****

He heard from somewhere a small sniffling cry, like a sob.
Though strained, it was a very small sob. The fan fluttered.
Shuuei knew that voice. Tired, pained, sad. Though she walked forward with all of her strength while looking back, she though it was already hopeless. Her chest was tired. She felt compelled to scream. Already, she was disappearing. She thought it would be okay to disappear. Please wait, just a little more.
Because she could go on a little more.
“—Shusui-dono!”
Because he yelled this loudly, he realized that this was the first time he had called out to her with his voice since coming here. This he regretted.
It would have been better for him to call her name, as it didn’t matter whether it was useless or not.
The voice gave out.
After a moment of blankness, which might have been short or long, Shuuei fell as though he had been thrown somewhere. “Kanshou” at his hip shook yet more greatly. Even Shuuei could see that the type of darkness lurking here was entirely different from the darkness up until the Hundred Corridors. He thought he might have heard a sound the instant he was thrown. It was an unpleasant, meltingly thick darkness, which felt like something was burrowing into every pore of his body. There was a feeling of hatred and oppression which made it hard to breathe, he felt unpleasantly dizzy, as if anemic, and his ears rang. Sweat broke out throughout his body.
She had been in a place like this. For so long.
He took a defensive posture and sprung up, and sought Shusui first. The space, which was wide enough to make him think of the throne room, was dyed with a weirdly beautiful pale blue light. In the midst of this, there was Shusui, who lay collapsed like a plucked flower, and a tall man. He was gazing slightly at Shusui. Then, with an elegant gesture unsuited to the setting, he drew a sword. His goal was that slender neck. He was trying to cut off her head.
Shuuei ran and was at a distance of about ten paces.
At once he shortened his steps. This was a type of footwork he rarely used, even against Jin.
He knew that ‘Kanshou’ at his hip was spreading heat. However, Shuui ignored it. He sensed that once he drew it, even against someone who was not Shusui, something would end. He drew the familiar ‘Iris’ sword, and slid in the gap. He parried the man’s sword right before it struck, and repelled the blow.
Rather than being surprised, the man lightly drew his brows together. His reaction slightly resembled that of a child who was cross that his playing had been interrupted by an interloper.
Shuuei continued to strike, with dazzling swordplay, and in the blink of an eye, he drew the man away from Shusui. For him to be able to receive the strike of Shuuei’s sword was magnificent, but his skill did not exceed Shuuei’s, and his strength was about the same as Seiran’s. Though of course he was strong, he was no match for Shuuei when he was serious. It seemed the man also realized this. His face became more and more sulky, and, with a dancelike gesture, he put a distance between himself and Shuuei.
Shuuei also drew back his sword for a moment, and finally looked at the man’s face properly. He was slightly older than SHuuei. He sensed that he was not an assassin like the ‘Assassin Dolls,’ and somehow, also that he was not a man of the Hyou clan. He had catlike eyes, long flowing waves of hair, and elegantly beautiful features, but a somewhat decadent, languid atmosphere floated around him.
It was a man he had never seen before. Yet, he also felt that his features resembled those of someone he knew.
“…..You have a good arm, Ran Shuuei. Magnificent. I praise you.”
Ruka descended lightly. She fixed her eyes on the man, and her red lips relaxed. It was a sublime smile. It wasn’t ironic or anything like that, it was an ill will strong enough to make one wonder how she could smile so alluringly out of anger.
“….I had thought you would come, but you are after Shusui here? You’re a tactician who takes a lot of care to be sure. Ran Shuuei, cut off his head right now. With that, half of my problems will be cleared up.”
“Huh?!”
The man looked in turn at Shusui, Shuuei, and Ruka, and his expression suddenly changed.
He narrowed his cat-like eyes and grinned.
“What a mean thing you’ve said. I have no chance of winning against Ran Shuuei. Too bad. I’m going home.”
Those were the first words the man had spoken.
Tossing these words, the man turned on his heel and disappeared, as if melting into the blue darkness. This departure was so ambiguous that Shuuei was unable to discern whether he had used some spell, or whether there was a path there.
Ruka clicked her tonge.
“…..It can’t be helped. At least I was able to confirm it. With this…..I’ve figured it out.”
Shuuei did not ask about this, or ask her what he man’s name was. She probably wouldn’t tell him.
“….I thank you for bringing me here. ……Then?”
Shuuei turned again towards Ruka. He stood with his back to Shusui, as if to protect her.
Ruka did not look at Shuuei, but at Shusui, who was behind him lying there unmoving. With a cold, expressionless gaze. HOwever, she also seemed to be cooly observing her.
“….I have also used up too much power because of you. Time is up….. Ran Shuuei, I shall give you a piece of advice. Do not think of taking Shusui back with you. You should quickly kill her with ‘Kanshou.’”
“Wha—”
“With Shusui in that condition, she will sooner or later be possessed by some evil thing. The women of the Hyou clan make the best vessels. Things which normally can only move a dead person may fall upon her while living. Her life force will be eaten from the inside, and then she will kill whatever humans are around her, and eat them up….. Make things easier for her.”
Then, Ruka disappeared like a wisp of cloud.

