Chapter 12
Battle Royale
Sundown
My eyes flickered open to reveal the most beautifully serene setting I could imagine. The sound of a nearby river reverberated through the trees of the densely packed forest.
Kenzo tapped my shoulder. “Erin, are you all right?”
Instinctively I ran my hands over my arms and legs to make sure I had made it to Ise in one piece. “I think so.”
The vision of the Star Trek transporter beam faded, and my eyes were able to focus again. Amaterasu stood before me in a striking bright red kimono with lightning bolts blazed across the front. Yuki sat pensively on the Sun Goddess’s shoulder with her little hands together.
A radiant smile crossed Amaterasu’s face. “Welcome to Ise, my home. I wish it had been under better circumstances.”
Me too, I thought as I gazed around the forest bathed in light from the Sun Goddess’s presence. “I am honored to be here.”
Kenzo waved at two people emerging from the forest. One of them I never thought I would see again—the sumo wrestler, Shiro. When I think back on our date at the coffee shop, his presence really shouldn’t be a surprise. I knew by his pronounced aura there was something special about him.
Brena smiled and waved as she joined our rag tag group. “Good to see you again, Erin. Are ready to kick some demon ass?”
Brena ended her question with a karate kick so high she almost hit her face.
I pumped my fists in the air. “Yes!”
Ren karate chopped the air to show solidarity. We were having a major girl power moment.
Kenzo’s brow furrowed at our decidedly un-lady-like behavior. Especially in front of royalty. He turned to Amaterasu and bowed deeply. “We are here to do your bidding.”
A benevolent smile spread across her face. “I thank you—and Nippon thanks you. Shinigami and his minions are gathering at my cave home. They believe they will surprise me and seal the cave off from the world. But we will be the ones who turn the surprise back on them.”
Thank goodness she could read demons minds. We at least had a tactical advantage. A chilly wind swirled at my feet. The familiar white, ghostly fog formed for a brief moment, then it turned thicker. When the fog cleared, a woman wearing a black kimono with an impressive samurai sword stuck in her obi sash stood next to me. I smiled when I spied several of her foxtails sticking out from under the back hem of her kimono. “So, you have finally revealed yourself to me.”
She smiled. “Yes, I must take this form for the battle. But I prefer to be a ghost most of the time. I’m quite shy.”
I laughed. “I’ve noticed.” The whole situation felt so surreal. Like I had entered an alternate universe featuring my own superhero cast of characters.
Amaterasu nodded to Kyubi. “Good, we are all here. On the other side of this forest is my cave home where I left a false image of myself to fool Death. We don’t have much time before the illusion will be discovered.” She took on a military stance. “Are you ready to defend Nippon?”
We collectively threw our fists up in the air.
“Very well, then.” Amaterasu glided across the gravel pathway to face me. “May I have the jewel?”
Concentrating with all my might on the claw amulet, a light erupted from my money belt as I unzipped it. I proudly held out the glowing piece of jade. “I return the sacred jewel to its rightful owner.”
Amaterasu bowed slightly and tucked the jewel into her kimono sleeve. “I have something for you as well.” She bent down and retrieved a large sun-shaped mirror out from under her voluminous kimono. “This is for you. It works very much like the necklace I bestowed on you. Except it has the power to make several minions disappear at once. You will need this device so that you can be near enough to Shinigami to extinguish his candle. If you are more than ten feet away it will not work.”
Now she tells me. A lump formed in my throat. “Ten feet is so close. How will I ever survive?”
The Sun Goddess threw her arms up toward the sky, and a force like a tractor beam drew all of us closer together. “There is great power amongst us. You will not fail.”
She said it with such certainty how could I doubt her? Yet I did.
Sensing my doubt, Yuki came scurrying over to me. “Erin, please don’t worry. I will stay with you no matter what.”
Yuki jumped up and tucked herself in my hoodie front pocket. Stroking her on the head I said, “How could I lose with you next to me?”
Shiro bowed deeply to Amaterasu. “It will be my privilege to extinguish the bridge monster for you.”
