Yokai (5 page)

Brian nodded in agreement. “Yes. Yes,
it did.”

Yumiko offered him a sympathetic
look.

“
Madame Mori hasn’t found
anything, has she?” he asked hopefully.

Yumiko hated to disappoint him, but
shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mathis.” She caught his eye and
amended, with “Brian.”

“
I didn’t think
so.”

“
But it’s a top priority,”
Yumiko assured him, reaching out and touching his shoulder. She
paused when she came into contact with his arm, not knowing why
she’d done it. Then she looked up into his piercing blue eyes. It
was strange to see such eyes with his features, even if he was only
half-Japanese. She knew that it was a rare genetic quirk, but she
thought that they suited him. They complimented his features,
framed by his long dark lashes.

She realized that she’d been staring
and looked away quickly, dropping her hand.

“
I’m sure it is,” Brian
said, clearing his throat. “And I know that finding a cure for a
man who turns into a creature isn’t the sort of thing that she
typically deals with.”

“
Well, we don’t just deal
with ridding the world of malevolent yokai. We study them as well.
Your unique situation is one we haven’t come across before, and it
presents an opportunity to examine a foreign concept.”

“
Why take the time to help
me?” he ran a hand back through his hair. “I’m sure you have your
hands full already.”

“
There aren’t a set number
of yokai out there,” Yumiko said carefully. “No matter how many of
them we face, we will always encounter new ones. Understanding what
is happening to you may aid us in a battle further down the line.”
She shrugged. “Besides, using research as a weapon can be just as
powerful as using a sword. And it gives me a small respite from the
grueling jobs that Madame Mori sends me on. If I am to outwit…well,
if I am to face dangers to come, I will need more than reflexes
alone.”

“
But why a fox?” Mr. Mathis
ran a hand back through his hair. “I just don’t understand. And why
me?”

“
These things happen. But
we will get to the bottom of it.”

“
It just seems like there’s
no reason for this to be happening. It seems so random.”

Yumiko licked her lips. It did appear
random. There had been no warning before he had transformed for the
first time. No contact with a fox, that he knew of, let alone a
yokai. “You can find meaning in anything, Mr. Mathis. We see it all
around us every day. It’s in the objects we surround ourselves
with, and in the actions we take. Kami is in
everything.”

“
Kami?”

“
Spiritual essence,” she
clarified. “The divine.”

Brian blinked at her, and Yumiko
smiled at him reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Mr. Mathis. We will find
a way to drive this creature from you.”

“
Brian. And I’m counting on
it,” Brian said softly. He looked up and tilted his head. “Where is
Madame Mori?”

“
She stepped out for a
moment. But I reserved the, uh…the room we’ll need to keep you safe
tonight.”

Mr. Mathis nodded. “Well, I guess we’d
best get to it then.”

“
Yes,” Yumiko agreed, and
ushered him from the room. She loved the way that Brian spoke,
pronouncing every word succinctly, as if trying very hard to make
sure that everything came out correctly. It made his Japanese sound
a little awkward, but he’d actually caught on quite well,
especially for a man who’d only been in the country for two months.
Yumiko actually found it rather endearing.

As they passed through the Wadas’ sake
bar, Yumiko paused, noticing a man hunched over, a yokai riding his
back. It was a short, troll-like thing with a pig’s snout and a
naked, hairy body, round and squat. It looked like a bothersome
creature, but not particularly ferocious. It probably fed off of
the pain derived from the man it forced to walk hunched over.
Yumiko turned her eyes to the man, who drank sake, a look of
obvious discomfort on his face, and Yumiko knew the reason why,
even if the man had no clue that a yokai, invisible to all save
herself, was to blame.

Taking in the room at a glance, Yumiko
decided that she could dispatch the yokai with no one being the
wiser. The man sat apart from the others in the room, drinking his
sorrows away into his cup, trying desperately to lose himself, and
his pain.

