Wet: Overflow

by Zenobia Renquist

  Hotsuma said, “Now we can focus on you and your family, Takumi.”

  “Don’t think you can threaten us the way you did him, Masato.”

  “No such thought crossed my mind.” He stepped to the side, bringing Lulu with him with his arm around her waist. “You want access to the pool room for you and your family, and we will give it to you.”

  Takumi and the others entered the hotel. Once the doors were closed and secured, the group made their way to the barrier room. Lulu didn’t miss the way Hotsuma had referred to the barrier room as the pool room. Neither of them had called it that since he’d been freed. She assumed it wasn’t a slip of the tongue either.

  After they squeezed inside the room, Atsuji excused himself. He closed the door behind him, and the click of the lock echoed off the tile walls.

  Takumi said, “Your plan is flawed, Masato. You locked yourself in here as well. Anything you do to us will happen to you and your wife. Or maybe this is the Mizunos’ way of dealing with you.”

  “You’re too paranoid,” Hotsuma said. “The pool room must be secured for the water to work. If you want the power, you have to get it the same way any other member of the Mizuno family does.”

  “We are not members of the Mizuno family.”

  “You have Ichiro to blame for that.” Hotsuma cleared his throat loudly, interrupting whatever Takumi would have said next. “Submerge yourselves in the water one at a time.”

  Takumi frowned at the pool and then at Hotsuma. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  “No incantations or ritual?”

  “None.”

  “I don’t trust you. We’ve had members of our family working at this hotel for years. We’ve seen the yearly visits to bless the children and spouses. It took hours.”

  Hotsuma shrugged. “That is tradition, not ritual. Each person recited their lineage to the ageman, going all the way back to his time period, before submersion to prove they were part of the family. You can do the same, if you like, but it’s not needed.”

  “Like I would give you the satisfaction of naming off my family tree so you can hunt us down. Dream on, Masato.”

  “Which is why I didn’t suggest it.” He gestured to the water. “Douzo.”

  “Not happening.” Takumi shook his head. “This is a trap of some kind. There’s no way you would be this complacent about the whole thing.” He pointed at Lulu. “Her first.”

  Lulu stopped herself from looking at Hotsuma. She kept her demeanor calm and unconcerned while she waited for Hotsuma’s next move.

  He said, “If you like.” With his hand on the small of her back, he urged her to the edge of the pool.

  She stepped in without hesitation. Arms surrounded her waist and kept her from going under. Masato hugged her from behind and held her as a familiar shifting sensation pulled her to the side. He let her go and she surfaced, sucking in a deep breath of air.

  She looked around at the familiar hot spring on the top floor balcony of the hotel. Why was she there? “Masato!”

  “You don’t have to yell. I’m right here, sweetheart.” He formed his head and shoulders above the surface of the water, but nothing else. “Did I scare you?”

  “What’s going on? What have you done?”

  “Exactly as Uncle and I planned.”

  “But the barrier room and Hotsuma and --”

  “Don’t worry about the Babas. They have bigger things to worry about than you disappearing before their eyes. Holding their breath, for instance.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He grinned. “We had Atsuji shut you all in so we could flood the room.”

  “What? No! You can’t kill all those people.”

  “Relax, sweetheart. We aren’t killing them. We had to flood the barrier room since Uncle and I figured they would never enter the water on their own. Each person has been transported to a separate, locked room in the hotel. Uncle is --”

  Hotsuma appeared with a soft splashing noise.

  “Right here.” Masato patted Hotsuma’s shoulder. “Nice trip?”

  “Lulu,” Hotsuma said.

  She swam over to him and then gasped when he hugged her. “Hotsuma?”

  “You’re okay?”

  “Of course. It’s not like I’ve never been transported through water before.”

  “Yes, but Masato is bad at it. He nearly drowned me on more than one occasion while we were practicing.”

  Masato said with laughter in his voice, “That’s because I was fucking with you, Uncle. I had it down after the third try. I wouldn’t have agreed to do it if I thought Lulu would get hurt.”

