Hito-mane Extermination: Memento Mori

“Those who do not understand true pain can never understand true peace.”

Pain, from “Naruto” March 9th 2009

                                    …

The room felt smaller after Asumi finished talking.

Nobody spoke as the rain tapped softly against the inn windows while the light overhead buzzed faintly. Outside, Kokohama remained quiet. Zhenyu sat near the edge of the bed, flipping through the stolen MORI file one page at a time. Paper crackled beneath his fingers. Most of the pages were damaged beyond readability. Others had entire paragraphs blacked out in thick strokes of ink. Some looked burned at the edges, like someone had tried to erase history instead of record it.

Tatsuchi leaned against the wall with her arms crossed while Asumi sat across from them, visibly irritated. “…So let me get this straight,” Asumi muttered. “We’re just casually accepting that there was a Skinwalker under the town?” “FFFFFuck no,” Zhenyu replied without looking up. Asumi dragged a hand down her face. “I liked life better before we got here.” Tatsuchi didn’t respond. Her mind kept replaying the sewer tunnel.

Static.

That was the only way she could describe those eyes. Like broken pieces of light trying to imitate life. She could still hear the scraping sound of its arms dragging across the sewer floor. Every instinct in her body had screamed at her not to move. Not to blink, not to breathe too loud. Zhenyu stopped turning pages. “Found something.” Both girls looked over immediately. The page he held was heavily damaged, but one section remained readable.

Mori Clan Incident.

Confirmed casualties: 213.

Known survivors: 1.

Primary suspect: Kyosuke Mori.

Asumi blinked slowly. “…Wait.” Zhenyu kept reading. “Age at time of incident… sixteen.” Silence hit the room harder than the rain outside. “…That doesn’t make sense,” Tatsuchi said quietly. “No kidding,” Asumi replied. “What sixteen year old is capable of wiping out their entire clan?” Zhenyu’s expression tightened slightly. “…One that apparently never got a trial.”

He turned another page. “Sentenced directly to the Hollow Maw.” Asumi frowned. “For life?” Zhenyu nodded once. “But something else happened twenty four years ago.” The silence stretched again. Tatsuchi pushed herself off the wall slightly. “…Zhenyu.” He stared at the file for another moment before continuing. “There was a breakout." Asumi leaned forward. “The Hollow Maw had a breakout?” “No,” Zhenyu said flatly. “A massacre.” The rain outside suddenly felt louder. “The lowest level was wiped clean. Thousands dead, including guards.”

Tatsuchi narrowed her eyes. “That’s impossible.” “That’s what the file says.” Zhenyu flipped another page. “And nobody knows what happened.” “What do you mean nobody knows?” Asumi snapped. “No eyewitnesses. No records of the actual event. Just death counts and missing prisoners.” Tatsuchi frowned deeper. “Then how do they even know Kyosuke escaped?” Zhenyu finally looked up. “…There was one survivor.” That landed heavily. “The previous Captain of the Fourth Gate Guard.” “…What?” Tatsuchi asked immediately. Even Asumi looked confused now. “That doesn’t add up,” Tatsuchi said quickly. “Since when do Gate Guards get assigned to the Maw?”

“That’s what I was thinking too,” Zhenyu replied as he turned slightly toward them. “But the records don’t explain why they were there." Tatsuchi stared at the page without blinking. “If I’m not mistaken, the current Captain of the Fourth Gate Guard is Shisui Fujiwara,” she muttered. “She’s ranked seventh among the captains. A prodigy in every craft.” She paused briefly. “She’s also from one of the Five Great Clans of Avethryn. 

Asumi broke the silence first. “Okay, hold on, we’re getting off track. If Kyosuke escaped that long ago, where the hell has he been?” She pointed toward the file aggressively. “He disappears for twenty years, pops up placing bounties, vanishes again, then shows up tied to revolutionary activity, and now he’s supposedly a clan killer?” Zhenyu turned another page slowly. Most of it was blacked out. Then his finger stopped.

