Akiko woke early the following morning, feeling completely refreshed. She remembered only fragments of her dreams, including something including Akira that made her blush, but there was nothing that seemed like a message from the kami. The sky was just beginning to brighten, but she could feel that there was no point staying in bed, and, in any case, she wanted to be up.

Pulling on a yukata, she let herself out into the garden, hoping not to waken Shiraishi, if she was still asleep. The surface of the pond was very still, a dark mirror with a few sparks of light deep within it, and the breeze she created as she walked past was enough to make them dance. She purified herself at the entrance to the shrine grounds proper, and switched her vision to look at the kegare.

There was none.

For a moment, she wondered whether she had managed to change her vision, but the things she could see moving were not all birds and insects; some were clearly minor spirits of one kind or another. The iwakura and pool both shone from within; fire inside the stones, like a blaze in a hearth, while the pool was lit from below in Tamao’s five colours, the light shifting with the ripples of the surface.

Akiko walked further into the precincts, looking around her. The sounds became clearer, with the buzz of insects and song of birds joined by the laughter of water falling into the pool, and a deep beat, below all the others, felt as much as heard, her bones vibrating in sympathy. She could hear the grass bending under her weight, and springing up again as she passed. At the side of the pool, she could feel its warmth, even in the summer air, and a faint mist hung in the air above it, a mist she could taste on her breath. The water tasted of invitation, and for a moment she crouched to look into it. Her reflection looked back at her, and just for an instant she thought she saw something else behind her, thought she saw Tamao, but then the snake was gone, and maybe she had just imagined it.

She stood again, and walked away from the central area into the trees. She could smell the wood and the leaves, and let her fingers trail gently over the bark of the trunks she passed, enjoying the warmth and roughness. The trees seemed to be leaning over her, faces in the leaves and branches, spirits in the form of large insects springing from one to the next.

Akiko stopped to watch them for a while, enjoying the play of light on their iridescent wings, the glitter of their carapaces, the sounds of their feet scuttling over the bark. The green-gold of the beetles, the brilliant rainbows of the butterflies, all living colours. There was no kegare here.

She walked further into the woods, aware that it was very dark in their shade, but still able to see clearly as the spirits stood out against the last of the night. As her feet disturbed the earth, she could smell the loam, and distant birdsong filled the background as she stepped into the clearing around the kami tree.

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As ever, the tree looked spectacular to her spirit sight, life surging through it, up into the canopy of the forest and beyond, and the shide on the shimenawa seemed to shine with their own light. The shide reminded Akiko of Yoshiko; they looked fresh, so Akiko concluded that the other miko was still coming there. She wasn’t there now, however, and Akiko took another step closer to the tree, reaching out to touch it.

The invitation was almost overwhelming. The kami forest called to her, welcoming her if she would only step inside. There was nothing needy or desperate in the request; just life and delight overflowing so that the tree could not help but want to share. Even here, standing outside, the energy made Akiko shiver slightly.

She glanced around quickly, and then started undoing the belt of her yukata. She caught herself wishing that she hadn’t worn any underwear, and smiled wryly to herself. Kazumi is a bad influence…

She embraced the tree as soon as she was naked — Kazumi still hadn’t influenced her that much — and it felt as if she was hit by a wall of water, swept away, tumbled over herself, then thrown up into the air where winds swept her ever higher, through the clouds.

The kami forest was all about her, the energy so bright, so active that it almost blinded her, making her head spin so much that she had to reach out to a tree trunk for support. As quickly as she could, she dropped her spirit sight, but things only became a little calmer. She could see the trees growing, twigs pushing out, buds emerging, turning into leaves, unfurling, then turning a brilliant red before falling from the branch to the ground. Every branch, every bud seemed to be at a different season, as leaves constantly fell around her, vanishing into the labyrinth of roots under her feet, the brilliant green of new shoots a dazzling contrast.

She felt the passion within her, driving her to run, to dance. She was laughing, laughing from pure joy, and she let herself run, springing up into the branches, tumbling back to the ground, dancing with the trees, which seemed to, no, actually did extend branches to meet her outstretched hands, lift her into their crowns, push her upwards with their growth so that she rose above the tops of the trees, seeing an endless sea of emerald under a flawless azure sky.

Akiko closed her eyes and raised her arms as the wind caressed her body, but as it blew more strongly she opened her eyes again, watching the waves sweep across the tops of the trees, laughing as she was swept up and down, her hair swept back away from her face.

