Inochi

By Linda

Chapter 16

My ear twitched slightly as I awoke; the liquid sound of running water and the shushing of the wind in the trees stirred my consciousness. I lay still, collecting myself, and weariness made it feel as if the weight of the entire world rested upon me, making movement difficult. My mind felt as if it were wrapped in wool; every thought seemed fuzzy and somehow far away. The breeze sifted through my hair, stroked over my bare skin with a light touch. Birdsong touched my ears, their songs sweetly familiar. The vibrant, mingled ki of living things pulsed like the beat of my heart all about me, brushing up against my own ki, a welcome sensation I'd thought lost to me forever. The ground was soft beneath me, and smelled of crushed herbs and grasses. The sun felt so warm, and wrapped over my body like a blanket.

It was then that I realized I lay naked on the ground.

I opened my eyes, surprised at how difficult even that small movement was. It took a moment of blinking before my eyes would focus, and another before anything I saw before me made sense. I lay on my side on a bed of soft, fragrant plants; I could see my arms and legs, pale golden, still crossed with the faint pink stripes of Kuroda's whipping. But in contrast with my last clear memory, I was very clean; I found no trace of the blood that had splattered everywhere on my skin, nor did I see my filthy robe. My hair wisped across my shoulders and chest, soft and shining, no longer tangled and matted with Kyo's blood as I last remembered.

Slowly I took stock of myself, still vaguely surprised that I actually lived. My ankle felt stiff and sore, but didn't throb anymore; looking down at it, I saw that bruises had bloomed against my skin, and someone had wrapped a bit of cloth about it to help support it and keep the swelling down. That much I remembered from Haruna's teachings. My side just below my last rib ached terribly. Moving cautiously, I worked my hand around and felt of my side, tracing gingerly along the length of the sword cut. I flinched as I stuck my fingers into some sort of goo. Alarmed, thinking the cut had perhaps filled with nasty, dangerous pus, I brought my fingers to my face and blinked until I could focus on the stuff coating my fingertips, and then breathed a soft sigh of relief. Not pus; it looked like a greenish-brown poultice that Haruna might apply.

So. Someone had washed me, and had tended to the gash in my side. Who would have done such a thing? The thought occupied my still-fuzzy mind for a long moment. Vaguely, I remembered the mage Jussai, but no, he had gone with Kin'iro. The kitsune then? I cast about for a name, and it came to me. Raiha. The one with chestnut colored hair. The one who had stopped the ookami...my brows knitted...Eishi...from raping me there right beside Kyo's lifeless body.

That memory burned too brightly, too painfully, and I pushed it away. I thought of other things, instead. I knew time had passed, but I couldn't remember it, only vague impressions of light and darkness, and the motion of the horse beneath me, of Raiha's broad chest supporting me. Hazy half-memories came to mind of being so sick I thought I might actually die whether I willed it or not, of burning with fever, of Raiha forcing dribbles of cool water down my parched throat. I had not been myself for days, then, but I had no idea of how many. I also had no idea of where I was, other than beside some unknown river.

It seemed to take a very long time to work myself into a sitting position, and I had to hold my side and pant from the effort when I finally did. My head spun, and I thought I'd keel over backwards when my vision blurred and I had the feeling the ground tried to suck me back down. But I would not give in to the feeling of weakness, and so after another moment or two, my head cleared, and I found myself able to sit without problem.

I looked about. To my left, Raiha's big brown horse stood tethered in the shade beneath a tree, drowsing, its long tail flicking slowly at flies. Another horse, this one reddish and even larger, stood next to it, head draped over the brown horse's shoulder, black eyes also half-closed. To my right lay two saddles and packs in untidy heaps, and the smoke from a small fire curled up between the branches of the overhanging trees. Sticks stood propped over the fire, and upon those sticks fish cooked slowly, the skin charred, the flesh fragrant. The scent of cooking meat made my belly rumble a little.

Not ten paces before me lay the river, sparkling in the sun. It was broad and slow, and probably not very deep. Squinting at the sun that lay low in the eastern sky, I could tell the river ran south. Slowly my head turned north, and it sang a song to my heart. North. Home.

I tried to rise, but I wobbled and crashed down to the soft bed of herbs. Their scent rose sweetly all about me. I tried again to gain my feet, but didn't get even as far as I did the first time; the effort left me panting. As I twisted in my attempt to rise, the gash opened up once again with a sharp pain that made me close my eyes and cry out softly.

