[Satori Effect] Day 7: How They'll Remember Me

Satori remembered it like was yesterday. A full moon loomed above Satori as he stood in the courtyard, the breeze carrying the scent of tulips, dahlias, and spider lilies. It had been a few days since he quietly took Kagutsuchi in his custody. He had witnessed her suicide attempts, her involuntary cursing of the mansion's staff. He himself began to notice Kagutsuchi's curse eating away at his left hand, the skin turning white and blue with cyanosis.

That night, he whipped out his phone and called for help from the last person he ever thought he would.

"Hello?" Lucrezia answered.

"Lucrezia. It's Satori."

Quietude settled between them. It felt like an agonizing eternity before Lucrezia said anything.

"Why are you calling me?"

"I need your help."

"Satori, you disappeared. You resigned from your companies, you liquidated assets and kept the money for yourself. You refused to assist the Japanese government. You're being considered a traitor right now."

"Listen to me. That body that was recovered from the construction site...it wasn't a body. The girl is alive. I think she's a goddess."

"You called me just to tell me you've got the hots for a woman you nearly killed?"

"No! I mean it literally! I think she's an actual goddess, Lucrezia!"

"...What makes you so sure?"

Satori kicked the cobblestone at his feet and slid his afflicted hand into his pocket. "I watched her plunge a knife into her chest. She should've died, but she didn't. Not only that, but the wound healed almost instantly. She's tried multiple times to kill herself, and she's always healed. More importantly...I think she's cursed me."

"What kind of curse?"

"I don't know. It turned some of my employees into...I'm not even sure what. They still listen to me, but their skin is pale and their senses have just disappeared. It's like they're all walking corpses. I've got the curse in my hand. It's like I'm going through livor mortis or something."

"Livor mortis? It can't be..."

"Sound familiar?"

"Satori, describe her to me. Eye color, hair color, height."

"Purple, almost like amethyst. Hair is a dirty-blonde color. Height...I don't know, maybe one-hundred sixty-seven centimeters. You sound like you have an idea who she is."

"You don't?"

"Of course not."

"You better be telling the truth about this."

"I wouldn't call you if I wasn't."

Lucrezia sighed. "Okay. I have an idea, but we need to make absolutely certain. We can't afford to mess this up. Give me some time to come up with a plan. I'll contact you shortly."

"All right. Lucrezia, thank you. I'm sorry about all of this."

"I am too, Satori."

Some months later, Satori went to speak with Kagutsuchi in her bedroom. He knocked upon the door twice before letting himself in. She sat on her bed with a towel draped over her slumped shoulders, her naked body stained with coagulated blood from her last suicide attempt with the knife. There was no life in her eyes, no color in her face. She was completely empty.

"Please. If there's something wrong, you can tell me. I'm here to listen." Satori said.

"Lonely..." Kagutsuchi muttered.

"Lonely? Do you feel lonely? I guess you don't have any friends or family? No, there's someone you miss. Who is it?"

Kagutsuchi hugged her legs and buried her face behind her legs. "Mother..."

A sudden thud upon the door startled them both. They heard groaning seep in from the other side as one of the shikome slammed her head against the door repeatedly. Kagutsuchi shook in fear of what she had done, and for the fact that she was powerless to stop it.

"Painful..." Kagutsuchi wept.

(And then her third word, right? You told me it was...)

In a day, the maids that were already turned into Shikome transmitted their curse to the rest of the maids. Within a few weeks, all of the maids had been converted, aimlessly roaming around the house like zombies. It seemed Kagu had emotionally distanced herself from the tragedy her curse brought upon the house. Once more, Satori confronted her in her room, but he could not bring himself to be angry.

"Do you hate me? Have I not given you enough? Have you cursed this house on purpose?" Satori interrogated. "If it's my fault, I'll gladly accept the blame and make amends. I don't know what you are, but I know that your powers are dangerous. Maybe that's why you're all alone. Your powers don't allow you to experience things like love and friendship. For your sake, I'm going to find a way to stop this. I don't know how, or how long it will take, but..."

