The trip to the moon was much shorter than Shuo had imagined-not because it was actually close, but because the fragments carrying him flew so fucking fast it was absurd. The wind slashed his face like knives.
Hand Princess Big and Hand Princess Small clung tightly to his left arm, while Hand Princess Three hooked her toes around his right leg, terrified of dropping him. The enormous torso supported his back, every eye on its belly wide open and fixed on the way ahead, like a dedicated driver.
Several other fragments carried Sai behind them, his hair blown into a mess by the wind, his short blade still clenched tightly in his hand.
Shuo kept his eyes open, watching the moon grow larger and larger in the sky. Usually, it was just a tiny thing hanging on the horizon. Now it loomed right before him, its gray-white surface pitted with craters. It was ridiculously huge, probably ten thousand times bigger than all of Konoha, and exuded a desolate, deathly stillness.
"Almost there." The torso's muffled voice came from behind him.
Shuo glanced down at his palm. The golden light was dazzlingly bright, as though responding to something on the moon. It felt warm, yet carried a hint of restlessness. "Where is she?"
"On the far side," the torso said. "Somewhere the light never reaches. Isshiki's people trapped her there."
Shuo nodded and said nothing more. The fragments carried him slowly around the edge of the moon. The moment they reached the far side, he couldn't help swearing. "Fuck, it's so fucking dark."
There wasn't a single bit of light. The darkness was absolute; he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. Only the faint white glow drifting from the fragments, like a swarm of fireflies swaying through