Takeshita Demons (13 page)

"Hey, fruit loop. Yeah you. You ever think about
getting your hair done? 'Cos you look half-dead. You
look awful. And you really need to do something
about that problem with your neck."

My heart leapt. It was Cait!

She was poking her head round the classroom
door. But what was she doing?

Run, I tried to scream. Run now, while you still
have a chance. The sound died in my throat, the
curtains crushing the air from my lungs.

But Cait didn't run. Instead she grinned and
winked at me, as if this was some kind of game,
just another of Alex's tricks on an unsuspecting
supply teacher. And then she walked right into
the classroom.

"That's got to be the worst suit I've ever seen," she said to Okuda, shaking her head in disgust.
"It hurts my eyes just looking at it."

Okuda's body swung around. All her attention
was now focused on Cait, but her head was still
working its way free.

And still Cait didn't run.

"Hey, what you got there?" Cait chirped,
looking at Kazu where he sat on the teacher's desk.
He'd stopped screaming his lungs out, but the tears
were still wet on his cheek and his little face was red.
"I think that's Miku's baby brother. And I don't think
he likes you. Why don't I just go and get him?"

Cait took a few steps towards Kazu. Distracted
from her head-weaving, Okuda scurried to come
between them.

"What's the matter, demon?" Cait asked. "Oh.
What's that? You're going to need your arms if you
want to keep me from grabbing Kazu? That's right.
You better keep your head on while I'm in the
room."

I had no idea what game Cait was playing.
Once the head came off, Okuda could snap through
Cait's neck and be back with her body in seconds,
before Kazu had any chance of getting away. He was
too young to walk, let alone escape.

"Foolish girl," Okuda spat, but her head stayed close to her neck. Maybe Cait knew what she was
doing. Okuda couldn't send her head flying around
the room without leaving Kazu unprotected and
alone with her headless body.

I couldn't hear what Cait said next. The sound of
dripping water was getting louder, and her voice was
drowned out by a steady gushing noise.

Okuda didn't seem to notice. She was riveted
by Cait. Probably deciding what to do next. Attack and
eat Cait now? Or grab Kazu first and eat Cait later?
And I could do nothing to help. I was completely stuck,
pinned down by the pinching, grabbing curtains.

The sound of running water was growing into a
roar. I couldn't hear anything Cait and Okuda were
saying.

Poor Kazu seemed lost and confused, all alone on
the teacher's desk. He'd stopped crying, though, and
began to show interest in what Cait was doing. He sat
up and crawled a little way in her direction, closer to
the edge of the desk.

Panicked, I tried to scream a warning, but the
sound was trapped by the curtains before it could get
out. Please stay still, Kazu, I willed. Don't move any
further.

Cait and Okuda continued their face-off. Trickles
of water began streaming through the open door.

Cait didn't seem to notice the growing tide. She was
preparing to fight Okuda. The two of them moved in
circles around the desks, like sumo wrestlers in the
ring, each sizing the other up before their bout could
begin. Except what could Cait do? She had no powers.
No secret weapons. Nothing.

Suddenly Okuda swooped, but not at Cait.
Instead she made a dash for the teacher's desk,
grabbing Kazu and hoisting him high above her
head in triumph. Her lips curled into a victory cry,
but I heard nothing.

The sound of water was now so loud it was all
I could hear. I couldn't even hear Kazu start
screaming again, but I could tell from his face that
he was yelling loud enough to bring the fire brigade.
If only such a thing were possible. If only they
would come.

With Kazu safe in her arms, Okuda seemed to
think it was time for more action. She waved a hand
and once again the desklids began banging and
fireballs started dropping from the ceiling. The noise
of desklids and waterfalls seemed to fill the entire
room, a tsunami of sound.

But something strange was happening. Okuda's
fireballs were fizzling out as soon as they hit the
ground. She'd been so busy unravelling her head and
preparing to fly that she hadn't noticed. While she'd
been focused on Cait, the classroom had flooded.
We were now ankle-deep in water.

Cait splashed across to where I stood trapped,
taking care to stay clear of the waving, grabbing
curtains. "Don't worry," she yelled over the noise.
"She'll be here soon."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but
then she pointed to the door.

There, unmistakably, was a series of growing
ripples, each rushing to catch the other as they raced
into the room. Something massive was behind those
ripples, sweeping water into our room, surfing the
waves up the corridor towards us.

Cait pointed again to the door and grinned.
"She's coming."

The woman of the wet. The dragon woman.

She was back.

Okuda stared at the ripples, purple mouth
hanging wide open. Slowly the desks stopped
banging, the fireballs stopped falling. Even the
curtains seemed to loosen their grip.

The nukekubi swung round to face the
door, nearly losing her head in her haste.
But she was still holding Kazu tightly.

What was she thinking? What were those red
markings doing as the dragon woman approached?
Sewing Okuda together? Or unravelling?

