“Bring her to the young lord,” the witch said.
He did not want to trust the witch. But even now with the blood of innocents on his hands, he wanted to save his beloved more. He had come this far, he could not turn back now.
“I know you’re not going to let her go, why not take her?” he asked.
The witch smiled. “Because she still has a job to do for me. She must kill Hikaru.”
Shin arrived to a palace in chaos. The humans shouted to one another, their voices melding together into one agitated humming sound, the backdrop to his search for Rin. The Dragon was near, he could feel him and a human with immense spiritual power very close by. The Dragon would know what to do; together they would be able to stop Akio.
He found them running along the rooftops, hand in hand. When the Dragon saw Shin, he held up his hand to stop the woman. She looked at him, curious but unafraid. She was pretty, by human standards. He wondered what she was doing with the Dragon. A part of him had hoped he had come here to save Rin. But perhaps he had been hoping for too much.
“Shin,” the Dragon said. There was a threat in his tone and Shin took a step back.
Shin bowed low to the Dragon. “Master, we’ve been looking for you.”
“And you have not found me.”
“Master?”
“Do I need to explain? You cannot tell anyone we met here. If my enemies discovered…” His gaze slid to the side where the woman was holding his hand.
The truth hit him like a punch to the gut. He had thought Rin and the Dragon… then the real reason he had disappeared was because of this woman. The Dragon had taken a human lover, more than that, a human with spiritual powers. Then the rumors were true. He never thought he would see the day. If Akio, or any of his other enemies knew, they would use her against him. For someone in the Dragon’s position, a human could be his greatest weakness. For a moment his loyalty to the Dragon warred against his desire to save Rin.
In the end, loyalty won out. “I will keep my silence, Master.” He bowed his head.
The Dragon smiled and patted Shin on the shoulder as he passed by, whisking his woman off into the night. Shin let him go. If the Dragon lingered any longer in this place, then they would be found out. He would have to save Rin on his own.
He ran along the rooftops in the opposite direction of the Dragon to Rin’s room. He landed in the courtyard. The entire place smelled of her, but she was not there. He could tell right away. Nothing was disturbed, but he could not shake the sense that something was out of place. The humans were running around; blood was on the air. What is going on here?
He crept out into the hall, and invisible to the humans, he listened to their conversations.
“Report!” said a grizzled warrior in a blue mask.
“Lady Fujikawa is missing, and we cannot find Lord Hikaru,” said his underling.
“Do not stop searching until you find them both,” the leader snapped. The younger warrior bowed and hurried to do his bidding.
He continued his search, following the scent of Rin. She had climbed over rooftops to the heart of the palace. The scent of human blood was everywhere. Rin’s trail ended in a garden; he dropped down into it. Bodies of slain men lay on the ground, their limbs at odd angles. Shin walked through the carnage, searching for Rin, but her scent had been overpowered by the smell of death. She had been here. Perhaps moments before, but she was gone.
“She is no longer here, Shin,” said an unfamiliar voice.
The hairs on the back of his neck rose up on end. He turned around to find an old woman grinning at him.
“Who are you? How do you know my name?”
She cackled. “I know much about you. As for me, I lost my name long ago.”
He frowned at her. His energy burned just beneath his skin, waiting to be unleashed to transform, should she prove dangerous.
“Did you do this?” he asked, motioning to the dead bodies.
“No, but you know who did.”
“Naoki.” He said his name like a curse.
“He has your Kitsune.”
He swore and motioned to chase after her when her words stopped him. “You cannot hope to defeat him on your own.”
He stopped and turned to look at her. He had not felt her spiritual power at first, but now he could, and she was even more powerful than the woman who had been with the Dragon. “And you can?”
She laughed. “I am only a human. But you can, with my help.”
He raised an eyebrow, inclined to be skeptical, but he wanted to hear what she had to say.
“I have a charm here. If you use it, you’ll be able to control Naoki. Just place it on his forehead and he’ll do as you bid.”
She held out a small stone with swirling markings on it. He stared at it, afraid to take it from her. Getting this on Naoki would be no easy task. He was a skilled swordsmen, known all through Akatsuki as a great fighter.
“Why should I trust you?”
“Who said anything about trust?”
He hesitated a moment longer before snatching it from her hand. “If this does not work, I will find you, old woman.”
She bowed her head. “I am counting on it.”
Hikaru waited for what seemed an eternity. He wrung his hands to avoid pulling at the tattered threads at the edge of his sleeve. Then he saw the shadow approaching—two figures. He stepped out from within the room until he realized the two approaching were not Rin and the captain but an unknown man and Lady Fujikawa.
At first he thought he should be alarmed until his wife reached for the unknown man’s hand and squeezed. The look she bestowed upon the stranger held all the emotion and warmth Hikaru had never received from her. He held his breath and watched as they disappeared over the edge of the roof. In his heart he had known they were not meant for one another, but he was glad she had found her happiness. His only reservation was the ruined treaty. Before he could consider it further, the captain appeared with Rin in his arms. Her head lolled to one side.
“What happened to her?”
“It is safer to transport her this way,” the captain said.
