Kaze no Stigma:Volume3 Chapter 5

Part 1

After changing the train at Kawaguchiko[1], one of the lake belonging to the Five Lakes of Mt. Fuji, Ayano and Ren took a taxi to the Tsuwabuki residence. Before the private road that led to the residence they got off and forcibly climbed over the iron fence with a clearly written ``NO TRESPASSING`` sign. After that was supposed to be a straight path.

Staring quite anxious at Ayano going forward, planing in a rude entrance, Ren asked.

"Still, is this OK? Approaching so boldly?"

"Then, do you want to try sneaking in? Climbing over the wall and slipping through the defense system and try to finally arrive at Ayumi-chan without the Chijutsushi noticing, do you have that confidence?"

"...........no"

That was impossible. The opponents are Chijutsushi. If they step on the ground of the premisses they will be noticed without mistake that instant.

"Right? That's what you call unsuitable orientation. For a Enjutsushi to take covert action is the same as telling the sun <<shine in a more humble manner>>."

"ha........"

They kept walking without change ten odd minutes. The sun fade out and around the time the world became engulfed in darkness the Tsuwabuki residence made an appearance before those two. Both of them looked up at the magnificent manor.

"Firs of all, we made it in time, huh?"

"Yeah."

Gazing at the majestic style entrance, Ren replied.

"So, how do we get in?"

Ayano was still looking at the gate. An inter phone was not found. It did not seen likely the sound of a knock would reach.

".......shall I burn it?"

".......older sister......"

At Ayano's bold words, Ren murmured in a lamenting voice.

"How can you make up your mind to go that far?"

"How, you ask........my disposition, I guess?"

"Please don't be so proud of it.......even if we don't do such an excessive thing, it's not that high we can't climb over, right?"

Leaving the gate aside, the height of the wall that followed it on both sides was, at best, approximately 3 meters. Certainly it wasn't a height that couldn't be climbed over.

"Well, I hope that's safe."

Ayano nodded and bent over in order to jump over the wall. At exactly the same time.

Raising a dull creak, the thick doors slowly opened.

"..............."

Ayano and Ren exchanged glances and both shrugged their shoulders.

"We are being let in."

"How thoughtful."

Exchanging a sarcastic smile both stepped inside the grounds.

And then - they met the receptionist.

Approximately twenty minutes before

In the large underground gave, Yuuji looked up at the crystal pillar encasing Mayumi. Guiding the above moonlight the crystal produced a faint radiance shining in the darkness.

In the surroundings other Chijutsushi were hastening the preparation for the ceremony. But, he completely disregarded that clatter, turning his glance on Mayumi - and only her.

"You're really earnest, aren't you?"

A whisper shook his ear. Unaware of Kureha's presence standing right behind, Yuuji was not surprised anymore. Managing that level of presence was a matter of course. He knew it first hand.

"What?" he asked without turning around.

Kureha did not blame him for it. She informed him of what he had to do.

"We have a guest."

"Who is it?"

"Two fire presences. I still don't feel the wind. But if it's that man, he is quite capable of following us around without anyone noticing."

Talking serious words with a smiling face Kureha gave an order again.

"Go meet them. I'm leaving the rest to you."

"I will return before long."

Including a quiet self confidence, Yuuji consented. Without change, he started walking to the gateway but after going forward several steps he turned around.

"Can you answer me one thing?"

"Say it", Kureha generously nodded.

"Why did you seek so much power and violate the taboo?"

"Your ability was supposed to be the most powerful in the entire family"

"Why?"

For a moment Kureha had a blank facial expression, as if taken by surprise. Nevertheless she immediately raised her even lips, expressing a somewhat otherworldly archaic smile.

"Why? Isn't that obvious? Because I didn't have you."

".....ha?"

Yuuji frowned in doubt. But, Kureha did not permit further questioning.

"Go"

With a quiet and yet resolute tone she ordered. Yuuji had no right to oppose her.

".......yes"

With a small nod, Yuuji started walking once more. After looking hard at that retreating figure until it disappeared from her field of vision, Kureha looked up at the younger sister sealed in the crystal.

The shape of the girl sleeping inside the shining crystal was a fantastic spectacle that gave one the impression of a scene from a fairy-tale. Placing her hand on the crystal, Kureha looked up at Mayumi with a gaze full of affection.

"You didn't notice, did you? How blessed you were. How loved you were. I too, love you so very much. That's why - that's why I will let you go while being so blessed"

Visibly pouring out the peak of her emotion, Kureha pushed her forehead against the crystal pillar. After savoring the icy texture for a few seconds, she turned to the Chijutsushi underneath and informed the most high-ranking practitioner among them:

"I will temporarily excuse myself. Continue the preparation."

