Author Note: This is a bit delayed due to several weeks of back-to-back assignments. But because of the delay I decided to combine the last two chapters into one. So we are officially finished with this part of Kaida's story. While I get organized for the return to Chicago and our favorite shifters, I will be putting out a series of one-shots, detailing moments that I didn't include in the other stories or that get stuck in my head. So look for that sometime soon.

I'm also considering combining Reconstruction with Through the Glass/Leave Out All the Rest. My reasoning is that if they were an actual print novel they'd make sense as three parts of one whole book. Any opinions from the readers?

Chapter Seven: Secondhand Heart

The sound of a struggle made me sit up in the dark room. The moon cast several tall figures into sight while a smaller one was holding off their advance with a sword. I only had a few moments before they rushed Yuka and she went down under three attackers. I rolled to my feet, adrenaline flooding my system as another two came at me. But as much as I liked to think of myself as a bad ass, I didn't have the training and reaction times these people had. Before I could even think to shift my hands into paws, they swung something hard that knocked my skull sideways and me into darkness.

My second awakening was on a futon with a splitting headache. I sat up slowly, a hand to my forehead as if that would ease the pain, and found that I was in a small stone room. My right eye was swollen shut but I was able to take in my new accommodations. There was a wooden door with a small barred window as well as a barred makeshift skylight over a drain, presumably to catch any rain.

The door opened silently and I prepared myself to see a horrible monster, but all that entered was a small boy with whisker marks on his cheeks. I blinked and wondered if I had a concussion. He shut the door behind him, balancing a tray on one hand. Kneeling, he sat the tray on the floor and stared at me.

“Hello?” I asked in Japanese.

He ducked his head and mumbled, “I brought food. You should eat.”

My stomach rumbled and I scooted over slowly, not wanting to spook him. “Thank you. I'm Kaida.”

“I'm Sora. Please eat.”

He had an unusual name, but maybe it was normal for wherever I was. I picked up my chopsticks and ate slowly, glancing up at him between bites. Now that I was closer I noticed that he had small light brown ears nestled in his hair. I would have bet that at a hundred years of age he'd grow a tail too.

“What are you?” I asked.

He studied me. “They haven't told you?” he asked, saying the word 'they' with a mix of hate and fear in his voice. Since I had no idea what he meant I just shook my head no. “I'm a Tanuki. A sworn enemy of the fox people.”

“Why?”

“They banished us from our rightful world. They wanted it for themselves. But everything will be set right soon. The naga promised us the fox world if we help it destroy them all.”

I paused with my chopsticks in mid-air. “But the kitsune are what keep the world whole. If they die it will just disappear.”

“The naga will take the fox power and remake the world for us. It has no interest in a world. It just wants to feed on energy.”

“How will you give it energy? You'll be the only people in the world.”

“There will be sacrifices made, of course. But it would be an honorable way to die, helping our people retake our world.”

Sora had this feverish light in his chocolate brown eyes, like a religious fanatic. I didn't bother asking him if he had considered the kitsune position or if history had been twisted in the thousands of years since they had been banished. It would have been like trying to convince a fish it could survive out of water.

I finished my food quickly and as Sora left I asked, “Is there any way I can get my bag? It doesn't have weapons in it, just books.”

“I'll see,” was all he said.

Alone in my cell with nothing but my thoughts I settled on my futon with my back to the wall. My eyes began to close as exhaustion overwhelmed me. I was tired of being kidnapped and drug about by fate. For the past few months I had been reacting to events, instead of being proactive and trying to anticipate and head off problems. The skylight overhead had darkened and my eyelids grew heavier until I succumbed to sleep.

My second day in captivity began with a pleasant surprise. I woke up and my bag was lying at the bottom of the futon near my feet. My room was dimly lit by a dawning sun but I drew forth my bag and riffled through it. My family book was there along with the one Kiyoi had given me, which was a surprise since I figured the tanuki would burn it or something. There was some yen in there along with a compact mirror, a pencil, a mini-notebook, and an old tube of lip gloss. I hoped Tobi was okay wherever he was, even though he'd never shown me a reason why my O-baa-san had given him to me. Maybe he was just for luck.

Since I had nothing else to occupy my time I opened the book Kiyoi had given me and was delighted to find a Japanese to Kitsune primer. At least my time would be productive. I used the pencil and mini-notebook to practice Kitsune until I had the alphabet memorized. The pages after the alphabet were some basic grammar rules and vocabulary. I wouldn't be holding any lengthy conversations but now I could form basic sentences, which was more than I could do yesterday. The rest of the book was basically a catch-all book with the history, biology, and sociology of the kitsune.

