Yuzuki, a girl from another world was determined to find the missing Himemiko, who vanished from Shinga. With her furry friend, Imari, they worked together to find whatever clue they can get their hands on. And finding scrolls that relates to Himemiko herself, Yuzuki, Runa, and Hanbee went to search for them and began to feel they're getting closer and closer to their goal.
However, new threats are appearing within the shadows...
◇◇◇◇◇
It was a bright sunny day in Sanada territory. The farmers working on their fields, women walking into the forest to collect wood, and children playing with each other around the village.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the same time...
"Huh? You want to have another look?" Yukimura questioned in surprise.
"Yes." Hanbee said.
After retrieving the Sacred Treasure from Takeda, the girls and Hanbee came to Sanada to go into hiding from the Mouri Army. Turned out, they were being watched and tried to look for the Sacred Treasures as well, but didn't have any specific information.
Hanbee informed the army and Shingen suggested they should leave around midnight to go into hiding. The vampire reported to Hideyoshi, and the Toyotomi commander immediately made preparations with Yukimura. He immediately sent a message to the vassal and told him to get him and the girls to Sanada territory as quickly as possible.
"That won't be a problem." Yukimura said, smiling. He turned his head to the older Sanada. "Brother."
"Right away." Nobuyuki said.
"Thank you, Yukimura-san!" Yuzuki smiled.
Runa merely nodded her head with a curt.
"With this, you two can rest easy for the time being." Hanbee told them.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Yuzuki asked, confused.
"The Mouri Army... spied... in Takeda..." Runa answered.
"Huh?!"
"We've heard from Hideyoshi." Nobuyuki said. "The reason you're here is to go into hiding from them, while you search for the Sacred Treasure."
"So that's why..."
"I'm just curious..." Sasuke spoke up, gaining their attention. "... but how are you going to find the Sacred Treasure? The information we have is practically nothing."
"We have... a clue..." Runa mentioned.
"What is it?" Yukimura asked.
"'Descended from the heavens and hidden below, the 3rd Sacred Treasure that heals, the earth's pockets is never empty, but it can be hard to dig into'." Hanbee recited, repeating the words Fei had given to them when Runa asked for the next clue.
"What the heck does that suppose to mean?" Saizou asked, lost already.
"It makes no sense." Kamanosuke lazily deadpanned.
"Unfortunately, not everything is simple." Hanbee said, feeling tired of the riddles as well.
"No matter how complicated it is, this clue might be the breakthrough we need." Nobuyuki stated.
"But where do we even start?" Sasuke wondered, pondering on what to do.
"First, let's dig up everything we have on Himemiko in our archives." Yukimura said. "Saizou, Kamanosuke, you two will help Hanbee dig up anything you can find, even if it meant trashing the room for it." He ordered. He then turned to the other vassal. "While you two are doing that, Sasuke, I want you to go to a neighbouring village and ask what they have."
"The one the old priest lives?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes."
"Um, Yukimura-san." Yuzuki spoke, gaining the werewolf's attention. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Well-"
*THUD!*
Everybody snapped their heads to the source and gasped when they saw Runa on the floor, motionless. She held a painful expression as she began to sweat like crazy, her breathing was really ragged and her face was all red.
"Runa-chan!/Runa-san!/Runa!" Everyone exclaimed, worried like hell on what's happening.
◇◇◇◇◇
Meanwhile...
Mitsuhide was in the Oda castle's archive, researching any particular illnesses that involves frequent fevers by his commander's order.
But it was harder than he thought.
When Mitsuhide got to the archive, he saw Ranmaru working away in the back shelves. He let the vampire work while he went to do his own. Mitsuhide searched for all the medical books they have and began looking through them to see if any fit the description of Runa's strange fevers. But looking over 10 different books, nothing.
Nothing. There's nothing that involves frequent fevers or how someone collapsed out of nowhere.
'Just what illness does Runa-san has...?' Mitsuhide wondered as he continued to flip through the remaining books.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the same time...
When Mitsuhide came into the archive, Ranmaru got curious and peaked at the books the older vampire was looking at. His eyes grew wide when they're all on the same subject on medicine.
◇◇◇◇◇
At Sanada Castle...
'Not again...' Runa thought, taking in deep breaths as she felt like her face was getting hotter.
'Why do I feel so sick all of a sudden...?' Runa wondered, trying to move, but immediately regretted it when a sharp pain ran through her boiling body. She could feel her cold sweat rolling down her hot cheeks as the pain spreaded that her body felt numb as ever. 'Stupid fever.'
*BA-DUMP!*
At the same time, Runa saw a large mist of black and purple, that's spreading like a virus - growing bigger and wilder with its tentacles flailing everywhere.
'Stay away!'
*BA-DUMP!*BA-DUMP!*
'I still have a promise I need to fulfil!'
*BA-DUMP!*
But the mist continued to grow like wildfire before it became too much for Runa.
The girl was so in pain that she didn't realise someone clipped something onto her thin wrist.
The bracelet glowed brightly like the moon before the stars turned purple, showing the similar image inside the feverish girl's mind.
'Huh? Stars...?' Runa wondered, noticing the familiar glowing purple stars mindlessly floating inside her head.
The chaotic mist's tentacles extended over to each star and swirled around it, slowly being pulled into them like a cyclone.
'They're sucking up the fever.' Runa watched as more of the mist began to gather each of the stars, attacking each other before she could no longer see the twinkling lights when the mists engulfed them.
*BA-DUMP!*
'Whatever! Please! Take it all away!' Runa begged, feeling the mists being sucked even faster by the second.
*BA-DUMP!*
After a few seconds, the stars sucked up all of the beautiful, dark mists, only leaving them floating in the void of Runa's mind.
*BA-DUMP!*BA-DUMP!*BA-DUMP!*BA-DUMP!*BA...DUMP!!*
"Ngh..." Runa woke up, feeling refreshed after her sudden attack. Her mind immediately went blank. Looking through her blindfold, Runa stared at the dark grey ceiling made of wood, breathing slowly, breathing in the smell of oakwood. She could also hear the sound of raindrops pounding against the hard soil outside the room.
Feeling like she could get up, Runa slowly sat up, being careful as she process on what just happened. "Huh?" That's when she noticed she's in a room filled with beautiful noble objects and books. "Where am I...?" Runa wondered. She looked down and saw the fresh blanket that has some embroidery done in the corners. "Such a nice futon..." She mumbled before her eyes landed on a familiar bracelet, that's been hooked around her right wrist.
The bracelet was silver with multiple crescent moons and stars hanging off from the silver chain.
(Appearance.)
Runa gasped slightly when she sensed the familiar auras coming off the jewellery as they glowed in many colours of the night. "When did this got here?" She wondered. "Wait... who put it on me...?"
Pondering how her bracelet got back on her wrist, Runa didn't notice a figure walking down the hallways before stopping in front of the door.
*Slide*
"Have you come to?"
Runa looked up and saw a familiar vampire holding a basin full of water in his arms. "Nii-chan..." Her eyes then trailed over to the Sanada siblings, who walked in after her brother. "Yukimura and... Nobuyuki...?" Then Runa put two and two together. "Is this... your room... Nobuyuki...?" She asked, remembering the same safe box in the wall.
"Yes." The older Sanada answered, sitting down before her with Yukimura sitting beside him as Hanbee sat down opposite of them.
"How do you feel?" Yukimura asked.
"The fever's gone... and I feel... a lot better... than usual..." Runa responded, feeling how light her chest was.
"Figures." Hanbee placed his hand on her forehead to check her temperature and felt it went down. "Your bracelet sucked it all up, after all." His green eyes trailed over to the glowing crescent moons and stars, watching them changing to black and purple like a heartbeat. "You must've filled it with your fever." Hanbee sighed as he removed his hand.
The Sanada siblings observed the glowing bracelet on Runa's pale wrist with curiosity before turning to the vampire.
"Hanbee, what is that?" Nobuyuki asked, wondering what the item Runa's wearing really is.
"A magical item." Hanbee replied, squeezing the access water out of the cloth he had in his hands.
