The dry crack of the shishi odoshi echoed within the garden.
Masamune, as master of the house, sat with his back towards the alcove. Shigezane and Kojuurou were seated at his side to receive this completely unexpected guest, a man whom they had never met in their previous lives. Their gazes were steadily concentrated on the beautiful young man with jet-black hair being shown into the south guest room facing the garden.
“This is the first time that I have had the honor of meeting thee, most noble lord of the Date. I am the vassal of Takeda of Koushuu, Kousaka Masanobu. I have come to call upon thee at Lord Shingen’s bidding,” Kousaka said in a clear, carrying voice, and quietly raised his eyes. Translucent skin and full red lips. Kousaka continued, his straight gaze focused on Masamune, “It is my great honor and delight to sit in audience with the celebrated Lord Date Masamune, the ‘One-Eyed Dragon of the Oushuu’.”
“And thou art Kousaka Danjou-dono? I, too, have heard much of thee. The Koushuu book of military strategy, ‘Kouyou Gunkan’, was thy work, was it not? ’Twas in my previous life that I had the pleasure of reading it, but I admired it greatly.”
“Thy praise humbles me. In my previous life as a vassal of the Takeda, I would never have dreamed of being able to meet thee in this way.”
And then Masamune’s one clear eye glittered sharply.
“And I have heard of the resurrection of that great general, Lord Takeda Shingen. I am certain that the generals of the various domains are quivering in their boots?”
“That is perhaps so.” Kousaka spoke with only slightly more force. “We the Takeda are now sending our troops into Echigo (Niigata Prefecture
) from the northern Kantou.”
“Echigo? Hmm... That was... I had thought that to be the territory under the influence of Lord Kenshin.”
“Lord Kenshin has not entered into the «Yami-Sengoku». Nor has Lord Kagekatsu—” A secret smile curved Kousaka’s lips. “Perhaps they will not be resurrected.”
“Why dost thou thus believe?”
“They were purified many years ago. Their spirits no longer remain in this world.”
“I see. So Lord Kagekatsu has left...”
Uesugi Kagekatsu (who was also Kagetora’s younger brother-in-law) had been, as one of the three great powers of the Kantou in Toyotomi’s Japan, a formidable enemy of the Mogami and Date. If he had been resurrected, he would without question have been the biggest threat to the Date.
Kousaka continued without giving any hint of whether or not he knew Masamune’s inner thoughts.
“We the Takeda are old friends of Uesugi-dono. If our Lord Shingen should govern Echigo, I am certain that Lord Kenshin’s mind would be at peace as well.”
Masamune glared at that.
“Humm. So Takeda-dono wishes to be Lord Kenshin’s proxy?”
“Yes, indeed. However, there are those who would hinder us in this.”
“?”
“The general called Mogami Yoshiaki. He is seeking to extend his reach into Echigo as well.”
“!”
Masamune’s single eye narrowed, and Shigezane and Kojuurou drew in an involuntary breath. —Kousaka quietly noted their reactions.
“He is certainly a rather troublesome commander, is he not? Fitting of the name ‘The Heroic Stallion of Dewa’. It has been a headache for Lord Shingen. And of a certainty, for Lord Date as well, whose troops have crossed blades with him often.”
“...”
Masamune responded in a low voice, “Mogami Yoshiaki, my uncle, has always—”
“Been a painful experience?”
Shigezane checked himself from unconsciously leaning forward. Masamune gave Kousaka a sharp look. Kousaka’s lips curved into his usual faint smile.
“In this «Yami-Sengoku», Lord Mogami’s aim seems to be the conquest of the entire Northeast. It actuality, he appears to have already launched an intense offensive against Sendai. Objectively-speaking, Mogami’s military strength is overwhelming. It will only be a matter of time before the territory of Sendai collapses and falls into his hands.”
“What?!”
“Lord Date, please calm thyself,” Kousaka said. And then: “Wouldst thou not destroy him?”
“!”
Masamune took in a sharp breath. Kousaka gazed at him fixedly.
“Our Echigo is also being threatened by Mogami’s vigorously movements. Yes. Just as Sendai is. Mogami is equally a menace to both sides.”
“Thou art saying that we should join together?”
“It would benefit the Date as well as the Takeda if Mogami were gone. It would be an easy matter if the East and the West were in agreement. We could destroy him in a pincer movement.”
A grin floated upon Kousaka’s lips.
“Certainly, an alliance would mean that we could come to thine aid in other matters as well. For instance—”
“?”
“The other difficulty which has been causing some trouble for Lord Date. The resurrection of Ashina.”
