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Chapter 22
Shishou
A black haired girl met me and welcomed me into her hut. “Welcome to Yuusuzumi’s humble abode.” The girl stated robotically, choking on the words as though they were poison. “My name is Koharu, how may I be of service?” she spat the words icily.
“Um, hi? My name is Shishou…?”
“Allow me to show you to our current guests.” She led me into the hut and into a room to the left. A familiar shape padded up to me.
“Dannen!” I picked up and hugged the haiena, much to his distaste. He squirmed out of my arms and back to his guard post, and licked the angel’s limp hand. “Yuki?” I breathed and stumbled to her side. “I’m sorry; this is all my fault-”
“Welcome to Yuusuzumi’s hut!” a young blonde girl jumped me from behind. Koharu flinched and a woman in her early fifties came up to us.
“Forgive Aijou; we haven’t had any guests in a long time. Welcome to my home, I see you’ve met my daughters and our guests.” The blonde-haired girl was twirling in circles and Koharu looked like she wanted to punch her. “My name is Yuusuzumi, and these are my daughters, Koharu and Aijou.”
“I’m Shishou.” I extended an arm, which she took.
“You seem to know these people, are you traveling together?” Yuusuzumi asked and I nodded. “So you are traveling to the Takitanima?”
“The what?” I asked. I had never heard of such a place.
“It is where Dannen is headed.” She said.
“How do you know his name?”
“Koharu asked him. She is very good with languages. Dannen told her that he was told to go to the Takitanima, but I expect that it’ll be a rough journey for such a young hyena.” I didn’t respond, allowing her words to sink in. Could Koharu be like Kisa? Were any of these women hiding wings? “Those who seek passage to the Takitanima have always come to me. You will be able to go there tomorrow. However, Yuki will have to stay here and heal. I do have many questions for her, for I know her mother, she was a good woman… Ah we’ll, Koharu, show Shishou to his room and then we can start supper. The boy must be famished!” Yuusuzumi smiled warmly and Koharu came to me. She shivered.
“Follow me.” She said softly. I followed, wondering why she was so upset. She led me to the end of the hall to a small room. “Come back to the main room for your meal.” I stopped her.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s the matter? You seem depressed.” I asked softly, hoping to not arouse her anger. She looked away.
“I am not supposed to feel emotions. But I absolutely despise that little brat Aijou. She jumps all over the place and Mother seems to be obsessed with her. The only reason that I’m telling you this is because I will show you to Ayame, and then we will never see each other again. Got that?” she hissed the last words and flounced away. I was awestruck at her. She must never get out. I thought sadly. She desperately needs friends. Anyone that she can understand that is nice to her. I sat on the small bed in the center of the room. What did she mean; she isn’t supposed to feel emotions?
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I wandered into a large field. Irises swayed in the gentle breeze. And a waterfall roared somewhere. There was a figure slowly gliding through the long grass. I decided to follow it. The figure stopped at the edge of a clear lake. She stared up at the moon and stepped onto the surface. She had long auburn hair with a braid circling her head. She pulled the green cloak tighter around her shoulders. She took a few steps onto the water’s glistening surface and a large bird flew to her outstretched arms.
“K…Kisa?” she turned and penetrated me with her violet gaze. She threw off the cloak and huge golden wings shot out of her back. She reached towards the moon. Suddenly the scene changed and we were on a dark burned and bloody battlefield. The bird was gone. Kisa rose slowly and was bombarded with arrows that appeared out of nowhere. She fell at my feet. Tears filled my eyes as I knelt next to her and held her. She touched my face with a soft hand. Kisa gazed up at me with sad eyes.
“I’m going to die soon, Yozakura. Please pass this message to your child. Don’t cry, you know I hate it when you do that! Please Yozakura; don’t shed any tears for me. Instead, tell your child to save Sora.” Tears fell from her eyes, which she wiped away angrily. “Please, Yozakura…” she choked “SAVE MY DAUGHTER!” and Kisa fell limp.
“No Kisa! Don’t die! Who is Yozakura? Who is Sora? Please don’t die!” I sobbed and held her closer, my tears falling into her hair. Then the angel evaporated, and a single golden feather fell from the sky into my lap.
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“Shishou? Shishou, wake up! Shi- ah, look, moron, breakfast is ready! Wait…are you crying? What a nightmare you must be having!”
“Kisa.”
“Shishou, my name is Koharu…”
“Don’t die, Kisa!” oh, so he was dreaming. I wished that I could dream. “Kisa, wait! Who is Yozakura? Who is Sora?”
“WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!!!!” I screamed at him. His eyes fluttered open slowly.
“Where am I? Who are you?”
“My name is Koharu, and you are in Yuusuzumi’s hut. And you talk in your sleep. Who’s Kisa?” I asked with one eyebrow raised.
“Kisa is my friend, and thank you, erm; do you know where I can find Sora? Or do you know who Sora is?”
“I don’t know her, but maybe Yuki or Dannen does.”
“How do you know Dannen? Is Yuki awake?”
