“We’ve prepared this room for you. If you need anything, the servants are on hand.” He leaned against one of the sliding doors.
She smiled and arched a brow.
He waited a few more moments, not meeting her gaze but lightly gripping the door frame.
She tilted her head and nodded backwards, trying without words to invite him in.
“I failed to mention before, my name is Hikaru.”
She smiled.
He picked at the wood and did not meet her gaze. “I suppose you cannot tell me your name.”
That is what got me into this mess in the first place. But she supposed she could tell him; it would make things easier.
She waved her hand in front of him so he would look up. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.
He frowned back at her. “Is anything the matter?”
She shook her head and tried something different. She wrapped her arms around herself and pretended to shiver.
“You’re trying to tell me your name?”
She nodded.
A smile transformed his face and lit up his eyes. “Let’s see, cold… and angry?”
She shook her head. Next she tilted her chin upwards in a snooty pose.
He tapped his chin in thought. “Cold, arrogant?”
She shrugged, close enough. She nodded and waved her hand for him to keep guessing.
He thought for a moment, staring past her down the hall. She wished she knew the human character so she could write it down for him. Then he gasped. “Is it Rin?”
She clapped her hands together, delighted he had got it in one guess.
“Rin.” He said it again, rolling the syllable around on his tongue. “It’s pretty.”
She touched his sleeve, tugging on it. Now that they had been introduced perhaps they could get to know one another better.
He opened his mouth as if he were going to speak before he snapped his mouth shut.
“I must be going, good night.” He pulled loose from her grasp, turned and left.
She crossed her arms over her chest. Perhaps she had been a little too forward. But the sooner she got him into her bed, the sooner she would be back to her old self. She shook her head. This may take all my charm and wits.
She must be playing a trick on the humans. That is the only explanation. He followed Rin’s muted scent all the way to the palace. When he reached the entryway, he considered turning back. But her scent went through the gates. He had come too far to let a few humans deter him. Waiting until the humans were on the opposite end of the wall with their backs turned, he leapt over the wall. He landed on the other side, in a dark courtyard. The stink of humans was overwhelming. The wolf in him rebelled, demanding he return to the forest. The energy here was foul and dragged against his other senses. He shook off his concerns and slunk through the shadows, searching out Rin’s scent. The competing scents mixed together, making it difficult to pick one out from the gloom. Then he heard someone approaching from the opposite direction. He crouched in the shadows, sitting on his haunches.
“The young lord asked a room be prepared for the lady,” said an older man.
“I’ll see it done, then,” replied a middle-aged woman.
He suspected Rin was said lady and followed the middle-aged woman to a chamber. She laid out bedding, lit the braziers and hung screens. He crept behind her while she worked and waited in the garden beyond. When she exited, he snuck in to investigate. The room was small but well furnished, the futon made of silk and the pillows filled with feathers. This is a fine place but nothing compared to the palace. He inspected the place but found nothing out of the ordinary. There were wooden drawers to keep possessions, a window at one end, and a garden facing the inner chamber. Reeds hung around the main sleeping area, blocking it from view.
She cannot avoid me forever. I’ll just wait. He plopped down and waited for her arrival. It was some minutes before he heard voices outside the door.
The door slid open and he saw her profile. Her hair was long and black, and tied hastily. She looked like herself, but there was something not right about her appearance. Her energy was diminished and her glow gone.
She turned into the room and her gaze swept over the furnishings with an indifferent expression. Nothing out of the ordinary, he imagined her thinking. Then she saw him laid out on the futon. He had opened the front of his kimono so his flat stomach and defined chest were exposed. Had he been trying to seduce any other woman, it would have worked.
“I have been waiting for you, Rin,” he said in a low rumbling voice.
She rolled her eyes and plopped down beside him.
He grinned, revealing pointed canines. That was his Rin, unimpressed. Maybe that was what had drawn him to her for so long. She did not fall prey to his charm like the other women. “What have you done?” He reached for her soft ebony hair and grabbed a few strands, tangling them around his long fingers.
