Chapter Thirty-Nine
The audience was hushed and awed as the performative dance acted out its final stage. Not a single word or line had been uttered, but a story had unfolded before them none-the-less. It was beautiful, strong, but also delicate. The colors from the performers' outfits rose and fell in defiance and tragedy, and their steps were at times silent like a whisper or heavy like thunder.
Kaoru was captivated by the entire process, and her eyes barely blinked as she stared up at the stage from their front row seats. Throughout the performance her hand had clasped his, and would tighten or pull during tense parts of the story. Though Kenshin could admit he enjoyed the show as well, he felt bad for Yūtarō, because he could barely take his eyes off the young woman beside him. Watching her react to the raw emotion and strict discipline the dancers put into each step was nearly fascinating. The expressions on her face told him another story altogether, and one that was much closer to his heart.
In true dramatic fashion, the performative dance ended with the unfortunate death of Yūtarō's character. Swaths of vibrantly patterned sleeves fluttered through the air as he swooned to the floor, and then puddled about his prone figure in beautiful and tragic repose. As the curtain fell on their act, the audience remained silent and subdued, as if waking from a trance. Then as one, they burst into applause with genuine enthusiasm for the breathtaking display.
Kaoru stood when the curtain fell, and Kenshin grinned but tugged on her hand to urge her back into her seat. She seemed almost distraught that the performance was over, and he whispered a reminder that they were going to talk to the main performer afterwards.
"If you tell him how much you enjoyed the show, he'll probably invite us to every one he does going forward. If that's something you'd like to do, I promise to take you."
Her features brightened, and she nodded her head vigorously. It was becoming simple, he realized, to talk about future plans with her, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. A warm smile softened his expression, and he briefly touched the loose hair feathering her features.
Now that I know what this feeling is… I feel like I've gotten greedy.
From out of the corner of his eye, Kenshin caught sight of Yahiko and Tsubame forcing their way to the front against the exiting crowd. Unfortunately, since the tickets had been acquired last minute, their seats had been in a row further back. Yūtarō had apologized by text, but neither had complained about it. To make up for it, Yūtarō had enthusiastically insisted that he get to meet them after the performance as well.
Yahiko still looked a little red in the face, but had calmed down considerably after their arrival at the festival. Once he was able to see what kind of environment the festival consisted of, he had relaxed. To kill some time before the show had started, they had browsed the stalls and participated in some of the games. Despite it being his first time at a festival, Yahiko had won Tsubame a small teddy bear as a prize. After that, his attitude had returned to near normal.
Unexpectedly, a strange type of dynamic had formed between Yahiko and Kaoru during their round of the stalls. It wasn't her usual cheerful personality that Yahiko pulled from her, but something more taunting and good-natured. At one point, Tsubame had giggled, and whispered to Kenshin that they acted like siblings taking jabs at one other. It was interesting to watch, as it was a side to Kaoru he had not seen, but it was endearing in its own way as well. Certainly, it was amusing to watch them regress to childish antics, such as making faces or elbow jostling in an attempt to distract the other from whatever current competition they found themselves to be in.
To his chagrin, Kaoru ended up being better suited for the festival games than him, as he was regretfully clumsy with the small tools provided to participate. As a result of her dogged perseverance, a small frog keychain she had won was now tucked into the sleeve of his yukata. It was a silly thing, but the triumph on her face when she had presented it to him had insisted that he accept it with the utmost humility. It amused him to imagine what others would think when they saw it in the future, after he provided it with its new job of guarding his house keys.
"Himura-san!" Yūtarō's voice called out to him from his left, and Kenshin stood to offer the young koi demon a smile. "You came!"
"The performance was amazing, Yūtarō-kun. Thank you for inviting us."
An embarrassed grin tugged at Yūtarō's mouth, and he scratched the back of his head with a laugh. "Thanks! Did your friends get the tickets I left?"
"They did. Thanks for helping them out."
Yūtarō waved a dismissive hand. "No proble… whoa! Did you bring a date?!" Yūtarō's round black eyes finally landed on Kaoru when she stood, and widened even further than what was normal. Before Kenshin could introduce her, Yūtarō had grabbed her hand between both of his.
"Beautiful lady. What poor luck I have to meet you after my good friend has. Would that I had met you first, and could now share this wonderful night with you instead."
Kaoru's eyes darted between the two of them, but Yūtarō continued without pause.
"Alas, honor compels me to stand firm behind my convictions and respect the bonds of friendship that we share. I would ask that you please ignore my pain, dear lady, and instead embrace the love you have already found. From this day until my last day, I shall suffer this desire in silence and admire you only from afar. But do not pity me. Instead, turn all of your love and affection to this man beside you, and I will stand behind your relationship one thousand percent."
