“Well of course I’m haunted, who wouldn’t be?”

Inari shook her head.

“No Paul-san, I mean you are literally haunted. By a yūrei of your wife, Kate.”

Paul stared at Inari in shock, then started to his feet.

“No! How can you say that! She… she... wouldn’t!”

Inari shook her head…

“You don’t understand, it’s not her that’s haunting you, but rather her attachment to you.”

“Huh?”

“Paul-san, please sit down and I’ll explain.”

Paul looked doubtfully at Inari, then sighed and sat down. He’d done too much and had too many shocks in one day to resist any more.

“Alright… explain then.”

Inari settled herself, pouring them both a cup of tea before starting.

“First, please believe me. I am a Kami.. I have seen these things myself.”

Paul nodded, he hadn’t really thought about it, but of course she’d know.

“Ok… so you know the answers to life, the universe and everything.”

“Some of them, and of those, some I cannot reveal to anyone living. There are... rules... which I am bending now, but since you are my Herald I can tell you more than I could any other mortal.”

“Should I ask why there are rules, and who set them, or is that something I’m not allowed to know?”

“The rules are there for the protection of mortals… and no, I cannot say why. But they were decided by all the gods, and we’re all bound to obey them. Even now, I cannot disobey that. But as my Herald you may know some things, but you must not, under any circumstances, tell anyone what I am about to tell you, or I will suffer for it.”

“Alright… I understand. I might not agree, but I’ll obey your restrictions. You have my word.”

Inari nodded…

“Good.. so, it is as you believe. There is an afterlife, and one can return from it. A soul may not choose to, but one can do so. But there are conditions to being reincarnated. You cannot bring anything from one life to another, although it does sometimes happen that memories will linger. Not even the gods are perfect.”

“Okayy… that’s… not exactly earth shattering news.”

Inari shook her head.

“That is not the part that is important. Paul-san, have you ever considered what happens to that which is left behind?”

Paul opened his mouth, then closed it.

“You know, no… and I don’t think anyone else has either come to think of it. Not that I know of anyway.”

Inari shook her head again.

“It’s been considered by some, but is not a topic of great discussion. However what happens is that the spirit of a person, their Reikon, enters a waiting area when they die. Some mortals believe they remain there until funerary rites are conducted, but it’s more complicated than that. If they wish to go to their final rest, to go on beyond even the Celestial Plane, then they pass through to the afterlife proper. But if they wish to return to life then they are stripped of all desires, attachments and memories of their former life, and only then they are sent back.”

Paul nodded.

“Ok, that sounds like what I’ve heard, but what do you mean I’m haunted, but not by Kate but something of her?”

Inari sighed, shaking her head slowly.

“Sometimes all that emotion, all the desires, and attachments, is so strong that instead of fading away, it persists. That cast-off hollow shell of a person’s spirit can find it’s way back to the Mortal world as a yūrei which then haunts the living, trying to fill the void within itself.”

Paul frowned.

“Like Aimi-chan?”

Inari shook her head.

“No, Aimi-chan is a yūrei onryō. A ghost, still, but one who is intact. Her soul is still there but she was dragged back to life by her desire for vengeance, before she could be purified. Although, now you have bound her and purged her of her negative feelings, technically she is a Shiryō or departed spirit. However, that which haunts you Paul-san is a Bōrei. Literally a broken spirit, one that has the soul removed.”

Paul closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Ok… so if I understand you correctly, those that desire to be reincarnated have to shed all connections and memories of their former life, although that doesn’t always work right. But sometimes that shed skin of their former life can survive on it’s own long enough to come back to the mortal world and attach itself to someone?”

Inari nodded.

“That is correct, yes… I think with you it’s been growing stronger of late because you’ve spent time in the Spirit realm with me.”

Paul stilled, thinking about that for moment, then nodded.

“Ok… yeah, I can see that. There have been times when I’ve felt like Kate was just nearby, but... well, since it only seemed to happen when I’d been in your Hall, I figured that it was probably a side effect. Since I’d literally crossed over to the Other Side briefly.”

