{"id":69,"date":"2013-05-31T20:58:40","date_gmt":"2013-05-31T11:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/?p=69"},"modified":"2016-08-06T14:00:45","modified_gmt":"2016-08-06T05:00:45","slug":"part007_edit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/part007_edit\/","title":{"rendered":"\u4e03 Part 07 (Fire)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"08_wound_rough_fix\"
\n<\/a>Upon waking, the only thing Shichi could feel was shock. This was mostly because he had expected to die. Instead of experiencing some kind of karmic rebirth, he was still on the mountain, bleeding and prone in the snow. White flakes fell gently over his body, soundless as they touched the ground. At first, his awakening was gradual, feeling the cold on his face and then the pain of his wound. When he remembered what had happened, however, his eyes snapped open.<\/p>\n

\u201cKana . . .\u201d He groaned, shifting his body in an attempt to sit upright. This proved to be rather difficult, and he collapsed once again on his side. He felt over his chest, taking note of the depth of the cut. The gash ran diagonally from his hip to his shoulder, having torn through both flesh and cloth without discretion. The more he considered the size of his wound, the more his survival puzzled him. Only after a sudden shiver did he realize that the uncomfortable cold had actually been his savior. The snow had slowed the bleeding to a near stop, granting him time to regain consciousness.<\/p>\n

Shichi glanced up toward the woods, looking for a sign of where they had gone. The surrounding landscape was nothing more than a blur. Focusing on the trees made his head pound, and he lowered his eyes with a wince. He took one breath, and then another, struggling to reorient himself. Though the winter cold had eased his bleeding, red continued to stain the snow below him. It coated his hand, glistening against the black skin of his palm.<\/p>\n

Shichi wasn\u2019t afraid of death, nor did he welcome it. What did frighten him was how his actions would affect those he loved. For that reason, he could not allow himself to die\u2014not yet. With shaking hands, he pushed himself up onto his knees.<\/p>\n

Moving instinctively, he gripped the damaged side of his robe, ripping it into a long, jagged strip. He wrapped the fabric tightly around his torso, winding it all the way up to his shoulder. There wasn\u2019t time to clean the wound or make a poultice\u2014if he didn\u2019t stop the bleeding immediately, he would most certainly get to experience the rebirth he had been expecting. With as firm a grip as he could manage, he tied the end into a solid knot at his collar.<\/p>\n

A strange smell caught his attention and he drew his eyes up the mountainside. It was the scent of firewood\u2014no, it was stronger. Another white flake drifted down to his hand and he stared at it, trying to figure out why it wasn\u2019t melting. Why it was gray and soft and\u2014<\/p>\n

Ash. It was ash. Shichi took in a sharp breath, turning toward the temple. An orange glow illuminated the bare trees, and it was only then that he noticed the sparks floating down with the wind. His wound was forgotten; all notions of pain and weakness were cast aside as he staggered to his feet, taking himself up the mountainside, leaving droplets of blood in his wake.<\/p>\n

The hundred and eight steps to the temple entrance had never before been such an obstacle. He forced himself upward, one stair after another, following the distant shouts and clangs of metal. Upon reaching the top, he nearly crumpled to his knees\u2014not from the climb, but from the sight that lay before him.<\/p>\n

Flames engulfed the entirety of the temple. Each building, from the meditation hall to the bath house, lay sieged by fire, their beams collapsing and paint curling as they burnt. A wave of heat hit him as he stumbled closer, desperate for a sign of the others. A single figure caught his eye, laying still near the steps of the main hall. Shichi dropped beside the fallen monk, gently turning the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cShingo,\u201d he said, out of breath as his fingers clambered for a pulse. Blood pooled from the wound across the tengu\u2019s throat, his eyes glazed and still.<\/p>\n

\u201cShingo,\u201d he repeated, curling forward as the truth stared plainly back at him. The monk was dead. Shichi\u2019s hands, now gripping tightly to the other\u2019s robe, began to shudder. With each rapid breath, Shichi\u2019s chest rose and fell, taking in gasps of heat and ash. This was his fault.<\/p>\n

This was all his fault.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s another one, over here,\u201d came a voice from the other side of the structure. It was a man from the village, armed with a simple blade in one hand and a torch in the other. The weapon dripped with blood, leaving a trail as he walked toward the two grounded figures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, that\u2019s him!\u201d came the voice of a different man\u2014a voice Shichi recognized. It was Masaru. \u201cThat\u2019s the one who took her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tengu glanced up, taking in the sight of the samurai before him. The human\u2019s eyes burned as brightly as the flames at his back, his sword heavy with the weight of death. He pushed the other man aside, leaving footprints in the ash as he came forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou survived,\u201d Masaru said, his complexion reddening in a disgraced flush. The ray skin on his sword hilt creaked beneath his fingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, we found two more,\u201d reported another man as he interrupted the scene. With him were two of the temple\u2019s monks, their forms battered and their arms restrained.<\/p>\n

