At that moment, a hand came down onto my shoulder.
'Who- Who are you? How did you come in?' stammered Ryu Shutsuki, and a few gasps could be heard in the assembly.
My eyes snapped open.
Looking over my shoulder, I met Ameonna's eyes.
My heart skipped a beat.
'Well, well, I see that we've arrived in the nick of time!' she said, giving me with a large smile.
She wasn't alone.
'I don't like to read sadness on the face of a girl,' Hiyoribō told me, with a soft look.
Natsuhiko, who was standing by their sides, put his hand down onto my other shoulder, while Kokkuri-san and the three canids that accompanied her and which were growling menacingly, stepped in front of me, causing the two men who were holding me down, as well as, the old man Ryu Shutsuki, to back off.
I was utterly astounded and so were the members of the clan.
A bolt of lightning shot across of the sky in all of a sudden, followed by a roar of thunder; rain clouds having rolled in at phenomenal speed.
As we lifted our eyes to the sky, what greeted our sight were two large serpentine figures that emerged out of the clouds to swoop downwards.
All the members of the clan present backed away in terror, while I jerked to my feet to stare at the god of rain and the marshland dragon Ryuhei, breathlessly, as they came down to hold themselves at my sides.
Another dragon- this one, red, and smaller in proportion- showed up by flying over the wall behind us and I had no doubt that it was Ryūto Takamura for, Retsu was riding on its back.
The Tsukumogami of Oguro arrived just after them by jumping over the wall of the compound and they all came to stand beside me.
And then, the entrance door was practically blown away in a shocking explosion.
When the fume dissipated, thirteen people made their entries, alongside two small yōkai.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I was utterly speechless.
Tsunan! Hatsu! Heihachi! Master Kagami! Yama-san! Ayame! Shirane! Cho! Shuda! Agasa! Tsurayuki! Katsuya! Yanagi!
They have all come, as well as, Burabura and Ichiren-Bozu!
'Leave this child alone or you'll have to deal with us!' the god of rain warned the members of the clan, and no one dared to move a finger or utter a word, so much they were awe-struck.
'Come on! Let's get back home!' Tsunan told me in a raucous voice as he moved up to me and grabbing my hand, he began to drag me towards the waiting members of the organization; his eyes blazing.
I stared at the doctor from behind, forgetting how to breathe.
Tsunan…
'Shun has the same right as every citizen of this country. If you ever try to kill her again, I'll get all of you arrested for attempt to murder!' Master Kagami called at the members of the clan in a warning, before we left the premises.
***
When we got back to Toda, Tsunan, Hatsu, Heihachi, Master Kagami and Yama-san were extremely angry with me.
If I hadn't told them about the fact that the members of the clan were going to come for me, it was because I knew that they would try to intervene and this would have put them in a delicate position against the clan.
But I realized that I didn't understand anything.
They didn't ask themselves any questions before entering into a conflict with the Shutsuki.
I thought that Hatsu was going to be the one person who would have the hardest time to forgive me but, after having given me a few blows on my head while shouting at me: "Don't give us such a fright again!" and I had cried, he had comforted me, while telling me, in a softer tone: "You know, if you ever disappear from this world, we'll never get over it, especially, not Tsunan."
At that moment, I had looked at the doctor and the latter had lowered his head; his bangs had covered his eyes.
I had had impression that he was crying, even if, I couldn't be sure about it.
The others and him have ended up forgiving me.
The members of the clan didn't show any signs of action; I believed that they had taken fright. There was a problem left though…
'Gosh! Is it impossible to break the seal or what?!' exclaimed Hatsu in annoyment, as he jerked to his feet and smacked the book he was reading closed on the table.
Two days had gone by since we had returned home and we still hadn't found a way to break the seal Ryu Shutsuki had put on my Godai Shakujō.
Hatsu, Heihachi, Mater Kagami, Tsunan and I were consecrating all our time to it.
'I see that I've done well to come!' came a voice from behind us, out of the blue, and our heads snapped around to look at the person who walked in the hall of the organization at that moment.
My eyes went wide.
We all jerked to our feet.
'Shun!' breathed Tsunan, as he stepped in front of me protectively.
Tugging at his arm with both hands, I told him, softly, 'Tsunan! He is Sōgon Shutsuki. I told you about him.'
The doctor relaxed and so, did everyone.
I looked at the red-haired male, surprised to see him.
'I will need these things to break the seal,' he stated, as he held out to us a piece of paper on which there was a list of items. 'Do you think that you can obtain them?'
He- He's here to help me break the seal?!
Taking the list from him, Tsunan and Master Kagami examined it together, before the latter declared, 'Give us a few hours.'
'Well then, in the meantime, Shun could show me around town a bit,' declared the red-haired male, looking at me.
I hesitated, fearing that it'd be wrong on my part to leave Tsunan, the master, Hatsu and Heihachi alone to take care of everything.
