by C. J. Anaya
My father cleared his throat, as if preparing himself for some oratory before his subjects, and then that wicked, sadistic smile darkened his features.
“When Aiko shared her rather entertaining tale of intrigue and betrayal, I must admit, I felt surprisingly proud of you, Mikomi. The more deceit and treachery I unearth, the more I realize I’ve never really known you or your surprising penchant for half-truths and your knack for omitting pertinent information. You’re delightfully diabolical.” He let out an amused chuckle. “Especially when you consider everything you’’ve kept from Musubi.”
My stomach churned at the mention of his name.
“You know about Musubi?” It was becoming more certain with every word my father uttered that he and the rest of my friends had been discovered and captured.
“Of course. Aiko has kept me informed of your activities for quite some time. You would think that the love you and Musubi claim to have for one another would have at least produced a moment’s worth of honesty between the two of you.””
“Honesty?” My question held undisguised disbelief. I knew what he was getting at, but the very word, falling from his lips, rang out hypocritical and wholly unbelievable.
“You plan on usurping the throne and uniting yourself with the god of love and marriage forever, yet you’ve failed to inform Musubi of your identity or the fact that you are not free to make that decision.”
“I was given reason to believe that it would be best for him to not discover my identity in the beginning, for his sake and mine.”
My father studied me intently for a moment and then his eyes glimmered with some dawning realization.
“You still don’t know, do you?” He threw his head back and let out a boisterous laugh.
My whole body chilled at its sinister overtones.
“You are completely ignorant concerning Musubi’s connections to Katsu.”
“What are you talking about—”
“Allow me to enlighten you. It will be a pleasure to do so, really. Musubi believes Katsu is responsible for his beloved Edana’s suicide. I counseled them time and time again that love is an emotion one can never afford to cultivate. It weakens the mind and poisons the heart, but would they listen to their old friend, Fukurokuju? Of course not. Musubi continued to allow his hatred to grow, while Katsu’s guilt continued to fester.”
He tsked, shrugging his shoulders, pretending to give a damn.
I felt my stomach heave at this. Not Katsu. “How could Katsu be blamed for Edana’s death?”
“I’m really not too clear on all the details. Suffice it to say, Edana’s death caused quite the rift between the two, and Musubi has been plotting his revenge ever since. And what better way to take that revenge than to steal Katsu’s soul mate and marry her himself?”
Steal Katsu’s soul mate? Marry The Healer himself? Had his reluctance to become close to me been a ruse all along?
“Are you implying that Musubi knew the truth from the beginning?”
My father laughed again. “Still so naive. Why else would Musubi hold any interest in you? The timing is too perfect to be coincidental. You stumble upon one another within months of your marriage to his greatest enemy? Oh, yes. The timing is quite uncanny.”
I reviewed my history with Musubi. Every moment. Every kiss. Every conversation. His battered emotions and tortured struggle to keep his distance from me and hold the anger close to his heart. Words and actions may have been deceptive enough to give me the wrong impression, but his own emotions, his ki, the fact that we were soul mates proved that my father’s poisonous words were little more than that. Simply a distraction and a way to break my confidence and my security. Musubi loved me just as much as I loved him. I wouldn’t allow my father to sway me on that, no matter how convincing his manipulative words might be.
And Katsu?
Musubi’s intentions had changed now. He was no longer interested in stealing The Healer from Katsu. Not now that he had found a companion in me. Mikomi. I shook my head at the irony. Without even knowing it, he had managed to steal me from Katsu either way. Yet, I had been his all along. Meant for him all this time.
“I assume you have already captured my friends?”
“Of course. And now, dear daughter, it is time we dispense with this foolish attempt at playing soldier. Your eighteenth birthday draws nearer, and the day of your ascension as a full kami is at hand. Have you forgotten your duty as The Healer, the Savior of our world?”
His tone was mocking, as if the entire concept had bored him for centuries.
