The thunderous clouds finally parted the exact moment Awazuki finished sweeping the courtyard. Annoyed, she shook her head, spraying droplets everywhere, then returned indoors.
She discarded her shoes as quietly as she could and tip-toed into the main hall, sitting down by the table to fan herself, and to think. A deathly silence had enveloped the shrine, one so profound she dared not break it. To think how lively their small household had been before the shadow of illness had fallen on it.
As she mused, Meizuki slid the door open, silent as a cat. The recent misfortunes had taken their toll on her beauty, stunning though it still was: her face was haggard, and the black rings under her eyes deeper and more pronounced than ever.
"She wants to speak with you," she whispered.
Awazuki got up at once. "She's awake, then?"
Meizuki nodded, then hesitated. "She's... very tired."
"I won't keep her long, then." She gave Meizuki's shoulder a comforting squeeze as she passed, though she doubted it would do much.
Grandmother was staring up at the ceiling of the former storage room turned into bedroom, the only room in the building at all protected from the sweltering heat. The lines on her face, pronounced as far back as Awazuki could remember, had become deeply etched into her leathery skin, like mountain streams slowly eroding through stone. Though she and Meizuki had taken painstaking care to keep her clean and change her clothes twice a day the entire week she had lain there, the room still smelled of death.
Awazuki knelt down, feeling hollow. As ancient as Grandmother was, she had always been so sprightly, so alive Awazuki had half expected her to still be bustling along when she herself had one foot in the grave. Now, she was little more than a shrivelled husk.
Still, her eyes were as clear as ever as they narrowed on Awazuki.
"Awazuki." Her voice, though thinner, still commanded some of its old force.
"Yes, Grandmother?" Could Hijiri perform another miracle once she returned to restore Grandmother to life, or had the spell she had created for Meizuki been for injuries only? There was a good chance it was simply Grandmother's time to pass, and that tampering with it would bring a curse upon the entire clan.
Grandmother turned her eyes back towards the ceiling. "You know as well as I do that this is my end. After that, you will be the eldest member of the main family."
"Yes, Grandmother." It was an odd thought.
"You ought to marry as soon as possible. I have been lenient about it till now, but it simply cannot wait. Look for a suitable match if you can, but be wed before the end of next year."
Awazuki supressed a sigh. "Yes, Grandmother." It was a good thing she hadn't asked her to promise it: the idea of marriage filled her with dread. "Wouldn't it be enough if—"
"Don't talk back. This is very important, you impertinent brat."
Awazuki fell silent and averted her eyes.
"Whatever your flaws, Awazuki, you have always been a reliable older sister. You must remain so. The future of the Hakurei clan depends on Meizuki."
Awazuki found herself nodding despite herself, and quickly stopped. But then, there seemed little point in arguing. "Right."
"Protect her. Protect the power she has. Ensure nothing like what happened in the spring happens again."
"I can keep taking care of the duties beyond the shrine if you think that would be for the best."
"Yes, I've already spoken with her about it. She understands that she must stay safe, no matter what."
Well, that would make it easier to make sure Meizuki and Hijiri wouldn't meet. Still, Awazuki felt no relief. There was a more pressing concern, one she had mulled over in her head for a week now. It was now or never. "Grandmother, are there any barriers around here?"
Grandmother's face, which had already been nothing but a series of lines, furrowed further. "Barriers?"
Her voice was so distant Awazuki almost immediately dismissed her question as folly, but then Grandmother continued. "Yes, the seal..."
Awazuki leaned closer. "So there is something like that?" Why had she never heard of this before?
Grandmother closed her eyes. "The border between our world and the next has always been weaker here. Our ancestors... to save us from being overrun..."
Her voice faltered to silence, but Awazuki had gotten the gist of it. "And what if it were broken?"
Grandmother's eyes shot open. "It cannot break! It was made to withstand the attack of every single youkai. To break it would mean..."
"How about reinforcing it?"
"That is more than any single person can do. Our family is tasked with watching over the seal, and to seek help re-creating it should the impossible happen. Its creation took too many lives..."
Despite the scorching heat, Awazuki shuddered. "Where is it? I don't think anyone's checked it in ages."
"My legs can no longer carry me there." Grandmother's eyes fell shut once more. "You know the path, Himiko."
All moisture escaped Awazuki's mouth. She got silently on her feet. "Rest well, Grandmother."
"Protect the clan," Grandmother mumbled, her voice fainter as she approached slumber. "That's the only way..."
