The priests stood over Kaito in a circle. They chanted. The low reverberating sound resonated through Suzume. The short hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Their chanting changed tempo increasing in pace, Suzume’s pulse raced with the fast moving chant. Kaito’s form blurred and shifted. His serpentine body was shortening, twisting and writhing. Suzume watched with rapt attention. The song faded into one residual note that echoed around them and filled Suzume’s skull.  Kaito was lying on the ground back in his human form. The Head Priest had been leading the chanting. Now that Kaito was back in his human form, he directed the other priests to pick Kaito up. Must be easier than trying to pick up a one ton dragon. Two priests stood on opposite ends of Kaito and picked him up by his hands and feet. Slung between them, Kaito’s head lolled backwards at an unnatural angle. He looked dead and the idea sent a twisting sensation through Suzume’s stomach.

She turned away. The garden was in disarray. Bushes had been uprooted. The paving stones were slicked over with frost and pools of water had gathered in massive indents made by clawed feet. What a mess. Across the garden, an elderly priest tutted over Rin’s injury. He dabbed at the gash on her shoulder. Rin swatted at his hand but he grabbed her hand and pursed his lips at her. Rin scowled back at the old man. They remained locked in a battle of wills for a moment before Rin rolled her eyes and let him continue.  Rin caught sight of Suzume watching them and smiled at her. Suzume reluctantly smiled back. Now that Rin helped her were they obligated to be friends? Suzume wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Suzume fidgeted with the staff in her hand. Now that the battle was over it felt leaden in her grip. She looked away from Rin and towards the ground. Blood was spattered there and her stomach heaved.  He knows Kazue was my past life. If Rin hadn’t intervened this would have been my blood on the ground. She looked away from the blood and back towards the retreating forms of the priests who were carrying Kaito away.

Rin broke free of the priest, and sauntered over to Suzume.

“How are you?” Rin asked as she reached Suzume.

Suzume shrugged in response. She wasn’t sure what to say –for once in her life. She felt deflated and humbled by her fight. By some miracle she had escaped with her life but if it came down to it could she repeat the performance?

Rin didn’t seem to need an explanation and she continued, “I’ll watch over Kaito until he wakes up.”

What happens when he wakes up? He’ll most likely want to try and kill me again. I need to run away from here.

“Yeah that sounds like a good idea,” Suzume said. She shifted the staff from one hand to another. “When will he awake?”

Rin shrugged. “Hard to tell, but I can keep him at bay if he’s... aggressive when he does.”

I’ll be long gone by then, hopefully. Maybe I can convince the Head Priest to give me food and a way to get away from here.  She was disgusted by her own thoughts. When did I become such a coward?  

Despite her own fear, however, she had to keep up appearances. “Make sure you do,” Suzume said. With a toss of her hair, she strolled away. Her hands were shaking. She tightened her grasp on the staff as she walked away.

She made a beeline for the head priest. She needed to keep moving, if she kept still then her fear would catch up with her and if that happened... well she was not willing to consider that. The Head Priest was conferring with his second when Suzume approached. The priest  looked up at her and smiled but the smile did not reach his eyes.

“Suzume, I thought you would want to rest.” He motioned for the second to leave with a wave of his hand.

“I don’t think I could rest even if I wanted to,” She replied with a self-deprecating laugh.

He chuckled softly and his eyes flitted towards the staff. His pupils grew wide.

“Is that...”

She held up the staff for his inspection. He reached for it but did not touch it.  “It’s Kazue’s staff,” she explained.

The head priest licked his lips. “Is it? I’ve never seen it this close.” His hand was twitching as if it he meant to take it from Suzume.

A feeling of foreboding settled over her. Suzume drew the staff back. Why would the Head Priest be in awe of one of their artifacts? It didn’t make any sense.

“I have a favor to ask of you,” Suzume said changing the subject.

“Oh?” The head priest said but did not take his eyes off the staff. Suzume shifted the staff so one end rested on the ground while keeping it within her control.  She was feeling oddly possessive of the thing.