Masamune reacted as if he had been struck.
“I have heard it said that the Ashina troops are quite daring. They have advanced from the south, and have made it such that Lord Date has not been able to do battle with the Mogami at his ease. We can send assistance from Kouduke (Gunma Prefecture); the Takeda can hold their attention from the Northern Kantou.”
“...!”
“What sayst thee, Lord Date?”
Masamune drew in a tense, involuntary breath.
An offer all unsought.
And yet, he could not make an immediate reply—because the one he was dealing with was Takeda Shingen, who had once been called the strongest of the Sengoku.
In actuality, Shingen had subdued the Northern Kantou no more than two months ago and had only the barest margin of reinforcements. With only these forces, Shingen was probably no threat to speak of for Mogami. In any case, if Mogami could be cleverly done away with, then perhaps soon enough—
(Does Shingen himself not have aspirations over control of the Northeast...?)
That would probably be his true purpose.
Both Shigezane and Kojuurou probably also felt the same misgivings. Saying nothing, they watched Masamune’s tight-lipped expression attentively. Masamune sat motionless. Kousaka gazed at him for a little while. Then—
“Well—we ask not for an immediate answer,” he said coolly. “I shall wait a few days for thy reply. Please think upon it with care. I shall return for thy response some days hence.”
“Wilt thou be making thy way home?”
“I shall stay for the moment in Sendai. Whenever thou hast made thy decision, please call upon me,” Kousaka said, and stood. Kojuurou had stood as well to see him out when Kousaka suddenly turned to Masamune as if he had just remembered something.
“There is one note of import which I had forgotten to mention.”
“?”
“According to a report from one of our «nue» who had infiltrated the Mogami—Lord Date, it seems somehow that thy lady mother and thy brother are with Mogami.”
“!”
All present inhaled sharply.
“Mother and Kojirou!”
"Since Lady Ohigashi-no-Kata is also Lord Mogami’s younger sister—it is said that the second son of the Date, Kojirou-dono, has chosen Mogami-dono out of all the «Yami-Sengoku» as his protector. It must surely be the designs of the ‘Demon Princess of Ouu’.
Masamune was startled.
“Could it be that Kojirou and Mother have...”
“Art thou certain, Kousaka-dono?”
Kousaka looked at Kojuurou and nodded.
“Yes. In his previous life, he was put to death by Lord Date himself on suspicion of treason. His bitterness must run deep precisely because he was Lord Date’s own younger brother.”
“...!”
“I am certain that Lord Date would not wish to kill his mother, as well as his brother a second time. If the Date should ally itself with us, we would venture to undertake all of these unpleasant duties.” Kousaka smiled charmingly. “I await thy—favorable response.”
And with these parting words, Kousaka disappeared out of the paper sliding doors.
Masamune couldn’t find his voice. He stared after Kousaka, speechless.
(Could it really be that...)
Masamune’s fists shook slightly.
(Mother—...)
The storefronts and houses of Sendai City spread out beyond Hirose River.
After leaving Masamune’s mansion, Kousaka went to the viewing platform at Aoba Castle. This place, with its statue of Date Masamune on his horse, was a famous sight-seeing spot. There were many tourist groups bustling about, but when the organizations left, the platform was suddenly quiet.
A single crow came flying towards him from the east.
Kousaka held out his arm.
The crow landed on Kousaka’s hand, flapping its wings. It opened its beak and cawed several times.
“What?” Kousaka’s eyes opened wide. “Kagetora has entered Sendai?”
The crow shrieked hoarsely and flapped its wings. Kousaka was silent for a moment before finally smiling faintly.
“I see. So Kagetora’s finally come. Those damn Yasha-shuu of Kenshin’s are really beginning to go all-out in their attempt to crush the «Yami-Sengoku»,” Kousaka muttered to himself, stroking the crow’s beautiful glossy black head and throat. “If that is what you plan to do, Kagetora, then I will certainly not hold back. Be prepared to put your life on the line.”
With a “good work”, Kousaka released the crow skyward. The crow took off, its black wings flapping against clear summer skies.
The wind rustled through the boughs.
Kousaka’s usual enigmatic, charming smile suddenly disappeared like a mask being taken off.
“To fight Oda, Kagetora must regain his memories. —Forgive me, Naoe.”
Kousaka turned on his heels.
The pigeons at his feet simultaneously took wing.
“Hey, Nee-san, you okay or what?”
