Lawrence always thought of himself as someone who was always in high spirits. Not to say he couldn’t be a pessimist, and of course during the time in his life where Oku was sucking all of his energy and turning him into a tired blob it was definitely difficult to be seen as an optimist… but that was all changed now. He wanted, no he had to believe that there was some way to bring Hato back.

As he was thinking about this, he walked right into a very human-like Youkai. After so much time, most of them knew about Lawrence, so he stopped and greeted him. In fact, the Youkai was searching for his wife.

“I’ve been looking for her a very long time…”

“How long?”

“Right after our shrine was destroyed she took flight and I haven’t seen her since. I’ve been looking for such a long time…”

He felt for the guy, after all the time he’d spent trying to find a way to bring Hato back after all.

“Not that I’m trying to stop your research! Sir!”

The Youkai had even stopped asking for help since he and Mark began the search for Hato’s revival. It was nice of them.

“No, it’s alright.”

“Really? Then I may have a memory you might be interested in.”

“A memory.”

“I remember, long ago I was created first, followed shortly after my wife. I witnessed not only her creation, but the creation of her mask as well. If this is something that can help you I would be happy to show you. Once we find my wife of course.”

At first Lawrence thought the Youkai was blackmailing him, but after thinking for a moment he realized something. He wasn’t doing anything of the sort… he’d been looking for his wife far longer than Lawrence had researched Youkai masks. He had to be getting desperate. Something like this… Lawrence barely knew the half of the paint he man could be going through. Losing someone that you loved…

Hato’s kiss flashed in his memory. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and turned his attention back to the Youkai.

“Of course. I’ll need to know some details though and…”

“No problem! I’ll help you any way that I can Master Human!”

“Master Human?”

“Oh nothing nothing. If you would meet me around the public cemetery at four I will tell you everything I know.”

“See you there.”

Lawrence didn’t want things to get in the way of his search, but on the off chance this Youkai’s memory could help him he wasn’t going to waste that.

Later, he was able to get Oku and Mark to come with him, trailed by Inari as well. He tried to tell her that she wouldn’t be able to see the Youkai, but of course she didn’t listen. She was a strange one.

When they arrived, Lawrence noticed something strange. The Youkai was there, but he was putting flowers on each of the graves, even praying before each one before moving on. Was he some sort of spirit of death?

“Ah, you’ve come! And enlisted help I see?”

“Yes well I thought we would have a better chance if more of us came.”

“Of course! But… ah is that a normal human there?”

The Youkai pointed at Inari, who was struggling to squint enough to see even the outline of the Youkai.

“Not quite normal no, but not able to see you either. She… has prophetic dreams?”

“Ahh a seer. Alright, come with me. I will show you the site of the shrine.”

The public cemetery was close to the forest, as most Youkai liked to be, and this one’s shrine was no exception. Into a little grove they went to find a small burned down building. It smelled of smoke and the Youkai twittered around to the back where a small box still stood.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“This is all that was left… Some nasty boys who liked to play pranks did this long ago. I don’t think their intention was to burn the place down but... Well you can see. “

Mark knelt down at the box and touched the small plate on it.

“How long ago?”

The Youkai turned to him and looked with sad eyes.

“Almost fifty years. That was also the day my beloved left me… She was so angry with those darned kids you know.”

“I can imagine.”

“For a while now people simply haven’t cared about Youkai, nor gods, to be honest they don’t really care about anything that they cannot see and touch. My wife had finally had enough it seems.”

Lawrence also knelt down to the box, where there was a name.

“Shuryu Shimasu.”

“Those are our names. It means terminate, to die you know. Together we were strong but now… I don’t know what to do with myself without her.”

“Now that we know your names it should make finding her that much easier. I think we should start by speaking to the nearby Youkai. Oku can you look around the treetops?”

“Sure.”

