Honoo no Mirage

Chapter 2: Blood-stained Castle

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Chapter 2: Blood-stained Castle

“So that’s why we got called out here?” Chiaki Shuuhei asked Saori. She nodded vigorously.

“Yeah! ...Well, actually I was thinking that I should do that «choubuku» thing, but then I remembered that I have like zero sensitivity to spirits— So why are you here again, Chiaki-kun?” she asked, and Chiaki’s shoulders sagged abruptly.

They were gathered the next day at Toshimayuuen Station.

After the events of the day before, Saori had seized upon this golden opportunity to call Yuzuru for a “consult” and through him (this was the important bit) ask Takaya and the others to make a trip to Tokyo. Yuzuru had agreed to Saori’s request, though not without grumbling: “But just so you know, he’s been pretty wild lately...”

“Huh?” Saori had asked. But seeing Takaya now, she could understand what Yuzuru had meant by “wild.”

(Okay, so he is pretty scary...)

She’d sensed it as soon as she had caught sight of him at the station’s ticket examination booths. By “wild,” Yuzuru hadn’t been referring to Takaya’s clothes, but something in the way he acted, the way he carried himself. She had often heard people say that there was something about the look in his eyes that put them off, but she had never seen them this cold. Even when they alighted on her they spared her only a scornful glance before moving away. He said nothing, and Saori, who had been about to greet him with her usual cheer, felt her voice freeze in her throat. In the end, eyeing his expression, she only managed a timid “hey.”

(I guess it was a bad time to have called him out here...)

“Sorry for the delay, Morino-san,” Yuzuru interceded.

Saori immediately latched onto him, asking in a small voice, “Narita-kun! Wh-what’s happened to Ougi-kun? He’s really scaring me...”

“Yeah...” Yuzuru replied worriedly. “He’s been like that for the past few days.”

“That idiot’s been off by himself digging his own grave,” Chiaki Shuuhei cut into the conversation.

Just the state Takaya was in was enough to worry Yuzuru, so he had also contacted Chiaki and asked him to come with them.

“And of course he won’t say anything. I can’t deal with the guy!”

“He’s a handful, that’s for sure. Just what is it he’s brooding about, anyway?”

Ayako had come along as well. After receiving Chiaki’s call, she had immediately left her place in Yokohama to join them here in Shinjuku.

Yuzuru and the others had no inkling of the reason behind Takaya’s black mood. Takaya wasn’t talking about it. But according to his younger sister Miya, these past ten days or so he had been roaming about town, and many nights he didn’t come home at all or returned b.l.o.o.d.y and bruised from drunken brawls. He barely said a word to anyone and seemed constantly lost in thought, yet exploded at the smallest things and indiscriminately vented his anger on furniture and things around the house.

What in the world happened? Ask him, Yuzuru-san. Miya, almost in tears, had pleaded. But Yuzuru knew from experience that once Takaya got to this point, it was nigh impossible to get him to open up.

By disposition, he tended to hold those things that bothered him close to his chest. He would, when asked, only put on an artificial smile and respond “it’s nothing.” That silence was not a lack of trust, but simply a wish to avoid imposing his problems on others. And it was only towards Miya and Yuzuru that he could make that gentle reply...

Yuzuru could not ask about whatever was troubling Takaya as long as Takaya didn’t bring it up himself. There was nothing he could do other than wait him out.

So though it was rather frustrating...

But right now, Takaya was not even capable of that “it’s nothing” fake smile. When Yuzuru spoke to him, Takaya would only look back at him without saying a word, a hint of anguish in his expression. ...Things must be pretty bad.

He could conjecture somewhat. It must have been a few days after he’d heard that Takaya had gone to Toyama with Naoe... Takaya had suddenly come to Yuzuru’s house late one night, soaked straight through and chilled as if he had walked from the train station through the rain. When he’d asked, Takaya had replied that he had just returned from Toyama. After that was when he started behaving strangely. In response to his question about Naoe being with him, Takaya had looked back at Yuzuru with pain on his face and said that he’d returned alone. It was as if he had wanted to talk to Yuzuru, but couldn’t get the words out.

Something had happened in those few days he’d been in Toyama.

Yuzuru was certain of that much. But...

“Ougi-kun...” Yuiko greeted Takaya. She was apparently under the impression that his sullenness was caused by being called on such short notice to Tokyo by herself and Saori.

