The delicate scent of Casablanca lilies greeted me as I opened the door. On the desk sat a large bouquet set in a hand blown crimson vase whose deep red matched the stamen of the lilies. A box sat next to it, huge gold bow an affront to the ethereal blossoms beside it. I didn't have to open the box to know what was inside it.
"It's that time of year again." The silken petals were cool to the touch and released their sweet scent into the air. I should be thankful. These were real flowers, after all, and real flowers required lots of water to grow, water that was a pricey commodity nowadays. The card attached to the blossoms predictably said, To my lovely daughter on her special day.
Opening the box revealed a white dress with lace, same as every year. The cut and style changed, but never the dress. Virginal white, classy lace, a dress meant to give the wearer an air of angelic poise.
The dress always fit, though part of me suspected Grandpa raided my room while I was at school to find out the size. I opened my jewelry box and pulled out last year's present, a gold necklace, and put it on. He probably doesn't remember buying it, but wearing the present of the former year became a ritual I engaged in regardless.
I closed my eyes and indulged in the scent of the flowers. The only beautiful thing about today belonged to this nostalgic scent.
Rat-tat-tat.
"Ow!" Pain shot up my side. The vase wobbled. "No!" I gasped, catching it before it fell.
"Rei?" Grandpa said as he opened the door.
"The car is here," I finished for him.
I tried to hid the iciness in my tone, but it never seemed to work. He smiled and rubbed my arm. The Buddhist calm Grandpa embodied seemed to take the fires of my anger and frustration and turn it into a warm sun.
"It's only one dinner," he said.
"I know."
Indoors we couldn't wear shoes. The wooden floors of the temple were a rare commodity, a protected relic of the past before the eruption, and thus we only wore soft socks inside. Walking became more of a skating motion due to their slickness. One of my duties was making sure the floors retained their pristine shine. At the front entrance I put on my heels. The soft hiss of each step became a hard clack.
Raidou opened the door and held out his arm in a grand gesture. As a child I loved seeing him and pretending I was a princess being escorted by a butler. Now I saw his gestures for what they were, an elaborate show.
"Lady Rei," he greeted.
I nod to him. "Good evening."
"You look beautiful as always."
"Thank you."
Raidou only saw me once a year, same as Father. How then, could he say I was always beautiful? Not that it mattered. I put on the show every year to get it over with as quickly as possible. Rebelling against it only prolonged my suffering.
A hoary city of ice. Concrete everywhere. Skeletons of trees, brittle branches, a bitter reminder of the eruption's destruction. Gray skies, not promising rain, but the remnants of ash floating over us. A permanent chill lingered in the air.
We stopped at a restaurant named Azalea. The name meant nothing to me. A bill here could feed a family for months. Grandpa kept things simple. Our meals weren't fancy, but they were better than anything this place could offer.
"Good evening," the maître d' greeted. "What is the name?"
"I have Rei Hino here, a guest of Senator Takashi Hino," Raidou answered.
"Ah yes, Mr. Hino has already been seated. If you'll follow me, please."
As we walk through the restaurant, I see a golden curled hair ahead. My chest tightened. It's only a coincidence. It's not him. He laughed at something and confirmed my fears. It wasn't a case of mistaken identity. "Jinichi," I whispered in muted horror.
I huddled into myself. He can't see me like this. Vulnerable. Rei Hino was a woman of strength, of stubborn pride, a woman who never backed down from a challenge, especially a challenge set by him. He was my rival, my antithesis, the ice to my fire.
Today my flames were nothing but ash.
The familiar silhouette of Father tapping away on his tablet lay a short distance ahead. Just a little more, maybe he won't notice you.
Cold fingers wrapped around my wrist. "Rei?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I turned around and came face to face with a set of ash-colored eyes. I forced a laugh. "It's a small world, isn't it?"
His gaze flickered over my face and body. I should have known better to acknowledge him. I should have shrugged off his hand and continued to the table my Father sat. The slight raise of his eyebrows confirmed he thought something was awry. The question of whether he'd capitalize on my weakness thickened the air.
"You look nice today."
His words sparked a warm flame in my chest. The most maddening thing about Jinichi was the way he simultaneously invoked a sense of nostalgia and rage in me. I knew the moment I met him I hated him, yet every time I saw him I also had a sensation of nostalgic warmth. In the same way I felt a connection to the past, I felt like he too, belonged with it.
