Chapter 1 – Bound Together (cont.)
Much later, Kuroh found himself wondering just why he’d been in such a panic, and on what grounds he’d founded his convictions as to what he needed to do–and it was there that Ichigen explained, “In all likelihood, your powers had started to awaken within you, enabling you to, for a time, utilize my own powers–that of foresight.”
In other words, Kuroh had–in that moment–been one with his King.
He kicked at the root of a tree and raced across the mountain ridge–until he at long last caught a faint voice. He snapped to attention, yelling out, “Heita! Are you there?!”
After a moment, a voice came back, steeped in worry, “Ku–Kuro-chan?”
He darted forward in a flash and slid down onto his stomach at the edge of a cliff, peering over the ledge–and grew faint as he laid eyes on a very rough, worn-out Heita clinging desperately to the slender branch of a tree growing out of the cliffside halfway down. The plant itself looked rather weak–far too weak to support even Heita’s light weight, and while admittedly slowly, it was clear that the roots were starting to give way, soil scattering about to fall away at the base.
“Ku–Kuro-chan!” Heita called out to him, voice betraying the fact that he was on the verge of tears, and he stretched out a grasping hand–but Kuroh sharply rebuked him.
“Don’t move, Heita! Just hang on!”
With a pathetic moan, Keita curled himself into a ball, tightening his grasp. Kuroh took quick stock of the situation–it was a good three meters to Heita’s position from where he stood now&h.e.l.lip;and twenty meters between Heita and the cliff bottom.
If he fell, Heita would, without a doubt, die instantly.
‘Calm down!’ he reminded himself. ‘You have to stay calm, Yatogami Kuroh.’
What would Ichigen-sama do in this situation? What would the man he looked up to do when faced with something like this? His voice rang out of its own accord, “It’s all right, Heita.” There was a slight tremor in his words, but he continued. “Don’t worry–I’m going to save you, Heita. So just–hang in there a little longer, all right?” Heita nodded, tears streaming down his face.
‘I should go back for some rope&h.e.l.lip; Wait, no–it’s too late for that now. I can’t waste another second.’
Then came the ominous sound of the branch warping severely under Heita’s weight, a sight sure to turn anyone pale with fright. But Heita began to mumble an explanation of what had happened here, perhaps having noticed the branch bowing–perhaps not. “Kuro-chan–I got separated from my brothers, and then before I realized it, everyone had disappeared, so I wandered around all alone for a while and then fell down this cliff&h.e.l.lip;”
Kuroh stretched himself out as far as he could, but failed to reach Heita. ‘This isn’t good&h.e.l.lip;’ A bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. ‘At this rate, Heita will&h.e.l.lip;’ With all his strength, he stretched his muscles nearly to their breaking point, thrusting his arm downward.
And then–
The sound of something ripping–and a crack split the tree limb. In that instant, Heita glanced up at Kuroh, tears in his eyes, and smiled. “Kuro-chan.”
I don’t want to die.
Without an ounce of hesitation, Kuroh leapt into the air–managing to latch onto Heita’s body just before he collapsed into a free-fall. Heita grabbed on tight to Kuroh, eyes clenched shut, and Kuroh embraced the small body just as fiercely in return.
Gravity dragged the young pair downward with merciless force–
–and a light, brilliant as an explosion, snapped forward, extending. A line of brilliance stretched upward from Kuroh’s extended fingers, connecting with the man who had suddenly appeared at the cliff’s edge just before the pair hit the bottom of the ravine.
“We made it!”
Miwa Ichigen, drenched in sweat, called out in response from his stance at the top of the cliff, “Well done, Kuro!” and clasped his own hand over Kuroh’s invisible one.
Only moments later, Kuroh and Heita found themselves wrapped in Ichigen’s embrace before slumping down at the cliff’s edge. Heita wept without ceasing, but given that he’d only narrowly escaped the jaws of death, he could hardly be blamed.
Ichigen ran his fingers over the boys’ heads over and over, breath coming hard and fast. “You did so well&h.e.l.lip;so so well–both of you. I’m so proud of you, truly!”
Kuroh grew childishly embarra.s.sed of being cradled as he was and shifted himself to sit up properly, asking, “Umm, Ichigen-sama&h.e.l.lip;” He couldn’t help it–he was curious. “Why&h.e.l.lip;are you here? Weren’t you away on business?”
“Hm? Oh–well I had been on my way to visit Daikaku-san in Nanakamado, but then I suddenly had a vision of your predicament and I couldn’t possibly stay away.”
Just then, a rush of wind blew up from the cliff bottom, and before their very eyes, a transport chopper lifted into the night sky, a bright searchlight brushing across the group. Ichigen smiled at long last, waving away the craft, and explained with a mischievous wink, “So I flew back.”
Kuroh could but stare in wonder; Ichigen truly was amazing, and he gained a renewed respect for his master that day.
Heita was well and thoroughly scolded when they returned, but he received even more fierce hugs through tears from his parents, and all of the villagers as well rejoiced from the bottom of their hearts that Heita had returned safely.
All a.s.sumed and accepted that Heita had been saved by Miwa Ichigen–and this was allowed, as letting it be known that the elementary school student Kuroh had ventured into the mountains at night, on his own, would invite more questions than it was worth the trouble to deal with.
This was why Kuroh had only let the elder two of the daif.u.ku trio brothers know of his plans–and Heita kept his mouth shut about what had happened as well. But from that point on, Heita grew even more fond of Kuroh than he had been before, fixing upon him an expression of adoration not unlike the one Kuroh directed to Ichigen.
But one among the others seemed to have gathered just how deeply Kuroh had been involved in the whole affair–Watanabe-san.
“Kuroh-chan&h.e.l.lip;?” She’d apparently noticed that Kuroh had disappeared for a period of time. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it&h.e.l.lip;but did you perhaps play some important part in saving Heita-chan&h.e.l.lip;?” Kuroh smiled uneasily, neither confirming nor denying her suspicions–and the woman pressed for no more, instead offering, “I see&h.e.l.lip; Then I’ll just a.s.sume that you did something quite amazing. Is there anything I can do to reward you&h.e.l.lip;?”
Kuroh c.o.c.ked his head to the side at this question. “Then could I&h.e.l.lip;please have you teach me how to cook?” First things first, and he added with a smile, “I’d really like to know how to make a delicious dashimaki omelet.”
END CHAPTER 1