He had nothing else. They were the only family he’d ever known. His mind whispered that they weren’t worthy. That they had betrayed their oaths and honor.
This time he didn’t listen. For all their faults, they were family. And he would fight for his family.
“Get off me!” He shoved at the shadow beast that was trying to seize him. It had the worst breath he’d ever smelled. Teeth that were sharper than a tengu’s. Eyes so white they glowed.
“What are you?” he asked.
Without answering, it hissed and again tried to seize him.
Koichi grabbed the creature by its neck and yanked it back. “Let him go!”
“No!” it cried. “I must have him. I must.”
“The only thing you must have is a bath. Preferably sooner rather than later. Seriously... do you melt in water?” Koichi choked on the stench.
Ryuichi rolled his eyes at his teacher’s humor. “If he does, please toss him in some.”
Keiko grabbed Ryuichi by the arm and pulled him free. She ran with him, away from the creature.
“Hey!” Koichi called. “You forgot something... me!”
“You’re doing well. Keep up the good work.”
The last thing Ryuichi heard was Koichi saying, “I hate you.”
As they rounded the corner, Ryuichi skidded to a stop. So did Keiko. For there in the darkness was the last thing he’d expected to see.
“Takara?”
She turned to face them. Relief spread across her face as soon as she saw him. “Ryuichi?”
And she wasn’t alone. Every single friend he’d thought about was with her. How could this be? Had his thoughts manifested them?
The only one missing was Masaru.
Completely flabbergasted, he turned to Keiko. “How can they be here?”
“I have no idea.”
“You did it.” Masaru came out of the shadows nearest him. “It’s your powers, kid. You summoned their shadows here.” He glanced to where Koichi was still fighting. “Not sure I’d tell that to Koichi though.”
Ryuichi scowled. “I don’t understand.”
Keiko covered her mouth with her hand. “What have we done?”
“We broke the seal on this realm.” Masaru handed her a medallion. “The big guy knows that he’s here, and he wants his son. I’ll distract Ryukage, but you have to reunite Ryuichi’s soul before Ryukage finds him and gets loose.”
“What if I can’t?”
Masaru smirked. “Ryukage wins. That would be bad.”
Looking around with a confused scowl, Mikito stepped forward. “How did we get here?”
Toshi shook his head. “The important question is how do we get home?”
Pointing past them, Kato widened his eyes. “You’re both wrong. The question is, what arethose? And how do we fight them?”
Large, hairless dogs with four heads were running toward them. They had beaks like birds, six legs, and talons for feet. As large as horses, they looked absolutely terrifying. The last thing Ryuichi wanted was to find out how strong they were. Or how hard they bit. Or hit.
