* * *
It had been three days since they had left the Big Island for Oahu. Three days of tense waiting, watching the news nervously on updates on the erupting volcano. Hiei had alternately burned and froze, spending most of his time on the beach, Kurama a constant at his side. On the third day, word had come that the lava flow had mysteriously stopped; everyone hoped that it meant that Pele had finally given up.
Sumireina sat on an cropping of lava rock on the coast. The waves crashed, roaring up to pound against the immovable stone and sending up geysers of spray. Brisk trade winds stirred her hair, whipping it up around her face. Green eyes gazed unseeing out towards her home, unaware of the wild beauty around her.
******
"How much are you willing to pay?" The young man gave her an appraising look. "I haven't walked among the mortals in a long while. What makes you think I can handle Her?" Kamapua'a leaned closer, a familiar look in his eyes. "How are you going to make it worth my while?"
Sumi stood her ground. "Name your price."
The single word echoed through the cave, sounding like the toll of a bell. "You."
******
Sumireina shuddered. Kurama and Hiei had wandered off on their own, while the others were further down the beach; close, but Sumi had never felt more alone. She let her gaze move back in the direction of the Big Island and gasped.
Swimming deftly in and out of the coral reef was a huge tiger shark, easily more than twelve feet in length. Closer and closer it came, until the reef barred it from getting any nearer to where the blond youko was sitting. It raised its head, staring at her with cold blue eyes, and for a moment, Sumi saw the image of her brother super-imposed on the shark, his lips moving. *Yakusoku shita.* Then, in the blink of an eye, the huge predator was gone, simply vanishing without a trace.
Sumireina smiled, tears streaming from her eyes. "Oniisan," she whispered. Suren had come back to watch over her, like he had when they were young thieves in the Makai. The ocarina around her neck gleamed a rich brown as she studied it. Lifting it to her lips, she began to play, remembering the good times with Suren as the crystal notes burned the bad memories away.
It had been three days since they had left the Big Island for Oahu. Three days of tense waiting, watching the news nervously on updates on the erupting volcano. Hiei had alternately burned and froze, spending most of his time on the beach, Kurama a constant at his side. On the third day, word had come that the lava flow had mysteriously stopped; everyone hoped that it meant that Pele had finally given up.
Sumireina sat on an cropping of lava rock on the coast. The waves crashed, roaring up to pound against the immovable stone and sending up geysers of spray. Brisk trade winds stirred her hair, whipping it up around her face. Green eyes gazed unseeing out towards her home, unaware of the wild beauty around her.
******
"How much are you willing to pay?" The young man gave her an appraising look. "I haven't walked among the mortals in a long while. What makes you think I can handle Her?" Kamapua'a leaned closer, a familiar look in his eyes. "How are you going to make it worth my while?"
Sumi stood her ground. "Name your price."
The single word echoed through the cave, sounding like the toll of a bell. "You."
******
Sumireina shuddered. Kurama and Hiei had wandered off on their own, while the others were further down the beach; close, but Sumi had never felt more alone. She let her gaze move back in the direction of the Big Island and gasped.
Swimming deftly in and out of the coral reef was a huge tiger shark, easily more than twelve feet in length. Closer and closer it came, until the reef barred it from getting any nearer to where the blond youko was sitting. It raised its head, staring at her with cold blue eyes, and for a moment, Sumi saw the image of her brother super-imposed on the shark, his lips moving. *Yakusoku shita.* Then, in the blink of an eye, the huge predator was gone, simply vanishing without a trace.
Sumireina smiled, tears streaming from her eyes. "Oniisan," she whispered. Suren had come back to watch over her, like he had when they were young thieves in the Makai. The ocarina around her neck gleamed a rich brown as she studied it. Lifting it to her lips, she began to play, remembering the good times with Suren as the crystal notes burned the bad memories away.