Yuki Shiro: 0 Absolutes: The Night Parade Read online

  Kuro Amaya | Ginza District, Tokyo, Japan | 2017年12月8日

  It was cold. Too blasted cold in here.

  Picking up the remote, I dialed up the fire in the hearth, kicking it up to 11 and letting the heat wash over my chilled body.

  I was always cold these days. I had been since I married that fool. He could fuck like a god, but that was all he was good for, and even that had lost its attraction this last year.

  “Everything is now in place, okāsan,” my son said, drawing my attention away from my reflection in my window. Turning toward him, my youngest child, the last my first husband had deemed fit to give me, I gave him a small, bitter smile that he could not see.

  “It’s only taken what, my son? A thousand years since your father turned from me?”

  My youngest child, the only one who had not abandoned me, remained kneeling on the ground, his hands placed on the floor with his forehead resting on his fingers. He knew better than to gaze upon my face without my permission.

  I wrapped myself in the false flesh I had worn for centuries now, clothing myself in the skin of Kuro Amaya. Some nights, I wished I truly was just Kuro Amaya, the Witch of the Night Rains, but I have waited too long and spent too much energy to ensure my vengeance could be unleashed, and it was finally close at hand.

  Everything I was, everything I am, was a bittersweet lie, but if I could get the Kuroikagami, maybe, just maybe, my lies would become truth.

  “See that Kurokō completes the tasks that I gave him,” I told my son, leaning down to help him rise to his feet. His body, though strong and powerfully built, was still crippled from the terrible blows his father had given him lifetimes ago.

  Turning his eyes up to meet mine, he smiled, and my heart stuttered. He truly was the most beautiful of my children, and far more beautiful than any of the children my first husband had brought forth after me. Tenderly cupping his cheeks in my hands, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his forehead.

  “Go then, my precious son, with my blessing.” I stepped back and turned away, allowing him to leave without him having to bear the shame of me witnessing his infirmity.

  Oh yes, his father had much to answer for, and if I had to destroy all of Japan to make him pay, I would do it gladly.

  I watched a few snowflakes drift by my window, carried on a phantom breeze.

  The yuki-onna was a wild gamble. Like her family, she was unpredictable, dangerous, but cunning, with more luck than any nine cats. If I predicted accurately, she would manage to get the mirror for me, even if she believed I was sending her to her doom.

  I shrugged at the thought.

  I could not care less about her, her family, or her father. They were just minor pawns in the grand scheme of things. Live or die, as long as they performed the tasks I set before them, my vengeance would be at hand.

  I wrapped my arms around my shoulders, staving off another shiver from the interminable cold that haunted my every moment on this world.

  Maybe then I would stop freezing and feel alive again.

  Or not.

  ❆❅❆

  The Nightmare Beast | The Nightmare Realm | Now

  I stalked the length of my prison, though it had no beginning nor end.

  I have been trapped here for moments, for lifetimes, for forever, since time began.

  I do not know who I am, who I was, or who I will be.

  I do know a few things.

  It is almost time to be released.

  She is the key.

  I hunger for her.

  I will have her.

  Forever.

  Mada, Mada! まだまだ

  Woo, and that’s it for 0 Absolutes, but not the last you’ll be hearing from Yuki Shiro, Kurokō Nekosan, Vilhelm Vindorm, Kink, Cam, Yuki’s squad, Yuki’s family, or any of the rest!

  Trust me, Yuki and the Guys are eager to get back to business, and there’s more to come! Keep an eye out!

  The following pages include a Glossary, as well as a glimpse at other books in the same Uncanny World!

  C.A. Storm

  Christopher M. Coyle

  Glossary

  Ohayō! Miki here! Yes, this is Yuki’s story, but she had me put together a little glossary for those of you that may not be familiar with some of the terms used in the book! I think I caught everything, or at least most of the terms I figured you’d want to know in particular. I’ll add to the glossary as new words get tossed out, promise!

  Yuki also has me putting together some files on key people, groups, locations, and all of that stuff, but it’s a huge undertaking, and I may have gotten distracted by the Doctor Who Christmas Special…gomen-ne!

