This chapter is dedicated to SauceMix! Happy reading! :)
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Akina pov:
I closed my eyes and brought a medicinal flower close to my nose to inhale its sweet scent. Besides having wondrous medicinal properties, I'm sure it was a very pretty flower too, in a vibrant color that anyone would find to be one of nature's beautiful creations. Even though I couldn't see its beauty, I could feel it and smell it and that was more than enough to give me joy.
Smiling in contentment, I lowered my hand and plucked the petals slowly. I put them into a stone mortar along with two other herbs and a few rare medicinal stems so I could prepare an antidote to cure paralysis caused by certain poisons that shinobi used in battle. I reached out to the side feeling the wooden floor to find the stone pestle. When I had it in my hand, I began to manually grind all the ingredients together.
I liked the sound of the pestle making contact with the stone mortar, giving different sounds depending on the type of herbs being ground. The soft murmur of the stones rubbing against each other was what I had grown up with and I found it to be the most pleasing of sounds.
I don't remember much of my childhood. Until I was five years old, I believe I stayed with my clan – which's name I don't remember. I have very hazy memories of people with silver hair and violet eyes looking at me, smiling and talking to me as if we were very close. Most of them are pleasant memories that come to me only when I'm relaxing and my thoughts float away – it's something that happens very rarely.
I also vaguely remember being woken up in the dead of the night one day by ear piercing screams. Everything around me was orange and I had felt the blazing heat of fire that seemed to destroy anything that it engulfed. Besides the fire, the screams and the panicked shuffling of people, there were dark figures that appeared every now and then in quick flashes.
The clearest memory I had was of the time someone had carried me in their arms as they ran out of the blazing village, barely avoiding the dark figures that whizzed past him. I was placed in the trunk of an old drying tree – a dark place that shielded me from the dangers that could harm me at that time. I don't remember the face of the man who had saved my life because it was too dark to see but he had mumbled something and touched my forehead with his fingers.
He had whispered the words 'I'm sorry, Akina. Please be safe' before running off on his own. I was terrified to be left alone in the dark so I had crawled out of the trunk in hopes of following him. But when I heard an ear piercing scream echo through the forest I was in, it dawned upon me that if I came out of hiding, I would not live to see another day. And so, I returned to hiding in the tree waiting for a reassuring silence before I could find the person who left me there.
I guess I had fallen asleep while waiting for the reassuring silence. When I was jolted awake the very next day – well, I think it was the next day – I came to realize that I would never be able to see the world around me again.
Frightened about being alone and being unable to see anymore, I crawled my way through the forest crying and begging for someone to find me and help me. I was found by the elder of this village several days later, scared, starving, and exhausted and having given up hopes of being saved. The village elder was a kind and gentle man who took me in and raised me himself like his own daughter.
He happened to be a healer and he taught me everything I know about herbs and medicines. Since I couldn't see, I had to develop my other senses to aid me with finding the right herbs, preparing the right medicines and diagnosing the patients' problems. My sense of smell, my sense of touch and my high sensitivity to the nodes and flow of chakra in a person's body helped me become an excellent healer. I do not know if it is true but I have heard that people call me the Goddess of Healing – mostly because there is almost no illness I cannot cure.
It was fifteen years ago that I began to learn healing and I am now twenty one years old. My adoptive father, the elder of the village who raised me, passed on three years ago. Several days later, Hiro arrived in the village, escorted by two shinobi. The elder's real son and daughter in law had died in the war leaving their seven year old son orphaned.
I decided to take care of him because I was in some way connected to the elder. Of course, I wasn't in much of a position to take care of him since I was restricted by my blindness. The only thing I could offer him was a family and the love and affection that he needed. I wanted to be there for him in place of the family that he had lost and would never be able to have again. Even if what I offered was very little, I'm sure it was better than having nothing at all.
Besides, I didn't want to be alone either – the thought of being alone in the world with no one to talk to and with no one by your side was sort of frightening.
