50 Years Too Early
Chapter 29: The C- Priestess
Kaede could not say she knew the monk Miyatsu very well. At once, she could say that she had never met a monk as…devoid of Buddhist principles as he. In her travels with Sister Kikyo, she had encountered a variety of monks. Masters Muso, Seikai, and Mushin often came to mind. She would not say that any of them were the next incarnation of the Buddha, but they all in some way lived up to at least one principle. Miyatsu seemed content to tear down every vow and tenant of the faith. His breath was a constant fog of sake. He had no qualms of eating meat during dinner with Lord Takeda. He was rather attached to his staff. And his leering….Kaede rolled her eyes, recalling how many times he had made a pass at the girls serving them.
But he was not completely unlikable. His smile was admittedly infectious. And he was a near endless fountain of stories about his travels and battles with demons. Stories that she could say confidentially, rivaled that of Sister Kikyo's in terms of daring, threat, and feats. When he spoke, it was with an ease and openness that invited any topic. It was…odd to have such a wide margin. With Sister Kikyo, there were a number of taboo subjects. Particularly Uncle Arima and especially their parents. Kaede had no memories of either of them. Sister Kikyo had said that their mother died giving birth to her. Their father not long afterward. Uncle Arima…the most Kikyo would tell her was that he was executed. She had brazenly asked for more information last summer and Sister Kikyo would only give her stone silence.
The same stone silence Miyatsu gave her now.
The monk walked ten paces ahead of her but he might as well have been in the distant lands of Ryukyu. Ever since their departure from Takeda castle, the monk's demeanor had…shifted. His shoulders hung as if something bore down upon him. He became prone to stopping suddenly just to check behind a tree or some other corner on the road. And when a group of women walked by them, the monk barely looked up. Kaede had tugged on his robes to respond to their greeting. He gave them a simple grunt and went about his way.
All attempts to talk were rebuffed, making her wonder if the monk was even aware of her presence.
"Master Miyatsu….." she said to his back.
"Yes?" he asked.
Kaede blinked. In truth, she hadn't expected him to answer. The words became jumbled in her throat as she attempted to sort out a proper response. "M-may I see that spider demon?" she said finally.
"Oh, yes of course," he said reaching into his robes for the remains of the creature. "I'm sure you must be interested in it as well."
The spider, a small red and yellow thing, twirled on its last web as Kaede held it up to the sun. There was very little to observe. Without its odd coloring and markings, she would have mistaken it as an average spider. Sister Kikyo would have been impressed that she had been able to sense such a minor demon. Although why the spider had taken refuge in Gojou was beyond her understanding. Her face must have reflected her confusion. The monk lowered himself to her eye-level and took the dead creature from her.
"Are you familiar with spider demons, Kaede-chan?" he asked, his open and warm tone returning.
"I have yet to face one," she admitted. "I know they mainly remain in the southern lands on Shikoku. And unlike other demons, they do not like direct combat."
"It is understandable that you know so little, they are rather elusive creatures," Miyatsu said. He dangled the dead spider in front of her. "This type of spider is especially troublesome."
"What kind is it?"
"The kind that crawls into your ear and makes you its host," the monk replied. "Comes to you in your sleep. Drawn by whatever wicked thoughts come to the surface in the night. It finds its way under your blankets and…." His fingers crept up Kaede's arm, his fingertips just barely brushing against her skin. Kaede shivered, imagining those eight hairy legs perched on her body to dig its way into her flesh. Miyatsu tugged on her ear, nearly making her scream. "Finds its way in."
Her face flushed at his laughter. She glowered at him but was angrier at herself. What kind of priestess was she to be so frightened? She wasn't a child!
"So they…control you?" she asked, her voice steady. "Is that what happened to Gojou?"
"It's not quite control," Miyatsu said. "Well…the older ones can. But the young ones, they can only emphasize the negative emotions that dwell inside its host. Jealousy, greed, anger, lust, and others are a banquet to these demons. It helps them grow."
"I-It was….feeding on Gojou?" Kaede asked aghast. She had heard of demons feasting on humans before. She had even seen the aftermaths of such attacks herself, but it usually happened after death or was swift enough that the victims at least did not feel much pain during their transition to the next world. But this….this was something else. Something far more….heinous.
