She should have known better.
Being the son of a wealthy business owner had its perks, a major one being not having any major responsibilities that would necessitate a swift return home after the school day. Late fall and early winter being the busiest time of the year for a logging company, it wasn’t as if Grant’s father was even home to expect the boy. Sure, she had been held after school for a bit to get one of the harshest lectures to date, but Miss Brunch was hardly going to actually follow through with her threat to talk to her mom. She just gave her extra assignments and a sternly worded letter to take home and get signed.
Aggie didn’t really get it, but all of the adults seemed to be terrified of her mom.
Of course this terror hadn’t trickled down to their kids so Aggie really should have known better than to try and walk home alone. Sure, she was alright in a scrap and could hold her own, but Aggie relied on the good old element of surprise for most of them. A devastating blow -quick and early- when they least expected it and just as quick of an exit before they had time to really come to. So now that the tables were turned, all Aggie could really do was blame herself.
“Think you can just kick me and walk away from it, bitch?” Grant’s voice was acid. “Think you’re some kinda hot shot? Think again.”
Another blow to her gut that somehow made the sparklies dance harder in her vision.
“Stupid bitch! Gonna teach you to mess with me!”
Oooooh, Grant was changing things up now. That kick to her belly nearly made her vomit. One hundred percent should have let Sammy stick around after school, but he looked so eager to get back to his new pet that she felt guilty and told him to go. Big mistake.
“Uhhh, boss? I…I think she gets the message. My dad would be reeeaaal mad if he knew that we were beating up a girl.”
Huh. Aggie blinked back the tears that hid her surprise. She didn’t expect the pee-ons to be the ones to try and put a stop to this.
“Shut up, Obediah! Who cares if she’s a girl! I’m gonna teach her a lesson!”
Croney was the next to speak up, and Aggie felt his grip on her arm slacken.
“Boss, my mom says that we should leave the Sugiyamas alone. I’m not sure if we should be doing this.”
Grant’s face squashed itself into a rage, looking altogether like a tamato berry that had sat on the counter too long. A lock of curly hair drooped onto his forehead and accentuated the boy’s likeness to Aggie’s favorite insult. Even in the state she was in, Aggie couldn’t hold back the chuckle that rasped out of her throat.
“You should listen to them, you sunburnt Jigglypuff.”
With eyes that sparked madness and sheer hatred, Grant cocked back his arm. Just as Aggie screwed her eyes shut and prepared herself for the inevitable, another voice rang out.
“What in the hells do you kids think yer doin’?”
Aggie creeped her good eye open cautiously. The man who was running up could be summed up in a word. Robust. Broad shoulders, thick arms, and a sturdy frame that spoke of physical strength and hard work. An ample belly that hinted at a love for hearty meals and a well-kept beard both flounced and wiggled as the man approached.
“Ah shit, it’s my dad.” Obediah whispered as he dropped Aggie’s left arm. “I’m screwed.”
“Obediah? The hell you thinking, huh? Beating up a girl?” Obediah reeled from the man’s slap that left his lip bleeding. “Gods above, is that the Cheery boy?! What the hell is going on here?”
Grant’s face had paled as he stammered out the words. “S-sir, we was teachin’ her a lesson. She kicked me in the back and in the ah… ah…”
“Spit it out, boy.” The glare was menacing and kept Grant frozen where he stood.
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“In the arse, sir.”
Another cracked echo reverberated and Grant was left in tears as a red handprint blossomed across his cheek. The Elder Crane turned and hoisted Aggie onto her feet without so much a second glance at the crying boy.
“Holy hell, they did a number on you. What’s your name, girl? I’m escorting you home.”
“Agatha Sugiyama.” Aggie croaked out. She could barely see out of one eye at this point.
“Wait, Sugiyama?”
She nodded.
