A scream woke him from a deep sleep. Hikaru sat straight up in bed. Once he was awake, he realized it was more of a long echoing wail than a scream. It seemed to roll through the palace, building in intensity.

"What was that?" Kichirou shouted outside Hikaru's door.

Hikaru grabbed his sword off the stand by the door. He never used it and he toppled over the stand as he clumsily snatched for it. It was almost laughable to grab the sword, but if they were under attack, he did not want to be without some sort of protection. He threw open the sliding door and it hit the end of the track with a thunk. The flimsy wood and paper shuddered beneath the force of the collision. He ran out into the hall, where all manner of cousins and extended family tumbled out into the night, lightly dressed in their sleeping robes. His uncle's sparse white hair stood up on end in every direction. Hikaru doubted he looked much better. His brothers stood to one side, conversing. Hikaru went over to them as the other family members chattered nervously amongst themselves.

"That sounded like a woman," Hotaru said to Kichirou; then noticing Hikaru, he sneered. "What do you plan to do with that?" He jutted his chin towards the sword Hikaru held limply in his hand.

One of their cousins burst out into the hall, preventing Hikaru from answering. His cousin brandished his sword as he shouted, "Are we under attack?"

"Put your sword away," Hotaru said. "We're not being attacked. There was just a woman screaming. Perhaps it was some nightmare."

"I doubt it," said Kichirou. "I am starting to think there is some evil spirit haunting this place." He shivered.

Hikaru bit his lip. Kichirou did not say it, but he knew he was thinking about Rin. The fear of her had only spread. There had been no word from the Nishimoris, and worse yet, the messengers had never returned. Three had gone out now, never to be heard of again. He wanted to believe Rin had pure intentions, but she had propositioned him twice now. The servants feared her and now the Nishimoris could not be reached to corroborate her tale. All the evidence is stacked against her, but I cannot believe she means us harm. Perhaps it was because he wanted to believe the fox woman was real, and she was Rin. Or maybe he was thinking too much with his nether regions.

"I'm going to investigate," Hikaru replied, not taking care to disguise his anger.

"Careful, brother, there's monsters out there!" Hotaru called after him.

He stormed away from his brothers and cousin. Hotaru was the fuel to this fire of superstition, he just knew it. There was no way to prove it, but this reeked of Hotaru. He would use Rin to shame Hikaru and better his own position. Perhaps he hoped this would be the final straw that would change their father's mind about who would be made heir. The screaming had ceased, but he need only follow the stream of soldiers and servants to find the source.

He found a group gathered in the outer ring of the palace in one of the gardens. He pushed his way through to the front. His heart pounded in his chest. When he broke through the crowd, he saw an old woman sobbing on the ground. She was bent forward, pounding the earth with her fist. A guard had hold of one of her hands, trying and failing to get her on her feet.

"What happened here?" Hikaru said.

The soldiers glanced in his direction but did not answer. The servants did not even flinch. They were all transfixed on one spot. Sprawled on the ground, limbs at odd angles, lay a woman. He stared for a few moments, trying to comprehend what was wrong with her, and then he saw the gashes across her throat, hidden in the shadows, and the dark stain on the ground was her blood. Blood stained her kimono as well.

Bile rose up in the back of his throat. He turned to a nearby bush and retched. When the spasms stopped, he stood upright. The servants did not look at him; in fact, everyone nearby made a point to avoid eye contact with him. I am a disgrace. How can I hope to rule one day when the sight of blood turns my stomach?

He took a deep breath and looked once more at the corpse. He knew this woman. It was Rin's maid, Yuri. This has to be a terrible coincidence. He could not look at her blank staring eyes any longer. He looked across the crowd for the captain. He found him with three of his men. He gave a few quick commands and the men went into the crowd, shooing them away.

"Captain Sadao, what happened here? Who did this?" Hikaru asked. His voice shook. No matter how he tried to remain in control, he was terrified. There are enemies among us. He hated himself for it, but his mind jumped to Rin first. She was the only outsider in the palace. He had heard stories all his life about Yokai that tricked humans and caused mischief inside a household. If Yokai were real, he doubted they troubled themselves with humans. Besides, this went beyond some simple mischief, this was murder. He stared at the captain, willing him to implicate anyone other than Rin. He could not imagine her doing such a thing.

"My lord, we are questioning the servants. But it appears her throat was torn out by some beast."

"An animal did this? How is that possible?" he asked. He felt as if his world had been turned upside down as of late. Nothing made sense anymore. Murder within the castle walls? Because despite the captain's assessment, Hikaru knew in his gut this was murder. A wild animal could not reach this far into the palace without help.

Captain Sadao's expression was difficult to gauge. He looked at Hikaru as if he saw past him. He had seen Hikaru vomit at the sight of blood and thought little of him for it, he suspected. Hikaru stood a little straighter in an attempt to look more imposing and worthy of respect, though he feared he was failing at it miserably.

"My lord, perhaps someone let the animal into the palace."