She batted his hand away. She crossed her hands over her throat to indicate she could not speak.
He tutted. He should have known straight away. “You’ve been bewitched, I can see it now. What is the price to break the spell? Should I summon the Dragon?”
She shook her head furiously. Then things must have ended badly with the Dragon. Perhaps now was his chance. After waiting so long, he did not want to waste his opportunity to tell her how he felt. He should wait until he knew her heart was healed. Besides, she was under some spell. Now was not the right time.
Shin folded his arms over his chest. “You can’t keep avoiding him for eternity. In fact, I came here to bring you back. I thought you were playing a trick on the humans, and now I can see this is much more complicated than that.”
She sighed.
“You probably did it to yourself,” he mused aloud.
Rin scowled at him in return.
He laughed, a rich husky sound.
She spread out her hands in a gesture that said, Well, can you help me break this spell?
He lay back on the futon and cradled his head on his forearms. “I don’t know if I should help you this time. Maybe I’m done cleaning up your messes.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He loved the way her face flushed when she did not know what to do with him. Teasing her was the best way to elicit that reaction, but he’d much rather have her cheeks flushed for a different reason. He squashed down the thought. Now was not the time. He needed to focus on fixing this problem first.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and he flickered dark brown eyes towards her. She gave him a quivering bottom lip. She knew he could not resist. She’s good, I’ll give her that.
He sighed. “Fine, I’ll look into it. For now you stay here. It’s safer if you are among humans while you are one.”
She clapped her hands. He grinned at her in return. It felt like old times before the Dragon. I never should have separated myself from her. This is my fault if it’s anyone’s. I have to protect her.
She threw her arms around Shin’s shoulders. He toppled backwards and she pinned him to the ground. She leaned over him. Her now dark hair fell between them and tickled his nose. Her lips were slightly parted. It took all his self-control to not lean forward and kiss her. Did she not know how she drove him mad? How every casual touch, every movement drew him to her? He had held back these feelings for so long, but damn it, he was tired of waiting. He needed her. No amount of liaisons was worth even a tenth of just seeing her smile. His breathing was deep and shallow. Their faces were close together. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. No matter how brave or how powerful he was, she always brought him to his knees. He couldn’t face the rejection if she still loved the Dragon. He sighed and then very gently pushed her off. She sat back and gave him a puzzled look.
“I’ll be back tomorrow. Stay out of trouble until then,” he said with his back to her.
She reached out for him, but before she could grab onto him, he transformed. He did not want her to convince him to stay and have him make a mistake h
e would later regret. A second later, the man disappeared and in his place was a wolf. The wolf bounded out of the room and down through the garden. I’ll be back with a way to break her spell, and maybe then I’ll have the courage to say what I really feel.
8
Hikaru hurried down the hall. His servant, Yori, chased after him, tugging at his sleeves and trying to straighten Hikaru’s crooked outer robe. He spotted Rin across the veranda. She did not see him at first; she was looking around the palace with interest, her neck craned, and her pale skin contrasted against crimson leaves on her robe. Yori collided with him from behind.
“Pardon me, my lord,” Yori said.
Hikaru waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. A jade comb in Rin’s hair sparkled and winked at him as she moved under shafts of sunlight falling onto the landing. She turned and their eyes met.
Yori cleared his throat. Hikaru had forgotten he was there. “There’s no need for you to apologize; I stopped too suddenly. I thought I felt something in my sock.”
“Should I take you back to your chamber and switch them out, my lord?” Yori asked, with a hardly stifled laugh, which he poorly disguised as a cough.
As Rin drew closer, he suddenly felt very aware of his attire. He ran his hands over his hair to make sure it was smooth and then discreetly turned to Yori. “How do I look?”
Yori smiled, like a fond uncle would. “Very handsome, my lord.”
“You know how to please your lord. I will call for you later.”
