by Dani Hoots
Reluctantly I nodded. He leaned down, putting his hands on my shoulder, and placed his forehead on mine. “Thank you. I will be right back.”
Akikumo handed me the reins of the horse and ran toward the building that was on fire. I glanced around at the people running in every direction, afraid as if an army had just destroyed their castle. I gulped, praying that this wouldn’t burn up like Kyoto all those years ago.
Humans seemed to pay me no mind as they shoved each other, trying to get away from the roaring fire. Parts of the roof were now collapsing, and smoke blew in my direction. I coughed and gasped for fresh air. I needed to move, but Akikumo told me to stay there. I glanced all around but didn’t see any trace of him. Where was he? How long would he be?
But I couldn’t stay here. Even the horse was getting antsy.
I covered my nose with the sleeve of my kimono, but it didn’t help as my kimono was already infused with smoke. I slowly pulled the reins away from where we stood, keeping an eye in the direction Akikumo had run.
As if my prayers had been answered, I watched as Akikumo hurried over with a large object in his arms. As he got closer, I could make out it was Yamiyo. He had found him. And he didn’t look well.
“Ketsue-chan, let’s move away from this smoke!”
I nodded and led the horse toward the forest that wasn’t too far. It was away from the humans, so they didn’t see Yamiyo as he had changed into his okami. The horse found a small pond and drank. She deserved it as she had taken us on a lengthy journey.
Akikumo laid his brother down. Now that I could get a better look at him, I saw that his hitatare was soaked with blood. He had a deep wound in his stomach. I knelt down.
“Ojisan!”
His eyes flickered open. His skin was a pale color, unlike his normal darker tone. Something was very wrong. “Oh, my little fox. I am sorry.”
Akikumo knelt down, grabbing his brother’s hand. “You can’t do this to me, otouto. You are stronger than this!”
He shook his head. “No, our power is slowly weakening. Don’t you feel it? We okami are losing our strength in this world. It is time for us to move on.”
Akikumo shook his head. “Please don’t, brother, I beg of you.”
He handed Akikumo his katana. “Take this with you. Combine it back into your katana, as it should be.” Yamiyo looked over at me. “Take care of him, please.”
With that Yamiyo’s eyes closed and his body shifted into his wolf form. His chest no longer moved. He had taken his last breath.
Akikumo leaned over him and started crying. I had never seen him cry, and I gently wrapped my arms around him. I didn’t know what else to do. He shook, as if trying to suppress it all, but I didn’t move. He deserved to be angry—he deserved to cry his eyes out for what had happened. Humans had killed his brother—his only kin. If I were him, I would have never forgiven them. There was no reason for Yamiyo to die, and yet he had lost his life in helping them fight. I knew he should have stayed with us. Then we would still be laughing and eating ramen.
My own tears fell on top of Akikumo’s kimono, but he didn’t seem to move. He held his brother’s body for what felt like hours, and I stayed there supporting him. After a while, Akikumo stood up, his eyes and face red and wet with tears.
“Let us take him up to the mountains and give him a proper burial. Help me get his body onto the horse.”
I nodded, and we were able to situate Yamiyo’s body on top of the horse. Another day went by as we climbed up the nearest mountain and found a suitable spot to bury him. Akikumo and I dug a hole and buried Yamiyo. Akikumo engraved a large rock and moved it over the grave.
We had taken Yamiyo’s body into the mountains with us and given him a proper burial. Akikumo clapped his hands together, and we both prayed for his soul. I knew I would miss Yamiyo, even though we didn’t know each other for that long. I enjoyed his company, and he was always smiling. I was glad he could live a long life like his brother, but I knew it could have lasted a lot longer if it weren’t for the humans.
After we finished, Akikumo placed his hand on my shoulder. His warmth felt calming to my heart.
“I am sorry you had to see me like this, Ketsue-chan.”
I shook my head. “No, you have gone through a lot. You have no need to apologize.”