\u201cShou . . . Sanae.\u201d Shichi gasped, staring as the two looked helplessly back at<\/p>\n

him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe others are all accounted for. We\u2019ve locked them inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of them? You\u2019re certain?\u201d the samurai said, wiping his blade clean.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was only one who was able to fight us off. She escaped into the woods, but I sent three men after her. You have my word she will be caught.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only one monk in the temple was skilled enough with the naginata to fight off seasoned warriors. Sagiri was still alive. The other monks, however, had not been so lucky.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease,\u201d Shichi begged, still on his knees. \u201cLet them go. It was me. It was only<\/p>\n

me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Masaru\u2019s attention snapped back to the tengu at his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was<\/em> you,\u201d he agreed, using the tip of his sword to draw Shichi\u2019s head upward. \u201cAdmit what you did, then. Tell the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . .\u201d he began, his eyes straying back toward his bound companions. He swallowed, knowing full well that the truth was the least he could give. \u201cI loved a human woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLies!\u201d Masaru shouted in return, using his heel to force the tengu onto the ground. \u201cYou\u2019re a demon. You\u2019re incapable of love! Tell them what you did\u2014that you possessed her. That you forced yourself upon my wife!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never,\u201d Shichi said, choking. \u201cI would never do such a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you and your kind will die with the truth,\u201d Masaru said, making a gesture to the men that were holding the two monks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait,\u201d Shichi said, still prone beneath the man\u2019s foot. \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n

The men stopped moving, and Masaru looked down at the tengu expectantly. When Shichi managed eye contact with his friends, they met his eyes with apprehension. He knew what had to be done. His lies in the past had led to this, and he would have to lie once more to end it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true,\u201d Shichi said, trying to ignore the nausea rising with each word. \u201cI did it. I took her.\u201d<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t bear to look at them, not wanting to imagine their reactions to his betrayal. It must have been painful to know that their fellow monk, someone they had trusted, could have acted so selfishly.<\/p>\n

\u201cLock them in with the others,\u201d Masaru said, breaking the silence. \u201cI\u2019ll kill this one myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Shichi called out, pulling himself up. \u201cI told the truth. I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never made an agreement with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

There was nothing he could do as the men pulled Shou and Sanae away, dragging the two toward the barred temple doors. A moment later, only Masaru and Shichi were left at the bottom of the stairs. The tengu staggered up, only to be knocked down once more by the man\u2019s heel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have let you watch them die. I should have made you suffer the same way Kana has. Consider yourself blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of all the studying and training he had done at the temple, the skill Shichi had neglected above all others was that of self-defense. While the other monks had practiced proper form and the handling of weapons, he had spent his time wandering the forest in search of herbs, never once considering that such skills might one day be valuable. As such, he had only one option to consider as Masaru positioned his sword. He would lower his head, eyes lightly closed, and accept death.<\/p>\n

As the blade rose beside him, Shichi couldn\u2019t help but think that death was not a fitting punishment for the suffering he had caused. Perhaps in his next life he could properly atone for what he had done.<\/p>\n

Instead of the expected sound of steel cutting through air, there came a dull knock\u2014much like a stone against wood. The odd noise drew Shichi\u2019s attention away from his moment of self-loathing, allowing him to open his eyes just in time to catch Masaru\u2019s body hitting the ground. In the spot where the samurai once stood was Kana, panting with effort and clutching a rather large chunk of broken statue.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re alive,\u201d she said before he could react, tossing her weapon aside to pull him into her arms. He weakened against her, barely able to put his thoughts into words.<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . I don\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said, her hands staining with blood as she clutched him. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d he managed to say, his head buzzing with pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe locked me in my room, but I broke the door. I thought you were dead. I thought\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The gratefulness Shichi felt for her was wrenched suddenly away as he remembered what had happened only moments before.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe others.\u201d He gasped, moving to stand. \u201cI have to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t. There are a dozen men by the door. They\u2019ll kill you on sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to try,\u201d he insisted, trying to free himself from her grasp on his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t let you die,\u201d she said, tightening her hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s my fault,\u201d he said, his voice slowing as he glanced down at Shingo\u2019s body at his side. \u201cIt\u2019s because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their exchange was interrupted by the sound of marching\u2014of a dozen armed men returning to the temple entrance. It was too late now. The others would die, and if Kana hadn\u2019t found him, Shichi would have shared their fate.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to go. They\u2019ll kill you.\u201d She gently turned his head so he might see the pang in her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cKana . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