He gestured to the men beside him. "My brothers. Neruka, Kunai, and Zoin."
None of them looked like they were blood related, but in this day and age anything was possible. Every baby was genetically modified to some extent, even myself.
"Nice to meet you," I greeted, thankful my voice sounded more confident than I felt.
"We go to school together," Jinichi continued. "She's the closest thing I have to a rival."
"Don't talk like you're the one on top," I snapped. "We're neck-and-neck."
His lips lifted into a smile. "Are we? As I recall, I scored three points higher than you on the last chemistry test."
That ever present cockiness quickly became infuriating. "And I scored three points higher than you on the last history test."
"And I had the highest score on the midterms."
I gritted my teeth. "By one point."
Zoin laughed. "Don't feel bothered. Knowledge is something that comes naturally to this family."
Oh god, that cocky attitude is hereditary. I cut off my bitter thoughts but couldn't manage to keep it completely out of my voice. "And the world is thankful for it."
"You could sound sincere when you say that," Jinichi teased.
I shifted my weight to move forward but felt resistance. I looked at Jinichi, and for a moment I saw worry in his expression. You're acting weird, I read in those furrowed brows. I put on a smile. "It was nice meeting you, and seeing you, Jinichi. But I have a yearly dinner to attend."
His eyebrows arched as he let go. "See you tomorrow."
I nodded. "Of course." As I walked to my father my stomach knotted with guilt. I wasn't mad at Jinichi, I took out my aggression towards my father at him. Not that there weren't plenty of reasons to be upset with Jinichi about, this wasn't one of them.
"How lovely it is to run into friends, don't you think?" The maître d' commented.
In this high-class world, even negative interactions were considered positive. Father set aside his tablet and put on that campaign smile. "Happy Birthday, Rei."
"Thank you." I sat across from him.
"Father tells me everything is well."
"Yes, it is."
"And have you decided on your future path?"
"I have not."
"You are a junior in high school," he replied with an air of contempt in his voice.
My voice came out as tense as I felt. "I am well aware."
"Have you thought of it at all? Or are you too interested in boys?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He arched an eyebrow and nodded to the direction I came. So he saw me and Jinichi. "He's no one important."
"And what is his pedigree?"
My fists clenched as fires of rage ignited inside. "He can afford to eat here."
"As can everyone that attends that school. But that doesn't speak much, does it?"
"He's of the Shitennou family, and he is barely edging me out for first in class. So yes, his pedigree is more than adequate."
"Shitennou? They only recently came into money, then. You shouldn't associate with those types. They'll blow through their fortune in a single generation."
"That fortune came from creating a desalination process that made survival in the post-eruption world feasible. They're not as foolish as you think."
"I wouldn't say that."
My heart stopped. "Jinichi."
"Things seem to be getting a bit heated." He grabbed a chair from an adjacent table and sat. "The entire restaurant can hear you. And considering I'm the topic at hand, I should at least take part, don't you think?"
Heat rushed to my cheeks. Then he heard me defending him. I'm never living this down.
He held out his hand. "Mr. Hino, I take it?"
Father looked at his hand with obvious contempt, but took it and gave it a shake.
"I'm Jinichi. I go to school with your daughter."
"That fact has already been established." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "How much do you want?"
"For what?" he replied, confusion inherent in his voice.
"For getting out of my daughter's life. She has yet to decide on her path, and the last thing I want is a boy keeping her from realizing her potential."
Fire-hot rage incinerated my self-control. Seventeen years of disgust, anger, and frustration bubbled at the surface. It wouldn't matter if I made a scene. Jinichi said the entire restaurant could hear us. This "quiet" yearly dinner with his daughter already had a segment reserved on the evening news. As I opened my mouth Jinichi slammed his fist on the table.
"The most important things in life have no price." He grabbed my hand. "Come on, Rei."
The fire inside sputtered. Father's twisted scowl resembled one of the demon statues in the temple. I snorted. The snort turned to a giggling fit.
Jinichi dragged me out of the restaurant. Once free of the depressing atmosphere the giggles became a belly-aching laugh. "You have no idea how good this feels. Did you see his face?"
