Hiroshi Miyamizu was speaking in a much louder voice than usual. Not only because he wanted to use his authority to reach an understanding with Yamazaki Mayugorô, whose violent and hostile character seemed to him a danger to any negotiation, but also because the wind noise outside the house was loud enough to make it difficult to talk at a more moderate volume.
"… that's why I have to think of my daughter's welfare. I see now that her rebelliousness could cause us to lose her. If she sneaks off with your son, it would be a tragedy. I can try to hold her back, but that won't last forever. And that's why I think it's best for my daughter's well-being if we can know your son Goro better, and see if he has the necessary potential."
Yamazaki squirmed uncomfortably on his cushion. He glanced at his wife, sitting next to him, but she was not looking at him. The woman was just staring at her knees, commiserating. Yamazaki felt he would like to know what she was thinking at that very moment, but something told him that he would not be happy with her opinion. He decided to ignore her.
"So... what you're offering me is to take my son with you?"
"Well, in a way, yes, but..." answered Hiroshi.
"But... he is my son!" interrupted Yamazaki vehemently. "Goro is a craftsman, and as the craftsman he is he must follow the family work, just as his older brother does. It has taken us years to find a place where we can make our shoes, where we can work in peace and honor, and now that the Mayugorô family has finally found a home, Goro's destiny is to become a shoemaker, just like me, just like my father... Just like generations of my ancestors!"
"I understand your concerns," replied Hiroshi. "The Miyamizu family is at the same crossroads. I, too, want my daughter to remain a Miyamizu, and be able to serve at the Shrine, as her heir. Just as generations of Miyamizu have done for over a thousand years."
"And... and for that, you are going to take my son away from me?" replied Yamazaki in a tone of voice that could not hide the resentment.
"No, we would never do that," interjected Keitaro trying to calm things down. "I don't think you understand what my brother is proposing. It's not taking him away from his family, although it's true that he could stop being a craftsman."
"And what's the difference?" asked Yamazaki grumpily.
"What we offer him is that he can be taken on as an apprentice at the shrine," continued Keitaro. "We could get to know him and evaluate his abilities. And if Goro is a capable man, we could prepare him to be someone worthy of the stature of betrothal to my niece, with the full blessing of the Miyamizu family."
"And what of that is not taking my son away from me, to satisfy the interests of his family? And what of the interests of mine?"
"If Goro agrees to be an apprentice at the shrine, he will be paid for his work and effort. It would be money that he could use freely. And if Goro wants to he could use that money to contribute to the Mayugorô family as well, so the hands you would lose from Goro would not really be a loss to you."
Yamazaki watched the priests carefully, squinting his eyes. For the first time he felt that this might be favorable to them.
"And how much is the salary you speak of?"
The Miyamizu priests looked at each other in surprise. Without knowing it, they both thought that the father was more interested in money than in the boy's welfare.
"Well, he would be just an apprentice at first," tried Keitaro to qualify. "You can't expect the pay to be too high."
"But how much is that then?" urged Yamazaki, feeling that he now had the upper hand.
Keitaro leaned over to Hiroshi, and the two debated in whispers, covering their mouths as they argued. After some back-and-forth between them, they came to an agreement and faced Yamazaki again.
"For finding out if Goro is qualified for this role, he would have to start as an apprentice at the shrine, and work there for at least a year. We would offer him 20 silver monme for every month he works. That's a great opportunity, do you accept it?" said Hiroshi, trying to close the deal.
"Is that all?" replied Yamazaki with a dismissive gesture. "For that amount, he might as well remain a craftsman for the rest of his life."
Sayuri raised her head and began to listen to the exchange becoming more and more unsettled by the turn it was taking, until she couldn't take it anymore.
"Dear, you're talking about your son, not an animal! How is it possible that you're selling him like cattle?"
"Stay out of this, Sayuri. This is not a conversation for women!" cut Yamazaki to her off abruptly.
The woman wanted to answer, opened her mouth, but could not say a word. Blushing, she lowered her head again.
Hiroshi felt annoyed at the scene and the turn this whole conversation had taken. Sayuri was right, and it was necessary to end this haggling somehow.
"Look, Mayugorô-san, we are already being very generous to you by offering that amount. To be honest, that's more than many of the people in shrine get."
"That's none of my business, my lords, and I must look after the interests of my family, so can I hope you can be much more generous than that?"
"Don't abuse our..." interjected Keitaro in a somewhat beaten way, but Hiroshi slyly grabbed him by the arm and squeezed it, which Keitaro barely managed to restrain himself.
Hiroshi gave a tired sigh, looked at Yamazaki and decided to make his final offer.
"I will offer Goro 25 silver monme for every month he works as an apprentice, but not a single one more, and that's already too much, especially if we don't even know if the boy really has the necessary conditions."
"Let it be 30 monme, but 10 of them paid directly to me, as compensation to the family, and the rest I will see with my son."
Hiroshi felt Keitaro gnash his teeth. Hiroshi was also sickened by Yamazaki Mayugorô's hypocrisy. «Everything in the end is a money problem for this man», thought Hiroshi. He took a deep breath and decided to close the subject at once.
"Fine. It'll be 30 silver monme, just because it's a special situation, and only for a year. At the end of the year, it will be decided if Goro is suitable, and we'll see what happens after that. But if before that he's found to be unfit or doesn't have the minimum qualifications required, Goro will be sent back home, without any more pay. Take it or leave it."
"But Hiroshi...!" wanted Keitaro to protest.
"Never mind," said Hiroshi, looking directly at Keitaro. "The extra expense will come from my own funds, so the shrine's coffers will suffer no more than necessary, brother."
Keitaro reluctantly gave up, so Hiroshi finally let go of his arm and looked back at Goro's father.
"Then what is your answer, Mayugorô-san? I'm giving in to your request, but you know my conditions, do you accept it?"
Yamazaki displayed a feline laugh for a second, and then bowed to the priests in a deep but cynical bow.
