Meiji Jingu 3:02pm

Afterwards Kenai's men went back to their own place, then the three of us walked to Meiji Jingu under Yumi's lead.

"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked, as I paying the admission fee.

"Yes. The Meiji Jingu was established in the honor of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shokken in 1920. The main reason he built this place was so he could practice Shinto in the center of the city away from the noise of the city. Sadly, he died in 1912 and his wife died two years later. The people thanked their contribution by donating 100,100 trees, and volunteered to plant them in this place." Yumi waved her hand through the air around her.

"I appreciate the history lesson Signorina. But do you know where the clue leads?" Interrupted Louis.

"All the clue points to here. This is the most help I can provide." Yumi said patiently.

"Fine. I am going to return to my own hotel, Silk go with them and inform me if anything new comes up."

"Sure!" She clapped her hands together, all of a sudden she walked up to me and grabbed me by the elbow. For a moment I was completely shocked, as she dragged me a few steps. Quickly I resumed my steps to her pace. I turned around and saw Kazuto gave me a poker face. And when we are out of eyeshot. I loosened myself from her grasp and turned to her and said:

"Ok. What do you want Silk?"

"Ling I know you are up to something."

"Maybe."

"It's a thief's natural instinct to sense traps. So tell me about this trap you are setting up."

I walked a few steps ahead then turned around and said, "Can't hide things from a thief?"

"Not unless it's something I don't want. But you have something I want."

"And what is that?"

She giggled a little, but didn't say anything.

"Do I have to ask?"

"No, you have to guess."

"I am done with games."

"You have a way with everything it seems."

"I don't believe in luck. There is only skill and result."

"Hmm. You mentioned skill earlier, but would you consider joining this game in the first place be considered a type of luck?"

"If luck does exist, then joining this game would be the worst luck that I ever got."

"So you don't believe in good luck, but believe in bad luck instead...Very pessimistic."

"No, just being realistic."

"Realistic, hmm. You are more stubborn than I thought."

"Think what you want. I will continue to live the way I want, from before till now and afterwards."

"I like that. A thief lives by its own rules."

"I am not a thief. Thanks for the complement." I turned around and started walking in a random direction.

"You're going in the wrong direction." Silk's voice called out.

"Then why are you following me?" I didn't turn around.

"Stubborn men never realize their own stubbornness, until the wife tells him so."

"I am not the stubborn man, you are the stubborn wife." I realized my mistake too late.

"So you recognize me as your wife? Scandelux!" she cried out happily.

"Sorry to interrupt your little husband-wife chitchat. But have you forgotten our objective?" Yumi came from nowhere, and she appearing behind me like a ninja.

"See she recognize us as husband and wife!" Silk cried out.

"Hm." Yumi coughed to get our attention.

"Thank you." I said to Yumi dryly.

"The two of you could have your wedding some other time, don't forget why you are here the first place."

"I take my thanks back." I said.

"I don't need it anyways. Usually people come to visit this place is because it's one of the most famous Shinto shires. Perhaps the two of you could behave more like normal tourists and enjoy yourselves. Allow me to be your guide for now."

"Very well, I will acquire a babysitter." I turned away then felt a numbing pain coming from the back of my head.

"Did you knife hand me in the back of the head?" I demanded.

"Were you being disrespectful?"

"I don't know what you mean by disrespectful."

"Disrespect is disrespect. Knife hand is knife hand." She raised her hand again. To avoid further pain I decided to end the argument.

"Ok, I am being disrespectful and I apologize for that." I bowed.

"Don't bow to me bow to the Torii."

"I suppose you mean the door behind me."

"The Torii gate is the best indication of a Shinto Shire. Though I lived in a family that has a long Shinto history, I personally am not a Shinto worshipper, though I pay my respects." She bowed to the gate, and Silk followed her example. Without any other choice, I bowed too.

"Follow me." Yumi commanded, and I did. A few minutes later she stopped in front of what looked like a water basin.

"This is the Temizuya, these water basins are used by Shinto worshipper to purify their hands before entering the shire."

"So how do we purify our hands exactly?" I probably sounded clueless there.

"Allow me a demonstration." Yumi replied quickly.

She walked up forth to the Temizuya and picked a wooden ladle lying on the side. She rinsed her left hand with some of the water, then rinsed her right hand. Then she rinsed her mouth (without her lips touching the dipper), then she rinsed her left hand again, and allowed the remaining water to run down the handle. Then she set it back perfectly where it was.

"Do you both understand what to do now?"

"I am a fast learner." I said, as I walked up to the Temizuya and did the exact same thing she did, followed by Silk, who was flawless at it.

"Let's move on now." Yumi said as she turned around and started climbing the steps, I was going to follow but a thought stopped me.

"Is something wrong?" Yumi turned around and asked.

"I was just connecting the dots together."

"You mean the clues?"

I nodded, then continued: "I might have a lead, if the clue was in the exact order of whatever procedure that takes place inside the shire, write, pray and look beyond the great wave."

Yumi stopped in her tracks for a moment then replied: "Correct. Before entering any building inside you must bow twice and then clap twice."

