Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Interlude 2 - Two letters, Before and After
Aoi never thought herself particularly brave. Lacking this trait was point of soreness, endlessly needled through snide remarks from people within the Corps. Eventually, though, she grew had to acknowledge it had its upsides.
As the sole survivor of the Kanzaki family, Aoi knew everything had its price.
For her, the cowardly choice of refusing to pick up the sword had brought a tremendous benefit.
These days, those who had turned their noses up at her were either recovering from mortal injuries or rotting in unmarked graves. Meanwhile, she lived. Not splendidly nor pleasantly, but she had a home, played a role in the corps and had wonderful companions. It was already much better than common folk hoped to even ask for, especially in these hard times.
A wrecked self-esteem and perpetually stained reputation was inexpensive for not becoming demon fodder.
Her younger sisters, as Aoi had come to think of the girls she lived with, would gently rebuke her whenever she mentioned herself a coward. While Aoi was touched by their sentiments, it was clear they didn't understand where she was coming from.
If she hadn't been a coward, how would she still be alive?
In this entire world, perhaps only Shinobu truly understood her. As an esteemed Pillar, her older sister didn't needed to care if a pitiful existence like hers lived or died. However, instead of watching dispassionately as Aoi was cast out of the Corps for turning down the Nichirin Blades, Shinobu had inducted her as her personal aide and allowed her to live in the Butterfly Mansion.
Shinobu hadn't sneered or laughed or despised Aoi for her choice, but sheltered and cared for her. Aoi knew people aware of Shinobu's past thought she did so out of pity. It wasn't an absurd assumption, Aoi's tragic childhood really did mirrored hers.
Aoi couldn't care less, because it didn't change the fact that Shinobu had gone out of the way to protect someone who held the opposite of her values. In this wretched world where living was like balancing on a knife's edge, Aoi greatly admired her for her actions.
The moment she stepped into Butterfly Mansion, Aoi swore to the buddha to strike her down if she ever harbored a thought of turning against Shinobu. Aoi would never complain about her tasks, even if she was instructed to wade through a river of poison.
Aoi stared helplessly at the wooden door. She wouldn't need to resort to such sneaky measures if the two stubborn bulls came to a ceasefire by themselves. Alas, things were much harder when they were separated by leagues of land.
O buddha, this shouldn't count as betrayal. I promise what I'm doing will help nee-san.
When no lightning strikes made themselves known, Aoi breathed deeply to soothe the worries in her chest. This wasn't the first time she did something like this, but she still needed to soothe her guilt.
Doing one final check to ensure she wouldn't accidentally crush the letter if her emotions ran high, Aoi slid the door open and barged into the laboratory.
"Aoi." A clack sounded when Shinobu set down the brush she'd been holding. "What did I tell you about knocking?"
When Shinobu caught sight of the papers Aoi was holding, irritation flashed across her face. Her tolerant and inviting expression turned cold in an instant.
Aoi broke out in cold sweat. That expression brought to mind the times her older sister would harshly reprimand her for unforgivable mistakes. Occasions like that were rare, but they had left permanent marks on her psyche.
As long as she doesn't tell you to go away, you have a chance. Aoi, fighting!
Aoi shoved her fear aside and unleashed the words she'd prepared. "Nee-san, I'm sorry to disturb you. But if I don't mention it now, I'll end up forgetting, and this is too important to let that happen."
Shinobu opened her mouth, no doubt to reprimand her. Aoi immediately held up the folded parchment, pinched between her thumb and index finger. The circular piece of wax dangled enticingly at the bottom. Aoi wriggled the letter for good measure, and as she had hoped, Shinobu stayed silent.
The use of wax seals was already rare, and there was only one person in the mansion who regularly made use of them. Plus, having lived them for more than two months, everyone easily recognized who that emblem stamped onto the wax belonged to.
Two short wavy lines, stacked on top of each other, symbolized waves. The pair of them were slanted toward each other. Whenever she saw it, Aoi would be reminded of the slit eyes of a fierce dragon.
"Too important, you say?"
Seeing Shinobu's mood turn introspective, Aoi skipped past the pedantic greetings and dived straight into reading out main content of the letter.
