Tang Mu
Chapter 7
It has been three months since I received the threatening letter. This
is how they work. They will wait patiently until your guard is down. It
could take anywhere from a week to a year. It took my family nine
months to forget the threat. My brother had just been brought into the
world.
I thank the gods that Enishi has not 'taken' me. My father made that
mistake with my mother. The pregnancy and birth served as a distraction.
It worked too well and my family lost their lives.
Each night, he lays with me as my shield. He puts himself in danger for
me. I don't like this, but there is no other way. I keep telling myself
he knows what he's doing; he's strong. However, I can't help realizing
that he is human. Humans make mistakes. He is strong, but he could
misstep. Anything could happen. Most likely, everything will happen.
Right now, I have convinced him to let me have some time to myself. He
is sitting on top of the most sturdy shack. It's in the center of the
village so he can still keep an eye on me as well as the rest of the
people here.
I have decided to cook for the villagers as a way to pull my weight.
When I cook, that is my alone time, though I am not really alone. The
children help me. Enishi has been teaching me Japanese, so I can at
least give orders. They are smart children. They usually figure out
what I need.
"Liya-san! Can I help?" Cho-chan is my favorite child. I found out that
her name means butterfly. She is clumsy, but when she falls her arms
spread as if she thinks she really can fly. Her name suits her. I have
made it a pastime of mine to do her hair every morning. She likes the
attention and I like spoiling her. Today, we decided to put her hair
into two little buns. My mother used to put my hair up like that when I
was little. I fussed, but it does look cute when it's on someone else.
Cho likes it, so that's good.
"Yes. You help Liya?" Her stormy blue eyes twinkle in the afternoon
sun. I wish my eyes had color. I like color. Black is too dull. It is
said that onyx eyes make a woman beautiful. Better for a wife to have
onyx eyes than the eyes of a foreigner. I don't agree. Cho's eyes are
much more beautiful than mine. They sparkle with vibrant innocence.
"We go cart. You help Liya carry."
She nods cutely. The little buns on her head jiggle with the movement.
Kindly, I take her tiny hand as we walk to the food cart. The child
must have a sixth sense. She always knows when I'm going to make dinner
and always wants to help. I barely got to the stew pot before she
showed up this time.
"Where brother Cho?" Very rarely do I see the girl without the young
man. As I understand things, their parents were killed. Now Kaemon
takes care of his little sister as a father would a daughter. He is
good to her without spoiling her. That way she will be a gracious wife
someday.
"He said he was coming back soon." That's odd. She didn't say where he
was. He usually at least tells her his whereabouts when he leaves her
to do his own things. This is odd. Maybe I should talk to Enishi about
this. No. He's fine. There's nothing for me to worry about. I look up
at the mentioned white haired man. He looks bored, yet tense. I softly
smile. Enishi is too kind for his own good sometimes. I will visit him
with dinner soon so that he doesn't have to leave his perch.
* * *
She says she wants alone time, but Cho is always with her. I don't
understand her sometimes. My eyes flicker with still unknown softness
as I watch her sift through the food cart for dinner items. She looks
much healthier now that she has some meat on her bones. Oh, she's not
chubby. In fact, she's very lean, but just not a waif anymore. I take
a deep cleansing breath, something unheard of during my Jinchuu.
Granted things are tense right now because of the threat, but things
have certainly changed. 'I wouldn't trade it for the world.' The
thought wanders through my mind as I watch Liya pat Cho on the head.
Her smile is much freer now that she has found someone to spoil. I
like seeing that.
A clunking sound alerts my attention to my right. The sound is
deliberate, yet unsure, as if someone preoccupied is trying to climb
up to the roof with me. I look around the grounds. It's obviously not
Liya. She's already making dinner as she sends one of the other
children to get more supplies from the cart.
"Enishi-kun…" I raise an eyebrow. It's not very often the boy graces
me with his presence. The only reason he calls me '-kun' is because
his sister is so familiar with me and he knows I don't mind. In fact,
I'm beginning to prefer it.
