Fuka stumbled to her feet.
She clutched her wounded arm, blood still dripping from her robes and pooling in the dirt at her feet. Moonlight hit her face, illuminating a stubborn, blood-stained expression. She stood there, watching the man who had already started to walk away.
"Wait," she called out, her voice raspy but clear. "Take with you."
"No."
Kashimo didn't stop. He didn't even turn his head.
He already had one burden to look after, and he wasn't looking for a second. Besides, his cursed energy was nearly bottod out after that last electromagnetic blast. He didn't have the patience for this.
He kept walking.
Hurried footsteps sounded behind him. Fuka sprinted ahead and spread her arms, blocking his path. Her beautiful red eyes burned with intensity.
"If you don't agree," she panted, "I'll follow you until you—"
"Kashimo."
Fuka's threat was cut short. A voice had co from the side.
Kashimo froze. The voice was familiar. Far too familiar. He turned his head toward the sound.
A small figure was standing a short distance away. She was wearing her travel-worn clothes, her hair was a ss, and her face was flushed from the journey, but her eyes were bright.
She was holding a staff. The erald staff.
Kashimo had left the weapon propped in the dirt, and she had sohow found her way here with it. He stared at the staff, then at her face. He felt a sudden, strange lightness.
Thank god. Saved.
Rinzo held the staff with one hand, watching him.
"A curse ca to the inn," she said, her voice still ragged from breathing but steady. "I killed it."
She paused. Her gaze shifted past Kashimo to the blood-soaked woman in the red robes.
"And who is she?"
Kashimo opened his mouth to speak.
"We just—"
"We just fought."
Fuka's voice was faster than his. She stood her ground, still clutching her wounded arm, her eyes locked on Rinzo. Even covered in blood and wearing tattered robes, she tried to stand tall.
Rinzo listened and gave a slow nod. "Oh. I see."
She gripped the erald staff with both hands and held it in front of her. Then she suddenly spoke with seriousness in her eyes.
"Then, Kashimo. I want to fight you, too."
A question mark appeared over Kashimo's head.
?
A fight?
He looked at Rinzo's youthful, determined face, then at the staff that was nearly twice her height. He stayed silent for a few seconds. He wondered if the curse had rattled her brain.
Before he could process it, Rinzo charged.
Her movents were disciplined and practiced. It was the opening stance of the Hisashige Dojo. Kashimo raised the Soul Split Katana and parried the strike with a casual flick of his wrist.
The sound of the collision rang through the forest. Kashimo's arm humd from the vibration. His pupils constricted.
The girl's strength... Since when had she beco this powerful?
Rinzo didn't give him ti to think. She used the montum of the parry to swing the staff in a wide, horizontal arc. Fuka watched from the sidelines, her red eyes wide with surprise.
Kashimo retreated, putting distance between them. He stood in the moonlight, staring at the girl holding his staff. His brow furrowed.
Was it the curse? No.
Her Heavenly Restriction had finally been revealed.
His mind raced through the implications. He had planned to look after her because she was Juro's daughter. He'd figured that if she only ever reached her father's level, he would just keep her around, let her live a comfortable life, and wander the world together. In this era, with the exception of the Ten Shadows user, nothing could truly threaten him. Supporting a stray wouldn't have been a problem.
Juro's dying wish was for her to survive. Kashimo had fulfilled that.
But this was different. She was developing the ability to protect herself. A fully realized Heavenly Restriction could survive in this world on its own. He was here to honor a debt, not to be a permanent nanny.
He made a decision and tossed the Soul Split Katana aside. The black blade traced an arc through the air before thudding into the dirt near Fuka's feet. Fuka looked at the sword, then at him, her eyes filled with confusion.
Kashimo ignored her. He faced Rinzo, his empty hands slowly curling into fists. He vanished.
An instant later, he was standing in front of her. He drove a fist into her stomach.
Rinzo gasped as she was lifted off her feet. The erald staff flew from her hands, tumbling into the tall grass nearby. Before she could even process the hit, a roundhouse kick slamd into her side.
Rinzo was sent skidding across the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust and dead leaves. She lay there, coughing and struggling to push herself up. Her arms were shaking violently, and she couldn't find the strength to stand.
Kashimo stood where he was and lowered his leg. His face was a blank.
"Passable strength but poor technique."
He gave the evaluation in a flat, clinical tone.
"That's enough. Go back."
He turned and walked toward the grass. The erald staff lay there, glowing with a soft, green hue. He picked it up, weighed it in his hand, and shouldered it. When he looked up, Fuka was limping toward him. She was holding the Soul Split Katana, and she didn't look like she had any intention of giving it back.
Kashimo looked at her. He didn't say anything, and he didn't ask for the sword. He knew he wouldn't be able to shake her off easily, so he let it be. He turned and started the walk out of the forest.
Behind them, Rinzo finally managed to haul herself up. She stood in the clearing, watching the man with the staff walk away. She watched as he disappeared into the shadows without a single backward glance. Her lips moved, but she couldn't find the words to call out to him.
***
The Inn.
Kashimo stood at his door, looking down at the woman who refused to leave.
Moonlight spilled through the window at the end of the hall, stretching Fuka's shadow across the floorboards. She leaned against the doorfra, still covered in blood and gri, her red eyes fixed on him. She clearly had no intention of moving.
Kashimo was out of options. She had followed him from the woods to the inn, and from the lobby to his room. He'd made sure Rinzo was in her own room to rest, and then Fuka had followed him to his own threshold. When he stopped, she stopped. When he moved, she moved. She hadn't said a word, she just lingered like a ghost.
"If you keep following ," Kashimo said, his voice laced with tiredness, "I'll leave you in the hall all night."
He stared at her with dull, flat eyes. Fuka blinked.
"Then I'll sleep in the hall."
She sounded entirely convinced of her plan. Kashimo stayed silent for two seconds.
"Fine."
He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Then, he slamd it.
Fuka stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door for a few seconds. The inn was silent, the only light coming from the moon. She leaned against the wood and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor.
The floorboards were cold. She buried her head between her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, curling into a small ball.
She didn't want to go back. Not to that house, not to that life. If her father found out Hotaru was dead and she was still alive, she knew what awaited her. Torture. Execution. Or being sold off as a political pawn to so distant family. She'd seen it happen too many tis.
Following this man was different.
She pressed her face deeper into her knees. At least with him, she felt a strange sense of security. She didn't have to worry about the next betrayal or the next auction.
The hallway was quiet, save for the sound of her own breathing. Then, the door creaked open.
A hand rested on her head. It was large and warm, with rough callouses. Fuka froze at the touch.
A surge of positive energy flowed from the hand, seeping into her shattered arm. She felt her wounds begin to knit and her bones snap back into place. The pain receded into a dull, manageable throb.
Fuka looked up. Kashimo was standing in the doorway, his face silhouetted against the light inside the room.
"Get in," he said, his voice back to its usual lazy drawl. "Go wash up and change. Your clothes sll like a slaughterhouse, and I'm not explaining that to the innkeeper."
He paused.
"I'm leaving early tomorrow. Whether you're awake to follow is your problem."
He turned back into the room. "I'll sleep in the chair."
Fuka watched him. The moonlight caught her red eyes, and for a mont, they looked as if they were glowing with sothing more than light itself.
***
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A/n: Here's your bonus chapter for reaching 200 power stones. Next goal: 300 power stones!! Don't forget to vote with your power stones!!
For early access to 10 chapters ahead: p@tre~~/Demonic_Fiction (Link is in the synopsis and my profile).
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