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Chapter Text

Grandmother,

You told me once that the sake you drank during your wedding with Grandfather tasted sweet and delightful, like the taste of new picked pomegranates in autumn. You told me as well that in each cup and each sip meant different things.

First is the Heavens: to praise our ancestors.

Second is the Earth: a vow between the husband and wife to care for one another till their ends.

Third is the People: a praise for the fertility of the couple.

Yet, somehow, I did not have that sweet and delightful taste that you had. No such thing as pomegranates.

Instead, with each sip I took from those three cups, it tasted like tears and my own sorrow as I married that man. He did not seem delighted, but I am not too certain as he does not show much emotions, even when we read our vows to the Gods. Though, Mother and Father was the happiest out of everyone in that ceremony of me finally married to someone and doing something grateful in my life.

After our ceremony, we said not a single word. No, we do not share a futon, Grandmother, we have a separate one. Still, we stay in the same room as we do not want any disgrace put in our names from the Gods, especially we are newlyweds and I have caused enough damage into our family name because of some ‘rumors’ about me of rejecting men with their courtships. At least the two of us agreed on something.

I do believe you know of him as he is one the teachers at the dojo here in the village. Perhaps you could try to guess, Grandmother, you always do love guessing the people I try to describe. Though, if you are uncertain, I shall tell you.

The man I married was Hayashi Yone.

Chapter Text

It started as a peaceful evening inside the house, quiet and alone as the knife in my hand sliced through the fish. I cut them into pieces, then put them aside in a separate bowl beside the sliced vegetables. But that one knock on the door was enough to break the silence and made my night twice as worst when I saw who it was at the front door.

My mother sat in front of me as I placed a bowl of steaming rice in front of her. She glared at it before her hand reached for the chopsticks and began eating what I had prepared. I sat there, watching her as I knew she was not here for this meal or how I was doing; after all, she nor my father were the type to ask.

She shoved the rice alongside the piece of fish, she chewed slowly before she placed the bowl and chopsticks down as her attention went to me. I kept my posture straight, hands on my lap as I stared back at her, not at all letting her win with whatever she was playing. She raised her chin.

“You have heard of the rumors, yes?”

I figured, she had heard of it as well. Out in the morning, while I purchased my ingredients and other necessities, another wave of rumors began to spread about me. Well, it was not just me, my husband as well. People said things about our relationship being fake and it would not last long. Said that my parents were lying about us being ‘incredibly in love’ and that was why I kept rejecting other men with their courtships due to me waiting for him to ask me to marry him. How quaint. The people were not half wrong, but I knew I could not say a single word about it as my parents would burn me if I had.

“I have,” I said, not letting go of my gaze while I picked up my chopsticks.

My mother scoffed, “You have heard what they are saying about us. They are calling us liars and now our family is being dragged into yet another wave of rumors because of your reputation. I do not understand what you are doing, but you have to do something about this. The first rumors had already affected our businesses, and now this one as well? Gods!”

I sighed, “It is mere rumors, Mother. Let them believe what they want to believe, it would not do much.”

“‘Not do much?’ Are you hearing yourself? My clients are beginning to lessen because of your stupidity and not acting like a proper lady. Your father’s business is beginning to have fewer clients as well because people are calling him a liar outside of his store. We have given you everything you need, yet this is how you repay us?”

By forcing me into marriage just to save your damned money. I had the urge to say those words, but I shoved a rice into my mouth to not let myself. The Gods would curse me if I did.

“You need to fix this within two weeks. Do something or your father and I will disown you instead. I do not care if people would speak ill of you at the end. That would be your fault. You are even dragging your husband’s name into this mess!” She banged onto the table.

I narrowed my eyes when some soup spilled onto the table. Wasted.

“Do you not have an ounce of shame for the things you have dragged him into? This is what happens when you go to that woman too much. I should have not let you go to my mother’s home nor should I have introduced her to you. Look what happened to you. Perfectly now she is gone.”

I tightened my grip on the chopsticks when I heard her, the fact that my grandmother’s death did not affect her at all. She seemed to have wanted her dead instead. I clenched my jaws. I dared not look at her, if I did I would have said something I would regret later—worst, my father would hear about it as my mother has too much of a large mouth.

“Speaking of your husband, where is he?” She said, looking around. “Why is he not here? No wonder people say that you two do not have a great relationship. You do not even share a meal.”

I closed my eyes as I tried to calm myself first before answering, “He is at the dojo, working late.”

She scoffed as she played around with her food, “At this hour?”

You and Father are the same, maybe even worse.

The sound of the door sliding open caught my attention as I looked over to the hall that led to the entrance, I kept my head still as it was as I waited for him. Footsteps began to make their way up, becoming louder and louder until a form appeared behind the wall.

A tall structure appeared wearing a blue and black kimono, raven hair tied into his chonmage as he stared into the floor for a moment before his attention went to us. Those dark eyes landed on me first, barely an emotion showing, his expression the same when we were married and said our vows. Nothing. Stoned-faced and sharp stares like the statues that stood around the streets of our village. It went to my mother as he bowed over to her.

“Mother,” he said, his voice deep and foreign to me that every time he spoke it always seemed to catch me off guard, “what brings you here this late?”

“Yone,” she said, smiling, “good to see you are well. I am here to see my daughter.”

His eyes went over to me. I looked away.

“Is there something the matter?” I heard his footsteps coming in our direction.

I expected him to sit the opposite of me as we usually do in the morning, but he took his seat beside me and with a straight form. He focused on my mother. I retook a bite of the food, taking it as an advantage that perhaps if I finished eating first I could leave early.

“Oh, do not worry much, I just spoke to her about the rumors that are beginning to come around again because of her,” she said, even without looking at her, I could feel how she glared at me and jabbed those words into my head. “You, as well, are getting dragged into it because of her carelessness. I apologize on her behalf.”

I scoffed, knowing my mother snapped her attention at me. A movement beside me made me glance up at Yone as he raised his chin.

“Do not worry about it. They are mere rumors.”

A twitch tugged at the corner of my mouth, but I shoved another rice as I tried to hide it before I turned my attention to my mother.

She gasped, “Mere rumors? Mr. Hayashi, your name is being dragged into the mud because of her. Do you not feel at all… irritated by her? Your reputation would be on the line. Including your work if she does not act on this.”

Yone hummed as he took his chopsticks, “Eat, Mother, for sure you are famished traveling here.”

“You are quite kind, Yone, I came here with a carriage. Either way, I do not enjoy this food.” She stood, smoothing out her red kimono with designs of cranes and golden flowers, too bright at this time of day. She looked from Yone to me, which lingered for a while as she glared.

I knew what that meant and I did not have time for that.

She bowed, “Have a good night, you two. (Y/N), what I said.”

Yone and I stood as we bowed at her, seeing her leave with a raised chin and an exaggerated sway of her hips. I watched until she disappeared and the front door closed, I could hear the horses leaving as I kept still. A sigh came from Yone as he sat once again, picking up his chopsticks as he began eating. I watched for a moment, seeing his calm structure as he swallowed his food before picking up another one. I turned my attention to my empty bowl before I took it and went to the kitchen to clean it.

I went on it quickly, wiping my hands on a cloth as I began to make my way to our bedroom to end the day. I halted for a moment, turning around as I saw him alone. I opened my mouth, closing it again. I should not, it was not required of us to speak to one another.

I arrived at our room, a bit large for two people but enough room for the both of us. I caught sight of his futon on the other side of the room before I made my way to mine. I pulled up the paper screen by the wall as I began to change into my nightgown, my kimono falling off as I felt my body lift as all the layers were taken off. I heard the door slide open as another yellowish glow came inside the room. I froze for a moment as it slid close before I continued with my changing in quick motions and tied it close. I placed the screen back to where it was, my eyes landing on Yone by accident as he took off his chonmage and his long hair fell to his back naturally. He was now changed into his pair of sleepwear. I narrowed my eyes as a person came to mind, someone I had almost stopped thinking of as I had last seen him a few months back.

He turned to his side as he was about to blow out the candle but his eyes went to me. I averted my gaze as I laid down on my futon, my back turned to him. There was a second pause before the room became surrounded by the moon’s soft, silver lights and I heard shuffling from his end.

I laid there, staring off into the wall as my mother’s words kept repeating and the fact that she and Father would disown me. She wanted me to solve it within two weeks. That could mean it could ruin my reputation further and I had enough of it.

I turned as my eyes landed on the ceiling. I tried to close my eyes to fall asleep, but I could not as I sat up and pulled my hair back. I listened for a moment as I heard Yone’s calm breathing, knowing he was asleep before I stood as silent as I could and took my kimono. I wrapped it around me and went to the front door.

I fumbled around as I took a lantern hanging at the front, lighting it up as I slipped on my Geta and a straw hat. I slid the door open and then closed it as I went down the empty street. Far in the distance, the neighbor’s candles were on and some shops were still open, but I went in the opposite direction to the light as I made my way to the forest.

I had gone through this road many times when I was younger and I would daydream while I walked through it. Now, I did not as I listened to the night’s songs and crickets as I went deeper into the forest, following a faint path that others might say does not exist. I skipped over some roots and rocks, my lantern squeaking and swaying from my movements as I pulled my kimono closer around my body to keep myself warm.

The forest began to thicken as my breath became crisp with smoke, some areas crinkled and rustled, but I kept calm as I walked through it all before a little clearing came into view. I sighed as I saw the cabin I knew and visited often. I went towards it as I hung the lantern above the door, a smile coming to my lips as I placed a hand on the wooden door.

“Hello, Grandmother,” I whispered, taking five steps back to inspect it.

Small and old, the roof covered with some hay or something I was not so sure as my grandfather made it himself—from what Grandmother told me. Some moss began to build up on the corners of the cabin and when I walked to the left, I chuckled upon seeing a little acre of land surrounded by a fence as there where we used to plant vegetables and fruits but now… none grew on it as grass began to grow instead. A single tree stood in the middle of it all and I spotted some apples beginning to ripen.

“I warned you, coming here alone is not safe.”

I sighed upon hearing that familiar deep and rough voice, I turned around and saw the man himself. The man I had not seen for almost three months, “Hunter, it seems you would never stop following me.”

Hunter, a spirit he told me, wielded two katanas: one a normal one with its steel blade, but the other a demonic one with its blades blazing red. My eyes landed on his face covered by a red mask, sharp at the edges and only covered his forehead and his eyes glowing. His black hair waved along with the wind as he stood tall, his upper body exposed and barely covered by some bandages.

I focused on his face again.

He sighed as he walked towards me, his red katana disappearing in thin air as the other he sheathed, “You understand you could be attacked by your Azakana here. It knows this is where you dwell every night.”

“Used to,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “You do not need to worry about me too much.”

“Why should I not?”

I rolled my shoulders and I turned around quickly, unsheathing his katana from his belt as I pointed it at his neck. His stance did not waver nor did he flinch. I stared at his glowing eyes.

“I could defend myself just fine.”

He shook his head, taking the end of the blade as he pointed it down before taking it from me, “Just because I taught you how to fight does not mean you could defend yourself. An Azakana is different. Ruthless and would do whatever it takes to get its victim. I was merely teaching you some basics of wielding a katana,” he sheathed it back.

I turned to face the cabin again, took a deep breath, and exhaled. I caught sight of him moving around again, a routine he does to inspect the area of any sign of my… Azakana. I thought back to the time I was almost consumed by it, those sharp and long nails that were like needles, three eyes downcast while it had its ironic large smile on its face. 

I shivered, remembering how I let it inside my grandparents’ home. Inside the cabin. It disguised itself as a poor old lady who begged for something to eat and drink… it truly pounced at me when I was at my lowest. My life could have ended that night, but Hunter saved me from letting it get too far.

“I heard you are now married.”

His comment caught me off guard and I cleared my throat. I narrowed my eyes, “How do you know about that?”

“I am the guardian spirit of this village, (Y/N). I, too, can hear things, especially since I am one with the wind,” he made his way toward my direction.

I faced him as I raised my chin, “Indeed. I am married. Forced by my family.”

He hummed, “I heard the one you married was a man named Hayashi Yone.”

“You know a lot, Hunter, for a spirit who stays in the forest.”

“I told you, the wind carries many things.”

“I presume gossip is one of them.”

“And some rumors about you and your husband having a bad relationship.”

I rolled my shoulders back as I glared at him, “So, you believe the rumors?”

“No, but are you not going to do anything about it?”

“You sound like my mother,” I whispered. “Are you here to disown me as well? To tell me that I have two weeks to get rid of these rumors?”

He raised his chin, the corner of his lips twitching, “I am merely asking. Does it not hurt you that they are speaking about you in such a way?”

I inspected him up and down, not seeing much emotion on his face that it reminded me somehow of Yone, “They are mere rumors. Let them speak of whatever they want.”

He took a step closer to me, I even noticed his grip on his katana tightened, “Your parents will not be happy with that answer.”

“My parents,” I scoffed. “They care not. Besides, what is there for me to do when I barely talk to him?”

“Give him something,” he answered, a little too quickly.

“What? Food?”

He became silent for a moment, “That could be a start.”

I shook my head, taking the lantern from above the door as I began to make my way back to the house. I do not plan on getting close to that man, “I am leaving.”

“(Y/N),” he said.

I stopped and turned around, “Hunter, I will not—”

He was gone. I looked around before sighing as he did another one of his disappearing acts. I continued on my way back to the house, where I arrived quicker than I thought. My mind kept going back to our little conversation.

I blew out the lantern and I hung it back to where it usually goes as I made my way back to our room. I silently opened and closed the door, seeing Yone not move an inch as I took off my kimono and went to my futon. I laid there again, my head going to Hunter’s suggestion of giving Yone food. I looked to my left as I stared at his back before I turned the other way and pulled the covers up to my chin. It was not truly a bad idea. The last thing I wanted was for more rumors to spread, furthering my problems and my family’s plan would only make it worse. I sighed silently and began to think of something to cook.

Chapter Text

I pulled down the straw hat I wore when two elderly women passed by me before I pulled it back up and I focused on the road ahead. The afternoon sun in the middle of the sky while gripped into a cloth-covered bento as I made my way up the mountain.

Around this area, barely anyone occupied the place except a couple of houses here and there but most were surrounded by sky-high bamboos and some animals I do not know of. I was on my way to the dojo where Yone worked, carrying his lunch. I thought about it last night, and even that morning, I noticed—when I thought back to the past four days I have stayed with him and earlier—that he does not bring any lunch with him. So, I took that opportunity as something that could help with the whole rumor situation that my mother so much wanted to eliminate.

I soon reached the top and I saw large, wooden gates, tiled roofs, and tall walls as I stood there. Some faint voices came from the other side of the walls, even steel hitting on steel in continuous rhythms. I adjusted my stance by rolling my shoulders back and smoothing out my kimono before I raised my fist and knocked. It echoed a little from the place as I waited. I glanced down at the item in my hand before I looked back up when the door cracked open and a man, almost the same age as I was, looked me up and down.

We stared at one another in silence for a moment before I blinked and remembered why I was there, “I am looking for my husband, his name is Hayashi Yone.”

He inspected me again when his eyes went down, I raised the bento so he could see. He went back inside, closing the gate. I stood there, did that mean he would call him or not?

What seemed like a minute or so passed, the gate opened once more as Yone now stood there. That never-changing face stared down at me as I tried not to look away.

“Hayashi—” I stopped, catching someone seeming to be listening in behind him. My mouth hung open before I cleared my throat, “Yone, I brought you some lunch.” I showed it to him.

His eyes flickered down at the blue handkerchief I had wrapped the bento in before he reached for it. Our fingers grazed one another and I jumped a little before I snatched my hand away and I looked back up at him as we stood there in silence. I placed my hand on my stomach.

“I should—”

“Let us have lunch together,” he said making me flinch. He cleared his throat.

“Am I allowed to be in there?”

Yone turned around and the person earlier shrugged as he went away, he turned back to me, “It shall not be a problem. Come in.”

I bowed as I followed him inside, I waited as he closed the gates with a deep bang. I inspected the place, seeing groups of people on the floor seeming to meditate, others held katanas as they dueled, some followed instructions of defensive moves that I once performed from Hunter’s teachings. Yone went past me as he nodded his head, seeming to indicate to follow him. I looked at his back as he stood tall, he wore his usual blue attire just like everyone else in the building, and what seemed to be a wooden katana wrapped around his belt as he held onto the end of it.

Out of everyone I had seen, I would deem him the youngest of the teachers, or perhaps it was because of the lack of facial hair unlike some of the instructors. The afternoon sun highlighted his sharp and strong structure, making him appear like those strict teachers and a man who seemed knowledgeable of combat as if he had once been in war. I blinked as I brought myself back to myself and focused on my image instead.

“Mr. Hayashi!” A boy yelled that Yone halted and turned to the right. I followed where he was staring and saw a young man, around his teenage years, with his arms spread. His hair still growing but already tied up in a ponytail. He was taller than me, his sleeves rolled up that show his strong but thin forearms, “When can I train with my katana again? I already apologized.”

Yone raised his chin, “Eguchi, what did I instruct?”

The boy sighed, “Serve fifty people a cup of water and clean at least a hundred katanas.”

Yone kept staring.

He clicked his tongue, “And polish them as well. No skipping or cheating or else it would turn into fifty-five people and one hundred and ten katanas.”

“Good. Now, keep working,” Yone said, beginning to walk again.

The boy’s attention went to me as we locked eyes, his narrowed for a moment as he raised a finger at me, “Mr. Hayashi, is that your wife?”

Yone halted as he turned to look at me, I looked back at him as he turned to the boy and nodded his head before continuing forward once more, “Be nice, Eguchi.”

The boy smiled over to me and bowed.

I bowed as well, keeping my expression neutral as I followed Yone inside their abode. Such an interesting young man.

He took a seat in front of a table as I mirrored his action, keeping my form as it was even when my back began to ache. He untied the handkerchief, took the chopsticks from the top, and began to put down the contents, opening each of them. He prayed for a moment before he ate, humming in the process as he shoved in some rice and took some vegetables and meat. I watched in silence as he ate.

I inspected the place for a moment, it was large as some statues stood here and there of figures, some Gods that I recognized, but there were some that I had never seen before. Maybe they were past owners of the dojo. Some katanas were displayed on the walls with paintings behind them of people who used to wield them. Fellow workers of Yone walked around, some of them even began to whisper to one another as they stared at us.

“Who is that?” One of them said.

“I think that is his wife.”

“Did they not say she used to entice men and play with their hearts? Breaking them in the end when they had fallen for her?”

“I used to hear that as well.”

“How did Hayashi even come to think of marrying her?”

“Maybe she used some kind of spell or something to get his attention.”

I clenched my jaws as I stared at the empty spot in front of me on the table. I could not believe until now they spoke of that. A soft scratch on the table caught my attention as a container came in front of me, rice half eaten and chopsticks on top of it. I looked up at Yone as he stared at me.

“Eat. For sure you are hungry from your long journey up here on the mountain.”

“I am fine, Haya—” I cleared my throat. “Yone, this is all for you.”

“I insist. You still have a journey back home.”

I narrowed my eyes at the rice container before looking at the two men not so far from us. This was just to take the rumors away. I sighed as I picked it up and began to eat, taking a piece of meat and chewing. I finished the rest of it before Yone handed me over a cup of tea, which I bowed and drank from. As I drank the tea, I turned my attention back to the two men, they seemed to have now focused on something else as they spoke to one another and not staring at us. Did that mean this worked?

“Thank you for the meal,” he said as I placed down the cup.

I nodded as I began to put the container back together when I noticed the two men standing up from their spot and leaving the place. I clenched my jaws as I tied the bento back inside the handkerchief before I turned to Yone as he drank his tea.

No one else was around, “Hayashi.”

That caught his attention as he placed down the cup.

I took a deep breath, I had to tell him why I was doing this and he should know as well, “I would begin doing this from now on. Every afternoon.”

He said nothing nor did his expression show anything else.

“You seemed to have known what was happening and you played along as well,” I continued. “This is to prove the rumors wrong and keep them away from ruining both our names. Is that all right with you if I keep coming here to bring you lunch? Same time as of now.”

His eyes went to his cup as he tapped on it, I watched as I waited for his answer. A strand of hair slipped off from his tied hair, going to his face before he brushed it back as his sharp eyes stared back at mine. I puffed out my chest and raised my chin, his eyes flickered everywhere on my face for a moment before he nodded.

“Same time.”

My shoulders sagged for a moment as I released my held breath before I stood and bowed, “I am glad we could come to an agreement, Hayashi.”

He stood as he bowed as well before he began to lead me back to the entrance. I saw the boy from earlier again, carrying a bucket but now he seemed to be surrounded by three other boys as he had a smile and seemed to be telling something to them. His eyes landed on me, which caused his smile to turn into a grin that the other three turned our way. I focused back on following Yone as we came closer to the entrance, even when I had my back turned to them and I was feet away from them, I could still feel their lingering stares until I exited the gates.

I bowed to Yone again as he did the same, thanking me for the meal before he closed the gates. I stood there for a moment, now feeling the lunch I had brought earlier lighter than what I started. Lighter meant success. Now, I just had to continue doing it until these rumors faded and my parents would stop pestering me.

Chapter Text

The next day came once again, just like the two of us agreed, I brought yet another lunch for us to eat together in the dojo. I began to keep my straw hat off, which caught some attention of people, and began to whisper where I was going. Some of them would be able to guess it and would respond about me seeming to go in the direction of where Yone worked.

And they were valid about that assumption.

I knocked on the gate, waiting for a moment before it opened, I recognized it as the same man who opened the door for me yesterday. His eyes went down to the item in my hand before he stepped aside to let me inside. He signaled for me to follow him which I did as we passed by the students and instructors.

A side of my face began to itch, I tried to ignore it when I looked to my peripheral, noticing another young man staring at me as he held his katana. He was breathing hard, seeming to have finished dueling with another fellow student. He was big, I might well say someone respected by his peers as none of them made a move to him. A little older than the rest—I would have guessed his age going to his twenties.

I turned my attention forward again as the man and I stopped at the entrance of the abode as he turned to me.

“Hayashi is currently preoccupied, just wait here for a moment and I will call him.”

I bowed.

He bowed as well as he went inside, leaving me outside and under the shade, I turned as I watched the students duel and train. I caught sight of the young man yesterday who spoke to Yone. Eguchi was it?

He was with the same three boys from yesterday as well. Someone who appeared older seemed to be scolding him as he had his brow raised at the boy. He said something that caused the one talking to him to shake his head.

The older boy, I would guess, seemed a year or two older than Eguchi, fully grown and his structure soft that it made him look a bit frail; but the way his face contorted alongside his deep breaths as if calming himself while he lectured the other made him appear more responsible.

I turned my attention to another set of students before I saw the same guy I saw while I was walking giving glances at me. I rolled my shoulders back and raised my chin, taking my attention to another area but he kept staring. I knew he kept staring. My eyes flickered over to him again. He smirked, turning to his friend as he whispered something while his eyes flickered from his friend to me. His friend glanced in my direction before looking away.

What were they doing? I released my breath. None of it mattered, they were just children.

“Is that not Hayashi’s wife?” I heard, causing me to look over to the same boy who kept staring at me.

“Yeah, that is her, the one who enticed so many men,” his friend said with a grin.

The guy laughed, nudging his friend, “I also heard she was a whore.”

I clenched my jaws, my grip on the bento tightened. Ignore it.

“Maybe that is how she got Hayashi. Maybe she fucked with him all night that he fell deeply in love.”

They both laughed, “For sure sucked his dick good for him to agree.”

I closed my eyes as I heard them all laugh. Ignore them.

“Hey, assholes!”

A wave of ‘oh’s took my attention back to the boys, I saw the boy who began the bad-mouthing had stumbled and held his jaw. I noticed his lip began to bleed and I recognized the other boy who had punched him as one of Yone’s students. The guy with the broken lip sneered at the smaller boy as he snatched the katana from his friend and marched for him.

“You will pay for that!” He attacked, swinging aimlessly as the other dodged.

“Kajiwara!” I heard Eguchi as he kicked over a katana, which the boy took and blocked the angry boy’s attack.

I took a step forward as I watched, this was not fair, the other was taller than the other. Larger and seemed much more experienced. The boy, Kajiwara, seemed to have been struggling with his hold on his katana as he kept blocking the heavy blows of the other. I narrowed my eyes before I averted my gaze from them. They were not my concern.

Just as I was about to turn around, I caught a glimpse of Kajiwara dropping to the floor, his weapon clattering as he groaned. Blood seeped through the torn kimono on his arm as he held it while the other boy walked over to him and glared down at him.

I could not look away, I turned to the other three as they stood there who seemed frozen in place. Why are they not moving?

The angrier boy said something to Kajiwara before spitting at him as he raised his katana. Something snapped in me upon seeing that mistreatment of the boy, reminding me of the time when my father did a similar thing to me. I placed down the bento on the floor, going down the steps as I took one of the katanas on the racks before making my way toward the other two.

Before the boy could even pierce down his weapon to the fallen boy, I blocked his attack, keeping my composure as I glared at him. His attention snapped over to me, his angered expression seemed to waver when he saw me. I pushed him with all my strength, making him stumble back as his stance broke while he kept staring at me. I stood in front of the fallen boy, clenching my jaw as I remembered the words that he spoke of me.

“You are a samurai in training and someone who appears to be more experienced than the rest, yet you pick to duel with someone lower in grade than you are. Tell me, why should you deserve the title of a samurai if you act as you are?” I said, keeping my stance and glare as he readjusted his form.

He sneered at me, taking hold of the hilt of his katana with both hands. I inspected his stance, where he placed his foot, and how his body was located and twisted. I readjusted my stance to counter his, I expected him to fix his, but he did not and instead lunged at me. I had the urge to scoff as I watched his error before I blocked his attack and was able to land a blow at him, giving him a small cut on his cheek.

His hand rose up to his cheek as he wiped the blood before he stared at me.

I turned to him, “Furthermore, you speak ill of someone who is in the same area as you are. Did your instructor not tell you to keep that large mouth of yours in check?”

A snicker came from one of the boys, making me look behind him. I saw Eguchi covering his mouth before pressing his lips together as he tried to suppress his smile. Kajiwara now standing with the rest as the older boy who was scolding Eguchi nurtured him. I looked back to my opponent.

His chest heaved up and down, his appearance disheveled as he glared at me with those angered eyes. He would begin to lose sight of what he was doing at this moment, I could see it. My thoughts went back to Hunter’s teachings to me about having a duel against an angered opponent:

“They will continue to strike and strike. Their attacks would be random and unsought of. Keep defending and look for an opening. Focus on that.”

I took a deep breath in as I puffed my chest, whispers began to come around the students as I blocked them out but the boy seemed to have been focusing on it as his hold on the katana tightened. Just then, I heard a whisper amongst the crowd that might have snapped the boy’s resolve.

“He is such an embarrassment, disrespecting someone older than he is.”

The boy yelled as he lunged at me, making me snap my attention back to him as I prepared myself on the defense. I blocked and blocked as the boy gave blinded strikes, I flinched with each strong attack he gave me. Hunter told me it would be difficult, but I never knew it would be this much. I tried to look for openings, but he made it harder for me to do so. Our weapons clashed as he tried to push me back, but I fought with my own strength. I did not once show a slight difference as I clenched my jaws, still trying to find an opening.

“Mrs. Hayashi!” I heard, making me look to the side as I saw Eguchi pointing at his knee. “Kick it!” He mouthed.

I looked down, seeing that it was open. I stared back at the boy in front of me before I kicked his knee making it give out while I took the opportunity to disarm him as his katana traveled far away from his reach. I pointed the blade of my weapon to his neck. He glared at me, tension in his jaws as he breathed heavily. I glared back, which made him avert his gaze to the floor as he raised his hands in defeat.

“What is happening here?” An old voice said.

Everyone began to disperse as an old man came into view—everyone averting their gaze as the man took large steps. His presence intense that I had the urge as well to look away, a voice at the back of my mind yelled at me to not stare at him until he instructed me to. When he now stood in front of us, his eyes went from me to the student. His eyes lingered on the boy kneeling in front of me.

“Explain yourself, Chino.”

The boy did not respond as he did not even lift his head.

The elder instead turned to me, his frown deepening and his eyes darkened, “Who are you? How did you enter this dojo?” His eyes flickered over to the weapon in my hand.

I bowed to him as I sat on my knees on the floor, placing the weapon down in front of me, “I apologize—”

“You fought against my student and you came in here without permission.”

“Sir, I am here to—”

“I did not let you speak, woman!”

I shut my mouth as I kept my gaze on the blade, seeing the reflection of the old man and the clear skies.

“I do not know why you are here, but you do not have permission to pick up our weapons and strike my students under my care without any reason.”

“Master Yuji.”

I saw in the reflection Master Yuji turned around as I kept watching while he stared at someone.

“Hino Kei, why do you speak?” He said.

There was a bit of silence for a moment before the boy continued, “I want to apologize, my fellow classmate, Kajiwara, took the first strike at Chino—”

“The hell are you doing, Kei?”

“—but, Chino was at fault here as well as he spoke ill of our teacher, Mr. Hayashi, and his wife who now kneels before you.”

I saw the reflection of the weapon as Master Yuji looked down at me, “His wife?”

“Mrs. Hayashi was merely assisting Kajiwara when he was defeated by Chino, but Chino did not ceased the duel there and was about to strike the other.”

“Chino, is this true?”

Silence came around the area as the boy beside me had not said a word.

“Speak, Chino Kage!”

“Yes, that is true. I spoke ill of the Hayashis and did not stop the duel when needed.”

I clenched my jaws as he admitted it. I sat straighter when a familiar strict form took my attention, I looked up to see Yone in the distance coming towards us at a quick pace. He instantly knelt beside me and bowed deeply to Master Yuji so that his forehead touched the back of his hands.

“Let all the punishments be put to me. I shall take it instead of my wife. Make it tenfold if must.”

I stared at Yone, a little taken aback by his sudden action of taking the punishment. I glanced away. At least he was playing along with our plan.

“No one is getting punished, Hayashi, it is now clear that your wife has done no wrong. Chino, come with me, we must speak.”

Yone sat up again as he, as well, stared at the floor when Master Yuji chuckled.

“You two, raise your heads.”

We both did. I stared at his long, bearded face and bald head as the corners of his eyes wrinkled as he stared at me before to Yone.

“You have found quite a feisty spouse, Hayashi. Keep your eyes on her,” he patted Yone on the shoulder as he left. “Go back to your training, all of you.”

Everyone scattered as we both stayed there in the middle of the training grounds. Yone began to stand up as he patted his kimono before he turned to me and offered his hand. I stared at it before to his face, which stayed to that same expression he always wore before I took it when I noticed the students were staring at us. He assisted me to stand. Pairs of footsteps began to come our way as three students surrounded us, his students.

Eguchi came to take my other hand as he helped me up as well, but I snatched both of my hands back quickly as I smoothed out my kimono and rolled my shoulders back.

“I shall get going,” I said, facing Yone. “I left your lunch at the entrance of the temple.”

A twitch came to his brows, the only change in his expression I had seen that I narrowed my eyes a little, “You took your time to come here. How about you stay for a moment and—”

“I had caused enough damage as it is. He might as well prohibit me from coming here again.”

“I do not think you are,” Eguchi said with a smile. “Master Yuji seems to like you.”

I ignored him as I kept my attention on Yone, he turned around as we saw Master Yuji with the boy from earlier whom I fought. Kajiwara also with him as the two boys faced one another, bowed, and shook hands. I narrowed my eyes as the two separated when Master Yuji’s attention went towards us.

I quickly averted my gaze, not before I saw him stop Kajiwara for a moment. Was he telling him to tell me to leave? I clenched my jaws. Mother and Father would somehow hear of that, I knew for a fact. A sigh was enough to hint to know who it was, making the others turn to the newcomer.

“What did he say?” Eguchi said.

“Chino admitted he started it first with the whole shit talk on Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi—”

“Kajiwara,” Yone said, his voice becoming deep, “your language.”

“Sorry, teacher,” from my peripheral, I saw him bow at Yone. “Also, on the topic of Mrs. Hayashi, Master Yuji said that you are free to come here whenever you please and apologize for our misbehaviors.”

I looked up at them, seeing the four young men with grins on their faces as they turned to me.

Yone nodded, “That is good news. Shall we have our lunch, then?”

I blinked at him, still trying to keep my composure and process the whole thing of me not requesting to leave. I nodded.

“Mr. Hayashi, can we as well?” Eguchi said with a grin.

Yone glared at the four of them, “Have you all done what I instructed you all to do?”

“Aw, please, teach, I fought Chino,” Kajiwara said. “He is a higher grade than I am and I was able to stay up for more than five seconds.”

I watched as Yone shook his head. He opened his mouth when his attention flickered over to me. He seemed to hesitate for a moment as he stared at me, lingering on me that he not once turned away. Was there something on my face? I averted his gaze as my hand hovered above my face.

He sighed, “Alright.”

A cheer came from Kajiwara and Eguchi as they turned and began to make their way inside the temple. The other followed after the two, the one who seemed to be eldest was about to as well when Yone grabbed his shoulder.

“Hino, keep them in check, warn me if they do anything. Also, can you tell Kajiwara to treat his injury?”

Hino nodded as he went inside. Yone turned to me, nodding his head before the two of us made our way inside the temple. My thoughts went back to what had occurred today, remembering Kajiwara earning that cut on his arm just because he defended two people whom he barely knew. How stupid of him to do. Did he not even think of the consequences of his actions? I could not understand the children of this era.

Chapter Text

The evening between Yone and I not once changed as if that afternoon’s event did not happen at all. We ate together in silence again that wood hitting on porcelain bowls and wooden plates was the only thing that spoke for our sake. I had a long bath when I arrived home after our lunch together. The four boys kept close to us, glaring at people, especially Eguchi and Kajiwara having the sharpest on students who passed by and stared at us.

But, that was not what I kept thinking of, it was the actions of my husband. He placed his life on the line to pull the Master’s attention away from me and let the punishments be placed on him instead. It worked at least. During our lunch together, that was all that the people in the dojo spoke of, even when we both finished and I was on my way to leave. At least the plan was working.

