Six days had passed since Eira's statement at the Ubuyashiki mission. The news that she was going to lead another Upper Moon Hunt had shocked all that had heard it first-hand. Directly after the statement was made, Eira forced all of the people at Ubuyashiki to stay quiet about it, there was no need for unneeded publicity. Additionally, Eira had no intention of Asumi or Kaze finding out about this active hunt for Ali.
They could find out when her sword had cleaved every part of Ali's body into separate tiny pieces.
Eira sat on a bench, her crow stood on her shoulder. The sharp talons pierced her fabric for a steady grip. Her hands rarely left the hilt of her father's esteemed katana, whether she was seated, walking or sprinting, her palm was always pressed against the sword, just in case. At times, she even slept with the sword in her hand. She inhaled deeply as she watched the sight in front of her.
The horizon and the sun met with a beautiful touch. She stared at the shimmering river, it danced in warm orange colours, glistening with the reflected light. This was the same town where she, Ali and Asumi had done their first mission. Little had changed about the town, the same busyness of the shops as closing time drew near. The same chatter, the same pale fade on the wood boards of houses. The pathways dusty, as people did their routine sweeping outside.
If everything was the same, why did Eira feel so different? Her jaw clenched as her mind involuntarily began to recall her first mission with her friends. The group of demons that lurked in the town and almost killed Ali. The tears that she had shed as she watched Ali being mercilessly attacked over and over.
Eira shook her head and exhaled as she reached into her inner pocket. A crumpled piece of paper with messy ink. Handwriting only the reader, herself, could possibly read. Her face cringed at the messy paper, scribbles and lines going through everything.
"I'm going to rewrite this, and I want it sent to the headquarters by tonight, tell them to replicate it and send it to all the people on the list I'll send with the letter," Eira spoke to her crow, all she got in return was a silent nod.
As the sun dipped further in the horizon and the orange began to be replaced with a dark blue, Eira stepped into the nearest store. The store was dim as it prepared for close. Eira spotted the envelopes in a fat stack on the back, alongside varying sizes of paper.
"I'd like an envelope and two pieces of paper that'll fit, thank you," Eira spoke to the elderly man at the front counter, who wiped the smooth wooden counter with an old, moist rag.
"We only sell the small size paper in packs of twenty, medium size in ten," The old man didn't look at her as he replied, "What will it be?"
Eira narrowed her eyes in annoyance, she didn't need twenty or ten pages of paper. She needed two.
"The large size?" Eira pointed to the large A3 size.
The old man looked up this time at the young lady who had an annoyed expression on her face. His eyes darted down to her hand, which rested on her sword. He felt his knees grow weak and his stomach turn.
"We sell those in one," He spoke with a slight quiver, but upheld enough courage, "That will be…"
Eira slammed down a handful of coins without letting the man speak. He flinched slightly at the loud clatter, but took what he needed and bent down to grab the items from under the counter. Eira grabbed the remaining coins, and her items, quickly exiting the store.
The last rays of sunlight kissed the town, promising to return tomorrow as the sun finally sunk under the horizon. The murmurs had calmed and it was practically silent as the town settled into night. Except for one, a small boy who stood outside the store, his pocket jingling with coins as he bounced on his feet. He was the store owner's grandson, waiting for the store to fully close. Eira whizzed past him as she quickly headed back to the bench.
The boy watched Eira place several items onto the bench. His eyebrows raised as he studied her appearance, a complex white and blue haori.
Eira drew her sword in one hand and held the large paper in another. She glided her blade straight down the middle in a practised manner, creating two pieces of paper in her desired size.
She swiftly copied what was on the crumpled draft onto one piece of paper. With one final spelling and grammar check, she slipped the first piece of paper into the sleek white envelope. On the second paper, she began to write a list.
"Specific - Mizunoto: Yukina, Hinoe: Ayumu and Haruto, Kanoe: Mei and Takeshi, "
First and foremost, Eira invited the previous Corps Members who assisted and survived her first mission. Then she began to write down ranges for other ranks to invite.
" Other: 10 in the Mizunoto to Kanoe range, 10 in the Tsuchinoto - Hinoe range, 20 in the Kinoto - Kanoe range"
45 invited in total.
Eira stared at her list and slipped it into the envelope. She'd invite Asumi and Kaze like she had done last time, but she knew it would be to no avail, if anything they'd probably come to stop the mission like the traitors they were. Eira shook her head, pushing any negative thoughts away, her blood heating as she remembered how her plan had failed.
She handed the letter to her crow. Almost immediately, it gripped the letter tightly with its beak and ascended into the sky, the loud flaps of his wings grew quieter.
Eira sighed as she stared at the night sky, stars scattered, reminding her of one of the poems she had written in the past. She had written it on one of the few nights the dense fog of the mountains had cleared, and the stars could showcase their true beauty.
Clocks ticked endlessly as the night grew older. The letters had reached headquarters and were being sent out at a rapid pace. This mission was of utmost importance and enthusiasm. The offices were filled with pens scraping against paper, copying Eira's letter. Just below those offices, the vigorous mashing and swirling of Wisteria poison, which was then evaporated to remove water, and mixed with further Wisteria solution to amplify its effectiveness. Syringes were filled, needles screwed on and put into large boxes.
