Bounce

Lirin was rather better at hiding than was good for her, Yaone felt. Kougaiji-sama had asked her to look after his younger sister, but when Lirin hid every time she had to speak to her mother it made Yaone’s task a little difficult. Not that Yaone blamed her. If she had to speak to that woman as often as Lirin did, she was sure that hiding would be the least of the things she’d do. Sighing, she continued her search, running through her checklist of Lirin’s frequent hiding places. She wasn’t in Kougaiji’s bathroom, that little nook just off the main hallway, or Yaone’s laboratory, so the next most likely place was the roof. The difficulty with Lirin hiding on the roof was that there were a vast number of places she could be. Unlike the interior of the castle, Lirin wasn’t likely to bump into anyone she didn’t want to meet on the roof – which meant that she considered all of it her personal playground, instead of routinely avoiding certain areas as she would do when inside. It made searching for her long and arduous. “Lirin!” Yaone called, balancing precariously on the slippery tiles. “Lirin, where are you?” No answer. Yaone sighed, and contemplated dirty tactics. She had a meat bun in one of her pouches and had half-expected Lirin to come running at the smell of it, but it felt somehow . . . wrong, to manipulate the younger youkai with food. No matter how easy it was. Lirin wasn’t an animal or a child, after all, despite how she acted sometimes, and didn’t deserve to be treated as one. Sighing once more, Yaone tested her footing and continued on. ~ After two hours of searching the rooftop, she finally found Lirin curled up in a ball under a gargoyle. Lirin’s face was hidden in her knees, arms wrapped tightly around her legs. “Lirin,” Yaone breathed, half relieved and half worried. She crouched beside the girl and laid a hand gently on her shoulder. “Lirin, are you all right?” Lirin’s head raised, exposing tear tracks and bloodshot blue-purple eyes. Yaone’s breath caught at the unexpectedly serious expression on Lirin’s face, and wondered what that woman had said to her this time. Before Yaone could say anything else, Lirin’s eyes narrowed and she darted forwards, lips pressing against Yaone’s in a somewhat clumsy, chaste kiss. Yaone slipped and fell onto her arse in shock, staring as Lirin pulled away and stood up. “There!” Lirin said. “Now I’ve given something to someone before Mother can make me give it to someone else.” She bounced on her toes, grinning in a way that seemed a little too forced. Yaone’s mouth fell open. “Lirin—” she said, climbing to her feet. “Your mother didn’t – she hasn’t – Kougaiji-sama wouldn’t let her—” “Nope!” Lirin said cheerfully. “But I figure it’s only a matter of time. She makes me give everything else away, so now I’ve given something to someone I want to give it and not because she made me.” She stopped bouncing and grabbed her stomach, grimacing. “I’m hungry!” Yaone had the meat bun in her hand and was offering it before her mind caught up with her reflexes, dazed at Lirin’s behaviour. Wait, she thought, suddenly alarmed. Does that mean that Lirin— The blonde youkai grinned at Yaone, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster, before she swallowed the meat bun and declared, “More food!” before charging off over the rooftop. She paused a short way from Yaone, turning to say, “Come on! Yaone needs to eat, too!” It doesn’t matter, Yaone decided. So long as Lirin is happy, it doesn’t matter. Smiling, she followed her friend, thinking once more that she would do anything for Kougaiji-sama – and the bouncing golden girl in front of her.

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