Suzume took a couple steps backwards in an attempt to get away from Kaito. She stepped on the hem of her overlong pants and lost her balance. In an attempt to regain balance she swung her arms out and lost her grip upon the staff in the process. It flew from her hand and across the room. At the same time she stumbled, Kaito’s hand shot forward and grabbed her by the wrist. She was tugged in the opposite direction and down onto the sleeping mat with him. He rolled over and pinned her beneath him. She swung her free hand to try and strike him. She moved fueled by panic and she did not even think to summon her powers. This proved to be a mistake. Kaito grabbed her by both hands and held her to the mat by her wrists, his thighs pinned her waist. His eyes were a blazing blue like the spikes of ice he had hurled at her earlier in the day.

“Let me go!” She snarled and wiggled beneath him. He tightened his grip in response.

He laughed and the blue fire was gone from his eyes. “Why would I do that when you’re so adorable all trussed up?”

Suzume flushed and tried to summon the song Akira had been singing moments before.  The song had slipped through her fingers. She had not thought to memorize the words. Besides, with Kaito cackling on top of her it was impossible to concentrate hard enough to channel her energy.  When Kaito had woken and broken her concentration, all the dams of energy she had made were broken and the energy flowed back to its original locations. She felt the energy rushing and burning through her veins as they travelled back to their original locations. It left her weak and her limbs heavy. She was helpless once again.  Her only consolation was her instinctual powers of protection that prickled along her wrists and Kaito’s hands. His fingers smoked and she felt like pins running up and down her arm as if her limbs had fallen asleep. He did not let go despite the burn he must be feeling.

 “You were not supposed to wake up,” She argued. It was the only defense she had left.

“Then you should not have sung the song of awakening.” He replied. A wicked grin turned up the corners of his mouth.

Suzume’s eyes grew large as saucers and she whipped her head in Akira’s direction. The mysterious woman was smirking at the pair of them. Kaito turned his gaze to follow Suzume’s line of sight.

“You tricked me!” Suzume shouted.

Akira shifted forms and became 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 wrist, hard enough that she gasped in pain. He did not notice, but her wrists were freezing beneath his touch, they were 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.

“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. Suzume jumped up and skittered across the room for her staff. Her wrists were raw and red from where their competing powers had clashed on her skin. She stared at Kaito’s back. He didn’t kill me. Not that I’m complaining, but I thought he would kill me on sight.

“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. Now is my chance to make an end of all of them-- or should I run? But where could I run? Not back to the palace. I’m not even sure how to get there anymore. She looked at the staff held tight in her grasp. I won’t leave without the staff. It belongs to me, but the priest won’t let me take it regardless, I bet. But what if he’s not a priest at all? She shook her head to rid herself of self-doubt. I’ll deal with him when it comes to it. She closed her eyes and focused her energy, recalling the method Akira had taught her about the dams. Before she could get half the energy called forth, Kaito spun around and knocked the staff from her hand once more. It clattered on the ground, sliding across the reed mats where it collided 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.

Suzume’s stomach clenched but she kept a brave face. I don’t need the staff, the power is within me.  She thought of the song, the one she had used to vanquish him before. She sang the first note. Kaito’s eyes were wide enough for her to see the whites. She had never seen him looked panicked before -- he did now.  She kept singing. The haunting melody seemed to come from part of her she did not realize was there before. 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. Prove to me you are loyal. Suzume thought as she ran to him.

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 from attacking Suzume.

Kaito roared. The sound echoed in Suzume’s mind and the song dried in her throat.

“Out of my way, Akira, this insolent priestess needs to learn a lesson,” Kaito slashed the air with his hand.

He was larger than normal. His skin had turned 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 where it was near muzzle like.

“No.” Akira’s voice whipped across the pair of them. “You know who Suzume is, but you don’t know the whole story.”

