Revelry and Fealty
By Saltwater Romance


Chapter Five


The next couple of days went by like a blur. Each morning I would rise up with the sun, and each night I would all but crawl back to my room in exhaustion. It was to be expected; with the size of Natsume's estate, it was little wonder that there was so much to do within the castle. Every day, I would find myself with a new task with the maids, and I would take my meals with the kitchen staff.

Each day, without meaning to, I would end up working myself to the bone just by the sheer number of chores that needed to be completed.

As for Kokoro Yome?

I rolled my eyes and curled my lip up in disgust. Where to even begin?

'You're putting up flowers? Hand me the vase.'

'It looks heavy and that ledge is hard to reach. Here, let me do it.'

'You're on your way to dust the archives? You know, we've got a good collection of illustrated scrolls there. You might enjoy them.'

'Are you still working? You've been at it since early this morning.'

'Yuu and I will clean up dinner. You should get some rest.'

And each offer of help and pleasantries, he always punctured it with….

'The last traitor of Natsume's, I had been given the honor to behead.' He made his threat clear with a sneer and knowing gaze.

'I have eyes and ears all around the castle. If you are up to no good, I will be the first to know about it.'

'Your charade will not last long; I will get to the bottom of your evil intentions.'

'You have much too many secrets. If I find that any of them will cause harm to Natsume, I will be the last face you see.'

'When it comes to my lord, I have no mercy to those who bring him harm.'

Give it a rest. I get it you multiple personalitied loon. You're head over heels for Natsume Hyuuga. You don't need to keep reminding me! Though, I do have to admit, I'm not too sure who I was more impressed with: Kokoro or Natsume. Kokoro for his murderous level of fealty to Natsume that was so intense, it was kind of breathtaking in a terrifying way. And Natsume? Natsume for inspiring such a loyalty.

Despite the barrage of threats that Kokoro greeted me with daily, I still caught myself smiling whenever I put the lotion on at night.

"I need to do what?" I asked incredulously, staring at one of the ladies on the staff with bewilderment.

"Natsume specifically requested for you to deliver today's tribute to him," she repeated herself with a bow, "He has stated that he hasn't seen you in some time."

Uh, duh. My schedule was designed with the sole purpose of limiting my interactions with all the warlords, particularly, Natsume. Kokoro was an abnormality because he actively seeked me out. His hypervigilant surveillance, remember? With my stomach rolling with unease, I pasted a smile on my face, "Of course. I'll take these the rest of the way. Thank you for letting me know."

She bowed gratefully as she quickly left me with more than a handful of items. My eyes scanned over the glazed ceramic jar of sake, the intricate teapot that put even the statue of David to shame, the haori coat dyed gorgeously with bold c―

I groaned in dismay.

Each item by itself was worth more than what I could ever make in my lifetime and the worth of my life combined. If I disturbed any of this, I was truly positive that it wouldn't be Kokoro ending me; it would be Natsume.

Gritting my teeth, I set to work.

Please. Please. Please. I made it this far without dying. Please don't let me drop this sake accidentally and forfeit my life.

I prayed as I hefted the jar of liquor. It took both arms and all of my strength. Dear God. Walking with it felt like wrestling a baby bear. And just like clockwork, that annoying voice bellowed, "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Having an orgy out here in public. Where everyone can see, and where anyone can join," I snapped, my irritability at its maximum due to my struggle with the weight of the object, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Sheesh. Must we do this every single time?

Kokoro wrangled the heavy jar out of my arms, lifting it with enviable ease. Gazing upwards, I saw that he was irritated. Him annoyed? I snorted. The audacity! He was the one who went out of his way to nettle me and remind me that he would be the one to end my life. If anyone had the right to be exasperated, it was me!

With a glare, he snarled, "How many times must I tell you to not overwork yourself?"

"When?" I went to pick up the rest of the tributes for Natsume. Then, I crossed my arms across my chest. This will be good, "When, pray tell me, have you ever told me that?"

"Um," Kokoro frowned, "Hold on. Give me a moment."

While he sifted through his memories to prove his previous declaration, I tapped my foot impatiently, already knowing the verdict. After several moments had past, he growled, "It was implied woman! I kept telling you to take care of yourself!"

"In no way, shape, or form," I hissed as we started making our way to Natsume's room, "Have you ever told me to take care of myself!"

I could've sworn there was a glint of a soft emotion before his liquid gold eyes hardened. Nah, it must have a trick of the light. Frustrated, he snapped back, "What? What do you mean?! Why do you think I kept trying to do the heaviest of your chores for you? You crazy woman! If you had it your way, you would run yourself to the ground!"

