Temper: Deliverance: Book Three of the TEMPER Saga, page 4
This time, they remained locked as they were, unmoving except for their panting chests, his face buried in her nape, her hair pulled on the side to give him unfettered access to her skin. Laughter bubbled up in her chest when an awfully funny thought popped in her head. She did her best to suppress it, but it was hopeless.
“What?” Honda grumbled against her perspiring neck, sounding both amused and annoyed.
“Hm, no, nothing…” Lana croaked, but her body shook with suppressed glee.
“Let me guess. This is completely disrespectful and puts me into the most ridiculous position.” His tone was deadly serious, but she could feel his smile on her shoulder blade.
His words summoned the memory of her Paddington Bear image, and this time, she giggled aloud.
“Ah, actually, no, it was about the two of us… but now you’re saying this… oh my goodness, it’s bad, I’m so sorry,” she managed to say before dissolving into laughter.
With a soft grunt, he disentangled himself and spooned against her back. His right hand seized her breast smeared with blood. Still giggling, she sighed with pleasure and let her fingers roam along his thick forearm.
“Lana san…” His voice was so low, it was hard to make out his words. “It is the dead of the night, and you have just offered me the most delicious release. Don’t apologize because you feel like laughing. Especially with the stress we are going through. Even if it is about us, or me.”
Lana threw him a wry look over her shoulder. “Not so long ago, you would have accused me of mocking you.”
A heavy sigh tickled her neck. “Not so long ago, I might not have had my priorities straight. And right now, my priority is to make sure that in light of everything we must face, your body and mind remain strong. Discipline, yes. Self-control, yes. But humor and self-derision are also important, especially for someone as… high-spirited as you. I’d rather see you laugh, even at my expense, than cry and lose sleep in anguish, like you do too often these days.”
Lana blinked, not sure she had heard it right, and not daring to reflect too long on his true intent and meaning.
“May I assume that Yuki sama…”
“Yes,” Honda replied curtly, annoyance rearing its head.
“Well, I’m grateful,” Lana whispered.
“So. What was it that made you giggle like a teenager?”
With a cheeky smile, Lana turned to face him. This time her fingers caressed his bloodied chest, ghosting over the long, thin red line. It had stopped bleeding but would not disappear any time soon.
“I’ll tell you the first thing, but not the second. Even under your more… relaxed and understanding rules, it wouldn’t go very well.” His aggravated look only broadened her grin. “It’s stupid and naughty, really, like all thoughts crossing my exhausted mind, delirious and happy thanks to another incredible climax you gave me,” Lana whispered, her fingers continuing their dance over his moist skin.
She took a deep breath, inhaling his masculine scent, hoping against hope she wouldn’t die out of sheer embarrassment. Sex jokes with Gabriella were one thing, but with this man…
“Don’t you think the real miracle behind my pregnancy is that it happened although we both love a kind of sex which isn’t frankly helpful? I mean, I can count on maybe two hands the number of times when you –”
A searing kiss swallowed her words. When Honda released her lips, his fingers had a solid hold on her jaw and chin.
“The real miracle is that I can still reduce you to silence now and then,” he deadpanned, before bringing her up to her feet along with him. “Come, let’s clean ourselves up and join Yuki for the few hours left before morning. If she does not find you in her bed, I will need to get a hotel room and at this time of the year, it’s impossible to find anything decent.”
Picking up her discarded clothes, Lana chuckled. “Oh, speaking of Yuki sama’s bed… I should warn you. We tried something new tonight. And it turned out to be quite the experience.”
“Why should I be warned? How does it concern me?”
“Because Yuki sama would like to introduce you to it tomorrow…” It was hard to keep a straight face, with the graphic images flashing before her eyes. “And because it’s not normal. Not dangerous or malicious, but not a regular pleasure toy. I don’t think she even realized it, but still, I think it affected her a little bit. As for me, well…” Rubbing her burning sternum, she glanced away. Her face flushed red.
