Chapter 2
An Unlucky Forest
Haruto lays on his thin bed, thinking. It's been days, but he still can't get his mind off that girl. "Why'd she look so familiar?", "What was that memory of her crying?" and, more importantly, "Who is she?" are the questions that kept spinning through Haruto's head.
"AGHH!" Haruto pulled his long hair in frustration.
"You alright?" A woman stood in Haruto's doorway.
She was older but stunning nonetheless. Her long brown hair was in a messy bun to keep the hair out of her eyes as if she had been working, but she wore a white robe devoid of any stains that covered her slim body.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Haruto turned away from the women.
"Are you sure?" She was worried about Haruto.
Haruto's fist slammed into his bed. "YES, I'M SURE."
Their eyes finally met, Haruto stared into her brown eyes, and he felt his throat tighten. He turned away to ensure tears didn’t start too well in his grey eyes.
"I-I'm sorry… Ms. Miyamoto." His throat fought against him as he tried to get his words out.
"It's alright, Haruto." She gave him a warm smile before leaving his room.
Haruto sat alone in his room, angry and confused. He's known Ms. Miyamoto since he was 6. She was like a mother to him. He laid his head in his hands as his anger morphed into disappointment.
"I've never screamed at her… I should go apologize properly." He thought.
The boy slides his door open and hurries downstairs, searching for Ms. Miyamoto. He wanders the house, desperate to find her.
Haruto spots a boy with short brown hair." Hey, Kenji."
"What is it?" Kenji reluctantly turned to him. His face was reminiscent of Ms. Miyamoto's.
"Have you seen Ms. Miyamoto?" Haruto hoped for a helpful answer.
"Uh, you mean mom? Yea, she's outside. I think she's getting water." Curiosity welled up in Kenji, but he didn't feel like asking why Haruto was in such a hurry.
Haruto headed for the door that would let him out of this maze of a house.
Kenji watched as he ran off. "Really? I don’t even get a thank you?"
Haruto looked back as he was nearing the door. "Thanks, Kenji!"
"He's always in such a rush..." Kenji muttered.
Snow-filled clouds paint the sky. Paths have been carved into the deep snow by the many trips done by the people of this house. Haruto's eyes squint, trying to look for Ms. Miyamoto. He sees her by the well that was just recently built, filling up her second bucket of water. The boy walks down the path leading to her. The snow crunches under his feet, causing the snow to compact more so.
"Do you need any help?" Haruto grabs a bucket off the ground.
"Yea, some help would be appreciated." Ms. Miyamoto places her bucket in the snow.
Their eyes lock. Haruto's throat tightens as he tries to get his words out. "Um.. Ms. Miyamoto I'm sor-."
"You don't need to apologize, Haru." She places her hand on Haruto's rosey cheek.
"But what I-" A resounding disappointment looms over Haruto like one of the many clouds in the blue sky.
"Honestly, I'm kinda relieved. I was beginning to think you had no actual emotions." She let out a small laugh.
"What? I have emotions. Just ask Goro!" Haruto stepped back wide-eyed.
The women began to rant. "How was I supposed to know? All I heard from you was "Yes, Ms. Miyamoto." or "I'll do it, Ms. Miyamoto." You couldn't even call me mom! I've had you longer than some of my kids. For goodness sake. Do you even know my given name?"
"I um…" He looks down in defeat.
"What now?" Ms. Miyamoto crossed her arms.
"I don't know your name…." He raised his head to see the woman unable to compose herself.
She tried to respond but the words mixed with her laughter. "PSAHAHAHAHA. Yo- heh. I'm sorry. You really don't know my name? After I raised you from 6 to 15. A full 9 years, and you just never knew my given name."
"Yea.." Haruto's face flushed even redder than it already was.
"You really are something, Haru." She picked up the water bucket and walked towards the house.
"Oh- uh." Haruto followed behind her
"It's Kaiya." She said over her shoulder.
