Chapter 27: The Shikigami Seal
It took nearly two full days of walking for Miwa to sense water in the distance. The first sign that, finally, they were getting close to Fuura.
The road thus far was oddly peaceful, and the longer it lasted, the more they expected something, anything, to jump out at them screaming wildly and arms waving up high. When nothing came, their adventure amounted to nothing more than a low-budget camping trip, which was something Miwa never thought she would experience with Hiei; let alone the fact that he stuck around. At night, they slept in high branches and took turns keeping watch, even though nothing ever attacked them. Each time she woke up, Miwa expected Hiei to be gone, but he was always in the exact spot she saw him last. He never complained about their trek through the woods, nor did he call it a waste of his time. He was there, of course, to do his job and observe an intruder, but Miwa liked to think she wouldn't have been treated nearly this well if they weren't already friends. But two days of walking was all it took for doubts to creep into Miwa's mind.
She knew she was the one who asked, the one who was even excited about it, but Miwa began to reconsider inviting Hiei along to join her. Nothing had gone horribly wrong. They didn't fight or argue about the proper direction to walk; Hiei was very agreeable when leading the way, and Miwa gladly let him do it. They avoided walking into the paths of wild animals. Miwa could easily extract water from plants if they needed something to drink, but Hiei cringed a bit when she first mentioned it. They could easily sense and avoid local hunters or travelling merchants that, like them, left the beaten path.
Crouched in the leaves and branches, they watched one traveling pair of hunters pass underneath their feet. Both hunters were large, burly male demons with three horns protruding from their foreheads. One carried a large backpack for their supplies, and an old, well-used shotgun rested casually in his arms. The other hunter had a smaller supply pack, but a wild boar carcass was draped over one shoulder. He easily balanced the carcass with one arm, and the other carried a black crossbow. From up in the trees, Miwa watched them carefully, ready to kill them both the instant she and Hiei were spotted. They chatted to each other, louder than you would expect from hunters, but having acquired such a large game, it didn't seem to bother them so much.
"...telling you, something weird is going on up the mountain," said the demon with the shotgun.
"I doubt that," said the crossbow-holder.
"You didn't see it!" hissed Shotgun, "That bird was nothing like anything I've seen before. And something probably chased it down from the mountain." Shotgun shuddered; head shake included.
Crossbow rolled his eyes. "You're being paranoid. It was probably just a rogue kotengu or yama-orabi, you-" Crossbow immediately stopped, cutting off his own sentence, and sniffed the air. "You smell that?" he asked, looking around carefully. "I think someone else passed through here."
Miwa held her breath. Without thinking, she pulled up her gray shawl to cover her face. Hiei remained perfectly still, except for a single finger twitch around his sword hilt.
Shotgun scoffed. "Yeah, I'm the paranoid one. How can you smell anything with that carcass right by your face?"
Crossbow sniffed again. but even he seemed to question his nose and did not reply. Shotgun had a point. Even from in the trees, Miwa could practically taste that dead boar's decaying smell.
"There's nobody around," Shotgun said, looking at the ground for footprints. "If somebody was here, they're long gone.
"Alright…"
The two hunters continued, chattering between themselves like gossiping old ladies. They dropped the topic of weird birds and smells and focused their attention on where to make camp for the night. Once they were gone, and their loud chatter was no longer audible to them, Miwa and Hiei dropped back down to the ground.
"Not very smart," Hiei said, looking very smug. "So many weaklings go through this forest."
Miwa, unfortunately, didn't feel the same. "Hiei," she said, embarrassed by her own timidness, "Maybe we should split up from here."
Hiei frowned. "Why? Did those two actually scare you?"
"No, but he almost sniffed us out. If we got caught, and somebody recognized us…"
"Then we kill them. That was the plan."
"And what if we find a larger travel party? Or someone hides their presence from us?"
"I'll see them coming," he snapped, Jagan Eye aglow, "And kill them all."
"That would look suspicious…" Miwa folded her arms over her chest, knowing he thought she was being ridiculous. "Look, those two demons I killed the other day recognized me right away, even with this shawl. All it takes is for one runaway to recognize two members of Team Urameshi together for this whole plan to blow up in our faces."
"This was your idea."
"I know! And now I realize it was a dumb idea!" This was all Miwa's dumb idea, Miwa's plan to enter Mukuro's territory, but like an idiot, her eagerness to travel with Hiei kept her from thinking ahead. She sighed. "If anyone realizes you're helping me, the ramifications could end the three-way stalemate long before Raizen ever dies."
Hiei turned his back to her. His annoyance radiated off him like the glow of a light bulb.
"I'm sorry," Miwa said. "I dragged out here with me when you could've just-"
"I'm not helping you," Hiei snapped, "I'm doing my job." Annoyance still radiated off him, but he turned his head to look at her with a disapproving frown. "And I'm faster than you. If somebody does see you out here, then I don't need to stick around to cover your ass."
Miwa blinked in stupefied silence. She honestly thought he would disappear the moment he turned his back. Or call her an idiot one final time and then disappear. Hiei was stubborn; that would probably never change. "Alright. Fair enough," she said, lowering her head in defeat.
Hiei shook his head and rolled his eyes. Without another word, he stomped off towards the river, but he angrily pushed against her elbow with his shoulder like an impatient pedestrian as he passed.
Miwa followed him, guilt and embarrassment weighing heavily on her mind. She walked several paces behind Hiei, as if putting space between them would somehow prove they weren't travelling together. But Hiei broke his annoyed silence and barked at her to keep up, which she promptly obeyed.
