Underneath the Red Trees

CHAPTER 77: HEALING HANDS

"Ayu," Kaguya tried.

"Shut up!" her shoulders shook. "Just stop it. What could you possibly say to make this okay? I lost my longbow. You didn't lose your weapon. I did. I did!"

Kaguya pursed her lips. Ayumi was right. There was nothing she could say.

Ayumi got to her feet. "I'm not a Wielder anymore. I don't have to be here." She left with that. Ayumi Saito took her leave of the Wielders, and she never looked back again.

"Shit," Harin said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. "That was something."

"Yeah," Kaguya said, half in a daze. She cared deeply for Ayumi, but there was little she could do about what had happened just now. Dashi had tried to warn her, but she had listened to her anger rather than to the warning. "Dashi is Pandora's Box. That's why you called us here, isn't it?"

"How did you know?" Hayate asked.

"Jinshiro told me."

Satoru's brows furrowed. "Jinshiro?"

Kaguya glanced at him. "He isn't really alive anymore. He is not dead, either."

Satoru swallowed his spit. "What," he tried to control his voice to no avail. "What happened to him?"

"My brother did." Touma traced circles on Hayate's palm. He wouldn't look at the people in the room, keeping his eyes pinned to Hayate's hand instead. He felt guilty, still, for everything Daisaku had done.

Makoto eyed Satoru silently. Satoru's face was nonchalant, but his knuckles were white.

"The Face Eater and Jinshiro Naguchi are one and the same," Dashi said. "His memories have been corrupted by Daisaku Akano's abuse." Hayate's jaw tensed. "However," Dashi remarked, "that is something that the healing hands of the fourth King can fix."

Harin looked up. "Wait, you mean me?"

Dashi nodded. "You underestimate yourself, fourth King. Your talents are far greater than you realise."

"No, no, no." Harin waved her hands in front of her. "I can't do anything. I've never even healed anyone before."

"It is within your power."

Harin shook her head. "Nope. No way."

Kaguya gripped Harin's hands. "Please, Harin," her voice was desperate. "Please just try." She squeezed Harin's hands, "At least just try."

Harin's heart squeezed. The forlornness in Kaguya's voice was clear as the light of day.

Harin shut her eyes. "Fine. I'll try. But don't get your hopes up." 

Harin trailed behind Kaguya as they marched down the streets. It was starting to get dark now.

"Where are we going?" Harin asked, "We've been walking for an hour now."

Kaguya said, "I don't know how to get him to come to me, to be honest."

"So, are we just going to keep walking around until he shows up?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"You should've thought this through better."

Kaguya laughed. She did not say much else.

They must have walked for another forty minutes before Kaguya stopped.