The World Between Life & Death

Awakening on the Tatami floor of her new home, Hoshiyo gasped for breath. Her once bright red eyes gradually faded to darkness, leaving only a subtle hint of the vibrant hue.

Hiroshiro dashed into the room, "Are you okay, Hoshiyo? You must have been tired."

Rubbing her eyes, Hoshiyo hesitated. She knew her father well and wasn't eager to share the details of her peculiar experience – somehow, she sensed it was more than a dream. She squinted against the morning sun and asked, "Is it morning?"

Nodding, Hiroshiro replied, "You fell asleep yesterday. So, I unpacked everything for you."

Hoshiyo gasped, "What?"

Swiftly, she raced to the bedroom, discovering one of the empty crates with small toys. Delicately pulling out a kite with a silly face from a beloved puppet show, she couldn't help but smile.

Hiroshiro chuckled and reassured her, "Don't worry, I made sure to keep that safe."

Her gaze shifted from the cherished kite to her father as she asked, "Can I go outside to play?"

"It's quite windy up in the mountains, and I don't want you going there; it's dangerous. So, you'll have to find something else to play with today. While I go to work, could you promise me not to go up there? Stay close to the house?" he requested.

Reluctantly nodding, Hoshiyo stared at the mountain's summit, considering the path leading to the cliff overlooking the ocean bay. She desperately yearned to verify the truth of her dream.

"Good, I'll be researching at the mountain's base for normal animals. I want to map the elevation before venturing too deep and possibly encountering a problematic Yokai. Also, don't forget you have temple school next week," Hiroshiro explained.

He stumbled out the door, clutching handcrafted notebooks and an assortment of equipment he had built over the years, leaving Hoshiyo to navigate the day on her own at such a tender age.

Hoshiyo gently placed her kite back into the box and stepped out of her bedroom. The unsettling quiet within her home urged her to seek the comforting sounds of nature outdoors. As soon as she emerged, a surreal scene unfolded before her eyes.

In the distance, a giant fox strolled casually, holding a mysterious key. Observing closely, Hoshiyo noticed a peculiar connection among various animals—foxes, otters, and cats—all elegantly dressed in Yukatas, enjoying each other's company. Some went about their lives, stealthily observing humans and exploring the town.

As Hoshiyo stood there, the fear of potential harm from these extraordinary beings momentarily paralyzed her.

A small Tanuki passed her house, decorated in a Haori and a blue and grey twisted Hachimaki. Sensing something unusual about the girl, he paused and retraced his steps, locking eyes with her. For a minute, they stood in a silent exchange, beads of sweat forming on their brows.

"Is that tiny human looking at me?" inquired the Tanuki.

Hoshiyo gasped, her arms waving in surprise. "You can talk?"

Tanuki's jaw dropped, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You can see me, holy mackerel."

Falling on her tailbone, Hoshiyo attempted to crawl backward into her house, maintaining a cautious distance from the raccoon dog. "My dream was real."

"How is it possible that you can see me?" questioned the Tanuki.

Hoshiyo's deep red eyes began to glow even more brightly. "That wolf up in the mountain gave me its sight."

The Tanuki sighed heavily, sliding his palm slowly down his face. Mumbling, he expressed, "Amatsu-Mikaboshi can be a real handful sometimes, unbelievable. I told him not to experiment with the humans. Why doesn't he ever listen to me?"

Adjusting her posture, Hoshiyo sat on her legs and asked, "Do you know where he is?"

"He doesn't leave the mountain, so you'd have to go up there," the Tanuki explained.

Hoshiyo sighed, "I can't go. I promised my daddy I wouldn't leave."

"Well, tough luck, kid. I have business here to attend to in the village. We'll meet again someday. Oh, right. Some Yokai are less friendly than me, so if they know you can see them, you'd be in trouble. Be careful."

With that, the Tanuki strolled away, disappearing from Hoshiyo's sight as he reached the outskirts of the village.

Sitting at the edge of her doorway, she gazed outside, careful of making eye contact with other Yokai. The dark sky glowed as hours passed with large, colorful lights floating around, casting an ethereal glow.

"Hey, Hoshiyo," a familiar voice called out.

Hoshiyo saw her father approaching with a warm smile as he waved, burdened with all his baggage. A younger man, holding a child behind his neck around her age, greeted her with a smile. With long, straight brown hair, the little girl waved joyfully, even though they had never met. However, an unsettling detail caught Hoshiyo's attention – a dark aura surrounded the girl. The young father gently let her down, and she ran towards Hoshiyo, introducing herself, "Hi, my name is Hanako."

A menacing humanoid figure smiled at Hoshiyo, clinging to Hanako's back like a turtle with a shell. It never left her side, and Hoshiyo could only stand and stare over her shoulder.

