http%3a%2f%2fi.imgur.com%2fOFyH5Q3.png [http://i.imgur.com/OFyH5Q3.png] was playing with the idea to ask about Byakuren's identity, but found that it may be rude to pry into someone's private life like that. Therefore, I thought that inquiring about what kinds of Yôkai lived at the temple was less intruding and could possibly reveal her nature, assuming she was one of them. Mamizô herself was intriguing enough, and the casual remark at her species that the head priestess had made only left me wanting to learn more.
"Very well, follow me then," The Bake-danuki responded, when I voiced my wish. She lead me out of the temple into the back garden, where wooden geta appeared on her feet as she stepped down from the wooden veranda. Another pair appeared before me and Mamizô signaled me to wear them with a wink. Excited to see this casual display of supernatural powers, I did as suggested and followed her into the garden.
On our right was a cemetery with many rows of headstones displaying posthumous Buddhist names, most written in what I assumed to be Sanskrit. Among them I saw the swaying figure of a green-haired girl in a pale pink dress holding a broom, who appeared to be sweeping the grounds. Mamizô lead me in her direction and the closer I came, the more I could make out her appearance. She featured two patches of dark brown hair around where her ears would be, which looked like the fluffy ears on some species of dogs. They twitched and moved slightly when we approached and I was instantly convinced that this girl was another Yôkai. I had already met two such individuals before an my current guide was one, too, so I was not surprised to see more anthropomorphic animal-type Yôkai. I only wondered what type she was exactly, although my first guess was some kind of dog.
"This is the temple cemetery. Unlike what thee would come to expect, tis not haunted," Mamizô explained as we walked up the stairs to the row the girl was in. "And this is Kasodani Kyôko, a Yamabiko." I remembered their animal-like features as they were depicted in books about folklore. Assuming she was one, she must surely wish to echo whatever one shouted her way, as was true with their mythological counterparts I read about in the outside world.
"Yahoo!" I felt compelled to yell, triggering Kyôko's ears to flap up in excitement, before she echoed my greeting with a higher-pitched response. I smiled at her reaction and was met with a radiant grin from the girl named Kyôko, as she walked towards us. "Thee art an interesting one, Kyôma-dono," Mamizô said with amused expression on her face.
"Hello, I'm Kagami Kyôma," I introduced myself and bowed to the petite girl, who followed my example. "Hello, I'm Kasodani Kyôko!" She deliberately used the same words as I did, only changing the name in the sentence. Her bright and innocent demeanor warmed my heart, making me forget the fact that to humans most Yôkai were dangerous. And there was the saying of "beware of the cute ones"; I just hoped it did not apply to this individual before me. An uncontrollable urge to pet her overcame me and I gave in to it by touching her hair. She flinched at the sudden action, but did not shy away, as I started to massage her ears; in fact, she seemed to enjoy it as she closed her eyes and smiled blissfully.
"Thee really art interesting..." Mamizô muttered and looked upon my actions with a warm expression. She took out a pipe from somewhere, lit it and took a puff from it. I suddenly became aware of the fact that I was being disrespectful to a person I just met and stopped, upon which the little girl looked up to me with what could be best described as puppy eyes, clearly asking for more. I turned to the Bake-danuki with a helpless look, but she only gave a hearty laugh, as she sat on a gravestone. Her mannerisms reminded me of a feisty old man.
"Go ahead," Mamizô spoke with a heartfelt grin, leading me to believe that maybe all Yôkai at this temple were as friendly and likeable as these two. I felt attracted to the warmth their presence radiated in this world that was so foreign and unfamiliar. We decided to part with Kyôko, who still had to sweep the cemetery, and proceeded back towards the temple, where my guide wanted to introduce me to another resident of the temple. She described this person as somebody who only came by sporadically and was mostly a freeloader, but felt indebted to Byakuren's saving kindness. We walked along the engawa towards the housing for the temple residents, which was hidden behind a group of trees.
"Urameshiya~!"