"Aoi, I do not know if I've mentioned this. If I haven't, then you must know –I appreciate you taking the time to write me. Travelling alone is enlightening and peaceful, but when you see nothing but animals all day, a person can't help but crave interactions with someone familiar. If I didn't sit down to write this, I'd probably be bored enough to sing to passing stalks of wheat."
Aoi peeked over the letter. Though Shinobu put up a distant expression, her lips were quirked.
Aoi cheered inwardly and continued, "Fortunately, I had the foresight to bring my other tools with me. Whenever I stop to rest, I have something to do other than pestering my other companion. I hope you will enjoy my drawings, amateurish though they might be."
Seeing Shinobu's eyes narrow in interest, Aoi paused for a touch of dramatism. Then, she read out the final line of the paragraph, "That is, if the letter is safely delivered. It rains frequently where I am. My messenger might have some of its owners bad luck."
Shinobu straightened. "The drawings were ruined?"
"Nope! Ryuu's drawings arrived safely. Look, I have them here." Aoi walked up, cautiously placing them on the desk. At the top of the pile rested the most delicately rendered drawing Aoi had ever seen. Shinobu leaned forward to inspect them.
Shinobu eyed the pieces of rough canvas like they would abruptly explode into flames. "Hm."
When seconds passed, and Shinobu had made no move to take a closer look, Aoi grew restless. Unable to endure the silence, she said, "Nee-san, should I continue? Or would you like to read the rest of Ryuu's letter yourself…?"
Shinobu lifted her head, looking straight at her. Aoi shrank back at the knitted frown on her older sister's face.
"Do you know what flower this is?" Shinobu asked, suddenly.
"U-Um. No?" Shinobu sighed. Her expression turned complicated as her gaze falling onto the drawing once again.
When Aoi realized her mistake, she silently cursed herself. It had seemed like a good idea to remind about her affection for Ryuu, so she'd purposely put that drawing at the top of the stack. But what Aoi had forgotten was this: when someone wished to forget something, the worst thing you could do was purposely remind them of it.
Aoi stayed silent, praying she hadn't ruined everything.
"Did Ry– Kuroshio-san mention anything relating to the mission?" Shinobu eventually asked.
"Not really." Aoi nearly bent over in relief and scrambled to follow up, "Ah, but he does talk about what he plans to do when he arrives at the mission location."
Saying this, Aoi inched towards Shinobu's desk, piled high with documents, research and ancient looking books. Aoi dangled the letter enticingly before her older sister.
Shinobu sighed. "Fine, leave the letter here. Remember to come back for it later. I'm sure Naho and the girls are also eager to read about his travels."
Aoi nodded, trying to contain her delight. Thank goodness. Everything had gone even better than she could have predicted. Unlike the previous times she did this, Shinobu hadn't stopped her midway and chased her out.
"Of course, nee-san. I'll return once I've finished my chores."
Giving her a flat or perhaps resigned stare, Shinobu gave her a nod of acknowledgement. Turning on her heels, Aoi fled the room before her older sister could change her mind.
Once outside, Aoi immediately stepped out of the house to bask in the gentle sunshine. The trimmed carpet of grass rustled in the breeze, the clothes she'd hung out to try whipping about. Ryuu's crow was perched on the top of a pole, cleaning itself.
"AOI!" The bird cawed when it noticed her. "DELI-VERED?"
Aoi recalled the look on her older sister's face. Grinning, she pumped her fist and gave the crow a thumbs up. "Delivered!"
The laughter of bird and human mingled together in the peaceful atmosphere of this warm and sunny day. Sitting under the shade in the nearby courtyard, Kanao frowned at the awful, grating noise.
What in the world was her older sister doing…?
---
"AOI! A-OI!"
Aoi jerked up at the sound. When the flapping noise grew louder, she quickly tossed the clothes she'd been washing onto flat stone nearby, then clumsily wiped her hands on her skirt. Her aggressive motions continued until she was certain they were bone dry.
The Kasugai Crow swooped down in a negative arc, jet black wings buffed by wind. "LET-TER, LETTER FROM RY-UU!"
