Urban Legend
Chapter Four
One Month Later
Regan stared out the window at the beautiful greenery as the jeep continued to climb the mountain road. The closer they came to their destination, the more her excitement grew. It had been nothing but work, work, work her entire stay in Toyama. This brief vacation would finally allow her some time to really get a taste of the culture and enjoy the beauty of this country.
"Oh! I think I see the hotel," she announced, pressing her index finger against the glass. "Right up there."
Kento, from the driver's seat, ducked his head to peer up through windshield at the building nearly swallowed by all the trees. "No, I don't think that's the one. That's too high up there. The one we're going to should be coming up soon."
Next to Regan, Robyn retrieved the brochure that had been floating around the vehicle the entire trip. She glanced at the picture on the front fold and then leaned over Regan to look at the building she discovered.
"Yeah, doesn't look like the same place."
Rowen glanced back from the passenger seat. He would have rather sat in back with the girls, but Kento's back seat wasn't exactly accommodating to people of Strata's height. "I'm sure there's a few different places. Lots of tourists come out here for the hot springs."
The jeep hit a bump in the road, jostling all of its passengers. To Robyn's other side, Ryo stirred from where he had fallen asleep, head practically cradled by his seat belt strap. Robyn hoped he wasn't going to sleep for the next four days; not that Wildfire didn't deserve the rest. The long shifts at work kept him pretty busy. They were lucky he managed to get any time off at all.
Behind them, Cye followed in his car, carrying Mia and Sage. Kento claimed he knew how to get there, so they let him lead the way.
"So, this isn't one of those places with a men's side and a women's side and you go into the water naked, right?" Regan asked.
"There are places like that," Kento answered, "but we're hitting one of the main tourist sites. They usually have one or two pools for everyone and you go in your bathing suit."
Robyn elbowed her friend. "You did bring one, right Rae? I know you do like getting naked, but this isn't the place."
"I brought one," Regan insisted. "I was just making sure."
"Too bad," Rowen said wistfully from the front. "I would have been okay without your bathing suit."
Regan and Robyn both kicked the back of his chair.
"Hey! Be nice to the upholstery," Kento complained.
"And Rowen!" Rowen added.
"Mostly the upholstery," Kento insisted.
"That's what you're dating," Robyn informed Regan as she nodded in Rowen's direction.
"Shut up, you love him, too," the darker-skinned woman retorted.
Rowen glanced back to grin at her and Robyn wrinkled her nose at him. It had been a month now since she found out her two friends had been seeing each other. The jury was still out on whether or not it was going to go anywhere or if the relationship was a good idea to begin with, since the involved parties called completely different countries their home. But Robyn was getting used to it.
Whether for good or ill, the relationship did result in Robyn seeing her friends more often. She often got invited out to movies with the couple and Sage—of which she would otherwise not see Halo at all, so that was nice. It still felt odd sometimes, like how Rowen turned most of his innuendos toward Regan now when they used to all be directed at her. Robyn was still trying to convince herself she was not jealous of that, nor did she miss it.
"Here it is," Kento announced, turning off the main road at a large street sign. They drove down a short path with tall trees standing at attention on either side. The road then opened into a large parking lot and, beyond that, a gorgeous construct that felt half modern hotel, half rustic cabin. It was a very inviting sight.
The several buses parked in the lot, however, were not.
"Oh boy," Regan said. "How many kids do you think are here?"
"Oh man, I bet Sage's face is priceless," Rowen said, glancing behind him. "I can tell you right now he is not going to want to stay here."
Cye's expression mirrored that sentiment. He was frowning slightly when they parked next to the jeep and he stepped out of the car. Sage's face was practically a thunderstorm as he stared at the buses. Though none of the party looked that excited at the prospect of sharing their vacation with several dozen teenagers.
"It might be fine," Kento said. "Maybe they have separate facilities for large parties. We might not have to see them at all. Let's at least check it out."
Unfortunately, when the group went to the front desk, they found this was not the case. The place was crawling with school-aged kids: in the lobby, in the halls, everywhere. Any hopes of having a quiet vacation were shattered with all the teenagers milling in every corner.
"Maybe they're leaving soon," Mia suggested hopefully while Kento, the one who had booked their reservation, talked to the front counter.
"At the beginning of a weekend?" Rowen countered. "Doubtful."
The overall morale of the group dropped lower the longer they stood in the lobby, immersed in the chaos of young noise and energy. A group of boys actually moved to give Sage a wide swath of space when he glared at them for talking too loudly.
After a while, Kento returned to the group, no papers or keys in hand. The desk clerk was still bowing in apology behind him.
"Okay, so here's our options: we can stay and make the best of it. They'll try to give us rooms as far away from the main group as possible, but these kids have pretty much taken over every level already. Our other choice is they'll let us cancel the reservation no charge if we want to just get out of here."
