Undead Human

A sweet memory

Mayuko and her cousin, Chino were successfully able to get out of the burning village. They took shelter in a cave in the forest near the village. Both of them were exhausted for various reasons. For starters, Mayuko had escaped from the clutches of Red Fang for the first time in years. Then, she had saved her cousin, the only family member presumed remaining. As for Chino, she was tired because of all the hurdle she had to go through. But, more that anything, she was glad that she was able to meet her hero.

And so, there they were, sitting close to one another in that tiny space. It started to rain. Both Mayuko and Chino listened to the the sweet yet sad sound of the infinity amount of water droplets falling all around them. All on a sudden...

'Growl~'

A very faint sound was heard which somehow echoed in that dark and silent little cave.

"Are you hungry?" Mayuko asked Chino since she was sure that she hadn't made that sound.

She blushed while looking down. She quietly nodded as it wasn't something she was a pro at hiding. Mayuko thought of going out for a short while to bring her food... but, she just couldn't shake off the feeling that both of them might already had been found... She had the hunch as the professional assassin, Joker didn't bother chasing after them.

"But, we do need food..." She thought to herself.

She decided to wait the rain out so that both of them could go out in search of food after the sun rises. That way, she could protect Chino even if they were attacked. So, to make Chino forget about her hunger, she started talking to her about different things and tried to catch up with her.

"Chino, how did your mother..." Before she could finish her question, Chino quickly replied,"My mother always seemed weak to me... A year ago in February, she fell seriously ill. She got bedridden. I tried my best to support her with the help of our neighbors. We didn't have any doctors who'd help us. In the end, she passed away without being able to know what her illness was."

Mayuko looked down, her eyes showed pity.

"Who did you live with after then?"

"Mrs. Hina took me in. I lived under her care."

Mayuko thought she had heard of that name somewhere before. But, she quickly cast aside that thought like a sudden breeze would blow away sand. She didn't even bother to ask her Mrs. Hina's family name. Instead, she only asked her what mattered the most at that time.

"Where is she now?" She did hesitate before asking. She knew deep down that the answer might be grim...

"I don't know."

Her eyes widened.

"When I woke up from the hue and cry, she was already gone. I searched for her, but couldn't find her. Instead, I found you!"

As she said that, she gave her a gentle smile.

Mayuko kept on staring at her though it was pretty hard to see anything in the dark. She felt a slight pain in her chest followed by some difficulties while breathe. It wasn't because she was sad... but because she was unbelievably angry. Her murderous instinct wanted to kill this 'Mrs. Hina'. If not, she at least wanted to curse her. However, she felt responsible for her action, though it wasn't her plan to raid the village in the first place.

As both of them got quiet again, they once again heard another 'growl'. This time it was Mayuko. Chino covered her mouth as she chuckled. Even though Mayuko was embarrassed, she managed to smile at her without noticing. However, she never knew whether Chino saw that smile of her.

She stretched out her hand and patted Chino.

"We will be fine," she reassured, "I'll protect you no matter what."

And, like that, the cousins waited in the cave, gazing at the dark and silent yet noisy forest as if they were looking at utter darkness. Mayuko would often think about that particular moment and would wish that it lasted forever.

But... Alas!