Kagutsuchi stood up and stared at Satori. She slowly walked over to him and kissed him. Her lips were sweet and tasted of strawberries and pineapples. Satori wasn't sure how to react. He stood there and accepted the kiss, albeit reluctantly.

For once, Kagutsuchi smiled. "Love..."

Little did he know that Kagutsuchi's kiss would only worsen the curse. Three nights later, he returned to the courtyard to call Lucrezia. This time, his entire left arm was stricken with livor mortis.

"I looked into this curse, Satori." Lucrezia began. "If I'm right, what you're dealing with is a shikome curse, the very same shikome of the Underworld."

"That...that doesn't make any sense. Why would a goddess be spreading a curse from the Underworld?"

"If I had to guess, it's because she’s Kagutsuchi. Izanami’s daughter.”

Satori's hands trembled in shock. "Izanami's daughter? The Phantom Maiden?"

"Hang on, we haven't ID'd her quite yet. We still need to make absolutely sure, but we should proceed as if the girl really is Kagutsuchi."

"All right, then how do we go about confirming her identity?"

"We can't right now. Not yet."

"Lucrezia!" Satori raged.

"I know you're under a lot of pressure, and I am too. It's not easy helping a traitor in secret. Here's what you can do in the meantime. Seek help from Bishamonten."

"The war god? Didn't he lead the Senkumo clan back a few centuries back? He'd never help me."

"He will, if we play our cards right. I'll send you the address of the shrine he frequents most. Go to him and tell him that you know about the coup."

Satori recoiled in confusion. "The coup?

"Use that exact phrase. Dangle that above his head, and I'm sure he'll give you what he wants. A few years back, Shinju's team tracked down a rogue god by the name of Magatori. They were tasked with bringing him in to be questioned by Amaterasu, but a fight ensued and most of Shinju's team was killed off. The only survivors I know of besides for Shinju is Cyanide, but I also suspect there was a third survivor. Himushi's body was the only one we couldn't recover. I believe it's Magatori and Himushi that are helping Bishamon organize a coup."

"I see." Satori said. "You want me to tell him that I know about this, and use that to bargain with him."

"Yes. Have you taken control of the shikome, yet?"

"Not quite. They're hard to tame.”

"No problem. I'll teach you how to do it. Once you have them under your control, Bishamon won't be able to risk touching you. He'll fear that power more than anything else."

"How can you be so sure, Lucrezia?"

"Because if we really are dealing with Kagutsuchi, then the curse she brought back originally belonged to Izanami, from when Izanagi abandoned her in the Underworld. Izanami lives a quiet life now, but she still has a fearsome reputation."

"Izanami the Cruel..." Satori muttered.

"Yes. The name itself is deterrence. Now you carry her original curse."

"All right. Send me the address and teach me how to control the shikome. I'll confront Bishamon after that."

"Yes, ask for spare limbs. He'll be able to transplant some new arms and legs for you, should the curse spread too far. That should give you more time to live until I can figure all of this out."

"...You've helped me, so I'll return the favor." Satori stated. "I'll try to find out if it's really Himushi that survived. It might reveal more about Inari, as well."

"You'd do that for me?" Lucrezia asked.

"I'm just clearing my debt to you. That's all."

"Thank you, Satori."

It took a few weeks for Satori to learn how to control the shikome. Lucrezia called him with instructions everyday. He went through trial and error, eventually realizing that controlling them requires him to maintain a certain amount of their curse within his body. So, although he planned to replace his ailing limbs, he would have to allow the curse to progress through his chest and internal organs.

With the shikome under his control, Satori did as he was advised and confronted Bishamon. It was after midnight, just a few days before Bishamon's death at the hands of Tsukiakari. The two initially met inside of the shrine's main building, standing in the worship area as candles flickered around their feet.

Satori said the magic words, watching as the anger settled on Bishamon's face.

"Who told you of this?" Bishamon asked.

"I have very reliable sources." Satori replied, his gloved hands resting on the handle of his walking cane.

"You came to me instead of reporting me to the exorcists. What do you want?" Bishamon questioned.

