“What about the others?” Shitoro asked. “I think those wolves...”
“Are merely stunned,” Kisaki said. “But I believe the fight has been taken out of them.”
“I hate to break this up,” Stephen interrupted, “but those sirens are getting awfully close and what happened here is ... kinda weird.”
“Yeah.” Tamiko nodded. “I don’t know how the police in America handle these things but, well, look at you, Kisaki.”
Stephen stepped back, noting all the blood. “Agreed. I just fired my dad’s gun and you look like you stepped out of a slaughterhouse. This probably isn’t the smartest course of action, but maybe we should be somewhere else when they get here.”
♦ ♦ ♦
“What will they do to those demons?” Tamiko asked after they’d put a few blocks between them and Stephen’s house.
“I’m more worried about what my parents will do to me once they find out,” he said.
Kisaki noted that he’d stuffed the weapon into his jacket as best he could, but it was a poor job at concealment. Regardless, it was still better than how she looked.
“Young mistress,” Shitoro said, changing the topic. “Again you showed great prowess in battle, prowess that you should not have. The first time, against the humans, I thought it might be nothing more than dumb luck against an inferior species. But against youkai? Do you have an explanation?”
“I...”
“Spit it out, child.” Whatever authority she’d wielded with him earlier was apparently forgotten. He was now firmly acting as her guardian again.
Kisaki wasn’t sure how much she should say. Though Shitoro knew a great deal more than her, he’d been at a loss for her newfound abilities. She was afraid that anything more out of the ordinary would just double his resolve to lock her back up in her mother’s chambers again. Then again, his current resolve on doing so was already pretty adamant.
She considered how he’d placed himself in harm’s way for her. If anything, she owed him, all of them, an explanation. “It’s hard to say, but before both fights, I ... I’m not sure ... saw a vision of sorts. After that, it was like my body knew exactly what to do.”
“A vision?” Shitoro asked. “Of what?”
“It was different both times, and I’m still not sure what it was about.”
He glanced up at her, narrowing his eyes. “We need to discuss this.”
“First we need to find a safe place, preferably somewhere I can wash off and find new garments to wear.” He opened his mouth to respond, but she said, “I’m serious.”
“Very well. But I believe I can help on that second issue.” He began to glow, then changed back to his tiger-humanoid form.
“Isn’t that a little dangerous out here in the open?” Stephen asked.
“You’re carrying a big gun, Kisaki is drenched in blood, and the police are probably right now arresting a group of werewolves,” Tamiko said. “At this point, I’m not too worried about the cat in a dress.”
“Tiger,” Shitoro muttered, gesturing with his hands. “And these are my royal robes.”
“What are you doing?” Kisaki asked.
“You would know if you’d paid greater attention in your conjuring studies.” Kisaki sighed painfully, to which he added, “Sorry, my lady, but merely stating the obvious. Stand back, humans.”
“What are you going to do?” Tamiko asked.
“A subtle bit of magic, meant to make my mistress here stand out a bit less than she currently does. Are you ready, Lady Kisaki?”
She nodded, curious to see what Shitoro had in mind. Perhaps a glamour to disguise her until such time as...
A waterfall seemingly appeared above her. The heavens opened up and drenched her to the bone in the space of a second. The water itself was freezing cold and hit her so hard that it drove her to her knees. She opened her mouth to protest and found it filled before she could say a word.
Just when she was certain she’d either drown or be crushed, it ended. She stood back up on rubbery legs, shivering from head to toe.
“Whoa. Instant Niagara Falls,” Stephen said, letting out a whistle of appreciation.
Tamiko turned to the tiger demon. “I thought you said it was subtle.”
“Subtlety is in the eye of the beholder,” Shitoro replied smugly.
“What was that?!” Kisaki cried.
“As I said, a simple conjuring. You look much more inconspicuous now. You’re welcome.”
Kisaki looked down at herself. Soaked though she might be, he was right. The majority of the blood had been washed away. However, she couldn’t help but think there were better workings of magic to accomplish the same thing. Considering the look upon his face, she thought it likely this was a form of not particularly subtle revenge for all the trouble she’d caused.
“Are you okay?” Stephen asked her.
“She’ll be fine,” Shitoro replied. “The sun is out and it’s a warm day.”
Kisaki glared sidelong down at the little demon. “Remind me to never let you draw me a bath.”
♦ ♦ ♦
“We have to think of something,” Stephen said, stuffing the shotgun into the hastily dug hole and covering it with leaves. Kisaki had since learned its purpose. As she suspected, it was a weapon capable of spewing death from a distance, much like a bow and arrow, but with far more devastating results.
Tamiko turned and looked around. “I’m open to suggestion.” Fortunately, the small park they’d retreated to on the outskirts of town was still empty.
“You guys have it easy,” he replied. “Nobody knows who you are. I live here, though. People know my face. I mean, that’s my house. They’re going to have questions.”
“Including how a girl kicked the butts of a bunch of werewolves?” Tamiko asked.
“Yeah, that might be one of them. But that’s not the half of it. I mean, it’s broad daylight. If this were a dark and stormy night, people could explain it away as a shared hallucination or maybe a drug trip. Heck, those wolf guys sorta looked like people. But the rest...”
