by C. J. Anaya
A decision had to be made.
I firmly grabbed both sides of the rope bridge and tentatively stepped onto the wooden planks. The bridge bobbed and dipped slightly as it compensated for my additional weight, but after a moment it straightened out and held firm with only a slight groan. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and slid my right foot forward. After a moment I shifted my weight forward upon it and lifted my left foot in the air, freezing as the bridge slightly swayed. The groaning noise came again, but I had to admit the bridge was quite sturdy despite its shabby appearance.
I began stepping forward with a bit more confidence, gradually increasing my speed with each board that supported my weight. Before long, I had traveled more than halfway across the bridge and felt certain I would reach my destination in time. I’d managed a few more confident steps when I heard a strange snapping sound to my right. I looked to one of the ropes attached to the plank of wood I was standing upon and noticed that several threads appeared to have unraveled.
Before my brain could latch on to the precariousness of my situation, the supporting rope snapped and the plank beneath me gave way. I felt myself abruptly drop through the bridge’s underbelly, and only managed to prevent myself from catapulting into the tumultuous river below by grasping the wooden boards in front of me. With the lower half of my body dangling off the bridge and my arms gripping the small crevices between the planks, I wasn’t sure how I would manage to pull myself up.
I took two deep, steadying breaths and then used what little upper body strength I possessed to pull myself further up and forward, but the minute I strained forward I heard another loud crack and then a snap. I looked to my right and saw that the board I clung to was beginning to fold under my weight. Freezing in place, I waited to see if it would hold and then tried to reach my left arm forward to grab the next plank ahead. The minute I shifted my weight I heard another sickening crack and felt the plank I was clinging to drop an inch or so as the supporting rope snapped almost completely in half.
This could not be happening! How was I to rescue an army full of rebels if I couldn’t even manage to save myself from this rickety bridge?
Amidst the roaring of the water and my own heartbeat pounding within my skull, I thought I heard someone calling my name. I squinted my eyes and looked to my left, across to the other side. There, standing on the riverbank, looking just as handsome and wonderful as ever stood Musubi with an awful, panicked expression on his face.
I didn’t know how he had found me or what had brought him to this particular place, but I wasn’t about to waste time asking. I saw him cup his hands around his mouth and then his strong, comforting voice floated over to me.
“Mikomi, do not attempt to move again. You will only make your situation worse. I will come to you.”
I might have acknowledged his words with a nod of my head, but even that movement could have sent me toppling the rest of the way down. I didn’t fear the river, I was an excellent swimmer, but I did fear drowning. It had happened more than once when I was younger, and though my ki quickly and efficiently expelled any water that my lungs inhaled, the process was painfully frightening. My father had used it against me several times as a child.
I felt the bridge sway a little as Musubi placed his feet on either side of the ropes, avoiding the planks altogether and walking along the cords weaved through the sides. That course of action would have been a wiser method for me to have employed, but how was I to know the boards would be so treacherous? My mission to save an army wasn’t exactly foolproof.
My anxiety and fear lessened as Musubi closed the distance between us. Once he was towering above me, he bent his head forward and reached for me.
“Give me your hand, and I will pull you to safety. Just try not to jerk as you do so.” I slowly raised my hand and felt his warmth surround me as he pulled me up through the broken planks and into his arms.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me closer to him. His breath warmed the side of my face as I felt him place a small kiss there. The contact was surprising, but I was too relieved to be in his arms, and more than grateful for the excuse to remain so close to him.
“Thank the gods. I must have aged a thousand years when I spotted you on this damnable contraption. And then to watch you fall before I could get to you and warn you.”
His arms held me tighter as I felt him shudder. I buried my face in his chest, reveling in his closeness. Honestly, I would have fallen through a thousand bridges to procure this kind of response from him.
“Yes, if I had plummeted to my death you would have been made a widower without ever having truly been married.”
Musubi barked a short laugh, one filled with relief. He placed a light kiss on the tip of my nose and then rested his forehead against mine. “I’m just glad I reached you in time. If I hadn’t come when I did…”
He broke off and looked at me as if he’d had some kind of epiphany. The stormy blue of his eyes became filled with such a strong look of yearning, I felt myself leaning forward, completely ensnared by the power of his desire. His heated gaze held mine for what seemed like an eternity, and then a loud snap quickly brought us back to the present.
Musubi blinked twice and then seemed to get his bearings. “I may have rescued you from your fall, but we must still travel across the rest of this bridge. Wrap your legs around my waist, and I will take you back in the direction you came from.”
I nodded and did what I was told. Squeezing my eyes shut, I took comfort in the warmth and strength of his body as he carefully negotiated his way across the other half of the bridge.
“Going for a stroll, were we?”
“Not exactly.” I lowered my feet to the grassy bank, lifted my head, and pulled back a little in order to see his face. His eyes were bright with amusement, and the corners of his mouth turned up, ready to deliver a smile I was sure I would never recover from. “How on earth did you find me?”
