Page 27 of Night of the Dragon

“It is almost time,” he murmured, as if to himself. “I can feel it, Suki-san. The great battle draws near. The night of the Wish is almost upon us. I hope...” His smooth brow furrowed. “I will strive to fight well and die with honor, protecting what is most important to me. I will not fail those I care for, as I did with you.”

Something twisted inside of her. The Taiyo blamed himself for her death? The confession would have brought tears to her eyes had she still been alive. “You...you didn’t fail me, Daisuke-sama,” Suki whispered, struggling to get the words out. It had been a while since she had last spoken to anyone but Lord Seigetsu, and remembering how again had become difficult. “My death wasn’t caused by you, and I... I was nothing. Just a servant, worth no one’s time.”

The noble gave another sad smile. “If that is true, then why do you haunt me, Suki-san?” he asked in a quiet voice. “What keeps you here in the land of the living? Why can you not move on, if I am not at least somewhat accountable?”

Because, I...

Suki trembled. She could not get the words out.I loved you. I want to save you from whatever is coming. I can’t leave until I know...

“Something is...happening, Daisuke-sama,” she told him instead. “I don’t know...what is coming, but it is very close. It feels...important. And...I get to see it, because of you.”

The Taiyo noble still watched her, his expression unbearably soft. Suki trembled, the memory of burning cheeks and a pounding heart making her want to turn away, to vanish from sight, but she forced herself to remain still. “Whatever happens,” she whispered, “I don’t... I never blamed you for anything, Daisuke-sama. I just...want you to be happy.”

The noble closed his eyes. “Arigatou, Suki-san,” he murmured. “If these are truly the last days, I hope I greet them with honor. And I pray that you will find the peace to move on.”

A tap came from the front door, followed by a gruff, familiar voice. “Taiyo-san? You in there?”

The ronin. Suki winked out of sight as Daisuke-sama straightened and turned toward the voice. A genuine smile crossed his face, one that made her shiver. It wasn’t sad or wistful or full of shadows like before; in that moment, he seemed truly happy.

“Please, come in, Okame-san,” Daisuke-sama called. “I was hoping you would stop by tonight.”

“Oh?” The door slid back, revealing the ronin’s smirking face on the other side. He held a pair of sake bottles in one hand, and continued to smile as he closed the door behind him. “How scandalous, Daisuke-san. What would the nobility think of you inviting a dirty ronin into your room late at night?”

“I am sure they would all be very offended,” Daisuke replied. “Luckily, they are not here at the moment. And...” he paused, giving his head a tiny shake “...I find myself not caring what they would think anymore.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, I suppose.” The ronin stepped into the room, placing the sake bottles on the small table in the center. “I always say it’s better not to drink alone.” He straightened, gesturing to the table with a smile. “What do you say, noble? Care to share a drink with me? Who knows, it might be our last one.”

Daisuke smiled. “Of course.”

He walked back into the room and seated himself cross-legged at the table. And for a moment that seemed timeless, the two men drank sake and spoke of their journey, what they had faced, who they had lost and what was still to come. Suki knew she should leave. This was a private conversation she had no part in. But, perhaps out of curiosity, perhaps longing, she couldn’t quite bring herself to go. Besides, she was a ghost; no one cared if the dead were listening. So she hovered, invisible, in a corner of the room, watching as Daisuke and the ronin emptied the sake bottles and the moon rose higher into the sky.

“It appears we have reached the end,” Daisuke murmured as the ronin poured sake into his cup and only a few drops came out. “Should we send for more, Okame-san?”

“No.” The ronin set the bottle down, looking oddly serious. “I want to stay mostly sober tonight,” he admitted. “Seems like a good idea, what with the final battle being so close. Nothing like tripping drunkenly over your own feet and falling on some demon’s spear because you couldn’t see straight.”

“That would not be a glorious way to go,” Daisuke agreed. “Though I once met a perpetually drunken master who might argue the point.”

The ronin chuckled. “Ah, if only I’d known about the drunken masters when I was younger,” he sighed. “I think I might’ve missed my calling. But there is another reason I’m embracing soberness tonight. I wanted to talk to you, Daisuke-san, and I didn’t want it coming out as drunken ramblings. Because I...may not get another chance to say this...”

He paused, a flush creeping up his neck as he looked away. Daisuke straightened slowly, somberness chasing away his relaxed manner.

“I... That is...ah, kuso.” The ronin rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe I should’ve been drunk for this, after all,” he muttered.

“There is no shame is talking to me, Okame-san,” Daisuke said quietly. “We are alone here. I will promise that whatever you have to say will earn you no ridicule or scorn. I have always admired your honesty, even if it was hard to hear. Please, speak your mind. I will not judge, I swear it.”

“Kuso,” the ronin muttered again. “You know, from any other noble, that would come off as arrogant and condescending. But not you.” He snorted, shaking his head, but it didn’t seem angry or mocking, just resigned. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Taiyo-san. You are everything I thought I despised about the samurai, but the one exception is that you actually believe in the ideal of Bushido. The entire Code, not just the parts that are convenient. Not just the parts that will uphold your own personal honor.”

“The Code of Bushido,” Daisuke said in a serious voice, “is a contradiction, Okame-san. How can one be compassionateandobedient if one’s lord demands cruelty? How can one have self-control if slaughtering his enemies brings him glory? If honor is everything, then why is it so easy to lose?”

“Daisuke-san.” The ronin’s voice was amused but weary. “Even if I wanted to, I’ve had way too much sake to debate the contradictive nature of Bushido and the samurai. That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“Then whatdoyou wish to say, Okame-san?”

“Why me?”

Daisuke blinked. He appeared genuinely surprised by the question, though Suki didn’t know what the ronin was talking about. “What do you mean, Okame-san?” Daisuke asked, echoing her own thoughts.

“I mean...” The other man raked a hand through his hair, his neck going red again. “You’re a Taiyo. You could have your pick of literally anyone in the empire. And normally, I’m all for that. Hell, I’ve had a couple rowdy nights in a village just to blow off some steam. But you don’t seem that type.” The ronin paused, brow furrowed as he stared down at the polished table edge. Daisuke was motionless, hardly breathing, as if he feared any movement would shatter the world around them. Though he never took his gaze from the man across from him.

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