I sat in front of a mirror, brushing my hair as I readied myself for sleep. The candle flickered beside me while I focused on my hair, I halted when my eyes landed on my face. Grandmother used to say that I had the prettiest face in the village, one of a kind that she would say that I was blessed by many Gods, that I glowed whenever I smiled that my eyes twinkled like the stars. However, she could have been jesting with me as well as I had never seen it, especially now and how empty it looked.

The door slid open as Yone treaded in. He appeared to have just finished his bath as his hair stuck to his temple while it glistened from the candlelight; a towel in his hand as he dabbed on his hair. My eyes accidentally went down to his kimono that were partially apart from one another, catching sight of his pale chest. I blinked away, focusing on brushing my hair again before I placed it down and made my way to my spot. I laid down on the soft sheets and pulled the covers up to my chin.

I heard him lie down as well before he blew out the candle. He sighed as a shuffle came from his side before silence and the crickets sang. I tried to close my eyes and fall asleep, but could not. Time seemed to go slowly as I sat up, listening to Yone’s calm breathing before I made my move to stand, took my kimono, and left the room as quietly as I could.

I went the same way to the forest, taking my time as I listened to the silence and crunching of the earth underneath me. The cabin soon came into view as I hung the lantern on its usual spot above the door, doing my greeting to my Grandmother that I had arrived. Just as I was about to take a step back, I turned around when the breeze tickled my neck and the scratching sound of steel.

Hunter, once again, was present as he sat on a big rock as he sharpened his normal katana. His concentration was sharp on his business before he glanced up at me.

“You are here,” he said, taking his attention back to his weapon.

“Indeed I am,” I said, raising my chin.

“Is there something bothering you that you are here tonight?”

My thoughts went back to the events of that afternoon, but I also went to two nights ago when the two of us last spoke. The night where I visited when he spoke to me of the matters with the whole rumor of my husband and I. I had made a sarcastic remark to him about his suggestion of me bringing Yone some lunch. Now, it led to us having lunch together which seemed would now be a routine for us from now on until the rumors fade. Besides, it was working because of his proposition.

“I wanted to thank you for the idea,” I began.

His sharpening halted for a second before he began again, “I presume it is working as you are thanking me?”

“Yes, it is.”

He hummed, keeping his concentration.

I turned around as I began to make my way to the cabin, opening the door as I entered. My shoulders fell as the first that greeted me was an empty rocking chair. I walked towards it, my hand caressing the arm. I missed how that rocking chair squeaked as Grandmother sat on it, always greeting me first thing in the morning before I made my way to the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of us.

I rubbed my fingers together as dust stuck to the tips of my fingers. I sighed at how much dust collected over the months I ceased to visit. I clenched my jaws when I looked up and came in contact with a panting in front of me.

My grandparents on their wedding day, smiles present on their faces that contrasted with what my parents had in their wedding painting in our living room. I went towards it as my attention went to the shrine behind them, the same one that I was married to, as well as my parents. My eyes went back to my grandparents, their young and live faces that glowed past the ink and joy present as the cherry blossoms bloomed. My visions blurred as I averted my gaze, sniffing as I tilted my head up to the ceiling before I turned to make my way back outside.

But I caught sight of the kitchen. Vivid memories came flashing back to me. The times when the sun went past the open windows as I busied myself with kneading the dough for the next batch of fresh loaf for the two of us to eat. We would ponder all morning what to cook for dinner and what to have for snacks while the two of us took care of our little garden. I would always take the fresh cabbages from the back and tomatoes to add to our list of ingredients, but that was long ago.

I swallowed at how difficult it was for me to never think of those days whenever I closed my eyes. Days whenever I visited here after her death, how I tried to keep going with our usual routines.

How quickly I lost her. My only source of happiness and the only person who ever truly cared for me when my parents were too busy with their ‘business.’ I was on another trip to visit her when I noticed the windows were still closed. At first, I did not think of it as much as I thought she overslept again, but when I called for her and she did not respond—even when I opened the window in her room—that was when I discovered she stopped breathing.

She went with Grandfather that day.

I was not sure how that happened, the day before she seemed fine and strong. Not even a hint of struggle or she was beginning to fade as her face was painted with life.

A wind caressed my face as I snapped out of my thoughts, looking up to see that I had opened the front door and Hunter stood in front of me. Still with that unchanging stare. I glared up at him as I clenched my jaws. Nothing happened.

He stood silent for a moment before he turned and began walking a few feet away from me, “How was today?”

Another one of his questionings, “Nothing new.”

He knelt on the grass, putting his katana in front of him as he stayed there, “How about your situation with your husband? Anything new between you both?”

I stared at his back, narrowing my eyes. Why was he asking of my husband? “Nothing as well. He is still cold as he was when I first met him.”

“Cold?” I heard him.

“Yes, cold. Not much emotion and still with that same sharp stare,” I turned to look at the mini garden, catching sight of the apple tree, seeing the apples that were almost finished with their process. Some of them were already finished. Perhaps I could pick them up in a few days.

“How is he… cold?”

I turned to face him, “Besides his glares, he is quiet as ever. Not many words are spoken between us and the whole house is silent. You could hear a droplet of water coming from the kitchen. Even after what had happened this afternoon,” I whispered the last part.

Now that he asked me that question, I began to notice how silent Yone and I were. Barely said a word to one another as we were only in each other’s presence when we ate together and our only conversation was whenever he would leave for work, saying that he would be off. Even though we shared a room, not even a single good night would be said nor either of us would ask how the other person’s day was.

The more I thought of it, I even recalled that neither of us had given one another a wedding present.

I ignored the thought as I went to the door and took the lantern above it. “Though, I do not mind. We both do not want to be in the situation we are in. I do not blame him.”

Hunter stood as he faced me, “Are you saying that he does not want what you two have?”

“Who does? Forcefully married to someone you barely know. It is not something one would enjoy. It is an empty relationship only meant for business, just like his backyard. Lacking in life.”

I seemed to catch sight of Hunter flinching as he took a step back, but it could have been my imagination as he said, “I see.”

“I shall take my leave.”

I passed by him as he stood there motionless, my posture straight as I kept my attention forward. Just as I was about to enter the forest, his question made me halt.

“You do enjoy gardening, yes?”

My attention did not leave the front before I looked down at the lantern in my hand as I watched the flames flicker behind the paper walls, “Yes. I do enjoy it.”

A simple hum was the reply I received. Another silence came as I waited whether he would say or ask more, but when I turned around to check if he was still there, it was yet another empty clearing.

Chapter Text

It was yet another afternoon in the dojo as I stood under the shades of the temple, waiting for Yone as I clutched on his bento. Unlike before, some people began to greet and bow to me whenever they passed in my direction. Some of the students gave a quick ‘good afternoon’ or ‘hello’ while I waited. Even the man who always opened the gates—his name I soon learned to be Okahara Tokaku—greeted me as well with a smile.

The young man, Chino, that I fought a day ago even greeted me with a deep bow before he continued with his training. However, he did not stare back at my gaze when he had done so—unlike some of the students, he was averting my gaze as he seemed more preoccupied with something else. I followed his eyes as I spotted a group glimpsing in our direction before turning away. He soon left as quickly as he bowed and went back to work.

As for the four students of Yone, they worked hard as they continued with their own sets of training, but I would catch them staring at me they always ended with bows and smiles. Eguchi, though, would always end it with a ‘hello’ and a grin that his eyes would close. I tried to ignore them at first, thinking that it would stop them from doing the same actions again; but that never seemed to have stopped them from doing it again, and continued staring.

Just as I watched a duel finish between two students, I caught two of the boys—Eguchi and Kajiwara—whispering to one another as Eguchi nudged Kajiwara in my direction. The boy sneered at Eguchi before groaning as he began to make his way towards me.

I readjusted my posture and raised my chin a little higher, watching as he got to the steps before halting in front of me.

He bowed, “Afternoon, Mrs. Hayashi.”

I nod my head as my attention goes past him and to the gates. I saw him looking back to Eguchi before sighing.

“I wanted to thank you in person for saving me yesterday,” he began. “I can not imagine what could have happened to me if you did not block Chino’s attack.”

I kept quiet, still not looking at him.

“Um, you seemed to have some skills with the katana. Did Mr. Hayashi teach you?”

This time, my attention went to him. His eyes widened for a moment before he fixed his expression again, “I learned it, but not from Haya—Yone.”

He nodded as silence came between us. I inspected him as he leaned from one leg to another before turning to Eguchi again who furiously nodded his head. Kajiwara turned to me again while I kept staring at him.

He swallowed, “I, um, I was wondering,” he turned to Eguchi before groaning. “Eguchi wanted to ask if you could show us a bit more of what you know about fighting with a katana.”

“Kajiwara!” I heard Eguchi.

The boy turned to face the other, “What? It was your idea.”

“You were the one who wondered whether Mrs. Hayashi knew more moves about defending.”

“But you were the one who suggested asking her for a demonstration.”

Demonstration? They wanted me to demonstrate?

I continued to watch for a moment as the two began to argue before the eldest, Hino, came in which caused the two of them to halt.

“Enough, both of you. Stop pestering Mrs. Hayashi. She already had to save us from getting into trouble yesterday, do not make it worse for her today. Continue with your training.”

Both boys sighed as they listened to Hino. My chest ached upon seeing their saddened faces, especially Kajiwara’s as he kept his eyes on the ground as he stepped down the stairs.

I looked down at the bento in my hand before turning around to the temple as I waited for Yone. My attention went back to the children and their downed expressions. I clenched my jaws before making my decision. It would not hurt. 

“You are wondering whether I have more knowledge of combat, yes?” I said, causing the boys to turn to me. I tried to keep my composure from their sudden attention as Kajiwara went up the stairs again.

“Would you show us?”

“I am not that skilled with it, but I do know a couple of defensive positions.”

A grin replaced his downcast look as well as Eguchi as he nodded over to Kajiwara, “If you would not mind.”

I nodded, placing the bento to the side that would not be tempered as I went towards the children. Eguchi smiled at me while I nodded. The youngest, who appeared a little shy and big-eyed while he seemed to make himself smaller, handed me a katana as he bowed. I bowed as well when I took it, making him smile a tiny bit as he turned back and went beside Hino.

The four of them stood there, watching me as I clutched the katana. I turned my attention to it as I took a deep breath in, exhaled, and held the hilt with both hands as I was taught by Hunter. I adjusted my stance into a relaxed stance, my right foot behind my left as I held the katana in front of me. My heart drummed against my chest as I could feel the children’s stare, I would even guess that besides the four, others began to look as well as I caught sight of two students who had their attention on us. No, on me.

This was a first for me to do it in broad daylight, besides Hunter being the one who watched and taught me, now others are watching as well. They were students who were in training to be samurais to the Gods above. Why did I agree to this?

“So, what is it that you know, Mrs. Hayashi?” Eguchi began, snapping me away from my thoughts as I focused on them again.

Right, this was just for them, “Guessing your four’s level, I would say that you four already know the basics to block a horizontal attack, yes?”

I saw them all nod.

“Good. Tell me, what else do you boys know?”

“As of now, the defenses we know are countering horizontal cuts and a few defend and cut combos,” Hino answered.

I nod, “That is good. What about a defend, cut, and thrust combo? Has Yone taught you that yet?”

None of them answered as they glanced at one another.

“He said he would get to that soon,” the youngest said.

“Has he demonstrated it yet?”

None of them answered.

I hummed as I readjusted my stance. Took a deep breath in and relaxed my muscles as I recalled the instructions that Hunter gave me. In the demonstration he showed before I copied what he had done as well. I imagined myself back in that clearing, just the two of us as I listened to him speak while I watched his stance and movements as he gave an example. I gripped the hilt of the katana, readjusting them for a bit before moving to my body and footing.

Another deep breath in, and when I let it out, I began my quick but precise movements as I was taught. Hunter told me to be quick, but to never lose my precision and never lose sight of the openings of the enemy. I came back to my resting stance as I turned my attention to the boys.

They stared, each of them having their expressions. Hino had a concentrated look, Eguchi stared, Kajiwara with his mouth hanging slightly open, and the youngest had an identical expression as Kajiwara. I bit down on my tongue as I tried to keep my composure straight as I inspected their faces.

How adorable and clueless they each appeared.

“That was…” Kajiwara began, but before he could continue another voice came.

“Off.”

All our attention went to Yone as he stood not far from us. I glared at him as he stared back at me, his arms crossed. How long has he been watching?

“Your beginning stance was correct as well as some of your attacks, but the way you held your katana up was a bit off. Are you trying to defeat your opponent or are you trying to play swords with them?”

I pressed my lips together at his words, flinching a little.

“Tilt it a bit more. Here, let me show you.”

He went closer to me and took the wooden katana from his belt. He went to the position in which I seemed to have made a mistake. I thought I did it right, it felt to me as if I had done it correctly.

I inspected his stance as his eyes went to me. I averted his gaze out of habit, copying his stance as I raised the katana to my head. I saw Yone stand up straight again, one hand behind his back while the other held the wooden katana. He began to circle me, looking up and down before he used the end of the wooden item to readjust the position of my elbow as well as my footing.

“A bit more up with the elbow.”

I did as I was instructed, but a sigh came from him, “Here.”

His hand went to my back and the other went to my elbow as he raised it a bit more, making me truly tilt the katana while he pushed his hand a little forward. I rolled my shoulders back a bit more as I felt that bit of curve form on my back.

“Good,” he said, his face appearing beside me as his hands stayed as they were. “Do not lose this stance. Remember to keep it when you block. Firm grip. Be ready to strike.”

My attention went to him and I could not help but focus on our proximity. Out of the days we had been together, this was the closest the two of us had been. His hand on my back burned as all I could think about was how our position appeared a little intimate in the spectator’s eyes. I even caught sight of Kajiwara and Eguchi nudging each other as they tried to hide their amusement behind their hands.

I tried to remember to breathe as I noticed I had stopped doing that, making me take a deep breath in while my heart’s beating quickened. Seeming to know my stare, Yone turned to me with his unchanging expression. But, I swore, I saw a little change in them as his eyes seemed to widen a little in a small second before they came back to normal again.

“So, is that how we are supposed to do that stance? Should we get a partner as well?” Eguchi said as he and Kajiwara chuckled.

Yone went over to them as he now gripped the wooden katana at his side. The two of them shut their mouths as they still tried to hide their smiles. A silence came as Yone stood in front of them when he suddenly hit both of them on the side of their arm with the katana as the two yelped.

The thundering crack when it hit the children made me drop the katana in my hands as it clattered to the floor, reminding me of the time when Father did the same to me just because I accidentally spilled some tea. The fire that stung my arm and leg came to me vividly as if it happened a mere second ago, seeing his hard glare and disappointment at me.

The sound seemed to have caught all of their attention as I made my way towards Yone. With a glare and not once taking it away from him, I snatched the item from his hand. Now, that caused a change to his face. Now, his eyes truly widened.

“You do not do that to children,” I said through gritted teeth.

His eyes stayed on me as I saw him swallow before nodding, “Yes, ma’am.”

A snicker came from Eguchi, “Mr. Hayashi just called her ‘ma’am.’”

I glared over to him before hitting him on the leg lightly.

He jumped, “Hey! What happened to ‘you do not do that to children’?”

I pointed the end of the katana at him, “You do not speak to your elders in such a way, especially if they are your teachers.”

“But—”

“Ah! Not another word, young man.”

Eguchi shut his mouth as the youngest began to laugh, “Oh, shut it, Tashiro.”

“Eguchi,” I said in a warning tone.

He stood straight, raising his chin, “Yes, ma’am!”

A cough from beside me made us all turn to Yone as he pressed his lips together, he looked over to us before turning his head to the side so that none of us could see his face. I saw Eguchi point at him.

“Mr. Hayashi, did you just smile?”

Yone raised his chin as he glared down at him, “Pointing is rude. Stop with that habit, Eguchi.”

“Did you laugh, too?” Kajiwara followed as a grin made its way up his face.

“(Y/N), let us have our lunch,” he said as he began to make his way to the temple, picking up the bento from the floor. I followed after him.

“Mr. Hayashi, did you just laugh?” Eguchi continued.

“Hino, continue with the training.”

“Yes, sir. You heard him. Go!” Hino said.

“But, he did not even answer yet.”

“Eguchi, follow what he instructed us to do or else he will make us do the cup balancing thingy again,” I heard Tashiro.

A smile made its way up to my lips as I heard the four of them continuing to argue but seemed to have gone back to training. They are quite adorable that they reminded me of siblings. Just as I turned my attention forward again, I caught Yone peeking at me before he turned his gaze back ahead. I cleared my throat as I rolled my shoulders back, raising my chin as if nothing happened while I gripped the wooden item in my hands.

* * *

That night, as the two of us ate together, one thing was different, the air was not that same heavy force that we usually had. Instead, it felt lighter. Even when he arrived home, he nodded his head towards me as he carried a basket in his hand and made his way to the table.

I did not think much of the item he brought as he thanked me for the food, but halfway through our meal, he placed it on the table, making me cease as I stared at it before at him. He continued eating as he seemed to not have noticed my stare while I wondered what it was. I turned my attention to the basket as I was not sure whether I should do something about it or not.

“It is yours,” he said.

My eyes went to him then back to the basket as I stared at it. I placed down the bowl as I moved the cloth to the side that covered its contents. I almost gasped when I saw what was inside, items filled with gardening tools and bags of seeds of different vegetables and even fruits. There were some potatoes, mitsuba, turnips, chili peppers, and it continued on. I took one of the bags as I stared at it, caressing the thin fibers of the bag in my hand. Where did he get all of these?

“I overheard from your parents when I first visited that you enjoyed gardening.”

I turned to him, watching as he placed his bowl and chopsticks down. He overheard my parents speak of my interest, I could already guess what they said about it.

“Also, I took notice that you do not seem to have much to do here during the mornings. So, I bought these for you. Take it as my gratitude for protecting my students and risking your life as you did.”

I hesitated for a moment before I took it and placed it on my lap, still going through its contents as my chest squeezed. He bought all of these to thank me?

“You do not have to go to the dojo tomorrow,” he said, taking my attention back to him. “You could focus on doing that if you so wish. The yard is all yours to take.”

I knew from that moment that I stared at him with my mouth hanging open, glancing back and forth from him to the basket on my lap.

“Thank you,” I said with a bow, not knowing whether I should call him Yone or Hayashi.

He nodded, “I shall get going, I need to take my bath.”

I kept staring at the basket on my lap as I heard his footsteps recede behind me. My grip on the item tightened as something warm came to my chest. Now, I could do something here during the mornings.

Chapter Text

I woke up extra early that morning to make breakfast, seeing as the sun had not yet risen and Yone was still asleep on his side of the room. I began to cook after I changed into a more comfortable wear. While I was doing our breakfast, I was making his lunch as well. Since he told me the night before that I did not need to go there, I still had to keep up with the whole image and with our plan, especially now it seemed to have been working with the people in the dojo that they began to greet me. Not long after, or perhaps they already are, would be talking about it outside the walls of the dojo. I do hope I was right.

I finished just in time to see him exiting out of the halls, already in his uniform as he sat in his usual spot on the table while I arranged our food. I placed the bento beside him as his attention went to it before to me.

“That is for your lunch,” I said, beginning to eat.

“You did not have to.”

I glanced up at him as he blew on the food before taking a bite, I expected him just to hum in acknowledgment. Though, it was nice for him to speak as well. I continued with my business, the silence coming between us but not that usual thick silence.

“Are you going to be doing your gardening today?”

The question made me halt from taking another bite as I spotted him looking at me, still with an expressionless look on his face. I looked back down to my bowl.

“Yes, I would be.”

“What would you be doing?”

He was quite talkative today, “I would be looking for the best spot to plant the vegetables, do some digging, and all of that.”

“Which ones would you be planting?”

His question made me think back to the basket he gave me. I acknowledged the current season and the temperature this year, “I would be planting some carrots, beets, lettuces, and cabbages. Due to it being autumn, this season should go well with those vegetables and they should thrive quite well.”

“Hm. Do you plan on putting some flowers?”

I took a bite of my food as I thought about it, I only caught a glance of the backyard when I first arrived here. Not much life just as I informed Hunter, a couple of trees here and there, but not as many plants as I would have wanted it. Grandmother would have been furious upon seeing that garden, she would have been more than happy to begin working and planting things on it in an instant. I could already imagine her spouting things like: ‘Why is there nothing here? Such a wide space yet it is not used properly!’

“If you do not mind,” I said.

“I would not. I do believe it would be pleasant to add some colors there for once,” he looked at me again. “I told you, the garden is all yours to take. Do whatever you want with it.”

I rolled my shoulders back, “But it is yours.”

“Ours,” he said, not once taking his gaze away from me and his tone going a little deep. “Remember, you have my name as well. What is mine is yours.”

My heart skipped a beat as I heard him say that with such a lack of change in his expression, but the way he said it made him appear serious. I cleared my throat as I took another bite of the food, the room seeming to become hot as I tried to ignore what he had said. I should have not worn too many layers.

Yone cleared his throat as well as he placed down his bowl, giving a little bow to me as he began to make his move, “Thank you for the meal. I shall take my leave.”

I looked up as he began to make his way to the halls, disappearing from the other side of the wall.

Just as I was about to take another bite of my food, I spotted his bento on the table. I sucked in a breath as I took it, going to the entrance as quickly as I could. I spotted him taking his katana off the wall and his straw hat just as he slid the door open, I called for him.

“Hayashi.”

He halted and turned to me. I handed him the bento. He stared at it before taking it.

“You almost forgot,” I said as we both stood there in some silence. I intertwined my hands as I placed them in front of my stomach, took a deep breath in, and raised my chin, “Take care of yourself.”

He blinked a couple of times as he stared before bowing, “Thank you. Good luck with your gardening. I shall be back at the usual time.”

I nodded.

He nodded as well as he exited the house. Before he closed the door, I caught sight of two women staring at us, one of them with her mouth hanging open. Seeming to have caught my stare, the two of them looked away and continued with their walk as they talked behind their fans. Yone’s gaze went to me for a moment as we locked eyes, his gaze seemed to have softened a little when we did so before he closed the door.

I exhaled deeply as I placed a hand on my chest, still feeling my heart beating a little too quickly. That was mere duty. That was nothing. At least we appeared to have been a good couple just from the way those women stared at us. I took another deep breath, readjusting my posture as I began to make my way back inside. Now, I had to focus on the backyard.

* * *

I placed down the basket filled with gardening tools as well as the bags of seeds as I stared at the view in front of me. Absolute horror to my sight, how empty and lacking in color it was. However, I was changing that today, and Yone permitted me to do so. I took the tasuki from the basket as I began to roll my sleeves up and tie them with the cloth, preparing myself for this day’s work.

I first searched for a good spot to begin my work, catching sight of some earthworms seeming to wiggle around not so far off. I took it as a sign of good soil as I began my work there, pouring some water first to see if the soil would absorb it in mere seconds, which it had. I also took note of the sun’s position and how it would affect my crops.

With a deep breath, as I knelt on the grass, I began my work, recollecting all of Grandmother’s instructions to me on beginning the process of starting a garden. Pulling out all of the weeds as well as their roots to prevent them from growing again, then moving on to creating the garden beds to put the seeds in. Sweat began to trickle down my forehead as I wiped it away before it touched my eyes, resting for a few seconds before continuing with my work.

The sun soon went to the middle of the sky just as I finished pulling out all the weeds and their roots as I moved on to creating the garden bed to plant my seeds. I took two buckets as I sighed, remembering I had to get some water from the well.

In so, I went out, walking towards the well close to our home as I pulled on the rope to let the basket fall deep into the pit before I began pulling it back up again with more strength. I filled in the both buckets I brought with me, preparing myself to carry them back home. I caught sight of some neighbors watching me, including some elderly, knowing for a fact they were gossiping about me again. But I ignored them, all I had to focus on was this.

I arrived back home, taking off my geta as I quickly, being careful as well, made my way back to the backyard as I began the process of digging the right amount of depth for the seeds. I placed verities of them in one column to another, taking note that the carrots were placed on the farthest left, the lettuces over there, and so on. I covered them back up with the soil before I began to pour them some water.

A smile came to my lips as I began to water them. This was always my favorite part as it was always the time Grandmother and I had done a job well done with our hard work. We would always end the day with a good, delightful meal due to us completing our work with empty and rumbling stomachs.

Warmth coursed through my chest at the joyful memory of my grandmother and I, but a sudden sadness hit me when I recalled that I had done this all by myself without her beside me. I swallowed as my eyes stung, clenching my jaws as I tried to suppress the tears from falling.

I had never done this without her before. Done a new garden from scratch just on my own.

Just as I was about to move on to the next row, a sudden brightness from my peripheral made me shut my eyes and hold my breath. I turned to where the orange-yellow glow came from and saw Yone standing on the porch.

We stared at one another as I held the watering pot, “Hayashi, why are you home early?”

“Home early?” He frowned. “(Y/N), it is night.”

“What? It is merely the afternoon, what are you—” I looked up at the sky and saw that he was not lying. The sun had indeed fallen and the sky was now covered in stars and the moon.

How did I not notice this? It was night and Yone had arrived home. I almost dropped the item in my hand as I processed the time and the fact he was there. I turned to him but he still had his gaze on me.

“I have not made dinner yet.” Gods, I had not made dinner.

I glanced away from him. I did not do my duty as a wife. Gods, I forgot about the time. I clenched my jaws together at my mistake, feeling them becoming numb at how hard I was putting pressure on them. I dared not look at him as my grip on the watering pot tightened. I made a mistake. Was he angry? Would he shout? What should I do?

I shut my eyes when I heard him sigh, waiting for his voice to double in pitch.

“I prepared your bath.”

My attention snapped to him when I heard what he had said. He prepared me what?

“I came home a while ago whilst you still working on that. Come inside and take your bath,” he said, beginning to head back inside the house.

“But, I had not made our meal.”

He stopped, turning around, “I will take care of it. Come inside. It is cold out there.”

I stared at his neutral expression. Not even a single hint of irritation present in his eyes nor disappointment. He did not even raise a finger at me as he not once stepped out of the porch. I could not believe someone like him was not furious for not doing my role.

I bowed deeply, “Of course, I shall go right away.”

He hummed as I heard his footsteps retreat inside. I followed his instructions, putting everything down as I made my way back in. I caught a glance of him making his way to the kitchen but nothing else I saw as I hurried my way to our room to get my clothes.

I soon went to the bathroom, sighing upon seeing that he had not lied when he had prepared my bath. Steam came out from it as I went towards it and submerged my hand inside. I hummed at the hot temperature as I placed my clothes to the side and began to undress myself, feeling all of that weight release. I sighed and shivered a bit from the chilly air. I cleaned myself first from a water and bucket to the side, scrubbing myself clean off the dirt that stuck to my arms before I climbed into the bath.

The hot sensation that wrapped around my body made me release a sigh as I closed my eyes. That was the only time I noticed how my muscles ached as I began to massage my shoulders, keeping them under the water. A faint smell of aromatic herbs came from it, and catching a scent of rosemary, only caused my mind to relax further as I inhaled its scent. It was the same fragrance I tend to catch from Yone whenever he passes by me. I could not believe he added some to my bath.

His words came tickling back to me earlier in the morning. Everything that was his was also mine.

I clenched my jaws together as I shook the thought away, focusing on getting myself cleaned. Still, I never knew he could cook. He appeared to be the type to not do that due to being busy with work, he does not even bring his lunch. I leaned my head on the side of the wooden tub, wondering why he never said a thing about it.

Grandmother would be laughing at me right now for making such a mistake and letting my husband make our dinner and he prepared a bath for me as well. I knew my parents would be furious if they heard this had happened because of being invested in my interest. How embarrassing.

Chapter Text

The food he had made was surprisingly quite comforting that when I finished my bowl, I had the urge to go straight to bed after a good meal. During our little silence as we ate, I could not help but notice his little glances at me whenever I took another bite of his food, but he would instantly turn back to his bowl whenever I would catch him.

It was a simple meal with rice, side dishes of radish and takuan, and the main dish as ochazuke. The first time I tasted the ochazuke, I was not expecting that saltiness to combine well with the green tea, making the bitterness of it quite a nice touch. It was the usual ingredients of salmon, more pickles, and seaweed, but there was something about it I could not place.

Grandmother used to make them as a quick meal as it began to be quite popular while she was still alive. I tried making one myself, but I would always seem to miss something and Grandmother would laugh at me whenever I made a face when tasting my cooking. I could never get that taste like she does. Yet there seemed to be something different with his. It was almost similar to Grandmother’s, but he seemed to have added his touch. What did he add? A specific vegetables or spices that we had missed? How do they make it? I knew I had to add multiple toppings, but which ones specifically?

I wanted to ask him, but he already left before I could say anything as he took our bowls and went for the kitchen. I clenched my jaws as I ignored it, concluding just letting it be kept a secret as I made my way to our room.

I changed into my nightwear as quickly as I could, lay down on the futon with a sigh, and pulled up the covers. Yone soon came inside as he carried a candle. Usually, I would turn my back on him and ignore him as he made his way to his side of the room, but today, I seemed to have not helped myself as I inspected him.

He placed the item down as he fumbled with his hair tie; his hair released down to his back. He combed them with his hand as the fire’s light reflected softly against its ink abyss. He lay under his covers and turned to blow out the candle when our eyes met. We stared at one another for a moment.

“Good night, (Y/N).”

I clenched my jaws upon hearing him, but I nodded as I turned my back to him and pulled the cover up to my chin, “Good night, Hayashi.”

The light disappeared. I lie there, awake, staring at the wall once more as my thoughts went to Grandmother again. A sudden urge to see the cabin came spreading to my chest. An urge of feeling that warmth that I always felt whenever I came there like an embrace that Grandmother always gave me whenever I arrived. My eyes stung at the thought. I had the urge to hug someone.

I sighed as I turned to look at the ceiling instead while I listened to Yone’s breathing, waiting for it to even out to know that he was now in deep slumber. I took that as my cue as I grabbed my kimono and began my journey back to the cabin.

Everything went in a blur and all I remembered from my whole journey was that I hung the lantern above the door again and instantly made my way inside. My head filled with nothing but feeling that warmth I so craved. I was greeted with an empty rocking chair and their wedding painting, the moonlight passing by the windows as I clenched my jaws. I sniffed as I went towards it, falling to my knees as tears began to escape my eyes.

She was not here. She was not here to caress my head as I cried, she was not here to listen to my worries or simply be there as she graced me with her presence. She was not there to witness me create my garden for the first time without her help. She was not there to share a meal with me when I finished. She was not there to laugh at me when I lost track of time.

Gods, why was I feeling this way? I truly wished she was still here with me. Guide me with her words of wisdom.

“Grandmother, how I miss you.”

I took a deep breath as I was greeted by silence. Why did I expect to hear her voice? I would never have that opportunity again unless I am to go to the spirit realm. Another tear went down my cheeks as I sniffed before I began to stand, wiping my eyes when a sudden thump on the right side of the cabin made me jump. My heart leaped as my thoughts began to run through possibilities of what it could have been.

Perhaps it was the wind? An animal that accidentally hit it?

Another thump, a bit louder than before.

I stared, keeping my gaze glued to the open window as I saw the trees rustle and the wind whisper, I narrowed my eyes as I cautiously began to make my way towards it. With a deep breath and straight posture, inspecting the room to see if there were any items I could use as a weapon in case. I was creeping closer and closer to it when a hand suddenly appeared and took hold of the frames. I froze on my spot upon seeing it, something seemed to smear onto the wood coming from the hand as if covered in ink.

I watched as a form began to appear from the other side and when I saw that familiar red mask and bandaged arms, my nerves relaxed as it was not a threat.

“Hunter, it is just you,” I said.

He did not respond as he seemed to be taking deep breaths, appearing to be more preoccupied by something below him. I noticed his hand gripping onto the window frame as he took ragged breaths. I narrowed my gaze as I began to walk up to him.

“Hunter, are you alright?”

As I began to come closer to him and his form began to show more, that was when I understood why he was not responding.

“By the Gods, Hunter, what happened to you?” I yelled, leaning forward out of the window.

Hunter clutched his stomach as blood began to seep through his bandages whilst he took deep, uneven breaths. His hand placed pressure on it so that it was covered in deep red as his chest rose and fell. I was not certain whether he appeared paler as he was already pale, but I could see the tension on his jaws as he swallowed.

“What happened to you?” I said, my eyes flickering to his masked face and then back to his injury. I shivered a little from his image and the amount of blood I was exposed to. I wanted to vomit, but I swallowed the thought down.

“You have to go,” he said through gritted teeth, seeming to be struggling to speak as he hissed in a breath.

“And leave you in such a condition?”

“I am a spirit, I will heal—”

“Are you sure you are a spirit, Hunter? They do not bleed as they are creatures that—”

“I will heal,” he said with more tone that I shut my mouth. “I admit, I am not fully a spirit that I could bleed. But… I am not mortal either. I heal quicker than you mortals do. This injury is not something I never had before. Now, leave.”

I glared at him, “Not before you tell me what happened.”

His attention now went to me, “Your Azakana will take this advantage if you do not leave, now.”

I pulled back from the window. My Azakana had done this to him? I had never seen him injured before nor had I heard such news from him. Was it growing?

“You were crying, were you not?”

I turned my attention back to him, nodding.

“It has heard you. I was able to stall it a little longer. Now, go, I will deal with it.”

“But you are injured, Hunter, you could not possibly—”

“If I say leave, you leave. Do you understand, (Y/N)?” He shouted.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out of it, staring at him in shock. This was the first time I heard him shout over the two years we had known one another. Even when we had trained together and how many times he had to readjust my stance, not once he had lost patience nor did he seem irritated. But, now.

“Leave, I say,” he said, a bit more calmer. “I could not hold this for too long. Leave, now. Run.”

Now, I listened, making my way out as quickly as possible from the cabin, snatching the lantern as I began to sprint out of the clearing just in time for me to hear a high-pitched laughter within the forest.

“Azakana! I shall know your name!” I heard Hunter.

I dared not to look behind me as the forest began to be surrounded by fog. I knew my Azakana was close just as the mist began to thicken and seemed to make my way unclear, but I was able to escape its confinements as I stumbled out of the forest and into the road. I stared into it, my thoughts running with possibilities of what could have happened to Hunter.

