A Demon's Lapse

Nora grew more restless each day as she found herself thinking about Kiyohira more and more. Being in that house made it worse, so she decided to spend a lot of her time around the island, enjoying its natural wonders. She walked through the woods, under the conifers and watched the birds that lived among them. The air slightly calmed her anxious disposition. What was she feeling? Why couldn't she stop thinking about that man?

There was no way he would be interested in someone like her, especially since he didn't know the truth. Ever since the day in the library, she thought about being in his arms. The fact that he also liked to read filled her with joy. Nora didn't really have anyone in her life that loved to read as much as she did. Rosie did read but not as avidly. Shows were more her thing.

For the past few days, Nora avoided Kiyohira as much as she possibly could. Being around him made her have conflicting feelings. She still felt afraid in his presence because he had such an intense demeanor. She also felt as if her presence bothered him so in order to keep the peace, she decided to keep her distance.

Approaching the other side of the island, she watched the waves tumble on to the shore. The day was cloudy. If it were warmer and she had a bathing suit she would've love to jump in. Was this island in Kiyohira's family for generations? Looking out into the horizon, she imagined California being at the other end. It was crazy to think that this was all on the same planet. As she walked to the northern tip of the island, she noticed a gazebo with a curved roof, built in a traditional Japanese style. Just as she was about to approach it, Kiyohira, dressed in a dark gray yukata with a black obi, or belt, appeared from another path and the two stood there silently.

Everything seemed to be going as planned in Kiyohira's life but then Nakano's betrayal, and subsequently the girl Nora seemed poised to derail it all. Despite her foolishness, her saving him did something to him. It angered him. In addition, her bravery and selflessness bothered him. He just wanted to destroy her. Kiyohira was walking along the path in the woods as he clenched his fist. Lately, the girl seemed to avoid him which made him even angrier. He knew he didn't make a good first impression on her but still. Then the incident in the library made his chest tight. When he held her in his arms, he didn't want to let go for some reason. Her soft eyes made him uncomfortable.

He thought it best to clear his mind by way of taking walks. For a moment, he remembered life like it used to be. It had been forever since he actually stopped and admired his own surroundings. He wanted to be alone for awhile so he headed to the northern part, where he could just sit with his thoughts. As he reached the end of the woods, he noticed that twiggy girl walking along the beach. She had that look again, like a scared rabbit. It made him mad.

"Hi, Mr. Kimura," said Nora, shyly. She awkwardly waved at him.

"Didn't think I'd see you around these parts," she continued.

"Well, I do live here," Kiyohira said, annoyed.

He walked passed her but Nora didn't want to leave.

"Umm, thank you once again for lending me the book, I love Pablo Neruda," she said. Kiyohira nodded as he kept walking. She stood there, facing in the direction to where the mansion was, feeling awkward. Turning to face Kiyohira, she followed him.

He sensed her presence and spoke, "What is it?"

Nora gulped, "It's a nice day to be out, I hope you don't mind if I walk with you?"

Kiyohira didn't say anything but the awkwardness was palpable. Nora stayed a couple steps behind him, looking at the horizon.

He couldn't help to ask the question that had been gnawing in him for the last few days, "Do I scare you?"

They both stood still. Nora was flustered with the question. She hoped it wasn't a setup or something. She rubbed her one of her shoulders and spoke, "Kind of."

Kiyohira frowned as she turned her gaze downwards, as if she were ashamed. What did he expect?

"What scares you," he asked.

Nora looked up, into his eyes, "Your demon."

Having demonic powers was a blessing and a curse. He had unimaginable powers but it had made him a sort of pariah. People who knew about it treated him a sort of way. He usually didn't care as he put a distance around himself towards everyone but it was different with the girl.

"Who would want to be near a monster like me, right," he said.

Nora shook her head, "No! That's not what I meant!"

Kiyohira scoffed and continued on his path. She ran to catch up with him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that I've never seen anything quite like it is all," she said with a regretful expression. He simply looked at her and kept walking.

"I never thanked you for saving me that night on the boat, by the way, so thank you," she said.

All Kiyohira thought about during that aforementioned night was how livid he was at the girl's audacity. She could've gotten herself killed and she almost did! He knew the fastest way to get to her was to fly using his powers. She certainly would've died if he didn't get there in time.

