Note: with over 16k words in length, this is the largest chapter to date!
What came before: as Shiori waits for Rihan to come, she remembers the darker days of her life… the days when she was still known as Kuruguya Midori…
Chapter 37
The Hyaku Monogatari…
They say the first ones to play that game were children who got together and tried to tell stories to scare one another. They got so much into the game that they reached the hundredth tale. What happened then is anyone's guess…was it an accident or did they truly create something fearsome? Either way, it didn't matter: the fear had been established and a new legend was born.
However, the game truly started to be played during the Edo Period. The Samurai, bored by peace, needed thrills in order to test their courage by playing the game. Some told tales they heard and others made their own tales up, claiming that they were not original. Yet, many were too afraid to move onto the hundredth tale so once ninety nine tales had been told, most just decided that they were too tired to continue. Few did move onto a hundredth tale and many were terrified, although that proved to be more a result of paranoia than actual youkai being brought to life.
As such, those games were just harmless fun… all but the ones held by Sanmoto Mikanbune, a wealthy merchant who saved Edo from a great fire that ravaged it. His games became so popular that even the most powerful men in Japan came to play it.
And some believe that tales told in those games became true and numerous monsters started terrorizing humans on the streets of Edo, turning the once peaceful city into a portrait of hell itself. People started fearing him and calling him a Maou (a Devil King) and, as if to enhance that image, he took another name onto himself: Sanmoto Gorozaemon.
Most started replicating his own style of the game. That game was played in three rooms. In the first room, the Samurai would gather and drink tea as they told horrific tales to one another at night. Some believe that Sanmoto owned a special teapot… the Teapot of the Conqueror… which made the tea more delicious the more horrifying the told tales were. They say his tea was so delicious that many went insane and became addicted to it. Only Sanmoto Gorozaemon was fearsome enough to be able to drink it without going insane.
The second room served as a hallway into the third, preferably long so one would get to feel fear as they walked alone through a dark, empty room… empty room that might actually have been possessed by demons.
The third room was filled with a hundred blue lanterns and each time someone told a tale, he would come here to turn it off. And in the middle of the room, surrounded by the lanterns, there was a mirror one had to look into after telling his tale. In Sanmoto's game, it was said that the mirror was special. Called Mirror of Condemnation, they say that this mirror showed you the reflection of the darkest parts of your soul, so horrifying that most people could not muster courage to look into it… but those who told a tale during the game and blew out a lantern were forced by the mirror itself to look into it. The youkai created by the game were fueled by that dark reflection… by the person's own fearsomeness.
Seemingly, even Sanmoto could not handle the mirror so it ceased to be used and instead he used other means as a supplement, the most memorable one being the Ring of Skulls which was used in his last game during which, stories say, he met an unfortunate end. They even say this final game released a hundred monsters onto the streets of Edo and the ones who played the game turned insane and had to be hunted down by the Shogunate.
With Sanmoto's death, the games slowly lost their popularity and what used to be a popular game amongst both the wealthy and the commoners became just a thing of the past.
Yet, the term Hyaku Monogatari did not die with the game. The arrival of the printing press gave birth to numerous collections of tales, many of which used Hyaku Monogatari in their titles.
But what most people didn't know was that these works, just like the game, had not always been harmless. From the shadows, Sanmoto's descendants used this to spread the tales around Japan, continuing the tradition started by Sanmoto Gorozaemon in their own way.
Still, it would take centuries until one of his descendants actually became a threat on the level that Sanmoto Gorozaemon reached… and the one who accomplished it embraced the name Sanmoto Shiori.
~)(~
An eight years old girl was ravaging through a storeroom, in an old mansion belonging to her family. She was Kuruguya Midori, a simple girl afraid for her life.
Around her were white monkeys, her only true friends in this world of lies whom only she was able to see. It was them who told her that her parents, whom she loved like every daughter did, were actually evil and somehow created numerous evil monsters that killed people.
Someone older would try to comprehend their situation, but she was too young for that. Her all impressions on good and evil were based on what she saw on cartoons and as such, the world was colored in black and white, with no shades.
If her parents were evil, then she was in danger. She had to protect herself somehow and when she asked older children at school on what can protect someone from monsters, they said Onmyouji talismans might. But when she asked where she could get them, they got angry and told her to find a store-room or something and left.
It was a dusty storeroom and she wondered why nobody cleaned it, not understanding that this place was abandoned for decades.
"But what should I do if I find something to protect myself with?" She asked the monkeys who were like her guardian angels.
"Pray to the old Koshin!" One suggested. "And become a hero!"
"Yes a hero! Become a hero!" Another one said and started jumping around. "Look at no evil! Listen to no evil! Speak no Evil! Just kill the evil!"
"No! I can't kill my parents!" She rejected that idea. "That is evil!"
If she were older and more aware, she would have noticed that one of the monkeys seemed annoyed at her answer.
"Not parents! Save parents from themselves!" Another monkey suggested, continuing with their attempts to poison her mind. "Kill the monsters!"
"Aha, I see…" Of course, poisoning a small child's heart was one of the easiest things to do for the manipulative Shoumen Kongo. "But how can I do that…" She asked them.
"Koshin-san will show you the way!" A monkey put its hands together. "See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. And Koshin-san will help you!"
"Yes!" The girl said with a wide smile, pleased to hear that she could save both the good and her parents from evil, whatever that evil were. Many years later, she would look at this memory with contempt. How foolish she was to believe Shoumen Kongo.
"But first I need to find some talismans!" She said and continued her search. But then the old floor broke under her foot and she slipped, falling with her back towards the wall.
However, this part of wall was actually a secret door so rather than break through it or hit her head, the part of the wall fell from where it stood and she found herself in a hidden room.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch…" She said while scratching her head and rising up, looking towards the storeroom. The moment she thought of turning around to see what was behind her, the monkey started yelling.
"No, don't turn!" The monkeys seemed terrified. "See no evil! See no evil!"
She trusted the monkeys, but nothing was stronger than a child's curiosity and so she turned.
What she saw was a shrine, surrounded by four blue toris. It was surrounded by what looked as talismans, each one of them radiating in some unnatural light. She could feel the shrine call for her, telling her to come closer.
The monkeys became even wilder. "Hear no evil!" One shouted and jumped in front of her. "See no evil! Hear no evil! See no evil! Hear no evil! Leave! Run!"
Midori felt the atmosphere becoming tense. Even a child could feel its never-ending malice so she closed her eyes and put her hands on her ears, just like the monkey told her to. Yet, the she still felt the shrine call for her.
And, for some reason, she started doubting the monkeys themselves.
"RUUUN!" The monkeys became desperate. "HEAR NO EVIL! SEE NO EVIL! RUUUN!"
The talismans around the shrine burst into blue fire, as did the ropes that held them around the shrine, as if they were a decoration and not a barrier keeping something evil sealed. And even a small girl like her wondered why no heat was created by the blue flames.
Then the doors on the shrine opened. Due to darkness and space between them, Midori could not see what was there, but she felt chills running through her body. It was something malicious, she knew that in her heart.
The room was then engulfed in blue color. The light bulbs and moonlight coming through the window were now emitting blue light.
But something else changed too: the pretty white monkeys were now black, their eyes shining in red light and their mouth filled with teeth of predators. Not only that, but even in her memories they now looked like this. And in heart she knew that these were their true forms. She was horrified that she trusted them… that she thought of these evil looking monsters as friends. I was… being fooled… I was listening to… evil…
Then monkeys burst into blue flames and turned into ash themselves. The girl finally realized that she could end up like this too, thus her fear grew even more. Somehow, she knew how to ensure her safety: she just had to walk to the shrine.
But what would she do there? She knew what: she would feed it. But how would she feed it? What was it hungry for anyway?
She didn't want to go there. She knew it was evil and dangerous and that the best choice would be to just run away. But this thing's Fear was so strong that she was unable to resist its unspoken orders and so the girl rose onto her feet and started to walk towards it. She shivered and cried… but tried to cry silently, fearing that making noise would anger this demon.
When she finally reached the shrine, she noticed that inside it was a small mirror, a bit bigger than a palm of an adult's hand. The rope around it suggested that it could be used as a necklace.
However, the reflection inside the mirror was so blurry she could not even see herself move in it.
Somehow, she knew for what the mirror wanted. The mirror wanted to hear a story… a scary one. Yes, the mirror existed to listen to tales and… she didn't know what else. She had no idea why it needed to be told stories. However, she had a feeling that it would somehow use it for evil.
"I…" Somehow, she understood what would telling it a tale mean for her. Somehow, she knew that doing that would make her an evil person. "I don't want to…" There was still time to turn around and run. Her reasoning may not have been mature enough to tell her that, but her instincts knew better.
As she thought about turning away and running, she felt something indescribable… it was like she was making up a story, but against her own will… even though the tale was being written in her head, she felt like she was the audience… and that the mirror was the author.
