Chapter Seven
The inside of the cave smelled strange. Chizu blinked while she adjusted to the dim light. She was standing in a tiny room with stone steps that led downwards. A pink lantern hung on the wall just before the path turned out of sight. There were no support planks to be seen on the ceiling.
"I really hope Karasu-Tengu was right about this," she muttered under her breath. "Maybe they've changed the cave. Who knows how long it's been since she's been in here?"
Her ears twitched as they picked up a sound, distorted from echoing around countless corridors. Chizu crouched uncertainly, her heartbeat quickening. I have to find Yuichi as soon as possible and then get out of here before anything terrible happens to any of us. Shouldn't be too hard, right?
She said a quick prayer to the Maker and slipped down the stone hallway, her footsteps masterfully silent. There was a reason she had been Mistress Fuwa's favorite pupil.
As soon as she found herself in a larger hallway, the echoes of footsteps approached. Thankfully, the ceilings here were much higher, and there were support beams.
They're up a little high. Using all the force in her hind legs, she sprang towards a support beam and grabbed onto it, claws extended. Then she swung herself up and onto the beam. She crouched on all fours, willing herself to melt into the shadows as the footsteps grew louder. A gray fox armed with an axe strode down the hallway, passing by her without glancing upwards. She breathed a sigh of relief and tried to collect her thoughts.
They must have a prison somewhere. I'll just keep looking until I find it.
Gracefully, she leapt from one wooden beam to the next, freezing every time she heard someone approaching. Eventually, she found herself in a large room with several tables. It looked like a dining hall. There were countless beams crisscrossing the ceiling, and Chizu enjoyed climbing higher and higher. I bet those foxes couldn't follow me up here if they tried. They don't have claws like I do.
She tried to pick up on the conversation between two foxes that were setting the table with bowls and chopsticks.
"I can't wait to try this dinner. Have you seen what Lady Hikaru ordered to be prepared for the meal? It has unicorn meat."
"Well, it is a special occasion." The other fox spoke more softly, and Chizu strained to pick up what she was saying. "I haven't seen her this excited since…and when Kenji was brought in…thought she was done with the killing."
"Is she really going to kill him in the Sacred Garden? She's being overly dramatic, if you ask me. She didn't do that to any of the others."
Chizu's eyes narrowed. Are they talking about Yuichi? And who are the "others"? She remembered what Miyako had said. 'He must pay the price…'
At least that means he's still alive. Hang in there, Yuichi, I'll find you soon.
XXX
The cavern never seemed to end. Chizu was thankful that her presence was not detected as she jumped and crawled from one beam to the next. Most of the foxes were distracted with dealing with Karasu-Tengu's attack, or preparing for Lady Hikaru's creepy garden ritual to kill her friend.
As time passed, and her search continued, Chizu's nerves began to fray. She could sense the presence of evil here, and it reminded her far too much of her old ninja den. Eventually, she made her way into a large room with a variety of paper screens to separate it into rooms. She could hear low talking and see movement on the far side of the room. She slunk towards the voices, hoping to pick up some sort of conversation that would clue her in to the location of her friend.
"Sit still, Lotus. Squirming is not lady-like."
"You've been brushing me for hours. I look fine."
"You're lucky you look fine, instead of black and blue. Be glad your mother insisted you look your best for the ceremony."
Chizu curled herself into a tight, unnoticeable ball and tucked her tail in, watching a plump brown fox run a silver brush through the fur of a fox kit dressed in a beautiful silk kimono that was black and green. Chizu had to stop herself from drawing in a sharp breath as she noticed nine pink-tipped tails sprouting from the back of the child's attire.
A kitsune! Lady Hikaru must have a child. Poor thing.
Another oddity caught her eye; a splotch of bright green. Her eyes widened as she realized it was Spot, curled in a ball and fast asleep. She felt relieved to see the precious creature still alive, but also indignant.
How dare they take Yuichi's tokage! Did they take him like he's an object to be given as a child's plaything? Spot has been bonded to Yuichi for years, he can't just become someone else's pet. Poor lizard must be heartbroken.
"I said, stop moving!" the brown fox snapped. She slapped the kit's arm with the back end of the brush, making her yelp.
Spot leapt to his feet and yipped angrily, making a rush for the nursemaid.
"Stay back, lizard!" She held the brush aloft in a threatening gesture. Spot, undeterred, started growling and lashing his tail.
"Don't hurt him!" Lotus pleaded. "Or I'll tell my okaasan!"
Chizu's heart pounded painfully against her lungs. She didn't think she could bear to see any harm come to little Spot.
