36 Blossoms and Cages

  [Player: Kazuki Arata]

  [Level: 4]

  [Waza: Black Hand, Thread Cutter, Aura Sense, Dark Rider, Retribution, Eviscerate, Adaptive Survival]

  [Kegare: 58%]

  ---

  A spring wind brushed across the outskirts of the town, carrying the scents of overturned earth, early cherry blossoms and gathering violence. Kazuki stood on the hard-packed dirt road as he watched the local militia. The best they had were some old swords and spears and hardened leather kote arm guards. Beyond them came the unspeaking wave of tsukumogami - animated broken furniture and abandoned tools, all living echoes from the battered settlement that Kazuki and Fleet and Kuro had left behind.

  A shaky line of townspeople faced the approaching horde. There might have been two dozen men. The militia's leader - a heavy man with the dark tan and deep wrinkles of a farmer - was locked in a permanent scowl. He raised his spear and barked orders, voice trembling just enough to unnerve the men he was commanding.

  Kazuki looked towards his friends. Kuro had stepped off the road and into the shadow of a derelict stable. She was in, mostly, human form but cat ears poking up from her black hair twitched with tension. Fleet, the yokai-fox boy had his tail fluffed out behind him as he stood just behind Kazuki.

  Moments earlier the townspeople had been threatening them with death and calling them "monsters." But that was all gone now - there was only panic at the creeping wave of animated objects. The leader of the militia was shouting that they could defend themselves if they simply charged first but Kazuki had learned from brutal experience that the tsukumogami didn't feel fear or pain and, most critically, they respond to violence with violence.

  "Should we… help them?" Kazuki asked. These people were about to rush into a fight they couldn't survive. "They don't know what they're dealing with."

  Fleet, standing on his tiptoes to see over Kazuki's shoulder, asked with a lilt "Which them?" His youthful face was set in an odd mixture of confusion and a trace of humor. "The furniture?"

  Kazuki opened his mouth, then shut it. "I... guess you have a point."

  "This whole thing is ridiculous" Kuro added in a low voice, stepping up to stand beside them, "And not our problem. Let's go."

  Kazuki watched the militia's repurposed farm tools shake as the group rushed forward, a ragged war cry breaking the uneasy silence. They were brave, at least. For a second, he wanted to warn them - to tell them to stand down, that attacking would only make things worse. But would they even listen? They had been ready to put a spear through his heart minutes before.

  And then it was too late. Kazuki could already hear the sharp clang of metal against old wooden husks as the first small rank of men plunged into the oncoming shuffling horde.

  He turned away. "You're right Kuro. Let's move."

  Together, the three slipped around the eastern edge of town, climbing a gentle slope dotted with half-blooming shrubs. The clash faded behind them, but the image of splintered wood and terrified men lingered.

  They didn't want saving. Not from me.

  ---

  The trio pushed on for hours, weaving along smaller roads and footpaths. Eventually, the overcast morning gave way to a gentler spring afternoon. Wildflowers just starting to bloom lined the edges of a rolling valley. Kuro scouted ahead in her cat form, looking for trouble, but the only sign of life seemed to be a hawk making lazy circles in the blue sky and the twitter of sparrows flitting from one blossoming branch to the next.

  Nightfall found them camping beside a shallow creek. Unable to risk building more than a tiny, carefully shielded fire, they ate the cold vegetables that remained from their miso soup the day before. It wasn't much. Kazuki urged his companions to go catch some mice or whatever they could to eat but, in hungry solidarity, they all stayed together. Eventually the soft hush of running water lulled them to a peaceful and dreamless sleep.

  ---

  Morning arrived bright and fresh and warm for early spring. The sun rose and clouds moved across the pale blue sky propelled by winds not felt by Kazuki and his friends. The land around them changed gradually from rolling fields to a wide, meandering river lined with cherry trees. Pink buds peeked from slender branches, confirming that, yes, it was spring.