And it was a horrifying tale. It was about a girl who was in her situation but chose to not tell the mirror anything. The girl retained her purity and innocence, but she suffered a long and brutal death.
The girl looked like her, sounded like her… the girl was her. It was a tale about what would happen if she turned back to the shrine and tried to run.
It was a threat. Would she do the right thing and turn around?
"NO!" She did not want to let herself suffer such a fate. So, she hurried up and decided to tell it something she considered scary. "This is a tale about… a Plaguedoctor… he wears a bird-like mask, a hat, a robe and a suitcase…" She spoke, remembering some figure she saw in an encyclopedia.
"He…" …cures diseases. She remembered that it was some kind of doctor, but she couldn't say that to the mirror. The mirror desired a horror, not a heroic tale. "…brings plagues and diseases." She continued speaking, somehow feeling less tense than she did since discovering this place.
"Inside his body, there are countless crows, flies, rats and other scary creatures." As she went on, the reflection in the mirror became less and less blurry and she could recognize her own silhouette in it.
"He infects people with plagues, sometimes only one person, other times hundreds." She went on, the youkai's very personality becoming vivid in her head.
"He is theatrical and likes showing himself to his victims." Somehow, she forgot that she was being threatened to tell this demon a tale. She just spoke, as if she spoke to her friends at school.
"Doctors make up a cure after a cure for his diseases, but he always comes up with new deadly plagues, hoping to one day find a worthy doctor who could keep up with him." The reflection on the mirror had become clear by now. She saw herself… but her eyes were blue and she was smiling. She knew her eyes weren't blue, and she wasn't smiling… she thought she wasn't smiling.
"He has assistants too." She continued on, not bothered by the unnatural reflection.
"They are his nurses, all of them morbid women, each evil and insane in her own way." She continued. She forgot about the whole good and evil thing and instead started to see this as a game.
"And he travels the world, both in search for a worthy opponent and to make his evil plagues stronger." And then she knew she had nothing more to tell. "That's it."
She just kneeled there for a while, wondering if there was anything else she had to do. However, she no longer felt danger around her and even the lights returned to normal. Yes, the room and the shrine still looked creepy, but she didn't feel as if there was any more danger there.
She looked back at the mirror. Her eyes and expression on it had returned to normal… maybe they had always been normal?
She put her hand on the mirror. "I could take it with me… I could tell it so many more scary stories…"Her fingers wrapped around it and… they let it go and she quickly pulled her hand back. "NO! I must not touch this evil thing!" She said and closed the shrine. Then she turned around and ran out of this scary place, back into the storeroom.
She continued running towards the doors to the hallway, but then she stopped and remembered that someone, most likely her father, would find this place. "I have to hide it." So she returned back and tried putting the cardboard back. However, she didn't know what exactly she had to do to return it to how it used to be.
So she just put it so it would stand and moved the card boxes in front of it. Nobody ever comes to this place so it was unlikely that someone would find it.
After half an hour, she felt like she did all she could do. So, she prayed to gods that nobody would find this place and left.
~)(~
She didn't know how many weeks had passed since the day she found that mirror. Nothing new there though: children of her age were not good at keeping a track of time.
However, even if she were good at it, she would not have been sure how much time had passed since then. She didn't pay attention to time, but she didn't pay attention to anything: she didn't pay attention to people around her, she didn't pay attention to her favorite TV shows, she didn't pay attention to scratches she suffered from time to time… she didn't care about anything anymore.
She, a child of mere nine years, was a murderer… no, she was something worse than that.
First, it were the nightmares… she dreamed about the youkai she made up in order to tell the mirror a story. She saw him infect people with diseases, acting like a cartoonish villain while they begged for mercy. Usually she would forget about her dream, but she remembered these ones as if they were something that she saw with her own two eyes.
But then she saw the news. She saw places from her dreams and people from her dreams. And the survivors and afflicted talked about a man who looked exactly like the youkai that she described to the mirror.
She knew this was her fault. The unknown culprit the media should had been searching should not have been that youkai, but her… the person who created it… the person who could create more of such monsters.
I deserve to die. Darkest of thoughts went through Midori's head. She was sitting on a swing in a park. The sun had just set and the rest of the children had gone home, but she remained where she was. She was not afraid.
One reason for that was the person who was leaning against a tree far away from her. He was a an adult, slender man with tan skin, wearing pants and a dirty T-shirt and his hair was tied in a pony tail. In his left arm he held a canvas and in the other a quill. For a moment, his right arm disappeared and the quill fell onto the floor, to which he reacted by taking the quill with his left arm and then literally painted the right arm back, as well as the rest of his body that started disappearing. Then he continued what he was doing.
He was her bodyguard… and a youkai. Although she only recently learned about what kind of things her father did, she always knew that youkai existed. Many of her family's servants were youkai and some of them protected her from the shadows, no doubt bringing an ugly death to whichever fool thought of taking the Kuruguya family's heir hostage and demanding a ransom.
He was her bodyguard… yet he seemed to revel in her suffering. Her parents were worried when they noticed that their daughter had got depressed, but this guy… he enjoyed it so much that he started painting portraits of her when she was suffering the most. She asked him why he did that and he said that he wanted to immortalize her tale, wherever it ends up leading, in a picture book.
The other reason she wasn't afraid was that, even if something ended up happening to her, she believed that she would deserve it for the sins she had done.
"Murderer, murderer~" The monkeys, whom she once considered her only true friends, made fun of her. They looked like demons ever since that day, but no longer pretended to be kind. "What is the evil I hear? What is the evil I see? Oh, it is the evil that Midori-chan spoke!"
She wished that her bodyguard was able to see them… then she could have ordered him to kill them. But only she was able to see them.
Why are they still following me around anyway?! She wanted to yell at them to shut up, but she learned that doing it when not alone in her room was not a good thing to do. Why don't they just stop with this?! Many years later she would know why: they were just continuing with their mission, but used a different method of poisoning her mind.
Why am I still healthy?! Villains always get killed in stories! Where is the hero who would slay me?!
"I shall slay you!" A boyish voice shouted, as if accepting her request.
"Eh?" Ironically, now that she heard such words, she started fearing for her life.
"Die you evil monkeys!" Some boy rushed in front of her and started waving some wooden stick at the monkeys, as if he was able to see them. However, all of his strikes missed and the monkeys soon ran away. "Gah, they ran away again!"
"Eh?" She said again, but now felt more confused than afraid.
"Hm?" The boy finally noticed that there was someone behind him so he turned around so she was able to see what he looked like.
He seemed to be a boy of her age, his hair reaching to his shoulders and having an unnatural shade of blue. What she also noticed was a drop in temperature, but at the time she didn't know that it was because he was the son of a Yuki Onna.
"Oh… I…" He blushed when he noticed her and started shaking his head in other directions, as if looking if someone else was there, but noticed no one (for some reason, her bodyguard hid). "Ahem…" He made a fake cough, put a hand in his pocket and took out a chocolate bar. "You saw nothing." He said to her.
Is this… what they call a bribe? Still, she was too confused by the incident so she took his chocolate bar and put it in her own pocket.
"Anyway, I am Nura Rihan, son of the mighty Nura Rikuo I am sure you have heard about!" He introduced himself.
"Nobody asked you…" She was not in mood to make new friends. Evil people never had friends, just like the cartoons had taught her.
"And what's your name?" He completely ignored what she told him and sat on the swing beside her.
"Kuruguya Midori." The girl gave in, knowing that pushy boys like him never gave up until they got what they wanted.
"That's a pretty name!" The boy already had a knack for flirting, even though it had no effect on anyone back then. "So, what are you doing here alone at night? There are youkai around, you know."
"And what were YOU doing here? You are just like me, but you also-"
"You saw nothing!"
"But-"
"You saw nothing!" He said, his face turning red due to embarrassment. "I was just walking and doing nothing strange at all!"
"Ahh…" Again, she gave in. "So, what were you doing here walking and doing nothing strange at all?"
"I was hunting for evil youkai!" He said and boasted his chest in pride. Midori had become certain that temperature fell whenever the boy got excited.
"What are you, an Onmyouji?"
"Nope, I am a youkai!" The boy spoke as if it were a completely normal thing to say.
The girl's hands froze for a moment. If she found his behavior fun, she no longer did so.
"I am going home." She said and left the swing.
"Heh?" The boy seemed taken aback by her reaction, but it didn't take long for him to jump from his swing and start walking beside her. "People either get scared or say that I am cool. Are you scared?"
She looked at him and said: "Please stop following me!" After saying that, she continued walking.
He stood there for a moment, but it obviously wasn't enough to stop him from pestering her. "Hm, you don't seem afraid at all." He then closed his head to her and whispered: "Are you maybe a youkai too?"
"No." She immediately replied. But I am a monster. "I know many youkai however."
"Oh, could you let me meet them?"