"A what?" Yukimura blinked, confused.
"It absorbed Runa-chan's fever for her." Hanbee began to wipe down Runa's face with care, cooling her warm cheeks while wiping the sweat off her neck.
Yukimura watch the vampire taking care of his younger sibling before his green eyes went back to the bracelet. "This bracelet did?" He mumbled.
After one last glow, the bracelet went back to normal; all shiny from the polished chains and jingles when the stars and the moons clang together.
"*Cough!*Cough!*" Runa covered her mouth with one hand as Hanbee rubbed her back, helping the girl breathe. "Did I... only survive... because... you put it... on me...?" Runa asked, looking at the vampire.
Hanbee smiled softly. "That's right. I wanted to give it back to you, but there's just never the right time." He explained. "Your illness can't be cured, but it can be controlled."
"W-Wait, back up. Illness?" Yukimura questioned, shocked at what he's hearing.
"Runa, are you ill?" Nobuyuki asked, surprised as well.
Runa stared at them for a moment before averting her gaze. "Isn't it... that obvious...?" She mumbled. "Using my bracelet... I can keep it... under... control..." She explained.
"So that's what you meant." Yukimura murmured before a relieved smile came on his face. "You're really gonna be okay now, huh?"
The Takenaka siblings shared troubled expressions. They weren't sure if they should tell the werewolves about it. Should they?
Runa looked down, gripping Nobuyuki's blanket with her shaky hands until a pair of hands were placed over them. The raven-haired beauty looked up in surprise and saw Hanbee smiling reassuringly, as well as giving her a nod.
Runa relaxed and nodded in return, telling him to proceed.
Hanbee got the message and turned his attention to the Sanada siblings, still holding Runa's hands with no intention of letting go. "Listen carefully, Yukimura. Nobuyuki." He said, using his serious voice to tell them this is important. "All this magical item did was take away some water from a cup that was about to overflow." He stated, showing the werewolves the bracelet by holding up Runa's right hand. "The cup's not exactly empty yet, and it'll only fill faster as Runa-chan grow."
The two gasped.
"What?" Nobuyuki questioned.
"You mean..." Yukimura didn't like where the vampire was going.
"It'll start overflowing again soon enough." Hanbee summarised.
The Sanada siblings gasped again, their eyes growing wide at the news.
"How soon is 'soon enough'?" Yukimura asked, imitating the serious expression Hanbee was making.
The Takenaka siblings thought about it for a moment before closing their eyes as they averted their gaze, refusing to answer.
"Answer me, Runa." Yukimura requested, wanting to know how long she had.
Runa glanced at him with a solemn expression before blankly looking at her locked hands with her brother. "A year... at most..." She whispered.
Yukimura gasped for the third time, only this time, he was more in shock. "Only a year?" He repeated. Runa only has a year before she...
"Where can you get these magical items?" Nobuyuki asked, wondering if there's anything they could do to help.
Hanbee shook his head, telling the older Sanada it isn't possible.
"How'd you get this bracelet, then?"
"Magical items like Runa-chan's are made by ancient relics that's been imbued with unlimited amount of Astral Energy. The Sacred Treasures of Himemiko is a good example. The one Runa-chan is wearing belongs to her biological family, being the only intacted item that's still filled with that kind of energy. And when I gain custody of her, this relic is the only thing her biological parents went out of their way to get for her. You won't find any, no matter where you look." Hanbee explained, stroking Runa's hair when the girl leaned against him.
"What?" Yukimura couldn't believe it.
"Even if you do find one, it won't have the same affect. If someone who doesn't have the same illness as Runa-chan, that person will get killed by that item." Hanbee glanced down at his sister, painfully. "Those like Runa-chan can't live without these items." He stated.
"Is there really no cure?" Yukimura asked, wondering if there's really a way to cure his friend.
But Hanbee dashed whatever hope the commander had. "I'm sorry... But all I could ask of you two is to keep quiet about all this." He requested. "If the other warlords, especially Oda Nobunaga found out, there'll be chaos."
"We understand." Nobuyuki said. "It will be problematic if the other armies learned of Runa's illness."
"So we're in agreement. Not either one of you will tell a soul about this. Got it?"
"Yes." The Sanada siblings answered in unison.
They talked a few things over as the rain outside got louder and heavier by the minute, placing a gloomy atmosphere over the territory than it already was, erasing the lively colours from the place, leaving a monochrome world in its place.
◇◇◇◇◇
The next morning...
"Now say 'ah'~" Hanbee said as he held out a wooden spoonful of chicken porridge.
"Aaahhh..." Runa opened her mouth and ate the offered food.
Hanbee giggled as he looked at the little rice that was left on the spoon, that he made, before averting his eyes to the bowl full of the chicken porridge with toppings.
To make sure Runa stayed warm and comfortable, Nobuyuki let the siblings sleep in his room for the night so Hanbee could keep an eye on his sister. Runa may be better, but that doesn't mean she's fully stable. The vampire made the girl stay in bed when he went off to do something.
"Is it good?" Hanbee asked, watching Runa chewing her food. "I hope the flavours came out well."
Runa swallowed and felt fine. "It's good."
"That's a relief." Hanbee picked up another spoon of the porridge and fed the girl.
Runa ate them obediently. She let the vampire feed her until she finished. This morning, her head was pounding and her eyes were hot and puffy from crying last night. Runa didn't know why, but when the Sanada siblings left so she could rest, she just... broke down. She cried and cried while her brother whispered comforting words in her ear until she fell asleep.
After a full night of rest, her body no longer felt sluggish and heavy. All the crying she did seemed to have cleared away her bottled emotions from her chest as well.
Hanbee set the empty bowl down and placed his hand on Runa's forehead, feeling her temperature. "That's good, your fever's gone."
With hands still cold from washing up, when Hanbee feels her forehead, the coolness of his touch cooled Runa's warm cheeks as his fingers rubbed at the corners of her eyes. "Can I... help you... with research...?" Runa asked as the vampire removed his hands from her.
"Hmm~ I'm already having Saizou and Kamanosuke helping me, and I don't want you being bedridden all day in this stuffy castle. Nobuyuki is also joining us in the archive, but I don't want you to push yourself when you've only just gotten better..." Hanbee closed his eyes and thought for a moment. When he felt a lightbulb lit up inside his head, a smile plastered onto his lips as he opened his lime eyes. "How about spending the day with Yukimura?" He suggested.
"Huh?"
"Being inside a room all to yourself must feel lonely." Hanbee smile solemnly. "Being around with a friend might be a good change of pace, after what happened last night."
'I guess it it give me the opportunity to look around...' Runa thought, seeing it might help her figure out the clue. "Alright."
Hanbee clapped his hands together. "Great!" He smiled. "Let's get you cleaned up before we head out."
Getting up, the vampire went to grab a basin of hot water from the baths, a few fresh towels, some fresh clothes, and other supplies he needed. Once he had everything, Hanbee went back to Runa and saw the girl was waiting for him. He closed the door and sat down before her.
"I'll wash your back before applying the suncream, okay?" Hanbee told her, passing a warm, damp cloth over to the girl.
"Right..." Runa nodded. She pulled the upper part of her kimono, not embarrassed in the slightest as she pulled her hair over her shoulders, covering her chest as exposing her back to the vampire, before accepting the cloth and began wiping down her pale arms. She could also smell the sweet summer citrus from the cloth.
Hanbee let out an inaudible sigh, smiling to see how innocent his sister is. But then again, it's normal between them. He took off his pads then rolled up his kimono sleeves, and dipped the cloth into the warm water before pulling it back out, and squeezed the access water out.
Hanbee placed a hand on Runa's left shoulder and began wiping her back with care. He carefully wiped the sunburns, feeling the girl flinching every time the cloth went over it. When he was done, Hanbee closed his eyes and turned around so Runa could wipe the rest of her body, and put on her undergarments.
"I'm done." Runa said.
Hanbee opened his eyes and side glanced to see the girl had the blanket to cover herself up to her stomach. He turned around, grabbing the suncream and squeezed some out onto his hands. He applied it over the darker shades on her skin, seeing her back was the only place left that had the burns.
