Suzume's eyes grew large as saucers and she whipped her head to the side. He followed her gaze.
"You tricked me!" Suzume shouted.
Akira--he had not seen her in a long time. Then without warning, she shifted forms and became her brother, Tsuki. "I wouldn't call it a trick." He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "It was meant to help, honestly."
Kaito's grip tightened on Suzume's wrists, and she gasped in pain. He did not notice, but her wrists were freezing beneath his touch, burning from the cold. Her skin heated in response. The air sizzled as ice met fire where their skin touched and steam poured forth from their connection, haloing them in clouds.
"I should have known you two were behind this," Kaito growled. His eyes flashed blue for only a moment.
He let go of Suzume's wrists and eased off of her. If they are here, does that mean Satsuki is nearby?
Suzume jumped up and skittered across the room, towards her staff, gripping her wrist.
"Don't try pegging this on us, Dragon. We did as we were told. We helped the priestess get the staff and we woke you before the false priest put you in an endless slumber. Don't you think you should be thanking us? How could you not sense him the moment you got here?"
Kaito's gaze was dark and dangerous. Suzume glanced between Tsuki and Kaito. He felt the rise of the priestess' energy as she tried to harness her powers. He had let his guard down for only a moment; he spun around and knocked the staff from her hand once more. It clattered on the ground, sliding across the reed mats and colliding with the wall.
"Hey!" Suzume shouted.
"Don't even think about it." Kaito glared at her. He stood between her and the staff and left her with little choice. How can she be Kazue? She would never have been so careless. He found it difficult to believe, even with all the evidence to the contrary.
The priestess glared at him with hands on hips. Then she opened her mouth and started to sing. The notes had been forever etched into his memory, the song of binding. Kaito's eyes grew wide, and he took a menacing step towards her. She cannot, she does not have the power. She kept singing. The haunting melody wrapped around him, reminding him of painful memories. Kaito lunged for her and attempted to grab her by the waist. She dodged him by ducking beneath his outstretched arms. Her song faltered. His fingers snatched at the hem of her sleeves as she ran past him in Tsuki's direction.
Tsuki shifted into Akira, his masculine form melting into the feminine of his sister. Her lips were bright crimson against her pale skin. Akira stepped in front of Suzume, blocking Kaito.
Kaito roared. I do not need a long drawn-out revenge. Just killing her will be enough. The notes of the song died, and with it his temper cooled. If only slightly.
"Out of my way, Akira, this insolent priestess needs to learn a lesson." Kaito slashed the air with his hand.
His anger had unblocked his power and he had half transformed, his skin turning blue and scaly. His hair was long and spiny and pointed in a ridge. A pair of horns sprouted from his brow and his face had elongated and was near muzzle-like. The priestess was panting for breath, and not from running. He knew his untamed energy overwhelmed her. She leaned heavily against the wall, perspiration on her brow. I will squash her like a bug. The air temperature dropped as the priestess' labored breaths came out in vapor form. Suzume shivered as the gooseflesh rose on her arm.
"Enough," Akira's voice whipped across the pair of them. "You know who Suzume is, but you don't know the whole story."
She had no power to command him, but she had piqued his interest. He put a stopper on his powers, and the priestess gasped for air.
"Yes, I know," Kaito snarled, revealing pointed teeth in his near canine mouth. "You do not need to explain. I can see Kazue's spirit has returned to finish what she started--as I should have known." I never should have trusted humans. Even letting my guard down for a second was a mistake.
"Don't stand in my way, Akira," Suzume said. She jutted her chin, but he could see how her hands shook. "He's right, I need to kill him before he kills me." Suzume tried to push past Akira, but she threw her arms out to stop Suzume.
"No!" Akira's voice echoed off the walls and the two fell still.
"They're just as ignorant as they were five hundred years ago," Tsuki said, using Akira's mouth--or their mouth, more like.
Akira sighed. "Truer words have never been said, brother."
