Hey guys sorry for not updating in so long I had just started a new job not long after I updated chapter 8 and I really wanted to focus on that for a while because I really want to make it my career. But not only that about 2 months ago I fractured my neck and I needed some time to heal on that and I am still healing so this was honestly one of the last things on my mind the last few months and I so apologize for that, but I hope to be updating a lot more in the next few weeks thanks to a fan called "Andrea (Guest)" so thanks so much for reminding me and making me want to update again after so long xD Anyway enjoy chapter 9

Chapter 9

More than an hour had passed before Kyoko roused herself from her thoughts enough to sort through the gowns in the armoire, yet the soft velvets and fine linens could not sway her from her conviction that she was doomed. She stared dismally at the clothes that Lord Hizuri had purchased for her, finding no fault with them but knowing no joy in possessing them either. She saw before her eyes the luxuries every woman dreams of, yet she would have traded them all to another if that same one would have taken her place as the bride of Lord Hizuri. The hour was quickly approaching when she would have to submit herself to her husband, and at the present moment the thought of death held no great fear for her.

Having no particular preference in mind, she withdrew a pastel pink gown, trimmed with a light cream cording and tossed it on the bed. The prospect on joining her husband downstairs for their wedding dinner filled her with distress, but if she remained up here in the bed chambers, he might come looking for more than she was presently willing to give at the present moment all the more sooner. She had no wish to appear anxious for his touch, and began to hurry.

At her call, Kanae came in with a young woman named Maria, who had been brought from London, to serve as personal maid to the new Mistress, and Kyoko was left in her care. A scented bath was prepared and enjoyed. Her skin was gently patted dry, and a light, perfumed oil rubbed into it. The corset stings were tightened before Kyoko gently stepped into the petticoats. She then sat while Maria dressed her midnight hair in an elegant, upswept style, weaving pink and cream satin ribbons through the raven tresses and coiling them about a long, curling strand that was left to fall at her throat and the beginning swell of her breasts. Then it was time for the gown, and Kyoko was suddenly having second thoughts on her selection.

The bodice of the gown fit closely to her cinched waist. The sleeves were long and narrow, ending in a design of scrolled cream cording sewn into the fabric at the wrists. The neckline also had the same colour cording and this was where Kyoko was having the most difficulty. The deep neckline bared her chest in what seemed to her a most shocking display, barely rising over the blushing peaks of her breasts. Considering her aversion to her husband, the gown was a poor choice. He had, of course, during her illness seen a lot more than the gown revealed, and judging by the fine fit of her garments, he had not been the least bit embarrassed by her nudity. Still she was not of the mind to tease him now with the extravagant showing of her chest. With Maria in attendance, however, she could not put it aside for another, not when the girl had taken such care to coil the same coloured ribbons through her hair. Kyoko started to fret, wondering how to approach the subject tactfully, and her dilemma was complicated by Kanae's return.

Kanae eyed her mistress for a moment before a slight smile appeared on her face, "You look as radiant as the morning sun, My Lady."

"The gown is very lovely," Kyoko responded after winning the battle to steady her voice. "Yet is seems a little bit cold downstairs. I think perhaps I will be more comfortable wearing something else."

"No need for you to worry. I'll fetch you a shawl." Kanae went to the wardrobe and searched through it until she found one of white lace. She brought it to Kyoko with a shrug. "This one is the only one I could find and this one is so thin it will hardly keep you warm." Kanae said eyeing Kyoko then looking down at the beautiful lace shawl.

"It will do, I suppose," Kyoko replied maybe a little too eagerly and slipped it about her shoulders, purposefully pulling it high over her chest. Even a handkerchief would have been an improvement.

"Lord Hiz-" Kyoko paused, "My husband, where is he?"

"In the common room My Lady," Kanae informed her. "He is waiting for you."

Kanae's answer was enough to start Kyoko's insides churning with cold dread again. She drew in a long, slow breath and, gathering what courage she could, left the room. The high heels of her shoes echoed through the silent hall and marked her descent down the winding stairs. As she came around the last turn she caught the slow scrape-clop of her husband's footsteps coming into the tower.

When she stepped past the bend, he was there at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes could not penetrate the mask, but she felt his gaze, glide leisurely over her, taking in every detail of her appearance. Her heart refused to stop its wild thudding, and the last few steps became a test of nerve. She halted on the last stair before him and found that with the added height of the step, it was barely enough to match his. Her eyes had to raise slightly to meet the shining glimmer behind the eyeholes.

"Madam, I compliment you on your beauty." His hands raised and slowly lifted the shawl away from her shoulders. "However, since your beauty needs no other adornment, I prefer the simplicity of the gown."