After he was done, Hanbee grabbed Runa's dress and handed it over her. He watched the girl place her arms over her sleeves before pulling the dress over her head. Hanbee helped the girl pull the dress down and clipped the button on her choker, as Runa pulled her hair out of the way.
"All done!" Hanbee sighed, wiping some sweat off his forehead.
Runa glanced over her shoulders. "Thank you... as always..."
Hanbee giggled behind his kimono sleeve. "You're welcome. Now let's go. Yukimura must be waiting."
Runa nodded.
They- Hanbee tidied up Nobuyuki's room while Runa folded the blanket and the futon, and pass it to the vampire so he could put it away.
After everything was spotless, Hanbee carried Runa to the front gates. He told her not to do any external work and rest as much as she could. Hanbee also include about other things Runa had heard more than she could count.
When they got there, Runa saw Yukimura standing at the other side of the bridge... with Yuzuki beside him. Her brow twitched in annoyance. "You didn't tell me that would be joining, Nii-chan." She grumbled.
"If I did, you would flat-out refuse." Hanbee shot back, walking over the bridge, getting closer to the duo.
"Good morning, Hanbee-kun, Runa-san!" Yuzuki greeted, smiling.
"Good morning, Yuzuki-chan." Hanbee greeted back, stopping before them. "I hope we didn't keep you long."
"No, we just got here ourselves." Yukimura said, imitating the vampire's smile. His cheery expression changed to worry when his eyes landed on Runa. "You're... alright now, right... Runa?"
"Yes..." Runa whispered.
"Huh?" Yuzuki stared at them in confusion. 'Did something happened?' The memory of the girl collapsing yesterday came to mind. 'I hope Runa-san is all better now...' She thought. 'It really scared me...'
"Now, Yukimura, Runa-chan isn't fully stable yet, so you need to carry her." Hanbee mentioned.
"Eh?! Me?!" Yukimura exclaimed, shocked as he pointed to himself.
"Yes, you." Hanbee deadpanned. "You don't expect a girl like Runa-chan to walk all the way to the village, are you?" His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"N-No, sir!"
"Good. Don't you dare drop her." Hanbee threatened as he knelt down with Yukimura following in toe.
"I won't." Yukimura held out his arms and Hanbee gently placed Runa in his arms. Yukimura slowly stood up and secured his arms around Runa, making sure she's comfortable.
Runa stared at the Sanada commander, especially his ears. 'They look so fluffy!' She seriously wanted to touch them to feel how warm and fluffy they might feel.
"Now then, I should get back." Hanbee said. "Those books are not going to read themselves."
"Are you sure you don't want any extra help?" Yuzuki asked, feeling useless since Hanbee is working while she goes out to have fun.
"Don't worry, don't worry." Hanbee waved off her concern. "I just want to confirm something. All you have to do is figure out the part of the riddle, as you squeeze in a little bit fun."
"I-Is that how it is...?"
"Yes. There is no need to bother yourself with the books."
"Well then, how about we go to the town and collect information?" Yukimura suggested, taking action. If Yuzuki continues to ask questions, Hanbee won't be able to get started.
"Please..." Runa mumbled, getting annoyed already.
"Ah, right. Runa-chan, here." Hanbee handed his red Japanese parasol to his sister.
Runa reached out and accepted it. She looked at the dark grey parasol before looking at her brother. "You sure...?" She asked. She knew this parasol is his favourite.
"Yes. I don't want you getting sunburned again."
"Okay, okay. We should get going." Yukimura awkwardly cut in. "We'll be back around noon or so. Good luck in the archives."
Hanbee nodded. "Have fun~!" He waved as the trio walked down the path.
Runa opened the parasol and held it up, shading herself from the scorching light, but also shading Yukimura as well. She looked up ahead to see many fields of different kinds. To her, it looked like they make rice, sake, growing vegetables and many other kinds.
Even though it was sunny, a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere. It blew some leaves off the trees near the three, but also swaying their hair and clothes along with it.
"Achoo!" Runa covered her nose when the scent of dirt and herbs came close.
"It is really windy today." Yuzuki mentioned, rubbing her arms for warmth. The wind was pretty cold despite the sun being out.
"Winter is approaching." Yukimura stated.
"So we're... going to see... how they're doing...?" Runa asked, using her free arm to rub the other. It doesn't matter what layer of clothing she's wearing, the cold wind sent chills in every nerve of her body.
"That's right." Yukimura smiled. "As fall nears its end, people here start preparing for the long winter ahead." He explained as he carefully walked down the little hill they're on. If he dropped Runa, he was sure he'll get hell from not only his brother, but the death penalty from Hanbee. Just the thought of it scared him. "And today is pork stocking day." Yukimura mentioned, distracting himself from his negative thoughts.
"Pork stocking?" Yuzuki asked in surprise, looking up at the werewolf with wide eyes.
Just hearing the words immediately drained the colours from Runa's face. 'P-Pork stocking...?! As in...?!'
"It's like a festival." Yukimura said. "You'll have fun. We all butcher pigs together, then brine and smoke the meat, or make pot roast and sausages. We won't last the winter otherwise."
"Butchering pigs..." Runa had never seen one been done before, and just the thought of it made her sick to her stomach.
"Will you be alright, Runa-san?" Yuzuki asked, worried about the girl's condition.
"..."
"That's right..." When Yukimura turned his head, his face and Runa's was really close. But the werewolf wasn't bothered. To him, Runa was like a little sister he never had. It felt kind of nice to be the older sibling for a change. "I hope Runa doesn't develop a fever. If Hanbee were to find out..." He smiled wryly.
"Nii-chan will... be mad..." Runa bluntly finished. 'And I wish I did develop a fever.' She thought, wanting to find an excuse to go back to the castle.
After walking for another 10 minutes or so, they arrived at the village. Unlike the horror damage of the remains last time, the village had been rebuild and looked just as it did before the yakuma came.
Everywhere Runa looked was grey, from the rolling fields before her to the deep ash-grey on the tall, tall trees from the forest in the distance. It may be bland, but everything was kinda tranquil.
*Chatter*Chatter*
"Huh?" Glancing at the distance, Runa could see the villagers bustling and hustling, moving about to get everything ready.
"Hey, everyone!" Yukimura called out.
The villagers turned around and saw their commander with two beautiful girls.
"Oh my, if it isn't Yukimura-sama!" One of them shouted with glee.
"Yukimura-sama!" The kids ran over to the werewolf when they got close.
"I see you're all getting ready to butcher the pigs." Yukimura said, slowly bending down to their height.
"Yukimura... you can... put me down..." Runa mentioned, patting his shoulder. Since they're in the village now, there was no need for her to be carried. And besides, Runa doesn't like the idea of Yukimura constantly carrying her around.
"Ah, sure." Yukimura gently set the girl down and waited until her feet touched the ground, before letting go.
Then one of the village farmers walked up to the group. "What's the occasion with you bringing two beauties along? I'm jealous." He joked.
"Hey now, don't tease like that." Yukimura scolded. "You'll trouble them, right?"
"Oh dear, pardon my rudeness. However, miss..." The farmer glanced at Yuzuki. "... Yukimura-sama is a brave warrior and quite popular, so please take care of him." He bowed.
Yuzuki got flustered. "N-No, I'm the one who's being in Yukimura-san's care...!" He stammered, waving her hands in front of her.
"A-Anyway, I came to see everyone's faces today." Yukimura cut in, his face all red from the farmer's comment. "I'm glad to see everyone healthy too."
"Yes, we're about to start with the festival. Yukimura-sama, would you like to join us?" The farmer offered.
"Really?!" Yukimura smiled brightly like a child just earned a prize.
"It would be an honour to have you."
"Please, Yukimura-sama!" One of the younger girls begged, tugging on his hand.
"It would be more fun with you!" Another added.