She leapt, catching the wind, letting it carry her, higher now and higher, so that she could no longer make out leaves in the green below her, no longer hear anything but the roar of the wind in her ears, feel nothing but its pressure on her skin. She knew she was still laughing, but that was all she knew.

And then it lowered her gently back into the branches of the trees, branches that supported her limbs on soft new buds as they lowered her to the ground, in front of a trunk, through which she could see the shrine grounds, dawn stealing across them, and people approaching the steps.

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Akiko ran across the shrine grounds, her underwear tightly bunched and, she hoped, properly hidden, in one hand. She made it to the gate to the house gardens before anyone was close enough to require acknowledgement, and sighed with relief as she hurried back to her room. Shiraishi had just pushed the door open.

“Oh, there you are,” she said. “Get dressed quickly; there are a lot of people here.”

“I saw,” Akiko said, as she climbed in through the window. Shiraishi’s eyes dropped to her hand, and the priest blushed. “I was checking the kami forest…” Akiko felt the need to explain herself.

“Ah.” Shiraishi was still blushing, but she nodded. “How is it?”

“Fine. No, better than that.” She dropped her underwear and started unfastening her belt; Shiraishi quickly skid the door shut, with a brief grunt of acknowledgement.

Akiko was putting her hakui on when the door slid open a fraction, and Kazumi, in her school uniform, slipped into the room, carrying her vestments.

“Sorry, Akiko. Revd Shiraishi said I should change in here; there are too many people to leave the other room closed.”

“Ah… OK.” It took Akiko a moment to catch up; Kazumi had already shed her blouse and was unfastening her skirt. “Too many people?”

“Dozens. All dressed up, too.” The girl was already picking up her hakui, and Akiko pulled herself out of her reverie, tying her belt and adjusting the collar before reaching for her hakama.

Despite her head-start, Akiko was only ready a few moments before Kazumi, as the younger girl finished tying her hair back.

“Ready?” she asked, and Kazumi nodded.

“Do you think we’ll see him?”

Akiko didn’t need to ask who “he” was.

“I have no idea.”

“I hope we do,” Kazumi said, and Akiko paused with her hand on the door.

“I don’t know… Come on.” She slid the door open as Kazumi looked at her quizzically, and then followed her into the corridor.

There really were dozens of people there, and they were all dressed formally.  All the older women were wearing kimono, as were a handful of the younger ones, and all the men were wearing suits. They were also waiting very quietly and respectfully. Akiko took a deep breath to calm herself, and bowed to them, aware of Kazumi following suit next to them, before walking calmly to the office.

Shiraishi looked up as they entered.

“Ah, good. Just the tables, today. We don’t have anything close to enough chairs for everyone, so it’s probably best if we all stand.” She glanced out of the window, and moved towards the door. Akiko looked to see Noriko approaching, with another ujiko she recognised behind her. “Let’s give people a couple more minutes to arrive, and then we’ll start,” the priest said, as she left the room.

“See,” Kazumi said. “Dozens of people.” Akiko nodded as she picked up one of the tables, while Kazumi grabbed the second. “Do you think it will be like this every day?”

Akiko didn’t answer. She had just seen Akira enter the shrine grounds.

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Akiko found Akira a constant distraction during the ceremony. It wasn’t that he was doing anything; he was just there. She was sure he glanced her way rather more often than was strictly necessary, and she had to really concentrate when she was required to do something. Fortunately, she got through the whole thing without making any mistakes, and without any manifestation of the kami. Kazumi was visibly disappointed at the end, as were a number of the attendees, particularly those who had not been at the previous day’s festival. No-one said anything, however, simply handing over their offering envelopes to Shiraishi with thanks for the ceremony.

With the ceremony over, Akiko found herself wondering what to do about Akira. The kegare is defeated, she reminded herself. There’s no problem now. She glanced his way again, and quickly looked away when she realised that he was looking at her. Not before she had seen him look away, though, and she was almost sure he had blushed a little.

Akira was dawdling at the back of the group, and after handing over his envelope he slipped away into the shrine. Gone to pay his respects to his father, Akiko thought, looking in that direction.

“Akiko!” Shiraishi called. Akiko looked round to see the priest glancing at Kazumi.

“What?”