“You ask too many questions, Shishou. I simply asked him, and he told me. And yes, Yuki is awake; right now they are enjoying breakfast, something that you should be doing also.” I teased him.
“So, you can talk to animals? That was something that Kisa could do…” his gaze clouded.
“No, but I can translate.” I took his arm and led him out the door before he could ask me any more questions.
I felt that he took the news pretty well; most people freaked out when told that they were in a house full of two robots and their builder. Aijou served the humans eggs and bacon, which they seemed to enjoy. Yuki had trouble sitting up straight, but was healing nicely, and Dannen wolfed down his meal before talking. Luckily, I had turned on the translator, so that everybody could understand what he was saying.
“Lady Koharu, could you tell me the way to the Takitanima? It is to help a person with the name of Lady Sora.”Shishou almost spewed milk at the mention of Sora’s name. Yuusuzumi nodded.
“Koharu, will you show the boys to the Takitanima after breakfast?” I nodded.
“As you wish, mother.” I said softly. For the rest of breakfast, we managed some small talk.
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“This way.” Koharu stated blankly. Yuki gripped my wrist.
“Shishou, I don’t know if this helps, but last night I had a dream.” I blinked. She continued. “My mother is Queen Tsubasa of Ayame. She told me many things. If she talks to you, know that she looks like Kisa, but she isn’t. The only difference is that she has golden wings. Anyways, she comes from a weird world called the Takitanima. It is hidden behind a waterfall… in Mt Fuji, Japan. She told me that there were others like us, people fused with animals, and they each have a doushi, which is like an animal spirit. Tsubasa’s was an eagle. Mine is a snowy owl. I met him inside my dream, he was with my mother, and he told me that Kiru’s animal is a raven.”
“Tsubasa told me that Kiru was my sister, and that I have to save her from a fate worse than death. You might have seen her, she is the vampire under the evil vampire’s, Akkiyaan’s, curse.”
“How do you know all of this?” Yuki blushed.
“I can read minds, but just vaguely. Apparently, Akkiyaan can speak into people’s minds. He is very convincing… oh dear, I’m off topic! Tsubasa wasn’t only the queen of Ayame; she married the Emperor of Japan. He still is in power, and I really want to talk to him…”
“Is Tsubasa still alive?” I cut in. Yuki’s gaze fell.
“Tsubasa was charged with being a demon, and she was executed, shot to death.” I saw her sad eyes.
“Don’t worry, Yuki, last I checked, I was in an orphanage. When I turned 18, I left in search of the Desert Angel that a lioness in a dream told me about, which then told me to go to Ngorongoro with the angel to find our destinies.” I hadn’t ever told anyone that much about myself. All that I knew was that my mother sent me to an orphanage when she died after I turned four. I had no memories of anything that happened to me 14 years ago.
“That’s so sad!” Yuki’s eyes widened. “I’m talking about everything you said, mentally included.” She smiled softly. I wanted to hit her, but I couldn’t, not with her body like this…and I couldn’t have had anyway. “Thanks! That would hurt if you hit me.” And my want increased.
“Shishou, come on.” Koharu called. I mentally said goodbye, and Yuki’s smile widened.
“Bye to you too!” Did Yuki know who Sora was?
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We stood at the edge of a small pool. Dannen and I exchanged glances. “Base of the Takitanima.” Koharu said clearly, and then jumped into the water. I shrugged and followed her, Dannen in the back. The spring air felt cold swirling about us. Dannen shook the water droplets from his fur. A girl with golden blonde hair ran up to us. “State your business!” she called. A golden kitten was nestled in her arms, sleeping soundly. Koharu glanced at me.
“Queen Tsubasa sent us.” I called back to her. She landed in front of me.
“Queen Tsubasa has been dead for 14 years.” She hissed.
“Yuusuzumi gave us passage here.” Koharu growled at her. Fear sparked in the young girl. “We are to go to the Ayame Republic for answers.”
“Oh, okay. Would you care to join my family in a meal before you meet with Lady Mitsukai?” the jet lag seemed to drain my stomach, so Dannen and I nodded. “Is that your doushi? If so, I think you’d be most welcome in Sakura.” I shook my head.
“No. My name is Dannen, abandoning hope of the haiena clan, Shishou is a friend of mine and we travel together.” Dannen answered for me. The girl bowed slightly.
“My name is Koneko. And this,” she gestured towards the kitten, “is Neko.
“I’m Shishou, and this is our guide-”
“Koharu.” Koharu curtsied swiftly.
“Okay then, follow me!” Koneko effortlessly leapt up the rocky slope. I had troubles, even when she offered me her hand. I gazed at the great waterfall in front of us. “Come on, if you don’t want to drown, you better come around.” Koneko flashed a smile at me. The strong scent of roses overwhelmed me as I entered the Takitanima. “This is Bara, land of horses. Be careful, we might be at peace right now, but our countries don’t appreciate passer-bys.”
