Disclaimer: FB belongs to Natsuki Takaya, and anything else you recognize also doesn't belong to me.
Chapter 35
Roof shingles torn off, some trees uprooted, and the occasional cracked window from flying debris—those were the only aftereffects of the harithe. And since it was not even a medium-strength harithe, life returned to normal in Lhasa very quickly.
The arrival of summer was finally becoming more evident as the days slowly grew warmer and the vegetation sluggishly assumed slightly greener tints. It rained often, and the nights were still cold enough to make the puddles freeze over. Lhasans were used to automatically skirting frozen puddles or walking carefully over them in the mornings. It would be a few more weeks before it would be warm both day and night.
One morning, when there was only three weeks of school left, Lhoru rushed to meet Zhula and Hanadzima at a cheap café. She'd been baking cookies for Haru; that was why she was late. The bag of cookies jostled in her hand with each stride she took.
Panting, Lhoru pushed the café's door open, jangling its bell loudly.
"Lhoru! Back here!" called Zhula from the back booth, where the three of them always sat.
"Hi! I'm so sorry I'm late!" Lhoru, still catching her breath, sat next to Hanadzima.
" 'I was vacuuming the carpet, I was cooking dinner a week in advance, I was washing Lhadoman's dirty underwear,' et cetera, et cetera," mocked Zhula. "Don't worry, it's cool with us. After all, Lhoru, those men you live with couldn't defend themselves against a dust bunny if they tried."
They all laughed. "Well, actually," said Lhoru, "I was baking cookies for Haru. I'm taking them to him after I leave."
"What, is Haru your boyfriend now?" gasped Zhula.
"No, Zhula, Haru was dumped by his girlfriend," corrected Hanadzima. "Remember what happened the day of the harithe?"
"Oh, yeah," mumbled Zhula, running a hand through her hair.
"He was extremely upset about it," said Lhoru. "I thought this might make him feel better."
"See what I mean? The Shomas couldn't live without Saint Lhoru," smiled Zhula. She yelled at the waiter, "Hey you! We want some service here!"
The girls ordered their favorite milkshakes, with Hanadzima requesting extra chocolate for hers. The sullen waiter departed after losing the battle of hostile glares to Zhula.
"I still got the stuff," announced Zhula proudly.
"You certainly do," agreed Hanadzima. "But next time let me summon him with my waves."
"Don't let your waves hurt him, Dzima!" exclaimed Lhoru.
"Of course not, I am not irresponsible," retorted Hanadzima.
"Relax, Lhoru, Dzima and I need to stay in practice to defend you from Huki's crazy admirers." Zhula took out a nail file from her purse.
"Let us move on to a more appropriate topic of conversation," suggested Hanadzima, seeing Lhoru squirm at the somewhat sadistic stream of talk.
"Yeah, I gotta tell you about this guy I met at the convenience store!" Zhula, her nail file forgotten, leaned closer towards her friends. "He kinda reminds me of Lhoru."
"He looks like her?" asked Hanadzima, intrigued.
"Nah, he looks totally different. I meant in her klutziness."
Lhoru admitted, "I'm not very graceful outside of the kitchen."
"Anyway, this morning, hang on—I gotta get this right," Zhula paused. She worked part-time at a convenience store, on Sundays and four days during the school week. "Okay, I was stacking the shelves, and this person with a huge pile of junk food in his arms comes around the corner into the aisle I was in. He had so many bags you couldn't see his face! I was like, 'What the hell is he doing? And does he actually eat that much crap?'
"I said to him, 'Sir, maybe you ought to use a basket,' and he didn't say anything for a second. Then I hear him go, 'Yes, of course, silly me. Thank you very much.' He bowed a little, and all the bags fell out of his arms!"
All three laughed. "It does sound like something I'd do," giggled Lhoru.
"Did you talk to him any more?" asked Hanadzima, when they'd recovered.
"Yeah, I did," responded Zhula. "He was kinda weird, but I liked him. He told me it was the first time he'd ever been to a convenience store, and he must've been in his early twenties! Can you believe that?"
"That is unusual," remarked Lhoru.
