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At the first light of dawn, even before the white mists of his transformation had dissolved completely into the chilly air, Yuki was already scampering across the shimmering surface of the lake upon the bridge of light. Only the tower's inhabitants who'd been touched by Akito's magic could cross the lake in this manner, and for once Yuki was grateful for the hated reminder of Akito's mark upon him. His eagerness to reach the clearing was matched only by his dread at what he might find when he got there. Anything could have happened during the night. The girl had been starving and ill when he'd left her alone in the forest, and Yuki knew better than to hope that her presence might have escaped Akito's detection. If she'd died during the night, or if she turned out to be merely a fantasy concocted by his crazed imagination, he would—
Gods, he didn't know what he would do.
He jumped off the bridge and scurried along the shore, sending out a mental call as he did so. Three rats burst out of the forest, chittering noisily at him. The behavior was unusual enough to make him pause. "Enemy?" he echoed, wondering if he'd misunderstood the rats. Then again, for the monsters in the forest, anything living and breathing could be considered an enemy, even members of the same species.
He hoisted himself up on one of the rats and they continued on, until Yuki noticed something on the ground. The sparse green bundle lying half-buried in the mud were leeks, the same leeks he'd helped Ritsu plant in a tiny vegetable patch on the island. What in the world was a bundle of leeks doing here?
A dead rat lay not far from the leeks, and the two other rats promptly fell upon it and began gnawing on the flesh. Yuki's nose twitched at the smell of death, and he turned away in disgust, urging his mount forward. Strange. He didn't know of any forest creature that could slit a rat's throat as cleanly as that. Whatever did the rat in left a trail of scent that was still perceptible despite the rain. The trail led to the clearing, and fear began to hum through Yuki's body. Had Akito sent one of the tower-guardians to deal with the girl?
He leaped off his mount and wended through the rocks and grasses, only to come upon a far more disturbing sight. A dagger glinted on the ground not far from the clearing, the hawk's head carved on the hilt staring right through him. A hawk, Akito's second most-favored form. Tower-guardians didn't use daggers. Yuki's blood ran cold. Expecting the worst, he bolted to the cave and froze when he found it…empty.
He circled the cave, bewildered. The enchanted fire had gone out, although a thin line of smoke still rose from the ashes so it couldn't have been long. A sack lay beside the fire, as did a small cooking pot with a bit of rice left. Even stranger was the heap of clothing tossed to one side. Yuki recognized the girl's ragged dress, but not the shirt beside it, where the strange scent was strongest. The two scents—the girl's and the other's—intermingled on the ground. Although he was relieved to find no traces of her blood or even a tinge of fear in her scent, he wasn't sure how he felt about the entire situation. Somebody had come here during the night, somebody who'd smelt of blood and battle, who carried a dagger that had already tasted blood. He'd found the cave and the girl sheltered inside it, shared a dinner of rice and pork with her, then proceeded to strip her of her clothing and give her his shirt. The stranger stayed with her, and then, when morning came, ran out of the cave, with the girl close behind him. Yuki followed their scents into the forest when a cry came from the shadowy depths.
The forest! He dove into the forest and scampered through the undergrowth. He found her crouched between two tree roots, dressed only in her shift, her wide, frightened eyes riveted on the gigantic spider dangling from a cord in front of her, its eight green eyes fixed upon her with deadly intent. Green venom dripped from it mandibles as the spider lowered itself at a leisurely pace, assessing quite accurately that its prey was already too petrified to move. With an eloquent curse, Yuki shimmied up a tree and snapped off a twig, judging the leap he was going to make. Just as the spider was about to pump the girl full of venom, Yuki kicked off the branch and landed right on top of the spider's head, his weight and momentum thrusting the twig deep into one eye. Greenish fluid spurted from the wound, and the spider bucked furiously, hissing in pain, while Yuki hung on for dear life. "Run!" he yelled to the girl. "Go back to the clearing!"
"But what about you?" the girl cried, her gaze darting this way and that as she searched for the source of the voice. "Where are you?"
"I'll be fine. Just go!"
Clawed limbs flailed as the maddened spider twisted violently, trying to dislodge its tiny attacker, and Yuki went flying into a clump of roots. Dazed, he shook himself and was gratified to see the girl vanishing in the direction of the clearing. The spider charged at him, but Yuki scooted deeper among the roots, far from the reaches of the frothing mandibles. "Sorry, but you'll have to look for breakfast elsewhere," he muttered, before crawling through the roots after the girl.
