#akaryu masaomi

[michaelarowrites]

Excerpt from Honor the Words

Akaryu Masaomi is drinking coffee when he feels the kick to his chest.

It knocks the wind out of him, causing him to drop his mug and instinctively crouch down, holding his abdomen as he tries to catch his breath.

“Akaryu-san?” says one very alarmed military analyst. Other onlookers have stopped what they’re doing in order to stare at him in concern, since by all accounts, he had collapsed for no reason. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” Masaomi says, already straightening himself and forcing a smile. “I’m just fine. My apologies, I just got dizzy for a second.”

Damn it, Youji! he thinks as loudly as he can.

I’m sorry! comes a thought that isn’t his, loud and clear in his mind. I forgot!

It’s the fifth time this week!

Youji-san, I wish you would be more careful, says a new voice in his mind, familiar but still not his.

I’m sorry, Shi-chan.

Masaomi exits the military kitchen, moving towards the training yard where he knows he’ll find Yamazaki Youji.

Hey, you just left your coffee cup on the ground. A third voice appears in his mind. Go back and clean that up!

Make me, Masaomi fires back, abruptly slamming all thoughts down, doing his best to sever the unwanted connection he now shares with three other people.

The strange telepathic communication that sometimes shares thoughts and feelings between the four is especially frustrating because it’s not like the usual mind-reading Masaomi knows how to handle. From a very young age, he’s known how to compartmentalize his thoughts and keep them controlled, with mental shields and wards to prevent unwanted spies in his mind. Threats of mind-reading and mind-compulsions and otherwise dangerous psychic attacks were not that uncommon in his daily life of political intrigue in the Capital.

But this is different. It’s nothing like the magic he knew how to guard against, and it chafes against him like someone has put a collar around his neck.

That same bond pings again, and he looks to the left where the connection is coming from and sees Shiori sitting in the shade. This is enough to waylay his path, as he detours to talk to her. “Shiori, are you okay?”

“I am fine, Masaomi-san,” she says curtly. She stands up from her seat on the bench, and presses down the folds of her plain kimono. Shiori always did like to dress in traditional clothes, as was common in the Capital and in the main Estates, but once she wore silks and it pains him now to see her so low. She looks at him coolly, as if sensing his thoughts (which, all things considered, she might have) and then says, “You do not need to spare any thoughts toward my well-being.”

“Shiori,” Masaomi winces. “You can’t be like this forever.”

“Like what, Masaomi-san?”

“Mad at me. I’ve apologized, and you’re just being stubborn. I thought we were friends.”

“We were friends, Masaomi-san, and then left me to die,” Shiori says, smiling sweetly. “That sent a very clear message about the boundaries of our friendship.”

“I didn’t think they’d actually kill you,” Masaomi says, but he knows it sounds hollow. “At any rate, this absurd higher ground is ridiculous. You’d have done the same.”

And yet, strangely, I didn’t.

He hears her thought loud and clear, and she looks mortified once she realizes what she’s communicated. “Shiori,” he starts, his voice softer this time.

“Excuse me, Masaomi-san. I have business elsewhere.”

It’s a lie, and their new bond means he knows it’s a lie, but he doesn’t stop her as she walks away.

*

Masaomi finds Youji in the training yard, talking to the pretty gumiho woman he’s made friends with over the past couple of weeks.

“—stop dodging, how are we supposed to have a proper fake battle if you keep avoiding hits?”

“Sorry, Mi-chan, I guess I’m squeamish about being hit.”

“Uh huh. Oh look, your rich boyfriend is here.” Sakurano Michiru looks over at Masaomi and smiles. “Hello, rich boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Youji says.

“And I’m not that rich anymore, considering the other grand dragons froze my accounts,” Masaomi says.

“So you keep saying, but I’m not sure I believe you,” Michiru says, talking to Youji. “Although, you were making out with Corporal Toma last night. Get any?”

