Notes: Heh, looks like people don't care much for chapter 3. I admit I screwed up the flowers. I did a quick edit of it. Thanks to everyone for pointing out all the mistakes. There's going to be more of them probably, so feel free to notice them to me, and I'll fix them. But don't do so anonymously; if you don't have an account here, leave your email, so that I can know where to send hate mails.
Scarlet Rayne: I warned that this would be AU. It's the first thing in the summary…. Glad you find this well-written though.
She'd always thought of horses as lovely creatures, docile and intelligent behind their watery eyes. She'd loved the way their smooth coats felt under her hand, the sound of their puffing, their gentle nickering when she approached them. She'd loved their thick manes and their impatient stamping.
Now she knew the truth. They were stupid animals, and even lowly peasants had more manners than them. She hated them.
So it was with certain relief that Kaoru welcomed their stop at the mountain shop at midday. They had been riding for more than eight hours now, and she felt dirty, extenuated, and hungry. Oh, of course she protested about the need to make haste, to put more distance between and the men her fa—the lord of Izushi would be sure send after them. But even to her own ears it sounded half-hearted.
After all, nothing could be more urgent or dire than a hurting backside.
It burned even stronger than after a spanking, and the last time she earned one of those was when she was seven years old, when she had thrown a tantrum at a dinner in front of all of her father's friends, just because she didn't like the taste of the fish. She'd even, she remembered with a smile, sent a bowl of soup flying straight in the face of an unfortunate guest, whose single mistake had been to be seated right across her.
But she hadn't smiled then. Her father had punished her, hard. Such insults demanded retribution, especially when the insulted persons were of high status and nobility. And this particular guest, as it happened, had been a nephew of the emperor.
Amusing, she thought, the memories that a sore bottom could bring back.
The samurai—his name was Shinta, he had said—jumped off the mare, and offered her a hand. She took it, smiling graciously at him. It was a smile that had power, she was aware of that. It had turned hardened warriors into pampering fools. He, on the other hand, seemed utterly disinterested by it. She was half expecting that, in truth. Her smile didn't fade. She went off the mount.
Their arrival didn't go unnoticed. There were a few men sitting around the tables outside the shop. They have been staring at them when the three of them halted in front of the shop. There was even a little girl, an adorable thing with lovely hands and spotted skin.
The sun was glaring brightly, yet it brought little warmth. The cold persisted around them, lingering in the foggy air and snow-covered landscape. A few nimble clouds fleeted in the blue field overhead, small reminder of the dark nimbus of yesterday. A few birds chirped on branches nearby. The men were obviously farmers, resting in the middle of their hard labor, their strong arms and sun-bleached skin exuding a rustic charm. She inhaled, savoring the fresh mountainous scent. For a moment she forgot the precariousness of her situation, the urgency and desperation that brought all this.
She was aching, dust-covered, and so tired she could hardly keep straight. And she never felt so alive.
Shinta was ordering food, she saw. As she detailed him, she thought that some women would have found him attractive, certainly. That is, if one liked stonehearted and expressionless jerks. His chest on her back had felt warm and almost… comforting. She brushed off this ridiculous notion. Comforting? Ha, she must've been really tense and tired to be even thinking such thoughts. She shook lightly her head, and walked to a table. Her buttocks hurt like hell. It took a supreme to refrain from wincing. She thought herself very brave. Her maid followed her.
The men's eyes were following her, she noticed. She kept her cool composure, yet she could feel fear creeping inside her. She slowed her steps, waiting for Megumi to catch up to her.
"They are staring at me," she whispered urgently to her maid, while still keeping a pleasant expression. "Did they recognize me?" She was known, after all, and they weren't that far from Izushi yet.
"I don't think simple peasants would recognize you, my lady," Megumi whispered back.
"But see, they won't quit looking at me."
Megumi coughed. "That is…. You see my lady, you should stop walking the way you do, if you don't want to attract attention."
Kaoru frowned. "The way I walk? What's wrong with it?"
"My lady," Megumi murmured, hesitating, "your bearing is too regal."
"Too regal?" Kaoru only frowned harder.
"Just observe me, my lady. See how my gait is more relaxed. And how my spine isn't so straight as to make me appear like a walking statue."
"I see," Kaoru replied, puzzled. She proceeded to imitate Megumi, tried to swing her hips a little. It was awkward. She threw a furtive glance around. The men were only staring at her more intensely. She remained tense.
