Path Of Blood - 74 Chapter 65

When Haruki caught up to winter she was justcrouched down on a nearby tree. Hugging her knees. She wasn’t crying anymore but she was silent. Her eyes were hollow.

He tried calling her, but she won’t respond. When he reached his arms towards her, she immediately jolted and crawled backwards. The way she looked at his hand was full of fear.

She looked terrified, Because deep down when she thought that when she took that hand there was no going back.

But then She realized that it was Haruki who reached his hands towards her. She meekly took his hand and felt the warmth emanating from it. Her breathing grew steady, She stared at the boy who reached his hands towards her. He was wearing his signature faint and cocky smile.

She steadily regained clarity and she finally calmed down. It was weird, even though the rain and the sound of thunder was deafening. She could sound out his voice.

“Hey, Why don’t we go back to the cave? It’s warm there and… I made soup.”

Those words alone brought tears to her eyes. She gave him a weak nod, after puking her guts out. She was evidently hungry. She could even hear her own stomach growling.

The simplest of gestures can send ripples through out someone’s psyche. This tiny thing that Haruki did. Finding her amidst the storm. Even though they were supposed to be enemies. Comforted her weak Heart at the moment.

They went back inside the cave, Even though the place was damp. And the surface was Rocky. To winter this was slightly comforting. Haruki tossed clothes towards Winters direction.

“I’ll wait outside… Just call me when you’re done.”

Winter once more stared at his departing back. But a faint smile surfaced. After changing she called Haruki back.

They both sat down in front of each other, She stared at the soup he handed to her. She scooped a mouthful. It was warm…

Tears slowly slid down on her face, “How? How could you live with the fact that you killed someone? Doesn’t it haunt you? Like… Like a recurring nightmare that never ends?”

Haruki continued to down his soup, after several big gulps. He wiped his mouth and stood up. Winter thinking that she might have asked something insensitive quickly closed her mouth. She wiped her tears and sighed.

He came back with a huge bag, It clanked as he walked. Like the sound of bottles hitting each other. Winter wondered where he gets these things.

Haruki stole the stash of alcohol from the soldiers. In the Hut there was a tiny little cupboard filled with bottles of Beer and Vodka.

So he snuck in and stole a few… no he stole all of it.

“Here… Drink up, it’s going to be a long talk…”

She took the bottle of beer and sipped from it. It was bitter, and a little sour. She creased her brows as she tasted it. She only drank socially. And she only drank the finest wine atlas could offer.

She wasn’t used to the taste but it was bearable. Haruki smirked at her, “It’s an acquired taste Missy.”

She furrowed her brows at Haruki, “Aren’t you a little young to be drinking?”

Haruki slapped his forehead as he remembered, “Oh… Rules don’t apply to me.”

“I am a soldier remember?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Well slacken up a bit. You won’t get a boyfriend that way Ice Queen.”

Winter sighed, “Fine just this time!”

Haruki smirked, “Oh… So there will be a next time huh? Looking forward to it.”

Winter rolled her eyes, and after a few breaths she looked at Haruki.

“What did you feel when you ended someone else’s life?”

Haruki gave a hollow laugh as he to a swig straight from the bottle, “I remember feeling guilty, I felt Despair… and most importantly anger…

I thought that those feelings would last an entire lifetime but after a few hours when I went back and checked. All I felt was emptiness. The pain I Have caused would stay with me for an entire lifetime.”

Winter silently listened to him, She was shaking beneath the blankets, but she did her best not to show it.

“And because of that kill, unhappiness turned into anger and spread throughout my entire being. Then I stepped into the mercenary business.

Then into the battlefield…

It was a living hell, to see people die… Deserving or innocent. It was horrifying all the same…

The air was choked with the stench of dead men, allies or otherwise. The smell of gunpowder, and the land soaked with blood. The burning smell of charred remains. The tears shed by the innocent. You could easily go crazy…”

Winter covered her mouth as she listened in. But she had to ask, “Why? Why did I have to kill those people? When I… Killed those people… They were on a trance, they were mad, as if they ignored their own injuries and just kept killing. When I saw the Carnage my mind went blank and just kept… Killing.

I have been waging a war within myself, In black and white. The wrong and right. But why? please tell me…”

She looked at her own shaking hands, “Please tell me… If soldiers are supposed to protect the people. Why am I killing them instead? I thought I trained to bring people hope. To fight against Grimm. Why is it being used for murder?”

Haruki sympathetically looked towards winter and sighed.

“Because that’s what soldiers do…”

Winter furrowed her brows as she shouted towards Haruki. “I didn’t enlist for this kind of cruel and horrible scene!”

“I know what you’re thinking. [I’m doing this against my will.] Those were your thoughts as you struck down your enemies.”

Haruki crossed his arms together, “Can you say for certain there hasn’t been a time where you didn’t feel good about your own skill as you struck down your enemy?”

Winter widened her eyes in fear, her thoughts raced and remembered that moment in her dream where she repeatedly struck her enemies. That horrifying smile.

She looked down and hugged her shoulders. Haruki ignored her trembling as he continued. He needs her to face the reality of the situation.

“A battlefield is a place for murder, Did you put on that uniform without being prepared to kill?”

