Dear readers, breathe deeply and fasten your seat belts. A dizzying journey awaits us, and I pray that we all survive in the end XD
CHAPTER 10
He could tell that something had changed dramatically. From the strange exhilaration that accompanied her first orgasm, Kuon knew he was no longer alone. With each ecstasy that followed in the next days, he realized that it was as if her soul had detached itself from her body for a second, in which both shared the same immaterial plane and could truly touch each other.
Kyoko, for her part, was not the same either. Taking advantage of the fact that the restoration in progress would not allow her to do much, she finally faced the occultism session of the local library and was surprised to discover that the area dedicated to the subject was the largest of them all.
Kuon watched her immerse herself in the books about spirits with the resolve that characterized her, even though they both knew that what was happening between them was unprecedented.
"Well, it looks like you're stuck"
{Yes}
"All the books say the same thing: a spirit only does not make the passage when it is attached to something. It can be a person or lineage, an object or an idea"
{Yes}
"Do you know why you stay here? I mean, there?"
{No}
"Is there anything I can do to help you?"
{Yes}
"Do you know what?"
{No}
"The legend speaks of a curse that will be broken with the return of your promised bride. Well, either your bride is not me, or I'm doing something wrong"
Until then, Kyoko's idea for them to talk was working well: one touch for "yes", two for "no", and three for "maybe". Everything else that Kuon meant, he did through his feelings and intentions.
Far from bothering with such a communication strategy, Kyoko finally felt perfectly in tune with someone and free from the anxiety that used to accompany her during interaction with other people. Being eager to please, she has always suffered the hardships of trying to decipher the riddle of people, especially when it came to discerning where the truth was in what they said and did.
On the other hand, with Kuon everything was very simple: she knew when he was happy, angry, disappointed, confused, bitter and excited. There were no lies or false intentions to consider. That is, Kuon was more real than Sho and Hikaru ever were.
Kyoko knew when the restorers annoyed him, when he laughed at Bo's mischief, that he loved to tease her and to see her blush and that he yearned for the end of the day, when they would sink together into the bathtub.
"I really am a horrible person!"
Her thoughts led her back to a dark place, where she wondered if she really wanted him to break free. If he left, she would be completely alone.
Kuon knew what tormented her because of their bond. She only meant well and struggled every day so that he could break free, he was sure of that, but she was also distressed at the thought that they could separate, which moved him.
He wanted to tell her how many ways she had transformed him. She had come back to him, that was all that mattered. Not even breaking the curse was a priority given the chance to be with her. In fact, he was also tormented by the idea that they would be separated if he were to let go of that intermediate plane. Even if he could reincarnate immediately, they would be twenty-eight years apart in age.
On the other hand, Kuon knew there was a whole life he could never give her. Children, for example. Thinking like that, would not it be better if he left at once, before she became even more attached to him?
Weeks later
The restoration entered its final stage, which frustrated Kyoko. The days when she could spend hours in the library of the city or researching in her room with Kuon were at the end, and the feeling she had was that she did nothing but go around in circles.
That was when she received Sawara's visit and the second unexpected gift.
"Good morning, Miss! I have something for you!"
She shuddered involuntarily and blushed. The other time he said this, she began a platonic relationship that quickly evolved into a torrid romance with a ghost.
{Keep these thoughts for later, my lady, so I can make good use of them}
It was difficult to interact with anyone. Kuon had taken the habit of provoking her in all the sensual ways he could fathom whenever she stopped working to pay attention to someone. The only exception he made was when she spoke to Bo, who seemed to have finally forgiven her for the drunkenness episode.
"Stop it, Kuon!"
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"Just thinking out loud. What were you saying, Mister?"
"Oh, yes!"
Sawara handed Kyoko a small wooden box and lifted the lid. Its contents made Kuon take an involuntary step back.
"Wow, it's beautiful!"
{And brings bad memories}
"Yes, and it belonged to Kyoko Mogami! They say that this stone is magic..."
First, she was intrigued. It was the second time Sawara had given her something that belonged to the late Kyoko, but this time it was not a replica. Then she almost revealed her tendency to believe in magic, courtesy of Kuon.
"Then I cannot accept it, sir. In fact, I would never accept a gift like that from a man who is not my father or my husband"
{A wise decision}
"Why, but I'm not giving it to you! No, I could not! It's just a... loan!"
{Oh, this is looking like Druid's scheme to me…}
"A loan? For what?"
"Well, I do not know that. I just know that it is stated in the specifications that you should receive this stone"
"What specifications?"
{The Druid's specs to get me out of here}
"The specifications that have been passed from curator to curator over the generations. The Mogami, Takarada and Hizuri II properties were left without heirs, so there is a manual that determines how each property should be managed. In the case of Hizuri II, the rules are clear: a single housekeeper at a time, young and single"
"What is this palace? Your private love lair?"
It was the first time Kyoko realized how suspicious the prerequisites of her job was.
{Do not be jealous, my lovely lady. You're the only one for me}
"Hm? Did you say something, Miss?"
