Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho
Ofuda - a talisman made out of various materials such as paper, wood, cloth or metal.
Omamori - a Japanese amulet commonly sold at Shinto shrines and Buddhists temples.
Chapter 6
Legend Has It
"Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here."― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
Kaito
I considered myself to be a patient man for the most part, but I've been growing increasingly impatient as the days went on.
It started on Saturday when I sat at my desk fully prepared to have the best weekend of my life. I purchased a brand new notebook, my favorite brand of pens along with a variety of snacks and drinks the night before, and I was prepping for the final arc of the story I had been writing consistently for the last few months. Hanako would be gone for the entirety of Saturday – due to her new school club – and the house would be empty for most of the day.
I was ready.
Or so I thought, until I found myself staring angrily at a blank sheet of paper for four hours straight. It was absurd. Of all things that could've ruined my Saturday it just had to be writer's block. It could've been anything else – Hanako coming home early, dried up pens, earthquake, alien invasion – and I would've accepted it and moved past it.
At around 6 at night, Hanako returned home and kindly offered leftover food for me but I refused to move from my desk.
"Kaito, you're being ridiculous." She berated at she brought in a tray containing Okonomiyaki and a tall glass of water.
"You don't get it," I said feeling exasperated by the ruins of my once perfect dream. "I get the house to myself for once, I had my snacks and my favorite pens, and this paper is just begging for words to be placed onto it but I have nothing to show for it!" I took a bite of the food she brought. "Thanks for the food."
Hanako patted my back and said, "If it makes you feel better, I'll go out next weekend too, so you get the house to yourself."
"No it isn't you being here or anything, it's the fact that I was ready to get to the final arc of this story that I've been pouring my heart and soul into but I can't seem to get the words out for it," I sighed again and scratched my head, frustrated at my lack of words.
"Maybe you're just too focused on the act of writing," she suggested. "Why don't you take a break? Go hang out with some friends or something. You haven't seen Yanagisawa or Kido at all since I've moved in."
I rolled my eyes. "I can't hang out with them."
"Are the three of you fighting or something?" she asked crossing her arms. "You made fun of Kido, didn't you? You know he's sensitive!"
"No!" I argued back. "We aren't arguing with each other."
"Then why not? It used to be impossible to separate the three of you when we were younger," she rolled her eyes – probably annoyance at one memory or another.
"I made a vow to not hang out with them until my story was published," I explained.
"Well, that's stupid," she said as she playfully slapped the back of my head. "And overdramatic. Stop pouting and go spend time with your friends. All your pouting is sending in negative energies all around the house." She made a face feigning disgust, called me stupid one more time and then left my room.
I groaned outwardly and called out for her. "Hanako! Do you wanna go to the arcade with me?" She peaked her head back into my room and stared at me waiting for me to continue. Another groan escaped my mouth. "You were right. Come on, Yana and Kido like it when they see you."
"Sure," she smiled. "I'd be happy to join. Kido owes me a rematch on Area 51 from the last time I visited. You call them and I'll go change."
We met them at the shopping district in Mushiyori. The city lights were blinding after having spent an entire afternoon holed up in my room. Hanako skipped merrily beside Kido, the two discussing the newest additions to their favorite arcade. A part of me was still pissed knowing that my day hadn't gone the way I expected it to do.
"I'm surprised you're gracing us with your presence today," Yana asked from beside me.
"Am I not allowed to spend time with my two best friends?" I retorted.
Yana raised his eyebrows at me. I wanted to write off his questions as a joke, but it really was true that I haven't seen them in a while. The last time I hung out with them, Yana and I were still the same height. Now, even taking into account his hair, he managed to surpass me.
"I was intent on finishing my manuscript this weekend but, alas, writer's block as hit me," I stated. "Seeing you two idiots is better for my productivity than sitting at my desk."
"Ah – thought so," He said with a smirk on his face. "Kido and I were making bets on how long it would take until you caved in and hung out with us."
