031. Check the stove in the kitchen.

On thinking about it, maybe the fire started in the kitchen. The manor’s kitchen did have an old cast iron stove that is quite large and with all the normal servants gone to the battlefront little Chizu had been delegated the work of doing all the cooking for her two demanding masters. I often had to chop and bring wood for them, but tried to stay out of there as it just brought up too many painful memories of when the maids and servants used to serve me when I was little. Maybe Chizu accidentally did something to start the fire. If that was the case I better find out before Setsuko or Azami did, for Chizu's sake.

I didn’t run into anyone until I entered the kitchen and I was glad to see Chizu had returned well and perfectly healthy from Natsumi's care last night. Now she was already busy at work making her master's breakfasts. She smiled as I entered, but doesn't pause her morning routine. "Good morning Kenji-san. Chizu gives thanks one more time for life," she said very formally while mixing up some eggs and milk.

"It's okay Chizu. Think nothing of it," I said abashedly. Only then did she stop working.

"No Kenji-san," she said very seriously. "Chizu people take this body serious. Believe when this body saved it now belong to savior." I considered her words and could tell she wasn’t just playing with me like anyone else might have been; she really believed what she was saying. I really had no reply for that so just stood there speechless while she got back to work. What did you say to someone telling you their life was yours?

"So you’re saying that your… body belongs to me now?" She nodded. I figured she meant her life instead of her body, so I really shouldn't have, but unfortunately, my perverted nature got the better of me. "So if I wanted to use your body," I asked leading her.

"Then it belong to Kenji-san's," she said simply without looking up from her meal preparations. I let that be for the moment and just stewed it around in my head for a bit as I told her about my suspicions that I'd come in for in the first place, to investigate the source of last night's fire. She left me to it, but after looking the stove over, top to bottom I couldn't find anything wrong with it. It seemed to be in fine working order still and while I was looking around the base of it Chizu took her pan and started frying up the omelet she was making.

I didn't pay her much attention at first, but suddenly it occurred to me to look up and from my position at her feet, I was looking right up her frilly maid's skirt and could clearly see her thin legs and her lavender panties with a little bow on the front. Specifically captivating of my attention was the clearly defined camel toe that her groin formed as the fabric pinched just a little between the cleft in her groin. Something about that tiny fold just riveted me so much that I couldn't look away until she moved to remove the contents of the pan.

That broke the spell so I stood and considered taking my leave, but just had to make sure Chizu knew the difference between ‘life' and ‘body’. I'd hate for her to say something like that to the Takahashi's who would clearly get the wrong idea. "So Chizu," I said getting her attention. "I think you mean your life is mine, in a figurative sense instead of your body in a physical one."

She clearly didn't understand so just said again, "Chizu's body belong to Kenji-san."

"See, I think you are confused with words," I tried again to keep it simple. "If I asked you to kiss me, you wouldn't do it."

"Why?" Chizu asked confused.

"Because you wouldn't do sexy things just with me if I asked you to," I explained.

"Yes Chizu would," she said softly, yet definitively as she blushed slightly.

"So," I couldn't quite believe what she was saying. "If I asked you too..."

"Ah, good. Breakfast is ready," Setsuko cheered, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she walked in. She clearly hadn't heard what we were talking about, but still, it totally stopping me from continuing my conversation. The young blonde girl looked like she had just woken up still in her long flowing pajamas, and even her long hair a tangled mess, not yet brushed to perfection. She simply ignored us and just dug in while Chizu started washing up the pan she used when Azami too came in. Unlike her daughter, she looked completely ready for the day and looked questioningly at me.

"Kenji, what are you doing?" she asked me, yet not quite an accusation of trespassing, but she obviously meant something by it.

"Oh, uh, I was looking to make sure the stove didn't cause the fire last night," I explained, but it sounded rather lame now. "Just to make sure you didn't have another fire."

"And?" she asked, but I just looked at her blankly. She sighed with exasperation, "Did you find anything?"

"Oh, uh, no," I muttered. It sounded even worse now since I had nothing to show for my time.

"Well that's great," she said, but it wasn't as sarcastic as it could have been. Maybe she was glad to know the stove was safe? "Now then, Chizu I want you to take this order down to Mister Cho," she said holding out a paper shopping list to her. But then she turned to me and added, "There are some heavy items there, so could you please help Chizu with that?"

"Uh, sure," I said shocked at how cordially she was speaking to me. Did Azami have a change of heart with a near-**** experience from that fire? Asking instead of commanding me, and using 'please'?

"Thank you," she said and sat down to enjoy her own breakfast as Chizu already began to leave so I quickly followed her out. I hoped her unexpected change of attitude would last, but I didn't have a lot of expectations for that. For now, I was just going to accept it as some good fortune and not try and ruin it.

Chizu didn't seem to notice, or care as she just got her shoes on at the door and then walked outside, making me run to catch up as I'd taken off my shoes by the back door. "Chizu," I called as I ran up to her and she paused for just a moment so I could walk with her. "So Azami sure is acting nice."

"The mistress is always wonderful," she said in a practiced drone. I guess Chizu wasn't being treated any differently. She was still a ****, and she hadn't had a choice about her duties and wasn't offered the same pleasantries. I didn't realize I was being tactless and suddenly felt bad rubbing my freedom in her face.

"Sorry," was all I could say. Chizu didn't respond, but we just walked towards the town together and I considered trying to press her more about the whole body being mine issue, but it felt really inappropriate now so I just walked silently with her the rest of the way to the general store that old Mister Cho ran.

