by Z. V. Hunter
Maybe even her hair.
Hair.
Long hair hung in her face and nothing but her mouth showed.
The Calamity that chased me to Meiji—this was it!
I took a slow step back and reached for one of my shuriken.
The izakaya was full of humans—and one other Calamity that wasn't hurting anybody—but this thing, the malevolence that surrounded it, could wipe them all out.
But if I started throwing weapons at the bartender everyone would think I was the nut job and call the cops. Not what I needed.
"Drink up, Exorcist," the bartender said.
When she spoke, her mouth didn't move, and my breath came in short ragged gasps.
"What do you want?" The last time I'd seen this one it hadn't said much, only that it was looking for 'him' without being particularly specific. Now, it used this woman's body to speak. Not particularly good on the human, to say the least.
But I didn't have the power to expel possession. That's not my thing, Exorcist or not. Blasting a Calamity with their own kind of power might stun them, but it's not enough to shove one from a human's body.
"Him. Our master wants him," the bartender said.
"You're going to have to be a little more specific. Who's him? Maybe we should have this discussion outside? In an alley?" Where I could use a weapon. I didn't say the second part, obviously.
Instead of agreeing to my offer, the possessed bartender lunged across the bar and barreled into me.
Here I thought I'd get to spend a quiet evening without dealing with one of these things.
Looks like I was wrong.
17
THE CALAMITY IN the corner was the first to respond. It hid its brown furry face behind its tiny paws and squeaked. Did I mention it stood at least eight feet tall? Not the bravest Calamity ever, but I couldn't blame it.
The bartender let out a high-pitched yowl, and her sharp nails scraped at my throat.
My ears rung, and I blocked her—kept her from shredding my skin. The shuriken in my hand caught her unawares.
She pulled back with a roar of fury, and I stumbled free. As I struggled to my feet, screams broke out around us. The table full of people having a good time scrambled; some ducked under the low table and others ran for the door or hid behind the thin paper and wooden screens that partitioned off the room—as if that would help.
The rest of the people there acted accordingly, scattering, and screaming, even if nothing much had happened yet. They sensed it more than saw it, and it gave me one less thing to worry about.
"Humans."
The voice sounded faint and tinny—coming from far off, but I'd recognize it anywhere. The same derision for people he'd always had. Even if it'd only been a day, it felt like a lifetime since I'd heard Lux speak to me.
My chest warmed.
"Not like they know any better," I said and wished I didn't grin like an idiot.
"Miss me?"
"Yeah. Right. Am I wrong or is this the same one from the other night?"
The light around the stone dimmed, and my breath caught.
The Calamity in question leveled its imperceptible gaze on me once again, teeth gleaming.
"Need him!" it cried.
I ran.
The best way to get that Calamity away from the bar was to let it chase me out into the streets. At least it would keep innocent people from getting hurt. Unless it decided to lash out at everyone it passed, in which case, I was signing a death warrant for everyone in the vicinity.
I didn't have time to think about that.
"What 'him' does this thing want?" I growled as I pelted down the street, legs pumping and lungs straining for air.
It was early enough to still be crowded. Several people rushed out of the subway, and I shoved my way between them, muttering 'excuse me' the whole time.
Lux didn't answer.
At least this time the Calamity was in a human body. That meant it couldn't move at supernatural speeds to catch me; it was the only good thing about the bartender being possessed.
A quick glance over my shoulder told me she was there, and the crowd parted for her. Another case of human perception being sharper than they realized.
"You have to get to a Shrine. Or call that friend of yours. Or get lost in the woods again." Lux muttered, his voice still far too distant. As if he were in the Spirit World and not trapped in the stone around my neck.
I knew the first one would work if the Shrine was powerful enough. Unfortunately, not any old Shrine would do, or I'd have darted to the first one I saw.
Tucked between two high-rise buildings, the bright red Torii gates seemed out of place in such a modern setting. Neo-Tokyo was like that. A mixture of old and new all shoved together and piled on top of each other. But, I could tell from the size of the buildings—only one or two—and the lack of any Shrine Maidens that it wouldn't be able to protect me from this Calamity.
The only Shrine strong enough in this area was within Ueno Park.
This one didn't hold the same darkness Yoyogi Park did, but the Shrine I needed to reach happened to be in the middle of an island surrounded by a lake. Well, more of a glorified pond. Though, I knew the Shrine had a Priest who lived on premises. It was powerful, though not as powerful as Meiji. It was either that or—
"The forest? Why the hell would I want to go back there?" Ueno Station surged with people, and I struggled past them.
The Calamity gained ground.
If it didn't get it out of the bartender soon, the woman wouldn't survive. And I didn't even know why this Calamity was after me.
"You can't guess?"
I bit back a grumble of frustration and charged up the stairs that led to the park proper. Like Yoyogi there was no gate to keep people out at night, and the homeless did have their blue tarp tents set up in out-of-the-way places here. I rushed past them. My boots pounded on the concrete walkways, and I ignored the presence of other Calamities—other ghosts and spirits and demons that belong to the twilight—lingered in the trees. Many left over from a battle that happened a long time ago.
