Chapter Forty-Three: Bikini Girl
"Wow," Tora said under his breath, his gaze pinned to the woman watching them from across the shrine courtyard.
"Yeah," Kagome replied.
"Was this who we were expecting to find at the top of the mountain?" he asked. "Because I certainly didn't think an old lady in a bikini was a possibility." Then he shook his head, his expression incredulous. "Are those actual cat ears on her head or is she wearing a headband?"
Squinting, she stared at the woman's tousled crown of hair and the cute, triangular ears half-hidden by it. "Um, I'm pretty that's a headband and I'm an expert on identifying that kind of thing, trust me."
"Good, because after the last lady we unexpectedly encountered, it would be nice to deal with someone human."
The woman cleared her throat, her hammer tapping against her shoulder. "Let me repeat. Who the hell are you people?"
The strange sensation of being watched rippled through Kagome, tickling the hairs on the back of her neck. And when she cast about for its source, she discovered everyone looking at her expectantly.
"Oh…" she mumbled, and her attention returned to the woman.
As if in reply, the woman gave her hammer a handy twirl.
"My name is Higurashi Kagome," she began with a polite bow before gesturing to Grandpa still perched upon Sesshoumaru's back. "And this is my grandfather, Higurashi—"
The woman sighed, her gaze rising to the heavens lost in the ruddy throes of sunset. "Allow me to rephrase. I don't actually care about who you are. What I would like to know is why are you here? What's your business? This isn't a public shrine and from your bedraggled arrival this late in the evening, you don't strike me as being wayward hikers who got off at the wrong train stop."
Kagome grimaced. This was definitely someone who required something better than a half-assed explanation. Her face brightened and she turned to her brother. "Souta?"
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Did you bring your tablet?"
He nodded.
"Can you get it for me?"
Leaning forward, he reached around Tora's neck to unzip the slim, laptop pocket on his backpack. He pulled out the device and handed it to her. She turned it on and opened the eBook app. After a few swipes, she nodded to herself.
Feeling her confidence with a smile, she called out to the woman, "Honestly, the best explanation for why we're here is on this tablet, so if it would be okay, I'd like to show you."
The woman casually waved her in.
With the tablet tucked into the crook of her arm, Kagome crossed the courtyard, heading for the short flight of steps at the entrance. An exotic blend of traditional architecture and a primal aesthetic, the shrine was unlike anything she'd ever seen. Dark tile capped the three-storied pagoda, its roofing ending in flaring eaves from which glowing lanterns hung. Sculpted serpentine beasts served as pillars, bracing the second and third stories while framing the massive skull embedded at the front of the building. With the tip of it sagittal crest nestled under the third story roof, the skull glared at her with empty eyes as she approached. The relatively short slope of its snout reminded her of a cat, but its long, sabre-like canines suggested that it was something far more ancient. As she passed between the two teeth, she noticed elaborate reliefs carved into the enamel, a tangle of youkai amid curling clouds.
Still standing on the steps, the woman awaited her with a posture that embodied apathy, but there was a bright curiosity in her dark eyes that emboldened her.
Stopping at the bottom step, Kagome held up the tablet for her to see. Zoomed in on its screen was a publisher's page. "Our family is a big fan of these Basic Guides and when we looked at who printed the series, we noticed that this three-eyed cow emblem reminded us of someone we once knew." She took a deep breath. "Does the name Totousai mean anything to you?"
The woman's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped open.
She smirked. "So, it is related to him."
"How do you know who Totousai is?" she asked.
Kagome chuckled. "It's a long story, but the short version is that my family's shrine has a dry well through which I traveled to-and-from the Sengoku Jidai until nearly two years ago. During my travels I met a weaponsmith named Totousai. Since then, I've been stranded in the modern era and had no idea what became of the world that I had visited. That is until recently when I learned about a plague that had wiped out almost all the youkai. I came here to find answers and maybe some hope."
"You said almost all the youkai?"
She looked towards Sesshoumaru. "There's one left."
The woman's eyes rose until they met him. Then she nodded. "Please, all of you, come inside."
Both Sesshoumaru and Tora gently unloaded their passengers and together, they walked towards the entrance. When they reached the shrine's entryway, they shed their shoes and heavy packs onto its cool, slate floor.
"My name is Bikini Girl and welcome the Totousai Shrine," the woman said, and she slid a partition down its track.
Murmurs and gasps radiated through the group.
