My chest ached.
“But I still have so many questions.”
“Me too.”
She chuckled. “You’re the one that has the answers.”
“I don’t know about that, Tora. The last time my mother talked about it. . .I was young. After a while. . .she stopped bringing it up. My father didn’t like it, and when others would hear. . .they would whisper about how she was going insane.”
“That’s messed up.”
“It was. I wish I could have protected her from things like that but. . .” I shook my head.
"You were young and figuring out your place in this world too. . .”
“Maybe.” Still, guilt rose within me.
Mom could really see a shadow beast, and now my Tiger sees it.
Nyomi’s eyes burned with curiosity. "What did your mother tell you about this?"
I took a breath, let it out slow, and reached for the sake bottle. My nerves frazzled a little.
I poured us both fresh cups, handed her one, and took a long sip of my own.
Then I set the cup down and leaned forward. “So. . .what I remember is the history of her family.”
“Okay.” Nyomi didn’t even sip from her cup. “Could you tell me about it?”
"Long before my family were yakuza," I began, tracing a shape on the table with my finger. A long, curved line that turned into a blade. "Before we were even samurai, we were something else."
Nyomi leaned in. “Okay.”
"My mother's clan—they were calledShinigamiHunters." I drew another line with my fingertip and crossed the first.
“What are Shinigami hunters?”
I spread my hands flat on the table. "In the old stories, there were spirits that walked between worlds. Some of them were protectors. Guardians of balance. But others. . .others were demons.Oni.Creatures that fed on fear, pain, and death."
Her eyes went wide.
"The villages had no defense against oni. Farmers couldn't fight demons. Priests could only pray. So the gods chose warriors." I pressed my palm against the table’s surface. "They found humans with the strongest spirits. The fiercest hearts. And they bonded them with guardian animals."
"Bonded them?"
"Fused them." I lifted my hand and spread my fingers wide. "The animal spirit merged with the human soul, becoming part of them. Making them inseparable." I closed my fist slowly. "So. . .at least according to my mother. . .the shadow you seeis that spirit. That guardian. It's been passed down through my mother's bloodline for generations."
Nyomi's breath caught. "So the dragon. . ."
"Is part of me. Has always been part of me." I touched my chest. "My mother said it's made from a piece of her soul. And her mother's before that. And hers before that. All the way back to the first hunter who was chosen." I moved my hands as I spoke, painting pictures in the air between us. "The Shinigami Hunters became legends. They traveled from village to village, destroying oni, protecting the innocent. They were feared and revered. Some villages worshipped them. Others tried to kill them out of jealousy."
I paused, but not because I'd run out of story. It was due to the fact that Nyomi was looking at me in a way no one ever had. And for a moment—one stupid, helpless moment—I forgot what I was saying.
Fuck. How did I get so lucky to meet her?
I cleared my throat. "But the hunters couldn't be stopped. Not as long as the shadows walked with them."
Nyomi was transfixed. Her lips parted. Her body leaning toward me like a flower toward sunlight. “Holy shit.”
