This Masquerade - 3

    Kouhei welcomed what little stability that the rough trunk of the willow tree offered. A pressure had been growing steadily in the back of his mind until it became impossible to ignore its presence. Agony continued to wash over him, threatening to shatter through the last, weak vestiges of control Kouhei clung to with the desperation of a drowning man. That suffocating presence. It always came whispering lies whenever it felt his spirit weakening, loosening it's bonds, allowing it to struggle for control of his body. 

Release me! 

    'I will not!' Kouhei drew a shuddering breath and passed a hand over his weary eyes. It was more difficult to suppress it this time. 'Could Chikawa have done something to me?' He wondered. There was definitely something strange about that boy. He was so familiar. 

    "But...what could he have done to wake it up?" Kouhei grit his teeth and tried to focus his mind past the pain. "I knew someone once and, I think, he was as strange as Chikawa. But... what happened to him?"

    "You killed him." 

    A sharp voice cut through the choking miasma that began to permeate the faltering spider-web of memories. That memory was almost within his grasp when it was torn away. Kouhei struggled against the loss; he had almost managed to see past the shadows of the present. Then, as quickly as weather upon a towering mountain peak, the knowledge gained was ripped from his fingers and thrown to the winds. The vision dissipated like smoke into the fading afternoon light. 

    He slowly turned to focus blurry eyes upon the stranger dressed in black and red, standing before him with arms crossed. It was him. Yorukai studied the emotion that shook Kouhei's frame with a critical eye and a cocky grin. There was no doubt that Yorukai was amused by the frustration he just caused.

    "Wh...what are you talking about?" Kouhei forced indifference. "I would do no such thing."

    "Really?" Yorukai arched an eyebrow. "You think so?"

    "Yes," He replied warily. 

    "Ah..." Yorukai waved a finger at him. "But that's not true! You killed him because he got too close t--..."

    "Shut up!" Kouhei yelled,  "I would never hurt someone!"

    " 'S that so?" Yorukai flashed a cheeky grin and continued in a most innocent manner. "But... I thought that people like you did that kind of stuff for a living!" He smiled cutely. "And if you were able to become one of the Silver Shadows, you must have killed before. It's in the job description!"  

    "No. I never...." Kouhei whispered. 'Not willingly.' 

    Yorukai made a disapproving noise and moved to stand beside the distraught man, draping an arm around his shoulders. "You really shouldn't lie like that, it makes people trust you less, you know. Then if you get into trouble, nobody will come to help you because they don't trust you."  

    He tried to prod Kouhei, only to have his hand slapped away with a grunt of irritation.  "Don't touch me."

    Yorukai shrugged and gave a dramatic sigh. 

    "Being rude only makes things worse! I'm only trying to help you, after all! The least you could do is hear me out." 

    "Help me?" Kouhei offered a look of disgust. "I can imagine the kind of 'help' that I'll get from you. And, no, I didn't do anything to that boy. He disappeared on his own without ANY involvement from me."

    "You don't even remember his name." Yorukai snorted. 

    "Of course I do," Kouhei frowned. "It was Kaiki. Yuugi Kaiki."*

    "Yuushi Kaishi," Yorukai corrected automatically. "Get it right."

    "...Are you sure?" 

    "YES!" Yorukai quickly replaced his expression with casual indifference. "You should remember names properly. It's rude, you know. A few incorrect sounds can really change the meaning of a name. Just imagine how many social blunders could be averted by paying more attention! It's really amazing! Why, imagine someone trying to speak Mandarin without any knowledge of the differences in pitches! Why... you could go from saying 'I like your horse' to 'I like your mother.' Scary thought, ne?"

    "........You're right," Kouhei shook his head, having to process his prattle before agreeing. "But, I think that Kaiki suits him more than Kaishi."

    Yorukai grunted and redirected Kouhei's attention to a far less dangerous topic. Like what he was doing in Amefuri's home. But, internally, he worried that his actions would seems suspicious to Kouhei. It was only because Yorukai had conditioned himself to this new easy-going persona that there wasn't an immediate reaction to the name Kaiki or Kaishi. Yorukai needed to take several deep breaths to calm his heart before speaking. There was no sign that Kouhei had made any connection between the questions asked and the reactions received. Yorukai's cover was still intact. Good. Good... now to keep it that way. 

    Yorukai cleared his throat loudly.

    "You, Mister Keisotsu, have no business being near Amefuri. Especially when you have such a...colourful history." Yorukai crossed his arms. "Ame-chan already puts herself in enough danger. She doesn't need you adding to it."

    "I would like to think that I'm no danger to Ame-san." Kouhei said, "We've been friends for many years. I assure you that her safely has always been my primary concern, Chikawa-san."

    "Still polite?" Yorukai said with amusement. "I thought that you'd hate me too much to keep that temper of yours in check."

    'Who says I don't?' Kouhei grumbled with a cheery smile, "Now, Chikawa-san, I wouldn't make judgements about people's character so quickly. It often leads to misunderstandings." 