“I’m so sorry we had to impose on you so suddenly. I always seem to end up being such a bother to you...”

“...”

Takaya looked down at Yuiko. His gaze, so cold and distant until that moment, suddenly softened.

“Just think of what happened in Matsumoto as horrible bad luck. Nothing strange has happened to you since then, right?”

Yuzuru’s eyes widened—and he wasn’t the only one startled by the sudden shift. Chiaki and Ayako turned in surprise towards Takaya. Yuiko, too, seemed aware of the changes in Takaya since she had met him around four months ago.

“Ye-yes. I’ve been fine...”

“I see.”

He nodded with a calmness that seemed to belong to another person.

(This isn’t Takaya...)

There had been times in these recent days when that thought had suddenly struck him, and he had felt, as now, something slightly alien about Takaya. His expression, these manners that surfaced in Takaya from time to time which imbued him with a kind of gravity, of dignity. Within this Takaya was a calmness and self-a.s.surance backed by some unnamed certainty. Chiaki and Ayako seemed to have noticed this transformation as well. Or—no, perhaps they, who had known the Kagetora that was, only saw him becoming more and more himself instead of this gap between him and ‘Takaya’ that Yuzuru couldn’t help but feel.

(What is going on with you...?)

Something clearly different from his lovable awkwardness, his unaffected warmness of heart was taking seed within Takaya.

Each glimpse he caught of it gave Yuzuru the horribly uneasy feeling that in the next moment Takaya would disappear out of his reach.

(What’s happened to you, Takaya...) he asked silently, while the one to whom he directed the question looked down quietly, the misery back in his countenance.

“All right then. Come on, we can’t stand around here all day. Let’s go, let’s go!” Saori called loudly in an attempt to lighten the mood, and led the group out of the station. Even Saori, who usually charged blithely into the fray with nary a care in the world, seemed to feel out of her element today.

Next to her, Ayako added in a deliberately bright tone, “That’s right! We have to go get changed! It’s been ages since I’ve been in a pool!”

“Come on Narita-kun, you too!”

“O...okay...”

He turned to see Takaya following them, but...

Though the sky was bright and clear, none of them could feel any of that cheer reflected inside.

It was another fine day. Since today was the last day of summer vacation, the pool was a popular destination. After changing, the band gathered at the poolside.

“So this is the one, huh...?” Chiaki muttered to himself as he surveyed the scene. He sensed no malice, perhaps because the mixed “energy” of the ma.s.s of people was masking any spiritual aura.

“Wonder what it is? Spirit of a drowning victim, maybe?”

“We can’t ask if it doesn’t show itself,” Chiaki grumbled. Beside him, Yuzuru looked at Takaya.

“How about you? Can you feel anything? Any sort of evil aura?”

“Yeah... There’s something here, but it’s really faint...”

“Sorry about the wait.” The female contingent joined them.

Chiaki asked Yuiko, “It was the spirit of a woman, right? The thing that tried to drag you in.”

Yuiko nodded. “I couldn’t see anything but her arm in the water, but I think it belonged to the same person whose voice I heard. It was...a woman. But...”

It hadn’t been just one person.

“Several voices? It wasn’t just that woman’s spirit?” Ayako, wearing an eye-catching high leg leotard, asked.

Yuiko nodded, adding, “I saw the woman’s face. She had really long wet hair. She was wearing a kimono. Something like an uchikake, I think. Like the kind they wear in historical dramas...”

“Historical dramas...huh?” Yuzuru murmured.

Chiaki stood in thought next to him, face grim.

“What is it? Have you thought of something?”

“No. Well, I’m worried about this place. I’m not sure if I’m remembering correctly, but I think this is...”

“This could get ugly, hmm...?” Ayako muttered as if she had followed his thoughts and reached the same conclusion.

Saori asked, “What do you mean?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? A castle stood here once.”

“What?” Yuzuru exclaimed.

“A castle? Not from the Sengoku Era?”

“Yeah. It was called Nerima Castle, and it once belonged to the Toshima Clan, which was the clan that ruled these parts. I’m pretty sure it fell when Toshima lost that battle with Oota Doukan, though.”

“Wait a minute. So does that mean these spirits are also onshou from the «Yami-Sengoku»?”