However, in the three years that have passed since we began to live with each other as family, Hiro learned to cook and take care of the house chores that I couldn't do. We moved out of the household that was caring for us so we wouldn't continue being a burden to them and we set up a bigger place just on the outskirts of the village with our very own herb and vegetable garden. I took up healing as a full time job and as a result, Hiro currently learns medicine under my guidance and helps out when patients come to me for treatment.
Life in the village was peaceful and I truly loved what we did for a living. I provided treatment for the people from the village and also shinobi who came to me with injuries they had suffered during battles. No matter what had happened to them, be it open wounds, poisoning, paralysis and even a sudden illness, I patched them up and they would leave healed and happy. I charged a minimal amount of money for the treatment I gave so that Hiro and I could make a comfortable living with three square meals a day with sparing enough money to spend on medical equipment such as bandages, medicine bottles and so on.
"Onee chan, Shizuka obasan is here for her regular checkup!" Hiro called out from the living room of our house, breaking me from my train of thought.
"Okay Hiro! I'll be right there!" I called back with a smile.
I put the mortar and pestle in my hands onto the floor and pushed it towards the side a bit. I stood up with one hand on the wall behind me. Feeling the wall constantly, I walked to the medicine rack and reached out for one of the porcelain bottles on the second row. I opened a few of them and brought them to my nose so I could get the medicine needed for Shizuka san's treatment. When I had the right medicine with me, I walked to the living room with the porcelain bottle in my hands.
Shizuka san was one of the few elderly people living in the village. She was about a decade younger than Tou san and the only person I considered closest to me after Otou san. She had two sons, the elder of which was married and had a two year old daughter. Shizuka san often teased that I would make a fine wife for her second son and that she would be really happy if I considered her words seriously.
It was very nice of her to see me with so much affection. But I wasn't too sure if I was really cut out to be a 'fine wife' for her second son. My blindness was one thing but I didn't feel too comfortable about marrying Jirou san even though he was a nice person. I guess I didn't quite feel that we could have such a relationship – I was more than happy just being friends with him.
Shizuka san understood and respected my feelings so she didn't force me to rethink on this matter. However, there were instances every now and then where I got the message that she still hadn't given up hope that I would develop feelings for Jirou san and one day become a part of her family.
Anyway, keeping the matter of Shizuka san wanting me to marry her son, she had been suffering from knee pain for the past year. Her problem was age related so she had been visiting me every month for the past half year for treatment. I had given her a simple tonic to take orally on a daily basis and I had suggested a healthy diet and exercise plan for her to follow. When she visited every month, Hiro and I would give her a massage that would improve blood circulation and help her stiff and aching muscles loosen up. The flexibility in her knees had improved considerably and she had almost no pain at all now.
When I got to the living room, I made my way to where Shizuka san and Hiro were sitting on the floor. I had learnt to be very aware of things around me so most of the time, I could tell when I was in an enclosed place, when I was out in the open and I could vaguely 'sense' objects, people and walls around me so I wouldn't bump into them. I was able to do so by being slightly sensitive to hearing and the reflection of light. Of course, if anyone suddenly appeared in front of me, I wouldn't be able to tell and I would most definitely bump into them and embarrass myself. I was not a shinobi, after all.
I walked slowly, comfortably to reach Hiro and Shizuka san. When my feet came in contact with the pillow on the floor, I sat down on it on my knees. I placed the medicine bottle on the floor and reached out to Shizuka san.
She took a hold of my hand in hers and I smiled as she guided me to touch her knees. I closed my eyes and touched them at different points to feel the flow of chakra and try to figure out how far the abnormalities had reduced. Even though I couldn't see, I found that my concentration and ability to sense the slightest fluctuation of chakra flow was much better when I closed my eyes.
"How do you feel, Shizuka san? Has there been any improvement since last month?" I asked as I had her stretch her legs so I could feel her knees in a different position.
