by Cole Gibsen
He turned to leave and pain surged through her. Yoshido was a samurai—which meant he was bound by honor. Surely he would not forget his promise to her.
“Yoshido, no! You cannot leave me!” She tried so hard not to fall apart, but despite her best effort, tears streaked down her cheeks and she fell at his feet. She twisted her hands into his obi and tried to pull him away from the woman he held so tightly to. He had intended to marry her once. So how could he now dismiss her so casually? “You promised. You owe me.”
“My debt to you has been repaid tonight.” He tried to pull his obi out of her hands, but she only tightened her grip. His eyes narrowed. “Release me.”
Never. As long as she had breath in her body, Chiyo would never let him go. He was her samurai. Hers! And he would be again. “How can you say that? You have repaid nothing!”
“You are wrong. On this night, I am walking away from you and allowing you to live. If you want to keep breathing, you will leave this area and never return.” He looked at the woman with him and gave a slight nod.
Before Chiyo could move, the woman sliced through Yoshio’s obi, barely missing Chiyo’s fingers. The two of them turned and walked from her tent, leaving her with only a fistful of silk.
No. She couldn’t lose him. Not again! “This is not over!” Chiyo shrieked after them. “Yoshido, you will be mine!” Sobs ripped through her words. “You will be mine,” she moaned before collapsing onto the ground. She remained there, shaking and crying until the sound of someone clearing their throat made her jerk her head up.
The same samurai that Chiyo had shocked unconscious in Yoshido’s village stood before her. He smiled and extended his hand. “I believe I can help you with that.”
“What?” His words didn’t make sense. Why on earth would he want to help her? Cautiously, she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
“What if I told you I can solve both of your problems?” he asked. “I can get rid of the girl and deliver Yoshido to your door. All for a small payment, of course.”
Chiyo pulled her hand out of his grip and narrowed her eyes. She knew better than to trust someone so easily. “Who are you?”
The samurai laughed. “How rude of me!” He gave an exaggerated bow. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zeami.”
30
My breath caught inside my throat and I tightened my grip on the katana. “Sumi, if you don’t take that damned bracelet off, we’re going to be stuck like this.” My insides felt like they were being stretched like rubber bands. I knew we had minutes at most.
“Yeah?” She winced and dug the katana deeper into her neck with trembling hands. The trickle of blood widened to a stream. “Then you have to make a decision. What’s worse? Spending your life in my body with Kim or spending your life in my body without Kim?”
I licked my lips and tried to steady the blade in my trembling hands. Without any other options, what choice did I have?
Kim stepped forward.
Sumi raised her hand, halting him. “I wouldn’t.” Blood coated her fingers, shiny and slick. “I’ve got nothing to lose. So what do I care if your little girlfriend gets stuck in my body, huh? Kind of fitting.” She laughed. “You say you don’t want me. And yet, as long as you’re with her, you’ll be forced to look at my face for the rest of your life.”
Her words hit me like a shuriken to the chest. I knew Kim loathed Sumi as much as I did—if not more. Would he still be able to love me if every time he looked at me, he saw her face?
I looked to Kim for a plan, but the panic in his eyes showed me he didn’t have one. Dr. Wendell hadn’t moved in the last couple of minutes. And considering his eyeballs appeared to be on the verge of popping out, I sincerely doubted he was going to be any help.
“Do we have an understanding?” Sumi took another step back. “I’m going to leave, and I don’t want to be followed. If I am, I will end this body.”
A bitter taste burned my throat. If I was going to be stuck inside this body forever, I’d want Kim alive—even if he couldn’t stand to look at me.
Kim pressed his lips together. A hundred emotions passed through his eyes. Still, he said nothing.
The decision was mine.
I lowered the katana to my side. “Leave,” I growled.
“Rileigh—” Dr. Wendell began.
“No,” Kim interrupted. “She’s right. We have no choice.”
Sumi smiled. “We have an agreement then.”
I stared at her a moment, trying to commit my own face to memory, knowing it might be the last time I ever saw it. How do you say goodbye to yourself? Finally, I gave a curt nod. “Whatever. Just get the hell out of here. Nobody wants to see you again, anyway.”
Her eyes flicked to Kim’s, and when he made no move to argue, her lips twitched. “You won’t.” She spun around and pulled open the break room door.
Quentin waited on the other side.
“What the—” Sumi stumbled backward.
He caught the swinging door with his hand and stepped after her.
For one horrible second, I was sure Whitley still inhabited my best friend’s body. But then he smiled—a look that was all Q. “Hello again.” He rolled up his sleeves. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you.”
“No.” Sumi shook her head as she continued her backward retreat. “How did you regain consciousness so quickly?”
He shrugged, his grin widening. “I guess you can say it takes a lot to keep me down.”
She raised the katana in front of her, pointing the tip at Q. “I’m warning you. Stay away from me.”
“Oh, I will—right after I do this.” Before she could react, he spun around the extended blade and caught her wrist. A flash of light erupted beneath his fingers.
