Village of Kizu
Hyakushu Ririshii paused in his work to watch a small group of people pass by. One of them was a samurai, and the farmer supposed that he was the captain of the other samurai who had arrived earlier. Not that it was any of his business. He had a productive farm and a loving wife, so there was no need for him to get involved with a samurai. Besides, they were here to protect Katai Joufu, the representative for Kizu and the surrounding area.
Noting that the sun was starting to sink below the western horizon, Ririshii sighed and turned towards home. Hazumi, his wife, would be have supper waiting for him, and she had promised that morning to tell her husband the news from the village. Trudging down the shadowed path that led homewards, the farmer stopped as he caught sight of a young boy on the road before him. The child had his back to Ririshii, but the man guessed his age to be around nine or ten. He wore a ragged brown kimono, and his head was shaved like a monk's. The farmer smiled, thinking that the boy was probably a pupil of the local temple.
Talking a step towards the child, Ririshii called out softly, "Hey lad, it's getting late. You might want to run along home before the bandits come out." For a moment, there was silence, then the child let out a high-pitched giggle and slowly turned around to face Ririshii. Dark brown eyes widening in horror, the farmer stumbled backwards, gaping at the youth. What the man had thought was a little boy was in fact a Hitosume-kozo, one of the many types of obake that appeared in Japanese mythology.
The Hitosume-kozu looked like a child, but instead of two eyes, one giant eye peered from the centre of its forehead. Mischievous by nature, they often played pranks on mortals, and were considered a bad omen. As he stared at the spirit, the man thought this one looked quite serious, and it made no move towards Ririshii.
The obake stared at the human, it's one eye half closed in thought. Still in shock, the farmer watched as the child nodded once, then spoke.
"When the moon vanishes from the sky, sixteen eyes will watch the world burn." the Hitosume-kozo chanted, it's voice squeaky. Titling it's bald head to one side, the spirit continued, "Only the bringer of death can save this realm."
Giving the farmer a piercing stare, the Hitosume-kozo giggled again and vanished in a flash of red light. Badly shaken by the encounter, the man hurried on his way, determined to tell his wife of the omen and wondering what the one-eyes spirit had been talking about.
- - -
Jack sighed with contentment as he gazed out at the small village of Kizu. He was still dressed in his yukata, but the hakama was back in his room. Beside him on the deck sat a clay jug full of delicious sake, along with a cup and a thick blanket in case he got cold.
Stretching, the man poured himself a small drink and downed it in one swallow, feeling the liquid warm him. The Doctor was off talking with the owner of the local temple, probably performing his duty as a Shinigami. Rose was in bed, tired out after the eventful day. Jack figured he should probably turn in himself, but for now, he was going to enjoy the view, the half moon overhead, and the sake. Life was good.
Taking another small sip of the wine, Jack pondered the question of why the Doctor had given them such detailed aliases. Sure, it pretty much guaranteed that they wouldn't be getting attacked, but it would have been much simpler to say that they were travellers from the mainland. What was the Doctor thinking?
Hearing the door slide open behind him, Jack turned and saw Rose leaning against the frame. She was dressed in a loose sleeping robe that the staff of the inn had kindly provided. Motioning for her to sit beside him, the man put the cork in the jug and set it and the cup aside, picking up the blanket instead.
Although he wasn't bothered by the later summer chill, Jack suspected that Rose might find it a bit cold. He waited until she had sat down, the draped the blanket over both of their shoulders; it being long enough to almost completely wrap around them.
Snuggling up next to him, Rose leaned her head on his shoulder and yawned. Smiling, Jack asked casually, "So, aren't you supposed to be asleep?"
"I was." Rose replied, tugging the blanket tighter. "What's in the bottle?"
"Sake. And you are not having any."
"Why not? I'm old enough to drink." she protested, sitting up and glaring at Jack.
"Too bad. This tuff is way to strong for you."
"Humph, you probably just want it all for yourself." the teen muttered, frowning.
"No, I'm more concerned of what you might say if you got drunk. This isn't the kind of place you want to let something slip."
Rose blinked at this, thinking. After a minute, she sighed and resumed leaning against him. "I suppose you're right…"
"Of course I am. I'm always right." Both chuckled at this, and Jack slipped an arm around her shoulders, tugging the teen closer.
"You only half-answered my question. Why are you awake?"
"Not
much gets past you, does it?" Rose grumbled.
"Nope,
especially when it concerns a pretty girl."
"Oh? So you think I'm pretty?"
"Nah, more along the lines of beautiful, but you're avoiding my question again."
There was a moment of silence, and Rose shifted uneasily beside him. Letting out a long sigh, the blonde muttered, Something woke me up."
"I didn't hear anything."
"No, it wasn't a noise, it was more like…a feeling. A feeling that something bad is going to happen."
"Hm…." Jack frowned, mulling over what his friend had just said. He had in a good mood all evening, partly due to the sake he had consumed, but he had felt a chill run down his spine just after sunset.
"The Doctor might be able to make more sense of it than I can, but I felt something similar too, earlier this evening."
"So it's not just me."
"Definitely not."
"Alright, I'll talk to him in the morning." Rose replied sleepily. Smiling, Jack listened as her breathing slowed, changing into the rhythmic breaths of a dreamer.
He stared at the moon and the peaceful landscape for a while longer, then got up and carried Rose back to her room, making sure that she was sleeping quietly before departing to his own quarters for the night.
- - -
Notes
Kizu is an actual place
'Hyakushu Ririshii' means 'brave farmer'
'Katai Joufu' means 'honourable blade'
'Hazumi' means 'spring'
Buddhist monks often had shaved heads, as did their young students
Hitosume-kozo are monsters in Japanese mythology. They are roughly the size of ten-year-old children, but otherwise resemble bald Buddhist priests. Their most distinctive feature, however, is a single, giant eye peering from the center of the face. Hitotsume-kozo are relatively benign creatures, content to run about frightening human beings or telling loud people to be quiet (they enjoy silence). However, many people consider an encounter with a one-eyed goblin to be a bad omen.
Obake are the traditional ghosts, goblins and monsters from Japanese folklore; ranging from animals that are thought to have shape shifting powers, to mythological creatures, to inanimate objects that have come to life.
Sake is a Japanese word meaning "alcoholic beverage", and is usually made from fermented rice that makes the wine.
In Japan, when people refer to the 'mainland', they are talking about China and other foreign countries.
The sleeping robe that Rose wears closely resembles a nightgown that people in the West wear when they go to bed.
