Chapter 18: Whispers of Cat Island
“Lord Seimei, I heard that voice again,” Riko said, rushing into Seimei’s room.
Seimei, still holding the bundle of white fur, hadn’t put the sachet away. “What?” He didn’t catch her meaning at first.
“The voice I told you about last time—the one I accidentally answered. After chanting just now, I heard it again. She said, ‘I know you can hear me. Come to Cat Island.’”
Seimei’s breath caught, his grip tightening on the fur. “Cat Island?” he repeated softly.
“Yes, like on the sachet.” Riko pointed to the bag in his hand.
Seimei fell silent for a long moment before speaking. “I might need to take a trip. I’ll leave a shikigami with you…”
“Is it Cat Island? I want to go too.” Seeing his reluctant expression, she quickly added, “I don’t know why you’re going, but I have a feeling my ability to hear voices might help.”
Seimei didn’t respond immediately, his brow furrowing. “It’s strange—why is this voice calling you to Cat Island? Something feels off. You should stay home.”
“But…”
“Let’s put this aside for now. I’m not leaving right away,” Seimei said soothingly, glancing out the window. “It’s late. Get some rest. You have Ise Shrine tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Riko nodded. “No sneaking off, okay?” Without Seimei nearby, she felt uneasy, even with a shikigami.
After Riko left, Seimei went straight to the front courtyard to find his father.
“You found your mother’s fur on the Rain Woman?”
“Yes.” Seimei poured out the sachet’s contents, revealing a small bundle of white fur that shimmered silver in the dim light. “The sachet has the Cat Island Inari Shrine emblem.” He handed it over.
Abe no Yasunari held it close, noting the fox outline embroidered beside the words “Cat Island.”
“I can’t sense it, but I’ve seen your mother’s true form—a snow-white fox,” he said, gently stroking the fur with nostalgia. “Are you leaving tomorrow?”
Seimei nodded, hesitating. “I might take Little Riko along.”
“Why?” Yasunari looked surprised. “Wouldn’t it be safer to leave her here? The journey’s long, and there could be danger…”
“That’s true, but I’m worried she’ll sneak off if I don’t take her.”
“Would she?” Yasunari laughed. “Reminds me of your mother. She always followed me everywhere.”
Seimei flushed. “It’s not like that. Little Riko and I aren’t what you’re thinking.”
“Oh? I wasn’t thinking anything. Just that Riko’s a bit like your mother.”
“You should rest,” Seimei said, standing quickly.
As he opened the door, Yasunari called after him. “Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Be careful. The Inari Shrine’s destruction overnight is strange enough.”
Seimei paused. “Yes.”
Riko woke early, lingering on the wooden bridge but not crossing.
She sent a small paper figure to check on Seimei.
It returned, mimicking a sleeping gesture with hands pressed to its cheek.
Relieved, she sat under the cherry tree to wait.
The morning sun filtered through the blossoms, scattering golden flecks across her face and body.
She squinted, tilting her chin to let the light dance on her skin.
Seimei emerged and saw her waiting in the courtyard, chuckling. “I won’t break my promise.”
Riko eyed him up and down. “I’m touched you say that, Lord Seimei, but why aren’t you wearing your onmyoji hunting robes?”
Instead of his usual white robes, he wore a deep blue outer garment with flowing cloud patterns on the sleeves.
“You caught me.”
“You’re not studying onmyodo today?”
“No,” Seimei said with a smile.
“Then where are you going?” she asked, instantly alert.
He laughed softly. “Alright, no hiding it. Change into casual clothes. I’m taking you on a trip. Don’t worry about Ise Shrine—my father will handle it.”
“Taking me… to Cat Island?”
“Yes.”
An hour later, they left Heian-kyo quietly in a carriage.
“If anyone asks, we’re siblings visiting relatives in Hitachi Province. Don’t mention Cat Island or Mount Tsukuba,” Seimei said, leaning casually against the carriage wall.
The curtains were drawn tightly, concealing the interior.
“Why?”