Suddenly, something dropped down from above and my vision was covered in purple and red, followed by blue and white stripes. I stopped in my tracks and found a girl holding an umbrella with a single eye and a huge red tongue protruding from its painted mouth, hanging upside down from a wooden beam, looking at me from a little below me. Apparently she had miscalculated my height and was hanging lower than planned. Instead, her slightly exposed belly was right in front of me and I looked up to see her skirt flipping downwards due to gravity, seemingly in slow motion. She noticed where my eyes were fixated on and detached her legs from the beam, in an attempt to deny me the view and make an impressive landing - only to fall flat on her face.
"This is Kogasa, she is another freeloader at the temple," Mamizô explained, completely unperturbed by the little girl's sudden appearance. "She is an old-fashioned Yôkai, who has to surprise humans to be able to fill her stomach." In other words, she fed on the fear of humans, making me wonder how she could have lived to this day. I looked down to see a childish looking girl with two differently colored eyes, the left one red and the right one turquoise, rubbing her nose with a painful expression. She noticed my gaze and instantly jumped up and back a few steps, swung her umbrella around and pointed it at me. Her eyes looked into my single open one for a moment before she could not bear it anymore and in a swift motion disappeared over the roof, the umbrella's giant tongue trailing behind her being the last thing I saw of her.
The encounter had been so bizarre that its shock value had instead caused it to be pushed aside from my conscious thoughts; I looked at my guide and shrugged. She suggested me to follow her and we walked all the way to the small separate building where she would introduce me to this mysterious freeloader that was in the head priestess' debt. The moment we entered the house, a wave of vertigo assaulted me, as my depth perception became even worse than it already was with only one eye. My surroundings seemed to grow dark and I felt a pair of eyes glower at me, filled with hostility. However, Mamizô extended a hand into the darkness and pulled hard, upon which all the strange feelings that assaulted me disappeared as if they had been switched off. The Bake-danuki had grabbed onto the collar of a girl with black hair and red eyes, wearing a jet black one-piece adorned with a crimson ascot. The girl looked at Mamizô expressionlessly, remaining silent for a moment to process what had just happened.
"Mamizô! I wanted to scare him, don't get in my way!" When it finally clicked, she struggled and yelled at the woman holding her up, who immediately dropped her without a word. Unexpectedly, this girl did not fall on her face or butt, but landed safely on her feet, upon which she turned to me and looked me deep in the eye. Unlike with the previous freeloader, this one was not easily shaken and only stopped staring when she felt that she needed to say something.
"So, who are you?" Was all she asked, as she made no attempt to introduce herself first. This earned her a light, reprimanding blow on the back of her head from Mamizô, who expected her to show some respect to a guest. "What?!" She yelled, apparently unaware of my guide's intentions. She reminded me of a cat, who did not understand the concept of punishment.
"Hello, I'm Kagami Kyôma. Nice to meet you," I said in response and smiled, disregarding the fact that she had just tried to break my mind a little. She was taken aback by my straightforward expression and did not answer at first. Silence prevailed in the corridor for a few seconds, and Mamizô seemed like she was about to say something, when the girl finally opened her mouth.
"I'm Hôjû Nue..." She said and turned to run away. Mamizô reacted quickly and grabbed onto Nue's collar again, this time causing her to lose balance and fall on her bottom. "What are you doing!?" She yelled and looked up at the Bake-danuki begrudgingly. The latter only showed a stern expression, which pacified Nue's outbreak immediately. I motioned to help her stand up, but she refused the hand and got up herself. "... it's nice to meet you, too." With this, she pattered down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. It seemed that all freeloaders at this temple were unsocial and when I turned to look at my guide, her expression seemed to confirm my thought.
"She is the one I meant. Nue is what her name suggests, a Nue; she used to gallow humans for food, just like Kogasa does now, but people with stout spiritual powers hunted her. Byakuren gave her sanctuary at this temple, so she feels indebted to her," Mamizô explained with a sigh. I was reminded of the Nue from the Heike Monogatari, which was shot dead by Minamoto no Yorimasa, after it had caused nightmares to the emperor. From the Hieda chronicles I had learned that it had not died, but had been scheming with Yorimasa. Whether the Nue from back then and this one were one and the same was unknown. In either case, she was doing a better job at scaring people than Kogasa; however, from her earlier behavior I gathered that she was what popular culture referred to as a "Tsundere".