Within the place that had returned to an almost frightening quiet now that no one was around, Shuuei turned back towards Shusui. When he propped up Shusui, who had been thrown aside like a plucked flower, her white arms dropped down like those of a doll. She had a heartbeat, and although her body temperature was low, it was there. He wiped the dirt off her face with a handkerchief, ordered the hair at her forehead, and put a hand to her cool, egg-shaped cheek. He gently shook her.
“….Shusui=dono….I came to get you. Please wake up.”
When he drew her small head to his chest and whispered that, her eyes opened.
When Shuuei looked down, his face then twisted. She blinked, terribly slowly.
That gaze which was always looking far off was no longer there.
She no longer saw anything at all, although everything else was left there.
Her heart alone was not there.
“Shusui-dono….”
Without needing Ruka to tell him, he had realized that although Shusui was sleeping, it wasn’t only that she had lost consciousness. He had known that since he had heard that sobbing cry.
Shuuei nestled his face upon Shusui’s small head, and his face crumpled.
When he tightly embraced that body which was like a cut flower, tears flowed.
He hadn’t been in time. He was always like this.
“Let’s go back together, Shusui-dono….. Then, we’ll always, always be together.”
Shusui’s eyes blinked like a dolls—–then transformed.
Her eyes glowed red like a snake’s iris. ‘Kanshou’ grew warm, and shone.
Along with a scream which was not that of a humans, Shusui thrust aside Shuuei with incredible strength, and ran away.
At the same time, she drew out the ‘Iris’ sword.
Shuuei jumped back, and remembered what Ruka had said before——She would be possessed by something bad.
“Kanshou” gave off heat as if it were waiting to be drawn. An exorcising sword. Probably, if he drew it, it would finally go to kill Shusui by itself. Shusui had his other sword, the ‘Iris’ one already.
He saw that Shusui was blinking. Perhaps reflexively, a line of tears was flowing down from her eyes.
In that instant, Shuuei stopped both running away and trying to hold her down.
In his mind, he saw Ryuuki’s face. Perhaps it was that it was only in that second when he thought of the king did his unconsciousness thought that he needed to return move, and although he had no intention of doing so, his body reacted on its own. Without thinking, he defended himself, and fell to the ground. He put forth much effort in order to not take a defensive stance.
Shusui bore down on him, and without any hesitation, thrust with the sword.
(I’m sorry, your majesty—)
Even so, there was only this.
The sword thrust, and there was a dull sound.

….Shuuei blinked and looked at Shusui.
The sword point had simply scraped the ground above his shoulder.
Shusui stayed in that position, and did not budge at all. Her long hair flowed down, and softly fell onto Shuuei’s chest. Shuuei wrapped a tuft of her hair around his finger, and softly pulled.
“….Shusui-dono?”
Shusui’s eyes wavered greatly once.
While tears flowed from her eyes, Shusui looked straight at Shuuei.
“……why didn’t you avoid it?”
At that time, Shuuei felt as though he had been struck by lighting. —-Could it be?
Shuuei reached out with both of his armys, touched Shusui’s cheek, and drew her towards him. When he gazed into her eyes, they were those damp eyes which could say nothing, clouded by loneliness. The eyes which Shuuei had been pursuing without realizing it.
He was at a loss for what to say.
Shuuei then said something, which, though it was foolish, though it would make his reputation as a ladies’ man weep—but was the completely genuine truth.
“….Because it’s my unshakeable principle to surrender unconditionally to a crying woman, even if it gets me killed.”
Shusui took her hand off of the hilt of the ‘Iris’ sword.
Shuuei closes his eyes, thinking he might be slapped, and on his cheek, there came a small sound. He had been slapped, but it was a very gentle slap.
“…..After this, I’ll slap you again….. You have no consciousness of what the ‘Flower” is……Won’t his majesty cry again? ….. But……Thank you…..Um….um….may I ask you something?”
Shuuei smiled, and gently embraced Shusui. Shusui did not resist. He thought this would do. He wiped her tears with his finger, and in his prized sensual voice, whispered softly into her ear.
“…..Yes, anything. What is it?”
“……..Do you have…..something to eat and water?”
Shusui’s stomach growled.

