Misfortune

People seem busy today. With so many moving shadows, Gurumi can barely avoid bumping into others.

On the plus side, their six clans have never been more united, so much that people who used to live on opposite sides of the island are now sharing a roof, thus the crowded streets.

Unable to bear so much uncertain movement around her, Gurumi leaves the main street and tries to find a shortcut through the alleys.

The sun being close to setting makes the passageways so dark she needs to be careful with her steps.

"Miss." She has to contain a yelp. "Spare some food for a veteran?"

A veteran who sounds barely a few years above her. She gives the young man a loaf of bread from her basket and continues on her way.

It's heartbreaking how fighting is no longer a well paying job for the strong, but instead a duty for anyone healthy and above 16. The only exceptions being those who have high priority occupations, or deep pockets.

After a while of going through familiar yet ever changing streets, she reaches her destination.

The uppermost part of the house is still illuminated by the rays of the sun, the polished walls shining under its light. Most other houses were entirely made of mudbrick, thus this one having plastered walls made it stand out even more than its sheer size.

Despite this being home to a lot of valuables, no thief dares cross the doorless threshold knowing who the owner is. Of course, the patrolling guards might also have something to do with it.

Passing through the doorway, the hot air outside gives way to a cooler atmosphere within. Wide yet suffocating corridors greet her as she goes towards the courtyard.

"Hey there, lass," the man known as Fuhai says. Although Gurumi prefers the 'Bandit with a badge' her brother used to call him.

"Welcome home, Gurumi," says her mother in a low voice.

Gurumi doesn't need to see them to know Fuhai has his arm wrapped around her mother, and that her nails are bitten up to the skin.

Despite the bitter taste swelling up in her mouth, Gurumi swallows her words, makes a bow and keeps going.

They cannot live without his favor, that's a fact, so she mustn't say anything that could displease Fuhai.

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

The new garden is slowly looking greener and prettier.

Ironically, they're living much better during the war… partly because her brother isn't around to stop Fuhai from doing whatever he wants.

No, Gurumi, stop. No negative thoughts.

She has no right to complain. Despite not being a perfect man, Fuhai isn't completely despicable either. He hasn't forced her mother to do anything she wasn't willing to, he only… politely asked to take care of the two of them.

Revolting.

She hears a few steps, an intentional warning so she doesn't get startled.

"Hey there, Frienda." He comes out of nowhere, as usual.

Strictly speaking, he's trespassing, but she isn't one to reject the company.

"Hi, Tokei, happy to see you." Good thing the smile comes naturally when talking to him. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, you know me, thriving on scraps and avoiding my responsibilities like a pro." Gurumi lets out a small chuckle.

Along with her garden, Tokei has become one of her brightest lights in an otherwise dim world.

She just hopes the war doesn't do him in as well…

"Oh! So you have more of those pretty white flowers." He points at the small petals hidden beneath the leaves of bigger crops. "I've always wondered, are they edible or you plant them cause they look nice?"

"They are pretty, that's all. Don't smell them though. They stink, trust me."

"Stink? How bad?"

"Emm… enough to make you barf, and a lot."

"Yikes, then I'd better avoid them, I'm in no condition to throw away food as you can see." This gets another grin out of her.

"So, what brings you here? Did you feel lonely and wanted company from the cutest in town?"

"Look." He catches her attention with a playful tone, dangling something in his hand. "Seeds," he says, making so Gurumi doesn't have to guess that what he's showing is a pouch.

"Woah! What type?"

"Something sweet."

"Strawberries?" He shakes his head. "Blueberries? Don't tell me it's melon."

"My frienda, let's keep things realistic."

"Hmm… nothing else comes to mind though."

"They are for a cherry tree! Isn't that great?"

"Umm… yeah, sure." It will only take several years to get fruits out of it, no big deal.

"As much as I'd love to claim it was all me, gotta give credit where it's due. Raba helped me get them. Guy's pretty good at making friends." He hands the pouch to her. "My only regret is I'm a week late. Still, happy b-day."

"Thank you, Tokei. I really appreciate it."

Some people say thirteen is an unlucky number, though Gurumi's already suffered the biggest misfortune of her life. Still, the second worst will definitely be the highlight of this year once she can no longer hide it.

Until then, it's the little nice things that help keep her spirit up.

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

A massive howl echoes from afar, which can only mean one thing.

With a few parting words, Fuhai takes a full skin bag and walks out.

Three capitals left out of the initial six, and this one being the strongest of them all. If this place falls, the rest of the island would follow soon, so there is no point in having plans for evacuation.

Thus, Gurumi stays in the courtyard, tending to her garden.

From the other side of the wall, she can hear the march of warriors.

For an hour, the streets remain silent since civilians are supposed to stay inside during battles.

So it catches Gurumi's attention when she hears footsteps again.

She knows that a few guards are still around the streets, mainly to prevent theft and such. Tokei is one of them. However, these steps sound…

Metallic.

Then, she overhears a man talking with a strong accent.

"Idiotic barbarians. Where the fuck is it?"

"Sir, I suggest you lower your voice," says a woman. "We don't want to attract attention."

"Yeah, yeah, let's just find more guards to ask. And this time keep them alive until I say so."

"Yes, sir." The steps go away.

What is happening?

Did the enemies breach their defenses? No, it wouldn't make sense for them to sneak around if they did. Have they somehow infiltrated the city?

Fuhai is always boasting about their perfect line of defense. 'Not a mouse could go through unnoticed.' So how did they get here?

No time to guess. She has to do something, so she gets up and…

What can a mere thirteen-year-old do?

The metallic clanking must mean they are full armored elites, like the ones Fuhai often complains about.

They have killed guards.

If she gets in their way she'll die, like Nii.

Whatever their plan is, if they succeed it will probably mean the fall of the city, and the death of hundreds.

So with this in mind, she takes a step, and then freezes again.

I can't do it.

It's scary.

They are terrifying.

Even knowing everyone around might die, she still can't force her body to move.

The sound of familiar footsteps makes her lift her gaze. She is met with shining eyes in a world that's darker every day.

"What's wrong, Frienda? You look kinda down."

"I-I heard…" No, if you tell him he'll try to stop them and die.

Think of something to make up. A crop withered, yes, one of my favorite plants that I was so very excited about—

A warm weight rests on her head. It slowly ruffles her hair, each movement making the world around brighter.

"It's alright. Whatever it is, you know you can trust me, even if I'm dumb and unreliable."

You're not! You have your limits, sure, but your strengths always shine through, especially when I'm at my lowest.

…

Gurumi slaps her cheeks, the sound echoing off the nearby walls.

"Let's go, Tokei?"

"Go? Sure. Where to, Frienda?" The fact that he doesn't ask for explanations and trusts her paints a smile on Gurumi's face.

What can a thirteen-year-old do? Certainly more than guards only armed with lances, considering she still has a 'borrowed' wand.

Gosh, I definitely take after my father.