"You've been searching to find out who you are," Rin said holding his gaze without flinching.
His eyes were wide as he stared back at her and in an awed whisper he said, "Yes."
"Everything leads back to the dragon. Let him die and you'll never learn the truth."
His eyes drifted past Rin toward the far building where Kaito rested. Distrust was visible in his gaze, but also a hunger, a desperation for the truth.
He deliberated for a moment, and Rin held her breath hoping she had not misjudged him. After a few moments of tense silence, he nodded his head and said, "I'll do it."
Tsuki untied him with a shake of his head. Noaki's hands were resting on the blades of his sword. Neither of them trusted him. But this man had saved her, and if he was Hikaru's reincarnation, then she had to believe he was on their side. Perhaps he had been led astray by Hisato as Suzume almost was, but if he could learn to trust them, then she knew he would become a powerful ally in their fight against Hisato. Suzume took the lead to where the dragon lay.
As they approached Kaito's sleeping place, they found him drenched in sweat and blood. Suzume's footsteps faltered as they got closer, and Makato mirrored her steps as well. He stood for a few moments surveying Kaito's unconscious body.
"If you hurt him, you won't leave here alive," Suzume growled at him, doing her best impression of the dragon.
The dragon's limbs were thrashing as he went into convulsions once more. Rin resisted the urge to grab onto Makato's shoulders and beg him to save her master. This was his chance to prove himself, to the group and to her. If he could save Kaito then she would know for certain that he was Hikaru's reincarnation.
The priest stared down at Kaito for a long moment, as if he was not certain what to do. Then very slowly he sunk onto his knees to kneel beside the dragon. His hands hovered over the Dragon's body, following the flow of his spiritual energy. And then cautiously, he reached for the arrow shaft which was embedded in Kaito's abdomen. With one hand braced on Kaito's stomach and the other around the shaft of the arrow, he pulled.
Kaito's eyes rolled back in his head as he arched his back, screaming in pain. His energy was pouring out of him, strong enough to level even the strongest yokai. Rin threw her arm up to shield herself from the blast, but in the same moment a glowing green light surrounded her and the others, shielding them from the onslaught of Kaito's intense aura.
"Stand back," Makato said before turning his attention back to the dragon. The only arrow that remained was the one inches from Kaito's heart. Makato pressed his hands together and made a quick chant, which weaved around him raising up vines that anchored his body in place before he reached for the final arrow. He yanked but the arrow would not budge at first.
"What is going on?" Suzume shouted. With the unleashing of Kaito's spiritual power, a wind had picked up and a storm was gathering outside, called down by the outpouring of his energy.
Rin did not have a chance to answer. The swirl of energy stole the breath from her lungs and even Makato's barrier could not protect them. Her hair whipped into her face and she had to brush it back to watch as Makato's hands, glowing with green light, laid on Kaito's chest. They almost seemed to sink into his flesh, and suddenly Kaito's entire body was illuminated with green light. Kaito's rolling eyes closed, perhaps losing consciousness once more from the pain. And the final arrow came out.
Makato too was knocked back by the force of this blow, but he was saved from falling by vines that burst from the ground and cradled him. Once the final arrow was out, the wind died and the crushing pressure of Kaito's spiritual energy abated.
Suzume stared at Kaito for a moment, her mouth hung open in shock. Rin crept closer to Kaito. His wounds continued to bleed, but his breathing had returned to a steady rhythm once again.
Makato remained a few feet away, staring at his hands as if they belonged to someone else. As Rin approached him, he raised his head.
"You knew the entire time?" he asked her.
Rin's eyes darted across his face. She had dreamed of this moment so many times since he had been taken from her. When she spoke her voice was thick and cracked. “Hi—Hikaru, had that same ability." She placed a hand over her mouth to prevent a sob from slipping out.
Makato looked to Rin and then back to Kaito. His brow was furrowed in thought. "I know this name. Was that my name before?" he looked back up to Rin, desperation in his eyes. "Who was he?"
