PART XV. "The Singing Sea."

"The talking trees are silent in a noisy way. The stars are bright, but give no light.
The world spins backwards everyday."

— Chris Mosdell.

Fukui.

Ryuu told me what was going to happen. Though I expected it to come to an end soon, I still thought she was crazy.

The roughness of the nail filer against the tip of my ring finger became the tactile equivalent to white noise as I watched Ami from across the salon. The hairdresser was painting Ami's hair with ease. I looked over to Akane, who was propped up in another chair with a fashion magazine in her lap. Her hairdresser was halfway through the hair straightening treatment.

"You don't want to do anything with your hair?" the nail artist asked me. I looked back to her as she pulled the nail filer away to tuck a curly lock of black hair behind her ear.

"Not really," I replied, looking over to my oval, slate blue acrylics that were drying under the little UV light machine as she worked on my other hand. "I don't do much to my hair."

"It's so long; it's beautiful." She smiled. "When was the last time you trimmed it?"

"A couple months ago," I replied. Stop talking to me. Take the hint.

She did, and returned to cleaning my cuticles quietly.

I was asked to peak into both of their schedules to find a good opportunity to pick up Akane without Ami noticing. Ami was already suspicious, so if Akane disappeared, she'd press whatever number she had for Reikai on speed dial. It had to match up for when Aiko reached upper C level, and everyone else training for combat was at least upper D. It would be soon, she said.

One time came to mind: Ami's opera performance. It was through class; she and one other student had been asked to perform an aria each. Or something like that. I didn't know. Akane would attend to watch, and we could probably pick her off in the intermission.

I looked to the two brunettes again; an eerie churn of my stomach happened as I watched them from afar.

Maya.

Yukina was clumsy. She was dainty and gentle, but she was a fast learner. She wouldn't make it in time to really be fighting with us, but it would provide enough self-defense for her to be our healer in the field. Touya had patience, and he did his best to not actually lay a hand on her—icy or not. But he knew that there was no other way to learn than having the entire package that came with training, and so Yukina had her first pair of bruises.

We left them alone in the dojo after it had gotten just a little too cold to bear. It was warmer out here. Miyuki and I sat on the wooden floor of the open hallway, watching the heavy rain pour with a plate of vanilla mochi ice cream between us. I had learned to make the mochi with Yukina's help last night. It wasn't as good as store bought, but I thought I did a good job. We had idle small talk, and neither of us brought up Aiko's declaration the other day. There would be plenty more time to talk about it.

I found myself yawning, hearing the thunder rumbling in the distance. It was peaceful; I felt calm in storms. I found myself humming, an old tune I learned back in music class in junior high. A classical song I couldn't remember the name of.

As Miyuki reached for another mochi, she paused. She looked out to the forestry, confused. I followed her gaze to find someone standing at the edge of the forest where the grass met the dirt path. He seemed so familiar; I knew we'd met in a far off memory. Something ached in my heart, a bright, orange, evening summer's sky flashed to mind. The smell of dirt. I could feel something on the back of my neck—warm wind.

Thunder struck again, and I was jolted back into reality. I had felt that feeling when I first saw Kurama with Aiko that winter afternoon.

The short man was glaring at Miyuki, who tensed, frozen in place with her eyes glued onto him. They knew each other?

He reached for the sword that resided blatantly on his hip. His thumb unsheathed it slightly, and Miyuki's face softened. He stepped closer, and my voice was caught in my throat. He was going to strike soon. Why wasn't Miyuki moving? I couldn't find my voice.

"Mister Hiei," Yukina's voice found us. The man named Hiei paused and glanced over to our bruised and smiling friend. "How lovely it is to see you."

Hiei paused and took in the sight of her. Yukina had always been pristine and proper, wearing beautiful, fitting kimonos and keeping herself presentable. Yet here she was, bruised and revealed in old, tattered gym clothes that had once belonged to Aiko. At her hand was the icy weapon. It began to melt.

"Would you care for some tea?" she asked.

He stepped back, his thumb moving from the hilt of his sword to let it fall back inside with a dull click. "No."

"Then—"

"I'm here to see the old woman. Genkai."

Her smile softened, so much so that it was almost a thin line across her face. "She is in the common room, last I checked. I can take you to her."

"No need. I can find her myself." He disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

It was then I felt like my throat could move again. I looked to Miyuki, whose solemn expression was still where he once stood. "Who was that?"

Miyuki looked up to Yukina, who nodded slightly before returning to the training room where Touya waited. She then looked down to me.

