Akiko woke early the next morning, still vaguely unhappy about the previous evening.

It was a nice date, she told herself. The food was excellent, and wasn’t interrupted by monsters. Akira was fun to talk to. I enjoyed it.

It was all true, and Akira had been a perfect gentleman, bringing her back to the shrine and bidding her good night. Without even a little kiss.

Akiko sighed, and shook her head. Maybe Akira wasn’t thinking about her like that. She headed for the shower, and her thoughts turned to whether there would be as many people for the ceremonies this morning.

This time, Akiko was already changed when Kazumi came into her room.

“Sorry! Full of ujiko again,” she said apologetically, before sliding the door shut and turning on Akiko with a grin. “So, how was the hot date?”

“It was fine,” Akiko said, determined not to let anything show.

“Oh dear,” Kazumi responded, looking down as she started undressing. “That bad.”

“It wasn’t bad!” Akiko protested. “We had a lovely dinner and a very pleasant conversation.”

“As bad as that?” Kazumi asked, her face stricken.

“Oh, shut up!” Akiko shouted, and Kazumi suddenly looked very contrite, bowing a quick apology.

“I’m sorry,” she said, as she started getting dressed.

Akiko waited in silence until Kazumi had finished changing, and then stood.

“It’s OK,” she said. “Let’s go and see how many people are here today.”

It looked like it was almost as many people as there had been the previous day, although it wasn’t all the same people. They were still all dressed very formally, and today there was even a man in a kimono; not Mr Fujimura, though, for which Akiko was grateful.

The ceremony passed without incident. Tamao did not appear, although several people were clearly looking for him, and Akiko had to wonder how much attendance would drop off when it became clear that the kami was not going to appear every day. Still, it was nice while it lasted. As people left, handing over their offerings, Akiko reflected that there was at least one very concrete benefit.

“No Mr Takenaka?” Kazumi asked quietly, when they were clearing up afterwards. Akiko felt herself blush.

“He said he had to go to a site today, but would come tomorrow.”

“Oh. Well, that’s OK then.” Kazumi actually did sound relieved, and Akiko shot her a suspicious look, but she was gathering the implements and not looking at Akiko at all.

Shiraishi was talking to Noriko as the two miko took everything into the office, and Akiko caught something about kimono as they passed. When they came back out of the office, Shiraishi called them over.

“Ms Yamanaka has repeated her offer to teach us about kimono. I think it’s a good idea, but what do you think?”

“Sounds good to me!” Kazumi blurted out. “Do I get to wear one of those kimonos with the enormous sleeves and furry collars?”

Noriko smiled.

“The collars are really just for the adulthood ceremony, but the long sleeves are for unmarried women, so you should both, er, all wear them.” She blushed a little at her slip. “But that’s just for formal occasions; they get a bit inconvenient in daily life. What do you think, Ms Tanahata?”

“I’d be very grateful,” Akiko replied, bowing slightly. It was true, it did seem more appropriate, somehow. She wasn’t sure that the feeling was rational, but there it was.

“Ah! I’d better get changed,” Kazumi suddenly said. “Oh, Revd Shiraishi, could I leave my school stuff here tomorrow? I don’t have time to do any homework at home after the evening ceremonies anyway…”

“Er, OK…” Shiraishi said, and Kazumi immediately darted into the house, grinning.

“Thanks!”

08: Epilogue, Episode 52 | 1 Comment »

Akiko was sweeping the area in front of the pool, cleaning up after the morning ceremonies, when she saw Mr Fujimura climb the steps and bow at the top, where the torii should have been. She bowed slightly in acknowledgement, and he nodded in return, and then, deliberately keeping herself calm, she walked over to the shrine house.

Shiraishi had emerged from the office by the time she got there, and was already greeting Mr Fujimura.

“…and I should like to offer a ceremony for the health and prosperity of our imperial family,” he was saying. Akiko wasn’t surprised, but it reinforced her uneasiness.

“Of course,” Shiraishi’s agreement was perfectly correct, but even Akiko could hear the chill in her voice. Mr Fujimura showed no reaction, but she couldn’t believe he had missed it.