Now she was afraid. "No…" She rejected as she was certain that they may harm him. She wasn't sure if all youkai were evil or not, but she was certain that the ones who hanged around with her family were eviler than this brat. There was no concrete evidence of it of course, but somehow she knew that. It was the effect of Fear as she would later learn.
"I get it now!" He shouted and stopped in front of her. "You are a princess in trouble!"
"Eh?" She was surprised at how many ways the boy could find to surprise her. "No, I am no-" She tried to clarify her situation, but he didn't listen.
Instead, he grabbed her shoulders and spoke with such grand excitement that she was certain she saw stars in his eyes. "Don't worry Princess Mi… Midori was it? Yes, Midori… don't worry Princess Midori, I will save you from all evils out there!" Probably imitating those obnoxious knights from cartoons, he grabbed her by her waist with his left hand and pulled her towards himself and used the right hand to raise his stick. He was definitely imitating some knightly scene he saw on the TV, she was certain of it. "No matter what evil it is, I will protect all the fair maidens!"
"Let me go!" She tried to get herself out of his embrace, even more so once she realized that her skin started freezing. "I don't want your help! And I hate all youkai!"
"Mom always says that I need to protect girls in trouble, even if they act like they don't need it!" He continued imitating fairy tale heroes. "And dad says it is my duty to prove to everyone that youkai can be heroes by protecting them!"
"Gaaah! This is why I hate boys!" She no longer had any idea of what she could say to get rid of him. "Let me go!" So she started acting: she bit his arm and the moment he let her go, she started running from him. "I don't want to play with you!"
"Wait, it is dangerous there!" He said and started running after her.
"Someone help me!"
"But I am here to help you!"
"Anyone but you!"
As they ran through Nakano shouting at one another, someone finally took notice of therm. "Stupid little brother, so this is where you are!" She heard some girl yell behind them. "Come back home! Mom says she will punish us both if we don't get home before dinner!"
"Oh no…" Rihan said while he still chased Midori. Before Midori could stop and turn around, Rihan reached her, grabbed her hand and forced her to run even faster. "Run away, she is a tyrannical Demon Overlord!"
"Who is a tyrannical demon overlord, you stupid little brother!" Somehow Midori knew that this girl started running after them. "Come back home, you are way too young to be chasing girls!"
"I don't care, stupid sister!"
"How did I get myself into this?" Midori screamed, running with one stupid sibling from another stupid sibling.
She somehow managed to shake them both away, without ever looking the girl into the face. She hoped she would not see that boy again, but for a while she would hang with him every day as he had a knack for finding her.
And somehow his company always made her forget about her inner demons.
~)(~
How many days had it been since she met Rihan? She didn't know as she was not good at keeping a track of time at that age. But he stayed in Nakano longer than even he had expected.
Midori was not sure how she felt about it. To herself, she always said that she hoped the sooner this pushy boy left, the better. Yet, each day for some reason there was that fear that he would leave. Many years later, she would be certain that it was because he had that kind aura around him that made him liked by everyone… and which made everyone feel secure around him.
For a short time, but only a short time, she forgot about the darkness in her own life. That boy and his playfulness were stronger than those monkeys or any other demon that tried to torture her.
Yet, for each moment of happiness there were two moments of pain.
This day, she got into a fight with her father… she just broke and called him evil, told him how much she hated him and blamed him for what she herself did in that storeroom. But that outburst gave her no satisfaction, but only more pain.
After all, she was still a little girl that wanted to love her parents and depend on them. Actions like these were, for a nine years old, unnatural. That's how deep the poisoning from the Old Koshin's Monkeys went.
She found herself on the rooftop of the Nakano Sun Plaza, a reputable concert hall and hotel… and her father's secret base of operations in Nakano. How she got here without anyone noticing her, she did not know.
"Jump!" A demonic monkey suggested, misleading the girl with words and it's Fear. "Fitting end, no?"
"If the girl jumps, she won't need to see evil anymore."
"If the girl jumps, she won't need to listen to evil temptations anymore."
"If the murderer jumps, the murderer won't kill anyone anymore."
Indeed, jumping would end this misery she lives in as well as bring justice to the murderous girl who killed so many people. If she survives, who knows what else might happen to her… or, worse, she may end up creating even more monsters.
But before she would decide on anything, a brick hit one of the monkeys and turned it into smoke. The others scattered before the assailant could attack them.
"Eh?" With the monkeys no longer entrancing her, Midori finally realized just how close to the edge she stood and immediately took a few steps backwards.
"What are you doing?!" The boy on whose voice she recently got used to shouted from behind her- He then grabbed her hand and pulled her even farther away from the edge and pushed her towards the very center with such force that she fell down. "Did you try to jump?! Are you insane or what?!"
What do you know? She wanted to say but kept her mouth closed. However, the look she gave him told him just that.
And that seemed to anger him so he grabbed her hand and pulled her back up. "You finally started smiling yesterday and yet… yet… what is wrong with you?!"
"LET ME GO ALREADY!" She shouted at him and pulled herself out of his grasp.
"I WILL NOT!" He shouted back and grabbed her hand again.
"WHY?!"
"Because you are a dear friend of mine, that's why!"
"A friend…" Those words were not enough to make her calm down. As a matter of fact, they had the opposite effect. "How can you call me a friend when you know nothing about me?" She tried to pull herself away from him, but this time his grasp was stronger.
"Then tell me!" He said and looked her right into the eyes, something made her feel uncomfortable but she couldn't force herself to look away.
"No…"
"Tell me!" He said again, his commanding tone killing all the resistance she had.
"I am evil! My family is evil! My servants are evil!" Somehow, that commanding tone of his made her talk. "Is that enough to you?"
"You are a yakuza?" He asked, his face showing neither shock nor surprise.
"Something like that, yes." She didn't want to tell him everything. She already started fearing that she had lost a friend.
"Did they hurt you?" He said something that surprised her.
"Huh?"
"Did they hurt you? Like in beat you?"
"No… they didn't." She could understand why he asked her that. "Mom and dad and servants… well most of them… they never ever hurt me." This was normal to her, but somehow she felt like she only now realized it.
"Were they kind to you?"
"Yes they were." She remembered her father's and mother's smiles, her Birthday parties, the toys they bought her. Again, she felt like she forgot about this even though their kindness was always there.
"So what is the problem?"
"But…they are… evil." She said while shivering. For some reason, due to things he made her remember she no longer found as much resolve in saying these words.
"I can't understand what exactly you mean by evil… Honestly, I am not sure I want to know anything about what exactly they do…" The honest boy said and gave her a weak smile. "But if they are kind as you say, than I am sure that they have their reasons!"
"Yes… probably." She never stopped to ask to ask herself about that. Was it because of the monkeys poisoning her mind or just due to what kind of person she was, she would never know for sure. But she understood that as a daughter, she did the wrong thing by doubting them.
"Honestly, even I am not such a good person." He started speaking and averted his eyes, but still had a weak smile. "I call my father and my clan heroes but even they are basically yakuza and have their ugly side… and me too, I confess I am the most selfish person in the clan and I am always envious of certain someone and get happy whenever that person makes a mistake." His eyes shivered for a moment but then widened up again and looked back towards Midori. "Maybe you are not a good person yourself… but still, I like you and no matter what may happen, you will always be dear to me."
His words and the smile he gave her at the end had such an effect on her that her eyes started shivering and she started crying.
"Huh? Did I say something wrong?"
Rather than say something back, she just jumped at him and hugged him, continuing to cry. His words lifted many burdens from her and the tears she felt were the ones from joy, not pain.
"What is… ah, if someone from the clan saw me now I am sure they would be cracking jokes…"
In stories, they always portray warmth as a comforting and cold as depressing. However, this boy was a son of a Yuki Onna and everything about him (and around him for the matter) was cold… but somehow, that cold was more comfortable than any warmth that she ever felt.
~)(~
Because of his words, she decided to change the way she acted. She decided that, when she woke up next morning, she would become a good daughter again, apologize to her parents and tell them that she loved them. And she would try to understand what was it exactly that they were doing before judging them.
Of course, his words did not make her own sins disappear, but at least she felt less worried… like if there was something behind it that she had yet to understand.
But fate had crueler plans.
The girl ran through unusually empty streets in Nakano. She had to find someone to help her… to save her.
"Midori-chan was it?" That person's words still echoed in her ears. Just like the images of person deeds were still vivid in front of her eyes.
"Do you know what the two common ways to generate Fear needed to create an Ayakashi are?" That person held a mask and whispered in such a tone that she could not recognize what was his or her gender.
"One is quantity: if enough people fear something, it will come true." Her father was neither muscular man nor a fighter, but to his little daughter he always looked so strong that she was certain he could protect her from anything. But one strike from a youkai was enough to make him fall to the ground.
