She couldn't get up. But within those brief moments, the image that swam into her reeling gaze embedded itself in her mind.
The color of gold.
Keiki!
Still flat on her back she cried out, "Keiki!"
Of course it would be you, Keiki. You sent these youma.
"Why? Just tell me why!"
The footsteps were very close now. Youko raised her head. She caught sight first of a brilliantly colored kimono. Then the golden hair.
"Why … ?"
There was no reply to any of her questions.
Craning her head backwards, she realized it was not Keiki's face. "Oh," she said. Not Keiki. A woman. The woman peered down at her. Youko stared into her eyes. She said, "Who are you?"
She was a woman with golden hair, maybe ten years older than Youko. On her slender shoulders perched a brightly-colored parrot. The woman's extraordinarily beautiful face was suffused with sadness. Staring up at her, it struck Youko that she was on the verge of weeping.
"Who are you?" Youko asked in a hoarse voice.
The woman looked at her and said nothing. Tears gathered in the woman's crystal clear eyes.
"What … . "
The woman blinked slowly. Tears fell softly down her cheeks. She averted her eyes. Youko was too taken aback to speak. The woman turned her attention to the beast lying next to Youko. She gazed at it with a sorrowful expression, then slowly stepped forward. She knelt down next to the corpse.
Youko could do nothing but watch. No words came, she couldn't move her body. She had been trying all along to rouse herself but she couldn't move a finger.
The woman gently reached out and stroked the beast. The tips of her fingers touched a patch of red and she jerked back her hand as if she had touched something searing hot.
"Who are you?"
The woman didn't answer. She reached out again, grasped the hilt of the sword--the blade was still embedded in the beast's neck--pulled it free and set it on the ground. She eased the beast's head into her lap.
"Did you send them after me?"
The woman didn't speak. She cradled the beast in her lap, petted its coat. Her luxurious kimono was soon stained with clotted blood.
"And all the youma who've attacked me up to now? What do you have against me?"
Hugging the beast's head, the woman shook her head. Youko raised her eyebrows. The parrot perched on the woman's shoulder flapped its wings.
"KILL HER."
The shrill voice no doubt belonged to the parrot. Startled, Youko looked at it. The woman opened her eyes and glanced at the parrot as well.
"PUT AN END TO THIS."
The woman spoke for the first time. "I cannot."
"KILL HER. FINISH HER OFF."
The woman shook her head emphatically. "Please! That is the one thing I cannot do!"
"I AM GIVING YOU AN ORDER. KILL HER."
"I cannot!"
The parrot beat its wings and soared into the sky. It circled once and glided back to the earth. "THEN TAKE THE SWORD."
"The sword is hers. It would be pointless to take it." There were echoes of pity and supplication in the woman's voice.
"THEN CUT OFF HER ARM." The parrot spoke in a loud, shrill voice. It flapped its wings vigorously. "I SHALL ASK THIS MUCH OF YOU. CUT OFF HER ARM SO SHE CANNOT WIELD THE SWORD."
"I cannot. First of all, I cannot use that sword."
"THEN USE THIS ONE."
The parrot opened its beak wide. Something glittered deep in its mouth behind its round tongue. Youko stared disbelievingly as the parrot coughed up the tip of a glossy black rod. Before her startled eyes, inch by inch, the bird continued to disgorge the full length of a Japanese-style sword in a black scabbard.
"TAKE IT."
The woman's face was white with despair. "Please, I beg of you."
The parrot once more flapped its wings. "DO IT!"
As if struck physically, the woman covered her face with her hands. Youko pawed at the earth. She had to get up and get out of here. Yet the best she could do was rake the ground with her fingers.
The woman turned towards Youko, her face wet with tears.
"Stop." Youko's voice was so hoarse she could barely hear herself speak.
The woman reached down and seized the sword the parrot had disgorged. Her hands were soiled with the blood of the dog beast.
"Don't do this … what kind of person are you?"
What kind of thing was that parrot? What kind of creatures were those beasts? Why was this happening to her?
The woman's lips scarcely moved. Forgive me, Youko barely heard her say.
"Please … don't."
The woman aimed the tip of the sword at the spot on the ground where Youko's right hand clawed the earth. As strange as it might seem, it was the woman who looked about ready to keel over, she was so gray.
Observing this, the parrot flew over and perched on Youko's arm. Its thick talons dug into her flesh. For some inexplicable reason, the bird was as heavy as a boulder. Youko wished to fling it off her arm but couldn't budge an inch.
The parrot cawed, "DO IT!"
The woman raised the sword.
"God, no!"
Youko exercised every ounce of strength left in her, but she was too weak, the weight of the parrot riding her arm too heavy, and the woman drove the sword down faster than she could possibly move.
She felt nothing, only the shock of the impact.
Youko was not even sure she was still alive. Before shock could turn into pain, she lost consciousness.
4-9
The awful pain brought her back to life.
As soon as her eyes opened, she checked her arm. There was the sword that had stabbed her. At first she didn't understand what she was looking at. The sword stood erect, hilt pointing towards skyward.
Seconds later the pain brought her back to her senses. The sword pinned her right hand to the earth, the slender blade buried deeply through the palm. Throbbing pain radiated up her arm and into her head. Gently she tried moving her arm. The pain tearing through her hand made her scream.
Swallowing the dizziness and pain, taking care not to make the pain in her hand any worse, she sat herself up. With her trembling left hand she seized the hilt of the sword. She closed her eyes, clenched her teeth together, yanked out the sword. Pain convulsed her body.
She cast the sword aside, pressed her wounded hand to her chest, rolled on the ground over to where the beast had fallen. She didn't cry out. The intensity of the pain was enough to make her physically sick.
Writhing in agony, she grouped for the jewel and tore it free of the cord. She gritted her teeth and pressed the jewel hard against her hand. Groaning, her body twisted into a ball.
The magic of the jewel saved her. The pain abated a bit. After a few minutes more, holding her breath, she could bear to sit up again. She applied the jewel to the wound, cautiously tried to move her fingers, but couldn't feel anything below the wrist. She continued to force her right hand around the jewel.
Rocking back and forth, she hugged her hand against her body. She cracked open her eyes and looked up at the sky. The red-stained clouds were still there. She hadn't been unconscious that long.
Who was that woman? Why did she do this to her? So many things were racing through her mind, but she was in no condition to think about anything. After searching around some more, she found the sword. She took hold of the hilt and hugged the sword and her right hand to her chest. For a while she stayed curled up that way.
Not a long time had passed when she heard a voice say, "Oh … . "
She looked in the direction of the voice. A small child was standing there. The girl looked over her shoulder and yelled, "Mom!"
A woman hurried towards them at a small run.
Youko's expression said that the child had not bothered her. Her mother seemed an honest type. Her appearance betrayed her low economic status. She carried a large pack on her back.