“He left early,” Youji says.

“He always does. I could’ve warned you. That man’s a tease.”

“I didn’t mind. It was an honor to be teased,” Youji says with a grin. Masaomi manages to hide his scowl but the irritation is probably communicated anyway.

Oh, so that’s where you were last night, Masaomi thinks, despite himself.

I was invited for drinks. You could’ve come along.

I wasn’t invited for drinks.

Out of the three of them—no, out of the four of them—Youji is the only one who is settling in nicely with the Magpies. Even Hinami seems irritated at how easily Youji is fitting in with the ranks. Just looking at the two of them, Youji would be the one people might think has been here for years, and Hinami the newcomer.

Then I’ll invite you next time, Youji thinks.

I don’t want to be invited, Masaomi snaps back, still irritated.

“See, and now you two are staring at each other intensely, which is a thing you two do a lot, and is certainly giving the impression to everyone on base that you guys are madly in love with each other,” Michiru says conversationally. Youji looks like he’s going to protest again, but Michiru just says, “I’m going to spare you the lie, which I’m sure will be very believable and convincing, because I have to go. I got a summons.” She waves her wrist, where the gold Cicada indicates a message received. “Be good, boys. Don’t do anything scandalous without me.”

“Lovely woman,” Masaomi says as she leaves, admiring the movement of her hips as she walks away.

“You’re staring.”

“That is the confident walk of a woman who clearly expected me to stare. It would have been impolite not to comply.”

“Uh huh. Well, behave. I like Mi-chan, and she would eat you alive. That was her kick earlier.”

Masaomi rubs his stomach, still convinced he can feel the dull ache. “Duly noted. You said you were going to be more careful in training sessions.”

“I got distracted, sorry,” Youji says. Hinami’s sparring sessions aren’t as intense, and she rarely gets injured. So far, it’s only Youji who keeps sending these inconvenient flares of pain through their unasked-for bond.

“Apologize to Shiori,” Masaomi says coldly. “She’s a court lady, and isn’t used to pain.”

“I did apologize to Shi-chan,” Youji says, his voice mild. “She’s very forgiving.”

Masaomi scowls, since there’s no way Youji doesn’t know what Masaomi and Shiori were talking about five minutes ago. “It’s all a front. Her grudges could freeze mountains.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. He likes harping at Youji, because Youji never seems to mind. But after his conversation with Shiori, he can’t help but be keenly aware that Youji is the only one on this base who doesn’t treat Masaomi like he’s an evil villain. Abruptly, he asks, “Why aren’t you mad at me?”

“For what?” Youji says, perplexed.

“For—you know. Leaving you to die, and what not.” Youji had already been shot by the humans. Masaomi left him thinking he was dead, or near-death.

“I had no expectations that you wouldn’t.”

“Ouch,” Masaomi says, surprised by the genuine hurt he feels at that statement. But then, he’d already betrayed Youji once before, so of course Youji would have expected that he’d do it again. It’s completely absurd that he feels hurt, when clearly Youji was right not to expect better of him.

“That’s not what I meant,” Youji says, frowning quizzically. His thick eyebrows move like silkworms on his face, and it actually makes him look charming.

“No?”

“I meant—I didn’t expect you to stick around. I didn’t expect anyone to stick around. Why would you have? We just met each other. You didn’t owe me anything.”

It’s everything Masaomi has been telling himself these past couple of weeks—I had every right to leave them! I owed them nothing!—but hearing Youji say it like that just sounds bare and false. “Well. It’s unlikely I’ll do it again.”

Masaomi hates how awkward that sounds. Youji just grins at him and says, “So were you worried when I didn’t come back to our room last night?”

“I wasn’t worried,” Masaomi says, bristling. “You’re my jailer, not my roommate.”

“Uh huh, sure.”

The fact that they’re sharing a military bunk is something that still chafes, because Masaomi has never shared living quarters with anyone. Much less a room that’s little better than a closet. But when they’d first arrived on base, Hinami had said, “I don’t trust you not to run away.”

