The rocky mountain wasn't particularly large, but it was riddled with caves, making it a suitable hiding place. Kaito found a relatively dry cave and gently laid Tetsuren on the ground.
Her face was pale, her forehead covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and her body temperature was continuously dropping. Although Kaito had frozen the wound, her condition was still deteriorating internally. The worst part was, he hadn't learned a single healing skill.
Glancing at Kushina, who was wiping the sweat from Tetsuren's brow, Kaito placed his hands one over the other on the wound and began to pour his golden energy into her body. He didn't know if it would work, but it was a desperate attempt.
It seemed to have an effect. A little color returned to Tetsuren's face. She moaned softly and opened her eyes.
"Tetsuren, how do you feel? Any better?"
"Mm, it's warm... very comfortable." She looked at Kaito and managed a faint smile. "Kaito, did you know... I've been alone since I was very little."
"Eating alone, going to school alone, practicing my sword alone... Back then, my world was gray, as if it were piled high with white snow. Only fighting, the thrilling danger of a battle that made the hairs on my arms stand up, made me feel like I was still alive. Looking back now, I think I chose this reckless way of fighting because... I wanted to die. I wanted to go back to my mom and dad. That way, I wouldn't be lonely anymore..."
"Don't say such foolish things. Chosuke and I are your friends. You won't be alone anymore," Kaito said with a smile.
"Mm. So... I... I regret it now. I really don't want to die, Kaito..." By the end, tears were streaming down Tetsuren's face.
As if feeling her pain, Kushina couldn't hold back her own tears, which rolled down her cheeks one by one.
"Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to save you," Kaito said earnestly. "You won't die. We still have to travel the world together and see the sights of the ninja world, don't we?"
"Mm." The corners of Tetsuren's mouth turned up, but halfway through her smile, she suddenly coughed twice, spitting up a mouthful of blood.
"Big sister!" Kushina cried out in alarm.
"Kushina, you stay with your sister and talk to her. I'll be right back."
"Okay!"
Kaito closed his eyes and entered the seven-colored space with incredible speed. He bowed earnestly to Arceus. "Arceus, I'm begging you. Please, let me learn a healing skill!"
After speaking, he ran to the flawless, pure white Blank Plate and slammed both hands onto it. After a moment of thought, Kaito chose the Normal type; it was the easiest attribute to successfully comprehend.
Please, it has to work!
In a flow of light and land, he entered a white space where countless points of light floated. Kaito had been here many times before. With practiced ease, he closed his eyes, concentrated, and muttered to himself, "Heal Bell, Heal Bell..."
Relying on instinct, he reached out and grabbed one of the points of light, pressing it into his chest. After a long moment, an excited smile appeared on his face.
Leaving the seven-colored space, Kaito immediately woke up, only to be met with the sight of Tetsuren's pale, colorless face. He froze, then quickly grabbed her hand, feeling a bone-deep chill.
"Big Brother Kaito, big sister... she hasn't spoken in a long time..." Noticing Kaito's movement, Kushina looked up, her small, tear-streaked face crumpled.
Kaito didn't speak. A white light began to glow from his palm, gradually covering Tetsuren's entire body. A clear, crisp ringing sound echoed throughout the cave, lingering for a long time without stopping.
Ultimately, it faded into a sigh caught in his throat.
"Ha... I told you before, the outside world is a dangerous place. See? It came true, didn't it?..."
The warm sunlight shone on Kushina's body. The stuffy heat woke her from her dream, and she opened her hazy eyes. She stared blankly at the stone ceiling for a while, slowly recalling the events of last night, then turned to look beside her.
The older sister was gone. All that remained was a startlingly conspicuous red stain.
A shadow crossed her face. Kushina sat up and looked toward the mouth of the cave. A figure, both thin and strong, sat there in the same position she had seen before falling asleep, as if he hadn't moved at all.
She stood up, walked over to Kaito's side, and sat down. Together, they watched the rising sun, lost in a daze.
After a long time, Kaito spoke. "Kushina, have you ever experienced death?"
"I don't really understand what death means. But when my grandma passed away, Mom told me that even though I would never see her again, she had turned into the inconspicuous things around us. Maybe a blade of grass by the roadside, or a stone under my feet. She would always be watching us, silently protecting us, so there's no need to be sad."
"Mm. Maybe that's really how it is," Kaito said, his voice distant. "Once, I thought death was something very far away from me. Even after killing so many rabbits, so many deer, so many wolves, so many people, I didn't feel anything at all."
"Maybe it's because to me, they were just simple symbols, like characters living in a manga, with a deep chasm between them and me. But Tetsuren was different. I knew her for several months. I knew she was a stubborn girl who refused to admit defeat; I knew she had thick eyebrows and that her hair felt dry to the touch, a clear sign she rarely washed it; she didn't like to smile, but she looked quite cute when she did; she loved to eat meat, especially bear meat..."
As Kaito spoke, he waved his hands, as if sketching a living, breathing Tetsuren in the air before him.
"She was different from those other people. This vibrant, lively person... grew cold in my hands. To me, that is the reality of death."
Kushina didn't fully understand the meaning behind Kaito's words, but she could feel the sadness they contained. She didn't know what to do, so she could only imitate the way her mother comforted her, reaching out a small hand and gently patting Kaito on the back.
Once, twice...
Kaito turned his head and smiled at Kushina. "I'm fine. I'm just a little annoyed, a little angry. I never want a death like this to happen near me again. Someone once asked me if I had found a life goal worth fighting for. Now, I can answer him. I've found it."
"I'm going to change this world. Change this world that annoys me, until it matches the image in my mind."
Seeing Kushina's confused gaze, Kaito chuckled softly, patted her head, and stood up.
"Let's go. I'll take you back to the village."
"Eh? Have the bad guys been driven away?"
"More or less. Even if there are a few left, I can drive them away. But you need to be prepared. Where there is conflict, there will be death. Your family, your friends... maybe they were like Big Sister Tetsuren last night, losing their lives to protect the ones they loved."
The sudden revelation of this fact left Kushina at a loss. She bit her lip, her eyes filled with uncertainty.