Chapter 4- Child

A little boy together with his little sister were playing with a ball on a flowery field. They were wearing expensive silk clothes only the rich could afford. Behind them were their assigned guards and maids watching over them. Clearly they have a high status.

"Here catch it Shoto-niisama!", the little girl threw the ball made of soft materials towards his older brother which he caught with ease.

"Alright my turn, here Shimizu!"

He put too much pressure it went over her head and rolled towards the forest. Their maids immediately stood up to get the ball for her, but Shimizu was already there, picking it up she notice something rather someone. The person is on the ground, its head tilted towards the side.

Shimizu don't what it was nor who it was. Curious, she went closer, but when she moved close enough to see the person's face, she screamed.

"AAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Shoto upon hearing her sister's voice dashed towards the scene together with some of their guards who were alarmed. He arrived at the scene thinking something bad happened to her. But, when he saw she was alright just sitting on the ground and was with one of their maids, he finally could once again relax he moved towards infront of her, sat and gently held her shoulders.

"For goodness sake, you scared me there Shimizu, don't do it again, okay?", Shimizu only nodded and pointed towards something behind him.

"Onii-sama, some-someone is t-there.", Shoto furiously look behind him thinking it was an assassin sent to kill them. His view was blocked by a number of his guards.

He stood up to see what were they looking at. His guards noticed him and moved away to give him a better access. What he saw was a kid most probably his age lying down its head pointed towards them with a third degree burn all over its body, mostly were on the right side. He could even see the flesh of that person, it was ugly to say the least. There were bloodstains and mostly dirt all over its body. He can't recognize if it was a male or a female. He thought it was dead.

He took a step more only to smell the sickening bad odor floating around the person. It was the smell of rust mixed with something burned and foresty smell. He stood back and covered his contorted face with his sleeves.

"Disgusting!", he spat out loud. "Throw that thing to the river!"

His maids looked at him before they received another glare from their young master and immediately proceeded to take out the body. As they went close to it not even a meter away, they felt their stomachs twisting. Some even run away and threw up.

One of them, Matilda was her name, she stood over the body staring at it without the mannerism to run away. It was a kid, and her strict face softened. If her child from a few years ago made it alive she must be this big now, she thought to herself. It was a pity that its already dead. She bent down to touch its blackened skin, when she felt it. She felt the pulse beating slow, but it was there.

"The child is still alive, your highness.", Shoto looked at her with a displeased look. "What should we do? Young master."

Shoto disbelievingly thought that it was alive. It was quite bizzarre to see someone with a body like that to be still breathing. He remembered his foolish actions a while ago. His teacher did not taught him to be someone who disrepect the dead. If word comes out because of what he had done, people will view him as a spoiled and ungrateful prince. He pinched his temples and ordered in a nice tone.

"Take him then to the nearest pharmacist.", since he don't know the person's gender he addressed it as a boy. He looked at his maids, he was sure none of them would voluntarily do it, so he gazed at Matilda, Shimizu's closest servant.

Before he could even speak, Matilda already outrun him.

"I will do it, your highness.", Shimizu slowly crept from behind him as she peek at the human before them then she rolled her eyes to Matilda.

"Matilda-san will do it?", Shimizu innocently asked. Matilda smiled at her and reassured her she will be back as soon as possible.

"Don't worry Shimizu-hime, I'll be back as soon as I finish my task.", Shimizu only nodded in return as she witness the guard carrying the kid on his arms, beside him was Matilda. As they walk away, the guard carrying the child ask where they would take him.

"Where should we take him Matilda-san?"

"To my uncle, the royal physician.", the guard looked at Matilda with wide eyes. She was the headservant afterall so she have the authority.

"Yes..."

None of the two of them uttered any words, it was silent between them. Only the breeze of the wind and the swaying of their clothes could be heard. The guard, his name was Haru, 20 years of age. He had that mint hair and large physique, he is also has the face girls would drool over. He is assigned for the moment to become one of the royals guards, but in a couple of days he would be promoted to be a troop captain.

He gaze down upon the child he was carrying. The boy was dirty all over, blood were dripping from his tiny hands. He thought that the black thing etched on his skin was just soil, but when he observed it correctly it was actually his own skin. His clothes on his right arm and right hip was burned showing his burned skin. Small cuts could also be found on his legs, probably from running across grasses. His hair was also covered with soil and was thinned out.

And finally his face, it was smeared with blood, there were also burns making him to the point of unrecognizable. When he lifted him a while ago, it felt like he was carrying a feather instead. He was so light, like he never ate anything for weeks.