“Ah, actually... the Spirit World that Yokai and things like my Hall occupy is sort of in between, some parts closer to one side than the other. But none are wholly on the Other Side as you call it, or the Celestial Planes as I know it. That is a border only the deceased, Kami and Heralds can cross, usually. I... don’t know if a living Herald could. But beyond the Celestial Plane, lies the afterlife proper. That is a border no-one can cross and come back from. But if, as you suggest, she has reincarnated, then... well, she could be among the living already, somewhere, or she may be waiting in the Celestial City to reincarnate until you arrive.”

Paul nodded absently, still thinking.

“Ok, I think I get it… it’s not Kate, it’s everything that made up her, except her soul. So, what do we do? Is it dangerous..?”

Inari looked thoughtful.

“Paul-san… can I ask, how long has it been?”

“Since she died? Umm... just over ten years now.”

Inari blinked.

“But you said it was recent…?”

“I lied a little. It feels like it was just recently, like maybe a month. Just enough time for the numbness to wear off and for it to sink in what happened. Yeah, it feels about that fresh.”

Inari frowned.

“That... might be the yūrei affecting you, holding back your healing.”

“Might be? As in, it might not, as well?”

“I can’t say for certain Paul-san. Something like that could have easily wounded your spirit so much that you would never truly recover. Or it might be like a wound with something still in it, so that it doesn’t heal but instead festers, or forms a scar.”

“Any way of telling?”

Inari shrugged.

“There are, or were, those that could… but even as a Kami, I couldn’t. It’s not my talent. Certainly now I couldn’t do it. But I would guess that it’s not life threatening, not after so long. It might even be why you can see spirits. You exist in both worlds because of your connection.”

Paul slowly nodded.

“So… I’m haunted, but it’s maybe not a bad thing then?”

“Perhaps, although it might also make you more vulnerable. Just as you can see spirits, they can sense you. And some you do not want to meet. They could strike at you through your connection.”

Paul pulled a wry face.

“Figures. The universe never hands out free gifts without strings attached. Can we do anything about that?”

“I can teach you magic Paul-san, how to create talismans and spells to defend yourself with. I am not the best teacher for that, but since I might be the only one left… besides, if you are to serve as my Herald, I would have to teach you anyway.”

“Ok, that sounds sensible. Anything else?”

Inari paused, frowning… as if trying to decide something.

“There is one thing, but I am uncertain how wise it would be.”

“Bounce the idea off me, see if we can figure it out?”

“Perhaps if you were to do the opposite of what one would normally do? Instead of getting rid of the yūrei, you strengthen it, maybe even to the point where you can embody it... her… so she manifests in the Mortal world. If she was strong enough, she could fight off spiritual attacks herself.”

Paul shook his head, bewildered.

“I... I think I’m too overloaded right now to think about this. I mean, I can see how that could be useful, it’s like levelling up your pokemon, and what I wouldn’t do to see Kate again! But, it wouldn’t be her, would it? It might have her memories, her feelings maybe, or some of them anyway. But without her spirit, how real would it be?”

Inari shrugged.

“That’s a question even I can’t answer. Real is a word with many shades of meaning. It’s not black and white as mortals persist in thinking.”

Paul rubbed his face, trying to make sense of it all.

“I… yeah.. no. I can’t deal with this. Not yet. I’m too tired.”

Inari nodded slowly.

“I understand… it’s a lot to think of on too little sleep. Just, as she grows stronger so you’ll find some of her thoughts and feelings will seep into your mind. That’s why you felt the way you did when you were talking of...what happened.”

“I… ok. I can see that now. But enough for tonight please Inari.”

“Of course Paul-san… although, perhaps I might make a suggestion?”

“What?”

“You might sleep better, with less nightmares, if you’re not alone.”

Paul regarded her suspiciously.

“Is this a ploy?”

“No, no! I would never take advantage of you that way! It need not even be me, just so long as it’s someone. But I think perhaps loneliness is what brings her out. Perhaps in order to comfort you, but it’s also that which causes your pain. I think if you weren’t alone, it would ease.”

