Ushio & Tora Fan Fiction ❯ The I Of the Beholder ❯ Alchemy ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: It's mine! It's all mine! I'm actually Kazuhiro Fujito in
a VERY GOOD DISGUISE!!! Oh, what's that you say? It's time for my
medication? Awwwwwwww...... Seriously, folks: Ushio & Tora springs
from the massively creative cranium of Kazuhiro Fujito &, presumably,
belongs to him and whatever other affiliated companies happen to be
involved. Hey, lighten up; it's only the Universe......

Chapter 3: Alchemy

By Ysabet

"You helped me before..." whispered the girl, trying to backpedal away
from the deadly creature that loomed so large over her. "Why not now?"
Asako swallowed hard, keeping her eyes fixed on Tora's terrible silver
gaze--- it was better than looking at his teeth, or his claws; the
bakemono stared down at her, sharp eyes slitting briefly.

"That was then, girl. This is now, and I wasn't wounded then." A
thought seemed to strike the monster then and he sat back a little,
considering. Then he leaned over her again and spoke:

"I'll tell you what: As you are Ushio-brat's friend, I will kill you
quickly so you won't suffer; that way I can eat you and defeat this
bastard. Then the Donshoku won't get your soul, my territory, or Ushio
either for that matter." Tora smiled down at his prey, pleased with
the dreadful logic of his proposal.

Asako squeaked, scooting back until she thumped hard into the rough
stone wall; Tora stepped forward, a single huge hand on either side of
her shivering form. *Think, think--- there's gotta be a way to talk
him out of this---* She drew in a deep breath and looked directly up
into the bakemono's terrible face.

"And-- and what'll you do when Ushio finds out? He'll come after you
with the Spear, and you'll *wish* you were dead..... You'll wish you
were still stuck down in that basement with the Kemono No Yari through
you!" She tried to keep her voice calm; showing fear right now might
be a very fatal mistake.

Tora hissed softly, obviously struck by her words; he blinked.
"Rrrrrrrrrr. True enough, he does like you. And the stupid boy gets
angry over *every* little thing!........ Hhhhrrrrm. I suppose he would
come after me." He settled a little, carefully resting his wounded
side on the cold stone floor, propping his chin on one hand. "But--- I
am too weak to fight the Donshoku right now; I need power. I need
YOU." The bakemono shrugged; "Looks like I'll have to eat you after
all." and he leaned forward, silver eyes fixed on Asako's. She shrank
away, her throat tight with fear.

And then Tora stopped for a moment, tilting his striped face slightly,
reflective. "Still..... You are bright enough from what I've seen,
girl. If you can think of another way to handle this, then perhaps---
No? Well, then." He stepped forward again.

"...Be still a moment; this will be over quickly...." And the monster
raised a hand full of claws. "..... Unless you've thought of
something----?"

"NO!! WAIT--- I, I've got a better idea---" Asako flinched back,
trying to keep death at bay; Tora paused, eyeing her dubiously. "What?
It had best be worth my while, little human; my solution is so
simple." But he lowered his claws.

She thought frantically. "You.... need to get your strength back,
right? And you do that when you eat human flesh and blood, right?"
*Keep talking, Asako, keep talking. While you're talking you're not
dead.* "So, do you need--- a lot?"

The monster frowned again. "Not really, girl. A bite or so, no more;
it is not the amount of what I eat--- it's the life in it that I need
to heal. Why?" Now she had the bakemono's attention; he cocked his
head to one side, interested.

Asako pushed herself up on her hands, sliding back up to sit with her
back against the wall. One palm stung with the roughness of the stone;
she looked down at it, rubbing the fingers unconciously together.
"What if.... what if I gave you s-something freely? I mean, if I gave
you.... some of my blood.... would *that* be enough to help you?" She
tried not to think too much about what she was suggesting.

"Hrrrmm?" The monster seemed almost taken aback.