I skimmed the history and biology parts and focused on the social aspects of their culture, especially the bonding marks. I noted that the book was vague about how the bonds between people were possible. Maybe it just wasn't important for a basic book like this. But something made me file the question away in the back of my mind for later asking. After we dealt with the whole naga taking over the world thing.

I read until Sora came with my food and while I now knew about the many types of bonds, from bodyguards and their clients to a parent and their child, I didn't know anything about the mechanism behind what made a bond form or change. It seemed I would need a more in depth book. I ate in silence and Sora left. My eyes strayed to my wrist and I felt like I had a noose around it, entangling me into a web I couldn't see. Why did I keep letting myself get dragged into situations like this?

Sitting here lamenting my fate wouldn't get anything done, but I didn't have anything else to do. I'd finished the book Kiyoi gave me. So I took my mini-notebook and practiced my Kitsune until my hand cramped and the light grew to dim to see the paper. Repacking my bag, I walked underneath the skylight and starred up at the sky. It shocked me when I didn't see any stars, just a black background unbroken by clouds of pricks of light.

Disheartened I laid down on the cold ground and stared at the blackness until my eyes blurred with tears. Homesickness hit me like a shinkansen. I missed Gabriel, Alastar, his foster cats, the city, and the smell of fur. Guilt hit me then too. Sure I was captive with no hope of escape, but I was alive unlike a certain Russian who'd found his way into my heart without me knowing it. I fell asleep running my hands through my hair and wishing it was black fur.

I'd only been asleep a few hours because it was still dark when the whole room shook. Chunks of rock feel from the ceiling and I curled up into a ball, covering my head with my hands. The door to my cell flung opened and I jumped up, ready to fight for my life. But a familiar figure made me run forward and grasp them in a tight hug. “Yuka! What's going on?”

“Hurry! Kiyoi is preparing an assault on the naga.”

I grabbed my bag and we took off down the halls. When we emerged into a large cavern I realized why the sky had been black. Because it was the ceiling of a massive cave, wherein smaller rooms, like mine, had been carved out. We sprinted across through a city carved of stone, seeing no one. I doubted Yuka had taken all the inhabitants out of commission and figured they were hiding and letting the naga take care of us.

On the other side of the city was a large doorway decorated like a temple, with carvings of snakes. Before we entered, Yuka handed me a small vial. “This is a portion of the herb mixture. Only a little bit needs to be introduced into the naga.” I shed my bag and laid it behind a pillar, hoping it would survive, then put the container in one of the side pockets of my cargo pants just above my knee. Hopefully it wouldn't break. Inside the room I almost didn't recognize Kiyoi. He was no longer human, but a form that was like a fox but around seven feet tall and standing upright like a human. It reminded me of horror movies with the wolf-man terrorizing the countryside, with obvious differences.

Yuka began her transformation and I watched in fascination as she grew to six feet, sprouting fur and fox features. I wondered if I could learn to do that. Not right now though, I had other things to worry about. Like an angry naga. Shaking my heading and scolding myself for getting distracted, I shifted my hands. I had a feeling that my true animal forms wouldn't be a help here. In my haste I didn't the control the shift as well as I should have and my cheeks itched as five inch long whiskers sprouted.

The tiger part of my brain kicked in, taking in the new sensory information the whiskers offered. I could feel the changes in air pressure as the naga moved, allowing me to track it. Now or never. I took a running leap and landed on the naga when it was distracted by the two kitsune. My claws lodged under the scales and I dangled there. The naga shook itself like a wet dog but I clung tightly and refused to give up my hold.

Kiyoi attacked, drawing it's attention, so I could loosen one hand and try to injure the giant snake. But the scales were tough and my claws just made a screeching sound as they slid off. I was force to grasp tighter when my whiskers felt the movement of the tail coming at me, getting as close to the dark blue scales as possible. I moved upward slowly, as I had landed midway up the naga. The bottom half of it was coiled and the mid and upper half was upright like a cobra.

I felt like I was on boat in a storm. Yuka was knocked backwards into a wall where she slumped unmoving. Kiyoi was trying to injure it but he wasn't having any better luck with the scales than I was. How had anyone injured it enough to die from the reflection of the wounds?

Kiyoi was making weird motions with his hands, pointing to his ears then the naga over and over. Snakes have ears? Maybe the naga did. Either way I made my way up the naga's side and when it ducked down to snap at Kiyoi I saw what he was trying to point out. There were two relatively small indentations on the top of the snakes head, just behind the eyes. The scales were a paler colour and looked softer than the body scales. A weak spot.

