Chapter 8

'That bitch!' was Leonardo's first thought as he slowly came back to consciousness.

He tried to get up but his head throbbed painfully at the movement and made his vision swim. Resting back down again, Leo brought a hand to his face. The next time he saw Karai, he would-

The sound of a fusuma sliding open interrupted his thoughts and Leo cracked an eye open to see who it was. And nearly choked on his own breath which caught in his throat. It was Karai.

Ignoring the pain that exploded in his head, he jolted up and grabbed her by the throat. Gripping her tight and lifting her up, Leo snarled, "Just what the hell do you think your doing, Karai? We agreed to-"

A handful of powder hit his face and burned his eyes and throat. He had to let go to wipe the stuff from his face. Karai instantly backed away and eyed him suspiciously; raising her hand which held more powder in defense. "You better rest yourself, bakemono kame, or I might have to use more unpleasant means of making you."

Leo looked at her in surprise. She spoke in accented Japanese and wore a delicate kimono. The hand, which held the powder, the same arm that the monster had bitten, was now pristine white and no teeth marks shown. And her guard was terribly open. He could have knocked her to the ground easily which was completely opposite of the Karai Leo knew.

She must've noticed his staring. "Um," she coughed slightly, "I think there is a misunderstanding. You must mistake me for some one else. My name is Kaki. I am the village's sooth-sayer." She said while bowing slightly.

Leo suddenly felt like sitting down. Karai must have hit his head harder than he thought. He rubbed his arm absently and sighed, "Listen, Karai. I don't know what you're playing at, but-"

Karai, or 'Kaki', cocked her head in confusion. "Nani? I'm afraid I don't understand your tongue. You must be from over the mountains." She raised her hand to her heart and said slowly,

"K-a-k-i." Then she pointed at him.

Leonardo's only explanation for this was that he was dreaming. It just seemed too strange to be talking to a woman who looked exactly like Karai, from her raven-black hair to her green eyes, but whose manner was completely different.

Leo sighed again and decided to go along with this for the time being. He pointed to himself and said slowly in Japanese, "Leonardo-san" Kaki's eyes widened, "So you do speak our language! That's a shock. Not many mountain people still speak it anymore. But then again, not many bakemonos speak at all."

Just then did he realize that he was talking to a person causally, while being completely exposed. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Leo asked hesitantly, "Your…not bothered by my…strange appearance?"

She chuckled, "Of course not! I'm used to seeing bakemonos. Though you're different from any I've ever seen."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Kaki waved her hand in the air, "I'll explain it all to you AFTER you lay down. I was surprised that you could even get up with a concussion like that." Leonardo rubbed the back of his head and agreed. Karai sure knew how to leave her mark.

As he laid down, Kaki sat down next to him; gently folding her kimono beneath her. Leo eyed her neck and winced when he saw how red it was. Suddenly feeling guilty, Leo apologized, "Sorry about…earlier. I actually did mistake you for… someone else."

Kaki shook her head, "It's all right. I'm sure you had your reasons."

Leo looked away, "…yeah…"

Wanting to change the subject, Leo asked more about her and how she had come across him. So Kaki explained her occupation and how she had found him.

….

"Like I said, I'm the village sooth-sayer. I take care of any strange illness or injuries acquired by the people. But I also care for bakemonos, or monsters. You see, I belong to a long line of shrine maidens who shelter those cursed or possessed by yokai. We possess the power to harness the pieces of the moon to cure those who have been stricken by evil influence."

"Pieces of the moon?"

"Yes. Generations ago, a powerful female tengu shattered the moon because we refused to offer it sacrifices. Without the moon, our land was filled with fear and suffering. When darkness fell, she would send out demons to attack the villages. Not only did they kill many, but they also turned our own people against us. Once bitten, people would transform into horrible beasts and attack their family or friends. In the daytime, they would turn back to normal, but would remain cursed. Some fled to the mountains and beyond, but to no avail. Soon all the villages were wiped out till only this one remained. But we maidens of the shrine went searching for pieces of the shattered moon; praying that Tsuki, the moon goddess, would still protect us."

"That's what those green stones in the village streets are."

"Right. We found many, but not all the pieces. Still, we were able to use them to bring light to the village once again and protect it from bakemonos. What we are truly grateful for; though, is the stones ability to turn those bitten back to normal humans. We have restored many to their loved ones. But it has come with a price."

"The shrine maidens were targeted by the tengu. We tried to protect ourselves with ancient prayers and the stone-forged weapons, but demons have taken us one by one. I am the only one left now."

"There is a new shine maiden who was born not long ago, though she is still very young. If I were to die before her time, all protection for this village would vanish. And she would be targeted by the tengu until she also is killed."

"I do what I can, but it is a heavy burden. I only hope that I will be able to protect this village long enough for her to take my place. But if only there were a way to still find the remaining pieces of the moon. Maybe then, Tsuki could rid us of the tengu forever. That is what I pray for everyday, but sometimes I feel even that is too much to ask for."

…

Kaki tucked a hair behind her ear as she laughed, "Looks like I've told you more then you wanted to hear. Gomen, sometimes I get carried away. Oh! But I forgot to tell you how I found you! Well, that's simple enough. I was walking back from checking a patient when I noticed a large crowd of people in the street. They were all gathered around a bakemono, debating on what to do. None were pleasant options, so I broke my way through and insisted that I'D take you. You really seemed interesting after all, so I couldn't help myself."

Leo nodded, amused. "What so different about me?" he asked, curious to know what set him apart from the others.

Kaki looked at him blankly, "I'm not sure if you've seen your reflection, but you look A LOT like a human. It's amazing how intelligent and humanoid you are. All the bakemonos I've encountered are very animal like in intelligence and form. So I think it's going to be easy turning you back into a human."

Leo nodded again absently and then froze. "Wait-what?"

TBC…..

Japanese Notes: Fusuma-sliding door, Kaki-persimmon (fruit), Bakemono-monster, Kame-turtle, Tengu-demon, youkai-supernatural creature or spirit, Tsuki-moon

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