A screen slid to the side, further ahead of Chizu, revealing a stunning white fox with red-tipped tails and pink-tipped ears. She was wearing a silver and white kimono that looked very expensive and was decorated with blooming cherry trees.
"Mina, my daughter is correct. You must be patient with the tokage. He is a sacred part of nature, and will learn our ways soon enough."
She strode over to Lotus, her tails drifting gracefully through their air as though they were light as feathers. "Don't cry," Lady Hikaru said, as Lotus wiped at her eyes roughly. "We are kitsune. We are strong. We have no need for tears." She rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder and looked at her with an affectionate smile on her face. "You look beautiful."
Lotus beamed at her mother. She looked happy, but Chizu noticed subtle details, like how the kit's arms and legs shrank closer to her body, and her tails drooped slightly. She'd seen the exact behavior from kittens raised by Lady Fuwa, who both admired and feared her. Chizu remembered how normal it felt to both love and dread any attention from her mistress, and she pitied the kitsune kit.
"We will be heading to the Sacred Gardens for the ceremony in two hours. Make sure she is not late," Lady Hikaru said, voice turning cold. She moved through the maze of paper walls with an almost unearthly grace. Chizu felt an icy chill run down her spine and she prayed the kitsune would not sense her presence. Though the fox was as lovely as an autumn sunset, there was something ominous about her that chilled the cat to the bone. Thankfully, the kitsune did not look back.
"I must relieve myself," the nursemaid was saying. "I want you to stay here, child, and do not move or so help me I will convince Lady Hikaru to put you in confinement again."
"I'm staying," Lotus said in a whiny voice, slouching on the stool and glaring at the nursemaid as she left.
Chizu hesitated. Should I do something to get Spot? She felt a tickle in her nose, probably from all the dust collecting on the wooden beams.
No. No no no.
She sneezed the tiniest sneeze. But it was still enough to make a sound.
Spot's head snapped upwards and he let out a thrilled yip of excitement, bouncing up and down on his hind legs.
"I see you, stupid ninja," Lotus announced, pointing at her. "Why are you spying on me? Are you an assassin?"
Chizu froze, unsure what to say. Maybe the child was bluffing and couldn't actually see her. Or maybe she could. How should she-
"Tell me who you are! Or I'm gonna scream and get my okaasan to get you," Lotus demanded. "I'm warning you!" She stood on the stool and took a deep breath.
There was no more time to think. Chizu swung herself down from her perch and landed with a delicate thump. She crouched, watching the fox kit uncertainly.
"I'm not an assassin. I'm…um…a friend of your mother's."
Spot ran up to her and licked her face incessantly, squealing with joy. Despite the tense moment, Chizu couldn't help but melt into a smile as she held the wriggling creature close.
"You're a terrible liar."
Chizu winced at how loudly the kit spoke. She hoped dearly that no one could overhear them.
"You're that rabbit's friend, aren't you?" The kit spoke so confidently, Chizu gave up any further attempts at spinning a tale.
"How can you tell?"
"Duh. It's not hard. Look how much his tokage loves you."
Spot was now lying in her arms on his back like a baby, tongue lolling out of his mouth. She had never seen him so happy to see her.
"It's true," she sighed. "I am his friend. Can't be subtle, can you Spot?"
"You must be here to rescue him." She extended a tiny furred paw and opened it to reveal a bronze key. "Here. I found the key to free him."
Chizu stared at Lotus. "Why…why would you help me?"
Lotus kicked at a cylinder container lying on the ground. "Because, he was nice to me and he let me have his tokage and I don't wanna watch him get eaten or whatever," she mumbled.
Spot clambered onto Chizu's back and clung to her. "Why would he give you his tokage?" Chizu questioned. "That doesn't make any sense. Are you lying to me?"
"No! He did, you can ask him."
Chizu stroked Spot's neck. She could feel him trembling ever so slightly, either from joy or fear she couldn't tell. "How? Do you know where he is?"
She gestured towards an exit tunnel to Chizu's right. "The prison is that way. I would hurry if I were you."
Chizu rose to her full height, tail flicking anxiously. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"You don't, manglebrain. But I told you, I don't wanna watch that stupid rabbit get eaten so you better hurry."
Every muscle in Chizu's body urged her forward, but she hesitated, looking back at the kit. "You won't get in trouble for this, will you?"
Her tiny nose scrunched, Lotus glared at Chizu. "I don't know. Just go, you dumb cat! And take Spot with you since he clearly likes you more."
Chizu lingered just a moment more. "Lotus. I…uh…thank you."
