Chapter 10: The Irregular Illness
Night's fallen, but while many have fallen into a deep slumber there were two individuals who are unable to find even a moment to rest. At the Myouren Temple, Byakuren and Miko were both overlooking their fevered adopted child as she was laying under a warm blanket with a cold rag laid on her forehead. Kokoro's eyes were shut, and she let out drawn out moans as her face looked slightly red with sweat trickling down her face.
Byakuren paced back and forth in front of the bed, kicking a bunch of thrown about scrolls around on the ground while Miko kneeled besides Kokoro, her shaku leaned against her chin. Miko tapped her chin a few times and then glanced left, finding Byakuren grimacing before she bent down and looked at a scroll.
"Hijiri, stop. None of your scrolls help with illnesses." Miko remarked in a sympathetic but almost pitying manner, with Byakuren suddenly throwing the scroll against the ground so hard it broke through the boards and brought a plume of dirt up. Miko stood up unflinching and moved over to give Byakuren a gentle pat on the shoulder.
Byakuren clenched her fists tightly enough to crack the knuckles and murmured "I knew she was pushing herself too hard, and I ignored her. What kind of a mother am I?" Her voice petered into a whimper, but Miko was there with her wisdom to say "On some level you just wanted to entrust her…I admit I'm probably more guilty of negligence, but if we linger on whose guiltier then we're never going to get anywhere."
"I suppose you're right Miko, but what are our options? Do we just wait and let it run it's course?" Byakuren asked while glancing over her shoulder. Miko backed up and turned, tapping her shaku against her chin again as a certain series of thoughts sprung in one after the other.
"Youkais and humans have their own diseases unique to their bodies…Honestly, I am surprised a tsukumogami could even get a cold. For all we know, this could be infectious to other Youkai, in which case your followers will be in danger, Hijiri."
"Which is why you had them stay at your Mausoleum for the night, isn't it?" Miko cracked a smile just to answer, then quickly put on her inflective expression and mentioned "You and I should be fine, but we need to solve this matter tonight…Otherwise I feel we'd be looking at another epidemic."
"I just wonder who even brought Kokoro to the temple in the first place…Could it have been the Celestial?" Byakuren inquired, but Miko shook her head and told her "Not at all, she would've stuck around to check on her. That strange girl is reliable for that at least."
"True, true…I just wonder if figuring out who brought her back would help determine a possible start of this disease."
"A concern that this epidemic might not have started with Kokoro? A fair observation, but you yourself noted that she seemed weak last time…Honestly, we may both be wise in our own ways, but when it comes to illnesses and such we're certainly novices. We need a third party to check Kokoro out, and…" Miko paused herself, letting out a disgruntled groan for a few seconds, much to Byakuren's surprise.
"You're thinking the same thing I am?"
"I hate to bring that thought to the surface, but yes…There is ONE person who comes to mind. Though I dislike the notion of going to them considering what happened recently is partially their fault."
"We won't be doing it for us…We'll be doing it for her." Byakuren calmly said, a smile widening across her face as Miko turned to her and then Kokoro, focusing on her for a few seconds as she lets out another moan of pain and her head starts tossing and turning.
"You're right, my prejudices towards them can be ignored for tonight. A child's health should be a parents' top priority." Miko lowered her head a little and seemed embarrassed judging by the way she smiled.
"I'll carry her, and you can be the navigator. We shouldn't take too long to get there." With that, Byakuren moves to pick Kokoro up from the bed, but the menreiki grunted at first and wiggled weakly. When that was over, she was held in her mother's arms, and Byakuren gave her a quiet glance as her chest was slowly heaving and sweat coldly dripped onto her sleeves.
"It's ok…Everything will be alright, my daughter…" Byakuren sniffled once and then watched as Miko suddenly laid her cape down atop of Kokoro, slowly wrapping her up in it until she was secure. The two parents gave each other a nod and then slipped out of the temple, flying above the woods for a few seconds until they got close to the Bamboo Forest, at which point they descended into the middle of it and began walking ahead.
Miko was quite cautious, stopping to peek around some of the thicker thickets of shoots. Everything was quiet, not even a rabbit was stirring about. Until the two reached their destination, the only noises came from Kokoro's moans. When the large, old-fashioned Japanese mansion comes into their sight, the two parents stop and keep a safe distance away from it, putting it under observation until Miko could sort something out in her head.
