Chapter Sixteen

Cat Sister

 

Most Spirit Binding techniques required making fine motions with hands, complex shapes out of fingers, and the perfected balance in the entire body. A human body, mind you. No paws, no tail, definitely no purr-box. For the first several days, all Nekohiko did was rake his brains to recall any of the techniques of martial Spirit Binding that wouldn't require fine motor movement.

And though they were very, very few to begin with -- he did remember some he could use. The rest of it was waiting. And getting acquainted with his new body.

The autumn had begun yesterday, but the weather still leaned summery and balmy. Dapples of the sun and the warmth of falling leaves. Nekohiko spent most of his time outside, snapping in bursts of motion here, there, everywhere -- just to see how fast and how far he could run at any given moment. One of the very first days when Kataji was busy in the manor's library, researching the anatomy of bones in a human foot, Nekohiko ran into the workshop for brief periods of time and whetted his bronze claws on the polishing wheel. Once that was out of the way, his running ability increased tenfold. Because now he could dash not only across the ground, enjoying the unbelievably springy, nimble sensation of a cat's jump, but also dart across tree trunks and up the garden wall to its top, and even across the ceiling if he was quick and brave enough to try.

Apart from the tail that he found obnoxiously useless, he loved every last bit of his new body. Who knew being a cat was such a delight?

Everything inside him was so smooth, so snappy, so exhilarating, he dismissed Aomi's or Kataji's comments about his hind legs limping as though not bearing the weight correctly, and his overall walk leaning to the left from some balance issue due to Kataji's inexperienced work on the carcass. Of course, Nekohiko also tended to click and clack when some of the joints ground against one another instead of connecting.

Yet none of that mattered. Compared to how life had been when was a motionless log, this -- this was a heaven of racing, and sprinting, and bouncing. He felt like flying.

Speaking of which.

"Itsu, Itsu!" Aomi often ran around the estate, just yelling out his name. Her Auntie and Uncle shook their heads sadly when they heard how both their beloved nephew and niece were obsessed with the new Bound pet. Every time Nekohiko saw the old couple, they eyed him with intense grieving expressions as though contemplating their entire lives up to his arrival at the Red Stone and trying to understand what mistakes they'd made.

"These kids are so, so lonely. So maladapted to the real life out there," the old Uncle was telling the Auntie one day as they strolled through the garden to smell the flowers and enjoy the yellowing leaves.

"They really need to see the world, don't they?" the Auntie sighed, too. "Oh, what would His Majesty say if he knew... A Bound cat, of all things! Not even a Bound palm-sized elephant, or a Bound mini giraffe. Those would at least be understandable. No, a regular, normal Bound cat. Young people these days."

"ITSUKI!" 

Nekohiko burst into full speed, pelting around the tree grove and through the flowerbeds, spraying the fresh rainwater that still beaded over the petals and stems onto his fur.

"You called?" He emerged before Aomi on the pathwalk. He then proceeded to ignore her beckoning him into her embrace and instead walked over with the dignity his older age required. "Do you have another arithmetic problem?"

The girl usually harassed all her tutors with her inability to give a damn about what they were paid to teach her, even though when she truly wanted, she could blow anyone's mind with how deep her attention and memory were. Only not when she wasn't willing to appease others. Which was most often.

But she didn't mind studying with Kataji or Nekohiko. He'd seen her even beam at how her old Great Uncle was teaching her subjects. He gathered all she truly wanted was friends. Or family. Someone who wasn't being paid to hang out with her. And it wasn't as if Nekohiko didn't know the reason for that. He'd gone through this all with Abihiko once. Losing one's parents so young dealt some deep unhealing wounds to people.

But this time, Aomi didn't want a study friend. Neither she wanted to torture Nekohiko with putting doll dresses on him or strangling him with her cuddles. No. Today, it was--

A bug.

"Do you like it?" Aomi asked, squatting in front of him on the pebbles, both hands cupping a small ladybug with six perfect black spots on its bright-orange coat.