"Hikaru was my husband, and I think you're his reincarnation."
He absorbed the information in silence, unlike all of the scenarios she had imagined over the years they were apart. He did not open his arms in instant recognition. Instead he just nodded his head.
"Can you, tell me more about him... me?"
Rin was happy to oblige. She left Kaito to rest, and she and Makato adjourned to a nearby campfire where she spun out their story. Makato listened to the story of Hikaru and Rin's first meeting, which involved a bumbled rescue attempt by Hikaru. Rin laughed, recalling the good times, and grew wistful thinking of the nearly five hundred years she had shared with Hikaru, before he had died suddenly. They had promised one another long ago, that when he died she would find him in the next life and start over together. But she held back from sharing this with Makato. There would be time for that later. He kept his hands folded in his lap, staring into the flames in front of him as she spoke. He did not laugh when Rin told a funny story, nor did he gasp at the exciting parts. When she was finished he did not say anything at all but kept on staring forward.
"Do you have questions?" Rin asked hopefully.
He shook his head slowly. "It's a lot to take in. I've been looking for a long time trying to figure out who I am..."
"But?" she asked before biting her lip to keep herself from saying everything she wanted to say. They would need to take things slow. She had never met any reincarnations before. The closest to a reincarnation she had met had been Suzume, and she hated to be compared to Kazue.
"You seem very nice and you clearly loved your husband a lot, but I don't know..."
Before she could ask him more, Tsuki called out in a sing-song voice, "Morning, sleepy head."
Rin's head perked up and saw the dragon approaching them. He had awoken at last. He was scowling as he approached and there was an odd hobble to his normally powerful, confident stride. He must be mad that I wasn't there when he woke. I shouldn't have abandoned my post. But she had been so excited to find Hikaru — correction, Makato — that she'd forgotten all about the dragon.
When he saw Rin analyzing him, the dragon stood up straighter.
Rin stood up to greet him. "Come sit down, your wounds—"
"Where is Suzume?" he snarled, cutting her off before she could finish.
Makato had jumped to his feet, either fearing Kaito still or sensing the tension in the air.
Tsuki looked around, dramatically searching before turning to Kaito with an exaggerated shrug. "Not here."
Kaito balled his hand tighter into a fist. She knew his temper and how protective he was of Suzume, especially after their disastrous mission to get information. He must be worried about her. Not that he would admit that aloud. Rin inserted herself between Tsuki and Kaito holding out her hands to placate the dragon more than anyone else. Before things got out of hand she had to calm the dragon, if only for his own good.
"I can see that," he said through gritted teeth. His words lacked a certain power that Rin could not quite place. His injuries must have taken a greater toll on him than he was letting on. He should be resting rather than snapping orders and making demands.
"I think she went off into the forest," Tsuki said, continuing to press the dragon's buttons.
Rin shot him a quelling look but he only grinned back at her.
"She'll be fine. Noaki is with her I think." At least she hoped. The legendary swordsman was nowhere to be seen either.
What she said did not seem to calm him. It only seemed to agitate him further. And it occurred to
her that Kaito had only just recently gotten into a fight with Noaki. Everyone was on Kaito's bad side right now, that was except for her. For now. If she couldn't calm him, she might find herself on the wrong side as well.
"I'll go and look for her then," Rin said in an attempt to appease him. But it seemed nothing would calm the dragon and he turned on Makato.
"Who is this?" Kaito jabbed his chin in his direction.
Makato's eyes drifted to a sword lying on the ground a few feet away.
"Don't even think about it. I'll separate your head from your shoulders before you take your first step."
Makato dropped his arms to his side.
"He's an ally. The one who Suzume found that also has a piece of Kazue's soul inside him."
Kaito stomped over to him and grabbed him by his haori. Normally he would have lifted him off the ground or worse. But Rin suspected that his injuries prevented him from exerting his usual strength.
