For your information, Hideyoshi was an emperor of Japan at a time. He was able to unite a part of Japan under his rule; he was the one that conquered Okinawa.

Also Okinawa wasn't actually part of Japan in the first place.

Try reading some folk tales of Japan, I assure you they are pretty interesting, some of them are plain creepy too.

For those of you who don't get what's going on, : ) frankly I don't give a damm, but if you want to know than you can just tell me and I'll explain it to you, although it would be a pain in the butt.

The vanishing fog

File 10#

Memories are never lost

"Genta!" Mai called out happily to the boy who was working hard outside his father's vegetable store. He peered up and he smiled happily at the girl. "Taniyama-san!" he greeted. Naru watches as both of them greeted each other; he noticed the smile on Mai's face and grew irritated. He made a noise with his throat and made his way in between Genta and Mai. "Hello, Kazuya-san." Genta said.

"Hello," Naru said without any enthusiasms.

"Your father works here, huh?" Mai said. Genta nodded. Naru's eye brow twitched as Genta took Mai's wrist and led her to the vegetable counter. "Try this, it's our stores speciality.' He said.

"What is it with you?" Bou-san spoke behind Naru and Naru shook his head. He turned and noticed the monk grinning. "Wipe that of your face." Naru said before turning to Mai. "Mai, we don't have time, we need to see the girl who lost her memories." He said. Mai's grin was wiped off and she turned nodding.

"Haruka, you're going to see little Haruka." Genta said. Naru clenches his fist and gave the boy one of his fake smiles. "Eh, yes." He said.

"Do you want to come, Genta...our leader can't seem to find his way." Mai said and Naru turned away as Genta nodded happily. "I would love to help, Kazuya-san you must have a very bad sense of direction." Genta said laughing.

"I do not." Naru said. It was true he didn't. There was something about this town, it was strange everywhere they turn the paths all lead to a single path and then they were back to square one, it was as if everywhere they turned was a dead end.

"Pa, I'm going out for a bit!" Genta shouted into his house.

"Alright." A gruff male's voice sounded and Genta grinned.

"My father gave his approval." Genta said before shoving an apple into Mai's arm. "I'll lead you there; Haruka's my friend's sister."

They walked and soon the path spilt and they were walking along a red chrysanthemum field. Genta stared wearily at the field. "I wonder when the flowers would revert back to normal." He suddenly whispered. Naru perked up, did he hear wrong, what did Genta just say?

"Genta, were the flowers always red?" Mai asked before Naru could. Naru stared shocked. For the first time, Mai's thought process was faster than his. He looked at the girl and found that her eyes were serious...

"Eh...no..." Genta said shocked by Mai's sudden question. "No, a few months back, the flowers were yellow; they only started to change in colour early last month, then two weeks back they turned completely red."

"Now that you reminded me, when the gas incident happened the yellow flowers then also turned red...a few days before the gas explosion." He said.

Naru pondered on this for a moment. He has heard of leaves changing colours but flowers were a whole different matter it was impossible. "Naru, are you alright?" Bou-san asked him. Naru reached into his pocket and pulled out the red chrysanthemum. Was it his imagination...or was the flower redder than yesterday or the day before.

"Well, that proves one thing..." Mai said suddenly, in front of him. The three guys were stunned when she spoke next. 'William was lying."

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"So Naru asked you to do this, huh..." John said to Yasuhara-san. The boy with the spectacles laughs nervously. "Eh, he did, but to tell you the truth I have no idea what I'm looking for." He said. John sighed. Well he got to admit, Naru was pretty vague in some of his instruction sometimes.

They were in the police head quarters digging up archives.

"For a small town, there are plenty of strange things happening around here." Yasuhara-san said and John nodded, noticing the pile Yasuhara-san had set aside.

"People going missing, ghost murder, people dying mysteriously, flowers changing colour, mysterious figures falling from the cliff, a strange fog, sightings of white fox during the night, mass disappearance... one unidentified body and look here, the dead rising from the graves." John said picking out that single file.

He shivered.

"Whatever the case, this town is hiding something." Yasuhara-san said. "After Mr Rei told us the folk story, I sensed something wrong."

"Why is that?" John asked the boy and waved the dust off some of the files. "I study the history of Japan John, I am an expert in folk tales and the ancient beliefs of Japan, you could call me an expert in Japanese cultural beliefs...well during my time studying in the university I have never come across such a folk tale." He said.

"It might not be a very popular folk tale." John said frowning.