PROJECT: Ōnamuji

Tatsuchi leaned forward slightly. “…What is that?” Zhenyu scanned the page. “…No explanation. Just censored lines, missing pages, and burn marks.” Asumi sighed. “Of course there isn’t.” Tatsuchi stared at the name longer than she meant to. Something about it felt wrong. Like the words themselves were buried. Zhenyu slowly closed the file.

“Even worse, nobody could figure out which Law of Fate this falls under.” That was the biggest problem. Entire clans did not simply vanish from history. Asumi leaned back slightly. “…Did your mom ever tell you anything?” Zhenyu stiffened. “…No.” The room quieted again. “She died when I was five.” Nobody spoke for a second. “My father might know,” Zhenyu admitted quietly. “But I don’t want guesses. I want the truth.” No one pressed him further. The light overhead buzzed softly. Rainwater slid down the windows in uneven streams. Then, Asumi exhaled sharply. “Okay. Great. Terrifying family history aside, we still have a bigger problem.” She looked up. “Ryuzuki Mochimaru.” Asumi crossed her arms tightly. “I don’t trust him.” Tatsuchi didn’t argue. “He attacked us every time we saw him.” 

“He also warned us every time,” Zhenyu said. “What kind of killer warns people?” Tatsuchi stepped toward the window slowly. “He had chances.” Her reflection stared back through the rain streaked glass. “And he never took them.” Zhenyu spoke quietly.

“The townspeople seem to know too much for people who are supposed to be afraid.” Both girls looked toward him. “The innkeeper knew about the canal incident immediately.” Tatsuchi nodded slowly. “And nobody seems to enter or leave Kokohama.” Zhenyu continued. “If skinwalkers can imitate people as perfectly as the book says…” His eyes shifted slightly toward the door. “…then there’s a chance we’re already surrounded.” Silence followed. Even Asumi stopped arguing. Tatsuchi exhaled slowly. “…Fine.”

She stood up fully from the bed. “We stop chasing him.” Asumi frowned. “We do?” Tatsuchi closed her eyes “We listen,” She corrected. “carefully.” Zhenyu nodded once. “The problem is, we still don’t know where he is.” Tatsuchi looked toward him. “He only appears after observing us first.” Asumi muttered under her breath. “That’s somehow worse.” Zhenyu glanced toward Tatsuchi.

“Maybe you just need to stop chasing him like a feral animal.” Tatsuchi shot him a flat stare. “Finish that sentence.” Zhenyu immediately looked away toward the window. Asumi snorted despite herself. Then Tatsuchi paused. “…Wait.” Both of them looked over. “What if he’s waiting for us to stop looking for him?” Zhenyu nodded once. “Possible.” Tatsuchi turned toward the door. “Then we stop hunting.”

Silence hung in the room for another moment before everyone slowly stood up. “Nobody wanders off alone,” Zhenyu said flatly. “Until we know how many skinwalkers are in this town.” Asumi visibly stiffened. “…You really know how to brighten my morning.”

“I try.” Tatsuchi grabbed her katana from beside the wall and slid it onto her waist. “We move normally,” she said. “No chasing anyone. No drawing attention.” Asumi hesitated slightly. “And if we see Ryuzuki?” Tatsuchi opened the door. “Then we let him come to us.” The group stepped into the hallway. The inn was strangely quiet. Their footsteps echoed softly against the wooden floorboards as they made their way downstairs. Then, Tatsuchi stopped halfway down the steps. “…That’s weird.” Zhenyu looked over. Tatsuchi stared toward the front desk. Empty.

No innkeeper.

No tea kettle.

No sound of pages turning like usual.

Mr. Hitomaki was gone. “…He’s usually here this early,” she muttered. Nobody answered. That bothered them more than it should have. Then the three of them walked out into the streets of Kokohama beneath the gray morning sky. The rain hit harder the farther they moved from the inn, now coming in hard sheets that angled sideways under strong, inconsistent wind. Every gust pushed through like it didn’t care. Umbrellas flexed and shook, fabric straining with each sudden burst. Tatsuchi led slightly ahead, her black umbrella braced with both hands. Asumi followed close behind, constantly adjusting her grip as another gust nearly twisted hers inside out. Zhenyu walked on the outside edge of the group, steady, unfazed by the weather as water sprayed in from the side. The streets were slick, reflecting warped street light that flickered in the storm. 

