Hyakkimaru's Birth
Book 1 of the Dororo Novel Series
Toriumi Jinzō
Part 4 - Return to the Hall of Hell
Jukai decided to do the surgery at the end of November. Oniwakamaru was thirteen.
Kurama had a cool summer that year, but wounds festered and there was a greater risk of surgical complications in warm weather, so Jukai decided to wait to perform the surgery at the time of least risk. Besides, he had a lot to prepare that summer and autumn: this would be the most significant and complex surgery he'd ever done.
Jukai added variety to Oniwakamaru's diet and fed him more often. He had Sakuzō butcher a pig and dry its meat so that they could eat it throughout the year. Oniwakamaru ate cheese and drank cow's milk almost every day.
Jukai also studied notes from his previous surgeries and looked for common points of success and failure. He prepared the anesthetic that the physician Ali Manka had taught him how to make and set aside extra in storage in case he needed it. He examined Oniwakamaru at regular intervals, checking his pulse, skin tone, and the strength of his bones. Some of his examination processes had been learned via autopsy. Oniwakamaru never would have guessed that so much of Jukai's experience came from working with cadavers. Jukai found it hard to believe himself, sometimes.
The most delicate part of the surgery would be fitting and attaching the metal pieces and wires that would connect the bones of Oniwakamaru's shoulders and hips to his arms and legs. If he could attach flesh to flesh, then Oniwakamaru would be able to move his limbs like a normal person, but with difficulty, just like Sakuzō. To move freely, he would have to master psychokinesis. That would take tremendous strength of will, but Jukai was convinced that he could do it. He had undergone extensive training to get his ears and eyes to work, after all.
Jukai himself had been born with a very limited capacity for psychokinesis that he'd trained for years to develop. He could only hope that Oniwakamaru had more potential than he'd had at the start. If Oniwakamaru did possess that raw potential, he would still need to learn to use it properly. Jukai's main concern was that these abilities were something of a double-edged sword. Potential—raw power—wasn't enough. It had to be channeled properly to be used. Failure to control this power could be very, very dangerous.
But concerns about psychokinesis would have to wait until after the surgery. Jukai had decided to split it into two distinct parts. The first part was to graft the wires that would attach to Oniwakamaru's prosthetic arms to his shoulders. The second would attach similar wires to his hipbones; these would connect to his prosthetic legs. Jukai decided to give Oniwakamaru plenty of recovery time—at least a month—between the two surgeries to reduce the risk of complications.
Jukai wouldn't have to actually cut through bone or drill holes. He hoped to wind the wires around the existing bone to form the connection. This method decreased the risk of infection and limited damage to the bones themselves.
While preparing for the first surgery, Jukai taught Oniwakamaru the fundamentals of psychokinesis. He didn't have time to teach him everything, but Oniwakamaru's surgical recovery wouldn't truly be complete until he was able to move his limbs on his own. To do that, he would need a solid base of knowledge and time to build self-confidence.
Jukai had never performed a surgery this complex, so it was difficult for him to say what success or failure would even look like. If he failed and Oniwakamaru didn't die as a result, his life would change drastically. And if he succeeded, there would still be problems left to solve.
Theoretically, the surgery should work, but Jukai had never combined all the pieces of his research into a single procedure before: special prosthetics, complex surgery, and psychokinesis. Moving his prosthetic limbs was entirely dependent on Oniwakamaru. Both Jukai and Oniwakamaru were taking an enormous risk. Jukai hoped that the risk would be worth it.
By the time the birds fled their nests for the winter to migrate south, Jukai was convinced that everything that could be done for the surgery had been done. Oniwakamaru secluded himself in his room to pray to the god of Iwakura Shrine.
On a chilly day at the end of November, Jukai finally decided that it was time. He instructed Sakuzō to wash Oniwakamaru and himself thoroughly, and then do it again. Jukai washed and then sterilized all of his tools over a large fire he'd set inside his research room, which had also been cleaned.
Jukai covered the floor of his research room with a white dropcloth. Sakuzō lined up all of Jukai's surgical instruments on a low table, then brought Oniwakamaru into the room and lay him down on the cloth. Sakuzō gulped when he looked at all the sharp and wicked-looking tools. The shutters were all closed; the large fire in the corner of the room provided the only illumination. Red flames cast their flickering light on the walls.