After a few hours and no random encounters, they finally reached their first real landmark. The river, perhaps ten meters wide, cut through the thick trees like a shimmering scar, and it was the most unobstructed view of the Demon World sky that both Miwa and Hiei had seen in days. The current flowed over rocks, moss, and dead branches at a medium speed, creating a low rushing sound that reminded Miwa of the ocean waves on Hanging Neck Island. Once they crossed, Fuura's home should be just a few miles north. At least, it would be if all their information was to be believed. After all, just because Hiei's Jagan could see a scraggly old woman with hair like straw living alone out there, that didn't guarantee it was the demon Miwa was looking for. Or maybe she was just getting paranoid again, but after coming this far, there was nothing left to do but try.
Some rocks popped up like stepping stones across the river, their tops smoothed over by the flowing water. Hiei easily leapt from rock to rock and didn't slip once, even on the shiny, wet surfaces. Miwa imagined Yusuke or Kuwabara would slip and fall with a huge splash, if they were here, but she didn't have time to reminisce on simpler times or Hiei would leave without her. She followed right behind, but Miwa didn't need rocks. All she had to do was harden the water beneath her feet, and she could land wherever was necessary. The current splashed into the air, showering them both with cool water as they crossed. When they approached the other side, one final leap landed them safely on dry rocks.
"...Do you sense that?" Hiei asked, his eyes darting side to side.
She did. "...There's a weird energy in the air," Miwa answered, staring into the trees ahead.
It felt like entering a psychic's Territory. But rather than landing in a different dimension, it was more like an invisible cloud or haze that refused to cross the river's edge, forming an unnatural boundary. The energy in that haze felt sharp and hot, like tiny shocks of static electricity on a dry winter day. Without thinking, Miwa raised her hand to her chest, but the heat in her core was near constant these days.
"Is this shikigami magic?" Hiei asked, his body slowly losing tension. Nothing was jumping out at them...yet.
"Might be," Miwa answered, taking a cautious step forward. "She had traps set up the last time I saw her, but they didn't feel like this."
Hiei scoffed, and a smirk quickly replaced his usual frown. "It's about time this forest got interesting."
He bravely walked forward, eager at the prospect of something happening. Miwa forced down the urge to suggest they split up again and instead ran to catch up, taking one last glance at the river before entering the trees. In minutes, the forest trees grew thick, and the light dimmed. The sounds of rushing water were quickly diluted by the roots and foliage. This side of the forest was denser than before, the leaves larger, the roots wider, as if the ground on this side had more nutrients.
"...This energy is blocking my Jagan's sight," Hiei warned, "It can't see any farther than my own eyes."
Confused and wary, they both began walking slower. The energy haze remained constant, never thinning or thickening, but Miwa realized that the longer they were exposed, the more that haze affected them. It blocked scents, too. She could no longer smell the wet dirt, the damp trees, or lingering stenches of animals in the forest. The air was as stale and bland as a windowless room locked up for years. Going farther into the haze made Miwa's skin twinge uncomfortably with sharp, prickling pain. But she didn't feel ill or weak, and other than the Jagan, it didn't affect their eyes, so they continued forward.
"Did Fuura use traps?" Hiei asked, and then immediately scrunched his face in confusion. His voice sounded soft and muffled, like the haze stuffed their ears with cotton.
"Nothing like this," she answered, her voice also very muffled. Miwa touched her throat, but there was no pain or burning. Then she touched her ears, finding nothing. It wasn't their hearing. Their voices weren't carrying well through the haze. "I remember a lot of shikigami spells plastered on rocks and trees acting as motion detec-"
A high-pitched shriek silenced her instantly. The muscles in her arm tensed, and the prickling stabbed into her skin even harder. Hiei cautiously reached for his sword, and his Jagan glowed, looking from left to right. They sensed nothing because the haze blocked everything out. They smelled nothing because the air was so bland. Their own voices were flat and dull, but somehow that scream cut straight through, loud and clear, through the haze and the stuffed cotton feeling in their ears.
Hiei's Jagan started to glow. "I don't see anything" he started, but then they looked up.
A huge bird-like thing dropped from the forest canopy, its black feathered wings unfurling like a stage curtain showing the featured performer. With a wingspan nearly three meters across, it easily cast a shadow over both Hiei and Miwa in the already dark forest. A kaichou, a demonic bird descended upon them. Its neck was long and featherless with a line of small bumps along the back, its skin stretched tight over the vertebrae. Its beak opened to emit a loud, angry squawk, and black talons the size of human fingers grew from each of its toes. Its eyes, red and bulging out of their sockets, leered on the two demons below.
Both Miwa and Hiei dived out of the way, in opposite directions. Between them, the kaichou's feet clawed into the ground, its long talons digging small trenches. Every flap of its wings blew blistering dirt clouds and rocks into Miwa's face, and the wind nearly knocked her over, but the shawl around her neck came undone and flew out of sight. Miwa pulled water from her pouch, and Hiei unsheathed his sword. The bird slowly raised its head, sniffed loudly, and whipped around to look directly at Miwa with its bulging, red eyes. Miwa stared right back, challenging it with her water stream up and armed. On the ground, the bird was twice her height, but its wings made it seem even bigger. It lowered its head and snapped its beak, biting threateningly at the air. Miwa didn't move, so the bird opened its beak wide and screeched in her face. She flinched and covered her ears. Even in the invisible haze, where sound didn't want to carry, the bird's cry pierced right to her eardrums. Covering her ears was useless. The sound was pain, the vibrations rattled in her chest. If she didn't overcome the pain and move, her eardrums would burst.
Hiei resisted the urge to cover his ears and leapt into action, slashing his sword across the bird's bony neck. Instead of the dull sound of cut flesh, there was a weird crackling noise and red sparks burst from points of contact, but this sound was dampened by the haze. The bird shook its head dismissively, but Miwa took the chance to put some distance between herself and the bird, rejoining with Hiei, and then their eyes landed on the kaichou's neck.
Something was wrong. Hiei's sword did nothing. There was no cut, no wound, not a single blemish on the stretched skin.
