Haguko’s Curse

 

“Hima-chaaaaaaan!!”, Akiko jumped, her arms open, onto Himari as she opened the front door. It was still dark but there she was, standing on the porch with two fancy-looking paper bags in her hands. Her long raven hair was let loose over an orange high-neck halter top and her brown bell bottoms almost covered her golden heels. She chirpily lifted a pair of sunglasses and rested them on her head. 

“Akiko-san..”, Himari greeted her, in a rather puzzled tone. 

Akiko’s smile vanished and she rolled her eyes, “Come onnnn, Hima-chan, I’ve told youuu. It’s Aki-chan, for youuuuu”, she pouted for a second and then reached out to hug Himari once again. As if in reflex, Himari blocked Akiko’s face with one hand and furtively looked around to see if her brother or sister-in-law were around, “Akiko-san, please stop that”, she said, frowning to hide her shyness. 

“So, is Murasaki here yet?”, Akiko asked matter-of-factly as she took off her shoes and stepped in, handing Himari the two fancy bags.

Himari inspected them carefully almost with childlike curiosity, “Are these for me?”

“Yess of course, it’s for you!”, Akiko yelled excitedly after watching Himari with a fond look on her face. 

Himari inspected the gifts with wide eyes. There was a jute purse, a pair of jute slippers, a pastel green bucket hat, and a set of cat-themed drinking cups. 

“So do you like them, Hima-chan?”, Akiko asked playfully. Himari blushed a bright pink as she packed the items hurriedly back into the bags. “Y-yes, they look wonderful, Akiko-san. But really, you didn’t have to get them” 

“Pffft nonsense I got these from my cousin’s shop in Kawasaki”, Akiko boasted.

“Ohh so you probably got a discount?”, Himari suggested, humbly. 

Akiko frowned “Discount? Do you really think I’d buy you discounted gifts?”, then she flipped her hair with pride and said smugly, “he offered me a discount but I paid full price and I paid some extra cash just for the heck of it”

Himari smiled and shook her head. She invited Akiko to follow her down the hallway into her practice room, where their meeting was to be held. But suddenly, just before they started walking, another voice cut through the silence of early morning. Outside Himari’s house, on the street, someone was screaming their names. 

“Himari-saaaaaaan, Akiko-saaaaaaaan! Wait for meeeee!”

Startled, the two stopped in their tracks and peeked outside through a window. A tall young man with dark purple tinted hair and hoop earrings was running towards them from across the street. 

“Murasaki-san”, Himari and Akiko said in unison.

Hearing his loud scream, lights went on in a few houses. He noticed this and slowed down into an awkward but hurried limp. Himari and Akiko stared at him through the window. “How could he scream? People are literally still sleeping”, Akiko mumbled. 

As he stepped onto the porch, he smiled at them as if nothing had happened. 

“Murasaki-san”, Himari opened the door and greeted him. He greeted them both and bowed. 

“We were just going to head over to the practice room”, Himari said pointing down the hallway.

"Himari-san, you're so formal", Murasaki complained, lightheartedly as they walked towards the room. Akiko nudged him with a frown.  

"What do you mean?"

“You having a designated room for our meetings and all that. It’s like an office or something. I always let you guys hang out in the living room when we used to have meetings at my place.”

Himari hesitated, “Well..I live with my brother’s family. I can’t..compromise..our secrets”

“We compromise our secrets whenever we help people”, Murasaki shrugged. 

Himari calmly opened the door to her practice room, “Not if we can help it, Murasaki-san” 

The dimly-lit room greeted them with the scent of sage, mugwort, and agarwood. At the far end of the room was the kamidana, the altar which held different offerings made to sacred shinto deities. In the middle of the room, Himari had placed a kotatsu accompanied by cushioned benches around it. In the summer, the kotatsu went without being used but the comfortable benches were loved by her visitors all year-around. 

Murasaki hurried over to a bench close to him and sat down, exhaling and stretching his feet to relax. Akiko exasperatedly shook her head and sat down opposite him. As Himari was getting ready to sit down next to Akiko, Murasaki said loudly, “Oh! Today’s meeting has to be postponed!”

“What??”, Akiko and Himari exclaimed in unison.  

“What do you mean, Murasaki-san?”, Akiko demanded.

“Chill chill”, Murasaki gestured with his hands trying to calm her down, “We’ll still have the meeting but..It’ll be a bit late”

“Why? Can’t the others make it on time?” Himari asked.

“Well Riku has to take his driver’s exam and Kazuyuki’s dog fell ill”, Murasaki replied nonchalantly.

“And Saburo-san?”

Murasaki hesitated and answered, “Well he is Riku’s driving examiner”

Akiko got up from her seat, fuming. Startled, the other two glanced up at her slowly.

