Ichikishi's Mom

Mojinkishi was proud of her son. He was just a small boy, but was very promising. She saw great potential in the boy, and never wanted anything bad to ever happen to him. As a dedicated mother, she decided then and there that she would get all the People of the world to agree not to harm him. She pulled out her map of the People. The People of the world were divided into two groups: People of the Light and People of the Dark. It wasn't a moral judgment, but rather a preference toward diurnal and nocturnal activity.

It just was coincidental that a lot of the monsters happened to be nocturnal: the trolls, the vampires, the wraiths, and the night stallions to name a few.

Determined, she set forth into the world, seeking out each group for her special mission.

She started with the nearby settlement of humans. “I have a son,” she said to their leader.

“I have a daughter,” he said in response. “Are you here to propose a marriage?”

She shook her head. “Maybe later,” she said. “But I have come here on greater matters. I have come here to ask that you promise never to harm my son, Ichikishi.”

“And why should I make such a promise?”

“If you do,” she said. “I shall send you the best homemade mochi soup every new year.”

The leader of the humans considered this. “It is a deal,” he declared.

Simple enough, she went next to the kappa living in the nearby river. Their leader greeted them by the bank. “I have a son,” she said to it.

“And I have a daughter,” said the kappa. “Do you seek to propose a marriage?”

Once again, she shook her head. “Perhaps later,” she said. “I have come on a more important manner. I wish for you to promise to never harm my son, Ichikishi.”

“Why should we make such a promise?” said the kappa.

“If you do,” she said. “I promise to give you delicious mochi soup every new year in return. Made in my own kitchen.”

The kappa licked its lips at the promise of delicious mochi soup. “It is a deal,” it said before climbing back into the water and disappearing below the surface.

She went from village to encampment with the same offer, in exchange for a promise to never harm her son, she would provide mochi soup to the People every new year. As she marched across the land, she mentally calculated how much soup she would have to make. The world had quite a lot of People in it.

After extracting a promise from both the Angelus and Kagamikurai, the new dark lord, she sat on a rock, exhausted. It was the time between day and night, when the stars got ready to shine, and the sun got dim and lazy. She leaned back on the rock, trying to figure out how to convince her husband to get her a larger pot for making soup. That's when a small, furry creature with long ears hopped out from under the rock.

She looked at it. There were no People of Light or People of Dark marked on her map here. She leaned forward and addressed the creature. “Are you of the People of Light or People of Dark?” she asked it.

The furry creature crossed its arms and glowered at her. “I say, madam,” it said in a gruff voice. “We rabbits are of the Between, when the sky is dim and the shadows long.”

She crossed her arms, not liking the tone this creature was taking with her. “So you are not any sort of People?” she said.

“I would shudder at the thought,” said the rabbit. “The People walk above the land and cut down the trees and grass. They burn them or shape them into houses. They upturn the earth and force it to yield a great bounty, but hunt us and eat us if we dare share in the harvest.” The rabbit spat. “It would be a day to stop leaping the day we became People.”

“Very well,” she said. “I have nothing to offer you.”

The rabbit nodded. “Good,” it said, pulling a hammer out from under the rock. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some mochi to make.”

“As do I,” said Mojinkishi. She stood up and returned home to start making enough mochi soup to give to all the People by the new year.

When her husband returned home in the evening, she was busy making soup over a large kettle. “What are you doing, wife?” he asked.

“I am making mochi soup for the world,” she said. “For all the People of Light and People of Dark. They will have this delicious soup for the new year.”

Her husband nodded. “And why is my wife making soup for the entire world?” he asked.

“In exchange for this soup, every one of the People has promised to not harm our son. It is a small price to pay for his safety.”

Her husband nodded. “I agree. However, wife, I do have a question.”

“What is it, husband?” she said, stirring the soup, tasting the broth.

“What will you do with the other eight sons I plan on having?”

She stopped stirring. Surely she couldn't extract more promises from all the people for more food. “I shall just have to be creative,” she said. “I shall ensure their safety in clever ways, for that is a mother's job.”

“Very well,” said her husband. “Now, if you will excuse me, I must set traps in the garden. Small furry creatures with long ears have been stealing my daikons.”

She nodded, and for a moment, while she stirred the soup, she thought of the rabbit. Should she have extracted a promise out of it? No, she shook her head. They were insignificant creatures, of no import. And besides, they made their own mochi. She did not want to have to make multiple meals.

But still, she had eight more schemes to think up, one for each new son her husband wanted.