The bird squawked proudly and flapped its wings, taking to the air again. Miwa threw her water stream to bash the creature across the face, and Hiei tried his sword again, this time aiming for the stomach. With a dampened thud, the water stream hit the bird in the cheek, twisting its head and long neck into an uncomfortable-looking angle. Hiei stabbed the bird right through its feathered belly, and the blade disappeared into its stomach. Red sparks jumped from the points of contact, again, along with the same muffled crackle of electricity, and Hiei dragged the sword across its belly to spill guts to the ground. The bird angrily snapped its beak but kept itself in the air by flapping its large wings. It didn't once look towards Hiei, who landed next to Miwa. Again, no blood, no wound, and no cut across the stomach despite both seeing the blade puncture the bird's skin.
"...Now what?"
Hiei sheathed his sword. He looked her dead in the eyes, and then disappeared.
There was no time to debate if he finally listened to her request. The bird screeched again, creating gusts of wind with every flap of its wings. Its red eyes glared only at Miwa, not once looking for Hiei. Miwa's bad feeling about this creature only got worse, so she returned her stream to her pouch and jumped into the tree branches, hoping she could find Hiei despite the haze clouding her senses. The bird immediately followed. It pumped its wings harder, rustling the canopy as it gave chase. Miwa landed on a branch as wide as her foot and jumped to a higher one, pulling herself up by her arms like a human child on a jungle gym. Miwa's eardrums were sore, her shawl was long gone, and her hair was probably a mess from all the wind blowing in her face. But if she could outrun the bird, she should be fine. Miwa hoped putting a bunch of tree branches between her and the bird would slow it down. She looked back. The bird was out of sight, and its angry screech still cut through the weird haze. Even with the haze dampening sound, she could hear the bird crashing through branches, or leaves shaking violently as it flew by. Only the kaichou's voice wasn't affected by the haze.
The bird screeched, suddenly so much closer than before. Gusts of wind hit her back, throwing Miwa's body into mid-air somersaults. In the corner of her eye, she saw that bird's creepy, bony neck as it flew by, and broken sticks and leaves sped past her cheek. But then, something crashed into Miwa's shoulder, dragging a warm and lumpy thing across her back. It quickly became smooth and pointed, which scratched against Miwa's clothes and nearly tore through the fabric. It was the bird's foot, trying to grab Miwa with its talons. Then, one rip opened in her shirt, one talon punctured her shoulder, and suddenly Miwa's seal ripped painfully through her core. An involuntary scream pushed through her grit teeth, sounding almost like a snarl. Startled and disoriented, Miwa dropped to the forest floor like a stone, hitting every possible tree branch along the way. Wood smacked against her back, her stomach, her legs, and her arms, digging small splinters into any exposed skin it could find. After clearing the canopy, Miwa somehow managed to reorient herself and land on her feet, but only just. Of all times for the damn seal to react…
She looked up, and kaichou cleared the canopy. It flapped its wings again, squawking triumphantly and snapping its beak at her. Miwa gathered her water stream; clearly running away wasn't going to work. The giant bird landed, shaking the ground with its weight, and spread its wings wide. The feathers began glistening with red light, looking almost majestic, and then with one mighty flap, Miwa was barraged by hundreds of black, twinkling feathers. She crouched and quickly spread her water stream into a thin dome around her. The dome glowed white, and feathers bounced off its surface, disintegrating into shimmering red light as they fell.
Up above, Hiei emerged from the trees, brandishing his sword once again, but this time it was enveloped in orange fire, the Mortal Flame. With one, powerful swing, Hiei ran his sword through the bird's thin, bony neck, creating a dim, orange arc in the air. Red sparks showered down, and the bird shrieked in surprise. Hiei landed gracefully on his feet, and one shake of his sword put out the flame. Behind him, the decapitated head crashed onto the ground with a heavy thud. Its red eyes bulged, staring blankly up at the trees, and a lumpy, pink tongue spilled out between rows of pointed ridges along its black beak. The skinny, bony neck ended in a stub, cleanly cut. Too cleanly cut. There was no blood. No bones. No muscle or tissue spilling out into the dirt. Not even a scorch mark from the Mortal Flame. The stub was smooth and uniform, looking more like it was cut from a slab of black clay than a giant creature.
Miwa took a cautious step forward. "What is this thing?" It reminded her of one of her Dark Tournament opponents, Kagao. "A kaichou should have bones, muscle, an esophagus…"
Hiei poked at the neck with his foot. "Who cares? It's dead now." He sheathed his sword and looked around. The weird haze still hung in the air.
Miwa took in a deep breath, trying to settle a nervous jitter as the adrenaline still coursed through her veins. "...You stuck around."
Hiei glanced at her and quickly looked away. "Didn't need to leave. And it's dead now."
Miwa was about to thank him, but then the bird's head twitched. The twitch advanced to full shaking. A thin layer of dirt clung to the pink tongue as it flopped around. The bird's head blinked, its bulging red eye turned to glare directly at Miwa, and a shiver coursed through her body when she finally saw it: A familiar red circle gleamed from the center of those big, bulging eyes.
"It's shikigami…"
The bird's head flew back to its body as if yanked by an invisible string. The stumps connected with a gross, meaty slap and slowly merged, rejoining the head to its body. The bird swayed its head from side to side, testing its function, and turned. Each step shook the ground beneath Hiei and Miwa's feet until the bird fully faced them. Then, it spread its wings, but not out and wide. The bird's wings swung upward. The tips of its wings met above its head, spreading out the feathers into an oval shape. Miwa and Hiei took a few steps away from the unusual movement, both brandishing their weapons again, despite their increasing uselessness. Brute force, blades, and fire didn't affect this thing. They couldn't even leave a scratch…
The bird looked up and stretched its long neck higher, nearly bringing its head to the raised tips of its wings. Its beak opened, but instead of an eardrum-bursting screech, it actually began to sing. Its bird call lost the hoarse tone of squawks and screams and sounded like a piano key holding a single, clean high-pitched note. From the tip of its wings, a line of red light drew a circle in the air. When the circle was completed, the red line filled in the center, drawing a five-pointed star. Another shikigami circle, the largest one they had ever seen.
