CHAPTER FOURTEEN
.
The next few days were horrible.
Yoshiko barely slept that night, tormented by her mother's conniving, and fears about what the Dog-Lord would say when he saw her next. She wished he hadn't left for more than a day; she longed to be held by him, wanted to hear his rumbling voice. With every sound in the garden, she sat up, half-expecting to see him slip in the window.
But he didn't come. Yoshiko spent most of the night rehearsing what she was going to say to him when they next met. Those three pieces of frightening news gnawed away at her through the night, like hungry squirrels. Worst of all, she didn't know how he was going to respond to any of it. And she threw up several times, but managed to keep her queasiness hidden.
Aziko's insistence that she had seen a demon led to their father posting guards all through the next two nights. But no one appeared. The lord said sternly, "You should keep your dreams to yourself, Aziko. Clearly there is no demon. You must have imagined it." And despite Aziko's shrill denials, he sent the guards back to their usual duties. Yoshiko was relieved by the news. She knew that the Dog-Lord could surely defend himself -- but she didn't want her friends and family to be harmed in any way, if they chose to attack him.
The day after the Dog-Lord's departure, Yoshiko forced herself to put on a show of normality. She painted more screens in the garden, listened to Samadu play the zither, and sat amongst her giggling sisters. Apparently Amako had told them about her talk with Yoshiko, because they teased her relentlessly.
Yoshiko just flushed, and did not look at Samadu. The young man kept glancing hopefully at her. But the only face she wanted to see was that of her beloved. Tomorrow, she kept thinking. Tomorrow I'll see him again at last... and we can find some way to fix all these problems. Inside her kimonos, her hand strayed to her stomach.
As she was leaving, she heard Samadu call, "Yoshiko, wait!"
She turned around. "Yes?"
The young man was still clutching the zither. He looked worried. "Yoshiko... are you angry with me?"
Yoshiko blinked. "Angry? Why do you ask?"
"You scowled as if you were angry, the entire time I played. I... feared that I might have upset you in some way." Samadu glanced away briefly, as if he couldn't meet her eyes.
Yoshiko felt her heart go out to him. She did not love him, but he was a kind young man, and he clearly thought that she was somehow punishing him for their betrothal. It wasn't his fault that she had fallen in love with someone else, and was carrying a demon's child. "No, I was not angry with you," she said gently. "I was thinking of something unpleasant, but it has nothing to do with you."
Pleased, Samadu asked, "Would you care to come with me, and walk in the gardens?"
"I ask you to forgive me, but I am not feeling well," Yoshiko said. It wasn't a lie; if she didn't get away from the discarded sashimi someone had left nearby, she was going to be sick again. Samadu said that he hoped she felt better soon, and walked lightly away.
That night, as she lay in her bed, she watched the candle flicker near her head. And she thought of the golden light it cast on the Dog-Lord's pallid hair and skin, and how it had illuminated them as, in his arms, she had given and received more love than she had ever thought she could know.
.
Where are you? Yoshiko thought. Her thin sandal caught on a tree root, almost tripping her. But she kept running through the woods regardless.
The sun was starting to set in the west, and a thin sliver of the moon was showing over the mountains. She was heading for the setting sun. The Dog-Lord would be coming from that direction, and she had to see him before he arrived at her home. She had to tell him everything.
Suddenly she saw him, striding down one of the mountain paths. The Dog-Lord stopped when he saw her. "Yoshiko?" he said.
Yoshiko stopped. "M-my lord," she said softly.
"What's wrong?" the demon said, coming toward her. "What's happened?"
To her shame, Yoshiko felt tears pouring from her eyes. The Dog-Lord stiffened, looking around the clearing. "Yoshiko," he said slowly. "Tell me what is wrong. And who is to blame."
"It's... it's not like that."
"Then what?"
"I... I found that I... I'm..." She pointed at her stomach.
The Dog-Lord stared at her blankly. Then he stepped closer and rested his large hands on her shoulders. "A baby?" he asked in a low voice.
Yoshiko nodded.
A familiar growl rose up in the Dog-Lord's chest. A broad smile slowly spread over his face, and before Yoshiko could speak again, he kissed her. "A baby, hmm?" he murmured, nuzzling at her cheek.
"You're not upset?" Yoshiko asked.
"Why would I be upset?" the Dog-Lord asked, startled.
"I just... I thought that you might not be happy..."
He chuckled again, lifting Yoshiko's small form into his arms and holding her tightly. "Why would be I be anything but happy at this news? A father again..." A tenderer look came into his golden eyes. He stroked some of Yoshiko's dark hair away. "And I'm glad. Glad it's with you."