Still lost in thought, Awazuki all but bumped into Meizuki in the hallway.
"Are you alright?" Meizuki asked, steadying her. "You look like—"
She breathes in sharply, her eyes darting towards the shut door behind which Grandmother lay.
"No, no." Awazuki raised her hand to calm her. "She's fine. Just resting."
Meizuki nodded, relief wiping the horror from her face. She smiled and wrapped her arm around Awazuki's. "Come. I'll do your hair for you."
Awazuki was about to protest — who cared about her stupid hair when there was a potential jailbreak in the wilderness — but Meizuki's grip was so insistent and her eyes so mournful she followed anyway. Grandmother had said to protect the clan, and protecting her sister's happiness, slight as it was, was a part of it.
Her mind was aflame as Meizuki sat her down on a cushion and began untangling her hair, humming a soft tune under her breath. Unless Grandmother was completely lost to reality, there really was a barrier of some description out there. But where? Not once during her excursions to the woods had she ever encountered anything resembling one. How far away was it?
She glowered at the wall as Meizuki encountered a particularly stubborn knot and clicked her tongue as she began to work on it. Their mother had known, and had no doubt meant to tell Awazuki once she got old enough, but since she had never returned after her bargain with the Deva of the Mountain, she was better off asking the birds in the forest for clues. She would have to try to pry the information out of Grandmother, but if she was in a state where she mistook her grand-daughter for daughter, one many years dead...
"Red or white?"
Awazuki returned to reality. "Red, please."
Without further words, Meizuki reached for the adornments she had laid on the floor next to them and tied a simple red ribbon around Awazuki's hair.
Awazuki reached to touch the ready ponytail, then turned to smile at Meizuki. "Thanks. Turn around and I'll do yours."
Meizuki was wearing a peculiar little smile, her eyes downcast. "You don't have to. No-one's going to see it anyway."
Awazuki let go of her hair and placed the hand instead on Meizuki's shoulder. "You'll feel better afterwards."
She pronounced it as a fact when it was a mere hope, but Meizuki turned obligingly all the same. Awazuki picked up the comb Meizuki had set down and got to work. "How about a braid?"
Meizuki perked up. "Oh, yes!"
When they had been little, Meizuki had been hell to groom: she had wriggled and protested and pulled in every which direction. Now she stood still, the perfect mannequin, almost like a doll. The simple, mechanical work gave Awazuki more time to think.
The seal, or barrier, or whatever she wanted to call it, had to be relatively close by. Combing the environs around Reishoumiya was generally out of the question, even for a shrine maiden: hanging in the woods too much, especially near the mountain, was sure to attract the attention of youkai, something she had already inadvertently done...
However, she thought as she finished smoothing out Meizuki's hair, selected one of the white silk ribbons, and began braiding her curls, it was only reckless to the point of suicidal if she had to do it alone. As it were, she could always ask...
"Hijiri!"
She had spent the barest minimum of time in the village: since the amount of youkai attacks had been cut to next to nothing, the villagers' frowns had mostly turned to approving nods and ready interest in talking to her, which she tried to keep from overwhelming her by explaining it was all the time she spend patrolling the forest that made the difference. Therefore, she had found herself free to rush into the woods in record time, and was soon by Hijiri's camp.
Her joy at seeing Hijiri had finally returned came to a sudden halt as she saw another, unfamiliar figure hovering near the camp, its back turned towards her.
Hijiri, on her part, acted like nothing was amiss. "It's good to see you again, Miss Awazuki."
"Yeah, likewise." She tried focusing on Hijiri, but her eyes kept being diverted to the stranger. "Who—"
Just as she said that, the stranger turned towards them. Her remaining words got stuck in her throat.
The stranger was ghastly pale, with ashen skin and long, pitch black hair with a fringe so unkempt it fell on her eyes. Her clothes were old and worn, once white, but yellowed with age and what Awazuki could only presume was algae. She was dripping with water, like she had just taken a plunge into the river, and carried a ladle in her right hand.
As soon as she saw Awazuki staring at her, she shot her an icy glare and moved away from the camp, soon vanishing deeper into the woods.
"Woah," said Awazuki.
"Ah, yes," Hijiri said quietly, right by her shoulder. Awazuki turned, flustered, to see Hijiri standing next to her, looking rather sombre. "She's Minamitsu Murasa, the most recent addition to our little entourage. I apologise on her behalf: she doesn't really get along with humans at the present time."
