9 Bloodstained Cherry Blossoms

"Ray-chan, good morning!".

"Morning, what's the plan for today?"

"Do you want to go to see the cherry blossoms? It is the Hanami Festival".

It is a festival right before the beginning of the first semester where the cherry blossoms would be in their peak moment. Anna is dressing cutely in her usual casual clothes. Usually, our parents wouldn't let us out unless we were together, I guess they find me that reliable. 

"Not an issue, let's go?"

"Is Reina-san not at home?"

"She took a leave to spend my Birthday with me but... she had to come back to the office today for an important meeting".

"S-So you're alone at your house today?" She started fidgeting and getting flustered like a high school girl.

Anna, we're too young for you to be nervous about that.

"Yeah, do you want to come after to play video games?"

"I want. Let's go watch the cherry blossoms and buy some snacks first!"

'Is everything just snacks for you?'.

We set off heading to the Heian Shrine, one of the spots where the Sakura trees can be seen the best. I received a few messages from my mother and Anna was called by her parents who seemed to be working too. 

"Ray-chan I left the leftover paella and carrot cake in the fridge, you can heat that until I get back alright? do you need me to call the caretaker?"

"It's okay Mom, I'll be in the house with An-chan until her parents pick her up".

"Oh, okay... no naughtiness alright?~"

'What sort of naughtiness can two ten-year-old kids do according to her?' He thought there was only one truly naughty person in his life.

"You can't give her a massage, absolutely not... okay?"

"Hai..."

"Good, then I may be coming late tonight... don't wait for me if that happens sweetie, bye!".

'She sounds very happy... I think my massage from yesterday did a lot more than just wonders. She even woke up extra early just to clean the living room in secret'.

"Everything okay, Ray-chan?"

"Yeah, let's go... how much money do you have? What's our budget?"

"I have a thousand yen~ here, you can have five hundred".

She tried to hand him over half of what she had, that was their routine. 

"..."

'That's the normal amount of money parents would give their kids... and then there is mom'.

He took four thousand yen from his pocket and gave it to her. Reina had given him ten thousand (70 dollars), which was his daily allowance though he was bound to get a raise once he started his fifth year of elementary school.

"Eh?! This much?!"

The girl was shocked, the number of snacks they could get was astronomical.

"My mom gave me some extra so just don't go crazy on the snacks An-chan".

It was too late, her pupils were shining. She took Ray's hand clad in gloves and sprinted out of the building with him.

"Let's go, we have a lot to buy!".

**

**

The Hanami festival was widely recognised as one of the most beautiful times to be in Japan, especially in cities like Kyoto, the cherry blossoms were the most dense and the classical aura was unmatched. Dozens of thousands of tourists flew in just for this beautiful sight. 

However, things weren't bound to be calm this time around. The eclipse from the day prior had set the landmark of events that would stun the nation forever. 

In the middle of the city, in one of the most prominent shrines, the Heian Shrine, a dense fog disallowed the tourists and nationals from witnessing the blossoms in all their splendour It was dense, moist... and eerie. 

The sun shone brightly high above but its rays seemed to be unable to penetrate this dense fog to the fullest. 

"It is time kuku~".

"Focus on drawing the attention of that filthy fox. Both factions should belong to Nurarihyon-sama".

Amidst the dense fog, on top of the shrine, three creatures weren't visible for every onlooker. 

The Ayakashis. 

One of them was a gigantic skeleton with bright red eyes, his silhouette camouflaged among the trees, Youkai Gashadokuro. 

Another one was a female with the bottom side of a gigantic black spider, Youkai Jorogumo.

And lastly, a sexy womanly silhouette that would look all too normal in her casual attire were it not for the gnashing wound across her mouth, Kuchisake-onna.

"Nurarihyon-sama can be quite rudimentary with his methods. To travel from Kanto just for this event... he should hold us a bit more in consideration~". 

The supernatural world in Japan was quite complex. Two factions that although they didn't fight for supremacy, had their common strifes. 

The East Youkai Faction is based in the Region of Kanto with their main base being in Tokyo. This faction was led by a very powerful Youkai, Nurarihyon. 

The West Youkai Faction is based in the Prefecture of Kyoto and it is the noblest of the two as they're directly connected to the deities reigning over the Japanese Territory, they're the Shinto Gods living in the divine realm: Takamagahara. The leader of the West Youkai Faction acts as their active delegate to the human world. She's a very powerful Youkai, the ten-tailed fox, Yasaka. 

She was also the shrine priestess of the patron Goddess of Takamagahara, Amaterasu-Okami, the Goddess of the Sun. 

It was precisely the latter who this set of Youkai was after. 

Behind them, coming from the rivers, dozens of creatures began to emerge like a small army, Kappas, frog-like humanoid creatures that looked a bit thirsty and hungry. 

"A year ago we slaughtered her mate, it was a failure but at least we disturbed her connection with Amaterasu-sama. Get ready, our precious guests aren't keen on wasting time".

**

**

Something is not right. 

The festival is at its peak of beauty, we're currently in the Heian Shrine, one of the most famous and agitated ones, there are a lot of people, and everyone is happily enjoying the blossoming of Sakuras.

But there is this eerie aura that I can't fully grasp in the atmosphere. It is like the stench of wet clothes left to the elements. 

"Do you smell something, An-chan?"

"Yes... it smells a bit foul. Somebody didn't take a shower, it wasn't you was it, Ray-chan?~" Her prying eye looked a bit threatening and judgemental.

'This girl!'

"It could have been you who didn't take a shower...!"

"No way!"

