[UPDATE IN PROGRESS] Onmyou-Pocketville: Fallen Dusk

Chapter 32: Takemori Shrine

Malorie opened her eyes after that magical transportation, her sandals clacking against the pavement. She and Hana were holding Lilie's paws just like two children being guided by their mother. Of course, Lilie was their mother figure, despite herself technically being Malorie's grandmother and Hana's adoptive parent. Where are we?

The sky was just starting to brighten up into a brilliant periwinkle hue, the pinks and ambers of the horizon fading away as the sun started to appear again. It was still fairly dark, despite what the sun was doing, and the lanterns lighting the path to the torii tunnel instead gave off most of the illumination.

Around the cobbled path there were tall, green stalks of bamboo all over. These fast-growing plants were used for two different purposes: for food as a part of the cuisine or for construction to build structures. There were a few tengu around, those who resemble silver doves, cuckoos, and fork-tailed swallows, along with other various creatures: goat and deer-like ungulate yokai, bakeneko and maneki-neko, inugami, and more. Crickets and katydids chirped away as their song started coming to an end whilst morning approaches. They either lived in the forest or went there to find bamboo to use in whatever town they resided in, be it Onmyou-Kyou or other surrounding areas, such as Hikawa or Matsuoka.

Malorie's group grew even more, as Himiko from the Tachibana clan along with Kiku and her friends joined her in the quest for the Star Blossoms. It grew just like the bamboo which surrounds all of them.

Kiku's four legs were spread out like a spider, as if she were ready to pounce. "Do you think something might jump at us again?"

Daiki sniffed the air. "Well, all I could smell is fresh bamboo and tengu and other Onmyoujin who are simply working deep in the grove, so there isn't any concern here. Thankfully the lantern posts would keep them away, after all it's no use sneaking up to somebody when there's light around."

Everyone marched up the stairs, where over a dozen red torii gates— the frontmost of them guarded by two single-tailed kitsune statues, suspended over them like giant birds. There were still groves of bamboo stalks at both sides of the path, outside the torii.

In the vast clearing above the hill and at the other side of the torii tunnel and stairway was a well-spaced Shizukato shrine. It was an indoor one, compared to the open altar of Tachibana Shrine, and its pillars which were holding the structure up were made of bamboo wood painted scarlet like the torii. But there was also a terrace where a decorative fountain was situated, with so many flowers lined up with their bunches of leaves, thankfully not all munched up by hairy caterpillars, aphids, or beetles.

In the distance to the northeast of the shrine was a path leading up a hill much smaller than the one Omori Palace sat upon, which led to another estate owned by nobility: Tamaki Manor. It was a tad more dull than the estates belonging to the Omori and Tachibana clans in terms of colour, having a beige, maroon, mauve, and flaxen palette, and the house of Tamaki's own crest at the front: a sweet osmanthus cluster with two leaves on each side. One side of the manor was covered by white speckled ivy. Unlike the shrine owned by the Tachibana clan, Tamaki's had a different name, taking on the name of the bamboo grove which surrounds the manor and itself.

"One of Ava's friends, maybe even distant cousins, lives here. This is the residence of the Tamaki noble house. Their daimyos had control over the Takemori Grove, west of Onmyou-Kyou. I haven't been here too often myself," said Amaterasu, lifting her snout up.

"Remember what you need to do when you enter a shrine," Lilie reminded. "Even Onmyou's Kami should be respected."

I forgot to do that when we reached Tachibana, Malorie thought, swaying in quiet guilt. I should've been reminded by Sanae or Himiko.