The Real Me - Yoshizawa Kana

Yoshizawa Kana was worried.

Having found the remote control, which somehow ended up underneath the couch, she turned on the television. Kana had no idea why it was there. Yesterday, her son Satoru had probably played some kind of game with Kenya, his best friend. Some sort of adventurous game that involved hiding and seeking objects, she guessed. Back in Gosha Village, the old life that she decided to leave behind, Kana too had been enjoying such an activity with the others when she was their age.

At the moment, those children were at school. But Kana could stop shaking off these anxious feelings. She thought of the nervous expression of her son, it could even be a frightening one if her child saw the sight behind the window next to his seat.

News flashed on the screen.

Something strange was happening in the past few days. The heavy rain was falling non-stop in the abnormal color that reshaped the entire horizon. Today, it changed. The sky had never been so red. It looked so...bloody. Kana felt dread just by staring at it.

They said a new Demon Gate had opened somewhere near this city. This phenomenon occurred rather often lately. But she doubted the Demon Realm was involved. It wasn't always the case with the denizen. People had fallen ill of unknown cause, both human and demon alike. Something on this scale could hardly be the work of any organization with malicious intent, not that she could thing of.

Letting out a sigh, Kana sat down on the couch, hoping the tenderness embracing her could ease the emotion building up in her heart. She had tried to contact Karin, to see if her former colleague knew anything about the cause of this change.

Sadly, not much was spoken. Even the Taimanin had no clue of what was going on. Multiple investigators were sent out. However, no solution was within reach. The situation didn't seem to show any sign of improving.

Kana wondered if she should pick up Satoru early and asked his homeroom teacher to let her child take a few days off school. Or maybe a whole week, until everything was resolved.

"How troublesome." Kana let out another sigh and turned off the television for good.

The bloody weather was affecting her. She could barely put on the usual cheerful smile for her family these days. Kana felt like a part of her personality began to slip away. Oh, she wanted to stop these thoughts so badly. Thinking too much was an issue she couldn't let go ever since the sky had a bloody red color.

"I wonder what that boy is doing right now." She muttered to no one.

Kana left the couch and entered the kitchen, located at the corner of the living room. She poured herself a warm cup of tea. Hopefully, it would release her from an invisible stress. Better to avoid being negative for the time being. Yes, she needed to get back her positivity. That was one of the best features that made her a great wife and mother of the Yoshizawa family.

With the phone in her hand, the ex-Taimanin Kana took the time sipping her drink while she went through the pictures taken with a certain high school boy next door.

Fuuma Kotaro. The missing heir of the infamous Fuuma Clan, currently lived by the name Mikazuki.

Sometime ago, she received a call from the leader of the Taimanin. It was a simple request. She was asked to watch over the young man until further notice. All the information about that boy was sent to her. She read his roughed past, she knew his circumstance. Yoshizawa Kana was willing to accept the request without hesitation. It was in her nature to help others. She would help Fuuma, or Mikazuki, in case of need.

Kana giggled.

Satoru, Kenya and that boy had gotten along really well. It came to the point her son openly called him big brother. Much like Satoru and Kenya, he showed funny reactions to her teasing. Fuuma was a Taimanin, like her. Now he looked nothing more than a normal high school student. He didn't know about her being an ex-Taimanin. There was no need for her to reveal that to him. Being a friendly neighbor lady next door was good enough for her.

Until the day a decision was made, she would continue to watch over him quietly from the shadow.

Bang!

Kana jolted at the sudden roar of lightning. The phone dropped on the table. Hands placed on her chest to ease the increasing beating rate of her heart, it nearly popped out. That thunderclap was really loud it shook her senses. Her skills might have became rusted over the years, but the enhanced senses of someone who was born a Taimanin remained sharp, even just a little. Her hearing picked up noise from the other side of the wall, from Fuuma's apartment.

Kana widened her eyes at the sound of footsteps heading toward the entrance. Where was he going at a time like this? Kana quickly made her way to the main door.

There was Mikazuki/Fuuma Kotaro. He walked past her, wearing a dark hoodie and an umbrella prepared in his hand.

"Mikazuki-kun, are you going somewhere?"

He flinched, she noticed the slightest hint of that movement. Mikazuki slowly turned around, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ah! Ka...Kana-san, I'm on my way to an interview. There's this fast food restaurant downtown and...et tu..." He paused for a moment, as if thinking for the next words. "I just applied a part-time job there and they contacted me just now. I think I'm going to pass this."

His gave her a thumb up. His voice sounded confident enough. Good. He emitted the spirit of a hard working person, or at least he was trying to act like it.

But moving around the streets in this kind of weather didn't seem to be a bright idea.

"Are you sure about this?" Kana asked again. "Shouldn't they postpone the job interview for later days. I mean, Mikazuki-kun, look at this weather."

"Yes. I know about it." He nodded. His left eye gleamed, determined. "Still, I have to go. It's important. And it won't take long."