“There’s nothing you could do to stop me,” Masaomi had said. But their bond was brand new at that point, and he didn’t know how to stop himself from automatically thinking, Youji would probably stop me from leaving. That thought had, quite embarrassingly, been transmitted to the other three. Youji had looked flattered, Shiori had looked coolly intrigued, and Hinami had said, “Good, then Yamazaki will room with you and stop you from leaving.”

The fact that Masaomi is sure that Youji could stop him from leaving—or at the very least, would be able to track him down and bring him back, if he did leave—upsets him more than the fact that he now has to share a room. Not that he plans on leaving, (he’s learned from that mistake), but he’d like the option.

“Maybe you wouldn’t want to leave so much if you made more friends,” Youji says helpfully.

“Stop that.”

“I can’t help it, you’re broadcasting your thoughts so loudly,” Youji says, his voice abashed.

“I am not. I have complete control over my thoughts. This is ridiculous. Call the divine Avatar and tell her to stop this stupid bond thing. I refuse to be a divine champion if I have to keep sharing my thoughts with the three of you.”

“I keep telling you, I don’t know how to summon her. She just shows up. I’m not sure why you keep thinking I have special access to Madhuri anyway.”

“Probably because you call her Madhuri like she’s a childhood friend and not a divine Avatar,” Masaomi says. He’s only known this man for three weeks, and he’s still not sure if Youji is purposefully evasive or if he’s genuinely bad at understanding subtext. Because it has certainly occurred to Masaomi (and Shiori, he’s sure) that Youji is the one whom Madhuri chose to rescue Masaomi from prison. Of the four of them, Youji is the only one Madhuri has talked to without the presence of the others. Masaomi doesn’t believe for a second that Youji is too dim to understand that makes him different from the rest of them.

“What else am I supposed to call her? She didn’t give a family name,” Youji says, sounding genuinely puzzled.

Masaomi gives up.

“If she shows up again, tell her to remove the bond,” Masaomi says, turning to leave. “Or I’m not helping anymore.”

[umisabaku]

Exciting Writing Announcement/Update  #1!

Exciting Writing Announcement/Update #1!!!

In honor of the fact that I am going to be posting the last chapters of "This Is Love" Very Soon (which, spoiler alert, is Exciting Writing Announcement/Update #2), I have self-published a new book that I am very excited to be sharing with you all =D

As I kept saying, I got really really attached to all the OCs in D:M, and I really wanted to keep writing them in their own story, in a completely original setting, where everyone gets to be happy and alive. So during the very long editing process, I have done that! If you're at all interested in reading an original story featuring Masaomi, Youji, Hinami and Shiori, you can buy the story here.

And if you want to read the first chapter, I posted it here, on a tumblr I created for this side project, but not sure how active this sideblog will be. I am so bad at maintaining more than one social media.

Masaomi is actually a dragon in this one =D Everyone else gets to be a mythological creature too.

Blurb:

The Red Dragon has been betrayed. Akaryu Masaomi is rightfully one of six rulers of the celestial world's elaborate and repressive administration, and has taken his powers and privileges for granted all his life, but he has been framed for treason, stripped of his lands, and thrown in prison. Now, trapped in human form and without allies, all he can do is wait for his execution in the most secure prison in the land of Tenou.

Elsewhere, three strangers are all sent on a mission. The soldier obeying her commanding officer and seeking a turning point in their rebellion against the tyrannical administration, the shaman just trying to survive her fall from grace while listening to the cryptic advice of her great-grandmother's ghost, and the outcast who owes a favor to the divine entity who once saved his life, all set out with the same goal: Rescue the Red Dragon.

More information/FAQ under the cut.

This is a brand new project, so no one has actually asked any questions yet, but since I thought there might be some questions, here are the ones I anticipated:

Why is this under a different name than your other original novel?

