“You’ve got that right,” Sugaru replied. “I’m Sugaru, bearer of the magatama of Izumo. I also have the stone of Himuka, and I’ve come to get yours.”
The snake god merely flicked his tongue. Sugaru folded his arms. “Tell me what I need to do to get it. I need the Misumaru.”
The snake god refused point-blank. Never. It was given to me centuries ago by a shrine maiden. I vowed never to give it to anyone. That vow still holds.
“The situation has changed … but even if I tell you that, I bet you won’t listen,” Sugaru said, half to himself. “Maybe there’s no other way but to use force.”
The fiery snake reared his head. Surely you don’t intend to fight me. Don’t you know your place?
“No, I don’t.” Sugaru’s eyes gleamed and he seemed suddenly full of life. “You know, I haven’t tested the limits of the magatama’s power. And here you are, an opponent against whom I can use all I’ve got.” Indeed, Sugaru had been dying for a fight all along. This was the perfect excuse to give full rein to the fighting urge that smoldered inside him. Nothing could have made him happier than to challenge the god, the greatest opponent he could have ever imagined. Placing his hands together in front of his chest, he took several deep breaths and drew the force of the two magatama into his body. Light and power filled his limbs, and the blazing fire in his eyes matched that of the snake god’s.
“Now then, let’s see who has the right to bear the magatama,” he said, bracing himself to launch an attack.
The battle between Sugaru and the snake god was well matched. It raged over the rocky mountain peak beneath clouds so dark it was hard to tell if it was night or day. The only light was the flash of lightning, and the battlefield seemed like a world beyond time.
Your strength is an even match to mine, the god said finally. But in the end, you will lose.
“It’s not over yet.”
A god never tires. I can fight like this for a hundred years. But you, you’re all too human.
Sugaru ignored him. Transformed into a ball of pure battlelust and speed, he had actually forgotten his own human body. While they fought, he had sustained an increasing number of minor injuries, mere scrapes and bruises so insignificant he did not even notice. In fact, with each injury, he felt spurred on to greater feats. At the same time, however, as the battle progressed, they gradually ate away at him.
Either way, the end will come, the god continued. You cannot take the magatama. Know this. He who uses force will inevitably meet someone stronger. The Misumaru of the Goddess of Darkness will never pass into the hands of one like you. You have too much pride.
Sugaru wiped his face with his arm, then licked the grazes where the sweat stung them. “Too much pride? As far as I’m concerned, you’re the one who’s arrogant.” Sugaru launched himself yet again at his opponent. Whether he accepted defeat or not, death awaited him—but he had no intention of dying. It was not in his nature to back down from a gamble once he had cast his bet. He would fight to the bitter end.
A bolt of lightning hit the ground and Sugaru sprang back. Then he realized that the bolt had not been aimed at him but elsewhere. Surprised, he peered at the ground where it had struck and saw the sacred dagger. Someone else had picked it up and thrown it. He sucked in his breath when he saw who it was. Lady Kage, her face pale, stood holding the red scabbard. She was shaking visibly, but her face was filled with desperate determination, and she stared, unwavering, into the fiery eyes of the flaming snake.
“Please don’t harm this man,” she said. “There is no need to fight. Listen to what I have to say for I am descended from the one who worshipped you on this mountain peak long ago. There is no longer any need for you to guard the magatama. Please return the stone so that I may give it to this man.”
Coiling his long body, the snake god sat flicking his tongue as he glared at the woman for several long moments. She was so close that not even Sugaru could have saved her. All he could do was watch, gripped by anxiety. Lady Kage too stood frozen, looking ready to faint.
Finally the god spoke. Centuries ago I made a vow that I would not give this stone to anyone … not until a descendant of the shrine maiden should come to me and ask me to return it. His tongue vanished and between his jaws there appeared a small, black stone. Until today, no priest has ever dared to climb the mountain, to risk his life, to stand before me and look me in the face. Only you can rival the brave young maiden who drew me to her so long ago. I am released from my vow.
