by Kate Grove
“What’s weighing on your mind?” Katsuo asked as he moved closer and put his hand on her waist, half-embracing her.
Ciara shook her head. She didn’t want to ruin this perfectly nice evening with her worries.
“Let’s see what they have for dinner!”
Unfortunately, they couldn’t be alone for long. Someone always needed to exchange a few words with Katsuo. Ciara drifted away a few stalls down. She was debating over the fried octopus balls.
Katsuo was just about to catch up with her when Orihime flitted into his path unexpectedly. She was dressed in a plain, pink kimono. Katsuo took a second glance at her attire.
“Good evening, Orihime-dono,” he greeted politely.
“Good evening, Katsuo-sama. I see you’ve taken a liking to my kimono,” she twirled around, her hand gracefully resting on her shoulder as she faced him. “I thought to mingle with the common folk.”
“And how has your experience been so far?”
“Why, splendid! It’s fun here.”
“I’m happy you like the festival.”
“Is it every year?”
“Indeed. Why?”
“Oh, nothing, I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to attend from now on,” she mused out loud, sneaking a glance at Katsuo from the corner of her eye.
Katsuo groaned inwardly. Anything, but that! he thought, forcing a neutral expression on his face, lest he offend Orihime. Too bad she was the daughter of a close ally, otherwise she would’ve already been sent back to her father. As things stood, that version still offered a solution.
“If you’ll excuse me—”
“Oh, look! Dango, my favorites!” She hooked her arm into Katsuo’s and dragged him with her to the nearest vendor. “What flavors do you have?”
Katsuo tried to retrieve his arm, but Orihime didn’t let go.
“Milord, would you like something, too?” The dango man asked. There went his incognito.
“Thank you, I’ll take two,” he said, thinking of Ciara.
“Why, thank you, Katsuo-sama,” Orihime grinned, taking one of the sticks with three dangos on them. At least she let go of his arm.
Katsuo froze for a moment at the face of such audacity. Orihime used this chance to bite into the dango, leaving Katsuo with no choice but to acquire another portion for Ciara. He had just about enough of Orihime for that night.
“How peculiar…” Orihime murmured. “These foreigners, that is.”
“What are you talking about?” Katsuo followed her gaze and saw Ciara talking to a vendor and a couple of other men standing in a semi-circle around her, speaking with her.
“She’s engaged and still flirts with men. Tsk, tsk. I wonder if it’s normal from whence she came,” Orihime said, throwing away her half-eaten dangos. “If I were engaged to a man of your caliber, I’d never do such a thing.”
“Enough.”
“I’m sorry?” Orihime blinked up at him innocently.
“Have a pleasant night, Orihime-dono,” Katsuo said, leaving her promptly.
44
Her eyes lit up as she spotted him coming her way.
“Katsuo!” Ciara exclaimed as soon as she saw him. Her shoulders visibly relaxed at the sight of him. The men who had been so eager to get her attention a few minutes before quietly disappeared in the crowd.
“Is that for me?” she asked as she spied the sticks of dangos in his hand.
“Here,” he held out one of them and she took it. Her fingers brushed his as she retrieved the sweets. She smiled at him before turning back to the vendor with the octopus balls.
“Have you ever tried takoyaki?” he asked.
“Not yet. Are they good?”
“One of my favorites,” Katsuo said. “Unfortunately, I rarely get to eat it since it’s from West Japan.”
“Oh, I see,” Ciara was eyeing the food, contemplating. Meanwhile, she bit into the dango absentmindedly. She chewed on it for a moment. “This is good, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Would you like to try the takoyaki?” the elderly man behind the stall asked them.
Katsuo looked at Ciara in question.
“Sure, let’s try! I’m feeling adventurous tonight!”
“Two portions,” Katsuo said, paying for them. The old man quickly put together two plates for them, using big leaves to tie them up.
“Thank you for your patronage,” he said, bowing a little as he held out the packages with both hands.
