"You're different. And you're trying to do better."
Suzume looked away once more. The fear of her power was real and palpable, but maybe if she could lean on someone else for once, perhaps she could balance the excess of fire in her soul.
She stood up. "Let's go."
The two of them returned to the spring room, where the others were still gathered around the frozen pool. When Suzume entered, Ai rolled her eyes. Suzume marched past her, ignoring the look she gave her.
Suzume resumed her position. Makato looked at her giving her a 'are you ready' look. She nodded her head in response. He held out his hand to her and Suzume took a deep breath before grabbing onto him and Noaki's hands. The moment their hands touched she felt their energy spark against hers.
Makato started to sing and as he did the feeling only intensified. Energy flowed through the four of them, collecting in Suzume. It pressed down upon her chest and made it difficult to breathe. Something deep inside her slithered and moved about in her stomach. It wanted that power for itself, it wanted to drain the three others to make itself even more powerful. But before she could give in to the feeling she was filled with reassurance, the earth of Makato's soul was fuel for her flame, and the air built it bigger, but water dampened it before it could grow out of control. The four elements were in harmony. She was not just destruction but part of a greater whole. The balance of life.
Ai joined Makato's song, making their combined power greater, and then Noaki joined. Suzume should have joined them last but her throat felt dry and the words would not come. As their spritual energy passed through her getting stronger through their connection so too did the feeling of unease grow inside her. She was terrified of what she might unleash by accident. The others continued the song, the power was growing stronger and building between the four of them. She felt it coursing through her veins using her as a conduit. The song fell over the pearl Kaito was trapped in.
"Suzume, you have to sing," Rin said from behind her.
Suzume shook her head and closed her eyes, the fire was rising up in her, overwhelming the others, taking too much and sharing too little. Her fear was stronger than their trust. She was going to burn someone. She was going to hurt them all. She had no control over herself, and she could not stop this feeling. She tried to jerk her hand away to retreat before it was too late, before the darkness consumed them all. But she could not pull away and she was spiraling, losing control, disconnecting from herself drifting into darkness.
And then suddenly it stopped. She was lost in darkness, floating. She swayed back and forth, drifting with the tide. When she opened her eyes she was out on the endless sea. The sky above her was a swirling kaleidescope of colors. Clouds moved overhead as the waves rocked her to sleep. She closed her eyes once more.
When she awoke again she was a tree, deep roots reaching outward, connected to a network of other living things. Her thoughts were slow and endless as time, looping into one another. Ancient and new at the same time. Her branches reached higher and higher into the sky, brushing against the clouds.
She burst from the tree tops, taking flight on the wind, drifting lazily as a cloud on a summer day. When a strong breeze blew she was sent tumbling from the sky, careening towards the ground, but before she could crash into it she was turned into a white hot blaze. Scorching, consuming, leaving nothing but devestation in her wake. Suzume was back in her own body and she ran from the fire which continued to chase her, hot fingers reaching for her, burning her clothes and enveloping her until there was nothing left but darkness, complete emptiness.
Suzume looked around in the darkness. "Hello?" Her voice seemed to echo back at her. She was alone in this endless void.
Where am I? She looked down and she could see her hands. She could feel her body, she pinched her arm. "Ouch." How did I get here?
"Did I not tell you? We are connected," a familiar voice said in her ear.
Suzume spun in place. Hisato stood next to her, a beacon in the endless darkness.
"How did you bring me here?" Her own voice echoed back at her.
Hisato shook his head. "I did not bring you anywhere, we are inside you. I am a part of you."
Suzume looked around at the tunnel of darkness. "This can't be inside me."
"The darkness in you is growing, Suzume." He sounded as if he was behind her but when she spun around he wasn't there.
"This has to be a trick."
"It's no deception. Just like Kazue, your darkness has grown out of balance. Your selfish quest for power has led you here. And all that your power touches will be tainted by it."
"No. You're lying."
"You are meant for me, Suzume, because we are the same. We both desire more, we need more. Don't you remember how it felt to take my power from me? How good you felt to consume the energy of others?"
She shook her head and covered her ears. This was all a trick. She knew it.
"You are not a good person. The more you use the power, the bigger it becomes. It is not Kazue who has been trying to consume you, but your own greed. Your own desire for destruction. It was not Kazue who was evil. But you."
"NO!" Suzume screamed and she woke on the ground covered in sweat and panting.
Noaki was at her side, looking down at her. Suzume looked around bewildered. "Where am I?"
"The ceremony is complete."
Suzume sat up quickly but her head spun as she did so.
Kaito's body floated on the surface of the water, eyes closed and not moving.
"Why hasn't he woken up?" Suzume asked.
Ai who had been kneeling at the water's edge turned to scowl at Suzume. "Because the ritual was imperfect."
"Are you saying this is my fault?" But she knew deep down it was. What Hisato had said about the darkness within her, it had stopped her from performing the ritual as it should have been.
"You hesitated too long," Ai said, arms crossed over her chest and chin tilted haughtily.
Suzume deflated a little. Perhaps none of them suspected what really lurked within her. Snakes were battling in her stomach, her own foolishness might have doomed him anyway.
