Chapter Ten

Chizu woke up and lay still on the blanket she'd been given as a makeshift mattress. Without opening her eyes, she slowly absorbed the sounds around her. Birdsong filtered through the sudare window blinds of the tree house that she slept in.

Chizu didn't want to get up just yet. She curled into a comfortable ball and recalled the events of last night. Kaiyo had invited the three of them to stay at her hidden home she had built in the trees. They had spent much of the evening lounging around a fire near the treehouses, eating cooked fish and vegetables and exchanging humorous stories. Chizu had been particularly fascinated by Kaiyo's insistence that there was kirin local to their area that lived near a waterfall. Kirin were even rarer than unicorns, and they were stunningly beautiful creatures. Kaiyo had said sometimes, on misty mornings, she caught glimpses of the creature frolicking with the unicorns.

"Chizu, you awake?"

She turned to see Kaiyo folding a blanket and placing it in a basket by the wall. "Want to check on the others?"

"Sure!" Chizu rose to her feet, noticing a peach-colored yukata kimono with a pair of pants neatly folded near her bed. It was a simple and shortened kimono, designed for movement, with hand-sewn cloud patterns. She took a moment to change out of the soft kimono Kaiyo had given her to sleep in. She missed wearing her usual attire, but it definitely needed a wash, and she was grateful to have something pleasant to wear in the meantime.

Kaiyo opened the sudare blinds and cool white sunlight streamed into the room. The floorboards creaked as she walked over to open the door leading to a makeshift walkway of wooden planks tied together.

"Did you make this place all yourself?" Chizu asked, slipping on her shoes.

Kaiyo smiled at her. "Sure did. Some of my friends at the sword school were excellent woodcraftsmen and I picked up a thing or two."

Chizu followed her higher up the tree to the main treehouse, where Yuichi and Karasu-Tengu were sleeping. "How long did you stay at that school?"

Kaiyo frowned, testing a loose plank of wood that shifted under her foot before focusing back on Chizu. "About ten years, but as I told you last night, I was only there because of the kindness of its instructor and his interest in my skills. As soon as he passed away, the other senseis cast me out."

They peeked into the treehouse where Yuichi and his mentor staying. Yuichi was fast asleep on one of the futons Kaiyo had to offer. The other one was neatly folded up and sitting next to Karasu-Tengu, who looked like she was meditating.

"Good morning, Karasu-Tengu," Kaiyo said politely. The Yokai dipped her head in response without opening her eyes. "Chizu and I will be out for a while collecting breakfast."

"Look at Spot!" Chizu whispered, pointing. "It looks like he and Starry finally warmed up to each other." The two tokages were curled next to each other, fast asleep.

"That's so sweet! Wild tokage usually live in packs, so it makes since that they would bond so quickly."

Kaiyo closed the door softly and grinned at Chizu, her tail twitching with excitement. "Now, let's get going. There's some sand pear trees that grow further up these hills. Think you can keep up with me?"

Chizu smirked. "Of course."

Without a moment's hesitation, Kaiyo leapt from the wooden bridge and landed on the ground as gracefully as a ninja. She glanced at Chizu before dashing into the forest.

Her heart pounding in anticipation, Chizu crouched on all fours and launched herself off the bridge. Her landing wasn't as smooth as she hoped, but in a flash she was up on her feet and racing after her friend.

XXX

As the sun warmed the forest, the morning chill evaporated along with the mist. Once they'd collected plenty of pears, the two spent some time sparring among the trees. With her non-feline friends, Chizu always felt like she had to hold herself back. But now that her sparring partner had her same skills, she felt like she could completely let herself go.

Chizu laughed with joy as she dashed up tree trunks, swung herself through the branches, and tackled Kaiyo from above. Kaiyo kicked her hard in the stomach, causing her to tumble a few feet away. As Kaiyo got to her feet, Chizu swept her leg out from under her and the two rolled around, locked in combat.

Finally, panting heavily, the two of them relaxed on a tree limb overlooking the meadow where the unicorns and Kaiyo's treehouse was located.

"You fight just like you did when we were little kits," Kaiyo said, munching on a sand pear.

"Really? I like to think I've gotten a little more skilled since then."

"Oh, you're definitely more skilled. But you still use the same tactics. You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you."

"I wouldn't say that," Chizu said quietly. "I am ashamed of the person I once was. Selfish, deceptive, and morally compromised. At one point, I was even Lady Fuwa's favorite, and I was proud of that."