They sat down at an unoccupied table. The damp bench creaked, and there were stains on the table's wooden surface that looked suspiciously like grease and crushed rice.
"We should have tinted your hair, my lady," Megumi said at her side. "'Tis unfortunate we didn't get the time yet. You are standing out too much." She carefully examined Kaoru up and down. "Hopefully, with a few days worth of dust, you won't be too recognizable when we arrive in Kyoto." She grimaced. "Provided we make it that far, that is."
"We will make it, I have no doubt." Kaoru gazed sideways to Shinta. "But first we must get rid of this burden."
"My lady—"
She silenced her maid with a sharp glance. She didn't argue yesterday night as both he and Megumi had insisted he stuck around. She could recognize a defeat when she saw one, and accept it with good grace. Besides, time had been of the essence, and she couldn't have stood loitering there when there were more urgent matters to attend to.
But more importantly, she didn't argue, because ladies didn't argue. It was… puerile, immature. A subtle woman achieved her goals without resorting to such lowly means. Kaoru argued only when under extreme duress.
Shinta approached, carrying bowls of curry rice in his hands. He put them on the table, and sat across Kaoru. He offered chopsticks to the two women. Megumi took her pair.
Kaoru ignored him. She stared at the bowl in front of her with repulsion. "What is this?"
His arm was still hanging over the table, holding out a pair of chopsticks. He arched an eyebrow. "Curry rice, obviously," he said.
She pushed the bowl away. "I refuse to eat this. I am allergic to curry."
He only shrugged. "It was curry rice or raw-fish ramen."
"I shall abstain myself then"
"Eat." His voice snapped like a whip. He softened his tone. Maybe he realized he had been too dry? "How long has it been since your last meal? You will pass out if you don't feed yourself, and I care nothing for passed-out women."
"And I care nothing for your taste in women," she said icily. He had a point though, she thought. Still…. "I will not eat this."
"You will," he said simply.
"I will not," she stated. Megumi was observing the two of them, her hands suspended, Kaoru noticed from the corner of her eyes. As were the filthy and ragged peasants.
"Eat."
Oh, the nerve of him. The—the jerk. She frowned. She couldn't think of any appropriate word with which to term him. In truth, "jerk" was one of the precious few vulgar words she knew of, and that was only because she heard Megumi use it once about their cook.
She took a calming breath. Her stomach was urgently reclaiming its due. Accept defeat with grace, she thought. Ladies didn't argue. Extreme duress.
She ate.
Later, after a silent and surprisingly pleasant meal, she insisted they resume their journey. They were, she said, in a hurry to arrive to Kyoto. Furthermore, she feared the incensed lord of Izushi would be relentless in his pursuit of Megumi.
"I doubt that he would go at such length for a passing fancy, even one possessing lady Megumi's charms," Shinta replied then. Her maid blushed, she saw. So weak, she thought, to be coaxed by a few words. "Such men's interest tends to be short-lived. He will have found another woman to harass already by now."
Was it her imagination, or was his voice somehow bitter?
"And if you were in such a hurry," he continued, "you should have taken the main road to Kyoto, rather than some obscure detour." He rose. "I am told there is river and a hot spring nearby. You ladies can refresh yourself there, if you wish."
Megumi's eyes sparkled. "A hot spring? It would be—"
Kaoru gripped her maid's arm under the table, hard. Megumi gave a light start.
"How wonderful!" Kaoru exclaimed. "I feel so dirty after so many hours on the road." She rose, offered a hand to Megumi, smiling. "Let's go, Megu."
Her maid clasped her hand, smiling uneasily. "With pleasure… Kaoru."
Kaoru made a quick calculation. The mares were attached twenty feet away. Not nearly enough for them to jump into the saddles and take off before he could react. She leaned towards Megumi. "Let's pretend we're going to take the horses to refresh them at the river," she whispered. "And—"
"Lady Kaoru," Shinta called.
She stopped, and turned, plastering an agreeable expression on her face. "Yes, kind sir?"
"The springs are this way," he indicated, pointing in the opposite direction. "Or so the esteemed shop-owner told me."
"Ah, we were taking the horse with us to—"
"No need to concern yourself with them," he interrupted. How rude of him to cut her off again in the middle of a sentence. "I will take care of that," he said.