Obediah’s father cursed softly under his breath before he gently swung Aggie into his arms, cradling her there. “Alright. I know whereabouts your folks live. Let’s get you home.” He shifted her weight slightly before turning to the three boys and sharply commanding them. “March, boys. You’ve got hell to answer for today.”
----------------------------------------
Grant was whimpering on the floor of his home, beaten and cowed. He dare not look up at his father who was currently unfurling the leather belt he had used to beat him with.
“Boy, do you have any idea what you’ve done today?”
Between hiccups and sobs, Grant managed to eke out a sentence. “I assaulted a girl three on one.”
The tanned leather whipped across his shins, evoking a shrill scream. Apparently, his answer was far from acceptable.
“No, boy, it just ain’t so simple as that. Have you any idea just how fucking stupid you were fucking around with the Sugiyama girl?”
“N-no s-sir.”
“Let me tell you a story.” Grant could hear the creak of his father’s chair as the man settled into it. “Once upon a time, back in your great-grandfather’s era, the world was dark. And when I say dark, I mean that shit was dangerous. Folks often just fucking up and disappearing overnight dangerous. Back then, folks were still living in smaller villages and country towns that were smaller than even Pallet. Folks stuck together for safety and survival.
And at the center of every town were the shrines. Folks back then built those things and offered up whatever they could to stave off the dark and keep ‘em fed. Because when the dark got hungry that is when folks would start disappearing. And who was it that kept these shrines in tip-top fucking shiny shape?” The man paused, waiting for Grant to respond.
“I-I d-don’t know, sir.”
“Fucking Mikos. Shrine maidens. Fucking women and girls who were given up by their families as offerings to the dark. And you see, boy, the dark took kindly to these women. They talked to them, accepted their offerings, and stopped disa-fucking-ppearing folks in the middle of the goddamn night in a gesture of friendship. The dark partnered with these women, keeping them and their towns safe in return for the companionship and offerings. The Sugiyamas are one of these Miko families! They’ve been here since the beginning!
Never fuck with a Miko or her family. And just in case you didn't hear me the first time... NEVER. FUCK. WITH. A. MIKO. OR. HER. FAMILY.” Grant’s father’s voice had risen to a commanding scream. “Do you know why a fucking shrine maiden is so GODDAMN terrifying?! It’s because you’ll only see the ghosts they bonded with when they GODDAMN want you to! Just because you can’t see the ghosts don’t mean they ain’t FUCKING THERE! And the only reason they’d want you to see one is because they want you to know just how bad you FUCKED UP!”
“I-I thought g-ghosts weren’t real.” Grant blanched as the furious gaze of his father intensified, spittle flying from the man’s mouth.
“What the fuck are they teaching you in that goddamn school? Of course ghosts are fucking real! Just ‘cuz you can’t see ‘em don’t mean they ain’t any less real, boy! You think I’m being hard on you boy? You think it’s bad when I gotta pull out my belt? You don’t know nothin’! You remember your Great-Uncle Freddy?”
Grant shook his head, too terrified to speak.
“That’s goddamn right you don’t! Because Freddy tried to fuck with a goddamn Miko! One day he’s up and harassin’ this girl he thinks is pretty. Won’t take no for an answer. Tries to get all pushy about it. Ain’t even looking at the robes she’s wearin’. Next day? Freddy’s gone. Poof. Fucking up and vanished into thin air! And you know what was laying at the shrine that morning?”
Another shake. A small puddle was forming at Grant’s midsection.
“His glasses! Nothin’ else! You ain’t never heard about Great-Uncle Freddy because your Great-Great-Grandpa up and took his name right outta the family register after that! You think I’m being hard on you?"
Grant's father looked tired, as if decades had settled in all at once and left creases in the man's soul. The bags under his eyes appeared to weigh down into his head, leaving the normally portly man looking gaunt in comparison. All of the earlier anger had evaporated, leaving behind a man who only cared about his son.
"Better I beat this lesson into you now, boy, before you end up like goddamn Great-Uncle Freddy.”