“Oh, sorry, nothing. Kazumi will do it.” Kazumi was nodding vigorously. “You have some free time,” the priest finished, a little awkwardly, before hurrying inside. Kazumi followed, but looked back to grin at Akiko and give her a thumbs-up.

What on earth? Akiko wondered, before it hit her. They think I want time alone with Akira. That realisation was quickly followed by another. That’s not a bad idea.

She waited a little longer, and then started walking slowly towards the small shrine. She could see Akira there, and saw him finish paying his respects. He remained standing in front of the shrine, and gave no sign that he had noticed her as she came up to stand behind him.

“Akira…” she said, quietly. He visibly jumped, and then, a moment later, turned to face her.

“Akiko. It’s a very nice morning.”

“It is,” she replied, really not wanting to talk about the weather.

“No, I mean really nice. Outside the shrine. Things feel much better than they have for, well, it feels like months, but I suppose it’s really only weeks.”

“Really? Well, I suppose it should, after the purification.” Good to have some confirmation, but I really ought to check, she thought. This still wasn’t what she wanted to talk about, though.

“Yes, that was really quite spectacular. The fire and all that.” Akira was blushing, suddenly, and Akiko felt herself doing the same as she remembered what she had been wearing. And what Akira had been wearing. He was in pretty good shape, she thought.

The silence stretched on a bit, as Akiko searched for something to say.

“Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?” she asked, suddenly.

Akira was visibly shocked, and Akiko hoped that she was hiding her nervousness better. That got harder as he didn’t reply.

Then, at last.

“Yes. Yes, that would be very nice. I’ll come and pick you up at six. Is that OK?” His face relaxed, and he smiled at her.

“That’s fine,” Akiko smiled back.

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Akiko knew she was still smiling as she walked back to the shrine house after seeing Akira off, but she couldn’t seem to stop it. Kazumi ran out of the door in her school uniform, grinning as she passed, and when Akiko entered the office Shiraishi looked up, also smiling.

“Did it go well?”

Akiko didn’t entirely understand the question.

“Er, it? I spoke to Akira. Oh, is it all right if I’m not at the shrine this evening? We’re going out for dinner.”

“Ah. It did go well.” Shiraishi smiled at her, then looked down at the papers in front of her. “Yes, that’s fine. I’m not anticipating any crises.” Akiko could feel herself blushing. Was I really that transparent? she asked herself.

“Oh, another thing,” Akiko said, as she remembered her conversation with Akira. Shiraishi looked up again.

“Yes?”

“Do you need me for anything right now? Akira said that the whole area felt better, and I’d like to go and look for kegare. Just to be sure.”

Shiraishi looked shocked, and was quiet for a moment.

“That’s right,” she said at last. “We haven’t checked. Yes, go and look. It’s a very good idea. Are you sure it will be safe by yourself?” The obvious worry in Shiraishi’s voice made Akiko briefly concerned, but only for a moment.

“I’ll be fine. I’m sure that the festival did cleanse the area. It’s just…” She paused. “I should see for myself,” she finished, a little lamely. If she was sure, why did she want to see?

Shiraishi looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded.

“Noriko said something similar about the atmosphere. OK, go on. Will you be back for lunch?”

A little while later, Akiko was walking through the streets, looking around her. She could feel what Akira had meant; the whole area felt the way that the shrine did, somehow fresh and alive, despite the increasing heat of the summer day. The people she met seemed more cheerful than normal, and most of them greeted her in some way. She also saw quite a lot of people clearing up rubbish, tidying small gardens, or cleaning their homes.

She walked until she was some way from the shrine, too far for the direct influence of the shrine and its ceremonies to have cleared away the kegare, and then found a small park, in the shadow of several blocks of flats. Somewhere she could stop for a while without attracting too much attention. There was quite a bit of graffiti, but an older woman was clearing up litter, and smiled and nodded in greeting as Akiko entered.

Akiko went to sit on the bench, and looked around her, paying attention to the normal details of the scene. When she thought she had them fixed in her mind, she switched her vision over.

For a moment, she wasn’t sure whether it had worked. Everything looked much the same. Then she spotted a small, dark plant, nestled among some litter, writhing tentacles reaching out and around it. Even as she was watching, the woman swept the litter up, and the kegare with it, leaving the spot clean.

Leaving her vision as it was, Akiko walked back to the shrine. There was scarcely any kegare to be seen, and what there was, was weak, and even entirely mundane cleaning seemed to destroy it.

