Heart of the Dragon Ch. 04

Gabriel watched the elderly man, a question forming in his mind. His gaze went to Grace, and he was surprised to see the beginnings of tears forming in her beautiful eyes. He continued to watch as the tears fell, creating trails of moisture down her face.

She's mourning the memory of what had been, the powerful legacy of light.

Grace's eyes stayed with her grandfather, her mind focused on how tragic the situation of the Dragons had been.

Such a splendid family, so much to offer the world. What a shame, the strong foundation on which the family was built just... crumbling. The family members blowing away like leaves...

Grace closed her eyes, aware that she was crying.Sayuri, Matsuri, and Hana. I've never heard their names before upon my ears, yet somehow I feel linked to them.

Gabriel was still looking at her, torn between coming to her and kissing away her tears or waiting to hear what Yukio had to say next.

She needs to hear everything that he has to tell her. I promised myself that I wouldn't interfere.

He let out a soft sigh as he silently willed her to look at him, to give him some sign that she would be okay. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. Gabriel felt his heart wrench as he saw her lower lip trembling from emotion. He mouthed the words, "I love you," and Grace nodded and did the same.

Yukio stopped his pacing and he caught the exchange. He cleared his throat, and he was rewarded when Grace and Gabriel looked up at him. He returned to the sofa.

Gabriel remembered his question. "So if just sons were born from Hana, then why are we here? I mean, if the Dragon legacy is passed only from mother to daughter then wouldn't the line have diminished long ago?"

Yukio stared at Gabriel. "I don't recall saying that the role of Dragon was held in such strict boundaries as those."

The old man turned towards Grace and took her hands in his. Gabriel leaned closer as Yukio began to speak again, almost in a whisper.

"A family such as ours can defy such boundaries in order to survive."

Grace's heart thundered in her chest as she found herself responding to the siren's call of the Dragon. Her grip tightened on Yukio's withered fingers.

Survival, one of the most important drives of humanity. Perhaps the most powerful. How did they survive? I know for a fact that they did. I'm here, aren't I? How does this relate to me exactly?

She continued to look into her grandfather's eyes. Eyes which were an enigma to her, revealing nothing except one thing. Fear.

Fear of what? Grace grew uncomfortable under his gaze. Yukio's eyes, which she had known her whole life, looked upon her as if to scream, "Run away!"

Grace released one hand from Yukio's grip and placed it on the side of his wrinkled face.

For a moment Grace thought that she could hear a low roaring in the distance, in the darkness outside. She shook her head to clear it, sending her hair out of its long braid. She listened for more sounds and only heard the rain hitting the window panes. She recovered her thoughts and looked at Gabriel. He appeared to be as confused as she was by the noise.

I sure as hell hope that was the wind,Grace thought as she shifted again towards Yukio.

"Tell me what you mean, Grandfather. How did the survival of the line come about?"

Yukio's thoughts were on the storm outside. He had also heard the noise.

What on earth was that?

His breath faltered as he remembered that Takeo was out in the storm.

Oh dear God. Please let him be all right.

Grace touched Yukio's arm. "Grandfather?"

Yukio turned his attention back to Grace. "Yes, my child. I know."

He took a deep breath. "300 years ago, when the last Dragon faded from this earth, it was believed that our family legacy was no more. The locals on Tatsu mourned the loss of Sayuri, and with the grief came the terror and rage. They were afraid of what may become of them without the Dragons, and they were furious with Hana. The rest of her life was filled with scornful glances and whispers. Hana was despised by the community because she denied her destiny, her birthright of becoming a Dragon."

Grace felt sorrow for her ancestor.Exiled from society, hated by those around her for the rest of her life. Destiny. What could have caused her to turn her back on her family tradition? Was it worth the cost?

Yukio continued. "As I mentioned earlier, Hana bore all sons. This was an event that had never happened before. Of course, the Nakimuras have had mixed bunches of female and male children throughout the generations, but never all sons! For obvious reasons, the female children were more desirable to bear, and when Hana produced sons the hope for the Dragon legacy died as much then as it did when Sayuri drew her last breath."