Paul considered Inari’s suggestion. Perhaps it was just his over-tired and over-taxed mind, but it seemed to make sense. Kate had always randomly wrapped herself around him whenever he’d been down in the dumps about something, just to cheer him up. He could see her... wraith, shade perhaps?.. whatever term was right for that bit of her left behind anyway, doing that still and not understanding how it hurt to be reminded of her absence.

Then again… he wasn’t sure how it, her, would react to him sleeping with another woman, even if it was just sleeping. Kate had never been the insecure or jealous type, but he’d never been the sort to look at other women either.

Paul frowned. Then again… he had slept with Inari, kind of, thanks to several bottles of sake and a meddling little kitsune. Of course, he’d also been so hung-over it was possible that he wouldn’t have noticed anything that Kate’s shade might have felt about that… assuming she wasn’t blind drunk too. He’d always had a higher tolerance for drink than she did and she’d been sharing head-space with him. If it even worked that way.

Paul shook his head slowly, trying to clear it… and caught sight of Inari’s face as she misunderstood his gesture. Just for a second her composure cracked and he saw her heart, naked vulnerable longing plain on her face as well as pain at what she thought was rejection.

Paul inwardly sighed. Regardless of his personal feelings, of his oaths and possible consequences, he couldn’t in good conscience cause her any more pain… besides, in that moment, he knew he didn’t want to be alone either.

“Ok Inari… we’ll try it. No trying to seduce me though. Promise?”

“I promise Paul-san. Although, you’ll forgive me if I think lewd things in the privacy of my own mind. I’ve only been human for a short while and this body’s demands can be most… insistent, at times.”

“What you do in the privacy of your mind is your business and nobody else’s… although please don’t tell me about it if you do. This is awkward enough as it is.”

“As you wish Paul-san.”

“So, my place or yours?”

“Yours Paul-san. The idea is not to strengthen the connection.”

“Right, of course. Well, maybe an early night wouldn’t be a bad idea then.”

Inari nodded.

“Considering events, yes. I’m tired too. Lets go to bed Paul-san… and you needn’t worry about me tonight. I couldn’t even if I hadn’t already promised. I’m just too tired, even goddesses of fertility have their limits!”

Inari’s rueful look just made Paul laugh all the harder.

---

Shoko skipped away from the onsen that Inari had asked her to see to. Paul-sama was apologising to Inari, and Inari was apologising to Paul-sama, and soon they’d be in the bath-house together, where Shoko had used some of her magic to make sure the water was nice and hot, and that they’d be undisturbed.

Shoko grinned to herself, she’d also slipped just tiny bit of her magic into the water, so it would make them feel… happy. Not enough to be detectable by Inari, whose senses were still as keen as a swords edge, despite being human now.

But that was the key to it; the spell Shoko had used only worked on humans, and Inari was physically human now, so even if she detected the spell, she wouldn’t recognise it.

Shoko hummed happily to herself, collecting up the breakfast things to take to be washed… the spell would only nudge Paul-Sama and Inari-san along, not force them to do anything. It just might make them feel like doing something however.

If all went well, Paul-sama and Inari-san would be in the onsen all day, since she’d also woven that suggestion… a reluctance to leave, into the privacy spell she put around the onsen. She told herself she was only helping them do what they’d be doing anyway, but the truth was, she also relished the idea of an entire day without Inari-san watching over her, or Paul-sama asking for her help.

Not that she minded either, but it made it very hard to come up with a surprise for them both.

Shoko, chores done, hurtled into the Oni’s great hall in the mine, calling out for her friend.

“Jiao! Jiao-chan! Where are you?!”

Shoko heard the clatter of geta as Jiao came rushing up.

“What is it Shoko-chan? What’s happened!?”

Shoko bounced up and down in glee.

“Paul and Inari-sama are spending the rest of the day together in the onsen!”

“So?”

“So we have all afternoon alone! We can do you-know-what together!”

“Ehhh?! What? Now? But I’m not ready! I... what if I make a mistake or forget what to do?!”

“Then we do it again! Only better! Please Jiao-chan! We might not get a better chance!”

“Ok! I’ll get Yuri and Yuko, you find Aimi-chan and Ash-senpai! Meet you in the main hall of the temple?”

“Yes! Yokai-metal are go!”

