Grimm Tales: Rise of the Yokai

Chapter 20 The Storm God

I could feel the warmth of the sun shining down on me. The sand was warm and soft beneath my back. The cries of seagulls drifted on the breeze. The edge of the surf was lapping at my bare feet.

"Alright, kid, nap time's over. Time to wake up."

I started to wonder where my shoes had gone, but the thought faded as quickly as it came. I was too relaxed to care what had happened to my shoes. It's not like I planned on going anywhere. Everything was just too nice.

"Kid? Kid! Enough laying around already. Get up!"

I turned my head away from the voice. Maybe if I ignored him, he'd get the message and go away.

The voice let out a heavy sigh. "Alright. You brought this on yourself."

The surf receded and came back with a vengeance. A wave of shockingly cool sea water washed over me. Coughing and sputtering, I bolted upright, while someone laughed at the sight of me trying to get the saltwater out of my mouth and nose.

When I finally managed to stop coughing, I took a look around. I couldn't believe what I saw. I was back in Crystal City! But I was just in Hatteras. How could I have gotten back so fast?

The more I looked around, the more I started to notice that everything was just a bit ... off. The buildings looked like they'd been freshly painted, the streets and sidewalks repaved and scrubbed clean. The trashcans along the boardwalk stood empty, and there wasn't a single seagull picking at scraps.

Everything was too bright, too clean. It all just looked ... empty. Fake.

"Well, you're right about that."

There was that voice again. I turned around and came face to face with its owner.

The man stood a few inches taller than me. His long black hair had been tied back in a loose knot, held in place with an ornate comb. Both the man's hair and his tanned face had the unmistakable look of someone who spent a lot of time around the water.

A plain white shirt was stretched tight across his chest, highlighting his muscles. The legs of his dark pants stopped just above his ankles, and were much looser, fluttering gently in the wind.

He was wearing some kind of loose robe over his shirt. The sleeves were so long and flowing I could barely see his hands. I'd seen pictures of people in Japan wearing them. I think it's called a haori. It was the dark blue of the deep ocean. It fell down almost to his knees, the edge embroidered with a pattern of rolling waves.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Really?" he said. "I'd have thought you'd have worked that one out by now."

I could feel the same aura of power radiating off of him that I'd felt from Amaterasu. Which meant this guy was definitely a god. There was something familiar about him, even though I was sure I'd never met him before.

I thought about it for a minute, the gears in my head turning painfully slowly, until it finally clicked. Thinking about it afterwards, it was so obvious. There was only one god he could be. The only one that would make any sense.

"You're Susanoo," I said.

"Got it in one. Not bad, kid," he said with a grin. "I'm Susanoo, god of storms and seas. Nice to finally meet you."

I didn't really know what to say. Susanoo was the third god I'd meet in less than a week. My face must have given away how confused I was, because when Susanoo looked at me, he just started laughing again.

"Hey, now, get it together. After everything you've been through in the last few days, you're not really gonna let this throw you, are ya?"

I think it was the way Susanoo was talking that managed to snap me out of my daze.