"What was that?" Kenta asked nervously.
Takeshi's brow furrowed. "It sounded like someone screaming. A spirit who lives here?"
"A human," Rin declared.
The wolves slid down Suanni's tail first, trotting off into the snowy forest together.
Kaede was next to the ground. She ran off after them, crunching through the frost and following their footprints, but she didn't have to track them far. She found the pair of wolves only a few meters away, noses pointed at a terrified looking man in the snow. He was dressed in armor, wearing a tattered version of Yukimura's pinecone mon, and both were stained with blood. It looked somewhat old, though the snow had kept some parts of it shiny and wet.
"S…stay back," he shouted, brandishing a pathetic stick and scrambling backwards. He was little more than a boy, seventeen, eighteen at most. There wasn't any hair on his chin, and he looked even younger with his eyes bulging out of his head. He panted harshly, tossing up snow in his effort to get to his feet.
Kaede extended her hand to help him, but he flinched away. "The wolves aren't going to hurt you," she said, motioning for Kaze and Rin to back off. They did so, although Rin didn't look happy about it.
"First her, then a dragon in the sky, now wolves!" the wounded soldier babbled. He seemed on the verge of hysteria, shaking his head as if he expected the visions before him to disappear. "Yukimura-dono. I have to find Yukimura-dono, she said—"
"You mean Yukimura Setsuna?" Kaede asked.
"No—"
"Then you must mean me." Hayate had caught up with her, and at the sight of him, the soldier seemed to calm down. He stopped struggling, and Hayate could pass Kaede and approach him. He offered his hand, and the man took it, although he was still trembling.
"Yukimura-dono, thank the Ancestors! Yukimura-sama is in danger! A woman came and…" His mouth still moved, but all that came out was a terrified moan.
"A woman?" Kaede asked. "This woman didn't happen to have nine tails and say her name was Kyuubi, did she?"
The man shook his head, and Kaede noticed tears leaking from his eyes. "No, but she had one hand. Ancestors, she was terrifying!" He broke down sobbing, unable to answer.
Kaede hardly noticed. "Imari. You saw Imari." She approached the man despite Hayate's warnings, grasping his shoulders and shaking him back to coherence. "Where was she? Is she in danger?”
The man continued sobbing. "The cave." He pointed in a direction Kaede recognized, toward the cave outside the city where Setsuna had conducted her experiments.
Kaede's first instinct was to go at once. She turned, preparing to crash through the branches, but Kenta spoke up. "Wait!" he called from a few meters back, where he and Takeshi stood. "We can't leave him here. He's injured."
"How far are Kousetsu’s gates?” Takeshi asked. Clearly, he wanted to go after Imari too. "Can he make it himself? We've all sworn an oath to protect Imari with our lives. This can't wait."
Kaede felt another wave of guilt wash over her. She had failed as Imari's yojimbo, and with every moment that passed, Imari was in more danger.
"Let me go to the cave while you take him back to Kousetsu," Hayate suggested. "Setsuna and her guards won't attack me on sight the way they would Kaede or a stranger. She doesn't even know I went to Kaede's parents for help. I could go in and see what's going on."
Grateful as she was for Hayate's offer, Kaede shook her head. "No. We need to do this together. I need to do this."
"Then let me take him," said another voice. Kaede turned to see Suanni approaching through the trees as Bo, brown hood pulled up to cover their face. They stopped before the soldier, bowing deeply. "How bad are your injuries, friend? Are you able to walk a short distance?"
The soldier seemed surprised but not threatened by Suanni's questions. "Not too bad. I think I could make it to the city. You're all going to sort this out, right? You'll stop her."
"Yes," Kaede promised. "We're going to stop her."
The man breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," he said, looking as though the weight of the world had lifted from his shoulders.
"Then come with me," Suanni said, offering a smile from beneath their hood. "I'll make sure you get there safely. Your job here is done."
Before they shepherded the man toward the city, Suanni paused and whispered to Kaede, "I won't be returning after this. The Empress needs to be warned about this situation."
Kaede bowed. "I understand. Thank you for your help, Suanni."