"You know what else was unusual? His looks," continued Zhula. "He was really thin, almost dainty, and tall. And he had red hair—not bright orange like Lhadoman, but a deep red."
"Auburn?" suggested Hanadzima.
"That's it! But get this—his name was Shoma Hatharu! What is it with Shomas and their exotic looks?"
"Another Shoma?" asked Lhoru excitedly.
"You know him?" Zhula queried hopefully.
"No, I've not even heard of him, but I can find out more."
"You like him, don't you, Zhula," stated Hanadzima, calmly sipping more of her extremely chocolatey milkshake.
"Yeah, no—well, I wouldn't mind seeing him again." For a minute Zhula's cheeks flushed a faint pink.
"I'll ask around when I go the Shoma estate!" declared Lhoru resolutely. Neither Lhoru nor Zhula noticed the worried look in Hanadzima's eyes.
"If Hatharu is another of the cursed ones…" thought Hanadzima. She'd been talking a lot with Huki lately, and he had finally told her about the family curse. Hanadzima was mildly surprised that Lhoru, who knew about the Shomas' problems with relationships, wasn't trying to discourage Zhula. Then again, Lhoru probably believed that becoming involved with outsiders was good for the Shomas.
"Dzima, wouldn't it be funny if I ended up with a Shoma boyfriend like you?" laughed Zhula.
"Huki's not my boyfriend, not officially, anyway."
"Aw, that's crap, and you know it! Both of you are just too introverted to come out in the open about dating," scoffed Zhula. "You ought to announce it at school—that would get Huki's fans in an uproar. They still think Lhoru's the one Huki likes. Don't worry, Lhoru, I'm sure Lhadoman will come around sooner or later, then we can all have Shoma lovers."
"Ah…" Lhoru blushed deep scarlet.
"Never mind," said Zhula quickly.
For the second time, the Shoma estate overwhelmed Lhoru. The first time was when Hathori the family doctor invited her, and he'd told her to get away from the Shomas. She'd learned the heartbreaking saga of Hana from Nharu.
"Uh-oh…" Lhoru snapped back to reality. "I don't know where Haru lives."
"Are you lost, ma'am?" A woman's authorititative voice cut through the cool air, echoing weirdly in the vast, empty courtyard. Lhoru saw a tall, thin brown-haired woman in a nurse's uniform. Her hazel eyes burned above sharp cheekbones. Those were her most distinctive features; otherwise she was quite plain.
"Yes, I am," said Lhoru, walking down the main path towards the woman. Normally Lhoru would be stuttering and turning red talking to a complete stranger, but underneath the burning eyes lay an aura of goodwill. The woman didn't look Hothan to Lhoru, and fleetingly Lhoru wondered if she was another Dzuni. "My name is Mileshi Lhoru…"
"Lhoru! Well, what do you know," chuckled the woman, "my boss said you would be showing up sooner or later!"
"Eh?"
"Oh, forgive me, I didn't mean to be so familiar," the woman said as she bowed to Lhoru. "I'm Yuljat Karan. I'm the doctor's new nurse."
"Kadan?" repeated Lhoru. The name sounded totally incomprehensible and foreign.
"You can pronounce it 'Ka-raahn,' the Hothan way, if you want, and don't worry about my last name," said Karan. "You see, I'm from Zi Alda originally."
"You're not a Shoma? Then how did you get here—oh!" Lhoru gasped, thinking she had intruded too much on Karan's personal business.
"How, indeed," snorted Karan. "But you were looking for someone?"
"Yes!" responded Lhoru a little loudly, relieved at the change of subject. "I have some cookies for Shoma Hatsuharu, I know him from school."
"I'll show you to his parents' house," Karan said. "Just follow me. Someone could wander around this estate and die of thirst before they escaped." She turned down the path, walking with long, fast steps, forcing Lhoru to jog to catch up. The path branched off in three directions, the middle leading to the front door of the main building and the other two wending around its sides. Karan and Lhoru turned onto the left fork.
"Zi Alda is awfully far," offered Lhoru shyly. "It must've been hard." Her mind raced, trying to guess why Asheno had let an outsider into the estate.
