Scarlet

13. Hope

Seven months passed and there was no sign that Kira had received any of the letters. Gouenji began to wonder if she was in the country at all. By now he had sent letters to a major chunk of places. He wondered if all or any of them were even delivered properly and kept safe until her arrival. It was a huge gamble to trust a stranger with such a crucial duty but he couldn't do anything else.

Lately, he had taken up a new habit of sticking closely to the big windows of the hall and peeking outside since the spot offered a clear, although, distant view of a portion of the road leading into the town. This is where carriages often stopped before heading off in a different direction.

Whenever he wasn't busy writing or studying the map he was staring towards the street waiting to spot the woman dressed in all black. There could only be one doing so since dressing in black wasn't a norm for women and was considered an ominous colour.

A carriage would stop and he would get his hopes up but then he would plunge into despair again. This happened far too often yet he did not stop his habit.

Three more months passed and it was a year since Kira had left displeased with him. During this time his letter-writing hadn't stopped at all. His active efforts had managed to keep him busy and despite feeling heartbroken, had saved him from falling into absolute darkness.

One morning, he sensed that it was raining. He couldn't look outside to check but he could hear the pitter-patter of the drops against the glass of the window. It made him think of the first time Kira had stumbled upon his doorstep. He began rewinding that night in his mind in detail, smiling inevitably as he did so. He walked up to the big window and placed his ear against the glass, the thick curtain in between shielding him from the light. He closed his eyes and kept listening to the noise of the rain and pictured the night like he was dreaming.

It rained all through the daytime and only receded in the evening. Seeing that, Gouenji resumed his daily routine of peeking out, his gaze fixed on the dirt road. The sun was also about to set, there was still a dim indigo colour left in the sky. A carriage stopped next to a puddle as its mud-covered wheels stopped slowly. A figure stepped out of the carriage dressed in all black.

Seeing this, Gouenji's curiosity rose as he focused to see better. The figure seemed to be walking towards the mansion for a while but then disappeared behind a hill.

Gouenji was stunned to see these events unfold. He was excited but also apprehensive that it was all his eyes playing tricks on him. He rushed to the door then stopped one step short, he rushed back to the window to check the hills again but stopped halfway and returned to the door. He kept doing this for a few moments and then fell down on the couch with his eyes pressed into his palms. He kept fidgeting and taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

Then there was a knock on the door and he finally knew which direction to rush to. He flung open the door to finally find the sight he had been waiting for for a year. There Kira was, standing at the threshold, her suitcase beside her and three envelopes in her hand.

"I received five of these but I threw two of them away since I was still angry with you at the time. " She announced plainly.

The next moment she was fervently pulled into a hug that stayed that way for a while.

"I knew my letters would bring you back. Don't ever leave again. " He spoke with relief in his voice.

"Don't abduct someone again." She promptly responded, making him chuckle in embarrassment.

She sat down near the fireplace and this time Gouenji was the one to get the fire going.

"It's chilly outside." She said as she rubbed her hands together bringing them close to the fire.