The group took a moment to ruminate on the possibilities.
"What about that place further up the mountain?" Regan piped up. "That place I saw from the road? Could we try that? Maybe since it's further away, they won't have as many people there."
Several eyebrows rose at the promise of a better option.
"I don't mind checking it out," Cye said. "It could be an adventure."
Several other nods confirmed the rest of the group agreed.
"Great, I'll let them know we're gonna go, then," Kento said. Sage was already fleeing for the exit in the wake of some tittering school girls.
Ryo awoke to the sound of a car door shutting. He had been left slumbering in the jeep until the group knew what they were doing. Wildfire stretched with a large yawn.
"Are we there?"
"We were, but the place is infested," Rowen said.
"With bugs?"
"Worse. Teenagers. We're gonna check out another place further up the mountain."
"God, I feel old," Kento said with a hint of disgust. "When did I start acting like such a geezer?"
"When we all started getting real jobs where we actually had to work for a living," Rowen said. "Now we only deal with other people's kids when we're paid to."
The hotel Regan saw didn't show up on the GPS map of anyone's phones, so Kento had to backtrack until they spotted it, higher up on the mountainside, and then seek out the only road that snaked through the hills to get to it. It was a beautiful drive, and the party rolled down the windows to let in the smell of fresh pine. Just when they thought they'd somehow missed a turn-off, despite their being no indication of another road on the map, the road widened to the right in the form of a small parking lot, and the hotel lay before them.
"Nice," Kento said as he pulled into the lot. "This is old school."
"Ryokan," Wildfire clarified after a moment. "More like a traditional, historical Japanese inn than a modern hotel," he added for Regan's benefit.
The outside did indeed have a traditional Japanese architectural style, heralding back a century or two. The hotel was broken into two sections, with a covered walkway connecting the two halves. Beyond, they could see a garden, and the edge of what looked like a hot spring. The building looked well kept, and most important of all, hardly crowded: there were only three other cars in the parking lot.
The group trouped to the main entrance, and the girls made noises of appreciation at the open, inviting communal space of the lobby. Wide windows showcased the greenery outside, and comfortable, low couches and chairs invited one to sit and admire the scenery. Sage visibly relaxed at the emptiness of the lobby, and the entire group as whole seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the stark and welcome change from their original hotel.
"Welcome, travelers."
An older gentleman with a kind smile stepped away from the front desk to bow a greeting to them, which they returned. "Can I interest you in a place to stay for the evening?"
Kento explained to him what had happened, and the short, old man listened with sympathy at the unexpected change of plans. He brightened when Kento asked if three rooms for three nights would be available, and ushered Hardrock over to the front desk to discuss the price and secure the rooms.
"My name is Yushin, and if you should require anything, you may ring the front desk."
"If we were interested in dinner…" Mia inquired politely, leaving it open-ended.
"Oh, yes! Because we are so far up the mountain, we offer all meals as part of the room rate. The eating area is adjacent to the lobby." He motioned to a large open walkway near the back of the building. "All meals are buffet style and there is a schedule of when we serve in the brochure." He nodded to the collection of papers and keys he had given Kento. "We also offer room service if preferred, at extra cost, and there is a full menu in each room."
When all was settled, Yushin pointed them in the direction of their rooms and the group filed out to retrieve their luggage. All hallways of the hotel were hardwood, giving the place a very rustic, old-fashioned feel. Once they found their reserved room numbers Kento passed out the keys; Mia and Cye received one, Robyn and Regan the second, and Ryo, Kento, Rowen, and Sage the third. Robyn and Regan's faced the guys' room while Cye and Mia's was the next door down the hall.
"Oh, my," Mia said as she entered her room. She put down her bag by the small cherry wood table with a tea set and containers of loose leaf tea. There was one large futon on a raised wooden platform in the center of the room, and the back wall was all windows which faced a garden and the forest beyond. A fine mist filtered in from the forest and snaked through the garden. "This place is beautiful."
Cye hummed an agreement as he came up behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'm glad Robyn made us all go on vacation," he said quietly.
Mia rested her back against his chest. "Me, too. I can't remember the last time we did anything like this."
He kissed her neck. "We'll have to remedy that, starting with this trip."
Four whole days and three nights alone with this man, and with no distractions. To Mia, it sounded like heaven. Perhaps the rest of the group could entertain themselves while she just kept Cye in bed all to herself for a day. Mia turned in his arms to face him and brushed her lips across his. "I hope you're not too tired from driving to stay up tonight," she whispered.
Cye grinned down at her. "For you, love, I can manage."
Across the hall, the four Ronins were unpacking. The room only had two futons on the upraised platform, but they were wide and would easily accommodate two people.
