Kamen Rider Kagura/仮面ライダー神楽
Rite 2: Kusarei, the Corrupted Yōkais
Somewhere in Saitama, Evening
A young woman walked down the streets of Saitama, unaware that she is being watched by someone. Eventually, however, she sensed a presence behind her. Turnnig around, she saw no one, but what she felt earlier made her somewhat uncomfortable about being outside.
The young woman quickly made her way up the stairs to her apartment which had the name "Nima" engraved on the door. Checking to make sure that no one had followed her, she quickly closed the door and locked it.
In the carpark outside the apartment, the woman with the red lantern silently stared at the building before disappearing into thin air in a swirl of peony petals...
Kiritate Inari Shrine, Night
"I guess I owe some explaination to you three," Isamu said as he sat in front of Naomi, Toshiaki and Hayate while Ryōko busied herself in the kitchen.
After dropping off an unconscious Takanobu near his house, Hayate had gone straight back to the Kiritate Inari Shrine, only to find that Isamu was already aware of the fact that Ryōko is a kitsune and that she had already reached home earlier than them and was preparing dinner.
"Yeah, boss. Why is Ryōko a Kitsune? What is going on?" Hayate asked.
"Dad, that monster that attacked us, is it related to one of those sightings?" Naomi added.
Isamu sighed.
"They're what we call Kusarei, and the Konishi family has some relation to them. Ryōko would explain to you what they are, but it'll probably make you all more confused so I'm going to give you the dumbed-down version of the story."
Isamu took a sip of tea before continuing.
"During the Sengoku Era, the Konishi Clan, no relation to any of the feudal lords or their retainers with the same family name, were among some of the last few onmyōdō practicioners. After all, our clan is linked to Abe no Seimei."
"Abe no Seimei? You mean we're…"
"Yes, Naomi. You and I along with all your cousins and two uncles are distant descendants of the Abe Clan. The direct descendants, as you know, are the Tsuchimikado Clan. Anyways, during the Sengoku Era, a group of yōkai decided that it was the best time to try and subjugate humanity, so they attacked. You both heard of the Koei Tecmo game Nioh? It was pretty much like that at that time."
"What happened?"
"Our clan fought back, along with a few others who were aware of what was going on. The Sanada Clan, the Tokugawa Clan and the Kuroda Clan assisted in driving those yōkai back, but then they used some sort of ancient ritual spell which corrupted their bodies and mind in exchange for power. That was how the Kusarei were born. They are corrupted yōkai, having thrown their identity away…"
"How were they defeated?" Toshiaki asked.
"A Nurarihyon led his Hyakki Yagyō into battle alongside humans, which was followed by several other unaffiliated yōkai that did not want to see the balance between humans and the spirit world get destroyed. But it was Kuzunoha herself, the white fox that was Abe no Seimei's mother, who turned the tide of the battle when she returned to the mortal realm and intervened. The Kusarei were defeated and sealed away in several different prisons around Japan. But of course, just like criminals in the human world, the Kusarei sometimes break out of prison."
"Then how does Ryōko come in?"
"A Kitsune serving under the goddess Inari is chosen to become Kagura, the defender of humanity, against the Kusarei. Kagura's duty is to capture and reseal the Kusarei that escape their prisons. Ryōko is the fifth Kitsune to bear the title of Kagura, and since she also happens to be the great-great-granddaughter of Kuzunoha, she's related to Abe no Seimei, and by extension, you and me, Naomi."
"Wait, you're saying that Ryōko is…"
"In a messed up way, Ryōko is a distant living ancestor of ours. Which is why she came to us."
"Then, how old is she exactly?"
"She's 270 years old. Since she's pseudo-immortal and has an unaging body, she always look young. A Kitsune's age is about fifteen times of a human, so in human terms, she's actually 18 years old, like you."
Having just finished dinner, Naomi entered the courtyard of the shrine to reflect on everything that had just happened, only to see Ryōko sitting in the garden watching the stars, her fox ears and tail still exposed.
"Ryōko, your ears…" Naomi said.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot to withdraw them," Ryōko replied as her fox features disappear back into her body before she rubbed her own head.
"Why did you choose to be a maid for my father?"
"It was a pretty good cover. No one ever suspects the maid. Besides, every Kusarei that saw my human form are trapped in these tablets," Ryōko said as she held up the tablet that Fuhaitsume was sealed within.