Miwa's every instinct turned into a blaring alarm in her brain. Her arms and legs shook, wanting so badly to get the hell away from whatever this bird was about to do. Beside her, Hiei vanished from sight, following the same instinct without hesitation. Miwa wanted to follow. She knew the moment that shikigami circle was complete, something bad would happen. Miwa had to get away, but she couldn't. The bird's song was holding her there. The moment that high-pitched note hit her ear, the seal on Miwa's back reacted. It started as a small tickle, spreading from every intricate detail etched into her skin, but it quickly grew into pain and burning. An energy that wasn't her own coursed through Miwa's body, searching her entire system. It merged with the seal's grip on her core, making her chest grow hot.
The bird's shikigami circle completed, and Miwa's body dropped to the ground. She clutched at her chest, finally able to move her body at will, but that wasn't going to help. She was too busy screaming. This was a reaction she had never felt before. Her core was…resonating. Her energy twisted and pulled at itself, sending waves of sharp pain through her chest. But there was an underlying pulse to it, and somehow, some way, she knew it synchronized with the bird's song.
The bird was doing this to her. The bird was going to rip her apart from the inside.
Hiei suddenly reappeared. His cloak was gone, discarded somewhere, and his right arm was outstretched in front of him, black flames peeking out between the bandages. If the Mortal Flame didn't work, then he would use a more dangerous flame to burn this creature to the ground. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't, but it was guaranteed the forest would burn to ash.
Through the intense pain, through the screaming that destroyed her throat, Miwa had to stop him. Fuura was in this forest, and Miwa needed her alive. Or else her months-long journey would be pointless. Hiei would have accompanied her this far for nothing. There must be another way to stop this song. Miwa slowly reached out a shaking hand to grab Hiei's ankle. Every muscle twitch sparked more pain, but she bit her lip until it bled to keep herself from screaming. Her fingers closed around his boot, but there was so little strength in her grip that it was a miracle he noticed her at all.
He stared at her hand as if he wanted to shake it off. "There's no point protecting the hermit if you die right here."
Hiei's whole body became engulfed in a dark aura, flickering around him like the light of a candle. Miwa opened her mouth to say something, but she immediately bit her lip again to stifle the pain, opening another bleed. So instead, she let her trembling hand fall from his foot, and Hiei smirked.
Then, the bird stopped its song and lowered its wings and head, looking directly at Hiei for the first time. The shikigami circle remained floating in the sky, but the pain in Miwa's body receded for a glorious respite. The bird's eyes, once bright red and bulging, suddenly filled with another color, as if yellow ink were being poured into its eyeballs.
"What annoying children," the yellow-eyed bird said, its voice scratchy and old.
Miwa lifted her head. She knew that voice. "It's Fuura…"
Hiei lowered his right arm, but only a little. "She sure doesn't look like an old witch."
"This bird's a puppet, you brat."
Hiei snarled at her, but Miwa pushed herself up on her feet. "I need your-"
"I know what you're here for, little girl, but what makes you think I will help?"
"You'll get to live, for starters," Hiei said, his arm still burning with black flames.
"I am 900 years old, you petulant child. Do you think I fear death?"
"You showed yourself in the face of the Dragon."
"I wanted to see who dared fight this hard."
Miwa stepped in front of Hiei's burning arm. The ambient heat made her back sting. "Aren't you curious about what's happening? Your spell is failing."
"Not by my hand, I assure you."
"Then please, help me understand what's going on."
The bird groaned, but the giant shikigami circle faded away. The yellow in its eyes changed back to red, and its wings folded. The bird squawked at them, far less aggressive than before, and then its body began to vibrate. The bird closed its eyes and tucked its head into its chest, its long neck forming an elegant curve. The vibrating turned into shaking, making Hiei and Miwa step back. Its skin drooped down like thick, viscous wax, creating horrific wrinkles and folds. Blobs of skin soon dribbled off the bird's body, taking feathers along with it, and landing on the ground with a meaty plop. There were no bones mixed in, no traces of muscle or tissue. Just blobs of black mass that slowly disappeared into a shimmering red light.
Then, as the last of the demon bird's body dribbled away, a smaller, more normal-looking bird emerged from the goop. It was a raven. But the eyes were still bright yellow, and the raven took flight as the last black blob shimmered away.
"Follow him," the raven said in Fuura's voice, and the yellow in its eyes immediately faded to black.
The raven cawed, now of its own volition, and flew into the trees. It didn't even wait to see if it was being followed.
Miwa opened her mouth to speak, but the sudden rich smell of moist dirt and leaves made her forget what she was about to say. She opened her mouth again, this time letting out a nonsensical "Ahh" sound, and her own voice wasn't muffled anymore. The crackling of Hiei's black flames were crisp and clear, even as the flames receded into his bandages. Hiei's Jagan Eye flashed, immediately narrowing in on the raven off in the distance.
"The haze is gone…" Hearing herself say it, without the feeling of cotton stuffed in her ears, made Miwa's ear itch, and she unconsciously raised her hand to scratch it.
Hiei rolled his eyes, but he too scratched his ear. "...What an annoying old witch."
They followed the raven. It was an impatient thing, flying out of sight one minute and looping back the next to screech urgently at them. Hiei returned every screech with an angry frown, and even though he could easily keep up with a small bird, he was purposefully walking slowly out of spite. Miwa would have asked him to ignore it and hurry along, but if she were honest, the raven's shikigami spell took a lot more out of her than she thought. She had recovered from painful injuries in the past, but this was different. Her pain wasn't external. It lived under her skin, in her muscles, in her bones, and in her spirit. She wanted nothing more than to lie down, even if it meant sleeping in the dirt. But the anticipation of finally seeing Fuura again gave her enough strength to keep moving.
