My Soul Will Find Yours [Completed]

You Are Insane!

We walked for what seemed like forever. Thrice, Ryouta offered to carry Riku since he was already sleeping in my arms and thrice, I had to reject him because the little guy is a very light sleeper. The exchange would definitely wake and upset him. My leg was hurting and each step was pure agony but I persevered. Riku is my top priority, my own self comes after him.

When we reached Iori's village, dawn had almost come and the sky was starting to become pink with the early morning light. He motioned for us to follow him in the first hut we saw. Tired and famished, I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we can rest properly.

Unfortunately, my relief soon turned into horror for what awaited us was something I never expected! Inside the humble home, Nagahito waited. His face was void of cosmetics yet he still looked his perfect-and-not-a-hair-out-of-place self.

"Hello, Jin-san," he greeted me in a singsong voice. "Or should I say... Lady Hinata, the shogun's second wife?"

"What!?" Ryouta turned to me in astonishment.

I took a step back and prepared to run but the man named Saru was already blocking the only entrance and exit of the place.

"How dare you trick me!" I glared at Iori.

He smirked and laughed. "You were a fool to believe that escaping the crown prince was as easy as that!"

Ryouta looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and anger. "You filthy bastard! You put on quite a show! When you were cursing and calling the kotaishi names, you were actually just pretending!"

"Oh?" Nagahito flipped his fan open and peered at Iori. "What did you call me when you were doing your job?"

"Those were not said with sincerity, your highness," Iori coughed to hide his awkwardness. "They were, as he put it, for show."

Nagahito fanned himself, gave him a disapproving look, then turned to me. "Lady Hinata, have a seat. Kirito, give our esteemed guest a cushion to sit on!"

Kirihito appeared with a silk cushion in his hand. He then neatly placed it on the floor and motioned for me to sit on it. I glared at him and subconsciously moved a step back.

"The kotaishi told you to sit down!" Kirihito grabbed my arm and forced me to sit down on the cushion.

The force was enough to make me almost drop Riku, fortunately I was able to tighten my hold on him in time although I couldn't stop him from waking up.

"Mama?" he asked sleepily. He looked around, when he saw the man who abducted him, he stiffened and his eyes automatically brimmed with tears.

"Aww, he remembers me!" he chuckled evilly.

"Mama, it's him," Riku started sobbing in my arms.

"Oh, how mature. A grown man scaring a child!" I muttered sarcastically.

"You!" Kirihito's face turned black and he raised his hand to slap me.

I didn't move an inch and just looked at him with disdain. When his hand was almost at my face, a sword suddenly sliced his hand off. Blood splattered on my face and on Riku's back. Kirihito staggered backwards and landed on his bum with a shocked expression on his face. He looked at his twitching severed hand on the floor, unable to utter a single word.

I, too, felt horrified. My brain had a hard time processing what just happened. Meanwhile, Riku was still crying while Ryouta stood petrified in a corner.

"That's what you get for your insolence!" Nagahito dropped the sword in his hand and turned to Iori. "Clean up this mess and tell that tongueless woman to take her little brat away! I do not like seeing him clinging on my precious jewel!"