Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling

Chapter Twenty-Two (Part 2)

Naoki ran across the rooftops as men shouted down below. Hotaru had made his move and now the palace was in chaos. Warriors raced along corridors, calling out to one another, while clan members screamed and shouted. Many would die tonight. But that was not Naoki's concern. He stretched out his senses, searching for the Kitsune in the palace; as he did, he brushed against something that surprised him. The Dragon, one of the rulers of Akatsuki, was in the palace. How he had gotten past his net was a mystery. As he brushed against his power, he sensed the Dragon's awareness. He retracted before the Dragon could get a clear read on him. He was lucky he'd cloaked his probes; to the casual observer he would appear as a lower Yokai. As he withdrew, he caught a spark of the Kitsune; they were together. Now this could pose a problem.

If it came down to it, he would not be a match for the Dragon. Though he was curious to meet him, he was also bound to Akio. If the Dragon knew what the guardian had planned, it could mean war among the Yokai. And he had to prevent that at all costs. Alongside the Dragon's energy was a strong spiritual presence, though it was raw like an uncut jewel. He had sensed it when she arrived; there was more to Lady Fujikawa than met the eye. They withdrew from the Kitsune, and the Dragon and Lady Fujikawa were headed in his direction, running along the rooftops. He shielded his energy and dropped into an empty courtyard below.

Pressing his back against the wall, he waited for them to pass overhead. As they approached, he felt his heart beating in his chest. The Dragon was stronger than him, a first generation Yokai, and as such, if he paused to look, he would notice the void that Naoki's shield created. His hand hovered over his sword. The Dragon stopped overhead; he imagined him scanning the horizon, drawing closer to the edge of the roof and peering over. The Dragon's energy probed against his shields, pressing against it, straining and nearly overpowering him. Naoki held his breath and focused all his energy on maintaining the shield.

"What is it, Kaito?" Lady Fujikawa asked.

"There's someone there." His footsteps drew closer, and the pressure from his energy closed in. He could feel fractures in his shield; another push and it would break and leave him exposed.

"Kaito, let's go before the guards see us."

The Dragon stepped away from the edge and said, his voice pitched away from Naoki, "You're right, I promised no more bloodshed."

Naoki listened as their footsteps receded, and did not risk expanding his own energy to track their progress. When he was sure they were gone, he resumed his search, using the halls and cutting through chambers instead. Using cloaking, he avoided guards and clung to the shadows. Men bearing blue armbands hunted in packs, murmuring to one another about Hikaru. They were looking for him. Naoki should give up this fool's errand and remove Hikaru from the palace. Then he heard shouts of the men.

"We've found the Kitsune!" Rokuro shouted.

The lieutenant held no love for Hikaru, or Rin. If he abandoned her now, her death would be on his conscience.

Cursing himself for his damn honor, Naoki slid in behind the men as they closed in around Rin. She was trapped in a garden, men in a half circle around her with blades drawn. Her eyes darted from one to the other as she backed up slowly. Naoki drew his blade. He would avoid spilling human blood if he could, but he had his orders.

Silent and unseen, he crept up behind the first man. His blade slid into his back before he had time to cry out, blood bubbling up to his lips. "I am sorry," he said as the man dropped to the ground. A second man saw the man drop dead; from their vantage point he would have died from a wound delivered by an invisible hand. He shouted, pointing at his brother in arms. As he lowered his sword to gawk, Naoki swung his blade across his gut. The man clutched at his wound; then a third and fourth turned, spinning in circles, looking for their unseen assailant.

"This is the Kitsune's power. Kill her before she kills us!" Rokuro shouted.

Rin watched him. She alone could see him as he swung and slashed, killing them with ease. As each man fell, he whispered their name. He knew each one, had drunk with them; Sadao's memories flooded him, weighing him down. Though the skin he wore was false, for a time he had shared their lives with them; he would never forget them. Last of all was Rokuro with his back to Naoki.

"You killed my brothers! Just like you killed Jun in the forest. I'll make you pay!" He raised his sword and ran towards her.

Rin looked away as Naoki swung his sword a final time and separated the man's head from his body. Humans were no match for his skill with the blade. It was not fair to them that they must die. Then he turned to the Kitsune. She faced him with composure, but he saw how her hands shook. He sheathed his blade as he took a step towards her. Then suddenly her eyes fluttered shut and she pitched forward, collapsing into his arms. "What would you have me do with her?" he asked the witch, who had crept up behind him. It was her spell that had put the Kitsune to sleep.

"Bring her to the young lord," the witch said.

He did not want to trust the witch. But even now with the blood of innocents on his hands, he wanted to save his beloved more. He had come this far, he could not turn back now.

"I know you're not going to let her go, why not take her?" he asked.

The witch smiled. "Because she still has a job to do for me. She must kill Hikaru."

c '}