by C. J. Anaya
Katsu withdrew his sword from its sheath and pulled me behind him. “You’ll not touch a hair on my betrothed’s head. I suggest you leave as quickly as you came before I have to dispense with you and your two friends hiding in the shadows.”
My heart jumped to my throat. There were three altogether? I was sure that Katsu was an accomplished fighter due to the nature of his gifts, but how could one kami stand against three monsters?
A low growl seemed to vibrate from the black beast’s chest. “So be it.”
The cat-like thing propelled itself forward and jumped, sailing across the length of the pond while pulling out its sword. The sharp, metal end was pointed directly at Katsu’s chest. Katsu roughly pushed me to the ground. I barely had a chance to look up in time to see the two clash swords.
“Guards,” Katsu yelled, “come quickly. The princess is under attack.”
I waited for a response from the guards who usually stood at every door in the palace, but no one ventured out to the gardens.
I heard a low growl to my right and saw another shadow stealthily creep toward me.
“Silly kami, do you truly believe we would not have dispensed with your flimsy palace guards?”
The shadow rushed at me from the dark depths of the choked foliage. I rolled to my left and backward, hoping to arrive at a standing position before that abomination could grab me, but my bulky clothing hindered my movements.
A black, hairy arm slithered its way around my waist and pulled me to my feet. I reacted instinctively and slammed my wedged shoe down on top of his unprotected foot. I was rewarded with a shrill howl and its grip around my waist slackened, giving me enough freedom to break away. I turned to face it as it came at me again and could do nothing to protect myself as its heavy fist landed on my face. It was the second time in less than an hour that my face had been the target of someone’s anger.
As I felt the warm blood gushing down the side of my cheek something within me seemed to break. I had tired of the pain and the beatings, furious at having no control over what happened to me physically. But most of all, I was no longer interested in meekly bowing my head and submitting myself to whatever punishment someone else decided to administer.
Instead of running away from the great black cat, I ran forward to meet it.
“Mikomi, get back.” I heard Katsu yell, but I paid him little heed.
As the cat reached out and grabbed me roughly by the arms, I placed my hands on its chest and connected with its ki. It surprised me such a creature had one, but it was twisted and misshapen much like its deformed body. I imagined searing, burning pain starting at the chest and spreading out over the rest of the body. Its ki complied quickly, and soon the nekomata released me, writhing in agony on the grass.
A sharp sword swooped downward and plunged into its chest, making a sick gurgling sound. I withdrew and watched in numb silence as Katsu dislodged his sword from the beast’s chest and then decapitated it. Bile surged up the back of my throat, and I slapped a hand across my mouth, horrified to be witness to such violence, but more upset with the part that I had played. I had never willingly used my gift to give pain to anyone, and even though I was defending myself, I couldn’t help but feel as if I had violated my own moral code.
I looked to my left and saw that Katsu had already dispensed with the first cat that had attacked us, but I couldn’t see the third attacker anywhere. I was certain Katsu had said there were three of them.
“Princess, your face is bleeding again. Were you stabbed by one of their swords?” He looked completely panicked at the thought. He stepped over the dead body separating us and reached for me. In that moment I heard another branch snap behind him and a vicious looking nekomata materialized in the moonlight.
“Katsu,” I yelled.
The warrior god turned quickly and raised his sword as his opponent brought down a shiny black blade. He was able to block it and shoved the cat backward, but not before its claws lashed out, cutting across Katsu’s face. I screamed as I watched blood spurt to the ground. I feared his injury might slow him down, but Katsu lifted his sword and began slashing and stabbing faster than my eyes could follow.
The cat seemed equal to the task, but the quick slashes Katsu continually delivered began drawing more and more blood, and the monstrous cat’s movements began to slow. Katsu saw he was gaining the upper hand and turned a sharp circle to his right, slicing his blade across the cat’s throat and severing its head from its body.
I stood in stunned silence as I studied the gory mess surrounding us. The blood I could handle. It was the three decapitated bodies with their heads several feet from them that made me grateful I hadn’t had a meal in some time.
I felt a warm hand grab mine.
“Mikomi, show me where you were injured.”
I looked up and nearly fainted at the sight of Katsu. He had three gashes that ran the length of his left cheek, barely missing his eye. They were oozing blood and some strange black substance.
“Your face!” I reached forward, but Katsu blocked my advances.
“I will heal soon enough. I need to know if any of the nekomata stabbed you with their weapons.”
“No, I am well, but you clearly are not. You must let me heal you.”
“As I stated before, Princess, it isn’t necessary. My body will heal itself, eventually.”
“But I can do it much faster and take away any discomfort you might be feeling in the process.”
I grabbed his hand as he started to protest and led him to the bench we had previously used. I urged him to sit down while he protested, and then I placed both my hands on either side of his head. Once connected, I instructed his ki to clean out the wounds and mend them without any scarring. The black substance seemed to be resisting the process, but with a little more instruction, Katsu’s ki was able to overcome whatever infection had set in.