Ki swirled about me, dark purplish blue, and slid against my own. I heard a splash from the direction of the river, then a cool shadow fell over me, blotting out the warmth of the sun. Water droplets splattered against my shoulders and rolled coldly down my sun-warmed arms; I shivered. The scent of kitsune, and fishy river water, filled my nostrils.

"Well, I see you're awake, little brother." Raiha's voice flowed down over me like sweet wild honey.

I opened my eyes. My hair hung down in my face, and the only thing I could see were his bare feet standing before me, a creamy-pale color against the rich green plants. Oddly, I noticed how narrow and high-arched they were, how neatly trimmed his nails.

Looking up, I followed a path up long strong legs with powerful thighs. He was naked, I realized with a start, and heat flooded into my cheeks. I carefully avoided looking at his groin. Water droplets rolled down a broad deep chest and a smooth flat belly. His arms and wide shoulders were heavy with muscle. He had chestnut hair, now dark with water, and bright green-gold eyes beneath a ragged fringe of hair. His big ears perked forward, and his long wet tail swished.

"And I see you've been stupid," Raiha said, without heat. "You've opened your wound again."

I pulled back my hand and looked at it; blood streaked redly through the poultice on my fingers. "I tried to get up," I said, and realized just how foolish it sounded.

"None too bright, are you?" Raiha sighed, and sounded like a man very put-upon. He knelt beside me, seemingly oblivious to either his nakedness or my own. Rather than look at his genitals, right before my face, I looked down at the ground, embarrassed. After all I'd seen and experienced at Hamanari's, I probably should have been better accustomed to seeing casual nudity, but I was not. "Lie back and I'll look at it."

When I frowned and made no effort to obey him, he made an annoyed "tcha" sound, and his broad hands went to my shoulders and eased me into the soft bed of plants. I protested, but he ignored me, easily brushing my hands and arms aside, out of his way. Too weak to put up much of a fight, I finally lay back and let him do as he wished.

His face was serious and intent, and I stifled a yelp when his fingers probed too roughly at the wound. He muttered under his breath, and I heard swear words that would have made Haruna herself blush. Flipping his long wet hair back over his shoulders he frowned, but I had the impression he was not truly angry with me.

"Too much human blood," he said. "I'd have healed that cut by now."

I frowned at him again, very weary of hearing my faults as a human, or at least, a part-human. "I didn't ask for the blood that flows in my veins. I didn't ask to be born either part human or part kitsune."

Raiha's wide mouth quirked into a smile. "Still, you have enough kitsune blood that it didn't kill you. You'll live, if you stop doing foolish things." He rose with a fluid motion. "Stay put."

I lay still as he shook himself like a dog, a whole-body ripple from his ears down to the tip of his long tail, a movement that mesmerized me. He stepped away into the underbrush, and not even a leaf shivered with his passing. I realized I held my breath as I watched him move only when I ran out of air and had to gasp to catch it.

Relaxing back, I covered my eyes with my forearm and waited for his return. Idly, I wished for a drink of water. It was so tantalizingly close and yet still so far away. I supposed I'd have to ask Raiha for a drink when he returned, and a wave of resentment flowed over me at my helplessness. It could be still worse; as worn out as I felt, I had suffered far more after Kuroda's beating. I pushed that thought ruthlessly aside. I then wondered where we traveled. I wondered about Genichi and Kin'iro and Xiu. I wondered why Jussai had ordered me brought along.

No, I didn't really need to wonder that. I remembered well the look of intent interest in his bright green eyes, and sighed. Whatever appeal to others I seemed to possess, I fervently wished I did not have it. I'd been brought up thinking I was ugly, told such things daily, and in spite of my time at Hamanari's, and his plans for me, it was difficult for me to accept that perhaps, others did not think so. My mouth firmed in determination. Well, if he wanted me, he certainly wasn't getting me willing; I had no intention of ever being anyone's bedpartner. I had no collar to keep me in place now, to enforce my obedience; nothing to hold me back from running north, and back home.

And I would, as soon as I could bear enough weight on my ankle to run.

