"Look, this is us, and this is Kenshin," Amy said, bursting with sweetness. "THESE ARE AMAZING, KAZOU, I LOVE THEM!" Kazou scratched his head. "Hehehe, glad you like them, Amy."
Amy leaped onto Kazou. If Kazou hadn't grabbed onto the table at the last moment, they both would have fallen to the ground. "Quiet, Amy, remember Kenshin is sleeping." Amy suddenly looked at Kenshin lying in bed. It was too late now, Kenshin started crying. "Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry," Amy picked up Kenshin and started rocking him. Kenshin quickly fell back asleep with his mother's magic. Kazou wasn't surprised by this situation. Amy was a real mother. "Now, let's sleep peacefully," Amy laid Kenshin back in bed and sat next to Kazou.
"These are perfect," Kazou whispered to Amy. "I'm glad you like them," Amy grinned. Kazou smiled back. "How about continuing this whisper game a little longer?" Kazou waited for a moment. Amy looked surprised. "Why not?" she said.
"Oh, you goof, why are you scaring me?" Kazou put his hand on Amy's shoulder. "Hehee, I just wanted to have some fun," they whispered together for hours. Amy talked about many things, and Kazou quietly listened, occasionally chiming in. Amy was as happy as ever. She thought about her parents. She believed she would have a relationship with Kazou just like theirs. Finally, Amy succumbed to sleep and fell over onto Kazou. She had fought hard not to fall asleep, but sleep had won in the end. Kazou smiled and laid her down on the bed. He also lay down next to her, hoping for a peaceful sleep.
Once again, darkness and numbness surrounded Kazou as he was trapped here in his sleep, especially after the birth of the child. "You will be the most beloved of Seiren, but remember, they cannot be with you." Kazou got angry. "Why can't they be with me?" His voice echoed in the void. "You will see in time, Kazou, you will see your true desire," said the voice. Kazou didn't understand anything about what the voice was saying. He was happy, quite peaceful, but the voice told him that he had to abandon his family halfway. "But why?" Kazou was waiting for an answer to this question, but the voice had already disappeared.
"Hey Kazou, huhuu" Kazou woke up with Kenshin standing over him. "Oh, good morning, Amy."
"It's not exactly a bright time right now, Kazou, it's noon, and you just woke up." There was concern in Amy's eyes. Kazou didn't know what to say to Amy. "Did something happen, Kazou?"
What should Kazou say? Should he mention the presence of the voice? No, no, he couldn't do that. He couldn't burden Amy with such fear. "It must be because I was working on those toys yesterday," Amy became thoughtful. "Ah, Kazou, please don't overwork yourself."
Amy approached Kazou and kissed his forehead. "Say good morning to Daddy too, Kenshin." Amy took Kenshin from under his arms and placed him in front of Kazou. "Good morning, Daddy," Kenshin waved around. Kazou laughed and got up.
"Don't worry, one day he'll say these words himself," Kazou nodded and opened his arms. Amy handed Kenshin to his father. Kenshin started crying. "Hey, but when will we understand each other, Kenshin?" Amy waved her finger. "Slowly, you two will get along fine, don't worry, Kazou." Kazou handed Kenshin back to Amy. He silently watched his son reaching out and touching his mother's chest.
"Ah, looks like someone's hungry," Amy turned her gaze to Kazou. "Are you sure you want to watch this?" Kazou was suddenly taken aback. "Ah, I think I should go," Amy sat down and started feeding Kenshin. "You can watch if you want, it's no problem for me." Kazou quickly diverted his gaze from Amy to the door. "Maybe another day, A-Amy."
"Oh, look at the man who opened my door and put me to bed." By the time these words were spoken, Kazou had already left the cabin.
"What am I going to do now? Damn that day... All I want is to live peacefully with my family in Seiren." Kazou wandered around in a confused state, thinking about Joel. "Ah, I can't have forgotten about him. I should have dealt with him yesterday."