He laid the shawl over the stair rail, and Kyoko saw the glint of his eyes as they dipped downward towards her chest. It took an extreme effort for her not to react and shield her chest from his perusal. Her heart beat so heavily, she wondered if he would notice how she trembled. In the next moment she knew he did.

"Come near the fire, Kyoko," he said gently. "You're trembling."

He stood aside not making any attempt to touch her, and Kyoko moved past him into the great hall. Near the hearth she perched rigidly on the edge of a chair, poised like a bird, ready to flee at the first sign of a threat. Considering her, Lord Hizuri poured some wine into a silver cup and handed it to her.

"This will help."

She sipped the wine, carefully keeping her eyes on the fire until the silence between them began to grow stilted and tense. Whenever her gaze moved to where he stood, she found the blank, featureless mask regarding her in mute appraisal. Nervously she took the glass and rose to meander about the room, pretending to admire or inspect a painting or carving here and a tapestry there, yet deliberately seeking an area safe from his eyes. There was none.

Thought the leather hood was blank, unsmiling, unfrowning, always void of expression, a thing that any bride would fear, she realized the greater fear by far was the unknown horror of what lay beneath it. Once long ago when she was young she had witnessed an older woman whose face had been half destroyed by buckshot, now her imagination ran rampant when she thought of the scars made by fire.

The awareness of his presence in the room was enough to unravel Kyoko's composure. Even his smallest movement made her start. Having found no place where she could escape his scrutiny, she returned to the hearth and sank into her chair.

"Do you find your rooms suitable?" The hoarse voice inquired as he filled her glass.

She tried to release her tension by letting out a long silent breath but knew she failed when her voice quavered. "They are... very nice. Thank you."

"Kanae has done a most remarkable job in setting the manor straight. It will be some time before it is finished, but at least we can enjoy a few of the comforts now. I must apologize for the earlier state of the mansion. I was staying here alone at the time of your mishap." He stated turning his head towards her.

"I... I must thank you for taking care of me." She replied in a low tone.

"My pleasure, madam." The rasping voice was unmistakably warm.

Kyoko's eyes briefly met the unseen eyes behind the mask, then quickly looked away again as her cheeks bloomed with colour. She had no need to be told what was on his mind, for the memory of her own nakedness and vulnerability caused her such excruciating shame she wondered if she would ever forget it. A long moment passed before she could subdue her embarrassment and make a reply. "I don't remember much of what happened... how you found me... or my illness.

He lowered himself stiffly into his chair. "I heard the hounds and realized someone was hunting on my lands. I followed the sound of their barking and found you. I brought you back here, and stayed with you until Kanae arrived. By then the fever was gone, and I knew you were better."

"And so, you proposed to buy me as a wife?"

"I assure you, madam, it was a temptation I could not resist."

Hatake came across the room and paused at the edge of the rug to announce with stilted dignity that dinner was about to be served. Lord Hizuri rose and stood beside her chair, again not touching her but comporting himself with the manners of a gentleman. Moving ahead of him at his invitation, Kyoko went to the table and then became aware that only one meal had been set out at the end closest to the fire.

"My Lord, there is only one place set," she stated the obvious with some surprise.

"I shall be having my dinner later, madam," he explained. His reasons for abstaining became clear, and she gratefully accepted the decision, since she had no wish to witness his unmasking. It would be hard enough to face him in the bedroom.

Sweeping aside the longer train of her gown, she moved to take her place. Her husband held her chair and after moving it forward, he paused for a long, endless moment behind her. She dared not glance down at her breasts or turn to look at him, for she was fearful of where his gaze was directed. Her heart throbbed in her chest until he finally moved away, to a seat at the head of the table. With a quick nervous glance downwards, Kyoko inspected her chest and was shocked to find that a rosy crest of one of her breasts was partially visible above the gaping neckline of her dress. In heated embarrassment she pressed the gown against her bosom and could not resist a comment.

"Is it your intention for me to display myself to anyone who may care to look, or should I place the fault with the gown?"

His laughter hissed through the openings of the mask. "I would rather you select your gowns with more care when we have guests and reserve such sights for my pleasure, madam. I am not an overly generous man in that regard. In fact, I could not abide the thought of another man having what I had claimed for myself, and since you appeared to have no preference in mind as to your suitors, I sought to bring my desires into fruition." He paused for a moment as he looked at her. "You had no one you preferred, did you?"

Kyoko averted her gaze as the image of Ren Tsuruga came into her mind, but she banished it as quickly as it had come. She hated the man. After all of his flirtatious proposals, he had been content to see her sold to someone else and had eagerly claimed his money when it was all done. She answered in a glum whisper. "No, My Lord, I had no preference."

