Sword Kissed Read online

  Who says I’m not…

  For the first time, the voice answered back.

  “Who are you?” Akari asked, this time more audibly. Takeo shot her a look, but she ignored him.

  I am she…

  “She?” Akari asked. “She who?”

  Where the nightbloom grow

  Is where my heart will find you

  She waits there also…

  Akari gasped. “She” was Chiyoko. She racked her brain trying to understand what was happening. If the woman speaking to her was Chiyoko and the smoke demon terrorizing the world was also Chiyoko…what did that mean? What was happening?

  “Akari,” Takeo yelled. “What are you doing? What’s wrong? Look!”

  Akari turned back to the smoke demon Chiyoko. She was smaller now, breathing hard, as if she was growing angry. But why? She held the advantage. Akari gripped her sword tightly.

  Sakura…

  A slight breeze blew. Cherry blossoms drifted over her feet and toward Chiyoko.

  “S…sakura,” Akari called out. Chiyoko froze and narrowed her gaze.

  “Sakura! Sakura,” Akari yelled again. “Blossoms on the trees, blossoms in the sky…”

  Chiyoko screamed at Akari in anger, but she also got a little smaller.

  “What is happening?” Takeo asked. Akari had no answer for him, but she kept going.

  “Are you a human,” she sang, “or are you a fairy? Sakura, sakura of mine…”

  Chiyoko took in another deep breath, and even more of the demons flew past their heads as she sucked them in. But even as she sucked in more of the evil, she grew smaller.

  “Sakura, sakura,” Akari sang again. This time, Takeo joined her.

  “Blossoms on the trees, blossoms in the sky,” they sang.

  Yoshimi twisted and struggled. She broke free and ran to Akari.

  “What is happening?” she asked as they embraced.

  “I have no idea,” Akari said, but she grabbed Takeo’s hand and put it on Yoshimi’s arm. “Get her out of here!”

  He nodded and ran away at full speed, holding Yoshimi’s arm tightly.

  Akari then took Kaya’s hand. “Sing with me,” she said.

  Kaya nodded to Akari, then to the rest of the Sword Kissed.

  “Sakura, sakura

  Blossoms on the trees

  Blossoms in the sky

  Are you a human

  Or are you a fairy?

  Sakura, sakura of mine…”

  They all sang together.

  Chiyoko screamed again. She was in so much pain, Akari felt her own heart break for her. Chiyoko continued to suck in the evil, shrinking smaller and smaller until she collapsed.

  Everyone stopped singing, confused. Where the demon Chiyoko once stood, threatening them all with death and destruction, there now laid the body of a woman.

  “Akari,” Kaya said, pushing her toward Chiyoko. “Now is your chance! While she’s down!”

  Akari stepped up to Chiyoko, but she did not attack. “Chiyoko?” she called.

  She couldn’t help but gasp when Chiyoko slowly raised her head. Even though she had seen her own face on Chiyoko many times by now, seeing her in a body her own shape and size was jarring.

  “Akari…” Chiyoko moaned. She dragged herself up to stand on wobbly legs.

  “Chiyoko?” Akari asked.

  “It’s me,” Chiyoko said. “The real me. Rasha’s daughter. You called me back…for now. But we don’t have much time.”

  “What do you mean?” Akari asked. “What’s going on?”

  “As I absorbed the evil, it was as though I was ripped in two,” Chiyoko said. “I became two people: myself and the Chiyoko who had absorbed the evil. You called me back, but I am so weak. I cannot…cannot contain her for long.”

  Chiyoko opened her robe. She revealed that her chest, her heart, was burning like fire.

  “Do it, Akari,” she said. “Use my sword—our sword—and kill me. Kill her. Destroy the evil that has been plaguing the world.”

  “No,” Akari said. “I can’t. You’ll die, too!”

  “I sacrificed myself for this world centuries ago,” Chiyoko said. “And I would do it again and again. I love this world. I begged Mother to bury me here. Do it! Don’t let my demon self rise!”

  “Do it, Akari,” Takeo yelled.

  Akari glanced back. He must have come back after getting Yoshimi away.

  “I…I can’t,” Akari said.

  “You can, Akari,” he yelled, screamed, at her. His rage, his need for vengeance, was burning in his eyes. She wanted to alleviate his pain, but there had to be another way.

  “If I destroy you,” Akari said to Chiyoko, “what about the hollows? The barriers, they protect the world, hold it together. What will happen if I kill you?”

  Chiyoko shrunk back for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  They stared at each other, neither sure what to do. But then Chiyoko stood up straight and pulled her robe open wider.

  “Do it, Akari! Now,” Chiyoko ordered. She began to breathe heavily, and smoke began to coil around her feet. “She’s coming back!”

  Akari shook her head. She couldn’t do it. Not alone. She swiped her sword across her hand, letting her blood flow. She then placed her bleeding hand on Chiyoko’s chest.

