by A. L. Knorr
I lifted my face to see Toshi kneel beside me. He held his tunic against his cut.
"All these years? All this time? You've been alive," I whispered.
Toshi exhaled. "I have so many questions. Like where did you disappear to, and who it was that took you. We tracked him to the port of Kitakyushu, and there we lost you and have been looking for you ever since." He laced his fingers through mine. He must have seen the agony in my face for he brushed my hair behind my ear and said, "Don't let it upset you. Time can pass differently for a human with a tamashī in his possession."
The sun traveled high into the sky and the heat of the day warmed us as Toshi and I talked, there on the cliff that we had fallen in love on so long ago. Aimi curled up at my side and I stroked her fur and her ears. She listened as Toshi and I talked, Toshi holding a hand to his wound. I made to bind him, but he stopped me, urging me to tell my story.
I told them of Daichi, of how he had taken me on a ship and we had sailed for what seemed like forever, only stopping for a short time before moving on. How he kept me in bird form for so long that I hadn't even known what year it was when he finally let me become human again, and how stunned I had been to learn that we were in Canada. How we'd ended up in a massive country with seemingly endless wilderness, and brutally cold winters. I told them of how I learned the way of life, and eventually made friends who had come to mean the world to me.
I told them how Daichi slowly allowed me to be human for longer periods of time, likely realizing that I was of much more use to him that way. He hired me a tutor to learn English, though he'd never deigned to learn it himself. How he adapted to technology over the years and spent more and more time on his laptop, never allowing me in on his desires until the time came that suited him. I became his go-between for our North American life. I was not permitted to ask him questions, nor did he ever ask for my opinion. Eventually, likely because I'd grown bored running errands for him, he'd allowed me to register in high school, and there I had made my first friends. I'd been commanded to lie to them, to tell them some fictitious story about how my parents had died from a contagious disease that had swept through our village, and that we'd come to Canada because I was half-Canadian already. The lies Daichi wove around us trapped us both into a life of solitude. Targa, Georjayna, and Saxony had become the only spots of happiness in my life, and I was only allowed to see them when it suited Daichi.
The sun arched over us as my story spilled out, pouring from me in waves of emotion until I was all used up and out of words. The three of us sat huddled close together, Toshi's arm wrapped around my shoulder and Aimi leaning into my side, until Toshi took a breath. Dread for what I knew he was going to say filled my gut like lead.
"It's time I returned this to her, don't you think?" Toshi said, holding out the red silk bag containing Aimi's tamashī. I looked at it, and fresh tears rolled down my cheeks, soaking my lap and Aimi's fur. She craned her neck to look up at us, her ears perked.
I pushed my tamashī down my arm and brought the star to my right palm. I held it out to Toshi and looked at him. "Please," I said, my voice breaking. "I only just got you back. Stay with me."
Toshi's face melted with love but he shook his head. "You know that I would never take your freedom from you, Akiko." He curled my fingers tightly around my tamashī and it melted back into my skin.
We hugged one another fiercely and he kissed me. He brushed my tears away and held my face in his palms. "Sometimes we know from very young what we were born for. Even when I was throwing bugs in your hair when we were children, I knew that I was put here for you."
I choked back a sob as he held the red silk bag in front of us and opened it. The yellow glow sat in the puddled fabric, edgeless and bright. Aimi stepped over me and into Toshi's lap, licking his face. He laughed and said, "Goodbye, my companion. I wish you an eternity of happiness now that our task is completed." He closed his eyes and pressed the yellow star to the fox's fuzzy forehead. It melted into her, glowing from deep inside before fading away and disappearing. She backed up with a whine in her throat.
Toshi's form froze and lost all color. I could still see the smile playing at his lips as a breeze kicked up and then he dissolved into dust. He swirled around us in a spiral and was swept into the sky and out over the ocean, his clothing collapsing into a pile next to me. I put a hand on the soft fabric, the shell that had held him only a moment before. The blood that had stained the front of his shirt turned dark and looked decades old. Ash and dust puddled in the clothing and I picked them up and freed Toshi's remains.
