“Looking at my son like this…” Uchida-san said, swallowing reflexively, his mouth working as he was struggling for the words to say next. “… I think, how long can he stay like this? Why won’t he wake up?”

Yeah, the curse surprised me too. Battle in the Boundary is going to become ever more unpredictable, and likely extremely dangerous. “It’s complicated to explain, but essentially the Night Parade have a curse that continually supplies energy to the astral body, preventing a return to the Material.” Well, there’s another component too, preventing willing return, but there’s no point going into details.

“So… how long will that persist?” he said, trembling, as more faint wounds opened up on Yamato-san’s skin. “I… hate seeing him like this. But eventually this curse will wear off? There… there was nothing else you could have done?”

At his tone, which was more resigned than accusatory, unlike the anger I had faced during Conclave earlier, I felt embers of guilt within. Pushing them down, determined to own my decision, I shook my head. “Eri was already badly injured, and we were outnumbered thousands of times over. Worse, they weren’t just weaklings, but there were dozens as strong or even stronger than we were. Fighting would have left us all dead or in a similar state to your son. I made a choice on who I had to protect. I’m sorry.”

“I understand.” Uchida-san groaned. As we watched a deeper wound opened on Yamato-san’s leg. Knowing that injuries weren’t fully reflected between the astral and material bodies, I couldn’t help but feel for him. Yeah, I can’t forgive Yamato-san for his arrogance and carelessness that cost the lives of so many, but… this isn’t justice, it’s cruelty. Once more I’m reminded that creatures of spirit have a very different sense of morality than we do. I’m sure Hyacinth wouldn’t have any issues performing such torment if she thought it was in our best interests or what I wanted…

“I am a leader. I understand what it is to make hard choices.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “While as a father I want to scream and condemn you, howl with rage and hatred, as a leader, I know throwing your lives away would have been meaningless. That… that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Oh my son…” he started to weep. “Kannon, show him mercy! Wake him from this endless nightmare!”

Damn, this is painful to watch. Even though I was tired I reached out and started to trickle aether in, closing up the wounds, leaving only faint white lines of scarring. There’s no point worrying about healing the skin. Uchida-san was surprised by my actions, but seemed grateful.

“I grieve for your loss, Uchida-sama.” Hikawa-san said, finishing watching over his peacefully sleeping son. Ren-san had woken earlier in the day, and when he discovered his sisters had been saved, he fell into an exhausted slumber, his own wounds mostly healed. “It could well have been Ren or the twins in such a state. I’m sorry. I feel guilty that Oshiro-san was able to save my children and not your son. But I’m sure he did his best. And… while he lives, there must be hope, right?”

Every time I hear that, it’s like nails dragged across my heart. No, even from the perspective of the greater good, Aiko can put Kannon’s Divine Favour to better use than Yamato-san ever could. And really, though I hate being powerless, I couldn’t defeat Nurarihyon. His League alone would have made my attacks largely ineffective. As for hope… I can’t say there’s none, but unless Nurarihyon allows him to wake…

“I don’t want to give out false hope.” I said, and Hyacinth, surprisingly, spoke up in support.

“Dooo not cling to sweet fantasies. The wooorld is cruel. Bad things happen, painful things, and they can nooot be turned aside.” She sighed, looking down on Yamato-san. She had no fondness for him, but even so, there was a trace of sympathy in her silver-violet eyes. “I have experienced such tooorments for many, many looong years. Nooobody ever saved me.” I reached out and grasped her hand, surprising her.

“Those days are over.” I promised, and she nodded.

“Yet, in the darkness, I saw light. My booox, my prison, cracked open, and I emerged, seeking death, an end tooo pain. Yet, a hand reached ooout to me. Master’s hand.” She tightened her grip, before continuing to address the two men. “Do nooot seek false hope, yet nooothing is set in stone. Accept that sorrooow is the likely outcome, yet perhaps… there is sometimes light oooutside the box. Perhaps yooou should seek solace in what blessings you can find. I dooo not know if these wounds cause him pain.” Her gaze flickered to me, along with a slight, almost unnoticeable smile on her blank face. “But perhaps by sooome fortune, he might nooot be able to suffer.”

Oh Hyacinth. Seeing her heartbreakingly pure smile, the pain in my heart started to dissipate, like mist under sunlight. If it came down to Hyacinth, Shaeula and Eri against Yamato-san, it would be a betrayal of them, and a betrayal of my heart, if I chose him. Taking the Divine Favour, I was seeing it as an immoral act of harm, but really… I don’t think it was. Hyacinth knows that. Not only did I give Yamato-san a chance to make amends, by passing his gift to other hands… the injuries forcible removal of his Divine Favour likely caused can’t be any crueller than the tortures the Parade are inflicting. Perhaps, if he’s lucky, his consciousness is gone, like Kondou’s was.