"The other one is quality: even if it is just one person, if that person feels enough a monster shall be born." Her mother took out a shotgun that they hid in a cupboard, but a youkai protected its master by deflecting the bullets, disarming her mother and used its monstrous claws to slash her from head to her legs, killing her in a gory way.
"And truly, the purest tales are not the ones popular with common rabble, but the ones that go through a head of a suffering person. Their fear and malice result in the most beautiful artworks known to mankind." As the person said that, he took a knife and cut through a living servant's body, whispering something in the servant's ear while carving her hands, legs, chests, head, ears, nose…
"Do you see this miasma that started coming out of her? In her pain, this young woman blamed you and cursed you and this youkai will make it its goal to carve you up just like I carved her." Midori finally screamed at that moment, an action that gave her father another burst of energy, enough to grab his daughter, jump through a window and fall into his death, but managing to protect his girl and tell her to run.
She was hurt from the fall and would normally not be able to run, but fear fueled her… fear and a naive delusion that her family and household could still be saved. It was impossible, but tell that to a nine years old child.
Finally, she saw someone she knew and hoped could help her: Nura Rihan. He was running, with a large smile on his face and with something that looked like a real weapon.
"Rihan!" She called after him.
"Sorry Midori, I am in a hurry!" He rejected her without even looking at her.
No… you can't do that! She ran after him and tried one more time. "Rihan please, I need your-"
"Sorry, this is more important!"
What could be more important than this?! "RIHAAAAAANN! STOOOPP! RIH-" She hoped shouting with all her strength would make him change his mind. But while she was still at it, something hit her and she fell on the ground. She tried to scream, but something unnatural stopped her from doing that. Rihan please… at least turn around.
But he didn't. He just continued running until he disappeared from her sight.
"That sure is a convenient gun you have there." A man said. She recognized that voice: it was one of those vicious yakuza. "A silencer that creates no sound and when it hits someone, they silence that person too!"
"Let's be done with this." The one who fired the bullet said. She recognized it as the voice of Onieda Masashi… the person who ordered that psychopath to kill her and her family.
"Remember Onieda-san, she is more useful alive." The yakuza continued. "You could marry her, create a youkai from her, sacrifice her to Sanmoto when he gives you something useful… there are many things she would be more useful at than dying."
And as the two men discussed what to do with her, pain and exhaustion caught up to her and she started losing consciousness. Rihan… why…?
~)(~
Her parents and household weren't the only one attacked: Onieda Masashi ordered to kill her closest relatives as well, after which he turned towards killing any other descendant of Sanmoto Gorozaemon who wasn't loyal to them.
She was spared, not due to mercy or ethics, but because the Oniedas decided that she could be of more use alive. If nothing else, an Onieda, most likely Masashi, would marry her once she reached adulthood and, once she gave birth to an heir, she would be disposed of as the rest of her family. That way, a branch of Onieda family would become the direct descendants of Sanmoto Gorozaemon and thus they could use Hyaku Monogatari's Fear to its fullest extent.
Fortunately or unfortunately, some of her household survived, her painting bodyguard being one of them. However, his loyalties were uncertain so she was never comfortable in his presence. Nee-san, the person she considered to be her best friend, also survived because she was outside Tokyo. Although her loyalty was also uncertain, she was the last remnant of the happier days of Midori's life so she was happy that she was there for her. She was also the one who taught her what her family and the Hyaku Monogatari were all about. Thankfully, she was one of Sanmoto Gorozaemon's last surviving body parts and a former higher up in the old Hyaku Monogatari Clan, not to mention she had many powerful friends in the youkai world, so Masashi and his allies were reluctant to move against her… but it was still not enough for Midori to be saved.
Minato, Hinata and other friends from school were also there… but they ceased to be that. Once Masashi and his loyalists got their hands on them, they were brainwashed, possessed, corrupted and some were even transformed into youkai. All her old friends, including any friends she would make later, got one of those treatments and practically became her prison guard.
To save anyone else from such a fate, Midori made herself become a person everyone in the school despised. She created an image of arrogant, delinquent and bully, using her status to get herself out of any trouble… a person everyone would hate. It worked, but it made her feel lonely and her already fake life became even more fake. However, it saved others from becoming Masashi's and that person's playthings.
Thirteen years old Midori was in her room, looking through a window and the morning sky in melancholy. The alliance between the Hyaku Monogatari and the Shin Sekai became colder and a number of internal factions from both organizations started fighting one another.
At first, that made her happy. For what could be more beautiful than your enemies fighting amongst themselves? But after thinking it through, that meant that Onieda Masashi now had enemies who may want to dispose of her in order to stop the Oniedas from getting their hands on Hyaku Monogatari's Fear. It also meant that some less sane people, for example the one who killed her family and household, may no longer be loyal to Masashi and might come to finish her of.
She was certain that, tomorrow, something bad might happen to her… no, something shall happen to her this day. She would say her intuition told her so, but she knew that this was someone's Fear making her tense, preparing its target for devouring. That's always how youkai attacked their targets: release some Fear in preparation and then attack, thus maximizing the Fear they would gain.
And she had nobody to turn to. Her former bodyguard would just stand aside and watch the show, as he himself admitted, while nee-san was no fighter and would not risk her life to protect Midori. Midori was completely alone in this.
As she thought about such things, her hand automatically went into her pocket and she took out her Smartphone. She opened her Contacts and looked at the name and a number.
Nura Rihan.
After the tragedy that befell her family years ago, she tried to call him many, many times but could never get in contact with him no matter how much she tried. With each call, the pain from her disappointment grew until she no longer dared to call him. Years passed and she contemplated pushing the Call button many times, but never dared… she was too afraid that she would get disappointed again.
What would calling him accomplish? She was not sure… maybe she could ask the Nuras to save her, but for some reason she disliked that idea. Maybe he alone could come and save her? No, she could not allow herself to trust him in protecting her… not again. She was thankful that he didn't turn around as he may had gotten killed if he did, but a part of her was still disappointed in him… but what he told her there on the rooftop still had a profound effect on her and she could not make herself hate him.
But what she actually wanted was to speak to someone whom she still considered a friend. But seeing that he never answered her calls, she was not sure if he still qualified at such.
Yet, her finger hit the Call button. If she were to die this day, at least she wanted to speak to a friend. Of course, like always he would not answer…
…or that was what she thought. "Hello?" A boy answered her call.
Her eyes widened, as if she looked at a dream come true. "…is that you, Rihan-kun?" She asked, wanting to confirm it.
"Yes, it is." The boy answered, confirming that this was true. "Didn't hear about you for ages!" He continued. "How are you?"
"Heh… we sure didn't talk much, did we?" She continued, happy to finally speak to someone who wasn't corrupted by the Oniedas.
"Yeah… why didn't you call?" He asked an outright bizarre question.
"I did, but after months of you not answering my calls-"
"Ah… I am such an idiot… I am such an idiot!" He cut in, not letting her finish the sentence she started.
"Riha-kun?"
"I am sorry, some things happened and I was an entire year in…" He took a pause there. "…a hospital."
No… I am an idiot… Why didn't she think about this? She went through many scenarios, from him losing his cellphone to just being mean and rejecting her calls… why didn't she think that he got hurt and was unable to answer her calls?
She remembered that she found out that Minato and he were in contact (something he never told her, the traitor that he was). However, she wanted to pretend like she knew about it. "What happened? Minato-san never told me about it."
"I never told him. We didn't hear one another for an entire year either." She heard him sighing. "I don't want to speak about it, but I was… unable to communicate with anyone for a long time."
"Ah… I thought… I am sorry…" Once again, she remembered all the doubts she had about him, yet this was not the only reason she started crying. Talking with him made her remember the happier times, many memories surging into her. Just like that time on the rooftop, his voice made the darkness around her disperse.
"Midori, are you crying?" He seemed to had noticed her shaking voice. "And what are you sorry for?"
"Nothing." She forced herself to sober up. She wanted this conversation to be a casual one… casual friendships were what she desired the most after all. "So, how are you doing?"
"I am alright now. How are you doing?"
"It is a bit tough, but I am doing well enough!" It was only partially true, but she didn't want to worry him.
"Glad to hear that! So, what did you call me for?" He asked the inevitable question, earlier then she would had wanted.
"Nothing!" She replied in a cheerful tone. "I just wanted to chat!"
"The moody girl sound quite… cheerful?"
"People change."
"I am giving my best to imagine you as anything else but a moody girl wearing gothic Lolita clothes and listening to death metal." He teased her.
Ha, I really did seem like that back then, did I? Granted, she wasn't better now either, but she wanted to act like she might have had nothing happened years ago. "Just where did you get that image from, hmmm?"
"Prediction of a natural evolution." He explained his reasoning.
"Haaah? Maybe I should give it a try! I do like gothic art, after all." She continued to play along. "May as well make a straw doll of you and do the Ishi no Koku Mairi ritual at the Hour of the Ox."