"Kaemon…? To what do I owe this honor?" I sarcastically push my
glasses up. The boy has grown. He looks like he's on a mission. I
force myself not to laugh in his face. The intensity of his expression
is almost comical.
"Enishi-kun…It's my birthday today…" I didn't know that. Both my
eyebrows raise this time. This is intriguing news to say the least.
What's even more intriguing is why he's telling me this. "I'm twenty…"
I see he's a man today. I think I know what he wants to talk about.
I watch his eyes dart from me to linger on Liya. She has become like a
mother for Cho during the course of these past three months. I know
Kaemon treats Cho like a father would. He has been eyeing Liya for
some time now. Nothing gets past me, unlike the unsuspecting female.
My lips twist into a half grin as my eyes glint with understanding.
He blushes. Does he think I don't notice all the looks he gives her?
All the seemingly innocent hand brushes when he takes his bowl of
supper from her grip? His hungry eyes when she happens to be wearing
her Chinese dress? He even took up with attempting to stake out the
village from another similarly sturdy roof as I have accustomed myself
to doing. I can see it in his eyes as plain as day. He wishes to
protect her. He is green with envy that I lay my life on the line by
sharing her bed every night.
Yet, through all this, Liya is still oblivious. She considers him to
be a younger brother. I can see that in the way she smiles at him. The
light touches of her hand that are meant to comfort and nothing more.
I can see it because she does the same thing for me. I think. Things
get very confusing when I'm lying over her at night. They're hazy. I
refuse to sleep, only pretending by closing my eyes. Her scent
overwhelms me to the point of insanity sometimes, but I endure. I have
to. She seems almost frightened that I would take things any further
then just protection. I wish I knew why, but I will not force her to
tell me.
"I want to ask her…"
"Ask her to marry you?" He casts his eyes downward. "I think you're
moving a bit too quick."
That got his attention. His eyes blaze. They seem to glow green with
embedded jealousy. "You're just saying that because-"
"Women have this thing about them. They like to court first before
they settle down, unless it's an arranged marriage. Then, they have no
choice in the matter. I suggest you start with that first."
His jaw drops. Yes. I'm giving you dating advice, even if you are my
competition. It's better for her to tell you that you don't have a
chance than for me to tell you. Even though, I don't have a chance
either. I'm still a monster after all.
Stormy blue eyes soften to become unsure once again. I mockingly
tousle his already messy black hair. He glares at me in return. "You're
always picking on me like I'm a kid! I'm twenty!"
"It's because you let me do it…and then you react like a kid. Besides,
I like taunting you." I grin wickedly and do it again just to piss him
off. As far as I'm concerned, he was asking for it.
"So…" He scowls. Obviously I achieved my objective of pissing him off,
but that doesn't stop him from noticing I have a bit more experience
in this matter. "What do I do?" I suppress a chuckle. I didn't think
he was that inexperienced.
"Get her something nice. Girls like gifts." He glares at me as if to
say, 'No kidding!' Ah, so I underestimated him.
"I don't have money."
"Who said you needed money? Girls like romantic stuff. Liya's no
exception. If you want her bad enough, you'll think of something." I
run my fingers through my silver hair. This ought to be interesting.
"Then what about all the stuff you buy her? How the hell am I supposed
to compete with that?" I can't suppress it anymore. I outright laugh
at him. This time he doesn't glare though. He's actually depressed
about this. I run my fingers through my hair again and sober up, but
the smirk painted across my face refuses to be erased. It's still
amusing that he's this open about our 'competition' to win the Chinese
woman.
"I buy her things because she needs them and I have the money. It's not
to win her. In fact, it pisses her off even though she's too polite to
show it."
"Then…What about you teaching her?" I see. He's trying to understand
my motive so he can beat me with something I can't do. He's going to
be sorely disappointed. I'm not trying to win her, like him. I have
feelings toward her, that much is obvious, but she'd never go for me.
