Suzume went under, losing sense of place and time. When she surfaced she could see nothing but the monster with its giant hands reaching, searching, it's white giant pupils scanning the water. Another wave rose up and she went under once more, only this time she didn't breach the surface again.
Invisible hands were grabbing onto her and dragging her downward. She quickly lost sense of up and down. There was only darkness and water pressing against her lungs, trying to pry her lips open. Something inside her was screaming, clawing its way out. She wanted to live. She flailed her arms, flapping about, but she couldn't find the surface. Her lungs wanted her to breathe, to take in air until they forced her to try. The air burst out of her in a shroud of bubbles. Her mouth filled with the bitter taste of her own death as she sank further and further downward.
36
The feeling of unease was growing inside Rin. Immediately after she had left the Namahage village, she'd followed what appeared to be Kaito's scent. But after a day and a half of trailing it, she realized she'd been walking in circles. Someone had led her on a wild goose chase. She knew Kaito wouldn't leave Suzume behind and this only proved it. And so she returned to the Namahage village to look for answers. But found it deserted. The doors to the huts swung on rusty hinges. A thick layer of ash and dust covered everything. It appeared to have been abandoned for years instead of a day at most. As Rin walked past the gathering space at the village center, she found old ashes and bones on the ground. This isn't right.
It took the rest of the day, but she found Suzume and the other's trail. She followed it for several days until she reached the coast. It led her to a fishing village set along a bay. That was where she lost the trail again. In her fox form, Rin hid among the sand dunes observing the villagers as they went about their day. But these villagers were not acting as normal humans would.
The pungent scent of fear hung on the air. Children did not run wild as children do but instead clung to their mother's skirts. The mothers scanned the horizon like frightened animals. Fisherman were not out on the water in their boats, but instead gathered in knots along the shore, their angry voices were live a hive of bees. Patrols of middle-aged men walked the perimeter of the village carrying makeshift weapons made up of rusty harpoons and bludgeons.
Rin got as close to the village as she dared and hid behind a pile of crates in order to listen in on a conversation between two of the patrolling men. Their eyes were constantly searching for something.
"Do you think she'll return?" One man asked another.
"I saw them sail off this morning. They won't be coming back."
"Doesn't it seem strange that that group showed up when they did?"
The second man shook his head. "You don't think that army man asking questions was one of their kind, do you?"
"They wouldn't dare. I think the emperor's army is looking for them. That's what they're supposed to do: protect the people."
"She seemed dangerous, fire coming out all over. It isn't natural."
"Maybe we should send one of the boys out with a message for the army. If the umi-bozu doesn't finish them off first, the army will."
"They won't get past that yokai. No one does."
The other man nodded his head in agreement. Then froze, squinting in Rin's direction.
"There's something over there." He nodded his chin in her direction.
Now was her time to flee. She retreated from the village amid shots and rocks thrown at her, none of which hit their mark. But she had heard more than enough. She knew of the umi-bozu, though she'd never seen one in person. They were elusive deep sea yokai, almost never seen this close to land. Why would Suzume and the others be at the risk of an umi-bozu if they were only crossing over the other island?
Without a boat or a way across, Rin was trapped along the shore. She decided to search for some sort of vessel to try and cross as well. It could not be mere coincidence that Hisato and the emperor's army were near by. She had to find the others and warn them.
As she made her way along the shoreline in search of a boat, she found not much more than piles of seaweed and broken shell fragments. Growing discouraged as time passed, she considered going back to the village and risk stealing one of their boats. That was until she noticed something lying on the beach up ahead. It looked like a massive pile of seaweed.
The wind changed direction and blew towards her. It was not seaweed but a person. Rin loped over to it. When she got closer she could see his face. Makato lay on the shore, limbs spreadeagle on the sand, face down.
Rin flipped him over. There was a cut above his left eye but otherwise he appeared unharmed. The beach around his was strewn with wood and debris. It appeared they had met the umi-bozu after all. Rin pressed her head against his chest and listened for the faint sound of his breathing. Rin let out a sigh of relief, but as she pressed her hands to his skin she felt the chill coming from him. She looked around the surrounding area. They were far from the nearest village and she doubted they would take him in anyway. She had to get him dry and warm fast.
Makato's eyes fluttered open and he squinted up at her. "Rin?" he croaked.
"Don't speak. You're safe now," she said, stroking his face to soothe him.
"I've done something terrible," he said. His voice slurred and he closed his eyes once more.
Questions rang in her mind, but they'd have to be answered later. Right now all that mattered was saving him. She transformed into her kitsune form and picked him up gently in her jaws. Like a mother fox with her kits she carried him away from the shoreline to a shaded area among the trees. She put him down on the grass and then went about making a fire.
Once the fire was blazing, she stripped him down to his undergarments and hung his wet clothes up on a tree branch to dry. Human bodies were so fragile. She knew that if he was left in wet clothes for too long he'd become ill.