There was no way I could get to them by climbing up the naga's side or back, where I would be exposed to the flexible tail. Where I was the naga itself was a shield, because it couldn't hit me without hitting itself. My tiger and wolf minds went into hunting mode, and within a few seconds I had the craziest, most reckless plan ever. And I had to hope it would work because I had one shot.

I withdrew the vial and clutched it in my left hand, hanging on with my right. Using every bit of athletic and gymnastic ability I had, I waited until the part of the naga I was hanging onto was undulating forward, then swung up and around. It would have made any coach proud. But I didn't know that the naga could spit venom. It hit the right side of my face and body, burning with a pain that was ten times worse than when I had been interrogated. But it was do or die time. Or maybe both, but I would do before I died.

My momentum landed my on the naga's nose. With my one eye working I stared into vertical black pupils set against dark green eyes. What I saw scared me. It had no care in the world except to feed on destruction and power. I heard a distant yip and the world that had been fading away snapped back into place. I scrambled up the nose and dug my mangled right hand into the nearest pit. A sharp pain flared over my left eyebrow and blood began running down my face. I uncorked the vial with my thumb and drenched the wound in the herbs.

Then for the first time the naga made a sound. A hiss vibrated through my whole body, masking my trembling from pain and fatigue. Then the naga's head began to fall and I slipped off the side and into blessed unawareness.

I thought I was awake when my eyes opened but I was in the middle of a meadow. I sat up in a field of wildflowers, wondering if I was dead. In all the movies waking up in a meadow after a battle meant you were. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, basking in the warm sun and the scent of clean air.

“It's been so long since you smiled, zaychik.”

My heart stopped beating then I realized I was dead and I was only imagining that my heart was beating. Maybe it started beating for a moment instead. Either way I opened my eyes and saw Zaven leaning over, looking at me.

I jumped up and he almost got knocked in the head in my hurry. My arms went around him and I inhaled his scent, using every bit of supernatural ability to commit it to memory. “I'm sorry,” I whispered into his ear.

“Don't be. It wasn't your fault. I was the one meant to die. If you had chosen me there would have been two bodies that night, not one.”

“I betrayed you both.”

“Never.” He moved back a little and lifted my chin with a gentle hand. “And we did not betray you, lapushka. The pack did that behind our backs. Gabriel still doesn't know about it.”

“I'm sorry I didn't you trust you guys. But everything was happening so fast and I didn't know what was going on.”

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “And I'm sorry I scared you that night. But I was worried about you. I wish things had been in our favor.”

“Am I dead?”

He smiled and the sun got warmer and brighter. “No, just lost,” his face grew serious, “things are changing, Kaida. Quickly. And you are going to play a pivotal role.”

“Right, I can't even keep from getting kidnapped.”

“You're a link. You're not meant to be a warrior but an ambassador for people who have no concept of how to interact as equals.”

“Sounds easy.”

He laughed then glanced off into the distance. “Looks like you've been found.”

I looked away and noticed that the colors of the meadow were duller than when I woke up. I threw my arms around him and held on for dear life. “Please don't leave me.”

Zaven nuzzled his cheek against mine, a wolf way of showing affection. I looked up into his golden eyes. “Moya lyubov' ne znayet granits. Ti ne odna.” He leaned down and kissed me.

When I opened my eyes I was laying in a bed, looking at a white ceiling. I sat up and instantly felt weak, taking in the light blue walls. My heart felt lightened by Zaven's forgiveness but I knew the sorrow of his death would never disappear. But maybe it would lessen now. Turning my head tired me but I saw Kiyoi, Yuka, and an unfamiliar kitsune standing at the bedside.

“You're awake,” Yuka exclaimed, hugging me carefully.

“Did we kill it?” I asked.

“Yes, with your help. We never could have alone.”

A smiled faintly and closed my eyes, exhausted. The next few days I slept almost the whole time but on the fourth I woke up and felt like a new person. The only there was the unfamiliar older man who I had learned in my brief bouts of wakefulness was a master healer named Kemnebi, or Kem for short.

He brought me a tray with some type of almost clear soup and sat down in a chair while I slurped it. “Let me explain about your care,” he started. I glanced up to show that I was listening. “Your right side, specifically your face was badly injured by the venom of the naga. Luckily you were brought back to Kitsusaki in time for me to begin healing you. You have been in a coma for the past two weeks while your body mended. There was a curious side effect when the bandages on your face were removed.”

I was stuck on the two weeks part. Zaven had said I was lost, not dead. I tuned back in as he kept talking.

“Your right eye had to be re-grown using kitsune healing magic. Let me show you, it will be easier than explaining.” He stood and grabbed a small hand mirror from a table and handed it to me. I took a deep breath and prepared myself mentally, exhaling when I lifted the reflective surface.

