“Do they? I wouldn’t know.”
“Yes, you do,” Imari said with a laugh. “You can’t keep pretending you don’t have human friends. You’re stuck with us now.”
Kaede grinned. “To be honest, that doesn’t sound so bad.”
***
By the middle of the night, Imari couldn't trust her eyes anymore. They had followed the moon west, avoiding the worst of the heat by walking in the shadows of the waves, but with limited water and a whole lot of nothing in every direction, her vision had started to blur. When she first saw a blackened smudge against the glittering green horizon, she thought it was simply her imagination. It was only when she lifted her canteen to her lips and took a few precious sips to clear her head that she started to think it might be real.
"Please," she rasped, ignoring the dryness in her throat, "tell me I'm not the only one who sees that." She gestured at the shadow, which started to take shape into a coastline. She couldn't be sure, but it almost looked like the top of a tree line if she squinted.
The others all looked too. "I think so?" Kenta said, rubbing his hand across his eyes and blinking to check. "Yeah, it's not going away."
"The four of us can't be seeing the same mirage," Kaede said, with growing excitement. "I think we made it!"
"We did," Rin said. "I noticed it an hour back."
Kaede turned on her. "And you didn't think to say anything?"
Rin snorted softly. "I thought you'd seen it too."
"Let's hurry." Takeshi hoisted his pack higher on his shoulders, increasing the length of his stride over the waves. "I'd do just about anything for some shade."
They covered the rest of the distance much faster than expected. The combination of excitement and desperation gave them another burst of energy, and they arrived at the breakers by the shore with sore legs and happy hearts. They slid and scrambled over them sloppily, but with sighs of utter relief. Up close, Imari could see the dark blanket of a forest not too far from the shore, and it looked so inviting she almost wanted to cry.
"Thank the Ancestors," she muttered.
"I never thought I'd actually want to kiss a tree before," Kenta panted beside her. He slid the rest of the way down the wave on his bottom before rising to tackle the next. Imari followed his example, laughing at the feel of wind whipping her face. The air wasn't still and stagnant as it had been over the Jade Sea, but carried a cheerful breeze that cooled the sweat clinging to her temples.
"Come on," a voice said, and she looked up to see Kaede offering her a hand. "We're almost there!"
She accepted it with a squeeze, allowing Kaede to help her to her feet. They finished the rest of the run together, arriving a little after Kenta and Takeshi. The two Hibana brothers were already lying flat on their backs, arms outstretched. Even Takeshi's normally surly face had broken into a rare smile.
"I vote we go back the long way," Kenta said, and Takeshi let out a laugh.
"We can discuss it," Imari said. "But we did it!" She let go of Kaede's hand and brought her canteen to her lips, finally draining the last of her water. She'd been saving it, but now, there was no need. If there was a forest, there had to be lakes and rivers around somewhere. "How about we find a place to refill these and rest?" She shook her empty canteen at the others so they could hear the droplets rattle.
"I'm all for that," Kaede agreed. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I stink. A bath would be good, even if it's in a river."
"You had me at bath," Kenta said, pulling himself up with a groan and retrieving his pack. "And I want to pee behind an actual tree instead of wandering a few yards away and telling the rest of you not to look."
Imari was about to make a comment about how Kenta had it much easier than her, but she noticed the pink flush of embarrassment on Kaede's face and kept the comment back. Honestly, she hadn't given what was between Kaede's legs much thought. Well, not too much thought, anyway. It hadn't mattered to her, although she had found herself curious in private moments. Based on the way Kaede kept to herself while dressing and undressing, and her awkwardness about certain subjects, she could hazard a guess.
I wonder why the spirits didn't change her, like they did with her face and breasts? Or maybe she didn't want to change? I never asked. It was something she would have to bring up eventually, but now wasn't the right time. First, water, then a long, well-earned sleep.
The five of them made their way into the forest together, pausing to scout the area once they broke through the outer branches. It was a cheerful, open place that let a fair amount of moonlight in through the gaps in the trees. Imari couldn't hear anything but faint birdcalls and the occasional rustle, Rin's ears perked up as they entered. "This way," she said, turning to the left. "I smell a stream."
