Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As Koichi entered Kagemura, he noticed a fishing boat on the horizon. It was a red barge with white sails. There were people on the boat, too, but from this distance, he couldn’t see who they were. Instead, they were just figures cast in shadows.
The boat drew a bit nearer, and Koichi noticed something. The captain commanding the boat. He was still too far away to see who it was. But something about this mysterious creature set Koichi’s nerves on edge. Like his instincts were trying to warn him.
Shinigami.
He heard that word echo in his mind.
Spirits of violent death, they left corpses everywhere they went. How Koichi hated them.
Sadly, he’d met too many yōkai over the years. They all irritated him, but only the shinigami made him shiver down to his bones.
“Something wrong?” Haruki asked as she came to his side.
“I just saw a shinigami.” He jerked his chin in the boat’s direction.
“That’s never a good sign. See a shinigami in the day, and your life will you pay.”
“I don’t think he’s here for us.” A good bet given that the boat was going in the opposite direction. “Let’s keep going.”
Koichi led the group to the nicer part of town. There he spotted a cheap inn where he hoped they could stay the night. He also hoped it would satisfy Haruki and keep her from complaining.
A man like him was fine with anything. He’d even sleep in a gutter if he had to, and honestly, the ones in Kagemura looked pretty good, as far as gutters went.
Splendid, even.
All they had to do was sleep for a few hours and get their strength back. Or at least he had to. Haruki and Ryuichi-kage didn’t have the same needs as humans.
Still, he knew if he told Haruki, “Let’s camp out in the gutter tonight,” her reaction would make him want to hand himself over to Orochi and let the snake eat him.
At least with Orochi, his death would be quick.
Or maybe not. He didn’t really know how long digestion took, but it had to be faster than whatever fresh torments Haruki would come up for him for even suggesting something so foul.
Clearing his throat, Koichi entered the inn to find a yōkai innkeeper.
Smiling at him with wide blue eyes, she reminded him of an old neighbor of his from the human realm.
Until she elongated her neck several inches so that she could better see Haruki and Ryuichi-kage as they entered the inn behind him.
“Is this human with you?” she asked Haruki in a snotty tone.
Haruki didn’t miss a beat. “He’s my servant. Why? Would you like to buy him?”
Koichi almost laughed out loud. But being human in a yōkai village, he kept his amusement to himself and decided to play along.
The yōkai innkeeper leveled a less-than-flattering stare at him. “No, he seems way past his prime.”
He started to interject, then thought better of it. Best not to cause any trouble.
Surprisingly, he didn’t have to. Haruki did it for him.
“Don’t be rude. His worth might surprise you. Now mind your tongue, beast. You’re in the presence of nobility. And I am considered Ryukage’s closest confidant and adviser.”
The innkeeper’s eyes widened as she realized what she’d just done. “I had no idea, my lady. Please forgive me. I beg your pardon.”
“Stop begging and show us to a room. I wish to freshen up.”
The innkeeper bowed respectfully. “Yes, of course. Follow me. I’ll show you to your rooms right this instant.”
Without a word to the yōkai, Haruki snapped her fingers for the men to follow her.
For once her obnoxious behavior amused him. It felt good to have someone rise to his defense. Even if it was Haruki. He’d take the win and be grateful for it.
The yōkai led them to a small room in back, with very little in the way of decor, but at least it was quiet and private.
As they entered, the innkeeper continued to bow. “Is there anything else I can do for you, my lady?” She was absolutely mortified that she’d offended Haruki and couldn’t care less that he was in the room with them.
Haruki let out a peevish sigh. “Yes, leave. And don’t come back until I’ve summoned you.”
The innkeeper left their room and slid the door closed without another word.
Haruki passed an irritated glance around the sparse furnishings and worn-out mats. As she did so, her lips curled more and more.
“This is terrible. I feel like I’ve fallen inside someone’s small bamboo basket.” Her gaze paused on the two futons on the floor.
How Koichi wished he could capture the horrified look on her face. It reminded him of someone who’d stepped in the wrong place inside a stable.
Then she caught herself and steeled her expression. “At least we have two beds.”
“Mine!” Ryuichi-kage rushed forward and claimed the nearest one for himself.
“I stand corrected. There’s only one bed,” Haruki said.
Koichi shrugged. “I’ll just sleep with the boy.”
Ryuichi-kage spread out his arms and legs like a starfish. “Sorry, Koichi, there’s no room.”
