The Cursed Iris

Sprout 12: I Will Not Lose!!!

Natsume continued her journey to Aokigahara, Master, please still be alive. There's so much I want to tell you, she thought as she tripped up.

She fell face first, and for some reason she remembered Katsumi. Her body was on fire, her head was pounding, and she felt as if she lost a part of herself when she left. Those words she said to Ayame stuck with her, because she was mainly talking about herself at that moment

She wanted someone to save her, she wanted someone to be there for her, she wanted someone to tell her that everything is going to be okay. She began crying, "Why, why did I just leave them like that? They were trying to help me, and I abandoned them," she choked as she wiped her face.

Dear little Natsu, she heard her master's voice say.

"I have to continue pushing forward, and if I see them after this. I want to continue journeying with them. I enjoyed my time with them although short it was. It was truly fun."

*****

Ayame and the others stopped at the flower field Natsume collapsed in, "She was here," Katsumi noted. He picked up her scent like a bloodhound searching for their target, although faint.

"So she's moving faster than we thought? Because it took us an entire day to reach this meadow," Kikyo said. She looked terrible, she was soaked in sweat, breathing heavily, pale, and the star pupil from her eye disappeared.

"You don't look so hot," Atsuko and Ayame said in unison.

"Yeah, this little trick takes a lot more out of you than I expected. Although I definitely got handled, I just got to increase my spirit energy and I could do this all day honestly."

Katsumi continued to sniff around and the trail he caught suddenly disappeared, "Damn it her scent is gone. It's like it just vanished," he stated punching the ground in frustration. "She has a whole day head start on us, and but it helps that we know she's going to the Sea of Trees."

Ayame looked around worried, Natsume, why did you decide to just leave like that? Was it that you didn't want us to see you at your weakest or is it something more than that?

Atsuko saw her expression, and she patted Ayame on the head. "Don't worry, that girl is strong. As much as I hate to admit it."

She turned her attention to Atsuko, "But what if she ends up dying all alone?" her bottom lip quivered. The thought of that simply worried Ayame to no end, the thought of dying without the ones who cared for you just seems so sad and depressing.

"Wow, you really have a bleeding heart," Kikyo replied. She smiled, which confused Ayame, "I don't mean anything bad by it. It's way better than being a cold-blooded killer, no compassion is only a step away from being a monster. No matter what your appearance is; anyone can become a monster," Kikyo reassured.

Katsumi stayed silent at that comment, because he knew exactly what it meant. He was someone just like that not too long ago, "No compassion is only a step away huh?" he whispered.

"You say something Katsu?" Kikyo asked him.

"Oh nothing!" he replied startled.

Kumo only stared at him, and he remembered something from the first day they met, "Katsumi, it isn't you by the way," he said.

That surprised Katsumi, because Kumo usually didn't try to cheer him up. But he took the comment in stride, with a new light in his eyes. "Come on. I know we can catch her."

He then put Kikyo on his back and picked up Ayame princess carry style, "Katsumi are you sure you can carry the both of us at the same time?" Ayame asked in a nervous manner.