Keishin averted his eyes and pulled off his clothes. “No sudden movements. Got it.”
Hana lowered herself into the water. Hansha swarmed around her, illuminating her skin. “If they like you, they will keep your shape longer.”
“I’ll be my charming best.” Keishin followed her into the pool, bracing himself for the cold. Warm water, just the way he liked his bath, embraced him instead.
“Be careful.” Hana drew a deep breath and submerged, disappearing beneath a swirling layer of liquid light.
Keishin dove in after her. Glowing galaxies revolved around his body, slowly exploring every inch of his limbs. They paused and then moved as one, shifting and turning until Keishin found himself staring his exact twin in the eye. Keishin blinked. His twin blinked too. Keishin waved. His twin waved back.
Hana swam to Keishin and motioned for him to surface. Keishin swam next to her, struggling to keep his gaze from wandering over Hana’s soft curves. She moved as gracefully as the hansha, their light twinkling like fairy lights over every inch of her skin.
Hana broke through the pool’s surface, inhaling deeply. “We did it.”
Keishin treaded water across from her. “Now if only the rest of your plan was just as easy.”
—
The only light inside the cave’s tunnel came from the two schools of hansha that had taken Keishin’s and Hana’s forms. They swam on either side of the boat, glancing up occasionally to smile at Keishin and Hana and wave.
“At least two of us don’t seem to be nervous,” Keishin said.
“I am just grateful that they decided to follow us.”
“Hana…”
“Yes?”
“If the plan doesn’t work…”
“It will work.”
“But in case it doesn’t, in case something goes wrong, you need to think about yourself. Not your father. Not your mother. Not Haruto. You need to run. Promise me that you’ll run and not look back.”
“I will, but only if you promise me one thing too.”
“What?”
“That when I run…” She took Keishin’s hand. “You won’t let go.”
—
Keishin reviewed Hana’s plan in his head as he tied the boat to a rock jutting out next to the end of the tunnel. The plan involved being in two places at the same time, a notion that less than a week ago would have made Keishin laugh out loud or roll his eyes. Now he did neither. He had lost track of how many laws of science he had broken since stepping into Hana’s world. Adding one more to his list was not going to make a difference.
“I was not sure if Haruto’s mother was going to agree to do this for us. I am glad that she did.” Hana rummaged through her bag and pulled out two origami fish. “This plan would not work without them.”
Keishin took one of the fish from Hana and stared at the waterfall covering the cave’s mouth. Though it was not as wide as the waterfall at the entrance to the cavern, it was just as powerful. Keishin had not yet gotten used to how something so mighty did not make a sound. He wished that it did. It could have drowned out the pounding of his heart and made pretending to be brave a lot easier. He pressed his back against the cave wall and inched along the narrow ledge that led out of it. The waterfall parted to let him and Hana through.
Keishin and Hana crouched behind a cascading stream of water, huddling as close together as the ledge allowed. Keishin looked out through a gap in the stream. A field of lotus stretched into the horizon, giving the appearance of a sprawling flower garden rather than a lake. Unlike the lotus in hisworld, which awoke only for the sun, the lake’s large white flowers smiled lovingly up at the moon. Dark figures glided over the lake, the edges of their robes barely grazing the water. Each wielded a sickle and cut down the flowers in its path.
“Shiikuin,” Keishin whispered to Hana.
“How many are there?”
“At least ten. They are clearing the lotus.”
“They think we are hiding in the water.”
“As you said they would.”