Jukai performed acupuncture to increase Oniwakamaru's circulation, then gave him anesthetic to drink. Oniwakamaru's face went bright red. He gasped like he was in pain.
Sakuzō lit four more candles to brighten the surgical space, then lit his small handheld lamp and brought it over to Jukai. Oniwakamaru's skin beaded with sweat.
"Oniwakamaru?" Sakuzō asked.
Oniwakamaru understood that the surgery was about to begin. "Yes?" he asked. He tried to smile.
Both Jukai and Sakuzō were incredibly nervous. In a tone of fervent prayer, Sakuzō said, "Good luck, Oniwakamaru. We're right here with you." His voice faded out; Oniwakamaru could barely hear him.
"Take me to your village when I'm better," Oniwakamaru said.
"All right," Sakuzō said. "I promise." He was crying.
Jukai had tried to send Sakuzō home to his family in Kaede permanently about two years before. The shōgun's deputy that had been chasing him, Hosokawa Katsumoto, had risen in the world and been replaced by a new deputy, so Sakuzō was no longer in any danger from him. The shogunate still considered him a wanted man, but he was able to sneak home in the dead of night without being caught, and his family hadn't been harassed by the shōgun's men for almost a decade.
Sakuzō's wife and children loved him and always hoped that he would stay, but he never remained in Kaede for more than a day or two. He was too concerned about Oniwakamaru and Jukai to stay away from the estate on Mount Kurama for very long.
Oniwakamaru always enjoyed hearing about Sakuzō's family. The life of ordinary people in villages was strange and foreign to him. If he'd been born normal, he might have been able to live in a village, surrounded by a loving family and friends.
Jukai gave Oniwakamaru a second dose of anesthetic, which would make him sleep. "Does the medicine taste all right?" he asked.
"It's sweet," Oniwakamaru said.
"Do you feel sleepy?" Jukai asked.
"Yes. My head feels heavy."
"Just rest," Jukai said. "Close your eyes and try not to think about anything."
"All right."
Jukai waited for a few moments. Oniwakamaru closed his eyes. "How do you feel?" Jukai asked.
Oniwakamaru didn't answer.
Jukai applied a numbing agent to Oniwakamaru's shoulder, then started to work. Cutting into his shoulders and setting in the wires didn't take much time. Oniwakamaru didn't stir. Sakuzō stood watch all night and into the morning, watching over Oniwakamaru and Jukai.
"Is there anything wrong, taifu?" Sakuzō asked.
"He's all right," Jukai said.
"Really?" Sakuzō sounded skeptical.
"What we need to worry about now is fever," Jukai said. "We won't know anything else until he wakes up."
"What?"
"You're tired," Jukai said. "Go get some sleep."
"I'm not tired," Sakuzō said. "Not any more than you are, anyway."
"I'm fine," Jukai said.
In the end, neither of them slept. There was another concern that Jukai had, though he didn't share it with Sakuzō. The anesthetic he'd given to Oniwakamaru should have worn off by now, but it hadn't. Oniwakamaru was still asleep at noon. Jukai suspected that he'd given Oniwakamaru too high of a dose...or maybe there was another complication that prevented him from waking?
Oniwakamaru was still asleep at noon. His wounds were no longer bleeding. Jukai applied poultices to both shoulders to help prevent infection and numb the pain.
Jukai and Sakuzō sat in chairs across from one another, waiting in silence. Time passed slowly.
"Dad?" Oniwakamaru asked weakly.
"I'm here," Jukai said, rushing to his side. Sakuzō was right behind him.
Oniwakamaru opened his bleary eyes.
"How are you feeling?" Jukai asked. He patted his head soothingly, letting Oniwakamaru know that he was there.
"Heavy," Oniwakamaru said. "My shoulders hurt."
"They'll feel better soon," Jukai said. "Go back to sleep."
Oniwakamaru nodded. He looked like he was about to say something.
"Don't speak," Jukai said. "Just rest."
Oniwakamaru ignored what he said. "Dad...are you afraid that I'll die?"
Sakuzō started in surprise. "Oniwakamaru! What are you talking about? Of course you won't die."
"What if I fall asleep and don't wake up?" Oniwakamaru whispered. No one was conscious of their surroundings while they were asleep. "Sleeping people are like dead people..."