"This place is really empty," Ryo commented.
"Yeah, let's hear it for peace and quiet," Kento replied. He fell back on one of the futons and lay there like a dead man, limbs sprawled out. "Ugh, no more driving for me, I'm done."
Sage hit Kento's foot with his bag as he walked past. "It does feel a bit like this is all too perfect."
"This place is off the beaten path," Rowen said. "And it looks like our first pick was everyone's first pick. It's only Friday, too, and it's still early; more people might trickle in tonight or tomorrow morning. Stop being paranoid when a good thing falls in your lap."
Sage just continued to frown slightly. Especially when Rowen tossed his travel bag on the bed they were going to share. He knew Sage hated it when people put their luggage on the bed.
"For once in our lives, a bad stroke of luck turned into something good," Strata continued. "Let's just enjoy it while we can. We may not get another chance to take three beautiful women to a hot springs." Rowen stepped closer to his best friend, eye to eye and toe to toe. "Look me in the eye and tell me you do not want to see them in their bathing suits."
Sage narrowed his gaze at him. "Get your bag off the bed."
"Look at this! Everything is so close to the floor!" Regan cried happily as she surveyed the room. "It's so authentic! I love it!" She knelt in front of the tiny kotatsu and actually rubbed her cheek against the smooth wood surface. "Look at this adorable tea set! This room is perfect!"
"Glad you like it," Robyn said with less excitement as she dropped her bag next to the equally low futon. She flopped backward onto the mattress and found it to be pleasantly plush. Regan's coos of approval continued to fill the air as the redhead closed her eyes for a moment.
"Oh, they even gave us robes," Regan said as she opened the closet.
Robyn cracked an eye to see what her friend was looking at. "Yukata. You can pretty much just wear them around the hotel all day and night. You don't have to get dressed again until we leave if you want to."
Regan barked out a laugh. "That sounds awesome." She flopped on the bed beside her friend. "We're going to have so much fun, Rob!"
Robyn sighed and rolled over on her stomach. "Just promise me you won't spend the whole time sucking face with Rowen. I'd actually like to spend some time with the two of you at some point."
Regan placed a hand to her heart, eyes wide and innocent. "Me? I would never."
"Uh huh. If Sage doesn't hang out with us, I have no hope of talking to anyone while we're all out together."
Regan rested a cheek upon her palm. "What do you think of Sage, anyway?"
Robyn raised a suspicious brow. "I like him just fine."
"Only like?"
Robyn's jaw dropped in offense. "Are you trying to set me up with him? Is that why you're always inviting both him and me out with you?"
Her friend glanced away in guilt.
"Regan Sundari!"
"Come on, Robyn. Wouldn't it be so much fun? Best friends dating best friends? I think I chose a pretty hot guy for you."
"You don't get to choose guys for me! That's my decision!"
"If I left it up to you, you'd be single forever!"
Robyn's retort was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Everyone decent?" Kento's voice asked with humor.
With one last disapproving look, Robyn went to answer the door to find the rest of their group standing in the hall. Robyn stepped aside so they could wander in and everyone could talk with each other.
"Everyone's settled in. What do you guys want to do now?" Kento asked.
"All that talk about the buffet earlier made me hungry," Robyn instantly said.
"Dinner starts at six. What time is it now?"
Rowen glanced at his watch. "Almost 4:30."
Robyn sighed.
"How about we go to the hot springs," Regan suggested enthusiastically.
"We'll probably want to wait on that," Cye informed her. "The hot springs are hot. Trust me; you don't want to go in while it's still 70 degrees outside. Even at night, it's possible to overheat yourself if you're not careful."
"We could just wander around until dinner," Mia suggested. "We're all tired from the trip, let's just look around and relax until then."
That sounded good to everyone. They traveled back to the gorgeous hotel lobby and then into the second half of the building, where they found a cozy game room stocked with plush chairs and table tennis. It was empty, and the games looked like they hadn't been played recently. On the opposite side of the hall, they found the door that led to the springs and they all wandered out to inspect the facilities.
The pool was man-made, but designed to imitate a natural spring with carefully placed rocks and foliage. Instead of an oval shape, it snaked around to curve behind thick plants and rock structures, allowing several parties to sit in the springs and still enjoy some privacy from each other. Mia cooed over how gorgeous it was while Regan experimentally dipped her hand in the water. Cye was right; that was too hot to be sitting in on a summer afternoon, but it would feel amazing when the mountain chill of night settled in.
Beyond the springs, there was a dormant fire pit with benches and chairs. The property was cordoned off by a moderate stone fence and an iron gate. Ryo experimentally checked the lock and the door swung open. He stepped off the concrete and was immediately bombarded with the wilds of the forest. Thick brush and trees grew all around; the sounds of birds filled the air. Ryo took in a deep, appreciative breath. It smelled incredible. You didn't get this in the city. It made him nostalgic for his boyhood home in the woods.
