Chapter 18: The Oni Girl

The Oni girl sat up, squinting as she looked around. Alex picked up her glasses from the ground beside him, the same ones he had taken off after she fell asleep, and handed them to her. “Here you go. I did not want them to break, so I took them off while you were sleeping.”

She put the glasses on and blinked a few times. When her eyes focused on Alex, they widened, and tears began to well up. She suddenly leapt forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

Celeste stepped back and took hold of Masamune’s handle, ready to draw after the Oni girl’s sudden movement. Alex flicked his gaze toward Celeste and gave a small shake of his head. “No, it is fine.”

The Oni girl burst into tears. “Thank goodness it was not just a dream. You are really here.” She cried and cried, her emotions spilling over.

Eventually, Alex placed his hands gently on her shoulders and eased her back. “My name is Alex,” he said softly. “And this behind you is Celeste.”

The Oni girl turned and looked at Celeste. Seeing tears still glistening in the girl’s eyes, Celeste slowly lowered her gaze and released the hilt of Masamune.

Alex spoke gently. “Now, who are you? Care to introduce yourself?”

The Oni girl moved back, sat on her knees, and looked at Alex. “My name is Ishikawa. Natsumi Ishikawa.”

“Oh, that name sounds Japanese,” Alex said curiously.

“It is Japanese,” Natsumi replied quickly. “I am Japanese. Or, I was, until I transformed.”

“Would you tell us what happened to you?” Alex asked. “It might help my partner feel a little better, since she is still cautious of you.” He glanced at Celeste, who watched Natsumi closely, her eyes tracking every small movement.

Natsumi took a breath and nodded. “Sure. Now, where do I begin?”

“I was on a field trip with my class,” she began, her tone distant as she stared at the floor. “We went to Mount Osorezan on an educational trip to learn about the area. While we were walking along the mountain trails with my classmates and teacher, listening to the lesson, everything suddenly changed. Out of nowhere, everyone disappeared. I could not find my teachers. I could not find my classmates. I could not find anybody. I was all alone, and the world had completely changed.

“I descended the mountain and found only barren land and pools of bubbling water. I searched for any sign of life or anyone who could help, but I found nothing. I grew hungry, then weak, as I slowly starved. Then I saw it, something in the distance. When I approached, I realized it was an Oni. The moment it saw me, it chased me down, broke both my legs and arms, and held me in its grasp to take me somewhere. That is when I realized where I was. Jigoku, the Japanese hell.

“It carried me, probably taking me back to its home to eat me, when another Oni crossed its path. They fought over me, and I got lucky. Both of them ended up killing each other. I was left there, starving and weak, with no food in sight. I used all my strength to crawl to the corpses of the dead Oni. My hunger was unbearable. I could not take the pain anymore. I began devouring their flesh and meat.

“Afterward, I gagged, vomited, and convulsed. Humans are not meant to ingest that kind of meat, blood, or skin. I passed out, and when I woke up, my body was healed. My wounds were gone. I had grown bigger, and my arms and legs were no longer broken. That is when I realized I had become an Oni.

“From there, I learned to stay hidden and out of sight, traveling through Jigoku cautiously, trying to find any way to get home. I wandered in terror for a long time, until one day I came across a man. I was so happy. He wore a cloak, had a shaggy beard and long hair. I could not see his face clearly, but I was curious and decided to follow him.

“I followed his trail for quite a while. Then, as I watched him, he simply vanished. I waited a few days before checking the spot where he disappeared, and I found myself on the seventh layer of hell. There were flying demons everywhere, corruption covered the land, and the entire place was a nightmare.

“Eventually, I met the halfway beings,” Natsumi continued. “They told me about the layers and the portals, and how I could travel between them, moving to higher and lower levels of hell. They said if I kept searching, I might find a way to escape this place, if such a thing is even possible.

“So I crept through the hells. I met halfway beings, gathered information, and learned the most likely locations of the portals. I have no idea how much time has passed, but eventually I made it to the first layer. This place is much better than the others. I just hope there is a portal out of here.”

“There is a portal that leads out of the first layer,” Alex said, “but it only takes you to a neutral layer. It is a mirrored version of Japan, but there are still no people. Right now, it is filled with demons and angels locked in battle.”

Natsumi sighed softly. “Then I will stay here for a while, at least until I can figure something out, or until the fighting stops.”