It wasn’t very long before they were all gathered in the temple’s main hall. It was cobwebby, gloomy and it looked abandoned… it was perfect. There was also more than enough space.

Yuko arrived carrying her great drums in. She’d dressed in a white cotton breast-band and a mid-thigh leather skirt composed of inch-wide strips studded with copper nails. Her hair had been teased and sprayed until it was wildly spiked and standing up like a halo around her head, and her skin shone where she’d oiled it. She looked like some post-apocalyptic woman warrior from an 80’s film poster. Shoko blinked at the normally shy and reserved Oni, but said nothing while Ash set up the camera.

Yuri was nervously fingering the strings on her newly bought bass guitar, the beaded fringes on her thrift-store denim jacket jangling slightly as she fretted.

“I… I don’t know if I can do this Ash!”

“It’s easy it is. It’s just a simple chord progression with modulations, you only need to remember five hand positions, that’s it!”

“I know, but... what if I get them in the wrong order?”

“Then we stop and reshoot. No problem.”

Ash left her head on the pile of boxes by the camera, and walked back over to the stage, picking up her lead guitar. Using her mouth and a chop stick she moved the camera slightly so it framed the three younger girls, Shoko front and centre in her shrine maiden’s robes cut to just above her black laced up knee high boots, Aimi-chan floating above the stage to Shoko’s left, in her old school uniform, and Jiao in her pink sakura yukata carrying her shamisen, with charms dangling from rings around her horns.

Ash unzipped her dark red catsuit until it was near her navel, exposing the black sports bra she was wearing, and gave Shoko an OK signal. Yuri finished tying her hair back in a pony-tail, applied two thick streaks of red iron-oxide war paint to her cheeks under her eyes and nodded at Shoko.

Shoko glanced around at her friends, then swallowed. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and tapped three beats with her foot… On the third beat, Yuko started the drum beat, slowly swelling, thudding like a heart-beat or horses hooves galloping closer. A moment later, Yuri came in on bass, echoing the beat with the chord progression. A bar later Ash and Jiao picked up the melody line… and four beats after that Aimi-chan roared in, screaming in her metal voice, a note that started somewhere around lower G and hit high C a few seconds after anyone else would have died of asphyxiation.

Shoko opened her eyes, and bounced, bobbing her head to the beat, as the rest of the band joined in, banging their heads in time to Shoko’s.

Then, opening her mouth, she sang, Jiao and Aimi-chan echoing her.

“We are Yokai, and we’re here! [We’re here!]

We’re here! We’re here!

We’ve always been here! [We’re here!]

In shadows we dwelt, all through the years.

Living in your forgotten, abandoned places,

waiting until the day, when we can say,

WE! ARE! HERE!

We are Yokai, and we’re here! [We’re here!]

We’re here! We’re here!

We’ve always been here! [We’re here!]”

Aimi-chan floated forward to take the lead..

“Deny us our right, our place in the light,

and we’ll stalk the night, ready to fight

To take back what is ours as much as yours...

No Doubt!”

All of them sang the chorus.

“We are Yokai, and we’re here! [We’re here!]

We’re here! We’re here!

We’ve always been here! [We’re here!]”

Shoko took the mike and sang, snarling her lines, defiance crackling in her voice.

“Did you think we were just stories?

Myths and tales from long ago?

Things out of legends, not real…

WELL. THINK. A-GAIN !!

We are Yokai, and we’re here! [We’re here!]

We’re here! We’re here!

We’ve always been Here! [We’re here!]”

Yuri and Yuko rested. Ash changed the tempo to a slower dreamy melody, echoing a traditional Japanese folk tune as Jiao harmonised with her on her samishen singing in a soft, sweet voice.

“All we want is what you have, to live in the sun.

All we need is what you need, to love someone

All we have is what we are,

Inside we’re no different, the same as you.

Yokai love and hate like you do,

we’re all monsters like you too.

Call us what you will,

makes no difference what you say,

For good or for ill, at the end of the day.”

Ash took off into a guitar solo hard enough to make her sweat in concentration, spiralling up the frets, ending in a ringing high note... Then Yuko slammed the drums, bringing the thunder, making dust drift down from the rafters as the whole hall reverberated. Aimi-chan roared the next verse, flinging it out like a declaration of war or a challenge, before Shoko and Jiao joined her again in the chorus..