"Lights are on, so somebody's home…But it feels too quiet around here. Normally, this place has hundreds of rabbits wandering about. How should we approach this?" Miko asked with a glance back to a surprised Byakuren.
"I suppose the most we CAN do is knock, wherever we might be able to…" Byakuren said, and with a shrug Miko replied "If nothing else, someone should hear us. I still have my qualms about doing this, but…Lets go." They then approached the mansion, finding the closest shutters, and with a hesitant raised of her shaku Miko knocks on it a few times. Much to her surprise, someone was already there ready to answer.
The shutter slid open to reveal a strange girl with long ivory colored hair and floppy white bunny ears sticking out from the top of her head. Her eyes were pure red, and she wore a short-sleeved white shirt with a red belt and blue skirt. The girl perked her head up in a suspecting manner and murmured "A couple of humans out this late? You're pretty brave to go through the forest, or maybe stupid."
"We need to speak with your master, rabbit. It's a matter of grave urgency…" Miko stepped aside and gestured at Byakuren. After the rabbit said in a peeved tone "It's Reisen Udo-…Holy crap, that girl doesn't look ok. You're here for medicine?" she looked at Kokoro and puts on a slight expression of concern.
Miko and Byakuren nodded their heads, with Reisen pulling back a little and with arms folded commented "Well alright, come on in. You're lucky we're a 24/7 service, but don't try and make yourself at home too much. We're a hospital, not a motel." The rabbit was a bit blunt, but stepped aside and let the parents come in while she moved deeper into the mansion to find her master.
"Hmmm, in enemy territory…" Miko murmured as the shutter was shut behind her, leaving her in a room lit brightly by dozens of lanterns.
"Miko, you can make it through this. We're both having to hold off our opinions on these people, after all." Byakuren said, and Kokoro began to toss and turn in her arms while she made an effort to keep her from falling off. The mother's heart grew heavy, and all she could do is lean down and kiss Kokoro on the cheek. Miko saw that unfold, and after turning she walked over and rested a hand on Kokoro's chest while closing her eyes.
"Kokoro…I'll make this up to you, I swear it." Miko spoke quietly and backed off immediately, right as Reisen returned with her master.
"So…The Crown Prince and the leader of the Buddhists…Definitely not two people I expected to see here." The person was one of mystifying beauty. Her long silver hair was tied into a large braid, and her dark grey eyes hid a mind of infinite wisdom. Her clothing is red and blue, covered in constellation patterns, and she has something on similar to a nurse's cap. Her lips were curled into a smile that was neither cold nor warm, and her attention right away went towards Kokoro.
"And the tsukumogami of 66 masks. Of course the stories were true. Reisen, congratulations, you made a good observation about her condition." The woman stepped forward only once, but then looked at Miko and said to her "For you to come here, I am greatly surprised…As I have the chance, I would like to apologize to all the humans for the stupidity of my people." The way she swiftly mentioned that then gave a slight bow made Miko wonder if she was being sincere, and in turn gave her a glare.
"Eirin Yagokoro…The Brain of the Moon, so I've heard your title is…" Miko sheathed her shaku and then reached for her sword, but Eirin did not flinch even if Byakuren and Reisen shared worries on their faces.
"Yes, that is I, who could've possibly guessed?" Eirin said in a smarmy manner, but no one in the room could have prepared themselves as Miko quickly drew her sword and planted it in front of her kneeling down. Her head was bowed, and her hands were cusped at the top of the handle.
"Please then…I, Prince Shoutoku of the Taoists, offer upon to you all that I have…Every pound of gold and riches, any knowledge that you may still require, and even my mortal flesh and blood if I must…I offer all this for just one humble request in return. Please, can you make my daughter well again?" Miko did not waver for a second, and the response from Eirin was equally surprising after there was nothing but silence for a good minute.
"There is nothing you can give to me, Crown Prince." Eirin spoke with what appeared to be a brushing off gesture out, and Miko gripped her sword tighter and with her body shaking a little she murmured "I-I see…"
"Your gesture is appreciated, but it also makes you look pathetic. Rise up, I refuse to accept payment for your request." Eirin's remark made Miko and Byakuren widen their eyes as Miko lifted her head up with some slight wetness near her eyes.
