Caged - On hiatus

This is a new werewolf story of mine. By the way, I like mixing Japanese yokais and werewolf so this is the result. I hope you enjoy! Chapter 1: The noises of a typical noon inside a small village awakened me from my late afternoon nap. My eyes opened to see the wooden ceiling of my home, I gingerly sat up while I brushed the lingering sleep away from my eyes. I yawned, stretching my arms to hear the audible pop from my bones. I stood up and folded the futon I used before heading outside to a long hallway connected to a pleasant and luscious garden fenced in by tall wooden poles that separated our house from the outside. I looked left and right noting the absence of anyone, so I took the time to enter our garden. I hurried to the pond holding our pet koi fish and greeted Miro before diving down to the tall bushes beside it. The thick foliage was enough to engulf my small stature and hide the stool that I always use to peer outside. I took it to a particularly smaller part of the walled fence and stood on my tippy toes, my small pudgy hands hold onto the wood and I strained myself to look. With eyes barely passing the tall ledge I noted the bustling village where I live. A number of kids my age were playing tag with each other while a group of mothers were gossiping with each other while holding some produce. Very few houses are near our own, the closest one a few meters away from us. Wonder flashed my eyes as I saw the traveling merchant came, his cart jiggling with assorted noises and the villagers flocked to him to see his wares. My eyes grew wide at the beautiful stallion beside him pulling his wagon. But due to the limited vantage, I couldn't quite see what he was selling. I looked around more, fascinated at the world I could never touch. Ever since I can understand words, my mother and grandfather drilled into me that I could never go out of our house. I always ask why by they refused to answer. Now that I'm seven, my longing and curiosity had been at peak and I did my best to sneak out of the house. But our servants often found out and I haven't escaped successfully but I haven't given up. For now I am satisfied with seeing it and letting my cravings of the outside be sated. When I heard voices coming from the hall I quickly climb down the stool, almost falling in the attempt to quickly hide my only tool of seeing the world on the opposite side of these high walls. I sat beside our pond pretending to play with Miro. Our big koi fish easily went to my outstretched hands and brushed against it. I laughed at the sensation, just in time to see my mother walking to our room accompanied by two younger girls holding the laundry. "Okaa-san!" I exclaimed seeing her, she was startled for a second, the tray she was holding clattering. She turned to look at me, one hand over her heart. "Akane! Don't startle me like that." She said scolding but I can see the smile forming on her lips. "Gomenasai okaa-san." I answered, bowing my head at her. I bound to her not missing the way the two other girls flinched and took a distance from me. I ignored them being used with other servants avoiding me. Only Chinami-baachan and Jiro-niichan were the few servants who plays with me. I don't really get it and I just let it go. "Akane!" I was pulled from my thoughts as I looked up at my mother who was looking at me in confusion. "You're spacing out my dear." She said before walking inside the room and motioning for the others to follow her. I followed them watching the two girls quickly leave the linens on the drawers before bowing to my mother and excusing themselves, making sure they didn't touch me when they left. I looked at their retreating backs then to my mother, noting the sad expression that crossed her dark eyes before she masked it with a smile. My mouth thinned as I bit my tongue inside, making sure not to ask. Because every time that I do, my mother had this sullen and pained look on her. "Come here, I brought sweets." My mother said patting her lap and I run towards her, plopping myself on her soft thighs with my back onto her. When I was comfortable enough, I looked at the tray she brought and finds a serving of vanilla ice cream on it. I turned towards her with my eyes glinting in happiness. I love vanilla ice cream, more so when it was made by my mother, it was always delicious. "Arigatou, can I eat it now?" I asked, my body bouncing up and down her thigh. She laughed, soft and elegant, I could never comprehend my mom's beauty. It was warm and blinding. "Of course my dear, go ahead." She gave me her permission and I took the long metal spoon to dip at the creamy goodness. "Itadakimasu!" I said before putting the treat into my mouth. The taste was light but tasty, the creaminess melted into my tongue, the coldness seeping through my bones and just right for the humid air. I attacked the sweets as my mother took the comb from my vanity. She undid the red ribbon that held my silver hair up, the strings cascading down my shoulders towards my lower back. My mom hummed a small tune while she pressed the comb down my luscious hair. Maybe it was a bit weird, to have such light hair but my mother always called it beautiful, but it was nothing like her own black ones that looked and was silky to the touch. I asked once why we don't have the same hair or eyes for that matter but she only said that I took after my father. My father whom I never knew, mother never told me where he was or what happened to him. Only that he wasn't from our village and he has an odd look to him. Long silver hair and blood red eyes. Things that I inherited