“A-Akiko-san, are you oka-”

“HOW COULD THEY???”

Himari and Murasaki jumped.

“HOW COULD THEY TREAT THIS LIKE A JOKE??? PEOPLE’S LIVES ARE IN DANGER AND THEY TREAT THIS LIKE SOME JOB????”

“Well these meetings do kinda make it feel like a jo-”, Murasaki stepped in but Akiko cut him off.

“DON’T YOU INTERRUPT ME MURASAKI-KUN! THAT..THAT..KAZUYUKI AND HER STUPID BIG DOG!!!”

Himari shook her head quietly. Akiko was always the one with the temper. She got annoyed with anyone who didn’t agree with her, or according to her “didn’t stand up for justice”, “didn’t stand up against evil”, et cetera. When Himari had asked for their help, Akiko had been the most enthusiastic. Everyone else had chalked it up to Akiko’s excessive fondness for Himari but Himari knew that Akiko just loved to throw hands. After all, she was the one with superhuman strength; always a big deal in battle. Murasaki had always found Akiko’s temper comical. 

“Yes yes Akiko-san we all know you hate Kazuyuki and big dogs, but can you really blame her for her dog falling ill??”, he taunted her with a cheeky smile.

“UHH YESS!! FIRST OF ALL IF SHE LOVES HER DOG SO MUCH SHE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN BETTER CARE OF IT!!”

“Alright alright, you two cut it out”, Himari said firmly, voice ringing loud and clear. 

She gave them both serious glances after which they complied. Akiko cleared her throat. “Ahem, yes Hima-chan I’m sorry”, she said and sat down. Murasaki’s smile vanished as well. He too cleared his throat and said, “Ahem, yeah sorry Himari-san” and adjusted in his seat. 

Himari took a deep breath. There was piercing silence around them once again. When she spoke again there was depth in her tone.

“There is something important that we need to talk about”

Akiko and Murasaki listened closely.

“Yesterday, a police officer came to see me and Genji. He said that they’re investigating the missing person reports which were filed for Taka-chan and Daiki-kun. He said he would inform Daiki’s family as well. But I don’t think he did.”

Murasaki frowned, “Why not?”

After a pause, Himari answered, “Because he was not a police officer”

“What??”, Akiko and Murasaki exclaimed, leaning forward towards Himari. She took another deep breath before continuing with the truth that she had discovered.

“He was..one of them”

“One of..whom?”, Murasaki asked.

Himari looked intently at her two friends and answered, “The evil that is responsible for Haguko’s disappearances”

She watched her friends’ reactions, as their eyes grew wide and their mouths fell open.

“You mean..those creatures?”

Himari silently nodded and said, “Yes, the creatures”

She knew about them. In fact she’d known for some time. It started when she began treating Yūto after his escape from the mountains. At first his memory had been foggy but little by little the mist had cleared. Listen to what he says. No matter how nonsensical. Listen and take notes, she’d advised Yūto’s family back then. She’d known that it would come in handy, eventually. 

Just then there was another knock on the front door. 

“Huh?”, Murasaki glanced in that direction, confused, “Who’s that? I thought it’d just be the three of us for a while”

Himari smiled knowingly, “No. I invited two others. They’re early”. She left the room to open the door and soon came back with a very sleepy Asa and Botan accompanying her. 

“Oh my God it’s Tweedledum and Tweedledee!”, Murasaki exclaimed.

“Ssh! Don’t be so rude, Murasaki!”, Akiko hissed at him, “They’re Takashi-kun and Daiki-kun’s friends”

“Pfft alright alright”

“Kobayashi-san, Aoki-san, thank you for coming in today. Please make yourself at home.”, Himari showed them towards the middle of the room. The two fidgeted sheepishly through the room and sat timidly next to Akiko. They have powers. They have powers. The more Asa and Botan kept trying to push that singular thought away, the more it kept coming back.

Once they were settled on the bench, Murasaki yelled loudly to dissipate the tension, “SO!”. Everyone jumped, startled by his voice. He continued, “So, Himari-san, you were talking about the creatures”

Asa and Botan exchanged suspicious glances. “C-creatures?”, Asa asked quietly. In their hearts, deep down, they already knew from what Takashi and Daiki had told them. 

“Hm, yes”, Himari began, “I’ve been visiting Yūto-san’s family for a while now. Like I advised them, they’ve been taking notes of the things that he remembers and talks about. And..”

Everyone listened intently. Himari continued, “.. And he has been talking about these strange creatures that they ran into”

“Who are they?”, Botan asked.

Himari hesitated, “I still don’t know for sure. But they seem to be highly intelligent and they also might have..different..supernatural powers..like the ability to disguise”

“Disguise?? Himari-san, you got all this information from Yūto-san’s notes?”, Murasaki asked, suspiciously.