I felt the light brush of Raiha's ki, and he stepped silently through the brush. For such a large man, he moved smoothly, and I scarcely felt the vibrations of his feet striking the ground. I moved my arm away from my eyes and watched him as he sank down beside me, a handful of different leaves occupying his attention. I shifted a little, and brought my legs up to hide my own nakedness.

"Where is my robe?"

"Tied to a stone at the bottom of the river. It stank," Raiha replied. He discarded two of the leaves for reasons known only to himself, and then twisted the remaining ones together.

"I had no other," I said. "I don't want to be naked."

"Why not? I figured you'd be well-accustomed to it. You're a pleasure slave, aren't you?"

"No, I am ~not~," I replied, and the vehemence of my reply startled us both.

Then Raiha's eyes crinkled in amusement. "What? Not accustomed to nakedness, or not a pleasure slave?"

"Not either one," I said with a frown.

"I seem to recall you saying something about how you weren't anyone's slave," he said, "just before you tried to broil all of us." I blinked up at him, and he continued mildly, "I hope you're not planning on doing anything of that sort right now. I mean, I have too many things to do still yet. I've only two tails in my spirit form---when it's finally my time, I'd really like to meet Inari-sama with nine."

I could only look at him, not certain what, if anything, to say. His green-gold eyes glinted with amusement.

"You're entirely too serious for such a young one," he said with a grin. "And incredibly prudish, as well." He stuck the leaves in his mouth and began to chew them.

"I am as I am," I said, and covered my eyes again, oddly pricked by his words. After a moment I opened them again when I heard a spitting sound.

Raiha spat the chewed up leaves into his hand. "Gah! Bitter." He leaned forward with every intention of putting that slimy-looking mess on my wound. I shied away from him, and he simply wrapped his fingers around my arm and held me in place until he could pat it evenly over my wound in spite of my wriggling.

"What are you doing? That's nasty," I protested.

"Be still. I know what I'm doing. Inari-sama speaks to me through plants. If you leave it alone, it will pull out the poison and help to heal the wound."

I lay still; it would do little good to fight, as his grip was very strong. "I've never heard of that before."

Raiha made an unhappy face and spat again upon the ground. "Oh, and I suppose you were a healer as well as a pleasure slave?"

I recognized his teasing this time, and didn't rise to it. "I spent most of my time working with Hamanari's healer, Haruna, before they decided what they would do with me. I helped her, worked with her."

He released me and rose. He stepped to the edge of the river and washed his hands. By now his body was dry, and with his back to me, he picked up a pair of trousers, slipped them on, pulled his tail through the back slot, and pulled the drawstrings tight around his waist. He reached back and ran his fingers through his long hair, and the muscles moved like the river beneath his smooth pale skin. Of course he had a stripe down his spine; his was brown, running from the nape of his neck down to the root of his tail, and with his back to me, it was very visible. Watching him, I felt suddenly warm, my skin oddly prickly, and looked away quickly.

"I'd like some clothes, please," I said, and my voice sounded a little breathy.

Raiha wrapped a short, sleeveless robe over his upper body, and secured it with a sash. I felt much better with him dressed; his casual disregard of his nudity was...disturbing, in ways I didn't care to closely examine.

Instead of answering, he went over to the fire and plucked the impaled fish from the smoke. "Eh. Just in time. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, and thirsty. And naked."

He chuckled. "And single-minded, I see." He lay the fish on a flat rock close to me, and the scent of the cooked meat made my mouth water and my belly stir. "I suppose you won't stop complaining about it until I find you something to wear."

"I suppose I won't, no." Although I thought I probably should be afraid of Raiha, strangely enough, I wasn't, not really. His size made me a little nervous, but he seemed a friendly enough fellow, though I knew he was far from harmless, that his current mildness could easily slip into violence. His ki was calm, a deep purple that seemed to slide smoothly against my own, almost like I would stroke a favored pet, and as odd as it felt, I found it intriguing. In addition, Raiha had saved me from Eishi, which earned him no little gratitude.

He strode over to his pack, squatted before it, and rifled through the contents. After a moment, he pulled out a green robe and a tan one. Draping the green robe over his shoulder, he easily shredded the tan until it was nothing but strips of material. Kneeling beside me again, he folded several of the strips into pads, pressed them against the poultice, and then wrapped the remaining cloth around me to hold the makeshift dressing in place.

