Author's note: This fanfic is set well before Mouryou no Hako and it's prequel Summer of the Ubume. So 'Kyougokudo' will simply be known by his real name, Chuuzenji Akihiko, since he hasn't opened his bookstore yet, nor is he married. I will try to keep everyone in character, but it's hard to capture the genius of the original author Kyogoku Natsuhiko.

Chapter 1: A Series of Meetings

It was in the peak summer of the 24th year of the Showa era, July of 1949, when they first met. On his way to conduct a lecture on Shintoism at Kyoto University, Chuuzenji Akihiko had decided to take a slight detour to visit one of the local shrines that would play a part in his discourse, Yoshida-Jinja. The Yoshida shrine, located on Yoshida Mountain in Kyoto was a small seemingly unpretentious shrine complex. Akihiko stopped when he came upon the torii leading to the shrine for the kami Kuni no Tokotachi. Beneath the vermillion arch stood a very striking young woman who appeared to be not much older than Atsuko. However, unlike his braying mare of a sister, this attractive young lady held an air of quiet dignity and grace about her. Her short, silky black hair had been neatly pinned up into a French twist to expose the nape of her neck, and her sky-blue kimono had an elegant and flowing weeping willow design. It was probably at least ten years old, but it had been well cared for; and it complimented the deep blue eyes that were fixed on the arch's base pillar to her left. He watched as she moved closer to it, reaching out with a light touch to carefully trace something on its surface with the tips of her slender fingers. Those blue eyes shined with mixed emotions as she stared at something on the pillar. And then, she smiled… soft, sad, affectionate, and lonely. The wind rustled through the treetops, and a stray leaf fluttered down. Catching its movement out the corner of her eye, the young lady turned to look, and her eyes met his.

"Oh!" She gasped, almost jumping when she suddenly realized she was no longer alone. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She said, brightening up to give him a polite smile that made it look as if she hadn't a care in the world. "Am I in the way?" Her Japanese was excellent, but she had a faint American accent. This small clue to her origins certainly helped explain her unusual eye color.

"Not at all." He replied. "I was simply wondering what had captured your interest."

"Ah." She said a bit sheepishly. "I'm afraid it's this." She moved aside so that he might see for himself. Carved into the side of the pillar was a heart shape with the English letters 'J' and 'K' inside, with a plus sign between them.

"I see." He said. It was unusual to see something like that, especially at a sacred shrine. One might think that it had been done by one of the American soldiers stationed in the city as part of the postwar occupation forces, but the carving looked too old for that. It was very worn, and had been exposed to the elements; dark with grains of dust and dirt caught inside the grooves. It also appeared to have been painted over at least once before.

"My father told me he carved this here while waiting for my mother. They used to meet here when they were younger. He didn't know the arch's significance at the time, and my mother apparently gave him a good scolding for it." She explained wryly with a small, affectionate laugh.

"Your father was American?" he asked, though he was certain he already knew the answer to his own question.

"Yes, and my mother was originally from here. They met while he was on shore leave, several years before the war… I'm surprised this is still here." She said with a wan smile, touching the heart. "Oh, where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself yet, have I?" she asked pleasantly. "My name is Minato, Minato Strand." She said, greeting him with a proper bow.

"Chuuzenji Akihiko." He introduced himself, returning her polite greeting with bow of his own.

"Chuuzenji-san." she said, testing how his name sounded from her own lips. "It's nice to meet you." She said with another polite smile. "Have you come to pray? If so, please, don't let me stop you."

"No, I merely had some time to spare and thought I might pay this place a visit to refresh my memory. I'm giving a lecture on Shintoism, and I will be using this shrine as an example." He explained.

"Oh? That sounds interesting. Is there something special about this particular shrine?" she asked curiously.

