Five
After the Baku vanished into the night, the local police arrived. The restaurant's patrons and staff were reassured that yokai were not real and that they would be perfectly safe if they simply headed home. The whole mess, including all four broken windows, was written off as a publicity stunt for the 100th show of "Paranormal Experts" and Atsushi, Kiyotsugu's production manager, grudgingly paid for the damage done to the restaurant. When the police finally departed, the seven members of the Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol returned to their hotel as if nothing strange had happened at all.
Saori and Natsumi decided they'd had enough excitement for one evening and immediately went to bed. Jiro stopped by the front desk to ask the concierge for some first-aid supplies that might be useful and Yura went to check on the "onmyoji-in-training" that she'd brought along from Kyoto. Kiyotsugu disappeared, presumably to send off the last few straggling members of the press who were still trying to take pictures around the ruin of the restaurant.
Rikuo paced in the courtyard of the hotel, waiting for his underlings to return with news of the Baku. It irritated him that he hadn't been able to pursue it himself – but then again, Tamazuki had not fared very well against the monster either. He would have to reconsider his plan of attack, but at least he had Nenekimaru back in his possession. With the exorcist sword, he could definitely weaken the Baku, even if he could not use his Fear to fight it. The blade he carried had been made for humans to kill yokai, after all.
For several hours, Rikuo practiced his katas, ignoring the wary looks that the hotel's patrons shot in his direction. Without his Fear to rely on, Rikuo knew his swordsmanship needed to be perfect.
The moon was high in the sky when he finally decided to get some sleep. Rikuo sheathed his blade and took a single step in the direction of his room before freezing where he stood. Despite how late it was, Kana had come to see what he was doing. She looked extremely self-conscious but more like her old self with her hair falling softly over her shoulders, her expensive coat and purse tucked back in her room. Rikuo sighed in relief. He hopped up onto the short stone wall that surrounded the courtyard and gave Kana a hand so that she could join him.
"I'm glad to see that you put away that gun." He observed. "You really should have been more careful, Kana-chan. Someone could have gotten seriously hurt back there."
"I wasn't going to shoot anyone!" Kana argued. "The gun only had one real bullet in it. The rest were blanks."
"Blanks?" Rikuo echoed incredulously. "You were trying to shoot a yokai with blanks?"
"Well, I know that not all yokai are evil. And I'd feel terrible if I ever killed anyone." Kana replied. "But I wanted you to see that I could protect myself."
"With blanks?" Rikuo demanded. "What if that monster had gotten close to you?"
The two stared at one another. Rikuo sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands.
"That wasn't very smart, was it?" Kana winced. "I'm sorry, I just... I didn't want everyone to think that I was helpless and they had to protect me. I thought that... well, I thought I could fight too?"
"Kana, you would only be putting yourself in danger! Yura and I have been training since we were children and hunting yokai is Kiyotsugu's whole life! You don't have to fight with us. You were part of the old Kiyojuji club and you've got the same right to be here as anyone else does. I'm not... we're not upset about protecting you at all." He corrected. "To be honest, I think Saori and Natsumi were more worried about you firing that gun than they were about the rest of us fighting the Baku."
"You'll protect me then?" Kana wondered.
"Haven't I always?" Rikuo replied.
"Yes. Of course." Kana nodded. "Rikuo, there's something I should..." She bit her lip as if she wanted to say something else, leaning in close to Rikuo. A sudden gust of cold wind caused Kana to jump down from the wall and Rikuo raised an eyebrow in her direction.
"On second thought, maybe I better go back to my room." She finished, flushing as she turned away and raced off across the courtyard.
Rikuo turned around very slowly. He was not at all surprised to see Tsurara perched behind him, feigning innocence.
"Aotabo says the Baku got away." She remarked.
"I'm not surprised." Rikuo paused. "But honestly, Tsurara – was that really necessary?"
"Was what necessary, Rikuo-sama?" She echoed.
"I know you chased Kana off." He clarified.
"I thought it would be better to give my report to you after she was gone., Rikuo-sama. Kana is afraid of yokai." Tsurara replied, very matter-of-fact.
"She has good reason to be." Rikuo replied. "Do you remember those filthy rats who took over the Neko Clan's business? Their leader would have killed Kana if Yura hadn't been there to protect her. And then there was that mirror yokai and Tamazuki..." He trailed off into silence. "I can't even count how many times she's almost been killed!"