"Hey, neat!" Kento called as he poked his head out as well.
Mia followed him out. "Looks like there's a bit of a trail from previous guests. We should go hiking tomorrow!"
Several others agreed with the idea as they stepped back onto the property and closed the gate behind them. The group then spent the rest of their time lounging around the cold fire pit, chatting and relaxing until it was time for dinner services.
The food at dinner was just as pleasing and rustic as the rest of the hotel. Everything had a warm, rich taste to it. Rowen commented that it was like eating food straight out of a Ghibli movie. It did sort of make them all feel like they had been spirited away to a different world, far up here in the mountains.
There did seem to be a few other guests at dinner, but the group hardly noticed. They were having too much of a good time eating and enjoying each other's company.
After dinner, they retreated to their respective rooms to change for the hot springs. It was already growing dark outside. In the city, they would have nearly two more hours of sunshine, but up here, the mountains blocked the light as soon as the sun began to set.
Regan tied the sash around her yukata after admiring her bathing suit in the mirror. There was probably a more Japanese way of tying it, but this was good enough. She wouldn't be wearing it for long. The hotel issued robes were all light blueish-gray in color. Nothing too flattering, but very comfortable.
Robyn stepped out of the bathroom in a single piece suit. It was something she had purchased for the trip to Japan and the first bathing suit she had owned in her entire adult life. She had never been all that comfortable showing a lot of skin, no matter who the company was.
"Oh, that's cute, Robyn," Regan encouraged. "It really fits your body type."
"Thanks." Robyn hardly paid much mind to the compliment. She was already turned around to face the bathroom mirror as she put her hair up.
She saw Regan's reflection slip up behind her. "Wow, this suit makes your boobs look fantastic. Are they bigger than mine now? When did that happen? Let me see."
Robyn swatted her away as Regan tried to grope her chest from behind. "Get off me, lezbo! Go feel up your boyfriend's chest."
"I think we can both agree his are not as good as yours."
Robyn couldn't help but snort at that. Regan saw her opening and attacked again. This resulted in quite a few feminine squeals and cries.
"Stop, I'm sensitive there!"
"You know you like it."
"Get away from me!"
"It's not like I haven't felt them before."
"Don't say that so loud!"
"Someone's got to feel them up; you won't let a man do it."
Then, there was a knock at the door.
"Ladies," Rowen's voice sang. "Do you need some help?"
Regan immediately stopped her assault and merrily danced toward the door.
"Wait! Wait!" Robyn cried, scrambling to grab a yukata to cover up.
Regan didn't wait. Robyn was still tugging the robe over herself as she opened the door.
"Sounds like you were having an interesting time in here," Rowen said as he leered down at Regan, taking her all in. "I hope you weren't having fun without me."
"Sorry, but it was a no-boys party," she bantered back.
"Pity. How about, instead, you show me what you've got on under that?"
Regan gave him a scolding look while simultaneously untying her robe to flash her high cut bikini at him.
Rowen gave her a low whistle. "Nice."
"I second that," Kento teased with a wink as he walked passed.
That actually made Regan blush a bit as she re-tied her robe. Though she was dating Rowen, all his friends were good-looking and it made her face warm when one of them flirted with her.
"Maybe we should just forget the springs and stay in this evening," Rowen said lowly in her ear, one finger tugging at her sash.
"You have no shame," Regan accused, leaning in closer.
"None."
Robyn made a disgusted noise as she shouldered past them into the hall with her towel.
Sage and Ryo emerged from their room, all in the same color yukata, as Kento pounded on Cye and Mia's door. "Hey, stop making out in there. It's time to go!" He turned to jab a finger at Regan and Rowen's direction. "You, too!"
Regan made a sheepish face as she fetched her own towel and joined them in the hall. Mia and Cye came out a bit later, a little dreamy eyed and disheveled, indicating there had definitely been some canoodling going on behind closed doors.
So far, the springs seemed to be empty. The other guests were probably still eating and waiting for the air to cool a bit more. There was still a tiny bit of sunlight peeking through the trees, but it was fading fast.
While everyone was setting their things aside near a group of chairs, Robyn approached the side of the springs, taking in its serenity. It really almost felt like they were out in the wilderness with all the rocks and the foliage. She was about to dip her toe in to test the temperature when someone grabbed her from behind.
"I think they did get bigger than mine!" Regan exclaimed, sizing the redhead's breasts with both palms.
Robyn froze, her mouth open in a soundless cry. Then she finally managed a scream, shoving Regan off her with a single, hard push and forcing her into the water with a splash.