She kept her expression mild. "Ah, we wouldn't presume to burden you with such mundane tasks."
"I insist."
Extreme duress. Damn him.
The hot springs felt divine after so many hours of rough ride. The place stood over a cliff of sorts, and was isolated enough to allow privacy. Snow-attired trees surrounded it like so many guardians. Megumi sighed contently as she luxuriated in the warm water, washing dust and sweat off her hair and skin. Near the river below, their companion was tending to the horses while they drank from the fresh water.
"He is insufferable," her lady was saying beside her. "How dare a lowly warrior presume to command me."
Megumi allowed herself a private smile. The young samurai seemed to have got under her lady's skin, or at least struck a sensitive nerve. "His manners are a little blunt," she acknowledged. "However he looks efficient enough."
"Efficient?" Lady Kaoru gazed coolly at her. She knew that look. It was her mistress' way of expressing disapproval.
"Well, we should be grateful that he saved us from those thugs last night," she said in his defense. "Beside, he looks cute."
Megumi could have sworn her mistress choked then. Lady Kaoru coughed, and then pretended to busy herself washing herself. Megumi went behind her.
"He isn't ugly, I can admit that," said Lady Kaoru. "And he seems a good swordsman enough."
"Maybe I should seduce him." Megumi wondered while tending to her mistress hair. "He is quite my type, even if my lady doesn't seem to find him to her taste."
She didn't see it, but she could feel her lady's smile. "Megumi, don't you ever get tired of fooling around men?" she asked.
"Hmm, let me see." Megumi pretended to consider the question for a moment. "No."
Lady Kaoru splashed water in her direction. She ducked. "Megumi, you are impossible," the lady said.
"Beside," Megumi continued, getting back to her lady's admirable strands of black hair, "he might well be the man I've been waiting for. Good-looking, strong and gentle at the same time." She sighed dreamily. "Yes, I am definitely going to make a move."
Her lady's voice dropped several degrees. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," she said. "We are going to get rid of him at the first occasion. We mustn't arrive in his company in Kyoto. Besides," she said, her murmur so soft that Megumi had to prick up her ears to hear, "I hate men who don't know their proper places."
Megumi pretended she didn't catch the last part. "You are right of course, my lady." She acknowledged. He definitely struck a nerve.
In truth, it would be a good thing if he stuck around, Megumi thought. She wasn't totally indifferent to him, she admitted, but more importantly, that might foil her lady's plan. She'd told her mistress that it was foolishness, at least at the start. Now she kept it to herself, getting along so that her lady would agree to let her help. Lady Kaoru was young still, and Megumi just couldn't let her mistress run amok. She would stands by her lady's sides; it was her duty. But that didn't mean she'd changed her mind on that subject.
"Tonight," her lady was saying. "Tonight, while he's asleep, we will take the horses and get rid of him, and he would be none the wiser."
"He said he was going to Kyoto too," Megumi said, a trifle uneasy.
"Kyoto is a big city, I doubt we will see him there. And even if we did, it probably wouldn't matter then." The lady nodded her head in satisfaction.
"Are you finished?" a voice popped suddenly. Lady Kaoru turned her head, and stifled a scream.
Megumi turned also. There he was, standing by the hot springs. The sun in his back lent him a golden aura, while his silhouette stood threatening in shadows.
"J-jerk," her lady spat, ducking deeper into the water. Jerk? "Don't you have any decency, peeping on naked women?"
He wasn't baffled in the least. "It isn't as if I never saw naked women before," he retorted. "Anyway, we haven't got all day. I must be in Kyoto in two days at most. So get out of there." He turned his back to them, walking away. "And there's no need to hide in the water," he added. "It's transparent enough to see through."
Megumi thought that her lady might explode then, but she just remained dignified. Megumi could have sworn steam was pouring out from her nostrils, though.
Night had come upon them almost without warning. Days were short in winter, and shorter still, it seemed, this particular day. It had been fortunate, then, that they reached the inn before dusk. The hot springs' soothing waters were long forgotten by then. Kaoru felt more tired than in any other occasion she could remember. Every muscle in her body was screaming for rest. She had almost dozed off on the road.
She dismounted her cursed mare, ignoring Shinta's extended hand. She didn't feel strong enough at the moment to deal with him. Her feet landed on the ground with as much grace as she could muster. It cost her every shred of willpower she had in her body, but she stood straight, her composure intact. She felt very proud of herself.