We stood just on the other side of the famous curved wooden bridge that led to the sacred Shinto Ise Shrine. Somehow it seemed fitting that a monster lurked there.
“I would be forever grateful. He is a menace to my people.” Amaterasu gently let us out of her embrace. Pulling a gold samurai sword out thin air, she proclaimed, “Let us put things right.”
Ren burst into hyper-drive speed and disappeared into the forest. Kenzo and Brena followed right behind her. I stood, mesmerized by Amaterasu as her ever-present glow began to diminish like someone flicked a dimmer switch. A beautiful yet ordinary looking woman stood on the ground before me. The Sun Goddess sensed my puzzlement. “I must assume a human form so that Shinigami will not sense my presence. He must believe that I am inside the cave.”
“Of course.” My nerves crackled as the tension in the air became almost electric.
Amaterasu placed her hands together in prayer. “I am going to the shrine to pray for us all.”
Yuki stirred in my pocket. “Erin, we must leave now. The monster is about to push the stone in place.”
I always thought Yuki had psychic abilities like Kenzo.
Shiro puffed out his ample chest and flexed his biceps. “The bridge monster is mine.” With that pronouncement he strode into the forest with the confidence of a superhero.
Gripping the sun mirror firmly in my hand, I sped through the pine forest following the path of broken fern leaves Shiro’s large feet had paved for me.
Kyubi floated next to me with her sword drawn. “I will signal you when to retrieve the amulets.”
The amulets sat safely inside the money belt Ren gave me. “Thank you, Kyubi. I wondered how I would know when to do the transformation.”
She bowed her head, and then dissolved into a white mist that whisked through the trees of the forest as if a gale force wind had suddenly appeared.
Zigzagging through trees at a dizzying pace, I reached the edge of the forest to find Ren, Kenzo and Brena hunkered down behind a row of dense bushes. They sat intently watching something not even noticing my presence. Crouching down next to Kenzo, I set the mirror by my side in case I needed to zap a demon. When I saw something the size of a giant moving by the mouth of the cave, I knew what everyone was watching. Framed by long straggly vines, the giant green creature loomed next to a boulder even larger than his nine feet. He grunted and groaned as he pushed a boulder twice his size down a slight grade toward the cave opening. The creature reminded me of a Japanese anime version of the Hulk. Its huge black eyes were intently focused on the granite boulder as it inched along the ground.
Scurrying around it was a motley group of demons and minions in all shapes and sizes. From my mythology class I recognized two Tanukis. The creatures really did look like a cross between a raccoon and a mid-sized dog. Except their incisor teeth were so long, they appeared to be small tusks. A Tegu goblin wearing samurai armor flapped its wings and wielded its enormous pointed orange beak like a sword. At almost five feet tall, it was far larger than I imagined. Surprisingly, I spied a Kappa cowering near a small cedar tree. I knew they were mischievous, but I never thought one would hook up with Death’s minions. It’s green turtle-like body seemed completely out of place in the middle of a forest. Yet, I knew that a river flowed nearby.
Kenzo tapped my shoulder to get my attention. I was so transfixed by seeing the creatures I read about in mythology class
come to life.
He whispered in my ear. “We are waiting for Shiro to attack the bridge monster and then it is go time.”
I nodded and scanned the perimeter of the forest for any signs of Shiro. A slight movement by a clump of bushes exposed him for just a moment as he crept on his hands and knees toward the monster. We could easily hear the grunts and groans as it continued to edge the boulder closer to its goal. He reached a point where the boulder came close enough to the mouth of the cave to block part of the light radiating from inside. The intensity of the light matched the light from the Sun Goddess herself. I shouldn’t have been surprised. She created the replica after all.
The sound of branches breaking signaled that Shiro emerged from his bush shield. He leapt on the back of the monster and Kenzo, Ren, and Brena broke through the shrubs and ran toward the creatures with their swords drawn. The clang of metal hitting metal ricocheted through the forest covering up any sound from the distant river. I gasped when one of the Tanukis jumped on Kenzo’s back while the other grabbed his sword from his hand. I stood up and gripped the mirror in my hand getting ready to race to his rescue, when a familiar blast of cold air forced me back.
