Chapter 7: Chance Encounter
"The forest is even more beautiful up close," Izayoi exclaimed, her face mesmerized as she took in the lush scenery around her. She had been following the path for some time now and Izayoi was completely enthralled with the beauty of the forest; it was so quiet, peaceful, and private. "And somewhat romantic," she thought dreamily. She could envision a couple walking hand in hand through this mystical place. "This forest would be the perfect sanctuary for secret lovers. It would be like there own special little world; where the two of them could truly be themselves and no one could find them." Izayoi immediately shook her head, as if trying to force her silly fantasies away. "My thoughts can be truly strange at times," she muttered to herself. "Perhaps I shouldn't be reading quite so much. I'm far too much of a dreamer as it is."
As she made her way further in, she began to experience the feeling of having been in here before, yet could not remember when. "Perhaps it's the dream that I'm recalling," she thought. Earlier, she had recognized this very path as being the same one from the dream. But thus far, she had not come across anything else that seemed even remotely familiar. But no sooner had she thought this when suddenly, she caught sight of a large boulder on the right side of the path up ahead. "It's the same one from the dream! That place must exist!" she thought excitedly as she ran over to the boulder. Izayoi now recalled that in the dream, she had wandered off the path, where she had ended up finding the clearing beyond the large bushes. But now, she realized that she simply could not recall which direction she had veered off from the path. "Was it to the left or to the right of the path?" she wondered out loud. Izayoi badly wished that she could remember this one, little detail, but she simply could not. "The boulder is to the right of the path," she reasoned, "maybe it was to the right." With that, she made the decision to head off the path to the right, telling herself that she would not go too far, just in case she was wrong.
But the more she went in, the more distracted she became as she took in her surroundings. No matter where she looked, the trees, plants, and chirping birds welcomed her into their majestic realm. And the further she went in, the more Izayoi became aware of the overwhelming sense of bliss and tranquility filling her. Here, in these woods, all of her problems seemed to wash away from her mind, leaving her alone with her innermost thoughts and dreams. Izayoi was so absorbed in her deep thoughts that, before she even realized it, she had gone very deep into the woods. It was not until she casually glanced back behind her that she realized that she had gone much farther in than she had intended to. Not only that, but as she glanced up at the sky, she noticed that the sun was nearing the top of the sky. In about another hour or so, it would be noon! "I cannot believe how quickly I lost track of the time," she thought with surprise. "One can surely lose themselves in this forest." With that, Izayoi knew that it was time to be on her way.
"I guess I went the wrong way. Next time, I will check the other direction," she thought as she turned around and began heading back. As she walked back, however, she noticed that every direction looked exactly the same. Izayoi quickly grew horrified as she realized that now, she was not even sure if she had headed off into a completely different direction while she was distracted. No matter where she looked, nothing looked familiar to her at all. "I cannot even tell where I came in from," she thought with dread. The more she went on, the more she realized that the path was nowhere to be found and that she was now completely lost. Her heart began racing and she took a moment to attempt to calm herself down. "It won't do any good to panic," she whispered to herself, "Just stay calm and relax." Despite her attempts to soothe herself, Izayoi knew that she was in very serious trouble. At this point, she did not even care if she got into trouble with her father; she just wanted to find the path or least for someone to find her and help her. "I won't hold my breath for that to happen," Izayoi thought dismally. "No one knows I'm here and no one else would come this far into the woods. Nobody but me could be that foolish." As she thought this, she became even more nervous and apprehensive, as well as angry with herself for her own reckless and irresponsible behavior. She glanced up at the sky again, this time dreading the possibility of being lost in the woods at night, with no means of defending herself against any bandits or wild animals. The very thought of this caused Izayoi to freeze in her tracks. She was now overcome with intense fear, her heart racing and her stomach aching. "Someone help me please," she prayed in her mind, becoming more and more overwhelmed with anxiety.