In the months traveling through Demon World, Miwa often wondered what it would look like when she got to this point. She imagined finding a ramshackle old home, like a tiny shack falling apart at the seams, just as she saw four years ago when meeting Fuura for the first time. The shack in the mountains was heavily weathered down, missing chunks of wood at odd corners, and had holes in the ceiling patched with planks of wood sloppily nailed down. The degradation could only partially be attributed to the harsh conditions of a high-altitude mountain. The rest was the result of Fuura's shikigami experiments. Most of her time was spent testing and stretching the limits of shikigami magic, alone and isolated from community and judgment. The demons she smuggled to the Human World, including Miwa, were merely test subjects sent out into the world as practical applications of her work. Miwa remembered thinking, on the day Fuura placed the seal on her back, that this was the rustic home of a mad scientist, replacing the smooth metal and clean lab tools with wooden, splintered tables and scraps of paper scribbled with different shikigami circle designs.
What she and Hiei found was nothing like that.
The raven led them to a quaint and simple forest cabin. Built from wood planks chopped from the nearby trees, it seemed to blend into the forest itself, but the warm lantern light shining through the windows gave away its position. A small patio surrounded the cabin, giving shade to two resting wolves, and they both raised their heads as Miwa and Hiei drew close. Shikigami circles were branded on their foreheads. Their eyes were neither red nor yellow, and they didn't stand up or growl, but Miwa knew guards when she saw them. Off to the side, dead fish hung from a metal drying rack. One of them had a bite taken out of the stomach, teeth marks still showing through the ripped skin, but the fish hung there as proudly as any other. It was all so…picturesque, like a rich outdoorsman's vacation home lifted directly from a book or magazine.
"I didn't expect it to look so…nice."
"Apparently, even old hermits have a retirement plan." Hiei glared hard at the wolves. They were not intimidated at all.
Then, a short, bony woman exited the front door, and the raven perched right at her side on the patio railing. Her shoulders were covered by a gray shawl, draped over a darker gray dress that was tattered and wrinkled, showing its frequent usage. Her yellow hair stuck out in all directions, each strand stiff and thick like straw, and her big, bloodshot eyes were the same yellow color. The disheveled look seemed out of place at the beautiful cabin, but the wolves watched her, expecting a command or signal from the master of the house. "Well," Fuura said, giving the raven a light pat on the head. "The children have finally found their way."
Hiei frowned and was about to say something rude, but Miwa held up her hand to silence him. "Thank you for seeing us."
Fuura rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just hurry up and let me figure out what's wrong so I can kick you back out."
She turned and stomped back into the house, leaving the door open behind her. The wolves lowered their heads back into a lazy doze under the patio's shade. Miwa and Hiei glanced at each other, both feeling a bit apprehensive, before following her inside. One of the wolves opened one beady black eye to watch them pass, but there was no confrontation. Inside, the picturesqueness of Fuura's home continued. Warm, cozy decor of a woodland cottage, complete with a wood-burning stove to warm a simmering pot of stew or soup. Fuura plopped herself down on an armchair next to an empty fireplace, but piles of gray ash and used, burnt logs showed she used it often. She pointed a long, bony finger at the couch opposite her, and Miwa gratefully sat down. The cushions were soft, but they smelled stale and dusty. Miwa glanced around herself to see if dust clouds were rising as she sank into the cushion. Hiei stayed behind and leaned against the closed front door, staring indifferently out the window to pretend that he wasn't paying attention.
Miwa took a deep breath. She had imagined herself here, at this moment, countless times in the past few months, planning out exactly what she would say. But now, at the moment of truth, she remembered none of it. "...Iizuna told me that he hasn't heard from you in years. He thought you were dead."
"Bah." Fuura gestured to her home with a lazy wave of her hand, "I quit. Packed up and left. Sick of so many demons crawling back to my mountain with some stupid sob story because they suddenly decide they don't like the help I offered them."
Miwa pressed her lips tightly together, feeling particularly vulnerable and exposed.
"How did you find me? You're the third group of travellers I've seen this month alone." Fuura pointed her bony finger at Hiei's Jagan. "Was it that boy? He doesn't look like a Spirit Fox."
"He's a friend, but someone else told me where to find you."
Fuura groaned and leaned her head back. "It'll take forever to find another place this nice that I can commandeer." She paused, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Unless I just kill you both."
Hiei immediately tensed, but Miwa spoke first. "I'm not interested in exposing where you live. I just need your help."
Fuura lifted her head. "And what kind of help did you have in mind?"
"...That depends on what you can do, doesn't it?"
Silence for a moment, but then Fuura grinned. Her teeth were crooked, and one tooth was chipped, but they were surprisingly white. "Fine. Tell me how you screwed up my spell."
"That's the thing. I don't know how this started…"
{00}
There were two possibilities, Miwa explained, that started everything. The first was Rikiji, the shikigami practitioner and manipulator of paper. She used her magic to directly attack Miwa's seal, causing the first unstable fluctuation of her core that by now had become commonplace. But Miwa could not rule out the fact that she repeatedly ingested a potion made with the Fruit of the Previous Life. It successfully transformed her body back to its pre-seal state and then re-sealed her power when the potion's effect wore off. The two events happened within days of each other, so it was impossible to know if one, or both, were the cause of the seal's strange behavior after that. Fuura nodded her head, having leaned forward attentively during her explanation. Miwa hoped it was a good sign. Her plight catching Fuura's attention was her only chance for help.
"And then you say you're having…" Fuura waved her hand in circles as she tried to think of the right word. "...symptoms?" She immediately turned to the side and muttered to herself, "The hell, it's like I'm a doctor all of a sudden…"
Miwa ignored the last part. "Yes, it's like my core…surges…" Miwa also waved her hand to find the word. "Which is painful and makes my chest burn. When it's particularly strong, I can't even stand up. And sometimes…" Miwa paused, realizing that Hiei might be hearing this detail for the first time, "...sometimes when I'm angry or upset, the water around me reacts on its own. I don't do anything to control it."
