The weather was awful, and Keiko had just returned from work. She would be drenched if it wasn't for an umbrella that she carried with her. She was already on the Asakura estate, choosing this opportunity to escape Hao and Yohmei's prying eyes and go visit Hao's temple.
She knew Hao had been trying to find it and she was aware that he might use reishi to find out where it was, but she only wanted to check one of the books that was in there.
No, it wasn't Cho Senji Ryakketsu that she wanted to check. She wasn't stupid; she knew the book was cursed, Yohmei had told her numerous times not to even touch it. She just wanted to look into the chronicles in hopes of finding something that would clue her in on what happened to Hao's original mother.
She would be lying if she said it didn't hurt her when Hao refused to call her mother. After all, he was still her child and she loved him more than he could realize, and she had fought for him time and time again, but he wouldn't call her mother or any other similar expression, and it hurt her. She longed for him to call her what she was, and she thought that maybe it could be related to his original parents. And the family chronicles seemed as good of a place to start with. She knew that it would've been quicker to ask the child himself, but, somehow, she doubted Hao would tell her much. He seemed to be really careful with details concerning his first life.
Keiko herself was only vaguely aware where the temple was. She knew it was in the woods on the Asakura estate, but her father had never taken her there. If he were being cautious, she didn't know. Maybe he didn't want her to find out more about Hao, letting her believe that he was a mindless monster.
But Keiko had seen Hao, she was a witness to his progress and how he reacted mostly positively to the love he received... Even if the beginnings were hard, sometimes there was a strange accident involving fire, but everything was mostly calm. Apart from his strange telepathic skills that she was unsure of how in the world he could communicate with them all in their minds... Was it a part of reishi? Was it because he had mastered all of the elements? She wasn't sure, but she had never heard of anyone who could do that.
She passed Ponchi and Conchi's statues. She had never liked them much. Mikihisa was supposed to receive them as his spirits once he had completed his training, but he refused to after he got a good look at them. Now, he had his own spirits and Ponchi and Conchi were left to rest for a few more years.
A pity, Keiko thought. They would need someone with a good resolve like Mikihisa if they were to evolve into higher spirits. Well, that is, if they were able to get over their enormous egos.
She wandered through the woods, in the general direction she thought the shrine was in. Keiko had done her research previously. She looked at the maps of the Asakura estate, and she also made sure to call her mother.
"Why do you want to know?" Kino asked a few days earlier, her voice raspy on the phone. Keiko sighed. It was right after her shift at work, and she had ended earlier, so she thought it would be a good idea to catch up with her mother. They had been talking about everything and nothing at the same time, and then Keiko asked about the shrine. It was a seemingly innocent question.
"I just want to know my son a little more. He never tells me anything," she said, and she sounded quite unhappy.
Kino clicked her tongue into the phone and Keiko could swear she heard displeasure in her voice.
"Don't you think that going behind his back is worse than waiting? Think of the consequences, Keiko. You need to be very slow with him."
The young mother looked at her desk. She knew that. Of course she knew. But couldn't Kino see she was unhappy like this? Sure, Mikihisa had stopped going away for long periods of time, Hao stopped setting things on fire and Yohmei was tolerating him in the house, but she was impatient. The kids were growing and now, when she had to go back to work, with the twins going away every day for the kindergarten in another year and a half, she would have less and less time to spend with them.
"I know that," she sighed. "I'm just impatient, I guess."
Now, she heard Kino sigh.
"Do what you think best," she said. "About the temple..."
Now, Keiko pushed a tree branch out of her way and found a narrow path covered in dirt. She had to say, it was well-hidden. She would've guessed that it would be hidden in the depths of the forest, but she was surprised that it wasn't actually far. That said, she still had to actually take the path and go there.
She stepped inside, and she was almost completely surrounded by the woods. The path continued into the forest and soon changed into stairs. Keiko stepped carefully on each of them. As much as she strained her eyes, she couldn't see the end of the path.
She continued, slightly hesitant when the tree tops closed above her and she could hardly see. Then, she stopped. She could see a faint light at the end of the tunnel.
Unfortunately, she wasn't meant to come there.