“How long have you been in hell?” Alex asked.

“I have no idea,” Natsumi said, frowning. “After a while I lost track, but I think it might be around eight years.”

“What year in school did you go missing?” Alex asked.

“I disappeared in 1970,” Natsumi replied quietly.

Alex’s eyes widened slightly as he did the math. After a moment he said softly, “Right now it is the year 2025. You have been missing for fifty-five years.”

Natsumi’s expression broke as tears welled up again. She threw herself into Alex’s arms and bawled uncontrollably. “My mother, my father, my grandparents, they are probably all gone. I am the only one left.”

She cried and trembled while Alex gently rubbed her back to comfort her.

When she finally pulled back, she looked at Alex with hopeful eyes. “You are human. You came from Earth, did you not? How did you get here? Can you lead me back to Earth? Maybe one of my family members is still alive. I need to find out.”

“I am sorry,” Alex said, regret in his voice. “I can tell you where the portal to the neutral layer is, but I cannot take you back. I do not even know how to return to Earth myself, and I cannot go back until I complete my mission. That is why Celeste and I are down here. We were sent on a mission to reach the eighth layer of hell. After that, if we make it, we might be sent back home.”

Celeste cut in, calm but firm. “Yes. After we rest here, we will part ways with you. We need to reach the portal to the second layer and continue our journey.”

Natsumi’s eyes watered again. She tightened her grip on Alex, then gathered her courage. “Then I will come too. I have already traveled through the first seven layers. I know where the portals are. I can be your guide.”

Celeste frowned and crossed her arms. “No. I do not think I can trust you. Even though you were once human, you are an Oni now. I cannot turn my back on you, not knowing if you will suddenly leap at Alex and try to devour him.”

“Eat Alex?” Natsumi gasped, shaking her head. “There is no way I could do that. He is human, and I was human too. I could never do that. It will be fine.”

Celeste sighed. “Then you will have to learn to fight with us. We cannot have you holding us back.”

A worried look crossed Natsumi’s face. “I can fight,” she said softly. “I just need to practice. I helped Alex back in the forest. If I try really hard, I can be helpful.”

“Besides fighting, can you use magic?” Alex asked.

Natsumi blinked. “Magic?”

“Yes,” Alex said with a small nod. “I learned a few weeks ago from God that humans used to be able to use magic. Since you were once human, you might have that ability as well. Have you felt anything strange in your body lately, something you cannot explain?”

Natsumi’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, that feeling. Yes, I have felt it for a while. I wondered what it was. So that is magic?”

Alex nodded. “Yes. We can teach you how to use it. It is simple in theory but hard to master. Some things will come easily, others will not. It depends on your imagination.”

“Well, if I have you and Celeste as my teachers, I think I can learn to fight and use magic,” Natsumi said with newfound determination. “So please, take me with you.”

Celeste’s gaze sharpened. “Fine. But I will still keep my eye on you. I cannot fully trust you yet.”

Natsumi wiped her tears and gave a bright smile. “That is fine. As long as I am with Alex, everything should be fine.” She hugged him tighter, and Celeste’s irritation was visible.

Alex chuckled softly. “Now that that is over, let us eat,” he said, pulling his bag closer and opening it.

“Food?” Natsumi asked, eyes widening. “You mean human food? Real human food?”

“Yes,” Alex said with a grin. “See this bag? Put your hand in and pull out whatever you think of, any type of food you want.”

Natsumi hesitated, then slowly reached into the bag. When she pulled her hand out, she held a giant bowl of ramen. She stared in disbelief as tears welled again. “It is food. It is really human food. I have not eaten anything since I was sent to Jigoku. The last thing I ate was those Onis. Ever since then, I have been starving. But this, it is really human food.”

“Eat up,” Alex said, smiling as she rambled through her tears. “You can have as many servings as you want.”

She picked up the chopsticks, blew on the ramen, and began to eat slowly, slurping the noodles as tears streamed down her face.

Alex reached into the bag and pulled out a combination pizza. “Celeste, do you want to share this with me?”

She glanced at him. “Is it a combination?”

Alex nodded. “Yes, my favorite.”

Celeste gave a faint smile. “Sure.” She sat beside him, and soon the warm aroma of food filled the air as all three of them sat together, enjoying their first meal as companions.