Let's just say, there are people IRL who know about Light in Dark Places that I would prefer NOT know about this one, so I published under a different name.

Will it be available in paperback?

Yes! Eventually! Well, ideally. But that process takes slightly longer, and I didn't want to wait, so it's just available as an ebook for now.

Is it a repeat of "This is Love?"

Nope! Overall, some of the backstories are/similar to how they appear in "This Is Love" but in a completely new context and world, so it is entirely new. Nothing that was written in "This is Love" gets word for word repeated.

Is there romance?

Also eventually, but gosh this one is somehow an even slower burn than "This Is Love," so this first book has no romance at all.

Is there more than one?

I'm hoping for a series, and there is *for sure* going to be a sequel, because the first draft of the sequel is finished, but needs a long and thorough editing job. Like all of my writing projects, the presence of more books kinda depends on how fun it is to keep writing. But I do really enjoy writing these characters, so here's hoping.

Are you still writing fanfiction?

Yes, of course. As Exciting Writing Update/Announcement #3, I have FINALLY started writing that long KNB fantasy AU again. That fic is my white whale damn it, and I am finally hunting that thing down. Or however the metaphor works.

Why doesn’t the cover show up on the Amazon page?

I don’t knooooooow, but it distresses me greatly. =( Actually, I think it’s because I literally uploaded this yesterday, and all the details have not caught up with the page yet, and I was too impatient to wait for it to look all nice and professional. Hopefully that sorts itself out soon.

Are the other D:M OCs going to make an appearance?

Some of them make exceedingly brief appearances in this first book, and will feature more heavily in the second book. But yeah, if I created an OC for D:M, I considered them fair game to appear in this new series. You know, with slight name variations and what not.

Anything else?

If you're actually reading all these questions/answers, thank you so much, I love you. But yeah, that's it for now I guess =D

As I reward for those of you reading these questions, I will confirm that the end of "This Is Love" will be posted tomorrow, barring anything supremely unexpected happening.=D =D

[michaelarowrites]

Shine The Brightest Chapter One

Akaryu Masaomi is in bed, although not asleep, when they come to arrest him.

It had been a pleasant evening, spent in the enjoyable company of a woman who is now passed out in the bed beside him. She had told him her name but he can’t remember it now. In fact, he can’t even remember if she told him what she was. Not that it matters, but it’s usually polite amongst bedfellows.

He would have recognized another dragon, and one of the lower divisions wouldn’t have been allowed at the party they had been at. Given her amber eyes and her stamina, he’s guessing she’s a tiger. He had told her, “You’re going to have to leave after we’re done, I don’t sleep next to other people.” She had just said in a purring sort of way, “Who said anything about sleeping?”

Which had been too tempting of an offer to make a big deal out of things, although now that dawn is approaching and she’s asleep in his bed and he’s very much not asleep in his bed, he somewhat wishes that he’d been more insistent.

The feeling becomes all the more relevant when the doors of his room are broken down with a deafening burst, and his bedroom is insultingly filled with the Tenou army, all pointing their guns at him.

This is not how Masaomi wants to spend his morning, and all things considered, if he is must be surrounded by armed soldiers he would very much prefer not to be naked.

“Akaryu Masaomi, you are under arrest.”

He takes a few seconds to compose himself in the face of this indignity, refusing on principle to seem at all surprised by this intrusion. He just sits upright in his bed and smiles slowly. “Am I?”

Then the other grand dragons enter his room, and he knows he’s fucked.

*

“Masaomi-kun,” the Green Dragon says, and Masaomi narrows his eyes, because he really doesn’t appreciate the familiarity, given the circumstances. “You are under arrest. Please come quietly.”

The Green Dragon, the Black Dragon and the Blue Dragon are all in his room. What’s worse, they’ve all brought their bulgae. The massive, pony-sized fire dogs stop Masaomi from immediately shedding his human form and lashing out in rage. More than the guns and the other grand dragons, the fire dogs are what give him pause.