"He sent another reply already?" Aoi suppressed her excitement and extended her hand. The crow landed on her arm, its talons exerting a faint pressure on her skin. Similar to the man she'd come to view as an older sibling, his messenger was remarkably gentle when it dealt with her.
The crow flapped its wings and preened under her awed stare. Once she removed the bamboo tube strapped below its belly, it took off to roost on the branch of a nearby tree. The shade she stood in swayed violently. Pelted by falling leaves, Aoi winced.
"DELIVERED!" Ryuu's messenger cawed. "DELI-VERED TO A-OI!"
Aoi couldn't help but laugh. "So noisy!"
Out of everyone in the mansion, it was only her name this gluttonous rascal remembered. The reason for its fondness of her was obvious, but in this world, those fond of her could be counted with one hand. As such, Aoi had no disagreement with being flattered like this.
"I don't have any food on me at the moment," Aoi said when she noticed the crow staring intensely at her. She dipped her head apologetically. "I'll feed you once I'm finished here, okay?"
The bird was silent. Then with a resigned caw, it shot back into the sky. Aoi stared after it until it soared over the treeline.
"…Ryuu, I think your bird is only loyal to its stomach."
It had flown in the direction of the mansion. Kiyo was on garden duty, and the bird would probably cosy up to her sister once it spotted her.
Aoi returned her attention to the tube in her hands. She uncapped it, storing the rubber disc in her apron pocket. She slanted the tube like pouring water from a vase. When the letter refused to leave its nest, she tapped it twice against her open palm. The rolled up parchment slid guilelessly into her waiting hands.
At the sight of the teal wax seal, Aoi broke out in a beaming smile. A new reply after just four days! Ryuu had likely arrived at… Kakudo? No, Kakunodate, by now. She broke the seal and unfurled the letter. The tiny flicker of hope she held for Ryuu's swift homecoming was dashed when she glimpsed the first line:
'I am beginning to wonder if this mission is more than I can handle.'
The message tube tucked under her arm dug painfully in Aoi's sides. She continued to read, her hands gripping the letter hard enough to crumple the parchment. By the time she was finished, it was through sheer force of will that she hadn't torn the letter in half.
Aoi stepped out of the shade and into the sun, desperately soaking up the warmth to comfort her frazzled nerves.
"Being a slayer is really…"
Aoi hadn't given much thought about Ryuu's mission. After reading about his troubles, she couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't felt more afraid for him.
Based on the conversations she'd had with the few humble Slayers who came for treatment, emergency missions were usually regarded as a test of one's current calibre. Now that she was on the subject, she recalled how Shinobu once described such missions as being 'more specialized, making use of an individual's talent and other skills, rather than focusing on combat'.
The wheels in Aoi's mind spun rapidly. Based on what Ryuu had described in his letter, it felt as if he'd been infiltrating places not normally open to the battle oriented Slayers. The reason Ryuu had begun living at the Butterfly Mansion was due to his merchant background, so perhaps…
Either way, if a Tsuchinoto had to deal with missions with this kind of difficulty, then what about Shinobu and Kanao?
Aoi found her admiration for her older sisters rising several notches. Aoi knew that they had overcome obstacles she couldn't begin to comprehend, but comparison made it easier to put things into perspective.
Aoi folded the letter, her pleasant mood all but evaporated. When was he going to come back? Worse, what if he didn't? Aoi immediately banished the thought.
"Ryuu… please come back safe."
Aoi grasped the folded parchment in one hand, the other reaching for the message tube. There came a sudden gust – the strength of which made her pigtails flap madly about the sides of her head. Annoyed, she shielded her eyes from the chilling wind.
"What is with– ah! No, come back!" Aoi chased the letter which swept out of her grip by the strong gusts. It sailed overhead, carried higher and higher. "Wait! Wait, stoooop!"
Aoi stopped at the edge of the streambank, rapidly gushing water stopping her rabid determination in her tracks. When she had regained her senses and looked up in search of the letter, no trace of the letter could be found.
Aoi shifted her gaze to the stream. At the sight of the parchment, bobbing up and down as it was carried by the rushing water, she nearly pulled her hair out in distress.
Aoi stomped her feet and cursed, but she could only watch remorsefully as the letter drifted further and further away.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone