Spoiler
Several hours of riding later, Tsukiakari and Inari waited besides their pale horse, the former pacing back and forth in anticipation. They had stopped on a small hillock close to the grove that preceded the Hozu river. Inari watched as the war goddess walked in her own footprints over and over again. It was easy to tell she was lost in thought, analyzing and overanalyzing all of the possibilities regarding Yachi's disappearance. Taeko marched back up the hillock, returning from a quick visit to the farmhouse ahead. Upon hearing her footsteps, Tsukiakari snapped out of her trance and rushed to approach her.
"Did they tell you anything?" Tsukiakari asked.
"They said a lot of travelers come down this road to head towards the direction of Kameyama. They barely interact with any of them, though. They certainly don't remember interacting with a girl like Yachi at all." Taeko explained.
Inari rubbed Tsukiakari's back as her shoulder's slumped. "Don't worry, Gekko. We'll find her. I'm sure we'll find more eyewitnesses once we get to Kameyama."
Tsukiakari nodded, allowing herself to be reassured. "You're right, you're right. Let's get back on the road. Kameyama isn't too far now."
The trio mounted their horses, Inari riding with Tsukiakari, and made haste towards Kameyama. They arrived at the small, peaceful town by sunset, exhausted from the long journey. For Tsukiakari, the constant anxiety of not knowing where Yachi was, whether she was safe or in some sort of trouble, was the only thing keeping her awake. They dismounted their horses as they approached the town's main road, leading them by their reigns. As it was evening, the townsfolk were all tending to their final errands of the day and preparing to go home. Children playing in the snow down by the fishing village threw their last snowballs before cleaning themselves up and rushing off to their warm beds. Fishermen, carpenters, and butches made their final sales and began closing their shops.
Taeko and Tsukiakari were especially on the lookout for Ashikaga troops. After all, the two of them led armies against the clan, killed their shogun, aided the insurrections against their allies, and garnered the hatred of the iron-willed and militant Tomiko. Though the two of them wouldn't admit it verbally, it was thrilling to remember that they were both wanted women, that they still had people out there who cared enough about them to want to execute them. Ashikaga presence throughout the village was incredibly light, most likely due to the clan's waning political and military power. Lords that had once aligned themselves with the shogun could now care less for the position, nor the man wielding it. The power vacuum created by the On?n War lived on, inviting everyone with an appetite for war and its spoils to take whatever they could get. This left the Ashikaga clan alone, with few supporters, and most of their troops drawn back to make a fortress-city out of Kyoto.
"Yachi would've visited the stables to drop off her horse after her arrival." Tsukiakari said.
"I'll go ask them if they've seen her." Taeko began. "Gekko, you should check the hotel. Find out if Yachi completed her stay and signed out with them or not. That'll tell us if she was still in Kameyama when she disappeared, or if she was ready to leave."
"Right." Tsukiakari nodded. "Inari, can you get some of your kitsune ready? I want a search conducted around the town perimeter, all the way up to the Hozu river."
"I'll get to it right away. Where will we all meet up afterwards?" Inari asked.
"We should make camp just outside of town." Taeko suggested. "We'll be noticed if we put ourselves in a hotel room, especially with Inari's tails."
A little hurt by the comment, Inari's shoulders slumped in dejection. "Sorry..."
"She didn't mean it like that." Tsukiakari assured with a smile. "You're the most capable out of the three of us. There's no need to feel down."
"Watch yourselves out there, especially you, Gekko." Taeko warned.
Tsukiakari nodded. "Same to you."
While the two goddesses went their separate ways, Taeko made a steady march into the same stables Yachi used to house her horse during her trip. The gates were wide open, as the family that ran the stables left their business open for longer hours than other places. Once she passed the gates, Taeko hitched her chestnut-brown horse and sauntered inside of the small, administrative building. The door was wide open, inviting any last-minute customers inside before closing time. Taeko was greeted immediately by the small, petite Hinata with a friendly bow and smile.
"Welcome, Ma'am! How can I help you?" Hinata sang.
Taeko flashed a quick smile before reverting back to a more serious expression. "Good evening. I'm not here to house my horse or anything. Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions."
Hinata's smile wilted. "What kind of questions?"
"See, a friend of mine came to Kameyama on a business trip about a week ago, but she never came home after that. She has short, black hair, green eyes, often wears a black choker. Her name is Yachi. Yachi Otonougi? Did she come here at any point during her trip?"