Karan brushed the comment off with a casual, "Oh, I was so bored there." They were now walking side by side. Karan snuck a peek at Lhoru's confused look and smiled knowingly.
"My father was Zi Aldan," explained Karan quietly, so as not to be overheard by a few gardeners preparing the grounds for the spring cleanup, "but my mother was Hothan, and supposedly a distant relative of the Shomas. That's how Asheno justifies bringing me here, anyway." She observed Lhoru's head jerk at Asheno's name.
"You know Asheno?" asked Karan as the two emerged around the western corner of the main building and continued walking toward an enclave of houses set against the western wall.
"No, I've never met him," answered Lhoru, "uh…but I have heard about him."
"Heard about him, have you? I'm sure," retorted Karan.
"Did you meet him?" To Lhoru, the conversation was steadily growing too personal, but her curiosity overrode her manners.
"Yes, unfortunately," Karan frowned, and her eyes narrowed. "But I just pretended to be stupid, and went along with everything he said. So our meeting went fine."
Lhoru listened, fascinated. She opened her mouth to ask another question. At that moment, Karan stopped in front of one of the larger houses.
"This is where Haru's and Shehure's parents live," Karan said, and knocked on the door. No response. Karan tried again.
"Oh! I forgot!" gasped Lhoru. "Today is Saturday! The boys are at the martial arts center!"
"That would explain it, certainly. Zhu and Mathara are probably running errands," mused Karan. "Why don't you have tea with me? You came all the way out here, and I'd feel terrible if you didn't at least get a warm drink."
"I shouldn't keep you from your work. I can just return later," protested Lhoru weakly. In truth, Lhoru didn't want to leave and miss talking to Karan more, so she buckled easily when the nurse insisted.
Once again Lhoru entered Hathori's house. Nothing had changed, really, except for signs of improved housekeeping. The doctor was very neat in his office, but his living space showed signs of neglect. Karan must've set to work on cleaning it in her spare time.
"Hathori has told me you're good friends with some of the teenagers here," Karan said. "You don't mind my talking like this? It's my nature to be somewhat meddlesome, you see—caused me some social trouble in Zi Alda." She smiled mischievously. "It drove Father crazy. Zi Aldans are very disapproving of gossip and treat it like a great sin. They're being completely hypocritical, in my opinion." She rattled the dishes in search of the errant teapot. "Hoth is much better suited for me—the harsh winters helped turn gossiping into a national pastime. Now where's that damn teapot? Oh, right in front of me. No, you're my guest, Lhoru, sit down and relax. That's an order."
Lhoru reluctantly took a seat at the kitchen table, and accepted a slice of bread. She watched Karan alternate riffling through the cabinets and cursing the teabags for their audacity in hiding from her.
"My God, Hathori needs a wife," exclaimed Karan exasperatedly, "or at least a girlfriend. I've never seen him eat anything in this kitchen. It's no wonder it's impossible to find anything in here, the dust is so thick!" With a triumphal "Aha!", Karan finally pulled out two teabags.
"Do you live here?" Lhoru asked, after nibbling at a corner of her slice.
"Of course not—I'm interested only in talking gossip, not making it," laughed Karan, making Lhoru blush deeply. "My relationship with Hathori is strictly professional, although I don't know about Asheno's intentions." Out of the corner of her eye, Karan watched Lhoru's reaction very carefully. The teenager looked confused by the reference to Asheno. Obviously she didn't know enough about Asheno.
"Never mind," Karan said briskly, "if my father were here, he'd be telling me to be silent right now."
"I…don't know anything about Asheno, except he's head of the family," said Lhoru.
"You know something else about him, don't you?" thought Karan, noticing Lhoru's equally close watch on her. For a minute Karan pretended to work on the tea, debating whether she should try to dig additional information out of Lhoru. Asheno really gave Karan the creeps when she met him, and the Shoma family was so secretive. But what were they being so secretive about? Karan hoped it wasn't a crime family or a bizarre religious cult.
