Even if the two children had similar impressions about human race, their experiences were basically very different. Hozuki was able to isolate himself totally from human contact, the bonds completely severed after a single event that exposed him directly to the deep dark pits of human hearts. Ironically, embrace such darkness saved what was left of his childhood, but not without consequences.
Deep down he felt different from his oni friends, in a way hard to explain with words. But he wasn’t feeling like this with Youko and Byako, as if they were somehow similar to him, in a different way of the carefree companions of his own species.
So he just nodded in silence before the pale boy’s thank. He kept thoughts to himself and reactions behind the serious face, but that was very pleasant and unexpected, since in his perspective he just said the obvious. Why look like a fox would be a bad thing? They can be sly if necessary, but also are clever, free, fluffy and strong. Only humans would bend the comparison, turning it into an offense.
Not a surprise, actually.
“What do you mean? This is an actual ball.” Hozuki blinked, genuinely confused by the tanned boy’s suggestion. “I mean, a paper ball would do too, of course, but I never played with one.” He shrugged. “I don’t even remember the last time I saw one.”
Say that he didn’t care about the previous skull owner was an understatement. It was like he never saw it as a dead bone of a previous living being, just naturally a toy at the demon’s disposal. In the end, that was the best option the little demons had,since bones were a lot easier to find than anything else.
Turning his attention to Youko standing again and watching his small banter with Byako, Hozuki approached them in silence, just speaking when the blond commented about their surroundings.
“It’s not the main Gate, but there’s a passage further into the woods this way. I usually come to mundane from there, since is more calm. The main passage is always crowded with wandering dead souls. Same with the River… but I never had been in there. It seems that a crazy witch lives in the boarders, ripping off the clothes of the passerbys and stealing them.”
The way Youko commented so casually over the possibility of a Hell’s entrance nearby was quite pleasant, when would be understandable to everyone but Hell’s residents to feel uneasy. Probably that was the reason Hozuki felt inclined to tell things in more detail.
“But how and where did you think a Hell’s passage would be, then?”
ミ☆ “ Huh...? A skull is a skull and a ball is a ball-- never mind. ”
ミ☆ “ Maybe it is a ball for you Hell residents. ”
Of course, he wouldn’t really press further into this conversation if that was simply how the demons from hell saw a person’s remains as. It was only a matter of perspectives. For the two beings that lived on on the same realm as the humans for years now, it was perhaps a little strange for another person to just react so casually to a person’s bones that they would have no association or thought that this person did breathed and lived once.
Pleased that the thing was clean enough, he would perch it on a branch, at least to keep the possibilities of other strangers from kicking it around. He didn’t really asked Hozuki if he would be fine with using another item or something... but hopefully the oni wouldn’t mind for a substitute. Even if the boys didn’t particularly like the humans when they’re alive, it didn’t give them an excuse to mistreat the dead.
Blue eyes looked down towards the younger demon that walked closer to join them, listening to the question posed. How did he imagine the entrance to look like anyway? They’ve known of the place, sure, but never was it relevant to them or to the purpose of their existence. The travelers had no plans on ever going to Hell in the first place... even if Hozuki’s little description of the, he supposed, more used entrance sounded crazy.
❈ “ I never thought about it. ”
He was awfully honest in his answer, because there wasn’t much to say about it. It just seemed a little bit unexpected to know that this whole time, the entrance was surprisingly close to where they had been camping out. One would think, especially exorcists, that with the entrance of Hell close by for demons to move to and fro, a lot of trouble would have happened in this area. But so far, it was relatively peaceful.
❈ “ But that’s right, you said that you never played with an actual ball? ”
Perhaps a part of him felt a tiny bit of pity... or sympathy. Long children hardly ever had the luxury to enjoy themselves; human, spirit, or demon this was perhaps a shared experience.
❈ “ I can... make one for you. Would you be fine with that? ”
Light strokes tickled the sleeping demon’s skin, and its white hairs were weighed heavily by ink. Thin wisps formed the lashes, and the Medicine Vendor paid no mind to any sort of movement Karauri took within his sleep. Years of practice applying his own makeup, this very skill of a delicate hand, finally amounted to this very moment.
❈ “ Hmm... ”
He hummed, pleased with the results of his finished work. He never practiced much when it came to painting -- lest it was calligraphy, but that was a different skill -- so this could have been counted as the first attempt to imitate today’s styles found in pop culture.