"Don't insult me, I am not in a good mood," Kaito warned. He pointed a clawed hand at her. His fingers had melded into three and they looked strange on his humanoid body.
"We say everything out of love, Dragon." Tsuki said--once again using his sister's form to speak.
Kaito snorted in disbelief, but a smile tugged at the corner of his canine mouth. The blue scales faded and his hair fell limp at his shoulders once more. His muzzle retreated and his teeth were white and straight again. When he had returned to normal, Akira motioned for them all to sit.
"We need to talk." She looked to Suzume with an expression that broached no argument.
Suzume grudgingly sat down, legs crossed. Kaito did the same, wondering what Akira hoped to gain by playing mediator.
"Good, I hope we can all act like adults," Akira said with a smile at each of them.
Suzume only glowered further at Kaito like a petulant child. Kaito kept his arms crossed, his anger rolling off him in waves. He had returned to human form, but he was nowhere near ready to make peace. Sparks of red energy pulsed around Suzume and his own energy danced along his skin in reply.
"So the priestess has realized herself and you ran back to your mistress?" Kaito said, eyes narrowed at Akira.
"Yes and no," Akira said without flinching beneath the open hostility he displayed. "Suzume knows who she is, but she has not realized her full potential. Kazue bid us guard her staff and so we did. We were not the ones who brought her back to this sacred place." She raised an eyebrow in Kaito's direction.
"Why did you bring me here?" Suzume demanded. "Did you know all along?"
He would not look at her and instead addressed Akira. "I brought her here because her power was raw and she needed to learn to control her powers before she unleashed some other horror." He smiled at Suzume then, revealing his pointed teeth. "If I had known she was Kazue, I would have killed her on the temple mount."
Suzume frowned and, like a fool, tried to hide her fear behind arrogance as she said, "Then why don't you now?"
"Don't tempt me," he snapped and pointed his finger at her. His temper had faded, leaving behind only confusion. She was Kazue's reincarnation, but he hesitated to kill her.
"Enough." Akira pinched her brow with thumb and forefinger. "I do not want to hear you argue any further. Suzume and Kazue do share a soul, but she is not the one who sealed you. Besides, I suspect Kazue did it with good reason."
"Are you saying I deserved to be locked in a damn prison for five centuries?" Kaito half stood, rising up on one knee. He bared his pointed teeth at Akira and the temperature of the room dropped by several degrees.
Akira held up her hand. "No, Dragon. I am saying Kazue did nothing without intent and purpose. There was a task that she meant to complete, though I do not know what."
Kaito scoffed. "Kazue was a fool. She feared my power would eclipse hers, so she sealed me."
"No," Suzume whispered.
Kaito swung his gaze towards Suzume, his eyes narrowed. "Do you remember something from your past life?'
"No. I don't know anything about Kazue. Not really." She paused and looked to Akira, who smiled encouragingly. She looked back to Kaito, who frowned at her. "I think she did it to protect her child," Suzume finished, looking Kaito in the eye. The fear was gone, but even though his head was telling him this was the woman he loved reborn, he could not believe it. They are not the same.
"That's ridiculous." Kaito stood up and paced to the other end of the room. He wanted space; he needed time to think. He did not want to think about their child or the woman who bore no resem
blance to Kazue, but their fates were entwined nonetheless.
"What child?" Akira asked, her brows pulled together in thought.
"Kazue was pregnant with Kaito's child," Suzume explained.
Akira's eyes grew wide. Akira did not know? Akira looked to Kaito. "Is this true?"
He was facing away from them. "Yes," he whispered, his voice edged with danger. They danced along a topic that he would not explore. With any luck the child did not know their parentage, and he would rather keep it that way.
"Then where is the child?" Akira asked.
"How do you think I would know?" he snapped. "I was sealed before the child was ever born."
"Wouldn't it have died long ago?" Suzume interrupted.
Akira shook her head. "Not necessarily. It would have been a half dragon, it may not live forever, but it would have had a long life span. At five hundred years old, it would perhaps be middle-aged?"
