Hi,
With all the talk about original fics not being appropriate I was a
little hesitant to post this, but we'll see how this goes and if no one
replies, then I'll take the hint and drop it. The reason I am posting
it is because this is my attempt to write an original anime serial.
Every influence and intention is based solely in anime. I started to
formulate this world/story and characters based around shows like Blue
Seed, Kotetsu No Daibouken and the manga, Wish, by CLAMP. So I hope it
fits. Don't let the fact that it's original scare you. It's still an
anime style fiction.
Big thanks to my pre-reader Bastian for all the dialog additions that
he's probably embarrassed that I used. Equally big thanks to the 10
people who read chapter 1!
~Sky
Bless The Gutter
Chapter 2: 2nd draft
by & (c) Sky Rigdon
10.17.99
�The Shinzen Temple was founded in the year 1702, by Iname Kugi,�
said Priestess Kugi.
�He was a Samurai, though not a very famous one. He was my late
husband�s distant ancestor.�
Miwaku and Priestess Kugi walked alongside a very tall concrete
wall, covered from the top down with ivy, a few tendrils reaching out
onto the street. The flickering halo of a failing street lamp
illuminated small droplets of rain. Miwaku tucked her arms into her
large shirt and hugged them close to her body. The cold and wet was
particularly pronounced at night.
On Miwaku�s insistence they had spent the better part of three
hours at the public baths. It wasn�t often she was able to go to one,
let alone for free, and she wanted to milk the visit for all it was
worth. She had soaked in the baths until she shriveled up like a prune.
The sheer heat from the baths made the walk to the temple bearable,
though it felt like they had walked for hours.
At the end of the street were two large posts that reached up into
the indistinguishable darkness. Just beyond them a row of smaller posts
formed a walkway that housed a stone cut stairway with wide and deep
steps. Dim lanterns hung from the cross bars of the walkway. Priestess
Kugi entered first.
�We�re home,� she said.
Miwaku hesitated for a moment at the threshold of the walkway.
Priestess Kugi continued to walk forward and then turned around when
could no longer hear Miwaku�s footsteps.
�Aren�t you coming, Dear?�
Miwaku smiled and ran up to the priestess. She leaned into the old
woman�s back, pacing her steps to stay close to her. Priestess Kugi
smiled to herself.
The walkway eventually gave way to an open courtyard. The stone
walkway continued to an engawa that wrapped around a two story temple.
The courtyard was well lit with lanterns mounted on twining sticks
planted firmly in the ground. In the front, square in the middle, was a
wishing well. It was waist high with a bamboo grate covering its
shallow maw. Prayer strips hung all around its worn wooden framework.
A bamboo grate covered the opening. Just below the well head was a
large stone plaque with engraved kanji characters. Miwaku figured it
must be the name of the Temple, she couldn�t read the complicated
characters.
Miwaku had seen this much of the Shinzen Temple before; she had
been here two years before for the Drinking Well Festival. She had
stolen a small gold locket from a vender, and sold it at a pawn shop for
a hundred yen. Miwaku shook her head to banish the thought.
�Have you ever made a wish at the well?�
Miwaku flushed with embarrassment and spoke with hesitant words.
�Yes, but I didn�t have any money, so I spit in it instead. My wish
didn�t come true.�
The priestess laughed through clenched teeth. Her face turned a
sullen red, as if she were forcing down a deep seated compulsion to
commit murder. She cleared her throat and spoke softly. �Okay, I know
what your first chore is going to be. You get to collect the change
from the well every month.�
Miwaku backed away from the Priestess timidly, a large sweat bead
formed on her brow. She smiled nervously. Don�t admit too much, she
thought.
* * *
Miwaku laid on her back. A small desk lamp dimly lit the square
room. Its three wooden walls were bare, save a small nail protruding
from the far wall. A picture must have hung there for many years, the
wall there was discolored in the shape of a rectangle. The sliding
screen door was a carefully constructed with elaborate framework and
dense rice paper. The light from the hall outside filtered through into
the room.