“I was on my way to meet you for our training session. Was this some desperate attempt to get out of it?” He gave me a smirk. “Nearly getting yourself killed hardly seems reasonable when all you really had to do was let me know you were ready to quit.”
My eyes narrowed. “Of course I wasn’t going to quit. Stop looking so hopeful.”
He laughed as his smoldering eyes continued their hypnotic hold on me, pulling us closer until I was sure he was finally going to kiss me. I could sense him struggling with his emotions, wanting to hold me, to touch me, but fighting some inner turmoil that had no name, no face, and no way for me to push against it.
His eyes hardened, and his emotions were suddenly blocked from me as he released me, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest almost as if he were using them as a shield to lock his heart and feelings in place. His face stiffened for a moment, and then he looked angry. I felt wholly confused by the change in him.
“Would you mind telling me why you are out here, traipsing about by yourself in such a dangerous part of the forest?”
“This is the most dangerous part of the forest?”
“If you’re in it, then yes! You can’t possibly think that any part of this forest is safe for a young, unaccompanied woman. Why on earth are you this far in to begin with?”
And just like that my purpose, my entire rescue mission, came crashing down around me. I’d been so caught up with Musubi and the fact that my near death had dislodged that hardened wall about his heart that I had completely forgotten my reason for being out here in the first place.
“I came to warn you and Akane. The emperor knows the location of your main camp. His troops are planning an attack this evening.”
Musubi’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “Impossible! None of our people would ever share such information. How in the world could the emperor have found out our location, and how would you have gleaned this knowledge?” He eyed me suspiciously.
I realized I hadn’t thought this whole scenario through. I
t would look terribly suspicious for a woman, even a wealthy one, to know the emperor’s military secrets. I scrambled fast for something plausible to tell him.
“I…I…am sometimes summoned to the palace to treat his servants and wounded soldiers. It is another reason why Akane wished for my help. She was aware that I would have access to this type of information.”
With every word I spoke, Musubi’s face grew darker and his body more rigid. “Unbelievable. I cannot fathom how you or Akane could be so stupid as to put yourself in such a dangerous and precarious situation.”
“I can take care of myself,” I stated stiffly.
“You can barely cross a rope bridge without falling to your death,” he shouted. “How do you expect me to believe that you are capable of retrieving highly classified information from the most powerful kami in this empire without being caught, tortured, and killed?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” I shouted back. I advanced toward him, refusing to allow him to put more distance between us. “I’m standing right here, with information that will save hundreds if not thousands of men. Do not, for one second, label me as incapable just because I was unaware that a perfectly sound looking bridge had faulty flooring.”
“You are too involved,” he shot back. “It is bad enough that you heal men considered seditious traitors to the empire, but you’re learning to fight as if you think you will ever see battle, and you’re actually spending time with the emperor and his soldiers. You are at the heart of this conflict.” He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me hard. “Can’t you see there is a chance you won’t survive it?”
The tormented look in his eyes made me feel as if he was already emotionally preparing himself to lose me. Which was ridiculous. He didn’t even consider me his.
Did he?
I raised my hand and let my fingers softly trace the slight curve of his cheekbone. He drew in a sharp breath, but he didn’t pull away, and he didn’t let me go.
“I know this is dangerous,” I said. “I know there is a chance I could be caught, I could be tortured, or I could be killed.” Musubi shook his head at that, readying himself to say something, but I placed a finger to his lips and held it there. “I know a number of things could go wrong, and the outcome could be fatal, but Musubi, a number of things have already gone right, and many people have already been saved.” I could feel my voice rise with the power and intensity of my own words. “The emperor is corrupt, drunk with his own power and greed. He cares nothing for his people, for this empire or even for his own family, and though this may be a losing battle, one that has no hope of ever ending in our favor, it is a battle I am willing to fight. So long as I have two hands for healing, two feet for moving and this heart continually beating, I will not stop fighting until Emperor Fukurokuju is no longer capable of hurting anyone ever again.”
I hadn’t realized my finger was still resting lightly against his lips until I felt them, warm and gentle, as he kissed my finger and then the inside of my wrist. He guided my hand, palm open against his cheek and covered it with his own.
His eyes seemed to devour me with their intensity, and I felt heat suffuse my entire body.
“I can see there’s no talking you out of this, so I will continue to train you, and I will continue to protect you. But I warn you, Mikomi, the minute I become aware that your life may be in danger, I will take you away from here and never allow you to return.”
“Ridiculous! You would have to remain with me always in order to make good on that particular threat.”
His eyes narrowed, but his lips held a hint of a smile. “I can’t think of any better way to pass the time than in your company, Mikomi, especially if it means forever.” He kissed the inside of my wrist again, and then turned around and headed for the bridge.
My heart soared at his words, but I had to remind myself that he was most likely teasing me again.
“Where are you going?”
