(Misaki)
He was responsible for this! He went through the trouble of creating something this beautiful for me!
In the weeks before we fell into all this mess, I became used to his seriousness and his snide comments, but this was the kindest thing he'd ever done for me.
When he explained the reasoning behind it I felt again that there was something he was trying to tell me but couldn't.
I bathed in his embrace and closed my eyes, treasuring this breath in time. We stood in the gardens until all the lanterns floated away into the night and spoke in light conversation. In the end, he escorted me back to my rooms, kissing me tenderly goodnight and vowing to be still standing here in the morning. He'd not lied.
If I did choose to go with Ama I would have to leave everyone, including Chi-san. But he was the son of a god too, right? Why could Amaterasu not take us both to the heavenly realm?
This morning, I had my own plans for Chi and I, and these required no prior planning. I informed Osa to dress me in light robes and comfortable slippers with thick soles for the day. My hair was gathered up into a simple neat bun and I refused any makeup. Emerging from the Shoji doors he took a long look at me, the bags beneath his eyes more prominent. He wasn't sleeping well. Was the calming tonic I had Akame sending to his room since we returned to not working? He clasped his hands professionally behind his back and bowed to me.
"Hime."
"Good morning Tao."
"What would you like to do today?" he grinned.
I smiled back as I took his hand and pulled him down the hall behind me.
"Kitsune! You are too forward!"
He arranged his voice to sound feminine and feigned insult. It took all I possessed not to double over in hysterical laughter.
"I believe I have been much more forward with you in the past
Tao."
His hymn of pleasure almost brought me to my knees. "yes, how could I ever forget. A treasured day in my mind."
As it was a treasured day in mine.
I peeked around all corners and was able to avoid most of the palace help and guards. Although, since we had been back oddly no one questioned us. I supposed that had something to do with father.
The main palace doors came into view and two guards sat in front: weapons ready. I approached them, all seriousness and withdrawn expression.
"I am heading into town to do some shopping; my guard will escort me."
The two men looked from me to Chi, and then back again before looking to one another and issuing the order to open the doors and the front gates of the wall surrounding.
(Chi)
She was still a marvel when she dealt with the palace guards. She mastered the look of unpredictability and I saw firsthand many times how they kept the guards nervous. None of them wanted to be the reason that she complained to the Emperor. I think that they also secretly were afraid of her wrath. I could not blame them.
She led me into town before breaking off onto a thin trail cutting off into the forest behind one of the sweet bread bake stands. Once the trail began to incline, I let out a low groan as I realized where we were.
"You despise me, I knew it."
She halted in her tracks. "Impossible."
"And yet you subject me to this villainous mountain!"
"All samurai ARE this whiny."
"Alright," I answered, walking ahead. "If I break any bones this time you will be taking care of me until the end of my days."
She caught up, glancing at me.
"I would have it no other way. Now come on!" Push her…it would be so nice.
No. not now.
Kill her! For ussss. Feed usssss!
The voice was human and demonic and took me by such
surprise I almost rocked back on my heels. They spoke the same things at the same time in equally raised octave. A cloud of red film fell over my eyes and suddenly I could see her falling. I saw her blood spill as her skull met rock and shattered like glass.
Shaking my head, internally screaming for the unwanted vision to stop, I struggled. The voiced were growing louder and more insistent every day. The visions were becoming too vivid and horrific. Glancing down, my stomach sank in horror as I found my katana drawn and gripped in my right hand. I sheathed it hastily, catching up to Misaki before she could turn back.
Even in my distress I still watched every step and climb she made, and my mind wandered back to the simpler time. A time when my main concern was her falling because of her clumsiness, or her lack of hand eye coordination, even now that I knew she was not a fragile glass vase, she would always remain fragile to me,
It took two hours but felt shorter as we filled the hike with back-and-forth banter on a bath house and hot springs being the same in hindsight. By the time we reached the top, I'd lost my argument and Misaki was bathing in her righteousness. The steam was the sign that we were near, and my heart rate quickened as the memory of Misaki's bare shoulders assaulted my brain. Even though all I saw that day was her shoulders it was enough to leave me longing and lightheaded. She took us forward at the even ground and we walked familiarly to where the springs sat, still nestled. Misaki took a deep breath in of clouded air.
