The other miko looked startled, and then bowed.

“My name is Yoshiko. I serve at this shrine. With whom do I have the honour of speaking?â€

Akiko blushed a little at that; Yoshiko was being very polite.

“My name is Akiko. I serve at this shrine,â€ she said, as she bowed in turn. Straightening up, she looked Yoshiko in the eye, and suddenly realised what was odd about her face. She had plucked her eyebrows, and drawn new ones on.

There was a moment of silence, as Akiko weighed Yoshiko up and, she imagined, Yoshiko did the same in return. Yoshiko broke it.

“Forgive me, this will sound like a very strange question. Which shrine do you serve at?â€

Akiko had been about to ask the same question, so it didn’t sound that strange to her at all.

“Tamao Shrine,â€ she replied. There was something else strange about Yoshiko’s face, she realised. Not just the eyebrows. Yoshiko was obviously surprised by her answer, and she opened her mouth to say something, before closing it again.

Once she had realised what it was, Akiko wondered how she could have missed it. Yoshiko’s teeth were all black. Even in the flickering light of the lamp, she could see that they were dark, at least. A half-memory tickled at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t draw it out properly.

“That’s not…â€ Yoshiko began.

Akiko’s attention was suddenly drawn to the tree, clearly visible despite the darkness, stretching up into the night, connecting the earth and the clouds like a bridge. She was flooded with a longing to touch it, to embrace it, to press her body against it and feel the bark against her skin, and the desire flowed through her and left, like a river in flood leaving a scattering of pebbles on the shore.

<em>Learn from her.</em> That was the thought that remained. Akiko looked back at Yoshiko, who was also looking back from the tree.

“Er…â€ Yoshiko said. “We should talk.â€ Akiko nodded.

“You too?â€ she asked.

“The tree?â€ Yoshiko was asking for confirmation, and Akiko just nodded. They both looked back at it, and this time Akiko broke the silence.

“It told me to learn.â€

“It told me to teach,â€ Yoshiko said, “but I don’t understand. What can I teach you?â€

“Do you know how to drive away kegare and purify the whole of the city?â€ Akiko asked, hope suddenly surging.

Her mood crashed down again as Yoshiko shook her head.

“I’m only a miko,â€ she said, “and you obviously already hear the kami.â€

“How <em>long</em> have you been a miko?â€ Akiko asked, Yoshiko’s statement suddenly making her aware of a possibility.

“All my life, of course.â€ Yoshiko sounded confused.

“I’ve only been a miko for a few weeks. Maybe you could teach me how to be one?â€

“A few weeks?â€ Now she sounded really confused. “Did you… No, you aren’t married.â€ Akiko wondered how Yoshiko knew, and what she had been going to ask. “How did you become a miko?â€

“Tamao insisted.â€

Yoshiko suddenly smiled, which looked very strange with black teeth.

“That sounds like Tamao. And…â€ She suddenly fell silent, apparently biting back words. She looked down, then at the tree, and then back at Akiko.

“I will teach you, as the kami have commanded. We can meet here at night, so we will study here.â€ She paused, taking a deep breath.

“But I do not want to know where you come from. I…â€ She paused again, and looked Akiko straight in the eye.

“I am too frightened of the answer.â€