by Kate Grove
“What is it?”
“Can I sit like that, Daddy?” Ayaka turned to Katsuo.
“No.”
Ciara immediately realized her error. She rearranged her legs so she was sitting mermaid-style. She wouldn’t bare sitting another minute on her knees like at breakfast. It was cruel!
“What did you do today, Ayaka?” Ciara asked the little girl about her day, trying to ignore Katsuo’s presence next to her. She felt awkward after her earlier mistake. She stole a glance in his direction and caught him looking at her. Ciara quickly turned back to Ayaka, listening to her recall the study hours then what she played.
In the middle of it, Takeru appeared.
“Sorry for being late,” he said as he stepped in.
“It’s all right,” Katsuo said calmly. He was silent during the entire time Ayaka was talking. “Let’s eat.”
16
The meal was still warm when they lifted the lids from the plates. Unlike at breakfast, where everyone had their own little table, this time they shared one large, low table. The lids hid several plates filled with different kinds of fishes, meats, and there were bowls filled with rice or pickles. One of them had some kind of dumplings.
Ciara felt like an intruder. It was clear for her that Katsuo, Takeru, and Ayaka were a team as the little girl chatted away and the adults moved in sync to put appropriate portions of food on Ayaka’s plate. But they looked happy, and Ciara leant back, just looking at them. A small smile grew on her lips at the sight, remembering the times when she and her mother had dinner together.
Katsuo surprised her when he turned to her. “May I?” He gestured to Ciara’s plate. She swore her heart skipped a beat.
“Yes, thank you.”
Ciara watched as Katsuo selected food for her. It felt odd to be taken care of by a man. For so long, it was only her and her mother. Then her and her little cousin, Karen. Naturally, she had had her share of boyfriends, even some polite ones, but she never truly felt looked after.
Get a grip, it’s just food, she silently admonished herself as Katsuo placed the plate in front of her.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” And he meant it.
She waited with Ayaka until Katsuo and Takeru had picked their meals and then, with a loud ‘itadakimasu’ from the little girl, they all began eating.
“What’s this?” Ayaka asked, looking at a deep-fried shrimp. Its tail was sticking out from the end of the crust.
Ciara was happy to recognize the dish.
“That’s tempura. Try it, it’s very tasty!”
Katsuo and Takeru looked at her oddly. She noticed their stares, meanwhile Ayaka summoned her courage to try the food.
“What is it?” Ciara asked, blinking at the men.
“How did you know what it was?” Takeru asked.
“I’ve… tried it before?” Ciara wasn’t sure what was the reason for their strange behavior. “Why?”
“It’s a new dish from Nagasaki,” Takeru explained, glancing at his brother for a moment. “It’s the first time it’s served here.”
“I see.”
“Where are you from?” Katsuo asked. “Did you come here through Nagasaki?”
Should I lie and tell them yes? Then at least they wouldn’t suspect me why I know new goods in this area. Or shall I tell them the truth? At least part of it? Ciara mulled it over as she chewed on some sticky rice.
“I’m from the US.”
“US?” Takeru asked.
“United States of America,” she replied.
“Where is it?”
Shoot, has America been discovered yet? I don’t even know the century we’re in!
“East.”
“There’s nothing East,” Katsuo finally spoke up. “We’re the most Eastern country.”
“It’s so East it’s West,” she replied and stuffed some meat in her mouth. Her concentration on the conversation stopped as she realized she’d just tried the infamous sashimi. Raw meat. Granted, she’d eaten sushi with raw meat, but this was only meat. Nothing else. As she silently wondered if she’d survive dinner, the men cast her confused glances.
“I don’t understand,” Takeru finally said. “What do you mean?”
Somehow, Ciara forced the raw fish down her throat. It wasn’t half bad.
“If you go to the East far enough, you’ll end up in the West,” she explained. Ayaka was starting to chew on the tail of the shrimp and Ciara reached out to her. “No, don’t eat that part.”
