Damantha Makarova
In The Darkness
«I’m confident in him, Master Itsuki.» Kara replied. «Have faith in us.»
When the guards opened the gates and they walked out, Akuma tensed up for a split second, but allowed Kara to calm him with a short stroke of her palm across his neck.
They took it easy, and Akuma showed himself a trustworthy and attentive horse, surprising both Ayame and Itsuki. He listened to Kara so well that they couldn’t believe their eyes!
As soon as they returned to the castle, Lord Ryuu met them in the courtyard.
«I see, you have tamed Akuma, Nakano.» He said with a smirk.
Kara jumped off the stallion and bowed to Lord Ryuu.
«Thank you for the opportunity, Lord Ryuu.» She replied.
«I hope he will be a worthy partner for you.»
Kara smiled, caressing the stallion on the neck.
«He already is.» She said.
Lord Ryuu nodded and walked off, leaving Kara and the others by the stables.
«He’s impressed!» Ayame nudged Kara on the shoulder and Akuma flinched – he still didn’t trust anyone near, except Kara.
«You think so?» Kara replied, calming the stallion down by caressing his nose.
«We know so, Nakano.» Itsuki chuckled. «And he is not easily impressed.»
Kara took Akuma back to his paddock, still doubting that the two Spy Masters really meant what they said. It was strange for her – being in employ of a shogun, becoming part of his warriors. But everything seemed so natural, so easy. Though she put a lot of effort into training and working with Akuma – she already knew a lot before she came to this world. And it must have played its part, otherwise things could have been different.
Leaving Akuma to rest, she took the saddle and bridle to the stable masters and joined Ayame and Itsuki, as they too left their horses to be watered and fed.
«Are you up for some sparring?» Ayame asked Kara, as they walked off towards the castle.
«Do you want to knock me down again?» Kara chuckled in reply, remembering how Ayame knocked her prone last time they sparred.
Even though Kara was a skilful fighter, Ayame was training ever since she was a child, and could teach a lot about shinobi fighting. Of course, Kara was still looked at as a very skilful warrior, but sometimes she felt much less so, when it came to some of the techniques the shinobi were taught.
Kara would even scold herself every time she felt that her chaotic, mixed fighting technique made her fall prey to the mastery of Itsuki or Ayame.
«We’ll see, Nakano. See you in the training hall in an hour?» Ayame smiled.
Kara nodded, agreeing to yet another lesson. She wasn’t even thinking about refusing – she only wanted to show them that she was capable of becoming what they expected from her.
As Ayame walked off, Itsuki nudged Kara in the side.
«I see you’re overthinking again.» He said. «What is it about?»
«I keep thinking if I even deserve to be here, Master Itsuki.» Kara shrugged her shoulders.
Itsuki caught her arm and stopped her, turning to face him quite rudely.
«Stop!» he said firmly. «You are here for a reason! You are stronger, than you think – and you’ve already proved that multiple times! So stop thinking you don’t deserve to be here! If that was the case, Lord Ryuu would have never even bothered taking you with him!»
Kara felt shaken and even a bit scared, seeing such anger in Itsuki’s eyes. He must have realised it, because he suddenly looked away and gently released her arm, stepping back. Without a single word he walked off, leaving her alone. She decided not to pursue him – he definitely needed some time by himself.
An hour later she came to the training hall and found Ayame waiting for her. Throwing Kara a couple of bokken, the woman smiled and readied her own training weapons.
Used to seeing Itsuki whenever she was training, Kara realised that without him it felt strange. But she forced herself to concentrate on her opponent and they started their deadly dance. Other people watched them from afar, noting the skills both women showed in wielding the weapons they had.
Kara and Ayame kept sparring again and again – they fought swiftly and with unimaginable speed, forcing each other to retreat and attack, but never having enough to win the fight.
After some time Ayame stepped back and bowed to her opponent.
«I think it’s enough for today, Nakano. It was a great fight.» She said, breathing heavily.
Kara bowed in return – her feelings were mutual. This time she didn’t let Ayame win a single time, and it definitely looked like a victory to her.
«See you tomorrow?» she asked.
«Get some rest.» Ayame nodded.
Kara walked off back to her room, feeling tired and happy that she managed to stay on her feet throughout the whole workout Ayame gave her. She took the long way back to her quarters – first visiting the nearest bath to wash off the filth and sweat from the hard day. And as she was returning to her room, dressed in a fresh haorihakama, she suddenly received a visit from someone she didn’t expect.
