"You can pick out the restaurant when we arrive in a village since I promised you that I'd pay." Kougetsu reminded him, patting the pouch with her money in it, a soft jingling sound being heard.
He turned to look at her, and she swore she saw a mischievous smirk on his lips, even through his wolf mask.
'…what is he thinking?'
"Then what are you waiting for?! You're so damn slow!" Seijuu complained; within a second, she was holstered over his shoulders like some damn sack, breaking into a run.
"Is this necessary?"
He didn't reply; instead, he increased his pace. She sighed, deciding to just go with it. Because the boy was as stubborn as a mule, and she couldn't be bothered to complain.
"Seijuu, how'd you find out about the assessment? The organization recognized by the government or even known, so..."
"Simple! Some Peacekeeper was fighting my pack, so I beat him up and stole his swords. He kept crying about some organization or whatever, and I was interested, so I made him a deal: tell me the location of the assessment or die,"
Kougetsu could imagine him with a smug smirk.
"Uh-huh. And what do you mean by 'pack,' exactly?"
"My family. Even though I have a human who takes care of me, I always visit my pack."
'Pack...does he mean some sort of animal family?' She questioned in her mind.
"Were you raised by wolves?"
"Duh. Wolf gods. Were you not listening?"
"...I see."
'So, a family of Okami, then?'
Kougetsu sighed, shaking her head. Perhaps that is just some explanation behind his personality and his obliviousness to some social cues. He was a tough person to tolerate, yet, for some reason, the two of them seemed to have good chemistry, despite their first impressions.
"Oi, Kougetsu! We're here!" Seijuu barked, snapping her out of her thoughts. Indeed, both of them had arrived at the village—the familiar chatter of people and the sounds of giggles of children playing entering her ears.
Kougetsu half expected Seijuu to just…throw her onto the ground; however, much to her surprise, he gently placed her back on the ground, feet softly meeting the ground.
"Thank you, Seijuu," She said, brushing off any dirt from her hakama; however, her brows furrowed slightly. "Are you sure I wasn't heavy? I feel like I might've put lots of pressure on your shoulder."
"I'm fine! I'm strong, and I could carry ten billion of you if I could." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
She bit the insides of her cheek. She couldn't tell if he was lying since she couldn't see his facial expressions, but his body language seemed to scream 'I could carry you one billion times over and over if it were possible.'
"Alright, I believe you. Now, you should—" She was cut off by Seijuu abruptly pulling her by the hand, heading towards a restaurant.
Well. Kougetsu was about to tell him to choose a place.
She took a seat beside him as he took off his mask, placing it on the chair beside him. The elderly man smiled at both of them as she greeted him politely and gave them both a set of menus.
While she skimmed through the sheet of mulberry paper with the handwritten food choices, she felt him nudge her. Harshly.
"Mm?" She hummed, not bothering to glance over at the boy beside her, despite him nudging her multiple times.
"Hey, I can't read or write very well. Order for me," He asked, shoving his menu in front of her.
Kougetsu blinked.
'Oh.'
"You could've said so earlier when the man handed it to you," Kougetsu scolded, taking his menu and placing it under hers. "I'll read the options to you, and tell me if you want them, yeah?"
He grunted in response.
Her eyes looked over the familiar kanji, clearing her throat before she read it aloud to him.
"Tempura,"
"Yeah,"
"Yakitori,"
"Uh-huh,"
"Gyoza,"
"Yes,"
"Udon,"
"Yeah."
'…this is going to take a while.'
∞
'I wonder if there's an inn or a place where we can stay,' Kougetsu wondered, after paying and thanking the cook for their meal—or, well, meals, since she had to order a lot for the young man who was currently beside her, hands behind his head and walking in a relaxed manner.
He looked so satisfied.
'Maybe I should spoil him more if he ends up acting like this.'
Kougetsu shook her head at the thought. Honestly, if she did, then she would have no more money left, even with the hefty salary the Holy Order gave them after each mission.
As her eyes looked over at the handwritten ink kanji that displayed the name of various shops within the village, none of them said inn. She was patient, however, and if she couldn't find one, well, she supposed that she and Seijuu would end up sleeping under the stars tonight.
