Akiko opened her eyes. Her mind was clear, her body comfortable, but she lay still for some time, staring at the ceiling. She could remember the dreams, visions, whatever, very clearly. She remembered Mr Takenaka’s threat against the Sugiyamas. She remembered the scenes in the shrine grounds, which even she could interpret as instructions to become a miko.

But how much of it was just the fever? she wondered. As she watched the light reflected from the pool playing over the ceiling in complex patterns, she sighed. Probably none of it.

She tried to sit up, and was astonished at how weak she was. She finally managed to push herself to a sitting position, but then had to stop there for some time, catching her breath. As her breathing returned to normal, there was a knock on the door, and moments later Shiraishi pushed it open and came in. Seeing Akiko sitting up, she came hurrying over, concern on her face, but by the time she had reached the side of the futon, her expression had settled into relief.

“Are you feeling better, Ms Tanahata?” Akiko nodded.

“Yes, thank you. I feel fine, just very weak.” The priest sat down by the bed.

“I’m not surprised. You hardly ate while you were ill.” As she said that, Akiko suddenly noticed how hungry she was.

“How long was I ill?”

“Four days. It’s Tuesday today.”

“Four days?” Akiko was shocked. It really didn’t seem that long. Shiraishi nodded.

“The doctor said it wasn’t unusual for this fever, and I should keep you warm and make sure you drank.”

“A doctor came?” The priest shook her head.

“Too busy; there are a lot of cases of this fever. No, I just phoned him and got advice.”

Akiko let herself sink back into the futon, coming to terms with how long she’d been ill.

“Would you like something to eat?”

“Mm.” Akiko suddenly turned her head to look at the priest. “I remember saying something to you and Akira Takenaka while I was ill. Did that really happen?” Shiraishi nodded, looking a little embarrassed. Akiko looked back at the ceiling, thinking over what she had to do.

“Revd Shiraishi, I think I have to become a miko.”

“Have to?” The priest sounded slightly… offended. Akiko looked back at her, searching her expression.

“Yes. I had a vision while I was ill. Tamao wants me to become a miko, so I really have no choice.”

“Being a miko isn’t like working at McDonalds, you know. You should have a bit more enthusiasm for the job. A bit more enthusiasm for the shrine.” Akiko shook her head impatiently; why couldn’t Shiraishi see?

“I don’t want to be a miko. I want a normal job, in an office. I want to marry a man on the career track, leave work, have children, maybe study flower arranging and work part-time in Takashimaya.” With a start, Akiko realised that she was on the verge of crying. “I want a normal life. I just want to be happy.” She took a deep breath, getting herself back under control, and turned back to the priest.

“But I don’t think Tamao is going to let me do that. So I have to become a miko.”

03: Takenaka, Episode 19 | 4 Comments »

The conversation went no further that day; Shiraishi quickly changed the subject by offering Akiko a meal, and Akiko, ravenous, could not turn it down. She then fell asleep again, waking twice more to eat and go to the toilet (and why couldn’t she remember doing that while she was ill? — She was definitely too embarrassed to ask Shiraishi).

When she woke up on Wednesday, however, she felt much better. Pulling on a yukata, she went out through the garden to pay her morning respects to Tamao. The shrine was quiet, with no sign of monsters or kami, the air cool and clear, birds singing in the woodland.

As she finished paying her respects, Akiko realised what she had to do. It might just have been the fever, but if it wasn’t too late, she had to warn the Sugiyamas. She remembered Akira’s reaction, or at least the reaction she thought she’d seen, and suspected that he knew who they were. So, the first step was to call him.

She found a business card inside the house, and called, hoping that Akira would pick up. Fortunately, he did.

“This is Akiko Tanahata,” she said. “Sorry to disturb you.”

“No, it’s good to hear from you. I hope you’re feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you. Um.” Akiko paused, aware that what she was going to say next would sound a little strange. “Could you tell me the Sugiyamas’ address?”

There was silence from the other end, long enough for Akiko to wonder whether the connection had been cut.

“Mr Takenaka?”

“Yes, I’m still here. Yes, I can tell you their address. Just a moment.” There were rustling sounds, presumably as he looked for the address, and then he read it out to her.

“Ms Tanahata?”

“Yes?”

“Ah… nothing. Excuse me.” And he hung up. Akiko closed the phone, a little puzzled. She couldn’t work out what he was thinking, not at all. As she thought back over their encounters, she decided that that wasn’t surprising, but still, she wanted to know.

Putting that problem to one side, she went to have a shower and get dressed.

Shiraishi was fairly obviously waiting for her when she emerged, even though she was pretending to be working on something; she looked up far too quickly.