"Good-bye, my love," I whispered, watching the last of him disappear.
The sound of a footstep made me turn. Aimi stood there with only Raiden's suit jacket draped around her. Her long, slender legs poked out from the black coat and her hair, black once again and hanging long to her waist, blew around her in the wind.
"Hello, sister," she said.
26
As I got to my feet, the skin all down my left side began to prickle. I frowned and rubbed up and down my arm to try and get rid of the feeling. The prickling intensified and swept to the other side of my body. A humming like a swarm of bees only much deeper and darker sounding filled my mind. I grimaced and put my hands to my head.
"What is it?" Aimi's voice sounded far away and slow, like an old recording.
"Wait," I said, shaking my head.
My gaze darted to Raiden's still form. I had forgotten his body was even there. I clenched my teeth as the humming in my head increased. Like a shark could smell blood in the water, I could sense the rotting sulfurous presence of evil. I clenched my teeth against the roiling in my belly. The Oni.
"Come on." I seethed with anticipation. I barely recognized the sound of my own voice. Instinctively, I phased into a falcon and climbed free of my clothing. The moment I had my Hanta vision, a second dimension opened up before me, peeling back like a thin layer of onion skin. The membrane between the material dimension and the one I could now see was as fragile and yet as strong as a spider's web.
The buzzing increased and became a long, low never-ending hum. The Oni faces tattooed on Raiden's skin began to stretch and distort, like they were painted on plastic wrap and concealing a nest of snakes. Roiling under the surface, the Oni pushed, and holes burst through the warped tattoo images. Through the holes, dark amorphous blobs of spirit strained to exit. Six Oni leeched from Raiden's form, stretching and pulling to extract themselves from their fleshy tomb. Shifting shapes of demonic intent, the Oni writhed and stretched, seeking to escape and find a new host.
In the distance, in every direction of land, I could see thin columns of spinning light reaching up from the earth to the sky, so far up that they disappeared from view. It wasn't the time to figure out what I was seeing in the distance, though. I had Oni to unseat. I spread my wings and took off, climbing straight up into the sky. From high above, I could see shape of the demon spirits growing and increasing in size. I screamed a shrill cry and pushed all of my bulk outward. My wingspan expanded in both directions and I circled the cliff looking down at my own massive shadow.
My eyes caught Aimi's form, staring up at me and shielding her eyes from the sun. I was a flesh and blood bird, huge and impossibly loud as another piercing cry tore across the sky. But my prey was not flesh and blood.
The first spirit broke free of Raiden's body. Morphing as it spiraled, its shape shifted from an evil yawning face to two sharp curved claws, and then melted back into a formless shadow.
With a scream I dove toward it, my massive talons outstretched. The moment before I clutched the Oni, my body shimmered and warmth swept over me. My flesh and bone transformed as it passed from the earthly dimension into a spiritual one. I understood in that moment what Yuudai had been talking about when he said Hantas hunted by faith. The spirit form was given to me, just when I needed it. My talons closed around the demon in a death grip, puncturing and holding fast as it writhed and fought. An otherworldly scream of anger s
ounded off in my mind.
Aimi's eyes widened and she began to call my name, frantically searching the skies for the colossal bird who had been there a moment before. I was there all the same, the Oni yanking and jerking in an effort to free itself from my Hanta talons. Wraithlike screeches filled my mind and made my head throb.
Another Oni demon pulled free of its tomb and became a long, thin worm, making its way down the cliff toward the beach where fishermen were pulling up to the dock with their catch. I dove again, reaching my other claw out and snapping it closed around the Oni. It thrashed like the other, whipping and screaming and wrapping its long body around my leg. Both Oni were twisting and straining to free themselves. I swooped upward, realizing my disadvantage as the four remaining Oni struggled, nearly free from Raiden's corpse.