Then, like a spring that had been released, Chizu sailed through the air and landed on a beam, digging her claws in deep. Would this elegant kitsune really do something as barbaric as eating a fellow animal?
She didn't want to find out.
XXX
Eventually the cavern walls started to close in until the support beams were so small, she had to return to the ground. Thankfully, Chizu had yet to see any clan members pass by recently, so she had a feeling most of them were engaged in the battle outside or attending to Lady Hikaru. Still, she held her naginata in her hand, prepared to strike a fatal blow to anyone she encountered. She could tell Spot sensed her feelings. He was clung to her and occasionally shuddered, but thankfully he was smart enough not to make a sound.
Surely I should be at some sort of prison by now. How long is this hallway going to keep going? Her chest was so tight with anxiety, it was becoming hard to breathe. Never in her life had she been on a mission so stressful, even when Lady Fuwa forced her and her ninja sisters to invade the palace of a ruthless warlord to steal priceless treasures.
Is it just me, or are the walls closing in?
Suddenly, the sound of sniffling met her ears. Her ears perked up and her nose twitched. Could it be?
She raced silently over the rocky ground, sliding to a stop at the entrance of a room. There was no door, but simply an entryway section that opened into an area blocked off by metal bars. And there, sitting slumped behind the bars, was her dear friend.
"Yuichi!" the words escaped her mouth in a half-strangled cry before she could stop herself.
When he looked up at her and their eyes met, it felt like the whole world stopped for a moment. Then Spot yipped happily and broke the moment.
"Chizu! You found me! I can't-I can't believe you're here!" He wiped his face hastily on his shoulder. She could tell he had been crying.
"Of course I'm here, do you think I was about to let anything stop me from finding you?" She fitted the key in the lock, praying it would work, and work it did. As soon as the lock opened, she pulled her friend into a tight embrace, feeling hot tears spring to her eyes. She hadn't planned on getting so emotional, but the sight of her bedraggled friend brought her over the edge.
Yuichi didn't say anything as she held him close, and for a moment the two of them were completely silent except for his wheezy breathing. When she pulled away, still holding his shoulders, he gave her a lopsided grin. "Good to see you too, Chizu."
His clothes were dirty and his fur was messy. She could see his arms were chained behind him and his ankles were chained as well, and he looked like he'd been in this miserable state for a while, based on the pink inflamed skin she could see through his fur. "It's been days since I last saw you," she said, voice shaking with rage. "How long have they had you like this? What the hell is wrong with them?"
"Don't worry about it," he said, and she could tell he was trying hard to sound nonchalant. "I'm just so glad you're here." He smiled as Spot licked his face and whimpered. "Spot, you're supposed to be with Lotus. How did you find your way to Chizu?"
"She gave him to me. And the key."
His eyes widened. "Is she okay? Her mom doesn't know she helped you, right?"
"For now. Either way, we've got to get you out of here as soon as possible." She drew her naginata and prepared to strike at the chains keeping Yuichi's ankles shackled.
"Where's Kitsune and Gen? Are they okay?"
"They're fine. They're guarding your aunt and Hana." She struck at the chains, causing a dull thud to echo throughout the room. Her arms ached with the shockwave that ran through the blade. Had the stupid naginata done anything?
"No way. You got here all by yourself?"
Her tail whipped around, and she willed herself to be calm. Focus, Chizu. We've got to get out of here.
"No, I didn't. Karasu-Tengu helped me. She's here, fighting them outside."
She struck the chains again, once again with no luck.
"Seriously?" His voice bounced around the room, making Chizu wince. "Aww, she came all this way to rescue me? I knew she cared about me."
"Shhh! We can't let anyone hear us! This place doesn't even have a door, for whatever reason."
She shot a glance over her shoulder, but she couldn't hear any approaching footsteps.
"Sorry! Is this better?" Yuichi whispered loudly.
Chizu struck another futile blow to his chains, clenching her teeth in frustration. "Why don't you just say nothing!" she hissed. When Yuichi's ears drooped, she immediately felt terrible. "I'm sorry, that was mean. I just…"
Tears sprang to her eyes from the overwhelming stress. "I just don't know how to get you out of here. I can't break these stupid chains, and even if I had the time or the right tools to do so, I don't know how we're going to get through this cave without being seen. You don't look well enough to walk ten feet, much less travel through the rafters the way I did."
Yuichi took a deep breath.
"I'm scared too. But you've made it this far, Chizu, and you were never alone. Just as I'm never alone." He gave her a telltale smile that she had seen many times before.
"You want to pray?" she asked.
"Yup!"
She glanced nervously back at the entrance. "Ok, but only for a second, alright?"