If anyone had missed the show, they were all watching now as Regan burst from the water. "Hot! Hot!" she gasped, trying to wipe water and hair from her face.
Robyn had since retreated to another part of the pool area, arms protectively around herself.
"Now, now, children," Cye said as he calmly stepped into the water. "Let's behave ourselves. We don't want to be the teenagers spoiling someone else's vacation, do we?"
Regan felt her way to the side of the pool to be met with Rowen, sitting on the edge, feet dangling in the hot water. He offered her a towel and she wiped her face and tried to dry her hair a little.
"The water becomes you, my dear. That drowned rat look—sexy."
She smirked at him, and then took another look. Although they had been more or less officially dating for a month, this was the first time either had seen the other showing that much skin. Damn. She just assumed Rowen was lean beneath his shirt; she didn't expect a pack of well-defined abs under there.
"Like what you see?" he teased in a low voice.
"Hardly," she shot back, throwing the towel at him and then wading off to find a place to sit. Rowen was still smirking as he slid in all the way and followed her, sitting next to her. He threw an arm around her shoulders despite her dampness and let her cuddle up to his side.
Once everyone else had settled, Robyn felt it safe enough to enter the pool herself. She slipped into the space between Kento and Sage, keeping a sharp eye on Regan as she did so. Her friend, however, was more interested in flirting with Rowen and discovering his muscles to pay any attention. So Robyn closed her eyes, breathing deep and taking in the mossy, foggy smell of the hot springs.
"Aaand we've lost half our group," Kento observed as both couples seemed more intent on snuggling with each other than paying attention to anyone else. In the distance, another couple had slipped into the water, also embracing in the mist.
Ryo was frowning at them all with a bit of jealousy.
"Bummer being single again, huh?" Robyn asked in general. She still didn't know much about Ryo's previous relationship aside from the fact that it was the girlfriend who had ended it with him and Ryo was still having a hard time getting over it.
"Nah, I'm loving the single life," Kento said, though the question was clearly meant for Ryo. But perhaps he had answered for Ryo's benefit. Hardrock stretched his arms above his head and then relaxed deeper into the pool. One arm draped casually over the poolside behind Robyn's shoulders.
"You guys have no idea how great it's been not having Fumi around. It's quieter; I'm not as stressed out all the time. I can go out and do what I want without someone asking me where I am and who I'm with every five minutes. I get my bed back to myself. It's heaven."
Ryo looked down a little as Kento listed off the last thing, but didn't say anything and his face remained mostly neutral.
"Just out of curiosity, was this girl really that bad?" Robyn asked.
"That's what I keep asking," Mia said, having noticed the conversation.
"What I can put into words doesn't even scratch the surface of the level of weirdness I had to put up with. You only met her that one time you and Cye had dinner with us. You know what Fumi told me afterward? She said I shouldn't see you guys anymore because Mia, and I quote, 'looked at me.'"
"I see."
"Work was a nightmare. I would text her my schedule and then she would... test me? She would ask me if I was free on days when I worked to see if she could catch me lying. Or she'd just show up at the restaurant expecting me to be standing right at the front door with open arms, waiting for her. If I was stuck working in the kitchen, there would be hell to pay until I would come out and prove I was working and not banging some chick behind her back."
"Were you?" Robyn snorted.
"No! Never! I'm not going to do that to the girl I'm with!"
"And you stayed with her that long why?"
"She seemed downright normal when we first started dating. Only a psycho in the sack, if you know what I'm saying."
Sage made a distasteful face, but Robyn broke up laughing.
"But these guys can agree, the crazy kind of snuck up on me and I started getting used to it," Kento continued. "Until one day, I woke up to find myself in this stressful, poisonous relationship and I realized I was not happy at all. I had to end it."
"We almost had a party," Ryo chuckled, now getting more into the story.
"I didn't realize I hadn't seen her at full crazy until I broke up with her. I'll have to show you some of her texts that I still have on my phone."
"Oh man, I feel like there's so many more stories about this," Robyn grinned. Sage's cool hand touching her cheek surprised her.
"You're beginning to look a little flush," Halo told her pragmatically. "You probably shouldn't sit so far into the water."
Since Regan's earlier "attack" had made her a bit body-conscious, Robyn had been slouched in the hot water up to her neck. She slowly rose up, folding her arms across her chest as she glanced at her own cleavage. Boobs were stupid. She hardly had any to speak of in high school. Then, when her adult life became more stable and she was able to start putting some weight on her skinny body, suddenly they were in the way whenever she tried to turn the page of a book or open a cupboard.
Sage climbed out of the pool, padding over to a corner that contained towels and a spigot built into the ground. He came back with a cold, wet cloth and placed it on the crown of Robyn's head before reclaiming his seat.