He had quickly taken Amy home and left Joel's scattered body parts around before returning to clean up, but Joel hadn't crossed his mind again.
He arrived at the area quickly, but there was nothing there. What he feared had happened. The cult had found Joel's body. "Ah, problems are piling up." What was this purification cult? Who were they, why were they formed, and how long had they existed? Since the day he first met them, Kazou still knew the same things about them. "Now what are you going to do?"
He had to protect Amy, but what could they do when the cult had secured the area and one of their members had died? Kazou couldn't think of a solution. The people in this cult were insane. Understanding them was next to impossible. But Joel was normal, how could such a person have emerged?
Kazou began to wander around with mixed feelings. There was someone else in the area where Joel had set up his stall. He quickly headed towards the stall. There were many people, all somehow shopping here. "Hello, your name must be Joel." The stallholder called out to Joel, who was standing opposite him. "Ah, that must have been odd. Sorry, I should introduce myself first, I'm Cedric... Joel's son." Cedric smiled. "Ha... what?" Kazou's eyes widened. Hadn't Joel killed his wife and son? "Ah, I guess I understand you, my father talked about you. I know your name from here, he always described you to me, goat beard, long hair thrown back, and a muscular body." Cedric smiled. "I'll talk to you later, now I need to attend to my customers."
Cedric sold his last goods and closed the stall. "Oh, but I didn't make it in time." The newcomer, a young boy, was disappointed in front of the empty stall. "Ah, don't worry, I'll make an exception for you." Cedric bent down under the stall and came back up with a fruit in his hand. "Here, take it from me." "Thank you so much, Cedric." The young boy started running with joy.
"Do you want some? It's a special fruit that keeps you full and it's delicious. My father didn't want to sell them, but now he's gone." Kazou felt a strange feeling. "Ah, please, my fault, please come and sit." Cedric pulled out a chair from under the stall and set it up. Kazou quietly sat down next to him. "Well, my offer still stands. Would you like some of the fruit?" Kazou raised his hand. "No, thank you." Cedric leaned over and took out a fruit. "Enjoy, I'm going to savor this beauty." Cedric took a bite of the fruit in his hand. It was juicy and round, its inside seemed covered in dust.
Kazou decided to speak up to find answers. "What happened to your father, Cedric, do you know?" Cedric responded directly. "No, he told me he had some business and left, but he never came back."
"I see. What about the story your father told us?"
"Ah, that story? The one about the cult members killing my family." Kazou was surprised. "Um, yes." Cedric tossed the remnants of his fruit into the nearby box. "Bullseye," he turned his head back to Kazou. "That was a story he made up to keep us safe, so everyone thought we were dead."
"But why did he also make your mother appear dead?"
"I don't know about that, my father didn't explain his thoughts when he came up with that story. I guess he might have wanted to dramatize it. Now that I'm a bit older, my father wouldn't let me out of the house, but he's gone now. So, I'm free." Kenshin looked at the boy in front of him, emitting a creepy aura. "And your mother?"
"Ah, my mother is still lying at home," Cedric raised two fingers and pointed to Kazou. "For a full two days now." Kazou was stunned, realizing Cedric was now alone. "Are you alone now?"
"Yeah, all alone, free."
"Don't you fear the cult finding you? You know, they're walking around incognito."
"Don't worry about that." Kazou suddenly startled at the box placed on the counter. "Ah, looks like new goods." Cedric stood up and moved the box from the counter to underneath it. "Thanks, Old Bob," the man who brought the box nodded and walked away. "Who was that?"
"Ah, him, he was one of the few people my father trusted with our secret."
"I guess so, he's extending a helping hand to you now that your father's gone," Cedric snapped his fingers. "Yeah," Kazou found himself confronted with many new questions while seated in the chair seeking answers.
"I should probably go." Kazou stood up. "Ah, but we were having a conversation, bro." Cedric smiled; Kazou felt embarrassed for being afraid of a kid. "Sorry, Cedric, but I really have to go."