"It's not like I haven't already gotten used to that sentiment among youkai," Awazuki kept staring at the spot where Minamitsu had vanished. She had to be the more volatile ally of Hijiri's Ichirin had mentioned, didn't she? "What sort of a youkai is she, exactly? She felt like..."
"She's the ghost of a shipwreck. She was trapped at the ocean, unable to find any sort of escape or respite, for decades after decades, with nothing to do but to give in to desperation and sink every ship that approached her, hoping that sinking enough would bring her peace." Hijiri's eyes were full of compassion as she smiled gently in the direction Minamitsu had disappeared. "She's still acclimatising to being able to sail wherever she wishes, now."
"Huh." As frightening as Minamitsu looked, Awazuki felt a twinge of pity for her. She imagined being trapped in a rotting boat, unable to rest, unable to breathe ever again. A final death seemed far more preferable to a hollow existence as a ghost. "You saved her, then?"
Hijiri smiled modestly. "I merely raised her ship from the ocean and bestowed it upon her."
Awazuki gave her a sardonic look. "Raising a ship from the bottom of the ocean counts as 'merely' now?" She tried to imagine the scene in her mind: Minamitsu, chained to the sea, staring ahead with empty eyes; Hijiri, her hair waving in the wind like ocean waves, standing in the bow with her arms spread to her sides, using her tremendous magic to raise a huge ship from the very depths, the spectators gawking... then, the vision shimmered away as she became aware of an incongruity. "You said that she sunk all approaching ships. How did you convince her to let yours stay afloat?"
"I didn't." Awazuki did a double take, and Hijiri continued: "I had no way of reaching out to her in time. Our ship sank."
"Then how—" Awazuki swallowed the pointless question before finishing it. It was obvious how Hijiri had survived. Instead, she asked: "And what happened to the other people on the ship?"
Hijiri sighed, and from that Awazuki already knew the answer was the one she had feared. "You must understand how trapped and helpless Minamitsu felt, Awazuki. She was beyond despair. And this way, less people will drown than would have if she hadn't been saved."
It took Awazuki several moments of wrestling with her thoughts to accept Hijiri's rationalisation of the situation. Even then, she doubted she could keep her bitterness from her following words. "Well, at least she won't be able to drown anyone on dry land."
"Truth be told, she doesn't need water to drown people. She may do it as she pleases, water or no water."
"What?!" A human-hating ghost with a terrifying deadly ability running wild close to the village? Hijiri had better be joking.
"Do not fear, she gave her word. She will not harm you."
"Well, that's-" Awazuki frowned. "Wait. 'You' as in me personally, or 'you' as in humans in general?"
"Ah." Hijiri cast another glance towards where Minamitsu had vanished. "I hope you'll excuse me for delaying our lesson. There's something I need to clarify to Minamitsu first."
"Take your time," said Awazuki with alacrity, then sat down by the fire ring to wait as Hijiri hurried deeper into the wilderness. Getting a magic lesson that day at all was a treat, and could absolutely wait until the most recent existential threat to Reishoumiya was sorted out.
She returned there with Hijiri several hours later. During their absence, someone who Awazuki suspected was Ichirin had made a fire before wandering off. She sat close to it, basking in its warmth.
"Ichirin mentioned something about a potential barrier before I left." Hijiri looked up at the darkening dusk as she continued their discussion from the journey over, her brow furrowing. "Do you have any further clues where it might be?"
"Only where it isn't." Awazuki curled her knees up against her chest, staring at the crackling logs. It was still the height of summer, and the heat would continue even long after the sun fell, but all of a sudden she felt a chill. "I can try to think of places where to look, at least."
"We will find it." Hijiri said the words with such a conviction Awazuki couldn't help but believe her.
She kept her eyes at the flames. In truth, she should have returned home at once, what with the lesson stretching on as it had, but if she was honest with herself, she wanted more time away from the shrine of the dead.
"As for your grandmother..." It was as if Hijiri could read her thoughts. "There are... some means to expand her life. However, if she has already accepted her fate, I would rather suggest spells to soothe the pain and allow nature to take its course."
Awazuki nodded perfunctorily. A nasty part of her pointed out that Hijiri was one to talk, having been so afraid of death as to sacrifice her humanity to escape it, but what she said was true: Grandmother appeared to be at peace with her impending demise.
"I'm sorry."
Awazuki raised her eyebrows. "What, are you to blame? It's how life goes." She cradled her knees closer to her chest. "I'll accept it with time. It's Meizuki I'm worried about."
"Are the two of them close?"
