Part 2: Akuma Returns
"There is a spell," Haku began. "Shika mentioned it to you before, I believe. With enough of a person's essence and the right kind of magic, you can become that person. You can take control of your target's identity. Father and I have been waiting for something like this to happen. Akuma has my scale - the one that we never found last spring. Maybe he was biding his time and waiting for the right moment, or maybe the spell has just taken this long to set up - it's a complicated one, as you might imagine. Either way, around a week ago, Father sensed him off the coast of Sapporo, heading south. Or, more precisely, Father sensed me, except that I was with him at the time, at the palace. Akuma used my scale to become me. He now controls the spring at Swamp Bottom. He owns my body, my dragon form, leaving me human, and mortal."
"So I fled. There's nothing I can do as a human against him." Haku grimaced. "Father put a protective spell on me to keep the pressure changes from killing me before I got to the shore, and to help me breathe. Still, I almost drowned. I woke up in Toyama Bay, stole some clothes, and came here to find you. And here I am."
"But won't they know it's not really you? The court, I mean. And the other spirits. They know you," Chihiro said.
"Maybe some of them will," Haku said. "My father knows. I'm sure Akuma will want to keep his identity hidden for as long as he can. But even if they find out, most of them won't care. They'll say I was reckless, and they'll be right. For all intents and purposes, I'm no longer Nigihayami Kohakunushi. Akuma is, and they'll treat him as such. He's technically the prince now. Why would they care what some human says about the matter?"
"No," Chihiro said. "You are still you. Even if you're human. You are not only what you look like, or what powers you have, but what you choose to do with what you have."
"Father believes the same thing. He was something of a renegade, before he was the King." He ran a hand through his shortened hair with a rueful smile. "To be honest, I was so relieved when you recognized me."
"How could I not?" Chihiro demanded.
"I feel so different," Haku said.
"You look different," Chihiro said. "But you sound exactly the same. It's not exactly the first time you've completely changed your appearance. I'm almost used to it by now." She laughed. "I'd say this is less drastic than growing up. It's just the hair, isn't it? And the clothes. And the tan. That's more disconcerting than anything else."
Haku laughed too. "It feels worse than it looks, then. Mosquito bites, for one thing. How do you get through having such thin skin? And you humans can't smell anything." His smile faded, and he lowered his voice. "This physicality, that's the most frustrating thing. I've been stuck in flesh body for last ten years. I thought I was finally free. And now, I can't even fly." He gritted his teeth.
Chihiro put a hand on his arm. "So. What are we going to do?"
"I don't think there's anything we can do," Haku said. "Even if we could reach the palace, which is more than three kilometers below the surface, where Akuma no doubt is by now, I don't know of any way to reverse the spell."
"There must be some way," Chihiro said. Even if you don't know what it is, someone is sure to."
"Perhaps. But I'm in hiding again. No doubt Akuma will be looking to kill me, so he can secure the throne."
"Is that why you didn't want me to tell Risuni you were here? Because you don't want her to find out?" Chihiro said. "We can trust her, and you can't do this alone."
"Yes. I know." Haku said. "And we're going to need Shika's help, and others as well. But I wanted to wait until you understood the situation first."
"Can I call her now?" Chihiro asked wryly. "I'm sure she's worried."
"Before you do, there is one other thing."
"What is it?"
"I have the Dragon Pearl."
Chihiro looked alarmed. "The tide-jewels? They're here?"
"It's actually only one jewel, not two. It has two faces. And yes, it's here." He paused. "How much do you know about the Pearl?"
She shook her head. "Not much. They… I mean, it… is only mentioned in a few legends, and never in any real detail. But everyone recognizes it. Almost any picture of a dragon includes the Pearl."
Haku nodded. "That's understandable. The Pearl hasn't left the palace in over a thousand years. Any true stories about it would have needed to survive at least that long. The Pearl was a gift from Amaterasu to the first Dragon King. It is the source of his authority. When the King chooses to use the Pearl, the target of its power must obey. That's why it's critical that the King does not abuse his power, and why there are so many limitations on what the King may choose to do. Father tries not to use it if he can help it. But he had to, to banish Akuma from Mount Mazama last spring. Without it, a dragon is no match for a god, as you saw." Haku smiled sardonically. "There have been many attempts to steal the Pearl over the millennia, and very few successes. The Pearl will kill anyone who touches it for the first time, unless that person is of the royal family."
"How does anyone steal it, then, if they die when they touch it?" Chihiro asked.
"Usually it's a lower prince who decides to betray the King," Haku replied. "Only once was it someone outside the family. That time, a nine-tailed fox lost a life to the Pearl, and then took it, leaving a tail behind." He shook his head. "The problem is, Akuma is royal now. The Pearl would not defend itself against him. And if he is crowned, he would have the right to wield it. Father gave it to me for safekeeping, to keep it away from him. But without it, Father has no power over Akuma. It would be best to get it back before Akuma realizes that it's gone."
Chihiro let out a long breath. "I'll call Risuni. If she doesn't know where to start, at least she'll know who to ask." She looked Haku up and down. "Meanwhile, though, let's get you some clothes that fit, and maybe a haircut, so you blend in with your fellow humans more. And dinner." She pulled out her phone, and for the second time that day, hit the speed dial.
Haku sighed. There was no doubt that they needed to move, and soon. So much depended on it. Yet it was a pity. There had been a moment there, where they had been two normal people. It had been so luxurious. Haku could count the number of such moments they'd had on one hand. The flight back to the bathhouse from Swamp Bottom, years ago. That evening at the library. The walk in the rain after he bowed out of a state dinner. And now, eating ice cream together. Such moments had to be stolen, he decided, and savored. Who knew when the next respite would be? And there had been that strange feeling like excitement, or like a fierce wanting, that made his body respond as if he had run a great distance, with shaking and shortened breath and warmth. Before he'd had a chance to understand it, though, the feeling had been banished by necessity. The physical response had faded along with the emotion.
The strangest thing was, he had liked it.
A/N: Guys, this draft is so rough. And I'm sorry. There's no helping it. I have no idea what's going to happen next (okay I have very little idea) and so I have no idea what revisions need to be made xD But there WILL BE REVISIONS. Some day.
