Her motives

The hanyou sat down on the floor in a room, which was full of fallen pieces of plaster and old, broken pieces of furniture. On the window there were hanging a few pieces of tattered curtain, which swayed in the wind coming to the room through the broken glass. He was staying there for the time being. It was an abandoned building on the outskirts of the Old Town that used to be a block of apartments, now deserted and waiting to be torn down. He discovered it shortly after he came to the city. After closer inspection he decided to lodge in one of the upper rooms. The ground floor was no good - it was occupied by a group of squatters, functioned as an occasional brothel and of course a refuge for junkies and various shady business. The rooms stank and were quite dirty. But because the stairs to the upper floors were destroyed, nobody tried hard to gain access there, and so except for the dust and dry debris these rooms were quite usable. The hanyou didn't mind the non-existent staircase and quickly took residence in one of the desolated apartments.

He propped himself on one elbow and thought about the events of past hours. He left Kasi's room when it was daylight outside. He thought it should be safe enough now. He didn't really believe she would be attacked, or that their foes could track her home, but he knew that with their actions they stirred a danger bigger that initially thought. He also pondered about the things the girl told him about herself, and what she was actually doing, starting her story from the very beginning.

Her grandfather was born into a family of diplomats and grew up when the economic crisis at the beginning of 21th century swept through the world. Interested in Oriental cultures, he abandoned law studies and fell out badly with his family, after which he travelled and lived for several years in various places on four continents. There he picked up his interest in ancient art and met some dealers, and also art smugglers. When he returned home, he persuaded his parents to let him study History of Art. He succeeded to become a curator of a small exposition of ancient Chinese art and even had a collection of valuable objects at his own home. Moreover, he never broke his friendship with people he met in his voluntary exile and traded in what you could call the grey area of black market art dealing. He looked up artefacts, redeemed them in various, sometimes not quite legal ways and sold them to small collections. His only criterion was that the objects had to be exhibited, so that public would have access to them. He always said art was meant to be seen and not to be stacked away in some musty depository or shown only to privileged people. He was valued highly as an art dealer and connoisseur in his area of interest, ancient Chinese and Japanese art, and even worked together with the police in uncovering smuggler organisations. That gave him further access to valuable information. He was very disappointed when his daughter didn't show any interest in art, but was redeemed by his grand-daughter, Kasi, who liked to spend hours in his "Cabinet", which is how he called his study stacked full with random objects, books and papers.

Kasi then turned to her own history. She said she was always a bit of a tomboy, and from childhood on she was interested in martial arts: she learned a bit of karate, tae kwon do and other fighting techniques, and later she also picked up archery.

At this point Dog thought this had to be more than a coincidence. "Can you also use normal bow and arrow, or only those modern ones with a bunch of gadgets on them?" he asked her.

"Last year I started to learn kyudo," she said. "Why do you ask?"

But he urged her to go on with her story. So the day came, Kasi said, when grandpa initiated her to his underhand dealings. He explained to her his motivation and asked if she was interested in helping. It would include spying, burglary and other dangerous dealings, he told her. She had to learn different skills like pick-pocketing, climbing walls and roofs, as well as using her knowledge of fighting in a real fight. Kasi was thrilled - she has always been keen for adventures, and when the adventures included her beloved art, the better. "I thought I could be like Lara Croft," she laughed. "Who?" "Never mind." She was 17 when she engaged in her first street skirmish. The other party underestimated her because she was a girl and so she had no problem to win. But her grandfather warned her not to get too cocky. "You're a girl, so often you'll be weaker than your opponent. You still can take one-on-one, I don't doubt that. But remember this: the most important rule is - always run first and fight only if you absolutely have to."

So their partnership started and naturally, Kasi took up studying History of Art and in addition Foreign relationships and Dilomacy - to pacify her parents, who thought studying arts was a complete loss of time and without any further perspective.

She and her grandfather specialised in small prey, in things of average value, nothing that would cross the path of really big smuggler, because that would be more hazardous than they could handle. Her grandpa has built up a net of informants of whom Kasi knew only a few, and from them they learned about the two-bladed weapon. It was not very valuable itself, at least according to its market price, but it seemed that more people were interested in it that they initially thought. The information said that the weapon was taken apart into three separate parts: the joining ring was to be shipped with a cargo of Asian food ingredients for a known food-market chain, which specialised in oriental stuff. As by a chance the ring was to be delivered into this very city, and later also the remaining two blades, delivered through different channels. The old man thought it was to smuggle the weapon easier through borders and be put together again here. Each object separately would sell for less than the whole ensemble. They couldn't find out the whereabouts of the two blades- yet. So for starters Kasi stole the ring from the back room of the Asian food store, but soon after she left the crime place, those three men started to chase her. Instead of running away she tried to engage with them in combat, and were it not for Dog, she would have ended badly. And now this confrontation with a band of strange creatures.