Life had certainly changed in a hurry. Her life seemed so far
away. When she crossed the threshold of the temple she had felt it. It
was powerful, the emotions welled up inside her, but she couldn�t
identify them. Everything she had known faded away. It was like a
dream state. Nothing mattered now. She was warm. She had a futon to
sleep on with clean sheets. She felt comfort. But she worried what
tomorrow would bring. Would she have to leave all of this? It all felt
too good to be true. Any moment she would awake in her slum apartment,
her drug addict roommates passed out on the floor next to her.
Truth be told, she was very happy to get out of there. The water
had been turned off for months. The building was about to be officially
condemned. Several city officials had come through telling everyone to
pack up and leave. But worst of all, she shared a very small space with
a group of kids roughly her own age, all of which were boys. They were
runaways, or members of small time street gangs. They had been nice at
first, but as of late they had started started to treat her differently.
Every chance they got they would try to kiss her, or argue over her
attention. Always putting their arms around her. She resented every
minute of it, but it was a small price to pay for their protection.
That was something she would definitely not miss.
For the first time she could remember, her hair was free and clean.
No more painful knots. She ran her fingers through her bangs. Even
though they had been cut to less than half their original length, they
still reached her chin with ease. The smell of shampoo and rinse was
new. She had held strands of hair under her nose for half the evening,
trying to figure out what the smell was supposed to be. Some kind of
flower? She couldn�t tell. Her familiarity of scents were more urban;
oiled train tracks, dumpsters, alleyways and car exhaust. None of those
scents here. The temple was musty, with all the charm of a used book
store.
Everything in the temple was an odd mixture of modern convenience
and traditional furnishing. The bath was a deep wooden box, sunk
halfway into the floor with blackened iron brackets holding it together.
A brand new porcelain commode sat off to the side. It was a
juxtaposition that could be said for the rest of the temple.
Her gold bracelet gleamed in the defused light. It was dull
before, but now it shimmered with life. Miwaku watched it well into the
night. It was difficult to sleep. A million hopes and doubts racing
through her mind. Was she doing the right thing? What if she never
stole that case?
Tomorrow, Priestess Kugi was taking her shopping for clothes and
bath supplies. After that they would visit Kusanagi. Priestess Kugi
thought that he may have learned more about the arms. The way she
obsessed about them worried Miwaku. The Priestess was probably still
studying, looking for more information. Miwaku wondered what the danger
Kusanagi feared was. She looked at the bracelet one last time. It
seemed to shimmer.
* * *
The lamps strung along the outside of the store fronts, weaving
through makeshift awnings. Phone and electricity lines blew about in
the wind. Rain soaked paper covers flapped, jarring the light bulbs
within that hissed at every stray droplet that snuck in. The storm was
in full bloom.
Percy walked along the sidewalk. He left his car on the side of
the highrise motorway with an empty fuel tank. His entire body was
chilled to the bone, though he had stopped shivering hours ago. His
camel hair suit had several small spatters of blood, though not his own.
He passed store after store, letting his fingers drag along the
windows of the shops, and the bricks in between. He stopped at a dimly
lit shop and tapped his fingers on the door.
�I do believe I�ve found you little girl.�
Percy took a deep breath through his nostrils.
�I would recognize your scent anywhere.�
* * *
The afternoon sun was bright, hanging just above the multistory
buildings as Priestess Kugi and Miwaku stepped out of the train station,
loaded with shopping bags and packages. For all the sunshine, there was
a bitter cold in the wind. There was no sign of the storm that had
moved in the evening before save the few puddles along the sidewalk.
It was several blocks before they noticed that traffic was
particularly heavy. Cars were parked in the street, motors running.
Several drivers had opened their doors to step out and look ahead to see
what was causing the blockage.
Up ahead were two fire trucks and a swarm of police cars, lights
flashing. There were several officers telling people to turn around.
Just behind them, they could see what looked like a store front. It was
gutted and in shambles. Merchandise was thrown out into the street. It
appeared a fire had broke out. The stores around it were blackened with
char, their torn norens swaying in the light breeze.
Priestess Kugi�s heart sank as they approached the scene. This was
Kusanagi�s shop. She tried to grab Miwaku before she ran ahead. A tall
man in a tan coat stopped her from reaching the tattered shop. She
struggled with him for a moment, saying nothing.
