Hanabi

Chapter 16: Past

INFO (it'll be rather long this time, sorry):

Inari – Japanese god (kami) of agriculture also related to foxes, rice and fertility among other things. One of the most famous and worshipped kami in the country. The Inari shrines are always marked by a vermilion color and white kitsune statues guarding the entrance or the altar.

Tengu (and Daitengu) – they are sometimes considered youkai and other times considered kami. Tengu are like a mixture of human and bird, and they used to be related to huge disasters and war, though now they are seen as spirits who protects mountains and forests. The lower tengu are usually depicted more bird-like and called karasu-tengu, and the most enlightened and wise tengu are more like humans and called daitengu, being portrayed wearing the usual vests of the yamabushi. The most important characteristic of the tengu is the really long nose/beak. I think the tengu image (with the nose and all) is really troublesome, then I’ll do my own thing in the story again so I don’t have to describe those disturbing phallic-like noses (yeah, I really don’t like that, sue me). Don’t worry though, I won’t destroy their traditional imagery (like some western movies that I won’t talk about like to do).

Myogibou – one of the daitengu portrayed in legends. There are other seven daitengu that are stronger/more enlightened than him, so he’s not the most badass one (but there are several others weaker than him too).

Torii – the traditional Japanese gates that usually mark the entrance of a shrine.

Yamabushi – ascetics of the mountains, they practice an art/religion called Shugendou and live as one with nature. For some reason, the tengu are associated with their image.

Suzukake and hakama – the large vests of the yamabushi, consisting of a jacket and a divided skirt that are usually white or ochre-orange. They would look like samurai with only this basic vest, but there’s more to it.

Yui-gesa – a Buddhist toga with 6 pompoms to symbolize virtues. It’s a big symbol of the Shugendou and an important part of the yamabushi image.

Tokin – a small black cap that the yamabushi wear on their foreheads, it’s supposed to resemble a lotus and protect their heads while they walk in the middle of trees. They also use it as a cup.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haruna huffed, dropping her phone by her side on the bed. She hated when she finished a conversation with the impression that something was wrong or missing.
 
Tomomi wasn’t someone who would normally lie, Haruna could see right through her in the rare occasions she tried that. Now it seemed like she could notice it over the phone as well. Haruna was absolutely sure that something happened, and that there was some kind of exchange between Tomomi and Mami in that time when the brunette was silent during their phone call. Tomomi did say that Mami was there listening to their conversation.
 
Her thoughts ran immediately to the worst place possible: the Oni. She really hoped she was wrong. But in the case of that being true, then what the hell were those two doing and where were they for that to happen? Shouldn’t they be quiet and safe in Mami’s house? Tomomi said they went to the supermarket, but Haruna knew there was one very close to there. They wouldn’t be out long enough and around enough people for something to happen.
 
But if something really happened with the Oni, Tomomi would surely be freaking out, and she didn’t sound freaked out on the phone. Maybe Haruna was overthinking things.
 
Whatever that was, she had to trust Tomomi to deal with it. She had to think about her own current problems with the task of solving Mami’s problem.
 
Rina was taking a long time to do whatever she was doing, and that didn’t please Haruna. She moved and leaned her back against the bedframe, looking around the room and glancing over at the other bed on the opposite side. Rina’s belt with her knife was over the nightstand, so she couldn’t be out getting herself in trouble. Or maybe she could, Haruna didn’t know what to expect anymore.
 
The fact that Rina was a white kitsune took her completely by surprise. That was a rare type, they were shrine guards and stayed in their positions at all times, never getting themselves in the schemes that other kitsune did.
 
Haruna had no idea of what was going on anymore. If Rina was a white kitsune, she should be guarding some Inari shrine and not travelling around like other kitsune, like a nomad.
 
Another thought just crossed her mind as well. If Rina was so bothered by the way Haruna treated her, then why didn’t she just say she was a guard? Haruna would still have multiple reservations and suspicions, but she wouldn’t be expecting Rina to do something tremendously wrong every single minute she had to spend with her. That would mean a lot less stress for Haruna, and considering how stressful being around a kitsune was to her, that might have made things a bit easier.
 