“Yes! But I was expecting to kill Grimm and protect people.”

“Those are Hunters! you’re a soldier! There’s a huge difference between them! To show mercy to your enemies is to be cruel to yourself. If you don’t take advantage of the window to eliminate all your enemies then you will surely incur the bitter consequences of your own weakness.”

Winter clenched her fists, “Then what about you!? why do you fight!? Why do you kill? why did you save me then if it’s all the same to you!?”

“Easy…

Because I don’t want to die, Reasons are always simple. I do what I do because someone more powerful than me could kill me anytime.”

Winter held his hands gently, “Then why? you have enough strength to change this world!”

Haruki smirked towards his remark, He removed his mask. Revealing a well featured face, and eyes as dark as the abyss. “A single human can only do so much… even with tremendous power. Believe me I’ve seen that first hand…”

Winter widened her eyes, “I thought you were a faunus? Why were you wearing that mask?”

Haruki didn’t answer her, So she asked him once again. “Tell me then, why am I tasked on killing the people of my own kingdom?”

Haruki looked outside the cave, towards the rain. “You were given orders it was that simple.”

Winter scoffed she stood up and grabbed Haruki by the collar, “Those weren’t orders! They sent me here to protect me and shelter me from the danger! Look where it got me!! I’ve dyed my hands red with blood!! How can I face my sister… My mother!? My own fucking family when I’m like this!?”

Haruki leaned his head towards the wall and stared at winter straight in the eye. “Return home…and swallow every horrible thing I’ve done here. And smile when I’m with them, That’s what I would do. And Swear on my life I would make them happy…”

She loosened Her grip towards him and stepped back, the bottles were knocked down spilling the beer and vodka.

Staring at the floor she weakly sat down. She gave a hollow laugh. She looked towards Haruki as he sat down near beside her.

He brought out a picture of a girl from his jacket and stared at it. He was standing beside a girl with three shades of color on her hair. Winter saw the picture and asked if she was his sister.

“Heh, something like that. But it’s also more than that. This is also what keeps me alive. This picture of us smiling, let’s me dream of a tomorrow. In this battle that may never end. This helps me get a strong grip on reality.

Since you have a sister yourself don’t you feel the same. Doing our best, even though we don’t know when the battle may end.

We suffer, conquer, and then what’s left? Nothing but empty land, devoid of both hope and people.

That’s why… No matter how many times I have to do this, I must protect that smile, even if they’re just a handful of people… I would do my best to protect the ones most important to me.”

He stood up slowly and went outside leaving those words for winter to ponder alone.

The rain finally stopped. The night was completely silent, and yet Haruki stood outside drinking a glass, to everyone he’s killed. And for everyone that died in his arms.

After a few Hours Morning finally came, and the long awaited sun, shone brightly towards them.

Winter changed back into her military clothes, picked up her weapon and stood behind Haruki.

“So you decided to take this path, even after what happened in that mountain?”

Winter nodded, “Yes…”

Haruki stretched his limbs, “Alright, We’ve got work to do…”

Winter was hesitant but she finally gained the courage to ask. “I’ve… I have never gotten your name…”

Haruki scratched his nose, “Kazama Haruki… That’s my real name. But on the white fang They call me Kaz. You might have heard of me?”

Winter shook her head, “No…”

Haruki raised his eyebrows, “Really? I’m pretty sure Im quite notorious…”

Winter giggled towards his remark, “Well if you were well known just your outfit alone would be remembered.”

Haruki nodded, “I see… that makes perfect sense. You’re a genius Winter!”

“Well enough talk let’s go, we’ve got a bad guy to catch.”

But when she looked behind her Haruki was posing in front of a puddle, He was testing out if his current outfit stood out.

He was nodding his head, “I see… This may seem like I’m permanently stuck in eighth grade… I’m going to ask Neo to sew me a new one.”

Winter opened her eyes wide, “Hehehe, What are you doing?”

“Increasing my charm!” He said as he flexed In his own reflection.

She sighed, “Can we go?”

Haruki removed his mask and smiled towards winter, “Well do I look good?”

Winter smirked, “Pahahaha, I never knew that you’re quite conscious of your appearance.”

“Impact milady, That’s how you get known!”

She dubiously raised her eyebrows and made a glyph freezing the puddle.

“Oh thanks, it was really hard to se- -”

But before he could finish Winter stepped on the ice and broke it.

“Can we go?” She said with a beautiful smile, but deep down Haruki knows if he stalled one more time he might die.

Haruki shrugged his shoulders, “Alrighty then… Let’s get moving.”

Winters face turned serious as she gripped her blade, Her hands was still shaking a little. Haruki noticed this so he grabbed her hand. He smiled toward Her, “It’s okay I’m here…”

She nodded towards him, “Thanks, Perhaps if it wasn’t for you I would’ve died a hundred times over.”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Well it’s my honor…”

Winter crossed her shoulders, “Come to think of it why are you here?”

“I’ll tell you on the way…”

He stared at the mountain shrine where the faceless set their destination as. They would investigate there first. They both agreed to tread the mountains instead of the beaten path.

It was Time to put an end to this madness.