Priestess Kugi approached with caution. She grabbed Miwaku by the
shoulders. The girl�s heart was racing, she was breathing hard through
an open mouth.
�What happened, here? We�re friends of the shop�s owner,� demanded
Priestess Kugi.
�We don�t know much at this point.�
�Where�s Kusanagi? The owner, where is he?� Miwaku�s voice lifted
to a frantic whine.
The man stared, dumbfounded, at Miwaku. He opened his mouth as if
he would speak, but he obviously didn�t know what to say.
�Uhmm....� The man bit his lip, he looked squarely at the
Priestess. �Can I talk to you, alone?�
Priestess Kugi leaned forward conspiratorially to Miwaku. �I�ll
find out what�s going on, just wait here, all right?�
�I�m Priestess Kugi, and this is Miwaku, my apprentice. We�ve both
known Mr. Kusanagi for the better part of our lives.�
The man�s brow arched, �Really. Then perhaps you�d be willing to
help me?�
Priestess Kugi sternly pointed at Miwaku. �Stay right here.�
�But,� Miwaku began.
�I mean it. Stay visible,� Priestess Kugi said in a hushed voice.
Miwaku threw up her hands and paced about in a tight circle. The
young man watched her intently for a moment and smiled to himself. He
then turned his attention back to the Priestess.
�My name is Hiroshi Tsunawa, I�m the Jr. Detective at Ushiku
Precinct. This is my first case, and I have to admit, it�s really
bizarre.�
�Why would they need a detective for this?�
Detective Tsunawa lead her through a crowd of firemen and crime
scene investigators dressed in white jumpsuits. At the threshold of
what used to be the store front were several men, studying a series of
mason jars of various sizes. They were filled with a thick, viscous red
pulp. Each jar had a sticky label with English writing scrawled on it.
Priestess Kugi quickly turned away, covering her mouth.
The Priestess knew Kusanagi was probably dead, but had hoped for
the better. Especially not what she saw. Despite his age, Kusanagi was
a powerful man.
�Priestess, I�m very sorry to show you this. You can see why I
didn�t want the girl to come in. But I have a question I need to ask
you. There�s a necklace inside one of the jars...�
�A pendant in the shape of the romanji number 9.�
�Exactly! That means...� Detective Tsunawa trailed off. He
cleared his throat. �That symbol is a Spirit Seed, right?�
Priestess Kugi spun around, her eyes narrowed. She made a
concerted effort to not let her view drift to the jars again. �How do
you know about that?�
The young detective smiled enigmatically. �I saw it once on an
episode of The X-files.�
�Oh, dear Kami.�
�It was an awesome episode too, lots of Scully.�
For a brief second the detective seemed to be far away from the
world around him.
He might as well be drooling, Priestess Kugi thought.
He shook his head and regained his composure.
�Thank you for your co-operation. I�d like to talk with you and
your apprentice later, with your permission of course.�
Priestess Kugi glowered at the detective. �I think it would be
best for Miwaku if you didn�t, she�s a fragile girl.� With that the
priestess walked away, a guilty smirk crossed her lips.
Yeah right, she thought.
Detective Tsunawa scratched his head and put a cigarette in his
mouth. �Lead number one,� he said to himself with a smug grin. Just as
he was about to light it, a white jumpsuited man grabbed the cigarette
from his mouth and crumpled it in his hand.
�Am I the only one who can smell gas?�
�Oh shit,� sighed the detective, �Gomen nasai.�
He looked across the crime scene to see the Priestess talking to
Miwaku, she rested her hands on her shoulders. Miwaku staggered back a
step and fell to her knees, she gripped the sides of the Priestess�
kimono.
That was the part he hated about his work. He wanted to go over
and say something, but he decided against it. He would have his chance
to offer his condolences later.
* * *
It had been two days since Priestess Kugi had told Miwaku that
Kusanagi was dead. She had tried to make it sound as pleasant as
possible. That probably wasn�t the wisest thing to do. Miwaku saw
right through her and it made her feel like a coward.