Suddenly the rushing of water was gone.
Even Kazu seemed to sense that something was
happening. His screams became a quiet whimper.
Something large was sliding, swishing, slithering its
way towards us. I nearly cheered.

The dragon woman was coming.

As soon as her snake-like body appeared in the
corridor, Okuda gasped and stepped backwards,
away from the door. "Nure-onna."

Then everything fell silent.

"Nukekubi," the green woman hissed.
"I see you have the child."

"And what of it?" Okuda sneered, holding Kazu
closer.

"What are you doing so far from home?" the dragon woman asked, almost sadly. "Must you
insist on hunting these children?" She stayed in the
doorway, her red tongue forked and ready.

Okuda growled, baring her teeth like a fox.
"But you are also far from home, woman of the wet.
This is not your place."

The nure-onna slid further into the room,
revealing more of her scaly green skin. "But there you
are wrong, nukekubi," she said, smiling so that her
fangs shone and glittered in the light.

"What?" Okuda spat. "This is not our country,
nure-onna. You have no power over me here."

But I could sense Okuda's confidence dropping.
Was she scared of the dragon woman? Bit by bit, the
curtains were loosening their grip. Careful not to
draw too much attention, I wrestled my other arm
free and began to unwrap myself.

The two demons didn't seem to notice.

The dragon woman flicked her tongue and raised
one perfect eyebrow at Okuda. "Where one belongs,"
she hissed, "depends on one's actions..."

"Don't be stupid," Okuda snarled. "Your kind
don't belong here."

"No," the nure-onna hissed. "It is you who is
not welcome here, nukekubi. I came tonight on the
bidding of the Takeshita zashiki-warashi, the child ghost, Zashiko. I came to hunt you, with this child
as your bait."

The dragon woman pointed at Kazu and I gasped.
Bait? She was no better than Okuda. It didn't seem
to matter who won this contest. Either way, we were
doomed.

"But," the dragon woman continued, gesturing at
Cait and me, "these children took him and deserved
him, and with that they bought your life, for one
more night."

"What are you talking about?" Okuda sneered.

"I have returned because this curly-haired child
asked for my help." The dragon woman's eyes flashed
and she nodded her hissing head at Cait.

Cait blushed. "Turns out she's OK after all," she
whispered, pulling aside bits of curtain to help me
escape.

But could the nure-onna really be OK? I couldn't
forget what she'd just said. She'd brought Kazu as
bait? Human bait? What kind of demon was she?

Cait and I both stared at the nure-onna, whose
snaking body rippled with muscle as she slid further
into the room.

Okuda backed away, still holding Kazu.

"I came here today to eat these children. And that
is my right."

"And that," hissed the dragon woman, "is your
downfall, nukekubi. For you will be judged by your
actions."

Okuda held Kazu close to her open mouth,
threatening. "Don't come any closer."

"I don't need to," the nure-onna said. "Your home
is not here, nukekubi."

For a second Okuda was silent, then something
strange happened. Her face seemed to grow purple,
just like her awful lipstick.

"What are you doing?" she gasped. "What's
happening?"

"You are being judged." The dragon woman
did nothing, just stared at Okuda's flushing face, her
red eyes narrow as slits.

I pulled free from the last of the curtains,
watching in awe.

"But he's so heavy," Okuda gasped, confused.
"He's just a baby. It's not possible for him to be this...
heavy..." Her face was glowing red with effort now.
Sweat was pouring from her brow and her arms began
shuddering, as if carrying an extraordinary weight.

"It's Kazu," I whispered to Cait. "She did it to
me earlier."

I watched as Okuda's entire body shook with the
effort of carrying my tiny brother.

Suddenly the dragon woman reared up on her
snake's body. "You care for this child?" she demanded,
addressing Okuda as the nukekubi struggled to hang
on to Kazu's weight.

"Of course not," Okuda spat. "You know I don't,
so don't bother asking. And stop what it is that you're
doing." She was trying to fling Kazu away, but her
arms had stopped responding.

The dragon demon hissed again, her eyes
blood-red and angry. "You promise to take good care
of this child?" she asked, spitting each word from
between dripping white fangs.

"Rubbish..." Okuda gasped. "Never. Why are
you doing this?" She staggered to one knee, as if
crushed under a massive load.

"This," roared the dragon woman, "is my work.
My place. My home. And Zashiko's plan. And if you
will not care for this child..."

"I...will ...not..." Okuda struggled for breath,
falling now on both knees, as if she was praying for
forgiveness.

"If you will not care for this child," the
nure-onna continued, "then you choose your own
fate." Her tongue flicked again and again, and her
eyes began to bulge inside her green face.

For an instant it seemed that Okuda might be strong enough to stand again, but that moment passed.
She wailed where she knelt on the floor, a wrenching
noise that sent Kazu once again into a flood of tears.