Chapter 1: Phantom Pain

Part A

At last, I had awoken. This sleep felt eternal. I thought that this was going to be the slumber that I would never wake from. I didn't know whether to be grateful that I was able to open my eyes or to condemn this new plane I entered. We failed again it seemed.

What had happened? I couldn't recall the events of the last world we resided in. I just knew that we died again. It was another failure added to our history of attempts to break the chains of Fate. If I could have the luxury to look at our win-loss record, I would have laughed. For one hundred years I had been used to death. It became a part of my nature.

I continually lost hope, no matter how many speeches I made to her. For something like myself, a harbinger of glad tidings, I was useless. Even when I thought that we were just about to be free once more, freedom was yanked away from me. I felt like I had been grappling with Takano for another round.

I grew tired. My power faded, my hope dwindled, and my will to go on was nonexistent. I told her that I believed in her, that I would be with her, but I didn't know how much longer I could hold on.

My hands were fading into the abyss. My ethereal body lost its luster with every death I experienced around these children. I sensed the remaining power, the last shred of force left from the Furude Family's sacred treasure, the Onigari. It was gone.

The blood of the Furude that stained the blade was gone; I couldn't sense my life-force on it any longer. If we failed this one last time, not even the sword could begin a new world. This was it. This world would be my tomb.

Rika slept on the floor, wrapped in a blanket of ignorance beside her yellow-haired friend. Soon she would awake, and soon I would have to have another drawn out conversation about our situation. How I hated talking about it. What else was there to say? What else was there to ponder? This was it. This was what we had left.

I looked up to the moon, a bow new bent in heaven. I could see her small face, smiling up at me. She begged me to play with her, to kiss the scrape on her knee to make the pain go away, and to cure her from her illnesses. My small arms hugged my chest. My eyes shut tightly as I gripped the cloth of my robe. I suddenly reached for my head. I traced my finger along the crack on my horn, the first failed strike she used against me. I scratched my nail against it. The bolt of pain shot through my head; my ears deafened at the clang of the holy blade against my demonhood. The pain never went away. I never wanted it to. It made me feel human again.

"Ouka," I muttered to the moon. "Is there anything you can do to help your mother? I just need one clue…one clue is all I need to put this behind me…that is…if I have the strength."

"Mother."

Ouka stood just outside the window on an invisible pedestal. Her back was turned to me with her long hair swaying in the night air. Her hand grasped the hilt of that gleaming golden sword. She was all grown up. She looked so beautiful.

"Mother…you cannot give up. You conquered Death before. You can do it again…you can become victorious once more. I know you can, I know it in my heart as your daughter."

"Ouka…" I extended my hand out to her. "My darling little Ouka…"

"Do not be so selfish. Think about all of the lives you will condemn if you stop fighting."

I drifted out of the window. My fingers went to touch her shoulder, but they passed right through her.

"Stop this evil. Put an end to everything. Accomplish what I could not all those years ago."

"What do you mean? What are you trying to say, my love? Tell me, and I'll listen," I pleaded.

"Stop him. Cleanse me of my sins…let me rest in peace...and give him rest as well..."

"Who? Who are you talking about?"

Ouka turned to face me.

Her belly protruded through her shrine garments. I saw how it pulsed. I didn't believe the sight in front of my eyes. It was only natural of course for the sake of the Furude Clan to have an heir. Ouka had to be granted a child for us to live on, but the sight of her, my own daughter as a mother, struck my very heart. I didn't know how I was supposed to feel. I was joyful that she was with child, but why was she crying?

Hot glistening tears flowed down her cheeks. They dropped upon her belly. She shut her eyes and turned her head. What happened to my little Ouka?

"I failed you, Mother." She rubbed her stomach. "Cleanse me of my sin. Right my wrongs and grant me peace…just like you once had done for me when I was but a child. Please, grant me salvation so I can finally rest…"

"Ouka, what has become of you?" I asked so pitifully.

"Make us whole, Mother…make us whole again…"

Piece by piece and inch by inch of her slowly faded into the night. I desperately tried to grab her, to hold her in my arms, but she escaped me. I wanted to sing to her, to tell her all would be well, but she left me. She left me alone again.

"Ouka! Come back! What sin have you committed? What happened back then? Answer me, please! Let your mother help you! Ouka! OUKA!"