She pulled him as close to the fire as she thought safe. Despite the fire's warmth he continued to shiver. She curled up next to him, sharing her own body warmth. Once she did, his breathing returned to normal. As Rin laid there with her arm wrapped around his torso, she was filled with memories of Hikaru. His smile, his laugh, and how it had felt to be in his arms. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Makato didn't want to be Hikaru. He had made that much certain. But she couldn't separate the two in her mind no matter how hard she tried.
She should go and search for the others, but it had been so long since she felt this safe and comfortable. She couldn't bring herself to leave his side. Even though Makato continued to push her away, Rin felt compelled to protect him. His resemblance to Hikaru made it that much more difficult to disentangle her own feelings about him. Perhaps Kaito was right and she was a fool for trusting him. But just for a moment she wanted to be close to him.
It wasn't long after that when Rin spotted someone approaching from the beach. She jumped up, prepared to defend Makato. Until she realized the one who was coming closer was Akira, wringing out her sleeves as she walked. Rin put distance between herself and Makato. She didn't want the siblings to tell him that she had been spooning him while he slept. A small blush crept over her face. What was she doing? She should have been out searching for the others.
"You have great timing," Akira commented as she approached.
"When I couldn't find the dragon I came looking for you. What happened?"
"We attempted crossing to the island but our ship was destroyed by the umi-bozu. The waves were so wild we were forced apart."
"We stuck together though," Tsuki interjected.
"Very funny." Akira rolled her eyes.
"Dry off by the fire." Rin gestured towards the fire she had made.
"Have you seen Suzume?" Akira asked.
Rin shook her head. "I was just about to go look for her."
"I hope she's alright, the last I saw her a wave washed over her and she never surfaced again." Akira looked out to the water, frowning.
Her words were like a dark premonition. "W
hat about Noaki? Perhaps they're together?"
"We haven't seen him either."
"I'll go look for them now."
Akira bowed her head as way of thanks. Rin gave one more look to the sleeping Makato before heading back down to the shore in search of Suzume and Noaki. Rin's thoughts continued to drift to her last fight with Suzume. She had not been acting like herself as of late. She knew Suzume could be selfish, but the fact that she had dismissed the idea of looking for Kaito troubled her. Could the priestess have something to do with Kaito's disappearance?
After hours of searching, she found nothing but more of the ship's debris. And as the time passed, Rin was losing hope she was going to find the priestess alive. Feeling discouraged, she headed back to the others to give them the news.
When she returned, Makato was awake and staring into the flames of the fire. When he saw her getting close he leapt up and came towards her. He's probably worried about Suzume. She braced herself to deliver the bad news.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't find--" but before she could finish her sentence, he grabbed onto her shoulders.
"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." He stood up and looked past her towards the ocean.
Rin laughed but her stomach churned. Does he really despise me that much? " I think you're supposed to say thank you for saving you."
A blush was running up his neck as he looked from Rin to Akira. He coughed into his hand. "Thank you," he mumbled.
Akira shared a look with Rin, a single brow raised in question. Rin shrugged her shoulders in response and turned away so they couldn't see just how embarrassed she was. It had been stupid to think even for a moment he could be Hikaru. What a past life promised didn't mean the next life had to agree to it.
Rin cleared her throat before saying. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. I couldn't find Suzume. And I'm afraid she didn't make it."
Makato's eyes grew wide. "How can you be sure? She could be anywhere."
"If she didn't drown, we would have found her by now."
Makato put his head in his hands. "This is my fault." He looked up at Rin, guilt plain on his face. "I have to go look for her."
Rin held up her hands to stop him. "You need to rest. You nearly drowned."
"You don't understand, if I hadn't interfered then none of this would have happened." He threw his arms out.
"You didn't summon the umi-bozu."
Makato was shaking his head, eyes trained on the ocean as if he could will Suzume to rise from the sea.
"We'll look for Suzume," Akira said.
"Are you sure?" Rin asked.
Akira nodded. "We are bound to her. If anyone can find her, we can." She sauntered down the beach, leaving Rin and Makato in an awkward stand-off: both of them standing by the fire, neither of them willing to look the other in the eye.
If only Rin had tried harder to stop Suzume, none of this would have happened. She'd seen the signs of her thirst for power. Her obsession with it had led to her demise. And now Makato blamed himself for it.
"This isn't your fault," Rin said, gesturing towards the ocean.
Makato did not respond and instead paced beside the fire.
"Why don't you sit down?" she asked.
He seemed to be deaf to her as he continued to walk around, running his hands through his hair and mumbling to himself.
"Perhaps I should go and help Akira." Rin motioned to leave but before she could Makato grabbed a hold of her wrist.
"You need to leave this place. Go back to your shrine and your people," he said, his voice so low she might have thought she was imagining it if he wasn't looking into her eyes and pleading with his gaze.
"What?" Her heart was hammering in her chest all of a sudden. She had never mentioned the shrine she and Hikaru had ran together for centuries. No one knew about it but the dragon.