“Partially, yes”, Himari nodded, “But I also saw it for myself”

Himari exhaled and looked around at everyone. They looked back at her with surprise and obvious curiosity.

“What? When??”, Akiko demanded.  

“The police officer who came to meet me..”, she began. Asa felt chills running through her spine.

“Himari-san”, she interrupted and said, quietly and thoughtfully, “The police officer..he wasn’t really..a police officer, was he?”

Himari nodded knowingly, “I know you realised it too, Kobayashi-san”

“Eh?”, Akiko and Murasaki looked from Asa to Himari, completely confused by their exchange.

“Okay wait, how does Kobayashi-san know about this??”, Murasaki demanded.

“She and Aoki-san came to visit me yesterday, just as the police officer was leaving. Kobayashi-san..noticed something”, Himari looked intently at Asa, “What did you see, Kobayashi-san?”

Asa hesitated for a second and answered, “His hand..it was beginning to turn black. It was as if his skin was beginning to change..or something”, she looked nervously at everyone’s faces. Should she reveal Daiki and Takashi’s secret? Should she betray them for their own good? Would it even be betrayal? A month ago, did she think that she’d someday be having a conversation with superhumans about saving the day? Her mind swam with thoughts as she continued, “Daiki and Takashi..”

Botan turned his head quickly and Asa met his gaze, “Daiki and Takashi saw one of them too..once”, she said.

Akiko, Murasaki, and Himari stared at Asa in silence for a minute. To Asa it felt like an eternity. Up until now, she and her friends have kept their interest in what was happening in the mountains under wraps. Their experiences and encounters were all shared only among themselves. Next to her, she felt Botan’s intense gaze. Sorry, Botan, she thought, I had to say it. They might be in serious danger. 

Himari blinked fast, trying to process her thoughts and articulate them. Then she cleared her throat and spoke. Her tone was that of urgency. 

“Kobayashi-san, when did this happen?”, she asked.

Asa swallowed and answered fast, “A few days ago..”

“Where?”

“A-at Yua Fujisaki’s house..it was the day that Fujisaki-san saw something outside her window”

Himari narrowed her eyes. “What did they see?”, she asked finally.

Asa glanced at Botan who nodded lightly. Then she glanced back at Himari. “I-I think..they saw a tall and dark figure..almost as tall as the house”

“A figure?”, Murasaki asked suspiciously, “What kind of figure?”

“I don’t know”, Asa replied, “I think..like a tall, big man but..with a very deformed body”

“Deformed?”

Asa nodded. She felt the morning light peeking in through the vents and burning her skin ever so lightly. 

“Where in Yua Fujisaki’s house did they see this?”, Himari asked calmly, her eyes still narrow. Asa swallowed and glanced at Botan who glanced back at her with a guilty expression. 

“Kobayashi-san, we were all at her house that day. But no one else saw anything.”, Himari leaned forward, “Where did they see this figure?”

“D-Daiki saw something through a window..I think..and he told us..that he followed it to the backyard with Takashi”, Botan replied, reluctantly. 

Himari sighed. She looked down at her lap and sighed deeply. She had been there, protecting the town, protecting other people, but she couldn’t protect her nephew. She held tightly onto her robe and thought. Their next course of action should be to go into the mountains. There was no time to waste. But before that, they had to know who they were up against. These meetings were important. They had to observe this enemy and figure out who they really were. Don’t panic, Himari, she told herself, Think this through and be smart about this. 

“Hima-chan”, Akiko softly put her hand on Himari’s shoulder. 

“We have an immediate danger..”, Himari glanced at everyone in the room, “there’s something we need to take care of immediately”

“What is it, Hima-chan?”, Akiko asked seriously. 

“The police officer told me that there will be two other officers here today”, Himari spoke in a low grave voice, “their lives might be in danger”

Everyone looked at her with confusion. Himari continued, “The only reason I can think of, as to why they’d want someone to infiltrate the police station, is to sabotage the investigation from within. If more police officers mysteriously disappear, the investigation will get stalled once again. He can make sure it happens, if he’s high enough on the hierarchy.”

Then she changed her tone to one that was confessional, “Yesterday, after Kobayashi-san and Aoki-san had gone home, I ran into him again”

“Who? The..fake police officer?”, Murasaki asked. 

Himari nodded and continued,“Yes. I think he believed that I already knew he was one of them.”

“What? But why?”, Asa probed.

Himari glanced at her seriously, “I don’t know, but I think..if I’d revealed that I knew what he was, he would have used it to blackmail me. Threaten me that if I told anyone else, he’d hurt more people from the town. So he could buy my silence and continue with his plan..”

“..his plan to kidnap more officers and stall the investigation”, Akiko finished Himari’s sentence, connecting the dots.