It was just in time too, as one unsavory whiff roused the model moe protagonist.
“Nasubi, you need to bathe!”
“Sorry, I stepped in Shiro’s poop. It was fun and squishy! It was like warm mud! Right, Kusuriuri-san?”
❈ “ I wouldn’t know, Nasubi-san. ”
Wearing tall getas usually prevented any sort of feces reaching near his feet, and even then, stepping into a pile was something he avoided. He glanced toward the duo after having briefly focused his attention to the brush, and there was something in his eyes and the curl of his lips that hinted amusement.
There were plenty of things that Miyoko had learned about her new neighbor, and at times, it would feel as if she had known so much since the beginning, even if Hibiki had never spent to much time talking about himself.
Trying to get him to elaborate on anything relating to him was difficult enough. He seemed to be a private person. However, the fact that he didn’t even refuse her invitation of having him over nearly every night, so that they could simply just watch whatever what was on, didn’t seem to fit exactly. He was fine when it came to discussing over topics, in fact he was damned knowledgeable in a lot of things. But when it came to himself? she got nothing but simple shrugs, short answers that really didn’t tell her anything.
It was like she was playing twenty questions with him, and he was spamming the ‘unknown’ or ‘sometimes’ button.
Okay, it might have been very silly to assume that her neighbor didn’t have any friends, mainly because of how mysterious he was to anyone (and his condescending attitude would probably drive almost everyone away), but how could she not be surprised at such a thought? Anyone that stood outside of his apartment were old men and women who looked as if they were nothing but skin and bones-- it was obvious that they were his customers.
That was why she was mildly caught off guard, when she saw a young man standing in front of Hibiki’s door on her way home from her early opening shift. The stranger looked to be peering at a sheet of paper in one hand, cradling a wrapped present in the other. It had to be a friend-- right? What else could that package be if not some sort of housewarming gift? Besides, he didn’t look like the old geezers that did come by for fixes for their back pain-- or whatever they needed medicine for.
“Excuse me.”
Such a deep baritone voice knocked her out of her thoughts, Miyoko squeaking in surprise, quick to answer, “Yes!?” in her small fright. His expression looked to be very intimidating, with that serious looking face of his (and the oversized cap did nothing to make him look less so).
“This is the right address for Kusuriuri-san, is it not?”
Kusuri...uri? For some reason, the name felt familiar, really familiar... but what kind of person would really have a job occupation as a name--
“Oh! You mean Hibiki?” It had to be who he was referring to, who else at this building sold medicine? It was just strange to call a pharmacist that however. He must have been waiting at the door with no one inside to answer it. “He and his brother are usually out around this time,” She placed an index finger on the side of her cheek, as if she was in the middle of consideration, “If you have a message, you could leave it with me--”
“他妈的--!”
❈ “Now yelling expletives won’t do, 牛... or should I call you 蚝油牛肉 instead?”
There was a loud shriek, as if whatever the phrase was it was highly offensive, “STOP CALLING ME THAT YOU 狐狸!” It would seem as if the demand was only met with a chuckle.
One new voice and another familiar rang in her ears, the loud yelling from the foreign speaker interrupting her initial offer. The one-sided bickering only got louder as the voices traveled up the stairs, and Miyoko turned on her heels to see who exactly was Hibiki talking with, being cursed out(?) in what sounded like Mandarin. For a moment, she had forgotten what she was talking about with the scary man.
The first to come up as another young man, with an uncanny semblance to the first stranger she had met-- this one had to be a friend of Hibiki, former classmates perhaps? She didn’t know that her neighbor could speak Mandarin! When she saw the iconic purple beanie peeking into her sight with each step the enigma took, she couldn’t help but to smile.
“Hibiki!” Miyoko greeted with a small wave when he climbed over the last step, “There’s a--”
“EYE JAB!” In what only should be a second, the woman felt wind rushing past her, the first stranger honing into his target, which was the second stranger with such a threatening intent. More yelling and screaming occurred, and the one who seemed to be completely disconnected from the violence was Hibiki, who paid no mind to his ‘friends’ trying to poke each others’ eyes out and simply proceeded to approach her.
S-Should be be more concerned with whatever was happening behind him? Due to his everlasting collectedness, she felt as if she was being nervous for him.