So close to me, his scent, warm and elemental, filled my nose, my head, and arrowed down my body. Tension curled low in my belly, and my heart beat faster. With every movement, his long hair brushed over my shoulders and arms, as soft as anything I'd ever felt. His hands were big and calloused, but were surprisingly gentle; his skin brushing against mine in accidental touches was smooth and sleek. I held myself stiffly away from him and tried not to breathe in his scent; it had the same effect upon me that I'd had when close to Kin'iro or Ayano. I closed my eyes and turned my head away slightly, and prayed not to humiliate myself by responding, but it was no use; I grew hard anyway. I tried to will it away, but of course, the more I tried, the firmer I grew.

"Too tight?" His voice rumbled in my ear, and his breath, warm, moist, and scented with herbs, slid over my cheek. I swallowed hard.

"No," I said faintly. I felt heat creep up my neck and into my cheeks. I cleared my throat. "I'm fine." My voice sounded a bit stronger.

"Are you certain?"

"I'm ~fine~." I said, and pulled back as far as I could.

"So you're fine, then," Raiha said, and dropped the green robe into my lap, atop my erection. If I hadn't dared to glance up, I'd have missed the twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Put on your damn clothes, and we can eat."

It took long moments to struggle into the robe and get it tied with strips left over from the tan robe. Raiha didn't offer to help, and I didn't ask. By the time I was decently dressed, and back into a sitting position, sweat beaded on my forehead, the nape of my neck, and the center of my chest. My erection had already begun to fade, but he had seen my response, and humiliation washed hotly through me. I steeled myself for more teasing, but mercifully, he was silent. He offered me a cup of water, and I accepted it gratefully, then he handed me a fish before folding himself comfortably on the ground not far from me.

"So what is your name? You might object if I keep calling you 'boy', or 'hey you, not a pleasure slave'."

I wasn't certain why he found it so entertaining to tease me, but knew it would only get worse if I responded to it. "My name is Inochi."

Raiha licked his fingers. "Nice name. Eat, Inochi. We need to be on our way soon."

So I ate, studiously ignoring him and his too-wise, too-amused eyes. When I finished the first, he offered me another, but I shook my head; it had been a long time since I'd last eaten, and I didn't wish to make myself sick. Instead, I looked around at the river, at the high bluffs that rose above us, green with trees and shrubs. The sky was dark blue, and thin curlicues of clouds danced high above us. The sun was wonderfully warm, and the breeze stirred my hair and brought the scent of green things, of the wilderness, to me. I didn't recognize my surroundings; it looked different from the forests at home, mostly pines that murmured softly in the wind.

"Where are we?"

Raiha finished a second fish and threw the bones in the river. "Does it matter? We're far away from the place you were. We slipped past Mitsukane-sama's men two days ago, and crossed the border yesterday."

Vaguely, I remembered them mentioning that name while we were still trying to escape Hamanari's compound, but it meant little to me. The honorific 'sama' meant lord, and I thought that perhaps he must be the lord over Midori and the surrounding territories. I supposed he must be very tenacious to follow us this far, and that thought gave me no comfort. What if he did manage to capture us? Would I be taken back to Hamanari's and sold? Or would I be accused to taking part in the massacre? A little shiver worked over me at the thought of what might happen to me if they did decide I'd been an accomplice. I was certain that what Kuroda had done to me would be child's play compared to what would happen to me if Mitsukane-sama caught me.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the Western Reaches. Kin'iro's territory."

That told me nothing; I had no idea where I was in relation to Hamanari's, or to home. I looked toward the north, trying to feel my position in relationship to home, but had only the sense I was very far away.

"Kin'iro said...he said that he was a lord before he came to Hamanari's. Is he?"

Raiha stood and stretched, muscular and graceful. He smoothed his hair, and ran fingers over his big, sleek brown ears; they looked so soft. "He is."

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but Raiha turned his back on me and busied himself about the camp, picking up things, readjusting whatever he had in his packs. Evidently, my time for questions was at an end. I had many more, but bit my tongue and remained silent. In an amazingly short time, he had the camp broken down, the fire quenched, his horse saddled and ready to go.

