Imari didn't kill him like the others. She hooked the tip of her jian into the fabric of his shirt, forcing him to rise onto his knees. "Can you walk?" she asked, holding the point near his nervously bobbing throat.
The man didn't answer, but he did give the slightest of nods.
"You will go to Aozora," she told him. "You will tell Yukimura Hayate he must abandon his attempts to overthrow the daimyo there and come here to face me himself. If he doesn't, I will kill the shogun. Do you understand?"
Once more, the unfortunate man nodded. Imari withdrew her jian, although she kept it trained on him as he rose to his feet. "If you don't, nothing in the whole Empire will protect you. Go. Now."
The man turned and ran at full tilt, scurrying down the corridor and disappearing into the darkness. Imari had no doubt he would follow her orders. She had seen it in his eyes. He was too terrified to resist.
Terrified. He was terrified of me. And why shouldn't he be? He thought I was going to kill him like the others. She looked once more at the corpses that littered the stone corridor. The smell of death was in her nose now, heavy and coppery. Sun and Moon, what have I done.
What needed to be done. Your Ancestors would be proud. Your father would be proud. Kaede will be proud.
With each name listed, Imari relaxed and began to smile. She had done well. She was certain of it. Now, all she had to do was watch over Setsuna and wait for Hayate's arrival. There was no doubt in her mind he would come to see what had become of his mother, and when he did—she would be able to make him pay for everything he had done to Kaede.
Chapter Twenty-One
KAEDE DUCKED HER HEAD against the wind, staring down at Suanni's blue and silver scales. Though they were soaring high above the ground, she took no delight in looking at the mountains, forests, and rivers below. Her thoughts were elsewhere, with Imari, and so was her heart. The empty hole in her chest felt even colder than the gales that whipped through her hair and set loose strands of it flying behind her.
Takeshi and Kenta had remained silent since their departure from Hongshan, riding a considerable distance in front of her so they wouldn't have to speak. That left only Rin to comfort her—and Kaede wasn't even sure she deserved to be comforted. Instead of sitting near the top of Suanni's tail, Rin had elected to nestle in the spines where Kaede could reach her. Though she badly wanted to reach out and wrap her arms around Rin's neck, Kaede refrained. She had to focus. To come up with some sort of plan.
She had no idea where Imari was, other than a vague guess that she was probably somewhere in Aozora. The smartest thing to do would be to go to her parents and beg their help. They could provide soldiers to scour the mountains, and the more people out looking for Imari, the better chance they had of finding her.
Normally, the thought of approaching her parents with such a request would’ve made Kaede sick, but she didn't have the luxury of other options. Imari's life was in danger. Her own family problems didn't matter in comparison.
"Kaede, look," Rin said, turning back to nudge her arm.
Reluctantly, Kaede raised her head. She glanced over Suanni's side, seeing the tops of familiar mountains beneath her. Even from this angle, she could recognize home. Home. Her heart didn't leap at the sight of them, and she didn't feel a wave of relief. Aozora wasn’t home anymore. Home was Imari.
Hope and fear warred within her as Suanni circled downwards. A black dot appeared against the mountainside, and as it grew larger, Kaede recognized the walls of a city. They were closing in on Taiseto at last. She looked away, resting her cheek against Rin's fur. She would see it soon enough when they landed.
She stirred when she began to hear shouts of surprise from down below. Tiny figures, small as ants, pointed toward the sky, staring up in shock and awe. Kaede realized the sight they must’ve made, descending into the heart of the city on the back of a giant blue dragon, but she couldn't bear to smile.
"We'll head for the castle," Takeshi said, speaking mostly to Kenta as they flew toward the largest building. It was unmistakably a daimyo's residence, surrounded by stone walls with a blue and white mon fluttering in the cold breeze.
"Good idea." Kenta turned to look over his shoulder. "Kaede, are you ready?" He gave her a weak smile, one that showed genuine concern, and it touched Kaede that Kenta didn't blame her entirely for Imari's disappearance.
"It doesn't matter," she said as Suanni touched down. "It's what needs to be done."
