Fateless

Hana was sure to put her sandals on this time before she exited her balcony to pursue the strange light.

She also put on a coat over her pajamas- it was not as warmly comfortable as the one she had originally packed for herself. But her mother’s dressier repacked one was better than nothing.

Although the weather was currently withholding snowfall there was a consistent breeze this time, and it had bite.

The snow left afoot from the previous hours was not currently thick enough to leave any indentations. And Hana had not been fast enough to follow the yellow glow before it disappeared. Instead, she simply followed the direction it had gone, letting her determination fuel her steps.

The residence behind her remained silent and sleeping as she slipped away. Once again, Hana walked through the garden, along the pretty pebbles that artistically formed the pathway, and then towards the steps that met the shrine.

Her steps tracked more cautiously as she approached the two stone komainu statues, peering around them to be sure there were no real lifesized figures similar to the mythical entities about.

Hana paused as a reflective glint below caught her eye. She bent down with a frown as she picked up the black-framed spectacles.

One of the lenses was cracked and the frames were now bent. But Hana felt a ball of dread begin to form in her chest as she recognised these glasses. She was sure they belonged to Honoka.

Hana uneasily took in her surroundings. The nagging worry of someone watching her pestered at her thoughts. It wasn’t just the cold piercing through her clothing causing the hairs on Hana’s arms to prickle.

Leaning over the path barrier, she precautionarily plucked a decent-sized stick from among the shrubbery. Hana then peered hesitantly into the forest for any traces of the mysterious floating orb.

The wind pushed through the trees, letting out a ghostly howl. Hana hunched over to protect her face as it suddenly picked up and she was caught in the gust.

Hana thought she heard the distinct sound of laughter. High-pitched and giddy, much like that of a child. But when the wind died down again the suspicious sound faded with it, leaving the forest in silence again.

Wary to step over the threshold of tapering off brickwork that transitioned into nature, Hana waited a moment more with strained ears to see if any other sound would source from the trees. Instead, she found herself jumping in fright as she noticed a figure lingering behind her.

Hana whirled to face whoever, or whatever, it may be. Her heart pounded in her chest and both her hands gripped reassuringly tight on her woody weapon, letting the glasses slip free of her fingers.

She was relieved to discover that the mysterious figure standing just ten feet away from her was humanly shaped, not shaped like a giant beast as Hana had previously encountered here.

This person was wearing dark colours, mostly consisting black and blues. Their hakama was strangely long enough to drag against the snowy ground, and atop it was an equally long coat. The trawled hems of the clothing were damp where snowflakes had melted into slush.

Hana was intrigued by the mask that covered their face. It was a uniquely shaped beastly creature, with painted details that exaggerated bared teeth and large slanted eyes.

When the breeze picked up again, Hana fought the urge to protect her face from the crisp cold and kept her eyes on the suspicious stranger.

Influenced by the wind, the person’s hair tousled free from their clothes, revealing long mist-grey strands that were hiding underneath.

Hana had remained speechless while she took the stranger in. But as the person readjusted their stance to step towards Hana, she raised her small tree branch defensively.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” She questioned the stranger.

Her voice was confident and demanding. But her resolve quickly began to waver as the person continued forward.

“Keep your distance!” Hana added as she pointed the stick more aggressively in the stranger’s direction.

The stranger did not back down. As yet another blast of wind stuck at Hana, there was also a lightning-quick flash of blue light.

She raised her arms against her face instinctively. And when the tiny squall had passed and Hana opened her eyes again, the branch weapon had been ripped from Hana’s hands- seemingly to disappear back into the woods it came.

Glistening blue particles against Hana’s skin sent warm shivers up her spine. The colour faded away, but the feelings the light left behind caused butterflies to gush zealously in her stomach.

“Who are you?” Hana repeated at the stranger again.

Besides their arm now being outstretched towards Hana, the stranger hadn’t moved.

“I am the master of the Hirano residence.” A man’s low voice replied from behind the wooden mask.

His arm returned to rest by his side. Although his posture did not seem threatening, it did not seem friendly either. So Hana regarded the supposed master warily with scepticism. His presence was overwhelmingly strange. And she would be foolish to simply take his word with all the oddness she had experienced.

“The Hirano Master?” Hana queried him.

She ignored the excited lurch her heart made, pushing her irritation to fuel her.

“The reason why I’m cooped up here for this ridiculous event? Why I, along with a group of other women, were forced to dress up like beauty pageant contestants?”

Hana felt powerful as she stepped forward and the stranger took a retreating step back.

“The master whose house we have to stay at for an entire week and miss our New Year’s parties for? The master that has still not bothered to make an appearance? Besides perving at his guests behind a screen. That Hirano master?”

The man seemed to be stunned by Hana’s challenging tone.

“What? Nothing to say?” Hana was entertained by her opponent’s nervous reaction, leaning in to close the gap despite the size difference between them.

She was going to pry further into the person’s true identity when another childishly pitched laugh echoed from the forest.

Hana spun immediately towards the sound to catch a lithe kimono-wearing figure leaping down from the top of the trees. Even with the great height, she landed gracefully in the snow.

As her head rose and steps traced towards Hana. There was a gleam of amusement in her eyes and a grin on her lips.

“Akira-san?” Hana exclaimed with her mouth agape.

“That’s Akira-sama to you.” Akira huffed in response, her smile momentarily disappearing.

Akira pushed her loose hair behind her shoulders to accommodate against the wind.

There was no doubt that Akira was a beautiful woman, but Hana also felt something off about her.

“Such an amusing girl you are; chewing out Lord Hirano,” Akira said with a laugh.

Akira’s hand jerked Hana’s chin up so she was forced to look her in the eye. Her long manicured nails dug into Hana’s skin.

Akira’s sly expression made Hana’s blood run cold.

“Tell me, Hana-san.” Akira purred icily. “Did you perhaps see something you shouldn’t have?”

A yellow gleam in Akira’s eye narrowed onto Hana and she clenched her jaw tightly to stop herself trembling.

“What do you know?” She snarled at Hana.

As Akira’s grip became tighter, the alleged master suddenly pried her hand off.

“That’s enough,” he said as Hana’s face was released free.

Hana’s confidence dissolved; she shrunk back at the man’s sudden closeness. Akira started to pout.

“I was only-”

“I said enough.”

Akira held her tongue. She hesitantly took some obedient steps back, putting a respectable distance between Hana and herself.

“It’s late.” The lord said sternly to Hana. “Perhaps you should go back to your room now.”

Hana’s heart lurched as he finally lifted the mask off of his face. The pang within her chest didn’t fade as his gaze remained unwavering. His striking deep blue eyes looked down boldly into Hana’s, causing a ripple effect that pushed out a rush of tiny volts that seemed to simultaneously shimmer throughout Hana’s body.

Startled and confused, Hana’s mouth fell agape. She clutched at her body as she tried to fight the unfamiliar sensation away.

The lord appeared equally surprised and began to inch even closer. It caused Hana to snap out of it and recoil. She didn’t need to be pressed again to leave.

Before another word was ushered, Hana was quickly making her way back towards her balcony.

Akira’s cackle was drowned out by her steps along with the howling wind.