"I'm happy, you jerk. Why the hell did we wait so long?"
He sighed in relief. "Because I am stupid."
I nodded in agreement, still crying and laughing as I kissed him again and again. "I'm happy. So happy. Let's get you clean."
He nodded and we finished our shower. I had just shut the water off and wiped the water off my face when Roki covered my mouth with his hand and pushed us against the wall away from the stall door. He made a shushing motion with his free hand and pulled the other from my mouth.
Footsteps entered the bathroom and then the sound of sobbing echoed off the tiled walls.
"She's alive! I'm dead!"
Sabine.
"You should have taken her head. Just when you think the fox is in your trap, it will gnaw off its own foot for freedom."
The other voice was still Sabine's, but utterly devoid of emotion. It was the same voice I had heard come from her mouth on the boat. The goddess, Hel.
I peeked over the shower door and around the corner. Without a sound, I ducked back. I hadn't seen Sabine, but I saw her reflection in the mirror.
"What am I going to do?"
"What you should have done in the first place. Kill her."
"But my brothers will stop me."
"You do not understand, Child. You do not have a choice. If she does not die, Fenrir will continue to wake and bring destruction upon this world. Is that not worth your life?"
"You want me to die?"
"No. But it may be necessary to vanquish his herald."
"Why me?"
"Because you are my progeny. You will do as I ask."
"But my brothers…"
"Both have feelings for the girl. They are useless to me now."
The sound of a punch and broken glass falling echoed through the bathroom. She had broken the mirror, but not her future.
"Fine. Next time I can get her alone, I'll finish the job."
"I know you will. I love you, my child."
"I love you, too." She said it, but it didn't sound very convincing. Not even to me.
Her footsteps echoed as she practically ran from the bathroom.
"Well, fuck a duck."
Hiroki coughed and covered his mouth. "Foxes are more fun," he whispered.
Staring at him, mouth agape, every rational thought left my brain. He made a funny. "Did you just…"
"Hai." He snickered.
"I am so fucking proud of you right now."
He grinned and blushed, but then his face got serious. "What should we do?"
"Tell Remy. She's their sister. Hel is their…god? Ancestor? Grandmother? I don't know, but it's their mess."
"Hai."
"Come on. Let's get dressed."
I threw on my bathrobe and stuffed as many toiletries into the oversized pockets as I could, jamming the rest into Roki's. Peeking out of the bathroom to make sure the coast was clear, I padded down the hallway as quickly and quietly as I could manage.
"Now you are trying for stealth?"
I gave Roki a nasty glare over my shoulder. "What do you mean try? I am a ninja."
"Ninjas don't wear bathrobes."
"They do when they take a bath."
"Ninjas do not bathe. They frighten the dirt away."
"Shut up, Roki." Slipping the key in the lock, I twisted it open and let us into the room. "Let's get dressed and go see Uncle."
"I thought you wished to tell the twins first?"
"I'm hoping to catch them there," I said and let the door close. It stopped when a hand slipped inside, catching it before it clicked. Calling my katana, I stepped into my stance just as Remy's head peeked in the door.
"Oh, thank kami."
"You were expecting someone else?" He stepped into the room. "Is it okay if I come in? I heard you mention us."
"You were just the man I wanted to see," I released my sword back into nothingness and leapt at him, catching him and kissing him. He went tense under my onslaught.
I pulled away, absolutely horrified. "I'm sorry? Should I not have kissed you?" My heart broke a little. To spend a weekend with someone, to do all the things we'd done, only to have him shy away from a kiss… I slowly slid down from his chest, putting my feet on the floor and backing up.
Remy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Fox…"
"What?"
"You are under a gross misconception."
"I kind of realized that when you didn't kiss me back."
"You wanted me to?"