After the ceremony, they went to the reception room to talk. Akiko went to get the tea, but the conversation did not start until she returned.

“Ms Tanahata,” Mr Fujimura began, “I think I should talk to you as well about this.”

“What is it, Mr Fujimura?” Shiraishi asked, sounding slightly irritated.

“I have…” He paused, apparently searching for the right words. “I have heard that things happened at the festival you held a couple of days ago.”

“Things normally do happen at a festival,” Shiraishi replied, cagily.

“The things I heard about are not normal,” Mr Fujimura said.

“Well, then, you had better tell us what you heard,” Shiraishi responded. Akiko’s unease was growing; why was there so much stepping around the issue.

“I hear that people saw things that they interpreted as evidence of the supernatural,” he began. “There were accounts of flames, and of a giant snake. I also heard that Ms Tanahata disappeared, and then reappeared from the pool in a robe of feathers.”

Silence fell as he finished speaking, Akiko glancing surreptitiously at Shiraishi, trying to judge the priest’s mood, and to choose an appropriate response.

“I see,” she said, at last. “Thank you for telling us that you have heard those stories.”

Mr Fujimura looked hard at the priest for a long moment, and then turned his gaze on Akiko. It made her uncomfortable, reminding her of one of her school teachers, a strict man with an uncanny ability to tell when you hadn’t done your homework, but she refused to look down.

He looked away, nodding once.

“Well, then. I am sure you must be very busy. Please excuse me.”

“Of course.”

He took his leave as politely as ever, turning at the top of the steps to bow to the shrine once more.

“What was that about?” Akiko asked, when she was sure he was out of earshot.

“I don’t know,” Shiraishi responded.

“Well, why didn’t you just tell him that we all saw those things?”

“I don’t know,” Shiraishi said, again. “I think… I think he already knows. I think he just wanted to see what we would say.”

“And he did.”

Shiraishi looked at her, surprised, but then nodded.

“Yes, he did.” She looked back towards the entrance. “I wish I knew what he was planning. What he was thinking.”

“How much he knows,” Akiko added, and Shiraishi nodded again, but without looking at her.

“He knows something,” she said. “He had a reason for helping us.

“I want to know what it was.”

08: Epilogue, Episode 52 | 1 Comment »

People came for ceremonies throughout the day, both established ujiko and people Shiraishi had never seen before. Only a couple asked about what had happened at the festival, and Shiraishi put them off, saying that it was something that they had to see for themselves. In a quiet period in the afternoon, Shiraishi raised the issue with Akiko.

“What do we say to people?”

It was a simple enough question, but surprisingly difficult to answer.

“Well, we told Mr Yamaguchi yesterday,” Akiko pointed out.

“Yes,” Shiraishi replied, “but he was worried that his mother was going crazy. And he’s been associated with the shrine for years, even if he hadn’t been coming much lately. What about other people?”

“It did happen.”

“It did. Which is why this is difficult. I don’t want the shrine to turn into a media circus, or a freak show.”

“But people are going to talk about it. There will be rumours,” Akiko pointed out.

“Rumours are fine. Rumours claim that you aren’t wearing knickers.” Shiraishi grinned briefly, and Akiko scowled back. “Most people don’t take rumours seriously,” the priest continued, her face serious again. “A few people turning up in the hope of seeing the kami; that’s OK. Camera crews all over the place and bus tours from Osaka; not so good.”

“So, keep avoiding the issue and telling people they have to experience it for themselves?” Akiko suggested. Shiraishi pulled a face.

“I was rather hoping you’d come up with a better idea.”

“Sorry,” Akiko apologised. “I really can’t think of anything.”

“Oh well. I’ll just have to keep being vague. I’m going to start sounding like that fortune-teller woman on television.”

Kazumi arrived at the shrine quite early in the afternoon; she explained that the temporary accommodation at the school was only partially finished, so they’d been sent home early.

“How is school, anyway?” Akiko asked.

“What? It’s school. Boring, pointless…” Kazumi trailed off. “But, OK, it’s better than it was. I think the harae did make a difference. I still want a shower before I get into my vestments, though.”

As the afternoon wore on, a steady stream of people came to ask about the evening ceremonies, and Akiko explained that they were held at sunset.

