Yemon felt as though lightning had seared his flesh and jolted his head. This Hoshi was the star to light his life. He had sought her forever. Why had he bowed to his father’s wishes and accepted the betrothal to Akako, a woman who didn’t want him? She desired another but her father had courted Yemon. Since that day, his life had been miserable. Still, the coming union would unite wealth to poser and benefit both families.
He sat on a bench. A frown furrowed his brow. Why did Hoshi carry a knife? Did she fear an attack by an enemy of her house? Had she planned to take her own life? He couldn’t allow her to do that. If she accepted what he’d come to offer, she would be safe.
Their glances met. In her gaze he read an awareness akin to what he felt. First, he would present the emperor’s words and then he would offer her his heart.
The servant arrived with the makings for tea. Hoshi performed the ceremony with all the grace of the most practiced geisha. She was all Akako wasn’t.
He took the cup and sipped. His gaze traveled from her face over her body. He noticed slight changes signaling her interest. Her cheeks colored. Her breasts seemed to swell beneath her robe. She sighed and shifted position in a restless dance. If he touched her, would she burst into flames only he could quench?
When he finished the tea, she rose. “Why have you come? Tell me quickly for there is much I must do.”
“The emperor wishes to offer your family his protection. In these days of rebellion, he must stand strong. Long has your house been among those who serve the throne. Will you give oath of fealty to him?”
She turned away. “We have served. We have kept our honor. Promises were made but those promises were not kept.”
He nodded. “Of this the emperor is aware. Others made those promises and failed. This time they will be kept. I would like to be the one who brings your house to him.”
Hoshi frowned. Was he competing with Saburo and were several factions vying for favor? Her father’s house made the family appear weak. “This is not a decision I can made lightly. I will consider the request.”
“I ask no more of you for the emperor.” Yemon rose and went to her. “There is another question I would ask.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. He craved her as his body needed air, drink and food. She stiffened. As he stroked her neck, the muscles relaxed. He pressed his lips against her ear. “I desire you. You are the star to light my nights.” He caught her lobe between his teeth.
She shivered. “I can belong to no man. I have my duty.”
“As I have mine. Do you believe duty is stronger than love? We have walked this road many times and have turned our backs on love. Duty, power and wealth always win.”
She faced him. “What you ask is impossible. You must go.”
“I can’t leave you.” He pulled her into an embrace. He brushed his mouth lightly across hers. He pressed her against his rigid erection. “I’ll go but I’ll return every night until your body burns and you join me in the flames.”
She grasped his shoulders. “I cannot. I stand as my brother’s guardian. I have a duty to my family.”
He kissed the corners of her mouth. “Can you say you have no desire for me? Can you say you didn’t know me the moment our eyes met?”
She looked into his eyes. “You know I can’t. Please leave. I must lay stones so I can cross the boiling lake of temptation.”
He stepped away. “I’ll go but remember this. Our fates are twined as tightly as the strings of a bow.” He strode from the garden.
* * *
Hoshi sank to her knees and pressed her forehead against the cold stone of the bench. Why had he entered her life now when she must put aside all thoughts of love? She lifted the knife and cut her hair to the proper length for a warrior. A tear and then a flood flowed over her cheeks.
Tears were wrong. A samurai had no time for weeping. She sliced the last piece and gathered the long strands into a ball. She buried the hair beneath the cherry tree and wiped her eyes.
When she reached her sleeping room, she lifted her father’s sword and held it high. She gazed at her reflection in the polished metal mirror. “Ho, Warrior.”
* * *
Yemon left Hoshi’s house. His emotions churned. He had no desire to spend time with his betrothed, yet her father had summoned him to a meeting. The man expected to hear a report of success. The rivalry between the senior courtiers was strong. The man who succeeded in persuading one of the warrior houses to swear to the emperor would gain wealth and power. Akako’s father craved power. Yemon’s wanted wealth.
As he entered the front gate, he heard laughter from the garden. Yemon recognized Akako’s voice. A man spoke. Yemon frowned. Didn’t his future father-in-law have a lighter voice? Yemon left the path to the entrance to the house and walked to the garden.
Lanterns in the trees dappled the area with pools of light. When Yemon neared the pond where carp were kept, a figure in dark robes hurried away.
Akako wheeled. A thin smile erased her scowl. “Yemon, I didn’t expect you.”
“I had a message from your father to attend him here tonight.”
“How odd. He isn’t here. He was called away.” She sidled toward him.
He caught the aroma of her arousal and stepped back. He wouldn’t finish what another man had begun. Who had been here? If he could catch her with another man, no one would blame him when the betrothal ended.
“Where’s your maid?” he asked.
“With her friends.” She licked her lips. “I’ve no need of her when you are here.”
He stepped back. “It is not proper for us to be alone. Tell your father I was here.”
She appraised him like a housewife at the fishmonger’s stall. “Aren’t you tired of being so proper?” She ran her fingers over his chest. “Let me give you a taste of what will soon be yours.”
Yemon turned and strode away. His back tensed. He tried to assure himself the prickled he felt didn’t foretell a dagger in his back.
