The dragons all cheered and stamped their feet. Despite their vocal support, Kaito felt hollow inside. He turned to walk away, but turned back around toward his brother. He hadn't forgotten his transgressions.
"You are grounded until further notice. If you leave these palace walls, I will kill you myself."
His brother bowed his head in subservience. Kaito had done as he wanted, he'd declared war on the humans. But this was only the beginning. As he exited the courtyard, he passed the visiting pair. There was an infuriating smirk on the lord’s face.
"Bring your army to me, and spread the word to yokai great and small—I have returned and those who do not bow to me will pay the price."
The warrior gave him the deepest bow. Her eyes shone with excitement. She lusted for the bloodshed, and perhaps for vengeance. The lord gave a shallow bow, his eyes trained on Kaito. He would need to keep an eye on him, he had not won his loyalty.
"As you wish, my lord," said the man.
Kaito stormed past them. There was one last item left to take care of. He found Ai sitting beside a pond in one of the gardens, it had only recently been restored. Stepping into the garden was like going back in time, to when his palace had been an oasis. But despite the newly planted greenery, and the fresh paint on the veranda that surrounded it, everything felt gray to him. He thought his kingdom was all he wanted. Before he had never delighted in war but he found it a necessary evil. Now he wondered if it was all worth the cost.
Ai looked up at him shyly as he entered the garden. Her hand, half submerged in the pond, was creating ripples along the surface. Multicolored fish swam up to her fingers to nibble upon the tips of her digits. Seated beside the pool of water, she appeared more childlike than ever. And despite the rage that was bubbling up inside him, when she stared at him with her large eyes, he could not bring himself to unleash his full fury upon her.
"You were supposed to follow him," he said.
She tilted her head to the side. "Ai did."
"You were supposed to stop him."
She shrugged as she traced the surface of the pond, making lazy circles. The fish followed her finger in a rainbow-colored school. "He's too strong."
"You lie."
Ai turned to him, and all the childlike softness disappeared from her face. Sitting before him now was the powerful lady he had once served. "It had to be done, to make you see the truth."
Kaito swung and punched a nearby pillar, which shook with the force of his blow. His anger crept out of him in the form of ice, encrusting the shattered pillar with ice. She'd entrapped him. From the moment she'd suggested marriage, he should have known this was the outcome. Ai always got what she wanted.
"Ai has brought you an army. Now all you must do is take your kingdom back."
"And if I refuse to marry you, then they will scatter like the wind." It wasn’t a question. That had been her plan all along. She and Jirou had likely been plotting behind his back this entire time.
Ai fluttered her eyelashes. Kaito shouted and punched at the pillar again, hard enough to snap it in half. Red splinters of wood flew through the air, but Ai did not so much as flinch.
"I would give you anything you wanted, rule of the entire north, if you wished."
Ai stood up and came over to him. She hardly came up to his waist in her current form. She was trapped in a child's body, but her eyes were ancient and full of power. Even now she was only half as powerful as she had been and yet still his equal. She grabbed his hand.
"I want you, Kai."
He yanked his hand away. "You want to control me as you once did."
She balled her hands into fists at her sides and her face scrunched up like a child told they couldn't have candy. "She has betrayed you. It's time to forget about her."
"You set this up, didn't you? You let that lord feed me lies so I would run into your arms."
"He told no lies. Your son became emperor of Akatsuki. Which means she is your descendant. Would you give up not only on your kind but do something so wrong?" She crinkled her nose.
Before he'd found out Suzume was his grandchild, it had been over between them. It was over before it even started. She had cast him aside, rejected his protection. He'd been blind to think there was anything between them, and now the very thought sickened him. Any offspring of that abomination Kazue had borne mattered nothing to him. He tried to tell himself these things, but his fear for Suzume still choked at him, made him desperate to lay eyes on her just once and make certain she was safe.
"I'm going to her." Kaito walked away.
"If you walk away now, you must give up your kingdom."
He stopped mid-stride.
Ai spoke to his turned back, "If you leave now, even if you return, I will withdraw all my support. You will be left with nothing but the crumbling remains of your castle."
The ice froze over the entire courtyard, the pond included, and the tiny rainbow fish were frozen in place. That was his choice—his kingdom or a woman—a woman he could not even have, for so many reasons. It was no choice at all. Kaito slumped against the pillar. Ai came and rested her hand on his back.
"It will be different than before. We are equals in this."
Kaito knocked her hand away. "I will marry you only because I have no choice. But do not mistake me, I will never love you."
He strode away, ice coating each step he took.
27
They returned to the White Palace and Suzume was blessedly saved from having to report to the emperor. On her first night back, she went straight to bed and would have slept the next day through had Ryuu not been there early the next morning, dragging her out of bed for training. She fought against him for as long as she could, because the very idea of using her power and potentially opening herself up not only to Kazue but also Hisato terrified her. But as he loved to remind her, it was the emperor's orders that she should train and so she went to the temple with him.
