He turned to me. "You better stay away from him," Hyaku said of his brother. "Better yet, I don't want you near him." With that, he strolled out of the room, probably to go attend to some kind of business.
I frowned as I watched him leave. I wasn't going to go out of my way to find the brother, Shun, if that was what Hyaku wished, but he didn't seem like such a bad guy. I turned and looked at Hana for some explanation, but she offered none as she gestured for me to follow her.
I sighed and did as I was told. It seemed I was being taught proper etiquette today. It was harder than it looked, but I got the hang of it rather quickly. "Can I please go train?" I asked her. It was the one thing I seemed good at, and I wanted to keep practicing.
"As long as you stay away from Shun, as Lord Hyaku wishes, I don't think it's a problem. I'll go get Koori and see if he'll train you. Until then, stay here," she ordered as she got up to fetch my trainer.
I went to the cabinet near the door and grabbed my wooden sword. Practicing the techniques that Hyaku had taught me last night, I sang to myself, enjoying the alone time.
I heard applause at the screen door that led to the outside. Turning, I found Shun sitting on the porch, watching me. I stopped what I was doing and stood up straight. I looked back to see if Hana and Koori were coming down the hall, but there wasn't a person in sight.
"Don't look so worried," Shun told me with a smile on his face. "I don't bite. Hard," he teased.
I laughed nervously. "I-uh-" I had no idea what to say or how to cover. I didn't want to get on his bad side if he was as bad as Hyaku made him out to be. And, there had to be a reason Hana and Koori didn't like him.
He shook his head, standing up. "Your singing is quite beautiful. Truly something that is going to waste being here." He came to stand directly in front of me. He grabbed a piece of my blond hair and held it in his hand.
I moved my head so that the strands fell from his hand. Hana had done something to mask my human scent, but I didn't know how well it worked. I decided it was best not to test it. "I appreciate that," I told him. "But, I rather enjoy singing here."
"Singing for my brother, you mean," he assumed.
I shook my head, "No, just in general." I eyed him suspiciously.
"It can't be only your singing that my brother keeps you around for. What other special abilities do you possess? How is it you are going to free him from that wretched curse?" he asked.
I shrugged. "They are training me here to become a priestess, and I'm learning to fight. I have no special talents."
He frowned, circling me. "You are rather different from the other demon women that have crossed my path. Something about you is... off," he leaned in a little too closely.
"Shun, don't you have better things to attend to?" Hyaku barged in between us, pulling me behind him swiftly. I noticed his hand stayed atop of mine a moment longer than it should have. Oddly enough, I didn't mind.
"I was in need of a break and heard her lovely singing," Shun shrugged nonchalantly. "I was merely talking with her, nothing for you to worry about. Or to get jealous about," he added.
Hyaku looked like he wanted to punch his brother, so I placed a hand on his shoulder as if to tell him to settle down. A fight with his brother seemed like a bad decision. I had no idea what powers he possessed or the strength he held, but I knew he was strong. Hyaku could probably hold his own, but I didn't want to see him get hurt.