“I need to leave here before the dragon wakes. Can you help me?”

The Priest’s eyes snapped back to Suzume. “The dragon will sleep for now. He shall not wake until we find a way to calm him. I can assure you.” He stumbled over his words in a rush.

Why doesn’t he want me to leave? “How can you be so sure? Have you put him under a spell?” He didn’t seem that powerful , but maybe there was more to the priest than met the eye.

“Not indefinitely but long enough to sort some things out.” He smiled. Before his smile had been reassuring but now she wasn’t sure.

This is a good opportunity to learn. If he does stay asleep, then maybe I can learn how to seal him before he wakes.

“Can you teach me how to seal him away?” She asked without disguising the desperation in her voice.

He frowned and regarded her for a moment without reply.

“I am not sure that is wise...”

“He’s going to kill me! Can you not see that?” She pointed towards the dormitories where Kaito had been taken. “He’s realized I am Kazue and he will not stop until he has his revenge.”

The priest nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps.” His gaze had slid back to the staff again. Suzume could practically see the wheels turning.

“Then tell me what’s so special about this staff?”

“It was Kazue’s,” he replied.

“That I know, but there’s more you’re not telling me.”

He rubbed his hands together and his gaze slowly slid from the staff to Suzume’s face.

“The legends say that Kazue embedded certain artifacts with her spiritual power. We believe this staff was one of those artifacts.”

“You don’t know for sure?”

“The staff was warded and no one could touch it, except you...”

Suzume frowned. “Because I am her reincarnation?”

“Perhaps...”

She fought the urge to shake the old man. Could no one give a straight answer?

“Well I have the staff now what?”

“I believe you should stay here. Let us examine it and you. In doing so, I think we will be able to unlock your true potential.”

Suzume pursed her lips. “Alright, fine, but if the dragon shows the slightest inclination of waking, I am out of here, got it?”

“Thank you, Suzume,” The priest bowed deep and the hems of his sleeves scraped against the gravel at their feet.

Suzume fought an eye roll. Feels like I am back at the palace. A momentary pang of longing swept over her. I’ll get back there eventually I guess.

“When can I start learning?” Suzume asked while gesturing with the staff.

The priest glanced around them.  Suzume followed his gaze, the place was in chaos. The ordered hedges were trampled and the ginko trees had deep gashes in them. “I will need time to set things in order but soon, hopefully.” He looked doubtful.

She hated to wait, but it looked like she did not have much choice in the matter. The alternative, of course, was running away and hoping Kaito would not find her. The problem was he would wake eventually and he would come for her, of that she had no doubt.

“In the mean time, could you take that back to the shrine?” the priest nodded towards the staff. He still had a hungry look in his eye.  

She held it close. She didn’t want to let it go.  “I was wondering if I could keep it?” Suzume asked.

The priest’s frown deepened.  “I will have to discuss it with the others. I know you are Kazue’s reincarnation, but that is a sacred item one that is imbued with power, and we cannot let it leave this compound lightly.”

Suzume rubbed the smooth edges of the grip across the palm of her hand contemplating it. This held immense power? It felt like a little bit of wood, but it felt right in her hands. She felt powerful while she had it. Except for when that strange guy attacked me. Who was he?

“I’ll take it back to the shrine then,” Suzume said.

The priest was visibly disappointed.

 I don’t want to hand this over to him. If Kazue warded this a thousand years ago it must have been with good reason. She headed off towards the temple. I wonder if that man will be there when I get back.

She touched her lips where he had kissed her. Who was that creep and what did he want with her? She reached the shrine without interruption. She was half-hoping she would run into the mysterious man. He did not make an appearance much to her frustration. She had some questions for him now that the battle was over. Suzume set the staff back in its place and looked around the temple.

What was so special about Kazue? Why did everyone revere her? The wind blew outside and ruffled the trees and leaves. Suzume felt a prickling along her neck. Her hand reached instinctively for the staff on its pedestal. It felt safer to have a weapon, rather than not. Right now her senses were shouting at her that something was amiss.