Finally finished with preparations, Raiha stood before me, and offered me his hand. I hesitated a moment, but took it, and he pulled me effortlessly to my feet. My head spun from the abrupt change of position, and I staggered, trying to catch my balance. Unwilling, but still weak enough that standing on my own was difficult, I leaned into his tall, muscular body, my nose buried in the middle of his chest, my hands clutching at him to keep from falling. His skin was so soft and smooth, his body hard and powerful beneath my hands. His scent surrounded me again, and I took an unsteady step back, my ankle throbbing a protest.

"I know, you're fine," Raiha said, and the corner of his mouth quirked upward.

I nodded and looked away. Raiha mounted up with a fluid motion I envied. His voice spilled down to me from above. "We can do this two ways. You can behave, and ride behind me like a man, or not behave, and be carried like a sack of provisions, tied to the back of my horse. Either way---I don't particularly care, as long as you don't give me trouble."

I didn't want to be tied; that thought horrified me. "I'll ride," I said quickly, looking up at him.

"Hn. You won't try to run away, will you?"

I shook my head. "No. I won't try." Not now, at any rate, I amended mentally; I wouldn't get far as I was. I knew I could survive on my own in the forest without much difficulty, but I doubted I could run from him in my current state. I'd just have to be patient a little while longer and bide my time.

Raiha held out his hand, and at his instruction, I put my bare foot against his in the stirrup, gave him my hand, and he pulled me up onto the horse behind him. I'd never ridden a horse before, and felt a little uneasy as it shifted beneath me. With a nervous whinny, it skittered to one side, and I grabbed at Raiha's narrow waist to keep from pitching off to the ground. I realized how tightly I held on, abruptly released him, and he had to reach back to catch hold of my robe to keep me from sliding off.

"What in hells are you doing back there?"

"I'm sorry," I said breathlessly. "I've never ridden a horse before...."

"'Che. Just hold around my waist."

I took hold of his sash and shifted, and the horse skittered again. Afraid of falling, I flung my arms around his waist and pressed my face against his back, into his fragrant, still-damp hair. His tail curved over my thigh, thick, plumy fur tickling my bare skin as my robe rode up and gapped open.

"If you don't hold still, I will tie you to the back of the horse," Raiha said, and his tone was final.

I nodded against his back, his hair brushing against my cheek, and satisfied, he nudged the horse into motion, toward the river. We plunged into it, splashing loudly, and he guided it in a diagonal path across the water. I'd been right; it wasn't very deep. The water rose to mid-thigh, cold in contrast to the sun warming my back, and in the center, the horse's hooves left the riverbottom for just a moment, kicking out, swimming strongly, before they touched down again. I glanced back behind me at our old camp; the red horse still stood tethered beneath the tree, tail flicking lazily.

"What about the other one? Who does it belong to?"

Raiha didn't answer until the horse climbed the rocky bank on the far side. It shook itself, and my fingers tightened in his robe until it settled again.

"It belongs to Tokaji. He'll catch up in a bit."

He shifted in the saddle, and then slid his katana and the shorter wakizashi into his sash, turning them just so to some specification known only to him, and the sheaths lay across my other bared thigh. On the other side went his dagger. The sheaths were all matching, and inlaid with flowing scripts in gold. They were beautiful, and I almost reached out to run my finger over the red-lacquered wood.

"Don't touch," Raiha said, as if he'd read my thoughts, and my cheeks warmed. "If I think you're going to try and use them against me, I swear, you'll truly regret it. Jussai charged me with getting you back alive...he didn't say anything about broken arms. I will hurt you if you raise a hand against me."

I had no doubt of that; in spite of his seemingly easy-going manner, Raiha was a killer, and would respond as such to any threat. I'd seen him in action in the courtyard, as quick and deadly as a striking snake. Breaking my arm would be a simple matter for him; his strength was far greater than my own.

"I won't," I said softly.

The remainder of the morning passed in relative silence. Raiha spoke seldom, and I had nothing to say of my own. I grew accustomed to the motion of the horse beneath me, and relaxed against his back. The more I relaxed, the easier it seemed to maintain my seat, though my thighs ached from the strain.

At midday he stopped to rest the horse, and I limped about a few steps to stretch my muscles, relieved myself, drank water from a skin and chewed on dried meat from his pack. Although the majority of Raiha's attention was on his surroundings, I had the sense a part of it focused on me, and I was careful to let him see me limp more than I actually needed. The more helpless he thought me, the better off I was.

