by Lolah Runda
She told him she would think of his offer and let him know before the new branch would be opened for business, the day was busy as usual before long it was time for her to resume at the grocery store which was a walk able distance from the food café where she worked. On getting there by 3pm she saw the place was busy for the day as people were walking about loading food into their shopping chart.
Without wasting time she made her way to the cashier lane as she began her day’s work, the day went by in a blur of activities as the time drew closer for her to leave for the day, by 9pm packing her bag she headed for the apartment while her mind went back to the strange creature she met yesterday.
“Is he going to show up at my place again?” She wondered while walking home, he seems to know some things about her that she wasn’t even aware of like being from an ancient priestess lineage, thinking back she noticed she knew so little about him.
On getting home she saw none of her neighbors were around as she went straight to her room, the first thing she noticed was the painting on her walls as her eyes drifted to the flower on her study table, she wondered why he would go through such length to show his gratitude to her for rescuing him and yet his words sounded arrogant and sometimes cruel whenever he talked to her but his actions seem to contradict what he says.
Thinking aloud “He better not come to my place tonight, I’m not in the mood to receive any visitors, the only day I had to myself he went and took my time by forcing me to release him from where he was.”
Walking to the kitchen she prepared a light meal after eating she took a bath before heading to her bed to prepare for the next day of work.
In her dream she saw a young woman dressed in white and blue yukata chanting some words that caused a whirl wind to form, she chanted another word as fire formed beneath her finger tips and released spells after spells by issuing commands from her mouth. Turning to Miyako in her dream as she said “My name is Yukihime for I am one of the few that possess the power to control all elements but no matter how strong a priestess is, she would always need someone to assist her therefore young Miko Priestess you are the last descendant I showed you these things to let you know that a tough battle lies ahead work together with the kitsune of the Inari shrine for together will the both of you defeat the enemies that will be coming yours and his path.
Chapter 6
Onmyouji are getting more blood thirsty to seal both good and bad yokai our job as priestesses is to maintain the balance between both worlds, heed my warning young priestess for if you do not then you and the kitsune would be destroyed” with that the vision disappeared leaving Miyako in a dreamless sleep.
As evening approached he rose up to take a walk around the shrine noticing the cherry blossom tree located behind the shrine was looking as though they were withering using his powers he caused the withering parts to blossom once again. Night finally came as he watched the cherry blossom sway to the movement of the wind as the moon cast its light on the blossom making them appear almost pale using his Kitsune no maho to cause the fallen blossom to glow and dance around him as they flowed to the rhythm of the wind becoming one in the glow of the full moon.
Taking his sensu as he began to practice different defensive and offensive wind, water and fire element based techniques simultaneous while trying to work on combining each into a strong weapon.
Afterwards he decided to take a quick journey to the human’s place to see how well she was doing. He didn’t want to shadow her mind because this will make her aware of his presence neither did he want to perform kitsunebi on her as this will further make her aware of him, for his plan was just to observe her from afar to see how she was doing without alerting her to his presence.
On getting there he saw the barrier surrounding her apartment building was still intact as he made his way through to her room. Watching the peaceful expression on her face as she slept, moving gently around the place while studying every part before making his way towards her to place a kiss on her forehead “Sleep well little human” with that he went out the same way he came.
With a start Miyako woke up from her sleep as the alarm kept buzzing standing up to turn it off while making her way to prepare breakfast in the kitchen before taking her bath, thirty minutes later she was set to begin her day . Leaving the room she locked the door, heading to corridor leading to the stairs until she left the building.
While making her way to work completely forgetting about the dream she had of a woman dressed in ancient attire showing her different fighting skills coupled with spells and magic.
Miyako thought back to when she felt a slight impression on her forehead when she woke up “It almost felt like I dreamt that Hikari came over to my house and kissed me on the forehead?” She blushed while thinking of that.
Deciding that it may just be a dream, she kept walking fast so as not to be late for work, on getting in the manager was already there as usual, after greeting she made her way to keep her belonging in the shop locker then began setting the store in order to get herself ready for the arrival of the customers, the day went by as the food café was bustling with activity, people going and coming in as they ordered off the menu, later at the job her boss called her aside that he had left some pastries for her in a wrapped paper towel to take with her when she leaves for the day, she thanked him for his generosity as she took it from the utensil room countertop into her locker.
Seeing it was time to head for her second job at a grocery store as she made her way to the store to begin checking out the shoppers until it was time for her shift to end, feeling tired and sore she took her bag as she left the store. “I don’t think I can keep doing this job for long I need to look for something to do that will pay well and wouldn’t require me working for long” thought Miyako.
