"Don't!" Suzume shouted.
The crowd glared at Suzume, murmuring and perhaps wondering why a mere human would dare interrupt their lord and master.
She stepped forward, hands clenched into fists at her side. "I freed the dragon from the seal, and I want no harm to come to him."
The yokai's voices hummed. Some called out challenges, but many more seemed to believe her. She continued. "From the moment he was freed, he has thought of nothing but protecting his people, and returning Akatsuki to its former glory. I swear before all of you, I will not stand in the way of him ruling as he should."
Ai frowned as Suzume stepped back and the crowd murmured amongst themselves. It seemed Suzume had given his answer for him, though he did not like it one bit. Ai, meanwhile, was glaring daggers at the back of Suzume's head.
She was willing to push him away if it meant protecting them both. He couldn't throw away his kingdom for her. If his army hadn't come and helped them fight Hisato she might not have been here. Besides, she knew that kiss and him claiming she was his woman didn't really mean anything. The crowd of yokai started to drift away, satisfied for now knowing that Kaito had chosen them over a human.
Kaito led the way out of the audience room and they had to push their way through the dispersing crowd as yokai vied for his attention. It seemed not everyone was appeased by her explanation, and a nearby neko swiped at Suzume's face as she passed. Noaki, Ryuu, and Tsuki surrounded her. The neko stared at the three warriors with wide eyes before bowing in apology and shrinking backward away from them. No one else tried to attack Suzume after that, but the group kept her and the other humans toward the center just in case. She couldn't stay here long in the palace, not if she wanted to stay alive. The idea of leaving Kaito was an unpleasant feeling and one she stuffed down for further analysis when she was alone.
Once they were in the corridor outside of the audience hall, the lack of voices and bodies was a welcome relief. She felt Kaito's stare on the back of her head. She'd probably wounded his pride by speaking out on his behalf. But she wasn't going to explain herself here, not in front of everyone. They were led down the hall by a very smug Ai, who clearly knew her way around.
Suzume supposed she should feel jealous. She had just forced Kaito into marrying her. But it was hard to feel that way when Ai was so childlike. It felt wrong to even think of them together. Any marriage Kaito had with her would be in name only, Suzume was certain of that.
They all entered a small private room, and once the door was closed and everyone was crammed inside.
"Our engagement is off," Kaito said to Ai.
Her iris disappeared and her hair rose up, undulating behind her.
"Are you trying to make a fool of me?" she asked.
"You may have brought me an army, but what good is an army I cannot control?"
Ai stamped her foot. "Don't be a fool, Kai. Don't you see? This is your chance to rise up, if you waste it now on her-" She pointed an accusatory finger in Suzume's direction. "Everything you wanted, everything you fought for will be lost."
"It has nothing to do with her."
"They've all heard the rumors," Ai pressed. "If they see another human at your side, they will continue to doubt no matter how many pretty speeches you make."
"Enough," Kaito roared. His voice shook like thunder. Everyone shared a look, not sure what to do. "I gave you your chance to leave with dignity. Now go!"
Ai wouldn’t budge "Leave! All of you," he shouted as he pointed toward the door.
Everyone started to file out, including Suzume. But Kaito's sharp command stopped her in her tracks. "Not you."
Suzume turned around to face him. Now only the three of them remained.
"I said go," he snapped at Ai.
"You're making a mistake. When I leave, all my aid goes with it." Ai's shadow grew as her temper rose.
"I said, go."
She glared at both of them before turning and storming out of the room. As she left the room, the air seemed to be sucked out of it. Suzume and Kaito were left alone, with the memory of their kiss hanging between them like a weight. She had to clear up any misconceptions. She didn't want him to think she was an obstacle. His stare didn't make it easy to explain herself.
Kaito paced away from her while Suzume wrung her hands, trying to figure out what to say to break the silence.
When she couldn't take it anymore she said, "I know you're mad at me."
He stopped, turned, and stared at her.
"Mad at you?"
"I pushed you away, and then I tried to kill you... twice." She looked at the ground. "So, I'm sorry." The words fell from her lips and flopped on the floor like a dying fish.
Kaito stared at her for a moment. His expression was blank.
"I confessed my feelings for you in front a hoard of bloodthirsty, man-eating yokai and all you can say is ‘sorry I almost killed you?’"
Suzume's mouth fell open and then she snapped it shut.
"But you didn't mean that," she stammered.
He took a step toward her and her breath hitched. This was just another one of his jokes. He didn't mean it, he never meant it.
"They wanted me to make a choice, but you made it for me."
She forced a laugh. "I wasn't going to let you humiliate me in front of all those people. I'd rather do it myself."
He shook his head and leaned in close to her. "It's not that simple."
She stared at his lips, remembering what it felt like to kiss him. She had to physically shake herself of those types of thoughts. If he knew what that kiss meant to me, would he tease me like this?
"Don't do that to me. It's not funny."
She turned to leave before she made a complete idiot of herself. But before she could walk away he grabbed her by the wrist and twirled her around to face him.
"I wasn't done talking." Her hands were against his chest, their faces inches apart.
