4. Kitaro

Chapter 4

Kitaro

W hen they arrived once more in the clearing, Kitaro lowered himself so that Vanra could dismount. The human thanked him once again with a respectful bow before he walked over to the edge of the hill where the staircase leading to Fate's Gate was.

Kitaro returned to his person form, wearing white breeches with a billowing blue shirt the same shade as his eyes. It showed a generous amount of his muscular chest and shifter markings. His black boots had elaborate silver embroidery on them that bespoke the fact his clan had a massive fortune as the rulers of the land.

When Vanra took a step down the staircase, Kitaro felt obligated to warn him. "I would not advise taking that route. It leads to a sacred area you will want to avoid. "

Vanra blinked at him with a slight blush. It was surprisingly endearing to hear the human's heart race as Kitaro came closer. "It's okay. This is the only way I can get home."

"Is that so?" Kitaro hummed with interest as he followed the human.

"You really don't need to do that. It's better if you don't."

Kitaro continued following him down the stairs. "You should take your own advice. Or are you unfamiliar with the legends about Fate's Gate?"

"I'm overly acquainted with them, actually."

"And yet you continue down these stairs as if you intend to walk through it. I thought humans were a superstitious bunch." Kitaro had never spent much time around them, so he mostly knew about them from his reading.

"You're not wrong." Vanra turned to face Kitaro with a respectful bow. "Thank you for taking care of me last night. I truly appreciate your generous kindness, Your Highness."

Kitaro stood a few stairs back and watched as Vanra walked through Fate's Gate. The human made a frustrated noise, then went through it once more.

When Vanra tried for a third time, Kitaro sat down on the stairs to watch. "You are a most curious human. What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

Vanra's fourth attempt had the same lack of results. "I'm trying to go home. "

"It appears to me that you seem to be walking back and forth in a repeated attempt to tempt fate," Kitaro said as Vanra once again went through the gate with no effect. "How, pray tell, does that get you home?"

After another failed attempt, Vanra looked up at Kitaro in despair. It moved the shifter prince's heart. "Look, I know you're probably not going to believe me, but I'm a mage who lives at this temple in my time. Last night, I stupidly went through Fate's Gate because I was taking a shortcut up to the clearing."

Kitaro put his chin on the palm of his hand while his elbow rested on his knee. "What would make you do such a foolish thing?"

"My, uh, companion is more superstitious than most." It seemed as if Vanra struggled with what to call him. "He thinks the entire clearing is sacred, so I figured it was the only place he wouldn't follow me."

"Why did you not wish for your companion, whom I am assuming is this mysterious relative of mine, to follow you?"

Vanra looked down at his feet in shame. "It's complicated. I didn't want to be near anyone, so that was the best place to be left alone. And he's really pushy, so that was about the only thing that would keep him away from me."

"This relative is clearly from my father's side of the clan. They are prone to not knowing when to quit, particularly with matters of romance."

Vanra's laugh almost sounded like a sob. "When I went through the gate, I felt the ancient magic activate and send me here to the past." Vanra looked up at Kitaro through lowered lashes to judge his reaction.

"What year are you from?"

The human hesitated. "I don't want to ruin the future by messing up something in the past, so I don't think I should say anything more specific."

Kitaro couldn't fault Vanra's logic. "While disappointing, that is likely wise. Very well, I will not press you for details."

"I figure the only way I can get back to my era is to go through it again, but nothing is happening. I don't know what to do now."

"Although it sounds like you are reciting a legend, I can smell you are telling the truth." It sounded like something out of one of the fantasy novels Kitaro enjoyed reading. "This is most fascinating, I must say."

"I'm alone in a time that's not my own, completely cut off from my brother, my friends, and my companion, with no apparent way to get back home! That's not fascinating. It's a nightmare!"

Completely nonplussed, Kitaro pointed out the obvious. "You are not actually alone, though. I am currently still here, am I not?"

"Well, yeah, but it's not like you have any reason to stick around. I guess I'll have to try and plead my case with the mages next." Vanra hunched his shoulders in defeat.

"You would be better off speaking with my father. His knowledge is far superior and spans more millennia than the mages can fathom."

"Oh, like he would help a mere human."

It was a fair comment when King Tatsuki was infamous for hating them. But something in Kitaro's gut told him that his father would be intrigued by Vanra's story.

"Since you have yet to volunteer the identity of this mysterious relative of mine, it may be someone Father knows. I suspect that alone would be enough to pique his curiosity to listen to your tale. If he is unable or unwilling to help, then you can bother the mages, who will probably not take kindly to the fact that you trespassed on sacred ground."

Vanra's lower lip quivered. "I don't know what to do."

"You will walk through the gate once more. If that fails to return you home, then we will go to the castle in Tiora to speak with my father," Kitaro said. "Clearly, there was a reason I was brought to that clearing to meet with you last night. Perhaps this is the reason why." It finally made sense why his enigmatic half sister, Kizoshi, had told him to work on training his dragon form in that specific area the previous night.

With a stubborn set in his shoulders, Vanra tried once more to go through the gate, but it failed to activate. Tears gathered in his unusual purple eyes .

Kitaro stood up and offered the human his hand. "Come, Vanra. Let us find a way to get you home."

Vanra hesitantly accepted Kitaro's hand, who used it to pull him closer. Kitaro only let go when they reached the clearing once more. He shifted into his dragon form so they could get home faster.

He had never had anyone ride him before, so it was a curious experience. It was one more thing about the unusual human that intrigued Kitaro.

T hey made good time heading back to the castle in the center of Tiora. It was a sprawling stone building with many turrets that towered high over the city. Massive walls surrounded the building with several guarded gates. Kitaro landed outside the rear entrance, then led Vanra through the gardens and up to his room.

Vanra glanced around in shock when they entered Kitaro's living quarters. His jaw dropped as he looked around the enormous space. " Wow ."

Kitaro gestured to a sitting area off to the side. "Make yourself comfortable while I see if my father is back from his hunt."

"Sure, thanks." Vanra looked tiny in one of the oversized black leather chairs in the sitting area next to the fireplace.

"I shall return shortly." Kitaro left the room, the door shutting behind him, leaving Vanra alone.