  Well, sayonara for now! Miki out!

  A

  Anam Cara: Irish-Gaelic, it translates to soul friend, but for the Leanaí, they use it to mean specifically “soul mates” or “true mates,” someone whose destiny is intimately tied to your own.

  B

  Bakana Abazure: Japanese, it’s a slang insult that translates roughly to mean dumb bitch or stupid slut.

  Buzoku (部族): Japanese, it translates to tribe. For the Yōkai, it is the familiar/short form referring to the Yattsu no Buzoku, or The Eight Tribes. Nearly all Yōkai in Japan were absorbed in to one of the Buzoku during the Meiji Era for protection against the “modernization” (Westernization) of Japanese society.

  D

  Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu: Japanese, this is the most formal way to say thank you. Dōmo is the casual way while arigatō is the polite way of expressing thanks.

  E

  Ecchi: Japanese, slang meaning perverse or perverted. It is actually the first “letter” of the word hentai, which itself is short for hentai seiyoku, which means perverse sexual desire.

  Enoch: A modern slang utilized by supernaturals to refer to the race of otherworldly beings known vulgarly as “angels.” While they do have the form of angels from Christian mythology, falling into various categorizations such as Choirs, there are numerous sub-races, ranging from the putto through the rulers of individual choirs, the Arch-Angels (note that archangels are a separate group from Arch-Angels, much lower on the hierarchy…I know, it’s confusing, but I didn’t name them! [Miki])

  G

  Ginza District: A district in Yokyo, it’s the Rodeo Drive of Tokyo, a popular, upscale area in Tokyo known for its extravagance.

  H

  Heika(陛下): Japanese, it is attached as a suffix to names, serving as the Japanese equivalent of your majesty.

  I

  Ikiryō (生霊): Japanese, it is a living ghost or eidolon, or the spiritual body of a living person that can travel to other people or over great distances.

  K

  Kage (影): Japanese, translates to shadow.

  Kage no Buzoku(影の部族): Japanese, the Tribe of Shadows. One of the Eight Tribes of the Yōkai.

  Kage no Kōgō (影の皇后): Japanese, the Empress of Shadows, the consort of the Kage no Mikado, the Emperor of Shadows. Currently held by Kuro Amaya, the Witch of the Night Rains.

  Kage no Mikado (影の帝): Japanese, the Emperor of Shadows, titular head of the Kage no Buzoku. Currently held by Kuro Kage, also known as Kage Kobito, the “Shadow Lover”

  Kage no Katei (影の家庭): Japanese, the “traditional,” old school name of the Kage no Buzoku, it roughly means the household of shadows.

  Kami (神): Japanese, kami are spirits and gods worshipped in Japan. Okay, this is where it gets a bit esoteric. See, kami are part of Nature, but exist in the shinkai, a mirror realm that reflects and touches upon our own.

  Kamon (家紋): Japanese, also known as mon, these are emblems or crests used to identify an individual, family, or organization. Mon is the catch-all term for all emblems, while kamon refers more specifically to a family…(don’t let Yuki know that I told you, but that symbol on her chest, that weird glowy tattoo? I’m totally calling it a kamon! [Miki])

  Keirei (敬礼): Japanese, okay this is a bit of an explanation! In Japan, there are s
everal ways of bowing, because we make an artform out of everything! This is a semi-formal bow. Actually, I’ll detail our bowing system below, under ojigi!

  Konbanwa: Japanese, means good evening.

  Kuroikagamo (黒い鏡): Japanese, means Black Mirror. I have no idea what this is; I haven’t been able to find anything on it yet. But I will, oh yes, otherwise Yuki will shove a snowball down the back of my hoodie, and I hate when she does that!

