The rest of the day, and the day after, passed in a whirl of stage rehearsals and preparations, without even time to think much less do anything outside of getting ready, until it was time.
As Shoko said to Paul, it would be at this point there’d be a montage in the film.
Then, there was no more time. Yokai Metal were all standing inside the tunnel entrance to the stadium, behind the torii gate and a heavy black curtain, waiting for the house lights to go down and the audience to stop filtering in. Paul and Inari were waiting with the band. Paul didn’t have to be any kind of Other to be able to sense the nervousness.
He watched as they fidgeted, doing unnecessary last minute checks of their costumes. Aimi-chan was wearing a white burial robe and traditional twisted cloth headband that stuck up in a triangle at the front, her long black hair waving behind her as if she was underwater. Shoko was dressed in an abbreviated, somewhat ‘glammed’ version of a miko costume, with a shortened mid-thigh length skirt over white stockings to allow more freedom of movement, and knee-high ‘Doc Martin’ boots.
Jiao had a variation of her favourite pink sukura pattern yukata on, although this one was silk not cheap cotton, and had painted her face with red streaks under and around her eyes, elongating them. Yuko and Yuri were dressed in what could only be described as ‘barbarian finery’ mostly consisting of raw leather, fur and body paint. Rin had managed to find Yuri a bass guitar shaped like a Kanabō or war club and Yuko had one of the largest Taiko drums Paul had seen… and was stripped to the waist with only a plain white cotton winding to cover her breasts.
In contrast Tatsuo had opted for a set of samurai robes, open almost to his navel, along with a full set of swords at his hip. Katsu almost couldn’t take her eyes off him... although it was a bit hard to tell because her face was covered by a flat, blank white oval mask. The rest of her costume was a simple school-girl uniform, of a somewhat archaic design in black with bright red trim, the pleated skirt of which came down to her ankles. She had a katana, a real one, on a strap over her back.
Ash, or at least her body, was there in an all black catsuit. She had a walkie talkie clipped to her body and could listen in, her head being already ensconced in a safe space just above the torii gate, with a little tongue switch controlled camera platform to sit on, allowing her to tilt and pan side-to-side as she wished. Paul had suggested a drone, so she could fly her head around the inside of the stadium, but there hadn’t been time enough for her to learn to fly it. Rin had come up with the compromise, promising to look after her while Yokai Metal played.
Paul glanced at Inari, who was also looking concerned. Rin was alternating between peering through a gap in the curtain, and checking their wrist watch.
“Hey Rin, how long?”
“Three minutes.”
“Ok… Everyone! I’d just like to say how proud we, Inari and I, are of you. You’ve pulled together as a group and gone from running on raw talent alone, to sounding like true professionals. I for one, am very impressed with the lot of you.”
Inari nodded agreement, adding.
“I know I’m not familiar with this music.. but even I can tell how good you are.”
Paul nodded and continued.
“Ok… I know this is important, and I don’t doubt everyone is feeling nervous. But don’t forget, this is supposed to be fun, if you’re having a good time, so is everyone listening. They won’t expect you to be as polished as Baby-Metal, but they’ve been doing this for years so that’s fair… but I expect you to give it your all and prove to them that you’re as good at least.”
Paul paused, looking around the small band of Yokai and smiled.
“Six months ago, I was alone in this world, a stranger to everyone. Then I met you all… and I have to say, I feel like we’re family. Yes, even you Tatsuo and our latest addition Katsu. You all make me happy every single day… and no matter what happens from now on, I am as proud as can be of all of you!”
Rin signalled Paul behind everyone, as the house lights went down. Paul nodded and held out his arm, palm open. The band one by one added their hands, Inari placing hers last on top.
“Remember everyone, we are Yokai, we are family!”
They all spoke repeating what Paul said.
“We are Yokai, we are family!”
“Ok Yokai, now go out there and blow their minds!”
Shoko placed her first two fingers in front of her pursed lips, conjuring a tiny speck of blue foxfire, and she blew, making the wisp of foxfire float out through the curtains.
Outside, in the expectant still darkness of the packed stadium, a tiny flicker of blue flame danced from the torii gate, skipping from empty lantern to empty lantern atop the walkway’s posts, filling each with a source-less flickering blue ball of cold flame. When it reached the stage the conventional LED lighting took over, ringing the circular platform with cold flameless blue light.