Oniwakamaru was worried about dying from the anesthetic. Perhaps being asleep for so long had made him fear death. It was only natural for people to be scared of dying, but Oniwakamaru had never experienced that kind of fear before.
"Sleep," Jukai said, "and don't worry."
Oniwakamaru nodded, then closed his eyes again.
Jukai felt quietly satisfied. The first surgery was a success. Oniwakamaru's long sleep had given them all something of a scare, but Oniwakamaru was recovering very well otherwise. His wounds weren't infected and he didn't complain much about pain. Jukai didn't think that an ordinary child would be able to recover quite so quickly. Perhaps his strange abilities were helping him heal. Jukai prayed that the second surgery would go just as well.
"No need to worry anymore, Sakuzō," Jukai said. "He's getting better."
"Thank the gods. You should sleep, taifu."
"So should you," Jukai said. He went to his room and collapsed. He was weary to his bones.
Jukai remembered Oniwakamaru's frightened words as he drifted off: What if I fall asleep and don't wake up?
***
Oniwakamaru was entirely well for about a week after the surgery, but then he caught a high fever. He drank more milk and medicine made from lilies to bring down the fever, plus more medicine to dull the pain in his shoulders. Jukai kept his wounds as clean as possible. His fever came down after a few days.
The second surgery was performed at the end of December. Oniwakamaru wasn't afraid; it seemed that the success of the first surgery had strengthened his resolve.
The second surgery proceeded much as the first had, but Oniwakamaru caught a fever after three days. This time, no medicine helped to bring it down. Oniwakamaru's skin felt like it was burning. He groaned and tossed back and forth in his sleep.
"Taifu," Sakuzō said. "Will Oniwakamaru...die?" He was almost in tears.
"We need to bring down his fever," Jukai said. "Search for ice on the mountain."
"Ice?"
Jukai nodded. Sakuzō went outside with the cart and started collecting ice from the higher sloped of the mountain. He had to climb quite a far way to find chunks of ice. He loaded all the ice he could carry into the cart, then returned to the estate. Some of the ice had melted already, but he and Jukai used what remained to cool Hyakkimaru's hot forehead.
Sakuzō, too restless to sleep, went out again to Kurama Temple to pray. The second surgery seemed to be too much for Oniwakamaru to handle. Sakuzō had never seen Jukai's medicine not work before.
Oniwakamaru remained unconscious for days after catching the fever. Sakuzō went down to the temple every day to pray with his hands pressed tightly together and tears streaming down his face. He should never have agreed to let Jukai do the surgeries.
"Oniwakamaru...will die," he said.
"He won't die." Jukai was behind him; he'd come to pray as well. "He has a pulse. His life isn't in danger."
Jukai and Sakuzō returned to the estate together, leaning on one another for support.
On the third morning since he'd caught the fever, Oniwakamaru finally opened his eyes.
"Hey," Sakuzō said. "Can you hear us?"
Jukai knelt down next to him on the floor.
"Yeah," Oniwakamaru said. He was only dimly awake, but if there was a demon of illness and plague, then Oniwakamaru had won this particular battle against it.
Sakuzō cried in relief. "Oniwakamaru, I'm so glad you're awake."
Oniwakamaru mostly recovered after about ten days. With the wires and metal fittings implanted, the most difficult part of the surgery was over. All that was left was to complete work on Oniwakamaru's artificial limbs, then slot them into place.
Oniwakamaru started the new year hopeful. Sakuzō left offerings and gave thanks at Kurama Temple. Oniwakamaru wanted to go, but Jukai was still concerned about moving him. Oniwakamaru was in a hurry to get his prosthetic limbs on so that he could try moving them. By all rights, this should be the easy part.
Namitarō obtained solid metal cores for Oniwakamaru's arm and leg prostheses at the Bellows Festival on November 8, the same month Oniwakamaru had his first surgery. The joints and bending pieces were formed of a softer metal that had a slight give to it. Jukai wrapped the metal parts in many layers of tanned leather, then covered the leather with thick vellum dyed the same color as skin.
Oniwakamaru had recovered from his surgeries completely by the beginning of spring. May 5 was Boys' Day1 in China and Japan; Jukai and Sakuzō made decorative paper balls and strung them up inside the house. Oniwakamaru could celebrate living another year with a brighter future ahead of him. Sakuzō gave him fruit and candy to eat that day. Both he and Jukai showered him with gifts.
