I sat bolt upright the moment I woke up, panic shooting through my veins.
Those sleep bouts really don't have good timing!
Immediately, I looked around of myself, searching for Shirane with the eyes and I found the latter holding a teenaged member of the Shimazaki clan at his mercy.
My heart jumped to my throat.
First of all, we weren't supposed to use our weapons to threaten humans. Secondly, and most importantly, our presences have been detected!
Instantly, I sprung to my feet, not sure about what to do or rather, what to expect; unbeknownst of the full situation. Heihachi flew up to me and I held it in my arms, having the jitters.
'Lower your weapon, please! I don't have the intention of alerting anyone of your presence!' the Shimazaki boy assured Shirane, and I concluded with some relief from this, that we weren't been fully exposed yet.
So far, only the teenaged boy had seen us.
The latter had pale skin and a slim figure. His dark hair had front fringes, with the left side longer than his fringe.
'Really? And what's that for?' demanded Shirane, incredulously.
Unexpectedly, two small kids barged out of the house to onto the veranda, wailing, 'Please, stop! Don't hurt Yosunori-niisan!'
'No! Get back inside!' exclaimed their older brother, his tone panicked.
Shirane lowered his weapon and backed off on the spot at the children's terrorized expression, and the kids ran to their brother, hugging him and crying fearfully.
The latter gave them a reassuring single-arm hug, while he held his face in his other hand, as though he was caught in an inner struggle.
'I need to control myself if I don't want to become possessed!' he said to himself, his breathing going out ragged.
After one long minute, he seemed to have collected himself, and turning to Shirane and I, he proposed, 'Don't you want us to go inside to have a talk?'
***
A few minutes later...
'I was sure that you're going to lay us a trap!' snorted Shirane as he glanced around the room in which we sat, remaining on his guards.
The room was completely empty except for a low table in the middle.
'You are monster-hunters, aren't you? I've seen you earlier in the village. The fact that I didn't warn the members of my clan of your arrival in Kanbara is the proof that I'm not your enemy,' asserted Yosunori Shimazaki.
The latter was sitting opposite of us at the table with his younger brother and sister cuddled at his sides, each one clinging onto his arm, their eyes still wet from crying.
The girl- Nene Shimazaki- was the youngest of the three. She was around nine years old, with short, curly, light-blond hair, creamy-white skin, and green eyes. Sōsuke Shimazaki was just slightly older than his sister by a year or two. He had paper-white skin and long, curly, pale-brown hair, tied at the back in a pony-tail, his eyes matching the color of his hair.
'You, the Shimazaki, are an Inugami-mochi family! For us every one of you is an enemy!' Shirane muttered, his expression sullen.
'It's true that we're an Inugami-mochi family but I have never given myself over to those monstrous ceremonies that you're thinking about!' the dark-haired boy declared with fervor. 'I don't have an Inugami and neither do Sōsuke nor Nene!'
He clenched his fists then, frowning at the table with a disgusted look.
'I'd rather die than give myself over to such a tainted act! It's so barbaric and abject!'
Recovering his self-possession, he mumbled, 'Our parents believe that it's our young age that's the cause of our refusal to toe the line! It has been months now since the three of us have been sent to live all alone in this house. They expect that by ostracizing us, they'd be able to bring us back into the fold.'
That was so… tyrannical!
'I try to remain as calm and composed as possible to prevent spirit possession. What makes everything even worse is the raging war between the Shinoda clan and us! It's a war of supremacy, not only between our two families, but also opposing the two different Inugami bloodlines serving the Shimazaki and the Shinoda respectively.'
Shirane and I stared at each other in shock.
'Do you mean to say that the Shinoda clan is equally an Inugami-mochi family?' I asked, mechanically.
The dark-haired teenager's eyes widened at us in astonishment.
'Were you unaware of it?'
He took our silence for a yes.
'I think that I know what happened!' he murmured, thoughtfully. 'There have been deaths on both sides. My family does everything to dissimulate these deaths so as not to attract too much attention on us and so do the Shinoda, that is, until recently. I believe that the Shinoda want to use you, the monster-hunters, to get the members of my clan arrested for sorcery. Once you've found proof against us, even if we accused them in return, no one would believe us. The villagers wouldn't dare to say anything against them either. It was a master plan!'
The organization was approved by the Japanese government, from whom we received our funds. There existed a secret circle within the government which dealt with issues of the supernatural. When we were confronted to humans during our missions, we made an appeal to the secret circle in order to have the collaboration of the authorities.
Any appeal on the part of a member of the organization was taken with all the seriousness in the world and with immediate effect.
This whole Inugami story was getting more and more complicated. What we believed at the beginning to be a feud over property was, in fact, a bloody war between two bloodlines of humans and Inugami.
We got ourselves involved into something really very serious.
These kinds of wars were vicious and the most dangerous.
This worried me.
'If the people of my clan discover about you or the Shinoda realize that you know the truth about them, you'll be in mortal danger! Do you still wish to continue?'
