The Trap of Innocence
Part 5
Inside a building Misao hadn't seen in decades, her mind wandered. She recalled running down the halls in the pre-dawn darkness. She could remember the first time a bow was pressed into her palm and the difficulty she had pulling back the string. Smiling, she remembered the first time she missed the archery target and her arrow skidded along the ground, embedding into the dirt.
They encountered no one along the way and Misao wondered where the other priestesses had gone to and how many remained at the shrine. Hearing the footsteps ahead of her stop, Misao turned her attention back to the priestess before her. She had slid open a door and stepped inside.
"Please come in, Makimachi-san… Do you remember this room?"
Misao didn't need the prompt, she remembered it well. Kisa had died in this room, she would never forget it. It had hurt more than anything to see the person she had loved most breathe their last. Tears swelled in her eyes before she could even try to change her train of thought to stop them.
"Kisa-sama," Misao murmured. "I hope she is resting peacefully."
The priestess turned away and padded across the room toward where and old chest was sitting in the corner. She kneeled and lifted the lid. The old wood groaned and creaked. Within, buried deep in the box, the priestess removed a small purple colored pouch. She struggled to rise up again onto her feet and Misao moved to assist her, but she managed to clamor up again on her own.
"Here, this is yours. Your mother left it with you all those years ago. Kisa left us a note telling us what was and that it was to be stored here. Your mother had wanted you to have it but Kisa had thought it was a vessel of evil and kept it from you. I would like to be rid of its presence here if that were true."
Curious, Misao carefully slipped open the pouch and tipped the bag sliding the contents into her palm. Glittering gold was the first thing to meet her gaze. A gold chain and attached to it a claw shaped pendant holding a marble.
Misao lifted it, staring at the odd necklace. It was the most unusual thing… Raising it up, she peered at the marble in the clutches of the dragon claws and seeing the thing inside, she gasped.
There within was a string of kanji, the symbols lit in red and golden fire. She could see the flames lapping at it as if it were burning eternally inside.
"Ashataru?" she murmured.
Whose name was that? Had it been her mother?
Misao turned her gaze up. "Thank you, Miko-sama. I will trouble you no longer."
They bowed to one another and Misao left in silence. Her memories of the shrine passed her quietly, departing from her memory. Burning with curiosity, she left the grounds having one destination in mind. The only person who could tell her anything. She needed Hannya.
As a Guardian, Misao passed through the gates to the Dark Realm without notice and without consequence. She came and went as she pleased. It was a unique privilege and she took great advantage of it.
She passed through the gateway and went from sunny skies to dark, rumbling clouds overhead. She had passed only two or three paces into Shikijou's territory before the rain began to pelt down upon her. The droplets were large and they were cold. Tucking the pouch into her clothing she began to run holding her arms close to her body to ensure her treasure wasn't lost along the way.
Shikijou's territory was, in means of shape, narrow but long. She would be traveling transversely and thus her trip was expected to be short. Straight through to the other side was Hannya's territory which was much larger and far more dangerous. Hannya had taken to adopting wild beasts to patrol his "yard" years ago. She found it a great hassle to have to outrun hungry animals every time she wanted to visit but he ignored her protests and told her frankly, "Don't visit so often."
She had had mixed feelings about the man who had fathered her ever since she met him. While he had been supportive and protective of her the last few years, before that he had been distant and critical. She had been without a father her entire life and hadn't been looking for one when she met him.
Now it was far too late for him to be a parent, she certainly didn't need one. She was, in human years, an old woman even if she was a bit young in the Dark Realm.
Panting, she paused to lean against a tree. She could see the dark line of fence that marked the edge of Shikijou's territory. Hannya had put it up after Shikijou had complained that his beasts were ripping up his land and killing his villagers. Misao, a frequent visitor of Shikijou's territories, had yet to see his "villagers". The only people who lived on his land were the servants who worked in his house and that was a collection of five to ten huts. "Villagers" indeed.
Taking a great breath, she patted her garment for the pouch and sprinted toward the fence. She had a long way to go.
"No, Aoshi-sama, there has been no word about the border killings."
The reclusive House leader sat staring at the surface of his desk glumly. He had received a report from Saitou just an hour past that there had been no activity and he was suspicious.
"Are any of Kamatari's associates free from prison?"
"The one living at Misao's house," Hannya answered. "The boy… He's dying isn't he?"
Aoshi nodded without comment. Thunder cracked ominously overhead and the mansion trembled.
"Perhaps these killings are a diversion from something larger?" Hannya suggested.
