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Scarecrow Kakashi
Act 11: Life never ends
After attending Haru’s and Hiroto’s wedding, Yumi decided to do some traveling of her own. There were protests that the young mage should travel with someone to keep her company. Yumi knew everyone thought that she was still depressed over Nanashi’s unexpected death; she also knew that they were right. However, she also knew she had to take this journey.
She headed back down the same road Nanashi had taken himself. South Capital was being reconstructed with Neji’s help. He and Bara told Yumi how worried the scarecrow was during his time in South Capital. Tomodachi and Ashigeru had made plans for a wedding in the winter. She soon came across Methis and met up with Kiyoko. I there was anyone who would understand how she felt, Kiyoko would.
Kiyoko pushed strands of hair away from her eyes and smiled to her. “Well first explain to me in detail as to what actually happened.”
Yumi looked away staring out the window of the dining room in Kiyoko’s home. “It’s hard to say but I’ll do my best.” She answered. “The night before the end of the war Nanashi and I came out and told each other how we felt about each other. That was the best night of my life. The next morning though I remember waking up once and looking at Nanashi.”
She blinked away several tears that had started to form and took a deep breath. “He told me to go back to sleep…and that everything…was all right. ‘All is right’ he said and he asked me if he would ever lie to me. I shook my head and said ‘Night night’ and closed my eyes falling asleep.”
“But I remember…I remember someone brushing strands of hair away from my face and kissing my forehead…” Yumi handed the letter over to Kiyoko. “He seemed so human…than he ever did before…”
Kiyoko took a look at the letter Nanashi had left as Yumi started to cry once again. “You see Yumi, that’s exactly how I got over Kouji’s death.” She said once finished with the letter. “I cried…and then I cried. I cried some more and then it stopped, I realized that Kouji wouldn’t want me to cry. He would have wanted me to help rebuild Methis and help you and Nanashi-kun in anyway I can.”
“So…” Yumi sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue. “I guess what you’re trying to tell me…is to…”
“Live your life without any regrets. Turn any bad events into good positive ones.” Kiyoko said with a smile. “To tell you the honest truth though little girlie…I never thought that well…I never thought…you and Nanashi!” She whistled loudly, reminding Yumi of Kouji’s whistling habit. “That’s the kind of thing fairytales are made out of, you know?”
“Except this one has no happy ending…” she replied quietly then smiled. “But I guess I must make on so Nanashi can rest in peace hmm?”
“Well, don’t make him roll in his grave now…” Kiyoko said with a laugh.
Blinking, Yumi got up and pulled Nanashi’s old cloak over her. “It’s summer Yumi-chan…why the cloak?”
Nanashi’s hat went on top of the blonde’s head as she turned to grin at Kiyoko. “Safe keeping I guess…Sentimental value perhaps.”
The red headed girl smiled and nodded. “Akamaru-kun, you are the greatest!” The boy began to blush until she continued. “Although you still hang onto that scarecrow you met a year ago.”
“That’s low!” he yelled. The villagers around him started to laugh. Akamaru wanted to protest but the sun was so hot he couldn’t care less anymore. Setting down the pail, Akamaru left the red head and stomped away to the Akimuyo village gate.
“He’s coming back! I just know it!” Reaching into his tunic pocket, Akamaru expected to see yellow healthy straw, just as Nanashi promised it would stay. Instead though, the straw was brown, unhealthy and looked absolutely disgusting.
“W-W-What happened?” He stopped, staring down at the dead straw. “Nanashi-sama is…” Tears started to flow from his eyes. He had finally had the perfect role model after his father died in a murder. Now he was gone.
Something or someone collapsed in front of him. Akamaru wiped his tears away and looked over at a cloaked body that had collapsed in front of him. Cautiously, he stepped closer to the figure. Akamaru stopped as he heard a groan. “It’s alive?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.
Kneeling down beside the figure, he poked it. Another groan was heard. Closing his eyes, Akamaru flipped the figure over. Opening one eye, he then opened the other in shock. “A girl!” he cried then looked at the hat she wore. Picking it up, he examined it.
“The same hat Nanashi-sama wore…She must have come across him on his journey...” Akamaru laid a hand on her forehead and removed it quickly. “Whoever she is, she’s burning up! I can’t lose her!”
“She has Nanashi-sama’s hat! Whoever she is, she knows how he died!” He dipped another cloth in the cold water. “Mom, the straw went brown, dry and stale on me today…I need to know how he died…He seemed so strong when I met him.”
“Akamaru…” His mother looked over to the girl. “How do you know for sure…? Even if she knows him…oh?”