Takaya’s voice came from the long pedestrian platform in front of Sendai Station. Ayako had been feeling unwell since they’d gotten off at the station. As they walked along, her face gradually turned so pale that even Takaya was worried.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I’ll get used to it if I can rest for a bit,” Ayako said, waving her hand, and sat down on a nearby bench. “But what is with this aura? What the heck happened to this city?”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Lucky you. You must be unconsciously shutting it out,” Ayako groaned, pressing a hand against her head. “It’s not normal. This city’s «mood» is creating bad wavelengths. I wonder if it’s always been like this.”
“? Does it have anything to do with spirits?”
“Probably. Spirits filled with «malice» create strange wavelengths. But this is weird. It’s like there’s a excessive amount of unpleasant feelings here...”
“Are you really okay?”
“Yeah... Oh—we need to get to Naoe’s acquaintance’s temple from here. We’ll be staying there.”
Yeeargh! Takaya’s eyes narrowed.
“Temple! You’re gonna make me stay at a temple?”
“Yup. ’Cause they’re free.”
Takaya looked up at the clear sky dejectedly.
He had a bad feeling about this...
Even a sleeping tiger could still sense that much.
After about fifteen minutes by taxi. The temple was located in the suburbs a little ways away from the town areas. On its door was a nameplate declaring it to be the ‘Shingon-shuu Jikou Temple’.
Takaya looked around at the grounds, which were completely paved with gravel.
“Haaaaah...”
“Hey, hey. Over here, bro.”
They walked towards the entrance of the charming temple office, and happened upon a person of short stature in working robes who appeared to be the head priest. He came towards them carrying a bamboo broom. “Oh!” Ayako said softly.
“Good afternoon. How have you been?”
“Ah. It has been a while.”
The abbot, who seemed about seventy and remarkably sprightly for his age, headed towards them. He appeared to already be acquainted with Ayako.
“You must be tired after such a long journey. For now, please come in.”
“Thank you so much for your help.”
Contrary to Ayako, who seemed on her best behavior, Takaya, as usual, showed no hint of a smile. The abbot seemed to notice him just then.
“Aha...”
The priest’s eyes suddenly twinkled. For some reason, Takaya had the bad habit of glaring at people upon first meeting them, so he usually made a bad first impression—and even now he was glaring at the abbot with all the ferocity of a stray dog.
“So you are the one that Yoshiaki told me about.”
“Hey, hey, Kagetora...!”
Ayako forcibly pushed his head down.
“Ow! What the hell!”
“He’s helping us, so give a proper greeting! And mind your manners!”
Takaya reluctantly bowed his head in apology. But his eyes didn’t leave the priest. The abbot somehow seemed to admire his rebelliousness.
“An expression that would benefit from some tempering.”
Ayako hastily said, “I-I’m really sorry. He doesn’t know any manners—hey, Kagetora! This person is the abbot of this temple, Kokuryou-san. Say ‘nice to meet you’!”
“Oh, stop nagging me already!”
“What did you say?!”
Kokuryou laughed heartily.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Please come in. This way. Have you had lunch? Allow me to serve you some tea.”
“Okay...”
Ayako scowled at Takaya with reproach.
Ayako and Takaya stepped inside. Many calendars and paper lanterns hung from the walls in the tatami-matted living room. Strangely, the sense of life here made Takaya feel all the more inexperienced.
“Why are you fawning all over him? It’s disgusting.”
“You don’t know this, but Kokuryou-san is a really stubborn person, and he’s totally scary when he gets mad.”
(Stubborn and scary, huh...?)
Feh, he thought, putting on a bored expression.
From what he’d heard of this Kokuryou, he was an old acquaintance of the Tachibanas, Naoe’s current family, whose temple was of the same school. Consequently, he was one of Naoe Nobutsuna—Tachibana Yoshiaki’s—longtime friends, and seemed to know something of his true being.
He had also assisted Ayako once, two years ago, in her work of onryou extermination.
(This is all kinda depressing...)
Takaya scowled.
The paper door slid open, and Kokuryou appeared.
“I’ve left your luggage in your rooms. Please rest for a little while. It would not be too late to go out on the town after.”
Ayako bowed her head deeply over the barley tea. Kokuryou chuckled and sat down in front of them.
“Young monk, what is your name?”
“You’re the monk, Gramps.” Takaya’s eyebrows drew together in annoyance.
“Hmm. True enough. But neither am I ‘Gramps’. My name is ‘Kokuryou Keinosuke’. And yours?”
“... Ougi Takaya.”
“I see.” Kokuryou chuckled with increased amusement. “You have a wonderful name.”
