Ayakashi Monogatari

Chapter Four: Kiss Me, Kill Me

Chapter Four: Kiss Me, Kill Me

After the stunning conclusion to my very first mission as an Onmyoji in training, I hoped my father would acknowledge my accomplishment. I expected him to tell me how proud he was and everything, but instead, all I got was a cold, "You did very well." I should have expected as much. He'd been absent from my life for the past six years. I wasn't the same little girl he once knew when he left. I didn't think he even saw me as the same person anymore.

Obviously he must have cared, right? Why else would he have come for me and went through all the trouble to make me an Onmyoji? When I spoke to him during my training, he sounded sincere and genuine for the first time ever. He must have still cared about me as his daughter, even after so many years. I kept telling myself that, but I just couldn't make myself believe it.

After all, I was still struggling to swallow the fact that my own father was an Ayakashi, and I wasn't even fully human. My floppy white rabbit ears constantly pestered me, as they jutted up from my head even when I wasn't transformed. I'd have to go back to the human world looking like this too. Although I already knew my animalistic features couldn't be seen by any human without the Sight, what if I came across someone who did? They'd think I was some kind of freak, or monster. And what about my curse? My hourglass was draining away by the second, and we were still no closer to finding a cure or coming anywhere near Asura. But I knew he was there. I heard his voice in my head. I knew he'd come for me again, and that knowledge horrified me more than anything else.

Those heavy thoughts weighed on me as I sat in the Tea Room, picking at the hem of my skirt. The Tea Room was pretty much a break room for exorcists, where they gathered to brag about their fantastical exploits, eat cookies, and of course- drink tea. My ears fell to the sides of my head as I sheepishly sipped my tea. Celestia Crandoll tapped my shoulder. "Are you okay, Minami? You don't look well."

I scoffed. "What, besides my mother being dead, me being cursed for death, and my father not giving a damn about me? If it's not about that, then I guess I'm doing pretty good."

"I am sorry for your loss," Celestia said. "I understand you are going through a lot. It may be unfair for so much to be heaped upon one girl, but that is simply the way of the world."

I sighed. "I guess so. I just don't understand what I did to deserve all this. And my dad...it's like he doesn't even care. Even after we had that talk...he still seems so distant. He acts like a damn robot, and it pisses me off. He doesn't even try to understand me."

I shivered a little as Luca pulled me into the grip of his huge, muscular arms. He was my Inugami, he was obviously trying to comfort me, but it was about as reassuring as being comforted by a grizzly bear. "You shouldn't hate Lord Seimei," he said. "He may seem cold, but he really does care about you. Before you arrived at the shrine, he would talk about you all the time. You were his little princess."

I snorted. "Obviously not anymore. I never remembered Dad being like that. He was a quiet type, but he was always there, and he was a good father before he up and left to take over this place. It's like he's a totally different person now."

"You must understand, Lord Seimei is a Moon Rabbit," Celestia explained. "He is an Ayakashi. He has lived far longer than any human. Moon Rabbits live in an eternal and unchanging state of mind. While the world around them may change, their outlook on life remains the same. Ayakashi in general have a strong sense of apathy and do not understand concepts like love and loyalty the way humans do. Lord Seimei's distance from you for so many years has only widened that rift."

As I continued to sip my tea and sulk, I heard the rattling noise of dragging chains. I looked toward the entryway. A cabal of Onmyoji escorted a pale, black-cloaked man bound in chains down the hallway. His narrowed eyes were currant-red, and his shoulder-length hair was as white as snow. He turned his head, taking a quick glance at me before looking away. I froze up. He stared right at me. Karen Mitsugi bounded over the pillows and flopped down on her stomach to get a better look. "Oooh, look at that! It's a Satori! Haven't seen one of them in forever!"