“She wasn’t there. I would have sensed her.”

  I turned to the other ladies, and I think they were all realizing it as I was. Still, I put it out there to be sure. “This isn’t just about us anymore. Everything’s still in play, our mission hasn’t changed, but it’s bigger now. Right? We have to find a way to set his captives free, to stop him. You implied that I put more value on the lives of humans over monsters? Not anymore.”

  “You’re sure?” Kinara asked.

  “I don’t want to hurt, or kill, anyone on either side. But we’ll do what we need to do.”

  They all stared at me, but one by one they nodded.

  “Where to, next?” I asked Ahlaksiz.

  She finally released her protective stone, pulled up the holo-map, and indicated a spot north of Tokyo. “I’d hoped we would have help when we went to Nikko, as we’re going to need it. But as Yuki and Amabie are both unavailable, we’re going to have to go on our own.”

  With that, she set the destination, and we were on our way to Nikko, a part of Japan I’d often dreamed of visiting. In my dreams, it had always been a place I would wander around, looking at temples and enjoying myself. In reality, I had a feeling it would be quite the opposite.

  To my relief, we were able to fly over Japan low and slow. Ahlaksiz said it was the best way to stay undetected, as the mercs back there would likely have other tracking abilities than most civilians. I was able to see Osaka from a birds-eye view, both the city and some of the temples. It was no sight-seeing tour, but I got a nice glimpse of the large Buddha statue, and when we passed Kyoto, the golden temple, Kinkakuji.

  “When this is over, mind if we come back this way?” I asked.

  “Over?” Ahlaksiz grunted. “When will that be, exactly? I’ve been at this for far too long to ever think it’ll be over.”

  “Fine, then. When it’s far from over but we have a chance to catch our breaths.”

  She chuckled at that. “Deal.”

  “What is it about these islands you like?” Kinara asked.

  “Japan.” I leaned back, watching as the city gave way to green countryside. “Aside from it being where so much of my inspiration comes from? Something about the culture, how it’s so based on honor and loyalty. Or… respect? Back home is great, and I’d never dream of being anything other than American, but I think that allows me to appreciate this place even more.”

  “Well, then,” she leaned forward with a hand on my shoulder. “I can’t wait for that chance to breathe.”

  I put my hand on hers and gave it a little squeeze. In all my dreams of visiting Japan, I’d imagined it would be me walking around, lost and by myself. Having a blast, but kind of lonely. Maybe not having anyone to go with, or friends over there, was why I hadn’t taken the leap? To be able to explore with these monster ladies was beyond a dream come true.

  “We have a place back home,” Milrae said, “that reminds me of this.”

  “Rindara,” Jalee said, and I turned to see her looking out the window wistfully. Kinara clearly had no idea, as she looked at me and shrugged.

  “It’s still around?” Ahlaksiz asked.

  “Those temples will never fall,” Milrae replied. “They aren’t as well kept as the ones here seem to be, but yes, it’s very much still there.

  “You have gods?” I asked.

  “Had, long ago,” Ahlaksiz said. “Some think they died off. Others think they were the same beings who have come here and became Earth’s gods of long ago. The stories are quite different, of course, but if you look close enough you can find the connections.”

  I knew Ahlaksiz, and therefore others, had come over long ago. But the thought that gods from our stories might have either been monsters from their world, or beings from some other world who had passed through both theirs and ours, was mind-blowing. And if that were the case, what had become of them?

  The thought sent a chill up my spine, but a series of rice paddies below caught my attention, then a bullet train.

  “I’m taking the controls,” I said, swiping my hand over the dash. Eyeing Ahlaksiz, though, I had to wonder if we were safe.

  She gave me a nod. “Go for it. We’re far enough away, they’ll have lost us. Plus, there’s no reason they’d have the slightest idea what our plan is.”

  “Right.” I racked my brain, trying to remember if I’d told that Greg guy anything. Nothing came to mind.

  “Wait,” Kinara frowned. “What’s going to happen to Yuki and Greg now?”

