Chapter 5: The Balance Of Karma
I
All the preparations have been made. After Hana and Ayano gave her the answers that she needed, Kotone put her pencil inside the spiral bound part of her notebook and quickly reviewed them. Nodding to herself, she put her notebook and pencil back in her backpack. “I think I’ve worked out all the details of what I need to do. It might take some preparation, but I’ve got a few aces up my sleeve to work with this Rin Kajiwara.”
“Could you enlighten us more about your plan, Kotone-san?” Hana asked, hovering eagerly towards her. Her face shone with hope.
“I’m keeping them a secret for now. You’ll see what will happen when the time comes. Anyway, it’s about time to head back home. We’ve been out here discussing things for hours. I’m sure that my father would be worried about my whereabouts.”
Ayano nodded. “This will be the perfect opportunity to determine whether or not you will be my Catalyst, Kotone-san.”
Kotone didn’t want to say anything in response to that. Instead she turned to walk home. Hana floated silently behind her, appearing thoughtful. Once they made their way towards Kotone’s house, Kotone dragged her feet across the welcome mat that lay on the floor outside the door, before making her way inside and taking off her shoes. Hana followed in, unseen and unnoticed, and Kotone made her way to the living room, where her father was reading a book. He looked up from his reading. “You’re home later than usual.”
Kotone ran a hand through her hair. “I was meeting a new friend at the park. I’m going over to her house for a while. She needs some help with studying.”
“That’s my Kotone, my little scholar,” Kotone’s father said with an affectionate smile on his face. “Keep up the good work.”
“Indeed,” her mother said approvingly as she came back from the kitchen, washing a glass in her delicate hands. Her long violet hair draped in a side ponytail over her left shoulder. Even though she was thirty-eight years in age, she still looked as youthful and vibrant as she had in her late teens. “Kotone-chan, who’s this new friend of yours? Maybe you should invite her over sometime.”
“Maybe later, yeah,” Kotone said, feeling a sense of unease that her parents were going to probe in deeper about her friendship with Ayano Natsume.
“We would like to meet her,” her father said as he closed the book and set it on the table next to him. “What does she look like?”
“Short in stature. White hair. Silvery blue eyes. Wears a black ribbon in her hair. She’s quite distinctive, I don’t think you can miss her.”
Her father laughed. “I don’t believe that you’ve told us her name, have you, Kotone?”
“Her name is Ayano Natsume,” Kotone answered as sweat started to form on her forehead.
“Also, why were you late for dinner, Kotone-chan?” her mother asked concernedly. “It was your favorite meal tonight, too.”
“I’m sorry about being late. I was just…” Kotone paused for a moment, trying to think of what exactly she should say. She couldn’t think of a convincing lie to tell her parents, at least not one that sounded convincing to her ears. Kotone was used to being forthright and honest, and it didn’t do her well to lie, especially when it came to her parents, who took care of her and trusted her with all kinds of responsibilities. The excuse was going to sound lame, but… “I just lost track of time.”
“That’s unlike you, Kotone,” her father said while scratching underneath his chin. “You’re usually so punctual.”
She sweated more profusely now. “I know. I figured I would be having dinner at their house, though. Sorry about that, Mom.”
“Well all right,” her mother said. “If you’re staying the night, make sure you pack your things. Change of clothes and underwear, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a brush, and anything else that you might need to stay over there.”
“Thanks Mom,” Kotone said then made her way to her room. Kotone let out a pent up sigh of relief after the building anxiety of lying to her parents. She hated lying to her parents, though she couldn’t exactly explain to them that she’s really going off to the spirit world to confront a shinigami about lessening the sentence on a ghost girl who committed suicide. That would just be crazy.
Once Kotone made her way to her room, she got a bag and packed certain things into it—though not the necessities that her mother suggested. She took out a professional looking suit from her closet, folded it neatly, and put it into the bag.
While she was packing her things, Hana watched silently from overhead. “You’re doing something for a great cause. I think that outweighs the lie that you told your parents.”
“What’s done is done,” Kotone said before she zipped up the bag containing her professional suit and then made her way out. She waved her parents goodbye then stepped outside.
She found that Ayano was waiting for her discretely at the corner of the street, where she seemed to be gazing off into the distance at a flock of birds that flew off in a frenzy.
“I got the preparations that I need,” Kotone said to Ayano, to which Ayano nodded approvingly.
“Let’s do this, Kotone. First, however, we must go somewhere private.”