"My lords, then you have my approval for my son to be your apprentice. Your generosity will be more than rewarded by my son's hard work, I have no doubt of that."
«Hanako, I'll do this for you. Make this sacrifice worth it» thought Hiroshi. There was no turning back now.
"Then we have an agreement," said Hiroshi, closing the deal. "Cure your son for a speedy recovery, and we will come to speak with you next week. But I request you that Goro should stay away from the shrine, and especially from my daughter, until I give permission. Goro should start as an apprentice from the next full moon."
"All right, it shall be as my lord request," replied Yamazaki with a broad smile. "Woman, go fetch some sake, to toast this agreement."
"Y-yes, dear," replied Sayuri weakly, standing up.
But the woman couldn't take a step. The door to the outside burst open, startling the four of them. Before them a discomfitted Mr. Koba stared at them and shouted into the room, with no regard for etiquette.
"FIRE! The forest and the houses below are on fire! Kaisho, we must get out of here right now!"
They were all petrified for a second, but the smoke they saw passing behind Mr. Koba, carried by the strong wind confirmed to them that it was no joke. The smell of burning wood slapped them in the face as the wind rushed like a whirlwind into the room.
"What?" shouted Yamazaki, standing up and almost running over the priests, who were still paralyzed with surprise.
Yamazaki ran over Koba-san and stopped outside. The man's face paled, before turning and disappearing from sight as he took off running towards the workshop, calling out for his eldest son and the workshop employees to try to put out the fire.
"Hiroshi-sama, we have to go back!" insisted Mr. Koba.
Hiroshi and Keitaro finally reacted. They stood up, but Hiroshi first reached over and grabbed Sayuri's arm, who had been paralyzed by shock, and pulled her out of the house with them.
As soon as they stepped outside, they looked out over the lake and saw that several wooden buildings down the hillside were on fire. The strong wind was blowing the smoke, though not directly towards them, but the fire was spreading through trees up the mountain, igniting other neighboring houses and buildings. Cries of "Fire!" began in the distance, repeated by innumerable voices, and a wooden bell began to ring desperately from the village, giving the general alarm.
Sayuri came back to her senses and upon seeing the fire, she reacted by realizing what it was that was on fire.
"No! Goro's in there! Goro's in there!"
The woman started running like crazy towards the bath building. Hiroshi and Keitaro were about to follow her when Koba-san's arm stopped them both violently.
"There's no time, no time!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Hiroshi, confused.
"Hiroshi-sama, look at the wind! Look at the wind!"
Hiroshi and Keitaro turned and watched the trees ignite one by one in the distance, spreading the flames at an unprecedented speed.
"What kind of fire is that?" asked Keitaro, pale.
"I don't know, Hiroshi-sama, but look! The wind is blowing up the mountain!"
Then both men felt an icy cold overwhelm them.
"Is the fire going to the shrine?" asked Hiroshi incredulously.
"Yes, kaisho, I've already sent Jiro to warn and alert the shrine, but we must go there right now!"
And as one man, the three began the race, first running toward the road, and then turning on the way to the entrance of the sanctuary.
The pandemonium they saw as they ran was overwhelming. People were running desperately trying to get some valuables out of the houses to save them from the fire. Others were trying to make chains of water buckets to quell the flames, but with little success. Cries of desperation and helplessness could be heard everywhere.
They had barely advanced about fifty yards from the Mayugorô workshop when they came to what appeared to be the main tongue of flame of the fire.
The wind was so intense that, looking at the smoke coming from the burning houses and trees from the lake side of the road, you could see fireballs being blown by the wind. They appeared to be dry branches or glowing leaves. The fireballs passed over the heads of the people running along the road, and when they landed on the trees and houses on the other side, they immediately began to set them on fire.
The three men had to run as fast as they could through the dense smoke, dodging desperate and disoriented people who passed them. The effort was greater as they tried to run while holding their breath to avoid being suffocated by the smoke. They had no choice but to run to avoid being roasted alive by the infernal heat of the fire on both sides of the road.
After moving another fifty yards away from the fire front, the three men stopped to catch their breath. They looked back to see the flames rising and widening up the mountain.
"The wind... goes straight... towards the shrine... why?" asked Keitaro in complete bewilderment.
"I don't know, but... we have to... hurry," answered Hiroshi trying to pull himself together.
Both men started to run, but after a few meters they heard Mr. Koba shouting at them from behind.
"Hiroshi-sama... I can't... I can't keep... up... with them. I'll catch up... I'll catch up," as he gestured desperately for them to keep running without him.
The priests kept running as fast as their strength would carry them, while they watched in anguish as the fire advanced at an absurd speed, almost as fast as they were, moving away from the road, but getting closer and closer to where the sanctuary was.
§
Sayuri came running to the restroom area, and was transfixed by the Dantesque sight: fire was consuming the ceiling of the bathhouse, and a thick layer of smoke was billowing out the front door, almost as high as a person's chest.
"Goro! Goro!" desperately shouted Sayuri, trying to get closer to the bathhouse door, but the heat and the smoke kept her away.
She took a few steps away, looking around, helped by the light of the flames, to look for something to help herself and go in to rescue her son, when she saw the figure of a person lying on the ground, about thirty meters away from her, towards the lake.
One of her heartbeats was enough to recognize that it was Goro, she had a second heartbeat of joy to see that he was out of the burning building, but in the next heartbeat panic overwhelmed her when she saw him lying on the ground, as if dead.
"Goro, you're okay! Goro, wake up!" shouted Sayuri as she ran to him.
When she reached him, Sayuri realized her son was still breathing. Also, Goro's clothes and face looked clean, with no traces of smut or smoke, and no sign of having been affected by the flames. That reassured her. But the fact that he was still unconscious was not normal.
Was it the fever? She touched his forehead and, to her amazement, Goro was completely cool. It was as if he was simply fast asleep in the middle of the field.
"Goro, son, listen to me, please!" cried Sayuri lifting her son's head and body, hugging him from behind.