"It's so much better, Akina dear. I was able to make it to the shrine without anyone's help just a few days ago. I never thought the day I could climb all those steps by myself would come again. You truly are the Goddess of Healing." She said, the joy heard clearly in her voice.
My smile widened at that and I let out a soft laugh. "I'm glad to hear that you are feeling much better, Shizuka san. But I'm not all that great to be called by such a name....I'm just doing what Otou san taught me. It's all that is to him that I am able to help people and fend for myself despite being blind. I think he deserves all the credit."
"Rikuto sama may have taught you healing but you have skills going beyond what he could do and you are unmatched by any other person who knows healing. You have helped so many people who are in pain and reached out to those who heed a helping hand. You are such a gentle child, Akina. I hope that you will always be happy." She said and cupped my cheek tenderly.
I looked up to at her face though I couldn't see anything but darkness. It was just from hearing her voice and hazily sensing her chakra that I could tell where exactly her face was in front of me.
"Thank you for your blessings, Shizuka san. Hiro? I want you to give Shizuka san her usual massage. We seem to be a little low on her medicine so I'll just go to the herb garden to get some ingredients and prepare more of the medicine, okay?" I said as I reached out to place my hand on Hiro's head.
"Okay, Onee chan. I'll take care of it!" He chimed and went ahead to massage Shizuka san's legs.
I excused myself and walked out to the herb garden around the house. When my feet met the muddy ground, I stopped walking and stood still relishing the feel of the soft grains below my feet. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply letting the scents of the various herbs fill my nose. After a few moments, I made my way around the garden, feeling the different plants with my hands as I walked between them. I plucked a few that I needed to prepare Shizuka san's medicine and then walked back into the house and to the room where I usually prepared the different medicines.
I got out a spare mortar since the other one had other herbs partially ground for another medicine I was preparing before Shizuka san came. I sat down on the floor and put all the ingredients in my hands ago into the mortar. After grinding the two types of leaves, a slightly hard root and the bark of a tree together till the juice was released, I put down the pestle. I brought the bowl to my nose to smell the sweetness of the medicine before squeezing out the juice into another clean bowl.
I decided to leave the cleaning for later and I headed back to the living room. I sat down in front of Shizuka san and searched with my hand for the ceramic bottle I had left there. I when I had it in my grip, I opened the cork so I could fill it up with the freshly prepared medicine. However, I was stopped by a small hand being placed over mine.
"I'll take care of that, Onee chan. You might spill it." Hiro said and took the bowl and the bottle away from my hands.
"Thank you, Hiro. I'm sorry to have you do so much work....you must be tired of having to help me with everything." I said with an apologetic smile.
"Don't say that, Onee chan! I love helping you! I'm just happy that you even agreed to take care of me....I don't have anyone else but you."
I heard the hurt in his voice and I felt bad for saying something unnecessary. I reached out to hold his shoulder and then pat his head.
"I'm sorry I said that, Hiro. I just don't want to be a burden to anyone....I just feel that I expect so much from you because I can't fend for myself." I explained gently.
"You shouldn't feel that way, dear." Shizuka san said. "I have never seen Hiro so happy at any time other than when he is with you. I can tell that he sees you as his most important person....you should learn to trust others and depend on them more. We all love helping you....it's all we can do say thank you for how much you help us."
"You're flattering me too much again, Shizuka san." I said with a chuckle.
"And you're being too modest again, Akina."
I shook my head with a smile and pulled my hands away from Hiro. After what he and Shizuka san were saying, I suppose I couldn't continue feeling guilty and sad for depending on them. I loved everyone from this village and I knew they all loved me just as much – they were always so kind, so helpful and so understanding. I could say that the whole village was like a family in itself. I was blessed to be a part of this loving family and just as they wanted me to, I would depend on them for things that I needed help with.
