“He is alive,” Hikaru rushed to say. “But I can see the weight of his responsibility and its burden upon him, and I do not know how much longer he can rule effectively.” He hesitated to say any more. He never would have spoken out against his father this way, but the words burned the back of his throat, demanding release. “He’s imprisoned Lady Nishimori; he believes she is a Kitsune.”
His uncle’s eyes grew wide for a moment before he wiped the expression away. Arata stroked his chin and avoided Hikaru’s gaze. They shared the same thoughts; Hikaru had been thinking about his mother ever since his father had started raving about Kitsunes. He had always thought the rumors were just that. He could not believe his father would torture and imprison his mother like that. But now history was repeating itself and he had himself to blame for it. Hikaru ran his finger along the edge of the board. Am I ready to control other men’s lives? They do not respect me. How can I possibly lead the clan?
“Is it possible this Lady Nishimori is a Kitsune?”
Hikaru’s breath caught in his chest. The immediate denial dangled from his lips. A week ago he would not have even considered the notion, now… “Do not be ridiculous,” he said, but not with nearly the conviction needed.
His uncle sighed. “There are many things in this world that cannot be explained.”
Hikaru shook his head hard enough to rattle his brain inside his skull. “There is no such thing.” He wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, his uncle or himself.
“You need to gather men to your side by strengthening the bonds with your father’s allies.” His uncle twirled his long beard, pulling on the hair and the skin along his chin with it. “The men are looking for someone they can respect. Someone who can lead.”
The unintentional jab hit him like a blow to the stomach. “Do you think the men will follow me?”
Arata dropped his hand onto his lap. “That I cannot say; only time will tell.”
A lump formed in his throat. It was as he feared. “I shall win them over, I have to.”
“You’ll need to do more than that. You will need their utter devotion if you do not want your brother to attempt to take your place.”
The fear of that had always been at the back of his mind, haunting him. “I did not wish for any of this. Sometimes I wish he were the heir and not me.”
His uncle nodded and stared at the Shogi board. He took a piece and flipped it over, revealing the red promotion character on the other side. He turned the piece between his fingers for a few moments. Hikaru watched his actions, transfixed.
“You’ll need to bring your wife here,” Arata said.
Hikaru sighed. Fate was a fickle thing; no matter how he wanted to change it, he could not. He had delayed bringing his wife to the clan house. But his excuses had all run dry. It’s for the best if it keeps Rin safe. I need more influence to protect her.
“And we cannot do anything until it can be proved that this woman is not a Kitsune.”
“You cannot—”
“If you want my support, you will do as I say. This woman came to us without explanation and acts strangely. If the priestess declares her pure, then you will cast off all suspicion.”
Hikaru’s hands dug into the fabric of his robe hard enough to tear. They all thought he was bewitched. And what will I do if I find out she is a Kitsune and she has been playing with me this entire time? He did not have an answer for that question. But he left four parallel snags in the silk running up his thigh. “As you say. Gather our supporters and I will write to have my wife sent to us at once.” Hikaru stood.
“If she is who she says, then it is past time she went back to her clan. She has no place here.”
Hikaru nodded. His next question was on the tip of his tongue; despite his attempts to swallow his own doubt, he asked, “And if she is not?”
“Let’s hope her intentions are good.”
15
Rin paced the length of the courtyard. Her bare feet had acquired a thin sheen of dust. He won’t come tonight. He’ll stay away and I’ll find a way to send him a message in the morning. Two guards stood at the door, one facing the hallway that led to the shrine, the other facing her. The one watching her regarded her with a blank expression as lifeless as a mask. She met his gaze and held it. He frowned but did not look away. She would not be the first to surrender. She refused to let them think her weak. For the space of a breath they were locked in time. Then he lowered his eyes.
“What have you done now?”
Damn him. Rin turned slowly. Shin leaned against the shrine. He smirked at her in his charming way. She wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms at that moment. But she wrapped her arms around her waist instead. You should not have come. The priestess cannot harm me in this form, but she can hurt you.
He glanced around the courtyard, his eyes skimming over the sutras and binding charms. He even touched one with the tip of a clawed finger. “Binding spells.” He looked to Rin. “What is the meaning of this?”
She shrugged and went to sit down on the steps of one of the adjacent covered walkways. Every pathway had been boarded up. The warrior watched her from the corner of his eye, but if he saw Shin, he gave no indication. Most humans could not see her kind—Hikaru was one of the few exceptions.
“Rin, what happened?” Shin knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his.
She yanked her hands away. Leave, Shin, and don’t come back.
“Is this the young lord’s doing? I should never have let you stay.” Shin growled. His canines elongated as he clenched his fists.
Rin shook her head. He can’t stay here. What if the binding charms trap him here? She yanked at Shin’s elbow and led him to the door, where she pointed out. The warrior tensed as she approached. He reached for his sword but did not draw it. His fellow guard glanced over his shoulder at her. She ignored them. She was more worried about getting Shin out of there.
“Stay back. I won’t tell you again,” the guard that faced outward snarled.
Shin bared his teeth at the men, but they did not see. They looked through him and at Rin.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to leave you here alone,” Shin said.