“I pray that is so, and Kannon is indeed merciful.” Uchida-san said, reaching out for his son’s pale hand, hesitating, before lying his hand over the cold flesh. “It has only been a day, yet…” his chest heaved, taking in lungfuls of air as he held in more tears. “… already he’s required a blood transfusion, the number of small injuries he has suffered seemingly endless. If this continues, day in, day out… well, I wonder, perhaps if…” his expression was full of grief and self-loathing. “… it might be better to just let him die. To end his suffering.”

“It’s too soon to give up!” Hikawa-san protested loudly, before realising he was in a hospital with patients, and lowered his voice. “It’s been a day, just a day! I know Oshiro-san said the situation was grave, and he’s a captive of the Night Parade, but… isn’t there hope, any at all? Can’t we bargain, or barter, or persuade? As the maid says, we can’t have false hope, but we also shouldn’t give up all hope either! After all, we are the faith, we believe!”

There would likely be many people who failed in the future. Either through carelessness, greed, or any number of other reasons. I wasn’t going to forgive them, just as I couldn’t forgive Yamato-san, seeing the face of Mine-san as she died in my arms, the young men and women of the shrines who perished, the scars on those who survived, both physical and mental. But not forgiving them didn’t mean I had to abandon them. After all, when one does wrong, one has to apologise and make amends. Though it also meant I didn’t have to shoulder their safety, put others at risk for them.

“I honestly don’t think it’s likely that we can persuade Nurarihyon to return him.” I admitted. “But if there’s a chance… well, I’ll see what I can do. After all, we do have some common interests.” The Night Parade needs Shiro’s aid it seems, and we have to defeat this golden-eyed creature anyway to save Yukiko-san. We can use that to our advantage. But I’m not going to sacrifice for him. If I can bring him back, great. If not… well, I tried, and that will be his atonement. “Just, like Hyacinth says, don’t expect too much. While there’s life there’s hope, but holding too much will only break you if it doesn’t work out.”

“The Night Parade, the Hyakki Yagyō…” Uchida-san mused. “They wander Kyoto, don’t they? Well…”

“Don’t.” I warned. “I know I performed Chirurgery on you, so you should be able to access the Boundary. But even if you did, finding the Night Parade would be difficult, and surviving the encounter long enough to even meet with any of the Hundred Demons… no, you’d be throwing your life away. Imagine what your son would think if he woke up in the future to find you dead so foolishly.”

Uchida-san bit his lip, before managing a bitter nod. Turning to Hikawa-san, who had seen his son was resting peacefully, I gestured for us to leave, and we did so, departing silently while Uchida-san watched his comatose son. As the door slid shut, Hikawa-san let out a long sigh.

“So, is there really any hope for his son? I do understand Uchida-sama. A father should never outlive his kids. And worse, seeing him in a state between life and death… when someone’s dead, you can grieve. When they linger like this… it’s impossible to give up hope, yet also impossible not to feel the pain.”

“Hope? A little. But…” I sighed myself, matching Hikawa-san. “… this may sound cruel, but I have to put others first. If I can help, and it doesn’t cost me or those I protect, then I will. That’s all I can promise. You should have quite the anger towards Yamato-san too. Your kids could well be dead like the others. It was a miracle they weren’t. Ren-san did good.”

“Yes, my boy did. He’s growing up. I expect this experience will change him. As for my feelings towards Yamato-san…” he looked conflicted. “Of course I’m angry. But… I’m a father too. Besides, I’ve known Uchida-sama and Yamato-sama for years. And my daughters lived, thanks to you. So I can put my anger aside. You have too, right? You looked like death all of yesterday, hollow-eyed and pale.”

“Yeah. I can’t wallow in regrets. Tsukiko-san and Yukiko-san need me. Eri too. Shiro as well. Besides, I have to prepare. We have information, we need to use it.”

“Yes, you’ll be busy. Well, I‘ll leave you to it. But first…” he hesitated, and I knew what he wanted to ask.

“Don’t worry, I’ll speak to the others. We’ll keep a watch on Uchida-san so he doesn’t do anything stupid. But for now…” I looked at my watch. “Damn, it’s already morning. I have to get ready for my return to Tokyo. Are you taking the shinkansen?”

“Yes, apparently the twins will be well enough to travel, thanks to you…” we exchanged our final words, and then I headed back to the ryokan on the outskirts of Kyoto, which I had barely any time to enjoy. Damn, I could really use a soak in some hot springs, but alas, that will have to remain a dream…

********

“Thanks for sorting this out.” I said to the Major, who was here to see us off, as he would be remaining in Kyoto for a little longer, to coordinate the efforts to contain the media. “Eri, how is it?”

