Chapter Two
The cheerful chirp of a bird startles Xander and he lets out a high-pitched speak of fear, grabbing onto my arm and squeezing it hard.
"Korin," he says shakily, and I turn to look at him, "I'm scared." I didn't need him to say it out loud for me to realise. His eyes are wide, his pupils dilated and his lower lip trembles as spherical beads of sweat roll down his face. I slide my hand into his and tilt his chin up to look him directly in the eyes.
"It's okay, Xander. I've got you. You're safe." I say, smiling in a way that I hope is reassuring to him. A small smile flickers across his face momentarily. I'm not surprised by his fear. It's only natural for his to be afraid. It is, after all, his first time in the Aokigahara forest, a hotspot for both suicides and yokai.
I begin to walk- slowly, for Xander's sake- deeper into the forest. He's on edge. Every noise sets his mind alight. I inwardly curse Takeshi for telling the story of the family who used to live in our house in front of Xander. With every step we take, Xander presses himself further into my body, closer and closer into what he thinks is safety.
Something rustles in a bush and Xander begins to literally tremble with fear.
"I want to go back." he says quietly, his voice cracking and tears rolling down his cheeks, and I nod. I pull him into a hug with one arm as I slide my phone out of my pocket to text Ezra. Fortunately, I have a signal. I pull up my last conversation with Ezra and begin to type.
Xander's scared. Can u come get him? I want to stay a bit longer. It takes about thirty seconds to send the message because of the poor signal. Xander and I trudge slowly back the way we came along the path until my phone buzzes to tell me I have a message. I check my phone and see that it's a reply from Ezra.
Yup, sure. Meet at edge of forest in five. I smile and send him a smiley face to show I got his text. I scoop Xander up in my arms, fortunate that he's small for his age.
Ezra gets to the edge of the forest before me. I smile, hug him, and shove Xander at him before smiling, waving and running back into the forest. Now I can properly explore. I twirl around, letting my hair fly out around me. It's not plaited today, and it flies freely around me and gets caught in trees, meaning I often have to stop and untangle it.
Deeper and deeper into the forest I go, pretending I'm not lost. To be honest, I don't really care if I get lost. I can find someone watching out for suicides and ask them for directions.
My bliss is broken by quiet whimpering. It's quite distant, but it sounds like someone is badly hurt. I run towards the source of the sound and find… Some strange… Thing… Familiarity fills me, and I know it's a Yokai. It looks like some sort of horse or deer, except that it has scales. Its flowing mane glistens golden in the sunlight which is slightly filtered through the leaves of the trees. I gasp and crouch down beside it. It has a large… Something caught around its leg, and blood is spurting out of the wound. My fingers brush against its mane and a shudder ripples through its body.
"It's okay…" I whisper, "I'll take care of you…" I stroke it in a way that I hope is calming to the poor beast as I try to recall what it is. I know I've seen it before, in the photos belonging to the boy who killed himself.
A slight whimpering bleat from the animal causes recognition to click in my mind. It's a Kirin! I inwardly chastise myself. My first thought when I was researching them was how similar their name was to mine. I should have remembered sooner.
"It's okay, little Kirin. You'll be safe. I'm going to go and get some bandages, but I'll come back to take care of you. That's a promise." I try to keep my voice steady. I've found a Yokai! I don't let myself rejoice. I can't rest until this Kirin has recovered. I lean down and gently kiss the Kirin's forehead, just below its horns, before standing up and trying to find my way out of the forest.
What feels like an eternity passes as I try to find my way out. Eventually, I am stopped by someone looking out for potential suicides and I am asked why I'm in the forest alone.
"I've just moved to Narusawa with my family," I tell the man, "And I wanted to explore the forest. I got lost, though. Could you tell me how to get back?" The man smiles kindly and looks relieved. He leads me back to the edge of the forest and we part ways. His shift doesn't end for another hour or two.
I skip happily back to my house, getting a few odd looks from people my age and younger. I ignore them and continue happily on my way home. I see a few faces which are already familiar, namely Jase and Satoshi teaming up to hit on a group of girls. The girls run away giggling about 'Western Charm' and I sigh. We've been here two nights and Jase is already getting a reputation as a player. Jase and Satoshi high-five each other, and Satoshi catches my eye and winks at me across the street. He sprints across the road without looking, and Jase follows him. I pick up my speed. I don't want to have to talk to an onmyoji when I'm doing exactly the opposite of what the Akiyamas have already drilled us on what to do if we find a Yokai.