A floor board creaked. She snatched the staff back off the pedestal and spun around. There was no one there. She rolled her eyes. I’m getting paranoid. Rightfully so, my life was normal until recently...

She moved to set the staff back down when a chill touched the nape of her neck. She rubbed her neck and looked over her shoulder. There’s definitely someone here.

“Who’s here?” She spun back around, staff held in a defensive pose crossed in front of her at a diagonal. “I know you’re there and I am ready for you this time. I owe you payback for that kiss earlier.”

There was soft laughter, husky and feminine. The gooseflesh rose on her arms that was not the response she was expecting.

“Who’s there?” Suzume repeated.

The laughter died and from around a pillar a woman appeared. She wore a blood red robe with long sleeves that dragged along the ground. Her ebony hair was coifed on top of her hair. Decorative pins stuck from it and small bells on the end of the sticks tinkled as she moved. Her robe was long and edged in gold thread.

“My, you are a strange looking priestess,” the woman looked Suzume up and down.

Suzume pointed the staff at her. “Who are you?”

There was a strange energy coming from this woman and Suzume had a sinking suspicion she was no woman at all.

“My-my, your manners are terrible.” The woman strolled closer to Suzume. She had her lips painted a bright red which flashed against her white teeth and dark black eyes.

Suzume took an unconscious step back and bumped into the shrine. She steadied herself on the shrine to keep from falling over. The woman came within an inch of Suzume. The woman titled her head from side to side as she examined Suzume’s face. There was a faintly sweet smell that clung to her. The woman brushed a long fingered hand against Suzume’s face. The touch crackled with energy but did not burn, more like tickled.

“You are her, I thought Tsuki was lying.”

“Who’s Tsuki?” Suzume asked, she was not sure if she was afraid or intrigued.

The woman’s smile was predatory flash of teeth. “My brother.”

Suzume slid out from the woman’s grasp and ran around to the other side of the pedestal. She tried desperately to remember the melody which had unleashed the power before but it was failing her at the moment. This is a great time to choke. What does this woman want with me? And her brother for that matter.

“What do you want? To drain me of all my spiritual power? Well I’m not going down without a fight!” Suzume snarled. She tried to swing the staff to make a point but it collided with an incense filled lantern. Her staff tangled in the chain suspending the staff from the ceiling. She was jerked forward and stumbled hitting the floor at the woman’s feet. She yanked the staff free and it slammed into the ground with a thunk.   

“I see you have the staff-- you’re making good progress then. We’ve been waiting a long time for you to realize yourself.” The woman’s expression gave nothing away.

Suzume scowled up at the woman. Was she making fun of her, she couldn’t tell? “What are you talking about?”

The woman’s perfect painted lips hung open for a second before she smiled again. “You’ve realized that you are Kazue. That’s why you woke the water dragon.  You should know...” The woman shrugged her shoulders.

Water dragon, does she mean Kaito? “Well I don’t. Do you care to enlighten me?”

The woman laughed her throaty laugh.

“What is so funny?” demanded Suzume.

“It’s just you look like Kazue but you sound nothing like her. Kazue always led. We never had to give her instructions.”

Suzume’s face flushed. She wasn’t sure why it upset her so but it did. “Well I am not Kazue, and it would do you well to help explain what you’re doing here.”

She stopped laughing but the mirth continued to light up her eyes. “Well seeing as I am your servant, I am here to help you finish Kazue’s task.”

“Her task?” Suzume prompted.

“You don’t know?”

“No. That’s what I am hoping you’ll elaborate on.”

The woman frowned. “What? I don’t know either! Kazue said when she returned she would break the curse and finish the task.” The woman’s eyes had turned red, a scorching red that looked like they would burn through her.  “Damn you, Kazue you tricked me!” She snarled as she tugged at her hair coifed hair. The pins came loose and clattered on the ground. Her black hair tumbled to her shoulders and she turned away from Suzume.