Water ran in thin streams along the stone paths, cutting between their steps. The town felt empty in motion, like everyone had decided to stay out of sight today. Asumi spoke, raising her voice over the wind. “So what’s the plan exactly, we just walk around in a storm and hope Ryuzuki shows up because we want to talk?” Another gust rolled through, forcing all three umbrellas to dip at once. Zhenyu didn’t look at her. “If he’s watching like we think he is, we don’t need to find him. We just need to do something to show him we're harmless.” Asumi tightened her grip. “That’s not a plan.” Tatsuchi’s eyes stayed forward, scanning rooftops between the breaks in the rain.

Zhenyu scoffed. “Yeah, I'd been figured that out.” He shifted his umbrella slightly as another wind burst hit them head on. They kept walking for a few seconds, shoes splashing through shallow water as wind pushed against them from the side like the whole town was leaning into them. Asumi tilted her umbrella lower. “So what, we just act interesting enough to get picked out of a crowd.” Tatsuchi hesitated. “Something like that.” A stronger gust hit, snapping through the street and making all three umbrellas shake violently for a moment. Zhenyu glanced upward, toward the rooftops. “If Ryuzuki’s nearby, he already saw us leave the inn.” Asumi let out a tired breath. “Great. So we’re basically doing a rainstorm exhibition.” Tatsuchi stepped around a puddle without slowing. “If he’s here, he should understand what we’re doing.” 

Asumi muttered, “I really hope so. Because I’m not dying in high winds and becoming a statistic.” They kept moving deeper into Kokohama, umbrellas straining against the storm, wind cutting through the streets in uneven bursts. The town looked the same, but it didn’t feel the same anymore. People still walked through the streets. Vendors still called out from stalls. Children still ran through alleys laughing. Asumi moved slightly closer to the group. “…I hate this town.” No one disagreed.

The deeper they walked, the worse the feeling became. Suspicion crawled beneath every interaction. Tatsuchi’s hand rested near Shinkoku instinctively. Then she stopped walking. There was both something and nothing behind them. A presence trying to stay hidden. Without warning, Tatsuchi kept walking as she sliced through the air as she went and the space split open. A figure sat casually atop the rooftop behind them like he’d been there the entire time. One leg hanging loosely off the edge. Bright blue eyes. Dusty navy hair shifting slightly in the wind. Nobody needed to think his name. 

He blinked once. “…When did you know I was there?” Tatsuchi stared directly at him. “Since before you were in your mother’s womb.” Ryuzuki stared at her for a second. Zhenyu stepped forward. “We need answers.” Ryuzuki casually dropped from the rooftop. His black dagger spun high into the air as he landed smoothly against the ground. Gravity brought the blade back down directly into his hand without him even looking. Up close, he looked exhausted. Like someone surviving purely out of instinct. His eyes shifted between all three of them carefully. “…How do I know you’re real?” Asumi blinked. “What?”

“The skinwalkers,” Ryuzuki replied flatly. “They copy everything. Faces, voices, even habits.” His expression darkened slightly. “But they don’t copy people perfectly.” Tatsuchi slowly drew Shinkoku. Ryuzuki’s gaze locked onto the black blade immediately. “…Huh.” Without another word, Tatsuchi dragged the blade across her palm. Blood dripped onto the ground. Asumi visibly looked disgusted. “Oh absolutely not.”

“Do it,” Tatsuchi said calmly. Asumi looked horrified. “I hate this group.” Zhenyu silently cut his own palm first. Asumi groaned in defeat before finally doing the same. Ryuzuki approached slowly before crouching near their palms. He pressed the tip of his dagger against them carefully.

Nothing happened.