All of that and being friends with a troublesome nekomata. Haruna simply couldn’t understand Rina.
 
Just then, Rina barged into the room and slammed the door behind her, and Haruna raised her eyebrows.
 
- What the hell was that?
 
- Tomoko drives me insane. She’s worse than you, and that’s saying a lot.
 
- What were you doing with that fur ball?
 
- Trying to have a normal conversation, what else? She has to go with us to Ueno, after all.
 
Rina walked to her bed, throwing herself there on her back and letting out a big huff. Haruna didn’t see her doing that often.
 
She was starting to get really nervous and mad about all of that, it seemed like Rina had no intention of telling her about Ueno voluntarily. She didn’t say a word the whole way from Tomoko’s building to the hotel and before going to sleep, and again not a single word before heading out that morning.
 
After being attacked by a crazy giant cat because of Rina’s brilliant ideas, Haruna expected a different attitude from her.
 
- Look. - she started, rubbing the back of her neck and trying to keep her voice normal and free of anger - If you don’t tell me where exactly we’re going, who we’re going to see, and why, I won’t go anywhere.
 
- Tomoko’s going with me anyway. If you want to go back to Kyoto, be my guest.
 
- Are you high? - Haruna lost control over her tone, and the kitsune eyed her from the opposite bed - You could’ve gotten me killed last night, you owe me an explanation!
 
- I know! - Rina burst out, moving her hands to hide her face - For the millionth time, I’m sorry about that! I wasn’t expecting Tomoko to do that, she wasn’t so crazy and sudden before!
 
- Why are you so stressed out, Rina? That’s what I do, not what you do.
 
Rina sat up and turned to her with a tired expression, looking like she was about to say something, but then her actions came to an abrupt stop. She started to look at Haruna as if she was seeing and alien. The shorter girl was about to yell at her when she decided to speak.
 
- Did you just call me “Rina”? Not “Suzuki”?
 
Haruna would retort, but she forgot what she was going to say. For a very long moment she just sat there, mute and frozen.
 
That is, until she saw Rina smiling.
 
- What’s wrong with that? I said I call you whatever the hell I want. - Haruna crossed her arms in front of her chest, and saw Rina sighing. But the smile didn’t die.
 
- Ok, Haruna-san. Ask all your questions.
 
- Who’s this guy that we’re supposed to meet?
 
Rina let out another long sigh, and now she looked distressed.
 
- He’s not a “guy”. He’s Myogibou. - she said in a low and dreadful tone.
 
- Myogibou? - Haruna repeated, confused at first, but then the name rang a bell. She knew who that was. Lots of people knew who that was, there were stories and paintings. - You mean, Myogibou the tengu from Mt. Ueno?
 
- The daitengu from Mt. Ueno. - Rina corrected, and watched as Haruna’s expressions turned to complete disbelief - It never crossed my mind to ask any tengu and even less a daitengu for help, mostly because the chances of getting them to listen to you are so minimal that it’s easier to see a real Godzilla rising in the middle of Tokyo. They want humans and their problems to explode and go to hell.
 
- Wait a moment. - Haruna closed her eyes and sighed, not quite believing what Rina was telling her - There was that conversation last night. Are you saying that f*ckin’ Myogibou wants you dead?! Why are you still walking around?!
 
- Because I never set foot in Ueno ever again. He said he’d kill me if I did.
 
- What the hell did you do to get a goddamned daitengu wanting your head?!
 
- It’s a long story, ok? I was young and I did many stupid things.
 
- Like what?
 
- Forget it, you wouldn’t understand.
 
- Rina, you’re not escaping this one. Tell me what the hell you’ve done.
 
- Maybe, when you tell me why on earth you hate kitsune so much. - Rina retorted in a slightly angry tone. She didn’t want to react that way, but Haruna was asking questions that she didn’t want to answer. - I know there’s a specific reason, so try me first and tell me what happened in your past.
 
