The Heavens Are Not Blind

Part1-Chapter5

She hummed happily to herself as she picked up her hair brush and watched with interest as the sunlight that penetrated through the shoji windows made the rubies on the handle sparkle and glimmer.

            Megumi giggled, remembering Sano’s nickname for her, Megitsune. It should have pissed her off but . . . As long as it came from Sano, it’s fine. She brushed her hair and closed her eyes. Sano had closed his eyes when I ran my fingers through his hair. He enjoyed my touch, I guess. And his hair . . . ‘twas so soft. Really soft. And I was just trying to tick him off. He didn’t really look like a rooster. More like a hot, sexy movie star.

            “Megumi baka!” she hit herself on the forehead, “What the hell are you thinking!” Then she smiled at her reflection in the mirror and said, “You like him, Megumi.”

            “Looks like you’re really happy, huh?” Kori said from the doorway.

            Megumi dropped the hair brush in surprise and gasped, “Kori, I didn’t hear you coming in!”

            Kori chuckled and retrieved the fallen brush, “I’m really sorry, MissMegumi. I thought you were at the dining hall with your father, so I didn’t knock, thinking your room was empty.”

            Megumi huffed, looked solemnly at Kori and asked in a small voice, “Were you . . . Uh, did you uhm . . . I mean, how long have you been watching me?”

            Kori tilted her head sideways, “Not so long. But, tell me MissMegumi, why do you look like you’re floating on cloud nine? Is it because of that Sanosuke boy?”

            “Kori!” Megumireprimanded. She bit her lip and looked down bashfully, twiddling her thumbs.

            “Oh, I’m sorry for being nosy, MissMegumi, but, it’s been a long time since I saw you that happy.”

            “I know,” Megumi nodded, grinning.

            “So, is it because of Sanosuke?” Kori arched her brow.

            Megumi felt her cheeks flush and she slowly nodded.

            “You like him, don’t you?” Kori smirked.

            “I . . . I think so, Kori.”

            “Then why don’t you tell him how you feel? From what I see, the boy’s all smitten over you. The way his face lights up when he sees you . . .” Kori trailed off, smiling.

            “But, Kori . . . I . . . I don’t know. It’s a little complicated. What if . . . what if I get hurt?”

            Kori shook her head, walked to her and brushed Megumi’s hair, “Do you want to forever live with the ‘what ifs’?”

            Megumi looked up at her, “But look, I’ll be going to America in a week or two, Kori. He can’t come with me. His family needs him; I can’t take him away from them. So the most likely thing to happen is he’ll be left here to wait for me. But what if he finds another woman while I’m away? What if I come back one day to find him married and happy with someone else? I don’t know if I can ever live with that, Kori,” she sunk her teeth onto her lip, trying hard to suppress the tears that were threatening to break out of her.

            “Child,” Kori said quietly, “Love is giving someone the chance to hurt you, to destroy you, to betray you and trusting them not to.”