I'm a demon, a temporarily dormant volcano. I can content myself with
her laughter and the warmth of her smile. That's all I need to be
happy.
"I teach her so that she can talk to people besides just me. I'm the
only one who speaks her language here." I let my arms rest limply on
my knees as I observe the object of our discussion. It looks like
dinner is almost ready. Cho and a few other children are happily
helping Liya clean up as the finishing touches are made to the nightly
meal.
"What about you sleeping with her?" I give him a sidelong glance. How
did I know he'd bring that up. I know people are talking about it. It
never bothered me before, but I know it bothers Liya. Maybe if I
explain it to Kaemon, others in the village won't make her feel so
uncomfortable.
"I sleep with her to protect her." He scoffs, obviously unconvinced.
"There isn't anything sexual about it. I use my body as a shield."
"A shield?" He raises an almost feminine looking eyebrow. For once, he
almost makes me shift uncomfortably. I can't help but agree with his
skepticism. I admit it, my mind isn't exactly clean when I'm with her
like that. Her warmth. Her scent. Her softness. They all tempt me.
When she finally falls asleep, I find myself burying my face in her
hair just to immerse myself in the aroma. A few times I've even found
myself preparing to steal a kiss, but she always stirs and I lose my
nerve. I end up admonishing myself and comparing my actions with that
of the yakusa.
"Yes. A shield." I'm going to regret telling him this, but I think he's
old enough to understand his limits. I don't think he'll go to great
measures to protect her when he lacks the means to do so properly. "Do
you remember those men that taunted her when she first came to the
village?"
"Yeah…" His expression is unreadable for once.
"They're still 'interested' in her. That's why I shield her at night."
Kaemon's eyes widen. His eyes momentarily house jealousy, but it's
quickly vanquished by depression and anger. Such an interesting range
of emotions. I wasn't expecting that. Briefly, I wonder what he was
thinking, but then I remember who I'm dealing with and figure he'll
tell me in a second anyway.
"So…you're willing to give your life for her…" Now I understand the
jealousy. He's not willing to give that up for her. He doesn't think
he can compete with the sacrifice. That explains the depression. The
anger is obvious. He will learn. Sacrifice isn't what will attract her.
Life will attract her. She may not be aware of it, but she's much
better at living than anyone else here in this tiny village. She
doesn't belong here. This is more of a place to hide than a place to
forget for her. My sacrifice won't make her smile, but it will keep
her safe so that she can smile for other people. That is reason enough
for me to continue putting my life on the line. I can atone through
this.
"I bring you dinner." Her ambrosia like voice genuinely startles me. I
was thinking too much about trivial things. Hopefully, she didn't
catch that her protector was caught off guard. She smiles and hands me
a bowl and chopsticks with a knowing gaze. I guess she did notice.
"You should rest more Enishi." I can't rest. Not until this is all
over. Not until I know she's safe.
"Thank you. It smells great as always." Kaemon gives her a winning
smile taking what she offers him with a slight bow. As the bowl is
transferred to his hands, he nonchalantly brushes his fingers over
hers. His eyes soften with intent which Liya promptly either ignores,
or doesn't notice. Sometimes I wonder if she is well aware of his
intent and purposely ignores his advances. Maybe I should ask her
about that tonight.
"It's Kaemon's birthday today. He's twenty." I grin at her as if
asking her to suggest something appropriate. Her eyes widen with
surprise.
"Twenty?" Kaemon blushes and nods. "We same age!" It's my turn to be
surprised. I never did ask her for her age. I always assumed she was
seventeen or eighteen adding to my reasons not to pursue her. "We have
party! Yes?" Excited onyx eyes meet my pools of teal as if asking for
permission. My mouth twitches in response. Our eyes are locked. She
really is beautiful. I bask in the vitality of her excitement for that
brief moment before nodding my acceptance.
