I debate about returning to the village elder’s house to check up on the Ghost Haunts crew member I left behind or foraging for more ghosts. There’s still no sign of Kagura anywhere, and my spirits sink again as I entertain the possibilities of her—or anyone else—surviving for this long.
One more doll, I decide. I remember the diary entries of that unfortunate girl, the way she talked about a Yukiko-san. I remember the first ghost I’d spotted, the aggressive little bugger that chased me nearly all the way into the house, barred temporarily only by the ofuda I’d placed in her way.
On a sudden flash of insight, I peruse the list of girls’ names. Sure enough, I recognize one of the kanjis on the list as being the same as the kanji on the girl’s diary and remember her describing with perfect accuracy the kimono the other girl had worn before she was sacrificed.
Yukiko Uchiyama. The second to the last name on the list. But that would mean that the writer of the diary must be…
I glance down at the last name on the page. Oimikado Hotoke. The ghostly old man trying to help me must have been her father, Lord Oimikado, since he was in the Oimikado house. It all fits together.
“Thank you,” I murmur. I’ve been able to piece together what scant information I have because of her diary, and I feel like the only way I can repay her is to find out if she managed to escape the village…or if she was sacrificed like her predecessors.
The fastest way to do that, I figure, is to find the ghost of Yukiko Uchiyama, the only girl Hotoke referred to by name. I let Okiku tug me to the right house. The Uchiyama residence is near the village entrance, confirming my theory that these ghosts tend to wander near the houses they grew up in. Unless they are chasing someone, I think, remembering Alan with a wince.
Still, I can’t help but feel wary as I slide the shoji screen open and peer inside. This particular ghost is more upfront about being antagonistic than the rest, and with Okiku occupied, I’m not sure how well I’ll fare.
“Here goes,” I mutter.
I barely have a foot through the doorway when I freeze at a sudden, frightened cry from inside. It’s followed shortly by a litany of familiar sutras and chants, and my eyes widen. I recognize that voice.
“Kagura!”
Chapter Fourteen
A Reunion
She’s still got her hakama and her haori, though the former’s been ripped around the hem and the latter’s become a makeshift bandage around her upper arm, now stained red. A canvas bag is strapped to her good shoulder, and her hair’s loose instead of in the ponytail she usually wears. There are scratches and dirt on her face, like she had to force her way through some man-eating thornbushes. Given the circumstances, I think Kagura looks perfectly composed—for someone who’s been lost inside a haunted village for days.
Her eyes widen when she catches sight of me, and her voice wavers. Her chanting stops, and Yukiko Uchiyama takes advantage of it, springing forward and all but bowling the miko over with one timed leap. I run to Kagura’s aid, my recording picking up where her chant left off, and take a well-aimed kick at the ghost’s head before her teeth can close on the miko’s face. She rears back, and I thrust the stake at her. Yukiko’s quicker than I expect, dodging it, but she backs away from Kagura, who’s sprawled on the ground and trying to catch her breath.
The apparition tries to approach once more, but the recorder makes her wary enough that she never quite closes the distance between us. I make sure to keep myself between her and the miko until finally, with one last baleful look at us, she backs into a wall, disappearing from view.
“Well,” Kagura gasps, pulling herself to a sitting position, “I’m glad to see you’ve been taking your training seriously.”
“I’m glad to see you!” I fold her into a quick hug, making sure not to put pressure on her injured shoulder. “What happened? Where’s the rest of the crew? How the hell are we going to get out of here?”
“All questions that are rather difficult to answer at the moment.” She smiles wanly at me. “Where’s Okiku?”
I point toward my chest, and her smile fades. “I knew it,” she says, sighing. “I was hoping you wouldn’t be here. These are creatures of earth, and the strain on Okiku might be too much to bear. What are you doing here?”
I put forward a quick summary of events, starting from our search in Aokigahara, and she shakes her head. “Oh, Tark.”
“You and Callie both,” I retort. “You’re here and I’m here, so there’s no use dwelling on that. But I’d really like to know what’s going on.” I scan the room, just in case the ghost bride wishes to return. “I found the camcorder one of the crew was using. I watched the video when you guys first arrived. How did you even escape the…whatever it was chasing you?”
“I’m not quite sure myself.” Kagura winces. “I think we would have been doomed almost as soon as that first ghost attacked if not for her.”