- Go to hell.
 
Haruna got up from the bed and stormed out of the room, and Rina let out a loud frustrated groan before throwing herself back on her own bed.
 
Rina didn’t want to think about anything anymore, but her mind didn’t leave her alone. Of course she could understand Haruna wanting to know those things after what happened the night before, but that was completely out of the list of things that she wanted Haruna to know about. That could only make things even worse between them.
 
She also didn’t know why she cared about how bad their interactions were. Haruna always made it perfectly clear that she didn’t want to be her friend.

Tomoko had to open that big stupid mouth of hers and say that she was emotionally attached to Haruna. Now Rina didn’t know what the truth was anymore, because if she wasn’t before, now she was looking for signs that indicated that she was indeed attached to that girl, all because of that damned nekomata.
 
Why were she friends with Tomoko, again?
 
That cat always liked to remind her of her mistakes and her flaws, that’s why she took so long to go looking for her again. Having Tomoko around was good and horrible at the same time.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
It was hard to believe, but Haruna was driving again in silence. She was hating that situation so much that she wouldn’t be able to find enough words to describe it, but there she was, completely quiet.
 
That was because she knew, if she opened her mouth she wouldn’t stop anymore.
 
It was night and they were entering Ueno already, all three of them. Haruna wanted to growl because of that, but a grumpy Tomoko was on the backseat with her legs and arms crossed, tapping her fingers on her own arm impatiently. Rina had taken almost the entire day convincing Haruna to let Tomoko get inside of her truck, and then convincing Tomoko to actually do that.
 
The two of them weren’t speaking to each other. Haruna only heard a small “filthy human” mumble coming from the nekomata once, but Rina turned back to her and shot her a death-glare before Haruna could even think of reacting.
 
Tomoko bothered the short girl more than Rina did. Way more. At least Rina worked based on some logic, but Tomoko on the other hand seemed like she was two entirely different people at the same time. One moment she was acting all sweet towards Rina and speaking with that cute girly voice, and in the next she was spitting harsh words to everyone and making obscene gestures to Haruna over the rear-view mirror.
 
Haruna honestly thought that her and an angry Mami combined wouldn’t beat that woman’s temper.
 
On top of all of that, Haruna was also uncomfortable with the fact that she was giving a ride to someone who tried to kill her the night before.
 
- You know… - Tomoko spoke suddenly in her deep and harsh voice, and the other two on the front seats were a bit startled - I have no idea of how this midget can drive a big truck like this, I’m not feeling safe.
 
- A bit late for that… - Rina began, but Haruna spoke louder.
 
- Who the hell are you calling a midget?
 
- You. - Tomoko grinned, Haruna could see that from the mirror - How do you touch your feet on the pedals?
 
- I’ll touch my feet on places you really won’t like if you don’t shut up, fur ball.
 
- I can’t deal with the two of you doing this. - Rina said half to them and half to herself, out loud, and leaned her head on the window - All you have to do is to stay quiet until we reach the park, that’s not asking too much…
 
Haruna wanted to retort, but she forced herself to keep quiet. Rina was acting different since that morning, she seemed distant and worried. That was understandable since they were going to look for a daitengu who wanted to kill her, but for some reason Haruna had the feeling that something else was bothering her too. She could see the distress in the kitsune’s eyes, it wasn’t simply fear.
 
When she finally saw one of the entrances to the huge Ueno Park at some distance, Haruna pulled over.
 
- Tell me again why you think Myogibou knows about the katana. - Rina said before anyone could move.
 
- You know very well why. - Tomoko started, sounding bored - He’s a guardian of many relics, as I’m absolutely sure you remember. If someone knows about this thing, it’s him. I’m sure the tengu fought the Oni many times in the past too.
 
- They’re just too selfish to help weaker beings do the same thing. - Rina mumbled, and Tomoko snorted.
 
- I agree with them.
 