“How dare you walk away from me,” she cried. “You reject me when I need you. You will be sorry.”
He already was. He paused outside the gate. Where should he go now? He had no desire to return home and face his father’s questions. With brisk steps, he headed to the section of the city were tea houses abounded. He was certain to find a few friends.
As he entered the lane to his favorite house, he heard the raised voices of two men. One belonged to Saburo. Yemon ducked into the shadows. Since Saburo’s arrival at court, he had acted as though Yemon was his rival and enemy. Yemon had felt the same antipathy.
“Why should I pay you?” Saburo asked.
“The man you wanted dead was buried yesterday,” the other man said.
“You were to wait until I said the time had come.”
The other man laughed. “You’re the one who is a fool. The time to strike is when the opportunity arises. Pay me. I need to leave this city before they find me.”
Saburo laughed. “Then here. Payment for a botched job.”
When Yemon heard a yelp cut off too quickly, he hurried away and paused at the door of the tea house. Who had Saburo paid an assassin to kill? Yemon tucked this tidbit away. Learning the answer might add an arrow to his quiver.
A burst of laughter from inside drew Yemon into the first room. He saw his friends gathered around a table. He slipped off his sandals. The geisha hostess led him across the room. She handed him a hot, wet towel for his hands. The subtle aroma relaxed his tension.
“Yemon, welcome,” one of his friends said. “Wait until you hear the latest news.”
He waited for the geisha to bring hot saki and fill the tiny cup. As he sipped, his thoughts returned to the scene he’d overheard. Had Saburo killed the man he’d hired. “So what is this great story?”
“Saburo has lost his betrothed,” one said.
“You mean the betrothal was broken,” another said.
Braying laughter erupted. “Lost and broken. His betrothed’s father was assa
ssinated and she has vowed to stand as the head of her family until her brother comes of age.”
Hoshi, Yemon thought. Had to be her.
“In ten days, they would have been wed and he would have been head of the family. You know what that means.”
Yemon smiled. Now he knew one of Saburo’s secrets. He leaned forward. Perhaps his plan has failed.”
“What do you mean?” one of the others asked.
"I heard someone ronin challenged the head of a family and killed him. Could he have acted too soon?”
“And Saburo did himself in.”
“Perhaps.” Yemon filled his saki cup again and raised it for a toast. “To plans gone awry.”
The conversation turned to other matters. When Yemon’s favorite geisha paused at his side, he shook his head. The thought of being with any woman but Hoshi made him feel cold. He continued to drink and talk until he felt tired and he left.
When he reached his father’s house, he hurried to his sleeping room. He took a piece of parchment to the low table where his brushes and ink waited. To honor his feelings for Hoshi, he wrote a tanka.
A woman appeared.
Clothed as a man, standing proud.
Woman – all beauty.
Star of night in glory.
Disguised, a sword in her hand.
Hoshi, he thought. She was a woman made to please a man. She was too beautiful to be a warrior. He fell asleep and carried her image into his dreams. As he tumbled into dreams, her face changed again and again but he knew the woman was Hoshi.
* * *
For Yemon, the next day seemed endless. All he could think of was Hoshi and how he would find her in the garden of her house. At dusk, he dressed in dark clothes and slipped from the house. He hurried along the streets. He found the rear gate to her garden and entered. There, he hid behind a tree for he heard Hoshi speaking to someone.
“Tomorrow, you will recite the duties of a samurai. When your teachers arrive, you must show them you are a child who can learn.”
“When can I use a sword?”
“After your teachers arrive, they will tell you. You must practice the steps of the dance until they are ingrained. Your teachers will also help me with my skills.”
“What if you face a challenge before then?”
“I will do my best.”
“Why did Father die? I thought he was the best samurai in the land.”
“The man he fought cheated. He used a poisoned blade.”
“Who was he?”
“A ronin. Someone paid him but he escaped so we never learned who. Off to your room. Write your duties three times.”
Yemon waited for a time before he left his hiding place. Hoshi sat on a bench with a sword on her lap. He must have made a sound for she leapt to her feet. She held the sword with a two-handed grip. “Who is there?”
“Yemon.”
She lowered the sword. “Why do you come like a thief in the night?”
“To see you. To speak of my heart’s desire.”
She sheathed the blade. “Your heart and not your mission?”
“Since last night, your face has been with me. I saw you in my dreams. Even when your features changed, I knew you. I learned how over the ages we have loved and lost. Fate has granted us another chance.”
She sank to the ground. “Perhaps what you say is true but I can’t give you what you want. For four years, I must remain a warrior. When my duty ends, I will resume my life.”
Four years, he thought. By then he would be wed. If not to Akako, to another of his father’s choosing. He had to persuade Hoshi to be his now. He sat beside her. “I burn for you. Can you say you have no desire for me?”
“No.”
“How can you wait four years to fulfill our destiny?”
“I must.”
Clouds slid away from the moon and he saw her clearly for the first time since he’d entered the garden. “Your hair.” Why had she cut it before she heard his offer?
“I am samurai. My decision has been made. It is my duty to stand as the head of my family until my brother comes of age. I am neither man nor woman until the time passes.”