“Ah, Ms Tanahata.” There was a pause. “Are you going out?”

Did Akira call her? Akiko wondered.

“Yes, I have an errand to run.”

“What?” The question was very abrupt, and Akiko was suddenly sure that Akira had called the priest.

“I have to warn the Sugiyamas.” Akiko looked straight at Shiraishi as she spoke, keeping her voice neutral. “If Hideo Takenaka hasn’t struck them with lightning yet, there might still be time to get them out of the house.”

“Akiko…” Shiraishi sounded worried and annoyed in equal measure. “That was just a fever dream.” Akiko shook her head.

“I don’t think so. I only remember a few of the things I saw while I was ill, but that’s one of them. I think it was a real threat.”

“From a dead person?”

“From a dead person. Don’t you have legends of angry ghosts? I’m being persecuted by a kami; I can hardly dismiss ghost stories out of hand.”

Shiraishi looked like she was about to say something, but then, apparently, she thought better of it, and just waved Akiko towards the door.

“Take care. There are masks in the entrance; don’t forget to take one.”

03: Takenaka, Episode 19 | 4 Comments »

Akiko put the mask on as she strode purposefully out of the shrine house and down the steps from the precinct, pulling the straps over her ears. She glanced around as she reached the bottom, but the street seemed normal; no monsters, no signs of decay. The only people she could see were wearing masks, just like her, but they didn’t seem to be suffering from anything. Akiko felt a brief uncertainty; was she just imagining all the things she saw? Then she remembered the ridiculous sequences of events preventing her from getting a job, and her confidence returned. She had to warn the Sugiyamas.

Waiting for the bus, Akiko noticed that everyone she could see was wearing a mask. She looked around to confirm it; she could see a couple of people in a coffee shop who weren’t wearing them, but they were drinking coffee, which they could hardly do through a mask. She wondered how much worse the fever had got while she was ill, and it suddenly occurred to her that it might be connected with the corruption she had seen.

On the bus, half-empty, and with only one person without a mask, that possibility continued to bother Akiko. She peered out of the window, squinting, trying to look out of the corners of her eyes, doing anything she could think of that might enable her to see the kegare again. Nothing worked, however, and the streetscape remained stubbornly mundane.

As the bus reached her stop, Akiko turned her thoughts to the warning.

The ghost of Hideo Takenaka threatened to strike your house with lightning. You need to get out while you still can.

As soon as she formulated it, she could see the problem. These were people who didn’t know her, and almost certainly didn’t believe in curses and the like. Were they going to listen to that? No. Better to find some other way to phrase it.

Have you had your home checked for lightning risk?

Akiko grimaced as she got off the bus. That made her sound like a con-man, about to charge them hundreds of thousands of yen to put a wire on the roof. And how could she follow it up?

Does Hideo Takenaka have any reason to hold a grudge against you?

She checked the address plate on an electricity pole, and set off towards the area where the Sugiyamas’ house should be. She wasn’t happy with that opening, either. It was too personal, and probably not something that they would want to discuss with a complete stranger. It also didn’t lead into the warning.

I’m a weather scientist, and I think that lightning might strike your house soon.

Akiko tried to remember what the proper word for “weather scientist” was, but couldn’t. Keeping that story up was likely to be difficult, then. The Sugiyamas were unlikely to trust her enough to take the warning.

Akiko found herself outside the house. She hesitated, on the verge of abandoning the foolish errand, when she noticed that black clouds were gathering overhead, heavy and menacing. She hurried up the path and pressed the doorbell, not letting herself dwell on the difficulties. As soon as the door opened, she blurted out her warning.

“The ghost of Hideo Takenaka threatened to strike your house with lightning. You need to get out while you still can.”

03: Takenaka, Episode 19 | 1 Comment »

The man in the doorway just stood there, staring at her, his hands frozen in the process of putting his mask on. Akiko was silent as well, berating herself internally.

I decided that was a really stupid way to put it! Still, she had said it now. What should she say next to recover from it? Her mind was blank. That was all of her message. What else could she say?

The man, presumably Mr Sugiyama, blinked, and finished adjusting his mask. He squinted at her, but the white material over his nose and mouth made it difficult to read his expression.

“Are you from that shrine?” His voice, muffled as it was, was suspicious, even hostile. Akiko didn’t know how to respond for a moment. Why would he jump to that conclusion? She even glanced down to make sure that she wasn’t, somehow, wearing a miko’s uniform, but she was dressed normally.

“Er, Tamao shrine?” she asked, unsure.

“I don’t know. Whichever one he was obsessed with.”

