Chapter – 25 An Ominous Foreboding

"Tsuna Baa-san how is she doing?" asked Koushirou as he looked at the woman who had just come out of his daughter's room after completing a medical examination.

The woman named 'Tsuna' had straight blonde hair that she tied in two loose ponytails behind her back. Physically, she appeared to be a woman in her late twenties; however, Koushirou knew better. He knew that she was definitely in her late seventies, as she used to sail with his father and served as the doctor of his pirate crew in her younger days. Wearing a grass-green haori with Kanji for 'Gamble' printed on the back, she flaunted a deep cleavage created by her proud pair of '106' cm sized breasts. Honestly, she would easily sway the hearts of most men even in her old age, and swindle them out of all their money.

Despite this Koushirou deeply respects her and calls her 'Baa-san,' one of the reasons being that she was the one who delivered him and has been his mother figure after his mother passed away. These days, she serves as the only medical practitioner living in Shimotsuki Village and has come to the Isshin Dōjō upon Koushirou's request to check Kuina's state.

Baa-san Tsuna replied, "If you are worried about her health, then you can rest assured. It's just a fever. There is also weakness and exhaustion, but that is the result of overexerting herself. Additionally, sigh… there is also period fatigue. She had ignored all the pain during the bleeding for several days, and she was not taking her nutrition properly. All of this is taking a toll on her." She paused, then passed a piece of parchment to Koushirou with some gibberish written on it and said, "I have jotted down the names of all the herbs that will relieve the fever and restore her physical strength. All of these can be found in the village, so you won't have any trouble. Give her a daily dose along with lukewarm milk before bed for the next few days, and she will be back on her feet."

"I understand, Baa-san," nodded Koushirou. He accepted the parchment and bowed gratefully, "Thank you for making some time and coming all the way here to check up on my daughter."

Tsuna shrugged and waved her hand, "Don't worry about it. I had wanted to pay a visit to the old captain to share a last drink with him before he kicks the bucket, so it's fine."

Koushirou sweatdropped as he heard Tsuna's reply. He was helpless as he was unsure of how to respond to that and thought to himself, 'It seems old age really does make you senile.'

Tsuna didn't care and continued, "In any case, I will take my leave for now since I am in the mood for a game of dice. Take care of your daughter, boy. Her physical state can heal, but her mental state is not right, and that's not something medicine can cure." Then she waved her hand and left the Dōjō.

Koushirou nodded, "I see."

…

"Koushirou-Sensei! Where is Kuina? I want to challenge her to a duel!" Zoro questioned the Dōjō master. He hadn't been able to find her in the past three weeks, so challenging her to a duel had been impossible.

Zoro hoped to challenge her today and was determined to defeat her. He had been undergoing special training in the past three weeks for this purpose. Apart from that, Zoro also hoped to ensure that Kuina was well and not in any kind of trouble.

Koushirou smiled apologetically and shook his head, "Zoro-kun, Kuina won't be able to accompany you for the next few days. She is under the weather currently, and it might take a few more days for her to recover." 

"What? What happened to her?!" Zoro questioned with a shocked expression. He knew that Kuina hadn't been feeling well; it was obvious to Zoro from her swordplay. She always looked distracted, and Zoro could feel that she was extremely frustrated about something. Zoro even questioned her, but she did not say anything. Now that Koushirou has told him that she is under the weather, he immediately realized that something must have happened to her.

Koushirou waved his hand to relieve Zoro of his worries, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. It's just a mild fever and physical weakness. Turns out that she over-exerted herself on the days she should have been resting. All this training has taken its toll, and as a result, she has fallen ill."

"Will Kuina be alright, Sensei? Can I check up on her?" asked Zoro. He was, of course, concerned about his friend and rival's well-being.

Koushirou pondered for a moment and said, "Wait here for a moment; let me check if she is awake."

Zoro nodded, "Okay."

Koushirou then went to the first floor to inform her of Zoro's arrival. However, he received no reply from the other side of the door. Helpless, he could only return and shook his head with a sigh, "Currently, she is sleeping and doesn't seem to want to meet anyone. It would be best to let her rest for now. You don't have to be worried, Zoro-kun. I am sure she will make a full recovery within the next few days. When that happens, I will be sure to inform you, and you can come and meet her at that time."

Although worried and dissatisfied that he cannot check on Kuina, Zoro can only accept the result and nod, "Alright, please tell her to recover quickly. I am going to challenge her, and this time for sure, I will defeat her!"

Koushirou nodded, "I will."

With that, Zoro turned around and left to continue his training.

After Zoro had left, Koushirou turned toward the stairs and looked in the direction of his daughter's room. It wasn't difficult for him to notice the small opening between the sliding door and the wall from which an eye was peeking out.

Koushirou and the peeking eye made eye contact, and immediately the sliding door was shut.

Seeing that Kuina refused to come out of her room, Koushirou sighed, 'How long will this continue?' He shook his head and went to the Dōjō.

It has been over two weeks since the hundredth duel between Ryuma and her. True, she had fallen ill after her hundredth defeat; however, she made a complete recovery within a week thanks to the herbs prescribed by Tsuna. Be that as it may, even after her fever went down and physical weakness disappeared, Kuina refused to leave her room.

Of course, Koushirou has tried to talk with Kuina, but so far, there hasn't been any progress. He isn't sure what to do and can only hope that with time she will get better and return to normal.

…

Knock! Knock!

"Kuina, I am coming in," announced Koushirou after a light knock on the door of his daughter's room.