During the day, this park was perfect for families since it held the biggest zoo in the city and several museums, but at night the Spirit World took over.
"It's where you found me," Lux said, voice strained.
My hands balled into fists and my arms pumped at my sides. You'd think, after all the running I had to do that I'd be in better shape. I blamed the lack of sleep I'd gotten recently, and not my diet of Ramen and convenient store food and alcohol.
No street lamps illuminated the park's path. I swung a left, then a right, and another left from memory, and hoped I headed in the right direction.
As the line of trees ended, the footsteps behind quickened and my heart filled with lead.
The glowing outline of the Shrine hung in the distance, and I'd taken a wrong turn. I stood at the top of a small cliff, and the only way to get down was a good nine meter drop into the middle of a road that ran through the center of the park. A broken bone is a broken bone. I couldn't walk away from that.
"It'll have to be the woods then. You can get away from her there," Lux said. He sounded more desperate than I'd ever heard him.
I shook my head. "I already told you I'm never going back to that place willingly." As I said it, a shiver raked up my spine and I pulled a shuriken and a Spirit Seal from my coat.
I might not have a Spirit Vessel, but I could slow this Calamity down. Maybe force it out of the bartender's body and get away.
"You've had a lot of bad ideas, but this might be the worst."
I smiled.
That sounded like Lux.
"Guess we'll find out."
"There's bravery then there's foolhardiness then there's flat-out stupidity. If I tell you to run, you run. The woods. The Shrine. Or call your friend!"
He didn't even like Aki, and he told me to call her. He may be right, but the bartender was too close to chance it. And right now, I only had to de
al with one Calamity. In the woods, there were far too many. Not to mention, I only barely made it out of there last time. Who knows what would happen if I entered it again?
"And I should just let this woman die because I'm a coward?"
"She's been corrupted anyway. And that Calamity isn't normal. This—dammit, listen to me for once."
How could I have missed his presence?
No time to think about that. I had about eleven shuriken left since I lost one in the izakaya. If I used enough Spirit Seals I might—and this was a big might—be able to force the Calamity from the woman's body. Or, at least, buy enough time to call Aki, though I didn't mention that to Lux.
I'd have to take my chances and hurt the bartender in the process. At least she'd still be alive when I finished. I hoped.
She charged, and I threw three shuriken aimed at non-vital places: one to each shoulder and another to her thigh. Two hit and the Calamity stumbled back and screeched. The sound ripped at my eardrums, and I bit the inside of my mouth.
"Don't let it get you."
Before the Calamity could recover, I loosed three more shuriken, two aimed at her legs and the other at her arm. I needed to disable the body she possessed to get the Calamity out.
That's not exactly how my mother taught me to deal with the possessed, but it's never been my expertise.
Wisps of darkness rose off the bartender like smoky tendrils, and I took a chance and darted close, a shuriken gripped between my knuckles and slashed, one high and one low.
Another earsplitting shriek broke through the air, and the woman grasped my forearms and squeezed with an inhuman strength that would doubtless leave bruises. I kneed her in the gut and sliced at her exposed side.
At least the shuriken were sharp enough to cut more than just Calamities, unlike my typical iron swords. Bright red blood welled up, and I swallowed down the guilt that filled my chest. More smoke emanated from the woman.
That was something.
I kicked and leapt back, and it turned into a stumble.
Three more shuriken flew into the night, but only one connected.
Three left. I held them tight, the Spirit Seal crinkling in my clammy grip.
My chest heaved.
Throbbed.
In the near darkness, I saw the gleaming white of those terrible teeth. The Calamity slipped in and out of the body.
Just a little more and I could shove it over the edge.
"Wait. Don't," Lux cried as I threw the last three shuriken, followed by the Spirit Seal.
One hit its mark and embedded in the bartender's forearm.
She writhed and tried to pry it free.
Time to move.
I ignored Lux's protests, darted close, and slapped the seal on her forehead. I'm not sure why, but it's the place Calamities use to possess someone.
Claws snagged at my throat, and I struggled to pull back, but her grip was too strong. The fingers snagged at the necklace and stone and dug into my flesh, nearly breaking the skin.
If I walked away from this with a death curse, I'd be more than pissed.
And I'd never hear the end of it from Lux.
I stomped on her feet, but there wasn't any iron left on the bottom of my boots. I felt the fingers clawing closer and closer to breaking the skin, and those terrible teeth opened wide, ready to devour me.
My heart stopped.
The only thing I could think was how stupid this all was. I'd been too stubborn. Here I gave Kuro shit for getting kidnapped, and I was about to die via Calamity myself.
Aki'd be furious.
The Calamity sucked at my energy, and no matter how I struggled I knew the only way to win was to take it back. Absorb the Makai power. But I knew what would happen if I did—what I'd become.
The few marks I had on my flesh would grow and tangle with my soul until I twisted with it. But if it killed me, would I be able to get out of Yomi-no-kuni again? I don't even remember how I escaped last time, just that I did.
I took a deep breath through my nose.
Prepared myself to do what I promised Aki I wouldn't. What I promised myself I wouldn't. But I needed to survive just a little longer. Find that last missing girl and—
"I told you to listen. Now I must get involved," Lux said.
