MYSTERY II: "His" real identify

Once upon a time, there used to be swamp at the bottom of the woods. All green and roots, those of the divine praised the richness of life in it, essence through the puddle of micro life forms residing.

The deity of fertility and prosperity often ran from the eyes of the living and sat a little luncheon of fruits, rice and tea around that water swamp. The flourishing green in the deep divinely blessed water soothed the ringing in her head. Many noons the sun would set and the moon would rise but the deity Inari would remain there by the divine lake’s side, bathing in the serene sound coming from the pits of the bottomless lake.

With her kitsune familiar by her side, one day while she slept bathing in the moon night, the song of the night rang once again. Curiously so, Inari pretend to sleep, hoping to catch the beauty hidden. Unbeknownst to the deity, her familiar growled, baring their fangs, curiosity become the price paid by spilled blood. Inari had hoped to own the beautiful voice to forever her noons and night but the night wailed with the cries of a wet howl. The deity opened her eyes, curious to lay eyes on her catch. Astonished by the hideousness, she gagged at the fishy scent. She covered her mouth, backing away in disgust. The goddess fled but left her familiar behind, who now aware of their crime.

They bared their fangs to none other than the pure essence of life, the divinely protected and a solemn warning to those who breathed. The corpse was of a half human and half fish laid before the foxians, “A ningyo…” they mumbled, fearfully. The water rippled, a child like hand emerged from the waters, glancing at the scene the foxians had caused.

“Mother…!” He gasped, a tear fell from the ningyo’s child’s eyes, turning into charcoal shade pearls and dropping into water. The sky roared, thunder stormed. The foxians who ran to their deity, was expelled from the temple. Fleeing into lands again, they witness what a disaster is in human realm is like. Corpse of a child laid before the foxian’s statue, crying in dry tears and pleading with chapped lips. “Help us o’great foxians… the shaman says the goddess has abandoned us but you won't do the same right? O’sweet kitsune, we plead with our heads down, help us.”

Afraid though the foxians were, tears spilled down their eyes. Witnessing the death of humans were the same as witnessing the death of the children they had raised. Ashamed, the foxians returned to the swamp, taking the young child on the verge of death with them. The corpse of the ningyo still lay there… and the young ningyo was still bleeding tears of grief. The ashamed kitsune kneeled before the creature of calamity, begging for forgiveness.

The ningyo stared with utmost apathy. “Why should I? Today it was you and tomorrow? Another one of you will come for me? I pray the world falls before I do.” The Kitsune nodded, forming a contract with the young ningyo. “Feed this child the flesh of your kind, this child is my devotee, hence it is her solemn duty to protect what is important. You, young ningyo shall do as you please but shall forever remain in the protection of this child’s lineage.”

The ningyo's apathy didn't fade but it did sympathize with the child’s lonesome. In his own twisted way, the young ningyo wished to watch with his own eyes, the result of amends and cruel fate. Tomorrow is nothing but a murky sky, it's illusion speak no truth but empty promises, how much long could one child bleed but not die, protect but not attack? The young ningyo wouldn't know, especially when his truth was sniffed by the pair of eyes that saw nothing but the murky grey of tomorrow’s illusion and the essence of life- devoid to those with a vulgar heart.

“Tell me young shaman, do you wish to make deal with the deal?”

Effortlessly so Kira had asked Kaname, not knowing what his colour deprived eyes had seen in her. What his deity had whispered to him about..

Kaname's fist clenched tighter, the wooden beads on his wrist grew colder to the touch and.. Yukio could see Kaname visibly recoiling from the red haired heiress. An exhausted exhale was released through his lips. “Stop toying with him, Kira. Just spit it out why you called us here.”

Kira tilted her head to the side, glancing at her younger cousin. Yukio returned her gaze with a firm one of his own. “You make me sound like a bully, Yukie.”

Yukio averted his eyes, feelings uncomfortable under the familiar crazed gaze of his cousin. Yukio had wished to gain more information by attaining the heiress's attention, somehow that did not feel rewarding in the least.

“I am human.” She affirmed.

“Huh?” Kaname, suspicious of lies, his glare deepened. The heiress circled around the young shaman, only to change her route. She placed a hand on Saqib's shoulder. “But this one isn't.”

Aggravated Kaname looked behind him, aside from him only Hikari was the only one who shared similar sentiments as him. They were being deceived since the very beginning.

Kaname couldn't understand what his eyes were seeing. Since the day he was born, Kaname had seen only the shades of muted silver since the day he was born, born to see no colours, no life in things. However there has always been one exception-

“What is going on? I thought you called us here to talk about Hiroshi's death.” Hikari was not angry, she was simply unable process the bombarding of secrets. Kaito had taken his chance and took a step back, urging Hikari to hear them about first.