Takaya’s eyebrows had been twitching since earlier. He was more sensitive than most people to someone making fun of or making a fool of him. But Kokuryou didn’t even seem to be doing it deliberately.
“I have heard about you from Yoshiaki. You show promise. You have that twist of expression that says that something which is polished will shine. Hahahah!”
Ayako’s entire face stiffened, caught again between Kokuryou with his hearty laugh and Takaya with his quivering fists.
“Er, um...anyway.” She hurriedly inserted herself between the two. “What is...what is the situation in Sendai like right now? Is there really some sort of disaster or something taking place?”
“Hmm. So it would seem.” Kokuryou stopped laughing and quietly folded his arms. “The «mood» of the earth has changed. I have lived here for all of my life; these past few months, the «mood» of the earth has become completely different.”
“Changed? How so?”
“It’s as if something about the distribution of its density has changed. Did you not sense it when you entered the city?”
The two of them exchanged a look.
“I’m not really sure, but...”
Takaya asked, eyes intense, “Does it have anything to do with the guys who’re destroying the buildings?”
“The cases of building collapses? I went to see for myself as well, and it was dreadful. The buildings and the gymnasium were completely destroyed, and there was a crater in the ground as if from an air-raid.”
“—”
“The timing coincides. It did happen from around that time, so there is likely a connection.”
Takaya’s eyes quietly narrowed to slits.
“Who do you think is doing it?”
“I do not know. However, I have heard many reports of people seeing armored warriors walking around the streets of Sendai recently.”
“! Armored warriors?”
“In my business one will hear of these things. There are both skeletal and living warriors, and their numbers have swelled rapidly around these parts.”
Takaya chewed his bottom lip lightly. —It was the same as that time in Matsumoto.
“Well, no doubt it would be better for you to see for yourselves. You should do a careful spiritual sensing. Especially Ayako-san. You would certainly understand the situation better than I.”
“Okaaaay...”
Kokuryou smiled, looking at the mystified Takaya.
“Though I’m a senile old man, I can still sense auras slightly. I am also somewhat familiar with your powers. ...Ah, yes. There was something that Yoshiaki had asked of me.”
“?”
Naoe...?
“Dear me, and it was such an important favor, too. He asked me to give you training to draw out your powers, of which I have heard you have an earth-shattering amount. It would appear that you have become my first priority.”
“Ack! So then my ‘teacher’ is supposed to be—”
Takaya’s head drooped sharply as Kokuryou nodded gleefully.
(So this is what they call an ominous premonition...)
“With what amounts to Yoshiaki’s metaphorical seal of approval, I will enjoy being your teacher no matter what sort of strange creature we end up with. So please prepare yourself. We old folks like disciplining young people, you see. What I will give you is training of the ‘soul’. I will not go easy on you.”
“You-you’ve gotta be kidding me!”
“No, no, it will be fun! Hahahah!”
Ayako convulsively joined Kokuryou’s hearty laugh, but her gaze at Takaya was also compassionate.
Takaya already wanted to go home.
“Youngling, you should call me ‘Master’ from now on.”
(I-I feel dizzy...)
His first day in Sendai was already bubbling over with trouble.
Near evening, they headed for the Sendai streets in order to perform a spiritual sensing immediately. The first building which had crumbled had been the Business Hotel in Miya Town , and though none of its guests had been hurt because it had happened around noon, its employees were much distressed.
“This is terrible...” Takaya muttered unthinkingly.
The place was encircled with no-entry tape, exposing the remains of the building which had been so atrociously reduced to rubble. And yet the surrounding buildings and residences were untouched by the disaster; the sight of this one collapsed building was horrifyingly unnatural.
“But it’s totally untouched—it’s been two weeks, hasn’t it? Haven’t they finished the investigation yet?”
“Not yet, I think.”
“Not yet?”
Ayako nodded, an extremely serious expression on her face.
“I’ve heard that they haven’t made any progress on the investigation, that anyone who enters will get a terrible headache that could get bad enough to make people faint. It seems like—” She shook the tape. “—someone’s erected a barrier here. It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it?”
“—”
Takaya looked inside the tape.
It was true the scene was strangely ominous. Perhaps due to the darkness now that night had fallen, the ashen shadows of the ruins grew more and more gloomy.
Cicadas called.
Ayako suddenly glared at something.
“Kagetora!”
Her gaze was directed towards the mountain of rubble. Pale fire floated above the mass of dark concrete.
(...A will-o’-the-wisp...)
As soon as they focused on it, the pale fire began to divide and multiply. Some of them drifted to the circumference of the rubble, trailing streams of faint light.