- Please, Tomoko, that’s only because you have an irrational problem with humans. You should stop, it’s not like they’re still invading mountains with big torches and katana to kill nekomata. It’s not like they still kill their own cats when they get old, so they don’t turn into nekomata.
 
- Yeah, took them long enough to stop though. - Tomoko’s tone was really dark now, and Haruna eyed her carefully - Humans are scared little cockroaches who think they have the right to destroy everything they don’t understand. All the curses that are thrown over them are well-deserved, including the Oni that haunt these people able to read minds.
 
- Shut up. - Haruna couldn’t take that anymore, she turned around and faced the nekomata - If you think a that girl who you don’t even know deserves something horrible like this because a bunch of idiotic people not even remotely related to her used to kill cats a few centuries ago, you’re worse than us.
 
Tomoko just scoffed and moved towards the door.
 
- I’ll check if he’s here in the park and if things are safe, you two wait for me here. - she said in that same bored tone and jumped out of the truck, closing the door with a little more force than Haruna would be happy with.
 
When she faced Rina, she noticed the kitsune was observing her with curiosity. She knew why. She knew she was being a huge hypocrite by saying those things to Tomoko when she acted in that exact same way with Rina.
 
Silence fell upon them, none of the girls wanted to be the first one to speak. But one of them would have to.
 
Haruna let out a long sigh and placed her right foot over the panel, running her hands through her hair in a nervous gesture.
 
- Rina, what does she owe you? - she asked quietly after a while, and felt Rina’s stare on her. - What did you do for her that makes her feel obligated to help now?
 
Rina chuckled, and Haruna glanced at her. She looked a bit depressed now.
 
- I helped her because I wanted to, she never asked me anything specific. She only asked me for advice. - Rina spoke calmly - Despite what you might think of me, I’m not that kind of person. I never planned on asking for anything in return, but she left me no other choice last night.


- Isn’t she older than you? - Haruna asked - Why would she ask your advice?
 
- Yeah, I’m half her age. But she’s very impulsive, I think you noticed that. She did something terrible, and she came to me because she didn’t know if there was any way to fix it.
 
- What did she do?
 
Rina sighed, looking through the window.
 
- The nekomata have a fairly organized society. They’re not just savage beasts like humans think. They’re savage beasts with a sense of loyalty and organization. - the kitsune leaned her head against the glass again - They have laws. They are forbidden of invading other nekomata’s territory, they’re forbidden of disrespecting their elders, and they’re forbidden of killing each other. One day, another nekomata invaded Tomoko’s territory.
 
Haruna thought she knew where that was going, but she just listened in silence.
 
- You probably noticed she has a personality disorder and a few other issues. She was really out of control that day, and she brutally attacked that other nekomata, until she killed him. He had no idea of who he was messing with. I think he didn’t even realize what hit him.
 
- What happened then?
 
- Well, the punishment for killing another nekomata is death. Humans exterminated a good number of them in the past, I think they have such strict laws to prevent their population from dropping so much again. That is to discourage this kind of behavior, and it works. Incidents like this one are very rare.
 
- Why is she still alive, then?
 
- Because she came to me, asking if I could give her an idea of how to defend herself in front of the elders. They do give a chance for the killers to explain themselves, but it normally doesn’t change anything. The thing is, Tomoko wasn’t in her right frame of mind when she did that. She wanted my help to explain that, because the nekomata think mental disorders are human weaknesses.
 
- Oh, so that’s how it went?
 
- Not exactly. - Rina opened a bitter smile - They didn’t believe her, and they wouldn’t believe me. They share with humans a similar view of kitsune. I knew they would only believe something that I said, if it was compatible with those beliefs.
 
Now Haruna was a bit scared of hearing the rest. She was hoping for a fairly straight forward story of how Rina did Tomoko a big favor one day and now Tomoko wanted to kill that debt. But it turned out way more complicated than she was expecting.
 
- I realized they were going to kill Tomoko, so I had to think fast and… I said it was all my fault.
 
Rina sighed again, and Haruna frowned at her.
 
- What do you mean “your fault”?
 