"You are going to provide me with limbs. I know you pilfer body parts from the graves near this shrine. You were trying to save Magatori's life after that disastrous battle."

"...Come with me."

Bishamon pulled the rug beneath their feet away, revealing a secret, wooden hatch leading to a basement. The two stepped inside, slowly descending the small staircase. Satori was surprised to find an entirely identical worship hall just sitting beneath the shrine. It was there that he encountered Magatori and Himushi, who were startled by the unexpected guest.

Magatori looked no older than seventeen. He strongly resembled Bishamon. He had his long, slick hair and intimidating glare in his eyes. He wasn't as bulky as Bishamon. In fact, he was quite lean. That much was clear, even through the black robes he wore. Magatori kept his raven hair tied into a pony tail, with a few stray strands dangling over his face.

A girl with long, brown hair stood next to him, adorned in a colorful set of moth-patterned robes. Satori immediately noticed her hands were two completely different shades of color, indicating that she had received limb transplants as well. If her robes weren't a dead giveaway, he recognized that the burn scar covering the left side of her neck was consistent with the wounds Himushi reportedly received during the fight with Magatori.

"So it really is true." Satori said. "You survived, Himushi."

"What is he doing here?" Himushi asked in an annoyed tone.

"Don't make that face." Bishamon scolded. "He's here for a limb transplant. Besides, he knows about you already."

"Why'd you do it, Himushi? Why join up with Bishamon and the man that tried to kill you?"

Himushi turned around and crossed her arms. "Just get your limbs and get out."

Satori received an immediate transplant that night, as well as a package of limbs to keep him going. The whole thing disgusted him, using the body parts of the dead to keep himself alive. But he had to do it. If not for himself, he had to do it for Kagutsuchi. He was determined to see this through.

Over the course of a year, Satori mastered his control of the shikome and managed to contain Kagutsuchi's curse to his mansion. Bishamon would die in Tsukiakari's siege a few days after he had met with him, but he still received visits from Magatori and Himushi, who dropped off the rest of Bishamon's limbs to him.

With none of his arms or legs originally belonging to him, Satori returned to the courtyard one night after receiving Lucrezia's call.

"How are you holding up, Satori?"

"Better than I thought. It's a miracle I'm not dead yet."

"It's not a miracle, it's my doing. Please give me more credit. At any rate, I believe we're ready to initiate my plan. Care to hear it?"

"Do tell." Satori chuckled. "What diabolical scheme have you finally cooked up?"

"Firstly, I must apologize for taking so long. I had my hands tied with the whole Tsukiakari thing, and I wanted to wait a while for the heat to die down."

"I understand where you're coming from. I'm sure the exorcists were on high alert, so it would've been harder to do this. You did the right thing."

"I've prepared a ruse, Satori, one I imagine you'll get quite the kick from. It can't be known that we've been working together. We have to construct a scenario that looks natural, given your character. First, I'm going to give you the address of Osamu Ashikaga, the man who helped Tsukiakari."

"Him?!" Satori laughed. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing. I can't call for help from the exorcists, so the only person I can rely on who has experience with goddesses would be him."

"Yes, my thoughts exactly. I'll have you write him a letter inviting him to your mansion. The whole thing will go like this..."

Lucrezia laid out everything. The letter, Satori forcing Osamu and his wives to oblige, the time limit Satori would have to identify Kagutsuchi and find a way to dispel the curse, as well as the finale to it all, the assault on the mansion that Satori would die in. It was all scripted from beginning to end, designed to look like a kidnapping and hostage situation to the exorcists. In reality, they were both working to ensure two things. First, that Kagutsuchi would be safe from harm. Second, that Osamu would be able to take care of her afterwards.

"I see..." Satori smiled. "So either way, it'll cost me my life."

"I'm sorry. I wish there was another way." Lucrezia lamented.

"No, it's perfect. My death will have meant something. It's the best ending I could hope for. Very well, let's do it. I'll send that letter to the Shoku twins tomorrow."

"I'll have to drop contact with you until it's time for the assault. This is the last time we'll be speaking as allies."

"I know." Satori sighed. "Lucrezia...I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me at all. Is there anything else you want me to do for you?"