"The other two permanent residents art out right now. Thee will be able to see them some other day, as today they are out on an errand," Mamizô said, suggesting that there were no others to meet for now. "Thee may stay for lunch, if thee desires so." I was unsure if it was alright to accept the proposal and eat at the temple, considering I was not a devout Buddhist. On the one hand, I felt that this was an opportunity to socialize with Yôkai and find out more about the workings of the relationships between the supernatural and humans in this world; on the other hand, I wondered what kind of food would be served, especially for man-eating Yôkai.
"I would love to eat with you," I said and tried to ignore the mental warning signs that popped up one after another. This was the human village, so I expected that there would be no problems; most human-looking people who had been meditating in the main hall earlier had been elderly ones, making me believe that they had in fact been normal humans. Mamizô apparently noticed my uneasiness and took a puff from her pipe with a grin. "This is a temple, Kyôma-dono, no meat will be served here," She said, reassuring me of my security. "Well, it will be a little longer before lunch, since today we are having a newcomer cook for us. I will introduce thee to her during the meal. For now, thee can go and take a look around the temple." With this, the Bake-danuki nodded in a gesture that suggested a temporary farewell and left towards the main building.
The one inhabitant of the temple who had struck me the most had been the one acting as a symbol of worship in the main temple hall, Toramaru Shô. Her air of dignity and majesty had left a deep impression on me and I wanted to see what kind of person she was if she was not acting like a statue. I returned to the main hall and found that Shô had not left her position but was sitting on the pedestal cross-legged, her eyes closed, the spear resting on her thighs as she meditated. She seemed to notice my intrusion and opened her eyes to look at me. For the first time I realized why they had seemed like those of a predator; her pupils and irises looked like those of a cat. Combined with her striped hair and her name, and considering that this was a Yôkai temple, I assumed that she was a tiger Yôkai.
Suddenly I was at a loss for words, as I had only wanted to come see her again. I had not thought of striking a conversation, and her dignified appearance only further strengthened the feeling that she was not the kind of person one could talk to easily. Thus, I stood there, at the side entrance to the main hall, staring at her without moving an inch. Shô's eyes met mine and again I felt the chill prey felt when staring their predator in the eyes. However, this time there was nobody to stop me from keeping eye contact; for what felt like an eternity, I was caught in her gaze. Then she closed her eyes and continued meditating as if my presence was of no significance.
I walked into the otherwise empty hall, sat down before her and closed my eye. It had not even been one day, but for some reason I had already gotten used to having only access to one eye. Even if my depth perception was now lacking, I did not think this sudden physiological change to be an impediment to daily life. And I certainly did not worry about it, even though I was sure that my former self would have. My new black-and-white hairstyle seemed to be an indication to my mental state, which seemed to be in a deep equilibrium. Therefore, I felt no need to pray to a higher power or meditate to face my innermost self, and opened my right eye again.
I caught Shô staring right at me from the consecrated platform she sat on, her eyes exposing a glint of slight curiosity. However, this impression only lasted for a split second, as in the next moment that glint had vanished and returned her eyes to two golden windows to the unperceivable nature of her soul. The way she looked down on me no longer gave me the feeling of a tiger watching cattle and a smile appeared on my face. Shô responded by closing her eyes and submerging herself in her meditation again. I did not know whether she was shy and only keeping up appearances as the symbol of worship, simply disinterested in humans or disliked me for one reason or another.
Before I could continue thinking about this problem, Mamizô came into the hall from the side entrance and called out to Shô and me. Apparently lunch was done and everybody was waiting for us. I stood up first and offered the symbol of worship my hand to help her down from the elevated platform. This gesture earned an expressionless stare from her as she floated down, seemingly unfettered by gravity. Shrugging, I followed her, as she passed Mamizô, who had been watching with an interested expression on her face.