Yori bowed, but the grin did not leave his face as he backed away. “As you say, my lord.”
Rin was close enough now that he could touch her if he were so bold. Her smile flashed across her face. Unlike so many noble ladies he met, her smile was broad and reached her eyes. Can the sun even shine as bright as that smile?
He bowed to her in greeting. She stared back at him. Did I do something wrong? Why did she not bow as well?
The handmaiden who accompanied Rin gasped. When Hikaru glanced at the maid, she turned her head away, a blush staining her cheeks. He was not the only one who had noticed Rin’s bad manners. It was her eccentric behavior that fascinated him and it endeared him to her more than anything.
“Lady Nishimori, I am glad to see you. I hope you slept well.”
The smirk did not leave her ruby lips, but it curved the corners of her mouth in a way that was both enticing and mysterious. The night before he had been sure he misunderstood her intentions. What noble lady would invite a man she just met into her chamber? But judging from the secretive way she smiled and how she looked at him through her lashes, that may have indeed been her intention. He tugged at his collar; he felt very hot all of a sudden. I’m turning into a lecher. I must be misreading her signals.
“I thought perhaps we might break our fast together.” He motioned towards the room beyond. The sliding doors had been pulled back on all sides. The sun filtered into the room, giving it natural light. On the opposite end of the room, it overlooked a courtyard garden, one of many sprinkled across the palace. The maple tree in the center of the courtyard burst with crimson leaves, which brightened an otherwise bleak garden.
Rin walked through the room, and instead of seating herself on one of the pillows on the floor, she went into the garden. It was a small space and Rin, wearing the same kimono he had found her in, seemed to fill the bleak space with light. She stepped down from the landing and revealed dainty bare feet as she lifted up the hem of her kimono. She stepped onto the cobblestones that made a path through the small garden. She stood beneath the maple tree and tilted her head back. It revealed the column of her throat and the nape of her neck; it was oddly erotic. He had seen such few glimpses of her flesh, but each time it stirred something within him. He followed her out as if in a trance.
He did not take off his own socks, but he did find a pair of sandals by the door and slid them on so he could join her in the garden. He followed her same path, his sandals clicking on the stones. She turned to him. Her eyes reflected the gold of her kimono, and her hair in the light looked almost coppery. He stared for a moment, thinking once more of the strange woman who had saved him in the woods. But when he blinked, she returned to as she was, dark hair and eyes, a noble lady. She was an odd woman, but that was what drew him to her.
“Do you like the tree?” he asked. How simple I must sound.
She smiled and moved closer. She pressed her hand to the bark and then to her heart.
“You seem to have a strong attachment to nature.” He hesitated, then under his breath said, “I wish you could tell me what you were thinking.”
She did not look at him, but he could feel her smirk somehow. She has secrets that I would drain the ocean to learn. She makes me want to write bad poetry. I may be more adept with a brush than a sword, but I do not think anything I could pen would do justice to her innocence and beauty.
“I’ve heard that the Nishimoris have strong ties to the forest. They say it is because of your patron Kami, but I do not put much stock in those sorts of things.”
She turned to look at him. Her eyes traced his face and then slowly went down to his throat and over his shoulders. It was an intimate feeling having her eyes travel over him like that. It felt as if she could see through him. Did she find him wanting? Did she like what she saw? She looked at his face again and then shrugged. The sting of her dismissal nearly staggered him. He was left with his mouth agape as she turned and ran back up the stairs. She must be teasing me. He followed her back into the room. The servants had laid out a meal of miso soup, broiled fish, rice, and an assortment of side dishes, including fried tofu.
Rin knelt down on one of the pillows and she leaned forward, smelling the food in front of her. Her expression was blissful. He could not help but drink in her appearance. She seemed to experience the world as if for the first time, like she had been born just the day before.
“Is everything to your liking?” he asked.