Inari reached past Shoko, touching her finger-tips to the heavy black fabric of the curtain, which as she chanted, began to shimmer softly in blues and greens, like the Northern Lights sometimes seen in the winter skies above Hokkaido. Shoko flashed a bright smile at Inari at the last minute touch, and then she and Jiao pulled their hooded, white robes over themselves, holding flickering balls of blue foxfire in their cupped hands.
The two youngest girls stepped forward, side-by-side through the gate, walking down the runway at a slow steady pace, accompanied by the slow, deep tolling of a bell. Behind them came Yuko, carrying her drum like a barrel on her shoulder, her heavy club-like sticks in her hand. Behind her came Ash, and Yuri, then Tatsuo and Katsu, holding hands.
They’d rehearsed this several times, it took 93 seconds to make the walk at a pace that looked funereal. At the mid point of the runway, while all eyes were on the eerie procession, Aimi-chan materialised centre stage, floating a couple of feet above the ground, casting a sickly pale yellowish green corpse light over the area just below her. She waited a beat for people to notice her.. and then spoke..
“Throughout history we have existed. Feared, despised and hated by all. We are your childhood nightmares! We are the evil demons your grandparents told you stories about! We are the monsters that live in dark shadows and abandoned places. We are the things you see out of the corner of your eye on dark lonely streets… and as we step forward into the light, we have something to say to you..”
As Aimi-chan had spoken the intro, Jiao and Shoko had taken up position on the small platform centre stage. As soon as Aimi-chan finished, they threw off the all-enveloping white sheet-like robes, and as one yelled.
“HIIII!! WE ARE YOKAI-METAL!”
The crowd roared, the lighting rig flooded the stage with red and yellow light...and the girls launched into their signature song, ‘We Are Yokai!’
With a larger stage, and thus more room to move, Shoko put it to full effect, moving at a sight-defying speed. She seemed to vanish and appear as she bopped around the stage, singing her parts into a wireless mic as she popped up around stage, even singing while standing on top of the torii gate at one point.
The girls ran though ‘We Are Yokai!’, ‘Hey, hey We’re Monsters’ and ‘Mother Fox’ and the audience still were shouting for more when they bounced off the stage… A runner for Baby-Metal came up as the girls came back though the torii gate. The young man seemed not to notice anything unusual about them, he was so preoccupied.
“Hey, Yokai Metal, great work.. can you do one more number as an encore? Baby-Metal are running ten minutes later than planned and we want to keep the energy up!”
There was an exchange of looks between them all… Tatsuo spoke up finally.
“Hoi, we could improvise… right?”
Shoko nodded, slowly, looking at Jiao.
“What ones do we all know?”
Katsu raised a hand, hesitantly.
“Um… I know I’m new.. but… Senbonzakura, maybe? We all know that.”
Yuri grinned broadly.
“Hoi, Ash what about the metal version of that? The one we played with on the way here. I think I’ve got the chord changes down now. Girls, think you three can sing that if Shoko comes up with some lyrics?”
As one Aimi-chan, Jiao and Shoko both chorused
“Yes!”
The runner bowed, and then spoke.
“Brilliant. Thank you… Ok, control. Yokai is go for encore!”
The runner… ran off. Leaving the band to exchange looks… and then Shoko grinned.
“Hey Paul-san, wanna join us?”
“Oh hell no! No, the stage is all yours tonight. Enjoy it! Go be Monsters of Metal!”
Jiao and Shoko giggled, while the others just smiled. Rin nodded at Aimi-chan,
“Ok, you’re first, go tell everyone we’re coming...”
“Me!?”
Aimi-chan’s voice squeaked in surprise and trepidation. Paul shook his head.
“Just go be yourself Aimi, scare them, or try to.”
Aimi-chan flashed a very toothsome grin, and vanished.
While Aimi-chan went to whip up the crowd, Shoko and Jiao sat on their heels in the middle of the passage, Shoko doing most of the writing, while Jiao and Paul leaned over Shoko’s shoulders helping. Inari sneaked away six sheets of paper, folding them into accordion folds which, with a breath of magic and a twisted strand of her own hair, became six fans, two each for the three singers.
Jiao tried hers out right away, and found they left a trail of glowing sukura blossoms behind them in the air, which faded away as they oh-so slowly fell to the floor. Shoko nodded absently as Inari tapped her on the shoulder and put her pair in her lap.
Aimi-chan popped back into existence, not even bothering to make it look fancy.
“Hoi, Paul-san, these people are crazy! I try to scare them, they cheer me and applaud.”
Paul looked up, and grinned at her.