I dove again. Pinning my wings back against my body, I shot straight down at the demons. I impaled the two Oni in my claws deeply with a single talon, jamming them on firmly as the ground swelled up to meet me. My talons opened wide for the others. I sank my nails into the remaining spirits.
Everything went dark as I flew down into the earth. I felt my claws puncture the demons in multiple places and drag them from Raiden’s body. They stretched and screamed until they snapped free, and the impetus from their release flung me even deeper into the earth like a slingshot.
Down, down, down I flew, my spirit wings flapping and my talons holding the Oni fast. My Hanta body jerked as the Oni struggled against me. I doubled my efforts. All down through the rock and minerals and layers of sediment, I felt no material barrier. I could smell the oxygen even in the earth, and I noticed when the oxygen began to thin and when the heat began to increase.
Through groundwater and layers of compressed earth and oil my spirit wings took us, my talons locked shut with my prey. The demons cried a sound I had never heard before, like a rusty scream with a thousand whispers inside it. As the oxygen here thinned, my wings began to tire. We passed into deep subterranean earth where the heat would be unbearable and there was no life. Not even bacteria lived here. Still I continued to fly straight down with everything that I had in me, my massive spirit wings pounding a smooth rhythm.
When my body was crying out for oxygen and I felt I could go no further, I banked upward and opened my talons, throwing the Oni deeper into this Æther-deprived wasteland. Violent screams of frustration echoed around me and grew faint.
I turned upward and began to climb. As I went through the layers of soil and could sense oxygen returning, my strength grew. My wings pounded, gaining energy and increasing my speed. The moment I exploded up from the ground, my flesh and bone form returned to me, a shift that was not in my control but was given by the Æther.
I gave a piercing cry and shrank down to normal size, spiraling over the cliffside.
Aimi spotted me and the worry in her face disappeared. She closed her eyes for a moment in relief. I descended to the clifftop and landed, ruffling my feathers.
I phased back to human, my chest heaving. I fell to my knees and then to my side and rolled over onto my back, naked in the dust and pebbles. I squinted up at the blue sky and sucked in deep breaths. Slowly, my heartbeat went back to normal. I turned my head and saw Raiden's body. I sensed nothing, just a quiet corpse encrusted with dried blood. The Oni tattoos on his chest were dull and unremarkable.
Aimi's shadow fell over me. Silhouetted against the sun, she dropped my clothing on my stomach and stood back. Her hands went to her hips. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," I said. "I'm more than okay." I got up, dusted myself off, and began to dress.
"That was terrifying," Aimi said, matter-of-factly. "When you disappeared, I didn't know what to think. I can't disappear like that. At least, as far as I know."
"I didn't know that I could, either."
"How did you do it?"
"I didn't. The Æther did it." I pulled my shirt down and looked at Aimi. "What you always said about us being creatures of faith, that the Æther would give us what we needed in the moment that we needed it, you were right. As a flesh and blood bird, there would be nothing I could have done about those Oni, but in spirit form," I smiled, "they aren't so terrifying."
She smiled back. "Not to you. You're a Hanta. But for a human—"
We both looked down at Raiden's corpse. I frowned. "If they open the doors, even unknowingly—"
"They are defenseless," Aimi finished my thought. She looked up at me. "What did you do with them?"
"I trapped them deep underground."
Her face brightened. "Of course! No oxygen, no Æther! They'll be impotent down there." She paused. "Forever?"
I frowned. "I guess as long as they have no oxygen, they have no strength."
"Let's hope no one decides to dig for oil here, then."
"Somehow, I don't think there's any danger of that," I smiled. I didn’t know how many miles down I took them, but I knew without a doubt it was farther than any human would ever have cause to dig.
"Yeah. Oh, by the way…" She walked over to a stone sitting at the edge of the cliff and bent down to move it. She retrieved an envelope and handed it to me. "This is addressed to you."