When he scampered into the clearing, the girl was leaning against the back of the cave, anxiously scanning the forest, and his relief at finding her safe was almost physical. The relief soon gave way to something else. A ray of sunlight had fallen over her in a hazy stream of gold, turning her hair into a cascade of honey and chestnut and her eyes into aquamarines. She looked like a nymph, a creature of earth and air, and—a what? Yuki blinked. Where did that come from? He'd never been the least bit poetic, and he never understood why everyone at court felt the need to spout romantic drivel every so often. That spider must have thrown him harder than he'd thought.
Then he suddenly realized what he'd been staring at for some time: in the sunlight, the girl's flimsy white shift became somewhat…transparent. He quickly averted his gaze. He knew mice were incapable of blushing, but the way his blood was pounding through him, his body was certainly doing its best to defy tradition.
He cleared his throat and decided to let his presence be known. "Are you all right, Miss?"
The girl started. "Where are you?"
"I'm right here."
She squinted into the woods. "Where?"
"Here." Her gaze shifted downward, and her eyes grew as large as saucers at the sight of him. "Are you all right?" he asked again. "What happened? Why did you leave the clearing?"
Her mouth opened and closed a few times. "Y-you're a—you're a—"
"Yes?" he prompted.
"You're a mouse!" she blurted.
He felt his own jaw drop at that singularly peculiar statement. "Yes, I am," he said when he recovered himself. "I was a mouse yesterday, too." She slid downward until she sat on the ground, her stunned gaze never leaving his. A sick feeling grew within Yuki. He'd expected this sort of reaction from her, but not after what happened yesterday. "Don't you remember?" he asked, unconsciously bracing himself for the moment when she recoiled from him in revulsion.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I saw—at least I thought I saw—I recognize your voice, but—"
"What did you think I was?"
"A boy," she answered. Her gaze turned inward, and she didn't notice Yuki flinch. "I saw a boy, with silvery hair and kind eyes and the nicest smile." Her expression grew dreamy, and every word she spoke was like a blow to his gut. "He was so handsome. Like a prince in a story I once heard. The Prince of Snows." She focused on him again, and it took every ounce of willpower Yuki possessed to keep his own gaze steady. "You have his eyes," she said simply.
Yuki, on the other hand, had no idea what to say. He was having enough trouble digesting the fact that, for a few hours at least, the girl had seen right through his curse. She'd seen him in his true form. What sort of powers did she have? Was it the Sun Stone revealing the truth behind the enchantment? A hallucination triggered by fever? No, there had to be more to it than that.
The Prince of Snows. He hadn't heard that title in years. The people at court called him that—a silly appellation, one he'd tolerated out of respect for his elders. Who'd have thought that something as inane as a childhood nickname would cause him so much pain someday? And that this stranger from the outside world would come to remind him of all that he had lost?
The girl bit her lip in rising mortification at his silence. "I'm so sorry, Mouse-san," she said meekly. "I didn't mean to offend you. You saved my life yesterday and today, too, and I'm grateful for that, truly I am, and—I guess I was dreaming on my feet again, and that's why—"
"'Mouse-san'?" Despite the turmoil inside him, he couldn't resist the tug of amusement. The girl was adorable when she was flustered. "You called me 'Yuki' yesterday," he said, tilting his head at her. "Why did you?"
"The prince in the story was named 'Yuki'," she replied miserably. "I'm sorry."
"I don't mind," he murmured, although the irony in his tone was lost on her. "I think I prefer 'Yuki' over 'Mouse-san,' anyway."
She stared at him, then smiled shyly. "All right…Yuki-kun."
His whiskers twitched in a smile of his own. "By the way, how do you know what the prince in your story looks like?"
"I saw a picture of him. And I dreamt of him once. "
"A dream." There was that memory again. He'd seen this girl before. She came to him, a vision of swirling dark hair and aquamarine eyes, melting out of white mists of his sanctuary before vanishing again. She was the only one who'd ever been able reach him in his all-consuming solitude. Could it be? Was the angel he'd seen really her?
He looked up at her, and only then noticed the expression on her face. She was biting her lip again and staring at him with barely suppressed emotion. "Is something wrong?"
She shook her head.
"What is it?" he asked, concerned. "Are you hurt? Is it your fever?"
"No, no, I'm fine, really," she babbled nervously. "Just, um, if I could—if you'd let me—"
It took him a few moments to figure out what it was she wanted from him, and when he did, he nearly fell over in shock. As it was, he could barely manage a nod of assent before she held out her hand, palm up, for him to climb up on. "You're so cute!" she squealed as she petted him, rubbing her cheek against his fur and stroking him from the top of his head down to his tail, making cooing noises in the back of her throat.
