Chapter II

During my morning routine, I clean the corridors and help fetch water, food, or supplies when needed. I would usually take lunch break when the people who train would be done. I would never serve them or interact with them. In the afternoon I would work out in the yard if it needed to be weeded. If not then I would help clean up in the kitchen with the washing of dishes and do the same after dinner.

My days went like this for about a week before I realize the same man who had a knife to my throat the first night always next to me. Making me more self conscious of my work, and I do my best to ignore him. I just got done with weeding around the castle, when he comes over and slams me into the side of the castle.

I let out a little grunt from the force and see him roll his eyes at my reaction, "Did you really think I wasn't going to watch you? I see how well you do at keeping up the act, but let's see just how long it takes for your little game to come to an end." He says with clenched teeth.

I try to push him away but he doesn't budge and graves my wrists to yank them above my head. My struggles are useless as I clench my jaw shut so I don't say something I shouldn't. I give him a dirty look and then look down at the ground. Reminding myself to keep calm I take a deep breath in and release it slowly. Looking up back at him again I ask him, "Do you plan on pinning me here all day? Someone might get the wrong idea if we are caught here alone together." I give him a little smirk at the end and watch his behavior closely.

He stares at me blankly before pulling away and looking everywhere else but me. I see a little pink come up to his ears which make me stifle a laugh. "What are you laughing at!?" He yells at me embarrassedly.

"Oh, nothing." I shrug and try to play innocent by looking up at the sky dreamily.

"What ever, just don't think this is over." He points at me with a hard look and stomps off back towards the castle. I let a sigh escape and head back to the castle to help with dinner.

As I enter the kitchen one of the girls come over to me and drag me away while hollering, "We're going to go fetch water!"

I hear an alright from someone and next thing I know I'm dragged out into the yard with one of the other girls arm linked with mine. "What is it?" I ask her curiously.

"I saw you and Mr. Bôjô behind the castle today." She tells me.

"Yes, and?" I ask her wondering what is wrong with it, unless she thinks we have some kind of intimidate relationship.

"It just seemed things were getting intense." She told me while wiggling her eyebrows and laughing.

"Oh, no. To be honest I didn't even know his name until you mentioned it. Also he has been thinking I'm a spy from another village, which I am not." I cleared up the situation before the event could blow out of proportion, like a bomb waiting to go off.

"Oh, I see." She told me flatly.

"Good." I said while pulling water into the buckets we had to bring back.

Once done I picked one up and she did as well. With a quiet walk back we went back to the kitchen to give the water to the cooks. I stood by the exit of the kitchen to the outside and waited to be ordered like everyone else. A few more times I was called to go fetch water and bring it back and soon the food was all cooked and everyone who was serving was aloud to eat.

Eating with the rest silently, I waited for others to finish so I could help wash paltry. Once done the sun was out of sight but giving the earth a blue glow before it is enveloped in darkness completely.

As I walked back to my room, I saw an older man walk in the opposite direction of me. I did a quick bow while walking past the man. After a few steps past him I heard his voice call out, "Wait." It was an easy thing to do, but the way I felt of the word have me goosebumps. I felt as if those four letter words would change me if I listened or not.

Stopping and turning around to face him, I didn't speak unlike what I would normally do in this kind of situation. "What is your name?" He asked me not bothered to turn around and face me.

"Wanatabe Emiko." I tell him flatly.

"Wantabe Emiko, my name is Liu Xin. I come from China to come here and start new. With my learnings and teachings I have gained great knowledge and would like to talk with you tomorrow morning about your real life." He tells me swiftly and coolly like a a mountains pass in the early dawn. "I hope to see you out in the garden when the light first greets the earth." He tells me before I hear is light footsteps descend down the corridors.

Taking a deep breath just standing there almost afraid to move. Once I started to walk back to my room, I found myself running there before almost closing the door when it was blocked by a hand down the other side. Not this person again I thought to myself and saw how the door was jerked opened to reveal the man who threatened me the first night. Bôjô.

Blocking me in between him and the wall I hurt my teeth and ask him "What do you want?"

"Why are you running through the corridors?" He asks in the same manner as I asked him.

"Am I not aloud the run? I was in a hurry." I tell him "Now it's your turn to tell me."

"Don't you already know the answer to that question, Boke." He smiles a smile that doesn't reach his eyes and watches me intensely.

"First, don't call me that. I have more brains then you ever will. Second stop interfering with my life, the past week I've shown you I'm not a spy why are you so obsessed with me." I tell him irritated.

"Because I Know you are a spy. And I can call you what ever I want." He tells me with mirth.

"Fine then keep assuming I'm one but I'm telling you I'm not and your wasting your time. Yarou." I tell him with a small smile for getting a suitable name for him. Giving me a hard stare after I used the word he lets out a chuckle.

"Oh by the way, after your little stunt you pulled earlier today, someone saw us." I tell him thinking that bring this up will make him stop approaching me.

"And?" He asks not even seemed bothered by it.

"What do you mean 'and'? They think we are some kind of couple now." I raise my voice for the event and his lack of reaction.

"So? Who cares what they think. Until I am assigned a mission I don't care what people think." He tells me breathlessly. "You should know this since you are on one."

"I am not a spy!" I yell at him. He gives me a hard stare that tells me to lower my voice which I give him a pouty look in return.

He rolls his eyes and then looks back at me, "What did Master Liu want with you?" He asks me while taking his arms off from the wall and crosses them while looking away from me for a split second.

"He wanted to talk to me." I tell him honestly.

"About?" He edges me to go on.

"About my life." I tell him.

"So even master Liu knows you are one." He smirks.

"I am not- you know I don't even think you think I am one at this point. I think you just found an interest in me." I smirk and cross my arms tapping my foot lightly waiting for his reaction.

He smiles and pokes my forehead, "You wish I was interested in you." He leans forward then using his finger on my forehead to push himself back up right.

I rub where he pocked me and give him my coldest stare, "oh I'm so scared." He says while waving his hands and trying to keep half a laugh. "What was that for?" I ask him once he's done with his little act.

"What am I not aloud to touch other people?" He ask while shrugging.

"So that means I can touch you too!" I ask in a fake excited tone.

"Not often but I don't see the problem." He shrugs then says quickly "but don't try to strangle me or do harm to me because I will kill you if you do." While pointing his finger up. He lets out a sigh and smiles. Good luck with Master Liu tomorrow."

"What's that suppose to mean?" I ask him curiously.

"You'll find out." He smiles before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

Sighing I head over to my futon and get in the go to lie down. Without realizing the beating of the drums of a war that heading just over the mountains of the hidden village Iga. Heads north in the moonless night; while I drift off to sleep.