May 5 was also important for another reason: it was the day that Oniwakamaru's prosthetic limbs were finally ready to be placed. Just because his limbs were in place didn't mean that he'd automatically be able to move, but this was a critical step in his recovery that he'd been looking forward to for months. From the outside, at least, Oniwakamaru appeared whole. When he was sitting still, no one could tell that he was missing limbs or sense organs at all.
Jukai put his hand on Oniwakamaru's shoulder. "You've grown into a fine young man," he said. "I'm proud of you."
Sakuzō squinted his eyes, then shook his head. Even he couldn't tell that Oniwakamaru's arms and legs weren't real, which was a bit unsettling for him. Oniwakamaru stared down at his hands in fascination.
"Now it's time to work on moving them," Oniwakamaru said.
"That all depends on you," Jukai said. "Focus your will and follow the same training that Yōda gave me, and you'll be able to move them."
Oniwakamaru nodded. "Right. I'll learn it just like you did, father."
Oniwakamaru had to believe in the power within himself. In many ways, psychokinesis was a byproduct of a person's strength of will and concentration.
Sakuzō believed in starting small. He brought writing tools from the storage room and placed them in front of Oniwakamaru. He rolled them toward Oniwakamaru's hands, encouraging him to grasp them. Oniwakamaru could open books and hold pens with his nose and mouth, but couldn't quite manage to do these things with his hands. He became adept at supporting books on his arms or in his lap.
Sakuzō also placed a string on the shutters of Oniwakamaru's room, so that he could open and close them himself.
Jukai performed all of his training for psychokinesis with him, at least at first. They sat in a meditation pose facing one another. Jukai asked Oniwakamaru to find the light, much as he had when Oniwakamaru had lived his entire life in darkness. Maintaining a meditation pose with the dead weight of his limbs was challenging for Oniwakamaru at first, but he'd spent a lot of his life propped up against a wall or supporting himself on the back of the cart, so he soon got used to it.
"Open your eyes to the air," Jukai said. "The stars are still in the sky right now, even if you can't see them. The sun is just too bright; it blocks the rest of them out. You're looking for isolated points of light in the air, like hidden stars."
This was the same instruction that Yōda had given to Jukai many years before.
Jukai and Oniwakamaru worked on cultivating Oniwakamaru's potential for psychokinesis every day from dawn until dusk. Oniwakamaru followed Jukai's instructions very closely. Jukai's desperation rubbed off on him. They both desperately wanted Oniwakamaru to succeed.
Oniwakamaru trained for three months with Jukai, then continued training on his own. Jukai believed that Oniwakamaru had boundless potential, but Oniwakamaru didn't feel that way. It was impossible to tell how good someone would be at psychokinesis just by looking at them. Oniwakamaru strove all day until he sweated through his clothes, but he had little to show for his efforts.
Sakuzō took Oniwakamaru out in the cart frequently. They went upstream on the Takano River to pray to the same Buddha statues that Yoshitsune had prayed to some three hundred years before.
This training is too hard for a child to handle. Oniwakamaru is working so hard that it's like he's possessed.
Sakuzō prayed fervently for Oniwakamaru to succeed, but he didn't actually expect him to.
One night, Sakuzō came home from the mountain, pushing Oniwakamaru in the cart. They were both very excited.
"Dad, I saw the lights!" Oniwakamaru said. "It was only for a minute, but I saw them!" He felt like he was floating on air.
Oniwakamaru had made reasonable progress in a fairly short time, though the months had certainly felt long. Jukai remembered his time on Mount Wutai with Yōda and how thrilled he'd been when he'd seen the dancing lights in the air for the very first time. Oniwakamaru was experiencing something similar now.
"It's a sign that your psychokinesis is developing," Jukai said. "Gather all of your concentration, then try to move one of your hands.
"All right. I'll try."
Sakuzō still didn't believe that Oniwakamaru's prosthetic limbs would ever be able to actually move, but he tried to be encouraging.
"See if you can pick something up," Sakuzō said. "A pen, some paper, a chopstick—it doesn't matter."
Oniwakamaru nodded. He didn't manage to move his hands that day, but his failure only made him more determined.
The next morning, Sakuzō stood Oniwakamaru up against the wall, then brought out some writing tools from Jukai's study.
"Try to take one of these," Sakuzō said, holding the writing tools close to Oniwakamaru's hands.