Shinta was observing her. His expression was unreadable as ever, yet she could feel his amusement. Was he interiorly laughing at her expense? How dared he. And how dared he look so fresh, as if he didn't go through a day's worth of riding on the back of the foulest beast to have ever existed on the face of Earth. Spiteful.
As he led their horses into the stables, Kaoru followed Megumi inside the inn. People glanced up when they entered. Not too regal, Kaoru remembered, not too stiff. She tried to walk more relaxed, slouching her hips. The result, she thought, was quite successful.
The place smelled… bad. It was a mix of sweat, alcohol and what felt suspiciously like failed cooking. The walls were a dull brown, but surprisingly clean.
A small man approached them, his skin wrinkled and greasy, his belly round. He smiled oily at them, unveiling a set of yellow and black teeth.
Kaoru spoke before he could utter a single word, for fear of having to smell his breath. "We will take two chambers. See the details with my servant." And without waiting for a reply she walked towards the wooden stairs.
"Of course, of course, my lady," the man—the inn's owner, she presumed—said to her back. She heard him bow several times. "Nami! Nami!" he called. A young plain-looking girl showed her head through a doorframe on the left. "Nami, show the ladies to their rooms. And be quick about it!"
"But, what rooms?" the girl asked, timidly. But he wasn't listening anymore. Shinta, she saw was coming in.
Nami showed them to a small room. The furnishing was plain. A chest and a single bed. Kaoru asked the girl for a room with two beds, but there weren't any unoccupied one, Nami had explained apologetically. Kaoru frowned then. How distasteful.
But it didn't really matter. She asked for change clothes. She had money, of course, and would pay. The girl acquiesced.
When she returned with the required clothes, Kaoru asked her to wake them at midnight. It was, she explained, a family custom, to offer a prayer to their ancestors at midnight each night. It was vital that they do so, she said, or the spirits would be greatly angered. There was no need to wake her servant up though. The girl nodded, and left them.
And so they awoke after more than five hours of much needed sleep, alert and refreshed. At least, Megumi was alert. She, on the other hand, was still groggy. They clothed themselves in their old garments, and went out of the chamber.
His room was two doors away from theirs; she had made sure to ask about it. And it was totally dark, without the slightest trace of light filtering under it. "He's asleep," she whispered to Megumi. "Let's go."
As silently as they could they walked to the exit, encountering no one on their way out. Kaoru felt a rushing sense of excitement. At long last she was going to be free of the meddlesome samurai. She stepped into the night.
He was there.
He sat on an eroded rock, his face turned to the starlit sky. He had his back turned to them, but somehow he felt her presence.
"Lovely night, isn't it?" he called, not looking at her.
She ground her teeth. She hated clingy men.
Megumi sighed, and gestured to her that she was going to get more sleep. Kaoru nodded. There was nothing they could do now. He had foiled her plans once again. She wondered if he was doing this on purpose. It was impossible of course, yet….
Her maid walked back inside. She, on the other hand, edged towards Shinta. The night was fresh, but not overly freezing. A soft breeze rustled the naked trees.
"What are you doing?" she asked him, keeping her tone mild, even though she wanted nothing more at this instant than to rip him to pieces.
"Why, I am admiring the nightly sky, of course." He finally glanced at her. "Now it begs the question, what are you doing awake at such a late hour, my lady?"
"I had some troubles sleeping, and I thought that perchance the fresh air might help sooth my weariness." She sat beside him on the rock.
"I thought you would be very tired after such a long ride," he said. "You will need the rest tomorrow, my lady."
"It doesn't matter."
"You told the innkeeper that I was your servant, my lady?" he asked, his tone light.
She almost blushed. "His teeth made me fear his breath," she explained honestly. "It was the easiest way I found to avoid smelling it."
"I see," he replied blandly.
And then he chuckled.
It was the first time she heard him laugh, she realized. The sound was surprising, soft and smooth yet sad at the same time.
She gazed up at the night sky. Stars shone there, bright yet impersonal, several of which she recognized. When she was small she would observe the sky each night, and her mother would teach her the name of the stars. Her mother had believed that one's fate could be read in them, in their pattern and the way they sparkled. "Lovely night," she murmured, and she genuinely thought it.
For a long moment the two of them sat side by side, in silence, their face turned up towards the vision of distant suns.