  She stared at Masato in surprise. Those were strange words coming from a man who had once shot her and tried to strangle her. But the Masato from that time and the Masato before her weren’t the same man. This Masato was carefree and playful… in a mischievous way.

  She startled and yelped when a current of water rushed between her legs.

  Masato said close to her neck, “Since we’re already in the water…” He trailed off as he cupped one of her breasts.

  Chapter Nine

  Masato squeezed Lulu’s breasts and butted his hips against her ass. “What do you say?”

  Hotsuma tightened his hold on her, and then a pushing sensation forced them above the surface of the water. Lulu clutched Hotsuma’s shoulders in surprise. He was standing on the water. In a physical body, he was standing on the water. She hadn’t known he could do that.

  As though hearing her thoughts, Masato said, “We didn’t spend the last week relearning your tricks while in my body so you could use them against me, Uncle.”

  “Relearning?” Lulu met Hotsuma’s gaze. “I’ve seen you control water. What does he mean?”

  Hotsuma slipped his arm under her legs so he cradled her as he walked to the edge of the pool. “I could control the motion of the water but nothing else. I distanced myself from my water abilities once I was free. I thought I had no need for such things. My actions put me out of practice. As well, not being part of the water means more effort to control it. Transporting and forming a body are skills I had to relearn. You saw my poor attempt the first night the three of us came together. I couldn’t even speak to let you know who I was.”

  Lulu thought back to that night, the way the water bubbled before forming a body. Masato didn’t usually do that, and he wouldn’t have let her yell at him without a response.

  He lowered her legs to the ground. “Masato and I spent our nights training. I had to get back the abilities I shunned and thus lost.”

  Lulu snorted. “You didn’t lose much, if our session in the barrier room was any indication.”

  Hotsuma blushed. “Sex is a great motivator.”

  “I’ll bet.” She looked back at the water. Masato stood above the surface with his hands on his hips, his legs spread apart, and his erection on full display. She focused on his face. “What now?”

  Masato grasped his dick. “You know my vote.”

  Hotsuma said, “We have to deal with the Babas.”

  “Deal with them how?” Lulu asked. “You two have kept me in the dark this entire time. What’s happening?”

  Hotsuma squeezed her shoulders. “We didn’t mean to exclude you, Lulu, but there was nothing for you to do. The plan is simple -- display my water powers to frighten them into telling us what they had planned for me. Meanwhile, the family is erecting a new barrier around the entire hotel that will alert us if anyone bearing magic enters so we can watch them.”

  “Step one accomplished.” Masato cocked his head to the side as though listening to something. “And if the way some of them are yelling and carrying on is any indication, it worked the way we wanted. Now for step two.”

  Before Lulu could ask, Masato made an upward gesture with his hand. Takumi Baba lurched into view, struggling and cursing, at the same time Masato stepped into the water and disappeared.

  Hotsuma said, “Calm down.”

  Takum
i glared at him from the water, which he continued to struggle against but couldn’t seem to free himself from. “What is this? How are you doing this? Why --”

  His rapid questions cut off when Takumi was pulled below the water. The man thrashed and reached for the surface but was held down. Lulu clutched Hotsuma’s hand. He nodded and Takumi came up for air.

  Hotsuma said, “Now then, Takumi Baba. I’ll be asking the questions and you’ll be answering them. Understood?”

  “Yes. Yes. Just get me out of this water.”

  “Sorry, but no. That’s my leverage. If you say something I don’t like, I’ll drown you and the members of your family you brought with you.”

  “That’s murder.”

  “That would be an unfortunate accident due to the hotel pipes bursting and flooding the pool room, which has been under renovation to become a therapeutic spa for the last week. I was giving you a tour when I was called to my office on a family emergency. The water pressure from the pipes bursting slammed the door shut and kept it closed. The amount of water filled the windowless room in a matter of seconds. There was no way we could get to you in time. Tragic, really.”