She stopped and touched Brian’s
shoulder, then gestured to the man. “Distract him for
me.”

“
Distract him?” Brian
looked confused.

“
Talk to him.”

“
About what?”

Yumiko sighed. “I don’t care. The
weather. Anything.”

Brian rubbed the back of his neck, a
frown on his face, but he did as he was told. He sauntered up to
the man and sat down across from him.

The man’s eyes flicked up to him
briefly, before returning to his sake. “What do you
want?”

“
You look like you could
use some company,” Brian said after clearing his throat.

Yumiko pulled her sword from her side
quickly and quietly, eyes darting around the room briefly to make
sure that she hadn’t attracted any unwanted attention.

“
Well, I don’t,” the man
scoffed dismissively. “Leave me be.”

Brian looked up at Yumiko with a
shrug, as if to say “Hey, I tried,” and his eyes widened as she
slashed her sword across the man’s back, not quite grazing the
man’s shirt. She saw the yokai disappear with a startled gasp, but
she knew that it looked very different to anyone unable to see the
little monster.

The man caught Brian’s startled look
and glanced back at Yumiko, but she’d already sheathed her sword.
She smiled sweetly at the man, then looked expectantly at Mr.
Mathis. “Brian, leave the man alone. We have an appointment to
keep. Or have you forgotten?”

Brian opened his mouth, then closed
it. He seemed to take the strange interaction in stride, however,
and walked out of the sake bar with her, just as the man they’d
left behind stood up straight behind them, letting out a joyful
exclamation.

Brian looked back and raised an
eyebrow at Yumiko. “What was that about?”

“
Nothing you need to worry
about,” she replied mysteriously, escorting him through the next
door into the entrance of the love hotel. Yumiko wasn’t accustomed
to walking into the lobby with a man in tow, and felt a little
blush creep into her cheeks, but she set her jaw and walked up to
the counter with determination. She would remain professional. Mr.
Mathis had come to her to keep him safe this night, and every night
of the full moon until they could find a solution to his…problem.
He inevitably transformed into a fox every full moon, and it seemed
that the creature’s mind dominated his own for the duration. He
couldn’t remember a thing he did while in fox form, but would wake
up naked in a trash bin or some other strange place. Who knew what
the creature was capable of if left unchecked? It appeared to be a
mere fox, but katsune were sly yokai, and it could be carrying out
a very convincing lie.

The truth was, this was a rather
interesting case. It wasn’t every day that they had a human walk
through their doors who was attached to the fate of a yokai. In
fact, they’d never come across it before at all. But Yumiko had
seen the results of the curse firsthand last month when she’d gone
to check in on him. A fox had taken his place then, and was sure to
tonight as well.

Kitsune typically were known as
shape-shifting yokai. They could assume human form, but for one
flaw: They could not transform their tails. When Mr. Mathis has
first relayed his story, that had been the first thing that Madame
Mori had checked. It was especially strange since this case had
more in common with lycanthropy than anything in Eastern lore. But
Mori seemed convinced that his tale was true, and reminded Yumiko
that yokai came in all shapes and sizes, and would continue to do
so.

Yumiko recalled the moment Mr. Mathis
had walked through their door two months ago, looking around in
awe, as if he’d stumbled onto a Hollywood set. Drunks were known to
stagger into the library from time to time, having gotten lost on
their way to the lavatories. Yumiko assumed the same of him at
first, as well. But she was immediately struck by his features.
They were open and kind, handsome and a little edgy. She may have
stared, because Mori had cleared her throat before approaching the
stranger, arms crossed. “Is there something I can do for you, sir?”
Mori had asked sharply.

Brian seemed able to focus with her
words, and his eyes found Yumiko and intently drank her in, as hers
had done to him a moment earlier. It was as if he’d never seen a
woman before, and Yumiko looked away, her face on fire. It didn’t
hurt that he was so attractive, and when he spoke, Yumiko’s heart
began to race, as if trying to chase each syllable that dropped
from his lips. “I’m sorry to intrude,” he said with a bow. “I am
seeking the aid of the renowned Madame Mori.”