Suddenly, Izayoi heard the sound of a twig snap, which caused her to turn around sharply. Then, she began to hear the sounds of leaves rustling and, to her horror, the sound seemed to be getting closer. In Izayoi's panicked state of mind, she feared that some bloodthirsty animal had found her and was now closing in on her. Completely paralyzed with fear, she stood there like a statue, too terrified to even scream. She closed her eyes as something began making its' way out from the bushes ahead. When everything grew completely silent, she slowly opened her eyes with dread. For a moment, she was sure she was imagining things. But as she stared ahead of her, she quickly realized that she had not lost her mind. There before her, stood the mysterious man she had seen in Kasumi. He was looking at her now, concern as well as bewilderment in his golden eyes.
"Are you all right?" he asked, in a voice that Izayoi found to be both rough, as well as tender. But Izayoi was still too shocked to speak; too frightened to even move an inch. When she did not answer him, he swiftly made his way towards her, moving in a somewhat graceful manner; in a way that she would never have expected from a man of his size. "You needn't be afraid, my lady," he assured her. "I just want to help you." He now stood a few feet before her and Izayoi now took in how tall he was. She reasoned that she was probably no taller than his neck and shoulder area. Next, she studied his attire, shocked at the difference from when she last saw him. Over his white hakama outfit, he was now wearing armor that covered his front, back, and shoulder area, which had a single flaming red jewel encrusted on the front; small metal spikes protruded from various parts of the armor, particularly on the shoulder areas. Also, covering his back was a long, flowing coat of white fur, which was long enough to touch the ground. Not only that, but she also noticed that he had on him three swords. Two of them were strapped together near his left hip with a blood red sash, which had splashes of purple at one corner, while the other sword was slung firmly over his back, almost as though it were hardly ever used. Then, as her eyes briefly studied his face, she noticed for the first time the strange, distinctive purple markings painted on both sides of his face. All of these things, along with his strong, dominating presence, suddenly made Izayoi feel both intimidated and small, further restricting her ability to speak or move. "My lady, I won't hurt you," he assured her again, his voice now becoming gentler and calmer.
His sincere words and soothing voice were enough to wash away all of Izayoi's prior fear and shock, causing her to let out a small sigh of relief. Now having become calm enough to answer him, she nodded her head as she said, "I-I'm quite all right. You merely startled me is all." Now, Izayoi felt more than just a little embarrassed with herself. This man had merely been trying to help her, and all she had done thus far was to stare at him with a gaping look of shock on her face. "He must think I'm crazy," she thought to herself in shame. "I must have looked like such a fool just now. Standing here and gawking at him like some sort of mad woman. What must he think of me?" she thought as her cheeks became slightly red with embarrassment.
He then looked her over briefly, eventually gazing at her face; his eyes were now looking at her inquisitively. "Correct me if I'm wrong," he began, "but you appear to be lost."
"Y-yes sir," she answered sheepishly. She then felt slightly tense with the prospect of having to explain how this happened. Nevertheless, she knew that she had to ask him for help, even if it meant embarrassing herself further. With that, she continued on. "I can't seem to find the path leading back towards Kasumi. If you would be so kind as to direct me back to the path, I would be most grateful."
He merely nodded, then proceeded to turn around, turning his head back to look at her as he said, "Follow me, please. I'll lead you back to the path."
Immediately, she walked beside him, now feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that he had happened to find her. She glanced up at the sun again, feeling more relief as she realized that it was not noon yet. "I still have time to make it back before anyone can miss me," she thought gratefully. As they walked on in silence, Izayoi would occasionally glance up at the handsome stranger. Each time that she did, she felt the urge to say something to him, yet did not. In her mind, she had several questions to ask him and many things that she wished to say to him. Yet even now, she still could not work up enough courage to speak to him. Perhaps it was her own reticence; or perhaps it was his aloof demeanor that held her back.
Eventually, she found herself glancing at the three swords that he carried once more. "Was he carrying them when I first saw him?" she wondered silently. Then, she felt slightly embarrassed again as she realized that the only thing she had paid attention to when she first saw him was his physical appearance. After all, he had appeared so angelic and beautiful amongst the crowd of ordinary looking people. But now, as she looked him over more carefully, Izayoi could also see that he looked very strong and powerful, like some mystical warrior from a storybook. "I do not think that even the strongest of the Samurai could challenge him," she thought in astonishment. The very thought of this caused her to puzzle over his swords once more; she could not help but wonder why a powerful man like him would require the protection of three swords.