A great room appeared before them. Polished floors and moldings in honey-colored wood framed the space, their details the masterwork of generations. At the center of the room, a wide staircase rose to the second story and its horseshoe shaped walkway that was flanked by an elegant railing. Overhead, the ivory underside of the skull arced upward, penetrating the vaulted ceiling above. All around them, the walls flowed with exquisite murals on rice paper, showcasing youkai and their terrifying beauty as they stalked and leapt from panel-to-panel.
Captivated, the group shuffled forward, their attention poring over the details with whispered awe.
A step behind Sesshoumaru, Kagome remarked, "There are so many youkai. I hadn't realized how much I really missed them until we came here. I mean, I knew that I missed my friends, but it's more than that, isn't it? A whole world more."
He paused, glancing back in her direction, and nodded. Then his jaw dropped almost imperceptibly.
"What?" she asked.
He swept past her and headed towards one of the murals. Riding upon swirling winds in a summer sky, a pair of white, inu daiyoukai pranced, a crescent moon on their foreheads and magenta markings striping their cheeks. Absently, his finger gravitated towards the painting, hovering over it as he began to trace its contours.
"Oh, wow," Kagome said softly as she peered past him. "Your father?"
"And my mother," he replied. But as his finger followed a downward arcing curve, he stopped. A smaller inu daiyoukai bounded in their shadow, his features a blend of their images and his expression one of snarling disdain.
She snorted with amusement. "It's you. I'd recognize that face anywhere."
"Is that so? Let me get a close look at you," Bikini Girl asked behind them.
They both turned around to find her waiting with her eyes fixed on him.
"And kneel down," she added, gesturing to the top of her head. "I'm not as tall as I used to be."
Raising an eyebrow, he did as she requested and settled down onto a knee. At that height, she stood a whole head-and-shoulders taller than him and the commanding tone in her voice seemed to fit her better.
Frowning, she leaned forward and examined his face, her attention dwelling on his golden eyes split by knifelike pupils and his silver hair. Irritation flashed across his expression when she touched his chin and then turned his head so that she could examine his elfin ears.
"Uh, I wouldn't do that—" Kagome interjected.
"Don't worry," she replied, letting him go. "I'm done prodding." She nodded towards the mural. "So, you were a youkai lord of that famed inu daiyoukai lineage, though now it seems that your luster has been tarnished by disease and time."
He watched her silently, his thoughts inscrutable.
"I know why the girl is here, but why are you here, daiyoukai?"
Trapped within the wall sconces, lanternlight flickered as time passed.
He sighed. "I came here to seek Totousai. The real Totousai, if he still lives."
"And why do you wish to find him?"
"I'm in need of a tool. One that will grant me the ability to defeat an adversary powerful enough to have slain me even at my peak."
She shook her head. "Why would the lone surviving youkai choose to face an enemy who guarantees certain death?"
"This adversary oppresses the weak and I desire to be their guardian. I wish to save them and by doing so, to atone for my failure to protect my people in centuries past when I was a youkai lord. Totousai was a weaponsmith and I had hoped that he could provide once again."
"Why do you ask for a tool and not a weapon then?"
His brow furrowed. "A true guardian, a real lord of the people, provides them with the means to prosper and not just a blade that wards off their enemies. I must have the power to build, perhaps more so than the power to break. By possessing a tool, I can do this and serve as their spirit of hope. However, if I possess a weapon, then I can only become a spirit of vengeance and that's an existence that I cannot bear."
"Have you used such a tool before?"
He nodded.
"Show me it."
He rose to his feet and headed for the entryway. Moments later he returned, his warped crowbar in hand. Balancing it on his palm, he held it out for her to see.
"I desire to have it reforged," he explained. "It's served me well." Then he opened his other hand and presented the pair of canine teeth. "These may not hold much value now, but I had hoped to provide them as either material or payment. Whichever would have suited Totousai best."
She smirked. "Youkai lords don't have a reputation for supporting and empowering the subjects that serve them. The best that these people could hope for is that when a daiyoukai demanded tribute, they would at least maintain the balance in the land."
"Sounds like a yakuza protection racket," Tora joked as he strolled along the wall, admiring the paintings.
"Not that far off," Bikini Girl agreed. "So, youkai lord, what have you done to defy this reputation? How have you served as a guardian to your newfound people?"
He frowned thoughtfully. "I have battled their oppressors, seizing back the means by which opportunity is granted in this world. With the aid of others, I have used it to support the community by satisfying whatever needs they ask of me."