Katsuo nodded as he took the food and decided to find a calm spot with seats so they could eat in peace. They made small talk while they ate. Then the topic turned a bit more serious.
“Do you think Takeru will be all right?” Ciara asked, still concerned for the youth. “He looked really pale.”
“He was fine when he let the snake into the river, wasn’t he?” Katsuo asked, a bit irritated. He wasn’t sure why he was annoyed with his little brother. He knew the bite would’ve been painful even though they were immune to the venom. The recovery rate was quicker each time, but this was the first time Takeru had performed the opening ceremony and was bound to need at least a day or two to recover.
“It was dark,” Ciara replied. “I couldn’t determine how well he was, but if you say so, I’ll believe you.”
“Good.”
Ciara crumbled the empty leaves and hurled them away. She looked at him sharply.
“Why are you in a mood?”
“I always have some kind of mood,” he replied, puzzled by the peculiar choice of words coming from her.
“You know what I mean,” she said, crossing her arms. When Katsuo remained silent, she sighed and elaborated: “You seem… annoyed. Are you annoyed with me?”
“What? No,” Katsuo was quick to reassure her.
“Then why?”
It was Katsuo’s turn to let out a sigh. How could he explain it to her when he, himself wasn’t sure why he was irritated at Ciara and Takeru. They didn’t do anything.
“I’m sorry,” he said instead, reaching for her hands. Ciara let him unravel her arms and take her hands in his.
“You are an enigma, mister,” Ciara said, pulling him closer and gazing into his eyes. “I want to get to know you better and find out all your secrets.”
“All my secrets?” Katsuo raised his eyebrows, amused at the thought. “That might be more than you can handle, darling.”
“Is that a challenge?” Ciara asked with a grin and quickly planted a kiss on his lips.
Katsuo pulled back immediately, and Ciara felt hurt.
“What—?”
“Anyone can see us,” he said, looking around nervously.
At that moment, Ciara was sharply reminded that she was probably centuries in the past. And she was in a completely different culture that most certainly had different views on public displays of affection.
“Sorry,” she said, drawing back. She made a mental note of this cultural difference. She tried to respect it even though it felt like rejection when he pulled back.
He stood and helped her up, too. Grasping her hand, he gently nudged her in the direction of the castle.
“I know a place,” he said, his voice deeper than usual.
Ciara was thankful for the darkness to hide her blush.
They were awoken in the middle of the night. Ciara was jarred from her sleep because of something loud, but she couldn’t recognize the sound. Katsuo sat up next to her.
“What was that?” she asked, also getting up. Katsuo pricked his ears, and the sound came again.
“Ayaka,” was all he said, and he was out of bed the next second. He quickly tugged on a hakama and ran out of the room. It took a moment for Ciara to find her yukata and follow him to the little girl’s room.
Katsuo was sitting down, Ayaka in his lap, when she arrived. He was stroking her back to calm her down.
“What happened?” Ciara asked as she approached them. “Did you have a nightmare?”
Ayaka sniffled.
“Yes,” she whispered and grabbed onto Katsuo’s neck.
“It’s all right, we’re here,” he said, reassuring her. Ciara went around to light a candle and brought it close.
“Do you want to talk about it? It might help,” she suggested to the little girl.
“A big raven was trying to eat Takeru,” she blurted.
Ciara and Katsuo exchanged a puzzled glance.
“You know, ravens can’t get that big in real life,” Ciara said.
“But it felt so real!”
“Oh, darling,” she sighed, contemplating. She patted the little girl’s hair. “Takeru is strong. I’m sure he could win.”
Ayaka shook her head.
“Do you want to check on him?” Katsuo suggested, and she fervently nodded. “All right. But be very quiet because he is sleeping. Can you do that?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she whispered, still clinging to his neck.
“Are you coming?” he asked Ciara, but she shook her head.
“I’ll tidy up here.”
