Disclaimer. I do not own Yashahime. All rights belong to the creators.
CHAPTER FIVE
Reasui glanced back at the hut as crashing sounds erupted. "What are they doing now…" She stood up and walked back to the hut, pushing the cloth aside and peering in.
Moroha was busy scooping mouthfuls of the stew into her mouth while Takechiyo tugged on her leg. "No stop! Now I can't eat anymore! You meanie!"
"Ahem."
Moroha flinched, and glanced sheepishly at Reasui. "Um, hi. I was just…making sure the rest of the stew was safe to eat."
Reasui looked at Takechiyo, who shook his head.
"Right. Well, you can finish what's left. Then we should get a move on. Do you have any ideas of where to go, Moroha?"
Moroha put the ladle back in the pot. "Well, before I stopped to gather supplies here, I had received a quest to track down a demon."
Reasui pricked up her ears, intrigued. "What kind of demon?"
Takechiyo sat down on the floor with a huff, still upset about the food.
Moroha scrunched her eyes. "Umm….what was it that guy said again?"
Reasui waited patiently.
"Oh yeah. He said it was some kind of boar. But it was really huge, and it's fur didn't seem to be normal. He said it looked more like steel."
Reasui raised a hand and flexed her claws. "Steel huh? How strong would it really be against my fire?"
Moroha turned back to the pot, and ate the rest of the crab stew.
Takechiyo cried silent tears of regret, glaring at Moroha.
Reasui walked up to the pot, gently pushing Moroha away. "Watch this."
Raising a hand, she shot out hot air from her palm, and burned away what was left in the pot.
She stopped and brushed her hands off. "There we go. All clean."
Moroha gasped. "That's awesome! We didn't even need to use water!"
Reasui smiled smugly, and nodded. "Heh."
Takechiyo was still pouting, but he was staring at Reasui out of the corner of his eyes.
Moroha dug something out of the pocket of her haori. It looked like some sort of small book.
"This is called a journal."
Reasui stared at it suspiciously. "What does it do?"
Moroha laughed. "It doesn't do anything silly! You write in it, and record things. This is what I use to track my demon slaying kills and to be killed."
Reasui stepped forwards, eyes wide, and snatched the journal. "Really now?"
She sniffed it, and opened the book. "Wow. Interesting, there's so many words on here. But the paper doesn't look like it could handle ink."
Moroha looked ruffled that her book was snatched. "Not your world's ink. But the other world's ink can be written on this journal."
Reasui dropped the journal, eyes narrowed at Moroha. "Other….world?"
Takechiyo sighed.
Moroha clapped her hands over her mouth. "Mm!"
Reasui bristled her tails. "Elaborate."
Moroha removed her hands, and scuffed the floor with a foot.
"Ah, well…I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. I was born here, but my mother came from a different world. As her daughter, I can travel to that world whenever I want."
Reasui relaxed her position, but she was still on edge. "Because, you have her blood?"
Takechiyo stood up and started wandering around the hut, looking bored. As if he heard the story multiple times.
Moroha nodded. "Yes. It's at the Bone Eater's Well. It's connected to a world called Tokyo."
Reasui picked up the journal she dropped and held it out to Moroha. The smaller demon took it gratefully. "Thanks."
Reasui glanced at Takechiyo. "Could you take me there? I want to go see it."
The tiny tanuki stopped his pacing, and looked at Moroha, hesitation in his eyes.
Moroha hummed, tapping a finger on her chin. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. But don't be disappointed when you jump in and nothing happens."
Moroha turned to face Takechiyo. "Alright! Let's get a move on!"
Takechiyo grumbled under his breath.
The two girls followed him out of the hut, and he transformed. "I hope I'm able to carry you both."
Reasui stopped Moroha from stomping on his tail. "It's okay Takechiyo. If you can't handle both of us, I'll travel on ground. I'm a fast runner."
Takechiyo puffed out his chest. "Actually, I can do it! What kind of tanuki would I be if I couldn't carry two people? The other tanuki's would laugh at me!"
Reasui smiled, and petted his head.
Moroha hopped on, holding out a hand to Reasui. Deciding to take the kind offer, Reasui grabbed Moroha's hand and she pulled Reasui up onto the shell of Takechiyo.
"Here we go!"
Takechiyo lifted off, slowly, but started speeding up.
Soon they were flying at a nice altitude, and Reasui enjoyed the breeze in her hair. "This feels nice. You're lucky Moroha."
Moroha slapped the shell of Takechiyo playfully. "Ha. Ha. Ha. You jealous? Only a few people can get lucky enough to get a tanuki!"
Takechiyo trembled. "Stop that! You'll make me lose focus."
Reasui grabbed Moroha's wrist, a serious expression on her face. "Focus is important."
Moroha glanced at Reasui's arm, understanding in her gaze. "Right…" She mumbled.
Reasui let go of her, and the next few minutes were spent in awkward silence.
Moroha straightened up, pointing over Takechiyo's head. "There it is. The Bone Eater's Well. Takechiyo, start going down."
Takechiyo obliged, and flew closer and closer to the ground. Both Reasui and Moroha hopped off, and the tanuki transformed into his child form again.
Reasui crouched, staring at the wooden well. "Through here…huh?"
She watched as Moroha saluted to her, and hopped into the well.
"Wait!"
Reasui leapt up and ran to the well, looking in. Moroha was gone.
The fiery haired kitsune steeled her nerves and jumped in. Nothing happened.
Reasui felt dread settle over her. "Moroha? Hey!"
She knelt down and started digging at the dirt, her claws making long gashes in the dirt.
"Hey! Moroha! Yell if you're there!"
Reasui was afraid. She only knew Moroha for about half a day, and yet…the small girl was growing on her. Reasui didn't want the only friend she had in a long time to up and leave her.
She stopped, claws full of dirt. "Friend?"
Reasui realized that Moroha had become her friend, without Reasui even knowing.
Takechiyo was sitting on the edge of the well, legs hanging. "She'll come back, don't worry."
Reasui ignored him, panting as the stuffy air closed in on her.
She started digging again, afraid.
'Don't leave me…my friend.'
END OF CHAPTER FIVE
