Ronin's Revenge

The succubus howled with glee once more upon hearing the unfortunate news. Himiko, on the other hand, was too shocked to accept the truth. “No,” she said, “you can’t be serious. That’s simply not true.” Ryoma sighed and said, “I’m afraid so. Yuki and I encountered an elderly couple matching your description; they were possessed. I’m so sorry, Himiko.”

It seemed as though Himiko wanted to cry, but she withheld. In truth, she was simply too tired to continue shedding tears. After a time of pondering, she asked, “Do you think they’ll be in the same place?” Yuki jumped up to cut in as he said, “Oh yes, we know for a fact that they haven’t gone anywhere. I made sure of it.”

“How do you know that for a fact?” Himiko asked. Then, it dawned on her and she asked, “Oh, does this have something to do with those ice powers you spoke of before?” Ryoma was shocked to hear her mention that aspect of Yuki. “When did you tell her about your abilities, Yuki?” He asked. Yuki answered, “The second time you were injured, I let her know about my powers and showed her the ofuda.”

“Well then,” Himiko said, “if you’re sure in your talents to restrain them, I’d very much like to see for myself about this possession. If the gods are willing, then I’ll be able to exorcize the demons from them and have them return to normal.” The succubus interrupted the sentiment as she asked, “Do you really think you’ll be able to cleanse them of their ailments when you couldn’t even save poor Sayako here? I doubt you have the wherewithal to save anyone, Himiko.” More laughter echoed throughout the room.

Although she was usually fiercely opposed to everything the succubus said, this time, Himiko paused, speechless when in desperate need of coming up with a response. Ryoma quickly filled the silence as he said, “You needn’t worry about what that succubus says, Himiko. So, what if you couldn’t exorcize her? She’s a different type of demon, so who’s to say that you can’t cleanse your parents of whatever possessed them?”

“Do you truly believe that?” Himiko asked Ryoma. The succubus begrudgingly said, “He’s right, you know. No self-respecting succubus or incubus would seek out an elderly body to inherit. Not when there’s such supple equipment to control.” Himiko swiftly snapped back and said, “Enough from you, succubus.” Then, she turned to Ryoma and said, “You’re absolutely right. I should at least try to save them from the demons’ clutches.”

Ryoma smiled at Himiko’s sudden resolve. Yuki smiled as well, welcoming her to their growing group. The trio lifted themselves from the floor and headed for the exit. Himiko turned around and looked the succubus in Sayako’s eye. She said, “I promise I’ll free you eventually, Sayako.” The succubus spat at Himiko who turned back to the front entrance and together, the three left the shrine.

***

It didn’t take long before the trio arrived back at the location where Ryoma and Yuki battled the demons possessing Himiko’s parents. The sight gracing their eyes, however, was different from the one the duo left behind, and much more graphic at that.

The ice surrounding Himiko’s parents hadn’t yet dissipated fully, leaving them still stuck in place. However, the demons had escaped. Himiko screamed in horror upon seeing what had happened; the demons, without an option of moving within their flesh prisons, broke free by ripping through the chests of their victims. Left in their wake were the mangled corpses of a once serene, elderly couple.

“By the gods,” Ryoma exclaimed, “how horrific!” He turned to Himiko to offer his condolences but found her too steeped in misery to reach at the moment. Yuki looked away, feeling as though he was partly responsible for their demise since he imprisoned them in the first place. The samurai reached out to the kappa and said, “Don’t become dejected over this, Yuki. We can’t blame ourselves for the evildoings of nefarious demons. The blood is on their hands, not ours.”

“You’re right, Ryoma.” Yuki said. He smiled faintly as though a portion of his burden was relieved. Himiko, however, remained inconsolable, and rightfully so in the eyes of the others in the group. While she may have gained resiliency back at the shrine, such a gruesome scene involving those so close to her surely would’ve been too much to bear.

“Hey, it’s those bastards from before!” A voice cried out from the distance. Ryoma and Yuki looked back to see a pair of amikiri floating around the nearby tree line. One of them cried out, “You’re the ones who left us frozen to the ground! How dare you lock us in place; we were meant to fly freely, after all.”

Ryoma moved his hand to unsheathe his katana while Yuki instinctively took a step back. However, a scream broke through the tension as Himiko rushed past the duo toward the demons. Caught off-guard, both of them hovered in place, too stunned to fly away. The angered maiden swatted one down with her gohei, causing its body to crack and sizzle upon hitting the ground.

The other amikiri drifted back nervously, its lobster-like nature not suited to fighting long-range without a body to possess. “Hold on,” it said, “let’s take it easy for a moment. Look, I’m sorry for killing your parents. Forgive me, and I’ll never do something like that again.” Despite its pleas, only a lust for murder lingered in Himiko’s eyes. She raised her gohei and swatted down into the demon’s face. It cried in pain as it burned.

The two demons sat smoldering on the ground, nearing death. Himiko decided to accelerate the process by procuring salt from her pocket and sprinkling it on the amikiri. Each screamed out as they melted, eventually dissolving into nothingness. Ryoma and Yuki looked on, shocked at the sudden shift in the shrine maiden’s demeanor. Of course, neither blamed her for her outburst, emotions surely running high.

After a moment, Himiko sighed and returned to her usual self. She turned to the other two in the group, though her eyes failed to meet their gaze, and said, “I’m sorry you had to see that.” Neither had a response to her statement, so the trio stood in silence until the pain of the moment struck Himiko again and she began to weep once more.