Book 3: Chapter 22: Rain in Takes.h.i.ta

The once-thriving blossoms had withered already, leaving behind just wilted sepia-colored flower buds akin to copper bells on the winding willowy tree branches.

The autumn rain pattered across the chilly land with misty vapors ascending from the brook water.

Under such a weather, it was hard to distinguish between the patters of rain and the surges of the mountain streams.

Dressed in a large-sleeved black kimono patterned with phantasmal black b.u.t.terflies and white innerwear, Minamoto no Shimuzu walked along the streets of Takes.h.i.ta Town under the cover of a black paper parasol within the curtain of the rain.

Although her health had taken a turn for the better, it wasn’t as vibrant as the vivacious girl who oozed a spring-like warmth into the surroundings. On this rainy afternoon when the streets were void of people, Shimizu’s figure looked even lonelier than ever.

“Lil’ Sis Lily, so you were still alive…”

Shimizu gazed at the dark stormy clouds and her eyes glazed with sadness. On this gloom-filled late autumn day that was void of sunshine, it was hard for those pair of eyes to shine with resplendence.

“Even if I meet her, what would I say to her?” “She won’t forgive me.” “Why have I arrived here all the way from the Endless Demon Mountains, then?”

Shimizu didn’t really care about the mission Haihime’s faction had a.s.signed to her. As long as she knew that Lily was still alive, it was impossible for her to be bound by something else or even think about something else.

“Pitter-Patter!”

The doors of the Genji Dojo in Takes.h.i.ta Town opened under the patters of the rain.

The public wasn’t aware of what happened after Shimizu went missing. In their eyes, she was still the same chosen of Genji who had once suffered a defeat and might have lost her life against an adversity.

“Miss Kagami went to Izu Port.”

The ponytailed girl and Shimizu stood beside each other in the corridor of the dojo and gazed at the autumn rain showering down on the autumn leaves outside.

“I see,” Shimizu stated softly.

She could have returned to Kamakura directly, but she didn’t have the courage to do so and arrived in Takes.h.i.ta Town subconsciously. She never expected she would obtain news about Lily visiting her territory in this place.

“Is this fortune or misfortune? Do the Heavens wish for me and Lil’ Sis Lily to meet or do they not?”

Shimizu bid farewell to the ponytailed girl and opened the black parasol. Shimizu’s cursed katana—Tranquil Bamboo the Unsheathed Blade—was hidden within the shaft of this black parasol.

After that, Shimizu walked within the rain and suddenly felt like swapping ‘Unsheathed’ from her blade’s t.i.tle with ‘Unsmiling’ as she believed she wouldn’t smile ever again until she recovers her sheath.

Her black paper parasol was patterned with golden bellwort wildflowers on the outside and white bellwort wildflowers on the inside.

“Izu Port?” Shimizu had never visited that place, but she had no other place to go. No matter whether she had the courage to meet Lily or not, her elegant and lonely figure walked towards that direction unconsciously with an unhurried pace.

Shimuzu’s silhouette gradually disappeared into the rugged path that led to the mountains under the curtain of the night.

On the same day, a huge dark horse akin to a demonic beast galloped across the rugged muddy path towards Izu Port from the northwest coast.

A woman like Uesugi Rei never used a parasol as no parasol could keep up with her sprint1.

The horse’s huge hoofs trod down the leaves as Uesugi Rei’s wet silver hair parted across the wind under the rain from time to time.

“Lily…” After returning from a distant journey and raising her strength once again, Uesugi Rei’s sole purpose at this moment was to see Lily as soon as possible.

Uesugi Rei had obtained the latest information about Lily from the intelligence network of the ninjas. Her eyes are fixed on the path ahead of her and she didn’t even blink once as she pa.s.sed through it.

“Airi told me that I’ll be able to reach Izu Port as long as I follow this path straightly. I can’t afford to take the wrong path this time! I can feel Lily!2”

Uesugi Rei urged her horse to gallop faster. Although she wasn’t good at directions, her desire to see Lily guided her along the right path3.

Izu Port was under the onslaught of rain all the same on this day. The breezes and waves from the sea surged up even more violently and the boats were all moored at the harbor since no one dared to set out on such ill-weather.

Lily’s workroom had been established on a small rock platform in the courtyard of the house and it was conjoined with her bedroom via a slanted wooden corridor. At present, donned in a white yukata, Lily was watching the boundless ocean under the rain via the window of the workroom.

Lily recalled how she had suppressed the thugs and defeated Taira no Hachiro a few days ago. In that battle, she had sent Taira no Hachiro flying 100 m away and made him lose consciousness with just a single sword strike. This tremendous feat had disseminated pretty quickly and some even claimed that Lily’s strength was on par with Uesugi Rei’s and had far surpa.s.sed that of the Six Swords.

However, Lily didn’t take pride in this achievement and she felt even emptier these days. Nanako trained within the mirror most of the time while Kotoka took care of the governmental matters of the land. As such, no one had taken note of Lily’s loneliness until now.

Lily felt that the grudge she had acc.u.mulated recently was becoming more and more denser. She felt that the way she had responded regarding the matter of the merchant who had sold the house to them was a bit too excessive. The other party had been threatened with his life, so she should’ve pardoned him. However, she treated that merchant pretty coldly.

“Although Moonlight Cleansing can neutralize the grudge within my body, who am I to recount the grudge acc.u.mulated in my mind?”

Lily leaned on the window weakly and sighed gently, “Maybe I’m just trying to find an excuse for myself… an excuse for the fear of loneliness.”

At this moment, Lily saw a black point dashing towards Izu Port under the curtain of the night. It was originally a small dot, but it became bigger gradually and seemed to move with swift speed!

