Chapter 38: Words of Gratitude

"-ana! Hana!"

The worried shouts pierced through the darkness. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake! We were worried you'd never wake up!" Yuri exclaimed, leaning over me. "Mari over there was the most worried. She kept whispering to herself, 'What if she never wakes up? I'll never be able to tell her how I truly feel!'"

"W-what are you talking about, B-bubble head?! I never said that!" Mari shouted, her face turning as red as her hair.

As the two girls bickered, I slowly sat up. Standing at the end of the bed I was laying on was Kiku.

"Thank you, Hana. If you were not here, I probably would not have been saved. For that, I owe you my life once again," she said, bowing to me.

"It's not that big a deal. You would've done the same thing for me. Don't worry about it."

"I understand. Thank you for being so considerate," she replied as she straightened.

"Geez! You need to lighten up a bit! We've been together for a long time now. There's no need to be so formal around me. I understand that you're a princess and all, but still! We're friends, right?"

"R-right. I apologize for my behavior."

I stared at Kiku disapprovingly until she took the hint. Once it dawned on her that she was being formal again, she turned red with embarrassment.

"So, Hana. I noticed that your sword started to glow when Kumo was coming in for the kill. What was that all about? You were talking to her about something before you killed her, correct?" Touwa asked, moving next to me.

"Yeah. I think Kojomaru's power awakened. It was really weird though. For a moment there, I saw Kumo's past. I guess that's its power, but I'm not really sure how useful that will be."

"You never know. It could turn out to be very useful in finding the one behind the universal disturbance."

"I guess that's true. I feel bad for killing her though. She had a rough childhood. I mean, she was abused and abandoned by everyone around her. She had nowhere to go except to the Evil King. She just wanted to be loved for who she really was. Hopefully, I was able to grant that wish before she died."

"T-that w-was v-very b-beautiful, H-Hana! Y-You've grown s-so much!" Yuri cried, hugging me.

"Thanks, I guess. It's not that big a deal though. You all do this all the time," I replied, embarrassed.

"You are so modest, Hana. It is not every day someone unlocks a legendary sword's hidden power. We are all very proud of you," Kiku replied as informally as she could muster.

"I appreciate it, but you don't have to make a big deal out of it. You know I don't like being the center of attention."

"I-I'm sorry, Hana. I don't know what came over me. It's just… you're like a daughter to me, Hana. You all are," Yuri whispered, blushing.

"What are you going on about, Bubblehead?!" Mari shouted.

"I-It's nothing! Anyways, now that everyone's awake, we should get a move on! We have an evil king to defeat, right?!"

"Yeah! I can't wait to kick that *******'s (illegitimate child) *** (butt)!"

After saying goodbye to the grateful harpies, we left Tori Town, ready for our next adventure.