Hinata's eyes lit up. She easily remembered the upbeat, optimistic Yachi. "Oh yes! I remember her! She did come here, to put her horse in the stables after she arrived in Kameyama. She was such a sweet girl, so full of energy! When she came here, I gave her directions to the hotel just up the road. You said she hasn't come home?"
Taeko nodded. "I'm afraid so. Where she lives, it should've only taken a day at most, maybe two to get back home. Instead, she's been gone for nearly a week. I'm very worried for her."
"Goodness, bless her. I'm so sorry to hear that. The last time I saw Yachi, she had come to pick up her horse. I think she was getting ready to head home that day." Hinata recalled.
"Did you notice anything...off about her? Did she seem out of it, compared to your first meeting with her? Anything at all?"
Hinata shook her head. "No, not at all. She was just as chipper that day as she was in our first meeting. Nothing seemed off about her whatsoever. She thanked us for our service and we wished each other a kind farewell. In fact, she was such a pleasant customer that I offered free service to her friends."
"I see." Taeko muttered, rubbing her chin. "When she left that day, did you see which direction she took?"
"She made a right down the road out front. That road leads west and runs parallel to the river."
"West? Yachi needed to head East if she was going home." Taeko said, slightly taken aback.
"She could've taken a boat down the Hozu in that direction, hence why she headed West first." Hinata explained.
"Boat?" Taeko asked.
Hinata nodded. "There's a family here that runs a business offering boat rides to visitors, for sightseeing. He has several stops further east and will take a patron as far as he can if they pay him well. There's a reduction in visitors during the winter, so he'll use his boat to ferry people for extra money."
"Is that so? Thank you for the tip. I'll be sure to ask them if they saw Yachi."
"Of course, I'm happy to help." Hinata bowed. "Please bring that girl home safely. I had no idea she's been missing. I'll be praying for her."
Later that evening, Taeko linked up with the two goddesses on the western outskirts of the town, not far off from the Hozu river. Winter's pale, radiant moon hung over them like a watchful eye as they took shelter in a small cave, huddled around the warm, amber glow of a crackling fire. With the day at an end, the girls exchanged what they learned, each of them thickly wrapped in warm robes and kimonos.
"Inari, did you find anything out?" Taeko asked.
Inari shook her head. "Not yet, but I sent out twelve of my kitsune to search in and around town. They'll continue the search as we rest."
"Good. What about you, Gekko?"
"I found the hotel Yachi was staying at and spoke to reception." Tsukiakari began. "Yachi completed her stay, paid them in full, and signed out with them. That was the last time they saw or heard from her."
Taeko turned her glossy eye towards the dancing flames before her. "And I heard from the lady that runs the stables that Yachi picked up her horse and went west down the road. If she were going to ride home on her horse, she would've went east, but there's a good chance Yachi wanted to take a boat down the Hozu. By all accounts, it looks like Yachi was making her departure before she disappeared."
"You don't think there was an accident on the river, do you?" Inari asked.
"The Hozu is a very tranquil river, perfect for long boat rides. It's very unlikely she was hurt on her way home if she was taking the boat." Tsukiakari analyzed. "If she left the hotel and picked up her horse without a problem, the next person who saw her last..."
"Would be the person in charge of the boat." finished Inari.
"I checked the riverside on my way here, but the dock was empty." Taeko said. "It's probably too late to talk to him right now. We'll see what we can find out in the morning. For now, we rest. If we get a good night's sleep, we'll be sharp tomorrow."
"Right." Inari nodded.
Tsukiakari remained in silent agreement as they all laid their heads on their spare robes, using them as pillows. She was almost hoping Yachi was just causing trouble and went off on her own to take a prolonged vacation somewhere. But by all accounts, Yachi seemed to have been operating exactly as instructed. It only further drove home the possibility that something terrible had happened, that something had gone horribly wrong. If that were the case, Yachi might not be safe after all. It felt as though these thoughts kept her up four hours, but Tsukiakari managed to drift off to sleep. At least for just a few hours, she wouldn't have to worry about anything. She could dream all she wanted of Yachi's smiling face and her quirky interactions with her twin sister. A beautiful mirage, accessible only in the dark comfort of sleep.
Early the next morning, before the sun had even begun to crest over the horizon, one of Inari's small, white kitsune rushed inside of the cave, rubbing everyone's faces with its tails to wake them up. Inari got up first, barely able to open her eyes all the way.
"What's wrong?" Inari yawned.
