Hidden Moon

Slate Wiped Clean

Hinowa and Setsu fell asleep huddled against a tree, and when the first rays of the sun peaked through the horizon, they both decided to check the village.

Nothing could prepare them both for what they were about to see, the place they called home was gone, the okiya was no longer standing and all that remained was the stone wall that was also touched by the fire.

Setsu let out a shaky breath, the only things she managed to save from the fire were the clothes on her back. Just staring at the pile of charred debris and soot where the okiya once stood made it clear to her she was never going to salvage anything, just as the weight of acceptance stared registering on her brain, Hinowa took the loss differently, she was crying, again on the stone steps, grieving for all the clothes and belongings she left behind.

"Setsu! Hinowa!" a familiar voice called them, when they turned back, Hizanami who was also dressed in her once beautiful kimono ran to both of them and hugged them, the three held each other and silently cried.

"We should begin looking through the debris, we might still find something." Hizanami said as she wiped her tears away, "it looks like the gods are really shitting on us, it feels like it's gonna rain soon, and let me tell you, sifting through wet soot and charred wood is not pleasant."

The sun disappeared through the thick blanket of clouds and more and more workers from the okiya who survived, returned and helped sift through the debris, they managed to retrieve the burnt remains of their colleagues and miraculously, the chest where O-Sei hid all the okiya's income was not destroyed by the fire.

"We will bury our dead and honor them, before... we go our separate ways." Hizanami said during their afternoon break, they all gathered on the edge of the forest, some stared crying again.

"Go our separate ways? W-We can't! We can use the money we found to rebuild the okiya!" Hinowa said, they all stared at her as she stood up. "It'll be difficult, but I believe we can do it!"

Setsu shook her head, "Hinowa, look around you, even if can rebuild the okiya, nobody else will want to live here again. Look at them! They're already packing up. I agree with Nami, we should also do the same, it will be better for all of us, we don't need to be bound by debt, no need to work in ungodly hours, our slate has been wiped clean." she said.

"I agree."

"Me too, it's been quite a while since I went home."

"My family will be so happy! I think I'll buy some seeds and make use of my Father's land with this money!"

Setsu smiled as she saw the dark and hopeless aura from her friends lift, her dark eyes stared at the charred remains of the okiya's structure.

'Where do I go? This is my home.' she sighed and felt a hand on her shoulder, Nami and her cousin, Takumi who was a male servant offered her and Hinowa a room to their house in the village where they lived.

"It'll be a bit cramped, our house already has 6 adults living in it after all." Takumi said, Setsu shook her head. "No, we don't want to trouble you and your family. Thank you very much for the offer, I plan on seeking refuge to the temple in the mountains, they welcome women and orphans in there." she said and turned to Hinowa.

"What about you? Where do you want to go?"

She was expecting Hinowa to stick with her, to choose to live a peaceful life in the mountains, but ofcourse, Hinowa's mind was set on a different path.

"I think I'll beg Sugoroku-sama to take me to the Capital with him, be a maid or anything." Hinowa replied as she wiped the tears on her cheeks, "you know I can't live in the mountains, Tsu. I won't last a week in a temple." she said firmly and got up to seek Tatsuya out.

She hastily gathered her skirts and walked back to Tatsuya's camp, Setsu sighed. Hizanami giggled, "well, this is the first time you let her go do something stupid, what happened?" she asked with a teasing wiggle of her brows.

"Let's just split the income evenly and leave this shithole, there's nothing left for us here." Setsu said as she looked over her shoulder, and cursed herself as she felt her feet following Hinowa's back.

"Damn it all to hell." she hissed.