Yuuchi

 Yuna starts the tour, and leads the group into the forest. “So everyone welcome to my Utaki, I don’t actually have a name for it. But as it's Noro I protect, and maintain it.” Yuna said. The Europeans and Central Asians looked through small books or phones to try and find the translation. While the Japanese were able to understand most of the words. They know what would be considered modern Japanese without comprehending a difference in dialect.” Yusuke said. “I don’t believe Okinawan Japanese is much different from mainland Japanese. It’s still is Japanese.” Yuna said. “Says the one who has a hard time understanding Kansai Japanese.” Yusuke said. “Ms. tour guide, what exactly is Utaki?” a Japanese man said. “Ok. No clue about one of those words.” Yuna said, but couldn’t actually find an answer. “A Himorogi. Utaki is essentially the Ryukyuans Himorogi. It’s a sacred grove, a place of worship.” Yusuke said. “How do you know what an Utaki is?” Yuna asked. “I need to know something about the place I live.” Yusuke said. The group started to understand what Yuna had said. “So this is where you worship deities like Amaterasu and Hachiman?” a European man said, speaking a broken common Japanese. “Ok, uh. No. I think. We don’t worship Amaterasu and Hachiman here. I won’t stop you if you do, but I ask if you do pray to Amamikyu, Shinerikyu, or The Futuchi, not to the gods you can find in Japan.” Yuna said. Yusuke said the sentence in the Kansai dialect, letting the people fully understand what Yuna said. “Thank you.” Yuna said quietly.

The tour continued, and the group reached the cave. “Be careful, I saw a coconut crab in here yesterday.” Yuna said, scanning the small cave for the invading crustation. She walked in, grabbing the banana peel from yesterday and threw it out of the cave, before reaching the middle of the cave. Yusuke translated the sentence, getting confused on how Yuna was cautious of a coconut crab. Yuna bowed, clapped three times, and bowed again. “Jiichi, I ask that you grant these people good luck. A thanks for them taking the time to learn about us.” Yuna said softly. The Mabui around her started glowing green. Yuna smiled seeing the Mabui around her. Yusuke walked to Yuna, then proceeded to pray with her, bowing, clapping three times, and bowing again. “The Kami seem happy.” Yusuke said. “You praying to your gods?” Yuna asked. “I’m praying to the Kami. The stuff surrounding you. It’s called Kami, and don’t deny it, you smiled when it appeared.” Yusuke whispered to Yuna. “Mabui, and yes I see it. So you know about it? Is this something the crowd needs to know, or are you whispering to keep it a secret?” Yuna asked. “Keep it a secret. The common people can’t know about it.” Yusuke said. “Why?” Yuna asked. “Have you ever heard about the Salem witch trial, or the German witch hunt?” Yusuke asked. “Nope.” Yuna said. “We can talk about this after, don’t leave when the tour does.” Yusuke says. “Alright.” Yuna said.

The tour continues, and Yuna leads the group out of the Utaki, and the forest path back to the small building at the entrance. “Thank you all for attending the tour with me. It’s been a pleasure to teach you all a little about my culture, and way of life.” Yuna said, smiling to the people of the tour, as they walked away. “Always a good day when I can help people.” Yuna said. “Did you get paid for doing that?” Yusuke asked. “About a week ago when everyone bought tickets for it.” Yuna said. “So anyways, we need to talk about your powers.” Yusuke said, turning to Yuna who had disappeared from where she was standing. Yusuke looked around, finding Yuna opening the door to the small building at the path entrance. “You coming in?” Yuna asked. “Why not just live here, it’ll save you the trouble of biking back and forth several times a day?” Yusuke asked. “This building isn’t owned by me. It’s in the city's name, however they don't take care of it, that’s why it looks like this.” Yuna said, revealing the disheveled state the building is in. “Hmm, so you are just breaking and entering?” Yusuke asked. “I didn’t break anything. Also, I do have permission to be here. The city lets me use it as a workplace for my tour. It existed here for a hundred years or so, but my mom had to sell it. Very few people go on tours, and paying for the apartment in the city was a bit expensive.” Yuna explained, sitting down in front of a low table. “Yet you manage just fine by yourself.” Yusuke said, joining her. “I do odd jobs, as well as tours, the rent for the apartment went down, and I don’t buy a lot besides food.” Yuna said.