Haruto blew his hair out of his face. "Huh?"
"My name. It's Kaiya." Her walking slowed as the snow got deeper.
"Oh. Is it ok if I still call you Ms. Miyamoto? I don't know how to explain it, but it feels more natural." Haruto caught up to her.
"Mom would be nice, but I guess I don't mind, Ms." Her breath heaved as the hill got steeper.
They walked up the snow path. Snowflakes fell from the clouds coating their hair. The hill got steeper and steeper, and Ms. Miyamoto was falling behind.
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Haruto noticed Ms. Miyamoto. "Do you need me to carry that for you?"
"Yes, please." She handed the bucket to Haruto.
Haruto's feet sank deeper into the snow as the water weighed him down. His every step dragged across the snow. They were nearing the house that has been covered in snow since the fall.
Haruto watched as Ms. Miyamoto pranced to the front door. "Hey! Weren't you exhausted a minute ago?"
"I might've been faking.." A slight smirk was on her face.
"Whatever, just call Kenji outside." Haruto dropped the buckets in front of the sliding door, deepening the dent that had been there since Haruto was old enough to carry the buckets.
"KENJI!" Ms. Miyamoto shouted.
Footsteps approach the door getting louder and louder.
Ms. Miyamoto grew impatient. "KEN-"
"Yea, what?" The door slides open, showing a shirtless boy with his kimono down.
"Can you take this inside?" Haruto pointed at the buckets.
"Can you wear your kimono properly?" Ms. Miyamoto crosses her arms.
“Yes to Haruto, No to mom.” He picks up the buckets and walks back inside, forgetting to close the door he helped his father build so long ago.
"That Kenny, so much like his father." She stares into the empty hallway.
"Haru." She turns back to Haruto.
"Yea?" He said.
"I need to go to town; come with me." She told Haruto.
"Uh, sure." He shrugged.
"Alright, well, I'm going to get my things ready, and you can get dressed while I'm doing that." She glared at Haruto’s tattered clothes.
"But I'm already wearing clothes.." Haruto patted around his body.
"That's not what I… I'll just go get my things; just wait out here for me, alright?" She stepped into the house.
"Ok!" Haruto sat on the aging wood before the door awaiting Ms. Miyamoto.
A couple minutes pass, and Haruto starts feeling restless, tapping his fingers against his pants and bobbing his leg. He lets his boredom get the best of him. His index finger is dipped into the snow, and he starts to move it in a circular motion
He looks over his shoulder. "She'll probably be a little longer."
Snow slowly rises off the ground. Haruto's fingers keep moving in a circular motion, and the snow follows suit. The white spiral picks up more and more snow from its surroundings, reaching just above his knee, his hand right above it.
"HEY!" Haruto jolts up, and the spiral falls. His face goes white.
"Didn't I tell you to not use your.. that… whatever it is!" Ms. Miyamoto stands over Haruto.
"I'm sorry, it's just that you were taking so long, and I don’t know.” Haruto always feels like a child when Ms. Miyamoto is like this.
"Just be quiet. We have to get to town." She walks towards an opening in the forest.
Haruto quickly followed. The two treaded deeper into the forest, their footsteps out of rhythm. A gust of wind passes them, her kimono follows its path, and the sound of branches rustling quickly follows. The tree's branches lose their grip on the snow atop of them. A mound of snow lands between the two. Haruto is interrupted again. Ms. Miyamoto kept walking without even batting an eye. He sighed and vaulted the snowy rise. Goro rests at the trunk of a once-living tree, his sword cuddled between his kimono. Ms. Miyamoto spots him.
She gestured with her hand." Get up."
"Oh, um, I'm sorry I promise I was only asleep for a minute or so." Goro scrambles to stand up and face her, but before he knew it, she was already further along the trail.
"Haruto, is she ok?" Goro asked hesitantly.
Haruto has yet to even notice Goro." Huh, what… Goro? When did you get here?"