"I'd probably still be sitting at my desk if Hanako hadn't convinced me," I admitted. "Who won the bet?"
"Kido," Yana scoffed. "But I think he had insider help."
Yana tilted his head towards Hanako who was happily shooting away at aliens with Kido's help. A laugh escaped from my lips.
"I guess some things never change with our little group, huh?" Yana pondered.
"Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit," I quoted.
"Yeah, sure, what you said," Yana said. "Wanna play one of the racing games?"
I followed Yanagisawa towards the corner that had all the racing machines. Having the two of them as best friends was surely odd for most outsiders to see. Kido had the appearance of a delinquent but was one of the kindest souls I've ever encountered, and most people have said that Yanagisawa looked like an idiot but – despite his spacey personality – he was surprisingly very observant and methodical in his actions. The three of us met during our first year of school when we were six years old. What started off as three children trading snacks during school recess has developed into a lasting friendship. Hanako – during her summer vacations spent with my family – would be forced to tag along with us since she had no other friends here. At first, she tried to argue it but over the years she's grown rather fond of the pair, especially once she realized that Kido shared her love of games. The two of them would traipse around town looking for new arcade games while Yana and I trailed behind them babysitting.
"Wow, you haven't gotten better at any of these games since I last visited, Yana!" Hanako said as she popped up behind Yanagisawa during his fifth consecutive lost.
"I'm better with card games," he shrugged his shoulders. "You should come watch my next Karuta match – I'm such a pro at it now!"
"Yes, yes, Mr. A Class," Hanako chuckled. "I got your fifty emails about it. Congratulations on your last tournament, by the way."
"It was an easy win since Kaito stopped playing," he said pointedly.
"My love of words has extended past card games," I explained. "I might join the next tournament though."
"Hana-chan," Kido shouted from across the arcade. "They just added a new game!"
Hanako's eyes instantly lit up, the fire burning at her heels as she excitedly strode off towards Kido. I sighed. I hoped we'd be able to head home soon; it was already much later compared to when I would normally stay out past. I knew my parents wouldn't worry since they'd most likely be stuck at their office all weekend, but I was much more of a homebody compared to Hanako.
Yana's laughter pulled me away from my thoughts. "He still calls her Hana-chan like a little kid."
"Remember all the times you and I would tease him and Hanako would come over to save him?" I laughed along.
"Like that time, we locked him inside your grandpa's cellar at his shrine," Yana burst out into hysterics. "Hanako-chan gave us such an earful."
"You're telling me! She tried convincing our grandfather to exorcise the evil spirits out of our bodies for being so mean."
"And your grandpa came out with all his ofuda ready and willing to agree with her," Yana continued. "We were stuck with him chanting at us for two hours."
"Sometimes I forget how many memories we've made together," I reminisced. "I can't believe we're in high school already. Hanako's an even bigger pain now than back when we were little."
Yana started walking towards Kido and Hanako's game. "Is she adjusting well?"
"Too well," I groaned thinking back to her interactions with Minamino on her first few days of school.
Yanagisawa didn't say anything more to me. He hummed his understandings – probably able to sleuth out my meaning – and then moved on from the subject. Instead he chose to try his efforts in pulling Hanako and Kido away from their new game. The newest addition was Goblin City, a multilayered game where a player has to compete against the 'Goblin King' in a series of seven different games on several randomized levels in order to defeat the king and save the kingdom. I had to admit that it was a rather ingenious game. It was designed to appeal towards a variety of players with the varying amounts of games it had – shooting, fighting, quiz, etc. – and the random levels of play made it difficult to predict the outcomes of your games. Even if it was a type of game you were good at, the difficulty level could prove to be too hard for you to succeed – thus resulting in your death. But what was most ingenious was the ending for the game. Typically, games will have some sort of ending for the loser but instead the game only offered for the player to continue. Even for Kido and Hanako – who loved – videogames found it difficult to defeat the game despite their repeated attempts. The two were clearly addicted and I couldn't blame them. Even I was tempted into a game or two solely for their quiz portion which did prove to be surprisingly difficult. Yana couldn't care less. He preferred card games and board games more so than the arcade. His company was usually due to his enjoyment for the company more than his actual desire to continue playing.
