[Himushi Redemption] Hail the Dark Blood, Scorn the Liar

"You used the Shoku Twins' Stopwatch?" Shinju barked. "Damn it, Cyanide...."

Cyanide fixed his posture, sitting upright in his chair. "I ran into him a few times more on my way back into town. He's definitely hunting me. It won't be long before he and Himushi press the attack. We're going to need Lucrezia for this one."

"That's not going to work. Lucrezia is still banged up from rescuing Amatsuki." Osamu said.

"She's what?" Cyanide groaned. "So now we're at a disadvantage because of her guilty conscience. Well, at the very least, I was able to nab Bishamon's war fan. That should make our job a little easier."

Shinju went ahead and stuffed the war fan into Osamu's coat pocket, much to his confusion. "Osamu, you hold onto it until Cyanide heals completely from his injuries. Take good care of it."

"Uh..sure, I can do that." Osamu said.

"As long as it's not destroyed, I'm all right with it." Cyanide said.

"Isn't it better to get Cyanide out of here?" Osamu asked. "He shouldn't stay in one place for too long."

"Yeah, but where to hide him is the question." Shinju mumbled.

"A five-star hotel with beautiful maids would be lovely." Cyanide chimed.

"Piss off." Shinju hissed.

Cyanide stood from his seat, resting his hands on the table. "Relax, you two. I'm going to stay here. Besides, once Lucrezia heals up a bit, the three of us are going to need a new hideout, aren't we? What better place than this old book shop?"

"That's a good point, but it's kind of dangerous, isn't it?" Shinju questioned.

"Only while Himushi and Magatori are still drawin' breath from the earth." Cyanide said. "You're positive you can do this, Shinju?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Himushi is dead to the both of us. Even if I did have my doubts, she's a threat to Lucrezia. She has to be stopped."

Cyanide smiled and sat back down in his chair. "At any rate, there's no harm staying here a little longer. We can use that time to figure out what to do next. So please, make yourselves at home. There's tons to read here, you know."

"Osamu, I'm going to step out and make a few calls." Shinju sighed. "We're going to need a little help so we don't get caught off guard."

"Hey, don't just leave me with a stranger!" Osamu urged.

Shinju dismissively waved her hand as she exited through the office door. "It's fine, he's not into men."

Left alone with Cyanide, Osamu plopped himself down on a pile of old, dusty books next to Cyanide's desk. Cyanide pressed his cigarette into the ashtray and immediately cast his gaze upon Osamu.

"I can't believe a young man like yourself is tagging along with Lucrezia and Shinju. They seem to have a lot of trust in you." Cyanide said.

"As they should." Osamu said, crossing his arms. "We didn't exactly have the best start, but those two have definitely grown on me."

"Hmm, I see. Interesting, interesting. You're like a mirror image of me when I was a kid."

"I'm twenty-two, can you stop belittling me?"

Cyanide scoffed. "Twenty-two is the exact age one should be belittled. So many of us grow past that eighteen-year benchmark and think we can just storm right into the world, but that's not really the case. You ask me, I think that kind of arrogance should be snuffed out right from the very beginning. It kills people. You've probably gotten into one too many adventures and had to lose someone or something you loved, haven't you?"

(Isabella wasn't the fault of my adventures, but...Aika...)

"You aren't the first human to get so heavily involved with the supernatural. Many followed before you for hundreds of years. Wanna know what they all shared in common? They all died before they turned thirty." Cyanide explained.

"You don't think I'll live very long?"

"None of them ever do. We're like the mayflies of this world. Someday, it'll happen to you, just how I know it will happen to me, and Shinju probably knows it will happen to her. It's foolish to believe you can live this kind of life and live very long, Osamu."

Osamu smiled. "If having a short life means I can be around people like Shinju, I'll take the life of a mayfly over the life of a regular human any day. Mayflies, when they hatch and fly out into the world, don't they usually spend the one day they have in this life resting and dancing around each other in flurried swarms? I don't mind an early death if it's with people like that. I'll dance with them and rest with them until I finally die out."

Cyanide awarded Osamu's speech with an impressed chuckle. "You really are a curious kid. I can see why you and Shinju get along so well. I just hope Shinju isn't the Dolania americana species of mayfly."

"Hmm? Why's that?"

