They had walked through the spiralling streets up towards the presidential district. Night had fallen, but she couldn't see a single star in the sky. Instead florescent lights shone down garishly on the wet floor and the metallic buildings.

Up here the buildings were polished like the steel of a blade. The air smelt fresher, but when she looked down towards the harbour Otohime could see the smog swirl through the streets. They came to a set of stairs that marked the border between the labourers and the rulers.

Two guards dressed in the traditional dou stood at the gate. They had their naginata crossed over each other. As Hoori and Otohime approached, the samurai glared down at them. “What do you want?” the shorter one demanded.

“My guest here has a friend she must meet in this district,” Hoori told him.

The taller one gave a short laugh. “And does she have a pass?” he asked.

Otohime saw Hoori's jaw tighten and his lips thin. He pulled a small wooden token from inside his clothes and held it at their eye level. “I have a pass. I earned this during the battle against Ryujin. Do not give her any more trouble.”

The guards scowled and murmured to each other. Reluctantly they pulled back their naginata. As soon as Hoori and Otohime were past, there was the scrape of the two blades crossing again behind them.

The walls of the buildings were all painted in rich colours. It was a rainbow up here compared to the lower levels. The smell of cooked meat hung in the air as dinner was being prepared in the nearby houses. There was a warmth here, away from the bay, from the fire pits that marked each street corner.

“Where would we find your friend?” Hoori asked.

“I won't need you from now on,” Otohime said. “I can find him on my own. Please, head back to your home.”

The man lingered behind her. “Be careful,” he said. “It is still a dangerous city.” He turned and left her alone in the street.

The President's court shone like a beacon above the other buildings. She could feel the pull of the ocean, but it was leading her towards the main complex. That was where the treasure must be. She could feel it now.

Another set of stone stairs lead up to polished red walls. Two guards stood watch with rifles resting against their shoulders. They eyed her suspiciously as she loitered under a glowing street light. One of them shifted his gun slightly, placing a finger upon the trigger.

It took less than a heartbeat for her body to change. From her head, two horns sprouted, and scales suddenly covered her skin. The komon was shredded as she grew in size and her tail lashed free.

The two guards raised their guns to fire. She was already moving, with jaws wide. In one swift movement, she had them. Metal screeched, bones crunched and the men cried out. The copper of blood filled her mouth, they struggled briefly and then she let their limp bodies drop.

Otohime roared defiantly as she made her way into the complex. An alarm began to clang from a tower on the far side, where another guard was beating a gong. Gun shots echoed in the courtyard and a volley of fire ripped into her side. She hissed, flinching in pain. She slithered through a set of double doors that led into the main household, knocking more guards aside as her tail swung out.

She wound her way down the corridor to the left and bashed through a paper partition wall. It led into a large audience room which looked out onto an ornamental garden. She crashed over a koi pond as footsteps clattered on the wooden floor behind her.

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Otohime could feel it pulling her forward. She took hold of the roof tiles and pulled herself up. From here she could see the entire complex – straight ahead was a large temple. She scrambled onto the slates and towards the shrine.

An altar stood in the centre of the temple. Her father’s body was laid around it, and upon the stone top sat the sparkling gem. The treasure of the sea. She moved down to Ryujin and touched her nose to his. She expected his breath to brush her face, but it didn't come.

She raised her head and looked into the precious stone as it swirled an entire ocean inside it. Otohime reached out with her claws and closed them around the orb. She felt its power ripple through her.

“So this is the dragon's daughter? I must say I am disappointed.” A young man had walked out into the courtyard. He was wearing full formal attire, including a dark haori depicting a raging ocean. Two men stood to either side of him, with large shoulder-mounted cannons loaded with ballista.

“I'm not here to impress you, murderer,” she hissed. “I am here to take back what is rightfully mine.”

“The power to control the ocean cannot be for wild beasts to possess,” he sneered. “You dragons already have water magic. You have no real need of this bauble.”

“The sea belongs to the dragons,” she roared. “It belongs to me!” She reared up with the gem and began to summon a blast of water.

The President raised his hand. “Your time is over, snake. Humans rule the world now.” He clicked his fingers.

Bullets hit her, piercing deep. Hot blood trickled down her scales as her bellow of pain echoed over the city. A group of samurai rushed towards her with naginata raised. They drove them at her underbelly. Some skittered off but a few found their way between her scales.

The two guards of the President lit their cannons and the ballista were launched at her. One flew over her head. The other landed in her shoulder. She dropped the orb to the ground and it rolled down the shrine’s stairs. She tried to reach after it, but recoiled as a second barrage of shots peppered her body.

Otohime writhed, knocking guards away with her fore-limbs. Bolts plunged deep into her sides. She reared up and began to draw a water pulse. Droplets formed in the air and flowed towards her, creating a ball of swirling liquid. Warriors ran for cover.

She let the pressure build until it almost overpowered her. Then she released it, hurling men against the walls. As some of the guards struggled back up, she hauled her protesting body back onto the roof. She had precious little strength left with which to fight them, and there was still the gate blocking her path back to her sea palace. She had to find a way out before they could finish her.

The guards’ cries fell away behind her, but occasionally she heard the scream or whimper of city folk that saw her. She still had naginata stuck under her scales, and each movement drove them deeper into her flesh. She got to the dark murky water and stopped to pull them out. As she removed them, blood ran down her stomach staining her pearly scales. Otohime slid into the water and dove deep under its surface, where she wouldn't be visible. She moved close to the gate but saw there was no way to squeeze through the turbines spinning with the tidal pull.

Breaking the water's surface, she looked up the wall. It was massive, far higher than her body was long. She wouldn't be able to get over it easily, especially in her injured condition. The glow of lights also suggested that guards were stationed on the top. The second she started climbing, they would hear her and begin shooting.

She had to find another way out of the harbour. All around her were bobbing, anchored boats. Her eyes settled on Hoori's ship. She began to swim towards it, but saw men on the pier, shining lights down at the water.

“She's a dragon!” the President shouted. “How did you lose her? Keep searching until you find her!”

She ducked down and swam below the surface towards Hoori's boat. She stayed out of sight while they searched the vessels. Only the larger ones that she could fit into while as a dragon were searched. Once they were satisfied she wasn't on the land they began to send a few men out on small ships to search the deeper water.

The men worked long into the night, but they slowed down as the hours crept on. The lights from the boats became less frequent, and the men on land stopped searching. She broke the surface again and saw the slumped sleeping heads of the guards rising and falling in time to the tide.

Otohime shifted back into her human form and swam over to a rope hanging from Hoori's boat. It was coarse and burned against her hands as she pulled herself up the side of the ship. She tried to be quiet, but her wounds stung from the salty water and each pull made more blood run down her naked body.

She hit the deck with a wet slap and left a red stain on the wood when she rose to her knees. Her body started to tingle and go numb, each movement felt like she was wading through muck. She dragged herself into the bedroom and up onto the bed as the darkness encroached on her vision.