The myths say that a fire dog has the strength to take a bite from the sun or moon. It’s just a creative folk story, but bulgae can certainly take a bite out of a dragon, and the common household pet is not to be underestimated. They can strip away magic spells, summon fire, and bite through most any material, and while Masaomi can appreciate the fact that they must make useful pets, he has personally thought that anything that can literally bite the heads off someone in human form should best be kept far away from civilized society.

These ones aren’t growling, but their eerily intelligent eyes are fixed on him. (Too intelligent. Another reason why Masaomi has never liked fire dogs and refuses to own one. Any pet that can look at you condescendingly isn’t one he wants around. This is a decision that he is also somewhat regretting now, since a bulgae of his own might be helpful in his current situation.)

“Yuri-san, Saki, Kazuya. While it’s so very lovely to see you this morning, I can’t help but feel like this army is a tad excessive.”

“It’s only because we respect you so much,” Kuroryu Saki says, smiling viciously. The Black Dragon is clearly enjoying this moment. “We didn’t want you to feel underestimated.”

“And I certainly do appreciate that,” Masaomi concedes. “I’m feeling very well estimated, thank you. But, pray tell me. What exactly is it that I am accused of doing?”

“Masaomi, did you really think we wouldn’t find out?” Midoriryu Yuri says, shaking her head in a pretense of sadness. “Can you honestly tell me you have no idea why we are here?”

The thing is, Masaomi can honestly say he has no idea why they are here. The fact that he doesn’t know why they are here means something very, very wrong is happening right now. While he certainly has been rather loose with his commitment to the law, he hasn’t done anything that would merit more than a slap on the wrist—not for someone of his status. Definitely nothing that warrants this reaction.

Which means he’s being set up.

“I’m fairly certain we all know that I’ve done nothing wrong,” Masaomi says, his voice pleasant. “So why don’t you tell me what you’re pretending I have done, and we can all move on from there.”

“Masaomi-kun, you have been accused of treason of the highest order. Your conspiracy with the rebels has been found out. You will be tried by your peers and if found guilty, you will be sentenced to death.”

Masaomi can’t help it—he laughs. It’s a laughter bordering on mania, and it visibly unsettles some of the soldiers around him. The Green Dragon’s bulgae starts to growl. Inevitably, the first thing that comes to mind is, Shiori was right after all. Shiori, with her witch smile, had coolly declared just a month ago, “The other grand dragons hate you, Masaomi-san. If you do not attempt to make yourself more pleasing to them, they will surely turn against you.” Not for the first time, Masaomi wonders if Shiori is some kind of prophet.

“You can’t be serious,” Masaomi says. “Treason? You’re pretending I’m a Magpie sympathizer? At least try to make this convincing. No one will ever believe that lie.”

“You don’t need to keep pretending,” Aoryu Kazuya speaks up for the first time, smiling in that smug all-knowing way of his that always makes Masaomi want to punch him in the face. “We know what you have done. We know that you have threatened the balance of the celestial administration, and you will be found guilty. We have proof.”

“You can’t have proof, because there isn’t any,” Masaomi snaps. “If you have something that indicates I’ve been helping rebels, it’s because you’ve created it yourself. If you think I’m going to let you tarnish my reputation with your slander, then you’re about to find out just how wrong you are. I’m not going to let you drag me off to some prison cell while you fabricate evidence.”

And fire dogs or no fire dogs, Masaomi is going to fight his way out of this one. Red scales already appear on his bare arms, as his control over his human form slips. He will destroy this entire pavilion if he has to, but he is not going to let this happen to him.

“Masaomi,” Saki says, her lips curving like the arc of a blade. “Didn’t I say we made sure not to underestimate you?”