Cedric also got off the chair. "Alright then, please accept this gift from me." Cedric took a fruit from the newly brought box. "Please, it's on me, from the heart." No matter how wary Kazou felt of Cedric, he couldn't refuse a request from an orphaned child. "Ah, okay."
"Here you go," Kazou caught the fruit Cedric tossed. "Thanks, Cedric, see you later." Kazou began to wave back with a big smile on Cedric's face. "See you."
Kazou turned around and walked away, inspecting the fruit. It was covered in purple patterns. He had never seen anything like it; what was it called? Kazou took his first bite to test Cedric's claim of it being filling and delicious. As soon as he bit into it, all his senses came alive. It was magnificent; his heart rate soared. "This is amazing," he looked at the part he just bit into, glowing, and quickly continued eating. All his questions and worries vanished.
"Amy, I'm back!" Kazou joyfully opened the door. "Ah, Kazou, you're early," Amy, who had just changed Kenshin's diaper with one made of leaves, was surprised by his arrival. "Ah, so little Kenshin just made his first poo, huh?" Kazou picked up Kenshin and began to twirl him in the air. "Kazou, stop, it's too early for this," Amy called out to Kazou with concern. "Ah, I'm sorry, Amy." Kazou gently placed the crying baby back on the pillow. "I'm so sorry, Amy, I got carried away with joy."
"Ah, Kazou, you goofball, I understand your excitement, but please save it for later." Amy picked up Kenshin, now with a fresh diaper, and held him in her arms. "Has our fearless hero just made his first poop?"
Amy smiled at Kenshin. Kenshin, in his mother's arms, quietly reached out his little hands towards her. "Aww, isn't he adorable, Kazou?" Kazou smiled. "Absolutely, my dear." Kazou extended his finger towards Kenshin. Kenshin grabbed his finger and put it in his mouth. "Ah, looks like we've finally come to an understanding, little guy." Kazou's eyes moistened slightly. "Ah, Kazou, I didn't expect this to make you so happy." Kazou was surprised; he wasn't aware of anything. "Huh, what?... Yes, yes, I'm definitely very happy, Amy."
Kazou stepped back and sat at the table. What were these feelings? He felt happy, unable to think straight; his mind was in turmoil. The storm of questions in his brain had ceased to be his concern; this wasn't supposed to happen. He had to protect Amy, protect his child; he couldn't forget about them; he couldn't succumb to this happiness. Suddenly, it occurred to him; the happiness must be because of the fruit. This fruit was strange. He quickly stood up and headed for the door. "Kazou, where are you going?"
"I'm sorry, my love, I'll be right back."
"Okay, I'll wai-"
"Bang!" The door slammed shut, cutting off Amy's sentence. After shaking off her astonishment, Amy continued to play with Kenshin using the figures Kazou had made.
When Kazou arrived at the front of the stall, as expected, Cedric was gone. "Ah, no, this can't be," Where was Joel's house? Kenshin tried to remember, but his memories were jumbled. Had Joel told them the location of his house? No, if he had, Kazou would have visited and seen his family. Kazou began asking the people around:
"Hello, do you know where Joel's house is?"
"Can you describe the way to Joel's house?"
"Please, tell me you know Joel's house."
"Tell me... Joel's... house..."
"TELL ME WHERE JOEL'S HOUSE IS!" The man looked at Kazou in fear. "Dude, you need to calm down; your eyes are red, and sorry, I don't know where Joel's house is." Kazou was breathing rapidly; no one knew the location of Joel's house. "I-I'm sorry," Kazou withdrew his hand from the man's shoulder and began to run. "Ah, wasn't it Kazou who brought justice? Who could have driven this man insane? I feel sorry for him." The man watched as Kazou, running away, disappeared from sight.
