A Reason For Being

Chapter thirty-one

Matsu

"What's the deal with you and Sora?" Kaya questions.

It's pouring down rain. My hair, skin, and clothes are soaking wet. It's cold and miserable. The trees susurrus in the wind. The rain drums on the ground. It's as if I'm having a cold shower, but I'm fully clothed. Kazya leads the way with her black- and- white- dalmatian mare.

"Deal?" I mutter.

"Do you like her?" Kaya asks.

"Of course, she's my best friend," I say.

"Let me rephrase that. Do you love her?" Kaya says. I feel butterflies in my stomach. My cheeks turn red, and I blush. Kaya has known me long enough to know what I'm thinking. "You do, don't you? You love her."

"Yeah, I always have," I say.

"Why aren't you two a couple?" she questions.

"Because she doesn't love me," I say.

"Bullshit, she loves you. Maybe she didn't before when we were kids, but she does now," Kaya says.

"She told you?" I question.

"She didn't have to. When we get back, you're going to confess your love to her and live happily ever after," Kaya says.

"I wish life was that simple," I mumble under my breath.

There's a large abundance of guards on patrol in Five. They walk around like mindless zombies. We cover ourselves and the horse in Mushu. We have tranquillizer guns, but we'll only use them as a last resort. We wait for the patrols to pass then cross the street. Several times, I think we've been spotted and it's over, but it's not, and we keep moving.

We arrive at the back entrance of Nakama. I tell Kaya to stay with the horse outside while I check that the place is clear. I enter with my tranquillizer gun in my hand and hear voices. I'm not alone. I sneak through the stockroom. I see the crates of supplies at the end of the bar table where Cho would give drinks to the customers. There are four guards with guns. I'm not a sharpshooter like Ted or Sora, but I'm good at hand-to-hand combat. I don't know how, but I am.

I creep closer while the guards are distracted by the radio. Someone is talking. Something is happening at the arcade. That's where Ted and Sora went to get the hostages. I pray that they're OK. One of the guards looks in my direction and sees me. There's a Mexican standoff. The first guard reaches for his gun. I run towards him and also grab the weapon. Neither of us refuses to let go. I clutch the trigger and shoot him in the leg. He screams in agony and lets the weapon go.

I throw the gun away and swap it for my tranquillizer. I shoot a dozen times until I get the second and third guards. The fourth guard hits me, and my body slams onto the floor. I morph into my wolf form. So does the guard. I bite the scruff of his neck and let go. He snarls and tries to bite me back, but I'm too fast. The wolf growls and spit. Kaya must have heard the commotion. She sprints inside the café and shoots the remaining two wolves.

"I had that," I say.

"Sure, you did," she replies sardonically.

The café is clear. We don't have much time. We grab what we can and load the horse. I wish we had more time so that I could select the essentials, but we don't. I pick up random bags of supplies and hope for the best. The sound of gunfire won't go unnoticed. We have to get out of here as fast as possible. The horse is filled with supplies, so we leave. Kaya mounts her horse, and I run alongside her in my wolf form. We keep running and don't look back.

We race to the fence. Like children. My tongue hangs freely from my mouth. My tail is high. My ears are back. My heart races. I am first to get to the fence. I slow down to a walking pace and turn into my human form. I see a face on the opposite side of the fence. It's Ted.

"What are you doing here? Where is Sora? Is she OK?" I question. For a fraction of a second, I fear the worst. I imagine her cold and pale body lying on the floor. Covered in blood.

"She's fine. I told her to take the hostages and wait for us at camp," Ted says.

I sigh with relief. I'm so glad she's OK. If anything happened to her, then I don't know what I would do. I don't want to live in a world without Sora Sakurai. I'd rather die.

"I win. Slowcoach," I joke. Kazya catches up and squeezes through the gap.

"Please. I let you win." Kazya's eyes twinkle, and she grins. Out of nowhere, a bullet smashes into her chest in slow motion. Her horse panics and rears, knocking her off. She falls onto the ground.

"Kaya!" Ted yells. He runs towards her and drops down next to her. He holds her hand. I grab the horse's reins and calm the mare down to prevent her from galloping off with the supplies.

"I'm OK! I'm OK!" Kaya insists. She looks far from it. Her top is stained with fresh red blood. I look in the direction where the shot had come from and see a dozen wolves coming this way. Kaya's horse refuses to move like a broken-down car. I urge the horse to move, but it's no use. A bullet strikes my shoulder. Blood oozes onto my clothes. I see a wolf hiding in the trees with a sniper.

"You have to go without me. I'll just slow you down," Kaya says.

"I'm not leaving you!" Ted yells. The wolves are getting ever so closer.

"We have to go," I urge. I don't want to leave Kaya either, but the colour on her face is fading. She's dying. I squeeze his shoulder. It's time to go.

"No!" He pushes my arm off him. There are tears in his eyes. "I won't let her die in the middle of the woods. alone," Ted says. If he stays, then the wolves will kill him.

"You have to. I love you guys, but you have to go," Kaya says gently. She gives his hand a final squeeze and lets go. What if I stayed with her? They probably wouldn't kill me. At least, I don't think they would. If they do, then at least I'll provide a distraction as Ted escapes.

"I'll stay with her," I say. Ted stands frozen and unable to speak.

"Go!" I yell. I force the reins into his hands, and he mounts the horse. I smack the horse hard, and the mare gallops off with Ted and the supplies.

I fade into my wolf form and shield Kaya as the wolves circle us. I won't leave Kaya like I left Sora. I won't run away. Not again. Everything has come full circle. I feel like I've sort of atoned for what I've done in the past.