The Priestess put down her tea cup with care, and covered the lip
with a thin porcelain top. She watched the vapor escape through the
small hole near the center. She clapped her hands twice and bowed her
head. Clenching to some new mustered resolve, she stood up and made her
way from the dinner table to Miwaku�s room.
She stopped just outside the door and listened. It sounded as if
Miwaku was talking to someone. She leaned against the wall and listened
intently.
�Why is all of this happening to me?�
Miwaku flipped her enamel figurine of Buddha over and over in her
fingers, every now and then stopping to rub her thumb roughly over his
well worn belly.
�I understand that things are imperminate, but how much more do I
have to take? What should I do about it? What can I do?�
Miwaku let herself fall backwards on her futon. She stretched out
and wiped her eyes. They were sullen and red from crying and lack of
sleep. Her stomach grumbled from not eating. For all that she tried to
ignore it, the hunger pains were starting to become unbearable. Somehow
food didn�t seem important anymore. She wondered what was.
She clutched her Buddha to her chest and closed her eyes.
�I�ve been asking you all along, but you don�t have answers do you.
I can only rely on what you taught, but I know so little. That man will
come for me, just like he did for Kusanagi, and now he could take
Priestess Kugi away from me too. What should I do? Should I stand up
to him?�
Miwaku sat up and tossed the Buddha on the floor.
�Yes or no, fat boy?�
It tumbled about and stopped face up. Miwaku felt a pang of
anxiety shoot through her chest.
�You seem to say �yes� more often than not. But you haven�t led me
wrong, have you.�
Miwaku knew she would have to face this head on. Kusanagi died
because of her and she was the only one who could set it straight.
There must be a way. She just couldn�t think of one.
Miwaku crawled across the floor and picked up the Buddha. She
placed it on her desk and straightened her tank top.
�Alright then,� she said with a shaky voice. �I guess there�s no
avoiding it anymore.�
She walked to the door and slid it open. Priestess Kugi pushed
away from the wall and pretended to just be coming down the hallway.
�Kugi-sama,� Miwaku said as she stepped out of her room.
�Mi-chan. I was just coming up to check on you. I�ve been worried
about you.�
Priestess Kugi stepped forward and hugged Miwaku.
�It�s been rather lonely with you locked up in your room all the
time.�
Miwaku didn�t say anything. She was afraid that if she opened her
mouth that she might cry again.
Four dishes filled with cold food sat on the dinner table down
stairs. Miwaku picked up the scent halfway down the stairs. She nearly
drifted to the source. Her stomach felt like minced meat. Before she
was properly seated, she was shoveling food into her mouth with great
fervor.
�You shouldn�t eat so fast, you�ll make yourself sick.�
�Humpf... Hwarf!�
�Dear Kami-sama.�
�Just kidding,� Miwaku said, her mouth full.
Priestess Kugi�s face contorted in a severe display of contempt.
�I think I�m going to be sick.�
�Geez, can�t you see I�m eating here?�
Miwaku continued to shovel with great abandon. Before Priestess
Kugi could stop her, there was a pounding at the door. The priestess
sighed and made her away to the front door.
She unlocked a blackened iron hinge that released a huge wooden
beam. She lifted it with ease and opened the door.
�Yes, can I help you?� She instantly recognized Detective Tsunawa
and scowled.
�Hi, I�d like to talk with you if I could. I brought take-out to
make up for it.�
The detective held up a large, white, plastic sack with several
bentos in it. In his other hand was a large bouquet of a dozen roses.
�And what are those about?�
�Ah, these are for Miwaku-chan!�
Priestess Kugi slammed the door shut and began to reload the beam.
Through the dense wood of the door she could hear the detective�s
muffled voice.
�All I want to do is ask you a few questions. The flowers are in
condolences.�
�Not interested.�
�I could get a warrant.�
Priestess Kugi opened the door again. Detective Tsunawa grinned
from ear to ear.
�Is it really so bad to just give me a few straight answers? Don�t
you want to find out who murdered your friend? Besides, I�m dying to
check this temple out. I�ve only seen it from the outside.�
�Fine, but the temple is ALL you�re going to check out.�
�Damn it! I was hoping to score,� said the detective in a
sarcastic voice.