“I have no intention of marrying Katsu, if that is what you are getting at. I’ll no longer be a pawn in this prophecy, nor will I submit to a future that is wrong for me.”
My father’s eyes widened. I was arguing with him, and he was not used to it.
“You have become quite outspoken, young lady. Most unbecoming in a female. You’ve joined forces with the rebels, used your healing powers against my express wishes, fallen in love with the wrong kami, oh and that little show you put on……pushing me to stab you and then claiming I was a nekomata?” He began to chuckle at that and then his laughter turned boisterous. “Oh, my dear child, that was pure genius. Though I didn’t enjoy the few days in the dungeons I spent attempting to prove my identity to my worthless generals, I couldn’t help but admire your calculating mind and natural wit. Oh yes, I underestimated you, Mikomi.”” His eyes grew hard. “Believe me when I tell you, it won’t happen again.”
I swallowed hard. I may have become better equipped at defending myself, but I had received beating after beating from this man all of my life. My role as a victim was not easily shed when faced with my tormentor.
“I have no intention of marrying Katsu.”
“But you haven’t yet listened to my proposition.”
“Which is?”
“I won’t kill Musubi if you return to the palace with me and marry Katsu.”
I scoffed at this. “You’ll never be able to kill Musubi. He’s a kami.” It was a bluff, but I sincerely hoped he didn’t have other weapons from the underworld at his disposal.
His smile chilled and my hopes were dashed to pieces. “You’ll perform your duty and marry Katsu or I’ll have a knife from the underworld shoved right into Musubi’’s heart. You’ll be witness to the entire exchange.”
I quailed at this threat, knowing he wouldn’t hesitate to make good on it. The thought of Musubi dead and gone forever shook me to my very core. I had one card left to play with very little hope of it working.
“If you really want me to fulfill my duty then you need to allow me to marry my soul mate, otherwise my ascension will be impossible to accomplish.”
“You’re implying Katsu isn’t your soul mate?”
“Musubi is. The prophecy has not been interpreted correctly.”
“You don’t honestly expect me to believe that, do you?”
Aiko’s eyes glittered with mischief, a dark hatred that surfaced every time Musubi was mentioned. She leaned over and whispered something in my father’s ear.
He turned back to me, shaking his head and grinning maniacally. “You forget I’m privy to all of the details of your plans. If you allow Musubi to be the one to aid you in your ascension, the incompatibility of your souls will cause yours to sever and break from Katsu’’s. You’ll be free, certainly to be with whomever you choose, but you’ll never be a full kami, and never take on your role as The Healer, a role I’m beginning to understand you would rather avoid.”
I glared at Aiko. She knew the truth of mine and Musubi’s connection. She knew he was the one who had healed my ki when it was damaged. Why would she encourage my union with Katsu if she truly wanted protection from the demon god as well?
“This is a mistake.” I hated the hint of desperation in my voice. “If you truly wish me to ascend and heal the veil, then you mustn’’t allow me to marry Katsu. Aiko knows the truth of my connection with Musubi. She is lying to you.”
&nb
sp; “Why would she lie, when she has so much more to gain by ensuring this union? If Amatsu is able to breach the veil then every one of us will be at his mercy. With enemies from the underworld surrounding me, I must insist that The Healer be at full strength. You’ll marry Katsu and ascend to full kami status tonight. And then I want the two of you to work very hard to heal the veil, keeping Amatsu and the rest of his minions from the world of the living. Once these reformed kami and nekomata realize their demon god has been thwarted they’ll most likely turn their loyalties to the kami with all of the power. Namely, me.””
“Aiko, tell him the truth. Tell him who my true soul mate is.”
She merely laughed at my pathetic attempt to convince her.
“I will also require even more cooperation from you as I continue with my plans to build a kami army. I don’t know how you learned to circumvent the bondings during the healing process I ordered you to perform, but you will continue to bond your blood to these men if you wish for your rebel friends to remain alive.”
