by C. J. Anaya
I spoke to her ki, instructing it to send signals from the brain to the nerves to simulate a burning sensation. The moment I did so, I heard Akane’s intake of breath and then felt her entire body erupt in burning pain. I let this go for five seconds and instructed her ki to stop. I released her and shook my hands, trying to forget the agony of burning flesh.
Then I dared a look at my friend. Her face was red and sweat dripped down her temples. She took several large gulps of air.
“That was…extremely effective.” To my amazement she sounded delighted with my success. “Can you do that again without thought?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you are in a position where you’ve lost your sword and must engage in hand-to-hand combat, can you remember to connect with your opponent and simulate a burning sensation without losing your focus?”
“Yes, I know I can.”
Akane rubbed her arms as if she were still trying to shake the pain away. “Good, now what else can you think of that might stop an opponent from killing you?”
“This wasn’t enough?”
“It took me a moment to recover, and a moment may be all that you need, Mikomi, but what if it isn’t? What if you need to do more than inflict pain upon your enemy? What else can you do to permanently stop them?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Do you have any kind of control over a person’s heart?”
My eyes went wide. “You want me to stop their heart?”
“Mikomi,” she said, reaching for both my hands. “I am not encouraging you to become a murderer. I simply want you to be able to defend yourself, and in a fight with a nekomata it will have to be to the death. Do you understand me? It is either you or that monstrosity, and it cannot be you. Whether by your sword or with your mind you will have to end your opponent. Better to have a full arsenal of weapons at your disposal now instead of fighting blindly, unsure of what works and what doesn’t.”
“Okay, but how do I know if stopping a heart is something I can even accomplish?”
Akane squared her shoulders, but didn’t let go of my hands. “Just do it long enough to see if it’s possible, and then bring me back.””
“Akane—”
“I trust you, Mikomi.” She locked eyes with me and held firm. “As much as I trust Musubi.”
I reluctantly closed my eyes and connected to her ki again. I marveled at the brightness of her spirit and the familiarity I felt, then I focused in on the rhythm of her heart, breathing in as she did and exhaling out as I instructed her ki to slow her heartbeats. Her ki responded hesitantly, confused by the initial instructions. Her ki instinctively understood the need to preserve her life.
Her heartbeats gradually slowed, but her body began to convulse as it did so. It was possible to stop her heart completely, but I wasn’t certain I could bring her back if I did. I decided the knowledge I had was enough for now, and I couldn’t damage her body any further. I gave her ki more instructions, elevating her heartbeats to a normal rhythm and making sure her blood flow hadn’t been impaired during our experiment.
I pulled away and opened my eyes. Other than looking a bit pale, she was none the worse for wear.
“I knew you could do it. If you can slow my heart rate down you can stop it, can’t you?”
I nodded, but I didn’t feel quite so enthusiastic. It wasn’t in my nature to do harm, and using my gift like that made me feel dirty, almost corrupt inside, but Akane had proven a valid point. Whether with a sword or my gift, I would defend myself and those I loved to the death.
My gloomy mood would find no relief, considering my next course of action.
“How is Aiko?”
Akane’s eyebrows rose at this further depressing change in topic.
“Silent as the grave. It’s amazing how determined she is to keep her mouth shut. When I informed her of your arrival last night, I saw a small spark alight her eyes, but nothing else. She is expecting you whenever you are ready to face this inquisition.””
No point in postponing the inevitable. “Let’s do this now. I need to know the true intent of her heart.”
“I know you care for her, but if she willingly joined with the emperor, we will need to end her life immediately, and we now have the weapon with which to do so. Can’t you just extract her memories to see if she is telling the truth?””
“Kami are not like humans. They have full power over their ki and cannot be coerced into giving up their own memories.”
“Pity. That ability of yours would come in handy at the moment.”
“Yes. I suppose I will simply have to read her emotions and go from there.”
Akane nodded. “Are you ready then?”
I gave her a resigned grimace. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Chapter Eleven
The area in which Aiko remained incarcerated was a fair pace from the main camp; about half a mile into the forest. A tent had been erected for her, with one guard stationed without and one within. As we approached, the guard without stood at attention, bowed at the waist and then moved aside to allow us passage. Upon entering the tent the second guard stood at attention and bowed as well.
“Leave us,” Akane commanded.
The guard bowed again and left the tent. The exchange gave me time to assess Aiko’s accommodations, which consisted of a small cot on the floor and little else. She sat upon her cot with a serene expression on her face. It surprised me, considering her current predicament. The Aiko I knew would have fretted and fussed over the entire ordeal.
There were obviously many things I didn’t know about my oldest friend.
When she saw me her eyes took on a happy shine as she attempted to rise, but in the blink of an eye the point of Akane’s sword lay directly against the base of my maid’s neck.