Katsuo looked at her strangely, as there was not much to tidy up in the room, but shrugged. Calming Ayaka down was his priority at the moment.
As soon as they left, Ciara rummaged through the bedding of the little girl.
“Huh. Interesting,” she murmured, finding a small pouch hidden in Ayaka’s covers. Carefully, she opened it and sniffed it. Her face crunched up. “Ugh, this is definitely that awful concoction.”
She put it in the pocket in her sleeve and made Ayaka’s bed before returning to her room and hiding the packet in the cupboard. I’ll get rid of it tomorrow, she decided. She had a pouch of dried lavender and brought it back to the little girl’s room.
Someone is agonizing Ayaka with nightmares. But what’s the point? I have to find out who would do such a thing.
She put the lavender pouch inside the cover of the pillow and fluffed it before returning to Katsuo’s room. Ciara made a mental note to check her bedding as well. There must be some explanation for her own nightmares.
45
The next morning, Ciara quietly slipped out of bed and went back to her room. She had a hard time sleeping after she was awakened by Ayaka’s scream. She envied Katsuo’s ability to easily fall asleep again.
She quickly changed into comfortable clothes to practice yoga, but before exercising, she combed through all her bedding. There was nothing. She paused, pondering. Was it possible she just had random nightmares and that was all they were? Was her mind playing tricks on her?
Ciara folded up her bedding and put it away. The pouch from Ayaka’s room fell down and she bent down to retrieve it. At that moment, Yura knocked on her door. Ciara quickly stuffed the pouch in the cupboard and shut it close.
“Good morning,” she greeted Yura.
“Good morning, Mil—Ciara-sama,” she replied, bowing a little. “Did I interrupt you?”
“Ah, no, I was just about to do some exercise. Care to join?”
“Eeer…”
“It’s good for your health.”
“Oolong tea as well!” Yura lifted her hands, and Ciara only now noticed that she was holding a tray. She waved to Yura.
“Oh, come, come, let’s have tea.”
It was becoming a tradition for them to drink tea in the morning before breakfast. At first, Yura felt self-conscious to share a drink with her lady in the morning, but Ciara insisted they already did so in the teahouse, and it helped her start the day. So Yura could do nothing but accept her kindness.
“I was thinking we could go to town today,” Ciara said.
“Again? I think Riku-san is on duty today, however…” Yura frowned.
“You like him?”
“What?” The girl blinked. “Who? Riku-san? No way, Milady!”
“Oh, I thought… Nevermind,” Ciara shook her head. “Anyway, I think it’d be fine if it’s just the two of us.”
“No, no, I’ll find someone to come along. But who would—”
“Why don’t we ask Taiki?”
“Taiki-dono?” Yura’s eyes widened, and she visibly shivered.
“What’s wrong?” Ciara was alarmed at the girl’s reaction.
“He’s scary. He has this dangerous aura around him, I can’t explain,” she whispered.
“Well, he is a ninja.”
“Is he?”
“Umm…” It was Ciara’s turn to be self-conscious. “You didn’t know?”
“I thought he was just a soldier.”
“If he looks like a ninja and acts like a ninja, he’s probably a ninja, Yura.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll ask him. I’m sure he would be happy to help out his lord’s betrothed,” Ciara mused. Yura was right. She wasn’t fond of Taiki, either, but he got the job done, and if Katsuo trusted him, then she was going to do so, too.
After breakfast, Ciara wandered the corridors, wondering how to get a hold of Taiki. She went to a guard walking past and asked for directions.
“I can escort you to his office, Milady, but there is no guarantee he’ll be there,” he said. “He always appears in the most unexpected places.”
“I see. Nonetheless, please lead me there. I’m feeling lucky today!”
“As you wish, Milady.”
He led her to an unfamiliar part of the castle. As she walked, Ciara glanced up at the ceiling, seeing red lines for the corridor. Somehow, she had a feeling that she’d already seen this marking somewhere.
“Here, Milady.”