"Do you think the seashell has already been mailed to the capital?" he asked her because that was where his interests lay. Several days ago, Aomi had shown him -- exactly as she did now -- a carved wooden seashell in the form of the Kitten's Paw. It was a bit crude, but nonetheless acceptable work. Stylized, almost abstracted drawings of eyes and ears on both of its sides. They were so densely framed with filigree patterns in pearlescent paint that most people would never be able to see any eyes or ears on it.

Moreover, when Nekohiko switched his consciousness to it, he could attest: it worked. It worked great. He could see the world through the seashell's eyes, and he could hear everything through it perfectly as well. So when Aomi had given this seashell to her Auntie to send along with Kataji's relief painting to Abihiko's Palace, Nekohiko could barely suppress his exhilaration.

Soon. So soon, he would be in Abihiko's vicinity! He would be able to spy on him, and learn all about his current state and his current weaknesses and failures!

"I guess," Aomi said with a frown, then stuck the ladybug into Nekohiko's face again. "Now switch," Aomi demanded, and when Nekohiko didn't understand -- grinned a toothy, gleaming smile. "Switch to the ladybug, dummy cat."

Ah. So this was the deal with it.

How wonderful.

He sat down, dismayed. "I knew something fishy was going on with a small chip of mine. Did you send it to the carver? And made an insect out of me?" All without asking him. Honestly, no, he wouldn't reject another body made out of him, but... without even his consent? "Why?" he asked. "Why would you ever do such a thing?"

"Kataji made the cat without asking you either! And then he completely hogged you after he was done! I don't get to spend time with your cat form at all!"

This wasn't remotely true, but Nekohiko preferred not to argue with her when she was cranky. Her tongue became plenty acidic when she had to defend herself.

"And nobody is giving me bigger parts of you to play with, so guess what... if all I can make out of it is an insect, then I'll make you an insect." She stroked the small ladybug with her soft pinky, watching it in motherly fashion. "Plus it can fly. Isn't that great?"

"It is," Nekohiko surrendered. What else could he say? Aomi was right. Kataji had begun working on the cat body before consulting him, and really -- this didn't end up too bad for him. The ladybug would likely also end up being a great idea. A flying, barely noticeable body for Nekohiko to inhibit?

Plus, if he simply didn't like the body, his consciousness didn't have to dwell in it. Even now, as Aomi kept prodding him to give the ladybug a try, he was free to refuse.

So he did.

"I do like the concept, and I will probably be happy to embody it one day. But not now. Now I'm only disappointed, Aomi." He stood up and pattered down the path and to the open backyard porch where the porcelain cups jingled and the aroma of tea wafted. The Auntie and the Uncle must have come back to have some tea, and Nekohiko never missed his chance to eavesdrop on them. He turned back to Aomi only for the second it took him to finish his aggrieved statement. "I don't condone such thoughtless behavior, Aomi. Ask me next time you want something made out of me."

And with that, he was gone.

"...in White Grove Inn, yes. Just send the letter there." Auntie was tapping the paper sheet the Uncle was scribbling on while she carefully placed all the tea items on the table with her other hand. "Write that we'll come see him off tomorrow in the morning. What time does his Line to the south depart?"

"Erm... Let me check his letter one more time." The old man rummaged through his sleeves to find it, and Nekohiko crept closer to the porch from beyond the hibiscus flower patch. His eyes solely on his target, his ears high and tense, listening. Like a predator, ready to jump his prey.

"Ah. A little before noon," the Uncle said, and Nekohiko slowly lay down in the flowers.

Daichi would be here for only the briefest of times, it seemed. Constant trips to the capital and here, to the Utsuro Kingdom for diplomatic exchange between the Emperor and the local King. However loyal and eager Daichi might be to see the Abi family and all its inhabitants, his job was an urgent one and he couldn't spend too much time on personal visits.

Which meant only one thing.

Tonight. If Nekohiko wanted a chance to strike out at the man, it had to be tonight. There simply wouldn't be another, for a long time over.

And his talons were itching for blood. Abihiko's most. But he'd never refuse someone else guilty of his death if it were convenient.