“How sad, but we need to talk.” Yusuke said. “Are you from the secret society I've heard about?” Yuna asked. “How could you possibly know that? How do you know of a secret society?” Yusuke said. “Ramon told me, yesterday after being ambushed by the-. I forgot what he called it. The Yanamun. Big thing, pitch black, one eye.” Yuna said. “A Yokai, you fought a Yokai? That’s awesome, I wish I could fight one, I've done all this training, and I still haven’t had a chance to prove myself.” Yusuke said. “I didn’t say Yokai, whatever. Tell me, is every monster just called Yanamun, or are there certain types of Yanamun?” Yuna asked. “There are several types of YOKAI, say it with me Yokai. And they differ, especially with how to take one down, and how one attacks. An Oni is different from an Akuma. Oni’s are generally big and slow, they rely on physical attacks, and can shatter the ground. The strongest recorded attack by an Oni ended up rumbling the tectonic plates, causing a massive earthquake. It killed thousands, but that was a long time ago, unrecorded in Japanese history. But an Akuma, I pray you never run into them. They rely on majutsu, and are a pain to take down. Evil in nature, and only vulnerable to majutsu. It took several High Ranking Hunters to slay even the weakest Akuma ever encountered.” Yusuke said. “Are you a Hunter, is that what your secret organization does?” Yuna asked. “Yes, and No. We exist everywhere. And our job is to safeguard the Kami, and Majutsu. The Yokai complicate that, and put Humans at risk. That’s where the very idea of gods comes from. A person wielding Kami and Majutsu. In the case of Susanoo, he is real, but not an actual god, a person, like us. But through the ages, his battle against Yamata was recorded in history, and became the embodiment of what a Kami is. It is my job, and the job of everyone who works in this organization to stop the public knowledge of these events. Because when the truth gets out, Religious fanatics see us as evil. They hunt us and kill us. For us to be equal we need to erase religion from this world, and tell the humans the truth. That is the aim of my Organization.” Yusuke said. “Should you have told me all that then? I’m not a part of your organization.” Yuna said. “No, but I wish to recruit you. The Kami speaks highly of you.” Yusuke said. “I decline. I want to preserve my people, and their culture, and you want to destroy it, of course I’m not joining.” Yuna said. “And here we go. How many people need to die for religion, how many are slaughtered, and massacred for the sake of religion? Our only way forward as a people is to erase it.” Yusuke rationalized. The passion in his eyes faded leaving nothing but emptiness. “Is that why you continue to talk about, and even idolize Susanoo-No-Mikoto? You want to erase it yet you keep bringing it up.” Yuna said. “Those are truths. Susanoo being a Kami is false. The Kami are the source of the magic, they aren't gods.” Yusuke said. “I’m not joining.” Yuna said firmly.

Before the conversation could continue the air around them went still. The small windows and cracks in the wall showed the sky as black. “Another Yanamun.” Yuna said standing up. “Come on, they are Yokai.” Yusuke said standing and trying to gather the situation. The roof of the building got torn off, revealing a monster towering above them. Its skin was grey, and it had horns. The teeth in its mouth were broken, and crooked. “An Oni, a grey Oni.” Yusuke said, his body freezing. “I can see.” Yuna said. “Grey Oni, they are strong enough to level a small city.” Yusuke said. “Then it will break our bones without trying right?” Yuna asked. “It very well can. That’s what makes this exciting.” Yusuke said, taking a deep breath then smiling. Electricity surrounded him, and bounced between him and the walls. The Oni walked through the building, destroying it, as it confronted the two. “Prepare yourself, this thing won't die without a fight.” Yusuke said.