Mildly concerned yet amused, her companion swept a finger across her jaw to have her look at him.
“What happened?”
“It turned alive inside me. From hardwood to human-like texture.”
His grip tightened. “What? But what is this thing?”
“A Tengu mask… You get the picture.”
The impossible happened: Honda did an eye roll and let go of her chin. “Let me guess: Yuki found it on a market or in an antique shop?” At her nod, he sighed. “There are old, enchanted artefacts in circulation. Tengus are such important fertility figures. I don’t think there is anything to fear though. Only to enjoy. And it was enjoyable, wasn’t it? Or did you feel uncomfortable?”
“Well, it reminded me of our own particular sessions, so yes, it was thoroughly enjoyable. But I have to accept that more than Yuki sama, I perceived all of its… properties because of my situation. It will get easier when you’ve seen it, tried it, and told me how it made you feel. That is, if you don’t mind.” She said with a cocky grin, but the sly smile he gave her turned her beetle red once again.
“Not all, I am looking forward to it. Thankfully, there are still a couple of things you don’t know about me, even in these matters.”
4 - The Witch of the East
They left Setagaya as the sun rose on the last day of the year. They headed north, to Tochigi prefecture where Nikko was located. Once they got off the Tohoku Expressway at the Utsunomiya intersection, a traffic jam slowed them down; they drove through the downtown area of the city of Nikko itself shortly before noon.
The Honda estate was further north in the rural part of the city, at the feet of the mountains close to the Shiraito falls, behind the majestic shrines and Tokugawa mausoleums that made the reputation of the region, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. A thick forest ran on the left of the narrow country road leading to the property; snow-covered fields glistened on the left side, offering a romantic view to travelers. But their party had too much on their minds to enjoy it.
“All of this used to be part of our estate,” Honda broke the silence that had settled inside the car since they had left the highway. “Those fields, the forest on your right and several shrines scattered around the area. Our clan also had a castle, closer to the river, but it burnt during the Meiji revolution. Afterward, other properties were seized by the new government. But because of our close connection with the shrines here, our family house and a few others in Kanto were preserved, even though we had to accept significant downsizing.”
“Are you expected to come back and live here in the future?” Lana asked as she gazed outside at the dense forest passing by, unsure how to phrase such a sensitive question.
Yuki had offered her the front seat to give her extra leg room. Although reluctant at first, she was now extremely grateful for her companion’s thoughtfulness. She nibbled at a home-made onigiri to calm her queasy stomach.
“As my family’s heir, yes, I am.”
“I am not excited by the idea of coming here,” Yuki commented softly. “It’s so remote and isolated. Your sister would be delighted if we gave her the house when the time comes. I mean, she lives here and has strong ties with the area and neighbors...”
“We already had this discussion. In any case, we have more pressing issues and depending on today’s outcome, you could find yourself relieved of this… great burden.”
Yuki sighed. In the rearview mirror, Lana caught her annoyed glance at her husband’s neck. “Goshujin sama, I hope you don’t believe I’d be happy if okaa sama took such… drastic and unfair measure.”
“Drastic, yes. Unfair? You know quite well it would not be; rather, it would fall within her rights to do so. And no, Yuki san, I don’t think for one second you wish for this. I was only stating a fact.”
Lana fidgeted on her seat; what had been a certainty until recently was now thrown into doubt. Because of her.
She caught his frown and sidelong glance. “Don’t waste time or energy feeling guilty on those matters. Whatever happens today results directly from my choices, my actions. Nobody else’s. My mother will, of course, insist on framing it differently, but the three of us know better. I only ask for irreproachable courtesy and the most stringent level of self-control on your reactions.”
Lana nodded but didn’t have time to reply. The car took a last turn and at the end of a private road, a long white wall appeared, topped with traditional tiles and pine trees peeking from behind. The open gate revealed a courtyard covered with white gravel and patches of melted snow and the central part of a one-story house.