Claws curve around his neck. Claws coming from a presence behind him, as someone slips the hold of their human form to release vicious points that now sink slightly into the bare flesh of his neck. “Akaryu-san, I would hate ever so much to damage your pretty neck, especially after that perfectly lovely evening we had. So don’t make me hurt you, okay?” says a husky voice that Masaomi had so enjoyed hearing just a few hours ago.

At least he was right about her being a tiger. The general vindication he has about being right is not much of a consolation, given the circumstances.

“You know,” he tells the woman who has her claws around his neck, “you are exactly the reason why I don’t like sleeping next to people.”

*

Kitahara Hinami wakes up still feeling the remnants of a dream cling to the top of her head. It’s the dream. The dream that returns every so often like an ex-lover, draining all her energy and making her irritated and restless for the rest of the day.

It’s a dream she’s had ever since her fathers died when she was sixteen years old. Ten years later, and she thinks that this is far too long to have the same dream haunt her. She saw a therapist once, someone who specialized in grief counseling. “It means you feel abandoned,” the woman had said. “You feel all alone, since you lost your parents so abruptly. You don’t make friends easily, do you, Sergeant Kitahara?”

Hinami didn’t go back to that particular therapist.

Although she did have a point. Hinami doesn’t make friends easily.

As she gets ready for her day she thinks about the dream, still so vivid, much more vivid than the world she is in right now. It’s a barren landscape, and everything is white and empty and she’s the only one there. It is a planet in ruins, and somewhere in the distance someone is crying. A woman is crying, but Hinami knows it’s not her.

The other soldiers are still asleep. While it’s morning, it’s still dark out. She always rises before the sun. While it’s tempting to wake the others for early training, she refrains. Instead, she goes for a run. She does laps around the track and field and all the while she thinks about how much she misses running in her true form. Running on two legs is not, and never will be, quite as satisfying as running on four.

Only after the sun is in the sky and the other soldiers are starting to trickle out of their barracks does she stop to wipe down with a clean towel and drink some water.

“Sergeant Kitahara.”

She had already smelled him nearby, so it doesn’t startle her to hear him now. She looks to her commanding officer, standing straight, and knows there is a question in her eyes asking why he would seek her out in the morning. “Colonel Kobayashi.”

“Meet me in my office in ten minutes.”

The day is about to begin. Breakfast in the mess hall, and then she’s supposed to meet with her troop. But there’s something in the colonel’s eyes that makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up (and if she was in her true form, maybe she would be flexing her claws, just to recognize the danger in the air).

“I’ll be there.”

*

Kobayashi Kyouma is a stern-looking man—with hard lines in his square jaw that give the impression that he doesn’t smile much. He’s only seven years older than herself, they’ve known each other long enough that he’s the closest thing Hinami has to a friend in her off-hours, even though he’s also her commanding officer. She’s not normally on edge when she is in his office, but the closed doors and his general demeanor are making it hard to relax.

“This is not common knowledge, although I imagine it will be soon,” Kobayashi begins without preamble. “Two hours ago Akaryu Masaomi was arrested by the other grand dragons.”

This announcement is like a bucket of ice tossed over her head. All sense of protocol and hierarchy abruptly abandon her as Hinami yelps, “They’ve arrested the Red Dragon? For what?”

Kobayashi’s gaze pins her down. “For treason. He has been accused of conspiring with Magpies.”

The statement is so absurd it doesn’t even penetrate Hinami’s mind at first. Then the only thing she can manage to say, in a particularly stupid fashion, is, “But he isn’t.” Kobayashi keeps staring intently at her, which causes her to falter and say, “He isn’t, right?”

“No, Kitahara. He is not conspiring with us.”

Hinami leans back, still not sure how to absorb this news. Up until two seconds ago, she would have said the Red Dragon stood for everything they were fighting against. He is literally the face she sees in her mind when she thinks about the oppressive dragons and the regime the Magpies are trying so hard to overthrow. While all six grand dragons are abhorrent with their greed, selfishness, and destruction, Hinami has always considered the Red Dragon as the most evil of the bunch. She is not sure how to wrap her mind around the idea that he is no longer a threat, much less that his downfall has apparently come by some presumed virtue he doesn’t actually possess.