He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “How can you deny the need that beats like a pulsing heart?”
“I have no other choice.” She met his gaze. “To accept the emperor’s offer is to put my house into the hands of the man I believe betrayed my father. To step aside would bring me into a marriage I don’t want to a man I despise. Go. Please.”
Yemon stroked her back. “I will return. Think on this. Is duty greater than love?” he strode away. He had to find a way to end his betrothal and also to protect Hoshi from Saburo.
His wanderings took him to the house of his betrothed. He paused at the garden gate. Voices on the other side came closer. Yemon stepped into the shadows. The moon, well hidden by clouds, cast no light. The gate opened.
“Go. My father has returned and he dare not find you here,” Akako said.
“I’ll come tomorrow and show you new ways to pleasure me.”
“Perhaps I’ll have some ideas of m own.”
“A shame your skills will be wasted on your betrothed.”
Akako laughed. “When I wed him, you can still come to me.”
The man laughed. “Every day.”
His voice sounded familiar. As the stranger darted away, Yemon followed. The man ducked into an alley and vanished. Yemon smiled. He would catch the pair together. He would be free. No one would expect him to wed a faithless woman.
* * *
For the next seven days, Hoshi worked with her brother. She felt exhausted but the days had been peaceful. Saburo hadn’t returned. Neither had Yemon.
After the evening meal, Keyoshi had gone to his sleeping chamber. Hoshi bathed and donned a robe and sandals. She entered the garden and sat beneath a cherry tree. Soon she would have help. The teachers were on their way. Though she should be abed, she was too weary to sleep. She drifted in thought.
Something touched her hand. Her eyes flew open. A shock wave rolled along her skin. “What are you doing here?”
Yemon smiled. “I said I would return.”
Before she could order him to leave, he leaned forward and brushed her mouth withies. The lightest touch but she felt as though a typhoon driven waves washed over her. His tongue moved feather-light on her lips and then slid to caress her lower one. Her mouth opened. His tongue brushed hers and moved into a pattern causing her breasts to ache and her nipples to tighten.
She slid her tongue over his and tasted sake. Had he needed to find courage in rice spirits before he came? His hands slid over her shoulders and massaged taut muscles. His fingers stroked her nape. Delicious warmth cocooned her and leached hr resistance away.
Without breaking contact with her mouth, he rose and drew her with him. His arms circled her, imprisoning her arms against her sides.
He raised his head to snatch a breath. “Hoshi, Hoshi,” he whispered. “Let me show you. Let me love you.” His tongue flicked the skin of her neck sending shivers along her spine.
When his lips nuzzled her collarbone, she sighed with pleasure. She wanted what he offered but she couldn’t accept. “Yemon, this is wrong.”
He pulled her closer. “How can what we feel be wrong?”
“I am samurai.”
He nipped her lips. “Do warriors never feel passion? Do they spend their lives alone?”
His question puzzled her. Warriors had passion for battle. “They take wives so they can have sons.”
“What about love?”
“I don’t know.”
“Show me where you sleep so we can find the answer.”
His mouth covered hers. The movement of his hands on her body stirred a fire deep in her belly.
She tangled her hands in his hair. He grasped her hips and rocked against her. Wetness gathered between her legs. Her breasts and her women’s parts throbbed. She raised her head. “Come.” She led him to the sleeping
room.
Would she regret this moment? She prayed he would give her memories to carry her through the next four years. Hoping he would be free when the time came was foolish but she would have this night.
She unfastened her obi and let the robe slide to the floor. When she turned, she saw he was also nude. Moonlight bathed his muscular body. A light breeze carried the scent of the garden into the room.
He caught her in an embrace. His mouth found hers. They stood locked together while his tongue probed her mouth and his hands moved over her back. She rose on her toes. When he spread his legs, she felt his penis slide along her cleft. She pressed her legs together and when she moved exquisite sensations stormed her.
He released her and let her to the mat. With a graceful movement, she lay in her back and held out her hands. He knelt between her legs, found her mouth. When the kiss ended, he suckled her breasts. The waves washing over her were like the fiery streams pouring from a mountain. He sat back on his heels and guided himself to her threshold. Slowly, he entered. When she tensed, he eased back and then advanced. With a finger, he rubbed a spot raising heat and vanquishing her fears. He thrust again and paused. With his hands braced on either side of her, he began to move.
He clasped her hands and rose to his knees. She wrapped her legs around his hips. “Yemon, oh, Yemon,” she cried.
“Hoshi.” He growled her name and sent her soaring.
They moved together. Waves of pleasure swept through her. His name became a chant. She rode the waves of sensation over the crest and felt his seed gush deep inside. He collapsed and heaved great gulps of breath. She smoothed his hair. Never would she forget this night.
He rained kisses on her face and throat. “I will have you as my wife as soon as this can be arranged.”
His words acted like water from a wind-driven winter storm. “I can’t be any man’s wife until my duty to this house is completed.”
He rolled on his side. “How can you dismiss what has happened here? I’ve been with other women but I have never felt as I do now, satisfied and triumphant.”
Past Betrayals, Past Loves Page 23