******************

Tora looked hard at the girl; she *seemed* serious, but humans were
chancy creatures at best. Was she actually suggesting that she
sacrifice part of her life to him? That seemed insane from a
bakemono's viewpoint.... but she WOULD live if she did that; perhaps
the bargain felt like a worthwhile thing to her. And..... *sacrificed*
life, *sacrificed* blood freely given--- well, he WAS a bakemono,
after all; there were rules about such things-----

He could gain a lot more from something freely given than from simple
human prey. It was oddly fitting, too, here in this place just above
his old prison..... And he was hurting; he wanted to heal.

Running one hand gingerly along the large gash in his side, Tora
nodded, impressed in spite of himself. This human was braver than
most, almost foolhardily so--- she reminded him of Ushio-brat. No
wonder they fought so well together..... He looked at her hard. "Well.
If you did *that*, then you could live, I suppose. But it will have to
be NOW, girl; I need my strength back quickly. The Seki Donshoku Mono
will find us sooner or later." He sat back a little, allowing the
human room to move. If she tried to run.....

But instead she only got to her feet unsteadily, breathing hard,
looking around the junk-filled room. "O...kay. Give me a minute."

******************

Asako gulped; she was going to have to go through with this or she
would be dog-food. Monster-food. Well, she thought a little
hysterically, if she went through with it *part* of her would be
monster-food ANYway..... But it was better than dying. Let's see.....
sharp, she needed something sharp. And a bowl or something. She began
searching through the dusty debris of decades, feeling the bakemono's
silver eyes following her every move.

After a few moments she had found what she needed in a cracked pottery
bowl and a broken bottle; the glass shards were plenty sharp enough to
do the job. Staring down at what she held, Asako felt her heartbeat
calming..... it was always this way for her. If she had a plan, if she
knew a way to do something, she could follow through; it was the
uncertainties that gave her problems. But she knew what she had to
do--- and she could do this.

She *could* do this. She had to.

Tora watched her as she knelt down beside him on the dusty floor;
Asako rolled her left jacket-cuff back a bit and looked blankly down
at her wrist. Frowning, she used the shard of glass to rip a length
from the bottom of her rather abused t-shirt to use as an improvised
bandage; then she sat back on her heels and looked him squarely in the
face.

"Okay. I'll give you what I can spare--- it won't be much. You said
you don't need much, right?" Her hand was shaking as she laid the
sharp edge of glass edgewise across her wrist. The bakemono blew out a
breath; he seemed slightly surprised at the fact that she was actually
going to go through with this. Sitting up carefully, Tora pointed a
single taloned claw at her face.

"No, girl, not much; but you must *say* what you are doing--- this is
a sacrifice, after all." That made her pause; a 'sacrifice'? Well, she
supposed it was, actually. But--- "Umm, why? I mean, why is that
important?"

The monster grinned, sharp teeth reflecting the dim starlight coming
in through the shattered doors. "Bakemonotachi have their own laws
about sacrifices. We gain more power from something willingly given
than we do from something we take. But you have to tell the elements
what you are doing; it makes the sacrifice real." He sat up rather
painfully, one hand holding his injured side, staring at her
expectantly; the bakemono seemed almost cheerful, like a kid waiting
for a promised treat.

*Tell the elements? What's he think I am, a miko?* But..... Okay.
Asako drew a deep breath, looking down at the shining bit of glass and
the pottery bowl. Then she spoke, addressing the air firmly: "Umm.
Uh...... I, Nakamura Asako, give this blood to Tora--- "
("'Nagatobimaru'" hissed the monster, making her start) "--- ah,
Nagatobimaru the bakemono as a gift so that he can heal himself and
defeat our enemy. I'm saying this so the elements can hear me." She
concentrated for a moment, remembering..... "Wood, water, fire, metal
and stone, do you hear me? This is mine, and I'm giving it to him!"
And she quickly drew the shard of glass *hard* across her wrist.