    "First impressions often show the truth behind people's masks." Yorukai said. 

    Kouhei replied, "But sometimes, what you perceive to be the 'real person' is just another mask donned by that person to protect their real self." 

    "All masks, no matter how elaborate," Yorukai said, "are part of that person's real self. You can make something out of nothing." 

    Kouhei would not be swayed. "But how can you be certain of the validity of the truth you see in their masks? How can it be a pure reflection of their selves? It is clouded and distorted at best. How do you know that the truth you see is indeed the Truth, and not a shadow in the water?" 

    Yorukai's expression soured but they were interrupted before any words could be said. 

    The air grew thick with a misty luminance that permeated the area with a glowing hum. Distorted light began filtering through the thick underbrush, leaving a trail of ephemeral smoke in its wake. The entire mountain peak was cloaked in a thick cloud of iridescent light. And at its centre was a weak amethyst force

    They barely had enough time to cover their eyes before the amethyst light vanished, releasing a deafening shockwave that sent the boys scrambling for cover. A full second of silence passed, then the air was mercilessly ripped from their lungs. The crushing vacuum at the mountain's summit clawed at trees, rocks, land, anything it could grasp in an attempt to reach the pair at its base. Muscles trembled and threatened to yield to the screaming wind that threatened to tear their arms free from their bodies, ignoring the pair's desperate attempt to find shelter.  

    Then, as suddenly as it began, the winds died.

    A minute passed before Yorukai and Kouhei deemed it safe to emerge. 

     "What was that?" Yorukai struggled to extract himself from the bushes that grabbed hold when he tried to dive behind them. Though once thankful for the tangle of branches a few moments ago, he certainly wasn't thankful for them now. Now, when he had to free himself from their clutches to investigate the summit. 

    "I...don't know." Kouhei extracted himself from the pine tree's lower branches and fixed his gaze on the faintly glowing cloud that obscured the shrine from view. "But I have a pretty good idea where we should look." Kouhei helped Yorukai to his feet and gestured at the eerie silence above. "We can finish discussing our differences later. We have to make sure that Ame-san is okay first."

    Yorukai stared at him for a moment before relenting. "Okay, our first priority is to look for Ame-chan." Having said that, Yorukai leapt up several steps before urging Kouhei to follow. "C'mon! If we stay here too long, then we might miss our chance to help Ame-chan!"

* * *

    They expected to find the grounds devoid of life, or perhaps there would be nothing left except a mangled collection of broken timbers and shattered tiles. After all that had happened, there wasn't much hope for the grounds to be unharmed. At best they hoped to find Amefuri lying unconscious somewhere, probably in the study where she was last seen. 

    But what they found was certainly not what they expected. 

    When the passed through the mist, the yard was filled with families dressed in their best kimonos. People were milling around, conversing with friends and wishing each other good fortune in the coming year before heading towards the wooden altar in front of the shrine to make their New Year's resolutions. Young children chased each other through the forest of legs in an attempt to catch a ball that had gone astray while others sat in the shade of the ancient trees to enjoy a game of cards.

    Yorukai gaped at the sight before him. Where did all these people come from? This couldn't be real, but it felt real. When the people walked past, he could feel them brush up against his arm. Could this be a dreamscape? It was possible for one to be this real, but they never took place in the real world before... He glanced over at Kouhei, who absorbed the sights with an almost mechanical detachment. Kouhei's eyes flashed over the yard, studying the faces of everyone present, searching for something that could give them some clue about the situation. 

    'This guy, he can't be human,' Yorukai thought as he turned his attention away from Kouhei. Warm sunlight drifted through the leaves to rest its warm fingers on their faces, drawing attention to the surreal beauty that dominated the surroundings. The trees and flowers wore brilliant, shimmering mantles of white and green to welcome the return of spring. Small songbirds flit to-and-from the swaying branches and trilled their songs to delighted children.

    "Something is missing..." Yorukai began slowly, "It's as if that familiar sadness, that shadow that's always haunting Amefuri's temple, never existed." In the distance was the scent of freshly baked bread. He watched a pair of laughing mikos offered small samples to everyone that approached the table. "It's so.... peaceful."

    Kouhei shook his head. "No, it's not that like it never existed." He paused, drawing Yorukai's attention. "It's that we've managed to arrive at a time before that sadness had a chance to destroy Amefuri's spirit." Kouhei stared at the crowd without truly seeing anything. His shoulders tensed uneasily as his pale face raised, almost arrogantly, in a flawless imitation of a man that would rather die than admit defeat. But despite the care taken to create that air of invulnerability, wasn't difficult to read the confusion and anguish that burned in those lifeless silver eyes. 

    Yorukai frowned, "What do you mean, hasn't had a chance yet? Just what are you hiding?"

    "Nothing. It's nothing..." Kouhei trailed off when he the Twilight Star Shrine's head priestess entered the yard. 