Hikaru eyed the captain but held his tongue. Hikaru took Rin from the captain, despite his protests. She was his responsibility. The weight of Rin’s head on his shoulder was reassuring; he could feel her heart beating against his, steady and alive. With the captain leading the way, they slipped into the night through the palace.
“I saw a man with my wife. A friend of yours?” Hikaru asked.
The captain hesitated and then with a nod said, “I know of him.”
“Care to explain? That’s my wife he has with him.”
“Who do you care about more, your wife or her? I can only rescue one woman tonight.”
He felt guilty for not fighting for Lady Fujikawa, but there was only one choice for him. “Let’s get out of here.”
They managed to steal their way into the courtyard, where horses were waiting for them. They were not like any horses he had seen before. They had hair that rippled in the wind as if their very manes were made of living fire. Their coats were pure white. Hikaru reached out a hand to touch their fiery manes. It was warm but did not burn. He gently laid Rin over the back of the first as the captain swung into the saddle of the other. The warm flames tickled his skin as he rested Rin’s head against his chest.
The gate to the palace was closed as they cantered through the courtyard. Guards stood guard, weapons drawn. Hikaru looked to the captain for guidance, but he did not break stride as they galloped full speed straight for the men. The guards held their ground, unblinking. Hikaru closed his eyes, prepared for a collision. But before they collided, the horses leapt into the air, sailing over the palace walls. He looked down as the ground came rushing back to them. The guards had not even turned their heads. It was as if they had not seen them at all. The animals landed silently and then they flew through the night, racing over the countryside. The horses’ feet did not even seem to touch the ground. They
were some distance from the palace when a wolf appeared. It was a massive beast, larger than any of the smaller forest creatures he was accustomed to. It ran alongside them and then abruptly cut in front of them. The captain brought them to a sudden stop and Hikaru nearly fell from his saddle.
The wolf growled at them, its teeth bared.
“Move, Okami,” the captain said.
Then from a rumbling throat the wolf replied, “I will not let you take Rin.”
23
Rin fell, her shoulder slammed into the ground, and her eyes flew open. The air crackled. She scrambled away just in time to avoid the stomping of the horse’s hooves. Flaming hooves, these were no average horses. These animals are from the forest. She got to her feet and saw the back of a man as he swung a blade at a wolf. Shin! She ran forward, intent on stopping the man from attacking Shin, but someone grabbed her around the middle and stopped her.
“Rin, don’t, they’ll kill you,” Hikaru whispered into her ear.
She wrenched her neck backward, tensing in his grip.
What is going on?
Shin and the man circled one another. The hairs on Shin’s back were raised and his lips pulled back, revealing rows of pointed teeth. He growled and snapped, goading the man into attacking. I thought he had left me for good. She was relieved he had not abandoned her but also furious he had come back. She could see from the way the man struck like a snake, he was no mere mortal. She knew him; it was the guardian’s man.
Hikaru pulled her back and she watched in horror as Shin and Akio’s dog battled. They met in the middle, blade flying and white fur all ablur. Rin clutched onto Hikaru’s arm, unable to tear her eyes away from the fight. The man swung his sword and it bit into Shin’s shoulder. Blood poured from the wound in a sickening trail down his foreleg. Rin clenched tighter; she must have been drawing blood from Hikaru’s flesh. Shin snapped at the man’s arm and caught a length of his sleeve, which he tore free.
Shin spun around, putting himself between the man and Hikaru and Rin.
“Get Rin out of here,” Shin snarled at Hikaru.
Rin shook her head. She looked at Hikaru, begging him not to do it with her eyes.
“We cannot stay here,” Hikaru agreed.
Whose side was he on? She did not know. She tried to pull away, but he had a firm grip on her arm.
“I don’t know what either of them wants, but my first goal is to keep you safe.”
Shin lunged for the man again, heedless of how powerless she was in this form. But Hikaru pulled her back before she got very far. The man grunted as Shin’s jaws grazed his collar. Hikaru guided her away, holding onto her shoulders as she strained to watch her best friend fight for his life. Hikaru helped her onto the back of the Yokai horse. The animal was accommodating, but it flicked its tail back and forth and its ears pointed back. These creatures had a master, and because they were willing, it meant their escape was their master’s will. She felt powerless. If she had her fox fire, she could help Shin instead of abandoning him.
Hikaru kicked the horse in the ribs and then they were flying through the night. She did not know where he was taking her and she did not care. Whoever provided the horses would find them no matter where they went. Her mind with Shin, she clung onto Hikaru’s arm as she looked over his shoulder, watching the fight as it grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
They ran over rice paddies and closer to the forest they went. She wondered if the horse was taking them to their master, but then they made a sudden turn onto a country road. Hikaru pulled up short and the horse came to a stop. It pawed the ground with its flaming hooves and snorted clouds of sulfur. Hikaru slid down and then helped Rin join him on the ground. When they were both safely on foot, he slapped the horse on the rear and sent it running. He watched it go for a few moments before turning back to Rin.
“I do not trust that beast or Captain Sadao. So I thought we should send it away.”