“Metal-heads...they’re a breed apart. They like stuff that’s scary or creepy.”
Shoko held up the paper she was scribbling on… and sighed.
“Ok, that’s as good as I can do. Mother Inari?”
Inari took the paper, and several blank sheets… and breathed over the short stack, then passed identical copies of the lyrics to everyone. Paul raised an eyebrow at that, then sighed.
“Where were you when I was fighting with that accursed copier?”
Inari giggled…
“I used to be known as the Celestial Secretary. My foxes would run messages to all the other gods, while I transcribed and kept records of everything...”
Paul looked thoughtful at that and opened his mouth to say something but Rin jumped in.
“All right, no more time left… if you haven’t memorised the words, hold them in your hand and hide them with the fans. Everyone.. Go!Go!Go!”
Yokai Metal took to the stage again, to the sound of thunderous applause, screaming and cheering. Shoko waved, and shouted.
“You want more?”
If anything the noise level doubled.
Aimi-chan roared out…
“WE CAN’T HEAR YOU! DO YOU WANT MORE!!”
The response was very nearly literally deafening… Jiao spoke, her small voice, even though it was amplified by the sound system, was almost drowned out.
“Hoi, Shoko-san. I think they want more...”
“MmHm. Well everyone.. guess what I was doing? Just now, up there, in the tunnel, on the floor… I wrote you all a new song, just for you. So you get MORE!”
Tatsuo and Jiao started to play… a sweet, slow traditional melody. The crowd went silent, expectant, waiting to see what would happen.
Tatsuo lifted his head, and nodded at Yuri and Ash, who jumped in, speeding up the beat… as the rest of the band piled in transforming the sweet melody into something raucous, notes rushing forth like a spring torrent, Katsu and Tatsuo’s fingers flying across their instruments.
Then Shoko sang, with Aimi-chan and Jiao harmonising…
“With a bold and sudden calling
Yokai Revolution's starting.
Let our hearts be open to it,
Peaceful nation”
The audience recognised the song and a cheer went up..and immediately quietened as they realised it wasn’t the same..
“Humans and Yoaki all gathering,
under the flag of our sun rising.
Piercing cold hearts like an
ICBM
On the train tracks, running along
the line.
Let us move forward,
don't look behind.
Boys and girls becoming like samurai.
Just like those from our previous life.”
The three girls danced, their fans trailing glowing translucent cherry blooms behind them like light trails.. mixing traditional and modern movements. It was a testimony to their reflexes that Shoko and Aimi-chan could follow Jiao’s lead so smoothly it looked like they had rehearsed it until they synchronised.
“Thousands of cherry blossoms,
Dwindling in the light
Though you can't hear my voice,
keep what I say in mind.
This bouquet that surrounds us
is iron poison, see.
Looking down at us from that great big
guillotine.
Darkness threatens to engulf
the universe we know.
The lament that you sing
can't reach my ears anymore.
We are still far away
from reaching clear, blue skies.
Go ahead, keep fighting
for peace with all your might!
Veterans who've trained through
struggles,
are now officers in battle.
Here, and there, we see the foxes
in procession.
This one, that one, doesn't matter
Every single person gathers.
March on to our lonely deaths, or
gather in harmony.
Passing through the gates on the
mountain peaks.
Escaping this world, with all the
hidden Yokai.
Surely, this will end in a somewhere,
among the crowds giving their approval.
Thousands of cherry blossoms,
Dwindling in the light.
Though you can't hear my voice,
keep what I say in mind.
This bouquet that surrounds us
is iron poison, see.
Looking down at us from that big
guillotine.
Darkness threatens to engulf
the universe we know.
The lament that you sing
can't reach my ears anymore.
We are still far away
from reaching clear, blue skies.
Go ahead, keep fighting
for peace with all your might!
On the train tracks, running along
the line.
Let us move forward,
don't look behind.
Boys and girls becoming like samurai.
Just like those from our previous life.
Thousands of cherry blossoms,
Dwindling in the light.
Though you can't hear my voice,
keep what I say in mind.
This bouquet that surrounds us
is iron poison, see.
Looking down at us from that big
guillotine.
Darkness threatens to engulf
the universe we know.
The lament that you sing
can't reach my ears anymore.
We are still far away
from reaching clear, blue skies.
Go ahead, keep fighting
for peace with all your might!”
There was a moment’s silence, just a beat, after the final bars… and then the crowd exploded.. yelling, cheering… From somewhere a chant started, two beats, one word ‘YO-KAI! YO-KAI!’
