"So, we're heading to Nagoya?" Choromatsu asked as I looked through the sling bag once more, double-checking to make sure that I had everything I needed for the remaining trip.

"I was able to find something there that could help (y/n) with what she wants to do," Ichimatsu confirmed as he looked around the growing morning crowd, watching the fishermen and boat owners start to prepare to ship off for the day.

"Why not just fly her straight over?"

"I can't carry her for that long of a trip," The younger of the two snipped back, "What about you?"

"The strength of my wings isn't for sharing."

With a huff, both brothers leaned back a little as I settled my bag into place.

"Were either of you able to find someone to hire as a ferryman?" I shifted my gaze between the two of them, only seeing Choromatsu look back towards me.

"I found one person that was willing to make the journey to Wakayama, but he stated that the trip may not be worth it since there's rumors of some kind of monster lurking in the waters," The daitengu adjusted his straw hat a little, "I assured him that Ichimatsu and I would be able to handle the beast should the rumors be true."

"You know they are..." Ichimatsu scoffed, his fingers playing with the seam holding the veil to his own hat while letting his dark hair get some sun, "I didn't want to volunteer for it."

"And risk losing (y/n) to it?" The chiding tone in Choromatsu's voice seemed to upset Ichimatsu, both brothers now glaring at each other.

"So, we have passage to Wakayama," I stepped between the two, using my body as a deterrent from another fight, "We should be able to travel a little further using the remaining sunlight should the crossing go well."

"And if it doesn't?" Ichimatsu rested his veiled hat on his head, making small adjustments.

"We'll just have to figure something out when the time comes," I gave him a wide smile as he looked away, his lips turning downwards into a frown.

----

The ferry boat that was willing to take us was larger than I thought it would be, a vessel able to hold multiple families and travelers that wanted to cross the channel. The captain and small crew had made sure that the boat launched safely, the prow cutting through the water as the wind gathered in the sails. Ichimatsu had stayed in his male form, staying within arms reach of me as Choromatsu calmly sat near the bow, his body assuming a meditative position.

The wind was strong enough to push the ferry swiftly across the channel, leaving the port swiftly in our wake as the open waters of the channel became more and more inviting. I gripped the side railing of the ferry, looking out over the water as it stretched out towards the large ocean to the east. It seemed like the water went on forever from my point of view.

"Don't fall in," Ichimatsu warned next to me, his back leaning against the same railing.

"I won't," I gave a small smile as I responded, glancing over to him. When Ichimatsu was human, he wasn't a big fan of being around water, so I guess becoming a yokai didn't change that very much, "I haven't seen this much water before..."

"There's nothing special about it," His voice was more agitated than usual, "Parts of it are deeper than others, most of the creatures that live in it only care for themselves and the monsters that call the water home are worse than some humans."

Ichimatsu tucked his arms into the kimono sleeves, walking away from the railing before some light wake spray hit the deck.

"If taking a ferry was this bothersome to you, we could've taken the land bridge," I looked back at him over my shoulder, not minding the water that misted over the railing. His tongue clicked against his cheek, shifting his gaze towards Choromatsu who remained unmoving near the front of the boat.

"Looking at me won't give you any answers," The daitengu responded, not bothering to move his head to meet the glare being sent his way.

"Taking a ferry shortens the trip by four days and it's a more direct route to Nagoya," Ichimatsu rolled his shoulders before settling against the railing once more, "You don't have a lot of time to waste."

"Neither do you..." I whispered as I looked towards the land falling away behind us, fading beyond the horizon as the sun rose higher in the sky. Ichimatsu moved his head to gaze at me, our eyes meeting briefly before he turned away.

"Why did you want him to come along?"

"Considering that the oni and inugami are known to eat human flesh and the tanuki can be placated with good alcohol, I figured that I'm safer with the two yokai that can't look at me like I'm delicious food," I pushed myself away from the railing, moving over to Ichimatsu and standing in front of him, "I enjoyed both of your company when you were human...was it wrong of me to try and have some small comfort from the past?"

"No..." His left hand moved from the sleeve towards his neck, rubbing the back of it while his face contorted into a pensive look, "I just don't know if I'm able to keep you safe from either of us if we lose ourselves--"

"The wind shifted..." Choromatsu stood up, looking towards the eastward open water. Ichimatsu had reacted in the same way as his older brother, grabbing my shoulders and gently pushing me away from the railing. The sail slacked a little as the winds stopped pushing the ferry forward, leaving the crew to find purchase in the wind again as they adjusted the sails.