"Damn you, Kagura! Let me out!" Fuhaitsume is heard shouting from within the tablet. Although his voice is somewhat muffled.
"What if it breaks? Won't he escape?"
"Yes, but his body will be broken into pieces along with the tablet and he'll never to be able to become whole again."
"What? No way! Don't break my prison, I'll be a good cat and keep quiet…"
"The thing about immortality is that there are prices to pay, and they're damn unfair because you don't know what it entails. We yōkai can actually live forever without ageing or anything, even though we can still be killed, but the Kusarei felt that it was not enough, which is why they are in their cursed state right now," Ryōko said with a snicker as she slipped the tablet back into her pocket.
"So, just how distant are you from us?" Naomi asked.
"As in family relationship? Let's see… Technically, I'm the very, very, very distant cousin of one of your ancestor's, about twelve to thirteen families apart? Besides, that particular cousin was already dead for centuries by the time I was born."
"I see… Where are you going to put that tablet at?"
"I'm temporarily placing them in your family shrine until the original prison is repaired."
Just then, Toshiaki and Hayate entered the garden.
"Oh, you two are here."
"What are you guys up to?"
"Hayate was talking about that strange three-legged crow that showed up earlier and he wants to see if he might be able to see it again."
"Well, he won't appear at night."
"How do you know that?"
"That was Yatagarasu, the Sun Crow. When he appears, it is a sign of divine intervention, although in my case, he tells me what I should expect."
"So he's a messenger?"
"A messenger? What an insult! Yatagarasu happens to be a god of guidance! A lowly yōkai like me won't even be able to hold a candle to him," Ryōko rebuked Hayate.
"Oh, so the granny fox isn't as powerful as she appears to be…"
"Hayate, what are you doing? You can't just pick a fight with a Kitsune! Have you forgotten the old tales of Kitsune that got so pissed off that they tormented their targets to death?" Toshiaki warned.
"Hey, after all the shit I put up with her, I finally found two of her weaknesses. She's old and scared of dogs! I'll see if she dares to make fun of me again," Hayate replied confidently.
"Ha-yate-kun, what did you just call me?"
His hair standing on ends upon hearing those words being spoken in a sing-song manner, Hayate slowly turned around to see Ryōko wearing the most innocent-looking smile on her face while releasing a burst of flames from a hand-held kerosene blowtorch as Naomi and Toshiaki face-palmed and their faces turn pale blue with horror.
"W-W-Where did she get the blowtorch from?" Naomi asked.
"Ryōko, what are you doing? Wait! That thing is dangerous! Wait! Wait! Okay, you're not a granny fox, you're a sweet, kind and beauti-HOLY SHIT!"
Isamu stepped into the garden looking confused, startling Naomi and Toshiaki.
"Er, Naomi, Toshiaki, did you know where the blowtorch is? It's missing from the workshop and I need it to fix the pipes," he asked.
The two responded by pointing at Ryōko, who was giggling away as she chased the chauffeur around the shrine's courtyard with the blowtorch.
Jounan University, One hour before noon
"That Takanobu fellow seems completely unaffected... Guess Ryōko's trick worked" Toshiaki commented to Naomi as they watch their classmate sitting three tables in front of them.
Using her Kitsune magic, Ryōko had removed part of Takanobu's memories of what happened yesterday before Hayate dropped him off, thus Takanobu doesn't remember anything about Fuhaitsume attacking him, although he remembers Naomi, Toshiaki, Hayate and for some reason Ryōko as well, as he asked Naomi about her house maid earlier today.
"After what we saw yesterday? I'm actually surprised that we are still able to function normally," Naomi replied.
"Anyway, how does she even see through this thing?" Toshiaki asked as he pointed at the origami crane on his table.
Before they went to school, Ryōko had given them both an origami paper crane each, telling them to carry them around at all times. Hayate had received an origami too, but to his annoyance, the one he got from Ryōko was a frog-shaped one, although Ryōko insisted that the frog-origami was better than the crane-origami. Ryōko had told them that inside the origami are actually her personal shikigamis and assured them that the shikigami will protect them if they are in trouble.
"I don't know, we just do what she ask us to do," Naomi replied.
"What is wrong with him?" someone asked during the lunch break.
"What?"
"The flirting. He's acting like he's the ladies man, but all he does is anger the girls he was hitting on. What's up with that?"
"From what I heard, he was already like that since high school, but not that aggressive. There's rumours that he saw one of those 'sightings'. Maybe it rattled his brain."