Then she scolded him really badly. For what happened tonight was an outcome of his recklessness. He was irresponsible and endangered her as well. To go there without any plan; she was not willing to cooperate with him in the future if this was his idea of helping her. She had no supernatural abilities nor was she inhumanly strong. And definitely not bulletproof. So either he told her why he came in her town, or let her be to get on with her life, with which she was very content, thank you very much. "And I still don't know exactly why you are interested in that weapon, or why you are so interested in me," she said finally.

Dog listened to this tirade with ears laying flat on his skull and a guilty expression on his face. He knew what she said was right. He has been on his own for too long and forgot how fragile humans actually were. Of course Kasi was right and he felt ashamed to have brought her in such a dangerous situation. When she finished, silence fell on the room. Dog tried to formulate an apology and a promise never to engage in such a reckless action again, but when he perked up and looked at the bed, Kasi, exhausted from the misadventure, was already asleep.

He must explain to what purpose he looked her up. But first a nap; even a hanyou had to sleep a bit from time to time.

Interim

Kasi woke up with a slight headache and a bruise on her lower left ribcage - a remainder of her landing on the blade butt, when they stopped in the alley to treat her partner's shot wound. She assigned the headache to the blade's jaki and decided to put it into the corner of her wardrobe. She had to admit that keeping it under the bed in the very proximity of her body was not a good idea. Never mind that she slept generally poorly, and not nearly long enough. She shed her crumpled clothes, put on her bath robe and took a long, hot shower. The house was already empty, for her family already departed to work and school. She was glad that she didn't take any early course, as her "other" activities often engaged her deep into the night. She sat diligently through her lectures, although her mind was elsewhere almost the whole time. After the last class she ditched her friends, who wanted to go to the cinema. But meanwhile they were used to Kasi's frequent excuse so that they didn't pry any further.

She absolutely must talk to Dog. He owed her many an explanation - about her mysterious powers, about his presence, how and why he found her, and she also needed more information about youkai, because it seemed they were going to meet them again in the future. Without thinking she walked to the gap of the school building, where Dog had met her the day they went to the docks. She had a hunch he might be there - and it proved right.

She stopped in the shadowed ally she called out quietly: "Dog, are you here? I need to talk to you!" Something rustled above her head and a figure dropped on the ground in front of her. "I knew ye'd come," said Dog. "There's lotta things I need to explain to ye." Then he suggested, since it will probably take quite a while, and to be able to talk without interruption, that she could come to the place where he stayed. "You know where this street is?" he asked her after telling her the name. Kasi nodded and agreed to meet him up there. It was near the former town centre so going there would be no problem. She used to play there as a child, until her parent found out and she got house arrest. It was not a safe area for children, although it became like that mostly after sundown. Still she often wondered that nothing happened to her at that time. When she arrived at the place it looked just like it had 15 years ago. The buildings, once boasting their proud architecture, were now sad to look at. She wondered what was ought to take their place once this area got cleared up. Once these were apartments deluxe, fashionable neighbourhood. She had read about this district in old newspapers and city guides. Rich, sophisticated people used to live here, before the oil crisis struck their world and a new fuel alternative wasn't yet massively applied. Then they left, but refused to sell the apartments and the whole neighbourhood quickly came down. The abandoned building soon found new, illegal inhabitants which contributed to a swift dereliction of the area. After a lengthy legal struggle, when the city at last reclaimed the grounds, a decision was made to tear down the buildings instead of repairing them. Kasi was struck by this announcement, when she read it in the newspaper: Her art-loving heart was aching for the sophisticated architecture of the past century, which was slowly disappearing from the city altogether. She was quite intrigued to be able to enter now one of these wonderful structures, decrepit as they now may be. She sighed. She saw Dog wave at her from behind the nearby corner and when she joined him, he told her to climb on his back. Ready for what was to come next, she gripped his shoulders and locked her legs around his waist, and he leaped in the air. He jumped inside the building through a gaping second floor window and landed in a half ruined corridor. From there he sprang onto the next floor through the hole in the ceiling, where the staircase used to be. They arrived, he told Kasi, and let her down. Through a beaten door they entered an apartment with more or less intact walls. Kasi looked around. The place was deserted expect for a few pieces of broken furniture. Dust moths danced in the sunlight coming through the windows and everything was covered by a fine layer of dirt powder. There were footprints leading into a room, which was somewhat swept up and which sported several upturned wooden boxes and an old wooden palette. Next to it lay an old canvas backpack, a parchment roll and a Japanese sword sheathed in an old, battered scabbard. She sat on a box and Dog dropped on the palette.