"She should have stayed in America." Tsurara argued, her tone flat and as cold as her breath. "If you're trying to keep her safe, you won't be thinking about yourself, Rikuo-sama!"
"You worry too much." Rikuo scoffed.
"I'm supposed to worry. I'm your bodyguard, Rikuo-sama." Tsurara replied.
"Why?" Rikuo demanded. "Because I'm supposed to be the head of the Nura Clan, right? But what if I don't kill the Baku? What if I'm stuck like this? I'm of no use without my Fear. If I can't take it back, there's no sense in you trying to protect me. It won't matter to the Clan if I die. Your job is pointless."
"It is not! Rikuo-sama!" Tsurara gasped. Why... why are you so mean to me?" She protested.
"Why are you so mean to Kana? Right now I'm as helpless as she is!" Rikuo retorted.
"You are not, and that stupid girl shouldn't get meddle in things that she doesn't understand!" Tsurara protested.
"You're one to talk! You meddle more than she does!" Rikuo retorted.
Immediately after those words escaped him, he regretted speaking them.
Tsurara said nothing at all. She only watched Rikuo for a moment in silence with a very grave expression on her face that for a moment betrayed her true age, which was quite a bit older than her youthful face suggested. She turned on one heel and vanished into the night.
Tamazuki appeared behind Rikuo as swiftly as Tsurara had vanished. From the smug expression on his face, Rikuo suspected that the tanuki had been listening in on his entire conversation.
"Rikuo, you are an idiot." He remarked casually.
The two sat in silence for most of the night. Rikuo was not willing to admit that he was worried about facing the Baku again, and Tamazuki clearly didn't want to discuss his own failure to slay the beast. The nearly full moon bled white light, illuminating the hotel courtyard and creating long, strange-looking shadows.
Tamazuki watched the stars. "Tomorrow will be an excellent night." He observed, smiling slightly.
"I'd rather have a quiet one." Rikuo replied, knowing full well that what Tamazuki really meant was that it would be a hot-blooded night, a night for mischief. With Kiyotsugu and the rest of the Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol already prepared to explore the haunted Shikoku Power Plant, the last thing Rikuo wanted was to stumble over some dangerous yokai out looking for fun.
Of course, Rikuo expected that the Baku would rear its ugly head, but Inugamigyobu had promised to keep his subordinates under control. Tamazuki was a whole different problem. Rikuo doubted that the tanuki had ever listened to his father. Then again, obedience wasn't a common yokai trait. Rikuo smiled slightly, thinking of the trouble he had caused for his own grandfather. He could recall very clearly how Nurarihyon had always smirked when he learned that "Young Master" Rikuo had done something clever or wicked.
Rikuo realized that he'd taken his grandfather's constant presence for granted. Even though Nurarihyon no longer ran the daily affairs of the Nura Clan, Rikuo still usually asked for his advice. Nurarihyon was four-hundred years old, after all – and he knew more than a few things about running a yakuza family. Rikuo wished he knew where the old man had gone.
All of the yokai he'd sent to look for Karasu Tengu and Nurarihyon had returned empty-handed, so there was some hope that the old Supreme Commander was not alone. Even still, not knowing where his grandfather was with the Baku still roaming free made Rikuo very nervous.
He decided to send a message to Gyuki. There were still a few favors that the Nura Clan could call in, and Rikuo was beginning to worry that he should have sent his subordinates west towards Kyoto instead of up to the Nura Clan's northern border. Still, his Hyakki Yagyo couldn't be everywhere at once. If the situation remained tense, Rikuo suspected he would have to ask for mercenary help from Toono. The trouble was, he couldn't go petition Akagappa as he was. Unlike Inugamigyobu, who understood Rikuo's unique condition, Akagappa and most of the Toono yokai were outright hostile towards humans.
Perhaps he could send Awashima home to Toono if he/she was still lounging around the Nura Clan's main house?
Rikuo sighed, resting his chin in his hands. He knew that he needed to sleep, but there was still so much to worry about!
He glanced at Tamazuki, who was sipping a cup of sake. The tanuki raised an eyebrow in his direction.
"I'm thinking I should send someone to Toono." Rikuo admitted.
"Is your Hyakki Yagyo really so worthless that you have to hire mercenaries?" Tamazuki rolled his eyes.
"No!" Rikuo snapped. "I just think that someone should meet with Akagappa. We know that the Baku wants my grandfather, but we don't know where he went. He could be in Toono, he could be in Kyoto... at first I thought that he'd come here, to Shikoku."