"Actually, they couldn't be a crime family, because no head as weak as Asheno would last," reasoned Karan. Finally she said out loud, "Well, Lhoru, it's fine that you don't know much about Asheno. But do tell me—are you acquainted with Hathori at all? He's been so busy lately, I haven't gotten to know him well." Karan had had the misfortune to arrive right after Asheno pushed some poor girl down an entire flight of stairs.
"Oh, I'm sure he's busy," responded Lhoru emphatically. "I heard Rin got hurt very badly."
"Is Rin the name of the girl Asheno pushed down the stairs?" Karan, instantly forgetting the tea, turned around.
"Asheno pushed her down the stairs?" echoed Lhoru, shocked.
Karan nodded. "But she's fine now," she hurriedly reassured Lhoru. "She got out of the hospital two days ago."
"That's wonderful," said Lhoru distractedly. She mused out loud, "I wonder if it was like Hathori and Hana."
The nurse stared at Lhoru, mystified. Lhoru felt the stare and looked up. She gasped when she realized what she'd said out loud. "I'm sorry!" exclaimed Lhoru, jumping up, the chair scraping on the floor. "Uh, I shouldn't be interfering in others' business! Thanks for the tea, Karan, but I have to go…um, to work, and I'll drop the cookies later today when Haru's back from martial arts! Bye!" Lhoru fumbled with the cookie bag and her jacket, and made her way out the door before Karan could stop her. The whistling teapot reclaimed Karan's attention, and she took it off the stove.
"This family gets worse and worse," sighed Karan. So something had happened between Hathori and Asheno in the past, an incident involving someone named Hana. Perhaps Asheno was the reason why Hathori was blind in one eye.
She'd only told Lhoru half the truth when she said Hathori had been very busy. He was actually in the office quite a lot, but he always kept her at a distance. He said "hello," "thank you," and the other obligatory pleasantries. Anything involving his life was apparently off limits. Whenever Karan ventured to ask him anything more personal, he always dodged by asking her to do another job.
Karan couldn't help noticing the unusual looks of some of the family members, including Hathori and Asheno. Privately, the nurse had to admit to herself that she'd caught many sneak peeks at Hathori's handsome face. Their ethereal beauty kept catching her off guard, and she found herself wondering what they were, as opposed to who they were. The old Zi Aldan stories about demons who would mingle with humans had resurfaced often since Karan arrived here. Her mother hadn't told her any Hothan stories; apparently she thought the Zi Aldan ones were better.
Pouring tea into a battered cup, Karan heaved another sigh. She wouldn't be bored in Hoth.
"How do I get Hathori to open up?" she wondered as she burned her tongue on the tea.
At that moment, all three teenagers under Shehure's care were elsewhere. Lhadoman was at martial arts training, and Lhoru had said she was going to meet her friends and visit Haru later on. Huki had been very vague about his plans, but he was gone, nevertheless. The house was silent, except for the rustling of papers as Shehure finally cleaned off his desk.
"Why am I bothering?" wondered the dog, cognizant that it was highly abnormal for a writer to be neat. The desk would only drown under a fresh onslaught in the next few days. Still, Shehure knew perfectly well why he wanted to clean his desk. The idea of finally calling Khazuma made him nervous. The freedom of the Dzuni could hinge on this call, and he wanted freedom from the curse more than anything else, yet there was no way to be certain it would even work.
As he shuffled the last pile of papers into order, he sighed and steeled himself. All the kids were out, and Lhadoman's training session should have ended a few minutes ago. This was the perfect time to call. Shehure sat down in his leather chair and reached for the phone. His hand pulled back suddenly as his ears picked up the sound of the front door opening.
"Damn!" he cursed in a whisper. "Who's there?" He couldn't keep his voice from sounding just a little tense and irritated.
"It's me," a low-pitched woman's voice called. A tall, svelte brunette walked towards Shehure's study, her calf boots tapping on the floor.
"Rin," acknowledged Shehure, not getting up from the chair. The last person he wanted to see right now. She wore her usual skin-tight clothing; even her black jacket hugged her torso well. Naturally, she had underdressed somewhat for spring weather. Her shapely legs were exposed in between the boots and the short dress she had on. Recovering bruises on her legs and face, still yellow, bore the only physical evidence of Asheno's attack.