Ayano started to walk forward while Kotone and Hana followed behind. Kotone wondered where they were going, and what elaborate magical ritual or whatever Ayano was going to perform to transport them into the spirit world. The white-haired girl walked at a leisurely pace, as though she had all the time in the world. Kotone cleared her throat before asking, “Shouldn’t we be hurrying up a bit? Time is of the essence, you know.”
Ayano regarded Kotone for a moment. “It’s not a bad idea to slow down sometimes. I’m well aware of the time constraints that we have, but it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a nice walk. The most important thing you need to know is patience. Everything will be done in due time. Besides, the magics that I will be performing will drain a lot of my energy, so I’m making the most of it before we go through to the spirit world.”
Kotone looked towards Hana, then back to Ayano. “I just can’t simply enjoy the scenery around me when I know that something needs to be done. Of course, I don’t want you to over-exert yourself, Ayano-san, though sometimes I think you’re unaware of, well...urgency.”
“Hm?” Ayano said as she turned to look at Kotone. “What were you saying?”
“Sometimes I feel that you ignore me on purpose,” Kotone said with a sigh while hanging her head dejectedly, though she immediately raised it up again when she felt questions brimming into her consciousness. “So, what exactly is the spirit world like?”
“My, Kotone, I see that recent events have spurred your curiosity for the paranormal,” Ayano said in a teasing tone, giving a small smirk in her direction. “I didn’t think that someone as rational minded as you are would be asking questions about things that don’t always have a logical explanation.”
Kotone blushed a bit. “Just tell me.”
“Imagine a vast spiritual universe with various spirit realms within. Each of these sub-realms cater to varying types of spirits. Some of these realms are easily accessible, though for other ones, this is not the case. There may guardian entities that guard the more fortified areas of the spirit realms, to make sure that the spirits are contained within and foreign entities do not enter. Some spirit realms are dangerous, and others are not. It all depends on the spirits residing within and the environment that they’re contained. The realm that we’re going to, the shinigami realm, is modeled after the physical world as the Head Shinigami wanted to give familiarity to the spirits that pass through there.”
“So the Shinigami realm is more like our world, huh?” Kotone made a mental note to jot that down later. “And we can think of the spirit world like the human body, with the various sub realms acting as individual cells with their own distinct purpose.”
“That simplifies it, I suppose.” Ayano shrugged. “If it brings you comfort thinking of it that way, then be my guest.”
“I always have a feeling that you’re mocking me somehow.” Kotone frowned. “Okay, how about magic? What is it anyway?”
“Ah, I was thinking you would ask that eventually,” Ayano said. “There’s no one simple definition for it. How does one reveal all the complexities and nuances and subtleties of magic? There are various higher powers at work here, and normal mortals have no understanding of their inner mechanisms. What is magic indeed.”
Kotone’s frown deepened. “That’s not an answer.”
“Kotone-san, I didn’t believe that you would be so interested in the nature of magic. Normally you would frown about such things and probably mention about how irrational it is, and you probably believe in the principles of science rather than magic.”
“I’m trying to learn here!” Kotone protested “I have to keep an open mind for possibilities. Before...everything has happened...I would have scoffed at the notion of magic and ghosts. Yes, that’s what I would’ve done before. But ever since meeting you and Hana, I now know that the world is a more complex place and science and rational explanations don’t have all the answers.”
“When your world is turned upside down by uncertainty, you’re quick to dismiss the things that you’ve deemed logical and familiar. I’m surprised at how fast you’re adapting to this.”
“I haven’t completely abandoned the logical and rational. I’m sure there is a system for magic somewhere that can be explained. Anyway, how come magic isn’t commonplace? Could you at least answer that question, or are you gonna give me a vague, dismissive answer that has a subtle barb in it for me?”
“We’re here,” Ayano said instead. She pointed towards an apartment with a brick facade and several rooms available for single living. Kotone paused for a moment, wondering whether or not Ayano had contact with her parents or anything like that. She couldn’t imagine Ayano holding down a job, or at least a job that was something practical into the real world, rather than the supernatural business that she delved in everyday.