Once I was satisfied with the healing taking place, I opened my eyes and studied Katsu’s face. There were pink lines where there used to be large open gashes, but those disappeared within minutes, leaving his face just as beautiful as it had been the first time I laid eyes upon him.
“Good. It’s almost finished. Do you feel any pain?”
Katsu smiled and softly shook his head, then he lifted his hands and rested them on both of mine. I hadn’t realized that I was still holding either side of his face until he was touching me. He drew one hand away from his face and pulled it to his lips where he gave the inside of my wrist a soft, tender kiss. I felt a slow blush creep up my cheeks and was grateful for the low lamplight. My hands began to shake, and I withdrew from his intimate affections.
He must have misinterpreted his effect on me for that of fatigue. “I should never have let you heal me. It’s put too much strain on you after what you’ve just endured.”
He rested an arm around my waist to support me, treating me like some fragile porcelain doll. I had healed much worse many times over and had never once suffered enough strain to keep me from remaining in a sitting position, but I had very little control over my movements in his presence.
“Why have there been two attempts on my life in less than twenty-four hours?” I asked.
“You must understand how badly Amatsu wishes you dead. When you and I are married and succeed in healing the veil, Amatsu will no longer have a chance at freeing himself from the land of the dead. He’ll be trapped there forever. I’m guessing he has somehow been informed of my arrival and has upped whatever plans he’s had for ending your existence.”
“Why tonight with so many people here?”
“Perhaps he thought the celebrating would distract everyone long enough to send assassins through, though how he managed to send three is very surprising. He usually only has power enough to send one.”
“Why would he send three?”
“Now that you and I have officially met, we are that much closer to foiling his plans. He wanted you dead tonight. He knows his plans are going to fail.”
I didn’t want to hear any of this. I didn’t want to believe that there was actually a demon god out there willing to send assassins to kill me, because that meant the veil between the living and the dead truly existed, and it was failing. What would happen if I shirked my duty and refused to join Katsu? How many lives would I endanger if this prophecy was accurate and I refused to accept my fate?
I pushed these thoughts from my mind and decided there had to be some other explanation for the nekomata’s presence. I couldn’t bear the thought of accepting a destiny I’d mentally spurned for most of my life. I just wanted my freedom and a chance to live my life on my own terms. Even with Katsu, kind and protective by my side, I desperately wanted to escape. Then I realized what he had just done for me.
I turned to him and grabbed hold of his arm.
“You risked your life to protect me. You could have been killed, Katsu.”
“You are The Healer, Mikomi, of course I would risk my life to save yours.”
His explanation made me feel worse. The Healer. My title would always be larger than myself. If my supposed role in this universe hadn’t been so important, would he have fought for me still? Would I matter to him in the way I wanted to matter to a man fated to share life with me for eternity? Wouldn’t it be a glorious thing to be known only as Mikomi and nothing else?
I’d never pondered much upon the subject of love. My previous idea of paradise had been an escape plan involving a life filled with obscurity and solitude where no one knew anything about me. I would never marry or have children. I simply wanted to be alone without anyone demanding anything from me. Having my betrothed sitting next to me and realizing that I could actually grow to care for him had changed everything.
I didn’t want to be loved for my title or my gift. Having either of these things left one with responsibilities burdensome enough to weigh down the strongest of men, but the world’s safety had been placed on the shoulders of a frail looking princess of seventeen. I didn’t want someone to look at me and see only the girl of prophecy, but I feared that was all Katsu saw.
“Of course you would,” I finally responded. “And it is honorable and noble of you to take your duty so seriously. Thank you for your dedication to your duty.”
Katsu gave me a puzzled look. I wondered if he could sense my agitation. Fortunately for me, we were interrupted by shouting outside the garden gates, and several guards ran through.
“Honorable Katsu, we were informed that you and the princess were under attack and needed our assistance,” a young soldier who gave a respectable bow from the waist said.
I noticed Katsu studying him thoughtfully. “You may rise soldier, but please tell me, who informed you of our distress and why didn’t you come sooner? The attack began and ended several minutes ago.”
The soldier looked as if he might be sick. He had failed in his duty to keep us safe, and that type of failure demanded the ultimate punishment.
“There was a kitchen maid in the corridor who notified one of my men, but we came immediately thereafter.”
“I wonder why it took the maid so long to inform anyone of our dangerous situation. Can you find this maid and bring her to me for questioning?”
The soldier looked relieved and bowed again. It wasn’t his head on the chopping block this time.
“I also need two of your men to accompany the princess back to her quarters and guard her doors for the rest of the night.”
I panicked, wondering how I would ever be able to receive the message from the samurai commander if I had two guards listening outside my door. I wanted to argue but had not been given permission to speak. Undermining his orders would have been terribly rude and disrespectful, so I remained silent by biting the insides of my cheeks.
“Is the princess injured?” one of the guards asked, directing his comment to Katsu and completely ignoring me.
“I believe she sustained a small cut to the face, but it has healed since then,” said Katsu. “Return the princess to her rooms immediately, and I will help take up the search for the missing maid.”