After about an hour's worth of attempts on Goblin City, Yana managed to convince the rest of us into leaving to grab some food. None of us wanted to leave but the temptations for sustenance proved to be too much for our grumbling stomachs. It was late – super late – but Yana knew how to convince our stomachs into agreeing. And that was how our group of four found ourselves following our noses to the only Yakiniku restaurant that was still open at this hour.
"You do not have a girlfriend," I stated bluntly towards Yanagisawa.
"I do too!" He argued as he rudely pointed his chopsticks towards me. "We're part of the same Karuta club at school and I swear she keeps looking up at me during our practice matches!"
"Just because a girl looks at you doesn't mean that she likes you," Hanako pointed out as she reached for a piece of meat from the center.
"Kido tell them! You've seen the way she's always looking at me," Yana insisted.
"I dunno, man. I heard a rumor that she has a boyfriend," Kido said gently. He caught sight of Yana's disappointed gaze and was quick to retract his statement. "But like I said, it's a rumor! I don't know anything!"
"You're the nicest guy I've ever known, Kido," Yana sighed. "If you don't believe I have a shot then it's hopeless."
"It's just a rumor! C'mon, you're a great guy! Of course, you have a shot!" Kido reaffirmed boosted.
I sighed. "You're just going to get his hopes up again. Remember the last girl you said he had a shot with?"
"Oh, don't be a party pooper, Kaito," Hanako said as she patted Yana's back. "Yana's a great guy, maybe he does have a chance."
"I just call it as I see it," I established.
"It's a wonder why we're still friends with such a pessimist," Yana joked. "Imagine how high our self-esteem could be without Kaito around."
"Aww, don't say that, Yana. We both know that Kaito's just as hopeless as we are when it comes to girls," Kido bantered.
"Ouch," Hanako laughed. "Coming from Kido that must hurt."
"I'm too busy worrying about my manuscript to worry about relationships." I crossed my arms.
"Man, you must have a really bad case of writer's block if you're this much of a sourpuss today," Yana said as he jokingly pinched my cheeks.
"Urgh," I groaned as I uncharacteristically placed my head down onto the table. "It just feels like my writing has no soul to it anymore. Even rereading my earlier chapters today felt so mundane. I'm out of fuel."
"You'll figure it out," Kido tried to comfort. "You usually do."
I lifted my head up and tried to continue eating. The conversation flowed into other topics. Kido's suggestions on how he and Hanako could defeat the new game and Yanagisawa asking Hanako various questions about her move to Japan. I, on the other hand, was still stuck on my unfinished chapters. It was like there was no inspiration left in the words that I wrote down and it almost hurt. It was like the words had disappeared, and the excitement and fire that I'd been running on was gone.
"Hey, Hanako, can I ask you a question?" I asked as we were on our way back home after finishing our meal.
"You aren't really one to hold back, so go ahead," she stated.
"What do you want to do for a career?"
"What are you, my guidance counselor?" she jokingly laughed. I waited in silence for a few moments in order to let her finish. "I want to be a teacher."
"Really? You? I never would've guessed."
"I want to help kids. Life is tough and I want to be the type of teacher that can give them a better understanding of not only the subject I teach but also a better understanding on life," she stated. "I'll probably do literature or English or something. That way you can help me grade my papers."
I shook my head and chuckled at her simple attempt at humor. It was a good feeling that Hanako considered me as a good source for help with English and literature, but I couldn't help but doubt myself. Considering the mental block that I found myself in it was hard to believe I could be of any help to her.
"I want to be a writer." I stated.
"I know," she responded flatly. "I've known that since we were four. Actually, I'm pretty sure everyone knows that."
