Yuki: A Snow White Retelling

by Nicolette Andrews

  Hotaru walked over to the chest and stared down at it. "I swear this is not what I brought. It should be filled with silk..."

  "Perhaps we should save the gifts for later," Riku said with another stern look her in direction.

  She only smiled sweetly back at him.

  The young lord came back to sit, shaking his head. As he did he passed by one of the rooms braziers and an unseen tanuki grabbed his sleeve and brought it to the flame. The sleeve caught, spreading quickly. It took only a few moments for him to realize what was happening.

  Another of the tanuki in disguise suggested he roll onto the ground. Hotaru fell onto the ground and rolled vigorously. While Yuki, ready with a jug of water, leaped up and poured more of it over his face than onto the sleeve.

  She gave a fake sheepish smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you all wet... again."

  The lord looked at her, suspicion in his gaze. But he couldn't really blame her. He'd been on fire, was she supposed to just let him burn?

  "I'm fortunate you are so quick on your feet," he said as he shook off his wet clothes. He smirked at her, as if he knew she'd been behind all the evening’s misfortunes. But how could he accuse her? None of the others had ever suspected.

  "Perhaps now is a good time to end this night's... entertainment," Riku said with a look in Yuki's direction. He knew it was her, and she would get an earful later. But it was worth it to see the backside of Lord Kaedemori.

  The lord looked down at his soaked clothes and shrugged. "A few wet clothes don't bother me much."

  He smirked at her again. It was a challenge. He was not going to be as easy to get rid of as the others.

  5

  She poured tea gracefully, her eyes lowered. She gave him a demure glance, as to not meet his eye. Hotaru tried not to look in her direction but she was beautiful. Dark hair, pale skin, long lashes, and ruby red lips.

  Lord Fujimori took the tea and brought it to his lips.

  "We are honored to have you here, cousin. I am sorry it is under such sad circumstances." The young lord was not that far apart in age from Hotaru. But due to his diminished size, he looked like a boy. The new Lord Fujimori was frail as rice paper, and looked ready to keel over at any moment. If rumors were true, the family was desperate for an alliance and Hotaru was not the first to come looking for one. It didn't matter what Hotaru wanted, though. It was what they needed.

  "I am sorry I did not get the chance to meet your father. My father spoke very highly of him," Hotaru lied.

  In fact, Hotaru's father never spoke highly of anyone. Getting praise from him was like trying to get blood from a turnip. Not going to happen. But he figured a few kind lies wouldn't hurt negotiations.

  The Lady Fujimori sat at the back of the room with her eyes lowered. His gaze was drawn to her. Why bring his wife to these negotiations? Then again, from what he had seen so far, the Fujimori women were a very different breed.

  "Your father was well known to us as well. It is a pity we both lost them too soon and now the burden of running the clans falls to us." He pressed his sleeve to his lips to cover his cough. His skin was near translucent, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look as if he hadn't slept in ages. Hikaru would know what to say in this situation. He was always better with words than me. But his brother wasn't clan leader, he was.

  "We're fortunate we have families that support us," Hotaru said.

  "Let us not dance around the subject. Why have you come here?"

  This frail lord didn't look it, but he was shrewd. And Hotaru felt out of his depth. He was no diplomat. He was better with a sword. If only women did run the clans, he'd have no problem getting what he wanted. Unless it was Yuki. Just thinking of the previous night and her sly smirk, there was not a doubt in his mind who had switched the chests. But how had she done it? They'd been guarded from the moment he arrived. Hotaru pushed it from his mind.

  "As you know, there has been fighting between the clans lately. Our families share a common ancestry and I came to extend an offer of alliance through marriage."

  "What can you offer us?" Lord Fujimori asked.

  The young lord looked at him with gray eyes, all color looked as if it had seeped out of him, like the rest of his pale skin. This man would not last until summer and running an entire clan in this condition must be extremely taxing. He would be doing them a favor by marrying his sister. It would strengthen their clan to be united with a wealthy and powerful clan like the Kaedemoris. If he were to have an heir before he died, Hotaru could guard that child's seat. Though given the state he was in, Hotaru doubted he'd have a child in time.