It was my turn to tilt my head and narrow my eyes. "I had your cock in my mouth. I didn't think you would mind a kiss." I was starting to get a little pissed. Especially at his surprised look and then hearty laugh. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"
He was having trouble breathing, waving his hands in front of me. I debated my logic of letting my sword fade away. He was uncircumcised. I could have remedied that for him.
"Fox…"
"Dog."
That shut him up. "As I was trying to tell you…I am not Remy."
"Rome?" Icy fear seized my chest.
He nodded.
I wanted to throw up. "No." I covered my mouth with my hand. I had my tongue in his mouth. I coughed and resisted the urge to spit. "Sorry."
"Seeing you squirm like this made it worth it. Although, I am absolutely horrified that you kissed me after having my brother's junk in your mouth."
"Hahaha. Indirect kiss!" It was worth it to see him turn green.
"Do you have any mouthwash?'
"No, but I can conjure up some booze. Want some?"
He cocked an eyebrow at me, and the expression was so like his brother, I almost gasped. I'd never had trouble telling them apart since the moment I'd met them. Why I had mistaken him for Remy, was beyond me. Maybe you were just hoping it was him.
"What kind of booze."
"Well, it used to be sake but now it's mead. Where's Remy?"
"Still speaking to the headmaster. He sent me to make sure you were safe."
He's worried about me. I grinned a little.
"Your sister was just in the bathroom talking to herself in the mirror. She still wants to kill me. So does Hel."
He sighed and sat down at my desk. "I'll have that drink now."
Chapter 21
"She's gone."
I sighed at Remy as he sat down at our table, not that I was surprised. After I recapped the events of the bathroom scenario to Rome, he had stormed off in a fit of rage, heading back to the headmaster's office and to find his sister. That had blossomed to a search of the entire school by faculty, staff, and a few of the students. Steph and her other friend were under observation until she was found.
Hiroki and I had just sat down for dinner. David had been sent to guard the temple. I didn't see the point, the only person stupid enough to go there was me and I'd been there, done that, wasn't going to fucking do it again, ever. It's not like Sabine wanted to free Fenrir, she and her goddess were going to great lengths to make sure that didn't happen. Namely, by killing me.
"Well, judging by her conversation with herself, she couldn't have gone far. She was under strict orders to put me out of my misery."
Remy sighed and kissed my cheek. "Sorry, Kaede. We'll find her and keep you safe. Even if it means disobeying Hel."
There was a crack of thunder outside the school and I squeaked as I jumped in my chair.
"Easy, Kaede. Thor is the least of our worries."
I groaned, not even wanting to think about it. I was a messenger of the gods. To be targeted by one…made for a jumpy fox.
You accept it.
Fenrir's voice caught me off guard. He'd been silent since I made it back to land. I'd assumed he'd gone back to sleep. Accept what?
Your role as messenger. You have fought against what you are since the day of your birth.
A chill ran up my spine. Yes. I have. My father always accepted his role, but it always seemed too much responsibility for a silly little fox like me. Having fun was more im
portant.
And now?
I am what I am. It doesn't look like I can hide from it. I'm sorry, Fenrir. I belong to the Inari-kami.
The echoing rumble of laughter resonating with the thunder was my first warning. The searing pain in my head was my second.
"Kaede…" The worry in Remy's voice was the last. He and Roki were sliding their chairs away from the table.
"What?"
"Your skin…"
I looked down at my arms, fearing a rash. It looked normal to me. "What about it?"
The girl at the table next to us gasped. Remy turned to her. "Mirror?"
She shook her head, but the other girl seated at her table pulled one out of her blazer jacket. With a shaking hand, she passed it to Remy, who opened it and held it up in front of me.
My eyes had bleached. That was the first thing I noticed. They were no longer blue. They'd turned an unearthly shade of ice gray. The blue of my eyes had drained to my cheeks as two runes appeared from the corner of my mouth, swept up to the corners of my eyes and then swept back down under my ears, disappearing around my neck. A neck that held a ghostly tattoo of a chain in the same hue of blue.
"What the ever-loving fuck?"
