"I can't marry Lord Kinto! Just look at him." Komachi pointed with one long, elegant finger at the young man crouching by the pond. "He's--he's..."

He looked back and grinned at her. "Penniless as a hairy hermit? Loony as the monkey that saw the moon's reflection in a well--and jumped in to steal it?"

Komachi flushed so red that it showed under her powder. She was the eleventh of the great beauties that his father had sent. Same shining dark hair that rippled to her ankles, same silky robes in layer after layer of color.

And her eyes glowed with the same rage. "He's silly!"

Kinto sighed. At the very least, he'd hoped this bridal candidate would have a knack for wordplay. Maybe even a sense of humor. Was that too much to ask?

Kinto's father was convinced that marriage would cure him of his madness. As his father was the emperor, the ladies turned up (or were forced to, anyway). And the meeting always ended in just this way.

Komachi's father coughed. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for my lord's, ah, activities."

"Of course, Minister Toda!" Kinto sprang to his feet. Pond weeds clung to the sleeves of his black hunting robe, and his trousers were soaked to the knees.

"I assure you that your daughter will never want for money. She will never get sick or grow old. We will live forever."

He pointed to the pond with his stick. "Because in that very water lives a ningyo. And I will find her!"

He beamed. They stared. Water dripped from his trousers onto the ground.

All right, maybe they weren't up on the legend. "You do know that a ningyo weeps diamonds and pearls, don't you? And that eating her flesh makes you immortal? You, my lady, would be set for life."

Minister Toda cleared his throat. "That's, er, well..."

Kinto waved his ningyo-hunting stick in the air. A lily pad still clung to it; now it flew through the air and smacked a nearby pillar. Komachi closed her eyes.

"Furthermore! A ningyo is a sign of disaster to this kingdom, is she not? I will humbly rid us of this scourge, protect my father, and bring about a lasting peace."

The court onmyoji had been mumbling predictions about "danger from the water" for years now. He had clearly known that something fishy was afoot. And when an assassin had come after Kinto's father in the month of Minazuki, where did the courtiers investigate first? The pond! The assassin had flung away his short sword and, strangely, the treasure box. His motive was still unknown.

Kinto was convinced the ningyo knew all.

Minister Toda wrung his hands like he'd rather be wringing Kinto's neck. But his face was all smiles as he replied, "This humble one is deeply honored to receive the prince's wisdom on this matter. Let us ponder your weighty words and return at another time."

Kinto watched them retreat, shaking his head. Even if he lived forever, they'd never come back. They'd just add to the hundreds of whispers about him at court and his mother would grow sadder by the day.

Let them mock him. The monkey that reached for the moon hadn't caught it. But he'd tried and grown wise from his mistake. It was a bold and brave attempt at the unknown. Foolish, maybe, but not silly.

All the same, it was lonely work, searching the ponds for clues all day. He turned back to the pond with a sigh and began poking under the lily pads.

* * *

Amaya peeked at the prince from under a lily pad. Why was it that good looks and good sense never blessed the same man? That eagle's brow and noble nose, those shapely lips and passionate black eyes--she hadn't seen their like for nine hundred years. And that was on a statue.

Granted, his passion involved eating her for supper. She was good with kinky, but not that kinky.

Also, hiding from him was getting to be tricky. The emperor's favorite had started a new fad for boating, which meant Amaya could be spotted by a lovelorn poet or even struck by the boats.

Worse, they'd stolen her dinner. The pond carp were now swimming around the boats--or where boats had been--because the ladies fed them.

It was enough to make a self-respecting ningyo flee for ... well, nowhere. The only escape from this pond was to be caught and eaten -- and then she'd be in no shape to see the wonders that humans always talked about.

On the plus side, the prince's lips and tongue would be involved.

Darkness had fallen. The prince was now straining the water with a large mesh tray on a pole. Mostly he pulled up heaps of seaweed, but now and then he found a tiny treasure: an earring, a stone seal, an ivory comb. These he carefully set aside. She'd overheard him asking passersby if they knew the owners.

What a nice and thoughtful gentleman, she thought. Then she sunk into the water, guilt dragging her down like an anchor. In her hands she held the emperor's treasure box.

She hadn't meant to take it! Honestly, she'd thought it contained food. The boaters always had picnic boxes, after all. And any human of sense would clearly lock up their sweetfish. Why they hid their diamonds and pearls but left their meals in the open, she'd never know. You couldn't grill pearls, slice them thinly, marinate them in seasoned vinegar...

The treasure, though! She had no idea what it actually was. No amount of banging the lock on boulders or prying it with sticks had helped. The box didn't smell like food, come to think of it. That was the point she should've tossed it away for the prince or Racoon Dog-Face to find.

