Visiting his Wonder was, of late, a source of comfort for Aokigahara. There was a time he never would have imagined that it could be such, with its howls and rattling and the eternal feeling that something was watching you--to list only the most minor and common of the phenomena that plagued this place--but it was true. There was so much beauty here, especially with all the work he had put in over the years.

It was strange, then, that he set foot on it and found a chill crawling up his spine.

He hadn't been afraid of his Wonder in years, but he was now.

At two weeks away from Bon, Aokigahara intended to stop by his Wonder and make sure everything was in place for a miniature lantern-lighting of his own, here. Something to help the spirits that haunted his Wonder. He'd done smaller versions for years, but this time...this time he had the strange, magical lantern he'd acquired from the mysterious merchant the year before, and when he landed on his Wonder, he had it in hand. He was still certain that it belonged here, on Aokigahara, and while he was curious how the man had acquired it, well...it wasn't as if he was unfamiliar with the black market antiquities trade on Earth. Perhaps there was one off Earth as well.

Aokigahara sighed between his teeth, looking over his shoulder. Whatever was lurking here, it seemed....different than usual. A more oppressive force than he was used to finding.

Something that made him feel firmly, distinctly unwelcome.

"I thought we'd gotten past this," he sighed, aloud, as if anything on his Wonder was listening. Truly though, he had; he'd thought the days of his Wonder being a hostile and eerie place were past.

There was a rattling in the distance.

Aokigahara turned, and gaped in horror.

The creature hadn't seen him yet, he was sure of that, but it loomed, massive, over the entire Wonder. A giant skeleton, rattling as it moved, seeming to patrol the boundary line between the end oft he graveyard and the forest beyond. It was a creature that could have climbed out of the Night Parade of one Hundred Demons, great and terrible and nightmarish. And it practically radiated an overwhelming sense of pure, unadulterated malice.

Aokigahara's heart sunk into his shoes. This must be the cause of the feeling of unwelcomeness he'd felt, and it was something far, far larger than he could take on on his own. He would need to be careful, and return, and prepare.

That was the only way this thing was going to die.


As he backed away, though, something caught his eye--a bit of movement, the flutter of a sleeve, and he turned, and--oh.

There was Rin, and as Aokigahara watched, he moved delicately through the Wonder. He seemed to be chatting with someone that Aokigahara couldn't see or hear--but then, it seemed thoroughly in character for Rin to speak to the ghosts even if they couldn't hear him.

He lit four lanterns. One at each corner of the graveyard. Then, he moved tot he center, and held up a fifth--and Aokigahara recognized it. It was, almost certainly, the one that he had received from the merchant, by chance or by a twist of fate.

All five lanterns pulsed as the last was hung in place, and Aokigahara felt a sense of unknowable calm.

Aokigahara inhaled tensely. He had to get back to Earth, and he had to consider, and he had to plan. Most especially, he had to get out before the creature found him.

If it was anything like a true yokai, he could think of some ways to handle it--but it wouldn't be enough for him to do this alone. He would have to reach out for backup, as well.

For now, though, he had to escape. He was loathe to run from his own Wonder, but it was the only choice, all realistic options considered.

So he closed his eyes, and went home.

[wc: 671 words]