Yukiana carefully told Mori everything that had happened, and he marveled at her remarkable story.
“So, you truly believe it was your magatama?” he asked. “Are you sure? Are you sure it wasn’t anything else?”
“Yes,” she said emphatically. “My sight returned immediately after I put it on. I’m not sure what else it could have been.”
The doctor sat back and rubbed his chin. “I have never in all my years heard of such a thing. Then again, it is said there were great powers imbued in the magatama of old.”
“It must have some kind of power,” she reasoned, “It has to! My father always wore one. He never took it off. He was not a man to care about appearances or silly traditions. There has to be a reason for it.”
“Magatama have indeed been worn by the Truists since the very beginning,” the physician said contemplatively, “But only by the special offices, not by the usual clergy. The stones are also associated with the Emperors, and that is why you still see them worn today, as a way to remember them. But these are nothing more than simple ornaments.”
“Some must have real power,” Yuki repeated. “I wonder if there are any references about them in the annals.”
“If there were, I am sure that they would be protected by the Truist Order. I can take a look inside the castle library. The Shōgun just recently imported many old scrolls and tomes from the Old Capital. If I find something interesting, I will bring it to you.”
“Thank you,” she said hurriedly, her mind still racing.
“I am so glad,” Mori said with a warm smile. “I am so happy that you can see again. Like I said before, I believe that the All-kami is watching over you. I believe that with all my heart. You must not throw your life away. Please promise me that you will never do such a thing again!”
“I promise,” Yuki replied absently, still lost in thought.
“Good,” said Mori, rising to his feet. “It has been a very tumultuous night. Let us both get some rest, shall we?”
Yukiana nodded, and the good doctor proceeded to leave the room. Yet she could not bring herself to close her right eye. It was not from lack of fatigue, for she was truly exhausted. Now that she could see, she could not bring herself to close her eyes and return to that utter darkness. Her eye scanned the entire room, noticing everything, every minute detail. Even the smallest pile of dust gave her a feeling of absolute joy, for now she could see it.
“I can see!” she thought. “I can see!”
After a few minutes of elation, her mind turned towards her dear father. “I will save you, Papa,” she whispered under her breath. “I don't know how, but I know now that I must try.”
She laid back on her futon, staring at the ceiling boards above her, and for the first time in what felt like ages, she smiled.
Yuki woke up the following morning refreshed for the first time in many days. She had slept soundly through the rest of the night and far into the late morning. She knew this because the servants had already come and cleaned her room and left her breakfast on the table without her knowledge. She yawned and stretched her arms, still overjoyed at her ability to see. She had worried that because her sight had come so mysteriously, it would go away in the same manner. Perhaps everything that happened was just a silly dream. But every waking moment that passed seemed to confirm that the change was long-lasting, and for that, she could not be more grateful.
She sat up and peered around the room. The sunlight from her barred window pierced the chamber and shone brightly upon the low table. It was so bright that she could see dust and sand particles floating in the rays. She squinted her right eye, for she could not precisely see what was for breakfast due to the intense light. The food they brought her was usually delicious, but sometimes they made a dish of fermented soybeans which she despised, as it smelled awful. That is what they had prepared for her that day, as she could already smell the sharp odor in the air.
She leaned forward to see through the bright sunlight, and to her surprise, she thought that she saw something moving upon the table. She blinked her right eye, once, twice, three times. She was not mistaken, a furry animal was sitting in the middle of the table, eating from her bowl. It seemed to be a badger in terms of size, but it was far fluffier. It had hazel fur on top, and a deep, chestnut color underneath and around its beady, black eyes. By its face, it looked quite a bit like a raccoon, with its signature mask, and had an angular snout, like a fox. It had four dainty paws, and its fur changed colors just above them so that it seemed as if it were wearing tight black stockings. It had a bushy tail, and what looked like a paunch, or belly, which might have been because of its low-hanging, abundant fur.
Yuki cringed at the sight. “There is no way that I am going to eat that now.”
She made large, wild motions with her arms in an attempt to make the creature flee. The animal kept chewing away, seeming only mildly entertained by her strange gestures.
“Shoo!” she said, once her movements did not scare it off.
The animal merely looked at her quizzically but then went back to its feast.