“The bear and the hawk?” Kisaki offered.
“Yeah. No way is that not making the evening news. I have no flipping idea how we’re going to explain how Cartersville suddenly became the X-Files.” At the two girls’ bewildered expressions, he added, “It’s an old TV show, about some people who investigate strange happenings. Don’t worry about it.”
“Another of your American colloquialisms?”
“Exactly.”
“I do not see why this is a bad thing,” Shitoro said dismissively. “In the past, humans and youkai were well aware of each other. If anything, humans were once smart enough to know to respect their betters.”
Tamiko folded her arms in front of her chest. “Betters?”
“Of course. No offense to you or your race, but you have to admit you would have been helpless against that group we faced, and they were little more than ragamuffins.”
“I seem to have done all right against one of them,” Stephen said.
“With my warning,” Shitoro countered.
“We can argue who’s the superior species at another time,” Tamiko said. “The ones who rule this planet or the ones who need a flea bath, but the truth remains. Some strange stuff just happened, and I doubt the people who saw us are going to forget it easily.”
Stephen nodded. “Agreed. This is a small town. People know each other and they talk. If it were one person, the police might just write it off as them being drunk, but I saw doors opening all up and down the block. That and it sounded like every cop in the county was responding to the war being waged on my front lawn.”
“What are you implying?” Kisaki asked.
“I hate to say it, but I think the cat’s out of the bag.” He stopped as Shitoro glared up at him. “Not you, relax. What I mean is if we run, they’re going to catch us. So maybe we don’t even try.”
“You think
we should turn ourselves in?” Tamiko asked. “And do what? Confess?”
“Quite the opposite,” Stephen said. “We’re both human and Kisaki looks as human as either of us. If we walk in with a tiger demon by our side, it’s going to look strange, but if we walk in with a cat.” He held up the first two fingers on both of his hands in quotation marks. “Then maybe we can claim to have been as weirded out as everyone else. I don’t think anyone will blame us for running from all of that.”
“That sounds like it has potential,” Tamiko said. “Basically, we play dumb.” She turned to Shitoro after a moment of silence. “Come on, aren’t you going to tell me that’s something I excel at?”
“That goes without saying,” he replied without any real aplomb, staring off into the distance as if looking for something.
“What is it, Shitoro?” Kisaki asked. “You’re being unusually unopinionated.”
“You’re right, mistress,” he replied, scratching his chin with one paw. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About?”
He turned to Stephen. “You may wish to rethink hiding your weapon.”
“I can’t just walk into town, much less the police station, carrying it. I don’t know if you get the news where you two are from, but people tend to get shot for much less.”
“Getting shot is no worse than being mauled to death. I can assure you of that.”
“What do you mean?” Kisaki asked.
“Think about it. Those youkai who attacked us. They did not do so of their own accord. They were sent.”
“That bear guy seemed to be in charge,” Stephen said.
Shitoro waved a hand at him dismissively. “I have known ursine youkai and they are little more than foot soldiers, brute force labor. He would have probably led those others to a mound of garbage if someone hadn’t given him specific directions.”
“So you’re saying there’s more of them?” Tamiko asked.
“More yes, but also worse. Ursine are not particularly intelligent, but they’re strong and stubborn. They won’t follow the commands of those they deem weaker than themselves. Thus, it stands to reason there is another demon out there, and I fear it is far more powerful. Worse, it knows what happened.”
“How so?”
“It was me,” Kisaki said. “The hawk. I let it go.”
Shitoro nodded. “Alas, I am afraid that is true. There is no doubt that hawk fled back to its master.” He reached up and took hold of one of Kisaki’s hands. “Mercy is an admirable trait, my lady. It truly is. I know well the value of it. However, it is also a luxury and must be doled out accordingly. There are times when a leader wishes to give it, but cannot because their kindness would be returned with malice enough to bring them ruin. I am sorry to say, but I believe this is one such time.”
Kisaki turned away and looked up at the sky. She hadn’t wanted anyone else to die this day, but if what Shitoro said was true, then in doing so, she’d placed her friends in even greater danger.
She couldn’t allow that.
“Tell me, Shitoro,” she said, remembering what the bear had told her. “How long do we have until Ichitiro strikes?”
29
“What?!” Shitoro cried.
“Ichitiro. Do you recognize that name?”
“Y-yes. But how do you know it, and how do you know that it was he who sent the youkai after us?”
“The bear,” Kisaki replied. “He told me that Ichitiro sends his regards. I assumed that he is the earthbound demon you fear may be coming.”
“No, not at all.” Shitoro seemed to turn even paler than his already white fur. “Ichitiro is no mere demon.”
“Oh, then is he a...”
“He is a daimao, like your mother.”
Kisaki’s mouth dropped open at the revelation and a cold chill began to spread down her spine. “But why? Why is he after us?”
“I do not know. We have been so careful. He could not know of your existence. It’s impossible.”
“I think all of us have had to redefine our definition of impossible today,” Stephen said. “Welcome to the party.”