�You�re a grown man, for Kami�s sake.�
�And I�m wearing my lucky Mulder overcoat, too. Chicks always dig
the coat,� muttered the detective.
Priestess Kugi looked right through the detective in a way that
made him want to squirm.
�We can talk for a little while, but that�s it. Got it.�
�Fine, fine.�
Detective Tsunawa hurried inside. Best not to give the old coot a
chance to change her mind. He set down the food and slid off his over
coat. He stepped up to the wooden floor and the priestess cuffed the
back of his head.
�Hey!�
�Take your shoes off, barbarian. This is a holy place. It�s also
a clean one.�
Priestess Kugi waited for him to remove his shoes, muttering under
her breath. Detective Tsunawa couldn�t make out a word of it. It was
probably for the best.
The priestess led him through the large foyer and into the main
hall.
�The den is the first doorway to the left, wait for me there. I�ll
fetch some tea.�
�Ah... Arigato goziamasu.�
Detective Tsunawa sat down at the low set table, placing the
bouquet of roses to his side. He opened the plastic sack of Bentos and
placed them all on the table. There were five in all, three meals and
two dim sums. He opened one of the dim sums and wafted the smells up
to his nostrils.
�A bit tepid, but it�s the thought that counts.�
�Precisely,� said Priestess Kugi, returning with a tray of hot tea.
�Ah, perfect, Priestess. A fitting meal for a working stiff.
Please, please, help yourself. I brought plenty to go around.�
Priestess Kugi knelt down in a very formal sitting position.
�Can we get this over with, I�ve very important business to attend
to.�
Detective Tsunawa stuffed a fish cake in his mouth, licking the
chopsticks before placing them casually on the corner of his bento.
�Uhm, yeah. Of course. Gomen.�
He ran his tongue between his front teeth and lip nervously.
�I was hoping to wait for your apprentice. Her input is actually
more important than yours at this point?�
�Oh? And why is that?�
Detective Tsunawa shifted uncomfortably. �Well, I�ve been doing
some scrounging around, and I�ve learned quite a bit about her.�
He smiled wanely.
�She�s left quite an impression on everyone she�s met around town.
They�re all very happy to talk about her.�
�She�s popular, so what?�
�She also gets around...�
�And it�s going to be a long time before she gets around to you.�
Detective Tsunawa narrowed his eyes. �You know, you seem awfully
defensive about Miwaku.�
�She means a lot to me.�
�She must, you�ve only known her for two days -- technically one
and a half at that. Why are so taken with her.�
�She shows great promise as the future priestess of the Shinzen
Temple. Is this going somewhere?�
�Uhm, yeah. I had hoped to just work it into the conversation,
but...�
�Get on with it.�
�Fine,� said the detective through a tight lipped grin. �I found
out quite a bit about Miwaku. After we talked I asked a lot the
neighboring merchants about her and it would seem that she�s quite the
fencer. Came up with a lot of stolen goods over the years. Made a lot
of friends and enemies. One boy in particular. A 17 year old street
punk named Watori. Used to be a roommate of hers just a few days ago.�
�He says she disappeared about left home about two days ago and
never came home. Now, they had a pool of thieves there that brought in
their income -- what little they had. Anyway, she never came back, but
apparently someone came looking for him. A gaijin man with blond hair
and incredibly violent behavior. He was looking for something that
Miwaku had stolen from him. A suitcase, very much like the one that was
recovered from Kusanagi�s shop. It was empty of course, but it fit the
description.�
�It�s true, I did steal a suitcase from a gaijin man, but there�s
no way he could have found where I live. I never had a chance to go
home after I stole it.�
Miwaku stepped through the door into the room and sat down at the
opposite end from the detective and priestess. Detective Tsunawa
watched her walk in, dressed meagerly in a short, plain tank top that
barely covered her midriff and a pair of very tight shorts. Detective
Tsunawa was entranced.