  I lowered the car a bit, speeding up alongside the bullet train. They wouldn’t be able to see us, as we were cloaked, but it was fun speeding alongside the train, watching the passengers within. When I’d first started following Japan, I think the trains could reach a max speed of like one-hundred and fifty miles per hour, but of late, they had improved on that by quite a lot. This one, by my guess and from the sleek design and red stripe on it, made me assume it was one of the two-fifty models.

  “Greg?” Kinara nudged me.

  “What?”

  “We were talking, and you sort of spaced out there.”

  “About Yuki and Greg, right?”

  They laughed.

  “We had, but now we were asking Ahlaksiz about Japan.”

  “And I’d just asked you if you knew much about the Second World War,” Ahlaksiz said.

  “Oh. I mean, enough…”

  She gave me a knowing smile. Clearly, “enough” didn’t include what she was about to tell me. “You’re aware of the fact that the Emperor was considered a god before he surrendered?”

  I nodded, remembering something like that from history class. “Must’ve been crazy for the people who believed it back then.”

  “Even harder for those who knew he was a god,” she replied.

  “What?”

  “Or, at least a very powerful being. Not from the monster world, but a Myth, basically. Powerful, but not more so than the nukes. When he saw that Earth technology had progressed past his own ability, he had to surrender. And many of the others on Earth convinced him to proclaim that he was no god, to keep that secret from the world.”

  “The nukes weren’t magic or anything then?”

  She scoffed. “No. And considering what we saw back at the tree, with those mercs, this is a relevant discussion. They’re going to have tech that we’re not used to. I wouldn’t be surprised if Greg comes into play again, even if he was a minor player.”

  I frowned, not sure what to think about all of that. Then again, as long as they didn’t nuke us, I couldn’t see what they’d have that we should find intimidating.

  “Seriously, if a few months ago someone had told me any of this would be possible, I would have laughed in their face.” I watched a flock of pigeons take off from a school building, almost a blur as we passed them, then leaned back to let my stomach settle. “Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and find all of this was in my imagination, and then I’ll write it down. Make a bestseller out of it…”

  Ahlaksiz laughed. “Be sure to describe me as much younger.”

  “Are you kidding?” I shifted in my seat to face her. “You’re stunning. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  “You’re too kind.”

  “He’s right, though,” Jalee said. “When I’m your age, I hope to be half as well kept together as you are.”

  “My age…” Ahlaksiz frowned. “How about everyone just moves on from this subject?”

  We laughed, but it faded into silence for a bit, until Jalee said, “The story of the emperor god… it reminds me of back home. In the Lirandal area, with the goddess Troissan.”

  “Her.” Ahlaksiz shuddered. “She played a big part in me leaving that world behind long ago. Though, when I was there, she was still an empress, not up to the goddess label yet.”

  “She was a goddess for some time,” Jalee said. “But no, she’s long gone.”

  “How…?”

  “It sounds similar to what happened here, in some ways. The lands of Lirandal and Rindara went to war. Neither side conceded until Rindara unleashed such destruction that Lirandal was utterly humbled, and the goddess had to step down, declaring herself no longer a deity.”

  “Much has changed since I left,” Ahlaksiz said. “And… what became of her?”

  “I don’t actually know.” Jalee looked to the others, but they shook their heads. Basty formed on my shoulder and turned into a ball, rolling down my chest to land on my lap.

  “You know something?” I asked him.

  He looked at me with his wide eyes, then held open his mouth.

  “I think he’s just hungry,” Kinara said. “We have any more of that meat?”

  “We don’t,” Ahlaksiz said. “But I imagine we’ll be able to find something here. We’ve arrived.”

  I hadn’t even realized that she’d taken back over or that we’d slowed, let alone that we were descending into a parking lot of a building that looked out at a nearby waterfall. We had reached Nikko, and were going to meet more of Ahlaksiz’s friends, I assumed, not even pretending to have any idea of whether that would be a good or a bad thing.

