by C. J. Anaya
* * *
The next day was tedious. Moving such a large number of armed rebels through the forest without attracting attention from my father’s soldiers took slow, careful precision with plenty of down time where messages were passed back and forth between Akane and her several generals in command of separate parts of the rebel army.
The closer we came to the outskirts of the forest, the more danger we faced. Sentries from the imperial guard marched wide circles around the palace in groups of two every few minutes, and search parties for possible rebel activity were always underway around the villages and forests. By the time darkness descended, my insides were wound in a tight anxious knot. Though I would never admit this to Musubi, I nearly feared to hope for a happy outcome. The idea that I might have everything I always wanted seemed too good to be true. I would have so much to lose and so much further to fall if I lost anyone I loved tonight.
Those soldiers responsible for surrounding the south side of the palace were already in place, and those coming in from the north and the east were also in position. I waited with Musubi, Akane, Yao, and Chan just beyond the outer wall of the gardens. It would be my job to use my kami blood in order to open the back hedges and allow passage for their party. Saigo, Kenji, and Aiko awaited me to join them several yards back.
Akane gave a signal to one of her soldiers. It was time for them to enter. Once Akane’s group reached the dungeons and freed the prisoners, it would be the rest of the armies’ responsibility to rush the palace and cause a distraction while those within escaped through the gardens.
“You promise to return immediately to Kenji and the rest?” Musubi asked. He lifted my chin so that his eyes could pierce the honesty of my response.
“I promise. I want your only worry to be that of rescuing your friends and returning to me in one piece.”
He gifted me a gentle kiss and then his affections became more intimate as he deepened our exchange and pressed his hand against the small of my back, guiding me flush against his chest.
“As much as I hate to interrupt this promising public display of affection, we really must get going,” Akane said.
Musubi crushed me to him in one last, desperate embrace, and then reluctantly let me go.
The desire to fling my arms around him and keep him close to me nearly overrode my good sense. I forced myself forward, pulling a pin from my hair and pricking my finger. I squeezed a few droplets of blood upon the leaves of the hedges and waited for them to curl in upon themselves, creating a space wide enough for their party to cross through.
Musubi was the last one to enter, but before he disappeared completely, he turned back and gave me another soft kiss.
“No matter what happens here tonight, I need you to know that I love you. You are my everything, Mikomi. If things do not go as planned remember that no matter where you go I will eventually come for you.”
“And I will always be waiting.” I lifted my lips to his ear and whispered, “I love you,” before forcing my arms to my sides.
His eyes glistened in the moonlight with unshed tears. For the rest of my life I would never forget the visage of his perfect happiness, joy, and fulfillment at my declaration of love. I hoped to be the cause of that expression for the rest of eternity.
* * *
I made my way back toward the edge of the forest where I saw Saigo and Kenji waving frantically in my direction. I was concerned that they weren’t taking more care to hide their position. Any sentry within a few yards would easily spot them.
Upon reaching them I noticed Kenji dabbing at some blood on the side of his head.
“What on earth has happened?” I asked.
“It’s Aiko,” Saigo hissed. His panic was hard to ignore. “She told us she was going to scout the area for possible soldiers, deviating from the original plan. When Kenji put a hand on her arm to convince her to stay she took the butt of her sword and cracked him over the head with it.”
“What? I don’t understand. Why on earth would she attack you? Do you think she feared for my safety and was desperate to check for possible threats?”
“Quite the contrary,” he said. “I believe she has shown her true colors and demonstrated where her loyalties reside.”
I blinked in unwilling comprehension, refusing to come to terms with Kenji’s assessment. If Aiko was still working for my father, then she held enough information to bring this rescue mission to a crippling halt. I felt my entire world bottom out as I realized the danger Musubi and his companions were in.
“She waited until she was left with you two and there were no guards to prevent her departure. She’s left to warn the emperor.”
Kenji’s head jerked in agreement.
“How long ago did she make her escape?”
“She fled after she attacked me. It hasn’t been more than a few minutes.”
“That means she could be within the palace walls at this very moment, sounding the alarm. We have to warn the others immediately.”
“Let’s go,” Kenji and Saigo both said in unison.
I was grateful for such brave, trustworthy men on my side.
We pushed through the underbrush at a brisk pace, not even bothering to muffle our approach. I think all three of us felt speed was of paramount importance. The back hedge of the gardens had already closed. I agonized at the precious seconds it took to prick my finger and smear enough drops of my blood on the leaves to activate the spell. Once there was a space wide enough, I dashed through, only pausing long enough to check Saigo’s and Kenji’s progress. I kept myself alert for any signs of imperial soldiers, but we seemed to have a few more minutes before another round made their way through our current location.