«Nakano!» Kara heard Itsuki and turned to him, surprised to see him at all after what had happened between them earlier.
«Yes, Master Itsuki?» she tried sounding calm, but deep inside she felt ashamed for doubting herself in the first place.
He walked up and offered her a small lacquered box.
«Please accept my sincerest apologies.» He said, looking at her with such sadness and guilt in his eyes, that she suddenly felt confused.
«What?» she asked, trying to guess what exactly he was apologising for.
He bowed, still holding the box.
«I was disrespectful and rude. I am sorry.» He said.
Kara took the box, opening it. Inside she found a small batch of Japanese treats mochi. She loved these even when she was living back in her home world.
«Itsuki…» she whispered, surprised that he would offer her this adorable gift as an apology. «It’s alright.»
Kara reached out and cupped his face with her palm. She wanted to feel him and his warmth – it was already unbearable that he was there all the time – so close and so unreachable…
But he surprised her again. He pulled her close and kissed her lips, making her feel a wave of shivers run down her spine.
It was a long and passionate kiss – one that people could call longed for. As if he wanted to do this for a very long time. Kara felt him pressing her against his chest, and let herself melt in the moment, yearning for more.
Finally, he grunted and picked her up, carrying into her bedroom and shutting the door behind them. Within moments they were down on the floor, embraced in an unimaginable desire. Itsuki could barely keep his calm, eager to touch Kara and feel her in his arms.
But he took his time undressing her and caressing her skin. And she allowed him to do whatever he pleased, receiving every touch and kiss with a trembling wave of lust that grew deeper and deeper in her soul.
He made her gasp for air and want more, until he let himself go and they united as one in a pulsing and overwhelming burst of desire.
It took them hours to quench their thirst for each other, before they fell to the floor – tired and happy in each other’s arms.
He caressed her – gently and attentively, touching her thigh and running his fingers higher, to where her scar was. But he didn’t pull back – instead, he touched the scar and ran over it.
«Your scar… it doesn’t make you ugly or less attractive, Nakano. It shows how bravely you fought.» He whispered and leaned in to kiss Kara again.
Itsuki had a lot of scars as well, but Kara didn’t ask – only ran her fingers over some of them, feeling the texture and getting an idea how deep a wound could have been to leave such a scar. One of the scars ran across his chest and looked like someone slashed him with a katana.
«An assassin.» Itsuki said, glancing at that scar and Kara smiled.
«Looks like he knew nothing about killing if he left you alive.» She said.
«I was faster.» The man replied with a smirk. «Though, suffered a wound, I still saved my shogun from being killed.»
«And this one?» Kara touched a dark round scar on his side. «Looks like a round spear?»
«That was a demon’s horn. About a year ago…»
Kara embraced him, feeling his back, covered in more scars.
«Claws?» she asked, caressing the lines.
«Yes, three demons surrounded me and knocked me to the ground.» Itsuki ran his fingers down her arm and gently took her wrist. «Your scars are more subtle and hidden.»
Kara looked away, understanding what scar he was referring to. But the man caressed her cheek and turned her to face him again.
«That particular scar is a sign of my weakness.» She said and her voice gave out her pain. «I covered it so that I won’t have to see it anymore.»
«What happened?»
Kara tried to keep her eyes from tearing up.
«I tried to take my own life.» She whispered. «A very long time ago.»
«Why?» Itsuki sounded hurt by what he heard.
«For many reasons. I felt… all alone in a world full of people. I felt betrayed and broken, and tired of fighting everyone and everything. And I felt so much pain, that I simply wanted it to stop…» Kara felt a lonely tear run down her cheek. «I was a coward.»
Itsuki pressed his forehead against hers and sighed.
«I am glad that you survived.» He said.
«I’m not sure what happened then… I took the sharpest knife… and I ran its blade over my skin many times.» Kara looked at the scar, hidden by the intricate tattoos. «But it didn’t… cut. It took all my strength to force it in… and the cut closed within moments. It left a scar, but… it was as if someone denied me the death I was looking for that night. And a week later I made this tattoo…»
She showed at the Latin phrase «Gods favour the strong’.
Itsuki embraced her tightly, and she lay there in his arms, feeling vulnerable, but protected – something she hadn’t felt before.
«It still pains me to remember that moment of weakness…» she whispered.
