Secret of the Spider Lily

Chapter 7 - Finding Lost Answers

Yuki stared up at the ceiling of the room, her mind still racing from the night before. She was nervous to return to her home. It had been just over a year since she had last been there. The night for her family to spend together. The night her family was attacked.

She wondered about the state of her old home, not knowing how much damage the demon had caused. She couldn't remember anything that had happened after the initial knock at the door, so she didn't know about anything that had happened afterwards.

She was unable to get any sleep that night. Not only was she thinking about what Giyu had said, but also was thinking about the words from the strange man she had passed in the halls.

"You'll find the answers you're looking for Yuki. Believe in that."

She turned onto her side, staring aimlessly at her wall, before tiredly muttering, "What did he mean... and who was he?"

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, now focusing that it was probably close to the morning hours. Looking up at the clock on the wall, she read the time. It was 6:30am.

She heavily sighed, pulling herself out of the bed. She put on her uniform and haori. She was about to exit her room, when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Taking a closer look, she looked just like her sister in the uniform. The haori was almost identical to Kori's and even her hair pulled back in the braid reminded her of Kori. She thought about taking her hair down, but muttered under her breath, "It doesn't matter anymore."

Without wasting any more time, she stepped out of her room, making her way to the training grounds. She met Giyu outside, but was surprised to see Shonobu waiting outside as well. Yuki wondered why Shinobu was there, until she saw the vial of medicine, and a syringe in her hands.

Shinobu could see Yuki's expression drop, and started to reassure, "Don't worry,this is just in case you get overwhelmed on your mission. We don't want your powers going haywire by mistake."

Giyu nodded in agreement, "I had noticed your powers activating while you were stressed yesterday, so I'd rather not let that happen again. This is a necessary precaution we need to take."

Yuki let out a deep sigh, looking down at the ground, "I understand..."

"Yuki, relax. We aren't looking down on you for having this power. It's just something you need better control over. The only reason I'm so worried about it, is because Tengen almost saw your powers. If he had found out, he probably would have tried to kill you."

Yuki looked up at Giyu in shock, "W-Wait... Do none of the other Hashira know?"

"That would be correct," Shinobu stated, "The only people who know are myself, Giyu, and Master Ubuyashiki. The others will freak out if they knew what you were."

Yuki could feel her heart begin to race, taking deep breaths to keep herself calm. Shinobu rested a comforting hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that they wouldn't find out, unless she told them herself.

"We need to head out if we want to make it by nightfall. Shinobu, give her the medicine so we can get going."

"Right. Hold out your arm for me Yuki."

She silently nodded, offering her arm to Shinobu. She felt the quick sting of the needle going into her skin, feeling the medicine entering her body. Shinobu placed a small bandage over the injection sight before throwing away the needle and syringe.

"Thanks Shinobu," Yuki politely replied, before turning to Giyu, "Shall we get going then?"

"We will in a minute, but I believe you are missing something."