“I don’t remember it being like this yesterday,” she commented, and Shiraishi shook her head.

“Nothing like this. I think people have heard that we do evening ceremonies now.”

“Well, attendance is good, right?”

“Yes…” Shiraishi didn’t sound entirely sure.

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s all at once. I don’t know how we are going to cope if people keep coming, or if they stop.”

“We’ll be able to cope tonight, though.”

“Yes, I suppose so. Just take it as it comes.”

As sunset approached, however, even Akiko was surprised at the number of people arriving at the shrine, and at how formally they were dressed. Shiraishi was trying not to show any reaction, but Akiko couldn’t tell how much surprise she was hiding. Kazumi, on the other hand, was transparent.

“It’s the whole population of Kawasaki!” she exclaimed, under her breath. “Everyone is here! I’ve seen some people I know from school.”

“Your school is quite close, you know.”

“Yeah, but they’ve never come before.”

“Not embarrassed, are you?” Akiko teased her.

“What? No, don’t be silly. But… It’s everyone.”

Akiko looked at the crowd. Well over a hundred people, probably twice that, she thought, shaking her head slightly in wonder. I hope they all make donations.

08: Epilogue, Episode 52 | 1 Comment »

The following night, Akiko and Kazumi were waiting under the kami tree to see whether Yoshiko would come.

“Do you think she’ll come tonight?” Kazumi asked.

“Well, she didn’t come yesterday,” Akiko said, “and she knew about the crisis. I’m sure she’ll come soon.”

“If she doesn’t, we can just go into the tree,” Kazumi said, sounding quite happy. “We can practise the dances without her, I suppose.”

“Mmm.” Akiko was peering into the darkness, looking for signs of Yoshiko’s lamp, when Kazumi suddenly interrupted her with a question.

“Akiko, when are we?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, Yoshiko’s from the past, right? So what year are we in right now, at the tree?”

“I…” Akiko looked around. There were just trees around them, trees that could be from any period of history. She couldn’t hear the city, but they were quite deep within the shrine grounds anyway. “I don’t…”

As she spoke, she caught sight of a flickering light bobbing through the trees, and pointed it out to Kazumi. Moments later, Yoshiko emerged, setting her lamp down to bow formally to them.

“I hope that your rituals were successful,” she said, as soon as they had finished the greetings.

“They were,” Akiko replied, and went on to describe what had happened.

“You held an extra festival?” Yoshiko asked. “That’s very…” She fell silent. “I suppose it worked, and the kami approved. So I can’t really criticise. But…” She shook her head.

“What’s the problem?” Kazumi asked, but Akiko thought she understood.

“You think we shouldn’t make up festivals, is that right?”

Yoshiko nodded.

“The rituals of Shinto have been handed down from the kami from before the creation of the world. We can’t just make up new ones! But…” She looked puzzled again. “But you say it worked, and the kami approved. I don’t understand!”

“Sounds normal,” Kazumi put in, making Akiko blush, and glare at her. Kazumi seemed to realise how that sounded. “Oh, er, no. Sorry. I didn’t mean that you…” She fell silent as Yoshiko started laughing.

“Oh, don’t worry. I know what you meant. There’s so much happening that we don’t understand. If we can meet, maybe you can make up new rituals that have existed from before the creation of the world.”

“How…” Akiko started, and then shook her head. “I’m not even going to try to understand it. The important thing is that we purified the area, and lots of people are coming to the shrine.”

“Is the area still pure?” Yoshiko wanted to know.

“The bits I’ve checked are,” Akiko replied, “and people are not picking up as much kegare as they used to. Not even close. I think Tamao is holding his own.”

Yoshiko nodded in satisfaction.

“That’s good,” she said. “I was worried about you.”

“So were we!” Kazumi said, making Yoshiko smile.

“But,” the other miko continued, “you said that everyone saw Tamao at the festival?” Akiko nodded. “And you received a robe of feathers?” She nodded again. “That’s never happened before,” Yoshiko said, her voice thoughtful. “No matter how big the festival. Even I’ve never seen Tamao outside the other shrine.”

“Things change. Can we have the dance lesson?” Kazumi’s impatience finally broke out.