On getting home she decided to warm the pastries her boss gave her earlier at work, she was happy that this time there would be no need to prepare dinner as she made tea while settling on the tatami “wooden floor” to eat her meal.
“I don’t know if he eats human food as it would have been nice to share this with him, anyway why do I care if he does. I’m sure his forgotten all about me; he may already have someone waiting for his return” as she said this for some reason she felt bothered by the thought of a woman waiting for his return.
“I can’t allow myself to get carried away by thinking about him”
After clearing the dishes she made her way to the study table touching the ikebana flower as she looked at the beautiful drawings on the wall remembering how he placed them in her room.
“I want to speak with him but I don’t know how, I wonder if he would ever show up?” she thought to herself
Lying down to sleep, Miyako kept thinking of what the next day would bring for she was yet to let her manager know of her decision concerning the position of manager at the new store “I need to make up my mind so that if I’m not taking it then he could look for someone else to fill the position” she thought
Thinking back to what Hikari told her about some sort of power lying within her “I should have asked him more about it maybe he could help me understand more about myself for I have always felt different from others, I need to know who or what I am” feeling sad as memories of dark times at the orphanage resurfaced.
Clearing her mind of those sad thoughts while tossing around until she found a comfortable position on the bed before settling down for the night, this time as she slept she dreamt of Hikari carrying her in his arms as they both floated in the air, while enjoying the sight of the night together.
Hikari had been in his chambers all day wondering whether to go to the human’s house as the day slowly came to an end. He thought about his family in the yokai world wondering when he’ll see all of them, for a long time now he hadn’t seen his brother and sisters knowing them they were probably off somewhere doing one thing or the other.
He was older than them by five seasons even though most yokai thought that Taiki was the firs
t, although this had never bothered him.
He thought of the human whose life he would be endangering because of his carelessness when he got captured by the onmyouji, he made a promise to himself to see her well protected.
Not one to break a promise he resolve to do everything in his power to keep her safe, watching the sky using his Kitsune no maho to cause the leaves around him to float in the air creating a musical sound with the wind only heard by a being like him, thinking back to the time when he would blow on the leaves as beautiful sounds would come out while his brother and sisters would gather round to listen to him play, in a way he missed those times they had together.
“This place must be getting to me for why would the memory of so long ago be resurfacing” he thought aloud
“One of these days I’ll have to ask the human if we could see some places together” as the thought crossed his mind, wondering why he wanted her by his side.
Chapter 7
The next morning when Miyako woke up, what she saw destroyed the initial dream she had about him, for lying next to her in bed with his arms holding her close was Hikari.
“What are you doing in my bed?!” she asked forcing her voice to sound annoyed so that he would not detect how embarrassed she felt.
“I didn’t think you would be safe on your own that was why I decided to spend the night with you”
“What do you mean by spend the night with me? I didn’t ask for your protection, I have been doing fine on my own before you came, so you can leave now!” she resorted as her voice rose in anger
“Calm down young human, for I didn’t do anything to you while we slept….”
“You had better not! You’re the first person to sleep on the same bed with me, you cannot even imagine how I feel right now, you invaded my space and you’re not even sorry”
“You have my sincere apology! I just wanted you to be safe” said Hikari as he wondered why she was getting agitated over such a trivial matter.
“You can go now I’ll be fine” while saying this she inched forward to make her way out of the bed
“What is there to eat am sure you humans must need food to survive”
“How can you expect me to prepare food in the state I’m in” wondering why he couldn’t see that his words were rubbing her the wrong way
“Very well tell me what there is to know about how you prepare your food then I’ll take over from there” he said in a placating tone
“As soon as am done taking my bath I’ll show you what you need to know” with that she left him in the room
“Humans sure are difficult creatures, what have I said to cause such anger especially so early in the morning now that I know she doesn’t want me here, but still her safety is of great importance” he thought within himself
In the shower she allowed the warm water to rinse the soap suds that were on her body, as soon as she was done Miyako stepped out of the bathroom only to be met on the way by Hikari.
“You scared me! What are you doing here; didn’t I say that I’ll teach you once I am done”
“I was wondering what was taking you so long”
“You can wait for me in my room while I use the bathroom to change” she said while trying to force herself to calm down.
“There is no need for that, let me come back later so that you can have some time to yourself” as he said that his eyes trailed over her body
“Stop looking at me like that!” said Miyako as she felt her face blaze with embarrassment, suddenly conscious of the towel covering her body.
