Playtime (self-insert #2)

Chapter 7

Call me crazy. When I thought about the exorcism, I thought it would take a few minutes like in the anime. Something short and sweet, right?

Naru called us to the base an hour later.

The others had gathered there as well, looking exhausted but pleased with a job well done. Only Naru looked slightly glum, and I had a feeling I knew why. "They're all gone. There are no more spirits in this house." Masako announced brightly, looking slightly better for the first time since she'd entered the Morishita house.

"What made them all leave?" Ayako wondered, peering down into the depths.

"She got what she wanted." Naru replied as if it was obvious. I mean, it was obvious, but he had a way of saying things that made everyone feel dumb. "She got her daughter back."

"Huh?"

"You mean...that piece of wood?" Mai asked. "What was that all about?"

"Exactly what you saw. A hitogata."

Bou-san sighed. "I see. A hitogata."

Mai still looked confused, so Ayako explained. "You take a piece of paulownia wood and carve it into the shape of the person upon whom you want to cast a spell. But I thought that would be to put someone under a curse, since a hitogata is similar to the voodoo doll."

I personally didn't see any difference.

"There are black spells and white spells. A white spell is used for a good cause and a black spell is used to harm someone." Naru put in. "Often times the same type of spell can be used to achieve both results."

Bou-san nodded in agreement, his ponytail bobbing up and down. "Right. Like the way to disperse a sworn enemy in esoteric Buddhism can be used for both a good and bad cause as well."

"I see. But why would a hitogata be useful in Jourei?"

"Hitogata are a yorishiro for spirits."

I could practically see Mai filing away the new word. "And what's a yorishiro?"

Irritation flashed briefly in Naru's dark eyes. "A container for spirits to go into. If I made your hitogata, your hitogata would be your double. If I were to hurt your hitogata you would actually be hurt as well. That's how close a hitogata becomes to the real person." He said. "That hitogata represented Tomiko. The woman spirit thought of it as her own daughter, as if she were reuniting with her own child. That's why she left to rest in peace."

Bou-san arched an eyebrow at Naru. "I'm impressed that you made that hitogata. Is that why you had to leave for a while?"

I stared at him pointedly.

"Right, and I needed to learn more about her past life."

"And?"

"The woman's name is Hiro Oshima. This house was built where her house used to stand. Tomiko was her only child." He said eventually. "But one day Tomiko disappeared and six months later Tomiko's dead body was found in their pond."

"I wonder if she'd been kidnapped?" Lin said suddenly, startling everyone. Mai glanced at him quickly. Ayako scoffed.

"Possibly. The woman then committed suicide by throwing herself into the well." Naru paused, replaying the words back to himself. "I'm not positive about that part. But anyway I just needed Tomiko's year of birth. It was necessary to properly make the hitogata." With a short movement he gestured for me and Lin to follow him.

"You alright?" I asked once we were far enough.

"I'm fine. Lin, let's start cleaning up."

Lin nodded silently and slipped past us to the base. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes. Are you okay?"

That caught me off guard. "Why?"

"I studied philosophy of religion. Are you comfortable with all of this...black magic? Would you feel better spending less time around Lin?"

He must've noticed my reaction to the hitogata. "I'm fine." I assured him. "And I'm not saying this because I don't want to bother you—I have no qualms about that. Muslims have a policy of hating the sin and not the sinner, and black magic or not I don't hate Lin."

He nodded slowly.

"You're thinking about Gene." I guessed. "You care about him. It's only natural."

He glanced at me sharply. "I..." he began, then settled for nodding again. "I want to find him."

I smiled. "Don't worry. Good things come to those who are patient."

"Right." His tone changed, accumulating a bit of ice. "However, I am not paitient when it comes to clean-up, so unless you don't get a move on..."

"Right, right. I'm going."