It was better than asking people if they two could stay over for a night, right?
Of course. Because being a burden to someone was one of the worst feelings ever. And that feeling was no stranger to her.
"Hey, Kougetsu," Seijuu called out, breaking her away from her thoughts.
Her attention shifted onto him, looking at him expectantly.
"That's the same picture of the place we stayed at last time," He pointed out, gesturing to a house in front of them—she squinted, silver eyes spotting the small, circular crest that had a kirin holding a cherry blossom in the center.
That was the crest for the Holy Order of Peacekeepers.
"Ah. So it must be one of those safe houses Akio was talking about," She realized, quickening her pace.
Seijuu quickly caught up to her with a few strides of his long legs. "Huh? Who's Akita?"
"It's Akio," she sighed. "You know, the guy who tried to flirt with me. He sat beside me at the restaurant in the other village."
He merely stared at her through her mask."What the hell is flirting?"
She stopped in her tracks. Is he serious? Well, then again...he probably hasn't heard of it.
"It's, well…it's when someone acts that they like you romantically, but it's playful—not serious. Most of the time, that is," She explained.
"What does liking someone in a romantic way mean?" He questioned.
"I don't know," Kougetsu shrugged, "I've never felt that way before."
"I thought you knew everything!" Seijuu barked, pointing his finger at her accusingly.
"Well, clearly, I don't. I'm only seventeen. I know what I know because I either read them in books, observe, experienced it myself, or people who are experienced tell me," She told him, pausing for a moment before speaking up again. "And said people had told me what it feels like to like someone romantically, so I'll relay what they've told me.
"When you like someone romantically, you get all happy and tingly when you see them laugh or smile. I guess you notice the small things? Their nervous habits, and the like. You feel comfortable yet anxious around them since you mostly want to impress them and not say anything that may make you bad."
'Gods, romance is confusing, even for myself.'
"You...hm. I think you feel connected to them emotionally. Whether it's how they express how they feel or how they talk, you feel attracted to it. You want to support them and be there for them no matter what—especially during their happy moments and hardships, or something. You want to comfort them when they are sad; you want to be the reason you make their day.
"Their looks don't matter. Sure, it may be a factor in why you love them, but it's only a small one. Their personality is what stands out to you. Whether it's good or bad, you love them for all their flaws and imperfections. Sometimes, you can't focus because of them—because they occupy your thoughts most of the time. No matter how hard you try to get rid of the thoughts of them, you can't. Because they're stuck in there."
"That's so weird," He commented, snorting.
Kougetsu nodded, continuing. "You always want to be close to them and not necessarily in a... very… intimate way. You want to feel their warmth, hold them tight in your arms, relax in their presence, because that is the only thing that would matter to you on those moments. When you're around them, all you can focus on is them and the way your heart is beating much faster, you have a weird feeling in your stomach, you feel all hot and giddy at the same time. That, all in all, is what liking someone romantically means."
"…that sounds dumb,"
'Uh-huh...and I just explained that for nothing.'
Kougetsu sighed, following after Seijuu. He had already knocked—no, banged—on the door of the house, waiting for someone to open it.
He was about to bang once again when it opened, revealing two identical women—the only difference was their kimono pattern.
They were about her height, their slowly graying, plum purple hair styled in the traditional maru-mage, framing their round, petite face with light wrinkles on their forehead, eyes, and the corner of their thin lips. They had drooping, almond-shaped eyes that had that color of teal—which matched the jewels on the hairpins they donned.
The one on the right had a kimono whose color was that of cream, with sky blue chrysanthemums and green leaves decorating the clothes. The left had a kimono whose color was of peach, majestic cranes with their beaks carrying pink cherry blossoms, decorating the outfit.
How stylish.
"Hello, kids!" The one on the right smiled warmly, stepping aside along with her counterpart so the two of them could enter. "Welcome to the Fujimoto Safehouse for Peacekeepers."
"Thank you…" Kougetsu trailed off, wanting to thank them by their names.