Dropping his bags at the door, Hiroshiro encouraged, "Go on, introduce yourself."

Smiling and waving, Hoshiyo said, "Hello, my name is Hoshiyo."

Kneeling to his daughter, Hiroshiro explained, "Hanako's parents work here to study herbal medicine in the mountain. Turns out they have a daughter your age, so I thought you two could be good friends."

Hanako asked, "Do you want to play tomorrow?"

Excitedly, Hoshiyo nodded and replied, "Yeah, I can't wait."

Hanako's father took his daughter's hand to walk her home. They waved goodbye, but Hoshiyo couldn't shake her focus from the humanoid beast on Hanako's back. As the creature clung to the little girl, it stretched its neck to face behind him. Its menacing eyes glowed bright red, and it hissed with a forked tongue like a snake.

Startled, Hoshiyo fell back on her tailbone, her eyes watering. Clenching her teeth, she watched the grey-skinned creature laugh as the family left their house. Even in the distance, she could still hear its haunting presence.

Throughout the night, Hoshiyo found herself haunted by the evil laughter of the Yokai. She tossed and turned, unwilling to extinguish the light in her bedroom. Fear gripped her thoughts, lingering on the possibility of the Yokai's return to torment her.

The following day, beneath the towering cherry blossoms in the front yard, Hoshiyo settled on the earth, eager to play with her newfound friend. An hour passed, and Hiroshiro emerged, unveiling a makeshift Daruma Otoshi board with vibrant, hand-painted wooden blocks. The set included a petite wooden hammer for the game. Her father kneeled beside her, presenting the game, and asked, "I've got a game the two of you could play while we're at work today. I'm going back inside to pack my equipment. Will you be okay out here alone?"

Assuring him with a nod, Hoshiyo replied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Her father retreated into the house, leaving the front yard in a peculiar silence, with only the gentle rustling of the trees.

Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the calm and said, "Hey, it's you."

Turning to her left, Hoshiyo spotted the Tanuki standing beside her. Surprised, she exclaimed, "You're back."

Casually, the Tanuki responded, "Yeah, I walk by every day like clockwork."

Hoshiyo inquired, "Where do you go?"

"I'm visiting a friend who can't travel."

Prompted by her curiosity, Hoshiyo asked, "Who's your friend?"

The Tanuki sighed, teasingly asking, "Why do you ask so many questions?"

"I want to learn about Yokai."

The Tanuki's demeanor softened, and he confessed, "I was really worried about you yesterday. I honestly thought you'd die staring into the eyes of a Kappa or something."

Hoshiyo shivered, hesitating as she reluctantly revealed, "I saw a scary Yokai on my friend's back yesterday."

The Tanuki shot her a disapproving glare, slapping his face with the palm of his hand, and sighed, "Okay, you looked at an evil Yokai in the face. What did it look like?"

Hoshiyo grabbed some paper and charcoal from her father's bag to document the eerie encounter. Seating herself on the ground, she sketched the beast on her lap, capturing the details of its wrinkled grey skin, the fork in its tongue, haunting red eyes, and messy black hair. The Tanuki, feeling an electrifying jolt down his spine, quivered as he inquired, "Where did you see this Yokai?"

"On my friend's back. She's coming to my house to play today. What is it?" Hoshiyo asked innocently.

"It's probably for the best, you don't know," replied the Tanuki with a hint of concern.

As Hiroshiro strolled out of the house, he noticed his open bag at the front door and observed his daughter engaged in what seemed like a solitary conversation. He approached her and asked, "Ah, I see you've inherited my artistic genes. Who are you talking to?"

Hoshiyo pointed to the Tanuki and cheerfully declared, "My new friend, he looks like a raccoon dog."

The Tanuki interjected, "Friend is a bit of a stretch; we're acquaintances. Who am I kidding? I'm talking to a child."

Confused, Hiroshiro glanced at the empty spot she gestured to and asked, "You're talking to a Tanuki? I don't see him."

The Tanuki said, "Yeah, I only reveal myself to humans when I want to, but now, these are some unusual circumstances."

Hoshiyo relayed his words to her father, and the Tanuki discreetly stepped away, intrigued by their interaction. Hiroshiro chuckled, gently taking the notebook from his daughter. He said, "I wish I had the gift to see these beautiful creatures. I hope they take good care of you when I can't."

"Yeah, he's really nice," Hoshiyo proudly declared.

"What is this drawing? Our new friend let me take one of his journals about Yokai. I saw this one in the book," Hiroshiro said. He walked back to his front door to swap notebooks. His fingertips flipped the pages at lightning speed until he found the Yokai he sought. "It says here it's a Shinigami. Did you see this Yokai?"