❈ “I see you’re off of work early... Miyoko.” He commented, the tone of his voice remaining the same as ever, and she still heard him perfectly despite the raising background noises of ‘why the hell did you do that’ and ‘i might as well get my kicks in first if it was going to happen eventually’. She gave a weak nod and a faltering smile in response, trying to keep up with his casual attitude. Just exactly how can he pull that off all the damn time?
“Y-Yeah... I took the opening shift today...” That was why he didn’t drop by the cafe today, he was probably showing his friend around the city, “Are they you’re...”
❈ “... Friends?” He finished the question for her, looking behind him without the slightest shift in his expression. Still apathetic as ever she supposed. It was hard to imagine that he was the type to openly admit that those people were his friends. “Saa... something like that...”
Since this is more of a vomit than a drabble I’ll just vomit my thoughts on this development here rather than the tags. The fact that Hozuki was able to see that ‘slice’ of what Kusuriuri would go through for thousands of years now is sort of really significant to me. There are many times in where Kusuriuri would actually withhold information, but mainly because of the fact that it’s just simply how he does things. He prefers not to rely on people so much. After all, even if they’re the most helpful person in the world (aka Hozu) he’s still going to try to do things on his own. Then given the situation that Hozuki found himself in, it’s just even more frustrating for the oni that once again, Kusu is sort of bearing all of the weight on his own shoulders (when is he not tho?). It’s mainly Kusu-centric in terms of POV, mainly because I’m just more comfortable with that, but I tried the Hozu-parts. I’m suited to write a S&M medicine seller than a S secretary of Hell apparently. ┐(´∇｀)┌ //casually slips in 9001 trigger warnings in this post because it’s Mononoke after all and by no means i am a pro at writing horror/suspense stuff.
To him, only Kusuriuri had seen the illusion. The invisible barriers that separated the seen and unseen merged together, causing sporadic transitions between spring greenery and the black upon a crow’s feathers displayed through the small opening of sliding doors. The oni’s ability to the clear signs of a demon’s established territory was debatable, if not unknown, to the medicine vendor. Hozuki seemed as normal as ever, and even the most strong-willed of people would be at edge with what these sudden changes brought. If the other saw that nothing was too wrong then there was no need for too much concern.
Where they were was a strangely built structure: one corridor, multiple rooms that branched off from it. An abandoned building no doubt based on its outward appearances. It most likely served as some sort of strange inn. Kusuriuri had long since been attuned to these sorts of things, as he was simply just drawn to any location that needed his services. Though, to see Hozuki here? He knew that the other enjoyed visiting haunted houses, but it couldn’t be a coincidence that they would meet here of all places. Even if their terms of friendship had changed drastically, to the point in where the demon wouldn’t even consider that Kusuriuri’s unexpected presence meant usually one thing, it didn’t change the probabilities of just getting caught up into some other sort of mess.
“I don’t think we’re alone here.” Kusuriuri had already long considered of such fact. He thought that it wasn’t necessary to vocalize what both of them would eventually come to know.
❈“ Yes… It would seem that way… ” He only replied with a sweep of his hand, one single balance scale landing on the center of the chabudai that sat in the middle of the small room they were in. It stood as still, as if waiting for its next order. However, no bells dropped free to hang at its sides, as if that something wasn’t close enough to pose a real threat.
But how peculiar this was, there was not a soul here– no humans to tell their tale, no mortals to confess their part in the larger story. This wasn’t the first in where the exorcist was put into such a situation, but by no means was this a disadvantage. At this moment, he was already considering that it would be better to investigate the signs of live that could have remained. Piece together those clues before he would be forced to play his hand. Unless the mononoke itself willed for it, Kusuriuri preferred to not use the sword itself to replay the events that led to the fiend’s creation.
He moved to look toward the other side of the room– from the closed screen doors to another that lead to the inner garden. The shoji were still parted to allow any inhabitant a peek of the neglected zen garden.
For a moment, the Medicine Vendor’s vision shook, yet his physical body remained still, as if petrified. The only light source vanished completely, the world past those paper doors were nothing but intangible obsidian. The dusty room grayed with blues, reds, and yellows becoming indistinguishable. All sounds became silent to his ears, as only faint outlines within the darkness shifted to indicate movement. Was it writhing? It was too difficult to tell– everything was too dark; the opening was too narrow. Nothing but white noise existed; all he could hear was now the constant, subtle ringing. If he strained himself, perhaps he could perceive something past the empty noise.