They landed in the garden behind the castle, a beautiful place of snowcapped trees. The river that ran beneath the arched wooden bridge was frozen and the bushes nearby were laced with frost. Normally, she would have appreciated the sight. Unlike the castle, the garden had often been a place of refuge for her. Now, however, it failed to soothe her. It wasn’t as beautiful as Mirai’s garden. It wasn’t as beautiful as Imari.
She didn't have long to brood. More shouts came from the castle and several doors flung open, revealing the shocked faces of the guards. Suanni lowered their tail, offering them a way down. "I suggest you hurry and find your family, Kaede. I shouldn't stay here long. I need to warn the Empress of what has happened."
Kaede stared at the dragon. "Wait, you know Empress Tomoyo?"
Suanni dipped their head. "A story for another time, and that time will come soon. I will wait for you outside the city walls until I know your intentions.” They glanced over at the nervous group of guards. “I fear if I stay in the garden, I may cause problems.”
Kaede began to protest, but Rin gave her a nudge. Takeshi and Kenta had already climbed down, leaving them behind. With more guards gathering at the edges of the garden, she didn't have much choice. "I’ll be quick," she said to Suanni. "Thank you."
She climbed down the dragon's tail and landed softly in the snow. Upon seeing her, the cluster of guards seemed to relax visibly. They made their bows and one of them, a captain Kaede vaguely recognized, stepped forward. "Aozora-dono, your return is most welcome. But…" He glanced over at Suanni with a mixture of fear and amazement, clearly at a loss for words.
"The dragon means you no harm," Kaede assured him. "Where are my parents? I need to speak with them right away."
The captain seemed grateful for the direct question, but he was unable to answer until Suanni had taken off. The dragon's long, coiling body lifted off the ground, swimming up and away through the sky almost like a serpent on water. There were more gasps and murmurs, and Kaede could hear some of the men already questioning what they had seen.
"My parents," Kaede said to the captain. "Where are they?"
The guard snapped back to attention. "Your parents are in the reception hall with Hayate-dono. I will alert them of your arrival at once."
As soon as she heard Hayate's name, Kaede tensed with fear. Perhaps Kyuubi hadn't been entirely dishonest after all. She brushed past the captain, shooting through the curious cluster of guards like an arrow. Bursting into the castle, she took the corridors at a run, not even checking to see whether Kenta and Takeshi followed her. Rin, however, kept pace at her side, blue eyes alight with anger.
Kaede reached the throne room in a matter of minutes. She barreled past the shocked guards standing outside, not even giving them a chance to cross their yari and block her path. When she rushed through the door, she stumbled upon a terrifying sight. Hayate was indeed in the room with her parents, standing right beside them with Kaze at his shoulder.
"Get away from them," she shouted, her hand flying to Mizu-no-Hamon's hilt. She drew her katana and brandished it before her, aiming the point at Hayate's chest.
Identical looks of surprise crossed her parents' faces.
"Kaede?"
"What are you doing here?"
Hayate didn't move to draw his sword. Instead, he took a step away from Masaru and Kotone, holding out his hands in surrender. "Please, Kaede, give me a few moments to explain. I've made mistakes—"
"Your only mistake was coming here." She rushed him, bringing her blade sweeping toward him an
d ignoring her parents' shouts of protest.
Hayate blocked. Their swords slid awkwardly against each other, and Kaede realized with surprise Hayate hadn't removed his scabbard. Kaze growled. He tried to leap at her, but a white blur blocked him. He and Rin went tumbling onto the stone floor of the castle, locked in a vicious struggle of flashing teeth and kicking paws.
Trusting Rin to hold her own, Kaede focused back on Hayate. She tried to force him back, trading blow after blow. The edge of her blade chipped awkwardly at the hardened wood, but even her anger wasn’t enough to split it. "I don't want to fight you, Kaede," Hayate panted. "If you'll just listen—"
Kaede sent him stumbling back with an angry shove. "You almost killed Imari! How is that not wanting to fight? Did you have something to do with her disappearance? Are you working with Kyuubi, too?"