“Probably. This area was within the Houjou sphere of influence, but I heard that several of the local lords refused to be brought under their umbrella, which resulted in some vicious battles. If this was the site of Toshima’s castle, then it must be the spirits of the soldiers who died in battle that are now being roused to defend this place to the last. But—” Chiaki added, busily surveying the poolside area, “if ordinary people are being harmed because of that, then we’ll have to remove them before they injure anybody else...”

“Remove them? But if we do that...”

“The living come first, so any spirits causing harm need to be «exorcised». In this case, the «Yami-Sengoku» balance of power is secondary. —Let’s lure them out, Kagetora. We gotta make them appear in their true forms before we can do anything.”

A complex mix of emotions played across Takaya’s face, but he only nodded and replied, “—Yeah...”

He seemed willing and ready to help, and Yuzuru was glad to hear it. He asked, “You okay? It looks like this is going to be kinda hard, so don’t overdo it.”

“I’m fine. And I think you’d better step back. I’ve been feeling this weird aura moving around for a while.”

Yuzuru looked at Takaya in surprise. He had felt nothing. Takaya’s spiritual senses had far surpa.s.sed his in these brief months.

“Takaya, you...”

“The spirit we’re talking about only targeted women, didn’t it?” Takaya turned to Ayako, whose shoulders slumped in resignation.

“All right, all right. Guess I’ll play bait,” she sighed, then tucked a swim tube under her arm and headed for the river pool.

“Kagetora!” Chiaki shouted, voice strained. His gaze was fixed on the pool. “Something’s moving in there.”

“What?!”

A second later, a woman suddenly screamed from the pool to their left. They whirled to see a girl in the water crying for help.

(They got the jump on us...?!)

Something ran across the surface of the water at almost the same time, and several more screams rang out from pools all around them. It ripped through the water surface like a razor: the underwater version of razor whirlwinds.

(s.h.i.t!)

The aquatic razor whirlwinds slashed through the pools with lightning speed, and screaming people began jumping out of the water.

“Haruie, get all those people out of there! There’s something in the water!”

Chiaki was dashing off even before he’d finished speaking. He s.n.a.t.c.hed the microphone out of the hands of a nearby lifeguard.

“Everybody in the water, please get out of the pool! Leave the pool right now!”

Panicking people pushed and shoved to escape until only Ayako remained in the pool. The water razors moved against the current to congregate on Ayako.

“You’re not cutting up my Channel swimsuit!”

Ayako formed a «wall» of will around herself.

BAM!

The water broke against it with a loud crash and a gigantic splash. The razor whirlwinds summoned by the spirits had collided directly with her «power». Then something pulled on her leg without warning.

“Ah!”

Ayako struggled as it dragged her downward with terrifying strength.

“Haruie!”

Chiaki promptly shot a «nenpa» into the water. Ayako could see a white arm pulling on her foot as she struggled and squirmed.

(What the heck is that?!)

CRASH!

A sheet of spray shot high up into the air. Chiaki’s «nenpa» had smashed into the arm straight-on. Ayako dragged herself out of the pool, coughing violently.

“We’re surrounded. Be careful.”

“Yeah.”

The other guests were running about every which way trying to escape. Yuiko and Saori were watching the battle huddled together in a corner. Takaya and the others warily scanned all directions for attack. They could clearly feel the «malice» covering the area from not one, but a crowd of spirits.

“!”

Something white suddenly bobbed to the surface. One by one, soaked, blood-covered warriors floated upward. Those who saw them screamed. Takaya, Chiaki, and Ayako concentrated their power to confront the spirits appearing before them.

Exuding hate, the spirits advanced on them, their «malice» swelling into bloodl.u.s.t.

They daren’t let this continue.

“Looks like they’re pretty worked up.”

“So what? They’re spirits. We’ll deal with ’em all in one blow,” Chiaki grinned in antic.i.p.ation. “Hah, having an audience is getting me all fired up.”

The warriors drew their swords, «malice» gushing out of them as if they were bloated with it. They roared and attacked with their «nenpa».

“Guh!”

Takaya met them head-on with a «nenpa» of his own. White sparks flew, and spray shot up from the surrounding pools. Chiaki and Ayako moved left and right, distributing the warriors’ attack.