One blink and all was normal once more, as if none of that happened. Yet, he still made no signs to tell his companion about his visions… Were they visions? Or were they pieces of the truth, of reality? Hozuki didn’t need to know of this fact. What is the mononoke trying to tell him?
“Kusuriuri?” One voice of slight concern, a remainder that his duty was only his to do alone. The oni was more than capable of handling himself– but so too was the exorcist.
The Medicine Vendor moved as gracefully as ever, to him the sensation of pins and needles was felt but hardly real. There was a lack of a verbal answer this time, highlighting that even his mind was somewhere else. The mononoke was not actively moving at the moment, he could tell that much from the scale. However, by no means was it doing nothing at the sign of unwanted guests disturbing its peace. Pale hands moved to shut the door, sealing them with his tailsmans and already had the blonde started formulating a plan of investigation.
For now, it would seem as if the main concentration of its strength was somehow connected to the center of this establishment: the garden. Working his way around, picking up the hidden parts to the story, he would eventually return here to tackle the last untouched area. Besides, not focusing on that specific location for now might hold off those visions for now.
❈ “ Saa… it would seem as if you’re now involved with this… I’m sorry. ” A part of him had to apologize. Whether or not Hozuki would decide to take on a role as an active participant in this unraveling of the story, it was up to the demon’s own decision. Even if he didn’t have an extra hand or two, it was still a rather straightforward job, no matter what possibilities the unexpected could manifest as. It was most likely that the demon would however, as he looked willing to help a brother out no matter the situation.
“Why are you apologizing? You cannot control when something like this happens.”
❈“ Still… ” But Kusuriuri dropped the conversation there. It was pointless to waste time to debate over who was ‘responsible’ and if an apology was ‘necessary’ in the first place. What was also the point of telling Hozuki to simply stay where he was?
“Well, whatever the reason is, it’s best if we deal with this quickly.” A model of efficiency, the oni was never deterred from any sort of revelation.
❈ “ True… ” A short and simple agreement, and already was he moving slip the box back onto his shoulders. This was the first in where he would elaborate on his mental plans. “ It seems as if the mononoke has yet to actively drive us out… so we have a moment to ourselves to investigate. ” At least, to the extent that they could before things would start to go down.
The two of them moved together, opening doors and entering the rooms that they passed by. Nothing out of the ordinary, all they found were settled dust and decaying furniture. There was a lingering hint of something sour, as if something was left to sit out to the elements for far too long. It was not the smell of molded wood or dust, but it was still unpleasant. By no means it stung noses, but it inferred that this place had a somewhat darker history than most would expect (and these two knew already figured out such fact).
If things were going continue as it was right now, provoking the mononoke to act in order to learn more about it would be a wiser move. How troublesome it all was, not having anyone to simply interrogate the truth and reason from. As it often went, the more prodding and digging the Medicine Vendor did, the more violent the mononoke became, allowing him to learn of its form as well. How backwards everything was, and both he and Hozuki had little clue when it came to what they were looking for.
Something that was ‘strange’ and ‘out of the ordinary’ sure, but it was still too vague.
“Hm? There’s something here.” An observation made by the oni had brought the exorcist’s attention, approaching closer to peer over the other’s shoulder. Peaking out of a drawer was a corner of a silken cloth, much too fine to belong in a place such as this with its spun golden threads.
❈ “ Hooooh…? ”
Hozuki slowly opened the cabinet to see, and the first noticeable change was how the peculiar scent intensified, more reminiscent of a decomposing matter, a corpse. Yet there was none, nothing but the folded cloth. Had this been the source? Without hesitation or even caution, Kusuriuri had picked up the silk. It was high quality from what he could tell, and not a single sign of blood or anything to dirty it. How pretty it was, and out of place. Left like this, most silk would have stained from the usual humidity this area brought, or insects would have gotten a taste of it for dinner. He doubted that there were any recent visitors that would actually use any of the storage here and forgot about it.
❈ “ It’s far too expensive for the owner say the least, ” He told his observation as if it was nothing but the factual truth. Most wealthy customers wouldn’t even pick a place like this to stay as there were definitely better places to rest at. “ … A customer that brought ill luck, perhaps? ”
Nothing but gross speculation. Without any proper knowledge on the history of this place and the people that used to inhabit it, it was all groundless.
