The Horishi paused. “I never lie.”
“You will, if you take Haruto,” Toshio said. “It rained when I brought Hana home from here. I saw the name you wrote on her skin. Haruto is Hana’s fate.”
Masako gasped. “Is this true, Horishi-san?”
“I do not control what the ink writes. Neither do I know the reasons behind the direction it chooses to steer my hand. I merely hold the needle through which it flows.” The Horishi turned to Haruto. “And collect that which has no soul.”
“I will find another soul for Haruto,” Toshio said. “I just need more time.”
“Every choice is promised as soon as it is pawned,” the Horishi said. “You cannot steal from one child to give to another.”
Thoughts swirled inside Toshio’s head. “What if I did not have to steal it?”
“What do you mean?” Masako held a crying Haruto tight. “Where would you get the soul?”
“From me.”
—
Toshio lay on his back on the Horishi’s table and bit down on the piece of wood the Horishi had given him.
“Are you certain that you want to do this?” the Horishi said.
Toshio nodded. If he spoke, he was afraid he was going to change his mind.
“I can give you something for the pain. This will not be swift.” The Horishi sharpened a blade.
Toshio shook his head. He wanted to feel every slice the Horishi made into him. This, he convinced himself, was the reason Haruto’s name was on Hana’s skin. Haruto was his daughter’s fate. And the sentence for his crime. Giving up his soul to ensure that Hana did not stray from her inked path seemed more than a fitting punishment for his failures.
“Masuda-sama does not wish me to take all of it,” the Horishi said.
Toshio spat out the bit and sat up. “What? Why? You will need every drop of ink that you can get from my skin to map Haruto’s fate.”
“She is a mother.” The Horishi heated the knife over a candle. “Her rage has not blinded her to your daughter’s well-being. Hana has already lost her mother. Masuda-sama does not wish to take her father from her too.”
“But…”
“I will take enough from you to give Haruto a good life, and you will have enough left to raise Hana until she is ready to take over the pawnshop when you retire.”
“How much time will Haruto have?”
“His fate is tied to yours. Unless his life is cut short by illness or mishap, he will have one year with Hana.”
“Hana will not be alone after I’m gone…”
“Masuda-sama will have her son, and Hana will have her husband,” the Horishi said. “And her father. For a while.”
Toshio gripped the edge of the table.
“Do you wish to proceed?” the Horishi asked.
Toshio placed the bit in his mouth and lay down. He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to scream when the Horishi took his skin.
Chapter Fifty-two
A Reunion
The Horishi’s cuts outlined the scar like the frayed edges of an old map. It covered Toshio’s entire back. Hana stared at the scar, unable to speak. Haruto and her father each had one year to live because her mother had not cared about anyone but herself.