"Only if those rumours are true. I bet he's claiming to have one of those 'sightings' so that he can have a conversation with girls."
"Those people really shouldn't talk about things they don't know about," a female classmate with long black hair commented as she walked past Naomi and Toshiaki.
"What? Oh, yeah, you're right, but then it's human nature to gossip, right?" Naomi replied.
"Maybe… You're Konishi Isamu's daughter, right? People have been talking about you ever since you entered the school."
"Great… There goes my peaceful life in school…"
"I guess that's why Takanobu tried to hit on you yesterday," Toshiaki said.
"Anyway, who are you?"
"Nima Yuriko," the girl replied before walking off.
"Hey, Toshiaki, you get the feeling that Yuriko girl seems angry for some reason?"
"Yeah… Kind of weird though."
Kiritate Inari Shrine
Ryōko and Isamu watched a crystal ball displaying everything Toshiaki and Naomi are seeing, the image being transmitted back to them via the crane origami Ryōko had given to the two of them.
"Well, can you see it?"
"Ara, ara… No doubt he's being targeted by a Kusarei. Whoever he or she is, a mark as already been left on him. You won't be able to see it normally like me, but you can see it through this Orb of Revelation. I'm surprised you even managed to get your hands on such a treasure without knowing what it is," Ryōko replied Isamu.
"Well, it was on auction and no one was biding for it, so I took my chances, thinking it was some home decoration…"
Through the Orb of Revelation, the two could see the Kusarei Mark, a symbol resembling a pair of fangs and a pair of wings, glowing red on Takanobu's back.
"Anything we can do?"
"At the moment, we can't do anything. The Kusarei targeting him has not shown up anywhere near him. But I planted some shikigamis in the area around his house just in case… But if we can identify his inner darkness, we might be able to shorten the list of Kusarei that may be targeting him."
Ryōko unrolled the paper she received from the Yatagarasu yesterday, which contains a list of names of Kusarei that broke out of the Kurainokumo Sealing Temple, which had the name 'Fuhaitsume' crossed out by Ryōko since that particular Kusarei had been captured by her.
"Urgh, this would be difficult… If only I have a bit of a hint…" Ryōko grumbled as a train roared past the shrine on the Hachikō line.
Jounan University, Evening
"I'm starting to regret choosing to study law in this school…" Naomi complained as she and Toshiaki left the school and headed to a nearby seafood café for dinner (Ryōko had to do late shopping after the kitchen ran out of food).
"I heard that a lot of people are complaining about this lecturer. He's boring and really arrogant… Hope he gets replaced."
"Yeah- Hey, look who's over there."
The two saw Takanobu trying to talk to a group of girls. As they were too far, the two couldn't hear what he was saying, but it didn't take long for the group of girls to angrily walk away as they chanted something nasty at Takanobu. Clearly he had said something wrong.
"Erm, you think we should go somewhere else instead?" Naomi asked.
"Yeah, good idea…"
The two turned around and nearly jumped out of their skins.
"Ah, you're Yuriko!" Naomi said as she recognized the girl behind them.
"Is Takanobu up to his antics again?" Yuriko asked.
"Yeah, sort of…"
"It wasn't like this in the past…"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing… I was just wondering out loud. I apologize."
"Okay…"
Naomi couldn't help but notice an expression of sadness on Yuriko's face but then she and Toshiaki turned back to the front and ended up with another evening jump scare.
"Ara ara, fancy meeting you two here," Ryōko greeted, carrying bags of groceries.
"Oh, a maid?" Yuriko asked.
"Ah, Yuriko, this is Ryōko, my family's maid. Ryōko, this is Nima Yuriko, one of my classmates."
"Ara, you're making new friends already, young mistress. That's good to know…"
"Em, I'll take my leave. Nice to meet you, miss Ryōko," Yuriko said quickly before turning to leave.
"By the way, why are you still in your maid outfit?" Naomi said.
"I thought I mentioned yesterday that I only change out of my outfit when I need to use the motorbike."
"Come to think of it, why would a Kitsune need a motorbike?" Toshiaki asked.
"I would rather have a horse, but Isamu pointed out that this is the modern era so I have to learn how to ride a bike instead. It was pretty fun. I even ran down a kidnapper with it three years ago. Broke his tailbone…"
"That's not how you use a bike…"
A scream suddenly interrupted them. Throwing her groceries at Toshiaki, who miraculously managed to catch all of them without losing his balance, Ryōko rushed into the alleyway where the scream came from, with Naomi not far behind. Naomi was stunned by how Ryōko could run so fast and parkour over a mailbox despite wearing a long dress that reaches her ankles.