Kaiyo grew quiet too. Her tail thumped slowly on the tree branch as she sat without saying anything for a few minutes.

"When I escaped the ninja ordered to kill me, I ran and never looked back. But there were many times I thought about going back and finding you."

She avoided Chizu's gaze. "I think…I was just scared that by the time I came back, you wouldn't want me as a friend anymore. I could see how much you looked up to Lady Fuwa and her teachings." She finally looked at Chizu, her eyes misty. "I know now that was wrong to leave you there. Can you forgive me?"

Chizu pulled Kaiyo into an embrace. "It's alright, Kaiyo. I'm just so happy that you're okay, and that I was able to find you again."

Kaiyo sniffed and wiped at her nose. "Wow, Chizu, you have changed."

Chizu smiled. "Everything you said about the Maker…you were right. I just didn't know at the time. It wasn't until I met Yuichi and his friends that my eyes were opened to understand the truth about The Way."

Kaiyo beamed at her. "You know, I never stopped praying for you. Even when I felt like giving up."

Chizu blinked hard. "Okay, we're going to have to stop all this mushiness, or I'm going to cry for the hundredth time this week."

Kaiyo laughed. "Lady Fuwa would be so ashamed of you." She adjusted her perch on the branch. "So…what's next for you, Chizu? Any future plans?"

"I'm not really sure. Right now, Yuichi and his family are still in danger of being attacked by the Ninetails. I'm going to have to help them move to a remote location, most likely."

Kaiyo gave a sly smile. "You really care about that rabbit, don't you? Are you two friends, or something more than that?"

Chizu blushed. "No, no, we're just friends. I mean, I think we're friends. Do we seem like more than friends?" She shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, maybe you can tell I like him a little. But I doubt he's interested in me back. He's a cheerful and happy-go-lucky samurai who grew up on a farm, and I'm an ex-ninja still learning how to be see animal-folk as friends instead of targets. He deserves better than me, let's be honest."

Kaiyo's smile didn't falter. "You might be surprised what he thinks of you. At the very least, I can tell he respects you very much. Why don't you just talk to him about it?"

"Nope, nope, absolutely nope." Chizu stood up. "I'm fine with how our friendship is, and I don't want to ruin it."

"Okay, I respect that," Kaiyo said, following as Chizu clambered down the tree. "But, dear sister, don't let yourself give up hope."

Chizu didn't respond as she picked up the sack of pears and made her way swiftly back the way they'd come.

XXX

Karasu-Tengu sat at the base of a large cedar tree, enjoying her morning mediation. It was such a wonderful thing to calm oneself and feel united with nature. But she knew the peace wouldn't last long.

"Sensei! Sensei? Hellooo?"

She sighed. There it is.

"Oh, there you are! Have you seen Chizu and Kaiyo? I can't find them anywhere." The wood clattered as he ran from one treehouse to the next.

She glanced in his direction. "Yuichi, get off of there! Don't know you it's rude to climb on the roof of someone's house?"

"But it's not really a house, it's a treehouse."

She glared.

"Ok, you're right. Sorry, sorry." He climbed down a rope ladder and then threw it back into the hidden net meant to hold it out of reach for security purposes, as Kaiyo had instructed him.

"Chizu and her friend are out gathering breakfast." Karasu-Tengu said, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the loud pattering of footsteps as he ran up to her, followed by the two tokage.

"Seriously? They left without me?" He sounded upset.

"You looked like you needed the sleep. Besides, I think it's good for Chizu to spend time with her old friend. They have a lot to catch up on."

She could hear Yuichi sit down in front of her. "Fine…then I guess I'll mediate with you. I'm getting better at it, I really am! Last time we mediated, I didn't talk for ten whole minutes, remember? I bet this time, I can…" he trailed off as Karasu opened her eyes and gave him a pointed stare.

"Ok, ok, I'll be quiet."

We'll see how long that lasts, Karasu thought, forcing herself to relax again.

"Where do you think Chizu and Kaiyo ran off to?"

She clawed the dirt. "Yuichi! It hasn't even been sixty seconds!"

He cringed. "Sorry." He turned his focus to Spot and Starry, who were chasing one another around in the grass.

Four minutes passed before the silence was broken yet again.

