"What am I going to do?" She asked them as she stroked Suimin's head. Shai had curled up next to her side, and Happi lay over her feet. It was cozy with the tanuki curled around her and she could sleep outside if she wanted to.
The stars twinkled overhead. This was her home, and some over-inflated lord was not going to take her away from here. If only she could make her brother see that. Yuki put her comb back in her hair. She didn't want to lose it before she got the chance to throw it back at him and refuse his marriage offer. As she put the comb in without a mirror, she scraped it along her scalp.
The scrape stung and throbbed. It seemed to last longer than a small nick should, and as she tried to lift her hand to inspect the wound, her arm felt very weak. Her vision swam.
She squinted but couldn't focus on anything. "What is this..." But before she could finish her sentence, she was tipping over sideways and falling out of the tree.
10
Hotaru stood outside Lord Fujimori's chambers and knocked. The door opened and he was surprised to find not a servant but the Lady Fujimori. She looked equally surprised to see him.
"Oh, Lord Kaedemori, you've come rather early." She stepped out discreetly, closing the door behind her.
Once more he was entranced by the simple elegance of her every move. Those deep, bottomless eyes captured him, holding him in her spell for a moment. If it weren't for his second's cleared throat he would have remained staring at her forever.
Hotaru turned to his second-in-command. "Go and ready the men to leave."
His second bowed before hurrying to do his bidding.
"You're not leaving already, are you?" Lady Fujimori batted her lashes at him.
It was a pity she was another man's widow. But if Lord Fujimori kept to his word, then his marriage to Yuki was all but secured. Perhaps once the marriage was official he could consider other dalliances.
"There is some urgent business I must attend to back home. I only wished to speak with Lord Fujimori before I go," he said with an easy smile.
Her face crumpled before she could hide the pain in her face. She turned away, hiding her expression beneath her sleeve. But not before he could see the tears rolling down her cheek.
"Is anything the matter?" She can't be that sad to see me go. Did Lord Fujimori die in his sleep? Where will that leave our negotiations?
She shook her head before looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "He fought with his sister last night, and it incited a coughing fit. He's resting now..."
Hotaru did not even realize he had taken a hold of her shoulders. There was hardly any space left between the two of them now. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?"
She moved in closer, her hand tangling in the fabric of his haori. "I would not want to impose."
His vision was filled with her—her ruby lips, her pale skin. It was as if everything else fell away when he was looking at her.
"It would be no imposition at all—" He found himself leaning into her.
A violent cough tore them apart. Hotaru leaped backward as the lady stepped back, bowing her head. Lord Fujimori was looking more pale and drawn than before. The lady had not exaggerated. Judging from the dark circles under his eyes, he had not slept at all the night before. His eyes were fever-bright as he glared at Hotaru.
"What are you doing here?"
The accusations in his tone were clear. What had he been thinking getting that close to Lady Fujimori? There was something about Lady Fujimori. He seemed to lose all common sense around her.
Hotaru bowed, trying to recover from his mistake. "I came to speak with you."
Lord Fujimori was still in his night clothes, and leaning heavily onto the door frame. His fevered gaze skimmed over toward Lady Fujimori and locked on her. She would not meet his gaze, but Hotaru recognized the look in his eyes. It was longing, and possession. Was there something more between them? He didn't want to even consider it.
His gaze returned to Hotaru. "Come in," he said in a rasping voice. Lady Fujimori motioned to follow, but he snapped, "Not you, we'll talk later."
She bowed her head, giving Hotaru one quick smile before making her way down the hall. What have I gotten myself into with this family? The witch insisted this was the key to winning the war. He hoped she was right.
Lord Fujimori sat down at a desk and motioned for Hotaru to join him and said, "I suppose you've come to talk about our alliance."
"I hope you haven't changed your mind from last night?"
"I must admit I'm beginning to have second thoughts. I will not give my sister to someone who does not cherish her." The anger was unwarranted, his flirtation with Lady Fujimori was nothing but that.
"You can rest assured, I would never harm your sister, or betray her in any way."
Lord Fujimori deflated a bit, the anger seeping out of him and leaving him as the shell of a man Hotaru had come to know. He rested his hands on his lap as he stared at a blank piece of parchment in front of him.
"Before we make any agreements you must know, my sister is... different than most people. Some call her wild."
Hotaru bit his tongue to not say something that would get him in trouble. Wild was an understatement.
"Our mother died just after she was born and well..." His hand touched a necklace on the table. It was the same he'd noticed Yuki wearing the night before. Odd. "I have never been the son my father needed. But Yuki was always happy to hunt, fish, and practice the sword. I always preferred more scholarly pursuits."
Just like Hotaru's brother Hikaru.
"I see," Hotaru replied.
"You were correct when you said our clan is in danger. Lord Fujikawa knows you are here, and he has put his army between here and your territory. The decision I make now will impact both our fates."
"Then you will let me marry Yuki?"
Lord Fujimori shook his head before falling into another coughing fit.