"So you're the bastard who tried to kill me? I'm glad you're here. It saves me the trouble of having to find you."
Makato grabbed onto Kaito's arms and green light flared under his fingers, scorching Kaito who dropped him and stepped away with a snarl on his lips. Rin threw herself between them, placing her hands on each of their shoulders. Then to Kaito she said, "He saved your life."
"Right after he tried to kill me. How convenient."
The priest seemed unafraid of the dragon. His eyes had shifted color, from brown to green. His confident stance was different than Hikaru's who was more humble and introverted. "You're right, I was the one who sealed you."
Kaito swung around Rin before she could stop him, attempting to land a punch on Makato's jaw, but the priest dodged the strike with ease. Kaito stumbled forward and Rin took a step toward him to help but caught herself at the last moment. Kaito would not want attention drawn to any weakness.
"You should have killed me instead." He attempted to rush Makato again, but the priest moved too quickly for the dragon and he went careening past him. The move exposed his back to Makato who struck him hard, bringing Kaito to his knees.
Rin cried out, but the dragon held his hand up to silence her. She placed her hand over her mouth before any other sound could escape.
Makato stood over him, but instead of another devastating blow, he held out his hand for Kaito to take. This was more like her husband Hikaru. "I tried to kill you but that was before I realized who you are to me," Makato said.
Kaito knocked his hand aside as he climbed to his feet.
"What is the meaning of this," Kaito snarled at Rin.
"He's Hikaru's reincarnation and he has a piece of Kazue's heart inside him."
Kaito shook his head. "Do you take me for a fool? This is clearly one of Hisato's tricks." He gestured toward Makato.
"He has Hikaru's ability to heal. That can't be an illusion."
"You're letting your desire cloud your better judgment. He's not the man you loved." His words stung. Of all people Kaito should understand what it meant to love someone who was mortal. What it meant to have a second chance with the person you loved.
"Just because you cannot forgive Kazue does not mean I have to do the same." She spoke out of anger but the look in Kaito's eyes exposed just how deep her words had hurt. She had always been on his side, but this time she had to draw the line.
"Is that how you feel?" he said in a low growl.
Rin regretted her words almost as soon as she spoke them. She did not want to make an enemy of Kaito. There had to be a way to make him understand. Before she could reply, however, a scream ripped through the air. Tsuki leaped up and Kaito's head swiveled in the direction of the sound.
"That was Suzume."
18
Suzume retreated into the forest once she knew Kaito was breathing and this entire ordeal was over. She needed her own room to breathe, to sort out everything that had happened. The flames were starting to die down now, but her mind kept wandering back to that feeling, that craving for Makato's energy. While he had been trying to pull the last two arrows out she had felt herself leaning forward as if she could absorb some of that energy by proxy. Even now if she closed her eyes she could imagine that feeling, that rush that sent her spine tingling and her head feeling comfortably numb.
Was this what Kazue felt? If it was, she understood why Kazue had gone to such great lengths to get more of it. The feeling was addictive. Just thinking about the promise of power, her fingers tingled with sensation and flames danced along her fingertips.
As she pushed aside stray branches they caught on fire. Suzume stopped to stare at the dancing flames mesmerized by them. Fire had always had a certain draw to her. But knowing what she could do with that power, the unlocked potential within her it was proving to be an even greater draw than she had imagined. Suzume turned her hands over to stare at her palms. A small candle wick size flame flickered there. Could she gain control over her flame, the way Makato had gained control over his own power?
Maybe I should ask him to teach me? But could she trust him to teach her? No one did anything without a price and considering he had been previously teamed up with Hisato, that meant he had one too.
