Faulty Mirror

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“This’ll be your room Tam, hope you like it.”

The creaky wooden door swung slowly open to reveal the room it hid behind its sturdy frame. The bright noon light illuminated all the corners of the room, dust motes frozen in a moment in time for all to see.

The flat bed could be found at the far side of the room, head nestled comfortably under the bay windows. Made of dark wood, knot holes a pale contrast to the rich coloured background, it was covered in a faded coverlet, similar to the one which had adorned HoroHoro’s bed back in the Asakura residence, but older, one not used for a long time, but carefully, lovingly preserved.

Memories, memories trapped in one small room.

Wall hangings of the same native design adorned the walls, softening the angular lines of the boxed room, rafters slanting upwards to meat the main crossbeams which formed the roof of the house. Standing at the top of a small staircase, leading up from the larger second floor, this room and the one opposite it had been built right into the attic, explaining the sloping ceiling of both rooms.

Dust may have lingered in some of the corners and there may not have been much in the way of furniture – the bed, the window seat, a small chest of drawers and a bedside table, but the room had clearly been prepared carefully, warm welcome apparent in the carefully folded eiderdown and the steam that rose from a bowl on the nightstand.

Little things that brought a smile to Tamao’s face as she looked shyly into the small room.

“I’m sorry, it’s a bit small, but we didn’t have much room,” HoroHoro said, scanning the room with anxious eyes, “I hadn’t realised that Pirika would be at home as well and…”

He was halted when his pink haired friend turned to him with her shy little smile and a quick dip of her head.

“It’s wonderful HoroHoro-Kun, thank you,” she said, looking so thankful that it managed to ease his feelings of inadequacy about the simple furnishings this room provided.

Feeling a flush rise in his cheeks, the blue haired Shaman nodded sheepishly, covering his embarrassment with a gruff cough as he backed out of the doorway.

“If you need any help, my room’s the one opposite from yours.” He gave a small smile, gesturing with a backwards flick of his head towards the closed door across the hall. “They stuck me in the attic too, so don’t be worried.”

Tamao nodded minutely though a shadow of doubt did lift from her face – she had been worried that perhaps his family was not so happy about their only son bringing home a strange and shy Southern girl and that she was being shoved out of sight.

Out of sight and out of mind.

“Oh and about water…” HoroHoro had turned suddenly, another of his famous sheepish grins on his face. “We only have one running tap in the kitchen – pipes freeze easily up here in this weather.” Indeed, outside, the snow was still falling, a constant cloud of white flakes which blanketed the world. “We do have a bath-house out back though, hot springs oh, and the steam room.”

“Steam room?” Tamao asked curiously, intrigued at the sudden brightness that had entered her friend’s face when he named the facility.

“Yes, like a sauna, oh Tam, you’ll have to try it – you’ll never feel so clean in your life.”

Tickled by his enthusiasm, Tamoa shook her head, laughing softly all though the chuckle died out as she examined a strand of limp, travel worn hair.

“Perhaps I’ll check that out later…” she said glumly, her gaze falling to eye her rumpled clothes. The hours on the plane and then the long car journey had not really agreed with her.

“Right…well, if I can see rightly,” HoroHoro said, peering around her to look towards the steaming bowl on the nightstand, “Otto-San’s left you some water if you want to freshen up before lunch. I’ll take you out as soon as we’ve eaten, show you the area if you like.”

A small smile, sweet in its sincerity. “That sounds wonderful.”

There was a pause in conversation in which Tamao’s pale cheeks slowly flushed pink again.

“Um HoroHoro-Kun?” She gestured embarrassedly to the wash basin, ducking her head, almost as if in apology.

“Oh right…” The Ainu chuckled, shaking his head over his own ineptitude as he turned back towards his own room, hearing the sound of a door being closed behind him. It would be good to have a friend in the house, to help him with his task.

“Horo, come downstairs and help your sister with lunch!”

“Yes, Okaa-San…”

Home sweet home.

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Back inside the room, Tamao uttered a quiet little sigh as she dropped her little black bag on the bed, taking a moment to run a curious finger along the soft fringed edge of the bedspread, almost childlike in the wonder she felt, exploring her surroundings through touch.

Feather light…

Amused at her own behaviour, the diminutive girl stood up from her seat on the bed, easily pulling off her baggy top, gasping as the cold Northern air made violent contact with her bare skin.

Teeth close to chattering, she hurriedly dipped a washcloth in the by now luke warm water, running it quickly over the angled lines of her collar bone, up her neck and across her bare shoulders.

Still shivering she scooped up a quick handful of the water, dashing it over her face, uttering a small sneeze as some decided to defy gravity and fly up her nose.

Eyes still closed as water ran it’s rampant way down her face, she fumbled blindly for the towel she knew was hanging somewhere, only to find it closer than she expected.

