"We've come to take
him home." I had hoped to sound heroic and strong,
but in the face of this demon, I sounded almost
apologetic.
"But you cannot take him from me now."
The dragon woman looked concerned. "I have
travelled so far. I have achieved so much. I have
discovered the nukekubi, fought the yuki-onna.
We are so close to victory, you and I."
Victory? You and I?
Cait shot me a look that said, plain as day,
you know this woman-thing?
No. I shook my head. I'd never seen her before
in my life. The yuki-onna, the thing she claimed
to have fought, I'd heard of that. Another demon
my Baba had talked about. But there wasn't time
to think of that now. We needed Kazu back, and
we needed to go home. We'd been crazy to try this
alone.
"Give him to me," I said. "In the name of my
Baba. In the name of Zashiko, our zashiki-warashi."
If this dragon claimed to know Baba and Zashiko,
perhaps that could work in our favour.
The dragon woman made a strange sound, a kind
of watery whimper. "But the plan. The nukekubi.
She is here, somewhere in the school. I must take
your brother to her."
Take Kazu to the Okuda-monster? This was
the last straw. There was no way Zashiko had sent
this disgusting creature. It was a lie, another trick,
like the Mr O'Neill noppera-bo. I might not be
the world's best sister, but I drew the line at feeding
my brother to a flying demon head. I decided right
then and there: there was no way I was going to
let anyone take Kazu anywhere near the nukekubi,
and especially not this scaly green snake-demon
thing. Even if my life depended on it.
"Give him to me," I commanded. This time my voice came out booming and hot, like Mr Lloyd's
when he was mad at Alex.
The dragon woman squirmed. Kazu wriggled
in her arms, still sleeping soundly. "It's not right,"
she said. "Zashiko has a plan..." But she slithered
closer, her green arms extended slightly, holding
Kazu out over the water.
I moved to the edge of the desk, close enough
to reach out and touch Kazu. "Give him to me."
The dragon woman moved closer still, dangling
Kazu like bait over a shark pit. "Are you sure,
Takeshita Miku? Are you ready? Can you take him?"
I didn't answer right away. Instead I grabbed
Kazu as quickly as I could, cringing away from the
cool touch of the woman's scaly skin. "Yes, very sure.
I'm ready."
Kazu felt warm and alive, soft and heavy in
my arms. We'd done it! He didn't wake. I started to
dream that we might make it home, me and Kazu
and Cait.
The dragon woman hadn't moved. She stood
there, watching Kazu as I held him. Her red eyes
had narrowed, like a snake watching a mouse. It felt
weird that she hadn't backed away, but at least she
hadn't come any closer.
Cait had had enough. "Thanks for that," she said. "We're leaving now." But though she sounded as
if she meant it, she didn't move an inch. Neither
did the dragon woman.
"Leave us," Cait tried again. "We're going
home."
But the woman didn't even twitch.
And I wasn't going anywhere. Kazu was
breathing peacefully in my arms, but he seemed to
be getting heavier every second. He seemed to be
turning into lead, becoming heavier and heavier,
until my arms were aching with the weight of him.
I didn't care. I took a deep breath and hung on.
"Hey, Kazu," I crooned. "It's OK now, I've got
you. We're going to take you home."
"Come on, Miku," said Cait, still eyeing the
dragon woman warily. "Let's get out of here."
But I couldn't take a step. Kazu was growing
heavier still. My arms felt as if they were being
stretched, pulled down to the ground by their
tremendous load.
Kazu looked just as peaceful as ever, but my arm
muscles were burning up and my legs had started
trembling with the weight. "It's OK, Kazu," I said,
gritting my teeth. "It's OK."
But it wasn't. I was shaking with the strain now.
How much longer could I hold him?
I looked up at the dragon woman. "What have
you done to him? Let him go."
"You care for
him home." I had hoped to sound heroic and strong,
but in the face of this demon, I sounded almost
apologetic.
"But you cannot take him from me now."
The dragon woman looked concerned. "I have
travelled so far. I have achieved so much. I have
discovered the nukekubi, fought the yuki-onna.
We are so close to victory, you and I."
Victory? You and I?
Cait shot me a look that said, plain as day,
you know this woman-thing?
No. I shook my head. I'd never seen her before
in my life. The yuki-onna, the thing she claimed
to have fought, I'd heard of that. Another demon
my Baba had talked about. But there wasn't time
to think of that now. We needed Kazu back, and
we needed to go home. We'd been crazy to try this
alone.
"Give him to me," I said. "In the name of my
Baba. In the name of Zashiko, our zashiki-warashi."
If this dragon claimed to know Baba and Zashiko,
perhaps that could work in our favour.
The dragon woman made a strange sound, a kind
of watery whimper. "But the plan. The nukekubi.
She is here, somewhere in the school. I must take
your brother to her."
Take Kazu to the Okuda-monster? This was
the last straw. There was no way Zashiko had sent
this disgusting creature. It was a lie, another trick,
like the Mr O'Neill noppera-bo. I might not be
the world's best sister, but I drew the line at feeding
my brother to a flying demon head. I decided right
then and there: there was no way I was going to
let anyone take Kazu anywhere near the nukekubi,
and especially not this scaly green snake-demon
thing. Even if my life depended on it.
"Give him to me," I commanded. This time my voice came out booming and hot, like Mr Lloyd's
when he was mad at Alex.
The dragon woman squirmed. Kazu wriggled
in her arms, still sleeping soundly. "It's not right,"
she said. "Zashiko has a plan..." But she slithered
closer, her green arms extended slightly, holding
Kazu out over the water.
I moved to the edge of the desk, close enough
to reach out and touch Kazu. "Give him to me."
The dragon woman moved closer still, dangling
Kazu like bait over a shark pit. "Are you sure,
Takeshita Miku? Are you ready? Can you take him?"
I didn't answer right away. Instead I grabbed
Kazu as quickly as I could, cringing away from the
cool touch of the woman's scaly skin. "Yes, very sure.
I'm ready."
Kazu felt warm and alive, soft and heavy in
my arms. We'd done it! He didn't wake. I started to
dream that we might make it home, me and Kazu
and Cait.
The dragon woman hadn't moved. She stood
there, watching Kazu as I held him. Her red eyes
had narrowed, like a snake watching a mouse. It felt
weird that she hadn't backed away, but at least she
hadn't come any closer.
Cait had had enough. "Thanks for that," she said. "We're leaving now." But though she sounded as
if she meant it, she didn't move an inch. Neither
did the dragon woman.
"Leave us," Cait tried again. "We're going
home."
But the woman didn't even twitch.
And I wasn't going anywhere. Kazu was
breathing peacefully in my arms, but he seemed to
be getting heavier every second. He seemed to be
turning into lead, becoming heavier and heavier,
until my arms were aching with the weight of him.
I didn't care. I took a deep breath and hung on.
"Hey, Kazu," I crooned. "It's OK now, I've got
you. We're going to take you home."
"Come on, Miku," said Cait, still eyeing the
dragon woman warily. "Let's get out of here."
But I couldn't take a step. Kazu was growing
heavier still. My arms felt as if they were being
stretched, pulled down to the ground by their
tremendous load.
Kazu looked just as peaceful as ever, but my arm
muscles were burning up and my legs had started
trembling with the weight. "It's OK, Kazu," I said,
gritting my teeth. "It's OK."
But it wasn't. I was shaking with the strain now.
How much longer could I hold him?
I looked up at the dragon woman. "What have
you done to him? Let him go."
"You care for
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