by Jasmine Walt
I pressed my lips together and glared at Raiden. I didn’t really have an argument against this—surely there was no harm in spending the night. But when the elevator doors opened again, the reality of what Raiden was saying hit me in the chest. “Are you saying that I have to stay inside here? That I can’t leave?”
“Yes, for now,” Raiden said. “You need to have a little more practice defending yourself before you can just go out on your own again.”
“And how long is that going to take again?” I asked as we stepped into the dark hallway. Impatience brewed inside me, chasing away the exhaustion. I knew I couldn’t just rush outside again—I didn’t even have the first clue of where to go, beyond Mount Koya. And it wasn’t like I had the money to jump on a plane anyway. But I hated feeling helpless, and being told I had to hide inside this tower like a damsel in distress was really chafing at me. No, I wasn’t a superhero, but I was still used to taking care of myself. I didn’t like being told what to do.
“Considering your aptitude, it should only take you a couple of days to get a grasp on the basics,” Raiden said. “But knowing Mamoru, he’ll want to keep you longer. It takes years of training to become truly proficient.”
My stomach dropped. “I don’t have years,” I said as the elevator doors opened again. “My mom is kidnapped now. Even if she had the best medical care ever in Kai’s custody, which I highly doubt, she might not have years. Who knows what Kai is doing to her!”
“I get it, Aika. Really, I do.” Raiden gripped my shoulders and pinned me with that steady gaze. “Do you think I want to be holed up in here while my parents are across the Pacific Ocean, possibly fighting off the greatest evil the shaman world has seen in centuries? I know they left me in the dark because they didn’t want to get me involved,” he growled, the planes of his face tight with anger now. “I’m their only heir, and they don’t want me hurt in case something goes wrong. But it’s not in my nature to sit back while others put themselves in danger. If they die…” His voice cracked a little, and he looked away. “I’d never be able to forgive myself.”
That little crack in his armor, that moment of vulnerability, soothed my ire, and my anger finally slipped away.
“I understand,” I whispered, placing my hand on top of his. His fingers, which were digging into my shoulder, loosened a little. “I’m sorry, Raiden. I guess I didn’t think you’d be worried about your parents, since they’re trained shamans.”
The anger slid from his face, leaving a heavy, exhausted look in his eyes.
“They can take care of themselves,” he said, sticking his hand between the elevator doors as they tried to close on us. He stepped into the hallway, and I followed. “But if it really is Kai who’s escaped, this is a level of threat that none of us have ever dealt with before.” He paused, then added, “I know we’re both worried, but we should really try to get some sleep. You need to be well-rested for your training tomorrow.”
I nodded, following silently as Raiden led me down the hall. The plum-colored walls were lined with faux paper lanterns set on low, their dim lights casting a faint glow on the hardwood floor. Instead of doorways, the rooms were separated by shoji—room dividers made of Japanese paper and wood. As we passed one, I caught the faint sound of someone snoring.
“There are other people staying here?” I asked in a hushed voice.
“Yeah. These aren’t permanent residences, just lodgings for visiting shamans, mostly.” Raiden came to a stop in front of one of the rooms and slid the shoji aside. “This is your room.”
I peeked inside. Directly beyond the door was a room with a low, Japanese-style table and two seat cushions, where one could have tea or enjoy a meal. The walls were papered in matcha-green, the floors covered in tatami mats. There was another room to the left, out of view, where I assumed the bedroom was.
“You’ll find pajamas and a toothbrush in the closet,” Raiden said, “and the bathroom is back up the hall. Go on,” he said, nudging me. “There aren’t any mokumokuren hiding here.”
I shivered at the idea—mokumokuren were ghosts that lived inside torn shoji or beneath tatami mats. “Thanks for that thought,” I said as I stepped inside, glaring over my shoulder. “You really know how to make a girl feel safe.”
I blinked in surprise as his face lit up in an unexpected grin. “I’ll be right across the hall if you get scared. Sleep tight. Don’t let the tatami mats bite.”
