Midnight seemed far too close, yet it was still hours away from arriving. In the altered Japan the nights came heavier and darker. It left a deep foreboding for anyone that traveled under the unusual sky. This particular night proved to be even more pitch, though the stars poked through as vibrant as ever, possibly even stronger than before.

Fumiko returned to her house trying to avoid being detected by her parents. Ever since the monster attacked her there was no dealing with how oppressively protective they became. Escaping the house to train proved a challenging feat. She wasn’t about to let her parents know that she had gained a strange ability. What little freedom she had left would have been smothered.

Minutes turned to an hour before Fumiko could move from her sister’s room. “What should I tell our parents, sister? As much as I would like to just go without a word that wouldn’t be fair to them. They aren’t going to be very understanding…” Fumiko pulled herself up out of the corner and returned the pillow carefully back to the bed. She reluctantly shuffled out of the room.

The war room, as Fumiko had started to call the dining room, held a thick wall in the air making her approach tense. She didn’t like speaking to them while they were worrying over adult matters, but there really was no other time that she had left. The notice she had was so sudden. “Excuse me… Mom… Dad…”

Her father immediately turned his head to Fumiko, already on edge. “Is something wrong?”

“What is it, Fumiko?”

“Well…you see…” Fumiko shifted her weight back a little as a counter to avoiding fidgeting noticeably. “I’ve got somewhere I’m going in the morning…”

Both of her parents stood up from their chairs sharply. “What are you talking about?!”

“You can’t go outside! It’s too dangerous to be out there!”

“Remember how it was last week when you were outside!”

“I know the danger!” She felt like she had already experienced the moment before. It gave her a strange disconnected feeling. “But there’s something important I have to do…”

Her mother staggered a step towards her with a confused look on her face. “What’s more important than your life?!”

“I’ve got to help a friend… I just found out a little bit ago that they need my help!” She quickly looked for pieces of truth to go along with her lie. “It’s because it is dangerous that I have to go!”

“But Fumiko—“ Her father tried to protest further.

“She’s my friend and she’s in trouble! I’ve already decided that I was going to help.” The lie continued to grow on its own and filled the answers without Fumiko thinking about it. “School’s still closed so I won’t be neglecting it. It’s out of town so I’m going to be gone for a little while.”

“What?!”

“You can’t be serious! That’s completely out of the question! You’re not leaving this house!”

“I’m going and that’s the end of it! I’m not going to be scared of this world like you two are! I’m leaving by four in the morning so if you want to say goodbye do it then!” Fumiko turned away from them and marched off to her room. She slammed her door closed and dropped to her bed feeling her legs shaking. Near the end it had felt like she was going to collapse at any moment. The strength in her body had been completely drained away. ‘I can’t believe I spoke to them like that… What sort of person am I?’

Chapter 91 – The Decision

Sharp thuds against a wooden target wormed their way through the grounds of the Chinen estate. The forest covering did a perfect job of trapping and reflecting noise. It made it nearly impossible to approach the main house as every sound seemed to be amplified. It worked well as a protection against intruders, almost as though it was done on purpose.

Chiharu approached her tree target and retrieved the kunai. The spread of the blades was greater than she had wished. She felt that her timing had been thrown off. She planned to continue until it fit to her satisfaction. “What is it Tamotsu?” Chiharu picked up the slightest change in sound from his feet.

He had remained out of her sight, but pulled himself out of the shadows now discovered. “Forgive me, Lady Chiharu! I didn’t want to disturb you during your training!” Once announced, he moved himself in her vision.

“Enough with the formalities!” She threw a kunai at the tree sticking deeply into the trunk. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s none of my business, Lady Chiharu, but I was unable to find you on the grounds for twenty minutes. Some of the men started asking questions.”

“You’re right, Tamotsu. It isn’t your business.” Another kunai stuck into the tree, missing her desired target by a few centimeters. “I’m the head of this clan and what I do is my prerogative. I don’t need to ask anyone’s permission to do something.”

Tamotsu lowered his head a little trying to lessen his position to her. “You’re right, Lady Chiharu. However, the men look to you for guidance and leadership. You can’t be the head of the clan if you’re not here.”

The third kunai hit shallowly and fell to the ground. A slight twitch from Chiharu was all she allowed. “What good are men to me if they can’t think and react on their own? I don’t need mindless soldiers that fall apart the moment I’m not around to order them.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“You’re right, Lady Chiharu. The men need more training.”

“…as do I…” she whispered to herself.

“Lady Chiharu?”

“Leave me now!”

“Right away, Lady Chiharu!”

Tamotsu promptly disappeared back into the main house. Chiharu remained outside staring down at the remaining two kunai in her hands. The hand that held them shook slightly uncontrollably making her sweat a little. She flinched quickly and snapped herself back into a throwing position. Without even thinking she threw the two kunai together at the tree. They both had hit shallowly and dropped to the ground clattering against one another. Chiharu clinched her hand into a fist frustrated by her weakness.

The walk back to their house remained fairly quiet between the siblings. Neither of them had much to say to the other. Yori remained mute waiting for any moment that his sister needed him. In the case of her, she held fast to trying to fully grasp everything that she was doing.

The whole scene happened so fast for her that she was still processing it. She may have been acting consciously around the group, but it wasn’t until after it was settled that it truly began to filter through her. The point that confused her still more than anything else was why the fairy had summoned her. She knew nothing about the others, but figured that if the fairy claimed they had powers it must be true. Except, she knew that she did not have any powers.

Her confusion was managing to fill up the travel time nicely. When they arrived home their mother was already in the house. The hope to avoid suspicions was welling up fear in her. She became afraid of how much trouble it would be to convince their mother of what they were going to do. ‘…Brother…’

Yori saw the expression on his sister and took the lead. “Did you find the dinner, mother?”