“Please, don’t insult my intelligence. You have no intention of letting them go.”
“But I may allow them to live. Unless you refuse to aid me in my goals. For every bonding that fails, one rebel soldier will be brought before you and slaughtered in front of your eyes, and if you refuse to allow Musubi to join you to Katsu or attempt to warn him in any way during the ceremony, I will have Aiko kill him with a simple flick of my hand. You’’ve invited your most trusted maid to your wedding, you see.”
“He will never agree to this union. He won’t cooperate.”
“He already has. I convinced him that I had captured his sweetheart and would kill her if he didn’t agree to perform the union between The Healer and Katsu. He was most willing to comply if it meant keeping you safe. His ignorance concerning your identity has aided me enormously. I must thank you for that.”
“He will still fight this once I arrive. He won’t stand for it.”
“I believe he will be too distracted by your betrayal. He’ll certainly wonder where your loyalties reside. Declaring your undying love one minute, and then agreeing to marry Katsu the next? Once again he’ll be losing the woman he loves to Masaru Katsu while simultaneously wondering if you were a spy all along. A plant used to get close to the commander of the rebel army and destroy it from the inside out.” He rubbed his hands together in anxious anticipation. “I honestly can’’t wait to see the look on his face. He also has much to lose in the form of Akane. If he fails to go through with the ceremony, Akane will be killed as punishment.”
The thought of Musubi believing for even one moment that I had been insincere in my intent and affections left me cold and heartbroken. How would I explain myself with Aiko poised to strike him down if I didn’t pretend to go along with the marriage?
I stood there glaring at him as my mind raced for a possible out, for any other avenue that might grant me a reprieve from having to go through with this marriage, all the while being forced to look Musubi in the eye while he thought the very worst of me.
“You cannot be certain that Katsu will wish to marry me. He knows I ran away and joined the rebels. He won’t forgive my actions nor my disobedience.”
“Oh, I’ve covered all of my bases in that department. How do you think I was able to attain my release from that awful prison he was holding me in?”
I gave him a blank stare.
“He has a weakness and that weakness is you. He loves you, though I doubt you deserve it, and honestly can’t understand why, and I simply had to claim that I had one of my generals kidnap you. I wasn’t going to release you into his care until he promised me a full pardon, refuted all claims that I was a nekomata, and allowed me power over my own empire again.” He took a step closer as I processed this new level of deception. “Oh, yes, my dear. Katsu, at this very moment believes that you have been held as a prisoner by my generals at the Shinto Temple of all places. Your release and subsequent union with Katsu was contingent upon my release and full power restored. So you see, dear child, he will be anxiously awaiting your arrival this evening with all the love that great oaf can muster, completely oblivious to your own betrayal. Ah, the consequences of unrequited love. How terribly clichéd.”
I blinked angry tears, as I continued to think of another avenue of escape. My father seemed to read my mind.
“You won’t clue him in to your own treachery if you wish to save the one you do, in fact, love.”
I couldn’t win with my father. I’d experienced small moments of victory, with a few battles won and several moments of silent vindication, but the actual outcome of this war would always be in my father’s favor.
With weapons from the underworld at my father’s disposal and plenty of restored nekomata capable of wielding them, I simply couldn’t risk alerting anyone to his plans. If I fled with Saigo and Kenji, Musubi would be a sitting duck, never seeing Aiko’’s attack until it was too late. If I agreed to the match and then attempted to stop it, Musubi would still be killed and all the rebels with him. I had no options, no other choice, but to accompany my father back to the palace.
“What about the restored kami within the palace walls? You have no way of knowing whom you can trust. They will pose a threat to me.”
“That is why Aiko will continue to guard you until you have ascended and permanently healed the veil. After that, you’ll be escorted to a holding cell where I can keep an eye on the both of you.”
“What about Saigo and Kenji?”
“Saigo was merely having a lark, as most boys will at this age. Perhaps it will have taught him some valuable lessons.”