The boy began to react. First, he began to cough, softly, and then he barely opened his eyes. His arms were still slumped beside his body as if he couldn't move them.
"M-m... m-mom?" he asked weakly, looking up at Sayuri.
"Yes, son, I'm here, I'm here," she answered relieved, hugging him tighter.
"I'm by your side, I'm not going to leave you son. You're safe now."
Goro looked down and became aware of the intense firelight illuminating the dusk. «Why did mother lit a fire?» he thought, puzzled, not quite understanding where he was or what was happening.
To add to his confusion, Goro felt strangely well. He no longer felt feverish, nor did he feel pain in his body or head. His face didn't hurt either. He just felt his body too heavy, as if he couldn't control it and his body didn't want to obey him even though he wanted to move.
Suddenly his eyes began to get used to the brightness, and he began to recognize that what he initially thought was a campfire was actually a building. It was his home bathhouse building!
Goro's memory began to activate and work at an accelerated rate.
First, he remembered that he was in the baths. He saw images of his father beating him; he had fallen, and he didn't remember anything else. Why was he out here now? And why were the baths on fire?
Goro closed his eyes and tried to force his mind. Suddenly the image of the dragon god appeared in his memory. Yes, he had spoken to the dragon, and the dragon god Ame-no-Kagaseo had offered him power in exchange for... his mind? He tried to remember... and suddenly images like flashes came to his mind, without sound, as if he was seeing the world absently, as if looking through his own eyes, but at the same time behind a window. In those images was his sister Sumi. She was healing him, and suddenly she was sitting on the floor, staring at him in panic, screaming at him.
What were these memories? Another flash showed his sister in front of him crying and kicking, and then he saw her lying on the bathhouse floor, limp.
On the bathhouse floors.
Goro's eyes widened in fear and he tried to raise an arm pointing at the burning bathhouse.
"M-mom, Sumi, she's... she's there, she's inside the baths!"
Sayuri's blood ran cold. She looked up, dumbfounded, seeing how the building's roof was already completely on fire.
"No... no... no... no... Noooooooo, Sumi-chan! SUMI!" shouted the mother in panic.
She dropped Goro on the floor and started first taking clumsy steps, then running back to the bathhouse.
"Mom, don't go, l-let me help you!" shouted Goro from the floor, struggling to move, slowly regaining control of his body.
He managed to turn and sit up slightly, with his elbows on the floor and his body raised, but his legs still didn't respond,
"Mom, mom!"
But Sayuri could no longer hear him. She got to within fifteen feet of the entrance to the baths, where smoke was still billowing out. She could barely see into the interior, which glowed with a menacing orange light from the flames already encroaching on the inside of the ceiling.
"SUMI! SUMI! PLEASE ANSWER!" Sayuri shouted desperately, moving from side to side.
She moved a few feet closer and dropped to her knees, crawling under the level of smoke and trying to peer into the bathhouse.
And then Sayuri saw that, inside the baths and about six meters away from the entrance, Sumi was lying on the floor, unconscious.
"SUMIIIIIIIIII!" she shouted for the last time.
The desperation was such that she could think no more. Her daughter's life depended on her alone. Her most beloved daughter was in mortal danger.
Sayuri stood up and began to stride forward into the baths. But the hot air that greeted her was such that she fell back to her knees, coughing. She got down on all fours, crawling towards her daughter, to reach for her, to pull her out of that hell.
"Mom! Wait, WAIT!" shouted Goro as he saw his mother disappearing into the burning building.
"Aaaaahgggg!" shouted Goro with all his might, trying to stand up.
His legs slowly began to react, and he was able to move one leg first. He put it in front of him and used his arms to pull himself up, almost staggering, but standing. He took an awkward step forward, then another, and slowly his body began to respond, walking faster and faster and closing the distance to the burning building.
"MOTHER! GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT AWAY! I'M GOING TO HELP YOU! -MOOOM!"
But suddenly a roar stopped him. A tremendous crackling of beams giving way, creaking and falling filled his sight and sound. The burning roof collapsed and came crashing down with a deafening roar, and a sea of sparks, smoke and hot air spread out in all directions, reaching Goro who fell sitting on the floor.
"NOOOO! MOTHER! SUMIIIIIIIIII! NOOOOOOOO!"
Goro dropped to his knees, clutching his head and screaming in pain. He fell to the ground, hitting it with rage, pain and impotence. But nothing could be done. His mother and Sumi were gone. He had lost them forever.
§
The evening sunlight was still shining in the sky when the group of travelers from the Kusakabe family reached the highest part of the road leading to Itomori.
"We are about to see the lake. From here the path is flatter and begins to descend. We will advance faster," explained the samurai Takeda, from his horse, looking at the rest of the retinue that followed him.
The group advanced another forty yards until they came out into a clearing, and stopped to watch a marvelous sight: the evening sunlight reflecting off a perfectly circular lake that shone like a mirror. Houses scattered here and there among the trees, the smoke from the hearths preparing dinner, and the cries of birds making their last calls completed a scene that seemed to have come out of a dream.
"Oh, how beautiful!" said Kiyo, standing up on the wagon she was riding in, and making a visor with her hands over her eyes to get a better view of the scenery, her face showing a sincere impression.
"I told you the trip would be worth it, Kiyo-chan," her brother Jisuke replied, walking on horseback beside her.
"I think the animals can go on for another hour, and we could reach the shrine by nightfall, as we planned. We would have arrived much sooner if it had not been for that heavy cart," said the samurai, looking contemptuously at the loaded cart before him.
"The important thing is that we're here," replied Jisuke, a little grumpily. "And I've never liked camping on the road with a loaded wagon. Come on everyone, let's get going before the night catches up with us."
The five travelers continued on their way down gently towards the lake. The horses and the ox were grateful for the change of slope and began to walk faster, despite the fatigue of a whole day's journey.
"I just want to get there and take a hot bath," said Jisuke. "What's that Itomori shrine like? I hear you've visited it, Masao-san."