"Why do you want to curse me?!"
"Because I am evil, Riha-kun." She said in a serious tone. This proclamation actually had nothing to do with their conversation, but she still felt like saying it. "Anyway, gotta go. Was glad to speak to you and…" She wondered if she should ask him for help. "Actually, the reason I wanted to call you was…" She started but didn't finish her sentence. She remembered that the Nura Clan and Hyaku Monogatari were two polar opposites: the former were proud heroes and protectors, the later proud villains and killers. Asking him for help would mean abandoning who she was… it would mean abandoning her family… it would mean abandoning the lesson he taught her on the rooftop that day.
She had to make a choice: would she ask him for help and become a normal schoolgirl… or reject it and continued living in this darkness and do her duty as the head of the Kuruguya family?
"Midori?" He became worried due to her silence.
"…thank you a lot. Bye!" And thus she ended the call.
She decided to not ask him for help… or at least delay her decision.
So she took her schoolbag and went to school… and what occurred on this day would be remembered as the Nakano Incident.
~)(~
She never thought they would attack a school… at least not the students in it while the sun was still high up.
Yet they did. Humans and youkai alike ran around the school and searched for brutal ways to kill middle-schoolers, all while singing apocalyptic songs to Sanmoto Gorozaemon.
She locked herself in the principal's office… office of a man who worshiped Sanmoto Gorozaemon and who was the one who invited the cult and the youkai here (as most youkai couldn't enter someone's house without an invitation). He committed suicide after she confronted him, not to make up for his sins but because he believed that Sanmoto Gorozaemon would revive him as a youkai. Because of that, he died with a smile on his face.
Midori sat on the floor in center of the room. It was a large room… fit for the inhuman size of this man's greed. She heard children in the hallways run and scream for help, as well as the monstrous roars of the predators, youkai and humans alike.
She knew that they would soon come after her. She was not safe because she was hiding but because she was the main dish and, thus, she was being saved for the last. She was not waiting for someone to save her, but for her death.
Her Cellphone rang, but she didn't answer as it was an anonymous caller. No doubt, it was these guys calling her so they could mentally torture her. She did not want to give them the satisfaction so she stayed like this.
But it didn't stop to ring. She expected them to get tired and return to torturing someone, but whoever it was he continued calling her.
She decided to take her chances and answer. "Hello?"
"Please look through the window." The caller said and hanged up.
Although she was afraid of what she would see outside, she still walked up to the window and looked through it.
Her eyes widened at the sight. There, just outside the school walls stood the Plaguedoctor whom she created so many years ago. Around him was a number of nurses in pink outfits, looking like humans but she knew her own tale: they were psychotic youkai themselves.
The sight in front of her woke up traumas from her past… which summed up with all that had happened since she found the mirror, caused a mental breakdown.
"Aaaah!" She screamed and jumped away from the window. She didn't know why he was there and she did not want to know. But it reminded her of her own sin… a sin she had forced herself to forget.
"Haha… that's right… hahaha… I am just like those murderers outside." A grin appeared on her face. "What a fool I was… thinking of myself as an equal to those children that are suffering outside…"
"My family too… I pitied them?" She put her hands on her face. "They were just like them too! They created monsters and made them commit murders while they sat at safety of their homes and watched what their creations did."
She felt her skin burning, but didn't react. "They deserved to die… yes they did! They deserve everything they got! If it were not for them… if it were not for them, I would not have had such a shitty life in the first place! EVERYTHING IS THEIR FAULT!"
She fell on her knees. Her soul and body were burning but she didn't care about it. "But still, the killers must be punished… if not for them, I could at least have lived in luxury and comfort."
She was burning and she felt her very soul be shred to pieces, but she was too preoccupied with her dark thoughts to care. "I will carve that man until he looks like the meat in a butcher's shop!"
Miasmatic Fear started to envelop her, creating something around her. "Onieda Masashi, I shall feast upon your entrails, but not before you have begged me for death a hundred times."
"And Nura Rihan, you… you…"
"What are you doing?!" She heard his voice in her head.
"Stop trying to stop me! It is too late for me so just shut up!"
"I WILL NOT!" More of his words screamed from the depths of her memories. "You are a dear friend of mine!"
Her eyes opened. She saw the miasmatic fear around her, but did not react to it… the only thing she saw were her memories.
"Did they hurt you? Like in beat you?" He continued. "Were they kind to you?"
"My parents loved me… they tried to protect me…. No matter what they did to others, I was always… loved."
She did not hear any more of his words… but it was not needed. Rejecting to hate her parents cooled her down.
"These thoughts… they are not me…" She looked at the floor, her hands crossing one another and her fingers dag into her skin. "If I continue with them, I will be just like these mindless maniacs…"
"I may be a murdered but… at least I am sane…" She rose to her feet. "I don't know in which way… but I know I am not like that! AND I DON'T WANT TO BECOME LIKE THAT! I REJECT EVERYTHING ABOUT ME THAT WOULD LEAD TO SUCH A FATE!"
As if her shout was wind, the Fear around her was blown away and her body stopped burning. The room had returned back to normal.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I almost…what has almost happened? She looked towards the ceiling and opened her eyes… and almost screamed at what she saw.
Above her was a large, black skeleton with blue fires in its eyes and mouth. It looked down at her with contempt, but with no killing intent.
She did not need to ask this youkai who it was… she knew who it was. She saw something similar in paintings, though the skeletons in them had flesh around them.
It was a Gorozaemon… an half-born Gorozaemon. Had she continued with those thoughts, she would have been overtaken by hatred and her body would get torn apart and joined with that skeleton.
But she rejected that fate at last moment and what flew above her was a part of her soul… a part of her soul that she had rejected.
Midori looked at it with contempt. It was not a contempt one feels for another person, but contempt one can only feel for oneself. "What are you doing here? Leave!"
The skeleton disappeared, but she knew it was still there… hiding inside her. Even if she rejected it from her present and future, she could not erase her own past and, in that way, she was still related to that pitiable creature.
But this was not time to worry about this. Just because she rejected a life of hate did not mean that she was friendly with the maniacs attacking this place. She would fight… not in a way she planned to a few moments ago, but she would still fight.
She walked back to the window and looked through it again. Just like how they were patient while calling her, her child and his nurses were still standing, there waiting for her to invite them into the school… for her to ask her to save her.
"Come, get me out of here." She whispered, but those youkai felt that they had been invited into the school.
Plaguesdoctor put his stick on his shoulder and walked into the campus. The nurses that followed him turned into their true forms, each one looking bizarre in their own way and holding their own weapon that would make any horror flick villain proud.
But they were not alone. A hundred youkai, each one looking like it came from a horror flick, followed after them and stormed into the campus. Plaguesdoctor continued to walk in a slow pace, but countless flies have started coming out of his sleeves, infecting everyone they found with deadly diseases that brought to a painful death only after a few seconds.
They killed youkai… they killed their masters… but they also killed any policemen, vigilante civilian and teacher that they met on their way. But Midori was not surprised nor shaken by it. Actually, she knew that they would cut down anything that they saw, be they good or evil. After all, these were evil youkai, not heroes of justice. Kindness was not an emotion they were capable of comprehending. They just came, saved Midori and left before the enemy could make a proper counter-attack.
Once again, she murdered both those who deserved to die and those that didn't. After all, her inner battle from before was not one of good and evil… no, it was one kind of evil versus another kind of evil.
Influenced by Nura Rihan's words, she embraced the very fact that she was an evil person. She would honor her family and bring her enemies down not because of hate for them, but to protect and honor the ones she loves.
Even the remorse for creating Plaguesdctor was, she knew at that point, just a delusion fueled by common sense. In reality, that eight years old girl held no remorse for what she did, and neither did the older Midori. Creating youkai actually felt like the most natural thing she ever did.
~)(~
Urban Legends… they were a subspecies of youkai which started to be born when the Edo Period. But since the 20th century began, almost every new youkai species had been a Urban Legend.
They differ from traditional, old-fashioned youkai in many ways, and the fact that they feel more at home in urban areas than in the wilds was the least meaningful difference.
For starters, most of them had less freedom about their actions. Every new youkai species that comes into being had a tale that created them. However, in old times the youkai were both feared and admired, sometimes even worshiped, and humans believed that there were sides to youkai they didn't know about… that they had their own lives, their own reasons for living.
But the humans had changed. Word youkai no longer meant the beings that were to be feared and admired. It had started to be used for one-dimensional monsters with no other purpose but to terrorize and kill, not for some higher purpose but only to entertain the humans so they could have something to talk about and, once the humans no longer cared about them, the Urban Legend would vanish, its existence proved to never have had any meaning nor having left any imprint into the world… and never having a chance to live a proper life.
Even the traditional youkai didn't treat them any better than humans… actually they were even worse. They saw them as lesser beings and killed them on sight. Those Youkai would tolerate one another, but if you were an Urban Legend… they would kill you with no remorse and without considering you a being like them.