Red brows twisted between a frown and outright laughter. The expression on Kaoru's face was skeptical and slightly confused by the flowery speech, but she quickly pulled her hand free when Yūtarō attempted to plant a kiss on her knuckles.
Well, it's safe to say he doesn't recognize her at all, since he did actually meet her first.
Clearing his throat, he lifted one brow at the young man who grinned at him wickedly.
"Kaoru, this is Yūtarō." There was a hint of amusement in his voice, and he squeezed her hand in reassurance when it slipped into his own. "Forgive him his dramatics, he is a performer."
The koi demon bowed in greeting. "But I would never over dramatize your beauty, Kaoru-san. I implore you take the compliment to heart."
A light blush darkened Kaoru's nose, and she bowed in turn. Then her hands flashed a few signs, and Yūtarō blinked.
"Oh… is… have I been speaking to myself?" His voice returned to normal and lost all of its nonsensical tone. Kenshin finally laughed. When Yūtarō pouted, Kenshin took pity on him.
"No. She can hear you." Still chuckling, he went on to translate for her. "She wants you to know that she enjoyed the dance. Her only complaint was when it ended."
Uncharacteristic bashfulness darkened Yūtarō's face, and he kicked at the ground. "Yeah?"
Kaoru nodded hurriedly, and continued with her barrage of compliments.
"Uh… well, basically, she said it was really beautiful." A frown pursed her lips as he glossed over everything else she had said, but then Yahiko and Tsubame finally reached them and the floral demon chimed in excitedly.
"It certainly was." Her hands clasped both of Kaoru's, and she giggled. "I've never seen something so wonderful or ethereal in my life. I wish I was that graceful." Kaoru nodded her agreement of the wish, but Yūtarō's jaw literally dropped as he watched them.
"W-what the… Two beautiful ladies?! Two, Himura-san?! You shouldn't be so stingy!"
Tsubame blushed, and found herself on the unfortunate receiving end of his attention. Kenshin sighed, and glanced at Yahiko glowering behind her.
Sorry, kid. You're on your own this time.
"Tsubame-san is a friend, Yūtarō-kun. I certainly have no desire to monopolize two beautiful women. I am perfectly content with one." He offered Kaoru an affectionate smile, and she blushed all the way to her ears even as she stared at him searchingly. On her other side, Tsubame floundered at being called beautiful by two different men, neither being her date. When Yūtarō attempted to press his luck by bringing her captured hand to his lips, she actually squeaked in alarm.
"Hey!"
A new hand wrapped around her outstretched forearm and tugged her back into Yahiko's side.
"Maybe ask before you go around touching girls like you know them."
The koi demon's head tilted. "You mean, like you did? I was merely offering a greeting. You're the one jerking her around like a sack of potatoes."
Yahiko stuttered and scowled. "W-wha… At least I'm not trying to press my filthy lips all over her."
"And who are you exactly?"
Yahiko's dark eyes narrowed, and his spine straightened to look down his nose at the koi demon. "Myōjin Yahiko. You may call me Yahiko-sama."
"How unfortunate for you to have filthy lips, Yahiko-chan. I assure you, mine are quite clean and soft." He spoke the assurance to Tsubame, who blushed and looked away.
"How the hell do you say that shit with a straight face?! And who are you calling little, you freaking fish?"
"You're pretty stupid, aren't you? Beautiful ladies deserve earnestness."
Kenshin watched as Yūtarō wound Yahiko up with an ease he had never seen, and Kaoru turned a snicker into his shoulder as she enjoyed the young man's frustration.
"Wha… Just keep your lips and earnest-whatever to yourself."
"Oh? Why? Is she yours? Do you have rights over her, or something?"
"Of course not!"
The soft irises of the floral demon glanced at him, half-surprised by the vehemence in his voice, and Yahiko stuttered in confusion.
"Then what's your problem?"
"I-I mean… s-she's my date, isn't she? So back off."
Yūtarō laughed. "You don't sound real sure about it, though. Which means I still have a chance. Right, beautiful floral goddess?"
Tsubame blushed again, and covered her face with both hands.
"Hey! I told you to stop it!"
The argument between the two young men carried on and on, and next to him, Kaoru sighed loudly. As they traded insults and blatantly ignored the subject of their dispute, Kaoru walked around them, offered Tsubame her hand, and then led the poor girl towards the exit. Briefly, Kenshin wondered if he should say something, but shrugged after a moment before following them out.
They'll figure it out eventually.
"W-wait!" Yahiko noticed first, and took off after them. It surprised Kenshin that Yūtarō followed, but the grin on his face said he wasn't done terrorizing their group just yet.