I hung my head. I hugged myself once more and wept to myself. Why was she crying? What was she so miserable about? What had happened all those years ago when I left her?

"My daughter…! My baby…my love…!" My nails tore through my robes. "What happened to you…?"

"Hanyuu?"

Rika stood at the windowsill. She beckoned to me.

I reluctantly obeyed. I drifted back to the window, but I didn't look her in the eye; I found myself far too busy removing my own tears.

"What happened?" she asked as she rubbed my leg.

"I…saw my daughter. I didn't understand anything though. She was…she was pregnant. I tried to hold her, but she vanished. Rika…what happened to my baby…? My precious daughter…?"

"I wouldn't know." She shook her head at me. "I think you were just seeing things. Maybe you just had a nightmare."

"It wasn't a nightmare. I saw her. She spoke directly to me! Rika…my daughter was here and she spoke to me! I know she did!"

"Hanyuu, you need to calm down. You're too excited."

I took a few deep breaths. I folded my hands over my lap and sniffled. Ouka's image was haunted my mind. I couldn't get her out of my thoughts.

"Hanyuu, just take it easy, alright? Now can you tell me what happened?"

I looked to her. "What?"

"Do you remember anything before? I mean, did we fail again?"

"We did, unfortunately."

"Dammit." Rika massaged her neck. "My neck is throbbing. It burns and it stings."

"Why is that?"

"Maybe it was how I was killed before. But I can't remember what happened. Don't you remember anything?"

I thought hard.

"I do remember we had defeated an army of the Keima Clan, when we were protecting the Onigari-no-Ryuo. After that, it's all a blur."

"You've got to be joking." Rika rubbed her forehead. "We went through all that trouble and now we can't remember a damned thing? Didn't we confront our true enemy? We definitely did. But I can't remember his or her face!"

"We did meet our culprit…but just as you said: we have no memory."

She sighed. She twirled around and made for the stairs. "I need some wine…"

Rika returned from the kitchen a few moments with a wine bottle and a fairly large glass. My throat swelled up. I despised it when Rika turned to alcohol. It wasn't doing her body any good with that garbage, and it certainly didn't make me feel any better. I hated the taste of it, the way it dropped down my esophagus. It always burned. It was at times like these that I wished that our senses weren't connected.

She sat at her usual place on the windowsill. She swirled her drink as she looked out into the void of the night before us. I couldn't see any stars that night because of the fog that passed through; I couldn't even make out the moon anymore. We were trapped in another realm of darkness without any light to guide us. I was used to it.

Rika gulped a hefty swig. "No matter how much of this stuff I drink …it never relieves the pain."

"Drowning your sorrows in that trash isn't going to help us win this fight."

"Hanyuu, we had this discussion more times than I can count. Faith is fickle. You put your trust in it, you put all of your dreams and prayers into it, and what do you get in return? You get nothing but pain and disappointment. I surprised that I haven't gone mad after this century in all these time loops."

I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger, biting at my upper lip.

"And just when I think wine could give me some pleasure, it can't even numb my heart."

"Rika, there has to be something we can do."

"We can't really do anything. Your power is almost gone, so your simplest of abilities are useless. The Onigari-no-Ryuo is out of power as well. Our enemy, whoever he or she is, is always two steps ahead of us. That's how we failed during these months here. This enemy, this monster, is far more cunning and deadly than I ever gave it credit for."

I drew along the floor with my thumb. I grumbled to myself.

"I thought Takano was the worst foe we've ever faced. This monster we've been fighting all this time has been right under our noses. It wore a mask and then revealed its true colors just before the end like she did, but something about this enemy is much darker, much more horrid and evil. I…I can still feel the pain you suffered from the last world."

I stroked my head, my arm, and my legs.

"The torture you underwent was inhuman. How could anybody be so cruel…?"

"It's a monster, like we said." Rika took another gulp. "I barely remember the torture at all."

"You were beaten up so badly and that monster just smiled. He got pleasure out of it. It was like he was in sheer ecstasy from hearing you writhe in pain." I punched the floor repeatedly. "Why can't I remember what he looked like? Why can't I remember who this enemy is? If I did, we could have a solid lead!"

"We'll just have to hope for the best," Rika said grimly. "It's what we're best at after all."

"That besides losing."