Fuura absentmindedly picked at her fingernails while she talked, a habit Miwa did not notice before. "Is that the worst of it?"
"No. I haven't died yet. But the weirdest part was when I…transformed back to my old self, from before the seal. No potion, no…assistance. On my own. I even conjured water during that fight. I was angry then, too. …Vengeful."
"You don't look transformed to me."
Miwa shook her head. "I reverted back a few hours later, after the fighting stopped. It hasn't happened since."
"...Angry or upset." Fuura leaned back, still picking at her fingernails, but an amused grin overtook her face. She laughed quietly at a joke only she knew and then pointed at the ground between them. "Siddown and I'll take a look."
Though the spot Fuura indicated was literally right in front of her, it took Miwa several seconds to sit down. She slowly kneeled, with her back to Fuura, just waiting for this one glimmer of hope to be pulled from under her feet. Even Hiei stopped pretending he wasn't listening. Fuura placed her palm on Miwa's back, right over the seal, and the red lines in Miwa's skin began to tingle. It felt warm, and Fuura muttered words in a language that Miwa didn't understand. A strange, churning sensation coursed through Miwa's body, like small creatures were travelling through her blood vessels at high speeds. She did not know if it was her own Demon Energy or Fuura's magic, but over time, her chest grew warm. The heat felt sharp and prickly, almost like electricity, and there was thankfully no pain, but it did not feel comfortable. Miwa bit her lip, trying to keep her discomfort from showing. Hiei watched carefully from his perch by the front door, his eyes narrowed, and his whole body took on a slight red tint from the light of shikigami magic.
Minutes passed in silence, but every second dragged on with anticipation.
"Ha!"
Fuura's loud laugh cut through all thought and discomfort, and her hands pulled away from the seal. The swirling energy in Miwa's body vanished, quickly replaced by a startled jolt. She accidentally bit harder into her lip, opening a small trickle of blood in her mouth. Hiei unfolded his arms, and that was as far as he expressed any shock, but his right hand landed oddly close to his sword's hilt.
"This is hilarious. Ironic, even." Still laughing, Fuura sat up in her seat and pushed at Miwa's back with her foot until Miwa took the hint and returned to her own chair. "Nothing's wrong with your seal."
Miwa narrowed her eyes, trying to process words she understood but whose meaning she could not. "How could nothing-"
"A low-class witch and a stupid potion could never break down one of my seals," Fuura continued, waving off Miwa's question. "It's simple, really. The surges happen when the power source is weakened."
Hiei's arms had folded up again to feign his disinterest, but finally he spoke up. "Weakened?" he repeated, "Those damn surges have enough power to nearly kill her."
Fuura rolled her eyes again but with far less sarcasm. "And what do you think is trying to surge out? Hmm?" She smiled defiantly at Hiei and then gestured towards Miwa with one hand. "With a weaker power source, the seal will overcompensate trying to do its damn job. I've already told you about this, haven't I?"
Miwa nodded slowly. "You told me that if I mess with it in any way, I could die..."
"And?"
"...It's permanent. And you won't tell me what the power source is."
Fuura nodded, smug and proud. "That was our agreement. It's not broken, but if you let the seal half-ass its purpose, silly girl, you'll dig your own grave."
The realization was heavy, crushing her lungs as if clenched by an angry fist. All this time, she thought there was something to be fixed. That there was some help to be had. Miwa only got this far because they were convinced something was wrong. But she was wrong. The seal couldn't be removed. The seal couldn't be fixed. The old hermit was never going to help her. Fuura was retired and hidden from the world, especially from her test subjects having second thoughts on what they thought they wanted. There was no choice but to believe her claim. The seal was acting as it should, threatening Miwa's life because she was…
Because she was…
Miwa raised her head. "...I'm weakening its power source?"
There was no reaction. No miniscule twitch of muscle or brow. Fuura just slowly turned her head, turning her smug and proud face towards Miwa. But, despite a slight upturn on the edge of her lip, which normally indicated a smile, Fuura's expression was as still and emotionless as a mannequin head. The sudden shift made a cold shiver run down Miwa's spine, but she had to ignore it. She rose to her feet, using their height difference to regain some of her nerve.
"But, how? I haven't done anything to it."
The doll-like stillness broke and Fuura casually readjusted her sitting position, muttering, "Of course my greatest creation landed on someone so damn stubborn..." Emotions painted over her former mask, showing her disdain that no one realized the genius of her seal's design until now. "You need to stop thinking of the seal as an 'it' separate from you. After all this time, its spirit is so intertwined with yours that it's just as much 'you' as your veins and muscles. How else could it make you look so human? Give you a fake heartbeat? My customers before you all dyed their hair, shaved their teeth, avoided doctors… It's permanently a part of you but still reversible without me. So, stop half-assing it and let it lock up your damn energy, or kill the power source and take control of the seal yourself. You're the only one who can change it now." She paused, narrowing her eyes. "I don't have to tell you what the power source is. With all you've seen, you already know, even if you don't realize it right now."
Silence fell, and Miwa repeated those words in her brain. Once. Twice. Three times. A heavy feeling grew in her stomach, larger and larger until she swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from throwing up. This answer didn't surprise her. It was hidden, buried under the potential solutions she thought Fuura could give her. Buried so deep she forced herself to selectively forget about it until now. Of the countless options, this was the only one without an external solution. The only one she hoped would never be said aloud.
"...And if nothing changes?" Hiei asked, back to leaning nonchalantly against the door frame. "If these surges keep happening?"
