Fading Cinders

Chapter 5

We were plummeting, falling straight into the solid ground miles below us. I looked up at the lifeless eye of Mokou. I began to slip out of her grasp.

"MOKOU!" I tried shouting at her, but I knew it was in vain. Such a horrible injury was fata-

"GAH! DAMNIT!" Mokou had suddenly snapped her head up, pulling me back towards her as she reignited her fiery wings. How could she be...? I looked up at her, in a mix of confusion and fear.

"M-mokou? How are you..?" She looked down at me.

"Hm? Oh yeah... heheh... THIS is what I meant by not exactly human. I can't die. No matter what..." She said this with a twinge of sadness. "It still hurts a lot though! Damage to the brain like this shuts me off for a bit, sorry if I scared you." She smiled at me. Even with an arrow straight through her eye, she can still smile. Makes me wonder what else she's gone through.

"No, it's fine... I'm just glad you're ok, Mokou." I smiled back up at her. I look over her shoulder back at the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. The person who shot Mokou was slowly walking back inside, the thick green of the forest consuming them. I decided to ask her. "Mokou, who was that?" She took a quick breath, hesitating before talking.

"...she had a bow right? Long white hair with a blue and red outfit?" I nod at Mokou. *Sigh* "Then... that was Eirin Yagokoro. The doctor of Eientei." So that's who it was. The grim doctor of eternity. "I'm honestly surprised she even left Eientei. I don't remember how long it's been since she..." I start to think. Was it because of me? Was it because I got away? ...was she even aiming at Mokou? I get lost in these thoughts, not even noticing that I was squeezing Mokou's arm until she speaks up again. "Hey." I snap up to look at her.

"S-sorry Mokou, were you saying something?"

"You'll be fine, alright? She's not gonna come chasing you just because you got out of the forest." Mokou smiles again but I could tell she didn't fully convince herself with that. Nothing about my situation must be normal.

"Yeah... you're right..." We both go quiet while Mokou focuses on flying, we soon make it to the outskirts of the village walls. Mokou sets me down but I quickly feel pain shoot back through my leg. I lean against the wall. She starts to grab the arrow still sticking through her eye but stops to look at me.

"Sorry, can you look away? This'll be gross."

"O-oh, yeah sure." I turn around while Mokou starts to pull the arrow out of her head. I hear terrible squelching sounds and her pained gasps until the arrow lands on the ground with a dull clunk. I turn back to see Mokou closing her missing eye. "Will you be alright?"

"Ahh, don't worry. It'll be back in a second." Be back...? Does she just... regenerate? My question was quickly answered when she suddenly opened her eye. It looks like nothing even happened to it. She rubbed her new? eye, then nodded. "There we go, good as new. Alright come on, I'll get you to Keine."

"Wait, you're..." I don't know what she's thinking, trying to walk into the village looking like that.

"Hm? What is it? What's wrong with me...?"

"Um, you're still covered in blood... The guards won't let you in the village like that..." Mokou looked down at her clothes, seemingly not remembering how bloodstained she was.

"...right, forgot about that. Wait, guards? Since when are there guards at the human village?"

"There've been guards for as long as I remember. They help keep youkai out." Did she really not know that? She started mumbling to herself.

"...as long as she remembers? How long have I been in that forest...?" Mokou starts looking around, then starts walking past me.

"Where are you going, Mokou?"

"There should be a river over here, I'll be back in a bit!" She starts flying and before I know it I hear a splash in the distance. I then see her blaze a streak across the sky and land right next to me. The blood has all but been washed off of her, but you can still see it faintly. I hope no guard looks too closely... "Alright human, sorry for the wait. I'll get you the help you need for that leg."

"Um, one more thing."

"Yeah? What is it?" I figured that we've been through enough together.

"My name, you can stop calling me human now..." Mokou straightens her posture and looks at me with a gentle smile. "My name is Shirayuki, but you can just call me Yuki if you want."

"Alright, Yuki. Let's go." Mokou started carrying me around to an entrance of the village. The sun was just beginning to rise. Watching it slowly climb over the horizon made me realize how long of a night this has been.

......

Eirin slowly walks back through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. She walks straight to Mokou's run down shack, standing over the slowly regenerating body of Kaguya.

"Are you back yet Kaguya?" She receives no response from the girl on the ground. Eirin sighs, moving down to grab Kaguya by the collar. She slowly begins to drag her back to Eientei. In no time at all she returns to her home, greeted by Tewi.

"Welcome back, Eirin!" Tewi was energetic as usual, but quickly jolted back when she saw how Eirin looked at her.

"Tewi... why did you just let that human escape? Do I have to tell you every single time that your little games don't matter?" Eirin glared at Tewi with a look of contempt, the small girl shrinking in on herself. The cheery, loud voice from earlier barely a whisper.

"I-I'm sorry L-lady Yagokoro, I thought that my traps would-"

"The girl was injured, and you let her go did you not? For your own entertainment?" Eirin was towering above Tewi, who was horribly shaking, unable to utter a single word. *Sigh* "What's done is done, I suppose. Tewi, bring Kaguya inside." Eirin backed away from Tewi, who followed her new orders without a word. The small girl scampered away to bring the princess inside Eientei. Eirin stares in the direction of the village, a mixture of emotions on her face. She closes her eyes, breathes in deeply, then smiles.