More Shoma kids losing control of their spirits...whoo! Includes fire and destruction!

Disclaimer: FB belongs to Natsuki Takaya, and anything else you may recognize is also not mine.

Chapter 16

Hotohori

At last. I was leaving the Zhuruths. Despite the slight, constant sensation of heat remaining in my chest, I had never felt better. No more listening to rich blowhards, no more Mother and her "Stop whining," no more evil, slutty older sister, no more perfect oldest sister, no more indifferent, spineless Father following Mother's lead in berating me. Now I would walk to Mhagenu, meet Kho, Haku and Hatsuharu as they left school for dismissal, and move into the Shoma complex. Granted, I had my misgivings about going to Haku and Hatsuharu's home; I'd heard nothing about it from them and it gave me a bad feeling. But I was leaving the Zhuruths!

I managed a little swing to the suitcase I carried, as well as my school bag with all my books. The rest of my possessions would be sent to the Shoma house later. I'd have a lot to catch up on—I'd missed a week and half thanks to this miserable attack. And with the exams coming up! Well, I could worry about that later. Right now I basked in the sunlight and reveled in my new freedom.

Earlier that morning, at breakfast, Mother told me to pack a suitcase and my schoolbooks.

"You're leaving today," she announced. "You won't be staying with us anymore. You'll move to the Shoma compound, where you'll live from now on. We'll send the rest of your things later."

"All right," I replied coolly as my insides rejoiced. A rational voice said, Find out more. "Why?"

"As you know, we're only your foster family. The head of the Shoma family put us in charge of you, with the expectation that you would return to the family when he decided. He gave us a handsome monetary compensation." Typical of Mother to focus on the money. "Three days ago we received the summons, but you were too weak to leave right away."

"I'm really a Shoma?" Admittedly, that came as a surprise.

"So it seems. I wouldn't know, nor do I particularly care." She sipped her cocoa.

"Does that mean my friends Haku and Hatsuharu will be there as well?"

"Haku and who? Oh, those worthless boys you spend time with. Yes, they're the head's official wards, but that's all I know."

Not another word had been spoken between us that day. I'd done my packing, and when I left, I only bowed stiffly to Mother and Father and said, "I thank you for caring for me." Mother just nodded curtly and Father did the same absentmindedly. Then the door closed behind me.

By the time I reached Mhagenu's front steps, I was breathing hard from the walk. My full strength still hadn't returned. I rested on one of the low walls enclosing the steps and awaited the flood of students departing for the day. The front doors began opening, and soon enough I spotted a mop of white hair on a tall boy.

"Hatsuharu!" I called with as much breath as I could muster. Luckily he heard.

"Tori!" he yelled back, waving. Weaving through the crowd, he came to my wall. Haku followed quickly.

"Tori, it's so good to see you again," Haku said, hugging me in a rare display of affection reserved only for his closest friends. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm much better, although I'm still a little weak and my lungs still hurt a little, but nothing like before." I smiled.

"What's with the suitcase? Oh," asked Haku, suddenly tensing, his eyes searching my face.

"I was summoned by the head of the Shoma family, so I'm moving to the compound now." I didn't know how much they knew of the whole business.

"Hm-mm," was all Hatsuharu said as his face similarly stiffened. The misgivings I'd stifled earlier started creeping back ominously.

"How much do you know about the Shomas, Tori?" Haku asked, almost gingerly.

"Nothing, really, you haven't told me much about your family."

Hatsuharu glanced sideways at Haku, and sighed, "We have a lot of explaining to do. The family chauffeur will be here any second. I'll take those bags for you."

"Can I see Kho first?" I'd gotten anxious as time passed and he didn't show. Normally he was never far from our side.

"Kho's also been removed to the Shoma complex," Haku said. "He's been very sick the last few days. That storm a couple of days ago, something scared him and he left his home without a coat on. Somehow he made his way to the complex."

"I knew it! That idiot!"

"Tori," Haku waved his hand, trying to calm me down, "he's in good hands, In fact, he's mending now. He's still a wreck, but he will get better, okay?"

A horn honked. Hatsuharu grabbed both of my bags and led me to the waiting car. It was very elegant—the kind of oversized, richly furnished sedan only a wealthy family could afford. I settled into the lush leather seat, and the boys sat across from me.

Hatsuharu

Truthfully, I wasn't happy that Tori was joining us now. She was a girl, Asheno was a man, and well, he could have ideas. If the expression in his eyes were any indication, Haku was worrying about the same thing. How could we possibly start telling her about Asheno? The curse? Kho? The ghost wolf? Everything that had happened?

Damn, I cursed to myself, I was so busy that I forgot to think about how to deal with Tori coming. Well, I had to start somewhere.

"Tori," I began slowly, "there's a lot that Haku and I have to discuss with you." Haku nodded in agreement. Tori looked at me; once again I wished she didn't have to get involved, like Lhurone, Kho, or everyone who'd run into Asheno.

"First, our guardian—the head of the family—is named Asheno." Best to give her a general warning first. Haku and I could explain the specifics later. "He has serious mental problems. Be careful around him."

