by Kate Grove
It took a few minutes until they reached Katsuo’s quarters. He was sitting at the dining table with a bottle of sake and three cups. Takeru gestured for Ciara to enter the room before him. He followed her and slid the door closed.
“Sit,” Katsuo said curtly, gesturing to the seat opposite him. Ciara walked over to the pillow and stood there for a moment, thinking which way would be best to sit. Because of the tight style of the clothes she wore, and because the pillow was on the floor, the only possible solution seemed too painful on her injured feet. She looked around for a chair but couldn’t find one.
Eventually, she gave up. She didn’t want to make her host wait. She grabbed an extra pillow laying around and sat down, mermaid style, hoping it wouldn’t strain her feet much. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Katsuo poured sake for everyone. Ciara realized at that moment that she hadn’t eaten anything for the last few hours. Drinking on an empty stomach didn’t seem like a good idea.
She quickly cleared her throat to cover the sound of her stomach rumbling at the sudden thought. Ciara completely forgot to eat in all the adventures, not that she had any opportunities to do so, and slept through dinner time. Her ears reddened, and she hoped no one had heard her. Katsuo gave a hardly noticeable nod to his little brother, who stood up.
“I’ll be back,” Takeru said and disappeared through the sliding door. Ciara looked after him, puzzled. What was so urgent he had to leave in such a hurry at the start of the conversation?
“Is the room to your liking?” Katsuo asked politely. Ciara turned back to him and smiled.
“Yes. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Katsuo nodded and put a cup of sake in front of her. Ciara waited patiently for him to bring up the topic of conversation. It didn’t take long.
“I’ve asked you to come here to discuss something affecting your stay here.”
Ciara tensed. He sounded way too serious to be talking about helping around the household.
“What is it?” she asked. Her hands trembled, and she discreetly clasped them and laid them in her lap, hiding them in the folds of her clothes.
“I need you to help me out—”
“Sure—” Ciara started nodding as Katsuo continued.
“—with a certain matter. I need you to be my wife.”
Ciara stopped mid-nod and felt the blood drain out of her head.
“What?” She choked on her saliva, eliciting a coughing fit from her. She grabbed the cup and drank it in one go. The sake burned her throat for a moment. She cursed.
Katsuo’s eyes slightly widened at hearing such profane language from a woman. When her coughing subsided, she dragged a trembling hand through her hair.
“You must be joking,” Ciara said, her rusty voice laced with disbelief.
“I’m not.”
“I’m leaving,” she said, trying to get up but failing and falling back on the sitting pillows. “Damnit!” She punched the pillows in anger then turned her glare at him. She pointed a finger at him. “I’m not having sex with you in exchange for letting me stay here. Forget it!”
She tried to get up again.
“Wait!”
“No!”
“I think you misunderstood,” Katsuo said, and she froze.
“What is there to misunderstand?” Ciara yelled.
“It’s only a farce. We pretend to be husband and wife.”
“You cannot be serious.” Ciara looked at him suspiciously, but Katsuo stood her gaze. She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“There’s this woman—”
“Ah, of course!”
“She is under the illusion that she is to wed me,” he continued. “I have no plans whatsoever to marry her.”
“Then why not man up and say it?”
Ouch. Katsuo could feel a painful pang in his heart at those words.
“I’ve repeatedly told her, but she ignores it,” he explained. “And Takeru came up with this crazy plan—”
“Why does Takeru want me to sleep with you?!”
The sliding door opened at that precise moment, and they both looked to see Takeru standing there with a platter of food in hand.
“Is this a bad time? Do you want me to come back later?” he asked.
“No, just come here and—” Katsuo started, but his little brother ignored him.
“I’ll just leave this here.” He put the platter full of food in front of Ciara and hurried out. “You sort this out yourselves!” He shut the door.
“What just—?” Ciara gaped after him. As soon as her nose registered the smell of food, her stomach rumbled. She felt shame flow over her at the whole situation.
“Can I just—”
Ciara held up a hand before Katsuo could finish. He took a breath, reigning his temper in, which was no small feat. She turned to him, her hand trembling, but otherwise, she looked collected.
“Let me just make this one thing clear. I will not sleep with you.”
“Why not?”
Damn, that wasn’t what he wanted to say. She gaped at him, completely at a loss for words. Katsuo used this chance to finally explain the situation.
“I mean, of course, we don’t sleep together! We just need to pretend to be married. Then we’ll go on our separate ways.”
She huffed.
“No.”
11
Ciara was most definitely not the kind of woman who was into flings, and this samurai lord was most definitely too dangerous. So, why did she feel a slight pain in her chest when he said they wouldn’t sleep together? That’s what she told him she wanted, so why?
“I only ask for one month of your time.”
“One month? That’s plenty of time!” she protested. She tried to get up again.
“Why won’t we make a wager on it?” Katsuo suggested.
“What kind of wager?” Ciara momentarily settled down on her pillows.