Like at their home in Setagaya but much bigger, a pair of kadomatsu – traditional New Year decorations made of pine and bamboo sprigs that welcomed gods – were placed on each side of the gate. Lana couldn’t make out the actual size of the house yet, but given the length of the wall, it was clear it wasn’t a small, cozy homestead.
The impression was reinforced when they drove inside the grounds. Lana had enough knowledge of Japanese houses to know the four aisles in front of them hid many others behind. A large and elaborate shimekazari decoration, made of blessed, braided straw rope and a bitter orange, hung at the entrance of the house. She repressed a scoff; with their coming and dropping their big, explosive news, for sure Honda’s mother would complain to her local Shinto priest on how misfortune hadn’t been kept away this year.
Honda parked their car next to a few others bearing license plates from Tokyo, Kanazawa and Kyoto. The family lived all around the place. Honda was outside the vehicle in a blink. After a last, long deep breath, Lana followed suit and found Yuki waiting by her door. Her partner reached out to tuck away strands of hair and discreetly pat her cheek.
“Let’s do this, Lana san. It will be over quickly enough. Goshujin sama, should we take out our luggage?”
Honda was already at the door where a stern-faced, distinguished woman with silver hair, wearing a dark burgundy kimono and white socks, had appeared and waited. He briefly turned back to his companions.
“No, we will do it later.” ‘If we are allowed to stay’ hung loud and clear in the air. “Onee san, how are you? It has been some time,” he greeted the woman with a low bow.
Older sister... She must be Hiromi.
Lana repressed her trepidation, trying to recall the short overview of the main family members that Yuki had provided her. If only her memory wasn’t so fuzzy these days…
Walking behind Yuki, as straight as a rod, she approached the siblings with measured steps. It was hard to thread the fine line between an aching need to flee the place to go home and a burning desire to barge in and be done with such nerve-wracking tension.
Hiromi bowed back. “Indeed, Naruhito. You seem to be in good health. We wish you would come more often. Let’s talk later, shall we? Mother will see you right away in her reading room. She was expecting you sooner, so be quick. Her agenda for the day is as busy as you can imagine.” She did not bother to hide her chastising tone.
It wasn’t only her eyes or lip shape that betrayed that they were relatives. How she spoke, the proud way she carried herself and the lines around her mouth: many little details reminded Lana of Honda.
Does anyone smile in this family?
“I know, my apologies, onee san. There was no helping the traffic,” Honda replied with a bow. “Let’s not make Mother wait any longer.” With a slight hand gesture, he signaled to his two companions to follow him inside.
Because it couldn’t be helped, the three women exchanged courteous bows and polite greetings, but the underlying tension flowing back and forth was unmistakable, and nobody missed the fact that Honda’s sister barely acknowledged Lana. Engulfed by the suffocating heat of Hiromi’s stare, the young woman blushed.
The trio removed their coats and shoes then put on the guest slippers waiting for them in the spacious genkan flooded by sunlight pouring through a glass wall showing a small inner stone garden. The design was surprisingly modern in such a traditional building.
With long strides expressing a purposeful confidence that Lana envied, Honda led them throughout a labyrinth of inner and external corridors made of dark brown cedar planks. Lana glimpsed various courtyards covered with snow and large tatami rooms that seemed empty at first glance.
Everything was in pristine shape and squeaky clean, with only the occasional complex floral arrangement or priceless piece of china bringing a flash of color to otherwise white and nude walls. The house was an exquisite ode to traditional Japanese architecture and managed to proclaim wealth in a low-key fashion. Still, it was so cold and vast she understood Yuki’s reluctance at leaving their renovated, well-insulated house that seemed quaint and small in comparison.
The women followed Honda’s example when he kneeled in front of two panels, knocked twice, before opening the doors and bowing respectfully on the threshold of a spacious and sunny tatami room where two kerosene heaters provided welcomed warmth.