  Fleet lifted his face, inhaling the smell of running water and blossoms. His fox ears flicked with excitement. "Wow! It's so pink!" He bounded a few steps ahead, then spun back to grin at Kazuki. "Do you have trees like these in your... where you're from?"

  Kazuki walked slowly, enjoying the scene. A sudden breeze carried loose petals into his black hair. "They're called cherry trees, or sakura," he said. "In spring back home - back on Earth, I mean - whole parks turn into seas of pink. A lot like this."

  Fleet's eyes widened. "Your Earth must be so colorful." Then, running forward again, he called over his shoulder, "Hey! Food! I smell food up ahead!"

  Kuro, trailing behind, rolled her eyes. "Always about the food, that one."

  Sure enough, around a gentle bend, they found a small clearing by the riverbank. An old woman sat on a woven rice-straw mat under the shade of a half-bloomed cherry tree. In front of her was a bamboo basket of onigiri - rice balls wrapped in nori seaweed. A crudely painted sign beside her read: One Onigiri – 5 Copper.

  At the sight of three travelers, she stood with a welcoming smile. "Freshly made this morning! Five coppers each."

  Kazuki's stomach rumbled loudly. He reached back to rummage in his pack. He had started this whole adventure because of Kuro's ultimatum and hadn't had more money than had happened to be in his pocket. Of that, most of it had gotten spent at the inn in the fishing village while they were trying to find a ship to take them south. He exhaled. "Uh, do we have any money left?"

  Kuro shrugged, expression cool.

  Fleet let out a quiet cackle. "Just take them." His fox tail swayed behind him.

  Kazuki frowned. "We're not stealing from an old lady!" He turned to Kuro. "Maybe we can trade something?"

  But Fleet was already skipping toward the nearest cherry tree, rummaging through the fallen leaves at its trunk. Before Kazuki could ask what he was doing, he saw him pick up three crumpled, green-brown leaves in his palm. Then Fleet closed his hand and whispered something. A faint flicker of golden yokai reishin shimmered. When he opened his palm, three copper coins new enough to shine in the sun, glinted back at them.

  Kuro raised an eyebrow, impressed. "A new trick?"

  "What - ?" Kazuki took a step forward, blinking. "How did you...?"

  Fleet's grin split his face ear-to-ear. "Fox magic, obviously. Leaves are the money of the forest, right?" He strolled back and placed the three coins in the old woman's wrinkled hand.

  She blinked at the unexpected shimmer of real copper but, after a moment's hesitation, accepted them. "Three onigiri, then," she said, pressing them into Fleet's arms.

  Fleet doled them out happily: one for Kazuki, one for Kuro, and one for himself. "Itadakimasu!" he said, biting into his own with a blissful sigh.

  Kazuki, still baffled, bit into the soft rice. Salty nori and sweet rice, simple but amazing, drew a quiet groan of pleasure. He was living in a fantasy world based on Japan... but how long had it been since he had tasted actual rice? "This is... really good," he murmured.

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  They thanked the old woman and were about to continue down the river when Kazuki hesitated. The memory of having so little money left - and the shock of seeing Fleet conjure copper coins from leaves - nagged at him. He stepped back over to the old woman. She looked at him expectantly.

  "Um…" Kazuki began, cheeks warming with embarrassment, "listen, about the... coins you got from my friend. I, uh… do you mind if I just... check something?"

  She gave him a puzzled look.

  "Can I just... see the money? Just for a second?"

  But the old woman wasn't listening to him anymore. Kazuki could see that she was staring at his arms, at the black veins that traced their way up his wrist and forearms like rivers from a dark tributary. Then her eyes flicked up to his face and a look of fear came over her. What did she see? Had his corruption, his kegare changed his eyes or his skin?

  Without saying anything the old lady took her basket, mat and rice balls and fled, moving as fast as her thin legs could carry her.

  ---

  They ambled further downstream until they found a dry spot along the water's edge. Here, the cherry trees leaned in an arch over the river, creating a pink-and-green canopy overhead. Petals drifted in slow circles on the current. Finding a soft patch of grass, the three plopped down to enjoy the remainder of their onigiri.