Jinichi's brows furrowed, but he said nothing in reply. The emotions of the day continued to spill out in laughter. Each laugh shot pain up my side but I couldn't stop.
"Lady Rei?" Raidou questioned. "Are you okay?"
I held up my hand. "I'll be walking home, Raidou. Give my regards to Father." Each step away from that accursed restaurant became lighter to the point I nearly skipped down the sidewalk like a child.
"How far is home?" Jinichi asked.
His voice startled me. I didn't even notice he walked beside me. "A ways."
"And you're going to walk back the entire way?"
I shrugged. "It's no big deal."
"If it's about money, I can call a cab…"
I put my hands on my hips and glared. Money was of no object to either of us, and he knew it.
He scratched his head and sighed.
"You don't have to come with me. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."
He frowned and said nothing in reply.
I turned and continued walking.
He caught my hand. "It's okay to rely on others."
I yanked my hand out of his. "And sometimes people need to be alone."
He glared. "You're obviously not yourself today."
"And? What better reason for me to be alone?"
"It's about to be dark soon."
"I'll be fine," I insisted with a hint of a growl to my voice.
His lips thinned to a straight line. Between the two of us, the fires of our tempers could melt steel. Unlike schooling hours, I didn't have to restrain myself.
"Fine." He turned and walked away.
Evening set in and the streets were mostly empty. The daytime always had a nice chill, but the nights were as freezing as the heart of winter. The cold rarely bothered me. I always felt warm when others were cold. As odd as it sounded, sometimes I felt like I was the embodiment of fire.
Two girls walked out of the internet café in front of me. I sucked in a breath. Just like Jinichi, they had a warm nostalgia to them. I've never seen them before, I'm sure of it, but I can't deny this feeling that at one point, I knew them, and we were close.
"Ami, it's cold!" the blonde whined, hanging off her friend's shoulder.
"I told you we should have left earlier."
"We can't leave in the middle of V's livestream! Besides, wasn't she perfect?" She did a poor imitation of a dance move.
I couldn't help but crack a smile at her antics.
"Well, if we hurry, we can make it to the train station in five minutes," Ami stated.
As they walked by, the blonde and I made eye contact. My heart throbbed painfully in my chest. She smiled and huddled back into her friend. "Did you see that girl? She's gorgeous! She must be one of those prep girls. I wish I could go there too!"
No, you don't. It's not worth it. I frowned and quickened my pace. After a while, small flecks of white were in the air. The ash peppered my dress. Black rain, gray snow, the once colorful beauty of life was reduced to grayscale.
By time I made it back to the shrine my feet ached and my white dress became a gray dress.
"Ah, you're home," Grandpa greeted. "I was starting to get worried about you."
I shook my head. "Just needed a walk to clear my head."
"Your father called me. Something about a Jinichi? Ring a bell?"
I sighed and lightly dusted off my clothes. "He's just a classmate."
"There's nothing wrong with being in love, you know. I had quite a few flings in the past, myself." He stroked his chin. "My first girlfriend, she was a little lacking in the upper compartment, but she had legs that went on for days. The fashion of the time was miniskirts and I enjoyed the easy access, if you —"
"Grandpa!"
He laughed. "You're young. That's what youth is for."
I crossed my arms. "I don't need anyone. I don't want a relationship."
"Have you decided what you're going to do after graduation?"
Great, even Grandpa asked that question now. "No."
He smiled. "You'll always have a place here, as the shrine's number one priestess."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm the only priestess."
"And the best." He hugged me.
"Grandpa, you're getting ash all over your robe," I chided. But thank you. I needed that.
"The bath is ready and warm, if you like."
I smiled. "Thanks." I went to the back of the shrine to the bath. The water smelled like chemicals. The purest water was used only for drinking and crops. The ranges of purification depended on the necessity. Bathwater was low on the list and required a treatment before use. I gave up trying to diffuse the smell long ago.
The warm water eased my aching feet. I stretched out my legs and rubbed them. The water clouded from the ash. No matter how hard I scrubbed, the ash never seemed to completely disappear.
"I wonder who those two girls were." They wore uniforms from the nearby public school, but this was my first time seeing them. Granted, I didn't go out much after school. My life revolved around the shrine and keeping my grades high. When it came time to choose a path having higher grades would open more doors than not.
