Kana From Hell: Part Eight

 

Kana thought she had survived the longest night of her life.

She had survived an attack from her father, from the Hachishakusama, another yokai whose name escaped her but one who had just crawled on her feeling, and then this yokai who was about to strangle her and eat her whole.

She had been saved from the yokai but now it seemed her time to die had come again.

She yelped when the sword swung close to her face.

The stranger planted the sword in the soft mud before her and knelt. Kana looked at the blade and saw it was a katana with ancient symbols engraved on them.

The stranger let a finger glide over her hand. Kana was almost surprised by his gentle touch before he pressed his fingers painfully on her scar.

She cried out and he immediately retracted his hand. "It is real. I have only heard about it till now. I didn’t think it could be real."

Kana pushed herself up and let out a breath. She gazed down to where his stare was fixated and realized his grey eyes were studying her scar.

She quickly scrambled backward wondering if he was another yokai. She wondered how many yokai could take on human forms.

The man's eyes glittered with amusement at her reaction. "If I wanted to hurt you, you would not have been able to move away from me."

"Who are you?"

The man stood and she heard him scoff. "The better question is, who are you?"

There was a thunking clank sound and then a bellow. "Stay away from her!"

Kana turned to see the old man hopping towards her.

The stranger pointed his katana at him. "And what is this abomination?"

The old man glared at him. "You would do better to stay away from the both of us."

"You know this...thing?" The stranger addressed Kana.

Kana finally got to her feet and dusted herself. She said nothing as she stood closer to the old man.

"Just what are you? You aren't a yokai, that much I can deduce."

"Toshihiro," the old man replied. Kana looked down at him. She had spent all this time with him and only now learned his name.

"Do your friends call you Toshi?" The stranger taunted.

"Do you care to introduce yourself?" Toshihiro spoke sharply.

"I am the man who saved her life."

When Toshihiro looked inquiringly at Kana, she told him all about her encounter with a yokai who had tricked her with a baby. He glanced at the corpse of the creature with disgust.

"A Nure Onna," Toshihiro replied. "Strange. She has never been seen before in this part of the country."

"She was attracted to that." The stranger gestured to Kana's scar with his katana.

"You need to put it away, especially in the presence of a young woman. Or have you no manners?"

The stranger laughed. "Manners are presented in front of respectable people, not those who have sinned and escaped from hell."

Kana was stunned and took a step back.

"You seem to know a lot about things you shouldn't know about."

"When you find yourself all alone in the world and realize you only have yourself to depend on, you learn a lot of things quickly."

Toshihiro glanced at him and his attire. "You don't belong in these parts. Where have you come from?"

The stranger shrugged. "Does not matter. What is important is my destination. I am heading to a town across the river."

"As are we," Toshihiro replied.

Kana looked at him with surprise but kept her silence. She had no one to guide her except for Toshihiro and it was safer to do as he said.

"I don't mind a little company while I travel. I have a boat ready."

"I thought you didn't find me respectable. Then why help me?" Kana asked.

"And now she speaks. I was beginning to wonder if you were mute." He bowed. "My apologies if I offended you. I would like to make amends by helping you travel across the river."

Kana glanced at Toshihiro who nodded. She nodded at the stranger. "You haven't told me your name."

"Ren." He bowed again.

Kana bowed her head and then walked towards the boat he gestured to.

Ren watched Kana get into the boat and then help her companion in. He smiled to himself as he sheathed his katana.

Then he crept to where the corpse of the Nure Onna lay. He knelt and removed a vial from his pocket and filled it up with the dark blood of the yokai.

He capped the vial and then pocketed it. Glancing backward, he smirked as he watched Kana waiting in the boat.

His quest had just gotten easier.