She knelt next to him and the two bowed their heads.
"Maker, you know things don't look good. But I thank you for bringing my friend Chizu to me safely. Please help us find a way to make it out of here. And keep Karasu-Tengu safe too. In your Holy Name, Amen."
Chizu felt a peace settle in her chest despite the pressure crushing her from the outside. She smiled at Yuichi. "Thanks. Now, do you have any brilliant plans for getting out of here?" She pulled out his yoyo from her small satchel. "This thing doesn't have any special abilities pertaining to flight, does it?"
"My yoyo!" Yuichi said happily. "I don't think it does, but it's nice to see it. Can you put it on my magnet holder?"
"You can't even use it yet. Not until I get your arms freed."
"I don't care. It's mine, and I wanna carry it."
She didn't feel like arguing with him. It was the least she could do after the misery he'd gone through. As Chizu attached it to the hidden magnet on his side, an idea sprang to mind.
"Why don't I carry you out of here? If I can attach you to my back, I'll still be able to climb the support beams. That's how I got here in the first place."
She dug through her bag, wishing she'd brought some sort of rope. The only thing she could find remotely similar were strips of cloth bandages. "Well, this isn't going to work," she grumbled. She considered tearing the bag into pieces, but she didn't think the material was strong enough. If only it was made of leather. Then she looked at the sleaves of her leather jacket.
"What are you thinking?" Yuichi blinked at her confusedly. "Don't space out now, we've gotta hurry!"
She unsheathed one claw and gingerly punctured the top of her sleave where it met the body of her jacket. Then she used her claw to slice through the sleeve in a circle until it detached from her arm.
"Your jacket? But you love that jacket!" Yuichi said, horrified.
"Hush! I'm trying to concentrate!" Chizu huffed, moving her claw to her other arm. Once she'd ripped through the expensive leather on the other side as well, she pulled both her sleeves off and tested their stretchability. They were tighter than she hoped, but she was pretty sure they would be adequate.
"Ok, I'm going to use these to keep you attached to me," she said. "But first, I've got to do something about your chains or they're going to rattle and give us away." Carefully, she used the bandages to wrap the chains to muffle any sound they might make. She wondered if Mistress Fuwa would be proud of her cleverness, but then shook the thought out of her head. Why did she care what that wretched cat thought?
Yuichi was watching her intently. "You're so smart. I never would've thought of that."
"We'll see if I'm so smart when this plan fails and we both die."
"We're not gonna die. I think. I hope."
Chizu helped Yuichi to his feet. "At least we can say we tried." She smiled at him weakly. He smiled back.
"Um…Chizu?"
She frowned. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't quite find the words.
"What is it?"
He glanced everywhere but at her. "Nevermind."
"Ok, then let's do this! Stand still." Chizu slipped through Yuichi's arms so that they wrapped around her waist. Then, pressing her back tightly to his, she used the two leathers sleeves as makeshift ropes to keep them securely attached.
"This is going to throw off my balance so much," she muttered.
"You're not going to fall over, right? I hope I'm not heavy." Yuichi lifted his feet off the ground so that his full weight was carried by Chizu. She immediately felt the extra burden and staggered backwards a few steps. But he was lighter than she was expecting. "No, you're fine."
Spot danced in front of her and squeaked anxiously.
"Yes, Spot, I can carry you too," Chizu said. The tokage wasted no time leaping onto her back and settling on Yuichi.
This is so going to fail, Chizu thought. But she didn't dare say anything aloud.
She walked through the cell entrance and hesitated at the exit to the small prison. Her ear twitched as it picked up a faint sound, but it didn't sound loud enough to be footsteps.
"This is so weird. I've never been a backpack before," Yuichi chirped.
"Shh! Backpacks don't talk."
She slipped into the hallway and walked as softly as she could, but with the extra weight she bore, her footsteps were no longer silent.
Her heart pounded in her ears. If they were discovered now, this could turn bad so quickly. Thankfully, she soon made her way through the narrow passageway and into a larger area where the ceiling beams were large enough to hold her. Just in time too; she could hear two pairs of footsteps approaching.
"Here goes."
She put every ounce of energy into launching herself off the ground and towards a ceiling beam. She didn't quite make it on top, but she was able to grab it and drag herself and her two passengers onto the perch.
"Oh ghenzi, we made it!"
"Shhh!"
Yuichi couldn't see the foxes coming, but she could. She crouched, feeling slightly off balance due to the extra weight, and begged the ninja to pass them without looking up. Spot snuggled up to her ear and she fought the urge to itch her face. This was going to be even more difficult than she'd thought. She watched a third ninja join them from a separate passageway.
