"I am not vermin. I am the daughter of the emperor, I'll have you know, and a descendant of the Eight," Suzume snapped. True, she had been disowned, but that didn't change her lineage. Besides, Rin didn't need to know all the details.
Rin laughed. "Human rulers mean little to me. Back when the Dragon ruled the biggest island of Akatsuki, your people had just barely crawled out of holes in the ground a couple centuries before."
Suzume rolled her eyes. "Nice story, Grandma, how old are you, one thousand?"
"Three thousand, thank you," Rin corrected with a smirk.
Suzume's mouth hung open. How could she look this good after thousands of years? I'm jealous of Yokai if they get to live forever and look like this.
"I bet you wish you had these good looks at my age." Rin preened.
Suzume scoffed. "I have no desire to be anything like you."
"It looked like you were rather jealous to me, especially when it comes to the Dragon." Rin leaned in close, peering up at Suzume's face.
Suzume flipped her hair and looked anywhere but at the Kitsune. "You're delusional. There's nothing between me and the Dragon."
"Humans are so sensitive. Maybe that's what makes you so delightful to tease." Rin smiled again, showing Suzume her fangs.
If Suzume had been a bit more sensible, she would have shut her mouth, but she never did think before speaking. As she was about to reply, a roar from above stopped her. A strong wind picked up and whipped her hair around her face. She pushed back the flyaway strands and glanced up to the sky. Rin ran past Suzume and towards the serpentine body of the Dragon as he landed on the road nearby.
Suzume shuddered to see Kaito in his dragon form. He always appeared more menacing as a dragon. Maybe it was his massive jaws or the powerful coils of his body. It might also be the fact that he could squish her like a bug if he wished.
"Master!" Rin cried. She ran to greet Kaito as he transformed back into his human form.
Kaito held Rin at arm's length as she wiggled her tail back and forth. It reminded Suzume of a lapdog.
Suzume giggled and covered it with a sleeve. She cleared her throat to further cover up her laughter and said to the Dragon, "Nice of you to join us. I was starting to hope that you'd never come back."
Kaito pushed Rin aside to get a better view of Suzume. His expression was serious, and for a moment, he scrutinized her, his brows furrowed. Suzume paused. This isn't like him. Does he suspect what I did? Rin pulled a face at Suzume over Kaito's shoulder as if to say, 'I know you really missed him.' Suzume ignored her, instead focusing on the Dragon. Let her think I care for Kaito. It will be that much easier to learn about my powers in secret and subdue both of them once I know how.
"I'm glad to see you missed me, pet." He grinned, breaking his solemn expression. Kaito reached out to presumably ruffle Suzume's hair, but Suzume dodged the action and the air crackled with Suzume's power. Red sparks flickered and died between them.
His smile faded once more and he watched her gravely for a moment. She leveled an arrogant look at him. I guess everything is back to normal if the sparks are back.
"I have good news," Kaito said at last, breaking the awkward tension. "I found a place for you to train."
"What?" Suzume asked and then quickly schooled her features to neutral. "What do I care about these powers? All I want is to go back to the palace. A general's wife doesn't need a mastery of spiritual power," she scoffed.
"You'll need them if Akito comes to take you away and the general challenges him to fight for you. I doubt any man you would choose could fight for himself," Kaito replied, and Rin sniggered behind him.
Suzume opened her mouth to retort and then bit her tongue. Kaito did not realize just how close he had been to Akito. And he'll never find out if I can help it. Distracted by this fact, she couldn't come up with a snappy retort fast enough and Kaito jumped his advantage.
"Did I leave you speechless?" He laughed and Rin joined in.
Suzume threw both of them a dirty look, which they promptly ignored because they were too busy mocking her. Suzume huffed and pouted until their laughter died away.
"So where is this place? Who is going to train me, oh Great Dragon?" Suzume asked with her arms crossed over her chest. She turned away and watched them from the corner of her eye.