As the day grew older and the sun began its slow journey to the west, the terrain grew rougher, and I could tell we climbed higher into the mountains around us. At some points Raiha dismounted and led our mount, and I sat in the saddle, holding onto the long mane of the horse to keep myself upright. Unaccustomed to riding, and still weak, weariness washed over me, but I said nothing in complaint; I wanted to remain as inobtrusive as possible.

Toward evening, the trees began to thin, and Raiha led us through a patch of ground that had little other than rocks of all sizes, from pebbles to boulders, the bigger ones covered with lichens. Dotted here and there were scrub shrubs, and small animals popped out from the thorny cover to chitter at us. Up above us, in the rockier ground, I spotted wild mountain sheep and goats, blinking at us and chewing rough grass. They seemed little disturbed by our passage; I knew they could scramble over the cliffs, their footing sure on ledges too small even for my narrow feet.

It grew colder as we climbed and as the sun lowered, and I shivered. Raiha seemed unaffected, though his wrapped tunic had no sleeves to protect his brawny arms. He'd grown very silent, and appeared to be concentrating on the land, the rocks, everything about him. His green-gold eyes never ceased moving, and his big ears pricked forward and back, listening. Though he led the horse with the reins in his left hand, his right never strayed far from the long hilt of his katana.

I realized then he half-expected ambush, and a chill swept over me that had nothing to do with the rising wind. Looking around, I saw this place would be ideal for others to attack us; the huge rocks provided a good hiding place. Though my nose wasn't nearly as sensitive as his, I leaned into the wind, scenting. Nothing but the scent of goat and sheep musk, the sharp green spice of the scrub bushes, the dusty smell of rocks and dirt. Raiha's kitsune scent, my own, the warm smell of the sweaty horse. Nothing else, though I thought I could smell water somewhere closeby.

Closing my eyes, I opened the gate in my mind, and let myself reach, as when I studied someone's ki. The aliveness of nature, of animals, of plants, the muted sense of rocks and boulders, flowed over me, and I turned it over in my mind, examining it for human ki, or demon ki. Awareness of small demons, not unlike those in the forest, but not large enough or numerous enough to hurt us; over in a nearby gorge the bright green ki of a man-eating plant lying in wait; the blue of water. But no humans, or no demons, either kitsune or ookami, or anything else I recognized.

I opened my eyes, blinking, as the real world swam back into view, superimposed on what my mind could see. I closed the door in my mind, and the sense of doublevision faded away. I cleared my throat.

"There's no one here but us," I said softly, though my voice sounded loud in the quiet.

Raiha's ears swiveled back, and his head turned slightly; I caught a glimpse of his sharp cheekbone and a long-lashed eye. "What?"

I cleared my throat; it felt dry. "I know you're looking for ambush. There's no one here but us."

He brought the horse to a halt and turned, interested. "And you know this because?"

I felt heat creep up my throat at his intense scrutiny. But I knew what I knew, and wouldn't back down. My chin lifted a notch. "I know this because I can't ~feel~ anyone. Animals, yes, plants, yes, but nothing to harm us." I paused, then added, "Well, other than a few little demons and a very big plant in the next gorge that senses we're here."

Raiha studied me a moment longer, then the corner of his mouth crooked upward slightly. "Yes, I know it is there---damn thing would eat even me, given the opportunity." The line of tension in his broad shoulders eased a bit. "I don't smell or hear anyone, but you're right---this place is perfect for an ambush. What do you mean, you can't 'feel' anyone?"

I ran my hand over my eyes. My head ached a little, right at the base of my skull. "Everything alive has an aura. Some things not-alive, but ancient, like the rocks and mountains, have something like that, but different. People have an aura different from animals and plants, and I can feel both. All I sense is animals."

Raiha's eyes narrowed in thought. "How far can you feel?"

I shrugged. "It comes and goes, and sometimes, I can judge distance better than other times. But all around us...nothing but plants and animals."

"Hn," Raiha said, and though his face was smooth, I could tell my words interested him. "Mage skills?"

"I don't know. I've always had it." I paused. "I didn't know I was a mage until they told me so. I just thought I was...different."

Raiha's gaze flicked to the setting sun, a huge red orb hanging over the crags above us. "We need to set up camp. Trying to travel over this in the dark is tempting Inari's good nature."