"He was one of her rescuers when I worked for Tarukane. Perhaps an old lover?" she mused, looking up to the pouring sky. "Or maybe family? His mission was personal, I could feel it as he passed me by. It's why I played dead." Her hands clasped together in her lap. "I knew he knew I was alive, but I suppose he was in such a hurry to find Yukina, he let me be. He never thought he would see me again, after all."

She gave me a sorrowful smile, and I stood from our spot to see where he went. I heard voices from the common room. What did he want to talk to Genkai about? What was his connection to all of us? What was his connection to me? Why did I feel that way when I saw him? Was he there when my memories were taken away?

I was sure he knew I was there, but I sat next to the shoji door quietly anyway. Genkai's voice did not stop, so I figured he would keep talking as well. I sadly couldn't hear much; it was all muffled.

I waited outside the door, unsure myself what I thought would happen when he came out. It felt like hours passed, but he finally opened the door. He closed the door roughly behind him. It smacked against the threshold as thunder roared again. It slid back some, and I found myself on my feet to follow him.

He knew I was walking behind him into the rain. After three steps, when he didn't turn around to acknowledge me, I called out.

"Who are you?"

He stopped, but didn't look over his shoulder to me. "No one of your concern."

"But you know Miyuki," I said. "And Yukina. Maybe even Aiko, too. And—"

Then he looked over his shoulder at me. Bright, red eyes stared me down.

"Do I know you?" My voice felt weak, my lips stiff.

"I'm not getting involved." He turned back around.

"Wait!" I pleaded, watching him pause before readying himself to flee. "Kurama—that's how you know him, isn't it? You know Kurama, don't you?"

He straightened himself, possibly curious. His back was still turned to me.

"You do—that's how I know you, isn't it? I felt like how I did in middle school when I saw you; it felt like a dream I had."

"I can't return your memories to you." He was curt. "It's a wonder you even remember me. I saw you for only a moment."

"But you can tell me, can't you? He said if he could bring them back, he would." I didn't know why I remembered him. He was there when something important happened, I knew it.

He turned around fully, facing me, his eyes stern. "He erased them to spare you the trauma."

"He also erased them to keep me from winding up someplace like this," I replied. "But I'm here. And if you can tell me about the part of me I lost—that day—then—"

"Stop talking."

I listened.

"He erased himself from your memories. I can't bring him back. All I can show you is that night."

"Please—anything!" My hands clasped together.

He stared at me for what felt like a long time before replying. "In return, I want to see something."

"See something?"

It occurred to me I didn't know what he meant by 'showing me'.

"That woman you were sitting with. The one Yukina defended. I want to know why she defends her," he replied. "You know why, don't you?"

I nodded. "I can tell you—"

"I'd rather see for myself. You don't need to talk."

My brows furrowed. "What do you mean by 'see'?"

He reached up to where his white headband wrapped around his head and began untying it. Beneath was a slit in his forehead, and the skin parted to reveal a third eye. It was drastically different in color than his others, a wild purple.

"I want to see everything as it was remembered, inside your head."

Probably the weirdest request from me yet, and my awe wasn't lost. I nodded, my fingers fidgeting with each other, stiffening from the cold. I shivered and felt my clothes sticking to my skin.

"Close your eyes," he said. "It helps you picture things vividly."

I listened and felt the small water beads pelting me, harder and faster. After a moment, a small, throbbing headache formed between my eyes.

"Now, what made Yukina forgive her," he instructed.

I remembered our conversation in the bath, and then the time in the common room. I remembered vividly the tip of her horn touching the tatami mat, the shake in her voice. But I remembered clearly Yukina's soft words and touch, as she guided Miyuki's face in her hands, lifting her from the floor.

I opened my eyes, finding him staring past me in thought. The headache was beginning to worsen, growing from a soft pounding to something akin to scraping. I watched the anger in his face blossom, and we stood in silence for a while until it slowly disappeared.

He looked at me, fire red eyes as cold as the wind in this storm.

"Close your eyes again," he said, closing his own. "I will show you what I remember from that night."

I listened again. The darkness behind my eyes slowly blossomed into bright colors, slowly arranging to form a picture. The movements felt choppy as I watched the fight between him and a younger, shorter-haired Kurama. It was from his point of view. I was on the ground, in the side lines, bearing a shocked expression. The two of them flitted off, and I was gone.

Another scene. Some place that seemed to be an abandoned warehouse; it was dirty, dark, and damp. A dark youkai with three pairs of arms—two on his torso and one from his head. A taunt with a clothing garment sent Kurama into a fit of rage. A cut to black. The youkai's severed body appeared on the floor, in pieces, blood pooling around it. A muffled thought came from him as he sheathed his sword. He watched Kurama search for me, sprinkle some powder on me, and lift me to carry me home.

