Chapter 42
Lost…
The sun was dipping behind the trees, casting long shadows that now reached his feet. Kazuki was carving a trench with his pacing. “They’re late.”
A meaty hand landed on his shoulder.
“I know,” Shintarō said, his features closed off. “They can’t be far, relax, Kazu.”
Relax. Fisting his fingers in his pocket, he felt his annoyance rise at Shūji’s propensity to get into mischief. Did he have to drag Elyna into his mess? And what about Haruki, he who never broke a rule even if his life depended on it?
I shouldn’t have asked her to deal with this mess.
The last group of stragglers had popped up fifteen minutes ago, and the trio had yet to make an appearance. When he got his hands on them…
Kazuki checked his phone for the thousandth time; the service bar went on an off, unsurprising given the remote location. But even when it caught the signal, there was no message. If Elyna was on an alternative provider…
The sound of feet pounding on soft ground reached him, and Kazuki whirled around with a scowl. He usually kept his scoldings scarce, but the infernal trio was about to receive the tongue-lashing of the… The DUO.
His heart skipped a beat as both boys ran to the group. ONLY the boys.
“Sensei!” Haruki’s voice cracked.
Blood drained from Kazuki’s face as he watched his ever-stoic student panic. Haruki was pale as a ghost, and he felt his veins turn to ice. This is bad. But how bad?
“Where is Elyna-san?” he questioned; voice rough. It was a panting Shūji who responded, face red and clutching his chest. “We’ve lost her.”
Lost. She was lost, alone, in a forest about to become cold enough to bring someone to hypothermia. Stricken, Kazuki felt his throat close.
“Shūji-kun!” Shintarō reached out to stabilise the teen.
“What do you mean, lost?” he growled.
His uncharacteristic show of aggression startled his students.
“She… was ahead of us,” started Haruki, looking hesitant. “We stopped for a moment, and when we set off to join her, she had disappeared. We searched everywhere, and ran along our designated area, but she is not on the path.”
Kazuki’s stomach plummeted; there were too many scenarios without a happy ending.
Did Elyna slip? Fall in a pool? Worse, she was young, beautiful, an exotic beauty.
Japan was a safe country, but there were all kinds of people on hiking trails, not all of them harmless.
His fists clenched as he tried to regulate his own emotions with logic.
Elyna had picked up the basics of self-defence… But against someone bigger, stronger? Surely they would hear her screams if… No. He needed to keep his cool, and stop spiralling into nightmare scenarios. How much time did he have before ill befell her?
Of all possibilities, hypothermia was the mildest, yet still a real threat.
She has a foil blanket, his mind supplied. His heart ignored the rational thought, giving a painful squeeze. Kazuki suddenly felt all the weight of the things he’d kept for himself, all those confessions he might never get to tell her because professional boundaries had stayed his hand.
Shintarō pulled him out of his daze with a thorough interrogation.
“Did you call out?” he asked Shūji. “Where is your map?”
The student swatted the teacher’s hands away to stand tall, even though his voice was shaking. “Of course we did! She’s got the map, that baka, how could she lose her way in less than fifteen minutes!”
Idiot. Kazuki’s fists clenched. Shūji may be lashing out from the fear, but Elyna wasn’t half the idiot they were. If only those two morons had done their job properly!
“Shin!” he called, interrupting Shūji’s ramblings. “Gather the others, and get to the bus. I’ll go and get her.”
Bless his flatmate: Shintarō didn’t even protest.
“We’re coming with!” Shūji blurted out.
“No!” Kazuki retorted harshly. “You’ve done enough damage. I’ll deal with you when I get back.”
He didn’t stay to see the stunned look on Shūji’s face at the threat, already jogging away to the tree line where shadows beckoned for him. “Sensei!” Haruki’s voice cut through the roaring in his ears.
Kazuki only halted for a second, bellowing a mighty, “Hai?” that screamed of urgency. The boy’s face was pale as a sheet, features locked in fear.
“She’s afraid of spiders. There were a lot on our path.”
Spiders. Of course. Panic would only throw her deeper into danger.
He lifted his hand once to acknowledge the information, then dipped under the tree line with the determination of a warrior.
A few rays still filtered through the bare branches, but darkness was coming fast. He had to reach her before the forest claimed her completely.
Furious, Kazuki was losing his sanity with every passing moment; he started running in earnest, ears attuned to the slightest sound.