"So…you're going to help Kokoro?" Byakuren inquired, and Eirin nodded her head but nevertheless pointed out "Of course, you're going to have to give her up to me for a while. But naturally, you don't really have any other options."
"Hmph, no need to put it that way. Hijiri, go ahead. Let us get this over with." Miko stood up and sheathed her sword, but before Byakuren handed her over Eirin clapped her hands and a couple bunnies wearing pink dresses push out a rolling stretcher. Kokoro is laid on top of that, and Eirin pulls the sweat drenched cape off of her and hands it to Reisen.
"Get this cleaned Reisen, I will deal with the patient. Then, I want you to bring our guests tea and mochi. I can tell they are hungry." Eirin follows the stretcher deeper into her abode, and the parents watch as Kokoro's sickly body vanished into the shadows. Reisen held the dripping cape in her right hand and gave it a disgusted expression before looking to the parents, who were not focused on her as she said "Look just…go sit down on the cushions nearby, and don't move anywhere else in the mansion. Seriously, Lady Kaguya is sleeping."
After some time, Byakuren and Miko are knelt down on the fancy patterned cushions, and Reisen had brought back the Crown Prince's now dried cape along with a plate with tea and soft mochi on it. Then she went off to do her own thing, but the parents don't touch the food offered to her. They were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts as time passed. It felt like an eternity even though only a couple hours went by before they heard anything.
Eirin came into the room with the stretcher, and Byakuren wasted no time rushing over to it to look at Kokoro. She looked to be in a state of bliss, with the sweat and high temperature gone from her body. She let out some quiet snores, and because she did not look capable of being disturbed Byakuren leaned forward and embraced her daughter in a gentle hug. As Miko approached her Eirin held a hand out with a vial of purple liquid in her palm and said "You'd better take this. If for some reason or another it returns, this will kill that virus for good."
"You will not accept anything more than a perfect erasure of the virus…Thank you though, your ways with medicine cannot be denied." Miko said as she took the vial, looking over the label while Eirin cracked a smile and explained "You could've likely figured this out on your own, it's nothing difficult." Miko ignored that, as something caught her attention on the label.
"…I beg your pardon, but did you make a mistake?"
"A doubt after an honoring of my skills? What a curious and silly thing to say." Eirin remarked with some arrogance, but Miko just said to her "No doubts, but…This label says this medicine is fit for humans. Kokoro is a Youkai." Byakuren stopped hugging Kokoro for a moment and looked up at Miko, whose face was quite confused.
"Ah, this is your attempt at humor. It seems I did not get the cue to laugh." Eirin said quite straight-faced, but Miko and Byakuren gave her a firm glare as though they felt they were being played with. Eirin raised a brow and with her arms folded under her chest she commented "Wait, you mean you seriously had not determined that?"
"That doesn't make any sense…Kokoro is-"
"A tsukumogami?" Eirin interrupted Byakuren while looking at the menreiki, then continued on to say after letting out a sigh "By nature, she still is. But the masks could clearly not make a vessel for themselves separately and thus unified their purposes into a single unit." The confusion was still marked on the parents' faces, as Eirin's explanation was not understood, and she let out a more audible sigh before she went on again in a more aggravated manner.
"Simply put, the masks created a human body. There, good enough for you?" After that there was silence for a few seconds, leading to Miko clasping the vial in her hand and smiling as she commented "So we've been raising a human this whole time. That's certainly…interesting. Very well, thank you for your help then, we'll take things from here." Miko looked to Byakuren, noticing how she's staring at Kokoro while finding herself unable to stop the bewilderment on her face. Even so, she caressed the side of her daughter's face and felt a hint of warmth, leading to her slowly cracking a smile and giggling.
"…You're right, forgive us both for being fools. We should've known from the start. Thank you, Ms. Yagokoro, and if you ever need a favor in retu-"
"Hmmm, no need to concern yourself with that. Just follow my advice, and return to your lives." Eirin was rather blunt and impatient in her tone, and Byakuren wasted little time in picking Kokoro up in her arms and departing from the mansion with Miko. When they were safely gone from hearing range, Eirin lifted her right hand up and put a capsule in between two fingers. This capsule contained a violet energy within, and as Eirin stared at it for a little Reisen walked into the room.