"I don't need you here," he said without looking at her.
"How did you know I had a shrine?"
He froze and looked at her wide-eyed. The only sound was the snap of the fire between them.
"Do you remember?"
He hesitated then said, "It was a lucky guess." He turned to walk away from her to head down the beach but she chased after him, grabbing onto his shoulder and forcing him to face her.
"Why are you lying to me? You do remember."
"I'm afraid!"
His voice echoed all around them. Rin's heart was hammering so loud in her chest she was certain he could hear it.
"Of what?"
"Hurting you."
The ocean thundered in the distance and the wind moaned as it rolled over the shore.
"You can't hurt me," she said softly.
He turned away from her again. "I'm not a good person, Rin. I've done awful things."
She walked around him, forcing him to face her. "What sort of things?"
"I've been killing yokai." The words were direct and sliced the space between them. Drawing a line in the sand.
Her breath caught in her lungs, keeping her from uttering a coherent word. "Oh." She exhaled.
"I'm a danger to you. Before you get hurt, please go." He ran his hands through his hair, a painful echo of Hikaru. Could this be him? Was all of this done to protect her?
"Just tell me the truth. Do you have Hikaru's memories?"
He looked up at her, meeting her gaze for the first time. "Yes."
Time stood still. For a moment she forgot how to breathe.
"Are you Hikaru's reincarnation?"
He paused. A couple of heart beats. He inhaled then exhaled.
"Yes."
After waiting so long, dreaming of this moment, she could not hold herself back and she leaned forward and pecked her lips against his before pulling back. She wanted to take it slow.
"Then I don't care about the rest. We promised to be together. We promised to find one another again."
His eyes were wide but instead of running away, he grabbed a hold of her, pulled her closer and kissed her. It felt as if her entire body was set a flame. With the feeling of his arms around her, his lips against hers, she was lost in that moment for eternity. All of the suffering and heartache she had endured up until now: this moment made it all worth it.
After a few breathless minutes he pulled away and turned his back to her once more, pacing away. Even his reactions were similar to Hikaru's.
"You don't have to run away from me," Rin said with a smirk.
He shook his head. "You have to leave before it's too late. That is all I can do for you."
"I'm not like a human girl. I don't break."
"I know that. But--"
He fell silent and looked past Rin toward a group who were approaching their camp. Rin could see their long grass skirts and red masks from a distance. It was the Namahage. And at their head was their leader Tohru, who carried something in his arms. Rin frowned as they approached. Could it be?
Makato took a step towards them. "No." He choked on the words.
Rin looked from him to the Namahage once more. What the head of the Namahage carried was a body. Suzume's body.
37
The Namahage laid Suzume's body on the ground at Rin's feet. Her dark, wet hair fanned out on the ground like tendrils. Her face was pale, nearly translucent, and her wet clothes clung to her body, silhouetting the shape of frail arms and legs. Her eyes were closed as if in sleep, but her chest did not rise and fall. Normally Suzume had seemed so animated and full of life. In death it seemed she had diminished to nothing but a girl. Her lifespan was nothing but a blink for a kitsune who lived on forever. What will Kaito think?
"You killed her," Tohru spat, pointing a meaty finger in Makato's direction.
Rin tore her gaze away from Suzume to look at Makato. He was frozen. His eyes transfixed upon the dead body.
When the priest did not react as the Namahage wanted, he marched up and shoved him hard in the shoulder. Makato fumbled backwards, but did not lift a finger to defend himself. Instead he bowed his head in apology
.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking.
"Do you think that is enough?" The Namahage raised his hand, prepared to strike at Makato. Before he could, Rin threw herself in between them. She transformed into her kitsune form and snarled at the Namahage.
"You stay away from him," she growled.
This was the wrong thing to do. A wave of anger buzzed through the Namahage. They raised their large cleavers and fanned out, surrounding the pair of them. Makato remained still with his head bowed in penance. He has no reason to apologize. I know he didn't force her on that boat. She made her own decision. Makato's guilt was the least of their problems at the moment.
"Did you plan this together?" The leader of the Namahage accused, jabbing his cleaver in Rin's direction.
"She was our friend, why would we try to kill her?" Rin replied.
"The stone would have protected her, but it was stolen out of her pocket and left on the beach. That man took it from her." He pointed at Makato with his weapon and behind him the Namahage rattled their own weapons. "I tried to warn her, but he stopped me from doing so. That's when I knew he was the one."
Makato fell to his knees, then folded forward into a deep bow.
"Forgive me. I did not mean for this to happen."
The pain in his voice tore at Rin, if only she could take that guilt from him. Instead she took out her frustration on the Namahage. "Even the stone could not have protected her. She went up against an umi-bozu, nothing can defeat them."
"She is a goddess, and with the right power she would have been invincible."
"But she's not a goddess, she is just a human!"
"See?" Tohru said, turning to look at the seething Namahage behind them. "Even now she insults our lady. What shall we do?"
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 64