The wind blew against two figures, singing to them happily. The taller figure, who went by the name “Arakawa Nobuo,” was a light brunette who wore clothes from centuries ago. Nobuo’s quiver would jump up from time to time as he walked on the dirt road, the arrows slightly moving upward. His arrow didn’t exactly way him down, but his walk speed was a bit slower than usual. As his feet touch the dirt path, Mother Nature would do a duet with his equipment as they sang happily. His pocket knife would collide with the bottle of sleeping pills in his pouch that laid to his right side. The wind would blow against his pouch, whistling as it begged him to stay around. Nobuo, on the other hand, was lost in his thoughts as he walked forward mindlessly. “Tomorrow will mark the day the cherry blossoms will bloom in Kyoto,” he mumbled his thoughts out loud, his eyes shining with faint happiness mixed with a sea of sadness and regrets. He continued walking forward, seemingly still stuck reminiscing about his past. He yelped as he felt someone grab the left sleeve of his white hanfu, tugging him back harshly. He stumbled back due to the sudden tug as his eyes widen, finally coming back into reality.

A girl with long, black hair let out a whine, hugging Nobuo’s arm as if he was going to leave her, “Hey! Don’t ignore me like I’m nothing, Arakawa-sama! I didn’t come out here with you for nothing!” Her cheeks puffed out as a scowl was formed on her face. She let go of his arms and crossed her arms as she let out a small hmph. Her cheeks were dusted with a pink color.

Nobuo chuckled at the girl’s reaction, covering his mouth with his hand, “Ah, forgive me. I was just lost in thoughts, Itou-san.” The sentence came out muffled due to his hand covering his mouth, a hidden grin behind it as he looked away from her. The girl uncrossed her arms as she clenched her fists tightly. She then lightly hit Nobuo on the arm, having no intention to harm him. Her cheeks were puffed out as she clenched her fists.

“I want you to call me Kaoru. Calling me by my surname makes me feeling boring,” Kaoru complained, putting her hands on her hips as she unclenched. She bent down a bit and looked up at Nobuo, her cheeks still puffed out. Her face was a bit red though.

“People will get the wrong idea of us,” Nobuo explained before looking forward. He continued walking as he focused on the sky that was slowly changing color each second. He ignored Kaoru’s constant whining and neediness for his attention on her. He blinked his eyes, a bit surprised at the time. He raised his eyebrows before chuckling. His eyebrows lowered and shook his head. “Oh? It’s already near night. Luckily, there’s a town nearby that has an inn in it,” he mumbled, speaking to himself this time.

Kaoru let out a yelp as she realized Nobuo had started walking away which made her sprint after him. “Eh? Wait for me,” she cried out, waving her right arm in the air to grab his attention. Being left behind never had a good taste in her mouth. She started slowing down as she grew tired at running. She couldn’t catch up to him. He would always be ahead no matter what. It wasn’t soon until she collapsed on the ground, clenching her eyes shut to make sure dirt wouldn’t get in it. This, fortunately, was also in front of the town’s entrance. She let out a small yelp when her body crashed into the ground. This made Nobuo turn around to see what Kaoru had done.

Nobuo’s eyes widened at the sight as his heart skipped a beat. He rushed toward the fallen Kaoru and quickly picked her up, his voice lighting up with concern as he spoke, “Are you okay? Did any of the dust get into your eyes? Do you need to be dumped into a lake?” He was more concern for Kaoru’s wellbeing, forgetting about the dirtied up clothing.

Kaoru stared at him with a face that showed disapproval, she soon huffed, “Yes, I’m okay. If you slowed down, maybe I-” She was cut off as Nobuo looked at the sky again. He soon dashed toward the inn, not wanting to stay out in the dark. Kaoru let out a small groan at Nobuo’s actions. She really couldn’t tell what he was going to do next. Nobuo, being a rather unwelcoming customer, slammed open the inn’s door. This resulted in a loud smack as it collided against the wooden wall. Kaoru flinched at the loud noise as she simply gazed at Nobuo. She felt herself being put down, though her mind hadn’t realized her release. She stood still, observing Nobuo as he started sauntering inside. He looked rather hesitant. She followed him into the inn as she stared at him from behind. The floorboards creaked as their feet touched it like it was one of the most fragile things in the world. The inn-keeper arose from behind the desk, observing the two newcomers carefully. Nobuo stopped in his tracks as he bit his lips softly. He stared at the man, his eyes narrowing at him.

“Slit pupils…?” Nobuo questioned quietly, a hint of venom slipping out of his voice. He walked toward the inn-keeper slowly. His glare was still there as his suspicions slowly rose up. The inn-keeper waved at him happily, beckoning the two to come forward. Kaoru, who didn’t seem to notice how suspicious Nobuo was, gladly ran in front of Nobuo. She felt no sense of danger. Nobuo stopped walking as he stared at Kaoru with confusion now swirling in his eyes. He slowly relaxed his shoulders as he approached her.

