Shirayukihime and The Lost Fox

Chapter 6: Followed

Akira POV

'This wasn't part of the plan!'

I grit my teeth as I try to stand up as fast as I could. Not only were my ears exposed, but my eyes were, too. They stand there, shocked, as I struggle to stand. Zen is the first to talk. "Are... are those real?" He steps toward me as I lean against the wall for support. I glare at him as he reaches out to touch my ears. He freezes at the sight of my eyes. That gives me an opportunity and I hit his hand away with the hilt of my kendo sword.

He retracts his hand and, thankfully, takes a step back. "Your eyes... they're different colors!" He states, amazed. His eyes stray to my irritated twitching tail. Shirayuki gets up from the ground. She hands me my walking staff. "Akira, don't walk on your foot." She tells me sternly. I nod.

She looks at the newcomers and asks, "So is this your house?" Zen shakes his head. "No, but we take care of it." He opens the door wide to let us in. "Let's go inside." We file inside and as I pass him I give him a nod of thanks.

Inside it was quite cozy. The rugs on the wooden floors protected them from the tables and chairs and couches that scattered across the room. The stairs laid behind a single chair that in turn had a long coffee table and couch in front of it in the left side of the house. In the right, there was a small table and chairs around it with a game of chess already set up.

Everyone got situated, Kiki and Mitsuhide sat down around the chess board, Shirayuki and Zen sat on the couch, but I sat down on one of the lower steps on the stairs. I don't know why I decided to sit away from everyone, but I guess it's because I have a better view of everyone here.

"No one lives here, but we spend time here," Zen says as Shirayuki wraps a bandage around his forearm. "Over there, the one getting beaten at chess is Mitsuhide," — Mitsuhide lets out a strangled, defeated sigh as the woman across from him moves a chess piece— "and the one doing the beating is Kiki." Zen continues without a single glance at the chess game.

Mitsuhide turns in his chair. "Zen, how do you know I'm losing if you didn't even look at the game?" He asks, annoyed. Zen forms a sly smirk and with his back still to the chess game, he replies, "I can just tell." From her place at the table, Kiki says flatly, "I'm shellacking you."

I cover my mouth to keep the laughter from spilling from my mouth, but let a muffled snort escape. Mitsuhide turns and gives me a glare. I just stare back at him with a smile. "What? She is." I say playfully. Kiki glances at me and cracks a small smile.

"There. Finished." I turn back to the pair on the couch. Zen holds up his bandaged arm to admire it. "Wow, you've got impressive skill, Shirayuki." He compliments her. "I've been at this for a while," she simply replies. "I did tell you I was an herbalist."

"Indeed you did." Zen looks over to her with a sly smirk. "So, why would a talented herbalist run away from home?"

Shirayuki stops bandaging her own arm for a moment. She looks downcast at her lap. "The reason's not important." She says and stands up. "Excuse me, I'd like some air." She quickly fastens her bandage on her arm and leaves through the door with Zen following soon after.

It was just me, Kiki, and Mitsuhide left in the room. "You." I look over at the table and find Mitsuhide with a serious expression. "My name isn't 'you,' it's Akira." I say a little coldly. He ignores my retort and continues. "What relationship do you have with the herbalist?"

My expression remains calm as I respond, "She assisted me on the road yesterday when I injured my foot." I gesture to my bandaged foot. He stares at me, as if looking long enough could tell him more about me. He turns back to his partner and exchange nods.

"Well, we sort of need to watch the white-haired rascal, but-" Kiki cuts Mitsuhide off. "But we don't trust you enough to leave you alone here. So you have to come with us." She said bluntly and emotionlessly. I knew this would happen. I nod my head and grasp my staff, pulling myself to my feet. They both stood as well and we quickly follow through the door and after the pair in the woods.

—————————

We hear a loud exclamation. "You were ordered to be a concubine?!" We quickly followed the voice and found Zen and Shirayuki sitting on a downed tree trunk. "Yes," she sighed. "By a very famous boy. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he learned how to speak in the red-light district." The three of us hid in some brush nearby. "He thought my hair was unusual, and wanted to keep it like a prize. If I had obeyed his orders, it would've been just like he was buying an apple from the fruit-seller."

Zen mumbled something that we couldn't hear as Shirayuki stood up. "So that's why," she turned to Zen with a smile. "I though that I'd give him at least part of what he wanted, and I left my hair behind." Zen looked up at her shocked, before he burst out into laughter, slapping his knee. "That was ingenious thinking." He said.

"Huh?" Shirayuki said confused as Zen stood up with his sword resting on his shoulder. "Good job escaping from that dunce. It's your lucky red, after all." He walked away a little away from the shade and into the sunlight. "What do you mean by that?" Shirayuki asks even more confused than before.

"Well..." Zen turns around to her. "Color has meaning. And red is the color of fate." I unconsciously crack a smile at his words. "You may not like it much now," he continues. "But your red might lead to something good when you least expect it."

'Least expect it, huh?'

I hear the faint snap of a twig. I feel my ears prick at the sharp sound. Lucky for me, I had fixed my ears down and pulled the hood up before we set out after the two. I turn to the sound and wordlessly stare deep into the woods. Movement here and there, but nothing large enough to make that noise. Suddenly, a black figure darted through the trees. It was human.

I tap Mitsuhide on the shoulder. He turns to me with a curious expression. "What is it?" He asks in a hushed tone. Kiki turns to me as well. "We need to be extra cautious," I warn. "Don't look around, it'll alert them to our knowing." I add as Mitsuhide starts looking into the woods surrounding us. He looks back at me. "And why is that, Bright-eyes?" He asks with the narrowing of his eyes.

"Because we're being watched."