“Get in!” Akira fished a small black object out of her pocket.

We were standing outside the Nasa compound, beside an SUV that had been parked in the alleyway behind it.

“You can drive?” I frowned.

“No, but that’s not something to be worried about right now, Ren-sama.” Akira shot an exasperated glance at me. “Get. In. Please.”

I jerked my head towards the door, motioning for Keiichi to open it for me since I was still carrying Akiha, and I climbed in the back of the SUV while Keiichi rode shotgun.

“Where to?” Akira questioned, eyeing me through the mirror.

“Just get us out of here first, then we’ll decide later. Kei,can you cloak us?”

Keiichi nodded, forming a hand seal in his lap, and a moment later the exterior of the car shimmered, changing in colour and model even though it felt the same inside.

The ride was silent, Akira focused on the road in front of her, but her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel. Keiichi was looking out of the window sullenly, and Akiha was still out cold.

I had taken off my jacket and folded it, placing it on my thigh as a pillow while she remained unresponsive, but I was starting to get even more worried.

I had never seen her tail not moving before. Even when she slept, it usually moved around relaxedly.

I know she won’t die as long as I don’t run out of spiritual energy, but…

“Wake up soon, okay?” I whispered, rhythmically stroking her head, her ears folding and curling under my touch.

“What happened exactly?” Akira finally broke the silence.

I took a deep breath. “The day Nasa-san and I went to Dainisekai, we ran into a Jorogumo. She had been watching us, but neither of us felt anything wrong about it. It turns out that they knew who we were, and had been spreading information. They knew that the wards around the house were Nasa-san’s doing, and because of that, a Jorogumo managed to sneak in to attack us. Both Akiha and I were completely powerless. Foxfire… my sword… nothing could harm her, she was that powerful. Nasa-san saved us, and told us to run, but Akiha fell unconscious from the pain of the Jorogumo’s torture.”

Akira clicked her tongue. “I knew I could smell yokai. Matamura-san and I were in the other side of the house when the other Onmyoji appeared. They didn’t look normal, so we bolted.”

“Will Nasa-san be fine…?” Keiichi drawled, placing his hands behind his head. “I mean, if both of you couldn’t do anything…”

“She’ll be fine.” I replied, but it felt like I was trying to convince myself rather than Keiichi. “She’s a nine-tailed kitsune, after all.”

Akira didn’t say anything, but I could see how tense she was.

“Let’s make a stop somewhere. We need to buy supplies anyway, we can call and check up on her soon.” I offered.

Akira seemed to relax a little, her shoulders slumping. “Yeah… let’s do that.”

Keiichi sat up straight a moment later. “Guys… a black car’s been following us for a while now.”

I turned back to look out of the rear windshield. True enough, a black sedan was trailing us a way back, its windshield tinted so I couldn’t see who was inside.

“Are you sure they’re following us?”

“I mean… fairly sure?” Keiici sounded uneasy. “I did cloak the car, though.”

“I’ll try to lose them, in any case.” Akira responded. “Hang on tight.”

I was pressed back in the seat as the miko floored the gas pedal, and the SUV shot forward.

“Hey! I’m pretty sure this isn’t legal!” Keiichi screamed, hurriedly fastening his seatbelt.

“You idiot, we’re going to die and you’re worried about speed limits?” I shot back, but my grip was tight on the grab handle in the car.

“They’re still on our tail. Sedans are faster than SUVs after all.” Keiichi murmured after a while.

“There’s an exit up ahead. It’s blocked by construction so we’ll be free from view for a few seconds.” Akira said, guiding the car towards the turn.

She turned the wheel. “Matamura-san, hold the wheel.”

“Huh?” Stunned, Keiichi could only blink at her.

“Just hold it, please!”

Keiichi lurched forward, grabbing the wheel. “Oh my god, I’ve never done this before- Kamo-san, what’re you doing-”

Akira had opened her driver-side door by a crack as the car turned, and was now leaning out of it. I stared at her from my window, dumbfounded.