Normally, there would be a reply from the other side of the door; however, Koushirou received no reply. He was not surprised; such had been the case in the past three weeks. But this did not stop him, as he knew that his daughter was inside. He waited for a few breaths, giving her the time she needed to gather herself, then slid open the door and walked in.

Inside the room, Koushirou noticed his daughter sitting beside the window, her eyes focused on the Wado Ichimonji placed on a wooden platform affixed to the wall. There was nothing else in the room except for Kuina, the katana, a well-maintained futon, and a bookshelf that held a few books about kendo, biology, and a few other general subjects.

Kuina has a minimalistic nature and has lived a minimalistic life thus far. This is how Koushirou was raised by his father, Kozaburo, and this is how he has raised his daughter to be. It's not that they couldn't afford a more materialistic life; they just didn't. They are warriors, descendants of the legendary Samurai known as the Sword God, and samurai do not engage in materialism. Though looking at the situation now, Koushirou feels regretful, 'If I had raised her differently if I had allowed such whims, perhaps things would be different.'

Of course, Koushirou understood that there is no point in regret. It's already too late for such a thing. Once the die has been cast, it cannot be taken back. Whatever the outcome is fated to come out, it will happen. After all, people like them are too small in the grand scheme of things.

After taking a deep breath to calm his mind, Koushirou walked over to his daughter and questioned, "How are you feeling?"

There was no answer from Kuina. Despite Koushirou standing beside her, Kuina did not seem to have noticed his presence. Her eyes were still fixed on the Wado Ichimonji. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that although she was looking at the White Katana, her mind was somewhere else.

Koushirou made attempts to start a conversation many times; he was trying to help her out, but Kuina remained still and silent, giving no response whatsoever. It wasn't that she was trying to ignore her father. No, that couldn't have been far from the truth. It's more like she had become unresponsive to most things after losing her purpose and dream.

Since before her fever went down and she regained her physical strength, she would remain dazed. Physically, she would be present in her room, but her mind was always somewhere else. Oftentimes, she would also look at the vast and endless sky and the countless birds flying through it with a single thought running through her mind, 'Aren't they lucky? Being born male or female does not affect their ability to fly. I was fated to be born as a woman; wouldn't it have been better if I was born as a bird and not as a human?' It's a pity; this can only remain a thought and never come true.

While Kuina's mind was preoccupied with such thoughts, Koushirou continued to make an effort. An hour passed as he tried to gather the attention of his daughter, but she remained silent the entire time. Finally, Koushirou grew tired and decided to leave.

Just when he was about to walk out of the door, Koushirou suddenly stopped and spoke, "Kuina, becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman or something like that… even if that is unachievable for you, isn't it better to put your focus and attention on achievable things? The world is big, and I am certain that something will click for you. Besides, didn't you want to inherit the Dōjō after growing up? So why not focus on that? Becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman or something, it's fine to let Ryuma-kun and Zoro-kun walk that path, don't you think?"

He was hoping she would say something, but Kuina remained silent. Helplessly, Koushirou sighed and left the room. As his shadow disappeared and the gate was closed, Koushirou failed to notice the drops of tears that slid down her cheeks and fell on the floor. "Otou-sama, that's not what I wanted you to say to me!"

…

"Where is she? Does she still refuse to come out of her room?" questioned Kozaburo as he looked at the empty spot that his granddaughter always took.

Koushirou shook his head helplessly, "No… seems like she won't be joining us tonight either."

Kozaburo took a puff of smoke from his pipe and said, "This is not good, leaving her alone when her mind is clearly not stable. At this rate, I worry that she might end up doing something to herself!"

"I am concerned about that as well," nodded Koushirou and said, "But I don't know what to do about it. Nothing I say seems to make any sense to her."

Kozaburo looked at his disciple, who had been silent the entire time, and questioned, "How are the duels between the two of you going on? Does she still come to challenge you, boy?"

Ryuma shook his head, "No, after our hundredth duel, she hasn't challenged me, and that was nearly three weeks ago before she fell ill."

Kozaburo muttered with a dissatisfied expression, "Koushirou, do whatever you must, just bring her out. I can't stand to see my granddaughter in such a state!"

Koushirou was helpless, "What do I even do? I have been trying for the past three weeks, however, there is no progress. I could theoretically force her out using my authority as her father, but I fear that might complicate things further. Moreover, that girl keeps staring at the Wado Ichimonji blankly and doesn't give any reply to anything I try to speak to her. I have already tried talking to her more than a dozen times, but there is no progress, and I don't know what to do anymore."

"I don't care, just do something about it!" said Kozaburo. He turned to Ryuma and said, "You too, boy. Swordsmen like us are capable of communicating with our blades; often there is no need for words. Since the two of you have fought over a hundred duels, I take it that you have developed a deep understanding of her character, desires, and aspirations. Use that understanding to help her!"

The passage is clear, but a small adjustment for flow:

Ryuma bowed lightly, "I will see what I can do."

"For now, please deliver food to her room," requested Koushirou.

"Yes," nodded Ryuma. He picked up the plates and carried them to Kuina's room.

Outside the door of her room, Ryuma called out, "Kuina-chan," and briefly knocked on the door to alert her of his arrival. Then, he slid the door open and walked inside the room only to find no one inside.

"Kuina-chan?" Looking at the empty room with the open window, Ryuma instinctively had a bad feeling about this situation.

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Author's Note:

As always, be sure to drop a lot of power stones. Leave a few comments and reviews. Helps me keep myself charged!