The Demon Queen

The Blue Spider Lily (Part 2)

I started to breathe heavily. My chest tightened up and I felt my body shaken with dread. I almost felt like I was going to vomit. "Burnt ... gone ...?" I asked.

Douma nodded.

It felt like my throat closed up. I pressed my teeth together, holding back my screams.

Gyutaro noticed me. "Sakura?" he asked in a concerned, yet set-aback voice.

I pounded my fist on the table. The vibration from the blow knocked over both mine and Douma's cups of tea. My eyes flashed red and suddenly, I started to cough. I threw my hands to my face and slapped them to my mouth.

"Sakura!" Gyutaro screamed my name and lept over the table to come to my side.

"How ..." I coughed, glancing towards Douma. "How ..." I swallowed a thick, sour clump of saliva. "HOW IS THE FIELD THAT DAMN FLOWER GROWS IN BRUNT DOWN!!!!" I exploded with all the strength of my lungs. I panted, my shoulders harshly rising and falling with my breaths as I stared at Douma. The whole room seemed to shake and blur from my fury. "How?" My eyes filled up with tears. "How is it possible that it's gone ...?" Tears rolled down my cheeks. "It's been almost a thousand years. Every day, everything has been about that flower ... how can it be gone?"

"Sakura!" Gyutaro hugged me from my side.

Tears formed in Douma's eyes. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I don't know what to say." He wiped his eyes. "I don't know why, but you and Muzan seem to have negative spirits following you about the Blue Spider Lily. Either that, or it seems that someone knows what you're after, got there first, and destroyed it."

I thought for a moment, staring towards Douma. I was still furious, breathing harder than usual, but I had already let enough energy explode out of me.

After all, it wasn't even Douma's fault that the field was burnt.

"Do you think someone destroyed it?" I asked. "Or, did this charcoal salesman your followers talked to say anything about it?"

Gyutaro pressed himself snugger against my sides as he continued to hug me.

"I'm sorry. I don't know," Douma answered. "I can ask my followers that had gone over there, but I don't think they spent much time talking to the man."

"Did they give you the name of the charcoal salesman?"

Douma shook his head.

"These followers sound pathetic and useless," Gyutaro said.

"But if you want to check it out yourself, the place they went to was at Mt. Kumotori," Douma said.

"Yes. I remember that location from your father's logs."

"Huh? That's not so far from here," Gyutaro said.

"I'll ask my followers if they remember anything else as soon as I can," Douma said.

I nodded. "Okay ... okay ..." I took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry," Douma said and bowed his head to me.

Before I could answer Douma, I noticed Gyutaro patting me on the head. His hand was a tad rough, and the friction from his pats tugged very slightly on my hair. I turned my head to look at him, only to be so close to him that I could feel his breaths puff directly in my face. I would have told him to get off of me, if not for the troubled and concerned expression on his face.

"Are you fine now?" he asked and pat me on the head some more.

"I'm --"

I'm not fine.