“Thank you,” she said, and the guard promptly left. Ciara pondered for a moment how she’d get back to familiar territory but decided to take one step at a time. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer.
“Taiki?” she asked, knocking again. She waited a minute before sliding the door open and poking her head through. “Taiki?”
The room was dark and windowless. No wonder the ninja didn’t spend too much time in here. Ciara looked around the best she could, but there was no sign anyone had been here recently.
She saw a small shadow creeping around. It looked like an animal, and Ciara stepped into the room, moving closer to it. She squinted to see more clearly. The black shadow froze and turned to her. Two ears twitched on top of its head, and she realized it must be a cat.
“Her, kitty, kitty!” Ciara crouched and waved to the cat. When it didn’t move, she tried to wave the Japanese way. “Here, kitty, kitty!” She idly wondered if the cat could understand her, or was there a different calling in Japanese?
The cat took a step toward Ciara. She waited patiently.
“Can I help you with something, Milady?”
Ciara jumped in fright and twirled on her heels. She put a hand on her heart as she stood up.
“Jesus Christ, Taiki, you scared me!”
He inclined his head but didn’t comment. Ciara ignored her frantic heartbeats and looked around for the cat, but it had already disappeared. She went back to business and asked Taiki if he could lend someone to come with Yura and her to town.
“In light of recent… events, I’d feel safer if someone who is trained to fight would come with us. That is, if it’s not a big imposition on your resources.”
“It’s not impossible,” he replied and sidestepped her to walk over to his desk.
“Oh,” Ciara followed him. “That’s great, thank you.”
“I’ll have them meet you at the gates.”
“Excellent. Thanks, Taiki,” Ciara gave him a smile.
“Is that all?”
“Eeer, yes. I won’t keep you from your work any longer,” Ciara hurried to the door. Taiki’s gaze followed her like a hawk.
“How did you get here?”
“I’m sorry?”
“How did you find my office?” The ninja rephrased.
“A guard pointed it out to me.”
“Please don’t let yourself in if I’m not here.” His voice was polite, but Ciara could feel a threatening aura emanating from him.
She n
odded stiffly. “I’m sorry.”
Taiki waited for a moment before asking her if she’d be able to find her way back.
“Or course!” Ciara chuckled and quickly exited. “Thanks!” she shouted over her shoulder, already in the corridor.
Taiki sighed. “That’s the wrong way.”
46
Ciara quickly realized she headed in the wrong direction and turned around but only managed to make herself more lost. She had no idea which part of the castle she was wandering around.
The corridors were dark, and the only light source were windows, but even those were scarce in this part. As she looked up at the ceiling, trying to make out the symbol, she froze. It was three red spirals. Damn. She was absolutely sure she hadn’t seen that one before.
“Come on!” she begged to the Universe to show her a way.
Chills ran down her spine as she heard a terrifying growl coming from somewhere on the left. She was nearing an intersection of corridors and froze at the sound. She even held her breath, waiting, tense.
I’m one with the wall, I’m one with the wall, Ciara chanted in her head, closing her eyes for a moment. It would be amazing to be able to become invisible at this moment. She wondered if there was someone in her family who would have that ability. Or if it was something she could learn. If she ever made it back to her time, she was going to do some research.
She jumped as she heard a whimper. Opening her eyes, she tiptoed to the intersection and very slowly peeked into the darkness. It was like gazing into the abyss. For a moment, she felt as if even time had stopped, as nothing moved.
Then she heard the growl again. It sounded closer this time.
“Eep!” She retreated behind the corner and clamped a hand on her mouth.
Oh gods, it’s too late, isn’t it? She prayed to whatever gods were listening to save her. She closed her eyes in terror as she heard a hiss, even closer. This is it, isn’t it? I’m going to be eaten by an ancient Japanese monster!
She heard hardly audible footsteps and opened her eyes, surprised, then turned to the intersection. She saw someone’s arm reaching out from the corridor and screamed.