"Oh my, thee art trying the same magic thee used on Kyôko earlier?" She asked as she walked next to me, clearly audible to Shô, who was only a few steps ahead. For a moment I considered her words carefully, thinking that maybe due to my current condition, I had spontaneously developed some magic that I subconsciously cast whenever I met people that were interesting. Then I disregarded that possibility and responded with a non-committal smile which only earned me a suspicious grin.
"I'm hungry! Let's eat already!" Came a voice I felt like I had heard before from the dining room. When I entered after Mamizô and Shô, I found that Ichirin, Byakuren, Kyôko, Nue and the little umbrella Yôkai, Kogasa, were sitting on the tatami floor, each with a legged tray sporting various vegetarian dishes, miso soup and a bowl of rice in front of them. "You're hungry because you can't scare people. Why are you even eating, it won't fill you anyways," Was Nue's rebuttal to Kogasa's outcry. When they noticed that I seemed to be joining them, they went silent and stared at me, each with a different emotion; Nue's eyes were filled with something unidentifiable, while Kogasa's gaze was of unease and caution. Kyôko's eyes lit up as her ears twitched.
Shô walked through the room and sat down at the far end of the dining room, in the seat of honor next to Byakuren. I purposefully placed myself right next to Kogasa, causing her to tense up, while Mamizô sat on my other side. Turning to face the umbrella girl, I looked into her eyes and gave her an ambiguous smile, meant as a tease. Her slightly panicked expression showed that it had the desired effect, and I turned around to find Nue doing the same to me. When I simply smiled back, she seemed astonished and looked away in embarrassment, a light tint of red on her cheeks.
A girl, by apparent age bordering on being considered a young woman, came into the room carrying a legged tray. She had light brown hair and wore a white Kimono adorned with a pattern that I considered to be clearly in bad taste; there were splatters of bloody red as well as gaping mouths lined with sharp teeth all over the hem and sleeves, and her sash was the dark red of dried blood. However, her straightforward smile showed me that she, unlike her taste in clothes, likely had an agreeable personality. She placed the tray in front of me, stood up and left to bring more for the others. When she turned around my eyes were drawn to the headphones she wore, on which the word "Eat" was written. Leaving aside the fact that Gensôkyô seemed to be in an age in which such electric applications should not yet exist - once again pushing the existence of the reflex camera I had seen on Aya the first time I had met her out of my mind - she seemed to have an overall theme of "eating" to her. On the back of her head, attached to the over-ear headphone-like apparatus, was a broad metallic looking piece and I assumed that it might be more of a fashion apparel than actually functional.
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"This is Kamitsuki Senka, the newcomer who made today's lunch," Mamizô explained, while the girl in question continued to bring in more trays until everybody but her had one. However, she did not leave again to get her own and sat down in Seiza, across of Byakuren and Shô. The head priestess initiated the lunch and everybody started, with only Senka sitting still and waiting, not watching anybody in particular. She seemed to be well-behaved, like a girl of good upbringing, despite the fact that she was most likely also a Yôkai.
"So far, she has never eaten anything," Mamizô told me during lunch. "Maybe she is also the type that feeds on the fear of humans, like the one next to thee." I turned to Kogasa, who was wolfing down her food with a disappointed expression; most likely, there was no feeling of fulfillment. She noticed my gaze and froze in her motions, before slowly turning away and continuing her assault on the food. Across of me Kyôko was eating with small bites, befitting of her stature, never noticing that I watched her for a little. I looked to Byakuren and found that, as expected, she was eating in a refined manner. When I turned to look at Nue, I noticed that she was copying the head priestess. It did not take her long to notice that I was watching her, which caused her to stop completely, as a shocked expression appeared on her face. She soon blushed and returned to eating in a more natural manner.
"Oh my, she seems to have taken a liking to thee, Kyôma-dono," The Bake-danuki next to me said and played with the sake bottle in her left hand. Apparently Nue had heard that comment, because she flinched before starting to choke on her food. Kyôko fretted over her and did not seem to know how to help, but Ichirin patted Nue's back and offered her some miso soup, which the latter quickly gulped down. I smiled at the sight and continued my meal. Even though it was a temple, it seemed that everybody was laid back and were not too strict to observe all sorts of mannerisms. I could feel the warmth of what seemed to be a family rather than a brother-, or rather, sisterhood.