  But he wouldn't say all that. He'd already had too many missteps since he'd arrived.

  "We can offer you protection," Hotaru replied.

  "The forest protects us."

  The forest, though historically a place of refuge, couldn't protect them from the Fujikawas. They were out for blood, and no one would be safe while Lord Fujikawa was on a rampage. He wanted to conquer the entire region, maybe the entire island.

  "It cannot protect you in this case," Hotaru replied.

  "What makes you so sure?" Lady Fujimori spoke up.

  At first Hotaru was speechless. It was one thing to allow her to stay during these proceedings, but for her to speak? That was unheard of. He stared at her for a moment, mouth agape. She lowered her eyes, realizing her mistake, and her husband spoke in her stead.

  "What makes you think the forest will not protect us when it has done so since the dawn of time?" He made no excuse for his wife, which in itself was strange, but Hotaru ignored it.

  "Because the Fujikawas are strong, and they do not fear the forest. They've already made alliances with many other clans, and rumor has it you rejected their proposal. Lord Fujimori does not forgive or forget. Once his army has conquered the other territories, he will come for you next."

  "Do you know what this forest is? It is not just wood and plants. It is alive," Lord Fujimori said in a hushed tone.

  Hotaru had seen only a hint of the world of yokai and the kami. Their influence had changed the trajectory of his family and he did not doubt the power of this place. It was part of the reason he'd come here but even magic wasn't enough to stop the coming war.

  "Do you hope the goodwill of the kami will protect you? What will you do when they come with axes and fire?"

  "You cannot understand the pacts we have made, the sacrifices..." he trailed off.

  So it wasn’t just a rumor.

  "I am glad the forest will protect you, but can it save your livelihood? The food you need to survive, if the Fujikawas cut off your trade routes, then what? How will you feed your people?"

  "We are not the ones who started this war, Lord Kaedemori," he said quietly.

  He'd pinned him. Hotaru fumbled to find the right thing to say. But he feared anything he could say would make him look like a desperate fool. He'd been so desperate to rule, but he'd never known what it really meant. When Hikaru stepped down, Hotaru had inherited a war and a mess he was left to untangle. All he had left was the truth.

  "I know your health is failing. I can secure your descendant's rule and I will protect your wife once you pass." He nodded toward the woman behind him.

  "I am unmarried. This woman is my father's second wife. She provided my father counsel before his death, and so she does me."

  Hotaru looked at the young, beautiful woman. She could not be much older than himself. To think of her married to someone that had to have been his own father's age seemed a crime. And stranger yet, this young lord took counsel from his stepmother? What a strange family indeed.

  "You speak of marital alliance but your brother's marriage to Lady Fujikawa was the start of this mess. "

  Hotaru kept his expression neutral, though he was boiling on the inside. He knew word would get out. He could not hide it forever but the choices his brother had made were his own. Hikaru had given up his role as an elder, and left everything behind for love.


  "Our alliance with the Fujikawas ran into complications. Lady Fujikawa ran away with a lover, but her family believes that she died while in our care. Without evidence otherwise war was inevitable, unfortunately."

  Lord Fujimori nodded his head. "My sister's child will be my heir. You understand, this is not a decision I can make lightly."

  Hotaru bowed his head. "I understand completely. What can I do to help you make a decision?"

  Just then the doors to the room were slid open. Yuki, her face flushed, stormed in.

  "Yuki," Lady Fujimori stood up, and motioned to intervene. Yuki pushed past her as if she weren’t there at all and placed herself between Hotaru and her brother, with her back to him.

  "You promised me!" she said.

  "Yuki, now is not the time for this." Lord Fujimori held up his hands, trying to calm her.

  "You told me it was my choice!"

  "We will talk later."