  Takumi paled. “You wouldn’t?”

  “Try me.”

  “Wha-what do you want to know? I’ll talk. Anything. You wanted to know the Baba family tree, right? Names, addresses -- I can tell you everything.”

  “Not interested. I want to know how you planned to end the ageman power.”

  “We discovered a spell to separate Hotsuma Mizuno from the water. Once separated, he would pass on and the power would go with him.”

  Lulu whispered, “Something so simple.”

  Hotsuma nodded. “Simple but very effective, if I were still in the water.” To Takumi, he said, “Your idea was a good one but is completely useless now. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Hotsuma Mizuno, eleventh head of the Mizuno family.”

  Takumi laughed but the sound choked to a stop when no one else joined him. “What joke is this, Masato?”

  “No joke.” Hotsuma’s brown eyes bled to crystal blue and glowed. “The Mizuno family bound me to water, giving me power over it, and then my wife woke me and put me in this body.”

  Lulu almost snorted at Hotsuma’s truncated version of the story.

  Takumi swung his gaze between Lulu and Hotsuma. “Bu-bu-but she… you… If you’re Hotsuma Mizuno, where is Masato?”

  Hotsuma shrugged. “Who cares? I’m in his body and I’m free. The family knows my situation has changed. They are doing everything in their power to make sure I stay happy so I don’t leave.”

  “How did she --”

  “None of your concern. Was that one spell the only thing the Babas had planned for me?”

  Hotsuma had to repeat his question before Takumi stopped staring at Lulu and said, “Yes. It was the only thing that would work. If we could have gotten past the barrier spell of the room where you were kept, we could have ended the Mizunos’ good luck long ago.” He grinned then started laughing. “Ha! I’ve still won, though. You’re mortal. Your powers will die with you.”

  “What makes you think I can’t hop from body to body?”

  Takumi sobered.

  “The Mizuno family will do anything to ensure my powers remain, including offering up sacrifices for me to inhabit. I gain the memories of the host body when I take it over, allowing me to blend in flawlessly.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We won’t stop. We’ll never stop. The Mizunos owe us for the wrong they committed against our ancestor. Ichiro Mizuno will be avenged.”

  “Avenged? His betrayal of the family almost ruined it. He should be glad Kazuko didn’t have him and his followers killed. Banishment was the leniency she showed him, against the wishes of the family, because he was her beloved twin.”

  “She stole his rightful place as head of the family.”

  “What lies have you been told? The Mizuno family has always passed the title through the first-born female. Her husband is adopted into the family and made the head. Ichiro refused to accept that and wanted the title for himself. He took me from my resting place in the family shrine, brought me to America, and then dumped me down a well.”

  “But his diary said --”

  “Lies. All lies. I was there. I saw it all happen. Ichiro Mizuno betrayed his family and has had his descendants dancing around like puppets on a string to carry out a revenge he doesn’t deserve.”

  “But… but…”

  Lulu’s heart went out to the man. Being confronted with the truth seemed to break his spirit. He slumped in the water with his head bowed. She placed her hand on Hotsuma’s shoulder. “That’s enough.” She asked Takumi, “Right? You’re done? This is over?”

  Takumi nodded and then shook his head. “Waste. A complete waste. We were always taught Ichiro Mizuno was usurped and he ran from the family to save his life.”

  Hotsuma said, “Ichiro Mizuno was a spoiled, willful brat who took things too far. But I bear him no grudge. His actions set in motion my meeting with my wife.” He threaded his fingers with Lulu’s and brought her hand up to his lips. “I wouldn’t have known this joy or gotten my new freedom if not for his selfish act.”

  While Lulu wanted to bask in the glow of Hotsuma’s words, she couldn’t tell if he spoke the truth or was lying for Takumi’s benefit. He’d already lied and told several half-truths that all sounded genuine. Was this another?

  Takumi said, “I’m done. We’re done. It’s over.”