  15

  “Why here?” I asked as we piled out of the car outside of what appeared to be a convenience store.

  “Bait,” Ahlaksiz explained, nodding to Basty. “Easier to catch him some food if we have bait, right?”

  “Good thinking.” Kinara started for the shop, but Ahlaksiz put a hand on her arm.

  “How about you all wait out here, while Ferris and I grab supplies?” she said. “He can pick out some snacks for the rest of us while you all… keep an eye on the waterfall.”

  “Why would we need to watch the waterfall?” Jalee asked with skepticism.

  “I have several goals here,” Ahlaksiz replied. “One is to see if we can get in contact with a ghost who haunts these falls.”

  At that, she entered the store, and stood waiting for me to follow. The other monster ladies looked to the falls with anticipation, while I went to the door.

  “Ghost?” I asked, my mind going to Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. Of course, she didn’t mean like that, but what could I say? My parents used to watch that movie entirely too often.

  “These lands are very mysterious,” she answered as I followed her in, to find an old Japanese lady looking at us.

  We both gave her head nods, like slight bows, then moved through the shelves.

  “And ghosts are real?”

  She shrugged. “Depending on the definition. For regular people, no. Not exactly. But there are ways to attach your soul, relating to ichor, or even to kill a creature who has ichor and use that to sort of immortalize yourself. Those people might live on, in a sense, until they find a way to restore themselves to a new body. It’s complicated, and very often goes quite wrong. Hence, hauntings.”

  “Damn.”

  I paused in front of a row of chips that took my mind away from all of that. Doritos. Not like the Doritos back home, but all kinds of fancy ones I’d never seen—Doritos Royal, Teriyaki and Wasabi flavored, and so many more. This was like heaven for me, so I started grabbing them off the shelf until my arms were full.

  Ahlaksiz had gone to the counter, using fluent Japanese, and when I reached her she had several packages in a bag. She eyed me with a raised eyebrow.

  “That’s what you’re getting?”

  I placed the Doritos bags on the counter and grinned. “Why not?”

  “Try to pick out some more nutritious options as well.”

  “You have yen?” I asked.

  She patted her purse. “Yuki and I made an arrangement. Don’t worry about it.”

  Soon we were out of there with our Doritos, along with some fried chicken, tempura, and some seaweed-rice triangles called onigiri. We all dug in as I tested the various chips and told the ladies how each flavor related to those I was used to. Spicy was always a plus for me, but I wasn’t fully on board with the wasabi-flavored chips.

  “Any sightings?” Ahlaksiz asked as we settled into the car.

  None of them had seen anything.

  “That’s not surprising,” she admitted. “Though I was hopeful. We’ll make our way to the top, and then to the hot springs, where I hope we find the man we came to see.”

  “All these old contacts of yours are to find this one person Momotaro mentioned?” I asked.

  “If any of them have a clue, it’ll help,” she replied. “But the ghost… I seek out for another reason entirely.”

  “Which is?”

  “To convince him to listen. She was, long ago, his dearest friend. They might have been more, had he chosen another path. Instead, he vowed not to get involved. I’ll let her tell the rest, if we succeed.”

  We all shared looks of interest, then drove along up the hill toward the waterfall, gorging on our food. First things first, though. We found a spot along the rocks, and laid out some carrots from the pack. Kinara took the lead on the hunt, and soon had a couple of small hares for her and Basty. The rest of us moved over to the river to look out for any signs of Ahlaksiz’s ghost friend, in part because I wanted to be away from the site of the other two going to town on their bloody messes.

  “You used bait for the rabbits…” I eyed the water, watching the morning sunlight sparkle on it. The waterfall portion roared in the distance. “Maybe you need bait for this, too?”

  Ahlaksiz rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe. It’s not like I really expected to just find her lying about, but hoped she might see me and come out of hiding.”

  “Are you sure she’s even still around here?”

  Ahlaksiz frowned. “No. But I’ve heard rumors, and hoped they’re true.”