He placed the stone in Lady Kage’s palm. It looked like a sliver of clear night sky, its black darkness studded with specks of silver light, twinkling stars that shone in Lady Kage’s hand as if their light came from an enormous distance.
My task is finished. I shall return to the lair that I left some time ago.
“Are you planning to leave the fight unfinished?” Sugaru asked, petulant.
You’re lucky you escaped with your life, young man, the snake said. But still, I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in a long time. I will remember you.
The snake dissolved before them, merging into the clouds with a flicker of lightning. The weather began to clear and the silence that follows a heavy rain enveloped the world. Rays of sunlight streamed through the cracks in the clouds. To Sugaru’s surprise, the sun appeared to be in almost the same place as when he had first begun to climb the mountain.
So that’s what it’s like to battle the gods, he thought.
Lady Kage came toward him, her eyes brimming with tears. “Look at you, covered in blood. I should have come sooner.”
For the first time, Sugaru noticed that he was bleeding. Open wounds lacerated his skin, and his clothes were in tatters. He tried to say that they were just shallow cuts and nothing to worry about, but then he felt the pain. He was so exhausted that his body seemed to be made of mud. He tried to smile. “To think that I had to be rescued by a woman. It’s usually the other way around. How am I going to live this down?”
“That’s not true,” Lady Kage said, smiling through her tears. “You were the one who saved me. You told me that I wasn’t defiled. It was you who gave me the courage to do this.”
“Even so, I’m amazed you managed the climb up here.” He looked at her with admiration. He had felt sorry for this woman with her pale, sad face, beaten by misfortune. Out of pity he had rescued her from the chancellor’s hall. He had never guessed that she had such courage hidden inside.
“I could not stand by and let you die. I thought that the god would kill me there on the spot. But my faith in you won out. To be honest, it didn’t matter to me anymore if I died.”
“You outdid yourself, you know,” Sugaru said. “You faced that god and with mere words you stilled him and sent him on his way. There’s no greater shrine maiden in the world than you.”
The tears Lady Kage wiped away were now tears of joy. “It was you who made me what I am. That makes me your shrine maiden … I think.”
Sugaru sat down on a rock and winced. It was too much to even stand. “I’m not a god,” he said. “I learned my lesson this time. And the meaning of pride. Although I don’t like to admit it, that god was right.”
Lady Kage tore her robe into thin strips and bandaged the wounds on Sugaru’s arms and legs. Then she held out her hand. “This is yours,” she said.
Sugaru stared at her in surprise. On her palm lay the black magatama, the night sky with twinkling stars. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t give it to you. You risked your life to get this stone and I risked my life to help you. That means it’s yours. But …” She looked down. “If I give you this, you will leave me …”
Sugaru did not reach out to take the stone. Instead, he sat thinking for a long while. Finally he said, “If I could stay to help you, I would. But the task of gathering the magatama for the Misumaru isn’t finished. I can’t leave Toko on her own until we bring an end to the Sword and its master. And helping her won’t be as simple as re
scuing you from the chancellor’s hall. You’re free now. You’ve woken to your own power. Even without my help, you can live and be strong.”
Lady Kage looked crestfallen, but she nodded. “I knew that it was not fated to be. I must be content with just having met you. But I will never forget. As long as I live, I will never forget you.” She laid the magatama in his palm. The light of the stars within it did not fade even when it left her hand. “So please, remember me.”
SUGARU NEEDED TO REST, and it was not until evening that he felt strong enough to climb down the mountain. Thus they had to walk the mountain trail by the glow cast by the stones. When they reached the familiar gate to the altar, they saw a light in the darkness beyond it. A man stood there holding a torch in his hand. Sugaru frowned, suspicious to see someone at the foot of the mountain so far from human habitation. “Who’s there?”
The man’s voice trembled, perhaps awed to see the strange light coming down the path. “Is that Sugaru? I was told by our leader to wait here for a man of that name. I bear a message.”
“I’m Sugaru. You’re Nanatsuka’s man?”
The man answered with obvious relief. “I am to tell you to wait at Kazuragi. The leader and Lady Toko infiltrated the emperor’s palace this evening. They’ll send word once they’re done.”