Another cut to black.

"That's all I know," he said, and I opened my eyes to let my gaze settle down on him. "I can't bring anything back the powder took away."

I nodded, feeling slightly numb as the headache disappeared. My head felt exhausted, sore, like my body did after a day of training. Different emotions washed over me. They felt like they had been dormant for years, waiting to spill over. Still, I knew nothing, but still, I felt everything.

"Thank you." I forced a smile. "I see why he erased everything—that was a bit much for a little girl."

He took a step back, ready to leave.

"He did it not just to protect himself, but you too," he said as he turned on his heels, his black cloak flapping in the wind.

I nodded, tears of fear spilling down my face. I wasn't scared at all, but the relief, the emotions… they had been wanting to come out for so long, it seemed. I watched as he disappeared before my eyes.

"Maya?" Miyuki's voice came from behind me. When I turned, and she saw my face, fear struck her features. She rushed to me, hands gripping my arms. "Did he hurt you? What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. He showed me something I lost a long time ago."

She looked down at me, brows furrowed and eyes wide.

"And I think he knows now," I continued. "How sorry you are. He knows why Yukina forgave you. I think maybe he'll forgive you too, since she has."

Her eyes softened and her lips parted in confusion. She held me still. I wiped away the tears, but they just kept coming.

Aiko.

A sharp pain flourished in my back as I hit the wall. I didn't move quickly enough; her bright blue electricity solidified and snapped around my wrists, pinning me to the wall. Two more came, wrapping around my ankles and digging into the wood wall behind me.

I struggled to move, and she began dancing where she stood.

"Oh, yeah!" She threw her fist in the air. "Who's the boss now, huh?"

Maya loved rubbing her wins in others faces. This was a rare occurrence for her, considering the only time she ever seemed to debate about anything was the supernatural—and maybe a few other things that I didn't care to remember at the moment.

My teeth clenched together. Anger welled in my chest.

She taunted me, getting closer and smiling in my face. "I win, don't I?"

I couldn't use my limbs to project my ki, but I had one other outlet. I opened my mouth, warmth crackling between my teeth, and she jumped back. I couldn't get it to spark, let alone light a flame, and it fizzled out.

"Geez," Maya grumbled. "That was… not pretty."

Her ki fizzled away, releasing me from the wall. I landed on my feet, a wave of disappointment washing over me as I stood upright.

"It's hard to do," Genkai said, her voice coming from the hallway. I looked to find her standing at the entrance to the dojo. "That will take a while. Don't get too worked up over it, you have other things to concentrate on."

Her words went in one ear and out the other. My body tensed. I had to be ready soon. Fukui gave me a date. We had to be ready by then—I had to be. I spread my legs to center myself and put my hands out; the proper stance. Maya hesitated as she watched me, her features wary.

"I think I'm done for the night," she mumbled, stepping back. "You should go to bed too…"

She walked out of the dojo, and I felt my body shaking.

"Your confidence is crumbling."

I faced Genkai, mouth pursed and eyes narrowed. "I'm sure plenty of the people you've trained have had their moments."

"They either put themselves together again or they crumble to dust," she replied. "You don't feel like you're ready and you never did. You've been rushing to finish this to make it stop. That act you put on the other day during your declaration is slipping."

"Something has to be done," I snapped.

"The difference between you and Yusuke in rushing into things, is he has the optimism and courage that things will work out." She was calm, unflinching at my rage. "You don't. You're still trying to run away."

My breathing became staggered; I wanted to yell at her. My voice caught in my throat. I stared at her as she walked past me, and finally my eyes fell to the floor. I found myself crouching, pulling my knees to my chest. My mind was blank; white noise filled the hollow corners as I tried controlling my body and breathing. My heart pounded in my throat. I had so much to say to everyone, but I didn't know how. I didn't know where to start. My thoughts felt like a mess.

"You still have time." Kurama's voice came from behind me; it sounded so far away. He knelt next to me.

I didn't know how to respond. I knew I had time but it didn't feel like it. Nothing felt like anything. Everything was moving so fast, but at the same time, so slow. It was a crunch for time and I didn't even know where to start. Everything felt out of place. Nothing felt right.

"You left when I told you what we were doing," was all I could say.

He paused, and then folded his legs under him to sit. "I was angry."

"I am too."

"I know. I'm sorry I left." His voice wasn't out of place, it was growing closer. It felt right. It seemed to be the only thing that was. I buried my face in my knees. "And I'm sorry for sending Hiei your way."

"He helped me figure out a plan," I replied, voice muffled as I buried my face deeper between my knees. "So just know that backfired on you."