He smiled. “Thank you. Now, before I forget and otouto comes back to haunt me...” Akikumo pulled out Yamiyo’s katana and his own. He held them together, and they morphed into one sword. I gasped, as I had seen nothing like it. One half of the blade was a light silver and the other dark, and the handle was blue and red, as if both aspects were still present.
“Yamiyo and I were created to be opposites, sort of like two swords of the same coin or two sides of a katana. This katana was split for us so we would always be connected, but since he is gone, he wanted me to fuse it back.”
I nodded, not saying anything as I didn’t know what to add. He had lost his other half, something closer than a brother.
Akikumo looked at me and smiled, even though tears were falling down his eyes. “We are never truly gone; we just move onto a different life. We may still grieve for we will not see each other in this world but keep moving forward so we can see each other in the next.”
I didn’t understand his words at that moment, and I didn’t know if I ever could.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Present Day—Hida Mountains
I HAD LOST THE ONE thing I possessed of Akikumo’s. Even though I was still shaking and not able to process what had just happened, I knew we needed to get out of there. The clicking sound grew louder and louder. There was only one creature that made a noise like that, and it was one that I didn’t want to fight. I grabbed Yamato’s wrist, ready to run in the opposite direction.
“Run!”
The sound of clacking seemed to be surrounding us. I listened closely, trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. Was there more than one or was it just echoing? I had no idea, and it wasn’t something I really wanted to find the answer to.
Deciding that there was no yokai to the left, I pulled Yamato and ran as fast as I could, praying that Yamato could catch up. The odds were that the yokai was faster, but hopefully we ran away before it realized we were there. I was glad I could see in the dark, then Yamato could just follow my steps and not have to worry where to run.
As if we would ever be that lucky.
The creature appeared out of the bushes in front of us and I fell backward, Yamato falling with me. We both quickly got back to our feet, and I formed a kitsunebi.
“What is that?” Yamato stared at the womanly figure that was attached to the body of a centipede. Her face was contorted with black pincers and red buglike eyes. A substance dripped down from her pincers, and I didn’t want to find out what it was.
“An oomukade. They aren’t the kindest yokai in existence.”
Yamato backed away slowly. “I’ve heard of them in stories, but I haven’t ever seen one. What do we do?”
“I will make an opening, and you run. I will be okay and find a way out. There honestly isn’t anything you can do to fight this creature.”
He gulped and nodded. I made my flame larger and larger. I would have to give this my all as this yokai wasn’t some weak thing that I could defeat easily. The oomukade weaved back and forth, snarling. Her eyes looked between the two of us, as if preparing to attack. I threw the blue flame straight at her face.
“Run!” I yelled.
Yamato bolted in the opening he found, and I prayed to the kami he would make it out safely. The oomukade turned and appeared as if she was going to go after him. I leaped in front of her.
“Not so fast! You aren’t done dealing with me yet!”
The oomukade snarled as she lunged at me, pincers wide and ready to bite. I jumped back and threw another flame at her. Her body weaved around the trees and bushes. I felt as if she was surrounding me now.
“Kuso...”
Suddenly
the body of the oomukade moved toward me in every direction. She was wrapped around me, and I struggled to move and breathe. I tried to use my flame, but it didn’t work as I couldn’t move my hands.
“Well, well. What do we have here?” The oomukade leaned in, her face close to mine. She was a lot more grotesque than I could see earlier. Her pincers were covered in blood, and her skin was a gray color that shouldn’t be a skin tone. Her breath reeked of rotting flesh, smelling worse than miasma, and I didn’t want to even look in her eyes.
“Let me go!”
Her pincers clacked together as she laughed. “And let a kitsune go? I am not stupid. Besides, you are the daughter of Akikumo-sama are you not?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you know of Akikumo?”
“I know that Akikumo-sama used to rule over these mountains, but now he’s weak and cannot stop us. I also remember a certain kitsune who would tag along with him. He would go forward and destroy all yokai that stood in their path to protect her. He was ruthless.”