“What?” Sugaru could not believe what he had just heard. “Toko too? How did that come about?”
“They said they were going to retrieve a keepsake belonging to Lady Akaru.”
Sugaru groaned. “What’s she trying to do? Make me pay for going? The idiot! I leave her on her own for a second and look what happens.” He cursed to himself and then began questioning the messenger. “You said the palace, right? Tell me which part. How did Toko get in?”
“I haven’t heard the details. If we wait, they’ll send us information.”
“How can I wait at a time like this?”
Lady Kage, who had been listening, looked anxious. “I think it might be better to wait. After all, your wounds are still bleeding.” On the mountain, Sugaru had insisted that with three magatama, his injuries ought to heal in no time, but he remained visibly hurt. “Please rest a little. Even if you leave for the palace now, you won’t get there until morning. Surely even you can’t help them right now.”
“Oh yes, I can,” Sugaru said. He felt the force of the three magatama welling inside him. Turning his attention inward, he realized that he was being summoned with a strength that he had never felt before. It was so strong that he felt if he but concentrated on that call, he would be whisked away, body and all, like a fish caught on a line.
“Sugaru!” Lady Kage screamed. To her eyes, it seemed as if his body was shimmering and growing fainter.
Sugaru started but then smiled at her. “It’s all right. It’s the power of the stones. I think there’s a way to the palace. I’m going to try it.” His eyes were merry. As Lady Kage stood watching silently, his body wavered and evaporated into the air.
He’s gone. She stared at the empty space, devoid of any trace of Sugaru. He had gone like a whirlwind—the same way he had come.
6
“I MOST CERTAINLY will not become your wife,” Toko said, furious. “Besides, I’m not even a woman yet!”
“Then I’ll adopt you as my daughter,” the emperor said. “I must have you by my side.”
“Are you crazy? After what you’ve done to me and my people, I’d be totally justified if I murdered you in your sleep.”
The emperor looked shocked. “You … wish to kill me?”
“If I were near you, I might,” Toko answered, thinking of Nanatsuka.
“It wouldn’t matter,” the emperor said. “I’m tired. I’ve sent people to every corner of the land to search for the magatama that are supposed to give eternal life, but I don’t care anymore. Even Momoso has gone. If the Tachibana who bear the magatama decree that I should die, maybe that’s not so bad.”
Toko could not believe what she was hearing from this man. He stood at the pinnacle of power in Mahoroba. What was he lacking that should make him so despondent? She could only stare at him incredulously.
“The people of Mino, I’m told, have served the emperor for generations,” he continued. “If Oh-usu had not rebelled, I would never have been forced to act against your people. I did not wish to do that. And now, there is nothing that can fill the emptiness in my heart. Except perhaps you, who made the magatama shine pure white. When I saw you do that, I felt that for you it might be possible.”
That’s what the Keeper of the Shrine said. The mission of the Tachibana is to protect the emperor. But I came here to …
Toko shrank in horror at the thought that it might be within her power to heal him. Was that why she had been able to make Lady Akaru’s stone glow? To Toko, the emperor’s melancholy was starkly evident. Was that a sign that she should do something about it?
“Stay with me. Use the power of your magatama to cleanse me.”
Toko felt as though she were caught in a spell. Fixed by his gaze, she could not move.
At that moment, a change came over the room. Toko cowered instinctively, struck by what seemed to be a sudden gust of wind. She shut her eyes, then opened them to find Sugaru standing in front of her. He looked ghastly, his hair tangled, his body bloodied and his clothes in filthy tatters. Cloth bandages patterned with purple wisteria stood out on his arms and legs. She stared, dumbfounded, and Sugaru grinned.
“You little tomboy! Can’t you behave yourself for once?” he said.
“Where’d you come from?”
“Kazuragi.” He pointed to his chest. Three magatama now hung around his neck. “I got the third one. It took a bit of effort, but I did it.”
He radiated light. The emperor, momentarily dazzled, covered his face with his arms, but when he realized that Sugaru was human, he shouted, “Sukune! Sukune! To me! There’s an intruder in my room!”