'May I?' I asked them, and Tsunan reassured me, 'Yes, don't worry. You may go.'
'Okay,' I replied with a grateful smile, and that was how Sōgon Shutsuki and I set out together on a walk around town.
'So, the Doctor Tsunan Hitachiin- he's your fiancée?' he asked me, as we taking a stroll in Shiratori neighborhood. 'I learnt that you live together.'
I stared at him, flushing bright red.
'Tsu-Tsunan and I are not fiancées,' I stammered, holding my face in-between my hands in embarrassment, my eyes lowered.
'Oh, really? My mistake.'
After a few minutes, he told me, 'You know, the members of the clan are still having a hard time to believe what happened.'
I could understand that. They must have been really astounded.
'I still can't believe what happened either,' I admitted.
Everyone had come. All the creatures that I had met. All the members of the organization without exception.
The day the Shutsuki clan had come for me, Ayame had been on his way to see me because he wanted to question me about Kirigaya and that was how he learnt about my impending execution. Gakkuri had informed Natsuhiko about it on her side and at his turn, the boy spirit had passed the news.
We both became silent again for a moment until it began to pour.
Not all over Toda or in the neighborhood.
But on a single person.
Only on Sōgon!
My mouth hanged open at the unrealistic scene taking place in front of my eyes.
'Shun, get away from that man!' called a familiar feminine voice, and I looked on my right at Ameonna who was approaching us; Nene and Sōsuke Shimazaki accompanying her.
'Ameonna, is it you who's doing this?' I asked the latter.
I was in full admiration at the prowess.
'And yes! I've had to train myself a lot to be able to do that,' replied the female spirit, jubilantly.
'Sugoi!'
'Oi! Ask her to stop this immediately or I'm returning back to Kitani on the spot!' Sōgon muttered at me, his expression upset.
'Oh, sorry!' I said, remembering that he was getting drenched. 'Will you stop it, please?' I asked Ameonna, explaining to her that Sōgon meant me no harm.
'We're sorry,' Nene and Sōsuke told me, then. 'If Yosunori-niisan has not been able to come to your rescue, it's because he couldn't leave us alone.'
Getting down onto my knees in front of them, I took hold of their hands, cooing, 'You're so adorable!'
They blushed.
After Ameonna and the two Shimazaki siblings had said goodbye to us, I apologized to Sōgon for what happened.
He was soaking wet and so were all the clothes that he had in his bag.
An idea came up in my mind suddenly.
'I think that I know who can help us!' I told the red-haired male. 'Burabura!'
The chōchin-obake appeared immediately at my call.
'Burabura, do you think that you can dry all these clothes for him?' I asked the small yōkai.
The Tsukumogami looked at the open bag on the ground, then at red-haired male and back again. Then taking a deep breath, unexpectedly, it breathed fire onto the bag, burning it to ashes, before the chōchin-obake vanished.
I was dumb-founded and so, was Sōgon.
The latter stared at the piles of ashes on the ground for a whole minute, before his eyes narrowed at me, unhappily.
I giggled, awkwardly. 'So-Sorry about that. I think that it's because Burabura doesn't trust you.'
He exhaled sharply.
Just at that moment, the menacing figure of a Karasu-tengu appeared above head without any warning. In a reflex, I tried to activate my Godai Shakujō, only for me to remember that I couldn't.
Oh no!
Letting out a shrill cry, the crow swooped downwards at us in an attack.
Automatically, I reached out for the wooden katana I was carrying- an idea of Hatsu- and I swung a blow at the crow monster, managing to hit it hard on the head.
The blow knocked it down on the ground.
I-I did it?!
Without losing a second, I grabbed Sōgon by the sleeve of his hakamashita and pulled him away with me, as I picked a sprint.
We didn't stop until we were in another neighborhood- in Kuribayashi neighborhood.
We were both panting hard.
Taking a look around us, I was relieved to find that the Karasu-tengu wasn't at our pursue.
'I'm sorry. Karasu-tengu have a tendency to take the members of the organization for target,' I said to the red-haired male in an apology, releasing my grip on him.
As I looked at him, I found him watching me with astonishment.
'Where did you learn to use a katana like this?'
'It-It's Tsunan who taught me,' I replied, blushing at the thought of the doctor.
I hung my head, then. Is it me or this promenade is verging on the catastrophe? I feared that Sōgon would refuse to help me anymore after all the mishaps that has happened due to me.
'Say, do you- do you still want to help me?'
He sighed. 'Yes.'
Strangely, he didn't seem more upset than that over all the incidents of the day.
After the ritual was over and I could use my Godai Shakujō again, Hatsu, Heihachi, Tsunan and I found ourselves at the Ametsuchi Bar with him, to spend some time together.
It was in the late afternoon.
The four males seemed to get along well.
At some point of the conversation, I fell asleep and when I woke up, Sōgon Shutsuki wasn't there anymore.