“
And you have found her,”
Mori sniffed, lifting her head. Her posture changed then, as she
realized she was addressing a client. She gestured toward the back
of the room. “Please, come have some tea.”

“
Thank you,” Brian said,
bowing again.

Mori sent Yumiko a look, which told
her to fetch the tea, and Yumiko obliged, heart hammering as
Brian’s face swam before her eyes the entire time. When she’d
returned, Mori was making small talk, and took the tea kettle from
Yumiko, who lowered herself to a cushion.

Mori poured the tea carefully, but
even still, her hands shook slightly. She was getting older, and
the teapot was heavy. If Yumiko intervened, however, she would get
a severe look and retort: “I’m not feeble in mind or body yet, Miss
Sato.”

Brian, however, smoothly took the
teapot from her. “Allow me,” he said, easily taking it from her
hand. “I’m afraid in America, I’m not accustomed to serving tea.
Any practice I can get is much appreciated.”

Mori had looked pleased, and Yumiko
had been impressed. As he’d poured Yumiko’s tea, he’d looked up
into her eyes, yet still somehow filled her cup perfectly. If she
didn’t know better, she would say that he’d been serving tea his
whole life.

“
Yumiko, this is Mr.
Mathis,” Mori introduced them. “He has a job for us. One that could
take us a while.” She turned to Brian. “Mr. Mathis, this is Yumiko
Sato. She is my apprentice and will be on the case, as
well.”

“
Pleased to meet you,”
Yumiko said, bowing low.

“
The pleasure’s all mine,”
Brian assured her, watching her intently. “Believe me, the pleasure
is all mine.”

Yumiko blinked the memories away and
threw a smile in Brian’s direction, who flashed dimples back at her
in response. He made it difficult to concentrate. At least when he
was a fox, she didn’t get all flustered. She could feel removed and
assess him as a subject. The only thing she could assess when he
was in human form was how handsome he was.

At the frosted glass
window, Yumiko tapped on a bell, and she saw a figure step up to
the desk, features blurred to make the guests more comfortable
visiting such an establishment. She glanced up at the rates listed,
for an hour’s “rest,” or two hours’ “rest.” Up to six hours. Of
course, what they were doing was renting rooms out to couples
wishing to have a place to have sex. It was an embarrassing
business, for both the employees
and
the customers. Many love hotels took money through
vending machines to make the transactions even more discreet, but
Madame Mori was worried about vandalism, and liked to have somebody
on site, especially since the rooms needed to be cleaned
and…sanitized anyway.

“
Hello,” Yumiko said. She
glanced up at the pictures of the rooms, each themed, from a
carnival, with a carousel circling the bed, to a cave-like room
with simple furnishings. “The key to the dungeon,
please.”

“
I’m sorry, but that room’s
been reserved for the night,” a voice replied. “May I suggest the
nurse’s office or the rocket ship?”

Yumiko scowled. “No. I reserved that
room. Now, the key, please.”

“
Yumiko?”

Yumiko blinked, then stepped back as
the door beside the desk opened.

Reina peeked out, then came out into
the lobby. “I thought that was you!” she said. She looked Brian up
and down, like he was a piece of meat. “You naughty girl. I didn’t
realize you used the rooms. And the dungeon? I wouldn’t have pegged
you for the type.”

Yumiko was too stunned to speak, but
thankfully, Brian stepped in.

He bowed to Reina. “I’m a client of
Miss Sato’s,” he said.

“
Oh,” Reina seemed to lose
all interest at once. “So, she’s not restraining you to take
advantage.”

Yumiko sighed heavily.

“
I’m afraid not,” Brian
replied. Yumiko glanced over at him, and he averted his
eyes.

Reina noted the reaction, and smiled
knowingly. “Well, let me get that key for you.”

“
That would be a splendid
idea.”