"Will I have to order you to get in with me again?" she said, raising an eyebrow at me.
I made a show of looking and if I was pondering over my answer before smiling down at her and shaking my head. "Not this time princess."
As her hand found the back of her Obi to untie the bow at the back, I motioned for her to turn. I unfolded the cloth and laughed to myself as I unwound the fabric.
"What is so funny?"
"I was reminiscing on the first time we came here. Your arms were too short to untie your Obi then too."
She rocked back into me to knock me off my balance. I leaned left, wincing as I did so, straining the still fresh bite on my shoulder. After asking what could cause a wound of this magnitude the physician laid clean cloth on it as bandage, but he was worried that it was not healing properly. And it wouldn't heal properly. My body would never function normally again.
Misaki flailed as she felt the sensation of falling backward but at the last moment, I went from behind her to in front of her and grabbed her wrist to pull her back. She smacked me briskly on the chest and watched my face as I got a kick out her momentary fear of falling.
Here we were, just a man and a woman. There were no
palaces, guards, or gods. Here I could imagine us as only normal people without obligation. But in the same instance, would I have met her if not for all this mayhem? If she and I had not been born of deceptive wager, would we still have ended up here together? I feared that there was a fact that would have to be faced and accepted. Maybe we could go no further as the people we once were.
(Misaki)
Being here warmed my core. This place remained familiar to me but now it was also familiar to Chi-san. We shared in the revelation of the memory from the first time being here, grinning to one another after catching each other's minds wandering.
I had to say that for a Samurai who was trained in seriousness, he joked with me quite a bit. Though his smile since we've been back is guarded. The light does not touch his normally energetic eyes. I have observed him as we interacted. I'd even asked Akame if she knew anything to be wrong with him, but she insisted that she knew nothing and that he seemed to be in normal spirits. I knew in my soul that that was not true.
Again, we stood on opposite ends of the small clearing. Chi faced the trees as I got free of my many layers. The air was brisk and cool up this high and the warm water was welcomed on my skin as I sank into its sky-blue ripples and bubbles.
"Close your…" he stopped speaking when he saw that my eyes were already closed and my smile evident. My curiosity screamed at me to peak at him, but I was scared that once I looked, I wouldn't be able to look away again. I heard the water slosh as his body entered across from me.
"Is it safe now?" I teased.
His scoff was my answer and my eyes opened with it. The first thing I saw was the long bandage running the expanse of his shoulder. Small blood stains dotted certain areas and I frowned sullenly.
"Am I that hideous hime?" he bellowed.
I shook my head tentatively. It was quite the contrary. Though the dense mist covered most of his body I could still see the chiseled muscle where drops of perspiration resided. His arms were lean and strong; all of him was. I saw thin lines of scars in different areas along the peck of his chest. I also saw…
What was that?
I squinted harder to see and almost flew over to his side just to examine but it looked to be swiveled black lines…
Had those always been there?
Sitting back quickly I stored the image in my minds memory. I would ask him later about what decorated his skin.
"Oh yes, you are quite loathsome Chi Matasunei. How is your wound?"
A frown took place on his face before he wiped it away. "It is healing decently. Now I will have a new scar to show off. A demons bite. Hurt like hell.
As I listened to his solemn words, I pondered over what he had to have gone through to travel through the layers of Yomi.
"Chi?"
"Mm?" he replied.
"The Muramasa…Susanoo and Tsukuyomi mentioned a curse…"
He raised a hand partially out of the water. "Don't dig into this princess. Please."
The pleading tone in his voice made my stomach wind itself in knots. My lips pressed tightly together as we stared at one another through the steam. I would let this matter go, for now.