“But perhaps, he could be.”

It takes her a minute to snap out of her shock and to hone in on what Kobayashi has just said. “Sir?” The word comes out sharper than intended.

“Akaryu Masaomi will most likely be executed in a week. The other dragons have clearly posed some sort of coup in order to overthrow his power and seize it for themselves. While there are other implications, I think the most pressing one is that the Red Dragon no longer has allies in the celestial administration. Perhaps he would not be opposed to having new ones.”

“Sir—Colonel—” Hinami bites her own stumbling tongue to keep from saying something stupid.

“I don’t think I need to tell you how powerful Akaryu is. He is a prodigy, even amongst his own kind. That is, perhaps, why they saw fit to get rid of him. He would be a very, very dangerous enemy for other dragons and right now he is not inclined to think favorably of them.”

“Akaryu Masaomi is evil,” Hinami finally blurts out, no longer able to restrain herself. “He’s a selfish, and cruel, and incapable of empathy. He would never fight on our side, and we couldn’t trust him even if he said he would. He—”

“You speak as if you know him,” Kobayashi says, his voice lifting to indicate the question.

Hinami stops talking. If she was in her true form, her ears would be flat against her head.

“Kitahara. Do you know the Red Dragon?”

She hunches her shoulders. “No.” But it’s too close to a lie, so she amends, “We met once. A long time ago. He didn’t leave a good impression.”

Kobayashi’s lips form a thin line, and he stares down at her disapprovingly. Perhaps because he can probably guess under what circumstances she might have encountered the Red Dragon. It looks like he is somewhat regretting bringing her into his confidence, which manages to make Hinami feel very ashamed of herself, even if she resolutely stands by her decision.

“I see. Would he remember you?”

“Most likely not,” Hinami snorts. “I doubt he remembers anyone beneath his notice.”

“I would not count on that. He is a genius, after all. Does he know you are a Magpie?”

“No.”

“Would he be particularly surprised at the revelation?”

“...Probably not. What are you—Kobayashi, if he is in prison, that is a good thing for us. We should be celebrating. Not—not whatever it is that you’re thinking.”

“And what is it that you think I am thinking?”

Hinami scowls and says, “I think you’re thinking about breaking him out of prison with hopes to enlist him as a Magpie rebel.”

“You’re wrong about that.” Hinami relaxes in relief for half a second before Kobayashi continues with, “I think you should break him out of prison, with hopes that we can enlist him as a Magpie rebel.”

There are probably a lot of things that could be said to that, but the first response that comes to her mind after a few minutes of dumb stupefaction is, “You’re insane.”

He arches a brow and she flushes, remembering that he is, in fact, her commanding officer, and that no matter how long she has known him, she probably shouldn’t be so familiar. But even given all that, she can’t bring herself to apologize for the statement. He is insane, if he thinks this is at all a reasonable idea.

“Kitahara,” Kobayashi says, his voice softening, as if they’re drinking at a bar in their off-hours. Usually the only time they drink together is when they’ve just lost another comrade. She can’t help but think the use of familiarity is a bad sign now. “Do you think we’re going to win this war?”

“Of course,” Hinami says, feeling gutted by the very question.

“Realistically speaking, this isn’t even a war. It’s a private rebellion against an authority that has already conquered the continent. The wars were already fought and won and we are one army with a network of rebels trying to overthrow a ruling system that’s deeply embedded in the very fabric of society. At the end of the day, one dragon will always be enough to fight off any given twenty rebels. More and more of us are dying. The very people whose rights we’re fighting for believe we’re wasting our time. Do you really think we have a chance of succeeding without stronger allies?”

Hinami swallows, and the lump in her throat is painful. She doesn’t lower her gaze, and she speaks as evenly as possible. “No matter the odds, I believe this is a fight worth fighting. I believe we can succeed.”