“This is not a joking matter!” Shitoro snapped. “Do you not understand the power he has at his command?”
“Actually, no, I don’t.”
Shitoro ignored him and began to pace. “Why? As a hanyou, you should be beneath his contempt.” At the look on Kisaki’s face, he added, “Don’t be insulted. It is merely the truth. The daimao are a proud and powerful race. Their station breeds arrogance, but Ichitiro’s is legendary even amongst them. He treats his servants like playthings for his amusement. If he were to come across you in the palace, yes, he would kill you for what you are. But here, on Earth? Why go to the trouble? And how would he even know how to find...”
He spun toward Kisaki, grabbed both of her arms, and yanked her down to his level. “The crystal.”
“Crystal?” she asked, certain he’d figured out she had another.
“Yes, the one you used to bring us here.”
She almost let out a sigh of relief. “What of it? It’s gone. Used up.”
“I know that! What color was it?”
“I do not...”
“Your mother’s are black as obsidian. Each daimao’s crystals have a unique color according to their individual power. I had assumed the other you’d swiped was hers, too. Was it?”
After a moment passed, Kisaki shook her head.
“What color, then?”
She had snuck a glance earlier, when no one was looking, to see which of the two she’d used. “Grey, like a storm cloud.”
Shitoro let go of her and backed away. “Oh, you stupid, stupid child.”
“Let me guess,” Tamiko said. “Grey belongs to that Ichi guy?”
“Precisely,” he replied. “And worse. When a crystal is used, the owner can sense it. They do not necessarily know who did so, but they know it was used and where the user was sent. That is how I was able to find Kisaki in the first place.”
“Yeah, but you said you were searching the island for two days.”
“It gives a general location, nothing more. If the user moves, then the owner would still need to find them.”
“But we did move,” Tamiko pointed out. “We appeared at least a kilometer away from Stephen’s house. So how did they track us so quickly when you only found us by accident?”
“I don’t know. Wolves have good noses, even better than mine. Perhaps they got lucky and caught our scent.”
“Could they find us again?”
“They will know of the human’s house. We cannot return there. Aside from that...” He shrugged.
“So what do we do if this Ichi person does come looking...”
Shitoro took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself. “He cannot. The edict. He can’t come here himself. That is one plus on our side. But he can send his followers.”
“Followers?” Kisaki asked.
“When the edict was laid down, many youkai were stranded on Earth, left to their own devices to either survive or die. We are speaking about thousands at the least, all across the planet.”
“But if they were stranded, then...”
“Oh, do open your eyes, child. I am here, am I not? The daimao cannot go themselves, not without the others sensing it. They are simply too powerful. Their very passing leaves an absence of energy the others can feel. But a small sending, such as a youkai with his master’s crystal, the others would not immediately know of it happening.” He glanced up at Kisaki. “It is why I came alone at your mother’s behest. If she could send me, then Ichitiro could send his servants as well. In fact, he certainly would. Your mother respects the edicts of the celestial court. She only sent me because she was in a dire panic over your safety. I sincerely doubt Ichitiro has anywhere near that same respect.”
“Sounds like a bit of an ass,” Stephen said.
“I assume that is an insult,” Shitoro replied.
“If so, then yes. He is more than a bit of one. But still, many of the demons stranded here are bound to be desperate. I don’t doubt they would rally to his flag upon receiving even the most minor of recompense.”
“But why come after me here?” Kisaki asked.
“I do not know, but it may be little more than simple pettiness. The crystal chamber was established for us servants to use as needed. All of the daimao have contributed to it, but it was well known that Ichitiro despised anyone using his without express permission. Youkai who disregarded his warning were known to disappear. There were plenty of other crystals to use, so most of us took to avoiding his. It’s possible he is simply acting out, trying to teach the offending party a lesson in respect.”
“Add petulant to what I said.”
Shitoro nodded toward Stephen. “Indeed. But nevertheless, if we have attracted his attention, then we should flee this place immediately. He cannot know of your existence.”
“But you just said a hanyou like me was beneath his attention.”
“In most cases, yes.” Shitoro placed his hands behind his back and continued to pace. “Ichitiro’s wrath is legendary, but he is neither known for his intelligence nor his attention span. The fact that you defeated some youkai mercenaries will intrigue him, but nothing more. But whoever sent those youkai, whoever commands them here on Earth, will most likely send more. Ichitiro is not tolerant of failure. Therein lies the problem. If more are sent and they find us, we cannot allow them to live.”
“I know what you said about mercy...”
“It is more than that! It ... is difficult to explain. Just know that it is something we must do. That is why I say we must flee this place at once.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Shitoro?” After another pause on his part, Kisaki reiterated herself, once more drawing upon that authority she’d discovered so recently. “Shitoro, now.”
He looked up at her and smiled sadly before walking over to a nearby bench and sitting down. “Ichitiro is not merely another daimao. He is your mother’s would-be suitor.”
“Her what?!”
Shitoro shook his head. “Your mother has never expressed any interest in him. He is a brute, wishing to possess what he cannot. That she chose a human over him, though, is something that I doubt he could let go of if he ever found out.”
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