“You won’t punish Saigo, then?”
He looked at me in surprise. “For what? Boys will be boys, as they say. Kenji, however, is a different matter. He will be executed at dawn.”
“You can’t do that. He was forced into coming with us. He wanted to make certain Saigo came to no harm.”
“Is that so? Well, I suppose if you are a good little girl and continue to behave as I have instructed, there will be no need to harm Kenji.”
Another threat, another loved one my father could hold over me. Maybe he was right. My love for my family and friends would cause more casualties in the long run. I simply didn’t have the capacity to turn those emotions off. I didn’t know how.
“It would seem you have given me very little choice in the matter.” I fisted my hands at my side and gritted my teeth. “I will do as you say.””
The wicked grin returned to my father’s face.
“I thought you might.”
Chapter Fifteen
Aiko positioned herself outside my door, waiting for me to finish readying myself in the elaborate white ceremonial robes meant for my union with Katsu. Once I ascended, my robes would transform from a blinding white shade to a dark, blood red color, symbolizing my married status, and the completion of our union.
The process of dressing myself took an exorbitant amount of time due to the elaborate and complex way in which the kimono and its many accoutrements were meant to adorn my body, but the thought of that thing playing the farce it had carried on over the last few weeks caused my insides to cringe in protest. Never again would I allow it to assist me.
True despair at Aiko’s betrayal momentarily overwhelmed me. It didn’t make sense.
I startled when Aiko simpered in, looking less than pleased at my progress.
“Mistress,” she said, “this ceremony is due to take place in less than thirty minutes, and still you are not yet ready.””
Aiko wrenched me around to face the mirror, and then began finishing what I hadn’t been able to. Bile rose to the back of my throat when her hand came to rest upon the nape of my neck.
“I think it’s wonderful that your father decided to do away with the traditional makeup and hair. It will make it that much easier for Musubi to recognize you, don’t you think?””
“Aiko, how could you do this? I thought you cared for me. I thought you
cared for all of us. You know Musubi is my soul mate. Why perpetuate such a lie when the consequences for everyone are so dire?”
She gave me a sly smile and then took a step back.
“Perhaps this will help to answer your many questions.”
Horror gripped me when my maid’s form flickered as if she were blinking out of focus. Black hair sprouted from her head and claws grew from her hands and feet. Dark pointed ears grew from the sides of her head, and two tails whipped themselves back and forth, curling around her clawed feet.
Within seconds Aiko had disappeared, and in her stead stood a ferocious looking nekomata.
“What have you done?” I asked. I could barely lift my voice above a whisper. “What have you done with Aiko?”
“Your maid? Why, we had to kill her, my dear. It happened several years ago when Amatsu’s plan really began to take shape. Several nekomata had taken on the role of Aiko, but it was necessary for each one of us to partake of your blood before our unnatural presence in this world managed to destroy us. As it stands, I’ve been Aiko for about a year now. It’s been quite an education. Once you discovered that I was stealing your blood, it became necessary for our plans to change. Entering the rebel camp was serendipitous, though I kept waiting for my moment to kill Musubi. Eliminating your soul mate has been paramount in the demon god’s plans.”
“You were behind the illness back at camp. You poisoned all of those soldiers and somehow let the emperor know of their location. Why fight against the nekomata when they came? Why save Musubi—”
“Your lover was much more capable than I had anticipated,” she growled. “He managed to take out four of the five nekomata before I could stop him, and I had no choice but to finish off the fifth, someone I had known for thousands of years. Don’t think for one second I will easily forget my comrades who Musubi murdered.”
“Murdered? You’re all bloodthirsty killers. Musubi was defending himself after your comrades slaughtered innocent humans and attacked him. Don’t you dare attempt to convince me of your twisted convictions. Not when Aiko is dead and thousands of others have been killed because of Amatsu, not to mention all of the harm my father has meted out.”