Chapter 56

Chapter 56: "Reincarnating Affection".

Long Summary
Hisame introduces herself as Hayase's granddaughter and tells Fushi that she is the leader of a defensive unit dedicated to protecting him. Fushi, angry and confused, is about to ask how she found him but is interrupted by Hisame hugging him. She tells Fushi that she has been searching for so long and that she has been looking forward to the day she could meet him.

Fushi pushes her away and she mentions that he smells a bit and asks if he's been washing himself properly. Fushi asks what she's doing and she apologizes, saying that it's what she was taught to do by her mother. She explains that her mother was Hayase's only daughter and that Hayase died before Hisame was born. Fushi laughs when he hears Hayase is dead and Hisame tells him that she was told that he was a kind person who valued life and then mentions that this is different from Hayase's biography. Fushi asks if that biography mentions that Hayase killed two of his loved ones and Hisame says it does, but that she was told it was a necessary measure. Fushi then asks Hisame how old she is and she tells him that she is nine. Fushi comments that it's a shame she's been indoctrinated so young and that you can't understand anything at that age. However, Hisame says that it's okay if she can't understand anything because from now on, she will find plenty of surprises and experiences. She will see right and wrong and learn about him and about love.

Fushi tells Hisame that he has to go and Hisame insists on coming with him. She says she will protect him from the monsters, but Fushi brushes her off. He tells her that he won't help her if she gets attacked. She says she understands and he tells her to do whatever she wants. Hisame hugs him, but Fushi tells her to stop doing that because it's creepy and orders her to stay 5 meters away from him. After walking for a while, they decide to rest for the night. Hisame invites Fushi to sit with them for dinner, but he declines, saying he has the Knocker corpses for food. Hisame expresses disgust and offers him a cubed food. She tells Fushi that her mother says it helps you sleep. Once again, he declines and says he is going to bed. After moving a good distance away from the group, Fushi lays down to sleep. He thinks about how if he utilizes the Hisame's group, he may be able to deal with both them and the Knocker. His last thought before falling asleep is about how, even though Hisame is Hayase's granddaughter, he can only describe her as weird.

In the middle of the night, Hisame watches Fushi sleep. As she does this, her arm begins to move towards Fushi on it's own. Fushi wakes up and grabs her arm. She apologizes, explaining that she wanted to sleep with him, but her arm started moving. Fushi pulls her sleeve up to reveal a Knocker in her arm.

The Black Hood says that a clever strategy like this is to be expected of the Knockers and Fushi glares at him, realizing he knew but didn't say anything. Hisame apologizes and tells Fushi that she didn't intend to do anything, but her arm moved on it's own. Fushi explains that it tried to attack and then says that, even though she calls her group a defensive unit, the thing in her arm is a Knocker, the exact thing that he needs to be protected from. He goes to cut the Knocker out but Hisame stops him, telling him that this Knocker has been passed down from Hayase to her decedents and that it is the very will of the troop.

Fushi looks confused, and Hisame says that it is only alive because it lives off of her blood. She tells him not to worry because it will do as she says because, even though it can't talk, it can understand her words because she is the reincarnation of Hayase. Hisame explains that, before she was born, Hayse once said she would live on in Hisame's mother's womb. After seeing Fushi's reaction, she apologizes for causing trouble and leaves.

Fushi talks about how inexplicable is is to think Hayase would become one with a Knocker and concludes that that must be how Hisame found him. He plans on leaving Hisame's group because there is no reason for him to stay near a Knocker. Black Hood tells him that as long as he doesn't destroy it, she can find him again, but Fushi says he is willing to deal with that. Black Hood goes on to talk about how humans see longevity in quite interesting ways. He says if one's will is passed down, then so is one's existence. Fushi tells him to stop talking about because just thinking about having to deal with Hisame's reincarnation is already driving him crazy.

Black Hood explains that it's commonly said that, in order for an animal to move, there must be both a bodily vessel and a means to fill it, that means being "Faie." The "Faie" may be transferred to a new vessel in the process called reincarnation. Black Hood goes on to explain that "Faie" is often referred to as "soul" or "spirit" by humans. When a living being loses it's capability to feel and becomes "empty", that is the loss of Faie. Faie is the energy required to move the vessel. If the vessel is broken, the Faie will be released. As such, Faie represents the will of doing what you want or going where you please.

He tells Fushi that if Hayase possessed a strong will, it would be reasonable to think that her Faie could move into the vessel of Hisame, but, given that she would retain no memories, she would effectively be living as another person. Fushi, confused, clarifies that Hisame isn't Hayase, just Hisame? The Black Hood says yes and then asks Fushi if that fact bothers him. Fushi says that even though Hisame didn't kill March and Parona, he still feels uneasy, however, he also feels it's unreasonable to hate a nine-year old girl for someone else's actions. The Black Hood says it's not unusual for him to feel that way, after all, Hayase made him suffer for a long time. He says it's a common bodily defense mechanism. He suggests Fushi slowly approach what makes him uncomfortable and he will eventually come to terms with it. He says Fushi's distress is due to his lack of knowledge.

The next day, Hisame finds Fushi and says that she was worried when she couldn't find him. Fushi says that he had to wake up early to make three boats because they were going to have to row there way off the island. Once on the water, Fushi suggests that Hisame get the Knocker removed my a doctor when they get to town because she is still young and that it's too early for her to be controlled by someone else. Hisame looks at him and says he actually is really kind.

Trivia

 * The food Hisame offers Fushi to help him sleep is the same food Hayase gave to March before the sacrificial ceremony.