"Just...just make sure that Kagutsuchi is taken care of. Watch over her."

"I will. You have my word."

"Well then...this is goodbye. I'll see you during the assault."

"Yeah. Goodbye, Satori. No matter what the exorcists might say about you, you're a good man."

The next morning morning, Satori walked up to Kagutsuchi's door for the last time, refusing to go inside. The stained glass shined on his skin and clothes and washed the hall in red and orange.

"I don't know if you're listening to me beyond this door, but...just hang tight." Satori said. "Everything I'm doing right now, I'm doing because it is necessary. You don't have anyone else, so it's up to me to find out how to fix you. From this day forth, you and I will live separately. We may not see or talk to each other for a long time, and for that, I apologize.

“I'm going to do some very harsh things. Very harsh, despicable, and evil things. I'm going to walk down a very difficult and dark path. I may forget who I am and what I stand for, but I won't ever forget you. Even if I die at the end of this, I'm going to use my time wisely. It's funny. I can just imagine it now. Everyone who ever knew me saying to themselves, 'Satori Sentani, the wealthy man who'd probably sell his soul for a coin. The man who would forsake his loved ones for a new car. The man who betrayed his comrades and his country.'".

Satori laughed to himself. "Yeah...I guess that's how they'll remember me. But...that's not who I am. Whether you ultimately grow to hate me or continue loving me...none of it matters. What matters is how it ends. And as long as I live, I can still choose how this all ends for you. So, this is goodbye to the Satori you knew. And for me, it's goodbye to the woman I love so much."

Satori traced his fingers along the bedroom door, knowing that Kagutsuchi was sleeping on the other side. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for everything that was to come, for how harshly he would have to treat Osamu, and for his impending death at the hands of Shinju and Lucrezia.

Osamu was stunned silent. His entire perspective of Satori had been flipped around in a way he never thought it could. Kagutsuchi's lips trembled as tears ran down her cheeks. Even Izanami's expression had gone from jovial to heartbroken. Satori sacrificed everything to cleanse Kagutsuchi of her curse and to force Osamu to become a better man, one capable and driven enough to protect her. He had done it all while fooling everyone involved.

"After that, I did everything that you hate me for. I was short on time and very desperate, so I did horrible things to force faster results out of the situation." Satori explained. "You came, and you were able to get Kagutsuchi to talk. You reunited her and her mother, and from there, she was able to remember enough about her childhood to recall the gourd."

Satori smiled and extended the gourd to Osamu. "I've already died. It's over for me. But you, Osamu...I must ask you for a very selfish favor. You don't have to forgive me. Just because I did it all for Kagu's sake, it doesn't make anything I did right. But I beg of you, please finish what I started. You have the key now. This gourd is the key to ridding Kagu of her curse. This gourd is the key to giving her a normal life. I trusted you to do all of this, because you somehow managed to unite a human and two goddesses under your roof and give them the life that they wanted. I ask that you do the same for Kagutsuchi."

(Satori...)

Osamu accepted the gourd and all of the responsibilities and burdens that came with it. "I will. You can rest easy knowing that."

"Thanks, Osamu. I wish we could've met under better circumstances. Maybe we could've been friends, huh? I'm terribly sorry for everything." Satori said.

"Though you've done things I'm not sure I can forgive, I understand why you went so far. You did it all for her. That's the kind of husband I want to be for my own girls." Osamu replied.

Satori softly slapped his shoulder. "I have faith you'll be that kind of man. No worries!"

Satori turned to Kagutsuchi, whose tears were slipping out of her tightly sealed eyes. "Out of all the things on earth, I'll miss you the most. I'm sorry for putting you through so much. I really did love you, Kagu."

Kagutsuchi bowed to Satori. "Even if we couldn't be together for long...even if our moments were more sour than sweet...I'm eternally thankful that you were the first person I fell in love with. I'm so sorry for making you go through so much pain by yourself, Satori. Thank you for saving me! Thank you for the home and for the memories!"

"You did awful things just to take care of my daughter. Though you put us through a lot, I thank you for taking on such heavy sacrifices." Izanami said, bowing to Satori.