“Is that what you think, Kusuriuri?” The Medicine Vendor tilted his head in response, “There were some locals saying about a story of how business went down after the owner drove a mother and her infant out. ”
…it would seem as if this guess was right. A pleasant surprise actually. Well, there was no reason to ask the oni as to why he had been withholding such information in the first place. Now the number of possible suspects has been narrowed down: a mother and her child– these two were the possible Reasons for this mononoke. Those who are involved were most likely the other customers and the staff– both unfortunately untraceable with how time has passed.
❈“ That’s good to know, ” He could picture it now, the reason for this mononoke was a curse upon the misdeed shown to either the mother or the child… but it had to be a serious matter to cause such a strong enough hatred for it to live this long. There had to be more.
It was then that the shoji screens shut, impact loud enough to shake the wooden frames. The two were fast in reacting to the sudden activity, and it would seem that finally their prying had begun to stir the culprit.
The Medicine Vendor was the first to approach the now shut doors. A painted finger running down on its wooden skeleton. No reaction– the mononoke is somewhere, but not necessarily behind the door. He did not want to open it just yet.
They cannot stay in here forever, worrying about if the mononoke would attack them, but they cannot go back out into the hallway without a good amount of caution in their steps. There was no point in establishing a barrier within the beast’s territory either.
❈ “ Hoooooh… ” The sword appeared within his hand, and he drew the shoji open.
The hallway was gone, that was the first thing that was noticed (despite it being hard to miss). On the other side of the paper door was instead a spacious room. Furnished as if it they were more in a lord’s mansion than an abandoned inn. Glances were exchanged along with raised brows. This was not one of the things either of them could have expected, but Kusuriuri was the first to regain his composure– this wasn’t the first in where something of this sort has happened.
Before the two of them, a scene plays out. The lavish room was now a spring garden, and a woman within her wedding robes steadily walked down her procession. Yet she herself was bold enough to interrupt the timed walk, as she noticed a lone basket to the side. Ignoring all of the protests and pleas, she picked up the child resting within it, and her face softens.
“What an adorable child… who in the world could leave you alone like this?” She asked, waggling a finger for the infant to reach out. It laughed, gasping it with his small hands and the woman herself glowed with joy. “There there little one… Mother is going to take good care of you now…”
“But my lady! You must go to Lord Himura’s estate!”
“A little delay does not jeopardize the marriage, Inoue. I have heard that the Lord himself is a compassionate man. He will understand the situation this child has found itself in.” No seconds later did everything disappear before their eyes. The procession, the woman… her new child and servant: they all faded away like petals to a flower. Left behind them was only the same room they witnessed in the first place.
“Then what happens now?” Hozuki had asked– no doubt he was used to seeing illusions, but for something of this scale and complexity that wasn’t built within the constructs of his mind like what the umi zatou did, it was a surprise. Was this the mother and child that the residents had spoken of? Most likely, and if so, what will happen next?
Intriguing, interesting. The Medicine Vendor’s eyes narrowed as he waited for the next scenes to play out.
❈ “ The mononoke wishes to tell us its story. ”
At the entrance of the estate of Lord Himura, commotion had already marked the ill luck the day would promise. A child’s cry was heard throughout the paper thin walls and a woman’s plea of mercy was drowned out by the panicked shouts of all the by-standers. In her eyes, she sees the young child held with no gentleness and no love. Rain had begun to fall that spoiled the white purity of her gowns. Dust and mud would cling to her.
“What is it?” Lord Himura asked, holding the crying baby by its neck. It squirmed in his hand and in his other held his sword.
“M-My lord, I swear to you that the child is not of my blood–!” She misunderstood his question, for his eyes registered another image. She had already grown attached to the young one as an instinct within her made compassion and empathy mandatory.
“WHAT IS IT?” He repeated his own question and a fear she could not understand was within his eyes. Why did fear exist when these men saw the child within her arms? Why did they immediately draw their swords as if it was a threat?
