I knocked at my father’s office door and waited.
“Come in,” he said, and I opened it quickly.
“Father,” I said sweetly, while taking in the gray-and-black hair gelled back and the brown-eyed man sitting behind his desk. He slid his reading glasses down his nose as he watched me cautiously.
“What is it you want, Kitty?” The right side of his lips tilted up, fully knowing that whatever I wanted, he’d give it to me. Sometimes it was like I had limitless power with this gift of his last child, but there were times when everyone treated me like a child to protect and shelter. I hated that.
“I just wanted to see you. Check in that you’re taking care of yourself. Do you need some tea?” I walked over to the front of his desk and bowed.
“Tea would be lovely.” He inclined his head in my direction, and I noticed the teapot on the table by his cushions near the window. His office was fairly simple. Books lined the wall behind his desk, which I knew he’d read every single page of them all. He had a sitting area and a Zen garden the size of a futon on the opposite side. He found joy tending to it when he was stressed. We stood and walked to the tea and he gestured for me to sit with him.
“Hiromi says you are expanding. I heard the construction the other day. How is it going?” Whether I approved or not didn’t matter. A Sakura man did whatever he wanted, and we were to be silent about it. The tea flowed from the pot as I poured, and I handed him the cup. He sighed and shook his head before taking a gentle sip. Something wasn’t right with him; the little lines squished between his eyebrows told me so.
“There was an incident with the construction workers. An animal attack. Expansion has been postponed until I can guarantee safety.”
I sat there, mouth agape, as he told me how he’d upped the security detail around the property. They still hadn’t found the animal, but the search continued. Now I knew Rei hadn’t shown up to annoy me but protect me. Father mentioned Rei offered himself to watch over me.
“He’s a good man, Kitty. Quite the eye for beauty, too.” Father gave me a knowing look, and I intently poured more tea for myself. I was supposed to talk about Romi’s love life, not mine.
“Speaking of beauty, I really like Takeo and Hiromi as a couple. I think he really brings the best out in her.” My change of subject didn’t go unnoticed, but I really don’t think he wanted to push me settling down. He’d always been skeptical of the boys I dated, claiming no one was good enough for me.
“Takeo is a hard worker,” he agreed but not in the direction I wanted from him. I nudged a little more without trying to be too obvious.
“I like the way he treats her like a princess.” I sipped on my tea and watched as he digested what I said. Unfortunately, I think this was the first time he’d thought about them as a serious couple. Not sure why, though. Romi never had flings.
“I suppose so. Is there something going on that I should know about?” He set his tea on the table and gazed at me suspiciously. I shrugged but couldn’t contain my smile.
“No, but I think he really makes her happy. I guess I was curious what your thoughts on the matter were.”
My father churned my words over in his head and pursed his lips.
“If I didn’t approve of him, he’d be dead,” he joked, and I laughed. Of course Father, who would never hurt a grasshopper, would tease bodily harm on his daughter’s boyfriend. After another short chuckle, I mentally high-fived myself for getting him to think about the happy couple. I stayed for another hour before he needed to get back to work and called for someone to escort me to the studio.
Rei was waiting for me by the door, and we politely chatted. Nothing serious, though, since I was slightly still annoyed with him and he knew it. I waved bye to him and walked inside to the fridge. I needed ice cream before getting back to sewing. With my bowl in hand, I walked over to the cushions by the window. I loved sitting there and looking out to the pond ten yards away from the studio. My perfect little paradise.
“Hello, Little Flower.” A dark voice echoed inside my house where I was supposed to be alone. I set my bowl down and searched for the voice as well as a weapon.
“Who’s there?” I demanded, as I slowly stood, ready to bolt for the door to call for any of the guards nearby.
“Shadows,” the voice growled and then a hand tightened around my throat as I was slammed against the glass. Pain vibrated throughout my skull, and I lost consciousness.
Chapter Four
Tatsou
I’d been asleep for over 478 years. From the family’s library in the house, I’d found scrolls dating back to my time. The Sakura clan, our most villainous enemy, attacked and took over the temple after slaughtering everything I held dear. As they bred like rabbits, their seed took root in the sacred ground, turning the temple into a home for all future generations to hold captive. There were few structural familiarities in the building as I walked with the shadows while the humans slept.
The next day, I listened as my prey went about their days. The older woman, clearly the wife, held her subservient position with pride. The daughter knew her place and did not speak unless allowed to offer her opinion during meetings held with other men.
But the father, the head of the household, held a position of power, not just over his family but in vast regions of Japan from his large business. Like the overlords of my time, he played the part of a wealthy nobleman, but underneath performed vile acts I’d sworn to fight—selling of poisons, women, and metal weapons. I hated men like him and those who protected him. Every moment while I watched, I fell deeper into rage. They didn’t deserve the quick death of fangs to the throat. I wanted revenge. Revenge for my home, for my people who had been killed so long ago. They needed to suffer, to feel the true sting of betrayal, fear, and pain. I hovered in the shadows, paying attention to their language and movements, searching for any weaknesses. My plan would need time and test my ultimate patience.
I’d begun to think the family had no weaknesses besides power, until a woman walked up to her father with an enchantress’s voice. The youngest daughter. They protected her from his evil side, and he melted like a snowflake in her presence. The weakness.
As I noted their interactions, a plan formed in my head. She would be their undoing. The little fragile flower would help me bring down her family from the inside. The sweet taste of the betrayal would sate me for ages.
“Mmm.” The human on the ground started to wake up. She’d fallen unconscious fairly quickly once I’d pushed her against the clear wall. Humans were almost pathetically fragile. Still, the girl hadn’t fulfilled my purpose for her. She would do me no good dead.
“Romi?” she murmured, and I tilted my head to the side. Their language wasn’t too difficult to grasp for a mind like mine. I was superior in every aspect to their kind, including learning a new language. Her eyes flew open like she remembered an intruder in her home. My old home. Her breaths quickened as she sat up and touched her head, which surely ached. She scrambled away when she saw me standing in front. I did love a good chase. However, I needed her to sit and listen like a good girl. I moved faster than her eyes could follow and placed my hands on her shoulders. The man’s clothes that I stole earlier stretched tight against my body with the movement. She pushed against my grip and looked into my face defiantly. With one flash of my fangs, her strong-willed notion drowned in fear.