"I actually feel a bit better knowing Hiei gave you some advice."

I didn't know what to say, and so we sat in silence for a while. He was good at that. Presence was always enough for him, it seemed.

"Hayashi has a performance in the spring," I said after a few minutes. "That's when everything will happen."

He didn't flinch. "That will likely fall during the tournament, won't it?"

It was rhetorical, so I didn't answer. "I need you to win. No matter what happens, something will have started. A movement will begin. I need you to have political power in Makai to keep it going."

"Aiko." A voice that never spoke to me.

Surprised, I turned around to find Nagisa standing outside the dojo in the hallway. His frame was illuminated by the dimly lit candles that hung along the ceiling. Kurama looked over his shoulder as well in curiosity.

"Would you like to join me for a walk?" he asked. I looked to Kurama. "He can come too."

He never spoke to me. We didn't even eat in the same room at the same time. There was a point in time where he didn't leave the room he was given. Why he was talking to me now was beyond me, but I obliged.

We walked along the outskirts of the temple, where the dirt pavement met the grass of the forestry. I wondered if he had wandered through the forest yet. He would find some low level youkai that he could talk to if he did. Not that all of them were friendly—at least, not to humans. We were silent. I stayed close to Kurama, who stood in between the two of us. It was strange looking at Nagisa. I knew he was about twice my age, but he looked just a couple years younger than me. He reminded me of Minoru in a way. I remembered what he said when we were on the swing set that night.

"Did you pick a new name?" I asked, but he didn't respond. He didn't look at me. I didn't understand what he wanted from me.

We wandered the compound in silence until we came upon the small purification trough in front of the main hall entrance of the small shrine, and then he spoke. "I lied during your interrogation that day." *

Kurama and I stared at him.

He locked gazes with me, eyes cold. "You asked how I got the tickets. They were sold to me by a human, not a youkai."

"Why did you lie?" Kurama asked.

There was no point in asking, he didn't trust me then. I asked, "Where did they sell you the ticket? Here?"

He ignored Kurama. "In Makai."

"Humans do not reside in Makai," Kurama informed me. "Not unless they are very powerful."

"He was a regular man. If I had to gauge his power, he'd be about where you stood in ki." Nagisa nodded to me. "Rumor has it there's many humans lurking in Makai. And with it comes the myth."

"The myth?" I looked from Nagisa to Kurama.

"They're called soul eaters," Kurama explained. "You're saying a soul eater sold you the ticket?"

"They say soul eaters aren't human, that they're 'holy beings.' But I know they're human." Nagisa ignored him again. "I saw him. He was nothing but a human. But he was definitely a soul eater."

"I'm… confused," I mumbled.

"There is a myth of 'holy beings' that resemble humans, down to their ki, that live in Makai," Kurama explained. "Everything suggests they are human, except for the fact that what they can do is inhuman. It's what caused the rumor of them being considered holy."

"Nobody that comes across a soul eater is ever the same, not for long," Nagisa continued. "You eventually become a completely different person, and it's because they take away part of your soul."

"Not literally, of course." Kurama folded his arms across his chest. "It's just for the loss of the person you once were."

"Things that are holy are usually associated with good things." My arms found their way across my chest. "Why are they considered holy if they do something evil like that?"

"They're said to lure you in with whatever you desire. It's something you shouldn't desire, but you do," Nagisa answered. "Once you obtain it from them, it's said you slowly lose yourself to insanity because they take away the good in you to their 'holy place.'"

"And you desired a ticket to the Dark Tournament," I replied, to which the pale green young man nodded. "Did you lose yourself to insanity?"

He stared at me for a moment, and then turned back to the flowing purification trough's water. He stared into it, and then knelt in front of it. "I lied about something else as well."

We continued staring at him until he spoke.

"I was picked up separately from the group. I wasn't arrested on the island."

I shot a glance to Kurama, who returned it quickly.

"I had made it to the mainland the day before the tournament ended, with grandiose ideas of wealth," he continued. "I felt I could make an army, lure people to do my bidding once they saw how strong I was."

"What did you think you could create an army with?" Kurama seemed to take a new interest in this.

Nagisa seemed to acknowledge him for the first time during this conversation. "I had a simple, double-edged sword that had been passed down in my family. It was nothing special, and I'm not exactly the strongest youkai around, but I was convinced I was invincible."

Kurama then cupped his chin in thought. I kept my gaze on Nagisa, and he asked me to pick up the ladle. He instructed me to pour it over his hand, and I did as he asked. He asked me then to pour some more water in his hand, now cupped. After doing so, he poured the water in his mouth, swished it around briefly, and spat it out to the side of the trough.

