Chapter Thirty-Three

The Cluster of Freaks

 

"Pass the bonito flakes," Aomi said ceremoniously.

She and Kataji were having dinner. The dark buckwheat noodle soup from Gifu¹岐阜市 is one of Japan's core cities in Chuubu. cuisine emitted such a delicious smell, Nekohiko returned to his snake body simply to appreciate the nostalgia this soup evoked in him. He and Abihiko had eaten many traditional Nagare region meals when they stayed here. In fact, the foods of Nagare were probably the thing Nekohiko most enjoyed about them. Militarism and mania for lightnings and slick, cold surfaces weren't quite as inspiring.

Though he could understand why Nagares were always so obsessed with warfare and discipline. Out of all the Lords in the Dragonfly Island Empire, Nagare were the first ring of defense against foreign invaders. When teacher Kumikata had given them their very first lessons about Binding history, she had told them about the intense and glorious battles the Nagare Lords and Ladies had held as they repelled the enemy forces.

The first Nagare Lord was the most famous of them all -- the Legendary Hinoo. Suzumegara at his reigns, flashing its shimmering, translucent wings that summoned hurricanes and storms across the land and the sea. In his hands, the Black Bow Netsuito that channeled the heart's turmoils to shoot arrows of lightning out of the sky. The magnificent Lord in flowing dark colors of Nagare, flickering with purple, green, and blue hues of the feathers covering his robes. The enemy fleet had dared to come too close to the Empire even after being warned what would follow if they persisted.

So, Nekohiko's legendary Imperial ancestor gave Lord Hinoo a slight nod of his head. And Hinoo soared into the skies to meet the thousands of ships on his own. The violent winds and thunderous typhoons that rose at Hinoo's command devastated the fleet, cutting off any idea of an escape. The maelstrom forming as the result -- swept and scattered across the skies even those few ships that remained after the first round of Lord Hinoo's attack.

Any such battle would be over in just about a few short hours.

And because of Nagare's swift reaction and annihilation across the vast expanses of the ocean, there was rarely a need for the other Lords to participate. The Empire's first line of defense also often meant the only line.

It still didn't imply that people inside the Empire appreciated Nagare's explosive and careless attitude in many other issues. Or their intense focus on militarizing everything they came in touch with.

Like, seriously these floors and the back-breaking hard beds would benefit from some softness added to them! At least Nagares cared about some comfort in their lives. The height above the clouds was no place to live for a person. Cold, rarified air, less humidity around. All of this was taken care of by the Nagare Binders who kept a comfortable, warm, gentle dome of wind around Suzumegara. Even these very rooms were served by the thinnest of drafts coming in through the fulgurite pipes snaking across all the walls. It brought on soothing balmy air, scented with something snowy and mountainous for a better mood.

If one closed their eyes, they could even imagine themselves in the famous alpine regions of Nagare kingdom²Here, Nagare takes a big chunk out of Japanese Alps area ^^ that stretched down below.

Nekohiko coiled up to lay his head on the table and observe the siblings eating. Kataji mumbled about being very inspired to be here and about meeting the Great Queen Kasuga in person. Nekohiko nodded vehemently. While he had met all of the Great Lords in his previous life and had nowhere near the same excitement or respect for them, his alter ego in this life was only an average person.

And every average person wouldn't be able to quell their joy at having met the Great Queen! Squealing, fainting, tearing up in happiness, bouncing up and down were the most common reactions of normal people upon meeting any of the Great Lords. And while he couldn't fake exhilaration to such an extent, he could nod to whatever statement Kataji made about Kasuga. That also solved the issue of having to talk to Kataji, which Nekohiko could not.

After he and Kataji had had their awkward conversation about falling in love with dummies, Nekohiko was reluctant to even look his way. But Aomi wasn't much better. He hadn't forgotten what the girl had done for him in front of Kasuga. How she'd defended him and his Binding aura that was imprinted upon the spot where he had fought the Shrimp Spirit.

Whether Aomi meant it or not, she lied and protected him from persecution. Perhaps she was angry with Kasuga and would lie anyway, just to annoy the other girl. But he doubted that. How many times should a person burn themselves before they learned?

Aomi was a very calculating person. Even her bratty attitude all throughout the evening had its goals, he would bet. Everybody from Nagare would have to ignore her antics after a while simply because of how harmless yet bothersome they were. They would let their guard down, and Aomi would use that against them. Yes?

He felt silly thinking these kinds of thoughts as he watched her pouty, childish manner when she glared at the closed doors. But never again. Never again would he let this girl trick him into underestimating her.