Oku, who had been sitting in a tree, stood up and bounded off into the forest as Mark picked up his bag and started walking towards the forest as well. Since the days were starting to get longer they could be out past six or even seven without fear of being lost in the dark woods. Inari, completely bewildered, just looked towards Lawrence.

“There really is someone there? You aren’t making fun of me?”

“No there is not, and your hand is going through him.”

Lawrence moved her hand down out of Shuryo’s head as the Youkai chuckled and thanked him one last time.

“I must remain near the shrine for now to regain energy, but as soon as I can will rejoin you. Thank you for your assistance.”

“Of course. Especially if you have information that can help in my search.”

The Youkai regained his crafty look.

“That and more can be yours if you find Shimasu.”

He walked back towards the shrine and Lawrence led Inari into the forest.

“So what are we doing?”

“The Youkai we just got done talking to lost his wife long ago, so we need to ask around and find her. If we can, he will give me information pertaining to… something very important to me.”

“So you’re helping him for the information?”

“I’d say half for that half because he needed the help in the first place.”

“Stop trying to act cool, you just wanted the information. Nobody does anything for nothing.”

“You’d be surprised.”

Inari looked up at him but he was faced forward, back to her. He didn’t seem to want to talk about the subject anymore, so she followed behind him closely for a few minutes. He might have had Youkai to talk to, but since she couldn’t see them was all alone.

The forest felt like a lonely place. Well, at least for Inari. On the other side of the veil Lawrence was getting yelled at by tens of Youkai as he walked through the forest. Some of them knew vague rumors, others knew next to nothing, but all of them were talkative.

He snuck a look back at Inari. Not too recently he’d felt that aloneness in these very woods. The inability to see Youkai after having been with them for almost half a year was so strange to him. Luckily he’d gotten his vision back, but in her case she’d never been able to see them in the first place. She was a lot like he was back before any of this started. Another Youkai slapped him on the back and knocked him out of his daze. A large cow-headed Youkai smiled down at him and started talking about Shimasu.

“I think I know just who you’re talking about. She was the wife of the Shuryo guy right? Terminate? Been about fifty years? In fact, I saw her recently. Up in the hills right over there. She’s not doing too hot.”

“Thank you, this is the lead we needed.”

“Just remember to help us out when we need it too hm?”

With that the big Youkai plodded off and Lawrence began to call everyone back. Once Mark and Oku returned, they went back down the hill to tell Shuryo the good news.

“There’s a cave around the eastern end of the forest, which the Youkai believe she is residing in.”

“All the way over there?”

“Hopefully he was right, but it is getting late out right now. Could we come back tomorrow?”

For a second Shuryo looked worried, but composed himself and looked up with a smile.

“Certainly! I’ve waited fifty years, what’s one more day.”

He waved goodbye and they started off back towards his dorm, Oku changing to human form.

“Damn all that looking and Lawrence is the one to find everything out yet again.”

“Well Mark if you’d hadn’t stopped to ask every single one you might have gotten somewhere.”

“Oku you didn’t find anything else out either…”

“At least I had an effective search pattern!”

Those three continued to argue as Inari silently looked on. She wasn’t really used to them yet. For god’s sake she met them because of a dream. She didn’t even know how to act around them yet.

“Something wrong Inari?”

Shit, she’d gotten so preoccupied in her head she’d even stopped walking. Lawrence was always wondering…

“No of course not, but you know… You wouldn’t have found anything either, the Youkai came to you after all. H-he could have went to either of them just as easily.”

She tried her hardest to get into the conversation, but was met with blank stares for a few moments. Her heart started to beat faster but…

“Ha ha!!! You didn’t even find the Youkai yourself Lawrence? I knew something seemed fishy.”

“Yeah I’ll bet he only approached you because most of the Youkai know who you are. That’s pretty shameful man…”

“H-hey I still was the one that got the info! What did you do Mark, try to ask every ant?”

“They have different stories!”

They continued to argue like this until returning to the dorms, and Inari felt a little bit better about it. Maybe it wasn’t so hard to fit in with these freaks after all.