Enemy

Tamao was unable to stop her extreme anxiety. She was surrounded by a large group of men who stared at her with varied expressions of fascination, excitement, arousal and relief. The stone walls made the room appear much smaller than reality, although her fear probably made the space more confined. The men were dressed in similar black garb, representing some sort of uniform. She was sitting in a small chair at the center, and they were neatly arranged in a circle surrounding it and blocking the exit. There were too many of them to count, and their silence pushed the parameters of her wild imagination.

"My lady..." The voice came from behind her. She didn't see his face. "Captain Shumei will be here shortly to escort you."

"Um...okay."

There were quieted moans that feathered through the room when she spoke, blistering her arms with tiny goosebumps.

"The voice of an angel," she heard one of them whisper.

"So beautiful."

"Perfect."

She decided not to say anything else. They sat in silence for ten more minutes until the large entrance door opened. There was scrambling as they all rose to their feet with an identical, rigid stance. Tamao rubbed her eyes a few times and rested her hands in her lap as the young man entered the room. She blinked slowly as the men moved away, and he stopped several feet in front of the chair.

The man was incredibly handsome. He was tall and slender with lean muscles that were outlined by the black tunic hugging his torso. Her eyes drifted to the loose pants he wore. They were black but very different from the other men in the room. A long sword was sheathed at his waist, and the handle was beautifully embroidered with red silk. His strong hands were limp at his sides. She traced his arms and broad shoulders to his neck. The skin was somewhat pale but nearly flawless, and she released a quiet breath when her eyes became frozen upon his smooth lips. He wasn't smiling, but his face didn't reveal a frown either. After the long pause she met his eyes. His short, black hair fell into his face in an unruly manner but gave contrast to the orange shadow behind his brown eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her knees tremble. Something about the way he stared at her was compelling and overpowering; she suddenly felt naked.

"Hello."

His voice tickled her ears and caught her off guard. She gasped and bit her bottom lip before responding.

"Hi."

The men behind her resumed their subdued ruckus of satisfied moans.

"My name is Shumei," he said warmly. "I'm told you were the one who found my nephew wandering in the woods?"

"Um, yes. My name is Tamao."

"The angel Tamao..." The whispering continued.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I offer my sincere gratitude for bringing Junichi back to us."

She smiled as her face suddenly flushed with a rosy hue. His charming language was arousing for some reason, and she couldn't hide her embarrassment.

"Junichi is your...nephew?"

"Yes. My brother's son."

Shumei's facial expression was very stern despite the warmth in his voice, and none of the men looked him in the eye.

"Leave us," he said authoritatively.

The men exited the room in abrupt and ordered fashion with the last man quietly closing the door.

"Is that better?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Forgive me. I know they can be intimidating, but we wanted to ensure your safety."

"That's very kind of you."

"So, what brought you to meet Junichi? Were you traveling?"

"Yes. I was with a few of my friends and...we were separated."

Tamao paused. Shumei was staring at her, but he seemed uninterested in what she was saying. His expression was vague, but his eyes were intently focused on her face. After a few moments of silence he darted his eyes away.

"That was rude of me," he said quickly.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." He hesitated. "You're a very beautiful woman, Tamao. And you resemble someone I knew. Almost too much."

"Really?" She stood from the chair and took a step forward. "Who?"

"My wife."

"...I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"What happened to her?" The question escaped her lips before she thought about it, and she briefly closed her eyes.

"She was killed in a raid."

Her eyes filled with tears involuntarily, and she clasped her hands tightly in front of her.

"We were married for eight months." He giggled lightly. "Akane was ten weeks pregnant with our first child. I was sure it was a girl, but she thought it was a boy."

Shumei stopped speaking with an awkward pause as his smile faded into a blank stare. Tamao wanted to speak but was unsure of what to say.

"Forgive me," he said again. "That was improper."

"Is that why your sword is that red color?" she asked softly.

"It was her favorite. She was fond of it as a baby as well and would cry if her mother wrapped her in any other color. At least, that's how the story goes."

"You loved her very much. I can tell."

Shumei's expression, although calm, revealed pain and sadness she noticed immediately. Tamao suddenly wondered if being there was uncomfortable for him. She was unsure of how much she resembled his late wife and was now very worried.

"Your servants can stay in the infirmary," he said abruptly and turned for the door. "It's the only place where we have extra rooms. I'll take you to Kiyomi. You can share her room."

"Okay."

He led her out of the small building into an open courtyard surrounded by stone tents. Small torches of fire lined the dark path as he walked a few feet in front of her, and she stared at his back.

"Junichi wanted me to meet your brother," she said randomly.

"Yeah." Resentment filled his voice, but he recovered quickly. "He wants to find him a wife, whether Tamotsu wants one or not."

"Are you and Tamotsu close?"

"He's six years older than me. Tamotsu is wiser, stronger and more mature. They respect him."

"They respect you too. I mean...it seems that way."

"I'm reckless and impulsive," he said dismissively. "I have no control over my anger, and it causes me to make weak-minded decisions."

"Someone told you that?"

"My father. Tamotsu was his beloved son. I was tolerated."

"I know we've only just met, but I don't see that in you at all."

His pace slowed, but he didn't stop. She glanced at the sword.

"You're their captain, right? That counts for something, doesn't it?"

