Ch.10- The Choices
About a week later as Brianna and Dominic were walking through town, Yomi's carriage came through. Brianna ending their conversation about the good old days and raced after it. She turned down a side street getting her ahead of it. She made it to the steps just as the carriage pulled up in front of the estate. Yomi got out a bit gruffly. He looked tired.
"Hello, Lord Yomi." she said cheerfully. "It's good to see you back!" His mood shifted a little at the sound of her voice.
"You surprise me, Brianna." he replied. "Not here two weeks and you already know your way around." She smiled as he came up the steps.
"I had to be here to greet you and give you some good news." she said proudly.
"What's that?" he asked as they entered the house. "You built up your own ragtag militia to help in the fight?" he asked beating her to her answer. "Trust me, I heard."
"I know the fight on the border isn't going well." she stated. "If we can help, we'll be ready soon."
"Not soon enough." replied Yomi as he made his way to the bar. He grabbed a glass. Brianna came over and took the top out of the glass bottle his liquor was in. She poured some of the brown liquor into his glass in his hand. It smelled like bourbon. She replaced the top and set it back down on the bar as he went to sit down. "How trained are they?" he asked. "I don't need a bunch of unreliable, untrained soldiers."
"Most are fairly strong fighters and are doing better than I expected in their training." she said coming over to sit next to him.
"Why hadn't they joined before?" he asked after a sip.
"They needed to know there was hope in what they were fighting for." she said.
"What is it they are now fighting for, Brianna?" he asked. "Obviously not me!"
"Their homes." she replied. Yomi took a bit gulp.
"No." he replied with a chuckle. "They are fighting for you." He seemed displeased by this.
"They know me and trust me, but they are not fighting for me." Brianna replied confused by his attitude. "You said we would get my homeland back."
"Then what?" he asked. "Do you plan to live there happily ever after with that boy you were talking to? Or worse off, would you stag a coo and attempt to overthrow me as our power increases?" Brianna jumped up.
"What is wrong with you?!" she snapped. "Why are you questioning me like this?! What have I done to make you not trust me?!" Yomi stood up towing over her.
"As much as you are your mother's daughter, you are also your father's." he stated. "You were a wreck when I left. Now a week later you're all better?!"
"No." she replied. "I'm just trying to take your advice. Neither one of us has time for me to be a mess so I'm taking my pain and doing something with it." She began to walk away. He grabbed her wrist. She yanked it from him. "Stop grabbing my wrists!" she yelled. "I mean it!" He stood there shocked by her outburst. She used that to get out of there and go to her room.
That evening, she joined him for dinner. He seemed surprised by her presence. She was cold and distant, but she was there. It was silence between them until Yomi spoke up halfway through the meal.
"I'm sorry." he said trying to break the tension. She side eyed him and just took a sip of her wine. "I won't ever grab your wrist again." When he got no response, he spoke up again. "Why does it bother you so much?" he asked.
"I was grabbed a lot by my wrists in my past." she said. "Never did the person grabbing my wrists have good intentions. Most of the time what followed was verbal or physical abuse." There was a moment of silence between them. "Why are you acting so different towards me?" He was taken aback. "I thought I was doing what you want me to do."
"Is it what I want you to do or is it what you want to do?" he asked.
"I'm not going to play these head games with you!" she growled. "I've had enough of that with Mials!" He sighed then downed his wine. They stayed in silence until his glass was refilled. When the server walked back into the kitchen, he spoke up again.
"I want you to fight at my side, but I thought we would train together, and we would bring more soldiers in together." he admitted.
"Well, you weren't here, and I could just do nothing." she replied. "Everything I'm doing is to try to help both of us. As soon as the fort can be reclaimed under your flag, the sooner we can control the border. Mukuro kept a regiment there. I see no reason why you can't. I can expand the forest for more coverage and protection. It is our best chance to push Mukuro back." Yomi listened to her intently as she rattled off all the benefits of the land and fort.
"You have thought this through a lot." he said when she finished. "I will meet with your militia tomorrow. If they seem competent, we can move forward with putting them on the battlefield."
"Thank you." she replied, grateful for the change in Yomi. Silence fell again but this time it wasn't tense. After dessert, Yomi walked Brianna upstairs. Outside her room, he embraced her and kissed her passionately. She returned the kiss to an extent. She pulled her lips away after a moment.
"I could touch you again, if you want me to." he whispered in her ear. She pushed him back, applauded he would ask that right now. He sensed her anger and became angry as well. "Or is someone else touching you?" he asked with spite. She slapped him across the face causing him to stumble back a little.
"How dare you?!" she hissed. She entered her room quickly. She locked the door and pressed her back against it. She covered her mouth and almost started to cry. She stopped herself knowing Yomi would hear. She didn't want him to hear her.
She got out of her clothes on her own and into her night dress that Risha had laid out on the made bed. She thought of crawling in but went to her desk and opened a leather-bound journal. She began to go through it again. She had done all this herself. The notes, the drawings. All of it was about the fort and the forest and the road to it that she could remember. As her candlelight dwindled, she made a few more notes and drawings with her quill and ink. When she could no longer keep her eyes open, she put the journal down and blew out the candle.