She struck over and over again, but her anger made her sloppy. Hayate easily wove between the strokes of her forms. "I don't know where Imari is, and I’ve never heard of this ‘Kyuubi’. I'm here to ask your parents for help. Setsuna is under some kind of spell."
Kaede froze in mid-strike. Beside her, she saw the two wolves disentangle themselves and perk up their ears, breathing heavily. Neither seemed hurt, much to her relief. She stared at Hayate, lowering her sword. "Wait, a spell?"
Hayate lowered his sheathed katana as well. "I should have seen it sooner. She’s changed so abruptly, as if her mind is no longer her own. I feel like a fool for taking so long to realize it."
Everything clicked in Kaede's head. "Kyuubi," she whispered. "It's been her the whole time." Every wrong action Setsuna had ever taken suddenly made sense. For a moment, Kaede felt a wave of dizzying confusion and relief. She had spent months and months feeling betrayed by her aunt, her mentor, her trusted teacher, but really, Setsuna had been another victim all along. "Ancestors, I've been so blind!"
"Who is Kyuubi?" Kaze asked. "I think we need to exchange information, as quickly as possible."
"A clever, evil fox." Rin stepped between Kaede and Hayate, forcing them to separate. "Kyuubi joined our group briefly on the way to Hongshan," she told Hayate. "Later, she came back and told us you were trying to take Kaede's parents hostage."
"Hostage?" Kotone repeated in surprise. She seemed relieved that the fight had ended, and Kaede didn't miss the fact that she removed her hand from her own katana. "No, Hayate came to warn us."
"He told us Setsuna wasn't in her right mind and asked for our help," Masaru said. "We were going to ride out later today."
At that moment, Takeshi and Kenta burst into the room too. The guards had attempted to hold them back, but they hadn't been determined enough in the face of the brothers' clear desperation. Upon seeing Hayate, they both raised their katanas, but Kaede held up a hand to stop them. "Don't. He has information we need."
"He almost killed Imari and you!" Takeshi protested, and the note of genuine concern in his voice on the last word surprised Kaede.
Kaede looked over at her cousin. "Am I right in assuming you've switched sides?" she asked him bluntly, although the words were hard to say. She still remembered the way his sword had gleamed against Imari's neck in the moonlight.
"Yes," Hayate answered at once. "I was wrong to chase you. I was wrong to trust Setsuna blindly without realizing something had changed. I'm trying to make it right now."
Kaede let out a long breath. Under any other circumstances, she might not have forgiven Hayate so easily, or at all. However, the situation was still desperate. She would ally with anyone who could help her find Imari. "It seems like our goals are the same then. We have to help Imari and Setsuna and stop Kyuubi from manipulating anyone else."
"This is more serious than I imagined," Masaru said. "Hayate, I'm afraid we need to send another courier to the Empress at once."
“I don’t have time to wait around for couriers,” Kaede insisted. "If Imari isn't in Aozora trying to find Hayate, she's in Yukimura. It's the only thing that makes sense."
"And you don't need to contact the Empress," Kenta added. "The dragon who brought us plans to warn her." When Masaru and Kotone stared at him in surprise, he stepped forward, giving them a hesitant, respectful bow. "I apologize, Aozora-dono. I'm Hibana Kenta, and this is my brother—"
"Hibana Takeshi, karo to the Homura family." Takeshi gave a stiff bow to the daimyos as well, but as he straightened, his eyes flicked over to Hayate. "I am honor-bound to warn you, Yukimura Hayate, if you harm Imari or any of my friends again, I won't hesitate to kill you."
Hayate met his stare. "I'll deserve it. Please, let me help you."
After a long, tense pause, Takeshi nodded. "Fine. You said you were about to ride for Kousetsu? How far is it?"
“A week on fast horses,” Hayate said.
“Then we’ll have to ask Suanni for another ride,” Kaede insisted. “We don’t have a week to waste.”
“Suanni. Is that your…the dragon?” said Masaru, in a tone that clearly showed he doubted it.
Kaede didn’t have time to convince him. “Yes. They’re waiting outside the city.”
Takeshi turned toward Hayate. “Are you coming with us or not?”
Hayate bowed deeply. “You aren’t the only person with a loved one in danger. I’ll fly with you to Kousetsu immediately.”
