Niqixin had not received burnt offerings in a very, very long time.

So when he got the letter, it was impossible to miss.

But there was also a problem here.

Niqixin didn't know how to care for children.

When he had granted a child to his last faithful follower, he had expected that his blessing would be enough, at least, to keep her alive until she had fully raised the little girl she'd so desperately longed for. He may have been weak these days, with not even ten shrines to speak of, and even less visitors, but still--his blessing should've carried Anko to middle age at least.

To hear that she had passed to the far shore truly saddened Niqixin's heart. He supposed that it would not be long before he also made the journey into a new life.

Well, perhaps next time he would be human again, and he would be reborn with Anko so that he could support her through a long and healthy life.

For now, while he remained upon this earth, he had to care for the child.

Her name was Yumeko. Anko had picked out this name. He had never met her until today. She was four, now, and looked exactly like her mother. Luckily he also possessed dark hair and eyes, so it couldn't be said she wasn't his child. She was also a friendly child and was not scared when she came to live with him, though his quarters were strange and archaic by today's standards. In fact, she seemed to like the shrine very much. From the minute she arrived, she ran around the rooms and then out into the thin woods surrounding.

But as for how often she needed to be watered and fed, that was unclear to him. He understood also that humans needed facilities to urinate and defecate. The shrine didn't have those. Nor did it have any sort of proper kitchen. At most there was a small cooking pit outside with a stove and well.

If only a visitor would come to his shrine. Then he could ask them how one was to care for a human child.