Wicked Yokai Prince

Prosecution

Hours passed until she heard another rustling of footsteps moving about the palace. She raised her head, tears burned her eyes, drying them off with her bare hand. Rin was barely able to open her swollen eyes completely, crying privately.

The door slid to a crack; buttery yellow light flooded in. It's evening, the moon had settled in long ago, leaving the dark room darker than it had been.

To her surprise, a woman stood before her, her hair bounded neatly. Rin couldn't quite see her face in the darkness, but the daintiness and fluidity in her movement told her this spirit is beautiful.

"Master will see you now." Moaned the female spirit who came to fetch her.

Master?

She rose slow on her feet while the female spirit waited near at the mouth of the door.

"Let's go." The spirit muttered once Rin was up, a soft smile shimmered upon her lips and turned the heel for Rin to follow.

Rin followed the woman through the length of long corridors that seemed to connect into never ending maze. Turning and more walking until she led Rin to a large room on the other side of the manor. The female spirit stopped and turned to her, sliding the wooden door as she gestured for Rin to step in.

"Master will see you now."

Rin stepped in; her naked feet were soundless upon contact on the matted room. She lifted her eyes to survey the room and found the same demon in a tranquil prone. A single lantern beside him reflecting his profile.

"It's you." She moaned. Rin still couldn't see his face; the demon was covered with mask of feathers like liquid black oil coating him from head to toe.

She strolled closer while the demon gestured her to the seat across the room, a single pillow laid on the floor. Rin eyed it as she took the invitation and lowered herself crossing her legs on top of each other.

"Why did you do it?" Asked the yokai under the deep reverberation of his voice, taking on a more serious tone.

The change in his temperament confused Rin. She was certain his voice and his manner carried a friendlier atmosphere when she first met him.

Rin kept her quiet composure, clueless to what's going on. Is he the master the female spirit was talking about? That's why his attitude changed?

"Do what?" Rin questioned. She doesn't understand.

The demon closed and opened his eyes and repeated the question in crawling slowness. "Why did you do it? You destroyed my people's homes."

Something clicked in her mind, the school of shrines she destroyed when she slipped on a pile of wet leaves.

"It was an accident!" Rin said, unable to hide the protest in her voice. She didn't do it on purpose. The shrines had been haunting her the whole time and no matter how much she tried to avoid them, she still managed to destroy them. There must be a force out there that made it happened.

The demon glared at her, his black eyes burn incandescent, and Rin felt the intensity of his intimidating stare bore a hole into her. She dropped her gaze to her cupped hands that's pressed on thighs.

"I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose, I fell and landed on their homes." She murmured in a tiny apologetic voice.

His jaws softened although the wrath in his eyes never evaporated. "Sorry is not enough to amend for what they lost. I'm afraid your crime will not go unpunished."

Rin squeezed her hands and risked another look, the demon's eyes seemed to glow under the flicker of soft light from the lantern beside him. His face still barely visible but she could make up his long narrow nose, shapely lips, a mask of feathers that shaded his jaws like beard. Long feathers flowed on his head like black liquid cascading all the way down past his shoulders.

Then she noticed them, the powerful wings that flew her from the village to the top of the mountain.

Wings, beautiful wings. The yokai made a show of rustling his wings, he relaxed those marvelous appendages aware of her eyes struck by them.

There's a softness in his face and his eyes that appreciated the silent admiration the girl offered but it's hardly the right time for such conversation. Perhaps, he'd give her a better ride next time and hear about how much she likes being flown in the skies.

All Rin wanted to say was...they're beautiful but the yokai's steely face and tight lips made it hard to say the complement.

"How am I supposed to pay for my crime?" She asked.

"The law of our realm states that you must be killed."

Her heart slammed to her chest, darting a shocked gaze. This came as a surprise, just when she thought she'd got into the right start with the lord of the manor, he's spitting out some outrageous law.

"That's...that's a bit extreme don't you think? I didn't even do it on purpose!"

The demon stared at her; no expression visible for her to assess.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked, her voice breaking.

The demon blinked seeing all the fear in her eyes. He made his facial expression calm.

"No, no, no...." He crooned making a soft shaking of his head. "I had the servants prepared a meal. We're going to eat instead."