When she arrived at the temple, the old man, Souta was waiting to greet her. She was surprised to see him there, he'd come with them to the palace, she knew, but he wasn't alone either and he looked nothing like the infirmed old man she had first met. He stood upright and had the physique of a man a quarter of his age. From his confident stance, she would have mistaken him for a man closer to her own age, if not for the gray hair which he had tied in a top knot. Standing just behind him was Hikaru, also wearing the sparring clothes.
Being this close to two other pieces of Kazue's soul left Suzume with a buzzing feeling in her skin, as if every sense was alive. Hikaru must have felt it too, because he met her gaze and she saw concern there. Ashamed of her own lack of control, she turned away from him.
"I hope you're ready to work," the old man said with a smile. Either he did not feel what they did, or he was ignoring it.
"What are you doing here?" Suzume asked, before glancing sidelong at Ryuu.
"I thought I told you when we first met, I'm going to train you how to better control your powers."
"Then why is Hikaru here?"
"Master Souta thinks I need some additional training as well." Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck as if he was embarrassed. Unlike Suzume, who'd only discovered her power recently, Hikaru had been training at the White Temple for the past twenty years and before that he'd been a traveling exorcist with his wife, Rin, for centuries. If the old man thought he needed training, what did he think of Suzume's failed attempts to control her power?
"But Hikaru can control his powers," Suzume said, looking with suspicion between the three of them. Hikaru’s gaze was wandering, and the old man was smiling in a knowing way. As if there was some secret all of them shared that she wasn't in on.
"His problem is he's too quick to sacrifice himself." The old man pointed at Hikaru with a long, knobby finger.
Hikaru lowered his head as if chastised.
Then the old man pointed at Suzume. "Your problem is you take too much."
"Hey!" Suzume snapped.
; The old man turned his back to them and started walking away, ignoring Suzume’s glare. "It is the nature of your elements to balance one another. Earth feeds fire. But wind guides both."
Suzume rolled her eyes. "Very poetic."
She couldn't see the old man's face but she thought she saw a little spring in his step at her comment. "Today begins your lessons. Both of you must learn to control your elements and work in harmony." He led them to the sparring circle where she'd first faced off with the other acolytes. He stood in the center of the circle. "This isn't going to be easy. For people like us, we have an excess of an element, which gives us greater control but also the worst attributes of our element. You can be unmoving as the mountain." He said to Hikaru and then to Suzume he said. "Or as temperamental as fire."
"As flighty as the wind," Suzume countered.
The old man only smiled. "It is true, I do not stay still for long. As you will see." He clapped his hands together. "Today we start with sparring."
Suzume reached for her staff, which she had strapped to her back. She wasn't crazy about the idea of using her power. What if she lost control? What if Hisato took over her body again? Ryuu was watching her, not commenting, and not wanting to seem suspicious, she drew her staff. But as soon as she drew it a gust of wind blew her staff from her hand and it clattered onto the ground a few feet away.
"I thought you wanted us to fight?" She scowled at the old man.
"Not with your weapons. But with your elements."
Sudden fear clutched at her chest. Using her fire would definitely not end well.
"Are you crazy? What if Kazue takes over my body and hurts someone?"
The old man smiled. "That is your lesson, to learn how to control her. Harness the power within you and do not let it consume you."
Hikaru assumed the position while Suzume crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't like this one bit, at least when she had the staff in her hand she felt some semblance of control. It helped her channel her power.
"What are you waiting for?" the old man asked.
They held each other’s gazes, Suzume not willing to admit to her fear, and the old man not willing to back down. After several seconds, she caved under the intensity of his stare.
"Fine, but if I burn down the shrine, that's on you."
She reluctantly took position on the opposite end of Hikaru. Before the bout started, Hikaru bowed and Suzume followed up with her own hasty bow. Despite her fear and hesitation, her body seemed eager for a fight. Hikaru unleashed his power, and she felt it all around her, like hundreds of little pinpricks racing over her skin. It awoke the fire in her and her own hands sparked with flame.
But she wasn't sure how she could fight Hikaru, if she struck him with her fire it would only burn her too. There was no way they could do this without hurting each other.
"Wait, how do we-" before she could finish her question, Hikaru attacked. The sand beneath her feet started to shift and move and Suzume sunk into the ground. While she was trying to get her feet free, vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around her wrists.
"Hey, that's not fair."
"Those are the rules," the old man shouted. "Use your fire to stop him."
The vines continued to tangle around her, and across from her Hikaru was focusing his gaze on the ground. If she could distract him, she could break the vines. Focusing all her energy onto her hand, she formed a ball of fire. With the limited movement she had, she flung it toward Hikaru.
The flames had the desired effect. Hikaru's concentration broke and Suzume freed herself from the tangle of his vines. But knowing what he could do, she realized she couldn't stay still for long or his vines would grab her again. They circled one another. His vines kept shooting out of the ground trying to tangle her up, and each time she threw her flames at them, scorching them and burning them to ash, before they could touch her. Around and around they went, until Suzume was left panting and grasping her knees and Hikaru's face was drenched in sweat.
"Again.” The old man clapped his hands.