Entering the alley, the two sees Yuriko crawling away from a woman in a kimono holding a lantern in one hand. Yuriko's right arm was bleeding and there was a look of fear on her face: The woman with the lantern's face was alternating between a pale-skinned face and a skeletal look.
"Get away from her, Kusarei!" Ryōko snarled as she conjured a stream of blue flames from her fingers and send them screaming towards the woman with the lantern.
The flames struck the woman with the lantern, causing her to shriek in pain as she levitated into the air.
"Curse you, you damn fox! I'll remember this," she roared before disappearing in a vortex of peony petals.
"Peony petals? Don't tell me… Botanhone?" Ryōko whispered to herself when she heard Naomi's voice.
"Yuriko, are you all right?" Naomi asked as she helped her classmate up.
"Yes, but what was that? And how did your maid conjure flames from nothing?"
"Oh *beep*, it's hard to keep my identity secret," Ryōko cursed to herself.
Kiritate Inari Shrine, Night
"I'm sorry for all these trouble," Yuriko said as Naomi finished bandaging her arm.
"No, it's fine… But your parents…"
"They're actually living in Niigata Prefecture. I'm staying in a house they own here in Saitama Prefecture."
"On your own?"
"Yeah… And you… You live in a shrine, have a combat butler and a Kitsune for a maid? Almost like some kind of light fantasy novel, don't you think?"
"I wish… Anyways, the bandages will hold, but you'll need to change them every now and then. Other than that, those cuts will heal quickly, so don't worry about it."
The two girls left Naomi's room and entered the living room, where the Orb of Revelations is displaying an image of the woman with the lantern as Ryōko, Isamu, Toshiaki and Hayate gathered around it.
"There's no mistaking it… This Kusarei is Botanhone. She used to be a Hone-onna who became a Kusarei after being exorcised from her haunting spot."
"Interesting… What are her abilities?" Isamu asked.
"According to the list the Yatagarasu gave to Ryōko yesterday, this Botanhone is very powerful as long as she wields her weapon, the Lantern of Devouring Despair. If she is disarmed of it, she won't be able to last long," Toshiaki said as he stared at the list.
"Yeah right… If I disarm her, two things may happen. She either becomes a sitting duck or she gets desperate and starts pulling out tricks no one expect her to have. The second Kitsune to wield the title of Kagura was killed by a Kusarei only six months into her tenure. No one knew that particular Kusarei actually had two extra arms hidden in his armor until she disarmed him of his weapons," Ryōko retorted.
"Anyway, this Botanhone… Is she targeting Yuriko?"
"No. Despite being a female, Botanhone targets heart-broken young men as it lowers the chance of detection. After all, who would expect a female Kusarei to be possessing a male human."
"Takanobu is the one being targeted…"
"But Takanobu is constantly flirting around. How could he be heart-broken?"
"I don't know, let's ask Yuriko," Ryōko replied as she turned towards their guest and folded her arms with a big smirk on her face.
Everyone turned to stare at Yuriko upon hearing Ryōko's words. Yuriko nervously looked down. An uncomfortable slience lasted for five seconds before Yuriko finally spoke.
"Takanobu and I used to date back in high school…"
"What? What happened?"
"I… I cheated on him."
Everyone's jaw dropped.
"I know! I mean, it was stupid of me to do that… Takanobu used to be a friendly and well-mannered person, but I broke up with him for a baseball player in my school. He was really depressed. And I made it worst by lying. Everyone listened to me and called him a player and a liar, and he just… He just crumbled. I felt really bad about it… I tried to apologize and-"
"I'm out," Hayate said as he walked out of the living room to the employee's quarters where he and Ryōko are currently housed in.
"Yeah, this kind of thing tends to make us guys angry, especially with the current issue on gender equality. I'll be in my room," Toshiaki added as he went into his room.
"This brings back some bad memories… You girls sort this out," Isamu said before retreating up the stairs.
"Your dad too?" Ryōko asked Naomi.
"Dad got cheated on when he was young. Mom helped him out and that's how they fell in love," Naomi explained.
"O-kay… Miss Yuriko, please continue."