Sumi groaned, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She fell forward and Q caught her in his arms.
My own sword fell from my fingers as I struggled for breath. “Q! You’re really okay?”
“Yeah.” He grinned and lowered Sumi to the floor. “This is sure an improvement from the cell I’d been stuck in.” He laughed. “I guess Whitley’s in for a bad surprise, huh? Anyway, I’d hug you, but we don’t have time.” He lifted Sumi’s arm. “Who gets the honors?”
“Allow me.” Kim stepped forward and slid his sword beneath the bracelet. He jerked up and the bracelet fell to the ground in pieces.
The stretching feeling inside me ceased.
Kim, Q, and Dr. Wendell all turned to me at once.
“How do you feel?” Kim asked.
I shrugged. I sure didn’t feel any different. “Fine, I guess.” I looked at Quentin. “Am I supposed to feel fine?”
He frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t think we can compare our experiences. I’m a healer, after all. My transformation probably went a little easier because of it.”
“Right.” I fought off the wave of panic that rolled through me by concentrating on my fallen body. Q’s healing touch had done more than knock out Sumi. The cut on my body’s neck had already scabbed over, and the angry welt on my chin was nothing more than a blush of color. “So when is this going to happen? Shouldn’t I pass out or something? That’s what Whitley did after I cut his bracelet.”
Quentin nodded and chewed on his lip—a telltale sign he was hiding something from me.
Kim and Dr. Wendell exchanged uneasy glances.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Rileigh, I—” Q pressed a hand to his mouth as if unable to speak the words. But he didn’t have to. The expression on his face told me everything.
A ball of ice settled inside the pit of my stomach. “No,” I whispered. I reached for Kim, and he was instantly at my side. I wound my arm around his, hoping this touch would keep me from falling to pieces as the world crumbled around me.
“It’s not wor
king, is it?” Dr. Wendell asked the question I knew was on all of our minds.
Quentin only shook his head.
A gasp ripped through my chest.
“Why isn’t it working?” Kim shouted, making me flinch. “Why isn’t she changing back?”
Q looked at me and sucked in a breath. “It’s not working,” he answered, “because we’re too late.”
31
No.” Kim gently pulled free from my grip and took a step backward. “You’re wrong. You haven’t given it enough time to work.”
“Let’s all take a deep breath.” Dr. Wendell raised his hand. “If we calm down, I’m sure we’ll figure this out.”
I sank to my knees and stared at my unconscious body—the body that was no longer mine. Blond hair I would never brush again splashed across lips that would never again kiss Kim. Hands with green fingernails, which I’d painted only days ago, rested on the floor.
A sob bubbled up in my throat. I quickly swallowed it before it could escape. Turning away, I pressed my fingers against my lips for extra insurance.
“Rileigh?” Quentin held out a hand. I accepted and he pulled me to my feet. “What do you need? What can I do?”
“Nothing.” My voice came out flat. “If you can’t put me back inside my body, there’s absolutely nothing you can do.”
“Is that true?” Kim asked. “Is there really nothing you can do?”
Quentin shrugged helplessly. “I’m a healer. My powers affect the body only. To affect a soul, you would need … ”
“Ki powers,” I offered.
Kim’s eyes widened. “But you no longer have—”
“My ki powers. I know.” I shook my head sadly. “So it’s true. There’s nothing to be done.”
“Don’t say that,” Dr. Wendell said. “This isn’t the end of the world. Yes, losing your body is horrendous—but you’re alive. Isn’t that enough?”
“Enough?” I looked at him as the first hot, angry tear trailed down my cheek. “I just turned eighteen. I didn’t just lose my body. I lost my life!”
Dr. Wendell opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “Don’t you get it? I had plans to go to school. And with Kim back, maybe we could have traveled … or do whatever college-aged kids do. But now I’m trapped inside the body of a girl wanted for murder. No matter what, I’m going to spend the rest of my life in a cell.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’ll make sure of that. After I explain the situation to the Network, they’ll make sure the charges disappear. After all, what good is a secret government agency if they can’t rig a murder trial?” He gave a lame attempt at a smile.
“All right.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Let’s say your stupid Network—which has made my life a living hell these last forty-eight hours, by the way—gets me off the hook. Then what? What life can I go back to? What about my—” I choked back a sob and exhaled before I could finally form the word. “Mom? Am I just supposed to show up looking like this?” I thrust my arms outward. “And expect her to believe I fell asleep one day and woke up in another body? What are you going to tell her about her daughter?”
Dr. Wendell’s mouth opened and closed several times as he appeared to search for an answer—an answer I knew he didn’t have because there was no answer.
Q squeezed my shoulder. “We’ll figure it out one thing at a time.”
“Will we?” An edge of hysteria crept into my voice. “Let’s make a list. Right now I’m trapped inside a murderer’s body, I no longer have my ki powers, and this”—I pulled at the tank top I wore—“is the only outfit I own. And let’s not forget I no longer have a place to live.”
“That’s not true.” Kim grabbed my arm and turned me around.