Nothing seemed appealing. Nothing would ever be appealing. I belonged to the past. Not the world before the eruption, the one seen in history books, the ancient time when humans were interconnected with the earth and its spirits. The time when this temple filled with the footsteps of the enlightened, the time where Buddha walked and breathed the air.
In prayer, when the entire world became still and the pulse of the earth became connected to mine, the voices of spirits, softer than a whisper, echoed in the stillness. The farther people strayed, the more voices joined the chorus. It seemed like not even those caught in eternity could survive this harsh world.
Somehow I had to find the light of my path through that murky darkness.
"Rei," Jinichi greeted the moment I walked past the school gates. "You made it back alive."
"Was there any doubt I would?"
He shrugged. "Everyone has a weakness."
"And what's your weakness?"
He put on an impish smile. "I'm perfect. I guess you can say having no weakness is my weakness."
I rolled my eyes and quickened my pace. He kept up easily. I only came up to his chest. Even if I ran he'd catch up to me in seconds. "Hey, wait. I have something to give you."
I stopped and stared at him incredulously. "Huh?"
He nodded his head towards the back of the school. "Come with me real fast. You won't be late to class, trust me."
The heat of gossip-hungry classmates burned my back. Thanks to their theory that we were a couple, I didn't have to deal with guys asking me on dates like I did at the beginning of the school year. That was a relief.
He took me around to a space between the sports building and the school building. I leaned against a wall. "So what is it?"
He reached into his bag and pulled out a small wrapped box. "For you."
A surge of electricity pulsed through my body. "What is this?"
"Yesterday was your birthday, wasn't it?"
I stumbled through several half words. He chuckled and placed the box in my hand. The box almost fell out of my trembling hand. "How did you know?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm a genius, remember?"
I pursed my lips. "Don't play that game."
"You told me. Well, not directly, but it was easy to guess. Yearly dinner with the pops, a new dress, jewelry you never wear…"
Each word out of his mouth surely deepened the red shade on my cheeks. He noticed a lot of things. A lot of little things. I pushed the box back to his chest. "I can't take it."
He wrapped his long fingers around mine and pushed it back to me. "It's a present. You can't say no."
"I don't celebrate my birthday."
"So take it as a congratulations present."
"Congratulations for what?"
He stroked his chin before grinning. "Getting second on midterms."
I half laughed in disbelief. "That was four months ago!"
He shrugged. "So it's a little late."
"Jinichi."
He crossed his arms. "I'm not going to take it back, so might as well open it." I glared at him in reply. He met my anger with a playful grin. The first bell rang. He raised his brows. "Looks like you have five minutes."
I tried to move past him, but he blocked my path. "I'm okay with being late," he replied. "It's not like they're going to do anything to me."
"Jinichi!" I protested. "Get out of my way."
He squared his stance and looked me in the eye. "Open it."
"No." I tried to shove him out of the way, but somehow he managed to take my force and feed it back to me, trapping me between him and the wall.
"Why are you always so stubborn?" he whispered.
My heartbeat thudded in my ears. "Let me go."
"Do you promise to open it?"
I glared. "You can't force me to do something I don't want to do."
His gaze floated to my lips and back to my eyes. "I love that fierce look of yours. Turns me on."
That was it. I growled and pushed with all of my strength.
He stumbled backwards, laughing. Then the last bell rang. He put his arm around me. "Looks like we're late. Why don't we skip first period?"
I shrugged his arm off. "I'm going to kill you."
He laughed. "Come on, Rei. When was the last time you ever broke the rules? We're the top two and we've been all year. Missing a one hour class isn't going to be the end of the world."
"It's our duty to go to class," I retaliated. "I'm not like you! My path in life isn't decided for me. The very least I can do is try to get myself a head start on my future."
For once, he said nothing. The playful smile disappeared, replaced by a pensive gaze. When he spoke, his deep voice took a serious tone. "Rei, hey, let's skip and talk a bit."
"I have nothing to say to you." I started to stomp off, but strong arms wrapped around me and held me tight. "Let me go."
He squeezed me to the point it became difficult to breathe. "No. Listen to me." His lips tickled my ears as he spoke. "You're the first person I've met that's been able to keep up with me. It's okay if you don't know where you want to go. It's better, in fact. You have the freedom of choice."