"That's rich, coming from you!" I retorted with a sneer, "I thought that was exactly what you wanted, what with your constant threats of death! What? You feel something other than disdain for the girl you're convinced is a spy?!"

"That possibility still hasn't been ruled out yet!" I could've sworn I saw a crackle of a fire in his eyes as he argued with me, "For all I know you're still waiting for your perfect opportuni―"

"Listen to me, you oaf, and listen well. And use your tiny brain for once in your life," I hissed, "But wouldn't I already have had multiple 'perfect opportunities' what with sharing such close corridors with Natsume?! I even help to prepare his food, for crying out loud! If I had wished to do him harm, I would have already! That argument is invalid and you know it!"

Stonily, he glared at me, but he couldn't offer me a retort because we had just arrived to our destination. The tenshu, high above the rest of the castle, was where Natsume resided. Instead of continuing our dispute, he called out to the person who he loved above all others,"Lord Natsume, pardon our intrusion. We've brought the tributes."

Opening the door, I was stunned to see the interior of Natsume's room. How were the decorations in this space even more luxurious than the ones I was carrying? That's it―he had to be one part celebrity, one part prime minister, and one part Attila the Hun. Nudging me, Kokoro gruffly reprimanded, "Stop gawking; you look like a fish out of the water."

I scowled, but listened and closed my mouth.

Natsume smirked, "Ignore Koko. You're more entertaining as you were before. Please. Continue."

He was sitting down in a relaxed yet haughty posture, one arm resting on the crimson armrest. Huh. I wondered how long it took for him to perfect the way he sat. It definitely was not one someone was born knowing how to do. He then spoke again, "The two of you certainly make for a curious pair; I could hear your entire conversation as you made your way up."

Kokoro, doing what he does best, brushed off the comment and knelt, "My lord. I have brought the tribute that arrived this morning for your perusal."

We both started to hand him the items. Natsume set each one down, until he held the haori in his hands. He touched the fabric gingerly, brushing a thumb across the rippling silk. His smile upturned in a tight smile though his eyes remained cold, "Excellent. The choice of bold colors was exactly what I was hoping for."

Just as he was about to slip it on, a silver glint caught my eye.

"Wait!" I cried out, "Not yet!"

Puzzled, he froze and turned to me for an explanation.

"There's a pin in the collar. Whoever made this left it in there," I gestured to the coat he kept in his still hands, "You should remove it before putting it on."

Kokoro and Natsume suddenly grew grim as they exchanged glances.

I wonder what their deal was. Pins get left in garments all the time. Using Natsume's motionlessness, I took the haori from him and turned it around to inspect the lapel. There it is. Just like I thought; it was a pin so small, it would have been invisible to the untrained eye.

"It was a good thing you noticed that," Natsume peered at me solemnly.

Absently, I answered him, "I sew, and for the sake of your fingers, you learn to keep an eye out for these things pretty quickly."

While I was hired to be a visual merchandiser for Giorgio Armani, I had taken extensive classes in design at the university; maybe one day, I'll be able to utilize those skills to create new clothing lines. But until then, I was more than happy with the position that I had received. I wanted to learn more about the different facets of fashion before hopefully launching my own line.

But while I've left an occasional pin in during the fitting stage, I'd never leave on in a finished piece. I frowned. I wonder who would be so careless… The color drained from my face. Unless… Unless, it was done deliberately. My hands started trembling before Kokoro laid his on top of mine, "Sumire, give it to me."

It was the tension of the situation, I was sure, that had my heart racing.

He gently pried the clothing from my grasp, carefully inspecting it. He leaned close to sniff the area that was pinned before frowning, "This has probably been dipped in poison."

My fears confirmed and my body turning numb, I mused out loud, "Then this wasn't a gift to Natsume. This was an attempt―"

"On his life," Kokoro nodded gravely in confirmation, "Lord Natsume, I ask that you let me have this item tested. I think it would be prudent if we re-examine the rest of these items as well."

"Do as you see fit," Natsume waved his hand as if unconcerned, "Lately, my would be assassins have been getting very creative."

How can he be this cavalier? Does this happens all the time?

"You have my praise for noticing the needle, Sumire," Natsume fixed his crimson eyes on me before smirking, "I was right. You are lucky."

For you maybe, but definitely not for myself.

I will admit that it was luck that I was here, but it was my experience that helped me spot the needle. Kicking major butt at Where's Waldo suddenly came handy.

"You continue to be full of useful talents. I'm more determined than ever to keep you," Natsume laughed the exact way I pictured a man who had almost been killed by poison wouldn't. He then dismissed the two of us from his room.

What am I a toy race car? Not on his life is he keeping me!