«Admitting your weakness is brave. And you haven’t tried again, so that says more about you than that single night.» The man kissed her gently. «I am grateful for all the gods that have watched over you and didn’t let you take your life. They must have known you will be needed elsewhere later.»
Kara smiled faintly, and looked into Itsuki’s eyes. His gaze was warm, soft and caring, and he was genuinely happy to see her beside him. He smiled and kissed her once more.
«I am glad the gods brought you to me, Nakano. Because you are a magnificent woman!» he said with a smile.
«I just hope I am good enough for you…» Kara whispered.
Itsuki shook his head with a smirk:
«I’m afraid, it’s the other way around. I’m not sure I can be good enough for you, my deadly flower.»
A little confused, Kara giggled:
«Deadly flower? That’s an interesting way to call me.»
«You are as beautiful as a flower, and yet deadly, as the weapons in your hands, so… how else am I to call you?» Itsuki smiled back.
5
* * *
When the morning came, Kara woke up with a feeling that all that happened was a dream. But it wasn’t – Itsuki was there, next to her, lying in a tumbled bed and with a faint smile on his lips. It was so sweet to see him like this, and Kara reached out and gently touched his face, caressing his cheek.
He groaned though his sleep and opened his eyes.
«Hi.» Kara smiled at him and he pulled her closer, as if not wishing to let her go.
They could stay like that all morning, but someone knocked at the door – very faintly, but quite persistently.
Itsuki growled, burying his face in Kara’s neck.
«Who is it?» Kara decided to reply, since it was, after all, her room.
«I beg your forgiveness, Nakano. Lord Ryuu is asking for you and Master Itsuki to attend an urgent war meeting.» She heard a servant’s voice.
«Thank you.»
Itsuki sat up, looking puzzled.
«An urgent meeting…» he whispered under his breath.
«We shouldn’t keep our Lord waiting.» Kara jumped to her feet and stretched, before dressing up. Within two minutes she was ready to go, as was Itsuki.
He grabbed a couple of mochi to have a snack on their way.
«Why do I have a bad feeling about this?» he said, offering one to Kara.
Kara took a bite before answering:
«Let’s not speculate and just wait until we hear what’s it about?» she sighed. «Or… are you worried that last night might have been out of line?»
«No, I don’t think that’s the case, Nakano.» Itsuki smiled at her, and she noticed his confident glance.
«But I am surprised that he called me as well.» Kara shrugged her shoulders, trying to shake off the nervous feeling.
When they approached the hall, servants opened the doors and let them in. Lord Ryuu greeted them with a very concerned expression.
Kara and Itsuki bowed before taking places in front of Lord Ryuu – next to Ayame and a couple of other samurai and shinobi Kara had seen around the castle.
«It has come to my knowledge that one of the northern villages is to be attacked by demons in a weeks’ time.» Lord Ryuu said. «Therefore I need a group of my finest to ride out and scout the land before I arrive with the main force. Itsuki, Ayame, gather your men, take Nakano with you.»
«Yes, Lord Ryuu.» Itsuki and Ayame bowed.
Kara bowed as well, feeling tense and nervous.
«Nakano!» Lord Ryuu sounded very strict. «Keep your eyes peeled and return victorious!»
«Yes, Lord Ryuu.» She replied, bowing once more.
«Leave at once!»
Itsuki and Ayame jumped to their feet, followed by Kara. All three bowed and ran out of the hall.
«Gather your things, Nakano. We’ll see you at the stables!» Ayame said, running off into one of the corridors.
Itsuki nodded at his lover and disappeared in another corridor.
Kara ran to her room and grabbed her weapons, quickly changed into her shinobi outfit, and ran off to the stables, grabbing the remaining mochi in a piece of cloth to have something to eat on their way.
She got to the stables before others and managed to saddle Akuma before Itsuki and Ayame appeared with their bags. Itsuki threw a saddle bag to Kara and she caught it, quickly putting it on Akuma’s back – to her surprise, the stallion didn’t even flinch at this and remained calm, while she was getting him ready.
Kara rode out of the paddock a few seconds before Ayame and Itsuki – their men and women followed them, only a few moments behind. Within minutes, the whole group of thirteen shinobi were already galloping off on the road leading north.
Everyone was silent all the way while they were on the road. They stopped in the forest for the night – off the road, hidden from prying eyes, and slept without a fire.