“Exactly”, said Himari. Then she smirked ever so slightly and continued, “But now he probably thinks that I genuinely don’t know anything about his true nature. So he will definitely stick to his plan”

Akiko frowned, thoughtfully, “So you think that because we have..guessed his plan, it’ll be easy for us to attack him? What if he changes things up just for good measure?”

“I agree”, Murasaki joined in, “He could try to be a step ahead of you and kidnap these officers before they even reach Haguko”

“Wait”, Botan interrupted, “How do we even know that the other two police officers are real people?”

For a moment the room was quiet. Everybody exchanged glances in grave silence.

“Yeah”, Asa joined in, “Maybe they’re also..creatures in disguise. How do we know that these are good guys?”

Akiko and Murasaki seemed to consider Asa and Botan’s inputs. They looked thoughtfully at each other and then at Himari and joined in with their suggestions.

“Yeah, how do we even know there will be two police officers at all? Maybe he just made them up”, Akiko said, “Also if he’d really climbed that high up the hierarchy, how long has he been infiltrating the police station?”, then she stared at Himari with horror in her eyes, “maybe this..creature murdered a high-ranking officer to disguise as him”

Murasaki shook his head. “Himari-san”, he said, “If I was this thing, and I infiltrated a police station just to stall an investigation, I wouldn’t bother coming into town and pretending to reopen it just to sabotage it.”, he re-evaluated his comment and finally said, “I feel like he has another motive too”, Murasaki looked at Himari. She simply stared at them with a determined look on her face. So many questions and concerns were brought forward but she looked completely unfazed by them.  

“He said he knew who I really am too”, she said finally, not looking at any particular person.

Akiko raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean? He knew you were the town’s witch doctor, obviously?”

“Yes, exactly. So I don’t know what he really meant by that”, Himari glanced at Akiko, “And that’s the thing. There are so many things that I don’t know. So much that I can’t answer. There’s a lot going on that we can’t understand”, she looked around the room, trying to get her point across, “We can’t try to be right about all our guesses. We don’t know who they are and what they’re capable of. Right now, we have to make assumptions, and check every possibility one by one.”

“So..”, Akiko looked at her two friends, “What do you think we should do now?”

“Let’s focus on today”, Himari answered, “Let’s assume that two innocent police officers will be here today. Let’s stalk them through the day and make sure they’re safe. Akiko-san, Murasaki-san, Kobayashi-san, and Aoki-san. You guys should do this”

“What about you?”, Murasaki asked.

“I’m going to go into the city and find him. I’ll watch him, follow him around all day. I’ll try to figure out what kind of creature he is. Who he talks to and just how powerful he is. We can all fight him together if he tries anything on anyone”

“So..you’re going to..figure him out? Why don’t we just find him, kidnap him, tie him up, and get him to speak? Tell us who they really are and what they’re up to?”, Akiko suggested.

“We can’t do that without figuring out just how powerful he is and whether or not he has any supporters. We have to be patient. I don’t want to botch this.”

Himari glanced at everyone, waiting for their responses. There was a brief silence, before Akiko squealed with excitement.

“If he’s going to attack them, he will wait until it’s dark. That’s when we can get our hands on him!” 

“Ah, Akiko-san, our pacifist”, Murasaki rolled his eyes.

Himari couldn’t help smiling at just how excited Akiko gets before a fight. She shook her head and stood up, ready to dismiss the meeting and commence their operation. But just before she could say anything, a bloodcurdling scream came from the kitchen. Akiko jumped and held onto Himari while Murasaki almost yelled, himself. Asa grabbed Botan’s arm and they both exchanged horrified glances. 

Everybody stood frozen and startled, waiting for something else to happen. Maybe for someone to come running, maybe for another scream. Soon, they heard Takashi’s mom call out, “Genji!! Himari-saan!!”. Horrified, they ran into the kitchen to find Takashi’s mom on the floor, next to a bowl of water that she had been carrying. Obviously panicked by something beyond the open door, she helplessly tried to crawl away from it while pointing towards the backyard. This incident took mere seconds but it felt like an hour to Asa and Botan. She held onto his arm and followed everyone else’s gaze. They all looked in the direction that Takashi’s mom was pointing and soon a feeling mixed with horror, anxiety, and distant nausea filled their hearts and stomachs. 

Outside the house, beyond the kitchen door, on the misty backyard stood a tall beech tree that had stood there since forever. And twisted around that tree, in terrifying and deformed shape, were two pairs of arms, legs, two heads, and two bodies. Blood dripped down from numerous wounds on the two bodies and their eyes had rolled all the way up in a disturbing show of merciless violence. 

Two police officers. Attacked. Ravaged. Wrapped harrowingly around the branches of the giant beech tree. Killed before anyone could have saved them.