Noaki brought Kaito to a room. All they could do was wait and hope he recovered. While waiting for Kaito to wake up, Suzume could not stay still and started pacing the floor of her room. But the space was too small and she decided to walk the halls instead. As she wandered she had no particular destination in mind and yet, without meaning to, she found herself standing in front of Kaito's room. She stood outside the door, wanting to go in, but fearing to find out that she had caused his death.
Just as she turned to walk away, the door slid open. Suzume looked over her shoulder to see Rin standing there, bags under her eyes.
"Did you want to see him?" Rin asked, gesturing to the room beyond.
"No, I was just passing by," she snapped, but the Kitsune could see right through her.
Rin raised her brow.
"Don't blame yourself for him not waking. If we had drawn any more energy from you, it would have killed you. Makato did it to spare you."
It didn't make her feel any better. She was not sure she had a right to be spared. Suzume cleared her throat. What Rin likely didn't know was is it had been Suzume's fault he had become as weak as he was. "Great." She half choked out before half turning attempting to leave.
"Maybe if you sat beside him it would help." Rin's words halted her in her tracks.
Suzume kept her back to her as she said, "I doubt it."
"He did it all for you."
Suzume sighed heavily. She supposed she could sit beside him for just a few moments. It couldn't hurt, could it?
Rin stepped out of the way so Suzume could enter. Inside the room was bare except for the futon where Kaito lay. She could not make her feet move beyond the threshold as she stared at his immobile body. His wounds had healed, except for the shiny pink scars on his previously unmarked body.
There was a certain hush to the room as if raised voices we
re forbidden and would impede his healing.
"I'll leave you alone for a few minutes," Rin said.
Before Suzume could protest, Rin slid the door closed behind her, trapping her inside with the sleeping dragon. Something coiled around Suzume's heart, grabbing on so hard she wasn't sure she was breathing properly.
Don't be stupid. You're just worried about him because he almost died. But it wasn't just the fear of him almost dying, it was relief at seeing that he was healing. That she would still be able to fight with him and still see him smirk when he teased her.
Suzume closed her eyes. Don't be an idiot. Don't let him him worm his way into your heart. Do you want to end up like Kazue? And no matter how much she told herself these things she still couldn't break this spell. She was frozen there, half terrified and half relieved. Just a few more minutes, she kept telling herself. Just a few more minutes and I'll leave.
A few more minutes turned into a few more and Rin did not return. Suzume's legs hurt and she was weak and tired from the ceremony. She took a few steps into the room, and decided she would sit down for a few minutes. She would watch him sleep for a little while and sneak away before he ever woke and found out.
Kaito moaned in his sleep and she jumped up, torn between running before he caught her and wanting to check and make sure he wasn't injured. In the end, she rushed over to his side, kneeling by his bed, searching him for open wounds or other signs that he was injured or in need of assistance. As she searched his face she realized it was the first time she had properly looked at him in a long time. The color had returned to his tanned face, the scars were fading, and he was back to the same arrogant bastard she knew. But when he slept, he seemed so innocent. It was hard to believe he lived to torture her. She reached out tentatively to stroke his cheek, to convince herself that this was indeed not a dream.
As she did so his arm snatched her, grabbing her and pulling her down onto his chest. Suzume pushed against him.
"Let go."
But he would not budge, and his arms wrapped tighter around her, holding her to him. She could hear his heart beating, felt his warmth around her, and smelled his scent which was comforting. The sparks didn't fly and she didn't feel his energy fighting against hers.
"If you're feeling well enough to play jokes, then I'm going," she said into his chest.
He did not respond. His breathing was deep and even as if he was in a deep sleep. She could not release herself from his grip without risking injuring him. It felt nice to be wrapped in his embrace. I'll lay here for just a few minutes. Then I'll leave.
47
Kaito woke to the scent of her, the soft edges of her curves pressed against him, and her heart beating in time with his. Everything that had happened before was all just a bad dream, the five hundred years in the stone, all of it. Kaito nuzzled against Kazue's neck, relishing the feeling of her in his bed. But instead of melting into him, she tensed and then jumped away from him. The spell was broken as Suzume scrambled backwards and away from him, brandishing a pillow at him like her staff.
Not what he had expected but almost as good. He leaned on one elbow and felt the slight pull of injuries, but otherwise he was back to normal. That empty feeling of being disconnected from his own spiritual energy was gone, the flow of water inside him had returned. He wasn't sure how but he was back to his old self. He also wasn't sure why he was naked beneath the blanket, but he wasn't mad about it. As he began to rise the blanket fell low on his hips, exposing his abdomen. Suzume's eyes drifted downward, skimming over his body.
"Looks like I got my night after all." Too bad I cannot remember it.
A comedic series of emotions crossed over her face. She opened and closed her mouth, preparing a retort, while fighting the embarrassment that was turning her face crimson.
"First of all." She held up her finger. "Nothing happened. And second of all." She held up her second finger. "You still owe me a rematch."
He chuckled to himself, she was fiery as ever. "What am I supposed to think when I wake up with you wrapped in my arms?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "You grabbed me and wouldn't let me go."