"I see your point." Tamazuki observed. "But I don't believe the Baku is very far from here."
"It's very fast. It could be halfway to Edo by now." Rikuo replied, using the antiquated name for Tokyo. When he dealt with yokai, he always found himself slipping into familiar speech patterns that were very different from the ones he used at school or elsewhere in his "Day" life.
"It could be. But it isn't." Tamazuki replied.
"How do you know that?" Rikuo demanded.
"When your girlfriends ran off, you turned to look at me. And for a very brief moment you looked like yourself. Your other self." He clarified.
Rikuo reached for his sword. Tamazuki stopped his hand. "The Baku isn't here now! And it was never close enough for your blade!" He chided.
Rikuo slumped down in defeat. Tamazuki rolled his eyes. "So, while we're on the subject of things you can't comprehend or control... what is it with you and that Yuki Onna?"
"Tsurara?" Rikuo wondered. "She's my bodyguard." He replied.
"Bodyguard?" Tamazuki echoed, chuckling. "Hunh. I suppose you keep her very busy then?"
"It's nothing like you think!" Rikuo argued.
Just what was Tamazuki suggesting?
Rikuo wondered if his face looked as flushed as he thought it must. There was something in Tamazuki's tone that made him very self-conscious, particularly when the tanuki implied that he was involved with Tsurara. Though he hated being weak and needing protection himself, he had to admit that courage was a very attractive trait for a woman to possess – and not exactly a common one.
Why were girls always running, shrieking, and screaming whenever danger appeared?
When he thought about all of the girls he knew, Rikuo realized that Yura's calm nature was what had first caused him to become suspicious of her. Yura had never acted like a normal girl. Then again, neither had Tsurara. Of course, Tsurara was yokai, but that didn't change the fact that Rikuo could not remember her ever backing down from a fight. Usually he had to order her to save her own skin – and usually more than once.
"So you're involved with that human girl, then?" Tamazuki pressed.
"Kana? No! I haven't even seen her since Junior High!" Rikuo protested.
"Well, which one do you want?" Tamazuki prompted.
"What is wrong with you?" Rikuo demanded. He turned away from the tanuki, knowing that he was far redder than before.
Of course, Rikuo knew that Inugamigyobu had dozens of wives and nearly one hundred children, but he had never considered Tamazuki someone that he could share secrets with and was more than a little alarmed by his remarkably candid attitude towards the two women that Rikuo considered to be absolutely incomprehensible and mystifying.
"I'm a tanuki, aren't I? We're... a bit focused on this sort of thing." He replied, looking a bit like a cat lounging in the sun. "Does that mean your little snow maiden is fair game?" Tamazuki pressed.
"You get anywhere near her and we can finish what we started five years ago." Rikuo replied coldly.
Tamazuki clapped his hands together, looking extremely pleased with himself. "I suppose I should be off. I'll meet you tomorrow around sunset for that little "Yokai Hunting" tour of yours?"
"What makes you think you're invited to the power plant?" Rikuo demanded.
"Oh, I'm not interested in the power plant anymore. And I'll deal with the Baku if it crosses my path, but presently I have some far more enticing business to look into." Tamazuki replied. He leapt effortlessly onto the second floor balcony of the hotel and glanced briefly down the hall.
"Stay away from Kana, Tamazuki! I mean it!" Rikuo ordered.
The tanuki put his hands on his hips and looked down at Rikuo, a mischievous, Cheshire cat grin on his face. "Or you'll what?" He taunted. In a flurry of leaves, Tamazuki disappeared.
Rikuo sighed heavily and trudged back to his room. When he arrived, he realized that the door was slightly ajar. At first he suspected that Kana had come looking for him, but then he noticed that the air conditioning unit was set to the coldest temperature that it would maintain. Fast asleep in the chair across from his bed was Tsurara. Despite the fact that she wore her usual yokai form, her fingers were closed around her yellow cashmere scarf, that distinctive piece of her "human disguise".
Rikuo sighed heavily. Even after he'd nearly brought her to tears with his accusations, Tsurara had diligently returned to her post as his protector.
Even if she was officially his bodyguard, Rikuo didn't feel comfortable with the idea of letting a girl spend the night sleeping in a chair that wasn't even comfortable to sit in.
Taking special care not to wake Tsurara, Rikuo slowly lifted her out of the chair. It surprised him how small and fragile she felt. He set her into the bed that had been meant for him and sat down in the chair to keep watch.
Some time before dawn, he surrendered to sleep himself.