I hate to admit it, but this might be the best course of action for
our present situation. If we appear to be too relaxed, the yakusa will
make a move. Perhaps it's best if we do a bit of deception to finish
this. "Right then. Let's take you out on the town."
"I wasn't suggesting that-"
"I know. Get over it." I raise my hand as if I'm going to tousle her
hair, but I find myself running my fingers through it instead. Stopping
suddenly, I break away from the contact. That wouldn't be a very good
birthday present to see your rival making a move like that on the
'prize'.
"Too much money Enishi. You spend too much." I grin at that. Switching
my vision to the man beside me, I find that he is also amused. She
just proved me right about her being pissed with my generosity. She's
still rather polite about it, but she has certainly gotten bolder in
these past three months. My money is a constant annoyance to her. It's
like she doesn't think she's worthy of it.
I openly laugh. "But when you pout like that, it encourages me to do it
more." I speak my blatant come-on in Chinese so that Kaemon won't catch
it. She blushes and turns her head while biting the offensive lip.
* * *
Author's Notes:
Sorry it took me so long to send in my new chapters. I had a bit of
trouble with another fic of mine, but I'm better now. Sorry for the
length of this one too. I know it's a long chapter about seemingly
nothing, but I wanted to introduce some competition for Enishi so I
could further the plot a little more.
No real notes on this one except that my 'name website' that I found:
http://www.20000-names.com/
It says that Cho means 'butterfly'
and Kaemon means 'joyful; righthanded; old samurai name' I chose it for
the last part. I thought it would make him more interesting, but he
didn't really turn out the way I wanted. That's okay though. This might
even be better. He's just kind of a brat that makes Liya a bit
uncomfortable with his constant come-ons.
Well, that's it from me! I hope you liked the chapter and continue
reading it! Tell me if Enishi begins to get too out of character.
I have a bad habit of doing that when the story gets long like this.
Thanks for liking it so much so far!!!
Chapter 7
It has been three months since I received the threatening letter. This
is how they work. They will wait patiently until your guard is down. It
could take anywhere from a week to a year. It took my family nine
months to forget the threat. My brother had just been brought into the
world.
I thank the gods that Enishi has not 'taken' me. My father made that
mistake with my mother. The pregnancy and birth served as a distraction.
It worked too well and my family lost their lives.
Each night, he lays with me as my shield. He puts himself in danger for
me. I don't like this, but there is no other way. I keep telling myself
he knows what he's doing; he's strong. However, I can't help realizing
that he is human. Humans make mistakes. He is strong, but he could
misstep. Anything could happen. Most likely, everything will happen.
Right now, I have convinced him to let me have some time to myself. He
is sitting on top of the most sturdy shack. It's in the center of the
village so he can still keep an eye on me as well as the rest of the
people here.
I have decided to cook for the villagers as a way to pull my weight.
When I cook, that is my alone time, though I am not really alone. The
children help me. Enishi has been teaching me Japanese, so I can at
least give orders. They are smart children. They usually figure out
what I need.
"Liya-san! Can I help?" Cho-chan is my favorite child. I found out that
her name means butterfly. She is clumsy, but when she falls her arms
spread as if she thinks she really can fly. Her name suits her. I have
made it a pastime of mine to do her hair every morning. She likes the
attention and I like spoiling her. Today, we decided to put her hair
into two little buns. My mother used to put my hair up like that when I
was little. I fussed, but it does look cute when it's on someone else.
Cho likes it, so that's good.
"Yes. You help Liya?" Her stormy blue eyes twinkle in the afternoon
sun. I wish my eyes had color. I like color. Black is too dull. It is
said that onyx eyes make a woman beautiful. Better for a wife to have
onyx eyes than the eyes of a foreigner. I don't agree. Cho's eyes are
much more beautiful than mine. They sparkle with vibrant innocence.
"We go cart. You help Liya carry."