It wasn’t long before the ground trembled with hundreds of hoof beats. A group of horses was galloping towards us. I noticed that some of the horses were different; some had the upper bodies of humans. Centaurs were galloping alongside their equine counterparts. A male centaur trotted up to us.
“What are you doing in Bara territory?” He called to us, an appaloosa mare by his side.
“We have visitors trying to cross over to Ayame.” Koneko hissed at him. I could feel the electric hate waves passing between them.
“You will need to speak to Lady Kohaku before you pass through Bara.
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“Lady Kohaku, you have visitors, Ayame travelers passing through Bara.”
“Uma, I’m in the middle of a conference with Sakura. We don’t need to check every traveler.” A black haired bay centaur gazed icily at Uma with blazing green eyes. A zebra centaur followed Lady Kohaku’s voice. He gave a nod of acknowledgement to us. “Lady Akeru has agreed to the land treaty between her haienas and our centaurs.” He spoke tranquilly. Lady Akeru? Akeru was a shy but headstrong male haiena. A brunette woman followed the zebra. “Thank you Raikou, thank you, Lady Akeru.”
“Akeru?” I blinked in astonishment. She returned my astonishment.
“You are a haiena! I wonder whose doushi you are…”
“I’m not a doushi, I am a real haiena, and my name is Dannen.” I growled.
“Of course you are Dannen. Sir Ichidou said that you would be here soon enough.”
“Ichidou?!”
“Yes, he came to the clan and ended Sanda’s reign. Who knew that your mother was the real Musouka? Now, He has put me in charge, and is waiting for his doushi to come here to him. Please, accompany me to our clan.” My head whirled and I allowed Sir Shishou to pick me up as we followed Akeru.
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Sir Shishou seemed to be the only one lagging behind as we set off towards the Kingdom of Sakura. Koneko’s kitten stared at Shishou in wonder. In the distance, I could see a golden figure.
“AKERU!” I heard him call, and he broke into a run to greet us. His dusty golden eyes glittered as he saw Shishou and me. He ran up to us and flung his arms around Shishou. “Shishou! I’ve missed you guys so much!” then he turned and picked me up. “Dannen!” Shishou was as confused as I was.
“Ichidou?!” I blinked. The blonde boy grinned and wagged his tail.
“Yup!” I licked his nose and he laughed happily.
“Who are you?” Shishou choked.
“I guess you don’t know me in my human form. I am Ichidou, ray of hope for the haiena clan, son of the great sun goddess, Amateasuo!” Shishou looked even more confused. “You know my doushi…” more blank stares. “I’m Hachi!” Ichidou burst.
“HACHI?!?” Shishou and I choked in unison.
“The vixen?” I coughed.
“The fox that seems to hate me?” Ichidou looked down.
“I hated the way Kisa looked at you. I was jealous because she loves you more than she loves me.” Ichidou looked at his feet sadly. “But then I had Dannen…” Shishou was gaping at him, looking amazed. I was starting to see Hachi in Ichidou. “Then I realized that I wasn’t the only one, I wasn’t the lost child, and I was the lost parent of Kisa, the one who was truly abandoning hope. Dannen, I think… I think that our names were switched because you were my ray of hope after all.” I could only stare and gape at him as Shishou was doing. A woman came running to us, followed by two boys, one with an eye patch and various wounds.
“Ichidou!” She squealed and threw her arms around him. I felt something in my heart wobble as I met her eyes and I could tell that she felt the same, as if a part of her heart was filling up. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she collapsed, still holding onto Ichidou. I felt tears in my eyes, too. I felt like I could never leave her. I knew everything she had ever thought or felt, and I knew that she knew all of mine. I discovered so much about myself in that second, and some of it hurt. I then understood what Ichidou had said.
“Dannen?” Shishou breathed, and both the girl’s and my own heads spun towards him.
“Yes?” we said in unison. I knew now that I was her doushi, and that she was mine. I found myself. More literally than expected.
“Shhh, Shishou, they are meeting themselves, their best and worst traits.” Koneko said, clutching her kitten closer to her heart. “We should leave them for now.” Shishou nodded wordlessly, and Koharu stared at us with – jealousy? Dannen left Ichidou to cradle me. It was the best feeling in the world. Koneko clutched her kitten tightly and I understood that Koneko’s kitten was her doushi.
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The haienas invited us to spend the night with them and we agreed, mostly because we couldn’t drag the two Dannens away from each other. Koneko and her kitten, which I could have sworn she called Koko…a strange nickname for a male lion cub, unlike anyone noticed that she was part lion, probably due to the fact that she had thick masses of golden sandy hair covering her ears with a ribboned ponytail. Therefore, she really didn’t look like her doushi.
I sat against a tree while everyone was sleeping soundly, how I wished that I could sleep, too. I slowly stood and walked towards Shishou’s sleeping body. I heard his soft breathing and felt his pulse beating softly. How wonderful it would be to be a human. I lowered my head, pressing my ear close to his heart and was soothed with the rhythmic thumping of his heartbeat. I sighed. The human body was amazing! If only. I raised my head, walked back to my tree, and leaned against it.