"You had the tickets on you the entire stay at the tournament, didn't you?" Kurama asked.

He wiped his mouth of the dripping water. He lied because he didn't want to be blamed for ending up at the camp. He was ashamed about falling victim to these false holy beings. I felt shame wash over me. I made him feel like he deserved it all, probably.

"Of course I did," he replied, standing. He turned on his feet to head into the shrine's main hall. "It's part of why I was charged with a war crime—a conspiracy."

I quickly followed suit and washed my hands with the ladle, ignoring the mouth washing ritual. I hurried after him. Kurama also washed his hands and mouth. We followed him into the main shrine. We took off our shoes at the entrance, and trailed behind him. As we walked through the dimly lit entrance hall to the main hall, we didn't speak. I could feel the cogs in Kurama's mind turning behind me. He felt... almost eager, like he had something to say to me. Nagisa came to the main hall where the small offering box was, and Kurama stayed behind in the entrance hall.

I stood behind him as he dug in his dark blue yukata—courtesy of Yukina's craftsmanship—and pulled out a single yen coin. He threw it into the offering box, bowed deeply, straightened and bowed deeply once more. He would have clapped, had he had another arm, I thought, shame washing over me again. When he stood upright again, he turned back around to face me, but said nothing. **

"Do you pray often?" I asked after watching each other for a moment.

"I've never prayed before," he responded.

"Who did you pray to this time?"

"Someone my great-grandfather used to pray to, before he disappeared." A soft breeze came from the entrance hall, shaking the flames of the few candles that lit the main hall. "She hasn't protected my people in a long time, but I asked for her to help you."

I didn't know what to say. My heart hurt. I bowed deeply at the waist.

Koenma.

They had agreed. Now, they silently began spreading their influence. More and more deities came to me, asking for knowledge, to become informed. They were less powerful deities, most often ones whose influences were dying with the times. But determined they were to protect their believers, and to many that included youkai.

We were slowly gaining a quiet following. I had to be careful climbing up the ranks to the deities who were still worshiped today. Many of them had close ties to my father, and I had to think of ways to approach them.

It was one night that Benzaiten asked to visit. She had been skimming through the files I had given her, to look at again, and said it was urgent that she speak with me. So I waited impatiently—as patiently as I could—behind my desk, flipping through paperwork. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Jorge finally escorted her inside.

She wore a pristine white and gold kimono today; it stood out strikingly against her long black hair. The goddess of all that flowed was truly graceful. After existing for millennia, I would be surprised if she wasn't.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." I offered her to sit across from me, and she sat in the red plush chair.

She bowed to me slightly in greeting, and then lifted her head. Her voice was soft, lyrical. "I saw that you want to use what is called Chapter Black in your evidence."

A single brow raised in curiosity. "Yes. We found footage on there that showed Border Regulations and Enforcement personnel inhumanely torturing youkai for sport."

"If it would please you, I would not mind doing the favor of finding more footage."

I found myself chuckling. "I appreciate the offer but I'd have to decline. You needn't trouble yourself with something so horrific."

"It saddened me when it was locked away," she continued, bowing her head in shame. "It was meant to serve as a reminder for everyone, for every living thing to learn from their mistakes, to create better beings. It was a reminder, a protector. Instead, it merely bred hatred and fear. It had to be locked away, for the sake of everyone."

I stared at her, suspicion brewing my chest, unsure why she was talking about it like this. Why did she want to see it so badly?

"I wish to look through it. I can find things easily. It will bend to my will." She lifted her head, and deep, black eyes locked onto mine. "I had always regretted creating it, but now, it can save lives. Please, I beg you to let me search for you."

I froze. Jaw agape, my mafuken began slipping from between my lips.

"You created Chapter Black?" I spat, and immediately collected myself and my tone.

It made sense. The goddess of everything that flowed—time and knowledge included—the people's protector. Of course she had created it. But she had failed in her attempt to create something to protect everyone, and created a monstrous entity instead.

"That is not its real name," she replied, nodding. "However, yes, I did. All those years ago…"

My eyes were glued to her as she trailed off. Shame, disappointment, embarrassment, and sadness covered her porcelain face. Her eyes were glass, shiny, seemingly ready to let tears spill. But a goddess did not shed tears, she never could, lest her power shed with them.

"I will retrieve it from Ningenkai," I assured her. "We can search through it together. Is that a deal?"

A small smile broke her normally still face, and she bowed her head in respect.

A/N:

* A purification trough (or fountain) is in front of the shrine's entrance. It is used to cleanse one's hands and mouth, though I have heard the mouth cleansing is optional.

** 1 yen is approximately 0.009 USD.