"Ah! I'm Fujimoto Kotone," the one in the peach-colored kimono introduced, "this is my twin sister, Fujimoto Kohana."
The said woman, Kohana, frowned. "I can speak for myself, big mouth,"
"I'm just nice, you idiot. I guess you don't understand because you're never nice to me," Kotone answered with a huff.
Kougetsu stared at the two women. 'Are they fighting right now?'
"I'm Yozora Kougetsu," She said, trying to cut off their pointless bickering. "That's Asahi Seijuu."
Kotone paused, pinching her sister's side (causing Kohana to wince and slap her hand away) before smiling sweetly at Kougetsu. "It's wonderful to meet you both. Here, let me show you to the room. You can change into your yukata there."
"Room? Excuse me, but we're not together in the way that you think," Kougetsu spoke up, noticing Kotone's use of room in the singular.
She knew precisely what Kotone was thinking.
"Oh—my mistake, my mistake," she laughed, waving her hand in dismissal. Stopping, she gestured to the two rooms that were across from each other. "These are the rooms that you will be staying in. I'll grab your clothes, and my sister will have food ready shortly."
"It's alright. We already ate before we arrived,"
"Alright, then I'll phone a doctor."
After Kotone had walked away, Seijuu slid open the door to his left.
"I claim this room,"
"Sure," Kougetsu shrugged, sliding open the door on her right, and closing it behind her.
Slipping out of her clothes after placing her weapons and pouches to the side, she folded them neatly and put them by her futon. After getting dressed in the yukata Kotone had given her, Kohana announced that the doctor had arrived.
Kohana led Kougetsu to the room where the doctor was in, and her silver eyes narrowed in recognition.
"Hello—oh! Yozora! I didn't know that I would see you soon again," The doctor from Akio's household, Hiroaka Botan, greeted, brown eyes meeting hers.
"Yes, hello. We just came back from a mission," She replied, bowing her head out of politeness.
"We?"
"My partner, Asahi Seijuu,"
"Ah! The rowdy one,"
Kougetsu hummed. "Yes, the rowdy one. Want me to bring him over?"
"That'd be ideal! Thank you."
Kougetsu walked back to the location of their rooms and slid the shoji to his room open, and spotted Seijuu sprawled on the futon without his mask on, hearing a faint groan.
"Seijuu? The doctor is here. You should come over to the other room to get checked out and healed properly by her," She spoke gently, placing a gentle hand on his bicep.
"No. You already did everything for me," He grunted, turning his head away.
"What I did at the farmhouse isn't enough. Come on," Kougtesu coaxed, taking his calloused hand in hers and tugged it lightly.
He gripped her hand, slowly getting up from his spot, and trailed after her with sluggish steps. Perhaps due to the wounds and painkillers that were inside of the ointment she had given him, they had finally taken effect, and he mellowed out.
"Huh? Is everything okay with him? I thought he'd be very energetic," The doctor wondered, letting him sit down in front of her as she began to check his wounds.
"My magic can heal a little. So before I did, I put some anti-septic on his wounds. They contain painkillers."
Botan looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "What were they?"
"Clove and honeysuckle,"
"I see. Yozora, were you a herbalist before becoming a Peacekeeper?"
"No. But, growing up, I had to learn such things,"
She frowned, unwrapping the bandages on Seijuu's torso and shoulder. "What? Where did you grow up?"
"In a—"
"W-wait, Kougetsu, your nose is bleeding!"
"Huh?"
Indeed, she was right—her nose was bleeding from both of the nostrils, blood sliding down her lips and chin, dripping onto the tatami floors and her yukata.
She cursed in her thoughts, trying to wipe away the blood—thankfully, however, Botan gave her a cloth to put over her nose, instructing her to pinch her nose while leaning forward.
She was silent after that and watched Botan heal Seijuu.
She didn't know why she had gotten a nosebleed; but, she speculated that it was because she had used the technique that Hitomi taught her.
Plus, the injuries she had.
But, Hitomi did warn her that there were after-effects for those who didn't use the technique often enough—and the most common was getting a nosebleed or incredibly sore muscles. Worst case scenario? Temporary paralysis.