Soon one after another they were done and carried their trays away on their own, as they scattered to wherever they spent their time. Mamizô remained with me, taking her time enjoying the cold side dishes of her meal, as she finally procured two Sake cups from an unknown location, handing me one. The only other people in the room were Nue and surprisingly, Kogasa, who had been done first. Maybe she was waiting for an opportunity to scare me, so I did not pay too much attention to her presence, intentionally letting my guard down.
"Here, 'tis some good sake," Mamizô said and I took the offered cup. I was just barely of legal drinking age, so it was acceptable, but I knew my limits and would take care not to overstep them. "Thank you," I said as she filled my cup from her bottle. We clinked glasses and I watched as she swallowed the content of her cup in one go, before I tried the same.
Suddenly, something poked both my sides and I spun my head around, having enough presence of mind not to spit directly in the face of Mamizô. However, Kogasa, the perpetrator of the poking attack, was just in front of me as the sake escaped my mouth. It sprayed directly into the eyes of the little umbrella Yôkai. The Bake-danuki and Nue watched the spectacle seemingly unfolding in slow motion. Kogasa fell over and held her face as if acid had been poured over it. I did not know how it felt to have sake get into one's eyes, but judging by the aftertaste, its alcohol content was quite high.
Mamizô laughed at the dictionary example for the word "backfiring" without restraint, as I tried to help Kogasa in any way I could. Senka came to our help as she took the little umbrella girl outside to let her wash her eyes at the well. I sighed and noticed Nue's stare from across the room, her expression showing a mixture of astonishment and caution; apparently she thought that it had not been mere coincidence but rather a natural defensive mechanism of mine that had resulted in Kogasa's miserable state. I gave her a resigning smile, upon which she snapped out of her staring, quickly took up her tray and hurried out of the room.
Finally, only the Bake-danuki and I were left and we engaged in some merry drinking. I noticed three things at my eighth cup: Her bottle appeared to be holding an infinite amount of sake; it was only noon and we were already drinking heavy alcohol; I did not feel any effect, while from the mannerism and speech of my drinking buddy I gathered that she was getting a little tipsy.
"Thee can hold thy liquor well, Kyôma-dono!" Mamizô said and poured me another cup. Maybe not getting drunk was another effect of the state of my soul being only half-present. This theory disregarded the physical effects of alcohol, which clearly went against common scientific knowledge.
We stayed for a little longer and enjoyed a nice chat about nothing in particular while indulging in excessive amounts of sake. Senka returned in the middle and carried off our empty trays, leaving behind a scent of flowers in the room. Even as the alcohol showed absolutely no effect, I could feel that my stomach was being filled by it. When we concluded our drinking party, Mamizô already had a red face and swayed slightly.
"I cannot believe that thee could drink me under the table," She murmured and lay down on her side. I could see that she was still awake and apparently only shifted to a more comfortable position. "Art thee really human?" I understood that it was a rhetorical question, but smiled and answered with a definite "Yes, I'm just a normal human". Laughing, Mamizô stroked her fluffy tail, causing me to look at it in envy.
Suddenly, a loud noise, as if stones ground against each other, reached us from somewhere inside the temple. Mamizô looked in the direction it came from and immediately stood up before swaying dangerously, compelling me to quickly motion to steady her. However, rather than falling over, she used the built-up energy to propel herself out of the room, towards where the sound came from. I quickly followed her, out of the dining room and into the hallway, towards the main temple hall. As we entered, it became clear where the noise had come from; Shô was wielding her spear, Ichirin held golden rings in her hands, while Nue wielded what looked like a twisted black trident, the three of them surrounding Senka in a half-circle. Behind her was a giant hole in the wall, which seemed to have been cleanly ripped out without leaving behind any cracks.
"What happened?" Mamizô asked as she walked up to Byakuren, the only one who did not threaten Senka with a weapon. "What did she do?"
"I am not sure, but the wall behind Senka-san just disappeared," She explained, only creating more questions. "Something on her back did this," Nue said and pointed at the perpetrator, who looked shocked at the accusation. "I didn't see it clearly, but it was her, no doubt!"