"That means Kaito and Kazue's child is alive somewhere?" Suzume shook her head in wonder.
"Yes." Akira nodded. "Could this be Kazue's task, to reunite father and child?"
"Five hundred years later? Why seal him in the first place?" Suzume replied.
"It sounds like something she would do. If she feared for the child's well-being, she may have sealed the Dragon to keep him from harming the child until it was strong enough to fend for itself," Akira replied to Suzume's question. She cradled her chin in hand in thought.
"What say you, Dragon?" Tsuki asked. He had shifted to dominance while Kaito paced the room.
"I don't care about the child. They are no concern of mine." He looked at Suzume. I cannot kill her. I should stay away from humans, return to the palace, and fix what has been broken. Suzume squirmed uncomfortably, and he suddenly realized he had been staring at her.
"And what about me?" Suzume bristled. "Will you kill me now that you know the truth?"
He looked at her for a long moment, studying her. He did not want to admit to his own weakness, that the love he bore for Kazue kept him from following through on his threats. I may not kill her, but I cannot start over with her reincarnation either. That door closed when Kazue betrayed me.
"Should I?" he said, his tone was low. "Will you try to seal me as your predecessor did?"
She blushed but did not look away as she said, "I only said I would because I thought you were going to attack me."
"Hmm," he replied.
"Which you did! So I was in the right."
"What are you talking about?"
Tsuki interrupted, "You don't remember? You attacked the shrine?"
Kaito looked between Suzume and Tsuki, a wrinkle forming between his brows. "The last thing I remember was hearing you say you planned on sealing me and then..."
"Then what?" Suzume asked.
"Something came over me, a blind rage, I blacked out. So I attacked you?" His tone was light, as if he were asking about the weather. Who is powerful enough to put me under a spell? He stretched out his senses, searching for a trace. He had an idea, but he feared the truth. If the shifter was here, then they might all be in danger.
"How could you forget that--you almost died, I almost killed you!"
He laughed to keep the others at ease, but his probes came up empty. "I doubt it."
Tsuki rocked back and forth on his heels. "Well, aren't you a merry pair. Perhaps you can pick up where Kazue and Kaito left off."
"No!" they said in a rounding unison.
She met his gaze and they both laughed. It was the only thing to ease the tension. Do not let her work her way into your heart.
Tsuki clapped his hands together. "Well, now that the boring parts are concluded--"
Tsuki was cut off as the sliding door slammed open and hit the end of the track with a thunk. Rin stood in the doorway, looking disheveled and heaving with each breath.
"The temple is under attack again!" Her eyes slid over to Kaito. Her brows pulled together in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Kaito tilted his head, looking at her, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"I just saw you outside attacking the shrine."
Chapter Thirty-eight
Suzume looked from Rin to Kaito and back again. "Can someone tell me what's going on here?"
It was Akira who stepped up to explain. "It would appear someone is impersonating Kaito."
"I wonder why," Akira murmured. She tapped her chin in thought.
"I don't know why, but I have a good idea of who it might be, and I'm going to teach that bastard a lesson," Kaito snarled. He brushed past Rin and out the door to the hallway beyond.
Following his exit, the shouts of the priests and the roar of the dragon could be heard from within the small room. Rin shrugged her shoulders and followed after Kaito.
Suzume shook her head. "Would it be too much to ask for a few moments' peace?"
Akira had shifted into Tsuki and he smirked at Suzume playfully. "What would be the fun in that?"
Suzume scowled at him.
"Get your staff, Priestess, I think we'll be in need of it."
He's a little too excited. Can I trust them? What if they created this fake dragon? Suzume ran to grab the staff anyway. She would feel safer with a weapon. She retrieved the staff from where it had been tossed on the ground by Kaito. Tsuki waited for her by the door, smirking all the while. I really don't like that secret smile of his, it's like he knows something about me that he shouldn't. Tsuki motioned for Suzume to exit first. She eyed him suspiciously before the pair of them ran down the covered walkways towards the sounds of shouts and the crash of falling ice. I can't believe I'm running to danger.