Awazuki nodded. Feeling Hijiri's sympathetic gaze on her, she found herself going into more detail. "She doesn't handle death very well, either. She was heartbroken for months when our mother disappeared. Grandmother had to force-feed her once our father died, too."
"Ah." Hijiri eyed her quietly for a moment.
As the sky turned a velvety blue above their heads, Awazuki found herself continuing in a small, sullen voice. "I don't think she remembers much about our mother's death, really. It was a long time ago." Seven long years ago. "It was the last time a gang of oni came down the mountains. My mother actually was an oni specialist, but their numbers were such she couldn't actually stop them by herself. So, she made a deal with their leader. She would come back to the mountains with them without the Hakurei Yin-Yang Orb, and battle the leader there one-on-one on the condition they leave the village alone. She told us that she would return in three days, and if not..." Her words escaped her. "Well."
Hijiri closed her eyes. "I am terribly sorry."
Again, Awazuki raised an eyebrow. "Is that a confession? Last time I checked, you weren't a mountain oni. Where are you hiding your horns?"
Hijiri shook her head. "I merely wish to offer my condolences. It is always painful to have the life of a family member cut short."
"So it goes." Awazuki looked at her feet. "It was long ago, and I've still got Meizuki and..." she hesitated. "Grandmother..."
"You really love your sister, don't you?"
What kind of question was that? "I hoped it was obvious. Everyone loves her."
"No-one is universally loved."
"She is. And should be," Awazuki added for emphasis.
Hijiri sighed, but it was a thoughtful kind of sigh. "Perhaps so. I don't believe my brother had any enemies, either."
Awazuki's ear perked. "You had a brother?"
"A younger one, yes. He was a monk, and a respected one at that." A fond smile crossed her lips. "He was very powerful and a great teacher, but above all, he was a genuinely kind soul who cared for other people more than himself."
"Oh." Awazuki hesitated. "What happened to him?"
Hijiri's expression grew pained. "He passed away, as humans do. I was... devastated. I had seen many people die, of course, but for someone as virtuous as him to simply be gone like that, like a candle blown out by the wind..." She shook her head. "It was then that I began to truly fear death."
The ensuing silence, though melancholy, filled Awazuki's heart with a strange warmth that had nothing to do with the campfire, and which she couldn't explain to herself. She allowed herself to bask in the curious feeling for a moment longer, and discovered the lack of words didn't make it fade away.
Reluctantly, she got up on her feet. "I should leave before Meizuki comes looking for me."
"Of course." Hijiri inclined her head. "Before you go, there are two things I'd like to give you." She indicated at Awazuki to sit next to her. "First, a new spell."
Awazuki sat down at once. "Something flashy this time?"
"Sparkly might be the more suitable word, but yes. It's merely an variation on the first spell you have learned, but..." Hijiri cupped her hands, and when she next separated them, she revealed a set of tiny shining stars dancing between them. As Awazuki looked on, they moved into formation, a circle, and began rotating slowly, around and around again. Then, with a flash, they changed colour, gaining the rosy hue of a setting sun.
The lights were reflected in Hijiri's eyes as she gazed at them. "It's mostly useful for amusing small children, of course, but..."
Awazuki shook her head. "I love it. All it needs is more colours."
"More?"
"Yes! Red and blue and everything that matches." She straightened her back. "How about you teach me this version, and I come back to you with the one I have in mind some day?" She had never devised her own spells until then, even ones based on an existing spell, but this was as good a place to begin as any.
Hijiri gave her one of her rare smiles that reached all the way to her eyes. "So it shall be." She then snuffed out the lights by cupping her hands again. This time, when she separated them, only one rose-coloured orb remained.
"Give this to your grandmother." She guided the orb to Awazuki's hands. "It's a mere tonic, but..."
On an impulse, Awazuki leaned forward and rested her forehead against Hijiri's. Hijiri's body stiffened at the contact, but soon her shoulders relaxed. Awazuki pulled back and tried to smile. "Thanks."
Hijiri escorted her out of the woods in silence, with a peculiar smile etched on her face. Only once they reached the edge of the meadow did she speak. "We will begin our search for the seal tonight."
"Good." She needed to find a way to show the full extent of her gratefulness later, but right then, there was returning home to comfort her no doubt fretting little sister and providing her grandmother with some relief in her final days to keep in mind. She tried to smile. "I'll see you soon."
The first stars emerged as she hurried home, pale and static both compared to Hijiri's dancing lights, and the glow Awazuki felt when recalling her final smile.