"I killed my brother," he said, his voice raw. "He would have killed you if I hadn't."
Realization dawned on her—the weight of what he had done. She rested her hands on his shoulders, lowering her head to rest on top of his.
"I'm the last now," he said. "There are no more dragons like me."
She didn't have the right words to say and instead just stroked his head. All around them the battle raged. But for all she cared it might as well just be the two of them. She'd never seen this side of him before. He'd never seemed vulnerable. He was always strong, but he had killed his own brother to save her.
Now Suzume. Do it now. Hisato's command slipped through her consciousness like an eel.
Without realizing it, the seal had fallen away. And while she had held Kaito, her guard was down and now Hisato had her again. I won’t! She raised her head, trying to find him. He was there at the edge of the tree line, his gaze focused on her, his eyes boring into her soul.
You can't make me. I don't have to listen to you. She reached for Kazue's flames, ready to use them against Hisato.
But try as she might to access her power, it was gone.
Did you really think you could outsmart me? I have you exactly where I want you.
"No." Suzume choked on the word.
"Suzume, what's wrong?"
Her hands, which had been stroking Kaito's head, slowly went to his shoulders. He tried to pull away but her grip held him tight. He stiffened as he met her gaze, just as the song of sealing burned along her tongue.
47
The first notes of the song of binding rose from her lips, the sound deceptively sweet despite its dark purpose. Flames sparked in her hands. His ice was forming to protect himself from the power of her fire but other than that, he didn't try to break away from her. He grabbed a hold of her wrists. His touch was not icy, but warm and reassuring.
"You can fight this, Suzume. I know you can."
Hisato's laughter drifted over the battlefield. As the song started to take effect on Kaito he lurched forward, groaning as he fought against it. She tried everything to fight Hisato’s influence, to stop this from happening, but this was the inevitable end. This is what Hisato had always wanted to do. All their clever plans meant nothing when Hisato was always two steps ahead of them. He would use her as his puppet to destroy Kaito, the same way Kazue had sealed Kaito to prevent him from stopping her from becoming immortal.
"Suzume, look at me," Kaito said, his voice pained. Veins bulged along his neck as he struggled to keep his head upright. The song continued to pour out of her. Another moment and he would be back inside the stone.
Kaito climbed to his feet, though his back was arched as if weighed down by thousands of pounds. He grabbed onto Suzume, pulling her close to him. She felt the power leaching out of him, draining away, making him smaller. But Kaito continued to fight. He placed both hands onto her cheeks, and his face filled her vision so she could see nothing else. Her song faltered.
"Finish it!" Hisato's voice vibrated through her, forcing her to obey.
But before she could finish the song, Kaito's lips were pressed against hers, silencing her.
The battle. Hisato. Everything melted away as his tongue parted her lips. Kaito absorbed her every thought and emotion. Every part of her was alive, on fire, hot and cold at the same time. The two of them were caught up in a swirling vortex of their powers, not in battle, but working together in harmony. It cocooned them both, protecting them not only from Hisato, but anything else that would want to hurt them. They were apart from the rest of the universe.
This wasn't just a kiss. It wasn't just his words telling her that he believed in her. Kaito was pouring his power into her. And she was burning up with it. The ice tempered the flame. Instead of Kazue consuming her, instead of Hisato commanding her, for the first time it was Suzume who had control.
As the last of his energy was absorbed into her, the sparkle of their combined energy faded away, leaving them in the center of a shower of sparks. Kaito held her, his gaze fixed on hers. There were so many things she wanted to say. Her eyes darted across his face, wanting to drink him in.
"Go." He stepped back out of her way. His hand held onto hers for a few more seconds before she was striding away, burning with a power so bright everyone around her turned to see. Soldiers shielded their eyes from it, and the hybrid monsters Hisato had created hissed and backed away, leaving a clear pathway toward him.
From her left and right, Hikaru and Souta joined her. She felt their power join hers, connecting them all, uniting them for one cause. The power pulsed through her and the echo of Kaito's heart beat in time with hers. He was with her.