"I- I need to stop this, it's- it's too dangerous. Ah, who are you, Cedric, what's with these fruits?" Exhausted, Kazou collapsed to the ground; the energy burst from a few hours ago was completely gone. "Ah, get a grip, Kazou, let's go home," Kazou struggled to get up, but his legs wouldn't obey him. "Come on, work, legs." Kazou tried to create a flow inside him, but his attempt failed. "Th- this is nonsense, my powers, no feeling at all." Kazou's body collapsed completely to the ground. "No, no, I need to go home, no matter what." Kazou began to drag himself on the ground with his arms. "I need to go home. I need to go home."
"KAZOU!" In the dark sky where rain clouds obscured the starlight, Amy went out to search for Kazou. When she saw him lying there, she couldn't hold back her tears; her whole body was crying. "KAZOU!" Amy lifted Kazou onto her back and began to carry him back to the cabin. "Don't worry, Kazou, I'll heal you, I'll take good care of you, whoever did this to you," Amy's green eyes sparkled like emeralds. "I'll make them pay for it."
"Ah!" Kazou felt the warmth of Amy's hands on him. "Finally, finally, you're awake. Kazou." Amy quickly hugged Kazou tightly. "A- Amy, I'm suffo- suffocating." Amy didn't let go of Kazou. "Hush, Kazou, do you know how worried I was about you?" Kazou's eyes widened; Amy's voice was trembling. "This is both my love and your punishment, YOU FOOL... YOU STUPID FOOL!"
"I-I'm so sorry..." Amy let go of Kazou and focused on his eyes. When Kazou looked into Amy's eyes, filled with incessant tears, a dagger pierced his heart. He had hurt Amy. And he had hurt her badly. How could he have done this? He couldn't hold back his own tears. "I'm so sorry, Amy, I'm so sorry," he quickly got up and hugged Amy. Both of them were filled with pain. Little Kenshin, on the pillow, looked at them. The image of the father who had hurt the mother, Kenshin looked at the three figures next to him.
"Now let's get some good sleep, and then you'll tell me everything, Mr. Kazou, okay?" Amy's tears had just dried up. Kazou lowered his face. "I-I promise, Amy, I'll tell you everything."
"G-great, now come here, today our baby will try sleeping alone on this pillow for the first time without us. I think this is a chance for you to make it up to me a little, did I make myself clear?" Kazou had to do as Amy said. "Understood, sweetheart."
"Okay then, my babies, bedtime. This baby is coming with me. Of course, he needs to put on his first outfit." Kazou wasn't aware until Amy mentioned it that he was only in his underwear. "Ah, r-right away, of course," Amy grinned. Kazou turned around and was about to walk to the wardrobe when Amy grabbed his shoulder. "Or let's make today a special day," Amy took off her clothes, leaving only her underwear. "A-Amy,"
"Come on, big boy."
"Ah, okay."
Amy easily put her baby to sleep in her arms. "Shh, Kazou, we need to be quiet, we have to do our work without waking little Kenshin. I wish our house was bigger, I'm saying it now. I didn't think about these days, but there's nothing we can do." Amy placed Kenshin, who had fallen into a deep sleep, back on his pillow.
"Who should initiate the action?" Kazou turned Amy over onto the bed without making a sound. Amy grinned. "Come to me, big boy, and make it up to yourself."
Kazou, with his eyes turned into pools of blood, couldn't sleep. Amy, exhausted from the relationship, had fallen asleep, but Kazou couldn't sleep; thoughts wouldn't leave him alone. All the lost thoughts suddenly started spinning in his head. What were these, it was disgusting. What should Kazou think about? Should he think about Joel admitting he killed his own family? Should he tell Amy everything in the morning? His voice? Cedric? The cult? The fruit? How he hurt Amy? How to protect Amy and Kenshin? The returning thoughts, normally manageable, were unbearable now; they were causing a headache. Kazou didn't want to wake Amy up, but he needed some fresh air.