“Don’t you see? Can you not feel compassion? What has this child done to you?” She wanted to ask her lord such questions, but words failed to leave her throat when the crying had seized. Diluted red mixed by the rain dripped down both the blade and the body, splattering on the stone walkway. The swiftness of the action carried out made it all incomprehensible to her. ‘Why did the child stop crying?’ Her mind would ask as any other sounds fell deaf upon her ears. She could not register the words of the cancelled wedding, reasoning of how dishonor and disappointed would curse this day.
They stood there to the side, watching what was unfolding before them. One remained apathetic, the other looked to be filled with disgust. However, there was nothing they could have done in this illusion of the Truth.
So she ran. She ran as far as her legs could take her with the body in her arms. There were numerous times where she almost slipped, but found it within herself to keep on going, for the sake of the abandoned child she had taken responsibility for. She told herself that what she thought had happened was an illusion. A prediction of what was to come if she did not leave with the child.
She convinced herself that it was still alive.
“There there little one… Mother is going to keep you safe…” Her body was weak and her joints ached. But she knew that if she could keep this up for just a little longer, for the sake of her child, she would find shelter from the rain and could nurse it back to health. In the distance, she could see an inn closing in. If she could just get out of the rain–
“But we need shelter for the night!“ She pleaded, begged, to be offered a room to stay for the night. However, she could not understand why the innkeeper held the same fear in his eyes like the men at the estate. He held his sleeve to his nose, throwing the brush he had in his hand.
“Not when you’re carrying that around woman!”
T-That? She couldn’t understand why the innkeeper was so adverse to the child within her arms. What has this child done to you? Why was this man just like the others who wanted to have her rid of the child. It is nothing but a helpless creature.
“We’re in need of shelter–!” She pressed on hoping to find reason and compassion within the man’s heart. She was desperate, she had to find shelter from the heavy rain lest the child would fall severely ill.
“Go away! You’re driving our customers away!” He tossed the brush within his hand, and then the wooden scroll beside him. From the corner of his eyes he could see the patrons sparing glances towards their direction, the sleeves of their kimonos blocking the foul stench. He could hear the complaints leaving their lips and knew that it would be entirely bad for his business and midst the customers stood two men that didn’t particularly belong there, they were left unseen by everyone else.
The former bride used her body to keep the objects from harming the child, before quickly leaving the inn for now to avoid the onslaught of items. She left the building, but lingered close to it, determined to wait out under what roof she could find. In due time she was able to sneak her way into the back, fortunate that there was no one within the kitchen of the establishment. What she needed was food… milk for the child.
But she knew that she could not produce any, not now at least. There had to be another alternative.
“There there little one… are you hungry? I’m sorry that I cannot give any milk to you… Here… please drink this instead.”
One door closed and another opened. Their path was dictated by the will of the mononoke, and even Kusuriuri had no power to alter their way. This new route before them lad to the garden in the center of the inn. Was this an invitation? Or is it a trap?
The sound of a bell was heard, and the scale tipped towards the side, pointing to the world outside of the room. One step, then two. The medicine vendor moves without a moment’s hesitation. If he didn’t play along with the mononoke and its tedious game of show-and-tell, then no one would get anywhere. The other soul however, found himself left behind. One step, then two. He try to push through with his shoulder but whatever was holding him back would not budge. Brute strength did nothing to bend the invisible force.
He was forced to see back of Kusuriuri.
But if Hozuki tried, he could hear a faint voice, see a faint outline: the woman that shown the both of them her memories. She was out there with the other.
He remained still, the sword nearly ready– long and bony fingers clung to his kimono, a woman at his feet a sobbing mess. However, he showed no empathy towards her or her plight. At his feet was the edge of a shallow pool of water, dirtied and brown, the faint reflection of the golden being was visible.
“My… my child…” With whatever strength she had left, she pulled upon his robes, as if trying to climb up to his level, “Where… where is she..?”
He didn’t answer her, wholly ignoring the mother as another item had gained his attention. The oni could only look towards the same direction only to find nothing there. What was the long-lived exorcist seeing? Those eyes of his that seemed to stare across the horizon and into the depths of the earth thousands of years ahead gave no clue to the world seen through his eyes.
Why was he stalling? Didn’t Kusuriuri himself say that he had all the three necessary components?
“Where is she!?” In desperation she shook the living statue, her disheveled hair swaying violently with her own body. She instinctively reached for his neck, and her nails, caked with blood, dug into the fragile skin. Her bruising grasp did nothing to break or inflict fear, as if he was above breathing itself. The exorcist stared her down, with the same apathetic expression that he carried upon him nearly always. His answer was barely audible, and one had to strain their ears to make out the one word he spoke.