"So,..." she started. "Here's where you live. I bet you don't need much beside a shelter from rain and wind." She looked around her. Scrap of wallpaper still clung to the walls and created intricate patterns. Then she directed her attention at the white haired figure. "How is your wound?"

"Gone already." Dog pulled up his shirt and revealed a bit of smooth skin with just the tiniest pale spot, where he extracted the bullet yesterday. Kasi guessed it would disappear as well. She was more than impressed by the hanyou's healing abilities and she felt a smile spread on her cheeks. But then she turned serious again.

His motives

"You have to tell me everything," she told Dog. "I have known you for two weeks now and I still haven´t got an idea why exactly you came, or why you are interested in the very same item as me."

And Dog talked. He reminded her at his explanation about youkai, when they first met. Times changed in ill favour for youkai, they were rapidly losing their place in Japan. Their living room, and also their numbers were quickly diminishing. People invaded many of their former homes and drove them out with their constant presence and bustling. But maybe there was a way how to preserve a bit of place intact from human intervention, a respite for youkai tired of human affairs. If they could hide a part of the land, veil it from human surveillance, they could create a retreat and a haven for youkai who preferred to avoid humans altogether, or a refuge for others who needed to take a break. "Youkai need to remain a mystery," Dog said. "If they cannot disappear, if they are put in a permanent spotlight, taken apart, dissected, they're youkai no more."

If they could find certain items and chant the proper words in a ritual, they could accomplish this impossible task. It would create a blind spot deep in the land of Japan, in the mountains that remained hostile to humans anyway. At least for a while they could prevent the vanishing of youkai. They belonged to and were imbued the history of the land. "I know the world changes in time," Dog said. "Japan changed a lot. It had to. But there were always youkai, they fought, they tried to change, and some of them came to cities, but many could not. Some things cannot change lest they lose their heart and soul, and this is why that I need your help."

Kasi listened and her heart was aching. There was much desperation and melancholy in his voice, of which Dog apparently wasn't even aware. She was quick to catch up with his intentions.

"Those items you look for, is the blade one of them?" she asked.

Dog nodded. "If you want to hide a land, you will need these things at hand: A blade that protects, a shield that shelters and a heart that divides and joins," he quoted. "The double blade is the first item. I have some thoughts what the shield may be and I know where to find it, if I'm right."

"And the heart? What is the meaning of it? It's some riddle?" asked Kasi.

"Of that I've no clue. We have to find out," he said.

Kasi contemplated for a while. "Ok, I'll help you, she said. "But tell me one thing - why do you want to help to preserve youkai? You never told me, but I get a feeling hanyous are not that welcome among youkai...am I right?" Dog winced; he didn't think Kasi would be this perceptive about the things he didn't say. "Or do they accept you nowdays?"

Dog took a while before he answered. "Things've changed. I ain't holding a grudge against full youkai, if that's you ask. And why me? Well, someone has to. People won't do it. Youkai can't do it."

"Fair enough. One more thing - how do I come in the picture?" Kasi asked finally.

"Because you have the power of miko," Dog said. "To activate the items you need to do a ritual. I don't know exactly what kind yet, but you'll need someone with strong spiritual powers. And I know you have them because..." he paused and fidgeted a bit, "...because as I told you you're a re-incarnation of a priestess, erm...I had known. She was very strong minded and helped defeating a vicious foe. And you proved it yesterday, when you set up a barrier without former training. It's in you."

Kasi felt the hairs on her nape stand up with a strange sensation. She knew Dog was right, there was definitely something strange about her. And she couldn't help feeling respect for her own uncanny powers. "So I'm a miko, alright. But how did you know I would have them? Here, on the other side of the world?"

