"Fine 2 days I'll wait for your decision." Eihi said.
"I shall too." Bankotsu said as if there were needles in the back of his throat.
"Kyuna may you stay those 2 days with me in my palace and you can bring that barbarian if you wish." Eihi said with great pride in his voice.
"Why you…" Bankotsu started but then Kyuna put two fingers on his lips and smiled.
She spun on her heels and said. " Thank you for your kindness and yes I do wish the barbarian to come only if you allow safe passage, food, and separate rooms."
"I can make that arrangement only for you." He said with pleasure.
"Then I will not go and I will pick neither you nor him." Kyuna pouted sitting down on a large rock.
"Fine." Eihi said in defeat.
Eihi mounted his horse and then raised his hand then lowered it and shouted. "Lower your weapons and surround the man."
Soldiers poured into the area and surrounded Bankotsu. Kyuna looked at Bankotsu and only saw his eyes starring back. She turned and Eihi was right in front of her standing as still as a statue with his turquoise eyes starring down at her. She looked around him and saw Eihi still on the horse.
"How can you be…Who… Ho…" Kyuna was about to finish her question when the Eihi standing in front of her put his fingers on her lips and smiled like she had done to Bankotsu.
"Sshhh. Like it? Its one of the things I gained by trading my soul. I can create thousands of me just by thinking." He smiled again. "Why don't you ride with me? I don't want your feet hurting from the long walk." Before she could answer the second Eihi swiped her up and placed her behind the real Eihi and then the fake was blown away like sand in the wind.
"Hold on to me tightly." He said.
The horse started to trot and Kyuna wrapped her arms instinctively around Eihi's waist for balance.
Not far behind Bankotsu and the soldiers were running to keep up. Bankotsu had so much fury in his eyes that it could strike fear into anyone. Eihi is pampering her to death. He doesn't know the hardships Kyuna has gone through. He will never understand. But why is she doing this to me? Does she not love me anymore because of my actions in the past? Why are you doing this to me? Why?
Up ahead was a lake that was a dark sapphire color and was so clear you could see all the way down to the deepest point. The palace was built into a neighboring mountain to what used to be Mt. Hakura. The palace was surrounded by a vast garden of white roses, delphiniums, rhododendrons, forget-me-nots, and other flowers that Kyuna was not familiar to. Giant cherry trees stood in a row on two sides of the path. They were almost at full bloom and ready to drift down like snow. The morning sun was creeping its way to the top of the mountain. A reflection of the palace shown on the sapphire lake with the sun peeking out from the lower part of the mountain chain. As they rode into the courtyard a pavilion of old stood in silence.
"How did you acquire this palace?" Kyuna said breaking the silence.
"I conquered it from a lord so now I'm the lord of this land." Eihi said with much pride.
Kyuna's eyes drifted from he sight of the beautiful courtyard to where the soldiers were. She saw Bankotsu out running the soldiers and gaining on the horse. A sudden stop whip lashed Kyuna's hair out of its tied up state and her long black hair drifted downward covering her back down to her hips. Bankotsu saw just before Kyuna's hair came back down just a small scar of a mush bigger one. Pain throbbed in his heart from the sight of it. It was the same pain that had haunted him for the past 14 years. Even in death he felt it. The pain of the guilt that he had caused her death. Only foe one night was the pain that made his heart bleed lifted. The night they first met.
"Jump Kyuna. It's the only way to get off the horse. I'll catch you." Eihi said.
Kyuna jumped and Eihi caught her by the waist with two hands and twirled her down to the ground. Then he led her by the hand into the palace leaving Bankotsu in the background. Make note after she decides who she will spend her life with to kill Eihi and anyone in his family. Bankotsu liked that thought and he could take her by force if she didn't come to him. Gaining conscious from his fantasy Bankotsu ran after the two.
"So you finally caught up to us." Eihi said with a smirk.
"My lord the food is ready."
"Good, escort the lady and the other person to the dining hall I need to check something." Eihi commanded.
Kyuna and Bankotsu were whisked away with the servant to the dining hall. The room was massive. The walls were painted with the history of the lords who had ruled the palace and it's people. And on the two shortest walls stood two giant golden tigers in a roaring position. Bankotsu and Kyuna were seated on opposite sides of the room in front of their own medium sized dining tables. The door opened and Kyuna whipped her head back to see how it was. Eihi stood in the doorway and slammed the sliding door shut then walked over to Kyuna's right and sat down.
"Sorry to keep you waiting I needed to talk care of something." Eihi stopped and clicked his fingers two times and then continued. "Now your room… I mean rooms are separated as asked for and food and safe passage have been accounted for as promised."
"Yes but they all count for the two days ahead as well." Kyuna added.
A line of servants came into the room with plates and bowls filled with hot and cooled foods.
After the feast Kyuna and Bankotsu were directed to their rooms which happen to be the last doors on two opposite walkways. When they both walked down to their rooms they didn't look at each other, they didn't talk to each other, didn't touch each other. They just silently walked to their rooms together until the paths split. They both wondered why? That one word. I wonder why?