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Usually, at time like this in the night, Zen would be at the terrace corridor of his room watching the moon while sipping warm sake, but...
"Tch, it doesn't seem like it's going to slow down at all..." the young man muttered to himself while leaning on the wooden pillar. The drizzle hadn't stop since this morning and for Zen, it wasn't a pleasant weather. It made him cough all the time.
Just about he wanted to take a step back to his room, his eyes caught a silhouette of a young woman from the main corridor. It was Najika. She looked like she was in trouble. But what?
Zen remained silent and decided to see what comes next. He even lean on to the wooden pillar again, with both hands tucked within his sleeves. The young woman lean on to the side wall from the main corridor as if she was hiding from something. Then she peeked a little to the main corridor which only made her panicked even further. Najika look around in a daze, seeking for help. Her eyes were gleaming with hope when she saw Zen stood near the pillar on the other side of corridor, alone.
Zen knew if she noticed him, but stay silent. He wanted to see what was she going to do. Najika walked in haste and stop right in front of him. Both were staring each other quietly. Her face was like she wanted to tell something, but the footsteps behind her were getting clearer and clearer. Having no other choice, Najika quickly hide behind his back and the pillar. Her fingers were holding Zen's hakama.
Okay, now the young chairman of Yakushi clan couldn't hold back his curiosity further more. But before he could finally speak a word, his eyes caught a shadow silhouette of someone coming from the main corridor. The shadow silhouette was big, maybe in size like Aotabo. However, as the footsteps were getting clearer, the shadow was getting smaller too. Smaller and smaller and...
"Sannokuchi?" Zen said when the little white creature with mouth shape-like number three appeared and walked away, passing them by. If possible, his jaw could drop anytime, dangling and hanging barely touching the floor. Is this some kind of a prank?
"Huff..." Najika sighed in full relief after she saw Sannokuchi walked away.
"O-Oy..!" Zen turned his face to his side, ready to ask, but suddenly another person appeared.
"En? Zen, what're you doing there?" the one eyed man asked, stopping his track.
"Ah? Aaa... Hitotsume-san. Me? Well I... I'm just enjoying the view from here," he didn't prepare to lie at first, so don't blame him if his answer sounded lame.
The older chairman then looked up to the sky which was covered by the cloud and pouring drizzle. "Hah! What do you want to look at such weather? You could only see boring clouds".
"R-really? But I think the smell of drenched soil, the sound of tapping water, and wind whistling through the leaves give a new playful scenery for me," actually his eyes were staring blankly at the view. Although his words seemed like he took a deep consideration toward the drizzling night, but the fact was that he just came up everything he said. It surprised him though how he managed to say such poetic words.
Hitotsume eyes were telling that Zen might've being hit on the head. He was about to mock the younger man lame words, but there was other thing that intrigues him. He swore that he saw something behind Zen. "Hey, what's that behind your back? Are you hiding something?"
Najika eyes widen at those words. Her hands began to tremble at the thought that Hitotsume noticed her presences. "Ah... ehm..." Zen could felt that her grip on his hakama was tightening and her figure was buried more on to his back as.
"No," Zen replied. "There's nothing. As you could see, I'm alone here". Thankfully Najika's body was smaller than his, so he could hide her perfectly. "I suppose you should get back, Hitotsume-san. The wind is getting chilly. It's not good for health".
"Hah! Rather than worrying about me, I think it's best that you worry about your own health," those words succeeded to earn Zen's piercing glare. This guy was mocking him. Zen knew that, but he couldn't say anything to counter, because he was saying the truth.
The one eyed youkai finally left, which made the young man and woman alone there right now.
"Hey," Zen called out. "You owe me explanation".
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They sat at the terrace corridor in front of Zen's room, face to face. Zen eyes were set on her, didn't flinch a bit, while Najika could only stare down on the wooden floor, didn't have the guts to look up. "I..." she murmured, but loud enough for Zen to hear, "I'm afraid of men".
. . .
"Hah?" his brow was twitching in a way, didn't quite register what she had said.
"If I tell you the reason, would you promise not to make fun of me?" the young woman politely asked, earning a nod from Zen.
