Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling

Chapter 8 (Part 1)

Hikaru hurried down the hall. His servant, Yori, chased after him, tugging at his sleeves and trying to straighten Hikaru's crooked outer robe. He spotted Rin across the veranda. She did not see him at first; she was looking around the palace with interest, her neck craned, and her pale skin contrasted against crimson leaves on her robe. Yori collided with him from behind.

"Pardon me, my lord," Yori said.

Hikaru waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. A jade comb in Rin's hair sparkled and winked at him as she moved under shafts of sunlight falling onto the landing. She turned and their eyes met.

Yori cleared his throat. Hikaru had forgotten he was there. "There's no need for you to apologize; I stopped too suddenly. I thought I felt something in my sock."

"Should I take you back to your chamber and switch them out, my lord?" Yori asked, with a hardly stifled laugh, which he poorly disguised as a cough.

As Rin drew closer, he suddenly felt very aware of his attire. He ran his hands over his hair to make sure it was smooth and then discreetly turned to Yori. "How do I look?"

Yori smiled, like a fond uncle would. "Very handsome, my lord."

"You know how to please your lord. I will call for you later."

Yori bowed, but the grin did not leave his face as he backed away. "As you say, my lord."

Rin was close enough now that he could touch her if he were so bold. Her smile flashed across her face. Unlike so many noble ladies he met, her smile was broad and reached her eyes. Can the sun even shine as bright as that smile?

He bowed to her in greeting. She stared back at him. Did I do something wrong? Why did she not bow as well?

The handmaiden who accompanied Rin gasped. When Hikaru glanced at the maid, she turned her head away, a blush staining her cheeks. He was not the only one who had noticed Rin's bad manners. It was her eccentric behavior that fascinated him and it endeared him to her more than anything.

"Lady Nishimori, I am glad to see you. I hope you slept well."

The smirk did not leave her ruby lips, but it curved the corners of her mouth in a way that was both enticing and mysterious. The night before he had been sure he misunderstood her intentions. What noble lady would invite a man she just met into her chamber? But judging from the secretive way she smiled and how she looked at him through her lashes, that may have indeed been her intention. He tugged at his collar; he felt very hot all of a sudden. I'm turning into a lecher. I must be misreading her signals.

"I thought perhaps we might break our fast together." He motioned towards the room beyond. The sliding doors had been pulled back on all sides. The sun filtered into the room, giving it natural light. On the opposite end of the room, it overlooked a courtyard garden, one of many sprinkled across the palace. The maple tree in the center of the courtyard burst with crimson leaves, which brightened an otherwise bleak garden.

Rin walked through the room, and instead of seating herself on one of the pillows on the floor, she went into the garden. It was a small space and Rin, wearing the same kimono he had found her in, seemed to fill the bleak space with light. She stepped down from the landing and revealed dainty bare feet as she lifted up the hem of her kimono. She stepped onto the cobblestones that made a path through the small garden. She stood beneath the maple tree and tilted her head back. It revealed the column of her throat and the nape of her neck; it was oddly erotic. He had seen such few glimpses of her flesh, but each time it stirred something within him. He followed her out as if in a trance.

He did not take off his own socks, but he did find a pair of sandals by the door and slid them on so he could join her in the garden. He followed her same path, his sandals clicking on the stones. She turned to him. Her eyes reflected the gold of her kimono, and her hair in the light looked almost coppery. He stared for a moment, thinking once more of the strange woman who had saved him in the woods. But when he blinked, she returned to as she was, dark hair and eyes, a noble lady. She was an odd woman, but that was what drew him to her.