As she walked, Suzume held her staff in front of her and it glowed with purple flames. Hikaru took out his bow and arrow and Souta raised the wind to guide them.
Hisato watched them, his eyes glowing, as he drew out his own dark blade. "You've gotten stronger, Suzume, but it won't change anything," he said mockingly.
"I'm the master of my own fate now."
She lunged for Hisato, using her staff to strike at him. Hisato parried and leaped out of the way. They circled one another and as they did, Hikaru shot arrows at him. Hisato knocked them away before they landed. While he was twirling away from the arrows, Souta's gust of wind pushed him backward to where Suzume was waiting for him. She struck at him with her staff, but before she could land her blow he moved out of the way again.
The three of them alternated their attacks, keeping Hisato moving, but he was too quick for them. Then Souta shot his wind at Hisato, and Hikaru used it to direct his arrow. It struck Hisato in the gut, and they all felt the ripple of pain echo through them. It knocked the air from Suzume's lungs and she doubled over in pain.
Hisato bent over, ripped the arrow from his gut and tossed it aside. "Your fight is futile. You cannot stand against me," he said.
Hisato waved his hand and a blast of dark energy was shot at all three of them. The pain rippled through her chest as visions of every wrong thing she had done, every jealous thought, every lie played before her eyes followed lastly by the monster she had created, and the face of the man's life she had destroyed.
"It will never end. Each of you has darkness in your heart. While you remain impure, I will continue to grow stronger."
The pain of the darkness brought all three of them to their knees. Hikaru clutched at his skull, while Souta was frozen in place. What horrid visions he saw, she could only imagine. As she was writhing in agony, Hisato stood over them gloating.
"Give in. All of you."
His triumph was cut short as Ryuu came up from behind him and slashed at him. Hisato leaped out of the way just in time to avoid having his head taken from his shoulders.
Hisato turned to face, Ryuu. "Ah. Ryuu, or should I say, Takashi."
"I suppose I should thank you," Hisato said.
Ryuu only glared at him.
Hisato lifted Suzume off the ground, wrapping her up in dark tentacles which came from his body. He suspended her in the air in front of Ryuu. The tortured visions had stopped, but Hisato was not done playing games with her yet.
"You've met Kazue's son, haven't you, Suzume?"
"Do you think that's going to change my mind? Ryuu already told me what he's done."
"Has he told you everything?" Hisato paced around Ryuu who seemed to be frozen in place, only his eyes followed Hisato. "The first emperor, and the man who gathered up Kazue's soul. The man who helped free me." Hisato stopped pacing to stand in front of Ryuu then slowly turned. "Is that what he told you?"
Suzume looked at Ryuu. "He's lying, isn't he?"
Ryuu bowed his head in shame.
"I thought I could trust you!" Suzume shouted.
Hisato’s laughter surrounded them. Dark vines rose up, wrapping their way around Ryuu's body as he screamed, tortured by his own dark nightmares. "Darkness exists in all hearts. And Takashi has the darkest heart. He wanted more than anything to be as strong as his f
ather. He will try and seal us, that is his real motive. He will destroy you all to make himself stronger."
Hisato dropped the binding that held Suzume in place. All her friends were caught in their own nightmares.
"Now that you know the whole truth, what will you choose? Life or death?"
Suzume looked between Hisato and Ryuu. There was only one obvious choice. She walked toward Hisato.
Hisato held out his arms. "Yes, come to me, Suzume. Let us restore balance to the world. You and me."
She took his hand, and he beamed at her. In his own way, Hisato did care for her. She could see that now.
"I knew you'd make the right choice in the end. Your life is more precious than anything else. You're just like Kazue. Power calls to power."
Suzume smiled at Hisato. "That's where you're wrong. I'm not Kazue."