"When we were halfway into our second year, he suddenly changed. When people called him a player he took it in stride and told them that he was. He became someone else completely. His flirting got him only slaps and angry words, but then girls remain drawn to his antics. He goes out on dates with different female classmates every week, but then I heard from them that he never really tried to get them to be his girlfriend or something, only going out with them as friends."
"He made sure to stay in the friendzone?" Naomi asked, to which Yuriko nodded.
"What the heck is this friendzone? I see it a lot while looking at this 9GAG thingy on this magic electric typewriter your dad gave to me," Ryōko asked as she held up a laptop.
"It's a laptop, 9GAG is a website for memes and 'friendzone' is a term used to describe people, usually guys, who desires romance with the other gender but are merely seen as friends."
"You humans and your strange terminologies…"
"Anyway, what happened next, Yuriko? Did you ever talk to Takanobu again?"
"I did, but he simply says that I was too good for him and he no longer feels sad that I cheated on him because he didn't deserve me. Then off he goes acting like a womanizer again."
"I get it now… Takanobu never really got over the fact that you cheated on him. He coped with the situation by inventing lies about his self-worth and created a persona that isn't his true self. Thu, his 'truth' became his 'inner darkness', his 'shadow' in a sense… No wonder that Botanhone was attracted to him, and she's desperate enough to figure out your past relation with him and try to eliminate you in case you ruin her chance of getting a host body…"
Yuriko clenched her fists.
"You said that Takanobu is being targeted by this Botanhone thing… It's my fault, isn't it?"
"No, Yuriko, it isn't-"
"It is. Indirectly."
"Ryōko!"
"Sorry, young mistress, but in this kind of situation, I cannot lie. One must face their own flaws, their own inenr darkness, in order to develop as a living being, be they human, animals or yōkai. Of course, it's easier for animals since they can't exactly lie unless they're a *beep*ing cuckoo chick…"
"You don't have to be that harsh!"
"I have to, because Yuriko is the only thing standing between Takanobu and Botanhone. We're going to need her help."
"It took being cheated on and having false tales spun about me to make me realize how much I hurt Takanobu… If I am responsible for him being targeted by that monster, I'll do anything to help him, even if he doesn't forgive me," Yuriko said.
"And how are we going to help Takanobu?" Naomi asked.
Ryōko's smirk disappeared, replaced by a brooding look as she placed a hand upon her chin.
"This is the difficult part… We must make him realize that he can't live under shell of lies he concocted around himself forever… Break him out of his shell, make him face the truth and accept him. Doing that will force Botanhone to be unable to possess his body."
"What if she succeeds in possessing him?"
"I'll have to beat her out of his body, but he may end up severely injured or even lose his life. I don't want that to happen again…"
Ryōko's eyes suddenly showed signs of regret. Having heard what Ryōko just said, Naomi wonders if Ryōko's hand was forced at some point in time…
A park near Jounan University, Morning
"Why did you want to meet me here, Yuriko?" Takanobu asked as he arrived at the park.
"Takanobu, about what happened at high school…"
"That again? I thought we settled the issue three years ago when we were in our second year at Higurata High?"
"Is that really a settlement, or is it just a lie you concocted to yourself so that you won't be angry with her?" Ryōko, wearing a denim jacket over a white t-shirt along with brown knee-length pants this time, asked as she emerged from behind a tree.
"What? Wait… Aren't you Naomi's house maid?"
At this point, Naomi and Toshiaki also emerged from their hiding places.
"What's going on? Why is everyone gathered here?"
"Takanobu, Yuriko told us everything," Naomi said.
"About what?"
"Everything you've been pretending to be… It's just to cope with Yuriko cheating on you, isn't it?"
"Look, she had a perfectly good reason for that-"
"Stop saying that! Takanobu, I did something wrong to you! How is it that you could just sit back and absorb all the unnecessary blame I placed on you? Aren't you angry with me at all?"
"But-"
A strange wind suddenly blew past the group. Her eyes widening in shock, Ryōko lunged towards Takanobu, but it was too late.
"AH HA HA HA HA! This boy's inner darkness has reached the satifactory level! Your body shall become mine!" Botanhone shrieked with malicious joy as she entered Takanobu's body, causing him to fall backwards.
"Shit," Ryōko cursed.
"Takanobu!" Yuriko cried out as she rushed to his body, but Toshiaki and Naomi held her back.
"No, it's too dangerous!" Naomi said.