Goro placed his hand on Haruto's bare shoulder. "Never mind bud. Just um, tell Kaiya I'm sorry for sleeping on the job…."
Haruto slapped Goro. "HEY, WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"
"Sleeping on the job…." He answered
Goro massaged his Haruto signed cheek. "DIDN'T I APOLOGIZE???"
"Yea, but Ms. Miyamoto is in a bad mood, and I think you just made it worse." Haruto stood there pondering what apology would get him out of this situation.
"Maybe she's on her, you know what.." Goro nudged Haruto.
"Maybe I should slap you again." Haruto raised his hand to mark Goro's other cheek.
"You know what? I actually have a house to guard, sooooo. HAVE FUN APOLOGIZING TO KAIYA!" Goro grabbed his sword and began sprinting away from Haruto.
"YOU'RE SO LUCKY THAT MS. MIYAMOTO IS SO FAR DOWN THE TRAIL!" He shouted
Goro looked back and kept running with a smile from ear to ear on his face. Haruto let a smirk cross his face before running down the trail to catch up to Ms. Miyamoto. He runs down the path pierced with snow. The boy catches a glimpse of her, his sprint slows to a jog, and then his jog becomes a slow walk.
"I'm sorry." He says.
She keeps walking. "Sorry about what?"
"I'm sorry for using my power." He looks down at her cold face.
"You know I'm doing this to protect you, right?" Ms. Miyamoto finally turns to him as they continue walking down the snowy path.
"I know…" Haruto looks back at the path in front of them.
She looks up at Haruto and pats his shoulder. "Cheer up, Haru. I know it's hard, but it must be done. So let's forget about this, and maybe I can buy us a little treat in town."
"Alright, why not." Haruto lifts his head a little.
The long winding path is surrounded by pine trees that shield the ground from light. They walk beside each other, and their footsteps are finally in rhythm. The trees rustle, but the snow refuses to fall between them. They continue to walk and see an exit to this dark forest before long.
"I don't know why I constantly need to guard the house. It's not like anyone even wants to rob this place." Goro thinks to himself.
He continues to run through the thick forest. With every step, his speed increases. His momentum is unmatched even with this bumpy terrain and snow-covered path. Goro spots a deer blindly charging toward him. He barely evades it by dashing off the trail. Before slowly stopping, he glides through the wet and annoying snow he hates so much. The deer continues its charge unphased.
"WHY THE HELL IS THERE A DEER CHARGING AT ME?" Goro throws his blade down in anger.
"Wait. Why was it coming from the direction of the Miyamoto's? The deer here are usually tame since no wolves wander near here, especially near the house…." Goro scouts the tree line, looking for something.
His eyes darted around to spot something that would cause the deer to go into a blinding fear. Goro freezes. His eyes stare directly into nothingness. He doesn't dare take another breath.
"I was wrong. I was so wrong. It wasn't something. It was someone." His thoughts are a mess, a jumble of fear, terror, and dread.
"I've never felt a presence like this…What’s up with this glare!? It’s so powerful. It feels like a dagger is being pushed deeper and deeper into my back." Goro can barely hold his stillness against this immense pain.
"I'm about to fall over from the pain. Fuck! How do I get out of this!?! What do I do!?!? I'm scared that I'm going to die. If I even lift a finger or take another breath, I might die!!! I'm going to die, and no one I love is here…." His vision begins to blacken as the lack of air in his lungs becomes more apparent.
Goro collapses, and his limp body smashes into the snow. An eerie silence creeps into the forest. Someone dashes past Goro, only being seen for a split second before reappearing far down the snow-pierced path. Yet they don't disturb the silence that fills the forest. They disappear once again, perhaps deeper down the trail. The silence is finally broken by a fiery explosion that fills the sun-ridden sky, and for the very first time that day, the ground finally feels light, but this is not the light of day. No, this is the light of fire, Blue fire.