Both Hikari and Kaname felt as if they were trapped. Trapped in a fish bowl, swimming aimlessly, only for those outside the bowl to look down on them for their entertainment. “You guys realize how crazy you all sound, right?” Hikari couldn't help but ask– she was a believer for truth and this? It was a loop of chaos. Kaito was a pretend Kitsune, Heiress was somewhat not human according to Kaname and much to her surprise, Kira was not even shying away from declaring Saqib to be inhuman.

Saqib let out an exasperated breath. Rubbing his temple as his cortisol rose. A glance towards Hikari and his eyes soften. “Do you guys know the story of Yao Bikuni?” Saqib started gently and Kaname’s eyes widened at the realization, Hikari was different, she had not heard of the story. “No.”

“A very long time ago, a noble had caught a creature in the sea, half fish and half human– a ningyo. Knowing the tale of the sirens, the noble fed the ningyo to his daughter- Yao Bikuni. She carried on to live for 800 years.” Saqib finished, still confused at the relativity of the story to this situation, Hikari asked again. “What does that have to do with you-” her eyes widened at the realization. “You're-!?” She fumbled through her words.

“A ningyo? Yes. But that story is just a folklore. The Kanzaki family is in charge of my protect -the only ningyo of the Kotsu town- due to a pact made between me and the Kitsune long time ago.”

“Haha..” Hikari cackled in disbelief and held her head, backing away a step from everyone. “You cannot be serious, you're telling me the yokais are real and you're one of them?”

Kaname however had other questions. “If you are a ningyo, alive and well.. why is ms. Kira…” Kaname didn't even have the words to ask the question. The heiress smiled full of Machiavellianism, flinging an arm around the ningyo's shoulder. “Because- I ate the flesh of ningyo. Not saqib, but the one Kanzaki family has been keeping away securely. A child is born in the Kanzaki family, eats the flesh and lives with longevity, they are tasked with the protection of the ningyo and in return, the ningyo serves one of the children of the Kanzaki family. Kaito here is the child Saqib had chosen to serve-”

“He is not a servant, sister. Saqib is my friend. He does not serve me. We stick together like friends do.” The young Kanzaki’s voice was firm but affirming, there was no room for debate. Kira waved her hands dismissively, “Don't ruin the mood, kid. Anyway, long story short- I'm probably going to live a long life like Yao Bikuni.” Her gaze switched to Kaname from Hikari. “That is probably why you sensed that I'm not human. You really the genuine article huh? Sensing the supernatural and all.”

Kira ruffled Saqib's hair, softening the solemn look conjuring up on his face. Hikari was still having a hard time processing this truck load of information. Regardless of whether she decides to believe them or declare them as heretics, the question still remains. “How does this connects to Hiroshi.”

Machiavellianism in Kira’s eyes terrified Kaname. This was a woman prepared to live centuries, with a drive in her eyes. She was not only the head of the Kanzaki but also someone the foxian deity trusted. Foxians that are known for their cunningness.

“Tanuki killed Hiroshi because Hiroshi knew too much about them and too little about the Kanzaki family. He was too immersed in his epicaricacy, too obsessed to achieve what they wanted from us. He probably didn't lay traps and lead things the they wanted. So they killed him.” Kira stated in a matter of fact tone, flipping through Hiroshi's murder case files, the paper nicked her finger, drawing a bead of blood. Red and wet, she wiped it on her tongue, delighting in the taste of metal and iron.

“But the Jester killed him according to the official statement? Is that a hoax? Fraud?” Kaname assessed the pieces in his head, trying to fit the puzzle together.

“Possibly. There's something you are missing. What did the Tanuki even want from the Kanzaki family? What do we have that other families don't?” Hikari and Kaname looked at each other, confused until the simple truth clicked in their heads at once.

“The ningyo!” They exclaimed in unison, immediately looking at their yokai friend, who nodded affirming their doubts.

“Precisely. Such confidential information.. No one but a few elders, me- the heiress and Kaito- the chosen master of ningyo knows about this. It is obvious the information was leaked to them.” Kira gave the photo graphs of the Hiroshi's corpse and the murderer’s message to Saqib, who passed it to Hikari and Kaname.

“Jester of the hearts, killed the previous heir who consumed the ningyo's blood. Layla Kanzaki. A piece of Layla’s flesh was missing. And now he returns by killing another person connected to us. Safe to say he knows.”

The photographs of raw red splattered all of the cell walls was gnawing to their stomachs, Hikari hated how the blood affected her more than the deceased face of her ex lover. His eyes were rolled back, his mouth was hung open and there was strange bruises around his neck. It was all but a numbing sensation to Hikari.

“Why are you telling me this? Hikari is understandable to some extent but why me?”

Kaname's words echoed and Yukio gritted his teeth together. He hated this whole conversation. He wanted out.

“Because you're an exceptionally gifted shaman. We believe the Jester is not a human but whatever information we have on him says otherwise. You're the only witness the case of Layla Kanzaki had, you're the only one who has seen him face to face, you can recognize him and identify it us.”