"Yes, I visited him years ago when he was younger, with his father," replied the other rider, who was on the other side of the cart.
"On that occasion we brought cloth and various fine goods commonly used at Shinto shrines. Miyamizu Shrine is quite large for how remote this place is. That surprised me. In fact, the town of Itomori isn't that big, I'd say it's barely big enough for a hamlet, but everything there revolves around that shrine. It's quite peculiar."
"I see. Then they really must have a good bath. I hope we get there soon so we can eat something hot and rest," concluded Jisuke with hopeful satisfaction.
"And will we meet the Miko maidens? I like their red and white clothes, they're so graceful and elegant," asked Kiyo.
"We will certainly see them, Kiyo-sama," replied Masao. "I remember they did some kagura dances that I've never seen before and have never seen anywhere else. They seemed to be very ancient and very beautiful dances. Also, the family that controls the shrine is almost a matriarchy. And their women are remarkable for their beauty."
"Well, I'm surprised to hear that coming from the lips of a married man," Tanaka said with some derision, turning to look at them. "But what he says is true. I've had to come to Miyamizu Shrine several times to collect tribute from the area for my lord, and I can attest that his women are truly beautiful."
"But I only have eyes for my Keiko," said Masao with a blush, trying to excuse himself, "I'm still a man and I can recognize a woman's beauty when I see it, but my heart is only for my wife."
"You don't have to apologize to us, Masao-san, ha, ha," laughed Jisuke.
But Masao-san knows that there are more ears here than usual, it's better to be safe than sorry," said the driver of the car, looking at Kiyo.
The four men laughed at the witticism, also looking at Kiyo, who couldn't figure out what they were laughing at.
Suddenly, the animals stopped in unison, all at once. They began to move uneasily in their place.
All the travelers were surprised, looking at each other and around without understanding what was happening to them.
"Did they hear something strange?" asked Masao.
"I don't know, I don't sense anything strange," said the samurai, restlessly, looking in all directions.
"Is there an earthquake coming?" Kiyo asked worriedly.
Suddenly they all felt as if a strange force was sucking the air from behind them, carrying it towards the lake. The horses and the ox began to make nervous noises.
"What the hell is going on?" asked Jisuke.
"Jisuke-sama, look!" shouted Masao, pointing toward the lake.
The five watched as from three sides of the lake the trees were shaking and being sucked by the wind towards the center of the lake. Numerous dry leaves began to be seen flying, glistening in the evening light, like a rain of sakura petals, but yellow, blowing into the center of the lake. But on the fourth side the wind blew inland with an almost stormy intensity, blowing clouds of leaves and dust in the direction of the mountain.
"I don't like this at all," grumbled Takeda, looking up at the sky. "This wind is very strange, and there are no storm clouds to be seen. I've never seen anything like this before."
The wind continued to blow towards the lake, passing between them, steadily.
"We'd better go quickly, lest a storm come and find us on the road," said Jisuke. "Come on, let's get going again."
The group managed to advance only a few feet until they were stopped by an unexpected shout from Kiyo.
"Brother, look, down there!" pointed the girl back to the lake, nervously.
The four men paused again, trying to figure out what the girl was aiming at.
In the area of the lake where the wind was blowing inland, a plume of smoke started rising almost at the water's edge. It looked like smoke from a house in the distance, blown by the wind, but from how far away they were and how thick the plume of smoke was, it was clearly not the smoke from a home. It was too much smoke. And within seconds they saw the yellow glow of intense flames begin to peek through the trees, followed by thicker and thicker black smoke.
"It's a fire!" cried the samurai.
Kiyo looked around in sudden fear.
"Are we safe here?"
"Yes, that's still far away, and the wind isn't blowing towards us, so the fire won't come in our direction," said Masao, trying to reassure the girl.
"Unless the wind changes direction," Jisuke said worriedly.
"Well, that's true..."
In the distance they began to hear the distant ringing of warning bells. The fire was apparently attacking an inhabited area.
"Is it safe to keep moving, Takeda-san?" asked Jisuke to the samurai.
The warrior stood thoughtfully looking around, remembering and calculating, his horse pacing restlessly. Suddenly he stopped with a tremendous imprecation.
"I remember it well, that area must be just where we're headed!"
"Is that where the shrine is?" asked Jisuke worriedly.
"Yes, do you see where the smoke is rising? A little further up is where Miyamizu Shrine is," said Takeda in a worried voice.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Masao, looking around, wondering if they should camp in the same place.
"You just follow the path," replied Takeda confidently. "You are safe here and there are no trees around. Go as far as you can and get as close as you can to Itomori. When you see that you're going to get into tightly packed trees, you'd better stop and if necessary, camp there, at the edge of the forest, in case you have to backtrack through the fire, without getting trapped."
"But what are you going to do?" asked Jisuke, worried about such orders. "Are you going to leave us alone?"
"I represent the Daimyo's authority, so I'll gallop over to see what's going on and see if I can lead the peasants to help them fight the fire. I will return and meet them later on the road."
And the samurai galloped off, leaving a cloud of dust behind him until he was out of sight.
The other four travelers were stunned, watching in shock as the flames occupied what must have been hundreds of meters of forest and houses, carried by that strange wind.
"What do we do then, Jisuke-sama?" asked the ox driver in fear.
"Let's listen to Takeda-san. We have no choice. Everyone! Keep an eye on the wind direction, and if you smell smoke, report it immediately."
"If only we had arrived earlier... and were already at the shrine..." Masao said, thinking aloud without realizing it.
Jisuke turned to Masao and reprimanded him.
"It doesn't matter now. We are safe and we must stay safe. It's not worth worrying about what didn't happen. And we'd better see that we stay safe. Focus on the road."
"Yes, Jisuke-sama, forgive me..."
The four travelers began to move again, but in a silence charged with the uncertainty and nervousness of not knowing what the road had in store for them ahead.