“That’s likely to be more productive than worrying about these things,” Yoshiko said. “Yes, let’s do that.”

With a whoop of delight, Kazumi started undressing.

“What are you doing?” Yoshiko asked, her voice sharp, but Kazumi barely paused.

“Getting ready to go into the kami forest.”

Akiko could see that Yoshiko was about to protest, so she quickly supported Kazumi.

“We really don’t have time to have the lesson and sleep,” she pointed out. “But if we do it in the forest, we don’t need to sleep.” She reached for her own belt, aware that Kazumi was already naked. Yoshiko looked as though she was going to refuse, but finally she nodded, and then ducked round the other side of the tree.

“What?” Kazumi asked. “What’s the point?”

“Kazumi, wait for us in the forest!” Akiko scolded.

“But…” Akiko’s eyes narrowed.

“You are not waiting to see what underwear Yoshiko has on. Go now!”

Pouting, Kazumi embraced the tree, and vanished.

08: Epilogue, Episode 52 | Comments Off

Akira saw Akiko back to the door of the house after their date, again, and although Akiko waited, willing him to kiss her, he just bowed, thanked her for the evening, and left. She stood by the door to watch him go, her fists clenched in frustration. Was he just not interested? Or completely oblivious to the obvious?

Sighing, she let herself in, calling out to let Shiraishi know she was home.

“Welcome back.” It was Kazumi’s voice.

“Kazumi? Why are you still here?”

“Homework.” She was, indeed, sprawled on the floor in the reception room in a yukata, schoolbooks spread around her.

“Where’s Revd Shiraishi?”

“I think she’s in the kami forest,” Kazumi replied.

“Really?”

“She wanted to go by herself, I think. Not with an audience.”

“That’s not unreasonable, you know.”

“Mmm. Well, in any case, she’s not back yet. I wasn’t expecting you back yet, either.”

“No. Well. I’m back.” Akiko didn’t think she’d kept all of the frustration out of her voice.

“Did you have a fight?” Kazumi had pulled herself up, and was now sitting cross-legged, looking up at Akiko. Akiko sank down on the floor beside her.

“No, no fight.”

“But no sex, either?”

“Kazumi!” Akiko could feel herself blushing.

“No sex, then.”

“Kazumi, can you please not talk about it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like it’s just…” Akiko wasn’t entirely sure what to say. “It’s private,” she finished, a little lamely. Kazumi just snorted with laughter.

“The details are private,” she said. “The fact you want to do it with Akira is really, really not private at all.”

Akiko knew she was bright red now, embarrassed at being quite so transparent.

“And,” Kazumi continued, “he wants to do it with you as well.” Akiko was sure she’d got even redder. “You know, you’re almost the same colour as your hakama,” Kazumi commented.

“Oh, Kazumi! Stop it!”

The girl dropped her eyes.

“Sorry,” she said, and she sounded sincere. Then she looked up again.

“But, really, you’re being silly about this.”

“He won’t do anything!” Akiko said, and realised it sounded like a wail.

“Have you done anything?”

“What? Of course not.”

“Well then.”

“But I’m the woman. He’s the man.”

“Oh, for pity’s sake!” Kazumi sounded genuinely exasperated. “This is the twenty-first century! Women are allowed to take the initiative.”

“What do you think I should do, then?”

“Take him to a love hotel.”

“What?” That was not the response Akiko had been expecting.

“Well, unless you want to screw in a park… No, OK, I didn’t think you would,” Kazumi said quickly, as Akiko felt herself getting genuinely angry. “Look, if you want to sleep with him, you have to go to a love hotel, or bring him back here. The walls here are paper.” Akiko wondered whether she was going to spend the entire conversation blushing. Quite likely, she told herself. “So,” Kazumi continued, “you might as well go to a love hotel to start with. You can just kiss in them, you know. They don’t magically make you go all the way.”

“But what if I scare him off?”

Kazumi burst out laughing.

“It is very hard to scare a man off by being willing to have sex with him,” she said. “Trust me on this.”

08: Epilogue, Episode 52 | 1 Comment »

Kazumi’s suggestion distracted Akiko for most of the following day. About mid-morning, when she found herself standing in the precincts, broom in hand, staring vacantly into space, she made herself face facts.