“Get off my breakfast!” she finally cried, rising to her feet.
This time it jumped back. It looked around as if to make sure she was not yelling at someone else. When the creature finally realized that it was the cause of the girl’s convulsions, it dropped the bean it was chewing on, and it bounced off the table and onto the floor.
“That’s right!” she said. “Now get out of here, or I am going to scream!” She had not considered just how this creature, though not especially large, managed to get into her room. She imagined that this animal might have been the reason she had heard such strange noises during her blind captivity, but she wondered how none of the servants or even Mori had missed it. She opened her mouth to cry out but was interrupted.
“Now that wouldn't do, now, would it?” the animal said to her utter astonishment. “If you want me to stop all you have to do is ask politely. You hardly finish your meals anyway. Especially this one. You do not care for natto, eh?”
Yuki looked back at the dog-like creature with bewilderment. “I must be dreaming,” she muttered to herself out loud, her voice rising. “I was just scolded by a large...furry...rodent!”
“I am not a rodent. I am a tanuki,” the creature corrected her with noticeable agitation. “Or a raccoon-dog, as some may say. And how must you think I feel? It is not every day a human can spot a kami, even if they are eating their breakfast.”
She blinked once again. “Kami? Did you say kami?”
“I did. Would you expect a regular tanuki to treat you so cordially? They are mostly rascals, the lot of them. The things they would say to humans if they could, well, it would be downright vulgar. I am sometimes ashamed to be their spiritual ambassador in the mortal plane.”
Yuki looked around, expecting someone else to be watching this exchange. “I am going to lay back down,” she said at last. “I am not feeling well.”
“I think you look better than you have in weeks, human, if you don't mind me saying so. But go on ahead. If it’s alright with you, may I have some more of these beans?”
She waved her hand indifferently and laid down and shut her eyes. “If I fall asleep,” she thought, “This will all go away, and I'll soon wake up from this bizarre dream.” She could not begin to wrap her mind around things such as kami, spiritual ambassadors, and intelligible, non-rodent raccoon dogs. She hoped this would all come to an end very soon.
However, after a few minutes of waiting, she cracked her eyelids once again. The creature was still there.
“You said you were a kami?” she inquired hesitantly.
“And I would still say so.”
“Why are you in my room?” It was an awkward question, but she had never had a conversation like this before, and it was the first thing that came to her mind.
“I was hungry,” it said plainly. “You never seemed to mind before.”
“I didn't know you were here before!” she cried, rising back up from her bed. “Are you telling me that you have been eating off of my plate all this time?”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
The tanuki rubbed its tiny paws together and looked as guilty as such an animal can.
She groaned, feeling sick to her stomach. “How can this be happening?”
“Well, it's very simple really,” the tanuki began, grabbing one last bean and hiding it behind its back. “You are currently wearing a remarkable piece of history; a jewel called the Eye of the Kami. It was made long ago, and its properties are rather unique. When you wear it, the Eye bestows the ability to see through to the spiritual plane, and as such, you can now see all kami in their spiritual form, such as myself.”
Her hand instinctively went to her magatama, which hung around her neck. “This?”
“Precisely,” confirmed the tanuki, unable to resist any longer and stuffing its tiny jaws with the last bean. “Could you not tell the difference once you put it on?”
“I knew it immediately. I was completely blind before, and then I could see.”
“And in a sense, you can now see more with one eye than you ever could before with mortal eyes.”
“Then without this, I would still be blind?”
“I am not so sure,” the tanuki said with a shrug. “Perhaps not. Your remaining eye might have healed with time. But that is not important now. What is important is that not only can you see again, but you can see me.”
Yuki knelt back on her legs and stared at the animal before her with intense wonder. “You seem to know a lot about my magatama. Did this ever belong to you?”
“Of course not, they are useless to us. They are only beneficial to mortals. I have met a few who have wielded them before. Mighty indeed were they who could. But it's been a long time since I have seen one, a few hundred years or so.”
“A few hundred…” Yuki repeated, “Years? You are more than a hundred years old?”
“I am a kami,” the creature explained with a frown. “We do not die as easily as you mortals. Well, that is to say, we do not die at all.” It picked up another bean and took a large bite. With its mouth full, the tanuki continued. “Normally humans cannot see kami. But when you put on the stone, specifically when it rests against your skin, you receive the kami-sight.”