****

It had been at the time when that darkness reached a hand to the last fragment.
A warm breeze wrapped around Shusui. As if to console and embrace her.
“I’ve always been here for you.”
…..Who? Who would have said those words to me?
A familiar scent rode on the wind and tickled her nose. The scent of sandalwood. Shusui’s favorite scent. And along with that, something like awakening static electricity was delivered to Shusui’s chest.
Someone’s voice was calling Shusui.
“I’ve come to get you, Shusui-dono.”
(……come to get?)
Not someone else….but me?
“I’m sorry for being late…. let’s go back.”
When she realized whose was that clear voice.
—Shusui’s eyes widened.
(Wait, wait, can it be Ran Shuuei? Eh? No way?! Why’s he here?! Why that mosquito larva man who’s always popping up somewhere! Hey, how’d he get to the Hyou clan?!)
For Shusui, who had for long years crossed swords with him on the battle lines of the Inner Palace, the name Ran Shuuei suddenly jump started her head, and the reaction to that was sufficient to turn the screw. Every time that man had appeared, Shusui didn’t have a chance to rest. Definitely something was going to happen. I’ve got to think, she thought.
The question—Eh, right now, when is it, and where am I, and what have I been doing?!
Answer: Dying in the Prison of Time. She felt that it had already been a hundred years.
An interval.
Her fingers moved. Wait a second. Wait, you stupid general of the guards.
(No! An ordinary person, not even of the Hyou clan, seriously plans to enter the ‘Prison of Time’?! Isn’t he deciding to die! Even though I’m like this, what is he thinking, that man! Urgh, but that man might do this kind of stupid thing without thinking. A, but it’s okay, since he has no supernatural powers, he shouldn’t be able to open the ‘door’ on the lowest level. … But, wasn’t there a route that anyone could enter for rescuing someone or escaping? Umm, if I recall correctly… the great maze….)
Silence. Normally it was impossible. But, if it was that man, he might be able to do it.
The darkness grew slightly lighter, but Shusui did not notice it.
(…Wait….he doesn’t have a ‘map.’…. It had been sealed for about a hundred years, so even if he had one, a map from a hundred years back wouldn’t be useful. It’s a limestone cave, so the water changes the forms of the stone. Even so, how does he plan to get here?　Fighting with both hands empty? What, is he really a general?! I can’t tell at all whether he’s smart or stupid!)
Going on the adventure of entering the great natural maze of the limestone cave without any clues, empty-handed, as an ordinary person.
It could only be seen as either a death wish or stupidity.
Shusui searched for the supernatural powers which had been tightly sealed somewhere inside of herself. She sought the ‘eye,’ which had been sealed deep inside, in a location she had no clue of, with the kind of incredible strength people have in emergency situations. The ‘box’ the ‘eye’ was in had been locked, but Shusui, who was under great strain, tore it apart as if it were wrapping paper. She opened her ‘Thousand League Eye’ [note: typically I translate this as 'clairvoyance, but it makes more sense in the context here], and felt something odd. It felt a little different from normal, but she could “see” unhindered.
When she opened her field of vision in all directions, she was immediately drawn to something dazzlingly red.
(………………….General Ran! He really did come here….”
He was plunging through the limestone cave at a frightening speed. Although he was complaining to the bats, he was breaking through whatever barriers there were one after another, at a speed even the ‘Assassin Dolls’ would be incapable of. Though Shusui had though that he was strong at the level she had seen him at up till now—this was incredible. Even if Shusui went all out at him, his strength was such that he could pin her down as easily as taking candy from a baby.
She had never seen the expression that Shuuei had on his face before. When he had gone straight to help the king at Nine Colors Cove, his attitude there had made her look at him in a somewhat new light, but now his face was even more stern than it had been then. A desperate face.
For some reason, he was really going straight in the direction that Shusui was. Directly.
“I’ve come to get you, Shusui-dono.”
Let’s go back—
That was her limit. She did not notice what kind of face Shuuei had as he went towards her, right before she ran out of power and closed her ‘Thousand League Eye.’
Since she had opened the ‘Thousand League Eye,’ her mental and physical power hit bottom at once.
She knew that that something which had been far off was once again crawling towards her, as if it had seen through this.
Shuusi tried to smile, with her body which could not even move a single finger. She hadn’t smiled in such a long time that her cheeks wouldn’t move.
(Ran Shuuei…. you’re coming here quickly, but……. you didn’t think at all about how to return…..)
It was so stupid she smiled. Ran Shuuei definitely was not thinking of the ‘return.’
No, even if he had considered it, it would be meaningless. There was only way of ‘returning safely’ from here. However, Shuuei could not do that….and probably he knew this. Even so, he had entered.
He was thinking only of going to Shusui, not turning an eye to anything else.
…..There had been no one who had offered everything for Shusui’s sake like this, even temporarily. Because the people important to her always had someone else who was their number one person in the world, Shusui had never been number one to them.
“I’ve always been here for you.”
She felt something climbing out from all of the pores of her body. Though she had expended incredible emergency strength, that didn’t change the fact that it would be only a little more time before Shusui became ‘empty.’ When the last fragment would be eaten up, she would disappear all too soon, and the evil spirits crouching and waiting in the darkness would enter her one after the other.
Shusui closed her eyes…. That ‘despair’ too, might also have been a demon.
(….If General Ran…. can leave here safely…..that’s the only thing…..I can’t let him be killed….The king….will cry….)
When she though of the lonely king, whom she had not been able to see for a long time, some tears came out of her eyes. Shusui could not let one of the ‘Flowers’ die here for her sake. Also, she had realized another thing.
(General ran could not have come here to the Hyou clan for my sake alone….Shuurei-sama….in the Hyou clan)
They were taking over the empty ‘places’ within Shusui, and together trying to eat her up.
Shusui closed her eyes. At that time, her heart, which had weakened until it could be possessed by demons, came to a decision.
….From somewhere, she could hear the familiar sound of an erhu.

