They were at the back of the helicopter, Kaori safely tucked in her seat, wearing the safety harness. Ma?l was seating in front of her. Perfectly normal arrangement, but somehow, it felt wrong. They weren’t speaking, Kaori was looking at the city below.

  That’s fine, Ma?l thought. We don’t have to speak all the time, do we? Didn’t conventional wisdom say that you can tell solid couples by the fact they can be together and not need to speak?

  He looked at Kaori, she didn’t look back, and he realized this was the first time he rode the helicopter without her seated in his lap, curled up against his chest. There was a distance there, and not just a physical one. He had to fix this, but how?

  He’d been right—breaking the men’s arms was safer and they deserved it for pointing a gun at Kaori. But he looked at her, and now, she was distant. There was a gap between them, widening with every silent minute. It wasn’t fair, he’d done his job, protected her and she even understood, so why…

  Logic said he was right, yet her heart seemed to say otherwise.

  But he was right, damn it! He was… He recalled the look she gave him as he turned to her, covered in the blood of her enemies. She had been scared. Scared of him. She relied on him, he was her pillar in the storm and he had failed her, brutalized her kindness, murdered her innocence, all to “protect her” from men who were already unconscious and would probably spend a very long time in jail.

  She’d even tried to stop him and he just brushed her off. When it came down to something important, she didn’t matter!

  “I am sorry.” Ma?l muttered. The sound was largely drowned by the whirling of the blades above their heads, but somehow she heard him.

  “Don’t be. You were right, these men deserved it.” Kaori said.

  “They did. But then again, they probably deserve death. Would you have been fine with that?” He stared into her eyes.

  She looked back at him, “I would understand… No. We can’t just kill people because they deserve it. We had already won the fight anyway.”

  “Then I was wrong. I’m sorry.” Ma?l bowed.

  “You’re wrong just because I say so?”

  He paused, considering.

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  “No. Wait—Yes. You’re a better person than I am.”

  “I’m not better than you!”

  “ Yes, you are. I don’t care if these men die, but you do, even though we both know they are your enemies, not mine. Your instincts were kind. Mine screamed I had to destroy them and I did. I ignored you. If I scare you—I don’t want to become someone who scares you. How could I be right if you’re scared of me?”

  Kaori stared at him in wonder as he bared his soul. There was no artifice to the man, he was not trying to convince or to reassure. Instead, he surrendered to her judgment. This was… a confession?

  She felt a deep sense of relief. She hadn’t been wrong about him—he was still a bear of a man, but he was hers. She’d been a fool to think otherwise. After a brief hesitation, she reached for his paw and clutched it between her small hands.

  “I’m not as good as you think I am, but together, we can do better,” she said with a smile.

  “I sound like an anime princess, don’t I? Are you sure you want to take moral cues from me?”

  “Of course. Where would we be if we couldn’t navigate ethic dilemmas through the wisdom of Mononoke Hime?” he said with a wide grin.

  Cheeky bastard! She’d have elbowed him in the ribs but she was too far for that, so instead, she leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

  They spent the rest of the ride in silence, holding hands. This time, silence felt just right.

  “We’re near Pratchuap. Where do you want to be dropped off?” the pilot asked.

  “I only know the way from the train station. Can you drop us there?”

  “Almost. There’s a large parking by the clock tower. It’s just a few hundred yards away.”

  “Kob Khun Mak Krap!” Ma?l said in thanks.

  The helicopter dove down and landed in a cloud of dust. The “parking” was just a large patch of dirt in the middle of the town. They hopped out and thanked the pilot. Kaori’s Wai was coming along nicely and the pilot took off with a smile.

  “So, why did you really want to be dropped in town?” Kaori asked after the helicopter left.

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “You said your friend’s house was by the beach and I’m sure you could have found it from the helicopter. We didn’t land at your friend’s house, ergo you have other plans.”

  Ma?l chuckled.

  “I don’t actually have a friend living here. We’re getting a car from a rental place I know. They won’t ask for paperwork, just cash.”

  “Why did you —”

  “The men who assaulted us were awake, and it looks like the enemy found us easily enough through the police grapevine. Noi’s a great guy, but he loves to gossip and by now, I doubt there’s a single cop in Bangkok who hasn’t heard about us. So we are taking a car and driving somewhere else entirely. Pratchuap Khiri Kan’s province has 120 miles of coastline. They can have fun searching through thousands of beach houses.”

  He winked at her and she laughed. He grabbed her bag and threw it on top of his backpack.

  “If Mononoke Hime-sama wouldn’t mind following this humble one —”

  This time, he was in range. She slammed the tip of her elbow into his floating ribs. Hard.

  So much for non violence!