She picked up a bowl of fried tofu and had pressed it nearly to her nose. She closed her eyes and exhaled. When she opened them, she looked at him rather sheepishly. He laughed and she smiled before diving into the tofu with gusto. He watched her eat for a few more moments before taking a few bites of his own food. I cannot keep staring, it’s rude.
When she finished the tofu, she tried the fish, which seemed to her liking, as did the rice and the soup. She ate heartily, which was a refreshing change. So many of the women he encountered nibbled and hardly ate. Rin was different from them in so many ways.
When they finished their meal, he offered her a tour of the palace. He started at the outer ring of the palace. This area was populated by the servants and lower-ranking clan members. A young woman walked with her head down, carrying empty dishes back to the kitchen. Hikaru did not notice the woman approaching them until she collided with Rin. Hikaru caught Rin about the waist and she fell against his chest, clutching onto his outer robe. He stared down into her large dark eyes. She smiled at him before very gently pushing away. Her hand seemed to linger on his chest a moment longer than necessary, but he might have imagined it. The servant who fell knelt over the broken dishes, which she picked up and placed in her upturned apron. Hikaru noticed and bent down to help her up.
“My apologies, my lord, I was not watching where I was going.” She did not look at Hikaru, but he could see her eyes darting towards Rin.
“We should have watched where we were going. You are the one who was doing her duty.” He smiled at her, but the young woman did not return it.
She gathered the dishes and fragments, refusing Hikaru’s help. When she was finished, she gave him a low bow, scurried backwards and hurried away from them. When she disappeared around the corner, Hikaru returned his attention to Rin. They walked side by side through the palace grounds. He wanted to reach out to touch her hand or brush against her arm, though he knew it would be inappropriate. No matter where they went, the servants watched them go; their expressions were mixed fear and apprehension.
At first he paid it no heed; then he heard their whispers and could feel the tension in the air like a blanket covering them. The servants would never openly stare, but they all but did. One man ran in the opposite direction as they approached. He looked at Rin, who grinned back at him. She did not seem to notice. Rumors have already begun to spread. I must stop this now, or she may suffer the same fate.
“Let’s go to the practice yard. I can show you the men at work.”
She inclined her head and they walked off together. The practice area was full of activity as they approached. A ring of men surrounded two who sparred. Swords rang as they collided, followed by the shouts of the watchers in support of their champion. Hikaru and Rin took a spot in the shade of a veranda that overlooked the yard. Rin scooted very close to the edge, her eyes glued to the fight.
The men were shirtless and glistened with sweat. The man to the right breathed heavily, his practice wooden sword held at the ready. Hotaru, on the opposite side, eyed his challenger with a grim look of determination. Hikaru had seen that look in his brother’s eye before and he was glad not to be on the receiving end of it. Hotaru’s opponent had his back to them and did not appear to even have broken a sweat. The two charged one another, swords slashing and jabbing.
Rin touched Hikaru’s elbow, and he flinched involuntarily. Her casual touches inflamed him and filled his thoughts with images of what could have happened had he acknowledged her invitation from the night before. Damn my honor. If I were a different man, I might consider it. As it was, he was hard-pressed to push aside such selfish thoughts. She did not withdraw her hand, however. When he looked at her, it seemed there was a question she wanted to ask.
“Are you wondering what they are doing?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Then perhaps you want to know why they are practicing?”
She nodded.
He looked back to the men. The man who had his back turned to them before was facing them now. Hikaru recognized Captain Sadao. He had his brother cornered and the strain of keeping his cool was visible in Hotaru’s face. It gave Hikaru a jolt to see his brother with his back against the wall for once, but he knew it wouldn’t last. Hotaru never lost. Hikaru held his breath, expecting his brother to turn the tables at the last moment. Captain Sadao jabbed again, the practice sword grazing against Hotaru’s unprotected midriff. A killing blow. Hotaru threw up his hands in surrender. The fight was over. The captain and Hotaru bowed to one another. Rin stepped in front of him, her brow raised. She was waiting for an answer.
Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling Page 6