§
The sunset was being calm and peaceful at Miyamizu shrine, after a whole night and a morning of madness.
After Hanako's last outburst, they finally assigned Ayami, one of the shrine's Miko maidens and the Miyamizu girls' dance teacher, to guard Hanako and prevent her from escaping again.
Ayami was about eight years older than Hanako, so she knew her as a child and the girl respected her.
As Kyomi and the baby needed care and companionship, Kaori, Hanako and her watcher had been in the room where the mother was all afternoon.
The quietness that reigned in the place, added to the tiredness of a whole night of sleeplessness, had made Kyomi and the baby sleep most of the afternoon.
Finally, Hanako couldn't resist the tiredness either and ended up sleeping on the tatami, hugging a cushion. Only Kaori and Ayami had stayed awake, sitting with their backs against one of the walls, talking quietly.
"Will the baby just sleep?" asked Kaori impatiently, wanting to play with her new brother.
"He is very small. The first few months they only eat and sleep. And they cry. You will have plenty of opportunities to care for him as his big sister."
The girl's eyes sparkled at the idea.
"And will I be able to give him milk?"
"No, that can only be done by his mother."
"Ah..." said the girl discouraged.
Kaori looked down at her mother's breasts, sleeping close to her. They were large and warm. She loved to cuddle her mother and sink into her chest. Then she slyly looked at Ayami. She too had well-developed breasts. And finally, she glanced down at her own chest, where she had barely budding breasts. She felt frustrated.
"And you can give milk to my little brother?" finally asked Kaori, giving up.
Ayami blushed at the thought, and vehemently denied such a question.
"No, no, no, no! I can't either, only women who have a baby can give milk. A woman's body grows, she prepares herself to be a mother. I can't do that."
"But you haven't had babies?"
"Not yet. Not yet," Ayami said, smiling shyly.
"And could I have one?" asked Kaori worriedly. She had seen all that her mother had gone through, and suddenly the idea didn't seem so appealing.
"Someday you'll have them, but first you'll have to meet a boy to marry."
Kaori thought to herself, why did she need a boy to have a baby? What it was for? She'd never wondered. She felt like a fool for never having thought about it or asked before.
"Why do I have to meet a boy if I want a baby, Ayami-san?"
Ayami felt that the conversation was moving to dangerous places to discuss with a child girl, so she accommodated a bit, and tried to change the subject.
"Kaori-chan, babies... you see, for a baby to come, a man and a woman have to... they have to be united in love. When the time comes, I have no doubt that your mother will explain all that to you."
"Oh... so my brother was born because mom and dad love each other?"
"Yes! I couldn't have explained it better," Ayami smiled, relieved to feel that she had dodged the hatch, stroking the girl tenderly on the head.
Ayami looked at baby Toshiki. She felt that she also wanted to start a family, but almost all her life she had been living at Miyamizu shrine. Now she knew no other life. Without realizing it, she began to speak as her mind wandered.
"Someday I want to find a man to love me. And I want to have babies, too. And give them love and a home like the one my sister and I... we couldn't have; if it wasn't because the Miyamizu took us into this shrine, when I was a little girl younger than you, we probably would have starved to death..."
"What happened to your family, Ayami-san?" asked Kaori with curiosity and some concern.
Ayami realized that she had spoken too much. But the girl's curiosity was legitimate. It was her own fault, so she felt she deserved to give her an answer.
"My parents were farmers. Many years ago, there were very cold winters. Dark clouds filled the sky for a long time, crops failed and food was scarce. I had four siblings, two older brothers and two younger, Amane and little Yui. Yui was just a baby and died of weakness. My older brothers barely had enough strength to help my mother and father in the fields to get food. I was eight years old at the time, and my sister Amane was only five. I remember days when we barely had a bite to eat... and my parents decided to give us to the shrine. The Miyamizu family took us in, gave us food and shelter, and raised us to be Miko maidens. We owe our lives to them."
"And your parents are happy that you're staying here?"
"I guess so. A couple of years after they brought us here, they left Itomori looking for a better place to live. We never heard from them again."
Ayami's sad face told Kaori that she had better stop with her questions.
"I'm sorry, Ayami-san, I didn't mean to make you sad."
"It's not your fault, Kaori-chan. Everyone's destiny is written by the gods, and I'm sure Musubi wanted me and my sister to serve him. These are painful memories, but I'm glad to be with you. I can teach you to dance. And I know Amane enjoys being your kumihimo threading teacher, too."
Ayami placed a hand on the girl's head and stroked her hair. The girl curled up on her dance teacher's shoulder.
"I want to teach my little brother how to dance, and also how to weave ropes and how to recite prayers..."
"That time will come, Kaori-chan," said Ayami with a smile.
The women were silent, listening only to the faint gurgles the baby made from time to time. They felt that sleep was beginning to seize them, too...
Suddenly, a strange vibration struck the structure of the house. The paper doors shook noisily, startling Kaori and Ayami.
"What was that?" asked the frightened girl.
"I don't know... stay here, I'll look out and see."
Ayami stood up and quietly walked out so as not to wake Hanako and Kyomi, who were still asleep. When she almost reached the door, there was an even greater vibration than before. Even the roof of the house creaked strangely. The whistling of the wind between the roof and the trees became noticeable.
Ayami hurried her pace and opened the door. A puff of cold wind blew into the room. She walked out closing the door behind her, leaving the room in an eerie silence only broken by the strong wind.
Kaori stood uneasily waiting for Ayami to return. After a while she returned, sliding the door open.
"What is it?" asked the girl.
"Relax, it's just the wind. It's strange, but it's blowing so hard. I had to close the corridor's door."
"Oh... is there a typhoon coming?"
"Maybe. But the sky was clear in the afternoon, so it will take a while to arrive."
"But it was a very cold wind, I think I'll go and get some more clothes."
"Please do, Kaori-chan, go get warm."
"Shall I bring a blanket for you?"
"Oh, yes, thank you. That's very kind of you."