She nods cutely. The little buns on her head jiggle with the movement.
Kindly, I take her tiny hand as we walk to the food cart. The child
must have a sixth sense. She always knows when I'm going to make dinner
and always wants to help. I barely got to the stew pot before she
showed up this time.
"Where brother Cho?" Very rarely do I see the girl without the young
man. As I understand things, their parents were killed. Now Kaemon
takes care of his little sister as a father would a daughter. He is
good to her without spoiling her. That way she will be a gracious wife
someday.
"He said he was coming back soon." That's odd. She didn't say where he
was. He usually at least tells her his whereabouts when he leaves her
to do his own things. This is odd. Maybe I should talk to Enishi about
this. No. He's fine. There's nothing for me to worry about. I look up
at the mentioned white haired man. He looks bored, yet tense. I softly
smile. Enishi is too kind for his own good sometimes. I will visit him
with dinner soon so that he doesn't have to leave his perch.
* * *
She says she wants alone time, but Cho is always with her. I don't
understand her sometimes. My eyes flicker with still unknown softness
as I watch her sift through the food cart for dinner items. She looks
much healthier now that she has some meat on her bones. Oh, she's not
chubby. In fact, she's very lean, but just not a waif anymore. I take
a deep cleansing breath, something unheard of during my Jinchuu.
Granted things are tense right now because of the threat, but things
have certainly changed. 'I wouldn't trade it for the world.' The
thought wanders through my mind as I watch Liya pat Cho on the head.
Her smile is much freer now that she has found someone to spoil. I
like seeing that.
A clunking sound alerts my attention to my right. The sound is
deliberate, yet unsure, as if someone preoccupied is trying to climb
up to the roof with me. I look around the grounds. It's obviously not
Liya. She's already making dinner as she sends one of the other
children to get more supplies from the cart.
"Enishi-kun…" I raise an eyebrow. It's not very often the boy graces
me with his presence. The only reason he calls me '-kun' is because
his sister is so familiar with me and he knows I don't mind. In fact,
I'm beginning to prefer it.
"Kaemon…? To what do I owe this honor?" I sarcastically push my
glasses up. The boy has grown. He looks like he's on a mission. I
force myself not to laugh in his face. The intensity of his expression
is almost comical.
"Enishi-kun…It's my birthday today…" I didn't know that. Both my
eyebrows raise this time. This is intriguing news to say the least.
What's even more intriguing is why he's telling me this. "I'm twenty…"
I see he's a man today. I think I know what he wants to talk about.
I watch his eyes dart from me to linger on Liya. She has become like a
mother for Cho during the course of these past three months. I know
Kaemon treats Cho like a father would. He has been eyeing Liya for
some time now. Nothing gets past me, unlike the unsuspecting female.
My lips twist into a half grin as my eyes glint with understanding.
He blushes. Does he think I don't notice all the looks he gives her?
All the seemingly innocent hand brushes when he takes his bowl of
supper from her grip? His hungry eyes when she happens to be wearing
her Chinese dress? He even took up with attempting to stake out the
village from another similarly sturdy roof as I have accustomed myself
to doing. I can see it in his eyes as plain as day. He wishes to
protect her. He is green with envy that I lay my life on the line by
sharing her bed every night.
Yet, through all this, Liya is still oblivious. She considers him to
be a younger brother. I can see that in the way she smiles at him. The
light touches of her hand that are meant to comfort and nothing more.
I can see it because she does the same thing for me. I think. Things
get very confusing when I'm lying over her at night. They're hazy. I
refuse to sleep, only pretending by closing my eyes. Her scent
overwhelms me to the point of insanity sometimes, but I endure. I have
to. She seems almost frightened that I would take things any further
then just protection. I wish I knew why, but I will not force her to
tell me.
"I want to ask her…"
"Ask her to marry you?" He casts his eyes downward. "I think you're
moving a bit too quick."