  Kyōka Suigetsu (鏡花水月): Japanese, its literal translation is “Mirror Flower, Water Moon.” It’s taken from a Chinese Proverb that means something that can be seen, but you can’t touch it, like flowers reflected in a mirror or the reflection of the moon off of water. It’s the poetic way we Yōkai refer to spiritual pocket realms, created by powerful magics, where we can interact with the spiritual plane without freaking out the humans. The Enoch create something similar they call an interjection, and a number of other supernaturals have their own terms for it as well. The quirk of it all, however, is that whoever created the pocket realm has ascendancy over its rules—or, in layman terms, they give themselves home field advantage.

  L

  Leanaí: Irish-Gaelic, it translates to children, however, for supernaturals, it’s the catch-all term used to encompass all those tied to the Tuatha, the “gods” of much of Western Europe, so it covers the Sidhe, who are the direct descendants of the Tuatha, as well as the Fae, who were either created by the Tuatha or are from one of the otherworlds the Tuatha originated from.

  M

  Malakhim: The lowest order of actual Enoch, these are the messengers and foot soldiers of the Enoch Choirs.

  Meiji Era (明治時代): Japanese, known as Meiji-jidai or Meiji Period, it began in 1868 and lasted through the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912, it signaled a shift from a feudal society towards what it is today, affecting all parts of society, from social classes through politics, the military, and foreign relations. Prior to this period, Japan was an isolationist society, but through trade and opening its borders, began evolving to a more industrial nation.

  Monstrum: Latin in origin, it originally meant a disruption of the natural order of things, an “unnatural” event, and over time was shortened to the more familiar “monster.” It’s uncommonly used these days, so if you hear someone using it, they’re positively ancient and possibly decrepit.

  O

  Ojigi (辞儀): Japanese, the techniques for bowing in Japan. The depth of the bow indicates your intentions, your comparative rank, formality, and all sorts of different things! From a head nod to close friends, there’s the eshaku (会釈) with is an inclination of about 15 degrees, used to greet co-workers, it’s the least formal of the bows. Then there’s the keirei (敬礼), a bit more formal bow of about 30-degrees, used for greeting people higher than you on the totem pole or older people in respect, or if you want to ask for a favor! Then there’s the saikeirei (最敬礼), with is the 45-degree bow, used for very important people…I call it the kiss-ass bow, but you can use it non-sarcastically if you’re not me. Got all that? There’s more. Guys, keep your hands at your sides and a little bit towards the back, while you ladies should place your open palms on your thighs or placed one over the other in front of you. OH! And there’s more! There’s the dogeza (土下座), which is only used in martial arts or making a big apology, or are facing someone who could kill you with a thought…this is the one where you’re kneeling on the floor, bent over with your hands and forehead resting on the floor.

  Okāsan(お母さん): Japanese, means mom or mother, it’s formal – usually used to refer to someone else’s mother, or if you’re being really, really polite; or like Yuki, annoying. Haha is typically the more common term for mom, which makes me giggle too.

  Okutama(奥多摩町): Japanese, it’s a town in the western area of Tokyo, located in the Okutama Mountains.

  P

  Putto: Italian, putto is the term used for the little cherubic children seen in Renaissance art and in sculpture. For the Enoch, putto are disposable foot-soldiers, crafted from stone and imbued with magics to give them a life-life appearance. They are tiny, creepy, tough little creepy beasts. Did I mention they were creepy? Because they are.

  R

  Rav’malakh: Hebrew in origin, it’s the formal term for the archangels, the minor Enoch in charge of the malakhim.

  Roppongi District (六本木): Japanese, meaning six trees, it’s a district in Tokyo famous for its wealthy inhabitants, the night clubs and night life, and quite a few foreign embassies, making it one of the most diverse districts in Tokyo.

  S

  Saikeirei (最敬礼): The formal, standing bow, with back bent at a 45-degree angle. See ojigi.

  Shinjuku (新宿区): Japanese, Shinjuku is one of the most famous wards in Tokyo, serving as a major commercial district, with the busiest railway station in the world as well as the main government building for Tokyo. It also houses the infamous Kabukicho, the wildest red light district in Tokyo, as well as having lots of huge department stores!

