Instead, he turned to the one person he knew wouldn’t turn him down a dark path. “Sensei . . . what do I do?”

Koichi shrugged. “Looks like you’ve got this one, kid. You’re doing great.”

He appreciated the thought.

Until the ground began to shake and tremble. Everything around them seemed to growl now.

His friends moved to form a circle to protect him.

“Oni wa soto.”

He turned toward Takara as she spoke those words in a soft whisper that became a quiet chant. Demon, get out.

The others picked it up. “Oni wa soto.”

Takara moved to stand to his right. Kato on his left. Jiro, Pim, and the rest took up positions around them. United, they stood ready to face whatever nightmare was coming for them.

His heart pounding, Ryuichi summoned two shadow swords. “I’m not afraid.”

From the darkness, a huge dragon rose up to tower over all of them. With eyes that glowed fire, it glared at them with disdain. “Who are you to challenge me?”

Ryuichi hesitated.

Masaru placed a hand on his shoulder, reminding him that he was no longer alone.

Reminding him of what all of them had risked for him.

“I am Yorukaze Ryuichi, the Kage-Mori. I’m here to make sure my father does no harm.”

The dragon laughed. “Your father left, little boy. The moment you entered this realm, you unleashed him.”

Masaru cursed. “Guess I’m not the one who really screwed up, huh, Koichi? ‘Bring the kid to the shadow realm.’ Now who had the stupid idea?”

“Shut it, demon!”

Takara cleared her throat. “Would you both stop? We have a much bigger problem at present . . . like a two-story dragon who’s about to eat us.”

Masaru snorted. “What are you worried about? You’re a shadow. We’re the ones he can metabolize.”

She scowled at him over her shoulder. “I’m feeling pretty fleshy for a shadow.”

Ryuichi ignored them as they continued to chatter and fight. Something wasn’t right.

He sensed it in his gut.

“Stop!”

Everything and everyone froze instantly. Even the dragon. For the first time, Ryuichi actually felt his shadow. Like the way one felt a toe or tingle in the arm. There and yet not.

A phantom limb.

It whispered dark thoughts. Temptation.

He finally recognized what it was, and the source of the shadow’s powers.

Closing his eyes, he turned inward so that he could face that dark side of himself.

“Yorukaze . . . you are not in control of me.”

Perhaps I should be. I’m stronger than you.

“Cruelty isn’t strength. Besides, Masaru said you whined.”

His shadow scoffed. Keiko called you a brat.

Ryuichi smiled at his darker half. “Then we need each other, don’t we?”

Never!

“Yes, we do. Yin and yang. The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour. Without each other, we become dishonorable. Both of us.”