The first thing I felt when I woke was pain. A heavy burning that climbed from my feet to my eyes, darkening my consciousness with every pulse of my heartbeat.
The tiny snowflakes falling onto my face felt as though they were trying to cool the fire beneath my skin.
For a while, I stared only at the gray sky. Then Yumiko entered my vision, kneeling beside me.
A small blade she had pulled from my right boot rested in her hand.
She had already removed the blade from my left boot and wrapped my left foot in bandages.
Her eyes narrowed. "You left this morning saying I didn't need to take care of you anymore."
She raised the blade.
"Then I find you like this—and these in your shoes."
Her eyes narrowed further. "Am I your mother?"
I looked away. "…Sorry, Yumiko."
My voice came out hoarse.
"And… thank you. For everything."
She clicked her tongue and continued wrapping my wounds, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "So I take it you're not making soup tonight?"
I answered in nearly a whisper. "…Sorry for that too."
My eyes drifted to the figure lying beside us. Renji was still sprawled in the snow.
My chest tightened. Then his hand twitched. Yumiko noticed too. She immediately grabbed a rock from the ground. My eyes widened.
"Wait—" The crack of stone against skull sent a jolt through my entire body.
"Stop!" Ignoring the pain in my legs, I threw my upper body forward and shoved Yumiko off him.
"What did you do?! Why did you hit Renji?!" "Shut up! He was choking you!" I barely heard her.
My eyes dropped to Renji's wounded body. Blood. Too much blood.
I snatched the stitching needle from Yumiko's hand and pressed my trembling fingers against his wounds.
My hands shook from exhaustion. I could barely hold the needle straight.
I had never seen him like this. Even in sleep, he always looked dangerous. Even in sleep, he always looked untouchable.
But now— He looked breakable. And it was because of me. I had nearly killed him.
Fragments of memory flashed through my mind.
His voice in darkness.
Yui.
Kana.
Give up.
Cliff.
Promise.
Then— A hand reaching toward me. His hand. Again. He had offered me his hand once more. And I had cut it.
My throat tightened. Did someone like me really deserve to keep living?
Yumiko ripped the needle from my hand. "That's enough. Rest."
I grabbed her wrist. "Don't hit him again."
She looked at me. "…Please."
Her brows lifted slightly. "So even you can say please."
A faint grin touched her lips. "Interesting." She pushed me back into the snow and resumed stitching Renji's wounds herself.
Silence settled over us. The snowfall had begun to thin. The clouds were starting to part. And somehow, my body burned even hotter.
Then Renji suddenly inhaled. His eyes snapped open. And instantly froze.
Because Yumiko was standing over him, rock raised high in her hand.
"Don't. Move!"
This girl—!
Renji stared at her. "My head hurts... Why is a girl threatening me with a rock?"
Yumiko glared down at him.
"If you move weird, I'll hit you again!"
He blinked. "…Again?"
"She already hit you once," I said.
Renji slowly touched his head. His fingers brushed the swelling. A pained growl escaped him.
Then he turned toward Yumiko.
"…She did what?! She hit me with a rock?!"
Yumiko pointed at him. "You were choking him, lunatic!"
"I was saving him! What kind of demon smashes a waking man's head with a rock?!"
"You're the demon! You looked like a starving wild boar!"
"A boar? That was a controlled maneuver!"
"What kind of excuse is that?!"
Despite everything— A weak laugh escaped me.
"...Renji. Yumiko's right."
Renji frowned and pointed at me. "If you ever side with random mountain children over me again—"
His face twisted in pain. "…Never mind. I'm too exhausted to threaten anyone."
Yumiko pointed at the blades on the ground. "Watch your mouth or I'll hit you again!" Renji slowly shook his head.
Yumiko continued.
"And what kind of bastard hides blades in his shoes?!"
Renji followed her finger, saw the blades, and turned his head away. He closed his eyes. "…How far the mightiest warrior in history has fallen."
He pointed at me. "Nearly killed by his own student." Then at Yumiko. "And executed by a peasant."
Yumiko jabbed a finger back at him. "Stop blaming other people. You're the dangerous one. Blades shooting out of your boots?! Anyone who hides knives in their shoes is slimy as hell."
Renji grimaced and let out a pained sigh. "Gods... I want to commit seppuku."
Yumiko raised the rock slightly. "I can help with that."
Renji let out a pained laugh. "What are you? Rin's lost twin? The loud one from my nightmares?"
I nearly laughed again. Even in this state.
Renji exhaled in defeat. "I'm glad I chose the right mountain girl back then. When I see Rin again, I'm hugging her. Hard."
He looked at me. "Don't you agree, Hayato?"
I glanced at the rock still clenched in Yumiko's hand. "I'm not saying anything. She's gripping that rock like she means it. Right now she looks more dangerous than both of us."
Renji brushed snow off his clothes.
"We look terrible. Hayato, get up. I won—if that even matters. We nearly died here. You went berserk. And a village girl knocked me unconscious."
He sighed. "We are never speaking of this again. And no more sparring. Ever. If anyone asks…"
He pointed toward the slope behind us. "We slipped on the mountain. That's the story."
I lowered my head. "I would stand… but both of my feet were stabbed."
Renji snapped back immediately. "Well, surely you can excuse me for that. With your flame, your recovery will be fast."
"Use it—" He stopped. His expression hardened. "No. Don't."
Renji's eyes locked onto mine. "We need to figure out what the hell was inside you."
The wind howled across the mountain. And suddenly— I felt cold to my core. The nightmare was over. For now.