  "Yuki, come with me." Her stepmother grabbed her by the arm but Yuki shook her off, accidentally slapping her across the face.

  Her stepmother touched her cheek, tears welling up in her eyes.

  "What did you do?" her brother snapped, rushing to his stepmother's side, grabbing her by shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

  She nodded her head and turned away to wipe her tears.

  "I refuse. Not him, brother, anyone but him." Yuki pointed at Hotaru, acknowledging his presence for the first time.

  "Apologize to our mother," Lord Fujimori said.

  "She is not my mother," Yuki snarled.

  "Go." Lord Fujimori pointed to the door, and she stomped out, not before glaring at Hotaru as if this was all his fault. He watched her go, not certain if he should be concerned or impressed. There was a fire about her that drew him. But get too close and he might get burned.

  6

  The candle had burned low, and Riku had to squint to read the lines written on the parchment. His eyes grew tired more easily as of late. But he was determined to do his best for the clan while he still had time. The door to his room opened and he glanced up. His stepmother stood in the doorway, beautiful as ever. Her porcelain skin was marred by Yuki's slap. If only Yuki could see how kind their stepmother was, how desperately she wanted to take care of them. Now that their father was gone, she was all he had left to guide him. And perhaps she could teach Yuki how to be a proper lady as well.

  "I won't be needing you tonight." He shifted papers between his hands, and his hands shook as he did so. Even these small tasks were growing too difficult to handle. If it wasn't for his step-mother, he didn't know how he could manage. He wanted everyone to believe that he was stronger than he was. But only she knew the true depths of his weakness. Even Yuki did not know. And hopefully she'd never find out.

  But he couldn't ask her to tend to him after the scene Yuki had made. She must be mortified. With her delicate skin, that mark might even leave a bruise. She ignored his comments and came to sit close to him. Their knees brushed against one another and he tensed up. He pretended she wasn't sitting much too close to him and wrote something on the document in front of him. She touched his arm and he jerked back. His hand knocked into his ink block and splattered dark droplets onto the paper. They faded as they were absorbed by the fresh paper.

  "You're so jumpy. I was only trying to move your ink block before you made a mess and now see what has happened."

  His breath hitched. She cleaned up the mess, removed the stained paper, and re-wet his brush, handing it back to him. "There. Better?"

  He nodded in agreement but he did not lift his pen again. His face was screwed up in concentration. She knew what was coming next.

  "We cannot continue this. It's not right..."

  She brushed her fingertips against his, one by one in a slow caress.

  "You say different when I am wrapped around you."

  He stood abruptly and paced to the opposite end of the room. Even that took a monumental effort. He ran his thin fingers through his hair and chunks came out in clumps. It was getting worse. All the same symptoms he'd witnessed in his father. Now it was happening to him. He stared at his hands in horror.

  "I thought I had more time. It took my father almost a year before he was this bad." For Riku it had been less than three months.

  She did not respond, but ran her hands along his back, her fingers gliding over the bumps along his spine, even with layers of fabric in between.

  "You're working too hard," she purred in her ear. "Let me help you."

  She slid around to the front, caressing his chest and moving downward. He gasped and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him from beneath her lashes.

  "Go ahead, tell me to stop."

  His eyes were fever-bright, conflicted and hungry. As much as he tried to pretend otherwise, he desired her: as insane, unhealthy, and forbidden as it was. He wanted her. His father's wife. His father's widow. She'd been too close in age to him to ever consider her a mother, but that was how the clan saw her. Stepmother. Mother. It made no difference. Their love was forbidden. But could they really call this perverse thing they were doing love?

  She reached down his hakama. He groaned as she leaned forward and kissed his neck. Then she pulled back slightly. "We need Lord Kaedemori."

  He shook his head. "Yuki won't have him."

  She cupped his cheek. "It is your decision. You are a lord. Force her to marry him."

  "I can't do that to her." He tried to turn away but she held on tight and he had become so weak.

