"How did this happen?" Tsuki asked before biting his knuckles to stop himself from laughing.
Suzume settled herself back into her throne, but had not given the command to have the Namahage release Kaito.
"I have fully come into my power, isn't that obvious?" As she sat down, a previously unseen girl rushed forward to straighten out the folds of Suzume's kimono.
"Alright, enough playing around. It's time to go," Kaito said as he elbowed a nearby Namahage in the ribs, catching him by surprise and forcing him to let him go. Kaito crossed the distance between them before the Namahage could intervene. He was inches from Suzume when she held up her hand. The Namahage who had been chasing him remained behind, while Kaito looked down at her full of her own smug pride.
"This isn't a game. I've found a way to stop Hisato," she said, glaring at Kaito and daring him to refute her.
"With them?" Kaito gestured to the Namahage who were murmuring angrily behind him.
Her gaze flicked towards them and then back to Kaito. "Not the Namahage, the holy purifying fire."
Kaito snorted in disbelief. "You think you can control the divine fire of the gods?"
"Do not speak to the Lady of the Flame in such a way, phony dragon."
"Phony?" Kaito sputtered.
Suzume laughed and hid it behind her sleeve.
"I have tamed the holy fire. I am the Lady of Flame."
"The Lady of Flame is one of the eight. You're a girl who has gotten a big head. Now get down from there."
Suzume shook her head, as if he was an ignorant child.
"You insolent creature, how dare you!" said a namahage chief who had approached from behind and grabbed Kaito by the shoulder. "Bow before the Lady of Flame and show the respect she is owed."
"I bow to no one." He knocked the Namahage's hand aside to turn and face Suzume once more.
In response, the Namahage struck him in the back of his knees, forcing Kaito to the ground. He collapsed in front of Suzume and stared up at her.
Who did this wench think she was?
Suzume stood above him, flames rose up along her hair and danced in her eyes. "I am more powerful than you think." Suzume held up her hand and the flames from the bonfire rose up into the air where they transformed in a bird that rose into the sky and glided over the camp. The Namahage stamped their feet as the bird cawed and swooped directly towards Kaito.
He lifted his arms, preparing to guard but before it could strike him it burst apart into a shower of golden sparks.
Kaito stared at the space where the bird had been, blinking in surprise. How was it possible that Suzume's power had grown so much in such a short amount of time? He turned back to look at her face, but when he looked into her eyes he did not see the spoiled princess, only the reflection of fire that continued to flicker in her eyes. Something intent on destruction.
"When Kazue conquered the Lady of Flame she took her power for her own. A power which she left to me," Suzume said to Kaito. "I am the Lady of Flame."
"Enough." Kaito once again tried to approach her but this time when the Namahage went to reach him, Suzume held up her hand to stop them. So when he approached her makeshift throne they were almost nose to nose. "I let you pretend at being the leader. But the game is over. It's time for you to remember your place."
She raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face. Kaito reeled backwards nearly knocked to the floor. Fire burned inside his flesh, creeping into him, burning him from the inside. But the feeling was only fleeting. When he looked at Suzume again, her eyes were wide and she was staring at her hands. The moment was fleeting and she turned her face away from him.
The chief of the Namahage was standing beside Suzume. "You should be punished for this."
"Take him from my sight. I do not want to look at him," Suzume said with a flick of her wrist.
Kaito pressed his hand against the place where she had slapped him, then looked at her seething. This had gone too far. "You can't just walk away from me. I'm not done talking!" He leapt to his feet, but Namahage grabbed him and dragged him away.
The dragon growled obscenities and made threats that fell on deaf ears until the Namahage brought him to hut where he was thrown inside and the door was slammed shut.
32
Kaito slammed his fists against the door until they were bloody and he kept hammering even past that. They could not lock him up, he was the dragon. But even so his energy was not limitless and exhaustion forced him to stop. He slid against the door, slumping onto the ground. The wounds across his torso had reopened and were bleeding freely. He ripped open his haori to inspect them. There was a large gash on his side where the Namahage's blade had taken a chunk of him.