  “Share the burden with me,” Akari said. She then screamed, and her head was tossed back as the power, the pain, the darkness coursed through her. But then, the pain stopped, and she felt nothing but pure energy. Pure power. Pure light. She didn’t stop absorbing the evil from Chiyoko at half.

  She took it all.

  She finally stepped back, examining herself. Steam was rising from her body, but no smoke. No darkness. She didn’t feel evil.

  “What happened?” Akari asked Chiyoko.

  “The katana,” Chiyoko yelled, pointing.

  Akari held it up and saw that it was glowing red hot and throbbing. It was as though a million angry voices were screaming at her from inside the sword. It started to smoke and swell.

  “We have to get rid of it,” Akari yelled.

  “How?” Chiyoko asked.

  “Akari! The image from the book,” Kaya yelled. “Ram it into her chest and be done with it!”

  Akari gazed back at Chiyoko. Chiyoko gave her a smile and placed her hands on Akari’s shoulders.

  “You have done what you can, Akari-chan,” she said. “Thank you.” She then kissed Akari on the forehead. She stepped back and opened her robe again. Her face looked serene, at peace with her decision.

  Akari stepped back and turned to Takeo.

  “Take me to the temple,” she ordered.

  Realization dawned on his face. Without hesitation, he grabbed Akari’s hand and pulled her toward the mountain.

  Together, they ran. They ran faster than Akari thought possible. Within seconds, they were at the top of the mountain, at the gate just outside the temple, and Takeo nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

  “Go,” he panted.

  Akari ran to the temple and kicked the door open. She hurried to the statue, and then plunged the sword into Chiyoko’s chest.

  The statue exploded, blowing Akari out the door and into the yard. The breath was knocked out of her, but as she laid on her back, she saw a beam of black smoke shoot into the sky.

  When she could breathe again, Akari sat up. The temple was destroyed, but she was alive, and the evil was gone.

  Takeo crawled over to her and put his arms around her.

  “You did it, Akari,” he said. “You did it.”

  She put her forehead to his. “I couldn’t have done it alone,” she said.

  He took her face in his hands and placed his lips on hers.

  She leaned in and kissed him back. For the first time, she felt free to let go of her fear, her inhibitions, and opened herself up to him completely.

  21

  Akari and Takeo walked back down the mountain hand in hand, but they did not run. The sun was shining
, and the hill folk danced around them happily. They knew they needed to get back; everyone would be wondering what happened. But right now, they were at peace, and Akari knew the world was finally safe, finally heading back to some sort of normal. But it would be a long journey. There was still much death and destruction they had to deal with from the days, years, that the earth’s evil had been growing.

  When they got back to town, Chiyoko and Yoshimi ran to Akari and embraced her.

  “You are alive,” Yoshimi cried, her eyes brimming with tears. Galen was standing behind her. “Takeo took me to Kuji village, but I couldn’t stay there. I had to come back. Galen-ch…san knew I would return on my own if I had to, so he accompanied me.”

  Akari held her tightly and nodded her head. She then bowed to Galen in thanks.

  “Chiyoko’s temple is destroyed,” Akari said, turning to Chiyoko.

  Chiyoko shook her head. “It is fine. It served its purpose.”

  “Did you know the statue was the key to destroying the evil?” Akari asked.

  “I…I don’t know,” Chiyoko said. “I am so ashamed. I can hardly remember. When Mother buried us, we were terrified. We tried to plan, account for every eventuality, but we had no idea what would happen. And I slept for so long, and then the evil broke free. I can’t remember everything. I’m so confused…” She started to cry.

  Akari took her into her arms and shushed her. “It will all be okay,” Akari said. “The evil is gone now. Everything will be fine.”

  “Will it?” Yoshimi asked. “The evil rose once…twice, I guess. The first time was when you had to be buried to contain it, and a second time a few days ago. Will it rise again?”

  Akari wanted to say no. That the evil had been expelled from the earth forever, but how could she know for sure? What if even one piece remained? Could it once again grow into something beyond what they could control?

  She just shook her head. “It is gone for today. Let that be enough for a few hours.”

  Yoshimi nodded, placing her arm around Chiyoko. Awestruck, she eyed Chiyoko and Akari, laughing. “I’m not sure I can get used to this.”

  “Oh,” Chiyoko said. “I forgot. I haven’t seen a mirror in hundreds of years.” She ran her hands over herself, fluttering her fingers, and her appearance changed. Her robes were still the old style, but they were no longer black, but pale pink and white and embroidered with sakura flowers. She was taller now. Her hair was piled on her head in a traditional style and her face changed. She was incredibly beautiful. To Akari’s relief, she looked like a different person.

  “What do you think?” Chiyoko asked.

  “Much better,” Akari said. “Thank you. I’m not sure I could have handled having the face of a goddess for much longer.”

  Chiyoko spread her arms and turned her face to the sky, taking in a deep breath. “Oh, to be free,” she said.