Robyn hadn't realized that she was nearing overheat territory until she felt that coolness. "Thank you."
Sage just nodded at her, giving one of his rare smiles before he sat back, elbows propped up on the edge behind him. That action made Robyn aware of the blond's lean, but well-muscled form. But they were all like that, weren't they?
In the years she had last seen them, they had all grown taller, broader, bigger. They took up so much space now; not just physically, but by their presence. In her absence, they had found more confidence, both in themselves and in dealing with the people around them. When she thought of these things, it made her feel quite privileged to be around them.
"Aw, look at Sage taking care of Robyn," Regan whispered to Rowen as she watched from a few feet away. "Aren't they cute together?"
Rowen shrugged after scrutinizing the scene. "I guess..."
She elbowed him. "Come on, wouldn't they make a cute couple?"
"A cute—" Rowen paused as a light bulb flashed in his brain. "Ooh, so that's why you keep insisting I always invite Sage. You're being sneaky."
"I'm helping out a friend who could use a little romance in her life. Besides, it would be fun: you and me, Sage and Robyn. It would be so perfect."
Rowen could practically see her daydreams of them picking out similar houses next door to each other, all of them having children the same age. Hell, probably sharing the same wedding ceremony. It was so comical he almost laughed.
"Just don't tell Sage about how you've planned out the rest of his life. He hates people making decisions for him. He could be head over heels for Robyn and he'd leave her just to spite you."
"I'm sure he's not that bad."
"You should ask his family. They're all hounding him for marriage and kids. In response, Sage stopped dating completely. He'll probably take a vow of chastity and become a monk if they don't leave him alone soon."
Regan laughed outwardly while, internally, she still hadn't given up hope.
The group talked and laughed for over an hour until it became apparent they were all getting too warm for the water. A few of them would sit up on the side of the pool until they cooled down, then another member or two would do the same. Even though it was dark now, the night was still very humid.
It was Mia's suggestion that they eventually get out and move over to the now crackling fire pit. There was a look in her eye that implied she had plans for them.
With the hot water and the warm night air, most were not in a huge hurry to find a towel or get in their robes. Despite the summer weather, Robyn still hugged herself and shivered a little as she went to locate her towel. She hated being wet and feeling exposed. And where did she leave that thing?
Suddenly, comforting warmth embraced her as Ryo wrapped her in a towel from behind. "Got you covered, Robyn."
"Ha, that's kinda punny, Ryo."
"I guess it is, isn't it?" He laughed. He was still hugging her and Robyn enjoyed it. Though Robyn had the distinct impression the embrace was more for him than for her. She allowed it as long as he needed.
Eventually, everyone gathered around the fire pit, dressed in robes and flip flops. Mia had hustled herself off back to her room for a moment, but returned quickly with a book in her hand.
"What's that?" Regan asked when the brunette sat herself down next to her.
"A book of urban legends and ghost stories," Mia beamed. "It's a Japanese tradition to read ghost stories in the summer. They say getting the chills will help keep you cool in the hot weather."
"Oh, that's neat. I've never heard of that."
"There's also an ancient ceremony called the Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai-The Gathering of 100 Ghost Stories. Of course, it's a little difficult to do as it requires 100 people. What you're supposed to do is wait until it gets dark, then everyone lights a candle. One by one, each person tells a ghost story or kaiden and then blows out their candle. It becomes darker and darker until the last candle is blown out. Then, they say you will still see one light glowing in the blackness. This is from the spirit you summoned."
"Cool!" Regan peered over Mia's shoulder as she flipped through the book to find a story. The pictures were charcoal sketches, and she pulled the robe tighter around her with a shiver of excitement when Mia paused at a sketch of a woman with no face.
"That's a big ass book, Mia. We should get some s'mores for this, we might be here for awhile," Kento suggested.
Regan smirked. "Kento, you know the fire is only for pancakes."
The group erupted in laughter; even Ryo. Regan squirmed with pleasure when Rowen dropped his head on her shoulder as he laughed.
"Dammit, I didn't bring any pancake mix," Kento lamented.
"All you need are berries and leaves, we could make it happen," Robyn teased, winking at Ryo.
"This'll follow me to my grave, won't it?" Ryo asked, but his smile was genuine.
"Undoubtedly," Cye chuckled. "Mia, why don't you go first, darling?"
"The keeper of all knowledge," Kento intoned in a dramatic, movie trailer rumble. "Mia Koji-soon-to-be-Mouri."
"Teller of tales," Ryo added in an equally gravelly tone.
"Guardian of ancient legends," Rowen finished in a deep voice.
Mia blushed and laughed self-consciously, especially with the way Cye regarded her from where he'd sat with Kento. She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked down at the book in her lap. "Thanks, guys," she said, almost shyly. "I'll start with a fairly common one, but I still find it pretty creepy. Especially when I'm alone at the house." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if to slip into the role of revered storyteller the men bestowed on her.