****

“…..Really….why are you asking if I have food, Shusui-dono…”
He didn’t want to know that the reason why she had allowed him to embrace her was simply and bluntly, that ‘she was hungry so she had no strength.’ Since Shuuei had become the pursuer, he had begun to understand the king’s various feelings towards Shuurei-dono. Before, he had laughed because it was amusing, but now he truly apologized for it.
He removed his cloak and spread it on the cold rock surface for Shusui’s sake, as she couldn’t move from that place, and set her upon it. He considered leaning her against him, but he put her legs in order and had her sit down.
“I’m sorry. I’m truly tired….. Ah, dried rice…. how nostalgic.”
Tired? Shuuei, who had prepared himself with emergency rations, even if it was only a small amount, since he was, after all, a military officer, took those out for Shusui, and gave her water which he had poured in a bamboo tube on the way.
Shusui slowly, little by little, chewed the dried rice, and her face seemed happy. Since these were military rations, they were all dried food, which though nutritious, had little taste or moisture, and although they didn’t taste good, she looked as though she found them delicious. That was totally different from the empty, doll-like face she had had earlier. Each and every one of her gestures and expressions, down to her fingers, drew him in. It was unfortunate he had to tear his eyes away, his fingertips were twitching.
He did not wish to speak of such unromantic things, but it couldn’t be helped.
“….Shusui-dono, what happened? I really was…..prepared.”
While slowly drinking water, Shusui was at a loss for an answer. What had happened.
“…..It’s hard to put into words…. Um…..If were to try saying it…. up until now I was doing something like whack-a-mole. [note]…..?”
“………..Wha?”
“It’s like I was hitting, running from, chasing away, and silencing things that were attacking me from all sides?…. I did something bad to you. That was the last of them. It was incredibly stubborn.”
“???? Um….”
Shuuei didn’t understand this at all, but figured it was something like while he had been running through the limestone cave with the bats, Shusui had for a long time somewhere been engaged in mortal combat with a strange army of moles. She had beaten the evil moles, and then, at the last moment…… she had returned.
Shuuei, who had propped her up, knew….. he had truly been ready to face how Shusui had been at that time. No matter what condition she was in, he had intended to return with her, and look after her for the rest of her life. However, she had defeated the king of the moles, and a half-step after that, she had returned. That couldn’t have been, as Shusui said, an easy task. Shuuei took Shusui’s hand. Her slender hand easily fit in Shuuei’s.
He asked only the most important thing.
“….Are you alright now?”
Shusui gazed at the hand she had always brushed off.
There were numerous scenes she had seen.
“…Shusui-dono…I’ve come to get you. Please get up.”
Really, she had thought that if Shuuei had drawn ‘Kanshou,’….. that would have been alright too. Then, in that one second, everything would be cleared up. When Shusui had tried to exorcise that last mole—- that bothersome snake-like spirit, from within herself, it had run wild, stolen her body, and attacked Shuuei.
She had though he would draw ‘Kanshou.’ It couldn’t be helped. However, Shuuei didn’t. When she realized that he really wasn’t going to draw it, up till the end, and even more, that he had thrown away even all intention of fighting, she thought she really would kill him.
…..She had been in time.
“Yes, it’s alright now….. But, why didn’t you run away, even a little bit?! If I hadn’t been in time, you really would have died. What’s with this unconditional surrender to a woman’s tears?!”
“In time? …. Um, that may be so too…. but it was because I decided something.”
“What?!”
“I decided that since I’ve always run away from you, I would absolutely no run away anymore. Putting aside coming to help you, and then killing you would be no joking matter. Since you were crying, I wanted to be with you this time, and embrace you properly, but if I were to suddenly change to running away because you were trying to kill me, that would be uncool.”
Shusui blinked her eyes.
Possibly, at that time Shuuei might have realized that Shusui was thinking ‘it’s okay if I die.’ He tossed his sword aside, saying ‘don’t mess around, this is no joke,’ and waited.
For her not to kill Shuuei, she had no choice but to toss away even that last membrane of negative thought–’if it comes to that, it’s okay if I die’— somewhere inside of her. She remembered that snake…..Possibly, that most persistent demon had been of the species which nourished itself on that feeling.
Up till the very end, Shuuei had not allowed even an opening for her to keep that feeling of ‘it’s okay even if I die.’ Certainly, when she felt weak-spirited from time to time, Shuuei had changed this for her. Though he himself probably didn’t realize it at all, in the end, Shuuei might have saved both of them together.
Even so, Shusui, because of some feelings she didn’t quite understand, slapped Shuuei’s cheek lightly.
“……..Um, that little slap now?”
“I felt like it. But, yes, because you did all of these stupid things, I couldn’t fall into despair, and since I fought to the death, I was able to come back….. So it may be thanks to you that I’m able to be here.”
Suddenly, she remembered her time in the inner palace. For some reason, she felt that during that period as well, things had been that way.
“—–Then, General Ran, before we leave here, please tell me everything, including why you’ve come to the Hyou clan. About what you’ve been doing before coming here to meet me.”