Sukune raced in, his sword drawn, followed by several other guards. They squinted against the light. An angry flush rose in Sukune’s face when he recognized Sugaru. “You! You’re the one who made fools of us on the mountain of fire!”
“It’s been a while,” Sugaru said. “As an old friend, though, let me warn you. Stay back. If you don’t, you’ll meet with far worse than you did in Himuka.” Then he turned his dangerous, flashing eyes on the emperor. “So you’re the ruler of this land, are you? Such a pleasure to meet you. A friend once told me that the world would be a far better place without you.”
The emperor seemed to shrink in size before Sugaru’s brilliance, the animation fading from his face. Even Toko felt Sugaru’s tremendous power. He had transcended the human condition. She placed her hand on his arm. “Sugaru, don’t,” she said. “It’s all right. Let’s go. We have the magatama, so our job here is done. I got my own stone too. That’s enough. We have a different job to do.”
Sugaru looked at her strangely. “But wouldn’t it take a load off your mind if the emperor were punished?”
“Let’s go,” Toko repeated firmly.
“Stay,” the emperor said as if the word had slipped unbidden from his mouth.
Toko gazed at him, feeling only pity. Slowly, as if choosing her words, she said, “I won’t kill you. The only person I care about, the only person I will kill with these hands is your son, Prince Ousu. No one else. I became the bearer of the magatama solely for that purpose—to lay the wielder of the Sword to rest. I will neither kill you nor let you live. That in itself may seem a punishment to you. But you brought it upon yourself.”
Sukune and the guards leapt toward them, but Toko and Sugaru vanished from the spot. The guards blew their whistles and ran through the palace in their search for the pair, throwing the banquet into an uproar.
“I WONDER IF NANATSUKA and the others escaped,” Toko said. “Knowing them, I don’t think they will get caught, but still.”
“I don’t understand Nanatsuka. How could he have agreed to do something so reckless?” Sugaru said.
They were sitting on the hillside looking down over the palace. Although they could not see the fireflies from this distance, they watched the red lights of countless torches swimming along the palace streets. Doubtless it was total chaos below, but to Toko it seemed pretty. The night breeze toyed with their hair as they watched.
“Why are you crying?” Sugaru asked, hearing quiet sobs beside him.
“I don’t know.” Toko wiped her face with her sleeve. So much had happened to her that she could not tell exactly what had caused the lump in her throat. “But … we’ve finally obtained the four magatama we need to make the Misumaru of Death.”
“What did you mean by what you said to the emperor back there?” Sugaru asked.
“He wanted to keep me and the magatama,” Toko said, striving to speak calmly. “He wanted me as his wife or daughter. He said I could fill the emptiness in his heart. I thought that maybe I could understand, just a little, how he had felt when Akaru rejected him. That’s all.”
“You’re really weird, you know. You can pity even someone like the emperor. How can you possibly take revenge on anyone if you feel like that?”
“It’s part of the nature of the Mino magatama. I’m not special or anything,” Toko said. “And my only enemy is Prince Ousu. No one else matters. That makes it easier to overlook what others do to me.”
“So you want revenge on Prince Ousu that badly.” Sugaru sighed. He looked at Toko’s magatama glowing in the dark. “If I asked you to give me that white stone, you probably wouldn’t even consider it, would you?”
Toko raised her face and looked at him. She could see the pure white light reflected in his eyes. “You already know the answer. You know that it has to be me who takes the Misumaru, that I must be the one to do this task.”
“But why?”
“Because you would be doing it for me. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t kill him, right?”
Sugaru looked flustered. “No, that’s not true,” he protested hastily.
“Sugaru, you’re too nice. That’s what gets you into so much trouble. But this is one thing that you can’t do for me. I have to do it myself. Because I’m doing it to set him free.” She spoke slowly and deliberately. Now that she had her own magatama, she seemed to shine. “I’m going to free him from the Sword, to cleanse him of its power. Only then will I be set free. Only then can I finally let these feelings go.”
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