by Carly Chase
“Mamoru, we came here to talk with you, and try to negotiate a form of peace. You attacked us, and you used Mariah in unspeakable ways, ways that she is going to have to live with for the rest of her life, as she tries to find a place for herself in this world you dragged her over to. Surely you can see now that it isn’t these yokai, who were living in secret, who were the problem? It wasn’t the kitsune, either, the people who have welcomed your sister and made her a treasured member of their family. It was your narrow-minded views and refusal to even consider that yokai might not be evil that caused all of this, every single thing that happened, from your sister being merged with a kitsune, to the invasions of your town, to Mariah killing those men. It’s all on your shoulders.”
She left those words to sink in a little, shaking slightly in her conviction.
“And now your choices are these – negotiate for peace with us, something which we still want, even after this disaster – or declare war on us. But you’ll be declaring war on yokai who have amplified powers thanks to my support, and you’ll be declaring war on your own sister.”
“And you certainly won’t have my help in that,” Mariah said, fiercely.
Mamoru didn’t look fit to say anything at all.
“Of course, we will negotiate for peace,” Reo said, walking to stand beside Mamoru, his words muffled by his bruised mouth.
Chapter 21
“So, it is agreed, then. You will not take any action against the tigers or the kitsune, or any of the other higher yokai in this region in retaliation for any events that have already taken place. In return, the yokai who have been granted the ability to pass through barriers using my magic will respect the boundaries of your town, and will not come here uninvited. The barrier, we all agree, should remain anyway, to keep your people safe from lower yokai who may look to steal food or cause other problems.”
They were in the clearing now, Kiba, Ikari and Akira standing behind Anya as she spoke, Reo sitting on a tree stump writing down the agreement on some paper from Anya’s bag, Mamoru, still ashen faced, standing beside him, and Mariah off to one side, watching but saying nothing. Yuki-Shiro still hadn’t revealed that she was there, and the humans – aside from Anya – hadn’t noticed the little white mouse next to Ikari’s feet.
“Kiba, can you check what Reo has written down and ensure you agree to it all? I can’t read the language here.”
Reo looked somewhat terrified as Kiba strode over to where he sat and took the paper from him. He’d only been touching distance from a higher yokai once before – less than an hour ago when Ryokan had pounced on him.
“Yes, this says everything that was discussed. Akira, can you agree to this too on behalf of the tiger clan?”
Akira hadn’t said anything yet, still in shock about the appearance of Mariah and the deaths of his two brothers-in-arms. He looked at the document Kiba was holding and nodded silently. He supposed he had the authority to make this agreement for his clan now, or what was left of it anyway. It was what they’d wanted after all, though not at this cost.
“So now can we discuss my sister, please?” Mamoru said, his voice hoarse.
“I don’t think there is much to discuss, there, priest. Yuki-Shiro and I are getting married, she will stay in the kitsune village with her family, and she will remain under our protection. If anything needs to go in this agreement about her, it should be that you promise never to try anything to destroy the kitsune side of her, and will leave her to live her life as she wants to, in peace,” Ikari said, arms folded across his chest.
“But… She’s still my sister. If I agree to this, and I will, does it mean I can never see her again?”
“Yes – ” Ikari started.
“No.”
Mamoru’s eyes widened as Yuki-Shiro dropped her illusion and appeared to the humans, where she was standing beside her fiance. Reo looked surprised too, but Anya noticed a definite happiness in his gaze at seeing his childhood friend, even if she looked rather different now.
“If you can accept me in this form, and you can live with the fact that I am different now, and that the part of me that is Yuki has just as much right to a good life as the part of me that is Shiro, then maybe we can still see each other sometimes.”
“Shiro, when did you get here?” was all the priest could say. He looked like he might faint.
“I’m Yuki-Shiro now. And I’ve been here the whole time. I have kitsune magic and I used it to hide from the humans here. So you wouldn’t try and destroy me like you did those tiger-men.”
“I’m so sorry, Shiro. I’m so sorry I did this to you!”
“This?” she said, looking down at her own body, “no, this I’m fine with. I like who I am now, I like this form, and I like my life with Ikari and my kitsune family. You should be sorry you drugged me, sorry you had this other-world woman kill people because of me, sorry you have shown nothing but hate towards half of me, and towards the people I care about.”
“You’re right, of course,” Mamoru said quietly, his voice trembling with remorse.
“Well then, do you and Reo want to come to my wedding?” Yuki-Shiro asked, suddenly full of her usual cheer, as if all had been forgiven.
“I’m not sure how I feel about that…” Ikari said.
“I – I think it might be a little early in the process of getting used to all of this,” Mamoru said, though whether that was what he truly thought or he was just scared by Ikari’s glare, nobody could say,
Yuki-Shiro shrugged.
“Your loss. I’m going to look fabulous, and there’s going to be great food, and dancing, sake…”
“Maybe… I could still go? You know, to represent the goodwill of the town,” Reo said, timidly.
Of course, I bet he’s curious to see the kitsune village too – he was probably bored growing up here just like Shiro, Anya thought.