Suzume pressed on into the forest, searching for a place where she could test out her theory. As she walked she brushed her fingers against brush, leaving smoldering fires in her wake. The more fires she set, the more excited she felt for the potential of her new discovery. There wasn't much time before Kaito or the others came looking for her and she wanted to confirm this alone. Finally she found the spot she was looking for. Far enough away from the shrine that she wouldn't accidentally break any seals, with just enough kindling to not start an out of control blaze. The last thing she needed was to set the forest on fire and trap herself within.
It was a space dominated by boulders, sparse grass, and a few dead trees, previously destroyed by a long-ago forest fire. Suzume climbed onto the largest boulder. It showed signs of past fires, black ash smudged against the granite. This place had called out to her, she wasn't sure how she knew it. But once she perched on the highest part of the boulder she felt as if this was exactly where she should be. Tilting her head back, she let the sun warm her face for a few minutes. Maybe I should do the breathing exercises Akira taught me.
Suzume shook her head. She hadn't needed to find her center or focus her energy when she fought against Hisato. It had just happened. Suzume held her hand in front of her. It took little concentration before a flame erupted in the palm of her hand. Suzume smiled to herself, looking at the fire there. I did it! And it didn't take hours to create.
Suzume thrust a triumphant fist into the air. She knew the power was in her all along. She couldn't wait to prove to Kaito how powerful she had become. Since she was alone and wanting to practice this new achievement, she hurled the ball of flame at a nearby burnt tree. It collided with the trunk of a tree, splintering the remains of the tree, raining embers on the ground.
Suzume whooped in celebration, she'd even hit her mark. This is great! I wonder what else I can do... She looked around the clearing, searching for her next target when she heard a rustling in the bushes nearby.
All her senses were suddenly on high alert. Suzume held up her next ball of flame in front of her, ready to hurl it at whatever yokai was coming her way.
"I know you're there. Show yourself."
To her surprise, it was Noaki who emerged from the shadow of a large tree.
"What are you doing sneaking up on me?" she lowered her ball of flame, but only a little. He claimed he was bound to serve her because of Kazue's heart but that didn't mean he didn't resent her for it and was using this opportunity to solve his predicament.
"If I wanted to sneak up on you I would not have been found," he said before coming to stand before her.
"Why did you follow me out here then?"
He looked at her for a long moment before saying. "Your power is awakening."
"How did you know?"
He pointed to
the burning trail she had left in the woods, then to the smoldering trees nearby.
"Alright, you caught me, I was practicing the techniques Akira and Tsuki taught me."
"This does not come from practice."
"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Suzume snapped.
His lack of response had a bigger impact on her than words could. She wanted him to argue or at least call her a liar but he just stared at her.
"What do you want?"
"What I want you are not prepared to give," he said without blinking as he stared back at her.
"Do you ever say what you mean?"
Again her questions were met with silence.
Suzume growled in frustration. "Just leave me alone. You're ruining my good mood."
Noaki turned away from her, staring out at the forest, arms crossed over his chest, making it clear without words that he was not going to leave her alone. Wind blew through the trees, accentuating the silence. She wanted to test the limits of her power, but without knowing what she could do yet she didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of an audience. Albeit a blank and emotionless audience.
"I don't need a bodyguard."
He did not respond.
"As you can see I can control my fire now. I don't need you here."
"That is not what I am here to provide."
"Then tell me why are you here?"
"Kazue found comfort in control. Things she could master brought her peace - I suspect you are much the same."
"One problem: I am not Kazue."
"No, but she is inside you."
Suzume stared at him for a moment before turning back around. She scowled at the back of his head. What is that supposed to mean?
"I know everyone expects me to be just like Kazue. But I can choose my own path."
"You must choose it first."
"I am. Isn't that what I just said?" She growled in frustration. Why did everyone have to be so cryptic, everything had to be a lesson to learn or something. She'd made her choice. She was going to get stronger. Finally she was getting a hold of these powers, so couldn't he just be happy for her? Suzume sighed, her fun was spoiled for now and she'd lost interest in practice.
The Sea Stone Page 13