"In so many words, yes," the monk said. "Gojou's frustrations with Lord Takeda must have drawn the demon to him. It would also explain why he was so willing to ally himself with other demons to attack the castle."
"But if you know so much about it already why did you ask Lord Takeda for more information?"
"Because this….thing is bound to have offspring," Miyatsu murmured.
As he spoke, the heat of summer dwindled to a frozen gale. Within his gaze, Kaede was small. Prey in the face of a stalking predator.
"Did you know a regular spider can lay up to 1500 eggs?" he asked, rubbing his hands together. A smile was plastered on his face. One that made Kaede want to shrink for the shadows.
"N-no….Master Miyatsu….." she said a quiver in her voice. "I didn't….."
"Hmm… so you can imagine how many more a demon spider can lay," he said, stuffing the spider back into his robes. "Up to 3,000, I am told. Most of course, almost never survive to maturity. Finding a host such as Gojou is a common survival tactic." He shook his head and patted down his robes. "Most don't stray too far from their original nest. The one we have must have been the daring one of its brood. But it's too our benefit. Its memories can lead us straight to its former nest and hopefully the offspring."
Kaede bit her bottom lip. The question on her tongue eager for escape. She would not like the answer. She knew the answer already, but her resistance was feeble. "Why do you want to find this spider's nest?"
Miyatsu looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "To kill its offspring, of course, Kaede-chan. All of them."
"A-all 3,000 eggs? But .have they attacked a village or found other hosts?"
"Who can say?" Miyatsu said with a shrug. "But this is the only way to prevent such malice from spreading."
Kaede flinched under his gaze. Slaying demons, according to Sister Kikyo, was a matter of duty. Something to be done for the sake of others so that they may have peace in their lives. Or what small amount priestesses could provide. She had never seen her sister take much pleasure in her duties. In fact, Kaede was sure that the moment it became unnecessary, her sister would hang up her bow and embrace village life. Such scruples were absent in Miyatsu, despite his words.
In his eyes was glee.
"I-is that why you are going to Lady Atsuko? To find out where the nest is?"
"Oh yes," he said at once. "It is our usual arrangement."
"Master Miyatsu….." Kaede asked carefully, dreading the answer like an arrow pined for her chest. "Just how many nests have you…eliminated like this?"
"Perhaps four or five. My current count stands at 2,115 slain demon spiders," Miyatsu said. His glee akin to a child showing off the rocks he had collected. "I am remised to say that I've missed several stragglers. With this one," he said indicating the demon spider in his robes. "I hope to improve on that failing."
He offered her another smile. One devoid of any comfort and return to the road with a whistle and a new bounce in his steps.
As Kaede fell into step, she wished they could return to stone silence.
OOOOOO
Kagome wrung her hands as he completed her fifth lap around the tree overlooking the village. She felt Hatchi's eyes on her and his silent bewilderment at her antics. She couldn't blame him. To an outside eye the sight of a priestess walking in circles, muttering to herself, rubbing her hands, and pausing every so often only to return to pacing, definitely looked ridiculous. She knew for a fact that Kikyo wouldn't have found herself in this position. Hell, even little Kaede would have more clout than she did in this area. Kagome shook her head and repeated the phrase that had carried her this far: fake it till you make it.
"I am the Priestess Kagome," she said for maybe the 20'Th time. "Sent by Atsuko to slay the demon. No….too stuffy…."
She stopped in front of a knothole in the bark and plastered a smile on her face. "Hi! My name is Kagome! It's nice to meet you! Could you show me to the demon please?"
Ugh…the diabetes was already forming in her pancreas.
"If you want to live, show me to the demon."
Great all she needed was a gigantic gun, sunglasses, and a motorbike and it'd be perfect….
"Uh….Lady Kagome…" Hatchi squeaked, poking his head out from behind the tree. "Is this going to take much longer….?"
"Hold on, Hatchi," she said quickly. "Don't you know first impressions are everything?"
"But you're a priestess aren't you? I thought you did this before?"
"I'm fresh out of training," she lied. "Kikyo usually handles all the PR…."
"The what?"
"Never mind. Just a couple more minutes, promise."
"You said that an hour ago," Hatchi pouted.