  But she knew how to play him as no one could. She pulled him toward the futon. He could try and fight her, but in the end, she always got what she wanted.

  7

  There was a key to every woman's heart. And Hotaru was determined to find Yuki's. The first obstacle was finding her. For such a small place it was well built for hiding. Asking the clan members was completely unhelpful. Most of them shrugged and others ignored him entirely.

  After searching every possible inch of the palace, he was about to give up when he stumbled across the beautiful Lady Fujimori seated beneath the barren branches of a tree in a cold winter garden. Her bright kimono was like the first bloom of spring. Her gaze was fixed upon a pool at her feet where koi fish swam in circles, their mouths occasionally breaching the surface like tiny caves.

  She must have felt him staring, because she glanced up at him. When their eyes met, she blushed and looked away. Being that she was a widow of the former clan leader, it would have been wiser not to flirt. But he was a sucker for a pretty face.

  "I'm sorry to bother you," he said, cautiously.

  She looked at him shyly, long eyelashes framing her wide round eyes. "It's no trouble. I was just feeding the fish. Care to join me?"

  Unable to resist the request of a beautiful woman, he sat down beside her. "I can stay for a little while." He gave her his most charming smile.

  "How have you enjoyed your stay here?" she asked as she gently tossed crumbs into the water for the fish. Even the flick of her wrist was graceful and controlled. She was the complete opposite of her wild stepdaughter. Her long pale fingers reached into the sack which held the feed. He could just imagine those hands caressing his body, reaching downward.

  "Lord Kaedemori?" She tilted her head to the side as she peered at him.

  Hotaru cleared his throat, realizing how rude he was being. "I've enjoyed it very much. There are so many beautiful sights here."

  "I must admit your arrival here has been a breath of fresh air."

  He met her gaze. Her eyes were dark, bottomless pools, so deep he felt he could drown in them. When he looked at her everything else melted away—he even forgot his own name. Why had he come here? All he knew was he desperately needed the woman who sat in front of him. Her ruby lips were parted ever so slightly, and he found himself consumed with the desire to press his lips against hers. He leaned in.

  "What are you doing?" Yuki's accusatory tone yanked him back into the present. Hotaru stood up and spun
toward Yuki who was standing at the edge of the garden, hands placed on her hips as she glared at the pair of them. He hadn't done anything wrong. They'd just been talking. And yet he felt as if he'd been caught by his jealous lover.

  "I was—Uh." He looked back at Lady Fujimori, whose blush was more damning than words.

  Hotaru could almost see flames in Yuki's stare. The heat of her anger could burn a hole through his forehead. He needed to explain.

  He smiled and strode toward Yuki. "I was looking for you, Lady Yuki."

  "Is that what you call flirting?" She scoffed and turned to walk away.

  Damn it, he thought before he gave the Lady Fujimori a quick bow of his head. "I should be going, please excuse me." And chased after Yuki before giving his reply.

  "I feel like you have the wrong impression of me," he said when he caught up with her.

  "Ha!" she said keeping her head turned away from him no matter how he tried to catch her eye.

  He jogged in front of her, throwing his arms out to stop her in her path. "Let's start over. I am Lord Kaedemori, but you can call me Hotaru." He gave her a formal bow, and finished it off with a charming grin.

  She stared back at him, arms crossed over her chest. "Do you really think that's going to work?"

  His smile broadened. "It's worked before."

  She raised a single eyebrow. "You're rather experienced."

  He chuckled. "There may be a few broken hearts in my past."

  Her frown only deepened. It wasn't an encouraging sign. "And yet you've come here looking for a wife?"

  "Your beauty is famed across the region. I could not pass up the opportunity to meet you. And perhaps more..." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

  "The beauty of a wife is an important attribute?" She lowered her arms to her side and he took his chance to move closer to her. No woman could resist a compliment. She was just jealous of her stepmother. He'd seen that already. Well it seemed it was working in his favor.

  He inched closer to her, and she tilted her head up to meet his gaze. "It is something I am looking for, yes."