La Llama en la nieve

 Lu had been combing her chocolate brown hair for thirty minutes. It was morning in the House of Still Waters, and the group had been back for all of one day, but Debuu-ni already wanted to set them on another mission. Maybe it was for the best: they couldn't just wait for Truck-kun to set another plague on them after all; they needed to set their defenses up and get their affairs in order. Still, Inês had noticed the shift in Lu's demeanor: she had been speaking of home more and more, wondering aloud when they'd be able to leave this place she once found exhilarating. Inês got up after straightening her obi and sat down next to her friend, an arm around her.

“What is it, Lu?” she asked gently.

Lu stopped grooming, not pulled from her thoughts yet. She put down the comb and turned to Inês wet-eyed.

“I don't think I want to go on this trip.” she said.

Inês looked at her and didn't attempt a response. She stroked her face and gave her a kindly smile. She got up and left without a word. In the dining room, she found Marcel, Jin, and Debuu-ni waiting for them.

“Lu isn't feeling up to it today.” Inês stated.

“Did something happen?” asked Jin. “Is she ill?”

Inês shook her head no.

“No, nothing like that. She's… downhearted.” said Inês. “This place is hurting her, I think – I know. She wants to go back home.”

Debuu-ni lifted from his cushion and hovered to Inês, its big scarlet eyes reflecting hers.

“I understand what Lu feels, really, I do; I've seen it before.” it said with in a grave tone. “We don't have to go today, we can go tomorrow, but we can't keep putting it off. The faster you all get your powers back, the faster this ends.”

Inês nodded. She knew Debuu-ni was right. She knew they couldn't do anything without reawakening their powers; they'd tried to escape before to pitiful results. However, she couldn't bring herself to browbeat her friend, her sister. This mission would have to wait, if only for a day. She went back to the room she shared with Lu. Inês wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, be it in silence or by letting her vent.

“Hey, Lu, is it alright if I stay with you?” she asked as she glided the door softly.

The emptiness of the room offered no response. For a second, Inês stood looking at the comb, laying on the floor where Lu at been just moments earlier, as well as the opened rice paper door to the outside that was letting in the cold dead air and white flakes. There were traces in the snow that something had come to the door; something big. She turned back and hurried to the others; they were still sitting there, they didn't understand the urgency of the situation.

“She's gone.” said Inês. “Lu is gone. She was taken by something.”

They shared a look and she returned to the room without awaiting a response, the panic building up inside of her. The boys and Debuu-ni weren't far behind. Inês stayed back while they quickly observed the scene. The bug's wings were buzzing at a rapid pace.

“She must be close…” it said cryptically.

Marcel looked at Debuu-ni.

“Let's go, then!” he exclaimed.

“Huh? Right, let's go!'

They jumped through that same rice paper door, the boys not bothering with putting on sandals (Inês had taken to keeping her Doc Martens on that side of the house since her investigation with Jin).

The forest was eerily quiet. Inês remembered how she felt when she first arrived in this place, before she ever met Lu, before they bonded in the onsen. She couldn't let anything happen to her; she wouldn't.

Hovering through the woods, its pompon tail quivering, leaving only the red glimpse of his wings behind, Debuu-ni was perplexingly panicked. Inês had never seen it act so human. Maybe the reboot had changed it more deeply than she'd realized.

“Up there!” said Jin.

Passing the red torī gate, a burly, humanoid figure was carrying Lu over their shoulder as she squirmed to free herself. Without a second thought, Inês got to climbing the steps two by two.

“Jin! It's up to you!” said Debuu-ni as he soared above them.

Focused, Jin took out his komabue and filled the air with a mournful, familiar tune; there was a lull in the figure's movements, like it was suddenly advancing in swamp water. Lu kneed it in the stomach and fell to the ground, rolling on the snow just as Inês got to the gate. As she passed the idle creature, she saw it was tall and furry, with a bright blue face, cracked skin like ice, and eyes that flickered the way of two Roman candles. Inês ran to Lu and put a hand on her shoulder. They retreated to the shrine deck as the creature progressed slowly. In the same time, with a burst of light, Debuu-ni slammed into the creature with a zap. For a second, everything went still; then, there was a blinding white flash and the creature exploded like an inopportune firework.

Inês sighed and let her shoulders fall. The air regained its natural order as Jin's piece ceased. The bug fluttered to the girls, followed by the two boys who had just climbed the stairs.

“Lu, what happened?” asked Inês.

Lu hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face.

“I heard something outside and opened the door to see what it was. I never even stepped off the deck, but that thing grabbed me!”

“That was a namahage.” said Debuu-ni. “They go around, targeting children who misbehave, but I have a sneaky suspicion this one's been corrupted to specifically go after you.”

“Why?” asked Inês.

But Debuu-ni didn't have the time to explain its theory; just as it was about to, other namahage appeared, their somber silhouettes outlined against the pale snowy landscape. There might have been a dozen of them, coming from every direction. Some of them were carrying drums that they beat a pressing song on.

“What do we do?” asked Marcel.

Without a word, Jin rose his komabue and started playing again. Once more, the figures slowed down. The disfigured beat became low and more ominous.

“Debuu-ni?” asked Inês.

The bug was looking around at each of them as if to calculate an angle of attack that would make the most damage at once. Now that she thought of it, Inês had never seen it fight more than one foe at a time. What could they do?

Lu had her eyes closed, speaking in short whispers. Inês listened closer; she couldn't really understand: it wasn't English, it was Spanish. The words were fast and repetitive, like those of a chorus or a prayer. Lu's eyes opened. Suddenly, it seemed as if she wasn't speaking to herself, but to someone only she could see. Waves of heat rippled around her like a desert mirage. A little, at first, then all at once. She rose, grabbed the bottom part of her yukata as if it were a flowy skirt and started dancing. It was a passionate, fiery dance. Snow melted at her feet. The namahage stopped, but it was too late to turn back now. The group could only watch. This was the same Lu Inês had just comforted, turning and twirling, and hitting the ground with her feet; red-orange shock-waves flowing from her. Lucía's Jarabe Tapatío was a beautiful, formidable, and sacred dance.

The namahage were decimated; their black ashes mixing with the snow as they burned. Inês was in awe: the flames, dreadful against their foes, were perfectly benevolent to them; light and warmth were all that they offered to the group.

Soon, the moment was over. As if back from a dream, Lu fell to her knees, relieved.

“You've awoken, Luci-chan!” said Debuu-ni with a smile.

“Dime Lu.” she said with a smile.