"There is. Amongst the thousands of Shinto shrines throughout Japan, this little-known shrine is entirely unique due to the ambition of Yoshida Kanetomo." He answered, going on to explain how this shrine, having been in the care of the Yoshida family for centuries, came under control of Yoshida Kanetomo in the 15th century. Yoshida began to make changes in the form of Shinto practiced there and built a new shrinet on the complex. This new shrine hinted at Yoshida's desire for power; its octagonal shape and eight pillars were exclusive to the new shrine. The number 8 is closely tied to the royal family and reflects imperial power, something Yoshida seemed to want to imitate. Yoshida then declared that Amaterasu, the sun goddess herself, was enshrined at this new shrine, not as the main kami but as a subsidiary deity to Kuni-no-Tokotachi. Yoshida changed contemporary Shinto by elevating Kuni-no-Tokotachi from relative oblivion to the supreme kami of the universe, creating his own sect of Shinto. The main shrine to Kuni-no-Tokotachi, hidden behind a closed gate is flanked by smaller shrines to Amaterasu and Toyouke and surrounded by a wall of shrines dedicated to all the other kami in Japan. However, Yoshida's reinterpretation of Shinto was not the only unusual addition he made to the religion. After his death Yoshida was buried on the shrine complex and a small shrine was built over his body, and his spirit was enshrined there. This bold action created a precedent for interring the spirits of important men as kami, which is still practiced within Shinto. The young lady made a good audience. She seemed genuinely intrigued by what he had to say and listened intently while he spoke, only interrupting once or twice to ask for a deeper explanation behind concepts that were too foreign for her to grasp from context.

"Wow, I had no idea. That was very interesting." She said with a warm, genuine smile once he had finished, impressed. "It sounds a little similar to the Catholic practice of interring saints and their relics beneath altars and inside chapels."

"A little. However, in Catholicism, a saint, while acknowledged as being especially holy or virtuous, is still considered to be human. But this isn't the case in Shintoism. The idea of making someone a kami means raising a normal person to the level where they can be considered a god. One does not have to be particularly holy to be deified in this manner, so potentially anyone who was viewed as being especially extraordinary in life can become a kami in death. In a sense Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. In contrast to many monotheist religions, there are no absolutes in Shinto. There is no absolute right and wrong, and nobody is perfect. Shinto is an optimistic faith, as humans are thought to be fundamentally good, and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. Consequently, the purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits by purification, prayers and offerings to the kami."

"I see… my mother practiced Shinto, but she and my father had me baptized as Catholic, because she thought being Christian would help me fit in better. I would often ask her about it, but her explanations never went into such great detail. Many Catholics also pray to deceased family members in addition to the Church's officially canonized saints." She said thoughtfully. "But—and please, don't take this personally—isn't blaming all your problems on evil spirits a little too optimistic? It seems to me that being able to blame all of your bad deeds on an outside force would negate any sense of responsibility on the part of the individual. Ah, but I'm not saying that humans are intrinsically evil, and it is true that some people might have circumstances where they feel they feel that they can't be in proper control of their own actions… But I think all of us possess the potential for both great good and great evil equally. I think everyone is born with a clean slate, and it's the choices we make as individuals that determine what we become, like in that old Cherokee story."

"Cherokee?" Chuuzenji asked.

"Oh, right, sorry. I guess I should explain." She said a bit sheepishly. "The Cherokees are one of many American indian tribes. In the story, an old Cherokee tells his grandson, 'My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealously, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth.' The boy thought about it, and asked, 'Grandfather, which wolf wins?' The old man quietly replied, 'The one you feed.'"

"I see. There is much truth and wisdom in that story." He said with appreciation.

"Yes, I find the stories and philosophies of the 'first Americans' often are. If you aren't familiar with many indian myths and legends, then I really recommend looking them up. Many tribes share the Shinto belief in animism. I think you will find them intriguing."

"Excuse me!" an American soldier suddenly called out, alerting them to his presence. Despite his foreign uniform, this young man looked even more Japanese than Minato. "Sorry to disturb you, but I'm looking for—Ah!" he gasped upon taking a closer look at them. "There you are, Minato-chan." He said, taking her by the hands and exchanging a hug with her. They were obviously very close. "I can't believe this is the same shrimp I left behind six years ago. The tomboy who used to race me down the streets in her little red wagon turned into a young lady while I wasn't looking." He teased with a grin.

"I wasn't going to stay a child forever, Ken-nii." She retorted with a wry smile. "And I'm not the only one who got older. Some of Karin-chan's first steps are in here." She said, handing over an thick envelope stuffed with photographs.

"Wow, that little baby got big!" Ken said proudly, taking a quick look at the first few photos in the front. "Hey, let's go find somewhere to sit down and talk about it. You have no idea how nice it is to finally see a friendly face after being away from home for so long."

"All right." She agreed before turning back to face Chuuzenji. "Thank you, Chuuzenji-san. It was a very interesting chat, but I must be going now that my escort has arrived." She said, bowing respectfully while flashing him a warm smile.