'Where's Sōgon?' I asked Tsunan, who replied, 'He left half a minute ago.'
My expression fell a bit. 'I didn't thank him for his help.'
I had no idea when, or if, I'd ever see him again in my life.
'He must be just outside of the bar. Do you want us to go catch up with him?'
'Yes,' I nodded, cheerfully, and getting out of our seats, we half-ran out of the bar.
'Sōgon!' the doctor called after the red-haired male when we caught sight of him and the latter paused down to look at us.
'I apologize. I forgot to thank you,' I said, as we reached him.
'If you really want to thank me, then call me Nii-san from now on,' he told me, giving me a smile. Well, it wasn't a full smile, it was kind of creaky- he wasn't one to smile a lot- but still it was a smile.
I stared at him for a whole minute, in surprise, before I smiled to myself, murmuring timidly, for practice, 'Sōgon-niisan!'
I supposed that this meant that we would see each other again.
Otō-san… Okā-san… can you see this?
It was, as if, at that precise moment, the broken bond with the clan has been renewed.
***
Meanwhile...
'What's wrong, Yanagi?' asked Cho Kururugi, worriedly.
Agasa Tsudzuri seconded, 'You have been very silent ever since we've returned from the village of Kitani.'
The three girls were having a desert in a small café of Shibata neighborhood.
'I was thinking of Tsunan,' mumbled Yanagi, her eyes set on the table. 'Did you see in which state he had put himself when Shun Shutsuki was about to be executed? Hatsu had to ask him to pass him the wheel, for him to drive in his place. And the expression that Tsunan was wearing when he grabbed Shun's hand and told her that she was returning back home with us...'
Agasa and Cho sighed together, before the dark-haired girl said, 'Yanagi, I think that you should stop thinking about it.'
'But I love Tsunan!' stated the Gothic-Lolita, looking up at her two friends.
'You've got to stop with that!' Cho told her, in a motherly tone. 'He lives with Shun!'
Yanagi's eyes widened a little. 'Do you think that he's in love with her?'
'What do you think?!'
Silence fell between the three girls.
What do I feel for Tsunan? Cho asked to herself. Why is a small voice in my head telling me incessantly that what I feel for him is not love but obsession? That I am infatuated with him; not in love with him?! What do I feel for Shirane?
When Cho had seen a picture of Shun and Tsunan together in the latter's wallet, she had realized, even if not immediately- or rather, even if she had refused to admit it to herself, at first- that Tsunan has got feelings for the red-haired girl. After all, no matter how the picture had ended up there, the doctor hadn't removed it.
What do I feel for Tsunan? wondered Agasa. She had been asking herself this question ever since she had seen Tsunan hugging Shun Shutsuki at the organization, just before the two had left on a voyage together; only for her to end up realizing the same thing as Cho.
And this, also made Agasa realize that if she had taken her distance with Shuda during the beach trip, it was because she had been scared by their growing closeness; she had been scared of having doubts over her feelings for Tsunan.
'Infatuation or not, what counts are HIS feelings,' declared Agasa. 'We can't impose our feelings on him. It would be too selfish.'
'Tsunan has always considered us as his younger sisters,' murmured Cho. 'If he accepted our chocolates, it was only to avoid hurting our feelings; he didn't want to offend us. But he watches Shun very differently. She is closest to him than we've ever been. He watches her in a way that he has never watched us.'
Is Tsunan in love with Shun? As Yanagi rethought about the whole execution incident, she believed that she had found an answer to her question. Am I really in love with him? Or am I just infatuated with him? But what matters, really, are HIS feelings.
Saying goodbye to one another, they parted ways.
Cho left to meet with Shirane with whom she had a rendezvous to watch a picture together, while Agasa and Yanagi went to take took a stroll each one on their sides.
When Cho arrived in front of the cinema hall, Shirane was already there waiting for her.
'Sorry! I'm late!' she called at the redhead, as she ran up to him.
'It's okay. The film hasn't started yet,' he told her with a smile and they entered the building together.
On her side, Agasa was about to take the bus to get back home when a motorcycle pulled up by her side and she saw that it was Shuda.
'Yo! Do you need a ride?' he asked, holding out the free helmet he had in his possession at her.
'Thanks,' she replied with a grin, grabbing the helmet and putting in on her head.
Lost in her thoughts, Yanagi ended up on the bridge over the river in Kuribayashi, watching the declining sun.
'You seem a bit low? Did something dramatic happened?'
At the sound of that voice, she looked on her left, meeting Tsurayuki's eyes. The latter came to place himself besides her to watch the sun go down the horizon too.
For a whole moment, none of the two spoke, until the dark-haired male turned away and started walking, calling over his shoulder, 'Come! I'm inviting you to the restaurant of the other day.'
Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. 'What? You mean the one from the treasure hunt? It's hyper expensive to dine there!'
'Hurry up or you're no longer invited!'
At this, she rushed after him to tag along.
Thank you for reading!