"What else is there to say?"
"Don't you want to hear what my answer would have been?"
She pulled away from him. "I can't keep playing this game with you. I know that kiss meant nothing to you. And it didn't mean anything to me either," she added hastily, before she exposed that soft, vulnerable part of her heart.
Kaito's smile faded. "Is that how you feel?"
He didn't love her. He was in love with Kazue. And she didn't want love anyway—it would only lead to heartache.
"Yes."
He nodded as he turned away. "You should get some rest."
She shouldn't have taken it personally, but when he turned his back on her it felt like a punch to her stomach. She stared at his back for a moment, considering what she didn't know. It wasn't as if she wanted that sort of relationship with him. Did she? She ran for the door before she made a complete idiot of herself.
Outside, she was met by a yokai servant who was to escort her to her chamber. When she arrived at her room, the servant left her with a bow, and Suzume leaned against the door without entering. I am the world's biggest idiot. Did you really think he could love anyone other than Kazue? Suzume exhaled in frustration.
As she was opening the door, she felt a prickle along her spine. There was a yokai close by. Of course, it's a palace of yokai. But as she opened her door, pretending everything was normal, all her warning bells were screaming. And as subtly as she could, she reached for her staff. After that neko attacked her, she didn't doubt one of them had come to finish the job.
A whoosh of air brushed past her ear just seconds before she rolled out of the way. She didn't have time to grab her weapon as a tentacle wrapped around her neck and slammed her against the wall. Suzume's hands grasped and clawed at the tentacle which was cutting off her air flow.
"You've ruined it!" Ai screeched, her eyes black and without pupils. "Ai will not let you steal him. He belongs to Ai."
50
Kaito paced back and forth in his chamber. Suzume's words kept replaying in his mind. Had he been rejected? He stoppe
d pacing.
"She turned me down?" He shook his head. "I was about to give up my kingdom for her!" He laughed bitterly as he shook his head.
He turned to the door. "Is she crazy?" He shook his head again and resumed pacing. Then after another moment’s deliberation, he decided it wouldn't hurt just to make himself clear. Maybe the kiss hadn't been enough to make her understand his feelings.
He hurried down the hall, grabbing a servant who was passing by. "What room is the priestess staying in?"
"Ai requested she be put in the east wing," the servant said with a bow to Kaito.
If Ai had organized the rooms, then Suzume was in danger. He ran down the hall toward the east wing and rounded the corner just as Ai attacked, her tentacles wrapping around Suzume's neck. He yanked Ai off of Suzume, whose face had started to turn blue. Suzume fell to her knees, choking and gasping for air. He knelt beside her.
"Are you alright?"
Suzume coughed and hacked in response, at least she was breathing. But before he could inspect her for further injury, Ai beat on his back.
"Get out of my way, Kai,” she said.
Kaito grabbed a hold of Ai's arm, almost dangling her off her feet.
"What do you think you're doing?" he said.
"Ai is doing what you cannot." She tried to pull herself free by flopping around against his grip. He knew for certain if he let her go, she'd attack Suzume again. Kaito blocked Suzume from Ai's view.
Suzume leaned against the nearby wall, gasping for air as she massaged her throat. It seemed she hadn't recovered her voice quite yet.
"I've been patient with you, but you've gone too far this time," Kaito said to Ai.
"Should I stand by while another human uses you? Wait until she turns on you and seals you for another five hundred years?"
"I don't need you to protect me. Suzume would never harm me."
She scoffed. "Even if she cares for you, they will never accept her."
She was right of course, but even if Suzume wouldn't have him, he had to think of another way to protect her. He wasn't going to let her go, not after getting her back again.
"Leave while I'm still patient." Kaito pointed at the door.
"If Ai cannot have you, then no one can." Ai's tentacles wrapped around Kaito quicker than he anticipated. They crushed his body. The pressure of her power smothered his spiritual energy as much as the air from his lungs. His eyes bulged in their sockets. If she kept on squeezing his guts were going to be painting the walls in a moment.
Then suddenly, she dropped him. Ai screeched as she clutched at her head, her tentacles writhing around her. Kaito looked from Ai to Suzume who was staring at Ai. Her entire body glowed with a power he'd never seen before.
"Be gone back to the underwater palace. Never show yourself before me again."
Ai screeched louder, her voice high enough to rupture eardrums. But she could scream all she liked, she could not resist Suzume's command. She headed for the door.
"You haven't won. Our kind will never accept your union."
"Not that it matters to you, but we're not together," Suzume called after Ai.
"You poor fool," Ai said to Kaito before storming out of the room. Leaving Suzume and Kaito alone at last.
"I don't know how I feel about being the one saved all the time," he said as he massaged his neck.
A bright purple bruise was starting to blossom on Suzume's neck, and seeing her injury, he forgot all about his own. He reached out to her but she backed away.
"You've been getting into trouble a lot." She laughed, but it sounded forced and she wouldn't meet his eyes.
Kaito took a step closer to her, but she took a step back. A part of him wanted to keep chasing her to force her to look at him like she used to, full of fire.
