Worlds Apart

I Love You

Love, care, affection are all humane feelings. There are some people in this world who numb themselves towards any kind of intimacy. Lui never thought through things. He rarely cared about others except for his own family. But there he was, following the enchanted compass along a rusty path in the midst of a forest trying to save that one single person. Not even identifying the worry inside his heart is woven with love. A foreign feeling, an intense emotion nevertheless.

When he chased the person who shot an arrow towards Shu, he made sure to plant an enchanted tracker on his clothes. This was one of the tricks he was taught as a child. If you can't follow the person throughout the way, make amends that you two will meet again. His eyes were fixed on the path. The exhaustion from the poison was still pressing against his limb. But his mind was focused on Shu's image, inside that cell with the little spark of hope. Shinki slashed his sword against the thickly grown wild vines. "There's no end to them" He growled, kicking at another fallen tree.

Lui forced his way through them. "Where the hell does this person live?" He wondered aloud, his voice echoing in the forest in front of them.

"Hell" Katana answered swiftly, looking over to Gou who was holding the enchanted compass.

"We're close" He said, looking over the trees. The others followed his gaze to see the trail of smoke against the clear blue sky. A spark of hope raced through his mind as Lui made his way through the forest not caring about the exhaustion or his pained body. They had a lead and now they found the target.

Soon, the four of them arrived at the wooden cabin. Isolated from the rest of the world. The thin trail of smoke was still there indicating the human inhabitants. Honestly, the small bed of vegetables in front of the house and the sound of soft laughter gave them all the clues they needed. Whoever the person was, they are inside the cabin. Lui cautiously stepped through, careful not to make a sound. His eyes darted around. The place was completely hidden by trees. Even with the enchanted compass, it took them over three hours to locate the exact place to the cabin. It was made as any other with straps of quality wood and a strong roof that would secure them from all kinds of climate. He gestured at Katana and stood away from the window and the door. Whoever the person was, they won't recognize Katana because he was not a highlighted character in any occasion of the city. That was his role in their group. Lie low and attack.

The air around them was tense. As Katana knocked on the door, everyone was holding their breath. The sound was precise and loud against their ears and inevitably, the laughter stopped. There was a low murmur and footsteps from inside.  Loud footsteps left the front door before it was opened. Just enough for the person to see Katana and make sure he was not a threat, just a passerby who was dumb enough to get lost in a forest filled with poisonous snakes and wild boars. Lui could see Katana smiling and explaining something. At his angle, he couldn't see the face of the person by the door. A minute passed and Lui spotted the flash of threat in Katana's eyes and he grabbed the door surprising the other person and flung it open reaching for his sword. Lui stepped out of his hiding place just when a woman came out of the house. Swords in both her hands and danger flashing through her eyes. Lui stopped, momentarily freezing. Not because it was a woman but because he knew her. He knew her a bit too well. "M-Mitsuba?"

She turned, only then seeing him standing by. "Prince Lui?" Her eyes narrowed. Lui just stared, frozen in surprise. Ironically, he thought the surprise element was theirs to use given the circumstances but unfortunately, Mitsuba surprised him more than he liked to admit. She didn't even cross his mind while the chain of incidents happened.

"What are you doing here?"

She didn't drop her defense, "This is my home." She answered.

"This can't be-" Lui started when she broke him off. That's when he realized the change of her usual demeanor. The hands she used to cure people were holding two swords. The eyes that were filled with nothing but kindness were filled with dread and threat. Even though he hated to admit it, everythjng made sense. She was a healer and meddled with Moeru herbs a lot. She would obviously know about crimson Nightshade. But Lui tried to deny it. Mitsuba had saved Shu's life countless times. Healed him without any malice. Laughed with him in that isolated medicine room. Shu trusted her. He trusted her more than anyone. "Please tell me this is wrong. You did not do that."