Page 27 of Water Moon

Chapter Twenty-seven

Duty and Debt

A garden of paper flowers had bloomed on the table by the time Haruto had finished recounting the events of Toshio’s visit. He mindlessly folded a kusudama flower and planted it at the end of a row, balancing it on the table’s edge. It fell off and landed by Hana’s feet.

Hana picked up the flower and handed it back to Haruto. “Did it work? Were you able to make paper out of the bones and fold time?”

Haruto crumpled the flower in his fist.

“Haruto?” Hana prodded.

He began to fold another sheet of paper. “It worked perfectly.”

Hana clutched his wrist, stopping him in the middle of a crease. “Haruto, please. Tell me what my father saw.”

He set the paper down. “I cannot.”

“Why? Because my father made you promise to keep his secret? What use is a promise if he is dead? We need to find him before it’s too late.”

“I cannot tell you because I do not know what your father saw. Your father took the time I had folded and left.”

“No.” Hana’s voice frayed. “There has to be more. Something. Anything.”

“My only other memory of that day is the look on your father’s face when I put the folded day in his hands. And all I saw in his eyes was regret. Whatever that day revealed must have something to do with his disappearance. It cannot be a coincidence. But as to where he has gone or why, there is nothing more I can tell you. I’m sorry. I wish I could have been of more help.”

“You can be,” Keishin said. “Do it again.”

“What?” Haruto shot him a sharp glance.

“Fold time again.”

“Didn’t you hear anything I said? Folding time from our world is forbidden. Folding time taken from the stolen bones of a Shiikuin is a thousand times worse. To this day, I wake up at night wondering if this is the hour that I will find the Shiikuin at my door.”

“You took the risk for Toshio,” Keishin said.

“I did. Is that not enough?”

“Not if you truly want to help Hana as you say you do. If you cared about Hana at all—”

“It is not your place to presume to tell me how I should feel about Hana or what I should or should not do. Who do you think you are? You don’t even belong here.”

Keishin stood up, his jaw tight. Hana gripped his arm and pulled him away from Haruto. “Haruto is right.”

“But—”

“What he did for my father is more than enough.” Hana let go of Keishin and turned to Haruto. “I cannot and will not ask you for more than you have already done. Keishin and I will find another way to find my father.” She looked at Keishin. “We should go.”

Keishin nodded and reached for her hand.

“Wait.” The word tumbled from Haruto’s mouth before Keishin’s fingers found Hana’s. “I will do it.”

Hana gasped. “But the Shiikuin—”

“Can try and stop me.”

Hana moved closer to him. “You don’t have to do this…”

“I will not be able to forgive myself if something happens to you because I was a coward,” Haruto said.

“You’re not a coward.” Hana touched his arm.

“I only have one bone fragment left. I used the other two for your father and saved one in case something went wrong. I will make the paper and fold time as best I can, but I cannot guarantee that you will be able to see everything that your father did.”

“Whatever the paper holds, it will be more than I know now,” Hana said.

“Every single person in our world owes your family a great debt. I owe your father even more. I will never be able to repay what he did for me and my mother, but I will try,” Haruto said. “But first I need to collect the bone from the place I hid it. I did not dare to keep it here. Retrieving it may take some time. You will be more comfortable if you spend the night at the guest house in town and return tomorrow morning. I should have everything ready for you by then.” He pulled a blank sheet of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Hana. “Take this. I will use it to get in touch with you in case something goes wrong.”

“Nothing will go wrong.” Hana took the paper from him.

Haruto turned to Keishin. “Keep her safe.”

“I will,” Keishin said.

“Thank you for doing this, Haruto.” A tear escaped Hana’s lashes.

“There is no need to thank me. This is a debt that I owe to your father.” Haruto tilted Hana’s face up and wiped away the tear with his thumb. “And my duty to you, as my wife.”