"Are you crazy? I'm going to collapse from exhaustion," Suzume said between panting breaths.
"But you haven't yet."
She scowled at him again and they resumed positions. Again she leaped out of the reach of his vines but as she got tired, her steps became sloppier. Hikaru's vines wrapped around her and she fell to the ground. The vines wrapped around every inch of her body. She tried to focus her flames on burning them but they were growing too fast for her to keep up. If she wasn't quick, they were going to suffocate her. But the more she panicked the harder it was to control her fire. The spiraling sensation came over her again and the edges of her vision started to go black.
Then next thing she knew she was standing over Hikaru, who was flat on his back and there were scorch marks on the ground. Seeing the fire and the terror in his eyes, she knew she'd lost control again. Suzume stumbled backward and headed for the edge of the sparring ring.
"Where are you going?" the old man asked, blocking her way.
"Can't you see? I lost control again." She pointed back toward Hikaru, who was climbing back to his feet.
"And so?"
"What if I hurt him?"
"I won't let that happen. If you give up now, she will consume you. But if you keep on fighting, you'll be stronger for it."
She scowled at him. This wasn't just about Kazue. Hisato could take her over at any time too. What if for all her effort she still failed and Hisato used their connection to hurt people? For some reason she felt compelled to look at Ryuu. He was standing at the edge of the circle, arms crossed over his chest. He gave a single nod and she turned away from him. She didn't need his approval.
"I'm ok," Hikaru said from behind her. "We won't let you hurt us."
I have to learn, or someone else is going to get hurt. Like Kaito. She mentally shook herself and turned back to face the others. "One more time."
They squared off once more. The fire came quick to her hand but Suzume hesitated to throw it at him this time. They continued to circle. When she wouldn't attack, Hikaru took the initiative and came toward her. In a panic she flung a fireball toward his face. He dodged and rolled, coming up and they circled once more.
"Don't hold back," the old man shouted.
There was a drumming in her ears, a pain that she couldn't quite part from. Kazue was so close to the surface. She had to do this, to learn how to control her power. She flinched and then lunged into her attack, flinging balls of flame at Hikaru. He dodged her attack and used his vines to shield himself.
"Embrace your power," the old man shouted at Hikaru.
Then the old man started to sing, and with the combination of his and Hikaru’s power and the close proximity, it was almost overwhelming. Suzume felt it tingle against her skin and she was so distracted she didn't see Hikaru's vine shooting toward her. It slammed into her leg and sent her flying backward. The combination of his strike and the power that floated around her, unlocked something within her and she came up swinging. She flung her fireball at Hikaru, and this time she didn't bother to try and avoid him. She was out for blood. Her limbs moved without her command and she lunged for Hikaru.
The next thing she remembered she was lying on her back staring up at the sky. The old man was squatting above her, shaking his head.
"You gave into her, again."
Suzume sat up and scowled at him. "I told you that's what happens."
The old man shook his head again. "You've given her too much power."
"I didn't give it to her. It was hers to start with."
He flicked her across the forehead with thumb and forefinger. "And that's your problem. You control the power, not a woman five hundred years dead. Do it again."
And so they sparred again and again and again. Each time she blacked out only to be revived by the old man, standing over her shaking his head as she was the greatest fool who ever lived.
"I think that's enough for today," the old man said a
fter what felt like her hundredth failure.
Suzume snatched up her staff and headed for the exit. She'd been an idiot to think there was some solution to losing herself to Kazue. They'd trained all day and it hadn't made any difference at all.
As she marched away, Hikaru chased after her. "Wait for me!" he said.
She pretended like she hadn't heard him. She kept on walking, but as she approached the temple gates she saw a group of priests talking together. Because she didn't want rumors of her temper to get spread around, she made a quick turn and went toward the temple garden. There was a bench beneath a large gingko tree. She sat down and turned away from the path where Hikaru was still following her. She crossed her arms over her chest.
He stood nearby. "I know you're frustrated, but this won't happen overnight."
"I don't have time to waste," Suzume growled.
Hikaru was silent for a few minutes. He knew her fears, but could he really understand them? He'd lost his memories but he'd gotten them back. She wasn't even sure who she was anymore. And besides that Hisato could take control of her at any moment.
"I've been looking into the records, like you asked." Suzume turned to face him, desperate for a change of subject. She hadn't had a chance to talk to him about it before now. And she still hoped finding out who brought Hikaru to the temple would lead to answers as to who had put Kazue's soul inside him. And by extension, Suzume.
"Oh." There were still secrets he was keeping. But she was keeping her own.
"Ryuu’s the one who has the key to the records we need."
"Don't worry about it," Hikaru said. He picked up a fallen gingko leaf and twirled it between his fingers.
"What do you mean, don't worry about it? We're trying to find out why we're like this!"
"Ryuu doesn't have anything to do with it. I'm certain."
"How can you be? Is there something you're not telling me?" Suzume tilted her head, trying to catch Hikaru's eye but he turned away from her.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "He asked me to not tell you."
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 92