from him. My mother loved those features, telling me that it's making her remember my father. Grandfather often scoffed when he hears that but he always tells me that I am beautiful compared to my father. I never really knew him so I had no idea what to think of it. Just that these features made me different. And this difference is the reason why I can't go outside. Chinami-baachan said that it was to protect me, because not all people like those who are different. I don't really understand. But that didn't stop my hunger for the life outside these walls. For so long I had dreamed of running across the dirt road, following the stream and catching frogs on the rice paddy. I only know about those things through the stories of the other children's that I can hear. But all sounded marvelous, oh how I wish I can do all those things and more. I daydreamed as the lull of my mother's voice, the calming combing of her hands and the sweets on my mouth was calling my mind into dreamland. I was fighting off my heavy lids when ojii-san came barreling through the door with Jiro-niichan beside him and another older guy I don't know who. "Emiko, there you are." He said impassively both arms crossed over his chest. He eyed my mother before his eyes passed through me, I saw it soften a little before it hardened again. "Ojii-san! Let's eat." I exclaimed sleepily, a lopsided smile hanging off my lips, my eyes still feeling heavy. He grunted but took a step towards me and patted my head gently. "Stop eating sweets before sleeping, you'll have bad dreams." He said sternly and I just pouted. "And you shouldn't spoil her like this." He turned to my mother who only giggled. "I'm not spoiling her Tou-sama, and Akane just woke up." She told him and I agreed nodding my head vigorously with my spoon raised. He just harrumphed while shaking his head. "Any way, we have a guest. And I don't want him near Akane." He said seriously, anger exuding from him that had me startled. Why doesn't he want me to see them? I looked up to my mother whose mouth was set thinly, a worried look in her face. She smiled again when she found me looking at her but it didn't reach her eyes. "Honey, we will just be on the hall okay, you can sleep again after finishing your sweets. Don't leave this room." She said calmly but seriously. My mother is normally carefree and this is the only time I saw her agitated. I wonder what's wrong but I didn't press. "Don't leave, do you understand?" My grandfather repeated my mother's words and I nodded my head vigorously, despite the overwhelming curiosity I held. My mother waved goodbye as she followed grandfather out. I was left feeling confused, my sleepiness leaving me. I stared down at my melting ice cream and debated whether I try to sneak up to them but berated myself quickly. Mother and Grandfather asked me to stay put so I should! I told myself as I finished my sweets but as the last creamy treat hit my tongue, my curiosity was still at peak. I tried very hard to eat slowly but they were still not finished. I fidgeted on my futon, my sleep completely gone. One thing I don't have is patience and I'm overly abundant with curiosity. A mix that is not good, coupled with the energy and mischievousness of a seven years old. I tried, I really did try to not disobey them but I can't take it. After counting up to a hundred I decided that I'm done waiting. Opening up the sliding door I looked left and right, cheering when there was no one on sight. I stood on my tip toe, making sure I make as little noise as possible. Tip toeing, I headed to our hall where my grandfather talk with guests. Now that I thought about it, grandfather usually have guest over since he's a businessman as he had called himself and many unknown people comes through their house and I'm often hidden away. But this is the first time I really wanted to see who it was. Because the aura when they left felt so anxious and there is this tugging in my gut that something very dangerous is about to happened. I creep toward the room where they were and immediately I could hear the agitation in my mother's voice. "I'm very sorry Kimura-san but the rumors you're hearing are false, we don't have any Akuma in this house. What kind of absurdity is this?" I can hear my mother's angry voice drift out the slightly open door. I gasped in surprise, I've never heard her so angry in all of my life, she's the most soft spoken person I've known. The other guy chuckled not minding my mother's outburst. I leaned in more to see what he looked like. My vision fell on a white suit-clad man. His eyes were narrow and a smile was permanently etched in his mouth. He looked like any other person in this village except that he's clean and wore western clothes. "I'm so sorry to aggravate you madame, but I am simply inquiring, you see my master is looking for unique beings and I simply went to where news of them takes me." He said calmly not even taking note of how mother talked to him. "And I am saying you got it wrong." My mother answered quickly losing patience. Mr. Kimura only c****d his head to the side, his face may be smiling but his eyes held a scary look in them. "But the masses around you think otherwise. Fujiwara-san." He said a bit mockingly and my mother bristled at the notion. "Why you-" She was stopped by my grandfather who simply shot out his arm to silence her. "Emiko, calm down." Grandpa said his tone still calm. He simply looked at the other party, his eyes never wavering and his signature frown. He folded his hand to his chest and fixated his glare on them. "Just like what my daughter