The Priestess and the Dragon

by Nicolette Andrews

  She reached out to touch the figure, but before she could, the figure cracked on the top of the head. The crack grew, shuddering through the entire idol down the middle. Then the two halves split apart and a man the same size as the idol stared at her. She was so surprised she screamed. The idol screamed as well.

  Then she backed away as the idol leapt up and over her shoulder out into the night. She stared after it, wondering what had awoken it. She looked back at the shrine once more. The villagers will be devastated when they find it empty like this. What should I do?

  Chapter Twenty-five

  The hut was small and the old woman did not have much in the way of bedding. She gave Suzume some blankets and a place by the fire. After sleeping on the ground for weeks, even the blankets and a warm fire felt like a luxury.

  Suzume curled up in a ball beneath the blankets. She emptied her mind of thoughts of Kaito's strange behavior and let sleep claim her. She had just closed her eyes when something soft brushed against her face. Suzume's eyes flew open. She peered up through the darkness to see Kaito leaning over her. He grinned and his white smile flashed in the darkness of the room. She shot up and slammed her head into his chin. She hissed through her teeth, rubbing her tender head. Kaito massaged his chin, without his smile faltering. He should have moved out of the way. She stared at him, wide-eyed, more than a little disturbed to find him watching her sleep. Was he stroking my face? She touched her cheek. What kind of lecher watches someone sleep?

  "You disappeared," Kaito said in a stage whisper.

  Suzume's back was towards the old woman. The old woman snorted in her sleep but did not seem to be disturbed by their late night visitor.

  "What are you doing here?" Suzume hissed. Her voice was louder than she intended and she froze, afraid she would wake her host. She glanced over at the old woman, who rolled over in her sleep but did not wake. Good thing she's a heavy sleeper. I don't know how I would explain this... Suzume eyed Kaito suspiciously.

  "I came looking for you. I was worried. When you said you wanted your space, I figured you would come back eventually," he said. He caressed her cheek with his fingertips. The touch of his flesh against her bare skin sent a chill down her spine. He's gentle when he wants to be. She shook her head. It's the spell, don't let it fool you. This is not the real Kaito.

  "Stop doing that." She slapped his hand away.

  A sad-puppy expression crossed his face and Suzume had to chide herself for feeling guilty about yelling at him. If the Kami could make Kaito this way, then he should be able to turn him back to his annoying self once again. I never would have imagined I would want him back. But I kind of miss the teasing.

  "Are you still upset about learning that you're Kazue's reincarnation?" Kaito scooted closer to her on his knees. His hand brushed against hers as he took a seat beside her.

  She recoiled and sat back on her knees. He's a crafty one. I'm going to have to keep an eye on him, or he may try to seduce me again.

  "I am not her," she snarled to avoid the uncomfortable feelings his close proximity elicited. "You're under some kind of spell that's making you sappy and emotional."

  He shook his head. "No, this is how I really feel." He pressed his hand to his chest to emphasize his point. His fingers were long and elegant and she thought about the way they brushed her face or pushed her hair behind her ears. She had been trying to figure out why it felt different when he did it. Men always thought she wanted them to touch her, as if they were giving her a gift with their attention. But Kaito like this was different. It seemed genuine and that's what scared her the most.

  Wow. Get a hold of yourself. This has to be an effect of the spell. It's making me crazy. She clapped her hands onto her cheeks. It hurt more than it helped her focus.

  Kaito regarded her with a bemused expression. "You should rest. I'll keep watch until morning."

  She opened her mouth to argue, but talking to him in this condition was like arguing with a wall. Despite that, her inherit stubborn nature kept her from seeing reason even if it was staring at her in the face.

  "Then keep watch outside. I can't sleep with you leering at me all night."

  He laughed and her stomach fluttered. Come on, body, don't start betraying me now.

  "I'm not letting you out of my sight. Remember the spider? I can't risk losing you now that I've found you."

  Suzume resisted the urge to groan aloud. Talk about sappy... earlier today he was planning on letting the spider have me.

