Chapter 21 #2
“I’m sorry I didn’t stop him. My magic has been so unpredictable. It has been ever since we came back to the spirit world,” she explained. “I’m so, so sorry. Forgive me.”
I’m dead, for sure.
All those mistakes he’d made. He’d never be able to correct them.
And why was it that death came for him when he finally started to do the right thing? When he’d finally found a family that would have him. One that he wanted.
Life was so unfair.
Haruki shook him. “Stay with me, Koichi. You can’t die. You hear me? Not now. Please, don’t leave me alone.”
Koichi forced a pained smile. “I’ll try not to let you down next time.”
He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth.
As for Ryuichi-kage, Koichi turned his head and saw him, languishing on the ground. “Haru is going to blow the cave,” he said, his voice strained and hollow. “If we don’t get out of here and away from this island, we’re all going to die.”
“What do you want me to do?” Haruki snapped. “If my powers worked, I would have used them by now. Besides, Haru has the only boat.”
Ryuichi-kage closed his eyes, like he was accepting his abysmal fate at the same time Koichi did.
None of them were going to make it out of here. Not in time.
Koichi’s limbs were now numb. Death was upon him, and he didn’t want to fight it anymore.
“Drink.”
A shinigami had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a bottle in his hand. Koichi figured the creature was most likely here to take him to eternity.
“Not now,” Haruki said to the shinigami.
Ignoring her plea, the shinigami stepped out of the shadows so he could kneel at Koichi’s side. “Drink.”
Then again, Koichi guessed he would be reincarnated as a bug. That was his luck.
Haruki pushed the shinigami’s bottle of sake aside. “Who thinks about drinking at a time like this?”
Unbothered by her actions and anger, he held the sake out for Koichi. “Drink.”
Koichi let out a sigh of relief at the only good thing in his final moments. “Don’t mind if I do.”
It wasn’t going to save him, but what was the harm in one last drink?
He cursed as the hot sake went down his throat like a raging fire. Throwing his head back, he roared in agony. He hoped death would come quickly, because he couldn’t take any more of this.
Haruki sat back on her heels and cried. “Stop, you’re hurting him!”
The shinigami smiled. “No, I’m healing him.”
Haruki’s eyes went wide. “What did you just say?”
“Haru doesn’t decide when someone dies,” the shinigami continued. “He’s not a god, and he’s not a shinigami.”
He snapped his fingers and the ropes around Ryuichi-kage fell away. A pair of black-feathered wings sprang out from his back as he transformed into a giant crow. “You better get on fast. They’re about to blow the island.”
Ryuichi-kage was weak, but he wasted no time helping Koichi climb up on top of the shinigami. Once he and Haruki were seated next to him, Koichi could already feel the fatal wound in his stomach closing up.
It was a miracle. One that Koichi never thought he’d live to see. He held Haruki’s hand in his, and she put her head on his shoulder.
How had he gotten so lucky?
“Where are we going?” Ryuichi-kage asked the shinigami as it launched into the air.
“To reunite with your friends.”
* * *
Ryuichi finally arrived where it had all begun: the gate to the human world.
Where he had battled his father.
Where Orochi and his army were still leading their assault.
He and the others were hidden in a thicket of trees and brush, away from the World Eater’s soldiers, who were trying to open the gate but failing miserably.
Orochi’s warriors had been at it for days now, and still no success, despite all their weapons and energy.
Closing his eyes, Ryuichi heard his mother’s voice in his head, encouraging him and giving him strength.
You are the only one with the power to control the gate. It is your destiny.
Ryuichi knew Orochi was aware of that fact. But he’d evaded capture up until now.
Being back in his presence was terrifying. Orochi’s eight heads were furiously blowing fire at the gate, roaring when the blaze did absolutely nothing to the gate.
The World Eater looked strong and full of rage, eager to unleash destruction. Ryuichi, however, was feeling weak and tired. Which was not a good thing in a do-or-die situation like this one.
He had to snap out of it.
“What’s that?” Masaru whispered from beside Ryuichi.
At first, he had no idea what Masaru was talking about. Then he looked up into the sky, where his guardian was staring. There was a humungous crow soaring through the clouds.
“Yōkai,” he said, stating the obvious.
“No, shinigami.” Masaru all but spat the word out.
That made Ryuichi’s blood run cold. “I guess it’s too much to hope he’s coming for Orochi.”
“Yes. With our luck, I’m sure he’s coming for you.”
Ryuichi would argue, but Masaru was right.
The crow was heading straight for them. Ryuichi flinched in fear and braced himself. Masaru rose to his feet and drew his sword. Ryukage stood behind Masaru, ready to leap into action.
The shinigami circled over the gate, then turned back to the forest, descending until they were out of sight.
