by Jet Lupin
Shige allowed himself a deep breath. “Leave us.”
Kaoru snapped his head up, cheeks wet with forced tears. “My lord?”
“Dress yourself and wait for me in your room.”
He let his voice dip into low, dark, authoritarian territory. He meant it to be menacing. Adrenaline spiked the air as Kaoru turned his back on Shige to pull his robe on.
Phil waited until Kaoru slinked from the room before he spoke again.
“That fucker is nuts! He avoids me the whole time I’m here, and then he up and attacks me? I swear, I never asked him for any such thing.”
Shige started shrugging off his jacket. “I know. Sit down.”
“What?” Phil remained standing, his legs locked in place.
“I believe you. He’s lying. Now sit so I can tend to your cuts. Please.”
Shige tugged him down to the tatami mats. Phil followed, responding to the calm Shige infused his voice with. Inside he was furious. To think that Kaoru had the gall to pull this, and now of all times. Ultimately, it was Shige’s own fault things had gotten out of hand.
Blood still seeped from Phil’s shoulder, though his lip had mostly stopped. Shige feathered his fingers over the skin. He wanted to lick the skin clean, the thirst suddenly burning his throat, but that would cause more harm than good.
He brought his fingertips to his lips and covertly licked them clean. His eyes fluttered closed for a second. It was like sweet water quenching his throat. Kuromitsu, honey. The most exquisite thing he’d ever tasted and like the last time, his organs didn’t explode the way Pampa’s had. It was like a drug, giving him the most relieved and yet the most concerning sensation he’d ever had.
He cut his thumb on his fangs to bring himself back to his senses. He dotted the perimeter of Phil’s lip wound with his own blood before he moved onto the ones on his shoulder.
“Kaoru is an idiot. Even if you hadn’t contacted me before, that display wouldn’t have convinced me. I have to deal with him tonight.”
“How?” Shige caught the anticipation hiding in Phil’s voice. He didn’t blame him for wanting retribution for what had been done tonight. He chuckled and shook his head.
“It’ll be less than he deserves, but enough to get us through the next few days. Things didn’t go well in Tokyo. We need to leave Japan. Chiyo as well, but I have some things I need to wrap up first.”
Phil winced as the blood knitted his flesh back together. Shige hated seeing him in pain, but they both had to deal with it. It was better than having the tempting smell of his blood lingering in the air any longer.
Shige stuck his own thumb in his mouth. He picked up some of Phil’s blood, and he couldn’t resist.
For the first time in weeks, he was properly hungry. It was his luck that it was for something he wouldn’t allow himself. Phil… He never wanted to have Phil as a donor, not once. He would deal with anonymous blood from a bag. He needed that distance. He didn’t want to think of the man he loved as food.
Abby and the others trickled in. Chiaki, Jonquil, and others were still reeling from the effects of what would only be called Phil’s mental command. Shige wasn’t going to spread around who had been the cause of it and why. For now, it would remain a mystery, and it would help him.
He ushered them out to keep the questions at bay. The last thing Phil needed was a bunch of well-meaning busybodies hanging around.
Before they dispersed, he took Chiaki aside.
“Assemble everyone in the courtyard. Don’t bother with Kaoru. I’ll deal with him personally.”
She stiffened almost as severely as she had when Phil’s call affected her. “Whatever my brother has done, I apologize on his behalf. But I defer to your judgement.”
Shige’s heart swelled with pride. She’d turned out so well, dutiful, capable, and levelheaded. Such a pity Kaoru didn’t share all of her traits.
Questions filled Abby’s eyes, but she went along with the others.
Shige shut the door, giving them a bit of privacy. “I need you to dress, too. I don’t trust Kaoru to stay in his room, so you’ll have to come with me.”
Phil stood, going to his duffle for an outfit. “While I’m doing that, you can tell me what happened while you were away.”