'You'd wish that we flee like rats, don't you?' sneered Shirane in provocation. 'Don't count on it! This whole story doesn't scare me! Instead of one big piece of meat, we'll have to deal with two of them, that's all!'
Relief swept over the dark-haired boy's expression. This both surprised and confused us.
'I suppose that if you're here, it is to find proofs. I'd ask you for a day before you warn the authorities. Only a single day,' he said. 'Tomorrow, precisely at five o'clock in the afternoon, I'll turn eighteen. I have waited for this day during my whole life. I have promised Sōsuke and Nene that once I turn eighteen, I'll take them far away from here, for us to live a better life; away from the members of our family and their macabre rites. I refuse that my siblings and I get caught in their murderous folly with the Shinoda.'
'Yosunori-niisan!' cooed his younger sister and brother, resting their heads against his arm lovingly.
'And now that you're here to put my family out of action, I feel more reassured; it will keep them from tracking the three of us down.'
'Tsk! At last, you show your true face, huh?!' lashed out Shirane. 'You know that your clan is done for! The only way you've found to save yourself is to have a discussion with us to convince us of your innocence! Did you really think that we're gonna let you escape?!'
'That's false!' exclaimed Yosunori Shimazaki, his tone desperate. 'I told you, I don't have an Inugami! My siblings and I have never indulged ourselves into sorcery!'
Nene and Sōsuke looked up at him in distress.
'Shirane,' I interjected, feeling agitated. 'I don't think that he's lying.'
'Oh, you shut up!'
'If you don't believe me, look at this!' the dark-haired boy stated. He stood up and began unbuttoning his collared shirt. Turning around, he slipped his shirt down revealing to us the slogging marks on his back. Some were old, others more recent.
I covered my mouth with my hands, horrified.
'It is my parents who did this to me the day I refused to do the Kodoku to have my Inugami,' he murmured, his voice catching. 'And lately, they have begun to lose patience. Nene and Sōsuke have also been subjected to this.'
My heart skipped a beat.
It was so horrible!
Tears welled up my eyes.
'Yosunori-niisan!' his siblings moaned, breaking into tears again. He put his shirt back on, turning to face us again with a dejected expression.
'The fact that you have been mistreated doesn't systematically mean that you're not into sorcery practice,' grumbled Shirane, who turned his face away.
I knew that he wasn't indifferent to the terrible plight of the three Shimazaki youngsters, but the red-haired boy was too stubborn to admit it to himself.
Yosunori Shimazaki wasn't lying. I could read it in his eyes. I could read in the eyes of his younger siblings; the affection they had for him.
'Enough!' I said, softly, getting to my feet. 'We'll warn the authorities only after the three of you are gone.'
Everyone in the room froze, their eyes widening at me in stupefaction.
'You're not serious!' exclaimed Shirane, who jumped to his feet.
'This will leave us time to find proof of the Shinoda being an Inugami-mochi family.'
'Here is not the question! Are you going to let the enemy escape, Shun Shutsuki?!'
'I'm taking this decision to my own risk and peril,' I replied, in a whisper. Facing Yosunori again, I inquired, anxiously, 'Do you know where to go?'
'I was thinking of moving from one place to another for some time such as to cover up our traces...'
'You know, there's a small town named Toda a good distance away from here towards the west, where it feels great to live. It's also there that is found the Gushiken Paranormal Organization. Maybe- Maybe you'll like it there.'
'Why are you helping me?'
I sighed.
'I know what it's like to feel responsible of someone. That person's well-being becomes an essential condition to your happiness. In fact, it goes even beyond of that...'
Subaru…
***
'I think that we should warn Master Kagami,' I said to Shirane as we recuperated our bags where we had left them in the forest.
'Don't be crazy!' he barked. 'If we warn him, he'll ask us to get back to Toda on the spot! So, you keep quiet, understand?!'
Shirane was right; it was exactly what the master would do.
But still, I had a terrible feeling...
*Flashback*
Just a while before…
Following after Yosunori Shimazaki, I was quite surprised when he led us to a small store house in a corner of the domain.
The building was old, the interior full of boxes, old furnitures and other unused items. There were cobwebs everywhere.
'Help me!' the dark-haired boy said to Shirane and the latter gave him a hand to push a pile of boxes.
There, in the middle of the room, carefully hidden under the said boxes, to our astonishment, was found a secret trapdoor.
Shirane and I exchanged a look.
Who could have imagined that there was a basement to the store house?
A small wooden staircase led us to an underground vault cut in stone. There were burning candles everywhere that provided the tiny room with light.
On the walls of the vault were displayed the heads of mummified dogs in ceremonial trappings and there were at least a good thirty of them!
My stomach churned at the bloodcurdling sight.
***
I still felt sick.
And when I think that the Shinoda are into this too...
'Listen to me carefully!' said Shirane. 'The Shinoda are not aware that we know their secret. We'll let them keep on believing that they're using us, okay?'
'What are you planning?'
I had to admit to myself that I was feeling very nervous and that feeling accentuated, as he grinned crookedly.
