062. Get Yuki's help Chizu.

Yuki knew all sorts of herbal remedies and medicines. Maybe she knew of a way to **** Chizu and make her tell us the truth? Other than outright bullying, that seemed the best course of action. "Yuki, can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked and she came over a few steps away from everyone else. "Is there anything, roots or herb and such, that you know of that could make someone..." How was I going to say this…, "more open to suggestion?"

Yuki crossed her arms and scowled at me. "Kenji. That is the single lowest, most disgusting, chauvinistic…"

"No, no, no. I mean to find out if someone is telling the truth?" I quickly corrected my intent.

"Oh…" she said and thought for a second, now actually considering. "A few, but most are hard to come by. But I do have some mandrake root. But..."

"Let’s go," I said and grabbed her arm to calmly walk out of the gathering. I don’t know why she didn’t argue, but she just let me hold her hand firmly until we were out of earshot, then I explained. "I want to use it to question Chizu."

"Chizu?" she asked. "You think she…"

"I don’t know, but for some reason, I think she knows something she’s not telling everyone," I answered.

"Okay," she conceded, then rambled on. "But you got to be careful. Mandrake root is very poisonous." After that, she went on about dosage, preparation, mixtures, all as we walked back towards her home, but it mostly went in one ear and out the other.

"Where do you think you two are going?" I heard suddenly behind us and turned to face my sister.

"Nowhere," I said defensively. "We just…"

"Is now really the time to go sneaking off to make out?" Kouki snapped back, not letting me finish.

"Wait, what?" I countered, confused even more.

"I’ve seen the way you two look at each other," she said with annoyance. "But there’s a murderer out there and…"

"Wait, you think we are going to…" I said angrily and then saw Yuki blushing. "Wait… Yuki?" I asked and only then realized maybe she did actually want to snog.

"Come on, Kenji," Kouki snapped grabbing my hand. "You are better than this whore deserves."

"Whore?" Yuki screeched grabbing my other hand and turning me into a human tug-of-war rope. "Like you don’t secretly wish he wasn’t your brother so you could get a little action from him as well!"

"Why I never!" she said giving my arm another jerk.

"And you’re such a stuck-up priss you never will!" Yuki shot back and yanked my arm back.

"Stop it you two!" I yelled. "I…" but I was cut off by something that stilled my soul.

Cackling laughter like a woman gone insane, but that was because the woman floating down the hill was as mad as she was possessed by something evil. "Azami!" I yelled out in fear, though it wasn’t really her, but some kind of oni possessing her given her levitation and flaming orange eyes. "Run!" I screamed at the two girls and tried to pull them after me to escape, but we were too late.

<"Keeeennnjjiiii!> the demonic woman howled and swooped down at us from above, cutting us off. <You ungrateful and evil boy!> I didn’t know what I’d done to piss off an oni, but suddenly her hand grew long razor-like claws, and then they slashed down at me.

"No!" Yuki cried out and shoved me to the ground. "Ahhh!" I heard her cry of pain, and when I looked back I saw those claws, now several fool long razor-sharp spikes piercing all over her body, running her all the way through in her chest and stomach.

"Yuki!" I screamed, but while she was still alive I knew it was too late to save her, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try. Then the creature stared at me as I moved to stand and started turning her other hand into the same long claws and I gulped knowing I was doomed.

Then, in a crazy replay of what just happened to Yuki, my sister also jumped in front of me, spine-like spears covered in blood erupted out of her back as the demonic fingers of Azami skewered her just like they had Yuki a moment before. Her head lolled to look at me and she gasped her last words, "I love you… big brother…" Then her eyes closed forever.

"NOOOOOO!!!!!" I screamed and jumped up. Somehow my shout hurt the creature and she was thrown back, clearly shaken and surprised by it as much as I was. She shrieked and flew up into the sky, vanishing.

I couldn’t reason or understand how or why, I just scooped up my sister and Yuki, both now lifeless bodies, and held them to me clutching them as I cried for several minutes trying to make sense of everything. What had I ever done to deserve this? What had either of them done? I couldn’t think straight, but then I heard the howl again and saw the oni streaking back down to the manor house.

Setsuko and Chizu were still in there. Suddenly I had a purpose. I had to stop her before anyone else was hurt, even if it killed me. I gently laid down my sister and friend, but quickly began running back up the hill. I heard screams and knew it was probably too late, but I had to try. I burst through the door, kicking it in and scanning about as I went, room by room searching and calling out, "Chizu! Setsuko!"

I got to the bedroom wing and heard crying and the door to Setsuko’s room was already open. Azami was there as well, but all trace of the oni was gone. Instead, she was herself, yet she was crying, now holding her daughter’s lifeless body that she had clearly murdered herself in her possession. Maybe that had broken its hold over her, or maybe it was a trick.

Something caught my eye. It was a black onyx cube discarded on the floor. Why it was lying here or what it was I had no idea, but it seemed important. Then Azami looked up at me, her eyes, red and puffy with fast-flowing tears cascading down her cheeks as she rocked her dead baby girl's body. "What have you done?" I muttered, but she didn't answer and just continued to cry and looked back down at her dead child.