Shadows lengthened as the sun dipped, and there was still no trace of her.
Minutes slithered away like sand sliding between fingers, his pulse racing.
The relentless pace made his legs burn, and he almost tore his sleeve when it caught in a bush.
Where the hell is she?
It was no wonder; Elyna was a dancer, light of foot and elusive as a fairy.
To think of her, safe and smiling, brought him solace; it kept him from going completely insane in his mad dash.
Her voice echoed in his mind, singing the haunting Norwegian lullaby as mist rose from the depths of the forest. Kazuki stumbled on a root and barely caught himself.
Get a grip. You’ll be useless if you fall.
He forced himself to slow down, if only to check every nook and cranny of the underbrush. Whatever challenges thrown in her path, Elyna had always overcome them. But the darkness creeping through the forest became heavier, and he wondered how she fared.
Are you afraid, all alone in those dark woods?
Kazuki cursed himself for being too indulgent. Japanese students were more disciplined than most, the usual inner structure enough to keep them in line.
Never, in the past ten years, had they caused such trouble. But he’d known Haruki wasn’t at the top of his form, and Shūji was a wildcard. He’d made a monumental mistake, one he would probably pay for dearly. He was ready to face the consequences.
But not his sweet Elyna. His chest constricted at the thought of her huddled somewhere in the dark.
What if she can’t scream for help?
While his body pushed forward with relentless determination, his rational mind worked in overdrive.
“Elyna!” he attempted yet again.
Only silence met his desperate shouts.
The further Kazuki progressed, the less light remained until he had to fish out his emergency torch. Slowly, his wrath abated; if he couldn’t find her, with all his experience, how could he blame his students? They had both searched until night threatened to engulf the hills.
But anger had been safer to cling to. Safer than the fear creeping up his spine. His breath was short, sweat gathering on his skin as he pushed further from the meeting point. How far? The beam of his torch revealed extended spider webs, one torn at the base; Elyna’s doing or an animal?
Kazuki paused to take a breather, blaming himself for needing a break.
Had she passed through here? Kazuki glanced at the map and grimaced; two possibilities, and no idea which one to pick. And even then, who said she’d followed the paths? For all he knew, Elyna could have ducked under any of those trees to disappear into the forest itself.
A sudden rustle caused him to whirl around, torch at the ready.
A dozen snow-white balls of feathers flitted above him, chirping cheerfully.
Eyes wide, Kazuki recognised a flock of snow fairies.
For a breath, he could only observe in wonder; those birds were hunted by photographers, and not often seen.
Heart rattling his ribcage, he watched them hop around high branches until they suddenly took off in the underbrush at full speed. Little balls of light, like fluffy cotton, diving down the lowest path, guiding him through the falling night.
Is this a sign?
Kazuki dove in pursuit, hoping he wasn’t making a tremendous mistake. As he ran, he tried to quell the frantic beating of his heart as well as the horrible thoughts that plagued his mind. Elyna, fallen from a cliff side, broken and bloody. Or attacked by a bear.
Ridiculous, we would never expose the students to bears. Tch. I’m losing my mind.
He pushed on, ears strained for the slightest whimper.
He would soon cross the hot spring river, then circle back on the path to try the second one.
How far could she be? Had he missed her already?
What if she’d been bitten by a centipede?
Elyna feared harmless spiders, but would she stay away from dangerous creatures?
Eventually, his nose caught a familiar smell.
Kazuki paused, filling his lungs with much-needed oxygen. His chest hurt from the abuse and the increasingly cold air. A few long draughts later, he finally recognised the whiff. A fire! It was a fire! Praying to Kami-sama that it wasn’t a random camper, he called out again: “Elyna!”
His voice broke, but he still caught a muffled response. His heart stuttered. A few hundred metres later, another cry came. Clearer, and distinctly feminine.
"Sensei!”
He switched off the torch; in the darkness, the lights of a campfire danced. And behind it stood Elyna, bare legs plunged in the river, steam surrounding her in the chill like will-o-wisps.
Eyes widening, Kazuki took in her state of undress—half-naked in the flickering light. His blood ran cold; why was she washing herself? The worst scenario unravelled in his mind and he dashed forward.
If she’d been… he would never forgive himself. Never…
Kami-sama, please, let her be alright.
Aksel: So I know your network is shitty, but I want to blow it up with silly stuff before you power it back ??