Fuura looked at Hiei, grinned wryly to herself, and held out her arm. "Then the seal's desperate search for a power source will tear her apart from the inside out." The raven flapped across the room and landed on Fuura's arm. She carefully stroked its beak with her finger, the gentle smile for her pet becoming a stark contrast to her final warning. "If you don't want to die, mizuchi, then finish what you started."
{00}
There was no more to learn. That much was clear. Miwa and Hiei left Fuura's cottage in silence. Their presence appeared completely forgotten as all Fuura's attention diverted to her raven, stroking its feathers gently while the bird ate some feed from a bowl. The wolves were gone. But the minute the door closed behind them, a red light erupted from the wooden patio's floor. Miwa had just enough time to look down, squinting through the red light, to see a strange script write itself on the ground in dark, red energy. The script looped and swiped underneath their feet, as if a ghostly calligraphy brush was passing right through them. Then, just as the final letter was completed, Miwa's stomach lurched, her body feeling like it was falling one way while her legs were pulled in the other. The red light engulfed them completely, and Hiei's audible surprise was cut off mid-shout. A brief wave of panic and confusion took over Miwa's mind, afraid they would be separated, and she was forced to shield her eyes from the light. She half expected to fall on her butt, she was so off-balance. The solid, comforting feeling of the ground disappeared for an instant, and Miwa was floating blindly in a void, but the solidity came back just as quickly, startling her so much that Miwa's legs crumbled as a desperate attempt to be on solid ground again. She really did fall on her butt. But she fell on a softer floor than the wooden patio she remembered. This floor was softer, cooler, and the gentle rays of sunlight warmed her skin. The smell of wet dirt, grass, and animals long gone filled her nose. A constant, dull roar of rushing water filled her ears, and Miwa immediately opened her eyes and pushed herself up.
The river. The river they crossed mere hours ago was right in front of her. She looked around, trying to gain her bearings. Hiei was beside her, having somehow landed in a wobbly kneel, and that was good; they were not separated. But then she realized that the area around them was very familiar. That thicket of trees across the water was the exact spot they landed in the strange, sense-dampening haze, which they now knew was Fuura's magic. That last spell kicked them right out of her territory, with all the grace and dignity as disposable trash. Whether they were teleported or physically thrown out, Miwa did not know, but it made her head feel dizzy.
Then, as their dizziness began to fade, Hiei stood up and said, "C'mon, let's get the hell out of here."
He walked away from the river, back the way they had travelled, without a single dizzy wobble in his step. Miwa quietly stood up, shook her head to rid herself of the last traces of dizziness, and followed. They found Fuura. They learned new things. But the knowledge didn't make Miwa feel empowered at all.
It just made her feel more afraid.
{00}
Their return to Tozashi was fast, just taking a day and a half for the forest to thin and the dirt trails of travellers to cross their path. Maybe they walked faster since there was no need to conserve strength while they searched. Or maybe walking quickly was the only way for Miwa to vent her frustration.
Hiei accompanied her the entire way, but most of their time was spent in contemplative silence. He kept to his duty, keeping an eye on her as long as she was in Mukuro's territory. No one would dare suggest he was slacking off because the snake infiltrating their backyard was his former teammate. Miwa appreciated the silent company; it made her feel safer since her mind was distracted by intrusive thoughts. She thought he would question her more, or even abandon his escort and disappear. But he didn't. He gave her space, let her think while saving the important stuff for the end. They reached the spot where Hiei first appeared to her, where he announced himself by putting his blade against her throat. He stopped walking, and it only took Miwa two steps of her own to realize that this was where they would part.
"What are you going to do now?" he asked.
The obvious question. "...I'm going back to Gandara. Kurama and I can go back to the Human World together."
"That's not your only option. You could end all of this right now."
Miwa remembered Shirai's notes, the ones with the location of her tribe, tucked safely in her rucksack. "We don't know that for sure." Miwa folded her arms across her chest. "Besides, it's the safest place for me, right now. Gandara, and the Human World. I have allies there. And until I figure out…" She unfolded one arm and held her palm to her chest. The seal grew warm, but she found herself smiling anyway. "Until I figure out how to control this, I could use the help of some idiots who would fight to save my life."
Hiei's face scrunched a bit, perhaps not expecting that to come up again, and he scoffed. "Is that the only reason?"
She shook her head. "I promised I would be there for him. We're each other's only true ally in that place."
"He doesn't need your help."
"Maybe not, but I'm going to keep my word."
"And then?"
Miwa took a slow breath. "I'll have to decide what comes after."
Hiei stuffed his hands in his cloak. It was impossible to know if that answer satisfied him. "Suit yourself."
But just as he was about to turn and disappear, Miwa quickly called, "Thank you, Hiei!" …He stopped. Good. There was nothing else to offer, no loophole to exploit; she had to say this now. "I know it's your job to keep an eye on intruders, but you…you really helped me out. Thank you."
His face scrunched up again, this time from actual discomfort. "If I didn't, that bird probably would have killed you."
Then, before she could add anything else, Hiei finally disappeared. No trace of his presence was left behind. Just the open forest, with a cool wind, the rustle of leaves, and the lush smell of grass.
For the first time in days, Miwa was alone.
{00}
Just days after she crossed the border into Gandara, one of Shirai's agents appeared before Miwa to escort her back to Yomi's compound. It was a pleasant surprise if she ignored the coincidental timing. As it turned out, her escort was a shapeshifter. The fastest way to return Miwa to the compound, he informed her, was for him to transform into a large bird - a crow in this case - and fly her back. It made Miwa feel very uneasy after dealing with Fuura's raven, but she had no grounds to complain. It was better than going back on foot. And as a crow, her escort couldn't speak to her, which gave Miwa time to think about how the hell she was going to explain everything once she was face-to-face with Kurama again. Or with Shirai. Even after everything she learned, she knew they both would be disappointed that the seal was still intact. …Not that either of them would say so to her face.