In the end, Yukimura agreed and told the girls to watch from afar since he didn't want them to get hurt. So the girls found a spot to watch from a distance - which was at a tree stump that Runa used to sit on so she could rest, while Yuzuki stood beside her. They actually have a full view of the village square, where everyone were doing the slaughtering.
As they watch, butchering pigs is primarily a man's work. Holding down a 100kg pig, trussing it up, and hoisting it all required a good deal of strength. While that happens, the women handles setting up the smoke huts, getting huge amounts of water ready for boiling, making sure all of the tools and salt are ready, and doing other general prep work.
"Everyone's really excited." Yuzuki spoke, seeing how active the villagers were. She could also see Yukimura smiling brightly as he helped with the preparations.
From the distance they're at, the girls could see one of the men tying a rope to a wooden stake set firmly into the ground. The other end of the rope had already been tied around one of the pig's right hind leg.
The men chased it around and round the stake, desperately trying to catch and hold the pig down.
'It's as if this is a mini war between animals and humans...' Runa thought, blankly watching the pig squealing as Yukimura and two farmers chased it around the village square. 'Then again, this is none of my business. I should focus on figuring out the riddle.' Glancing down at her lap, Runa thought about the riddle. 'Descended from the heavens and hidden below, the 3rd Sacred Treasure that heals, the earth's pockets is never empty but it can be hard to dig into.' "What does the descending and hidden part mean...?" She pondered, mumbling to herself. "Is it hidden somewhere deep in the soil, or hidden somewhere high...?" Frustrated, Runa grabbed her head and began pulling her hair. "I don't get it...!"
*Oink!*Oink!*
Looking up, Runa saw Yukimura and the two farmers were still at it as the villagers cheered them on. Her face cringed at the sight. "Ugh... how primitive..." 'I wish Mavis was here...' She sulked, slouching forward, causing some of her hair to fall over her shoulders. 'I'd rather go play with her than watch this torture.'
*Oink!*Oink!*Oink!*
"Huh?" Giving her attention back to the crowd, Runa looked up to see the large dirty, spitting pig was rampaging towards her.
"E-Eh?!" Yuzuki screamed, surprised at the incoming animal. She instinctively taken a step back, worried it might run her over.
But luckily for them, Yukimura and the farmers came to them just in time and held the pig down; holding it by the nostril and holding its hind legs, ignoring the continuous squealing the pig was making.
"Here I go!" Yukimura yelled, standing before the pig with a spear at the ready. He sets the spear, then with a mighty shout, he pierced into the pig with a single, strong thrust.
*OINK!!*
The pig collapsed to the ground from that one strike, convulsing in its death throes before finally falling still.
The girls squeaked in horror as all the blood drained from their faces, but the people in the plaza started cheering for the supreme commander.
Runa stared at the pool blood when Yukimura yanked out the spear and caused the blood to start spurting from the wound. Reflexively, she clamp her hand over her mouth to block the smell. 'Bitter...!'
After killing the pig, a woman ran over, carrying a wooden bucket, on a reasonable wooden pole. It wasn't just her; another woman followed, bringing with her a large empty basin.
"I wonder what they're doing..." Yuzuki murmured, leaning forward to get a better look.
In the next instant, blood suddenly flew out, and some people's aprons got stained bright, dripping red. The pig was concealed from the girl's view behind the skirt of the woman with the large basin, but the girls can see how she collected the massive amount of blood in her bowl, transferring it to the bucket whenever it got full. It seemed to be her everyday job from the way she moved. The other woman on the other hand, had her brows deeply furrowed as she put all of her strength behind churning the blood as it's poured into the bucket.
Then, the pig was brought over to a specially prepared tree and strung up upside down, from a sturdy branch. All of the blood that hadn't been completely drained from the body started to drip down.
Now, it's time for the real butchering to begin.
A man stepped forward, wielding a thick, heavy butcher's knife, and vertically slitted the pig's belly open.
"I think... I'm going to be sick..." Runa emptily mumbled, staring emotionlessly at the man that's removing the pig's guts.
"Did you say something?" Yuzuki asked, wondering what the girl said since she couldn't hear from all the cheering the kids were doing.
"Are you two alright?"
The girls turned their heads to the crowd and saw Yukimura jogging over to them. When he stopped near them, he placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath as some of the sweat dripped from his chin.
"We're... fine..." Runa responded, managing to suppress the urge to gag. 'So bitter... I feel like throwing up.' She thought as she covered her mouth with her hand.
◇◇◇◇◇
Meanwhile...
Hanbee, along with Nobuyuki, Saizou and Kamanosuke were in the Sanada Army's treasury, looking through the old documents on Himemiko.
"I got nothing!" Sasuke exclaimed, throwing the book he was holding back into the pile.
"All this reading is making me sleepy." Kamanosuke yawned, dropping the book he was holding.
"In this small treasury, it's packed with the history of the Sanada Army which has been handed down from our ancestors." Nobuyuki stated, turning the page of the book he's reading.
"Even so, it will be difficult to find a clue about Himemiko-sama, in this huge amount of books and treasures." Hanbee mentioned, picking up a different book.
"Hm... indeed. I do have a little insecurity."
"Why?" Hanbee glanced at the werewolf over his shoulders.
"Because of it concerns a very ancient document, then even I can't read the letters."
"If it concerns the ancient letters, I might be able to decipher a few, but if it concerns a different language... I know someone." Hanbee smiled, closing his eyes with a light giggle as he gently shut the book.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the same time...
A certain Quillcat was watching the festival from one of the sturdy branches in the forest. It had a wry smile when its eyes landed on the pig's empty stomach. The Quillcat felt like gagging just from the smell, but to distract itself, it turned its attention to the girls, who were staring at the crowd from a distance.
◇◇◇◇◇
"Wow, they're already in the process of steaming the pig." Yuzuki smiled.
The women had already made the steamer by using a pile of rocks, making a circle out of it, building a makeshift stove that they can set the pot on top of.
'I'd rather be bedridden than watching this.' Runa rejected. Her brow was twitching from the stench of mud and the raw meat of the dead pig.
Then again, compared to the villagers, who were used to outdoor work, Runa had always been doing indoor work, so due doesn't have very much experience with all this, not being very useful, though, is basically her natural state. All she can do right now was to gather up wood from the nearby area and hand them over to Yukimura, per to his request.
Yukimura filled the pot up with water from the well, sets it on top of the stove, then quickly piled up the wood, the girls gathered for him, underneath it and got the fire going. "Hmm... We might need more." He murmured. He stood up and turned to the girls. "Sorry, but do you two think you can help me gather up some more wood?" He asked.
"Of course." Yuzuki nodded.
Runa nodded.
"We'll head off to the forest near here." Yukimura stated, pointing to the forest just beside the village. "I'll cut down some wood, while you two collect some that's already on the ground. Is that okay?" He asked.
"Sounds good." Yuzuki said.
"But... aren't you... going to... take a break...?" Runa asked. The werewolf had been moving around for the good of half an hour without rest, so she thought he must be getting tired.
"Well, if your health gets worse before we can head back, I'll really be in trouble." Yukimura pointed out. "You'll probably be fine gathering wood with Yuzuki, but don't move around too much." He instructed, keeping his promise to the overprotective vampire. "Also, if anything happens, give a shout. Got it?"
"Alright..."
The three walked over into the forest, going into an open area with the soft and strong wood, and like Yukimura asked the girls gathered up fallen wood from around the area, making a small pile of it. It was heavy, and they weren't sure how many they should be gathering, so they collected as many as they could find.
When they've collected all the wood from the immediate area, the girls headed a little bit further into the forest, looking for more.
As Yuzuki reached down to pick up a stick, she saw something half-buried in the dirt. It looked like a large red berry, kind of like a pomegranate.
"Huh? What is that?" Yuzuki wondered out loud as she walked closer to it.
Yuzuki was convinced that most of the things in the forest are used in day-to-day life in Shinga. After all, she's been living in this world for nearly a year now, so it's only natural that she'd start thinking like it.
Bending down, she grabbed a sturdy stick and start digging around the red berry, until Yuzuki had it free from the ground.