“It’ll do for now. Though I was hoping you’d princess-carry me everywhere.” She grinned. She was sitting in a military-grade electric wheelchair, and was capable of controlling it well enough with her good arm. With a hum of motors, she moved forwards and backwards, even spinning around. “Well, this’ll do for now. See mother, father? I’m hardly useless. And I’ll get my mobility back soon enough.”

“I see. Yes, I’m sure you will, my little Eri.” Auntie said, her expression a smile tinged with sadness. Auntie Hana turned to me then. “Little Aki, look after my girl, all right? She’s not used to the big city, and being away from Aiko will be difficult, to say nothing of being remotely schooled. You’re her fiancée, you have to support her.”

“I will. I promise.” I bowed deeply, surprising them. “Auntie, uncle. I’m sorry Eri got hurt. But… I can’t promise that she won’t get hurt again in future. The world isn’t that kind. What I can promise is I’ll do everything in my power to prevent it, and help her recover. Just as I will now.”

“I see.” Uncle Junpei grimaced. He seems hungover. I’ll show a little mercy… Walking over, I relieved his hangover, and he gave me a grateful nod, before steeling himself to speak. I waited, remembering what Eri had told me last night.

“Well, Akio. I know you tried your best. No father… no father easily watches his daughter suffer such injuries. One day you’ll understand that. Well, assuming you have daughters and not just sons, of course. Looking at the number of women with you, I’d say it’s a certainty…”

“You are rambling, Junpei.” My father chimed in, and uncle flushed.

“Well, look. Seeing Eri so wounded, fearing she might die… we’re not like you, Akio. We aren’t able to fight, to accept injury and death. So you can understand why we were angry, right?”

“I get it, but I think you misunderstand me. I don’t accept injury or death. I hate them! I want everyone to be safe, to live happily. But the world isn’t that kind. Eri… Eri has accepted the risks. As leader, I accept my responsibility to make sure those risks are justified, but it’ll never be risk-free. We fight, and any of us could get hurt, die…” I made sure to be clear, no more glossing over the realities of what was effectively the apocalypse that was heading for our planet. “… but that’s why I intend to be as strong as I can, and help others to grow their own strength. This is the start of a war, a war for the future. In wars, casualties are inevitable.” I hate it, but denying it won’t make it less true.

“So you are resolved, son?” My father asked, my mother looking on, her eyes, so similar to Aiko’s, looking sorry. “This will be hard. I must admit, I have never thought of you as particularly resolute. You were capable, in an emergency, when you did not have to think too much, such as when you protected your sister and Eri from the dog. But you also ran away from your problems and anything you felt was too heavy to carry. Why else would you have abandoned Nishimorioka so easily? It was hardly to have a fulfilling social life in the City, was it?”

“Darling, don’t be so harsh on Aki…” mom began, but he waved her to silence.

“No. it needs to be said. I have accepted him as a man. He has changed. But even so, what makes up the core of a person does not change so easily. Can you handle this?”

“I can.” I said, determined. “Look, I know I was running away from Eri’s feelings, and my own. I did it more than once. I pretended to ignore Shaeula’s until it was impossible to avoid…” Shaeula smirked at that from where she was carrying our bags along with Hyacinth. “… and I hid deep my own feelings for Shiro. I… well, I just felt so inadequate, not good enough.”

“That’s not true…” Eri began, but at my look her words died on her lips. She could see how serious I was.

“Well, then, it was only hurting me, I thought. Sorry Eri, I was a selfish jerk and a coward back then. But now… if I’m not good enough, it hurts everyone, and might lead to the end of everything. So I’ve stopped running. And now I’ve been forced to confront failure. And I hated it. So I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I never have to taste that sense of defeat again. I may not succeed, but I’ll know I’ve done all I can, and stopped running. So, leave Eri to me.”

“Fine. So long as you have. You are a man now, with responsibilities. So I shall trust you.” My father finished.

“Aki, we’ll visit.” Uncle said, and Auntie Hana agreed. “So please just look after Eri.”

“Aki, I know it’s tough, and, well… we didn’t understand just what you are going through. But now we know. It was shocking, but… I’ll always be your mother, and no mater what I’m on your side!”

I guess Eri was right. they did want to apologise. Even so, I don’t blame them. It was terrible. I never want to put them through that again.

“Don’t forget me!” Aiko piped up. “Eri, I’ll tell everyone at school you were caught up in the events at the Imperial Palace, but that you’ll be okay. Expect a lot of calls and texts, Yae-chan and Rika-chan will be worried for sure!”

“Hmph.” Eri moved her head a little, embarrassed. “Well, if I get time, I’ll answer. But you need to be careful too, Aiko. You’ve seen what getting careless and overestimating yourself brings. And you won’t have Akio to bail you out.”