Kagome blinked. For a moment she saw her brother peeking into her room asking when she'd be finished cramming so they could watch TV with mom. She frowned at the memory. The trigonometry exam was supposed to be the toughest of the bunch. Even with Yuka's notes she still couldn't grasp the concepts. Her brain was on the brink of being fried when Souta had asked her. At that point, everything she put down on her paper seemed wrong. No matter what she did she couldn't match the answers in the textbook. After a while, she had just knocked it aside and figured to just go with it. She could take whatever the tests threw at her and survive it.
And sure enough, she did survive…with a C-. But passing was passing.
Kagome sighed. She wouldn't be helping anyone pacing around like this. She just needed to go down there and just go with it again. She could take it. She could survive.
"All right. Let's go Hatchi," she said.
She only hoped the villagers wouldn't mind a C- priestess in their midst.
As she had expected, the entire village came out to greet her. It was a mixed bunch. Some middle-aged men. A great deal of women and a few children. Hardly any young men. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Their collective eyes cut into her skin. The same question present beneath them, who are you? Why aren't you Kikyo? Why did they send the discount sister instead? What could she possibly do for us? Kagome offered them a small wave but a series of confused looks was their reply.
The befuddled gathering parted to make way for their headman, a tall man who was easily the youngest man in the village. He looked to be maybe in his late 20's or early 30's, although with his graying hair and growing stress marks along his nose, it was hard to tell. His right arm was missing from the elbow down leaving behind only a sleeve that was securely tied. Kagome forced herself to keep her gaze on his face, which wasn't hard. He was certainly easy on the eyes at least.
"Good afternoon," she said, inclining her heard. "I'm the priestess-."
"Thank the gods!" the headman said suddenly. "You have arrived. I feared Atsuko would deny us again. Come, come, there's no time to waste."
Kagome gestured for Hatchi, in his fat and disfigured human form, to follow along. The disguised demon sighed and fell into step.
The one-arm headman moved with a brisk pace, stopping only to ensure she and Hatchi were behind him. At certain points, Kagome had to break into a jog keep to up.
"I apologize for my greeting," the headman said, even his speech was hurried. "I am called Kyo."
"I'm Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."
"Higurashi? I have not heard of such a clan."
"Uh….we're pretty small….it's just my mom, grandfather, and little brother."
"Ah, I see. Your fortunes must have been lost in this war. Who did your father fight for?"
"Er…Lord Oda," Kagome replied, trying to keep Kikyo's cover story straight in her head. Her twin never told her what lord their "parents" would have fought for.
"I hope your mother has locked your brother away or sent him out of the territory," Kyo said. "I have heard Nobunaga is gathering every boy in his reach into service for his campaigns."
"Oh, trust me, he wouldn't want Sota," Kagome said with a slight giggle. "He'd complain too much."
Kyo laughed. "We could use his techniques then."
Kagome shared his grin. "Just say the word and I'll have him here to whip your boys into good complaining shape. They'll be master whiners by this time next month!"
"It takes that long to master such an art?"
"Hey, I'll have you know it's an ancient technique passed down generation upon generation. Not anyone can become a whining brat overnight!"
Kyo held up his one hand in mock defense. "My apologies Lady Kagome, I did not mean to disrespect such a cherished martial technique."
They both laughed and the knot that had twisted Kagome's stomach came loose. Her muscles eased and her priestess robes suddenly felt less like it was trying to strangle her.
"By the gods…." The headman said, wiping his eyes. "It's been ages since I've laughed like that."
"Why not?" she asked. "Being a headman can't be that stressful."
Kyo gestured around the village as he continued his brisk walk. The smile on his face slid into a heavy grimace. "There has not been much to laugh about of late."
It was then Kagome regarded the village fully. It was empty. The roads that were meant to be filled with men coming in from the fields, children playing and running around, mothers doing laundry or cooking, and the rambunctious noise that accompanied it all was desolate. A constricting silence loomed over the collection of huts. This couldn't be right. There was an entire crowd at the entrance to greet her. But when she looked over her shoulder at the collection of people who had followed, she saw that 'crowd' only amounted to about 20 to 30 people. Nowhere near enough to be the entire village. Why didn't she notice that before? Kikyo would have noticed it right away she was sure.
"W-what happened?" she managed. "Did a demon attack?"
