The two of them had lost everything, taken by Kazue. But if he had known what awaited him here he would have held back on returning. He would have gone to search out allies first, prepare himself. After everything he'd lost already—his pride, his rulership. He had hoped this place would remain the same as so many other palaces had. But this was just another cruel twist of the knife.
"It can be rebuilt," Ai said, reading his mood.
Kaito lowered his gaze to the horizon once more. Water blurred his vision as he held up his hands. Thunder rumbled overhead as lightning cracked through the sky. The sea grew still, recognizing its master. The waters parted, and from the depths of the ocean arches rose. Seaweed was tangled around their tops, but the color had not faded and the bright crimson shone like a flame against the bleak landscape. Following the arches, a stone pathway emerged from the sea floor and crabs scuttled across it, heading back to the water they'd been so rudely removed from. Everything fell into place with a shuddering halt.
"I am home."
He strode beneath the arches, heading for the doors which clung to the remains of the outer walls. The massive wooden doors hung loosely on the hinges, battered by the wind and sea for centuries. They were mostly rotted. Beyond the main gates the central courtyard greeted him. Seabirds had made nests in the eaves of the outer buildings. Broken shells and the skeletons of fish littered the ground. Kaito's feet crunched on shells and bones as he crossed it. He made a mental note of everything that would need to be returned to its former glory.
"This is a mess," Ai said, hiding her face behind her large sleeve. Everything stank of rotting fish.
Kaito continued up the main stairs through the outer ring of buildings, where in times past the lesser of his court dwelled. These buildings had taken the brunt of the ocean's torment. All that remained was the skeletal structures jutting from the foundation. Sea life had taken up residence and barnacles clung to stones and walls.
Into the second and third rings the damage was less, though age and neglect showed in the damp decay that clung to everything. Kaito stopped before the double doors, which had once led into his audience room—the place where he had ruled over Akatsuki. The double doors, shielded from the elements, seemed untouched by time. Unlike the outer reaches of his palace, this place still held some of its spiritual energy due to spells woven into the fabric of the place and his own essence which had seeped into it from hundreds of years of residence. He brushed his hand against the wood, but as he did a jolt went through him. His spells had been contaminated with unfamiliar energy.
He pulled his hand back. It was most likely scavengers who had come while he was away. Once word of his defeat had spread, the yokai would have thought little of his possessions other than to take it for themselves. That was a matter for later, however. Kaito pushed open the doors and they creaked, protesting their use after five hundred years of stillness.
As soon as he opened the door, raucous laughter drifted outward.
"Someone is here," Ai said, stating the obvious.
He felt the shift in her spiritual energy as she channeled her power to defend him. Not that he needed it. He was more than strong enough to fend off a few squatters. Likely it was some low-level yokai who had moved in while he was gone. He wasn't surprised, but he wasn't pleased either.
The audience hall was long, lined with numerous supporting beams, and the ceiling was high—at least five times his height, to accommodate all types of yokai. At the far end of the room was a raised dais, where he had once presided over his court. A fire flickered just at the foot of the dais, casting long shadows onto it and the surrounding pillars and walls. A figure sat where Kaito once sat. These were very presumptuous squatters.
It was exactly the sort of distraction he needed, knocking around a few yokai might help calm the rage which churned around in his gut. The small band of yokai were seated around the fire. Kaito and Ai kept to the shadows, hiding behind the pillars as they crept closer to the group. A yokai with garish blue hair and curling horns sprouting from the top of his head lounged on the dais, his head resting in the lap of a beautiful yokai, whose blue-green hair fell to the ground behind her. She stroked his head, running her long fingers through his hair.
There were no more than ten of them in the room. A quick scan of the surrounding area revealed there were no more about. All of them had the same sort of appearance—jewel toned hair and horns on their head. Though their appearance was nothing like any yokai he had seen before, he was surprised to find they were dragons. Who would willingly assume these ridiculous forms? I thought I knew all the dragons in Akatsuki. He assessed them another moment, trying to discern if he had met them before and did not recognize their current chosen forms. But after careful probing, in which none of them so much as flinched, he determined they must be some lesser beings closely related to dragons.
The group was so busy drinking and laughing, none of them noticed him until he was in their midst.
"I return home and I find my palace infested with vermin," he said.
The group jumped to their feet, some half-transformed, curling clawed hands into fists. Others reached for rusty, beaten up swords and blunt objects, as if any of it would stand a chance against him. The only ones who did not react were the woman and the man at the front of the group. The reclining dragon remained with his head in the woman's lap, eyes closed.
"Who are you to enter the great dragon's domain?" the dragon asked without even bothering to turn his head toward Kaito.
Kaito threw his head back and laughed. His laughter echoed through the chamber and sounded like the crack of thunder. "Not only do you steal my palace, you dare to impersonate me?"
The dragon opened one eye as he turned his head to peer at Kaito. "Who’s impersonating who? You come into my throne room uninvited, interrupt our party..."