“We need two rooms,” Kaoru chirped, a grin on her face. The inn-keeper nodded his head slowly and handed Kaoru the keys, a hidden smirk on their lips. Nobuo tensed up again as he took a deep breath. His shoulders rose up as he glared at the inn-keeper. He didn’t want to trust the inn-keeper, but Kaoru seemed to have put her life in the inn-keeper’s hands. Kaoru tilted her head in confusion, cocking one brow up. She was expecting some sort of price to pay for the rooms. “Is it free?” she asked, her tone soon becoming suspicious. In response, the inn-keeper nodded his head. Kaoru’s suspicions dropped as the grin came back onto her face. Her eyes lit up before throwing Nobuo’s keys to him. “Free rooms? Yes,” she cheered, jumping in the air. She then dashed upstairs with excitement.

Nobuo followed Kaoru before stopping in front of her. “Mr. Inn-keeper, whatever you are trying to do… you’ll be paying for it. Okay?” he threatened. His glare remained locked on onto the inn-keeper once again. He then walked upstairs and headed to his room, twirling the keys with his finger. Once he reached the room, he tossed the keys in the air and caught it. He unlocked the door before locking it behind him. He let out a soft sigh, his laziness and drowsiness finally mixing in. He let out a yawn as he stretched his arms out. He approached his temporary bed. He then face-planted on it, his head is the only body part hitting the soft blankets. He soon let sleep take control of his minds for a few hours.

The grandfather clock in the lobby struck midnight, a loud chime playing in the halls. Nobuo had woken up, a sick feeling in his stomach. He got up from the floor as he rushed out of his room. He needed to check on Kaoru. He had not cared for his dirty clothes as Kaoru stayed in his mind. Luckily, Kaoru’s room was across from him. He put his hand on the doorknob. He slowly turned it as his eyes widened. “Was the door not lock,” he had asked himself in his mind, staring at the door with great confusion. He gulped the lump of saliva in his throat before opening the door. He stared into the room. His eyes widened once he realized that Kaoru had gone missing. Her sheets weren’t touched. He stepped back in the room, breathing heavily.  He clenched his fists, digging his nails deep into his wrists. Where did Kaoru go? His eyes looked around frantically and spotted a figure in the shadow, hiding away. His eyes widen once more as he watched it bolt downstairs. His eyes hardened, having a target to finally hunt. He started to chase the figure, taking big steps every few minutes. The floorboards creaking loudly from under his feet.

After a few minutes of running, the two were in the back of the inn. It reeked of old garbage that was begging to be burned. Nobuo was panting, bending down as the figure stood upon him. He still didn’t have that much stamina as he did in the morning. He straightened his back and glared at the figure. His eyes widened as the moonlight shined upon the river and lit up the area around them. The figure was none other than Kaoru herself. She looked at him, tilting her head to the side a bit. Nobuo stared at Kaoru’s eyes and squinted. His eyes widened even more before they softened.

“Who knew I would encounter a uwabami?” Nobuo had asked himself quietly. He stared at her with a cheerful gaze, faking every emotion in his eyes. He took a step toward her. “Why are you out here so late, Itou-san?” he questioned, tilting his head to the side a bit. The uwabami smirked but faked it off as a grin. They just beckoned him to come forward. Nobuo did exactly that, the wind blowing against them. The river was loud as it smacked against each other. Nobuo continued walking toward the uwabami, his feet crushing the grass. The moonlight shone on his face as his eyes lit up with an unknown emotion. The uwabami let out a soft giggle, the head slowly turning into a snakehead. Nobuo was now an arm-length from the uwabami and took another step. The uwabami’s head was fully revealed. Its mouth opened, the jaw threatening to gulp him up. Nobuo let out a deep chuckle as he put his hand in the pouch. He took out the bottle of sleeping pills. He quickly unscrewed the cap. It opened with ease, letting out a small smack. The uwabami, who surprisingly didn’t notice, lunged at Nobuo. Nobuo stared at the bottle before chucking it into the uwabami’s mouth. Uwabami was confused, mouth still wide open as its true form soon appeared. Nobuo put his hand back in the bag before taking out a pocket knife, a smirk forming on his face. He flipped it open before lunging at the uwabami’s stomach. He plunged the pocket knife into the Uwabami’s stomach and sliced it open immediately. He pulled the pocket knife out and out came a traumatized Kaoru, covered in all the saliva.

“W-Who are you?” Kaoru whispered, staring at Nobuo in fear. She now was sitting on her knees as she breathed heavily. Her eyes teared up as her heart was racing. She was about to scoot back until Nobuo picked her up in her arms. Nobuo hugged her, mumbling something that was in an old language. He brushed his fingers through her hair as he released a shaky sigh. But, soon a smile graced his face. He soon went back to the inn, leaving the uwabami at the river.

“I’m Nobuo Arakawa, an immortal waiting for my wife to reincarnate.”