Sazume opened her eyes, recovering her senses. Grunting in pain, the girl lifted her face from the ground slowly. It was too dark to be sure of where she was, but the close sound of the flowing water and the round boulders surrounding her indicated that she fell all the way down into the valley. She thought she would have die from that fall, but apparently she hit something soft. Then the floor grunted in pain too, and she moved away quickly, noticing that she fell over the castle’s guardian.
“Kumari! Are you alright? Kumari!”
“My Lady?” He opened his eyes slowly. “Yes, I am… I don’t think any bones are broken. Just let me rest for a while, if you may.”
She sighed, relieved, but then remembered how angry she was, slapping his face in retaliation.
“Why were you following me? My dad told you to do that, didn’t he?”
“I wouldn’t stalk my Lord’s daughter without his command to do so, would I?” He answered with sarcasm. “I’m sorry for that. This is not a way to speak to a noble woman.”
She calmed herself, and smiled lightly.
“No, you’re right. It’s my father I’m mad with.” She sat down by his side. “He’s always over-protective of me. How can he want me to stay locked inside the castle as a baby while my little brother goes out on a hunt?”
“Your brother will be fine, my Lady. He can take care of himself.”
“And so can I,” she yelled. “Sorry. I’m making the same complaints I do to my mom, she’s the only one who can do something to change my father.”
“And why would you want him to change? He’s an excellent father, isn’t he?”
“He would be perfect, if I was a boy. He doesn’t give me the same privileges that he gives to Ichi.”
“I understand him. If I had such a beautiful daughter, I wouldn’t let any danger approach her.” The comment made her blush, and only an instant after, Kumari realized what he just said. “I’m sorry! It’s not correct for a vassal to speak of his Lord’s daughter like that! I must have hurt my head on the fall…”
“It would have been worse if you said I was ugly,” she joked, hoping he would loosen up a bit. He laughed.
“True. Lying would be a greater dishonor.”
He looked at her and found a friendly smile. Sazume approached him and examined his head, making him uncomfortable with their proximity.
“I’m neither seeing nor smelling blood… Does it hurt?”
“A little bit…”
She took off the boa she was carrying on her shoulder and put it under his head.
“My Lady is too kind... Doesn’t it belong to your father?”
“This one is mine. He gave me one just like his one when I turned 13, she explained, and then remembered something sad. “I was told that your father passed away last month… I’m sorry.”
“Thank you for your concern. He was a good father, despite some flaws. He was not a very gentle man… But he died with honor, fulfilling his duty to serve your father. Now I am at his service.”
“Why is your family vassal of mine?”
“Your father never told you why?”
“He almost never says anything, to be honest,” she explained while laughing.
“Once upon a time, my grandfather, whose name was also Kumari, was saved by your grandfather. He was a great demon, not as powerful as Inu no Taisho, but still very respected. He promised never-ending loyalty to your grandfather, and swore an oath that he and his descendants would serve your family for as long as the debt remained unpaid.”
“That’s why he gave his son his own name?”
“Exactly. And my father gave me the same name. While the debt remains unpaid, there will always be a Kumari to serve your family.”
“Don’t worry. I know that, one day, you will repay this debt.”
“Maybe... Anyway, I don’t care much. Sesshomaru is a good Lord, and my fief is weak. Should I pay the debt, these lands wouldn’t have his protection anymore.”
“These lands?”
“Yes, don’t you know? They originally belonged to my grandfather. But since my family is a vassal of yours, it’s almost like they are yours.” Sazume was surprised by the revelation. “So, without the debt, they would be rightfully mine, and I would have to protect them on my own. Looking at it this way, it’s better, right?”
“Don’t say such things!” It was Kumari’s turn to be surprised. “This is not way for a noble to speak, even one who is a vassal! You should be trying, at all costs, to free your family from this debt!”
“There is nothing wrong with being a vassal.”
“Neither in wanting something better for your family! What would the first Kumari think about this attitude of yours?”
She stared at him so firmly that she ended up convincing him. He smiled, and then closed his eyes and nodded his head like he was bowing respectfully.
“My Lady is right. Thank you for your advice.”
“You can call me by my name, Kumari.”
“Sazume-sama, then,” he answered while getting up. “Thank you for waiting. I’m already feeling a lot better. We can try to get out of here now.” He looked around, examining the terrain around them while Sazume retrieved her boa. “Strange…”
“What?”
“We are at the river’s shore, exactly where it turns south after passing by the cliff’s edge where the castle is. But I was here a few months ago, and these huge boulders weren’t here.”
He walked towards his sword, which fell near one of those rocks, and retrieved it. At that moment, the moon appeared from behind the clouds, filling the place with its light, and the truth was revealed.