Hikaru scowled. He had been thinking the same thing. And he sensed the answer was hidden behind the captain's shuttered expression. "And who would be able to let a wild animal into the palace without anyone noticing? Or without being attacked themselves."

Captain Sadao's expression did not change, but he said in a slow deliberate manner, "There have been rumors of Lady Nishimori being seen with a wolf. Perhaps..."

"That is not possible," Hikaru said and slashed his hand in the air. "She is a lady and a friend of this court. For you to say that is an insult to me and to my family."

The captain bowed. "I do not mean to offend, my lord."

But you doubt still. The captain was difficult to read, but Hikaru sensed he knew something about Rin that he was not telling Hikaru. The question was on the tip of Hikaru's tongue. Who is she really? But he lacked the courage to ask because once the truth was revealed, he could not go back. This sweet torture, taunting himself with the idea of Rin, consumed him and he dared not ruin the fantasy world he had crafted for himself. Captain Sadao looked to Hikaru as if waiting on an order or a response.

"We'll find this culprit. And if anyone spreads these rumors about Lady Nishimori, I will have them flogged. Is that understood?"

The captain gave him a curt nod. Hikaru turned to storm away, but as he did he saw Rin standing on the veranda that overlooked the garden. Did she hear us arguing? He hoped not, he would hate for her to get the wrong impression about his clan. He hurried up the stairs to her.

"My lady Nishimori, you should turn away. There has been a terrible incident this night."

She looked past him to the courtyard beyond. She had not changed into her nightclothes and her hair was still styled. He looked at her, trying to imagine her as a powerful witch. He could not see her calling down a curse or unleashing a bloodthirsty beast on an innocent.

He thought once more of that strange woman he had met in the woods. Rin did seem to resemble her, but with each passing day he grew more uncertain. Had that woman been real at all? He wanted to shake himself. There was no such thing as Yokai or witches.

The guards lifted the body up to take it away. Rin's gaze was transfixed on Yuri. There was no fear in her expression, however, just a sadness, one that spoke of loss and deep sorrow. It seemed impossible, but those eyes seemed to have seen ages beyond imagining, and death was just one painful truth among many.

"Rin." He touched her gently on the elbow.

She flinched. She looked at him with terror in her eyes.

"I did not mean to frighten you. It is not right for a lady to see such things."

She gave him a defiant stare. That vulnerable girl disappeared behind a mask.

He shook his head. "I do not mean to insinuate you are delicate. In fact, I am certain you could handle this better than me. There has been some gossip and I would protect you from it. Would you indulge me?"

She tore her eyes away from the garden beyond and he led her away. She walked beside him, and though he wanted to reach out and comfort her, he kept his distance. He did not need to tempt fate any further. He should not even be spending this much time with her. He should have summoned a servant to do such a menial task. Why do I continue to torture myself this way?

When they reached her chamber, he thought he saw something moving within. Could the beast have come here as well?

He held up his hand to stop her from entering. "Do not move. I saw a shadow beyond the doorway. Wait here," he whispered.

The color drained from her face and her eyes darted to the room. She reached out as if to stop him. But he held her hand between his. Just the touch of her warm skin against his was enough to bolster his confidence.

"Do not worry, I will be fine."

He slid open the door just enough to let him pass through. Inside the chamber was dark; there was her futon, made up and untouched. She had not slept. He crept into the room and unsheathed his sword. The sleeping platform was pegged in by a reed screen that hung from the ceiling. He walked past the sleeping area to her sitting room. From the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow slip past the open doors leading into the garden. He took a deep breath and approached the garden with his sword raised. Then someone grabbed his hand.

He spun around, his sword at the ready. Rin grinned at him. He lowered his sword.

"Rin, you should not be in here. I saw something in the garden. It may be that beast that killed poor Yuri."

She shook her head. She took him by the hand and led him out onto the veranda. The shadow he had thought was a monster lurking in the dark turned out to be the bare branches of the tree, cast along the floor by the moonlight. He exhaled.

"I may have overreacted," he admitted. He laughed to dissipate the awkward tension.

She smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear. It was an innocent gesture, but one that caught his eye and he could not help but wonder if it was done on purpose. She must know his eyes were drawn to every move she made. He wanted to be that hand that could carelessly touch her face. The space between them seem suddenly charged. They were alone in her room, with an empty futon. He swallowed hard. How can I be thinking about this when there is a woman who has just lost her life? The worst part was he knew if he made any attempt, she would accept, and that thought sat like a stone in his stomach.

Rin moved closer, her lips parted in an enticing way.

He stepped back. "I should go."

He rushed out of the room before he could change his mind. He hurried back to his room, ignoring his brothers' jibes and the questions from his relatives. He slammed his door behind him and slid down the wall. He rested his head on his palms and a shaking laugh escaped his lips. Either I am a fool, or I have too much honor. I do not know any longer.

A/N: I know I am a cruel author, I do so love to torture my characters. What are your thoughts? Do you think Hikaru's is in a fool or a fool with too much honor?