"Good! Then I have no reason to feel any worry about snatching you from beneath the noses of the others." A chuckle sounded. "It was either them or me, and I think, madam, you are better off with me." His gloved hand rose briefly to make a point. "Take for instance that Abe Masenori."

"The old grey rat?"

"An appropriate name, my dear."

"What about him?"

"Did your father inform you, that his wife of thirty-odd years, fell to her death on the stairs? Some speculate he pushed her. If I had not given Mr. Sawara instructions to top all bids, you would have been dining with him tonight as his bride."

Kyoko stared at him as his words penetrated her mind, "You have obviously taken some time to learn about my suitors... Why?"

"I simply wished to be aware of your options, at least the ones your father presented to you, madam, and came to the conclusion that I was probably your best choice."

"Had you not instructed your servants to return me to my father, I might have been able to find employment and lead a quiet, modest life elsewhere."

"Madam, the likelihood of that was most unlikely. As a gentleman, I felt responsible for your welfare. I could not have let you go unescorted into danger."

"You could have found employment for me, or given me a position here. I am not unskilled at scrubbing floors or cooking a meal."

"That may well be true, my love, but think on this carefully. With you so close in my home, my restraint might have found its limits. Were you then willing to become my mistress?"

"No, of course not, but..."

"Then I see no need for further discussion on the topic." The subject was dismissed abruptly with his statement.

Though the cook was one of exceptional ability, Kyoko barely tasted the food. She ate slowly, knowing that the end of the meal will come far too soon for her comfort. She actually drank more wine than eat her meal, yet it failed to dull her nerves or worries. She delayed as much as possible but all too quickly it came to an end.

"I have some matters that demand my attention," Lord Hizuri announced as they left the table. "I will need a few moments to take care of them. Wait for me in your chambers."

Her spirit became a numb lump within her body as she as she made her way to the tower and slowly climbed the stairs. In the bedroom she stared at the huge, velvet-draped bed wherein her virginity would soon find its grave. It was for all its presence a lordly bed. The hangings could hold in the warmth and provide all the privacy a married couple would need on a cold winter's night... or muffle the terrified screams of a woman trapped in the arms of her husband...

Time went much too quickly for her liking. Kanae came to help her into her nightwear and folded down the covers of the bed to reveal the wide lace sheets and comforters. She did so discreetly and left as silently as she had come. Left truly alone in her misery, Kyoko paced the floor, praying desperately for the strength and fortitude that was required to face whatever lay before her, and perhaps even to be able to escape part of the horror she expected.

"Kyoko..."

With small gasp, Kyoko whirled to face the intruder that spoke her name. It gave her no comfort to find her husband standing just inside the door. She had not heard him enter, and the strangeness of that was lost in the depths of her turmoil.

"You startled me." The tremor in her voice could not be controlled.

"My apologies, Madam. You seemed engrossed in your thoughts."

Remembering the gossamer thinness, Kyoko gathered the dressing gown more closely about her and turned aside as her husband crossed to the hearth. She heard the chair creak slightly beneath his weight and experienced a mild relief that he did not immediately press her. Still, he was very near the precipice of hysteria and realized that she must get a firm grip on herself before she collapsed completely.

"I thought you would be later, My Lord," she murmured. "I need more time to prepare myself."

"You are beautiful just as you are, my love."

She moved to stand beside the chair across from his. "I think you know what I mean My Lord." When he made no comment, she took a deep breath to steady herself and plunged on. "I have heard something of the evils suffered by your family, and you make me wonder why you took me as your bride. You dress me in rich gowns and talk lightly of beauty when there has been so much bitterness in your own life."

He leaned forward, resting an arm across his thigh as he peered at her "Do you think it odd, madam, that I take pleasure in your beauty? Do you think me some perverted soul who would dress you in finery to torment myself... or you? Believe me I have no such intention in mind, just as one who has no talents can enjoy the masterpiece of a genius, the perfection of your appearance pleases me. I may be scarred, madam, but I am not blind." He sat back in the chair and examined the head of his cane, adding, "There is also a certain pride in the possession of a worthy piece."

She was fearful of rousing whatever dark angers there might be lying dormant in the man. His temper could prove to be more violent than anything she could handle, yet she couldn't resist a twist of sarcasm. "You seem well able to afford whatever it is you wish, My Lord."

"I have enough to meet my needs." He replied.

"With all that has happened to your family, would not revenge be the sweeter option? Have you the wealth to gain that as well?"

