Chapter One

As the Sun trickled through your window, its rays of warmth softly kissed the surface of your skin. The night's cold vanished and was instead replaced by the sweet songs of the morning. With a quiet yawn, you slowly woke from your slumber and began to prepare for the beginnings of the day.

You lived in a small, pedestrian village surrounded by trees and mountains. As the only doctor, many villagers ran to you for medical needs. Everyday your clinic was filled and busy. You were known as the mother of the village, watching over anyone and everyone who comes to you.

Running your fingers through your hair, you swiftly put on a new set of clothes. With so many patients, medicine ran out rather quickly and you were in desperate need of herbs and other materials. For the third time this week, you had to search the forest in an attempt to make use of any herbs you could find.

Basket in hand, you marched into the wilderness. Little by little your basket was filled with special herbs for specific illness. It was important to gather supplies as soon as possible. War continued to bring in injured villagers and you wanted to do your best to help everyone.

"Echinacea for wounds and infection, goldenseal for healing properties," You said to yourself, desperately trying to focus on the herbs around you.

But it was pointless. The beautiful scenery and aroma of the forest was too luring. Setting your basket down, you decide to rest for a few minutes. After all, you had been picking herbs for hours and deserved a break.

***

Laughter filled your ears, instantly tearing you from your daydreaming trance. The village children were sprinting towards you, smiling and giggling with excitement. You were often joined by a cluster of kiddos whenever you left the village in search of resources. However, you didn't really mind. You loved children more than anything in the world, they were your motivation for studying medicine.

"[Y/n]-san! [Y/n]-san!" they cheered, hugging and clinging to your legs.

"Good morning! Aren't you all as lively as ever?" you chirped, "I'm just about finished with my errands."

"Let's play hide and seek, [L/n]-san!"

"Alright! I'll count!"

The children screamed with delight and ran around the forest as you began counting. Although you were a fully grown woman, you showed no mercy during games. You were brutal as a seeker. Your strong spiritual energy allowed you to sense the children's hiding spots. Were you cheating? Technically, no. You were just using your resources.

Apart from having fun, there was another reason why you often played hide and seek with the kids. You had powerful spiritual energy which allowed you to maximize your powers as a doctor. You poured your energy into your medicines and treatments, making them extremely effective. However, it was very tiring. Especially when used everyday. Using your senses to locate kids during games was like exercising your ability, drawing out its endurance.

As you finished counting, you dashed towards kids around you. One by one you found each child, making you reign victorious as the village's best seeker. You smiled proudly as the kids pouted. They didn't even stand a chance. When would [Y/n]-san ever take it easy on them?

Before you began to play the next game, you felt another presence begin to tug at your senses, a child's presence, but an unfamiliar one. You knelt down and eyed your play group. Everyone seemed to be present. Did you by any chance miss someone?

"Is everyone here? Did I forget anyone?" you asked scanning the group. They replied by shaking their heads, confused by your sudden question and change in demeanor. But you couldn't ignore the lingering presence at the back of your head.

"Ah! I forgot to pick some herbs in the woods. Why don't you guys play tag on the field?" you scanned the crowd again, before landing your eyes on the youngest child of the group, "You! You're it!"

Screams filled the air and the kids began to busy themselves with yet another game. You rushed into the forest, following the unfamiliar child's presence. A lost kid? A survivor from a village? You continued to quickly walk around, looking high and low for any reminisce of a child.

Until suddenly, your [e/c] orbs landed on a small child hiding behind a tree, curiously watching the children play tag. She wore a yellow and orange kimono with a green sash around her waist. Her hair was messily done and she didn't have any shoes on. Pain struck your heart, the child must have been abandoned.

"Hi there, what's your name?" you said as you crouched to the child's level, surprising her.

She jumped at your sudden introduction and cautiously began to back away. Which, again, tore your heart out. But you ignored the pain of your feelings and gave the girl a heart warming smile, in an attempt to show her that you meant no harm.

"R-rin," she whispered.

"Well Rin, my friends and I playing tag right now. Would you like to join? It's very fun!"

She peeled her eyes off the ground and up at you, surprised. Joy began to slowly find its way onto her face. Eagerly she nodded her head, leaving her hiding spot and grabbing onto the hand you had offered her. Together, the two of you walked out of the woods and into the meadow to join the other children.