At first Yuki held himself rigidly, overwhelmed by the unaccustomed affection she was lavishing upon him. As she continued to cuddle him, however, his body gradually relaxed as warm tingles coursed through him. He had no idea being held like this could feel so good. As a child, he'd rarely been shown physical affection; his title and his bearing tended to inspire admiration, not closeness. But now, sitting on this girl's hand and shivering with pleasure as her fingers ruffled his fur, he began to wonder just how much he'd missed because of misplaced pride, back in the days when he had everything. Isn't she disgusted? he wondered, confused by her actions, but her eyes glowed with nothing but pure happiness at simply touching him. If anything, it only confused him more.
"What about you?" he said, pushing aside his jumbled feelings for now. "We should give you name, too. Something other than 'Miss.'" Surprise stilled her movements, and he felt a twinge of regret at that. "It's only fair," he added, somewhat lamely.
"I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I didn't tell you my name, did I? It's Tohru Honda."
He turned on her palm and bowed, making her giggle. "I'm honored to meet you, Honda-san."
"Eh? Oh no, please, you don't have to be so formal with me. Kyo-kun said—Kyo-kun!" Her eyes shot wide, every trace of lightheartedness vanishing. "Kyo-kun—my friend's in the forest. He could be in danger!"
Yuki stiffened. "Kyo was here," he stated flatly. Tohru, however, seemed relieved that he knew who she was referring to.
"Yes. He came last night and stayed with me. He was so kind. Both of you are so kind," she added before rattling off the other things Kyo had so kindly done for her. "When he woke up, he seemed to be in pain, but he wouldn't let me near him," she went on. "Then he just ran out into the forest. I tried to follow him, but the spider found me instead." She cast another worried glance at the forest. "Maybe we should go after him. Something might happen to him out there."
Yuki watched the play of emotions on her face. Her concern for the idiot cat was plain to see, and the two already seemed to share a certain level of familiarity after spending one night together. His thoughts took a darker turn as he recalled her dress lying in the cave, along with the cat's shirt. Kyo took care of her while she was sick. He'd stayed with her and fed her and made her feel better. Yuki turned away before she noticed the way his eyes had hardened. Part of him was glad that she hadn't had to endure the long night all alone after all, but another, less honorable part was annoyed at this interloper's presumption. Tohru was—
Tohru was what? a voice whispered mockingly. Kyo had merely done for her what Yuki could not. After all, the idiot cat wasn't a cat when he was with her, was he?
"Yuki-kun?"
"Don't worry about Kyo. The forest won't harm him as long as it's daylight," he told her, hating the uncertainty in her voice and wanting to reassure her. "In fact, I'm sure you'll see him again soon, one way or another," he added cryptically.
She blinked at that, but he was more interested in bringing her smile back than in discussing the idiot cat. He perked up when he remembered what had made her laugh yesterday. "Honda-san, may I?"
"Eh? What—?"
Before she could complete her question, he darted lightly over her arm and perched on her shoulder. She gasped, reaching up instinctively to curve her fingers around him, then laughed delightedly as his whiskers trailed over her neck. Her smile returned, but Yuki's pleasure in it was slightly dampened by concern. "Honda-san, maybe we should go back to the cave. You still feel a bit warm. You need to rest."
She nodded and stood up, but a crashing noise at the end of the clearing, followed by a piercing yowl, made them both turn. The fire-colored cat came bursting out of the forest, and froze in comic surprise at the sight of Tohru. Yuki heard her gasp, and sighed. "There he is."
"What?"
"That's Kyo," he stated baldly.
Her startled gaze flew between him and the cat. Slanted crimson eyes watched her warily, but not aggressively, as if the cat somehow recognized her, but was still unsure whether she was friend or foe. "Kyo…kun?" she croaked, and the cat's ears flicked in response. "Kyo-kun, you're a cat?"
Yuki shook his head. "He can't talk in this form, Honda-san."
She shot him a look. "But—"
"We're different." He knew he sounded curt, but he couldn't help it. The cat's mere presence was grating on his nerves.
Tail high, the cat sauntered through the grasses toward Tohru, apparently deciding that she wasn't worth attacking. Then its gaze fell upon Yuki, still balanced on Tohru's shoulder, and the change in its mood was instantaneous. The cat hissed, ears pressing back against its head, its tail fluffing out to twice its size. Tohru, who'd been reaching out to the cat, pulled back in alarm, but the cat's attention was completely focused on Yuki.