"You insolent ruffians, Ai shall teach you for speaking that way about one of the first children," Ai piped up, but her childlike voice and small stature did not leave much of an impression and the dragons all laughed uproariously.
"Perhaps you should put your lapdog on a leash," said the dragon nearest to them. He was a towering creature, at least a head taller than Kaito and three times as thick. He would have thought it all an illusion but his spiritual energy matched his outer physique.
"Ai is not a lap dog." Her eyes shifted to all dark pupils and her hair transformed into a myriad of tentacles whipping around behind her.
The dragon only continued to laugh until the moment one of her tentacles reached out, wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground. His legs kicked, useless beneath him, while his hands clawed at Ai's tentacle, trying to break her grip.
The other dragons approached and Kaito transformed, bearing his own claws, his arms covered in blue scales.
"I am the Great Dragon, born of the first children, created by the Lord of the Sea, and the ruler of Akatsuki."
The dragon sat up at last, swung his legs around so they were dangling over the edge of the dais, and leaned forward to stare at Kaito.
"It's been a long time since we had a challenger," the dragon said with a devious smile.
He leaped down and strolled over toward Kaito, who stared at him with arms crossed over his chest.
"Have your dog let go of my man and let’s have a real fight."
Kaito nodded slightly toward Ai, who dropped the dangling dragon. He fell to the ground on all fours and gasped for breath. One of his comrades went over toward him and helped the big man to his feet while glaring at Kaito.
The leader held out his hand and another of his men handed him a sword. Unlike the other swords, this had a carved pommel in the shape of a dragon made of jade.
"I'll have you know I've never lost a challenge."
"Neither have I," Kaito said with a smile.
The leader grinned at him. He was cocky and had likely risen to a position of power as a result. Among yokai appearing strong meant almost as much as being strong. But that wa
s only half the battle, and they were all about to see what true power meant. Kaito unfurled his spiritual energy, which until now he'd kept contained. It swept over the room, filling the space, causing the entire hall to vibrate with it.
The leader's smile faltered. They had felt it, all of them had.
"Let's begin," Kaito snarled.
They took their places. It had been a very long time since Kaito had fought a challenger, or would this make him the challenger? No matter. He hadn't been posturing when he said he'd never lost. He'd won the right to rule by being the strongest and he'd kept his position for the very same reason.
It was no surprise when the dragon attacked first. He lunged at Kaito, striking with precision. Kaito could have dodged it easily, but he let the blade graze his side. Bright red blood splattered onto the ground. He knew how to handle a blade, so it wasn't all talk. But when his smile widened, Kaito knew the ego that lay beneath that skill. It would be his undoing.
"First blood," the watchers chanted.
They'd been quiet up until now, perhaps uncertain how their leader would fair against someone with as much spiritual energy as Kaito. But by letting him have the first blood, they grew more confident. They jeered and stomped their feet. And they were not the only ones growing more bold, their leader was as well.
"How do you expect to beat me with just your claws?" the leader taunted.
"A true yokai needs nothing else."
They continued to circle around one another and the dragon struck again. This time Kaito dodged. He'd let him wet his blade, but he would not let him land a blow again. Kaito led him on a chase around the circle, letting him believe he had him on the run.
After a few minutes of back and forth, Kaito had his back against the edge. His opponent was closing in. When the dragon arched his arm backward to land what would have been a killing blow, it left his left side exposed. Kaito made his move, slashing upward, raking his claws from hip to armpit. It tore his kosode and left a ragged gash down his side.
More importantly, it caught the dragon by surprise. Real fear flashed in his eyes, but to his credit he did not even reach to staunch the bleeding. He did leap backward and away from Kaito's dangerous claws.
"You're better than I thought. All the others fell within a few minutes."
"I should say the same for you."
The dragon's smile grew wider. "I've never had to do this before."
His rival's body transformed—his arms growing in size, his height lengthening—as his spiritual power unfurled from within him.
It was enough to shock Kaito. This was not some minor yokai, or a bastardized dragon. He'd only done a cursory check of his opponent’s spiritual energy. But as his true power was revealed, Kaito knew exactly who he was dealing with. He had changed his appearance but he was still the same.
Kaito threw his head back and laughed. "It's good to see you again, brother."
3
His brother smiled at him, baring his canines like a feral dog. "I'm surprised you did not recognize me straight away," he said.
They continued to dance around another in a slow circle, neither attacking as they watched one another warily.
"It was hard to recognize you without your face in the mud," Kaito taunted.
The dragon lunged for him with the sword, and Kaito raised his hand to block it, his palm encrusted in ice to save him from the blow. They stared at one another over the blade.
"I thought you were dead."
"Is that why you decided to take my palace? Since you could never win it from me in a fair fight?"
His brother leaped backward and away from him. The dragons were still cheering and stamping their feet.
"There was no need, since you were defeated by a mere mortal woman."
Kaito felt his hackles rise and he lurched forward, letting his temper get the better of him. An icy spear formed in his hand and he jabbed it at his brother's torso. Before he could embed it in his gut as he would have wished, his brother leaped out of the way.