  Shinkai (神界): Japanese, the world of the kami. This realm is the mirror of our own, where spirits influence the human world and vice-versa. This is one of the realms Yōkai can draw energy from, as they straddle the two realms. Kyōka Suigetsu can also create a bridge between these two realms.

  Shiro Clan (白い一族): Japanese, formally known as the Shiroi Ichizoku, this is Yuki’s family and clan. The core members of the Clan are all yuki-onna, but there are a number of other Yōkai associated with the Clan, particularly those who tend towards not having a penis or who embrace their feminine sides. It’s matriarchal, and while it technically falls under the Kage no Buzoku, the Shiro Clan is fairly well-known for doing their own thing. Oh! Shiro means white!

  Shiryō (死霊): Japanese, shiryō are the souls of the dead, sometimes called onryō. Ghosts, basically. If they’re “vengeful” or evil, they’re onryō, if they’re not, they’re shiryō! Simple, really!

  Shōchū (焼酎): Japanese, it’s a distilled alcohol, and can be made from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, brown sugar, or other ingredients. It’s a little stronger than sake, but not quite as strong as whiskey or vodka for you Yanks!

  Shō ga nai! (しょうがない): Japanese, it’s an alternative to the phrase shikata ga nai, but both mean basically “it cannot be helped.” It has all sorts of cultural connotations too, but I’m not going to go into those.

  Susanō (須佐之男): Japanese, Susanō is the god of the sea and of storms. He’s also the direct progenitor of the yuki-onna of the Shiro Clan. He’s a bit of an odd one, some times a hero, some times a villain, he’s one of the “Big Three” Japanese gods, which includes Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, and Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. There are a lot of other gods, but these are the

  T

  Takama-ga-hara (高天原): Japanese, meaning The Plain of High Heavens. Basically, where the gods dwell. It exists above and beyond the realm of shinkai, where minor kami dwell.

  Transfiguration: Supernaturals undergo a transformation, when they first come into their powers. No matter what their origin is, and this process is called transfiguration. It’s different for just about every race, such as vampires who undergo their “First Death” in order to become whatever it is they are. For those who are born supernatural, such as many shifters and the yuki-onna of the Shiro Clan, it’s when they hit their 25th year. This marks that they have survived a quarter-century, at which point their human bodies can finally handle the full brunt of their supernatural power.

  U

  Umeshu (梅酒): Japanese, a sweet-and-sour plum liqueur made of ume (Japanese plums), rock sugar, and shōchū, stepped for a long time and allowed to “ripen.”

  Y

  Yankī (ヤンキー): Japanese, a slang term that tends to be used to refer to a group of “juvenile delinquents” from the 1970s/80s in Japan, a subculture that embraced motorcycles, dyed/bleached hair, uniforms, and had a certain reputation for violence. Pretty much inspired by
the American military GIs who occupied Japan, who introduced the American version of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll to our poor, impressionable youth. The subculture still exists, though much less prevalent now, unless you’re hanging out with Yuki’s mother!

  Yattsu no Buzoku(捌の部族): Japanese, meaning Eight Tribes, the formal name referring to the current organization of the various Yōkai in Japan. While not all Yōkai are a part of the Buzoku, all members of the Buzoku are Yōkai.

  Yōkai (妖怪): Japanese, it traditionally refers to various supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons of Japan. There are countless types of Yōkai, ranging from entire species to unique individuals. Some more specific terms include ayakashi (あやかし), or the Yōkai of the waters, mononoke (物の怪), non-corporal spirits, and henge (変化), shapeshifters, just to name a handful

  Yuki-onna (雪女): Japanese, literal translation means snow-woman. Popular in Japanese folklore, there are actually numerous types, all descended from different families. The Shiro Clan is only one small group of yuki-onna, and aren’t necessarily characteristic of the race as a whole. Generally, they’re beautiful women, identifiable by the long, black hair and blue lips, with inhumanly pale, almost translucent skin. Their eyes can strike terror, they can transform into a cloud of mist or snow if threatened, and it is said they can kill with a touch or a kiss as they drain all the heat from a living being and leave them a frozen corpse.