What the hell?

As I watched, she procured an ofuda and dropped it onto the road before leaning back into the car and closing the door, her hands forming a seal.

“On makeishibaraya sowaka… On makeishibaraya sowaka… On makeishibaraya sowaka,” She chanted, her eyes closed.

Moments later, there was a screech of rubber burning on asphalt, and the jarring sound of bending metal. I jerked around to watch as the black sedan that had been tailing us crashed headfirst into a yellow barrier only slightly larger than its width, and stalled in place, the fender completely broken and hanging off, the hood bent out of shape. Smoke started to rise from it’s engine.

Akira sped up again.

“Looks like we’re in the clear now.” She loosened after a few more minutes. “But how could they have tracked us? We’ve got a cloak…”

I gulped. “The Jorogumo called those Onmyoji the hunters. They’re probably adept at seeking out fugitives. If that’s the case, we can assume that they’re able to track more than purely by sight. What do we have that may allow for tracking…?”

I closed my eyes to think. What do we have that the Bureau can access easily…?

“Ofuda.” I opened my eyes. “They may be tracking our ofuda. All our equipment is Bureau-issued, including Kei’s, since he bought it from us. They may be tracking those, and our phones may be giving off a signal they can track as well.”

“Then what do we do?” Keiichi grunted. “Throw them out?”

I nodded. “Exactly.”

He turned to gape at me. “You’re kidding, right?”

Shaking my head, I responded as coolly as I could. “Nope. Akira, can you bring us to a gas station or something? We’ll get supplies there, then we’ll dump everything that could be used to track us. While we’re there, we can give Nasa-san one last call to check on her and update her before we go off the grid.”

Akira nodded. “Alright, we’ll do that.”

Keiichi sank back into his seat. “I… just got this phone…”

“With all due respect, Matamura-san, we have bigger things to worry about.” Akira replied placidly.

Keiichi seemed to sink even deeper into the seat. “I know…”

After a while, Akira pulled into a gas station, and as we waited for the gas to fill, we took out every Bureau-related item we had, including all our belts, pouches and ofuda.

“If anything happens, we won’t be able to fight.” Akira noted.

“Yeah, Ren’s the only one who still has a weapon.” Keiichi stared at the keychain, which I had clipped onto one of my trouser’s belt loops.

With uncertainty, we dumped our equipment behind some shrubbery, and took our phones out.

I was the first to drop it on the ground and step on it before kicking the fragments behind the bushes. I had nobody to call anyway. Something bit at my heart as I remembered sharply that my family was no longer around.

Keiichi was staring at his phone.

I sighed, then grabbed it and smashed it against the wall. Keiichi looked at me, then shifted his gaze to the broken pieces of the phone on the ground, his eyes wistful.

“C’mon. Let’s get what we need and give Akira some space to call Nasa-san.” I grabbed the boy’s shoulders and steered him towards the convenience store attached to the gas station.

“Welcome…” The man behind the counter muttered half-heartedly as we entered with the chime.

“What’re we looking for?” Keiichi asked, looking up and down the aisles.

I counted off my fingers. “Food, water, medicine… what else do people normally need when they’re escaping from pretty much the rest of the world?”

“Weapons.” Keiichi murmured.

I walloped him across his back. “No shit, sherlock. We’re not going to find any weapons in here. Let’s just focus on those three for now. And we’re running on a budget, so only get necessities.”

We left the convenience store with four bags full of food, water and first aid supplies, which we tossed into the empty backseat of the SUV.

“She’s still not awake?” Keiichi said from outside as I packed the supplies down.

I glanced at the girl still lying on my jacket, then shook my head. “No. I don’t know when she’ll come to.”

I collapsed in the seat next to Akiha, closing my eyes. My mind was empty. Everything was a mess. Keiichi merely leaned against the side of the SUV without a word.