  “Good.” Hotsuma released Lulu’s hand and then pointed at Takumi. The man rose above the water to stand on the surface. He looked scared. Hotsuma said, “You and your family will leave quietly. Onsen will re-open next Saturday, and your family members will not show up to work.”

  “Of course.”

  “If any of you ever think to cross me or mine again, consider one thing -- the world is seventy percent water, and I’ll use it against you.” Hotsuma dropped his hand against his side.

  Takumi fell into the water and then disappeared.

  Masato rose up and walked across the water to the edge of the pool. “The Babas are on their way out the door. Each of them dry as bone and scared shitless. Good job, Uncle.”

  Hotsuma said, “Let’s hope they never call my bluff. I can only manipulate water within a two-mile radius. And the farther away it is, the less I can do.”

  “They won’t chance it.”

  Lulu walked away, headed for the master bedroom and much-needed rest. The biggest obstacle had been cleared. There was one left, but she didn’t have the mental or physical strength to deal with it. Not yet.

  She entered the bedroom, closed the door, and then locked it. If Hotsuma or Masato wanted in, they could bypass the lock easily. Her hope was that they wouldn’t. She trudged to the bed, crawled beneath the sheets, and curled into a ball.

  A dull ache started in her shoulder, reminding her of the past and making her worry for the future. Hotsuma and Masato had worked together to solve the family crisis, but would that cooperation continue when the issue of their relationship became the topic? Lulu fell asleep thinking about her feelings for Hotsuma and for Masato.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning, Lulu felt refreshed but scared. She opened the door slowly and peeked out. Neither Hotsuma nor Masato were in the living room. She left the room, headed for the balcony. That was where she’d left them last night. It was silly to think they would still be there, but she went anyway.

  The balcony was empty. Lulu pushed open the glass doors and enjoyed the cool morning breeze and the way the rising sun made the water of the hot spring sparkle.

  “Good morning, Lulu.” Hotsuma walked out of the water. His suit should have been soaked, but it was dry.

  Behind him, Masato formed a body and walked toward her across the surface of the water.

  She said to Hotsuma, “I see you’re making good use of your renewed talent.”

  “Elevators are too slow. I wanted to be here when you woke so
we could talk.” Hotsuma glanced over his shoulder at Masato. “All of us.”

  Lulu sighed in resignation. She didn’t want to have this conversation but knew it had to happen.

  Masato said, “I’m not backing down and I’m not going away. You’re fucking her with my body, Uncle. I’m just collecting what’s owed to me.”

  Lulu asked, “So I’m a debt now? Every time Hotsuma and I have sex, I have to have sex with you to make it fair and balanced? Is that how this is going to work?” She met Hotsuma’s gaze. “Is that the deal you made with him in the beginning since you knew all along he was there?”

  Hotsuma said quickly, “I didn’t always know, Lulu. I found out the same day you did. That was the call I received that night. Masato used the phone in my office to call me away.”

  “And what? You just stood back and waited while he fucked me in the shower?”

  “No!”

  Masato cut between them and pushed them apart. “Time out. Let’s set some things straight.” He faced Lulu. “I told Uncle the same lie I told you, Lulu. He had to turn a blind eye or I would alert the family to my continued existence. Of course he told me to go fuck myself, but he had to back down when I reminded him that he was the only person standing between you and the family’s wrath. A wrath that would put you and probably everyone you love through hell after locking him back in his prison.”

  Lulu hugged her arms as she shook her head. “You are such a bastard, Masato.”

  “I made an indecent proposal, so sue me. You enjoyed it.” He grinned as he put his face close to hers and forced her to meet his gaze. “You enjoyed it a lot. You enjoyed it even more when it was both of us. Admit it.”

  She pressed her lips together, refusing to tell the truth or utter a lie. Besides, Masato and Hotsuma already knew the answer.

  Masato said, “Face it, sweetheart. You ended up with a two-fer. Now the question of the hour is whether or not you’ll accept it.”