“Kami-sight?”
“It is the ability to see and understand kami. Anyone can talk to kami. We hear your dull prayers all the time. ‘I want this. I need that. I would like more money. I want a prettier wife. I want a wealthy husband. On and on and on. It gets quite bothersome. With that said, only very few can actually see us, hear us, and communicate with us. That’s a rare thing indeed.”
Yuki considered this for a minute. It was starting to make sense. “So if someone else were to enter this room right now they wouldn’t be able to see you or hear you?”
Tanuki nodded. “They would probably think you mad, having a conversation with yourself.”
Yuki laughed, imagining such a scene.
“So now that you know this ornament gives you the kami-sight, what do you intend to do with it?” She noticed that this was the first time that the animal was not chewing on food but staring at her intently.
She cocked her head to the side. “Assuming that this is still not a dream,” she said, “Well, I do not rightly know. What can I do with it?”
“That is a wonderful question,” the kami answered, walking over to the near side of the table. “There are many things you could do. What is it that you most desire?”
Yuki pondered for a few moments before answering. “I want to save my father. But first, I would settle with getting out of this wretched city.”
The tanuki drew even closer, standing up on its hind legs, and looked at her with its black, beady eyes. “It just so happens that I could help you with that, human.”
“You could? Well of course! You are a kami after all! It should be rather simple, no?”
The tanuki chittered a moment, seeming a bit anxious. “Well,” it started, “I can help you but there is a price.”
“What's the price?”
The tanuki paused, trying to put its next words as carefully as possible. “We must first bind our spirits together so that our fates are interwoven into the fabric of destiny.”
Yuki’s mouth dropped. “Excuse me?”
“There is a ritual, a binding ceremony,” he continued, pacing back and forth across the table with animated hand gestures. “It's a mutual exchange. I obtain immunity to the human miasma, and you get access to my divine powers. It's a thing rarely done but consider the possibilities. We –”
“Wait,” Yuki said, interrupting him. “I have read about this kind of thing before. This seems like a trick. You are trying to swindle me of something important, are you not? And one more thing, how long have you been spying on me? I’ve heard faint rustlings in my room since I came here. Was that you?”
The tanuki seemed abashed at this and looked away with downcast eyes. “I told myself not to overdo it and I still did,” he said to himself, rebukingly. He seemed to furrow his whiskers before turning back towards Yukiana. “Please forgive me, perhaps we should start over. My full name is Hachimen-tanuki-kami, but you may call me Tanuki – for that is what I am.”
“And I am –”
“Masaki Yukiana, yes I know,” the tanuki interposed. “I know you well. Yes, I have been learning as much as I can about you. Do not be frightened, for I mean you no harm and I have no malicious intent. You are wise to be discerning. If you can, listen to me and then decide.”
Yuki studied him for several moments, but at last relented. She was still unsure if this was real or not but decided to listen and hear what this strange creature had to say.
“Let us start with why I am here, and why I have been watching you,” the kami began, seeing that Yuki was still interested. “I have a mission. To complete this mission, I will need to bind with a human, specifically a human with the kami-sight. Since you are presently one of a very select few with this ability, I sought for you and have finally found you, just as you have come into these new powers.”
“But how did you know I would be here?” asked Yuki. “Can you see into the future?”
“I cannot, but there are a few kami that can. I was told to search for one who would come to this city in this era. She would be a young girl with one eye. It was foretold that you would inherit the Eye of the Kami.”
Yuki considered this and then frowned. “So, you have seen me in my anguish and the best you could do was eat my breakfast?”
“I could not have helped you until now, for I have only just found you. And, I could not have saved you from your earlier suffering, even if I were right beside you, for I am still a kami, and my influence in this world is limited. Which brings me to my next point. As fate would have it, you and I share the same enemy.”
Yukiana tensed for a moment, as she could hardly bring herself to utter the terrible name. “Ishihara…”
Tanuki bowed his head solemnly. “Do you still wonder how she was able to afflict you so severely?”
Yukiana answered with a mournful look, as dread memories came rushing back.