My thoughts went back to his injury as he clutched it, how he appeared in pain yet tried to hide it. A drop came to my stomach as I could not believe he could bleed. Has he been lying to me all this time? Why has he not said anything about it?

I shook my head as I began to make my way back home, constantly looking back to the forest as I could not help but worry for his safety.

I clenched my jaws. I hated this feeling. I wanted it to go away. This was the reason why I stopped visiting, not worrying for him or anyone. I soon arrived back in our house, blowing out the fire as I began to make my way to our room.

The halls were silent and cold as I clutched the kimono while I could not help but think of the scene that I had witnessed. I came inside the room and I spotted Yone still in his usual position before I made my way to my futon and lie down. I stared at the wall as my mind raised and would not leave me in peace.

I forced my eyes shut as I tried not to think of it, but the image of him kept coming back. I clenched my jaws as his voice echoed in my head and how he shouted at me to leave. Was he okay?

My chest squeezed before I tried to empty my head and commanded it to fall asleep. None worked. That night, I stayed there sleepless.

Chapter Text

“Do not come to the dojo today.”

That was the first thing my husband told me when our silence continued for a few more seconds as we ate breakfast. I noticed him giving me a blank stare that seemed to have lingered for a while now, yet, I still nodded with a hum as I shoved another food into my mouth.

“You do not look well,” he continued. “Did you not sleep last night?”

“I am fine,” was my reply before we left the room in silence again.

I was aware that he instructed me not to go to the dojo as he left with another farewell as I kept eating and staring off, while he took his lunch with him.

I tried to distract myself by doing some chores at home, finding that my plants were well watered, I went to rid of specs of dust around the house. When I saw that most of it was clean and I could not find more, I went to focus on cleaning my garments. But, whilst I was doing it, one particular cloth stood out to me that seemed to have been mixed with my pile, and when I saw the stain on it, my head began to race with questions.

The Gods would curse me for not listening to my husband’s commands. I swore I tried to ignore it as it was not my concern, but the way my mind kept racing with possibilities that I began to feel uneasy, promptly made me stand from my seat as I could not handle it anymore.

My straw hat left hanging as I forgot to wear it as I stumped up the mountain, my sleeves still rolled up and my forearms were drenched with water and bits of bubbles stuck to it. Some people followed me with their gazes as they began to whisper. I was aware of what I was clutching in my hand, I knew it was not mine, but I did not care. Yone was putting our lives on the line. Our names are on the line.

I banged onto the wooden gates as I stood with an upright stance, glaring at it as it still not opened. I banged on it again. Finally, it cracked and creaked, Okahara opened it as he caught sight of me and smiled.

“Mrs. Hayashi, I see you are back. Though, quite early in the morning.”

“I demand to see my husband,” I said, glaring at him.

His eyes widened, his eyes flickering up and down as they stopped for a moment to where my hands were. He moved aside, “Ah, of course.”

I made my way inside, examining the place as I searched for that tall form and unvarying stare. My eyes went instantly to the area where his students mostly go and when I saw Hino and the rest, Yone missing, I clenched my jaws.

Okahara appeared beside me, “Do you want me to—”

I ignored him as I marched my way to the boys, “Hino!”

Eguchi was the one who turned to face me, a smile coming to his face as he went to me, “Mrs. Hayashi! You are—”

I went past him as I continued towards Hino with a glare.

“Mrs. Hayashi,” he said, “do you need something?”

“Where is he?”

“Pardon, who?”

“My husband.”

His eyes flickered past me as if looking at someone before they came back, he sheathed his katana as he turned his attention fully on me, “He is—”

“(Y/N).”

I turned around as I saw him, walking towards us as he kept his stare on me. I stared back as I made my way to him.

“We must speak, privately,” I said.

He froze, I caught him flinching when his eyes flickered down. He saw it, I knew he saw it.

“Follow me.”

I listened, following after him as we both made our way inside the temple. We went past the entrance as he began to lead us deeper inside as we went through the tight halls. He took a turn as he opened a door, standing to the side as I went in.

It appeared a small space with a single seat and a table with some brooms and buckets here and there. I would have guessed it to be a storage room, but the stool and table did not seem to make it into a storage. I turned to face him.

He closed the door as we both faced one another, a heavy silence coming between us. I clenched my jaws as I handed him the cloth. To be more precise, his kimono. His sleepwear.

He took it with a sigh, letting it spread in front of him, and closed his eyes.

“Explain yourself, Hayashi,” I began. “How did this happen?”

He turned to me again, “Do not worry about it.”

“Not worry?” I shouted. “Hayashi, I was washing our clothes and I saw that there. Blood on your kimono. On your sleepwear. How is that even possible?”

“I got injured when an incident happened outside the dojo and my wound re-opened last night. I took care of it.”

“Explain to me what happened,” I continued.

“You do not have to worry. It has passed.”

“No! If people hear of this that I was not aware you are injured, they would begin to speak more of our poor relationship. That is the last thing we want. That is why we agreed that I come here to give you lunch,” I shouted but hushed down my voice. “You are injured, unbeknownst to me. It could have happened yesterday and you had said not a word of it,” I looked away from him for a moment, trying to calm myself. “Sit, let me see it.”

“I have stitched it,” he said as he folded the kimono on his arm.

I shook my head, “Let me see it, Hayashi.”

He stood there for a moment before he sighed and sat on the stool. He began to fumble with his kimono, untying the knot before he began to shrug it off, flinching for a moment before he continued. I dug my nails into my palm as I tried to not get distracted by his body, how well-built he was even though he appeared thin behind his clothes.

His eyes flickered over to me and I caught his gaze as well, I cleared my throat as I reminded myself what I was here for in the first place. If people knew about his injury, they would begin to assume things, and make new rumors once again that could lead to more casualties. That should not happen when things were beginning to lighten. I could not let my parents hear of this.

When he separated his kimono that exposed his upper body, I sucked in a breath when I saw the bandages. It was not just his arm, he also had some wrapped around his abdomen.

I took a step forward, cupping my mouth as I stared at it, my chest squeezing as my thoughts went back to Hunter and his almost identical injury, “Who has done this to you?”

“It was a duel,” he said.

“Was it with one of your colleagues?” I reached over to his bandaged stomach, my finger grazing on it as I narrowed my eyes and wondered how big it was that it had thick layers.

He sucked in a breath that it contracted under my touch. That snapped me off my thoughts as I took a step back, retracting my hand in an instant and standing straight once more.

“It was an illegal duel between two students outside of the dojo. I had to stop one of them before the other struck the other dead. I was not able to place my footing correctly as I had to act quickly,” he sighed again. “Besides that, the other was quite furious and was blinded by blood lust.”

My attention snapped back to him, “An illegal duel outside the dojo? Blood lust? How could they let that happen? Why did you not say anything to me you got injured?”

“It would heal. Do not worry yourself much with it.”

“Not worry?” I yelled, clenching my jaws. “You are out of your mind if you say I should not worry! Your life could have ended because of those reckless students. Tell me their names. I will speak to them.”

“Let them be. The Master has taken care of them.”

“No, absolutely not! It does not matter whether the Master has already spoken to them, your life was on the line because of them,” I turned to exit the room, but he took my wrist and I halted.

I was about to turn to tell him to release me, but I lost my footing and stumbled to him. My hand landed on his firm chest and shoulder. I stopped breathing when I felt both his hands take hold of my waist.

The two of us stared at one another, his eyes wide as they stayed locked with mine. My breath hitched at our closeness and the way his expression became soft and changed from one look to another as if unsure what to put on. The heat radiating from his body and to my hands made me incredibly aware of our position and the way my heart thumped harder.

His eyes suddenly flickered down and I flinched from it. I pulled myself away, my hand going a little lower that I accidentally pushed against his injury and he groaned, his eyes shutting from the contact. I gasped when I felt his grip squeeze my waist. I froze. He pulled me closer to him that our noses almost touched and I could feel his hot breath on mine.

“(Y/N).”

I gasped, “Hayashi! I am—”

The door suddenly slid open just as I was about to apologize.

We both turned our attention to the door and saw a man standing there. His eyes wide as they went from me to Yone. His mouth opened and closed before he bowed.

“To the Gods above, I apologize! I did not mean to interrupt,” he said before he stood straight again, his eyes landing on Yone. “Word of advice, lower your voices a little.”

I clenched my jaws as the room became hot. Yone and I pushed ourselves away from one another as I began to shake my head at the man.

“No! We were not doing that at all.”

The man raised his brow, his gaze flickering behind before to me again, “Ah-huh. No need to make excuses, you two are not the first ones to use this storage. Why do you think there is a stool and table here?”

“By the Gods,” I heard Yone, sounding defeated.

“No, really, we were not!”

“Right. To the fact that Hayashi is half naked and your hand was down there. Absolutely, I will not say a word,” he said, beginning to leave and close the door.

“No, I was merely looking at his—”

It closed.

I stood there, staring at the door as I rolled my shoulders back and pressed my eyes shut. So, this was a storage for that certain kind of purpose. Since when has storage become so enormous that a table and a stool could be placed inside? Also, why and how was the Master not aware of this room?

Shuffling came from behind me, but I kept my eyes closed as his footsteps halted beside me. I opened my eyes as I peeked in his direction, seeing his expression blank as he stared at the door. A movement below me took my notice as I saw him hand me over his kimono. I snatched it, letting it rest on my forearm as we both stood there in silence.

“We do not speak of this,” I began.

“Agreed.”

I opened the door as I exited first, going through the halls at a rapid pace as I worked my way to the entrance. Perfectly, the main hall was empty, I did not spot the man from earlier either. The sun appeared and I exhaled deeply as I slipped on my slippers again. Just as I was about to go down the stairs, I saw Eguchi and the rest of the boys staring at me.

I clenched my jaws, gripping the garment in my hand as I went down the last steps when I caught Hino coming towards me.

“Mrs. Hayashi,” he whispered, which made me look at him with a frown, “your hair is a bit out of place.”

My hand flew to my hair as I looked around, spotting some of the students staring at me but looking away when my gaze went to them. I began to fix my hair.

“Teach,” I heard Eguchi, making me turn around as I saw Yone at the bottom of the steps as he had his attention to him. Eguchi pointed at something that Yone puffed out his chest as he readjusted his kimono before he took his wooden katana and hit the boy on the leg lightly.

Eguchi laughed as he took a step away from him, going behind Tashiro and Kajiwara. Yone’s focus went to me. We locked eyes again. I instantly turned away as my cheeks burned. I went and left the dojo.

Gods, how did this happen?

Chapter Text

“Wait, wait, wait!” I said, glaring at Yone as he shut his mouth and his brows lifted. “Are you saying that these are just tales that the people here tell the kids?”

He nodded his head, sheathing his katana and putting it on his lap with a cute and innocent smile.

“No way, they sound so real. Are you sure they’ve never happened before?”

“The same thing I said,” Yasuo said, making me turn my head to the right as a carton of orange juice was in his hand as he appeared from the kitchen. “It’s bull that they’re saying it’s not real and that it never happened before.”

Yone glared at Yasuo, “Get a cup, pour the juice in, and stop drinking from the carton!” He sighed deeply, turning back to me. “Yes, these are just tales.”

I glared at him, not believing a word he was saying. He was telling me a tale about a couple and how the azakanas—a type of demons that the elders here in their hometown speak of as a way to scare the children to behave and not go out late at night—being involved. He was telling a story of two lovers who one of them was going through a rough time and was being hunted by an azakana while her lover tries to protect her as much as he could.

Sure, it might have sounded like any fairytales that older people would tell children to scare them, but this one in particular seems a little too real for me. I have heard enough tales from the elders here after visiting Japan for four years now after the whole wedding of the Hayashi’s family friend. It became a thing for Yone and I to visit Japan every year when we were free since Hana wanted to see more of us, and Yasuo sooner or later joined into the tradition. Due to that, Yone was able to teach me some basics of Japanese and I was able to speak a bit of if after those years.

I had heard enough tales from almost the whole neighborhood that now I was asking Yone whether he had any as his family never told one to me yet. Mrs. Hayashi was the one who requested Yone to tell me the tale that he was telling me now, something she said that was passed from the family for generations and something to learn about from the side of Yone’s father. Besides, she also teased about the two of us being engaged and that I have the rights to hear it now as I would be part of the family soon.

“Are you sure a member of your Dad’s family never experienced it before?” I said, narrowing my eyes at him as he chuckled.

“I told you, they are just tales.”

“Bullshit!” I heard Yasuo, his head popping from the kitchen before disappearing again.

“Yasuo!”

I laughed, shaking my head, “You better not be lying, Yone.”

“I am not. I would have told you from the beginning if it were.”

Yasuo came back again, seating down next to Yone as he pushed his brother to the side that I had to scoot just for us to fit together, “I sure believe it... to the fact that somehow the whole thing is so detailed that it might have as well happened to your Dad’s great, great, great grandparents!”

I nodded in agreement, laughing a little from the way Yasuo glared at Yone.

Yone looked from Yasuo to me before he sighed, “Alright, fine. Dad said the same thing once and I don’t believe it to be a tale either. I do think it happened before but I don’t know who in the family. It was disclosed to my father and his mother and so on. But, Dad said that he had heard that my great grandmother’s father had a dream of it for almost three weeks as if he was seeing a past life.”

“Damn!” Yasuo said.

“What did they say he saw?” I scooted closer to him, intrigued now.

He closed his eyes, leaning a little towards me, “He said that he was in a clearing surrounded by forests, he was leaning on a wall of a cabin at night as he watched a woman holding a katana. He said that he felt that the katana was his and the woman was someone he had the urge to always look out for.”

I hummed, watching as he opened his eyes again before he turned to me, staring right in my eyes as something unreadable was in them.

“Father also said that these dreams seems to be happening in random order but short. I believe I had a similar dream two weeks ago, but it lasted quite a while and quite vivid.”

I sat straight, “What did you see?”

He hesitated for a bit, looking away from me as a tinge of pink came to his cheeks, “They were just snippets of a… night time activity.”

“Night time activity, you mean,” Yasuo began, a grin coming to his face before he nudged Yone. “You sure you weren’t just dreaming of your fiancé and wanting to… hmm, you know.”

Yone turned to him quickly, clutching his katana as Yasuo stood at in an instant as he ran up the stairs and disappearing. I laughed at their silliness, Yone shouting in Japanese to Yasuo as it let me catch a bit of what they were speaking of. Mostly Yone scolding his brother for saying such inappropriate things in front of me.

I shook my head, my laughter dying down as Yone turned back to me with an apologetic look. I cupped his face and pecked his lips. He smiled as he leaned our foreheads together. I caressed the corner of his lips with my thumb.

“Did you really dream of it?” I whispered, staring at his eyes.

He huffed, “Yes, I did.”

“What did you see?”

He chuckled, now his turn to kiss me that was a little longer and more tense, “Are you sure you want me to tell you or show you?”

I frowned, slapping his chest as he laughed and I laughed along with him, “Hayashi Yone!”

“I’m just saying. Still,” he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer as he leaned his head on the crook of my neck as his hot breath made me shiver, “that woman I was doing it with… I know that it was you.”

My cheeks heated as I began to play with his hair, colored in blue and yellow due to their very recent concert, “What made you think it was me? Did you see me?”

“No, everything was blurry, but I just knew it was you. My mind and my heart was saying it was you,” he pressed our foreheads together again, his eyes closed as I smiled. “Whether it was just a random dream or one of the dreams that my father’s side has… I feel quite at ease after dreaming of it.”

My breath hitched when I saw those blueish eyes again, bright and filled with emotions that I had seen multiple times behind closed doors. Just the two of us, “Why? Was it because it was me?”

He laughed, the corners of his eyes wrinkling, “Because I know that our future would be something special.”

I smiled as I leaned to kiss him, my eyes fluttering as I looked at his lips when a hand slapped my head. I pulled back, turning to the left as I saw Mrs. Hayashi staring at the two of us. Yone seemed to have been slapped on the head as well as he rubbed it.

“Do it later in your room, not out here,” she said, glaring at the two of us but it instantly disappeared as she held up a plastic bag while she smiled over to me. “I bought some ingredients to make your favorites.”

I gasped, bowing to her, “Thank you, okaa-san!”

She nodded, a satisfied and proud look on her face, “Now, both of you, help me prepare dinner.” She walked towards the stairs and yelled, “You are helping as well, Yasuo!”

A thump came from the floor above as Yone and I laughed. Mrs. Hayashi went to the kitchen as she shook her head, mumbling about Yasuo being too spoiled. I was about to follow when Yone trapped me in his arms again as he kissed my temple.

“I love you, my dear.”

I chuckled, turning my head to the side as I kissed his lips, “I love you as well, my maple.”

Chapter Text

Yesterday’s event had led to a complete silence between us during our dinner and breakfast together. Not once I peeked or acknowledged his presence as I attempted to go on with my day. He, too, seemed to have been doing the same as he not once uttered a word. Even when he left not so long ago, I almost missed his farewell as he mumbled it.

However, while going through my house routines that morning, my thoughts changed when I came to the backyard again to check on my garden to see whether it required watering. It reminded me that Yone was the one who had gifted me all these seeds and equipment, yet not once he said anything about giving anything to him in return.

The incident the day before might have been still vivid in my head, but I could not help that unexplainable feeling that kept nagging me at the back of my mind concerning not giving him anything in return. He had used his own currency just to give them to me as a thank you. It should have cost him a lot as I once bought some per the request of my Grandmother, yet he did not even show any signs of regret with his choice.

And that need to give him something back kept crawling back. The last time I had received a gift was from Grandmother, a simple sakura mochi that she had made herself when she heard of my success in selling all of her tomatoes in her garden. It was a simple gift, yet it touched my heart and I missed the taste of her desserts.

I tried to ignore that feeling, but it would not leave me. So, I began to think of something he seemed to enjoy doing, but only now I noticed that I do not know much about what he does in his free time. The only thing I knew was he kept working and working. Not once had he done anything of his interest as he tends to go straight to sleep after dinner.

During that morning, I spent my time making his lunch as well as an extra thing for him. A thank you and something that might as assist with both of our problems with the rumors. I went to the market quickly to get the ingredients I needed before I began my work, it took some time to find the ingredients but it was not difficult to purchase them.

My grip tightened on the bento as I waited for the gates to open while fumbling with the knots of the blue and white cloth. Time seemed to pass slowly as the gates did not move, the beating of my heart drumming in my ears as my breaths became uneven. My thoughts kept poking back to Yone and the food that I had prepared for him. This was nothing but merely a thank you gift and adding more ‘proof’ to our fine relationship.

Yes, that was this for, a mere duty that we both agreed on doing. Nothing else, besides, it was rude not to give something in return.

Okahara opened it, giving me an unexplainable stare as he inspected me up and down. I frowned a little at his actions, but he soon smiled over to me with a bow before moving aside to let me in. I bowed as well and he followed beside me.

“I shall get him for you,” he said, going up the steps.

I nodded and stood under the shade of the temple as he went inside.

“Mrs. Hayashi!”

My attention went to the boys as they made their way to me.

“I see you four are well,” I said.

Eguchi smirked, “And you are back—hey!” He clutched his ear as Hino glared at him.

“I hope you are well, Mrs. Hayashi,” he said, bowing.

I bowed as well, “I do hope that you four are doing your studies?”

They all nodded.

“That is good to hear.”

“Are you feeling better?” Tashiro asked, making me look at the youngest and his big, worried eyes.

I frowned upon hearing that question, has rumors begun to spread about us again? Could it have been from yesterday’s event?

“What could you possibly mean? Nothing bad has happened, not with my husband and I.”

“Oh, we can see that,” Eguchi said as he crossed his arms. “We are talking about the last interaction you had with that bastard Chino.”

Ah, Chino, that boy, “Everything is well. I do not pay attention to any of those, do not worry about me.”

Hino released a breath, nodding, “The Gods have kept you protected as well as Mr. Hayashi.”

I turned to him, “Has something happened to him?”

The boys took glances at one another before they turned back to me, “Did Mr. Hayashi not say anything to you?”

“Said what?”

Kajiwara scoffed, his expression contorting into a frown, “He got injured because of Chino.”

My thoughts went back to the explanation of Yone about his injury, mentioning that two students had a duel outside of the dojo and one was blinded by blood lust. Chino was one of those students and I had a feeling that he might have been the one who caused his injury. I clenched my jaws at the revelation, but I straightened my posture as I reminded myself I was out in public.

“That boy is trouble,” I said.

“He sure is,” Kajiawara said with a sarcastic laugh. “The moment he was in a higher grade, he has been nothing but an absolute piece of shit. Believe it or not, I am quite glad that people are talking shit about him.”

“Which might have been the cause of his sudden anger, Kajiwara,” Hino glared at him before turning to me. “After the incident with you and him, people began to make rumors of him. He has targeted a student named Kaze Ryuji, who is in the same grade as he is, due to him being one of the students who had spoken against him. Kaze might have said something that could have offended Chino and—”

“Whatever it was, we all know it is true,” Kajiawara interjected. “He is too fucking prideful for a motherfucker in his rank. Thank the Gods Master Yuji had taken care of that bastard. He could have caused more damn damage than—”

“Kajiwara!”

The boys suddenly stood next to one another in a perfect formation, chins raised as they did not even move an inch. I turned to the left as I saw Yone coming down the steps with a glare to the children. He stood beside me, his hand gripping the wooden katana as his eyes went from the eldest to the youngest before it ceased at Kajiwara. The boy did not move an inch as he kept his attention ahead while Yone did not once take his focus away.

“What have we discussed about your language?”

“Do not speak ill of anyone even if they might not hear you and do not spout vile words.”

“You remember. Good. Yet, you continued!” He shouted, looking the boy up and down.

My grip on the bento tightened as I flinched from his yelling, my shoulders raising before I readjusted it as people began to turn their attention towards us.

“I told you all what words could do to a person numerous times. What it could lead and how it could end. Do you want me to discipline you, Kajiwara? I am not speaking of a simple balancing with hot water in potted cups.”

“Teacher—”

“Did I give you permission to speak?”

“No, but I am—”

Eguchi nudged him, making him shut his mouth.

Yone gripped the item on his belt as it began to slide off of it. Instinct took effect as I reached for his wrist, grabbing it. He halted, looking at me with a searing gaze.

A shout at the back of my mind told me to let go of him as I recognized that stare from my father; but swallowed it down as I kept my eyes locked with his. Things could end badly, not just with him but with the boy as well. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to the boy if I could have prevented it.

His hand relaxed, the fire subsiding in his eyes. When I began to notice him calm down, I released my hold. With a sigh, he turned to Kajiwara again.

“I will let you off with a warning. Do it again and I will not hesitate when it repeats, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” the boy said as he bowed deeply.

Yone huffed as he straightened his posture before facing me, “Shall we?”

I nodded as he began to make his way to the temple. I was about to follow as well when my eyes landed on Kajiwara. His face was in a frown, lips downcast that made his eyes darken twice as they already were. With a huff through my nose, I placed the bento on the floor as I began to untie it, took the smallest container atop of it, took off the lid, and turned my attention to him.

Kajiwara stared at it before to me. I kept it in front of him.

“It is Momiji manjū, I baked some early this morning,” I said.

“Wait,” Tashiro made his way to me, “did you just say you baked Momiji manjū?”

I stared at him for a moment before nodding.

He went beside Kajiwara as he peeked into the container. His eyes widened and a smile spread across his face. He took hold of Kajiwara’s arm and began to shake it.

“Can I have some?” He faced me again.

“Of course, there is enough for each of you.”

“You will let us have some, too?” Eguchi said, smiling as he joined in.

I nodded.

“Nice!” He reached into the container and took one, he inspected it for a moment before taking a bite. His eyes shut with a groan, shaking his head, “No way! This tastes exactly like the ones in the North.”

“It does?” Tashiro took one and bit on it; the two faced one another. “This is incredible!”

Kajiwara with a raised brow took one for himself. The darkness in his eyes disappeared when he took a bite before he shoved the whole thing in. The other two savored it with each bite, Tashiro taking small bites that it seemed he was not even eating anything.

Hino sighed as he shook his head to the others, I inspected him for a moment before directing the container to him. His eyes flickered to it before me. He readjusted his posture, placing his hand on the hilt of his katana, and bowed, taking one for himself.

Just like the rest, he hummed for his first bite before eating the other half of the maple-leaf-shaped dessert.

“That is quite… comforting,” he said with a small smile. “Thank you.”

Warmth came to my chest upon hearing the compliment, I stared at him with that sense of achievement seeing his now relaxed form just from eating something I had made. So, this is what you meant, Grandmother.

“You are most welcome.”

“Can I have another?” Eguchi said, appearing beside me.

I shook my head, placing the lid back, “I apologize, Eguchi, but these are meant for Ha—Yone.”

“Aw, come on, just one or two? For sure teach is not that big of a fan of desserts,” Tashiro said, tilting his head a little so that his eyes seemed larger than before.

My arms pressed closer to my body, taking my eyes off of him. He was adorable, “As I mentioned, these are for my husband.”

He huffed, pouting.

A chuckle climbed its way up my throat at his expression, but a mix of guilt came as well. I reached for his head and patted it, “I will bring some new ones next time for you four to try, how does that sound?”

His face lit up as he nodded. When the four of them faced one another, the smile I had been trying to suppress came to my face. I could not help myself, but I regained my composure again.

My attention back to the temple, spotting Yone standing at the entrance as he watched at us. I averted my gaze, looking back to the boys before I bowed to them.

“Keep practicing, you four are doing amazing.”

The four of them bowed as well before I began to make my way to the temple. Yone and I went inside as we went to our usual spot, sitting as I began to prepare the food. We began to eat after a silent prayer.

“What was it you were speaking with my students?”

“It was not much. I gave them a dessert that I baked,” I said, continuing to eat.

He turned to me now, “What did you bake?”

My attention landed on him as his expression had not once changed. I reached for the small container and popped the lid open, sliding it to him and mirroring his expression.

He glanced inside, staring at it before taking one for himself. Yone inspected the brown dessert before he took a bite, chewing slowly as I sat straight. His eyes stayed locked to it and when he swallowed there was a small pause.

Seeing that he would continue the silence, a crease on my kimono made me move around on my spot as I tried to distract myself from his silence and fix that bothersome wrinkle.

Did he not enjoy it? Did I add too much paste? Maybe the children were right, he might not have enjoyed desserts. What a waste. I exhaled deeply through my nose, but a hum made me turn back to him.

“It has been some time since I have tasted this,” his attention went to me, still holding the dessert. “I quite like it. It reminds me of my time in the North.”

The anxiousness in me faded as I heard his words of appreciation and approval, making me release a deep sigh.

“Thank you.”

He hummed with a nod, finishing the other half before he took another one. It seemed he had indeed enjoyed it.

“You are quite skilled at baking.”

“It is nothing.”

“Quite is, Momiji manjū are rarely seen down here in the South, most of them are made in the North of Ionia. People rarely make them here,” he began.

“It was my grandmother who taught me how to make them,” I said, without much thought.

“Your grandmother?”

The story she once told me came flashing back to me and I smiled a little at the sweet story as it began to play in my head, “Yes. She was born and raised in the North of Ionia, raised by a loving family who enjoyed their times in the field and baking as one of their businesses. Though, she came down here when she met Grandfather, a young merchant who constantly came and went from the South to the North. They tend to see each other whenever he travels there as he passes by my grandmother’s home. You could already guess the rest after that.”

Yone was staring at me again as he nodded, “You sound quite fond of her.”

“Yes, I am. She is the only person who truly ever cared for me. The best person who was never once selfish.”

He hummed, “She does sound lovely.”

My eyes shut as she and her smile came to me, “Very lovely, indeed.”

“Thank you,” he said, making me open my eyes again.

Yone pushed the small container over to me, when I took it and looked inside, it was empty.

“Both the meal and the desserts.”

My heart skipped when I saw his expression, eyes soft and a small smile present on his face.

This was the first time I saw him smile, it would be hard to distinguish from afar, but when seen up close it was there. His face seemed to glow a little as some bits of the sun touched him, a bit of life in his eyes unlike the past few days made it sparkle and alive.

He was the one who had the stars in his eyes, not mine.

It was as if seeing another side of him that I never knew existed.

I cleared my throat and looked away, “You are welcome. I wanted to ask.”

“Yes?”

“You have been in the North before?”

He took a sip of his tea, taking a while as I waited for his answer, “I have. Born and raised there.”

He was a Northerner too? “Why did you move here? I heard their economy is far greater than here in the South.”

“Indeed, it is bustling with life, foreigners constantly visiting as it is one of the best tourist spots,” he placed down the cup as his gaze became distant again. “But, I began to search for a more… calm place. I wanted a place far away from bustling crowds and something more peaceful. I needed some time alone.”

The way he said the last part made me notice the way he gripped his cup, his jaws tense as he kept staring down at his tea. What happened to him?

“Yone.”

He looked up.

“I…” I turned away, I could not believe I was saying this. “I hope you find that peace while you are here.”

He sighed, “I hope so as well.”

Another silence came between us as he continued to stare. I took my attention back to my meal and finished it just in time for me to spot a familiar form exiting a room. Upon seeing Master Yuji with another accompanying him, I instantly stopped doing what I was doing and began to make my way to him.

“(Y/N)?”

“Excuse me for a moment, Hayashi, I will be back.”

Rolling my shoulders back and raising my chin, I took a deep breath in and exhaled through my nose. As I began my journey to Master Yuji, I could feel Yone’s gaze burning my back. Seeming to notice my approach, Master Yuji turned his attention from the person beside him to me as a smile made its way to his face that the edges of his eyes wrinkled.

“Ah, why is it not Hayashi’s wife.”

I bowed to him, “Master.”

“Please, no need for formalities, child. How are you?”

“I am well.”

He nodded his head with a smile, his eyes going behind me, “I see you and Hayashi are having lunch together again.”

“Yes, we are,” I regained my posture again as I looked back at him. The air that surrounded him the first time I met him has disappeared into a more calming air; I felt a bit at ease with him as if that event never happened at all, “I wanted to thank you, Master Yuji.”

“Thank me? For what have I possibly done for you to thank me?”

“For protecting my husband when it came to the situation with the fight of Chino and Kaze.”

Master Yuji hummed, nodding, “Do not worry about such a thing, I did nothing but merely ban Chino from the dojo and suspend Kaze. You should be thanking your husband for risking his life to cease the duel before everything worsened.”

I shut my eyes at the thought of Yone risking his life, reminding me of his injuries. I bowed deeply at him, “Nevertheless, you have made a decision for the better.”

A chuckle came from him as he said, “You are full of surprises. May the Gods bless you and Hayashi a fruitful life together.”

“Thank you, Master.”

A hand came to my back, making me pull my arms closer to myself and see Yone bowing next to me.

Master Yuji chuckled, “Hayashi.”

“Master.”

“Are you worried that your wife might be in some kind of trouble?”

I stood straight again, watching the two of them interact as the Master laughed while Yone said nothing with his eyes closed and brows knitted close together. His hand burned against my back as he kept it there while the two continued to speak about teaching and the boys. I tried to take a step away from his reach but halted when he rubbed my back.

The room seemed to rise in temperature when he had made the small gesture; when I turned to look at him, he was peeking at me when the Master’s attention was averted to the person beside him. I diverted my gaze in an instant as if his catching sight of me staring at him was the worst crime.

The two continued to speak as Yone seemed to be not planning on taking his hand off. I would let it, for now, just to keep up with our image. Yes, our image.

“Now, Mrs. Hayashi,” Master Yuji turned to me, making me stand straighter.

“Yes, Master?”

His eyes flickered from me to Yone before they settled to me again, a smile coming its way to his face, “Have you and Hayashi considered—”

“Master Yuji!”

Everyone turned around as we glanced over to the entrance, spotting a man making his way to us in a quick pace, instantly getting on his knees as he bowed deeply when he got close.

“I am sorry to interrupt, Master, but I have urgent news.”

Master Yuji walked forward; Yone pulled me closer to him and my shoulder bumped into him.

“What is it?”

“It is about that boy, Chino.”

Yone’s grip on me tightened, making me turn to him as his eyes had darkened a little. Without much thought, my hand went on top of his that was on my waist, squeezing it so that his attention went to me and the darkness disappeared.

“What has he done now?” Master Yuji said, his voice beginning to become authoritative that my attention went back to the matters at hand.

“He has done nothing, but,” the man sat straight, swallowing as his expression made me a little anxious.

I clenched my jaws as the man’s eyes went from one person to another before they stopped at Master Yuji again as he took a deep breath in.

“He has been found dead.”

Chapter Text

A crowd formed and whispered as we all made our way towards the river where the man had said they had found Chino’s body. From the moment Master Yuji came, the crowds separated as they let him go to the front. I was about to follow, but I felt a hand grab my wrist as I turned and saw Yone.

“Go home,” he whispered as he stood closer to me.

I tried to snatch my hand away but his firm grip stayed, “Hayashi, let me go.”

“I said, go home.”

I glared.

His brow twitched, but he sighed as he released me and moved on forward. I went with him as I began to hear whispers, catching my name amongst the crowd.

“That is her,” a woman said.

“They seem close.”

“Yes, I also heard that they have lunch together in the dojo.”

“Oh, yes!” Another joined in. “I heard from my husband that Hayashi averted the anger of the Master by telling him that all punishments should go to him instead of his wife.”

“Dear me! What happened?”

Their conversation continued, but I ignored them and faced ahead instead, spotting Yone as he glared at where the women were talking before it went to the front again. I ignored it as I focused on what were there for, people making way until we stood in front of the river. Yone halted as I made my way beside him, his expression dark as I turned to where he was looking and sucked in my breath when Chino’s body lay on the shore.

I froze upon seeing him.

His face was pale as all the blood on his body had disappeared, eyes wide open as they stared ahead and slightly going to the back of his head, his mouth wide open as water or his spit trickled down to the side of his face. I blinked, remembering an almost similar look that Grandmother had, but her eyes were not open, they were closed. Still, that pale look on his face made me shiver as I relieved it and how she does not breathe anymore.

Whispers began to climb up again of the situation, taking my attention as they spoke kind of loudly.

“I heard he drowned himself.”

“By the Gods, why would he do such a thing?”