�Stop it or I�ll hurt you.�
�What? How did you know what I was thinking?�
�Oh, I don�t know. Maybe it was the drool, or that stupid grin.�
�His grin isn�t that stupid,� Miwaku said.
�You stay out of this.�
�ANYWAY... This is good. Then at least that part of the boy�s
story is true. I have to admit that it�s hard to believe all that he
said. It�s pretty fantastic. Shonen manga type stuff.�
�Like what?� asked Priestess Kugi, suddenly interested in what the
detective was saying.
�Uhm, well. He said the man walked in and asked for Miwaku by
name. He said she had something of his and that he wanted it back. He
was very calm and dignified. This Watori boy told him to get lost and
grabbed him by the arm. The next thing he knew he was out the front
door, face first. It gets pretty gruesome from this point on, suffice
to say that he asked where his suitcase was and proceeded to kill the
others when they didn�t have answers for him. It must be partly true,
the bodies were sliced from head to toe. Looked a lot like really nasty
razorblade cuts over every inch of their body.�
Miwaku starred at the detective, a blank look on her face. The
detective cleared his throat and continued.
�Now, Watori says he pulled a pad of paper, the kind you see in
offices, and asked what the boys names were. He wrote them down on the
sheet of paper then he folded it over and over onto itself and tore it
into many little pieces. He then blew the pieces out of his hand. He
says the pieces whirled around them and cut them to death.�
�It�s kinda creepy, but the corpses recovered from the scene
support his story. But there�s something else that doesn�t seem right.
He let Watori go. The guy just left after that. He walked right past
Watori, who was still on the terrace, without saying a word. I just
don�t buy it. But with no evidence we can�t hold the boy. We released
him into the custody of his parents.�
Miwaku simply starred at the detective, expressionless for several
seconds.
�What you�re saying can�t be true. That sort of thing can�t
happen.�
Detective Tsunawa sighed. �Any other theories? If you have
anything to add to this, I would greatly appreciate it.�
Priestess Kugi seemed very uncomfortable. Her face had the
slightest touch of blush. A knock at the door caught her attention.
She got up without looking at the detective and made her exit.
Detective Tsunawa got up and began to follow her.
�Do you mind if I see who that is too?�
�Yes, I do.�
Detective Tsunawa grabbed the priestesses arm gently.
�I have every reason to believe that if he could find where Miwaku
lived, that he could find her here too.�
The detective lifted his left arm to reveal a holstered service
revolver. The priestess winced.
�I don�t think that will help you take down an onni, detective,�
she said mockingly.
Detective Tsunawa huffed and let her go.
�Still, I�ll follow you none the less. If it�s the gaijin, I�m
taking him in for questioning.�
The knock came again, somewhat weaker this time. Priestess Kugi
straightened the sleeve of her kimono and looked down the corridor to
the main hall.
She quietly lifted the hefty wooden bar and took a deep breath.
Hesitantly, she pushed against the the door. It glided open with the
grace and ease of a hand crafted work of art. Outside was pitch black,
wind and rain blew into the temple. The priestess squinted her eyes.
Slowly a small, shivering silhouette came into view.
Detective Tsunawa and Miwaku peeked around the corner from the main
hall to see who it was. Miwaku craned her neck to see around the
detective.
�You have a ward above the door. I can�t come in,� said a shaky
feminine voice.
Priestess Kugi smiled and let out a tiny squeak of delight.
�I give you permission Ira-Ira.�
Ira-Ira staggered inside, barely reaching Priestess Kugi before
collapsing. The priestess closed the door and replaced the bar with
haste and picked up Ira-Ira. Detective Tsunawa and Miwaku both rushed
in to see.
Ira-Ira was a short, slender girl with wild russet colored hair and
very tan skin. Her ears were long and thin, like a mythical elf. The
two stared at her in the priestesses arms, trying to comprehend her
form. She was lightly dressed, with gold bands around her ankles and
wrists. Miwaku recognized the small, jiggling bell that Kusnagi�s cat
wore around her neck. The cloth band was tattered, but the bell still
remained securely fashioned to her neck.
�Ira-chan?� Miwaku muttered. �Is that Ira-Ira?�
Priestess Kugi laid Ira-Ira on the floor in the main hall.