"I know I've said it, but I really mean it. I want to be a writer but I'm not doing much writing lately and it's starting to aggravate me," I groaned. "And I know I'm being annoying because this is all that I've talked about, but I can't get it out of my head."
"Hmm," she mused for a moment. "Why don't you try working on something else for the time being?"
"Abandon my manuscript that I've been working on for months?" The thought was blasphemous to say the least.
"Seriously, if you're so stuck with it, why don't you try finding another subject to write about. Like a short project and maybe once you get your creative juices flowing, you'll find inspiration for the manuscript," she suggested. "It doesn't even have to be a project, just do something fun to get your mind off of it."
"Easier said than done," I jeered. "But I'll consider it."
She did make a point. If I wasn't doing well on one project, it might not be a bad idea to step away for a moment and refresh my mind. The only question left was what project would I be willing to devote my time and energy towards?
The following days proved to be just as frustrating as my weekend had been. Sunday was spent mostly doing chores around the house as a source of distraction and assisting Hanako on assignments that she needed to catch up on since her recent transfer. Nothing came to mind on a project I could work on and the continuous second place scores only further irritated me. Not only that but current owner of the highest scores of our grade has decided to grace us with his presence during lunch hour the last few days. It was like a never ending dig at my heart and soul.
"Congratulations on both of your scores!" Yamazaki-san complimented. "You two certainly make our class reputation better."
"Make it hurt more, why don't you, Yamazaki?" I grumbled.
"Your scores are quite impressive, Kaito," Minamino complimented.
"Aren't you only complimenting yourself, Mr. First Place?" I countered. "And I wasn't aware we were on first name basis yet."
"My apologies," Minamino said, not losing his façade once. "I figured it would be easier to differentiate since both of you share the same surname."
"Don't mind him," Hanako dismissed as she dug into her bento. "He's been grumpy ever since Saturday. He's hit writer's block on his manuscript and is taking it out on everyone."
"I wasn't aware you were working on a book," Yamazaki complimented. "That's so cool! I'd love to read it!"
"Maybe once I finish it," I sighed, hoping I wasn't being too rude to Yamazaki. Minamino was one thing but Yamazaki didn't deserve my foul mood to ruin her day.
"Some of our friends and I tried cheering him up over the weekend but he's still pretty sensitive about it," Hanako teased.
"Oh! That reminds me," I interrupted. "Kido wants to go to the arcade today. I forgot to ask if you wanted to come."
"Hell yeah," Hanako agreed quickly. "Kido and I could barely get past the first three levels of Goblin city Saturday. I'm definitely going!"
"You got to try it out?" Yamazaki asked – eyes shining with a new fire it hadn't had previously. "None of the places in Sarayashiki have it out yet!"
"You should come with us then, Yamazaki," I suggested. "Hanako and our friend has been obsessed over it recently."
"I'll definitely come!" she insisted. "If I finish my student council paperwork during our free period today, I should be able to go. I'll definitely be able to go!"
"Goblin City?" Minamino asked sounding genuinely confused for once.
Hanako's eyes lit up explaining the difficulties of the game and the new mechanics inserted into the arcade games. She even included some of her and Kido's theories on the best approaches to overcome certain challenges that the Goblin King proposes to the challenger.
"Even I have to admit that the game proves to be rather challenging," I agreed. "Even the taunts that come from the Goblin King can be surprisingly distracting – especially during the trivia portion of the game."
"Not only that, but the difficulties and the games change during each attempt so just because you win one game doesn't necessarily mean you win the following round on your next attempt," Hanako complained.
"I see," Minamino nodded his head appearing more interested than I expected. "It certainly sounds challenging."
"It is!" Hanako asserted. "You should come with us and see for yourself."
"I'd love to," Minamino smiled. Urgh. "But unfortunately, I can't today. I have a few things to attend to afterschool."
"I thought you didn't have club today?" Hanako asked, unmissable disappointment evident.
"I don't, but Mother came home from the hospital last weekend so there's a few chores that have to be taken care of."