The little girl obediently put the tail down and went for another tempura. This time, she picked a vegetable one.
“Do you like it?” Ciara asked.
“Yes, very tasty, like you said!” Ayaka smiled at her.
“Try this,” Katsuo put a bowl full of green pods in front of her. Ciara was surprised at his sudden gesture.
“What’s this? Beans?” She asked as she picked up one with her chopsticks. Takeru chuckled, which made Ciara look around, puzzled.
“Here,” Katsuo picked up a pod with his hands and opened it. “It’s steamed soybeans. Edamame.”
Ciara reached for the pod between her chopsticks and followed Katsuo’s lead, opening it. Tentatively, she put a bean in her mouth, not sure what to expect. There wasn’t a rich flavor but a faint salty one. It was quite refreshing after all the meat and rice. Suddenly, she wanted fruit. She idly wondered if it was possible to get some after dinner. Ciara skimmed the table, but unfortunately, no fruits were to be found. She quickly finished off her first edamame pod then reached for the second one.
“Good, isn’t it?”
“It’s refreshing,” Ciara replied as she sent Katsuo a small smile. “Thanks for the recommendation.”
The rest of the dinner was spent in a similar fashion, with good-natured conversations. Ciara forgot her earlier worries about not fitting in with the small family and truly enjoyed dinner. It was a more informal event than breakfast had been.
After they’d finished, Ayaka insisted on some reading. Basically, this meant someone had to read a bedtime story for her. She thrust a book into Ciara’s hand and pleaded with her eyes.
“I want you to read me a story!”
“Oh, well…” Ciara opened the book. Her brow furrowed as the writing there didn’t make any sense for her. It was foreign and reminded her of her peculiar situation. How was it she could understand spoken language but was totally lost when it came to the writing?
“I’m sorry. I can’t read this.”
“Do you not like it?” Ayaka’s lips trembled.
“It’s not that. I literally can’t. I don’t understand any of these letters,” Ciara brought the book closer to her eyes and squinted. “Are these even letters?”
“You can’t read?” Ayaka’s eyes were big.
“I can, just not this,” Ciara insisted. “I don’t know this writing.”
“Then you should come to the reading lessons with me!”
“Ayaka,” Katsuo cut in. “That is quite enough. I’ll read it to you.”
“I want Takeru to read.”
Ciara swore she heard Katsuo sigh. Ayaka crawled into Takeru’s lap with the book, and he started reading out loud. Ciara moved around a little bit to find a more comfortable position sitting on the floor. She fidgeted so much, she lost her balance and bumped into Katsuo who was sitting next to her.
“Sorry,” Ciara apologized with a red face. She crawled back to her seat and arranged her legs around until she was settled.
“It’s all right,” Katsuo replied with a little delay. He didn’t seem bothered by Ciara’s clumsiness.
Takeru stopped reading the story soon because Ayaka’s head was bobbing as she tried really hard not to fall asleep. There was a small protest from her when he declared she was going to sleep, but she let him gather her in his arms and take her to her room. She was too exhausted to protest.
“She’s such a sweet child,” Ciara mentioned once Takeru had left with Ayaka.
Katsuo nodded in agreement. They looked at each other, and the moment stretched out. Ciara started fidgeting and cleared her throat as she looked sideways. Her gaze caught the door.
“Well, I better go, too. Thanks for dinner,” she said as she stood.
“You’re welcome,” Katsuo replied, also rising. “Do you need help getting back to your room?”
Ciara sighed and hung her head, embarrassed.
“Most probably.”
Katsuo escorted her back to her room. They stopped in front of her door, and she turned to him.
“Thank you.”
“No problem,” he replied. “Sleep well.”
“You too.”
Ciara stepped into her room, and Katsuo went back the way he came. Their rooms weren’t far away, just on the other end of the corridor, but there were two intersections to similar looking corridors, which confused Ciara. She gathered her bathing essentials and ventured out again. She hoped to catch Yura and ask her directions for the bath.