Standing up, he walked over to his sleeping baby first. "Ahhh!" he had stepped on something. First, he turned his head to Amy. Amy was still peacefully asleep. Kenshin was also sleeping soundly. Once he was sure of that, he bent down to see what he had stepped on. It was his own figurine. Looking over to Kenshin, he saw Amy and Kenshin's figurines standing there, while he had been thrown away from them. Kazou clenched his teeth. Really, he realized he was angry at a baby. "W-what's happening to me?" His voice was low and filled with pain, tears in his eyes, he opened the door and went outside to get some fresh air.
He allowed the still ongoing rain to soak him. The weight on his mind was too heavy, his emotions suddenly bursting. This wasn't like him. "What did you feed me, Cedric?" He looked up at the sky and stayed like that. And suddenly, he sensed danger in his ears.
He quickly went to the area where he heard the sound. A man was leaning against the wall, crying. A knife was stabbed into his stomach. "What happened to you?" The man turned his tear-streaked face towards Kenshin. "That woman, that woman must have gone mad... I thought she was affected by me, but she dragged me here and stabbed me for no reason... She enjoyed it." The man filled with hope when he recognized Kazou. "You're him, Kazou."
"Ah, yes."
"Please teach that woman a lesson, Mr. Kazou."
"Ah, of course, the duties I must fulfill." Kazou suddenly vanished. Leaving the man with the knife in his stomach behind.
"Hey, you stop right there." The woman, staggering, turned her face to Kazou. Kazou was shocked by what he saw; she was just like him. "Well, well, well, you must be that Kazou, hahaa, what are you doing here, Mr. Hero?"
"Why did you stab that man?" The woman struck a thinking pose. "Hmm, honestly, I don't want to drag it out. I loved that man, but he looked at someone else." The woman spread her hands to the sides. "So I put him in his place, hahahaa."
"You ate that fruit, didn't you?" The woman hung her head to the side. "Fruit? AAA, yes, yes, that fruit is perfect, you know, it takes everything off me, I feel like a bird."
"How many did you eat?"
"Hmm, probably 3-4, they're so good, whenever my head gets messed up, I eat one more, thanks to them I'm reeelaxed." Kazou moved behind the woman and knocked her out. "Ah, I don't want to deal with you." All the responsibilities on him had become burdensome for Kazou. What should he do? His mind was still filled with chaos. Maybe if he silenced his brain once more, then put an end to all this, he would be happy with Amy and Kenshin. "No, no, no." Kazou shook his head and pulled himself together. This was not right, this could never be right. Kazou threw the woman to the ground and started heading back home.
"That's enough of this, Mr. Kazou." Amy was waiting for him angrily at the door. "What's wrong with you, Kazou, you've been acting strange for two days, WHAT'S GOING ON, TELL ME WHATEVER THE HELL IS GOING ON." Amy started to cry. "Please, I beg you, tell me." Kazou's heart burned even more at the sight. But he couldn't shed tears. "I promise I'll fix everything, Amy, let's sleep now."
"No, big boy, you're telling me everything right here."
"Amy, please, in the morning..."
Amy stomped her foot. "I said now."
"Amy, I SAID PLEASE."
Amy recoiled in fear. "What's happening, Kazou, why won't you tell me?" Kazou fell to his knees, he had yelled at Amy. How could he do that? Tears still wouldn't come. Frozen-faced, he remained on his knees. Amy wrapped her arms around Kazou's neck and started stroking his hair. "Whatever it is, don't worry, my hero, you'll figure it out, I believe in you. I love you, Kazou."
"I love you too, Amy, I love you too..."
Kazou hugged Amy tightly around the waist. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, Amy."
"It's okay, big boy, it's okay, you're still a perfect partner to me, let's sleep peacefully now, my dear hero." Kazou lifted his head and nodded. "Please, let's sleep." Amy smiled and helped Kazou to his feet. They went to bed together. Kazou finally surrendered to sleep.
"The truth lies within us, Kazou, and yours is slowly emerging." Kazou couldn't hear the voice in the darkness. His consciousness had completely faded away.