The fabric of his haori had fused with his skin from matted blood. As he peeled it away, he hissed through the pain. In his long life he had never feared death. His kind were immortal, even severe wounds only temporarily disabled them. His spiritual energy would have revived him, but cut off from the flow of power there was no way to heal.
Footsteps approached from outside so Kaito scrambled into a standing position and waited for the door to open. His hands flexed like claws in front of him, though he could not produce real claws. I knew she couldn't hold out forever. The priestess wanted to play at being powerful, but the game was over. The door swung open but it was not Suzume who entered. Instead the priest, Makato, walked in with his head bowed, carrying a bowl of water and bandages.
"What are you doing here?" Kaito snarled. He looked past the priest, but all he could see were the rows of huts. The priest shut the door, cutting off his view of the outside. He'd come alone.
Makato carried his items to the center of the room, the bowl and bandages balanced on his arm.
Kaito marched over to him and shoved him hard in the shoulder. "Answer me." Water sloshed out of the bowl, but the priest's balance kept it from spilling, or from dropping the bandages.
Makato turned towards Kaito, his eyes blazing. Then he turned away just as quickly and in a calm voice said, "She asked me to come and treat your wounds."
"Is this some sort of joke?" he asked as he balled his hand into a fist. If he didn't restrain himself he was going to strangle the priest. Not that it sounded like too much of a bad idea in that moment.
Makato ignored his question and continued to set out jars of salve which he removed from pockets in his hakama. Kaito growled as he paced around the priest who did not respond to the dragon's hostility.
"You can go back to that spoiled brat and tell her to let me out this instant."
"I can't do that," Makato said, looking up to meet Kaito's angry glare for the first time.
Kaito stopped his pacing and faced the priest who was staring at him. "What was that?"
"Your wounds are spreading, do you want her to find out how weak you've become?" He nodded towards Kaito who was covered in blood, hair disheveled. He must have looked more like a wild animal than the powerful ruler he had once been.
The dragon kicked over the bowl of water to show the priest what he thought of his help. The water spread out, creating a thick river of mud beneath the priest. Makato looked at the destruction without expression.
"I don't need your pity," Kaito growled.
"Will you at least let me bandage your wounds?" he asked without raising his head. He remained kneeling on the ground, the water soaking into his the fabric around his knees.
Kaito threw his head back and laughed. "I don't need your help either."
"You haven't changed at all," Makato said under his breath.
The words sent a chill down his spine. There were an echo of Kazue, long gone but never far away it seemed. It was easy to forget that this man also had a piece of Kazue's soul inside him.
"What did you say?" Kaito said, his words thick and rough.
Makato turned to look at him. His eyes had changed subtly, no longer dark brown but more of a hazel. "Once you came to the shrine covered in blood, you refused treatment, and collapse
d onto a futon and would not rise for two days. On the third day you got up and left. You never said where the wounds came from, or where you were going or when you would be back..."
The memories were fresh as if they'd happened the day before. Kazue in tears, begging him to stay. Each time he left her he never knew if he would return. This is the end of it. He told himself every time in those early days. We cannot continue this. Once he left for a month straight, fighting some battle or another, telling himself that it was a passing infatuation. It wasn't until it was too late that he realized it was so much more than that, which made leaving her that much harder. For so long he had fought to have her by his side. Clinging to the hope that soon he would find peace to be with her. But it had never happened. Kazue had turned on him in the end and he had fallen victim to his own damned heart.
"How do you know that?" he growled.
"You know why."
"Get out!" he roared as he took a swing at Makato's head. The priest dodged his attack easily, and instead grabbed a hold of Kaito's wrist, forcing the dragon to look him in the eye.
"I never had these memories until I met Suzume. But they're getting stronger all the time. Each time she takes some of my spiritual energy a new memory surfaces. Do you know why?"