I followed Kokoro out, shocked, and with a renewed desire to get home and far far away from this terrible place.

While performing my nightly ritual before bed, I received an unexpected visitor.

"I'm coming in," Youichi announced in the dead of the night. With the lack of electricity, bedtime came about much sooner.

Though I was disgruntled with the fact that knocking wasn't in fashion yet, there was one bright side to this: in just one day, I had managed to speak with all three of Japan's great unifiers again.

"How can I help you, Youichi?"

"I heard you were the one who found the poisoned needle this afternoon."

Without waiting for a response, he continued, "I already shared my findings with Koko. I'm here because I thought you should know too. The needle was coated with monkshood, a powerful herbal toxin."

"How dangerous is it?"

Though the name rang a bell, I was still not familiar with it.

"How much do you like breathing? Even a small dose can stop your heart within hours."

I suddenly felt sick.

I had been so close to that damn needle. What if it had pricked me? I would have literally lived the life of Sleeping Beauty, only without a fairy Godmother to soften the curse from death to 100 years of sleep.

My face ashened as an even worse thought popped into my head. What if I hadn't found the needle? What if Natsume died? Not only would I have witnessed death firsthand, but Kokoro would've used it as an excuse to behead me because I was the last person to touch those items. I would've suffered a fate much worse than being poisoned; I would have been tortured and then left to die a slow painful death.

I need to shake this off. I found the needle. Nothing bad happened. I'm still alive.

"I don't like you, but you did save his life. I guess that makes you useful," Youichi broke my reverie.

Gee. Thanks.

My eyebrow rose in skepticism.

"It'd be a real pain for me if something happened to Natsume," the porcelain indifference of his expression softened a little, "That's all I wanted to say."

"Thank you for sharing the information."

Now, it was his turn to arch an eyebrow, "Why are you being so polite all of a sudden?"

With a wry smile and a shrug, "It seems to reduce the number of times my life is threatened."

"Well, don't do that around me. Just be your usual weird, loud self," he made a face before straightening it, "You saved Natsume's life. So I owe you all right?"

With that, he turned and left.

I stared at the closed door in astonishment before a big silly grin spread across my face. Despite his gruff words, his lame excuse didn't stop the truth from revealing itself. He might talk all big, but it looks like I'm growing on Youichi Hijiri―of all people!

As I continued to get ready for bed, I thought to myself how important Natsume is to Youichi. No, to everyone here. Youichi had acted indifferent, yet he came by to express his very real gratitude to me. All because I saved Natsume's life for the second time.

I shuddered. Though it was to be expected and logically, I understood the reasoning, but it didn't dawn on me how fragile life is during this era until today. Death comes more swiftly. It's no longer a concept that was distant from you or that you could distance yourself from; it can happen to the very person standing next to you. Heck, it could happen to you! Like today! I was mere centimeters from death! It was a chilling realization, and suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach and so very alone.

The next morning, with my eyes bleary, the very thought of getting up made my stomach churn. I had a fever. There was no way I could stand up, let alone work around the castle. I wonder what was the procedure was for calling in a sick day. It's not like I can text someone to cover my shift or dial my boss to let them know.

Who knew feeling sick to my stomach last night was my body telling me that I was actually sick?

Groaning and feeling weaker than a newborn kitten, I resigned myself to staying in bed and sleeping it off.

The quiet made me feel even more alone.

There's nothing worse than being alone with a cold. No friends to text or to surprise you with chicken soup… Not even a television to fill the silence! I could kill three pigeons and a monkey right now if that meant I could watch dumb kiddie shows like TeleTubbies or Sesame Street. Imagine what I would do for shows that I actually liked! I'm a grown adult, but right now, I felt as fussy as a lonely child. All I had around me was an unfamiliar room and that made my anxiety worsen.

I want to go home. I miss it so much.

Thinking about that dingy apartment, made my mind jump to Hotaru. God, I hope you're okay.

I drifted off, my eyebrows furrowed, as I worried over my friend.

I don't know how long I tossed and turned, but I felt someone laying a hand on my forehead. It was cool against my burning skin. Comforting.

What is this? It feels nice.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," a deep voice rumbled from above me.

I slowly blinked my eyes to focus them on the man with that familiar voice. And what I saw made me inhale sharply. Those liquid gold eyes bored down on me, and I couldn't tear my gaze away. There was a wry smile playing on those pink lips.

So. This was it. I knew my days were numbered from the moment I got here; Kokoro was at my bedside to finally make good on his threats. What a perfect opportunity. Here I was, at my lowest, and now, he could get away with murder while claiming it was due to natural causes.

I gulped.