The Nine Tails Saga: Side Stories

Uncanny Marriage

A/N: This story is a continuation of Wedding Night I and II. It also serves as a prelude to the next few chapters. 

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The Tanimura Household, Fall of 1912

The past year had been satisfying for Tsuru in more ways than one. To put things into polite terms, she'd received the good fortune of being wedded to Hideo, with who she had been infatuated with for years, and he had proven himself more than capable of handling her carnal desires. No matter what she fancied, he would allow her to experience it, and now she was pregnant with their first child.

The prospect of motherhood excited and frightened Tsuru. On one hand, she couldn't wait to hold an adorable little baby in her arms, but on the other, she knew that newfound parental responsibilities might put an end to her wild nights with Hideo. Which was a shame, since regardless of his strange habits, he had a physique that would leave most in envy or awe. To be denied the chance to enjoy him while she was still in her prime would be a travesty, so Tsuru once again turned to prayer in the hope that the gods would make childrearing as burdenless for her as possible.

The stress of imminent parenthood eventually took a toll on Hideo too. He was beset by gray hairs for the first time in his life, and he would often shut himself in the spare bedroom for what Tsuru assumed was self-reflection, until the night she dared to push the door open and caught him engaged in conversation with none other than himself.

"Tsuru," he said, turning to face her with wide eyes. "This isn't what it looks like. I'm not a mad man..."

Tsuru nursed her swollen belly while impatiently tapping her foot. "You'd better have a good explanation. There's only so much I can overlook because you're handsome."

Hideo buried his face in his hands for a moment, then paced around the room with his shoulders hunched, like something was weighing down on his tall and very well-built body.

"I've got it," he said after some time, slowing to a stop just inches in front of her. Tsuru tried to predict his next move and was stunned when he reached out to grasp her shoulders and make an odd demand. "Change places with me. You come into this room while I walk out of it."

"Why?" Tsuru attempted to push Hideo's arms away, but his grip remained steadfast. "I don't see what it has to do with anything..."

"Please. Just this once," Hideo replied as his eyes filled with desperation. "You'll understand soon enough."

"Well, all right," Tsuru relented. The truth was that she didn't want to risk provoking Hideo's anger because as gentle as he was when around her, she could never quite shake the fear that he'd hurt her the way other men did with their wives. "I'll do as you say..."

"Thank you." Hideo let go and stepped out into the hall. "You can go in now. There's a brush and some ink in the drawer. I want you to write something."

Tsuru was still confused at his request. "Write what?"

"Anything you want. It doesn't matter."

"I see..." Tsuru swallowed and trudged into the room. Her focus was drawn to the glowing paper lamp that sat on a tiny desk by the wall. She slowly approached as Hideo closed the door and left her alone to bask in the foreboding silence. With a sigh of discomfort, she proceeded to take a seat at the desk and pulled open the side drawer to find exactly what Hideo had described.

She arranged the brush and inkwell beside the roll of paper that was already laid out on the desk, then prepared to write something as instructed.

Her hand came to a stop over the page as uncertainty crept into her mind. Was this some kind of test or prank? Did Hideo expect her to show him what she had written? Or was it to remain known only to herself? These were all important questions, so she called out for her husband while hoping he hadn't wandered off. "Hideo, are you still there?"