I met Hana in that alleyway of the Red-Light District across from the building where Yugo had been “learning about the teleportation beacons”. Yugo and Archie had bugged me into wearing my navy and gold kimono to match Hana in case she wore the white floral one he’d asked her to. She was wearing it, except she’d also been wearing a head scarf that covered her face alongside a pair of heavily tinted sunglasses.
The first thing I told her when we met up was that it’d been Yugo texting her on my behalf. She told me she’d figured somebody had my phone, but decided to play along anyway. Next, I asked her about the scarf and shades. It was her attempt at blending in.
It hadn’t worked, though not through any fault of her own. It was me who’d been recognized by a few locals as “the boy who helped the current Shogun defeat the previous”. The people pretty quickly assumed that the girl with me had to have been Hana, which then led us on a long, unplanned trip through the city.
One of those cart-pulling men insisted on giving us a ride to that teahouse where we’d planned the whole Futakuchi-Onna mission. On the way there, people sang Hana’s praises and wished her well in her position as Shogun. Strangely, though, they’d also been praising me for putting her in power. I was a bit more tolerant of it than I imagined I’d be, considering my upbringing. Maybe it was because their praise felt more… forced? They sang mine and Hana’s praises as though not doing so would result in death. While I’d eventually tuned it out, the tense expression on Hana’s face told me she hadn’t. It made sense, for both sides. Just a week ago Saikou had been under the thumb of Futakuchi-Onna, who’d been keen on starting a war with the Oni – to their knowledge. Even though Hana wasn’t her Grandmother, her Grandmother’s actions had been carried out in Hana’s body. It’d take a while before they warmed up to her, and it’d take just as long for Hana to convince them that she wasn’t Futakuchi-Onna.
Thankfully, our meal at the teahouse was far more relaxed. Our entire brunch had been free, all paid for by the restaurant staff. Well, not totally free. They’d insisted on getting a picture with Hana in front of the staff as their only payment, something she was happy to oblige with. The men pulling us around in the cart had asked the same thing, now that I thought about it. In fact, the moment we stepped out of the restaurant there’d been a slew of business owners surrounding the entrance of the teahouse like paparazzi in Miyafokuu. Hana’d looked visibly annoyed by the abundance of requests, but she’d insisted on doing them. As she put it, it was her way of cleaning up her image.
Well, maybe the next time I’m in Saikou she’ll be in the paper?
***
By the time we’d been done walking around town – rather, by the time I’d been done following Hana around Saikou, the sun had begun to set. Finally drained from all the pictures and talking with the community, she pulled me into that alleyway where Yugo’d been with the woman behind the brown building and led me into the building’s back entrance. It’d looked like a simple toolshed inside, the only notable item being a notepad on a desk at the far side of the room. After locking the door behind us, she wrote something I couldn’t see into the notepad and suddenly my vision was filled with white light.
When my vision returned, I was standing beside Hana in the middle of a vast orchard. Everywhere I looked I saw thick trees laced with fresh fruit in their branches and budding flowers by their trunks. It’d all happened so fast, I could still smell the wood of the shack that’d so abruptly been replaced by dew and flowers. Behind us was a colossal red and white castle like you’d see in a history book. Onna Castle. It wasn’t as big as the skyscrapers in Miyafokuu, but this close? It didn’t make a difference. It still towered over you.
“I’ve never seen Onna Castle from this angle,” I said. “Kinda wish we weren’t teleported inside for that meeting. I would've liked to see this view earlier."
Hana led me to a bench in between two peach trees that gave us a postcard-worthy view of the Castle. It was beautiful; So much so that I couldn’t control the words that came out of my mouth.
“I wish you got to see this,” I muttered to myself.
“You?” Hana asked.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Ignore it.”
“I can’t ignore it now!” She leaned closer. “Don’t tell me you’re a playboy?”
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“Of course not. I was talking about my mother. She isn’t… around anymore. She’d always talk about exploring the world and seeing new things.”
“I’m sorry, Rui. I’m sure she’s proud to see where you are.”
“I agree. I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been, and I’m one step closer to achieving my goal.”
“And what’s that goal?”
“Kill the people that put my Curse inside of me.”
Hana gave me a curious look. “You’re from Bukimiburgh, I’m guessing?”
