A miko's resolve (IV)

The girls spent this New Year with the Yokai Exterminators.

Although everyone understood the Yokai Exterminators' wish to return home and celebrate with their loved ones, carrying such a priceless treasure made them as conspicuous to monsters as stars in the night sky. Gravely wounded as they were, they might not escape unscathed.

So Zhiyá stepped forward and asked them to stay. After careful consideration, the Yokai Exterminators decided, for their own safety and that of their families, to wait at least until their wounds had healed before bidding the miko farewell, seeking out Kikyo, and entrusting the Shikon Jewel to her.

The Yokai Exterminators' presence did not make this New Year any livelier.

In truth, grieving their fallen companions, the Yokai Exterminators could hardly summon the spirits to celebrate.

The girls understood, and so the New Year passed in a rather somber mood.

Before long, the New Year was over, and the Yokai Exterminators firmly announced their departure.

"Thank you very much for the hospitality you and the miko have shown us," said the Yokai Exterminator Zhegu, lowering his head in a respectful bow. Behind him, the other Yokai Exterminators likewise bowed their heads and bent at the waist to thank Zhiyá.

"Then..." Zhiyá meant to take the opportunity to ask them to stay longer and recover more fully.

"We are deeply grateful for your kindness," Zhegu said, already understanding what he had left unsaid. But they had all made up their minds. "We must leave."

Zhiyá might offer them a temporary refuge, and his formidable reputation in the area might keep the monsters at bay for a while. But as word spread among the monsters, more and stronger ones would come, and the surrounding villagers would suffer for it. To have the Shikon Jewel purified sooner, the Yokai Exterminators had decided to deliver the Demon Jewel to Kikyo, the miko capable of purifying it, as quickly as possible, whatever it took.

"Then I wish you a safe journey." Seeing their resolve, Zhiyá no longer tried to keep them. Instead, he said solemnly, "Whatever happens, the friendship between the miko of Kiyomori Temple and the Yokai Exterminators shall endure, with Mount Fuji as our witness."

"Yes!" the Yokai Exterminators answered together.

Before the gates of Kiyomori Temple, the Yokai Exterminators and the miko stood on opposite sides. After exchanging their final bows, the Yokai Exterminators put on their bamboo hats and quietly departed into the cold morning of the first month. The miko stood at the gate for a long time, watching these great Yokai Exterminators leave in silence, every one of them offering the most heartfelt prayers for their safety.

The Yokai Exterminators' departure did not dispel the solemn atmosphere in Kiyomori Temple.

Through them, the miko had truly felt what it meant to devote an entire lifetime to fighting monsters to the very end.

Each of them pondered the duty a true miko should bear.

Zhiyá also sensed the heaviness hanging over Kiyomori Temple and finally decided to gather everyone.

In the main hall.

"Every one of you has, in fact, already become an excellent miko." Zhiyá sat at the head of the hall, looking at the girls kneeling below him. As always, Tsubaki knelt just behind him at his side.

"Whether fighting monsters or treating the sick and injured, you have all distinguished yourselves," Zhiyá continued.

The girls sensed something in his words and unconsciously raised their heads, looking at the person they respected most.

"But perhaps you have not yet truly grasped the determination and resolve it takes to be a miko." Zhiyá changed tack. "So, if any of you wish to truly understand that state of mind, you may set out on a pilgrimage."

Pilgrimage had originally been a practice in which monks traveled to sacred sites to pay homage. Now, miko also undertook this form of training.

-to help those scarred by war, and to strengthen their own sense of purpose.

Court miko might remain confined within the palace, still choosing to devote themselves solely to serving the gods and imperial nobility, while miko among the common people often chose to aid the suffering during their pilgrimages.

During the age of warring states, miko among the common people more often fulfilled the duties of healers.

Zhiyá paused and fell silent for a while, looking at the disciples gazing up at him with trust. "This is not compulsory. Those who feel their training is still insufficient may remain at the temple and continue practicing. Yuriko, Morning Glory, and the others..." His gaze swept over Yuriko, Han, and the other young miko. "You are still too young. Stay at the temple for a few more years. Once I return, we can consider whether you should go on pilgrimage. I will also be leaving for a time."

Zhiyá gave all the miko below him one final look, then nodded to Ran, the eldest. Ran bowed low, and the other miko likewise prostrated themselves respectfully. "Yes!" One by one, they withdrew from the room, leaving in twos and threes.

"Tsubaki." Zhiyá did not turn around, but he knew she was listening closely. "You will travel with me. I hope this journey will help you cleanse your heart and understand your own purpose."

Tsubaki's face went pale. To her, training alongside Master was only natural. She had never imagined being separated from him. Yet the meaning in his words, that faint warning-was he saying that her devotion to her training was insincere?

"Master..." Tsubaki answered weakly, a faint ache stirring in her heart. Was it really because I went too far last time? But Master never minded before. "Yes..."

Zhiyá heard what Tsubaki had left unsaid, but with her already caught in such an inner obsession, all he could do was sigh helplessly. He hoped that training away from the temple would help her let go of the resentment and hatred in her heart. Otherwise, if she truly became a demon, he could only... Yet even he wondered whether he could really do it when the time came. After all, this was Tsubaki, not just anyone else.