“I don’t think he was obsessed…” Mr Sugiyama interrupted her.

“I thought so. Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage already?”

“Sorry?” Akiko was really confused now. What damage had they done?

“You drove him to suicide with your outdated superstitions. Hounding a decent businessman until he couldn’t make any sensible decisions anymore. Everything depended on that shrine; it had a stranglehold over him.”

That didn’t sound right to Akiko; certainly, the things Mr Takenaka and Akira had said didn’t suggest that, and she couldn’t see Shiraishi controlling anyone that way. Of course, if Tamao had been hounding Mr Takenaka in the same way as he was hounding her… She wondered again whether Mr Takenaka had known what she was seeing. Still, his ghost hadn’t been blaming the shrine.

“I don’t think it was the shrine that caused his suicide…” she began, but Mr Sugiyama interrupted her again.

“Oh? Where did he kill himself? Don’t you think that’s some sort of message?” He paused, almost as if he expected an answer, but Akiko had nothing to say.

“Look, I don’t have time to stand here talking about ridiculous superstitions. My wife and daughter both have the fever, and I have to look after them. Take your ideas of cursing gods, and pointless offerings elsewhere. I’m not interested in the inherent superiority of the Japanese nation, or the importance of loyalty to the Emperor. The Emperor! What importance does he have today? We’re a democracy now, not some sort of theocracy ruled by divine right. You and all the other Shinto people are just throwbacks to before the war, to the nationalism that led to our defeat. I’m sure you heard about that in school; there were two atomic bombs involved. That’s what Shinto brought to our nation, and Shinto led Takenaka to suicide. So why, tell me why, should I listen to what you say? Just get out, OK? Leave now, before I call the police.”

Akiko, stunned by the torrent of words, could only nod, and turned to walk down the path. As soon as she stepped onto the street, she heard the door slam behind her.

03: Takenaka, Episode 19 | 4 Comments »

Akiko turned round to look back at the house, wondering whether she could do anything else.

The light blinded her, the sound deafened, and the blast almost knocked her off her feet. As her vision cleared, she could see the damage to the Sugiyamas’ house, the flames licking round the gash in the roof, starting to spread. For a moment she stood, staring in shock, but then she pulled out her cell phone and dialled 119.

“Hello? There’s a fire at…” She gave the address and answered the questions, and could hear the sirens almost as soon as she hung the phone up. A crowd was already gathering, but there was no sign of anyone leaving the house. Akiko suddenly remembered something that Mr Sugiyama had said.

“He said his wife and child had the fever!” she cried out, and ran up the path. Moments later, a man followed her. Akiko reached for the bell, but the man pulled on the door, which was open, and dashed into the house, calling “Masahiro!” as he went, not even stopping to pull his shoes off. Akiko retreated out of the way, and as the fire engine arrived the Sugiyamas emerged from the house, ahead of the smoke now pouring from the door, and the hole in the roof left by the lightning. The firemen went in as the family came out, the paramedics sitting them down and giving them a quick check up.

Akiko joined the crowd, watching as the firemen put the fire out, and breathed a sigh of relief. There was damage, but it didn’t seem as though anyone had been killed. She was starting to think about going back home when she realised that Mr Sugiyama was storming towards her, his face furious.

“You! You started this fire! You tried to kill my family!” Akiko looked around wildly, feeling the mood of the crowd turn hostile.

“Masahiro, it was a lightning strike. I saw it.” The man who had gone into the house had caught up with Mr Sugiyama, and laid a hand on his shoulder, which Sugiyama angrily shook off.

“She said it was going to happen. She tried to burn my house down and kill my family.”

“Masahiro!” The crowd’s mood was less hostile now, Akiko thought, but she was still very uncomfortable. With relief, she saw one of the firemen coming up.

“Mr Sugiyama? What’s this about?”

“This woman started the fire! Arrest her!”

“Masahiro…”

“Sir, the fire was started by a lightning strike. One of the clearest cases I’ve ever seen.”

“And it was her fault!”

“Sir, if she can make lightning strike you, it would be sensible to be polite to her. And if she can’t, she cannot have started this fire. Please go and sit with your family again; I know you’re upset, but you shouldn’t take it out on her.”

“So how did she know?”

“Please go and sit down, sir.” Mr Sugiyama, somewhat grudgingly, did so, and the fireman apologised to her, on his behalf. Akiko just nodded. It had really come home to her now.

Mr Takenaka had struck someone with lightning.

03: Takenaka, Episode 19 | 4 Comments »

“I’m back,” Akiko called out as she took off her shoes in the entrance hall at the shrine house.