The next day they continued their way, pushing their horses as hard as they could and stopping only when necessary. Though the shinobi were used to such long galloping, Kara wasn’t and felt a little frustrated. At first she wasn’t sure if Akuma would be able to keep up, because he was, after all cooped up in a paddock for a long time. But he showed himself as a very tough and strong horse. He even tried getting ahead all the time, and Kara had to keep him in line.
As they settled to spend the second night in the forest, Itsuki approached Kara and quietly sat down next to her.
«You’re doing well, Nakano.» He whispered. «I am glad.»
«Thank you.» She replied. Even though he couldn’t see her smile under her mask, she smiled nonetheless.
«I wanted to ask you to take the first watch tonight. Can you manage?»
«Of course!» she nodded, ready to do everything that was needed.
«Wake me up in three hours.» Itsuki leaned back against the tree Kara was sitting next to and closed his eyes.
Before Kara stood up to check on the horses, she felt him touch her hand slightly, and smiled again.
After checking the horses, she circled around the camp, seeing everyone falling asleep. Fortunately, she was used to walking on the forest floor and running silently – even before she came to this world. So climbing a nearby tree without a single sound was easy. She settled on a high branch – high enough to see if anyone were to approach the camp, but low enough to jump down in a moment’s notice if the need arises. Alert and tense, she stayed vigilant throughout her watch, noticing the smallest rustle and sound made by the forest creatures.
When the time came, she got down from her branch and circled around the camp once more, looking out for any trouble that might be hidden in the night. However, everything was quiet, and she returned to her comrades, ready to wake Itsuki up.
But, when she walked up to where he was sleeping when she left, he was nowhere to be seen.
For a split second Kara felt surprised, but then someone grabbed her from behind and put a blade to her neck.
«Distracted, Nakano?» Itsuki whispered right next to her ear.
«Not a bit.» Kara slightly touched his side with her own blade.
The man frowned and looked down – she caught him off guard, almost hitting him with her katana, when he didn’t even notice.
Isuki put his katana down and stepped back, acknowledging her swift move with a nod.
«Excellent.» He said, obviously smiling. «Any trouble?»
Kara put her katana back in the sheath just as silently as she unsheathed it and shook her head.
«All quiet, except for the mice and owls that hunt in the night.» She replied.
«Then go get some rest. We need to be at our best tomorrow morning.»
She nodded and stepped away, brushing against his arm with her palm. Walking off to the tree, where Itsuki slept before, she sat down and leaned on the trunk, relaxing just a little. She closed her eyes, but could feel the stillness of the night and the faint movement of the animals that roamed through the trees and forest floor.
She dozed off almost immediately, but didn’t sleep long. Something tore her out of her rest into the cold still twilight. The moon came out from behind the clouds and gave out enough light to see in the dark.
Something was wrong, and Kara felt it. She wouldn’t be able to name it or say what exactly woke her up, but a sense of something unexplainable clenched her whole body, making it impossible to sleep.
Kara stood up – silent and alert, and watched everyone in the camp. Her hands squeezed the hilts of her swords, ready to unleash them at any time, and the young woman stepped away from the camp, trying to find the reason for her awakening.
Following her intuition, she moved through the forest, seeking out the source of this strange feeling, until she approached a small meadow.
Almost immediately she noticed a lonesome figure of a very tall and thin man. She couldn’t see his face in the dark – only his profile against the moon. He seemed unreal, as if consisting of angles everywhere – from his sharp nose, to his long joints.
It was unusual to see anyone alone in the forest – even more so at such a dark hour in the night.
Kara could have thought he was doing some kind of ritual to honour his gods, but the man just stood there – twisted in his spine at a very strange angle and not moving.
She did, however, hear his breath – a deep, wheezing sound escaped his mouth with each breath, but he looked unbothered by it. A living person would have been suffering from such thing, but this man was definitely not normal.
Suddenly the man twitched with a disgusting cracking sound and Kara heard him sniff the air. He couldn’t have caught her smell in any way – she was standing where the slight breeze moved her scent away from the meadow, not towards the man.
But he obviously smelled something. Or someone.
Feeling a wave of uneasy goose bumps running down her spine, Kara took a careful step back. She didn’t want to engage – she didn’t know what to do, so all she could – is keep watching him from afar, hidden by the trees and thickets.
Minutes passed, and Kara suddenly noticed a few shadows moving next to her. She glanced and saw the shinobi spreading out in a wide circle, surrounding the twisted figure.
Itsuki appeared by the nearest tree and nodded to her silently. Kara showed him one finger, telling him that she saw only one man.