“The Lady also has the kami-sight, same as you. But she has a natural, or unnatural ability to see into the spiritual realm without the help of a magatama, or Eye. Long ago, she met a powerful kami that suited her dark designs. They were bound together, and since then she has slowly developed powers of her own. She is very subtle and potent, and her kami is just as ruthless as she is. They both despise humanity, and their designs are foul. She has moved up from the very bottom of your society to become the prime consort to the most powerful human on these Islands, the Shōgun, and will soon give him an heir. I fear she is plotting something terrible, and she must be stopped before her plans come to fruition.”
This attracted Yuki’s full attention. She lifted one hand to her missing eye and felt around the empty socket. “Are you saying,” she asked quietly, “That if I bind with you, I will have a chance to stop Ishihara? That I could pay her back for what she did to me and my friends?”
Tanuki’s eyes seemed to glitter in the morning light. “Yes,” he said.
Yuki stared at the creature for a few moments. At first glance, he seemed like a harmless animal, and could almost be described as cute. But she knew from her stories that looks could also be deceiving. She could not trust this strange creature, not yet, though she wanted to. “Tell me about the binding.”
Tanuki nodded and drew himself up as if to make himself seem more distinguished. Yet it had the opposite effect, for its belly protruded outwards more profoundly.
“Humans long ago discovered a way to bind their spirits to kami if there was a mutual agreement. Kami, you see, are weak to the presence of humans, and not just because of their unpleasant smell or awful noise. Our powers are limited by other humans, which is why we generally avoid contact with your kind. Therefore, many of us live deep in the forests or under the mountains. We call this weakness the ‘human miasma.’ Now, if you were to bind with me, I would no longer be adversely affected by humans, and so I would be able to use the full extent of my powers in any situation. They might not be as impressive as prophecy, but I should be able to get you out of here at the least. After that, and this is the most crucial point, I can help develop my powers in you. You see, if we bind, you will inherit a seed of my powers, and with some practice, you will be able to use them independently of me. With enough training, you could become something of a kami yourself.”
“However,” he continued, “There are a few drawbacks you should be aware of. Firstly, you can only bind with one kami, and thus receive only one kind of power. Secondly, and most important for me at least, when we bind, our fates are bound as well. It means that I am no longer immune to death.”
“You told me earlier that you cannot die,” Yuki said.
“If we bind, I will still be a kami, but a different kind. I will be a half-mortal and you likewise will be a half-kami. So, we will have the strengths and faults of both, and that includes the curse or gift of mortality.”
Yuki considered this for a moment. “That seems like a substantial risk on your part. Why would you take such a gamble on me?
“That is too long a tale to tell fully right now. All you have to know for the time being is that I understand the risks, and I am willing to take them.”
Yuki was displeased that she received an indirect answer, but in all other matters, the kami appeared to be telling the truth. “One last question,” she said. “If I were to bind with you as you say, what kind of powers would I inherit?”
At this, Tanuki closed his eyes as if he had been expecting this question and had a long-prepared answer that he seemed reluctant to give. “Unfortunately, you cannot know that until after we bind. These are the rules, laid out by the All-kami himself, and if I tell you now, we will never be able to bind. You must make the choice, to trust me, or not.”
Yuki was silent, considering all she had just heard. “I cannot decide right now,” she whispered after a few moments. “I have to think about it. Give me a few hours, please.”
The kami looked disappointed at first but then recovered quickly. “It's all right,” he said as if trying to convince himself. “It’s all right. I have waited a few hundred years; I can wait a few more hours. I understand that this is all very sudden. You have only just heard about these things, and it must seem very strange to you. I have contemplated this matter for years and have sought you for such a long time. You can imagine my eagerness, so forgive me.
Most humans think nothing about these heavy matters, and now this whole thing is being thrust upon you. If you refuse to bind with me, so be it. There may be others, but perhaps not. But Ishihara and her kami must be defeated, and this is my great task. If I fail, I am afraid no one will be left to stop her.”
With that grim warning, he bowed and hopped off the table. “I shall return later this evening,” he said. “After dark. I will await your decision then.” He scurried across the floor and disappeared into the hallway outside by walking right through the door as if he were a ghost.
Yuki exhaled, took one last look at her half-eaten bowl of fermented beans, and then laid back down.