❈“Dead.”
Eyes widened in the momentary pause, the strength behind her grip dissipated. Between the exorcist and the woman, between them and the demon, there was an invisible barrier. Hozuki could not cross; he was forced to be a bystander. With each and every attempt to cross through the threshold, searing electricity erupted to stop him and then what felt like a solid wall. There were only a few meters standing in between them, but it felt as if they were worlds apart. It was as if he was looking through a window in where there were nothing but unfathomable misery, and the weight of it all rested upon a single man’s shoulders.
“Yo͏u͡’re ẁr̸ơng͜.҉.̀.͟”
The exorcist swiftly turned to face the artificial pond, pushing aside the despairing woman. The reflection of the other entity had disappeared; the burning sky had disappeared. There was nothing but darkness, and the shallow pond became a void that beckoned for the foolish to enter. What the Medicine Vendor had long saw what felt like hours ago was clearly visible to any and all who found themselves involved.
The sword levitated before him, and out from the depths of insanity, from the well of darkness, was a malicious energy. It would pull one forward, telling them to simply jump into the unknown. Arms slung over him, and a low voice whispered into his ear.
He now realized his fatal mistake. She was not the mononoke they sought for.
“Help me… find my child…”
The world looked to be engulfed in darkness, and only the blood upon her rags and the blue kimono didn’t lose their color. He moved fluidly, turning his back away to face a larger concern. She who found the will to move once again and clung to him, before giving one single push.
Both of them had vanished and yet the twisted world continued to exist. Crimson sky turned gray; old paint became monochromatic remnants. It was as if the entirety of the world outside of the small room was replaced. Such a stark contrast from the dusty and aging room to the lifeless wasteland, as if a spirit of death’s own brush had stopped short.
But why was he still trapped? Standing and watching, unable to do do anything. Hozuki had said once that he wanted to help but now he was physically unable to. He knew that the job was always dangerous but the possibility of ‘death’ was something that seemed too far away since this was something that Kusuriuri had done for millennia… But there was no denying that there was genuine worry (if not an emotion greater than it) to see the rarest of expressions play its way upon the visage of the exorcist. An unforeseen event, and unknown outcome now that he was gone.
What could he do really to help a brother when he was most in need of it? (There was no excuses really, even if there was an impermeable barrier standing between them.)
Sinking… dragged down to be lulled by the weight of nothingness. A realm where there was no top or bottom; no left or right. Strange as it was, it was still real, for the three components too existed here. Reigning consciousness, different lights manifested and sounds registered.
“There there little one… Mother is going to take good care of you now…” A woman in her bridal gowns coo’ed with affection. She held within her arms a child swaddled. She with a gentle finger, brushed a stray strand of hair and gave it a name and promised a home.
“What is it?” “M-My lord, I swear to you that the child is not of my blood–!” “WHAT IS IT?” The child was held by the skin of its neck– squealing, tongue lolling as it cried. To all but its mother, the deformed beast was not of mankind. An abomination, a monster– the child was called a demon by all who feared its appearance.
“There there little one… Mother is going to keep you safe…” Bloodied silk, a rushing heart, a still breath– the woman continued to run, crimson stains indistinguishable from dirt and grime.
“But we need shelter for the night!” “Not when you’re carrying that around woman!” “We’re indeed of shelter–!” “Go away! You’re driving our customers away!” The owner threw whatever he had on hand to drive the woman away. The stench burnt its way into the halls no matter how far she was made to go. Resent lived on past death, unholy punishment struck upon those who had offended the mother.
“There there little one… are you hungry? I’m sorry that I cannot give any milk for you… Here… please drink this instead.” She bled herself in desperation, but was unable to see that all was futile for it was nothing but rotting flesh and yellowing bones. Its grayed wrinkled skin painted red, but even what was left of its jaw was locked.
“There there little one… we’re finally together again…” “Haha-ue… thank you for being so kind to me.”
The sword echoed. Standing within an abyss, the true three factors were accepted. There had only been one, but even a mononoke didn’t need an exact reason to feel attachment. Flashes of light, erupting fireworks– both parties were united, and even savage rage was appeased. Even if one was not the same kind of his prey, the least he could do was to send them together to the other life.
