by Dani Hoots
“Do you like any of these?”
I pondered the question. Many of them were unique. I stepped up to one of the kimonos that was a shade of blue unlike anything I had seen before. As I examined it more, I found that it slowly faded into a pink color at the bottom of the kimono. The fade was so natural that I hadn’t even noticed. “This one is pretty.”
“Of course you pick the most expensive one. Would you like it?”
I nodded. “Yes please.”
Akikumo pulled out his string of coins and handed the merchant a couple. The man bowed, and Akikumo took the kimono off the hanger and folded it up. “Well, shall we get a room where we can store this there?”
“Yeah! And then we can go get some apples in honey.”
He let out a lengthy breath. “You are addicted to those, aren’t you?”
“Yes!”
“Fine, we can go look for some since they are in season. I’m surprised you haven’t begged me for aburaage lately.”
“That will be for dinner of course. It goes without saying.”
“Of course it does.”
We wandered around the merchant area and looked at the paintings and jewelry before heading toward the hotel. My eye caught a pendant that looked similar to Akikumo’s.
I pointed at it. “Is that the same pendant you wear?”
He nodded. “In looks, yes, but mine has a lot more meaning than that one.”
“Oh? Like what?”
He patted my head. “I will tell you once we get to the hotel.”
We made it to the hotel, which sat close to the bay, looking out over the ocean. The blue water sparkled in the summer sun. I smiled as the salty wind caressed my long black and red hair, wishing I could enjoy this without so many humans around. Next stop, we would stay at a beach that didn’t have any humans. I would beg for it.
Akikumo gave the hostess a few coins from his string, and she led us down the hallway and up the stairs to the top floor. I smiled when seeing we had a room that faced the water. Once the hostess left us, Akikumo laid out the kimono and took a seat by the shoji that faced toward the ocean.
“Come sit with me, and I will tell you a story.”
I set my things down and took a seat next to Akikumo, breathing in the salty air. I wished days like this would last forever. The air was a perfect temperature, and even though there was a lot of miasma in the city, facing the ocean like this made the air a lot more pleasant. I could even breath now without smelling that foul stench. I wished we could stay in here and not interact with the humans again for the day, but we still needed dinner.
Akikumo untied his necklace and held up the pendant. “This pendant is called a magatama. A long time ago, the kami Susanoo-sama had five hundred of these made to give to his sister Amaterasu-sama. He did this to please her as he often got on her bad side, between his partying and lack of respect to her home. Amaterasu-sama then used the magatama to create gods, and each god possessed one of these magatama, representing their ki.”
“So it contains your ki?”
“I was created before they passed these out, so I do not need it to control my ki. It was more given as a gift so we all were connected.” He paused for a moment, then held out the necklace. “How about you take it for now?”
I widened my eyes. “But this is your ki! They gave it to you by one of the most significant kami in Japan. I can’t accept something so important to you.”
“I insist. That way if we ever get separated, you will always have a part of me. And then I will be able to find you as I know at all times where that magatama is.”
I blushed as I took the magatama. “I will always cherish this.”
“And it matches your kitsunebi and your new kimono. You will look beautiful.”
“I guess I will have to show off both tonight when we go out for aburaage and honey apples.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Do you always think of food, Ketsue-chan?”
I nodded. “Yes!”
Chapter Twenty-One
Present Day—Hida Mountains
TODAY WAS A LOT WARMER than I planned for, but it still beat the snow.
Sweat soaked my yukata as we descended the mountain toward the Kurobe River. I kept an ear out for humans but had heard none. I glanced over at Yamato, who had seemed to be doing all this rigorous climbing rather well. The Hida Mountains weren’t the easiest terrain to master.
He must have noticed me watching him as he turned to glance at me. “What is it?”
I shrugged. “I’m just surprised you can keep up with me. I am a yokai after all.”
“You are right; a yokai should be doing better. Maybe you have been slacking off at the Inari shrine.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed. A human like him shouldn’t get under my skin, yet he did. “Baka, I’m just slowing down so you can keep up with me. If I was on my own, then I would have already been on the next mountain, if not farther.”
“More like you would be on the wrong mountain, heading the wrong way.”
“Baka!” I stuck out my tongue again and turned my back on him. Folding my arms, I tried to act like he was a bother, but in reality, I was starting to like his company. Traveling with him made me feel like I belonged again since the other kitsune didn’t care to have me around. Yamato didn’t seem as bothered and perhaps even enjoyed traveling with me.
Or was he only doing this because Inari told him to? He didn’t seem like someone who took orders from anyone. It was one thing to ignore a human request, but it was another to ignore a request from a kami.
So maybe he didn’t care about me one way or another.
I shook my head. No, it wasn’t like I cared what he thought, so I tried to push back wondering if he liked me. Humans were fickle, and I despised them.
We spotted a few humans, so I transformed out of my kitsune form. I kept an eye out for them even though I knew there was no way they could have known what I was. Humans didn’t attack yokai liked they used to, but the fear was still ingrained in my mind.