    The only thing that distinguished her clothing from the same red-and-white uniform of the other shrine maidens was the blue ribbon in her hair. It was tied into an intricate Chinese knot, leaving the long trailing ends of the ribbon loose; their beaded ends blended smoothly into her midnight purple hair. The pair stared openly at the woman as she exchanged a few kind words with the other maidens before moving to greet their visitors. 

    It took several tries Yorukai managed to get his jaw to work properly. "Is that... could that be... Ame-chan?"  

    "It might be...." Kouhei answered, distrustful of the smiling woman's striking resemblance to their mutual friend. "But, it couldn't."

    "This has to be a dream.... or something really funky must have been in that mist we walked into." Yorukai said, "Some hallucinogenic gases or something. We should've checked before we went in."

    "Perhaps, though you were the one that wanted to rush in without a plan," Kouhei pointed out quietly. "So if we inhaled something deadly, you only have yourself to blame."

    "Hey, the thing that made all those flashy lights and crazy, whooshy winds had a part in this too!" Yorukai retorted hotly, "Blame them!"

    "I think that blaming the cause of those 'flashy lights and crazy, whooshy winds' would be more productive if we knew who caused them." 

    Yorukai stared at Kouhei, "And you think that I have something to do with it?"

    "Don't you?" He said lightly, watching Yorukai out of the corner of his eyes. "You haven't exactly been open about your motives either."

    "Excuse me," A soft voice interrupted their argument before it had the chance to grow out of control. "Is there something that I can help you find?" The head priestess gave the boys a gentle smile, in stark contrast to the dangerous tones in her voice. "I sincerely hope that you won't start the new year badly by arguing On. My. Land."

    Yorukai cleared his throat nervously and smiled winningly. "Don't worry miss! My... friend..... and I are just visiting! We're looking for someone that said that she'd meet us here. Said that she was staying at the temple for a while. I don't suppose that you've seen her? Am--" 

    Kouhei interrupted, "Please don't mind him, he's a little talkative." He waited for a sign of approval before continuing. "We have no intention of offending you or your temple." He smiled when he saw the woman relax the grip on her sword. "I am Keisotsu Kouhei, a musician from the city of Heian-kyo (Kyoto). On this, our first meeting, I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance." Kouhei bowed expertly.

    The woman smiled in return. "I am Mokutou Amefuri, head priestess of the Twilight Star Shrine in the Saitama Prefecture, near the city of Edo (Tokyo). I am very pleased to meet you as well." Having said that, Amefuri bowed gracefully and turned to greet Yorukai with a warm smile.  "What is your name, sir?"

    Yorukai stared at her. Was this the same Amefuri? It wasn't until Kouhei gave the man a look that he seemed to shake himself out of whatever stupor he had fallen into.

    "Oh, I'm sorry Ame...furi-san." Yorukai quickly corrected himself. "My name is Chikawa Yorukai and I'm a teacher from Tokyo..." He pointed South, the direction he remembered the city to be. "I do a couple of other odd jobs on the side, as well."

    She gave him a strange look. "There's nothing in that direction that would have the need for a school." Amefuri pointed south-east, "Unless you mean the city of Kamakura. That's been around long enough that there might be some places that hire teachers like you." She turned back to Yorukai. "Unless your 'Tokyo' is the name of a new building in Edo that I have not heard of yet." 

    Yorukai cringed. This was definitely the same Amefuri he remembered. "That...that is..." He swallowed and flashed a bright, sunny smile. "Oh, you're right! Silly me. I just transferred to this region and I haven't had a chance to learn all the names yet! I apologize," He bowed to her, "Amefuri-san."

    She looked at him critically before nodding. "I welcome the both of you to the New Year's celebrations at Twilight Star Shrine.  I hope that you will accept me as your humble guide while you are visiting the shrine. While Edo may not be as interesting as the cities you hail from, I hope that you will not be too disappointed." 

    Amefuri smiled at the boys and turned back to the celebrations. There were still quite a few things that demanded her attention but, at the moment, she seemed content with helping these strangers. After all, what kind of host would she be if she abandoned them? Especially if their friend had given them wrong directions or forgot to show up today. 

    Kouhei glanced over the bustling crowd. "I'm very grateful for your offer, and it would be very appreciated by Chikawa-san and myself." He bowed gracefully, "I hope that we won't impose on your busy schedule."

    "No, not at all." Amefuri was very pleased with Kouhei's manners. "Come with me, I'll give you a tour of the grounds and introduce you to the others. Perhaps they will know who your friend is."  

    "Thank you very much, Mokutou-san," Kouhei said.

    "It's no trouble at all." She nodded and turned towards the main building. "Try not to wander too far off. It's not hard to get lost in this crowd."

    Kouhei raised an eyebrow and looked at Yorukai, who only shrugged and motioned to play along. If Yorukai was wondering about Amefuri's sudden change in personality, he made no indication that it bothered him. Instead, he quietly fell into step behind Amefuri as she took them on a tour of the shrine's grounds. 
 

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