Beyond Shattered Glass - Fushigi Yuugi Nakago Love Story

Chapter 16 - No Escape

Sayuri pov:

"Keep your head down so no one can see your face." Arashi instructed while giving the horse we were riding on a kick on its sides to pick up the pace.

I was sitting in front of Arashi on the horse, which I have to say wasn't a very comfortable situation to be in, and we were making our way through the dark deserted alleyways of Kutou. I had changed into simple clothes similar to the wrap over shirt and slightly poofy pants that men wore with something like an obi tied around the waist. It was to make sure I didn't stand out in a crowd – wearing jeans and a t-shirt wasn't a common thing here, after all. Both of us also wore hooded cloaks to cover our face and make sure no one recognized us.

Thankfully, Nakago wasn't in the palace when we left so he hadn't caught us. We had no problem getting out of the Capital's compound as well because the guards were sitting quite a distance away and busy drinking. They hadn't noticed us leaving so it saved us the trouble of having to make up a story as to why we were leaving in the middle of the night.

When we were a few feet away from the compound wall, Arashi kicked the sided of the horse again while tugging on the reins to pick up the pace to a quick gallop. I think we had traveled for about fifteen minutes when I began to feel breathless. I lifted my hand to clutch the fabric above my chest and I hunched over while feeling the muscles tighten up. The aftermath of what had happened when Nakago had whipped me and caused me to nearly meet my end was beginning now.

"Sayuri? What's wrong?" Arashi asked, stopping the horse and leaning over me from behind with an arm around my waist.

"A-Arashi...." I said airily and coughed. "I need m-my medicine...."

He didn't waste any time in getting my medicine bottle out of the small bag he had with him and giving it to me. He didn't let go of my waist though and hugged me even closer than before. It was uncomfortable but I couldn't and didn't bother objecting. Still hunching over, I got out two pills and put them in my mouth. I stayed as I was with my eyes closed waiting for the relaxants to take effect. They soon did and I was able to breathe normally again. However, I was tired and sweating profusely now.

"Are you alright now?" He asked when I sort of slumped back against him.

I gave a slow nod while barely managing to keep my eyes open. The physical and mental exhaustion was really getting to me and my eyes were pulling away too strongly for me to resist. Even before Arashi got the horse moving again, I had fallen asleep while leaning back against him.

He woke me up when we reached a small village in the wee hours of the morning. We had stopped there for a little while to restock on supplies and then continued on the journey. By early evening, we had reached our destination – another small village with a peaceful atmosphere.

Arashi stopped in front of a house and helped me get off the horse. Apparently, we were at the house of the Village Elder from whom we would have to get permission to live in this village from now on. I agreed to wait outside by the horse while Arashi spoke to the Elder about our situation. Some of the villagers who passed by the Elder's house smiled at me and bowed but I returned their gestures half heartedly.

I waited next to the horse touching his mane as he drank water from the wooden bucket placed in front of him. A few more minutes of silence passed and Arashi walked out of the Elder's house with the Elder himself following suit. He was an old balding man with a wrinkly but plump face and a kind smile playing on his lips.

"You must be Arashi's wife Sayuri." He said gently and I almost choked on the air in surprise.

I glanced at Arashi as he came to put his arm around my shoulders. I assumed that he had told the Elder that we were married because it would be strange if he stated our relationship to be anything otherwise. So I composed myself, put on a believable smile and bowed to the Elder.