by C. J. Anaya
A desperate wail escaped me and soon I was screaming in a way I never had before. I kept hacking away at that barrier in an attempt to follow Kirby wherever he had gone. His presence still lingered next to me, but the obstacle ahead of me prevented any contact with him. I continued screaming, cutting, clawing and fighting until the pressure and pain within me came to a boiling point, and suddenly, I broke through.
I broke through!
I pushed past the veil and moved forward, latching onto the presence I felt before me and pulling back with all the strength I had left, sending Kirby’s spirit back through the veil, through this invisible entity that had, for so long, taken and taken and taken from me without giving me a choice or a chance to save what was mine.
No more.
I was making the decisions now. I was calling the shots, and to hell with anyone who thought otherwise. I kept that veil wide open as I taught Kirby exactly what he needed to do to heal the injuries done to the spine, the nerves, the blood vessels, and anything else that needed repairing. Slowly he came into focus. He breathed again. He moved a little.
He was alive.
I had no idea how long I floated like that, keeping the veil at bay while Kirby’s body began healing itself, but when it was all over I found myself never wanting to leave. Then I found that I couldn’t leave. Every time I tried to move through the veil and join Kirby on the other side I found it impossible to do so. After a little while longer I began to forget who I was trying to get to or even why. Then I forgot more. My thoughts grew vague and distant. I considered the possibility that another dream had taken me, and I wondered if I would wake up in a nice warm bed overlooking an amazing garden filled with beautiful cherry trees.
Tie ignored the battle behind him, recognizing that determined look in Hope’s eyes, the look that signified her willingness to sacrifice everything, including her own life for those she loved. She had worn that look the day she’d saved his life.
By the time he reached her, she was already connected to Kirby and bringing him back from the brink of death, but blood dripped from her nose and her entire body shook.
No. Dammit, Hope. Not again.
There was no doubt in his mind that she had breached the veil. Fortunately, he knew she was his, and he didn’t have to wait for Victor to attempt a healing. As her soul mate, he was the only one capable of repairing the damage to her life force. She collapsed next to an unconscious Kirby, and Tie dove for her, catching her just before her head hit the ground.
He wrapped his arms around her and frantically fought to recall her spirit back to him. He felt her warmth, saw the vibrant golds and oranges of her life force, and held them close to his as he repaired the damage she had sustained in order to heal her little friend.
Her selflessness never ceased to amaze him. Even now, after a thousand years and an entirely different upbringing, the woman he loved was essentially the same compassionate person at her core. She had the right to know what had happened to her. She needed to remember who she was and the choices that had led her to her death so very long ago. Tie couldn’t deny a selfish desire for her to remember him as well. He wanted to know if any of it had been real for her before he’d forced her hand and taken away all of her choices.
There was only one way to accomplish that, and he was the only one with the power to unlock those memories for her. He held tightly to her as the healing neared its completion and gave her life force one final command, giving her access to her first life and instructing her body to remain in a coma until she had relived every minute detail.
Someone approached in a great rush and landed on Hope’s other side.
“Hope. You have to wake up. You have to wake up,” James screamed. He turned his pleading look to Tie. “What happened? Did the bullet hit her?”
“She saved Kirby, but she broke through the veil to do it.”
“What?” Victor shouted behind them. He crouched low in front of Hope and Tie, placing his hands on her head. “We need to heal her then. Together.”
Tie eased Hope back and away from Victor’s touch. “I was able to get to her before she did any damage to her life force.” A bold-faced lie, but the alternative was to admit that he had brought her back from the edge of death. Then Victor would know that Hope no longer belonged to him, and he wasn’t ready for those repercussions. He’d be sent away while Victor and Ms. Mori took hope to Kagami and tried to find a way to reverse what he had done.
He knew it was selfish. The safety of the world depended upon Victor and Hope’s ability to join together and heal the veil, and they couldn’t do that unless they were bonded as soul mates. Yes, it was selfish, but he couldn’t lose her just yet. He couldn’t leave her side again until she remembered him, remembered all that they had shared together. He had to know if Hope had ever consciously chosen to love him, and he had to protect her from any other threats she might face once she awoke.
Victor and Ms. Mori would remain in the dark a little longer, for Hope’s sake and for his.
“If you repaired minimal damage, then why is she still unconscious?” Victor barked.
Tie hoped the next series of lies he told would be believable enough to mislead Victor and Ms. Mori for a while.
“She damaged the veil by healing Kirby. This is the consequence that follows. She’s in between our world and the next, and will need some time to regroup and recover.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Ms. Mori said a she stepped up behind Victor.
“Victor warned Hope of the possible consequences for breaching the veil. This is simply one of those consequences. We’ll have to wait it out until she is ready to come back to us.” Tie did his best to disguise his desperation. They couldn’t find out what he had done. Not yet, anyway.