“Now, sister, calm down,” a man’s voice said.

He sounded like he was nearby but as far as Suzume could tell, she and the woman were alone.

“Tsuki,” the woman whined, all traces of her sultry voice were gone. “I am tired of these tricks. Maybe we should kill the incarnation and be done with it.”

“No.” The man’s tone was firm. “We have waited much too long for this. The priestess can be taught. Perhaps she has not regained her past memories yet.”

“Ah, Tsuki, I think you are right.” The woman turned back towards Suzume.

Suzume gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. The staff fell to the ground with a clatter. The woman strolled over to Suzume and picked up the staff off the ground.  Suzume stared at the woman she could not take her eyes off of her.

The woman’s face had changed. One half, the right, remained the same-- all sultry eyes and soft lips but the other side was angular with a slight bristling of a beard.

Suzume screeched. “What is wrong with your face?”0

The man’s voice responded. “Sorry to frighten you, let us introduce ourselves. My name is Tsuki, and this is my sister, Akira.”

Suzume’s chin had hit the floor. I must be exhausted from the fight, I could not have heard him—er—her correctly. Words escaped her, she did not know how to process the sight before her. Even the left half of her body was different. The left shoulder was broad and instead of the elaborate robe, the left half wore a long tunic and billowing pants, in a midnight blue.

“Let me explain, brother, you’re scaring the girl,” Akira, or was it Tsuki, said in a feminine voice.

“Very well,” The male voice said before it disappeared leaving behind the seductive looking woman, once more whole.

Akira explained, “Kazue trapped us inside one body and bid us guard her staff until her reincarnation came for it. She promised to return us to our separate bodies once the task was complete and so we have waited and guarded this place for many years.”

Suzume shook her head. She had seen a lot of strange things, but this had to be the topper . A brother and sister sharing a body? Two people in one.

“Well, I don’t know what you expect me to do,” she said, staring at the woman in front of her, wondering at what point her other half would pop out.

“We can help you learn about your powers, teach you about your past life, we were... close... with Kazue.”

Akira smiled but something about it made Suzume’s stomach turn. Despite her uncertainty it was a tempting offer.

“What can you teach me?” She asked. This very well could be a trap.

The body transformed without warning form soft to hard. The robe receded and became pants and a long shirt. Suzume saw Tsuki’s form in full. He was a young man with angular features and a wide sensual mouth that mimicked his sister’s. His looks were almost androgynous, with long dark hair framing his face.

“Do you always do that without warning?” Suzume snapped.

“Forgive me, priestess, my sister and I have not had company in a long time.”

“What have you been doing all this time then?”

“Waiting.” His expression dropped. “Guarding the staff. We have not let anyone touch it until you retrieved it this afternoon. I saw you fight, you need a lot of work.”

“What would you know about fighting?” Suzume snapped back at him. Did he see me get knocked onto my back by that strange man?

He grinned and his face lit up like a child’s.  “I know everything about fighting. I can teach you how to fight and my sister, how to master your powers, and together we can help you finish the task, once we figure out what it is...”

He held his hand out to her imploring. Could she trust him-- them? She wasn’t sure but the alternative was being killed and she liked her life, thank you very much.

“What’s in it for you?” She asked.

“We want you to set us free from this prison, separate us,” He said his tone serious, his gaze wary.

No big deal... She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. I’ll agree and then if anything goes wrong, I’ll... well I’ll figure that part out later. What harm could they do? They can’t be worse than Kaito. Can they?

“All right, you’ve got a deal.”

 A/N: *Climbs out of cave and blinks bleary eyed into the light* Soooo, I never intended to go this long between updates but real life seems to have other ideas. I appologize from the bottom of my heart for the delay and I hope this longer than usual chapter makes up for it. What does everyone think of Tsuki/Akira? Also, I'm thinking of making a facebook page just for The Priestess and the Dragon, for chapter teasers and fun stuff. Anyone interested let me know, I will be happy to oblige. ;)