Shōhei just stared at her blankly.
"He can't fly any more," Korū interjected.
"We healed him the first time. After he got out, he tried to break his murderer buddies out, but Richard cut his other wing, so you would realise that it's his right wing that is injured, not his left that I cut. He served extra for that, but we let him out in the end. Furthermore, it should have healed up alright." Alina spat defensively.
"Where's the exit?" Korū grabbed Shōhei's shoulders and steered him over to the door. "We're leaving."
"Isn't effectively slicing through a dragon's hide physically impossible?" Linda voiced out.
"You know how desperate we must have been to be able to do the impossible. We could have pressed charges for two attempted murders on top of the one that your father abetted, but we didn't. So be thankful he's still alive while the human is dead." Alina said quietly, not turning to look at Shōhei. "I just tolerate my father, but his sister was a good person."
Shōhei winced. Korū muttered something into his ear, then glanced at Rihito. "Where's the exit?" he repeated.
"He's dead," Shōhei responded. "My father's dead. And you were the Okhrana who killed him? There's only his body left. The thing inside him-"
"Shōhei. Calm the fuck down, okay?" Korū tugged him out the door, closing it behind him.
"His dad went crazy," Hikari supplied. "We spent our days rescuing Shōhei from him. I honestly can't blame him, though. I'd lose my sanity if I lost the use of my legs."
Alina twitched, then turned to look at Hikari, "He got away with a fucking laceration." so at the end of the day she had murdered again? Was that it? She couldn't convince herself not to consider it a possibility.
"Yeah, I know that. But flying means nearly everything, second to maybe their family, I guess, to a dragon. It's like seeing a forest or something in front of you but not being able to run in it." Hikari sighed. "I don't think I'm explaining this too well."
Alina shook her head, "What I don't get is how he lost his ability to fly entirely."
"Maybe it was that bad. Like, you cut through a tendon or something."
Alina shook her head, her eyes flashing. "I don't think so. We had the decency to give them all thorough checkups. Something else must have happened."
"I know close to nothing about dragon insides." Hikari huffed. "Especially the wings. I never understood the wings."
"Well, do you want to spend the night here? It's past midnight in Japan." Rihito offered, completely changing the topic as the tension continued to skyrocket.
"The four of us might. I don't know, I'm gonna see if my brother's still here." Hikari got up.
Cayne, Alina and Linda also got up.
"I'll follow so you don't get lost." Tsukiyama said.
"Thanks for your help, Fujihana-san." Hikari nearly forgot to bow but caught herself in time. She opened the door, and Kaguya rushed in with a startled meow.
"Is this your cat?" Rihito asked. "How did he get here?"
"My brother's." Hikari picked Kaguya up. "What happened?"
"What?" Linda said. "Anyone speak cat?"
Ichika stood in the hallway, watching them. Kaguya bristled at her.
"Look, even the cat doesn't like you." Alina said, only loud enough for her fellow shifters to hear.
Hikari snicked and brushed past Ichika with Kaguya draped over her shoulder.
Linda, Alina, Cayne and Tsukiyama trailed after her.
"Ichika." Rihito said from inside the room. "Come in. I need to talk to you."
Ichika sighed softly and made her way into the room. Rihito was glaring hard at her from his seat. "Was what Hikari said about you true?"
Ichika stared innocently at him. "I don't know what she was talking about."
Rihito narrowed his eyes at her. The nerve of this girl. "I see. In that case, you'll be sharing a room with one of the girls for the night. Treat our guests well." he had seen the murderous glint in Hikari's eyes, and knew the righteousness of an Okhrana. Linda, too, was a quiet enforcer in her own way. He trusted that they would be able to discipline Ichika better than anyone else could. "You can go now."
"Of course." Ichika turned away. Damn old man, she growled internally. You should just die already.
"Someone help track my brother. It feels like he just ran all over the place." Hikari frowned as they all stood outside the door. Korū's scent was everywhere, and so was Shōhei's. Korū did, actually, run around the place, considering that he had basically been wrestling with Shōhei.
Alina sighed. "I'll go." The only thing she was good at, after all.
"Don't get lost." Tsukiyama called after her.
"I never lose my way." Only literally speaking, though. She then turned and left, leaving the rest to be led to a guest room by Tsukiyama.
"Wait, where did Tsukiyama go?" Linda asked, she, Cayne and Hikari sitting on the floor of the guest bedroom, a few minutes later.
"I think he's with Alina? They're trying to find Korū, as far as I'm aware." Hikari stroked Kaguya, who purred softly. Until someone knocked on the door. That someone was Ichika, with a murderous look she was trying to hide.
Meanwhile, Alina was expertly traversing the Fujihana manor. She suddenly whipped around as she heard footsteps. A silhouette could be seen in the middle of the dark hallway.
"Tsukiyama. What are you doing?"
"Following you to make sure you don't get lost." The wizard sent her a kind smile.
"I thought I said-"
"As a precaution." He added, "It's not meant to offend you."
Alina grudgingly agreed, and continued to walk. This place was huge. Why would they need such a large manor? And where were the two boys?
How did they wander so far?
For a long moment, only the two sets of footsteps were heard.
Then there was a rustling sound. The rustling of clothes. Something she was familiar with. It only made a tiny bit of noise, though. No one was removing or putting on anything.
She dove to the side just as a jet of light shot past her.