And who could blame them? Rare were the Urban Legends that had their own free will, even rarer were the ones that were not born evil. An Urban Legend would only kill, never spare or protect…
…but for some Urban Legends, there was one exception to that rule… There was one family those Urban Legends would protect with their lives, no matter how much it may go against their Fear.
It was Midori's family, including all her ancestors starting with the grandson of Sanmoto Gorozaemon.
Sanmoto's son hated and despised his father to the point that he changed his name just to forget about him… but Sanmoto's wickedness was such that it practically became a fate of all his descendants to have some kind of darkness in their lives. His son ended up becoming just like his father and died an equally pitiable death.
Sanmoto's grandson, on other hand, never tried to flee from his destiny. He tried to create his own Hyaku Monogatari and, to some extent, succeeded. But even though it seemed like he walked his evil grandfather's path, there was a small difference: whereas Sanmoto used the Urban Legends to increase his own power, his grandson and most of his descendants used their power for the good of the Urban Legends.
They did not protect their lives or any such thing… after all, most Tales dreamed of a beautiful and fitting death, not about long and happy lives. In this world where Urban Legends are hated and hunted down by humans and youkai alike, the members of House of Sanmoto gave them parental love. They expanded tales of the Urban Legends to bestow upon them both strength and free will. They guided those Urban Legends into having worthy lives, even if they resulted in their deaths.
They loved their Tales… and for that love they did not mind drenching their hands in blood. Open-handed, they accepted the fact that they would be cursed for Hell. If it meant giving those Urban Legends, who were abandoned and shunned by everyone for doing what they were born to do, a proper life then it was worth it.
That's why Plaguesdoctor, who took on a name Giovanni, came to save his mother. That's why so many Urban Legends followed him and protected someone… and protection was something horrors did not like doing. In honor for her ancestors, they saved Midori from that hellhole and intended to keep her safe until she found a way to hide her trail. Indeed, she could have done that: she could change her name without losing all that she owned, her parents prepared a thorough plan in case that need arose for House Kuruguya to change its name. Once that was done, she could go to Ukiyoe, tell Rihan everything and she would be safe.
She did order a name change… but instead of going to Ukiyoe, she told Giovanni to take her to an old mansion that the family owned since Sanmoto Gorozaemon was still its head.
She returned to the storeroom and was relieved to see that nobody was in there since she left. She kicked away the boxes and entered the secret room. The shrine was still there, waiting for someone to open its small doors.
She now knew what that mirror was. Alongside the Teapot of the Conqueror, it was a supernatural relic that made the youkai creation a thing to be feared. Humans told the tales, the Mirror of Condemnation made them come true and the Teapot of the Conqueror harvested the Fear created by the Tales. The collected Fear could then be used by the mirror to create even stronger Tales, otherwise one would need to find another source of Fear.
Sanmoto Gorozaemon owned both relics and used both in beginning, but he didn't like the idea of spending the Fear that his Teapot collected so he used the Mirror one last time to give himself an ability to create youkai and then ordered someone to destroy it… but seemingly what that person destroyed was one of countless replicas and instead the real one got sealed here. Who did that and why were questions that still needed to be answered.
And the answered seemed to be there: on top of the shrine, there was a piece of paper… a letter. Midori took it and read it.
My husband was an evil man. He murdered everyone I had, burnt down everything I had and lured me into marriage with false care. Oh, he did love me… but he was so wretched that those whom he hated from the depths of his heart fared better. I was forced to marry that man, sleep with that man and give birth to that man's children.
But make no mistake. No matter what our patriarchal society tells you, both men and women are your ancestors. You are his children, but you are mine too. And as such, you are my legacy too. Never forget that, my beloved one whoever you may be.
I sealed this Mirror here, although I didn't originally know why. But after seeing the path that my grandson walked, I knew why I saved this thing… it was for you, my dear children, so you could fight your own battles… if you follow in my grandson's steps that is.
I didn't tell my grandson about it however… I didn't tell anyone about it. If I did, they would have used it… but without the Teapot, this is a dangerous item. It will eat your Fear, in case you are a youkai, or the Fear that surrounds you, in case you are a human.
An average human could use it once while using it the second time would result in the Mirror bringing a violent death upon them. People feared by others, however, could use it a few more times because there is enough Fear for this thing to claim from them. However, even if you were a Shogun, the number of times you could properly use this is low.
And that's why I said nothing about it. Instead, I left it here so it would hunger for Tales. When hungry, this thing makes compromises and uses its own Fear. So the more time has passed, the more useful this thing becomes. Moreover, it considers itself as part of Hyaku Monogatari game and as long as the family spreads Fear while using that name, the family itself builds Fear. That too, increases the number of uses.
But don't fool yourself, my dear child. You will reach the limit before you know it. Use this to wrestle the Teapot from my wretched husband's clutches. Once you have done that, you will all you need to accomplish our family's goals.
In return, I ask only one thing of you: if I had to go through all this suffering to give birth to the legacy of Hyaku Monogatari, I want that legacy to be worth something. Please, don't let my suffering go to waste.
If Midori had any doubts about the path she chose to walk, they were now gone. She was to become a villain, but she would be proud of it.
She opened the shrine and looked at the mirror. There was, of course, still time to turn back and lead a normal life… but she didn't even consider that option anymore. She went to grab the mirror, but decided to first introduce herself.
"I am Kurugya Midori, the head of the group of families that call themselves House of Sanmoto. But that is an old name that I have to change… from today on, my name shall be Ichinoe Araya."
"However, the fact that I am here means that I would lead another life alongside my human one… and that means I need another name."
When Kinokunya Bunzaemon got his hands on the Mirror and the Teapot, he changed his name to Sanmoto Mikanbune, a name that reminded all humans about how he saved Edo after it got ravaged by fire (though knowing him, he was probably the one who caused the fire in the first place). But for his youkai persona, he chose a more fearsome name: Sanmoto Gorozaemon.
She would choose a fitting name too. "You can call me Sanmoto Shiori." Sanmoto would signify her ancestry while Shiori was a dignified name that would leave its own mark on those who heard it.
With the trivial introduction done, she grabbed the mirror and took it out from the shrine. The shrine turned to dust as she did it, meaning that there was no place to return this mirror to. There was no turning back.
Her family did many things for the Urban Legends and youkai in general… but their power was limited, nowhere as close as Gorozaemon's. Throughout centuries, they found many ways to supplement the fact that they owned neither the Teapot nor the Mirror… but that was a trivial boost. Had they ended up fighting a real youkai clan, they would have been exterminated. As such, they hid in the shadows, staying out of sight of any youkai… until Sanmoto Goroazemon and Shin Sekai decided they were bothersome.
But with this in her hands, she would not need to hide in the shadows. Sanmoto Shiori could be a name that would be feared if she played her cards right. But it would still be a hard fight, with a hard to reach goal: the fact that he got fused with it made many things complicated so, in order to acquire the second item in the set, she would need to pull Sanmoto Gorozaemon, kill him out of Hell and re-forge the Teapot out of his remains. Obviously, that would be no easy task.
She entered a special room in the mansion, a big room where Sanmoto and ninety nine other people played the Hyaku Monogatari games. They were not here only because the room was capable of holding dozens of youkai, but also because this place was sacred to them... to most Urban Legends, no matter if born naturally or by tale-telling, the term Hyaku Monogatari was sacred. It was the name of the only association of the Urban Legends, name of games and works that spread their tales and made them stronger and the closest they had to protectors.
Ironically, their enemies were also practically part of the Hyaku Monogatari, so this place may not feel as safe as it normally would.
Shiori saw that their morale was low, with the exception of Giovanni who seemed proud to finally meet and serve his mother. It was him who assembled this group and persuaded them to come to her rescue. Normally, rescuing someone was not something they would ever do... but as mentioned, she was an exception and to them the idea of protecting her seemed natural.
But that didn't make them happy or proud. They wanted to spread terror, not shiver in terror for enemies who would make them pay for saving the one they targeted. All of them, no doubt, thought that this was a death sentence. Still, they did it... they saved her and decided to protect her until she was safe, even if it meant abandoning her family's legacy.
Midori might have fled... but Shiori wouldn't. She would show them that they made the right decision, not only for themselves but for countless other Urban Legends. No, show is the wrong term... she would make sure to make a tale that would that come true.
They looked at her, eyes that showed annoyance. Protecting someone must have been frustrating to them, especially if they thought that person would run away and have a happy life. Indeed, they still thought she would abandon them.
She didn't tell them she wouldn't do it. She didn't beg them for anything. She didn't give any words of rally or encouragement.
She just raised the Mirror in front of her. When their eyes fell onto it, they backed away. The Mirror of Condemnation was a fearsome artifact and rare were those youkai who could look at it and not get devoured, thus why they kept their distance and only looked at the item's border.
