If the weather back home felt unusual, it was nothing compared to the frozen summer in Tsukiko's homeland. There were certainly traces of her up and down the vast string of islands: avalanches pouring down snow crusted mountains; crops withered and blown to the ground; starving cattle stumbling on frozen ground; peasants wrapped in all they owned, their ears red and their fingers purple. Gone was the familiar drone of insects and the spates of summer rain, replaced by howling wind and driving sleet. Jack followed the swath of misery down past the mountains, back to the forests creeping towards the sprawling city of Edo, hidden in billowing fog.
Jack stepped beneath the trees that were now so familiar to him, his staff trailing behind him, streaming frost along the path. As if guided by instinct, he found himself picking familiar trails to the rocky clearing in the forest where he'd met Tsukiko. He floated to the top of the boulders and gazed around the hazy clearing, the wind brushing his hair along his brow.
[Took you long enough,] a voice spoke behind him. Jack whipped around, holding his staff at the ready.
Standing like a shadow next to the trees was Tsukiko. Her eyes glowed with a dull blue sheen in the haze as she stared at him. There were dark rings under her eyes, and her cheeks were lined with tracks of ice crystals.
[Tsukiko...] Jack said. He swallowed hard, but his throat had gone completely dry.
Tsukiko's eyes drifted down to the staff pointed at her, and back up to Jack's face. [I was beginning to think you weren't coming back,] she said in a dull, even tone. She threw her arms open. [Do you like what I've done with the place? It's much better now, I think. I can stay out and play as long as I'd like,] Tsukiko said. Her fingers traced the knots in a pine. Ice prickled out from beneath the bark. [Did you come back to play with me?]
Jack lowered the staff a little. [Listen, I just want to talk to you...] he began.
Tsukiko's eyes flashed. [Talk? What's there to talk about? You're not still thinking about the humans, are you?]
Jack held out a hand. [Just let me explain. You don't have to hurt them...]
Tsukiko clapped her hands over her ears. [No! Shut up!]
Jack took a cautious step down the boulders towards her. [We're not demons, we-]
She shut her eyes and shook her head. [You don't understand! You'll never understand!]
[I do! I do understand...]
Fresh tears squeezed from Tsukiko's clenched eyes. [You're here to kill me, aren't you?]
Jack shook his head. [No! No, I'd never hurt you...]
[Liar!] Tsukiko snapped. [You lied to me, right from the start! You never wanted to be my friend! You wanted to get rid of me, just like the humans! You're no different from them!]
Jack gripped his staff against his chest. [That's not true, just listen, please-]
[No! I'm not going to listen any more! If you want to kill me, Jack, then go ahead and try!] With that, her body erupted in blue light, and she slammed her palms against the ground.
Spikes of ice burst from the dirt, shooting out towards Jack. He jumped and the first few shattered against the rocks, but the last one launched straight towards his head. He managed to deflect it with his staff at the last moment; it clattered to the ground behind him. Tsukiko did not give him a chance to rest; spikes were ripping out of the ground like trees, morphing and twisting in their attempts to reach him. Jack dove and swerved out of the way. He tried destroying the spikes with his staff, but the shards fluttered in midair and shot back towards him, ripping small holes through his cloak like buckshot. Soon the air around him was filled with glittering shards of ice. In desperation, Jack sank down and struck the top of the boulders just as the shards sped towards him in a tinkling wave. Wind burst from the staff and spread out in all directions, blasting away the ice and the haze surrounding the clearing. Jack rose trembling to his feet.
The clearing was unrecognizable. The trees all around had been shattered and blown apart. Grasping tendrils of ice crumbled back to the ground, leaving broken, menacing shapes. The rocks beneath him were fractured, as if raked by enormous claws. Amidst it all stood Tsukiko, wreathed in a vivid blue glow. The flames danced in her wide eyes, her brow twitching.
[I don't understand,] she mumbled. [Why won't you fight me? Aren't you here to get rid of me?]
Jack sagged a little. [I told you already, I don't want to hurt you...]
"Fuzakenjanai!" she cursed, and Jack flinched. [How can you be so strong, but so stupid? You already hurt me, Jack,] she said, her lower lip trembling. [You said you were my friend, but you turned your back on me. I tried to talk to you, and you wouldn't listen. You ran away.] Fresh tears dripped from her eyes, crusting into ice. [Do you want me to say that I'm sorry? I'm not. What is so special about them? How can you see them as anything but the monsters they think we are?]
Jack bowed his head.
Tsukiko glared hard at him for a moment, and tossed her head, turning away with a sigh. [Why don't we play one last game?] she said. Jack looked up. [Edo's not far from here. There's lots of humans there, right?] She held up a hand, and a ball of flame jumped down from around her head, swinging around her fingers. [There are even powerful humans there, if you believe that. A shogun, they say. I wonder what it would be like if I had his power? In fact... I wonder what it would be like if I had all of their power?]
Jack just stared at her in growing horror. She turned back around with a smirk. [You don't want that to happen, do you, Jack?] she said. [So? Do you want to play one last round of tag with me?] Before he had time to do much more than gape, there was a burst of snow, and a white hare hung in midair before him. [You're it!] she squeaked, kicking him in the chest. Then she was gone.