"I will," Oniwakamaru said. He tried with all his might to move his arms, but they didn't even twitch.
"I can't," Oniwakamaru said.
"Try again," Sakuzō said.
Oniwakamaru tried over and over again, but his arms wouldn't move.
"Maybe I just can't do it," Oniwakamaru said. His breathing was ragged and his face was drenched with sweat.
Oniwakamaru and Sakuzō repeated this exercise for a full month, but nothing changed. Sakuzō got sick of the training—and so did Oniwakamaru. They ceased their daily exercises and didn't tell Jukai. Oniwakamaru had wanted his own limbs very badly, but it seemed like he would never be able to move them.
Sakuzō didn't believe in psychokinesis. He believed that all of Oniwakamaru's progress thus far was due to the blessing of the god of Iwakura Shrine and the Buddha triad that he worshiped at Kurama Temple. This belief was perfectly understandable; Sakuzō was a deeply religious man, and most people didn't believe that prosthetic limbs could move on their own.
Soft sunlight shone on the mountain estate's garden. Oniwakamaru dozed in the handcart near one of the garden sheds. Jukai sat in his study reading a book about herbs. Sakuzō washed one of the horses in the spring at the back of the garden, near where the mountain sloped down. It was an ordinary, peaceful day.
There was a sudden loud flapping of wings overhead. Birds twittered and let out shrill cries before flying off in all directions.
A huge eagle descended directly over Oniwakamaru's head.
"Watch out!" Sakuzō shouted as he left the horse and ran toward Oniwakamaru.
"Huh?" Oniwakamaru snapped to wakefulness right before the eagle landed on him. "Ah!"
Jukai dashed into the garden when he heard Sakuzō shout. He saw the eagle, then picked up a hoe to drive it off.
The eagle's talons flashed as bright as swords as the bird dived at Oniwakamaru—but those talons didn't touch him. The eagle screamed and slashed at the air around him, but its talons and beak were repelled by a thin layer of rainbow-colored light.
The eagle landed full-force on the ground and rolled, then took flight again. The eagle's feathers shimmered in the faint light reflecting off of Oniwakamaru.
Sakuzō and Jukai rushed to Oniwakamaru's side.
"Are you hurt?" Jukai asked.
Oniwakamaru gaped at Jukai and didn't speak. He merely stared.
Sakuzō gasped when he noticed that Oniwakamaru's hands were wrapped around a hoe next to the cart he was in. When Oniwakamaru noticed this, he looked at his hands with disbelieving eyes.
"Your hands," Sakuzō said. "They...grabbed the hoe!" His eyes went wide.
"I did it," Oniwakamaru breathed. "I really did it!" When he'd been in danger from the eagle, his body had reacted without him realizing it. He had trained for months and months to move on his own, but he'd only been capable of it when his life was in danger.
Jukai wasn't entirely sure what to think. Had the god of Iwakura Shrine used the eagle to encourage Oniwakamaru? It had flown in from the direction of Hyōtankuzure.
Jukai gave thanks to the god of Iwakura Shrine. It had demonstrated plainly that Oniwakamaru could move his hands, at least under the right circumstances. Jukai wondered if psychokinesis was the gift of the god as well, or if Oniwakamaru had been born with it.
Jukai was also impressed that the limbs he'd made had actually moved, though he didn't understand how, since all of Oniwakamaru's joints were artificial.
After that day, Oniwakamaru redoubled his training efforts. Most of his progress was evident in his arms and hands. The tiny points of light in the air were visible to Oniwakamaru almost everywhere now. One he learned how to actually use them, he was able to move his hands at will.
His first attempts at movement were weak and clumsy, but he became stronger and steadier with practice. He got used to channeling the light he could see into movement, so much so that all he needed to do was think about moving his hands, and it would happen.
At this stage, Jukai began testing Oniwakamaru's reflexes, which were excellent. He was faster and better at moving when he was surprised or needed to react in a hurry, like when the eagle had attacked him. With practice, Oniwakamaru's movements became more precise and sophisticated. He could manipulate each finger independently, or all at once.
Jukai looked to the sky and prayed. "Yōda," he said, "Oniwakamaru is developing his psychokinesis. Please lend him your strength now, as you did for me."
Developing his psychokinesis to this point took Oniwakamaru all summer and the better part of autumn. Oniwakamaru treasured his small victories, like being able to wipe sweat from his own forehead.