Shige reclined on the floor, watching Phil as he changed. He stood straighter now, no longer looking like he wanted to close in himself. Shige approved.
The assembled yokai trembled as one as they waited for Shige’s words. Not once in the hundreds of years since Ten no Mon had been erected had he called for such an assembly. The flood lights shone on all the yokai great and small, humanoid and monstrous. They all worried the same.
Shige watched them from under the awning of the central most covered walkway, feeling the weight of their attention on him. He stepped forward, ignoring the chill wind as it tugged his hair loose from its bun. He would be quick.
“Most of you may not know who I am, but you have heard my name. I am Ukita Shige. If you know Abby, then you know me. I am her maker, the owner of this place, Ten no Mon. Long ago I helped your parents, your grandparents, and even some of you. My interactions with you in recent years have been shamefully infrequent. I figured after I provided a sanctuary, I had done more than my part. But I realize now that I was wrong. And I’m going to change that. Going forward, I’m withdrawing support from Ten no Mon.”
Anxious whispers rippled through the crowd as Shige expected.
“Where will we go?”
“What’s going to happen to us?”
“I can’t live with humans. I can’t!”
“Please.” He raised a hand. “I am not abandoning or evicting you. Those who wish to remain here can do so, but you will have to find a way to support yourselves. Another option is that you move to a city. Chiaki, Ebisu, and Junpei will help you integrate. A third option is that you come to America. You will have a home. You will have work. It will be similar to what you have here. The downside is that you only have five days to decide before we start preparations. You’re free to change your mind afterwards, but it will be significantly more difficult to move things around so think long and hard about your choice. You can approach Abby, Chiaki, or myself with any questions you have or once you’ve made your decision.”
Skepticism and fear washed over their faces. They needed time to consider their options. He only wished there was more to give them.
As he stepped back under the awning, Phil draped Shige’s jacket over his shoulders and he bundled himself up. It was hard to believe he used to live here and not blink at the cold.
“Did you get all that? How was it?”
“A little hammy,” Phil said as he rubbed warmth into Shige’s arms. “But I think you got the message across, which is the important part. Look, some are already coming.”
Shige and Abby answered questions until the sky started to lighten with the coming dawn. Phil tried to stay with them, but eventually he conked out. Shige sent him off to bed with Jonquil keeping watch. It was past time for him to be useful.
Shige wanted a proper reunion, to talk more about the things he’d found in Tokyo, about what Abby had discovered from Toshinori’s notes, but now wasn’t the time. Shige may have been immortal, but he could only deal with one crisis at a time. With the exodus scheduled, he had one more thing to consider before he slept.
The air in Kaoru’s room had a clean, citrus scent to it. Lemon or verbena. Kaoru rested on a cushion on his tatami mats. A book lay closed on the table in front of him. Hanging on the wall over his bed was that damn embroidered comforter.
Kaoru’s face brightened when Shige entered. He didn’t have a tail in this form, but he might as well have for all the excited energy he directed Shige’s way.
“My lord, had I heard you coming, I would have made tea.”
Shige ignored his pleasantries and sat down across the table for him. Kaoru sat back, watching him with the eagerness of a kit.
“Do you remember that conversation we had b
efore I left for Tokyo?”
Kaoru’s smile faltered. “Lord…? I don’t understand.”
“I asked you to be on your best behavior where Phil was concerned. That one thing should have been easy for you. Yet, you managed to fail miserably.”
“I did as you asked—as he asked!” Kaoru shouted.
Shige chuffed in surprise. For someone who thought himself so pious, he dared talk back—to shout back? Too late, Kaoru realized his mistake.
“I didn’t mean to speak out of turn. I just… Anything I did is because he told me to.”
Anger flared in Shige’s chest. “Do you think me a fool?”
Kaoru trained his eyes down at his white knuckled fists. “Never, lord.”
“I say that’s not what happened. We both can’t be telling the truth.”
“It’s that man. Humans aren’t to be trusted. He is the liar. He’s lied to both of us!”