They followed Rin's directions, and soon they arrived at water—a river, wide and deep, running through the forest at a moderate pace. The surface glittered blue beneath the patchy moonlight that broke through the canopy, with little white caps leaping up as it rushed over a patch of rocks. Imari studied it, trying to judge how safe it was, but Kenta was far less cautious. He threw his pack to the ground by the bank and began shedding his clothes. "Last one in has to get out first and set up camp!"
"Kenta, wait—" Takeshi tried to protest, but it was too late. Kenta had already kicked off his shoes and unfastened his obi.
Imari laughed, politely averting her eyes. She turned toward Kaede instead, who looked distinctly uncomfortable. Her brow crinkled, and she bit her lower lip. "It's all right," she whispered, taking Kaede's hand. "I'll make sure you get some privacy." To Kenta, she said, "You and Takeshi have fun. I'm going to take Kaede a little further upstream.
"Spoilsport," Kenta said as he fought with his clothes. "I would’ve kept my fundoshi on."
"I've never understood the human obsession with modesty," Rin added. "I walk around without clothes all the time."
"You have fur," Imari pointed out. "It doesn't count. And you'll have to forgive me for not wanting to lick my own rear in public."
Rin gave her a look of wounded dignity. With a reproachful air, she stalked off into the forest, tail waving high above her haunches. Imari guessed she was amused rather than angry, and this was simply her way of offering them some privacy.
"Don't mind her," Kaede mumbled. "She's probably going to have a sniff around and make sure it's safe." She looked down at their hands, which Imari realized were still joined.
A loud splash interrupted the moment. Kenta had leapt into the river and swam near the bank. His head bobbed up and down, but it appeared as though he had found the bottom with his feet. "It's not too deep here," he said. "Come on, Takeshi!"
Takeshi sighed. "Kenta, I really don't think—" Kenta aimed a wide splash at him, and it hit right on target. Takeshi spluttered, swiping at his face with his sleeve. "All right. Now you're asking for it." His serious demeanor vanished as he began stripping out of his own clothes, and Imari took that as her opportunity to steal Kaede away.
"Come on," she whispered. "Let's go around that bend up ahead."
They went a little ways further into the forest, following the river around a subtle curve and behind another cluster of red and orange maple trees. The bushy leaves offered some privacy, and Imari gasped as she peered around them. "Kaede, look!" she said, pointing excitedly. A small waterfall, no more than three meters high, splashed before them. The river cascaded down in rippling sheets, a shining ribbon of blue.
"Well?" Kaede asked. Now that the two of them were alone, she seemed much more relaxed. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting in." She began unfastening her kimono, and afterwards, Imari accepted Kaede’s help with her own. Three hands made the job a lot easier than one.
Soon, they were down to their juban, and it was only then that Kaede hesitated.
"Can we—" she began, and Imari nodded.
"Of course."
Kaede gave her a big smile. Her shoulders finally relaxed, and she ran for the river with the same excitemen
t as Kenta. With a whoop of joy, she leaped in, sending a spray of water high above her head.
Imari remained behind, laughing when Kaede emerged again. "How cold is it?"
"Cold, but good," Kaede said. "Come in with me."
Imari didn't hesitate. After three days travelling across a glass desert, she ached to feel water on her skin. She jumped in too, ducking under the water. The river pulled at her steadily but not hard enough to carry her downstream. She was able to swim around a little beneath the surface, and she caught a glimpse of Kaede's legs kicking a small distance ahead. She popped up out of the water, gasping and shaking droplets from her hair.
"It does feel good," she said. "Ancestors, I needed this."
Kaede paddled over. Her hair was a much darker shade of red now that it was wet, and somehow, her disheveled appearance only made her seem more beautiful. "Thanks for taking me away from the others. I like Kenta, and even Takeshi is growing on me lately, but I don't want them to see me like this."
