Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling

Chapter Twenty-Seven (Part 3)

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.