My eyes widened. I had no idea he had done that. He wasn’t one who resorted to violence, at least not that I had seen. But he did used to leave me in a spot while he looked for what he said was the right path. Was this what he really was doing? This was a side of him I never knew.
“But it does not matter as today I will kill the one thing that was precious to him. I don’t care if he is gone, I will still be satisfied!”
I shook my head. “Akikumo is not gone! He is still alive! I can feel it!”
The oomukade laughed again, her pincers clacking away. “That wolf is long gone. There is no way he is alive—he has not come down this mountain for decades. Now yokai roam freely around, attacking any that stray into our paths. If he was alive, he would have stopped this long ago.”
“You are wrong! There is something else going on, I just know it! He wouldn’t have died without me knowing!”
“It doesn’t matter either way, as you will die now!”
The oomukade grabbed my hair with her hands and opened her mouth. I shut my eyes and screamed. This was the end for me. I would never find Akikumo—I would never receive my ninth tail—I wouldn’t know if Yamato was safe.
This was all my fault. I should have stayed at the camp. I should have kept my pendant on and none of this would have happened.
Suddenly the oomukade screamed. I opened my eyes to find Yamato slicing at the oomukade with a katana. The oomukade loosened her grip around my body, and I leaped out of her control. Creating flame after flame, I sent kitsunebi down at her face. She let out another bloodcurdling scream.
Landing down on the ground, I grabbed Yamato’s wrist and started running. As we raced through the forest, I could hear the yokai following us. Why wouldn’t she just leave us alone?
“Get back here, kitsune! You will die tonight! I will not let you leave this mountain alive!”
I started running even faster than I thought possible. My legs ached, but I knew if I stopped, we would be dead meat. I didn’t have enough time to stop and throw flames in worry that they wouldn’t work. No, this creature wanted me dead and would stop at nothing.
What was I going to do?
Whether or not it was an answer, we came upon the end of the forest and the edge of a cliff looking over a deep river. Without thinking, I shoved Yamato off the cliff and jumped down myself, turning around in midair so I could send kitsunebi back at the oomukade who looked down at us. She screamed as it hit her and ran back into the forest.
“I will get you back for this, kitsune!”
I smiled, satisfied I survived against her. Now the new task at hand: the water.
I hit the surface of the river, which hurt more than I thought it would. The water was freezing, as it was the runoff from the snow. We would need to build a fire to warm up and not get sick, or worse. I swam back to the surface and scanned the area for Yamato.
“Yamato?” I called out. A moment later he surfaced. “Oh thank the kami. Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. For the most part.”
I swam over to him. I wondered how deep this river was, as my feet never touched the ground and it was too dark to be able to see the bottom. I noticed the katana still in Yamato’s hands.
“Where did you get the katana?”
He held the sword up. I was glad he still had it as it looked oddly familiar. “It was just leaning against a tree. I grabbed it and ran back to help you.”
“Let me see it.”
He handed it to me and I examined it. It was two colors, as if it had been cut down the middle. The sheath was black and gold, and the handle was red and blue. I would open it later to see if my hunch was correct—this was Akikumo’s katana. But if that was the case, why was it out in the open? Akikumo wouldn’t have left it somewhere like that.
I looked back up at Yamato. He had risked his life after finding this sword and came back to help me. If it weren’t for him, the yokai would have killed me. I never expected a human to ever risk their life for another, especially for me. “Thank you. I would have been dead if you hadn’t come back.”
Yamato smiled, as if it had been nothing. “It makes us even then.”
We started swimming toward the edge when suddenly Yamato disappeared into the dark water.
“Yamato?”
I swam over to where he was but saw no sign of him.