"Slowly turn around," Ichirin said with a firm voice, even harder than the one she had used when calling out to me for the first time. Senka did as ordered, a confused expression on her face, and showed her inconspicuous back, revealing nothing out of the ordinary. From my vantage point, standing a little behind Shô, I saw her face suddenly contort into a malicious grin.
"Get away!" I screamed and grabbed Shô's shoulder to drag her back. Mamizô, Byakuren and Ichirin jumped back, while Nue disappeared in a cloud of black mist. Then the metallic looking part attached to Senka's headphone-looking ear covers opened to reveal a serrated jaw, and in an instant, along with the crunching sound, the ground behind her was gouged out in an oval shape. The jaw closed again and Senka turned around to see the result, glancing at each of the people present. Nobody had been hit, but their expressions displayed shock at the destructiveness of the attack.
"Aww, and here I thought I could eat some Yôkai meat again," She said with a deep and scratchy voice, completely unbefitting of her appearance. However, her lips had not moved. She turned her head slightly and revealed that the jaw was the one actually speaking. "I just couldn't hold myself back... Come on, let's finish what we started." "No, next time," Senka spoke, now moving her own lips. They were still curved up in a sinister smile, the beautiful voice befitting her looks belying the evil in her eyes. Before anybody could react, she turned around once again and from the metallic jaw on the back of her head spew forth a great mass of debris.
When the dust finally settled, Senka had disappeared, leaving behind the temple in a mess. Everybody was still too shocked at the suddenness of the incident, but Mamizô was the first to talk. "So she was a Futakuchi-onna," She said, finally explaining the newcomer's origins as a Yôkai. "I heard they had a second mouth on the back of their heads, but I never expected them to wield so much power with it."
"I thought her abstinence of food showed her determination for the frugal path of Buddha, but to think that she had such a violent and gluttonous disposition..." Byakuren commented as she looked at the hole which Senka had undoubtedly disappeared through. "This is awful."
"Could you... please let go of me?" Shô said and turned to look at me with an emotionless stare. I noticed that I was still holding onto her shoulder and quickly let go, as if I was touching something hot. She looked at me for a moment, her feline eyes piercing mine, before she went to Byakuren's side to speak to her.
"Don't mind her, Kyôma-dono, that's how she is," Mamizô said as she walked up to me. She had reverted to her usual cheerful looking self, considering this incident as nothing special or rather an everyday occurrence. "But really, thee art quite daring, to grab our little symbol of worship like that." The way she talked about Shô made me reconsider Mamizô's status as a Yôkai, since she could call this disciple of Bishamonten "little". I realized that despite what had happened, I did not feel much of a shock.
"Hm... I smell sake?" Byakuren suddenly said, her voice sounding like always, but somehow possessing an incredibly scary undertone. Mamizô flinched, turned to look at me apologetically, and disappeared in an explosion of white smoke. As the cloud cleared, the head priestess was standing before me with the expression of an angry Buddha; a smile that did not extend to her eyes.
Thus, I received a lecture in Mamizô's stead, cursing the Bake-danuki for leaving me to hang. When Byakuren was done, she sent Ichirin to call the carpenters to begin repairs immediately, and excused herself from our presence. Shô held her spear and the jeweled pagoda as if standing guard inside the temple, while Nue never appeared again after her initial disappearance with Senka's first attack. Seeing that my presence would only get in their way, I said my farewell, with a promise to Kyôko to come visit again soon.
Thus, I spent an exciting afternoon at a Yôkai temple and met many different kinds of beings and personalities. They were all so much like humans, while at the same time I knew that each one of them could have eaten me if they only wanted to - except for Kogasa, who I considered too innocent, or maybe too incompetent, to harm anybody. I decided that on my way back I would take a look at the bridge where I had lost my shoes to the strange woman with the strange power to glue shoes to the ground.