“WE! ARE! YOKAI!

And we are coming out to play.

Today!

We are Yokai, and we’re here! [We’re here!]

We’re here! We’re here!

We’ve always been here! [We’re here!]

So you’d better get ready for us.

We are Yokai, and we’re here! [We’re here!]

We’re here! We’re here!

We’ve always been here! [We’re here!]

We’re not going away.

We’re here! We’re here!

We’re here! We’re here!

WE! ARE! YOKAI!”

Ash laid her palm across her strings, as Yuko brought her sticks up across her chest, creating a ringing silence. Into this Shoko leaned forward, and spoke in an intense, quiet voice directly into the mic, as the silent hall echoed to the stilled music.

“And we are here to stay!”

They held their poses for a few seconds, and then Shoko collapsed to the floor, panting, as Ash pressed the stop button on the camera and gave a thumbs up gesture to everyone. Yuko flopped over her big drum, gasping, her skin glistening with beads of sweat. Her sister Yuri sat down massaging her wrist and fingers. Even Jiao had a fine mist of perspiration on her brow. The only one unaffected was Aimi-chan, who was grinning like a shark on laughing gas.

Once they could all breathe, they gathered around the borrowed laptop to watch the replay. Shoko felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, Was that really her, she wondered? That bouncing, head banging, screaming demon in a miko’s clothing. That figure dancing around, her tail like an explosion of fur with ears standing proud in her flying, streaming red-gold comet’s tail of hair... that was her?

Shoko trembled inwardly… momentarily terrified of what they’d done.

“Well… that’s not too bad for a first take.”

Ash’s cool, liltingly accented voice hit Shoko like a dash of cold water.

“Not bad?! We set the stage on fire!”

Aimi-chan glared at Ash over the outraged Shoko’s shoulder, then giggled.

“Actually, we could do that maybe? I mean, an illusion. Illusion magic does show up on camera doesn’t it Shoko?”

Shoko took a breath and shrugged.

“I don’t know, never tried it. I don’t think the sort that makes people only think they’ve seen, or not seen, something does… but the more general sort, probably. Since it makes a form out of light.”

Yuko finally spoke up.

“I am not doing that again, not today.”

Ash grinned.

“Well, it’s just as well then that I remembered to hit record! It’s not perfect, but I think that’s good enough for metal, so it is!”

There was a sudden silence as everyone realised what the next step was. Shoko looked at them all, as sober realisation dawned. It was Ash who spoke, voicing what they were all thinking.

“So… are we really doing this?”

Jiao was trembling as she spoke.

“Wh.. what if people come looking for us?”

“Never mind that, what if Paul-sama gets mad at us for not telling him what we were doing!?”

Shoko exclaimed.

There were indrawn gasps all round at that thought. Until Yuri shook her head.

“We all agreed… Paul-sama was right. We need to go public, and we need to do it soon. His and Inari’s plan will work but it’ll take too long, and we need public support soon. Metal fans are used to weird looking bands, and Kawaii metal appeals to more than just metalheads. They’ll think it’s just a gimmick at first until Inari goes public, and then they’ll realise we’re real. It’s a one-two punch. We get a whole lot of people to like us, before they even know what we are. Then when they find out, they either have to face the fact they hate us just because of what we are, or that they like us, and that we’re yokai…just like we told them all along.”

Aimi-chan nodded energetically enough to send her bobbing as she floated.

“Uh-huh! If our video doesn’t go viral I’ll...I’ll go haunt a pig sty!”

Shoko giggled, making a snorting sound like a pig, which set the rest of the band off… even the usually reserved Yuko. Laughter filled the air for a few minutes, draining off the tension, until sober silence fell again.

This time Shoko spoke the question they all were thinking.

“So… are we doing this?”

She looked around at her friends, her band, as one by one they nodded at her. Seeing resolve in their eyes, and feeling it firm in her own mind, Shoko looked over at where Ash’s body stood by the computer.

“Ok, upload it Ash. Let’s tell the world we’re here!”