You have accepted what you are. I have claimed you as my fylgjur.
"Fenrir is talking to you right now, isn't he?" Remy reached out with his other hand, gently touching mine and gasping as he made contact.
"Do not touch her, hound of my sister," I said, unwillingly. My voice echoed in the dining hall, causing the students to start leaving through the door. Even the girl who surrendered the mirror, stood and hastily walked away.
"Look into her heart. She knows I don't mean her any harm."
He speaks the truth, yet his sister has already attempted to take your life.
Yeah. She's a crazy bitch.
Much like my sister.
Yeah. Family sucks sometimes.
He chuckled in my head. So young and yet so wise.
I chuckled, hopefully in his head. Far from it. Which makes me wonder, why me?
You have the blood of gods coursing through your veins. You are a true herald. You will prepare the world for my return and you will free me from these cursed dwarven chains…
The stories played themselves back through my mind. The binding of Fenrir. The gods and goddesses of Aesir binding him to prevent Ragnarok. It was upon the third binding, using chains forged by the dwarves, that they were successful. Mostly. One of the gods, Tyr, had lost a hand to the jaws of the giant wolf.
Fenrir chuckled at the memory. I wasn't sure if it was my memory or his as our experiences blended into a larger whole.
"You can't." I started speaking aloud.
What can I not?
"Start Ragnarok. Why do you want to destroy the world?"
You share my memories, as I share yours, little fox. Tell me, what is Ragnarok…
I opened my mouth to spit out how he wanted to swallow the earth and the sun, but something stopped me. The same thing forced me to delve into all the memories floating through my brain that weren't mine. Playing through his binding again, I saw the fear on the gods' faces. He was the son of Loki. Loki, not born of the tribe of Aesir, but of their frost giant foes. Born to bring about the destruction of…them. Seated upon Yggdrasil were nine worlds. Ragnarok signaled the destruction of Asgard, not Midgard, the realms of humans. The gods weren't trying to stop him from eating the world, they were trying to stop him from destroying Asgard.
"Oh."
Learn for yourself what will transpire. You shall free me one way or another, little fox. You are mine.
And just like that, he was gone, and I was alone in my own head. I sucked in a breath of air and frantically shook in my seat. Hiroki and Remy swarmed me, controlling the convulsions as the world shifted back into focus.
"We are so fucked."
∞ ∞ ∞
Uncle Tatsuo set the steaming mug of tea down in front of me. "Maybe it is time to contact your parents." He said and sat down on the ancient wood in front of me.
I picked up the mug and took a small sip, wincing at the heat and the flavor. Uncle didn't put sugar in his tea, nor did he apparently put it in mine. I looked at the contents, wishing fervently it was sake and wincing when it turned gold.
Beggars can't be choosers, I thought as I downed the cup that had transformed into mead.
"Accepting his gifts only binds you more tightly to him."
I nodded. "I know, but the tea wasn't cutting it."
"I do have some sake…" He stood, took my cup, and walked over to the ornate wooden cupboard behind the desk. He pulled out a clay jar and poured its contents straight into my teacup. He walked over and handed it to me, patting me on the head before sitting down.
It changed as soon as it touched my lips, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the headmaster. "Yes. Maybe your father can help you break the bond and return you to the Inari-kami."
"I'm Japanese. American. Why me?"
"Why me?" He motioned to the school. "I am as firmly entrenched into this as you, yet I am also Japanese."
"But you're a dragon."
"Which seems to be the fact that you are missing, as well."
I thought about it for a moment. "It's what we are, not who we are that matters."
"Precisely," he said and beamed. "You are a celestial messenger, and I am a dragon. It does not matter where we came from."
I rubbed my eyes and drank my mead. "How do we stop him?"
