Is it a bad thing?

A small gasp from the doorway yanked me out of the arms that felt like the warmest bed on the coldest night.

We both turned to see Toshi backing away as if our combined stares were a pair of pitchforks, holding a tray with two bowls on it.

“Sorry,” she said, her own eyes dropping away from us.

Tatsuya pulled his hands away from my waist and shoulder just as quickly as I moved mine from his, his fingers curling regretfully in his lap.

“I'll go get the others,” she said.

Her distress blew threw the large room and I wouldn't have been surprised to see the black curtains of the four poster bed move in response to it. A gust of despair and jealousy that slapped away my frustration as though it were the hand of a traitor.

“Toshi –” I began but the tray was set on a small side table on the other end of the room, close to the door, and she was gone before I could finish saying her name.

She had caught the love of her life hugging someone else in a stranger's minimally decorated room. Was there anything I could say or do to dull the blade of that particular memory for her?

“She can be shy sometimes,” said Tatsuya weakly, wringing his hands as if they had dared to summon her without his permission.

His white hair stood out more against the dark aesthetic of our immediate surroundings, as did the bandage beneath his haori which hung off his shoulders and left most of his arms bare. Has Toshi been the one to place it on him while I was asleep? Did I have the right to intensely dislike the idea of that?

“You should go after her,” I said, purely because it seemed like the right thing to say even if I had no solid reason to think so just yet.

“Do you really think I could catch up?” He smiled wryly despite the tension and red undercurrent beneath his skin.

I appreciated his raw amusement a lot more than expected.

“Honestly no.” I shook my head and stifled a chuckle.

“Speaking of honesty.” He glanced at me and then away again, making no move to follow the woman whose heart we had just broken. “Why didn't you tell me?”

I raised my eyebrows in a silent question, momentarily distracted from the guilt that was eating me alive and enjoying every bite. Kind of like the figurine of a golden lion eating a silver dragon that had been placed in the centre of a dark wooden bookshelf opposite the matching bed frame.

“The phoenix,” he said. “I had no idea it was you all that time.”

“Ah, that,” I replied eloquently. “I don't know why I didn't tell you. I haven't remembered that part.”

“Oh.” He nodded and shifted until he could sit comfortably on the edge of the bed. His lower back stayed pressed against my left hip and his hand rested on the deep grey duvet close to mine. “So you don't remember how long you've been a Duoling then?”

“Duoling?” What language was that supposed to be? I couldn't remember hearing them speak any other language besides English in Nippo but that didn't mean it wasn't possible.

“Someone with two abilities instead of one like everyone else,” he explained. “I wonder if Uchi knows too.”

I shrugged and hesitated before asking him, “Is it a bad thing? Being a Duoling?”

“It wasn't always –” He faltered. “I mean, it was the kind of thing that drew all sorts of attention, even back then, and some people preferred to avoid that for safety reasons. But if you were something wor- more than that, I could see why you would hide it.”

“Worse? What's worse than that?” I knew the answer even before he said it and hearing the words out loud made my palms itch.

I considered lying down again but that would have reminded me of waking up on earth and seeing the family I had left behind there again. Besides there was no way I could rest properly after witnessing such a complicated expression on Toshi's face.

“There's nothing wrong with being a Trioling,” he said. “But most believe that having three abilities is too much power for one person to hold and see it as a threat to our nation, especially here in Inner Town.”

“Why?”

“Because only the royal family are supposed to have that kind of power from birth,” he said. “But even they haven't produced a Duoling in the family for decades, let alone a Trioling.”

“You have a royal family here?” I asked, rubbing my forehead. “In Nippo?”

“We do.” He nodded again. “The prince is the one who formed the Inquisitors after you – after the they started suspecting all the missing people had been murdered. He wanted to make sure that nothing like that could ever happen again.”

“Do you think I did it?” I knew his eyes wouldn't lie to me.

“No.” He responded just as quickly as before but he bit his lip before speaking again, struggling with each word. “Although, back then, Ras said he saw a –”

“Tatsu, have you seen Toshi?” asked Washi as he entered the room, pausing for a moment as I looked at him. “Shizu! You're all right.”

“I am indeed,” I said as if the bruised sensation all over my body didn't exist and I wasn't keen to find out exactly what Ras had said. “I wonder if Toshi is too.”

“Why?” His tone sharpened. “Did something happen?”

“She said she was going to get the others but she hasn't come back yet,” I answered carefully. “But it looks like you haven't seen her either.”

“She should be okay,” said Tatsuya. “The Inquisitors aren't allowed back here unless they have a royal permit. That should give us a few days at least.”

Washi looked like he wanted to say something, his gaze lingering on the close proximity of our hands atop the mattress.

“What time is it now?” I asked, moving my fingers closer and watching the interesting series of emotion that played out across his expression.

The narrow window opposite the bedroom door boasted a pair of high quality blackout curtains that completely concealed the outside world. A temporary inconvenience that I could easily forgive.

“It's time to decide our next move,” said Aoto from the doorway, making Washi jump as he walked past him. “But before that, I need to speak to Shizuka. Privately.”

Apparently something about that triggered a new memory.

And I still didn't know what time it was.