Ryuzuki exhaled quietly. “…Good.” He stood back up. “I really didn’t want to stab all three of you.” Asumi stared at him. “You say things way too casually.” Ryuzuki ignored her completely. His eyes remained on Shinkoku. “That blade’s weird.” “So is yours,” Tatsuchi replied. A faint smirk crossed his face. He slid the dagger away. “Skinwalker blood rusts when it touches this blade.” His expression darkened slightly. “Then it burns.” Ryuzuki dusted sand off his knees before stepping back.

“It’s weird that this is how we meet again.” Asumi crossed her arms tightly. “You know us?” Ryuzuki nodded once. “I was there months ago.” His gaze shifted toward Tatsuchi. “Back in Saltmere. During the bounty operation. Your group stopped us before we finished the job.” Tatsuchi blinked. “…That was you?”

Asumi stared at him. “So we already fought you?” Ryuzuki shrugged. “You were trying to kill me." “That’s because you-!” Tatsuchi shot Asumi a warning glance. Then Tatsuchi studied Ryuzuki. He didn’t feel like a liar. The rain grew heavier around them. Ryuzuki glanced down the nearby pathway.

“Let’s not talk here.” Nobody argued. A few minutes later, they settled inside an abandoned storage building near the edge of town. The structure creaked beneath the storm. Rain hammered against the rooftop while water leaked slowly through cracks in the ceiling. Ryuzuki sat atop an old crate while Tatsuchi remained standing nearby. Zhenyu leaned quietly against the wall while Asumi stayed closest to the exit. Nobody spoke at first. Then Ryuzuki looked back toward Tatsuchi.

“…You know,” he said lazily, “you look like somebody I’ve seen before.” Tatsuchi frowned slightly. “What?” Ryuzuki thought for a moment. “Some guy came through Kokohama a few months ago.” He narrowed his eyes slightly while thinking back. “At first I thought maybe you were related or something.” Asumi glanced between them. “Related? Did you catch his name by any chance?” Ryuzuki shrugged. “Didn’t catch it.” His eyes remained fixed on Tatsuchi. “But he had the same eyes.” Tatsuchi stiffened slightly. “The same way of staring at people too,” Ryuzuki continued. “Like he was constantly deciding whether dealing with something was worth the effort.” Asumi snorted quietly. “…Okay, that actually sounds exactly like her.” “Except he looked worse for wear,” Ryuzuki added. That made Tatsuchi’s expression tighten immediately. “He had white hair. Purple eyes.” Ryuzuki scratched lightly at the side of his neck. “Looked even colder than you do.” The room went completely silent. Tatsuchi felt her heartbeat slam against her chest.

White hair? 

Purple eyes?

There was only one person that could possibly be. “…Ichirou,” she whispered.

Zhenyu immediately looked toward her. Asumi blinked. “Wait, your twin brother?” Tatsuchi barely heard her. Her mind was already racing. Maybe he was close enough to leave behind traces she never found. Ryuzuki noticed the shift in her expression. “…That was your twin?”

Tatsuchi nodded slowly. Her grip around Shinkoku tightened unconsciously. “What happened?” she asked immediately. “Where did he go? Did he say anything? Was he alone?” The questions came too quickly. Ryuzuki raised an eyebrow slightly. “…Easy.” But Tatsuchi stepped forward anyway. “What direction did he leave in?”

“Southwest, I think,” Ryuzuki answered carefully. “Toward Pyrrhocore.” That only made her chest tighten harder. She had missed him. Asumi watched quietly from the side because for the first time since entering Kokohama, Tatsuchi looked genuinely shaken. Not angry, not calm. Just desperate.

Ryuzuki studied her. Tatsuchi slowly looked up at him. Ryuzuki’s expression darkened slightly. Silence filled the room. The rain still hammered harder overhead. Then Ryuzuki finally spoke again. “So, you wanted to know why I’ve been killing people?” The atmosphere changed instantly. Every trace of emotion disappeared from his face. The storage building suddenly felt colder. His bright blue eyes darkened slightly as he leaned forward against the crate. The storm outside rumbled softly in the distance. Then, he spoke quietly. 

“This place is done for.”