Rubbing her face appreciatively against the soft material, the pink haired girl let out a contented sigh, letting it drop from her face, only to reveal a pair of beaming azure eyes.

“Aie!” Tamao yelped, stumbling backwards as she clutched the towel protectively to her chest, cheeks predictably flushing a cherry hue, the stain even spreading down to tint her neck. Painfully aware of her state of undress and the fact that her bra straps were currently slipping precariously down her angular shoulders.


The cerulean haired girl chuckled, bouncing on the balls of her steps as she looked enthusiastically at the blushing girl.

“You came, finally! I’ve missed you.”

Blinking under the fire of such exuberant greetings, Tamao quailed slightly, blinking as she looked up at her host’s sister.

“Pirika-Chan…Konnichiwa…”

Her quiet greeting was pretty much passed over as she listened to the zealous young woman carry on with her greeting, a smile on her face as words spilled like water from her lips.

The family resemblance between the sibling pair had only intensified as they had gotten older – the same proud nose, the same neat chin and of course the same sky blue locks which framed their faces. Pirika’s features may have been more delicate than her more rugged brother, but there was no denying their relationship.

“You must be tired, have you had anything to eat? That’s what Otto-San sent me up to ask you?” The bubbly girl’s brow wrinkled as she finally seemed to become aware of her guest’s state of dress. “Oh, I’m sorry, were you changing? I was just so excited to see you and it was such a treat to have Onii-San back again after so long and…”

When it seemed that the azure haired girl had finally run out of breath, Tamao, still holding the towel protectively in front of her torso, took the opportunity to smile nervously and cut in, sensing this was the only chance she would have for a while.

“Your brother has already told me about food, I was just freshening up before I came down,” she said, unnerved, but still touched by the friendly welcome HoroHoro’s little sister had given her. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes, promise.”

The Ainu girl beamed, flicking strands of blue hair over her shoulder with practiced ease as she bounded towards the door, energy radiant in the smooth lines of her body.

“See you at lunch – Otto-San’s knocked up something special,” she enthused, eyes bright. “It’s not every day that HoroHoro brings a girl home.”

“Wait, but I’m not…”

Too late – the boisterous bluenette had already exited in a flurry of long blue hair and Tamao was left alone once more, a bemused look on her face.

Right…lunch…clothes…

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“So Tamao-Chan, my son tells me that you are a Shaman also?” The dark eyes of HoroHoro’s father regarded the young woman over his steaming cup of green tea, one eyebrow raised delicately.

Tamao, shooting a nervous look across the table at HoroHoro, who was still concentrating on his noodles, squirmed slightly in her seat, placing her chopstick neatly in her now empty bowl.

“Yes Usui-Sama, but on no-where near the same scale as your son,” she said tentatively, hands loosely folded in her lap.

“Tam’s a prophetess, ‘Ka-San,” HoroHoro said, still intent on scooping up the last few evasive noodles. “She can see the future.”

In response to the impressed looks HoroHoro’s family sent her, Tamao ducked her head, sending an exasperated glance towards her Ainu friend. “Not very well…I’ve only just finished my training with Master Yohmei.”

“Master Yohmei?” This time it was HoroHoro’s mother, a stately woman who carried herself with so much grace and elegance, the pink haired prophetess felt like a clumsy oaf beside her.

“He’s Yoh’s grandfather,” HoroHoro supplied, having finally finished his meal. Leaning back in his chair, he fixed Tamao with a lazy, knowing smile. “She’s better than she says she is, no, don’t argue with me Tam, I won’t have it.”

Never one to go against orders, Tamao flushed, looking down at her clasped hands and thus missing the odd looks that HoroHoro’s parents shared. Their son, being more observant, stood up abruptly, shedding his napkin swiftly.

“I was going to show Tam around the area,” he said, gesturing towards the girl in question who stood up obligingly, bowing towards the two adults at the table and murmuring a thanks for the meal.

“It’s been snowing, remember Horo?” his mother chastised gently, arching her own brow in an expression similar to her husband’s. “Take the horses, you won’t get so wet then.”

The blue haired young man rolled his eyes, but made no objection, heading towards the door.

“Oh and take Mana as well, she needs her walk.”

Another eye roll, but they were soon outside, bundled up in warm clothing as Tamao eyed HoroHoro amusedly while he attempted to wrap his scarf around his neck.

“Here…” she said, gentle fingers busily working at tying the soft blue length around his neck as she smiled slightly, an eyebrow raising as he threw up his hands in defeat.

“You didn’t say you had horses?”

“Well, the forest extends pretty far and in this weather, you really need to keep above the snow.” He chuckled wryly, rubbing his nose as he kept his elbows out of her way. “Otto-San thought snowmobiles caused too much pollution so, her solution was horses.”