"Yes"

The practitioners nodded without showing surprise. Kureha could be said to be the one supervising but she couldn't directly participate in the ceremony. Therefore, if no unforeseen situation happened, the fact that she was not there was not a particular impediment.

Throwing a glance at the practitioners continuing to work, Kureha went towards the cave's interior. Arriving at the deepest part, where not even the light from the crystal pillar reached, she softly began to float.

It didn't have the sense of speed similar to Enjutsushi flying by wearing wind. It was a gentle float as if the body would be slightly lighter than the atmosphere, giving the impression of a balloon or a blimp.

Going beyond the ceiling of the cave, Kureha continued ascending. She quietly penetrated a shaft that opened in the ceiling, far from any light source, a gap unnoticed by anyone. Rising about four or five meters in the pit, Kureha chanted a small incantation.

"Light"

After frequent twinkling, the soft light born in the air illuminated the pit's appearance.

The pit had a diameter of roughly ten meters and a clean, bowling round shape. It seems it doesn't connect with the above ground but it is fairly long. No matter how you think about it, it wasn't made by nature. And in the center of it, there was a rock.

A cluster of rocks arranged in a rough elliptical shape.

If you consider this is a huge cave underground, it's not something especially unusual. That is, if you consider the fact that it is floating in the air without any kind of support.

"Fu fu"

Expressing a light smile, Kureha is approaching the rock lump. And then she motionlessly stares at that surface. Because it was flowing in the air, it was clear that was more than a lump of rocks.

On the surface the full length portrait of an elderly man was thrown into relief.

Enjoyed from the bottom of her heart, she gazed at the man's carving - it's hardened closed eyes, its expression warped with anguish. And then, she spoke:

"Greetings, Father."

For a while there was no reaction. Still, gradually, little by little, the rock lump began to shiver slightly.

Visibly moaning in agony, visibly twisting his humiliated body, the rock lump continued its frail oscillation. And then -

"O.......oo.....ooooo......you......yoooooouuuuuu......"

The man's eyes, engraved in stone opened. That eye, glares at Kureha floating in front and from the inorganic throat, curses spun out.

"You......Kurehaaaaaa.......haw dare......how dare you........to your father......"

That thing was once referred to as Tsuwabuki Iwao.

Kureha and Mayumi's father, the man praised as the strongest practitioner of the family - the man who, it was reported a week before, was recuperating in his own room because of illness - right now was reduced to a lump of rocks.

"Ah, that felt good."

That look full of hatred made Kureha's lips curve with contemptuous ease.

"If you have no answer, I believe it's time for you to die"

"Damn you....you....betrayer....."

Iwao groaned his words as if spitting blood, but he couldn't do anything more than that. No matted how much power he possessed once, now he can't move a finger and was nothing but a pitiful prisoner who had no choice but to spit out his grudge.

Kureha sneered at that unsightly appearance.

"Having said you are the strongest Chijutsushi, how silly of you unable to separate from the ground. Ignoring the poison that desecrated the body, you had no choice but to assimilate rocks within reach to save your life. That is truly unsightly."

She ridiculed him, enjoying herself from the bottom of her heart.

It happened a week ago.

Iwao and Kureha - the parent and child mutually hating each other, finally crossed swords in the big cave that was the sacred ground of the family. Without a particle of leniency, both let out certain kill blows.

Thus Kureha's <<superpower>> was superior to Iwao's <<strongest>>. With the help of that invisible power, Kureha fixated the half-dead Iwao in the air. Even with the near invulnerability and resilience of an Chijutsushi, if he is touching the ground - when all connection with the ground's <<Ki>> was cut, Iwao was degraded to an average human and had no means of healing his wounds.

"Is that all it takes?" asked Kureha, visibly disappointed.

"Known as the strongest, Father's might, is it really only this amount?"

"You.....fool...."

His lungs becoming useless, together with the vividly red blood, Iwao spit out curses.

"The Tsuwabuki Family's.........disgrace......."

"..........."

Kureha's reaction, regarding the abuse she got used to hearing was the throwing of a small knife, dripping in poison, with one uninterested long breath.

"Kuuuu........guh.....ahhhhhh"

Towards the suffering Iwao, Kureha sneered cheaply, merely saying over her shoulder.

"I was thinking you will let me hear a somewhat fresh utterance - but enough. Please die."

Kureha prepared the poisoned blade for the sake of this day. The fact that the strongest Chijutsushi was killed by poison - when thinking of so much disgrace, her body was trembling in a dark joy, but now it didn't even matter.

But, before Kureha's eyes, preparing to deliver the final blow, something she didn't anticipated happened.

A huge stone pillar rose from the ground, connecting Iwao to the solid earth.

"........eh?"

Kureha promptly smashed the stone pillar. Immediately suppressing any kind of link with the ground, only the spearhead of the stone pillar was sized by Iwao and taken in, floating in the air.