The shinobi exchanged glances between each other, then stepped out into the meadow as one. Kara followed their lead and they began approaching the man, closing in on him in absolute silence. Stepping very slowly and extremely carefully, the shinobi tried getting as close to the man as possible.
Kara noticed a change in the figure. She heard a quiet cracking sound that repeated itself a moment later, then again and again. The twisted man was laughing!
She froze, crouching lower and grasping her katana at the ready. Something was telling her that this man was not what he seemed. Itsuki gestured to the others and they froze – tense and alert. But the man kept laughing, as if nothing bothered him at all.
The air in the meadow became cold as ice, raising the hairs on the back of Kara’s neck.
Suddenly, the man twitched and turned with an unimaginable speed, giving out a wheezing roar at the shinobi. A gust of ice-cold wind hit them with such force that they crouched down not to fall. But Kara was ready – she didn’t even flinch, when the figure darted towards them.
The creature leapt from one side to another, confusing its enemies, before making a speedy turn towards Kara with his long arms stretched out and his sharp claws at the ready to slice her to shreds.
Kara ducked down, rolled to the side and slashed with her katana at the creature, feeling how one of her swords met with its flesh and bone. Something slumped down to the ground; the creature screeched, stopping for a moment and in a split second disappeared in the trees.
The shinobi ran after it, but it was obvious that they were no match for the creature’s speed.
Kara noted where the creature was heading and started looking at the grass beneath her feet, trying to find what fell from it when she hit it. It didn’t take her long to find a small puddle of something very dark. She guessed it could have been blood, but even for a demon – it was too thick and smelled of something disgustingly sweet.
Carefully investigating the splashes and puddle, Kara noticed that there should have been a hand lying there, but the body part was nowhere to be found.
«That fast bastard…» Kara whispered to herself, realising what happened. «He took his hand!»
When she stood up, the others were already returning – except for two shinobi. Itsuki ran up to Kara, concerned that she might have been hurt in the short fight.
She gestured him to the puddle of black liquid and shortly told him of her findings. The man looked back to where the creature went and shook his head.
«He headed back to the village. We might be a little too late…» he said.
«So what do we do?» Kara asked, feeling her body tense up again.
«We go to the village, as asked by Lord Ryuu.» Itsuki replied and whistled to the others. «Saddle up, we’re leaving now!»
As they ran off – back to where the horses were waiting for them, Itsuki stayed by Kara’s side.
«Don’t go off into the dark alone next time, Nakano.» He said. «Call someone to back you up.»
«I wasn’t sure, that’s why I left on my own. But I will not be so foolish next time.»
«Thank you.»
When they reached the horses, they quickly packed up their camp, jumped into the saddles and, pulling two of the absent shinobi’s horses behind, rode off towards the village to try and catch up with the creature they’ve encountered in the meadow.
Within an hour they reached the village and met with their comrades – trackers lost the creature, but were certain it went into the village and hid among the buildings there.
«All is quiet, no evidence of demons roaming this land, Master Inei…» the men finished their report.
«Surround the village, look out for the creature. Ayame, Nakano and I will go in and investigate.» Itsuki ordered and the men and women scattered, riding off in different directions to follow his orders.
Ayame, Kara and Itsuki, on the other hand, quickly changed into plain grey haorihakama and sent their horses slowly on the road to the village.
Everything seemed calm and safe, but Kara knew how misleading such a feeling of false security can be, so she looked out for any signs of the twisted creature among the dark corners and small spaces between the buildings.
It was not a very big village, and it had a relatively nice tavern at the end of the street. On its stairs sat a young man – leaning back and very relaxed, he was enjoying the chilly night with a bottle of wine in his hand.
«Hello, travellers!» he said quietly. «Are you in need for a place to rest for the night or are you passing by?»
Kara studied the handsome face of this man, finding him quite charming on first view. He was tall, skinny, and with a pair of very cunning amber eyes. Obviously a little drunk, he scratched his bare hairless chest that was showing from underneath his open haori.
Something about this young man seemed wrong to her. As if he was playing a part and not being genuine. Akuma tensed up under Kara and she tried to calm him down.
«Have you seen anything strange or anyone worth noting in the past few days?» Itsuki asked.
«I help around the tavern, there are all sorts of strange in here all the time. People babble about kitsune and oni every evening after a few cups of our wine.» The man replied with a cocky smile. «Speaking of… would you like some?»
«No, thank you.» Ayame answered coldly.
