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“YOU CANNOT DO THIS. We had a deal!” Hikaru shouted.
Rin clutched her hands into fists. She took a deep breath; flying off the handle would not help this situation. She had learned that the first time she had met the mercurial guardian.
“We don’t have a deal, remember? Shin took your place and your chance to break free,” Akio said. He yanked on the chain around Shin’s neck, slowly bringing him closer to him. Rin watched helplessly as Akio took away everything she loved. He already had Shin, would he take Hikaru away as well?
This is personal. He is trying to pay me back for before.
“What do you want from me, Akio?” she said.
Hikaru swiveled towards her, mouth agape. “No, Rin!”
“Rin!” Shin growled at the same time.
Akio wound the chain around his arm and yanked, bringing Shin to his knees. He glowered at the boar.
“What could you possibly offer me?” Akio said. Though he pretended at indifference, his black beady eyes gleamed.
“Anything you want. If you need a Kitsune, then perhaps I can help you with your problem.”
He scoffed. “Only a Hanyou with the right ability could do that.”
Rin shrugged. “Fox fire has many healing abilities. I am sure you’ve heard about the curative power of a Kitsune liver.”
“Rin, don’t.”
She would not face him, could not. She had already come this far to keep him safe, she wouldn’t lose him to Akio. Akio paced back and forth, making a great show of considering her offer. Then he came to stand before her. Her knees locked as she looked up at his massive form. She could see his leathery skin beneath the spattering of coarse dark hair.
“Even if your liver could save me, I wouldn’t take it. I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction.” He laughed.
Hikaru stepped in front of her. “Then take me, just let Rin go.”
Akio rolled his eyes and then, tugging Shin along behind him, went to sit back down on the raised platform. Shin’s gaze was murderous. Rin felt the same. She should have known Akio would play games. She put her hand on Hikaru’s shoulder and held back from jumping in front of him to try to protect him from Akio. Though the gesture was appreciated, she could not imagine living knowing he was locked up here while she was free. It was bad enough Shin had made his own deal when she was not able to stop him.
“I am sure if I tried to keep you, she would come back and cause another disturbance. No, I will let you both go, but you must each pay a price,” Akio said, gloating all the while.
She stood next to Hikaru and grabbed his hand on reflex. She felt stronger beside him. She considered Akio. Any offer he made was most likely laced with poison. She held onto Hikaru, an anchor for the storm inside her heart. She looked at Shin kneeling beside the guardian, head bowed. It made her heart ache.
Hikaru looked to Rin, and when she nodded, he said, “Name your price.”
“From the Hanyou, I want a favor,” the guardian said as he leaned back on his cushion. He twirled the length of chain around his arm and the metal rattled, piercing Rin’s heart.
“And what sort of favor is that?” Hikaru asked.
He waggled a hoof at him. “I will not tell you, not yet.”
She squeezed Hikaru’s hand. “You don’t have to agree to this.”
“I accept,” Hikaru replied.
Akio grinned, revealing his crooked yellow teeth. Rin swallowed hard. Now came her price. Whatever it is, I will do it to protect him.
“And what would you have my price be?” Rin asked.
“It is simple, I want you to spend one last night with Shin.”
Shin growled and looked back at Akio. He bared his teeth; his rage was hardly contained. What is he getting at?
“How does this benefit you?” she asked.
He laughed. “When the night is through, I will ask you a question, and your answer will be your price.”
Her stomach twisted. Hikaru pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She inhaled his scent. Now that she was back to her original form, she could pick out the varying notes that made up his own unique signature. She could also sense his worry. Neither of them knew what game Akio was playing, but they could not fight their way out.
“Done,” she said.
Akio broke the chain and, with a sweep of his hoof, set Shin free. At least in part, the collar remained around his neck like a beacon highlighting his servitude to the boar.
Rin looked to Hikaru.
He nodded his head. “Go to him. I’ll meet you in the morning.”
She squeezed Hikaru’s hand one more time before running to Shin. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her head into his chest. “You idiot, why did you do this?”
“Maybe we should talk in private?” he asked. Akio grinned at them deviously. He would love for them to play out their tragic drama in front of him—she was sure. She would not give him the satisfaction.
She nodded. A servant came and escorted Hikaru out one door, and then another led Shin and Rin out another. She did not want to be parted from Hikaru. She watched as he disappeared out the opposite door. He kept his eyes locked on her until the door closed between them. I just have to hope Akio will stay true to his word and he will let us go come morning.
***
THE DOE-HEADED SERVANT showed him into an adjoining room that was separated from the main audience room. Hikaru was feeling restless, so he picked at his already tattered sleeve and paced back and forth. He listened to the receding footsteps of Shin and Rin. Worry twisted his gut; why did he get the feeling he would never see her again after tonight? The door at the back of the room slid open. He turned around to see the guardian ducking through the doorway. He clenched his hands into fists to hide his anger. It was his fault; if he had just accepted Hikaru’s offer, then Rin would have been set free.
“My lord guardian.” Hikaru bowed to the vile creature.
The boar grinned. His yellow teeth looked even more rotten up close and the stench of his breath was putrid.