I snorted. “What gave it away?”
“Bukimiburgh is Curse capital and Cult capital.”
I laughed. “Yeah, home sweet home.”
The two of us went back and forth for a while about life growing up, before our shared afflictions. She spoke about growing up in the Saikoujin slums and sneaking to play in the countryside while I spoke about being treated like abject royalty and sneaking to run around with Curses and spend time with the Perrows. When the conversation eventually turned to life with our Rogues, though, Hana naturally felt far more nostalgic for that period given it was her Grandmother trying to strengthen her in her own way. I hadn’t told her about the things Fallen Star and I had been made to do, which might be why she ended up saying what she said.
“I know you mentioned wanting to get rid of Fallen Star after you’ve killed the ‘Horsemen’, but… do you… have to?”
“What do you mean?”
“The way you describe him, he’s just as much a victim of those Cultists as you were. If I were you, I’d work with him to get rid of those Horsemen together. I mean, we’d practically be sisters. Er, brothers.”
“SHE SPEAKS TRUTH,” Fallen Star interjected in my mind. “IT IS AS I HAVE ALWAYS TOLD YOU; I HAVE NEVER BEEN YOUR ENEMY.”
“I’ve thought of that already. Fallen Star is my associate. It doesn’t matter if he has a sob story fit for reality television. He is a persistent reminder of a past I want to be free from. As long as he continues to help me defeat the Horsemen, I won’t get rid of him. Once that goal has been accomplished, we’ll go our separate ways.
Fallen Star cackled. “GOOD LUCK ACHIEVING THAT.”
“Well,” Hana began, clasping my hand in hers. “When the day comes for your Contract Termination Ritual, call me and I’ll be there to help you. I and every soldier in Saikou. You have my word.”
“THAT WOULD BE AN UNFORTUNATE AMOUNT OF CASUALTIES. PLEASE DO NOT CALL HER WHEN YOU MAKE THAT FOOLISH DECISION. IT WOULD BE BEST FOR YOUR IDIOCY TO BE REDUCED TO A SINGLE VICTIM. I QUITE LIKE OKITA HANA.”
Don’t sound so nervous.
“Thank you, Hana,” I said, returning her grip. “I’ll be sure to call on–”
”Rui Payne!” An unfamiliar, feminine voice called.
I turned to find an older man trailed by an older woman and three children, two boys and a girl each no older than 13. They all had black hair and Saikoujin features alongside elaborate, multi-layered kimonos.
The short, stocky woman who’d called out to me spoke first. “My name is Okita Maiya. Our daughter’s told us all about you!”
Hana immediately released me from her grip, standing between me and her family. They moved right past her, despite her pleas for them to go away.
“Do you know your measurements? Or do you need a tailor?” The woman asked.
“My measurements? For what?”
The tall man, presumably her husband and Hana’s father, spoke next. “Please tell me you know traditional Saikoujin history. It’d be a shame to have to find someone to teach you the city’s customs.”
“Father!”
“How skilled are you with carpentry? Do you have any experience with household chores? You don’t want to set a bad example for your offspring.”
“Mother, please! This isn’t–”
“Aren’t you a lower level than Hana? How will you be able to protect–”
“Enough!” Hana’s aura flared, the display of purple and black bearing a striking similarity to her predecessor. It faded just as quickly as it’d arrived, leaving the garden quiet.
“Rui isn’t… staying,” Hana stammered. “He’ll be leaving Saikou in a few days. We’re only talking because we haven’t had an opportunity to since our battle and the city is too busy for any lasting conversation to be had.”
Her parents shared a look, turned to me, then finally nodded.
“I see,” Her father said.
Her mother smiled. “Forgive us.”
With that, her parents walked away with their children in tow. When they were gone, Hana turned to me red as a beet.
“I’m sorry. They can be pretty… presumptuous.”
I shrugged. “Yugo’s the same way. It’s fine.” I pulled my phone out of my kimono’s inner pocket and checked the time, noticing that the sun was almost fully set. “Speaking of, it’s about dinner time at the Tiger Lily. You wanna join us?”
Hana’s eyes widened. “Will they mind? I… well, Grandmother and I nearly destroyed the place.”
“And Yugo left a crater in the backyard. I don’t see why they wouldn’t?”