"Did Lady Atsuko not tell you?" Kyo asked with a confused blink.
"She told me that a demon attacked," Kagome replied, looking over the vacant village once more. There didn't seem to be any signs of a fight. At least not that she could tell. It's not like she went into battle every other week.
"A demon did attack Lady Kagome," Kyo said. "Just…not in a way we are accustomed."
"How then?"
The headman gestured to one of the huts. It had the same look and structure as Kikyo's even had the same straw net that severed as a door of sorts. But as Kagome drew closer, a big red X on the wall caught her eye.
Kyo nodded solemnly as he drew back the curtain and Kagome's heart sank.
Inside were nothing but bundles of people wrapped together in cloth. Their eyes sullen and the lighting fading within them. There had to be at least ten lying together. A sole bucket laced with vomit and other wastes Kagome did not wish to even think about. The retching stench made her nose writhe with repulsion. She gripped the hem of her hamaka to keep from holding her nose. There looked to be at least two whole families held up in the small hut. A father slumped against the wall. A trail of fluid dripped down the corner of his mouth. A woman curled in the corner, she smacked her lips as if waiting for moisture that would never come. Six children laid in the center and another pair of parents sitting near the doorway. Their conditions nowhere better than the first.
Kyo shook his head as he closed the curtain and led Kagome to the village's center. "The demon has brought disease to our homes. We are in the midst of a plague, Lady Kagome."
Kagome couldn't touch the hot cup of tea Kyo's sister, Hakura slid her way. Her mind raced, the image of all the sick lingered in her vision. Kyo had spent a good portion of the afternoon showing her the huts marked with an X to display where the plague had taken hold. The symptoms appeared to be the same for everyone affected. Extensive cramps, rapid heartrates, endless thirst, excessive vomiting, and diarrhea, in a form mom had called "rice paddy stools". She flipped through her biology textbook and found the page on diseases. It only confirmed what she already suspected, cholera.
But something wasn't right. Cholera shouldn't be able to spread to so many people. At least not all at once. And all the infected had the same severe level of the disease when it should have been only one in ten. Even in some the worst outbreaks, she had read about, several people came through it with only mild to moderate symptoms. All the villagers she had seen received the worst of it. Of all the huts in the village, only five were left untouched, including Kyo's.
The headman's home only slightly bigger than the other villagers. A few trappings of luxury like a small summer yukata, a few silver knick-knacks, and what looked like a well-maintained sword all littered the corners and floor of the home. Hakura had offered their dwelling during the course of her stay, an offer that Hatchi gladly accepted. Kagome glanced over the snoozing demon in the corner, wondering how Miyatsu managed to place his trust in the raccoon when fighting and duty came around.
"It isn't much," Hakura said with a weak smile as she presented a small bowl of miso soup and dangos. "All we have is yours Lady Kagome."
"Thank you Hakura," she said with a slight bow. Kyo's sister was a slight woman. Kagome was taller than her by a head. Her black hair was cropped short to her shoulders. She rolled her up her sleeve to pour herself tea and on her wrist leading up to her elbow and perhaps further was a collection of mangled and scarred skin. For a moment, Kagome wondered if anyone in the village who wasn't mangled.
"Whatever I can do to help, Lady Kagome," Hakura said as she reached for her tea.
"Don't drink that!" she all but shouted.
Hakura jumped back as if the cup was suddenly poisonous. Which, wasn't far from the truth.
"What's wrong?" the woman exclaimed, panic etched on her face. "Did you see the demon?"
"Um….y-yes," Kagome replied. "Yeah, of course. There might be small demons present in the water you used for the tea. It could even be in food. That could be what's making everyone so sick."
Hakura sighed and pushed the tea and dumplings away from her. "Thank the gods that you arrived my lady," she said shaking her head. "I cannot afford to succumb. I can't leave Kyo alone….especially after Mayu and….our mother. We all thought coming south would be a turn of fortune for us….but now..."
What happened? Kagome wanted to ask, but the glass film over Hakura eyes and her quaking shoulders told her to drop it for now. "Just be sure to boil all your water until we can….get rid of this demon," she said instead. "And we'll need to give everyone a lot of water too. Is there a well nearby? Or a river?"
"Yes, it's near the mine."
"Mine?"