'Just what happened to this pitiful kid?'

Haru asked to himself with a disconsolate feeling as he look at the person he was carrying before turning his gaze towards infront. He was irked at how slow their pace is, like they were just strolling around. He wanted to run immediately, but with the slightest movement the child in his arms will only have his wounds reopened. He was being totally careful.

Matilda, likewise is also concerned for the child's condition. She wanted to have Haru take the injured in an instant to her uncle, but she did not took any action, they had to be careful.

The two of them don't know why they are feeling this way towards a stranger. He was just another kid like the others who have a cursed faith. After all, they were in a world where lives don't matter only power.

Several minutes passed and they finally arrived in Matilda's uncle's house where she also live, which is technically also her house. It was near a waterfall which is a kilometer away from the daimyo's vacation resort.

There were very few people who have a medical knowledge and prowress in the Hidden Waterfall village. And most of the few of them already have migrated in a better and stronger shinobi village where they either live as a medical ninja or doctors. So, finding a medical expertise in a village like them is hard. Because these people were lined up with hundreds of people a day to take care of.

"Uncle Eichiru..!?", Matilda called out as soon as she opened the door. She stepped inside and removed her shoes and dashed towards the room of his uncle only to find him reciting some sort of mantra and moving around like an amateur martial artist wearing traditional clothes.

"WAH!", Eichiru shouted as he striked another pose where his hands are thrown upwards. "HYAH!", he shouted once again as he move his hands to both sides and flapped them like a bird would do to its wings.

It was funny and weird, but Matilda's priority for now is the child's life.

"Uncle, we need your help."

He had his eyes close as he clasped his hands. He opened one eye to look at Matilda's impatient and desperate look. Then he returned to what he was doing almost not paying attention to his niece's words.

"What? Is it another puny wound from Shimizu-hime or an injury from a guard?", he asked in a bored tone.

"No, its serious", Eichiru now had his full attention to Matilda though he did not show it.

"Who is it this time?", he dropped whatever he was doing and walked towards the door where Matilda was waiting all along. They walked together to the living room as Matilda explained where they found the person. As the both of them entered the room they were greeted with the same foul smell earlier.

"This--!", the old man said as Matilda looked at him with a knowing look.

"...there were also some burns on his body and--", her uncle stopped her from talking more as he ran towards the wooden couche to look at the sleeping from of the child.

His eyes widen as his eyes fell his first glimpse on him.

"A child...", he whispered before proceeding to check on his pulse as he order the two remaining people in the room. "You, big man get a bucket of water now."

"Matilda get me my medical box"

Both of them then nodded in return and did their work. He assess everything he found on the kids body, from every dislocated bones to the bleeding wounds.

"9 fractured ribs, 3rd degree burns, 2 stab wounds on the leg, paralyzed arms, broken spine, dislocated shoulder, all received 14 days ago..."

Eichiru has seen numerous wounds like these in the past, but not on a child merely eight. He removed the torn and burned clothes to reveal the child's pale and burned skin. The door opened once again with a running Matilda carrying a large box and Haru with a bucket of clear water from the nearby well.

"Here it is"

Eichiro opened the box and grabbed a white clean towel dipped it into the bucket to wipe away all the dirt so that it would not further infect the small and deep wounds.

'Why is there so much blood?'

He found it odd somehow, there were blood all over her when her deep wounds are on her leg. There must be another wound.

"Big guy, turn her around", Haru was offended everytime the physician call him that, but as if only realizing it now his face was shocked even Matilda's.

'Her? A girl?!!' They both thought when Eichiru slapped him on his arm to wake him up to reality.

"What are you doing, I said turn her around."

"Y-yess"

Slowly but carefully he turned the girl mistaken for a boy. Eichiru then began cutting her clothes with his scissors to reveal 2 large wounds on her back. They all gaped even the experienced doctor. They were shaken in their feet, to see such a horrendous sight.

The wounds was running from both her scapula to the ends of her waist. Her flesh could also be seen with blood threatening to spill on her back. There were also small bits of yellow on it. Matilda covered her mouth with both hands as she stumble on her own feet. Haru who was also in the same state held her so that she won't fall.

Eichiru was trembling, his hands were.

"Im-impossible..."

As a doctor he knew better than most people. The child who is breathing slowly should have died weeks ago. It was impossible to still be alive in this state. Her wounds already cut her deep enough to die due to blood loss and damaged organs. But she is alive, breathing most probably with a strong purpose.

'If it was not for her will to survive, she must have died already.', he thought as he finally began treating her.