Tamao frowned, but it did make sense. Stepping backwards, she eyed the neat under and over knot she had made of his scarf with some satisfaction. “Okay, so who’s Mana then?”

His only answer was a grin before he placed his fingers in his mouth, letting out a piercing whistle that made her jump. A large, furry form suddenly appeared from the back of the house, winding its way towards them, sinuous despite its size.

Hound shaped, with a build similar to a greyhound, the dog was huge, head reaching to over Tamao’s waist, a fact she was very wary of. Long fur covered its graceful form, tricoloured in shades of white, grey and a rich mahogany brown. A noble muzzle, long and extended, sniffed happily at HoroHoro’s hand before the dog surged upwards to place her forepaws on his shoulders, bathing his laughing face in excited licks.

“Mana...no...down girl, down,” he said in between long moist, strokes of the animal’s tongue. Making a face, he firmly pushed the large dog down, ruffling her ears as she sat there, panting, with a satisfied look on her long muzzle.

“This is Mana, she’s a Borzoi…they’re good dogs to have in the snow because of all this fur.” Indeed, Mana had a lot of fur – fringing her stomach and a magnificent ruff around her neck and forelegs. “Say hello to Tam, Mana.”

Before she knew what was happening, the pink haired girl felt HoroHoro grab her hand and bring it down towards the dog. Tamao winced, flinching as her eyes closed automatically having caught a glimpse of very sharp white teeth in that long muzzle. Yet she was surprised to feel something wet nudge against her trembling fingertips and she opened her eyes in surprise, looking down to see HoroHoro’s hand holding her own near Mana’s muzzle and a very pink tongue swiping over her hand as limpid brown eyes looked up at her.

Tamao fell in love instantly with those big and brown eyes.

It might have had something to do with the fact that those eyes were so similar to another pair she longed to see and were so filled with warmth and utter charm that she half found herself believing that they were indeed the eyes she wanted to see with that emotion.

“Hello there beautiful…” she breathed, cheeks flushed with the pleasure of coming so close to such a magnificent and clearly noble, actually touching the soft fur around her neck

HoroHoro chuckled at the sheer look of wonder on Tamao’s face as he pulled her up gently and towards another wooden building at the side of the house.

“If you like Mana, wait until you see the horses.”

“But HoroHoro-Kun…I don’t know how to ride!”

“You will.”

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“You want me to get on that?”

Tamao looked slightly hysterical as she tried to back pedal around behind HoroHoro, away from the stall he was leading her towards.

“No, I want you to ride her – trust me, Ororo’s the gentlest horse you’ll ever met,” he assured her, trying to keep his tone soothing as he placed a hand on her arm, steering her inexorably towards the horse in the stall.

“But I haven’t met any horses…I don’t want to!” she protested, eyes wide and scared, though she allowed him to pull her forwards.

“You’ll want to meet this one,” her Ainu friend told her firmly, though all his hard work was nearly undone when the curious mare thrust her head out of the stall, eliciting a squeak from Tamao and her burying her face in his shirt.

“Tam, it’s the same as when you met Mana, just put your hand out.”

The pink haired girl shivered, not moving for a moment as she continued to press up against HoroHoro, a fact which made him suddenly aware of how nice her hair smelt.

Not too sweet, just clean…maybe jasmine or something….she’s too thin, we need to feed her up I suppose…

His train of thought was interrupted by her pulling away and taking a shuddering breath, dark eyes looking up at him for guidance.

Forcing a smile on his face and discomfiting thoughts away for now, HoroHoro, taking her hand, guided her towards the inquisitive horse’s muzzle. He felt her tense up when the palomino mare whuffled into her palm, but was satisfied to see her muscles slowly uncurling, relaxing into the warm breath Ororo was emitting.

“See, that wasn’t so bad was it?” he asked teasingly, nudging her in the side with a poking finger.

Tamao made a noise of protest, still keeping her gaze on the golden mare as she examined her hand for any treats that might be hidden there.

There was a long silence only filled with the soft sounds of horses moving within their stalls and Tamao’s own soft breathing as she sought to calm her racing heart.

HoroHoro was worryingly aware of just how acutely he could feel her breathing against his front. Having been intent on her being the focus of the horse’s attention, he had manoeuvred her until she was in front of him, her back pressed up against her chest when she had resisted.

She was close, too close.

The blue haired Shaman could feel her ribcage rising and falling with every nervous breath she took and was well aware that his own breath was unaccountably ragged, for no reason. No reason whatsoever.

“What’s her name again?” Tamao asked, soft and nervous voice distracting him from his own feelings, something he agreed to readily – this was unnerving.

“Ororo, it means light,” he answered, trying to keep his voice nonchalant, cursing the slight squeak that occurred in his tone.

“Ororo…” Tamao repeated, hand still in contact with the mare’s pale muzzle. “Light….it suits her.”

“She’s gentle too, wait until you get on her back – she goes like a dream.”