«Then a room, perhaps?» he ran his long slim fingers through his brown mane of ruffled hair. «I am sure you would rather spend the remaining night having fun with your beautiful ladies, rather than stay here in the cold.»
The three shinobi glanced at each other and Itsuki sighed:
«A room will be greatly appreciated. Where can we leave our horses?»
«Stables are that way.» The young man smirked, showing to the side. «Leave them in the far stalls, those were cleaned today and have some fresh water and hay.»
Itsuki nodded and rode off, followed by Ayame. Kara stayed for a moment, before riding after her companions. Something in the way this amber eyed man looked at her seemed very suspicious. She felt watched, studied, as if he was trying to learn all about her. But, at the same time, the cocky, arrogant way he treated his guests was something that gave out his absolute indifference towards people.
As soon as the horses were set up in the stables, Itsuki signalled one of the shinobi that was hiding in the dark – the man will watch the horses through the rest of the night.
«I don’t like the way he looks.» Ayame whispered to Itsuki.
«He’s watching and studying us, even though acts like he doesn’t care.» Kara agreed very quietly.
«Even more so. He was watching you closer than us…» Itsuki sighed, shaking his head. «Keep your eyes open, Nakano. I don’t like this one bit.»
Kara nodded and they walked out of the stables. The amber-eyed young man was waiting for them on the stairs – still half-lying on them and very relaxed.
«So… one room? Food?» he said with a smirk. «Call me Kaito.»
«One room, we’ll take food if you have any to offer.» Itsuki answered.
«Ai, ai, ai, who do you take me for? Of course we have food!» Kaito jumped to his feet, a little wobbly and drunken-looking, then turned and walked into the tavern.
It was cosy inside, very clean and smelled of fried meat and rice. The young man led them through the main area, where people drank and ate – even this late in the night there were still a few patrons, who were either drinking wine or slowly eating.
They walked through a short corridor and Kaito opened the farthest door. Behind it was a small, but tidy room with a window opened to let in the fresh air.
«I can offer you rice, some vegetables and meat to go with it.» Kaito said, inviting the shinobi to go inside.
«And tea.» Itsuki added coldly, walking inside first.
Ayame followed him, but when Kara stepped past the young man, Kaito bowed slightly and suddenly sniffed her long hair with a cheeky smirk on his face.
Kara tried her best not to give away her knowing she noticed, and walked in, looking around the room.
«I’ll be just a moment.» Kaito bowed once again and closed the door.
Kara listened to his footsteps as he went to the kitchen, and when he was far enough, she glanced at Itsuki. She tried remembering the sign language he taught her to communicate in silence, but couldn’t find the right signs to tell him that Kaito gave her the creeps. Frustrated at herself, she let herself shiver with a disgusted wince.
Itsuki touched her shoulder, looking very concerned, but she just flinched, showing at the door. The man nodded instead of a reply and offered her to make use of the bed roll that was lying in the corner.
«You haven’t slept at all tonight. We’ll look around the village in the morning.» Itsuki whispered to her.
Kara sighed, agreeing with him, and started unrolling the bed. Ayame sat down on the corner of the bed and smiled reassuringly.
«Don’t worry, Mariko, one of us will keep watch.» She said.
Kara understood why Ayame used her other name and nodded. But she couldn’t fall asleep just yet. She wanted to wait for Kaito to return with the food and see how he acts.
When the young man returned, he gave Itsuki a tray with three bowls of rice and a small teapot with a stack of cups on its side. Before leaving, Kaito bowed again and Kara noticed his lustful glance aimed at her.
As soon as the door closed, Itsuki smelled the food and tea and nodded – everything seemed fine.
They ate in silence, deep in thoughts, and Kara felt that even though she hadn’t slept, she was restless. Ayame noticed this and offered her to go for a stroll and see if she can spot anything.
«Maybe you will find what we seek with that intuition of yours?» she whispered. «Like earlier tonight?»
Kara glanced at Itsuki and saw him nod. He trusted her enough to let her go on reconnaissance alone.
«I’ll go for a walk.» Kara said loudly enough for anyone, who could be listening to hear it clearly. «Don’t wait up for me. And sorry if I will smell of a bit of wine later…»
She noticed Itsuki nod again, as she walked out, leaving Ayame and him alone.
Kara walked through the corridor, nervous and tired at the same time, and let herself fall to her old habit. Before becoming part of this world, she was confident, but always acted like she felt – and she didn’t care about people or what they thought.