"No, thank you for showing an interest." He said. He had even managed to learn something new. "Most girls your age wouldn't."

"Well, I suppose that's their loss." She replied with a small shrug and another smile. "My mother used to tell me lots of stories about her homeland when I was younger, and ever since I've always enjoyed learning about the myths and legends of different cultures. I think it's really neat to see how much these ancient beliefs differ can differ from each other while still sharing similar core values, and how they have affected human development. Even now you can see traces of their influence in our daily lives. Is your lecture open to the public?"

"I'm afraid it's only open to those enrolled in my colleague's class." Chuuzenji replied with a quick glance at his watch. He should probably be leaving soon himself. Their little discussion had taken up more time than he had realized.

"Oh, that's too bad." She said, clearly disappointed. "I would have liked to hear more on the subject."

"Yes, it's a real shame. Thank you for keeping her company, but we have to be going now." Ken said, taking her by the hand. "My friends are waiting, and they're all really eager to meet you." He told Minato as he began leading her away.

"Farewell, Chuuzenji-san." She said, looking back to give him one last smile. "It would be nice if we could meet again."

"Hey, who was that guy? I didn't realize you had other acquaintances in Japan. Was he a friend of your fathers?" Ken asked once he was sure they were out of earshot, switching to English.

"No way. He's too young for that." Minato said, giving him a look that let him know that much should have been obvious. Her lady-like façade was beginning to slip in front of her childhood friend. "We just happened to meet and started chatting. Chuuzenji-san is giving a lecture at a local university on Shintoism. I suppose he came to the shrine to refresh his memory, since he said it would part of his lecture. Talking to him was really interesting. He appears to be very knowledgeable." She explained with a smile.

"Yeah, uh-huh." Ken responded rather dubiously, wondering just how concerned he should be. "I didn't think I would have to tell you this at this age, but you should be more careful when talking to strangers. There's still a lot of anti-American sentiment lingering after the war. Well, not that I can really blame them after seeing the damage from the bombs… Anyway, you're a good-looking gal, and your eyes really stand out over here, so you need to be on your guard. You shouldn't be wandering around by yourself like this."

"I can handle myself. I'm tougher than I look." Minato reminded him. It also helped that she had learned some Judo while he was away at war. "Besides, I don't think Chuuzenji-san would have done anything. He seemed like a reasonable person."

"Don't tell me you like that gloomy guy?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger girl. With that sour expression on his face, Chuuzenji looked like a difficult person to get along with. "He's so thin and pale, I almost mistook him for a POW or a ghost. Someone really needs to get that guy a sandwich."

"You're really rude, you know." Minato told him, though she couldn't dispute his observation that the academic seemed in dire need of some sun and little fattening up. "And give me some credit would you? I'm not so desperate that I'd fall in love with someone I just met just because he was a little nice to me."

"Yeah, I'm sure you've got all the boys back home wrapped around your little finger, huh?" Ken teased with a smirk, earning himself an elbow in the ribs.

'As if that would do me any good… when I can't have the one I want the most.' Minato thought sadly, hiding behind a smile.

"Anyway," Ken said with a cough and rueful smile, "I hope you've got a pen in that purse, because a couple of my friends are big fans of yours."

"What? You told them?" Minato asked, furrowing her brow slightly in annoyance. "I was using a pseudonym for a reason, Ken."

"Don't worry." He said carelessly. "These guys know how to keep a secret. Besides, you've got better things to worry about, right?"

"I suppose." She mused with a small frown. After all, who would have thought that her mother's side of the family would suddenly reach out to her after all these years?

Just a little over an hour later, Chuuzenji Akihiko had finished dismissing the students and was in the process of getting ready to leave himself. The lecture had gone about as well as could be expected, though he would have preferred it if they had asked more questions. He could tell by the expressions on his audience's faces that more than a few of them had some trouble comprehending the vast amount of information that he had covered in its entirety.