  "What am I supposed to tell her, then?" Suzume jammed her thumb in the direction of the old woman, who slept on unaware across the room. Despite the increasing volume of their voices, she had not stirred.

  He shrugged and there was that familiar mischievous gleam in his eye. "Not my problem."

  Suzume glared at him. "You're really not going to leave, are you?"

  He grinned. "Nope."

  She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. They sat for several moments, just staring at one another, waiting for the other to crack. After about twenty minutes of this, Suzume's eyes grew heavy as if weighed down by sacks of grain, and her head drooped forward. She startled awake and resumed glaring at Kaito, only to have her eyes slide shut and her head bob again. I can't fall asleep with him here. How do I know he's not playing some kind of trick on me and he's just waiting for my guard to be down... Her head sank onto her chest, and she snapped back up, shaking her head and glaring at Kaito, who grinned back at her.

  "Fine," she announced. "Be a creep and watch me as I sleep." She lay down and rolled over to face the fire.

  After several checks over her shoulder and a lot of restless shifting, Suzume managed to fall back asleep. She awoke to the smell of frying fish and sunlight streaming through the door flaps that led into the hut. Suzume sat up, stretched, and yawned. The old woman was humming that same tune again. It was starting to grow on Suzume.

  After Suzume rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she looked for Kaito. She expected to see Kaito watching over her, waiting with a bowl of rice to force-feed her.

  "Sleep well?" the old woman asked. She turned the fish over the flame.

  Suzume sat up and pushed her thick hair over her shoulder. "Well enough." She paused, looking around for Kaito once more. "Anything interesting happen this morning?" I would think she would scream or something if she found Kaito standing over me as I slept.

  The old woman poked at the fish with a long pair of metal chopsticks, checking if it was done. "Just an average morning." She smiled her gap-toothed smile at Suzume once more.

  Suzume frowned. Where did he go now? He's slipperier than an eel.

  "Any plans for your day?" The old woman came over to Suzume with the fish on a platter and a bowl of rice to accompany it.

  Suzume looked down at the fish and the rice. He was so adamant about not being parted from me, yet he runs away at the first opportunity. She picked up the chopsticks the old woman had laid next to the bowl and poked at her fish with it. She broke off a piece and chased it around her plate.

  "Nothing in particular, I was planning on visiting the shrine before I leave," Suzume replied evasively.

  "Well, don't hurry away on my account. I was planning on heading to the shrine again today. I feel more energy since you are here, and I thought I might do a bit of tidying up. It's good to offer prayers to the gods before beginning a journey."

  Well, that's convenient. Maybe I can get more information about the shrine if we go together.

  "I guess it wouldn't hurt," Suzume said with feigned nonchalance. The old woman seemed to be rather devout, and maybe she knew how to communicate with the Kami. "Last night, you said that the shrine grants wishes."

  The old woman was chewing when Suzume asked the question; not willing to wait for her to finish, Suzume continued on without waiting for a reply. "Have you ever known someone to have their wish granted... or wishes?"

  The woman swallowed at last. "My grandfather said he got this house when he wished for it fr
om the shrine, but I'm not sure if that wasn't a story he just liked to tell." She smiled and her eyes wrinkled as she did so. "Do you have a wish you want granted? Perhaps there's a young man you are fond of."

  Suzume had to restrain herself from snorting. "No, nothing like that." She held up her hands. "I'm just interested in old customs is all," she lied. She couldn't bring herself to tell the old woman about the wishes, it was too ludicrous.

  The old woman winked and said no more. They finished their meal and the old woman went to a small pen out back to feed her chickens before they headed back to the temple. Suzume paced the inside of the hut as she waited. She thought Kaito would come back, but he hadn't, and she was starting to get worried. The last time he had disappeared, she was trapped inside her own nightmare. Please, just no spiders this time.

  The woman came in after finishing her chores and they finally left for the shrine. As they traveled, Suzume tried to access her spiritual power and see if she could sense anything. As usual it produced no results.