The pink haired girl pressed up against him sighed and he could feel her body shudder against his. “Do I have to?” she asked, voice plaintive though he noticed she was leaning more towards the horse now – though he wasn’t sure whether he appreciated the loss of her body contact or not.

“If you want to see the forest you do.”

She was quiet at that and HoroHoro watched her head fall forwards, bubblegum pink hair falling to shadow her face and he felt an urge to brush them away with the back of his hand.

“I guess you’d better find me a saddle then,” Tamao said finally, turning to face her companion with such an innocent smile, he despised himself for even having such hentai thoughts about her.

She was Tamao, his friend, his best friend. Or more precisely, his best friend who was in love with another man.

Bummer, eh?

“Right..” he forced himself to say, smiling awkwardly before he turned away towards the wall where the saddles were slung on the customised hooks, burnished and worn leather sending a wonderful smell of horse towards them, the material having its own unique smell.

“Let’s get Ororo kitted up then we can get you mounted,” the young man said, running a hand over several saddles before choosing one with a high front and back, the dark leather ornamented with a simple pattern of brass ornaments around the raised edge.

“Can you open the door for me,” he asked, grunting as he lifted the rather weighty saddle off the wall, turning back to the hesitant looking prophetess.

Tamao gulped, but, seeing the trouble he was going to for her, scurried over to open the stall door, pulling the heavy wooden frame open as he walked in, hearing the mare move back obligingly so he could have room to move around in.

“She has a really soft mouth, so you should have no problems steering her.” Inside the stall, she could hear soft rustlings and the soothing nonsense words he uttered to Ororo. Even without being able to see him, Tamao knew that he was petting the palomino and the thought brought a smile to her face.

The Ainu was such a softie when it came to animals.

What Tamao couldn’t see was that this softness extended to her. If she’d been more aware that she was the only human he treated like this, she might have been more confused, perhaps even have her heart’s direction changed. But for now, her heart was a compass and Yoh was straight North.

“Not that you’ll need to steer – she’ll just follow me and Calydor like a lamb, yes you’re a darling, aren’t you Ororo?”

The nicker the horse gave as an answer managed to startle a surprised laugh out of Tamao.

“It’s almost like she understands you, HoroHoro-Kun,” she said shyly, leaning against the large post in the main area of the stables, waiting for her friend to finish.

“Of course she understands me, Ororo’s smart as hell.” She could feel his smirk, that inane grin, his trademark smile. “Us Ainus have that connection with nature, remember?”

“I remember…” Tamao said absently, looking down towards her feet, but was rewarded by the sight of Mana’s loving eyes, her plumed tail stirring up a cloud of dust behind her in its exuberance.

“Hey there girl,” she said quietly, bending down to run curious hands over the Borzoi’s creamy bib, admiring the silken quality of the curling hair. The attention only caused Mana’s tail to move harder and Tamao laughed softly, increasing her scratching, finally finding a place behind her ear which seemed to drive her ecstatic. “Oh, you’re gorgeous, aren’t you?”

“Well, I know that, but it’s taken you long enough to appreciate my manly charms,” an amused voice said, though the tone was slightly…odd.

Tamao turned with a sheepish blush as she gestured towards the happy dog literally sitting on her feet. “I was talking to Mana…” Her voice trailed off as she saw HoroHoro leading the now fully saddled and bridled and stirruped Ororo out of the stall, heading towards her and Mana.

“Right, time for you to mount up, Tam,” he said, with far too much enjoyment for her taste.

Gulping, she walked tentatively towards the mare, who suddenly seemed to be much larger than she had thought. Solid muscle and bone and heavy, heavy hooves that could crush her in an instant.

Fun.

“It’s okay…seriously…” Looking up into a pair of soothing dark eyes, Tamao allowed her breath to slowly release, tension dancing a limbo in her stomach as she took the hand he offered her.

HoroHoro, moving in a very slow and deliberate way, guided her slim fingered hands towards Ororo’s white mane, letting her tangles her digits in it.

“Now hold on tight and you can put your foot here…” The shaman was now bending slightly, cupping his hands together to make a platform which Tamao put her booted foot in, looking at him nervously. “Now, on three, I’ll boost you up, okay?”

Say no, say no! the sane part of Tamao’s mind told her, but dry lips opened, only to say “Yes…”

“Right..one…two…three, up!”

And that was it. HoroHoro pushed upwards and due to a combination of her diminutive size and light weight, Tamao’s leg swung easily over Ororo’s back and she was soon sitting astride the mare’s back.

HoroHoro, straightening up, immediately doubled back up again, breaking into laughter at the surprised look on her face.

“That’s it?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Wow…but it was such a little thing.” She looked down into an oddly wistful face, not the one she normally saw on her friend’s features.

“Yeah, but sometimes the little things are the hardest to do, Tam…”

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