"Once they hatch, they only live for about five minutes, and then they die. They have some of the shortest lifespans on earth. And as for you, Osamu, I hope you retire from this life while you still can. Maybe you can actually live past thirty and die at eighty or something."

(He's been around. I wonder if he's right about it...)

Shinju rushed back into the office. "Let's get going, guys."

"Where to?" Cyanide asked.

"To go see Amaterasu." Shinju answered.

"Whoa, the Good Lady herself is stepping in?" Cyanide chuckled.

"You've met Amaterasu before, right Osamu?" Shinju asked.

"Yeah, she's my mother-in-law. I haven't seen her since Isabella passed."

"Well then, she should be glad to see us all. Let's go." Shinju said.

Shinju led the way out of the bookstore and continued walking through the neighborhood and past the cemetery in the woods. Osamu had never ventured much farther than the cemetery. Downtown Kyoto was in the opposite direction, and that's where he would go if he really needed anything.

To Osamu's surprise, Shinju led them to a small stream in the snow-covered woods, and a dirt path next to it that was lined with dozens of stone lanterns. The wind tugged at the twisting canopy of naked branches above their heads as they followed the river's purl, which led them to the bright, red torii gate of a small, well-kept shrine. Two masked shrine maidens greeted them at the entrance, bowing to their expected guests.

"Welcome to our shrine." chimed one of the shrine maidens. "Amaterasu is waiting for you."

"Now this is a sweet deal!" Cyanide hollered, his wish for cute girls coming true. "Who did you call to make this happen?!"

"Actually, I called your wife, Osamu. Tsukiakari then called Amaterasu to prepare the shrine." Shinju said.

"Please tell me you left out the part where you handcuffed me to your bed shirtless." Osamu said.

"I may have mistakenly, accidentally, coincidentally mentioned it, maybe."

"I hate you so much right now." Osamu groaned.

The three passed through the torii gate and walked into the pagoda, but only found a regular visitor sitting in the sanctuary. The visitor took off her white, frock coat and black, cotton gloves, leaving them to the side as she prayed in silence. Amaterasu, however, was nowhere to be found.

"Ah, I'm glad you made it, everyone." the visitor said, grabbing their attention.

The woman pulled the golden scrunchy out of her ponytail, letting her raven hair drop to her shoulders. Everyone's jaws dropped to the floor as they realized this normal, casually-dressed woman was actually Amaterasu. Her fierce, golden eyes were a dead giveaway.

Shinju immediately bowed to her queen. "Lady Amaterasu! I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you! You looked..."

Amaterasu snickered. "Human? Yes, I suppose you've only ever seen me in my traditional robes. I would've worn them, but I was afraid I'd stick out too much and be noticed. I borrowed some clothes from Gekko and made myself look as inconspicuous as possible. I'd say I managed to do a pretty good job if I was able to fool you."

Osamu stepped forward, his face alight with joy upon seeing Amaterasu again. "It's been a while, Amaterasu!"

"Osamu! Come here!" Amaterasu sang as she hugged her son-in-law. "I've missed you! Have you been well?"

"Well enough." Osamu replied. "I've had Shinju and Lucrezia looking after me."

"Good to hear. Gekko told me that Yoko and Izanami are pregnant. Is that right? Congratulations, Osamu." Amaterasu said.

"Thanks you very much! I'm really nervous about the whole thing. I was kinda hoping to get some parenthood tips from you at some point, actually."

Amaterasu laughed. "Honestly, I don't think I'm a good enough role model to answer those questions. Ah, I'll have to prepare a gift for you and the whole family, and maybe a special one for Izanami. I know this must mean quite a lot to her. As you may know, Osamu, almost all of Izanami's children have passed away. It's just me and Tsukuyomi left, and, well, that's not much. She's looked after Gekko as if she were her daughter, but I'm sure she's over the moon now that she's going to become a mother again. Thank you for giving her that blessing, Osamu."

Osamu smiled as he thought of his beloved Izanami, his pale-skinned queen. "She's the one who blesses me everyday. I hope you'll come over soon, Amaterasu. We usually do a big gathering during the winter and we'd love to have you over."

Amaterasu nodded. "I will set aside a day to make that happen, don't you worry! Now then, I suppose we should get down to business, yes? I heard everything from Gekko. Magatori and Himushi are planning to strike. Please sit, everyone."