Kyubi appeared in her female form. “Stay here. You are to wait for Death.” With her sword held high, she sped across the field and in a blink of an eye she cut the paw of the Tanuki clean off. Kenzo’s sword fell to the ground soon to be followed by the Tanuki’s head. Kyubi spun around so quickly her kimono sleeves were but a blur as she ripped the other Tanuki off Kenzo’s back and cut off its head as well.
A deep howl came from the monster and I watched in complete awe as Shiro repeatedly pummeled the monster’s head. As the monster reeled, Shiro slid down its back like a kid on a playground slide and yanked on the monster’s stubby tail. Another loud cry echoed through the trees as Shiro miraculously pulled a dagger out from the monster’s tail. With the agility of someone half his size, he leapt back up on the monsters back. Straddling its head, he sliced through the monster’s neck until green blood poured out of the neck like a waterfall. The monster staggered and landed first on one knee and then the other.
A high-pitched, “Hiya,” signaled Ren had sliced into something. I turned to see her on top of the Tegu one of its wings dangling by just a few muscles. Blood and goo covered what once was a pristine green meadow. The stench the dead demons created smelled as if a thousand skunks had been run over. The hairs on the inside of my nose actually quivered. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up. Soon another sensation took over. Something made my skin prickle and my stomach tie into knots—Death had arrived.
Scanning the cave and the surrounding meadow, I could see no sign of his presence, yet I knew he lurked somewhere nearby. The old pain from the marks he left on my stomach returned. Yuki waved her fluffy tail and scampered next to me. I had been so engrossed in the battle I never felt her jump out of my hoodie pocket.
She looked up at me with those huge black eyes of hers. “Erin, it is time.”
I nodded and unzipped my hoodie, then went to unzip the money belt, when a giant fireball whizzed toward me. I held the sun mirror in front of me like a shield to defect it. The mirror shattered into tiny pieces and fell to the ground. So much for the magical powers of the Sun Goddess. No, more than likely I caused the malfunction. My unreliable powers had let Amaterasu down. I tossed the metal frame aside as one of the trees behind me burst into flames.
Smoke whirled around me and I could barely see. Yuki scampered up my arm and onto my shoulder. She frantically waved her tail back and forth to try and push the smoke out of my face. “You must transform the candle amulet—now!”
My eyes burned from the smoke, but I blinked hard as I held the amulet in the palm of my hand. Wrapping my fingers around it, I focused on the image of a candle. Heat radiated out of the amulet as I continued to visualize the candle. A whooshing sound zoomed right above my head. Another fireball exploded at the top of a large cedar tree. The force sent it careening toward me. Hands appeared out of nowhere and threw me to the ground—Kenzo’s hands.
Blood streaked his handsome face and one of his shirtsleeves had turned dark red. “Erin, you must transform the amulet before Death gains any more power!”
Dragging me to a safe spot, Kenzo shielded me from the sparks raining down like fireflies from the trees.
I clutched the amulet once again and concentrated on the image of Death’s candle. With every inch of energy I had left, I willed the candle to form in my hand. A ball of water the size of the boulder rolled toward me—Ren. She formed a film of water around me as a shield from the fireballs as I stood up and marched toward Death. He stood with his stout legs planted firmly on the ground as if I could hurl a tsunami of force in his direction.
Fire spewed from his mouth and nose like a dragon. A deep guttural voice said, “I will not die today—you will.”
A wall of fire erupted from his mouth and it touched the edge of the water force field but could not penetrate any further. We had reached a stalemate. He couldn’t kill me, but I couldn’t get within ten feet of him. The candle I held in my hand sat useless.
A familiar voice filled my mind; “Keep Death focused on you. I have a plan.”
Before I could protest, Kenzo’s presence fled my mind.
Inside the protective water bubble, I practiced lighting the candle. Death’s fire breathing attacks escalated until I could feel Ren’s powers begin to dwindle. Whatever Kenzo had up his sleeve, he’d better do it quickly.