"Alright, Kougetsu, let's clean you up, get you checked, and healed. I think I spotted the limping."
'Ah. She caught me.'
"Why don't you treat your injuries?" She asked while slipping off her yukata.
"They're not serious." She shrugged, laying on the futon; thankfully, she wrapped a new layer of sarashi around her chest before leaving the Shoji household.
"Oh, my…Yozora, what's with all those scars on your back?" She whispered, thumb gently brushing over each of the long, thin scars. Each one she touched elicited the painful memories.
Ten lashes for dishonesty.
Twelve lashes for disobedience.
Fifteen lashes for discipline.
Twenty lashes for disloyalty.
And for what? Because she could never satisfy him.
Her father.
∞
She let out a sigh, adjusting the lamp near the short-legged table she sat in front of in the corner of her room, her journal in front of her.
It was opened on a clean, blank page—to which she would write the events of her day. She took the ink brush and stroked it against the ink stone, before beginning to write in the journal.
However, before another stroke of her ink brush, the shoji slid open.
"What are you doing?" Seijuu asked, brushing his hair out of his face and sat next to her, looking over at the. Though he couldn't understand many of the words, he tried to decipher the contents of the page.
"Writing a journal entry to my mother and grandmother. Itʼs a comfort thing," She replied simply, swiping the brush over the inkstone before continuing to write.
"You have a family?"
Kougetsu paused for the slightest moment before turning to the next page.
'Should I tell him…?'
Hm. She didn't need to tell him much.
"No, they're dead. But I have a new family, even if they're not blood-related to me,"
After that, Seijuu was silent.
She didn't know why, but she didn't bother to question him. Instead, she finished writing in her journal.
About to turn off the lamp, the door to the room slid open, revealing Kotone. She smiled warmly at Kougetsu and Seijuu, greeting them.
"Hello, you two. I see that you still haven't gone to sleep,"
"Apologies. I needed to write some things before I went to sleep,"
'How come she isn't questioning the fact that Seijuu is in my room?'
She chuckled, shaking her head. "No, no, it's quite alright. I just wanted to tell you both something,"
Kougetsu watched the way Seijuu perked up at Kotone's words, eyes narrowed.
"So? Hurry up and tell us!"
Kotone laughed once again. "It's nothing much. Tomorrow, our village will be holding our annual festival. I thought maybe you two would like to join us?"
Kougetsu stayed silent, pursing her lips. It's been a long, long time since she had last attended a festival—which made her, frankly, a little nervous. She only performed during them; only rarely she would have gotten to explore and have fun.
It would be an excellent chance to experience it.
"Alright," She nodded, looking over at Seijuu, "What about you?"
"I've never been to a festival," he shrugged.
"Well, there's lots of games and food—"
"I'm going!"
Kotone grinned. "Wonderful! Make sure you two get lots of sleep. Goodnight!"
Kougetsu bid her goodnight as well, then turned her head to look at Seijuu.
"Well? Are you going back to your room?"
"Nah, don't feel like it."
Kougetsu rolled her eyes.
'Of course.'
She walked over to the storage cabinet in the room and took out a futon and blanket before laying it out beside him.
With a sigh, she slipped under the covers, closing her eyes.
Tomorrow was a new day, and she was happy about the change in plans.
∞
"No, no! Kohana, this is the perfect kimono for her! Look at it! It's gorgeous and suits her!"
It was only late afternoon, yet the two middle-aged women were fighting about what Kougetsu would wear to the Sakura Festival—which would be happening in the evening.
"Then, why not?" She answered, resting her chin on the palm of her hand on the chabudai table. "I'll wear it."
Kotone let out a childish squeal. "Yes! See, Kohana?"
Her twin narrowed her eyes at her. "Did I fucking say I didn't like it? No, so piss off with the bragging."
Kotone rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her snippy attitude, Kougetsu. She's just annoyed that she and her fiancé fought again."
Kohana slapped her sister's arm. "Shut up! That is my business."
Kotone frowned. "So? It's not like she's going to announce it to the entire country. Kougetsu is quiet. I mean, look at that straight face."