Serenely, he stretched his furry limbs and rolled onto his back, peering out into the scudding clouds. Waiting for the night to come.

 

---

 

***

Kataji had long stopped caring where Nekohiko spent the night as long as he didn't ruin his body from some unfortunate tumble down the roof. Good boy that Kataji was, he went to bed at an early hour and even read for fun for a full incense stick-worth of time before turning on his side and closing his eyes. Nekohiko had once also been a "good boy".

But then he'd been murdered, and that event shifted his entire life's perspective. Who would fall asleep so early when they could go out at night to stargaze and peer into the world with the intense, miraculous night-vision that cat's eyes possessed? Nekohiko could even see how the mice skittered through the grass when the only source of light were the stars ahead. The rush of new experiences and new emotions was so strong in his new, mobile body, that he only came back to bed when the pre-dawn dusk slowly drew in across the horizon.

Dewy and chilly from the night spent outside, he would buck beside Kataji's warm body and curl himself into a small ball, purring all through. Sometimes that woke Kataji up and made him glare at Nekohiko through squinted eyes, but rarer with each day. In some way, Nekohiko suspected Kataji already expected this to happen right before the sunrise, so he might be worried if that didn't happen tonight.

Which gave Nekohiko a very clear deadline. By dawn, he had to be back at Red Stone. Nothing else mattered, including whether he managed to interrogate or even kill Daichi in Sai's White Grove Inn, or not.

He could not afford Kataji being suspicious of him.

The night descended slowly, gently as all late summer and early autumn nights did. The skies were still pale with light, and the black silhouettes of trees limned stark against them. In the garden, Aomi played the Imperial String, the native zither of the Dragonfly Island. Her listless strumming was a common part of the everyday life in the estate, however bad it sometimes got.

Nekohiko waited till even Aomi was shooed back into the house by the Auntie's maids. The girl's dramatic stomping echoed through the halls, then the window of her bedroom came aglow. It might take her hours from this moment on since Aomi also didn't like proper night regime. But at least, she was inside, without any chance of ever sneaking out past her Auntie's strict Bound guards patrolling the manor's doors in case of an intruder. Or an escapee.

So it was time.

He ghosted under the mazelike rose bushes until he emerged at the farthest corner of the garden, walled and hidden among the heavy-branched plum trees. There, he hopped back to the path and--

Across from him, the haggard shape of the Lumber-Devouring Spirit loomed. The figure swayed and rocked on the slightest touch of the breeze, but was otherwise motionless. Only staring at Nekohiko, mouth agape, mildewy drool gathering at one end of its terrible maw.

But it couldn't do anything to him. The Spirit Binder in Sai had obviously purified the cat dummy with all kinds of talismans and rituals and spells. No one wanted to buy a potentially malevolent wooden kitty for their house, so all Bound creatures had to be given a proper purification ceremony before and after the Binding.

Still. Nekohiko's hackles stood up, electric with tension. He gave a wide berth to the Lumber-Devouring Spirit as he padded on his way to the end of the path. The Spirit followed Nekohiko's form with its eyes, not blinking once.

"Get the hell out of my sight," Nekohiko hissed at it, then whipped out a full paw of metallic talons. He had no time to spare to such nonsense. He had a different, more significant, and maybe even more powerful Spirit to summon. Vermin and low-level demons did not interest him in the slightest.

High-level demons, however...

There was, however, one huge problem that Nekohiko didn't want to deal with yet. He'd had this same problem in his previous life as well, for years before he had come into his full powers and learned how to use them.

Spirits... didn't exactly like him. There was a very specific, even mundane reason for that. He was the Emperor. He was the one Binding all the people and all the Spirits together in his Empire. Except for when he wasn't on the damn throne!

Spirits didn't give a single thought about what disorders went on in the mortal realm between kings and queens and Emperors and their advisors. When the Emperor wasn't on the throne for whatever reasons, ruling the land and doing what he was supposed to, it wasn't anything the Spirits gave a damn about. They just got mad at him instead. For all they knew, it was all his fault -- as was any of the Empire's failures or miseries.