"When I was so young, I have two male friends who often came to play with me. We would go everywhere, playing all day until night fall. But one day...
Najika! When we grow up, I would marry you!
Eh?
No way! Najika is going to be my bride when we are adults!
Are you mad? Najika only like me!
You're the one who's mad! Najika like me better than you! Isn't it, Najika?
No, tell him the truth Najika! You like me much better, right?
Najika?
Najika?
"Since then, they've been fighting to determine whom bride I am. They would follow me everyday, giving me presents and such. Never letting me go on my own and do anything to win this childhood fight. I was so young that time and it was quite traumatic for me. That was why my father and brothers locked me up in the house almost all the time, so I could avoid them. But it become worst," her eyebrows frowned at the memory of her childhood. It always had been a nightmare for her. "Now, every time I meet a man, I would be very scared, panic, and feel nervous, especially alone."
"Hmm... hha... Ahahahahaha!" Zen murmur quickly turned into laugh. He laughed so hard that he almost broke a tear.
"Zen-sama! You promised you won't make fun of me!" Najika said. Her cheeks were beet red. She felt so ashamed. "Do... do you think I'm stupid?" she asked disappointedly.
"No".
"I think that's very cute of you," Zen said with a warm smile. Najika swore that her heart skip a bit when she heard that, no, maybe even two beat. "How about Rikuo? Do you afraid of him?"
"Rikuo-kun... is very kind to me. When I first met him, he was the one who approached me and talked to me. Somehow, I feel so protected when I'm with him," the black haired young woman replied.
"How about Shodaime?"
"I do feel scared, but it's different kind of fear," she looked up a bit to steal a glance at him. She could tell if he wasn't too satisfied by her answer. "A-Anyway... as long as I have Nekomata beside me, I would feel less nervous. That's why I always bring him everywhere," Najika added.
Now, his ruby eyes were trailing her sides, searching the black cat she brought. Although he never seen one before. Yeah, that was the point. He had never seen her with the cat. That fact somehow made him to smile. "Then... how about me?" he finally asked it. "Do you afraid of me?" despite the seriousness that dwelled within his tone, Zen was very calm when he asked this.
Najika's eyes widen, didn't expect to face such question. However, she had been wondering the same thing too. She had just met him this morning. They didn't talk much. Sometime he spoke in harsh words. So, wasn't she supposed to be afraid of him as well? But then everything went in different story. Although she did feel nervous to be left alone with him, although her hands did tremble and she couldn't call out her voice clearly... but there was something different about him. He isn't Rikuo. He isn't Shodaime, or even her brothers or father. Zen is just a man, a very kind one indeed. She never had the sensation of such warmth when she took a hold of him, even just over his hakama. She never had the sensation of her heart beating so fast and loud with her cheeks boiling in beet red. It all was new for her.
"I... I don' know..." she said quietly. Then Najika boldly lit up her face to look at him. She had been eager to look at those ruby eyes directly. Despite his gruff features, his eyes were so deep and tender which made her wanting to stare on them much longer. "It's just that..." her cheeks were blushing more and more, "I feel nice when I'm near Zen-sama".
That was all he wanted to hear and he need no further explanation. "Ah..." he realized something changed. "The rain... it has stopped," Zen said as he turned his gaze to the sky.
"N-No way...!" Najika didn't believe it, but when she looked up to the sky, she changed her mind. She could see the horizon clearly now. Nothing gets in her sight. No cloud, no fog, just a beautiful full moon and stars that were scattered everywhere.
"I... have never seen such clear sky before..." she murmured, but loud enough for Zen to hear. "Usually it would be covered by cloud, fog, rain, or even storm, but has never been this clear".
Zen didn't ask why. He could only guess the reason by him self. Maybe it was because she's the child of Ame-Onna, so wherever she go, the rain would always follow her. But it was still a guess and he would let that one pass. The young man didn't want to interrogate her with questions.
"It's... so pretty," she said with a genuine smile, her eyes were gleaming in delight.
"Yes..." Zen replied. Both were stunned by the magnificent view of full moon.
"But I guess there won't be a rainbow in the night, right?"