Kaito wiped laughter-induced tears from his eyes. "It's a temple not far from here. The priests there are well known for their mastery of spiritual powers. The best part is their order used to be dedicated to my worship." He puffed out his chest.
Suzume rolled her eyes. "So we're going to a temple run by your minions. Great."
"What a brilliant plan, master," Rin piped up.
On second thought, I hope they can teach me how to fry one annoying Kitsune.
"Thank you, Rin." He patted her on the head. Rin closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.
"Well, are we going, or do you two need a moment?" Suzume interjected.
She turned so she couldn't see Rin. She was undoubtedly giving Suzume another look. I really don't like that woman.
"We're leaving right now. Follow me." Kaito strolled down the road before turning to cut between two fields. The path he was taking faced a distant mountain range.
Great, more mountain climbing. "Can't you just fly us there or something?" Suzume asked.
Rin gasped. "How could someone as low as you ask something like that of the master?" She pressed her hand to her chest as she spoke.
"We're going to walk all the way over there? Why can't he transform and fly?" Suzume asked with a puzzled expression. It made perfect sense to her.
"Sure, you can ride," Kaito said with a devious gleam in his eye.
Suzume raised a brow. "What's the catch? You're being too nice."
"No catch, get on." He transformed in a puff of smoke.
His forelegs straddled the two fields and bent grain sideways under his feet. The coils of his body wrapped back and forth across the fields rising and falling under the tall grasses. His whiskers brushed against the ground and rustled with every breath. His breath brushed over Suzume's skin like a cool breeze. Rin wriggled back and forth, her tail swinging to and fro. She held her hands to her chest as her body swayed while staring at Kaito in adoration, while Suzume eyed him with suspicion.
"I don't trust you," Suzume declared. Nothing was ever this easy with Kaito. Nothing.
He laughed and the sound echoed off the hills and rumbled like thunder. "Well, I do have less control of my human mind in this form and I have been known to drop riders from great heights. Oh! And I sometimes eat them."
"Never mind, I'd rather walk." There's always a trick with him.
He laughed again and the sound reminded Suzume of a babbling brook. He transformed back into his human form and said, "Well, if there are no other arguments, let's head out."
Kaito led the way and Suzume hung back, concocting a plan in which she could learn more about her own powers and somehow seal Kaito away—and maybe Rin for good measure. Yeah, it should be simple enough. She almost believed herself. Almost.
The trip took the remainder of the daylight before they arrived at the temple. The temple itself was at the top of a flight of stairs. When Suzume saw them, she groaned. The stairway disappeared into the treetops.
"Why is there so much climbing! Can't they just make temples easy to reach?"
"They're high up so the unworthy cannot reach them," Kaito replied.
Suzume shot Kaito a dirty look before they proceeded to climb the endless staircase. As it was with the mountain by the roadside shrine, Kaito and Rin climbed with ease while Suzume huffed and puffed, taking the occasional break.
When they neared the top of the stairs, it had gotten fully dark and Suzume had to squint to find her way. I can't see a thing, not even Kaito and Rin. Then out of the darkness, hanging lights appeared. She followed them the rest of the way. When she arrived panting at the top of the stairs, priests in brown robes greeted her, holding onto lanterns attac
hed to strings at the end of poles. They nodded to her as she joined the others. Rin and Kaito were standing nearby. Rin looked around with interest, and Kaito, in the dim yellow light of the lanterns, looked bored.
The priests led them to the temple courtyard. More priests lined up in rows in front of one of the shrine buildings. The man in the forefront was ancient with deep creased wrinkles on his face and a completely bald head. Despite his great age, he stood upright and had a certain glow to him.
"Lord Dragon, thank you for honoring us with your presence." The priest bowed low from his waist.
The other priests followed suit and bowed in unison to Kaito. He smiled down at them before lifting his hand. He's loving this.