"Be careful, Kaede. I doubt Kyuubi will be at the cave, but if she is, there is only one way to stop her. You need to remove all nine of her tails. Otherwise, your sword can only cause her pain. It won't kill her."
"I hope she’s there," Kaede said, fists clenching, "because I intend to deal with her myself."
Moments later, Kaede's hand drifted toward her katana, hovering there as they made their way through the forest. The closer she came to the cave where Setsuna had tried to bring the yokai under her control, the more frightened she felt. This place had a bad feeling, something beyond the terrible memories she carried. Its aura made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle and her gut churn as she crunched over the snow.
The others felt it too. Hayate tensed. The two wolves kept their ears perked. Even Takeshi and Kenta looked wary. "Are we sure this is the place?" Kenta asked, his eyes fixed on the dark, narrow mouth of the cave. There were several spiked footprints leading up to it, but none that Kaede could see leading out.
"It is," Hayate said. “This is where Setsuna conducted all her secret experiments."
"Then we need to go in," Takeshi said. "How many guards can we expect?"
"I don't know. It might be better for me to go in first."
Kaede shook her head. "I'm sworn to protect Imari. We're going in together."
"At least let me go up close and look first," Hayate said. "We don't want to run straight into an ambush."
Kaede ground her teeth. It was a reasonable suggestion, but it went against her instincts. "Fine, but be fast. You aren't going in without us."
"I wouldn't dream of it. Kaze, come on." Hayate and the black wolf slipped off, leaving Kaede waiting restlessly in the brush with Takeshi, Kenta, and Rin.
For a few seconds, silence reigned. All Kaede could hear was the brittle rustling of the ice-covered branches as the wind passed through them.
"I don't like this," Takeshi whispered. He had already drawn his katana, knuckles twitching uncomfortably around the grip. "We should go with him."
"It's going to be okay," Kenta whispered back. "I'm sure he'll give us a signal any second."
Hayate did give a signal, but not the one Kaede expected. Instead of waving them forward, he stumbled back in surprise, letting out a sharp gasp. Then, without even looking toward them, he drew his sword and sprinted straight into the cave. Kaze remained behind, waiting for the others to catch up.
Kaede reached him first. "What happened?" she asked, heart pounding wildly.
"This," Kaze growled, pointing his nose at a lump off to one side. Lying in front of the cave, half-covered in a crimson snowdrift, were three bodies. Everyone had been hacked to pieces, staring skyward with dead, sightless eyes.
Shaking herself free of shock, Kaede drew her katana and rushed into the cave after Hayate. Only one thought burned in her brain. Finding Imari. She had to, before something worse than this happened.
Chapter Twenty-Two
IMARI PACED THE HALL outside Setsuna's rooms, splashing through pools of blood. The longer she waited, the more restless she became. In the darkness, she wasn't sure how much time had passed. Hours? A day? More? She didn't feel hunger or thirst, and she didn't feel exhaustion either. She didn't even feel pain from the minor injuries the soldiers had given her.
All that mattered was the voice.
Just wait, it said. Hayate will be here soon, it said. You can kill him and save Kaede, it said, save the Empire.
Whenever she doubted, it reminded her. Whenever she closed h
er eyes, it reminded her. Sometimes it praised her, telling her what a heroic thing she was doing and how much Kaede would love her for it afterward. Other times it frightened her, warning her how much pain Kaede would feel if Lord and Lady Aozora were killed. It forced her to relive the night Hayate had attacked Kaede in the garden, threatening to kill them both.
Imari trembled with anger every time she remembered. She remembered the sharp edge of Hayate's katana against her throat. The heavy throb of her heart in her head. The wild fear in Kaede's eyes. She hated him. She hated Setsuna. She hated them for what they had done to Kaede, and for what they had done to her.
Be patient, the voice said. Your chance is coming.
The sound of footsteps approaching made Imari snap back to attention. She drew her jian from its scabbard, waiting. Watching. Listening.
The footsteps came closer, heavy and fast. Imari's pulse matched their rhythm. They rounded the corner and Imari finally caught sight of their face. Even in the shadows, she would have recognized it anywhere. Hayate stood before her, clutching his katana.
