Ep.41: The Mysterious Woman with the Shamisen, Part 1

“Ye warriors must fight on!

‘Cause the night has just begun!”

“Hmmm… this feels like…” I say and look off into the distance.

“Fukai… Fukai, is something the matter?” Anaea asks as she taps me on the shoulder.

“Huh?” I glance at Anaea before my eyes are pulled back towards the distance. “It’s nothing… lost in thought, I guess.”

“Let’s keep looking,” Anaea says and smiles. “‘Kay?”

“Alright! Back at it!” I announce while running up to the first person I see. I tell him of the adventure we had within the Deep Jungle, along with all the horrible things that were happening. “Will you help me in my cause?” I beseech, desperately hoping the answer will be yes.

The stranger just laughs in my face before dismissing me and walking away.

“Dammit!” I growl upon seeing Maka and Anaea fail as well, getting the same response from the people they tell our story to. Just thinking about what King Al’Jun said earlier that evening causes the burning anger coiled in my chest to tighten further. “I need to keep going!”

***

“…I can’t believe this!” Fukai snaps, his frustration boiling over into his voice as he frantically scratches his head because everyone around us continues to ignore what we have to say. “H-How come they don’t understand the situation? It’s serious!”

“Fukai, it’s no good.” Anaea looks around. “No one,” she sniffs, “believes us.” She wipes the tears from her eyes.

“Umm… maybe we should relocate to a different part of town and try our luck there?” I propose to Fukai as I come up beside him, watching the oblivious people that pass us by.

“Dammit…” Fukai says, putting words to our shared frustration. “What does he even know, anyways?” Fukai brushes me aside, storming off towards the outskirts of Coatlicue. “I’ll show him! For sure!” he declares, his grim determination settling into his expression and hardening his gaze.

“Fukai, wait!” I reach out for him, hesitating at the last second. “…Let’s think about this.” I hold my ears tight against my chest, surprised by my previous assertiveness. “I’m sure we can think of something.”

He pauses for a second.

“Maka, let Fukai go.” Anaea puts her hand on my shoulder. “I think he needs his space.” Anaea looks at Fukai. “So, for the time being, let him go.”

“But, Anaea, you don’t understand…” I say as I push Anaea away. “It’s all true! From the jungle turning into living ash, to us meeting the Oki! It’s simply…!” I try to calm myself down, “…all true.”

“Wait, what are you trying to say?” Anaea says, doubt and worry creeping into her tone.

“Look, Anaea, I know you mean well… but I know how you are.” I walk over to a bench and sit down, needing a moment to keep my emotions in check. “…And even if there’s a big part of you that believes, there is always going to be that little part that’s skeptical,” I wave Anaea over to sit next to me, “and that’s fine.”

Anaea walks over and sits. “So it’s all true? Huh.”

“Listen carefully to what I have to say, Anaea, because every part of this is true.” I begin to go into full detail about our adventures within the Deep Jungle. “It all started when Ramsey and I listened to an idiot… again…”