They passed a few screaming priests who were fleeing in the opposite direction. Suzume watched them go. If I had any sense, I would be following them, not this trickster. Tsuki kept stride with her, but when Suzume fell behind, he slowed to let her keep up, smiling over his shoulder at her.
"Don't dawdle; dragons will not wait."
Suzume snorted. "Don't I know it." Kaito has left me in the dust more than a few times.
A roar shuddered across the temple, shaking the buildings around them. It's louder than last time. It's as if it's getting stronger. Suzume tilted her head back, scanning the sky. She couldn't see anything other than gray clouds fat with rain. If that dragon isn't Kaito, then who is it?
The answers would have to wait. The dragon roared again and icy rain pelted the shrine. Through the stinging rain, Suzume saw her first glimpse of the dragon. It was coiled about a cloud like some massive serpent. The length of his body weaved in and out of the clouds. Suzume tilted her head back, watching as the dragon emerged from the clouds to open his maw and spew hail and daggers of ice from his open mouth. He looks just like Kaito. I would be hard-pressed to tell them apart. No wonder even Rin was fooled. The brunt of the dragon's attack was focused on the courtyard, which was further off. Suzume was safe for the time being.
Kaito had stopped at the edge of the courtyard. He was hidden from the impostor dragon by the boughs of a gingko tree. He watched the impostor dragon, his gaze hooded. Suzume could only guess at his thoughts. He had not transformed, which Suzume found passing strange. She approached him, her staff held in a tight grip.
"Shouldn't you do something about this?" She pointed towards the sky where the dragon was streaming through gray clouds.
"It's an illusion," Kaito replied.
Suzume scrunched her nose. "That is not an illusion. Can an illusion do this?" She pointed at the spikes of ice impaling the ground, the overturned ornamental bushes and crushed buildings.
"A powerful one can." Kaito walked away towards the courtyard.
Either he's brave or an idiot. I'm still not sure. Suzume jogged to keep up with him. "This new mysterious thing isn't working. Care to explain what's going on?"
"Someone wants to frame me, or give the priests a reason to never let me wake again."
"You have quite a few enemies, don't you?"
Kaito wheeled aroun
d to face Suzume. His eyes were ice blue and full of deadly intent. "You could say that."
Kaito was being as mercurial as ever. "Either way, that thing looks pretty real to me. What if it's another dragon?"
"That's impossible--I would know them."
"Are you saying that you know every dragon? There's been quite a bit of time since you were sealed. Maybe he's new in town, maybe it's your offspring."
"Don't you dare," he snarled at her.
She took a step back.
"It can't be a half dragon," Rin said.
Kaito elaborated, "Dragons are tied to locations: bodies of water, rivers and lakes, things like that. I should be able to sense where he's from, who he is. I cannot sense any of that; he's not a dragon."
Suzume hated to admit it, but she was kind of impressed. What other abilities does he have that he's holding back? "Well, if he's not a dragon and he's definitely not an illusion, what is it?"
He scowled at her. "That's what we need to find out, isn't it?" He smiled and Suzume's stomach did an uncomfortable flop.
I'm only feeling like this because I know somehow my life is going to be endangered, not because he's charming when he smiles.
Suzume rolled her eyes. His smile faltered and she saw a flash of hurt and anger there. I need to be careful. Now that he knows I'm Kazue's reincarnation, everything is different. When he smiles at me, I wonder if he's smiling at Kazue or if it's me he's smiling at. Suzume shook her head. Now is not the time.
The group of priests ran past Suzume and Kaito, and Suzume spotted the head priest's second but not the head priest himself. When he saw her, he was flushed and gasping for air.
"Suzume, I am glad to see you... the dragon... he's..." His eyes landed on Kaito and they grew wide with fear.
"You!"
"Me!" Kaito returned.
The priest looked to Suzume. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I was hoping you could explain that." Kaito smiled, baring his teeth.
The Priestess and the Dragon Page 27