Kaori went to get clothes from the next room, where she slept with her sister. As she walked down the hallway, she heard the sound of the tree leaves rustling in the strong wind.
In her room she took a shawl that she put on her back, and looked in a cabinet for three blankets: one for her, one for Ayami, and the third for her sister.
She left the room carrying the blankets, when suddenly a strange smell stopped her. It smelled of smoke. She turned around, and saw that the door at the back facing the courtyard, which used to always be closed, was flapping in the strong wind. «Somebody lit a fire to warm up?» thought Kaori, a bit puzzled because it was too early for such a thing, as it was still daylight.
She reached her mother's room, and spread out the blankets. She carefully covered her sister, who continued to sleep unnoticed, and then Kaori went to sit next to Ayami again, wrapping a blanket around herself as well.
"It seems that the wind is very cold, because they lit a fire."
"A fire?" Ayami asked quizzically. "How do you know?"
"Because the hallway smelled like burning wood."
Ayami's eyes widened in fear.
"Burnt wood?"
"Yes, like when they put green firewood in the kitchen."
The girl didn't understand why, but Ayami jumped to her feet and left the room. Her teacher's forceful reaction worried her. She also stood up and ran in silent steps behind her, catching up with her almost at the end of the corridor.
Ayami noticed that the girl was following her, and said in a peremptory tone.
"Go back to the room immediately, Kaori-chan."
"But I want to come with you!"
"It may not be safe. Just go back!"
"Why?"
Ayami sighed. «It's okay, it might be nothing», thought. But at that very moment, a smell of burning leaves seeping through the door reached both of them.
"That's the smell!" said the little girl, glad that her teacher could see that she was not lying.
Ayami paled. She approached the door and began to pull out the locking stick that held it shut, and after a couple of attempts, she managed to move the door almost half a meter, revealing the outside.
A strong wind hit them head-on, startling them. And in the wind, clouds of black smoke billowing from the forest trees at the other end of the shrine appeared being blown away by the wind. Their eyes began to burn and water and Ayami slammed the door shut.
"What was that?" asked Kaori, rubbing her eyes with the sleeves of her kimono.
Ayami looked at the girl with a blank mind, unable to believe what she had just seen, not knowing what to do, frozen in fear.
"Ayami-san, what's wrong?" asked the girl again.
The answer came from outside.
First, they heard several distant shouts through the door. They both looked at the closed door, trying to sharpen their hearing. Within seconds the screams became clearer, the repetition of a single nefarious word: "FIRE!"
Kaori looked at Ayami for an explanation, but her dance teacher reacted by taking the girl by the hand and walking briskly back to Kyomi's room.
"Kyomi-sama, Kyomi-sama There's a fire in the forest! The forest is on fire! Kyomi-sama!" shouted Ayami as soon as she entered the room.
Kyomi and Hanako woke up startled. Hanako jumped to her feet, but confused. Kyomi sat up slightly with her elbows on her bed.
"What's wrong?" asked Hanako.
"Smoke is coming out of the forest. It must be on fire, and the wind is coming this way, and the fire must be coming from behind!"
"From where?" asked Kyomi.
"From the forest down to the lake," replied Ayami.
Hanako turned anxiously to her mother.
"Mom, what do we do?"
"Calm down, stay calm," Kyomi said in an unconvincing voice. "Ayami-san, go find Narumi-san, please."
"Yes, Kyomi-sama."
The girl ran off and disappeared from sight.
"And what do we do?" insisted Hanako.
"Stay with me, but first get ready to leave. Look for thick clothes in your room. Hanako, you may have to move away from the shrine if there's danger."
"Mom, I'm not going anywhere without you. If there is danger, we must all go together."
"Come here, Hanako," ordered Kyomi to her daughter, stretching out her left arm, beckoning her to come closer.
The girl approached with a confused look on her face, kneeling down next to her mother. Kyomi hugged her and pulled Hanako, until they were head-to-head, and spoke in whispers in her ear, so Kaori wouldn't hear.
"My daughter, I don't have the strength to move. If the fire comes here, I need you to save your sister and brother."
"No, mother, don't ask me that, I couldn't leave you like that," answered Hanako with tears in her eyes.
"Hanako, you are my life. If the fire comes and all you stay with me, there might not be a tomorrow for the Miyamizu family. This day had to come, so I beg you, save your sister and your brother! I know you'll know what to do. You're the heir to the clan. Never forget that."
"Mom...!", cried Hanako.
Kyomi continued for a long time hugging her daughter, who kept sobbing.
Kaori didn't understand what they had talked about, but she began to feel afraid. She began to pout like a little girl. Her mother saw her and reached out her hand to the girl.
"Come, Kaori. You come too."
The little girl came and stood beside her mother, the three of them hugging.
"Kaori, whatever happens, you have to obey what your sister tells you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Mom, but why are you telling us that? What's the matter?"
"It happens that I love you, my girls. I believe that the destiny of the Miyamizu family must finally be fulfilled, and for that you must survive. I know you will, you have to."
"Mom, what are you talking about?" asked Hanako worriedly.
"I've known for a long time that a day like this would come, but I didn't know when it would be. Meeting Mayugorô Goro yesterday reminded me of that, but I thought it would be a day far away. It looks like that day will be today. No matter what happens, you have to survive for there to be a future where Miyamizu women fulfill the pact with Shitori-no-Kami that our ancestors bequeathed to us."
"Why are you telling us that?" said Hanako, feeling a lump in her throat. "Did you know this was going to happen?"
"I can't explain it to you. But you are a Miyamizu. Someday Musubi's plan will be revealed to you and I know you will understand everything."
Kaori couldn't figure out what her mother meant, but she hugged her mother as tight as she could. Feeling her warmth and scent soothed her.
"Girls, you'd better get ready," told Kyomi to them. "Get warm clothes in case you have to spend the night in the forest. And blankets to protect you from the cold... or... to wet them if necessary to protect you from the fire."