Kotone and Ayano took off their shoes before they entered into the main room of the apartment. Ayano’s surroundings were as austere as a monk’s dwelling. No posters of idols or anime characters adorned the walls, like that of Megumi’s home. Whenever Kotone went to Megumi’s home, it was a bright, welcoming place. Ayano’s place, by contrast, felt bare. No bright colorful curtains or furniture, no nendoroid figurines occupied shelves or tabletops, no video game systems or computers. Kotone wondered if Ayano even knew how to use technology like a computer, or maybe it was something far too complex for her. Though that would have been weird, since every modern teen knew how to use a computer and were internet savvy enough, Ayano sometimes acted like and spoke as if she came from a different era.
Once inside, Ayano lead them into her kitchen, where Ayano went to work. Ayano’s small kitchen nook didn’t harbor any various spices or savory foods that stocked Kotone’s own refrigerator. There was lots of tea, though nothing was really in the fridge except for fruit and vegetables. No junk food at all, nothing like pocky or potato chips. Kotone mused that was how Ayano remained so thin and tiny, because she didn’t eat a whole lot.
“So,” Kotone said to break the silence as Ayano prepared a cup of tea for the both of them. “I’m guessing that we have a tea break before we go into the spirit world?”
“You’re going to need it,” Ayano said. “Tea helps calm the nerves, and sometimes people who transition from the physical world to the spirit world feel a sense nausea and vertigo.”
Kotone considered declining the offer and saying that they shouldn’t waste anymore time with these small pleasantries, though something in Kotone’s gut said that she should go along with Ayano. It’s better to be prepared, after all.
“So how are going to do this magic ritual or whatever?” Kotone asked.
Ayano finished preparing the tea and set it down on a small table in the living room. She took a small sip of tea. “Through a mirror. Mirrors are said to be portals to the spirit world. Ever hear about losing your soul in a mirror? It’s true, it can happen. I’ve seen it once.”
Kotone thought about seeing the ghost in her mirror and then shuddered a bit. What if she lost her soul in the mirror while she was doing something completely mundane, such as brushing her teeth?
“Just kidding,” Ayano said in a deadpan voice, before laughing a bit in a strange monotone that made her laughter quite insincere. “Though it’s true that mirrors are portals to the spirit world.”
“Sometimes I can’t tell whether you’re serious or if you’re joking. Also, hold on for a second, okay?” Kotone grabbed her bag and heading towards the small bathroom that was in the apartment. “I’m going to get changed.”
“Go ahead,” Ayano said with a small inclination of her head.
Once Kotone entered the bathroom, she took off her schoolgirl uniform and changed into the professional looking suit that she kept carefully pressed and free of wrinkles. She slipped on a pair of high heel shoes for a stylish yet professional impression. Adjusting her hair in the small mirror in the bathroom, Kotone found that everything was to her satisfaction, and she exited.
Ayano smirked when Kotone came out to the living room once more. “I would’ve had a better impression of you if you were dressed like this instead of showing your panties to the world, Kotone-san.”
“Are you going to keep on teasing me about something that I had no control over?! Besides, you’re the one who shamelessly lifted up your skirt in front of passerby.”
“So I did,” Ayano said calmly. “Though that’s not a matter of importance.”
She gestured to a large, intricate gold framed mirror that was propped up on a wall on the northern side of the room. “This is the mirror that we’re going to go through, but first I must prepare a ritual to ensure a safe transition from the physical world to the spirit world.”
“Do whatever you have to do.”
Ayano nodded, before she knelt down in front of the mirror and folded her hands together as though in deep meditative prayer. Then she began chanting in a language that Kotone never heard. The mirror started to glow around the gold-gilded edges while the reflective surface itself turned misty. Kotone watched in wonderment, as the golden borders of the mirror glowed with an intense light that almost blinded her.
Ayano finished her chanting then said, “Look at the center, not the golden borders. Keep your mind steadily focused on the mist within.
When you do this, I will send you through the spirit realm first. Stay calm and breathe steadily.”
Kotone focused on the misty center as instructed. She stared intensely at the swirling mists and took deep steady breaths. In the span of a few breaths, she felt herself being jerked forward then spit out, as though she had passed through the canal of the womb.
Once she was re-oriented onto solid ground again, her knees jellied and her stomach knotted. She tried to ignore the queasy sensation and steady her breath as Ayano told her, but a deep sense of vertigo made it hard for her to stand up. The blood drained from her head and a strange roaring filled her ears. She would have collapsed to the ground then and there, if she was not steadied by a pair of small hands.
“It’s natural that you would feel some nausea, this is your first time going through a portal,” Ayano comforted. She glanced at Kotone with an unusual tenderness. “The tea that I gave you earlier should help stave off some of its effects. You may have a feeling of throwing up, though what you’ll throw up mostly is ectoplasm. Your body is now converted into ectoplasm to be able to traverse through the spirit world.”
