Page 89 of Son of Shadows

Kokoro ni kizu. “Scar on the heart.” Koichi reached into the pouch under his shirt and pulled her heart out to show her. “See, this is proof that you are loveable.” He pointed to a place where there was a scar on the organ. “Only a person who feels as deeply as you could endure a wound as big as this one. You care about others, Haruki. So much that you push them away to protect yourself from grieving their loss.”

Haruki’s lower lip trembled. Koichi assumed that meant she knew he was being truthful.

“I don’t want to feel like this, Koichi. I want to be who I was.”

“Mean and nasty?”

She nodded. “I was better like that. Stronger.”

“No, you weren’t. Being cold and vicious all the time isn’t about strength. It’s about fear,” he said.

“Oh really? And what am I afraid of?”

“Not belonging. Not being accepted. But maybe people could get closer to you if you stopped trying to drive them away.”

“You stayed close to me,” Haruki said softly.

“Well, I didn’t have a choice.” He put her heart in her hand. “But I’m glad we were exiled together. After seeing your kindness, I’ve grown to care about you. A lot.”

“Really?” Haruki said, sniffling.

He nodded. “And I think you should put your heart where it belongs.”

When he started to hand it to her, she shook her head. “It already is where it belongs.”

“What?”

“In your hands. I’m giving it to you.”

Koichi didn’t know what to say. No one had ever given him their heart before.

Haruki returned her heart to his pouch. “You’re the only one I would ever trust it to.”

He couldn’t breathe at those words. He’d waited a lifetime to hear them, and they came from the last creature he’d ever expected.

Before he could stop himself, he closed his eyes and leaned forward to kiss Haruki.

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

That familiar voice made Koichi pull back instantly.

To his disgust, Haru stood over them with a devious smirk on his face. “Looks like I’m interrupting something.”

Yes, he was, and Koichi wanted to clobber him for it. But he restrained himself, considering that he didn’t have a weapon on him.

All he could do was glare at his heinous werewolf face.

“I hope this little date is worth the cruel punishment I have in store for you deserters,” Haru said menacingly.

Haruki wiped her tears with her right sleeve and stood up. “This isn’t Koichi’s fault. I left the boat without permission, and he just came to see if I was all right.”

Haru laughed. “Oh, isn’t that adorable. Although I have to say, I’m offended you chose this gross excuse for a human over me.” Without warning, the yōkai pulled a flintlock pistol from the sleeve of his kimono and pointed it at them. “Do you like it? Got this from a trader too. Real cheap. It doesn’t look like much, but the hole it can blow through you is quite impressive.”

Koichi moved slowly so he could put himself between the crazed yōkai and Haruki. Then a group of his henchmen appeared from behind Haru and threw a bound Ryuichi-kage at Koichi’s feet.

These bottom-feeders must have ambushed him while he was sleeping. Cowards.

Koichi hoped the shadow would use his powers to vanish, like he had earlier. But he was weak and trembling. The bold energy that lit him up was fading away.