"Actually, you shouldn't be alone with him," Haku jumped in. "We'll stick by you as much as we can."

"What's wrong with the man?" asked Tori, alarmed.

I looked at Haku for direction on where to go next. He took a deep breath.

"It has to do with a major family secret," he whispered, so the chauffeur couldn't hear. Tori had to lean forward. "You, me, Hatsuharu and Kho are all affected, as is another boy named Lhurone, who's also just come to the house, like you and Kho. More about Lhurone later. This secret—"

"We've arrived, sires," announced the chauffeur as he pulled into the gateway. The massive metal gates shut behind us with a bang as he drove on. Rhena came out, presumably because Asheno told her Tori would be arriving. We'd have to save further explanations for later.

Rhena smashed Tori into her plentiful bosom as Tori stepped out of the car. "You ARE as gorgeous as I thought you'd be! And so tall, too! Come, dearie, we'll get you all settled in. Haku, Hatsuharu, help us with her things." Tori almost fell.

"Rhena, she's still weak from illness," I reminded her, supporting Tori. "She also doesn't know anything yet, except that Kho and Lhurone are here," I added.

"Well, then, we must slap her into bed right away," Rhena declared. We went inside the main house.

Slapping her head, Rhena cried, "Oh, I forgot to have a room made up! How shameful of me! I'm so sorry, dearie, I'll take care of it right away!" With her usual gusto, she ran off into the servants' area, leaving us alone in the front parlor.

"I'm going to check on Asheno," Haku said, moving towards Asheno's wing.

I went to help the chauffeur with the bags, turning my back to Tori.

Hotohori

I paid no attention to the complex as I entered it for the first time. Instead, Kho occupied my thoughts. I wanted to see him, make sure he really was in good hands, although if Haku and Hatsuharu said so, I should believe them. But still, I wanted to see with my own eyes. Then this whole business about Asheno and the secret—that had me nervous. Next, I'd been practically smothered by a chubby housekeeper, who prattled about how gorgeous I'd turned out, just as she'd thought. I had absolutely no recollection of having met her before, and she herded me inside the house.

A burst of pain exploded through my right side. I didn't even have time to think, "Oh, no" before the same thing happened on the left. This time was different from all the previous attacks. The fat woman went off somewhere, and Haku and Hatsuharu turned away for whatever reason.

The pain intensified to the point where I felt disembodied, and walked like a sleepwalker. I instinctively knew where to go—some ancient, long-forgotten invisible presence urging me towards fresh air, the outdoors. A silver-haired figure stood in a doorway to my right, gesticulating, but it did not matter now. I heard nothing but the roaring in my ears, saw nothing except my path outdoors, felt nothing but the churning and burning in my lungs, smelt nothing but smoking cinders and rotting flesh.

Something grabbed my arm but I shook it off. Nothing could stop me now. I stood outside at last. In front of me stood a fountain. Water, my long-time enemy. As a child, I had never been able to bear swimming, and I only took the briefest of baths. I sank to my knees on the wooden floor. I smiled. With a sense of relief I released the fire that had been imprisoned for too long in my body.

"Tori!" Khosure yelled. He'd managed to drag himself out of bed, but Hotohori just walked by with a queer expression, almost like rapture. Suddenly he became afraid, but he'd sapped his strength walking to the doorway.

Hatsuharu had dropped the bags and tried to grab Hotohori's arms. But she shrugged him off. Haku came running, only to have Hatsuharu restrain him. The three boys followed behind Hotohori, to the wooden porch that formed the main entrance to the gardens. Khosure supported himself against a window frame, watching from the inside as Hotohori collapsed onto the porch.

"Tori, are you—" Haku was cut off by a tremendous roaring sound. A plume of searing fire erupted from Hotohori's mouth, sailing for fifty feet before destroying the water fountain, which had not yet been turned on for the season. Only a pathetic, ashy black stump remained. A sickly smell of sulfur and smoke permeated the air, making Haku nearly faint and Hatsuharu gag. Black smoke curled out of Hotohori's flaring nostrils and gaping mouth. Hotohori stood up, broke into a staggering run.

She collapsed again near the smoking ruins of the fountain. Even in his weakened state and the distance between them, Khosure could see Hotohori's eyes began to shift shape and dark red scales forming on her arms. Ripping cloth could be heard as her body morphed its shape from a human to the enormous, 75-ft long, undulated body of a four-legged, winged dragon. The dragon's underside glowed with lustrous dark wine-red scales, while the upper scales glimmered with a lighter blood-red color. The jade green eyes stood in stark contrast to the melody of reds that rippled in the light. The expansive, powerful wings were a softer, more transparent pink. The powerful, 40-ft tail whirled through the air and uprooted a fir tree that had stood for two hundred years. Muscular limbs dug dangerous claws into the dirt. The long, graceful neck wheeled back to look at the humans staring agape.

Asheno observed the entire scene from behind a curtain in his rooms.

"Hotohori, indeed," he muttered, completely overwhelmed. The scarlet dragon, in all its glory.