"You are never more vulnerable than when you are alone in the bathroom," she said softly, although her voice easily carried to the group. "Using the restroom, or in the shower, when you're not fully dressed and your guard is down. Perhaps you stayed late at work, and you need to use the restroom before going home. The public restroom is empty and all the stall doors are open. You choose one and close the door. You can hear nothing but the sound of your own breathing and the faint squeak of the soles of your shoes.
"And then a man speaks … from the stall right next to you. "Do you want the red paper … or the blue paper?" You're startled, and afraid. You lean down to peer across the gap in the stalls, and there are no feet, no legs; nothing. "Excuse me?" you ask weakly."
Mia's voice changed from the hesitant notes of a sheep to the sly tone of a wolf. "He repeats the same phrase. "Do you want the red paper … or the blue paper?" Your heart pounds. You don't know whether to bolt out of the stall or stay put. You didn't hear anyone come in; where is he? Weakly, you respond. "…blue?" You hold your breath. It's silent again. You can't even hear him breathing.
"And then your stall door unlatches and opens with a long creeeak. A tall figure in a red cape rushes inside the stall and pounces on you, cold fingers wrapping around your throat and squeezing. You can hardly fight him, he's so heavy; it's getting harder to breathe. As your vision blackens, you see it: Aka Manto's terrible grin."
A hush fell over the group when Mia finished. Her eyes gleamed in the firelight, and she gave them a crafty smile.
"What happens if you choose red?" Regan whispered.
"He slices you open." Mia mimicked the movement on Regan's side and she yelped, and then laughed.
"What if you choose a different color?" Robyn asked.
"He drags you to hell."
"Like you do," Kento said at the same time Cye muttered, "I always found that a little extreme."
"All hail the storytelling queen!" Ryo mimed bowing down, with Kento and Rowen following suit. "I don't think anyone can top that."
Rowen gestured for the book. "I know I can't, but I'll give it a try."
"You are dramatic enough," Sage said dryly.
He ignored Halo as Mia passed him the book. He closed his eyes, flipped through the pages, and stopped at a random page, thumbing back a few to find the beginning of the story. "Oh man, I would find this one." Strata read from the book where Mia didn't have to before.
"The trains of Tokyo are traveled by millions every day." His voice slipped into a deeper timbre as he took on the role of narrator. "Accidents happen along those rails, and the world moves on. But some accidents leave an imprint … a stain. Some victims remain, and enact vengeance on those around them for their untimely fate.
"The last train of the night leaves in fifteen minutes, and you rush into the subway to make it in time. So fast, in fact, you have five minutes to spare. You catch your breath, and notice the platform is completely empty. That's odd; there's always a handful of people, no matter the time of day. But it's deserted now. A few of the fluorescent lights flicker, and in the distance, you can hear the squeal of the train wheels, though it's far away yet. All is silent otherwise.
"You hear it then. A faint dragging sound, as if someone were dragging a sack behind them. You see nothing on either side of you, but the noise persists … until it's a scratching sound. Teke teke."
Rowen then mimicked the sound so well that all three girls jumped. Strata didn't smile, but he winked at Regan. "You see her then. A girl, to your right. She's low to the ground, as if she'd fallen, and you start to help her up when you realize she has no legs and she's pulling herself … digging her elbows into the tile, grasping with her fingers, and dragging her legless torso toward you. You can't see her face through her stringy black hair, but she sees you looking, and stops. You're frozen; you'd have to run past her to get to the escalator, and the emergency stairs are so far behind you. Before you can do anything she's dragging herself forward at a rapid speed, fast, and you nearly trip as you run to get away from her. You can hear her gaining, somehow gaining on you as you run for the stairs—
"She grabs your ankle and you fall. Hard. The girl climbs on you. You don't know where she got the blade, but before you're done with your first scream she is slicing into you torso to cut you in half. Just like her."
Rowen closed the book. Robyn had pressed herself against Sage's side, a portion of the robe bunched up and pressed against her mouth. He didn't seem to mind; in fact, he still looked caught up in his own thoughts, staring off into the distance with a faintly troubled expression. Rowen noticed that Rae had her feet up on the seat, and when he made to grab her ankle, she dropped them to the ground and leaned away from him as he grinned cheekily.
"Who's next?"
"I got this." Kento rose and took the book from Rowen. "That was messed up, by the way." He chose one at random, too, and adopted the tone of voice one would expect from a preteen dramatically reading a ghost story before a campfire. "Japan is filled with beautiful scenery, mountain ranges, trails, and forests. It is understandable that you would want to explore it, even strike out on trails you've never seen before." He raised an eyebrow and glanced at everyone. "One day you do this; it's a warm, gorgeous day, and though the trail isn't well-worn, it's manageable enough. You're miles from civilization, but then you see it: An eroded wooden sign, sticking up out of the foliage. You get closer to read the faded words, and they say: "The constitutional laws of Japan do not apply here." You think nothing of it, and move on.
