Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume3 Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 4===

"Father, do you know where Ren went? He's not in his room."

"I happened to see him sitting on the porch just before noon."

Ayano turned an uterly amazed glance at Juugo, who answered matter of course.

"........Father, it is already evening."

"Go and see for yourself. A certain someone who does not want to move at all is supposed to be there."

"............."

Scowling, Ayano cast her eyes down. Her strongly gripped fist was trembling.

"If you tell me he has no outlet for his anger, I'll get angry. Knocking down those Tsuwabuki guys and settling this is so simple and yet...."

"....True"




Evening

Ren, dicovered with the help of Kirika's side, the Special Data Arrangement, although he had no visible wounds, his heart received near fatal damage.

Remaining silent without responding to any questions, secluded inside his shell, Ren was brought home after midnight.

As a result of being left to rest without having to listen to anything, at dawn he recovered enough to take a minimum of communication.

As if he would been asked Ren told it all, without faltering. His own feeling - the fleeting emotion harbored for that girl, the despair when he found the truth - without hiding anything.

In front of the stricken boy nobody could do anything.

Their feelings were summarized in Ayano's words from a while ago. That is - "There is no outlet for his anger."

The act of the Tsuwabuki Household was by no means incorrect. Caring about morals has no meaning. In their line of business that goes beyond the life or death of one person, they are naturally operating for the sake of justice. There was no other way.

There is no choice but to pray to God that time will heal his emotional scars.




"So, what did you plan to do after searching for Ren?"

"What, you ask - I can't leave him alone like that, can I?"

Ren right now was similar to a living corpse. 


If he was talked to, he'd give a minimal reply.

If food was given to him, he would eat it. 

However, without urgings from other people, left by himself he would not move, not even a finger. Sitting sprawled out, that figure with blank eyes was exactly like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

Sober, Juugo shifted his attention to Ayano, wanting to comfort Ren. 

"Can you do something?"

"I don't know if I can."

There was clearly no hesitation in Ayano's response. 

"But even so, I can't leave him alone. That kind of helpless situation, I won't admit it. I definitely won't let it end this way."

Making this declaration in a rough tone, Ayano left Juugo's room.


''Wow, it really was true...''

Voiceless, Ayano murmured to herself. Ren was in the place Juugo said he would be. Sitting on the verande, he was leaning on the left side pillar. Perhaps that attitude never changed since before noon.

Approaching directly, Ayano sat dawn next to him. Ren's eyes moved slightly, perceiving her figure. 

"............older sister.."

A feeble murmur escaped. The question ''why are you here'' did not resound, just calling the name of the person that entered his field of vision, that sort of dull and uninteresting matter.

Ayano did not venture to make eye contact, placing her glance on the garden in front.

Ren too, immediately lost his interest towards Ayano, restoring his glance on his feet. 

Without change, for several minutes, time flew quietly. 

"If it's me....."

Almost like the sound of blowing wind sliding through gaps, Ayano simply spun her words. For a second time, moving his eyeballs, Ren looked at Ayano, but she continued facing forward.

"Because I am the person that will someday succeed as the head of the Kannagi Family, I understand those Tsuwabuki's point. At the very least I will never say something like ''it doesn't matter if Mt. Fuji erupts, go and save that Ayumi girl!''" 

"............."

"But even so, that's not what you should be thinking of now, is it?"

"...........ee?"

Because that was very unexpected, Ren raised a small doubtful voice. 

"Those kind of large scale problems you must leave to adults. A child should give preference to himself. What you should think of right now is what you should do related to Ayumi. That's all."

"........eh......?"

Smiling sweetly Ayano too stared at the dazed Ren.

"You said it, right? That Ayumi is an imitation? She's a clone, her memories are borrowed from another person, that the real Tsuwabuki Ayumi doesn't exist, right?"

"..........yes.."

"That can't be true, you big fool!!"

The moment he nodded - no, as soon as "y" was pronounced Ayano grabbed the cute, brother-like Ren by the collar, constricting him.

"Whether it's reproduction, doppelganger, multiplied by cell division, if it has an original will you have no right to look down upon her as an imitation. Deceiving yourself with superficial words, denying the time you yourself spent with Ayumi, why are you doing it?"
[[Image:Kaze no Stigma vol 03 187.jpg|thumb]]

Ayano became excessively agitated while shouting but when she finished speaking her calm returned.

Releasing his collar, with sober eyes she overlooked the choking Ren.

"I thought I'd say that by putting the screws on you but you're a bright kid so you already figured it out, didn't you?"

"............."

There was no need to say it.

Although he was surprised when he first found out, once he calmed down and thought about it, it all amounted to ''what of it?''

Even if her body and memory have been reproduced Ayumi's personality was certainly original. It was very clear. Because everything bestowed upon her was an imitation, the girl grasped in her hands genuineness. 

From the beginning to the end Ren sensed that decision closer than anybody else.