Calculating the quantity of <<Ki>> taken from the large rock, lightly, Kureha took a breath of relief. To neutralize the poison, it's entirely insufficient.

"I was somewhat surprised. That you were left with such power - did he die?"

Iwao's vigor was only supposed to restrain the poison's progress with all his might. So, when he revealed such a bold move, it wouldn't be unusual for him to die the moment it was put in operation.

Still, just to be sure, ready to smash the mass of rock floating in the air, Kureha frowned truly in doubt.

"Oh - "

Softly dancing in midair, she is drawing near the mass of rock. And then she saw that, sticking on the surface.

".........pfuu....ahahahahahahahahahaha!!"

After becoming speechless for several seconds, Kureha's body was convulsed with laughter to the point of breaking. In the corners of her eyes, even tears were floating.

"Oh.....oh Father.....what a....what a...."

The lump of rock suspended in the air. On that surface was clinging Iwao, changing into stone.

Kureha ridiculed that miserable shape to her heart's content. The aim of her Father, she was seeing through it now for sure. Mustering the remaining strength for one resuscitation move.

But at the time it was defeated, Iwao took extreme means for the sake of surviving and changed himself to rock. Poison doesn't run in rocks. Rocks do not die. By means of changing into an inorganic substance one second before his death, Iwao suspended his own time.

"Good grief, what a filthy way of living or perhaps not knowing when to give up, apparently not killing you instantly was the correct decision. You have shown me such a pleasant performance."

No matter how much he was being ridiculed, Iwao could do nothing anymore. Already without energy to even turn back but even assuming he could turn back, immediately the poison would be taking his life.

Unless Kureha doesn't take down the mass of rock, he has no choice but to carry on living changed to rock for eternity.

"I understand. In deference to the hatefulness of that resignation, I will let you live a little longer. That is, until the moment I fulfill my longstanding desire."

Despising her father's anguished face, Kureha laughed loudly one more time.

Thus, Iwao managed to survive one more week. If, in this state, it's accurate to say he is living.

"You.......do you understand what are you guilty of?"

Including an endless curse, Iwao muttered. Surely, that voice didn't hold a simple personal grudge but was pregnant with the sense of duty, as head of the family.

Keeping the beast's force in the bodies of the family who sealed it at the cost of it's members' life.

The union with the sealed demon beast - that was the source of Kureha's power - that was the reason that made Iwao decide on his daughter's conviction.

For the Tsuwabuki Clan, who have been sealing the demon beast for more than three hundred years, that may be called the most serious taboo, above all else.

But, at Iwao's outcry, almost vomiting blood, Kureha laughed lightly.

"But, wouldn't it have been wasteful? Although the long awaited power is just in front of me, to just put it back to sleep......."

"You......you.....fool......!"

In response to Iwao's wrath, the rock cracked here and there and broken pieces scattered.

A deed similar with scraping his body, but even so, his anger didn't subside.

"What do you plan to do by locking me up in such a place? Don't tell me, you want to release the demon beast?"

"Of course not"

The angry roar that once made the entire family yield was let go past, like a gentle breeze. Kureha shrugged her shoulders.

"We are carrying out the ceremony smoothly. That is correct, with the power of two sacrifices, I will show you a seal stronger than ever."

"...two......?two, you said......!?"

"Yes, two. Ayumi and Mayumi. The only daughter you love, I have decided to use her on this occasion."

The other daughter, the one who was not loved, raised words of cruelty, together with a cynical smile.

The man's face, carved in stone, was warped with fury.

"I don't allow it! That alone I won't allow! I won't let Mayumi become a sacrifice!"

"Then, what will you do? Can you do something with that body locked in stone? Are you some acquittance of Sanzouhoushi[2]?"

"Guh.....mee....."

At Kureha's mockery, confident in her overwhelming superiority, Iwao groaned.

"Why?" he asked, his voice carrying the sound of supplication.

"Even if it's only Ayumi, she ought to be feasible for a satisfactory seal. To even use Mayumi, what is your purpose? i if you wish for the family's hegemony, then - "

"I don't."

Kureha coldly discarded Iwao's proposal.

"I have no use for such a thing. My goal is consistent with what I said earlier - the effective practical use of resources."

"Wh..at....?"

Frowning, Iwao asked back, in doubt. But midway he perceived something and his body - or perhaps the mass of rock trembled as if stuck by lightning. Opening his narrow eyes to the utmost limit, he stared at Kureha's thin smile. As his doubt turned into conviction, that look was painted with nothing but pure horror.

"Y - you....you....never - !"

Abstaining from that light smile, Kureha indifferently starred at her father, trembling with fear.

"Fu, fufufufu - "

That irrepressible chuckle reverberated in the gloomy prison.