"And this must be the priestess you mentioned." The old priest approached Suzume and brushed his hand against her face. His hands were deceptively soft and gentle. She normally didn't like people touching her, but she found the priest's touch soothing. He felt familiar, as if they had met before. "You have a very old soul. It has seen much over the centuries."
He smiled down at her and Suzume felt a warm glowing feeling grow in the pit of her stomach. A yellow light haloed the old man's head and she gasped in wonder.
"It would appear we have met in a previous life." He smiled at her.
"How do you know that?" Suzume asked.
"Souls recognize one another, even if the vessels do not," the priest said. His eyes flickered towards Kaito for a brief second and Suzume's heart raced. The priest looked back to Suzume and then took a step back. "I think there is much we can learn from one another."
Suzume avoided looking at Kaito, but a smile was creeping over her face. I hope so as well.
Rin could not sleep. The energy of the temple felt wrong. It filled her head with thoughts of Hikaru, and each time she closed her eyes she thought of that last day. After an hour of trying, she gave up and paced her tiny chamber for several minutes. She never spent too long indoors and the walls were closing in on her.
She exited her chamber in the dark of night, padding silently down the hall in search of the Dragon. When they had talked before, he had thought Suzume was Kazue's reincarnation, but ever since the flash of light, he had been acting strangely. At first she thought it had all been part of his plan to trick the priestess, but she slowly realize he had forgotten everything. How this untrained priestess had this sort of power, Rin had no idea. Is it a good idea to train her? I do not trust her. Kazue betrayed the Dragon, what's to stop her reincarnation from doing the same?
Outside the Dragon's chamber, she hesitated. Memories from a lifetime ago swam through her thoughts as her words caught in her throat. He does not remember our conversation in the woods, what if he gets the wrong impression as to why I am here?
"Come in, Rin, I know you're there," he called from beyond the doorway.
She swallowed her anxiety and went inside. As to be expected, the Dragon's room was slightly larger than her own, with a single futon against a far wall and a window that looked out to the garden beyond. He sat on the futon, his back against the wall, his knee bent and one arm dangling over it. He looked out the room's only window to the night sky.
"Why did you come here?" he said. His voice was distant and remote.
It broke her heart to see the great Dragon brought down this low. His kingdom torn apart, and the lower-ranking Yokai ruling their own tiny micro-kingdoms. He would not admit it, but he had yet to return to his full strength and still struggled to be the man he had once been. Betrayal, anger, and the priestess' spell had changed him.
She knelt down beside him as she said, "I could not sleep and I figured you would still be awake as well." I should tell him what the priestess did. I cannot believe she has his best intentions at heart.
He did not look at her when he spoke. "I did not mean this evening, I meant why did you come to me when the seal broke? I released you from my service long ago."
Rin pushed her hair behind her ear and thought of how to answer. When she had been in the Dragon's service, she never would have come to him in this way, approached him as a friend, but time changed her. Hikaru changed her, and she no longer felt like the unworthy servant she had been.
"We were lovers once." She paused. "I thought perhaps you needed an ally, someone you can trust."
"How did Hikaru die?"
The question was unexpected, and one she did not want to answer. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter, he's gone now."
He rested his hand on hers. She looked into his face, and she saw the man who for a brief time she had thought she loved. What an innocent she had been in those days. She had experienced true enduring love, and what she shared with the Dragon so long ago had been an infatuation. A brief and glorious fever.
"You're lonely, I can see it." He leaned in and she did not back away.
She had been lonely. With Hikaru dead and Shin haunting her like a yaori, she had lived twenty years as an old woman at the shrine, waiting for the rebirth, never knowing if she would ever feel the touch of another. Dying for contact but afraid she would be betraying the man she loved.
When Kaito leaned forward and kissed her, there was no passion, no spark. Just a hot meeting of lips. With one hand on the back of her neck, he held her close, and with the other he pulled loose the ties on her kimono. Her heart raced as she thought to that brief tryst, those passionate nights when the most powerful Yokai in Akatsuki had worshiped her body, had been hers, if only for a short time. But now everything about it felt wrong. She did not love him, and as desperate as she was for that intimacy, she couldn't, not with him. They were two damaged people, and she was not the one who could heal his wounds. If they got tangled together now, they might both unravel.