“I heard he got banned from the dojo because he had almost killed one of the students and done an illegal duel.”

“I heard the same,” another said. “From the looks of it, he might have drowned himself deep in the forest where the river would travel.”

That caught my attention as I looked up from the ground, turning to where his body might have traveled. I sucked in a shaky breath when I noticed it led to where my grandparents’ cabin was located. Their place was close to a river which was used by Grandmother as a source of washing their clothes, I even used it to do the same. I shivered at the thought that was where Chino drowned himself before I turned my eyes back to his lifeless body.

Out of all the places, why did it have to be where my grandparents used to live? Was the Gods punishing me for getting involved in this?

“I also heard that the first duel that happened inside the dojo, Hayashi’s wife was involved in it from what I heard from the workers in there,” a voice said, not so far from me that I began to listen in on them, her voice high in pitch.

“That woman again? She puts up a lot of trouble,” another said.

“Wherever she goes there is always trouble.”

“She is beginning to tint her husband’s name. She already did with her family, and now her husband’s as well?”

I dug my nails into my palm, trying to keep myself not letting that information be warped inside my head. But, I was not able to, all the information that I had heard… seemed to have revolved around me. The Gods were indeed punishing me and my parents would hear of such rumors again that might lead to further demands from them.

Arms wrapped around my shoulders as I was turned around, pulling me close to someone as their heat radiated off to me and I did not notice how cold I felt.

“I told you to go home. Now, you are shivering.”

I looked up to spot Yone, his arm wrapped around my shoulder. When I tried to look at Chino again, I could not as his arm blocked the view. It was as if he was doing it on purpose. I was kind of grateful that he was blocking it.

“Do not look again.”

“He is so young,” I whispered as that image of him came flashing back to me. I closed my eyes, “He is so young.”

He pulled me a little closer.

“Hayashi,” I felt Yone move beside me, but he did not let go.

“Yes, Master?”

“I must speak with you.”

“Yes, Master. (Y/N),” I turned to him, my breathing quick as I dug my nails into my palm.

Calm down, calm down .

Yone opened his mouth, but he closed it again as his eyes flickered around my face. He looked away for a moment before turning back around, “Master Yuji.”

There was a pause before he began to speak again.

“May I excuse myself for a moment? I will be back, I need to bring my wife back home. She does not feel well.”

Another pause before a reply, “Go on, Hayashi. Come back to the dojo when you are finished.”

“Yes, Master,” Yone began to move, forcing me to do the same. “Let us go.”

People began to move aside as we walked away, but I took my attention back to the floor as I tried to not think of it much more. As we were making our way out of the crowd, I bumped into someone.

“Sorry, dear,” a woman said.

She had the same high-pitched tone I had heard earlier.

With not much thought, I looked up, seeing a woman with a slender face that her cheekbones were exaggerated and popped out, her eyes thin as tips of needles, and her black hair tied in a bun. She wore a green kimono as she held a fan in her long, fingered hand; some other women surrounded her seeming to be her group of gossipers. She opened her fan and held it up to her face, hiding half of it.

“Oh, dear, you look pale,” she said, reaching for me.

I flinched, taking a step to the side to get away and Yone’s grip tightened around me.

“Excuse us,” he said.

She hummed, her eyes wrinkling at the edges as it went to Yone instead, “Of course, I apologize.”

Yone bowed as we began to move forward again, but before we were far I saw her eyes following me and it narrowed.

“Get better, miss,” I heard her.

I did not have any energy to say anything, so I just nodded my head, but that rush of nausea slapped me on the face as if my state had become a bit worse than it had been earlier. It was as if seeing her and looking at her eyes had done something to me. Perhaps it was the thought of Chino and the whole scene that had occurred that was why it worsened.

Our whole way back to our home was silent, neither of us spoke of anything as we continued to walk in silence; but, not once did he let go of me as he kept me close to him. I kept my gaze on the dirt path, only looking up when he slid the door open for us to go inside.

He sat me down in front of the dinner table and he sat beside me for a moment, his hand tightening on my arm before sighing as he stood and went somewhere. His warmth left me as I felt the cold again and I wrapped myself with my arms tightly, frowning at the lack of heat. I shook my head every time my thoughts went to Chino, comparing it to Grandmother. I did not dare close my eyes in fear that everything would come back to me vividly.

A cup was placed in front of me, steam flying off of it as I looked up and saw Yone with a teapot and another cup. He placed the other one down before filling his own as he sat next to me again. I turned away, this was embarrassing. I sucked in a breath as I raised my chin, placing my hands on my lap as I stared at the cup in front of me. I opened my mouth to speak but he got to me first.

“Drink it,” he said. “Do not be stubborn. Drink it.”

I clenched my jaws at his authoritative tone that I did not fight with him and took the tea. I blew on it first before taking a sip. It was jasmine tea, a contrast of matcha that everything in my mind seemed to have disappeared upon the aromatic smell and sweet taste. I stared at it for a moment before drinking it again, my eyes beginning to become heavy.

“Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?”

I turned to Yone as he not once seemed to have touched his own cup of tea, “Why would I fall asleep?”

“Jasmines have that effect,” he took his cup and swirled it around before he placed it back down. “That is why I made it for you to calm down and, perhaps, fall asleep.”

“I do not need to fall asleep. I will be fine.”

He raised a brow at me.

“I am—” I yawned, covering my mouth. I peeked over at him as he still had the same stare, “That was nothing. I am still not tired.”

He scoffed or laughed, I was not sure which one, as he nodded without much change on his face.

Another silence as I stared at my empty cup before turning to him, “What is going to happen to him now?”

Yone sighed as he pushed his cup towards me, “We will take care of it. So, ease your mind.”

“Is Mastery Yuji not going to investigate what had happened?”

“Do not worry too much about it, we will take care of the problem. Do not get yourself involved in this.”

“It is the death of a child whom I fought not so long ago,” I said, taking the other cup as I looked down at it and saw a faint image of my reflection. “One way or another, it would be my problem. If I had not gone up there, if I had not fought him, this would have never happened. Now, people are beginning to talk about it.”

Another silence. I took another drink of the tea as I thought of that day. The way he was not looking at me when he bowed and seemed to be focused on another group of students. I wondered if one of those students was Kaze and had been on Chino’s hair ever since he was defeated by me. How long had it been going? Was it constant that it happened every single moment of every day?

My heart dropped, I could not help but feel that it was somehow my fault. That I was involved in his death. Maybe it was my fault. If I should have just left the two of them in a duel, this would have never happened. He would still have his title and he would still be alive. This was one of the reasons why my parents disciplined me so much, I got myself involved in other people’s business when it was not mine. My emotions were too much. I should have not—

Yone took the cup away from me, making me turn to him. He stared at me for a moment before he moved closer. I moved away but gasped when his arms suddenly wrapped under my legs and the other behind my back as he stood. He was carrying me!

He began to walk, seeming to be leading us back to our room based on the halls he took and when I peeked forward.

“I said I am fine,” I tried to fight, wiggling in his arms when he entered us in our room.

He said nothing, suddenly readjusting me on his hold. I yelped as he placed me down on my futon and covered me with the blankets. I tried to escape, but a simple, light push on my shoulder caused me to tumble back down on the soft bedding. I glared at him but he only stared at me.

“I will stay until you fall asleep.”

“I can not fall asleep now, Hayashi. People are—”

“Beginning to make rumors that you might have been the cause of all of it?” He shook his head. “You and your thoughts.”

“Yes, so I need to think of a plan. A simple lunch in the dojo would not cut it. The only people who are seeing it are your colleagues and the students.”

“From what I had heard some of them might have heard them from their husbands, who work in the dojo with me.”

I pulled the covers up to my chin as irritation began to bubble up from the way he did not seem that concerned about the situation, “That does not cover it.”

“Well, you would not be able to think much if you have that temper.”

With a frown, I said, “I do not have a temper!”

He raised a brow at me. I knew what the look meant and I huffed, turning away.

“If you do want to make a plan, calm yourself. Sleep. When you awake again, then begin planning.”

I said nothing, squinting my eyes on the wall as if it were him. I yawned again, my eyes watering as I blinked a couple of times to make them go away. They began to become heavy, making my visions blur but I tried to shake them off.

“Stop fighting it. By the Gods, you are such a child.”

I turned to him again, looking up at him with a glare, “I told you, I am not tired. And I am not a child and I do not act as one.”

“You yawned a second ago.”

“That was—” I yawned again.

He scoffed, shaking his head, “Close your eyes, it is not a sin.”

Another sigh escaped me, facing the other way as the wall greeted me again. I stared at it for a moment, that heaviness in my eyes now bothering me. Finally, I closed them.

“There you go,” he said in a whisper, light and airy. “Now, let your mind ease. Do not think of anything. Simply listen to everything around you. Listen to my voice if you so wish as well.”

I hummed, listening to his voice and the distant tweets of the birds. The soft, afternoon breeze coming from the open window as it caressed my face while I exhaled a deep breath.

“Let the winds carry away your thoughts like a leaf flying with its path. Let the tea take effect on you. Do not worry about anything else and let your mind and body slumber. Simple inhales and exhales. Do not push yourself with it.”

His words continued to flow in some sort of magic and every muscle in my body relaxed as he continued to speak. His voice was like a calm breeze on a spring morning, accompanied by the birds that sang and followed his voice. The racing thoughts in my head disappeared as I let the breeze take it away and left it like a blank canvas. Every worry that I had about the rumors and what happened to the boy seemed to have become a distant thought as all that mattered was the heaviness of my eyes and Yone’s words.

Perhaps he was right, I should worry about it later. I would make a plan later the moment I woke up. All that mattered now was falling into a dreamless sleep. I swore something caressed my cheek like a hand. I smiled as the gesture reminded me of Grandmother before falling into a deep slumber.

Chapter Text

My eyes fluttered open as I stared up at the ceiling, my visions blurry at first and spinning before I sat up, groaning, and placed my palm on my head. I massaged my temples as the darkness went past the window and the night sky was present. My attention went to the left, seeing that Yone was already on his futon sound asleep.

Was that how long I had slept? Since the afternoon till night fall? Cursing at myself for missing yet another day of making dinner for Yone, I rubbed my face with my hands. I had already angered the Gods and now I was doing this as well?

I sighed. A shuffle from the left side made me freeze as Yone faced my way. At first, I thought he was awake, but when I saw his slumbering face and eyes closed, I relaxed seeing him at peace. I had never seen him like that before. His lips slightly parted as he calmly breathed in and out, some strands of his hair covered his neck and parts of his face that cascaded down to his sheets.

My thoughts went about what had happened during that afternoon, how he had helped me ease my mind by giving me jasmine tea and making me fall asleep. It made me smile a little, but, two other things came rushing into my head again and I had the urge to vomit from the acidic taste that climbed its way up my throat.

Chino was dead and the possibility of new rumors.

That everything might have been because of me.

I closed my eyes at the thought, standing up as I quietly exited the room. The thought of getting some air sounded appealing and the only place that could ease my mind was the cabin. I hoped, at least.

* * *

The moment I placed the lantern where it usually goes, I went to the back of the cabin and continued forward to another path deeper into the forest.

The lantern was not needed as the moonlight through the leaves was enough, I knew where it led and I always believed that the fire disturbed the peaceful area and the spirits would be angered if I did. Grandmother told me they were night spirits, consistently wanting the moonlight and never desiring the morning light as it would blind them.

Sometimes I would hear laughter within these forests, which would scare me but Grandmother told me that I should not as they were mere zashiki-warashi, ghost children that were quite mischievous.

My grandmother respected them, even though some of her crops were tempered due to their silliness. She was not once angered by it, she just merely laughed. I respected her patience for that. But when my grandmother died, I swore children mourned that echoed around the forest for a whole two days at night.

Two large rocks stood in front of an enormous tree wrapped in a shimenawa after a couple of minutes of walking, a wooden sign with words written on it as I recognized to be my grandparents’ names.

On the left was Grandfather: Ejiri Daisuke. On the right was Grandmother: Ejiri Shiari.

Their burials. They always wanted to be close to one another, even in death, and they wrote in their wills as wishes to be buried in the forest close to their home and to the river. This was where they usually spent most of their time together in the mornings, whenever they wanted some time together and away from the crowd. I kneeled before their graves and bowed deeply as I began to pray.

“Hello, Grandfather, Grandmother,” I whispered before I opened my eyes again and stood.

I stared at the rocks, wanting to believe that somehow or someday their spirits would come out of it and greet me with open arms. A smile on their faces as they would talk to me. I never heard my grandfather’s voice, but I always imagined it to be well-spoken and authoritative from my grandmother’s description, but she would consistently tell me to not worry as it was his way of showing affection and that he was not angry at all.

Standing there for a moment, my destination turned to the left where the sound of rushing water became louder and louder. I exited the borders of the forest, watching as the river sparkled underneath the moon, and sat on the edge.

Deep in the water, the stones illuminated in bright blue as some fishes with rainbow scales swam through with angelic fins; fireflies began to buzz around with their changing lights and frogs croaked somewhere. I narrowed my eyes when the words of the crowds came back to me. My attention went to the right where a bit of edge was present and the water cascaded down like a mini waterfall.

My head suddenly began to make a scene where Chino stood on it, staring deep into the river below him with no light in his eyes as he plunged deep into the water. His last thoughts could have been the rumors and our fight. I could hear the splash of his body as I imagined him coming in contact with the water as if I had been there and witnessed everything. I shut my eyes, looking away.

If I had not intervened, would he still be here? If I had not let my emotions get to me, would he still be training in that dojo and would never have attacked Kaze?

A soft breeze made my hair tussle around a bit as I inhaled it, catching a scent of chocolate. I frowned at the smell, following it to the right. When I opened my eyes, Hunter sat there beside me, three flowers in between his fingers. Velvety-red petals with the center almost black, tiny but the scent was strong. I instantly recognized them as chocolate cosmos. I knew as they were in season and it was something that contrasted from the rest of its family with bright and light colors. They became my favorites after how many times he had shown them to me.

“This part of the river always glows at night as the moon always touches it in a perfect angle,” he began, looking up to the sky. “It always makes it appear peaceful whenever I see it.”

“It does,” I turned to where he was looking. “Grandmother always said that this might as well be where one of the gates to the spirit realm lies.”

He hummed, making me look at him again as he placed down the other two flowers on the grass. He began picking out the petals with the one in his hand and placing them down on the river. I watched with a raised brow at his childish antics as the petal bobbed on the water, slowly following the river’s course. I looked at where his abdomen was, remembering my last encounter with him.

“It seems you have healed,” I said.

“I have. I told you, you shall not worry of it as I heal quickly,” he continued with his behavior.

I looked down at the flowers before taking one and mirrored his actions.

“I have not seen you in this spot for quite some time now. The last time I had seen you here close by your grandparents’ grave was when you were in deep distraught as you had a nightmare of losing your grandmother all over again.”

I picked out a petal, staring at it. I could not believe he still remembered that. He had stayed with me all night when I cried, in his hands were his katanas as he appeared alarmed. He tried to calm me down, I knew as it was that my Azakana might appear again and strike me. But none happened as my Azakana seemed afraid of his presence or maybe because it was not as strong as it was until Hunter got injured days ago.

He tried his best, but I knew he was unsure how to calm me down. I was only able to take my mind off the nightmare when he brought the same flowers in my hands as of now as the scent was the first that caught my attention.

“This is all my fault.”

“You speak of nonsense.”

“The boy, Chino,” I looked towards him. “It was my fault.”

“Who said it was yours?”

“Me,” I gripped the flower tighter, the petal in my hand disappearing in my fist, bits of light passing through the gaps of my fingers as I recognized them as Ionia’s magic. “If I had not intervened in the duel between him and Kajiwara, this would have not happened. He would have not drowned himself in this river. The river my grandparents so much loved. Now, I have stained it with death. I have yet failed them and the Gods.”

He sighed, “Why do you think of such things? Did others say you had done it?”

“Rumors are beginning to surround the duel between him and I.”

“And so you are letting those foolish words get into you? What have I told you about Azakanas?”

I sniffed, looking up at the sky as I tried not to let the tears fall out of my eyes. I had let him see me cry multiple times already, but it always felt humiliating to cry in front of him, to a spirit with so much authority, “They feed on your sorrows and your fears.”

“Exactly, that is what it wants you to do. You are out here in the forest on your own and you are thinking of such things. You are an open meal for it and you do not even have a weapon,” a shuffle came from him as he stood. “I do not think it was a mere suicide.”

The statement that came from him made me snap my attention to his direction, seeing him as he stared at where the tiny edge was on the river.

“It could have been the works of an Azakana for all we know.”

“Do you think it was?”

“If he was deep in the thought of humiliation, an Azakana could have taken advantage of it,” he turned to me, opening his hand to me.

I stared at it before taking it as he helped me stand.

“I have heard of the situation from the wind, it was said that he indeed drowned himself because of the rumors that he was a disgrace to his family and the Gods that he was banished from the dojo he trains in,” he looked down at the flower in his hand. “But, drowning himself could have been the push of an Azakana. He might have been fooled by it, similar to how you have been fooled by your own.”

He looked down at me as I remembered my encounter with my own Azakana, “Do you think he was?”

“I am still investigating. I heard your husband is investigating this as well.”

“He is. He has to as he works in that dojo and has encountered Chino multiple times, he even got injured because of him,” I took a deep breath. “I hope he finds something, but people only think of Azakanas are myths and they all began to believe that this incident was suicide.”

“I heard that as well,” he said making me turn back to him. “But, do not be deceived of such a simple incident. I will do my best to get to the bottom of this. Remember, none of this is your fault.”

“But, I had fought him and defeated him. That is how all of this began.”

“(Y/N), enough with that. I do not want to hear it anymore,” Hunter began to walk away, back to the closure of the forest. Was he angry?

“Hunter,” I whispered and he halted. I opened my mouth, but I was not sure what to say. I was not even certain why I bothered to call his name.

He stood there for a moment before he spoke, “I heard that your husband would not be working the next three days.”

“Would not be working?”

He turned around, clutching the hilt of his katana. It almost reminded me of how Yone clutches his, “The Master of the dojo had given him three days off, he wanted your husband to heal from his injuries first,” he looked away for a moment and the action made him appear a little shy. “I also heard that your husband requested it due to you seeming to be upset and sick of what had happened to that boy Chino.”

Yone had requested to be out as he was worried for me?

I turned away from him, clenching my jaws as a flutter came to my stomach, “He has?”

He hummed as if replying yes.

“Why would he be worried for me?” I whispered.

Perhaps it was to help me with the plans on how we could make our relationship seem well to the public. Is that why? He wanted to get rid of them, too?

“You make it sound like your husband does not have a heart.”

I frowned at him, “I said no such thing.”

A chuckle from him took me aback, when he turned to look at me again a smile was present on his pale face, “Well, that is good to hear that he does.”

“Now you are the one making him sound like he does not have one.”

He shook his head with another chuckle. From his form and playful act, I could not help but smile at his reaction. It was peculiar seeing Hunter like this, but something that lightened the mood between us. It was putting me back to the days we had spent together in this forest, how the two of us would sometimes banter about simple things that brought us a little closer.

But, that was as well the reason I stopped coming here.

“Come, I shall escort you out of this forest.”

I raised a brow, walking in his direction, “You are quite a gentleman tonight, Hunter. Are you not going to disappear as you usually do at the end of our encounters?”

He scoffed, “You were upset not so long ago. The last thing I want to happen is for you to be consumed by your Azakana.”

“Perhaps you should leave one of your katanas with me then. How about your red blade?”

“That would be the last thing I would do.”

I chuckled before looking up at him, “What would you do now?”

He hummed, “As I said, I will investigate the area. I have to see any signs of another Azakana’s presence here. A possibility that could be his. If I do find anything, I shall end it.”

I shivered at how he said it, making me imagine him ending the life of an Azakana in an instant. I peeked to his belt where multiple different masks hung, he told me once they came from Azakanas that he had ended and turned into harmless masks; now, trapped in that form and revealed their true faces. I wondered sometimes what mine would appear like when it was captured and I always wondered when.

Just as Hunter promised, he escorted me back to the cabin as I took the lantern. We both stood at the way out as I bowed to him and he did the same. I began to make my way out, having the aim to go back home and have, at least, an inkling of an idea what Yone and I should do, especially now I had learned he had three days off.

Chapter Text

Grandmother,

Do you still remember my husband? For sure you do, I still recall the day you told me how you prayed to the Gods for me to be married to someone, the right match, and have a family of my own. That includes children.

On the topic of my husband, Hayashi is not who I expected him to be. He might have a cold exterior, but he is quite kind and polite underneath all of it. It reminds me of the time you told me how Grandfather was the same with others. Hayashi’s expressions might be limited, though he does leave off an aura of calmness to him that I could not help but feel at ease after getting to know him a little more. He even calmed me down with a cup of jasmine tea when we heard of the news of the death of a boy named Chino who I had fought.

He might have been rude, but he did not deserve to die at such a young age.

Do you know he is born in the North of Ionia just like you were? Though, he moved here to the South to find some peace. I do not know why as he had not explained, but I did wish for him that he would find that peace he seeks for.

Also, I began to notice a bit of his responses just by observing him. His lips or brows would twitch when someone says something idiotic. The way he tends to grip the hilt of his wooden katana when he is on the verge of boiling anger at his students. The way he would stare at me whenever I seem to not be looking, which if I do, he would turn to what he was occupying himself or to another direction. Or sometimes it would stay and his gaze would soften when it does.

He began to be more talkative, Grandmother, asking simple questions of how was my day or how was the garden that I had made. He would also try to make small conversations and he began to greet me good night before he blows out the candle to which I reply back.

Believe it or not, he has complimented me of my baking when I had given him one as a gift, like you used to do with me. He has gifted me gardening tools as a thank-you for protecting his students and I could not help but have the need to do the same thing.

Speaking of his students, they seem close to him and I could not help but compare Hayashi as a rigorous father whenever the five of them interact. He appears quite experienced, perhaps due to him being a teacher for quite a while now. Though, I have to admit, he would do quite a splendid job of being a father and would deserve that title.

I wonder if he ever thought of having children. Make a family of his own.

I should not be thinking of this nor should I be writing of this topic.

That is all I could tell you, Grandmother, about him. Please ignore the last part. Nothing would happen to us two. Nothing at all.

Chapter Text

“Have you two had sex yet?”

I almost spat the tea I was drinking as my eyes flickered to my mother, a grimace on her face as she stared down at the meal I had created. She pushed it forward, appearing like a child not wanting to consume a bowl of vegetables due to it being the color green. Yone beside me choking as he coughed, putting down his drink on the table as he turned the opposite way of the food.

“Mother!” I said, frowning as my face burned.

“It is a general question. It is one of the duties of a husband and wife, to create a child,” she said, snapping her attention to me with a frown. “Which leads to the conversation of sex.”

“We know that, Mother. You do not need to repeat it.”

“Good to hear. Now, have you two?” Her eyes flickered from me to Yone.

Yone cleared his throat, “We have not.”

“Not? What about the rumors about the two of you on the verge of doing it in a closet?”

How does she know of that? Gods, that man has not kept his promise. How many had heard of it?

“It has been days since your two’s wedding and yet you two have not done it? (Y/N), have you not used the gift that I had given you?”

I shut my eyes, not even wanting to be in the same room as she was and the fact that she had to mention that gift, the one I had received after our wedding ceremony. Gods, I wanted her to leave at that moment, better yet, let the Fox take my soul and guide me to the spirit realm. Hells, I did not even care if the Spirit of Obsession reaped my soul and trapped me in his domain.

“Mother, we are taking our time,” continued Yone.

“Taking your time? People would begin to talk again if you two do not do anything. Some of my clients are beginning to wonder when the two of you will have a child!”

I clenched my jaws at the news, even digging my nails in the palm of my hands. Gods, why?

“Mother, please, we are…” Yone stopped for a moment, a complete silence that I wanted to disappear before he cleared his throat, “trying to find the right time for us to do it. We are waiting for the Gods to give us a sign for us to conceive a child.”

Gods, how could he say such things so easily?

The room became hotter when Mother scoffed.

“I presume it does leave to the Gods. But! I do believe the Gods would have liked it more if you two had done it early on. My husband and I had sex when three days had passed after our marriage. You know how the Gods are when it comes to women conceiving a child. It is the purpose of a wife, Hayashi. I know they would appreciate it when you two do it multiple times.”

Dear Fox, guide of the spirit realm, take my soul.

Yone hummed, “We shall take note of it.”

I almost choked on my spit before turning to Yone, his expression unchanging while he stared at my mother. Mother nodded, seeming to be satisfied with his answer as she began to stand.

“Thank the Gods. The rumors are beginning to subside, thankfully, and businesses are beginning to thrive again. Though, words of you having a child are the top priority as it seems to be now quite a hot topic. I have heard of the rumors surrounding of that… boy , but it is not that big of a deal. I would not mind having grandchildren that your father and I could teach about handling a business and so on,” she pointed a finger at me. “So, I better hear news of it. I would be leaving.”

Yone and I stood as we bowed at her. I hated her, especially now. I sat again, shoving food into my mouth, and tried to forget everything that had happened that day. Do not think of it, do not think of it.

Silence came between us as I did not even dare look at him as his responses echoed inside my head. The whole conversation echoed and how people were wondering whether we would have children. Children for crying out loud!

A sigh came from him and made me turn in his direction as he placed down his chopsticks. I followed it, seeing he only took a single bite out of his bowl of rice. Creases between his brows as he stared at the plates and bowls of food.

“Do you not like them?” I said. “Shall I make another one?”

He snapped out of his trance and shook his head, “No, please, do not think it is because of the food. I have a lot in my mind.”

Now, Mother had made him lose his appetite, but he did seem to appear a little more tired than usual. I squinted my eyes at him and noticed how his eyes drooped as he consistently blinked, closing his eyes now and then.

“Have you ever thought of having children?”

That question almost made me choke on my food, a string of cabbage almost getting stuck in my throat. He was looking at me but turned away instantly as he picked up his chopsticks again and shoved a ton of rice. A dust of pink seemed to appear on his cheeks or it might have been my imagination. I placed the bowl in my hand, I should be honest. There was no point.

I sighed, forcing myself to say, “I always wanted children.”

A silence before he spoke again, “How many do you want?”

Why was he asking? He could not possibly—I shook my head, “Two or three at best,” my fingers intertwined, too embarrassed to look at him.

“Why so?”

I thought of it, tilting my head a little, “Two so that the other would not be alone and the safest choice. Three would be great if one is in trouble the other two would be there to help and cover the other sibling,” I smiled. “But, having three would mean more trouble and it would be more difficult to take care of, though if I were to take care of them I would give them all the same amount of affection. None would have the largest dessert than the other. I would spoil them with so many sweets and teach them to bake. I will even force them to take care of the garden.”

Yone chuckled which caught me off guard, but his deep laughter made it quite infectious that I could not help but chuckle along with him. His head was slightly tilted, his eyes going up so that wrinkles appeared.

“You sound so fond of children.”

“You have seen that from your students already,” I said, looking up at him with a smile. “I always wanted children with the person I would marry—to the person I would spend the rest of my life with. I have always had that scenario since I was young. Something similar to my grandparents. Something simple and peaceful.”

He stared back at me, his eyes becoming soft as his position shifted a little more towards me. We both stared at one another, an unexplainable silence that my heart drummed against my chest at the heaviness of it. I saw his hand on the table seeming to move towards my direction, but stopped and I turned back to his face. His lips were apart from one another and watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed.

“Is that what you desire?”

I look up at his eyes again, a faint sparkle in them that my breath hitched.

“With the person you would spend the rest of your life with?”

His voice, “It is something that I always dreamt of,” sounds so melodic. Does he like poetry?

He hummed, his eyes so soft that I could not help but stare at them as they sparkled with life that it reminded me of lanterns amidst the darkness hanging above the doors of our neighborhood. A certain beauty only seen at night when one would be brave enough to stay awake. Have they always looked that way?

I moved a little closer to him. I wanted to see more of it. My hand reached for his face, “Yone.”

“Yes?”

His deep, airy response snapped me out of my trance, shaking my head as I focused on my food again, and forced out a chuckle, “Certainly nothing would happen between us. Everything we do is for mere duty as it is our job and fulfill the wishes of my parents. For sure you do not want any children, you are as busy as you are with your students and your work,” I shoved some rice into my mouth as I not dare look at him, fearing that I would get lost in his eyes again.

“Yes,” he said, a shift came from him as he moved a little farther from me, “duty.”

“Speaking of it, we should think of a plan to get these rumors out of the way. Based on Mother, things are beginning to lighten a little, but not all are gone yet.”

He hummed.

I shifted in my seat, playing with my food from the awkwardness that now had built between us. I tried to think of anything to speak of, but nothing was coming to mind. I was not certain what I should speak of and could not even think of anything for our next step. I began looking around, trying to think of anything to say or do, and just as I was about to give up nothing seemed to catch my attention. Suddenly, the view of the garden past open doors made me narrow my eyes.

An idea began to form in my head as I stared down at the bowl of rice in my hand and then at the plates of food in front of me. Suddenly, I remembered, it was the time of the week when I had to go to the market to purchase food and other necessities. This could be taken as an advantage, maybe even one of the moves Yone and I could do on the chess board. I blinked for a moment at the thought, it could also prove that I am doing my job as a wife and maybe we could clear some thoughts about it being my fault for the cause of death of Chino.

The thought of him made me grip my chopsticks tighter. I had to stop thinking of that if I did not want my Azakana to grow stronger.

“(Y/N),” Yone was staring at me again, brows furrowed, “is something the matter?”

“No. It is nothing,” I looked back down to my food and kept silent for a moment. I turned to him again, “Do you mind accompanying me to the market?”

That caught his attention as he looked down at me. I turned away at the sudden attention, I remembered Hunter’s words to me about him having three days off, but I still had not heard from him. I could not let him question me how I knew of this if I did not want anything else happening and severing our current status. I tried to make up an excuse.

“Only if you have time. It seems like you will be late for your work as Mother already stalled you here longer than you should be.”

His expression did not change as he turned back down to his food, “I would not be going to the dojo the next three days.”

“Oh? Why? Did something happen?” I said, trying my best to act surprised.

His eyes flickered over to me, but the way his lips seemed to have lifted a little at the corners as if in amusement, I frowned.

“Master Yuji wanted me to heal from my injury as he did not want me to strain it too much. Furthermore, he also took note of you being sick, so he demanded me to stay with you until you feel a bit better.”

I nodded. It was not his decision then? He was not worried for me at all, maybe Hunter misheard it then, “What about the children?”

“Do not worry about them, I have a friend that I trust would take my place. I left him some instructions for the four of them to do. I also left Hino in charge as well.”

I smiled at the thought of Hino being in charge, “That is good to hear.”

“About your proposal on going to the market.”

My attention went back to him again as he placed down his bowl, seeing that it was empty once more as he usually does with every meal, he faced me.

“I will accompany you.”

We both stared at one another, making me stare at his eyes again as I could see the seriousness in them. He knew what this proposal meant and why I asked if he could accompany me. Sometimes, I could not help but thank the Gods that I was paired with Yone as he would always seem to be able to connect the dots in mere seconds with just a simple question and sentence that I did not need to explain why we had to do or what we had to do. I nodded at his response as I tried to finish my meal as quickly as possible so I could get change and be ready for our first outing together in public as a married couple.

Chapter Text

People were staring, and even though they tried to hide it, they were obvious. I tried to ignore the way the women would peek over at us and then whisper to the person next to them, some of them would not even hide it as we passed by them that I would hear their mixed conversations.

“My, they are out together.”

“Do you think they are acting?”

“Maybe.”

“They look lovely together.”

“I heard they are quite close. I guess the rumors might have been false.”

My grip tightened on the basket as I tried to examine a batch of potatoes on a stall and the man behind it smiled at us. Inspecting whether they were ripe and fine by squeezing them and feeling their firmness, I placed them in my basket and paid for the amount. I went to the next stall, following the routine I usually do whenever I travel to the market. Starting first to the stalls closest, checking whether I would need them as I racked through my thoughts if we had more at home or not, then moving on to the next stall and repeating.

Yone followed me throughout the whole outing, the both of us being silent that I could not help but feel that this seemed to have not been working at all. I peeked up at him as he had his poker face again, staring ahead. The shadow that formed from his straw hat covered his eyes that it made them a little darker and menacing. My eyes went to his waist, seeing his katana strapped on his belt as his hand stayed on the hilt as if prepared for battle at any moment.

“Is it necessary for you to bring your weapon to a simple trip to the market?” I said, trying to at least make a conversation as the stares of the crowd began to burn and judge us for our silence. “It is not as if anyone would suddenly duel you.”

His attention did not break as he replied, “It is necessary for safety reasons as well as the code of the samurais to always keep their katana with them at all costs.”

Another silence came between us, turning my attention away from him and to the stalls instead on my left. We passed by some filled with vegetables, I checked everything out in my head, thinking back to the storage whether we had them or not. Lettuces, we still had them. Tomatoes, still a ton. Asparagus. Beans…

As I continued to glare at the stalls and pass by them, a sudden thought came to me when my eyes landed on a stall ahead with a basket filled with strawberries. I wonder if I should make some desserts with fruits, I promised the children that I would bring some for them to try next time. Perhaps daifuku would be something they would like.

I began to make my way towards the stall, Yone seeming a little taken aback that he quickened his pace. I noticed the stall owner kept staring at us as he was whispering something to the person beside him. He halted when we approached as he smiled at us.

“Good morning! Anything you two would like?” He said.

I wanted to glare at him at that moment due to his masked smile, but ignored it and took one strawberry from the basket, examining it. I had to act. We had to act. I turned to Yone, tilting my head a little to appear a bit more affectionate.

“Do you like daifuku?” I said, still looking at the strawberry.

“Do I like them?” He repeated with a tone that sounded a little surprised, but he cleared his throat. “I do not mind them. They are quite pleasing.”

“Do you want me to make some for you to bring for your lunch next time?” Now, I looked up at him, locking eyes as I tried to signal him.

Yone stared back at me. I forced in a smile, making sure to show it to my eyes, and seem to be real. He turned away for a moment, looking at the floor before he stared back at me with a chuckle and he smiled as well.

“That sounds delightful.”