The song of binding ripped out of her throat as she gripped onto Hisato. The power Kaito had given her burned bright, giving her what she needed to seal Hisato. But as she tried to seal him, a wall of darkness rose up around them, blocking out everything but the two of them, plunging them into absolute darkness. Hisato pulled away from her, leaving her alone in the abyss. The song faded from her lips. Where was she? Had he taken her into that alternate space he traveled through?
"My dear, Suzume." His voice echoed from all around her. She spun around, trying to find him. "That was clever. I almost believed it this time. But you cannot outsmart me."
"Come out and face me," she said.
"I am right here." He materialized in front of her, inches from her face. She swung for him, only to have him disappear once again.
She gripped her staff tight, her eyes searching through the endless darkness for a hint of him.
"I'm always with you, Suzume."
She swung in the dark, trying to hit him but it was no use. Out of the darkness, he sliced her across the shoulder. She gasped from the pain and fell onto her knees. The darkness was creeping in through the wound, trying to consume her, become her, the same way Kazue tried to take over her body, and so Hisato wanted too. The light of Kaito's power and her own flame were growing dim, smothered by the darkness that was Hisato. From the gloom Hisato came forward, standing over her with a smug expression.
"You fool. You cannot defeat me. You're not strong enough."
The wound on his shoulder that reflected her own was starting to heal. She thought she could do it all alone, that she didn't need anyone else to help her. She'd tried to get stronger on her own and had failed. She'd tried reversing what had been done, to change her own fate, but there was no changing it now. As she watched Hisato's wound repair itself, she saw him as her dark mirror, her opposite in every way. But one truth remained, he would never kill her because that meant killing himself.
"You're right. I'm not."
"So you've finally learned." He held out his hand for her to take.
"I can't do this alone, but I'm not alone. I have my friends."
Cracks formed in the dome of darkness that surrounded them—thousands of hairline cracks, which gradually widened. Hisato spun around, looking at the growing cracks. Then vines burst through, snaking their way toward them, followed by a fierce wind. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed as the darkness Hisato had surrounded them in was burst apart.
Hisato spun around, real fear and shock on his features.
Suzume climbed to her feet, and found the wound on her shoulder had healed as well. Together she, Hikaru and Souta stood together, three pieces of Kazue's soul united against one enemy. Hisato thought he knew her, that she would only ever try to fight him alone, but as they stood shoulder to shoulder, united in their determination, Hisato knew he didn't stand a chance.
The fear was quickly replaced by a smirk as Hisato said, "The whole family is together." He surveyed the group, "Oh, not quite, there's one more missing."
"It doesn't matter. This ends here,” Suzume shouted at him.
Souta, Hikaru, and Ryuu all joined in her song, which flowed through her surrounding Hisato. As the song took effect, she felt a squeezing sensation on her chest, her arms, her neck, as if someone had their hands on her shoulders and was compressing her downward.
The pain Hisato was feeling was rippling through them all, and threatening to tear her body apart by the seams. Hisato struggled to free himself from her grip, but she held on tight. Because if she let go, then everything would fail.
Hisato was in a panic, his eyes wild and crazed. "You cannot do this!"
The pain was bright white, hot, blinding. And just as she thought it could not last another moment, she was flung backward. She collided with Souta and Hikaru, who had been standing behind her. The three of them landed in a pile and when they looked up Hisato was gone. Suzume crawled to the place where Hisato had been, hoping to find a stone. But there was nothing. He'd escaped again.
She beat her hand onto the ground. She'd failed again. Souta put his hand on her shoulder.
"It's not your fault," he said.
"We were so close," Suzume said.
Her friends all gathered around her. Ryuu had dirt and soot on his face. Rin limped toward them with Kaito supporting her. Noaki and Tsuki were both splattered with gore. The last battles were being fought, and the yokai had been triumphant. Those soldiers still alive had fled.
"But you did it," Kaito said as he came forward. "You stopped him. You banished him."
It was the first time he'd ever acknowledged her strength. And as much as it warmed her to hear, it wasn't the truth. All of them were battered from battle, all of them had fought for her cause.