The composure I prided myself in crumbled. Tears lined the edge of my eyes. Of all people, why is Jinichi comforting me?
He wrapped his hands around mine and lifted the box up. Guiding my fingers, we tore apart the wrapping paper and opened the box. A pen and a pair of earrings were inside, both red as blood.
Words died in my throat.
"I know you veer towards practical items," he said. "But I wanted to get you something nice too. It was your birthday, after all."
How does he know me so well? "I can't accept this."
"Too bad, it's already opened and I don't accept returns."
"This is…" A present you give a girlfriend, not a classmate.
"Put the earrings on," he prodded.
"But that's against dress code."
He chuckled. "Live a little. I'm sure no one will care."
"Everyone is going to notice we're late and then they'll notice the earrings, and put two and two together. "
He brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. "And what is that they'll think?"
The flames inside me roared. My body became hot. How did I not notice before how those ash-colored eyes held a serene storm? How those golden curls shimmered in the sunlight? Or how the alabaster of his skin contrasted with the soft rose of his lips?
The words on my tongue turned to ash. I couldn't say anything in response. The intense gaze in his eyes froze me into place. He reached into the box and pulled out an earring, then put it on. He tucked my hair behind my other ear and ran his fingers through the length of my hair. As he put the other earring on, I couldn't help but notice how his fingers felt like ice compared to the heat emitting from me. His cool touch lingered as he drew away, though the metal against my ears burned.
"Red suits you far more than white."
I still couldn't speak, which seemed to amuse him. He smiled and patted my head. "Go to class."
"What about you?"
He flashed a playful smile and shrugged. "I guess I'll take a day off. Everyone needs one of those once in a while. Besides, I'm going to work for our company after I graduate. My grades don't really matter."
"Then why work so hard?"
"Pride."
He and I, we're more alike than I thought.
He turned on his heel and started walking away. After a few steps, he turned back around. "Hey, Rei."
"Yes?"
"Meet me after school."
Against my better judgment, I replied, "Where?"
"Harvest Café."
"Harvest Café?" I questioned. "I've never heard of it."
"It's a quiet place. You'll like it."
I pulled out my cell phone and pulled it up on a map app. "Ah, here it is." It was only a five minute walk from the school.
He grabbed my phone from my hand.
"Hey!"
"One second," he murmured and tapped on the screen before handing it back to me.
I looked at the screen and saw his name and number in my phonebook.
"If you get lost, call me and I'll come pick you up."
I watched him walk away until I couldn't see him anymore. I opened the box in my hand and pulled out the pen. When it was held up to the light, it looked like fires danced upon its barrel. I normally prefer my items to be plain, but somehow the extravagance didn't offend me.
I put it in my pocket and put the box in a trashcan before walking to class. Whatever punishment awaited me didn't seem as bad as it did minutes before.
I couldn't help but feel anxious the closer it came for the final bell. I heard whispers of what happened in the morning, why I was late, and why Jinichi skipped class, but no one dared to ask me directly.
Once the final bell rang, I calmly stood up and put away my things like it were any other day, though my heart beat like I ran a marathon. As I walked out of the building I checked the map and made a mental route to the place.
It was odd seeing all my classmates walking about. I never really paid any attention to them, or to what happened around me. But now, watching them, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of loneliness. My days were almost over. It was too late to make any friends.
Excepting Jinichi. Yet despite my feelings, I couldn't shake the notion that I shouldn't trust him completely. It soured every interaction I had with him, even the positive ones. It was a completely unfounded prejudice against him.
"You came," he greeted as I came near. "Wow, I almost thought I'd be stood up."
"I'm a girl of my word."
He smiled. "Right. Come on, let's go inside."
He held open the door for me and we were seated immediately, no doubt due to his previous arrangements. He always had his i's dotted and t's crossed. It was part of what made trying to compete with him maddening. No matter how I tried, he was always a step ahead.
Shortly after we sat, we were brought two parfaits. There was a distinct chemical aftertaste to the food that didn't exist before the eruption. I could never get used to it, but I ate it all the same.
"How do you like it?"
"It's good," I lied. "How did you find this place?"
"Asked around a bit." He ran a hand through his hair. "Did anyone say anything about the earrings?"