He turned and clucked softly to the horse, urging us forward.

"There's water just a little higher. A spring, I think. Not very big."

"Yes, I know," Raiha replied. "I smelled it a long time ago."

Raiha led us through a maze of rocky ground, climbing steadily higher, until we came to a small patch of ground level enough to make camp. The cold wind tugged at my hair and clothes, and I shivered. I slid from the horse and his hands caught me around the waist and eased me down. When he didn't release me right away, standing far too close for my comfort, his green-gold eyes suddenly very interested, I took a step backward, away from him. He blinked, then shrugged, a bare lift of one shoulder, and moved away. I hobbled over to the shelter of some man-high rocks, and Raiha dumped the packs at my feet, with instructions to pull out blankets, make bedrolls, and find the packets of traveling food.

Glad to have something to do, as I'd never been idle, I set to work willingly as Raiha unsaddled the horse, rubbed it down with brisk efficiency, and found several handfuls of grain from one of the packs, as the grass was too rough and poor to feed it. He refilled waterskins from the spring, which was little more than a bare trickle from the rocks, and filled a cup for me. It was icy cold, and I was so thirsty I drank it too fast. It made my head ache, which earned a chuckle from him, though I didn't find it terribly amusing.

He made no fire, and I didn't need to ask why. Better to be cold than risk giving away our location. I wasn't sure who he thought would be after us; he'd said we'd entered a different territory, and this seemed barren enough that no one would wish to live here. Hunters? Bandits, perhaps? I chewed tough dried meat as I thought about that.

True night came on, and the clear, cold sky filled with stars. With my hunger dampened for awhile, I leaned back against a sun-warmed boulder and watched them wheel slowly across the blackness. I had no names for them, but I'd often lay on the ground in the summer and watched them before falling asleep.

"That one is the dragon," Raiha said, and he'd been so quiet for so long that his voice made me jump. In the darkness, I could barely see him, a big, darker shape against the night, but knew he watched the sky as I did. "See how it's tail curves. Ryuu-sama, guardian of the heavens. That big greenish star is his eye, open to watch over us below."

I followed his pointing finger, and saw the star, but couldn't tell the shape of the constellation. I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I don't see it."

With a little grunt, Raiha shifted and then settled down beside me, his bare arm brushing against mine. I resisted the urge to move away, though it was difficult. "Look. See that curve of stars? And that line? And those milky-looking stars?"

I drew my attention away from focusing on how close Raiha was, to contemplating the wide sky above us. It took a moment of watching the sweep of his long fingers as he drew pictures in the sky, and then yes, I saw it, a dragon swirling across half the night sky. The green star of its eye seemed to wink at me. "Ryuu-sama?"

"Yes," Raiha said, and he fell silent a long moment, his face turned upward as he watched the sky. "I've not looked at the stars other than for direction for a long time." I heard a tone in his deep voice that sounded almost like wistfulness. "That one over there is Byakko-sama, or the White Fox, nine-tailed lady of the heavens, bringer of snow and cold, chief messenger to Inari-sama." His fingers sketched out a shape, and I could see the constellation take form.

"Way over there is Genko-sama, the Black Fox. Bearer of good fortune. One of the Tenko, or celestial kitsune, like Byakko-sama. His mouth is open in a laugh." Raiha stopped abruptly, and I felt his attention focus on me. "Don't you know these stories?"

I shook my head. "No one ever spoke to me about the stars...or anything, really. Especially....especially about anything related to kitsunes. They were ashamed of me." Though my voice sounded matter of fact to me, the memories still had the power to sting.

"Hn," Raiha said, and was quiet for a long moment. Just when I thought he'd tired of talking to me, he began again, naming off constellations. Shakko-sama, the Red Fox, trickster who could help or hinder, at his fickle whim. Other constellations---the rat, the ox, the rabbit, the tiger, the boar...so many more, but as his voice washed over me, and his heat leached into me, I started relaxing and the weariness of the day overwhelmed me. In spite of my interest in his words, my eyes grew very heavy and I found myself curling into him, my head too heavy to hold up anymore.

With a little amused sound, Raiha let me rest against his side, and pulled one of the blankets up over my shoulders. Too sleepy to be afraid, I pressed myself against him, seeking his warmth, and his scent surrounded me as I slipped into sleep.

Chapter Seventeen

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