That got his attention. His eyes blaze. They seem to glow green with
embedded jealousy. "You're just saying that because-"
"Women have this thing about them. They like to court first before
they settle down, unless it's an arranged marriage. Then, they have no
choice in the matter. I suggest you start with that first."
His jaw drops. Yes. I'm giving you dating advice, even if you are my
competition. It's better for her to tell you that you don't have a
chance than for me to tell you. Even though, I don't have a chance
either. I'm still a monster after all.
Stormy blue eyes soften to become unsure once again. I mockingly
tousle his already messy black hair. He glares at me in return. "You're
always picking on me like I'm a kid! I'm twenty!"
"It's because you let me do it…and then you react like a kid. Besides,
I like taunting you." I grin wickedly and do it again just to piss him
off. As far as I'm concerned, he was asking for it.
"So…" He scowls. Obviously I achieved my objective of pissing him off,
but that doesn't stop him from noticing I have a bit more experience
in this matter. "What do I do?" I suppress a chuckle. I didn't think
he was that inexperienced.
"Get her something nice. Girls like gifts." He glares at me as if to
say, 'No kidding!' Ah, so I underestimated him.
"I don't have money."
"Who said you needed money? Girls like romantic stuff. Liya's no
exception. If you want her bad enough, you'll think of something." I
run my fingers through my silver hair. This ought to be interesting.
"Then what about all the stuff you buy her? How the hell am I supposed
to compete with that?" I can't suppress it anymore. I outright laugh
at him. This time he doesn't glare though. He's actually depressed
about this. I run my fingers through my hair again and sober up, but
the smirk painted across my face refuses to be erased. It's still
amusing that he's this open about our 'competition' to win the Chinese
woman.
"I buy her things because she needs them and I have the money. It's not
to win her. In fact, it pisses her off even though she's too polite to
show it."
"Then…What about you teaching her?" I see. He's trying to understand
my motive so he can beat me with something I can't do. He's going to
be sorely disappointed. I'm not trying to win her, like him. I have
feelings toward her, that much is obvious, but she'd never go for me.
I'm a demon, a temporarily dormant volcano. I can content myself with
her laughter and the warmth of her smile. That's all I need to be
happy.
"I teach her so that she can talk to people besides just me. I'm the
only one who speaks her language here." I let my arms rest limply on
my knees as I observe the object of our discussion. It looks like
dinner is almost ready. Cho and a few other children are happily
helping Liya clean up as the finishing touches are made to the nightly
meal.
"What about you sleeping with her?" I give him a sidelong glance. How
did I know he'd bring that up. I know people are talking about it. It
never bothered me before, but I know it bothers Liya. Maybe if I
explain it to Kaemon, others in the village won't make her feel so
uncomfortable.
"I sleep with her to protect her." He scoffs, obviously unconvinced.
"There isn't anything sexual about it. I use my body as a shield."
"A shield?" He raises an almost feminine looking eyebrow. For once, he
almost makes me shift uncomfortably. I can't help but agree with his
skepticism. I admit it, my mind isn't exactly clean when I'm with her
like that. Her warmth. Her scent. Her softness. They all tempt me.
When she finally falls asleep, I find myself burying my face in her
hair just to immerse myself in the aroma. A few times I've even found
myself preparing to steal a kiss, but she always stirs and I lose my
nerve. I end up admonishing myself and comparing my actions with that
of the yakusa.
"Yes. A shield." I'm going to regret telling him this, but I think he's
old enough to understand his limits. I don't think he'll go to great
measures to protect her when he lacks the means to do so properly. "Do
you remember those men that taunted her when she first came to the
village?"
"Yeah…" His expression is unreadable for once.
"They're still 'interested' in her. That's why I shield her at night."
Kaemon's eyes widen. His eyes momentarily house jealousy, but it's
quickly vanquished by depression and anger. Such an interesting range
of emotions. I wasn't expecting that. Briefly, I wonder what he was
thinking, but then I remember who I'm dealing with and figure he'll
tell me in a second anyway.