- I said I was there when that other nekomata entered Tomoko’s lands. I said she was mad, but she was just going to give him a lesson for him not to come back. I said I was the one who convinced her to kill him, because he deserved it.
 
- What? - Haruna sounded really loud now, she was absolutely shocked - Why would you do that? Why would they believe something like that?
 
- I did it because I didn’t want to lose a friend. They believed my lie because it was compatible with the dark and manipulative nature they think kitsune have. I took advantage of their distorted ideas, and it worked. They blamed it on me and didn’t kill Tomoko. They thought I put some spell on her.
 
Now Haruna was beginning to understand the size of that debt. Tomoko owed Rina her life and dignity.
 
- She had to be punished one way or another though. - Rina continued, and Haruna kept listening - But she was only banished instead of executed. And of course I was banished with her, since they couldn’t really kill me without making someone angry. I used to be a shrine guard after all. So that’s what happened, Ueno isn’t the only place where I’m not supposed to set foot in.
 
- Grandma was right about you. - Haruna mumbled, and Rina looked at her with eyebrows raised - You’re prone to get in trouble.
 
- You really don’t know how much. - the kitsune laughed heartily, seeming a little less distressed now - I think the longer you live, the more chances you’re given to get into very complicated situations. Humans normally don’t have enough time in their lives to get into the kind of trouble that youkai get into.
 
- That’s so not true for me and Tomo. Or Mami.
 
- Well, I was speaking of regular humans.
 
- Speaking of that, I have to tell you something, Rina.
 
- What?
 
- I think something happened to them. - Haruna spoke in a very serious tone, now facing the taller girl - Tomo and Mami.
 
- Something like what? - Rina’s tone was very wary.
 
- I don’t know. Tomo called me this morning, and when I asked if everything was fine with them, she took ages to answer. And when she did, she sounded weird.
 
- What are you saying?
 
- I think something bad happened and she lied about it so we wouldn’t worry. I think Mami told her to lie.
 
Rina closed her eyes and let her head drop.
 
- If that’s the case, it doesn’t surprise me. That does sound a lot like Mami-san.
 
- We need to find something soon.


- I know that.
 
- Hey you two wimps get out of this truck and let’s go. - they heard Tomoko’s voice. She was right outside with her arms crossed. - And human, I wouldn’t bring any funny tools if I were you. Myogibou can rip your head off before you think of doing something.
 
- Yeah, yeah. - Haruna jumped out of the truck, rolling her eyes. Her dagger was still inside of her black jacket nonetheless.
 
As the three of them crossed the street and walked silently through the night towards the big mass of sakura trees ahead, Haruna couldn’t help feeling a bit odd. Tomoko kept speaking to Rina, but the shorter girl a little behind them wasn’t listening to their conversation. She looked at Tomoko’s back, and she could only think of what Rina had just told her.
 
She had put her life on the line because of Tomoko, and got banished from some place because of her. Rina deliberately took the blame for Tomoko’s actions, and that nekomata didn’t even seem to be such a great friend. At least not to Haruna, not after attacking them the night before.
 
But she did have personality issues after all. Rina confirmed that.


Haruna just didn’t understand why Rina cared so much about problematic people. First Mami and the others that Rina told her about, and now this nekomata. Maybe Rina had some kind of superhero syndrome.
 
The park was virtually empty by that time, they only saw a few people walking towards the exits as they went in, following the asphalt and stepping on the thousands of pink petals on the ground. Haruna didn’t have the same wary feeling that she got the night before while entering Tomoko’s house, but she wasn’t calm either.
 
They were going to meet a daitengu. That could go really well or really badly, and considering the fact that Rina was banished from the city by that same daitengu, Haruna thought it was probably going to turn out the wrong way.
 
Soon the two girls in front of her were taking a path in the middle of all those trees, probably a shortcut. She followed, listening to the sounds her feet made when stepping on the grass and leaves, looking around under the lights of the park that they were now leaving behind as they strayed from the regular path.
 
