I'm Home!

“I’m home!” Midoriko called out as she removed her shoes.

No response. She checked around the apartment first before opening the door to Xiǎomíng’s room.

Shortly after they’d discovered that the kīla was blessed, rather than cursed, he’d finally succeeded in opening a doorway to the other house in his closet. Worried that he wouldn’t be able to replicate it, Xiǎomíng insisted on keeping it open at all times.

Since then, he and Itoko seemed to split their time between the two houses. At first, Midoriko felt strange crossing over into that house, but found herself spending more time there than at the apartment in Osaka. Sometimes it was to relax, while other times it felt like she was searching for something as she aimlessly wandered the huge property.

Midoriko stepped through the doorway into one of the many empty tatami rooms in that house. With the faint sounds of the city behind her, she crossed the room and opened the door to the veranda.

She could hear the faint sound of Itoko’s laughter echo through the hills as she sat down on the edge of the wooden veranda. The sun was setting, and the crickets were starting to chirp. While Itoko didn’t wander off the property, Midoriko wondered if she should call her in for the night before it got too dark.

SLAM—! THUD—!

Midoriko whipped around toward the sound—it came from the room she was sitting outside.

The door that led outdoors had two layers: a shoji screen and a glass door. The glass door was still open, but she definitely remembered leaving both doors open. Midoriko felt a pit of dread in her stomach as she reached for the door.

Lately, it seemed like every time she opened a door, she expected to see something on the other side, only to be met with a feeling she couldn’t quite place. What was it? Disappointment? Loneliness?

Midoriko held her breath as she slid open the door.

“Ah!” she gasped as Enishi Ryouma, lying on the floor in a black and white tracksuit, came into view. He stopped writhing in pain for a moment to lift his head up at the sound.

“M-Midoriko…?” His eyes widened as she rushed to his side.

“Wh– What happened to you?!” she cried as she looked him over. He was drenched in sweat and pale as a ghost. “Are you hurt?!”

“Th-the c-curse…” he grunted. Ryouma clutched at his right shoulder. “Get…Xiǎomíng…”

“I– I don’t know where he is!” Midoriko looked toward the doorway leading back to the apartment in Osaka. It was still there, meaning Ryouma had come through a different door from wherever he was.

She bit her lip and clenched her fists. “Why didn’t you say you were coming back?! We could have been ready for you!”

“Huh? But…I did?” Ryouma furrowed his brow and felt around for his phone. He pulled it out of a pocket and unlocked it. “Ah shit…It didn’t send.”

On the screen was his message history with Midoriko. Her last message to him was visible, followed by one from him that said, ‘Yay! I’ll be back soon! ( ^__^ ).’

Underneath it was, ‘Failed to send.’

“Wow, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…to worry you,” he said, wiping a tear from Midoriko’s cheek.

When did she start crying? Midoriko removed her glasses and quickly wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand.

“You dumbass…” She sniffled, desperately trying to stop the flow of tears. Why was she crying now, of all times? “How did you even get into this state?”

He winced as he sat up. Ryouma unzipped the tracksuit jacket and tossed it aside, revealing a pristine white t-shirt. Knowing what he was there to do, Midoriko had half expected him to return covered in blood.

“I think…I might have overdone it…just a little bit,” he panted, pinching his fingers together. “Using a lot of strong magic…ngh at once…makes the curse spread.”

Ryouma grabbed the t-shirt by the collar and pulled it over his head. The last time Midoriko had seen him, the curse had only just passed his shoulder joint. Now, it was actively spreading onto his bicep and flank.

It was then that Midoriko understood how the curse, which started at the tips of his fingers, had consumed his entire arm in fifteen years. But that much in just a month? It was excessive!

“Why would you go that far if you knew this would be the outcome?!” she yelled, slamming her fists against the tatami mat. Midoriko didn’t mean to raise her voice—it just came out that way on its own.

He gently lifted her chin and smiled. “Because I promised you, didn’t I?”

“...!”

“Still think my promises are as good as dirt? Hahahnngh!” He winced.

“Geeze! You…” Midoriko pushed lightly against his chest. Now wasn’t the time to be joking around like that.

She had to look for Xiǎomíng before it got worse. As Midoriko went to pull away, Ryouma caught her wrist.

“W-wait…” He placed her hand against the spot where the borders of the curse seemed to bleed into the unblemished skin. “Do that again…”

“Wha–?!” Midoriko felt her face flush as her hand pressed against his bicep. She closed her eyes tightly, but opened them again when Ryouma let out a deep sigh.

The curse appeared to stop progressing in the areas she was touching. Midoriko began moving her fingers along the black edges. She rubbed one hand along his back, where it was spreading to his shoulderblade, while the other hand pressed against his chest.

Midoriko focused intently on observing the curse as she touched and pressed against the skin, but she could hear Ryouma’s breathing begin to steady. His skin, which started out feeling clammy to the touch, was slowly warming up.

Their eyes met. Ryouma overlapped his cursed right hand with the hand Midoriko held to his chest. His other hand lightly caressed her cheek, pushing her short hair behind her ear.