Katsu left my side without a backward glance. I knew it wasn’t seemly to speak with me in front of the guards, but I expected some kind of farewell from him instead of being summarily dismissed. Disappointed with myself for feeling anything for him, I continued biting the inside of my cheeks. My betrothed gave orders like a seasoned general, expecting immediate obedience, accustomed to getting his own way. I should have known better than to think he might be a different kind of deity.
Two guards flanked me on either side and silently escorted me to my quarters. They weren’t allowed to speak with me, let alone touch me, but I found myself wishing to interrogate them about the maid who had sounded the alarm, too late to be of help to anyone.
I entered my room and closed the doors firmly behind me.
“Sister.” I heard a soft whisper. I spun around quickly and clamped a hand over my mouth. Saigo stuck his head out from behind my mirror and gave me a mischievous grin.
“Saigo, what on earth are you doing here?”
“Did you forget about our pact to protect you from a possible assassination attempt?” Kenji whispered as he walked out of my large bathing room.
“I think it a little late for that, considering three more nekomata just tried to kill me and my betrothed.”
“What are you talking about?” Saigo asked.
I quickly explained to them my meeting with Katsu and the three nekomata that had attacked us in the garden. I left out the part where he had defended me against my father. I still didn’t want Saigo knowing about the abuse I had suffered all these years.
“Incredible,” Kenji said. “The demon god must be getting very nervous to have sent out four of his assassins in one day. I’ve heard it takes quite a bit of power for him to send any assassins through the veil, let alone four. He would be virtually powerless as of this moment.”
“What a shame we can’t enter the land of the dead and take advantage of his weakness.” Saigo enthusiastically brandished his sword.
“Saigo,” I said in a stern voice, “I never want to hear of you making plans to enter the land of the dead. Do you understand me?”
“Nonsense, sister. Did you misplace your desire for intrigue and adventure?”
“It vanished in the wake of the decapitated nekomata.”
“That would have been truly exciting. Why do you always get to have all the fun?”
“Fun?” Kenji shook his head. “Your sister was almost murdered by the most deadly assassins of all creation, and you think she was having a party in the midst of it?”
“Knowing Katsu was present makes it a less perilous situation. I’ve heard the warrior god is fierce and merciless. How did you two get on, by the way?”
Saigo’s abrupt change in subject had me snorting in a very unladylike manner.
“We got on just fine. He clearly felt it was an honor to have the chance to risk his life to save The Healer.” I’d meant it sarcastically, but Saigo didn’t catch on.
“Yes, these days who wouldn’t? You’re quite famous, you know.”
I tsked loudly at my brother. “What is the hour, anyway? I’m rather anxious to get this meeting over and done with.”
“We have about an hour before it is time to meet this commander,” Kenji said.
I heard a brisk knock on the door.
“Princess,” Aiko called from the other side.
“You two need to hide, quick,” I whispered.
Saigo and Kenji hurriedly dove into my bathing room and shut the door tight just as Aiko came scurrying in.
“I’m sorry to not have been here sooner, but I thought you would be out much later with your father and your betrothed.”
She didn’t seem too alarmed, and I wondered if the news of the assassination attempt had been covered up. I probed her emotions, but she merely felt flustered, no doubt disturbed at the thought of keeping me waiting.
“It’s fine, Aiko. I simply
tired much sooner than expected and was allowed to return to my room.”
“I’ll fetch your sleeping gown and help you prepare for bed.”
“I’d rather sleep naked,” I mumbled. I felt smothered by so many layers and yards of fabric. My thin, cotton gown for sleeping was infinitely better than a ceremonial kimono, but the sudden stifled and boxed-in feeling that descended upon me made me wish I could be free of everything, including sleeping gowns.
“What was that, mistress?”
“Nothing. Thank you, Aiko.”
As my maid rummaged in my closet for something suitable to sleep in, I checked the lock on the window and saw that it was secure. As soon as Aiko left the room I could unfasten the window and then wait.
She returned swiftly and began unwrapping the endless amounts of silk surrounding my body. Once that monumental feat had been accomplished, she brought the sleeping gown over my undergarments. She then lifted the thin cover upon my matted bed and bade me goodnight. The moment my door closed, I anxiously sat up while Saigo and Kenji ran out of the bathing room.
I went to the window and unfastened the latch, but I dared not open it even a crack lest some guard from the outside see it and report it.
“How much longer, Kenji?” I asked.
Kenji screwed on his spectacles and eyed a strange looking contraption hanging on his sash. I still couldn’t understand how he managed to read the hour from it.
“I believe we have less than thirty minutes.”
“So, now what?” Saigo whispered impatiently.
“Now we wait. No falling asleep, young man.”
“You’re in more danger of dozing than I am, old man.”
I smiled at their playful banter and settled myself on my bed, anxiously awaiting the commander’s arrival.
* * *
My eyes flew open as I heard a soft tap at my window. I turned my head and noted that I was in my bed and must have dozed a bit. The candles had been doused, and the only light spilling into the room came from the full moon through the cracks in my window. I watched as it swung open slowly and a lithe, decidedly female figure nimbly climbed in, closing the window behind her.