Able to communicate with the nine-tailed foxes, Inari was able to understand its whimpers and moans as if they were human words and sentences. She immediately shot up to her feet, shocked awake by what the kitsune was telling her.
"By the river? Guide us there!" Inari urged. "Taeko, Gekko, wake up! I've found something!"
Spurred by the alarm in Inari's voice, the two immediately got up and put their sandals on. At last, it seemed they had found a solid clue as to Yachi's disappearance. The trio, guided by the kitsune, rushed through the cold, frigid forest beneath the dark blue hue of morning, the chilled air brushing through their hair waking them up further. The kitsune guided them further east up the river, stopping about half a kilometer away from the Hozu dock. It stopped just at the riverside, turning to Inari to let her know they had arrived at the right spot.
"Your kitsune really do work fast, don't they?" Taeko smiled.
"They're the hardest little workers I know!" Inari cheered.
Tsukiakari looked around the ground, any place where Yachi would've sat down to rest. The kitsune turned towards the river just as an old man on a small, wooden boat began to break into view.
"That must be boat Yachi took! Let's flag him down!" Inari pointed.
Over and over, the three girls shouted as loud as they could to hail the old man to the riverside. Noticing them, he steered his boat towards the three. The girls helped the old man drag his boat onto land so that it wouldn't start drifting downriver.
"My goodness, are you three alright? Calling out like that, you made me think you were in danger!" the old man sighed.
"Sorry, we're not in danger or anything. We're looking for a friend of ours. She was supposed to take your boat east about a week ago." Tsukiakari explained. "Short hair, green eyes, a choker? She had a black horse with her, packed enough on it to last a few days? Did you anyone like that leave town on your boat in the last seven days?"
The old man suddenly looked as if he had seen a ghost. His eyes darted across the faces of the three girls, his expression both shocked and saddened.
"You must be talking about that Yachi girl, right?" he asked.
Tsukiakari stepped forward in elation. "Yes! Did she leave on your boat? Have you seen her at all?"
The old man frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry, girls. I took Yachi west and dropped her off in Kameyama. My son handled her horse for her. We agreed that I would pick her up in a few days after that, but when that day came...she never showed up. I'm afraid I haven't seen her since."
Their elation turned into horror, as their worst fears had been confirmed. Yachi did everything right, as far as they could tell. She arrived as planned, left as planned, paid her dues, and only had to catch the boat to leave. She never did.
"My son and I...we did find her horse, though. It was all tied up to a tree a little further down west." the old man explained. "She seemed like she knew how to take care of a horse by herself, so we thought it was odd that she'd hitch her horse by its neck."
"By it's neck? Yachi would never do that." Taeko said.
"Can you show us where you found the horse?" Tsukiakari asked.
"Of course! Follow me."
The elderly man led them further west, pointing them towards the exact spot where he and his son retrieved Yachi's horse. The girls immediately started combing through the area, digging into the snow with their bare hands to see what they could find. Knowing Yachi had never hitched a horse by its neck, they began to suspect that someone else was responsible for that. Their worries mounted as they questioned whether that person managed to hurt Yachi before binding the horse to a tree. Tsukiakari, perhaps more vigorously than the others, dug through mound of snow after mound of snow like a woman possessed.
"Did you happen to find anything else at the scene?" Taeko asked the old man.
"No, but I didn't really search it either. I'm not as young as I used to be, so..."
"Of course." Taeko sighed. "I don't blame you. Whatever happened to her horse?"
"Well, my son contacted the village guard and handed it over to them. They said they'd hang onto it until they found her." the old man explained.
Inari shook her head. "They never had any intention of doing that. A girl goes missing here and the security presence remains as light as ever."
"They might've realized who she was after they took her horse. In which case, they'd be glad she went missing." Taeko examined.
Tsukiakari suddenly gasped, seemingly finding something amidst the snow. Taeko and Inari rushed to her side as she slowly stood up, her breath growing heavy and fast. Speechless, she turned around and held up Yachi's red prayer bracelet and her unsheathed short sword, both of them stained with congealed blood. On the ground lied more of Yachi's possessions, her gourd and her haori, stained with more blood.
"Oh, god..." Taeko muttered.
Inari zoomed towards Tsukiakari as her breathing worsened, her body shaking and shivering. The fox goddess threw her arms around her, embracing her in a comforting, warm hug as she fought back tears.
"There's so much blood! What did they do to her?!" Tsukiakari furiously questioned. "What did they do to Yachi?!"