So-yi poked me in the shoulder. “That's not the same thing.”
“Isn't it? I grabbed the damn sword to stab that fucking eye-guy and protect a girl's life, not to mention keep the data from being stolen. I was just doing my job as a security officer and my duty as a mostly-decent person.”
“Right,” my sister agreed. “You willingly risked your life.”
“But I had no clue that the Relic would bind to me. I didn't agree to having those Tsukimura assholes come after me, beat Mama up and threaten my family. I was never given the choice, and yet look what came out of it.”
“The situation is still different,” So-yi insisted.
I didn't respond to that.
“Karin, I'm sitting here looking at you and it's like I went back in time ten years. You look like you did when you went off to college. What does that mean? Humans aren't supposed to grow younger as time passes.”
“I don't know.” I stubbed out the cigarette butt in the nearby ashtray and lit another one. My hands were shaking a little, but not from the cold. I was sitting out here in a thin fitted tee with my arms bare and the chill couldn't touch me—yet another consequence of fusing with the Relic.
“It's pointless to speculate,” So-yi muttered. “But it's obvious that you're changing into something else.”
“I'm still your sister. I'm still Mama's daughter.”
“I know.” Her expression became contrite as she realized her words sounded almost accusatory. “You'll always be my sister, no matter what happens. No matter what you become.”
I took a long swig off my beer and met So-yi's gaze evenly. “You think I'm going to change so much that I become something… what, not human?”
“Maybe.” So-yi sniffed and turned away. “You can use magic now, and Misaki said that you use it in the same way she does. Your body looks young, vital, full of life and light that is so bright it feels unnatural.”
I didn't want to mention that I'd also noticed my senses sharpening, as well. The rain sounded loud in my ears, but I could dissect the roar into the individual pitter-patter of each droplet colliding with the gazebo above.
“Yeah… but… I'm still me.”
“I'm sorry, sis. This is coming out… wrong. I don't want you to feel like I'm afraid of you or what you're becoming. I'm just worried. I think you should be very careful where that Eirene person is concerned.”
“Don't worry,” I assured her, but my words sounded hollow in my own ears. “I know better than just to trust anyone blindly. I'm only looking at things logically, and yes, I do know that everyone involved in this mess is trying to use me for some ulterior motive.”
So-yi squeezed my hand. “Just… watch yourself, okay, sis?”
“I will. I'm going to be watching over us all.”
“I thought you coming here and asking for our help was out of character.” So-yi's eyes narrowed suspiciously as I hid my own expression behind my beer. “So all of that stuff about money and not wanting to rent an apartment that'd be empty most of the time was all a ruse?”
“Well, no,” I explained, taking a puff off my smoke. “That stuff was all true. Without officially signing up, Amber can't really convince her people to pay us more than a little bit. My savings are okay, but the new apartment just won't be sustainable. Not to mention we're going to be away from home most of the time.”
“But that's not the real reason you're here.”
A slow grin spread over my face. “No, it's not and yes, you're right. If Misaki and I live here, we can better keep you safe from anything that tries to use you to get to us. The only other option is to hide everyone in some Luna safehouse in the middle of nowhere—”
“Over my dead body,” So-yi growled.
“Exactly. Plus I don't actually trust them enough for that. Misaki seems to feel a bit more favorable toward them, but I think that's just her past baggage. She's always been a servant to some major clan or house and she feels less comfortable when not a part of something larger than herself.”
My sister's scowl faltered as a thought occurred to her. “Do you think your former employers will try anything?”
“I think it's safe to assume that, yes. Blondie doesn't strike me as the vengeful type, but I'm sure we'll have a run-in with AEGIS in the future. He's definitely not happy that Misaki, Meilin and Amber messed up his plans, but… to be honest, I think he'll just twist this failure to his advantage somehow.”
So-yi blew out a slow breath. “All right, Karin, I think you've been lectured enough. I'm going to head back inside. Are you coming in?”
“No, I think I'll stay out here for a few minutes longer.”
“Okay.”
My sister opened the door and went back inside. I caught the sound of two sets of footsteps as someone else exited while So-yi re-entered. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was—I could detect the faint scent of plum blossom and, well, fur. Yeah, not the most romantic way to describe it, but her tail did have a characteristic smell…
The door shut and Misaki walked to the edge of the deck, staring out over the rain. Her tail swished from side to side slowly, pausing as it changed direction. That, plus the forward position of her ears, told me that she was in a good mood.
“It's really raining hard out here,” Misaki commented.
“Good thing, too. We could really use the extra water.”
“Dessert's almost done, by the way.” Misaki turned away from the rain and regarded me warmly. “Yoshiko sent me out here to tell you to get your ass inside and eat the tiramisu that she worked so hard to make.”
“So that's why Mama was trying to keep it a secret. Tiramisu is my favorite dessert.”
Misaki held a hand out to help me up. “Well, come on! Let's go back inside and stuff ourselves with sweets with our family!”
I ignored the offered hand and stood up in a smooth, fluid motion, placing all my weight on my legs alone. I couldn't feel even the slightest hint of pain. I reached out and tousled Misaki's hair a bit.