…..After hearing what Shuuei said, Shusui closed her eyes for a long time.
“…..I understand. My ‘clairvoyance’ is necessary to know where ‘Mother’ is.”
“…..Shusui-dono.”
Shusui smiled a bit at Shuuei, who was glaring at her.
“I’m not being sarcastic. Let’s go right now. It’s necessary for everything. —-I also must see ‘Mother.’ Even a minute faster. I must see her—-especially now. “
Then, she cut off her words.
“First, where Shuurei-sama and the others are…. They’re waiting.”
Shusui closed her eyes. A gentle wind arose and wrapped around them.
Suddenly, Shuuei realized something. The heavy, unpleasant atmosphere which had pervaded that place ever since he came there had suddenly been swept away. That power—–
Finally, he heard her voice.
“Come to think of it, did I say this? Thank you for coming to get me. But….I cannot be with you always. Because the place I return to—–has already been decided.”

Notes:

Whack-a-mole: For non-Americans, it’s this kind of game. The Japanese is pretty much the same ‘mole-whacking.’ It’s somewhat of an inappropriate term (an arcade game… yeah, they had THAT in ancient China) to use for an pseudo-ancient-Chinese setting, but I gotta translate what’s there in the text.

Commentary:

Uh, who was that Unnamed Man? I’m sure we all have our guesses. Anyway, whoever he is, he is definitely someone who Shuuei hasn’t seen before, but knows who Shuuei is. Amusingly, I thought there would be a big showdown, but actually, he ran away easily. People have no gumption these days! Is Shuuei really THAT much stronger than Seiran’s level now? (For those of us with a shounen manga mindset, we now know for sure that Shuuei is stronger than Seiran.)

[Oh well, who am I kidding? It's Sakujun. It obviously can't be Anju, because Shuuei definitely knows what Anju looks like.]

Hmm…. Shusui is rather tsundere. Ahaha, she and Ruka have something in common. How many times did she slap Shuuei in this scene? How many times does someone usually get slapped after going through mortal danger to save another person’s life?!

It’s also interesting how the author doesn’t really make Shusui suddenly fall in love with Shuuei, but that she’s able to overcome the demonic possession by thinking that Shuuei cannot die for her sake, because Ryuuki would be in trouble if he died. More than this scene being a ‘happy ending,’ it seems sort of like the beginning of something (with the promise of even more complications to come.) The author sort of had to begin building a basis for a relationship on Shusui’s side, so it’s like she’s begun to see something in him here.

Next chapter: I’m going to do all of chapter 5 in one shot. It’s mostly set in the capital. (Though some of the first scenes are still at the Hyou clan, dealing w/ the aftermath of ch 4) This might take awhile (though probably ch 6 will also take awhile).