The shrine maidens sealed the pagoda doors as everyone took their seats upon the tatami mats in the candle-lit sanctuary, their flickering, orange glow radiating against a bronze statue of the emaciated Buddha.

"It would seem that after all this time, we're still fighting Bishamon." Amaterasu said. "Himushi and Magatori are the last remnants of his traitorous legacy. The exorcists under my command have by tracking them both for a while."

Osamu noticed that Shinju slightly winced upon hearing those words. He turned his gaze over to her, watching her right hand slightly ball up.

"I would like to see this resolved quickly. I'm more than willing to provide you with backup, should you need it. I don't want to take any risks here." Amaterasu said.

"No." Shinju interjected. "We need to keep this operation small. The battle between us could get messy if there's too many people involved. Ideally, your people would keep tracking their movements so that Cyanide and I can prepare to confront them."

"You want to fight them by yourselves? Isn't Lucrezia coming with you?" Amaterasu asked.

Shinju shook her head. "She's not combat ready at the moment. Can't risk it."

Amaterasu sighed. "I don't feel comfortable about that. The thing is, we believe that Himushi has vital intel that could help us in the search for Inari Okami."

(Inari? She was a friend of Gekko and Izanami back in the Warring States era. Is Amaterasu looking for her to help her, or to order the exorcists to kill her?)

"I know you want to be careful, but sending in too much force will only result in failure. Cyanide and I can take down Himushi and Magatori, and I'll find a way to get Himushi to talk about Inari."

Osamu's hands tingled as the hairs on his arm stood up. Everyone's voiced faded in the background, superseded by the thunderous beat of his own heart.

(Why...am I getting such a bad feeling about all of this? Something doesn't feel right...)

"...I wasn't aware you were still taking the search for Inari seriously, Lady Amaterasu." Shinju said.

Amaterasu turned her head and smiled. "For a while, we didn't. It wasn't until Himushi reached out to Amatsuki's organization that we took it seriously again."

"Why's that?" Cyanide asked.

"Himushi tracked down the forensic anthropologist in charge of identifying the remains they stole. I had my men watch them the whole time. Of course, he was a hardened Yakuza. Nothing they did to him was enough to make him talk. It was then that Himushi accidentally awakened to a dormant power within herself. Blood magic, we call it."

"That sounds pleasant..." Osamu shivered.

"Think of it like this." Amaterasu began. "Imagine, Osamu, if I pointed my index finger at you and issued a command. Let's say I told you to wrap your hands around your neck and strangle yourself. Of course, I can't actually make you do that. With blood magic, however, your body would be enthralled to my command. Your flesh and sinew would obey my every word, and you would be dead right now."

"Seriously? It's like some kind of mind control? Or rather, body control?" Osamu asked.

Amaterasu nodded. "Exactly. The only other person to awaken to such a power was Inari Okami herself. I witnessed it first hand, many years ago."

Shinju gasped and leaned forward, her voice raised in awe and alarm. "So you're saying that Himushi..."

"Yes." Amaterasu said. "Himushi is the descendant of Inari Okami. That's why we need her alive. She may have information that will lead us to Inari herself, and this four-hundred year long search can finally come to an end. Surely you understand now why sending you two in alone makes me so nervous. Inari is on a completely different level than Bishamon because of that power. Now that you know all of this, are you sure it's best to leave it to you two?"

Shinju nodded. "Yes. If she really does have blood magic, throwing more bodies at her will only work to her advantage. Amaterasu, please, you must leave this to us. Your men are more than welcome to provide support, but under no circumstances can they engage with either Magatori or Himushi."

Amaterasu sighed. "Okay, Shinju. You've never let me down, so I'll trust you with this one. And...I know this is a very personal mission for you. I'm sorry that it's come to this."

"I've already made my peace with it." Shinju said, closing her downcast eyes.

"I have as well." Cyanide said.

"Very well then." Amaterasu said, pulling out a rolled up scroll from her frock coat pocket. "Here, Cyanide. Take this. Whenever you're ready, simply write Magatori's name on this scroll. The ink will morph and reveal his location in real time. We were only able to tag Magatori, but it's likely he won't split up with Himushi. I'll entrust this mission to you two."

Cyanide accepted the scroll into his gloved hands, bowing his head in respect. "Thank you, Lady Amaterasu. We won't let you down."