She stared at me. “So it's really happening.”
“Yeah.”
“Everyone's already noticing. They're trying to hide it, but it's obvious.”
I frowned. “How has it changed me?”
“You've been directly connected to the flow of astral energy. The Relic's magic is not doing anything it didn't do before. Remember how the blade was always perfect and flawless, no matter what you cut with it?”
“I remember.”
“You took the Relic's place,” Misaki stated. “Sort of, anyway. I don't know for sure the full extent of what's going to happen or how long it's going to take, but you're going to end up more like me and… a lot less like an ordinary human.”
My eyebrow rose fractionally, but I was more surprised at how little the revelation actually affected me. I should have felt at least a little conflicted about what the future might bring, but…
I reached out and took Misaki's hand. Those huge green eyes stared into mine and our bodies came together, our arms wrapping around each other in a mutual embrace. Her lips met mine and I closed my eyes as I was lost in their warmth.
We kissed for what seemed like forever, my lingering doubts starting to drift away. No matter what happened after this, she would be with me, and that would make everything all right.
promise chapter
/
vows
snowflakes
I remember when I was a child, Mama would talk about how parents used to tell their children that if they worked hard enough, they could do anything they wanted and become anything they wished. It seemed like a natural thing, but Mama did not agree. She'd tell all of us kids that she wouldn't lie to us—we didn't live in a world that was fair. That no matter how hard we worked and how hard we pushed, much of the course of our lives would be determined by luck.
Most people would be able to muddle through life and do okay. Some would reach for impossible heights, either through their skill in occupation or naviga
ting society. The rest would struggle and suffer and fight for their very lives simply to survive. At the time, the admonition felt bitter and cynical. I didn't understand what Mama was trying to say until I was much older.
It was a warning not to look down on those below us and not to deify those above us. We were all people and we all needed each other, regardless of various protestations to the contrary. Those who held tremendous power—whether it was the power of money, the power of politics or some other power entirely—rarely earned it.
Ever since the Relic fused with me, I'd come back to Mama's words over and over.
The snow was piling up in my sister's back yard. I lit a cigarette and regarded the snow-covered ground. Small holes were present where Kaede had romped in the powdery white, near larger holes where Misaki followed. Both of them were inside after Mama had come out and fretted over them both.
I chuckled and puffed at my smoke. The coffee Nicole brewed was kept warm in a thick-walled mug; I could feel the heat slowly spreading through the ceramic. I was pretty sure it became obvious to everyone that I wanted a little time alone to catch my breath. Things were rather chaotic at the moment with all the last-minute preparations.
It was January. A full year had passed since I first met Misaki, and tomorrow we would be getting married. I'd picked up a bit of a recurring astonished little smile that just kept popping up on my face as I marveled at all that happened in the past year. Taking a sip from my coffee, I set my cigarette on the edge of the ashtray and stared out into the snow.
A small disturbance in the white powder caught my eye. It was a fallen leaf from the oak tree in So-yi's back yard. Even from a half-dozen meters away, I could make out the delicate veins running through the leaf's surface. The red-gold color seemed a bit dulled, perhaps from becoming waterlogged.
I lifted my right hand and rapidly traced out a series of glowing symbols. Silvery-white light welled within my palm, a coalescence of potent energies ready to be unleashed. With a thought, I sent the beam lancing out from my hand. It struck the leaf dead-on, but there was no flame, nor was the leaf blasted apart by physical force.
Instead, the bright beam of magic unbound the physical matter, rending the leaf apart at a fundamental level. With an abrupt sizzle, my target was simply gone.
“Practicing even now?”
I didn't bother turning toward the voice, but instead retrieved my cigarette and took a draw on it. “This is just as much a part of me as my hands, arms and legs. Not spending the time to master it would be as stupid as refusing to learn to walk.”
“Of course, but should you really be doing this on the eve of your wedding?” Meilin inquired.
“I just needed to get away from the chaos for a little bit, catch my breath.” I turned and smiled at my former boss. Now that Meilin was no longer with AEGIS, she'd allowed considerably more of her actual personality to shine through. To be honest, had I not met Misaki and had Meilin's orientation been compatible, I would have been very interested in her.
“What about you? Are you seeing anyone right now?”
Meilin's cheeks flushed faintly. “Maybe.”
“What the fuck kind of answer is that?”
“The kind that a person gives when she isn't sure what might happen,” Meilin retorted, her tone more amused than anything. “Before AEGIS betrayed us, it was necessary for me to keep people at a distance… even those who were unaware of the truth. Now, though… I wonder if I can really commit to anything.”
“Who's the special guy?”
The flush on her cheeks darkened a touch. “No one you know, though I suspect you'll probably end up meeting him sooner or later. My parents sort of set me up with him—hey, don't laugh!”
I couldn't help it. “Are you serious? You're dating someone your parents set you up with? Don't tell me… was it a blind date?!”
The look Meilin gave me told me all I needed to know.
