Warning: animal sacrifice

Chapter 12:

Momoshirou was loud in wakefulness and in sleep. Ryoma contemplated throwing his pillow at his friend before deciding that finding another place to sleep would be better.

He snuck out.

The wooden flooring of the inn creaked a little, groaning ever so slightly underneath his weight as he tiptoed out of the room and down into the restaurant/bar with a pillow tucked under his arm and a sheet draped over his head.

Moonlight spilled through the curtains, melting onto table tops and walls into a shining liquid.

Ryoma found a table near the window and sat down, covered in his blanket. He put the pillow on the table.

At first he wasn't sure what he was doing. He wasn't sure why he had thought it would be a good idea to find a place to sleep on a restaurant table - who knows how clean it actually is? - and he wasn't sure if it would even be comfortable. And then he worried that he was deliberately sabotaging himself by not having a good night's rest so he wouldn't be able to do the ritual.

Then he wouldn't be able to find his answers and he wouldn't be able to go home.

Did he want to go home?

He played with the rope and twine hanging around his wrist. It was much more worn now, frayed at the edges and nearly thin enough to break one day.

What was something he could give Sakuno?

He laid his head down, letting it be engulfed by the softness of his pillow though it was by no means soft.

He felt an itch in his arms. Tingling down. Wanting some sort of feeling. Pain, perhaps.

He pulled at his bracelet.

"Have you decided?"

Sakuno looked young again, pigtails and all. But then Ryoma blinked and the Sakuno he knew was replaced by the one that was. She stared back at him, sad eyes, sad smile.

"Yes," he said.

Though his answer had not astonished anyone, Kikumaru and Oishi had given him disapproving looks while Momoshirou had resorted to guilt-tripping him.

Ryoma dug deep into his pocket and pulled out a bracelet - the one that had been broken many weeks before back in Sendai. The wind bit into his hands as he offered her the bracelet.

Sakuno took it, lifting it up to survey its frayed edges. Then, she pulled out her necklace, a magatama, and began wrapping the bracelet around the hanging stone.

Tomoka arrived, carrying a large fish in her arms. It wobbled slightly, nearly falling out of her arms. She set it on top of the wooden board, next to a large knife, right in front of Sakuno. Next to the table, there was a bucket.

"Let's start then," Sakuno said. "I need you to stand right in front of me, face me."

Ryoma stood in front of her, separated only by the table. She smiled.

"Good." She nodded. And then she began reciting a prayer before picking up the knife and cutting off the fish's head. She ignored the blood spilling out and moved closer to the bucket, picking it up and placing the fish inside it, all the way reciting the prayer.

Before Ryoma could ask her what she was doing, Tomoka spoke.

"Since Sakuno will be traveling in the other realm, she's sacrificing the fish so it will be able to guide her," she said. "The prayer lets the ancestors and gods know that the fish will have a better place in its next incarnation."

Sakuno wiped the blood off her hands with a towel and then pulled the magatama into her hands, clasping them lovingly in her palms. The prayer grew louder and more melodic, sounding as though she had never taken a breath or a moment to pause.

As Tomoka moved closer to Sakuno, she sprinkled knotted grass around their ritual area, then rested her hands on Sakuno's shoulders.

"The knotted grass is to keep bad spirits away," she said.

"And what are you doing now?"

"I'm her anchor now," Tomoka explained. "Once Sakuno goes into trance, she might not be able to come out of it so it's my job to make sure she wakes."

Ryoma stared, eyes wide. She ran a risk of never waking? And she normally did this? He half wanted to stop but half wanted to keep going.

As if Tomoka read his mind, she said, "normally, clients become worried and want to stop. Don't think that. If you become unsure, Sakuno's connection to the other realm will not be as strong and the risk is higher."

"Why does she do this?" the words came out of Ryoma's mouth faster than he could stop them.

Sakuno's knees began shaking. The coins strung together on her dress clanged together, clicking and clapping, creating a metallic applause. Then, it grew louder. Both her legs began shaking and they shook and they shook. Her eyes stayed shut tight.

The prayer stopped and the words coming from Sakuno no longer became intelligible. They were muddled, sounding like a cacophony of gibberish and harsh vowels and sounds. Her voice grew deep and rose to high pitches, pitches Ryoma didn't think were possible for people to achieve.

Ryoma watched in fascination as Sakuno kept shaking. Her entire body shook violently, causing Tomoka to shake with her. It was as if Sakuno had been possessed, and maybe she was.

And then all at once, it eased. Sakuno's eyes opened and the words stopped. Her hands fell into her lap, the magatama hitting her collarbone with a light thump.

With one hand, Tomoka tore Ryoma's bracelet off Sakuno's magatama and tossed it in the bucket along with the fish. Then, she raised one hand and the contents of the bucket burst into flames.

It was over.

Tomoka helped Sakuno lay down on one of the couches back in the resting room.

Sakuno closed her eyes and leaned back against the cushions, letting out soft sighs.

The others gathered around her, taking their previous seats, eyeing her prone form as though she would suddenly jerk into motion. As though she could suddenly move her legs.

"Ryoma-san," she said, finally breaking the silence. "Have you ever heard of the story about the sleeping prince?"

Ryoma startled. His eyes automatically sought Oishi's, immediately remembering the look in the other man's eyes as he told the story.

"I-yes," he said. "What about it?"

Sakuno pushed herself up, letting one of the cushions kiss the floor.

"Ryoma-san," she said. "Not a single word of the true story of the sleeping prince was ever uttered."

The others startled, exchanging concerned looks among the three of them. Momoshirou twittered nervously and even Tomoka's hand flew from her lap to her mouth.

"Sakuno?" Tomoka whispered.

She nodded, as though she and Tomoka had had an entire conversation without any of the three men noticing. Whispered underneath their very eyes.

"You may have heard that the prince had been bewitched by a rival kingdom to falling asleep, thus leaving his kingdom defenseless," Sakuno said. "As you can see, however, his kingdom remains standing, still proud as ever.

"You may have heard that the prince had been betrayed by his own brother and left for dead. However, his brother remains standing beside the prince's sleeping body.

"You may have also heard that the prince's magic had been Snatched away, that he went to sleep to recover.

"You may have also heard that, tired of the world and of ruling, the prince put himself to sleep and to get away."

Sakuno's words lingered in each of their ears, echoing in its absoluteness. They stood still, silent.

"None of these things are true," she continued, and then turned to Ryoma. Her hand flew up to touch the magatama still around her neck. Then, she reached behind her neck and it slid into her hands, the ends traveling around each other.

"Take this," she said, handing the magatama. "You need to get to Sapparo and speak to the prince - he will have your answers."

At once, voices emerged loudly and disappointed and angry. The thuds following the voices created a hollow feeling in Ryoma's heart, emptying the space for nothing but what he had hoped and lost.

"The prince is asleep-"

"Do you know how long -"

"-must be insane!"

"-the prince is asleep-"

"-and has been for years-"

"How is this possible?"

Ryoma's voice was very quiet when he spoke; quiet enough that when he spoke, he only has half a second to marvel at the fact that Sakuno could even hear hear.

"Do you know a way to wake him?"

Sakuno smiled, but shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said.