It was getting darker, and closer to the time for the fireworks to start. Before then, the group, now five strong, decided to fill their bellies with festival food. In order to maximize effectiveness, Yūtarō volunteered Yahiko to get all the drinks and Kenshin to gather the food. In the meantime, he would take on the dangerous job of protecting the women from prowlers. Yahiko groused, but accepted the assignment after Kenshin amiably agreed. Kaoru seemed comfortable with the decision, and even gave him her request first before anyone else. It helped that he was also confident Kaoru would keep Yūtarō in check around poor Tsubame, and that the charm would keep them safe from any danger.
Strangely, Kenshin returned with the food faster than Yahiko did with the drinks, and he frowned slightly in worry as he handed out the orders. The vending machines weren't that far away, and it was hardly a job that would take much time to complete. Looking around in an attempt to locate the wayward demon, the density of the crowd made it difficult to pinpoint any one person amongst the throng.
"Yahiko-kun has been gone a long time." Tsubame's sweet voice mimicked his worry aloud, and Kenshin smiled at her in reassurance.
"I'm sure everything's fine, but why don't I go see if he needs some assistance?"
The concern on her features lightened, and she glanced at Kaoru when she squeezed her hand.
"Poor boy can't even perform a simple task on his own." Yūtarō sniffed, as if he was any older or more mature. Kenshin refrained from laughing when he noticed Kaoru roll her eyes.
"Y-Yahiko-kun's very reliable." The nearly stern claim came from the floral demon as Kenshin was walking away, but Yūtarō switched gears effortlessly to placate her.
Too bad, Yahiko-kun. You're missing her champion you.
Upon arriving at the closest vending machines, Kenshin found Yahiko nowhere in sight. Trying to stay calm and reasonable, Kenshin told himself that he must have gone further out. A passerby directed him to another set of vending machines closer to the outskirts of the festival, and Kenshin thanked them quickly before hurrying on.
As he ducked around the last few people in the outlying crowd, he saw Yahiko's spiky hair under the stark light of a streetlamp that had just flickered into life. Someone else was with him in the empty portion of concrete the machines were bolted to. Someone much taller and menacing. To the young man's credit, he was calm in the face of the wolf staring down upon him, but the mock-stern way his arms were crossed conveyed anxiety. Kenshin didn't know what was going on, but could not at that point just ignore the young demon.
Jogging the last few steps to feign urgency, Kenshin forced a harmless smile.
"There you are, Yahiko-kun. I was worried you didn't have enough for the drinks."
The okami demon straightened, and a blatant frown marred his nose, mouth, and stark yellow eyes. The hands already folded behind his back stiffened, and he stared Kenshin down cautiously.
I see. He already knows what I am.
Kenshin smiled up at him.
"Is there a problem?"
"Nothing that concerns you." The reply was slow and deliberate.
"Oh. That's unfortunate." Kenshin continued to smile, but didn't move.
"Look, I already told you, you got it wrong." Yahiko shifted his weight, and his voice was strained and irritated. A touch of fear wove itself into his words, though, and Kenshin's attention sharpened. "I didn't cheat."
"Cheat?" Now Kenshin was confused. "Cheat at what?"
"Using your demon powers to bypass the rules of a place of business is against the law. Even a festival stall deserves equal treatment." The clarification was almost deadpan.
"Like I said, I didn't use my powers to win at anything." From the sound of his voice, Yahiko had already said as much multiple times. Kenshin stepped in smoothly with his reasonable tone and harmless expression.
"Did you see him use his powers, or have proof that he did?"
Yellow eyes flicked back over to him in annoyance.
"Some powers aren't as flashy as others." The way he looked Kenshin up and down confirmed he knew he was standing in the presence of a fire demon. "If he would simply demonstrate his powers to me now, we could clear up this matter, but the boy continues to refuse."
Yahiko lowered his chin and looked away.
"What authority are you operating under to demand such a thing?"
A badge was pulled from the wolf's inside pocket, and he held it up openly for Kenshin to see. His lack of hesitation and willingness to hold it still long enough for them to read it completely confirmed that he was legitimate.
Saitou Hajime. I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before. That aside… this is getting dangerous. His department is almost directly under the Emperor's control.
The fact that someone of such high rank was cornering someone at a festival about possibly cheating one of the stalls out of a stuffed animal made abrupt sense, and Kenshin folded his arms up into his yukata sleeves.
"You take your job very seriously, Saitou-san."
"You have no idea."
The smile on Kenshin's face didn't waiver.
"I suppose there's no way around it, Yahiko-kun." Dark eyes darted to him in surprise. "I know your demon trait embarrasses you, but you shouldn't be ashamed. Even a zephyr can move the petals of a flower."
