Dream

Sakurai Hideko stood rooted to the spot, her fingers gripping so tightly that the skin had gone pale.

"He..." She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

Uchiha Zongxin lowered his head, not daring to meet her eyes.

"Setsuna said his summoning beast rescued him when Naoki fell into the water. But the battlefield was so chaotic that they lost contact. So he might still be alive. It's just... we haven't found him yet."

Sakurai Hideko nodded.

She didn't know why she was nodding. She just felt that she should.

"I..." Uchiha Zongxin opened his mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but realized he had nothing to say. So he simply took something from his coat and held it out to her.

"This... was found on the beach."

Sakurai Hideko looked down. It was a blood-red charm.

Clutching it tightly in her hand, she spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Thank you for telling me."

Uchiha Zongxin nodded. He lingered for a moment, then finally turned and left.

Sakurai Hideko couldn't remember how long she stood beneath the tree by the village entrance before she went home...

The clamor of the festival had long since faded. One by one, the streetlights went dark. People passed her, casting curious glances her way, but she didn't notice.

She just held on to the blood-red charm.

Day turned to dusk, and dusk was swallowed by night.

She remembered that rainy night, the dim light in the alley, the warmth of his palm when he held her arm.

She remembered him standing right here, turning away with a dark expression as he left.

She should have called out to him then, told him she simply hadn't known how to say goodbye. But when the words reached her lips, she couldn't bring herself to say them.

The night wind blew past. Sakurai Hideko raised her head and looked up at the dark sky.

The darkness deep within the clouds swallowed the landscape in her heart.

"Naoki, what are you looking at?"

The voice brought Naoki back from his daze. He blinked and came to, then smiled at Sakurai Hideko, who was sitting beside him. "I just thought that statue looked a little strange. That's all."

Sakurai Hideko asked curiously, "That one?"

"This one." Naoki pointed to the statue on the wooden altar. "Look. Doesn't it seem a little strange?"

After looking at it for a while, Sakurai Hideko shook her head.

"Strange? I don't think so."

"How can you not think it's strange?" Naoki pressed his palms together. "Look, this is the way statues are worshipped in temples in the Land of Fire. Though sometimes they use this gesture..." He demonstrated another pose.

"But that statue is doing this..."

Naoki made a lotus-finger gesture, except all ten fingers pointed upward.

"I've never seen a gesture like that before."

After studying it closely, Sakurai Hideko nodded.

"You're right. Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever seen a gesture like that either."

As she spoke, Sakurai Hideko imitated the sinister-looking statue's hand gesture.

For no reason, he shivered and instinctively grabbed her wrist.

"D-don't imitate it. It's creepy."

Sakurai Hideko smiled.

"Scaredy-cat. What's there to be afraid of?"

"I'm a bit of a coward, unlike you, the medical ninja."

"Pfft..."

They chatted a little longer, then finished their dessert and coffee and got ready to leave.

Before they went, Naoki glanced again at the sinister-looking statue.

Not only was its hand gesture strange, but its surface was covered in densely packed black markings. With the red lamp above it, the longer he looked, the eerier it seemed.

"Seriously, where in the Land of Fire would you find a statue like that?" he thought.

After leaving the café with Sakurai Hideko, he put all those strange thoughts aside. The two walked side by side, chatting as they made their slow way home.

Night soon fell, and Naoki arrived outside Sakurai Hideko's apartment.

"So... tomorrow..." Naoki stammered.

Sakurai Hideko smiled. "It's still early. Why don't you come upstairs for tea and some snacks?"

I finally get to visit her place. They'd known each other for so long, and this was the first time she'd invited him up. Naoki rubbed his hands together inwardly.

"Sure."

They went upstairs. Sakurai Hideko opened the door and stepped aside to let him in.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll put the tea on."

Naoki sat down at the low table and looked around.

The room wasn't large, but it was tidy. A few potted plants sat on the windowsill, and a bookcase stood in the corner, holding several volumes of poetry alongside medical texts.

A strange feeling came over him... This is where she lives every day.

Sakurai Hideko came over carrying a tea tray and sat beside him.

There were two cups of tea on the tray, along with a small plate of delicate pastries.

"Try one. I made them myself."

Naoki picked one up and took a bite. It was sweet without being cloying, with a faint floral fragrance.

"They're delicious."

Sakurai Hideko smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Good."

They were sitting very close, close enough for Naoki to catch her scent and the faint sweetness lingering in her hair.

He held his teacup, but couldn't taste the tea at all. Every one of his senses was consumed by the person beside him.

Outside, the sky grew completely dark, leaving only the dim yellow light in the room.

Sakurai Hideko lowered her head, her fingers gently tracing the rim of her cup. The light outlined her profile in soft curves.

With the mood and the hour, Naoki couldn't help but let his thoughts wander.

He tried to calm his pounding heart, then turned to look at Sakurai Hideko. She turned toward him at the same time, and their eyes met. The air seemed to brim with sweetness.

Sakurai Hideko slowly closed her eyes.

Naoki felt dopamine flooding his system. He closed his eyes too and leaned in to kiss her.

For no reason, the sinister-looking statue suddenly appeared in his mind again.

Naoki's eyes flew open. To his horror, Sakurai Hideko's appearance had suddenly changed. Black cursed markings covered her face, sharply contrasting with her pale skin.

His heart lurched. Naoki got to his feet and quickly backed away.

"Hideko... what's on your face?"

Sakurai Hideko's voice rang out, completely devoid of emotion.

"Naoki, what's wrong? Come sit back down."

Naoki shook his head and shouted, "No! You're not Sakurai Hideko. Who are you?"

"I'm your wife, Sakurai Hideko. Come over here and sit down."

As she spoke, Sakurai Hideko changed again. She was dressed in red wedding clothes, a red veil covering her head.

Naoki's instincts screamed that something was wrong.

He instinctively pulled a kunai from his pouch and demanded, "What kind of monster are you? What have you done to Hideko?"

Sakurai Hideko didn't speak. She simply rose and slowly walked toward him.

"Lift the veil!"

Suddenly, Naoki thought he heard someone speak to him.

"Lift the veil!"

The voice grew louder.

"Lift the veil!"

As the voice grew louder and louder, Sakurai Hideko drew closer and closer.

The crushing pressure left Naoki barely able to breathe. Then Sakurai Hideko reached him.

Cornered against the wall, Naoki suddenly swung his kunai and slashed her across the neck.

Blood splashed into his eyes, turning everything crimson.