“It is simply this. Is a married person looking at an unmarriedperson?”
I gritted my teeth as a headache began to throb at my temples. I had no idea what the answer was, and I really didn’t have time for this. I wanted to rescue my mother, not ponder useless riddles with stupid talking trees full of severedheads!
“Any ideas?” Raiden asked, glancing at me. The look on his face let me know he was just as stumped as I was. Great. Just freakinggreat.
“Well, do you know?” The tree grinned evilly. “Or are you going to join my friends here?” His branches rustled, eliciting moans from the severedheads.
“Sure, I’ve got it,” I said sweetly, calling upon mykyuubi’spower. Her spirit popped free of the charm, and I grabbed it and shoved it in my chest. “The answer is get the hell out of myway.”
Thejinmenju’seyes widened in horror as I flung a massive fireball at it. The ball of flame slammed straight into the trunk, and the tree exploded into a swirling cloud of flaming debris. The severed heads all shrieked with pain as debris rained down around the room, and we ducked forcover.
“Well...” Raiden muttered when the air had finally cleared. He glanced at me warily out of the corner of his eye as I pulled thekyuubiout of my chest and allowed her to regain her form. “That wasn’t exactly what Iexpected.”
“I’ll say.” Shota grinned at me. “You don’t mess around,Aika.”
I shrugged. “I don’t negotiate withterrorists.”
“It’s about time you grew a spine,” thekyuubihuffed. She curled her tails around her and immediately began grooming herpaw.
I snorted. “I think I’m doing pretty well considering that I’ve only just started this shamanthing.”
“You might want to save the grooming for later,” Raiden said to thekyuubias the tree finally withered into ash. We all turned toward it just as a doorway appeared where the tree had been. A strange silver glow seeped from the cracks around it, and a cool sensation rippled across my skin inresponse.
“Umm.” I glanced uneasily at Raiden and Shota. “You think it’s safe to go inthere?”
Shota frowned thoughtfully. “It’s notyoki,” he said, moving closer to the door. “In fact, I think it might be akami.”
“It is,” thekyuubisaid. She strutted toward the door, completely unconcerned. “Open it,human.”
Raiden scowled at her imperious tone, but he did as she asked. I threw up a hand to shield my eyes as a wave of silver light burst from the door, and Raiden cried out in surprise, his hand going to the hilt of hissword.
“Relax, children,” a smooth male voice that was like rippling water said. It sounded vaguely amused. “The moonlight will not hurt you. It is alreadyfading.”
Cautiously, I opened my eyes. Standing in the center of a small room was a tall man with long, silver hair. He was clad in a dark purplekimonowith tiny moons embroidered in the fabric, and he carried a silver staff topped with a crescent moon. He regarded us with eyes the color of molten steel in a way that should have made me nervous, except that he radiated an aura of tranquility that instantly smoothed mynerves.
While I was standing there, gawking like a slack-jawed yokel, Raiden, Shota, and thekyuubidropped to the ground, prostratingthemselves.
“Tsukuyomi-sama,” Shota said gravely, pressing his forehead into the dirt. “It is anhonor.”
Tsukuyomi?Alarmed, I dropped to the ground next to my friends, despite thekami’snon-threatening presence. Hell, I’d never seen thekyuubibow toanyone. Tsukuyomi was Amaterasu’s brother-husband, the god of the moon. He wasn’t as powerful as the sun goddess, since he had to borrow some of her light, but he was one of the oldest gods around, and I was pretty sure that he could turn us into a smudge on the floor if he wantedto.
“Rise, children,” the moon god said calmly. “There is no need for such ceremonyhere.”
Warily, we got to ourfeet.
“Are you here to help us, Tsukuyomi-sama?” I asked. “Or are you on Kai’s side?” I didn’t remember the old stories very well, but I vaguely recalled that Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi weren’t on speaking terms. Was the moon god anenemy?
The moon god shook his head. “I am no friend of Amatsu Mikaboshi,” he said gravely, the silver light around him flickering. “I come here asking for a favor, and in exchange, I will give you a tool you may find useful when you meetKai.”
“What is the favor?” Raiden askedwarily.
Tsukuyomi sighed, pulling a letter from the sleeve of his robe. “I have been trying to apologize to Amaterasu for centuries about the old misunderstanding between us, but she will not hear me. I beseech you to read this letter to her for me.” His silver eyes bore into mine as he thrust the letter in my direction. “She will not be expecting the words to come from your mouth, and so will not have time to close her ears before you give her mymessage.”
“I see.” I reached for the letter, but paused, my fingers a millimeter away from it. “Do you want me to go to one of her shrines and read it toher?”
“No. There will be a time when you speak to the sun goddess directly. That is when you will give her the message.” Tsukuyomi pressed the letter into my hand. “Do youagree?”
I swallowed, painfully aware of the weight of the god’s stare. This letter was very important, and I had a feeling that if I failed to deliver the message, bad things would happen to me. But what choice did I have? We needed to defeat Kai, and any help I could get waswelcome.