"A zephyr?" The hard expression on the okami's face deepened.
Yahiko's dark eyebrows lifted, and he gasped in a breath before pursing his lips petulantly. Luckily, Kenshin knew the term, otherwise the ruse wouldn't have worked as well.
"You don't have to patronize me, Himura-san. I know how worthless my trait is compared to a powerful one like yours."
"Now, now." Placating him gently, Kenshin huffed an amused laugh. "Strength isn't always about power."
"Tell that to my mom. She was so ashamed that I only inherited enough of her trait to bend a blade of grass."
"Enough of this." Saitou lost his patience, and they both turned to him in mock alarm. "I'll ask you this only once, are you or are you not a wind spirit? Tell the truth. I will know if you lie."
The harmless smile on Kenshin's face finally disappeared. He had feared this would happen. Somewhere, he had heard that okami could discern between truth and lies. Impressively, Yahiko appeared unfazed for the first time since Kenshin arrived, and he held the wolf demon's glare with a steady gaze.
"I'm not."
A low grumble issued from Saitou's throat, and while his eyes narrowed, he nodded his head once. "I see. My mistake." A short, rigid bow was aimed at them, and he walked away without another word.
As the okami disappeared into the crowd, Kenshin let out a breath and glanced sideways at Yahiko. The young man had already returned to the vending machine to finish retrieving their drinks. The coin in his hand rattled against the slot.
"You know, I get it, but it's still messed up." His voice was slightly shaky even as he tried to feign calm. "Some of the lesser wind creatures carry and spread disease, but I've seen one before. They don't exactly hide their bad intentions. And Fujin's literally a god, but he can also be an ass. Nobody likes typhoons ripping up their homes. It sucks that the rest of us got a bad rep as a result."
Two of the drinks were handed off to Kenshin, and it was silent for a few moments.
"So… you're not a wind spirit?"
Yahiko's face twisted. "Technically no. I'm… not sure how it works with fire elementals, but wind elementals have… I guess, levels. The closer you are to the ground, the weaker you are. The higher you are… the stronger. A wind spirit is strong, but… there's one level higher than that."
The only thing higher was the sky.
A sky demon?!
Grabbing him by the shoulder, Kenshin forced Yahiko to meet his gaze. There was only one family in Japan that could produce a sky demon. The boy half-grinned, but it wasn't in amusement or joy.
"Yeah. My dad's an ass, too, as far as I'm concerned."
"Fire and light." The exclamation was shocked, and Kenshin let him go to take a breath. Yahiko had definitively claimed that he had no family. Which hinted that he was more than likely illegitimate. "Your situation is worse than I thought."
"Tell me about it." Yahiko finally laughed, though it was strained. "We should probably head back." The drinks were gathered up, but then he paused. "Thanks for the help."
A gracious bow of his head was half-teasing and half-genuine. "Any time."
Crisis seemingly averted, Kenshin and Yahiko walked back to the other three, all the while discussing whether or not there would be any food left when they arrived. What they found, however, was not what either expected.
Once Kenshin's eyes landed on the tall grass demon with his sharply pointed pale hair, he recognized him instantly. Instinctual fear filled his heart and mind, and his steps quickened to intercept him. This officer had connections to Sōjirō. How deep or strong those connections were, Kenshin didn't know or care. All that mattered was that he kept him as far away from Kaoru as possible.
Eerily, the closer his feet brought him to the grass demon, the quieter his surroundings became. The hubbub of the crowd faded into a muffled distraction, and everything slowed to a crawl. Weighed down by some invisible force, a frown marred Kenshin's features and he glared across at the officer in warning. It was then that he finally noticed that the grass demon appeared frozen in place. His expression was slack, his eyes were unfocused and unblinking, and his pupils had dilated fully. Something was holding him. Something unnatural and frighteningly strong.
Tracing the officer's line of sight, Kenshin sucked in a breath and his eyes widened. Standing firm and proud before Tsubame and Yūtarō, the salamander perched and ready on her shoulders, was Kaoru. Swirling blue covered the full width of her eyes as she stared down the threat, and though he knew she could not speak, he thought he could hear an ethereal voice.
"You will look only at me."
X
A/N: That seal is getting dangerously close to being gone. Yikes! 😊 How do I have so many chapters and still so much more story to tell? Are you sure you're really okay to stick around for all this? I mean… you should see this thing printed! I keep thinking, well, it's because the chapters are so short, but I don't know anymore. Lol Yūtarō and Yahiko were fun in this chapter, but I'm still looking forward to the next chapter more than anything. A little bit of a different point of view on the current situation, and then some tender moments to keep us warm in this chilly weather. Much love!