Would it even be possible for Aomi to miss Kasuga's words about there being a distinct lingering aura of power equal that of the Emperor's? Ha! The only person who would "miss" such words and then act like nothing weird had been said, was a person who already knew.

And one that preferred to keep that knowledge to themselves, for whatever reasons.

Add to this Abihiko's bizarre behavior around the Kitten's Paw seashell. He had acted angry at it yet the name he had said in anger was... Aomi's. Could it be that she had seen the original seashell long before Nekohiko asked her to make a copy of it? Look at her chew with not a care in the world other than fancy clothes and her tantrum-throwing. What a gifted actress wasted out of a life on stage!

Yet the absolute worst thing about her was that Aomi could evade all of his pointed questions about her motives previously. Slippery as an eel.

Nekohiko watched, snake eyes narrowing. His tongue prodded the air and Aomi's gaze flitted to him.

"Hungry?" she asked charmingly. "Get this. Nagare cuisine is also famous for the sweet-braised crickets. Maybe if we order a bowl for tomorrow breakfast, your snake body would really appreciate someth--"

"When you told Kasuga that you were the Binder who attacked the Shrimp and preserved Kataji's lung," Nekohiko began, voice steady, "that was very brave of you. Thank you. You protected me from her further investigations. I appreciated that."

"...you Bound something inside me?" Kataji asked, his hand going for his chest as though humiliated.

Nekohiko gave him a tired look. The young man had received healing from Kasuga and then from the medical Binder only half an incense hour ago. Yet it had to be Nekohiko's Binding that made him uncomfortable?

But Aomi barely reacted as she kept digging through her noodles, looking for mushrooms inside. "That was you? That's weird. I wasn't really looking, so I had no idea. But good for you! Tsk. I admire you real Binder people so much. The work you do... the courage to fight all those ugly aberrations... Oh, look how big this chunk of bamboo shoot is!"

Kataji winced at her sticking her bamboo shoot in his face with her chopsticks. He was still not dropping his angle with Nekohiko.

"When did you--? Why would you do that, Itsuki? I don't remember asking you to fix me."

"Are you kidding me? You wouldn't have survived until Kasuga could heal your chest gash. Yes, Aomi, I see the bamboo shoot! It is abnormally big!" he snapped at her and turned back to Kataji who was only getting more worked up.

"Forgive me, Itsuki, but I would rather not receive your Binding powers -- for whichever purposes -- in the future. I do not feel comfortable."

Oh, you want to die next time? Suuure.

"Especially after the trouble with those Binder rumors in Sai." Kataji discreetly hid his eyes and cleared his throat. "You should be more careful in the future. I do not want someone to find you out or to misinterpret your actions."

And oddly, that worked. Nekohiko shut up, timid. Did... Kataji just threaten him with Daichi's murder suspicions?

"I trust you. Aomi trusts you, too," Kataji said as though forcing himself. "You said you've never killed anyone. Well... all right. I believe you. But some others will misunderstand. People do that a lot, you know."

"Yes, master," Nekohiko said low. "If you tell me not to, it will never repeat."

If he hadn't turned aside, judging by Kataji's tightening fist lying on the table, Nekohiko wouldn't want to meet his eye for a while.

Aomi was watching the two of them with her typical blank expression. Although, to Nekohiko, it no longer appeared such. He only saw machinations in everything she did.

Seriously, had she ever agreed to Kataji saying "he and Aomi trusted him"? Not in Nekohiko's memory.

She had always preferred to be quiet instead. To observe from the sides.

Why?

"So about that whole Emperor's Binding aura," he tried again. "That one was wild when Kasuga implied it, wasn't it? I wonder what that's all about."

Aomi shrugged, slurping the noodles. "I guess. She's simply not as great a Binder as she thinks she is. She probably mixed auras up. Happens all the time to mediocrities."

This little eel! He couldn't prod farther than that, could he? "Your save about it being your Eldest Brother's aura, though, was genius, Aomi," Nekohiko said with a widening smile. "Have I ever told you how much I admire your mind? Most people would never be able to tell and that saddens me because they will dismiss you."

"Ooooh. More!" She bounced, leaning toward him. "More flattery, Itsuki!"

"It's not that genius, to be honest," Kataji said acidly from his side of the table. "I would have done the same if I could. But alas. Lying about my Binding is not something I can do. I am only the second-best in this family in everything, and the only one to have been born a mediocrity, eh?"

...

Nekohiko stared at him, too baffled to say a thing when Aomi swooped in.

"Hey, being born a Binder isn't anything special. It's an accident -- luck. It has nothing to do with worth or merit, and you know it, Elder Brother."