  Kazuki took another bite. *For the first time in a while,* Kazuki thought, It almost feels peaceful. No immediate threats. No screaming villagers. No curses or assassins. Just the three of them - and the spring, as if the season herself was a welcome companion.

  At Kazuki's elbow, Fleet hummed contentedly, finishing his rice ball in a single gulp. He grinned and lay back on the grass, gazing up at the blossoms overhead. "I love spring."

  Kazuki eyed him. "So... about that little trick with the leaves?"

  Fleet shrugged, oblivious. "You mean paying for the onigiri? That's normal, right?"

  "No, it's not normal," Kazuki said, exasperated. "I've never seen you do that before. You turned leaves into actual money."

  "Fox magic," Fleet insisted as if that explained everything. "Remember back at the town before Karause Peak? The same. All kitsune can do illusions."

  "But is it real?" Kazuki pressed, remembering the glint of the coins. "I mean, illusions fade. If you trick someone into believing leaves are coins, sure. But you physically handed over copper pieces."

  Kuro, leaning back against the tree trunk, studying Fleet with half-lidded eyes. "He tricked her."

  Fleet puffed out his chest, fox ears standing straight. "They are real."

  Kuro's gaze lingered on Fleet longer than necessary, her brows furrowed ever so slightly - as if she, too, was wondering quite what he was capable of.

  Kazuki just shook his head. "But if illusions can become real, then doesn't that break the whole concept of….?"

  "Concept of what?" Fleet countered, rolling onto his stomach to stare at Kazuki. "She wanted money, right? So it's money. Leaves and coins, they're all the same if you think about it."

  Kazuki stifled a laugh. "No. That's not how... money works. Where I come from, you need jobs to earn it, you use it to buy things, and you pay taxes…."

  Fleet's face scrunched up. "Jobs? Taxes? Those are just made up words."

  Kuro let out a low chuckle.

  Kazuki sighed. "No, it's real. In my world - Earth - money is everything. People spend most of their lives working, studying in schools to get jobs so they can earn money to survive."

  Fleet's jaw dropped. "You mean... it's not just leaves? You actually have to... do stuff... to get it?" He looked horrified. "I didn't realize you came from hell."

  This time he couldn't help it, Kazuki laughed. "Yeah, well, sometimes it felt like it. But it's not all bad. We have schools for learning, and you can choose different careers based on your talents or interests."

  "School?" Fleet repeated.

  Kazuki tried to recall the everyday scene of a classroom, something that felt so distant now. "Study math, reading, science... a lot of other things. Kids spend years doing that until they graduate and try to find a job."

  Fleet covered his mouth with a hand, in horror.

  Kuro observed them quietly, lips curled in a hint of a smile. She wasn't adding much.

  Fleet piped up again, pointing an accusing finger. "So you mean back in your realm, everyone is stuck 'working' or going to these 'schools'? When do they actually do anything?"

  Kazuki looked back at Fleet blankly. "Actually... I have no idea."

  Now it was Fleet's turn to laugh. "I'm never going to Earth. I can see why you left."

  He looked at the onigiri bamboo leaf wrapper in his hand, the last few grains of rice still clinging to iti. I didn't exactly mean to leave he thought. But I don't regret being here.

  For a while, they just sat in silence beneath the cherry blossoms. The sky overhead was bright and promised an even warmer day ahead.

  Eventually, Kazuki got up and brushed stray petals from his clothes. "We should keep moving," he said. "The next town might be safer than the last one."

  Fleet leapt to his feet. Kuro got up more slowly, flicking invisible dust off her black sleeves. Without further words, the three continued southward, following the long sweep of the river.

  ---

  By late afternoon, they saw signs of another settlement - a larger one - and a cluster of tiled rooftops rising behind a stone embankment. A simple wooden gate opened onto a paved main road. Even from a distance, they could hear drums and music and excited chatter. Colorful unlit paper lanterns moved in the breeze. Banners painted with calligraphy and floral designs hung across narrow streets. The sweet-scented, oily smoke of street food vendors drifted on the wind.