Kotone coughed and still felt a lingering sense of disorientation from the vertigo and nausea, though she started to ease up after a minute. After that entire ordeal, Kotone finally decided that she never wanted to teleport anywhere else ever again. Once was enough. Her strength returned to her after a few more minutes passed, and that was when Kotone was able to take in her surroundings.
The Shinigami world really was like the human world, with the exception of a red moon that hovered in the sky. Kotone found the red moon rather mesmeric in its coloration. It shone down below on a magnificent city that resembled modern day Japan architecture-wise. Kotone wondered if the city appeared like Japan’s cities because it was her own perceptions that made it resemble that way, or whether the Shinigami simply preferred the Japanese culture when it came to reflecting their world. A hodge podge of modern architecture and ancient Japanese shrines and temples mixed together in the Shinigami world, and Kotone wondered which one of these magnificent structures housed the shinigami within. Ayano and Hana followed Kotone through the portal, and Ayano grabbed onto Kotone’s sleeve and pointed in a certain direction.
“It’s this way in the Soul Realm,” Ayano stated simply, before she let go of Kotone’s sleeve and began walking in the direction that she pointed in. Kotone followed, along with Hana.
Once they made their way to a tall white building, they stepped inside. Kotone marveled at the interior, which was decorated with potted plants and marble floors.
“How are we going to meet and contact this Rin?” Kotone asked.
Ayano pointed in another direction. “We could always contact her coworker. He should be in his office. If not, we’ll ask around for him. He’ll be the key to getting us in contact with Rin.”
“Perfect,” Kotone said, before they all made their way down the corridor towards a small office space.
Once they made their way there, Kotone peeked inside, and saw a rather handsome man with crimson red hair and equally crimson eyes looking at something on his desk. He seemed to be concentrating especially hard, surely this person would be a reliable guide to them all. She knocked on the side of the door once, catching the shinigami’s attention.
“Eh? How’d you get in here? It’s not your time yet, Takada-san,” Karma said, before he saw two other faces peering in through the doorway. He ushered them all in, before he closes the door behind them and saying, “Wait a minute. You there with the dark green braids, you look familiar.”
“I’m Hana Yurizuka,” Hana said while she bowed in her spectral form.
Karma snaps his fingers repeatedly while he tried to get his brain in gear, and then he suddenly had a revelation. “You’re related to Misaka Hiraga, aren’t you? You’re her lover?”
“Yes.” Hana brightened up considerably at this, before she became her reclusive self again. “Actually, I never got to tell her that I loved her. But yes, I know Misaka Hiraga.”
“You came just in time, Rin’s reviewing your case as we speak. And these friends of yours?”
“I’m Kotone Takada, and I promised that I would help Hana move on from this place,” Kotone said.
“Ayano Natsume, at your service.” She curtsied again with her skirt. “I’m an Oracle.”
“I see, I see,” Karma said while placing a hand underneath his chin. “So I’m guessing that you want to see Misaki again, right? More than anything else?”
“That’s right,” Hana said while nodding encouragingly. “I wanted to tell her that I love her.”
“I would most certainly be willing to show you Misaki, though there’s the matter of your case being judged.”
“And that’s what I’m here for,” Kotone said. “I want to learn as much as possible about this Rin. I need something that can give me leverage against her, to help convince her that Hana is deserving of being reunited with her lover and moving onto the next life after that.”
“Oh? That’s very admirable of you, Takada-kun. If I can be of any assistance at all, I’m yours to command. I would like Misaki to get her memories back. After all, when she came through the car crash, she had no memories of anything whatsoever.”
Hana put a hand to her mouth, and Kotone took a sharp intake of breath. Even Ayano appeared surprised.
“It sometimes happens to certain souls,” Karma explained. “They don’t have a complete recollection of what happened to them. Though I gave Misaki three days to make her decision, about whether or not she wishes to reincarnate or not. I thought that was the wisest decision to make, especially since she still has unresolved matters with her past.”
“All right, looks like time is of the essence,” Kotone said while glancing at the clock on the wall behind Karma, before saying, “Do you know anything important about Rin that could help us coax her into lessening the sentence on Hana? Anything at all?”
“Well,” Karma said, before giving them an easygoing smile. “There is one thing. I’ll tell you all about it.”