"Aa," Aoshi agreed. "Could be. Are there any suspicious reports?"
"I will check."
Hannya turned to head toward the doorway when a tap-tap came from the direction of the window before it swung open with a big gust of wind. A large black bird swooped inside, water dripping from its wings. The wind howled at the open window.
CAW!
It flapped its wet wings and circled around landing clumsily on Hannya's shoulder, claws digging into the fabric of his shirt. Reaching up, Hannya detached the cylinder from the birds ankle and it pushed up and flew back out the window, disappearing into the storm. Aoshi stood and pushed the windows closed staring dispassionately at the spatter of water the wind that blown into the room.
Hannya unfolded his note.
"Makimachi Misao has come. She insists upon waiting for you."
"Misao is waiting for me at my residence. She is upset about something. May I report back later?"
"Go," Aoshi replied without looking up as he sat himself back at his desk.
Hannya turned and was gone.
He expected to hear her shouting the moment he stepped over the threshold, instead, the house was eerily silent. Misao, in his experience, had never been a quiet guest. His front hall was a bit wet where shoes were stored but everything looked clean, nothing broken.
Was she upset then and not angry?
Her rages usually equaled property damage.
As he discarded his shoes a maid appeared from beyond the stairs. "Hannya-sama, Makimachi-san is waiting for you in your study. She insisted that I message you, she's quite excited."
"She's quiet for being excited, isn't she?" he asked sliding off his coat, grateful he'd thought to take it when he left.
"I thought so too. When I checked on her, she was asleep on your couch. The poor thing came in soaked and wild eyed."
Hannya nodded. "Did you get her changed into something warm?"
"Of course, Sir."
"Good, thank you."
She nodded, bowed, and disappeared.
He could only wonder what was about to befall him as he headed for his study. Opening the door, he was greeted with silence. He stepped inside and settled himself in his favorite chair by the fire, angling it so that he could see the couch. She was still bundled up there buried beneath a stack of blankets.
He wondered what it would have been like to have her grow up before him instead of at that shrine. Would she have become a great hunter? Would she be more open and affectionate toward him instead of her impassive address of "Hannya". She refused to acknowledge him as he father and he could do nothing to force it. Instead, he watched her sleep.
Sleepily, Misao opened her eyes. Sleeping? She blinked rapidly. She'd fallen asleep. Chastising herself, she failed to immediately notice she wasn't alone and Hannya watched her from his chair. She noticed the stripes first. Turning her gaze up to his face she almost jumped when she saw his mask was missing.
Instead of asking after it, she blurted out the first thing on her mind. "What happened to your face?"
The remaining skin on his face stretched in a ghastly smile. "Do you think I am called 'Beast Hannya' for nothing?"
"What's that mean? A beast ripped off your face?" she asked shifting herself up, crossing her legs and pulling the blankets around her. This place was so much warmer than her own house, but it was so nice. She refused to admit to herself she liked it more than her own house, but deep down she knew that was true.
"You are a rude child," he chastised. "I was captured and tortured in a war."
"A man did that to you?"
He didn't respond. "What brings you here in such a flurry?"
It focused her and she frowned. "I got a message from the Four Hills Shrine, so I went to visit. One of the priestesses there gave me something. She said my mother had left it with me but that Kisa-sama had decided not to give it to me fearing it was some kind of evil trinket."
"What is it?"
She slipped the pouch from her pocket and tossed it toward him. He caught it in his gloves hands and reached in. He withdrew his hand, two fingers pinched together around the chain. He held it up for inspection glancing at it critically.
"Ashataru?" he murmured. "You got this from the Shrine?"
Misao nodded. "What is it?"
He glanced at it again reaching with his other hand to touch the little glass globe. A bright red arc of fire struck his hand just before the entire thing, globe and chain, caught fire. Hurriedly, he tossed it back to Misao who scrambled not to catch the burning necklace.
"It's a protective mechanism. Only a blood Ashataru can deactivate it. Touch it, Misao."
Shakily, she reached for the burning pile of gold on the floor. She hissed as the fire lapped at her skin and then, belatedly, realized it didn't hurt. Scooping her fingers around the chain, her palm touched the globe and the fire vanished.
In a flash, Hannya was up out of his chair, the mask on the table was swept up, and he was gone. Misao was left to ponder her mystery alone.
She had thought "Ashataru" was a person, but perhaps it was a thing? He had said "an Ashataru". Was she some other kind of creature and not a vampire half-breed? Her lip curled in disgust. The news just got better and better, didn't it?
AN: I'm trying to finish this one. I think it will end at chapter 8 or 9.
