The Tales of Sachiko Shibuya

Chapter 18

Hattori

I sit motionless by Sachiko's bedside. She has been asleep for the past couple of hours. I'm starting to get worried. I stand up and reach down to feel her forehead. My eyes widen at the amount of heat radiating from her body. I've got to do something about this. I walk out into the hall that is connected to the bedroom. I notice a servant at the end of the same hall. Even though Shuichi is dead, the servants keep doing their job, as if nothing is wrong.

"Excuse me!" I yell as I walk towards him. He stares at me with a questioning look on his face. "I need medicine, or a doctor, or something." I say breathlessly.

"What is the matter?" He asks me as I approach him.

"Sachiko is....not doing well." I say.

"Let me have a look. I know a thing or two about this family." He says as he walks to her room. I follow as he enters the room. I watch as he walks over to Sachiko's still body. He places a hand on her forehead, just like I did. "Just like I thought." He looks at me. "I'll send a messenger hawk to Renna immediately." He says as he hurries out of the room.

"Who is Re-" I stop speaking as he leaves the room. The only thing I can do now is to wait. Hopefully, this Renna will help Sachiko.

After what seems like forever, A women walks into the room. I have to do a double-take as she enters. She looks like just like Sachiko, except her hair has slight hints of red in it that Sachiko's does not. She looks at me then stops. Her eyes brows furrow as she stomps over to me. She reaches out and grabs the collar to him shirt. She yanks it up and I almost fall off my seat.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" She snarls, baring her teeth. 

"I-I didn't do anything!" I say defensively. 

"You obviously did! Look at her!" She snaps as she turns my head to look at Sachiko's apoplectic body.

"It wasn't me! I'm not sure what she did, but I woke up from being knocked out and she had fainted! She's been out ever since!" I say sincerely. 

"Fine." She says as she lets go of me. She carefully walks over to Sachiko as if she was walking a tightrope. "Sachiko, It's me Renna. You can wake up now." She says softly and calmly. 

"I don't think that's going to wo-" I immediately stop talking as Renna sends me a furious glance. 

"Sachiko is in a very delicate state of mind right now. She burned out all of her energy and her mind is weak." She says as she carefully caresses the side of Sachiko's face. "She needs to hear the words of loved ones to lull her back to reality. Right now she is stuck in a nightmare." The words strike me like the back of someones hand to my cheek. Renna stands up and walks to the door. "I'm going to go raid the kitchen. I'll try again later....just give her some time, Hattori, She'll come around." The moment after she finishes her last words, she is gone. I look and Sachiko and sigh. I stand up and walk over to her. I kneel down and look at her facial features. Her skin is pale, but smoother than ancient river stones. She has high cheek bones that match her face shape. Her bottom lip is fuller than the top, making it look like she is pouting. I just want to see a smile on her face once more.

"Sachiko....Please hear my plea...." I take her hand. It is burning up. "I want to see you smile....even if it is just once more....please...."I take off my mask as tears streamed down my cheeks. It was like the pain of losing Sachiko was an open wound. I grasp the bed frame in fear I would fall over. My sobs where stifled at first as I attempt to hide the grief. I suddenly get overcome with a wave of emotion and I break down entirely. All my defenses are washed away by salty tears. I suddenly hear the voices of people walking down the hall. I quickly wipe my tears and put my mask back into its rightful place just as Renna walks into the room. I stand up straight and look at her through my mask; My emotionless, flat, detached mask. 

"I've decided to force her out of the nightmare. It will be the fastest way, but it will...."Her voice trails off. 

"It what?" I inquire.

"Nothing. I'm going to have you leave the room for this next bit." She says as she turns to Sachiko.

"Tell me what will happen." I say, pressing for an answer.

"Do you want me to do it or not?!" She says irately. Her words make me realize that I am under her in this matter. I nod and walk outside the room; closing the door behind me. I lean against the wall next to the door, waiting for Renna to wake Sachiko. I listen eavesdrop on what Renna is saying.

"I'm sorry I have to wake you in this manner, Sachiko. Just remember, I'll be here when you come back to." There is pause before I hear Renna speak again. "I'm really sorry..." Following that I hear a scream. It was the kind of scream that makes your blood run cold. It was a scream of wild panic; of hysteria, terror and pain. It took me a moment to realize that the one who is screaming, is none other than Sachiko. The hair on the back of my neck stands up as the scream pierces my ears. I clench my hands into fists. My nails dig into the palm of my hand. I have to do something to stop it. I walk to the door and push it open. 

The moment the door opens, the screaming stops. The first image that I got was Renna holding down Sachiko, trying to stop her from struggling. Sachiko stopped screaming the moment her eyes caught mine. Her blue eyes...To say her eyes are blue is equivalent to saying the sun is yellow; sufficient but not accurate to capture the burning sensation every time you looked. 

"H-H-Ha...H-ha" She struggles to get words out, but even if she could, I would have stopped her because the moment my mind realized that Sachiko was awake, I was holding her in my arms. I hug her tightly, as if she might slip away at any second. She hugs back moments later as her brain catches up. After a long moment, I pull away from the hug and sit on the bed next to her. I look over at Renna.

"Thank you...So much..." I don't I could ever express enough gratitude towards her.

"Well, it is my job after all. Also, don't thank me yet." She says pensively.

"Why is that?" I ask dubiously. 

"Well, to obviate your inquiries, Waking Sachiko up like that did some damage. Her speech seems to be altered. It seems she has gone mute, which is common under her circumstances. Hopefully, her speech will come back in time. But I guess we just have to hope for the best." Renna says as she looks at Sachiko. Her face shows the apprehension that must be flowing through her veins. 

"Even if Sachiko doesn't get her speech back," I look at Sachiko. "I will still love her just as much." Sachiko looks back at me as if she was surprised to hear that. A beautiful smile forms across her face. She hugs me around my waist. I place my hand on her back and rub slowly. 

"So, what are your plans, Renna?" I ask.

"I'm going back to my home. If anything happens, just send a hawk." She says. "Farewell, Sachiko and Hattori." She smiles and bows her head slightly as she leaves the room. I look down at Sachiko and smile. She rests her head in my lap and looks up at me, smiling back. I don't need words to be happy. I just need Sachiko. 

I look out the window and get an idea. "Hey Sachiko, want to go for a walk in the garden?"