Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Kazemaru and Miharu ❯ Chapter 5

By the time Kazemaru got back, Miharu was fast asleep. He wasn't surprised; it was the middle of the night. He stared at her as she breathed deeply, fascinated by the movement. Her face wore a slightly concerned look, and in the faint light he could still see the glistening path her tears had followed. She was curled up, and clutching a handful of feathers. He leaned against the wall, and slid down it. Why was his heart pounding so hard? Why did he feel as if he was falling, his wings unable to catch the wind? He put a hand to his forehead and massaged his temples.

 

A small sound from Miharu made him startle. He looked up, and saw that she was still asleep. She shifted a little, made the noise again. Then she smiled… and said his name. With that, she settled back down into whatever dream she was having.

 

He mentally chuckled to himself. “Be glad to go home, girl,” he whispered. “You wouldn't like me if you really knew who I am. You wouldn't be so calm if you saw the way I really looked. Be glad that you'll never have to see that.”

 

He got up and walked the length of the cave a few times. But he kept stopping to look at Miharu. The way she slept, it would be so easy to simply curl up behind her… No. Stop thinking those things, Kaze. It will only make it worse. He stood at the edge of the cave, staring at the coast in the horizon. Why? What had brought him to that palace? Why had she been out that late? She had said she couldn't sleep. Why had they both been up that night?

 

The answers that came to him were all unacceptable. He mentally worked himself into a frenzy, and then threw himself off the cliff in frustration. As he fell, he felt the wind pushing against him, the absolute freedom of freefall. As the ground came up at him, it took less than a flick of his mind to stop himself, an inch off the surface. Without moving, he made the wind turn him over, and he floated a few inches off the water for a while, looking at the sky. If he was so powerful he could do this effortlessly, why was it suddenly so hard to keep his own emotions and thoughts under his control?

 

He shot up into the air suddenly, and flew to the highest point of the island, and perched on the tip of a bamboo tree. He let it carry him back and forth in the breeze, and felt the urge to fly rise at the back of his mind. To pump the wind beneath his wings, to actually do the work, was somehow refreshing. But his moods were even harder to control once he transformed, and there was no telling what he would do. Miharu would be unable to recognize him, and it would surely terrify her, even if she was comfortable with the way he was now.

 

He stood there until the sky began to lighten in the east over the broad sea. He sighed, and made his way back to the cavern. Miharu was exactly as he had left her, and he honestly didn't want to wake her up. Once again, he took her hand gently and called her name. Her eyes shot open with the same alacrity as they had the day before, and he jumped back a little.

 

“I'm sorry, did I scare you?” He asked.

 

“No…” she shook her head sleepily, stretching. “I sleep very soundly, and it's a little hard to wake me up….”

 

He smiled. So that was it. She stood up, and he automatically reached out a hand to help her. She took it just as automatically, and they looked at each other in surprise, and then away. Miharu walked over to the chest and picked up the comb.

 

She didn't know why things felt easier this morning. Perhaps she just hadn't woken up completely. She turned to Kazemaru, holding out the comb. “Here, I didn't get the chance to return this to you last night.”

 

He looked surprised, and shook his head, closing her hands around it. “Please, keep it,” he smiled sadly. “I have no use for it.”

 

Miharu nodded, and tried to comb her hair quickly. It was easier today, but it still took time. She noticed Kazemaru watching her, a strange expression on his face. It wasn't polite, but she didn't really mind. At last she twisted it up tightly, the small comb just barely enough to hold it all to her head. She didn't want to comb all of those knots out again. It was only then, when she had finished, that it sank in that she was leaving. No, she thought, I'm going home. That's all. I should be glad.

 

There was a moment of awkwardness as Kazemaru gently lifted her into his arms, and then they were off. Miharu was excited at the idea of flying, but found that he went so fast she could barely keep her eyes open when she looked forward. She could only look at him, her eyes sheltered in the lee. He never looked at her, staring forward the whole time, a stern look on his face. After what seemed like only a few minutes, he began to lower, and he landed exactly where he had seen her first. There was no one out yet, except the guards, who were so busy looking at the ground around the palace they didn't notice them arrive from the air. He set her down carefully, and then took her face in his hands. He seemed to study her face, his own still serious and withdrawn. At last he spoke.

 

“Live well, Miharu no Kurihama. Live well.” He move forward as if to kiss her and suddenly halted. He turned, and was gone.

 

Miharu ran to the balcony, but he was already out of sight. She turned to the palace in a daze. She retraced her steps. Was that really only two nights ago? It seemed like an eternity. She walked to her room and opened the door to a lot of very surprised handmaidens.

 

“Lady Miharu! Are you alright?” Emi, her first handmaiden stood up, but paused.

 

Miharu took a few steps into the room, but then dropped to her knees and sobbed. She was immediately lost in a swarm of concerned girls, but she barely noticed. She was utterly, completely alone.

 

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Another Chapter…