"Chizu was so brave. You should have seen her in the Ninetail's cave; somehow she managed to carry me on her back, and she was so quiet and stealthy like an expert ninja, and Lady Hikaru almost killed us but she escaped and she sounded like she was about to collapse any second but she kept going until you came."

I can see that mediation will have to wait. Karasu opened her eyes and studied Yuichi. "Your friend is brave indeed. I have never seen an animal-folk so committed to helping another, even in the face of great danger."

Yuichi rested his head on one paw and stared dreamily into space. "She's so smart, and fierce, and pretty…I've never met a girl like her."

Using her beak, Karasu skillfully picked at some dirt on one of her wings. "If you are asking for my approval, I give it with full confidence."

He squinted at her. "Uh…approval for what?

"To seek her hand as a potential mate."

"Oh." For once, he was lost for words.

Karasu-Tengu laughed. "Do you think I'm blind, pupil? I can tell you have feelings for the cat. Sure, the difference of species would create an uncommon pairing, but I can see you two working well together."

Yuichi pulled his ears over his face, blushing with embarrassment. "Is it that obvious? Well, she doesn't like me back, so you can forget about it."

Now satisfied with the state of her first wing, Karasu moved to a second. "I wouldn't be so sure of her feelings just yet. But you'll need to be willing to take the lead."

"And how do I do that?"

"By telling her how you feel."

Yuichi started to say something, but was interrupted by Kaiyo and Chizu's noisy return.

"Check it out, Yuichi!" Chizu said, plopping a large bag of fruit in his lap. "Ever tried sand pears before?"

"Of course I have! I love 'em!"

The four of them sat by the smoldering remains of the fire from last night and munched on their pears. Karasu-Tengu wasn't a fan of the fruit, but she ate a decent portion to be polite. She could tell Yuichi was being uncharacteristically nervous. He kept glancing furtively at Chizu and laughing too much at her conversation. Chizu seemed equally nervous, and stumbled through her sentences more than a few times.

After a few minutes of awkwardness, Karasu-Tengu was starting to get irritated. She made eye-contact with Kaiyo, and the cat made a face at her as though she could read the Yokai's mind.

"I have an idea, if anyone's up for it," Kaiyo said. Chizu and Yuichi immediately turned to her, looking relived. "You both seemed interested in my tales of the kirin last night. I'm feeling a little tired, but if you two want to go looking for it, I'd be happy to give you some general directions."

Yuichi sprang to his feet. "Yes, yes! I've always wanted to find a mystical creature!" Spot immediately ran to his side, giving an expectant "yip".

Chizu smirked. "You already have, dummy. Remember the unicorns?"

"Well, yeah, I know, but this is even more mystical! Plus, there's one in my favorite comic book! It would be too cool to see the real thing!"

Chizu rose to her feet, brushing crumbs off of her dirt-stained kimono. "I'd be down to find it. Are you sure you don't want to come too, Kaiyo?"

"Oh no, I'm fine. I twisted my ankle a little bit when we were tussling. Plus, I'd love to take some time getting to know Yuichi's mysterious Yokai sensei." She smiled at Karasu-Tengu. "You had such fascinating stories to tell last night."

As soon as she'd given them instructions, the two of them collected their weapons and headed off into the underbrush, along with Spot. Karasu watched them go, trying not to worry.

"Don't spend too long in the forest!" she called after them. "There could be danger around! Only engage if necessary!"

"We'll be careful!" Yuichi called back. A moment later the two of them had disappeared.

"They should be safe," Kaiyo said. "The only passable way into this area is through the canyon I let you all through, and I have never let a hunter slip past me yet."

Karasu took a deep breath and gazed at wispy ice clouds that looked almost as though they were dancing in the blue sky. "Alright, I'll give them two hours. But after that, I'm coming after them."

Kaiyo yawned. "Sounds good. I'd love to chat, but first I'm going into the trees for a cat nap. Wake me up if something happens."

Karasu flew onto a large boulder and settled upon it. "You can be sure I will."

Everything looked so peaceful in this valley among the towering, rocky mountains. After the harrowing past few days, Karasu found herself unable to fully relax.

Lady Hikaru is too unhinged not to try something eventually. Once I fully recover my strength, I'm going to fly those two to the farmhouse and evacuate everyone before Lady Hikaru strikes again.

She wondered what would happen if she ever had to face the kitsune head-on. The very thought made her shudder.

If she's anything like the kitsune Miyamoto Usagi killed, she won't stop until blood is spilled, even if it's her own.