"Oh...Well...what are they, if you don't mind me asking? The stories I mean. I don't know much about anything Asia related."
"Oh, right. Not in Japan anymore." He said with a laugh. "Um... Well three of them are the same story, or atleast connect. Susanoo is a Kami, a god, who would sink the ships of invaders in ancient times with powerful storms. He once fought a giant snake-dragon with eight heads and eight tails called Yamata-no-orochi, who was forcing people to sacrifice children... daughters specifically I think, and eating them. Susanoo killed the monster and found a sword in one of its tails, which he gave to his sister, the sun goddess Amateratsu. That sword was called Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, a really long name that means Sword of the gathering clouds of heaven... which is also a really long name" He laughed. "A different legend came about later on about the same sword. A warrior trapped in a burning field cut the tall grass around him to kill the fire, and found out the sword had the ability to control the wind. He used that to redirect the flames... Long ass story, I know. That isn't even the full detailed version of any of these... Oh, but the sword was renamed Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, which is much easier to say, and just means grasscutter sword."
"I think I've heard names similar to those...but they were in a video game." Shay shrugged giving a pleasant little laugh. "I guess that wouldn't count as knowledge most of the time. Anyway, I actual like the stories; I wouldn't mind hearing the full one. Are those consolations important to you?"
Kenta shrugged. "No more than any other. They just stick out the most... Or, I guess its not sticking out if they aren't even there... The last one's story is supposedly about that shrine I lived in. The seven angels... Once, there was a demon who would wander Japan, destroying villages and killing everything and everyone it came across. Noone was safe from it unless they made an offering... The story wasn't specific, but considering Orochi's taste isn't uncommon among Oni and monsters, it was probably children to eat... This rampage went on until the emperor at the time would no longer stand for it. He sent seven priestesses to banish the demon, guarded by one hundred of his greatest samurai warriors... The demon killed everyone, save for one young priestess, pure of heart and full of determination. Legend says she sacrificed her own soul, and, joined by the other six who fell before her, managed to seal the demon away forever. To honor them, the emperor had a shrine built on the site they sealed it away..." He shook his head. "There are other versions of the same story, and since everyone died, noone knows what really happened. They must have succeeded though. Every story says the demon was never seen again."
Shay was staring at him. What else could she do? Did he not see the correlation? His shrine. Demon. Him. It all added up to her. No one knows who Kenta is. Kenta is only two years old. Two years? If this were a legend, it had to have happened long before that. Calmly, she asked, "what kind of deals did they make with the demon? What was the demon's name?"
Demon. But wasn't Kenta a Kitsune? Were those the same thing? Shay didn't believe so; a Kitsune was a Kitsune, not a demon. For now, Shay kept the thoughts to herself. It didn't seem like something Kenta needed to hear.
"Like I said, the demon go to is eating children. Some also accept large meals, and some dragons will take shiny things... The stories are never specific about that. Same with the name. Some call it Chimamire no tochi, or The Bloody Land. Others called it Gin Shi, Silver death. Nothing clear... One version says it was a samurai, not a demon, but..." He shrugged. "There are as many retellings as stars in the sky for this one."
"And...do you think you could possibly be him, Kenta? I mean, it kind of matches, doesn't it? You live at that shrine. No one knows who you are. You have dreams of mass murdering people. What if they aren't dreams? What if they're memories?" She looked at her lap, feeling somewhat guilty bringing it up. If that is the case, though, I wonder why I'm still alive?"
"But I..." His words caught in his throat. Once it was pointed out to him, it made... a lot of sense... He sat there, silently looking down for a while, simply unable to say a word. So... I'm not just a murderer... I'm a legendary monster like Yamata-no-orochi... But... I... He took a deep breath. Was this enough of an answer? Maybe I can... He cut off his own thought by finally speaking. "I... Wanted to save you... Back in the woods... I... I was holding onto that thing when it bit me. Trying to hold it still... I thought... You could get away if.... Then... I heard the other one... I guess the one that bit you..." He paused here, took another deep breath, and wiped his eye. He was... crying? Again... "Something... Something in me broke at that moment. I... Had failed. I was helpless and you... you were gonna die because I was weak... I kept telling myself to do something. Do something. DO SOMETHING!..." He got quiet again. Eventually he added "That was it... Next thing I knew, we were in the hospital... Alive..." Another pause to collect himself. "I wanted to.. Maybe... Maybe that still meant something to... the other me..."
"Maybe." Shay was quiet, watching him as he wiped his eyes and again began to cry. She wasn't good with comforting people. She was too blunt, and she couldn't really touch anyone unless she were wearing her gloves, even then she tensed up. "Nothing is pure evil, though, right? I mean, everything had something or someone they love other than themselves. I didn't mean to upset you."
Shay kicked her feet gently. She felt unstable up here, but it was nice. She liked it. She had always liked this tree. It's leaves dropped down and hid the two of them from view. To Shay, it felt like a secret clubhouse.