He slid the door shut before I could throw one of the pillows at him. Huffing, I listened as the door across the hall slid open, then shut. What a cheeky bastard. Still, it was reassuring to know that Raiden was just a few steps away if I needed him. Not that I really thought there were any ghosts lurking in the walls or floors when the whole building was warded…but after the day I’d had, it was nice to know I wasn’t alone.
Pulling out my phone for the first time in hours, I was surprised to see it was nearly ten o’clock at night. Where had all the time gone today? I scrolled through my notifications, half-hoping I’d see some text or missed voicemail from my mom. Anything to let me know she was okay. But she hadn’t had her phone on her when the ogama took her, and even if she had, I doubt her captors would have let her keep it.
Then again, if Kai really was nearly two centuries old, he wouldn’t know anything about cell phones. I wondered if that was an advantage we could somehow use against him. Just how powerful was he? And why exactly had he been sealed away? There was a lot I didn’t know about this shadowy enemy of mine, I realized.
Maybe you can ask Mamoru tomorrow, I told myself as I explored the rest of my little suite. There was a bedroom beyond the sitting area, with a futon and bedding laid out on the floor, and a metal rack that could be used for hanging up a kimono.
In the closet I found extra pillows, a set of white pajamas that fit me well enough, a soft robe, and cloth slippers. I took two of the towels into the bathroom down the hall, which I was pleased to find had a sizable bathing area separated off from the toilet and sink. These rooms were way bigger than I’d anticipated. It was almost like staying in a ryokan—Japanese-style inns with hot spring baths.
Excited, I stripped off, then scrubbed myself down before getting into the tub for a long, hot soak.
Enjoy it while it lasts, a sinister voice whispered in the back of my mind. Goosebumps prickled across my skin, and I jerked upright, looking around the bathtub. But there was nothing in here but the curling steam and shampoo bottles. Nothing here but the sound of my harsh breathing.
You’re just hearing things, I told myself, sinking back into the bathwater. But I was wary for the rest of the night, and when I finally tucked myself into the covers, it took a long, long time before I could work up the courage to close my eyes and give myself over to sleep.
9
I awoke at six in the morning to the sound of voices arguing outside my door.
“You are not going to ask her about this right now,” Raiden growled. “She just got here.”
“Come on,” a male voice whined. It sounded about an octave higher than Raiden’s, and oddly familiar. I scrubbed at my face, trying to banish the heavy exhaustion that still clung to me after a fitful night of sleep. Who was Raiden talking to? Was it another shaman? “She’s the only one who can help me with this. You have to let me talk to her.”
“Mamoru isn’t going to be happy about this,” Raiden warned, and that, more than anything else, piqued my curiosity. Pushing off the covers, I sat up and stretched, then shrugged on my robe and slippers before padding over to the door.
“What are you two arguing about?” I asked, sliding open the shoji screen. The two men froze, mid-argument, and turned to look at me.
“Shota?” My eyes nearly popped out of my head as I got a good look at the man standing next to Raiden. He wore a black button-up shirt with tiny cranes embroidered on it and tight, salmon-colored pants instead of his usual chef’s coat and jeans, but I’d recognize that shaggy J-pop band haircut and that face anywhere.
<
br /> Relief flooded through me at the sight of a familiar face, and I threw my arms around him. “Oh my god, it really is you!”
“Aika?” Shota stiffened beneath my embrace, his voice faint with shock. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around me, returning the embrace, but his reception was far colder than I’d anticipated. “I…I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
The strained note in his voice had me pulling back, and my heart sank a little. The blood had drained from his face, and he was looking at me as if he’d seen a ghost. “Are you all right?” I asked, feeling deflated. I thought he’d be happy to see me, but…
“Do the two of you know each other?” Raiden asked, looking back and forth between us. His eyes were narrowed, and lines of displeasure bracketed his mouth.
“Yeah, she runs the shabu shabu place just around the corner from my sushi restaurant.” Shota cast me a wary glance. “You didn’t say she was the one,” he said in a meaningful voice.