I made a connection of her words with the clue and realized something so big and obvious, it shouldn't be a surprise, but it sure felt like it.

"What is it Ling?"

"I think I just found out the clue's location, Yumi lead us to the ema."

"Don't trip." She said as she continued to walk on.

"So what are we going to do exactly?" Silk said with a disappointed voice.

"Like the clue pointed out, we are going to write."

"Write what and on what exactly?" Silk asked. Why were women so dense? I wondered

"Are you that dense?"

"Maybe." She smiled and I let out a deep sigh in my heart.

"We are going to write on wooden plates called Ema, am I correct Yumi?"

"Yes, that is what an ema is precisely for." Yumi said.

"And what are they used for exactly?" Silk asked.

"I will let Yumi explain this one."

"Very well, allow me to explain." She cleared her throat and continued, "Ema are small plates of wood that you write your wish on."

"Wish for what?" Silk voice rose.

"Exams, successes in business, health, relationships... basically anything. As long you have the ema with the right picture of what you want on it."

"Ah! Is their one for marriage?" Silk clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Perhaps later." I said.

"So you do accept, when is it going to be?"

"Perhaps never." I said.

"No matter how long it's going to take, I will wait for till the end of time if necessary!" Silk said with much more drama.

"I prefer you stay on the task at hand." I sighed.

"With pleasure!"

"Yumi do you mind buying 3 emas for us? Because I don't have any literal yen on me." I asked.

"I don't mind, as long you pay back 3 times as much in the future." She replied.

"Are you serious?"

"Do I sound serious?" she said in a normal tone.

"Totally. But time is money and we don't have much left."

"Not only have you owe me 3 times the money, but also 3 times my time. You will have to pay back my time with labor." She said with ease, though I felt crushed. She walked up to the Ema stand and exchanged a short conversation with the male counter. I scanned the place for a moment and like I expected we were being trailed. Two guys on the right side of the main shire and one at each gate. I didn't see Stainless Steel, but I assumed there was a really high chance that those guys were on the same side as him. I turned my attention back to Yumi as she returned.

"Pick one Ema you like off that stand there, then hang it over there." She pointed.

The Ema stand was under a tree, and when I got a closer look at it there was a sea of various type of emas, with colorful graphics or words printed on them. Even though personally I didn't believe in anything such as fate or religion I respected them. Finally I settled my eyes on an ema that contained a graphic of a ray of light shining through darkness. Subconsciously I reached for that ema, when I held it in my hands a wave of emotion washed over me. This ema pretty much sums up my life so far, walking blindly in the infinite dark. Literally everything changed. Now I felt that ray of light in my eyes, and I was no longer hesitating to follow it...

"I picked mine Ema, how about you..." Silk peered over.

"Yes, but that not the actual purpose why we are doing this, now all we have to do obey clue. It says we have to pray beneath nature."

"And how do we do that?" Silk asked, I was worrying about this women IQ.

"Think about it carefully, what do you think relates to nature?"

"Umm, money? Because money comes from trees?"

"Uh...How about focusing on the things right around you?"

"Umm..." she hummed, at this point I started to worry about this woman's IQ, so I put my hand to my forehead and shook my head.

"Look above you." I pointed upwards.

"Oh the sky!"

"No..."

"The clouds?"

"No! It's the tree..." I spoke with pure disappointing frustration.

"Oh. Didn't quite realize that..."

"Yes, I did a little online research back at Yumi's house and found out this is no ordinary tree. Am I correct Yumi?"

"Correct. This very tree is known as the divine tree..." Yumi stopped herself.

"Yes, let's try not to disturb the sprits." I said calmly.

"Sprits? What spirits?" Silk asked.

"Shush." I put a finger against her lips gently and she immediately quieted.

"Now let's hang our Ema and say a prayer." I continued.

Silk was quiet and Yumi even quieter. The 3 of us hanged the Ema up without question then kneeled beneath the tree. The 3 of us clasped our hand in prayer, lowered our heads and closed our eyes. Though I don't believe in God so I remained in silence, but for some reason I decide to say my prayer in my mind.

Dear God, if you exists please answer me a question. Why am is my life like this? What have I done to deserve such a fate, I know for a fact that the world is not a fair place but please give me an answer for that...actually I can put all of years of suffering behind if you let me witness justice brought upon my father...that all I ask.

Then I opened my eyes and looked up. There it was, the Relic tied to a thin thread hanging high in the branches.

"Yumi do you have any way to get us in here during midnight." I asked.

"Yes, but promise me nothing is going to go wrong." Yumi replied.

"I will promise I will try my best not to go wrong." I replied with a mischievous simile.

"And how good's your best?" She taunted.

"Better than yours if you have a chance to let me show you." I taunted back.

"We shall see about that."

"One more thing, the two of you don't have to come with you don't want to."

"Pas du tout. Certainly not."

"No, I need to babysit you further."

"And let me ask one more promise from you guys, if this whole thing becomes too dangerous I need the two of you to run away as fast as possible."

"No, you have my word and blade." Said Yumi.

"And me till the end of time." Silk said.

"Alright, then let's do this."