“Great! I should make some for you then unless you want some for dinner tonight?” I said, beginning to select a few more strawberries.

“Whatever you might wish. Unless you are speaking of another desert. I do not mind that as well.”

I froze, turning to him in an instant. He still had a smile on and when my eyes went to the stall keep as he inspected us, I chuckled while I used my hand to cover my mouth and trying to act fluttered.

“Yone, not out here.”

He tilted his head a little, his eyes becoming half-lidded that my heart made that irksome flip, “I am merely saying. It is not out of the plate if you would give it some thought.”

I tried not to look away from him but failed as I quickly turned back to the shopkeep while trying to ignore the warmth that now spread across my body, “A dozen strawberries and I will have some—”

“Four mikans and persimmons.”

A shadow formed behind me, knowing that it was from Yone. I turned my attention towards him when he suddenly stopped as his eyes flickered over to me. I shivered from the way they seemed to have fire in them as he kept them locked with mine as he continued to speak.

“And two dozen cherries,” with a smile, he turned back to the stall owner. “Please.”

I released my breath as I put a hand on my chest, thankful that his attention went elsewhere as the shop owner began to work around and get the things we ordered. Gods, Yone knew what he was doing. What was that stare?

My eyes shut, trying to ignore his gaze and how he sounded so solemn about the whole desert conversation. I knew my mother said that people were asking whether we had… done it, but I was not expecting him to take it so seriously. Gods, I had to stop thinking of that.

“Are you well?”

A hot breath tickled my ear and I flinched, making me step to the side and turn to Yone while I now clutched my kimono as my heart drummed faster. Seeming to be alarmed, he took a step back. We stared at one another for a moment before regaining my stance as I rolled my shoulders back.

“Ah, yes, I am well.”

“That was not too much, was it?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I shook my head while trying to keep my composure as it was. He said nothing as the two of us waited for our orders. When the shop owner handed it to us, we both bowed at him as we greeted him a good day and we continued with our errand. I tried to keep my thoughts away from what had happened earlier by fixing the contents inside the basket as it was beginning to be filled, readjusting it in my arm as I huffed a little from its heaviness.

“Let me carry it,” Yone said as he opened his hand towards me.

I clutched it, pulling it closer to me, “I am…” I inspected around, still seeing some people watching us. I handed it to him, “Thank you.”

He nodded when he suddenly moved closer to me and our arms bumped. I swallowed as I tried to ignore it when he leaned down a little to me.

“Take my arm.”

“What?”

His eyes flickered to me, “Take my arm.”

I followed his instruction, a little hesitant at first as I took deep breaths before grabbing hold of it. A static feeling coursed through my veins upon taking hold, making me aware once more of our closeness and that this was yet another rare moment where I was having contact with him. A second type of contact where it was me instead of him, not like the time in the dojo.

Rolling my shoulders back, we continued to walk through the streets, going to the side when carts passed by before we continued onward. I disregarded the way my heart continued to beat rapidly while I looked around the other stalls; my breathing off its usual pace as people whispered our names.

A nudge beside me took my attention to Yone as he inspected me from his peripheral. He leaned towards me as he whispered, “You are gripping my arm.”

I relaxed my hold, “I apologize. I did not notice.”

He hummed, “I could see how stiff you are and I know these people will notice it as well. If you want this plan to work, relax for me.”

He was right, I needed to relax. If people saw me how I was now, I knew they would see through our disguise. I soon began to ease off, distracting myself with the stalls and checking off lists again in my head to what we needed in the house.

Left to right, I searched, stopping for a moment to see whether we truly needed it or not before making a decision and moving on. As the time continued to grow, a stall not so far off caught my attention due to its colorful contents and I instantly recognized them as flowers in pots. Excitement bubbled inside me as I hastened my steps, almost dragging Yone with me when we had just finished purchasing some fish.

Upon stopping there, an old lady greeted us as I bowed to her, releasing Yone from my hold as I began inspecting the plants. Most were autumn flowers, ranging from chrysanthemums to panicle hydrangeas along with their seeds. Their wonderful scents radiated off that every time I inhaled, they were the only ones that stood out and pushed away the smell of fish and meat from other stalls.

Though those were not what I wanted, instead I was looking for those familiar velvety-red petals. There were some cosmos flowers, but they were the ones with the bright colors of white and pink. My excitement died down when I did not spot it, squinting my eyes that they were not added to the family.

About to give up, a tap came on my shoulder as I turned to spot Yone staring at something, “Look at these.”

I went to him, taking my attention where he was looking and I almost gasped upon seeing the chocolate cosmos. I pressed my lips together, trying to hold my smile that was beginning to creep up.

Yone took the pot filled with it as he inspected them, “Interesting.”

“Smell them,” I blurted that he turned to me with wide eyes. I turned away, “They have a nice scent. If you are a fan of chocolates, they smell like it.”

“Do they?”

He placed the flowers close to his nose, his eyes closed as he inhaled deeply. He hummed, opening his mouth when suddenly his shoulders twitched up. I tilted my head as he turned his head to the side then—

“Achoo!”

I pressed my lips together, staring as he sniffed—his face contorted into a frown as he glared at the pot of flowers. A snicker escaped me which caused his attention to snap towards me. I instantly put a hand up to my mouth.

Do not laugh, do not laugh.

Another snicker as the smile that I tried to hold on fought back and I burst out laughing. Still trying to cover my amusement, I turned the other way. Though I failed as the surprising action that Yone had made and a once-in-a-lifetime scene of seeing him like that kept reemerging in my head. In public especially. Laughter came bursting from him which made the whole situation twice as hilarious.

“Yes, they certainly smell like chocolates,” he said in between.

“Wonderful, are they not? That they make you sneeze in happiness?”

He shook his head, “Gods, they sure do.”

I chuckled, snatching it from him, “I will take it then before you blow out the petals.”

“Are you now? Do not tell me you would purchase all of it.”

Staring at the pot, I gave a nod, “You did say I could do whatever I want in that yard of yours, then I shall do just that.”

He chuckled, turning to the stall again as he took a pot filled with roses with yellow petals, “How about these?”

“Roses. A romantic choice. Are you doing it on purpose to partner it with these wonderful flowers in my hands?”

“Well, now that you mention it, should this be considered as a romantic gesture of roses and chocolates to be gifted to a beautiful woman such as yourself?”

His compliment echoed in my head as I kept staring at him, waiting for him to curl back to his unchanging expression but the smile on his face did not vanish as he continued to stare with those familiar sparkling eyes of his. People were now watching us, some even stopped walking as if waiting for my response, and their faces in open shock. It was working!

I lifted my chin, “I presume it is.”

“Take it then, my dear wife,” he moved a little closer to me, towering over me that I had to look up just to see his eyes. “Take it as my affection.”

A chuckle left me as I began to reach for it, looking up at him again as he kept watching me. The sparkle and mischief in his eyes not vanishing once as if a lighted candle that could never be burnt out. I smiled at him.

“I shall, my husband.”

They softened now, “Your husband,” he whispered, his tone airy as if processing my words.

Going to the woman with the pot of roses on my other hand, she gave a wide smile towards me when I handed her what we wanted. I took out my bag of money to get the amount of coins when Yone gave some to her before I could. The old woman smiled.

“You are out here again, young man,” she said to Yone as she handed us the flowers. “I would guess that you have found the things you needed for gardening?”

I blinked, turning to Yone as he nodded, “I have. Thank you for your assistance.”

“Of course, if it was a gift for your wife, I would be more than happy to help,” she now turned to me, making me roll my shoulders back. “You two are quite a couple. It has been a while since I had seen two people laughing in front of my stall just to appreciate the flowers.”

Her words caused a warmth to spread in my chest. She reminded me of Grandmother, even the way she smiled, “They are so gorgeous that they had captured my eyes from a mile away.”

“Oh, child, you are such a flutterer.”

“I am saying the truth, ma’am. For sure you compliment them every single day as they are thriving.”

The woman chuckled, “You are correct. They are my children after all.”

Grandmother, “Yes, they are.”

“Shall we get going?”

I turned to Yone, smiling at him and nodding as I took his arm again, “We would be leaving.”

“Of course! Have a lovely day, you both.”

We both bowed as we began to walk away from the stall. I kept glancing back at it, wondering how I had missed that stall multiple times when I had been coming to the market for years. A little place that I knew Grandmother would have loved and adored. I continued to look around, still searching whether we needed more. Yone began to speak more now, asking whether we could check some stalls that included spices and herbs to which I agreed and followed after him.

He took a glass bottle filled with leaves, putting it up eye-level before he placed it back down and went for another. He would ask questions to the owner as the two would talk about something related to healing properties and the effects of the plants. I watched his concentrated eyes, the way he would narrow them when seeming to get new information and nodding as he listened carefully.

“What is that?” I said, looking at what seemed to be a root in his hand.

He turned to me, showing it, “Ren Shen or red ginseng root, it has an effect to help the body to adapt to stress and is quite helpful against the cold. There are more effects that it does, though I do not remember what but something related to hormones. Most of it is seen in the East of Ionia. And these—” he took some herbs tied together, long but thin “—are horsetails, they help with ceasing bleeding and curing wounds. They are helpful, especially if you traveling alone, as they pace up your healing process.”

“You have a lot of knowledge about herbs.”

“Years spent traveling alone has made me learn about them for the sake of survival.”

Inspecting the row of herbs, dried and not, I tilted my head and took a bottle filled to almost the sizes of tiny seeds in shades of brownish-yellow. I stared at it for a moment before turning to Yone.

“What about—”

“(Y/N), is that you?”

My grip on the bottle tightened upon hearing that voice, making me halt my breathing as I placed the bottle back to where it belonged. I saw Yone looking behind me, his expression becoming unreadable again as he kept staring there. Raising my chin and rolling my shoulders back, I turned around as I came face-to-face with a man I had been avoiding for the past years whenever I came to the market.

“Kioshi Kiko,” I said, trying to not show my emotions even though in the pit of my stomach I had the urge to throw up.

He frowned. He has not once changed, he had the same inviting eyes that I was once fooled by as whenever he laughed and teased his sister that would always brighten. I knew the Kioshi siblings as his sister, Kioshi Jira, came to me as she noticed me in the crowd upon knowing my schedule of coming to the market to do my errands. I became close to them, too close that I lost them in the end, and left me due to the rumors. I was left alone in the dark yet again.

But, he was not the one I worried about the most, it was the man beside him. Ito Uricha, one of the men who tried to court me and I had rejected. He was easy to temper just as easily as he was easy to hurt his ego. That one rejection in public when I was doing my errands two years ago was enough for him to begin making rumors about me. He might as well be the one who started them after learning that I had rejected dozens of men besides him.

Many people believed him due to his reputation of being the eldest son of the Ito family who owned one of the known sake retailers here in the South that some of them even traveled up to the North. Mother and Father became furious with me when they heard of the news of me rejecting his courtship. They punished me severely by not letting me outside for a whole week and lowering my ration of food that I fell asleep hungry for almost a whole month.

“We should go,” I said to Yone, taking his arm.

I saw Kioshi reaching for me, but he retracted his hand back.

“Already leaving, (Y/N),” Ito said, making me freeze. “You were always good at that. Leaving. I wonder if you would leave your husband as well when you are finished with him.”

“Mr. Ito,” I heard Kioshi.

“I am telling the truth! You have seen how she rejected many men already. Some even said that she had an affair with them.”

I have not, I wanted to say but the words stuck to my throat as I instead rolled my shoulders back and began pulling Yone with me. Thankfully, he seemed to agree with my actions, maybe because of the embarrassment that I was with him, and now our morning was being tampered with.

“Let us see if she would stay with you, Hayashi,” Ito continued, “or she would leave like the whore she is. Who knows, maybe she already has some affairs behind your back.”

People began to crowd around us, whispering as their eyes went to me and stayed as I tried to ignore them. I lifted my chin, trying to show not much emotion from their words that I was not affected by them. This was not new, I should be fine.

“Do you think your acting would work on us? It is very easy to spot how you two faked that laugh and flirtatious movements back in the other stalls. You would not fool us, you cunt.”

My grip tightened on Yone’s arm. I tried to regain my ease but he ceased on the spot. I was pulled back to him, making me look up at him as he still stared ahead. The lack of emotions on his face had shouted at me to contract back and when his eyes flickered over to me, I flinched at how grim they were and the light in them earlier had now been splashed away.

The urge to look away began to crawl up, but I knew if I did people would take notice of it and would make assumptions that Ito was right. So, I sucked it up and continued staring at him.

His hand went to mine where I held his arm, he took it off as my hand now hovered in the air. I waited for him to shout, waited for him to yell how I was such an embarrassment and that he was tired of me dishonoring his name. He grabbed the basket from his arm and handed it to me.

Confused by his actions, I placed the pots in my arms and laid them on the floor. After that, standing straight once more and reached for the basket. The moment it was in my hands and attention to it, a gust of wind caressed my face as he drew his katana.

I gasped, seeing that Yone had now pointed it at Ito who had seemed to freeze in place.

“Do you want to repeat that?” Yone said, his voice menacing as he kept his unchanging eyes on Ito. I shivered just by seeing him like that, the air becoming twice as cold as it was. “Repeat what you had called my wife.”

Ito swallowed as his eyes flickered from me to Yone before a frown appeared, “She is a cunt and a whore. Nothing would change my mind.”

Yone sighed, beginning to pull his katana back and on the verge of striking him but I ran to him.

“Yone!” I said, grabbing his arm and trying to pull it down. “Yone, stop. Not here.”

He did stop, sheathing his weapon and he not once looked away from Ito. He grabbed the basket from me while I took the pots from the ground before he seized my arm and began to lead us away from them.

“That is right! Show them how much of a coward you both are!” Ito said.

Yone was on the verge of breaking again from the way his eyes darkened again and how the veins on his hand popped more, but I stopped him by glaring at him. He looked down at me and I shook my head. He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath as his grip on my arm tightened as if trying to control himself.

“Dear me,” a woman said, that same high voice I heard by the river where we discovered Chino’s body. “Everywhere she goes seems to always cause some trouble. It seems to always be her fault.”

I looked to my peripheral, seeing that same woman from before in her green kimono and that similar colored fan as she hid her face behind them. I saw the corners of her eyes wrinkle making my head spin at how they were almost snake-like. She gave a hypnotizing chuckle as we both stared at one another. A tug came from beside me, seeing Yone glare at her before he pulled me towards him as he quickened his pace.

Out of curiosity and experiencing that same nausea feeling I had before in the river, I turned around and saw the woman walk towards Ito as the crowd began to disperse. They spoke to one another for a moment and I took note of how Ito’s expression contorted into anger from what she might have said. I tried to see what they were speaking of, but the crowd began to cover them and they disappeared.

Chapter Text

The moment we came back home, Yone was silent. He instantly placed his katana back to where it usually goes as he took off his geta and went inside without a word. I followed after him with the basket in my hands to restock our supplies, only to spot him there in the kitchen as he still had that glare on his face as he began boiling some water. He worked around quickly, taking some herbs and preparing the tea while I began placing everything where it belonged.

I would peek at him to see how he was as he waited for the water. His eyes were shut, a frown still there, and creases were present between his brows. His arms crossed that sometimes the corner of his lip would twitch as if remembering what had happened earlier. With a sigh and emerging irritation, I placed everything down as I stood in front of him, intertwining my fingers.

“Hayashi.”

He opened his eyes, looking at me past those lifeless stares.

“Do not think about it.”

“Do not think—Gods, (Y/N), how could you say that?” He said, snapping his gaze away from me. “They spoke ill of you. He began saying false words and you would say that I should not bother with it?”

“Hayashi, those are mere rumors.”

“No! Those were not mere rumors anymore, I have seen it firsthand how awful they are.”

“Ito is saying things you should not take too much thought into.”

His gaze darkened, “So, that is his name, Ito.”

I glared at him, a warning, “Do not even think of doing anything. We do not want any more rumors happening, especially since his family is quite known.”

He scoffed, staring back at me as if fighting my own authority, “Rumors would continue spreading if he is not disciplined.”

“He would only begin more if you do something reckless.”

“You are my wife!” He shouted, making me flinch back at his sudden tone.

I took a step back, clenching my jaws, and held my breath as he frowned in my direction.

“No one speaks ill of you like he had. No one calls you names and humiliates you in front of me, with or without. If I have to draw my weapon to show that, then I will.”

We both stared at one another as he breathed hard, a tension coming between us. The pot behind him began to whistle loudly, crying for attention. Yone continued to stare as if keeping it would mean he would win, but I clenched my jaws as I stared back at his rigid stare. The sound became louder, making him break the contact with a huff as he turned around to amend to it. I looked away, taking a shaky breath in, thankful his attention had averted before I continued with my work, placing the flowers we had bought to the side as I would take care of them when I had time. 

Yone now disappeared back to the other room with a tray in his hands, but my attention did not waver from work.

I turned to focus on placing the fruits that we had purchased, taking note of the ones he had requested as I placed the citruses and persimmons on a wooden bowl and placed it on the counter as I began to focus on making them look pleasing. I stared at it with narrowed eyes, seeming to be forgetting something when the apples in the forest and how they were now ripe suddenly came to me.

The empty basket on the floor popped as if trying to get my attention. I sighed, having the urge to go outside and visit after everything that had happened today. In so, with much thought, I snatched the basket and exited the kitchen, ending up spotting Yone on the table where we usually eat as he drank his tea. I gripped the handle of the basket as I turned my attention to where the entrance lay before I looked at him again.

Seeing his current state of annoyance and the way he kept closing his eyes every time he placed down the cup, I could not help but feel responsible for his irritation. A constant voice at the back of my head whispered that it was my fault and I should take obligation on taking it away from him when he had done the same to me before. A sudden thought came to my mind and I wondered if I truly had lost my head.

With a deep breath and raising my chin, I said, “Do you want to accompany me in picking some apples?”

He halted on taking a drink, turning to me with those eyes again. I rolled my shoulders back more, still keeping eye contact with him as he seemed to be inspecting me.

“Do not tell me you are going to the market again.”

“No, I am not,” I looked at the basket in my hand before back to him. This was to take away his anger, if I did not do anything about it, my plans would go to ruin if the two of us had this bitter air.

His eyes narrowed before standing as he made his way out of the halls in the direction of our room and disappeared behind them. I sighed, I could not believe it did not work. Rolling my shoulders back and ignoring his decision, I made my way to the entrance of our home, getting ready as I slipped on my slippers and put on my straw hat. 

What was my plan now?

With a sigh, I reached for the door as it began to slide open when something warm embraced me.

I turned around, spotting Yone fixing my hanten on my shoulders when it began to slip before he placed his on. I kept my eyes locked on him as he began to prepare himself to leave; not once did he turn to look at me as he kept his gaze down on the floor and his eyes soon disappeared behind the confinements of his straw hat. He took his katana again and clasped it onto his belt.

Now, he turned to me, “Where are we off to?”

I fixed my hanten before opening the door, “To the forest.”

His grip on the hilt of his katana tightened, frowning upon my answer.

“Worry not, Hayashi, I know the place,” I said, leading the way.

“It is still not safe.”

Ignoring his words, I went on forward, knowing that nothing would happen during this early time of the day. The Azakana would not be present. Hunter once told me that they mostly pounce at night or in secluded, dark areas. But those times would be done when the sun was on the verge of disappearing. I was aware that he gave me a warning that some stronger Azakanas would be present in the day, sometimes would even be walking around in the market acting as if they were any other civilians hunting for the desired prey.

As of now, nothing has happened. So, I took this advantage.

Yone appeared beside me, that glare still present.

“Hayashi, it is not that far.”

“The forest is a dangerous place. Have you not heard of the sayings of the elders here? There could be monsters lurking there.”

“Like?” I said, peeking over to me as I kept my posture as it was.

He was silent, opening his mouth as if about to answer but closed and turned away.

I hummed, focusing on the road once more.

The silence stretched as we continued our way to the forest, people passing by and not seeming to recognize us behind our hidden faces from the straw hats. I took a right turn, going off course the road as it instead was exchanged by grass and leaves. Just like every past visit, it was easier to see where the path leads. The afternoon sun going past the leaves gave a different aura to the whole forest, making it appear harmless unlike at night, and showing its Ionian colors.

Shades of yellow and green from tree to tree, branches appearing like arches of a temple and connecting to another branch as if holding hands. Some birds flew by with colorful feathers, picking food before flying off when I appeared.

Months had passed since I had seen this forest in such a view, unlike at night, it conceals its beauty. Not like in the North, their trees glow in luminescent colors at night based on my grandmother’s stories that they would act as the source of light to the people there. Some would even take their large leaves that were almost the size of a human and use them as their torches themselves. The clearing soon appeared as I stepped out of the confinements of the forest, standing there for a moment as my chest squeezed upon seeing the little home in the middle.

It was as if nothing had changed. It was as if I was visiting her still like any other day.

Yone appearing beside me made reality hit me with the harsh truth. I turned to him to see whether his mood had at least lifted.

It has not.

With a soft sigh, I walked towards the single apple tree in the backyard, opening the little fence and going towards the tree as I began to pick them. Most were now easy to take off from the tree, all the green shade on the apples gone as I placed them in the basket. A squeak from behind made me turn around as Yone entered, seeming a little hesitant.

I turned back to my business.

“Come and help me, Hayashi,” I said. “If you are worried that some kind of monster might come, help me so we can finish these quickly.”

A scoff came from him. He went to the side and he took off his katana, laying it to the side of the cabin before he stood beside me while rolling his sleeves.

“How should I do this?” He said, staring at the tree.

“Just pick them, most of them are ripe. If they are hard to get, do not pick them yet, and when they do not feel as firm.”

He nodded as he began picking the apples, mostly focusing on the ones I could not reach. We continued in silence, the breeze not so cold as it was and calming that I smiled at the tranquil afternoon. It has been a while since someone had accompanied me through this whole quiet and relaxing process. Being outside and alone in the forest had always calmed my thoughts, especially in broad daylight. My gaze landed on Yone as he stared at the apple in his hand, a frown present as he twirled it around.

“Take a bite,” I said, making him turn to me which made me look away. “They are red apples, they are quite sweet. In my opinion, the best out of all species of apples.”

He hummed before hearing a crunch that I turned to him again. Yone chewed and swallowed before taking another two bites. I chuckled and focused on my work again.

“Do you often do this?” He said.

“Only in autumn when they are ripe,” I picked another apple and placed it inside the basket with the rest.

“Every year?”

I nodded, facing him as I placed my hands on my hips. He took another bite before stretching it over to me as if asking if I wanted any. I shook my head, continuing to the other side as he followed me.

“Why is there a cabin here? Do your parents own it?”

An urge to sarcastically laugh climbed its way up my throat but repressed it and inspected the tree, “As if they would put a small and not-so-eye-catching cabin out in the middle of the woods. They would rather have a large home than this. Besides, my mother would have rather demanded my father to put it in the middle of the market than out here in a million years.”

He was silent for a moment, “It is yours, then?”

“No. My grandparents.”

Silence came between us as Yone halted midway from taking another bite of the apple, he turned to the cabin with narrowed eyes. A window was there, the shutters closed so that it concealed the inside, but I knew where it led and which room it was. With a sigh, I began to make my way to the door, opening it wide to sign Yone to go inside.

He stared at me for a moment before making a move, seeming to get the idea. I followed after him, seeing the kitchen and the sink, some bowls and pots, and a variety of kitchen knives on the walls—some I had forgotten what they were used for. My hand skimmed through the wooden surface of the cutting section, the dust collecting on my fingertips before turning back to Yone who inspected the room.

“Excuse me for the mess. Months had passed since I used this place,” I said, walking to the direction of the living room.

“Do you visit often?”

“Used to.”

We entered the living room, some areas were a mess, one of them being the table in the center I quickened my pace just to fix it. His footsteps halted just when the table was fixed in place and the white pot on top of it settled into position. I looked up, spotting him inspecting the painting of my grandparents.

Sadness washed over me upon seeing them, but also a sense of pride upon seeing my husband finally meet the people I deemed to care for the most. I stood beside him, looking at it as well.

“We never had our wedding painted, have we?”

“We have not. We did not even speak a word to one another.”

He hummed.

“Spring had always been my grandmother’s favorite,” I continued, staring at her glowing face and then at the branches of cherry blossoms behind her. “From the way the flowers bloom to the smell of soil present the next morning after a night of rainfall.”

Yone chuckled, “How about you?”

“Me? What about me?” I asked, turning to him.

“What season do you like most? You speak so much of your grandmother, I believe I know more of her than I know of you.”

I laughed, a bubble of warmth spreading to my chest. Not once had that thought ever come to me, no one had ever asked me that before, “Spring.”

“Why?”

“Because it is the time when Grandmother makes her famous sakura mochis.”

Yone burst out laughing, making me laugh with him, “Is that it?”

“It is a good enough reason, Hayashi.”

“I presume it is.”

“How about you?”

He was silent for a moment, eyes narrowed but the smile still present on his face, “Autumn.”

“You do look like someone who does enjoy the season with a cup of tea.”

Another laugh, “And you do look like someone who enjoys Spring with a plate of sakura mochis.”

I chuckled, staring back at the painting. Thank the Gods that his mood was better.

My eyes went back to Yone as he continued to inspect the painting, his smiling face contrasting the expression he used to wear when we first met and were married to one another. Different from his usual stern gaze that he wears in the dojo and to his students to make them behave. How he wore a casual kimono of a dark blue haori and black hakama.

The warmth in my chest traveled up to my face, the beating of my heart quickening as I kept staring at him. Only now I noticed how sharp his features were and able to appreciate his beauty, the way his sharp eyes could become soft from simple conversations and something would get his interest. How had I never noticed how handsome he was?

A strand of hair fell to the side of his face, hiding his eyes and I frowned. My hand reached for it and tucked it behind his ear. He stiffened as he turned to me in an instant. I halted, only now noticing my actions and pulling away.

“Sorry,” I said, gripping my hands together.

“It is fine.”

Another silence, the drumming of my heart in my ears as I stared at my intertwined fingers. His fingers suddenly brushed against mine, making me gasp as I turned to him. His attention was elsewhere, instead was focused out the windows and brows knitted together. There was nothing outside, just the sounds of trees rustling and the afternoon sun cascading down.

“Come, we should go,” he said, beginning to walk to where we entered.

Without much protest, I followed him not before a bow to my grandparents before going outside. Yone had already strapped his katana to his belt and handed me the basket loaded with apples. I thanked him before we began to walk away from the cabin and back to the path.

We stood side by side as the silence continued. Peaceful and something to appreciate, but the amount of times Yone kept looking around would have been deemed amusing. It was as if everything around us there would be some kind of monster that might lunge at us and the way he gripped his katana made it twice as hilarious.

“Hayashi,” I said, “you do not need to worry. Nothing will attack us.”

“Many things could. Monsters included,” he said, still inspecting every rustle of leaves with narrowed eyes.

“The only monster that would attack us is a group of birds and they do not even plan on doing that when they know you carry that katana.”

“You do not fear the forest, do you?”

“I do not. Years traveling here consistently made me believe that the forest and I are great friends.” Especially how Hunter had saved me as if the forest had called him.

He sighed, closing his eyes, “Still, that does not mean things would not appear.”

“Like Azakanas?” I blurted, making me shut my mouth.

There was a silence as I dared not look at him, for certain giving me a questioning look as if wondering whether I was out of my mind to suggest such a thing. But when I peeked at him, his eyes were distant.

“Yes, like Azakanas.”

I frowned, “You… believe in them?”

He turned to me now with a small smile, “I do. Incredibly.”

His expression became distant for a moment as if reliving a memory before straightening his posture as his hardened glare came again.

“Monsters who feed on one’s fears and grow strong to it. Creatures that mostly dwell at night, but a possibility do it in broad daylight as well, especially in these woods.”

“You sound as if you believe in the Azakanas even if they are myths and stories made by the elders,” I said, watching two birds fly to the top of the tree and out of sight.

“A myth that was told by someone after the bloodied rampage of the Noxian Invasion,” he said, something tinged in his voice as it lowered in octaves.

“Yes, a mere story. Perhaps told by someone who only wants to cause more fear to us Ionians. Yet, you speak of it as if they exist.”

“They do exist,” he said, sounding a bit defensive. “A demon that clutches on to you and feeds off your negative energy, hunting you every second of your life. People may say it to be a myth, but a story always starts from an experience of a person.”

I stared at him for a moment, taken aback at how much he had so much knowledge of those monsters. Yone seemed to be the type who did not bother with myths, besides from his firm gaze, most adults would dismiss it as nothing but stories of elders to children.

Once, I had heard that samurais especially did not bother with those, but it seems I had mistaken Yone for being one of them. Even if we are Ionians, most of us do not believe in those stories anymore after how the Noxians changed our lives forever. Maybe it might be different in other regions, but most Southerns almost had stopped.

His appearance did not waver. It almost reminded me of Hunter. Both of them almost reminded me of one another. Almost too close.

“So,” I started, “are you saying that whoever made the story of the Azakanas experienced it firsthand?”

“Possible. As I said, they feed off your negative energy and your deep fears. It may be a mere expression in one’s head—the demons that lurk deep inside that one wants to vanquish. But, it could as well be a physical demon itself that is hunting a person at every turn of their life,” he looked at me now. “It is how you interpret it based on your beliefs. But, I do believe it to be physically with us as it is mentally.”

No wonder Yone took the profession of being a teacher, “Why do you believe in them?”

Yone halted, to which I dug my nails to my palm upon seeing his sudden stillness. His expression was dark as it stared right at me. The whole forest became silent while we stared at one another as if noticing his sudden change in mood, making me swallow the lump in my throat as he not once flinched.

“Because I lost my mother from one,” he said, passing by me.

I opened my mouth and jogged beside him, “You lost your mother?”

“I was gone when it happened,” he continued, staring far ahead and distant. “I only heard of the news when I came to visit again after years on the road while I sought answers. She heard rumors of losing both his sons in one day and soon came into depression.”

Both sons, he has a brother? “But, how did you know it was an Azakana?”

He was silent, “I just know and I saw it myself.”

My breath hitched upon his answer, making me press my lips together and look down at my basket filled with apples. He had lost his mother because of an Azakana. Was that why he knew so much about them?

Turning back to Yone, nothing changed as we both continued to walk, the thick forest soon beginning to lessen as we came closer to the road. My thumb caressed the weaving of the basket where they tangled and bound together, an itch that bothered me as my eyes landed on his hand. Letting the basket be carried with one hand, I brushed my fingers to his.

His hand twitched that I had the urge to pull away. A voice at the back of my head shouting that I should not be doing this. But, his fingers intertwined with mine made all the voices disappear while I looked up at him instead.

They had relaxed now, the creases between his brows vanished, his hold firm but gentle grip. Almost protective.

A warmth spread to my chest at the intimate gesture and a tingling feeling came to my cheeks. This would be for today, he needed someone. Yone had been there for me and it was only fair that I do the same for him. Besides, it would be better to do this so that he would continue with our plans.

I moved a little closer to him as we began to head home. A silence between us that was not too uncomfortable, instead a soundless agreement of basking on one another’s presence. Something that had been years since I had felt.

Chapter Text

The river’s flow was calm tonight, the crickets on their nightly song once more as they made the night alive. A smile came across my face when some fireflies danced around me and not so far off from the tall grasses, but that was not the only thing that came to mind. The whole event of today had gone better than I had thought, even when Yone and I had a disagreement, we were still able to solve it.

When I hung the lantern to its place and spotted the now-picked apple tree, a smile made its way instantly to my face. The events between him and I were all that rounded my thoughts till the moment I sat down in front of the river. Nothing else was in my mind, nothing bothered me, but a simple visit to the forest was what came urging to me that night as all I thought about was my husband.

A soft breeze came, and another scent of chocolates caught my attention. I took a breath in with closed eyes, my smile widening before turning to the right as Hunter sat beside me again.

“Hunter,” I said, looking beside me and taking one of the flowers.

“Is something bothering you tonight?”

I shook my head, keeping my stare at the flower in my hand as it twirled in my fingers, “I just wanted to visit.”

“Has something good happened that you feel as you are?”

With a sigh and leaning on my palm, I said, “Yes. Everything today had gone well. The plan was done. There were some disagreements between Hayashi and me, but we were able to solve them. I am quite grateful.”

“That is good news.”

“How about you?” I said, turning to him now. “Have you found another Azakana lurking around?”

He turned away, releasing a deep sigh, “I had no such luck. There were no other signs of another Azakana’s presence nor a disturbance.”

I turned away, looking straight to the water as a frown came to my face. Was it truly suicide then that Hunter had found nothing out here?

“Do not be deceived, (Y/N),” he began, catching my attention. “I might have not found anything, but that does not mean it might not be here.”

A smile came to my face upon hearing his words, he was slightly slouching forward, an action that soon became easy to spot to know his intentions. He was trying to ease me once more. With a grateful nod, I turned my focus on the river. My mind drifted as they went to Yone again. The mention of those demons reignited the newfound information I received about him and his past.

“His mother was killed by an Azakana,” I said, watching a fish swim by.

“Pardon?”

“Yone’s mother,” I turned to him now. “She was killed by one of them.”

His breath seemed to have been caught as he turned away, nodding, “In so I have heard.”

“He appeared so dejected. Even when we came back home and it seemed to have passed his mind, I could still see it.”

Silence, the wind brushing by as the sound of the rushing water surrounded us. I looked down at the flower in my hand again before placing it on the river as it floated on the surface and began to move alongside it.

“Is there no way for us mortals to end Azakanas, Hunter?” I said, turning to him.

He stayed locked in his spot, his mask hiding his expression so that I could not read his emotions or thoughts. He only shook his head.

“There are no possibilities of it. I have seen no mortals do it. Either way, none of you see them as how I could see them.”

“What do you mean?”

“This mask,” he touched the mask on his face, “is not truly mine, but it has given me the ability to see them without much effort.”

I stared at his mask, its sharp edges and how it could puncture someone with its tips, the way it covered half his face and hid his eyes behind that ominous glow. Moving a little closer, I kept inspecting it.

“How is it not yours?”

“Have you remembered how I told you that I am not fully a spirit?”

I nodded.