One blink and the state of the world had returned to normal once more. Gradients of warm hues painted the sky as a clear indication of how much time had passed. The eternal night had long since been an illusion, and before him was once again the Medicine Vendor, standing at the very spot before he had been spirited away.
Neither of them made the first move– one was far too deep in contemplation over his recent actions and the other still unsure if he could even cross the boundary. Eventually one step happened, and he passed through effortlessly (has it existed to keep him out? Or as some form of protection?) To Hozuki, the long silence that left a ringing in his ears was shattered by his own steps, but Kusuriuri did not move in response to the approaching sound.
Since I’m making a come back, here’s a post for a couple
of people to notify me if they want me to keep the current
threads I have with them (if you haven’t forgotten them tbh).
This is only for threads that wasn’t planned through IMS or
PM or basically generic starters. So threads that started off
of memes that was given development and direction are kept
in my drafts and are exempt from this post.
Other than that I plan on dropping a lot of things such as
unfinished meme answers. I’ll also focus on just cleaning
up this mess of this of a blog, like its theme.
Several minutes had passed since they started the conversation in the King’s court, and still no wave of hesitation leaked from the exorcist’s spirit, no hint of ill intentions or doubts to be caught in a muscle flinch, breathe or blink, nothing in his posture allowing the King to make the smallest move against him. Nothing suspicious at all, a flawless and exemplar behavior worth the King’s praise.
Therefore, something wrong definitely should be going on. Exorcist or not, the very existence of someone like that was impossible. Hozuki wasn’t actually afraid of fall into the claws of the Sword of Salvation, since that would be impossible as well - he wasn’t a mononoke, after all.
But still, the King had to atest without fail the man’s declared loyalty, no matter what by which means. It was a good start until now, but not the end. That was, still, a test of waters.
“With Hell having your back, you won’t be alone at all. I give all the needed support for my workers. It’s only fair.”
Even keeping the politeness and the impeccable attitude, Kusuriuri finally brought a question to the table instead of just accept the subtle order humbly. Somehow, it was pleasant and allowed the King to go further into the subject.
“Well, who else?” Hozuki replied in a pratically amused tone, as if he could even smile at any moment. “I don’t say that in a derogatory way, of course. Baize is filthy but skilled; we would need someone as skilled as him, if not more, but reliable in all aspects. I’m sure you fulfil the requirements and the other Kings would also agree.” Not like they were used to discuss and disagree with Hozuki at all, but the oni was skilled in bend everything on his favor without room for accusations of his behavior.
“You wouldn’t be hesitant about replace an old… business partner, would you?” One step closer, a gesture larger and faster than the previous walk, and the distance between them was now just one feet.
❈ “ An old friend or an old business partner, change is inevitable even for beings like us... ”
The Medicine Vendor felt no flattery at the words Hozuki spoke of; they might as well be considered as the truth coming from him but they were not compliments to be grateful for. He answered the question posed however, perhaps slightly hinting a double meaning within his words that he himself was sure that the oni would not catch on.
Old friends were lost and replaced, but he was never talking about Hakutaku.
❈ “ It was bound to happen sooner or later I suppose... that he would lose his position one way or another. ”
Even he freely spoke of subtle lies without a flinch upon his body or a change of tone in his voice with the oni only standing a foot away from him. In fact, he even boldly looked up to the man to meet his eyes. This was no act of defiance, but it was a clear sign that methods of intimidation would never get through Kusuriuri. He lied that he would expect to see the forced eviction or arrest of the mythical beast.
Hakutaku might have been a rather foolish man, but he wasn’t blind to not see the trouble brewing over the horizon.
❈ “ Of course, to even hear that you consider the level of my craft to be, at the least, on par of his is honoring.”
Since I’m making a come back, here’s a post for a couple
of people to notify me if they want me to keep the current
threads I have with them (if you haven’t forgotten them tbh).
This is only for threads that wasn’t planned through IMS or
PM or basically generic starters. So threads that started off
of memes that was given development and direction are kept
in my drafts and are exempt from this post.
Other than that I plan on dropping a lot of things such as
unfinished meme answers. I’ll also focus on just cleaning
up this mess of this of a blog, like its theme.
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
theartofmadeline
stormborns