“Yama—” I felt something grab my leg, and I was quickly pulled under as well.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Late autumn 1710 (Edo Period)—Edo
WE WERE BACK IN THE city I didn’t care for. It had been a century since we last entered Edo, and it kept on growing. Now there were checkpoints all along the roads, making sure people didn’t cause problems. Each time the guards searched us, however, they never noticed Akikumo’s katana. I wished he could make me disappear so I wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally transforming, but I knew that wouldn’t happen. He wanted me to fit in and mingle with these humans. I hated it and didn’t care to know any of them. It wasn’t like they would ever care about me if they knew the truth, so why should I change?
I walked beside Akikumo, now coming up to his shoulder. I had four of my tails now and was well into what humans would consider to be my teen years. I would stay in this age range until I had all nine of my tails. I was almost halfway there and couldn’t wait. I wondered what adventures I would have with Akikumo then. I would be almost as powerful as him, and I bet we could get in all sorts of trouble.
That thought made me smile, and I fiddled with the pendant Akikumo had given me decades before. As I recalled the memory, I felt Akikumo glance over at me. “What’s so funny?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I was just thinking about when I will get all nine of my tails and how much trouble we will cause. I can’t wait to grow up.”
Akikumo said nothing, and as I looked over, I found a bit of sorrow in his smile. “What is it?”
“Don’t worry about it. I am looking forward to seeing you grow up, that’s all. But as for now, we will enjoy the present. Remember Ketsue-chan, it is important to have balance in understanding the past, enjoying the present, and preparing for the future.”
I kicked a rock with my waraji. “Yeah, I know. I’m just excited.”
“And I am happy you want to grow up. But also enjoy your youth. This is the time of learning for you. Then, when you are an adult, you will also learn a lot more and have many more experiences.”
“You like learning, don’t you? Is there ever going to be a time when one doesn’t have to find more knowledge?”
He shook his head. “No. I believe humans, kami, and yokai alike need to adapt to the times. If you don’t keep your mind sharp, you will be whisked away and time won’t care.”
“Wow. Harsh.” I tossed my braided black and red hair back.
“Well, it is true. Look at Japan. It keeps moving forward, and so do we.”
I knew he had a point, but I really didn’t like how much these humans
changed. It wasn’t fair for creatures like us who moved more slowly and had longer lives. We were always adapting.
We came upon the gates to Edo and went through the routine questions and pat-down searches. As it had before, the area reeked of a thick miasma. I wrinkled my nose, wishing we were back in the mountains. But it was autumn now, and the snow was beginning to fall in the mountains, so we had moved somewhere warmer. The sky was now dark since the sun had set. Clouds above threatened to rain, and I prayed they would keep on moving and leave my poor hair and kimono alone. At least we were in a city now and could take cover easier.
As we made our way through the streets, I noticed a bunch of people crowding near the shrine, and there were small structures with a line of outdoor signs.
“What is all this?” I asked Akikumo as I clung to his yellow kimono, a little taken aback from the crowds. There were booths as far as the eye could see with humans holding food, fans, and clothing articles they had just bought. The place was crowded, and it was definitely somewhere I didn’t want to be right now. The sky was dark, but red paper lanterns lined the area, bringing enough light to the ground that even humans could see. I could hear drums in the distance.
He chuckled. “Has it been that long since I have taken you to a matsuri? I must be one sad excuse as a mentor.”
“No, you aren’t; you just get sidetracked a lot. And I don’t enjoy going to these human areas.” I glanced around at all the humans dressed up in their most decorative kimonos. “I don’t trust them.”
Akikumo patted my shoulder. “You have much to learn, Ketsue-chan. Humans, I admit, can be fickle, but you must not always think so lowly of them. They have built so much in a short amount of time. To us immortal beings, it is fascinating.”
I glanced around. I had to admit, so much had changed since I first started journeying with Akikumo. It felt just like yesterday when I was running for my life and trying to destroy any human I saw. Then Akikumo saved me and adopted me in a sense. We have traveled all of Japan ten times over. It didn’t feel like much time had passed, and yet humans had grown their cities, had countless battles, and have had generations of children pass. Why were humans so different from us yokai and kami? Why did they not understand life like we did? Why were they always changing?