"The usual. We celebrated an anniversary, or something."
He chuckled. "They look good on you. How did you like the pen?"
It still was in my pocket. "I didn't use it. Not yet, anyway. The earrings were bad enough for the gossips."
"There's a trick to it."
"Really?"
"If you work it a certain way, it will give you a little surprise."
I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. By all means, it looked like a normal pen. "Are you lying?"
"I'm not. Want me to open it?"
I shook my head. "No, let me figure it out myself."
He half smiled. "That's like you to say."
"Can I ask a question?"
He nodded. "Go ahead."
"Why did you and your brothers try so hard to save this world?"
"Because we didn't want to die."
"Is there anything in this world worth saving? The beauty is gone. Don't you think it'd be better to die?"
"I wouldn't say that. You're in this world, and you're beautiful."
I groaned. "I'm being serious."
"This world is ugly, yes. But the people are what make it worth something. Even surrounded by death, there's still life." He propped his chin on his hand. "Good enough for you?"
"It's not, but that's probably as good of an answer as I'm going to get."
He laughed. "It seems that way. Can I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"Why are you struggling with what to do after graduation?"
I cringed. "Because I can't find any beauty in this world. I have nothing to protect. I have no purpose. I'm content dying."
He reached across the table and put his hands around mine. "Then come work with me. You're smart enough to work with us. We can help make this world beautiful again."
People show me their paths and offer to take me along. But is that truly my path? Is it my path if I'm following someone else's directions?
"Just promise me you'll think about it."
I gave him a small smile. "I promise."
He squeezed my hands and let go. "I'll hold you to it."
Silence passed between us. It felt weird not to be arguing with him. But in this odd atmosphere I felt comfortable asking him about something I kept inside for most of my life. "How close are you to the past?"
He arched an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Do you ever see people and feel like you know them? Not just know them, but feel something like nostalgia, like they were very important to you at one time."
"Complete strangers?"
I nodded.
"Maybe something like that once, just a bit."
"When?"
He half smiled. "That's a little too personal for the first date, don't you think?"
I couldn't help but gasp. "First date?"
He chuckled. "What did you think this was?"
I didn't know what I thought it was. I didn't want a relationship or need a relationship. I shook my head. "I don't know."
"You're brilliant about so many things, but dense about one. And that's why I like you."
Hearing the word like set off a world of unease in my stomach. I was barely starting to think of him as a friend, and he wanted to call this a date…
I stood. "I forgot I promised I'd help Grandpa clean the shrine floors today."
He stood up. "Why don't I come over and help?"
"I can't make you do that. It's hard work."
"And I'm no stranger to hard work."
Every line I thought to speak in response was met with him finding a way to follow along. I couldn't deny that he was my equal in stubbornness, at the very least. "Fine. But you'll have to keep up with me."
He laughed. "I'll take that challenge."
Dark skies greeted us upon exiting. "That's odd. I didn't think we were in there that long," I noted. The air smelled odd. Almost like sulfur. The second the thought registered my body froze into place.
"It's a storm," Jinichi confirmed. "We shouldn't walk in this weather. I can call our driver to take us to the temple."
"It's not that far away." Howling wind swirled around us. Involuntarily I shivered. My stomach tied itself into knots. Something didn't feel right about this storm. "I'm going to get going now." Normal walking speed felt too slow. That inkling that haunted me my entire life howled with the wind, screaming at me to run home.
My feet listened to my intuition before I could even process it.
"Rei!" Jinichi called. "Wait!"
Lightening cracked.
"It's dangerous to be outside in a storm like this!"
Jinichi's words spurred my footsteps. Something wasn't right about this storm. I had to get to the temple.
The black clouds of ash were torn asunder by an electric streak of light, branching across the sky like the roots of a tree. Thick droplets of ashen rain pelted my body. The exertion combined with the sulfuric air into an inferno of pain in my lungs.
Another bolt of lightning ripped the darkness apart with a fury. Almost there, just a little more!
The air became thick with smoke. Running became more like swimming through mud.
The light at the end of the tunnel.
A shining beacon in the darkness.
The temple.
Aflame.