Kaoru’s cunning would reap nothing but more anger, more annoyance.
Shige stood, resisting the urge to overturn the table. Kaoru came around to kneel at his side, clutching at Shige’s pants’ leg.
“I should leave you here for your disobedience. I’m within my rights to do much worse.”
“Please! I… I did wrong, I know I did. I was driven mad by loneliness. But doesn’t that prove my devotion to you?” He held Shige’s calf tight. “Please,” he said again. “I’ll do anything.”
Chiyo was the only thing standing between Kaoru and exile, and his usefulness to Shige likely wouldn’t last once they arrived in the States. Despite his sweet words, his devotion was to himself, his own selfish agenda taking precedent before his orders. Kaoru couldn’t be allowed near Phil alone again. This was a complication Shige did not need, but he wouldn’t let anything come between him and Phil after he fought so hard to keep him.
Kaoru had grown so much in the years Shige had been away, but he was every bit the frightened little one he’d rescued.
Shige stroked his hair, already weary from what he must do.
“You would do anything to stay in my good graces?”
Kaoru nodded. “I’d pay any price.”
“Remember that you said this.”
Kaoru only had himself to blame.
Chapter 10
PHIL
Getting out of bed later that morning was hard. Lying beside Shige was always inviting, but this week had left Phil feeling beaten up and exhausted. Shige’s presence was a balm better than any over-the-counter drug he’d tried. But Phil had to get up.
He’d met Chiyo every day that he’d been here, sun or rain. She’d continued meeting him after she took that nasty spill. Blowing off their session to stay in bed cuddling was hardly a valid excuse.
Chiyo made it to the garden today, perched on one of the stone benches, her gnarled walking stick laid across her lap. Her eyes widened when she saw Phil break through the brush.
“I didn’t think I’d see you this morning.”
“Well, I’m glad I surprised you.” He took the other bench and wiped the dirt from his bare feet. “I strive to be a model student. I wouldn’t just not show up.”
She shifted, in vain, for a more comfortable position on the stone slab. Phil didn’t get why she didn’t put down a cushion first. “Everyone’s talking about Shige’s little meeting last night. That’s some news, eh?”
“Yeah… That’s gonna be a massive undertaking. There’re so many shifters here. I don’t know where he’ll put them all.” He’d posed that very question to Shige when he came to bed that morning, and he gave the same response Chiyo did.
“He’ll figure something out. He’s done it before.”
They both had a lot of confidence in Shige’s ability to pull this off. Phil hoped it all worked out. A lot of souls would be displaced if things fell through.
He’d gotten into the habit of partially shielding his mind when they were together, for both their sakes. Some things weren’t meant to be shared. Chiyo hadn’t mentioned Kaoru or his sins of the evening. If she’d slept through all of that and somehow didn’t know of it yet, then Phil wouldn’t be the one to tell her.
“So,” Phil clapped his hands. “What are we doing today?” More free practice? Introducing a new technique? Whatever it was, he was ready for it.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? What do you mean nothing?”
Chiyo shrugged lazily. “I’ve got nothing left to teach. There are more things you can learn, but they’re out of my skill set. With practice, you might be able to pick up a thing or two.” She reached inside her jacket and produced an old notebook, its pages creased and colored with age. “This is less a guide and more of a shared diary of sorts. There are powers most sensitives seem to share, and then there are some that are unique to the individual. When I met with the other sensitives, we talked at length about our overlap and differences. I took notes.” She tapped the book against her palm. “The handwriting is mine, but the words are theirs. Descriptions of how each power feels, what they do, how they found out they had this power in the first place. As you can see it’s not that thick, but if you can get some use out of it, then it’s served its purpose.”
Phil wiped his hands on his gi before he gripped the book with the care and pressure he would use to grasp a butterfly’s wings. Carefully, he turned the pages. They still had some give to them, but judging by the dates, this book was older than him by decades. The notes were in Japanese, some of them accompanied by crude drawings.