But it felt ... different somehow. Not human. It was more like her than anything she'd known in all her years. She'd always been the only one of her kind at the palace. Cradling it in the water had strangely made her feel less alone.

She could never have a baby. At least let her have this much.

All the same, it didn't belong to her. And from Hot Prince's frantic searching, it must mean a great deal to him.

She'd planned to approach him today to cut a deal: the box for her life. But after the prince's proud declaration, she now knew that was impossible.

She was a sign of disaster, was she? She still had the burns and stab wounds from the last time someone believed that. Only if you treat me like a sign of disaster do I become one.

Just then, the tolling of a clear, resonant bell sounded through the water. The Hour of the Ox had begun. Surfacing cautiously, she peered toward the shore. Yes, he was still there, that adorable madman. Any proper courtier would be slipping into his lover's bed around now. Kinto, though, just rested his chin on top of his pole and gazed thoughtfully ahead.

He was staring straight at her.

Amaya stilled, heart pounding. The moon had risen. Of course her pale face caught his eye against the darkness of the pond. Why hadn't she hid among the white lotuses?

Because they were farther from him. Ugh, she didn't have any more sense than he did.

She tensed. She'd dealt with this before. She'd slip silently through the water to the emperor's pleasure island. By the time Prince Kinto got a boat, she'd have found a new hiding spot. Before long he'd decide she had only been a trick of the light. You couldn't kill tricks of the light. Or snuggle with them either.

Amaya, she told herself sternly, if you don't move you'll end this night on a plate with a side of miso. Ningyo sashimi ahoy.

But she could only watch breathlessly as he crouched down and extended his hand. His expression was so gentle that it took her breath. His voice was soft and full of wonder.

On a night when the summer moon is shining,
The water's surface is bright as a mirror-
But where is your face?

She very nearly raised her face so he could see it better. Then it struck her.

He wasn't looking at her. He was looking beyond her at the moon's reflection in the water.

Relief washed over her, followed by a strange disappointment. For a second she'd believed he was longing for her.

But that was a reference to a Ki no Tsurayuki poem, wasn't it? Human poetry was almost as good as human snacks. In the long dull stretches of her endless life, the words captured the beauty and sorrow of a single exquisite moment.

Foolish humans. It's in those moments that you live forever.

Under her lily pads, Amaya wept. A single pearl rolled down her cheek, followed by a diamond. The gems plopped softly into the pond.

Prince Kinto slowly turned toward her. What he saw made him start in surprise--and tumble headfirst into the water.

Amaya swam hastily to the wooden walkway that stretched over the water. Hiding underneath, she risked a quick look back.

He'd fallen with a terrific splash. Now, though, the water was eerily still. Not even a bubble broke its gleaming surface.

Surely he was bluffing. When she swam up to him, he'd pull her under like that lordling years ago, with his hands around her throat...

Indecision threatened to tear her in two. Finally she gave up and approached the place where he'd fallen.

His body hung limply in the gray-green depths of the pond. A gash on his temple slowly leaked blood into the water.

Amaya blanched. He'd struck his head on the rocky bottom! Grabbing him around the waist, she pulled him up to the surface.

She couldn't help him right on the banks here. Even at this hour, they were too close to the palace for comfort. Panting, heart hammering, she swam him across the pond to the emperor's pleasure island and dragged him up the bank. Her fishtail smacked the muddy shore and her arms ached with his weight.

His pallor was starting to frighten her. He'd breathed in water, she realized. Laying him on the bank, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "I swear I'm not trying to take advantage of you."

Then she pinched his nose and pressed her mouth to his. Administering a series of quick breaths, she followed by pushing down on his chest. How she knew a technique for reviving humans she could hardly guess. A faint memory teased the back of her mind, then was gone.

His lips were firm and painfully cold, his skin clammy. Anxiously, she watched for a twitch, a blink--anything. When he remained limp, she repeated the breaths.

Seeing her had done this to him. Was she truly, then, a sign of disaster? "I'm so sorry," she murmured. "I'll find the assassin and take the box to your father. Your work will not go unfinished. But please, live."

Stopping to brush his hair back from his forehead, she kissed it gently. At this, his eyes flew open, inches from hers.

Startled, she leaned back. Then she quickly rolled down the bank and splashed into the pond again. The prince shifted to his side and began coughing spasmodically.

Amaya, now watching from the shadow of a log, felt weak with relief. Prince Kinto was dangerously pale, but very much alive. Now she'd have to bring him a boat so he could return to the palace ... without him realizing who had done it.

The prince wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his robe, then struggled to his feet. He blinked a few times, swayed, and fell back down again.

Amaya cried out, then clapped a hand over her mouth.

Prince Kinto said hoarsely, "Who's there?"