"Until you get to the village. You see rundown houses and buildings, all overgrown, and yet there are people … and they are unlike anyone you've ever seen. The things you see them do—the blood, the screaming of their victims—make you scramble for your phone, but there is no signal—your phone is dead. You turn to flee from these monstrous people, but the path dead ends and the trail is gone. When you turn back around … they are waiting for you."
"Nice," Ryo grinned.
"I haven't heard that one in a long time," Rowen confessed.
"Is it based on a real village?" Regan asked.
"Some people say yes, others say no one's actually seen it," Kento answered. "Inunaki Village is supposed to be this isolated town filled with certifiably batshit crazy people. We have a lot of scary stories about abandoned villages in Japan."
"India's fond of those, too. There's a large village in Rajasthan called Kuldhara, where the entire population—1500 people—disappeared overnight. No one really knows why."
"For real?" Kento asked.
Regan nodded. "In 1825. It's supposedly cursed and haunted. They call it 'the village of death.'"
"Tell them an Indian urban legend," Robyn encouraged. "That one that scared you and Jude when you were kids."
Regan laughed. "Oh, yes. All right, I'll try to do the stories so far justice." The brunette leaned forward and looked up at the night sky for a moment. "It's late at night; much later than now. Warm and muggy, like it often is in southern India. You go to bed with the windows open, but you can't sleep. So surely you would have heard footsteps on the creaky wood porch, but you don't—yet someone knocks on the front door. Two raps. It's after midnight, and a knock on the door that late is never welcome news. You rise and call, "Yes?" There is a hesitation, and then the voice comes.
"The voice of your mother. "Sweetheart, I know it's late, but it's urgent. Can I come in?"
"Your amma—your mother—lives hours away. What is she doing at your door in the middle of the night, without calling first? You open the door in confusion. And the old witch in the ragged cloak begins to laugh her croaking laugh at you, laughter that rings in your ears and through your windows long after you slam the door shut and flee to your room in terror.
"You thought you dreamed her up after you finally fell asleep. But the next afternoon, as you step into the street and see the car racing right for you, you hear her laughter as it takes your life."
Rowen looked disturbed. "The voice of your mom?"
Kento pointed at her. "That's messed up, and I don't want to hear anymore Indian urban legends."
The group laughed. "That's the Nale Be witch of Bangalore," Regan explained. "Opening the door to her meant your death within 24 hours. If you wrote "Nale Be" over the top of your door—come tomorrow—she would pass you by."
"See, Kento, your mom's not even going to know what it means, you can probably scribble that over your door and she won't even know."
"Shut up, Rowen. Ryo, you want to go next?"
"That was great!" Mia sighed happily as Cye closed the door to their suite. "I love that everyone participated. Oh, I wish we could do this more often." She set the book on top of her suitcase and wandered the suite for a moment, still wrapped snugly in her robe, the material soft and exquisite against her skin. The creepy stories, the company of her boys, and the kindling friendship of the girls made Mia feel lighter than air and not at all tired. She could still feel the heat of the fire warming her skin.
"We will. It's good for us all to get away and rejuvenate, even if it's for a few days."
Mia turned to watch Cye remove his robe, still in his swim trunks underneath. The low lighting enriched the color of his bronze hair and fell over his strong back, that trim waist. Her eyes followed the line of his body, admired his chest and taut stomach. Cye had a swimmer's body; lean, yet so much stronger than he looked. Kind and compassionate and concealing a will of iron and a protective streak a mile wide.
And he was hers.
"I must admit, I like having you alone just as much," she said softly.
Torrent watched her approach him, still wrapped in her robe. He breathed in slowly when her fingertips trailed up his stomach, and then her hand flattened to travel up his chest. "All to myself," she whispered. Mia wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.
Cye's pent-up longing broke free and he plundered, hands in her hair as he tasted her again and again. Mia whimpered and set his blood on fire. He pushed the robe from her shoulders and it dropped to the floor as he kissed and nipped his way down the smooth column of her neck.
"This bathing suit drove me crazy all night," he said hoarsely, his hands running over the material, dragging down her bare stomach and to her bikini bottom. He lifted her off the ground effortlessly. With a breathless laugh, Mia wrapped her long legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed.
"Feel free to take it off me," she said huskily.
"That won't be the only thing I do to you," Cye promised.
The crescent moon filtering through the fog creeping across the grounds of the inn looked on as the lovers lost themselves in each other.