"So…you're willing to give your life for her…" Now I understand the
jealousy. He's not willing to give that up for her. He doesn't think
he can compete with the sacrifice. That explains the depression. The
anger is obvious. He will learn. Sacrifice isn't what will attract her.
Life will attract her. She may not be aware of it, but she's much
better at living than anyone else here in this tiny village. She
doesn't belong here. This is more of a place to hide than a place to
forget for her. My sacrifice won't make her smile, but it will keep
her safe so that she can smile for other people. That is reason enough
for me to continue putting my life on the line. I can atone through
this.
"I bring you dinner." Her ambrosia like voice genuinely startles me. I
was thinking too much about trivial things. Hopefully, she didn't
catch that her protector was caught off guard. She smiles and hands me
a bowl and chopsticks with a knowing gaze. I guess she did notice.
"You should rest more Enishi." I can't rest. Not until this is all
over. Not until I know she's safe.
"Thank you. It smells great as always." Kaemon gives her a winning
smile taking what she offers him with a slight bow. As the bowl is
transferred to his hands, he nonchalantly brushes his fingers over
hers. His eyes soften with intent which Liya promptly either ignores,
or doesn't notice. Sometimes I wonder if she is well aware of his
intent and purposely ignores his advances. Maybe I should ask her
about that tonight.
"It's Kaemon's birthday today. He's twenty." I grin at her as if
asking her to suggest something appropriate. Her eyes widen with
surprise.
"Twenty?" Kaemon blushes and nods. "We same age!" It's my turn to be
surprised. I never did ask her for her age. I always assumed she was
seventeen or eighteen adding to my reasons not to pursue her. "We have
party! Yes?" Excited onyx eyes meet my pools of teal as if asking for
permission. My mouth twitches in response. Our eyes are locked. She
really is beautiful. I bask in the vitality of her excitement for that
brief moment before nodding my acceptance.
I hate to admit it, but this might be the best course of action for
our present situation. If we appear to be too relaxed, the yakusa will
make a move. Perhaps it's best if we do a bit of deception to finish
this. "Right then. Let's take you out on the town."
"I wasn't suggesting that-"
"I know. Get over it." I raise my hand as if I'm going to tousle her
hair, but I find myself running my fingers through it instead. Stopping
suddenly, I break away from the contact. That wouldn't be a very good
birthday present to see your rival making a move like that on the
'prize'.
"Too much money Enishi. You spend too much." I grin at that. Switching
my vision to the man beside me, I find that he is also amused. She
just proved me right about her being pissed with my generosity. She's
still rather polite about it, but she has certainly gotten bolder in
these past three months. My money is a constant annoyance to her. It's
like she doesn't think she's worthy of it.
I openly laugh. "But when you pout like that, it encourages me to do it
more." I speak my blatant come-on in Chinese so that Kaemon won't catch
it. She blushes and turns her head while biting the offensive lip.
* * *
Author's Notes:
Sorry it took me so long to send in my new chapters. I had a bit of
trouble with another fic of mine, but I'm better now. Sorry for the
length of this one too. I know it's a long chapter about seemingly
nothing, but I wanted to introduce some competition for Enishi so I
could further the plot a little more.
No real notes on this one except that my 'name website' that I found:
http://www.20000-names.com/
It says that Cho means 'butterfly'
and Kaemon means 'joyful; righthanded; old samurai name' I chose it for
the last part. I thought it would make him more interesting, but he
didn't really turn out the way I wanted. That's okay though. This might
even be better. He's just kind of a brat that makes Liya a bit
uncomfortable with his constant come-ons.
Well, that's it from me! I hope you liked the chapter and continue
reading it! Tell me if Enishi begins to get too out of character.
I have a bad habit of doing that when the story gets long like this.
Thanks for liking it so much so far!!!