“That place is special. It was once Takamatsu clan land, but overnight, the entire island—every living thing—lost its color. Since then, it’s been sealed off. The Takamatsu clan forbids anyone from approaching, claiming the island’s evil spirit will corrupt visitors.”
He paused. “That spirit is said to be the Inari God.”
“The one from the torii gate we saw in Harima?” Riko asked, surprised.
“Yes,” Seimei said curtly. “Getting onto the island will be tricky.”
“What happens when things lose color? Will we lose ours?” Riko asked, worried.
“I heard from a wandering monk who secretly visited the island. The people there, despite losing color, live on as normal. They didn’t welcome him, so he left quickly and didn’t lose his color.”
“That’s so strange,” Riko mused.
The carriage, enchanted with a speed talisman, took them only to Mikawa Province before the driver left.
It was dusk.
Seimei blew a short whistle, and a sail rose from the calm sea.
A boat appeared, steered by a demon slightly fatter than the sea monk they’d met before.
This one didn’t recognize Seimei.
“Ten copper coins,” the sea monk said, extending a hand with fingers longer than its palm.
Seimei placed the coins in its hand.
“Thank you. There’s roasted octopus and sweet water in the cabin. Prices are marked. Leave payment in the bowl if you take anything,” the sea monk said, then went to steer.
Much better service than last time—professional and no nonsense.
They entered the cabin, and the boat sank beneath the waves.
They reached Hitachi Province by the next evening.
Located at the far east of the realm, it was a long way from central Heian-kyo.
With its long coastline, many locals were fishermen, worshipping the Catfish God.
“That’s the god my family prays to,” Riko whispered, eyeing the large fish head enshrined in the inn.
Unlike the demon inn from before, this one was packed with human guests.
The women’s bath was especially crowded, like dumplings in a pot.
Riko washed quickly and got out, feeling awkward.
“Too many people,” she grumbled.
Seimei stood in the room’s center, stringing up a hemp rope.
Fresh from a bath, his collar was slightly open, revealing a strikingly elegant collarbone.
Despite wearing a common blue yukata, he made it look bespoke.
“What are you doing, Lord Seimei?” Riko asked, puzzled.
“I got a cloth from the innkeeper to hang on the rope, splitting the room in two.”
Riko realized they’d only secured one room due to the crowd.
Looking at the cloth draped to the floor, she wondered if it would work.
After the lights went out, Riko lay on her futon, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Seimei was just beyond the thin curtain.
If she listened closely, she could hear his soft, even breathing.
Oddly peaceful.
So why was she feeling so strangely restless?
“Frying a fish over there?” Seimei’s voice, tinged with amusement, came through the curtain.
Huh? Riko froze.
She was flopping like a fish on a pan.
“Can’t sleep?” He seemed to shift, facing her side.
“A little. New place,” she mumbled, determined not to let him sense her odd excitement.
“I’m a bit restless too,” Seimei said. “Besides my mother, you’re the only one I’ve shared a room with like this. My room hasn’t even had a female mosquito since I was four. Back then, I slept alone, afraid of the dark, always keeping a candle lit. A Hikeshi Baba lived across the alley and would sneak over to blow it out. I’d lie in the dark, listening to the insects, lost in thought.”
“I always wished for someone else to be there, to hold hands when I was scared. Even with shikigami later, that courtyard was still just me. But since you moved in, despite the bridge between us, the nights feel brighter somehow.”
“Lord Seimei, you were afraid of the dark?” she asked softly, finding this side of him endearing.
“All kids are, aren’t they? I was no exception,” he said, his bright laugh filtering through the curtain.
“Are you still afraid?”
“Not anymore,” he mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep.
Exhausted from the day, his words trailed off into silence.
The room grew quiet again.
Riko’s heart settled, and listening to his steady breathing, she drifted off.
When dawn’s light filtered through the window, footsteps of other guests echoed in the hall.
Riko opened her eyes slowly, about to sit up, when something felt off.
She turned her head.
Her hand was firmly clasped in Seimei’s, their fingers interlocked.
She tried to pull away, but her hand was numb, too weak to move.
Did we… hold hands all night?8