“An incident had happened to me and it has led me to this. Who I am today and how I ended up being the man I am now,” his fingers caressed the red katana that lay in front of him, seeming to glow and dim like the beating of a heart. “It has led me to see them truly and learn of their names, allowing me to capture them and see who they truly are.”

His hand now went to his belt where different masks were tied into it. Each showed his experience and his travels. I had seen them multiple times over the two years I had known him, but he had not truly revealed too much information about himself or of the masks. The only thing we ever spoke of was the ways of holding a katana and how to strike.

Hunter unclipped one of the masks and held it up in front of his face as if staring it down and seeing the Azakana within it. He handed it to me. I retracted my hands while staring at it, unsure of what to do. He nudged it before taking my hand and letting it come in contact with the wood of the mask.

A gasp escaped me upon contact with the icy surface, making me flinch from it as it pricked my fingers. Who knew these masks were like these? With more courage and swallowing down the doubts in my mind when my gaze landed on Hunter, I held it with both hands.

The mask had two protruding fangs while its mouth was in a macabre grin, the top of the mask was like two horns and sharp edges, they appeared almost like crowns. My fingers trailed the jagged edges and interior of the mask, my chest clenching as an unexplainable thought of death suddenly emerged in my mind.

My grip on it tightened, my jaws clenching as a voice began to emerge when Hunter took my hand and it disappeared.

“You heard it?” He said in a whisper as if almost in disbelief.

“Was that...?”

“Yes, it was. Your soul is sensitive. It is as if you hear them,” he took it from me again. “This one is malice. First beginning with a deep obsession that would soon turn into malice. I once had to save a man from his Azakana and himself before he had done no good to his village. An obsession over the thought of power and glory that he would do anything to defeat anything in his path.”

He laid it down on the grass, just beside his weapons before he took another one.

“This is jealousy.”

Hunter once again took my hand before letting go; when it was there, voices began again. Women, about a teenager’s voices and giggles, but there was one that stood out the most. Someone by her own, that jealousy began to arise as she watched that woman getting all of the attention to herself.

How was that possible? She was not even pretty. I am prettier than her! Far better, even.

The voices died down, making me look up at Hunter again with his hand on top of mine. He placed the mask now on the ground. Those evil horns made me frown and how their eyes were closed as if trying to hide its true feelings and not letting others see.

“Jealousy over beauty,” I said.

“She was something. Her Azakana was truly great at manipulating that she almost made the mistake of going with it.”

A scoff escaped me before my eyes landed on his belt filled with masks. One stood out to me, soft edges and almost broken down, eyes closed and brows large as it covered most of its eyes that it was barely present. I reached for it.

“What is that one?”

He turned to where I was pointing before taking it off, “This one is self-doubt.”

A silence came from him as he continued to stare at it for a little longer, not moving to give it me.

“I am not sure whether I should give this to you.”

“Why not?”

His attention went to me now, the corner of his lips downcast, “It is of a child. Younger than Chino.”

My breath hitched upon hearing the news, making me flicker my attention to it as it stayed in his hands. Trapped in his fingers. That Azakana deserved to be as it was. I frowned at it, raising my chin.

“Tell me what had happened.”

“A child was on his own, walking in the forest with nothing but a lantern. Some disagreement had happened between him and his father, doubt consuming his thoughts due to what his father had said,” he began, laying the mask with the other two. “I still remember his frightened face when he saw his Azakana, the way he froze on the spot and had a similar expression upon seeing me, but he handled it well unlike the rest.”

“A brave boy, walking on his own at night.”

Hunter chuckled, “You are not that different.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Still, that Azakana was slightly more tricky to handle. It took me four days just to be able to get it off of him.”

“Really? Was the brave and fearless Hunter having difficulty on an Azakana of a child?”

“Pardon me, miss, you would not be saying those words if you had done it yourself. It knew I was hunting it and was able to do something that made it hard for me to rid of,” he turned to me, I would have guessed glaring at me if the mask was not on his face.

I wonder what he looked like underneath it.

“Though, from my experience upon hunting it, it seemed to have left a part of itself. Something valuable that leads straight to their death inside their victims’ souls. Perhaps to mark their prey and not lose them or warn other Azakanas that it was theirs. Though it is a theory of mine. I am unsure. I only encountered it once with the child and that was it. I never encountered one again. It was a risk that I took.”

A risk? “How did you get rid of it?” I said to him, intrigued that I moved a little closer.

He hummed as he took the hilt of his demonic katana, “With this. My spirit took the plunge and not my physical.”

“Your spirit?”

With a nod, he said, “Yes. In a way, I could separate my spirit from my physical body, letting me traverse through the spirit realm. Though it is limited as it drains me easily.”

I smiled at him and his stories alongside his experiences. The way he appeared a little defeated and not truly giving himself much credit for all the hard work he was going through. Besides being busy with his whole investigation for another hunt for an Azakana within these forests. He was protecting me as well from my own Azakana for the past years. If it were not for him, I would have been in the spirit realm at this very moment.

My attention stayed on him as he kept his gaze locked on his katana, letting my mind drift off. I had never properly thanked him before, it seemed a little too unfair. However, every idea that came into my head never worked with him as he was a spirit that barely needed anything. Food was never an option as he does not eat like us mortals and anything else seemed to be a fuzzy plan.

I huffed through my nose, staring at him for a moment before my eyes landed on his cheek. My eyes narrowed while tilting my head. I began to lean towards him, still locked to that one spot before closing my eyes and placing a kiss on his cheek. He drew in a breath and when I sat back to my original place and saw him staring at me, mouth agape, I froze.

“I am so sorry!” I said, bowing deeply while shutting my eyes. “I did not know what came over me.”

A chuckle came from him as his hand took mine, making me sit straight. I followed my hand that was on top of his as he guided it up to his face and then to his lips. My breath hitched when his soft lips came in contact with my knuckles, lingering there for a whole second before he pulled away.

“You do not need to apologize,” he said, moving a little closer to me. “I do not mind it. Now, do tell, why the kiss?”

My mouth opened and closed as the words stuck to my throat, “I wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank me? What for?”

I looked away, “For… protecting me and protecting these people. Risking your life and… all of that.”

His head tilted as the smile on his face stayed, “It is my duty as the hunter to get rid of all Azakanas. However, it is a delight to be able to protect you as well.”

Hunter’s thumb caressed my knuckle and I shivered a little from his touch. His hands reminded me of Yone’s and I could not help but have the urge to intertwine my hand with his. The thought of Yone made my mind wander to him again, my eyes fluttering as my heart pumped quicker. How was he? I hope he was getting enough rest.

With a hum, a sudden heaviness in my eyes caused me to yawn and close my eyes.

“(Y/N),” Hunter said.

“Hmm?”

“You should go.”

Another hum came from me, but my mind began to drift off and not care of anything else but the sounds of rushing water and the faint scent of chocolate. A sigh came from him before my body suddenly became weightless. With much effort, I tried to see what was happening.

The sky greeted me as well as the stars, Hunter’s masked face blocking half of it as everything seemed to move. He looked down at me when he stopped, becoming silent and still before a squeak came as a bright yellow color came from my peripheral that made me shut my eyes before we began to move again. A second or so my eyes stayed closed; when they opened once more through blurred visions, the sky was soon covered by the leaves.

“Falling asleep in the forest with a spirit as your company,” I caught him whisper, amusement present in his voice as my eyes began to flutter close again at his soothing tone and the passing breeze that I fell into slumber.

Not before a few more words.

“Gods, (Y/N), whatever should I do to you, my dear?”

Chapter Text

The next morning was quite interesting. I woke up at the same time, finding myself in my futon as if the night before had never happened and was instead a distant dream. My mind raced about how I got back here when I became suddenly tired and fell asleep. Did Hunter bring me here? Does that mean he left the confinements of the forest? Was it always possible for him to leave it? Did Yone see him?

Upon the thought of my husband, I turned to the left to see his futon was already made, knowing he might as well be in the bathroom. I let out a huff, concluding that he did not and that Hunter somehow got me here before I stood to get ready. The sun was still missing as I dragged myself to the kitchen to make our breakfast and prepare his lunch, but only to spot the man himself inside while he stood on the counter with a knife in his hand.

He turned to the pot that was boiling on the kamado, steering it when his attention landed on me. We stared at one another, my attention flickering over to him, the wooden spatula in his hand, then to the pot filled with soup and some diced vegetables. Right, he does not have work, but why was he cooking?

“Hana, you are awake. It is almost finished,” he said as he continued to stir.

Hana? “What are you cooking?” I said, ignoring his little call, and walked towards him to check the contents of the pot.

“Kenchin-jiru,” he took a spoon and poured some of the soup into it as he took a sip. He hummed before filling it again and handing it to me.

I stared at it for a moment before taking it and tasted, “Add a bit more salt.”

He nodded and added some. We tried again and, this time, he smiled, “That is better.”

“Did you add sake to it?” I said, looking around the counter before spotting a bottle of sake.

“I did.”

“Did you find it on the shelf?” I turned to him again.

He nodded as he diced some scallion. Moving to the drawers, I began to take out the bowls to begin setting up the table. Doing just that, I placed everything down when I entered the room again, soon followed by Yone as he settled the bowls and plates of food with the rest. We did our silent prayers and began eating.

Time flew by, some quick conversations came between us to keep away the silence. When the two of us finished, he took our bowls before I could say anything and took care of cleaning them. Since he took care of them and disappeared on the other side of the wall before any words of protest came from me, I focused on my gardening instead.

I checked whether the vegetables that I had planted were watered and fine. Remembering the flowers we had purchased the other day, I placed most of my attention on them. It took me some time to find the right spot where to place them, concluding that half of the yard would be for the vegetables and the other side was the flowers and so on.

I dug a hole, deep enough for the flowers before slowly and gently removing them from their compacted pot. A frown came to my face when I saw the roots and how uncomfortable they appeared. With gentle fingers, I assisted the flowers to let their roots out and spread.

“There you go, you lovelies,” I whispered to them before catching sight of a tiny bud. With a smile, I took my clippers and readjusted the flower in my hand without irritating the roots to begin to separate them. “Give me a moment, I will just get these so there will be more of you.”

Removing the excess soil and finding the growth buds almost appeared like two eyes. I began to separate them from the colony to place them on another. After taking care of the cosmos and separating them successfully with constant words of reassurance, a huff of contentment and victory came from me as I stared at my hard work.

Grandmother always told me to speak to them whenever moving them away from their pots and help them spread their roots before placing them in a better place. She said they could hear us and would feel much more at ease to know that they were in good hands and would thrive more. With a nod, I moved my attention to the pots of roses.

“Do you always speak to your plants?”

I turned around, jumping a little from the sudden voice that broke the silence. Yone stood there on the patio, his sleeves rolled up that show his firm forearms, there was a small smile on his face as he stared down at me. How long has he been there?

“Yes, I do,” I continued with my task, beginning to dig a hole for the roses. A little more away from the cosmos as, for sure, they would take out more of the space. “It helps them ease and be reassured.”

He hummed, some creaks coming from behind me before a shadow appeared at my side. I turned my attention there as Yone now kneeled beside me, inspecting me up and down before taking the pot of yellow roses.

“Could you teach me?”

“Teach you?” I echoed, almost dropping the trowl in my hand.

“Yes, teach me how to move these flowers there.”

My eyes stayed on him, inspecting his face whether he was jesting with me or not. His smile stayed, eyes soft. Was he truly serious with his words? He wanted to learn?

My mind drifted to the incident yesterday and our disagreement, how it could have jeopardized our whole situation and our mutual understanding of doing our duties and keeping away the rumors. How it could have ended right there and then if I had not done something to it that made his mood far better than before.

With a sigh, I handed him the trowl and moved to the side, “Take my place and dig a hole. About sixteen deep and sixteen wide.”

In so, the two of us began our work. Started first with digging the hole and getting the right amount of area coverage as I guided him through it all. Yone was a great listener as he was able to do it flawlessly, his face on full concentration in my every word. When he was not sure about something, he would not do it and would ask me to repeat it. So, I did.

Most of the time I left him alone and did not assist him, but only broke it when it came to moving the roses and helping it spread the roots. He was gentle, just like I had told him when it came to handling them. When we successfully moved it, the two of us lay there on the grass for a moment, hands covered in dirt and foreheads sweating.

Without even a whole minute, he asked another question that led to me focusing on the topic of watering the plants. I told him everything, ranging from the amount of water the flowers needed and vegetables on the other side of the backyard; until we came to the topic of every day we had to water them. I included the topic of sunlight and which best places to put it.

With every word that came out of my mouth, an image always came to me that he might as well be falling asleep and staring off, but not once did he appear bored that his focus was all on me. A warmth spread to my chest upon finding someone who as well enjoys my interest; so, I continued with more confidence.

After what seemed like hours sitting together on the grass, our topics changed from plants to our interests.

“You play an instrument?”

He nodded, “Yes, a morin khuur.”

I tilted my head.

Yone laughed, “You have never heard of it, have you?”

I shook my head as he nodded and stood.

“Where are you going?” I said, on the verge of standing as well.

“Stay here, hana, I will show it to you.”

I listened and sat back in place, watching as he left.

After what seemed like a few minutes, Yone came back carrying a long instrument with him and a stool. He said not a word as he sat down, seeming to readjust himself on his seat. His eyes landed on me with a smile.

The instrument reached the floor and past his shoulder, only two, thick strings were present, tied to the bottom to the top of the wooden base. On his other hand, he held was seemed to be a stick with more thin but many layers of white hair going from one end to another.

My attention landed back on him as his fingers positioned themselves on the long part of the instrument, his eyes now closed. He took a deep breath in before the item on his other hand came in contact with the strings of the other instrument.

Deep tunes emerged from it, causing my nerves to shiver upon hearing them. Its sound might have been deep, but his movements and how he played them let out a gentle melody. Everything seemed to become silent as he began to play. His expression in a look of peace, his fingers dancing and going from one string to another. He swayed as he continued to play, the breeze now soft and rustling the trees that surrounded us. The birds come into a silence as if listening as well to his song.

I stared at him as he played, the melody causing me to smile and relax while kneeling there in front of him. My eyes tearing as the gentle tune continued. When he finished and opened his eyes again, it landed on me. A chuckle escaped me and applauded him.

Yone chuckled, giving a bow.

“That was beautiful.”

“Thank you,” his attention landed on what seemed to be two woods protruding on the top of the instrument as he began to twist while playing one string before moving to another. “There is another song that I know of.”

“Oh? What is it?”

A smile, “It is one of the North’s famous songs. Once you visit there during the Spirit Blossom Festival, you will tend to hear it a lot. Every street, every restaurant, and every instrument you will hear the same song. Something that they say that the spirits would hear and follow once the portals to the spirit realm open.”

The familiar story came back to me. Grandmother had said something similar to me once and the Spirit Blossom Festival, which might have been widespread and known to the whole content of Ionia, was mostly celebrated in the North. Large and boisterous crowds would form and stalls open with many forms of foods and goods that would be sold. Lanterns hung from one branch to another, wrapped around the trunks of trees.

Grandmother once told me that some would stay awake at midnight just to see flowers known as the Ghost Flowers bloom. It only blooms every year during the Spirit Blossom Festival before closing itself again into another year of slumber just like the Spirit Blossoms. It was believed that they bloom when a spirit passes by and people would know that a spirit had visited and their loved ones were there.

That was why the North was famous for people to celebrate that festival there because of those flowers. No other region of Ionia had those and I had never seen them before in my life. But, it was always my dream to see them someday.

“Yes, I have heard,” I said, my thoughts distant while recalling her stories. “Grandmother told me so much about the Spirit Blossom Festival. I celebrate it as well, but not to its fullest.”

Yone sighed, putting his instrument to the side before sitting beside me again.

“You have never seen the Spirit Blossoms or the Ghost flowers, have you?”

I shook my head, “Only heard them in stories from Grandmother.”

“You would love them,” he began, making me look at him as he had a distant look. “The way the Ghost flowers bloom and glow, everyone—children, adults, and elderlies—in one place with their lanterns all snuffed out as they waited for one to open. When it does, the rest will follow and they say that every spirit walks through that untouched path to go back to the spirit realm by the end of the night. Small lights fly out from their confinements from those tiny, compacted flowers as their petals become transparent.”

Transparent? “They do that?”

A grin came to his face, “Yes, they do.”

Grandmother had never said anything about them becoming transparent, perhaps of her old age and her memories turning muddy at that time. So, that was why they were called Ghost flowers.

“They could never be picked, could they?” I said.

“That is right, they could not be picked. If they do—”

“It would wither,” we said in unison.

We stared at one another before we both chuckled.

“Believe it or not, I once had done that.”

A gasp came from me. Yone pick one of those flowers? “You had, why?”

With a shy chuckle, he stared deep into my eyes, “They were my mother’s favorites. I wanted to get some for her as she was sick at the time and would miss it. So, I took the courage to take one when everyone was away,” with a defeated sigh, he shook his head. “Though, the moment I came back home to surprise her, it was dead. All crumbled and thin, lacking of life and beauty that it had. I was incredibly upset, but my mother reassured me that it was fine.”

I laughed, imagining a younger version of my husband on the verge of tears, “You sounded quite a sweet child.”

“Perhaps I once was, now most people call me off as cold.”

“Maybe a little, but,” I moved a little closer, “you are not as cold as they say you are.”

He stared at me, his eyes fluttering as his smile became soft, “So you think.”

I gave a nod, giving my own smile as we both stared at one another. He moved closer as he took my hand. My breath hitched at his touch, sparking electricity through my veins as my heart skipped. I looked at his eyes once more, seeing those familiar dazzling lights that had once been seen before.

“My wife.”

A heat spread from my chest to my cheeks, “Yes, Yone?”

Our fingers intertwined, making me peek at it before it focused on him again. Not a word was said between us as we continued to stare. Everything was so tense, my head told me to move away, take away my hand from his but my body did not respond. Instead, it kept itself in place. Well, this could certainly work and be able to get his attention. In so, I swallowed it down and tried to play along.

His other hand went to my face, making me flinch and try to look away but he just took my chin and made me look at him again. His breathing became uneven as he moved a little closer. I tried to back away but his hand now wrapped around my back as he pulled me closer to him.

I gasped, my hand landing on his chest, “Yone, please.”

He sucked in a breath, his grip tightening, “Hana …”

Again, with that nickname, “We should not be doing this out here.” I should not be doing this.

“(Y/N),” he pulled me closer, our noses touching.

“Yone.”

He moved closer and I closed my eyes, my hand clutching his clothes to prepare myself but nothing happened. His head lay on my shoulder as his other hand joined my back. My eyes fluttered open as I peeked at him, his face buried in the crook of my neck. With some hesitation, I placed my hand on his back.

“Yone, are you alright?”

“May we stay like this for a moment?” He whispered.

My brows furrowed at his sudden suggestion, but nodded, “Of course. If that is what you need.”

“Thank you.”

His breathing became even again as we stayed as we were. My hand did not leave his back. I stayed like that for a moment before my attention turned to his face, I was able to take a peek at it and saw that he had his eyes closed. Again, he looked more tired; the droop underneath his eyes seemed to have worsened. Was he still investigating even though the Master already told him to take some days off?

My hand rubbed against his back, my brows furrowing, “You look tired.”

He hummed.

“Have you not been sleeping well?”

Yone pulled away now, but his face was only a few inches away from me as his eyes fluttered open. Even when he smiled, that appearance did not go away, “I am fine. Do not worry about me.”

A pain in my chest came upon hearing that from him, ignoring the facts of his health. My fingers went underneath his eyes, tracing them as if his fatigue would disappear if I traced them. His eyes closed again while he released a deep breath through his mouth.

Just as I was about to tell him to go to bed, a sudden knock from deep within the house before a call.

“Hayashi Yone!”

His eyes flew open, his soft eyes hardening as he pulled away from me and turned to go back inside. The warmth of his body disappeared from me, my hand still hovering in the air before I snapped myself out of the trance and followed after him.

Some conversation came from the entrance of our home, making me turn to it before stopping at a corner. Yone was speaking to a man, instantly making me recognize him as one of his colleagues as they wore that blue uniform of the dojo. Before I could come closer to them and stand beside my husband, a name made me freeze on the spot.

“You know Ito Uricha?”

There was a pause from Yone, “Yes. I have encountered him in the market who had harassed my wife. Why?”

The man opened his mouth to speak when he seemed to have caught me. I flinched from his sharp stare before it turned to Yone again. The next thing I heard made the whole atmosphere cold.

“He has been found dead.”

Chapter Text

Rumors, again, rumors! Bad ones, incredibly bad ones. Everyone had heard of it, spoke of his name and that soon spread to the Ito household. When I had emerged out of the house while waiting for my husband, the Ito parents had come and began accusing it was my husband’s fault especially how he had pointed the katana at him.

Everyone was staring, everyone was there. The whole neighborhood was there, peeking through their windows or standing on the road in front of our home. Even my mother was there within the crowd, though my father was not. Perhaps too embarrassed to show himself, but I was beyond grateful that he was not present.

And that woman who last spoke to Ito was there as well. The one in the green kimono.

“My husband has done nothing,” I said, following after the two men to the dojo. “He was only trying to protect me.”

“We have said nothing that it was your husband’s fault,” the man said. “We only need him to be there as Master Yuji seeks his presence.”

I clenched my jaws, spotting Yone with a distant look as his katana was once more strapped on his belt. He had changed into his uniform as we went up the mountain, only silence and a hard glare present from him. After some persistence and not listening to his commands, I was able to join him and he did not stop me.

“(Y/N), enough with that,” he said, not looking at me.

“But, what if Master Yuji does something to you?”

“He would not do anything to me and if he does,” his eyes flickered to me, cold and stern, “I shall take it as it part of the code.”

Nothing came from me as my words stuck to my throat. I wanted to protest to him and tell him that he should not let them hurt him, but doing that would only cause more trouble for him. The way my lungs squeezed my chest into pain made me want to take it off and throw it somewhere else. Not this feeling of worry again, that same feeling that came to me when Hunter became injured and stayed with my Azakana to fight it even in his condition.

He might be able to heal faster, but my husband does not.

An urge to grab his hand and pull him back home was nagging me, but I pressed it down. The bamboo began to surround us, blocking some of the sun’s rays as we went further up.

A sudden sense of nausea came to me, making me stumble on my steps as I halted. Grabbing my head and trying to shake it off, my attention suddenly landed deep within the forest of bamboo. When it went between them and close to the darkness, my breath hitched upon seeing a form standing there. That same green kimono emerged with the rest of the background, her smile widening upon seeing me before her fan blocked half of her face. Her slender fingers waved at me slowly as if coaxing me.

Everything began to focus on her, her eyes seeming to glow yellow as a peal of laughter began to echo in my head. I wanted to look away, a warning in my head to run, but it seemed I had frozen in place as my breathing quickened and her laughter became louder as if chains were now tied around me. It was that woman again. She kept appearing.

What did she want?

A hand grabbed my shoulder, making me gasp, and snapped me out of my trance. I blinked before looking up, seeing Yone staring down at me with now worried eyes.

“Hana, what is wrong?”

I turned back to the forest of bamboo, to that same spot, but she was not there as if a ghost or a hallucination playing with my head. I blinked multiple times to make sure before shaking my head and going past Yone. It might have been that annoying feeling of worry that made me see things.

“It was nothing.”

* * *

I now stood at the bottom stairs of the temple, waiting for Yone to come out while fidgeting with the sleeves of my kimono. The students continued with their training while their weapons clashed with one another, but there were four that did not. Hino stood beside me as I waited, not once looking away from those darkened halls and hoping that he was safe. Almost ten minutes had passed and he was still not out, during those times nothing had happened and nothing had changed; even Okahara, the one that opened the gates, tried to calm me down.

“Mrs. Hayashi,” Hino said, his tone more daring than it usually was, “sit down.”

“I am fine, Hino, I am fine. He would be out soon.”

“Yeah, we know,” Eguchi said. “So, while you wait, sit down. You do not want to tire those pretty little feet—ow!”

“Enough with that,” Hino said before turning to me. “Please, Mrs. Hayashi, only a few minutes.”

My eyes flickered over to Hino, spotting his worried expression. With a sigh and not being able to handle their sadness, I gave a nod. He assisted me by leading me to a stool from the area they train in and sitting me down. The rest of the boys kneeled around me, but I looked up again to the entrance.

“Teach would be fine, ma’am,” Kajiwara said. “Nothing will happen to him.”

“Exactly!” Tashiro joined in, smiling at me. “He is strong, he will do just fine.”

My heart melted upon seeing these children so confident about Yone being able to handle the situation. Not once doubting him that he would not be able to handle it. Yet, here I was, worrying my life out for him. With a deep breath in and then out, my nerves relaxed and taking the advice of the children.

He would be fine, he could handle himself. Either way, I should be focusing on another situation rather than him. Finding a way to settle down these rumors about him would be the top priority. It was enough that I was the center of attention when it came to the rumors and now him being dragged into it would only cause more problems and my parents would snap. Thankfully, my father was not there, if he were—

I shook away the thought and instead took my attention to the kids. My thumb caressed to Tashiro’s cheek as his smile widened, only causing me to smile as well.

“You boys have a lot of faith in Yone. It is nice to see that.”

“‘Course we do,” Kajiwara said. “He had faith in us when we thought we could never recover again.”

My attention snapped to him, confused about his statement, “What do you mean ‘never recover again’?”

The boys became silent as they each stared at one another, more specifically, the three eldest. Hino sighed as his expression became serious, rolling his shoulders back and raising his chin.

“He took us in when we became victims.”

Victims? “Of what?”

“Do you believe in tales, ma’am?” Eguchi said with a grin on his face.

“Which specifically?”

“Azakanas.”

I blinked at his answer, inspecting the three boys, and took sucked in a breath. They also believed in Azakanas?

He sucked in an audible breath, “I would guess you do not.”

“I do, actually,” I said. “I was not expecting that you boys do. Children around your age would call it off as some kind of joke.”

“True, I would have thought that,” Kajiwara said. “But, after it happened to me, nah.”

“To be more specific,” Hino continued, his form not once changing as if he were telling me a secret only kept within the group. Perhaps it was. “We were hunted by them, the three of us, and each of us has our own stories to it.”

“I was hunted due to my jealousy,” Kajiwara began, standing up as he turned away from us and unsheathed his katana. “I was jealous of my older brothers for having all the attention that my parents did not give me. As they are older than me, married off, and live so successfully… I felt I was left off. And since I was left off,” he strikes the dummy beside him, causing the blade of his weapon to stick to its side and I jumped, “I was the punching bag. Constantly told off and questioned why I was not doing anything good for my own fucking life. And, in the middle of the night, I ran off to the forest. Fucking stupid.”

He scoffed, Eguchi walking next to him and patting his back, “Unlike him, I lost my parents because of some raid. I heard of the news when one of my parents’ friends told me. A bunch of bandits attacked them and the lantern fell and burned it down. I had no one else, I was alone.

“No brothers, no other family as my parents broke off contact with them and no one took me in. I was alone until a man in his middle ages told me he would take me in,” he shook his head. “Maybe because I was desperate that was why I went with him. Blinded by my sadness that I believed him.”

A silence came from the five of us, Eguchi continuing to rub Kajiwara’s back as the other successfully got his katana back from the dummy. I inspected the two of them, the genuine look of worry in Eguchi’s eyes and the way Kajiwara tried to face away and shrug off his hand. I had the urge to hug them both, tell them they were fine and now safe, but I held it back in and instead turned to the ground.

“Doubt is a miserable thing,” Hino began, making me look at him. He still sat straight, confident, but his eyes had darkened, “I was the first to come here and the first to be taken in by Hayashi-sensei. Just like any other family, I was the eldest, and the job of the eldest was to provide for his younger siblings and his family and to live up to their expectations.

“Doubt began to emerge and consume my head when I noticed that some boys my age seemed to do a better job than I was. Their parents are happy, proud, and would show them off to their neighbors. Mine did not,” with a deep breath, he closed his eyes. “My sisters might say that I am doing a great job and can put smiles on their faces as I comb their hairs and braid them, but I could not help it. It only broke me more when my parents decided to marry them all off to wealthy men.”

His voice deepened, expression contorting to anger as he sneered and hands turned into fists, “That was when I learned that I was useless. I was not able to provide enough that they sold my sisters at such a young age. Neither of them are even damn eighteen! The youngest was eleven!” He broke, a single tear coming down his face before he took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. “I blamed myself. Doubted every single one of my skills ever since.”

I released a breath through my mouth, my visions blurring. Standing, my body moved on its own as I cupped his face. He turned to me, his eyes broken and glistening. Such a broken child, how dare they treat him like this?

“That was the past,” he said, smiling at me and patting my hand. “Somewhere, just like the rest, in the middle of the night, the Azakana tried to take me. However—”

“A man with a red mask saved us,” Eguchi said, a smile present on his face again.

“A man with a red mask?” I said, turning to him.

“Hm-mh! He wields—”

“Two katanas,” interjected Kajiwara, his spirit back again and raising his chin. “One red and the other like any normal one.”

“He was able to defeat them in one fell swoop,” Hino said, glaring at the other two. “As if the wind was with him. Every technique he used like no other that he controlled the winds and followed his every command.”

“Yeah! After he killed our Azakanas, those huge monsters turned into nothing but a bunch of useless masks,” Eguchi laughed.

My eyes landed on the floor as I tried to get all the information together, “Hunter.”

“Pardon, Mrs. Hayashi?”

“It is nothing, Hino,” I said, wiping the tear from his face. “Tell me, how did you three come here and meet my husband?”

Kajiwara shrugged, “Well, it was because of the same man that saved us. We sooner or later learned that we three were told to come here and seek Mr. Hayashi. Said to request him.”

“Why?”

Hino nudged me and whispered, “A secret between us, his students, Mr. Hayashi once told us that he too was hunted by his own Azakana.”

My head snapped to him, “Hayashi was hunted? When?”

“We are not sure about that,” Eguchi said in almost a sing-song, sitting down beside Hino. “One thing for sure, he was also saved by the same man that saved us three.”

Upon hearing this information, I stared dumbfoundedly at the children. Hunter, by the Gods, saved my husband from his own Azakana? He said no such thing, not mentioned a single thing about it, and yet two years we had known one another. He even specifically had heard that I was married off to Yone and he simply brushed it off like nothing.

Not only that, he recommended these boys who are now my husband’s students to seek him off and be taught to defend themselves! Absolute asshole.

My mouth opened and closed, my mind a jumbled mess at everything happening. If these children were trying to get my thoughts off the problem with Yone as of now and not worry about him, it sure was helping.

“Until now I still remember that man, pale skinned and eyes glowing,” Eguchi said in a tone as if he were telling a dreadful story that Tashiro moved closer to me.

It was indeed Hunter they were speaking of.

“I still remember what he had said, ‘Seek off a man by the name Hayashi Yone at the top of the mountain behind the village. When he asks why you have requested him, give him this.’”

I shut my eyes. By the Gods, Hunter sounded so childish. He did not said that to the children, “What did he give you boys?”

“A maple leaf.”

You have to be kidding me, “A maple leaf?”

“Yup.”

“Alright.”

That was all I responded. What was I supposed to say to that? A maple leaf? For the love of the Gods and my grandparents, I could have gone to this same dojo without knowing my husband and hand off any maple leaf to him. Say his name, give him the leaf, and make up a damn story that I was saved by Hunter himself.

And, top it worst, my husband played with it. They are both idiots. Idiots.

“Ever since that day,” Hino continued, smiling widely at me, “things had been different. Far better. Mr. Hayashi taught us to defend ourselves and truly cared for us. It might not show, but he does.”

“Yeah, the first time I met him, I thought I was done for,” Eguchi said.

A scoff came from Hino, “The worst out of everyone was Kajiwara. He constantly was the one who was getting into trouble that almost every day you would hear Mr. Hayashi yell. I swore he almost lost his voice.”

I chuckled, turning to the boy, “What did you do, Kajiwara?”

He shrugged.

“He kept cursing and talking back to him,” Eguchi said, earning a punch on the shoulder by the said boy. He chuckled, tackling the other and messing his hair.

“Let go of me, you doofus!”

“Not until you admit that it was your fault and you stole Mr. Hayashi’s katana that one time!”

Hino’s expression became angry, “Oh, do not start with that. Seriously, what were you thinking stealing it?”

“What? It looked fucking exotic. Do not say you guys were not curious too, it looked damn well crafted.”

There was a silence from the boys. I laughed at their silence and guilty faces. This time, I turned to Tashiro, who had been silent the whole time.

“How about you? Did you meet my husband the same way?”

“No,” he said, appearing a little sad. “I used to be in a different group, but Mr. Hayashi requested that I be moved to his instead.”

I tilted my head, “Why?”

“His classmates in the past group were a bunch of assholes,” Kajiwara said, pushing Eguchi and fixing his hair. “The three of us had to stop them as they were bullying him. Just because he was slow to get the techniques right. After hearing what had happened, Mr. Hayashi straight up asked Master Yuji to have Tashiro in his care and would take full responsibility for him.”

“You sweet thing,” I cupped Tashiro’s face, causing them to squish between my hands. “So many students are bullies here.”

Eguchi nodded, “Yeah, we know. To be honest, only us, Mr. Hayashi’s students are not targeted as often. It might be because he has that presence.”

“He takes care of you boys. I am glad that my husband does.”

“Yup, we sure are lucky. He is like our Father here,” he leaned towards me with a grin. “Now that he has a wife…”

I scoffed, glaring at him, “Do not even think about it, Eguchi.”

“Emai,” Kajiwara said.

I faked a gasp, putting a hand on my chest, “Kajiwara, inappropriate. Come here, boy!”

He dodged away, standing when I tried to reach for him. The others laughed and that warmth in my chest caused me to laugh with them. I inspected each of them as they continued to converse with one another, smiles now present on their faces. Unlike from their experiences, they appeared more carefree and out of their troubles. It was thanks to Hunter for saving them and my husband for taking them in like his own children.

It warmed my heart upon hearing such a sensitive side to my husband, making me more thankful to the Gods I was paired with him. Even with all the nonsense that these boys had done to him, especially Kajiwara, he not once told them off or cast them aside. If they had been in a different instructor, I could not even imagine. He understood them as he was hunted by his own Azakana once.

My husband was hunted by one of those demons. Just like I am now, protected by Hunter who once saved my husband.