Yuzuki reached down and picked it up. "That is one red fruit." She commented. "Is it edible?" She wondered. She stood back up and turned around to see Runa picking up pieces of sticks into her arms. "Um, Runa-san!" Yuzuki called out, walking towards the girl.
"Hm?" Runa boredly glanced over her shoulders and noticed the ball of red in the girl's hand.
"Do you know what this is?" Yuzuki asked, showing the odd fruit to the girl.
Runa glanced down at the fruit and flinched when she realised what it was at close range. "W-Where did you... get it...?" She stammered.
"Huh? I found it in the ground... Why?" Yuzuki asked. 'Why is Runa-san so worked up all of a sudden?' She wondered.
Runa dropped her pile of wood and swiped the odd fruit from Yuzuki, shocking the girl.
'Wha-?!'
Runa looked down at the fruit in her hands and felt it rapidly heating up in her hands. "Ow, hot!" She shouted, using whatever strength she had to throw it as far away from her as she possibly can... Which means it landed about 8 meters away.
*BANG!*Ba-Ba-Bang!*
The red berry violently bursted open, its smaller pieces scattering everywhere. And the moment they all hit the ground, countless plants started sprouting in a flash.
As Yuzuki stared dumbfoundedly, the plants quickly grew until they were up to her thighs. "H-Huh? What's with this sprouts thing?" She wondered, stunned at the abnormal situation.
"I knew it..." Runa mumbled, watching the plants grow as they confirmed her suspension. "It's a trombe..."
"'Trombe'?" Yuzuki asked, not knowing what that meant. Even so, she was worried what might happened so she did what Yukimura told them if something goes wrong. "Y-Yukimura-san... Yukimura-san!" Yuzuki yelled.
"What's wrong?" Yukimura came crashing through the trees, probably from somewhere nearby.
"What is this?" Yuzuki asked, pointing to the bush of wiggling plants.
Yukimura gasped and was at a loss as well. "I-I don't know..."
"Trombe!" Runa shouted. "It's a trombe!"
"Trombe? What's that?"
"I-I'll explain l-later... J-Just chop it all down!" Runa ordered, backing away from the wild plant.
"Right!" Yukimura immediately unsheathed a machete from his pants pocket, running towards the rapidly-growing plants and chopped it away. By now, they're up to his stomach (and up to Yuzuki's chest, while its up to Runa's head). It was very clear that they were fast-growing plants are actually extremely dangerous.
Yukimura continued to chop them all down, pulling them towards him to get a better aim when needed. And when the reaping of the pop-up trees seemed seemed have drawn to a close, Runa told him to search about to make sure that there aren't any that he might have missed.
"I think we're alright now." Yukimura sighed, sheathing his machete.
Runa sighed and collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
"Are you okay, Runa-san!" Yuzuki asked, worried something was wrong with her.
"I'm fine..." Runa whispered.
"What was that, Runa?" Yukimura asked. The girl seemed to recognise the plant, and was freaking out when she asked him to chop it down, so... Just what is that plant?
"A trombe..." Runa answered, accepting the offered hand the commander extended. "If it's not weeded out... as soon as it starts sprouting... it'll suck up all the nutrients... on the soil and... grow in a flash..."
"So that's why it sprouted so quickly." Yuzuki said.
"So it's really dangerous if you left it alone, or else it would be very difficult to deal with?" Yukimura asked.
Runa nodded. "But that's weird..." She glanced at the pile of cut-down trombe on the ground. "It's not trombe season yet... and it was... growing really fast.... But it hasn't affected... the soil here much..." She noticed only a small amount of grass had rotten away, leaving a small gap of dirt in their place.
"Anyway, we should-"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
The many deaf piercing shrieks grabbed the trio's attention, turning their heads to the source.
"It's sounded like it's coming from the village...!" Yukimura gasped.
"Then the people-"
"-Let's go...!" Runa urged, running back to the village. Whatever the screaming was about, she had a bad feeling.
"Wait, Runa!" Yukimura chased after the frail female with the other following behind.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the castle...
"In the end, we found nothing..." Sasuke sighed, laying on the floor in the grand hall.
"I found a lot of dust." Kamanosuke deadpanned, yawning as he lay in the far left corner.
"It's the same what Kanbee and I found..." Hanbee sighed, sitting before the older Sanada as he realised they've made no progress.
"We might have to expand our search..." Nobuyuki stated, crossing his arms.
If they have nothing in the treasury, then they have no choice but to look at a different angle. The only clue they have is a clue that makes absolutely no sense... What are they going to do now?
"This is bad!" A Sanada soldier slided the door open and knelt down outside. "Yakuma have been spotted in the village!" He shouted.
"What?!" Nobuyuki shouted.
Everyone gasped. Yakuma?! How is that possible? Didn't they defeat them?
"Where's Yukimura?" Nobuyuki demanded, getting to his feet.
"It appears Yukimura-sama has disappeared into the forest with two girls within the vicinity." The soldier reported.
"That idiot!" The werewolf growled. "What the heck is he doing in there?!"
"There's also been reports of unknown wild plants wilting trees and living plants in the village as well." The soldier added.
"Wild plants?" Hanbee questioned, confused. 'Wild plants that wilts other plants around it...' He pondered, feeling nostalgic with the description. That's when he remembered. 'Don't tell me...?!'
◇◇◇◇◇
At the village...
"Yakuma have appeared!" A farmer yelled.
A hord of yakuma merged from the forest. Their backs hunched forward like always with their creepy psychotic smile, and their beedy, glowing, bloodthirsty red eyes.
The villagers ran away as fast as they could. Parents grabbing a hold of their kids and ran into a building and locked the doors. Others panicked and screamed as they ran away from the horrid beasts.
A villager ran and ran but then stopped when he saw a bush of wild plants that were rapidly sprouting from the ground. "W-What is that?!" He exclaimed, already more terrified than he could get.
"They're coming!" A woman shouted, noticing the yakuma were heading towards them.
The remaining villagers that didn't have time to run away got cornered by the weird living plants, along with the yakuma on the other, and the buildings of their village created the other walls for the box they're trapped in.
The villagers pressed their backs against one and another, trying to create as much distance as they possibly could from the monsters and the plants. They felt like they're going to die. Are they going to die? Is this the end?
"Eliminate..."
Then out of nowhere, a hord of hundreds of thousands of black thorns came raining down from the sky and attacked the yakuma, as well as the wild plants, mercilessly devouring them into nothing. It was like a herd of animals eating away at the beasts like an angry hornet, with the sprouting plants as a side dish.
"Hey, is anyone here?! Is anybody alive here?! Answer me!" Yukimura's voice echoed throughout the village.
"Y-Yukimura-sama?" A man wondered, noticing three figures running towards them. As they got closer he could make out their appearances. "It's really Yukimura-sama! Hey, everybody! Yukimura-sama has come for us!" He yelled, calling out to the others.
All the villagers came out from their houses and joined the group.
"Are you all alright?" Yukimura asked, smiling, relieved that the villagers were okay.
"Yes. We do have a few who are injured, but we're alright!" The same man explained.
"Thank goodness..."
"Yukimura!"
"Yukimura!"
"Runa-chan!"
They turned back to see Sasuke, Saizou, Kamanosuke, and Hanbee running towards them. They arrived right beside the trio and checked to see if all the villagers were okay.
"Are there any yakuma left?" Sasuke asked.
"No. Runa took care of it all." Yukimura replied.
"What about the trombe?" Hanbee asked.
"Runa-san's thorns ate them." Yuzuki answered, looking back at the large gap of dirt that was left behind.
"Wait, you know what that plant is as well?" Yukimura asked in surprise.
"Y-Yes, but back up! Did you say Runa-chan used her powers?!" Hanbee shouted, panicking.
"Y-Yes. Why?" Yuzuki asked, wondering why the vampire got so nervous.
The colour drained from Hanbee's face.
*THUD!*
Everyone shifted their attention to the sound behind them and flinched when they saw Runa on the ground, exhausted.
"Runa-chan!" Hanbee rushed over to her and picked the girl up and felt how her body temperature was rising.
