Sureiyazu

Episode 46: A Part is Gone

Mizuki rushed into the dining room, aware of how much commotion she was causing (and how many pitying stares she was getting from how much she winced when she moved) but she didn't care now.

Aya set down her cup. "What is it, Mizuki?"

"H-hayato!" Mizuki forced out. "He's gone."

"What?" said everyone immediately, standing in unison. 

Mizuki clutched her side, which had begun to burn with pain. "He's not in the room. I don't know -"

But they had all moved together out of the room and began a search of the house. 

Mizuki was grateful for their help, but inside wondered what he could possibly be doing. He always took matters too far into his own hands. She stumbled after the others. 

Taichi caught her and stood her up again.

"Lay off," Mizuki growled. "I'm fine."

"If you insist," Taichi said, raising his hands in the air in surrender. "Unless, that is, you want to find your brother."

"Do I look like I need advice from you?" Mizuki said. "I don't."

"All I am asking of you is that I can help you find him," Taichi said.

"And you want me to help you find him too," Mizuki added. 

Taichi closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again. "Yes. That is true. You know the most about Hayato. So you would know best what he would do were he to run away."

Mizuki laughed a short laugh. "Yeah? You think that? I don't know him at all, Taichi. I never knew him." She tried to walk again, but winced in pain and Taichi steadied her. "I don't know people except for their assassination profiles. I don't have a family, and I don't have a brother. He's the one who decided that. Not me."

Taichi sighed and thought for a moment. "I think . . . that you should learn to forgive more easily."

"And this is coming from -"

"Someone feeling exactly as betrayed as you," Taichi cut in. "Because I also think that the unforgiven person is hurting as much as you are. And holding out something that could have been resolved long ago only continues to make the problem worse."

"Spare me the inspirational speech," Mizuki said. "I get it, I get it. Blah, blah, blah."

And so he didn't try again to lecture her. Maybe, he thought, it was something that was better found for oneself.

~~~

Hayato wandered without feeling any pain. 

It had hurt, to come this far. But after he was so close to the thing that was calling him - whatever it was - the pain subsided and he only saw truth.

In the back of his mind, a little voice told him that only demons promised true truth, and that anything that seemed wholly honest like this could not be real. But it was real. It was very real.

He wasn't sure where he was, exactly, but it was okay. Spacial awareness was something he could do without now. And besides, he was so close . . . (He was so entranced that he failed to realize how little sense that made.)

And then suddenly there was a woman in front of him, and she smiled, and then -

Pain exploded throughout Hayato's body. He tried to call out for help, but no one was there. 

It was worse than the pain of being stabbed. It was worse than the pain of loss. It was worse than everything. It felt as if his very essence was being torn in two.