Upon seeing her, he lowered it. "Homura Imari," he said with a sigh of relief. "Kaede will be so happy—"
"Don't say her name," Imari warned him. She took a defensive stance, kote in front of her and sword drawn behind. "I don't want to hear it from your lips."
Hayate looked at her in surprise. "I know you don't want to see me, but please, listen. We're on the same side now."
With a shout of rage, Imari charged him, sweeping her sword at his throat.
Hayate brought his katana up to block her, but barely. He stumbled back, regaining his balance. "Let me explain!"
She sprang again, knocking his katana aside and going for his stomach. Hayate jumped back. While he retreated, she advanced, raining blow after blow upon him. Her rage gave her strength and speed, but she couldn't break his defense. He moved faster than she did, stopping each of her strikes a moment too soon.
They ran through the cave, Imari pushing, Hayate defending. No matter how fast the point of her sword danced, she couldn't find a way past his defense. He countered with his whole body, able to put more strength behind his weapon than she could match with just her wrist and elbow.
For a moment, her fury made her careless. She thrust too quickly, tipping ever so slightly off balance. But though Imari saw Hayate's eyes catch the mistake and his arms twitch, he didn't bring his katana in through the gap. He merely brushed her blade aside with his. "I don't want to fight," he panted, sweat trickling down one side of his face. "Not anymore."
Imari refused to listen. It was a lie. A trick. She had seen him try to kill Kaede with her own eyes. He was allied with Setsuna. He wanted to overthrow Lord and Lady Aozora. She wouldn't give him the chance. Roaring, she recovered and rushed him again. This time, she went in low, bending her knees and driving the point of her jian forward with all her swiftness and strength. She still wasn't fast enough. She only caught the edge of Hayate's kimono before his katana came down from above in a straight slash, pushing her sword away and sending a shock up along her arm.
Imari gripped the handle harder. She pulled back, flipping the sword around and striking out at his face with the tassels. He reeled, turning his face, and she spun in for another chance. This time, she found his arm. Her jian bit into his shoulder and he grunted, staggering back. Blood blossomed through his sleeve, but still, he didn't retaliate.
"What are you doing?" Imari demanded, spitting through her teeth. "Fight me! Or are you too dishonorable even for that?"
"I told you, we're on the same side. We both want to help Kaede—"
"Liar!"
Imari circled and slashed, feet barely touching the ground as she twirled toward him. Her jian glowed with a dull green light, but she was too focused, to furious to be surprised. She could feel her anger, her strength, her determination flowing through it like a river. It was an extension of her feelings as much as her arm, and she sent it stabbing toward Hayate's heart with everything she had.
Hayate managed to block her once more, but in doing so, he lost his advantage. His double-handed grip on his katana loosened, and Imari sent it flying away from him with a flick of her wrist. His eyes went wide as it clattered to the ground a few yards away, sliding through a sticky pool of blood and coming to rest against the cave wall.
He dove for it, but Imari backed him into the opposite side of the stone corridor, holding her sword against his throat. "How does it feel?" she asked, glaring into his eyes. They had been frightened before, but now, they were simply sad and resigned.
"Imari!"
No other voice could have halted her hand. No other voice could have forced her to look away from Hayate's tortured face. No other voice could have drawn her out of the billowing red fog she was trapped in.
"Kaede," she said, turning and a wide smile spreading across her face. "You came! I knew you would."
But Kaede didn't look happy to see her. Instead, her expression read pure horror. "Imari, what are you doing? Don't kill him! Hayate's on our side now, I promise."
Imari's brow furrowed. Her head began to ache as she fought to understand. "No," she said, shaking her head. Kaede simply didn't understand what the voice had told her. She needed to explain. "No, Hayate tried to kill you! You heard what Kyuubi said. He was going to Aozora to overthrow your parents and use them against you."
"I wasn't," Hayate said. His throat bobbed just above the edge of her blade. "That was all a lie, Imari. A lie Kyuubi told you."
"You can't trust her, Imari," said another voice. It was only then that Imari noticed Kenta and Takeshi standing behind Kaede. Their weapons were drawn too, although aimed at the ground. "Kyuubi is a trickster. Suanni told us."