...

What were they talking about? The only mediocrity in the family...?

Being born a Binder isn't special...?

"Well, I suppose some people are just luckier than others, then," Kataji replied with a quick and fake smile, then pushed himself off the floor and grabbed the crutches the Nagare healer had given him. "I'm going to bed. Good night, everyone."

"But the food is still--"

"I'm not hungry."

"Wait, Aomi is a Binder?!" Nekohiko blurted. It had taken him quite a few moments to properly absorb the information. His brain was too tired to adapt so fast to something so earth-shattering. "Since when?!"

He was trying to rake his memory for the endless lies she'd fed him about her lack of Binding. He was more than certain she couldn't see Spirits! She had never done it in front of him! What was going on?

Kataji stopped, swaying only slightly on his crutches. "She isn't one. Not anymore. Our mother had sealed Aomi's Binding when she was very little. To protect her, I guess. Supposedly, she was a little prodigy with her Binding. Mom must have felt it was a bit too... dangerous for a child to have."

Nekohiko gaped.

Aomi was gobbling down her bean and vegetable dumplings one after the other. She smiled at him with her mouth full and wiggled her eyebrows. He didn't have the courage to speak up again before Kataji left, but the moment he had --

"Aomi, is there a reason you haven't told me about your Binding before?" Not told. Lied to his face about it. Though he could play these kinds of games himself, he decided. "Aren't we friends? I thought you trusted me the way I trust you. Do you think I would have mocked you for being stripped off Binding powers? I would never."

Her meal was already gone and only waited for the servants to come and pick up the dirty tableware. Aomi draped herself over the table, eyes on Nekohiko in an almost languid catlike manner.

"No, just too personal to share. How would my inner family issues be related to you, really? You didn't even know my mom or what kind of person she was so why bother explaining?"

He guessed it was true even if the girl knew about his real identity. He had never been that close to Asazuma, the mother of this entire cluster of Abi siblings. Abihiko, Kataji, Aomi. Brrrrr. A whole family of freaks. He knew Asazuma was a painfully honest person and that Abihiko and Aomi had inherited her propensity to aggravate and irritate others to no end. But beyond that...

Wait, something wasn't quite right.

"When parents seal their children's Binding, shouldn't the seal release after their death?" he asked, confused. "Why are you not a Binder yet?"

"When have I ever told you about my parents being dead?"

He almost panicked but quickly recuperated. "Shouldn't it be obvious to me by now? Also, I think Kataji told me or maybe your Aunt and Uncle mentioned it one or two times."

A lie but who would check that?

"In any case, I have no idea." She splashed her hands in the air, disinterested. "Maybe my parents aren't dead after all. Or maybe they cast some ridiculously potent seal on me. Who knows? Tomorrow --" she yawned mightily "-- is a big day! I have to get my full night's rest, or I will look like crap in the morning. And I can't allow that magpie showoff 'Queen' to see me like that!"

"But--"

"Good night!"

He lay in comfortable coils on the window sill and desperately envied Aomi's skills in avoiding unpleasant conversations and questions. The Nagare city spread drowsily beneath the high walls of the castle but Nekohiko saw almost nothing from the city's glimmering life. Most of his sight was taken over by one of Suzumegara's colossal wings stretching till his eyes could see into the nightsky horizon. A shifting, translucent lake of Spirit-like essence -- blue, violet, pink, gold. A mesmerizing view, one he could easily fall asleep to.

He didn't want to sleep beside Aomi tonight -- and probably never again in Kataji's bed. And as for the third bed that was welcoming to his presence...

His seashell body was in too inappropriate a place -- lying against Abihiko's collarbones and rising and falling along with his quiet breath -- that he didn't feel very comfortable going into it. Yet. He well knew he would have to do it, and soon. Maybe even tomorrow because no doubt Abihiko would hang around all those people from the past Nekohiko was dying to see. But to lie pressed against Abihiko's naked skin all night long?

No, thank you. Besides, Abihiko would probably start kicking around or mumbling in his dreams sooner or later, and Nekohiko was definitely not going to endure that!

In the end, he was so frustrated with all three Abi siblings, he spent the night on the window sill, only concerning himself with his plans for the Nagare castle's library and archive and how he could use Nagare city's weaknesses against Etsuko if worse came to worst and he was found out.

 

---

 

***

He was woken up in two places at once, making him squirm with dizzy bifurcation that almost happened to his consciousness. But he quelled it in an instant. All of his attention snapped to Abihiko as though by habit.