Both Ichimatsu and Choromatsu looked behind them with tense glares, as if drawn to something that only they could feel.

There wasn't time to react to the large fish tail slamming down on the deck.

Men yelled in fear as the creature attacked the ferry, the tail almost half the size of the entire boat itself. Ichimatsu shoved me away from the tail, my body colliding with the railing as the wooden boat groaned underneath our feet before it split in half from the strike. The ferry bucked underneath me before the wood gave way, the unexpected fall dragging a scream from my throat as I fell into the cold waters of the channel.

The noise of snapping wood was all I could hear underwater before I breached the surface, coughing and spitting out salty water while trying to keep my head out of the water.

"Ichimatsu!" A wave crashed over my head, dragging me under for a moment before I fought to get to the surface again, "Choromatsu!"

There was a sudden silence on the water. Something wooden floated near me and I scrambled to climb on with everything on my person soaking wet. Taking in deep breaths, I looked around to see a scene of decimation.

The ferry boat was splintered into two parts, most of the boat now shrapnel scattered across the water. The larger parts of the boat were sinking underneath the surface of the water, a few survivors clinging to different flotsam and crying out for help.

"Isonade...Isonade..." One of the men chanted in fear.

"Ichimatsu!" I yelled out as loud as I could, "Choromatsu!"

Silence greeted my shouts. I tried to look down into the dark waters of the channel, knowing that I wasn't going to see them, but the small flicker of hope made me try anyway. I kept yelling their names until my throat was raw.

----

I kept to myself when a passing fishing boat rescued the remaining ferry crew and I, quickly hauling us to Wakayama before the sun set on the day. Enduring the vicious insults that were thrown my way, the venom in their words blaming my companions for not keeping the ship safe or claims that everyone's deaths were on my hands, I kept to myself when the police came by for testimonies from the survivors. I told them what I had seen, was checked over for wounds, and given the clearance to go about my business.

I stayed by the piers, my hand wandering down to the fude brush pouch still tucked away in the sash. The yokai in the brush didn't have any kind of power over water, but wishful thinking brought a small comfort to me.

"You're so far from home, (y/n)."

I stilled as the familiar voice called out from behind me, slowly turning to see a man dressed in white robes and cloak, the hems weathered from traveling the roads. His hand reached up and moved the wide straw hat up to reveal his face, the piercing blue eyes above the confident sneer unmistakable.

"Karamatsu..." His name was like a whisper through my lips, the fear that he had successfully caused making my heart pound like a war drum in my chest. I tried to remain calm, to not give into the years of terror that was caused by his hands.

"Where is your beloved?" A knowing smirk rested on his lips, his eyes slightly closing in satisfaction as Karamatsu took a few steps towards me.

"What do you want with me?" I fought past the fear clawing at my throat, feeling it tighten with each step he took towards me.

"You already know the answer to that," Karamatsu stopped when he was within arms reach, his eyes trailing up and down my form, "Just what any yokai wants from a human."

"I'm not afraid of you."

Karamatsu's face slipped into amusement before laughing out loud, bringing a hand over his mouth while motioning the small lantern in his other hand towards me, "You? Not afraid...? Let's see how true that is."

Darkness surrounded me, enveloping me in a complete blackness that I couldn't see out of. Several candlesticks surrounded me in a large circle with myself standing in the center, each one burning with a soft orange flame as I counted out one-hundred candles.

One of the candles flickered out, a memory flashing in my mind of Karamatsu shoving me down the stone steps of the temple as a child.

Another candle flame was snuffed out as I screamed when he gave me a centipede wrapped in a candy box for my birthday.

One by one, the candles went out until five remained, my heart racing from the ninety-five scares that Karamatsu gave me, each one worse than the last. Panic clawed its way up my throat as I saw Karamatsu emerge from the thick darkness, bending down to pick up one of the candles and holding it with interest.

"Only five more? I thought I had more time for fun...I guess you've told more than enough people about what I've done," He set it down on the ground before moving closer to me, "Do you know what happens when all of the candles are blown out?"

"The ao andon...attacks the storyteller..." I fought back the tears that the memories brought, not wanting to give him any satisfaction.