A stabbing pain pierced Imari's head. The voice spoke at last, louder, and felt like a wave of relief. Surely it would answer her questions. Surely it would make everything clear again, as it had been only moments before.
Kill him. He's the liar and the trickster. Kaede is confused. She doesn't know what she's saying.
"You've done something to her," Imari shouted at Hayate, leaning right into his face. She pushed her sword deeper, not enough to slice his throat, but enough to whiten the flesh around it with pressure. A small drop of blood trickled out around the edge, running down toward his collarbone. "You've made Kaede think you're on her side."
"He is on our side," Kaede insisted. Her voice cracked, close to tears, and Imari heard metal hitting stone. She glanced sideways to see that Kaede had dropped her katana on the ground and stepped forward. "Imari," she whispered, opening her arms. "Come here. I don't want you to kill him."
Don't listen to her, the voice said, but despite its volume, it sounded more distant than before. She looked at Kaede, shaking and unarmed, standing alone in the middle of the corridor.
"I'm doing this for you," Imari whispered, near tears from pain and confusion. "I'm doing this for—"
"You don't need to do anything for Kaede, Imari," Takeshi said urgently. "You always got mad at me for doing things for you. If Kaede wants to kill Hayate, let her do it herself."
The contradiction made Imari waver. She lowered her sword, removing it from Hayate's throat and taking a single step back. He was right. The past several months, she had tried to step in and take care of Kaede's problems—and every time, it had ended up terribly. Yet, here she was, doing the exact same thing again.
That doesn't matter, the voice said. Kaede wants this. She'll be so grateful.
"Come here, Imari," Kaede said again, pleading, her face tear-stained. "Put down the sword and come here. It's going to be okay."
Imari groaned, staggering back another few steps. She lowered her sword-arm, bringing the other to her face. Since she couldn't cup her forehead in her hand, she buried it in the crook of her elbow to shield her eyes—anything to get rid of the awful, stabbing spikes of pain driving through her skull.
"No, Kaede doesn't want this. She told me. She's telling me not to."
Don't listen to what she's telling you. She doesn't know her own mind. Kill Hayate. He wants her dead.
But Hayate had made no move to attack anyone. He wasn't even trying to retrieve his weapon. Like Kaede, he was unarmed.
Imari fell to her knees, feeling as if she were being torn in two, ripping apart at the seams. Her thoughts splintered, flying to pieces, and she dropped her sword to the ground. But through the chaos, one thought rang clear. Kaede had asked her to come. She would do what Kaede wanted. The voice couldn't tell her that was wrong.
She started crawling toward Kaede, leaving her sword behind, but she had barely started before Kaede rushed and bent down to meet her. Then Kaede's arms were around her, and suddenly, the pain lessened. Her head still throbbed and her eyes still blurred with tears, but the splitting, unbearable edge was gone. She sagged against Kaede's chest, crying into her kimono.
"It's okay, Imari," Kaede whispered. "It's okay. I've got you."
Imari broke down in sobs. The voice had lied to her. It had been lying all along. All of it, all the things she had done.
"I'm sorry," she cried, still weeping into Kaede's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Shh," Kaede murmured, kissing her hair. "Don't worry about that now. It doesn't matter."
"But—"
"Imari, how was Kyuubi talking to you? Is she here?"
It took her a while to sniff back enough of her tears to answer. She pulled away slightly, and rummaged in her kimono. She withdrew the milky-white pearl, offering it to Kaede. Before Kaede could take it, however, a searing blaze filled Imari's palm, burning straight into her skin. She yelped and dropped the pearl, and all of them watched it roll across the floor. It began to glow, pulsing with cold, high-pitched laughter.
"Well, that was certainly entertaining,” a voice echoed from the pearl. “Congratulations, Imari. You didn't get as far as I'd hoped, but it was still an excellent game. It's a pity you didn't kill Hayate before Kaede arrived. The look on her face would have kept me amused for a long time."
Imari stared at the pearl in disbelief. Her lips moved, but she couldn't speak. Her head swam with feelings and memories, all bleeding together until she couldn't separate them. The voice. Kyuubi. Hayate. Kaede.
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