17
Finally back to some semblance of order, Katsuo woke up at dawn, went to the pagoda to exercise, then finished the kata just as the sun rose over the Eastern horizon. The soldiers were just warming up in the courtyard by the time he had finished. Takeru bowed when he saw him, and Katsuo nodded in return, not stopping this time.
He was looking forward to some breakfast. Alone. As usual.
But the Universe would not have it. Soon, he noticed pounding footsteps coming for him. He slightly turned to see a random soldier out of the corner of his eye. He was young, and Katsuo didn’t recognize him by name but knew he was one of the new recruits. Panic reflected in his eyes as he approached his lord.
“What is it?” Katsuo growled. He might’ve woken up early each day, but that didn’t mean he wanted human interaction before breakfast.
“Th-there’s someone at the gates, my lord!”
“And?”
“She insisted on being admitted and wants to meet with you immediately!”
“Did she say why?”
“No, Milord.”
“Did she say who she was?”
“Actually, no. But she had this.” The young soldier lifted a small, wooden square in his hand. A crimson tuft dangled from it. Katsuo grabbed the item with such speed that the soldier couldn’t catch his movements. “If I’m not mistaken, this means—”
“Where is she?”
“Still standing at the gates. She said she won’t move until you come get her… Milord.”
Katsuo nodded and started toward the gates immediately. The soldier had to jog to keep up with him. He couldn’t read his lord’s expression. They arrived at the gates soon, where the aforementioned woman was taking her time looking around. Katsuo’s soldiers eyed her suspiciously.
“You really should find another hobby instead of scaring them.”
The woman twirled around, and her silver hair seemed to float with the movement. Her eyes were golden, and she had a brilliant smile on her young face as soon as she saw Katsuo. She held a naginata that was at least two heads taller than her.
“My, you’ve become”—she paused for a second, searching for the appropriate word—“grumpier.”
“Meanwhile, you did not change a bit, Gr—”
“Yuki. You call me Yuki, and thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.” Her brilliant smile never faded. She walked up to Katsuo and hooked her arm in his as she started walking to the castle.
The soldiers looked at them incredulously.
“I see you have some new recruits.”
“It’s wartime. I need the manpower.”
“Right, you have that.” She nodded, her thoughts seemingly far away.
“I know you usually don’t pay attention to these matters, but this has been going on for a few decades now.” Katsuo sighed, steering them toward the main entrance. As they went further in, they had come across older recruits who had bowed to them.
“Lady Yuki!” one greeted her with enthusiasm. She just smiled back at him and waved. Katsuo suppressed a smile, watching her interact with the soldiers.
“I suspect he still has a crush over you.”
“Bah, don’t be silly!” Yuki swatted his arm in annoyance. “It’s been two decades. He has most certainly gotten over it.”
Katsuo shook his head but didn’t comment further on the matter. Fortunately, no one heard their exchange.
“How long are you planning on staying?”
Yuki looked at him sharply.
“I’ve only just arrived to see my cute grandsons, and you already want me gone?”
“It’s not that. It’s just… there’s a lot that’s happened these past few days and—”
A scream tore through the early morning calmness. Katsuo sighed.
“Where did it come from? What happened?” Yuki tensed, hefting her weapon in one hand, ready for combat.
“It came from somewhere inside.”
“Maybe the inner courtyard?” Yuki suggested.
They hurried to the castle and through the corridors to arrive at the inner courtyard. A few guards loitered then dispersed as they saw no threat and had seen their lord had arrived at the scene.
Orihime was screaming at one of his servants, Yura. There was a huge upturned basket near them, its contents spilled. Katsuo narrowed his eyes as he realized it was the laundry, including some of Ciara’s clothes.
He moved to step in, but before he could say anything, Ciara appeared from a random direction. Next to him, Yuki was watching the scene unfold with mild amusement. They could hear every word.
“What happened?” Ciara asked as she stood between the two women.
“She bumped into me!” Orihime pointed her finger at the cowering Yura. The servant girl was hunched in a exceedingly low bow.