"I don't care—"
Kougetsu immediately zoned out of the conversation, not wanting to listen to their bickering. It was quite exhausting, to be honest. She didn't like being around conflict much—despite, well, particular circumstances, like being a Peacekeeper.
She took the kimono that Kotone seemed to love, walking behind the folding screen. She took off the yukata they had provided her and slipped on the nagajuban, then the kimono. It wasn't bad looking it at; it was black with white trimmings along he sleeves and white with a flock of cranes flying as a design below the bronze-colored obi, which contrasted the colors of the kimono.
It was simple yet chic—just how she likes it.
"Oh, I think I'm going to cry!" Kotone sniffed, smile wide as she wiped a tear.
Kohana rolled her eyes, features softening upon the sight of Kougetsu. "You look stunning in the kimono, Kougetsu."
"Thank you, Kohaha-san. I'll be going to my room to get prepared for the festival. Thank you for the kimono," She bowed, sliding open the shoji and leaving Koton's room.
Kougetsu sighed. She was a bit nervous thinking about the festival—after all, she never really got to enjoy them…instead, she had to perform, doing kagura dances and entertaining other people.
But now? She got to go on her free will, and this time, Kougetsu herself was going to be entertained and not doing it herself.
It was sort of refreshing.
"Where is he?" She muttered, sliding the door open to the back yard of the house.
There he was, sitting on the engawa, leaning backward with his arms supporting him. He, surprisingly, did not have his wolf mask on—he was merely staring off into the distance, dazed.
"Seijuu."
"Gah!" He jumped, startled by her sudden presence. "What is your problem?!"
"Don't blame me. You're the one daydreaming," She deflected, sitting down beside him.
"I would've sensed your presence, but you don't have one."
"But that's not my problem, now is it?"
"You…!"
"Now that we have settled that, you should get dressed for the festival soon. It's almost evening.��
He huffed. "No. Why can't I go to the festival in this?"
Seijuu gestured to the yukata he was wearing before he crossed his arms over his chest.
"That's informal and used to wear at homes other than the jinbei. Besides, Kohana-san already has one picked for you," She explained, poking his chest. "You don't want to be late and all the food to be gone, now do you?"
"What? No way!" He shouted, immediately getting up, heading to Kotone's room.
She hummed, getting up. She looked up at the slowly changing colors of the sky; the sun was gradually beginning to prepare for its slumber.
She headed to her room, opening the shoji before sliding it shut. She rummaged through her sack, taking out some of her small weapons.
Kunai, shuriken, and a tessen fan.
In a normal situation, such things were deemed extremely unnecessary—why would Kougetsu bring weapons to a festival? But, then, she is reminded of her current occupation—a Peacekeeper. That is her life now. She is to be prepared for anything. Who knows if a Demon would attack, considering it's a festival with lots of humans gathered.
Though, yes, there were going to be cherry blossoms—after all, the village was surrounded by them, but who knows? There could be Demons that could get into the town by some sort of unknown means, or perhaps Demons even immune to such things.
Those Cursed Ones would most likely be a part of the Great Ten, however—the top demons after Shikama Sanka.
The first Cursed One, and the creator of the Cursed Ones.
So, without a thought, she concealed the weapons throughout the kimono, making sure they wouldn't slip out from any accidental gestures or sudden movements.
Unfurling the fan, it revealed a stunning design of a golden moon in the middle of what it seemed like the night sky, orange lilies facing the moon.
Elegant but deadly.
It reminded her of somebody.
∞
"So many people…" She muttered, eyes darting around at the crowds of people laughing and conversing, as well as the giggles and squeals of children running about—indeed, the atmosphere felt familiar; it was festive and bustling, like the others she had attended before.
She felt a tug on the side of her kimono, turning around to see Seijuu gripping her sleeve, and had a troubled expression on his face. His eyes seemed to dart around at the crowds of people, his frown deepening.
Ah.
He wasn't very used to crowds of people, huh?
"Seijuu, does anything catch your attention?" Kougetsu asked, hooking her arm around his and began to guide him to the stalls, where the multitude of people lessened.