We came upon the river and took a break to eat lunch. I sat down on the rock and took my socks and waraji off. Sticking my feet into the water, I felt the refreshing stream cool my body. Yamato took a few things out of his bag.
“What’s for lunch?”
“I packed some crackers, cheese, and processed meat. We can have mini sandwiches. If it’s not enough, I have more trail mix.”
“Trail mix?”
“It’s a mix of nuts, dried raisins or berries, and sometimes chocolate. Mine has chocolate.”
“That sounds good.”
He placed some cheese and meat on a cracker and handed it to me. “Here’s one. Let me know how many you want.”
I nodded and placed the mini sandwich in my mouth. It was plain, but it filled the stomach. “Can I have four more?”
“Yeah, coming right up.”
He quickly made the other sandwiches and handed them to me. I ate them, then jumped down, being careful not to dip my yukata in the water. I tucked the ends in my obi and knelt down to splash my face. I was now refreshed and ready to go.
“Let’s go!”
I turned to find Yamato still sitting on the rock, eating.
“You know, I had to make your food, so I’m still eating.”
I sighed. “Fine, whatever. I guess I can wait.”
“Well, otherwise you will get lost.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t get that lost.”
“Sure.”
After Yamato finished up eating, we headed back up the mountain. The day went on as usual, with no yokai disturbances. It surprised me we didn’t come across any, and I wondered if it was because there were more humans here than I thought would be traveling.
The sun was beginning to set, and we had made our way to the top of Mount Tate. Just as he did the night before, Yamato unpacked his tent and prepared dinner. We had another helping of soup, and after we finished, I stared up at the stars. The night sky was clea
r, and it had been quite a while since I had seen the stars so bright. I could even see the white river of heaven. Yamato finished cleaning his gear and lay down beside me.
“A beautiful night, isn’t it?” Yamato moved some of his bleached hair out of his eyes.
“That it is.”
“In the city, you can’t see the sky that easily. I always enjoyed coming out into the country or mountains so I can just look up and see the stars.”
“Aki-chan and I used to lie out and watch the stars.” I grabbed my magatama and held it up. “Sometimes when I look up at the moon, I can see him still. But then I realize he’s not there.”
“What is that you are holding?”
“Oh this? It’s a magatama. Aki-chan gave it to me and said that Susanoo-sama created it and gave it to his sister to be distributed among the gods. He wanted me to always have it so he could always find me.”
He was silent, as if not sure what to say.
“But I guess he hasn’t wanted to.”
“You don’t know that. It could have been something else. We will find him and we will know.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good. But I worry...”
Yamato glanced over. “About what?”
“That he doesn’t want me anymore. I mean, why else would he leave me like that?”
“He probably had something else going on that he didn’t want to have you be involved with.” Yamato grabbed my hand. “Don’t worry, we will figure it out.”
I blushed and pulled my hand away. “You are just a human; you don’t understand.”
“But I—”
“No. Just because you differ from other humans and can see yokai doesn’t mean you belong in my world or understand my pain.”
“You are right, I don’t. But I also don’t fit in the human world because of what I can see going on around me. I’m an outcast no matter where I look. Thank you for clearing that up.”
I didn’t know how to respond. I never thought about it that way. He really didn’t feel he fit in anywhere, which was the reason he lashed out against everything around him. He was smart, he could eventually be someone great, but the problem still stood—he was a delinquent who caused trouble. Or yokai around him caused trouble. It didn’t matter as he was always to blame.
“I’m sorry... for what I said,” I whispered. “I just... I haven’t opened up to a human in a long time, nor have I ever traveled with one. My relationship with them is complicated, and I took it out on you. I am truly sorry about that.”
He waved it off. “It’s fine. It’s not like I don’t get it all the time. I don’t blame you for my problems. You have your own stuff going on.”
I smiled and looked back up at the stars. As the wind blew around, I heard a sound in the distance.
“Chi, chi, chi, chi.”
I glanced out in the darkness and noticed a black swarm.
“What is that?” Yamato asked as he leaned up on his forearms.
I stood up and tried to focus on the black mass. It almost appeared as if they were flying. Then it hit me. “Those have to be yosuzume.”
“They rarely attack humans, right?”
I nodded. “Yes, but that is quite a lot of them...”
“Doesn’t the legend say that they indicate if there are wolves nearby?”
My eyes widened, and I searched everywhere I could see, but there was no sign of Akikumo. I took a deep breath. “Isn’t the other legend that they signal any yokai are near?”
We both stared at each other in silence as the swarm grew closer. Soon they were right above us, and a few started diving at our heads.
I batted them away with my hand. “Get away from me!”
“Quick!” Yamato gestured. “Get into the tent.”
I kept my arms raised as I hurried toward his tent. As I was about to climb in, a yosuzume dove and snatched the magatama out of my hand.
“No! Give it back!”
The yosuzume flew up and away with its group. I darted in the direction they were heading, jumping up and trying to reach the bird. I kept on running, even after hearing Yamato yell my name behind me. I couldn’t stop, not when so much was at stake. I would not let some bird take away the one thing that I cared about. I had kept the gift safe for centuries. There was no way I would lose it now.
