Crimson Blindness

Author: Jun-I

Synopsis: A senpai plans to give little Kyuuzou a pleasant surprise. But does the silent child even have the capacity to appreciate it?

Notes:
-This fits in the Retribution/Happy Endings/Wolf Warriors timeline before Wolf Warriors.
-Ayame is not Kyuuzou's biological sister. She is his senpai (Sensei's older student). -For the background of the Kyuuzou-Ayame relationship (NO romantic interest), see Retribution Chapters 6, 8 and 16.

Vocab: ne-san : older sister, senpai: senior

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Ever since Kyuuzou came to live with Sensei, the child barely smiled. Except at the moments he wanted to convey obliging submissiveness to his teacher and seniors – but those were not true smiles.

Ayame felt vaguely guilty. The child had not had a smooth life, and her cruelties only added to his pain, she now realized. Now she wanted to redeem herself, if such a thing was even possible. So one day, when the two young students of Aikawa Sensei were finished with training and done with their chores, Ayame said to Kyuuzou, "Come with me. I want to show you something."

The 11-year-old obediently followed Third Sister. She led the way to the stable and un-tethered the fast turtle. Then Ayame said, "Hop on board!"

"Ne-san, may I ask what it is you intend to show me?" Kyuuzou asked in puzzlement. "Is it far away?"

"It is not too far away. We'll be back before the day is over," the dark-haired girl said reassuringly as she mounted the fast turtle. "Come on!"

The 14-year-old reached down to the younger child and hauled him onto the fast turtle. Kyuuzou fidgeted slightly as he settled himself on the beast's back behind his senpai.

"Oh, before I forget," Ayame said. "Tie this around your eyes." She reached over her shoulder and passed Kyuuzou a long strip of cloth.

Kyuuzou looked at the blindfold apprehensively. Although Third Sister had not been mean to him again since that day, Kyuuzou still did not trust Ayame unreservedly. Was she planning to take him somewhere and get rid of him? He did not think so, but still…

"Ayame senpai, may I be so bold as to ask why…?" the crimson eyed boy spoke tentatively.

"Because what I want to show you is a surprise." The topaz-eyed girl replied, "You'll see why. Just do as I say."

The blond child complied. Ayame glanced back to make sure the blindfold had been securely fastened, then she said, "Hold on, we're off!"

The thin boy put his arms around the bigger child's waist as Ayame dug her heels into the fast turtle. The beast trotted out of the stable. They rode on and on for goodness knows how long.

Kyuuzou could tell the turtle was going down the mountain path by the jerky motion of their descent. Then Ayame set the animal at a gallop. They must be on flat terrain now. Sitting behind Third Sister, the child was not very comfortable. The beads his senior wore in her hair were hitting him whenever the turtle lurched forward. Kyuuzou laid his forehead against Ayame's back to avoid being whipped in the face by her flying dreadlocks.

On and on they went. The skinny child could smell the scent of the pine trees. They must be moving through a forest. Kyuuzou's bottom was starting to hurt from being bumped against the saddle. Just as the 11-year-old was wondering how much further they had to go, the fast turtle came to a stop in a place where the birds were singing. Ayame dismounted and carefully helped Kyuuzou down. She took his hand and led him forward.

The blindfolded Kyuuzou stepped forward cautiously, but Ayame chose a good path. She did not even let him stub his toe against a stone.

"There are flowers in front of us." The younger child said suddenly. The golden-eyed girl turned around to make sure Kyuuzou had not yet removed his blindfold. She was relieved to see that the cloth was still in place.

"I can smell them," the pale boy stated. There was the vaguest hint of a smile playing about his lips. Indeed, the air was full of the fragrance of a thousand blossoms. Ayame was pleased.

"Where are we?" Kyuuzou wondered to himself. "A valley meadow?"

Now Third Sister put a hand on his shoulder and firmly steered him forward.

Ayame guided the smaller child towards the middle of the meadow where the blooms were the thickest and the most rich in color. Kyuuzou allowed his small hands to trail over the tops of the wildflowers, feeling the delicious smoothness of the petals.

"All right, you can open your eyes now!" the dark girl finally said as they came to a halt.

Kyuuzou pulled off his blindfold. He opened his crimson eyes and stared. There were flowers blooming thickly all around him, spreading across the meadow for almost as far as the eye can see. Flowers in many shapes and sizes. It was a magnificent, breathtaking sight!

"Look at the colors!" Third Sister exclaimed with a triumphant flourish of her hand. "The reds, the pinks, the whites, the yellows, the oranges, the blues and the purples! Oh, what a blaze of glory! Is there such a sight under heaven?" The sturdy girl grinned broadly as she turned towards him.

Kyuuzou did not answer her. He was once able to see all hues, but now everything look red to him – tints, mutes, shades and tones of red. The boy could only guess at the colors of the flowers. He could guess very well indeed, but all Kyuuzou truly saw was red. Red - the color of blood so readily spilled on the floor when the soldiers came to his family's farmhouse. His vision had been colored by crimson lenses ever since the day his old world died. The day his childhood was murdered by that dark samurai.

The pale child shut the memory away as he silently gazed around this strange place that the sword had not touched.

Ayame looked at the silent Kyuuzou questioningly. This was not quite the response she wanted. The 14-year-old was not expecting the somewhat reserved child to gush effusively, but she thought he would be moved at least a little by such beauty. But Kyuuzou did not even crack a smile.

Kyuuzou did not want to disappoint Third Sister, so he finally turned to her and said, "This is very beautiful! I like it! Thank you very much!" He gave her a slow, small smile.

"You're welcome!" The girl nodded happily. But she had a vague feeling that something was not quite right even as she watched the younger child bend down to pick flowers. There was something marring the joy of what could have been a perfect moment. Ayame could not guess what it was.

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Author's Notes:

- For what happened in Kyuuzou's past before he went to his Sensei's, see Retribution Chapters 9 and 10.

-Inspirations for this chapter: -A scene from the film Red Sorghum, in which the peasant child develops a red vision after he saw his mother arbitrarily shot down by enemy soldiers while delivering food to her husband in the field.
-A scene from the movie House of Flying Daggers, in which the supposedly blind character played by Zhang Ziyi wanders through a field of wildflowers.