“As I said,” he said, looking at me, and if anything he just seemed annoyed. “Your attacks will not hurt me. The cursed sun goddess saw to that.” He snorted. “It’s funny, in a way,” he added, turning back to look at Shota and Raiden, who had done little more than disentangle themselves. “By cursing me, she has ensured theirdestruction.”
“That may be true,” Raiden growled, finally getting to his feet. “But I still have totry.”
Shota nodded, his hands outstretched as he tried to summon fire. It snapped and popped around his palms and fingers, but Kai merelylaughed.
“Should I let you strike me just to prove how weak you are?” He spread his arms wide, giving his chest. “Go on. Hit me with everything you have.” His lips curled into a satisfied smile. “And when you have exhausted every last effort, I will break your legs so that you can only crawl like the treacherous dogs you bothare.”
“Stop!” I threw up my hands as I stepped between them. I might not be able to hurt Kai, but I still couldn’t let him hurt Shota or Raiden. “Don’t you want to be free,Kai?”
His eyes flicked to me, and his featuressoftened.
“Aika, what areyou—”
I cut off Shota’s words with a wave of one hand as I met Kai’sgaze.
“Well?” I raised an eyebrow at the darkshaman.
“I do.” He nodded once, voice strained withemotion.
“So how do you expect us to set you free?” I put my hands on my hips. “You are a tool of Amatsu Mikaboshi. If we free you, what is to stop you from draining the power from every last shaman and allowing Amatsu Mikaboshi to take over theworld?”
Kai looked as though I’d struck him in the face. “Is that why you thought I brought youhere?”
I put my hands on my hips. “Is there anotherreason?”
“I do not wish for Amatsu Mikaboshi to rule the world.” Kai finally lowered his sword. “I brought you here to help me break Amaterasu’s curse,” he added quietly, his voice tinged with sadness. “You’re the only one who canhelp.”
The moonbeam in my hand remained still, telling me that Kai spoke thetruth.
“Are you nuts? Why would I help you?” I asked, even as I started to feel sympathetic for him. “You’ve hurt and killed so many innocentpeople.”
“Yes, and now I’m trying to atone for that,” Kai said desperately. “Didn’t you see the shrine I made to Amaterasu? And all the flowers I left foryou?”
“You think flowers are enough to make up for all the damage you’ve done?” I asked incredulously. “You kidnapped mymother!”
“You don’t understand…” Kai sheathed hiskatanaand moved toward me. “I just…” His throat bobbed, and he reached out and took my hands in his. “The only way to break the curse is for the two of us to marry. Please, Fumiko.” He got down on his knees. “Take me as your husband, just as we were meant to do all those years ago. The gods will take that as a sign that you have forgiven me, and I will finally be free ofAmatsu.”
Raiden let out an incredulous laugh, and the sound of it wrenched my gaze away fromKai.
“Are you kidding me?” he snarled, hands clenched into a white-knuckled grip on his dragon blade. “You think that forcing Aika to marry you by holding her mother hostage will motivate Amaterasu to break the curse?” He shook his head. “You really haven’t learned anything atall.”
“Be silent!” Kai snapped, his eyes flaring with anger again. “You shouldn’t even be here,Haruki.”
“No, he’s right.” I tugged my hands free from Kai’s, stepping back. “You’ve done evil things, Kai. Even if I did marry you, it wouldn’t be enough to absolveyou.”
“And you’re still draining shamans,” Shota added, nodding his head toward the way we’d come. “If we hadn’t saved them, they’d all be deadnow.”
“I didn’t drain those shamans,” Kai protested, his eyes flicking between the three of us. “Amatsu did. And I haven’t hurt your mother at all. She’s been well taken care of. I didn’t even put her in the dungeon with all theothers.”
“My mother is dying from an incurable disease!” I snapped. “You put her in danger just by taking her!” I glanced toward where my mother was still sitting, and my stomach dropped at the sight of her shivering, clutching her arms around her body. “If I really was Fumiko, I don’t know how I could have ever trustedyou.”
Kai’s eyes flickered, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. “Ogama,” he snapped. The giant frog appeared at his side in a puff of purple smoke. “Take Fumiko’s mother back to herhome.”
“No!” my mom cried, reaching for me. But it was too late—theogamapounced on her, and the two of them disappeared in another puff ofsmoke.
“There,” Kai said, a satisfied look on his face. “Your mother is out of danger. I no longer hold any leverage overyou.”
“You mean except for the fact that you won’t let her leave,” Shota said dryly. “Real class act, youare.”