“I’m very sorry, Milady. I didn’t mean to—”
“I don’t tolerate such clumsiness in my household!”
“How fortunate this is not your household,” Ciara quipped. Orihime was stunned into silence, her face reddening. Katsuo heard a snort coming from next to him. Glancing at Yuki, he saw she was trying hard not to laugh.
“Get up. Let’s gather the clothes.” Ciara bent down to help Yura, who immediately jumped up. She knocked her head into Ciara’s.
“Ow, ow, ow! Careful, Yura!” Ciara admonished the servant girl.
“I’m so sorry, Milady!” Yura went back into a dogeza.
“Serves you right!” Orihime huffed and turned her nose up at the prostrating servant. “But be careful, you might catch her clumsiness!” With that, she twirled around and stalked off.
Katsuo swore he could see Ciara roll her eyes before she turned to Yura. He took a step, but Yuki’s arm shot out, creating a barrier before his chest.
“Wait,” she whispered.
“Yura, what did I tell you?” Ciara put her hands on her hips.
Yura startled and hunched her shoulders. She mumbled something. Ciara squatted down as much as her kimono let her. She touched Yura’s arm, and this time, she was prepared when the girl quickly straightened and avoided being hit by her.
Yura looked as if she was ready to cry.
“I told you to call me Ciara, not ‘Milady’ or any other variants,” Ciara reminded her. She looked around at the scattered clothes. “Now, let’s clean this up.”
“Oh, no, no, I can’t possibly let Milady do this!” Yura protested, but Ciara was already gathering up the items.
“It’s no problem. Also, I’d be more willing to listen if you used my name,” Ciara reminded her as she bent down to retrieve an obi.
“Let me get those!” Yura quickly grabbed the basket and held it out to Ciara.
“Thanks.” She smiled as she dumped the clothing from her arms. She quickly collected the remaining items. “Do you need help?”
“I cannot possibly ask you to—”
“You’re not asking me. I’m offering. There’s a difference,” Ciara said and grabbed one end of the basket amidst Yu
ra’s protests. “It’s quicker this way. Maybe we can mow down someone else on the way. Though I doubt there’s anyone that deserves it more than that—” Ciara coughed “—person.”
“B-but—”
“Where are we bringing this?”
Yura gave in and gave her the directions. Together, they walked off with their heavy load. Yuki let her arm drop and turned to Katsuo. Her eyes had a playful glint.
“Who is she? I like her.”
Katsuo felt a little mischievous. “That’s good, because she’s my betrothed.”
“Your what?” Yuki shrieked. Yura and Ciara were still nearby, and they heard it. They stopped, looking at them. Ciara waved at them while Yura paled. The servant girl started talking very quickly, and, grabbing the entire basket from Ciara, she ran off.
“Yura!” Ciara lost her balance but managed to catch herself last minute. She grumbled at the kimono and pulled up the hem, running after Yura. “Stop!” she cried out, and Yura immediately obeyed.
A strange tingle ran down Katsuo’s spine at that moment. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yuki shiver.
“Are you cold?”
“No, it was nothing.” She shook her head. Her gaze followed the pair of Ciara and Yura who started walking again.
“Have you had breakfast yet?” Katsuo asked as he steered Yuki in the direction of her rooms.
“I was hoping to spend it with you.”
Katsuo nodded. “I’ll get Takeru to join us.”
“What a lovely idea!” Yuki beamed. “I’d love to catch up with you boys!”
18
“What got into you, Yura?” Ciara hissed as they hauled their heavy load to a seemingly random empty room. She caught up with Yura in the kitchen, which was on the ground floor, after she had run off again. The room was a flurry of activity, everyone going their own way, but no one collided. It was as if it was a choreographed dance.
“Lady Yuki is here!” Yura shouted as she slid the door open.
Immediately, everything went silent, and everyone froze.
“Lady Yuki? Are you sure, girl?” A middle-aged woman asked from the center of the room.