"Do not be misled, madam." His voice was quiet and subdued. "There is revenge and then there is justice. Sometimes the two meet as one."

The cold logic of his statement made her shudder. Almost fearfully she inquired," And your revenge... or justice... is it directed toward me... or my family?"

He countered her question with one of his own. "Have you done or meant ill, towards me."

"How could I? I never knew you before today."

He again considered and twisted the head of his cane. "The innocent have nothing to fear from me."

Kyoko moved to the hearth to warm her icy fingers, replying in a taut but desperate whisper," I feel like a fox in a trap. If you don't mean me any ill, then why? Why did you buy me?"

The masked head tilted upwards until she was sure the eyes behind the small openings, were resting on her. "Because I wanted you."

Her shaking knee's threatened to give way, and she sought the safety of the chair. It was a long moment before she regained control of her composure and straightened her posture. Her dressing gown afforded her little protection from the hearth's heat or the twin black holes that watched her. She vividly remembered the morning she had awoken in the very same bedroom she was in now to find herself with no clothes on and in the master's bed. However unplanned and innocent that event had been, this marriage was the result of her accident, and despite what he said, Kyoko was sure that the marriage had been the quirk of an evil mind intent on her complete destruction.

She spoke softly in a barely audible voice. "I believe you sent me back to my father because you intended to purchase me. It was your plan all along."

His gloved shoulders moved in a casual shrug as he admitted the fact. "It seemed the simplest thing to do. Sawara was given his instructions. He was to give the highest bid whatever the cost. You see, my love, your value to me I unlimited."

Her knuckles whitened as she clutched the ornately carved arm rest of the chair. She felt the heat of the fire on her cheek, but it failed to stop the coldness slowly spreading within her. "Were you so certain, then, that you wanted me?" She made a feeble attempt to laugh. "After all, you know nothing of me. I may prove to be a purchase you will regret."

"Whatever your failings, I doubt they will change the fact that I want you." His hollow chuckle held a note of mockery. "You see, I have become hopelessly entangled in my desire. You have capture my dreams, my thoughts, my fancy."

"But why?" She raised her voice in despaired confusion. "Why me?"

His answer was spoken in awed wonder. "Are you so unaware of your beauty that you are not aware of its effect?"

She shook her head in frantic denial. "I would hardly term the bidding at the auction as frenzied or eager. Consider Hiro Takahashi. Was not his money more important to him than taking me as his wife?"

Lord Hizuri's echoing chuckle filled the chambers of her mind. "Men have been known to hoard wealth and then have it turn them into paupers. Tell me, my dear, what good is gold if it cannot buy what a man desires."

She was thrown by his blunt honesty. "As your wealth has bought a bride for you?"

"Not just a bride, my dearest Kyoko, but one of my choosing... You!" He nodded his black hooded head slowly. "I could never have won you any other way. You would have refused my proposals as certainly as you rejected those that answered your father's call. Will you berate me for using my wits and wealth to obtain that which I desire?"

In a mild display of bravado, she raised her chin a little higher. "And what do expect of a purchased bride?"

He gave the slightest of shrugs. "What does any man expect of his wife... to give him ease and comfort, to hear him out and give him counsel when she can, to give him a friend and companion, and to bear him children in due time."

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him, unable to hide her amazement.

"Do you doubt my ability to sire children, my dear." He asked chidingly and also a bit dryly.

Blushing furiously, Kyoko glanced away. "I... I... didn't think you would want children, that is all."

"On the contrary, Kyoko. My self-esteem has need of a balm of sorts, and I can think of no greater happiness than for you to bear the fruit of my seed."

As quickly as the color had risen to her face it vanished leaving her ashen. "You ask much of me, My Lord," she replied unsteadily. "Before I was put up for auction, I wondered whether I could give myself to a man, who at best, was a stranger to me." She clenched her hand tightly to stop the shaking. "I know I am bound by my word, but it will be hard for me, for you are even more than a stranger to me." She raised her eyes to the blank staring holes in his mask, and her voice was a strained whisper as she stated, "You are everything I fear."

He came to his feet, and in the shifting firelight loomed large and menacing over his surroundings. His awesome presence filled the room, and Kyoko watched him with the same rapt attention as a mouse would give a stalking cat. Feeling his unswerving gaze, she clutched the dressing gown close about her throat and shrank back into her chair until finally he turned away from her. He moved to a table beneath the windows and taking one of the decanters that sat on the tray, poured an ample amount of wine into a crystal glass. The halting gait brought him back over to her.

"Drink this, " His eerie voice bade with a tired note when he held the glass out to her. "It will take the edge from your fear."