She knew she was grinning as she walked up the steps into the shrine, and didn’t feel like trying to hide it.

08: Epilogue, Episode 51 | 1 Comment »

“Akiko! Just in time,” Shiraishi called from the office. “Was it…” Her voice suddenly dropped, becoming much quieter. “It was clean, wasn’t it?”

Akiko nodded.

“All clean. Hardly any kegare at all.” Shiraishi smiled, and Akiko could almost see her relax.

“It’s good to know for certain. Anyway,” she started speaking in a normal voice again, “someone has come for a ceremony; could you get changed and assist, please?”

The petitioner was a relatively young man, maybe in his thirties, dressed very smartly, and asking for a prayer for success at work. Akiko hadn’t seen him before, but he looked vaguely familiar; Shiraishi explained that he was the eldest son of the Yamaguchis, and that his mother had been at the festival. He was very polite, but he seemed very nervous, jumping when Akiko appeared in her vestments, and constantly looking around the shrine grounds as they prepared for the ceremony.

Even during the ceremony, he could barely keep still, looking at the pool and iwakura most of the time, but constantly glancing around, over his shoulders, and peering at the woodland. Akiko thought she could guess what the problem was, but wasn’t sure what to do about it.

After they finished the ceremony and he handed his offering over, he paused awkwardly in front of them, obviously wanting to say something. Shiraishi waited, so Akiko followed suit, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to say anything. In the end, Shiraishi broke the silence.

“Did you mother tell you about the festival?” she asked.

His expression instantly changed to one of relief, and he nodded.

“Did she really see that?” he asked. “The fire, the snake?”

“I assume so,” Shiraishi replied. “We certainly did.” She glanced at Akiko for confirmation, and Akiko nodded. The man looked around the shrine again.

“I didn’t really think she was seeing things, but… Is that the pool?”

“Yes,” Shiraishi answered.

“And you’re the miko who rose out of it in a robe of feathers?” he asked Akiko, suddenly turning to look at her.

“Er… yes.” Akiko felt herself blushing. She had rather been the centre of events, she realised.

The man shook his head, before turning to look around the shrine again.

“I was rather hoping…” he began, before trailing off, sounding embarrassed.

“You hoped to see the kami?” Akiko asked. He nodded, blushing and not meeting her eyes. “We don’t know when he will appear again, or even if,” she continued. “Yesterday was a special occasion.”

“Mother said something about purifying the area.” Akiko nodded, but it was Shiraishi who replied this time.

“That’s right. We cleansed the area of kegare, with the help of the kami.”

“What does that mean?”

“Didn’t you feel better this morning?” Akiko asked.

“Well, yes, but… the weather, and…”

“That’s what it means,” Shiraishi said. “It’s not all about giant snakes, towers of fire, and beautiful women in feathered robes.”

The man blushed again, and Akiko felt herself doing the same.

“No, I suppose not,” he said. “But if I keep coming to the shrine…?”

“Maybe. We really don’t know.”

08: Epilogue, Episode 51 | 2 Comments »

“You need sexy underwear.”

Akiko could see herself blushing in the mirror, as Kazumi emerged from the bath towelling her hair and offering her opinion.

“I mean, at least they match, but don’t you have anything more, I don’t know, lacy? Smaller?” Kazumi continued.

“I suppose you’d just not wear any,” Akiko retorted, desperate for something to say, but Kazumi shook her head vigorously.

“Oh no. Teasing is very important. Sexy underwear, definitely.”

“It’s just a dinner date, Kazumi.”

“Right.” The younger girl held Akiko’s gaze in the mirror, her face deeply sceptical. Akiko knew she was blushing again, and she looked away, concentrating on her make-up. Kazumi sighed.

“OK, do it your way,” she said. “At least it won’t positively embarrass you.”

It might not, but you are, Akiko thought, as Kazumi pulled her underwear on.

“That’s hardly sexy,” she commented, realising how stupid the comment was as soon as it was out of her mouth.

“I’m not going on a date,” Kazumi retorted. “I don’t think Tamao’s very interested in my underwear.” She started pulling her vestments on. “Although maybe we should ask Yoshiko what the traditional underwear really is.” She frowned for a moment. “I should have paid attention when we came out of the kami forest.”

“Kazumi! Please leave me alone to get dressed!”