Unlike at night, the streets were bustling with people coming and going, and while I half expected Samurai walking around among the villagers, there were none. It seemed that either Gensôkyô experienced no wars, or despite appearances it was not in the feudal age. Instead, there were many people who looked like merchants and farmers, carrying bags or pushing carts along the streets. Some stalls offered a variety of food and snacks, others were displaying toys or jewelry, while vendors with portable stalls sold fruits and dango on skewers. The atmosphere was something that could never be found anywhere in the outside world again.
As I reveled in a nostalgia I should not even be able to relate to, I took detours in the city while walking in the vague direction of the bridge I had gone to the previous night. I found many facets of everyday life in Gensôkyô, the freshness as well as strange familiarity only serving to strengthen the feeling that my decision to come to this world had been the right one. Even though my future was still very uncertain, I felt that this was where I wanted to be; I would only have to find my own place to live in this world.
When I reached the bridge, I saw from afar that my shoes were no longer there. Sighing, I walked up to the place I had to leave them behind at and looked around, for the very slim chance that somebody had only accidentally kicked them away. My eyes swayed over the moving masses of people until they fell on teal hair within those of black and dark brown. I reacted instantly and pushed towards the person, who was standing still with her back to me, watching the flowing river under the bridge.
"Excuse me..." I said and tipped her on her shoulder. She slowly turned around, a melancholic expression on her face and eyes that looked as if they had cried only recently. I was taken aback by her vulnerability and realized that she was actually really beautiful - something I had not been able to notice in the darkness of the night when I first met her. "Err... are you alright?" I asked by reflex and earned a teary-eyed lost puppy look, her cyan eyes featuring impossible sparkling bits that revealed her non-human nature. She was no longer holding the bundle of cloth, upon which I assumed that somebody had taken her baby.
"She took it from me," The woman confirmed my assumption and showed me her empty hands. She looked at me with a pitiful expression, then turned away, unable to bear letting somebody see her in her current state. "Can I... can I help?" I mustered my courage and asked, but unsure how I could be of any help to her. She responded by walking away a few steps and stopping, with her back to me, as if hesitating about what to do next. When she turned around, I could see a plea in her eyes, as she opened her mouth to speak.
However, no sound escaped her lips, and I finally noticed that the surroundings had become eerily silent. The bustling street had become completely deserted and only the woman and I were standing in the middle of the bridge. Her expression changed to that of fear, as she looked around, then turned to me frantically. "She is deceiving us and will bring ruin over every-"
Her words were cut short when a giant wooden wheel coming out of nowhere ran her over. Within a single moment, she disappeared from my view and I was stunned at the suddenness of the occurrence. I turned around to see the wheel standing on its own, before it spun around to reveal a girl holding onto it. She had flaming red hair with two horns sticking out from between them, which turned out to be two strands of hair sticking up upon a closer look. Her jacket was missing the left sleeve, had rugged edges as if torn up and underneath she sported bandages tightly wrapped around her chest. A studded leather belt was loosely coiled around her hips and she wore a very short torn up skirt. Anachronistic heavy black leather boots covered her feet, but her most striking feature was the broken wooden wheel with metal spikes embedded in her left shoulder.
"Yer talkin' too much! A've been told ta take ya back," The girl spoke in a crude dialect and walked up to the woman she had just run over. The latter was lying on the ground, unmoving and barely breathing. The brutality of the scene overwhelmed me and caused me to remain motionless, as if frozen to the spot. The girl with the wheel picked up the teal-haired woman onto her free shoulder and turned around to reveal the four Kanji for "Night Road Death Suffering", read as Yoroshiku, on her back. It was the wordplay biker gang members in Japan used to write on their coats, meaning "nice to meet you", but composed of edgy sounding Kanji. She stepped onto the giant wheel, which lifted into the air and turned her head to look at me over her shoulder. Sneering, she finally took off with the wheel covered in blazing flames.
Dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events, I was left behind staring into the sky, so much that I did not notice how life returned to the streets and people were crossing the bridge as if nothing had happened. I did not know what exactly to do, but I knew that what happened was surely not normal; even if Gensôkyô lacked common sense, a Yôkai appearing in the middle of the day and kidnapping somebody was surely not something that could be easily overlooked in the human village.