Kaito knocked him backwards and Makato skidded back a couple steps, his hands up in a defensive pose. But just that little bit of effort had stolen the breath from Kaito's lungs. He leaned upon his knees gasping for breath.
"Your condition is getting worse. I can heal you."
"At what cost?" There was a painful stitch in his side that he clutched. Blood rolled down his side and dripped onto the ground.
"Leave."
The word rung in his head. A threat, a promise, an escape. He couldn't decide which. Ever since he had been woken from the stone, he'd been trapped in these memories. Every time he looked at Suzume he thought of her. And as Suzume's power grew it was getting harder to distinguish the two. And that scared him. Would he let his heart betray him again, and fall prey to the same mistakes all over?
He had to mentally shake himself. That's exactly what the priest wanted. It had been his plan from the start. He needed Suzume to find the artifacts to stop that bastard Hisato.
"Do you think I don't see through your plan?" Kaito bared his teeth at the priest.
"You have to let her go, before it's too late."
Kaito made another ineffectual swing at Makato's head in response. The priest simply sidestepped out of the way. With too much momentum and not enough counterweight, Kaito tumbled face forward and crashed onto the ground. The dragon climbed up onto all fours but could not find the strength to get up. He coughed and blood splattered onto the ground in front of him.
"Don't you see? You're destroying her, the same way you destroyed Kazue."
Kaito was trembling. Like a weak mortal. Like a human. What Suzume had done to him was worse than what Kazue had done. At least Kazue had put him to sleep. He was living in a waking nightmare. He could feel his body decaying around him, despite his attempts to pretend it wasn't happening. He was dying.
"What do you want from her?"
"That's not for you to worry about."
Kaito struggled to his knees, that was the best he could manage. His head rolled back onto his neck like a limp noodle. It would be better to let her go, to free himself of this burden. The priest was staring at him, waiting for an answer. A slow smirk pulled at the corner of the dragon's lips.
"Swear to me you won't hurt her."
"I will protect her with my life."
Kaito wiped the blood from his lips. Bright crimson stained his skin. How many times had he seen his own blood? Of all the battles he had fought and won, this priest had brought him to his knees where so many other enemies had tried and failed. He had to respect that. But the fool's one mistake had been offering a chance to reverse what he had done. As soon as he was back to his old strength he would rend him into pieces.
"Then return me to how I was."
The priest squatted down and began to draw a circle in the mud, followed by a series of complicated symbols. He was familiar with the human methods of channeling their power. Their inferior bodies were not as strong as that of a yokai and therefore they had to depend on their songs and circles.
"It was me who sealed your power," Makato said as he worked.
"I know," Kaito grunted, watching him work with narrowed eyes.
"Why didn't you confront me?" He stopped to look at him, his fingers stained with mud, a slight furrow to his brows.
"Believe me I've wanted to kill you from the moment I realized. But..." he couldn't say the rest. That knowing Kazue was inside him had held him back. That even now she held sway over him.
Makato lowered his gaze back to the circle on the ground. "I was ordered to kill you, but I couldn't do it." He looked up at Kaito for a moment. "I didn't understand why at first, but now I know. It's Kazue, she still loves you."
"Are you saying you're in love with me?" Kaito raised an eyebrow at him. He'd had stranger lovers in the past. But somehow he couldn't see this priest having any real affection for him.
The priest shook his head. "That's not quite it." He stood up to admire the circle he had drawn. "Do you know why Kazue sealed you?" Makato asked as he squatted down to make a couple corrections to the markings on the ground.
"Because she didn't want me to stop her from becoming immortal."
"That was part of it."
Makato stood, then gestured for Kaito to come stand in the circle. The dragon climbed to his feet and each movement tugged at his wounds, sending fresh ripples of pain through his body. As he inched closer to the circle, he paused. Could he really trust the priest?