And even rare were humans who did not go insane while looking at it... and holding it, which represented ownership of this fearsome item, was even more terrifying. But this girl did it with a straight face, as if it was a normal, harmless mirror.
And that's all without noting the part about the Fear that radiated from the Mirror... a Fear so suffocating that the youkai felt like they might die at any moment. Yet, she held it and even threw a look at it, her eyes showing that she was not terrified and a smile she released showed that she was comfortable around this thing.
They understood then the path she decided to walk... and they knew that this girl was more horrifying than any of them. And when she said: "Come, let us show the traitors what happens when someone crosses Sanmoto Shiori, the Queen of Tokyo's Horrors." and started leaving the room, none of the hesitated to follow her, each one of them ecstatic at the thought of how far she would bring them.
In order to do her duty as the head of these youkai, she would not hold back no matter how evil and fearsome she had to become.
~)(~
"And you sure seem to be enjoying yourself, Shiori." Rihan said as he put his tanto under her throat, his eyes looking into hers with anger.
"Now now, my love…" She simply took a step backwards and moved away from him. He didn't follow after her as he still didn't collect enough resolve to make the fatal strike.
"Don't address me like that."
"Sorry, but I have no intention of pretending that our little incident at the lakeside didn't happen." She looked at him with that smile of hers that he used to find disgusting but, now that she used it as Shiori, it somehow seemed fitting and thus less repulsive. "Also, wasn't that the condition of your bet? If you win, we become a couple. And you won!"
"That was then." He was irritated with her behavior.
"In that case look me into the eyes and say that you are breaking up with me." She said and pointed at her eyes with her index finger.
"I… this is pointless!" He averted his eyes away, rejecting to play along with her. "Shiori, what the hell are you planning?"
"I am always planning many things, my beloved." She shrugged her shoulders and started walking around the theater. "It kind of comes with the job description you know."
"Stop playing around, Shiori."
"What I want to say is: please be more specific. If I started telling you about all the things I am planning, we would be here until Monday. And soon enough, nobody on this mountain will have time to waste I fear."
"What? What are you intending to do to this place?!"
"Not me, but someone kind of related to me has some plans." She finally stopped walking and sat on the podium. "You will forgive me if I don't go into details, the dolls tend to get cranky when someone talks about anyone from the Hyaku Monogatari or the Shin Sekai. I couldn't talk about it even if I wanted to from the depths of my heart."
"Alright, so what are you planning to do here?" He walked up to her until he was only a meter away. Since she was a gunslinger, distance was to her advantage while for him, who used melee weapons, the closer he was to her the better. "And why did you infiltrate our school… and deceive us?"
"Mind if I first answer the second question?" She asked a rhetorical question while playing with one of the bangs in front of her face. "Me and Nuras might be enemies, but conveniently all my enemies are also the enemies of the Nuras. So, that brings us to…" She started but didn't finish. Instead, she pointed at Rihan with her small finger.
"It means that Ukiyoe, the very home of the Nura Clan, would be a safe place to hide." He said and crossed his arms. "But why didn't your enemies leak the information that you were there to us?"
"The dolls are not so convenient, Riha-chan. If they said anything, they would die a painful, painful death." She winked.
"And why did you befriend us?"
"Just so… well, I have an ulterior motive but I have no intention to tell it to you. Now, now… don't look at me like that. I promise that it is a harmless reason and, had I wanted to use my friendship to bring harm to you guys, I would have wrecked havoc by visiting your mansion."
"And why didn't you?"
"Would you believe if I said it was due to honor?"
"No, you don't strike me as someone who would let honor get in her way."
"Ha, you got me there! True, I thought of it as honorable, but there was an actual reason." She rose up from her seat and walked up to him again, putting a finger under his chin and giving him one of her alluring looks. "The same reason why I myself came to Ukiyoe: you guys serve as a meat shield." She moved her hand away and started randomly walking around once again. "We don't have enough strength to stand against anyone who might decide to attack Tokyo… and these days, that would be Kyushu. Unfortunately, they have inconvenient allies."
Rihan didn't say anything nor did he follow her around, but he kept a close eye on her so she wouldn't escape or make a surprise attack.
"Well, I don't have enough power at the time being."
"And what are you planning to do here?" He was getting tired of this and moved onto something that mattered at the moment. The air started to feel heavy and he knew that something bad was going to happen. He had no time to waste.
"Two things. One…" She jumped onto the podium, her backs turned towards him. "…find Gorozaemon's golden shrine and steal its Fear, conveniently before he is done with his own Tale."
"What Tale?" He asked, but she didn't seem intent on answering it.
"And second…" She turned towards him, holding that age's pistol in her right hand. "…sorry, but I cannot afford to have my secret revealed just yet." She raised her pistol and shot a bullet.
"Stupid human, you think that will work against me?" Naturally, he had no trouble evading the bullet and he immediately jumped onto the podium. "Shiori, this is the end for-"
Suddenly his skin froze and he stopped moving. It was no attack… he was simply overwhelmed by some kind of Fear. Wh… whose Fear is this?!
"Oh my dear Riha-chan… do you really thing this is going to be easy?" The girl's words made him turn his attention to her… and then he realized it… he finally realized that he made a mistake: Fear collects around anything that is considered fearsome, be it a youkai, an item, a place… or even a human. When someone is feared, had a fearsome resolve or fearsome potential, Fear naturally collects around them, although only youkai were able to use that Fear. For humans, it just showed how dangerous they were.
She never had any signifact amount of Fear surrounding her… just like any average human. But the moment he realized that she was actually Shiori, someone whom many youkai serve, he should have noticed that the Fear around her was not strong enough. In other words, she was hiding it… most likely, she used some of that magic of hers.
And the Fear around her, no longer hidden, was tremendous… stronger than most youkai he had met. Even if she was a human, Shiori was no small enemy, he knew that now.
"Riha-chan, you are misunderstanding you own role here." She started slowly walking up to him. His instincts told him to run or tell her to keep away, but he was too afraid to do anything. "You sister is a main character, a hero to be exact. Sanmoto Goroazemon, the Shin Sekai and a few others… are main villains." She now stood in front of him. "And I am a main character too, although villainous."
She put a hand on his cheek. "You, however, are still just a side character… and side characters can't stand against the mains."
She jumped from the podium and disappeared from his sight. "If you want to stand against me, you will first need to build your Fear and ascend to the role of the main character… If you want help with it, find the Golden Shrine and confront your demons. I will be there to help you." After saying that, he felt something hit the back of his head and his eyes closed themselves.
~)(~
She looked down on him, disappointed at how easily this got resolved. Ah well, I have done what I came to do. She turned her backs to him and started walking away.
But her instincts told her to jump away and she knew better than question them. At the last moment, she evaded the tanto that was thrown at her.
"You almost got me there…" Rihan said, rising back onto his feet. "Impressive Fear, I was actually taken aback by it." He broke one of the stools with his hand and took its wooden leg, intending to use it as a weapon no doubt. "But you are still just a human that stands against a youkai, and Fear is a core part of a youkai's nature."
Oh good, this may not be 'that' boring. "Please, use human language." Shiori said and raised herself up. "I can't even see the thing you call Fear."
"Terms like cutting Fear and protecting oneself for Fear would take too long to explain." He swung his new weapon in the air. "I admit, I probably can't properly defeat you as that bothersome Fear around you will just cause convenient accidents… but even side characters have their role."
"Oh, you intend to wait for your sister to come?"
For a moment, she saw something malicious in his eyes. "Anyone's arrival is good enough. Anyway Main Character… let's see just how important for the plot you are."
"Indeed. Come here, Karakasa!" She said and the parasol, which she had previously turned into youkai, closed itself and flew through the air, almost hitting Rihan on its way. When it reached Shiori, it opened itself and nicely landed into her hand. "This is Karakasa-obake, my youngest child!" She introduced the parasol to her boyfriend.
"Do I look like I care?" He said and jumped towards her, but the Pistol Tsukumogami was quicker and immediately aimed itself at him and Shiori didn't lose time in pulling the trigger.
At speed that she could not follow, Rihan slashed the floor with the wooden leg and changed his trajectory enough to evade the bullet. However, Karakasa also had good reflexes and it ended up hitting his left arm and, rather than continue, he immediately jumped away from her.
"Kgh…" Blood started coming out of his left arm.
"Ah sorry for not warning you sooner… I call it Karakasa-obake, but it is actually a tale based on it… I kind of added biting and poisons to it." She said and gave him a wink.
"Tz." Even though he heard that he got poisoned, he didn't waste time… actually, that might the exact reason why he didn't waste time as it was now against him rather than against her.
But she didn't waste time either: the moment the pistol aimed itself, she started pulling the trigger. A few bullets hit him, but neither forced him to start from running towards her. When Karakasa tried to hit him, he blocked him with his left arm and used his right to move grab her yukata and throw Shiori towards the wall on the other end of the hall, her parasol falling from her hand.
