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~ Yuu - Though I Walk Through the Valley ~
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Grey clouds drift overhead. Silhouette of the trees framing the grey, cloudy sky.
Maybe it would rain soon... with clouds like that...
The winds blew through the trees, ruffling leaves echoing in response to my thoughts. It was as if they could understand me, which was such an absurd thought.
Sure... they would know if it would rain... I laughed, or at least tried to. Instead, globs of liquid spurt from my mouth, foaming around my lips.
The sticky substance clung disgustingly to my face, but I had neither the strength nor the want to wipe it away. It was a reminder of my circumstance, however much I did not want to think about.
What happened? Oh, yes... I would tell you, but right now I feel very tired...
Perhaps I will tell you after a short rest...
When I feel better...
Please wake me up by then...
When I wake up...
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Sunlight.
A ray of light shining through a window.
...Hmm? A window?
I slowly sat up, wincing at the pain in my stomach and touched the warm wooden frame and cold, transparent glass. Outside, the world was awashed with light green color of the pines and blooming white wildflowers.
Where am I? The last thing I remembered was the cold earth against my back and the sky seemed to begin shedding tears... rain, I guess. And then I remembered... I was talking to someone... someone was there... but who...
"Ah, I see you're finally awake. I wouldn't move around much right now should I be in your position, otherwise the wrapping may come undone."
-?!
My head snapped towards the speaker, seeing him enter the room with a plate in his hand. The man had long, grey hair which fell against both sides of his face. His eyes closed as if in a perpetual smile. Pointed, grey ears... a pair of silver tails... another Kitsuna...?
Wind swept petals drifted into the room, stirring his braided hair as he set out cups of tea with his left hand. And then I realized... he was not using his other hand at all. Or more likely...
I brushed a white flower petal off my shoulder, only to realize I wasn't wearing my yukata. My face turned hot, hurriedly pulling the warm cotton blanket up to cover my body.
"NA- OMAE WA-?!" I angrily demanded. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
I was met with a sigh, as if the other Kitsune was saying "I knew it" to himself.
"You have nothing to fear, traveller." He presented the tea with a smile. "My name is Yakumo and this is my home. Yukkurishitteite, ne*. If you still wish for your arms, it is at the front of my house."
I suddenly became aware of my position and calmed down, tentatively receiving the tea cup from his hand.
"I'm sorry to have startled you, but I could not simply leave you to fall asleep in the woods with a wound like that. I take it you have been ambushed by the cult-worshipers?"
My mind was still blurry, but some images managed to surface in my mind. Yes, I believe it was something to that extent. They had sprang from the shadows, possibly five or six. I was too surprised I had no time to unsheath my sword before they attacked...
"They attacked us with this... deadly stick that spat fire..." I could almost feel it all over again, the numbing shock of blood and pain. The thought of death immobolized me to the spot. "And I was hit... Ojousama was..."
Ojousama-?!
My hands went cold.
"Ojousama, you say?" Yakumo spoke quietly to himself after taking a sip of tea. "I believe she was taken by the cultists... My apologies, but I could not pursue them lest I leave you to die."
"Ojousama!!" I shouted, spilling the tea onto the bed as I clambered onto my feet. Pain shot through my side and I feel face-first, if only to be caught in the arms of the two-tailed fox. Hot tears stream down my face as I bit back the searing hot sensation spreading across my body.
"You're not well enough to neglect rest, young girl. But fear not..." Yakumo sighed again, setting me back into bed. "Kami-sama's blessing is with your master. The cult worshipers will do nothing to her... not for another forthnight."
I bit back the pain as I laid in the bed, my bandaged hands clawing at my arms.
Ojousama... Gomennasai...
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Yakumo-san later explained to me that, like himself, there were many other Kitsune who once lived in the area. The human village nearby used to worship them as spirits of the forest who were guardians of the harvest. Every year there would be a festival at the local shrine dedicated to them. But for strange reasons, the seasons became worse and the harvests were no longer fruitful. Resentment of the humans led to the creation of a cult, who casted the blame on to the Kitsune as origins of the supposed curse upon their village. Though only a handful of the villagers actually partook in the yearly hunt of the Kitsune residents, it was nothing but a violent display of ritual sacrifice.
I could not look at Yakumo-san as he told the history of this peaceful land... but it all made sense. However, I also noticed he was strangely calm when he told me this story. The tea before us listened quietly as well, the faint aroma rising in quiet white steam.
"If we hurry, I believe we can rescue your mistress before the cultists begin their ritual." The Kitsune spoke calmly, taking up his cup and quietly sipping it with his left hand.
"Is that..." I began. I wanted to ask him about his arm, but I could not bring myself to look into his eyes and merely kept my sight on the small ceramic cup. "Is that the reason why you have..."
I did not have to finish my sentence for Yakumo-san to understand. He merely gave me a short chuckle and set down his drink.
"Yes, that's the reason why I am here before you with only one arm. Truth is, I also used to have three tails." The pair of silver tails flicked about behind him. "But I decided to give one away to a little human girl I know. That was such a long time ago, though. Hahaha."
Th- That's not something to laugh about, Yakumo-san... I grimaced, dreading what it would feel like to have my tail cut off.
"At any rate." He spoke up once more. "If we head out tonight, we can use the cover of darkness to rescue your princess. Afterwards, I will point you towards the nearest Kitsune village. Most of my friends have moved there, so just tell them my name and they will welcome you to stay."
I nodded. Yakumo-san suggested I rest for the afternoon in preparation for the raid, but I could not sleep well knowing Konoka was in danger. No matter. I would be ready by the time nightfall came. I had to be ready.