Souta appeared beside them, a broad grin on his face. "We patched roofs and repaired air conditioning units. We replaced balance boilers with new water heaters. We fixed plumbing and electrical problems. We replaced appliances and furniture or bought clothes. Sometimes people just wanted transit passes for the train or the bus. Whatever was written in your guidebooks, we did it."
She chuckled at the boy. "Sounds like you've been very busy."
He blew out a breath. "Every week. But even when people weren't thankful, it felt good to give them what they needed, because that's what it means to do the right thing."
"So wise for someone so young," she remarked.
Then her attention returned to Sesshoumaru. "As of now, I'm the sole master of enchanted blacksmithing, the last of the Totousai lineage to have achieved it. But I won't forge this tool for you. If you are as proficient in the Basic Guides as I've been led to believe, then you've earned the opportunity to become my disciple instead." She smiled. "While I may have children and grandchildren, none have shown any interest in the discipline, so I never expected that someone like you would arrive during my lifetime. When you have proven yourself competent, then I will pass on this knowledge to you as your sensei. From it, you'll craft the tool that you desire. Will that satisfy you?"
He watched her, his mind working behind his eyes. Then he nodded.
"Good," she replied. "Your first task as my disciple is to make dinner. It's been a long time since I've entertained guests and I believe this occasion calls for fresh boar. The recipe that I expect is—"
"Pork and mushroom hot pot," he interrupted. "I will retrieve the ingredients now."
She shook her head and grinned. "Perfect."
Giving her a bow worthy of a sensei, he departed for the entryway.
She sighed and her gaze fell to Souta as he examined the handcrafted detail on the stairs. "All right, so now I know why the girl is here and why the daiyoukai is here. But why are you here young man?"
"My mom told me to go," he replied.
"And you?" she asked, eyeing Tora.
"Uh, his mom told me to go?" he answered with a shrug as he peered into an antique vase.
She shook her head, and then a dangerous smile grew on her lips. "I believe that I've found my cleaning crew."
"What?"
"The kitchen is on the right. Please get it cleaned up and ready for your friend's return or you will be waiting that much longer for dinner. After that, you'll be prepping the rooms upstairs for your stay and stowing the belongings that you brought."
Souta and Tora looked at each other.
"Now," she added, tapping her hammer against her shoulder.
"Yes, ma'am," they barked in unison and hustled into the adjacent hallway towards the kitchen.
"My dear," an old, raspy voice spoke up.
She turned to discover Grandpa standing beside her with a pen and a battered copy of Bikini Girl's Basic Guide to Carpentry in his hand. She raised an eyebrow.
"I've been a fan ever since I was a young man," he explained, pink tinting his cheeks. "Even built a woodworking shed. And I have to say that you're more captivating now than you were in the pages of this book. If you would, I'd be honored if you signed my copy."
She gave him a sly look as she accepted the items. "Of course. Anyone who has been inspired into building a woodworking shed deserves that much. And by the way, who said that you weren't still young?"
"Ugh," Kagome groaned and left for the kitchen. "I'm going to go join the cleaning crew."
Twirling the pen between her fingers, Bikini Girl asked, "So, who do I make this out to?"
OOOOOOOOOO
With her smartphone in hand, Mama leaned against the counter. White with veins of silver, its new marble surface gleamed, reminding her that Sesshoumaru would remodel her entire kitchen if given even the slightest permission. She chuckled. He loathed idleness and she had no trouble believing that he'd always been on the move in the past, patrolling his lands.
On the countertop, an electric water kettle rumbled softly, steam billowing from its spout, and beside it, a cup of ramen noodles waited. Meals from scratch were the standard for a Higurashi dinner, but what was the point of enjoying an empty home without indulging in a guilty pleasure. Plus, it also meant no dishes. She smirked. And they would never know.
Using her thumb, she scrolled through her contacts until she found Kagome and she tapped the phone icon. The screen displayed a candid photo of her daughter looking over her shoulder, a smile cheering her face. Dead air whispered from the speakers and then a generic voicemail played. After the tone, she left a short message filled with the hope that they had arrived safe and to call or text her back. For the most part, it was the same message that she had left all of them, though the one for Tora had been slightly more personal.
The kettle began to whistle and with a click, it turned off.
She set the phone aside and picked up the ramen. But as she peeled back its paper lid, an odd feeling overwhelmed her senses.
A wintry chill blew through her and as she breathed it in the fresh scent of a pine forest filled her lungs.
She rushed from the kitchen to the window and when she peaked out, she spotted a dark-skinned woman in a pressed, white suit standing at the top of the shrine steps.