“Over here, you blockheads!” Chiaki took aim at the warriors appearing steadily from the water. Some somersaulted back and sank, while the rest attacked with even greater intensity.

“...!”

The water bubbled, throwing up countless drops of water which hung suspended in midair.

“Wh...?”

The water droplets transformed into razor-edged swords and dove at Chiaki. He couldn’t dodge them all, and felt one slice into his shoulder. Nor had Ayako escaped unscathed.

“Kyaaaah!”

“b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!”

Chiaki angrily formed the ritual gesture of Bishamonten.

“Eat this! (Bai)!”

Takaya had already begun «exorcising» the warriors. But he was hard-pressed dealing with their water attack.

“If only we could do something about the water...!”

“Wait! Their leader still hasn’t appeared yet!”

“Leader? That woman spirit?”

“Yeah. She’s probably the one who’s setting them against... !”

Something crashed into the ground in front of her with the explosive force of a bomb going off, sending up a gigantic sheet of spray. The falling water shot towards her like arrows.

“...b.a.s.t.a.r.ds...!”

As he formed a «goshinha» around himself, Takaya could no longer hold back what he had kept so tightly pressed against his chest for so long.

“You think you can just walk all over us...?! You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, that’s f.u.c.king enough!”

“Yeeeek! Go Ougi-kun gooooo!”

Saori, whose interpretation of Takaya’s reaction seemed somewhat off, cheered him on in a shrill voice. To one side, Yuiko, who was watching the fight fearfully, felt a bolt of ice down her spine. Then—

“Yuiko-san?”

Yuzuru, standing near in an effort to protect them, noticed Yuiko’s distress.

“!”

By the time he turned, Yuiko’s consciousness had already been supplanted by that of another. Sensing the danger at once, Yuzuru took Saori’s arm.

“Na-Narita-kun?”

“No! Step back, Morino-sa...!”

A sudden gust cut off his words. Takaya and the others spun in surprise. Yuiko met them halfway, her long hair wild and tangling.

“Takaya! Yuiko-san’s been possessed by something!”

“What?!”

An eerie light burned in Yuiko’s eyes. She approached in a staggering, unnatural gait, demanding, “Who are you that dare invade our castle?”

Neither the voice nor the tone belonged to Yuiko. Takaya’s face twitched as he thought for an instant that Sanjou-no-Kata had been revived. One by one, the raging spirits approached Yuiko and prostrated themselves before her. Takaya studied Yuiko’s spiritual aura with deep wariness.

“Who are you?” he demanded, turning to face her directly.

Yuiko replied proudly, “My name is Itsu...”

“Huh...?!” Ayako’s head abruptly lifted in recognition. “Itsu...? Princess Itsu of Toshima?”

“You know her?”

“Yeah. She was the daughter of Toshima Yasuaki, and they say that she threw herself into the Shakujii River when Nerima Castle fell... But wasn’t a memorial service held here for Princess Itsu? Isn’t she supposed to be purified...?”

Ignoring the side conversation between Ayako and Takaya, the spirit within Yuiko who had named herself Itsu asked, her voice hardening, “Who are you? Come you to bring disorder and violence to this castle whilst knowing it to be in the possession of the Toshima?”

“Looks to me like you’re the ones causing violence, ’cess. Why’re you waking up now, anyway? Why’re you meddling?”

“Who are you, knaves? Do you serve Houjou?”

Chiaki and Ayako reacted more strongly to the mention of the Houjou than Takaya. But Takaya’s eyes narrowed, and he responded arrogantly, “I’ve got no idea what the h.e.l.l you’re talking about, but you’d better quiet down right now. If you guys wanna be purified, you’d better stop interfering.”

“I trust you not.” Princess Itsu’s voice came clearly out of Yuiko’s lips. “You reek of the Houjou.”

“...?”

“This is our castle. It belongs to us and no other. We will never submit to the Houjou! We trust you not. We defended this castle to the death; we will never surrender it again! We will never trust again...!”

“But I’m telling you...!” a frustrated Ayako interrupted. “We’re not trying to steal the castle from you! How many times do we have to say it?!”

“Wait, Haruie,” Chiaki commanded calmly. “The Houjou have been acting up around here lately. These spirits must’ve been roused by the Houjou invasion. They’re made of pure hatred and suspicion. It’s useless to try and persuade them like this.”