"Very well done, Chuuzenji-sensei. I think I saw a few of them actually come alive." Shin'ichi Hisamatsu, the professor in charge of the class praised him. Lately his students seemed to be in a bit of a rut, so he had been hoping that inviting a guest speaker might snap them out of it. "As thanks, why don't I take you to lunch? It will be my treat. However, I must confess that I had an ulterior motive for inviting you here. I'm afraid have another favor to ask." He said tentatively, pulling out a small photo to show him, which was a portrait of a very attractive young woman. "This young lady is the granddaughter of an old friend of mine, Sai Chizuko. Her parents feel she has reached a marriageable age. Very pretty, isn't she?" She was. She had beautiful soft, doe eyes, and exuded an inherent sense of grace. She was obviously a full-blooded Japanese, but Chuuzenji couldn't help but feel that something about her reminded him of the younger girl that he had met earlier that day, Minato Strand.

"Hisamatsu-sensei, are you asking me to participate in an omiai?"

"Only if you are interested." Hisamatsu replied with a twinkle in his eye, before adopting a more serious expression. "While I do think the two of you would make a good match, what my friend really needs help with is an issue of a more 'supernatural' nature."

"Supernatural?"

"Yes. You see, the friend in question, Sai Youshiro, is the owner of a traditional sweetshop. I've been a patron of his ever since I was here as student. And over the past month, he claims to have seen an apparition of his younger daughter with increasing frequency. According to him, her spirit appears very late at night to lurk outside the shop and the family home. It's beginning to drive him mad. He's been bedridden for the past week. Youshiro-san was diagnosed with a weak heart not too long ago, and Miyako-san, his wife, is afraid the strain could kill him if this continues."

"Has anyone else claimed to see this 'spirit'?"

"No. If she does exist, she only shows herself to Youshiro-san. And that's another cause for worry as far as the family is concerned. They're afraid Youshiro-san might be losing his mind. His son-in-law, who considers himself a 'man of science', is convinced Youshiro is suffering from hallucinations brought on by stress and feelings of guilt. The truth is, no one even knows for sure whether the daughter he claims is haunting him, Kikyo-san, is dead or not. You see, Kikyo-san had always been Youshiro-san's favorite child, but he disowned her after she refused to accept a marriage proposal from a wealthy businessman and ran off with a foreigner instead. She tried sending the family letters, so they know she reached America safely, but Youshiro forbid the rest of the family from having anything to do with her. After years of never receiving any replies, Kiyoko's letters eventually stopped coming. And then the war started. Her fate after that is unknown."

"Has anyone tried writing to Kiyoko-san since then?"

"Yes, Miyako-san attempted to do so behind Youshiro-san's back, but the letter was returned to her with a stamp indicating the person she was looking for no longer lived at that address. I suggested she hire a professional to help locate Kikyo-san, and the lawyer she hired seems to have had some luck, because I heard someone is supposed to be coming over to speak with them on Kikyo-san's behalf."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Chuuzenji asked. He had a fairly good idea where this was going, but…

"Miyako-san is at her wit's end. Since Youshiro-san is convinced he's being haunted, she would like to have someone perform an exorcism in the hope that it will calm him, but their son-in-law is adamant that taking such action will only serve to further his delusions, and he has the rest of the family convinced of this as well." Hisamatsu explained grimly. "Chuuzenji-sensei, I've heard through certain channels that you are an onmyouji. If this is true, then I must humbly request that you perform one for Youshiro-san. The Sai family and I would be forever in your debt." He said with a deep bow. Any lower, and he would be on the floor. Chuuzenji sighed and scratched his head. It couldn't be helped.

"All right. Please raise your head, Hisamatsu-sensei." He said. "The least I can do is take a look. But if, like the son-in-law has suggested, I determine that holding an exorcism would only exacerbate his deteriorating condition, I reserve the right to refuse to do so. Am I correct in assuming the reason why you brought up the subject of the granddaughter's eligibility for marriage is because you plan to smuggle me in under the guise of a suitor?"

"Oh, thank you very much!" Hisamatsu exclaimed gratefully. "And yes, your assumption is correct. It may seem a little rude to Chizuko-chan to use her as an excuse to get in, but she's a good girl. I'm sure she'll forgive us for the deception if it means helping her grandfather. Who knows, maybe you'll even get a bride out of it."

"That's a terrible joke, Sensei." Chuuzenji said ruefully. But it was a curious series of incidents. Not just Sai Youshiro's claim of being haunted, which was more common than most 'modern' people would like to admit, but the existence of this runaway daughter who eloped to America, coupled with the odd resemblance Minato Strand, the daughter of a Japanese immigrant and an American man, seemed to share with Youshiro's granddaughter Chizuko formed an almost eerie string of coincidences. He wondered if the two seemingly separate incidents were not somehow related after all.