At that our parents exchanged confused looks, but Aiko smirked, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Of course I know that. Big bro told me all this when… well, anyway. I’ll do my part, don’t worry. Eri, Shaeula, I won’t leave you to fight alone. I’ll catch up. Oh, you too, Hyacinth.” She giggled, seeing the fleeting look of disappointment on her face at being left out. “Kana-chan, you’ll look after Eri too, right?”

“Sure.” Kana agreed. “Not that I’m worried about her at all. She’s quite the stubborn woman, after all.” her smile was wicked. “No, I’m more worried about Keomi-chan. So, you girls need to snap out of it.” She directed her ire to her friends Asami-san, Mio-san and also Takagi-san and Maiko-san. “This isn’t a game. You should know better than anyone else, considering what happened to your father, Kikuchi-san. But… that won’t happen to you guys. Akio will be sure to use us wisely.”

“Yes. If you want to quit the training school, I’d understand, but… long-term, you’ll regret it. I don’t want anyone to wish if only, when something bad happens in the future that could have been prevented with more power.”

“That’s right.” Major Sasaki agreed. “It’s hardly my place to speak in a gathering of family and friends, but I think personally, not taking an opportunity when offered only leads to regret. Even in the JSDF, there are many roles that don’t involve combat, but everyone has some basic training, and learning is never in vain.”

“Well said.” Shaeula approved. “I do not-not blame you for your fear and sorrow. You are young, and unused to battle, and the consequences of failure. I envy you, in some-some ways.” She smiled sadly. “When I was but-but a young female, I was sheltered, insulated from the world. I did not-not see the efforts of those that kept me safe, our Seelie Court protected. I was like you all. Now-now we know. Time for grief and reflection, I can accept that. But like Akio, do not-not run from this.”

“Now, don’t be so intense.” I went over and rubbed her head. “Calm down.” I turned back to the girls. “Shaeula means well, okay. Look, we’ll be talking about how we are going to take the school forwards when we get back to Tokyo. And… well, I’m hoping Haru-san can help with the distress. Look, we live in Japan, we aren’t used to death, not sudden, violent death. But we only have that luxury for now. It may seem cruel to say, but you might be thankful you’ve experienced this early, a few years from now.” Haru-san was getting the train back to Tokyo later, she still had matters to take care of.

“He’s right.” Maiko-san spoke up. “You never know what might happen. When my father was in his coma, my life seemed like it was over. If it wasn’t for my brother taking a leave of absence to look after me, I might not have survived.” She said softly. “It was nice to see him again here in Kyoto, even if he was more interested in sightseeing and drinking than spending time with me…”

It was then our final guest spoke up. “Yeah, death can come in an instant. Poor Daizen found that out.” Suzu-san shrugged. She was in a different black gothic-lolita dress, a purple parasol over one shoulder, her usual lollipop protruding from her mouth. For some reason she had latched onto our group, though she was making her own way back to Tokyo. “Well, I just wanted to see Red and White on this trip, and see some of the sites of Kyoto, like Ginkaku-ji and Kinkaku-ji. I never thought I’d have so much fun.” She slurped at her candy. “Well, all good things have to end, right? Uh… when you see the Boss, put in a good word for me, okay? I think she’s mad I left without saying anything.”

I had exchanged numbers with her, figuring since she was working with Shiro it couldn’t hurt. Though I have to say I’m worried. Shiro’s allies sound rather… problematic, each in their own ways. The man Suzu-san called Bunta-kun was apparently blessed with a powerful ability, but was shockingly nervous and cowardly, while Arisu-san was supposedly vengeful and angry, easy to provoke. And I don’t even need to say anything about Suzu-san and her… eccentricities.

“Well, I’ll tell her, but you’ll have to apologise yourself, all right?”

“Well, we need to wrap this up.” Trey said, his sister and the other two ready to go, escorting my family back to Nishimorioka and guarding those taking the train back to Tokyo. “Time is wasting.”

“Yeah. Looks like we’re done here. A shame, this was a really nice ryokan. I didn’t get my money’s worth…” I lamented. Well, I made new allies, found new information and the shrines and temples of Japan are on-board with the new Ministry. Yes, there were bitter disasters and losses, but… well, we’ve cleared this hurdle. Now, the next step is to improve my Territory, continue to grow stronger, and… face whatever is coming for Tsukiko-san. I have a meeting with Tsumura-san, to consider our tactical options and the information that points towards China…

“I don’t know.” My sis complained. “It sure sounded like you had fun in the bath in your room that time…”

As laughter echoed, I shook my head wryly, letting my sis make me the butt of her jokes. Right then. It’s time to go. Eri smiled at me, moving her wheelchair, and we headed for the outer gardens, where a helicopter was waiting to transport us home…