The birds flew down the mountain toward the tree line, and I raced after them. Luckily I could see them in the dark since I had night vision. As they flew faster, I made a ball of kitsunebi and started throwing it in their direction. They dodged it, which would have been impressive in different circumstances. I screamed at them and as they hit the tree line and scattered through the trees. I lost track of the one that had the magatama.
I collapsed on the ground, tears running down my cheeks. This couldn’t be happening, not after all this time. I pounded my fist on the ground. I couldn’t believe this. I should have been faster.
“Ketsue-chan!” Yamato came running toward me with his little flashlight. “You shouldn’t run off like that! You could have gotten lost! What were you thinking?”
“They stole my necklace. Now I have nothing!”
He stood there, shocked. Then he knelt down and wrapped his arms around me. “We will find him. Don’t worry. It will be okay.”
I nodded and looked him in the eyes. He was so close, and I started to lean in.
Suddenly I noticed a strange clicking sound, and I backed away, scanning the area. My heart felt as if it had stopped. I knew that noise, and it was not something I wanted to hear.
Chapter Twenty-Two
May 1615 (Edo Period)—Nagoya
I SLURPED UP SOME NOODLES in my ramen, smiling as it satisfied my stomach. Some drops of broth hit my cheek, but I didn’t wipe it away yet, knowing I would spill more. We had just arrived at Nagoya. It wasn’t as big as Edo, but I was happy about that. Our time in Edo stressed me out, and I begged Akikumo to not go back for a while. So far, he had agreed, but I doubt that would last for too long.
Akikumo had some business in this town, and although I didn’t enjoy staying in a human town, it was nice to finally stop somewhere for a bit. I was getting tired of how much we moved, even though I enjoyed every bit of it. I wished we could stay still longer, but not in human territory. There were some yokai areas we could be in, who had really good food.
I took a bite of the kimchi toppings, surprised by the intense flavor. It was hot and felt as if my mouth were on fire. I turned to Akikumo, my eyes wide.
He chuckled. “It is hot, isn’t it? You can dilute it in the broth a little.”
I nodded and moved the kimchi around in my broth. I took another bite, and it was just a little less hot but more manageable. That, or I had gotten used to it.
Akikumo slurped some broth from the bowl. “Humans are getting better at cooking, aren’t they?”
I smiled. “Yes!”
“So maybe you will agree that humans are better than you thought they were.”
I frowned. Just because they could cook didn’t mean they were better overall. Humans still fought, still destroyed everything they didn’t understand, and would turn their backs on us yokai. No, having good food didn’t show that they were changing—they just liked to have the finer things in life.
I didn’t reply to Akikumo and played with the noodles. He wouldn’t like what I had to say about humans. We ate our food in silence, and soon there was only broth left. Akikumo and I started sipping the broth from our bowls, bringing it up to our mouths, when his eyes widened and he dropped the bowl. Hostesses rushed over with a rag to help clean up, but it didn’t seem like Akikumo noticed them. He placed his hand on his chest as if he were in pain.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as he stood up.
“We need to get to Osaka at once.” He handed a coin to the owner of the restaurant, and I followed him out into the street. I had never seen Akikumo so frantic like that. His movements weren’t as soft or fluid but rushed as if he couldn’t focus.
He ran u
p to a person with a horse. “I can give you this many coins for this horse.”
The man saw Akikumo’s hand full of coins and nodded. “She’s yours. She just got some water and food and should be good to go.”
Akikumo nodded and gestured for me to get on the horse with him. I obeyed, and he made the horse start galloping.
“What is wrong?” I asked over the sound of the horse’s hooves on the ground below us.
“I have an unpleasant feeling and I need to find something out quickly, although I am afraid it will take a couple of days.”
“Where are we going?”
“Osaka. Otousan is there and I am afraid...” He shook his head. “I just need to make sure of something. Don’t worry, all right?”
I couldn’t help but worry when Akikumo never seemed to worry like this. Something bad had to have happened to Yamiyo, but he was afraid to tell me. Perhaps he was only injured, or perhaps it was something else. I prayed to the kami that he was fine and would be laughing at us in Osaka.
AS Akikumo predicted, it took us two days to reach Osaka. We arrived there late at night on the second day of travel to find the castle up in flames. I gasped as the red and orange light reminded me of my home the night my parents died. It was as if I were reliving it once again. My breathing quickened, and yet I felt like I couldn’t take in any air. Akikumo noticed and helped me off the horse.
“Ketsue-chan, slow breaths. It is okay; you have me here.”
I nodded quickly and slowed down my breathing. I was okay—I was safe. No one was attacking me. All of that happened a long time ago.
“I need you to do me a favor. Can you stay here for me while I search for Yami?”
My eyes widened. He was going to leave me? He said he wouldn’t. I couldn’t be alone in this area. There were samurai with swords, still fighting each other in the distance, and the stench of blood filled the air. I started hyperventilating again.
“Please calm down. I know you will be safe. You can make it through this, but my otouto needs me. And I need you to be safe as well. Do you understand?”