There was the feeling of something gathering.
A lukewarm wind slipped softly between them. No, not wind. The auras of many people. Chills crawling down his back, Takaya turned back to the rubble and unconsciously gulped down a breath.
An countless number of spirits had assembled there.
Like moths to the flame these ghosts had gathered in this one place.
People who were soaking wet, people who dragged their crumbled bodies along the ground, decapitated people, babies, samurai, farmers, people already turned into featureless skeletons... There were hundreds of them here, all sorts of ghosts who seemed to have been drawn to gather in the heart of these ruins.
“Wh...!”
Takaya froze and Ayako went on guard.
The assembled ghosts suddenly noticed them and turned. All of their faces were twisted with hatred.
“Oh shit! They’re going to attack!”
“What?!”
The spirits attacked without even giving him time to protect himself, their hatred naked. Ayako instantly joined her hands.
“Ari nari tonari anaro nabi kunabi!”
The attacking onryou!
(bai)!
At her shout the air split apart and sucked the ghosts inside.
At the same time the ghosts all simultaneously turned their repulsive gazes towards them.
“Oh, oh shit! Nee-san, watch out!”
“Shut up and give me a hand here!”
“Ack, behind you!”
Spinning, Ayako pointed her joined hands.
“ (bai)!”
The spirit pressing up behind her disappeared.
“Guess you’re weaker than I thought.”
“This isn’t the time for insults! Wah!”
The next spirit and the next attacked. Waving hoes, the farmer-like spirits advanced on Takaya.
“Kagetora, «choubuku»!”
“I told you I can’t! Over there!”
A hoe grazed his flank. The onryou came at Takaya with naked malice and the intent to kill. Takaya was too occupied to even think about choubuku, and Ayako clicked her tongue in disgust.
“You’re useless!”
“ (bai)!”
All of the onryou attacking Takaya disappeared in an instant.
But even so they weren’t giving up. The assembled spirits appeared to regard them as their enemy. In solidarity, they coalesced into an enormous spherical mass of souls. This battle strategy relied on sheer force of numbers to allow even the individual weak spirits to bring a terrible energy to bear.
They were in trouble.
“We’re gonna get crushed to a pulp if we go up against that!”
Ayako’s face twisted with strain.
“ (bai)!”
At the sound of her voice, countless spirits flew off in all directions from the lump like fireworks.
(Did they escape?!)
Spirits were fleeing from Ayako’s bind. Ayako’s «power» was apparently not enough to keep all of them bound. She could barely keep the binding on a portion of the spirits—no help for it!
Clicking her tongue, she began to chant.
“Noumakusamanda bodanan baishiramendaya sowaka!”
Hands joined in Bishamonten’s ritual gesture, she cried to heaven: “Namu Tobatsu Bishamonten!”
Light glowed from her fists.
“For this demon subjugation, lend me thy power!”
She tore her hands forcefully apart in front of her chest.
“«Choubuku»!”
Light surged from Ayako’s hands. An intense flare tore into the spirits and enveloped them. What terrible screams!
“!”
Takaya covered his eyes with his hands. A blinding white light.
He waited for it to fade away before finally opening his eyes.
Silence returned once more.
“That’s just as bizarre as ever.”
“What are you talking about? If this is bizarre, then what about your kekkai-choubuku?”
Takaya’s head drooped suddenly. He had clean forgotten.
“Sheesh, you didn’t even give me a hand. About half of them escaped because you didn’t help me. I’m gonna have to tell Naoe about it.”
“I can’t help you if I don’t remember how. And besides, what the hell were those ghosts? What happened?”
Ayako looked at the mountain of rubble gravely.
“It appears that someone performed an invocation of the dead here.”
“Invocation of the dead?”
“It’s used to summon spirits. Like a sort of magnet, I guess. It looks like someone performed a spell in these premises to draw spirits here. I think that until the spell dissipates, the spirits who escaped will probably gather here again.”
Takaya frowned doubtfully.
“So does this have anything to do with the buildings collapsing? Could someone have destroyed the building to perform this invocation of the dead or something?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure yet. But if the same thing is happening at the other sites—”
But.
Who and why?
Takaya’s eyes quietly narrowed to long slits as he gazed at the crumbled, forlorn ruins.
“So we should check up on it and see?”
“Right. But...”
And Ayako looked up at him maliciously.
“You’ve gotta be able to use your «powers» first. Like what happened just now—I don’t have time to protect you.”
Takaya brushed back his hair, somewhat ashamed.
In the Sendai streets, brilliant neon lights glowed to life.