Amaterasu stood and picked up her coat off the floor. "I'll leave you to it. Osamu, dear, give my congratulations to Izanami and Yoko. I promise I'll set aside a day to celebrate with you all."

"Thanks, Amaterasu. I'll be sure to tell them." Osamu said.

Amaterasu's gaze drifted towards the ceiling. "I'd really prefer it if you called me Mom..."

"Tell you what, if you come over and cook a good meal, I'll start calling you Mom!" Osamu cheered.

"Is that a challenge? I accept! I've already got tons of great ideas for holiday dinners!" Amaterasu said. "Be careful, my love. Stay safe, okay? We can't have our celebration if you get hurt."

"I know. I'll be careful." Osamu said.

Amaterasu bowed and took her leave, exiting through the sliding door behind Shinju and Cyanide. A deafening quietude settled in the sanctuary. Neither Shinju nor Cyanide said a word. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen.

"Uhh...guys?" Osamu said.

Shinju suddenly slammed her fist into the tatami mat. "Damn it! This wasn't what happened! How did she find out about Himushi?"

"This is bad, Shinju. We should alert Lucrezia as soon as possible. At least we were able to convince her to let us go alone." Cyanide said.

"Whoa, what's wrong? What do you mean this wasn't what happened?" Osamu questioned, alarmed by Shinju's sudden burst of rage.

"We need to beat them to it. Cyanide, go ahead and write Magatori's name in the scroll." Shinju said, ignoring Osamu. "I'll call Lucrezia and let her know we messed up."

Cyanide unrolled the scroll onto the tatami mat and pulled out a small calligraphy brush from his back pocket. Meanwhile, Shinju whipped out her cell phone and called Lucrezia immediately as she paced back and forth, chewing on the nail of her thumb.

Osamu dragged himself closer to Cyanide, watching as the ink from his brush flowed and swirled on the paper on its own, forming a topographic map of the neighborhood. A single, black dot formed in the area where Lucrezia fought with Amatsuki just a few months ago.

"Holy shit, already?!" Cyanide recoiled.

"He's in the neighborhood?" Osamu panicked. "We have to move!"

Completely unaware of the danger homing in on her, Lucrezia stood alongside Tsukiakari, watching Yoko, Kagutsuchi, and Amatsuki adorn their seven foot Christmas tree with red and silver baubles and colorful lights. Heartwarming laughter filled the house, and not a single face went without a smile.

This joy was made possible because of Lucrezia's efforts, because she navigated her way through seemingly impossible situations and went against insurmountable odds to bring everyone together. She almost hated herself for it, but Lucrezia was proud of herself. Now that she had a chance to sit back and take it all in, she truly was glad she went through so much trouble for Osamu's family.

Lucrezia put down her spiked eggnog as her phone rang in her pocket. She excused herself and stepped out into the backyard as everyone carried on putting up the tree.

"Shinju? How's it going?"

"We have a big problem here." Shinju replied. "I think we messed up. Amaterasu knows about Himushi."

A chill shot down Lucrezia's spine as she swallowed a lump the size of a golf ball in her throat. "You're sure?"

"She told us herself. Himushi awakened to her power and Amaterasu's men saw it happen. It was when she killed that anthropologist. What do we do, Lucrezia?"

Lucrezia turned her head, looking back at the joyous family inside Osamu's home. She saw firsthand how Izanami's presence brought Yoko peace, how Tsukiakari's existence brought Izanami joy, and how Kagutsuchi's freedom from her curse allowed Izanami to reconnect with her long lost daughter. On top of all of that, two new members of the family were on their way. It was a precious scene, a precious group of people that was only missing one person. Inari Okami.

"We have to find Inari before Amaterasu does. To do that, we'll have to confront Himushi as soon as possible." Lucrezia explained.

"Shinju, bad news! This scroll says that Magatori is already in the neighborhood!" Cyanide shouted, his voice overhead by Lucrezia.

Before Lucrezia could utter a word, she noticed a shadow looming over her. She turned her head towards upwards, spotting Lucrezia nonchalantly sitting upon the branch of a tree towering over the backyard fence. Cyanide warned her far too late.

Himushi removed her demonic noh mask, staring daggers at Lucrezia. "I think it's time you and I have a little talk, Lucrezia.”