She liked the idea.

It was direct, it took control, and it would, surely, work. After all, Akira was interested in her. At least, he had been before, and Kazumi didn’t think anything had changed. So, it was a good idea. She just needed to decide to do it.

Before she could quite summon up the courage to go to call Akira, she saw someone entering the shrine. She didn’t recognise him, but he was looking around as if expecting to see something remarkable; not an unusual situation these days. He spotted her, and bowed in greeting. She bowed in return, and hurried over.

“Welcome to Tamao Shrine,” she said. “How can we help you?”

“I am Tanaka, from Mainichi Shinbun.” He was holding out his business card, the newspaper’s logo clear on the top. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to talk to me.”

“You need to talk to the chief priest of the shrine, Revd Shiraishi,” Akiko countered, desperate to buy time. “If you would come with me, I will see whether she is available.”

“He’s following up the rumours,” Shiraishi said with a sigh when Akiko explained it. “I suppose it was inevitable.” She looked at Akiko. “Could you manage moral support?”

“He’s a journalist, not a police officer,” Akiko said.

“I know, I know,” Shiraishi replied. “But this isn’t like the pool. I… Let’s have him interview both of us.”

The journalist had no objection to that, and actually looked quite pleased, which worried Akiko a little. His first questions were entirely general and innocuous; he asked about the shrine, the fire, the wild festival, and the appearance of the pool. He had obviously done his homework, and Akiko could feel herself bracing for the next questions.

“I hear you held a small festival a few days ago,” he said, at last.

“Yes, we did,” Shiraishi said, the caution clear in her voice.

“There are a number of rumours about that festival. Would you care to comment on them?”

“Rumours?” Shiraishi was obviously playing for time.

“People are saying that the kami appeared, in the form of a snake of fire, and swallowed the miko.”

Shiraishi opened her mouth, and then shut it sharply. Akiko also caught herself just before blurting out a denial.

“This is the shrine’s miko,” Shiraishi said at last. “You can see that she has not been swallowed by a burning snake.”

“The rumours also say that she descended from the sky afterwards, with great white wings.”

“And you can see she has no wings,” Shiraishi countered.

“So, there is no truth to the rumours, then?”

There was another pause.

“Shinto festivals cannot really be explained in words,” Shiraishi said at last. “You have to experience them for yourself.”

“Is that ‘no comment’, then?” the journalist asked.

“No comment,” Shiraishi said. He looked at her, and then at Akiko, before nodding and putting his recorder away.

“Well, off the record, I’ve heard quite a lot of other rumours about that festival.”

“Festivals can have quite an impact on people,” Shiraishi said, nodding in agreement. “Please feel free to attend.” She rose, and the journalist was also forced to get back to his feet. He looked a little frustrated as he left the shrine, and Akiko suspected that he would be back.

08: Epilogue, Episode 52 | 1 Comment »

“Where are we going?” Akira asked again.

“It’s a surprise,” Akiko repeated, as her stomach turned somersaults and her mouth went dry. It took all her effort to keep her voice steady and stop her limbs from trembling.

“Down here?” he asked, sounding a bit sceptical, and this time Akiko just nodded. The love hotels were visible now, and Akira was looking around, as if trying to work out where they could be going. Akiko knew she was starting to blush, but relied on the darkness to hide it, as she headed for the hotel where she had stayed. It wasn’t too bad.

A few moments later, Akira realised where they were going, and stopped in his tracks. Akiko was sure her heart stopped for several seconds.

“Akiko… That’s… a…” Akira seemed to be having trouble speaking. Akiko just nodded, not trusting herself to say anything, certainly not trusting herself to look directly at him. She took a deep breath, and then walked inside and up to the machine for booking rooms, taking the one she had stayed in before.

She held the key in her hand, gripping it tightly, very aware that Akira wasn’t beside her, hoping that he would appear.

There were footsteps, hurrying, and he came in, standing beside her, but not, she thought, looking at her. She wasn’t looking at him as she turned and made her way to the lift, either, so she could hardly blame him. She didn’t think he was saying anything, either, but then she could hardly hear anything apart from her heart, pounding in her ears.