A loud scream filled the air and then the sound of something being launched like a cannonball. The monster’s body flew through the air in a giant arch and landed squarely on Death. Ren’s water form collapsed on the ground and I raced across the meadow to Death’s side. My powers told me he still lived. Holding the candle in my hand I concentrated on flame as the forest burned around us. Moving as close to Death as I dared, I said in Japanese, “This candle is for you, Death. I grant you no option to take another’s life for your own. When I snuff this candle, you will be truly dead.”
Flames shot out from under the green monster’s body and the stench of burning flesh almost made me lose control, but I fought through the bile raising up in my throat and reached my hand over the candle and pinched the flame out.
As if the god of wind himself arrived on the scene, a powerful gust descended on the forest and blew out all the fires. The trees bark had turned charcoal black, but the leaves still were green on many of the branches. A powerful light radiated off in the distance and grew brighter and brighter until it lit up the meadow like a huge searchlight. The scene it illuminated caused the bile to rise up in my throat once again. Demon body parts were scattered all over the meadow like forgotten animal kills from a lion tribe. Feathers from the Tengu gently blew across the burned meadow grasses. Ren stood covered in feathers triumphantly holding the armor from one the Tegus in her hands with the biggest smile on her face. She glanced down at her feet and I noticed she had been standing on the battered green body of the Kappa all along. Ren stood in a triumphant stance as fierce as any of the temple guards I had seen.
Shiro, almost unrecognizable covered in green blood from the monster, raced across the field, grabbed me, and lifted me high up off the ground. “You did it. You killed Death!” He placed me gently down on the ground leaving green blood imprint marks all over my clothes. He laughed. “Sorry about that.”
Ren stood next to me exhausted. “I can’t believe it worked.”
“To be honest I can’t either,” I said as my legs gave out and I fell down on the ground.
Brena plopped down next me and wrapped her feathered covered arm around me. “We American girls know how to rock the paranormal world. Kickin’ ass and taking names!”
I laughed even though my ribs hurt. “Don’t you know it!”
“I knew Erin could kill Death. My faith in her never wavered.” Kenzo stood smiling down at me like he hadn’t just been through the battle of his life.
&
nbsp; Yuki chattered next to me. “My mistress would like you to join her at the shrine.”
I willed myself to stand and took one more look at the burned-out meadow surrounded by a scorched forest. Now I knew how soldiers felt after a battle and all they could see was the carnage left behind. I should feel victorious, but all I felt was exhaustion.
Yuki scampered through the burnt forest and I staggered behind her with my battle companions forming a trail behind me. We reached the open courtyard of the famous Shinto shrines that were rebuilt every twenty years in homage to the Sun Goddess. Although made completely from cedar logs, they remained pristine and untouched by the fire.
The Sun Goddess emerged from the main shrine with a serine expression on her face. The lightning bolts on her kimono had transformed into glowing suns. “You have done me proud, Erin. The balance between good and evil has been put whole again. Nippon is safe and I have you all to thank.”
Kenzo, Ren, and Shiro stood before her and bowed until their heads were almost touching the ground.
“Thank you for loaning me the sacred sword.” Kenzo held out the hilt of the sword for Amaterasu. “I return it to its rightful owner.”
The amulet—I must return it as well. Pulling the candle out of the money belt, I approached the Sun Goddess. My body ached all over, but I bowed down as far down as I could. I held out my hands to her. “This is yours. May the candle remain buried forever.”
Amaterasu smiled and took it from my hands sending a slight electric shock to my fingertips. “I will never forget what you have done for my country. I wish you could stay in Nippon, but I must return you back to your world—to your home.”
I turned to Brena and Shiro. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you seems so hollow after what you have done.”
Brena gave me a gentle hug. “You kicked Death’s ass. I should be the one to say thank you. I’m staying in Japan to be with Ryo, and now I can rest easy.”
“Wow, that’s awesome, Brena.” I gave Kenzo a wink. “Keep an eye on his brother for me.”
Final Showdown Page 14