"It's true then, you were brought down by a woman?" He threw his head back and laughed.
Kaito launched a second attack, attempting to put him off balance. But as he had done before, his brother danced just outside his reach. Kaito wanted nothing more than to claw that smug smile off the bastard’s face. Because he was not thinking clearly, he left himself open to the same trick he'd been trying to drag his opponent into and when he swung too wide, his brother struck him hard across the back, bringing Kaito to his knees.
Ai gasped and attempted to rush forward and help him, but as soon as she did, the dragons around them put out their arms to stop her.
His brother stalked around him with that same smug smile on his face.
"That's her, our master's favorite. You went crawling back to her." He looked scornfully toward Ai, who only glared back at him. His brother turned to Kaito again. "You were free. You had everything and the moment you lost it you went back to them." He threw his head back and crowed. "I always knew you were a fool, but not this much of one."
"And what about you?" Kaito growled, between gritted teeth. "What have you done besides drink and waste your time in my rotting castoffs?"
Anger flashed in his eyes as he raised his sword, prepared to cut Kaito's head off. But before he could land the blow, Kaito pierced his shoulder with another spear made of ice that came up from beneath him. His brother was propelled forward, and his weapon fell from his grip as blood gushed from the wound.
Pressing his advantage, Kaito stalked toward him, throwing in a couple punches while his opponent was still disoriented. His brother swayed on his feet for a moment. The blood loss and the ice protruding from his shoulder would take a lot of energy to heal, giving him enough time to make his final blow.
As Kaito swung downward, his brother caught him in his grip. He glared into Kaito's eyes. "You left. Someone had to protect them." He seethed.
Kaito headbutted his brother and knocked him square on his rear. His brother laid sprawled on his back, and Kaito pressed his foot against his throat.
"I have returned now."
The dragons that surrounded them all fell silent. The stomping had ceased, and all that remained was the ragged breathing of the two. The odd collection of yokai in the room was not the court he had left behind, but it was a start.
He turned to face the group without taking his weight off his opponent's throat. "I am the true Great Dragon. Follow me now and you shall all have a place in my court. We shall return this place to the glory it had once been."
The group took a moment to process his words before they broke out into uproarious cheers.
"I will spare your life, but if you pretend to be me again, I will destroy you."
He removed his foot from his throat and his brother sat up rubbing his neck.
He scowled at him but Kaito paid him no mind and let the group surround him. Their voices overlapped with numerous questions and congratulations. That was the way of the yokai, they were a fickle bunch. His brother, their former leader, was all but forgotten.
The woman yokai with the long green hair brought Kaito a bottle of sake. He took a deep drink from it, quenching his thirst, before he threw it down onto the ground, shattering the bottle to pieces. The dragons roared their pleasure.
"Please, take a seat of honor," the woman said, pointing to the dais where once he had proceeded above his court.
But he knew his place in their group was tenuous as of yet. They did not trust him and he did not trust them. He had earned a place on his throne in the past, but that was over now. This was in many ways like starting over.
"I would rather drink with you," he said and placed himself in the center of the circle.
The dragons looked around at each other as if they couldn't quite believe what he was doing. But after a few minutes of awkward staring they sat down as well. The bottle of sake was passed around. The only one who remained separate from the group was his brother, who lingered at the edge
s of the group with a sour expression on his face.
Once the liquor was flowing and the conversation became less stilted, the dragons relaxed, talking and laughing and including Kaito as if he was one of them. Kaito took a swig of sake from the jug. It took a lot to get him drunk but at this pace he just might. His stomach buzzed pleasantly. He passed the jug to Ai who held it away from herself as if it was a disgusting insect.
"Tell me, how did you come to dwell in my palace and pretend to be me?" Kaito asked with a laugh and a nod toward his sulking brother, to make it clear he felt no ill will toward him.
"After you were defeated by a human-" his brother began. Kaito glared in his direction but did not stop him. He would resist the urge to be petty, for now. It only made his brother seem like the lesser man.
He looked back at the group and laughed. "Someone is still bitter he lost."
The group joined in on the joke, and another took up the tale. The speaker was a female yokai with purple hair cropped short, just long enough to tuck behind her ears. She had a clever face and a mouth meant for smiling.
"In the years after you disappeared, there was a struggle for control of Akatsuki. Everything was chaos, many died. But when the dust settled four rulers emerged, each taking over different domains in Akatsuki."
"Who rules these domains?"
"They're gone now," his brother said, arms crossed over his chest like a child. His stance reminded him of Suzume when she was being stubborn. The reminder was unwanted and he had to turn away before he let bitter memories sour his victory.
"What happened to them?" he asked.
The dragons all shared a look and Kaito raised his brows in question. "No one knows for sure. Perhaps a hundred years after the wars, the Lord of the North went missing," said a slender yokai with crimson hair that was short and spiky.
The Song of the Wind Page 2