“You will remain seated, Aiko. I may not be a kami, but you will find me a formidable opponent should you attempt anything reckless or harmful in regards to your mistress.”
Aiko eased back upon her cot. “I understand. I have no intention of hurting the princess.” Her words and feelings were sincere enough, but I held back my own happiness at seeing my oldest friend.
“Then why were you working for my father, Aiko? The truth this time. You had absolutely nothing to fear if you failed to meet his demands. You have no family he can threaten, and you are immortal. I cannot for the life of me understand what could have motivated you to steal my blood and help my father build a kami army.”
Aiko looked at the ground. “Are you aware that your father has two nekomata in his employ?”
Only two? There had to be more than that, but I thought it better to play dumb and see what other information she might consider sharing.
“You’re lying. The emperor would never align himself with one of the demon god’s minions. He is attempting to do what Amatsu has coveted for thousands of years. He is the demon god’s competition, not his ally.”
“He isn’t aware that they are nekomata. You forget these creatures can take on the form of any human they desire. Even those of the highest ranking soldier in the general’s armies. I kept my eyes and ears open, mistress. I had to if I wanted to protect you. Fukurokuju has no idea what he’s allowed himself to become a part of.”
“What else have you discovered?” Akane said, lowering her sword to the ground.
“There are factions in the underworld. Some of Amatsu’s minions wish to take power into their own hands by killing you as swiftly as possible. Others have been sent here by Amatsu to infiltrate the emperor’s ranks in order to have access to your blood.”
“What exactly does my blood do for these nekomata?” I asked.
“It restores them to their original forms. Nekomata cannot remain in the land of the living for too long without eventually perishing. The laws of nature refuse to sustain the evil they have become. Your blood changes that. It reverses their darkness. They no longer wish to be nekomata. They no longer wish to be damned.”
> “A little late for that,” Akane said.
“How is this even possible?” I asked.
“You are The Healer, Mikomi. Are you aware of how powerful your ki is? Your healing power centers on what is damaged within a person, be it body, mind or spirit. Your blood has the power to not only create kami, but to purify nekomata and fix within them what is broken.”
“Their ki,” Akane muttered. “They will go from their descended state and become whole.” I appreciated that she behaved as if this was all news to her. Aiko’s explanation of the nekomata’s restorative process was helpful.
“A different variation of ascending.” My mind whirled at the possibilities of restored nekomata from the underworld and my father’s despicable generals gaining ground and ruling all of Kagami. My father had been a pawn in the demon god’s scheme for years now, unwittingly preparing the world for the day Amatsu broke from his prison. “While this information is helpful, it still doesn’t explain why you were so willing to fall in line with my father’s plans.”
“I despise your father, and I never wanted to go along with his morbid plans, but when I refused to help him, he had one of his generals take me into the dungeons and torture me. At first, I merely laughed at his attempts. What did I have to fear as an immortal? But then he took on his true form, a nekomata, and unsheathed a weapon that had the power to end my life. I had no wish to die at the hands of a nekomata. I also knew I was your best defense against your father and any nekomata intent on hurting you. Who do you think summoned those guards to help you when those three nekomata attacked you the night of your betrothal ceremony?”
I thought back to that night and remembered the guards mentioning a maid shouting out a warning.
“I may have unwillingly aided them in stealing your blood, but it was better to play along and remain cooperative in order to protect you if and when the time came. The information I’ve gathered over the years will also help us to thwart the demon god’’s plans, including his desire to eventually kidnap you when the time is right.”
“That attempt happened recently.”
“What?” Aiko stood suddenly, rushing to my side before Akane could let out a protest. Her hands ran along my arms and sides, searching for some sign of damage. Her worry rose up to choke me with its intensity.
“Aiko, they failed in their attempts, though I’d rather not go into the details.”
“I never should have left you. I knew the threat remained, but I was under the impression they would not plan an attack until your eighteenth birthday, and I thought you would join the rebels permanently before then. They must have discovered your association with Musubi, though I tried to conceal your involvement with them as best as I could.””
“Excuse me?”
“Musubi, your soul mate. The demon god wanted to keep you in the mortal realm until the very last moment in order to continue building his army, but he didn’t want you to run into your true soul mate either. If you join with Musubi, his plans will never come to fruition. Now that that plan has failed who knows what he’ll try next. You being here with Musubi so close to your ascension, well, he can’t discover your whereabouts. I sincerely hope Musubi will have sufficient strength to conceal you two. Nekomata use scent to track their prey.””
My mind stuttered and stopped with all of this new information. I could hardly form a coherent thought let alone contribute to the conversation.
“You knew all of this and never said anything?”
Aiko laughed. She actually laughed. “Mikomi, I have known you your entire life. I am meant to protect you. What kind of bodyguard would I be if I didn’t know all of your activities as well?”