  The old woman hummed the same tune, perhaps it was a case of getting a song stuck in your head. But the song seemed oddly familiar to Suzume.

  "What's that song you're singing?" Suzume asked.

  "Oh, just an old tune. I don't even remember the words anymore. I think it used to be something they sang at festivals when I was a girl. It's been so long that all I remember is the tune." She smiled and Suzume smiled back.

  This woman has practically nothing, but she's very content. She thought back again to Akito. In her dream she had denied him because she had been so enchanted by the idea of wealth and power, but when it came down to it, she did not want to marry Daiki, even though he was probably the only person who would take her. I bet if I went and found him and explained about the spider, he would take me straight to the palace. Her opportunity was waiting, Daiki might even have the power to defeat the Dragon, but she couldn't do it. For whatever reason, she was sticking with the Dragon, even going out of her way to get him back to normal. I hope I don't regret this decision later on.

  "Hmm," Suzume replied, not sure what else to say. They arrived at the shrine and the old woman went inside to offer her prayers. Suzume hung back and examined the bench where she had sat and the building itself. Nothing was unusual about it. It looked like a regular shrine. It's hard to believe a roadside shrine could have that much power.

  "There you are, beautiful." She could hear Kaito's voice but could not see him.

  She spun around in circles, looking for him. He can turn himself invisible!

  He laughed somewhere behind her and she turned in that direction. "That's not fair! You can turn yourself invisible... did you use this power at the hot spring to peep on me?"

  "I'm up here," he said.

  Suzume tilted her head back and saw Kaito squatting on the roof of the shrine with that same mischievous smirk in place. Maybe he's back to normal?

  "What are you doing up there? I thought you said you did not want to leave my side," Suzume asked. It was silly to be upset over him disappearing, but her emotions had been all across the spectrum as of late, so she allowed herself the indulgence.

  "I felt a powerful spiritual energy coming from the shrine, so I came to investigate." He smirked. "She's not going to like what she sees."

  Suzume didn't like the look in his eye. The mischievous grin coupled with the compliments were too weird.

  "What's inside the shrine?" she asked slowly.

  "It's more like what isn't there."

  Suzume frowned but took the bait. She had a bad feeling about his taunting but decided to take the risk. Suzume stepped inside the shrine. The old woman knelt on the floor.

  She turned to look at Suzume as she entered; her face was pale. "I don't know..." She trailed off and turned back to look at the place where the idol had once been. It was gone and in its place a single acorn remained.

  The Kami was missing and with it her hope of turning Kaito back to normal.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  "What did you do?" Suzume spun around and pointed an accusing finger at Kaito.

  He leaned against the doorway to the shrine. "I think you should be asking yourself that question, Kazue."

  "Don't call me Kazue!" she snarled.

  I wish he would decide on a personality and stick with it.

  "Why would I stop when you make that adorable face whenever I call you by your old name?" He winked at her as he flicked his hand in her direction to indicate said face.

  Suzume scowled at him. Even when he was acting out of character, he was infuriating.

  "Miss, who are you talking to?" The old woman spoke up.

  Suzume turned back around to look at her. She's got to be joking. How can she not see him? He's a head taller than me, at least. Suzume glanced between the old woman and back to Kaito. The old woman's brow furrowed and she glanced in Kaito's direction, but just past him out to the road beyond.

  "Him." She pointed at Kaito. "He's standing right there." She jabbed with her finger for emphasis.

  The old woman's frown deepened as she shook her head. "There's no one there."

  Suzume's eyes widened and she turned back towards Kaito. He examined his nails and raised a brow at her when she gave him a questioning look. She can't see him? Why? Does it have something to do with this spell?

  "Maybe you've had too much sun," the old woman said, though her expression was cautious. She inched backwards towards the empty pedestal.

  Great, now this old lady thinks I'm crazy, Suzume thought.