It was an unusually warm autumn that year, so Jukai gave him a gift: a sandalwood fan that he'd bought in China.
"Use this when you get too hot," Jukai said. "It's yours now." He explained how to use it, then demonstrated its use before handing it to Oniwakamaru.
Oniwakamaru stared at the fan as if it were something magical. "It makes things cooler, and it smells so nice. Thank you for the gift."
***
One morning, Sakuzō pushed his empty cart out of the garden.
"Where are you going with the cart?" Jukai asked, puzzled.
"I have urgent business to attend to," Sakuzō said. He seemed excited. The cart he was pushing had been enlarged several times as Oniwakamaru had grown, and now he'd upgraded it even further. He had attached gears and chains to the wheels. They were arranged for rotary motion. If Sakuzō turned the cart's knob handle, it would move on its own. Carts of this kind had been invented in China some eight hundred years before. They were typically used for tasks like drawing water and carrying it over a set distance. Sakuzō didn't know anything about other carts of this type; he was extremely proud of his creation and eager to try it out.
"What have you come up with now, Sakuzō?" Jukai asked with a snort of laughter.
"It's a self-driving cart," Sakuzō said. He went inside the house and brought back Oniwakamaru. He placed Oniwakamaru inside the new and improved cart.
"What is this?" Oniwakamaru asked. "The cart looks weird."
"Twist the knob on the handle," Sakuzō said.
Oniwakamaru twisted the knob. To his great astonishment, the cart shot forward all on its own.
Sakuzō clapped his hands and crowed with delight. The cart was perfect for training the fine motor movements of Oniwakamaru's prosthetic hands. More importantly, it gave Oniwakamaru a means of getting around the estate independently.
Oniwakamaru kept winding up the cart. He traveled all around the garden, then stopped in front of Jukai and Sakuzō.
"Uncle Sakuzō, I'm going down the mountain," Oniwakamaru said.
"Then I'm coming with you."
"I want to go on my own," Oniwakamaru said. "Please?"
"You can't," Sakuzō said. "You'll worry your father too much."
"But I'm almost fifteen," Oniwakamaru said in a voice like a whine. "I'm not a little kid anymore."
Jukai placed himself between Oniwakamaru and Sakuzō and laughed. "It's all right to let him go alone, Sakuzō. If you're really worried, give him this."
Jukai handed Sakuzō an ebizaya, a type of shortsword whose hilt was red and patterned with shrimp emblems and shell-like notches. The sword had belonged to Hisamaro, Jukai's father.
When Sakuzō handed Oniwakamaru the sword, his eyes lit up and he grinned from ear to ear. "Wow! Can I really take this?"
Jukai nodded.
"Thanks so much!" Oniwakamaru bowed his head.
Sakuzō frowned slightly. "Don't be too reckless with the cart," he said. "You could fall and get hurt."
Oniwakamaru seemed to have developed a bit of selective hearing. If he was listening to Sakuzō, he showed no sign of it. He wound up the cart and started descending the mountain at alarming speed. He made sure the ebizaya was secure in his belt and kept one hand on the hilt, ready to draw in case he ran into trouble. He was a little worried that his legs still didn't work, but he tried not to let that thought spoil his fun.
He stayed out until almost sunset. When he finally stopped the cart, he was near a riverbank. A little boy and an older girl were splashing and playing in the water near the shore. Both of them were naked.
The girl's high-pitched laughter echoed over the water. She was probably around thirteen or fourteen. Oniwakamaru guessed that she and the boy were from one of the villages on the mountain. A girl that age from the capital wouldn't show her body so openly. Water droplets gleamed in her hair and on her exposed chest.
"Beautiful," Oniwakamaru said without thinking. He envied her and the boy for being able to move so freely in the water. He remembered meeting the princess and her attendants at Sakuzō. The princess' clothes had been elaborately patterned with flowers, and he had thought her very beautiful. The girl in the water wore nothing, but she was beautiful, too. Movement and freedom were beautiful.
I wonder when she and the boy started learning to swim. I can move my arms now, but I'll probably never be able to move my legs.
Oniwakamaru sighed heavily. He'd never get to go swimming...and even if he could, no one would ever want to see him naked. Besides, swimming with his prosthetic limbs might ruin them.
