The Night of the 16th, Part 5

FOLLOWING HAKURŌ’S DEFEAT, THE HANDS WERE NO MORE. The majority of them had been annihilated by Hotaru’s orbital strike, and the few stragglers were all but negligible.

The Red Thread’s forces were in disarray, enough so for the ACU and the other security forces to turn the crisis around. However, a few matters remained that only Hotaru could address.

The most obvious one was the rampant spiritual corruption throughout the city, which would continue to affect the population for decades to come. And in a more immediate, personal matter…

“Akiko-chan,” said Hotaru, walking to her longtime friend and mentor. If she hadn’t known about her capture beforehand, she wouldn’t have recognized her. Now, gone was the brilliant woman Hotaru had known and loved for so many years, leaving only a shallow remnant of her instead.

It was such a cruel, terrible sight that Hotaru’s heart felt like it would shatter. Tears welled on her eyes, and try as she may, she couldn’t find the words to say to her.

“Ho… a…” Akiko tried to speak, but to no avail. All that she could do was to weakly turn her eyes to her apprentice, as the latter gently picked her in her arms.

Ryuuji and the others caught up to them, horrified by Akiko’s fate. Even Miyuki knew that, despite the depth of Hotaru’s power, these wounds were well beyond healing.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Akiko-chan… I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t...” she held onto her, careful not to hurt her any further.

As for Akiko, was she still capable of understanding?

Tears welled in her eyes, but it wasn’t clear if they came from the heartbreak of their reunion, or just from blanket suffering. By that point, even living was a torment.

“Hotaru,” said Miyuki, walking up to her from behind. “We can’t leave her like this. We must let her go.”

She hesitated for a moment, but eventually Hotaru gave in, slowly pulling away from her old-time friend. She gave her a long, hard look so that she’d never forget her. And then, no matter how much it tore her to do so, Hotaru said the words…

“Rest in peace… Akiko-chan…”

Akiko looked at her for a moment, and with a faint smile rising on her lips, she exhaled her final breath.

Hotaru’s shoulders rose and fell as she cried, and Ryuuji knelt next to her to support her. Slowly, Hotaru leaned on him, seeking refuge in his chest.

But yet, despite the tragedy they had experienced, the sound of battle raged on in the distance. The Red Thread’s forces had been dealt with, but countless yōkai still prowled the city and its surroundings.

Ordinary citizens were at risk of turning into oni, or simply being killed. In the end, it was no different to the miasma incident from New Year’s. Nay, it was even worse.

This time, the Bureau of Harmony lay in ruins, and the ACU had been forced to fight against much stronger opponents than before. Seeing this, the odds for the country to bounce back from the disaster were dismal.

Thus, Hotaru found no recourse but to take matters into her own hands.

“Ryuuji…” she said, fighting back the tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, but I can’t leave this be. I can’t let them get away with this.”

She didn’t need to explain herself. Ryuuji knew full well what she intended to do.

“I know. That’s fine,” he said, holding her tightly. “Do what you must do, Hotaru, but remember what we promised before. If you’re going down, I’m going with you.”

Hotaru tightened her grasp on him, hating the idea of losing him too.

“But you don’t have to, Ryuuji. You don’t need to die. Akari is still here for you, so please, let me protect you and stay with her.”

It was an earnest wish of hers, but Ryuuji shook his head.

“No can do. I could never live with myself if I failed you again. So let’s do it, Hotaru. Let’s purify our home, together.”

Pushing him away was well within her power. All she had to do to save him was to give the word... But deep inside, she knew he would never stand for it. After all, she had already done it once before, and he spent almost a decade trying to find her.

Knowing this, what right did she have to deny him?

All that was left was to accept his wish and die to Reigetsu, hand in hand.

However, there was one complication…

“I’ll go with you,” said Akari, holding onto them from behind.

Ren and the others flinched in surprise. They knew Hotaru’s history and had a good idea of what she wanted to do. Thus, it made no sense for Akari to jump into their sinking ship.

“What are you talking about?” Ren confronted her, grabbing her shoulder.

“Exactly what I said. I’m taking the cursed energy with them.”

“But… But why? Akari, you’ll die from it.”

“I know. So what? All of us are here, and we all fought together, but we’re letting only the two of them clean up the mess? No way. I’m not taking it.”

“But Akari, it doesn’t work like that.”

“Why not? Are their lives less important than ours? Is it okay for them to take everything and die because she’s the Songstress?”

“Of course not, but…”

“This is every bit our home as it is theirs, and we also failed to protect it. We knew what was happening, Ren. We saw it coming from a mile away, and we failed miserably to stop it. So why are they the only ones dealing with it?”

“Because they can! She can! If we join them, all we’ll do is to throw our lives away. We’d be dying pointless, senseless deaths.”

“He’s right, Akari,” Hotaru stepped in. “No one’s forcing me to do this; not then, and not now. It’s my own decision, and I want all of you to survive.”

“I know that, Hotaru. I know. But even then, I can’t sit it out this time.”

“We need you alive,” Hotaru pressed her. “Ren needs you, and the city needs Ren. They’ll need the Amaterasu Unit, now more than ever. You can’t throw yourself away.”

Akari clenched her fists, growing frustrated.

“But I love you, Hotaru! I love Ryuuji, and I love you! And we promised to be together, the three of us!”

Hotaru blushed, taken by surprise. Certainly, there was plenty of room open for interpretation, but Akari’s words got the message across.

“What the hell are you talking about?” asked Ren, pulling on her.