“You’re OK with that, right, Ikki?”
“Eh, I guess,” he replied, as if he didn’t have strong feelings either way about the priest’s assistant.
“Yay! I’ll tell you how to get there later, and when it is. It’s going to be so much fun!”
“Reo, won’t that be a little hard for you, you know, given your fondness for Shiro?” Mamoru asked, trying and failing to be subtle.
“No, not in the least, I’m happy for her,” Reo said, sharing a knowing smile with Yuki-Shiro.
“If all of that is settled then, there is one last matter we need to discuss before we leave. What to do about her,” Kiba said, squinting at Mariah, who shrank back a little under his gaze.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve told them I want no part in any violence against yokai.”
“That may be the case, but having the presence of someone we have feared for generations back in our region is something that will naturally make all the yokai who know about it fear for their lives. You may not remember the things you did in your previous life, and perhaps that means you can change, perhaps that means that this time around, you will do good here. But those possibilities will not be enough to stop the people here who remember your old name despising and fearing you. It is as much for your own sake as for the yokai that I would suggest you go far, far away from here, start a new life where nobody knows who you are, and never return to this region.”
“What do you think?” Mariah asked, looking to Anya, “I will happily agree to leave and never come back – I don’t want to stay here with this man any more than the yokai want to have me around. But, surely there’s a reason why I’m here, why we’re both here? How can I find that? What if it is connected to you, and if I leave, we’ll never find out what it was?”
Anya paused, uncertain of her own mind. Kiba was right, she had heard firsthand the hatred that still existed for Mariah’s previous incarnation Hisa, and once word got out that she had killed Ryokan and Katsuo, panic was certain to ensue, especially among the insular tiger clan. Anya, Kiba and their friends had come here to try and arrange for peace, and
they’d been successful to that end, even if the peace they’d achieved still carried with it separation and mistrust on both sides. Having Mariah around, well, it would be nothing but a threat to that peace, and would also prevent progress towards any better situation where perhaps, humans and yokai might even begin to learn to cooperate. All of this was clear.
And yet, on a personal level, the idea of never again seeing the only other person from her own world she’d met here saddened her. She too was curious about what the link between the two of them was. Were they in some way connected in the old world, too? She didn’t recognize Mariah from anywhere, and from her accent could only tell that she was American, or at least had lived there – there was no strong indicator of region or city in the way she spoke. Was there any tie between them at all before, or were they only destined to meet here, in this place, at this time?
But Kiba spoke before she had a chance to reasonably decide what she thought.
“Anya’s magic and your magic oppose each other. If you never use yours, she will not need to be around to save people from it. She can protect and you can only destroy – ”
“Yokai. I can protect and she can destroy yokai. If you look at it another way, she can protect humans, and I can only empower yokai to harm them. I know what you are saying, Kiba – that the connection between us is one of opposites, where our powers can balance each other out, but let’s not pretend that the applications of my magic are only positive and hers are only negative, or, to put it more bluntly, that one of us is good and the other evil.”
“No, he’s right. So far my magic has not helped anyone, and has caused a lot of harm. I will vow never to use it again, and then, as he says, you won’t need to be wherever I am to protect yokai.”
Anya nodded sadly. Kiba was right, and Mariah seemed to want to accept exile as a punishment she deserved. It just made her feel a little more lonely, like she was losing something she hadn’t even realized she had wanted until it had appeared – a chance of friendship with someone who understood where she came from.
“If it helps, from what I have learned about destiny from the yokai, if your path in this world and mine are to be further intertwined, beyond just what has happened here today, then we will meet again. It seems like in this world at least, people can’t lose out on their destiny by making a choice, and they can’t run away from it either,” she said, as much to herself as to Mariah.
Yes, if it was supposed to happen, she would see her again. It could be comforting to think like the yokai at these times.
Mariah smiled weakly.
“Well, then. I guess I’ll get going. Just, well, which direction should I go in to get further away from your region?”
Kiba pointed to the town.
“Go through and out the other side, and just keep traveling with the mountains behind you. I don’t know what lies that way, but I’m sure you’ll find some other human towns along the road.”
His voice was impassive, but had lost the anger it had held when he’d spoken to her before.
She nodded, smiled sadly at Anya again, and then, without saying goodbye to Mamoru or Reo, she turned and walked away towards the town, not looking back. She left the magic staff – no doubt a gift from Mamoru – on the ground.
Chapter 22
Mamoru and Reo moved to leave the clearing, Mamoru’s face showing the dejection he was feeling.
“Reo, wait! I have to tell you how to get to the wedding!” Yuki-Shiro called.
Reo nodded and walked over to her, and Mamoru gave one last sad look to his sister before turning back to the town. Mariah was no longer in sight.
“Wait, you too, Mamoru. Look, just to let you know, the magic that lets other yokai pass through barriers, it doesn’t work on me. So, if you want to meet up sometime, you know, in the future, I won’t be able to come in. Maybe we could meet here, if you don’t want to come to my village.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Maybe send word to me through Reo. When you’re ready, I promise I’ll be here.”