She nodded if only to placate him. Akio would find her; it was only the question of whether it would be before the witch’s spell turned her into a fox or not. She linked hands with Hikaru, looking for comfort. The road was empty but for the moonlight that guided their path. It was not that different than the place where he had found her after the witch’s spell had stripped her of her voice.
He squeezed her hand and smiled. “There’s somewhere we can go where I think we will be safe.”
She smiled at him, though it was halfhearted. Tonight was the last night; there was nowhere he would be safe with her. She still had to choose, him or her. They walked down the country road in silence. Rin’s thoughts chased themselves in circles. When she wasn’t worried about Shin, she was wondering why the Dragon had not recognized her, or worrying how she would break the spell without killing Hikaru. If she didn’t break it, then she would turn into a fox come sunrise.
They skirted the forest; sparsely spaced trees rustled in the breeze. They watched them like dark sentinels. Rin peered into the gloom, cursing her human vision. There would be Yokai in the shadows watching them. As it was, the short hairs on the back of her neck prickled in warning. The witch should be here any moment to taunt or gloat, but she had not come to find her. The forest grew dense all of a sudden and the shadows longer, and she swore she saw eyes watching them from behind trees. The hillside went upwards into the mountains. On the right-hand side of the road, there was a red archway. One the humans used to keep out evil spirits. She stared up at it for a moment. The paint was faded and worn, splintered wood exposed beneath the peeling paint.
“Up here,” he said as he tugged her along. She followed him up the multitude of steps. The forest had started to creep in and the undergrowth grew over the steps and obscured them from view. Rin tripped and Hikaru caught her around the waist. She smiled at him in thanks and they continued their climb. At the top of the steps, the shrine was in disrepair. The roofs had holes and the cobblestones were patchworked with grass and roots that had pushed through. There were two buildings total, one temple and one caretaker hut. Hikaru let go of Rin’s hand.
“Wait here. I am going to make sure we’re alone.”
She let him go, but the uneasy feeling had not left her. She could not be certain if it was because they were being watched our just her own anxiety creeping up on her. Hikaru returned a few moments later.
“There’s some bedding in the caretaker’s cottage. We should rest while we can.”
She followed him into the caretaker’s hut. A worn futon, with frayed edges and patches on it, was laid in the center of the room. She looked to Hikaru. How did you know about this place?
“I’ve been coming here since I was a boy. It was my escape when the palace became too much to bear,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
She touched him gently on the shoulder. It’s nice. They went into the hut and she sat on the futon. I cannot keep worrying about Shin. He can handle himself. It’s me I should be worried about.
Hikaru knelt down on the futon beside her. He had his back to her at first.
“This is not how I thought this would happen.” He sighed.
She looked down at her hands. This was not her idea of a happily ever after either. For one of them this would be the end.
“You never answered my question, but I guess I should rephrase the question. My wife, it seems, has run off with another man.”
Rin smiled. Indeed she has.
He turned around and took Rin’s hands in his. “Rin, will you be my wife?”
His question stole the breath from her lungs. She had no proper answer because there was no future for them. So she kissed him instead. Time was so precious, there was no use wasting time explaining. They shed their robes, his sopping wet, and fumbled under the slightly musty sheets. When they were finished, Hikaru fell asleep. She lay on his chest, her mind still whirling. Daylight was not far off. It’s his life or mine, but how can you choose such a thing? Then a cold chill ran up her spine. Rin sat up in bed. A shadow passed outsid
e the door. She got up and went to the entryway. There was no one there. She looked down at her feet, and at her feet laid the dagger, the same white bone-handled dagger the witch had given her.
Rin scooped it up off the ground. I have to make a choice. Kill Hikaru and save myself or become a fox.
She looked down at the dagger once more before turning and heading back inside, where Hikaru slept on unaware. She stood in the doorway for a moment, watching him sleep. He had stretched out, grasping for her in the empty space she left behind. She padded across the room and knelt down beside him. The blade felt warm, as if it had a life of its own. I must choose.
She stared down at him, memorizing every line of his face, the curve of his throat, the angle of his cheekbones, and committed all the light and shadow that made up his features to memory. She always wanted to remember the way it felt to kiss him, to feel his heart beat in time with hers, and the way he had loved her. The night had grown lighter; the darkness faded to morning. She sat cross-legged on the futon, staring down at Hikaru, watching the rise and fall of his chest. Her hands trembled so bad she almost dropped the knife. .
I’m sorry, Hikaru…
He held back from fighting the Okami with his full strength; not because he did not want to win, but because killing the Dragon’s right hand would start a war. And he had sworn above all else to prevent that. No matter how much else he compromised in his quest, he could not do that. But the Okami had no such concerns, he flung himself at Naoki with abandon, teeth snapping and tearing at Naoki’s robe. He slashed wide, made superficial cuts, and moved slowly, giving the Okami a chance to dodge, to run. When the Okami spotted Hikaru and Rin fleeing, he tried to pursue them. Naoki launched into the air, flying over the Okami and landing in his path. He brandished his sword, keeping the Okami from advancing. The Okami’s red eyes were like bright embers burning in his white fur. His fangs bared, saliva dripped from his jaw onto the ground.
Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling Page 19