“Move over. You’re a shadow. You don’t need a bed.”
“Yes, I do, and I choose this one. You can fight Haruki for the other.”
The look she gave him said it wouldn’t be a long fight. But it would probably be bloody.
And Koichi knew where this was heading.
Haruki scoffed. “Don’t expect a woman like me to share. Ever.”
“Understood. Floor it is for me.”
At least it was better than a gutter.
* * *
Later that night, Koichi sneaked out of the inn and entered Kagemura’s streets under the cover of darkness. A city of thieves could just as quickly become a city of informants, for the right price.
Moments ago, he’d lied to Ryuichi-kage and Haruki and said he was going out for some food. Of course, Haruki made a snide comment about not having enough money. And she was right. They didn’t have much coin left. But it should be enough that he could barter for something.
But Koichi would have to be careful lest his activities get back to Orochi.
The World Eater no doubt had his own spies here, gathering information and searching for them. If he was to do this, he needed to be discreet, which was why he decided to handle this part of their mission alone.
Suddenly, he had a weird feeling. Like someone or something was watching him.
Koichi spun around.
Nothing.
Still, he felt this horrible, nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
He scowled at the shadows cast by the streetlights. “Ryuichi-kage?”
The shadows twitched.
“Are you following me?”
They twitched again.
“Get out here. Now!”
With a sheepish grin, the boy stepped out so Koichi could see him.
“What are you doing out here?”
Ryuichi-kage shrugged. “You might need a sidekick.”
“I don’t need help from a kid.”
“But Ryuichi needs me. More than you want to know.”
Koichi raised an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Let’s just say the sooner we’re reunited, the better. That’s why I’m here. To speed things along. If you let me, I can be a real asset to you. No one will expect a human to have a shadow warrior hiding in the background.”
There was something about his tone that put Koichi on alert. He sounded a little desperate and scared, which was very unlike the shadow twin.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Ryuichi-kage looked away, as if he couldn’t bear to tell Koichi the truth to his face. “If Ryuichi and I are not reunited soon, there will be horrible consequences.”
“Like what?”
Ryuichi-kage sighed. “I’ll cease to exist, and Ryuichi will revert to the heartless beast he was. There won’t be any way to help him, so you’d be forced to kill him.”
All the color drained from Koichi’s face. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How long do we have?”
“A week, at most. I can feel myself starting to fade.”
Koichi clenched his fists. “And you’re just telling me this now?”
“Masaru thought it would be better if we kept this a secret.”
“Oh, so Masaru has known this whole time?”
Ryuichi-kage shrugged. “He said he was working on a way to reunite us and didn’t want everyone to worry. And then we got separated.”
Koichi shook his head. “Just when I thought we might be catching a break.”
“You should know better than to be optimistic,” Ryuichi-kage said.
Truer words had never been spoken.
Ryuichi-kage took Koichi’s arm and pulled him forward. “Come on. We have to hurry.”
Leaving the more civilized section of town, they wove their way into the rougher area.
There was a definite line of demarcation, where towering, gleaming buildings gave way to rickety shacks with broken windows.
Near the docks, Koichi found what he was looking for.
A nice, seedy-looking izakaya, where raucous voices thundered over the clinking of glasses.
Here he would find flowing drinks, loose lips, and creatures with no morals. No better combination in the world when looking for insider information.
As Koichi neared the door, he saw two larger yōkai with monkey heads and tails shove a smaller, one-eyed yōkai into a rain barrel. Ryuichi-kage slowed down to watch.
“That’ll teach you manners!” one of the larger ones yelled.
Home sweet home.
The riffraff of the world were all the same. Predators and prey.
Koichi was in his natural habitat.
Now it was time for this old ronin to get himself some liquid joy and important intel.
As he started up the stairs, a tengu came stumbling out and bumped into him. Whatever they had in there, it had to be strong to knock a yōkai off its feet.
Meanwhile, Ryuichi-kage moved back to the shadows so he could follow without being seen. Koichi had to admit that knowing there was someone else waiting to pounce on the enemy if need be felt good. He would take the secret to his grave though.
Inside the izakaya was the loudest, scummiest, most vile place one could imagine.
The smell alone was enough to send a man’s soul to the underworld, and every yōkai inside looked like they had dropped straight from the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.
Each one was hunched over with a scowl. Even the ones without faces managed to look like they were a single word away from starting a fight.
My people . . .
Koichi was finally home. A single tear welled up in his eye.