"Well that's over with. All that hullaboo for a stupid common cold. So hey, what do you even have there?" Reisen inquired, causing Eirin to crack a grin and say "I must say, this is a very complex way to deliver a message to someone. Once more, Reisen, it seems we are being dragged into her plans."
"Oh no, you're talking about HER, aren't you? Why is she dragging us into her schemes AGAIN?" Reisen said with much concern and disdain in her voice, but Eirin just laughed and said "That's what we shall find out. Truly, to have planted a capsule with a disease laced outer layer into the body of that child…Her news must be particularly of interest. Whatever game you're playing, this time I shall be the winner…" Eirin firmly grasped the capsule with determination on her face that frankly frightened Reisen, and for the rest of the night they would spend time together examining their little prize…
After some time, Byakuren and Miko have brought Kokoro back home, having wrapped her in the warmth of Miko's cape. But who would be waiting for them at the entrance than Mamizou, who was smoking a pipe and leaning against one of the walls, her tail waved in front of her body. "So I'd imagine Kokoro is doing better now" was the first thing she said.
"…You knew?" Miko inquired with a suspecting glance as she held an arm out, causing Byakuren to stop. Mamizou lifted her head up and with her pipe removed she shook some of the ashes out and said "I had one of my tanukis keeping an eye on Kokoro from a distance after she left the Human Village this morning. It's a good thing I did too, cause you two made quite the bold move asking the Brain of the Moon for help."
"Bold move, eh? Because of our distrust of those people…Or because we found something out from them that you were hoping we wouldn't?" Miko focused on Mamizou as hard as she could with a slight scowl, but the tanuki gave a piercing glance and said "It's foolish to assume I could hide things from you, Crown Prince. Yes, you did end up discovering something, but before you make assum-" It was too late, as Miko had already drawn her sword and brandished it forward.
"How long, tanuki…?"
"…It's not 'how long' you should be asking but rather 'how did I know'? Before you waste your energy falling for her inane plans, hear me out." Mamizou said as she bravely walked away from the wall, but Miko stood her ground and said "Make good on your time, tanuki."
"Not long ago, I heard the truth from the gap Youkai. I have no idea why, but I'm the only one she chose to tell. There's something you both need to understand…I didn't want to tell you the truth because of the person in question I heard it from. I'd rather trust a damned Lunarian than that witch." She then folded her arms into her sleeves and stood beside Miko, who was giving her a piercing glare as she was tempted to swing her sword that way.
"Hate me if you want for this Crown Prince, but the enemy is that witch, not me. I do care for Kokoro, even if that may sound like deception. I'll be damned if I let her keep getting away with her plans to mess with us like we're mere tools." Mamizou then pulled out a scroll from her sleeves and flashed it briefly enough before the two parents so they'd register it, then she went on to say "I'm getting close to something that can stop the witch, but I'm going to require something from you…Hijiri."
"…Why me?" The Buddhist inquired.
"Not you specifically but rather…You need to ask Shou and Nazrin to meet me at the stairway to the Hakurei Shrine tomorrow. Their abilities will come in handy."
"Ok, I can do that." Byakuren said with little hesitance, but Miko just widened her eyes and looked back at her as she then mentioned "But I want to know something else from you, Mamizou. Is that gap witch targeting Kokoro?"
"…I believe so, yes." Mamizou replied with her head hung slightly.
"Then we'll do what we can to keep Kokoro safe. She won't lay a finger on our daughter." Byakuren gave the tanuki a firm glare, earning a cheshire smile and a chuckle in turn as Mamizou told her "Of course…Kokoro is in good hands, but…"
"The only way your daughter will truly, TRULY be safe is if that witch is finally put down. Not just for her, but for the sake of all Gensokyo. For now, you two have been through a lot, and I'd recommend getting some sleep." Mamizou then wandered off towards the woods, and Miko had no choice but to sheath her blade and murmur "She's made her point, and it bothers me that I agree with her."
"Yes, but…We should definitely take her advice. We can better think on this tomorrow." Byakuren and Miko thus retreat into the temple for the night, laying Kokoro to bed and hoping that the tanuki's warning would not come to pass. Oh, if only there was a god to answer their prayers…
Next Time: Crisis of Identity