My Soul Will Find Yours

Kaname"s men were staying in the rooms opposite and adjoining ours. Although the place was in a remote area making it technically safe, they still did not let their guards down. Despite this, the place still gave us a sense of solitude. We didn"t feel like there were people staying in the villa aside from us. Surrounding the private outdoor bath was a garden that only he and I had access to, greatly reinforcing the feeling that we were alone.

"This place is lovely," I commented before stepping back inside and closing the shoji that led to the garden. "How did you know this place?"

"I own it," he replied. "Well… "Ryoji-san" owns it."

"You do?" this was another surprise. Earlier, when Yasumori-san called him by another name and when he introduced me as Aiko, I almost wanted to ask what was going on.

"Yes, but no one aside from those who are close to me know this fact," Kaname said as he removed his eyepatch and untied his hair. "Ryoji-san is my secret ident.i.ty. Those who know him believe that he is the younger brother of an influential daimyo from the east who loves to travel and hunt."

"How long have you been using this ident.i.ty?" I whispered, I felt like we were talking about something top secret… Which, of course, we were.

"A year after I became the shogun. He is also the reason why I wasn"t home most of the time."

"That"s quite a long time already," I was in awe. "And you haven"t been unmasked? No one has caught you?"

"I"m very careful."

"Not even once?"

"Not even once," he replied smugly. "Only those who have proven their loyalty to me have the privilege to get to know this other side of the shogun."

"Indeed, it felt weird seeing you lose your imperious air. I was slightly taken aback by the closeness you and Yasumori-san showed, it was like watching an uncle and his favorite nephew interacting after being apart for so long."

"He reminds me of my old man," Kaname explained. "He and chichihue share the same love for the great outdoors. He is also an excellent rider."

"Really?"

I tried to imagine the stout old man from earlier conquering a mount as majestic as Kaname"s stallion and failed, it was kind of difficult. His height and a st.u.r.dy horse didn"t seem to match. I shook my head to stop my imagination from running wild.

"I know what you"re thinking," he laughed. "But trust me on this one, Hina."

I was about to reply when we heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," Kaname said while tucking a few strands of my hair behind my left ear.

"Ryoji-san," it was one of the women I saw with the old man at the entrance when we arrived. "Yasumori-san wanted to know if there is something about the room you don"t like."

"He worries too much," he laughed while pulling me closer. "Tell him the room is as perfect as my beautiful wife here, Mirei."

"Hai," I saw a flash of longing in Mirei"s eyes as she looked at him. "I shall tell him. Sorry for disturbing you."

"Hmm, what was that all about?" I narrowed my eyes as I watched her slide the door shut.

~~~

I just finished washing my body when Kaname joined me inside the indoor bathroom. I decided on taking a relaxing dip in the outdoor onsen before getting ready for dinner.

"You"re done?" he frowned as he watched me stuff my arms inside the sleeves of my robe before tying its sash.

"Yes, why?"

"I wanted to help you scrub your back."

"Oh," I slowly undid the ribbon I just tied and peeled off my robe. "Okay, sure."

As soon as I was seated on the stool, he immediately went to grab the wooden dipper and started wetting my skin. He then proceeded to exfoliating my back with a soapy wash cloth.

"The spring water here has a high sulfuric content, giving it a lot of health benefits," he informed me as he scrubbed my lower back.

"That"s good to know," I said as he rinsed me.

"Enjoy your dip, Hina," he helped me put on my robe once more.

"You don"t intend to join me?" I lifted my brows questioningly.

"Do you want me to?"

"Of course," I replied honestly. "I a.s.sumed that, aside from helping me prepare for the bath, you came here because you want to relax your muscles in the onsen as well."

"Can you help me wash?" he smiled while holding his own wash cloth.

"Sure."

A few minutes later, Kaname and I dipped our tired bodies in the milky white water of our private outdoor bath. Due to its acidic nature, our skins tingled as it made contact with the water. I gingerly lowered my body until only my face and neck could be seen.

"Ahh, this is the life," I sighed happily.

Kaname chuckled, his odd eyes danced in amus.e.m.e.nt.

"It"s only been a few hours but I could get used to living here forever," I told him. "You really have great taste, Kaname. Beautiful and perfect can"t even begin to describe the splendor of this place."

"You like it more than the palace?"

"I think I"ve become an onsen enthusiast since coming here in j.a.pan," I gave him a grin. "Your palace has its charm but it doesn"t have a hot spring."

"Then let"s visit this place from time to time," he laughed and scooted closer so our shoulders were touching. "I quite like this place, too. It"s secluded and I can live here peacefully without a care."

"True, its only downside is that it"s quite far away," I shifted and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Water making you sleepy?" he asked as he pulled me to his lap. My lids were starting to get heavy.

"Mmm," I nodded my head and yawned. "It"s so warm, I feel like a cat enjoying the heat."

"Let"s not stay too long," he kissed the top of my head tenderly. "If you"re sleepy then take a nap inside."

"Okay," I said although I didn"t move.

Kaname placed one arm around my back and the other behind my knees and carried me inside. He then wiped our bodies, helped me dress then got into his own robe.

"We still have time for a nap," he told me as he covered our bodies with the warm duvet. "Sleep."

I nodded once more before resting my head on his chest. When he hooked an arm on my waist, my lips curved upwards. And then, I closed my eyes and let my sleepiness take over.