  “I know nothing about… er, ghosts. So, what would be good bait?”

  She looked at me, slowly, and grimaced. When her eyes didn’t leave mine, I groaned. “You’re not serious.”

  “It’s something about the state they’re in, where they crave human connection, flesh. I wouldn’t have suggested it, but since you asked.”

  “Fine. What do I do?”

  “Nothing, right now. But if we come back at night, leave you on your own…”

  A shudder ran through me at the thought of being there alone in the dark, but I nodded. “And until then?”

  “We have our other contacts, the ones who guard the area.”

  If it could get me away from the haunted waterfall area, that sounded good to me. A giggle sounded from nearby and I turned to see Kinara sitting upstream, feet in the water while Jalee massaged her back. Milrae had taken off her disguise and was starting to strip the rest of the way, when Ahlaksiz said, “No time for that.”

  “No?” Milrae pouted, then turned my way. “Ferris?”

  “My libido says to let you do your thing, but it’s not exactly in charge here.” I shrugged, nodding to Ahlaksiz.

  “Agreed,” Jalee said. “Just let me…” She reached up from Kinara’s back, giving the other monster a quick caress of the ear.

  Kinara grunted, slumped down, and let out a low moan.

  “Gets her every time,” Jalee said with a laugh, then eyed Milrae. “We just need to find your spot one of these days.”

  “Find it in the car,” Milrae said with a wink, and Jalee laughed, holding up a finger that lit up with sparks.

  “Ladies…” Ahlaksiz started, then shook her head. “Whatever. Not that it matters to me one way or the other what you do in the backseat.”

  I was all grins when we got back in the car; as we made our short trip into the hills nearby, I wasn’t ashamed to turn around and watch as Jalee slid her finger into Milrae’s panties, sparks lighting up. Milrae shuddered as she clutched her breasts and closed her eyes.

  “So fast,” I said with a chuckle.

  “When the job needs to be,” Jalee replied with a wink. “Want me to get you, too?”

  “He needs to focus,” Ahlaksiz snapped, and she pulled the car up to a parking lot with a line of trees and temples visible past it. “There’s a time and place for all that, and you know I love it, but right now isn’t either.”

  “Wouldn’t it help me to relax?” I countered.

  She gave me a stern look, then exited the car.

  “I guess that’s a no,” I said with a laugh, giving the others a wistful glance before following.

  “To be fair,” Jalee said, catching up to me, “I’m the one who should be complaining. I just helped out both of them and got nothing in return.”

  “With a flick of your wrist,” I countered, teasing her.

  “Hey, how one does the job isn’t as important as actually getting the job done.”

  “Maybe. Sometimes that can be cheating.” I nudged her, earning me a frown. “I’m messing with you. Joking.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll get you back,” Kinara said, walking past Jalee and running a hand through her blue hair sensually. It seemed she’d been listening in.

  “And when we do, you won’t be able to stop moaning,” Milrae added.

  I was blushing at the thought of it, then stepped into the main walkway of the temples and looked up to the area, amazed.

  “You think they’ll be here?” I asked, seeing Ahlaksiz waiting ahead.

  “No, but this will help with your ability to focus your energy,” she replied. “To find your inner core. And our chances of finding them are best around midday or midnight, so I’d say we have a good thirty minutes to kill.”

  “Oh?”

  She nodded, then started strolling. “It won’t be enough time to fully see the temples, but… at least it’s something.”

  While I didn’t find myself able to channel new energy or anything like that, she was right that something about being there put me at ease and made me feel a connection to some power source I couldn’t otherwise tap into. We paused at the image of the three monkeys doing their thing, with hear no evil, speak no evil, and see no evil. Then we went into one of the temples, where the only occupants were two Japanese men and a tourist. Finding a spot in one of the gardens, we rested and I meditated, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing.

  After that, we passed a couple of crazy Oni statues—Japanese demons that were there to protect the place—and I got a picture posing like one of them.