Kaito and Suzume both scowled at Akira. I don’t need this trickster’s help, Suzume thought.Kaito breathed heavily and a cold breeze seemed to emanate from him. Suzume shivered as the gooseflesh rose on her arm. She thought of fight in the courtyard and took a careful step behind Akira.

“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.” There was a hint of remorse in his voice but then again, Suzume could have imagined it.

It’s a trick. I’m sure of it, he wants me to think he cares so I’ll let my guard down and that’s when he’ll kill me.  “Don’t stand in my way, Akira.” Suzume said forcing her courage. I have to end this now. “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 a century 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 was tugging at the corner of his canine mouth. The blue scales faded and his hair fell limp at his shoulders once more. His muzzled retreated and his teeth were once more white and straight. When he had returned to normal, Akira motioned for them all to sit.

“We need to talk,” She looked to Suzume with an expression the broached no argument.

Suzume grudgingly sat down, legs crossed. She laid her staff across her lap and glowered at Kaito, who sat across from her. Akira sat between them as 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 of him in waves. He had returned to human form but he was nowhere ready to make peace. The air practically crackled between them. I almost miss the playful Kaito.

“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 Kaito 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 the 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 tried to hide her fear behind arrogance. “Then why don’t you now?”

“Don’t tempt me.” He snapped and pointed his finger at her. The claws had receded but she could not forget the destruction he wrought in his true form. Or the threat that hung behind his words.

“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 the damn prison for a century?” 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 and so she sealed me.”

“No.” Suzume whispered. She thought of Kazue’s baby and the swamp monsters council. Kazue had known their half breed child would never be accepted in either world –it was an abomination, the swamp creature had said. Did she really do this all to protect the child?

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 was frowning at her. It didn’t suit his expression. Until now, he had been annoying but he was always smiling now... “I think she did it to protect the child.” Suzume finished looking Kaito in the eye.

“That’s ridiculous.” Kaito stood up to his feet and paced to the other end of the room.

“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 was edged with danger. Suzume feared he would lash out again. The energy crackled around her in warning.

“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 a century old it would perhaps be middle-aged?”

“That means Kaito and Kazue’s child is alive somewhere?” Suzume shook her head in wonder. I cannot imagine Kaito as a father.

“Yes.” Akira nodded. “Could this be Kazue’s task, to reunite father and child?”

“A century later? Why seal him the first place?” Suzume replied. It seemed ridiculous to her.

“It sounds like something she would do. If she feared for the child’s wellbeing, 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.

Suzume looked over at Kaito. He was leaning his shoulder against a far wall. Kaito’s child with Kazue child yet lives. Why does that make me feel strange?

“What say you, Dragon?” Tsuki asked. He had shifted to dominance when Suzume looked away.

“I don’t care about the child. The child is no concern of mine.” He looked at Suzume, his gaze had softened and that sad longing touched the edges of his expression. Suzume squirmed uncomfortably. Is he looking at me and seeing Kazue? Before she sealed him they were lovers...

“And what about me?” Suzume bristled in an attempt to dash away unwanted thoughts. “Will you kill me now that you know the truth?”

He looked at her for a long moment, studying her.

“Should I?” He said. His tone was low with an undercurrent of meaning Suzume could not place. “Will you try to seal me as your predecessor did?”

Understanding rippled through her and she felt a blush burn her cheeks. “I only said I would because I thought you were going to attack me.”

“Hmm,” he replied.

His dark gaze was impossible to gauge. Tsuki sat between them rocking back and forth. “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. I’m not Kazue and I will not make Kazue’s mistakes. No matter what they say.

Tsuki clapped his hands together. “Well now that 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 do you mean what am I doing? I have been asleep in my chamber all afternoon.”

“But I just saw you outside attacking the shrine.”

A/N: I've decided to give in an embrace the cliffhanger. Maybe someday I'll end a chapter without one but that day is not today. So show of hands, who missed Kaito? I know I did. He's so much fun to write especially when he's with Suzume. ;) Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter make sure to comment and vote.

<3 <3 Nicolette