"But-"
Takanobu suddenly did a kip-up, landing on his feet in a hunched position and an evil look on his face. Red and pink energy swirled around him as his body tranformed into a female, skeletal-looking humanoid with damaged samurai armor and wielding a red paper lantern in one hand.
"Finally, I, Botanhone, have achieved perfection! Nothing you can do to stop me now, fox," Botanhone declared.
"Ara ara, guess we'll have to do this the hard way… Henshin!" Ryōko said as she revealed her Kitsune nature (ears and tail) as she put on the belt she used to transform.
"Power release authorised. Initiating Blaze Form."
"The Gensou Driver? No… It can't be… You're that damned Kitsune called Kagura, aren't you?" Botanhone demanded with rage as Ryōko transformed into her armoured warrior form, Kagura.
"That's Kamen Rider Kagura to you, pe-u-ny witch. And just for the record, I'm the one that took out your cat buddy two days ago," Kagura retorted as she rushed towards Botanhone.
"No wonder I can't find Fuhaitsume… In that case I'll avenge him!"
Botanhone threw a punch at her, but Kagura dodged it and placed the Kusarei in a headlock. The Kusarei broke free by punching her opponent in the head twice, but Kagura quickly switched to an armlock instead, then followed by an ankle lock when Botanhone got out of the armlock only to trip and fall.
"Why isn't she using her sword?" Toshiaki asked.
"Maybe she is trying not to hurt Takanobu?" Naomi suggested.
"Yuriko! Talk to Takanobu!" Kagura said urgently to Yuriko as she continues to grapple with Botanhone.
"Talk? But he's been overtaken by that thing!"
"Just talk!"
"Takanobu, can you hear me?"
"Silly girl, this boy can't hear you anymore! He's under my control now. He's mine, mine!"
"Shut up, you pe-u-ny witch! She's talking to Takanobu!"
"I'm a bloody peony witch! Pronounce it properly, you shitty fox!"
In response, Kagura grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and stuffed it into Botanhone's mouth while still maintaining a rear-naked choke on her.
"Takanobu! Please, you need to stop blaming yourself for the things I did to you! Why is it that you can't express your true feelings?"
"I told you, girl! Takanobu is no longer able to hear you! Oh, I know what you did to him. That inner drkness within this boy tells me everything! You cheated on him, didn't you?"
"I! Said! Shut! Up!" Kagura roared as she tried to gag Botanhone with her hands.
"Yes, yes, you did, girl… He actually shouldered the blame for you, not even caring that his own reputation was going down shit creek! And now you want to patch things up with him? After everything you put him through? You don't deserve to speak to him!"
Yuriko became discouraged by Botanhone's words as she fell to her knees.
"Yuriko!" Naomi called out as she and Toshiaki rushed to her side.
Seizing the opportunity, Botanhone summoned up several Jaku to aid her. The Jaku rushed towards Yuriko, but a black blur suddenly appeared and took out four of the nearest Hannya-masked Jaku.
"Sorry, pe-u-ny witch, but you're going to have to get past me first," Hayate said as he adjusted his peaked cap and brandished his tonfas.
"You too? Get my name right, damn it!"
"Yuriko, are you all right?" Naomi asked as Hayate began laying waste to the Jaku.
"That monster is right… I don't have the right to talk to Takanobu, let alone try to save him… I'm the one to blame for all this," Yuriko said.
"Don't say things like that! You're the only one who can convince Takanobu since you know him the longest!" Toshiaki said.
Meanwhile, Hayate finds himself tangling with a Jaku commander (Ayakashi-masked) again. The last time he fought one of them, that thing had thrown him halfway across a university courtyard like a baseball. Now, he was trying not to get grabbed.
"Hey, Ryōko, some help here?" Hayate said as he blocks a blow from the commander Jaku.
"I'm busy!" Kaguras snapped back as she grappled with Botanhone.
"Well, I ain't John Cena! I can't hold this guy for long!"
"Of course you're not John Cena, I can freaking see you! You still got that frog origami with you?"
"Yeah!"
"Give me a moment!" Kagura said as she aimed two fingers surrounded with green energy at Hayate's chest pocket.
The frog origami suddenly flew out of the pocket, swelled to the size of a human adult and landed on the Ayakashi-masked Jaku, literally flattening it into the ground. The frog origami then proceeded to use its paper tongue to take out more Jaku.
"You know what I said about the frog yesterday? I take it all back," Hayate commented as he stared at the destruction caused by the frog origami.
