Their First Kiss

As Naraku thought, the gloom in his eyes grew deeper.

He waited and waited. Night fell, but that woman still had not come to see him.

Wearing only a White Undergarment, Naraku rose, slid the door open, and headed toward Xu Zhiqiu's room.

Inside, the Twelve-Layered Robe Xu Zhiqiu had worn to the banquet lay on a chair, its layers stacked one atop another. The woman herself was sprawled gracelessly across the bed in her nightclothes. Her loose sleeves exposed her little, snow-white hands, and her awkward position had pushed up her skirt, baring her legs to the knees.

Naraku sat beside Xu Zhiqiu, took her hand, and straightened her sleeping posture. Then he turned to her legs, rising to pull out the quilt trapped beneath her and cover her with it.

Once she was covered, he sat beside her again and studied her face.

As Xu Zhiqiu slept, her lips were slightly parted, her face peaceful, her hair scattered around her.

He reached out and gently touched her cheek. It was as warm as he had imagined.

"Come here," the woman murmured in her sleep.

Naraku knew she was dreaming. What was Qiu dreaming about now? Was she dreaming of being with the person she loved?

Naraku leaned closer, hoping to hear what Xu Zhiqiu was saying.

Then the hand beneath the quilt reached out, hooked around his neck, and pulled hard.

Naraku could not help falling against Xu Zhiqiu, his lips landing on hers. His pupils contracted sharply in an instant. The softness against his lips, together with the woman's distinctive fragrance filling his nose, made him forget where he was.

His mind stopped thinking altogether, utterly lost in the meeting of their lips.

Gradually, he reached out to cradle the top of the woman's head as she lay on the bed, pressing his other hand against her shoulder and taking back the initiative.

In the quiet room, there were only their two figures pressed intimately together.

Soft strands of hair fell against her neck, tickling her. Xu Zhiqiu felt as though a boulder were pinning her down, making it difficult to breathe and leaving her chest tight.

A stinging sensation came from her lips. She opened her eyes and met those red eyes.

Noticing that Xu Zhiqiu had woken, Naraku lifted his head and stroked her face, his breath brushing her skin as he asked in a faintly seductive voice, "Qiu, shall we continue?"

The man's arousal made her body stiffen instantly. Worse still, her hands were still clasped around Naraku's neck.

"No. Get off me," Xu Zhiqiu said, releasing her hands from his neck.

Naraku gave a low chuckle and promptly got off Xu Zhiqiu, sitting to one side.

Freed from his weight, Xu Zhiqiu hurriedly sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it out. Her mind was a tangled skein. What happened? How did we end up like that?

She pressed her lips together and took a moment to recover before turning toward the man beside her. She found his eyes fixed on her. Following Naraku's gaze, she saw that her loose clothes had fallen open at the overlapping collar.

She hastily fumbled to pull them closed, then drew the quilt up to her neck and bent her knees. Seeing Naraku still sitting there, with a conspicuous trace of moisture at the corner of his mouth, she opened her mouth, then finally buried her whole face in the quilt.

"What just happened?" she asked in a muffled voice.

Naraku had been waiting for Xu Zhiqiu to ask. "I was about to ask you that. Qiu, why did you suddenly wrap your arms around my neck, murmur someone else's name, and kiss me? Qiu, are you treating me, Naraku, as a stand-in?"

"Huh?" Xu Zhiqiu lifted her head from the quilt, her eyes full of innocent bewilderment. "I don't even have a man. How could I be treating you as a stand-in? Naraku, are you sure you didn't mishear?"

Xu Zhiqiu had once had a crush on someone, but the way that man treated his girlfriend had made her skin crawl. Now she could not even remember his face or name. How could she possibly dream about him? Was this supposed to disgust her?

Naraku carefully studied Xu Zhiqiu's expression. Once he was certain she was not lying, he lowered his eyes and said casually, "Perhaps I misheard."

A little silence settled between them.

"Um, why are you in my room?" Xu Zhiqiu asked, her eyes darting about as she changed the subject.

Naraku picked up the wooden box beside him and handed it to Xu Zhiqiu. "Didn't you say you would come see me once you changed? I waited a long time, but you never came, so I came here myself."

Xu Zhiqiu reached out, took the box, and opened it to find silver inside. She rummaged through it several times but found no property deed. Looking up at the seated man, she asked, "Is there no deed?"

"Qiu, haven't you been living quite comfortably here with me? Why do you still want to move out?" Naraku asked.

Xu Zhiqiu explained, "The surroundings are nice and the food is good, but if I had a big house of my own, I could have a change of scenery now and then."

"Hah. There is no deed, so put that idea to rest." Naraku's expression suddenly turned cold. He stood, glanced at the woman sitting on the bed, whose thoughts he could not fathom, and said, "Get some rest."

Then he turned and left.

The wooden door slid shut. Xu Zhiqiu withdrew her gaze, looking thoroughly disgruntled. Has Naraku hit middle age? His attitude changes from one moment to the next.

It was already good enough that Naraku had given her money.

She lowered her head, scooped up a handful of money, then let it fall back with a clear clinking sound. Closing the lid, she hugged the box to her chest and tipped her head back to look at the ceiling beams, recalling that kiss.

The sensation still lingered on her lips. She reached up to touch them, then came to her senses and shook her head. What am I thinking?

She set the box aside and lay spread-eagled, a little confusion in her eyes. When she thought of Naraku, her heart beat a little faster.

Why hadn't Naraku refused her kiss? Had Onigumo bewitched him again, making him unable to help treating her that way?

It was a little strange.

Xu Zhiqiu could not put that feeling into words, but deep down, she felt no aversion. Instead, she felt a little pleased?

What was she thinking?

Xu Zhiqiu rubbed her hair, pulled up the quilt she had kicked aside, and closed her eyes to sleep.

A lamp in the room cast a faint orange glow.

The next day, Xu Zhiqiu was assigned another room. Her old room had been next to Naraku's, but now an entire corridor separated them.

The reason they gave was clear: as the young castle lord's fiancée, Xu Zhiqiu should not live too close to him, lest it give others grounds for criticism.

Naraku said nothing, clearly giving his tacit approval.

Since the master of the house had said so, Xu Zhiqiu, an outsider, could hardly object. She let them move her belongings into the new room.

The new room was much more spacious than her previous one, and Xu Zhiqiu's slight displeasure vanished at once. Once the servants helped put everything in order, she lay down on the bedding spread over the floor. Its softness enveloped her. It was wonderfully comfortable.

After she moved here, she saw Naraku less often. When she wanted to visit him, his retainer said the Young Lord was rather seriously ill and feared passing it on to her, so he could not receive visitors for the next few days.

It was Naraku who didn't want to see her, wasn't it?

Xu Zhiqiu knew where she stood. She stopped trying to visit Naraku and instead stayed in her room, sorting through her clothes.

Naraku had bought her many clothes. Some were a little too loose, others a little too small. She sorted them by size, then sat before the mirror and experimented with the rouge and face powder.