"This bastard needs to be taken down, whoever he is." She squeezed her empty glass. The body started to crack. "I don't care anymore. If I ever see him again, and if I ever get the chance I'm gonna kill him."

"Rika…"

"I'm gonna slowly kill him. I'll make him suffer the same pain I've been feeling for all these years." Rika grinned to herself. I heard her laugh under her breath. "We can all take turns. Keiichi can strike at his head, Shion can nail him to a tree, Mion and Rena can cut him open, Satoko can pluck his eyes out, and me…I'll tear his heart out from his chest with my bare hands if I have to."

"Rika!" I shouted at her. "Stop talking like that right now!"

She looked at me pretty dumbly with her brow raised and her head tilted. Didn't she just hear me?

"This is exactly what our enemy wants. He wants you to be so blinded by rage and frustration so that he can kill you off again, only it'll be a lot easier this time."

She brushed her hair with her hand as a heavy breath passed from her mouth. She rubbed her temple.

"Sorry, Hanyuu. I'm just so frustrated…"

"We all are."

I merged myself in-between her and the wall. I placed my arms around her body and folded my hands over her stomach. She slid down and rested the back of her head against my chest. Rika wrapped her arms around mine and she even held my hands. Before I could open my mouth to say anything, the poor thing was already fast asleep. The wine finally got to her. She was snoring. I couldn't help myself but giggle at her.

My hand lifted up to her head. I stroked her hair and I played with a few strands with my fingers. I kissed the top of her head and laid my cheek down on her.

"It's alright now," I whispered to her. She needed me now more than ever. "Mother's got you. Mother's not going to let the bad creatures harm you anymore."

Rika mumbled something I couldn't understand. She shifted so that her ear was against my heart.

"Mother loves her daughter…she loves her little Ouka…"

Part B

I heard a child laughing. Right before my eyes, I saw her running through the fields, picking each and every flower that crossed her path. Her tiny robe fluttered in the calm cool breeze. Her hair bounced to and fro and her smile lit up the sky. I was sitting at the top of hill, watching her play to her heart's content. Seeing her simper made mine all the stronger. I never grew tired of seeing that child hop around like some furry little animal, and I never grew tired of hearing that laugh.

His hand massaged my thigh. He had been sitting next to me all this time watching our little girl.

"She's really excited today, huh, Hanyuu?" Riku said to me with a grin of his own.

"I just adore her," I replied with a laugh. "She is the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, besides marrying you of course."

"Now you're just trying to flatter me."

"I'm quite serious, Riku."

"Oh? Prove it."

I turned his cheek with just my finger. I pressed my lips against his.

He didn't release me for a few minutes. He touched my hip. He traced his finger up and down my side.

"Riku, stop being mean."

"I can't help myself around you." He winked at me. "You're quite a demon, you know."

I flushed at his remark. I shot my eyes back to my daughter. Was he seriously talking about our love life when my daughter could very well be in earshot?

"That was a terrible attempt at a jest and don't speak so loud! Ouka can hear you!"

"She has no idea what grow ups are like. You worry too much, Hanyuu."

"She is too intelligent for her own good." I huffed at him. "She finds it amusing to ask me all sorts of questions, such as why we kiss and embrace and the like."

"Did you tell her you do it because you're madly in love with me?"

I slapped his shoulder hard. "Hold your tongue, you wretched human."

He laughed at me. Riku pulled me closer and rubbed his cheek against mine.

"I love you, Hainiryūn Ieas-Hainir-ah…Haini…um…I love you, Hanyuu. Haha…"

I poked his chest. I sneered at him. "When are you ever going to say my name correctly?"

"What's wrong with Hanyuu? I think it's a cute name."

"I'm cute, huh? I went from being the most beautiful flower in Onigafuchi to simply cute."

"Uh…well…"

"I'm teasing." I turned back to the fields.

Ouka rolled sideways along the tall grass, singing and laughing to herself. She had a bright yellow flower in her hair.

"My daughter is the most beautiful flower now."

Riku nodded to me.

"She's going to do great things one day. She'll make us proud of her. She'll make the whole village proud of her."

"She'll bring our new family honor."

The house returned to as it once was. Rika was still in my arms and Satoko was still in a deep slumber. I knew it was too enjoyable to be real. My head was stuck in a wonderland; it always dwelled in such a realm. Onigafuchi seemed to have a habit of returning to me. That life was behind me. Those times were over. This was the present. This was the world I lived in and it would be the world that I would finally die in, again.

