Fateless

It was early dawn as Hana, Tomi, and Lord Hirano sat in the rather charred garden to discuss their next move. The lord was indifferent to the rubble remains scattered about. Tomi not so much.

Hana had apologised profusely to Lord Hirano, but he simply brushed it off. Even taking full responsibility for the incident, explaining to Hana that even though the alarming build-up of energy was pulled from her, only he was capable of powering it into a weapon. Or in this case a supernatural demolition hammer.

Hana’s balcony was now half a balcony. A large scorch mark still simmered where a garden bed had once been. The pretty red bridge over the pond that once met the pergola was intact, but now it just met the icy water’s surface with plentiful bobbing chunks of wood.

“Hana-san believes all the guests were abducted. Are you sure the girls that disappeared before today left on their own accord?” The lord questioned Tomi.

Tomi bitterly looked up from the mess as the master addressed her. Lord Hirano hadn’t told her exactly what had happened leading up to the explosion and she was struggling to comprehend why he had blown up a piece of the villa.

“Yes. Their guardians collected them and that willing left,” was her firm reply. “I guess except for Ume-san who returned the same night in the state that she was.”

With Hana being incapacitated at the time, she had been filled in with occurrences she had missed. It appeared that the sisters, Yui and Ume, had been hypnotized away by the wisps during the night. But only Ume had been found disorientated and sobbing in the snow by Lord Hirano. Tomi had been treating her with the antidote Akira had supplied, while Lord Hirano had seen to Hana. She insisted that she only stepped out for a moment, and when she returned Ume was no longer in her bed. After a panicked frisk of the villa, she discovered Akira and Megumi were also missing. Moments before the unexpected renovations, Tomi had run in frantically to alert the master that Akira, Ume, and Megumi had now also disappeared.

“When? Did they call the residence first? Or just turn up? What did the guardians look like? Were they the same people who dropped them off at the residence?” He pressed.

“Yes. They-” Tomi stopped to ponder, blinking as she struggled to do so. “I- I can’t remember. My memory is a little foggy,” she eventually admitted.

“Let me see,” the lord insisted.

Tomi eyed Hana suspiciously as he approached her.

“Don’t worry about Hana-san. She’s aware of my situation,” he told her.

“I see that,” she replied dryly as her gaze moved to the lord’s still-exposed tail.

He stood before Tomi and stared confidently into her dark eyes. Placing his hands on either side of the woman’s head, azure light began to glow from his palms for just a moment, and then the light was gone.

“It does feel like a spell is there. I think you may have a memory stutter.” Lord Hirano informed her.

Tomi’s face fell away in shame.

“A what?” Hana pried.

“It’s another kitsune-fuelled spell that temporarily alters memory. It’s not an easy spell if I’m remembering correctly. Takes a long time to brew, has a short shelf life, and only usually lasts a few days tops. If someone was using such a spell on Tomi-san to slip the girls away unnoticed, then I would assume the attacks on them were premeditated.”

“Surely not Akira-sama’s doing?” Tomi winced.

“I trust Akira. Perhaps someone from her clan could be the culprit though?”

“Are you sure you can trust her?” Hana interjected sceptically.

“Akira-sama is a very highly ranked noble of the kitsune clan residing in Akuma territory. She has been attending The Lustrum for many years as a gesture of peace between us. She takes her position on politics very seriously. But there is always someone unhappy with her decisions. It’s the nature of the job.”

“What do we do?” Tomi asked grimly. “The staff will be arriving soon for the morning shift. If it is revealed something sinister has happened to those girls...”

“I’ll find them.” The lord was confident in his words. “Akira was with us in Hana-san’s room less than an hour ago. If she disappeared with the others, then they can’t have gone too far.”

“But do you know where to look?” Tomi asked doubtfully.

“I’ll start looking in the area where I found Ume-san,” Lord Hirano replied. “Technically it’s out of my territory. But luckily we have a workaround should I need to use my abilities. Right, Hana-san?”

Hana pointed to herself at the mention of her name and the lord grinned in response.

"Hana’san, come with me. Tomi-san, I need you to deal with the staff and-” he gestured to the damage around him “-this.”

“Of course, Master Hirano.” Tomi bowed politely, but Hana could see there was a worried expression directed at her. “Let me quickly retrieve your coat.”

Hana was relieved to be walking through the forest during the brighter hours of the daytime. It had not initially held a spooky feel, but it certainly felt a bit different now seeing as she and the lord were searching for a group of plausibly abducted people.

Hana followed closely behind the Hirano lord. She watched her footing on the uneven and slushy ground, all the while keeping sight of the long dragging material of his coat. Although Hana had agreed to follow him into the snowy wilderness as a backup portable power source, she was honestly nervous about the situation. She had seen what Lord Hirano was capable of and it was frightening that he wanted her around in case he needed to use such force. While Hana wasn’t sure what they could potentially be up against, she was glad she was least under his promise of protection.