After a while, Rina let Tomoko lead the way and stayed behind a little, until she was walking side by side with Haruna. The shorter brunette looked up at her, and she tried to smile. She failed. Haruna could see how nervous she was, her expressions were twisted in a frown.
 
In that moment she felt something that she had only felt around Tomomi before. She felt like she wanted to reassure Rina in some way. But she pushed that feeling away as fast as she could, like she would so frequently do with Tomomi. That wasn’t the right time to start having friendly tendencies towards Rina.
 
It took a while for Haruna to notice that they were approaching a shrine, but she couldn’t miss the big vermilion torii far ahead. She knew there was an Inari shrine in Ueno Park, and that seemed to be it. When they finally approached it, she was sure of it.
 
The intense vermilion color and the duo of big white fox statues flanking the long entrance were the proof that this place was an Inari shrine. Haruna looked over at Rina, and the kitsune seemed to be a little pale.
 
She was starting to think that she just found out where Rina was from.
 
The white kitsune were guardians of Inari shrines, they were protected by this god and worked as messengers as well as guards. If Rina was banished from Ueno and seemed like she wouldn’t talk about it to save her own life, maybe it was because the event was rather traumatic. If that was her home and she got kicked out, Haruna could understand that attitude.
 
Haruna thought they were entering the shrine, but Tomoko just walked past the huge torii and the statues. However, it didn’t take long for them to stop.
 
The nekomata stopped walking suddenly, still close to the shrine entrance hidden by trees, and when Haruna found out why she stopped, her breath got caught up in her throat.
 
There, standing next to a big tree, was a tall figure dressed like a yamabushi. Large white colored suzukake and hakama, white leggings and mittens, white yui-gesa decorated with 6 big pompoms, a small black tokin over the forehead and a distinct long rosary of 108 beads around his neck. As expected that entity looked exactly like a yamabushi, but it wasn’t one. Not with that blood-red mask that had small fissures for the eyes and an absurdly long bird beak.
 
That mask was as red as the skin color visible on his hands, and he had pure white hair.
 
Haruna was paralyzed. In two nights, that was the second time she found herself in the presence of a certain being for the first time in her life.
 
She had seen tengu before, but never a daitengu.
 
- I ordered you to never touch your feet on this grass again.
 
His voice made Haruna tense up her whole body. It was strong, but calm, and yet it had a certain danger that was left lingering after he finished his sentence.
 
- I brought her here, Myogibou-sama. - Tomoko spoke in such a respectful way that Haruna’s head jolted to the side so she could see her. - As you know, I owe her my life, and I promised to bring her here as a payment.
 
- Can I assume that you’d like to die as well then, Tomoko?
 
A tense moment of silence followed that phrase, and then Haruna felt his stare on her. It was impossible to see his face, be she could just feel it.
 
- It strikes me with some concern and interest, the fact that you two are here in the company of a human. Stray-fox Rina I can understand, but not the savage Kawase Tomoko.
 
- Myogibou-sama… - Rina started, but he cut her sentence short.
 
- You have five minutes to present me a good enough reason for being here or to vanish from this park. Otherwise, I’ll kill you like I promised I would. Starting now.
 
Haruna heard when Rina gasped, even if the kitsune tried to keep her control. She looked at her. Rina was shaking. She never thought of seeing a kitsune react that way to anything.
 
As Rina’s apparent inability to talk continued, Haruna hit her with a light punch on the shoulder, making her look back at her with wide eyes. If Rina didn’t start to talk with that, then Haruna would.
 
But in the end she didn’t have to.
 
- There’s something terrible happening again. - she finally started, and it was visible how much her hands were shaking - I think we have a chance to solve the problem, but your help is needed.

- What kind of help?
 
Rina gulped and closed her eyes for a second, forcing herself to calm down a little.

- Information.
 
 







-continue-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wonder who noticed that in the phone call in the previous chapter, Haruna referred to Rina using her given name instead of ~Suzuki~ (=ↀωↀ=)✧

I won't say much right now, since a lot of things will happen from now on. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! :3