"Congratulations to your mother," I said sincerely – and I was being sincere – and happily. Although, I'd be lying if I said that my happiness didn't also stem from not having to spend my afternoon with Minamino.
"Thank you," he replied. "I'm very happy that she was able to make a full recovery."
He did seem genuinely happy when he talks about his mother. The strangest part, however, was that despite being happy about it he seemed more stressed out than before. This morning when he arrived in school his appearance was much more haphazard than usual, and it was hard not to notice the bandages on his hand. There were moments when he would just be looking out the window seemingly distracted. Of course, the level of distraction didn't do anything to hinder his academic prowess and when Hanako asked about the scratches he said he'd been tending to roses at home. It was a rather strange excuse considering it was still the winter season in Japan – but perhaps he has indoor plants.
Minamino has always been a bit isolated from the rest of the student population. He was the sort of "perfection" that most students found difficult to approach. Of course, he had his fans but there was a clear wall that Minamino placed in between him and everyone else. Not with Hanako, though. As much as I wish I could deny it there was a clear – albeit strange – comfort that the two had with one another. Hanako, too, was different around Minamino. She has never been the type to place herself out there for others. She had a decent enough personality where she could attract others towards her rather than have to seek them out herself, but with Minamino it was different. She would try to reach out to him.
It wasn't typical of my cousin.
Especially considering that she's only known him for a little over a week now. Granted, I suppose I shouldn't judge considering my parents had only known each other for six months before they decided to get married and then I came along less than a year after their marriage.
Oh god, I should not be thinking about Hanako, Minamino and marriage all in one thought bubble.
"What's wrong with your face?" Hanako asked – pulling me away from my thoughts. "You look constipated."
"I guess that's just the look I get when I start worrying about you," I jested.
"Ha ha, very funny," she rolled her eyes. "What did I do now to make you so worried?"
I looked back and forth between Hanako and Minamino but decided it best not to comment. I shook my head and convinced Hanako to just ignore me (a feat she happily accepted) as I went about collecting my empty bento boxes and utensils. Yamazaki made eye contact with me and gave me a knowing giggle.
"I'm going to the library during the rest of our lunch and free period today," I stated as I removed myself from our corner of the classroom.
"I'll come with you, Kaito-kun," Yamazaki quickly cleaned up her area as well and stood to follow me out of the classroom.
"Wait, you're calling me 'Kaito' as well?" I asked surprised.
"If it's okay with you?" she asked hesitantly. "Minamino does make a point that it's easier to differentiate between you and Hanako-chan."
"I suppose it's okay coming from you," I commented turning my head away from her so she wouldn't see the small blush forming on my face. "Minamino on the other hand…"
Yamazaki only laughed as she followed my pace down the hallways.
Yamazaki's presence was comforting to have at the library – which wasn't a compliment to gave lightly. She was didn't make much noise as she sat across from me and the book choices, she made was surprisingly diverse. It ranged from travel guides about Kyoto – most likely for the school trip the student council was planning – to Arthurian fantasy, all the way to a nonfiction book about scientific and technological advancements. It was noteworthy that the piles of books she had accumulated managed to match my own. The notes she took appeared neat and detailed and she made use of different colored pens which looked to correspond to a specific color of sticky notes that she placed accordingly into the books she borrowed.
"You doing more staring than reading, Kaito," she teased.
"Sorry, I'm just impressed by the diversity of books you grabbed," I replied.
"One for fun," she pointed to the King Arthur story. "One for class," the nonfiction book. "And one because no one else in student council is taking the class trip seriously," she laughed.
"So the rumors about a Kyoto trip were true."
"Ah, so the gossip has already traveled," she quipped. "But it's not official yet. There are three different destinations, and we won't find out the verdict until our second year. I'm hoping for Kyoto, however, I've never been."
"Well, we're on opposing sides then," I whispered. "My grandfather owns a shrine there so my family visits often."