  "I need to head back to the village and tell the villagers. They'll be upset that the shrine has been disturbed. You are a priestess, please pray here that the Kami is not angered. The Kami blesses our crops and brings the rain. If he leaves because of this desecration, then that would mean disaster for the village." The old woman wrung her hands and tears gathered along her lashes.

  Kaito snickered from behind Suzume. Suzume balled her hands into fists at her sides and did her best to pretend to be interested in what the old woman was saying. She even nodded a few times as the old woman continued to babble about the importance of the Kami to the village. How much more can she say about this Kami? What I don't understand is how a statue just up and walked away. There's some strange things going on around here and I'm not sure I want to stick around to figure out what. Going back and finding Daiki was starting to sound like a good idea right about now.

  Suzume glanced at Kaito. He strolled around the shrine room, pretending to inspect the pedestal before stopping behind the old woman and mocking her as she spoke. He used a fake old woman voice as he repeated her words, "I have been coming here for years, how could this happen! My grandfather said the gods could be mercurial, what will we do!"

  Suzume snorted then covered her mouth. The old woman did not notice and continued on with her monologue. This has to mean the Kami is behind the spell. It's the only logical explanation.

  "It would mean a lot if you could help," the old woman finished and Suzume realized she had not been paying attention for most of her long-winded speech.

  "Sure," Suzume said without thinking, just so she wouldn't be caught not paying attention. It was Kaito's fault, really. If he hadn't been mocking the old woman, Suzume would have been able to focus.

  The old woman smiled and took Suzume's hands in her own. It seemed the old woman had gotten over her concerns about Suzume's sanity. The old woman shook Suzume's hands violently. She's surprisingly strong for someone that has to be pushing a hundred.

  "Thank you so much. I know you'll be able to find the Kami." The old woman beamed. Tears fell down her cheeks.

  Suzume's mouth dropped open. When did she agree to look for this wayward Kami? Oh, that's right, when grandma here took too long spitting out her request. Suzume sighed.

  The old woman had already grabbed her basket and shuffled down the pathway back towards the village. Suzume watched her go, at a loss for what to do next. Well, I guess I needed to find this Kami anywa
y.

  "You're very generous to help those villagers; Kazue was like that too. She was always looking out for others." Kaito had snuck up behind Suzume and had his arms wrapped around her waist. His lips brushed against her neck and the feel of his mouth so close to her flesh sent a shiver down her spine.

  Stop it. Don't be lulled by his sweet words. She broke free of his grasp and faced him, with her hands on her hips.

  "Let's get a couple things straight here. I am not Kazue. I am not helping these people out of the goodness of my heart. I am doing this because I need to find that Kami to have him remove the spell that's on you. And I need you to explain why that old woman couldn't see you!"

  He barked a laugh. "That's simple, because she doesn't have any spiritual power. If I do not choose to let a human see me, then they cannot."

  It was Suzume's turn to raise a skeptical brow. "But everyone at the shrine could see you..."

  "And they were all priestesses. Unlike you, many of them were chosen for their powers, not as a punishment from their father."

  She glared daggers at him. "How do you know that? I never told you why I was at the temple."

  He laughed again. "I heard things while we were there. I know that your mother was found in bed with another man and she was exiled for it. I know that your father also disowned you and all of your siblings that he had with your mother."

  Suzume crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't like the idea of Kaito knowing more about her than she knew about him. "You shouldn't pry into my personal business," she snapped at him before spinning away to face the empty pedestal where the Kami's idol had once sat. A lone acorn lay there. It would have been funny if she wasn't frustrated.

  Kaito came over and leaned against the pedestal in Suzume's line of sight. "I know more about you than you know about yourself, Suzume."

  Her back grew rigid and she recoiled. He called me by my given name. He hardly does that. Not without mocking me, anyway. Ever since the spell had fallen on him, he had been alternating between calling her Suzume and Kazue. "Or so you say." She brushed off his apparent affection. It was all a trick anyway. "How do we find this missing Kami, then?"