“Yori! I was wondering where you were. I didn’t hear anything from you or your sister.” A moment later, she meandered into the doorway keeping to the back. “There you are dear! Were you outside?”

“Yes, the school is nearing completion and so I’ve had to meet with faculty.”

The middle aged single mother checked through the kitchen still trying to act her part. She kept listening to Yori while examining the cupboards. “Oh? You must be so busy with all of that responsibility that they’re giving you.”

Yori smoothly transitioned to her side helping with the dishes. “Not at all.” They had dried already and needed to be put away. It made the conversation flow naturally that he didn’t have to worry about it seeming out of place. “I did volunteer for this. So I’m only doing what is expected.”

“I’m glad to hear that. You’ve always been such a hard worker, dear.”

“The next week or more I’m going to be very busy though.” He handed off a dish to her to set up in the cupboard. “There’s still a lot of people I have to meet with to finish it. Considering how it’s a bunch of high school students doing this work they have their doubts and concerns. So I’m not going to be able to get back home as much.”

“Are you sure? What about your sister? She’ll be lonely in the house without her brother.”

“Hmm…” He made a pensive pause as though he was thinking about her. A moment later, he came back with an answer for her. “You’re probably right. I can take her with me. It’ll be a good chance for her to get to know some of the faculty members and learn about something new.”

“You’ll keep her safe and watch out for her?”

“Of course! I won’t let anything happen to her, mother!”

“Alright. Please at least call me each night so I know you’re safe.”

“I will.” Yori stepped out of the kitchen with the choirs completed. She awaited his return in the hall. “It’s done.”

“I’m sorry you had to lie to mom, Yori.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder giving her a comfort smile. “It’s fine. I know this is important for you.”

The hour became very late and morning threatened to arrive soon. Inside the Furukawa apartment, everyone slept peacefully except for one. She tried to be as quiet as possible to not wake anyone up. She felt a little sense of irony knowing that she attempted to do what Yuki had to her. However, she knew that there was no convincing her mother of anything. ‘I’m glad that I packed everything before I slept.’

Saki opened her door listening to the painful whining of the hinges and praying that it was not too loud. She returned back to her packed bag lifting it to her shoulder. A slow rolling yawn spilled from her mouth despite her trying to force it back. ‘I’m so tired… I hope wherever it is we’re going I’ll have a chance to sleep…’ She had only been able to get a few hours of sleep after making sure that everything she needed was packed. Saki tipped toed out of her room into the hallway, eying the living room in sight.

“…sister?” called a young sleepy voice.

A bolt of fear ran through Saki freezing her in her step. She appeared like a thief in the night that had just been caught in the middle of the act. Saki tilted her head over her shoulder trying to stay mostly in the shadows. “Noriko? What are you doing up so late?”

“I had a dream that you were taken away from us. That bad men came for you.” Noriko rolled her hand against her eyelid trying to get sleep free so she could see clearly. “You’re not going anywhere right, sister?”

Saki hesitated giving her an answer. She hated the thought of having to lie to her sister. The time she had ticked quickly away from her. The longer that she held her reply the heavier her heart felt. ‘I can’t tell her the truth, but what can I say?’

“There aren’t any bad men are there, sister?” Noriko started to close the distance between them. She tried to reach out for Saki.

Saki bit her lip staring down at her younger sister from the shadows. The cold hearted approach wasn’t going to work she had decided. She knelt down to meet Noriko. “It’s going to be alright, Noriko. I won’t let them take me away from you. But I have to deal with them, you see?”

“The bad men?”

“That’s right. But I’ll beat them up and come back. So don’t you worry.”

“Promise?”

“Of course! I’m stronger and tougher than any bad guy, right?”

Noriko nodded to Saki having some of the worry start to melt away from her face. The reassurance from her sister had warmed up her expression. “Right!” She gave Saki a little jump of support for her to show that she was with her.

“What’s going on out here?” echoed a new older voice that made Saki’s mind run cold for a second.

‘Mom…’

Not even thinking about it, Noriko ran back to their mother, jumping with excitement. “Big sister’s going to beat up the bad guys!”

“What?!” The older slightly graying woman looked down the hall at her eldest daughter with a questioning look. An exchange occurred between them without words and she knew immediately. “Noriko, you should be getting back to sleep.”

“…but…” Noriko tried to protest more, but could see the stare in her mother’s eyes telling her to stop. She silently agreed to return to her room.

Saki’s mother stiffly walked a meter down the hall waiting until Noriko went into her room before starting. “This is about that troublemaker isn’t it?” The silence in Saki’s voice was all that she needed to know that she was right. “How many times do I have to tell you not to go near him?! Don’t you remember what he did to you? Have you forgotten?!”

“How can I forget when you always have to remind me?! You never let me! Yuki’s felt guilty about it for nearly two years even though he hasn’t said a thing to me!”

“Feeling guilty isn’t enough!”

“Then what do you want from him? He’s lost his parents, his friends and his place! What more do you want from him?!” She tried to keep her breathing under control, but her emotions were getting the better of her. Her mother seemed a little silent after the last barrage of words. “I don’t care what you think. I trust Yuki and he needs my help. I’m going now. I’ll see you when I’m done!” Saki turned away feeling her legs shaking a little as she strode out of the apartment and into the night. She paused for a moment at the end of the street to look back at the apartment building before continuing on.

One stop before meeting with Yuki was on her schedule and it stood before her. The hospital looked even more eerie than normal in the dark light of the night sky. “Takako…” She didn’t know how long she was going to be away and felt it was important to see her one last time before leaving.

At the nurse’s desk Saki inquired for a brief visit, but was shocked by what the nurse told her. “Miss Yamazaki was transferred out of the hospital a few days ago. I’m sorry!”