There was quite a lot that he wanted to say, but the approach of the villager\u2019s footsteps told him there wasn\u2019t time. He wanted to thank her for returning, for saving him, and for every moment they had shared together\u2014for loving him despite their differences, entirely and with all of her heart. This couldn\u2019t be their last moment together. He would have to return, to tell her everything that he longed to.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must go,\u201d she said, though she still held tightly to his arms. \u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lifting his hands, he took each side of her face. His forehead rested against hers, gently nudging her as he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll come back,\u201d he said, pushing her hair behind her ear. \u201cI promise I\u2019ll come<\/p>\n

back.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, managing a bittersweet smile. Long shadows drew over their feet and a moment later Shichi had slipped out of her grasp, disappearing through the trees at the edge of the temple grounds.<\/p>\n

Kana wasn\u2019t the only one who had watched him escape. Several of the men shifted their attention to the woods and, after a brief exchange of orders, split up to set chase.<\/p>\n

Though he was wounded, Shichi knew the forest intimately. While the villagers stumbled over the underbrush, he followed the familiar paths that had once led him to the clearings and gullies where herbs grew. Finding part of a stream that had not yet frozen, he followed its curve to avoid leaving footprints. There was only place he could think of that would be safe. The hollow tree that had often sheltered him from the rain was also one of the tallest in the forest. If he could scale its height to a higher branch, he could stay hidden from the men\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

As he felt his body weakening and the shouts of the men edging closer, he began to doubt if he could even catch a glimpse of the old tree before they would take him. It had never felt so far away. One of his legs gave out and he stumbled down to the snow, grating his side on a slate of rock. His wound throbbed angrily, robbing him of clear thought. Torchlight illuminated a snow bank behind him, and he dug his fingers into a stump, forcing himself up once more.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure what was keeping him moving. His body had been pushed beyond its physical capabilities, scraping up the faintest dregs of energy from somewhere in his core. The earth below his feet was frozen, but he could no longer feel the cold. Every muscle in his body burned, his lungs ragged and his head pounding with blood. Finally, he saw the tree.<\/p>\n

He fell to his knees beside the trunk, his throat raw as he struggled for air. It was here that his limbs finally submitted, going limp beneath him. It was no use. Even if he could find the energy to stand, it would be impossible to pull himself up.<\/p>\n

Closing his eyes, he collapsed against the base of the tree. The coarse bark brushed against his face as he sank lower, reminding him of just how far he\u2019d come before failing.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet up,\u201d came a voice from above. Weakly opening one eye, Shichi glanced up to see his mentor crouched in a bough of the tree. Sagiri. One of her hands held firmly to the trunk while the other balanced a long naginata. There were cuts across her shoulder and beak, but she was otherwise in fair condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d he whispered, unsure if she could even hear him. The words were chalky in his throat, coming out with a labored breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cShichi,\u201d she said, her voice hardened as the men of the village drew nearer. \u201cYou must. If you can think of even one thing worth living for, then get up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly everything he had lived for was now gone. His home, his companions, and his conviction\u2014all had been claimed by fire, reduced to ashes because of his actions. The temple garden where he had been planning to start growing radishes, the rooftop, even the quiet spot by the hinoki tree which was perfect for reading\u2014it was all gone. If anything had survived, it might have been the distant storehouse where he had spent all those afternoons with Kana.<\/p>\n

Kana. He had promised her that he would return. There were so many things he wanted to say. If he could touch her hair and hear her voice just once more, that would certainly be something worth living for.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet up!\u201d Sagiri\u2019s hand lowered into his view. Shichi\u2019s eyes shut tightly, then opened as he reached for her. Summoning his last mite of strength, he straightened himself, his hand shaking as he grasped her own. With a tight hold, she hefted him up onto the bough, holding him close as the villagers ran past below them.<\/p>\n

She waited for the voices to fade into the distance, then turned her attention back to her student.<\/p>\n

\u201cShichi, you\u2014\u201d she started, then paused as she realized that he had lost consciousness. She sighed, keeping the young monk in her arms as the forest kept a silent watch around them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Upon waking, the only thing Shichi could feel was shock. This was mostly because he had expected to die. Instead of experiencing some kind of karmic rebirth, he was still on the mountain, bleeding and prone in the snow. White…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-one"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1069,"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/1069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jisukcho.com\/karasu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}