"I'm not going to give up my kingdom," he said, continuing the conversation from earlier.
She nodded her head. "I know. You don't have to keep saying it. I don't care what you do."
"And I'm not giving you up either."
Her head shot up to meet his gaze, and her lips were parted slightly as she searched his face. "What are you saying?"
Kaito tilted his head to regard her. "I thought a piece of me died when you did."
Her eyes widened. The space between them was growing smaller again. Kaito reached out to grab a hold of her, but held back at the last second. He didn't want to chase her away.
"I can't replace Kazue for you."
"This isn't about her, Suzume. I only want you. Your arrogance, your stubbornness, your smart mouth." He grinned at her.
"You're the arrogant one," she grumbled.
"Maybe we suit each other?"
She laughed. He took it as an invitation and tried to reach for her, but once again she backed away from him.
"We need to take this slow," she said, putting space between them and backing herself against a wall. "I don't know how I feel yet. And there's Hisato..."
Kaito leaned against the wall, hovering over her, forcing her to crane her neck up to meet his eyes. "I'm willing to be patient, but are you?"
"I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You'll see." He turned to stroll away without further explanation. He counted in his head, one, two, three..
"What does that mean?" she shouted but he didn't reply. He was glad his back was to her so she couldn't see the smirk on his face. He had really missed teasing her. For now, if she was by his side, that was enough.
"Fine. I don't care," she said and he could just imagine her crossing her arms and turning her back to him.
And then a moment passed. "Just tell me what you meant!"
51
The temple was difficult to find, hidden away in the valley as it was. The wayward merchant or careless hunter might stumble upon it, but anyone who they told of the idyllic valley would not believe them. Because any time they tried to find their way back there, it was as if the mountain pass they'd traveled through had been swallowed up by mist. Or the bridge over which they'd wandered had fallen into the river. No one could really recall how they got there, but all of them told the same story of a green valley and the shrine run by priestesses, the most beautiful and pure they'd ever seen.
The Head Priestess stared out her window into the garden. Their green valley had its first touch of frost. The maple tree, which had the most crimson leaves, now lay barren and hung with frost which sparkled in the early morning light. Three young priestesses in training gathered beneath the tree, their heads pressed together as they shared in a secret. They were likely talking of the mysterious stranger who'd arrived at the first light of day. He'd given a fright to the girl gone to fetch water from the well that morning.
Normally she would have scolded them for their idleness, but with a guest to entertain she could not leave. And, besides, it was not often someone found this place.
He wore a straw hat, the brim pulled down low to hide his face. His long, black hair was hanging around his shoulders. Strange that he wore it loose instead of a top knot like so many men. But that wasn't the strangest thing about him. He wore all black, just as he had the day she'd met him. Their first meeting had been so long ago, that she had thought it something out of a dream. If it hadn't been for the child he left behind, she would have convinced herself it was. From the little she could see of him, it seemed he had not aged at all. All she could see were his long-fingered hands, ageless. Her own hands, which had once been pale and smooth, were wrinkled and calloused.
"I had hoped you would never come," the head priestess said.
"But you knew I would," he replied.
The old woman turned back to lean on the windowsill. There was something about the man's presence that set her ill at ease. As she had when he first appeared in their valley over a decade ago, she tried to get a reading of his spiritual energy. And just as she had back then, she found nothing but emptiness when she peeked. Across the garden one of the girls laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. Her eyes sparkled. She was the
picture of innocence.
"I am reluctant to let her go," the old woman said with her back to her guest, instead watching the young woman. "She shows great promise. She could be the greatest priestess since priestess Fujikawa Kazue herself.”
"But she will."
The priestess turned back to the man. "Not if she does not complete her training."
"I will teach her what she needs to know."
"If you could just give us more time," the priestess pleaded.
He waggled his finger at her, as if she were the child.
"We had a deal."
She sighed. It had not seemed such a high price to pay at the time. But she had never expected to grow so attached to the child. It felt like giving up her own flesh and blood. She should feel that way about all these girls who had been left in her care for various reasons. But this one was different, she wasn't like the others.
There was no changing the past, she supposed. "You’re right, but if you would be kind enough to give us a moment alone?"
The man bowed his head. "I will return in a few moments."
The man saw himself out of the room, and an acolyte who'd likely been spying at the door peeked around the corner as he slipped out.
When she realized she'd been caught spying, she froze. The head priestess, too tired to scold her, waved her hand. "Go and get her." The girl ran off to do her bidding, and she watched from the window as the acolyte went to fetch her. The girl rose up gracefully even before the acolyte spoke, as if she had been waiting her whole life for this moment. And perhaps she had. At times she seemed much older than her sixteen years.
She floated after the acolyte, and each movement she made was so precise. There really was no one who danced the holy rituals or sang as beautifully as her. It was such a shame that destiny was taking her away from the life of service she was meant for.
The old woman turned away from the window and back to the door, waiting for her entry. She took a seat, as to not alarm her. After a few moments there was a knock on the door, and she called her in.
The girl stood before her, head bowed. "You called for me, head Priestess?"
The Song of the Wind Page 35