Imari's eyes widened. "But you do want me to see you like this?"
Kaede drifted a little closer. "That depends on whether you like what you see or not."
Imari smirked. She had tried not to look too closely, all too aware that Kaede might not appreciate such an intense gaze, but the glimpses she had caught of Kaede's figure through her kimono slip had been more than pleasing. "I liked what I saw the first day we met. Imagine my delight when I realized you were excellent company, too."
A flush bloomed across Kaede's cheeks, until she was almost as red as the maple trees that surrounded them. "Uh."
"Hey, you started flirting with me," Imari teased. "I'm just flirting back."
"I know. I like it. It's just…I don't have a lot of experience with pretty girls giving me attention, okay? If you haven't noticed, I'm kind of awkward when it comes to this."
"Oh, I've noticed. It adds to your charm." She began moving against the current, heading toward the waterfall, and motioned for Kaede to join her. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you so surprised that I think you're good looking? Surely someone else has told you before?"
"Not really," Kaede said, gliding along by her side. "I didn't spend a lot of time with humans at home, especially ones who weren't my relatives. Wolf spirits don't care how you look."
"Well, take it from someone who has seen a lot of good-looking men and women. You're much more beautiful than you give yourself credit for."
"A lot of good-looking men and women, huh?" Kaede repeated, a little nervously. "So, you probably know more about this than I do. Tell me, what happens next, because I honestly don't have a clue."
Imari floated closer, brushing Kaede's arm with her fingertips under the water. "Oh, I think you do, but I'll humor you and tell you. Usually, once two people admit they're attracted to each other, there's a kiss."
Kaede's lips parted, and she inhaled a sharp breath. "A kiss? Like...on the mouth?"
"Well, it doesn't have to be on your mouth," Imari purred. "I can think of a few other places I'd like to plant one, but your mouth is probably a good place to start."
Kaede's eyes darted toward Imari's mouth and lingered there. A look of indecision crossed her face, as though she was trying to make up her mind. Instead of leaning forward, Imari simply waited. As much as she wanted to weave her fingers through the wet strands of Kaede's hair, gently grip the back of her neck, and pull her in, she knew this needed to be Kaede's choice.
Finally, it happened. Kaede leaned forward, and Imari felt soft, sweet breath caress her cheek moments before Kaede's warm lips closed over hers. At first, neither of them moved. They both held still, mouths touching gently. Then Imari felt an arm wrap around her waist beneath the water, and she gave into the temptation to sink her fingers into Kaede's hair.
When it became obvious from her lack of movement that Kaede wasn't sure what she was doing, Imari decided to offer some guidance. She opened her mouth a little more, just enough for her tongue to peek out and tease the edge of Kaede's bottom lip. Kaede let out a soft moan, and from the way she shuddered, Imari knew it was one of pleasure. She showed Kaede a slow, gliding way to kiss, one that didn't delve too deep, but allowed them to taste more of each other.
After a while, Kaede seemed to grow bolder. She added a little more pressure, and her hand wandered lower, resting on Imari's hip. Imari's stomach erupted with butterflies. Kaede's moments of shyness were sweet, but her newfound confidence was even more exhilarating. She groaned and trapped Kaede's lip between her teeth, giving it a gentle tug.
"Hey," Kaede muttered. She broke the kiss and pulled back, but not more than a few centimeters. "Since when is biting a part of kissing?"
"Biting is an important part of kissing, if you do it right," Imari said. "But if you don't like it. . ."
To her surprise, Kaede darted in again and did the same to her, following it up with a soft suck. "I like it," she whispered. "Show me more."
Imari was happy to oblige.
Chapter Fifteen
IT TOOK THEM ANOTHER day and a half to reach the base of Mount Hongshan on foot. It was far easier than crossing the Jade Sea, even though they were heading uphill. They stuck to the small river, grateful for a steady supply of water and the cover of the trees. Gradually, as the foliage thinned, the forest shifted from golden maples beneath the shadow of towering oaks to strange foliage Kaede didn’t recognize. As they continued forward, a foul smell began to surround them, like rotting fruit after a rainstorm.