Kyomi released her daughters. Hanako stood up to follow her mother's instructions, but Kaori stared at her mother hesitantly.
"Come Kaori, let's go get some clothes," invited Hanako to her little sister.
"I just brought three blankets," said Kaori, pointing to the blankets lying on the floor.
"Well then, let's go and get some warm clothes for ourselves."
The girls left the room, leaving Kyomi alone. As soon as the girls came out, she began to cry silently, dropping the mask of security and confidence she had shown her daughters.
"Hiroshi, where are you now?" she wondered aloud, as she tried to wipe away the tears that refused to stop flowing.
The shouting outside began to increase, adding to the noise of the wind that kept whistling through the trees. Heavy, hurried footsteps could be heard outside. Mrs. Narumi. followed by Ayami, burst into the room, and prostrated herself before Kyomi.
"Kyomi-sama, there's a fire in the forest and it's coming this way!"
"Is there a fire in sight?"
"Not yet, but the smoke is rising, and Jiro came running to alert us. He left my husband with Hiroshi-sama and Keitaro-sama, he said they should be on their way here."
"What are the others doing?"
"They're moving valuables out into the courtyard in case the fire reaches the buildings."
"Narumi-san, please help me prepare the girls to leave the shrine. They must take the baby with them too."
"My lady, you must get to safety!"
"Narumi-san, I don't have the strength to move. They must leave right now and get to safety. Help me save my children. If this is the end, it's the last order I'll give you."
Kyomi looked at Ayami, who stood silently behind Mrs. Narumi, barely holding back tears.
"Ayami, you've been like a daughter to me all these years. Please you go to my daughters and my baby, and make sure they are safe. Go get them, they're in the next room."
"Kyomi-sama! I will protect them with my life," said Ayami, bowing and leaving immediately.
"Narumi-san, please help me with the baby."
Mrs. Narumi picked up the baby who was sleeping on a futon next to his mother. Little Toshiki started crying when he was lifted up.
"Please give him to me," begged Kyomi.
Kyomi cradled the baby and placed him on her chest, which soothed him and he began to drink greedily.
"You are a strong baby, but now you will go to your sisters. Whatever happens, my love will be with you. I hope you come back safe and sound with me… Narumi-san?"
"Tell me, my lady."
"Please look for the onbuhimo that is stored in the trunk, so Hanako can carry the baby."
"But the baby is too young for Hanako carry in him on her back!"
"No, not on her back; let's put Toshiki against her chest. Then she will be able to watch and take better care of him."
Mrs. Narumi opened the trunk in a hurry, taking out things in a disorderly fashion, until she found a long, thin, rolled up cloth.
"Here it is, I found it."
At that moment Hanako and Kaori, escorted by Ayami entered the room. All three wore thicker winter kimonos and white caps similar to those worn by peasant women to protect their hair. Ayami had taken one of Hanako's kimonos.
"We're ready, Kyomi-sama," said Ayami.
"Well done. Hanako, come here and get on your knees so you can hold the baby."
"What? I'm going to take him?"
"Yes, you have to. You've seen komori girls carry babies, right?" explained Kyomi. "This is the same thing, but your baby brother is still too small to hold his head, and you can't carry him on your back. We'll put him cradled against your chest. Make sure his neck is always straight."
Between Kyomi and Narumi, they settled the baby, who began to cry as soon as he was separated from his mother. After some effort, the baby was secured.
"Wait!" Kyomi said, remembering something important.
The woman put her hands to her head, and untied a beautiful kumihimo rope that tidied up her hair. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders.
"Here, Hanako, put this rope next to the baby, so that Musubi will protect him."
The girl took the rope and placed it between the blanket that held the baby, who began to cry.
"Mom, who will protect you now?" asked Hanako anxiously.
"All the time our god is with us, whatever happens. He will guide you. Now get away from here! Go down to the lake and get to safety," begged Kyomi. "Take the blankets with you to protect yourselves from the smoke or fire, if you need it. Come on, go!"
"Mom, we're coming back to you, I promise."
Kaori and Hanako approached their mother, kissed her on the head goodbye, then hugged Mrs. Narumi, and finally left holding hands, followed closely by Ayami.
When the girls left the room and got far enough away. Kyomi couldn't help but sob with sadness and anguish.
"Now, Narumi-san... you also go and be safe."
"Never! Kyomi-sama, I swore to serve the Miyamizu family until my death. I won't abandon it."
Kyomi reached out and took Mrs. Narumi's hand, with a grateful smile, while thick tears that she no longer needed to hide fell down her face.
§
Ayami was walking ahead of the girls, leading them. As soon as they opened the door to the house, a thick layer of thick black smoke passed in front of their face, causing the three of them to squint.
"Take the blankets and try to breathe through it!" shouted Ayami to the Miyamizu girls.
Hanako covered the baby with the blanket to try to keep him from breathing in the heavy smoke.
"Where are we walking to?" shouted Hanako.
"We have to get out of the smoke and get to the lake."
The three women began to walk covered by the building from the strong wind. As they walked, they heard the desperate cries of the people in the sanctuary trying to work together to rescue things from the buildings. From all directions there was frantic activity.
They reached the end of the pavilion near the shrine steps and turned back toward the esplanade, but found that the shrine steps were so covered with smoke that the tori arch was barely visible.
"Are we going down that way?" asked Kaori incredulously.
"No, we would suffocate with so much smoke! We have to..."
But Hanako didn't get to finish the sentence. A sudden glow coming from the ladder forced her to reflexively look over. Before she could say anything else, the glow transformed into a bright light. The trees around the ladder were on fire! A surprising heat began to wash over them.
"Fire! It's the fire!" shouted Kaori in terror.
"Let's go back, quick, quick!" shouted Ayami, pushing the girls back towards the back of the shrine.
As they ran down the corridor, they felt the warmth of the fire coming from behind them thanks to the wind that was still blowing.
"What if we go down through the forest?" asked Hanako to Ayami.