"Why are you avoiding me then," Kiyohira asked. Nora was taken aback by such a question. So he did notice it after all. She couldn't lie to him about it.

"I don't know, I guess I felt like I was bothering you since you seem annoyed whenever I'm around," she admitted. She wasn't wrong, he thought, but it wasn't her that bothered him exactly. He gritted his teeth.

Feeling that the atmosphere was tense, Nora wanted to move past it. "What is your favorite, book, Mr. Kimura," she asked plainly.

Kiyohira thought about it and the question itself. He hardly ever talked about books with anyone. Then he blushed. "Mr. Kimura, what's wrong," Nora asked, puzzled. He remembered one of his all time favorites but was hesitant to share it. "It's all right if you don't wanna say, I was-"

"Would you be quiet?! I'm going to tell you. One of my favorites is Robinson Crusoe," Kiyohira muttered as he turned red.

A warm feeling radiated throughout Nora's chest. It was a feeling that almost made her cry. Not wanting to upset him, she struggled to maintain her composure. He had never told anyone this, ever.

"I love that book too. It's a classic," she said.

Kiyohira felt a tightness in his chest.

Nora felt a drop of water on her face, then two, then three. It began to pour and she couldn't help but let out an embarrassing yelp. She quickly went over to the gazebo to find relief from the deluge, Kiyohira following behind in no haste.

I should've worn a jacket or something, Nora thought, realizing she was only wearing a shirt and pants.

Looking down, she blushed that the white blouse was see-through from the rain, exposing her black bralette. She gasped, quickly covering herself with her arms. Kiyohira noticed too and looked away.

Nora wanting to get out of there from embarrassment, felt a nudge on her shoulder. Kiyohira offered her his yukata. Accepting it, she felt bad because now he was exposed only wearing a juban, or underrobe.

"Thank you, sir," she said, bowing her head.

"If you saw that it was cloudy outside, you should've brought something else to wear," he grumbled.

Nora noticed it was big on her as she put it on. As she inhaled, she smelled Kiyohira's scent on it, making her blush.

Both of them sat on the bench, waiting for the rain to stop.

"What did you like better: the movie or the book," Nora asked continuing the conversation from earlier. Kiyohira was silent for a moment.

"The book," he said.

Nora giggled and he frowned at her.

"I'm not laughing at you, I just think it's cute is all," she smiled.

He pouted and looked the other way. No one had ever referred to him as 'cute' before.

It felt awkward since the two were trapped there due to the rain. Nora struggled to come up with things to talk about to try to quell the feeling. She stole a glance while he wasn't looking. Kiyohira caught her looking at him.

"What," he asked.

She quickly looked away.

"Nothing."

"Spit it out!"

"Well, it's just that I'm starting to see you in a different light is all. I know we got off on the wrong foot but it seems like that happened ages ago."

"Don't get it twisted. You don't know me."

"I've seen enough to know that you're not such a bad guy after all."

Her words were creating knots in his stomach. He looked over at her warm expression. Her smile was a bright as the sun, shining in places that were thought to be permanently dark. His breath trembled. Why was this girl causing such reactions? Unable and unwilling to handle the situation he got up and stormed off into the rain.

"Wait, sir, where are you going," asked a concerned Nora.

"Don't worry about it! Stay here until the rain stops," he ordered her.

She stood there with a sad expression, the same way a puppy would when their owner leaves. Watching Kiyohira disappear into the woods in the rain uneased her. Did she say something wrong?

When the rain stopped, she made her way back to mansion trepidatiously with butterflies in her stomach.

In the evening, as Nora walked to her room, heard people talking from Kiyohira's office. The door was slightly ajar so she was able to hear. She didn't mean to eavesdrop but what she heard piqued her interest.

"Yes, sir, we have intel that Nakano is in Hong Kong," Matsuda said.

"Find him and squeeze the truth out of him if you have to," Kiyohira replied.

Nora had to talk to this Nakano guy. She went to her room before she got caught.

Nakano was the whole reason she and her sister were in this mess. She wanted to confront this guy about deceiving Rosie before they did whatever it was they were going to do to him. There was no way Kiyohira would allow her to accompany his men to Hong Kong. Unless, she were to "join" them.