Yasuhara-san shifted his glasses. "Yes, it might not be, but this Island Onna, is located on Okinawa, during that time Okinawa was ruled over by Ryuku, they were prosperous and were on good terms with china. Okinawa at that time weren't part of Japan, it was only in 1609 did it fall to Japan, through the Satsuma clan. Assuming that the story took place after that time, if it's real...then there was no such thing as an Empress mentioned in the story. There were also other things to speculate, the war lord, who was he...could it be Toyotomi Hideyoshi...he was the only war lord who conquered Okinawa and became emperor. No other war lord has visited Okinawa, and he did not disappear, he died of illness, he lived a great life and brought peace to the country, he ruled fairly, not like the war lord mentioned in the story."

"Maybe it's another..." John asked.

"Who? Which war lord was seen as a good leader but in reality was a bad one."

John rubbed his head, slightly confused. "This is a folk tale, Yasuhara..." John said, "People might have instilled their own versions into it."

"Exactly, if Naru tells us to take into account that the folk lore is true, then we have to take into account the actual facts of the story...that version Mr. Rei told us was not the real version of the story, the real one is somewhere hidden in this town itself."

"If we find that," John muttered, "We might get an idea of what's happening in this town."

"But where should we start..." John said he looked at the pile of files Yasuhara-san dug up and made a face. Yasuhara-san dusted his sleeves.

"The town's national archives." Yasuhara-san said. "The library."

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"Haruka," Genta called out. They had reached a neighborhood. There were wooden style Japanese houses here and the villagers were greeting Genta who called out to them in a friendly manner.

They now stood in front of a particularly big house. It had a neat little garden and a nice European like feel to it. "Ah, so cute!" Mai exclaimed when she saw the small fountain located in their garden. It was a few feet high and in the middle of its bowl like structure was a figure of a round bird, from its mouth water was shooting out into the white marble bowl.

"Mai, get moving." Naru said and she pouted.

"My, my, Genta-san." An old lady said appearing from inside the house. She opened the door wider and her smile vanished when she saw Naru and the gang.

"Who might you be?" she asked Naru and Naru raised his hand.

"Narumi Kazuya, my assistant Mai Taniyama and fellow exorcist, Houshou Takigawa." He greeted the old woman. "We are from Tokyo and are here to investigate the disappearing."

When the old woman heard that she tensed. "What do you want with Haruka?" she asked. Naru raised his eye brow. "Madam, we understand your concern but we are not here to harm her, all we want to do is talk to her."

"No." The old woman said. "She has disappeared for three days and now she has lost her memories, I would not let you disturb her."

"Madam, this is for the sake for the other children." Naru said.

"No."

"They are dying." Mai said suddenly, her fist was clenched and she was staring at the ground, her tears were starting again.

'Mai, what is wrong?" Genta asked.

"There are children dying, please, your daughter might be the only hope left to find the others."

Naru watches as the old woman's lower lips trembled. "Very well, but I have the right to ask you to leave." She said.

"Thank you, aunty." Genta said and the old woman smiled at the boy. "Please come in."

"Haruka," the old woman called out.

The little girl came silently, she walked like a ghost and the life in her eyes was gone.

"Haruka, sit here, I'll get you something hot to drink." The old woman said sadly and went to the kitchen.

"Haruka, its Genta do you remember me?" Genta asked the girl who turn to him slowly, she turned back to Naru and the gang and when she saw Mai, she pointed her finger to her. Naru frowned as words began to come out of her mouth. They were soft whispers, so soft but fast.

"...k...s...d..." the girl said.

"Haruka?" Genta said. The girl walked towards Mai, tears rolling down her eyes. She grabs onto Mai and starts to shake Mai. "Ri...ku..." the girl whispered. "Dead..."
"Key..." she said. "Don't..."

"Trust..."

"Haruka!" Genta said, clutching on to the girl. She turned to Genta and fell to the ground fainting. Mai looked at the girl. "Riku?" she said. The lights in the house went dark all of a sudden. They gasped. Mai cried out, her injured feet burning intensely.

"Riku?" Mai said again, this time raps ran through the entire house, loud raps, sounds of people moving and shuffling their feet moved in and out around them. The light above them swung vigorously and shadows reflected on the wall.

Bou-san shouted some chants and the raps and figures stopped. There was silence and everyone was panting.

"Dead..." Haruka whispered, she raised her hand to the walls. Mai gulped, Genta gasped, Bou-san raised his hands ready to chant again. There on the walls were figures lined up in a row, they were all facing them.

For some reason...all of them looked like...

"Children." Mai whispered.

A sharp laughter of a girl's whipped around the house and then silenced.

Mai legs seize to hurt and she sank to her knees.

"That..." Genta said suddenly, "Was freaky."