Chapter 10:

|Old wounds (part 2)

Rakurai


In Bruma, the northern district of Quesur, it was midnight in the Ryugo home and just like every other day, the moon shone brightly but Shinji could not see it as he had fallen asleep long before then.

“Shinji…..Shinji.”

He suddenly sprung up from the bed and coughed repeatedly. To his right was his childhood friend that shook him repeatedly until he awakened.

“Had another bad dream?”

--This sucks.

“Yoshida, thank you for waking me up.”

“Perhaps I should have left you for a couple of seconds.”

“But you didn’t…So thank you.”

Yoshida smiled wryly as Shinji took off his upper garment and wiped the little sweat off his face. They stayed in separate rooms but Yoshida always woke him when they had training to do together.

“Uhh Shinji,breakfast is…..”

She was taken aback by the brawny figure in front of her. With a few seconds of staring, she bashfully looked away.

“Ready.”

--I didn’t know she was coming in.

“Keiko,he’ll be there shortly. No, that’s not quite right. We’ll be there shortly.”

“O-okay. Don’t take too long.”

“Still the same as always.”

“Like you’re one to talk.”

“I’ve changed a lot.”

“The only thing that changed was your hair.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, that’s not true.”

“Yeah keep telling yourself that, maybe it’ll come true eventually.”

“I really wanna punch you. Permission??”

“Sure sure..Just put on some clothes first.”

Ryugo Yoshida walked out of the room with his hands behind his head in a carefree gesture. Despite being the same age, he was definitely more mature one and more logical too. However, when it came to strength, they were clearly not on the same level.

“That’s that.Time for breakfast.”

On the dining table, Yoshida’s father, being the voracious eater that he is, dug in while his wife stared intently, waiting for his comments. She was excited because today, the breakfast was extra special.

“Shinji, how was your night?”

“The usual..”

“That makes it the third time this week.”

“Did you notice anything strange when you woke up??”

“No, nothing abnormal.”

“Do you think there could be a reason behind it?”

“There’s a reason behind everything…even dreams...I just don’t know yet…”

As Shinji uttered these words, Yoshida pinched his own leg in an attempt to stop the unneeded laughter rising up from within him.He tightened his lips. Shinji glared at him while he slowly turned away, laughing as quietly as possible.

“Er..I’m……I’m sorry.”

“There were different routes but it was the same ending. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t change the outcome.”

“What outcome??”

“My death.”

“.….”

“I died in every single one of them. At least, it felt that way.”

“I see. Maybe they were alternate realities.”

“Now now. Eat up before the food gets cold.”

Shinji gave in to the redirection of the conversation currently being lead by Yume Ryugo,Yoshida’s mother. After all, death wasn’t something taken lightly and the dining room was no place to discuss such.

“Right.This is really good.”

“That’s delightful, it was Keiko that made it.”

“I hope you like it.”

“I do.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Look at them. They already look like a couple.”

Their eyes met then separated almost immediately, they awkwardly looked down at the food. Revenge was the only word that made an impact to him. His coarse, obsessive preparations were the only actions he could take to ameliorate his helpless state. The words “Death” and “Blood” were the only things he wanted to drown his enemy in. Death that seemed like a wish granted and blood that flowed endlessly.That was the form of cruelty that laid deep in his heart. Nothing but pure, unrefined hatred.

“You’re embarrassing them,mom.”

With a loud burst of laughter, Kirisaki crossed his arms and smiled.

“No need to be shy. Being married is one of the best feelings you could ever have.”

“He’s totally right.”

“Glad to see you’re both still full of energy. Thanks for the food.”

Yoshida was already done with his food and left immediately. Of course, his partner on the other hand was a slow eater so it couldn’t always be helped.

“Thanks for the food. Keiko, your cooking is the best.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

With that being said, he took his leave and joined Yoshida on the training ground. Yoshida was practising his shuriken throws and nearly landed all of them on target. This was his favourite part of training and he has been used to it since he was a child.

“Can I join in?”

“Sure.”

They both ran through the different obstacles surrounding them, some were dozens of inches away while others were further in tight positions. The key was to be able to throw perfectly during a fight as the target won’t be motionless. It was even more difficult if the opponents were fully versed with magic. This much was necessary.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

“Huh?”

“It was written all over your face.”

“I didn’t know you could read my thoughts through facial expressions? More importantly, what are you saying?”

{tch}

He focused his aim on Shinji instead while Shinji dodged them and retaliated with hits from his own shurikens.

“I don’t seem to understand why you’re being silent.Really? now of all times?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

They both ran out of shurikens and picked up the wooden swords closest to them. This escalation was caused by a sudden outburst that still left Shinji perplexed. It was one of the reasons he strongly hated succumbing to one’s emotions during a fight. Logic over emotions were the norm for him. It was a belief engraved in him 7 from years back. The flaming contradiction was the deep rooted hatred that possessed him. It was an inextinguishable flame that sat at the core of the heart he thought was dead.

“I already told you that I can take the role of the new head, you don’t have to force yourself to do this.”

“I know.”

“Then why?? Why are you doing this?”

Shinji knocked the sword off his hands and swept him off his feet but he found himself on the ground instead. A mid-air punch was effective in knocking him down. Yoshida went in for a punch but stopped directly in front of Shinji’s face.

“You still want to continue??”

“My fists would have done more damage.”

“Let’s use a real sword then you can say that again. Besides, I was going to stop you with my left leg anyway. You were getting hit regardless.”

“Have it your way.”

“I thought you were more mature but you’re the one having emotional issues.”

“And I thought you were perceptive but you’re the one acting like an idiot.If you hurt her, I swear you’ll regret it.”