"I am going to give her the choice. If she chooses you then we will align ourselves with the Kaedemoris. If not, then it shall be the Fujikawas."
Hotaru clenched the edge of the table. Then his entire destiny was down to the choice of that headstrong woman?
"And she has agreed to this?"
Lord Fujimori shook his head. "She ran away after we fought last night and I haven't seen her since."
"If you would allow me, I'd like to tell her myself. I do not want her to feel like she's backed into a corner." Because like any cornered animal she'll only bite me if I do.
"I think that is a wise idea. But you will have to wait. She can hold onto a grudge, and it may be days before she emerges from the forest."
He didn't have days to wait. With Fujikawa throwing his weight around, the time to strike was now. "I will go and find her then."
Lord Fujimori laughed. "You can certainly try."
Hotaru was an excellent tracker, and an expert hunter. How hard could it be to find one woman? But this forest wasn't like the ones he was used to. The shadows moved in odd ways. And there was a pervasive feeling of being watched. As he crept along, he heard rustling in the treetops. He spun around, hoping to catch the watcher but there was nothing there.
He continued on, but the feeling persisted. On a hunch, he shot an arrow into a nearby tree. Something dropped from the treetops, falling onto the ground in front of him. He drew his blade and crept closer. As he did, a small tanuki turned and looked at him. Its black eyes were uncannily intelligent.
"You scared me, little man." He chuckled as he sheathed his weapon.
"If I wanted to scare you I would have transformed into a mirror," the tanuki replied.
Hotaru stumbled backward in surprise, reaching for his weapon. But something pressed a blade against his back.
"Don't even think about it." He turned slowly, and came face to face with rows of sharp teeth.
With a quick maneuver he jumped away from the yokai and drew his weapon. But as if appearing from thin air, two more of the creatures surrounded him. All o
f them pointed their swords at Hotaru. He was outnumbered, and outsized.
"Come quietly and you won't get hurt," they grumbled.
Hotaru nodded his head as the creatures prodded him to follow through the forest. If he fell behind at all, the poked him in the back. They brought him to a place that at first glance looked to be a massive tree but the tree had a door in it, about a quarter of Hotaru's height.
"Go in there," the creature growled.
"In there? I'd have to crawl." Hotaru scoffed. How could these huge fanged beasts get in there?
"Then crawl." The creature prodded him again.
Not wanting to challenge the yokai, Hotaru climbed onto his knees and crawled through the door. The interior was tall enough for him to hunch over. Inside was a dwelling scaled down to half his size. Seven futons lay in a row against the far wall and on top of them was an unconscious Yuki. His comb was still pulling back her ebony hair. She was drenched in sweat and her breathing was heavy.
"What's wrong with her?" Hotaru crawled over to her, lifting her head to rest on his lap.
"We do not know." A tanuki said, coming around the other side of her. Seven little tanukis wearing straw hats and a rainbow of haori and hakama lined up on the other side of her.
Hotaru placed his hand against her clammy skin. "I have to get her to a healer."
It took some finagling, but they got her out of the tiny house. If only he'd brought a horse he could get her back to the palace quicker. Then it occurred to him, the giant monsters were gone. As he looked at the small tanuki gathered around his feet, realization dawned on him. These must be her mischievous accomplices.
"I need to get her back to the palace and quick. Can you transform into a horse perhaps?"
Four of the seven joined hands, and then in a puff of smoke a saddled horse appeared. He gently placed Yuki on their back before climbing on. As soon as he swung his leg over the side, the tanuki horse took off, weaving through the forest and leaping over obstacles faster than any real horse could.
They came thundering into the courtyard, and as they did, Hotaru shouted for a healer. The crowd rushed forward, pressing in to see what was going wrong.
Yuki was pulled from his arms and whisked away into the palace beyond while he stared after her. The comb fell from her head and clattered onto the ground. He walked over and picked it up. As he did, he got the faintest whiff. I know this smell. Night creeper. Someone tried to poison her.
He'd given her that comb, but someone else had poisoned it. Someone was trying to frame him.
11
Yuki groaned as she woke. Her head was pounding and her mouth was dry. As she sat up, she rubbed her throbbing temples. Her brother slept, head leaning against the nearby wall. Any pain or discomfort she felt was forgotten as she crawled closer toward him. There was a faint rise and fall to his chest. With his pale skin and dark circles, he looked like a corpse.
Just to assure herself, she shook him by the shoulder. Riku cracked open a bloodshot eye and moaned. He stretched his arms which cracked and popped disconcertingly.
"Yuki, you should be resting," he said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Why are you sleeping here?" She scolded him. "What if your cough gets worse?"
He smiled faintly but it was thin and strained. "I was only dozing. I wanted to be here when you woke." He shivered and Yuki grabbed the blanket off her bed to wrap around his shoulders.
"You're going to hurt your back sleeping like that."
"You're the one who almost died and yet you're tending to me."
"Don't be stubborn. Come on, let’s get you to your room before you catch your death." She tried to stand to help her brother to his feet, but as she did her legs trembled beneath her like a newborn deer and buckled under her weight.
