CHAPTER#102

"Tightness in your legs is from running. Most of these are easy. However, I want to talk about this." Naia's thumb found a muscle by Yuki's neck that twinged once it was touched. "This is from carrying the weight of a secret."

Yuki felt a chill go down her spine. "A... a secret?"

"You know what I'm talking about, don't play dumb." Naia leaned forward and gave her a hug. "I see how you look at her."

She blushed. "Is it that obvious?"

Naia laughed. "Of course it is. You're different when you're around her."

"How so?"

"It's hard to describe in words, but you practically glow when she talks to you, hanging on nearly every word. That's not a bad thing, you know."

Yuki let out a long sigh. It was true, Emily occupied most of her waking thoughts now, which didn't make much sense. She had never given a human more than a second thought, unless they had wronged her and she wanted revenge. "About that. My feelings for her... are they because of her magic?"

"No. You've lived here for a few years now, and if it was magic, it would wear off when she wasn't around. That, and it does take a deliberate effort on my part to make someone think they love me, and Emily wouldn't do that." Naia slid her arms around Yuki's waist and gave her a tight hug. "Think of it this way. Why do you like her so much?"

"I..." How could such complicated, yet delicate emotions be put into words? "It's how she sees me. Growing up in Japan, it was always about survival for me. If people weren't suspicious, they were enamored, there was no in between. Being what I am, it was hard to find anybody willing to see me for who I am, and when I'm with Emily, she treats me like everybody else here. Maybe it's stupid to like someone because they don't give you special treatment, but there it is. Do you know how many legends about kitsune revolve around granting wishes, immortality, or even becoming a god? It's why I fled to China in the first place. When she looks at me, it's just me, and that's what makes me feel special."

"Hmm. I would argue that she doesn't treat you like everyone else." Naia placed a tiny kiss on the top of Yuki's head. "Emily spends way more time with you than she does with anybody else. Surely you've noticed?"

"That's because she needs my help when she goes exploring. My magic can protect her."

"Sure, when you leave the house. But what about inside the house? She could have brought anyone else down into the Labyrinth you two found, yet you often go down there for hours at a time, just searching through it. I would even argue Abella would be a better choice, or even Tink."

"I can sense the Labyrinth's traps, and my magic can protect us when we trigger them."

Naia laughed. "While that may be true, she can sense danger far better than you can. Almost any of us could go down with her and still be perfectly safe. I guess what I'm trying to say is—"

"Don't say it." Emily walked into the bathroom, holding a book in her hand. Yuki's cheeks burned and Naia dissolved into the water, just her head floating on the surface. "If she is going to hear it from anyone, I would prefer she hear it from me."

"As you wish." Naia vanished beneath the water, leaving a small tide pool behind that eventually burst.

"May I join you?" Emily asked, setting the book down on the bathroom counter.

"I... I guess." Yuki looked away while Emily undressed. They had seen each other naked plenty of times, but now she was too embarrassed to look. Emily eased into the bath across from Yuki, letting out a moan of pleasure when the warm water swirled around her waist.

"I wasn't trying to snoop, by the way. I found that book in the Library and thought you might like it, but heard you talking about me." She chuckled, her eyes on the water. "I confess, it was something of a relief to hear some of the things you said. Before I say anything else, I just want you to know that... I like you. A lot."

Yuki swallowed the lump in her throat. "You do?"

"Yeah, I do. Some years before you moved in, we had an... incident here in the house. As much as I love everybody who lives here, I was feeling lonely and thought I had met a kindred spirit. I met him the year I traveled abroad to plant the trees for the portals, and brought him back here with me to meet the others. It was great at first, but things changed. Turns out the guy was no good for me, and he put everyone in danger."

Emily let out a sigh, tracing her finger across the surface of the water. "After what he did, I was afraid to leave the house, or even be outside. The others helped me get past that, and it occurred to me that what he tried to do was what happens to creatures like you all over the world. That feeling was the only way I was able to leave this place, to help others. I was even more determined to make this place a safe haven for creatures like you. As you know, I wasn't super successful in finding others, but that changed when you came."

"How so?" Yuki's ears had cocked toward the sound of Emily's voice, hanging on every word.

"Well, you were able to travel with me. The others, not so much. At first it was nice when I realized that I had someone to keep me company. Well, you and Daisy." Emily smiled at the thought of the yellow fairy. "But something else happened. You see, even though I'm formidable in my own right, I still struggled with what happened. That man walked in here and almost took everything away from not just me, but everybody. Since that day, I've been under a cloud. The shadow follows me no matter where I go, a feeling of helplessness that never quite drifted off. Do you remember that first trip we took together?"