As they both walked their separate ways, Keiko caught her breath and tightened her grip on the wood in front of her that she used as a cover from a distance.

Soon after,Shinji snuck out of the Ryugo home. He walked around the district hoping that his dull clothes he got and the messy hair he made will make him blend in successfully. He was loved and respected by all of those who lived in this district. Bruma was always known for it’s peacefulness. Since the founder created this mysterious land and her descendants divided it accordingly, this one had seen the least amount of fights and blood shed. That in no way made it weak or easy prey. Infact, this was the most fearsome district among the others.

While peace and collectivity were the main idea, their strength was no joke. They were and still are the strongest district in all of Quesur. He set foot on the remains of what he once called his home. This was truly a disheartening sight but one that served as a reminder, a painful reminder. He clenched his fists. If his heart ever forgot, his body will certainly not. He will push on to the very depths of hell if necessary. He lived for revenge and could gladly die for it too. He gritted his teeth and calmly pushed his sharp, dark hair up. They looked like sharp spikes pointing in all directions. He returned to his new family. Darkness had already began setting in, the sun said a short good bye and night-time arrived.In front of the garden, he sat on a tatami, staring into the night sky. Behind him was a girl whose beauty illuminated more during the night time. A grey haired girl with a meek personality. It didn’t take long for her presence to be noticed.

“I know you are there.”

“It would be dumb of me to think you wouldn’t. Even if your guard is lowered, that would be an easy task for you. I just wanted to continue watching you like this.”

“My very own guardian angel. I am relieved.”

She sat close to him, cautiously closing the distance between them and rested her head on his shoulder.This was where they often met and talked to each other without a guard or filter. The union of an open heart and a vengeful one.

“Isn’t it beautiful???”

“What?”

“The moon….”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“The stars, too. I wonder what shape we can form with their current positions.”

“You could always ask Gen to teach you more about the stars, you know?”

“I don’t trust anything that man says.”

“He really knows a lot on stuff like this. He’s probably the only person that I’ve seen that loves astronomy more than you do.”

“Well, unlike him, I don’t start making up some false celestial bodies but you aren’t exactly wrong though. Stars are one of the many things I love. If possible, a life dedicated to knowing more about them wouldn’t be so bad.”

“They always have this mysterious vibe. Like something that is there but isn’t at the same time.”

“Remember the time your mom made that bet with Yotsuda-sama?”

She gasped at the beautiful sight in front of her then looked at Shinji. The sudden realization of the impact her words may have had hit her.

“I didn’t mean to..”

“I can talk about it. I remember, he wanted us to do more training but she wanted us to take a break and go play together. The five of us.”

“It was decided with a coin toss and we were quite lucky.”

“It’s hard to believe so much time has passed. I still remember how you and Yuuki went on and on about how you would find a spell that stopped ageing so you could remain kids forever.”

“That’s true.. And you boys wanted to become adults as soon as possible,right?”

“I just wanted to be strong enough to beat my annoying uncle’s ass.”

“I was a bit jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“ ‘The perfect family.’ That’s what I always told myself.”

“I think that’s an overstatement. It probably just looked that way on the outside. Every family has it’s own issues. No family is perfect.We still had our own issues we were dealing with just like everyone else.”

“I’m sure it would have been something special.”

“Special, you can call it that.”

“I also couldn’t help but admire her.”

“Who?”

“Your mom. It’s like there was a star right in front of me, one that I could feel with my own hands, one that was still too bright for me.”

“Well, no helping it. You were a kid back then.”

“Even if she was here, I would still feel the same way.She was always so tactful, kind and pretty. I saw her as my role model.”

“Don’t you think you’re putting her on a pedestal?”

She turned to him upon hearing his words and it all came back to her. Shinji had never been fond of his mother. Compared the other two,he still had some level of love for his mother but it was not visible. She smiled gently at him.

“What about now?? Do you still see her as a role model?”

“Well, I’ll like to be like her even more now.”

“Why is that?”

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly.

“It’s a secret.”

“I see.”

“I wonder if they are alive.”

“That’s the thing about mysteries.The more you think of it, the more you realize how far you are from figuring it out.”

“I’ll like search for them someday. What about you?”

He looked at his left hand and a very visible cut on his palm. It was from when a blade ran through his hand, a mark boldly visible. He paused and looked up again.

“Maybe, it’s something my father would have wanted me to do.”

“.…If that’s the case then I’ll come with you. I’ll help you with your rather inevitable reunion.”

“Inevitable??? As good as it sounds, it might end up being just a dream.”

“Then we take action. Nobody said it’s wrong to dream, so we make an effort and if you don’t, I’ll definitely make you.If you can trust in me as much as I trust in you then we can make anything possible. No matter the circumstance.”

“When you say things like that, it’s hard for me to give up even when I want to.”

“That’s the plan, after all. By the way,there’s a contradiction to the ageing spell wish..Do you recall Yuuki’s second wish??”

“She wanted to be by Shirou’s side forever.”

“Correct.”

“She always had a brother complex. For some reason, my mom was always worried that she would not outgrow it. Huh? What’s wrong??”

“It just dawned on me that in a few weeks we would be getting married.”

“Oh..Are you scared??”

“Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not. Who knows?? All I know is… I love you.”

“Keiko…”

“I also love staring at the sky but as much as I do, I’m getting a little sleepy so I’ll be going to bed. Good night.”

“Good night.”

He gazed at the sky and extended his right hand, reaching for the stars.

“Dad, what would you do in a situation like this?”

( “---” represents the thoughts of the main character. “--” represents the thoughts of any other character. “[]” represents an important event, most likely past events. “{}” represents various sounds made.)

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