“I had no idea the two of you already knew each other,” Raiden said, sounding pained. An awkward silence passed between them. “Is this going to be a problem?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Would one of you please tell me what’s going on here?” I felt like I was only hearing half the conversation and that there was a whole level of subtext I was missing.
Raiden cleared his throat. “Sorry. This is Shota Hayakawa, my cousin. He’s a shaman too, but recently he’s decided to forego the family business and pursue the culinary arts instead.” His tone was colored with disapproval. “But then, you already know about that last part, from what I understand.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you’re a shaman, Shota,” I said, still trying to wrap my head around that. When I’d seen him standing in the hall, my brain had short-circuited, and all I’d thought was that it was so nice to see a familiar face. But of course he was a shaman. Why else would he be here?
Shota gave me a lopsided smile. “It’s not exactly like I’m a walking advertisement for one. I’m sorry I reacted so badly. It’s just…I’m surprised to see you here. They told me your first name, but I figured it couldn’t be you, because I’d already ruled you out as a shaman.”
“Wait a second.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to relieve the tension headache brewing. Glancing back and forth between him and Raiden, who was still dressed in his pajamas and looking a bit rumpled, I could see the familial resemblance in the angle of their jaws and the shape of their noses. Was that why Raiden had looked familiar to me when I’d first run into him? Because of his relation to Shota?
But that didn’t explain the connection I felt. With both of them.
“What do you mean, you already ruled me out as a shaman?” I asked. For some reason, that line had stung, even though I was still struggling with the idea myself. “Did you, like, test me or something?”
“No, but you have a gaki working in your shop.” Shota shrugged. “You didn’t seem to have any idea of what she was, and she didn’t know what you were either or she wouldn’t have been so nice to you. Why do you think she hated me so much even though I was always bringing by food?”
“Oh.” I bit my lip, thinking it over. “I thought she just hated you out of loyalty to my mother.”
“And yet you didn’t?” Shota raised an eyebrow.
“Who’s to say I don’t?” I stuck out my tongue at him.
He grinned. “There’s no way you hate me. My food is far too spectacular.”
My breath hitched in my throat at his familiar, teasing smile, and for a moment, the rest of the world fell away. There was no mistaking it—Shota and I definitely had a connection. And yet…I’d felt the same thing with Raiden when I’d first met him. How was that possible? Was I really crushing on two different guys?
“Shota,” Raiden said, his voice full of warning.
“Sorry.” Shota looked away and scratched the back of his neck. “This is all just…surreal to me.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” I said, scowling at Raiden. What was his problem? If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was telling Shota to back off, which didn’t sit well with me. After all, I’d known Raiden all of five minutes. And yeah, maybe there was some kind of pull between us, but that didn’t mean he owned me. I’d known Shota a lot longer.
“So, what was that thing you came to talk to me about?” I asked, trying to engage Shota again, who seemed to be looking at everything but me. “You were saying that you needed something and that I was the only one who could help you.”
“Right!” Shota brightened up again. He unhooked a keychain from his belt, which was laden with those little mortuary tablets, just like Raiden’s. How had I never noticed he’d been carrying one of those? Was it always hidden beneath his coat? “I need you to summon a yokai for me so we can go visit Ryujin.”
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Raiden warned. “Mamoru told us not to let her out of the building until she has more experience.”
“It’s a fantastic idea,” Shota said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Come on, Rai. Who in their right mind passes up the opportunity to go visit a dragon king?”
“Whoa. Back up a second.” I raised a hand. “What do you mean, a dragon king?”
Shota blinked. “You’ve never heard of Ryujin?”
I frowned, a vague memory from one of my mother’s fairy tales coming back to me. “Isn’t he like a sea god or something?”
“Yes,” Raiden said tightly. “A very powerful one, who probably isn’t too keen on having visitors dropping in on him without notice.”