"Before I go...there's something I should tell you, Izanami. Mind if I whisper it to you?" Satori asked.

"Huh? Sure..." Izanami said, stepping closer.

Satori leaned in. "Bishamon knew. Himushi and Magatori might know as well."

Izanami's eyes widened in shock. Her hands clenched into fists and her eyebrows arched downwards.

"Lucrezia will be looking for them. Help her, if you can." Satori said.

"No one can know." Izanami hissed.

"I'll take it to the grave."

Satori pulled back, patting Izanami on the shoulders. "Izanami, do the honors of taking everyone back. You shouldn't hang around here any longer. I don't want to see what else might try to kill you."

"Right." Izanami said. "Everyone, gather around. We're leaving."

Osamu and the others gathered around Izanami, preparing to leave. He gazed upon Mizuhame's gourd with a twinge in his heart. After hearing the truth, the gourd felt so much heavier than it did before.

"Satori! I'm gonna keep my promise! I'll finish your work!" Osamu declared. "You can leave it all to me, so rest easy."

"Thanks, again." Satori said, smiling. "Goodbye, Kagu, Izanami, Shinju. Osamu, please apologize to your friends for me."

"Satori! I love you!" Kagutsuchi cried. "I always will! Don't ever forget that!"

Satori tipped his hat forward, forlornly trying to cover his tearing eyes. "I love you too, Kagutsuchi. Take care of your mother, and of course, your new friends. Farewell, everyone. It's time for this showman to bow out. He's had a long and hard performance. It's about time he gets some rest."

(Once again, my head is spinning...Satori did wrong things for a righteous cause, and Shinju punished him in such an ugly way for a righteous reason. Wrong and right...these are the choices Satori lives by. Sometimes, it's not the choice itself, but the intent behind it that drives us. That's who Satori was. He loved someone enough to make horrible choices for a good cause.)

Satori disappeared into the dark, icy waters and into the peaceful quietude of the Underworld. Osamu knew that the exorcists would remember him as a vile traitor, but everyone involved in the events of the past week would know the truth. They'd be the ones to keep Satori's true memory alive.

(Unbelievable. He was a master illusionist...from beginning to end.)

Izanami teleported everyone back to the battered and ruined mansion. They reappeared in the stained glass hallway where Satori met his end, saddened to see his body lying down the hall. Yoko, the Shoku Twins, Rei, Aika and Tsukiakari all bombarded Osamu and Izanami with tearful hugs and kisses in the stained glass hallway, the light of the setting sun piercing through the windows.

Shinju helped Aika and Rei carry Isabella's casket out to the courtyard while Yoko and Izanami tended to Tsukiakari's wounds outside. Osamu, meanwhile stayed behind to bury Satori next to the dead maple tree in the open-air section of the mansion. He dug the grave entirely by hand, his own personal way of paying Satori back for the immense burden he carried. When it was done, he stood up, dusted his hands off and closed his eyes.

(Rest in peace, Satori. You left Kagu in good hands. She'll be with her mother again, and it looks like Tsukiakari has no grudge with her anymore. All of this was possible because you endured a world of suffering. Thank you.)

And so, Osamu strolled through the very same rooms that Satori took him through on their way to meet Kagutsuchi. All of the shikome had been vanquished, the lavish welcoming party and bombastic music gone. All that was left were the ruins of an empty mansion and the grave of a man who would never be remembered for the altruist he was.

Osamu made it through the rooms and joined everyone outside. At long last, they could all put this bizarre and violent chapter of their lives behind them.

Shinju approached to him, waving her hand towards Isabella's casket. "Well, this is it. Here you go."

"Thank you very much for all of your help." Osamu said.

"I know some guys that can get her back to where she was. She was buried in her native country, right? She's got no business being here." Shinju said.

"I'd appreciate that." Osamu nodded. "So...what's going to happen to this place and Kagutsuchi?"

"Ah, the mansion?" Lucrezia interjected. "Well, as nice as it is, I'm afraid we'll have to destroy it. Having so many shikome around made the place vulnerable to the rise of evil spirits. In order to stop that before it can start, this place is gonna have to go."