"What're you talking about?" Zen asked as if she was saying something wrong. He turned his gaze to her now, as well as Najika. "Aren't I looking at one now?" the young man said, obviously.
She didn't quite get it at first, but as she looked deeply within his eyes until she could only found her own reflection, she finally got it and blushed furiously. She almost believed that her name was a curse, some of her friends even joke about that, but Zen, he made her feel so relieved that she got that name.
He just kept smiling, quite clueless to see the fact that she was blushing because of him. Suddenly the night breeze came and blown some of sakura's petals. The flower's petals flied like confetti on the air and some fell down. "Ehm?" he recognized if there was a petal on her bangs. "Hold still," he told her not to move. Zen approached her closer, close enough until he could reach the petal. "There's a sakura's petal on your hair..." his words were much more like a whisper to her ear.
One thing he late to notice was the fact that their face was also closer than before, only inches away. At such distance, Zen could see her face much clearly. Najika's eyes were more like light brown and glowing so bright. When he picked up the petal, he could feel the smoothness of her hair which was long black ebony that reached the floor if she sat down. Some strings of her bangs were dangling and fell perfectly, too perfect that it made him worry if he could break it perfection. The color of her hair was very contrast to her skin. Somehow, his hand felt so heavy... or he just making excuses? He slid his hand down, tracing the smoothness of her silky skin and finally stopped above her cheek, cupping it with his palm.
This isn't fair, Najika thought. How could he do this to her? How could he be so dominating for her? The more she tried to resist, the more she wanted to look at him. He turned her world upside down just within a day. She would feel something was fluttering and sting her heart every time she saw his smile. This isn't fair. I'm still not ready for this.
Their eyes were locked at each others. They didn't flinch a bit or even blink. Heck, maybe they forgot to breathe. No one... intend to break the moment.
"Zen-san," suddenly Rikou appeared from the main corridor. "Oh, Najika-neesan is here too?" when the young master came, both of them were already gone back to their original position. However there were still some things that changed, like the uneasiness that Zen felt and Najika who turned so red almost like a boiled crab. "Dinner is ready. Do you want to join us at the parlor?" Rikuo asked, but he realized if someone wasn't listening. "... Najika-neesan?" he called out her name.
"Ah?" the young woman was taken surprised. She already sunk too deep to her own feelings and lost in thought.
"Yes, Najika and I would like to join. Why don't you go first, Waka? We would follow you up soon," Zen quickly replied in her place.
"Well... don't take too long," and Rikuo left them to the parlor.
Zen let out a sigh after the young master left completely out of sight to loosen up a bit from the tension, but it didn't go the same thing for the young woman. He stretched out his arm to reach her and spoke her name, "Najika...?"
Somehow his voice made her tremble, although it sounded so caring. She reflectively avoided his hand by taking a step back. The red eyed man noticed her uneasiness. Stupid, he cursed himself. He had push her too far than he should've. "Are you scared of me...?" he asked again, the same question.
The young woman shook her head. She bit her lips and lit up her face to look at him, "No," she replied in quiver.
Zen put up a smile, a very tender smile. "Then don't... Because I won't ever do that to you".
Amazingly... His words work like magic words...
He got up from his seat afterwards, "can you stand?" he asked and stretched his arm again to her, lending her a hand. Najika hesitated a bit but then took it and got up. Their hand was still linking to each other. Her smaller palm fitting his perfectly and his bigger palm warm hers.
Disappointedly, Zen had to break it first or there would be no end for this. He then stared to her eyes tenderly, giving her the best smile he could, "Let's go. Rikuo must have been waiting for us".
"Yes, Zen-sama..." her lips formed a faint smile which was enough for him.
After then, the two of them walked together to the parlor, side by side. No one dare to talk, or maybe because there was nothing need to be talked. Whatever it was, Najika felt much calmer now. Her tremble was replaced by the warmth of Zen's palm before. Just able to walk by his side was more than enough for now. She couldn't dare to ask more.
Too bad. If only she could called out her courage once more to take a glance on him, she might could've seen the slight taint pink on Zen's cheek.
Perfect. Too perfect.
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