said, this household do not held such things that you are talking about. And this is a small village, anything out of the ordinary can fright them." He said calmly but with an intense undertone that made even me shiver. I watch as the man named Kimura frown slightly before bowing his head at them. "I see then, I am sorry for taking your time. Doing this business you often have to comb through thousands of lies before arriving to the truth. I thank you for your compliance with us." He said, with that shrewd smile back on his face. It seems like their meeting was coming to an end as grandfather nodded his head at his words. And I turned around, preparing to go back to my room when I felt a hard shiver travel down my spine. A feeling that is so unpleasant I felt all the hair on my skin stand up. I looked back only to find the odd man's eyes on me. My heart lurched towards my throat in fear. I don't know if he could see me or just looking my way but that stare unnerved me. There was something dark in them. When I saw the way his mouth quirk up, I almost peed my pants at the creepiness of it. I scrambled to my feet to quickly leave his presence. I don't know if he was actually looking at me but I'm not going to find out. His eyes was so scary I can't take it out of my head. When I entered my room, my legs crumbled down. They felt like jelly and my whole body was trembling in fear. I quickly dove under my futon and squeezed my eyes shut trying to erase that smile off my head. The fear ran its course through me and I was shaking, I didn't even notice the door opened until I felt a hand card through my hair. The gentleness and warmth spread from that touch to ease some of my trembling. I turned around and opened my eyes to see my mother looking at me worriedly. She smiled sadly at me while her hand wiped my cheeks, I didn't even noticed that I was crying. A chocked sob escaped my lips and I quickly hugged my mother's midsection and burrowed my head there. "Shh honey, did you have nightmares?" She asked while patting my head, I simply tightened my hands around her. I heard her sigh silently before gathering me into her arms and swaying me while humming a familiar tune. My eyes were starting to feel heavy and my earlier thoughts were starting to leave me as I let my mother's lullaby send me to sleep. "Don't worry my love, I would never let anyone harm you." I hear my mother say just before I completely fell asleep. -- A few days has passed since the guest came to our house. That incident was quickly shoved into the back of my head as my yearning to go outside triumphs over it. That being said, I had been planning how to escape my guards when I overheard the news about a festival. Now I've never been to one, my mother and grandfather doesn't go either so I could only hear the merriment over the fences. But this time, it seemed like grandfather was urged to come. Seeing as we're the richest family in this village and has been supporting it, the villagers had long since wanted to honor our family for years. Grandfather said that it was a waste of time but the chief was very adamant for our family to join the festivities. And through persistent begging and kneeling, grandfather finally answered yes! Of course I'm eavesdropping on their talks. I grinned as I almost squealed where I'm hiding. Grandfather was very stubborn but in the end he said yes and I'm finally going outside, for the first time in seven years! I hurried to my room to wait for the good news. My mouth was hurting at how big my smile was. This is it, I can finally step outside. I tried to school my expression to that of indifference when I heard footsteps nearing my room. I didn't wait long for my door to open and revealed grandpa and my mother. My earlier excitement was dwindling as I looked at their troubled faces. I wonder what's wrong. My mother smiled after catching my eyes and she quickly took the seat next to me. Patting my head and hugging me to her side. She was being weird, even grandfather was serious as he sat in seiza in front of me. "Akane, there will be a festival on the day after tomorrow." He started and I only nodded my head, anticipation burning up inside me. I resisted the urge to jump up and down and simply leaned into my mother's side more. When he didn't continue, I propped a brow and looked at him expectantly. "And?" I asked, my lips are starting to quiver at the suppressed smile. "And we're going to attend it..." He said and before he could finish his sentence I was out like an arrow shot, jumping through my bedroom. "I'm going outside, finally, I can go outside!" I cheered, running around in circles and laughing. Until I collided to a solid wall. Or legs actually as I looked up to see Jiro standing at the entrance of my room. I did not notice him coming inside but I shrugged it off. Instead I stood up and hugged him, telling him the news with a beaming face. "I'm going otside, Jiro-nii." Then he looked at me sadly which confused me. Isn't he happy that I can finally go outside? I mean he's often the one in charge to guard me so he should know how important this is to me. I furrowed my brows at him, my smile dropping. "Aren't you happy for me?" I asked, forcing a smile but he shook his head and before I could ask again my grandfather interrupted me. "You're not coming with us young lady." He said sternly and I shifted my focus on him. He was standing now with his hands folded inside his yukata. I frowned not understanding his words. "Wha – but why?" I asked, shifting my vision to my mother who had a similar saddened face. "The chief said we should all go right?" I