�Miwaku, fetch me some pillows and some warm water. Detective
Tsunawa, I�m going to have to ask you to leave now.�
�But what is she?� Detective Tsunawa asked, his voice a mere
whisper.
�No more questions. I�ll come visit you at the station for an
official statement. There is no more to discuss. Please leave.�
Detective Tsunawa continued to watch the priestess as she examined
the feline girl. Priestess Kugi stood up and grabbed the detective by
the arm with great force.
�I believe this is your lucky coat,� she said as she handed his
coat to him and shooed him out the door.
�Wait! I need to give this to you.�
Detective Tsunawa placed Kusanagi�s spirit seed pendant in the
priestess�s hand. She took the pendant and smiled.
�Thank you, detective.�
The door slammed behind him, followed by the thud of the cross bar
as it fell into place. Outside was cold and dark. The detective
frowned. He took his cell phone from the clip on his belt and dialed.
It rang once and was answered.
�It�s Hiroshi Tsunawa.�
�Yes, I know. But I think the girl is the one. The Shinzen
Priestess is awfully protective of her, and you won�t believe what I
just saw.�
Detective Tsunawa paused and cleared his throat.
�They have an animal spirit. It must have been Kusanagi�s, that
would explain the spirit seed he had.�
�Yes, I�m sure. What should I do now?�
* * *
Miwaku sat in bed, her knees pulled tightly to her chest. Her
stomach was aching from cramming down all the food she could find.
Ira-Ira lay on her back in a sunbeam by the window, stretched out
to absorb as much warmth as possible. Ira-Ira looked so human, but the
subtle differences attracted Miwaku�s attention more so than what the
cat-spirit actually was. A spirit. A magical being of legend. And she
was sprawled in a very unseemly manner on the floor of her bedroom as if
this was a common occurrence. She had bandages covering wounds and cuts
that lacerated her arms, legs and abdomen.
What do you say to a spirit? A being of pure magic. Miwaku had
never thought about how all of the recent events effected everyone else.
Priestess Kugi had lost a life long friend. And now, she wondered what
Ira-Ira lost.
�I guess I�m pretty stupid, huh? If I had never brought him those
arms, none of this would have happened.�
�Hai,� Ira-Ira said, half asleep.
�I know I didn�t really know him, but he was the only real friend
I�ve ever had. I trusted him more than anyone.�
�Hai.�
�Damn it. Can�t you say anything beside, �hai�? Don�t you feel
the least bit of loss?�
Ira-ira rolled over on her side, her ears back.
�You humans are born to die. You have very short life spans, and
you�re so fragile that most of you don�t even make it to age seventy.
Kusanagi lived till he was eighty three. Isn�t that enough?
�How can you say that? Didn�t you care at all for him? Weren�t
you supposed to protect him? Kusanagi would still be alive if you
didn�t fuck up!�
Ira-Ira leapt onto Miwaku before she could react, slapping her with
such force that her head hit the futon from her sitting position.
Miwaku writhed about on the floor, pathetically trying to squirm out of
the feline�s reach.
Ira-Ira looked horribly hurt, but her stance was menacing. She
crawled forward over Miwaku, pinning her by the shoulders to the futon,
her claws digging into her flesh.
�Don�t you lecture me on what�s happened little girl. I could rip
you open and show you your own entrails and there�s nothing that anyone
on this Earth could do to stop me. You got that? You have no idea how
I feel.�
Miwaku nodded silently. Ira-Ira sauntered off of Miwaku. She was
completely calm again, as if nothing had transpired.
Ira-Ira looked over her shoulder and smiled as she walked out of
the room.
�Don�t forget it little girl.�
Halfway down the stairs, she encountered Priestess Kugi. She held
up the spirit seed and placed it into Ira-Ira�s hand, carefully coiling
the stained leather thong into a tight circle.
�I know how much it must mean to you,� said the Priestess. �You
can hide your feelings from Miwaku, but you can�t from me.�
�I....� stuttered Ira-Ira. She turned away from the Priestess.
