Raizen turned his head, speaking without even looking at Renji:
"She's already been healed.
When you leave this world, you'll find her beside you… sleeping.
Carry her somewhere safe.
Then… we'll have another talk."
---
The sky was pitch black—
Adorned with stars, as if the gods were showing off their canvas.
The scent of blood mingled with the crisp fragrance of mountain trees.
And above it all, the moon was full—
Shining down on those who had lost their way.
Renji jolted awake, gasping.
His eyes darted around…
Everything was exactly as he left it:
• The village—annihilated.
• The corpses—scattered.
• The wounded—still writhing in agony.
But one thing had changed...
He wasn't at the village gate anymore.
He was lying beneath the broken roof of some ruined home.
And beside him—
Himari.
Wrapped in a thin blanket.
Her breaths soft and steady.
Her wounds... completely gone.
Renji froze.
Then he began to whimper quietly,
His voice trembling between sorrow and relief.
"Mmhh…"
He reached out with shaking hands—
And pulled her into his chest.
Tears fell freely down his cheeks,
Washing over her sleeping face,
As if cleansing the angel who had been caught in a massacre,
Punished for no sin—
As if the devil had clipped her wings and dropped her from the sky.
"Hic… Hic…"
He couldn't speak.
His heart had burst open,
And everything poured out at once.
Then came the choked cry:
"Himari!
You're okay…
You're really okay…
Oh, thank God…!"
He held her like she was life itself.
Like she might vanish if he let go.
Like the world would crumble into ashes if she slipped from his arms.
"Ah.
I see you're awake."
Renji quickly turned toward the voice.
It was her—Old Lady Yumi.
The same woman he had always helped... expecting nothing in return.
She carried a small tray of steaming dishes,
And a pot of green tea.
She set them gently in front of him,
Sat down, and smiled:
"Eat, my dear...
You were writhing with hunger in your sleep."
Renji gave her a shy smile.
He reached for the food... then paused.
He wanted Himari to eat with him.
"Himari...
Come on, wake up. The food's ready."
He gently shook her shoulder.
But she didn't respond.
She simply shifted in her sleep,
Her face calm, as if nothing had happened.
Yumi chuckled and waved him off:
"She already ate. Don't worry."
Renji blinked:
"She... ate?!"
Yumi raised a brow, mocking him:
"From her ear. Like everyone else."
"Eh?"
He frowned, confused.
Yumi slapped her own forehead:
**"Boy, how do you think you got here?
Did ghosts carry you?
No.
Himari and I dragged you to this spot.
She woke up… her clothes soaked in blood,
But her body—no wounds.
You, on the other hand...
You thrashed like something inside you was eating you alive."**
Renji's hand froze mid-air, just shy of his mouth.
Her words struck him like thunder.
Raizen.
The pain.
The humiliation.
The truth.
He wasn't the one who saved her.
Raizen was.
But… how?
His mind spiraled, images crashing into each other like a storm—
Fragments shredding his thoughts—
Until Yumi's voice broke through:
"Are you alright?
You look distant, Renji."
Startled, he dropped the food, muttered:
"Uhhhhh... NOM!"
And shoved a piece of cake in his mouth.
With a forced smile and a full chew, he mumbled:
"Mmmh…
This cake is so tasty.
Is all your cooking this delicious… and lovely, just like you, Ms. Yumi?"
Yumi giggled and placed her hand on her cheek:
"Why yes, all my food is like this.
And I have plenty more if you'd like."
Renji panicked, waving his hands while still chewing:
"N-No thank you! This is more than enough!"
She, of course, ignored him.
Brought out even more food,
And began feeding him like a goose being fattened for festival.
As expected...
He choked multiple times,
Unable to say "no"—
Because "no" isn't a word that fits when your heart's too polite.
---
THUD_!
Renji collapsed to the floor from fullness,
Lifting a shaky finger and groaning:
"Ms. Yumi…
You're truly the best."
Yumi smiled softly,
Covered him with a blanket,
Then gazed at the ruined village,
And at her home—now unlivable.
She sighed, and with a smile said:
"Sleep, Renji, sleep...
For Tsugaiko Kingdom
Will never be the same
After this wild wave of roaming beasts."
---
A whole month passed…
Renji gradually recovered from the event that nearly tore him apart.
He decided to stay with Yumi, helping her around the house,
While she cared for him and his sister, Himari.
One quiet night,
He sat beside Himari, listening to her voice—fragile, trembling.
She spoke about their mother… and that cursed night.
"H-He was… a strange man. He tried to attack me first."
She paused, her voice shaking more.
"B-But… Mom stood in front of me. She tried to protect me."
"Mmhh..."
Her tears burst out, voice cracking:
"B-But he struck her! Threw her aside!"
"He hit me so hard... I thought I was going to die!"
"Hic… Hic…"
"But… she stood up again... blocked him again..."
"I saw his fist… go through her… reach me..."
"Then… she fell… she fell on top of me..."
"And he… he laughed! He laughed like a maniac…"
"Then he jumped—his leap cracked the ground… and he vanished."
Renji couldn't say anything.
He simply wrapped his arms around her.
She clung to him, burying her face into his chest.
He closed his eyes and whispered:
"What happened... has happened."
"We can't bring our mother back..."
"But as long as we're together..."
He lifted her chin, smiled gently:
"I'll protect you… with everything I've got."
"You're… all I have left in this world."
She burst into tears again, clinging to him tightly.
Those words etched into her heart—
A vow carved into her soul.
---
Later that night…
Renji twisted in his sleep, drenched in sweat,
Clutching his chest in pain.
Suddenly…
A voice echoed inside his mind:
"Renji… Renji… Renji…"
He clutched his head and whispered through clenched teeth:
"What is this voice… what the hell is this?"
The voice returned—
Sly and mocking:
"Didn't I tell you...
We'd talk again?"
Renji froze.
A name slipped from his lips, trembling:
"Raizen…?"