Chapter 23: First Light

They woke at five minutes before dawn with their legs tangled and their hair everywhere.

Haruna sat up first, put on her glasses, and for a few seconds could not remember why her heart was pounding.

Then she remembered.

"Kuzunoha."

"I'm awake. I've been awake for an hour."

She lay on her back with her eyes open, braid undone, red cord gone from her hair and coiled around Haruna's wrist.

"I watched the sky turn," she said. "Waiting for you to wake up."

"Come on. We should get dressed."

"I'd like to wear the blue haori. The old one."

"Then wear the blue haori."

They dressed side by side, with Haruna fastening the last of the ties and Kuzunoha standing very still.

Her feet were bare, as always.

"Should I wear shoes?" she asked.

"Do you own shoes?"

"I own a pair of wooden sandals from the Meiji era."

"Wear those."

Tsukumo met them at the curtain with her arms full of the blue-bound ledger and a face scrubbed pink.

Natsuki stood behind her, in her coat, holding a flask of tea in each hand.

"The alley's full," Natsuki said. "Everyone's outside. They came before first light."

"Outside the wall?"

"Outside the wall."

Haruna had never thought of there being an outside to the wall.

She stood at the door with Kuzunoha beside her, and the wooden fox with its restored tail looked down on them both.

The lantern burned very low.

"At first light the door opens," Kuzunoha said. "For one minute."

"I know."

"I can't promise that I can cross it."

"I know that too."

The wall began to hum.

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