Page 90 of Son of Shadows

And Koichi knew exactly why.

He’d been apart from Ryuichi for far too long.

Koichi swallowed hard, thinking of what might be happening to Ryuichi, wherever he was.

“I can’t believe I didn’t put this together earlier, but I realized while you were working today that this boy looks a lot like the Ryukage’s son,” Haru said, circling Koichi with the pistol. “Then I remembered hearing from someone in Kagemura about how that lad had a shadow that had become separated from him. And bam—it all made sense.”

Haru winked at Haruki, who had gone even paler than her hair. Koichi still had her heart, and it was back to beating wildly. Would she use some of her magic to help them all escape? He should have asked her before if losing her heart had affected her powers.

But no. He had to try and romance her instead of getting that important information.

“Now, I like you, Koichi. I really do. But I can’t blow up the Ryukage with some of his loyalists sneaking about, ready to warn him. You know how it is. Can never be too careful. Regicide’s a dangerous business. So let’s make this quick.”

Haru cocked the hammer of the gun back and shot Koichi in the gut.

Pain exploded through his entire body as metal pierced his abdomen. Immediately, Koichi covered his bleeding belly with his hands and collapsed on the ground with a thud.

Haruki screamed. “No!” She rushed to Koichi’s side, throwing herself on top of him to protect him.

Haru put his gun away and bowed to Koichi. “Thank you for your service. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Now, I’ve got a permanent vacation to plan. The payout for killing the Ryukage is going to make me a rich, rich yōkai.”

Snapping his fingers for his henchmen to follow, Haru and the others left them as Koichi bled out all over the cave floor.

Haruki was sobbing. “No, Koichi, no! Please don’t die.”

Koichi could tell what a fatal blow felt like. Not that he’d had one before. He wouldn’t be here if he had, but there was a finality to this blow. A sense that he couldn’t fight it, no matter how hard he tried. He’d never experienced this sensation with any other injury.

Plus, Haruki was showering him with affection—and apologies.

“I’m sorry I didn’t stop him. My magic has been so unpredictable. It has been ever since we came back to the spirit world,” she explained. “I’m so, so sorry. Forgive me.”

I’m dead, for sure.

All those mistakes he’d made. He’d never be able to correct them.

And why was it that death came for him when he finally started to do the right thing? When he’d finally found a family that would have him. One that he wanted.

Life was so unfair.

Haruki shook him. “Stay with me, Koichi. You can’t die. You hear me? Not now. Please, don’t leave me alone.”

Koichi forced a pained smile. “I’ll try not to let you down next time.”

He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth.

As for Ryuichi-kage, Koichi turned his head and saw him, languishing on the ground. “Haru is going to blow the cave,” he said, his voice strained and hollow. “If we don’t get out of here and away from this island, we’re all going to die.”

“What do you want me to do?” Haruki snapped. “If my powers worked, I would have used them by now. Besides, Haru has the only boat.”

Ryuichi-kage closed his eyes, like he was accepting his abysmal fate at the same time Koichi did.

None of them were going to make it out of here. Not in time.

Koichi’s limbs were now numb. Death was upon him, and he didn’t want to fight it anymore.

“Drink.”

A shinigami had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a bottle in his hand. Koichi figured the creature was most likely here to take him to eternity.