“It is how it is,” Akari replied, her cheeks flushed. “I can’t help it, okay? You don’t know her well, but I do, and she’s awesome like Ryuuji. I don’t want to be without her, so if they’re going, I’m going too.”

Ren’s mouth was agape, the poor man forgetting himself for a moment. Next to him, Miyuki stood with an awkward smile on her face.

“Oh, to be young…” she murmured.

“So, I’m sticking with you,” said Akari, holding onto Hotaru and Ryuuji.

“But Akari—” Ryuuji tried to argue, but…

“Nope! You’re doing the same thing as me, so you’re out. Shut it.”

Akari was having none of it.

“Oh Gods…” said Ren, growing desperate. He knew Akari was more obstinate than a mule, and if he took her away by force, it would shatter their relationship.

“Are you sure, Akari?” Hotaru asked. “Reigetsu-sama will kill us after this. There’s no sugarcoating it.”

“That’s fine. If it’s with the two of you, I’ll take it.”

She had no intention of backing down. The three were a unit, and that was it.

“Fine… If that’s truly what you want, then,” said Hotaru, but Ren cut her off.

“Wait, no no no no no. Let’s be clear about this. What’s the plan?” he asked.

Seeing him, Miyuki pressed her hand to her face, wondering if the whole team would jump into the suicide pact like a konga line.

“I’m using Kotodama to absorb the corruption, like I did eight years ago. Then Reigetsu will take me to the moon and kill me. Well, us.”

“And you have to absorb it, why?” Ren was grasping at straws.

“Because there’s no other way to store it, and it’s too much for us to purify. If we want to get rid of it, it’s the only way.”

It was a dead end. Try as he may, Ren couldn’t find a workaround… until his friend Aoi opened her mouth.

“If you want to send the cursed energy to the moon, why don’t you just beam it?” she asked, lighting a cigarette.

“What do you mean?” Hotaru asked, not getting the idea.

“We have the Moon Mirror, and it reflects curses. You can just reflect the cursed energy off of it and towards the moon. You know, like we did with the rods.”

Everyone fell quiet at her epiphany.

It was a stretch, but with Hotaru’s power it might just work.

“Someone give this woman a raise,” said Miyuki, staring at her in amazement.

“I’ll see to it,” Shūgo replied.

“So, can you handle it?” Ren pressed Hotaru, desperate to save Akari.

“Well. I’ll still be exposed to a lot of corruption, but it’s better than taking it in. It’s completely untested, but we can try it.”

“That’s fine, I’ll take it with you. I’m also a medium; we can join forces and purify as much of it as we can to protect ourselves,” Ren joined the bandwagon.

“Are you sure about that?” Itsuki asked. “It’s a hell of a lot of corruption. Even if we beam it, you can still fall prey to it.”

“I know. But if Akari’s in, then I’m in.”

And so he said, spoken like a true siscon.

“Any objections?” Miyuki asked, checking with Shūgo.

“None. We’ll be in the area to keep watch.”

“Got it. We’re all set then,” Miyuki concluded.

“Just give me a moment,” said Hotaru, and then…

“Reigetsu-sama, we are ready to commence,” she added.

Soon enough, the celestial dragon caught up with them and was appraised about the new plan. He seemed to approve of it.

“Very well,” he said, nodding at Hotaru’s words. “This will increase your odds of survival. They’re still low, but much better than before.”

“Geh. It’s still that bad?” asked Akari.

“They used to be negligible. Now they’re not.”

Hotaru clenched her fists, aware of the impending peril.

“Reigetsu-sama, if it comes down to it, don’t hesitate to kill us. Me, especially. We can’t afford to let me fall to corruption.”

It wasn’t so much that Hotaru herself was special, but rather, her power. Everyone present knew this well, with Reigetsu chief among them.

“Indeed, our vow still stands. If you are rendered beyond help, I will smite you.”

“Thank you,” Hotaru vowed respectfully.

It was a strange sight for the others, seeing how she appreciated having her very own personal headsman. But given the extent of her magic, they couldn’t blame her.

“It will not come to that,” said Ryuuji, his eyes full of determination.

“See that it doesn’t, Ryuuji,” Reigetsu asked of him. “The world seldom sees people of virtue such as you. All of you. It is truly a blessing to find you gathered here, among such staunch allies. If you remain together, then perhaps the future will not be so bleak.”

His praise came with an ominous warning, and everyone present couldn’t help but feel a shiver down their spines. Nevertheless, the plan was settled and ready to go.

Seeing this, Ryuuji turned to Hotaru and accepted the Moon Mirror from Miyuki.

“I’ll sit this one out,” she said with a tinge of sadness. “I can’t risk the corruption. The Keeper of the Veil specifically ordered me to stay out of it.”

“Don’t worry,” said Hotaru, smiling at her. “I’ll give you back the mirror safely. Just you wait for us.”

“I will. Stay safe.”

They bowed to each other, and Miyuki walked over to the other members of Amaterasu, before they all teleported away.

In the end, the final roster was made up of Hotaru, Ryuuji, Akari and Ren.

Together, they would brave the cursed energy unleashed by the Red Thread, and hold desperately to their lives as they beamed it to the sky above. Gods willing, they would be able to live to tell the tale.

Forming a circle, each of them held onto the Moon Mirror in the middle.

Then they looked at each other and nodded. They were ready.

Hotaru closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began the opening verses of the same melody she sang that day...

“Soothe, soothe, oh gentle souls… Give thy pains to me…

Soothe, soothe, oh gentle souls… I shall comfort thee...”