Intermezzo No. I: Yume's Favor

"You must pay close attention to my words, Yume. When the time comes for the Chosen One to arrive, you will be the one who must guide him and light his way."

"How will I recognize him?"

"Trust me, you'll know him when you see him"

"But where will I find him?"

"In the year 1040, on the day of July twenty-third, you will find him on a ledge in the Forest of the Wolves, near the small farming village of Bun'ya no Mura"

"1040? But that's…"

"In three-hundred and ninety-two years, I'm aware"

"That's a really long time to wait. Will he really keep quiet for that long?"

"Who, Imawashī? You know that he is nothing but a loudmouth without the Mask. He will cause no more damage to Chū Nihon than he already has"

"So that's it? All we can do is wait?"

"I'm afraid so"

The words the Soothsayer had said to her hung heavily over her head as she walked down the banks of the River of the Yōkai. It was the dead of Night, and the trees had grown so thick this year that the only way to see starlight was to walk where the growth didn't cover. The River ran swiftly but quietly by her feet. 

Just ahead of her, illuminated by the dim starlight was a stone statue. It recreated an odd figure, with the long arms and legs of a monkey and the shell and face of a turtle. It was standing bent over at a perfect right angle as if it were taking a bow. Green and brown grime covered its back.

Yume gently grabbed the statue and sat it down. She raised her staff and pointed it at the nearby river.

"Mizu no idō," she said. A large drop of water rose up out of the river and, following the movement of Yume's staff, floated softly through the air, landing in a perfect bowl-like divot in the statue's head.

A deep blue color bled out over the gray of the statue. The rough rock softened into scaly flesh. The statue's eyes blinked a few times. Then the once-statue started. He looked around himself in a panic. He noticed Yume, and sighed.

"Aw man, I did it again, didn't I?," he said.

"If by 'it' you mean bowed so low that the water fell out of the bowl in your head, then yes"

The once-statue shrugged. "Oh well. Hey, thanks for freeing me, wizard! I'll be on my way now"

He spun around and began to powerwalk to the river.

"Stop," ordered Yume. At her word, he stopped and stood stock-still.

"I tricked you into emptying the water from your bowl. That means you're in my service until I release you," said Yume a bit too proudly.

The once-statue kicked a rock into the water. "Yeah, I know," he said. "It's really stupid, honestly. I think Chōra felt like a meanie the day she made kappas." He sat dejectedly on the floor, hugging his knees.

Yume sat down next to him, gently patting his shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry. Honestly, I can't even imagine what it's like to be forced into servitude at a moment's notice. That said, you had it coming you little brat!" Yume smiled impishly.

The once-statue stuck his tongue out at her. "All I did was drop an overripe peach on your hat!," he said.

"True, but do you know how long it took me to wash that out? Too long, my friend"

The once-statue extended his legs and crossed his arms. "Still doesn't feel like I deserve a lifetime of slavery, though"

"Hey now. This isn't a lifetime deal. All I need you to do is get me a boat that can take me and a few friends down the River of the Yōkai. As soon as we get where we need to be, I'll let you come back here"

The once-statue's eyes lit up. "Do you promise?," he asked.

"I swear on my Wizard's honor"

"Oh yay! Thank goodness! I was scared there for a second," the once-statue said, jumping up to his feet. "Well if it's a boat you need, I can get you a boat! When do you need it by?"

Yume looked up at the Sky.

"I'm going to meet a very important person tonight. At some point tomorrow, once the Sun is high in the Sky, I'll come back with him and some other people. We're going to save the world"

The once-statue made an "ooooh" sound. "Sounds fun! It should be ready by then. Everybody knows that kappa concierges are the best concierges!"

Yume smiled and seeing her smile made him smile too. "My name is Namiko. I'm glad to help you out. Especially since you'll release me! Which you'll do right? You'll release me?"

Yume laughed out loud at this. "Yeah! I promised, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," said Namiko quietly.

"Okay, well, I need to go now. The person I'm supposed to meet should be at our get-together spot soon. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes ma'am! Kappas never break their promises!" He bowed politely as he said this, though not so much as to let the water fall out of his head.

Yume bowed back to him, waved, then turned around and left. 

"Kappas can't break promises even if they want to," Namiko muttered to himself.

As Yume continued her trek down the River of the Yōkai, the Moon reached its highest point in the Night Sky, and July 23rd, 1040 began.