Ichi stood there in a daze over the corpse of the Mountain Lord as he felt a burden lift off of him. Crouching to the ground, his body felt heavy. Ichi tried to reach his wooden sword. It felt like he was under the current of a river. His muscles didn't listen as weight pulled on them.
"Overdid overdoing yet again," Ichi gasped out. "I'll be the death of me."
Then a flicker of silver in the corner of his eye made him turn his head. Under the last rays of the setting sun, a girl with long silver hair and white robes looked at him. She had a silver gloved hand to her chin, carrying a folded iron fan in her other ungloved hand. Ichi knew her from school, one of the twins, Syon, but he couldn't catch his breath to call out to her. If he did, the first thing he would have ever said to her is "Help."
Slowly, her gloved hand let go of her chin and she tapped the iron fan against one of her temples on her head, closing those slate colored eyes, Ichi saw her lips break into a dazzling smile he'd never seen from her.
"Sleep well - Ichi Danzaburo."
Ichi heard Syon's misty voice lull him to sleep before he hit the ground.
The sun fell, and Syon left. Ichi and the Mountain Lord layed together for the last and first time, one in death, one in slumber. Cicades let out their nightly noise, echoing in the silence. Clouds obscured parts of the rising moon as Ichi woke up in a daze to the two tailed cat licking his face. Ichi pet the cat's head, and the cat squirmed away from his touch. He got up, muscles creaking like an old man as he looked to the distant silver moon.
"What was that?" He breathed out as the events of the evening came back to him.
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"You killed the Mountain Lord. That is a crime punishable by death," the cat answered.
"That's nice, always wanted to be someone special. Since when do cats and bears talk?" Ichi said.
"I am not a cat. I am a bakeneko, a spirit cat, and a shrine maiden."
"You got a name?"
"For a tanuki like you, calling me Miko is enough."
"Alright, Miko. Nice meeting you, nice killing the bear, I had fun, but I'll be going home now." Ichi waved at the cat.
"Goodbye, Tanuki. And, I thank you." Miko closed her eyes and lowered her head to him.
Ichi guessed Miko sticking around was to say that to him. At the words 'tanuki', his curiousity got the best of him. He didn't feel like it was a good idea to do anything but walk away, but the words left his mouth anyways.
"I'm no tanuki."
"You believed yourself a human? It is clear to my sight that you are a tanuki, a racoon-dog known for mischief and changing their forms on a whim. I can sense your spirit power, you are of no ordinary bloodline."
Ichi thought about his dad. Mom told him that Dad left soon after Ichi was born. Waving his hand at the cat, he left, calling back as he did.
"Take care, Miko."
Ichi stumbled into the woods. He could smell Miko following him, but he let it be for now. Looking at his hand, he realized he was still covered in bear guts. A shower would take care of that, right? Wouldn't take care of the murder charge though, Ichi joked with himself. "It was self-defense your honor," he imagined himself in a court full of talking spirit animals and laughed it off.
Ichi's mind flashed to Syon standing under the sunset. Such a beautiful scene made his heart tremble. He didn't want to see her tommorrow at school, but hopefully she'd ignore him like usual. Renya, on the other hand, would be there waiting on his way to school. Although he didn't want to admit it, hearing the usual lies from Renya on the way to school sounded like comforting thoughts.