Our best bet at this point was to circle around the left side, leading to the back entrance into Saigo’s quarters. If Aiko had already managed to warn my father of the attack, then my father’s attention would be directed toward my living area where Akane and Musubi had intended to enter. I whispered my thoughts to my companions. As I took a step toward the next towering hedge, a pair of guards surprised me by circling around it, bringing themselves within two feet of our position. Shock registered on their faces and momentarily paralyzed their response time, but that was all the leverage I required.
I stepped forward and then shot to the floor, swinging my left leg around and sweeping out the legs of the guard to my right before he had time to pull his sword from its sheath. He came down hard on his side, his temple hitting a protruding rock bordering the hedge. It caused a hollow sounding thunk that made my insides cringe and bile rise to my throat.
By the gods, did I kill him?
Saigo was already engaged in battle with the other soldier, but this particular threat had height and weight to utilize against my brother. He must not have recognized the emperor’s son. The guard found an opening in Saigo’s defenses and thrust his sword forward only to be blocked by Kenji’s trusty cane. Blood boiled in my veins at the thought of this man hurting my brother. Without thinking, I rushed forward and grabbed the back of his neck. My orders to his ki were simple. His heart seized half a second later and he slumped to the floor.
Dead.
I stared at the man’s body, dazed at what I had just done as a sharp ringing in my ear and the loud pounding of my heart joined together in a deranged kind of death toll.
“What happened?” Saigo asked. “I didn’t see you hit him? How did you knock him unconscious?”
I opened my mouth to confess the finality of this soldier’s fate, but the words failed to form.
I’d just killed a man.
With my power.
I killed him.
He’d nearly killed my brother, and my one thought was to eliminate the threat. I’d literally held his life within my hands and then snuffed it out as easily as if I doused the small light of a burning candle.
I felt exhilarated, unstoppable.
My lack of disgust and censure concerning what I had just done absolutely terrified me. T
here wasn’t time to analyze my strange departure from my normally dogged determination to help rather than harm. It would have to wait until we warned our friends and escaped the palace.
Kenji knelt down and placed two fingers at the base of the man’s throat. After a moment his head shot up and his eyes bored into mine. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. My tutor was truly alarmed. He knew I could have knocked the guard unconscious rather than taken the man’s life. There was nothing I could say that might defend my severe actions.
“We need to hide their bodies and keep moving,” I said. My voice sounded strange to me. Dull and emotionless. Kenji stood, his eyes studying mine, searching for answers I couldn’t give him. After a strained moment he nodded and the three of us hid the two guards at the back behind a large stone statue. Wordlessly, I turned and led us around the statues and trees, restraining myself from breaking into a run. That encounter had cost us precious time. Time that Musubi, Akane, Yao, and Chan did not have.
The trickiest part to maneuver through undetected was a large expanse of terrain filled with nothing but flowers and little else to hide behind. We would be exposed for several moments before reaching the back entrance to Saigo’s quarters.
“I’ll go first to make certain no guards approach. On my signal, you two come as quickly and quietly as you can. We’ll enter Saigo’s quarters together.”
Saigo’s tense shoulders lifted and his mouth formed a protest, but I turned quickly and stepped forward before he could verbalize it. I felt vulnerable as I scurried along the path between a vast array of snow blossoms. Their cheerful presence struck a morbid chord against the sinister shadows and sliver of moonlight that threatened to expose my location. My lungs burned as I finally let go of the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. The entrance to Saigo’s quarters was merely a few yards away.
I turned back, ready to signal Saigo and Kenji forward, when a short, staccato sound echoed from the dense foliage and trees several yards to my right. I peered into the darkness, failing to focus on anything substantial until the one causing the noise materialized not five yards from my position.
Standing within the flowered path, wearing black ceremonial robes and a satisfied smirk on his face was none other than my father with my maid, Aiko, by his side.
For one random moment I considered the rage Musubi had carried for so many centuries and found that I could finally relate to the uncontrollable hatred that the betrayal of a loved one can create.
She had led him directly to me. I couldn’t bear to look at her, after the faith and trust I had placed in her and the way I had given her the benefit of the doubt—convincing Akane that she had simply been a pawn and nothing more—it was difficult to believe that the woman who had cared for me for all of my life had an entirely different agenda.
I gave a furtive glance from the corner of my eye and prayed that Saigo and Kenji would be wise and remain undiscovered. Then my gaze moved to my father as he stood there relaxed and smiling as if he had already won.
It was astonishing to see him outside the palace. If he was outside in the gardens to greet me, then he had most likely captured my friends within.
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 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.”