The Past of No Return

Spring has passed as Summer closes in, people in Shinkatsu are busier than ever. Workers are running through the streets with a wooden pillar on their shoulders, shopkeepers are decorating their storefront with lanterns, and children dashing through the crowds with paper windmills in their hands. This is because the Summer Festival is coming.

The Summer Festival in Shinkatsu is a must-visit location for foreign merchants, also known for the dances and parades from each yukaku houses, Oiran Dochu is one of them.

-^-^-^-

In the usual afternoon, Wakumi is sweeping outside of the front door humming her favourite song. "Under Mountain Fuji, there's a sakura tree~ A girl joins the breeze and dancing through the wind~"

Not far from the street, a black Norimono (a litter) is carried by two men coming through the street. Hearing from the footsteps, Wakumi looks up and notices it is a nobility litter.

The men stop in front of the door and lower the Norimono on the ground, Wakumi tidies up herself and walks towards the litter. Then she heard a lady's voice in it.

"Is this the Sanzu-no-Kawa?" The lady asked.

"Yes, it is. I am one of the staff from this house, my name is Wakumi, how may I help you?" Wakumi replied.

"So you are the new Kamuro Yusa talking about, interesting..." The lady said.

Confused by the words, Wakumi askes the lady, "So what brought you here, Okyaku-sama (dear customer)?"

"What brought me here? I am here for a visit of course. Can you escort me in?" The lady asked.

"As you wish madam," Wakumi said.

One of the men opens the door of the litter, a gorgeous lady comes out of it. She wears a black kimono and her hair tied in a bun with a lavash golden hairpin. Looking in her eyes they are bloody red with sharp sight, Wakumi almost gives a chill.

Holding a fan in her hand, the lady moves closer to Wakumi and lifts her chin with the fan. "Hmm, perfect appearance." She said.

Lowering her fan, the lady smiles, "I can't believe Kongiku takes you as her Kamuro."

"It's all thanks to Onee-sama, otherwise I won't survive till last month," Wakumi said. The lady giggles as they chat along into the house.

-^-^-^-

On the floor of the living quarters, Yusa is practising her shamisen as she hears footsteps behind the door. The door slides open and the lady enters with applause. "Such a splendid melody, it has been 50 years since I heard music played by you."

With a familiar voice, Yusa turns in surprise, speechless as she stops playing for a moment. She puts the instrument aside and bows to the floor, "Su...Sumire Tomiho-sama!!"

"There is no need to be such formal, Yusa." Sumire closes the door behind them and sits in front of her.

"Besides visiting, I am here to congratulate you on your success reaching the rank of Oiran," Sumire said.

"It's all thanks to you, you taught me all the things to be an Oiran," Yusa replied.

Gazes at the shamisen, Sumire has something in her mind. She picks up the instrument touching it slowly, "Seems you are still using it from the first time I gave it to you."

"It is a connection between you and me for our close relationship," Yusa replied.

Looking from her eyes, Sumire said, "You look uneasy, something bothers you?"

"Eh? It's nothing," Yusa mumbled.

In a sigh of relief, Sumire passes the shamisen to Yusa, "Why not play a piece since I am here?"

With the instrument in her hand, Yusa smiles and begins to play. The moment she starts, Sumire closes her eyes to endure the melody.

-^-^-^-

"She is a Daimyo of the Demon Clan?" Wakumi said in surprise az Azayami preparing tea in the kitchen.

"She is, but one of them. She holds a much superior power among all the demons." Azayami replied.

After putting all the preparation on a tray, she added, "More importantly, she is the Demon Shogun's wife."

The atmosphere enters an awkward pause, Wakumi asked, "Sorry, I can't hear properly."

Looking into Wakumi's eyes, Azayami repeated, "Tomiho-sama, is the demon shogun's wife."

"Eh? EHHH?!" Wakumi screamed.

While handing over the tray, Azayami reminded, "Remember to address her as Tomiho-sama, got it?"

Wakumi nodded and left the kitchen with the tray. While walking through the hallways, she is getting a bit anxious. The words of Demon Shogun stirring in her mind as she goes upstairs while a tune of melodic music passes through her ears.

Stopped in front of the door, Wakumi puts the tray aside and slowly peeks through it. She sees Yusa is still playing while Sumire is almost half asleep, suddenly she notices something, Yusa's facial expression looks down.