“I’m leaving so do whatever it is you want to do” with that he swiftly left the room.
“Stupid Hikari…just barging into my room without letting me know”
Walking over to her closet to select the clothe she would be changing into, once done she laid on her bed to rest
“How I wish he didn’t leave so soon even when I told him it was ok to stay”
After waiting outside for a great while he made his way back into her room, he saw that she was already dressed “I’ll be going to work soon so make yourself comfortable while am gone but first let’s get on with what I promised to show you”
Making her way to the kitchen she showed him how to make rice with miso soup and grilled fish for breakfast, Hikari keenly watched how she went about it
“Let’s leave it to cook once it is done then I’ll show you how to serve the food”
“You have my gratitude for showing me how to cook a human food”
Miyako kept quiet for she didn’t know how to respond to his show of appreciation for his words caused her to experience a warm feeling in her heart.
While they waited for the food to be done she filled her time by cutting some vegetables that would be used for their meal then after which she began doing some light cleaning around the room, so as to keep her eyes from wandering to the creature who seem to captivate her by his manner and appearance for even when she wished to talk to him in a nice way she just didn’t know why it always came out wrong “I don’t know why his presence makes me feel hot and cold at the same time I feel a strange sensation moving down my body” thought Miyako
Chapter 8
After the food was done he watched as she served the food in the plates noticing the way in which she set them on the tray, before placing them at the middle of the bed, gesturing with her hand as she invited him to join her in eating.
“Thanks for the food” he said as he waited for her to start eating
Once done they cleared the plates together as he observed how she went about cleaning the dishes, after which she began preparing for work.
“I’ll be returning in the night you can wait till I come, if not then I’ll be seeing you next time”
“Don’t worry Miyako I’ll be here when you come back”
As soon as she left he felt how empty the place was for it struck him at that moment that it was her personality that brought the place to life, he wished that night would come really fast so that he would be able to see her again
Making his way to her bed he curled to his side as he released the Kitune no hi allowing it to assume different shapes after playing for hours upon hours he closed his eyes freeing his mind to wander
“I just have to wait….”he muttered
At work Miyako was a bit distracted for she didn’t know if Hikari would be alright being all alone by himself, her manager seem to notice this as he said “ Murakami-san are you ok you seem a bit spaced out”
“I’m ok” she quickly replied
“You don’t sound ok, but if you insist I would not pry”
The day was not any faster as a lot of students came around some with their dates to the food café mostly cakes and drink were ordered only a few asked to be served tea, the day went by in a blur as time came for her to make her way to her second job. Bidding her manager a hasty goodbye she headed to the grocery store where she would be closing for the night.
Entering into the store she noticed there were not enough people shopping “This is going to be a very long shift” she thought within herself
True to her words the day seem to drag on until it was time for her to head for the apartment “I hope he would still be waiting for me when I get there” as she muttered to herself
Picking up pace she began walking really fast in hope of seeing him, finally making it to her apartment, on reaching the end of the stair she met him waiting for her at the door
“What are you doing outside?” she asked
“I was waiting for you; I just couldn’t stand how lonely it was in your room any longer”
“But I told you I’ll be coming back in the night” as she spoke she didn’t know whether to be angry with him or feel happy by his words.
“Please do not be angry I just wanted to see you as soon as I came back”
Miyako felt that same warmth filtering through her, feeling choked with emotion for she could not remember a time when anyone had waited for her return
; instead she said “Don’t let me get used to this”
Together they made their way into the room as Miyako informed him that she would teach him how to make cucumber salad, grilled mackerel and potato stew “Let me to take a bath and change then we’ll start preparing the food” she said while taking a change of clothe with her
“Go on I’ll be waiting when you’re done” he said as he watched her head for the bathroom
“Humans sure are too particular about their appearance” he said to himself
In the bathroom Miyako allowed the water to soothe her sore muscles for she wondered how long she could keep working the way she was.
“One of these days I may have to return to the university to complete my education because I can’t keep on juggling jobs” speaking aloud to herself
Drying up as she changed into the clothe she brought with her, opening the door she made her way to the room noticing that Hikari was laying on her bed.
“Are you asleep?”
“No I didn’t know what to do with myself that was why I decided to lie down”
“Ok, it is time to make dinner”
Standing up he walked with her to the kitchen to start the preparation of their meal, this time it seem to take longer than when they prepared the morning food.
“Why is it taking so long?” he asked
“Because we are doing something different this time” she replied
Chapter 9
After a while the food was done as they settle into a familiar routine of dinning on the bed, then clearing up to wash the dishes.