"Thank you, Hiro, Shizuka san. I'm really lucky to have you and everyone else to watch out for me. Then from now on, I won't hesitate to ask for your help, okay?"
"Yeah!! I love you, Onee chan!" Hiro chimed gleefully.
I had to tense my muscles a bit to prevent from toppling over when Hiro collided with me, his arms wrapped around my neck and his face nuzzling into my cheek. Shizuka san and I laughed at his enthusiasm and I hugged him back with a hand patting the back of his head affectionately.
He was a child but he had lost his parents and his grandfather at such an early age. He had no one besides me who could give him the love that he yearned for. Even though he had taken responsibility for many things that most kids his age wouldn't and couldn't do, he still needed to be treated his age. And holding him in an embrace like this was just one of the few small things I could do to make him happy.
We pulled away after Hiro gave me a soft innocent kiss on my cheek. The atmosphere around us was bright and happy. It made all my doubts fade away.
Shizuka san and I had another passing conversation while Hiro poured the medicine into the bottle. He handed the corked ceramic bottle to Shizuka san when he was done and she thanked him cheerfully. We all stood up and Hiro and I walked till the front door to send off Shizuka san.
"Be safe on your way back, Shizuka san." I bowed with my hands linked in front of me.
"I will, Akina dear. You and Hiro take care too. Ah, and you haven't forgotten that our yearly harvest festival celebration is on the day after tomorrow, right?"
"I remember. Hiro and I will be there. Thank you for the reminder, Shizuka san." I smiled and nodded.
"Alright then, I'll take my leave now." She said and her chakra slowly got more and more distant from us.
"Onee chan! I forgot to tell you something!" Hiro said as we walked back into the house holding hands.
"What is it, Hiro?"
"Yuki onee chan came by in the afternoon when you were in the herb garden to give you a new yukata for the festival! It's really pretty, you know? It's purple with big pink flowers on it! And she bought me a new haori and hakamas too! It's in blue – my favorite color!" He chimed excitedly.
"That's so nice of her! Did you thank her for the gifts?" I asked with a smile.
"Yup! I did! And Yuki onee chan said that she will be coming home tomorrow to help you get dressed!"
I ruffled his head affectionately earning a sweet laugh. It was really nice of Yuki to look out for us along with everyone else. Every year for the harvest festival, she would bring us new clothes – not because we couldn't afford it but because she just felt like gifting us.
Well, I wasn't really particular about what I wore as long as it was decent and comfortable to move around in. On a daily basis, I wore a simple one piece dress with a thin bow tie at the back of the waist to give proper fitting. On special occasions – when Hiro and I visited the shrine or attended someone's birthday party or attended a festival – I wore a yukata. However, it was on the Rice Harvest Festival that we celebrated very grandly on one specific day each year that Hiro and I got to wear relatively expensive and beautiful clothes. Even though I told Yuki that we could buy the new clothes for ourselves, she always gifted us grand clothes for this occasion.
"Can you show me the clothes, Hiro? I would like to hold the yukata in my hands." I asked looking down at him.
"Sure! C'mon!"
Hiro tightened his grip on my hand and tugged on my arm to follow him to the room where we slept. He guided me to sit down on the floor and I heard shuffling in the room as he got out the paper bag in which our new clothes had been wrapped. He walked closer to me and placed my yukata on my lap.
I smiled and looked down at the kimono that was in my hands. Hiro had said it was really pretty and for a moment, I wished that I could see it. I shook my head with a small smile and pushed the thoughts out of my head. I lifted it and placed it against my cheek with my eyes closed. My smile widened in bliss.
I was amazed by how luxurious the fabric felt. It was made of smooth and comfortable cotton and I could feel the big flowers that had been painted on the sleeves and the bottom half of the dress.
"It must be a beautiful yukata....I'm so thankful to Yuki for buying this for me." I said and pulled it away from my cheek.
"Feel mine too, Onee chan!" Hiro cheered and held out his clothes for me to touch.