Unfamiliar eyes stared at me. Well, one unfamiliar one. My left eye was the normal dark brown I had been born with, but the right was not. The outer edge of the iris was ringed in black, that lightened into a pure silver with white streaks like glitter toward my pupil. But around my pupil was a ring of light golden brown. I blinked and the eyes in the mirror did too.

I looked up at the healer. “I ran some tests to discover what happened. It appears that the healing magic interacted with your blood in unforeseen ways. You had three blood abnormalities: something close to human which I assume is an effect from the dragonborn lineage and two viruses of an animal nature. However, the first abnormality in your blood seems to interfere with the viruses. I tested them on a sample of normal human tissue and they binded completely to every cell. In you, they only bind about 60% of the time. If I had to guess, I would say that you have some of the abilities a human would have, but not all of them.”

I nodded. “I have enhanced senses compared to a human but only my sense of smell is equal to a normal infected human. I'm also...,” I hesitated.

“Anything you say will be held in confidence.”

“Normal weres have to shift on a full moon and it takes them longer to shift into animal form. I don't have to shift on the full moon and I recover quicker. I'm only as strong and fast as them when I'm in danger.”

Kem looked thoughtful. “Most likely the release of adrenaline helps the virus bind more completely.”

I sudden thought hit me. “How's the world? Was the Vixen able to stabilize it?”

“Pardon me for not informing you. Yes, she was able to bring the weather patterns back to normal and rebuild the city. In fact, now that you're awake, I'll inform her. She wants to visit you.”

Before I could get another word out he was gone and I settled back onto my pillow. I was counting ceiling tiles when Kem came back, followed by the Vixen, Kiyoi, and Yuka. The Vixen stopped at my beside while the other three hung back.

“I have to confess. I had little hope that you would not only accomplish your mission but survive,” the Vixen started.

“I'm overwhelmed at your confidence in me,” I remarked then slapping a hand over my mouth, eyes wide. “I'm sorry. I can only blame my injuries,” I apologized quickly.

She smiled. “Do not fear. I have raised many kits and am not going to offended. You are still young after all. Speaking of which, for your service to the Kitsune I have decided to give you the highest honor.” She turned and took a calligraphy brush and a pot of ink from Kiyoi. With long delicate fingers she picked up my left wrist, the one with the mark, and turned it palm up. Dipping the brush into the ink she wrote small, neat script over the part of the mark that was my name. What had once been katakana rearranged itself into the Kitsune script.

Above the mark she wrote single complicated character then set the brush and pot down on a table. “I formally adopt you as a daughter. You shall be called Tairo no Kaida by all Kitsune and are afforded all the rights and privileges as any royal Kitsune.”

My mouth dropped open in a very unladylike manner.

Epilogue

After I got over the shock of being adopted by a queen, I prepared to leave the Kitsune world nearly three weeks after entering. When I exited the shrine that I had originally entered, my rescued bag still with me, it was a shock to discover I hadn't even been gone a week on Earth. In no hurry I made my way to my grandmother's, where this whole adventure had begun.

She greeted me without surprise but I was shocked to find a familiar lizard riding on her shoulder. “Tobi!” I exclaimed. The lizard flicked his tongue at me and stepped to the edge of her shoulder. I held my hand out for him and he walked up to my hair, nestling in it. “How did he get here?”

“He has his ways. He told me all about your trip. It seems you had quite a time. Come in then, don't stand in the doorway and let in the hot air.”

I followed her back to the same table where I had first met Kiyoi, sitting on a cushion as she poured tea into cups. We sat in silence and sipped our drinks before she spoke again. “I've gotten quite old and am ready to retire. You'll be named the new official dragonborn. This means you will be to one people go to, not me. I think I may take a vacation to the islands further south.”

I just managed not to spit my tea all over the table. A vacation? That was so unlike my O-baa-san that I couldn't even imagine her leaving this island. “Of course I'll send my books along to you. You'll need them,” she added.

I knew any attempt at discussion would just get me a headache; both from her stubbornness and her hidden weapons. So I just finished my tea and handed Tobi back to her.

“Don't dawdle now. You're needed at home,” she ordered, not quite shoving me out the door but nearly.

Home. That seemed like a foreign concept, but when I thought about Chicago and everything and everyone that was waiting there, I realized it had become home for me. And it was time to go back.

Translation Notes:

Shinkansen: “bullet trains”. A network of high speed railway lines that links most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu at speeds up to 186 mph.

Zaychik: Russian term of endearment meaning rabbit.

Lapushka: Russian term of endearment meaning “little paw”, a reference to Kaida's tiger form.

Moya lyubov' ne znayet granits: In Russian: There are no borders for my love.

Ti ne odna: In Russian: You are not alone.