“Welcome back.” Shiraishi appeared out of the shrine office almost immediately, looking slightly worried. “What happened?”

“The Sugiyamas’ house was struck by lightning. Fortunately, the family all got out safely.” The priest paled as Akiko said it, her face a mask of shock.

“Lightning really struck?”

Akiko nodded, suddenly very tired.

“Lightning really struck, just as Mr Takenaka said.”

“We need to talk.” Akiko nodded again, and followed the priest into the reception room. Shiraishi sat on the floor, and Akiko followed suit; she wasn’t bothered about tea, and neither, it seemed, was Shiraishi.

Even though they had agreed that they needed to talk, and it was obvious what they needed to talk about, there was a long silence. Akiko couldn’t think of anything else to say; she had seen Mr Takenaka, and he had warned her about what he was going to do. And it seemed to be taking Shiraishi a long time to formulate her questions.

At last, the priest broke the silence.

“Tell me what you saw while you had the fever.”

“I saw Mr Takenaka, and he threatened to strike the Sugiyamas with lightning.”

“No, all of it. Please. It could be important.”

Akiko nodded, and began to tell the story as best she could remember.

“…and Mr Takenaka was pacing outside the torii, ranting about betrayal.”

“One moment. Outside the torii, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Did he ever come inside, into the shrine precincts.”

“Er…” Akiko wasn’t sure, and she had to think for a few moments. “I don’t think so, no. No, he was always on the steps down from the torii.” The priest nodded, her lips pressed together.

“Go on.”

Akiko told her about the visions of Mr Takenaka, and then went on to describe the final vision, the one that had led her to conclude that she was supposed to become a miko.

“You said that Tamao came out of the shrine building, right?”

“Yes, out of the rear section.”

“But the red light and the miko uniform were in the iwakura?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“While you could see Tamao fighting at the edge of the precincts?”

“Yes.” Akiko was puzzled now. “Why?”

“It sounds like Tamao is enshrined in the shrine building, not the iwakura. So that raises the question of what the light in the iwakura was.”

“It was on Tamao’s side, I think. At least, it was helping me drive the kegare off, and Tamao didn’t attack it.” Shiraishi nodded.

“Maybe the aramitama.”

“The what?”

“The aramitama. Kami have two spirits, the aramitama and the nigimitama. The nigimitama is the gentle spirit, the aramitama is the wild spirit, the violent one. In one sense different aspects of the same kami, but they’re almost different kami. Some shrines have them enshrined in different places; Ise, for example.”

“Wouldn’t the giant snake be the wild spirit, the, what, aremitama?”

“Aramitama. Well, maybe, but how violent has the snake been?”

“Well… Actually, not really. There have been violent things, but not from the snake directly.” Shiraishi nodded again.

“And the nigimitama has been more worshipped in the recent past, which would explain why it is in the main building. I’ll have to think about that, but one thing is clear now.”

“What’s that?” Akiko asked.

“I have to start training you as a miko.”

03: Takenaka, Episode 19 | 2 Comments »

Akira appeared at the shrine early the following morning, before Shiraishi could start on any sort of training.

“Akiko, we need to talk.”

Akiko couldn’t argue with that, but she wasn’t looking forward to the conversation; normal rules of etiquette didn’t seem to cover telling someone that his dead father was cursing the neighbourhood. Still, she went to the reception room with him, and sat down at the table. Shiraishi hovered for a moment, and then went to make them tea.

“I heard that the Sugiyamas were struck by lightning,” Akira said, jumping straight in.

“Well, their house was, yes.”

“And you were there.”

“I went to warn them.”

“Why?”

Akiko took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly, staring at her hands, which were folded in her lap. How could she answer that question? She glanced up, and Akira was watching her intently, but saying nothing. She drew breath again, but again let it out without actually saying anything. This time, she looked out of the window, at the garden.

At that point Shiraishi came in with the tea and small sweets, buying her a bit of time, which she used to muster all her courage. As soon as the priest had gone, she looked Akira in the eye, and began her explanation.

“While I was ill, I saw your father’s ghost. He was standing outside the shrine precincts, shouting about people who had betrayed him. While he was doing that, he specifically threatened to strike the Sugiyamas with lightning. So I went to warn them.”

“And then the lightning struck.” Akira said it in an entirely matter-of-fact tone, and Akiko nodded, watching his face anxiously. She couldn’t read his expression, though.

“Do you believe me?”

Akira looked away, blinking rapidly, and then, drawing a shuddering breath, looked back at Akiko.