From the speed, it was obvious that it wasn’t a steed that normally traveled to-and-fro from Izu Port.

Lily could see a human silhouette riding the dark horse that was charging towards the port from the distance!

“Sister Uesugi!”

Lily got up suddenly when she saw that dark horse gallop towards her residence. Her body moved before her thoughts and she rushed out of the workroom, running along the sloped corridor while gazing at the sh.o.r.e.

“Sister Uesugi!”

Lily felt as if her frozen soul was being thawed by a certain warmth as she ran across the main hall and rushed down the stairs to exit the courtyard house.

The dark horse dashed past Lily without showing down and galloped into the distance amidst the surging windy rain.

“Sister Uesugi!” Lily cried out nervously, but it was almost swallowed up by the sounds of the rain.

The dark horse stopped gradually, and the black-dressed Uesugi Rei jumped down from it before dashing towards Lily.

At the same time, Lily also ran towards her.

“Lily!” “Sister Uesugi!”

The two of them almost collided with each other but Lily tiptoed and jumped into Rei’s embrace gracefully, hooking her arms around Rei’s neck. The two of them hugged each other skin-to-skin simultaneously.

Lily’s feet landed on the ground, but she still remained within Rei’s embrace. She gazed at the wet cheeks of her beautiful sister and felt the warmth of her sister along with her own, feeling an urge to say something.

At the same time, it seemed like Rei also wanted to say something.

The two of them hinted at each other to speak first with their expressions. However, they had too many things to tell each other, and felt like it was enough to say them in just one go instead of engaging in an exchange of words as that would leave them both unsatisfied.

Thus…

The two of them chose to talk mouth-to-mouth simultaneously.

Rei’s lips pressed against Lily’s lips gently under the rain while they remained in an embrace. She then applied a slight force that made Lily open up her mouth and used this chance to slip her tongue inside Lily’s mouth4.

“Ngh…”

Lily felt the grudge within her mind and body pacify because of this woman and her sensual kiss crammed her heart with so much pa.s.sion that there was s.p.a.ce left in it for grudge to occupy.

Lily finally regained her senses a few minutes later and chided herself for indulging herself like that.

However, she had already been kissed by now…

The two of them paused for a rest with rough breaths a long while later and a thread of saliva connected the parted lips of the girls, making it seem like they still hadn’t expressed themselves fully like the pattering rain5.

The two of them finally calmed down enough to converse.

“Lil’ Lyn. Forgive me. I learned you were in danger only two days ago and by the time I arrived in Kamakura, I discovered that you were already fine,” Rei caressed Lily’s chin while embracing Lily’s waist gently. She showed no misgivings or unfamiliarity even though they had met again after a long time and felt up Lily’s curvaceous b.u.t.tocks like always.

Lily was originally resistant to such behavior, but as they hadn’t met each other in a long time, Lily presumed that Rei must have also acc.u.mulated a lot of grudges and allowed her to touch as much as she wished. Lily’s heart also filled with joyous warmth from her actions6.

“Ngh…” However, Lily’s gentle and forgiving heart didn’t prevent her from reacting to Rei’s actions.

Rei kissed her Lily a few more times and said, “Lil’ Sis, thank goodness that you are safe.”

Lily looked up at Rei with a flushed face and spoke with a ragged breath, “Haven’t you returned safely as well, Sis?”

“It’s raining pretty heavily. How about we go in?” Rei suggested. “Mhm!” Lily smiled sweetly, showing a heartfelt smile for the first time after being liberated from worry, “Sister Uesugi, let me show you the new house I bought.” “Uh-huh? To think you bought such a huge house. You’ve become pretty capable, Lil’ Sis. How about we make it our bridal house?” “Sis! Stop messing around now…”

Rei hugged Lily’s waist and the two entered the courtyard house together while leaning on each other in the rain, talking and laughing all the time.

Around the same time, a girl dressed in a black kimono7 walked past the wooden houses that rested on either side of the muddy path on the opposite end of the rainy town under the cover of a black parasol.

“So, this is Izu Port? It looks so rural, yet why does it make me all the more nervous? Lil’ Sis Lily, are you here?” Shimizu soliloquized somewhat nervously.

“Hmph! The mirror is nothing. Lil’ Sis, I only realized it at the moment I lost you, that strength, fame, and even the mirror, as well as the status of being chosen by the Heavens, are all trivial things. My heart, mind and soul, everything has already been occupied by you!” “Lil’ Sis, just what do I need to do for you to forgive me?” “Will you really forgive me?”

A pair of gloomy eyes flashed within the rain and a tall man wearing a conical bamboo hat and a rainproof coat walked towards Shimizu. The moment he pa.s.sed by her, he bowed his head humbly and then lifted his hat slightly, revealing the inhuman gloomy face underneath the hat.

The man spoke with a deep voice, “Lady Shimizu. From the information I’ve gathered, the new female liege lord is called Lyn-hime and is living in a huge house beside a hill on the other side of the town.”

Shimizu’s gloomy eyes shone with resplendence under the cloudy weather when she heard this.

“Lyn-hime? That’s definitely Lil’ Sis!8”

1. Silva: My… Rei and Shimizu in the same place… that won’t go well…
2. Silva: I can feel the yuri+bloodbath
3. Silva: The power of love triumphs all
4. Silva: oh my, how bold, to be kissing in the middle of the road… Robinxen: I got told off for my friends for always making out with my girlfriend in public back when we were together
5. Silva: I’m getting weirdly stiff from this. Robinxen: Tell me about it, I’ve been editing for over an hour and a half now and my back is killing me!
6. Silva: How the mighty has fallen
7. Silva: *dramatic music playing Robinxen: Duh du du du duh duh du du…
8. Silva: Let the bloodbath begin!