“Ah, Kamo-san, you’re back.”

I looked out to see Akira approaching without her phone, but her lips were pressed together in a thin line.

“How was it?”

She shook her head. “Nobody picked up.”

There was a sinking feeling in my chest. “Hey, Akira. Nasa-san will be fine. She’s strong.”

Akira took a deep breath, then nodded. “Yeah. She’s served and protected the Kamo for generations. She won’t die to a mere yokai. C’mon, let’s decide where we’re going to go.”

“Far from here would be nice.” Keiichi offered. “They’re probably on their way here already. I’ll switch up the car’s cloaking as well, just to be safe.”

Keiichi recast his spell, and then got back into the car after Akira.

“I think it’s time we start really looking for the twelve. My dad said that we would have to find them if we want any chance of standing up against my uncle. Nasa-san said that we can find them where the light of the two suns meet. Do you guys know what that means?”

“Two suns?” Keiichi mused. “What kind of fantasy world are we supposed to be living in?”

“One with demons and magic. The idea of two suns isn’t too surprising, actually.” Akira quipped back.

I scratched my head in frustration. “Let’s drive while we discuss. It won’t do to sit here like a target while people are chasing after us.”

Akira drove out of the gas station as we continued trying to brainstorm answers to Nasa’s clue.

Light of the two suns.

There’s only one sun, obviously.

The moon? The moon reflects light from the sun, so does it count as a second sun? But in that case, what would it mean for their light to meet? Since light is everywhere, doesn’t that mean that we can find the twelve shikigami everywhere?

I looked out of the window at the bright orb hanging in the middle of the sky, beating down relentlessly on the world below.

“Mom…”

I snapped to attention, looking down at the girl beside me.

“Mom… mom…”

Akiha had started calling out, her limbs thrashing. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her tail was curled up, her fur standing on end.

“Mom… mom!” Her voice rose, and soon she had started screaming and sobbing in her sleep.

I pulled her up. “Akiha. Hey. Akiha. It’s okay, it’s just a nightmare. Akiha.”

I stroked her back reassuringly. Can she feel this?

“Mom… don’t leave me… mom!”

Her eyes shot open. Those familiar gold and blue eyes, now puffy from her crying. Her hands shot up to her face as she cried, her entire body shaking.

I grit my teeth, my heart wrenching.

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her in towards me. “It’s okay, Akiha. I won’t leave you.”

“Ren...sama…” She sniffed into my shirt, her own arms tightly wound around my back.

She calmed down after a while, and was sitting beside me, wrapped up in my jacket and nibbling on an energy bar that we had bought. I had one hand rubbing her head, which she apparently found comforting. Do foxes like head rubs?

I glanced out of the window at the bright orb that hung in the middle of the sky, beating down relentlessly on the world below.

The sun.

“Hey, Akiha… what do you think of the sun?” I asked without thinking.

“Hm? The sun…?” She lowered the energy bar. “That’s obvious, isn’t it? Amaterasu!”

“Ama...terasu…?” I repeated. “The sun goddess of the shinto religion…”

That should be something important. Abe no Seimei and onmyodo of the past was heavily related to shintoism.

“Maybe a shinto shrine or a torii gate has some kind of relation?” Keiichi asked.

“That’s possible, but there’s still the central idea of two suns that we can’t solve.”

Akiha had returned her attention to her food, and it didn’t seem like she knew more.

Groaning in frustration, I tore my eyes away from the sun and looked around the interior of the car to reset myself.

My gaze brushed over the mirror.

The mirror.

Reflections.

When something reflects, there’ll be two of it.

Two suns.

“Akira!” I shouted, startling everybody else.

“Shit, Ren, don’t scream like that.” Keiichi muttered as Akira turned to raise an eyebrow at me.

“Head for the east coast. Find any torii gate that lies within water.” I said, buzzing with energy.

Please be correct.