Walking along the lumber path, Seishin readjusted his grip on the shovel several times. Toshio walking alongside him also said nothing. While shining the light ahead in silence, they wordlessly went up the hill.
After some time had pased they came to something of a clearing. It was just where the west and northern mountains met, not too far from where Shimizu Megumi was found. That was the Yasumori family graveside. A relatively wide place, in it were planted four relatively new Sotoba standing tall. Three of them belonged to Yasumori Nao, Susumi and Mikiyasu, and the other was Yasumori Giichi's. This was originally the Yasumori head family's graveyard. The Yasumori Contractors were buried here as well.
Toshio's flashlight reflected off of the sotoba, stopping on one. In Seishin's own writing were the characters spelling out 'Yasumori Nao's common name and her date of death.
Nao's grave was rather uneven. There the weeds were already growing over and had died out. Next to that spot was an open, black hole. The men had come that afternoon to dig a hole in preparation for Setsuko.
Setsuko's vigil was performed by Seishin himself. He had done Nao's too. Seishin himself who had been a part of that burial ceremony was now going to dig it up.
"If we do this sloppy, then it'll cause a big fuss at tomorrow's burial," Toshio said, to which Seishin nodded. Toshio aside, he would have to be in this spot then. Just thinking of that made his stomach hurt.
"It's gonna be a hell of a lot of work but how about this?" Toshio said, taking out a small bundle of Chrysanthemum flowers from a nylon-taffeta travel sack.
[TN: Chrysanthemums are a popular flower in Japanese symbolism. In particular, white ones are commonly used to decorate grave sites. They symbolize rejuvenation and happiness in the Japanese language of flowers.]
"That's...?"
"I cut 'em from Mother's potted plants," Toshio laughed. "When we're read to go back, we'll tear the weeds from all the graves and put out some incense sticks. We should be able to fool them with that much right?"
I see, Seishin nodded. If they dug up and reburied a grave, they couldn't leave it with only Nao's grave looking in disarray. If they tended to the other graves similarly, the worst that'd be doubted was that somebody came visiting the graves. It was questionable as to whether it would fool anybody or not but it was better than nothing.
"Let's do it," Toshio declared. He the the flashlight in an appropriate place lighting their workspace. Spreading a vinyl sheet around Nao's grave, digging the scoop into the mound. He dumped what was dug up onto the sheet. It was important not to let any of it spill off of the sheet. He was careful of where he stepped so as not to step on the dirt from digging Setsuko's grave.
After digging so much, the Sotoba began to falter. Seishin took it down and properly carried it out of the way so that it wouldn't become dirtied. And then all the more silent he began to use the shovel. It was more laborious work than he'd imagined. They were violating a taboo, he had thought, fraying his nerves. Ever since climbing the mountain path, Seishin had constantly felt somebody's gaze on them. He couldn't help but feel that somebody was beside them, watching them; at times he heard somebody or could sense their presence but when he turned to look, there was no sign of anything. He knew it was his imagination.
It took some time before they hit the coffin. Moving the dirt from the top of the lid, it was exposed. Toshio and he exchanged looks before he put the shovel tip beneath the lid. It was put in place to wedge it open but no sooner was the shovel tip put in place than did the lid slip. Zuu, it sounded, Seishin trembling with fear as he heard that sound.
"....It's open." Toshio's voice was dry and husky. It shouldn't have opened this easily. Not if it was nailed down. Seishin took the hand light in hand and looked again at the surface of the coffin. The points where the nails were driven in were torn open. Somebody had already opened the coffin.
Even Toshio simply held onto the shovel staring fixedly. Strangely, he had stopped. Probably, this coffin would be empty. Nao would quite possibly not be in this coffin. Even while thinking so, he was afraid to think that. Was it really all right to open it, wouldn't he regret opening it, a voice inside of him asked. ---If you open this, there's no way out.
Faintly, Toshio could be heard swallowing a breath. Toshio pushed the shovel tip beneath the lid. It lifted without resistance. And the emptiness within the coffin was exposed.
---A Shiki.
I knew it, he thought with a sense of vertigo. Nao wasn't in the coffin.
Suddenly, Seishin felt eyes on him. Somebody was watching through the firs that surrounded the graveyard, his intuition said. And it wasn't one or two people. In the darkness beneath the firs, countless somethings were gathered holding their breath, watching over Seishin and Toshio. He turned the hand light towards it. The darkness gave way to it but he couldn't sweep it away completely. The moment the darkness receeded, those lurking in the darkness did with it, he felt. He thought he'd heard a rustling sound of them moving but that was nothing more than the wind in the branches.
"What's wrong?"
Asked by Toshio, Seishin answered it was nothing. He knew, this was just another form taken by his guilt.
"It was Nao-san after all."
"Aa...."
Toshio nodded and returned the lid. Fitting it in place, he began using the shovel again. While taking care not to spill the dirt, he refilled the grave hole. Packing down the refilled dirt, when there wasn't enough on the sheet to shovel it, the sheet was lifted and the dirt dumped onto the mound. The sotoba was set up again and the mount was smoothed level. Using the sheet, they were careful not to leave shovel marks. Shining the light over it several times, they made sure there were no signs of the grave being dug up, then went about to the others. Toshio durg at the dirt as if pulling the grass up as he asked if Seishin thought there were opened coffins beneath here too.
"....I wouldn't know."
"We don't have time to dig them up. But, sometime we might have to."
Preparing the mounds, flowers and incense were set out in offering. Checking that they weren't trailing dirt, they brushed away what they found by hand amongst the grass and weeds. All in all in took four hours.
Confirming that there wasn't anything forgotten, as they were about to leave Toshio peered into Setsuko's grave.
"Setsuko-san.... Think she'll rise up?"
"I wouldn't know."
It was Nao. They knew that. That she was a Shiki was sure too. --But, even knowing that, what were they supposed to do? Setsuko was dead. Setsuko might have come back to live. Just how many had come back to life until now, just how many Shiki were moving in secret throughout the village?
Toshio parted at the halfway point of the mountain road with a promise to come again tomorrow night. Both saying again and again for the other to be careful, Seishin went on his way with his sluggish body trying to hide the aches and pains. While wandering the mountain pathway, he suddenly looked up.
Seishin had ended up on the northern mountain. His feet wandered as if being lead off of the road, climbing to where there was no longer a mountain road. Soon enough he came to where a small road he knew was. Following it back along he came to one dilapidated building.
Seishin gazed up at that deep black form. It looked to be a church, but it was not a church. When Sunako had at first nervously approached it, she was surprised saying "It's not a church." If this were really a church, Sunako might not have been able to enter. Sunako's response at that time might have been because she entered someplace she should not have been able to enter.
She could understand feeling as if one had been abandoned by God, Sunako said. That's right, Sunako was a dead body who should not have risen, and the moment she had turned on that divine providence, she became a living being abandoned by God. She hunted people in need of their sacrifice. Contrary to God's order, she was a being caught up in that order she went against.
"But... That isn't your fault," Seishin murmured.
If Sunako was a Shiki, somebody had attacked Sunako. And then Sunako died. She rose up. Nobody could blame the risen Sunako for attacking Nao. There was no doubt that Sunako and Nao were victims.
Was she attacked by Seishirou or was it Chizuru? In either case, the darkness came over her, she was seized within that darkness. Sunako could no longer come out of that darkness, and she had to live within the order of the dark. Now and forever after, she was a prisoner of a world where God's splendor did not reach.
---Death is terrible for anyone.
"That's it exactly.... It really is."