  Fleet craned his neck, trying to get a better look at the town. "Maybe this place won't hate us."

  Kazuki almost smiled. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

  They paused at the top of a small hill, taking in the view: the spring festival was in full swing. People wore bright yukata or simple shorts and haori vests. Children ran about, chasing each other between stalls of grilled river fish, noodles and sweet snacks. On the main street, a line of dancers clacked wooden instruments as they walked forward.

  But beneath the music and painted lanterns, Kazuki felt something brittle in the crowd's cheer - like a song sung over a funeral drum.

  He pulled up his UI: [Waza: Aura Sense - Active]

  For a moment Kazuki thought he saw something flash gold and green in the distance, but then nothing. Just a sea of silvery human reishin superimposed on the vision of his regular eyes.

  Kazuki exhaled, trying to shake off the unease. "This looks... cheerful," he said softly, as if worried speaking too loud might ruin the scene.

  Fleet's eyes gleamed. "Let's get some of that grilled stuff," he said, nearly drooling at the thought.

  But Kuro tugged his ear. "Shapeshift," she hissed. "You want to walk in with ears and a tail? We'll have another militia after us."

  Fleet's expression fell. "Oh. Right." His ears vanished into messy orange human hair, and his tail folded away. A second flicker passed over his face, leaving him with smaller canines and more human eyes. He tested the shape by flexing his shoulders. "Feels weird."

  Kuro did the same, shrinking her cat ears and tail until she looked like a perfectly normal slender young woman with black hair. Kazuki, the only actual human among them, needed no such change although he remembered the reaction of the old woman when she looked at him closely.

  At the entrance to the town, they found no guards, just a row of welcoming paper lanterns. It seemed the entire city was focused on the festival. They slipped inside among the crowds, letting the bright swirl of merriment envelop them. Dancers in face paint, vendors hawking sweet dumplings, drummers - it reminded Kazuki of the summer festivals back in his father's hometown where they had gone when he was little.

  A young child with a paper fox mask rushed by, nearly colliding with Fleet. He spun away at the last moment, eyes dancing with laughter, seemingly unafraid of strangers. Fleet gave Kazuki a wry grin.

  Soon, a stir of excitement rippled through the crowd. Chanting rose from behind them, along with the steady thud of drums. People parted to either side of the main street, turning eagerly to watch a procession approach. The calls of Washoi! Washoi! echoed off the stone walls, accompanied by the sway of a group of men wearing nothing but fundoshi loincloths and woven sandals and carrying a mikoshi - a portable shrine - on their shoulders.

  Kazuki, Kuro, and Fleet craned their necks, letting themselves be swept into the crowd's excitement. The mikoshi was beautiful: draped in bright cloth, adorned with golden detailing. Usually, such a portable shrine would carry the deity or a sacred icon for the festival. But as it drew closer, Kazuki noticed something odd: an iron cage had been attached inside the shrine's central compartment. That alone was jarring enough. But then he saw who was inside.

  A fox girl, no older than Fleet - black-haired, small and slight. She was kneeling in the small cage, her hands and ankles bound with heavy chains. She shrank away from the crowds, her eyes were wide and she was clenching her jaw, her fox ears pressed flat against her long tousled black hair. The chanting around her seemed triumphant, almost mocking.

  Kazuki heard Fleet gasp.

  The chanting of the carriers grew louder. The caged girl shrank back against the iron bars, eyes glassy with terror. The men bearing the mikoshi slowed, letting the crowd get a better look at her. A triumphant grin spread on the face of one man at the front of the procession as he shouted, "Behold! The demon fox that has cursed our crops! We rid ourselves of her tonight! Praise to Izanami!"

  ---

  [Achievement Unlocked: Fox Economics]

  [Next Chapter: The Best Laid Plans]

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