not match her presence because, despite being small and apparently fragile, the old woman somehow seemed extremely imposing.
— What do you want, Hiei? Who is this girl and why is she all beaten up?
— She fell into Makai by accident.
— So what? What do you want me to do about it? You only must erase her memory and send her back home, right?
— If it were that simple, I wouldn't be here. I can't use Jagan on her.
Genkai frowned and looked at Kazumi strangely, analyzing her from head to toe. She then turned her attention back to Hiei.
– She said it wasn't a trick. I want to know if she's telling the truth or hiding something — Hiei continued.
— Well, I understand — Genkai replied — Let see what can I do.
Genkai approached Kazumi slowly, making her retreat at the same rhythm.
– What's your name, girl?
She stuttered. Her mouth was dry, and speaking seemed almost impossible.
– It's Ka-Kazumi.
– Well, Kazumi, I want to talk with you for a bit. While we talk, Yukina can tend to these scratches. Come with me.
Seeing the old woman head to the back of the temple, Kazumi didn't move. Why should she? She started to think she had been captured by a bunch of crazies, or perhaps, she was the crazy one, and all of this was just a hallucination. But it doesn't matter, because she believed she would die there and never would be found again. Distraught, she thought of her sister. What would Noembi do without her help?
— Come on, girl — Genkai ordered — Do you prefer to come with me willingly or do you want him to bring you?
Kazumi glanced at Hiei's reaction, just to make sure he was still there, blocking the entrance door and ready to grab her if she try to scape.
He still was there.
Without another option, Kazumi followed Genkai.