***
The following day, in the morning…
'We didn't find anything suspicious at the Shimazaki's last night,' stated Shirane.
A frown creased Saigyō Shinoda's forehead.
'I believe that the best thing to do is to wait for them to launch an attack, in which case, we'll catch them red-handed. Rest assured, we'll keep everyone safe.'
The older male watched us thoughtfully.
Since nothing showed on his face, it was impossible to know what he could well be thinking.
On my side, I tried to hide my nervousness as much as I could.
Shirane's plan was for us to play it spies. Our stay had for goal to allow us to inspect the Shinoda's residence to find their secret shrine.
It was quite dicey.
'Alright. I'll ask for arrangements to be made for your stay immediately,' he told us, before he called towards the door, 'Koujaku!'
The door slid open. The man on the other side of it was kneeling down onto one of his knees with his balled up fist placed over his heart, his head bowed in reverence. 'What can I do for you, Saigyō-sama?'
The leader of the clan gave him his order, asking him to show us our sleeping quarters.
***
During the night...
The sliding door separating my room to that of Shirane slipped open and the latter walked in, saying in a commanding tone, 'Let's go! I think that it's time!'
There were no lights coming from the other houses and no noise could be heard anymore. Everyone needed to be sleeping profoundly right now.
As I began to stand up from the futon I was sitting on, suddenly, I felt an intense weakness in my muscles from my waist downward, which caused my legs to go limp.
'What are you waiting for?' demanded Shirane, glancing at me over his shoulder; pausing down in his stride towards the door. 'You're not coming?'
He seemed to realize what was up with me.
I lowered my head, feeling ashamed and uncomfortable.
'J- Just give me a few minutes,' I murmured.
I expected him to chuck out a sarcastic remark and leave without me, but instead, he turned to face me completely, leaning backward against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.
I looked up at him in surprise.
'I wanted to thank you for having been there for Gakkuri,' he told me, his eyes set on the floor. 'I feel very ashamed for not having been there for her myself. I have the impression that I've let her down. I've been so occupied with my missions and my love life that, I only rarely take out any time for her. I guess that this is why she has had some difficulties confiding in me.'
Shirane Nakagiri was all but someone gentle, though he was over-protective with those he cared about. And Gakkuri was one of these persons. He considered her as his younger sister.
His teeth gritted together, then. 'And when I think that I've known the same thing as her! Even if her pain in incomparable to mine.'
My eyes widened at him.
What does he mean?
'I have an older brother, you know?' he told me.
He has an older brother?
'He's five years older than me. His name is Ayato. Ever since I'm a child, he's my idol. He's excellent at everything that he does. But I have also always been very jealous of him because my parents have eyes only for him. And because of my temperament, I'm a bit of the black sheep of the family.'
He swallowed the obvious lump in his throat.
'As a kid, I couldn't understand why my parents wouldn't look at me. And so, I would do everything to please them, to impress them; to shine. And while this would leave them cold, I would continue to try, up to relentlessness. But I came to realize that, even if I offered them my heart on a silver plate, they would still not be satisfied. They had nothing to do with the attention I devoted to them; the love that I wanted to give them. It was only Ayato that mattered. And I understood that I didn't have to win their love; it should have come to me naturally.'
His expression was filled with melancholy.
'After my brother got married, my parents have shifted abroad. They never come to visit. And we talk only during festivities.'
He missed his parents; I could hear it in his voice. He had missed them during his whole life.
'I'm sorry,' I whispered.
He glared at me abruptly, unfolding his arms.
'What's gotten over me to tell you about my life?!' he growled, furiously, then snapped, 'I forbid you to be sorry for me!'
I flinched.
He began to make for the door.
'W-Wait!' I called, reminding him, 'We need to mask our odors!'
***
Just where can be the Shinoda's secret shrine?
It was nearly dawn.
For hours, we had inspected the domain without finding anything.
'Can you see the tower over there?' said Shirane, suddenly, pointing at the said-building which was a good distance away. It resembled a three-storied pagoda and was situated at the very back of the domain in a secluded area away from the houses. And unlike the other buildings, it was made of concrete.
It was the only part of the domain we hadn't ventured out yet.
'Let's check over there!'
I nodded.
From closer, the tower looked even taller and pretty majestic. A small staircase with a burning torch on each side, led up to a large double-door that stood three meter high. It was the only entrance into the building.
I had a feeling that we were at the right place.
Shirane and I exchanged a meaningful look.
I found it strange that the door wasn't locked, as we pushed it open and entered the tower without any difficulty.
The interior form of the building was rather intriguing.
It was hollow with a spiral staircase against the rampart that went upward. There were windows lining the staircase, the floor made of wooden planks.
I was kind of sure that the secret shrine was hidden under the flooring.
Out of the blue, from the darkness at the other side of the hall where the light coming from the open door didn't reach, rose a masculine voice, which called, 'I was waiting for you!'
I froze, my heart shaking.
Thank you for reading!