There is another pause, and perhaps he is thinking she is being naive. But instead he says, “I believe that we can as well. But we live in a godless land, Kitahara. There is no one who will answer our prayers, no one who will intervene with a miracle. And yet a miracle has happened anyway—the grand dragons have turned on one of their own. It would be foolish not to try to seize this opportunity. In a world without miracles, we must take every chance we can get to change our fate.”

A godless land. Hinami sits back in her chair, because talk of the gods and miracles always makes her think about her fathers. Her papa had said, The gods died so that we could live, Hinami. Isn’t every day a miracle, because of that? Except her papa hadn’t lived. Not nearly long enough.

Her papa, she thinks, would most likely have believed in seizing opportunities. Even if Hinami can’t quite bring herself to believe this is an opportunity, she can’t fault Kobayashi for having hope. “I think that you’re wrong about Akaryu Masaomi,” she says finally, keeping her voice flat. “But I support you. However, I don’t think I am the right person for this. Akaryu and I clashed once and didn’t get along. I doubt he would listen to what I have to say.”

“Yes, I somewhat wish I had known you two had already met. Kitahara, I must be frank with you. I don’t believe you’re the right person for this mission, either. You are too recklessly compassionate.”

Hinami pulls herself upwards, somewhat indignant from the accusation. What does that even mean?

Kobayashi raises a brow like he knows what she’s thinking. “You save everyone, no matter the circumstances. Which is an admirable personality trait, except when you’re on an important mission and have other obligations. If you’re to do this, you cannot get distracted by every person in distress.”

“I know how to do my duty,” Hinami says, except she knows that she has, in fact, been derailed from missions doing precisely what Kobayashi has described. On rather a lot of occasions. “Alright, fine. Then you’ve made my point for me. I’m not suited for covert extractions anyhow. Why send me?”

There is something about the way he looks at her that makes her think she isn’t going to like this answer. When he speaks, he says, “What is your name?”

“What?” Hinami blinks, confused.

“Sergeant Kitahara Hinami, what is your name?’

“You know my name, you just said—” then she stops, flushes, looks down at her hands for the first time in this conversation, and feels deeply ashamed.

“Exactly,” Kobayashi says, not unkindly, but not warmly either. “Your name is Kitahara Hinami and you’ve never once questioned that fact. You always know what name to say, when someone asks you. Your parents didn’t give you two names, one to write on your official certificates, and one to keep secret for a someday that might never exist.”

“You could have just said it’s because I’m a tiger,” Hinami says. “Although, there are other Magpies from the Sun Republic.”

“Some tsuchigumo and kappa and the like, yes. But you’re our only tiger, the only one from the upper divisions. You’re the only one who could walk straight into the dragon pavilions and no one would ever question whether or not you belong there. And, frankly, you’re the only one physically strong enough to fight your way out of trouble.”

You could, she doesn’t say, because that would be rude. Kobayashi is also the only one of his kind among the Magpies, and he could definitely hold his own against a dragon. He is also from the upper division species. But he’s right; he’s not from the Sun Republic, and he would draw attention in the dragon pavilions in a way that a tiger wouldn’t.

She isn’t who he would choose for this kind of mission, but she’s the only one who can do it.

Hinami has never been the kind of person who would refuse orders, so she already feels terrible for arguing about this so much. But she feels like she should at least point out, “I have no idea how to do this.”

Kobayashi doesn’t smile, but he relaxes somewhat, now that he knows she will do this. There is still a somberness about him as he says, “Neither do I. If you can’t get him out safely, then keep yourself safe. We can’t afford to lose you, Kitahara. All the same, try very hard to succeed. Because I don’t know how long we can keep up this rebellion without some kind of miracle.”

  Shine the Brightest is the first book in The Magpie Chronicles. If you enjoyed, you can buy the novel here on Amazon!