"Which way?" wondered Ayami. She turned around and then followed Hanako's gaze to where she was pointing. But she gasped in surprise when she saw that Hiroshi and Keitaro were running out of the woods and towards them, totally exhausted and sweaty, with their faces and clothes blackened by the smut.
"Kaisho", "Dad!", the women shouted in unison.
"What are you doing... still here!" shouted Hiroshi between gasps.
"We're trying to get to the lake, Hiroshi-sama," replied Ayami.
The sound of the baby crying from the lump on Hanako's chest alerted Hiroshi.
"Where is... your mother?" asked Hiroshi to Hanako.
"She's still in the house, she said she can't move!"
"Dad, save her, save her!" begged Kaori with teary eyes.
"I'll go find... your mother... you... run to the bottom of the shrine, to the waterfall, and... go down the water course... quickly!" told Hiroshi to them, panting, trying to catch his breath.
"But dad, through the forest..." tried Hanako to retort.
"The forest is on fire, we barely... made it!"
Hiroshi almost stumbled from exhaustion, but he kept himself on his feet by taking a couple of steps towards his daughters and hug them.
"I'll go get your mother... now go to the waterfall... and escape! -I love you, you have to go... right now! Go, go!"
The girls didn't want to move, but they were pulled by Ayami, until they started running again, leaving the men behind.
Hiroshi looked at his daughters walking away for a second longer, then looked at his brother-in-law.
"Keitaro, save... the library trunk, I... I'm going to rescue Kyomi," begged Hiroshi.
"Don't miss her. Please... don't fail. Save my sister!"
A sudden increase in heat made them look back. The forest they had come through was beginning to burn. As they turned around, they saw how the trees closest to the stairway area were already fully ablaze. With horror they realized that things the size of a cat, but made of fire, were jumping from the burning trees towards the shrine buildings, setting them on fire, but these things were jumping against the wind!
"Wh-what is that?" asked Keitaro in horror.
Hiroshi grabbed his brother-in-law's forearm and stirred it to make him react.
"I don't know what it is... but it's time to act! Let's save what we can from the sanctuary! Now, come on, NOW!"
Both men nodded, gave each other a hug for a second, and then separated, one running to the library building, and the other to the bedroom where Kyomi was prostrate.
Hiroshi ran to the last building at the back of the shrine where his residence was. From the entrance he took one last look at his daughters, who were already about eighty meters away, almost reaching the waterfall.
"Musubi... protect them," he implored.
Hiroshi ran into the house and rushed into Kyomi's room.
"Kyomi, we have to go out!"
"Hiroshi!" replied Kyomi in surprise. "You made it! Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, but... we have to go. Narumi-san, come with us!"
Hiroshi knelt down beside his wife and took her by the shoulders and legs and lifted her up. He began to walk with more difficulty because of his wife's extra weight, followed by Mrs. Narumi.
When they stepped out into the hallway, they managed to take a few steps, but stopped dead in their tracks. At the entrance of the house, where the hallway began, there were several things wrapped in flames, the size of a dog, standing in the doorway of the house.
"Hiroshi, what is that?" asked Kyomi terrified.
"I-I don't know, I..." managed Hiroshi to say, but the strange fire things began to move and advance towards them like prey animals. The two women screamed in unison in surprise and fear.
"They're coming towards us, let's retreat!" ordered Hiroshi.
Hiroshi saw that the back of the hallway behind them was closed and reflexively returned back to Kyomi's room, slamming the door behind him to block the evil fire beings from passing.
"Th-those are fire demons!" shouted Mrs. Narumi.
The three of them stood there, listening as those things crashed against the doors, whose rice paper windows immediately caught fire, beginning to fill the room with smoke.
"We're trapped!" cried Hiroshi. "Kyomi, forgive me, I couldn't get there sooner... and I couldn't... save you. I couldn't save you... forgive me!"
"This is the fate that awaited us then," said Kyomi sadly, caressing her husband's face. "When I learned yesterday that the boy's name was Mayugorô, I knew this would come. But it hurts me that it was so soon…"
New tears began to roll down Kyomi's cheeks.
"…I never thought it would be today. I should have told you sooner!"
"Did you know this... would happen?" asked Hiroshi incredulously.
"The gods let me know that the name Mayugorô would mark the history of the Miyamizu family. And that with that name would come a great fire. I didn't know it would be today, my dear. I'm so sorry!"
Hiroshi walked to the back of the room, to the farthest point from the doors, and then turned to watch in horror as the fire consumed them unchecked, showing through the wood of the doors as the hallway was also being embraced by fire.
Hiroshi reached down to the floor and gently deposited Kyomi, sitting her down. He sat down next to her and hugged her. Tears began to fall down his face as well.
"This shouldn't have happened. If I had known all this..." said Hiroshi bitterly.
"There was nothing we could have done. This is the fate that was already written," tried Kyomi to console him. "But our daughters will survive. The Miyamizu family will survive. I'm sure of that."
Kyomi raised a hand towards Mrs. Narumi, who stood beside her crying silently with fear reflected on her face as she watched the fire begin to flood the room. Kyomi took her hand and pulled her, until the three of them were sitting on the floor, hugging each other.
"Thank you, Narumi-san, for being with us until the end," said Kyomi in tears,
"My lady, I will keep my promise," answered the old woman with a smile, but her eyes were deep in sorrow and fear.
"Honey," Kyomi asked. "Let us pray to Shitori-no-Kami to protect our children, to free their path."
"That's the last thing we'll do, then," said Hiroshi.
Hiroshi closed his eyes and began to chant a prayer of protection to their god, for his daughters and for the shrine. Kyomi and Narumi repeated the prayer in their minds.
They all continued to pray intensely, while trying not to listen to the crackling of the fire, trying to ignore the smoke and the heat that began to invade every corner of the room, inexorably, until their minds began to succumb, clouded by the heat and the lack of oxygen.
Next chapter: "A Spirit of the Forest".
To be published on June 1st, 2023