Before I could open my mouth to respond, a bright light flooded the area. Its radiance as silver and warm as the summer moonlight.
I squeezed my eyes shut, and the Calamity let out one final screech before it dissipated.
The bartender's body tumbled to the ground, and I went with it, heart pounding and limbs weak, blinded from the sudden flash of light.
"It looks like Lux was a good name for you," I managed.
Nothing but silence greeted me.
18
AT LEAST THIS time when I stumbled into Meiji Shrine it wasn't after midnight. The trains were still running. I propped the bartender's arm over my shoulder, dragged her next to me and muttered that I wished she hadn't gotten so drunk that night.
People threw us curious glances, but no one questioned it.
At least she was alive.
That's the first thing I checked after the blinding light banished that Calamity.
Lux still hadn't spoken, and the light from the Spirit Stone faded so substantially it was nothing but the dimmest glow. Like a star ready to wink out.
My stomach clenched, and I gritted my teeth on the ride to the Shrine. He'd been able to use that power this entire time and hadn't done it? I thought of all my close calls. All the run-ins with Calamities and ghosts that could've snatched my life, and he never stepped in to help.
Not physically anyway.
Getting the unconscious bartender the help she needed, quickly squashed a brief flare of anger.
Lux said she was already corrupted, and that the Calamity that possessed her wasn't normal. And if I needed to purify a corrupted human, I knew where to go.
This time, I even called Aki first.
I didn't have to walk to the darkest part of the park to reach Meiji Shrine. I got off at Yoyogi station, right next to the entrance of the Shrine, and only had to drag her about a hundred yards to the Gate.
Aki and two Shrine Maidens waited for me there. They wore ritual clothing, perhaps for the woman's sake, and as soon as I approached they took her from me and whisked her to the purification pool.
I followed.
Aki's mouth pinched into a line, and her usually bright eyes narrowed. It's a look she learned from my mother.
"First the incident with Kuro, now this? What's going on? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
I was too tired to argue about it. I shrugged and picked a few leaves out of my hair. They must have gotten there in the fight with the Calamity. Then I sucked in a breath of the cold autumn air. "I saved his life last night. I'm not sure what he told you, but that's how it went down. And she was possessed by the same Calamity that chased me here before. It keeps trying to kill me."
Aki stared at me for a long moment and nodded. "Then it's settled. You're staying here tonight, and in the morning, we'll discuss it. And don't try to argue with me. Not about this. If there are Calamities trying to kill you, your apartment isn't safe."
My stomach filled with warm honey, and I gave her the slightest grin.
One of the Shrine Maidens gasped and covered her mouth. The other whispered a blessing under her breath and called for Aki.
I peeked, and the warm honey melted away as quickly as it arrived.
"What is this? A tattoo?" one of the Shrine Maidens asked and reached toward a mark on the back of the bartender's neck.
Aki slapped her hand away, and the girl squeaked.
They both looked to be about the same age, probably eighteen or so. One had thick black hair that hung down her back in a sheet. The other had hair the color of leaves in the fall, a faint burnt brown lined with gold, and her blue eyes gave her away as a Mage. Water or ice, I guessed. The dark-haired girl had brown eyes, yet I sensed
her power, faint but present.
Still, nothing as strong as Aki's own. No wonder she was lamenting the lack of strong acolytes.
I also sensed the sensation of dread that rolled off the mark on the bartender's neck. It wasn't a tattoo. The hint of singed flesh tickled my nose.
"A brand," I whispered, and my voice cracked. It had been made by magic, not heat.
Aki frowned. "And you said she attacked you in public?"
I nodded and told her exactly what happened in the bar. The Shrine Maidens cast each other fearful glances, and Aki sucked in a breath through her teeth.
"Has a Calamity ever been that bold before?"
I shook my head.
"I've never seen anything like this. But we'll do what we can. It might take more than a dip in the purification pool. Come, let's get to work," Aki said and rolled up her sleeves.
The two Shrine Maidens did the same, and I started to turn when Aki snagged my wrist.
"Where do you think you're going? After the last few days, you need another dip in this since you're going to spend the night here."
More skin peeling, pain, and awful visions. I couldn't wait.
月
The mark on the bartender faded after her dip in the purification pool. She wasn't conscious for it, yet she let out a bloodcurdling scream all the same. The faint outline of the mark lingered on her flesh, and Aki told the girls to go ready another more elaborate purification ritual.
I'd seen my mother perform them on a few rare occasions. Aki didn't mention there were times it didn't work. The blight was too deep. Like with the death curse. If those were left to fester for more than a few hours nobody could do anything about them, in most cases.
A shudder pricked up my spine at the thought of how close I'd come to such a fate. Then Lux saved me and went MIA all over again.
My chest constricted, and I caught the look Aki gave me, eyes pinched and lips downturned. "Are you going to argue with me about getting in?"
I shook my head, shed my clothes, and climbed into the pool.
The pain wasn't nearly as severe this time, and it didn't last nearly as long, so I bit back a scream as best I could and prepared myself for the visions.