The body she lost

Hayato doesn't give her a choice. That's how he framed it anyway. Standing at the edge of the station with his travel bag slung over his shoulder. His hair is tied back neatly, his eyes fixed forward like he's bracing for a battle before even boarding the train. "You're coming with me," he'd said. Yukari tilted her head, watching him. The late afternoon light flickers through the station windows, falling on her cinnamon hair, turning them an almost golden shade. She notices how his gaze flickered before he forced it away. "Is that an order?" She asked. His jaw tightened. "It's a precaution." She gave an almost fragile smile. "Against me?" "No," he said too quickly. "Against what's coming." She stepped closer, close enough that he can feel her heat in the cold station air. Human's were always surprised by how warm she is. Even now, broken and half restored. She folds her hands behind her back, looking almost demure. "You're worried," she says. "You don't trust me out of your sight." "I don't trust you at all," Hayato replies. Yet he doesn't step away. 

The train doors slide open with a hiss, breaking the moment. Yukari turns towards the sound, her smile fading into something unreadable. Where are we going?" She asks. Hayato purses his lips. "North," he says. "There are rumours that spirits haven't been staying where they're put." The countryside bleeds into a blur as the train carries them away. Concrete turns to fields, fields into forests, forests into mountains shrouded in mist. Yukari watches it silently, her chin propped on her hand, the movement reflected in her honey-coloured eyes. "So," she finally breaks the silence. "You never answered." Hayato doesn't look up from the charm he's preparing. "Answered what?" "Why did I have to come?" He slides the talisman into his belt carefully. "Because whatever has your tail isn't roaming freely." "It's bound?" "Yes." "And still dangerous." "More so," he corrects. "A bound spirit is a cornered one." She feels it suddenly. The tug. This one isn't as intense as the last one, but it seems almost more persistent.  She feels it like fingers pressing into her skull. Her breath catches and she turns her face away so he can't see the emotion in her eyes. Possession is different from the others. It slips into gaps and takes hold of what's already there.

"What kind of binding?" she finally asks. "Shikigami." She frowns. "Someone's controlling it," she says softly. "Or trying to," Hayato replies. "Shikigami don't always stay loyal. And this one has power unlike others." Yukari leans back, her eyes tired. "And you think it's my tail?" "I know it is." "How?" "Because it's been jumping bodies." That gets her attention. "How many?" Hayato sighs. "Enough that villagers have stopped counting." 

They arrive at dusk. The village is tucked in the mountain, lanterns glowing softly along narrow paths. Yukari feels it the moment they step into the village. The tug intensifies like a thread running through her chest, along her spine. It pulls her toward the centre of the village. "People here don't look possessed," she whispers. "No," Hayato agrees. "That makes it worse." They walk slowly through the paths. The villagers greet them politely with careful smiles. Yukari scans their eyes for any sign of possession, but she finds nothing, not even fear. "They're hollow," she whispers. Hayato nods. "The shikigami doesn't stay long in one place. It wears them out." A child runs past her, laughing, another following. The tug intensifies and Yukari flinches. She turns and the laughter stops. The children barely blink for a moment, before returning to normal and running off as if nothing happened. "It's close," Yukari says. "I know." Hayato's hand tightens around the hilt of his sword. They follow the tug to a shrine at the centre of the village. It's old and worn out, the torii gate cracked and leaning. Talisman's hang from beams, some new, others yellowed with age. 

Yukari steps closer, her eyes narrowing. "These seals are layered," she says. "Yes." "And overlapping," she adds. "Sloppy." Hayato grimaces. "Someone desperate put them here." A voice drifts from the shrine. "You shouldn't be here." They turn around, a woman stands at the shrine. Her kimono is immaculate, her hair neatly pinned. Her eyes drift to Yukari. "You bring bad luck," the woman says calmly. Yukari smiles slightly. "Funny. People usually say that after I'm gone." The woman's lips twitch before shifting to Hayato. "You should take her away," she says. "Before she makes things worse." The tug slams into Yukari's chest. The woman smiles, just a hint. 