For a moment Jack was seized with a familiar panic, staring at the ice crystals glittering in the air where Tsukiko had once been. Then he was tearing after her, the wind howling around him, leaving a hail of dirt and bark and snow in his wake as he ripped through the forest, following the glistening trail of ice she left behind. The suffocating crush of trees burst into open fields blurring past him. He weaved in and out of farming villages and river towns, tracing a path of destruction that Tsukiko cut like a arrow bouncing around the landscape. As he reached the outskirts of the city he started to catch up; he could see glimpses of her white tail flashing around corners, ducking under carts, and leaping over rooftops. Icicles shot at him from every barrel, puddle, and horse trough, slowing him down as he was forced to defend himself or others. All the while her laughter rang out, echoing in the city streets as darkness fell and their chase took them through the sturdy gates of a fortress and into the palace grounds. As he hopped over the clay tiles of the elaborate buildings, there was a bright light, and the sky lit up. Jack was momentarily blinded, and he shielded his eyes with the back of his arm as the light dimmed. He let his arm fall, blinking spots out of his eyes, trying to focus on the scene before him.
Not far from the palace, the foundation of an old tower, long since destroyed, loomed over the fortress. Standing on top of it, just barely able to keep her footing, was Tsukiko in her enormous demon form. The moonlight shone off of her waving fur, her eyes wide and glowing in the darkness. Her tail swayed behind her, and the wind behind it tore tiles from roofs and nearly blew over centuries-old trees. Each breath she exhaled rolled over the fortress like a blizzard. Jack could hear confused and terrified screams as he clung to a roof, feeling the tiles trembling beneath his hand.
Tsukiko's colossal head revolved towards him, her nose twitching. She drew back, and her fur glowed a vivid blue. She threw her head to the moon, her mouth gaping, and the air filled with a piercing scream. The shockwave of the scream burst outward, sending Jack tumbling end over end along the roof. Ice erupted in every direction, following the echo of the scream out over the city. Lanterns blew out, plunging the area into darkness. Shards of ice twirled through the air and dusted the ground. The moon shone off the ice, creating an eerie glow.
Jack clung to the edge of the roof, his ears ringing. He pulled himself up, groaning. He glanced over at the tower base, but the mammoth hare was gone; in the rising glow, he could just barely make out the flickering blue outline of Tsukiko's human form. He leapt over to the stone base, holding out his staff as he approached her.
She was breathing hard, her arms hanging at her side and her back bent. Her flowing black hair had escaped from its wrapping and hung loosely around her. The blue flame surrounding her sputtered and shed pieces like shattered glass. Tsukiko turned her head ever so slightly to acknowledge him, the glow dancing off of her eyes.
[You caught me,] she said, her voice faint. She gave a little chuckle, a weak smile tugging at her lips. [But, it's too late.] She turned to look back over the castle, and Jack followed her gaze.
Stretching out before them was an endless stream of people, forming into a massive crowd. Soldiers, peasants, priests, concubines, merchants, and nobles all mixed together as they trudged towards the tower base and bowed down. Their faces were empty and their gazes unfocused. Tsukiko waved her hand, and a man stepped through the crowd, dressed in elaborate robes. He laid himself at the front of the crowd, and a hush swept over the palace. A man Jack had only glimpsed from afar - the shogun.
The ice was growing, crawling up the feet of the crowd, swirling around in the air. Jack could see even the most elegantly dressed courtiers shivering. The temperature plunged, and their faces were turning blue.
Jack turned back to Tsukiko, working out a lump in his throat. [Tsukiko... you don't have to do this,] he said. [These people haven't done anything to you. Can't you see this is wrong?]
Tsukiko glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. [It's okay, Jack,] she said. [I'm not hurting them. They're going to be my friends now. They'll never betray me. They'll be with me, forever.] She tilted her head. [As soon as they are dead.]
Jack stared at her in disbelief. His gaze flickered back and forth between the enchanted crowd, slowly freezing, and Tsukiko's cold, detached face. He took a deep breath, drawing up his shoulders, his brows a firm line. [It doesn't matter how many of them you kill,] Jack said, inching closer to her. [They can't ever be your friends. They can't talk to you. They can't play with you. They can't hold you when you're sad.]
Tsukiko's gaze tore away from the crowd, her eyes widening as they fixed on Jack. [Stop...]
[They can't laugh with you. They can't sing with you, or tell stories.]
[Shut up!] she snapped. Ice shot at him, but he knocked it aside.
[They won't love you or care about you. They'll just be stuck, crying, afraid. Just like you.] Jack drew a hand behind him. He felt warmth flow into his palm as a snowflake grew beneath his fingers, splintering and fracturing.
The flames around Tsukiko flickered and roared to life, dancing around her. [I'll kill you!] she screeched.
Jack shook his head. [You could try, but we both know you can't. You won't. You don't want to kill anyone, do you?]
Tsukiko stomped her foot, ice shattering against the stone. [Yes, I do! I have to!]
Jack took a step closer. The snowball was forming in his hand, giving off a faint glow. He squatted down, placing his staff against the stone floor, and pushing it just out of reach. Tsukiko's eyes darted after it, then snapped back to him. He held out his free hand to her. [We could be friends again. I'll stay here with you, forever. Just let them go.]
Tsukiko hesitated, glancing back and forth between the slowly freezing crowd, and Jack's outstretched hand. Some of the people in the crowd were starting to collapse, their bodies glowing.
Jack gave an urgent step forward, until he could almost touch her. [Let them go!] he yelled.
Tsukiko's brow furrowed in anguished confusion, and her gaze slipped from Jack's hand in front of her, down to his side, where the glow of the snowball was starting to show around his cape. Her face contorted with rage. [You liar!] she howled, stumbling backwards. Her hand snapped back, a glowing icicle nearly ripping the skin of her fingers to burst into life. Alarmed, Jack pulled out the snowball at the same moment Tsukiko's arm swung towards Jack's head. The snowball and the icicle collided, and a flash of light erupted between them. Jack felt a sharp pain rip through his forehead, and the world exploded into white.