“Na…Nanashi-chan…” Akamaru and his mother watched as the girl started to move.
“Relax young one,” The older woman stroked the blonde’s forehead. “You’ve been through a lot. You almost died out there in the summer’s heat.”
She sat upright looking around wildly. “Where the hell am I? How’d I get here?” The girl looked at Akamaru. “You have the same colour of eyes I have!” she shouted in surprise thinking all along hers was unique.
Akamaru frowned and glared angrily at the girl. “And you’re that person I vowed to kill! Now that I’ve seen your eyes I know for sure! You took father away from us!”
The girl blinked at him. “You are…you are another person from my past?” she asked, her head tilted in confusion.
Akamaru ran away from the room and returned with a dagger. Both the girl and his mother were surprised by his actions. “Akamaru! Just what are you thinking! Throw that dagger away!” his mother yelled.
“This thief murdered my father!” he yelled pointing the dagger at the girl. “As soon as she tells me all she knows about Nanashi and how he died, I’m going to kill her!”
The girl rubbed her sweaty forehead. Her own green eyes opened. “May I first explain everything? Before I exhaust myself?” she asked.
Noting Akamaru’s nodding head, she went on. “I was told this by Nanashi-chan. When we first met, I was nothing but a thief…I even stole from him. Running away from him, I fell off a cliff. Nanashi-chan rescued me.” The girl smiled, running a hand through her hair and sighing. “He then rescued me again from a demon that remembered me and I obviously didn’t remember. From that day on, we traveled together. I found out about the curse that was put on me where I would lose my memory. That’s where my diaries come in handy.”
“Oh…My name is Yumi by the way!” she grinned. “Sorry I forgot about that. But anyways…” Yumi ignored the blank faces Akamaru and his mother were giving her. “As we went on our journey, we made it to Central Capital. There, Nanashi signed up for the war and faced the demon lord Shin in a battle! But…”
“But?” Akamaru now sat on the edge of her bed, hanging onto every word coming out of Yumi’s mouth.
Yumi looked away, tears coming to her eyes. Akamaru and his mother jumped away as she started to suddenly yell at herself. “No!” she cried. “I’m not going to cry no more! I vowed! I vowed!” Stopping, she took another deep breath. “Nanashi-chan died slaying the demon lord Shin. I couldn’t do anything about it…I was in the throne room slaying the Doppelganger that was impersonating the King. I’m sorry Kiyoko but I can’t let it go!”
Akamaru looked away from her. “You were close to him weren’t you…?”
Yumi nodded. “Very. So much that when he died I had thoughts about taking my own life as well…I still do…”
Akamaru threw the dagger in the corner of the room and sighed. “I’m nine years old, it’s too soon for me to kill. What would Nanashi-sama think of me? What would he think of me if I killed someone so obviously close to him?”
Yumi tried to get up from the bed but fell back onto it. “Please Yumi-dono, rest here for tonight. Once you’re back to good health…All will be fine.” His mother explained to her with a small smile.
Akamaru gazed at the door then looked back to the sleeping Yumi. She’s been sleeping for hours now, he thought, she can’t be that sick. And what sort of close relationship did she have with Nanashi-sama? Why would he travel around with a thief anyways? Another hour passed and Akamaru grew concerned for his mother. The door opened and he felt relieved she came back.
“But,” he looked at her hands. “Where’s the water…?”
“Pyro Flare!”
Akamaru’s eyes widened as flames suddenly swallowed up his mother. He turned to the source. Yumi sat up in her bed, her staff in hand, sweat on her face. “What the hell did you just do? You just killed my mother! After we helped you too!” he yelled angrily.
“Take another look.” She replied looking over at the corpse.
Akamaru took another look at his mother and his eyes widened. A Doppelganger writhed, as it was burned alive. “It’s a smaller one than the one I killed at the castle. It must have followed me here…I’m sorry Akamaru-dono,” she looked to him. “A Doppelganger can only take the form of a creature it has killed and drank its blood. I…I don’t know how to explain it but, somehow I knew that wasn’t your mother.”
“So what am I to do now?” he asked her with a sad face that looked like it was about to shed tears. “I’m an orphan.”
Yumi looked away from his sad teary-eyed face. How am I going to do this, she thought to herself, I plan on…I plan on joining Nanashi and now…She looked back over to Akamaru. He said he was a friend with Nanashi before…maybe…I can redeem myself for falling asleep and not paying attention to him that day…
“Akamaru…” she looked over to him with a blank expression on her face.