And then, the sound of shamisen slowly to its pause, Sumire wakes up and sees full of tears in Yusa's eyes. "What is the matter?" She asked.

"It...It's nothing," Yusa mumbled, wiping her tears away.

"I know you are sad, but you need to at least tell me what happened," Sumire said.

In a slight corner, Sumire notices Wakumi's peeking. "Shouldn't you comfort your sister, Wakumi?" She said.

Wakumi jumps up like she is being found out, she slides open the door and enters. While comforting Yusa, Wakumi tries to speak first. "Umm...Tomiho-sama, may I ask you a question?" She asked.

"Please do," Sumire replied.

"You look like a mother to Yusa-nee, is it true that Yusa-nee is a daughter of your husband, the Demon Shogun?" Wakumi asked.

Just after finishing her words, Yusa accidentally breaks a string on her shamisen. Looking into Wakumi's eyes, Yusa grabs her shoulder tightly with fierce eyesight, "W...What do you know about it?"

"No no, I totally know nothing and you are hurting me," Wakumi replied.

Looking aside, Sumire holds Yusa's left arm and gazes at her.

"Stop it Yusa!" She said.

Yusa releases both hands as Sumire picks up the tea in her hand, sighing in relief.

"I think you should better know about it since it is your first time here, Wakumi." Sumire said.

Take a sip of tea and storytelling begins.

-^-^-^-

In winter with heavy snow, Sumire was collecting some root herbs in a forest. While digging through layers of thick snow, she found a piece of rough cloth beneath it. "I wonder if there is something still underneath," she thought.

While digging, the face of a young child reviled from the snow. Harrow though, Sumire was shocked by what she found, a body of a young girl covered in frost.

"It's a girl!" She said.

Putting her fingers on the girl's neck, the veins are still bumping. She picked up the girl and hurried to her residence which is not far from a mountain cave.

In a small cottage near the mountain cave, Sumire put the girl next to a fire to melt down the frost, treated the wounds and placed her on a futon with a warm silk blanket.

After the girl was settled, Sumire left the room. Not so soon, the girl started to regain consciousness, slowly opened her eyes and became confused.

"Ugh...Where am I?" She mumbled.

Looking around her was a small room with a fire pit next to her, she tried to move but her body didn't respond. Later, Sumire returns as the girl looks at her.

"You're finally awake," Sumire said.

Sat next to the fire, the girl spoke softly, "Why can't I move my body?"

"Your body has suffered a lot over the freezing temperature, moreover it seems you are attacked by demons, you can't last for long even though I saved your life with those wounds," Sumire replied.

The girl was losing her hope for what she heard, however, Sumire proposed, "This is one way you can stay alive, to become a demon."

To her surprise, the girl begged, "Please...turn me into a demon..."

Looking into her eyes, Sumire asked, "Are you sure you want to live as a demon? You will no longer be a human as you make this choice."

The girl shook her head with no regrets, but Sumire refused to do so.

"You must be aware that I am a demon too, there is no way I would do such stupidity to turn an innocent child like me." She replied.

But the girl didn't seem afraid, she tried to move her left arm and touched Sumire's lap.

"You saved me cause there is still kindness in your heart, although other people believe demons are evil, I believe there are kind demons like you." The girl smiled.

With no other choice, Sumire added, "But that will cause you pain and grief as you lose your humanity."

Listened to those words, the girl made her choice and Sumire agreed to help. She took a sake cup in front of her and unfolded her left sleeves. From what the girl saw next, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Sumire used her right fingers to scratch deeply into her left arm with blood coming out in-stream, the blood dripping into the cup as the scratch slowly revived itself.

She picked up the cup and asked the girl one last time, "You sure about this?"

The girl nodded, and so Sumire placed the cup on the girl's lip as she drank hungrily. After she finished, Sumire added, "The process will hurt a lot, you must endure the pain."

Within a second, the girl felt unease as her body felt like burning in fire. She screamed from the pain while her body was twisting, Sumire held her down.

"You must endure it, it won't last long," She said.

After a couple of seconds, Sumire released her hands as the girl stopped from pain.

"Try to sit up slowly," She said.

To the girl's surprise, she could move her body as she sat up. Looked at her both hands, her skin is white as snow and her fingernails were as sharp as claws.

"So what will you do after you become a demon?" Sumire asked.