Lord Hirano stopped now and then, giving Hana a moment to catch up should she fall back, or to scour the vicinity of his surroundings. But he kept silent. And that only escalated Hana’s anxiety. So to pass the time and ease her nerves she pried the lord with questions.

“How old are you, Lord Hirano?” Was the question that first popped into Hana’s head.

When the lord answered, he did not cease his steps, which crunched loudly through the earthy substrate as he walked.

“Much older than you. And you can call me Mizuiro- especially when we’re alone.”

Hana’s face flushed at the permission he offered to use his first name.

“Do Komainu live for a long time then?” Hana asked after clearing her throat free of her fluster. She ducked under some lightly frosted low-hanging tree branches.

“It’s probably better to use Taudog, or ′Kiumbe-Mlezi′ which is the original species name it was translated from. Calling us things like Komainu kicks up the dust with human lore and their religious beliefs.”

The pair had approached the point where the forest met the mountain rockery. Mizuiro had to stop so he could hike his leg up and push his weight forward as his path met a higher slope. When he turned to look down on Hana he offered her an outstretched hand to aid her.

“To answer your question though; yes, we can live for a long time. We don’t age the way humans do. We grow fast initially, then once we hit adulthood we deteriorate very slowly. We are more than capable of reaching a couple of centuries.”

Hana ignored the lord’s offer of help and attempted to climb the steeper incline herself. Partly because she was stubborn, and partly to distract herself from her surprise at his answer. Her balance fumbled as she reached the top, but Mizuiro was quick to catch her so Hana could position herself sturdy.

“If you live so long, why the need for these matchmaking events?”

“It’s a Hirano tradition.” He answered with a smile as he brushed some loose dirt and snow from Hana’s shoulder.

“Once he’s established his territory, a Taudog will eventually connect with a consort that he will be able to produce an heir with. But an active territory is very difficult for a Taudog to leave. The pull to bring you back to your power source is... It’s almost maddening. The longer you are away, the worse it gets. So that means it is the consort that will inevitably cross the Taudog’s path. But it is not set in stone when his body may become ready to pass on the torch - Some Taudogs rule much longer than others. The Hirano family wanted to make sure suitable women were available so that no potential suiters could inadvertently be missed. And so The Lustrum Event was created.”

Mizuiro motioned for them to continue as they headed towards more snowy mountains and less flora. His destination seemed to be the base of a rather high cliff, there was not much vegetation occupying it, mostly it was made up of jagged pieces of weather stone.

“Why is it so important you have someone to replace you? Shouldn’t you pair up with another Taudog?” Hana asked as she trotted to walk by his side, enthralled by the detailed answers he was offering her.

"Taudogs are a genetically dominant species and are always born male. That is why the lustrum event is open to all women, not just humans. A Taudog’s purpose is to provide a neutral territory. A constant ceasefire between different people and the nature who dwell within it. The duty of the Hirano Taudog is to keep the peace between the humans of Nikko and the akuma that live in the mountains.”

“It’s kinda sad that you don’t get to decide who to be with.” Hana frowned

“I have heard of Taudogs taking on relationships of their own accord. But it seems odd to me to do that when fate would inevitably pick a spouse. Only that designated woman would be able to produce the next Taudog to replace him.”

“Can’t you fight it?” Hana encouraged him. “Fight to remain fateless.”

Mizuiro stopped walking and regarded Hana with a raised eyebrow. She was unsure of how to decipher the expression on his face.

Hana felt a rush of air leave her lungs as Mizuiro pulled her against him. His hands left her waist and trailed up to Hana’s cheeks, cupping them.

“Go on.” He urged her back. “Try and fight it. Push me away.”

Warm tingles were surging like crazy and Hana clenched her teeth hard to stop herself from reacting.

He smirked as Hana helplessly melted into a besotted stupor. And as Mizuiko’s face inches closer to hers, the feeling of his breath against her lips sent her cheeks ablaze.

When he suddenly let her go and flicked Hana on the forehead, she quickly snapped her out of the trance.

“That ridiculous pull you feel right now. I feel that too. It is incredibly difficult to go against. And it is going to continue to get stronger the more you resist it. I can’t go against my nature. I was born a Taudog. A peacekeeper. I don’t get to decide my own fate.”

Hana was shaking, holding in a protest, as he let go of her. The cold mountain air was comparable to his words, replacing the giddy warmth of his touch.

“This is where I found Ume-san. Wait here and cool off while I check the area for any evidence. I will keep relatively close so I can pull power from you if need be.” The Lord instructed her as he continued further up the crag to investigate.

Hana momentarily watched him with a wide-eyed expression as he walked away shaking his head. Then she let out a long breath, attempting to compose herself.

She leaned against the rocky side of the escarpment, using it to support her as she walked. An effort to calm herself down.

But as Hana pressed herself against the stone a part of it was suddenly not hard rock. Only the illusion of it.

With a yelp, she fell straight through.