“(Y/N).”

I turned to the temple, seeing Yone going down the stairs and towards us. I instantly made my way to him, reaching for his face, “Yone! You are safe.”

He stiffened for a moment under my touch, but his eyes fluttered and closed, “Yes, I am well.”

“Thank the Gods you are.”

They opened again, a small smile coming up his lips. His attention went behind me and to the boys, “Have you four been doing what you have been assigned to do?”

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

“Good,” he looked down at me for a moment before to them again. “You five seem to be in a lively state.”

“Well, your boys had taken good care of me and distracted me while you were away,” I said, giving a proud smile at the boys. “You should thank them.”

He frowned, making me laugh before patting his face softly, “Come on, Yone, we should go home and rest.”

“Ooh, rest—ow!” Eguchi said, for sure being disciplined by Hino again.

Yone followed after me. When I looked up at him, he glared at the boys but nodded as if proud making me chuckle. My thoughts went back to the conversation of Eguchi about him being their father here in the dojo and I could not help but inspect Yone for a moment longer. My head tilted, smiling at the idea of it.

Even though they were not his blood nor shared his name, he still took care of them. Would he treat his children the same or far better? I wonder if he would consider—

I stopped myself, slapping both sides of my face. Yone, seeming shocked, turned to me with wide eyes. Even some of the people close to us turned to our direction. I looked up at him, forcing in a smile before turning away and moving a little faster. My whole body burned in embarrassment as I cursed myself for such a thought.

Chapter Text

A thump caused me to awake as I sat up from my futon, my breath quick. It was night, the stars still present and the cold breeze entering from the partially opened window. My attention went to the left where Yone slept but noticed it empty, sheets tussled as if he had once been in it but left in a hurry.

I rubbed my face, beginning to sober a little from my drowsiness before taking the unlit candle and lightened it, taking a few tries to successfully light it. I blinked, trying to readjust my eyes from the sudden brightness. A silence spread from the whole house as the crickets outside continued with their calls. I stood, took my kimono, wrapped it around myself before walking out of the room.

The hall was empty, with no sign of life as the ominous glow of the candle was the only thing that caused life. A chilly air blew against my cheek as I shivered, taking a deep breath before continuing onward as the floorboards creaked underneath me.

“Hayashi,” I called, going through the familiar hall. “Hayashi, where are you?”

I halted when coming across the door to the bathroom, checking on the small gap underneath of the screen if there were any lights. Nothing and I opened it as well, the room was empty. The bucket was empty, the stool beside, and the large wooden tub in the middle of the room.

My shoulder sagged upon seeing it empty, and a sense of worry began to spread to my chest for not spotting my husband. Another thud came from the house, making me turn to the left as that was where it came from. I frowned at the noise before walking forward. Was Yone in the kitchen?

“Hayashi,” I tried again, hoping he would now reply. “Are you in the kitchen?”

Still, nothing as I emerged to the living room, but my attention to the path leading to the kitchen as it was still empty and dark. Where was he?

I sighed, my heart pounding in my chest at the emptiness of the room and the thought of being alone in this vast house. Taking three more steps forward, a form appeared in front of me made me jump and yelp as someone sat in front of our table. My hand flew to my chest before releasing a breath, my heart drumming against my ears as I moved the candle in front of me.

“There you are, why were you not saying anything?” I said, moving closer to take a seat next to him. “Why are you awake? Are you not…”

My voice died down when the kimono he was wearing was slightly different, more feminine rather than his haori and hakama. Not even his simple nightwear.

It was a white kimono with the design of pink hydrangeas at the bottom going up to the sleeves, simple in design but still beautiful. But something familiar as well. I had seen this same kimono before, but not sure when and where.

I tried to rack through my head where this kimono had appeared in my life. I came closer to the person as I tried to remember, inspecting it more closely to see if anything would surface.

A twitch from the body made me back off, a sound coming out from them like someone releasing their breath and forcing every single one of them out even when nothing was there anymore. I gasped when their hair began to turn from black to silver, their skin seeming to wither and become wrinkled as the sound worsened.

I swallowed, my eyes flickering everywhere.

Where was Yone?

“(Y/N).”

My breath caught upon hearing her raspy voice, but even when it almost sounded so faint, I recognized it. When I did, the kimono soon became recognizable to me. She turned around, that same lovely and caring face staring at me as her mouth was wide open and eyes almost going to the back of her head.

“(Y/N).”

“Grandmother,” I began to shake, the flames in the candle shaking along with me.

“What have you done?”

I took a step back, “I do not understand.”

Was this another nightmare?

“What have you done?”

“I do not know,” I said, my voice trembling. “Grandmother, please, I do not know.”

“It is your fault. IT IS YOUR FAULT!”

I flinched, watching as she became more aggressive and her body seemed to tremble. Her breathing became more frail and I had the urge to tell her to stop.

“YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT!”

“Grandmother please, I do not understand.”

Get me out.

“Where were you? Why were you not there? YOU INSUFFERABLE CUNT!”

Please, get me out.

“Hana!”

I gasped, seeing my grandmother had now disappeared but the candle in my hand was still present. A hand came to my shoulder as I turned around, pointing the candle in its direction and seeing Yone in front of me. My chest raised and fell as I inspected him, seeing he was still in his nightwear with his hands in front of him as if trying to soothe me.

“Yone,” I said, now calming down.

“Why are you awake? Who were you talking to?”

My eyes flickered to the now empty seat before to him, “No one. I might have been dreaming.”

“Dreaming?” He said, his voice suddenly contorted.

I flinched upon hearing it, his expression darkening.

“Are you sure it was a dream and not truly your fault?”

“What?”

“Hm. Here, let me… show you.”

The candle suddenly burned off, and a cold hand grabbed my wrist as I was pulled down. I screamed before landing, knocking out my breath as I coughed while trying to gain that momentum to breathe again. With deep breaths and feeling the air going to my lungs again, my attention went in front of me and another scream escaped me when a Chino’s dead body was inches away from me.

I crawled away from it, kicking as its gaping mouth and rolled back eyes stared at me. Only not did the scene before me become familiar, the same river that coursed through the rivers to the forest where the cabin was located was now in front of me.

“That,” Yone’s voice echoed again, “is your fault.”

“What? How is it—”

He appeared beside me, grabbing my face and forcefully making it look in the direction of Chino’s body. His broken voice came again.

“That is your fault.”

“Yone, please—”

Another gust of wind as he shoved me to the ground. I gasped, standing up now as the scene had changed. A basket was in my hand, the contents filled with the items that we had purchased from the market a day ago, and two pots in my arms. The place around brimmed with busy bodies and shouting stall owners, but all of it was muffled and blurred as Yone’s voice continued in my head.

“This was your fault.”

One single person was not blurry though and when that person focused, my breath caught upon seeing Ito with the same expression as Chino. Instead by the river, he hung on a rope as it was tied to a tall wooden pole as his body swung and face blue.

Tears began to brim from the edges of my eyes and blurred more of my vision.

“Please, stop,” I said, trying to look away but it seemed I was stuck in place. “Please.”

“Why?” A whisper came beside me, cold and dead. “Guilty that it was your fault?”

“Stop, please.”

“Please, ha!” He said. “How about we take a look at your deary husband next?”

Their voice now shrieked as they pushed me forward, making me fall to the grassy floor as my breath was taken away again. Another fit of coughing came from me, gripping the grass before I looked around. I was now back in our house, but in the backyard instead.

Nothing was amiss, everything was in place as well as the flowers that we had planted. But when my attention went to the front where a single tree stood in our backyard, everything in me left. My body became cold and weak as Yone sat there, limp; his head lifelessly looking down. His katana was in his hand as if been in battle and his hand bled But what most took my attention was the large gash on his abdomen, the same spot where Chino had cut him open as his kimono was drenched with it.

I went to him, running before falling beside him. My hand retracted back and forth while staring at his injury.

What should I do? How the hell do I stitch a wound this big?

Unsure of what to do, I took his shoulder and shook him, “Hayashi,” I shook him again. “Hayashi, please.”

Nothing. Another shake.

“Hayashi. Hayashi! Yone!” I grabbed his face, making it look at me but his eyes were lifeless. Dull and lacking in its light. Face pale and a distant look, that once bright and happy face now buried in the ground.

Tears now fell from my eyes, my chest squeezing in a painful tightness as I held his cold face, “Yone… no. Yone.”

My body trembled as I continued to cry, not letting go of him. What had he done to deserve this? All he had ever done for me was nothing but kindness as he went along with my plans for the both of us.

“Gods, why? Why?”

“Why? Because it is your fault,” the voice now was beside my ear, its thin fingers wrapping around my neck. “All of this is your fault.”

I caressed Yone’s cheek, tucking his hair behind his ear. It was my fault.

“My fault,” I whispered.

“Yes, it is,” the voice said. “Your fault.”

“My fault.”

“Yes.”

Its fingers took my chin now and when it forcefully made it look in its direction, I froze as a wave of nausea emerged from me upon seeing those downcast eyes and grinning face underneath the blood-red moon.

“Your fault!” My Azakana said in a shriek.

Its hand came up to the air and was about to strike me when a sudden hand took my shoulder.

I screamed, sitting up as sweat trickled down my forehead but when that hand stayed on my shoulder, I moved to the side instantly. Pushing away while keeping my eyes shut, not caring who it could have been as my every nerve demanded me to escape.

“Get away from me. Get away from me!”

“Hana.”

Another hand took my other shoulder. I shook my head, pushing against their firm chest violently, “Let go of me. LET GO OF ME!”

We continued to fight with one another, a back and forth as I struggled against their hold. They pulled me towards them, their arms wrapping around me as the other caressed my hair in a protective form.

“Shh, it is me. It is me, your husband. Yone.”

Tears fell from my eyes upon hearing his soothing voice, almost unbelievable as I buried my face onto him, catching that scent of rosemary, “Yone.”

“It is me. It is me. I am right here.”

“Yone,” I said, cupping my face as the image of him dead underneath the tree in our garden came back to me vividly. “Yone.”

His skin pale. His body cold.

“Shh. Calm your breathing, miella.”

“Yone. Hayashi.”

My fault. My fault.

“(Y/N), please, stop crying.”

I shook my head, everything still so vivid as my Azakana once again appeared in front of me. In my dreams.

Yone continued to caress my hair as I continued crying, my tears seeming to not stop as he became quiet. A sigh emerged from him when I had not settled, his warmth disappearing as he stood.

I watched as he exited the room, moving at a quick pace. My eyes burned more upon his hasty leave as if not wanting to be part of my nonsense. I turned away from it, noticing a fog seeming to appear inside the room as the whole place became deadly silent.

It seemed to be leaking past the cracks of the window, making the whole room chilly as I wrapped myself with my arms trying to get as much heat as possible. Just as it began to become worse and blur my vision, Yone appeared again and my attention snapped towards him. He looked towards the window, brows furrowing as he stumped towards it and shut the shutters completely with a loud thud. I flinched at the sound as he stayed standing there, breathing hard and with a glare as he looked past through the cracks as if he saw something.

When his attention went back to me, his travel was soft as he kneeled in front of me, blocking the view of the window. He placed something on my lap and when it came in contact with my blanket, that chocolate smell came rushing through my senses.

My nerves relaxed as I turned my attention to it, taking it and inspecting the flower. A movement came from Yone, his form settling beside me as I have not once looked away from the flower while it twirled in my fingers. His arms wrapped around me again, that same warm feeling enveloping me while his other hand caressed my hair.

I took a deep breath in, my breaths becoming even again as he continued with his actions. I leaned towards him, letting the side of my head rest on his shoulder while still keeping my attention to the flower.

Not a word came between us as Yone not halted and stayed with me. The night went as we both basked into one another’s presence as I invited his warmth into my chilled body before my visions blurred and turned dark.

Chapter Text

My eyes fluttered open to notice the window was now wide open as the birds chirped, seeing myself alone in the room and Yone’s futon already made. I groaned and sat up, rubbing my eyes, and my nose stuffy. A sigh came from me when the night’s events came rushing back, the nightmare and how Yone held me in his arms. The thought of him hugging me made me look to the side, a small flower catching my attention that was put aside as if it had been taken from my hand and put to the side to preserve itself.

I took it, smelling its scent and remembering my husband’s soft voice and soothing words. But, at the same time, remembered him underneath the tree with that injury on his abdomen.

I shut my eyes, tearing up again. I wiped it away, taking deep, shaky breaths before standing to get ready for another day. My pace was quick going through the halls and my feet thumped against the wooden floors. The flower was still in my hand and continued to let it spin while inspecting around searching for Yone.

That same area in my nightmare appeared again, making me halt as I remembered Grandmother on it in one of her flowery kimonos. A glare emerged from me and raised my chin at it before a sound caught my attention that came from the kitchen.

When I made my way to its direction, I halted at the entrance when Yone was there yet again, making our breakfast. But, what made me stop to inspect him was the fact his hair was down instead of it being tied up.

Yes, I had seen him multiple times with his hair untied, but it appeared strange seeing it in broad daylight to all its glory. He turned to the pot of food and placed some vegetables inside, brushing his hair back when it fell in front of his face as he took a sip of it from a spoon. Without much thought, I put the flower between my lips and undone my hair to take the ribbon before going to him.

His eyes flickered over to me, his mouth opening but his words seemed to stop when I took his hair and began tying it to a messy bun. He stood up straight, making me take a step back before looking away and took the flower from between my lips.

A sigh from him made me look up, but I froze when he took all of my hair and brushed it up to a bun as well.

“I have mine on my wrist,” he said, securing my hair together before his attention went to me with a smile. “But, you can have mine. Thank you.”

I nodded, going past him to get our bowls and cups. We began to do our routine of setting up the table and when we sat together to eat after our silent prayer, nothing came from us.

The whole time, the silence was between us, my chopsticks picking up one grain of rice and moving them to the empty side of my bowl. Constantly, I would look at him as he ate peacefully as if the night of my vulnerability never happened. I placed my bowl down, pondering what to do and to say.

Finally, after a couple of more seconds of hesitance, I finally said:

“You did not have to do that.”

He halted, looking up at me and I instinctively turned away.

“Last night, I mean, you did not have to give me a flower. You did not have to comfort me.”

Yone placed down his bowl, his eyes closed for a moment before they opened again, seriousness replacing his calm expression, “I could not leave you in such a state.”

“Hayashi, it was not my first to have a nightmare.”

“I would say it would have been your first having a nightmare of me that you kept calling my name.”

My breath hitched as I looked down at my food. I was saying it out loud?

“You were sweating and trembling,” he continued to eat. “You think I would have left you like that?”

I shook my head, still not facing him.

A simple hum was his reply before another wave of silence as the two of us continued to eat together. Thankfully, he said not another mention of the nightmare as I did not have the heart to say a word. Not especially with his.

* * *

I had learned, somehow, that my husband had bought three extra flowers—hydrangeas, asters, and dahlias from the same old lady we had purchased the first two. He told me he had woken extra early to get new ones so we could both plant them together; as well as he could get used to doing the job. So, we both did, while still not understanding as to why he became so invested all of a sudden.

Almost half the day we focused on doing it, giving extra little information to him about gardening that he soon asked whether he could plant his things. Beyond anything, I agreed and told him that he was free to do whatever he wanted in the garden.

To be honest, it was quite ironic now that I was saying this to him. In the beginning, he owned this same yard that we both now were working on and I was the first to ask for permission to use it. Now, our roles were reversed and it almost touched my heart that he still asked even though he originally owned this whole place and it was still his.

The whole time nothing else came across my mind than doing our work on the garden, making it look more pleasing and well preserved. But, every time I would catch that same lone tree close by the fences, that image of Yone would come rushing back to me and I would stand there motionless. Though, it would disappear in an instant as his sweet voice would touch my ears and his hand brushed against mine. It kept bringing me to reality and a reminder that whatever had happened was not real. That he was still here.

Every time it happened, I kept shivering or jumping that he would stare at me as if in amusement before shaking his head with a grin on his face. I would scold to wipe it off his face, but he only laughed and ignored my protests.

The sun soon began to rise to the middle, making the two of us finish our duties in the garden to take a break. We both ate some of the apples that we had picked from two days ago, still having that sweet taste in every bite as the two of us talked casually. He even brought out the two dozen cherries he ordered, which soon now turned to nine.

“Hayashi!” I nudged him, making him almost drop his slice of apple.

“What is it?”

“Stop hoarding all the apples.”

“I am not hoarding them. Look, there are more in there,” he nudged his head at the bowl between us, making me turn to it and spotting nothing. Opening my mouth to protest, he snatched my plate of apples.

“Hand those back!” I reached for the plates, making him move away and lift them to the air while he continued to eat them.

“Delicious,” he mocked, slowly taking a bite.

I groaned, standing to get to it but he was too quick that he kept dodging and eating more of them.

“Hayashi!”

He laughed, shaking his head. I stood there and crossed my arms. With a scowl on my face, an idea began to form in my head to get the apples. Slowly going to his back as he was preoccupied, I pounced on his back and grabbed hold of his shoulder. He gave a muffled yell as he bent forward, while I continued to reach for the plate as he held them forward and away from my range.

“Give… them…” I said, struggling to reach for it as he kept reaching it away, “to me!”

“No,” he whispered in my ear, making me gasp at his hot breath. “Not happening.”

My attention went to the side to glare at him, but my breath caught at how close the two of us were. Mischief was present in his eyes again as they glittered ever so slightly, a brow raising and a smile growing.

“You want the apples? Too bad,” he continued. “They are mine.”

With my own little rebellious fire, I said, “Well, you picked them from my apple tree.”

He hummed, the tips of our noses brushing that I retracted a little, “Yours? You mean ours, miella. You have my name, so it is considered as ours.”

My breath became uneven, my cheeks heating as his eyes flickered around my face with such a serious expression. His other hand brushed against my leg and I sucked in a breath and shut my eyes.

He chuckled, his breath touching mine.

So close. Too close.

I pulled away, making myself stand straight and raising my chin as I looked down at him, “Have it then. I do not want any apples anyway. I will just make some daifuku instead and I will not make one for you.”

Yone boomed with laughter as I began to make my way to the kitchen, determined to create the best daifuku and not give a single one to him. Not even let him taste one! Washing my hands and beginning to get all of the necessary ingredients and tools, letting the steamer run its course, I began my process of making them.

Going through the strawberries first, taking at least five of them, placing them in a bowl, and smashing them together. When all of them seemed crushed and no signs of large chunks, I mixed the milk and sugar with the strawberries and then continued to mix them. My focus soon went to adding the glutinous rice flour and corn starch before pouring in the mixture that I had in the other bowl and mixing them all together. It continued, covering it with a wrapper, pocked some holes, placed it inside the steamer, and waited.

While I waited for it to finish for a couple of minutes, Yone appeared at the entrance as we stared at one another. My eyes narrowed, telling him that these were all mine. He shook his head, submerging the bowls and plates we had used into the water as he began cleaning them.

I watched him for a moment as my thoughts began to drift off, seeing how the muscles in his arms contracted as he worked. Those same arms that had wrapped around me protectively as they pulled me close to him and let his warmth come to me. My head tilted as my attention stuck to him, but when he stopped as he caught my eyes, I turned away and focused on what I was doing instead. Soon acknowledging that the dough should now be ready.

Taking it out and placing it back on the counter, the butter was soon added to the mixture. I prepared myself to stretch the now-forming outer shell of the daifuku. Sprinkling down some flour to the countertop and then to the dough, taking it with both hands, I began to stretch it.

Stretch, stack, repeat.

Stretch, stack, repeat.

“May I try?” Yone said, appearing beside me with a smile.

I narrowed my eyes at him before turning back to work.

He hummed. Looking to my peripheral, he stared at the bowl of flour as he pinched some to his finger and rubbed them together between his fingers. With a sigh and shaking my head from his childishness, I kept my kneading on course.

“Hana.”

I turned to him, but when I did, my eyes instantly shut as a bunch of flour was blown onto my face. Yone burst out laughing as my eyes opened again and watched him shake his head. He leaned on the counter, a grin on his face he clutched his stomach before his gaze landed on me past those bright eyes.

Slowly placing down the dough as Yone continued with his hysteria, I took a fistful of flour from the bowl and threw it at him. His laughter halted in an instant as he blinked rapidly, his attention snapping at me as his kimono and half his face were covered in white flour.

I lifted my chin, smirking, and was satisfied with my work. As I was about to continue with my true agenda, flour came sprinkling down at me and I gasped. I turned around, seeing Yone behind me with a grin as he took three steps back.

A deep breath in and another fistful of flour, I threw it at him, “You are wasting flour!”

“You as well!”

“You started it first, Hayashi.”

“As you would not let me try to make daifuku.”

“Because these will all be mine! You took my apples.”

“There are more in the storage. By the Gods, the basket was full of it,” he said with a snicker.

Laughter bubbled up from me as I laughed along with him. With a roll of my eyes, I took the dough and began rolling it on the counter, “Come here then, help me put them together.”

Yone with a chuckle, stood beside me. I began to divide the dough into eight pieces, but before continuing, I told him to cut the leaf of the strawberries. He does just that, popping in a strawberry into his mouth that I elbowed him. He smiled before he held up one for me.

I smiled, biting it from his fingers and eating it. A satisfied sigh escaped me when the sweet taste spread across my tongue. We chose the right strawberries, that was good. My attention landed on Yone, my breath caught as he stared at me with half-lidded eyes, his hand where it was when I took the fruit from him. My shoulders twitched up when his finger grazed the corner of my lip, a heat spreading across my nerves from the gesture, my breath becoming uneven.

It only made it worse when he licked his lips while keeping his stare locked with mine. I instantly turned away, biting the inside of my lip and distracting myself by separating the dough. Half of it was his and half were mine before taking the right amount of strawberries.

“Focus, Hayashi,” I said, trying to keep my voice strong and unwavering. “I will only go through the steps once. So, listen.”

“Yes, miella.”

I shivered from his husky tone, shaking my thoughts away from it as it seemed to linger a little longer than it should have. Going through the instructions, Yone was able to follow effortlessly as he had with gardening, by the time we finished, I almost felt jealous at how his turned out better than mine.

The sky had turned in shades of orange and violet by the time we had finished. The two of us ate in the kitchen for dinner, eating the leftovers we had from the morning while we preserved the daifuku in a box of ice. When we had emptied our plates and after rows and rows of conversation, we both checked how the deserts were doing.

A giddy feeling took grasp of me when I saw the pink daifuku, making me snatch one in an instant and take a bite. I let out a content moan, closing my eyes as that sweet taste touched my tongue and the satisfying chewiness of the dough combined with it. Yone stared at me with a slightly tilted head and an almost serious look, making me narrow my eyes and push the container filled with the desert to him.

He chuckled, taking one for himself and taking a bite. A hum came from him, staring at the food and nodding his head before taking his attention back to me. I smiled, covering my mouth as a smile made its way up my lips while I kept chewing. He finished it on the second bite before taking another one.

“Leave four, Hayashi,” I said when mine finished. “I will bring you some for your lunch tomorrow.”

He nodded, though focused on the food as he relaxed against the counter.

“I am going to take a bath. Put them back in the box when you are finished.”

“I will.”

I stared at him for a moment, smiling before reaching for his face. He raised a brow as I wiped away some flour from his cheek, a chuckle emerging at how childish he looked. A soft hum came from him as he snuggled against my palm, eyes fluttering. We stared at one another for a moment, the beating of my heart skipping and drumming against my ears.

He looked so handsome. My eyes landed on his slightly agape lips as my hand began to move towards it. I wonder if they are soft as—

I blinked away the thoughts, snatching my hand quickly before giving a small bow as I left for our room.

Chapter Text

If Mother knew what I was wearing at this instant, she would have been beyond happy that, for once, I was doing something “right” in my cursed life. Every gut and nerve in my body did not even dare look at the mirror as while I combed my hair, I had my eyes closed. Some of the chilling air causing goosebumps to appear on my arms and I kept readjusting the kimono without looking down. Gods, why did I not wash our clothes earlier when I had time?

The door slid open and my attention snapped over to it, seeing Yone entering with a towel in his hand as he began to dry his hair. I watched for a moment as he carefully took care of them, dabbing on it as he walked over to his futon, but my eyes landed on his exposed chest and even caught sight of his abdomen. My cheeks heated upon my stupidity and I looked away. But, it landed on him again as he began to fix his futon with concentration in his eyes as if preparing it was the most sacred ritual one would do before heading to bed.

I continued to brush my hair while watching him, seeing him halt from time to time to readjust the towel on his shoulder before continuing with his preparation. As I was going on another repeat of brushing my hair, the comb suddenly would not pass through my locks. I frowned and tugged it with a little more force, but still nothing. I tried again, now facing the mirror. Still there and I sighed upon learning that it had tangled with the comb. This was what happens when I get distracted.

A chuckle from behind me caught my attention and when I turned around, Yone was staring at me with crossed arms. I glared at him before looking away as I tried to take it off. Worst of all, it had to be behind me that I could not even see it.

“Here, let me help you,” he said, his footsteps coming my way.

“I am fine, Hayashi,” I said, through gritted teeth and narrowing my eyes at how stubborn my hair would not let go of the comb.

“You and your words.”

I huffed from his response and continued to try to untangle it, when suddenly his hands brushed against mine and I flinched, retracting it instantly and placing it on my lap. He chuckled. My eyes landed on the mirror and saw his face as a smile was present while he worked on my hair, being tugged back once or twice as his gentle hands began untangling it.

“Was there something on me that you were distracted and got into this messy situation?”

I looked away from the mirror, a heat spreading up to my face while I readjusted my kimono, “No. There was nothing.”

He hummed, even without looking at him, the amusement was present in his voice, “Are you certain?”

“Hayashi.”

Another chuckle as a silence spread between us. I sighed, my attention going to the candle that slightly swayed on its little container as it reflected against the mirror. My thoughts began to drift as I focused on Yone’s pulls on my scalp and my eyes began to turn heavy. His soft inhales and exhales were contagious and I followed its rhythm.

“How are you feeling, hana ?”

“Hmm?” I looked back at the mirror, seeing that he was staring at me as well that he smiled and turned back to his business. Was he speaking about the nightmare? “Better.”

There was some silence, his movements halting for a moment before it continued again, “That is good to hear.”

“Yes. I was not able to thank you properly for it,” I said, playing the hem of my kimono. “So, thank you.”

“Hmm, you do not need to thank me.”

“But, you—”

“Enough is enough, hana . I do not mind. Be silent, now.”

Per his command, I shut my mouth and did not continue to blurt out the thoughts inside of my head. Yone continued with the problem while I sat there with my fingers intertwined and constantly readjusting my kimono to a much more comfortable way. Seeming to notice my actions and irritation with the kimono, he hummed which caused me to look back in the mirror.

“Is not your kimono too short?” He said, looking down before his eyes flickered right back to my face as he raised a brow.

I looked down, spotting half of my thighs exposed. I chuckled, “This is all I have as of currently. The others I own still needs to be washed.”

“You could have told me. I could lend you one of my own.”

“It is no problem, Yone, it is just for tonight.”

“Tonight,” he whispered. “Why did you purchase that?”

“Oh, I did not,” I looked at the kimono again. Its ornate design quite teasing and covering almost the whole cloth with golden edges that made the red and white hues of the flowers pop on the black background. My chest too exposed for my liking that I kept readjusting them. “My mother gave this to me after our ceremony. Something along the lines of needing to wear it.”

He was silent for a moment before replying, “I see.”

I peeked over to the mirror again as I saw him swallow, seeming to be looking down constantly before focusing on fixing my hair again.

“I am sorry, is it distracting? Should I change?” I said, intertwining my hands together.

“No, it is fine,” he cleared his throat. “I have to say, it compliments your beauty.”

Not being able to handle the heat that came to my cheeks and the way my heart quickened, I looked away from the mirror when he looked as well.

“Oh, I—thank you.”

He hummed in acknowledgment before I felt that release come to my scalp as he sighed, “There we go,” he said.

I gave a satisfied sigh as that annoyance from my scalp had now disappeared. As I was about to thank him, he suddenly leaned forward as he placed the comb on the table. I held my breath when his chest pressed against my back, my heart flipping as he seemed to linger there for a moment. I sat straight when his hot breath touched my neck, making the torrid feeling on my chest spread to my whole body as he inhaled.

“Did you add my herbs into your bath today?” He said, his voice incredibly low that I shivered.

I dug my nails into my palm, “I did. I began using them as well after you added some to my bath that one day.”

“No wonder they are halfway empty.”

“I apologize.”

He chuckled, “Use them as much as you want. I do not mind. As I told you before,” he moved my hair aside as he leaned to the crook of my neck, the tip of his nose brushing against it. “What are mine are yours.”

My breath hitched as it tickled and he took a deep breath in. With much effort and trying to keep my voice steady, I said, “Hayashi, we should head to bed.”

He hummed, “You smell delightful.”

“Hayashi—”

“Please… give me a moment.”

His hand took hold of my waist, the other gripping the table as if caging me. I dug my nails to my palm harder and shut my eyes when he took another deep breath in. His nose grazing up my neck that I shivered. He sighed, his hot breath caressing my neck when he placed a kiss on it.

I gasped. About to stand and leave, but his grip on my waist tightened that I froze.

“Hayashi!”

He said nothing, his face close to mine as he took ragged breaths. My gaze landed on the mirror and saw his eyes again. My breath caught when I stared at them.

It was not that strict one.

Not that gentle stare.

Something else entirely.

Something new.

His eyes flickered down, the candlelight reflecting in his lustful eyes as he gently took my leg and spread them slightly apart. His fingers trailed from my knee to my thigh as he kept his focus on it, feeling his touches as I watched his concentration in the mirror. His head rested on my shoulder, his attention now turning to me on the mirror with his lips parted, his fingers trailing circles in my inner thighs as if coaxing me.

I pressed my lips together, aware of the sounds trying to escape my throat as he continued, not letting go of our gaze. I shivered, watching intently as he began to kiss my neck and the lewd thought of where I wanted his fingers to be. How close he was to my spot that I wanted him to just go between and make me feel the pleasure I so wondered how it would feel.

I shut my eyes, facing away. I could not. I should not be doing this with him. There was nothing between us. I am not supposed to be doing this with him.

He stopped as the weight on my shoulder disappeared and his hand took my face, caressing my eyes that they fluttered open.

He was so close.

I looked down at his lips as they moved before his eyes again, “What is it you are thinking that you looked away from me? What is it that made your face so red?”

There he goes with his sultry words, “Hayashi.”

“Yes, my dear, what is it?”

Get away from me. “Hayashi.”

“What is it you desire of me?”

My eyes landed at his lips again as he kept staring with those eyes, furrowed as he waited for my answer and somehow… desperate. I could not stand it anymore!

With a huff, I leaned towards him and our lips connected, taking a deep and shaky breath as his soft lips moved with mine. He groaned and pulled me closer to him.

“Touch me, please, Yone,” I said, looking deep in his eyes as I finally let myself drown in them.

Only for tonight,

“I want your lips between me. Kiss me there. Touch me. Do whatever you want it. Just, please, let me feel it.”

He chuckled, pecking my lips, “Not yet.”

“Hayashi—”

“Shh, be patient, dear. Be patient.”

“Please.”

“Shh-sh-sh,” he kissed me again, making me face him by moving to the side as he stood in front of me. “Be patient.”

With a whimper, my eyes shut as the heat spread between my legs, pressing them together.

“I did not tell you to close your eyes. Look at me.”

I listened, gazing at his eyes as it flickered around for a moment as he smiled.

“Good.”

He began leaning forward as he pecked my forehead, making me close my eyes as he continued with the action. Next, kissing both sides of my cheek, then the tip of my nose. I hummed, smiling as he trailed down to the tips of my lips. He kissed both corners with gentle and slow pecks while his hand caressed my leg. Yone soon began to trail down to my jaw and to my neck that I tilted it to one side as he maintained his pace.

I open my eyes again as I saw him kneel, going between my legs, feeling his hot breath as I shivered and shut my eyes again. Just as I exhaled a deep breath and beginning to ease, a sudden sense of pleasure coursed through as something hot touched my clit. A gasp escaped me as he kept on going, chuckling that the vibrations made me shiver and a moan escaped me. His other hand grabbed my other thigh and spread my legs wider apart from one another.

“Hayashi!” I gripped the edge of the table and my kimono, my breaths uneven as he gave a low hum.

A movement from the mirror caused me to turn to it, seeing my flushed cheeks and kimono on the edge of slipping off my shoulder. I could not believe I was doing this with him. That he was between me and playing with me as if I were his prey. The vulgar image of our position made me moan as a warmth arise in my stomach, making me arch my back as I continued to stare at my reflection and watched how my face contorted with pleasure.

Gods, he made me like this. He was making me like this. I almost did not even recognize my face upon seeing my expression.

A true wife.

His wife.

My name his.

I was his property.

Yone gave a last lick and a kiss before he reappeared again, licking his lips as he leaned towards me, “Delightful.”

I looked down at his. He chuckled before leaning forward as we kissed, tasting myself and moaning in his lips. Have I always tasted this sweet or was it his lips that made it taste so delectable?

He began to pull away, but I leaned forward and took hold of his shoulders.

Do not leave. Please, do not leave yet.

Yone chuckled as he held my waist again, pulling me towards him that I was forced to stand from my seat.

We continued to kiss as we began to move, but I did not care as I kept my focus on him. I gasped when he suddenly picked me up and laid me to the futon, feeling that soft cloth on my bare skin as he pulled down my kimono and began to lay feathery kisses on my shoulder.

My breathing became hot, my body became hot, eyes heavy as he trailed to my neck and began to suck on it. I moaned, clutching onto his collar. His other hand going underneath mine and to my leg as it trailed up. His large and callous hand squeezing it as I sucked in a breath.

The scent of herbs with a hint of rosemary radiated off of him and my tensed muscles disappeared and I inhaled deeply. Droplets of water trailed down his face to his neck as the moonlight made it light up from his wet hair. How was he making a simple rosemary so intoxicating?

The coldness of the room touched me as I sighed when my kimono came down to my waist. Yone looked down at me, his eyes teasing as he cupped one of my breasts. I let out a whimper as he smiled, trailing kisses down my chest before he began sucking the other.