�Arigato.�
Ira-Ira bolted out of the temple and disappeared into the darkened
courtyard.
Priestess Kugi knocked on the door frame of Miwaku�s room.
�You shouldn�t upset Ira-Ira like that. She doesn�t see things the
way we humans do. You just have to accept that.�
Miwaku slowly rose to a sitting position, gently lifting her shirt
off her shoulders to survey her injuries. Small blots of blood spotted
the shirt where Ira-Ira pierced Miwaku�s skin.
�Shit,� she hissed.
Priestess Kugi sat down at Miwaku�s bedside.
�Let me see.�
She examined Miwaku�s shoulders and put a damp wash cloth over the
punctures.
�I brought this up for Ira, but it looks like you need it more than
she.�
�Is she psycho?�
Priestess Kugi smiled warmly.
�No, just very touchy right now. She�s lost the most important
person in her life.�
�How�s that? She acts like she doesn�t care at all.�
Priestess Kugi relaxed and sighed.
�Ira-ira was originally summoned by Kusanagi to be his Watcher; a
spirit to watch over him and protect him. And she�s very good at it,
but over the years she grew very attached to Kusanagi. I guess you
could say that she loved him, and he loved her. He must have, because
he never did take a wife or court girls.�
Miwaku shook her head.
�This is too much to take in.�
She lay back in bed and covered her eyes with her palms.
�I just can�t believe that everyone�s dead. All my friends, and
Kusanagi. And it�s all my fault.�
�No it isn�t it. You had no idea. How could you?�
�My brain knows that, but my heart won�t listen. What should I do
about it?�
�We�ll do nothing. I�m assuming that this gaijin man retrieved the
arms from Kusanagi. For now he�s got what he wants. We�ll just wait
for him to make the next move and go from there. In the meanwhile I�m
going to do some more research.�
�Nothing? Nothing at all? Are you serious? That psycho is still
out there, and he can use magic. He�ll come for me eventually. And I
plan to fight him.�
Priestess Kugi smiled.
�And how do you plan to do that? Are you going to rough him up a
bit?�
�Ira-Ira will help me.�
�I think she�d just assume eat you. And besides, he�s already
beaten Ira-Ira and Kusanagi together. What do you think you can do that
they couldn�t?�
�I can fight! I didn�t survive on the streets this long without
being tough.�
Priestess Kugi stood up and adjusted her kimono. She eased into a
defensive fighting stance and lifted her right hand to eye level.
�Alright then; a simple test. Show me what you got.�
She motioned with her fingers to come at her.
�What? I can�t fight you.�
Priestess Kugi grinned from ear to ear. �Yes, I know. But I think
you need to find out for yourself.�
Miwaku stood up and sighed. �But you�re old.�
�If you can�t beat me, you can�t beat him.�
Miwaku walked up to the priestess and lifted her arm in a boxing
stance. Before her arms reached full stance she was face down on the
hardwood floor behind the the priestess.
�I�m only taking it easy on you because you�re so young.�
Miwaku�s face was bright red. For all the pain she felt in her
face and chest, they were in far better shape than her pride. She got
to her feet and threw a punch. This time with as much force as she
could muster. In the blink of an eye, she was face down on the floor
again, with Priestess Kugi�s knee on her back, pinning her down.
�Kusanagi excelled at martial arts far better than I, but still
summoned Ira-Ira to protect him. Why do you think he did that?�
Miwaku fumed, face down on the floor. Her breath was labored.
�With all that you have seen, do you really think his hands were
his only weapons? Do you think martial arts is my only weapon?�
Priestess Kugi helped the girl up and straightened her tank top.
Her face was still beat red and she refused to make eye contact.
Priestess Kugi puts her hands on Miwaku�s shoulders.
�I can instruct you in more than fighting. But only when you�re
ready to learn.�
* * *
At the highest point of the garden behind the temple, Priestess
Kugi erected a small stone obelisk in Kusanagi�s name. Ira-Ira kneeled
and hugged it, resting her forehead against it. A single tear fell on a
bowl of incense and hissed.
�I let you down. You trusted me to protect you and I failed. I�m
so sorry.�
End, chapter two.
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