There was a great shift in the world. Now that an Upper Moon had been defeated, the Corps had to take advantage of the breakthrough to the fullest. It felt as if the end was imminent.
Kaze took a deep breath in. One of the workers at the Wisteria house held up a medical device to his chest, while another slowly removed bandages.
"Thank you for caring for me," Kaze smiled as the worker nodded and approved of his dismissal. His stay at the Wisteria house and recovery had come to an end. Coincidentally, Ayumu was also being assessed on whether he was able to leave, however, his wounds were much more fatal.
Kaze walked through the dim lighting of the hallways, the brightness was at a perfect shade where you could perfectly see the surroundings, yet still not have your sleep disturbed. Cold air flooded his lungs as he entered the main room, where his gear awaited him.
The silence was deafening, almost creating a solemn atmosphere. Kaze's hand gripped the wardrobe handle, the slow creak being the only comfort of sound in the room, his gear stared at him, excited to be put to use once again. He pulled the waistband of his comfortable robe, allowing it to fall off his body. He hung it on the corner of the wardrobe door as he picked up the tough Corps uniform.
"I'm staying here for another few days," Ayumu's voice sighed behind Kaze, his tone oddly calm and controlled for someone who was obviously frustrated, "I feel perfectly fine,"
Kaze huffed through his nose and smiled, holding back a laugh at Ayumu's frustration. He was about to continue the conversation when the cold air caressed his body and reminded him it was too cold to be having conversations while half-naked.
He quickly put on his thick clothing, the buttons were a hassle everytime, but even more in the hurry against cold weather.
"Well, you're not missing out on anything," Kaze mumbled as he simultaneously stared at his waist, making final adjustments to the way his sword sheath sat on his hip before tightening the belt.
Ayumu exhaled slowly as he lowered himself onto the futon below him. He couldn't deny the lingering soreness of his wounds and muscles, he understood a little more why he wasn't approved for dismissal.
"Well, you were great company," Ayumu offered a hand out to Kaze, who had just finished sliding his second sheath across his back, letting Ali's green blade drop into the sheath.
"So were you," Kaze firmly gripped Ayumu's hand, which tugged on his sore shoulder but Ayumu chose not to say anything, "You're a friend I'll never forget, come by and visit sometime,"
With so much hatred-driven actions in the past few weeks, the kindness in the centre of their handshake was brighter than the sun.
A soft whoosh slowly interrupted the bromantic moment, a crow had flown inside the dim room and dropped right on top of their joined hands.
"A letter for Hinoe, Ayumu," The crow's beak opened and the small parchment fell out of its mouth. With one statement, the crow jumped off their hands and glided to the floor.
Ayumu had a confused look as he grabbed the letter off the floor, had Yukina finally written to him?
Kaze, although intrigued, didn't want to pry into any business, he turned away and took a deep breath in, preparing himself for whenever his crow would drop in and address his mission.
A minute of silence overtook the room.
Just as Kaze opened the thin shoji door to the courtyard, Ayumu stood up far too quickly for someone so injured.
The floor vibrated with loud footsteps as Ayumu swiftly made his way to Kaze, holding the letter open for him to read. Kaze's eyes widened as he read the contents of the letter.
The sun slowly began to rise over the horizon, the courtyard being illuminated more and more ever so slowly.
"I have to intervene," Kaze spoke softly as he stared at the letter intensely. He gripped his sword tightly, his head throbbing unusually. He ignored the pain and began to rummage through the same wardrobe his gear had been in.
"I'm coming with you," Ayumu moved to Kaze's side and grabbed his gear. Kaze had no complaints or comments, he was rummaging through the wardrobe trying to find anything to write on.
If nothing else, he had to inform Asumi.
His hands found a dry sheet of paper, pushed into the very corner of the wardrobe. His eyes lit up as he pulled it towards him. He searched his pockets for a pencil or pen.
"Here," Ayumu had already put on his uniform pants, his wounded body contoured by the dim light from the candles and the rising sun. He held out a black pen, his arm slightly shaking.
Kaze nodded in solidarity and grabbed it, he exhaled deeply and flicked the cap off.
"Show us the way," Ayumu spoke to his crow in the background.
Kaze didn't know what to write. He put the cap on and decided he would write once his brain had fully digested what he had just read.
Ayumu quickly sprinted to the hosts' room and offered a loud but sincere apology. The only responses were tired shouts of denial as Ayumu sprinted back to Kaze.
The crow hovered in the air outside the open door, the frequent flapping only alerting them more.
"Let's go," Ayumu tightened his sheath belt, slid his sword in and quickly exited the room. Kaze followed suit quickly, the paper still in his palm.
They both began to run at a fast pace, a pace that would tire them quickly, but their brains were too full of anxiety for the events that were to come to even think about slowing down.
They have to save Ali, and stop Eira.
As Kaze's body heaved up and down, a throbbing pain erupted in his head. His vision became blurry and dizziness overtook him.
He could feel his body slow down, his ears clog as his body reacted negatively to the sharp pain in his head. He slowed down and groaned, his body flimsy. He came to a complete halt, breathing deeply as he bent over to rest.
"Kaze! Are you ok?!" Ayumu's voice was drowned out by a loud ring in Kaze's ears. All he could see was a figure running towards him. All he could hear was the ring and his heavy breaths.