Gabriel was intrigued at the story, yet something tugged at the back of his mind.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you said before that Sayuri was severely missed by the townspeople. What about Matsuri? Didn't you mention that she died around the same time as Sayuri did?"

Yukio's eyes rested on Gabriel and remained there. "Yes, she did."

The old man said no more on the subject, and Grace made a mental note to learn more later if she could. She wanted to hear more of the family history concerning the family line.

Yukio rose from the sofa and walked to the fireplace. He stared into the flames, trying to find the words to explain the many things that he desperately wanted to share with her, and trying to find the courage to hold back the ones he needed to conceal.

Ancestors, guide me.

He turned around to find Grace and Gabriel's eyes on him. He walked towards the sofa once more, but he did not sit down. Instead, he knelt down in front of where she was sitting and looked up into her face.

Grace, forgive me.

Yukio cleared his throat. "All hope was lost for the continuation of the Dragon line until one year after Hana's death. One of her sons was exploring the family castle when he came upon an aged letter that was mysteriously addressed to him. He read it and found that it was written by Sayuri, many years before he was even born! The letter explained that males born from a Lady of the Dragon line could be just as susceptible to the supernatural in cases of 'female drought,' as Sayuri put it.

As soon as Hana's son found the letter from Sayuri, he began to experience visions and dreams the way his female ancestors had before him. To ensure that this new glimmer of hope was not extinguished, the male Nakimuras, along with members of the Saito family, planned ways to keep the Dragon legacy alive."

Grace tilted her head thoughtfully as she looked down at her grandfather.

"Saito? Why does that name sound familiar?"

Yukio rose and returned to the sofa beside Grace. "You were very young at the time, but you may remember that the Saito family is very close to the Nakimuras. Our history with them has been long and peaceful."

Gabriel leaned forward in the armchair. "What plans were formed by the Nakimura males to keep the Dragon powers in the family?"

Yukio gave a slight smile to Gabriel.Smart boy, this one.

"They decided that some traditions of the past needed to be changed to safeguard the future. The marriage system, which up until that time involved the ladies keeping the Nakimura name, was altered. Instead, it became the tradition for the male Nakimuras to pass their name to their wives. It is the system that is used all over in this day and age, but for us it was used centuries before its time. Throughout the next three centuries, the abilities of the Dragon affected one male Nakimura in each generation. There were absolutely no females born in the family during that time, so the men relied on marrying and passing their name and genes to their sons and so on."

Grace's palms began to sweat as realization dawned on her. "So, you're telling me that back in the late 1600s, there were no more female Nakimuras by birth so the men in the family organized a way to work things out, serving as Dragon substitutes until the next..."

Yukio's eyes glittered like black fire in the candlelight.

"Until the next female Nakimura is born to resume her rightful role as the Dragon of Light. My dear, you are the first female in the family by natural birth in 300 years. You are the chosen one."

Yukio did not smile as he said the words. Grace felt lightheaded, and she began to breathe heavily. Her heart felt like it was in her throat.

Gabriel became alarmed for the second time that evening as he saw her face drain of color. Yukio wept inside as he watched her attempt to leave the couch, gasping for air.

Gabriel looked at Yukio and saw that the old man was doing nothing to help her. It was as if he was frozen in place, powerless to do anything but stare in shocked sadness.

"Jesus Christ," Gabriel spat as he dashed from the armchair to come to Grace's aid.

He reached the sofa and placed his hands on the side of Grace's face and looked into her eyes, trying to keep her from passing out.

"Gracie? Baby? Calm down and breathe please!"

Grace's head swam, and Gabriel's pleas for her to breathe sounded distorted to her ears.

"Ahhh..." She couldn't say any more as she felt her head begin to pound.

Gabriel picked her up from the sofa, and Yukio snapped out of his silent trance.

"I'm so sorry, my dear child! I'm sorry..."

The old man's fruitless apologies drifted up the stairs, following Gabriel as he carried Grace to her room.