She huffed and stomped back over to the shrine. She knelt in front of it. Sitting near it gave her a measure of serenity—something she needed desperately right about now.
“I’m not leaving, Rin.” Shin sat down on the ground beside her, his back to the shrine.
You stubborn idiot.
“You’re probably cursing me, calling me a stubborn fool,” he said with his usual levity, but his expression was severe.
Idiot, but close enough. He had an uncanny ability to read her thoughts. She pointed at the sutras and scowled at him. You’re not safe here.
His eyes flickered to the sutra. He snatched one that was posted above the shrine and ripped it to pieces. “These are just paper. Without spiritual energy they cannot harm us.”
She bowed her head. The shredded fragments were scattered on the ground and one of them bumped against her toe, which peeked out from beneath the dusty hem of her outer robe. I should have known that. If I was myself, I would have sensed that there was no power here.
“I will not summon the Dragon, if you wish it, but even my patience has its limits. This has gotten out of hand.”
She did not want to involve Shin and she definitely did not want the Dragon to come to her rescue. She had fancied herself in love with him at one point. The Dragon was handsome, daring and powerful. He ruled the entirety of the largest island in Akatsuki. Coming from a minor household, she never thought she would catch his eye. Her family were servants to the Dragon, at times messengers, at other times they tended to his guests, and as for Rin, she tended to his personal needs. When they became lovers, she thought she was in a happy dream. But it became quickly apparent all that she had idealized was nothing but girlish fantasy. The Dragon was powerful, but he was still just a man. She had enjoyed their time together, b
ut when it came to an end, she did not grieve it.
It was not until the rumors started and the stares that she realized how being with the Dragon had ruined her reputation and that of her family. She was nothing but another of the Dragon’s conquests. Desperate to win some honor back, she had gone to bring the Dragon’s most disobedient vassal to heel. As usual, she rushed in without a plan and Akio had outsmarted her. If Shin went to the Dragon now and asked him to fix her, she would never recover from the windfall of scandal. The Dragon’s plaything turned human by a mere priestess. They would probably think she had done it to win the Dragon back. I have some dignity. I got myself into this and I can get myself out of it. Shin had no reason to keep trying to fix all of her mistakes. She shrugged again. Not your problem.
“I know you don’t think it’s my problem, but damn it, Rin, it is. We’ve been friends for centuries. What would you expect me to do? Leave you here to rot as a human? What would you do in my place?”
She looked away from him and at the Kitsune statue. The empty painted eyes stared at her, unfeeling and uncaring. The Kami who guarded this family had fled long ago. Now all that remained was a hollow shell. If Lord Kaedemori has his way, I will not live long as a human. She sighed. But Shin’s right, I would do the same.
“You know I am right.”
She nodded. She hated to admit it to him, but she couldn’t lie to him either. She needed his help as much as she resisted it. Her pride just kept getting in the way.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her against his chest in an unexpected embrace. It shocked her at first, not that he had hugged her. They were no strangers to physical affection. There was something different about him lately. He held on too long and too tight. He was afraid, she realized. He clung to her as if when he let her go, she would slip away for good. That thought terrified her. She grabbed a handful of the silk on the back of his kimono. She inhaled his musky scent, but it brought none of its usual familiar comfort. She could not smell the layers of the scent; his emotions and his unique signature were hidden from her. He might as well have been a stranger to her.
She pulled away and put distance between them. She did not need another reminder of everything that had been stripped from her. Shin was her last link, and losing any sort of connection with him made her heart sick. From the corner of her eye, she could see the warriors conversing with one another. They must have seen them and wondered what she was doing. From their prospective, she would have looked like she was doing pantomime. She turned her back to them and focused on Shin. She besought him with her eyes. His gaze traced over her features. He can see it, can’t he? He knows he has to let me take care of this myself. He must know I would never forgive myself if I lost him because of my own error.
“Who’s there!” the guard facing the corridor shouted.
Rin’s head popped up and Shin snarled. His face half transformed into a mix between man and wolf, his snout elongated and his hands tipped with long claws. Rin held up her hand to still him.
“I’ve come to speak with Lady Nishimori,” Hikaru said.
Rin’s heart leapt. He came. She had hoped he would stay away even as much as she wanted to see him. Then reality crashed down, shattering like a dropped vase. Shin was inching towards the guards. Though she could not see Hikaru yet, she knew he would be able to see Shin, though the guards could not. And with Shin’s temper, it could only end badly.
“Lord Kaedemori said there is to be no visitors,” the outer guard said.
“I speak as my father, and heir of the clan of Kaedemori. You will let me pass.” There was a hard edge to Hikaru’s tone that she had never heard before. A ripple of premonition ran down her spine.
The guards shared a look. The guard who had been watching Rin turned his back to them to whisper in the other guard’s ear. She pulled on Shin’s arm, trying and failing to drag him away. He shrugged her off and marched up the steps to the guards.
“We are leaving, Rin,” Shin said.