“Okaa sama, good day. My apologies for keeping you waiting. I am glad to find you in such good health. It has been too long,” he greeted his mother placidly, face grazing the floor.
“Yes, this visit was long overdue,” a raspy and cold voice replied. Lana didn’t dare raise her head to get a better look at its owner. “Come in, Son, and tell me what you have been up to. I have heard the most… absurd stories that have left me wondering, but certainly, this is only meaningless gossip.”
Lana squeezed her eyes shut. If he was surprised, Honda didn’t show it and took a quick bow before knee-walking closer to his mother.
“Step inside, Daughter, we have not met in a while either. You look as… healthy as ever,” Honda Natsuko went on, hints of scorn lurking behind a level tone.
A few heartbeats of silence followed as Yuki bowed deeply, the veiled jab sliding over her skin like water on a swan’s feathers. She swiftly joined her husband on his right side.
“But this one. Is she the... guest you mentioned over the phone? Frankly, bringing someone outside family to our oshogatsu celebrations, and a foreigner at that… Son, what were you thinking? She has no place here. For now, she will wait in the hall, but you will bring her to the train station later today.”
Honda took a deep breath and straightened up. “This is highly unusual, okaa sama, and I apologize sincerely for the inconvenience that this causes. If you could please bear with me and allow her before you, I would be grateful. I hope to introduce her and explain why she is with us today.”
There was a lengthier, deafening silence, and Lana’s palms turned clammy.
“Do you, now?” If the elder’s voice had been cold before, it was downright icy now. “You! Stand up and come closer. My eyes are not as good as they used to be.”
Lana quickly obeyed. It was neither the time nor the place to be anything else than perfectly subservient even if she wasn’t shown the barest degree of graciousness. A few steps inside the room brought her to the left side of Honda; she dared shoot an upward glance, only to regret it.
Two katana blades pierced her through and through. As she had taken off her coat, her six-month bump stood out clearly. A look of utter disgust and anger flashed across the old woman’s emaciated and wrinkled face topped by a snow-white hair bun before her mask slipped back in place.
“So those outrageous stories were not preposterous after all,” the matriarch hissed. “You have a lot to answer for, Son. Speak! You have five minutes to apologize and explain how you will dispose of this unacceptable mess.”
Almost an hour later, the sliding doors were pushed aside. Wearing long and tired faces, the trio stepped back into the hall.
“All right, I’m going for a walk,” Lana announced tersely.
Yuki put a hand on her wrist that would have been comforting if it hadn’t been shaking. “Are you sure? There is so much snow, it’s so cold...”
“It’s fine, Yuki sama. Nothing compared to winter in Canada. I have good equipment anyway. I’ll be back soon.” Lana kindly, yet firmly, removed Yuki’s fingers and gave her a curt bow before heading toward the genkan. She didn’t spare Honda a glance; the man was smart enough not to call after her.
Lana grabbed her bag and hat, slipped into her warm boots and down jacket and strode out of the house. Her raging emotions were taking a toll. Her breath was coming out in short, white puffs in the cold air.
Glittering under the deep blue December sky, snow blanketed the large garden of the estate. She strolled around aimlessly for a few minutes before sitting on a small stone bench by a large pond, its black waters covered with dead nenuphars. She rubbed her face and groaned aloud.
He was so passive in that room! What a thick-headed idiot! He didn’t even try to stand up against her. What did he even think he’d achieve? And this dragon! She treated me like an annoying mosquito, so dismissive and humiliating. Talk about a walk of shame! Nakazawa was right – and I can’t believe I’m even thinking this.
Lana sighed and looked around her. The air was dry, crispy cold and pure. For sure, a nice change from Tokyo. She shook her head; she had to calm down. Her explosive temper wouldn’t help at all, especially not against such a formidable opponent. Her eyes fell on two black and brown cats running on the wooden bridge that crossed over the pond. Their short tails indicated they were of the wild variety.