He tensed under her touch before relaxing, looking over at her before glancing at the stalls. "What's that?"
"Ah, I think that's where you goldfish scoop," She answered before greeting the man at the stall politely. She gave him the appropriate money needed before he handed over the two of them a poi and a bowl, which had washi paper over it.
"Look, you have to put as much goldfish as you can inside the bowl before the washi paper tears," She explained, proceeding to scoop the squirming goldfish before placing it in the bowl.
"This is a dumb game. I want something more challenging," He demanded.
"Whoever gets more inside the bowl wins and gets to eat the other's dinner."
Seijuu's golden eyes seemed to shine brightly with determination. "Hah! I'm going to beat you!"
So, she let him.
Kougetsu couldn't help it—it was too amusing. His easily excitable self was lovely—besides, he let her keep the goldfish. She made a mental note to let them free later.
She guided him to each of the games and stalls, teaching him how the traditional games worked—surprisingly, he was good at them, even if it was his first time. The best part? She got to keep his winnings.
"Why are you giving them to me, anyway?" She asked, hugging the wool animal—a small, purple rabbit—close to her chest.
"I don't need them. They're useless," He shrugged, taking a bite of his yakitori.
"But they make good souvenirs and memories, don't they?"
"Does it look like I care? I only want to get stronger."
"I care. I barely have any good ones, so I want to make as much as I can. It sort of sounds silly, but," a small smile tugged on the corners of her lips, tucking a stray hair behind her ears. "It makes me happy."
Seijuu almost choked on his food, the sight of her genuine smile catching him off-guard. Although it disappeared as soon as it appeared, he managed to see it. The lighting of the warm, gold lamps made it seem like she was glowing—the sudden skip of his heartbeat made him feel flustered.
Gods, what the hell was that all about?
He scrunched his nose in distaste, throwing away the skewer. He didn't want to occupy his mind with such thoughts.
"Ah, Seijuu. I think it's time for the lanterns to he set in the river and the fireworks to start," Kougetsu said, taking his hand in hers as she began to work her way through the crowds, holding both her and Seijuu's lantern with the other.
For some reason, she liked the touch of Seijuu's hand—it was large and calloused, but hot and comforting.
It was a feeling she missed.
She stopped when she arrived at the front of the lake, sitting down, and patted the spot beside her. "Here, we let the chochin float about in the lake."
"What's the point in this?"
"To ward off evil spirits and the like."
"Those don't exist."
"Many people do believe in them, though."
"Those people are dumb."
"Seijuu," her silver eyes narrowed into his. "Just put it in the river."
He grumbled, placing the lantern on the lake at the same time as Kougetsu. She pushed them, watching as the light glow of the many lanterns illuminating the lake, giving it a warm shimmer.
Loud, explosive sounds began to ring out in the air, causing the two of them to jump put of surprise. However, they immediately calmed down upon noticing it was only the fireworks, the colors bursting into the sky in large sparks—dancing among the stars momentarily before disappearing.
"What the hell? Those are fireworks?" Seijuu grumbled, pointing to the sky.
"Yeah. Those are it. Aren't they lovely?" Kougetsu said, looking up at the sky.
He watched as the sparkling lights and colors reflected against her silver eyes.
He shrugged, looking back at the river. "No, they're fucking boring. It makes me wanna sleep."
Her attention shifted over to him, watching as he rubbed his eyelids and how he barely managed to keep them open. "Okay, then sleep."
However, Kougetsu didn't expect him to plop his head over to her lap. She blinked owlishly, looking down at him.
'Seriously?'
Kougetsu sighed, looking over at the lake.
She began to run her fingers through his hair in a gentle manner, causing him to relax under her touch once again. Seijuu's form eased, and his eyes begin to close, a wave of fatigue washing over him.
She was already used to such things—the little boys in the village always liked to hang out with her before they got tired, sleeping on her lap as she brushed their hair with her fingers.
However, for some reason, this moment felt awfully intimate with Seijuu. She peeked at his sleeping face, relaxed expression on his features as his lips parted with each breath he took, chest rising and falling.
'This isn't bad at all.'