27
Akiko,
I was born in Nagasaki in 1862 to a proud samurai name and inheritance. Not long after the Satsuma rebellion, I was set upon by two ronin. I defeated one, but the other escaped. Years later, my home was invaded by three men. I believe one of those men to be the ronin who evaded me. My wife was killed and I was gravely injured. She had been pregnant with our first child. My katana and wakizashi were stolen, along with everything of value in my home. Everything was taken from me, even the honor of a good death. I vowed that night not to rest until my swords were recovered, and I had ended the ronin's lives who had ended mine. When I met you, I was convinced you were a sign from the gods that I should continue to pursue justice for my beloved dead and for myself. Vengeance is powerful enough to make a man forget who he is and what life is for.
When you return home, you will find the key under the sill of the basement window and you’ll need to visit the lawyer to sign for my property. Everything we have there is all I have left, and it is yours. I have left his information for you. Blessings.
Daichi
28
"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Aimi asked, turning to face me once we'd reached the train station.
I smiled and shook my head. "Thank you. I have to go back to Canada." I paused, recognizing the powerful urge that was compelling me to return home, to my friends, even if it might be to say goodbye. "I have family there that I need to see. Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"
Aimi laughed. "I have a bit of a mess to sort out here now that Toshi is gone." She clasped my hands with hers. "But you have his mobile number, which is now mine, and my current address so you call me if you need anything. When I figure out what I'm doing from here, I'll contact you."
"Let's not lose track of one another again, okay?" I pulled her into a hug.
"I wish I could travel the Æther, like you," Aimi said into my hair. "It would be a lot easier to see each other whenever we wish."
"Yeah, but isn't it amazing how transportation has changed since we were girls?"
Aimi laughed. "You can say that again. Our parents would never believe what the world looks like now."
We said goodbye, but without tears. Time stretched out before us, seemingly endless. We would be together again soon. Even if soon was ten years from now. I got on the train at Furano and got off in Tottori.
I felt conspicuous carrying two samurai swords through the street, wrapped in Daichi's white robe. I definitely got my share of curious glances.
Yuudai looked visibly relieved when he let me into his apartment. He waited for me to put down my burden and then pulled me into a hug.
"Tell me what happened," he said, guiding me to one of the chairs near the balcony.
The events at the cliffside poured out of me: Daichi's seppuku, how my
tamashī was freed, only to be snatched by Raiden. Yuudai's eyes grew round, but he didn't interrupt me. When I told him Toshi and Aimi were there, his jaw dropped.
Tears began to spill down my cheeks as I explained that I had always thought Aimi had betrayed me, but instead she had sacrificed her own tamashī so that Toshi could stay alive and honor his vow to protect me. Once the tears started, they didn't stop, and even when I was finished with the story, I couldn't stop weeping.
Yuudai held me as I wept for Toshi, for the lost years, for Daichi, for misjudging my sister for so long. When I began to sniff and hiccup, Yuudai handed me a tissue and said, "You know what makes me feel better when I'm sad?"
I looked up at him through bleary eyes. "Flying?"
He smiled and nodded. "Want to?"
I nodded and sniffed. "Yes, I do."
We phased into ospreys and took to the air, climbing up high over Tottori. My Hanta vision returned and those same pillars of spinning light were everywhere in my vision. They were wispy and varying levels of brightness, but the sheer quantity of them made my brain stutter. As we soared over the city, I observed that each column of light was coming out the top of every human head below us, and reaching up high into the sky.
Inside each column were two thin strands, spiraling around each other in a rotating double-helix. One strand was pure white, and the other was a dark gray. While some threads spiraled around one another in a clockwise direction, others spun counter clockwise. The ones spinning to the right were bright, lighter columns, some of them so bright that the dark thread was difficult to see. The double-helixes that were rotating to the left appeared darker, smokier, and the gray threads were heavier, dimming the light of the white strands.
Yuudai and I flew out over the sand dunes and the columns of light dwindled to almost none, as there were so few humans, just a few camps and vehicles dotted the sand. Out over the ocean, there were no columns save for the ones threading upward from fishing boats and ferries. We dipped and climbed and surfed pockets of air wafting up from the ocean, and savored the freshness of the ocean breezes.