He turned back. “I’m assuming you would like for me to go warn everyone at the camp before they’re all slaughtered? Otherwise, you’re traveling into the woods and nearly falling through a dilapidated rope bridge to your death will be all for naught, and quite anticlimactic, I might add.”
I placed my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes at him. “You had better not take all the credit for this rescue, Musubi. When it comes to glory, men can be quite stingy.”
He chuckled softly. “I trust you will make it home without incident?”
“I think I can manage.” By the gods, it wasn’t as if I was completely helpless. I tried to keep the indignation from my voice but knew I had failed when his laughter carried across the distance between us. I couldn’t help but feel fortified by it.
“Then I will see you tomorrow, little healer, and don’t think for one second I’ll be going easy on you. I don’t care how adorable you look with a fake sword in your hand.”
I crossed my arms and glared at him, feigning displeasure, when really his delightful teasing warmed me to my very soul. He laughed one more time, gave me a wink and then nimbly crossed the rope bridge within seconds, disappearing around a bend in the river. I felt cold and empty once he was gone.
It had only taken a few hours to return to the palace, and by that time night had fallen. Sneaking into my room proved to be a much easier task. I had just climbed through the window when I heard a loud commotion at the door.
“The princess wishes to be left alone for the remainder of the evening,” I heard Yao declare.
“I don’t care what the princess wishes,” Aiko fairly yelled. “You’ll allow me in there this minute before her father comes to summon her himself.”
Oh, no! What could my father want at such a late hour? Shouldn’t he be sitting in his rooms, waiting for word about the attack on the rebels’ camp? I grabbed a thin robe from my closet and wrapped it around my quaking form, and then ran to my door, opening it before Aiko could cause a scene.
The minute I did so, both Yao and Chan gave me glances filled with relief. I nodded to them, hoping my look would convey the success of my mission. I then turned my attention to my maid.
“Aiko, what is going on?”
“Your father’s guards found me on my way to your rooms and informed me that the emperor needs to see you immediately. It seemed serious, and I don’t want you to suffer another…” she broke off, clearing her throat and then glared at Yao and Chan. “I would not wish your father to become displeased with you.”
“All right. Allow me to get dressed, and I will be there as quickly as I can.” I was loath to perform another healing for any of his men, and wasn’t sure I would have enough energy to avoid bonding any more kami blood due to my own physical exhaustion. I didn’t want to consider the possibility that I might be summoned for another interrogation, but with Katsu gone, my father was free to do as he pleased again without any interference.
I only hoped once I arrived at his study, I would be able to do whatever needed doing as quickly as possible.
* * *
I bowed from the waist the moment my father entered the room.
“We’ve no time for that, Daughter. I have an urgent matter that must be attended to immediately.”
My heart sank so low I thought it might never rise again. I followed my father out of the room, but instead of heading to the lower level of the palace where his interrogations usually took place, he led me up to a higher level and, to my surprise, straight to my mother’s quarters. I followed him through her guarded doors and stopped just inside. I had rarely been allowed to visit my mother’s rooms, and I felt extremely uncomfortable. My father walked over to the bed where my mother lay and knelt down next to her.
“I told you this cannot be allowed to happen,” my mother said, speaking to my father. She then began to cough roughly and covered her mouth with a white cloth. Her breathing sounded wet, heavy, and labored. I knew she had been suffering with a cough several weeks ago, but this was much more serious. Her condition had gone unchecked.
My father had never been a very attentive husband, so his concern in this matter was most peculiar.
“And I told you that this empire cannot function without the symbol of an empress here at my side. We are already experiencing too much trouble with the rebels. If anything untoward should happen to you, I will have a full revolution on my hands. You know the people love you and hate me.”
“Who do you think is to blame for that?” my mother hissed and then coughed into her cloth again. When she pulled it back, blood was soaking through the cloth. Now I felt concern.
“You will allow our daughter to heal you. I will broach no argument on the subject.”
“She is not supposed to use her powers to heal anyone but herself. Don’t think I am not aware of your abuse where her gift is concerned. You use her to carry out your dirty work while I have done nothing but sacrifice to make certain she fulfills her destiny. I will not allow her to waste her talent on me, simply because my healing will benefit your position as emperor.”
Her coughing began again and became so severe I was sure her lungs would expire. I wanted to help her. Of course I did, she was my mother, but I had no wish to sit next to her and feel her hateful eyes upon me, knowing that every moment I healed her was a moment she would spend despising me with all her heart.
“You will allow this, Chinatsu. I command it. She is in no danger of losing her ability to fulfill her destiny.”
I remained where I was as I listened to my parents argue back and forth. The only thing interrupting them was my mother’s terrible coughing fits. They were people I had spent my life obeying without question. To have them contradicting one another’s orders left me feeling torn and somewhat indecisive, but in the end I would do exactly as my father requested, for I knew what the consequences would be if I didn’t.
“This is ridiculous. We are wasting time.” My father beckoned me forward. “Mikomi, you will heal your mother, and you will disregard any comments she might make to the contrary,” he bellowed.