"Not again..." Sasuke paled, feeling the day had just repeated itself.
Runa breathed heavily as she coughed some air into her lungs. "I'm... I'm fine..." She choked, trying to stand, but the vampire refused to let her.
"Like hell you are!" Yukimura rejected, not convinced at all by the girl's words. Her red face and the heavy breathing, with the many sweat on her face was more than enough proof that she's not well.
"I just... *Wheeze* need my... *Wheeze*Cough!* medicine..." Runa wheezed as Hanbee stood up with her in his arms.
"Um..." Yuzuki awkwardly spoke up.
"What?" Hanbee asked.
Yuzuki stared at him before her eyes averted to Runa. But then she glanced down with an unreadable expression. "Never mind. We'll talk about it when we find the Sacred Treasure." She turned around and walked away.
Hanbee stared at the brown-haired girl's retreating form in wonder, before his expression turned into a guilty one. 'Is Yuzuki-chan suspicious of me?' He wondered.
◇◇◇◇◇
A few days later...
The Sacred Treasure hunt continued to go roughly, but they couldn't figure out what the riddle meant. They tried to break the clue down, but it just confused them even more.
Even though he should be focusing on finding the Sacred Treasure, Hanbee was more worried about Runa. Her fever wasn't improving. He was worried something was more wrong than having a fever attack.
Hanbee wiped some more sweat off Runa's red face and dumped the dry cloth back into the basin, filled with cold water, again and gently placed it on her forehead. Staring down at her painful expression, Hanbee doesn't know how long he can keep this up. All the lies he's been telling to the others. The distance, far away from her. Even though they are close, yet it felt so far. It even hurt him when he didn't know who Runa is to him. Hanbee knows blaming himself wasn't enough. He wanted to say sorry to Runa, so badly.
"... Ngh..."
When he heard a small groan, Hanbee looked down and noticed it; Runa just woke up from a dream. No. More like a memory but all of it was a blur.
Runa tried to sit up but her headache became slightly worse when she sat up.
Hanbee gently laid her back down on the futon, tucking her with the blanket. "Lay down, Runa-chan..." He whispered, stroking her hair.
Seeing Runa still breathing heavily, holding her pain, Hanbee watched as Runa sit up again while holding her head.
Runa's eyes were covered by her bangs, but she could see lots of blood around her. She didn't seem to notice Hanbee was by her side. Trembling in fear, Runa wished this horrible scene would disappear.
Hanbee gently pulled her into his arms, feeling her trembling body makes him even sadder. He could also feel her body temperature rising. 'What do I do...?' He thought, panicking.
Then it hit him.
It was so obvious. He's a vampire. If there's too much blood inside her, then all Hanbee had to do is to suck it out.
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Hanbee used his free hand, pulling Runa's upper kimono open slightly, revealing the scar under her left collarbone. Only this time, it was glowing bright orange gold with dark, brown burns outlining it, and it looked like there were gold stones growing out of the burns.
Hanbee's eyes widened at the sight. He didn't think her condition could get this bad. He inhaled and exhaled calmly to calm his nerves before bending down, and began licking her skin. The taste was sweet as he looked for a vein above the glowing scar.
Once he found a vein and had it already warmed up, he revealed his fangs and slowly pierced Runa's skin very slowly. He began to drink from her, gulping down large mouthfuls of her blood. 'It's so sweet...' He thought, tasting the warm liquid going down his throat. Runa's blood was so sweet and warm, it was intoxicating. Hanbee gently narrowed his eyes as his hold on Runa tightened. 'It's too sweet. It's weird...' His fangs went in deeper as he closed his eyes. 'Sweetness is all I can feel now. Runa-chan, your blood... Your blood is too sweet.'
After another large gulp of her blood, Hanbee removed his fangs and wiped Runa's blood from the corner of his mouth. He took in quick breaths, getting air back into his own lungs as he savoured the remaining taste of Runa's blood in his mouth. It still tasted really sweet.
Hanbee reached over and lightly touched his lips with his fingers. He could still smell the aroma of her blood and it made the beast inside him wanting to suck it up dry. But Hanbee resisted. He looked down and saw Runa was sleeping peacefully now. He couldn't help but smile as he caressed her cheek. He gently laid the girl back onto the futon and got up to get her bag.
Grabbing the object, the vampire picked it up and walked back over to his sister, and sat back down. Hanbee placed the bag beside him and opened it, digging through the stuff and pulled out the large, white medical kit. He opened it to grab a tweezer and a medical wipe. Hanbee first opened the packet, pulling the wipe that was soaked with disinfectant, and delicately wiped it over the burns around the scar, that had stopped glowing. After that, he carefully pulled the stones out of Runa's tissue skin.
Runa flinched or gave a reaction each time the vampire tried to pull the stones out as gently as he could. She also hissed when the disinfectant touched her skin, especially over the deep burns.
After he finished, Hanbee put all the equipment away and fixed Runa's kimono, then covered her with the warm blanket. He then grabbed her blindfold and covered the girl's eyes with it.
Then loud footsteps came crashing near the door.
*Bang!*
"There's trouble!" Yuzuki bursted into the room, all out of breath.
"Wha-?!" Hanbee jumped and immediately looked at the girl. "What's wrong?"
"Those trombe things are back and are rampaging in the village again!"
"What?!" Hanbee became alarmed and immediately got to his feet.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the village...
Quillcat was clawing and chewing on the trombe at the entrance of the forest. When it saw the trombe fruit exploded into the ground, Quillcat didn't waste any time chopping them all down with its sharp claws.
The villagers ran and ran outside their homes when the plants began to break their roofs, creating cracks in walls, and sucking up the nutrients of the soil and plants in their fields.
As the trombe grew, the evening sky was starting to turn into the cool night as Quillcat struggled its way back into the bushes its using for shelter. It felt drained. Exhausted. Its body felt numb.
"There's a bunch of them!" Sasuke's voice echoed throughout the village.
"These things are going to ruin my beautiful skin." Saizou's voice complained.
Quillcat peaked out of its bush and saw the Sanada Army, along with the Toyotomi vassal running towards the trombe and began to chop them down with their swords, daggers, ninja scythes and other weapons they had on hand.
Quillcat sighed in relief as it dropped dead to the ground, unable to feel its body now that it can rest easy that the vassals are there to deal with the trombe situation.
◇◇◇◇◇
The next day...
Runa found herself waking up by the burning sensation on her cheek from the light, that was coming through the screens of the door. She could hear the birds chirping and the sound of a strong gust of wind blowing the trees and bushes outside. The temperature of the air got colder than yesterday, that it felt like ice was resting on her skin, cooling her down.
Runa sighed in relief, relaxing her body. She turned around on the futon, making contact with a chest. She opened her eyes to see Hanbee in her view. He was softly snoring away, one arm wrapped around her body, keeping her close, as the other was laying limbless between them.
Runa snuggled into him, curling her body up.
Hanbee stirred at the movement and woke up shortly. He smiled gently down at Runa, his free hand moving to brush away the strands of hair from her face. "Good morning, Runa-chan." He gave her his usual smile.
"Good morning..." Runa mumbled. Her body still can't process the need to wake up at this hour.
Hanbee chuckled softly and ran his hand through her silky hair. He could tell her fever had gone down now that her blood isn't clogging her chest, but he was still worried the fever might build up in the cold weather. After all, it's fall and winter is approaching soon.
Hanbee held her close, his arm moved to wrap around the other side of Runa's body and pulled her up, her face no longer against his chest but now his face. "You'll be fine. They don't know." Hanbee placed his forehead against hers, feeling her temperature isn't as warm as yesterday.
Runa opened her eyes through her blindfold. She gave him a blank stare and closed her eyes again, ducking her head under and leaned against his chest. "I know... And I'm not fine..." She mumbled. "You shouldn't worry so much, Nii-chan..."
Hanbee laughed and hugged her closer to him. He buried his nose into her hair, breathing in her lovely scent. But through that smile, he was worried. "I love you." He mumbled, tightening his hold. "Nothing's going to happen to you, I promise."
