Blind Love Sedonia Guillone

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.“I’m sorry, Hirata, if you really care for your friend, you must let Sho face his destiny.”“His destiny is with me!” Hirata felt hot tears crowd his eyes.He fought them back.He’d never been able to control his emotions as a proper samurai should, and he wasn’t able to do it now.Especially when he was losing his best friend in the world.They might never be together again.“Father…please.” His voice fell to a whisper.“Hirata, let him go.”The anma reached them and came to a stop.He bowed.“I’m Zato no Ichi.I’ve come for the boy.”Hirata’s gaze flew to the older man, whose closely shorn head glinted with silver amongst the ebony stubble.The anma called Ichi opened his eyes, just for a moment, revealing only whites before sliding his lids closed again.Hirata’s heart lurched.If Sho could see this man, he’d run away in fear.Then again, if Sho could see him, the anma wouldn’t be here in the first place.Hirata’s father, still gripping Hirata’s shoulder, acknowledged the greeting with a bow of his head.“Ichi-san, I’m Yoken Morimasa.I represent the household that turns this child over to the care of you and your guild.”A new wave of grief-filled terror washed over Hirata.“No!” he cried.Yanking out of his father’s grip, he dragged Sho and broke into a run, off the road, back toward his father’s compound which housed their home, the servants’ quarters and his father’s dojo.Sho tripped and stumbled on the raised stones of the pathway but recovered quickly each time.Hirata led him to their special hiding place.“Get under here, Sho.” He guided Sho, who willingly dropped to his hands and knees and crawled underneath the raised platform of the house’s floor, then scooted between the heavy timbers that supported the foundation.Hirata crawled in after him and herded him closer to the center.No one would find them here.Perhaps if they hid long enough, Sho’s parents would give up and let Sho stay.Hirata pulled Sho close and held him, panting from the sudden exertion.Sho was breathing heavily too.After several moments, Sho stirred in his arms.“Hirata, I don’t want you to get into—““Sh! I hear something!”“Hirata! Come out right now!”Hirata stiffened at his father’s voice.No doubt he’d shamed his father by his behavior, but he didn’t care, not if defying him meant Sho could stay.Sho squirmed in his grip.“Hirata,” he whispered, “please.I don’t want you to be punished.”Hirata squeezed him firmly.His father’s voice was drawing closer.Did his father know about their special hideout? “Let him punish me.Nothing else matters.” He bent his head close to Sho’s ear.“The stone can never be separated,” he said, referring to their special stone, the smooth disk Hirata had picked out of the stream during one of their outings, not long after Sho’s illness and recovery.Hirata had placed the stone on a larger rock and broken it in half with yet a third rock, giving one half to Sho and keeping the other for himself.As long as they were together, the stone was still complete, even though it had been split.“I have my half,” Sho answered.“It’s in my pack.”Hirata felt the bulge of Sho’s meager belongings stuffed into the pack slung across his friend’s slim torso.“I have mine, too.” Icy shivers assaulted Hirata’s skin.“I’ll never let go of it.”“Neither will I.I promise.” Sho squeezed Hirata’s hand.In that tiny gesture, Hirata felt that Sho, the wiser, more mature one of them, was speaking, telling him that his father was right.Destiny would reign over them.Not Hirata’s desires.Or Sho’s.Hirata didn’t care.They must stay together, no matter what.At the edge of the house, Hirata’s father’s sandaled feet came to a stop.Hirata clamped a hand over Sho’s mouth.The next Hirata knew, his father had dropped to his hands and knees and peered into the shadows.“I know you’re both in there.Come out, now!”The anma’s dirty rope sandals trudged up beside Hirata’s father.“Perhaps today isn’t the best day, Morimasa-san.I can return.”“No.I apologize for my son’s behavior, Ichi-san.Postponing will only make it worse for both of them.Hirata’s brother-in-law came running up.“Father, I’ll get them out for you.” He dropped to his hands and knees and crawled underneath.“Stay back, Ken,” Hirata said, squeezing Sho tightly to himself.But Ken had never had patience for Hirata’s emotional outbursts even though he always treated his young brother-in-law with respect.He honored his father-in-law more.“Honor your father’s wishes, Hirata.This behavior is beneath a samurai.” He grabbed both Hirata’s ankles in an iron grip.Hirata struggled and kicked, but Ken was stronger.After a short battle, Hirata felt himself being dragged out, bringing Sho along with him in his fight to hang onto his friend.The second Hirata was out from under the house, he was back in his father’s grip and Sho was pulled from him.Ken pried Sho’s tightly fisted hands from Hirata’s kimono.Hirata’s father held him fast while Sho was led away, his head bowed.Sho’s hair had pulled from its tie and long strands of it hung loose around his face.His kimono was dirty and rumpled from the struggle.“If you really care about Sho,” his father said gently, in spite of his tight hold around his son’s middle, “you’ll let him learn his trade.Let him have that dignity, Hirata [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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