“I have this basket…” He stood up easily and went to the nearest cupboard. Ciara eyed his fluid motions in envy. If only her feet weren’t injured and she’d worn less restrictive clothes, she’d been out of this place ages ago. When he turned his back, she quickly grabbed a rice ball from the platter and stuffed it into her mouth. Katsuo retrieved the basket from the top of the cupboard, and Ciara realized the rice ball was too dense for her to quickly chew it. She swallowed it as it was, making her choke.
Katsuo was by her side in a second and patted her back, trying to help. Ciara finally got some air into her lungs, and she coughed, hitting her chest a few times. The rice ball finally seemed to be on its way.
“Drink,” she croaked, rising her cup. Katsuo poured her more rice wine. She didn’t care it was alcohol. She hoped it would burn the rice ball all the way to hell. Ciara downed the cup in one go.
Now she was hiccupping. She closed her eyes, embarrassed. Was there anything else she could do that evening to be more ashamed?
“Here, drink some more.”
“I think that’s the problem. Don’t you have water or something here?”
“Wait a moment,” he said, disappearing into an adjacent room. He hurried back with a pitcher and poured water into her cup. She drank it then asked for two more refills.
“Thanks,” she sighed when she was done. Trying to think of something other than embarrassing herself further, she quickly came up with a diversion. “You were saying something about a wager?”
“Are you sure you’re fine?” Katsuo asked with a strange expression on his face. Was that… concern? Surely not.
“I’m fine, no worries,” Ciara said with a smile. “So… what wager? I’m still not sleeping with you.”
“You’ve made that perfectly clear, thank you,” Katsuo cleared his throat and went back to his side of the table. He pulled the basket between them. It was full of ping pong balls. At least, that’s what they looked like to Ciara.
“What are these?” She picked one up, looking at it curiously.
“Balls of Fate.”
“Really?” She snorted at the name.
“Each either has a symbol drawn inside or nothing. If you draw a blank one, you win. If it has a dragon, I win,” Katsuo explained the rules.
“So what do you want if you win?”
“You, for one month, pretending to be my bride.”
“Didn’t you say ‘wife’, earlier?”
“It’s the same.”
No, it’s not, she thought.
“Okay… and what do I get if I win?”
“Anything you want,” he spread his arms.
Ciara dropped the ball into the basket.
“I want you to help me get back home. Tomorrow.”
“We have a deal.”
“Aren’t we going to shake on it?” Ciara asked.
“What does that mean? Shake on it?”
“You shake hands when you come to an agreement between gentlemen and ladies,” Ciara explained and extended her right hand. “It’s a tradition in my country.”
“All right,” Katsuo nodded and put his hand in hers. Ciara noticed how small her own hand seemed in his. His touch was gentle but firm as he shook her hand. When she drew back, she immediately missed his warmth and touch. Her hand tingled, but she decided to ignore it.
“Now, choose,” he said, gesturing to the basket between them.
Ciara took a deep breath to center herself then dug into the basket. She rummaged around for a while.
“Have you decided yet?” Katsuo sounded bored, but his eyes were twinkling in amusement.
“Don’t rush me,” Ciara admonished him. Two more times circling around the basket and she finally drew a ball. She looked at it curiously then up at Katsuo. “How do we find out what’s inside?”
“Just twist it sideways, it’ll come loose,” he said, putting the basket next to him on the floor and leaning on the table. He was so near that his fresh forest scent had reached Ciara’s nose. She didn’t know what was greater torture: his scent or the scent of food.
She cleared her throat and carefully twisted the ball in her hand. Just as he said, it opened relatively easily.
“What is it? Show me.”
Ciara sighed at the image of the dragon in her hand. She showed it to him with a frown.
“You win.”
He cracked a smile, and Ciara’s heart skipped a beat. He’d never looked so handsome before.
“Wipe that smirk off your face, I’m still not sleeping you.”
“Didn’t think you would.”
Did he actually roll his eyes at her? She shook her head, amused. She reached for the platter, grabbing another rice ball.
“So what’s your plan?” she asked after gnawing on a partial rice ball. She was going slow with this one.
“What plan?”
Ciara almost choked on the bite again.
“The plan! You want us to pretend to be married.”
“Yes. That’s the plan.”
“That’s the—I can’t believe this.” She muttered and poured some sake. She sipped it, pondering. “We need to come up with a plan on how to pretend.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like… activities for dates? I don’t know. Or announcing it? You haven’t gone around my back and announced it, have you?” she asked, irritated. She bit into the rice ball as if she was ready to take down a monster.
“I might’ve let it slip to Orihime, which is what put me—us in this situation,” he replied with honesty. Ciara felt a headache forming.
“Who’s this Orihime again? Have I met her?”
“She was there when we arrived.”
Ciara wracked her brain, then her face brightened as she recalled the beauty.
“Ah, the one in the orange kimono!”
Katsuo nodded after a moment.
“But she’s beautiful! Why don’t you marry her?” she asked before she could stop herself. Why would you want to pretend to be with me when you can have a woman like her?
He looked at her, annoyed.
“I don’t. And that’s final.”