“I started it myself when Shige had all those other sensitives sent my way,” Chiyo said. She waved a dismissive hand. “You’ll need help translating my notes, but I tried to make them very detailed. I think I did alright.”
Phil tucked it into his shirt close to his chest. “Thank you for this.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Wait until you figure out if it’s useful.”
“Are you coming to the states? To Redor? Are we gonna be neighbors?”
“I’ll end up there eventually, but not before I travel first. I want to delay it for as long as possible. Hopefully Shige will set me up with my own living arrangements. I’m too old to sit under my uncle.”
Phil understood that.
As scenic as Ten no Mon was, it was too remote for Chiyo to stay here. What if they had a real emergency? He didn’t want to think of what would happen if something went wrong and help was delayed by bad weather.
She smiled at him again, those thoughts slipping through his barrier. “Don’t worry. This isn’t the end for us. When things calm down, I will visit you, or you will visit me. There will be no rush.”
Phil heard the door to her room slide open and shut across the garden. He stilled, listening as muddy footsteps grew louder until Kaoru appeared.
His once long and flowing hair had been shorn down to the scalp, it was lower than Phil’s now. He still looked infuriatingly handsome, if out of sorts. He looked as surprised to see Phil here as Phil was by him.
He recovered enough to ignore Phil’s presence, albeit with less bluster than he usually threw Phil’s way. He averted his gaze as he bowed to Chiyo. “It’s time for your medication, Chiyo-sama.”
Kaoru tried to assist her, but she shooed him away. She was able to make it inside own her own.
A strong gust kicked up as they stepped out of the car, dragging dirt across Phil’s shoes. He tugged his coat around him tighter, shutting his eyes against the spray of dust. Wearing so many layers after a week of wearing sweats, gis and yukatas would take some getting used to. The hot spring kept Ten no Mon relatively warm, but away from there, it had started to feel like winter, fall skipping this place completely. But where were they?
A town sat here once, old buildings lay in various stages of disrepair, like old bones jutting through the ground. Some were still very much intact, with only a hole in the roof or a door swinging from its last hinge. But what had brought them out here? Shige had wanted to make a stop before they headed back to Tokyo, but why would anyone liv
e way out here?
Shige ignored the cold, stepping onto a gravel path pocked with shoots of wild grasses. “I lived here when I was more… human.” Shige pointed to a hill on the far side of a rough circle of buildings. The shopping bag he’d brought swung from his arm. He wouldn’t say what was in it or why he’d brought it along. Phil could have probed his mind for the answer, but doing so without his consent when it wasn’t necessary was a line he wouldn’t cross. He would let it be a surprise.
“My family’s house used to be right there, near the path to the river. People would walk by and see our wares. Often they’d stop and get something, even just a cup or a bowl.”
“Were you a potter?”
Shige shook his head. “We were woodworkers. My father could make anything from ornamental tokonoma, to something as simple as a set of bowls, cups, and ornate chopsticks. Here, this is some of my father’s work.” He led them to a house and shined the light of his cellphone on the gutter jutting out oddly from the front of the house. Parts of what looked like a chain with fat, flat links dangled from it and fed into a small hole in the ground. “That’s a kusari doi. It helps keep the rain away from the door. They’re usually made out of metal, but my father carved his out of a single piece of wood. They aren’t the most effective compared to the metal, but they’re nicer to look at, and that’s what people cared about most of the time.”
“When the town stopped growing, his work turned more to everyday use objects. Tables, shelves, things like that, but even then, people didn’t need new ones as often as we needed money. He hated being idle, so he kept making things.”
Over the last seven months, Shige talked about his past in in snatches. Phil had come to know the basics, but now he was seeing how the pieces fit together. Shige shied away from parts of it, and Phil never pressed when he needed to stop. He’d take any information Shige wanted to share.
“Was that what you did too?”