He raised a skeptical brow. "Sounds like my kind of night."
"I just fell asleep," she corrected him.
"So I grabbed you and you just fell asleep..." He gestured vaguely with his hand.
"I passed out from a lack of air. You were suffocating me." She jabbed a finger in his direction. "I'm lucky to be alive!" She threw her arms out, tossing the pillow on accident and it collided with the nearby wall.
He laughed before leaning forward and the blanket, that was covering not much of anything, slipped further down and her eyes bulged in her skull.
"Was this your attempt at seduction?" he asked, creeping closer to her on all fours. "I have to say, I've seen better."
Suzume coughed and sputtered as she turned away from him to conceal her blush with her sleeve. She kept her gaze upwards toward the ceiling to avoid his naked body, which was proudly on display.
"Clearly you're back to normal. Why don't you put some cloths on?" she said and turned around to walk out of the room as fast as her feet would carry her.
"Aren't you going to help me dress?" he called after her.
She stumbled before she reached the door, but she ran out without another word.
Kaito fell back onto the futon and laughed to himself. But as the humor faded, he realized he was in an unfamiliar place with no idea how he had gotten here. He sat up and looked around. The last thing he had remembered was that the priest had sealed him. Anger bubbled up in him. Now that he was back to normal, he had a score to settle.
He stormed into the hall in search of answers. But it wasn't until he came out of his room that he realized where he was. It had been centuries since he had last set foot in this place and yet it felt like it was yesterday he had served the Lord of the Sea. Revenge could wait, he decided as he wandered the halls instead. The palace had fallen into disrepair, the paint on the murals was peeling. Water crept in through every crack, running down walls and pooling on the floor. A mildew stench permeated everything. The halls were too quiet, the hush was almost suffocating.
The palace of his memories had been teaming with life: servants, yokai, visiting kami, all filled these rooms with music and laughter. Now all that remained were shadows. What has happened while I slept? He stopped to stare at a mural which long ago he had passed hundreds of times without a second glance. Now he stopped and was absorbed in old memories. His creator, Lord of the Sea, stood amongst the waves surrounded by the dragons, Kaito's brothers and sisters.
Kaito stared at their figures rendered forever in paint. A hand reached out to touch them, his long forgotten kin.
"Ai almost didn't recognize you, Kai."
It had been a very long time since he had been called that. Today was just a day for old memories it seemed. Kaito turned his head to face Ai who had strolled up to him, the elusive and beautiful daughter of the sea, and his one time mistress. But she was not as he remembered her. Instead she'd taken the form of a child.
"Ai is that really you?" Kaito threw his head back and laughed. "What happened to you?"
Ai crossed her arms over her chest in a most child-like way, her face screwed up in anger. Kaito had to cover his mouth to surpress his laughter for fear of offending her. She tapped her foot on the ground, her chin up in the air waiting for him to beg forgiveness, he knew. And old habits were hard to break. Even if he had ruled over all of Akatsuki, she had been his mistress once.
"Forgive me, my lady." He bowed his head to her and she looked down at his subservient position with a little huff. With her signal he was able to rise again. "What happened here?" He gestured to the desolate palace.
"You know what."
She meant that as a dig at him. Well let her throw her fit. He did not control Kazue and he had not asked her to seek out the power.
"You expect an apology from me I suppose?"
Ai rounded on him, her pale face bright with anger. "You have no idea what I have suffered. For five hundred years I have been left alone here to watch my father's kingdom fall to ruin."
"And how is that my fault?" Kaito said with arms crossed over his chest. "Was I to know that the great Lord of the Sea would fall to a mortal woman?"
"You started this. When you let her capture your heart and taught her about our world. If she had not learned the power of our names." Ai stopped and took a deep breath.
"Do you take me to be a fool? I would never have taught her that."
"Then who did if not you?"
He scoffed. He did not need to answer to Ai or to anyone else. It had been a mistake teaching Kazue the power their names had over them. Perhaps if he had not trusted her as much as he had, then none of this would have happened.
"I am going to right the wrongs she has caused," Kaito said, ignoring her question.
Ai laughed mockingly. "How do you plan to do that? With that priestess? You make the same fool mistakes all over again."
"Do not test me. I am not the man I was back then. I no longer serve you."
She did not flinch, though he knew how it would strike her at the heart to know she could not control him as she had long ago.
"The palace can be rebuilt, the kingdom reunited, but not by human hands," she said softly.
Kaito looked at her from the corner of his eye. Long ago, he had desired her, as had all those who saw her. Not only was she beautiful but a brilliant strategist and powerful second only to her father. But not any longer, he had surpassed those naive fantasies. He had risen even higher than her.
"What are you suggesting?" he asked, raising a brow.
She turned to face him now with determination in her gaze. "Together we can rebuild the kingdom that was lost. We could rule it side by side."
Kaito's own kingdom remained divided, his power weaker than it was before. If he went to her now, he could regain his kingdom and all the power he had lost.
She took a step closer to him, planting a hand on his arm. She came no higher than his middle and he had to look down to meet her eyes. She looked up at him through long lashes. "You wanted to save me back then. Well now's your chance, Kai."
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 72