Book #1: The Wind and The Rain: Kutzu and Namie

Chapter Fourteen- The Blizzard

The blizzard was right. 

Namie stayed face down on her futon for three hours. Sweat poured from everywhere. 

At eight o'clock Pm, Kutzu came into her room and sat next to her. "Do you want to go to the service? If you don't, you will regret it." .

Namie tore her face off of the bed and looked at Kutzu with raw eyes. "You don't understand. If I go back, everyone will recognize me as the child who ran away at age nine."

Kutzu nodded then she stared out the window. Even though the blizzard was dying down, it still looked heavy. She looked at my makeup case and smiled. "We are going to go." 

Namie looked at her and frowned. "How?" She asked.  

Kutzu pointed to the makeup case and then to the storm outside. "I have a plan," she said as a smile appeared on her face. 

Kutzu jumped up,  ran to the closet, and grabbed a white kimono made of cotton. It had no patterns whatsoever, no flowers, no nothing. Kutzu threw it out the window and it fell slowly to the ground. It fell in a wet puddle of icky half frozen mud. Namie looked out the window at the kimono. She never expected Kutzu to throw a spectacular kimono out into a blizzard. When Namie turned back around, Kutzu was gone. Namie thought she had gone to get the kimono and realize her mistake but it has been ten minutes. Namie spun on her heels and bolted out the door not even caring as she slammed her shoulder into her bedroom's sliding door. Focusing on the throbbing pain, Namie tripped on the stairs and soared into the air like a bird. Her face slammed into the front door. Namie used all of her force and shoved the frozen door open. A cold gust of wind hit her face creating icicles on her nose as she slowly walked out into the snow. The wind pushed her over into the snow. It was almost impossible to stand up. Namie's kimono was slipping off of her shoulders so you could see her juban. Red oozed from different parts of her face and body. As she turned the corner, Namie saw Kutzu on the ground pulling the kimono off out of the puddle then falling back down. Namie trudged as fast as she could go until finally she slammed her body into the snow in front of Kutzu. Namie helped Kutzu pull the kimono off the ground and then they started to walk back to the house. Kutzu tripped over and fell face down in the snow. Namie helped pull her up and they started to walk back to the house. Kutzu and Namie used all of their strength to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. They couldn't go inside. Kiko slammed the door open and pulled them inside. Kiko had saved them. 

"Thank you so much, Kiko," exclaimed Kutzu as she hugged the old lady. 

Namie watched Kiko smile and hug Kutzu back. 

Kiko looked at Namie and her jaw fell open. "You're bleeding!" She yelled as she pointed to Namie's shoulder.

Namie looked at her right shoulder and saw a deep red substance soak through her juban. Her kimono was on the floor. Her obi was long gone. Her hair was everywhere and her face was covered in frost bites and dirt.  Kutzu looked the same except she was not bleeding.

"Perfect!" said Kutzu as she patted Namie's other shoulder. Kutzu grabbed Namie's kimono and ran up the stairs. 

Namie followed her and shivered in the freezing juban. Namie sat in her room and tried to warm herself up. 

Kutzu walked into the room with a basket of medical items. Bandages and jars fell out of the basket onto the floor as she plopped the basket next to Namie. She fished out five bottles of cream and some mint leaves. The lid of the jar popped sending a stench into the air. Jasmine, maybe Nattō. Kutzu grabbed Namie's lower arm and pulled her up and away from the warmth of the bed. Kutzu removed Namie's juban and looked at her shoulder. Not pretty at all. Kutzu grabbed the cream and massaged it into Namie's shoulder. It hurt more than seeing the tears of a dying samurai. The blood fought back creating a goopy mess of red cream.  The bandages were then laid on top. After the bandages a tight ripped juban with the brown kimono on top. Makeup and dirt was rubbed on their faces.

Peasants was the only word you could say.

Peasants.