Every sentient thought in my brain shut down. Primal instincts flared to life. No matter how fast I moved my legs, they were too slow. I wasn't moving forward, I was only running in place, sliding through the thick rain. Each second an eternity passed. The beat of my heart thundered in my ears.
The rain did little to tame the flames. Just as the door came within reach, I was pushed to the stone floor.
"What are you doing?" Jinichi growled. "You can't go in there."
"Grandpa," I gasped, "I have to save Grandpa."
His strong arms wrapped around me and squeezed me tight. "Stay here. I'll get help."
"No!" the force of my voice surprised me. Using that newfound strength, I pushed myself out of his embrace. He grabbed my hand and pulled. "I'm going."
"Stop. You'll die if you go in there." Even now Jinichi's voice was as cool as it ever was. I hated that about him. No matter what calamity befell us, he always remained calm.
"I'll be fine."
"You'll burn to death."
"I won't." I jerked my hand out of his and started to walk away. He tackled me to the ground. The soot and ash soup of water splashed in my mouth. I coughed and gagged.
"You're not going inside."
"The hell I'm not." I wrenched my body to and fro, struggling to get away.
He pinned me down and glared down at me. "I'm not going to let you die."
"I'm not going to let my Grandpa burn to death inside there!"
"He's already burned to death! Look at the temple, Rei. It's about to collapse!"
"No!" My voice thundered louder than the rain around us.
"You can't leave me," he replied, voice soft. The ashen rain turned his golden locks gray. He cupped my cheek and ran his thumb over it. "Everything will be okay."
I jerked my body up and slammed my skull against his. He toppled backwards off me. I jumped up and ran to the door. The fires made it weak. It crumbled against the force of my shoulder crashing into it. The flames licked at my body.
I had to at least find his body. I couldn't let him become a giant pile of ash with the temple.
The heat of the flames enveloped me like a blanket in winter. A comforting warmth. I felt no pain.
I am fire, after all.
"Princess."
Princess?
"Verdite, get the doctor, please."
"Are you sure? Perhaps she is just resting."
"Our princess has yet to wake since her fainting spell yesterday. She is ill."
"As you command."
Cool hands caressed my face. "We are alone."
I opened my eyes and saw ash and gold. "Jinichi?"
His brows furrowed. "Who is this Jinichi you speak of?"
"What are you talking about? We were at the café and then there was a storm..." I gasped and sat straight up. "What happened to the temple? Where am I?"
The man put his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me back down to the bed. "Rest, Rei. You had quite a fall yesterday."
"I fell?"
"You fainted at the dinner party. Fortunately you suffered no injuries."
I glanced around the room. It looked like it came out of the history textbooks, of the old palace the emperor lived. Soft tatami floors, rich murals painted on the delicate rice paper dividers, the warmth of wooden walls and wooden furniture. I swallowed. Where did they get so much wood? Everything burned in the eruption. "Jinichi…"
He sat on the bed beside me and ran his fingers through my hair. "It's not nice to say another man's name around me."
I swallowed. The question I wanted to ask burned my lips. He had Jinichi's eyes. His lips. His nose. The light tousle of his curls. The same sardonic smirk, the same deep voice, everything. He was Jinichi in all but name. "What is your name?"
His eyes widened. "Rei?"
"Rei is my name," I confirmed. But I don't think I'm the Rei you know. "Where am I?"
"You have lost your memory," he whispered. He stood and paced the room. After a moment, he stopped and stared at me. "My name is Jadeite. I am the commander of the army of Mars, and I serve you, Princess Rei of the eternal flame."
I sucked in a breath. I'm in the past? Each beat of my heart echoed in my eardrums. The room mixed into a haze of wood and gold. It all made sense now. Why I felt nostalgic around Jinichi. Why I never felt an attachment to the world I lived. "This is where I belong," I whispered. I pushed the blankets off me and stood. My legs wobbled. Jadeite reached over to catch me but I held up my hand. "No." I planted my feet firmly on the ground and steadied myself. "Let no one else know I lost my memory."
He pressed his lips together and bowed. "As you wish."
I took a deep breath. "I need to know everything that is going on. Assume I know nothing about this world and the people in it."
He half laughed. "That's going to be a long conversation."
"Then I pray you enjoy my company."
"Something like that," he replied with a slight smile. He held out his arm. "Well, Princess Rei, shall we go for a walk?"