asked, my eyes starting to moisten. My lips quivering, this time, it wasn't a smile that I was holding in but a sob. "I and your mother is enough for those villagers. You will stay here." He said in finality and I couldn't help the anger that surged through me. I step outside Jiro-nii's hold and glared at my grandfather. "Why! Why do you imprison me like this? I just want to go outside!" I shouted at him, the tears I've been holding back now streaming down my cheeks and creating a small puddle on the wooden floor. "I don't want to be caged like this!" I shouted at them. A sob tore out from my lips and I bit into them. My eyes blurred as the waterworks continued to fall. I felt hands around me and a low shushing reached my ears. My mother held me as I cried my eyes out. I just want to go outside. Just once. Is that too much to ask? "Honey please stop crying. This is for your own good. We promise you that." My mother said as she rubbed my back and rocked my body. "I just want to go out." I whispered to her while clutching the collar of her dress. I buried my head on her shoulder as I let out more pathetic sounds. "I know sweetheart but it's dangerous." She answered, her voice breaking. "We're doing this to protect you. You have to understand." She continued. I felt myself being carried to my futon. My head hurts from all the crying and my eyes had puffed up. The dizziness was overwhelming and I was slowly slipping into unconsciousness. But before I fully fall asleep I felt my grandfather's calloused hand on my forehead, sliding down to my cheeks to brush away the tears. "We're doing this for you my dear." Hi voice sound so faint but it was the gentlest tone I heard my grandfather speak. And after that I was completely asleep. - I woke up just after sundown and I watched as the purplish hue of the sky turned into a dark blue. I was still in trance and my head still hurt a bit same with my eyes. I had cried myself to sleep. This is most childish I've ever been in my seven years of life. I was often described by Chinami-baasan and Jiro-nii as an intelligent and mature child. Far advance in thinking from children of the same age. But I'm still a kid and even I could be disappointed, more so when it's about a thing I've been wanting. I sighed as I looked down at my hands, it was small and a bit chubby. I had no idea what dangers they are saying but they're older and knows more than me. Maybe I really shouldn't ask to go outside if they're so against it. But my curiosity was still burning in my heart and I know that I don't want to be caged all my life. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard my door open. I looked up to see my mother and Chinami-baasan holding a tray of what I presume as food. The steaming bowl of soup could be seen from where I'm sitting. When my mother saw me, she smiled gently, walking towards me careful not to spill the food she's holding. I admire the grace she possess, even the way she walks is so elegant. I let a small smile grace my lips as my mother approached me. She put the tray down where I saw a bowl of miso soup, rice and chicken karaage. "Thank you." I said quietly, she swiped my bangs aside before cupping my cheek. "Are you alright now?" She asked sincerely and I nodded. "I'm sorry for earlier." I told her and she shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. I'm sorry we can't let you come with us." She replied and I could only nod my head. Awkward silence enveloped us and I fidgeted in my seat. "This looks good kaa-san." I changed the topic gazing at the food before me. My mom laughed, taking the spot beside me and cuddling me to her side. "Yes, Chinami-san and I made this to cheer you up!" She said merrily, picking up the chopsticks to feed me. I stopped her hand a blush coloring my cheeks. "I can eat by myself." I said taking the chopstick away from her but she held it out of my reach. "Oh dear, just let mommy spoil you okay." She told me while batting her eyelashes. I groaned, I should be the one making puppy looks to get my way not the other way around. I pursed my lips before nodding my head. "Oh ojou, you look so adorable like that." Chinami-baasan commented while watching our exchange. I simply let out my tongue at her while she giggled. "You're still a child ojou, let us pamper and protect you." She said sincerely, her wrinkled face smoothing. A small smile graced my lips and I nodded my head at her. My mother nudge me as she held the rice to my mouth. I sighed before opening my mouth and taking a bite. I feel so childish. But I loved how they're doing their best to cheer me up. I should just burry my resentment, surely I could wait 'till I'm old enough to go out. I mean, the outside is just there, I could always experience it at any moment in the future. Or at least that's what I thought on that moment. But on the day of the festival after watching my grandfather and mother leave and hearing the festivities go around I couldn't help the desire to see it. So with a bit of maneuvering I escaped my guards and headed out to the bush near the pond. I asked Miro to pray for my success and he simply blobbed at me. I giggled as I dove into the tall bushes that hid the tear I made on the fences. I discovered this when I hit it with my stool. The old wood gave out and it gave me the idea to slowly make a hole. A shout of my name jolted me out of my thoughts and I hid from our servants. I could hear their footsteps and with a thumping heart I crossed the opening into the streets. -- A/N: If you like this story don't hesitate to leave a like and comment! Thank you very much!