Chapter 14: The Girl Named Fei'er
"..." Ryouma looked into Hinata's wide, questioning eyes and didn't know how to respond.
"Woof! Woof!" Akamaru barked twice from atop Kiba's head. Kiba sniffed the air, his eyes finally landing on the bloodstains on Ryouma's sleeve. "Ryouma," he said, his voice laced with shock, "did you actually kill that guy?"
Ryouma clenched his fist, then relaxed it, then clenched it again. He forced a smile. "We're ninjas, aren't we?"
Yeah. Ninjas.
Just outside the Land of Tea's border, they found an open-air teahouse. An old man was busy serving the few customers there.
"Boss, three teas," Ryouma said, finding a clean table and sitting down. The Konoha forehead protectors they wore drew a few second glances from the other patrons.
"Right away, guests," the owner replied with a friendly smile.
Once seated, Ryouma noticed Hinata's troubled expression. "Hinata, what's wrong? You've seemed preoccupied the whole way here."
"Oh... I... I'm just worried about Kurenai-sensei and Lord Jiraiya..." Hinata murmured softly, tapping her index fingers together nervously.
"Don't worry," Ryouma reassured her with a smile. "Jiraiya is one of the Legendary Sannin. He'll be fine."
"One of the Sannin?" Hinata's eyes widened. "Is he very strong?"
Hearing this, Kiba also perked up his ears, listening for Ryouma's explanation.
"Very strong," Ryouma confirmed. "You'll learn the details later." He flashed a grin, deliberately building the suspense.
"Tch! I bet you don't even know the details yourself!" Kiba retorted, trying to goad him.
But Ryouma saw right through him and didn't take the bait. He just chuckled, then leaned closer to Hinata's ear and whispered, "I'll tell you later."
Hinata covered her mouth with a light giggle. "Ryouma-nii, you're so mean, always teasing Kiba-kun."
Ryouma shrugged helplessly. I just want to see you smile, he thought.
As they sipped their tea, Ryouma found himself sneaking glances at Hinata. The more he looked, the more he found himself drawn to her.
"Ryouma-nii..." Hinata suddenly looked up, addressing him.
"Ah?" Ryouma started, feeling a little caught. "Yes, Hinata? What is it?"
"Look at that little girl over there... she feels... strange," Hinata said, not having noticed his staring. She pointed towards a young girl squatting on the ground not far away, a basket filled with flowers beside her.
"What's strange about her?" Ryouma asked, puzzled.
"I don't know. She just feels... off." Hinata's brow was furrowed in confusion.
"Oh? I'll go take a look," Ryouma offered after a moment's thought.
He stood up and walked over to the girl. He found her staring intently at a line of ants on the ground, occasionally poking one with her finger.
Ryouma couldn't see anything particularly strange about her. Suddenly, the girl pressed down hard, crushing an ant beneath her finger. She then looked up at Ryouma. "Big brother, why are you staring?"
Beautiful. Truly beautiful.
That was Ryouma's first impression. Other than that single word, he couldn't find another to describe her.
But he had no time to admire her beauty now. The way the girl stared at him while asking such a question made him feel like a monster caught in the act.
"N-no reason... Um... I was just curious," he stammered, thinking quickly. "Why did you crush that ant?" It was a genuine question; he didn't understand why this flawless-looking girl would suddenly kill a creature that hadn't harmed her.
"Well... because..." the girl said, her voice eerily calm, "living is painful."
Her answer sent a chill down Ryouma's spine. This girl, who couldn't be older than ten, had uttered something so bleak.
"Big brother, are you in pain?" The girl suddenly fixed her large, watery eyes on him.
The question took Ryouma aback. Why was she asking him this? Would she crush him too if she didn't like his answer?
"It's not painful," he replied carefully. "Because there are people who care about me. And I have people I need to protect. I also have things I must do." He wasn't sure if a child could understand such concepts.
"Oh. Doesn't that get very tiresome?" The girl frowned, then suddenly broke into a radiant smile. "Big brother, it's fun talking to you. But my hand is getting tired. Don't go away. After I crush a few more ants, I'll come back to find you." She stood up, still smiling, and plucked what she seemed to think was the most beautiful flower from her basket, handing it to Ryouma. "Big brother, this is for you. And... my name is Fei'er. Remember it."
Ryouma took the flower from Fei'er. "Is your playmate here? I don't see anyone else," he asked with a smile, glancing around but seeing no other children.
Swish!
"Forgive our lateness, Sect Master!"
Suddenly, the world seemed to tilt. Two men clad in black appeared on the road ahead, kneeling respectfully on one knee in Ryouma's direction.
Ryouma was utterly bewildered. Who the hell are these guys? Some bonus from the system? But the system was never that generous. That could only mean... these were the "playmates" Fei'er had mentioned?
"Mm. Let's go." The flawless, innocent smile vanished from Fei'er's face as if a river had frozen over, replaced by an expression of infinite coldness.
The four of them—Fei'er and the two men in black—vanished as quickly as they had appeared.
Ryouma stood there, dazed, until Hinata came over and gently tugged his sleeve. He looked down at the flower Fei'er had given him—a blood-red rose, its petals trembling in the breeze.
Five people in total. One died fighting Hanzo. One was killed by me. That leaves three...
As the pieces clicked into place, Ryouma took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out slowly. The innocent "Fei'er" from moments ago was the leader of the Blood Gate.
"Because... living is painful!"
Her words echoed in his mind, and he felt an unexpected pang of heartache for her.
He looked back towards the distant Land of Tea. He knew turmoil was brewing there. But the final outcome was inevitable—the destruction of the Blood Gate. After all, their opponent was Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.
"I'll come back to find you..." she had said.
Can you really come back? he wondered, a strange mix of dread and pity settling in his chest.