Zangeki woke up the next day to the branches and leaves of a beautiful tree.
He saw that he was covered in bandaging cloth and slowly got up, feeling slight pain to his wounds from yesterday.
Zangeki found himself in a wooded area by the shores of Japan surrounded by all of the residents of Hikarimachi.
The reason they were here was because the village had been burned up so much that they had to reside somewhere nearby, at least, and this area was the perfect spot.
His friend, Mizu Kesseki, noticed Zangeki woke up and headed over to him, asking, "Hey, Chairo, you alright?"
Zangeki grunted a little, saying, "Heavily wounded is all, my friend... I did it, though. I defeated the Oni no Hana Clan."
"Really? You did? Th-That's great news, Chairo! This is amazing-"
"But then something was... Taken away from..." Zangeki said, cutting off Kesseki.
"Wait, what? What do you mean?"
"Hinode, Kesseki... She's... She's gone, she... In front of me... She died right in front of me..."
Kesseki was shocked, saying, "Oh no... Oh no, Chairo, I'm so sorry... Oh my goodness..."
Tears rolled from Zangeki's eyes. "If I had gotten rid of the hate that remained, she would still be around, she... She... She was my everything, the love of my life..."
Kesseki then placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, saying, "It... It's okay, Chairo, it's... it's okay, my friend. Let it all out..."
Zangeki then began to cry, putting his head on Kesseki's chest, his friend shedding a little bit of tears himself.
After crying for a bit, Chairo's emotion changed from sadness to anger, rage, fury.
"I saw who did it." Zangeki said. "I saw who did it and I know who it is... He took her away from me... He will pay for what he did..."
Kesseki pushed Zangeki back a little, saying, "Woah, hold on, Chairo. Don't tell me you're going on the path to vengeance again..."
"Vengeance... Heh, I've already fulfilled vengeance before, for my family, for my father... My love died in front of me, the one who did it... Now, I seek vengeance for her...! I will avenge Hinode's death!"
"And what will happen when you avenge her, Chairo? Will it bring her back, bring you satisfaction? Absolutely not! Think about what you're doing. You've avenged your family, I let it fly, but you're going for vengeance again... I can't let you do that, Chairo."
Zangeki sighed, saying, "I know, Kesseki. You care enough to keep me from making bad choices and going down the wrong paths. I've appreciated you for doing so... You are a true friend... But this time, Kesseki, I can take this on my own, I can make the right choice here. I... I don't care if it's right or wrong... Just as long as that bastard pays for killing my love."
"Chairo, I-"
"No, Kesseki, not this time!" Zangeki said, cutting him off. "Not this time, please... Let me do what's right here, by my choice."
Kesseki sighed. "Ridiculous of you to think vengeance is right... But if that's what you're gonna do, I guess I have no choice but to let you get your vengeance. If you think that's the right thing to do, then do it, okay?"
"I will, Kesseki. Thank you."
After saying this Kesseki asked, "So, how are you going to find this person, this man, that took Hinode's life. Do you know where he is?"
"No, in fact, by his looks, he looked to be European." Zangeki said, "With that said he could... Be anywhere, and I know he wouldn't be here. So, he could be... out there, across the ocean."
"Really? And you want to go out there to find and end the one who took Hinode away from this world? What if he's not out there?"
"I know he's out there, Kesseki, I'm sure of it. And I will not stop searching until I find and kill him, okay? I want to get ready for my quest to avenge Hinode."
"If that's the way you want it, Chairo. I'll get some of the villagers to build a large raft for you, see if a good number of them can get it done by sunset. Until then, pack up some food for you, I know this quest will be a long one, my friend."
And it was so, as the villagers started making a raft with a sail for Zangeki.
As they did this, Kesseki helped his friend pack up some food and useful items for his quest, enough to feed him for months.
Time went by and by sunset the raft was finished, Zangeki was ready to go.
Before he left, he bowed to everyone, who bowed back, bidding their samurai farewell.
Zangeki then went to Kesseki, the two putting their arms on each other's shoulders and smiling.
"Good luck out there, okay, Chairo." Kesseki said, holding back tears. "I'm gonna miss you my friend."
Zangeki replied, "I'll miss you too Kesseki. Please take care and protect these people while I'm gone. Goodbye, my friend."
After this, Zangeki pushed the raft into the water and went on it, setting sail out into the ocean, looking ahead at the setting sun, ready for his quest to avenge his love and defeat Hate.
YOU ARE READING
A Force Beyond Waters
General FictionThis story is about four characters who embark on quests to fulfill their goals and challenges along the way, whatever they may be. At first, they start by themselves, but soon come together to achieve one another's goals. A Force Beyond Waters is a...