He’s come in with me, she told herself. He knows what this place is. He knows what that means. That must mean he wants to. She was painfully aware that she was trying to convince herself.

The room looked much as she remembered it, except that Akira’s presence made everything completely different.

The door closed behind them, and they both stood silently in the room. Akiko was painfully aware of not looking at Akira, of looking everywhere but at him, of desperately hoping that he would do something now. When the silence got too long for her to bear, she walked further into the room, into the bathroom, looking at Akira in the huge mirrors as she turned the water on to fill the bath. Even as she did it, she realised she didn’t know why. They weren’t here to wash.

“Ah, Akiko…” Akira faltered and fell silent. Akiko took a deep breath and turned to face him. He was still standing in the entrance, and he looked almost as nervous as Akiko felt.

That realisation suddenly made her feel a lot better.

“Akira, come into the room,” she said, actually managing to smile slightly. He did, but he still looked very unsure.

“This…”

Akiko took a deep breath.

“This is a love hotel,” she said. “I stayed here alone when I was homeless, but that’s not what it’s for.”

“I… When you were homeless?” Akira suddenly sounded very concerned. Her tension draining away, Akiko smiled.

“That sounds really dramatic, doesn’t it? I got thrown out of my flat, and it was a little while before I moved into the shrine. This is just one of the places I stayed.”

“Oh. Oh yes. I remember now.” He walked further into the room, carefully avoiding touching the furniture. He glanced down at one of the tables, spotted the bowl full of condoms, and recoiled, bumping into the bed, which made him recoil again. Akiko found herself smiling.

“Akira, relax. The bath is nearly ready.” As she said that, Akiko suddenly found herself getting nervous again. The bath. Together. With Akira. He blushed furiously, and Akiko, aware that she was doing the same, looked away again, into the mirror.

The bath really was ready, and she turned the taps off. She tested the water temperature with her hand, and stood there for a long moment. There was only one sensible thing to do next, she knew. It was a vital part of her whole reason for coming here.

Kazumi would be naked already, she chided herself, straightening up and drying her hand before turning to face Akira.

“Will you join me?” Her voice wavered on the last word, and Akira seemed too stunned to respond. Akiko reached up and started to unbutton her blouse. She was half way down, and could feel the pounding of her heart through her chest, before Akira reached for his tie, and started to undo it.

Akiko stopped when she was down to her underwear, waiting for Akira, unwilling to take the final step alone. Akira also stopped, facing her in his boxer shorts. Akiko glanced down, and felt herself blushing again. Sexy underwear was a good choice, then.

Taking another deep breath, she reached behind her back, and unhooked her bra.

As it fell to the floor, Akira seemed to come out of his trance, and reached for the waistband of his shorts. This is really happening, Akiko thought, as she slipped her knickers off and then stepped into the bath. Akira came up beside her, and then they were standing next to each other in the bath, both looking in the mirror, neither looking at their own reflection.

The mirror rippled, like the surface of a pool, and then churned, darkness and light within it, until it quickly settled again. But now they could no longer see themselves. Instead, the bath formed one edge of a pool in a forest clearing, stones completing the circumference, stars twinkling in a dark sky while the light from the bathroom

“What…” Akira gasped, and Akiko reached out to grasp his arm.

“It’s all right,” she said. “This happened last time I was here, as well. Come on, it’s safe.” Still holding his arm, she took a step forwards, her foot coming down on stones rather than the plastic base of the bath. She looked back at Akira, at the bathroom as it appeared beyond a wooden frame. “Come on,” she repeated, gently insistent, and Akira stepped after her, still looking at the trees and stars.

Akiko inhaled the fresh air, the scent of the pine, the slight hint of sulphur from the hot spring water. The air was pleasant, with a gentle breeze that played over her skin, and she could hear nothing but the flow of the water and the wind in the trees. Her nervousness slowly drained away. Was this a present from Tamao, she wondered.

She turned back to Akira, and reached out, putting her arms around him and pulling him close.

“Look at me!” she said, her voice low. Akira looked down, and then bent a little lower to kiss her.

08: Epilogue, Episode 52 | 2 Comments »