"I just thought aloud again, sir. It's a very bad habit of mine. Sorry to interrupt. Please proceed"
"Well, no curator has ever passed the stage of housekeepers' selection, so imagine my pride to have been the one to deliver the Master's portrait as specified!"
"Wait... wait a minute. Are you telling me that someone determined that that picture should be delivered to me?"
{Not 'someone': the Druid}
"Precisely. Just as it was determined that this stone should be given to you"
"Determined by whom?"
{I really think we should use an Ouija board. I'm tired of repeating myself}
"I never knew. You see, all this was written in a legal document, signed by the sovereign at the time. No record was made on who did what, and as the sovereign himself signed, I never asked questions. The king's orders must be obeyed without questions, my friend"
"I see... and what exactly does this document say?"
"Hm, I think there's no harm in telling you. First, there are the specifications for the profile of housekeepers"
"Ridiculous, by the way" She finally understood where she had gotten herself into. Sawara just smiled awkwardly and continued to speak.
"Then there is the determination to deliver the replica of the portrait and the stone to the housekeeper who had fulfilled the requirements"
"What is this? A school's treasure hunt?"
While Kyoko was annoyed that she had not asked such questions before, Kuon was intrigued by the new information. He wished he had known that the Druid had done more than simply say a few words in his castle before disappearing.
(Kuon would never forget that day. The Druid's mourning was so visible that the man seemed to have aged twenty years in a few days. No wonder: he had lost three loved ones in a short time.
"Kuon, I know you can hear me. I took precautions to make sure you have a second chance with your fiancée. Do not ruin everything, young man. When she returns, everything will be fine, I promise. Everything that is wrong will be fixed")
Kuon returned to the present moment to see Sawara laugh at Kyoko's comparison.
"Yes, I also thought that when I took over as the curator of this castle! I just did not imagine it would be so fun to observe you fulfill each one of the requirements, and even have the same name as the promised bride!"
"I'm glad one of us is having fun!" Sawara did not hear Kyoko's sarcastic murmur. "And now, what else do I have to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"What other requirement do I need to fulfill to win the next prize?"
"Why, but they are not prizes!"
"They are not?"
"No! They are clues!"
{Clues?}
Kyoko was beginning to think she was in the middle of a bad joke orchestrated by a mentally disturbed person with plenty of time to waste.
"Clues to what?"
"I do not know, but please promise me you'll tell me when you find out!"
He seemed so excited about the situation that it was almost funny. Not to mention that the confidence he placed in her ability to solve that mystery was disturbing.
"Okay, so I have a picture and a stone. What else?"
"Nothing more"
"…You're kidding me, right?"
"Unfortunately not. There are no more leads. Or, as you said, the 'prizes' are over"
"No more conditions to fulfill? Really?"
"Oh really. The specifications end with the delivery of the stone"
Kyoko was lost in thought for a moment, reflecting on how suspicious everything looked. Someone had predicted she would run for housekeeper in that palace. Someone wanted her to receive the portrait of Kuon and that stone, both owned by Kyoko Mogami. For what? And why her? Of all the doubts she had, at least for one the curator had the answer.
"What were the conditions that I fulfilled to receive the two clues?"
"The most difficult conditions of all: you stayed!"
She was in a bad mood and he was not much better.
Kyoko had already tried diving with the stone in the bathtub, but no mystical voice told her what to do. She had already put it in the fireplace, but no ancient inscription appeared. When all the famous references about what to do with a supposedly magical item were over, she resigned herself to carrying the stone with her. Maybe so something different would happen, after all, she was supposed to be special and the rock was the last "clue".
It was with such thoughts that Kyoko placed the stone in a small velvet bag that hung around her neck. She did not know why, but she sensed that she needed to keep it close to her heart.
End of Restoration
The magnificence of Hizuri II, newly restored, matched perfectly with Kyoko's image of Kuon.
According to the schedule stipulated by Sawara, the visits to the palace should start at the end of the month, which would leave Kyoko with little more than three weeks to receive all the objects removed from Hizuri II and stored for preservation. The idea was to give the palace its original appearance.
All items had historical value, but some were more valuable financially. Therefore, the next day a security team would provide Hizuri II with what the other castles in the vicinity already had: a strong scheme of cameras and sensors to ensure that nothing would be stolen or damaged.
Kyoko could hardly believe that day had finally come. The completion of her work. Of course, she would remain in Hizuri II as housekeeper, but the official purpose of her contract had been fulfilled. On the other hand, her unofficial mission remained unsolved. She did not feel closer to releasing Kuon than she was when she first stepped on Hizuri II.
Neither of them considered the possibility that there was no instruction for the use of the picture and the stone because no instruction was necessary. It was enough that one of the employees working on the palace thought that the portrait was the original to feel inclined to steal it, triggering the events required to forever change many lives.
Every day he saw the picture, inciting the worst within him. Greed made him see a perfect opportunity to obtain the luxury life of which he considered himself worthy and unjustly deprived. Only a woman in the castle and nothing else to guard it.
So easy, so accessible. A lifetime of dreams at his fingertips. Nobody would know who did it. It would just be a matter of getting in, picking up the portrait and leaving. Sell it to a black market contact and get rich. Then he would disappear into the world and leave the mediocre life of a wage earner behind.