"I had enough of this!" Botanhone screamed as she finally tears herself free from Kagura's clutches and rushed towards Yuriko, knocking Naomi and Toshiaki out of the way.
"Yuriko!" Kagura called out as Botanhone raised an arm and swung it down.
No… This is all wrong… What am I doing? Why am I trying to hurt her?
Yuriko… Move… Why aren't you moving? Why are you staring at me like that?
Botanhone's arm stopped inches away from Yuriko, who, to everyone's amazement, didn't even flinch.
"What? Impossible! The boy is resisting me?" Botanhone asked.
"Takanobu, please, you got to hear me. Stop holding in what you really feel! I hurt you and you have every right to be angry with me! I destroyed your reputation and caused you to become like this, yet even until now, you continue to shield me from everything negative! How could you do this to yourself when it was my fault? Please stop holding back! I want you to rightfully blame me for everything I did to you! Stop living in the lie I created about you and face the truth! Stop thinking that everything is your own fault!" Yuriko said, tears streaming down her eyes.
Blame you? Why? What do you mean by 'face the truth'… Why are you crying?
Wait… I know exactly what you're talking about…
Yes, I was hurt. I was really hurt when you cheated on me. I was so angry with you that I wanted to… I wanted to hurt you, then I decided that the best way to hurt you was to become the person you claimed that I was… That's why I choose to turn your lies into truth… What an idiot I am… I am responsible for all this as well, because of my selfish desire to make you feel guilty…
The current me is just a shell I build around myself… But what's the real me? I need to know… The real me?
"Takanobu, please… I just wanted to fix everything I screwed up… I want you to stop suffering and be the kind-hearted person you used to be… I'll take back the burden I've unfairly placed on you," Yuriko said.
"No! This is not how it's supposed to be! Why can't I move?"
"Human host of the Kusarei Botanhone, I, the divine Kitsune granted the title of Kagura by the goddess Inari, demands you to announe your name! Who are you?"
A sudden surge of energy went through Botanhone all of a sudden.
"No! Boy, don't you dare-"
"Who are you?!" Kagura demanded again, her voice louder and more forceful this time.
A burst of energy erupted from Botanhone, causing her to fly backwards. As the light from the energy burst dimmed, a person fell forward into the arms of Yuriko.
"To… To the one demanding my name… I'm Hazuki Takanobu!" Takanobu declared.
"Takanobu, you're all right!" Yuriko said as Toshiaki and Naomi joined them.
"I heard you at last, Yuriko… But you are not to be completely blamed for this… I was being selfish myself, trying to hurt you by making you feel guilty… I guess we're both responsible for all this, huh?" Takanobu asked.
"I'm so sorry… I would do anything to take back all the hurt I caused you," Yuriko sobbed as she hugged her ex-boyfriend.
"Yeah, me too…"
"Er, guys, we're not out of the woods yet," Hayate said as he stepped between the university students and Botanhone, who was getting up to her feet, an expression of shock and fury on her face.
"I'll… I'll never forgive you human scums! You will all pay!" the Kusarei screamed at them.
"Ara ara, everyone seems to have forgotten the main character of the story despite all my yelling, especially you, you bony-ass cougar," a very familiar voice said behind her.
Botanhone turned around only to get a sharp kick to her butt from Kagura, sending her sprawling. Giving a short laugh, Kagura did her "shake off" gesture on her hakama before unsheathing her sword, twirled it twice and pointed it at Botanhone.
"Now that the focus is back on me… Odorimasen-ka?" Kagura asked.
In response, Botanhone raised her lantern, causing red energy bolts to shot out from it and home in on Kagura, who deftly destroyed each of them with her sword swings. However, the rate of the attack forced Kagura to stay on the defensive, preventing her from advancing towards Botanhone.
"How do you like my Lantern of Devouring Despair, you bitch?" Botanhone taunted.
"I'm a vixen, you bony-ass cougar!" Kagura retorted as she suddenly deflected one of the red energy bolts back to Botanhone, striking the Lantern of Devouring Despair she had been boasting about a few seconds ago.
"My lantern!" Botanhone cried out as half of her weapon is left in tatters.
Unleashing a war cry, Kagura rushed Botanhone, delivering six to seven sowrd strikes at the Kusarei, each hit causing the latter to stumble back. In desperation, Botanhone summoned several peony petals around her, using the petals to harass Kagura and prevent her from landing a proper hit on Botanhone, but the Kitsune simply leapt a few feet backwards and ran two fingers down the blade of her sword.