***
The ride to Yukimura was much shorter than the distance between Hongshan and Aozora. Suanni flew through the sky at incredible speed, moving so fast the snow-capped mountains below became a grey and white blur. However, adding Hayate and Kaze to their party had made things more strained. Takeshi wanted nothing to do with him, forcing Kaede to sit in the middle of Suanni's back in order to separate them
Rin seemed happy, though. She was pleased to be reunited with her brother, and the two of them remained curled up together during the journey, keeping each other warm.
That left Kaede with only Hayate to talk to. At first, neither of them knew what to say, and they listened to the howling voice of the wind. But at last, the tension became too much.
"What made you change your mind?" Kaede asked.
Hayate sighed, although the sound was almost lost. "Kaze had to talk some sense into me. I wish I'd seen it sooner, Kaede. This is all my fault."
Kaede's heart softened. His voice was full of regret—a regret she understood all too well. She had felt it herself ever since running away, and twofold since Imari's disappearance. When he spoke, she heard the words of a man who would give just about anything to go back in time and undo his choices.
"It's as much my fault," she said, an awkward attempt at offering comfort. He was her cousin, after all, and they had been close friends once.
"I don't blame you," Hayate said. "You left because you were afraid. You knew something was wrong. I didn't even see that much."
"I left because I was a coward. If I'd stayed…"
"If I had dared to question her sooner instead of chasing you."
They lapsed into silence again.
"There's no use in this, is there?" Hayate said eventually. "All we can do is try to make up for our mistakes now."
"I hope we can." Kaede looked away from Hayate and down into her lap, tears filling her eyes.
Her response didn't go unnoticed. Hayate's hand moved toward her for a moment, as it had so many times during their shared childhoods, but pulled back after less than a centimeter. Instead, he said, "Imari, the daimyo's daughter I almost killed. You love her, don't you?"
Kaede bit hard at her lip, using the pain to regain some control. "Yes."
"I'm sorry."
Hayate didn't need to say anything else. Kaede knew what he meant. "We'll save them both," she said even though she didn't fully believe it. "Imari and Setsuna."
"Yes. We will."
"Good to see you two getting along again," Kaze said, raising his head to look at them. He wore a clear expression of approval on his face.
Kaede gave him a small smile. As worried as she was about Imari, Kaze was right. It was good to ha
ve Hayate back on her side again, and a small portion of the weight on her shoulders had been lifted away.
Hayate smiled back, but then his eyes widened and he pointed down below. "Look," he said, gesturing toward the stretch of forest. "I think we're almost home."
Kaede peered down as well. The forest flying by beneath them was indeed familiar, the same forest she had played in during her summers as a child. The forest where she had met Rin. The forest where she had begged the yokai to transform her. The forest where she had run from Hayate in the dead of night, terrified he would kill her if he caught her.
"We're almost there," Kaede said to herself. "Hold on a little longer, Imari."
Before long, the forest tapered off into a clearing. Tucked beneath the mountain's shadow was a familiar small city. It had high walls surrounding it, but they were hardly necessary. Snuggled comfortably between the trees and the mountain range behind, it was protected on all sides. A shiver of recognition passed through Kaede's body. She didn't want to be here, and she was certain her reception wouldn't be as friendly as it had been in Aozora, even with Hayate to speak for her.
"I'll land a short distance away," Suanni said as they spiraled down toward the forest. "I think it's best if I transform before we encounter any more guards."
"Good idea," Kenta said. "I think a few of them probably had to change their pants after they saw you. Dragons aren't really common around these parts." His humor was forced, but Kaede was grateful for it anyway. It proved a helpful distraction from the worries running through her head.
Takeshi looked as though he wanted to say something, but even he seemed to see the wisdom in Suanni's decision. Suanni broke the canopy of the forest, weaving gracefully between the tree trunks and finding a clear place to touch down. Before Kaede could even climb off Suanni's back, a sharp sound distracted her. She glanced around, checking to see if her companions had heard it too. They all were looking around the forest, and Rin and Kaze's ears were both tilted and alert.
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