• The Case of the Jubboko

    Shibata got on his straw overcoat and Kiku got on her long brown trench coat and walked outside with only a dimly lit lantern lighting the way. The wind picked up feeling like if it was searing Kiku’s skin. Shibata protected the tiny flame from the roaring wind for it not to go out.
    Kiku looked back the village finally out of view. There’s no turning back now.
    The wind died down and an hour passed on slowly.
    “How much further is the tree?” Kiku asked with a little impatience in her voice.
    Shibata looked back at her then stopped wandering where they were. “I don’t understand, I could have sworn it took me less than thirty minutes to find it”
    Kiku looked up at the tree branches then sighed.
    “So you knew all along” she mumbled.
    Shibata placed his hand on her small shoulder. “Yokai detective what’s happening?”
    Kiku gently shoved his hand off of her and bent down opening her small sack.
    “It knew we were coming” she replied softly. “We’re caught in its trap”
    Shibata began to panic beginning to wander if they were going to be lost forever.
    “What are we going to do?” he asked in a near panic tone.
    Kiku got out a small pipe and lit it with a match. Kiku could smell the fragrance of rotting corpses all around obvious that this is the residence of the Jubboko.
    “Hitodama are spirits of the dead that haunts the place where they died” she said blowing a puff of smoke then sighed deeply. “Maybe some are willing to help”
    The smoke began to attract balls of flames to the scene of where they were. Kiku streamed her fingers through the smoke spreading it about. One of the Hitodama followed her finger then floated over her head. Another floated near the lantern Shibata was carrying. He jumped back a bit then the Hitodama increased the flame in the lantern.
    Kiku threw out some ash and looked at Shibata. “They’ll show the way”
    The Hitodama flew down a path and Kiku followed them. She stopped and turned around to look at Shibata.
    “Aren’t you coming?” Kiku asked him.
    “How did you…?” Shibata said pointing at her then trailed off seeing Kiku leaving him behind.
    “Come on its just up ahead” Kiku said. She glanced at her surroundings things finally looking different. Usually Hitodama are mischievous little spirits thankfully these weren’t so it was ok to put some trust into them.
    After a while the balls of flames led the duo to a clearing. Right smack in the clearing was a red barked tree bearing no leaves, and what it appeared to be skeletons crawling up the trunk. Kiku grimaced at the sight then spotted three fresh bodies at the base of the tree, probably hunters or gatherers.
    “Look at that what a fine Jubboko” she said making her way down to the tree. Shibata stayed where he was still afraid of it. “It was only last spring but not it’s a full fledge demon tree”
    She bent down at one of the bodies and checked his pulse. She flinched, finding that he had one.
    “This one is still alive” she said carrying the old man on her shoulder. The man’s axe dropped from his grip but Kiku left it behind. She set the old man down. While Shibata tried talking to the man Kiku pulled out a silk cover and wrapped him in it.
    “He should be fine” she said then made her way back down to the tree again with no distractions.
    “Wait Yokai detective won’t the tree kill you too?” Shibata called.
    “I don’t believe it will cause me harm” Kiku said finally reaching the tree.
    She placed her hand on it. The base of the tree was warm like a human body. She examined it from top to bottom then reached in her back and pulled out a stethoscope placing the circular part on the tree. She listened closely hearing the rush of some kind of thick liquid and a beat sounding like a drum.
    What a healthy sound. She though putting her tool away and taking out a medical needle. But why is it rejecting food at a time like this?
    She poked the bark of the trunk with the sharp end of the needle. Almost instantly it began to bleed red blood. Kiku retracted her tool and touched the liquid then felt something. At that instant she knew what was going on. She looked up where Shibata was.
    “Its ok you can come down now” she said full of confidence.
    Shibata climbed his way down slowly and steadily still unsure of himself. “What is it?”
    Kiku stared up at the tree. “It had its fill”
    Shibata looked at her questionably then up at the tree as the Yokai detective explained.
    “The Jubboko drained too much energy. So much in fact it’s practically killing itself by taking this much energy in” she said.
    Shibata’s face broke out into a grin. His heart leapt feeling satisfied that his revenge is realized. It was right for that evil tree to die for it to suffer like he did. Why should it go out peacefully?
    “However that’s not our problem” Kiku said. Shibata looked at her his expression dropping a bit. She held out her hand that was stained with the Jubboko’s blood and showed dark red specks. “Its offspring”
    Shibata gasped not knowing what to say then Kiku continued her explanation.
    “Jubboko are usually healthy by nature and drains fewer victims but the only time when it drains uncontrollably is when it is nurturing offspring in its trunk. The offspring feed off of the energy that their parent harvests but that much energy can kill the Jubboko. Once the Jubboko dies its offspring is released into the wind and carried off to the world only to wait until it is fed human blood so it can grow”
    Shibata backed up a bit knowing the truth that the next generation of demon trees will come. Kiku searched her back and pulled out a jar. “But if I can I could probably harvest the offspring”
    Shibata glared at the Yokai master. She’s saving the demon tree’s offspring and not thinking about the village and his pain. Shibata looked around and spotted the axe that belonged to the man and picked it up. Kiku looked up. Just as Shibata was bringing his axe down Kiku got out of the way.
    “What are you doing?” Kiku snapped.
    “Stopping you of course!” Shibata yelled. “Why should you save that thing’s children after all the pain it caused me?”
    “You fool all Yokai detectives took an oath to help both Yokai and humans!” Kiku yelled back. Shibata said then lifted up the axe and leered at the tree. Kiku’s eyes widened. “Wait don’t do it!”
    Shibata swung the axe and it struck the trunk of the tree. Blood burst from the trunk and sprayed all over him. Shibata grinned feeling that satisfaction he longed for. Kiku sat there in shock. Just then Shibata dropped to his knees and began to cough uncontrollably until his own blood stained the white snow. Slowly he drifted into the dark.

    Kiku called for the villagers that took both men in the inn for treatment. Shibata opened his eyes and saw Kiku sitting by his side. He tried to speak but Kiku placed her finger over her lips showing him that he should stay quiet. She held up a jar containing dark red specks.
    “This is your blood now” she said. “The reason you should never cut down the Jubboko is that once its blood stains your skin the Jubboko transfers its offspring to that person. That person happens to be you. You are now the Jubboko’s offspring’s host. When spring arrives the offspring will devour your body and kill you letting them release to the outside world. But don’t worry I’ll prescribe you a medicine that would keep you alive but it won’t kill the offspring. You would have to live with it for the rest of your life”
    Kiku told him she'll come back in two months to give him more medicine. Tears swelled up in Shibata’s eyes as Kiku left.

    Two months had passed and spring finally arrived. It was a lot livelier that last time Kiku came here but a village woman came up to her telling what became of Shibata. She told the young Yokai detective that Shibata did improve for a while after becoming a sword smith. However night after night he would wake up screaming saying something was eating him from the inside. He then became so crazed that he used a sword on himself.
    Kiku looked into the window where Shibata used to live then moved on.