“Why did you never mention any of this? Why didn’t you at least tell me you were a kami?”
“If I had, the demon god’s spies would have discovered my betrayal, and I would have been taken from you and possibly killed. For most of your life, Mikomi, you’ve literally been surrounded by your enemies. How would you have reacted to that knowledge if I had leveled with you?”
She made a valid point. My initial reaction would have been to run away with Saigo, with no chance of escape.
“We could have left together once you discovered the demon god’s plans,” I suggested.
“I’m a talented bodyguard, Mikomi, but even I can’t hide us from the forces of several nekomata. We needed to wait for Musubi to return to Kagami, and since you were so proactive in getting to know him, I didn’t have to break my cover right away.”
As mind boggling as Aiko’s confession had been, I went back to what I felt was the crux of the matter. “So that fake general threatened to end your life, utilizing weapons from the underworld, and the emperor assumed you just complied because you were tortured?””
Aiko let out a tired sigh. “He threatened mortals I had become close to. I think you’re familiar with how very thorough your father’s blackmail can be.””
I wanted to believe her. I wanted to know how she felt, but her emotions had returned to a black void of nothing. Her ability to block her emotions from me had increased over the last few months, but I hadn’t noticed it until recently. I was determined to find out if she truly felt ashamed or had happily gone along with my father’s plan. There were kami willing to follow my father, desiring power just as he did.
Did Aiko fall under that category?
All I had to make an informed judgment with was the history we shared. I thought back on the many nights she had stayed by my side as nightmare after debilitating nightmare wreaked havoc with my sleep and my mental health.
“What do you think?” Akane asked.
I thought back on all of the moments Aiko and I had confided in one another, sharing our hopes and dreams, planning our futures though mine seemed impossible and hers just out of reach. I couldn’t imagine that the kind of bond we had forged could be broken and recognized that Aiko had made decisions under duress.
My father excelled in gaining the advantage over whomever he wished to coerce into doing his bidding. I couldn’t fault her for wishing to protect her life. I had to believe in what I knew about her; her kindness and strength, her resolve to protect me whenever she could. I had removed her from the palace to protect her from my father, and now she was being interrogated for sedition against myself and the rebels. No matter her mistakes, I owed Aiko much more than this.
“I believe she is telling the truth.” I turned to Aiko. “I’m sorry to have put you in this position, dear friend, but we cannot be too careful when it comes to my father and the spies he employs.”
“I understand,” Aiko stated. “Considering the activities I was involved in, I think you’re being quite merciful.”
“As do I.” Akane’s expression revealed little, but her distrust of Aiko was palpable. I wondered at it, but didn’t say anything. She had made it her life’s work to be suspicious of others considering the war she fought and the man she fought against. Better to be distrustful than too trusting, I supposed.
“How are all of these nekomata escaping from the underworld?” Akane asked.
“There have been several breaches as of late, and Mikomi’s various healings on others over the years has also slowly weakened the veil. I tell you this not to censure you, child. I know you only meant well, but the damage to the veil is extensive.””
I considered this as a huge swell of guilt rose to the surface. Katsu had warned me not to breach the veil, not to take on the role of a god in deciding who lived and who died. The consequences hadn’t been laid bare like this, but I had to accept my part in creating several gateways for the demon god’s minions to escape through. I alone was responsible for their presence in the world of the living. I felt guiltier when I realized that my choices would have remained the same if I had the opportunity to go back with the knowledge I had now. I risked much more than my own life every time I forced death to the background and saved someone who was not meant to live. I gave the demon god another foothold into my world.
I didn’t know how to fulfill my duty to the world and my duty to my heart without betraying one or the other.
If I was again forced to choose between the two, I feared I couldn’t trust myself to make the right decision.
* * *
Based on this new information we decided to release Aiko and allow her to stay with us as extra protection for myself. Despite Akane’s suspicions, I felt relieved that Aiko’s intentions had been pure. Once she was released, she enveloped me in a warm embrace filled with the same motherly affection I was accustomed to, and then she accompanied us back to the main camp where we went in search of food and familiar faces.
We found my brother and Kenji sitting around a campfire with Yao and Chan. They all stood at our approach, but I motioned them to sit and continue their meal. I no longer lived in a palace, and I didn’t consider myself much of a princess. These formalities needed to be put to a stop.
We explained Aiko’s presence and her eagerness to aid us in our ventures. After they greeted Aiko with warmth and acceptance, I sat down next to Saigo on a sturdy log and received an enthusiastic side hug he bestowed upon me.
“I thought you might sleep the day away, Mikomi. I was about to come wake you and insist that you explore this massive campsite with me.”
“Saigo, I think it a bad idea to be wondering off. These woods are not exactly what I would term harmless,” Kenji said.
“I thought all of those tales of dangerous creatures and enchanted forests were simply myths to scare us away from wandering around the forest.”