We had a bit of an argument about who hadn't taken a shower. I mean... it had to be either of us because everybody else didn't seem to catch onto this stench. Now that I think about it, I always get this sort of smell whenever I'm walking by the shrines lately.

I kept walking with Anna, our hands hooked and she was enjoying a caramelized apple, I don't know how she can eat something when this foul smell just keeps propagating. 

"Uhm, tasty~".

"I think we should go for today, I'm not feeling well," I told her, in truth, I was just worried for no reason, like my senses were screaming at me.

"But I still want to get more snacks..."

"I think we've had enough, let's go-"

"What do we have here, a pair of cute boy and a girl".

I don't know when this woman appeared before us, she had long black hair wearing a coat and pants. The most unsettling thing about her was that she was wearing a mask though, and she also had her own type of unique stench. 

I frowned and stood in between her and Anna. 

"Sorry, but we're leaving now oba-san".

"Why is that? The festival has just started~ tell me something girl... are your parents by any chance... Youkai?~" 

"..."

What is she talking about? mentioning the Ayakashi so openly... could it be that she's one? I know their existence but none of them so far has tried to mess with me, they don't attack people randomly unless you're out in the streets very late at night.

"I don't know what you're talking about oba-san" Ana answered, hiding behind me, we couldn't see anything out of order with her, but her eyes just looked so predatory and ominous.

Even if she was joking, she's not a good person.

"You don't know...? don't worry... you will know".

"AAHHHHH!!!!"

!!!

That was the first shout I heard, one shout so gnashing and despairing that it turned the heads of everyone present towards it. The shrine was separated by the main street by a river, there was a bridge to cross and people were agglomerated there, looking at the carp fish and the sakura trees. 

It was in the middle of that multitude of people that a shower of blood suddenly got everyone's attention and my heart nearly stopped. 

The fog turned the densest yet and I saw how creatures began to emerge from the rivers, they're Kappas!

'Youkai are not supposed to come out by day!'

A relentless massacre was unleashed and the chaos reigned in the shrine and all over the city. Average people can't even see Youkai so they don't know what's going on. Only that heads are flying and blood is spewing everywhere.

"Where do you think you're going?~"

I tried to take Anna away from this chaos but the woman nearly flickered next to us, this time... her mask was gone and both Anna and I had to resist the urge to shiver, well... me... Anna was at the border of crying.

That woman's mouth was all slit and bloodied.

"K-Kuchisake-onna! The one that slips people's mouths!"

Anna recognised her, in the Japanese folklore this woman was widely known as an urban myth. 

"I do not doubt it, you're the infamous shinchu's and yuki-onna's child! come here, girl!".

This psychopath jumped at us with a pair of scissors in her hand, Anna screamed against me, and the people around us ran amock in fear.

How did chaos fall so quickly? I only know one thing... I have to protect Anna and take us out of here.

And so... I rushed towards this woman with my small fist prepared, hoping this would work. 

"Hmn, what a ridiculous child-!"

She didn't take me seriously, so much so that she didn't even try to evade me, thank you.

*BAAANGG!!!!*

!!!!

*PUAG!*

"Superhuman strength, bitch!".

I expected her to fall on her knees, although Horus said I have superhuman strength and I'm easily able to carry my mother's whole body... I don't know exactly how strong I have become. 

*BOOOOMMM!!!*

When her body technically exploded in a shower of blood, raining on us... I realised that this strength was no joke. 

"R-Ray-chan... b-blood" Anna was about to panic due to the blood that had just fallen on us, some of it even fell in her mouth.

I hugged her and put my hands on her head, working my power passively into trying to calm her down. This is not how I expected to spend my Hanami festival. The commotion created drew the attention of all the Kappas towards me. 

[It seems you forgot... but you're a Multiversal Demigod, in this world -aside from deities in your rank or higher- nobody can match you].

'Yeah but still!-'

[I suggest retreating. This event has the traces of a higher political strife, they're not after you... they're after the girl. Involving yourself more than necessary will come with unexpected consequences, the matron deity of this place is a Goddess of the Sun, she may be well interested in plundering your authority].

I understand what Horus means but, look at all this massacre happening around. Somebody has to stop it. 

Just in time for the kappas to begin surrounding me, a load of what looked like flying cards began making their way around the foggy world. 

"It's the Onmyouji, we're saved!" somebody screamed.

They were a set of five men that looked like Ninjas, I don't know when this turned into a movie scene. Two of them landed next to us while the other three started to save the people around. 

Are these like Japanese Power Rangers or something?

"Are you alright, kiddo? Excellent feat what you did there by the way, you're very strong, you can call me Kashiwagi, we will talk about that power later".

'I don't want to talk shit'.

"Thanks, Kashiwagi-san, we will be going now!"

"Where do you think you're going brat!?"

Another gigantic monster appeared, this one was like a massive skeleton so big that the buildings of the shrine looked small in comparison, it towered above everything. 

*BAAANGG!!*

Another one fell in front of us, it was a woman with the bottom side of a hideous spider but the nude top... hear me out-

"Take the girl, we can use it against the traitors Yuki and Sanae".

"Gashadokuro and Jorogumo, what are you doing all the way here in Kyoto! This is a violation of the pact!".

"Hmph, Fuck the pact".

"We won't let you-!".

The two Onmyouji in front of us attacked the gigantic skeleton.

*BAAANGGG!*

A single sweep of its skeletal arms sent them flying across the street in a bloodied fashion. I mean, hello? Kashiwagi-san? we just met...

'These guys are weak as fuck!'.

They're not reliable at all!