The girls bowed, turning, even the normally stoic, faintly disapproving Tatsuo looked stunned and over-whelmed. Only Katsu stood still… her reaction unreadable behind her mask.
After a few moments the band bounced off the stage, running, skipping and dancing all of the way to the torii gate… almost all of them that is. Katsu walked stiff legged, Tatsuo’s arm around her shoulders. Paul frowned in concern. At least until she was inside the curtain, when she ripped her mask off, revealing a face wet with tears which she pressed against Tatsuo’s shoulder.
Alarmed the young Oni asked.
“Hoi, Katsu, love..what’s wrong?”
“We’re family. I didn’t believe it, but… we are.”
At a loss, Tatsuo looked beseechingly at Paul and Inari. Paul just shook his head.
“Take her back to your room Tatsuo, and comfort her. She’s just… overwhelmed I guess.”
Tatsuo nodded and lead Katsu away. Yuri watched them leave in concern, and started to leave, but Paul held up a hand and shook his head.
While the three young girls were still holding hands and babbling away to each other, Paul walked away a short distance and took out his phone, dialling a number to a burner phone. It picked up on the second ring.
“Hello, who is this?”
“Narrator. We’re running late, just finished. How is your end?”
Kiko’s voice sounded relieved.
“I was beginning to wonder if something had gone wrong. We’re good, twenty minutes to go time. Looks like you were right to leave some, what did you call it… wiggle room.”
Paul nodded unconsciously.
“Yeah, nothing ever runs to schedule. Ok, call when everything’s ready for us, and keep your head down. Mother would kill me if anything happens to you.”
“Yes Pa… Narrator.”
“Atta girl. Ok, see you in twenty.”
Paul hung up and pocketed the phone, making a mental note to pull the battery and destroy it once they were done. He was perhaps being overly cautious, but he’d long since learnt that it was better than the alternative. Catching up with Inari, who was still congratulating the band, he tapped her shoulder.
“Sorry to break-up the after party, but our spotter just confirmed that they’re running to schedule, so we’d better hustle. Aimi-chan, pop up to your room, get changed and into position. Rin, Shoko, Jiao… slight change of plans. After that performance we’re bound to have press. I’ll need you three to run interference, cover for Aimi-chan so no-one knows she’s not here, ok?”
Rin nodded.
“You got it Paul-san, we’ll tell them it takes time to get out of the projection rig… and leave it up to them to figure out how we did it.”
“Good idea! Ok, Ash, once you’ve got your head on straight, we’ll head out to the garage and wait for Kiko’s call there. I checked, we’ve got signal there.”
“Aye… you and Inari changing down there now?”
Paul shook his head.
“Point. Inari, if we run, we’ve got time to hit our rooms here and get changed. Ash, you go ahead.”
Ash nodded, and left, leaving Paul with Inari, Yuri and Yuko. He waited until he was sure Ash and the others were out of ear shot and spoke quietly to the two Oni.
“Ok… I don’t need to tell you two that things could go horribly wrong tonight. So, I don’t have the right to order you, but I am asking you as friend. If things go south, get the kids out of here. Never mind anything else, don’t worry about me or Inari… your job is to be the last line of defence and make sure we don’t have to worry about anything but ourselves. Got it?”
Yuri glanced at Yuko, and nodded.
“Understood. We’ve always known it might come down to this. For our clan, and now for our family. But.. Paul-san, it’ll only take one of us to..”
Paul shook his head.
“No.. because one of you will need to head up to the mountain, once you and the kids are safe, and warn everyone else to duck and cover. We have a responsibility to the wider community too.”
“Oh. I understand. But that just leaves you with Aimi-chan as back up...”
“What, you don’t think that’s enough?”
Judging by the two sisters’ laughter, they thought it was enough… and felt a bit sorry for whoever might cross her path.
Paul and Inari used adjoining changing rooms, with the door between them ajar so they could talk. They were nearly done, donning robes when Paul called though.
“Hey Inari… last chance. We can call this off now if you wish.”
“What about Yokai Metal?”
“Music industry is full of one-hit wonders.”
“No. I’m scared but.. no. Unless you want to?”
Paul chuckled.
“Yeah, it scares me too, but nope. Hey, Inari...I dare you!”
Inari laughed.
“I double dare you!”
Paul joined in her laughter.
“Oh well, that’s it. We are definitely doing this now!”
Senbonzakura – metal cover
