Sureiyazu

Episode 52: Bloodred

He was walking through a wide, green, grassy field in the sunset. It was beautiful, with plentiful wildflowers, and the grass was tall and tickled his legs.

It was a familiar scene to him - it was near his home village, a place that he liked to escape to every once in a while, just to dream as far as his thoughts would take him.

His family appeared: mother, father, Daiki, Noboru, Takashi, Haruki, Hinata, Kaede, and Shou, smiling and greeting him.

And suddenly, a sword appeared in his hand that he hadn't known he had been carrying. And a second later, his beloved family lay in the grass. Dead. His doing.

Not a moment passed before Kasai was standing in the grass beside him. She looked oblivious to the bodies lying around her, and she started directly at him with a grin on her face.

He tried to shout at her to run, but she came closer. "Hachirou, don't be afraid . . ."

He screamed as loud as he could, but she didn't seem to hear.

"I just came to see you . . ."

The sword weighed heavily in his hand.

"Give me a kiss, Hachirou . . ."

He tried to back away, but he was stuck in place. She kissed him on the cheek then. She was so close -

But he felt his arm involuntarily raising his sword . . .

The sky had darkened to a red the color of blood.

And she fell to the ground with the others.

~~~

Hachirou woke with a start, a cold sweat running down his neck, the vision of the dream still vivid in his mind.

The dark room came into view around him as he gasped for air, relieved that it had just been a dream. A dream. Nothing more.

In the darkness, the moon shone down onto him through the window, pale and cold.

The scene played forth in his head again and again, of Kasai's body hitting the ground in front of him, the blood splattering all over . . .

His breath was slowing now.

But he had already made up his mind. Throwing his coat over himself and slinging his sword onto his back, he made the decision in the space of a second.

If he stayed, that dream would become a reality. And that was something that terrified him.

He'd always been a wanderer. He'd been a fool for thinking that could change.

~~~

"Hey!" Kasai yelled, knocking harder on the door frame outside Hachirou's temporary room. "Hey! Are you in there?!'

Heishi passed sleepily. "Thanks, Kasai. Now I'm awake."

"Can't say the same for the idiot in there, though," Kasai said loudly. "He's supposed to spar with me today, and he's ignoring me."

Mizuki stepped out of her own room. "You think he's already up? I mean, I know you aren't one for logic, but . . ."

Kasai glared. "Yeah, I actually checked that already, thanks."

Mizuki put her hands up in surrender, walking away. "Just checking. I never said I was a relationship expert."

Kasai huffed.

"Sorry, I'd love to stay and help you find your boyfriend, but I'm hungry," said Heishi. "If he's really gone, I'll spar with you after breakfast instead." And he disappeared down the hall.