Midoriko swallowed hard as his face came closer and closer to her own.

THUNK—!

The two of them looked toward the noise. Xiǎomíng stood in the doorway connecting the room to the apartment in Osaka. Plastic bags full of snacks slumped over at his feet.

He darted out of view into the Osaka apartment.

“Th-this isn’t what it looks like!” Midoriko yelled. She pushed Ryouma away from her as she jumped up to chase after Xiǎomíng.

***

An uncomfortable silence bore down on the tatami room like atmospheric pressure. The three of them sat in a circle—Xiǎomíng sat cross-legged, Midoriko in seiza position, while Ryouma lounged on his side.

“How long have you two been doing…that?” Xiǎomíng asked, rubbing his arms like he had chills.

“You’re making it sound worse than it is,” Midoriko mumbled.

“Yeah, she’s just touching me,” Ryouma interjected.

“Phrasing!” Midoriko snapped. She put her face in her hands and groaned. “Ugh! Anyway, it hasn’t been for very long.”

“Yes, we’ve only done it about six times,” confirmed Ryouma.

Midoriko swatted at him. “Again! Phrasing!”

“Well, now I know why you suddenly took an interest in acupressure,” Xiǎomíng said, looking straight at Midoriko. She grimaced. Apparently, neither of them told him about the pain treatment sessions.

The week before she went home, Midoriko had approached Xiǎomíng about learning acupressure techniques after her first session with Ryouma. It made sense in her mind since acupuncture was already being employed as a treatment for the curse—plus, it was less uncomfortable than just holding hands for ten minutes. But it was still way too embarrassing for her to tell him why she wanted to learn.

At least it was out in the open now, even if the circumstances made Midoriko want to die from the sheer embarrassment.

“Well, even if your…ahem, physical contact seems to have a positive effect on the curse, I still need to block the flow of qi with acupuncture,” Xiǎomíng lectured. As he prepared the needles, he shot Ryouma a dirty look. “Did you even tell her what will happen if this curse is allowed to progress?”

Sitting up, Ryouma said nothing. He just stared down at his hand while Xiǎomíng began inserting needles into the meridian lines surrounding the cursed skin.

“What? What’s going to happen if it keeps going?” Midoriko understood that the curse was a source of immense pain for Ryouma, but he never explained more than that. She still didn’t know what it was or how he got it.

“I’ll die,” Ryouma said quietly. He tapped a finger on the left side of his chest. “When it reaches my heart, it’ll kill me.”

Midoriko felt like she’d had the wind knocked out of her.

He put his own life at risk for what? Because he felt like he had to keep a promise to her? That wasn’t a valid reason! If he wanted to be reckless with his own life, then that was his prerogative, but she wanted no part of it. She never wanted someone to die for her sake ever again.

“You said you’d make the Russians leave me alone. How did you do it?” she asked, staring at the floor. Midoriko knew the answer. She just wanted to hear it straight from him.

“I killed all of them except a kid,” Ryouma answered calmly as Xiǎomíng continued to perform his acupuncture. “I don’t kill kids.”

Midoriko bit her lip, trying to fight back tears. She didn’t like herself for what she was about to ask. “And if the kid becomes a problem?”

“He won’t. I can assure you of that.”

Good. Then she could end this cleanly. This whole situation had become too dangerous.

“I see…” Midoriko leaned forward and prostrated herself. “Then, thank you for fulfilling your promise to me. I assure you that I will keep your identity a secret.”

With that, Midoriko stood up and crossed the room. She couldn’t bear to look at them. Were they satisfied knowing that her silence was now fully assured?

She stopped in the doorway to say her final piece. “Now that everything is resolved, I think it’s time for me to go home.”

“Midoriko–”

“I know I promised a lot—to Itoko, to you—and I’ll try to follow through. But…” Midoriko closed her eyes to fight back against the tears threatening to spill out. She didn’t want to leave, but it didn’t feel right for her to stay.

“Wait–” Ryouma pleaded.

“It’s just– I’m sorry. I have to figure things out. I need some space to think.” Midoriko slid the door connecting the two residences closed.

“Shit! That took me forever to get to work!” Xiǎomíng whined as he scrambled over to the closed door. When he slid it open again, it only opened up to the hallway. He slammed his fist against the floor. “Damn it! What the hell is she thinking?”

“She’s not.”

Ryouma frowned as he sat hunched over, holding his chin with his good hand, staring fixedly at the door. He was not a man who was easily frustrated, but this woman had managed to clearly rattle him in a way Xiǎomíng had never seen in the five years they’d spent together.

“She’s scared– No. She’s worried.” Ryouma covered his mouth with his hand. It was a habit of his when trying to hide his facial expressions. But Xiǎomíng had caught it—that sliver of a smile.

“Worried? About what?”

“Who else, but me?” he replied, no longer trying to hide the grin that crept across his face. Ryouma relaxed his posture and leaned back on his good hand. “Ah…Maybe I should have told her this curse was going to kill me sooner.”