"Natsuki, can you do me a favor?" Ino's voice was soft, almost fragile.
"Anything for you, Miss Ino," the painter replied with a gentle smile.
"Paint me a picture... of me and my daughter. Before I go."
Natsuki paused, but his expression never faltered. "Is that all? It would be my pleasure."
Ino, a thirty-year-old woman battling a terminal illness, sat in the quiet living room sipping tea with Natsuki. The afternoon sun poured in through the side window, casting a warm golden glow over the room.
Moments later, her five-year-old daughter Rumi ran into the room, full of joy and oblivious to the weight in the air. The little girl bounded toward her mother with a wide smile.
"What is it, Mom?" Rumi asked excitedly, jumping up and down.
Ino gave a warm, serene smile. "Rumi, dear, come sit in my lap and hold still. Mr. Natsuki is going to paint a picture of us."
Rumi's eyes lit up with wonder. "A painting? Is he the man who made the one of you and Dad?"
"Yes, sweetheart. And now, he's going to make one of you and me."
Giggling with excitement, Rumi climbed onto her mother's lap and settled in.
Together, the two were a breathtaking sight. They were like mirrored images—pearl-white hair that shimmered in the sunlight, rich caramel-brown skin, and striking sapphire-blue eyes. Their matching white dresses swayed gently in the afternoon breeze, making them look almost ethereal.
"How breathtaking..." Natsuki murmured under his breath as he began to paint.
Rumi swung her legs playfully. "Are you finished yet, Mister?"
Ino chuckled and patted her daughter's head. "Sit still, child. Let the man paint."
"Okay!" Rumi sat up straight and still, proud to be part of something so special.
"Good girl," Ino whispered, wrapping her arms gently around her.
Natsuki smiled softly as he watched the scene unfold. His brush moved carefully across the canvas. He whispered to himself, so faintly that no one heard:
"Such a quiet child... I'm sorry for what she'll have to go through.
Minutes later the painting was finished ever bit of there beauty was captured in this magnificent piece.
Natsuki turned the canvas around, revealing the finished portrait of Ino and Rumi.
Rumi's eyes lit up, and she jumped up and down with excitement. "It's beautiful! It's beautiful! You're really talented, Mr. Natsuki!"
Ino giggled, the sound light and soft.
"Thank you, Rumi," Natsuki replied with a warm smile. "Now do me a favor—take the painting and hang it in your mother's room."
Rumi nodded eagerly, grabbed the painting with both hands, and bolted down the hallway.
"I'm going to miss her..." Ino murmured, her gaze lingering where her daughter had vanished, the sound of Rumi's laughter still echoing faintly in the air. Her voice was calm, but carried a heavy finality.
"Ahh, Natsuki… are you sure you'll be able to get her to her father? It won't be easy—not with the number of oni roaming around lately."
She tapped her finger on a folded letter resting on a small side table beside her.
"You don't need to worry," Natsuki replied, slinging his satchel over his shoulder as he carefully packed up his painting supplies. His hands moved with quiet precision. "I've snuck through worse places than this."
He slid a small kunai into a side pocket of the bag—a quiet but deadly precaution.
Ino sighed, her fingers curling slightly. "I just wish there was a less dangerous way to keep her safe..."
She reached for the letter and handed it to him with a trembling hand. "Bring her to Shin-Kage Village, north of the Thunder Plains. When you arrive, look for a man named Tanaka. Give him this letter—it explains everything."
Natsuki took the letter and tucked it carefully into an inner pouch of his bag. "Got it. I'll get her there safely. You have my word. But... are you sure you'll be alright when the repellent Crystal fails?"
A faint smile tugged at Ino's lips as she reached out and placed a gentle hand on his head. Her touch was warm, full of maternal affection. "Don't worry about me, child. I'll be long gone by then."
Natsuki closed his eyes, holding her hand in his own. He bent forward and kissed the back of it tenderly. "May your soul rest well in heaven, Miss Ino."
Her smile lingered, serene and bittersweet. What else can one wish for when the end is near, but peace?
Rumi ran back to her mother's side, breathless with excitement after hanging the painting.
"It looks perfect, Mommy!" she beamed, snuggling close once again.
Natsuki adjusted the strap on his shoulder and stepped toward the door. "Explain what you need to, to her. I'll be back after I gather some more supplies."
Ino nodded, her eyes following him silently as he left.
The door closed with a soft thud behind him, and the house fell into a quiet lull.
Outside, Natsuki exhaled. "Hopefully... that conversation goes well," he muttered, heading down the stone path toward the town square.
The village was already in motion.
As Natsuki passed through the square, he noticed the tense energy hanging in the air. Families were packing wagons, guards were rallying at checkpoints, and shopkeepers were shuttering their windows. The failing of the Repellent Crystal was no secret anymore. Everyone knew what came after—oni would breach the outer barrier soon.