In a reckless, unplanned display she softly grabbed his hand. The warmth of her embrace was startling, but he didn't visibly react. Shumei's hand was stronger than she thought, and when he grasped her palm she softly exhaled. The contact was brief but enough to change them. Shumei was overcome with silence. Her touch was so gentle and feminine. So many years passed since he'd felt the warmth of a woman he was unable to respond to it. Tamao was smitten as well. Shumei's hand was hardened from years of work and battle but still delicate enough for her to feel safe. She wanted to wrap her arms around his waist and hold him in the darkness. A random thought of caressing his lips flashed into her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. This insignificant encounter conjured feelings inside of her she thought were long gone, and now she was confused.

"Are you married?" he asked suddenly.

"Um...no. I've never been."

"That seems improbable," he said under his breath. "Were you not interested in marriage?"

"I was in a serious relationship that ended badly. I guess...I've never thought about it."

"Did he die?"

"No," she said sadly. "But he might as well be."

"You've become enemies?"

"Yeah."

He noticed she stopped following him, and he turned around.

"Are you sure?"

"He said if he ever saw me again he would kill me. That's the last time we spoke. So...yeah."

"Why would this man want to kill you?"

"It's...complicated."

"Maybe he said that because he was wounded. Love makes us do very strange things."

"No...I think he really wants to kill me, Shumei."

"Then perhaps I shouldn't let you out of my sight. If you're in danger, I must protect you."

Silence interrupted the conversation as she gazed into his beautiful eyes. Tamao was certain he was serious.


"Why the hell are we pretending we don't know each other?" Ren paced back and forth in front of Thalim's patient bed with an irritated scowl. "And what are we doing with this guy?"

"Yoh is an enemy here." Ryu was leaning against the wall near the entrance and glanced frequently down the hallway. "They think he's a murderer. Thalim was the one who separated us in the woods."

"Where is he?" Lyserg asked as he sat in a chair beside the bed. "No one has mentioned him since we arrived."

"That Tamotsu guy took him somewhere," Manta whispered. He was sitting on the floor in a far corner. "We haven't seen him either."

"Tamotsu? Junichi's father?" Lyserg repeated.

"Who's Junichi?" Ryu asked with a frown.

"We found Tamotsu's son in the woods. That's how we ended up here." Lyserg lightly scratched an eyebrow. "He can see the future. It's a powerful ability."

"Future?" Manta repeated quizzically. "Really?"

"He saw Tamao and me die already. It was amazing."

"You seem way too excited about your own death, Lyserg." Ryu sighed. "And how do you know it's real?"

"It's real," Ren said gravely.

"He also mentioned a raid that happened ten years ago. Every woman and child was murdered."

Silence filled the air after Lyserg's statement, and he stared at them with a frown.

"You know about this?"

Manta bent his knees and wrapped his arms around them. He stared at the floor with fear.

"No one has mentioned a raid," Ryu said, "but they've been calling Yoh 'The demon Asakura', and we don't know why."

"Junichi said the same thing," Ren mumbled under his breath.

"Hao and Yoh are identical twins," Lyserg concluded. "Maybe they're just mistaken."

"I agree," Ryu chimed. "But there's no convincing them."

"It's more than that." Manta slowly stood against the wall. He wasn't looking at them, but his body trembled as he attempted to finish his thoughts. "They know exactly who Hao is and call him by his name. That's not a coincidence."

"Manta, I told you not to let that man spook you," Ryu said with irritation.

"No, listen to me!" He didn't intend to yell, but Ryu's dismissive tone was frustrating. "We don't know these people. We've never been here before. But that doesn't mean Yoh hasn't. And it doesn't mean he wasn't involved in this raid."

Ryu clenched his teeth. Manta's words triggered uncomfortable anger he couldn't hide.

"You're saying Yoh's a murderer?" Ren groaned. "That idiot is afraid of Anna finding a sink full of dirty dishes. That wouldn't make any sense."

"It would if he doesn't remember."

"You think Yoh has amnesia?" Lyserg asked faintly.

"What is wrong with you, Manta?" Ryu growled. "You don't know those people. They could be lying about all of this!"

"Every single guy in this village is lying, Ryu?" Manta yelled. "They all had a meeting and decided to collectively call him the demon Asakura? They didn't even know we were coming!"

"This Junichi boy can see the future," Ryu rebutted. "He could have told them we were coming, and they could have devised a plan to stall us."

"Stall us from what?"

"From reaching Hao."

"Hao and Kiyomi are not allies," Lyserg said softly. "Junichi told us that."

"What makes you think he's telling the truth?" Ryu snarled.

"Why would he lie?" Manta countered.

"Time out." Ren held his hands in the air. "We can't start turning against each other. We have to stick together."

Ryu rolled his eyes and folded his arms tightly over his torso. Manta sat on the floor again and didn't change his worried expression. Lyserg began rocking his leg nervously and shifted his weight in the chair. Ren was standing in the center and held his arms dully at his sides. The silence revealed great tension he was determined to break.

"We can't leave this village divided. So, we're going to find out what really happened and go from there."

"Hao has Anna," Lyserg sighed. "We don't know what he plans to do with her, but I'm sure we don't have much time."

"If Yoh really is this demon..." Ren paused and closed his eyes. "...going to Hao's camp won't matter. He's either with us or against us. I'm not waiting around for him to turn on us. If it becomes necessary to take him out..."

Manta's eyes filled with tears.

"I'm getting my daughter back. By any means necessary."