Meanwhile, the miko walked along the corridor, quietly discussing things among themselves.

Han, however, watched the melting snow drip steadily from the corner of the roof across the corridor and sighed without a sound.

It's already early spring. The Yokai Exterminators had been gone for some time, and before any of them, herself included, had recovered from the profound impression they had left, the second month had arrived unnoticed. The two dark-red plum trees in the courtyard were already in bud. Did the Yokai Exterminators reach Musashi Province safely? Did Sister Kikyo accept the Shikon Jewel? If only such an ominous jewel could be destroyed, the girl could not help thinking.

"Han, are you going away to train?" Gardenia gave the distracted girl a gentle tug.

"Yes!" Han nodded. "I haven't decided which province to go to yet, but I'll probably visit Musashi first, then head west, toward Kansai." The Dog Demon's domain seemed to lie in that direction. But that was a small, private longing the girl could not share.

"What?" The miko all turned toward her in surprise. "They say there are so many Great Monsters in Kansai! And there's constant fighting. It must be a living hell." Their words were full of attempts to dissuade her.

"Yes, but it's all right." Han smiled and shook her head. "I'll be careful." Then she added, "I've already decided."

"Then I'll go with Han!" several of the miko closest to her said at once. They looked at one another and could not help laughing.

Han shook her head. "I've decided to go alone." She stroked the snowy-white young rabbit sitting quietly on her shoulder. "With Yunai." Then she stuck out her tongue playfully. "No one else." She had already prepared herself for the danger and hardship along the way. This was the path she had chosen, but she had no intention of making everyone she loved take such risks for her.

"Han!" Gardenia called her name angrily. How could they possibly let her embark on such a dangerous journey alone? Gardenia had been one of the miko who had just offered to accompany her.

"I told you, I've already decided." More precisely, she had decided long ago. Sooner or later, even if Master had not asked them to go on pilgrimage, she would have asked his permission to travel and train. Han gave a faint, rueful smile. "If you keep this up, you'll make me waver." She could not bear to part with them.

"Do you have to go somewhere so far away?" Yuriko's eyes reddened slightly.

Morning Glory said nothing, merely clinging stubbornly to the hem of Han's clothes.

Sister Gardenia stood before Han, her face full of disapproval.

"The Western Lands may be far away, but I promise I'll return safely," Han said earnestly. "You don't need to worry too much about me. We should all take care of ourselves. Nowhere is truly a haven. Perhaps only when this age of war ends will there be a brief peace. Until then, all we can do is train ourselves. We aren't court miko, devoted entirely to serving the gods while ignoring the people. We should be like the Yokai Exterminators. Even if our strength is limited, we must help the people of this world as best we can. That's what we believe, isn't it?"

"Of course it is!" the miko answered together, then exchanged smiles. A brilliant light shone in their eyes-the light of unwavering faith, undying devotion, and their enduring love for one another.

"Even in death, no regrets," Ran said, then held out her hand first.

"Even in death, no regrets." Everyone nodded solemnly. After Ran extended her hand, they laid their own over it one after another, their palms overlapping.

The warmth of the hands below supported them; the hands above followed with resolve.

In the still-cold month of plum blossoms, the young miko had already chosen their future paths.

On this road through the darkness, the miko would walk hand in hand. Even if they headed in different directions and their clasped hands slowly parted, the warmth of one another's palms would stay with them forever.

The miko smiled in understanding, no longer dwelling on one another's destinations or purposes.

One day, as the cherry blossoms began to bloom, they would meet again.

Soon, the miko each set out on their own journey. Han did too, with Yunai Rabbit beside her.

Yunai was a monster, after all, and the powerful, pure, tranquil aura of spiritual power within the shrine at Kiyomori Temple always left the rabbit weak.

To a Great Monster, the spiritual aura the miko unconsciously released might be insignificant. But for a small monster like Yunai, living in such an environment was always oppressive. Fortunately, their formidable Master was there to keep Yunai from being hurt.

Of course, monsters also released demonic energy unconsciously. Those with little demonic power were not much of a concern, but Great Monsters, especially those that were inherently poisonous, could cause irreversible harm to humans through their demonic energy. The miasma in forests and marshes was often caused by the monsters dwelling there. When humans lived alongside monsters for long periods, ordinary people would often be affected by Demon Poison without realizing it. Perhaps this was the real reason behind the ancient legends that humans and monsters could not be joined together.

They put on their bamboo hats and straw rain capes. Even if they did not fear the cold, winter was always unpleasant-especially for Han, whose true form was a lotus. The miko looked at one another one last time, smiled their blessings, and waved farewell. In twos and threes, they quietly left the peaceful courtyard that had sheltered them for so many years, setting out into the early spring morning.

"Let's go, Yunai," Han said softly to the little rabbit in her arms.

"Yes!" The white rabbit pressed soft little feet against the young miko's supporting palm and nuzzled her chest.

The last snow of winter fell silently, covering the miko's small footprints.