Hakura nodded. "We are silver miners, my lady. We hailed from the north severing Lord Usegi, but the wolf demon tribe attacked and razed our village, forcing us to flee south. An envoy of Lord Takeda offered us refuge in exchange for mining silver for the lord's coins."
"Sounds like a good deal," Kagome said. But braced herself as Hakura's face dropped.
"It was for a few months. We could find and gather silver far more effectively than Takeda's original miners. But not long after, accidents started occurring in the mine. Cave-ins, equipment falling on our workers, men falling and breaking their arms. The men started to believe the place was haunted. They refused to work."
"Something tells me, Lord Takeda didn't like that."
As if on cue, a cry erupted from the village's gate. "Rider! Takeda rider!"
Hakura sighed and wiped her eyes. "As a matter of fact," she said. "He didn't."
Kyo had already emerged from the marked huts with a small circle of villagers gathered behind him. The Takeda rider, a short man with a pointed chin and a hook nose, sneered at the gathering. He snapped at one of his bodyguards for a cloth to wipe his forehead, which a sea of sweat. He seemed to have been riding all day.
"Master Sasaki," Kyo said evenly, bowing his head. "What can we do for you?"
Sasaki took several glanced around the village before focusing on the headman. "Your silver quota was short again this month, Kyo!" he exclaimed, his voice shrill. "Lord Takeda is not pleased. He sent me to ascertain the reason for your subpar work."
"It is as I told you last month, Sasaki," Kyo grumbled. "We have our sick to take care of. My brother is doing what he can at the mine, but there's only so much work hired hands can do. Especially at the pace, Takeda set. If we could have another month-."
"The lord's mercy has already run dry, Kyo," the rider said. "He needs his silver. You and your village promised him you could make this mountain flow with it in a year's time. That was the condition of your stay. Otherwise, we would have turn you traitors back over to Usegi."
"You do not need to remind me of Lord Takeda's terms, Sasaki," Kyo growled, glaring at the riders' guards who already reached for their swords. "The lord will have his silver as soon as our workers are well. A priestess has come to heal them."
"You think you can challenge Lord Takeda's will while hiding behind a woman's robes?" Sasaki chuckled. "Whatever this illness is, it seems to have affected your mind as well."
Kyo grit his teeth. "Of course not, master….I merely suggest that with the priestess's aid-."
Sasaki held up his hand. "It's of no consequence. I have no patience for your excuses. Lord Nobuzane has called upon his father to fund the rebuilding of his castle. A castle that the young lord defended brave and true. Lord Takeda wishes to honor his son's request with as much silver as he needs. What am I to tell him? That his workers allowed a simple thing as disease renege on their promise?"
"What would you have us do!" Kyo snapped. "A third of our men can barely stand! My brother has stretched the limits of the hired workers! We barely make enough to feed our children! And the lord wants more from us!"
Sasaki leaned forward, taking in Kyo's fury with a sneer. "Yes. That is what you promised him. Otherwise more….forceful measures will have to be taken."
"W-what forceful measures….?"
"There is obviously a plague afoot here. The only logical action would be to burn this village to prevent this pestilence from spreading. Lord Takeda would be disappointed….but the silver would survive and there are plenty of other miners in the land to draw them out. Miners that will actually keep their word to Lord Takeda."
All color left Kyo face. "T-there are children here. Sick children….!"
Sasaki shrugged as if he was just told the weather. "Do we understand each other?"
"We do…."
"Tomorrow, I want my silver."
"Tomorrow is absolutely ridiculous!" Kagome shouted from the doorway. She vaguely heard Hakura urging her to hush and return to the hut but Kagome couldn't stand the sight anymore. Least of all hearing the snake talk for a second longer. She marched towards the rider Kyo trying to signal for her to go back but she ignored him. Before Kagome knew it, she was staring down the Takeda envoy's horse. Sasaki peered down at her, a vexed confusion written across his face.
"And who is this?" he said, glaring at Kyo as if the interruption was his fault.
"I am the priestess Kagome," she declared. "Long lost sister of the priestess Kikyo. This village is under my protection, and I say you're not going to burn it down!"
Sasaki's sneer deepened. "Why is that?"
"Because I can cure this plague in less than a week," Kagome said. "And if I'm wrong, you can have my head."