He heard the shrill call of the evening cicadas all around him. The sun was setting in the west; it was almost entirely concealed behind the mountain. The girl and the boy left the river, dressed themselves and headed down the mountain without seeing him.
Oniwakamaru was left alone in the gathering darkness. He went down the mountain in the cart with tears stinging the backs of his eyes. The cicada song reminded him of an old memory, more than half-forgotten.
"Mom..." Why would he call out for his mother in his loneliness? Perhaps seeing the girl and remembering the princess brought his missing mother to the front of his mind. He wiped his tears away with both hands.
When Oniwakamaru looked down at his wet hands, he froze. He had moved his own hands to wipe tears from eyes that he'd learned to see with. It was difficult to explain how he felt about that, but if he had to choose a word to describe it, he would pick pride. He had earned the use of his hands and eyes with hard work. It had taken time, but those capabilities were something he'd gained—and he might yet be capable of more.
Oniwakamaru smiled. I should be happy for accomplishing this much, but I still can't live on my own. Dad and Sakuzō won't be able to take care of me forever.
Oniwakamaru had always been independent-minded. What he felt now was a desire for true independence. He was passing through a thick cedar grove in his cart when he heard the sound of distant thunder. Startled monkeys started screeching in the trees above him. Oniwakamaru looked up and saw thick, lead-gray clouds billowing out in the sky. He could have sworn that the sky had been clear just a few moments before. The clouds streaked across the sky at high speed, leaving white trails.
"What's happening?" Oniwakamaru muttered.
Monkeys screamed and fled around him. One of the fast-moving clouds hovered over Oniwakamaru's head and plunged down at him, leaving a line of red light behind it. Sensing a threat, Oniwakamaru drew the short sword that Jukai had given him from his hip. He didn't know how well he'd be able to fight inside the cart, but he had to try. He waved his sword at the wisp of cloud right before it touched him. The sword connected with something solid and shot out sparks.
The force of deflecting the hit made Oniwakamaru lose his fragile sense of balance. He fell out of the cart. He couldn't let the red light touch him: he had a feeling that getting caught by it would be very bad. He rolled all the way to the shelter of a large cedar, then put his prosthetic arms up to protect his head, still holding on to the short sword.
Laughter echoed all around him—familiar laughter. The forty-eight demons from his nightmares mocked him from the sky. He could see their faces in the clouds.
"D-demons?"
The red light chasing him dissipated into a fog that settled over his body. Oniwakamaru didn't know how to protect himself from it, or what it would do. It's like my nightmare, he thought. They said they'd kill me if I defied them.
Terror broke past his usual iron discipline to remain calm. He couldn't afford to panic here, but he had no idea what to do. His prosthetic arms melted like candlewax as the red mist settled over them and seeped into him. The sword fell from his grip. Oniwakamaru was so stunned that he couldn't move. He fought to regain his focus and tried the only thing he could think of: prayer.
"Iwakura, god of miracles, watch over me..."
The red mist rose into the sky and disappeared. The faces of the demons were gone. Oniwakamaru heard thunder again, but it was farther away this time. He rolled himself over to see the sky better, but he was too exhausted to move farther than that. Fresh tears coursed down his cheeks. He didn't think that he was strong enough to climb back into the cart on his own, with his arms as damaged as they were.
Sakuzō became worried when Onwakamaru didn't return before sunset, so he went out on the mountain with a horse to look for him. He found Oniwakamaru shortly after the sudden storm and brought him home.
The demons had shown themselves for the first time—and not just in a dream. When Jukai learned this, his mind went blank with rage. He forced himself to calm down and come up with a strategy. Oniwakamaru needed to learn how to defend himself.
"Oniwakamaru, your arms melted because your psychokinesis is still developing. The demons confused you and made you afraid, so you lost focus and were vulnerable to attack. I'll fix your arms, and you can oppose the demons without fear next time."
Oniwakamaru nodded. He committed to developing his psychokinesis and trained during every waking moment. He suspected that the demons hadn't simply wanted to melt his arms—they'd come to kill him. Only praying to the god of Iwakura Shrine had saved him.
1 Boys’ Day, now called Children's Day, is a
Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5. As the name
implies, it celebrates boys and families. Kashiwa mochi (sticky rice cakes
filled with red bean jam and wrapped in oak leaves) and chimaki (sticky
sweet rice wrapped in an iris or bamboo leaf) are traditionally served on
this day. ↩
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