Dog shrugged his shoulders. "I just knew. Call it a hunch or destiny, I don't care. I just followed my instincts."

"A hunch, huh?" she pondered. "I would gladly say you talk rubbish, but after what happened during last days...So you'll need the ring and the blade. But it is an object of business of my grandpa." She chewed on her lips for a while. Then she said: "I've got it. I'll introduce you to him." She saw a flicker of reluctance in Dog's eyes so she quickly added. "It's ok, he is a very open minded man, you'll see. He'll understand when I explain to him. Financial gain is not our main goal. Somehow I think he won't be shocked when he meets you. And he can help us to find the remaining blade and maybe also solve the riddle."

Dog agreed at last. She was to set up a meeting in the following days and see what was to be done next. He knew that their next actions were in need of careful planning so that the incidents of past day wouldn't repeat. Then he ushered her outside. It was almost sundown and in the next hour this area would come alive with delinquent elements and other misfits. He carried her down on his back again and insisted on walking her to the outskirts of the district. When they left the crumbled buildings and came to inhabited areas, Kasi lead their way through narrow side streets, along the back side of large office buildings and restaurants. They were empty of people at this time: the offices were already closed and the restaurants were at their business peak and no one from the staff had time to dally in the backyards. Down here it was relatively dark, as the streets were lit only by old, dimmed lamps. The modern ones were reserved for the front streets. The buildings went many stories upward and at their end, in the gap between them they revealed a narrow strip of a dull, dark grey sky without a trace of stars.

Enter five-tail

Dog halted and turned his face upwards. "It's twilight." he said.

"Hm?" Kasi stopped as well and turned to look at him. "All of them high buildings here, everywhere you look. Electric lamps, advertisements. You almost don't get if it's getting day or night at all, it all looks the same."

Kasi looked around herself and then upwards. Down in the alley the light changed little; that was true. It was only for an hour or two, at high noon, when the sunlight fell onto the ground. During the rest of the time on these streets the light intensity changed little, be it a shadowed day, or a lamp-lit night. She was really glad her home was in a house district, although the skyscrapers were closing on them from year to year. Theirs was an old house, built at the end of the 20th century, when her grandfather was born. It was then in a suburb: now it was a part of the outer city, a pool of few hundred square meters, which got smaller and smaller as the original owners died and their children had to move the new apartment centres. Commuting everyday to work or school was a lengthy procession; still Kasi was not so keen on moving until now. Not until circumstances forced her to leave her spacious home.

"It's at twilight, when day changes into night, and at dawn, when youkai came out to harass people," said the hanyou. "Youkai are borderline folks. Neither kami nor human. But the permanent lights and traffic drives them out, or they become gutter folk, always in hiding, and lose their traditions. They are lost. Even youkai which prefer the wilderness are not safe anymore. You humans want to see everything. Even if it meant you lose yourself in the process." He looked very pensive, and it was a big difference of his usual spirited self. Kasi wanted to say something when he smartened up and put a finger to his lips. "Someone is following us," he said quietly. "Let's continue as if nothing happened."

Kasi stiffened and cold crept down her spine. Has it already begun? They turned the next corner of a small alley and Dog waved at Kasi to continue her walk. He flattened himself against the wall at the corner and inhaled the stagnant air. His eyes went narrow when he caught a familiar scent. Only if he could remember what it was exactly? Kasi stopped and slowly turned on her heel, just right in time to see Dog dip lightning fast behind the corner and pull someone back with him. As he pinned the person against the wall, Kasi saw it was a woman. Dog held her under her throat, his teeth barred, and he was growling. The woman was a pinch taller than him, yet he managed to lift her up from the ground, so that only her toes were touching it. She had a shrewd, oblong face with broad cheek-bones, no doubt of Asian origin. Yet her eyes were startlingly blue and her hair was a rich red mane. Kasi cried out with outrage and ran towards them: "Dog, what you're doing, let her down! I know this woman. She's the flower lady from our street!"

But Dog didn't bulge, only barked: "This ain't no flower lady. 'Tis a fox, can't you feel her youki?"

The woman let out a choking sound and rasped: "Inuyasha, don't you know me anymore?" and then the air rippled: the woman's face changed to that of a handsome young man, albeit a bit redder than usual, and from behind his back popped out a bush of five russet-coloured, white tipped tails. Kasi gasped.

The hanyou released him from his grip at once and sprang backwards, still alert: "Shippo?"