I shook my head. “You don’t have to, Tora. Your giving the blood is enough.”
Hiro frowned. “Your mother always said something. She should say something too.”
I sighed.
“Then, I’ll say something.” She took a breath. Her eyes locked on mine, and I saw everything in them. The fear. The love. The desperate hope that I would come back to her.
"I love you, Kenji." Her voice was steady despite the tremor I could see in her hands. "And I want you to stay safe, and don't be reckless. If it's too much, if it's too hard, if it's a trap—get the fuck out of there. Come back to me."
The words warmed my heart. “I will, Tora.”
“I wish you all the protection in the world and that your enemies die by your hands today.” She pressed her finger to the top of my gun.
Hiro smiled.
The blood smeared across the silver in a thin red line. She dragged her finger from the barrel to the grip, leaving a trail that glistened wetly in the light.
Then she moved to the second gun and did the same.
“Perfect, Tora.”
When she pulled her hand back, I went over and took the guns from the servants. The metal was cool in my palms, and I looked down at the blood on top of them.
It was darker now.
Already starting to oxidize.
The red turned deeper. Richer. It sat on the silver like a brand, and I could see every detail. The way it pooled slightly at the edges. The way it caught the light.
She stepped back.
“Thank you.” Smiling, I brought the first gun close to my mouth and blew on it. My breath disturbed the surface of the blood, and I watched it ripple.
I blew again.
Softer this time.
Drying the blood and sealing it.
And I felt the power in this moment.
The power of love.
The power of protection.
Nyomi's blood on my guns meant that a piece of her was going with me into the Yoshiwara Depths. A piece of her would be there when I pulled the trigger. A piece of her would help me come home.
Hiro stepped forward, handed his guns to the servants, and looked at his guns. "I'm next."
“Okay.” Nyomi put her gaze on his guns. "You're my brother and I love you too."
Hiro's head snapped up, and he looked at her like she'd just handed him every treasure he ever desired.
"Hiro. . .just like Kenji. . .I need you to be just as safe. I want you, Kenji, and Reo to have each other's backs. Y'all are important to me. It will break my heart if anything happened to you three.” Her bottom lip quivered. “Please come back safely. Again, do not be reckless. I'm cooking for you tonight. Don't forget about dinner."
Hiro's smile was softer than I'd ever seen it. "I'll never miss that dinner party for the world. You understand me? Even if I become a ghost."
Nyomi's eyes narrowed. "You're not coming as a ghost. You're coming as a human being. Bring your ass back."