"That's right," Standing in front of me, Karamatsu held my terrified gaze with his own, calm and collected like he was talking about something mundane, "You're not going to succeed with this pitiful effort."

He held up the worn leather journal in his free hand, somehow pulling it from the bag on my back. I gasped and reached out to grab it, my fingers colliding with smoke as the journal disappeared from his grip.

"Give that back!"

"There's a look I haven't seen in a while!" Karamatsu's face shifted into pleasure as he slammed his hand into my throat, pushing me back and pinning me to the ground as his lips pulled back into a wide grin. I glared up at him as his fingers flexed around my neck, my nails digging into his skin as one of the remaining nearby candles began to flicker like someone was blowing heavily on it, "Has little Ichimatsu given you some semblance of hope? What lies has he been telling you?"

"They aren't lies...!" I tried to put on a brave face despite knowing that I was alone in this fight, "They aren't lies..."

"'I'll always be here for you', 'You're my betrothed'," The words coming from Karamatsu's mouth were spoken in Ichimatsu's voice, shocking me into stillness, "Oh, were those a little too close to home?"

His hand relaxed a little on my throat, the nails trailing down my neck before idly rubbing the fresh furs around my shoulders. I watched in silence as tears streamed down my cheeks, my mind completely torn between what was real and what was fear-induced. Everything that happened yesterday was real...wasn't it?

The candle flame was flickering wildly, the fire barely holding onto the wick amidst the strong gust blowing directly on it.

"He's not coming--"

Karamatsu's mouth was suddenly covered by a clawed hand, cutting off his words as the momentum of the intruder pierced through the darkness. The night sky reappeared as the darkness was torn asunder, ripped apart by the person now pushing back Karamatsu. I dragged myself away along the ground, bumping into someone standing behind me on the pier and making me look up towards them.

A beaked tengu mask was settled over half of their face, the black-and-white robes and cloak from before fluttering about them as if stirred by an unseen wind. Red marks trailed down their cheeks as their eyes shifted down to me, the straw hat no longer hiding their face or head.

"Choro--" I cut myself off, my eyes widening in realization as I looked back towards the fighting pair.

Nine wispy tails flowed from behind the figure, the fur matching the vulpine ears poking through the dark hair on his head. The veiled hat was nowhere to be seen, fully revealing the masculine form underneath the loose kimono layers.

"Back off, Karamatsu!" Ichimatsu's voice growled, my heart skipping a beat when I realized that neither of them had died.

"Ill-timed, as usual..." The lantern in Karamatsu's hands grew much longer in length, turning into a clawed staff that held a box lantern, a blue flame burning brightly within its chamber. The older brother used it as a weapon to throw Ichimatsu back towards Choromatsu and I, gaining some space to stand back up, "You should've stayed at the bottom of the sea."

Ichimatsu only snarled in response as he regained his footing, one of his tails brushing up against my leg. The tail didn't feel like it was physical anymore, leaving the area it touched a little numb with cold.

"Pity..." The lantern shrunk back down to its smaller size as Karamatsu adjusted his wrap and robes, leveling a glare towards me as the unspoken threat made itself clear to the others.

"You won't get the chance," Ichimatsu took a step forward, drawing Karamatsu's attention back to him, "Not while I'm around."

"We'll see about that, little Ichi. My little storyteller only has a few chances left before I come for her."

With a rush of wind, Karamatsu's form dissipated into mist and floated away on the wind, leaving the two yokai and I alone for a moment.

I wasn't sure how to feel while I watched the nine large tails of the kitsune fade away, their shape disappearing just like Karamatsu had, leaving Ichimatsu standing in his human form. His shoulders and chest were heaving as I lightly touched his back, feeling the wet kimono against my fingertips.

Without warning, Ichimatsu spun around and held me tightly in his arms, the warmth of his body bleeding through the cold fabric as I swiftly returned the hug. A feeling of happiness slowly bubbled to the surface of my mind, causing me to cry out in relief as a torrent of emotions fought for control.

"Shh...I'm here..." His voice was soothing, his hands gently rubbing my back as I clung to his clothing like a security blanket.

"Stop...leaving me...!" I tried to yell at him, my throat choked up with tears as I couldn't decide to yell or laugh at him. I only heard him huff out a laugh as I started to cry, my tears mixing with the salt water clinging to the fabric.