We were just about to go in when there was a loud shout, "Chizu you barb’ian bitch!" Talk about another change in character! Natsumi spotted us entering the store from a stool she sat on to watch people go by and welcome them into her dojo normally, but today she was standing up from it, a nearly empty sake bottle in hand and staggering back and forth as she aggressively stomped her way towards us. "I shood 'ave let you die!"

We weren't the only ones surprised as the few other people about stopped what they were doing to watch the freaky behavior by one of the town's most respected citizens. I was about to tell Chizu to get in the store, but with a loud click, I heard the lock on the sure close and the shameful look of cowardice on old man Cho through the window before he scurried away. I couldn't really blame him for not wanting Natsumi to trash his wares in her drunken rage, but it still made me angry.

"Stay here Chizu. I'll handle this, but be ready to run when I say to," I instructed her with uncharacteristic bravery. I was scared shitless, but Chizu wouldn't last a second being the focus of Natsumi's rage. Not that I'd fare much better, but at least I wasn't her target, and she was obviously drunk. Maybe I could distract her enough for Chizu to get away.

"Natsumi, I need to talk with you," I started, but she just ignored me and tried to push right through me. I hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but I kicked out one of her legs from under her and yelled, "Run Chizu!"

She took off as the mammoth drunken Amazon tumbled into the dirt in front of her. Despite being completely smashed Natsumi was a master martial artist and she snapped up to her still unsteady feet in an instant and then pulled out the game changer; inside her tunic, she had stuffed a dagger and she lunged at Chizu's back. I had just enough strength to push her arm away, missing the small foreign girl by only an inch. Having thrown everything into that lunge she was off balance for another second as I just backed off and waited while Chizu made her quick retreat. She was probably safely away already, but I had to stall her to be sure.

"What's wrong with you Natsumi?" I yelled at her.

"What's wrong?!" she screamed at me. "Shinji is dead! Ikari is dead. Everyone I ever loved is dead. That's what's wrong!" Oh shit. I knew any messages from the front pretty much came to her first, but a new one must have come in this morning with the bad news. Our army must have fallen and that meant soon the barbarians would be here. "Everyone's dead so I'm gonna make her dead too," she finished and then started walking again.

Boldly, and stupidly, I jumped in front of her. "Chizu didn't kill them. I won't let you kill her."

"Let me?" she spat and then backhanded me away. I flew like a rag doll away with her slap, and both Yuki and Hazuka came to assist me, but I ignored their pleas to leave Natsumi alone and just jumped up and onto her back to stop her.

I didn't have a plan, and that was my fault. Natsumi, drunk as she was, flailed about trying to toss me off, but I rode her like a mad bull as she raged and grabbed at me. The clincher came when both Yuki and Hazuka jumped in, each grabbing an arm, but the sudden cry Hazuka made was bone-chilling, as was the sight of Natsumi's dagger sticking out of her chest as she got unluckily in the wrong place.

Suddenly everything changed. I jumped off and shouted, "Hazuka!" as I rushed to her side.

Yuki was already there and pressing her hands hard against the other girl's chest. "Don't pull it out!" she shouted. "Someone, go get my grandmother!"

There were so many people around now, talking and leering at Hazuka as she paled in my arms while Yuki tried to stop the bleeding. Hazuka gasped, then looked at me and whispered, "I love you, Kenji," before coughing up blood. My stomach churned sickeningly as I saw her face slowly going white while Yuki's hands turned red.

"I love you too, Hazuka! Stay with me!" I shouted at her, but then Hazuka's eyes looked up past me and her pupils went wide. I knew she was gone then, but I still kept trying to talk to her as everything got blurry. I didn't realize how much I was crying until I couldn't see anymore, but still, I held her. Nothing else mattered anymore, I had to keep holding her, or else she would really be gone.

I don't know for how long I was allowed to just cry with Hazuka's lifeless body, but at some point, my numb arms were pried away and people were talking to me, but I was dead inside. Detached from my body, I couldn't feel or think anymore. All I could see was Hazuka with her lips turning blue saying she loved me. With the news of Shinji and my father dying I should have been sad for them already, but I hated both of them really. Both of them were bullies. The person who really was my closest friend in the whole world was Hazuka, and suddenly having her die in my arms kind of broke me.

Then I was walking, being led by Yuki's warm hand to somewhere, but I didn't care where. I'd never see Hazuka again, or hear her laugh, or get caught up in one of her crazy schemes. It didn't matter where I went anymore. We went inside a building, sat down on a bed, and she just held me for a long time.

Eventually, I saw we were in her home sitting on her bed. It felt good holding her and I felt like that was somehow betraying Hazuka because we could never hold each other ever again. Not that we really ever had, but it felt like a betrayal still on principle. I shifted and gently eased out of Yuki's grip and she allowed me to just sit there next to her. I looked at her hands that had been covered with so much blood, but they were clean now. She must have washed them, but her dress was still covered with it, now black and stale.

"I'm sorry your dress was ruined," was all I could say. It was pathetic, but everything was so surreal and crazy.

She started crying again. She was crying before, wasn't she? Her face was wet so she must have. She never liked Hazuka, but now she was crying over her dress. I wanted to get angry, but then she kissed me. It was so nice everything else just faded away for a while. If only I could feel like this forever, then I could forget the pain.

After she parted her lips from mine she said almost laughing through her tears, "I don't care about the stupid dress." Then she looked at me with her sweet green eyes like warm soft grass on a summer’s day and asked, "Would you like to talk?"