"Just a minute!" shesaid, and she raced to the bathroom wondering how awful her breath was andwhether or not Hachiro had been appalled by it.
She brushed quickly, wished thatshe had showered after all, and then hurried back into the living room. MissAritomo and Hachiro had put their jackets on already. Kara felt emotion surgingup inside of her, words screaming for release.
"Um, Yuuka. . I mean,Miss Aritomo, I just need to get my coat. If you want to start the car, Hachiroand I will be right out."
Miss Aritomo narrowed her eyesfor a moment and Kara knew she was about to protest. It would be inappropriate forher to leave Hachiro and Kara in the house alone together. But she hesitated,and then smiled in understanding.
"Don't be long," shesaid, going out the door.
The moment she closed the doorbehind her, Hachiro turned to Kara with a curious look.
"What was — " hestarted to say.
Kara silenced him with a kiss,reaching up to pull him down to her. A new warmth spread within her, muchstronger than the cold of Yuki-Onna's storm.
"I almost lost you,"she said between kisses, breathless. Then she stopped and pressed her faceagainst his chest.
"You didn't," Hachirosaid, stroking her hair. "It's all over, now. The curse is broken."
And it was. Last night she hadsat by her father's hospital bed and they had spoken of many things, but mostlyof the future. For more than half a year, the curse of Kyuketsuki had taintedtheir lives and filled their time in Japan with tragedy. And yet even in themidst of that tragedy, they had found happiness, and love. Her father lovedYuuka, Kara had no doubt about that now, and he did not want to leave Japan anymore than she did.
Kara and her father had startedover, just as they had set out to do, but they had been in the shadow of thecurse. Now they were both looking forward to spring — and another year inJapan — hoping for less drama and more time to appreciate the beauty ofthe nation. Kara would graduate from Monju-no-Chie school, perhaps even attenduniversity in Japan, since she doubted her father would want to leave. They hadbegun this new life together, and they would always be close, but now they wereestablishing new lives of their own, separate from one another. Her fatherloved Yuuka, and Kara. .
She laughed softly.
"What is funny?" Hachiro asked.
"Me. Love. People,"she said, trying to form an answer. "Once I was afraid to be in love withyou because I knew that I would only be in Japan for a year or two before Iwould have to go home."
"You know that I had thesame fear," Hachiro said.
"We were stupid. You don'tget a choice, Hachiro. You can't just decide that you are not going to lovesomeone. It would be like trying to stop the sun from rising or the spring fromarriving. We can pretend otherwise, but it just happens."
She gazed up into his eyes."I don't want to pretend anymore."
Hachiro smiled. "I love you.And I will love you even when you return to America. And I am content to behave you here with me for as long as I can. As to what the future will bring.. "
"Who can say?" Karafinished for him.
Hachiro nodded. "Who cansay?"
"I love you, too. And I'mnot planning on going anywhere. This is home, now."
They stole one last, quick kissbefore Kara put on her jacket, and then they left the house, walking out intothe sunlight. Kara had been living in the shadow of Kyuketsuki's curse for solong that she had forgotten what it was like to be truly light of heart.
Laughing, she raced Hachiro tothe car, giving herself a good head start.
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Document ID: fbd-f1939e-900c-594a-0b90-9f28-2131-45e32c
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Created using: calibre 0.9.22, Fiction Book Designer, FictionBook Editor Release 2.6.6 software
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Christopher Golden, Thomas Randall
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A Winter of Ghosts Page 21