"What is this?" He pointed at the markings on the ground. Some he recognized, having seen the human scribbles before. Others he did not.
"The circle will enhance my power and help me reverse the seal upon your spiritual power."
Kaito hesitated. This was too easy. This man could not be this naive. "Why are you doing this?"
Makato met his gaze and when he looked into his eyes they were green. "Because Kazue wants me to."
A chill ran down his spine as he looked into Makato's eyes. The shape and color of them were all wrong but it felt as if Kazue was looking back out at him. It may have been his imagination. Perhaps he was so desperate for any sign of her that he was looking for her in this man's gaze. Then let this be our final goodbye. Perhaps once I kill him, your soul will be free again.
Kaito stepped into the circle. The moment his foot crossed over the line he felt a tingle on his skin. Even before the spell was invoked, the circle had power. Once he was in the middle of the circle Kaito crossed his arms over his chest. The gooseflesh had risen all over his body and the hairs were up on the back of his neck.
"What now?" Kaito looked down once more at the circle on the ground. It glowed faintly, illuminating his feet and the bottoms of his hakama.
"Aren't you going to ask me what Kazue's other reason for sealing you was?" Makato asked.
Kaito rolled his eyes. He supposed he could give him that much at least. "What was it?"
"She planned on using your spiritual energy to make her son immortal."
As he said this, pain shot up Kaito's leg from the ground. The markings on the ground were a vibrant green now. The priest sang an incantation. His voice was different but the words were the same ones that had had haunted Kaito's dreams for five hundred years. Makato's voice rose to the rafters. It was the song of sealing, twining its way around him.
"You bastard!" he roared. But already the spell's effects were upon him, lulling him to sleep, even as his mine raged against it. He shrunk downwards, his vision growing dark. Soon he knew nothing at all but silence and darkness once more.
33
"When are you going to let the dragon go?" Rin demanded.
Suzume flicked open her golden fan and waved in front of her face. She had been expecting this, although
she hoped the moment would have lasted longer. Peering over the top of her fan, Suzume considered the best way to answer the kitsune's question.
"Do not speak informally to the Lady of the Flame," Tohru, the chief of the Namahage said. Chastising the kitsune for Suzume. How convenient.
The chief was never far from her side since the Namahage had crowned her the Lady of Flame. Being made their ruler reminded her of her life at the White Palace. The Namahage carried her everywhere in a palanquin and every comfort was saw after before she could even ask. They asked nothing of her but pampered her in every way possible.
And she was absolutely bored out of her mind. She had not remembered how incredibly aggravating it was to not be able to so much as cough without three different people hurrying to bring her something to drink. The only reprieve she had from the mind-numbing monotony was imprisoning Kaito.
She figured she'd let him sweat it out for a day and then she would free him, after giving him a taste of his own medicine of course. It was only fair. How many times had he forced her to grovel at his feet? If he didn't think she was a good ruler then she would show him what sort of ruler she could be.
The kitsune was ruining everything. Rin's lips twisted into a frown as she grit out a "my lady" with a bow that was almost passable as polite.
Suzume waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, playing at the magnanimous ruler. "He will be freed as soon as he bends the knee to me," Suzume said, using her most contemptuous voice.
"Don't you think you're taking this a little too far?"
Tohru stamped his foot, "Do not question the judgments of our lady." Suzume covered her smirk with her fan. Rin couldn't ruin this for her, not with the Namahage's support. To them she was a goddess.
"Well if you're not going let him out then I will." The kitsune transformed into her massive true form and leapt over the heads a pair of Namahage who tried to apprehend her.
"You can't do that." Suzume stood to better shout at her retreating back, losing the regal composure she had been effecting. When the kitsune did not respond Suzume gathered up the layers of robes she was wearing to climb down the steps after her. But she had forgotten just how heavy the formal garb was and she struggled to make even a few strides before Tohru was in front of her with hands out stretched to stop her.
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 61