"Yuki, stop! You shouldn't be up and about yet." Her brother knelt in front of her, hands on her shoulders searching her for injury.
She rubbed her pounding temples once more. "Why am I so weak?" Her memory was foggy and the last thing she remembered was falling asleep in her tree.
"Please just lay down." He nudged her toward the futon. But she wasn't the type to be led anywhere.
"What happened?" She met her brother's gaze.
Her brother sighed heavily. "You were poisoned."
"Poisoned!" She knew members of the clan thought her strange. Usually they just kept their distance, but had their feelings changed and now they saw her as a threat? Yuki grasped her throat just thinking about it. She needed to be in the forest. Riku shouldn't have brought her back.
"Before you start to worry, we don't know anything yet. But I'm putting a full investigation into the matter."
Yuki drew her knees up to her chest. Who could have wanted her dead? What had she ever done to hurt someone so badly? Only one person came to mind. She'd told that stuck-up lord she'd rather die than marry him. Well apparently, he'd taken her words to heart.
Yuki felt a cold chill run down her spine. "It had to be Lord Kaedemori!"
Her brother shook his head. "It couldn't have been him. He saved your life. He found you in the forest and told the healers what poison was used. If he hadn't you would have died."
She blinked at her brother. "He did?" She couldn't believe it. But who would poison someone only to save their life? And how had he found her in the forest? No one could find her when she ran away, though many tried.
"I think you should apologize to him."
"For what?"
"You've humiliated him on more than one occasion, and yet he still rushed to rescue you. I think the least you could do is thank him for that."
"You figured it out, huh?"
"I've known you've been playing tricks to chase away all the suitors. But I think he's different, Yuki. Maybe you should give him a chance."
She drew her knees up to her chest. She hated to worry her brother, and it stung her pride to admit when she was wrong even more.
"Can't you just pass the message along to him for me?"
Riku shook his head. "I think it will be better coming from you."
Yuki exhaled heavily. There was no arguing with her brother in this case it seemed. "Fine."
He reached across and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry we fought before. I never wanted you to feel like you were unwanted. I just—" he paused as wracking coughs rippled through his body.
He didn't need to say it, she knew. He had all the same signs her father did before the end. She'd seen the blood speckled handkerchiefs he didn't want anyone to see. Her brother was dying. And he didn't want her to be alone once he was gone. The clan tolerated her because of who her family was. But once Riku died, there would only be the forest left for her.
She leaned across and clung to him for a moment, letting her dark thoughts go. She wouldn't upset him again.
"I'll apologize to that stuck-up lord if it will please you."
He was smiling when they broke apart. "Thank you, Yuki."
She put off meeting with the arrogant lordling for a little while longer by pretending to convalesce. But really, she was feeling much better. She'd always been quick to recover. Night creeper was a deadly poison, and most people died from it. Or at least had permanent damage from it. But she wasn't like most people. The healer was shocked, and likely afraid. Most of the clan didn't know the full extent of her power. And she wanted to keep it that way. They'd only fear her instead of thinking she was an oddity.
When she could pretend to be ill no longer she went in search of Lord Kaedemori. She found him in the main guest house, in one of the gardens, sparring with his men. She stopped to admire his form. He was a skilled fighter and without a shirt she could see the cords of muscles rippling in his back. From behind he was handsome, the problem was when he opened his mouth.
As she watched with appreciation, his bout with the soldier finished and he turned to see her staring. Yuki blushed at being caught and turned away. She decided now was not the right time to thank him for saving her life after all. Sh
e started walking the opposite way but he called out to her.
"Yuki!"
She kept on walking, hoping she could get away. Her face was on fire. Why did I stop and stare?
"Yuki!" he shouted again.
She spun around to face him. "You shouldn't address me so informally."
He stopped a few feet from her and his naked chest was glistening with sweat. There was a devious smirk on his face.
"Come for a rematch? I've been practicing that flip you used on me: it’s very handy."
She had to force her gaze upward but focusing on his face was no better. He was too handsome and that smile was disarming.
"Ijustwantedtosaythankyouforsavingmylife." She said it all in one breath and then turned to walk away. She couldn't stand the gloating look on his face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."
She balled her hands into fists and spun around to face him once more. "Thank you." She enunciated each syllable.
"What for?" He tilted his head to the side in mock confusion.
"You know what for," she said past clenched teeth. I will not punch him. I will not punch him.
"Oh, for saving your life?"
She gave a stiff nod. "Now that I've said what I've come to say, I'm going."
She managed to get a few feet away before he was jogging in front of her, filling up her view with his handsome smile and well-shaped body.
"That's all I get?"
"What do you want from me? Do you think just because you saved me, I'll marry you?"
She narrowed her eyes as she glared at him. Perhaps this was all part of some convoluted plan to woo her.
He put his hands up into the air as a sign of surrender. "I know when I'm beaten. I'll be leaving here as soon as we can. My people need me, and there's no point in wasting time here if you're not interested."
Yuki: A Snow White Retelling Page 5