Hoshiyo whispered, "I saw it holding on to Hanako."

Hiroshiro frowned and glanced at the village. His friend was coming soon with his daughter Hanako any minute now. He said, "Don't say this to her or anyone. Do you understand me? It is very important that you keep this information to yourself."

"What is it?" Hoshiyo asked, her curiosity evident. "The Tanuki wouldn't tell me."

"He was wise not to tell you, trust me. I have to research this Yokai, and when the day comes, I'll share everything with you. I promise."

"Okay," Hoshiyo replied quietly, turning to find that the Tanuki had already moved on.

In the distance, the herbal scientist and his daughter approached cheerfully, radiating happiness. Hoshiyo did her best to ignore the unsettling presence on her friend's back.

Hanako dropped her father's hand and giggled as she ran to the game board. With joy, she leaped towards the adorable animal face artwork on the wooden blocks. "I love this game," she cheered.

Hiroshiro gently tussled his daughter's hair and said, "Alright, you two, have fun. We'll be back before dusk."

"Okay," the girls said in unison, waving goodbye to their fathers. Their giggles echoed in excitement, harmonizing with the traditional music from the nearby villagers. Hoshiyo focused on the wooden blocks before her, calculating the best angle to strike the middle block. She held a wooden mallet, its handle worn with use.

Beside her, Hanako watched and silently cheered for her friend to be successful in this round. Taking a deep breath, Hoshiyo swung the mallet, displaying skill and precision as she toppled the wooden blocks without letting the Daruma doll at the top fall. She tilted her head back, dropping her shoulders with relief. Hanako clapped her hands, and the two friends exchanged excited glances. Passing the mallet to Hanako, Hoshiyo said, "Good luck."

Back and forth, they took turns until the lanterns began to glow. Hoshiyo had so much fun that she ignored the Yokai hanging on Hanako's back. The negativity faded into the background like a distant memory.

From that day on, the two were inseparable. Then came the day when the Shinigami on her back revealed its intentions to them. As Hoshiyo approached the front door with an oval-shaped plate filled with Onigiri, Hanako sat by the front door. Each rice ball, wrapped in seaweed, held a mystery flavor inside.

"Are you hungry?" Hoshiyo inquired. "My daddy made these for us for lunch."

"They look delicious," Hanako cheered. She closed her eyes and clapped her hands together two times. "Thank you for the food."

The girls picked one treat at a time, savoring each bite. Hanako's eyes lit up as she tasted the pork in the center. Overjoyed, she stomped her feet on the ground.

Hoshiyo, observing her friend's happiness, said, "I'm glad you like it."

"Hey, have you heard of the Star Festival?" Hanako asked, taking another bite.

Hoshiyo shook her head and replied, "No, what is it?"

"We have a big, colorful festival in the first week of August. Every year during the festival, I wish I could someday be a princess in the palace."

"A princess, huh? August is next week. What do you wear at the festival?" Hoshiyo inquired.

"You wear the fanciest Yukata you own and tie up your hair really fancy," Hanako explained, smiling, though the smile slowly faded. "Lately, I've been losing my balance, and I tripped. I tore one of my Yukatas, but my mother bought me a new one from a kind lady. It's dark blue and covered in stars and moons. I can't wait to show you."

Hoshiyo briefly left to store the extra food. When she returned and sat beside Hanako, she asked, "Are you dizzy now?"

Hanako reluctantly nodded and admitted, "It started after I tried on the starlight Yukata."

The Shinigami tightened its grip on Hanako's shoulders, chuckling. Its laughter grew louder with each passing moment. Hoshiyo's eyes widened, pupils shrinking. She dropped her last Onigiri, dramatically standing up from her seat. Hoshiyo whispered, "It's not the Yukata..."

Hanako finished her Onigiri and stood beside her friend, a serene smile on her face as she gazed into the distance, the wind playing with her hair. She pointed at the sky and shared, "My daddy said that on the night of the festival, two stars separated from each other can meet again, but only on that special night. If we're ever apart, I hope the stars bring us together again."

Hoshiyo, captivated by the barely visible stars above, saw their twinkling lights as guiding beacons to prevent anyone from losing their way. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she witnessed Hanako's hair flowing upward as she collapsed.

Hoshiyo shook her and cried, "Hanako..."

Her lifeless body sprawled in the dirt, eyes wide open, Hoshiyo's gaze fixed on the vacant stare as Hanako's eyes clouded over. The life in her body faded, leaving a barren shell of what was once Hanako.

When Hoshiyo looked up, the Shinigami greeted her with an evil smile, its sharp teeth visible. She tumbled backward into the dirt, desperate cries for help escaping her lips. Somehow, she sensed an irreversible truth — she would never see her friend again.