"Be careful, okay?" Kana spoke softly. There wasn't much she could tell him at this point aside from showing her concern to his well-being.

"I will. Thank you, Kana-san." Mikazuki responded with a little smile. "I'm off now."

He walked away. After a couple steps, he suddenly stopped and looked at her over the shoulder.

"By the way, Satoru is at school today, yes? When I'm done with my part-time job interview, I'll be sure to pick him up for you."

Hearing that startled Kana a bit. But a smile managed to form on her lip afterward. The conversation ended with a thank you.

She saw him leaving, into the elevator. Then she continued to watch him from the hallway as that young man raced across the street below in the middle of a heavy downpour. He was in such a hurry that everything didn't seem to matter much to him. Not even the hideous sight of a bloody red sky.

A part-time job interview, that was what he said. Kana wondered if that actually was it. She couldn't get a clear view of his expression from up here. Though, she had a feeling.

Mikazuki/Fuuma Kotaro was running toward something else.

That something might have been the one that put an important aspect of his life at stake.

"Oh no! Dinner!?"

Kana gasped in shock after waking up and finding herself on the couch, a blanket covering her body. She had no idea how and when the sleepiness took over her consciousness. She checked the scenery outside. Adding more to her shock, the bloody red color that let out a dreadful feeling was no more. The rain also stopped, replaced by a peaceful night sky.

"Oh, you woke up. You must have been really tired."

Her husband was in the kitchen. He brought over a set of warm tea for her, for himself and for their son, who was sitting on a chair next to her. Satoru had already switched to gaming mode. The child didn't pay any attention to his mother until he got a win from the game.

"I'm sorry! I'll prepare dinner right away!"

Even though Shingo had told her to take time, Kana couldn't just let it slide. The fact that she spent the entire afternoon sleeping was a sign of her displaying the irresponsibility to the duty of a housewife. Kana never allowed her family to be starved, not on her watch. And yet she let it happened. What a stupid mistake she had done.

The knife held tightly in her hand. Feeling ashamed right now wouldn't help much. Kana needed to concentrate and be quick about their dinner.

"Honey? Don't force yourself, okay? There's no need to rush. We only just got back home." Her husband reassured.

Kana didn't listen. She put all her housewife skills to the fullest.

Later, she smiled contently at a table filled with ton of food. Shingo and Satoru were much impressed.

Mikazuki Nii-chan picked me up at school. He looked really tired though.

Then, what happened to the weather?

It simply stopped. I don't know how to explain well to you, honey. But it just...stopped.

Ring!

Kana recalled such a conversation with her family as she pressed the doorbell of Fuuma's apartment. She had made a lot of food. Too much, in fact. She figured it might a good idea to give him some of it as a thanks for picking up Satoru at school in her place.

"Hm?"

A few minutes went by. No one had yet to answer the door. Kana pressed the doorbell again and waited.

"Mikazuki-kun?"

She knocked and there was still no respond. Kana decided to call the boy through her phone. He didn't pick up. Was he that exhausted after one interview? Was the result really bad? Did something else happen? Was it the illness!? Her motherly instinct almost scream at those thoughts. Worried, Kana grabbed the doorknob. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked.

"Pardon the intrusion."

She rushed inside. A nice aroma filled her nose, it came from a diffuser. She recognized this smell. It was not the kind of thing they usually sell on the market. This smell was much more special. It was from the only type of flower that grew in the forest surrounding Gosha Village. One of a kind.

Lights inside the corridor were on. A quick glance and Kana let out a sigh in relief. A certain high school boy was found dozing off on his seat.

Kotaro's back slowly rose and lowered in a slow pace. His face rested above the arms. Next to him was a stack of book. Kana silently apologized and took a peek at the content of one of them out of curiosity.

Oh! He was reading about the history of the Taimanin Clans. How nostalgic. This brought back so much memories from her time at Gosha Academy. They even sent him a list of Ninja Arts techniques and analysis of each element. Fuuma Kotaro was doing his best to learn more about his past. Though he should have been a bit more discreet. These books contained confidential information after all.

But to do this after a job interview? Kana had an idea.

Maybe the result had been different. Maybe this boy was trying to distract himself from the horrible experience by these memories of his past.

"Mikazuki-kun."

She gently shook his shoulder to wake him up. But that wouldn't happen any time soon. His brief snoring was all that came out. He was in a deep slumber. It can't be helped, she just let him be.

"It's okay. You will get it next time."

Kana encouraged him by a whisper. Her hand gently stroke his hair, his head seemed to shift a bit in that comfort. Knowing he was doing alright, Kana left the boy to his rest. She carefully turned off the lights and closed the front door behind her.

The night sky was clear. Her bright expression naturally came back as she returned to the warm atmosphere of her family.

...

...

...

Kana didn't seem to notice.

In the aroma that filled up Kotaro's apartment, a rusty smell mixed in and lost in the dominate scent of the rare flower from Gosha forest.

It originated from a wet line dripping on one side of his face. Even though Kotaro was asleep, his closing right eye was bleeding.

/