The next day, she was downstairs in time for breakfast. Risha took it to the garden like she asked. When Brianna was halfway through her breakfast, she was joined by Yomi. A server brought his food out to the table as well.
"I wanted to eat alone." said Brianna. Yomi ignored her comment and proceeded to eat.
"I didn't mean to offend you last night with my offer." he said after a long while. "You asked me to touch you."
"When I was drunk!" she added.
"So you don't want to be touched by me...ever?" he asked.
"Other than to get back my homeland, I don't know what I want right now!" she replied in frustration. "Why is this such a big deal to you when we have such pressing matters to deal with?!" Yomi didn't expect this response.
"You're right." he said feeling foolish. "There are more pressing matters." They both continued to eat. When Brianna finished ans left, Risha came over. She sat down in Brianna's chair. "Yes, Risha?" he asked breaking the silence.
"That Dominic character that's been hanging around Brianna is really interested in her." said Risha. Yomi made a sour face. "If you have any feelings or intentions for Brianna that might change her standing, you better speak up now."
"How interested?" asked Yomi.
"He asked me if I knew her ring size." she replied. Yomi looked disgruntled.
"She would choose you if you have interest in a permanent partnership with her." said Risha.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"The way she looks at you." said Risha. "That young demon is a childhood crush; you are a young she demon's longing." She stood up taking the empty plates away. He sat out there and thought for a while.
That afternoon Brianna led him to a field outside of town where they had moved their training. The men and women who volunteered were hard at work. They were practicing with weapons and hand to hand combat. Some were even exercising their powers. Yomi's ears were perked with interest. Dominic and Senju approached them.
"They are looking good." said Senju after a head bow to Yomi.
"How soon can they move out?" asked Yomi.
"Next week." said Senju. All the while Yomi felt Dominic's eyes on Brianna. She smiled looking from him to Senju and Yomi.
"Tomorrow Major Shachi of my army will be here to prep this militia." Yomi stated. "Brianna, you are Captain of this militia and, Senju, you are First Lieutenant. Major Shachi will rank the rest. That is all." As he turned to walk away, Senju huffed in annoyance.
"Long way to come to not see anything." he said snidely. Dominic looked alarmed he would say that. Brianna looked at him crossed as Yomi turned back around.
"On second thought…" said Yomi walking back closer. "You, what's your name?" he asked Dominic.
"Dominic, my Lord." he replied bowing his head. Yomi could hear the sincere respect in Dominic's voice. "You will be First Lieutenant in Senju's stead. I can't have someone who has such disdain or disrespect for me in a position of power. That would be foolish. We've both seem the results of such foolish decisions, right Senju?" He didn't wait for a response. Yomi turned and proceeded to walk away again. Brianna came after him
"I understand your choice, but I don't know if Dominic is ready for such a responsibility." she said to him.
"He seems like the type who will rise to the occasion." said Yomi. "What he lacks in skill he will make up for in determination, if not to impress me, certainly to impress you."
"What do you mean by that?" she asked.
"He obviously has deep affection towards you, Brianna." stated Yomi. "He has intentions to ask you to marry him."
"Do you think I should?" she asked.
"I think you should do what you think is right for you." he replied begrudgingly.
"I don't understand you." she said stopping. She was genuinely perplexed. "Why are you playing these games with me?" He stopped and turned towards her.
"I'm not playing any games." he said. "Freedom comes with choices. You have many before you. I will not tell you what to choose."
"Last night you offered to touch me again if I wanted." she mentioned. "What if I had chosen that? What would follow?" Yomi shrugged. "What kind of an answer is that?" Brianna asked frustrated.
"I can't give you a clear answer." he said. "I have my own choices to make as well. The price for the choices I make can be considerably high so I much think through all the ramifications of my actions. I have not yet had any long-term thoughts on what our physical relations would mean, if we had any, nor would I appreciate being pressured to make any hasty decisions." He could sense the hurt she felt. Her face was unrevealing, but her eyes mist a little and her throat tightened. She nodded. He went to take her hands. She stepped back. "You want something long term." he said. "I understand that. I'm sorry to have confused you. I do care for you, Brianna, and I want the best for you so I refuse to lead you on."
"Thank you." she replied. "I think, indeed, I have misread our interactions." She looked anywhere, but at him. "Senju and Valentina have offered me a room in their home. I think that it's best I stay with them from now on." This cut like a knife into Yomi's heart. His gut instinct was to lash out in anger, but sensing the hurt he was causing Brianna, he couldn't. He put this situation before both of them, so he had to pay the price.
"I understand." he said after a moment. "You are welcome to come back anytime if you need to."
"I appreciate that." she said.
"Should I have Risha pack your belongings, or would you prefer to pack them yourself?" he asked.
"I'll pack them." she said. "I'll come back in a few hours to do that."
"Okay." he replied. "I really am sorry." he said touching her left shoulder gently. Then he walked away.