Though the wine at dinner had failed to ease her nerves, Kyoko obediently took the glass and raised it to her lips, glancing up at him as he waited. It blazed in her mind that the time to consummate their marriage was near at hand, and she was being made ready for the event. Seeking to delay the deadly moment, she sipped the wine slowly, stretching it life in the glass. Lord Hizuri was patient to the last and finally no drop of liquid remained to help her stay her execution. He took the glass from her trembling hand, set it aside, and reached out a hand to help her from the chair. The wine, however, had not been entirely wasted on Kyoko. It lent strength and courage to her less than steady nerves. She slipped sideway out of the chair, avoiding the gloved assistance much as she would a coiled snake. His massive form made her achingly aware of her own helplessness and the futility of trying to resist him, yet she moved back a step, poised to run if he came after her.

The hand dropped, and she relaxed slightly. She was wary of angering him and bringing him to a level of violence that would destroy her. Rape was no beginning to any marriage, but she could not bring herself to yield either. Her mind sought some idea that would hold him off in a peaceful fashion.

She looked up at him in desperate appeal, wishing she could see behind the black barrier of his mask, yet at the same time grateful she couldn't. "Lord Hizuri, if you will, allow me some time to know you and still my fears. Please understand," she pleaded. "I have every intention of fulfilling my part of the vows. Only I need time."

"I know mine is not the most desirable of appearances, madam." His tone was openly sarcastic. "but despite what you might think, I am not the brute beast to trap you in a corner and force myself upon you."

Kyoko found no encouragement in his statement. After all, they were just words, and she had learned long ago that a man's actions displayed his truer nature more than the things he said.

"I am as other men are, madam, with much the same desires. The very sight of you here in this bedroom and the knowledge that you are my wife wrenches my heart into a painful knot. My body aches to release the passion you have aroused in me. Yet I must accept the fact that your shock has been great and that you are bemused by the detail of your much-altered circumstances." He released a long halting sigh as if reluctant to continue, and there was no humor in his voice as he spoke. "As long as I have the strength to control what you stir in me, you need only make known to me your desires, and I shall seek to honor them. There is but one warning I give you. Though the mare I have purchased cannot be ridden, I would view her grace and beauty and thus salve my needs until she is ready to receive my hand and yield to me the full rights of her mate. Madam," his gloved hand indicated the heavy oaken door of the bedroom where a brass key brightly shone in the latch, "I ask you never turn that lock or otherwise bar the door against me. As you will have the freedom of this house and grounds, I too shall come and go as I please. Do you understand?"

"Yes, My Lord," she murmured, willing to yield to anything if it would hasten his departure.

He limped closer, and Kyoko felt the soft caress of his gaze. Fearing what might follow, she held her breath. His gloved hands reached out, and she steeled herself as his fingers plucked at the stings of her robe. He slipped it from her shoulders, and it fell in billowing waves to the floor, leaving the gossamer mist of her nightgown to provide modesty. It failed miserably in the firelight. The thin fabric clung like a translucent vapor, revealing the sleek curves of her hips and thighs and molding itself with greedy delight to the tantalizing fullness of her breasts.

"You needn't fear," his voice hoarsely rasped, "but I would like to see you as my bride before I leave. Loosen the gown and let me look at you."

" Time ceased to exist as Kyoko hesitated. She wanted to deny the request but knew that she would be foolish to test him after he had committed himself to such restrictions already. Her fingers shook as she unfastened the opening, and she stood in quaking silence as the gown slid to her feet. She could not meet the blank, inhuman gaze of the mask as it ranged with deliberate slowness over the full detail of her, pausing at length on the paled hued breasts and the slender curve of her hips. She fastened her gaze on a distant point and struggled to quell the shriek of utter panic that was building deep within her. If he touched her again, she knew she would break and crumble until she begged for mercy from him.

When it came, his hollow whisper was enough to make her flinch and stare in wide-eyed fear at the stark, emotionless mask.

"Get into bed before you catch a chill."

His command penetrated her paralyzed thoughts. Kyoko eagerly sought the covering of her gown and fled like a startled doe into the safe haven of the quilts. Sinking into the downy softness of the bed, she pulled the comforters up close to her chin. Lord Hizuri stood where she had left him, as if he fought some greater battle within himself. Cautiously she watched until he swung his heavily booted foot about and went to the door. The door closed as he left, and silence filled the room. Only the fading sound of his leaving remained, but it was enough to shred the young bride's emotions. In total relief and absolute misery, she sobbed into the pillow, paying no heed to the passing of the moon or darkness creeping over her room as the fire dwindled to a dull glow in the hearth.

End of Chapter 9