Cave Collision

When Yukimura awakened, her fingers were met with an icy touch. She looked around, but the lighting of the nearby area was dim. She could only faintly make out a light farther away from her. She struggled to get up, but after a few steps in that direction, she tripped on something heavy. Yukimura checked the floor to see what it was, and it was the bag Shin was holding.

Did he drop it? Why did he leave it here? Is he in danger? Those thoughts raced through Yukimura’s mind as she grabbed a light from the bag and raced toward the source of the light. While she ran, she shone the light on the walls, ceiling, and floor of her surroundings and immediately knew she was in a cave. But now wasn’t the time for that, as only one thought coursed through her mind. I need to find Shin!

She ran through puddles to finally reach the light, but when Yukimura did, she nearly dropped her own light. With her limited composure, she could only muster up the will to ask one question, “Shin… What are you doing?”

“Oh, this Yukinko got separated from its family, and I was helping it find them.” In response, Yukimura used a talisman to summon her sword once more.

“Step aside, Shin. Let me kill this yokai.” Shin noticed when the Yukinko hid behind his legs, just like a timid child would.

“No, I can’t step aside.”

“Shin, stop being an idiot! This is a life-or-death situation! It can be luring you into a trap! That thing would’ve killed you if I hadn’t knocked it out of your hands!”

“Wrong. This one is different. It has a different hairstyle.” Shin was right. The one in front of them had a bowl cut while the previous Yukinko had a bob.

“Shin, that’s even worse. That means that this isn’t a simple cave; it’s a den of yokai. We need to wipe it out.”

“And kill all of them? Why? The Yukinkos didn’t do anything wrong.”

“They didn’t do anything wrong, yet! It’s in a yokai’s nature to betray and kill people, Shin. I would know.”

You would know? “What do you mean by that?”

“I spent the last ten years of my life killing yokai. In those ten years, I have yet to see a yokai who wasn’t malicious. All they care about is killing humans for their own selfish gains.”

“Not all yokai are like that.”

“Like what? The Kishin?” Yukimura’s grip on her sword tightened after she said those words. After all, she saw Shin’s expression soften as his eyes fixed themselves on the ground.

“Yes…Kishin. Do you know what it said to me, Yukimura? It said it didn’t want to be evil.”

It didn’t want to be evil? “That was probably a trap! Are you going to fall for everything a yokai says?”

“No! And no, it wasn’t!”

“How are you so sure?”

“I can just feel it.”

“Feel it? Shin, that’s not an explanation at all. Give me a reason!”

“Then, trust me.” Shin said those words with a smile, and that smile heralded silence throughout the cave. The only thing that could be heard was the occasional drop of water from the cave’s ceiling.

“Fine.” Yukimura lowered her sword, keeping it in her hands. “I’ll trust you, Shin… But if the Yukinko tries anything, I’m going to kill it without hesitation. Understood?” The Yukinko slightly stepped out of hiding from Shin’s legs and proceeded to bow.

“I think it’s trying to say thank you.”

“Can it not speak?”

“I don’t think it can.”

“Then, how did you know it was lost?”

“It seemed confused and scared, looking around for something, so I decided to help it.”

Yukimura could only sigh at Shin’s naivety. I did say that I’d trust him. How much am I going to regret that decision?