  “What will you do now?” Akari asked.

  “I am going to eat,” Chiyoko said. “I’m starving. Then I am going to go to the mountains for a while to meditate. Re-center myself. Make sure there is no evil left in me and learn myself again.”

  “I wouldn’t mind finding something to eat myself,” Akari said.

  “And then, I will return,” Chiyoko said. “I have been awake for a very short while, but even I can see the rifts that still exist in this world.”

  “What do you mean?” Yoshimi asked.

  “Where are my lovely fae?” Chiyoko asked. “Other than Takeo and Galen, there are no fae here. Where are they?”

  “They live apart from humans,” Akari admitted. “In their own villages.”

  “That cannot do,” Chiyoko said. “Humans and fae are meant to share this world.”

  “What about the fae realm?” Takeo asked. “What happened to it?”

  Chiyoko nodded. “It is safe,” she said. “It is protected from this world. When we created the hollows, we sealed the fae realm away completely, along with everyone who was in it at the time, fae and human. But that is something we need to work on as well. If we can find a way to remove the divides that separate the hollows, we can hopefully find a way back to the fae lands as well.”

  Takeo exhaled in relief and nodded his head, clearly overcome with emotion. “That would be wonderful, my lady. Truly wonderful.”

  Akari held tight to Chiyoko’s hands, not wanting to let her go just yet. Over Chiyoko’s shoulder, she saw Malia, Galen’s maid, one of Sera’s healers, and some of the other Kuji fae coming toward her. She took Chiyoko with her to greet them.

  “This is Chiyoko,” Akari said. “We were able to purge the evil out of her.”

  “We saw the explosion, Akari-san,” Malia said. “And when we didn’t all die, we thought you must have been successful.” She, and the rest of the fae, all bowed to Chiyoko. “We are humbled to meet you, our lady.”

  She placed her hands on her shoulders and raised her up. “And I am honored to meet you and to start healing the wounds of this land.”

  “I should go to Kuji,” Akari said. “I want to see Sera and tell her what happened. And find out what else she knows.”

  The healer’s face turned solemn, and she handed a piece of paper to Akari. “I am sorry, Akari-san,” she said. “She passed away not long after you left Kuji. But not before she had me write this.”

  “What?” Akari asked, too shocked to take the paper from her. “She…she’s gone?”

  Yoshimi put her arms around her sister. “I’m so sorry, imouto,” she said.

  With trembling fingers, Akari finally let the healer place the paper in her hand. She opened it slowly.

  Akari,

  I am sorry I must leave you now. I know you will find some way to succeed. You are not just Sword Kissed, but the light of Chiyoko herself. I leave you my dojo, so you may train the next generation of Sword Kissed. Even if you banish the evil, the world will always need protectors. I can think of no one better to replace me than you.

  Good luck, Akari-chan. I mean, Akari-sensei.

  “She…she left me the dojo,” Akari said. “She wants…wanted me to be the new sensei for the Sword Kissed.”

  She felt Takeo’s hand on her shoulder. He undoubtedly remembered what she had told him about not wanting to be a Sword Kissed at all. Not wanting to train the future Sword Kissed.

  About not choosing this life.

  “What are you going to do?” he asked.

  Akari folded the paper and held it to her chest. Somehow, Sera knew her better than she knew herself. When Akari wanted to give up, Sera wouldn’t let her. And when Akari didn’t know what path her future would take, Sera did.

  Sera knew Akari would always choose the Sword Kissed.

  “I will accept,” Akari said. “I am Sword Kissed. I am the descendant of Chiyoko. I am the Light. What else could I do?”

  “But is it what you want?” he asked. “Will it give you purpose?”

  “My people, all of them—fae and human—are my purpose,” she said.

  She didn’t know what the future would hold, but she knew that as long as she had Yoshimi, Chiyoko, and Takeo by her side, they would have hope.

  They would save the world together.

  Thank You

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  Also by Leigh Anderson

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  In the Division of NOLA, Catheryn Beauregard fears her burgeoning magical powers. Hiding as just another slave in the home of the Hoodoo Queen, Catheryn hopes her simplistic powers will simply go unnoticed. And her plan seems to be working...until the Hoodoo House is attacked by a ruthless band of vampire pirates.

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  The NOLA Division is in danger. The waters are rising. Food is running out. And the Hoodoo Queen is about to destroy everything that's left if the pirates don't meet her request. Now Catheryn must choose who will die: the humans who sold her, the witches who bought her, or the vampires who stole her. If she fails to decide, everyone could die.

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  About the Author

  Leigh Anderson loves all things Gothic and paranormal. She did her master’s thesis on vampire imagery in Gothic novels and met her husband while assuming the role of a vampire online. She currently teaches writing at several universities and has a rather impressive collection of tiny hats. She lives in a small town in the mountains where she raises bearded dragons and gives them wings for Halloween. She is currently working on too many writing projects, and yet not enough.