It was painful, but nothing serious. "I see… so that's how it is."
"What are you talking about?" He asked her.
"It isn't only that you are weak… why didn't you just crush my throat while you were still there?"
He stopped moving, but only for a moment. "I don't need to kill you. I can do that even after I put you behind the bars."
"Makes sense… but it also seems like you just lack resolve." She raised her index finger as if giving a lecture. "And lack of resolve means your Fear is weakened."
"And that matters to a human because…"
"Because your resistance to damage is weaker, which is especially dangerous if you stop paying attention."
"What are you…" He started, but his eyes widened because he no doubt understood what she meant. He immediately turned his eyes towards Karakasa-obake, but the parasol had already swang itself onto him, hitting his right cheek, then the top of his head, his waist and so on, flying around him and swinging itself at him. "Gods, you are an annoying umbrella!" Rihan shouted and managed to grab the parasol.
"You made the same mistake again!" Shiori said and fired a bullet right into him… and another one just in case.
As a result, his hand let Karakasa go and the parasol returned to beating him up. Soon, due to the numerous beatings, the poison and the bullets, Rihan's fear was weakened enough that Karakasa was able to knock him unconscious with a stronger attack than usual.
"Well, this solves it." Shiori stretched her shoulders a bit, hoping it would ease the main a bit. She then walked back up to him and gave him another last look before she left. "This is the fifth time in three days that I have looked at you while you are sleeping, Rihan." She used his full name this time. She then put her hand on his cheek. Warm… unlike eight years ago when it was cold.
But then again, many things about him had changed during these eight years, to the point that he felt like a different person. After meeting his mother, she was certain she knew why the cold part of him disappeared.
He is similar to what I used to be back then… yet, I failed to repay it… and I wonder if I ever will.
~)(~
So, this is Ukiyoe? Shiori thought while walking around. Many years ago, Rihan told her to visit, and once she had dealt with Masashi and his dogs, she did just that.
"Ukiyoe Town, here is your new evil overlady!" Shiori shouted when she reached a bridge from which she had a good look on the rest of the town. "Prepare for trouble!"
"Huh?" Someone said from beside her.
"Hm?" Thinking it was just some random passerby, she turned around and saw a boy of her age leaning against the bridge. But there was something weird about him: his hair defied gravity and had a gourd-like shape.
But she immediately recognized him: it was Rihan. He grew up, his face changed and his eyes had a different shine in them, but somehow she knew it was the same person.
But the biggest difference was how she felt about it. Simply said, her adolescent heart longer thought of him as just a friend. He is… handsome! She thought with a smile. His looks were, of course, not the only reason she smiled: having desired it for many years, it was an indescribable feeling to meet him again. She wanted to say many things, but she knew that having him recognize her would be a bad thing. Actually, even if he did recognize that she was Kuruguya Midori, she would have had to convince him that he was in the wrong.
"Why… are you smiling like that?" Yet he didn't seem as playful as eight years ago. "And what were you doing a moment ago?"
"Oh… I…" She realized how stupid she must had looked both while shouting and while starring at him. Her female instincts made her blush for having that happen in front of a boy that caught her eye. As if wanting to imitate a scene from the past, she took out a bill and put it into his pocket. "You saw nothing."
"Is this… a bribe?"
"Anyway, let me introduce myself!" Although she recognized him, he didn't seem to have recognized her… which was convenient as it meant that she would not need to make excuses on why she reminded him of Midori. Only a few days later would she start to feel irritated by the fact he had no idea who she was. "I am Ichinoe Araya, a rich and arrogant girl who just moved to Ukiyoe Town." She then bowed to him. "I might be a bit difficult to handle, but please take a good care of me!"
"Why are you acting like we have just become friends…" He said back to her. She had no doubts anymore: their roles seem have been reversed. Although it made her a bit sad, she saw many people make a 180 change after growing up.
"And you are Nura Rihan, son of the mighty Nura Rikuo, right?"
"What? How do you know that?"
"I am a folklorist!" She puffed her chest with pride, mostly because she made a believable excuse in a second. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Saving Princesses from youkai?"
"I should be asking why the hell a rich girl is walking around after midnight hours without someone to keep her safe."
"Hmmm? Is that an offer to go on a date with me, masqueraded as keeping a girl safe from harm?"
"No."
"Well that was boringly honest." She sighed.
"I don't have time for this." He stopped leaning against the bridge and started walking away from her. "Stay safe, rich girl."
"Hey, don't leave me alone like this! What if youkai attack me?"
"Don't worry, this town is safe."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." He threw a glance at her while confirming it and then just went on walking.
"Hey you there!" She shouted at some youkai who were getting drunk under a bridge and spat so many insults and profanities at them that they would get aggressive even if she looked like the Nue himself.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Rihan ran towards her. "Hey look guys, she is just-"
"We don't care!" The youkai shouted at him and started running towards them. There were a good two dozens of them. "And if you stand in her defense, even your status will not save you."
"Oh for fuck's sake!" He grabbed Shiori into his arms and started running away from them.
"Hahaha!" She laughed. She had hoped he would just grab her hand like in the good old days, but this was much better.
"You are enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I am being carried in arms like a princess by a cute boy! What is there not to enjoy?"
"Tz." He clicked his tongue, but she was sure that, for a moment, he had smiled. "I can't wait for this night to be over and I get rid of you…"
"Hohoho…" She gave him a menacing laugh.
A few days later, she moved into his school. And just like how eight years ago Rihan made Midori into his friends even if she said she did not want it, that same way Araya became Rihan's friend even if he said he did not want that.
I-I-I-I-I
Author Notes:
And thus we end the Shiori Introduction mini-arc… now we have one more chapter with Rikuo in the States and we start the Gyuki's Nightmare Arc!
- Kinokunya Bunzaemon was a real historical person on whom Sanmoto Mikanbune was based upon
- the Mirror is not my original creation: mirrors were actually used in the historical Hyaku Monogatari games. The lore in the beginning itself was a mix of historical lore and NuraMago canon
- there are many parallels between Rihan and Midori's first meeting and their reunion… and the parallels go beyond than just the first meeting
- interesting revelation: the Fear Rihan Jr. inherited from his mother used to be stronger when he was a child… I wonder why this changed… well, I don't but some of you guys might ;P
- ah yes, fighting to protect your own… a common trope in Shounen Manga and a central element in NuraMago… but what happens when the ones needing protection are not the ones that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? In that way, Shiori is a the dark mirror of that trope
- yes, youkai do need to be invited to human facilities in order to enter them. We see this during the Edo Flashback (where Nurarihyon's friend had to invite the Nuras in order for them to assault Sanmoto's mansion) and during the Tokyo Tag arc where Maki mentions that a mall is a safe heaven from youkai. Unfortunately, Hiroshi was never very clear on how this worked :/ (also, seems like Nurarihyons are an exception to the rule, maybe that's why them breaking into people's homes is mentioned that many times)
- no doubt, some of you may ask why I didn't show some characters and scenes directly, like Onieda Masashi. To keep it short: Midori's story is LARGE and if I didn't cut it down, this would have taken numerous chapters to finish. So I focused on scenes that showed two things: her motivations and her relationship with Rihan Jr.
- speaking of Rihan Jr., he got beaten by Shiori AGAIN. But don't worry: that's part of his development. Once the following arc is done, his competence will be on a rise… he just needs to get his shit together first
- oh, and cheers to the largest chapter yet!
Omakes and Review Replies:
For Mirani: thank you for the beautiful review! It made me feel all warm and fuzy :') Hope you enjoy the rest of the story as well!
Citsimsan: "Also, it's funny to see how many things were just speed chess instead of part of a master plan. Shiori can ad-lib when needed. Still, maybe boredom is not the best motivation, not really. Though Hagu-chan is the same, but she has the excuse of being a kitsune xD"
Hagoromo Gitsune sat in her mansion, drinking tea while reading an old classic.
"…god I am bored. I will need to find something to do in this story as soon as possible."
Dennou Writer: "My soul has been almost completely crushed. Thanks, Satan."
:D Ummm, I mean… :'(
Guest: "Ok this just confirmed all my thoughts about Shiori and connection to the other characters. Thank god I wasn't wrong. I think its ironic rihan fell for a girl of the sanmoto family."
"Uhhh…" Rihan scratched his head. "Please don't tell that to dad… or mom… or to a higher up in the Clan. I fear they would skin me alive if they found out about it."
"Imagine if we did it in the mansion." Shiori somehow popped up. "Trying to not get heard would get it extra spicy, more points if they are the room next to-"
"Shut up Shiori."
Guest: "Idea! You should make a anime opening for this. The characters, music. Oh man I would give a kidney to see that!"
I'd give two kidneys, but getting something like that is as likely as me becoming the new Prime Minister of Russia I fear XD