After the first moment of confusion, he decided that it was the right decision on his part. Not because something particularly interesting was going on with Abihiko -- he was simply rolling in his bed forcing himself to wake up even though he clearly didn't want to -- but because Nekohiko had to prioritize him above all others. His reincarnated existence in this world was, after all, solely devoted to him.

Kataji, the early waker, had already dressed himself and had his breakfast. Aomi only so began moaning and dragging herself out of her bed in the adjacent room -- and it was to this marvelous combination that Nekohiko came back to his cat body. Someone was knocking over it with his fist impatiently.

"Hello? Excuse me?" Kataji was mumbling as he went through his tools. Nekohiko flickered from being beside Abihiko to the cat body.

Argh! Too many bodies!

Too many people demanding his attention! He seriously had to tone down the number of bodies he had or he would simply go insane with being spread so thin among several places and people!

The cat was splayed open on the desk in Kataji's spacious room, his fur pulled apart to reveal the many unhinged or even cracked spots in his carcass. One of Kataji's hands held pincers and a hooking tool in it while he clanged the other instruments, searching through his toolbox. When Nekohiko opened his eyes to stare at him in still-sleepy fright, Kataji finally bothered to look at him.

Before this, he'd worn such a cold expression, Nekohiko felt bad for not having checked on him after last night's dinner. He should have asked if Kataji was all right instead of being so petulant and selfish. It appeared as though Kataji's night sleep hadn't been very pleasant.

"Your legs," Nekohiko asked him, nervous. "Did they hurt at night? How are they now?"

"Fine."

The healer had told them Kataji's legs still needed to recover naturally due to how much time had passed between the bones breaking and him being able to heal them. He had pulled all small shards and splinters together and reinforced them with healing herbs and animal tissue for smoothness but the pain wasn't gone and wouldn't for weeks.

But Kataji didn't seem in the mood for talking about it. Doubtlessly, he would be even spikier if Nekohiko prodded him about his emotional wellbeing.

"Good," Nekohiko said miserably.

Kataji rolled backward in his wheeled chair and grabbed a shapeless big block of Nekohiko's wood from the shelf. He put it before the cat body, then drew a schematic representation of eyes, ears, and a mouth on it.

"I need to cut out spare parts for the cat carcass from this. Mainly for the hooks and hinges that you have completely shattered," he said. "Switch to it."

Nekohiko did as he was told. He and Kataji began their work on cutting and chipping at him, only rarely exchanging a few words to keep track of Nekohiko's perceptions inside the cut block.

Time surely dragged when one was being tortured. In the spare moments that Kataji was busy fitting the new parts onto his cat carcass, Nekohiko didn't waste his time on mere resting from the intense pain. He always shifted his awareness to Abihiko's seashell pendant, just to check if something out of the ordinary was going on there.

But no. Abihiko was being dressed and made up by... what was a very disconcerting-looking person until Nekohiko realized it was a dummy made to resemble a human only marginally. Which was strange. To have a dummy that would work on the Emperor's appearance and style? There had to be dozens if not hundreds of real human stylists dying to get this position under Abihiko's command. And yet he preferred... a machine that struggled with such fine motions as brushing his hair?

Abihiko was fighting off a pained grimace at all the pulling as the dummy worked a section of his long hair into a top knot that the Imperial crown would fit around. It appeared this happened every single day, but Abihiko was still not willing to switch to a trained professional instead?

Actually, it was stranger the more Nekohiko peeked in at Abihiko's life in his palace. He did it in flashes between Kataji's bouts of work, but enough for Nekohiko to glean some pattern from what he saw.

Out of all the servants Abihiko directly interacted with -- there were only dummies surrounding him. Even the middle-aged, timid food taster that had come to check Abihiko's breakfast for poisons was shielded from Abihiko by a wall of Bound guards that didn't even allow the man a straight line of view of the Emperor. While Abihiko was eating in the empty hall striped with lines of stark shadows and blinding light on the floor from all the narrow windows, councilors and Palace servants came over to ask Abihiko about this small thing or that. Nekohiko didn't listen to them because most of it was nothing above the level of smalltalk.

What would Abihiko like to have as an in-between-the-meals snack today? His preferences for lunch and dinner? What about his preference for the incense fragrance in the council hall? His mid-morning walk in which part of the garden? A list of important visitors wishing to have an audience with him today.

None of these people were allowed to see him from beyond the wall of Bound guard bodies. Most Emperors upheld traditions that forbade anyone to lay their eyes on Their Divine Majesty except for concubines. But Abihiko didn't seem concerned about that when some of the servants chanced a glance at him while they spoke. This could only be Abihiko's paranoid desire to protect himself.