Seeing Akamaru’s face turn to her attention, Yumi’s mouth turned into a smile. “How about you and I buy a farm? I have enough money from the army for killing the Doppelganger…You and I both knew Nanashi…so why not?”
“Akamaru’s been gone a long time…” Yumi said to herself as she sat on the fence looking out to the wheat field. A breeze went by and she ran a hand through her long straw blond hair. It seemed hard for her to imagine it had been five years since her life had changed. “He’s probably got a girlfriend in Akimuyo right now…I remember that red head he was particularly fond of.”
“Yes that’s right Nanashi-chan,” Yumi looked up to the sky. “Akamaru’s growing up to be a heartbreaker!” she laughed to herself. “But one thing that’s not funny is the number of suitors dropping by our home…each and everyone of them scare me. None of them would be able to understand me.”
Her head shook slowly. “No, they wouldn’t understand me like you did…” Tears fell from her eyes. “None of them…”
Closing her eyes, Yumi sighed heavily. She then started to feel an odd sensation surrounding her. Opening her eyes, the twenty-two year old was shocked to see nothing but dark. “What?” she asked confusedly. “What’s going on?”
He got up from the bench they sat on. “I don’t know,” he answered. “But whatever it is, I need to find out.” Looking to her, he smiled and leaned down giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll be back don’t worry!”
His feet carried him to the village gate. Stopping, Akamaru took the same straw from out of his tunic as he did five years ago when he felt the same odd sensation. Stunned, he watched as the brown ugly straw started to slowly turn golden again. “Yumi-dono.” He cried shocked. “I’ve got to tell Yumi-dono!”
“No!” she screamed. Arms caked with blood and dirt reached out towards her. “Leave me alone!”
“Yumi-dono!”
Her first thought was of someone she still remembered. Akamaru, she thought, no wait…who’s Akamaru? Did I…Did I know an Akamaru? “No,” the voice spoke again. “Don’t worry, I’m here to rescue you.”
Strong arms wrapped around Yumi. She was exhausted from fighting against the darkness that had threatened to consume her soul to resist the arms. Soon, her eyes were filled with the sight of the wheat field. “Who?” she asked tiredly, turning her head around to take a look at the owner of the voice.
“Was I too late? You don’t remember me? My probation is over and I was given a second chance.” The now familiar voice explained. Yumi’s eyes widened as she looked into the amber coloured eyes of a straw blond man.
“Prince Kakashi?” she asked startled. “Wait…Nanashi? Nanashi-chan!” Yumi was so overcome with happiness, she tackled the man in a hug that tumbled them onto the ground. “You’re back but how?”
“I was told not to tell…if I did…well everyone would want to come back to life.” He smiled broadly, a scythe lying near by in the field. “Prince Kakashi though…should I?”
Yumi shook her head. “Akamaru and I have a good life here…I don’t think I want a celebrity for a husband…Akamaru wouldn’t approve.”
Nanashi chuckled. “I see, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him. I must have given him a scare dying like that…” he paused looking at the sudden downcast of Yumi’s face.
“We were all very sad…Everyone cried even Akira-dono! Many people were angry at the thought of an innocent life taken away from them in the war. They pitied Haru and I since we were so close…Haru had her own way of dealing with them. I needed to leave. The life in the spotlight was too much for me.” She explained tears coming to her eyes. “I came here to buy a farm and Akamaru came along with me.” No sense in telling him that Akamaru was orphaned and I was suicidal, she thought to herself, that would just make him feel bad.
“I’ll show you aro-“ Yumi was interrupted in mid-speech when Nanashi leaned over to her and kissed her deeply. I guess showing him around will just have to wait, she thought giddily.
“Yumi-dono!” Akamaru called as he skidded to a stop. A grin crossed his face as he watched the couple catch up after a five year lost. “Wow…Nanashi-sama is a human…I bet he’s feeling what every guy hopes to!” he said then laughed as they pulled apart. Nanashi was blinking at Yumi confused at what human instinct led him to do.
“I swear I’m sorry! I should have asked!”
“Hahaha! It’s all right!” she replied laughing. “You’re human now and have a lot of things to learn too. I’ll teach you don’t worry.”
Haru walked over to her husband as he pointed to strands of straw by the Wishing Spring. “The straw we saw…it was brown but now it’s…” Hiroto was at a loss of words.
“Nanashi’s back,” she said quietly then kneeled down to look into the blue eyes of her four year old son. “See Sho? You’ll finally meet uncle Nanashi! Oh, Nanashi will be so happy!” Looking towards the fountain, Haru couldn’t help but think to herself one thought.
See Nanashi? All that wishing and believing really worked.