He was worse.
“We are the Kai-dan. When things are broken, they should never be cast away. The cracks and scars add character. They become integral to our stories. Ryuichi is one of us. He’s our brother and part of our family. Kai-dan doesn’t abandon Kai-dan.”
Those words haunted Koichi. He, too, had forgotten their message. For too long he’d been on the sidelines. Hurting. Aching.
Absent.
No more.
Evil things were on the move to harm the innocent, and now it was time he taught his ragtag students how to defend themselves from the powers that had broken Koichi himself. How to battle the nightmares that were determined to bring them all down—not just in this world but the next.
If the gods want me back in this fight, fine. They have me.
Kicking and screaming. Probably bleeding too.
He just hoped that the students could appreciate the weight of what had fallen onto all their shoulders. The responsibility.
Koichi tried to wake Ryuichi, but it was useless, so he inclined his head to Ichiro. “Help your brother.”
Ichiro screwed his face up in distaste. “I don’t know what’s happening. Did we win?”
Koichi wasn’t sure how to answer that. “The demon we came to fight is dead. Yes.”
But they were going home with a whole new problem. Hopefully, this one wouldn’t try to destroy them.
Again.
Life... it was ever surprising. Never what anyone expected. And never once was it what Koichi had signed up for, even when he thought he knew what he was doing.
He definitely didn’t know what he was doing right now. Or even what he was really facing.
I picked a bad day to give away my sake.
But as he looked into the face of a boy who had no idea what was inside him, he was torn. This wasn’t the case of a yokai taking over someone. Using them.
This was a child born of an unholy union of some kind.
Maybe this was his own redemption. If he could save Ryuichi...
Maybe there was hope for him. Maybe he wasn’t what others thought of him.
And if you can’t?
Simple. They would all die.
CHAPTERSIX
“I told you to leave.”
Koichi ignored Hanzo’s distracted tone as he dumped the bundle in his arms down on the table in front of his former commander. The porcelain teapot and cup jingled and threatened to spill.
Furious, the old samurai shot to his feet, then froze as he realized who had dared such an affront.
Not that Koichi cared. He’d once dared a lot more than this. “I didn’t get your notice, Sunshine. Maybe you should pick a better messenger next time.”
Hanzo curled his lip. “What are you doing here? I thought you had a rock to crawl under and a bottle of sake to consume.”
“I did, and I was happy there. Sadly, you called me out and gave me a job and responsibility I didn’t want. I’m really resentful about it.” He gestured at the small lump in front of Hanzo, at their feet. Nothing could wake the boy. “Now I’m here for answers. And you’re going to explain some things for me.”
