The snow was thicker the closer they were to the shrine, to the point it was difficult to walk through. Sumire had to cast a few warming spells to melt the snow so that the two of them could move forward, but she knew that she was depleting her own energy to do so — energy that she would need to fight Yuki Onna, should it come to that.

It would come to that, she knew. Her grandfather had instructed her to seal Yuki Onna. Either she succeeded in her task, or she failed and never returned.

The talisman in her hand flickered weakly before dissipating into ashes. She took more talismans from her coat pocket and turned to Natsuno.

“Perhaps you should make yourself useful and cast a few talismans yourself”, she said, before casting another spell. It flickered up like a candle amidst a snowstorm, barely heating up anything in front of them.

“I would if I could, Princess”, Natsuno returned, bitterness in his tone.

Sumire blinked in confusion, before she realized belatedly that as a part-yokai, Natsuno wouldn’t be able to cast talisman spells himself. Not to mention that, being a yokai cleanser, he probably would have a different skill set compared to most yokai hunters.

“My apologies”, Sumire said. “That was insensitive of me.”

Natsuno stared at her, as if he couldn’t believe what he heard. Sumire couldn’t understand why. Was it so odd of her to apologize? But then Natsuno shook his head and continued slogging through the snow, until eventually Sumire took pity on him and cast more warming spells to help him through.

“It’s odd”, Sumire said, to fill the awkward silence that began to stretch between them. Her breath came in puffs of hot air as she spoke. “According to the Yokai Codex, Yuki Onna is not usually one to cause such a large disturbance, preferring to hide in the mountains and prey on unassuming mortals passing through the blizzard.”

“Unassuming, horny men, you mean”, Natsuno remarked, huffing and puffing from exertion. “Nah, this is probably caused by the shift in Yomi.”

“The shift in Yomi?” Sumire asked, ignoring the first part of his statement.

Natsuno paused, eyeing her as if scrutinizing her.

“You don’t know?” he asked back. Sumire shook her head, so Natsuno continued. “Mom said that since Lord Susanoo opened the Gate of Yomi, there’s been a slow, steady shift in the Land of Yomi, which affects all yokai, especially powerful ones.”

“What kind of effect?” Sumire asked, regrets beginning to build about sparing Tamamo no Mae’s existence. Tamamo no Mae was certainly powerful enough to be categorized as ‘powerful ones’.

“I don’t know, she said it’s like some kind of temptation”, Natsuno said, shrugging. “Constantly whispering in her ears. It’s difficult to fight, she said.”

“She’s also affected by it?” Sumire asked again, dreading Natsuno’s answer.

“Uh”, Natsuno paused, halting his steps. 

“Hm?” Sumire stopped too. But Natsuno simply resumed walking.

“I don’t know, honestly”, he said, ears turning red. But by then, Sumire knew enough about Natsuno to know that he was lying through his teeth, for whatever reason unknown to her.

—

A couple kilometers from the shrine, the snow fell so densely it started hindering their progress. The streets, covered in thick layers of pristine yet eerie white, were vacant. There was no sign of life all around, and Sumire was beginning to worry. Were the people okay?

The snowstorm started so suddenly that it was probably impossible to evacuate in time, which meant they were trapped until they could stop Yuki Onna. Would there be enough warmth in their house to ward off the cold? Would there be enough food?

They were the only two spots in the otherwise spotless snowy landscape. Sumire’s warming spells were adequate enough that she barely felt the freezing air, but she noticed the way Natsuno was beginning to lag behind her, his footsteps no longer matching hers. Sumire threw her glance back to Natsuno a couple times, but they couldn’t afford to slow down, not if they wanted to stop Yuki Onna from turning the city into a frozen wasteland.

Sumire kept pushing forward, slowly to at least match Natsuno’s increasingly slowing steps. The boy’s silence was worrying, especially since Sumire knew how chatty Natsuno could be. When a muted thump came from behind, Sumire knew she preferred the silence to this.

She turned around worriedly, only to find Natsuno kneeling neck deep in the snow.

Sumire rushed to the boy. His body was freezing to the touch, and he was shivering terribly. His lips were red, but he was as pale as the snow that surrounded him.

“Hypothermia… is such a hassle”, Natsuno said shakily, as he hugged himself for warmth.

Hypothermia. The unfamiliar term rang in Sumire’s mind, though she knew what it meant, if barely. She trained as a yokai hunter, not a field medic. She was not prepared for this kind of emergency.

“I told you you were too underdressed for this kind of weather!” Sumire told him as she helped him move to the side of the road.

“So? What, are you going to give me your coat?” Natsuno asked her, still having the guts to be cheeky, the menace.

But, well… He wasn’t wrong. Sumire barely needed her coat, while Natsuno was probably freezing to death. Hurriedly, she took off her thick fur-lined coat and carefully wrapped it around Natsuno’s body.

His skin was so cold it was like putting her finger on a block of ice, and parts of his exposed neck were beginning to redden. Another thing Sumire was unfamiliar with.

“F-f-frostbite”, Natsuno said as if he could read her mind, his teeth clacking.

“I don’t know what that means”, Sumire returned, almost pleading for Natsuno to stay awake, to keep talking, to keep making cheeky remarks about her. Anything to prevent him from becoming as still as the snowy street around them.

“H-heh”, Natsuno chuckled, his lips trembling with each passing second. “Remind me to teach you basic first aid when we’re done here.”

Then, his eyes slipped shut.

No, Sumire thought desperately.