Miwa returned to the compound and was taken to her previous guest room. Kurama and Shirai were busy, her escort told her, so she had time to clean up before going to see them, if she wished. Then, the escort excused himself, leaving her alone in an actual bedroom, with a soft bed and clean clothes, something she hadn't had for herself in months. Miwa eagerly jumped into the shower, relishing happily in the hot water. Soap lathered into large bubbles that cleaned her skin. Layers of dirt and grime pooled at her feet, and the proof of her adventure funneled down the drain.
"You're the only one who can change it now…"
…Miwa turned off the shower and dried herself with one wave of her hand. She reached behind, running one finger down her back. The skin was clean but scraped in several places, and she smiled a bit. The trees scratched her up good, so proof of her adventure remained after all. But there were no raised lines or rough patches indicating a seal was still there. It wasn't visible, and she knew it; the deep red lines of the shikigami circle only appeared while fighting. Nothing to see but scraped skin and raised bumps from her spine. But it was still there; a part of her. Permanent but reversible, and she could die if she doesn't figure things out.
"I don't have to tell you what the power source is. With all you've seen, you already know…"
Miwa did know, and she felt stupid for never noticing it sooner. She convinced herself there was an external problem because the obvious answer was something she didn't want to face. There were no excuses like the benefit of hindsight or Fuura's confirmation that the seal was working as it should. Just the one line connecting all the strange symptoms since the Dark Tournament: her wavering commitment to the spirit fox who owned her life.
She exited the bath. Clean clothes were laid out for her, and she put them on without paying much attention, but then she pulled down her coat's collar to touch her neck. Just days ago, Hiei held his sword against that very same spot. Cold metal and a dangerous voice, reminding her of the day they met. She admired him for a long time. Maybe their first meeting would have inevitably led her to a wavering commitment, but there was no denying Yusuke Urameshi was the catalyst that snowballed everything as quickly as it did. Without the fateful encounter with the Spirit Detective that day in the rain, she likely would not be standing there, in Gandara, questioning the existence of her "after." Fuura's design was to make the seal reversible without her assistance, and Miwa's oath to Youko Kurama was the reason she asked for it.
It was obvious: giving up her oath was the only way to kill the power source.
The first major surge was when Hiei lost his soul to Kaito, and Miwa thoughtlessly stepped forward into unknown territory just to help him. The next one, one that nearly got her killed, was while protecting Taichi and Saya from Shou Nishida's Erase power. Yusuke's death in Demon's Door Cave spurred on a full transformation since her only priority was killing Sensui, even if her own life was lost in the process. That transformation was only temporary because once the fighting stopped, she actively chose to return as Himari Shimizu. Then, the biggest and most out-of-control surge: Shirai told her that her oath to Youko Kurama was all based on his lie. Every major reaction was caused by Miwa's wavering commitment. The constant heat and random fluctuations were all from her doubts in her ability to continue what she started while living as a human.
If Miwa didn't want to die before her oath's natural end, then she only had two choices: Renew her commitment and remain as Himari Shimizu or renounce her oath and finally face the "after." Repeat the cycle or break it forever.
One was easy. Cyclical renewal was natural for the looping snake.
The other option…It was terrifying.
Miwa's eyes landed on her rucksack. She kneeled beside it and rummaged through the contents, pulling out the folder Shirai gave her without even looking inside. The information regarding Fuura's location was useless now, and Miwa felt a strange obligation to burn it all since Fuura wanted to be alone so badly. But that wasn't why she reached for the folder. She turned it upside-down, letting all the paper contents spill to the floor. Papers of all sizes and colors spilled out, many worn and wrinkled from constant reference for the past few months. But Miwa was only looking for one document. She shifted through the mess and retrieved a small pale green piece of paper with a ripped edge, showing it was torn from a notebook. This was probably added to the folder as an afterthought; every other sheet was meticulously formatted and designed for Miwa's ease of use. But Shirai still displayed it prominently atop the other messy data: the current location of Miwa's tribe.
The small paper listed the city nearest their campsite and how long Shirai estimated they would be there. It wasn't much, but it was more than enough for Miwa to track down a group of public performers. Shirai put this in the folder on purpose. He would have no way of knowing if Miwa wanted to find her tribe at all, but he could have predicted her feeling directionless once she was free of the seal. So, he put this note there to give Miwa a potential "after." A new road to take now that she knew her oath was based on a lie. A guide through her paralyzing fear of seeking freedom. One possibility out of infinite paths…
…And then what? Miwa had no desire to see her tribe again, and she doubted a wayward child like her would be welcomed back. She purposefully dropped the mizuchi name at the Dark Tournament and publicly used the technique that drove the mizuchi into hiding. She already risked associating her tribe with the mizuchi stigma they didn't want. A home for her there would never exist again. So, what did Shirai think she would do with this information? Go back to her tribe and take up dancing again? Try to mend bridges with someone as closed-minded as Zaiten? Even if Miwa managed to do all of that, she wouldn't stay. The travelling performer's life wasn't hers anymore. Her time as a thief was long over.
She would end up right back to this point. Afraid of an unknown future. Lost and directionless without a clearly defined purpose. Too infamous to become a tracker, her face too public to travel anonymously, four-years removed from the Demon World and unable to find her way around without the help of more resourceful agents. How could she pursue freedom if everything she knew was no longer useful? How could she explore the infinite without purpose to guide her way?
So, Miwa tore the paper to pieces.
Notes: Miwa is a demon with many routines, and as is probably clear by now, she relies on it far too much. But she is quickly running out of excuses to hide from the choice she is so scared to make; the procrastinator in me really relates to that desire.
Fuura was a fun character to finally bring to the story. She ended up very different from how I originally envisioned her, but I've come to enjoy having snarky characters scold Miwa for the way she does things. And Miwa's solo adventure with Hiei has come to an end. There weren't any major romantic turns in this chapter, but I hope the their current dynamic shows in their actions. The rest will have to wait as this story starts lining back up with the YYH canon.