Shota rolled his eyes. “And just how are we supposed to send him notice? A message in a bottle?” He snickered at his own joke, and I couldn’t help grinning. He was such a goofball. “Stop being such a stick in the mud, Raiden. You know how much I’ve always wanted to visit the sea god. And besides, he might know something about this mess with Mount Koya and Kai.”
“Well why didn’t you say that in the first place?” I asked. “Of course I’m interested in anything that’ll help rescue my mother.”
“I knew I could count on you!” Shota beamed at me. “See? She’s much more sensible than you,” he said, shooting a look at Raiden.
“I guess Ryujin probably does know something about it,” Raiden conceded reluctantly, “but that doesn’t mean he’s just going to help us. Kami aren’t always benevolent, and Ryujin is a very powerful one. He might put us through a test or demand a favor in exchange for his help.”
“What else is new?” I propped a hand on my hips. “It seems like ever since I stumbled into this mess I’ve been making deals and forced into uncomfortable situations. If this Ryujin guy can help us, it’s worth a shot.” I turned back to Shota. “What is it you want me to do?”
Grinning, Shota unhooked something from his keychain and held it up. “This is a yokai charm,” he said, dangling a tiny turtle carved out of glowing iridescent blue stone in front of my nose. “It has the power to summon Umigame, the Great Sea Turtle.” He said the name with reverence, as if we were talking about a legendary creature. “None of us have ever been able to use it, but since you’re a powerful yokai shaman, you’ll be able to summon him with no problem.”
I took the turtle charm from Shota. It flared brightly in my hand, reacting to my power, and I cursed as pain stabbed my brain through my eyeballs.
“Calm down,” I snapped at it. “I just want to look at you.”
To my surprise, it did.
“Look at that!” Shota elbowed Raiden in the ribs. “She’s a natural.”
“She is.” Raiden looked as if he wasn’t sure whether he should be impressed or annoyed. “Mamoru is going to be really upset if we get her killed.”
The excitement buzzing through my veins was instantly dampened by a healthy dose of fear. “Is this journey going to be really dangerous?”
“Dealing with kami is always dangerous,” Shota said, shooting an annoyed look at Raiden. “As is dealing with yurei or
yokai. It’s par for the course of being a shaman. Honestly, Aika, don’t let Raiden get you all riled up about it. I’ve studied up about Ryujin, and he’s not a malevolent deity. In fact, Japan’s first emperor was rumored to be his great-grandson, so in a way he’s an ancestor of our imperial line. He likes humans, for the most part.”
“It sounds like he should,” I mused, trying to remember the tale my mother had told me about him. Unfortunately, like much of my toddler years, the memory was fuzzy. “If there’s the slightest chance he can help me find my mother, we have to go. Besides, going to an undersea kingdom has always been on my bucket list.”
“Exactly!” Shota patted me on the shoulder. “All we have to do is get to the coast, and then you can summon him. It’ll be easy-peasy.”
Raiden scoffed at that. “If we’re going to go, we need to do it now, before Mamoru comes looking for us.” He gave me a pointed look, as if to say, You agreed to this. “Meet us at the elevator in ten minutes.”
I grabbed my clothes, then rushed down the hall for a quick shower. I wish I’d had clean clothes to change into, but there was nothing for it. I was just thankful I’d thought to wash my clothes and hang them on the kimono rack. Luckily, they were mostly dry, and a quick blast with the hair dryer got them the rest of the way there.
I put them on, ran a brush through my long hair, then left it loose so it could air dry. I checked my reflection one more time, then, after a moment of consideration, swiped the tube of lipstick across my mouth.
Hey, I was visiting a dragon king, wasn’t I? Might as well make the effort.
Knowing this was as good as I was gonna get, I hurried out of the room to meet the others. Raiden and Shota were already fully dressed and waiting. They both looked me up and down, and I felt the tips of my ears heating up under their intense male regard. Had they noticed my lipstick? God, I didn’t want them thinking I’d been trying to dress up for either of them. I was trying to impress the dragon god, not them.