Laughing, Kazumi left the room, leaving Akiko alone with her reflection and her nerves.

She looked at herself critically. Should she put sexier underwear on? She didn’t want to look too forward. If anything like that happened. Which it might not. It was just a dinner date. That was all. She glanced at the clock. And if I don’t hurry, I’m going to be late!

She was dressed before Akira arrived, waiting in the hall of the shrine house, telling herself she was being silly. She’d been on dates with him before. There was nothing to worry about. Well, apart from that stupid grin on Kazumi’s face as she watched her pace back and forth.

“Oh! Here he comes! Quick, run away!”

Akiko glared at Kazumi, and took a deep breath, fighting down the urge to do as she suggested.

“Um. Good evening, Akiko.”

“Good evening, Akira.”

“You look, ah, very nice.”

“Thank you. You look good as well.” It was true. He was wearing a suit, and it made him look more mature and serious. “Er, have you decided where we’re going?”

“Oh. Oh yes. I managed to make reservations. Um. Shall we go?”

“Is it all right?” Akiko turned back to the office. Kazumi was openly watching them and grinning, while Shiraishi was apparently absorbed in some papers.

“Yes, have fun,” the priest said, without looking up.

“You need to be back in time for the morning ceremonies!” Kazumi added, making Akiko, and, she noticed, Akira blush.

“Kazumi, go and get the o-fuda supplies,” Shiraishi said, a little sharply. Kazumi pulled a face and ran off, waving to them.

Akiko was quiet in the car, as was Akira. The restaurant was very nice, Japanese-style with a private room, and the kimono-clad waitress brought the dishes in sequence.

“I went to have a look around the area this morning,” Akiko said at last, breaking the silence.

“Oh? Did you feel it too?”

“Yes. And I saw it. There was hardly any kegare.” Akiko described what she had seen, becoming a bit more animated as she did so, Akira nodding, and making all the right noises.

“That sounds good. So the festival worked, then?”

“It seems so. It’s really a relief; we were running out of ideas for dealing with it.”

“Akiko, what happened?”

The question was very sudden, and it took a few moments for Akiko to work out exactly what Akira meant.

“You mean to me?” she asked, checking. Akira nodded. “I…” She suddenly realised how much there was to explain. “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got all evening, and I can’t think of a better way to spend it,” Akira said, smiling now, and Akiko smiled back. It was true, she could tell him about it.

Explaining the kami forest and the purification took quite a while, with lots of questions from Akira. They both went bright red when Akiko explained that you had to be naked to get in, but apart from that it was easier than Akiko had expected. Akira was very willing to believe her, and that helped a lot.

“But what caused the pollution in the first place?” he asked when she had finished.

“I don’t know,” she replied, suddenly feeling worried again. “Maybe just Tamao’s weakness? The attack on the shrine?”

“The attack? Oh, the fire. Yes, yes, I suppose that could be it.” Akira looked thoughtful, and took a bit to eat. Akiko waited for him to continue.

“Talking of this fire, did you hear about Wakabayashi?”

“Wakabayashi? No.” With a shock, Akiko realised that she’d almost forgotten about it. How on earth could she have done that?

“His company is being investigated for fraud. Nothing is public yet; I’ve just heard through the industry grapevine. Some people say it’s tax evasion, or padding his invoices to the government. A few people claim he’s been skimping on the earthquake precautions for his buildings, although the company has officially denied those rumours. The police are saying nothing yet, though. There are a few people saying he’s just gone bankrupt, and that the investigation will find nothing apart from a few messy contracts.” Akira frowned slightly. “Those are the people most closely associated with him.”

“So they’re biased,” Akiko said, and Akira nodded.

“But also the best informed,” he pointed out.

“What about Mr Wakabayashi himself?” Akiko asked.

“He’s apparently been keeping a very low profile. Staying away from the company as much as possible, so that he can’t be accused of interfering with the evidence, but cooperating with the police when they ask.”

“So that’s why he seemed to disappear.” Akiko thought about it for a few moments, and then shrugged. “Well, in any case, it seems to have saved us from having to deal with him. We should be grateful for that.” She shook her head. “Can’t we talk about something more cheerful?”

Akira looked slightly hurt for a moment, but then smiled.

“You’re right. Far too serious. We should enjoy the date.” He blushed as he said that, and Akiko felt her face heating up in response.

She nodded, nevertheless.

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