I looked down at Rika. Her snoring wasn't as loud now. I ran my thumb along her forehead.

"Ouka," I said to my fellow ghosts that lingered among us.

A few tears dripped down off of my chin.

"What had become of you…?"

The night passed and the morning sun rose. It was still quite early. Rika and Satoko still had about a half hour before they woke up to get ready for school. I wanted some time alone to think about everything that had transpired, about what brought me to this point. I believed that the shrine was my best bet at peace. I returned Rika to her bed and placed the covers back over her. I wouldn't be gone long. I'd be back in time before they'd both wake up.

I hovered over the village. I peered down at all the tiny outlines of people below me. A few farmers were planting some seeds and reaping the wheat in the fields. The elderly gossiped amongst themselves as they made their morning commute. I picked up every word they said about a man in a multicolored shirt and tight brown pants, whose keen eye was enough to knock any woman off of her feet. Onigafuchi was like that when I first walked the earth. It made me giggle at how some things never change, even after a thousand years.

The shrine stood tall and proud among the sea of trees on the Furude property. I drifted down to the altar that sat in front of the door to the building. I shoved myself inside. The shrine was awfully warm. I couldn't hear a thing at all either. I couldn't even hear the singing of the cicadas from outside. This place was little piece of paradise. If I could remain there for a half an hour at best, I would be satisfied.

I sat in the middle of the room. I folded my hands together, took a few deep breaths, and closed my eyes. I hoped, prayed, that someone on the other side of time and space listened to my plea. I prayed that Riku could talk to me. I prayed that Ouka could reveal her secrets to me. Though I tried, I didn't receive an answer from anyone.

Why was Ouka so depressed when she revealed herself to me? What constricted her heart and filled her soul with such torment? She was bearing a child. Wasn't that a joyous thing? She grew up to be a true woman. She was a mother. Why was she ashamed of that?

I wished that I could have some way to connect with the Onigafuchi of the past. I wanted to see what became of my daughter after I had died. I wanted to see every detail of her life. Was she happy? Was she as sullen as when I had left her? I wanted to know everything about her.

The floor shook beneath me. I felt over on my side. I looked to the door. The force was coming from the other side. I could hear footsteps that were ever so light. I didn't hear anything at all until just then, and how could such gentle steps cause so much force to make this place of worship tremble?

I darted outside of the door and I planted myself behind the altar. I saw him.

He was a thin man in black. He wore a black dress suit with a red necktie. His dark brown hair just touched his shoulders. The dark brown orbs that focused on the shrine were lean and cold. His left hand adjusted his tie. The sun didn't shine on the gold ring that strangled his left ring finger. It was cold and dull, just like his gaze.

The man slid his hand along the stone of the altar. Black smoke trailed behind his fingertips. The miasma poured out of every pore of his skin. The aura that flooded from him made me gag. He clenched his opened hand into a fist. He leered down at me.

He couldn't see me obviously, as I was just a passive observer of this world, but his stare struck my heart with such fear. The killing intent of this demon knifed at my heart, plucked every strand of hair from my skull, and made my brain boil.

I clutched my heart and collapsed to my knees. The miasma applied immense pressure to my chest that I thought it would break me in two. I screamed and I wailed from the pain, but it did not stop. All of the evil, every malicious thought, and every sin this man had committed penetrated me. It was slowly killing me. This man, this animal. was murdering me. It's odd to believe that a ghost could feel such a pain, but believe me, I felt all too human at that moment.

The man blinked his eyes. His dark lean eyes changed. They flashed a burning gold with a scarlet slit for a pupil. I recognized those eyes. I never forgot those unfeeling balls of fire. I stared into those eyes as he killed Keiichi, Mion, Rena, Shion, Satoko, and Rika.

"I-It's you," I muttered.

He turned his back to the shrine with his hands at his side. He briskly descended the stone steps, with the black fog following his every gesture. When the fog had vanished, I gasped for all the air my tiny lungs could handle.

I knew that man. I remembered those eyes, that face, the wicked flash of his canines, and the thick fog that had strangled me. That man, whoever he was, he wasn't human. He couldn't be. No human could contain so much sin, evil, and raw anger as this man.

"Ha…Ha…" I said, gasping for air. "Ha…Ha…Hanzaemon…"