There was no longer a poltergeist to chase away the invaders. In fact, Kuon could not even feel them.
The thief did not foresee that Kyoko would notice him. Certainly, before addressing him she had called the police, judging by the cell phone still in her hand. Likewise, he did not foresee that she would try to retrieve the portrait, let alone that she would throw herself at him to try to stop him from escaping.
The weapon was only a precaution. He did not really intend to use it that night, but the crazy housekeeper kept yelling that he would not take Kuon away from her while trying to retrieve the picture he held under one arm. An unexpectedly light picture, but that did not make him doubt its authenticity.
He only discovered that he had shot a person and sacrificed many years of freedom in exchange for a cheap copy when the police arrested him the next day.
All the time she felt the dread, hers and his. She knew that he was trying to stop her, his despair loud and clear. However, instead of shaking her off the senseless idea of trying to stop the thief, such a feeling was mixed with the fear she was already feeling of being separated from Kuon.
She could not allow the picture to be taken away. The picture was important because it was after she received that portrait that her interaction with Kuon began. Besides, it was one of two clues she had. So if that thief took the picture away, what would happen to her and Kuon?
She could not allow it.
All the while Kuon cursed the fact that he could not protect her. How easy it would be if he still had his body. He would get rid of that thief with both arms tied behind his back! Unfortunately, he could not even stop her from putting herself at risk, and everything to protect a damn unimportant portrait.
At least she had reported an invader to someone before addressing the wrongdoer and demanding that he return the painting.
To witness their physical confrontation was as distressing as when he saw her dead body centuries ago. It was as if everything was repeating before his eyes, but now there was the sound of the shot and the blood pouring from her chest.
Everything was happening too fast, and suddenly everything was in slow motion.
{No no no! Kyoko, no, please!}
She was on the floor, her bloody hand covering the wound, her eyes frightened and unfocused seeking the emptiness until they rested on him and she smiled.
"Kuon? I can… see you!"
"No, Kyoko. Please do not join me!"
"Why… not?"
She could hear him, too.
"Because you have a life to live!"
She could barely speak. Chest pain diminished as sleepiness increased. However, she managed to feel Kuon's hand over hers, and below her hand...
"Oh no..."
The stone had broken, bringing some relief to Kuon. Perhaps the damage to Kyoko had not been so serious, if it had been damped by the stone. On the other hand, there was all that blood...
"Kyoko, please do not sleep!"
There was so much he wanted to tell her, but so little time! Something was happening to him, as if an invisible force pulled him, but he fought it. Fuck the curse, fuck it if he had to be stuck for eternity in that place. With his hand on Kyoko's bloody hand, Kuon promised that he would trade his freedom for a few more seconds beside her.
Only a few seconds to keep her awake until help arrives, and he would spend eternity in that place without complaint or regret.
Kyoko heard sirens in the background, but she did not care. She could see Kuon's face, but it was not like the portrait. He looked sorry, tormented. Something worried him. She wanted to tell him that everything was fine, that she did not mind dying, but she could not speak anymore. She heard him chant "do not sleep!" like a pray, but drowsiness was almost unbearable.
He was trying to take care of her, which made her smile. Then, with her bloody hand on her wound and the broken stone, she promised that she would do everything she could to free Kuon, even if she became a spirit like him. In fact, she tried to focus on him and the idea of helping him, even if it could curse her to wander forever.
She was only thinking about helping him. He was only thinking she deserved a full and happy life.
In the next second, Kyoko lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was Kuon's pained expression as he vanished into thin air.
Her body ached, especially her head. She tried to open her eyes but could not. Feeling the surroundings and remembering her last conscious moments, Kyoko realized that she should be in a hospital. She had survived the shot in the chest after all.
She did not know if she would survive the loss of Kuon, which made her cry silently.
After a few moments, she realized that she still could not open her eyes. There was an uncomfortable clarity in the room that kept her eyelids closed. However, she managed to move her hands, which instinctively touched her chest in search of the wound that surprisingly did not hurt. Groping herself, she felt strange, as if...
The sound of a door being abruptly opened scared her to the point of making her open her eyes. After blinking several times to adjust to the light, Kyoko looked around hoping to see the traditional white and green, but what she saw made her pale immediately.
"Master Kuon, I beg you! Lady Kyoko is-"
"...Alive!"
No, it could not be. That place was not a hospital. The people who surrounded the bed she was in and stared at her in stupefaction did not wear the clothes she was used to seeing in the 21st century.
Worst of all, the body she groped weakly was not hers, and the man who watched her with a mixture of relief and caution in his face did not look at all dead.
At that moment, Kuon thought Kyoko looked at him as if she were seeing a ghost, which was ironic in a way he did not know.
The last thing Kyoko thought before fainting was that she did not give the legend proper interpretation: the bride had to return.
The bride had returned, indeed.
A / N - And with that we finished the first seccion of this journey! I have several comments that I would like to make, but this chapter got so long that I cannot type anymore T_T. I would just like to thank you for your affection and consideration!
(And I really hope you enjoy this turn of events XD)