Hayato moves instantly, stepping between them. "She's possessed." The woman laughs. "No," she says. "I'm chosen." The woman's eyes glaze for a moment before sharpening again. "Such strong will," the woman says, but the voice seems different, no longer hers. "Resisted me for weeks." Yukari's nails bite into her palms. "And the others?" "Borrowed," the shikigami replies. "Worn and discarded." Hayato raises his sword. "Release her." The shikagami's eyes focus on Yukari. "You're exquisite," it drawls. "Even broken." Yukari feels something brush her mind. as if it's testing. "I have your tail." The woman's sleeve slips, revealing a paper charm bound to her wrist, darkened and warped. "You can't hold it," Yukari says softly. "It's ripping you apart." The shikigami laughs, the sound almost like ripping paper. "It's teaching me how to take." Hayato glances at Yukari. "When this starts," he says under his breath, "don't hesitate." Yukari looks at him, a quiet understanding between them. "I won't." 

The woman's body shudders, veins darkening under her skin, the talisman's on the beam beginning to burn as the shikigami surges. Her body bends, her spine arching as if something inside her is pulling strings too tight. Shadows pool at her feet, then snap upwards like grasping hands. "Do not interfere," the shikigami says. Hayato moves anyway. He strikes fast, his blade moving through the air. It should've struck flesh, but it didn't. The woman moved at the last moment. Her joints bent at impossible angles. Hayato slaps a talisman on her shoulder, but it sinks in. The ink crawls over her kimono before disappearing under her skin. Hayato jumps back. The woman laughs before her gaze snaps to Yukari. "You can feel it," the shikigami says. "How easily I slip into them. How weak their doors are." The shadows surge forward. Yukari staggers as she feels something invading her mind, searching for a weakness to take hold of. Memories flicker at the edge of her vision, warm hands drifting over her hair, trust offered easily, safety. She snarls before forcing them back. "No," she hisses. "You don't get to wear me." The shikigami recoils in slight surprise. "Ah," it murmurs. "You're already full."

It lunges. The woman moves with speed. Her kimono fluttering as she closes the distance to Hayato in a flash. Her fingers elongate mid strike, shadows hardening into claws that spark as they hit Hayato's blade. The shock sends Hayato skidding backwards, his boots leaving their marks in lines. Yukari runs around, her body staying low as she circles, observing the way the shadows move. The shikigami isn't anchored to the woman, it's moving through her, slipping in and out, reinforcing weak points. She feels the tug again. Her tail was inside the binding charm. They shikigami splits itself. The woman continues attacking Hayato, feral and relentless, while the shadows turn toward Yukari. They wrap around her ankles and wrists, clawing up her spine.

Yukari screams as the shadows try to slip into her through the hollow spaces her missing tails left behind. She fights, kicks, thrashes, bites down hard enough to taste blood as her memories blur and her sense of self starts to slip away. "No." She focuses on one thing. Mine. She surges and slams her hand around the charm on the woman's wrist. The shikigami screeches. The sound vibrating inside Yukari's bones. The woman's body spasms, dropping to her knees. The shadows tear back towards the woman, desperate to hold on. Hayato seizes the opportunity. He slams his sword into the ground, sigils flaring outward, anchoring the woman's body as the shadows thrash around her. "Now!" He shouts. 

The shikigami screams, shadows surging upwards, trying to enter Yukari fully. She presses the charm to her chest, pain surging through her.  She felt it rip through her veins as possession returns to its rightful owner. The shadows implode as light rips through Yukari, her tail unfurling behind her. The pressure vanishes instantly as the shikigami's scream abruptly cuts off. The woman's body collapses, unconscious, finally her own. Hayato staggers, sword lowering as the seals slowly fade. He looks at Yukari, at her tail, at the way she stands among the wreckage calmly. "It tried to take you," he says. Yukari exhales slowly. "Yes," she replies, her tail curling behind her. "And it failed."

The shrine stands in ruins. Charred wood, torn papers scattered, the scent of blood clinging to the air. Yukari stands still. Possession was a strange thing to reclaim, it felt heavier, steadier. Hayato watches her carefully, as if expecting something more to surface. "You're different," he says. She glances at him. "So are you. He frowns. "I meant..." "I know what you meant," she interrupts softly. Silence stretches between them. Finally he looks away. "We can't keep doing this," he mutters. "Each tail makes you more dangerous." Her lips curve. "And yet you still stand beside me." He doesn't answer. Yukari watches him for a moment, the tug of her next tail already pulling at her. This time, when she smiled, it lingered.