There was an almost tearful look of gratitude on his face for the small olive branch from his beloved sister, as he left the scene.
Kiba unashamedly put his arm around Anya as they walked away, heading back to the kitsune village. He was proud of what she had done, even if he was still a little shellshocked at having seen Ryokan and Katsuo destroyed so easily, and meeting the reincarnation of Hisa. There was only Akira left of the strongest from his old clan, and Kiba didn’t care anymore if he knew that Anya was more to him than just an ally. Besides, it felt like Anya needed him. She was silent, but he knew it had been hard for her to see Mariah leave, and to lose the only connection she might have had with that strange, mysterious world his destined love had come from. He also knew that she would be OK, though, having seen plenty of examples of her strength and enthusiasm about the future, and so didn’t press her to talk. Just feeling the warmth of her skin through her kimono as they walked was enough.
“Kiba, what will become of our clan now?” asked Akira, who was walking beside them.
“Well, I’d assumed you would take over. Though I would still recommend what I said before about disbanding and setting out into the world.”
“But, without you, and now without Ryokan and Katsuo, what strength do we have? I was only the fourth strongest, and now I am all the rest of them have by way of warriors. Please, won’t you consider coming back? I see now how it is with you and Anya, but when I tell them what she did there, how she protected me and tried to protect Ryokan, the power of her magic, her bravery, how she negotiated fearlessly with the priest and persuaded the new Hisa to leave… I am sure they would not only welcome her to the clan but want her alongside you as our queen.”
“I can hear everything you’re saying, by the way, Akira. And it was actually Kiba that persuaded Mariah to leave… Though I think she would have gone anyway…” Anya said.
“Please, I meant no disrespect. We said some things to Kiba before, things that might have suggested we wouldn’t have welcomed you and your magic. But I am certain I can now get the whole of the tiger clan to acknowledge and respect you as I do,” Akira said, addressing her across Kiba’s chest as they walked on, Yuki-Shiro and Ikari trailing behind, lost in their own discussion.
“This was never on the table, Akira, though I am grateful that you have seen why Anya deserves the love of the clan. She is human, and cannot live happily in the mountain caves. She also clearly has some important role to play in this place, having been brought here and blessed with these powers. Ruling over some secretive yokai community would not be the best use of her abilities, I am sure you’ll agree. It has become clear to me that our destiny, mine and Anya’s, lies out in the world. We will stay with the kitsune while Ikari and Yuki-Shiro celebrate their marriage, and from there, who knows where we will go. We have some plans, such as finding someone who can teach Anya a way to make her art spells work on people permanently using tattooing. But beyond these goals, we need to be out there, finding out just what the potential of her magic is to make the world better, and ensuring that whatever peace we just set in motion grows.”
“I just… I don’t feel equipped to lead. I will be voted in by default, because we always vote for strength, but taking on all of that by myself, protecting everyone, I’m not right for it… I’m not an alpha, I’m an advisor or an enforcer at best.”
“But times are changing, Akira. You’ve seen with your own eyes that new magic has entered the world, new types of beings have been created, people from other worlds have joined in our affairs, and for the first time in living memory we have spoken with a priest. I found out I was destined to love a human with unheard of powers, from a place we can’t even imagine. Yuki-Shiro is something we have never seen before. These won’t be the first new things our generation will see, I’m sure of it. So, maybe the time has come to question why our clan values strength above all else, too. Even the weakest tiger is still a tiger, after all – still much stronger than th
e beasts we hunt for food, much more resilient than a human, and physically more powerful than any of the other types of higher yokai we know about in the region. The kitsune, they choose their leaders based on wisdom rather than strength, and I think you have more of that than you give yourself credit for.”
“Perhaps you’re right. Though I don’t think I can make decisions about the future yet. For now, I will return with the bad news about Ryokan and Katsuo, and the good news about the peace agreement, we will mourn our fallen men, and then, maybe things will become clearer about how our clan should be in the times to come.”
“Then you have a plan, don’t you? That’s all a leader really needs, as a starting point.”
“If you say so. Well, I suppose in order to enact that plan, I should leave you now and go on ahead in my tiger form. Please, though, do come back from time to time, to the mountain. There is no need to be a stranger – the clan will be told that you did not leave without honor.”
Kiba nodded, though he didn’t want to promise any specific visit.
“Wait! Are you leaving?” Yuki-Shiro called from behind them as Akira parted from Kiba and Anya to go and transform behind a tree.
“Yes, it’s time for me to return to the clan and tell them everything that has happened.”
“But, you are coming to the wedding, right?”
Ikari rolled his eyes.
“Seriously, are we just inviting everybody we meet, now? You didn’t even know Akira until today!”
“You did though, and I do now! We should have some people from your side there too, anyway, as well as Kiba – Yuki-me has my whole village, and Shiro-me has Reo coming to wish us well… and see my dress.”
She said the last four words under her breath.
Ikari shrugged. He didn’t know Akira especially well but he had never had any particular run-ins with him, unlike Ryokan and Katsuo, who he was now trying not to think of unkindly.
