Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Hitori dropped his head. He felt strange and angry glares at him from the people standing in Kamiya's front yard. Some were sitting on a wooden chair, while some were standing, some were talking with other relatives, and most were staring at him.

Hitori held the flowers upright, but kept his head down and watched the ground as he walked down the wooden porch. He was hoping to hear crying and other sorts of moaning, but he didn't.

The next thought that struck him after entering the house was searching for Eya, Kakashi, or any other teacher. In fact, anyone he knows. Just not Kamiya's ghost or Reon.

The smell in the house was filled with summer wood essence sticks. Hitori was not quite sure what he was supposed to do, he had never been to a funeral before. Not even his grandparents, they died when he was one.

If Eya had not run to him, he would have kept staring at the people dressed in black kimonos sitting on futons around the corner of the hall were in the center was Kamiya's photo framed.

The smoke was essence sticks was flowing under Kamiya's chin. Flowers were on his side, and a Buddha's altar was kept in front of him.

Men stood around the border of the room with hands folded and a sad smiles on their faces. Women, from which one was Kamiya's mother, were sitting in a corner of the room weeping in each other's arms.

Then Hitori's eyes fell on Eya who was coming towards him from the side. He looked past her and saw Kakashi and Senso-sensei. Atama-sensei was in the other room talking with Kamiya's father.

Eya was wearing a black kimono with a white T-shirt of something under it. She put a hand over Hitori's shoulder and gave him a slight smile. "Come to this side," she said and took Hitori to the other end of the halfway.

Then she looked at him. "Keep your flowers where everyone else had. Do not make eye contact with anyone here, they think you are responsible for Kamiya's death because you were present with him that time and could not save him from Kraken's attack."

"Kraken?"

"Yes." She lifted her eyes and glanced around, then continued, "Atama-sensei has made up a cliche story. He told Kamiya's parents a Kraken's offspring jumped out of nowhere, injured you and him, then took Kamiya's body. You killed Kraken but could not save Kamiya, got it?"

Hitori was not pleased with that kind of a story, but whatever. "Yes," he said.

"The next thing you do is light a stick and come out of the room in an instant. Again, without making eye contact. They know you from the Year-End Feast's drawings. And you are the only teenager here. Be careful."

"Without making eye contact, got it," he said and nodded.

"You never told me things were so bad in this house…" Eya said, looking around, "relatives here are mad. Kamiya's father runs some sort of sinking guild, his guild members are present here and pissed with their guild master's performance. Seriously, stay away from any trouble."

"What trouble am I going to cause? Punch someone in the face? I have no business with anyone. I am just going to Kamiya's—" He stopped.

Eya frowned. "Kamiya's what?"

"Funeral…" he added with a lot of pressure in his voice, he sounded like he might break out crying about anything.

So Eya patted his back. "Just… stay away from everyone. This house is… fucked, to be honest. The mother, the father, the relatives… everyone. It seems like this family is going through the 'Great Depression period of the 1990s… you do not know what they will do."

"Yeah… Akemi-san told me things might get… worse than this in her house. They can. She warned me to stay away from her father, not to look at him, not to speak to him."

Eya sighed. "She did the best. Now go, pay respect to Kamiya's soul, may he rest in peace."

"May he rest in peace," Hitori repeated and went to the hall.

Hitori prayed in front of Kamiya's photo while Eya went back to Kakashi. Kakashi unfolded his arms and asked Eya:

"How is he?"

"Much better. He will be alright," she said. Kakashi nodded and continued staring at Hitori as he did the ritual. Eya could not watch Hitori lighting the sticks and pray for the peace of Kamiya's soul. "We should tell him. I can not watch him pray for a person who is…"

"Dead. Kamiya is dead," Kakashi said, looking down at Eya, her eyes fixed on Hitori. "For the record, Kamiya is dead."

Eya shook her head and looked up at Kakashi. "How can you say that? Kamiya is right there with… Kyoryu-san…"

"His dead body is with Kyoryu-san. He is lying with his limbs mangled—"

"Shit! Could you spare me the details? That sight has not left my mind, I still see it in my dreams, even when I close my eyes."

Senso glared at them. "Lower it, Kogara."

Kakashi glanced at Senso, then muttered, "Stating the facts… he is dead. It is right if be pray for him, who knows if he will ever—"

"Enough!" Eya shouted. The men in the room turned to her– glared at her in a way. The ladies stopped weeping and raised their eyes at Eya. "We still have a chance, and we can not declare—"

Kakashi grabbed her by the shoulder. He glanced at everyone around and gave them an awkward smile. "Let us get out of here, first."

Kakashi started pushing her. She could not stand against Kakashi with her body either. He easily took her out of the hall and closed the door behind him.

"I understand, Eya-nee, just keep down. You do not want Kamiya's father to come out."

Eya stopped walking. She turned and slipped from Kakashi's grip. "Let me get Hitori-san."

"Oi, do not go inside!" he shouted.

At that instant Eya slid the door open, her eyes fell on the door on the northwest slide open before looking for Hitori.

She saw a man dressed in a black suit with the suit's buttons undone step out in anger. Then she saw Atama behind him, trying to stop Kamiya's father. He had a frown on his face, his hair was messed up, and he was angry.

He was striding towards her. She turned to the funeral stand to find Hitori before Father spots Hitori.

Her mouth dropped when she found nothing but the flowers, essence sticks, and the Buddha's Altar. Her eyes popped and she shouted, "Kakashi! Hitori-san is gone!"

Kakashi leaned over her, she saw Father standing right in front of him. Father raised his hand and pointed his finger at Eya with an ugly frown, his eyes were pinched in anger, and his brows were angled down.

"Would you fucking shut up? Keep your mouth shut, you rascals!" His finger threatened to pierce Eya's eyes. "What do you think is going here? You little… get out of my house! Leave the fucking hall!" And now he was shouting.

Kakashi closed his mouth and pierced into Father's grey eyes. And that pissed him. Eya looked at Kakashi, he was getting angry. She turned and grabbed Kakashi by his forearms.

"What?" Father asked, "what are you staring at, bastard? What are you staring at?!" The ladies from the corner got up, Mother was afraid her husband might lose it again.

Eya pushed him. "Let us go, move, Himbo, move!" She used levitation and picked him in the air, just enough to move him around.

"Get out! It was a mistake to let you bastards in." He grabbed the door and slid it close with a bang.

Eya glanced behind her, then looked at Kakashi. "He is on the edge, just forget," she said.

"Yeah… you should forget about him and try to focus on finding Hitori." A voice came from the dark hallway. They looked and found Senso leaning against the porch's fusuma.

His right hand was in his kimono and the left was folded under it. He lifted his head and said, "I saw him go upstairs. I suggest we find another way to get to him."

"Upstairs?" Eya frowned. "What is he doing there?"

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