Twisted Fate Of The Broken Ones | Scaramouche/Xiao

33 - Soulless Tatarasuna

After arriving to Inazuma, the two were on their way towards Tatarasuna, the center of the Shogunate's weapon production.

"What about your family? Won't you pay a visit for them as well and tell them about this new job of yours?" Kazuha asked as he looked at the wanderer.

"It's fine, I trust Miko to keep the family busy while I'm gone." Kunikuzushi answered with a shrug.

He had written that one letter for the kitsune beforehand where he said that he would be away for quite a while, so maybe he didn't have to worry about stressing over his family for now.

Kunikuzushi turned his gaze towards the small houses in the distance, flags of the Shogunate scattered around the area.

Kazuha nodded to Kunikuzushi's words and observed the view, but soon he caught an unusual scent that made him frown slightly.

The place didn't seem as lively as it was a couple of years ago... instead, it was almost as dead as a forgotten cemetery.

"I don't remember Tatarasuna looking like this..." Kunikuzushi said rather quietly, a frown forming on his face as well.

The wanderer soon decided to locate his old friend's house after getting an odd feeling, starting to run towards it as Kazuha followed right behind him.

-

Once they both reached the house, Kunikuzushi quickly opened the door that he could still recognize, and looked inside to see if anyone was still home.

What awaited him inside the house would be burned into his memory.

There was a person- no, a corpse lying on the floor, its lifeless body nearly split in twain while a pool of almost dry blood lied underneath it. It had been there, abandoned for not so long...

"KATSURAGI!"

Kunikuzushi's voice was filled with pain and sorrow as he quickly ran up to the corpse of the young yoriki.

Kazuha noticed the body and his nose was quickly filled with the smell of death. It was awful and made him feel physically sick.

Kunikuzushi pulled the upper body of Katsuragi's corpse onto his lap, letting tears stream freely down from his face.

He was too late. More than too late. Had he been there only a day earlier, the yoriki could still be alive.

"No- Please- Not yet..." The wanderer quietly sobbed as light footsteps quickly approached behind him.

Kazuha hurried next to Kunikuzushi who was holding tightly onto the body of Katsuragi in his arms.

He heard his sobs and felt his pain. It reminded him of that day he lost his old friend.

Kazuha knelt down and hugged Kunikuzushi.

The situation was so sudden and unexpected that even Kazuha wasn't fully recovered from the shock yet.

Kunikuzushi quickly hugged Kazuha back after feeling the samurai's hands wrapping around him, holding him tightly as he sobbed onto the other's shoulder.

Kazuha felt sympathy towards the wanderer and held him close to him, holding him tightly.

"Nature gives and takes/the story of a lifetime/time for beginnings." He said with a quiet voice that was almost like a whisper while he held onto Kunikuzushi.

He said a haiku to the wanderer as an attempt to comfort him, hoping that the other would understand what he meant.

Kunikuzushi shook violently as he held on to Kazuha, his voice slightly soothing the wanderer. He understood what the other meant, but he couldn't help it.