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The two of us carefully made our way through the forest with the lone crescent moon at our back. Chirping crickets fell silent as we passed through the undergrowth, their silence covered by the chorus of cicadas overhead. The silver Kitsune led us up a small hill where a shrine stood overlooking the village.
"We can observe the village from this shrine." He stated, glancing up at the small temple set against the dark sky. His face appeared sad, as if yearning for something, but it could just be my imagination. However, as we neared the crest of the hill behind the shrine, the clamor of men on the other side rang in our ears. Wordlessly, however filled with dread, we rushed forward.
"Ojousama!!" I yelled.
Konoka was running up the cascading stone steps with a young girl in her arms, followed by men bearing torches, plows, forks and hand scythes. My master smiled in tears as she fought against the distance between us and we both rushed to their side.
"Sets-chan! You're alive!" She cried, leaping into my arms. I seized her, the previous dreadful feeling all but disappeared.
Ojousama...
"Your princess is more resourceful than I thought." The male Kitsune smiled, holding the little girl in his arms. "But perhaps we should turn our attention to the trouble before us now."
I wiped away my tears of joy and looked over my master's shoulders to see a large group of men pausing at the foot of the stairs. Their faces burning with hate or determination, I could not tell, for their faces were colored by the crimson tones of torches in their hands.
"Give us back our sacrifice, priestess of the Yakumo Shrine!" A large man stepped forward, holding a hatchet in his hand. "We must appease the gods with a just offering or this curse will become worse!"
...Yakumo Shrine?
"No, I will not!" The little girl in Yakumo-san's arms protested, turning to the crowd below. "I will not let this barbaric practice ruin our faith! The Kitsune have long been protectors of this village! How could you justify spilling their blood in service to a foreign diety?!"
I looked at the little girl and at the silver hair Kitsune standing guard over her. Ah, now it all made sense...
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"If your friends have already fled, then why have you remained here?"
I asked him as we made our way under the night time canopies. Yakumo-san pressed on forward, his face still bearing that ambiguous smile.
"I have... a duty here." He responded after a period of silence. A tense feeling hovering about him. "I cannot abandon the promise I have made to an old friend."
"But..." I grimaced. The image of my fate earlier flashed into my mind. Back then, when the cult worshipers attacked, I could not even move my fingers as I saw the fire-stick light in front of my eyes. "...you might... is a promise that more important than your life?"
His response was calm, as if already having made his mind long before I had arrived.
"Only the fear of death shall mean my defeat. And, yes. The promise is that much more than my life is worth. After all, the promise is..."
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I wonder... My eyes turned to Konoka, who watched as the men far below begun advancing up the stairs. When the time comes... will I be able to defend my master like him...?
But just then, a hatchet flew through the air towards us. Towards where my master and I now stood. All of a sudden, the world seemed to slow down. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my face - a long, cold finger dragging itself against my cheek.
I could not move.
-KLANK-!
I snapped out from the trance. The hatchet flew over our heads, embedding itself a few feet away on a nearby tree. Yakumo-san's unsheathed sword in front of us. But the sword was different from most designs, as I thought back on it later, because the normal cutting edge was entirely reversed with the blunt edge out.
"It appears you may need a bit more time to become accustomed to the pressure, young one." He calmly remarked, withdrewing his arm. It was as if the weight of the world was suddenly slammed onto my back. A realization that I was not ready.
Fear had gripped me, forcing me into inaction.
"Take the path of the unmoving star." He plainly stated, stepping forward whilst pushing the little girl towards us. "Two days and you will come upon our Kitsune village. Please take Miyu there."
I gulped, nodding a silent response.
"Sets-chan?" My master asked, but I could not muster a word to answer her.
"Yakumo-sama?" The young miko**, Miyu, asked her guardian who stood between her and the blood-thirsty crowd below.
"Daijoubu desu yo゜, Miyu-chan." The two-tailed Kitsune smiled. "I will return to you when this is resolved. Please wait until I come, ne?"
I grabbed both Konoka and Miyu's hands before hurrying off towards the path Yakumo-san had instructed. Not long after we reached the foot of the hill did the sound of battle erupt in the distance.
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If only...
The steady drumming of the rain drowned out the usual summer calls of the wild cicadas. Master Konoka was happily conversing with the locals at the inn as usual, not the least depressed by the weather. The field of white flowers outside appeared as if drowning in the steady summer rain, but however still relenting.
I turned away from the window, catching sight of Miyu seated at the nearby table with a cup of warm tea in her hands. Her eyes still watching the inn's doorway.
It had been three months since we took refuge at the Kitsune village, but there was no sign of Yakumo-san since our last encounter. I wondered how Miyu-san would be thinking... but I believed I would feel the same.
Yakumo-san's words still echo in my ears as I sat listening to the rain.
"After all, the promise is to protect Miyu-chan from harm." He said. That was many months before.
I could only wonder... I glanced from Miyu as she waited for her guardian, to my master as she joyfully conversed with her acquaintences...
I could only wonder when the time comes, would I be able to do the same.
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-Footnotes-
* Yukkurishitteite ne: "I hope you stay as long as you like" and "take it easy" are both valid translation of this phrase. The former is for when one addresses a guest at their arrival while the other is for general conversations.
** miko: Roughly translated as "shrine maidens" they are generally found working at Shinto shrines. Historically, they serve as priestess and oracles though in contemporary times they care for most of the shrine functions.
゜Daijoubu: "Everything is alright" generally use to give assurance of safety or resolution.
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