She ran after him and reached out to grab his arm. Just then Hikaru looked up. He saw Shin approaching and opened his mouth to warn the guard, but it was too late. Shin slashed a clawed hand across the man’s back and tore through the silk like paper. The man spun, fumbling for his weapon, but not quick enough. Shin lunged and landed on his chest and clamped down on his throat. The second warrior had time to get his sword. He swatted the air as he spun in slow circles, looking for Shin. Rin beat on Shin’s back, trying to get him to stop. You cannot kill them, Shin! She opened her mouth to scream at him, but nothing came out other than a strangled choking sound.
She wrapped her arms around Shin’s throat and squeezed as she clung to his back by twisting her legs around his torso. Shin shook and snapped at her; he clawed at her arm, scoring it. Bright red blood bloomed on her forearm. The severity of the pain startled her and she seized her hand back. She toppled backwards and hit her head on the hard-packed earth. The pain sliced through her as blood seeped out of her wounds. They were shallow and nothing serious, but her every nerve seemed focused on the sensation. In the chaos around her, Rin’s mind focused on the pain. So this is what pain feels like.
The second warrior dropped his weapon and fled. As he ran he shouted, “Yurei! There is a ghost in the temple!”
With the warrior fled, Shin turned to Rin. He leaned over her, staring at the blood and inflamed skin on her arm, his eyes somewhere halfway between the brown of a man and the yellow of a wolf.
“Get away from her!” Hikaru shouted.
Shin growled. Shin’s head now resembled that of a wolf. Red gore matted the fur around his muzzle as he pulled back his lips and bared his teeth. Hikaru stood with his feet planted, facing Shin. He had no weapon. Rin was not sure if she was impressed or worried. She grabbed onto Shin’s hand, pleading silently with him to spare Hikaru. Not him, he is an innocent. He looked down at her with now golden yellow eyes. Please, Shin, leave before things get worse.
He leaned forward and brushed his muzzle against her face. She smelled the coppery scent of blood on his mouth, and the soft hairs against her cheek smeared blood on her face. She hugged him tight but then shoved him away. He fell to his knees as he transformed into a wolf. He ran past Hikaru and towards the exit. Hikaru watched him go in mute shock. Goodbye, she said.
Hikaru looked down at her. She remained kneeling on the ground. She never wanted him to see her like this, imprisoned and covered in blood. His hands visibly shook.
“What are you?” he asked.
She met his gaze, pretending to be unafraid of the judgment he laid on her. I came here to end their truce and start a war. I never thought I would come to care for him.
“That thing, it killed one of my men.”
She nodded.
“I thought—” He ran his hands through his hair. “Does it even matter what I thought anymore? A man is dead.”
She did not remove her eyes from him. If she did, she would crumble under defeat. If she did, she would admit that the witch had won and that there was no hope left for her.
Hikaru shook his head, his eyes focused on the blood on Rin’s face, and then he turned and fled. She would not chase after him. She had not sunk quite so low. Perhaps there is time to repair the damage that has been done.
Rin stood over the corpse of the man Shin had killed. He seemed so young and small now. His narrow thin face was pale. The blood from his wounds had soaked the front of his robes and the armor was stained with it. The pool beneath him reached outward and brushed against her toes. She leaned forward and closed his eyes. I am sorry.
“You have done better than I would have expected.”
Rin’s entire body went rigid.
The witch sauntered over. She stepped over the body of the fallen warrior and tracked bloody footprints into the courtyard. She went over to the shrine. She tilted her head and regarded it before caressing the face of the idol.
Then she said with her back turned to Rin, “I was summoned by Lord Kaedemori t
o exercise a Yokai.”
Rin balled her hands into fists. What is she doing? She wanted to lash out at her, but she feared the old woman’s powers and her own weakness in human form. Rin touched the raised edge of the scratch Shin had given her. As a Yokai it would have been healed by now, but the flesh burned and the tingling would not go away.
The witch laughed. “Do not worry, the game is not over yet. It has only just begun. Tomorrow when I come to proclaim you innocent, you must pretend you were possessed.”
Her words felt like knives in her gut. She wanted nothing more to do with the witch’s plots. Why are you doing this?
“Do not worry, once my plan is complete, I will set you free.” She grabbed Rin by the chin.
Rin could feel the crackle of her spiritual energy like pins and needles along her flesh. Somewhere buried beneath this human exterior was Rin’s own energy fighting to break free. I will defeat you. One way or another. Rin narrowed her eyes as the witch smiled.
“Do not think to disobey me, though, or your wolf will pay the price.”
Rin deflated. It was as she feared. If she did not do as the witch said, Shin would be in danger. I’m sorry, Hikaru, but I have to do this.
16
“My lord, the priestess has arrived.”
Hikaru jumped and swiped a black mark across the inventory he had been working on. He set down his brush and took a deep breath. He did not want to face the priestess. How much longer can I deny what is before my eyes? I saw that creature kill a man—and Rin, she embraced it. The image of her bloodstained face staring at him, both serene and withdrawn, had kept him awake all night. The clan comes first—above all, even her. His stomach was in knots and his eyes ached from lack of sleep.
He couldn’t show his fatigue. A leader should be strong or at least appear so. To do that meant putting aside his personal concerns and focusing on what was best for the clan. “Ah, yes. Can you show her to my audience chamber?” he asked.
Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling Page 12