"Yon-kata Haraubuki (Four-form Exorcising Weapon), Activate!" Kagura said.
In response, flames engulfed the entire sword before Kagura moves into a slashing position.
"Final Cleanse initiated: Blaze Rending!" the belt, which the Kusarei earlier called the Gensou Driver, announced.
With three consecutive slashes, Kagura sends three crescent energy slashes made of fire towards Botanhone. The first one burnt away all the peony petals surrounding her, the second smashed right into her torso and the third blew her up as she screamed in pain.
As Botanhone's burning body collapsed to its knees, black smoke emerged from her back and began trying to float away as though it had a life of its own. Without hesitation, Kagura pulls out another mortuary tablet and aimed it at the black smoke, which is quickly pulled into the tablet which is then wrapped up in a papr talisman.
"Phew, that battle got hairy at one point… Guess the list was right about Botanhone becoming very weak without her lantern," Kagura commented as she transformed back into Ryōko, with her fox ears and tail disappearing back into her body as well.
"You did it, Ryōko!" Naomi congratulated as she, Toshiaki and Hayate approached her.
"What about Takanobu and Yuriko?"
"We're fine… Thank you, Ryōko…" Takanobu said.
"You should thank Yuriko for helping you get Botanhone out of your body."
"I don't deserve the thanks."
"Don't say that… Not everyone gets a second chance, if you know what I mean," Ryōko said mischievously.
Takanobu and Yuriko stared at each other awkwardly.
"I guess so… It's time to be who I really am… No more flirting for me, I was never a womanizer in the beginning anyways… From now on, I'm just Hazuki Takanobu."
"C'mon, let's go, Takanobu. Ryōko, Naomi, Toshiaki, Hayate, thank you all again for everything," Yuriko said as well before she and Takanobu left.
"Well, all's well ends well," Naomi commented.
Hidden behind a tree, the young man with mid-length hair silently watched as Ryōko converses with Naomi before the latter starts pulling her along by her hand with Hayate and Toshiaki follwoing behind. His hands traced along the strange belt with four switches on the buckler around his waist while he held in his other hand a dagger-like device.
"What a strange yōkai… No, not possible. No free-roaming yōkai would mingle with humans. You're up to something… If I'm right, I will be the one to put an end to you, but even if I'm wrong, you best stay out of my way, Kagura…" he muttered to himself before walking away.
Unknown to the young man with mid-length hair, someone else had been watching him. Putting down his binoculars, the other man with the belt over his shoulders shook his head.
"What's up with the last son of the Momosaki Clan? I would like to sit back and watch, but now that he's really targeting Kagura, I might have to intervene… Damn, I really don't feel like fighting another human, but I've got a job to do, after all," the other man said to himself before putting on a cap and leaving the place.
Next Rite: The Chauffeur's Secret And A Lucky Charm
A friend of Hayate's come by for a visit and reveals that she's been seeing things that are not supposed to be there, prompting Ryōko to investigate on Hayate's behalf to see if his friend is being haunted by a ghost or being targeted by a Kusarei. On a side note, Naomi and Toshiaki brings back what they believe to be a lost child, only to find out from Isamu that the "child" is actually a benevolent yōkai known as the Zashiki-Warashi…
Kusarei Guide: Botanhone (牡丹骨)
Rough Translate of Name: "peony bones"
Target: Hazuki Takanobu
Weapons: Lantern of Devouring Despair
Yōkai Motif/Origins: Hone-onna, a female yōkai usually portrayed as resembling a walking skeleton that actively preys on men to steal their life force. One notable portrayal of this yōkai is in the story Botan Dōrō. There are various versions of this story, one teaching about the horrors of lust and another a kabuki play of tragic romance
Abilities: Summon peony petals, fire red energy blast from lantern-based weapon
Ryōko/Kagura's Shikigami
Ryōko can conjure actual shikigami (the same entities the Kusarei grunts, the Jaku, are based on) and infuse them into paper origami, allowing them to serve as spies and, in emergencies, enlarge themselves to the size of a human adult to act as combatants. Unlike normal shikigamis, Ryōko's shikigami automatically returns to their creator when their paper bodies are destroyed, and they have a free will, showing that they are voluntarily serving Ryōko and not being controlled by her. Ryōko currently have at least 20 of them