I reached out and touched the haori and hakamas he had in his hands. It was also made of very fine quality fabric. I looked in the direction where Hiro was standing and most likely grinning widely.
"It feels wonderful, Hiro. I'm sure you'll look very handsome in these."
"You think so? I can't wait to show it off to everyone!"
I heard him jump several times in cheer. I couldn't help but bring a fist to my lips and chuckle.
"Alright Hiro, lets pack these up for now, okay? We should keep them neatly so we can look our best during the festival. How about we get dinner ready? I'll help you with setting up the table." I suggested and held out the neatly folded clothes to Hiro.
"Okay!" He said, taking the clothes from me and putting them back in the paper cover.
I stood up and followed Hiro to the kitchen after he had put away our clothes. While he began to cut some vegetables and get our dinner ready, I walked to and from the kitchen and the living room, on one side of which we had set up a small low height meal table, and arranged plates, bowls, chopsticks and glasses of water.
When I was done with that, I stood with Hiro in the kitchen while enthusiastically listening to what he had planned to do in the festival on the day after tomorrow. He wanted to play all of the games that would be set up and he also wanted to try food from every stall. He was particularly excited about trying to catch goldfish and bring one home as a pet.
I encouraged him saying that I was sure he would be able to win many games and in turn, many prizes. I didn't want to tell him to relax a bit on all the food he wanted to eat since I didn't want him to end up with a stomach ache because of eating too much. I'm sure I could convince him to limit what he ate when we actually walked through the festival.
When Hiro had finished preparing the mixed vegetable stew, he carefully brought the metal pot to the dining table and placed it on one of the mats I had laid out. He also brought the rice pot and placed it on another mat. We sat down opposite to each other and I waited patiently as he served food for both of us.
"I've served everything, Onee chan!" Hiro announced.
"Alright, Hiro." I said and found my chopsticks.
I then reached out for the rice bowl and I picked it up. Hiro had put some of the stew on the rice so I wouldn't have to constant reach out and search for vegetables in the stew. I took the first bite of some rice with vegetables and closed my eyes with a hum in satisfaction.
"Your cooking is always so good, Hiro! You've become a really good cook!" I appreciated wholeheartedly.
"That's because Shizuka obasan taught me! Shizuka obasan always makes delicious food!" He said fondly.
"That's true. Shizuka san's hot pot is especially delicious, isn't it?"
"Yeah!" Hiro agreed.
I gave a soft chuckle before going back to eating my food. I asked Hiro to serve me some more vegetables in the stew once which he did without any hesitance. After we were done with our solid dinner, we decided to have some warm milk to help us get some good sleep.
We cleaned up the kitchen after our meal. Hiro washed the dishes and I wiped them clean before keeping them on the counter to dry. We then went to our room and spread out the mattresses. Hiro and I washed our faces and cleaned our teeth before putting out the candle that was serving as light in the room. When we got under the blanket, Hiro snuggled close to me and I wrapped an arm around him holding him close as well. I kissed his forehead gently and caressed his head a few times affectionately.
"Good night, Hiro. Sleep well." I whispered.
"Good night, Onee chan...." Hiro mumbled through a yawn.
I closed my eyes with a content smile. Relaxed and grateful for all that we had and all the love that we unconditionally received from those around us, I settled into the bliss of the night.
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Yay! The first chapter is finally up! :D What do you guys think about it?
Akina is a really kind and gentle girl, isn't she? Being unable to see for sixteen years must have been tough but she has had many people who care about her help her. And she has been able to heighten her other senses and become an excellent healer...even being called the Goddess of Healing! Ah....her innocence and kindness can melt anyone's heart, isn't that right? *fluffy*
And Hiro is adorable! I can't help but love kids and make their moments cute and fluffy! :3
By the way, I made another cover for the story! I really liked the picture and I couldn't help but want to make it as a cover! Tell me what you guys think of it! :3
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