Akiko was awake in the middle of the night, for no reason she could discern. She lay in the futon for a while, staring at the ceiling, slowly realising that she could see it very clearly, in a soft silver light. It didn’t quite look like moonlight, and she immediately started to wonder, calmly, whether she was actually awake. She glanced around the room, but it looked perfectly ordinary; not that that proved anything.

She got up, pulling on a yukata and belting it at her waist. The night air was surprisingly warm when she opened the windows and stepped out onto the veranda, the pool liquid silver in the moonlight. She glanced back into her room; maybe it was just reflected moonlight. Maybe. Stepping down into the sandals, she walked across the bridge and purified herself before leaving the garden and stepping into the shrine grounds. Everything was peaceful, the stones of the iwakura dark shadows in the moonlight, while the shrine seemed almost to glow. Akiko looked around, but she still couldn’t see anything that proved she was dreaming, or awake, for that matter.

She walked towards the shrine building, intending to pay her respects to Tamao. <em>If he wants something, that will give him a chance to say so,</em> she thought. As she reached the steps, she looked round, and saw a figure standing outside the torii. It looked human, but it was surrounded by swirling clouds, moving as if caught in a hurricane, glowing red, green, and purple, flashing with silver and gold lightning.

<em>Probably dreaming, then, </em>she concluded, walking cautiously towards the torii. <em>Probably.</em>

As she got closer, she could make out more details of the figure; the fact that it was Mr Takenaka didn’t surprise her, and even came as a relief. At least it was a known issue, not something else to deal with. He was standing outside the torii as the clouds whipped round his body, but his clothes seemed untouched by the wind, hanging still around him. He was facing out, looking over Kawasaki. Akiko could not see the town through the trees, but maybe Mr Takenaka could. She walked up to the torii, but not through it. If he was an angry ghost, a tatarigami, Akiko wanted to be inside the shrine, under Tamao’s protection.

“Mr Takenaka?â€

He turned round, and Akiko gasped as her heart started pounding. His face was twisted, his eyes burning with green fire in red skin. He grinned when he saw her, and she was sure that his teeth were sharper, longer, than they should be. He reached out for her, but snatched his hand back as it reached the torii, scowling. Akiko was very glad she had decided to stay inside.

“Akiko Tanahata.â€ His voice was deeper than before, rumbling with the cadences of thunder, making ground vibrate under her feet. She swallowed, hard, wondering what it meant that he recognised her. “They have tasted my wrath. They have had the warnings. <em>You</em> have had the warning; you burned with it, didn’t you?â€

Akiko realised he was talking about the fever, and nodded, her mouth dry. She desperately wanted to run away, but she also needed to know what he wanted, what he planned to do. <em>He can’t cross the boundary,</em> she reminded herself, and put one hand on the torii, gripping it for support.

“Well then, why haven’t you acted? Why have none of them acted? Why do they not repent of ignoring me, of neglecting me? Don’t they know that it is dangerous to neglect the kami? We have ways of getting what we want!â€

<em>You certainly do,</em> thought Akiko, then guiltily glanced back over her shoulder, wondering whether Tamao could read her mind. Takenaka grinned, apparently noticing her glance.

“Yes, is he really so different from me? But he has a shrine, festivals, ujiko. I was a loyal ujiko. I took my turns helping run the shrine. I made my offerings. And in return I was abandoned, left unsupported.â€ He spun round, stretching his hands out over the city. “Well, now they will know what it is like. They will feel my anger, my revenge. No-one can stop me now.â€ It wasn’t a boast, or a challenge. Just a calm statement of fact.

Her heart pounding even faster, her stomach churning, Akiko licked her lips to wet them and forced the question out.

“What… what do you want?â€

He turned back to her, looking at her curiously from his burning eyes.

“Want? I want justice. I want vengeance.â€ He raised a hand, the clouds gathering round it, shining weirdly and spitting lightning. “I can have revenge now.â€ He paused, smiling, and Akiko shuddered.

“So, enough warnings. Nobody is taking it seriously. Nobody is afraid.â€ <em>Well, that’s not true,</em> Akiko thought, as her fingers tried to dig into the stone of the torii. Somehow, however, saying that didn’t seem like a good idea.

“Earth next. I will bury them. They dug the foundations, so I will bury them in earth. His home will vanish into the ground.â€

<em>Who? Say the name!</em> Akiko begged silently.

“The hill will consume it, as if it was never there.â€ Takenaka raised a hand, and then froze, looking beyond Akiko. She looked over her shoulder, and saw Tamao looming there, his eyes fixed on Takenaka’s spirit. The gems of his skin shone brightly, and Akiko looked back to see the clouds around Takenaka pulsing in response, swirling faster and faster, as if all the movement had drained into them. Because Takenaka was standing absolutely still, transfixed by the snake.

For a moment, Akiko wondered whether Tamao was going to defeat Takenaka, but, although his tail flicked, the snake made no larger move. Carefully, quietly, Akiko backed away, towards the shrine house. Tamao had bought them time, she decided. Time to warn the victims, if Akira Takenaka knew who they were. Time to work out what to do about Hideo Takenaka.

She turned and ran into the house, banging on the door of Shiraishi’s room until the priest got up.

They had been talking for several minutes when Akiko suddenly realised that there had been no moment of awakening.

<em>Not a dream, then.</em>