Himitsu (Book One of the Kakureta Hana series)

XV: Ju Go

Ryuu's face lights up as Kazuhiko takes a few toddling steps towards him before the babe loses his balance and falls on his bottom in the grass.  Our son opens his mouth to wail, but the moment that Moriko crawls over to him and stares up at him with bottomless blue eyes, the scream becomes a laugh.  He flaps his arms as his sister sits across from him and echoes his indecipherable babble.

"They grow up so fast," I whisper to my husband, leaning into his side.  "I cannot believe that it has been nine months since they were born."

He runs a hand down my back, resting his chin against the top of my head.  "I cannot believe that they are both starting to learn how to walk."

Melancholy stirs in my heart as I watch the two babes talk to each other in what Emi calls 'baby language'.  "I wish that Rika and Tadashi were here to see this.  They would be both be so proud."

Ryuu pulls me closer.  His silence tells me that he is feeling their loss just as deeply as I am even after all this time.

The four of us remain in the gardens until the sun begins to move below the horizon and the babes begin to rub their eyes sleepily.  My husband helps me up before scooping up Moriko and feathering her face with gentle kisses.  She waves her fists and lets out a screeching laugh.

Kazuhiko, by comparison, has used the fabric of my kimono to pull himself to his feet, and his amber eyes gaze up at me with a pleading look.  I pick him up, propping him on one hip.  My son nestles his head against my shoulder, eyes staring at his sister from where she is now sitting on Ryuu's hip.

All is quiet in the house, Emi having been called away in the very early hours of the morning.  In fact, I believe her to still be gone, but a flash of color around the corner tells me differently.  The color has caught Ryuu's attention as well, and his brow furrows as he look towards me.

"Emi," I call as I start down the hallway, "is everything all right?"

The grim look on her face and the unsheathed katana across her knees tells me that it is not.  The glimpse of that weapon brings back memories of the night that Taro sent men to take us from the house.  However, the shinobi is not sitting in front of the entrance; rather, her body is planted in front of one of the empty bedrooms.

"Are you expecting trouble?" Ryuu asks, his free hand drifting towards the dagger sheathed at his hip.

Emi closes her eyes for a moment before meeting both of our eyes.  "Yori had her babe tonight."

I shift Kazuhiko slightly.  "That is wonderful news, but it does not explain why you are sitting in the hall with such a solemn look upon your face and a weapon on your knee."

"She had a little girl," she continues, eyes boring into mine.  "Taro was away during the birthing and had yet to return when I left the fortress.  Yori refused to let me leave her there."

"Is it because she had a girl and not a boy?  Is she worried about what Taro will do to her?" I question, realizing that the older woman must be the reason why Emi is sitting in front of the door.

She shakes her head slightly.  "It is not the fact that the babe is female; Taro has seen value in having a daughter.  No, I am afraid that the child has a deformity, one that will likely decrease her worth in the eyes of her father.  Yori is worried that he will kill her without hesitation."

Carefully I hand our son off to Ryuu, who searches my face for a moment before nodding and disappearing back down the hall.  I reach a hand out to Emi, who sheathes her katana and rises from her position.

"What kind of deformity?" I ask.

The shinobi bites her lip.  "Her right foot is curled, and I fear that she will likely never walk normally.  And Yori says that Taro will see that as a barrier to him marrying her off in an advantageous match.  I only agreed to bring her here because I was afraid that she would try to follow me without help."