"Shehure," Rin nodded her head, picking up on the unfriendly vibes from the dog.
"Congratulations on getting out of the hospital," said Shehure. "I'm glad you're better."
Rin shrugged. "Well, I couldn't possibly have been much worse than I was three weeks ago."
"What do you want?" The sooner he could get her out, the better. The more Shehure looked at Rin's defiant look and her ugly bruises, the angrier and sadder he became. He tapped a stray pen impatiently.
"Aren't we more direct than usual today," sarcastically observed Rin. "I see you cleaned your desk. You're up to something."
"And aren't we being incriminatory," mocked Shehure.
"You're not as smooth as you normally are." Rin's eyes narrowed. She shifted her weight, standing akimbo with one hand on her hip.
Shehure's restraint flew out the window. "Oh, I'm so sorry, but I don't happen to be in the mood to talk to the girl who caved in to a madman and dumped my little brother like a hot coal."
Rin's mouth gaped open, her hard façade immediately collapsing. Shehure winced inwardly, regretting his words. As he was about to apologize, Rin's mouth tightened and her fists clenched over her purse strap.
"Hypocrite," she declared coldly, her steely look reestablishing itself. "How dare you accuse me of being weak and cold-hearted, when every other Dzuni has done something similar. Did you denounce Hathori when he erased Hana's memories? Did you scold Hiro for abandoning Kisa after Asheno beat her to a pulp? And I have always doubted that woman you dated was merely a diversion for you."
"Mahalina's none of your business, Rin!" snapped Shehure. But the horse had hit a bulls'-eye deep in Shehure's heart. Shehure knew he was no less cowardly than anyone else in the Dzuni, where matters of love were concerned.
"Then why are you getting so upset?" Rin said smugly. Shehure glared at her, thinking once again how smart Rin was.
"Never mind that, let's get to what you want."
"Hmph, dodging my question, are you? Very well," acquiesced Rin. "I want to know how to break the curse."
"Why come to me?" He put down the pen, his mind on guard against whatever Rin might say. It was imperative to keep his plans as secret as possible.
"You're the one out of all the Dzuni who's most capable in searching for an antidote, and the one in the best position to do so. I'm not blind."
"Oh? How do you know I'd have any idea how to break the curse?"
"You have a plan, obviously." Rin's coldness was beginning to drop away, a pained earnestness slowly stepping in. "Haru, Huki, and Hathori all know you're planning something. Or they suspect it. There's the whole business of your taking in Lhoru, and you're the only one who could convince Asheno to let her stay. You're the only one devious enough to keep Asheno from getting suspicious for this long."
"I don't know whether to be flattered or not," Shehure finally responded. "It's certainly a glowing portrait you paint of me, Rin," he added bemusedly. "Shehure the Schemer." The dog leaned back on his right elbow onto his desk, appearing more relaxed. "Do go on, this is so very entertaining."
"Stop playing games with me and tell me what the hell is going on!" yelled Rin, stamping her foot.
"I'm watching a very pretty teenage girl get mad," smiled Shehure.
"Lecher." Rin's temper cooled. "I see I'll get nothing out of you today, so I'll stop wasting your time."
"What a shame." Please leave, Shehure mentally begged.
"Fine, then. Goodbye!" Wheeling about on one foot, Rin strode towards the entrance hall briskly. When she was out of sight, Shehure turned back to his desk, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Shehure." Rin's voice called from the front door.
"Yes?"
"For your information, I dumped Haru because I didn't want him to risk getting hurt by Asheno on my account." The door clicked shut.
For a long five minutes, the dog just slouched at his desk, his head in his hands. Slowly, like a tired old man, he straightened his back again. He reached for the receiver, picked it up, and dialed a number.
"Hello?" A strong male voice asked on the other end.
"Hello, Khazuma, it's Shehure."
"Oh, Shehure!" The voice perked up. "It's been a long time since we last talked."
"Listen, Khazuma, we need to talk about something important. Are Lhado or Haru there?"
"No, they just left," Khazuma replied, a little puzzled and definitely concerned by Shehure's tone.
"Good, I don't want anybody overhearing this."