Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Kazemaru and Miharu ❯ Chapter 25

In the morning they were quiet. There was nothing to be said, really. Miharu dressed, careful to wear the same kimonos she had come with, lest anyone suspect. Oh Kami, she realized, what was she going to tell Emi? Surely she knew. She sighed, hoping that Emi had kept her promise, not knowing that Miharu had broken hers. Surely she would find a way to explain….

 

The flight back to Kurihama was silent as well, and Miharu consciously relished the feel of his arms holding her. Always in the past it had seemed a little awkward, but now it was if their bodies melded together perfectly. The thought brought back vivid memories from the last two weeks, but she pushed them away, knowing they would only make the parting difficult.

 

At last they landed, some distance from the palace and in a wooded area. Kazemaru could see from a far distance that the guards were now scanning the skies, wary from the attack. He carefully set her down on the ground.

 

“I'm sorry you have to walk so far, but they're on the lookout,” he said kindly.

 

She nodded. “It's ok.” She slowly slid her arms around his chest, the pain of separation already blossoming in her own. “When will you come for me?” she whispered, knowing it wasn't helpful to speak of such things, but unable to stop herself.

 

“Soon,” he whispered back, as if the hush would make it better. He stroked her hair for a moment, feeling his will to leave growing weaker by the second, but torturing himself nonetheless. He could return in a few weeks, he calculated, without things being too bad. Even that little time away from her seemed awful.

 

He tore himself away from her by inches, kissing her forehead, and then her lips. “Wait for me,” he whispered. “I promise I will come back.”

 

She nodded, forcing the tears to remain behind her eyes, her throat tight. Now, she must walk. She had to leave him. It was a first for her, and her legs felt weak. She turned, slowly, and took one step, then another, her kimonos rustling over the ground. She glanced back, and he was still there. She was about to go back to him, when he pressed his lips together and shook his head. She nodded, and turned, this time not looking back.

 

Once he was sure she would go, Kaze found a perch in the trees. He watched her slow progress, agonizing that he could stop her at any moment. She did not cry, though she looked like she might, and he could smell the tears she would not release. He felt surreal, watching her like this, like he used to. As she drew closer to the palace he stopped, he couldn't come too close lest they see him. He watched as she drew up to the gates, dwarfed by them.

 

Miharu knew he was still there, somehow, and every step seemed to draw more and more effort, even as she reached her destination. A guard called out to her, and she looked up, suddenly dizzy. A plan suddenly forming in her mind, she collapsed.

 

Kaze nearly jumped off the branch he crouched on, alarmed. To hell if the humans saw him, she was not well. But there was something about the way she fell. She had done it in a rather comfortable way, and he realized suddenly that she had faked it. He settled back onto the limb, his blood still pumping with adrenaline from the scare. The gates opened, and a guard rushed out, spear pointed. He stopped near her, though, and froze.

 

“It's Lady Miharu!!!” he cried. There were sounds of astonishment and calls from inside the palace and a few more guards rushed out. After them came the daimyo himself, trying to look calm but his pace very hurried. The guards did not touch her, and he bent down to examine her face.

 

“Sweet Kami,” he whispered. “Take her inside!” he ordered.

 

A few of the guards lifted her up carefully and rushed her into the palace. The daimyo lingered though, looking out into the forest. Kaze froze as the man's eyes raked over him, but they moved on, unseeing. Still, he knew he was out there. It worried him, a little, but he supposed it was only normal.

 

 

 

Miharu continued to pretend unconsciousness, though it had been difficult under examination. She was not taken to her room, but rather the little shrine that was near her father's quarters. She lay there a moment, and then she heard someone come into the room. He was a monk, it seemed, and she listened to her father speak to him.

 

“Houshi-dono,” he addressed him reverently. “Please tell me this is my daughter and not a cruel kitsune.”

 

She listened as the monk crossed the floor, coming to crouch near her. He laid a hand on her shoulder, and it was warm and calming.

 

“She is human,” he said darkly, “However, it seems…” he trailed off.

 

She slowly blinked her eyes open, unable to hold the ruse any longer. She saw the monk, and then her father. She smiled a little, not needing to fake exhaustion.

 

“Are you alright, my lady?” the monk asked.

 

She nodded a little. “I think so…” she paused. She didn't want to make Kaze sound horrible, just in case, but she needed to play some kind of game. “Do you think I could have some food? I had to walk such a long way…”

 

There was a sudden bustle, and the monk retreated, allowing her father to come up to her.

 

“It's alright now, my daughter,” he said consolingly, and stroked her hair a little.

 

She smiled a little, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Oh how she wished he could understand. “I missed you, chichiue,” she lied.

 

He nodded and stood up, shouting orders to this and that person. A few handmaidens rushed into the room and helped her to her feet, gently moving her to her own rooms.

 

Kaito-sama stared after his daughter, his head a jumble. He was glad she was back, of course, but what did it mean? He knew the truth, thanks to that maid, though she had needed some … persuading, to reveal the whole situation. However, it now appeared that the girl had been wrong, and that Miharu had been under a spell.

 

The monk, Shun was his name, came to his side quietly.

 

“What do you think?” Kaito asked.

 

Shun remained silent a moment. “There is a great amount of jyaki surrounding her aura.”

 

“A spell?” Kaito was hopeful.

 

Shun frowned. “Perhaps, but it worries me.”

 

Kaito frowned. “What do you mean?”

 

Shun gestured with his hands, trying to put it into laymen's terms. “The jyaki has penetrated her aura, to a great extent. It's almost like… a possession…” he mused, unsure himself. He had never seen anything like it. “It would seem she has accepted this jyaki, for whatever reason.”

 

Kaito pulled at his left eyebrow a little. “What do you suggest?”

 

The monk sighed. “I could exorcise her right now, but if the maid's story is true, and I believe it is, the demon may come after her.”

 

The daimyo examined the monk carefully. “You want to use her as bait.”

 

The monk looked down. “For the moment. And with your permission, of course, my lord.”

 

Kaito looked away. “Of course. If you think it will work. It won't… damage her, will it?”

 

Shun shrugged. “If she is resisting it properly, no. But if she has accepted it, I'm afraid the damage is already done and there is nothing I could do for her. For now, I suggest we keep a close eye on her.”

 

Kaito nodded. “I've already taken care of that.”

 

 

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AN:

 

Yay! more of this story. I think I've got the ball rolling, so you should probably expect to see a lot more of this in the future. Especially if I get some wonderful comments. Though I'm pretty sure the only people who read this are the ones I force to. *sigh*