"Not alone. We did it together."
48
It was strange to have everyone gathered together in one place. It seemed their group kept expanding. In the aftermath of the battle, Kaito's allies came forward. It took some convincing to keep everyone from tearing each other apart. Kaito revealed that he had rallied his army to fight back against an oncoming human attack. But now that the battle was done, everyone had to make peace.
The groups eyed each other warily. There were yokai apart from the dragons who had joined Kaito in the fight. A large oni who wielded a sword bigger than Suzume's entire body eyed her with suspicion.
"I guess we have some introductions to make." Kaito laughed.
A line had been drawn in the sand. The priests on one side, and the yokai on the other did not seem too keen to intermingle. Now that Hisato was gone, the lines were drawn. For many of them, they had likely come out expecting to fight them.
It was Rin and Hikaru who stood in the middle.
Suzume started them off. "This is Souta, the wind of Kazue's soul."
The old man bowed his head to the dragon.
Kaito pointed at him. "You're the old man from the village!"
Souta grinned. "I could not resist seeing you again. Please pardon me for not introducing myself sooner."
"How-" Kaito started to say, but Suzume shook her head. That was a story for another time she decided. They went down the list as introductions were made on both sides, until all that remained was Kaito and Ryuu. The pair of them had been glaring at each other through the entire exchange.
"Come to finish what you started?" Kaito challenged Ryuu.
Ryuu’s eyes were glowing blue and his sword crackled with power. The two were like mirror reflections of one another. Why had she never noticed before? How had she not realized before?
"I believe I already defeated you, father."
"Father? Are you saying-" the dragon Kaito had introduced as Hana said.
The yokai reached for their weapons, and Noaki moved closer to Suzume, preparing to guard her if there was an attack. She had forgotten that when Kaito had nearly killed her Ryuu had stepped in to save her.
"Did you think I would forget?" Kaito asked.
Ryuu held onto the hilt of his blade, but did not draw it. Suzume could almost see the sparks flying between the two men. This must be what it looked like when she fought Kaito. "I won't mak
e excuses for what I did. You tried to hurt someone I care about," Ryuu said.
Kaito's gaze flickered toward Suzume, and she felt her gut clench. Had he really not gotten over his jealous streak?
"What is she to you?" Kaito asked Ryuu.
She held her breath, wondering what he would say. There hadn't been much time for them to resolve their relationship. He was her mother's former lover, and protector by extension, but with him coming to her rescue against her mother's orders, what did that make him?
"She is someone I will protect with my life," Ryuu replied.
Kaito eased back, and said, "Then I'm willing to hear you out at least."
Neither of them seemed completely at ease, but Suzume felt like she could breathe.
"What is it you want to know?"
"For starters, where did you get that blade?" Kaito nodded toward Ryuu's sword.
The giant oni just behind Kaito stirred. His attention suddenly focused on Ryuu, and Suzume saw the hunger in his gaze. Kaito wasn't making peace as she had hoped but stirring up trouble.
"I defeated its owner and the blade chose me as its new master," Ryuu said simply.
"Tetsuyama would never have gone to a half-breed." The oni pushed his way forward, raising his massive sword above his head. Ryuu did not move.
Suzume was about to step in and interfere but Kaito held up his hand to stop her. As the oni came barreling toward him, Ryuu held his ground. He was about to bring the giant blade crashing down on Ryuu, but before he could, Ryuu drew his own sword and blocked the oni's attack one-handed.
"You were never fit to wield Tetsuyama," Ryuu said, meeting the gaze of the oni. "And that is why it came to me. Your father challenged me because he feared my power. And I slayed him to protect my own life. Wouldn't you have done the same?"
The oni roared, and the ground beneath his feet shook. Veins pulsed on his forehead as he tried to grind Ryuu into the ground by the force of his strike. No matter how he tried however, he could not break through. Then with a flick of his wrist, Ryuu shoved him backward, and the oni went tumbling onto his back.
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