"So am I," Yoshiko said softly.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
The next few days were horrible.
Yoshiko barely slept that night, tormented by her mother's conniving, and fears about what the Dog-Lord would say when he saw her next. She wished he hadn't left for more than a day; she longed to be held by him, wanted to hear his rumbling voice. With every sound in the garden, she sat up, half-expecting to see him slip in the window.
But he didn't come. Yoshiko spent most of the night rehearsing what she was going to say to him when they next met. Those three pieces of frightening news gnawed away at her through the night, like hungry squirrels. Worst of all, she didn't know how he was going to respond to any of it. And she threw up several times, but managed to keep her queasiness hidden.
Aziko's insistence that she had seen a demon led to their father posting guards all through the next two nights. But no one appeared. The lord said sternly, "You should keep your dreams to yourself, Aziko. Clearly there is no demon. You must have imagined it." And despite Aziko's shrill denials, he sent the guards back to their usual duties. Yoshiko was relieved by the news. She knew that the Dog-Lord could surely defend himself -- but she didn't want her friends and family to be harmed in any way, if they chose to attack him.
The day after the Dog-Lord's departure, Yoshiko forced herself to put on a show of normality. She painted more screens in the garden, listened to Samadu play the zither, and sat amongst her giggling sisters. Apparently Amako had told them about her talk with Yoshiko, because they teased her relentlessly.
Yoshiko just flushed, and did not look at Samadu. The young man kept glancing hopefully at her. But the only face she wanted to see was that of her beloved. Tomorrow, she kept thinking. Tomorrow I'll see him again at last... and we can find some way to fix all these problems. Inside her kimonos, her hand strayed to her stomach.
As she was leaving, she heard Samadu call, "Yoshiko, wait!"
She turned around. "Yes?"
The young man was still clutching the zither. He looked worried. "Yoshiko... are you angry with me?"
Yoshiko blinked. "Angry? Why do you ask?"
"You scowled as if you were angry, the entire time I played. I... feared that I might have upset you in some way." Samadu glanced away briefly, as if he couldn't meet her eyes.
Yoshiko felt her heart go out to him. She did not love him, but he was a kind young man, and he clearly thought that she was somehow punishing him for their betrothal. It wasn't his fault that she had fallen in love with someone else, and was carrying a demon's child. "No, I was not angry with you," she said gently. "I was thinking of something unpleasant, but it has nothing to do with you."
Pleased, Samadu asked, "Would you care to come with me, and walk in the gardens?"
"I ask you to forgive me, but I am not feeling well," Yoshiko said. It wasn't a lie; if she didn't get away from the discarded sashimi someone had left nearby, she was going to be sick again. Samadu said that he hoped she felt better soon, and walked lightly away.
That night, as she lay in her bed, she watched the candle flicker near her head. And she thought of the golden light it cast on the Dog-Lord's pallid hair and skin, and how it had illuminated them as, in his arms, she had given and received more love than she had ever thought she could know.
.
Where are you? Yoshiko thought. Her thin sandal caught on a tree root, almost tripping her. But she kept running through the woods regardless.
The sun was starting to set in the west, and a thin sliver of the moon was showing over the mountains. She was heading for the setting sun. The Dog-Lord would be coming from that direction, and she had to see him before he arrived at her home. She had to tell him everything.
Suddenly she saw him, striding down one of the mountain paths. The Dog-Lord stopped when he saw her. "Yoshiko?" he said.
Yoshiko stopped. "M-my lord," she said softly.
"What's wrong?" the demon said, coming toward her. "What's happened?"
To her shame, Yoshiko felt tears pouring from her eyes. The Dog-Lord stiffened, looking around the clearing. "Yoshiko," he said slowly. "Tell me what is wrong. And who is to blame."
"It's... it's not like that."
"Then what?"
"I... I found that I... I'm..." She pointed at her stomach.
The Dog-Lord stared at her blankly. Then he stepped closer and rested his large hands on her shoulders. "A baby?" he asked in a low voice.
Yoshiko nodded.
A familiar growl rose up in the Dog-Lord's chest. A broad smile slowly spread over his face, and before Yoshiko could speak again, he kissed her. "A baby, hmm?" he murmured, nuzzling at her cheek.
"You're not upset?" Yoshiko asked.
"Why would I be upset?" the Dog-Lord asked, startled.
"I just... I thought that you might not be happy..."
He chuckled again, lifting Yoshiko's small form into his arms and holding her tightly. "Why would be I be anything but happy at this news? A father again..." A tenderer look came into his golden eyes. He stroked some of Yoshiko's dark hair away. "And I'm glad. Glad it's with you."
"So am I," Yoshiko said softly.
TO BE CONTINUED