Nekohiko had heard something along those lines once or twice from the gossiping people of Sai. The Emperor was such a poor, tortured young man. The courtly life of intrigue and malice had rendered him paranoid of treason. In fact, the poor Emperor was even scared to have lovers in his chambers. So traumatic, to be afraid to be backstabbed by someone he loved, no?

Indeed, aww -- what a poor boy, Nekohiko thought, hanging off Abihiko's neck when nobody else was even allowed within a few steps of him.

This "poor boy" had no clue what was coming for him.

Nekohiko wanted to chuckle but this body had no mouth, so he emerged by Kataji's side to do it, so content he felt with being able to observe Abihiko's misery any time he wanted.

This was very immature of him, true. But sometimes, when he felt particularly lost and wretched about his lowly existence as a log -- or a cat, or a snake, or even, one day, as a sex-doll mannequin -- he had to remind himself that all of this had a cause. A goal. A direction toward which he was steadily moving. No matter how humiliating or demeaning his life would get, he would accept it as long as it took him closer to Abihiko.

Kataji flashed him a glare. "Something funny?"

"I'm just in a good mood today." Nekohiko beamed at Kataji. "Can't wait till we finish and I can take a stroll through the Nagare city just to see the sights."

"I don't believe we are allowed to leave the castle," Kataji said. "But I'll make sure to ask if I can walk around the city with convoy when Kasuga deigns to come."

Nekohiko had meant him walking alone as a cat or a snake. Why would he need Kataji beside him during his research or his preparations to protect himself from Etsuko? Heck, even without any of his other plans -- why would he bring Kataji with him anywhere?

He didn't feel comfortable bringing this up, though.

But Kataji did on his own. He pulled his jellied-lens goggles off his eyes and to his head. His fixed Nekohiko with his stare. "And if you think that you may walk outside without my supervision, then you are very mistaken, Itsuki. As long as I remain locked down, so do you."

He turned to his toolbox, businesslike.

Nekohiko blinked, unnerved. "Repeat that?"

"I am responsible for you," Kataji said slower and harsher. "And for everything you might do in your cat body. Unless I know and can witness where you go, don't you think I should restrict your movement? It only seems logical to me after what happened in Red Stone."

Ah, so it was time to talk about this, at last?

"And what has exactly happened in Red Stone?" Nekohiko asked as evenly as he could.

"Mmm? The Lumber-Devouring Spirit almost ate you," Kataji said. "I would never allow something like this ever again. Not on my watch."

Outside the room, there was a small shuffle of footsteps. A curt "Your Majesty!" said in unison from many voices came next and Kataji perked up to pay attention.

Kasuga was here.

Aomi immediately slid the door of her own room with a loud bang and refused to come out to greet Kasuga. Kataji had to do it all on his own. Tentatively, he reached for his crutches by the desk when the partly-opened door of his own room gaped wider.

Kasuga's thin fingers lay on its frame as she stepped in. Her dress changed only a little -- from the military uniform to a... less military-looking uniform. Everything straight-cut and geometric and sharp-edged. Every hem adorned with the feathers of magpies, however tiny and fluffy they were on her today's outfit. Like yesternight, she still somehow looked frightened with how huge and dark her eyes were, but Nekohiko could also sense calmness and purpose in everything she did. She took in the room in one swift glance. It stopped only when her eyes fell on the log cube on the table.

On Nekohiko.

"What is this?" she asked instead of a greeting.

For someone as polite and well-spoken, this was as much of an unthinkable breach of etiquette as barging into someone's room without being invited. And Kasuga had just done both.

Kataji gawked. He attempted to hide Nekohiko's cube under the edge of his working apron.

"Just an arts-and-crafts hobby of mine," he whispered. "Good morning, Your Ma--"

"This thing talks. This thing can hear you and answer you. What is it?" Kasuga repeated, grimmer.

Nekohiko felt actual beads of cold sweat forming on his cubic form. Terrified, he looked at Kasuga's impassive face, then above her -- to the air-duct fulgurite pipes all along the walls.

He had noticed them yesterday already, thinking -- these things are creepy as hell. Why do they constantly make this whistling noise as though winds always prowl through them?

Why do the winds feel as though they are alive in Nagare castle?

As though they are listening to me? As though they are following each of my moves?

Nagare's specialty was not only storms, thunder, and lightning. They were the Lords of the Skies. Their primary field of power was wind. Hurricane, breeze, bluster -- and draft, like the one that touched all the rooms of the Castle, likely carrying every word spoken inside it to the ears of its already suspicious Queen who might just want to spy on these guests of hers.

"Talk. I'm listening," she repeated and softly pulled the door closed.