Chapter 22

Yurika’s decision to jump straight to the mirrors had left the head monk flabbergasted.

The old monk rubbed his forehead in agony as he turned back into the shinkan, gesturing for Kaede and her companions to follow him. Yurika led the way inside as the monk kneeled on the zabuton. Kaede kneeled facing him as Gakuto sat cross-legged a few steps behind her, his jian laying sheathed across his lap.

Yurika was opening some of the shoji on both sides of the room, to let more light in. The sound of a light, steady rain echoed from outside.

Kaede bowed deeply towards Isshin, her hands and forehead touching the tatami mats and the monk returned a bow of his own. Yurika kneeled down next to the oiran, giving a slight bow before Kaede sat back to her full height.

“May I ask your name, young maiden? As well as the name of your companion.”

“My name is Yumekawa Kaede, Master Isshin.” Kaede gave a slight, graceful bow before continuing. “I am the eighth generation oiran on retention to the Yuilen Imperial family, following in the succession of my mother, Hinoki. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, master monk.” She concluded her introduction with another bow, deeper than the previous one, but no less graceful.

“Gakuto. Apprentice Imperial guardsman for the Yuilen family.” Gakuto gave a simple nod, formal greetings not his forte. Isshin gazed between the two of them, amused at how different their two introductions were but his eyes stopped as he sized up Gakuto, having a vague recollection of his features.

Yurika raised her hand. “I’m Yuri-”

“Yes, yes, I know very well who you are!” The monk seemed exasperated again, as he turned back to Kaede.

“Now, young Kaede, why don’t you tell me why you’re here? Start from the beginning, if you please.”

Kaede nodded at the old monk before going into everything that had happened since the hanabi. She talked about the mysterious white-haired girl and the discarded bundle; her and Gakuto boarding the ferry on accident and about the dream she had not yet shared with either Gakuto or Yurika. She spoke about the conversation with Kagura, the alleged moon princess, the previous day at this very shrine and the discovery of the bells before ending with the pieces of the puzzle the three of them had solved thus far.

Isshin listened with great interest as Kaede eloquently narrated the events of her past few days, hardly moving besides the occasional nod.

“So she’s an oiran in training?” Yurika whispered, leaning back to Gakuto while Kaede removed the silk bundle and placed it between her and the monk. “No wonder she carries herself in such a gracious manner. She also is quite a skilled story-teller, sparing no detail and speaking with such emotion. I knew most of it already and I still found myself mesmerized.”

“She’s been training for it her whole life. The ability to tell stories and carry a conversation are both important for her, in addition to all the various other skills.” Gakuto returned Yurika’s whisper as he gazed at Kaede’s back. She was in her element here, her posture immaculate as she spoke with clarity and grace.

For her part, Kaede seemed unfazed with the two of them whispering as the monk asked some questions for clarity. She answered to the best of her ability before reaching down and untying the bundle with a slight flourish, revealing the trio of bells.

Isshin leaned forward, adjusting his glasses when the three shimmering bells were unveiled. “Marvelous…” He said, reaching out to grab the golden handbell first. “May I, Kaede-san?”
Kaede held her hand out with the palm up, giving a slight nod. “You are more than welcome to, Master Isshin.” He brought it close to his eyes and gently spun it before his eyes, before swinging it gently. The beautiful chime enveloped the four of them and the monk closed his eyes, soaking in the sound.

“I can see a beautiful young woman…” Isshin said, closing his eyes as he swung it once more.

Kaede smiled brilliantly as Yurika nodded. “We all shared that mental image” She reached down, picking up the silver bell in her hand before proffering it to the monk. “Please try this one next, Master Isshin.” He turned his hand enough to return the golden one to Kaede by its handle and carefully removed the silver crotal bell with his index finger and thumb from Kaede’s outstretched palm.

Holding it up to reflect like from one of the many candles in the shinkan, the monk’s eyes gleamed as he beheld the bell’s sheen. Kaede’s smile stayed on her face as he admired it, but her eyes wandered out towards the garden where the rain was still falling. The garden was considerably small, compared to the vast grounds, but it had more of the hydrangea and the rain was helping spread their fragrance into the inner temple itself.

There was an enclosed walkway that seemed to lead to some of the sleeping chambers for the monks and the far end of the garden had a bamboo grove that created a natural wall to maintain the privacy of the pious residents. Kaede was thinking about how lovely it must be to wake up to such a lovely sight every day when she could’ve sworn she saw a section of the bamboo stalks part.

She blinked her eyes a couple of times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things but there was no movement. She brushed it off as just the wind and turned back to the old monk happily bouncing the string back and forth, making the clear clinks reverberate in the tiny room. The smile on his face reminded her of a young boy celebrating catching his first fish from a nearby pond and she brought her sleeve up, covering her mouth and giggling slightly.

Yurika and Gakuto tilted their heads as Kaede laughed cheerfully and Isshin turned back to the oiran, cheeks slightly red. He gently set the bell back on the silk and cleared his throat, as if trying to get his dignity back, though Kaede had thought it was charming and cute that the old monk would find such joy from a small bell.

Isshin reasserted himself before reaching out to the bronze altar bell.

“Most curious…” He muttered as he gripped it and picked it up, instantly going to swing it to hear its sound. The movement was so natural and seamless, Kaede watched with a clear understanding, feeling that it was second nature to Isshin. It reminded her of when she was holding her kinusan in the back palace. The motion wasn’t forced, it was practiced and honed over years of repetition, to the point that the bronze bell didn’t look like a mere object, but was an extension of the head monk’s left hand.

Yet, with all that familiarity, the bell continued to confound whoever swung it, refusing to ring even in the masterful hands of Isshin.

He tried a few different motions and then examined the underside of the bell, like Kaede and Gakuto had before, but he didn’t show any of the frustration or desperation that they had, though the disappointment on his face showed through his eyes. Kaede was about to say something when she saw the bamboo move out of the corner of her eye. She whipped her head around immediately, half-expecting to see nothing.

But it wasn’t nothing.

Standing in the grove, parting the bamboo, was a figure wearing the shade of the very trees themselves like a cloak, staring directly into the room. The shadows of the bamboo, swaying lightly from the figure pushing them aside, seemed to be in the direct control of the enigmatic figure.

Whoever or whatever the shrouded being was turned their gaze onto Kaede and she felt herself tense up, her eyes locking with the void given corporeal form. Though she couldn’t make out their face, obscured by the dog-shaped mask peeking out of the blackness surrounding them, Kaede knew their eyes were boring directly into her.

She kept her eyes locked on the figure, even as her senses were straining under the pressure she felt from the creature. She felt her breath catch as the seconds dragged on before the shadow turned its face towards the monk, or more accurately, at the bell in his hands.

“Kaede?” Gakuto’s voice broke through the gloom but Kaede’s gaze was still firmly locked on the shroud in the bamboo. Her eyes were wide, as if dread itself was focused on her and she found she couldn’t respond to his voice, as she struggled to bring her shaking right arm up, pointing into the grove.

“Someone’s there!” Kaede gasped out and Gakuto was up on his feet, his hand going to the jian’s hilt in a flash. Yurika had jumped up as well, turning towards the garden, and even Isshin broke out of his trance, following the oiran’s finger.

The being that seemed to be shadow itself was nowhere to be found.