"Ugh," Kaede said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "What is that?"
Kenta sniffed and made a similar face. "Reminds me of Takeshi's tabi—hey!" he said, dodging the light cuff Takeshi aimed at him. The Hibana brothers had been in a much more pleasant mood since their afternoon of rest.
"I know what it is," Imari said, sounding pleased with herself. "And it's not Takeshi's socks, although those are bad."
"We were crossing the Jade Sea," Takeshi replied. "Smelly socks are forgivable."
Imari ignored him. "It's the trees," she said, gesturing all around them. "They're called chouchun, although another name for them is 'tree of heaven'."
Kaede looked up. The tall, green trees had narrow trunks and wide, bushy branches. She sidled up alongside one of them, taking a whiff of a green, star-shaped blossom. "Sun and Moon!" she exclaimed, recoiling. "They don't smell like heaven to me. How do you know this, anyway?"
"I read," Imari said with a grin. "Some accounts of Hongshan mention them. We must be getting close."
"Great," Kenta said in a muffled voice. Kaede glanced over to see that he was covering his nose and mouth with his hand. "How much further?"
"I don't know, but we should stay close to them," Rin said. Instead of being distracted by the smell, her eyes constantly scanned the forest, looking for any signs of movement.
Kaede stared at her in disbelief. "Why? I would have thought they'd bother you most of all."
"They'll cover our scent," Rin explained. "If Hayate and Kaze did manage to follow us this far, they won't be able to track us through this. I wouldn't be able to find them if the positions were reversed. The smell is too strong."
Kaede doubted Hayate and Kaze had pursued them all the way across the sea, but Rin's words did bring her some comfort—or perhaps it was Imari's arm pressing close to hers. The two of them had taken to holding hands since their kisses beneath the waterfall, and her company always made Kaede feel more at ease.
"Do you think any other yokai live in this forest?" Imari asked her.
"Yokai live in every forest," Kaede told her. "They just don't like to be seen much. But I bet if we looked really close we’d spot one." She glanced around, trusting her senses more than her eyes. Spirits had a certain energy about them, a tingling sort of warmth she could sometimes pick up when they were near, if she paid close attention. Finally, she caught something—the sense of being watched and a tingling on the back of her neck, as well as a brief rustle off to the left. She whipped her head around in time to
catch a flash of red diving back into the bushes.
"There," she whispered. "A fox."
Imari's face lit up. "Kitsune? Really?" She seemed to drift, almost as if to another time and place. Then, she shook herself out of it. “Do you think it’s following us?”
"Probably, although with that display, it probably wanted us to know it was there."
"And you sensed it? I had no idea." Imari looked impressed, but Kaede merely shrugged.
"If you spend as much time with spirits as I have, you get a feel for it. Anyway, a fox won't harm us. Let's keep going."
"Are you sure about that?" Kenta asked. "I've heard the stories about them. They're tricksters."
"If it had wanted to trick us, it wouldn't have shown itself. It won't cause us any trouble." She continued, taking the lead, and the others followed. It felt a little strange, taking charge of the group, but she had more experience with forests and spirits than any of them. In fact, it was flattering they trusted her judgment.
As they made their way further into the foul-smelling trees, Kaede's sense of being watched grew stronger. At first, she wondered if it might be the fox again, but the heated prickle on the back of her neck was too intense. Something else—someone else—was following them, and she hesitated, wondering if she should tell the others. Rin seemed to sense it too. The wolf gave her a suspicious look, one Kaede returned with nervous agreement.
Before she could alert her friends, the rustling sound returned, this time from above. Kaede looked up, but barely had enough time to stumble backwards before a shower of leaves rained down on top of her. Several large shapes hurtled through the canopy of the chouchun trees, breaking branches as they went. Their cries sounded like the screech of a hawk, and the air became alive with feathers. She drew her katana, stepping in front of Imari, but the creatures didn't attack right away. They landed on the forest floor, and Kaede got a better look.
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