I tilted my chin so I could meet his eyes.
“As long as you breathe air, you have a home—with me.”
“What?” I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. “You can’t be serious. I’m wearing the face of our worst enemy.”
He pulled me toward him, shaking his head. “When are you going to realize I don’t care about things like that? I don’t care what face you’re wearing. I love you, Senshi. Not for what you look like, but for the way you make me feel when I’m with you. You’ve taught me that every death, every life has a purpose. And no matter how many times I’m brought back to this planet, no matter how many bodies or lives pass between us, the familiarity that is you—that is us—will always be the wind that guides me to where you are.”
He lifted a hand to my face and trailed his thumb down my cheek. “We can leave if you want. If this is too much, we can go. Forget this life. Let’s pack our bags—tonight—and make a new one.”
I brought my hand to his, as if to make sure this wasn’t a dream. Could I really do it? Could I leave everything I’d always known and run away with him? I chewed the inside of my cheek as I considered his offer. After all, with my life stolen, what did I have to stay for?
“Kim, let’s not do anything hasty.” Dr. Wendell approached us with a frown. “We need you here. The Network—”
Kim turned away from me with a scowl. “Screw the Network!”
Dr. Wendell’s eyes fluttered wide as he took a step back.
“Lord Toyotomi was right,” Kim continued, turning back to me. “We sacrificed everything as warriors. And what has it brought us? Only death and suffering.” He shook his head. “I’m beaten, and I’m so tired. I can no longer remember what I’ve been fighting for—but I’m pretty sure it’s not what I should be fighting for.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “What’s that?”
“Us. I’ve forgotten to fight for us.”
My chest tightened, making breathing nearly impossible. I opened my mouth to speak but found I couldn’t get the words out.
“So what do you think?” He placed his other hand on my face and drew me closer so I could feel the heat of him radiating through my clothes. “Will you leave with me? Will you fight
for us?”
I placed my hands over his and, for the first time in nearly two days, I felt at peace. Kim was right. We’d wasted too much time fighting. We’d lost so much. Didn’t we deserve this, finally? “Yes,” I answered.
He grinned. “Say it again.”
I laughed. “Yes. Let’s leave this all behind us.”
He drew me closer until his face eclipsed the room and all that remained was him, me, and the kiss that had survived five hundred years.
32
Kim?” Dr. Wendell’s voice brought me back to the dojo. “Are you sure this is wise? What about your work at the dojo?”
Kim slid an arm around my waist. “Drew can take over. Or Michelle. Or Braden.” He shrugged. “Or close the damn thing. I don’t really care.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d never heard him speak so flippantly about his work.
“But don’t you think the others will be upset?” Dr. Wendell crossed his arms over his chest. “They depend on you. How can you leave them behind?”
A muscle in Kim’s jaw tightened as he raised his chin. “We’re not in Japan anymore,” he answered. “They do not need a leader. Maybe our absence will be a good thing for them.” He shook his head. “I can’t help but wonder if we’ve kept on as samurai because it’s all we’ve known. But now … ” He shrugged. “They are free to follow their own paths.”
“But they’re your friends.”
“We’ll visit.”
Dr. Wendell sighed and rubbed his face. “Look, it’s not that I don’t think you’re capable of making your own decisions, but I do think you might be entering into this a little rashly.”
Quentin’s mouth quirked into a sad smile, and I felt the first stab of sorrow through my joy. “You have to do what you have to do,” he told me. “I only want you to be happy. But if you leave—I’ll miss you like crazy.”
“You’re my best friend,” he whispered against the top of my head. “And you’ll always be—no matter where you are or what you look like.”
I pulled back, half-laughing as fresh, hot tears trailed down my cheeks. “Ditto. I promise I’ll call or email as soon as we get … ” I looked up at Kim, who only shrugged. I laughed. “Wherever it is we’re going.”
“You better.” Q gave me another squeeze before slowly backing away.
“Of course.”
Kim pointed to what used to be my body, still unmoving on the floor. “When the Network arrives, make sure they lock her up—and keep her locked up this time.”
Dr. Wendell nodded. “You know we will.” He was quiet a moment. “The other samurai are supposed to be here soon. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather wait to see them—to say a proper goodbye?”
“No.” Kim shook his head. “It’s time to finally start our lives. I know the others will understand when you explain it to them. Tell them I’ll get in contact as soon as we get settled. If they decide to follow, they’re welcome to join us.” He nodded at Quentin. “That goes for you, too, but it also means you can’t tell anyone where you’re going. If she somehow gets free again”— he motioned to Sumi—“I don’t want to risk the chance of being found.”
Quentin nodded. “I appreciate that. I’ll let you know.”
Kim looked at me, an eagerness in his eyes I hadn’t seen in a long time. “Are you ready?”
Was I? Was I ready to walk away from everything I’d ever known—my life? My friends? My family? Just to finally be with the man I’d loved for almost five hundred years?
Oh, hell yeah.
But there was one thing still left unsettled. A bugging sensation wiggling inside my stomach. “My mom … ”
