hopeless gesture, shaking my head. “The Shadow Clan has tried. Our best priests and most powerful majutsushi have attempted to exorcise Hakaimono in the past. He’s too strong. No one has ever succeeded—the last time they attempted it, Hakaimono freed himself and slaughtered everyone present. I can’t…watch that happen to you.”
Yumeko set her jaw, her gaze defiant. I knew she was going to refuse again, thinking she could save me from Hakaimono, and desperation rose to curl with the despair. Hakaimono had already slaughtered several members of my clan, and I could do nothing to stop it. I knew his ultimate plan was to wipe the Kage from existence, and I would have to watch, helpless, as he destroyed them all. And if Genno summoned the Dragon and rose to power, I would be responsible for the fall of the entire empire. My honor was gone, my soul tainted beyond all redemption. But the thought of her dying, of facing the sadistic First Oni only to be killed by my own hand, was too much. He wouldn’t just kill her; he would torture her, make her suffer, because he knew it would affect me. And he would never let me forget.
I hesitated, then sank to my knees before her and bowed my head, hearing her sharp intake of breath. “Please,” I said softly. “I will beg if I must. I cannot be the instrument that allows Genno to rise again. I cannot be the catalyst that brings about the destruction of the Shadow Clan. And I…” My voice faltered; I had to pause, swallowing the tightness in my throat before continuing on, “I cannot watch him kill you, Yumeko,” I whispered. “Hakaimono knows…how important you are. He would take great pleasure in making you suffer. Of all the atrocities he has committed, if you died by my hand…” I shuddered. “I would rather cut open my stomach than live with that.”
Yumeko remained silent. I could feel the weight of her gaze on me, solemn and helpless, perhaps realizing the truth of my words. “My life is worth nothing,” I went on, still staring at the ground between us. “If my death means ending the threat of the First Oni and the second coming of the Master of Demons, I offer it gladly. But I can’t do it myself.” I lowered myself even farther, the fingertips of one hand touching the ground. “Kill me, Yumeko,” I whispered. “End my life, and drive Hakaimono back into the sword for good.”
For a few heartbeats, there was silence. Then a soft rustle as Yumeko knelt in front of me, and a moment later her cool palm pressed against my cheek.
“I won’t let him have you,” she whispered in a fierce voice. “Your life is worth something—to me.” Her other hand touched my face, making me shiver. “Look at me, Tatsumi-san. Really look at me, and tell me what you see.”
I dragged my gaze to hers and met a pair of glimmering golden eyes. Startled, I drew back slightly, and Yumeko’s outline seemed to blur for a moment, like I was seeing her through water or heavy smoke. The haziness faded, and I was staring into the golden eyes of a fox, black-tipped ears and bushy tail standing out in my peripheral vision.
Kitsune. Yumeko was kitsune. Somehow, I had forgotten. Her posture was stiff, as if she was waiting for me to recoil, and I remembered the night Hakaimono had taken over, he had gleefully taunted the fox girl, telling her that I could see exactly what she was now, and that I despised her for it.
I didn’t. I had been surprised of course, stunned that I had been traveling with a fox, a yokai, since the night I’d saved her from the demons. But even that paled to the consuming horror and rage I’d felt toward myself for allowing Hakaimono to break free. The identity of the fox girl was far less concerning than the demon possessing my body. And Yumeko being kitsune…It wasn’t all that surprising, really. I remembered the times she’d spoken to the kami, all the instances where she could see spirits and yurei as easily as the mortal world. Many small things, seemingly insignificant at the time, had fallen into place. The fact that she was a fox, a yokai, should have angered and disgusted me, but Yumeko was…Yumeko. Kitsune or human, she was still the same.
Yumeko smiled, though it was a slightly sad smile, as if she knew something