Akayama no Hanabira [EN]

Chapter 2 - Yōkais don't exist

They used to play in the woods inside the village, running through the houses and streets, swimming in the creek and climbing trees to see who could go higher. With no opponents to match, Yusuke was always the winner whereas Tetsurō would give him moral support with his feet firmly on the ground. "Pampered boy", thought the other children, annoyed, because the Seki heir couldn't have a single callus on his hands and risk scratching his immaculate skin. Back then, Yusuke would defend him; now, he agrees on how he was a spoiled little prick who wouldn't survive a day outside his palace walls.

But any fear of climbing trees that Tetsurō had vanished when it was just him and Yusuke, investigating the not-so-unexplored corners of the woods. While one played the brave man with twigs for swords, the other followed slowly, always behind, pausing every minute to pay attention to the local flora or rest his delicate feet. Even though nowadays, as an adult, Yusuke is the portrait of impatience, back then he would let the other take as long as he wanted, with no sulking or yelling at him.

During one of these adventures, the two went up a stone staircase they had found. They passed through four hundred and seventy-one red portals in a row, one after the other, for two hours along the route by the foot of Akayama Mountain—it would have been quicker if Tetsurō hadn't been so slow, his feet bleeding from each little thing he stepped on. Two exhausted children, fueled by such a great curiosity to see what was beyond the fox statues up there. That was what moved each one's feet up to the last torii. Whispers of awe left their lips as they found what seemed to be an oasis amongst trees, grass and endless leaves. It was the shrine of Inari Ōkami, symbol of prosperity and protector of rice cultivation. For the boys, however, the place had become their newest hiding spot. From that moment, their secret meeting and games would take place there, ending the peace of the Goddess' monks.

What once was a peaceful temple was turned into a mess. They used to run, climbing up to the highest platforms and rummaging through sacred items. The monks feared that, even unintentionally, the vulgarization of such divine symbols could bring bad luck to the village. There were many times in which Tetsurō and Yusuke were punished with straw brooms and a thousand scoldings being poured upon them. When they realized it was no use, the servants of the Goddess tried a different method.

In a matter of days, they both learned how to pray, make offerings and meditate. And it only took a few little foxes who prowled around there to convince them to worship Inari appropriately.

No one knew what happened, but the foxes began to disappear until they were all gone. This puzzled the monks, who thought it was a bad omen. The presence of those children must have been irritating the Goddess!

Still, Yusuke and Tetsurō didn't stop praying, let alone playing. They loved to imitate the choreography of the sacred Kagura dance performed at festivals, and unsuccessfully tried to present it on the temple stage. When caught in the act by the monks, it was always the same: they promised to stop, but as soon as they turned their backs on the boys, the kids laughed mischievously and went back to running until they got tired. Lying on the wooden staircase of the oratory, they talked to the Goddess for hours, looking at the sky.

"She likes the jokes," Yusuke said, seeing how Tetsurō shrugged after the scolding.

"You really think so? The monks say otherwise."

"They know nothing."

But that was a long time ago.

There didn't seem to be any more monks living at the temple, but someone was diligently taking care of each part of it; from the polished wood to the bright statues. Yet, everything was quiet and empty, as it had been since the last time he had visited, before leaving for war. So different from the old times...