"What in the world are you doing?"
Keiko froze. She recognized her father, and she instantly knew she was in trouble. Slowly, she turned around to face him. Sure enough, Yohmei stood there, surrounded by his small shikigamis that lit the tunnel up with a blue-ish colour.
"Father..." Keiko started, but Yohmei didn't let her explain. He made a gesture for her to follow, and she dutifully followed him, her head bowed, and her fingers were curled into a shaking fist; her knuckles were all white as she tried to control herself. But she had known from a young age that you did not say 'no' to the head of the Asakura family.
Yohmei led her to the room he used for meetings when he had a divination business. He motioned for her to sit. Keiko sat down into a seiza , and waited. During the walk back, her anger dissipated, now, there was a slight fear. She didn't know what her father was going to do about her disobedience, and that slightly scared her.
Yohmei had one of his shikigamis pour him hot green tea. Then, he sat down as well.
They sat so formally, Keiko rigidly with her head up, but the knuckles on her fingers were white from how nervous she was. Hardly anyone would see a father and a daughter in them.
Finally, Yohmei spoke: "Who told you where the temple was? Was it Hao?" He asked with such certainty and Keiko's cheeks went red from anger.
"No. Hao has no idea about this. He doesn't know where it is," she snapped. She was tired of her father always blaming Hao. It was as though he hadn't lived in the same house as him for the past year and a half, he has seen what a gentle child he could be, and not just a mindless monster that killed humans.
Yohmei opened his mouth. He was certainly taken aback by this show of defiance from Keiko's side.
His daughter looked at her closed fists and said: "It was me. I wanted to know more about my son. How am I going to be a good mother to him if I don't know him? I just hoped to find something that would help me connect with him more, to understand him."
Yohmei let out a puff of smoke from his pipe. For a moment, he looked deep in thought and Keiko thought it would be alright.
Then, Yohmei slammed his fist on the floor and Keiko winced. She had seen her father angry before, but never like this.
"Do you even imagine," Yohmei whispered and Keiko thought that was worse than if he had shouted. "What kinds of things are there? There are so many things with curses placed upon them by the original Hao..."
He was panting now and Keiko started connecting the dots. Those courses have been there for a thousand years, if no one had been able to break them during the generations and generations of Asakuras that have passed by, it was unlikely that she would be able to defend herself.
"You could've died!" Yohmei thundered, but another emotion slipped into his voice and Keiko caught it. Her father was scared. He was scared that she could've been killed, his only child.
Keiko looked at the ground and felt tears prickle the corner of her eyes. She had been so focused on trying to get Hao to like her that she completely forgot about her own safety.
"I understand, Father," she choked out. "I will not try again. I just wanted to be a good mum."
Yohmei's expression softened as he watched his daughter fight tears. Keiko was still young. She was only 26 years old, and yet, she was such a good mother to both her children, even though one of them was a surprise. She was doing her best and it was inevitable that she would make mistakes - every parent makes a mistake here or there. And Yohmei saw how remorseful she looked. Mistakes weren't appreciated in the Asakura household. But maybe, this once, she was allowed to make one.
Yohmei stood up and came to sit down in front of Keiko. He wasn't a man of physical contact, but he did put his pipe aside.
"He already has a wonderful mother," he said, and Keiko's head shot up. She blinked as if she couldn't believe those words just came out of his mouth. Delicately, she took a fabric tissue from her purse and wiped her tears.
"You really think so?" she asked. Her father looked grumpy that he had to repeat himself, but he said: "I do. Raising one child is hard, but two?"
Keiko chuckled. One little troublemaker would've been more than enough.
Yohmei took his pipe again and took in a mouthful. Letting out small smoke circles, he added: "I know we have our problems. But he has the best mother he could wish for."
Keiko smiled, but even though the corners of her lips were turned upwards, the smile didn't truly reach her eyes.
"Thank you, Father," she said. Feeling this conversation was over, she excused herself to go greet her children and tried to think of her conversation with Yohmei. Actually, her father has just given her the perfect excuse to avoid Hao's reishi.
Once Keiko left, Yohmei sighed and closed his eyes. He needed to have a talk with someone.