“Useless?” Princess Itsu’s voice was gaining strength and conviction. “Remember on whose ground you stand. Knaves, know this: we are those who know the meaning of pain. We, who were engulfed in fire, drowned in water cold as ice. What do you know of our hatred? All of us, every one of us. You will taste the pain of those who died here!”

“Get real!” Takaya yelled angrily, looking up. “As if doing that would cleanse your hatred!”

“Argument is useless!”

CRACKLE. A ma.s.s of will shot forth from the palm of Yuiko’s hand, blasting apart the poolside concrete, but Takaya had already leapt aside. The warriors resumed their attack. A violent «nenpa» battle commenced.

“Haruie! Get everybody else to cover, it’s dangerous here!”

“Got it!”

“Nagahide, «exorcise» Princess Itsu! Once we take care of their leader, the rest will be easy!”

But they found no opening in Princess Itsu’s defenses. She appeared to be a spirit of considerable strength, her attacks relentless and fierce.

“Die!”

“Guh!”

Countless razors of water flew at them, cutting into skin when they could not be dodged. Blood flowed from their raised hands as they formed the ritual gesture.

“Ah...!”

Takaya flinched, and Princess Itsu concentrated her attack on him, pressing her advantage. He wove a «goshinha» in an attempt to defend himself, but the razor blades tore away at the web of thought and drove towards his body.

“Screw this—!!”

The ground roared. A violent aura flared from Takaya’s body in an almost deranged blast of energy. Chiaki spun in surprise.

“Kagetora!”

The pools around them groaned eerily. Fear flashed across Princess Itsu’s face. Both Yuzuru and Ayako whirled towards Takaya as they sensed the insane ma.s.s of «power».

The expression on Takaya’s face was even more terrifying.

“Aaaaah—!”

Cracks ran through the poolside concrete while the ground bulged and shook ominously. The park visitors screamed and ran.

“Kagetora, that’s too dangerous! Don’t!”

But Takaya was so far consumed by the need to kill that no warning could hold him back. Pieces of smashed concrete shot up into the air, forming large lumps that surrounded Princess Itsu as she watched.

“No, s-stop! Aaaaah!”

“Takaya!”

The chunks shot towards Yuiko. “s.h.i.t!” Chiaki spat, protecting Yuiko with a shield. Violent sparks shot off in all directions.

“Get the h.e.l.l out of my way, Chiaki!”

“You f.u.c.king idiot! What the h.e.l.l are you thinking, you wanna kill that girl?!”

Takaya released a «nenpa» blast of such power that it shoved Chiaki back even while he braced against it with all the strength in his mind and body.

“What the f.u.c.k are you doing, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

“...!”

“That’s enough!”

WHOOSH. Chiaki released his will. Takaya promptly blocked it with a «wall», but the impact sent him flying into the water.

“Takaya!”

Yuzuru dashed over. Terrified by the duel of «power» between Takaya and Chiaki, Princess Itsu sent «nenpa» flying wildly in all directions. Ayako stood in her way, forming a wall of will to protect the others. Crackle crackle! Sparks flashed as Princess Itsu desperately gathered all her power into her fists—

“You...!”

—and shot it forward!

“You’re not getting past me!”

BOOM!

The air between them exploded. Chiaki had countered Princess Itsu’s «nenpa» squarely with one of his own. The blast whipped across the water, and Princess Itsu faltered. Chiaki and Ayako jumped on the opportunity. They formed the ritual gesture simultaneously and cried out sharply toward Princess Itsu:

“ (Bai)!”

A shiver ran through the princess, and she froze in place. She struggled in surprise, but in vain: she could no longer command her body. The paralyzed Princess Itsu could not even speak.

“Noumakusamanda bodanan Baishiramandaya sowaka!”

The warriors desperately recommenced their attack on the two Yasha-shuu, but their attacks disappeared before their very eyes. A «goshinheki» encircled them.

“Namu Tobatsu Bishamonten! For this demon subjugation, lend us thy power!”

Light flared between their fists like twin suns, swelling with power until it could be contained no longer. Princess Itsu attempted one last attack in a desperate effort to escape, but it was already obviously futile.

They p.r.o.nounced the words of judgment.

“«Choubuku!»”

And the fierce light—

Engulfed Princess Itsu’s soul in a white explosion.

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