My back arched as I felt the pleasure that coursed through my whole body as his tongue joined his kisses. He continued, letting out some groans as I bit my lip as his deep rumbling appended more pleasure. Gods, he was good.

He bit.

“Hayashi!” I yelled, gripping the sheets as he chuckled.

“Sorry, my dear.”

He sat up and looking down at me.

His hand went to the knot of his kimono as he untied it slowly as if teasing me while he kept his eyes locked with mine. He took my hands as he guided it to the collars of the cloth. I clutched them, unsure what he wanted, but when I saw the way he stared at me with those intense and inviting eyes, I knew what to do.

I pulled it down as it began to expose his toned chest, making me bite my lip as I stared at his upper body. I might have seen it before, but it never ceased to take my attention. Pale and broad, almost soft looking as if he takes precise measures on keeping his skin maintained. Some hints of faint scars on his chest and abdomen that appeared to have been there for years. There was also the one he got from Chino that mostly stood out, but it seemed to have healed and in better appearance.

It raised and fell in slow motions before I looked back up at him.

He took my hand again as he put it on his chest before taking his off, feeling his heart beating quickly underneath my palm. Was he nervous?

I swallowed, taking it as invitation for me to begin tracing it and the scars that were present; down to his stomach as I followed the shape of his muscles with the tips of my fingers. I heard him let out a groan and when I looked back at him, he had his eyes shut and head tilted slightly back. His hair framing his face as it cascaded down his back.

He opened his eyes before he took my wrists and pinned them to the floor as he pressed his body to mine. I moaned as he kissed me again, a bit more intense as his hand fumbled with my clothes while I followed his commands. Assisting him on getting rid of it, a bit too eager as not once we separated with one another as moans and groans came from the two of us. He squeezed my leg again before trailing up to grab my hair.

His fingers intertwined with my locks, tugging at them from time to time that I keep gasping at the sudden action. It now began to trail down, landing on my chest and to my stomach that I chuckled as it tickled. I felt him smile on my lips. It kept going as it went to my thigh, caressing it up and down before it continued up, to my inner thighs, then…

I gasped in his mouth as he began to play with me again. My back arching as I tugged at his hair. He groaned, pressing himself against me harder. We separated.

“Hayashi,” my other hand went onto his shoulder as I closed my eyes, letting myself feel that pleasure between my legs. My mind blurred as it coursed through me, “Ah, Yone.”

He began to breath heavily, his hot breath on my ear as he laid kisses on them and biting playfully. I bit my lip as I tried to suppress the sounds threatening to escape me, my legs buckling together as his movements became a little faster. He trailed kisses onto my neck as I moaned louder when he sucked before he moaned out my name. That lewd sound almost making me break that I shut my eyes.

“Gods, Yone.”

That warm feeling came again, making me press myself against him. My moans becoming more and more high-pitched as it grew warmer and warmer.

He was so good. How was he so good? It was as if he knew where was the right spots to touch me. My weaknesses.

My grip on his shoulder tightened as my head buried deeper into the pillow. Our eyes locked as he watched me, his lips apart from one another as his eyes flickered around my face. He had such an intense stare that I could not help myself from moving my hips on his fingers. I bit down on my lip, trying every inch of me to suppress the sound that I soon noticed and shivering a little. His eyes narrowed as if in disapproval when my voice became muffled. I could not contain it anymore that I shut my eyes and moaned, gripping his shoulder and digging my nails as the knot in my stomach became too unbearable to ignore.

“Yone,” my breathing quickened, the blood pumping in my ears. “Yone.” 

Closer and closer and closer.

Gods. Gods!

My leg buckled together, ready to have my euphoria when he suddenly pulled his hand back.

I whimpered, frowning at him and swallowing the lump in my throat. I tried to ask why he stopped, but discontinued when he began taking off his kimono. I turned to the opposite direction where he could have thrown it with my own clothes.

A chuckle came from him as his breath came to my ear again, “Feeling shy?” He gave a low groan. “You should not be. I am your husband. This is normal for a married couple.”

My eyes shut, shallowing, before I looked back at him. He smiled as he took my hand and guided it to his shaft. I bit my lip as he gave a deep sigh.

Staring back to those fiery eyes, he said, “Go on.”

I looked back down before to his eyes again and began to move my hand up and down. It pulsed under my palm as I stroked it, using my other hand as it was not enough from how large it was. Yone moaned, hissing occasionally as he took deep breaths as his head went back.

“Gods,” he whispered, then groaning. “You are amazing.”

A sense of determination came to my chest from the compliment, a sudden agenda to make him feel good and be filled with nothing but pleasure just like he deserved. I breathed out of my mouth, moving a little quicker that he cursed and called my name. It began to twitch in my hands as his groans became louder, he shivered under my touch as I let out a moan, using my thumb to rub his tip. He cursed again, louder and deeper that I felt its vibrations.

Just a bit more. He looked down at me, his expression contorted into pleasure while I tilted my head.

Just a bit more, Yone.

He suddenly grabbed my wrist, “Stop, stop. Stop!”

I listened releasing it as I turned my attention to him while waiting for instructions. He suddenly kissed me, a bit more wet and sloppy that his tongue went inside of my mouth as ours intertwined while he readjusted himself on top of me. I felt something hard between my legs, caressing my inner thighs that I moaned in his mouth, gripping onto his hair.

“May I?” He whispered, staring at me as a bit of moonlight reflected against his sweating form.

I took some deep breaths first, taking all his hair that began to hide his face and pulled it back, holding it with one hand. He smiled as his eyes flickered around me as if still waiting for permission.

The night had always complimented him and I could not deny his beauty alongside it. The way his sharp features were exaggerated that made him twice as attractive than he already was and how his eyes sparkled at the slightest hint of light. I trailed my finger on his jaws, following its structure that he closed close his eyes before I trailed it to his shoulder.

“Please,” I whispered, shocking myself at how desperate I sounded.

He released his breath, shaky as he nodded. He looked down for a moment before I felt it. A sharp pain at first that I hissed, gripping on his shoulder and shut my eyes.

“Relax,” he said, kissing my cheek. “Relax. Do not fight it, dear. I will be gentle.”

I groaned, following his instruction and taking away the tension of my body. He went further in as I bit on my lip as some sounds escaped my throat before he finally stopped.

Gods, it was inside of me.

We both breathed in unison as we stayed as we were, intertwined and inside of each other. Completing one another like pieces of a puzzle. I looked at him as he had his eyes shut, brows knitted together. My thumb brushed against his brows causing the lines to disappear as they opened. I smiled at him and placed my hand back to his firm shoulder, caressing it, feeling its softness and strong form. His arms on each side of me, blocking any ways out and all I could focus on was him.

We stared at one another for a moment before placing my hand on his face as I pulled him towards me and kissed him. With a soft hum from him, he kissed back. Soft, tender, and sweet that the fire in my chest burned more. We kissed one another multiple times before separating and when we did, I nodded my head. He sighed as he began to move. 

The two of us sucked in a breath and when he pushed inside me again, my eyes shut.

“Hayashi,” I gripped on his shoulder.

He groaned, his head burying to my shoulder before he began kissing it up to my neck then my ear, “My wife.”

I moaned as he began to move a little faster. That obscene sound of our skins coming in contact caused me to move with him. Desperation to feel him burned more and more.

I wanted him.

“My wife,” he groaned. “How lucky I am to have you.”

That same warm feeling began to build up again on my stomach. My nails dug onto his shoulder as I pressed my lips together as he moved faster.

He moaned, his forehead going on top of mine. My hair beginning to stick onto my forehead as sweat trickled down my temple and tasted its saltiness. I could hear some mumbling from him that I could not make out as my voice heightened in pitch that it blocked it. Our bodies colliding as his chest rubbed against mine.

Hayashi.

He said something that I did not catch, but I heard my name and moaned from the way he called it with such a husky tone. My name in his lips were like sent by the Gods, meant for him to say and him alone. I wanted him to say it again and again as he pounded me. His words of sweet honey that I wanted to keep tasting.

Gods, Hayashi.

“I swear it in my life and to the Gods, that I will…” was all I picked up from him.

“Hayashi,” I moaned as the warmth in my stomach grew and my legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to me, “Oh, Hayashi.”

He groaned, “ Miella , say it. Say my name and I will—fuck!”

Gods. Gods, so close. So close, “Yone!”

That seemed to have triggered something in him as he took my hand off his shoulder and he held it down on the bed. He pushed against me hard, catching me off guard that I gasped before he went for a kiss with his tongue colliding with mine again. After many, wet kisses, we separated again. I opened my eyes, seeing that he, too, stared at me as I caught the lust in them.

I moaned and tilted my head, “Yone, please.”

He sucked in a breath as he nodded and his movement quickened. I gripped his hand, letting another wave of moans. Gods, I did not care if our neighbors could hear us. They wanted to know whether we were having sex. Fine, I will let them hear that I am making this man moan my name and I to him. So that my mother and father would hear of the news that we were, indeed, fucking each other and so the Gods know that I am doing my role as his wife .

“Yone,” I moaned.

He whimpered as he leaned his head on the crook of my neck, his grip on my hand tightening. I shut my eyes as I began to moan his name louder and louder.

With one final call to his name, I finally had my release.

My body became limp as I took deep breaths, exhaustion hitting me hard. He continued for a moment before he soon followed his release as he moaned my name next to my ear; his body pressed on top of mine as the two of us took deep breaths together. His hand still holding mine while I released my hold on his hair and wrapped it around his neck as I pulled him closer to me as if letting go of him at that moment meant he would leave.

Everything was blurry when I heard him chuckle, something soft touching my cheek as if a kiss. I blinked and saw him go beside me, feeling that chilliness that I forgot existed as he moved. His arms wrapped around me as he pulled me towards him.

With not much energy, I merely placed a hand on his chest as I felt the calm rise and fall of it and the pounding of his heart. The blankets covered around us as it gave an extra sense of warmth before I snuggled against him and closed my eyes, taking my last breath before letting slumber take control of my body.

Chapter Text

Grandmother,

You have told me once that your interaction with Grandfather felt different unlike others. You had told me that lovers were meant to be together and that were their fates that the Gods had made. That in every lifetime they were meant to meet and be together.

They would feel that connection upon making eye contact and would feel as if the world had stopped as it were you two only that moved. You said that you and Grandfather had clicked in an instant as if you knew one another in just that first meeting. You told me that the connection would grow more when the two of you would connect and do something that were only decided by two people who wanted more.

I have done it, Grandmother, but I am unsure what to feel.

He was different. He had made me laugh again. Someone I did not expect to ever have that kinds of thoughts and interactions with.

He held me with such gentleness that I crave it everyday. The way his lips were with mine and the way his hands roamed around me. It is in my thoughts every waking moment. I can not help the beating of my heart whenever I see him and how I hate that I always glance at his lips as I waited for something to happen. For him to make a move. Grab my hand and pull me to him. Kiss me and touch me again. It is something I never knew I would enjoy. It felt as if he knew me. Every inch of me.

But, I am unsure. I do not know what to do with these feelings, Grandmother. What should I do? I do not know how I keep these feelings down. There is nothing between us. He does not love me, he was only doing it as it was requested of us to do. It was our purpose as husband and wife. That is why we are married to one another.

Maybe that is my answer, I just have to play along.

Chapter Text

My eyes fluttered open as a bit of sunlight cascaded past the window and to my eyes, making me groan from its warmth as I tried to move but flinched when my body ached everywhere. I hissed as I sat up, shivering a little when the blanket fell and when I looked down, my senses came back to me as I saw myself naked. I gasped upon seeing my exposed body but, at the same time, tensed when the room’s door slid open.

I snatched the blanket as I covered myself when Yone appeared, his eyes landing on me as a smile came to his face. My heart quickened upon seeing him with his hair down, a bit tussled and his kimono barely covering him as my eyes trailed from his chest to his abdomen. He chuckled as he made his way towards me, kneeling in front of me as I blinked a couple of times and looked away.

“You know I have already seen it,” he said, taking my chin as he forced me to look at him again.

My cheeks burned as no words came from me as if they all faded away upon seeing him. Has he always been this handsome?

He hummed, a low rumble that I could almost feel it course through my veins as he leaned towards me and kissed my lips. I closed my eyes at the feeling of his soft lips, leaning forward as I could not get enough of them. He chuckled as he separated us before he leaned a little further and pecked my neck. I sighed from the soft contact, feeling him smile as he kissed again before facing me.

“The bath is ready,” he whispered as he stared at me through his half-lidded eyes.

Mine landed on his lips, “Could you pass me my kimono.”

“Are you not going to walk there naked?”

I sucked in a breath from his reply, making him laugh as he tilted his head.

“I am jesting. I will get it for you, but you must get used to doing that.”

He went and took my kimono not so far from the futon with an airy chuckle when he saw me press my lips together. He handed it to me as I said a thank you. He sat in front of me while I fiddled with the hems on my clothes, the heat on my cheeks worsening as he did not look away and kept that stare locked on me.

“Why are you not dressing?”

“Well, I will not be able to if you keep staring.”

He chuckled, “Are you being shy again?”

I frowned at him, “Can you please turn around and let me get dressed?”

Yone, with yet another laugh and shaking his head, turned around. I did not move for a moment, making certain that he would not turn around before I began to dress as quickly as I could. A shift from him caused me to only tighten the knot of my kimono, almost cursing for forgetting that the one I had was not the best. I should clean the rest today.

“Are you finished, my dear?”

I halted from his nickname, pulling my arms closer to myself, “Oh, um, yes.”

He turned to face me again, his smile only turning into a grin as he inspected me, “Even underneath the sunlight you still look as beautiful as you were last night. Even a bit more.”

A sense of heat climbed up to my cheeks, making me clear my throat as I walked to my closet. I had no time for those kinds of jesting, there were many things I had to do in the house and I still needed to cook his food. He chuckled as his footsteps went towards my direction, though I did not turn around and instead focused on obtaining my clothes. His arms suddenly wrapped around my waist, making me halt as he snuggled against my shoulder.

“How are you feeling, hana?” He whispered, planting a kiss on my jaw. “Are you alright?”

I swallowed, taking his arm and pulling it away as I went for the door, “I will take a bath and cook—”

“I have taken care of that.”

I pressed my lips together and then exited, “Then, I will be in the dojo later in the afternoon.”

“No problem,” he answered, echoing a bit in the hall as I made my way to the bathroom.

The moment the door closed and I placed my clothes in a dry area, I cupped my mouth and the other hugging myself. I closed my eyes as the events of last night struck me, beginning to become more vivid, and remembering what we had done. My legs buckled as the dizziness worsened.

We had done it. I have done it with him.

Gods, I have done it with him.

Tears brimmed the edges of my eyes as I took a deep breath in, blinking furiously as I tried to suppress the sounds that tried to come out of my lips. Why? What was I thinking? Why did I let myself drown in his eyes?

Why?

A little sigh came from me as I instead focused on getting myself cleaned and taken care of. I took off my kimono and went into the tub as I submerged my body in the warm, steaming water. I closed my eyes, trying to forget about what had happened the night before as it kept repeating in my head.

How he looked, how I felt, how he held me…

By the Gods, how did it end like this?

Going deeper into the waters, I laid there as I tried to push it all back but failed to do so.

* * *

When the two of us ate our breakfast together, Yone had a smile on his face the whole time—glowing with every bite of his food and every word he said. I went along with it, forcing in a smile that I tried to make it as convincing as possible as he went on. But, somehow, I also got so engaged in it that I did not even notice that my smile became genuine and the two of us were talking about anything random at that point.

It only occurred to me when he left to get back to work once more that I ended up talking to myself to not do that again.

After a while when the time came for me to go to the dojo, I kept reminding myself to keep myself calm and level-headed—nothing else but keeping my head on the main object. As I was climbing the last few steps up to the entrance of the dojo, I halted when I saw that familiar green kimono outside the gates, and the nausea came again.

I blinked multiple times to try and fix myself when I saw Yone outside seeming to be standing there with a neutral face, but what disturbed me the most was the fact that the woman seemed to be getting a little too close for comfort while he would not do a thing. Not even take a step back as she was already an inch away from touching his face while her mouth kept moving and her gaze seemed seductive.

An unexplainable feeling boiled up my chest as I skipped steps. I was instantly behind the woman and the headache worsened and I had the urge to puke. My appearance seemed to take Yone’s attention as his hard stare softened when it landed on me.

That made the woman turn her head around as our eyes met. Everything slowed for a moment as her eyes sharpened more than it already was and her smile widened, covering her face with her fan once more that I almost gagged.

“My, looks like the two birdies are once more together, I shall take my leave then,” when she said that, her eyes flickered over to Yone as she winked and made her way down the mountain. Once more our eyes met before she looked away and the heavy air lifted. “Have fun, both of you.”

I took that moment to close my eyes and take a deep breath, quiet as much as I could before turning to Yone. His eyes still lingered over to the receding form of the woman before it went back to me.

“What did she say?” I said without a second hesitation as Yone shook his head.

“Nothing much, only some nonsense that I barely paid attention to.”

“Yone,” I tried again, frowning a little.

A chuckle came from him, a slight smirk making a shift in his face as he arched a brow, “Well, are you not persistent? I told you already, hana, it is something you should not worry yourself with.”

“She was close to touching you and you did nothing but stand there.”

“Is that a hint of jealousy I hear from you, my wife?” He said, voice teasing that my face flushed as he leaned down to my height a little, the tips of our noses almost touched. “My dear, remember that I am yours and you are mine. I have already proved that last night.”

That made my whole body heat up as he chuckled deeply while he stood straight once more.

“Come on in, the children are waiting. I hope you have brought those daifuku we made as they are expecting some desserts from you as you had promised them before. You are spoiling them too much, my love.”

I hummed, following after him as a small smile climbed up my lips at the thought of the children wanting some desserts and had been waiting for it for the past three days. Before the gates closed, I looked behind me, an urge to see whether the woman was still there or not. She was not, but that dread in my stomach was still there and that little calm I had earlier was overpowered by the sense of ache in my chest.

An ache that seemed to make my mind make conclusions that somehow that woman could get the interest of my husband.

Chapter Text

The next few days went by quickly without anything memorable happening, except that my husband had requested for the both of us to sleep closer, so I pushed my futon closer to his. Every time I awoke, I had to be stealthy as much as I could to get out of the cushions to be able to make breakfast—though that always ended with him groaning and pulling me closer to him that it seemed he still had his senses awake even in deep slumber. Our days together had been serene. His routine of going to work and coming back home once more in motion, but the silence before was now replaced by a greeting and a kiss from him.

It was a change I was not used to, but something I did not despise.

But that peace always ends in some ways.

One day while I was going through the marketplace to fill up our storage again, some hushed whispers flew through the air as I caught it. It made my ear perk that my silence lengthened and my little smile went away when I caught Yone’s name.

“Who do you think that woman was?” One of the women said, who was beside me, seeming to not notice that I was there.

“I don’t know,” another said, failing to keep her voice low but soft-toned, “but I know I’ve seen her around before.”

“Yes, I have too, but she seems to have been getting close to Hayashi lately. Do you think his wife knows?”

“That there is a possibility that Hayashi is having an affair with that woman?” Another said, laughing in almost a shriek that I flinched from the sound. It almost sounded like a pig’s, “Who knows, maybe Hayashi’s beginning to see his mistake of marrying that whore and wants to have a different relationship.”

“What is that woman’s name? The one from earlier?”

“Who knows, I never got her name either. But, whatever it is, Gods bless Hayashi on his journey to know his mistake. Maybe this time it will serve that whore of a wife a lesson.”

“But, they seemed fine not so long ago, even closer than before,” the one from earlier said whose voice was soft-spoken.

“Please, they could’ve been acting it. You know how his wife’s family are: fakes.”

Those words caused me to stiffen, my grip on the pomegranate oozed some of its juice in the process. I placed it inside my basket with a force I did not mean and paid the vendor before beginning to leave, but along the way, I intentionally passed by the three wretched women that I saw them clamp their mouths shut when they saw me.

I ignored them, my frown deepening when I was two steps away. But the eyes of others did not pass my notice, they were staring from the corner of their eyes though darted away as quickly as they looked when mine went to theirs. None of them spoke a word, a silence that made me suspect that somehow whatever was happening to me they had prayed to the Gods to happen and strike me down.

Some had worried expressions, pity glazed in their eyes. But it did not matter to me, none of their opinions mattered to me, so why should I entertain them?

Once I was inside our home and the door shut, I began to place everything in our storage as I tried to distract myself and the flowing questions inside my head. I may have said, and attempted, to tell myself that none of those words mattered and such a thing would never happen as Yone would never dare. But those words stuck with me and played around my head.

The silence I dared say I began to cherish in this house did not grace me with its calming stillness, it instead became loud. It was as if the Gods were indeed telling me that what those people were speaking of was true.

I soon came across the squeezed pomegranate in my basket from earlier, making the whispers grow twice as it was that I almost had the urge to truly crush it as if trying to crush away those words and forget that it ever existed. But I did not and instead ate the fruit rather than letting it go to waste.

I sat there on the porch of the backyard, the same one that Yone and I sat on when we ate our fruits while we teased one another. A day, I considered, as one of the days that Yone and I began to feel close and comfortable with one another. The day when the heavy air had lifted and breathed out its final breaths.

My eyes flickered over to the lone tree in the yard, my mind suddenly shifting from the voices to the nightmare I once had. My hand instinctively went to my stomach, the same area where he had been injured in my dream. I pressed my lips together, eating another piece of the pomegranate to distract myself from it.

Closing my eyes was not an option as I knew that image would only come back and become vivid once more than it was already in front of me. However, the image of my Azakana at that same time also emerged, causing me to shiver as I forced more of the fruit inside my mouth.

I should not entertain these thoughts, should never be. Hunter gave me that warning already and I should keep my word if I desire to help him.

The thought of Hunter made me turn my attention to him instead, making me wonder how he was doing and whether he had found anything since the last time I had visited him. Did he find the Azakana he was searching for or was he still on the hunt?

The pomegranates soon disappeared from the bowl and that was the only time I stood from my place. The sun beginning to climb up more to the blue sky as I began to roam around the house to try and distract myself from any more of the words that were beginning to spread once more.

I skipped going to the dojo that day, a clench in my heart coming when I would not be sending lunch to my husband. I did not have the energy, it seemed like, and the rumors instead took their toll on me.

Suddenly, my thoughts went to a question I wished I should have not thought of: did we only do it as he wanted to hide his affair?

A skip of the heart, not the one that I felt before with him, and then the cold. With a shake of my head, I ignored it. For sure he did not, for sure he had a purpose and we had done it with good intent and for the Gods’ wishes—and my parents.

Yes, only to do their wishes.

* * *

Something was a bit odd with Yone that evening when he came home, besides the fact that he did not arrive as he usually does after work, he appeared fatigued. It made me more guilty for skipping bringing him his lunch that day. The table was left with his food and tea that had gone cold, and I finished mine when I figured he would not be home until later that time.

I was about to go to bed when I heard the sliding door open and close, soon followed by slow footsteps from the halls, and the sounds of rummaging from the outside. I came to peek at the corner of our room with a candle in hand to see what was happening to spot his form making his way to the table to eat.

I came out, making my way to him and sitting across from him as he slugishly ate his food cold. When I came, his eyes flickered up and it softened, but that tiredness in his eyes did not vanish.

“Hana,” he greeted, almost in a whisper as he drank his tea.

I stood and was about to take the teapot to heat it again, but he placed his hand on top of mine and I stopped. Our eyes met and I froze when I recognized that look in them.

He was assessing me and I knew it.

“Are you well?” He murmured, his hand still with mine, tugging at it a little as if telling me to sit again and, maybe, beside him.

“I should be the one asking you that,” I said, lowering myself down again.

“I am fine.”

“You look tired.”

That caused him to chuckle, an airy one almost a huff of his breath, “I am… a little.”

“You came home late,” I continued, my thoughts suddenly going back to the women’s discussion.

“I apologize, something had held me to stay away a little longer,” he said, this time, not looking at me as he continued to eat. “How was your day, my wife?”

“Fine,” I also looked away, taking my attention to my intertwined hands instead as a sickening feeling came to me. What held him to be late?

Silence soon came between us, a message that seemed to radiate that neither of us knew what to say next. A contrast to what had been happening to us for the past few days that I began to wonder more and more.

After a while, Yone finished his meal and excused himself to take a bath before heading to bed. I took care of washing the plates and then going straight to bed, not thinking of waiting for him.

The question of what had caused my husband to stay late and whether it had something to do with the woman hunted me. The feeling I had that time when I saw him talking to the woman without moving away when she got too close worsened and I began to entertain the thought that my husband had indeed taken an interest in her.

I blew the candle, the smoke moving skyward as I shut my eyes and tried to ignore the feeling and thoughts. No, he would never. He was not that type of man.

But, the Gods only knew of the truth and they did not seem to adore my very being. That night, I fell asleep with the whispers of doubts of my husband and dreamt of him walking down a mountain with his form slowly beginning to disappear before he was truly gone.

Chapter Text

Hello! Just a quick little discussion—and a discussion I have been meaning to talk about...

As one of the writers here in this fantastic website, burnouts tend to happen a lot as a writer as you tend to use a lot of your brain juices (imagination) when it comes to these kinds of works. It is something I extremely enjoy even though getting fatigued in the process, but it is something I still cherish when I get vitalized again.

That kind of problem is easy to solve: a quick rest, some food, a day or two off of writing if needed, and you're back to normal. But that's not the reason I stopped writing for four months.

I don't know if some writers here in AO3 has ever mentioned it, besides saying that they don't have enough inspiration to continue their story, but one of the main reason why I had to stop was the kudos and hits system of AO3.

In all honesty, that system is one of the reasons why I stopped. I am aware that this is a competitive hobby and I still go on—but unlike published novels, you can publish your work instantly without needing to finish your story to the end before you publish them here in this website. After all, it's a fanfiction website, it is for the people who wants to share their love for a certain franchise and I couldn't adore this place more as it brings people together.

It is both exciting and exhusting. And that is my competition.

As someone who adores writing and sharing it with you guys, I tend to get excited when I am in the middle of writing my stories and planning them out. When I'm aware how my story would go and have written a bit of the first few chapters, I always have the urge to post it instantly—and I always do that... which is my enemy.

In the process, I get too focused on the kudos and hits rather than the story itself. That's a bad habit for people who tends to overthink a lot.

There are other incredible and talented writers out there doing similar fanfictions as you are and seeing them having higher hits and kudos than you do... it will end into overthinking whether your story is worthy enough to be told and shared. This is more of a huge problem when that fanbase is in constant update every single day and new ones are being posted everyday.

That is my problem: I overthink about those numbers. I get too focused on whether people are enjoying my story, seeing if it is worthy enough like the rest as those other stories in the same fanbase as you are. And whenever I see the low hits that I recieve rather than those other ones: I overthink.

I had to get away from that habit, it was taking a lot of my energy and that's all I could focus on rather than continuing the story and finishing it to the end.

Even how many times, God bless you all for it and many thanks, you guys give me reassuring comments that my stories are amazing and are the best... that action goes again. It is a cycle that I kept on fighting with. Many times I have stepped away from writing here and updating to get myself together again, I still fall to that same cycle—and I'm even aware of it happening!

It might be a writer thing, I don't know if I am the only one who experiences it—but for the writers who do also feel it: take a break.

Step away from this website if you need to. Do not be afraid to do so. Take days, weeks, months, a whole year if you have to.

Just... step away.

This website ain't going anywhere and your readers ain't going anywhere. From what I have experienced from the people in this website, they are sweet, patient, and encouraging people. They will understand that you need a break and they will try their best to understand the trouble you are going through.

Please, do not feel pressured to have such high kudos and hits. Do not feel pressured to be the best and be on the same level as those people who has higher hits and kudos than you because it will just lower your self-esteem.

I am mentioning this because I don't see a lot of writers here mentioning these burnouts and this specific problem. I just want to point it out and it has been worrying me for a very long time. Like mentioned before, it is a topic I wanted to discuss because I wanted to let other writers know who has the same troubles as me understand that you're not alone in this.

Don't let this burnout make you stop writing, continue doing it. Don't let it stop you, don't let it win. If you begin to feel like it's besting you, take a step back and then step into the ring again when you feel like you can take that fight again.

This doesn't just apply for writers, this also applies to everyday life.

Mari, good luck in Uni. Remember to take breaks and don't pressure yourself too much. Uni can be a huge pain in the butt sometimes and stressful. Good luck and God bless. Enjoy yourself as well!

Take care of yourselves (both writers and readers). Always think about yourselves and your health, you guys are amazing human beings. Thank you all for being here and always supporting us writers even with the weird shenanigans we pull and write for all ya'll's entertainment. :>

(We suffer a lot to write those cringy and embarassing scenes... or is it just me?)

Chapter Text

Hi everyone! It has been a while hasn't it?

Thank you all so much for the support and love you guys have given this fic, it means a lot to me until now and it makes my chest all warm and fuzzy.

I'm glad that you all think so highly of this story even though it seems to me like a blob of an idea that I wasn't able to fully focus on and plan it out properly.

Which leads me to my bad news...

As much as I don't want to do this, I am discontinuing this story.

I KNOW, I'M SORRY!!! *Deep bow*

This story means a lot to me, too, and over the—what? Almost two years passed? I finally realized why I can't write this story anymore.

It's not just about the kudous, which I have learned to get over it over my break time. But I finally found the main reason:

I didn't plan it till the end.

I love the characters in this story. I had a plan, how to develope everyone, what the ending was, what the beginning was—but the in between was not fully planned. The hows and the whats and how everything connects aren't fully fledged into something that I can turn into something deep in this story.

Yeah, remember the death of that kid, Chino? Yeah... that was out of nowhere. I tried to connect it for the future plots and how our dear Hunter (Yone) would be able to solve it, but it didn't really help. It just made everything more complicated for me. And that's where everything began to "crash out."

Mystery wasn't supposed to be part of this story, or maybe a bit of it, but I didn't fully plan it out well. All I had focused on the most was the development between Yone and Mrs. Hayashi. The romance between them.

But the main plot—not the character development plot? I didn't fully focused on it. I know it had something to do with the Azakana, but how the Azakana was going to keep on trying to make Mrs. Hayashi "lose it" (in simple terms), I wasn't fully sure and it wasn't fully developed.

The main theme of this story is focused on basically finding love and connection again with someone after years of tourment and losing the only person that ever cared and loved Mrs. Hayashi (her grandmother).

Also, when I re-read some of these chapters... I soon noticed that I should've added Yone's perspective as well, not just Mrs. Hayashi's. Such a missed opportunity.

I have seen all of your guys' comments and it's surprising to see the amount of love this story has, including the Heartsteel one that I did for Kayn and Yone. (Btw, yes, whoever that person was who was there for Kayn but ended up loving Yone... um, I'm surprised that I'm able to make you like Yone. So, welcome to the club????)

Anyways! Thank you so much. Really. I'm sorry that this has to happen. But, if you guys are curious... I will tell you now that Yone and our dear beloved girl does have a happy ending.

And, yes, they will have kids. AND, I was planning this as a sneak peek into their future after everything that happened, they will indeed meet Yasuo and Ahri. Yasuo being surprised to see his brother had settled in and has a wife and kids. They will indeed meet during the Spirit Blossom Festival.

If you guys know the story and the game where Yasuo and Ahri goes to Bildgewater (did I get the name right or nay?) That's kinda it. Or it's probably on their way there or they came back together to Ionia after everything that has happened in that game. (I'm sorry, I don't remember what the game's called. Was it Runeterra?)

Oh! I just remembered something that I was planning on as a twist for this story. Yone was the one who came to her parents to ask for her hand in marriage.

YUP! It was him not the parents. Reason for it was because, him being Hunter, he knew that Mrs. Hayashi's Azakana was getting bolder because her fear is getting worse. After Mrs. Hayashi stopped coming to the cabin, Yone knew he had to protect her. Not just as Hunter but also himself. (If that's how I remember I planned it to go).

He already cared for her long time ago before they even got married. But, he began to notice that his care was more than just that. More than just needing to protect.

He began to have that connection again that he once lost when he died with her even though everything that she's doing was for the sake of keeping their name clean, to prove to the village that they aren't what they assume them to be, and because her parents demand her so. He began to seek it and, in the process, fell in love with her.

The time where that "scene" happened. Yeah, that's when he finally acknowledged it and understood that he wanted more than just be her protector. He wanted to be her husband, fully be her husband—not because her parents needed her to marry someone—but because of his developed feelings for her.

Also, adding into this. Remeber that woman with the fan in the green kimono? Yeah, that's Mrs. Hayashi's Azakana and an out of nowhere touch. Once again, she wasn't fully planned. I didn't fully plan for her to pop up or even be there. It was kinda a last resort thing and spur of the moment addition. So, the people who had guessed it was her Azakana, congrats! You saw right through me.

Sooo, yeah. I don't know how to end this note. I'm deeply sorry, again... I love this story, but I can't deny that the reason why I can't continue this anymore was because of the problem I had stated.

If I force myself to continue this, I know for a fact that none of it would make sense. I was even writing that chapter when it was after the—AHEM!—scene, and I was already feeling drained.

I felt it. I questioned it. Made that note. Stepped away. And reflected on it deeply. And this is what I got in the process.

The passion disappeared. The fire that I had in the beginning dimished. I knew for a fact that I can't keep going on like that. The excitment of releasing it while it wasn't fully ready yet was the beginning of this crash. The thought of the excitment of being able to share it with you guys blinded me from the thing I HAD to do first before releasing this.

Then, I began to have more story ideas that made me too excited and lost focus on this story. Rather than writing down the ideas and putting it on the side to finish this one, I got side tracked—HARD. My brain and ideas just doesn't understand when to take a chill-pill and let me finish a single story. But, hey, I still love 'em and I thank God for giving me such passion.

There was—and still is—potential for this story. But, I got too ignorant of what this story truly needed, the theme, and the deeper message of this story. I got blinded by the excitment and my insecurities that led to this moment.

I am sorry that I am going to discontinue such a beloved story. And, once again, thank you for reading this and supporting me to the point you all waited until there is an update of this.

Thank you all so much, you guys are amazing. God bless you all, and have a good day or night!♡

-TF