“This has worked out nicely then,” Ms. Mori stated. “We needed her incapacitated and now she is. Victor, grab her and let’s get going.”
Tie reluctantly placed Hope in his former friend’s arms, but James lunged forward.
“You’re not taking my daughter anywhere.” He reached for Hope, but Tie held him back.
“Trust me,” he whispered to James. “We’re all going with, Hope.” He stared at James, willing him to back down. In the state that Victor and Ms. Mori were in, he had no doubt that they wouldn’t hesitate to subdue everyone present and leave them all behind.
James’ stubborn look caused Tie to hold his breath, but he must have seen something in Tie’s face that gave him some modicum of peace. He capitulated and sank back to the ground.
Ms. Mori and Victor hurried forward with Hope while Tie rounded up Angie, James and an unconscious Kirby. He carried the young boy in his arms and studied his face for a moment. Something about the kid seemed familiar. He shook his head, and turned to James.
“Listen to me very carefully,” he said as they moved to follow the others. “I’ve put Hope in a coma so she can regain her memories. She won’t wake up until her first life has merged with this one, but we can’t tell Chinatsu and Victor.”
James nodded. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t trust them.”
“They aren’t bad people, James, but if they find out what I’ve done they will send me away, and I won’t be here to protect any of you.”
“I understand.”
“Well, I sure as hell don’t,” Angie muttered. “Hope being held in Victor’s arms isn’t right, Tie, and you know it.”
Tie assessed her in surprise. “Whatever you know about my connection with Hope, you have to promise me you won’t say anything, Angie.”
“Loose lips sink ships. Got it.”
He quirked a smile at her, but it quickly faded as his eyes floated back to Hope held in Victor’s arms.
Things were going to get rough once she finally recovered her memories and awoke from the coma. He sincerely hoped they would all be ready for it, but most of all, he prayed that Hope would be able to forgive him for what he had done to her, and somehow find it in her heart to love hi
m anyway.
I felt as if I traveled from a great distance, fighting to remember locations, faces and even names as the heavy sleep that enshrouded my mind threatened to steal my memories from me. Just before I burst through that hazy state between sleep and consciousness, a pair of icy blue eyes filled with longing flashed before me accompanied by a soft voice that desperately pleaded over and over again…remember me. Remember me.
I sat up abruptly and rubbed my eyes.
“Honestly, mistress! You were supposed to have awakened two hours ago. Your father has an important meeting he wants you to attend, and your mother has threatened me within an inch of my life if you don’t appear properly dressed in twenty minutes.”
I squinted up at the haughty looking woman frowning down upon me.
“I had the strangest dream. I just can’t remember what it was about,” I said, feeling troubled.
She rolled her eyes.
“You do test my patience, Mistress. Why can’t you be like every other ordinary girl and simply do as you’re told?”
She grumbled something under her breath as she began brushing out my hair.
“But I’m not an ordinary girl. I’m not even what you might call normal.” I felt a familiar sadness sink within me. “I’m her Imperial Highness Princess Mikomi, the girl of prophecy, the hope of our nation, the savior of our world.”
“The Healer,” my maid whispered in reverent tones.
“Yes.” I stood up and crossed over to the full length mirror on the wall next to my armoire. I stared unhappily at the girl before me. “I suppose I am that as well.”
THE BLACK BLOSSOM
The Healer Series Book 2
C.J. ANAYA
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2014 © C.J. Anaya
Cover by JRA Stevens
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.
Glossary of Characters and Japanese Terms
Kami – a god, deity, divinity, or spirit. Kami are believed to be “hidden” from this world and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors our own.
Mikomi – The Healer and the Japanese word for Hope. Also known as Hope in the first book in The Healer Series.
Musubi-no-kami – The Japanese god of love and marriage. He is also known as Tie Hart in the first book of The Healer Series.
Masaru Katsu – a warrior god descended from Bishamonten, the god of war and warriors. He is also known as Victor in the first book of The Healer Series.
Hachiman – Shinto god of war and divine protector of Japan.
Fukurokuju – Japanese god of health and longevity. Also the emperor of Kagami and Mikomi’s father.
Chinatsu Mori –Empress of Kagami and Mikomi’s Mother.
Amatsu-Mikaboshi – Demon god and Lord of the underworld.
Daiki – Innkeeper and Mikomi’s surrogate father.
Hatsumi – Daiki’s wife and Mikomi’s surrogate mother.
Akane – General of the samurai insurgents and leader of the rebellion.
Saigo – Mikomi’s brother.
Kenji – Mikomi’s tutor.
Aiko – Mikomi’s maid.
Kushi - Decorative combs used in traditional Japanese hairstyles.
Kojai – Decorative hairsticks also used in traditional Japanese hairstyles.