"Oh!" She exclaimed louder than she intended. The librarian looked at us from the corner of her eyes but didn't comment. Yamazaki, on the other hand, didn't notice and instead drug through her pile of travel guides. "This book has a list of the different shrines in the Kyoto area and their origins and myths associated with them!"
She handed the book over to me. I peered through the glossary and turned to an area where I thought there might be a chance of finding my family shrine. I didn't expect much – grandfather was never big on advertisement or oversharing – but I did manage to find it.
Yuki-Jinja Shrine
I saw the familiar stairs, wooden Torii gates and the sacred cedar tree that all served as backgrounds to my childhood. I saw images of the festivals we used to travel for every year and the expansive forest that functioned as my playground. There was even an image of the cellar that Yana and I trapped Kido in.
"Did you find it?" Yamazaki asked pulling me away from the images I saw before me.
I nodded my head and passed the book back to her.
"It's beautiful," she said in awe. "I've never seen torii gates that looked like this."
"Grandfather's myth is that a powerful spirit wanted to bless our family with protection, so he willed the plants in the area to form those gates and that's why they still stand so strong despite never having any renovations done to them."
"Wow," her eyes sparkled as she continued to read the passages about it. "I'd love to learn more about it. What sort of omamori do you guys specialize in?"
I chuckled. "Apparently our shrine is really good at matchmaking so people will go there to pray luck in love. The spirit that built the shrine fell in love with the original maiden who lived there. She helped to nurture him and so in return – despite not being able to be together – he promised her safety with the hopes of being reunited."
I was surprised at how many of these stories I still remembered. These used to be my nightly bedtime stories – each summer Grandfather would tuck Hanako and I in and sit beside our futons and tell us the legends that had been passed down in our family for generations. It was probably one of my earliest memories and one of the first occurrences where I fell in love with storytelling. The idea that stories – especially good stories – could be passed down for years, even past my death, and they would still have truth and meaning behind them fascinated me.
"This should definitely be on the itinerary if we end up going to Kyoto," Yamazaki mused as she turned the pages of my childhood paradise. "And look at how cute your mascot is!"
She pointed to an image of a silver fox spirit and I couldn't help but giggle at her naivety. "That isn't really the mascot. That's the Spirit that my ancestor took care of. Legend goes that he was hunted and was found on the base of Mount Kurama. The Shrine was later built so he, or any other spirit, would be able to seek refuge there if needed."
"I still think he looks cute," Yamazaki insisted.
"Hanako thought so too," I chuckled. "She used to sleep under the paintings we had of him and said she felt safer there. Personally, I thought he looked a little shifty."
"You have so many stories, you should think about writing them down," she observed. "This book doesn't have much information on your shrine even though this is supposed to have a majority of the information."
"Grandfather wasn't as big of a fan of print as my parent and I are," I explained. "He said it felt like they lost some of their magic once the stories are sold."
"I guess he makes a point," she frowned. "But it's still a shame that your beautiful stories aren't being shared."
"You make a really good point." I agreed.
And she did make a good point. In fact, she made such a good point that I knew exactly what I needed to do. My weeklong writer's block had finally been broken through and I knew exactly where I needed to go in order to complete what I needed to do.
"Yamazaki," I pulled her attention away from the book she was reading and stared directly into her eyes. "I need a favor, and you probably won't like it."
Notes: First of all thank you again to Damaged Forest Spirit and Rosentic for their reviews!
Secondly, I'm sorry for not keeping the date I had planned for on releasing my chapter. I think work and school just got to be the last week and I couldn't find a good time to sit down and write but better late than never! I'm hoping I can update again at some point this week but with my birthday coming up I doubt I'll be able to get to it until Sunday or Monday. I'm going to try and get a head start on it today and tomorrow (since I'm in the New England area and have so much snow right now, serious it's up to a foot already and still going strong!) during my snow days.
Thank you again for reading and I hope everyone stays safe and healthy no matter where you are in the world!