When I reach my house, I slide the door open and kick my shoes off before making my way as quietly as possible into the kitchen, where I climb onto the side to reach the medicine cabinet. Dad made sure it was the highest cupboard so that Jase and Xander couldn't reach it, as Jase can't be trusted with medicine and Xander would put plasters on everything if he could, although it unfortunately means that Ezra and I can't reach it either. I open the door and begin to rummage around in an attempt at finding the bandages.
I grin triumphantly and almost fall off of the counter as I pull the bandage roll out of the cupboard. I shut the cabinet door and jump down from the counter before pulling a pair of scissors out of one of the draws. I slide the bandage roll and the scissors into my pocket and run back to the entrance hall. I slip my shoes back on (or, more correctly, fumble with my laces for about five minutes) and sprint out of the house and back towards the forest.
As soon as I'm back under the cover of the trees and the injured Kirin is in sight again, I realise something. I have absolutely no idea how the hell I'm supposed to put on a bandage.
"I'm back, little Kirin." I say, and the Kirin lifts its head slightly. I pull the bandage roll and scissors out of my pocket and try to smile. With trembling hands, I unroll the bandage and place it next to the Kirin's injured leg.
Slowly, ever so slowly, I prise away the thing that's digging into the poor creature's leg. It appears to be a trap of some sort, with tooth-like serregated ridges. Once the contraption is removed, blood flows thicker and faster than before. The Kirin gives a piteous howl, and I feel a tear make its way down my cheek. I quickly begin to wrap the bandage around the open wound which gapes widely like a mouth screaming in agony. The Kirin stares at me, its beautiful golden eyes fixed unblinking, pain and terror shining in them. I need to do something to calm it, so I do the only thing I can think of: I start singing 'Yellow Moon' by Akeboshi.
"Kinou wa call sign,
Zenbu, keitai de
Norenai fuzz guitar
Hen na kouen de."
It's a soft, gentle, song, and I've used it as a lullaby for Xander many times when he's had nightmares. The Kirin blinks a couple of times and lowers its head. I smile slightly as I sing, glad that my years of singing lessons have paid off.
"Muchuu de motor bike,
Kaze wo oikoshite
Mikazuki wa hisuterii,
Boku no ue de
Chikyuu wa goorurain,
Inu mo raion mo
Kasei ni moving on.
Nanka mendou de."
When the bandage is padded out enough that the blood hasn't soaked through the last few layers, I cut the bandage roll and try to figure out what I'm supposed to do with the loose end. I decide to try and tuck it into the top of the bandage. I'm glad that my fingers are roughly the thickness of twigs (a slight exaggeration, perhaps, but I am too thin). I stroke the Kirin's head softly as I continue to sing. If my brothers saw me now, they'd accuse me of being an imposter. I never normally try to nurse people, and I don't sing in front of anyone but my old singing teacher, Fiona.
After running through every calm Japanese song I know (mostly Naruto endings, for some strange reason), I glance at my watch and swear loudly. I've been here for at least seven hours. My family are probably starting to worry, and I guess that they'll probably have a search party sent out soon, if they haven't already. Or maybe they haven't even noticed I'm not at home. Ezra is probably online trying to find a piano to buy, Xander's probably trying to make friends with the kids in the village, and Jase is most definitely flirting with some poor girl.
I sigh and stand up, then realise that I can't leave the Kirin here. Someone will find it, and call an onmyoji to have it killed. I need to move it to safety.
I bend down and put my arms underneath its body, trying to scoop it up in my arms. It's heavy, and I almost drop it, but I finally manage to get it into a secure-ish position so that I can carry it.
I walk about fifty metres to a large, thick bush and slide it under the soft green leaves.
"I'll come back to check on you tomorrow, Kirin." I say, and the Kirin lets out a small noise of… Thanks? I'm not sure, but it sounds grateful. I smile and plant a kiss on its forehead.
I walk back to the edge of the forest, glad that I've remembered the way this time.
Just as I leave the shade of the trees, I think I hear someone whisper, "Thank you, healer," before the rustle of leaves carried by the wind drowns out the almost silent voice. I look around, but there's no one there. I walk home alone in silence, stunned but proud. A smile makes its way onto my face. I may have just saved a life.