Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
"No."
“It was a nightmare to me, but. . .what did they see?"
"Safety. Justice. A king who would burn the whole world to protect them." He smiled. "They’ll sleep better tonight."
I sat there stunned.
Hiro let the silence hold. He picked up my pencil, turned it over in his fingers, then set it back down. “If my brother had done less than that pyre today. . .all the Scales would have seen weakness. And weakness makes them afraid. And afraid men make mistakes. And mistakes get people killed."
He let that land.
“I’m realizing that. . .I’ve got a lot to learn.”
“But you knew that.”
“Not completely.”
“You did.”
“I don’t know about that. . .” I shook my head. “This morning I told Kenji that he should come to me before doing any major executions.”
Hiro stared at me for a few seconds and then laughed.
And I didn’t laugh with him.
So, he blinked, stopped laughing, and then widened his eyes. “Hold on. Are you serious?”
“Never mind.” I waved my hand. “Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”
“You’re really serious?”
“I just thought. . .” I swallowed hard. "I thought there was a better way for next time. . .maybe a vote. Oh God. Never mind. I know I sound fucking naive right now.”
“A vote on what? My brother killing people? The Dragon?”
“Okay. We’re done talking about this.” I tried to hide my face in embarrassment.
“You asked my brother to vote with you before he kills someone?”
“Not vote. More like. . .kind of get my permission.”
Shock hit him. “Who’s permission again?”
“We’re not talking about this.”
Hiro laughed so loud I knew that the whole house heard him.
I scowled at him. “Alright. Alright. I got it. That shit wasn’t that funny.”
“Your permission?” Hiro continued to laugh. “Oh God. I wish I had been there. What did his face look like?”
“Back to Kaede, please.”
“No. No. I want to understand your thinking. The Dragon discovers a traitor. The man is on his knees in front of him, and instead of hurting him, my brother stops what he is doing, calls you up and says, ‘Mommy, can I kill him?’”
“You know what?” I pointed at him. “Now you’re not getting any food during this cocktail party.”
“I don’t need any food now. I’m getting too much satisfaction from your utter audacity.”
I flipped him the middle finger. "In my defense, I was so traumatized. The smoke. The smell. I thought. . .everyone felt that way. I thought those flames were a horror for everyone who watched."
"They weren't."
"No." My chest tightened. "They weren't.”
"Those men betrayed the family. They tried to kill Kenji. Tried to destroy everything—every person, every bond, every life we've built together. And they failed." Hiro's jaw set. "And now they're ash. And the men who stayed loyal? The men who fought? The men who bled for this family?"
He spread his hands. "They're alive. They're here. They got to watch those pieces of shit burn. Fuck those traitors.”
Holy shit.
I sat with that. Let the truth of his words crawl under my skin and burrow somewhere I couldn't reach.
When I finally spoke, my voice came out different.
Quieter.
Stripped of defense.
"You know what the fucked up part is?"
Hiro raised an eyebrow.
"I wasn't trying to control Kenji. I wasn't trying to be some civilian who thinks she can change the yakuza." I looked down at my hands. "I just. . .I saw him last night. . .”
Sadness covered Hiro’s face. “He took Sako and Mami hard.”
“He did.”
“And what he had to do. . .”
“Yes, and so. . .I see the pyre and I thought if I could just. . .be involved somehow. . .maybe I could carry some of what he goes through with him. So he wouldn't have to hold it alone." I shrugged. “Obviously, I also wanted to control not seeing that horror too but. . .I wasn’t thinking that. . .I had the right to approve his kills. So you know. . .I know that sounds stupid."
"That's actually not as stupid as it sounded."
"Okay."
"Still naive."
"Obviously."
"But you're learning. And you're not running." He tilted his head. "That's more than most, and the heart of it. . .is exactly why you belong here."
My eyes watered. “I want to belong. . .”
"You already do." He held my gaze. "And for what it's worth. . .Kenji's lucky. Not every woman would try to carry that burden with him. In fact, most would ask him to put it down."
Pressure rose in my chest. "But he can't put it down. Right?"
"He can't." Hiro's voice softened. "But now he doesn't have to carry it alone."
I let that settle.
Let it become something I could hold onto.
The kitchen felt different now. The same pots and pans. The same prep stations. The same light through the windows. But I was different. Something had shifted inside me—settled into place like a key finally finding its lock.
A tear slipped down my cheek.