He crossed his arms and pushed himself back on the desk a little farther, letting his legs dangle over the edge. "I do not know. For now, we will keep you safe and we will keep you far away from him. I'm of half a mind to send you back home…"
"That would solve everything wouldn't it?" Fear gripped my chest. As much as I didn't want to go to Aesir Academy, it was growing on me. More so, certain people were growing on me. To return to California…to go back to my old life of being alone… The thought wasn't nearly as appealing as it would have been a little over a month ago. Or even a week ago. Sure, the near-death experiences were a bummer, but I was still breathing. When my head wasn't being invaded by a god.
"It might. I'm more afraid of what it would do to you. Fenrir has bound you to him," he said and motioned to the runic tattoos on my face and the chain tattoo around my neck. "To tear you from him might mean the end of you. I think it safer to bring your father here to inspect what has been done."
"He's going to kill me."
"He loves you more than you could possibly know."
"Uh huh."
Tatsuo sighed. "Kaede…you were on a path of self-destruction. No matter what they said, did, or punished you with, you would not change your path. Did you know that the both of them stayed up every night until Hiroki brought you home? Do you know when the last time they slept at night was?"
I did a quick calculation… "Woah."
"Yes."
"Why didn't they tell me. More importantly, why the fuck didn't they show me?"
"It is not their way. They wish to guide, not rule your life."
"Kinda felt that way?"
"Were you imprisoned? No. They let you do as you wished."
"With supervision!"
"Hiroki was never your jailor. He was your friend, your confidant. Your brother. Although, that title has been replaced with lover, I see."
I blushed furiously. "You knew?"
"Eyes of the dragon," he said with a chuckle, squinting at me. "And I see he is not the only one…"
My blush went thermonuclear. I was seeing red. "Uncle Tatsuo…"
He held up his hand. "In my youth, I had the pleasure of six wives at one time. I am not judging you."
I decided to shut my mouth. Not talking about it seemed a much better option. "So, what's the plan?"
"To make one. That is the first part. I shall send for your father."
As much as I didn't want him to, I found myself nodding. If he could free me from Fenrir, this nightmar
e would be over. "After that?"
"That will be decided after we see how the first part goes."
"You are very wise." I rolled my eyes, wanting things to go back to normal.
"In the meantime, do not go anywhere by yourself. Hel wants you dead and probably to drag your soul to Hel to keep you away from Fenrir forever."
"I still don't see why he needs me."
"To break the chain. He chose you for a reason. We just do not know what it is. Yet."
"I hate waiting."
"So much like your mother, it is uncanny."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "My mother? Mrs. Primandproper?"
He laughed. "One day, when you're older, I'm sure you will hear some of the tales of her youth… Then again, maybe not. You do not need any inspiration."
I had a very hard time picturing what he could possibly be talking about. My mother put the pro in proper. I fell asleep watching her make tea. The woman added twenty-eight steps to everything and looked like she was trying to figure out a way to add twenty more just to make it more fun. It drove me crazy.
"So, do I have your permission to skip class and hide out in my room? For safety reasons?"
"Silly fox. The expression about safety in numbers is there for a reason."
"Why is that?"
"Because it is true."
"How did I know you were going to say that? Can I at least go down to the village tonight and buy some makeup?"
"Your beauty needs no enhancement."
"I meant to cover the blue marks on my face."
"That is the mark of a god. I do not think Cover Girl will easy, breezy, beautiful that off your face."
Chapter 22
I woke up screaming in fear. Something was wrong, I just didn't know what. Hiroki was by my side in a flash. "Shhhh, Kaede. It's just a dream."
"Roki?"
"You haven't woken from a nightmare in years."
I groaned, trying to shake off the feeling. "I didn't miss that. I wonder why now?"
"You're usually too drunk to stir from a nightmare. What was it about?" He leaned me back on the bed and stroked my hair like he used to when I was a kit.
"I don't know. Just a panicked feeling in my sleep."
"Relax. Go back to sleep."
A Tail of Woah: A Reverse Harem Academy Tail (The Fox and the Hounds Book 1) Page 19
