Kana From Hell Part Sixteen

 

Dawn was breaking when Toshihiro and Kana came upon a village. Toshihiro told her to stay hidden, remarking that the villagers may not take too kindly to a lone woman approaching them for help, and he was basically a cooking utensil.

Kana asked him if he knew anyone who could offer them shelter in this village. He did tell Kuro he would take care of their shelter issues.

Toshihiro remained quiet, and Kana decided not to pursue or nettle him. She lay down on the soft grass. Under the warmth of the sun and gentle breeze, Kana began to doze off. It had been a long night, after all.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard the flapping of wings. She fell deeper into sleep and could smell flowers.

She felt a gentle touch on her hair.

A sweet fragrance surrounded her.

"You should wear flowers on your hair. You look beautiful."

Kana turned around to find Michi smiling at her.

Kana burst into tears and hugged her. Michi was confused.

"Why are you crying?"

Kana couldn't stop crying. She hugged Michi tighter, not wanting to let go. "I thought I lost you." She sobbed.

"I'll never leave you."

Kana pushed back, startled at the hoarse voice. She screamed when she saw the stern face of Gozu. "You are coming with me!"

Kana screeched as she found herself surrounded by flames.

"Kana!"

She turned around, taken aback by the familiar voice. It was her mother.

"Don't forget. You have to find him. And kill him." Her mother collapsed and blood oozed from every wound in her body.

Kana tried to go to her, but Gozu held on. "The glove won't protect you from me."

In the next instant, Kana was near a river. It was nighttime, and the river reflected the moon. It should have been a peaceful evening, except the calm was broken by the cries of a woman.

"Help!" She screamed.

Kana clamped a hand over her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut so that she wouldn't have to see. Most importantly, she didn't want to be seen. A man's triumphant laughter travelled to her ears, and all Kana could think was that it was better it was that woman than her.

Something grabbed her wrist, and she turned around to find Gozu behind her. He bellowed, "The King wants to see you. Now!"

The booming voice woke Kana up. She sat up, shivering. The sky was darkening, and she gazed at the skies where the stars were visible.

She heard a metallic clanging sound.

"There you are. I've been looking all over for you."

Kana looked at her surroundings. She was no longer behind the bushes where she had fallen ⁰[asleep. She was now in the rice fields, and her dress was completely wet.

"What am I doing here?" She stood and clutched her dress, trying to wring out the water.

"I went to speak to a...friend. She will give us shelter for however long we want. I came to get you, but you were gone."

"I had a dream. Gozu..."

Toshihiro came closer. "Do not say that name here. Whatever it was was just a dream. Let us head to my friend's house now."

Kana followed Toshihiro to a Minka that was apart from all the others in the village.

Kana shuddered as memories of her dream seeped into her. She glanced at her Kappa-skin glove. It was supposed to protect her from yokai but not from the gatekeepers of hell.

"Meet Yoshi," Toshihiro said.

Kana immediately bowed to the old woman who had cloudy eyes.

"Come in." Her smile was so warm and friendly that Kana immediately felt a sense of relief. She was safe and away from Gozu.

The interior was warm and inviting. She could smell the food cooking and felt her appetite grow.

Yoshi served them a hot meal while Toshihiro told them about how he and his daughter had gotten lost in the woods and how they were grateful for Yoshi's hospitality.

Yoshi said how her family had drowned during a fishing trip and that she had been living alone for years.

Kana ate quietly, not feeling like contributing to the conversation. Eventually, it was time to go to bed. She may have slept the whole day, but Kana was feeling oddly sleepy.

She supposed it had something to do with her being stressed out due to her nightmares.

She lay down on a blanket and closed her eyes. She felt herself being pulled into sleep, but when she heard a voice, her eyes snapped open.

Toshihiro was still talking to Yoshi and was trying to whisper, but Kana heard her name.

"I did as you asked," Yoshi told him. "She should be sleeping soundly. The poor girl needs her rest."

"But you remember what we talked about. I need your help. You're the only one who can guide me."

Yoshi sighed. "Did she tell you what got her condemned to hell?"

"No. But my guess is that she has killed someone. It is the highest sin that can get anyone condemned to hell."

"But you do not for sure. And you still want me to help you? It could harm her. You already know that, don't you? Since you come from a line of sorcerers."

There was a pause, and Kana wondered if he was whispering so low that she couldn't hear.

"Is there a way where I could get what I want from her without her dying?"

"You know there isn't, and you know I'm not about to help you kill a girl for your benefit."

There was a shuffle of feet. She imagined the old woman walking. "I can sense something good in her. And while she is under my roof, I will not let you hurt her."

Kana pulled the blanket closer to her. Toshihiro had come to her aid when she needed the most. He had been her guide and a friend to her. Had it all been an act? Did he intend to betray her?

Her heart sank. First Ren and now Toshihiro. Could she not trust anyone in this world?

She meant to get up and confront Toshihiro,  but sleep quickly enveloped her. Before she drifted away, she wondered what Yoshi had put in her meal.

***

Ren was crouched behind a bush, watching Kana and Toshihiro enter the Minka. He had been trailing them as they left the forest.

He didn't like what he had to do, but he desperately needed yokai blood if he had to save his sister  Emiko.

He would be careful. He would protect her.

Ren kept his head down as he neared the Minka. He peeked through the window and spotted Kana sleeping soundly. He saw Toshihiro enter the room and try to approach her silently.

Ren wondered if Toshihiro was watching Kana to make sure she was alright. But then he saw Toshihiro reach for her glove.

Ren gripped the window as he watched Toshihiro try to slip the glove off her hand.

Before he could stop himself, Ren climbed through the window and into the room.

"What are you doing?"

Toshihiro stumbled back in surprise and almost toppled over. "You? We had sent you away!"

Ren came forward. "Were you trying to remove her glove? I thought you wanted to keep her safe."

"Are you here to steal it yourself?"

Ren shrugged. "I have no reason to." But he kept his eyes down.

"Then why are you here? Do not tell me that you are actually concerned for her."

"I did not believe for a second that you were. You have been pretending to take care of her. I saw you trying to remove the one thing that can protect her. It was your idea to find someone who could make her some protective gear. What has changed now?"

It was Toshihiro's turn to look down.

"I do not want any harm to come to her. But I am a desperate man. I refuse to live my life as a cooking pot."

"You appear to me more like a teapot." Ren moved closer. Kana was still sleeping soundly, unaware of what was going on around her. Ren found it odd that she hadn't been disturbed by all the commotion. "What has Kana got to do with you being a teapot?"

"It is her blood."

Kana's eyes flickered. Ren glanced at her but didn't detect any movement.

"She is the only one who can cure me."

"How can she?" Ren was eager to know. "She's just a young woman."

Toshihiro sighed. "She is my granddaughter. If anything happens to her, I can absorb her powers and make myself stronger again. I can be a human again. Powerful enough to take down my son, who has become a tyrant."

"Emperor Akhihito? You're his father?" Ren was surprised enough to take a step back. "But his father died."

"I'm right here. Although I do not have an ounce of pride for being his father. I need to take control of the kingdom again." He glanced at Kana.

"I need her sacrifice. If there was any other way, I would take it."

Ren breathed. "There must be another way."

"I'm a sorcerer myself. I know there is no other way. She must die if I am to absorb her power."

Ren paced back and forth, deep in thought before coming to a halt. "She showed surprising strength when she saved me from the Kappa. Was it her powers?"

Toshihiro rubbed his chin. "She may have dormant powers, but the scar may have something to do with it."

Ren looked down at Kana. "She may be the most powerful woman at the moment and not even know it."

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