"I see. Was it really the right thing to kill Satori? Couldn't it have ended in a better way for him?" Osamu asked.

"I'm afraid this was the only way. We both agreed to it." Lucrezia said. "A way to trick the exorcists while ensuring Kagu's safety, and a way to get some information out of Bishamon, before his untimely passing, of course. From the moment Satori penned that letter to you, he knew exactly how all of this was going to go, and how everything would end. He chose a death he felt was befitting of him. I think it was better than living out his final days in agony, dying of some wicked curse eating away at his body."

"It worked? Your ruse?" Osamu asked.

"Because of him, it worked like a charm." Lucrezia sighed. "I'll miss him. He was a good man. Please, don't judge him too harshly, Osamu."

While Shinju and Lucrezia prepped the mansion for destruction, Yoko sat by Osamu's side in the courtyard, the breeze swaying the myriad of flowers at their feet. The sky was lit on fire by the setting sun. The darkness of night slowly crept over the eastern horizon.

"We're almost ready to get out of here." Yoko said. "I figured we could probably rest up at our first house, since we're here in Kyoto anyway. We'll stay there for a couple of days and then head back to Hokkaido, all right?"

"Yeah..."

Yoko placed her hand on Osamu's back. "Osa...are you okay?"

Tears fell from Osamu's eyes as he hung his head, gazing at the gourd. His heart shattered, he held the gourd close to his heart as he sobbed beneath the day's fading light.

"Just a little hurt...that's all..."

Everyone gathered outside of the mansion as Shinju and Lucrezia finished up rigging the place with paper talismans. The destruction of the mansion was all that remained, the final act in the deceitful theater drama penned by Lucrezia and Satori.

"All right then. If you all have everything you need out of here, I'll go ahead and destroy it now." Shinju said.

"We're all good." Osamu affirmed.

Shinju nodded. "Very well then."

Shinju performed a series of twelve Kuji-in signs for the twelve talismans placed inside the mansion. They went off like bombs, destroying the mansion from the inside. It collapsed in on itself and rumbled thunderously as it was reduced to a pile of broken rubble. Shinju placed one final talisman on the ground of the courtyard. It was a simple white slip of paper with the kanji for 'Pure' and 'Heaven' written on it. It sunk under the solid ground after it was placed as if it was falling through water.

Shinju placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. "Well, that's it. With this, we can rest assured no more evil spirits can emerge out of this place. Still, I must advise you all to never come back here. Oh, and of course, I'll be taking the gourd so I can fill it up for you. The hard part of all of this is done, but we'll still need to cleanse Kagutsuchi. I know a ritual that Mizuhame used. It'll help us."

"Yeah, that's very much appreciated." Osamu said.

"Osamu, if you ever need me, you have my number. Stay in contact, yeah?" Shinju said. "I'll be updating you about the gourd. If anything concerning the supernatural ever happens to you again, just give me a call. I work free of charge. Justice shouldn't cost a penny, after all."

"Shinju, do you have a place to stay?" Izanami asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes!" Shinju sang. "I have my own house and I occasionally like to hang out at the shrines around town. I have a few places around the country, really. Makes it easy to operate anywhere."

"Okay then. Thanks for saving us. Please, come visit sometime." Izanami said.

"With pleasure!" Shinju responded.

"Excellent." Lucrezia said. "Kagutsuchi will stay with you guys for the time being. Be sure to let me know when you're ready for the ritual as well, Shinju."

Shinju curtsied. "Of course, boss."

"Come on, let's go, Kagu." Yoko said, holding her hand."

(All that was left now was to go home. The hardest part of this adventure was over. For now, at least, we could all rest and work towards ridding Kagutsuchi of her curse powers. Isabella...I just hope you're proud of me. I hope I can keep doing the right thing. Even if, someday, somehow, I have to make terrible decisions like Satori did. I hope I can at least be like him and commit my sins for the sake of protecting those I hold dear. We all have a choice, after all. I'll carry those words with me for the rest of my life.)