"The path is just up ahead," he said to her, pulling Izayoi out of her thoughts immediately.
"We're there already?" she thought in surprise. It had not felt like they had walked for very long. Izayoi felt even more stunned at the realization that she felt somewhat disappointed. Disappointed that she had not attempted to converse with this man, even when he had helped her. "I did not even learn his name," she thought dismally. As they finally reached the path, Izayoi turned to face the man and thank him properly. But before she could say anything, she noticed him looking her over again and then glancing at the path going in the direction of Kasumi. She could not be sure, but his expression seemed somewhat agitated, and for a moment, frustrated. He looked as though he could not make up his mind about something.
He then proceeded to look back at her, his expression serious once more as he said, "I will accompany you until we reach Kasumi. After all, a lady like you should not be left alone in these woods."
Izayoi was so surprised by his remark that all she could do was merely nod in response to him. They continued on as before, both walking in silence. But this time, Izayoi noticed that he now looked somewhat irritated. This led Izayoi to think that he had become angry with her. "He must feel insulted that I have not spoken to him yet," she reasoned mentally. "He must think me ungrateful. I must say something to him before I offend him further. At the very least, I must thank him."
Izayoi decided that right then and there would be a good chance to speak with him. After all, there was still some time before they arrived. She casually cleared her throat as she began, "Sir?"
He seemed momentarily surprised by the sound of her voice as he turned to look at her. Then, he resumed his prior serious expression as he answered, "Yes, my lady?"
"I apologize for my rudeness thus far," she began. "You have been so nice to help me and I have yet to thank you for what you've done for me." She briefly lowered her head in shame, then continued on as she said, "I thank you very much. I dare not even think what would have happened had you not found me."
For a moment, he stared at her with a stunned expression, unable to say anything. Then, his expression softened slightly as he answered, "My lady, you are most welcome. Also, you do not owe me any apologies."
Izayoi smiled with relief at having been able to at last break the intense silence between the two of them. She decided to take as much advantage as she could of the situation. She certainly did not want them to remain strangers to each other either. She then proceeded to take on a more poised, formal demeanor as she said, "Oh but I do. In fact, I have not even properly introduced myself to you." She then bowed graciously as she said, "I am Lady Izayoi. And you are…"
He stilled for a moment, as though he were hesitant to reveal his name to her. Eventually, he gave a small, reluctant smile, bowing graciously as he replied, "I am Lord Inutaisho."
"Inutaisho," she repeated, almost as though she were trying it out. "Such an unusual name." Izayoi immediately regretted saying these very words out loud. "W-well, what I meant was…" she explained in an embarrassed voice, "is that it's very…distinct, as well as unique. It certainly is not a name you hear everyday." She hoped and prayed silently that he had not taken offense to her bold remark.
"It's a very old name," he explained, not seeming the least bit deterred by her remark. "It's completely understandable that you would find it unusual."
"Really, an old name?" she replied, curious as to what a name like that could mean. But mostly, she wondered where Inutaisho could have come from to possess such a unique name. Unable to fight off her curiosity any longer, she said somewhat hesitantly, "You are not from Kasumi, are you."
This caused Inutaisho to stop in his tracks and look at her warily. Then, in a somewhat guarded manner, he responded, "No, I'm not. As a matter of fact, I just arrived in town a few days ago. I've taken up residence…somewhere outside of Kasumi," he ended, seeming unwilling to reveal anything more about where he lived.
"Then he is a foreigner," she thought to herself. Then, more curious than ever before, she asked, "If you don't mind me asking, where did you come from?"
Inutaisho paused, his expression looking briefly troubled, before he answered, "Here and there. I travel all over. Never did care much for staying in one place for too long."