Runa just sighed but wrapped her arms around him. She remembered what her parents told her and knew that nothing could harm her or anyone she cared. She just hoped that her powers would stay stable, even before the year was up. "I love you too... Even though your commander is really weird..." She had an unreadable expression on her face, burying against his chest.
Hanbee chuckled, his chest rumbling deeply.
"Hey, Nii-chan..." Runa called out.
"Hm? What is it?" Hanbee asked, pulling her back slightly.
"Did you drink my blood yesterday...?"
Hanbee froze. He pulled her close again as his expression turned into a guilty one. "Your blood was clogging around your heart and there weren't any medications for it. So I drank it out since it was an emergency. Are you mad?" He asked, burying his face in her hair.
Runa was surprised at the childish behaviour the vampire showed. She knew he can be playful, cheery and rather girly sometimes, but having a childish side... Runa did not see that coming. "No..." She said, stroking his hair. "You did it because it was an emergency. Besides, you're a vampire. It's natural for creatures like you to drink like that."
Hanbee pulled back slightly and smiled brightly at her. "Awe~ I love you!" He rubbed his cheeks against hers with a soft chuckle.
Runa didn't resist. She let the vampire have fun as a gentle red hue smeared her cheeks at the bright smile Hanbee had on his face.
◇◇◇◇◇
Later that day...
Hanbee received a letter from Hideyoshi, telling him and the girls to come back to the castle. However... "-'You can only return if you find the Sacred Treasure in Sanada territory. If not, you will be forbidden to enter the castle'." Hanbee read out, telling the girls of its contents.
"What?!" Yuzuki exclaimed. 'H-Hideyoshi-san really wrote that?!' She couldn't believe the Toyotomi commander would make a such a bargain for them.
"That's mean..." Runa deadpanned, sitting on her futon with the blanket over her legs. She was still pretty tired so she's currently bedridden at the moment, meaning she can't help with research.
"You are too demanding, Hideyoshi-sama." Hanbee sighed, closing the letter and put it away in his kimono sleeve.
"And we didn't find anything so far, though..." Yuzuki sulked.
"Spinning..." Runa mumbled, noticing the world before her was spinning in circles.
Hanbee played with his bangs as he thought about his commander's bargain. "Looks like we have to take some desperate measures." He muttered.
"Huh?" Yuzuki thought she misheard him.
"Hey, hey, Runa-chan!" Sasuke's voice muffled through the doors. He slided it open and casually walked in. "I heard you felt sick after saving the villagers yesterday... Are you really okay?" He asked as he sat down beside the brown-haired girl.
"Yes..." Runa nodded. "This is... nothin - *Cough!*Cough!*Cough!*" When she tried to move, a rush of nausea came crashing into the depths of her stomach.
Sasuke panicked and made the girl lay down, pulling covers over her. "Hey, hey, don't push it!" He scolded. "It's better to rest a few days, right?"
"He's right." Hanbee joined in. "You are in no condition to be out and about."
"But what do we do?" Kamanosuke asked, appearing out of nowhere.
"Kamanosuke-san?!" Yuzuki shrieked, surprised. She keeps wondering how the werewolves keep appearing like that.
"Today, the four of us were going to a distant village to collect information, right?" Kamanosuke questioned, reminding the two Gegga Tribes about the plan.
Since there aren't any information in the castle's treasury, Yukimura thought it might be best to expand their search. So he sent Hanbee, along with Sasuke and the others to go to a distant village that was filled with history, and collect information there.
Runa tilted her head in question. "What's... the problem...?" She asked. "We can... go as... planned..."
"W-What're you saying?!" Sasuke exclaimed, wondering if the girl had gone crazy. "That's obviously impossible!"
"I've gotten permission from Nobuyuki, so you can rest." Hanbee mentioned. He placed his hand over Runa's. "He'll be taking care of you while me, Kamanosuke, Sasuke and Saizou will do the information gathering."
"No, but..."
"In this condition, it'll be night by the time we reach the village." Kamanosuke deadpanned. "Honestly, you'll be a burden..."
Runa looked down with a depressed expression.
"Wha-?! Kamanosuke! There's a better way of saying that!" Sasuke shouted. "Especially to a girl!"
"Then the simple answer is obvious." Saizou stated, appearing on Yuzuki's other side, scaring the girl half to death. "I, Kirigakure Saizou, will just have to carry her." He announced.
"What?! Why should someone like you carry a sick girl in this kind of weather?!" Sasuke shouted.
"Unlike you, I can do it more elegantly!" Saizou snapped.
"Elegance has no relevance!" Sasuke roared.
"She wants me to carry her!"
"No, me!"
"Me!"
"Me!"
"Me!"
"Me!"
"There they go again..." Kamanosuke sighed.
"Me!" Sasuke shouted, pushing Saizou's face away with his hand.
"No, me!" Saizou copied the werewolf's action.
"Me!"
"Me!"
"Enough!" Hanbee snapped, emitting a dark aura as he glared deadly at them. If looks could kill, then the two rivals would be dead. "If you two are gonna argue, then do it outside!" He yelled.
"W-We're sorry!" The two werewolves stuttered, shivering at the vampire's rage.
Runa reached out and grabbed Hanbee's hand. "Nii-chan..." She called out.
Hanbee, who was still glaring at the werewolves, looked down at the girl and his expression softened. He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, calming his anger. "Well then, we should get going soon." He mentioned, and then glanced at Yuzuki. "And you have to be Nobuyuki's helper too, right?"
"Ah... that's right." Yuzuki said, remembering about that little fact. She then glanced down at the raven-haired beauty. "I'll be going now, Runa-san." She told her before standing up, and turned to the others. "Hanbee-kun, Sasuke-san, Kamanosuke-san, don't push yourselves too hard." She warned before leaving the room.
"Yeah!" Sasuke jumped up, smiling like a bright child had just received a gift. "Then see ya later!" He waved down at Runa before taking off with Kamanosuke and Saizou calmly following in toe.
"They're so loud..." Runa blurted out the moment the vassals walked out. Just having them yelling at each other gives her a headache.
"Well, rivals will be rivals." Hanbee smiled as he adjust the blanket on his sister.
"Loud rivals..." Runa deadpanned, yawning.
Hanbee chuckled as he placed a cold, damp cloth on her forehead. "I have to go talk to Yukimura about Hideyoshi-sama's letter, so I'll be back a little after dinner." He told her.
Runa gave him a weak nod before falling asleep.
Hanbee caressed her cheek before leaning over and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. He got up and quietly left the room, shutting the door behind him.
◇◇◇◇◇
Meanwhile...
"I apologise. It's taken more time than I thought." Nobuyuki apologised as he and Yuzuki were organising the treasury for the last 10 minutes. "I only intended to organise a little bit, but to think there was that many..." He sweatdropped at the mountain of books before them. There were so many that it had already taken 2/3 of the room. Nobuyuki turned to Yuzuki, who finished putting the last book into the shelf. "I'll do the rest so you can take a break." He said. "You must be hungry, right? Dinner should be finished by now."
"No, I'm okay still." Yuzuki shook her head. Just look at the pile, she didn't want Nobuyuki to handle all the work by himself. "Is there anything else I can help with?" She asked as she placed her hands in front of her.
Nobuyuki blinked in surprise. "I see..." Then smiled. "... thank you. I'm grateful for your kindness. Then...let's see, why don't you bring dinner to Runa?" He suggested. "It must be difficult for her to leave her room with her condition."
"Runa-san?" Yuzuki questioned, surprised.
"I know Hanbee might be working late, so it must be hard for him to be there for her. And on the way, you should also settle your own meal." Nobuyuki advised.
"Okay, I understand." Yuzuki bowed and excused herself. She went to the kitchen, taking a tray for Runa's dinner, and made her way over to Runa's room. 'I feel a bit apologetic towards Nobuyuki-san, but this is perfect since I wanted to have a girly time with Runa-san!' Yuzuki thought, smiling at the opportunity to get to know the younger Takenaka better.