"What are her orders?" the third ninja asked stoutly.
"She hasn't canceled the ceremony yet, but everyone is on high alert. The Yokai is wearing out, and once she is less of a threat, our Lady will finish her off."
"Lady Hikaru has let several of our sisters fall to that beast. Why doesn't she come and finish this now?"
"Silence your talk! Lady Hikaru makes the decisions here, and you would be wise to quell any ill talk of her leadership."
"Has anyone even checked on the prisoner right now? When's the last time anyone gave him water? If he's dead, all this is pointless."
"If you're so concerned, go check yourself, Miyoshi. I'd rather focus on taking down this supernatural pest that's killing our sisters."
Finally, the foxes split up, and Chizu didn't move a muscle until their clamoring footsteps faded away.
"Uh oh. That's not good. Miyoshi's gonna find out I'm gone," Yuichi whispered.
Chizu gritted her teeth. "I can't think about that right now. I need to focus on remembering how to get out of here."
She crawled on all fours through the crisscrossed beams, occasionally jumping from one to the next. It wasn't long before Yuichi couldn't resist piping up again.
"You're totally crawling like a cat ninja. You said you didn't do that!"
"What?" Chizu brushed irritably at one of his ears that had flopped over her eyes. She glared into the dim pink glowing cavern in front of her, trying desperately to remember.
"When you were training me about stealth and I wanted to go on all fours."
She blinked. "Well…we don't always…huh." She scowled. "Just, shut up."
"That means I'm right, doesn't it?"
She jumped for the next beam and it wobbled unsteadily, making her heart jump in her throat. For a moment she lost her balance before regaining it.
"Ok, you're right. We do crawl like this sometimes. Now, can you stop talking?"
She clamped her mouth shut as a fox rushed through the tunnel below them. Somehow, she hadn't even heard it coming, probably due to Yuichi's blabbering.
"Sorry." He was silent for the next ten minutes of her arduous journey. Finally, she saw a large lit room up ahead.
"I think I recognize this. We're close," she whispered, hoping Yuichi was okay. She had wanted him to be quiet but it was also unsettling not hearing from him.
"Haha, yeah! See, I knew we could do it."
"We're not out yet."
"Well, don't worry. I got your back."
She drew closer and closer to the room, daring to let herself hope.
"See what I did there? Come on, that was clever."
She smiled. "Yes, I get it. Now, we need to be quiet again."
As they entered the lit room, her heart sank. This was a room she did not recognize. Worse yet, an eerie sight met her eyes as she looked around the room.
The floor was made of a beautifully embroidered carpet. A variety of weapons, mostly katanas, hung on the walls. And mounted above each one was the skull of an animal-folk.
"What's wrong? Why are we stopped?"
Chizu swallowed hard. When she spoke, her voice shook. "We-we need to get out of here. This is getting really creepy."
Yuichi twisted on her back, trying to see what she was looking at.
"Stop!" she yelped as his movement threw her off balance. She scrambled to recover, but her knee bent in a wrong direction and she fell, claws shredding the wood as she clawed at the beam.
They both hit the ground hard, but Chizu was thankful she took most of the impact.
"Are you okay?" she asked, clambering to her feet and ignoring her throbbing shoulder. Yuichi didn't answer for a moment.
"That's a lot of skulls."
"I thought I heard some of the foxes talking about others that Lady Hikaru has eaten or killed. I wonder if these are some of those animal-folk."
"Why would she do such a thing?" Yuichi's voice broke a little. "This is so not okay."
"Look, I don't know. All I know is we need to get the hell out of here."
"Wait! I see Edgewing, my sword!"
"Where? Point to it."
"Um, can't do that."
"Oh yeah, sorry. Use your ears or something."
"Great idea!" He pointed with one ear towards a sword high up on the wall.
"Is it really worth trying to get? I just want to be gone from here," Chizu said, trying to keep a whimper out of her voice.
"Please. It's a family heirloom and it means a lot to me. I bet Spot could get it."
Spot chirped. He jumped from Yuichi onto a sword and jumped from skull to skull until he had reached the sword.
"Ok, good boy. Now bring it back."
A hidden panel slid open abruptly, and Chizu whirled to face the sound. She and Yuichi froze, gaping at the imposing figure staring them down.
Lady Hikaru filled the doorway with her nine tails that swished back and forth. She spoke in a smooth, icy voice.
"It seems we have an unwelcome visitor who has decided to steal my sacrifice." She took one step forward and raised herself to full height. Her voice remained calm. "When I'm done with you, cat, you're going to wish you had never been born."