“Okay, I see, it’s none of my business,” Ciara backpedaled. She gulped down the last bite of the rice ball.
Silence descended on them as they both quietly sipped their sake. It was Ciara who broke the silence.
“It’s late, I should go,” she said as she tried to stand up again. She made it halfway to the downward dog pose but got stuck. She collapsed back onto the pillows, quietly cursing her clothes. Next, she tried to roll onto her feet and straighten up. She almost made it but lost her balance mid-move.
Shrieking, she fell toward the table, but strong arms embraced her before she could hit the surface. It took a moment for Ciara to realize Katsuo had caught her. She raised her head from his chest and looked up into his eyes.
“Thanks,” Ciara said, pushing herself back to her feet. Finally, she found her balance. “I’ll get going now.”
“See you in the morning,” Katsuo said, pouring another drink for himself.
Ciara turned back from the door.
“Good night,” she said, before exiting.
He listened to her retreating steps, and they faded quickly. Katsuo sighed and stood up to prepare for bed. He was just pulling off his undershirt when a tentative knock sounded on the doorframe.
“Who is it?”
“Me.”
He recognized Ciara’s voice easily. He hurried over and slid the door open.
“What is it?”
Ciara’s gaze was fixed on his chest, her breath caught in her throat. She blinked rapidly and shook her head. With tremendous effort, she dragged her gaze up to his eyes.
“I’m lost. Can you show me to my room?”
Katsuo was a bit skeptical.
“Please?” she sighed, tired. “Takeru led me here, and I forgot to pay attention. Every corridor here looks the same!”
“Fine, let’s go,” he said, strolling out of his room half-naked.
Ciara rolled her eyes heavenward as she followed, trying not to burn a hole into his back as he led the way. She quickly caught up to him, but as she got closer, she noticed a long scar on his back. Her hands itched to touch it, but she made a fist and kept her arm at her side. She fell in pace beside him.
12
Katsuo led Ciara to her assigned room in silence then bid her goodnight. Before they parted, however, she asked a shocking question. In hindsight, it was to be expected in the situation he found himself in.
“What happened to your wife? Are you divorced?”
His shock must have shown on his face because Ciara gasped. Or maybe she was shocked she had asked such a question.
“I’m a widower.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
He nodded. He was sorry, too. He turned to walk away.
“Good night, Katsuo.”
He felt a cool breeze sweep along the corridor as he slightly shivered.
“Sleep well,” he said and headed for the storerooms.
He needed more alcohol after this and didn’t want to bother the servants this late at night. He went to fetch a bottle of sake himself.
He moved from shadow to shadow under the cover of the night. Katsuo wanted to be alone, and he most certainly wanted to avoid a certain woman or two. He exited the main castle building and crept along the huts scattered along the courtyard. Soon, he had reached the storeroom and grabbed a bottle of alcohol. Just as he was about to leave, a blade blocked his way. Its edge almost touched his neck.
Katsuo growled at the attacker. To be assaulted in his own home! What was Taiki doing? Eyes flashing with anger, he looked at the offender.
“You’re coming with me, sake thief,” a muffled voice said.
“Taiki. Explain yourself.”
The ninja stepped into the light. Surprise reflected in his grey eyes as he drew back his dagger. He pulled down his mask and bowed to Katsuo.
“My lord, may I inquire as to what you’re doing here?”
“Helping myself to some sake, as you can see.
Now what about the sake thief you mentioned?”
Taiki straightened and explained the situation to him.
“The head maid from the kitchens reported that every now and then, sake goes missing. It’s been more frequent lately. That’s what I was investigating.”
“Very commendable,” Katsuo replied, drinking from the bottle. “And what did you discover?”
“You.”
“Ah, this is awkward. You found me drinking my sake.”
“My lord—”
“You can tell Miyako a certain amount of sake is being transported unfrequently to the pagoda to appease Benten. And we’re using more at the moment to pray for her blessings in the upcoming battles.”
“As you wish, my lord,” Taiki bowed. If he thought his employer was speaking nonsense, it didn’t show on his face.
Katsuo took another sip and pondered over his strange night, from Takeru’s crazy idea to keep Orihime at bay to Ciara’s reluctance to be part of it. His gaze found the silver sliver of the moon hanging low in the sky.
“Have you found out anything about our new guest?” Katsuo asked Taiki as he handed him the bottle. The ninja accepted the sake but didn’t drink.
“You’ll be happy to hear I’ve investigated her.”
“Already?” Katsuo nodded approvingly. “I expected nothing less from my head of security. So? What have you found?”
“Nothing.”
Katsuo tore his gaze away from the moon and looked at his ninja sharply. A cool breeze swept through the courtyard, reminding him he was half-naked. He crossed his arms to retain what little warmth he had.
“What do you mean? That’s so unlike like you.”
“I mean there is absolutely no information of her prior to her appearing at Kawayuki’s castle.”
“Hn. Interesting. And how did she arrive there?”
“I meant appearing, as if out of thin air.”
Katsuo eyed the sake bottle.
“Have you been drinking?”