"You-you've traveled all over?" she asked, her face gleaming with profound interest and intrigue. "It must be so wonderful to see new and exciting places all of the time; to have new and different experiences. How fortunate you must be." As she said this last statement, Izayoi noticed the dark expression come over Inutaisho's face. He looked away and closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them once more, his golden eyes seemed to be filled with pain and regret. For a moment, he seemed to forget that she was even there; he just walked silently, looking off into the distance. "Oh no, I've upset him somehow," she thought with concern. But she could not understand what part of what she had said could have upset him so much. But as she gazed at him, she noticed something familiar about the hurt in his face. It was the look of a person recalling something sorrowful. The look of a person trying to force out painful memories; hurtful memories that left their deep scars on your heart. This was something that she, herself, was all too familiar with. Izayoi's heart went out to Inutaisho as she watched him, sympathy and sadness filling her eyes. As she walked with him and watched him suffer in silence, she briefly saw a little of herself in him. "I know how much the past can hurt," she thought sadly, unable to take her eyes off of Inutaisho. She wished silently that there was someway that she could help him; someway that she could know what was causing his torment.
Suddenly, as though recalling that she was right there beside him, Inutaisho resumed his serious expression before he turned to look at her again. As he looked at her, his expression became momentarily stunned; his eyes briefly widening in astonishment. Izayoi had no idea what the expression on her face had looked like moments before and wondered what he saw in it that surprised him so. She also had no idea what she should say or do. Then, just as quickly as it had happened, Inutaisho was his serious self once more. And once more, he looked on ahead and walked on in silence. Izayoi could not help but feel a little taken aback by his sudden moods. She also could not help wondering what he had been thinking about before. It was then that she noticed that Inutaisho had stopped in his tracks and was looking straight ahead of them. She followed his gaze and saw that they had finally arrived. Once more, Izayoi felt a slight tinge of disappointment, yet also relief at being back in familiar surroundings. They both stood there for a few moments, until Izayoi turned to Inutaisho and said, "Lord Inutaisho, I thank you once more for your help. I truly appreciate it." With that, she bowed gratefully, him following suit as well.
"You are most welcome, my lady," he responded in a sincere tone. With that, he turned and began making his way back into the woods.
Izayoi stood there, watching him walk away, wondering just where exactly he lived. But most of all, she wondered if she would see him again. Secretly, she hoped that he would attend the festival tomorrow. "It would be nice to get to know him better," she thought hopefully. "At least under more pleasant circumstances, that is." After all, he seemed like a very intriguing and mysterious individual. But also, Izayoi strongly felt the desire to repay Inutaisho somehow for helping her. Money was probably out of the question, since he already seemed to be of wealthy standing. Surely, there was something else that she could do for him. "Wait a moment please, my lord," she called out to him quickly.
He paused for a moment before turning back around to look at her as he said, "Yes, my lady?"
"I really feel that I must do more to thank you," she explained. "Surely there must be someway that I can reward you for your kindness. Money may not interest you, but if there is anything else you would like-"
"Lady Izayoi, that is completely unnecessary," he interjected vehemently. "Your gratitude and safety are enough for me, I can assure you."
This caused Izayoi to smile modestly, as well as causing a warm, fluttery feeling in her stomach. "Well, it was nice to have met you, Lord Inutaisho," she said in a warm, friendly manner. "Perhaps we shall meet again," she added, hoping her tone did not sound too eager.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," he answered, the tone of his voice sounding indifferent, yet also somewhat indignant. Then, Inutaisho turned around to face the forest again, but as he did, he turned his head back to look at her. "One more thing," he told her, his voice becoming somewhat disconcerting. "Try not to make a habit of wandering off alone in these woods. Next time, I might not be around to help you." Without waiting for a response from her, Inutaisho turned his head back around and made his way back into the woods as before, never once looking back.
Izayoi was left speechless as she stood there, watching him leave until he was nowhere to be seen. She could not help feeling stunned by his strange and cryptic remark. "He is certainly an unusual man," she thought to herself. "At times, he acted so polite and sincere towards me. And then at other times, he seemed so guarded and distant; almost as though he wanted nothing more than to get away from me. But why?" she wondered in confusion. "Was it something I said or did?" Then, she thought dismally, "Or maybe father is right. I don't make enough of an effort to gain favor with people. Instead, I somehow end up driving them away from me."