Walking down the quiet veranda hallways, Yuzuki saw the vermilion sky slowly turning into the night sky, showing the twinkling stars.
After a minute, Yuzuki made it. She gently knocked on the door. "Runa-san." She called out. "I've brought dinner."
Silence.
"Huh?" Yuzuki blinked when there weren't any reply. "Runa-san?" She questioned as she opened the door. She knew going in without permission is rude, but Yuzuki had a bad feeling in her chest. She walked in and saw the raven-haired beauty laying in her futon mat. "Runa-san?" Yuzuki called out, nervously walking closer to the futon. Her eyes widened when she realised Runa was fast asleep.
The girl was softly snoring away with her back turned to the brown-haired girl. Runa's long flowing hair spreaded everywhere, like a blanket of darkness.
'Pretty...' Yuzuki thought out of the blue. She couldn't help but admire how beautiful Runa looked, even when she's sleeping. It was like Yuzuki was staring down at a noble. 'I should leave.' She thought, quietly slipping out of the room to not wake the girl up.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the same time...
"*Cough!*Cough!*" Ranmaru used one hand to cover his mouth to muffle his coughs.
"Oi, are you okay?" Katsuie asked, raising a brow.
Ranmaru, Katsuie and Nagahide were researching anything on the Himemiko in their castle's archive. They've been at it for a week, and spent day and night at it, but they're at least making some progress. But since fall is approaching its end, winter takes over, so it means winter preparations, food supplies increased, plans on how to fight in the cold, etc. And of course, getting sick is common during that time of year.
"Yes..." Ranmaru rasped, pushing the book, he was done reading with, back into the shelf.
"This is a first." Nagahide shut the book he was reading. "I've never seen you get sick. Especially in the middle of work."
"It's nothing." Ranmaru excused, walking over to the table and picked up a pile. "I'll look through these in my room." He stated, walking away.
"Hey, if you're sick, just say so!" Katsuie shouted as the young vassal slammed the door behind him.
◇◇◇◇◇
Outside the archive...
Ranmaru rushed down the halls, quickly making his way to his room. 'No...' He thought. 'Not now...'
When he made a corner, Ranmaru's foot slided across the polished floor he cleaned and ran up to his room, bursting the door in and slammed it shut the moment he made it in.
Unable to carry them anymore, Ranmaru dropped the books, not bothered to pick them up as he slided down to the floor, exhausted.
"Hey, are you okay?" Mavis asked, flying over to the tired vampire.
The flying cat was staying with the young vassal to do some research, but mostly spying on the Oda Army's commander. Mavis knew Nobunaga was up to something when she overheard his conversation with Mitsuhide about Runa.
"It's nothing..." Ranmaru wheezed, taking short breaths.
Mavis gave him a serious look as she flew closer to put a paw on his forehead. "Are you sure? Because you are burning up." She pointed out, removing her paw and flew back to observe his face. "Your cheeks are turning red and your sweating."
"I'm fine." Ranmaru insisted as he struggled to his feet. He picked up the books before walking over to his nightstand and placed them there.
Mavis flew over to them and sat at the pile as she watched the young vassal walk into his closet. She waited for a few minutes until Ranmaru came out, dressed in his nightwear and walked over to his bed.
When he got close, Ranmaru collapsed onto the soft mattress, unable to feel his legs. His face was burning up. His head hurts. His fingers felt numb. His eyes felt heavy. His vision blurred, and his throat was really dry.
"See?" Mavis flew and draped a blanket over the sick vampire. "You have a fever. No work for you tomorrow." She stated.
"I can't..." Ranmaru placed his arms on his bed and tried to get up, but he didn't have the strength and collapsed back down, his face hitting his pillow.
"You can't even get up after a fall." Mavis deadpanned. "If you can't move, then you can't work. If you want to be useful to Nobunaga, then you need to hurry and get better by resting." She advised, sitting beside him.
"..." Ranmaru sighed and gave in, pulling the blanket up to cover his shoulders. "Alright..." He whispered, closing his eyes.
Mavis smiled. "Are you satisfied?" Her forest emerald eyes glanced over her shoulders, towards the door to glance at the cloaked figure, that silently stepped in.
"Yes." They said, walking closer to her. "If he pushed himself anymore, he'll collapse." They stopped and looked down at the sleeping vampire.
"And that'll make Nobunaga even more suspicious, right?" Mavis asked, flying up as the figure sat on the bed, making it tilt slightly.
"Maybe." They mumbled, removing some strands out of Ranmaru's face.
"But it is common for people to catch fevers during winter, though..."
"Would you be suspicious if a girl who gets constant fevers, and faints at random, no matter the season stayed with you and left, and then someone magically gets the same symptoms?" The figure asked, never turning their gaze away from the sleeping vampire, who stirred slightly but stayed unconscious.
Mavis' ears dropped with a deadpanned face. "Yes..."
The figure looked over their shoulders. "Then we have to help Ranmaru get better tonight."
◇◇◇◇◇
With the following day...
Runa stayed in her room, resting, by her brother's demands. Turned out he had everyone watch her to ensure she didn't sneak out or do anything. They'd brought her breakfast in the morning before going off to prepare for their journey to the distant village.
"This is boring..." Runa mumbled, staring blankly at the grey ceiling of wood. 'I wish I could go...' She thought, rolling to the side with a depressed look. "But... Nii-chan told me to get better..." Her eyes glanced at the empty bowl of soup Hanbee made for her. "If I get better, then they'll let me look as well..." Runa held a determined look as she slowly sat up. "I'm getting better, even if it meant I have to force this fever to go away...!"
"Hey, Runa-chan!"
"Huh?" Runa turned to the door to see it bursted open with a bang. She jumped when she saw Sasuke dashing into the room with a bright smile on his face. "S-Sasuke...?" She wondered.
"Hey, Sasuke! I told you not to disturb her!" Hanbee rushed into the room with an angry look. He used the door for support as he placed a hand on his knee, catching his breath from all the running he did.
"But I want to see how she's doing!" Sasuke argued, sitting down next to the girl with a pout.
"No fair." Kamanosuke appeared into the room, sitting next to Runa's free side.
"Yes. You can't keep her to yourself, Hanbee." Saizou appeared beside the vampire.
"I am not." Hanbee said, standing up straight as Yuzuki caught up to them. "All I'm saying is that, if you all just storm in like this when Runa-chan is still asleep, you'll scare her half to death!" He argued.
"Well, if she wants to sleep, then I'll happily offer my lap!" Saizou shamelessly offered, letting the sparkles fly around him.
"Eh?!" Yuzuki blushed at the blue werewolf's offer.
"It will be bad if the other two did, so I am doing you a favour."
"What'd you say?!" Sasuke shouted, glaring fiercely at the werewolf as he appeared closer to him.
"I don't understand what you mean..." Both Kamanosuke and Runa said, staring blankly at the two. They're just exhausted the moment the two rivals began to yell at each other.
Sasuke huffed, crossing his arms. Then his expression relaxed when his eyes landed on Runa. "But... I'm glad you're healthy." He smiled. "We'll definitely find something in our mission!"
"There's a lot to do today as well, so don't push yourself." Kamanosuke lazily added.
"Yes..." Runa nodded.
Suddenly, two sets of footsteps came crashing in from outside, slamming the door open with a large bang. Everyone swifly turned their heads to the door to see the ones who appeared, were the two out of breath Sanada siblings.
"Haa... haa... so this is where everyone was!" Yukimura exclaimed, placing his hands on his knees as he wheezed between his breaths.
'The two look extremely flustered. I wonder what exactly happened?' Yuzuki wondered.
"Good... you all haven't departed yet." Nobuyuki added, using the doorframe for support.
"Nobuyuki-sama, you're out of breath, did something happened?" Sasuke asked, wondering why the Sanada siblings were in a rush.
"Everyone, it's an emergency. Listen well." Nobuyuki advised. "Just now... a letter from an unknown sender reached us." He announced, and after leaving a small pause, he opened his mouth gravely. "It's contents - is relates to Himemiko-sama."