Drought? Nekohiko's fault. Enemy armies coming from afar? Nekohiko's fault. People cutting too many trees in one prefecture and not enough in the other? Nekohiko's fault.

His Empire crumbling into parts? Definitely his fault even though he hadn't been alive when that happened!

So yes. Exposing his identity to any of the Spirits wasn't something he was keen on doing. But then, he didn't need to. He had a brand new body, and one he could safely hide inside, provided he was careful enough not to show off his distinct, Emperor's Binding aura. As long as he did that, he would be fine.

Nekohiko sat down gingerly in front of a small stone shrine with an indistinct imprint of letters forming the word "changed cat" on it. There was a reason people often cut off the tails of the cat's. The folk belief stated that a cat whose tail managed to grow fully and then split in two would become a changed cat. Or a demonic, malevolent Cat Spirit¹The actual name of it is bakeneko (化け猫), a Demonic type of a Spirit in Japanese folklore. Not to be confused with nekomata!.

People had always been suspicious of cats for various reasons, but with actual Cat Spirits roaming the land and unleashing all kinds of mayhem upon the innocent mortals all the time, and professional Spirit Wayfarers having to pacify or suppress them... cat shrines were a common occurrence almost everywhere people lived, lest they angered a Demonic Cat and attracted its wrath upon their home.

This shrine was obviously neglected and forgotten. Nekohiko swept a few old leaves from its lantern-like stony top, then sat back, bowing his head to the shrine.

Exactly like his old Binding Sis Kotone had taught him. Approach, inquire, befriend.

And above all, speak the language of the one whose help you seek. Try and understand them before you dare ask them to understand you.

Very quietly, Nekohiko said, "Meow? Meow-meow-meow?"

He hoped the Spirit would get the meaning, however doubtful Nekohiko was about it himself.

What he implied by all this obnoxious mewling was only -- "Help me. I am a dead cat, tortured by humans into becoming organ mass and a pelt for a wooden dummy inside me. Help me, Cat Sister. I want revenge -- for all the cats that suffer, and all the countless more that will!"

Before he knew it, a shape began coalescing into focus out of the foggy blueness of the night right atop the shrine. First, a feline form that immediately hopped off the shrine and into the grass. There, the shape grew in size and straightened itself until it could stand on two feet. On two humanoid feet, weirdly and crookedly as though mutilated. The Spirit's skin was cadaverously pale, laced with blueing veins, spattered with dirt. Above the waist, the black shroud of hair began, snaking up the Spirit's breasts and to her face. But unlike her body, the Spirit's face was inhuman. A cat's distorted muzzle regarded Nekohiko disinterestedly, the big pale ears peeking from within the hair twitching to listen to him more.

"Meow-meow-meow," the Cat Spirit whispered to him in a chilling mockery of a woman's voice.

Spirits weren't very demanding or original in their questions. Mainly, they looked for entertainment, or friendship, or respite from the Spiritside's monotony. No bloodthirst or anger marred this Cat's aura, so Nekohiko doubted she wanted vengeance upon anyone.

He nodded to whatever she was talking about. Then he bowed again. "Cat Sister, could you please open the Spiritside gateway for me? I'll take you far away from here, to visit a human town nearby where you and I will have our fun with the mortals. But the road there is long and arduous, and there are plenty of predators prowling in the night. A small cat like myself can't travel through human roads that far."

The Cat Spirit's face could not emote complex human expressions, but it still looked as though it was grinning. The thin woman's body rose up, elongated, then darkened into pure nightly black of the heavens, and spread all four of its cat legs to the ground. It transformed. A colossal, black cat with sprinkles of starlight and nebulae shining through its transparent Spirit shape. It was as though the night itself was drawn upon this Cat Spirit's body.

The Cat swept Nekohiko with its massive paw, and from the tumble it gave him, he rolled onward into the grass and the flowers -- and through the thin veil separating the world of the living and the world of the Spirits.

Into the Spiritside.

His night hunt had begun.