Ryuichi had a strange feeling in his gut. One he hadn’t felt since . . .
“I’ll be right back,” Ryuichi said. He could barely pull himself up, but once he did, he hobbled toward the trees, where he saw the shinigami crow land.
Masaru ran after him. “What are you doing?”
Ryuichi wasn’t sure how to answer. This just felt right.
He tried to run as fast as he could toward the area where he’d seen the crow land. He became winded so quickly. Even Masaru noticed.
“Are you okay, boy?” he asked with concern.
But Ryuichi didn’t respond. He was being pulled by some force outside himself. He leaned into this magnetic energy, putting his faith in his senses even though his body ached.
When he finally found the shinigami, Koichi, Haruki, and his shadow were climbing down from the back of the crow. As soon as they set foot on the ground, the bird transformed into a bishōnen boy around the age of sixteen.
Only Ryuichi knew it was an illusion. A shinigami could take any form.
His shadow came limping up to him, his face haggard. “It is so good to see you, Brother.”
Ryuichi bowed to Ryuichi-kage, showing his shadow respect for addressing him like family. He looked into Ryuichi-kage’s eyes and he could see a change in them. Instead of mystery and darkness, there was a softness and gentleness he would have never expected.
Ryuichi let out a cough, his chest hurting. At the same time, his shadow doubled over in pain.
“You two must reunite, now,” Koichi said. “Or else you’re both going to regret it.”
Masaru nodded. “Koichi’s right. If you don’t rejoin, Ryuichi’s shadow will disappear forever, and he will become a harbinger of evil.”
“But how?” Ryuichi said.
Suddenly, a swirling funnel of mist appeared. Yumi stepped out of it and immediately took Ryuichi and his shadow by the hand.
“In order to become whole again, you must accept each other,” she said.
Ryuichi-kage looked at his brother of flesh and bone. “You are a fierce warrior. I believe in you.”
Ryuichi looked at his brother of shadow and spirit. “You are more than just a part of me. I believe in you.”
The next thing Ryuichi knew, a wave of electricity traveled through every cell in his body. It didn’t feel painful at all. In fact, he was reinvigorated. Like he could take on Orochi’s army himself.
He went to see how Ryuichi-kage was doing and noticed he was no longer there in human form.
The shinigami approached him slowly. “He hasn’t left.” He gestured at the ground behind Ryuichi. “He will always be with you.”
Ryuichi sighed, feeling a level of peace and calm that he didn’t know existed. He squeezed Yumi’s hand in gratitude. “Thank you for helping us.”
“My pleasure,” she said, letting go of his hand.
The shinigami gestured toward Koichi and Haruki. “My name is Shima. These two belong to you, don’t they?”
“As much as I’d like to deny it . . . yes. They’re ours,” Masaru joked.
“We’re so glad you didn’t die,” Koichi said, pulling Ryuichi into a hug.
Ryuichi laughed. “Same!”
What a relief this all was. Except . . .
“Where’s Keiko? Is she all right?” Ryuichi asked. He was worried about what Koichi might say, but he had to know what happened to the kitsune.
“She fled back to the human world,” Koichi said. “As far as we know, she hasn’t been captured or hurt.”
Shima confirmed it by saying, “Your friend is alive. She’s hiding, and safe.”
Ryuichi was about to leap for joy, when he heard someone moving through the forest. Ryukage emerged from behind a tree, and Koichi went to draw his sword out of instinct before realizing he was unarmed.
“Don’t worry. He’s on our side,” Ryuichi said.
His sensei looked at him, impressed. “You did it. You did the impossible. I can’t believe what I’m about to say, but I have never been prouder of you.”
Ryuichi almost blushed. It meant so much to see his teacher beam with pride like this.
As for Ryukage, Ryuichi noticed he was staring at Haruki, perhaps looking for an opportunity to ask forgiveness. But she couldn’t take her eyes off Koichi. She wasn’t glaring at him like she usually did.
No, she was watching him in a . . . loving way.
Ryuichi was completely confused. “Something’s different with you two.”
They weren’t sniping at or insulting each other anymore either.
It was weird, but also nice at the same time.
“We don’t have time to dwell on that,” Koichi said in a serious tone. “We have a battle to fight. And in case no one’s noticed, we’re still down an army.”
“Army for what?” Shima asked.
Ryukage gestured for the group to follow him. Ryuichi trailed behind as they left the forest and hid in the brush again to scout the enemy’s soldiers.
Shima hissed at the sight. “You’re taking on the World Eater?”
“That’s the plan,” Ryukage said.
“With no army . . .” Shima shook his head.
“We never said it was a particularly good plan,” Masaru added.
“It’s a good plan if you’re planning a suicide,” said Shima.
Haruki held up her hand to get their attention. “Most of us would rather live.”