“I think I have to. You knew about Mr Sugiyama, which you really shouldn’t have, and then lightning did strike them. I mean, it could be coincidence, but…” He left the thought unfinished. “So, why?”

“Why what?” Akiko was completely confused.

“Why is my father’s ghost striking people with lightning?”

“Oh. I don’t know. He seemed very angry.” Akira nodded, his jaw set. He looked down, then out of the window, then up at the ceiling. Akiko could see muscles working in his neck as he fought for control. Finally, he looked back at her.

“I think I need to go through my father’s papers. Will you help me? You might spot something I wouldn’t know was important.” Akiko was surprised; she hadn’t thought she knew the Takenakas that well. But she didn’t think she could refuse.

On their way over to Akira’s house, he filled her in on his father’s background.

“He graduated in management from Waseda University, and worked in a bank for a while, and then used his savings to set up a construction sub-contractor, in plumbing. He met my mother shortly after that, and they married once the business was doing well. He has, had, about a dozen employees, so it’s a small business, but it was doing well. I guess I’m in charge of it now. I’m still working out what to do with it… No, that’s not true. I’ve not been able to face it so far. But now, I think I have to.”

Hideo Takenaka’s office was very neat and tidy, and Akiko noticed that Akira was fighting back tears as soon as they entered. She discreetly looked around the shelves, looking at the labels on the files, giving him some time to control himself.

“Right, let’s look at the Sugiyama files first.” Akira was trying to sound business-like, but he couldn’t keep the wavering out of his voice.

They spent several hours looking through files and accounts together, and soon pieced the story together. The business had been doing well for years, since before Akira was born, but in the last year or so the number of contracts had dropped off very sharply. Akiko saw a name she recognised in the files, and pointed it out to Akira.

“Did he have a lot of dealings with Wakabayashi Construction?”

Akira nodded.

“That was one of his major clients. I actually met Mr Wakabayashi a few times.” Akiko frowned, and double-checked the files.

“But he didn’t get any jobs from them in the last year. And about six months ago, jobs from other companies started to dry up, as well.” She showed Akira the files, and he frowned.

“That’s right. Odd. But he didn’t let any of the staff go; look.” He showed her a different set of accounts. All the wages were being paid, right up to the last month. “He borrowed a lot of money to keep this going. The business is in a lot of trouble.” Akira sighed, and looked down. Akiko got up again, to give him some space, and looked at the earliest records of the company.

“Akira?”

“Yes?”

“I thought you said your father used his savings from the bank to set the business up?”

“Yes, he did.”

She showed him the earliest accounts, with the large loans from consumer credit companies, gradually paid off, then cleared with bank loans, which were paid off in turn. Akira frowned again.

“That’s strange. He always said…”

“Did he ever say which bank?” Akira shook his head, the lines of worry deepening. He went to another file, and started looking through it.

“What are you looking for?”

“His Waseda graduation certificate. He never would show it to me.” He looked through the file once, and then again, then sat back. “Not there.” He sat silently for a moment, and then went to the office door.

“Mr Nakayama! Could you come here for a moment?” An older man came over, dressed in overalls.

“What is it, Akira, er, sorry, Mr Takenaka.” Akira shook his head.

“Akira is still fine, Uncle Ken. You’ve been working here since the company was founded, right?” Mr Nakayama’s face was instantly wary, and Akira noticed it as well. “OK, so there was something my father didn’t tell us. What was it?” Mr Nakayama looked around, as if looking for an escape route, and then sighed.

“I suppose it would be best to say now. Your father never graduated from Waseda. He never even attended Waseda. To be honest, I doubt he graduated from high school. He was, however, a damn good plumber, and the best boss I ever had. He built this business from absolutely nothing, and stood by all his employees, through anything.” His tone was almost defiant, as if challenging Akira to say anything bad about his father.

“What did he do before, then?”

“He didn’t like to talk about it, but I think he had another plumbing business, over Chiba way. I think that one went bankrupt.” Mr Nakayama stopped abruptly, taking a deep breath. Akira nodded.

“Thank you.” He turned to look around the office again. “So he was doing everything he could to stop the same thing happening again, and he failed. Do you know why Wakabayashi stopped giving you business?” Mr Nakayama shook his head.

“He never said. It happened all sudden-like, though. I think the others were under pressure from Wakabayashi.”

“The others?”

“The other companies that stopped working with us. We’ve not had any work for two months. Didn’t stop your father paying us.”

“Won’t stop me, either.” Akira looked more determined than he had, but Akiko was feeling very nervous, remembering Wakabayashi at the shrine, kegare following him, and at her office, just before she was fired. What was he up to?

03: Takenaka, Episode 19 | Comments Off