But, for this reason Ren can't help but feel ashamed. 

"I didn't understand anything....."

In spite of seeing it from the closest place, he did not ''see'' anything. Loosing his head, getting caught in the moment, he said a lot of cruel things.

''Big brother will surely come to save you.''

''I want to show you many other things so I'll take you anywhere.''

The groundless hopes, the promise of a tomorrow that will never come, he wondered with how much cruelty they resounded in Ayumi's ears. But even so, Ayumi showed a smile.

''That's right. That would be nice...''

The fact that she didn't reveal the truth was certainly not for her self-protection. So that Ren won't be crushed by the truth's weight, its anguish, its sorrow, she locked it in her chest.

''I was a fool!''

He wanted to protect Ayumi. He wanted to save the girl by expending all the power he possessed. And yet - he didn't notice he was the one being protected.

He, descendant from the strongest, made a girl scared of her imminent death worry about him and protect him like a baby.

''You don't understand anything, you foolish child pretending to be a knight'' - Yuuji's words hit the bull's eye and left no room for rebuttal. He didn't understand anything.

"That's why............I couldn't do anything........."

With a regretful emotion, he spoke of conclusion. So, everything ended in the worst possible way.

"Don't use the past tense arbitrarily just because you decided the conclusion."

Ayano could not forgive the fact that Ren was full of resignation. Grabbing him by the collar for a second time, she forcefully pulled his hanged head upwards. 

"Do you feel like ending it this way? This helpless conclusion, do you approve of it?"

"But.....there is nothing I can do for Ayumi-chan anymo- "

"I'm sick of it!"

Very irritated Ayano harshly shook Ren's body.

"You're such a thorough good kiddie! Right now it's not about ''for the sake of Ayumi-chan'' or something like that. What about you? What do '''you''' want to do? That's what I want to hear!!"

"......eh......me?"

Faced with a question he never thought of, Ren revealed a confused voice. And yet, Ayano's words did not stop.

"That's right. If it's true you won't do anything anymore, if that's the case, I won't interfere. But if you do so, you'd better label it as ''memories of my first love'' or something and put it away in some corner of your memory. Frankly, that is the most peaceful settlement. Still..."

Ayano held Ren's cheeks between her hands and brought their eyes at the same height by leaning over a little. And then, directly facing that glance mixed with bewilderment she asked earnestly.

"Still, are you OK with that? Parting in such a way, although it was the last and you will never be able to meet again, you don't regret it? There is nothing you want to tell that girl?"

"............."

''Do you want to meet her, do you not want to meet her?'' 

Faced with this choice, he answered without hesitation.

''I want to meet her. Even if it's just once. Meet her and then...''

''But....''

"So, what will you do?"

Ayano pressed the hesitating Ren for an answer.

"You won't be able to chase after her if it goes like this - you know, right? You don't have time. Tomorrow, Ayumi-chan will be nowhere to find. No matter what your answer, there will be none to say it to. You have no time to hesitate. Decide now. What should you be doing?"

".............."

Hanging his head down, Ren closed his eyes. And he thought about it. What he wanted to do. What he ought to do. What he must, no matter what.

Dozens of seconds afterwards, at the end of his most serious meditation, the boy slowly opened his mouth.

"About the ceremony, about the living sacrifice, the most righteous thing to do about those, I have yet to realize. However..."

Lifting his head, he looked straight at Ayano.

That gaze held no more indecision.

"However, I want to meet Ayumi-chan one more time. Meet her, apologize to her and I want to tell her - I have something I must tell her no matter what."

"OK. Let's go then."

Ayano responded to those words said with the resolution of a lifetime with a ''just out for a bit of shopping'' mood.

"...You mean, right now!?"

"That's right. It's not like you need some particular preparation, no? If you need a stop over set, we can buy it at the local supermarket."

"No......that's not the probl- "

With a snap Ayano trusted her index finger at Ren, unable to follow the development's speed.

"Didn't I say it? We have no time. The ceremony is tonight and to begin with, do you think they will let us pass by saying ``I came to meet Ayumi-chan. I have no intention to interfere with the ceremony so please let us past``?"

".........that is perhaps impossible..."

"Not ``perhaps``, it's absolutely impossible. At any rate we have no choice but to push through with brute strength so we'd better move while we still have time."

Saying that, Ayano stood up without waiting for a reply. 

"Well, go change your clothes. If Father finds us, an explanation will be difficult so we must not be exposed."

"``Difficult``, you say!? If he finds out it's confinement for us."

If they mess up, it's a deed quite capable of making Mt. Fuji erupt. It's obvious Juugo will never allow it.

"If that's the case, hurry!"

But, once Ayano got like this she couldn't be stopped. Having a thorough knowledge about that, after coming this far he finally resolved himself.

"I understand. Give me five minutes."

"I'm waiting by the rear entrance."

Exchanging a small nod, both of them hurried in different directions.  



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