"Great," Natsuki muttered under his breath. "Every shop's already closed."
He had hoped to pick up some Repellent Herb—a rare plant that masked human scent and helped confuse tracking oni—but it seemed he was too late.
Still, he kept moving.
After winding through back alleys and half-deserted stalls, he finally spotted a vendor hurriedly packing supplies onto a small pushcart.
"Hey! Vendor!" Natsuki called out, jogging over. "You got any Repellent Herb left?"
The man paused, eyeing Natsuki warily. "Hah... yeah, I've got some. But coin's useless now," he said with a sly grin. "I need something better. Weapons, potions—anything that'll keep me alive out there."
Natsuki narrowed his eyes. He was running low on tradeable gear. But this wasn't just about him.
He reached into his side pouch and pulled out a small sealed vial glowing faintly with blue light.
He reached into his side pouch and pulled out a small, sealed vial glowing faintly with blue light—a minor healing draught, no bigger than his thumb.
"This'll seal wounds in seconds," Natsuki said, his tone flat but firm. "It's the last one I've got."
The vendor's greedy eyes lit up with satisfaction. "Now that's worth something."
He tossed Natsuki a cloth pouch filled with crushed leaves—the strong, bitter scent of Repellent Herb wafted up, earthy and sharp. The kind of smell that kept low-ranking oni at bay by scrambling their sense of smell. Not foolproof, but it might buy time when it mattered most.
"Pleasure doing business," the vendor added with a crooked grin, already pocketing the vial. "But you'd best be moving. They say once that crystal fully dies out, the barrier won't hold for more than a few hours."
"I know," Natsuki said without looking back, tucking the pouch into his satchel. "I won't be here when it happens."
Natsuki made his way through the winding stone paths toward the village stables, where an array of mounts were kept—thunder wolves with crackling fur, obsidian-scaled horses, and even giant snakes coiled in their enclosures, eyes glowing with irritation.
Nearly every tameable beast in the region could be found here. But as Natsuki stepped through the stable gate, he noticed something off.
The place was eerily quiet.
"No stablehand?" he muttered, glancing around. "What a pain… Didn't even have the decency to prep my mount."
He brought two fingers to his lips and gave a sharp whistle that echoed across the rows of pens.
From one of the shaded corners, a deep rumble sounded—followed by the heavy thuds of armored footsteps.
A massive creature emerged from the shadows: a giant armadillo lizard, its shell glinting like overlapping stone plates, eyes bright with recognition.
"Ah, Sousuke," Natsuki said with a grin, reaching out to pat the creature's snout. The lizard rumbled affectionately, nuzzling against his chest with surprising gentleness for something so massive. "Glad to see you're still in one piece."
With practiced ease, Natsuki swung himself up onto Sousuke's back and gave a light nudge with his heel. The creature turned and lumbered toward the main road, claws clicking against the stone path.
"We've got a long road ahead," Natsuki murmured, his gaze drifting toward the horizon where the forest swayed under a grayening sky. "Time to leave this village behind."
As they moved, the quiet rhythm of Sousuke's stride gave Natsuki space to think.
She should have finished explaining by now...
His jaw tightened slightly. He had a
promise he couldn't afford to break.
"Hang in there, Rumi," he whispered under his breath. "
Sousuke carried Natsuki back through the now-deserted village streets to Miss Ino's house, where the soft creak of the front door drew his attention.
Rumi stepped outside, but the joy that once danced in her eyes was gone.
Her little feet shuffled forward slowly, her gaze fixed on the ground. She clutched a small backpack—overstuffed with clothes, essentials, and the precious painting Natsuki had made just earlier.
The sight tugged at Natsuki's chest like a blade.
That radiant smile… already gone.
He dismounted silently and knelt as she approached.
"I take it your mother explained everything to you," he said softly, though there was a hint of bitterness in his voice. He envied the kind of strength it took to say goodbye like that.
Rumi didn't answer. She only nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks in silence.
She had promised not to cry—not loudly, at least. Her mother had asked her to be strong, to carry the weight for both of them now. So she sniffled, and wiped her face with the sleeve of her dress.
Natsuki reached out and gently brushed away the last tear she missed.
"Will you be okay?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Again, she nodded.
He smiled faintly and lifted her with ease, placing her carefully atop Sousuke's broad back.
"Alright. Hold on tight," he said, climbing up behind her and steadying her small frame with one arm. "We'll be in Shin-Kage before you know it."
Without another word, Sousuke surged forward, his massive claws clicking against stone before transitioning into the soft thud of earth beneath them.
The village faded behind them with every thunderous stride.
Rumi clung to Natsuki tightly, burying her face into his cloak. Her small fingers gripped the fabric with desperate strength.
And Natsuki… he stared ahead, the wind whipping at his hair, his expression calm—but his heart was heavy.
"I'll get her there... for your sake ino."