“I’ve come for my favor.”
Hikaru held his breath, waiting. “And what is that?”
“I want you to see something.” He waved his hoof and a mirror appeared out of a cloud of leaves. At first he saw his own face reflected there. Seeing his image was startling. He hardly recognized himself—the dark shadows under his eyes, his torn and battered skin, and his topknot had come undone, his hair falling forward.
“You want me to see my own reflection?”
“No, look closer.”
And so Hikaru did as he was bid, he peered into the mirror. His image disappeared and in its place he saw Rin and Shin alone in a small chamber with a single bed. Does he expect them to sleep together? His gut twisted with jealousy. He had no reason to believe Rin was his. Though he had asked her to be his wife, he had never gotten her answer. Had he misinterpreted her intentions? But if she did not care for him, why sacrifice herself for him?
Shin had his back to Rin, and she seemed to be saying something, but Hikaru could not hear what they were saying. From the way she gazed at him, captured by Shin’s every word, Hikaru knew it was serious. Shin turned to face Rin, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Hikaru’s stomach sank. Has he confessed how he feels? Does she feel the same? Shin had given up everything to save Rin, how could she not love him in return? Hikaru could not turn away as Rin fell to her knees and Shin wiped away her tears. She grabbed onto Shin’s robe and buried her face into his chest. Shin wrapped his arms around her. And Hikaru could not look any longer.
“Do you know what he asked?” the boar taunted.
“What?” Hikaru asked, though he feared the answer.
“He asked her to choose between the two of you. Who do you think she chose?”
His head said Shin, it only made sense, but his heart thought differently. They loved one another, he was certain of that much. But the guardian had filled him with a fragment of doubt and that was what held his tongue.
“I’ll wait for your answer until morning. If you’re right, you both go free; if you are wrong, then you both belong to me.”
***
THE ROOM THEY WERE given was tiny with a single futon for them to share. They had slept side by side more times than she could count, but when they entered the room and the sliding doors were closed, the air felt charged. Shin stood with his back to her and his hand pulled at his new collar.
She went to his side and took his free hand in hers. He tensed; all his muscles corded in his back and arms like an animal poised to take flight. They stood like that for a moment, not speaking. This cannot be the last time I see him. I will not let it be. I will find a way to free him from Akio.
Shin dropped her hand suddenly and then stepped away. She could read the unease in every line of his body.
“Shin...?”
He did not answer.
“You know what question Akio is going to ask me, don’t you?”
He would not look at her. He was not acting like himself. In fact, he had been acting strangely since the witch cursed her. He said there was something he wanted to ask me when I could speak again.
“Answer me, Shin!” she shouted. After everything that had happened, she was on edge. Was he still mad from when she slapped him? She knew he could hold a grudge but never against her.
He flinched. He never flinched unless he felt guilty. What is there to feel guilty about?
“You love him?” His voice held no inflection; it was like he was reading rehearsed lines.
“I do.” She crossed her hands over her chest.
He ran his hands through his hair. “Then the question does not matter.”
She walked around to face him. She peered up into his eyes. “What possessed you to make a deal? What were you thinking?” She reached out to shake him, but he stepped back before she could touch him.
He looked up at her at last. His gaze pinned her in place. “We do things for those we love that we never imagined.”
She clutched at the silk of her kimono just above her heart. “Shin...”
“It was my own fault for not telling you sooner.”
She did not know what to say. So she asked, “How long have you been in love with me?”
He looked at her; his dark eyes pierced her through. “Always.”
She gasped. She felt as if her world had tilted sideways. “And the question?”
“Akio wants you to choose between Hikaru and me.”
She sank to her knees. Her legs could no longer support her weight. Shin hovered over her. His expression was guarded, closed off. She had never seen him that way before.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He sighed. “I wanted to, but it never seemed like the right time. I thought I could be happy just being by your side. But then you had that affair with the Dragon...”
Her hands were shaking. “I never loved the Dragon. It never meant anything to either of us.”
He nodded. “I can see that now.”
“Oh, Shin.”
His face hid much of his emotion, but she could see his disappointment beneath the cracks in his facade. She wanted to reach out to him to comfort him. But it felt tainted now. She did not want her actions to be misinterpreted. Nothing has changed; it’s still Shin. They had always been one another’s rocks, but she never imagined she would be the one to cause him pain. Had I known, would things have been different? Could things be different?
“I’ll find a way to break you free of Akio. I promise,” she said.
He shook his head. “I am content to know you are happy. Live your life with the hu—Hikaru.” His mouth twisted wryly. “Bear his children. Forget about me.”
Tears pushed the back of her lids. He knelt down in front of her and wiped an errant tear from her eye. She tried to hold herself back, but she could not any longer. She grabbed his shirt front and held on tight. She buried her face into his chest.
“You’re an idiot,” she said.
He stroked her hair. “If I’m an idiot, what does that make you?”
She laughed despite herself. “I’m not going to give up. You know that, don’t you?”
“Stubborn to the end.”
“Always,” she replied as he pressed a kiss to her brow.