“Yes, it was a blind date.” Her voice was thick and sounded a bit immature, as if the confident, elegant woman sitting next to me had been replaced with a shy, blushing schoolgirl. “But we really got along well and agreed to keep seeing each other.”
“He any good in bed?”
Meilin gave me a harsh glare, but she couldn't hold it and started laughing herself. “Yes, Karin. He is very good in bed. Honestly, he's very good in a lot of things. I think we might really have something together. Something worth pursuing.”
“What's his name?”
“Gabriel.” Meilin's eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. “I'm not telling you his last name. I don't need you or Misaki posting ridiculous things on his social pages.”
“Oh, come on, Meilin,” I complained. “It's not like I actually know any juicy secrets or embarrassing stories to tell about you, anyway. You weren't allowed to talk about yourself before.”
“Listen to Amber for a while and you'll learn more than you ever wanted to.” Meilin shot a hostile look back toward the house, where her sister was currently chatting up the rest of my family.
“Yeah, about her,” I began, meeting Meilin's eyes. “What does she actually think about Misaki and my reluctance to join Luna without reservation?”
“She isn't happy about it, but she understands your position. I think her professional pride is a little bruised at the implied comparison to AEGIS. Elias told her to accept it despite her arguments to the contrary.”
I took another puff off my smoke. “Well, how's the new job working out for you? You accepted Elias' offer right away without much in the way of deliberation.”
“It's been… interesting,” Meilin said after a short pause. “Eliminating the demons is an entirely different sort of task than dealing with specters. These things don't work for anyone and we can't tell if they even have any sort of sentience at all. They exist only to destroy and consume. They attack, we react to it—we can't really predict where or when they're going to strike, but at least the incidents have been limited in scope.”
“The number of weird rumors on the internet keeps going up.” I stared at the glowing tip of my cigarette as I took a short puff. “AEGIS is probably working their asses off at information control to keep the mainstream media from repeating these rumors. Most of the accounts are being passed off as crazy conspiracy theories.”
Meilin frowned. “That won't last. The number of attacks and sightings are rising, not falling. Demons may prioritize people with magical ability, but it doesn't stop them from eating ordinary humans. If they've even got a speck of intelligence in their miasma-soaked brains…”
“They'll eventually figure out it's easier to feed off what little mana's inside ten ordinary humans than risk being blown apart by a mage or spirit hunter,” I finished for her. “Even AEGIS, with its enormous resources and influence, won't be able to keep this hidden away forever.”
The sliding glass door opened behind us and we fell silent, unwilling to discuss such dark topics around anyone else. This was supposed to be a happy time, after all. If Mama caught me doing anything resembling work—at least, work she didn't make me do—she'd be furious.
“Karin dear, stop being a grumpy hermit and come back inside with your family,” her voice came sternly from behind. I sighed and stubbed out the dwindling butt of my smoke and stood up.
“I just wanted a little quiet,” I told her.
“You were out here practicing.” Mama's gaze was accusatory. She placed her hands on her hips and somehow managed to become more intimidating. “And if Meilin's out here… you two were talking about work, weren't you?”
Meilin blinked. “How did she—”
“She was probably eavesdropping at the door,” I muttered dryly. “Mama, stop trying to make yourself look omnipotent. We are not fooled.”
starlight
Excessive alcohol consumption on the eve of one's wedding night is perhaps to be expected, but since I had to be up early to get ready for the ceremony, I tried to keep my drinking to a minimum. With my belly pleasantly full of
indulgent sweets and seasonally appropriate mulled wine, I leaned back in the desk chair inside the small room that Misaki and I now called home.
My wife-to-be lay on the edge of the two futons we pushed together, her tail swishing slightly as she teased my mother's dog. Kaede's ears perked up and her dark eyes locked onto the fluffy thing as she lunged. Of course, she caught nothing but air between her jaws, sending Misaki into a fit of giggles.
“The more you tease her, the more it's going to hurt when she finally grabs it,” I said, trying hard to keep a straight face.
Misaki grinned. “Kaede's too slow and fat to catch it.”
“I swear, I think Mama got that dog just so she could avoid any possible urge she might have to spoil her actual children.” I leaned back in the chair and stretched. I felt pretty good after my bath and the time it took to wind down before bed.
“Yet she's spoiling you quite a lot recently,” Misaki pointed out.
“This won't last. Mama's only acting like this because she's enjoying the whole wedding thing a little more than I am—”
My speech was cut short by a pillow colliding with my face. I couldn't keep from laughing as the cushion fell into my lap and revealed a very irate-looking Misaki. Her ears lay flat and back, signifying agitation that was only amplified by the fur of her tail standing on end and her narrowed green eyes.
“You're just joking, right?”
I snorted. “Of course I'm joking. This is a hell of a lot better than being shot at by assholes in black armor or having my mind and spirit twisted by that weird mage—”
“Karin.”
“Oh, all right, fine. I'll stop.” I paused for a moment and took a sip from the glass of water on the desk. “There's no use in trying to deflect any longer. Not sure if you've noticed, but I'm nervous.”
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