She pulled away. "Don't," she said with her hand on his chest. Her kimono had slid down and hardly covered her breasts.
He looked at her with a hunger in his gaze. But it wasn't her he was looking at. He was looking for something to fill the void Kazue had left in him. She had seen a hint of it in the forest; now she saw it displayed on his face. That raw vulnerability that so few glimpsed, the hurt that shook him to his core and even now stopped him from recovering from his imprisonment.
They were interrupted from further awkwardness by a knock on the door. Kaito rose to answer it, and he locked away his emotions, shut tight behind his mask of power. Rin exhaled. How can I tell him about the priestess now when he's like this?
The door slid open, and Kaito said, "Oh ho, come to sneak into my bed late at night, Priestess?"
Rin looked around, sitting on the Dragon's bed late at night, her clothes falling off of her, she knew how it must look. And she saw the accusation in the priestess' eyes. She did not trust the priestess, she feared her intentions, but when she saw her expression, she knew she had misjudged her. The look on her face was that of betrayal.
31
Kaito rested his hands on his hips as he stared down at Suzume. Despite her deep mortification from finding Kaito and Rin alone in his room, her eyes traveled over Kaito's well-defined chest. Her sight skimmed over the top of his pants before shooting back up to his face. Too bad he's too annoying to even consider taking as a lover. She had to shake herself. Get it together. Why did I come here in the first place? She couldn't remember and looked to Rin, whose kimono hung off her shoulder. There can only be one explanation, of course. Just because he had a human lover does not mean he turns away his own kind. Rin is beautiful, and I knew from the start what she wanted. But still her chest hurt. She shouldn't care what the Dragon did or who he slept with, but it hurt just the same.
"Well, I guess I've discovered what Rin's service to you was," Suzume said. Her hand trembled and she realized she was holding a clean robe for the Dragon.
Rin came to peer over Kaito's shoulder, her robe hanging off her shoulder and the top of her breast revealed beneath the silky fabric. Her auburn hair was tousled and she looked at Suzume with a half-lidded smile. Neither of them attempted to deny their actions, which stung mo
re than Suzume thought it should.
"It looks like you're both busy. I won't bother you, the priest asked me to give you this." She shoved the clothes against Kaito's chest and turned to walk away. Bad enough she was being used like a servant girl and then to be humiliated on top of it.
"Wait!" Kaito called out to her.
Suzume's heart clenched and she chastised herself. Stop it. She took a breath before glancing back at him with what she hoped was an indifferent expression. "Yes?"
"There's room for one more if you'd like to join us." Kaito grinned and pulled Rin under his arm and held his free hand out to Suzume.
"No, thank you," Suzume said with an icy tone.
The smile left Kaito's face. The spiritual energy crackled around her, electrifying the air between them. They held one another's gaze for a moment. If she hadn't been embarrassed and upset, she would have said something to turn the shame back on them, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She twirled away, her wet hair flipping behind her just in time to hide the flush of her cheeks.
She stomped away, making sure to make every footstep echo off the walls as she withdrew. They're perfect for one another. They're both annoying beyond reason and they're both immortal. Suzume arrived at her room. She threw open the door. Once inside, she slammed it behind her and the paper screen shuddered beneath the force. Suzume flopped down onto the futon that had been laid out for her.
She lay on her back, her arms and leg spread-eagled, while staring at the ceiling. It's not like I care who he has a relationship with. He loved Kazue not me. She rolled over onto her side and brought her knees to her chest. Sure, he can be charming when he wants to. And he's not ugly…
"That's some dangerous thinking," she said to herself.
The silent shrine did not answer. Even the wind through the trees was hushed as if it too had witnessed her humiliation.
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 22