Ataku stayed quiet on the horseback ride with Kamodichi. She stared blankly, her eyes not showing a single emotion. Kamodichi couldn't help but feel bad. He realized he didn't respect her way of grieving. "I'm sorry" Kamodichi broke the silence. "I was out of line. I was being insensitive" he admitted. Ataku didn't say a word to him. It made the guilt sink to his heart. "Maybe I am just on edge because I want to find out the truth. I was so focused on the truth that I did not acknowledge your feelings" Kamodichi said. Ataku said nothing to him.
It was driving him mad. He wanted her to argue, he wanted her to say something smart, to call him out, to yell at him but she didn't. Her silence hurt more than anything and he didn't know why. The horse raced passed a few trees before entering a clearing. It was a huge grassland with no trees unless you crossed it to get to the woods on the other side. Kamodichi saw the foot prints and hoof prints of the bandit posse. They weren't fresh though, they had stopped at the trail. Ataku was still silent and not even acknowledging he was even next to her.
He hightailed it through the woods following the path. They were entering a stone ledge. The stones were more like an uneven stair case. If they fell they might twist an ankle or sprain a wrist. The jagged shapes of the stones could end their life if they weren't careful. Ataku of course wasn't even paying attention. Kamodichi guided the horse down the stone slope very carefully. Once they made it to the bottom he heard Ataku's stomach rumble. He glanced at her and to him she had a sick look on her face.
"Ataku" he said in worry and hopped off the horse. He looked at her, "you're hungry right". Ataku looked dazed and not responding. "Talk dammit" Kamodichi commanded. He reached in his horses satchel and pulled out some tropical fruit. Ataku's eyes widened at it. She took it and ate it but she still didn't say anything. "Look, we can't go on like this" Kamodichi said. "I can't have you dropping dead" He stated. She glared at him. "I am sorry" Kamodichi took a deep exhale. They suddenly started hearing the pounding of hooves coming from inside the forest. Kamodichi hopped on the horse. "Hang on" he told her. Out of fear and instinct she wrapped her arms around him and he pushed the horse forward into a wild gallop.
The horse hooves grew louder and louder with every breath she took. Fear overcoming her senses and then there was impact. Ataku was flown from the horse with great force all she heard was her name before she blacked out as she hit the cold, hard ground.
She woke up in the meadow, the beautiful meadow with beautiful growing flowers. The tree, the vanilla petaled tree. The Yoshino tree stood in her wake. She heard the crying. The crying once more.
She ran to the tree and saw the one who was crying. It was she herself who was crying only she was a child. The child looked just like her. "Who are you" Ataku asked. The crying girl looked up at Ataku. "I am Fairy soul, my name is Ataku" the girl said. Ataku's eyes widened in shock. "But my name is Ataku" Ataku said. "I am your memories" the girl said. "You have to save the world" the girl said. "Me, but why" Ataku asked. "That is our destiny but you refuse to accept it" the young girl cried. "I can't save the world, I am not the fairy soul, you aren't my memories. You are a figment of my imagination" she shouted at the little girl. "Then you will doom this world to suffer" the girl said and she began to disappear. And everything began to fade.....
