Tears Behind the Emotionless Face

Ch - 10 ° Uneasiness

While Shinobu and Saki chatted, Giyuu sat outside, lost in his own thoughts. The more and more time passed, the more his anxiousness grew. The villagers were a problem but that wasn't the only thing he was worried about. It was Tsutako. The guilt increased the more he stepped into the village.

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"I must say, Giyuu is acting a little strange. He is a little too quiet." Saki looked at him sitting outside, probably enjoying the view outside.

"This is quite normal. He's always like this. Was he not like that before?" Shinobu asked, curiosity hinting behind her soft tone.

"He was the brightest little boy I had seen." Saki smiled, the pained expression hinting in her eyes. Just then, she suddenly stood up and ran inside to a room.

"Saki-san?" Shinobu called out to her.

Not wanting to invade her privacy by entering her room, Shinobu just stayed where she was, confused. Just a few moments later she walked out of the room, her hand holding a picture frame.

"Sorry for leaving so suddenly. This is a picture of Giyuu. He was about nine years old that time." She excitedly took out the picture from the frame.

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For some reason, the other part of the picture was torn for it. It was clear that another person from the picture was cut off from it. The wear and tear to the picture seemed to prove it was very old.

Shaking off the suspicion, Shinobu realized how happy Giyuu looked. The light in his eyes, the childish-innocent smile and his bright aura.

"Oh my. I can understand your disbelief now. What a happy child! The only thing that has remained would be those charming features." Shinobu stared in awe, chuckling at the irony of the picture.

"See! He was so happy. It all happened because of that incident." Saki smiled, hiding her overwhelmed emotions.

"Incident? Is there anything in particular?" Shinobu politely asked, not trying to seem nosy.

"I had expected him to talk to you about this. I thought you were good friends." Saki gave her a shocked expression.

"We have know each for quite a long time but I wouldn't say he treats me as a friend. Besides, I have no idea what you're talking about." Shinobu replied, completely clueless.

"Well then, I shouldn't reveal something you don't know. If he wants to say it to you, he definitely would."

"I understand. We've all had our bad experiences." Shinobu forced on a sweet smile.

The chatting continued quite long while Giyuu had long gone to sleep, not wanting to involve himself with any talking. Sharing a lot of moments, Saki and Shinobu immediately became friends.

The village was surrounded by a thick forest, only making the nights scarier. It was nearly pitch black when Saki and Shinobu finally decided to sleep. Having two Hashiras in her home, Saki could peacefully sleep without a worry of not being able to see a tomorrow. Being completely exhausted, Shinobu quickly drifted off, finally having a good night's sleep after two days.