Furisode – A more formal, decorative kimono.
Geta – Japanese shoes or platform sandals often worn with kimonos.
Zango – Specific Japanese fighting style.
Hachi Kata – a fixed pattern of fighting used to teach basic elements of swordsmanship.
Katana – A traditionally made Japanese sword used in feudal Japan. Also known as a samurai sword.
Nakago – Unpolished part of a blade concealed by the hilt; the actual hilt of a sword.
Tsuba – A round or squarish hand guard at the end of the grip of bladed Japanese weapons.
Obi – A sash worn for traditional Japanese martial arts.
Saya – The scabbard for a sword or knife.
Musubi-no-Kami, the god of love and marriage, was preparing to make a deal with the devil…literally.
Stone steps crunched beneath his sandaled feet, and the temperature dropped with his slow yet determined descent. The path he took now was one he never would have considered a millennium ago. He never would have considered it a month ago, but Edana was gone, dead by her own hand, and someone needed to pay. That someone was Masaru Katsu, warrior god and keeper of the Grass Cutter Sword.
Musubi had done his best to curb Katsu’s inappropriate relationships with human women. He’d tried thousands of times over the past centuries to help the warrior god understand the kind of devastation he left in his wake every time a heart was broken and another girl abandoned. It left his job of helping these women find their soul mates virtually impossible. They became unwilling to ever open up and trust again.
It was selfish of Katsu. He was one of the few kami in all of creation destined to have a soul mate, destined to have the kind of love and companionship that Musubi could merely dream of and never hope to achieve. Yet the warrior god showed very little emotion whenever his future bride was mentioned. He clearly took his good fortune for granted. He didn’t even care, and now he’d gone too far. Edana was gone and it was Katsu’s fault.
He ground his teeth together as he continued to descend the cold, black stone steps to the underworld. His previous existence had centered solely on bringing happiness and joy to others. He’d done it for thousands of years and always assumed it would be the only thing he would ever desire. Now, the only thing he desired was revenge.
Musubi took his very last step into the underworld and waited. The nekomata, one of the demon god’s trained assassins, had been very specific in their previous conversation. Musubi was to wait there until he was sent for. Wandering off and getting lost in the underworld was not only unwise but hazardous to one’s health, even for an immortal being.
He didn’t have to wait long. Despite the dense darkness surrounding him, he was able to hear the padded approach of one of the demon god’s servants. He hoped it was a servant and nothing else. The padding came to an abrupt halt a few feet in front of him. A small flame pierced the oppressive blackness, and a torch was lit, illuminating the desolate cavern.
He eyed the nekomata critically. The depraved soul had once been a kami himself, but he’d defected centuries ago, never to be heard from again.
“Musubi, it’s been a long time,” it hissed.
“I have a meeting with your master,” was Musubi’s short reply.
The nekomata’s cat-like eye narrowed and then seemed to glow a deep green color.
“Of course, I shall take you to him now.” He turned and motioned for Musubi to follow. “I must admit, the news of your arrival here has created quite a stir, but I for one am not surprised. It’s always the best of us that falls the hardest.”
Musubi suppressed an angry response and followed his guide deeper into the dark recesses of the underworld. Before long, he was led into a large opening. Lighted torches hung on black metallic posts in the air. The black stone
surrounding them seemed to absorb any light the fire from the torches created. They were in some kind of dungeon, to be sure, but one that no longer resided in the world of the living. A black throne lay thirty feet ahead of them, and seated on its edge was the demon god and lord of the underworld, Amatsu-no-kami.
He thought he was prepared for the sight of the demon god, but at that moment he doubted anyone could be completely unaffected by the pure malevolence that radiated from the god of the underworld.
It was difficult to take in the fallen deity’s appearance because he had the same face and form as always, and yet here he sat, horrifically different from the day Musubi witnessed him cast out of Heaven. The whiteness of his skin was just as blinding as ever, but he was and had always been, a devastatingly handsome individual with jet black hair and eyes, a strong chin and firm cheekbones. He still wore his sparkling white robe almost as if he were mocking the Parents who originally bestowed such pureness upon him.
His appearance suggested power, aggression, and absolute dominance. He was someone you might mistakenly consider as a trustworthy leader, a valuable asset, an individual you hoped to have on your side. A demon in angel’s clothing. The juxtaposition was jarring.
“It’s been such a very long time since I’ve basked in the presence of the god of love and marriage,” Amatsu said. There was a mocking lilt to his tone.
“Seems like an eternity,” was Musubi’s clipped response. He noticed Amatsu’s eyebrow rise in amusement.
“Tell me, dear Musubi, what brings you from the land of the living? Why this completely unexpected honor?”
“I think you know why I’m here.” He tried his best to look unaffected as Amatsu scrutinized him with his scalding gaze.