Thick and Thin

A long, long time ago, during the Heian period of Japan, there lived a young boy. Now, this was a very special boy for he could see spiritual beings called youkai; he was even friends with them. One day, while he was playing with his friends Itsuki the Inugami, a dog demon with a pure white coat, Kouta the Kappa, an ugly demon that slightly resembled a turtle, and Tomoko the Karasu Tengu, a demon that took the shape of a young girl that had a beak instead of a mouth, he found himself face to face with his worst enemies, two boys with jeering faces.

"Hey, Ren, you're still playing with those stupid imaginary friends of yours?" one of them, a boy with a stout body and a small, puggy nose leered. His name was Takeshi and he and his lanky friend, Hajime, often teased Ren for playing with his youkai friends because no one else but him could see them and they thought he was just making stories up.

"They're not imaginary! They're really here!" the young boy, Ren, weakly exclaimed for even he was doubting his sanity with everyone in the village staring at him oddly and his father constantly berating him. He didn't know what or who to believe in more. His usually steely grey eyes started to water and his friends started to look at him worriedly.

"Don't let them get to you! You're not crazy, just special enough to be able to see us," Tomoko said, Kouta and Itsuki nodding in affirmation behind her. In a way, Ren had saved them all. After hundreds of years of being chased down by angry villagers and being looked at with openly hostile eyes, the warmth and acceptance Ren gave them was like the light at the end of a seemingly endless tunnel.

Just as the taller of the two boys was about to open his mouth to speak, a voice rang out, clear and melodic. "Leave him alone you bullies!" The owner of the voice, a young girl identical to the boy, stepped in between them, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. "If he says they're real then they are!" she said defiantly but her eyes betrayed her real emotions. They showed concern for her brother and disbelief. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by the young boy but the other two were oblivious. They eyed each other, decided it wasn't worth it, and ran.

"I didn't need your help, Ran," Ren softly spoke. He didn't like being protected by his younger twin because he knew that she believed him as much as their father did and that she thought protecting him was an obligation. He stood up from the dew–filled grass and looked to his friends with a sad look in his eyes which was mirrored by them. 'Maybe… maybe it's time for me to grow up. Maybe they are just figments of my imagination. I should just do as my father says and forget about them.'

"You did. If you came home with bruises after getting into a tussle with those two then father would be very angry at both of us." She shivered at the thought of their father's wrathful face before walking back towards their little cottage in the outskirts of town. With one last forlorn look at his friends, the young boy lifelessly followed the silhouette of his sister which was getting smaller by the second.

•••

Years passed and the young boy turned into a young man. Because of a certain pain filled event when he was ten, Ren had not experienced puberty so he grew up to be a very effeminate man that turned heads all over the village. They all knew he was a boy because of his slightly frayed and battered yukata–the lily pattern of which had faded in some places over time–and the fact that his long and luscious black hair was kept in a high ponytail with a piece of light blue string. Those bright grey eyes of his had somehow dulled and the once toothy grin he sported was now replaced with a mouth stretched into a thin line. After trying not to believe in youkai anymore, he saw them fade over the years along with his happiness.

"Ren! Ren! Come here," his father called from the other room and the young man diligently followed. "As you know, your sister has been ill for the past few months. She has been requested to be one of the emperor's concubines." His father paused, looking at the frail and weak girl lying down on the futon. Her black hair had lost its former shine but her grey eyes still had a spark in them. When one of the ministers went to their humble village and was captivated by her beauty, he thought it would please the emperor to add another to his collection of dazzling women. "Right now, it doesn't seem possible for her to go but refusing is something we cannot do." His father turned to him. "You will take Ran's place and masquerade as a woman to be one of the emperor's concubines. After Ran has healed, we will find a way to switch the both of you. The palanquin will be arriving in a week's time. Be prepared."