Corpse March

Chapter 14

It’s been three days since Haru got involved with the Neo Magical Academy, three days since she got married, three days since Kagami was killed. That’s more or less seventy two hours for all of it to sink in and yet, none of it feels real. Haru stares blankly at the ground as she walks, trying to absorb everything. The roots of trees, grass, and pebbles dominate her vision. If she breathes, she smells the fresh scent of the earth beneath her feet. Three days of the exact same sight, this trek had long started boring her. At some point, Tsumugi’s endless questions started to become entertaining again. 

“Is it really true that the survivors of the Original Magical Academy were promptly hunted down?”

“I don’t know but that… that sounds about right.”

“Are you surprised?”

“No, not really. But it’s a lot messier than the civilized breakup that our history textbooks made it sound like.”

“Originally, Takakumo city was founded by my mom, Hoshi Tsubame, to shelter the survivors of the Original Magical Academy. Through sheer luck alone, the leftovers that would have been hunted down and captured instead managed to escape by the skim of their teeth into the mountains and disappear off the face of the Earth.”

“I see. Well that explains why you all distrust us so much.”

“Not me, no. But many of Takakumo’s citizens are either Papilio or were raised by people who saw the destruction humanity wrought firsthand. Not enough time has passed for those scars to have healed.”

“I don’t blame them. But why don’t you share the same distrust?”

“Before my mom became God-Queen, my mom was a Monarch. And unfortunately for me, that also makes me a Monarch. One that everyone tolerates because my mom was God-Queen… but still just a Monarch.”

“Damn. That sounds like it sucks ass.”

“Oh yeah, it does. For all of Takakumo’s distaste for humanity, it’s ironic that we’re still not immune to prejudice, no?”

She gives Haru a wry smile. One that does a poor job of concealing the clenched fist by her side. In the pattern of yellow and red dancing on her skin, she thinks she spots genuine anger. Tsumugi sighs. 

“Well, it can’t be helped. All I can do is chip away at that legacy. One good deed at a time.”

Haru isn’t sure if she’s rocking herself back and forth to comfort herself or nodding to affirm herself. 

“I’m actually going to finally be opening an orphanage as soon as we get back. It’s going to be the first one in the whole city. Can you imagine that? The first one in the whole city. I should be happy, but I’m more angry that it took this long to get a single one.”

“An orphanage?”

“Most papilio have reached an equivalent maturity to a 15 to 18 year old human by the time they’re freed. They pose a housing problem, but they can be put to work immediately so they’re relatively unproblematic. It’s the ones that are underdeveloped that pose a real issue. They can’t work which means they can’t earn money which means they can’t pay for goods or services. The lucky ones are adopted by small ‘families’ of Papilio, but others are less lucky and have to steal to survive. I think having a dedicated orphanage will be a lot of strain off of the little guys as well as the people they have to steal from.”

“Ah. That’s… that’s pretty kind of you.”

“You think so? Thanks. I’m not used to being complimented like this so I appreciate it.”

“I mean, it’s an orphanage. Short of throwing money out of your own pocket, that’s about as generous as it gets.”

“Ah, if only everyone else could see it that way. Everyone seems to think that I’m raising my own army of child soldiers.”

Haru laughs but quickly stops when she sees that Tsumugi’s dead serious. 

“Wait really?”

“They seem to think so.”

She shrugs. 

“It can’t be helped. I can’t really blame them. I might be the same way if I was in their position.”

“Fair enough.”

They continue walking in silence like that. It’s not that either of them wants the conversation to end, it simply just does, like a passing breeze. Little by little, the sun reaches its peak in the sky and they stop for lunch. Lunch itself is bland. More wild game stew. They say that repetition makes the heart grow fonder, but Haru’s really not feeling that right now. Though, there is something that does crack her boredom slightly. 

“It was one of the first of its kind.”

Kikimi slaps the side of the abandoned Monarchian train they’re eating their lunch in. Caked on dust cracks and crumbles off in small chunks from her gentle touch. It’s both eerie and comforting seeing something so big, so empty, so dead once again filled with life. Even for just a small while. Haru feels a little something like a maggot in a carcass. Kikimi’s voice snaps her out of her thoughts.

“All the ones scattered around here are. The Monarchs started using them to search for Takakumo. You could imagine our surprise when we saw these freaking things travel damn near ninety degree angles to climb the sides of mountains.” 

She says it plainly and with just a hint of hostility she’s only gotten around to partially burying. Beside her is Tsumugi, with her hands politely folded on her lap as she sits cross-legged on the ground. 

“Those were… trying times. If they found us, there would have been an all-out war. And then the survivors would have to found the Neo Neo Magical Academy.”

“Yes. Precisely.”

“That’s cool and all, and I’m enamored, but how much further do we have left to go?”

“Hmph.”

“No offense, Kikimi. It’s not that I want to be rude, but I just don’t… care?”

“Why you–!”

“Let’s all just calm down. There will be much time to introduce Haru to our rich history and culture once we arrive at Takakumo which should only be a short way from here now.”

“How short we talking here? Like a few days short or ten minutes short?”

“Twenty minutes.”

“There you go. Happy yet?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I am.”

“Well…”

Tsumugi adjusts her glasses. 

“Technically, we’re looking at about an hour before we get to the city itself since we still have to get through security.”

“Damn. Y’all got customs here too?”

“Yes. Though they were never quite as bad as when Gleam took over.”

Kikimi shrugs.

“She’s doing her best to keep us safe. If it takes a couple more hours to get through customs than usual, then so be it.”

“Let’s just take extra care with handling our loyalties, Kikimi. Your wife’s death was no accident, and you and I both already have a prime suspect for who was pulling the strings.”

“Yes. Thank you for the reminder.”

And on that sour piece, the conversation is over. Haru slides her dish off to her side and rests KANNIBAL on her leg. Note by note, chord by chord, she coaxes out a gentle country tune. Little by little, she feels her body relax as her fingers travel a road she knows better than the inside of her own head. Little by little, she sees both Tsumugi and Kikimi start to relax as well.