"Oh my goodness!" she cried out, the sudden thought of her father reminding her that still needed to get back home. She quickly glanced up at the sky, noticing for the first time that in a few more minutes, it would be noon. With that, she ran down the road leading back to the mansion, and soon, she caught sight of her home. Not wanting to arouse attention from any of the servants, she raced around to the back of the mansion, intending to get in through the back entrance. She ran through the gardens quickly, making her way through the back door. Once inside, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, trying to conceal her heaving and gasping breaths as much as possible. When she had somewhat recovered herself, she made her way up the stairs to her room, making sure that no one was in the hallway before swiftly making her way to her bedroom. Once inside, she closed the door, trying to slow her breathing and steady her racing heart. "Thank goodness!" Izayoi whispered in relief, still attempting to catch her breath.
Eventually, she managed to compose herself enough that she made her way to her table, kneeling down and waiting patiently for Sachi to arrive with the tea. As she waited, Izayoi could not help but feel satisfied, thrilled, as well as stunned by everything that had just happened. Although she had been very frightened when she had become lost, she still had very much enjoyed her time in the forest. She felt very pleased with herself at having done something daring and new; it was almost as though something had awakened inside of her. But she also felt amazed at her chance encounter with Lord Inutaisho. "It must have been a miracle from the Heavens that he happened to find me," she thought gratefully.
Suddenly, Izayoi heard a knock on the door, indicating that Sachi had finally arrived. "Izayoi, it's me, Sachi," she called out from behind the door.
"Come in, Sachi," Izayoi called out cheerfully, not wanting Sachi to suspect anything.
With that, Sachi came in, bearing the tray with Izayoi's favorite tea setting. "I'm sorry it took so long," Sachi began apologetically, "I was out doing the laundry and then I had to…" Sachi's voice trailed off as she looked at Izayoi's face, her expression becoming shocked and concerned. She immediately moved over to the table, put the tray down, and went over to Izayoi, touching her face with the back of one hand. "Izayoi, your cheeks are all flushed!" she exclaimed. "And your face is perspiring, too! Are you feeling all right? Are you ill?"
Izayoi's face became momentarily panicked and worried. In her haste to get to her room, she had not thought to check her appearance at all. She glanced at herself in the mirror and was stunned to see that she was slightly perspiring and her cheeks were bright red. "It was a huge mistake running over here like a wild thing," she regretted mentally. "I exhausted myself with all that running. I clearly do not have the stamina for running like that," she thought with frustration. Then, remembering Sachi and not wanting to worry her, Izayoi quickly explained, "I'm fine, Sachi. I really am. I think this room is getting a little hot though, with today being a little warmer than most days."
"You're right," Sachi agreed. "It is a little warm in here. No wonder you look the way you do. I'm surprised you did not go outside instead."
"Oh I went out to the gardens but…" Izayoi responded swiftly, then briefly stopped herself before she continued on, trying to think up a believable scenario. As much as she loved and trusted Sachi, she did not want her friend to know about her little excursion in the woods. At least not just yet. "But…I…guess I just decided to come back in and catch up on some reading. You know I can get just as engrossed in my reading as I do with my painting."
"That I do, Izayoi," Sachi said with a smile forming on her face. She then proceeded to take her place at the table beside her mistress. As they both lifted their tea cups, Sachi asked in a lighthearted tone, "So, are you looking forward to the festival tomorrow?"
Izayoi's face lit up as she smiled and answered, "Of course I am, Sachi. I'm looking forward to having such a fun time, as always."
"And who knows," Sachi began excitedly, "You might even meet someone. There will be plenty of eligible men attending, if you know what I mean." As she said this, Sachi smiled mischievously and winked at Izayoi.
"Sachi!" Izayoi exclaimed, her face turning bright red once more as Sachi laughed at her. "For heavens sake, that is the last thing on my mind!" She then proceeded to laugh nervously, trying her best to mask her annoyance with Sachi's bold remark. "Just remember that she means well," Izayoi mentally assured herself. Yet, there was no denying that at the moment Sachi mentioned the possibility of meeting someone, Inutaisho's face had briefly appeared in Izayoi's mind.