Yuki sighed again. The stupid animal was seconds away from launching itself at Tohru just to get at him. With an exasperated flick of his tail, Yuki scampered down Tohru's arm and jumped onto the rise of the cave, where he gazed down at his nemesis with the cool disdain that came naturally to members of royalty. When the cat attacked, he'd lead it into the forest and away from Tohru. Maybe the spider would be willing to accept a substitute. The thought made him smirk, which was all that was needed to drive the cat over the edge.
Snarling, it sprang at him and Yuki readied himself to jump, but neither of them counted on Tohru's reaction. "No!" she cried, moving between them. She caught the cat in mid-leap, and outraged animal immediately began to struggle against her, spitting and clawing for all it was worth. Before Yuki could do anything more than gape, the cat gave a mighty kick and leaped out of her arms, disappearing into the forest. "Kyo-kun, come back!" she cried, making a move to chase after the wretch, but she halted when Yuki quietly spoke her name.
He stared at her, taking in the myriad scratches on her arms, including three swelling red lines from her throat to underneath her collarbone where the cat had swiped at her. Blood trickled down to her shift, and a little scarlet flower bloomed above her heart. Yuki held himself perfectly still as an icy fury unlike anything he'd ever felt before swept through him. He didn't care if the cat was feral, the stupid beast had hurt her. He'd killed before, in self-defense or when the alternative would have been far worse, but until that moment he had never felt the desire to methodically and savagely destroy another creature in every way possible. The depth of his violence frightened him.
Tohru glanced down at herself, and a small, surprised "eep" escaped her. She swayed a little, and Yuki suppressed the instinct to hunt down the cat and retaliate in kind. For now. "Breathe, Honda-san," he instructed when she went pale, and he was glad to find his voice sounded calm. "Come on. Let's go get those wounds cleaned."
He jumped off the cave and headed toward the lake, while Tohru followed him, still stammering. "But Kyo-kun—why is he—why isn't he—what's happened to him?!"
Despite the anger still thrumming inside him, Yuki smiled. "Which do I answer first?"
But Tohru couldn't speak. She was standing ramrod straight, her arms hanging limply at her sides. Her eyes were wide and staring, her lips parted, her face white. Yuki peered up at her. She looked as if she were about to keel over in shock. "Yaori help us," she breathed.
He followed her gaze. The mists had drifted off the shimmering surface of the lake, driven away by the deepening sunlight, and the dreary vision of the island and its tower loomed clear in the distance. "The forest," she whispered, her voice sounding thin and quivery. "The lake. The tower. Just like in the story."
"Honda-san?"
Her knees buckled underneath her so that she ended up kneeling on the ground. "It's true. Everything's true. Mother, you were right all along."
"Honda-san?"
"Yuki-kun." She turned dazed eyes on him, and to his surprise, held out her hand to him. Already half-worried about her, he jumped up on her palm and let her curl both hands around him. Her gaze returned to the tower, and he could feel her trembling as she held him close to her chest as though for comfort. "Yuki-kun, I'm here, aren't I? The place where the palace used to be."
"Yes," he said simply.
"The one Akito destroyed two hundred years ago."
"What?!" He glanced up sharply at her, certain he had misheard her. Two hundred years?! he thought incredulously, his mind in a whirl. Her almost casual mention of the hated name barely registered. How could it be that only seven years had passed in Akito's realm when two hundred years had already gone by in the outside world? "Honda-san—"
"He could still be alive," Tohru murmured distractedly, still staring at the tower. "He could be in the tower. The tower! Just like in Hatsuharu-san's dream!"
"Honda-san, I—"
"The Prince of Snows could still be alive!"
"Honda-san!" She started and blinked at him, just as he squirmed out of her grasp and jumped onto her lap. They stared at each other, reading the questions in each other's eyes. Finally, Yuki turned away, consumed by a strange notion that he had come to a turning point, almost before he even realized it, and that things would never be the same again after she was done with him. Doubt set in, making him question the wisdom of seeking something that would only cause him more frustration and pain in the end. He looked up at her again, and the confusion darkening her sea-blue eyes sent a pang through him. Why this girl, this strange, beautiful creature who knew too much and too little, who was both helpless and powerful, could have this effect on him he couldn't begin to understand, but he was suddenly, unshakably certain about one thing.
He would do anything to take away the confusion in those eyes.
"I'll answer your questions, Honda-san," he began quietly, "but before I do, tell me the story."
"The story, Yuki-kun?" she asked uncertainly.
His eyes glinted in a smile that was both wistful and wry. "Tell me about the Prince of Snows."
And so she did.