It didn't hurt quite as much as she thought it would--- and then it
did, and her eyes watered. The blood ran in a small stream rather than
in drops; the glass had been sharp and she had cut herself deeply.
Asako watched, almost hypnotized by the dark flow that filled the
bowl; beside her Tora was as still as stone. One inch.... one and a
half..... two..... The dark rivulet splashed flecks high on the sides
of the bowl; they looked black in the dim light. Two and a half.....
She was beginning to feel a little dizzy now--- careful, not *too*
much. But the cold pottery was warming in her hand and the shard of
glass slipping from her fingers to fall, "plink!" onto the harsh stone
beneath her knees. Three..... Three and a half..... Four. The bowl was
three-quarters full and her vision was beginning to swim--- it would
be a terrible pity if she dropped it. *Better stop now, Asako.*

With shaking fingers she placed the bowl on the ground between herself
and Tora, groping for the scrap of cloth; her fingers fumbled as she
tied it tightly around her wrist--- would it stop the bleeding?
Apparently so. Well, that was done. Giddy with a combination of
blood-loss and incipient hysteria, she laughed a little and said to
the monster, "Well, drink it--- don't let it get cold....."

******************

Tora shifted uncomfortably, staring at the pale girl beside him with
curious silver eyes. No-one had ever done anything like this for him
before, not in all his centuries----- a sacrifice? For *him*? How.....
peculiar. Humans were very strange things. The monster carefully
scooped up the small bowl.

Ahhhhhhh, he could feel the power of intent, of *will* radiating out
with the liquid's heat; so much strength in this little mouthfull! He
drank it down like milk----- it was fragrant and salt-sweet, and the
bakemono sighed as warmth and power slowly spread through his limbs
with a slow, lazy thoroughness. The wound in his side throbbed
painfully, but Tora could feel his flesh healing, could feel it
knitting under the influence of the sacrifice. For a moment he closed
his eyes, still gripping the bowl; humans had such *power* in them,
stupid as they were! And this girl..... courage had its own unique
strength and savor. He had fully intended to eat her; after all, what
was she to him? But now all he could feel was a strange, unaccustomed
sense of gratitude as his hurts lessened and the burning in his side
cooled and dwindled from deadly, draining heat to a bearable ache---

He opened his eyes; she was slumped back on her heels, grasping her
bandaged wrist loosly. *Her* eyes were almost closed, in sleep or in
faintness, he couldn't tell. "Girl. Are you well?"

Blinking, she turned to look at him; there was no fear in her eyes,
just weariness. "I'm okay, I guess..... just a little dizzy." The
human sighed, then sagged back to sit against the wall. "Tired.....
Did it help?"

"Oh yes. It is working..... I will need a little time to rest and
heal. Then I will hunt again..... You should rest too, girl, or you'll
be of no use" he said gruffly, noting her pallor. Whether she knew it
or not, she had given him a little of her life's energy along with her
blood; her words to the elements had affected her, too. Tora reached
out a long arm, catching her shoulder and pulling her down onto the
floor; the girl stiffened and resisted for a moment, but her limbs
were limp with fatigue and the results of prolonged terror. With a
sigh she relaxed suddenly, curling against his side.

The bakemono looked down at her; he could feel her life running
through her body like a river--- some of it coursed through him now in
vivid, warm little waves. Well, that was how he had been told by other
bakemonotachi that it was like with sacrifices; you found yourself
bound to the one who gave to you for a while. He couldn't eat her
now..... Stupid human, stupid brave little human, to do such a thing.
She really *was* a lot like Ushio-brat. With a sigh of his own, Tora
settled down to sleep for a bit; they were safe enough for a short
while, and they both needed the rest.

******************

Asako lay very still against the bakemono's warm fur, her eyes closed;
her thoughts were muzzy with exaustion, but sleep evaded her for the
moment.

*Stupid, stupid, stupid; what are you doing, lying here against a
monster? He was going to EAT you a little while ago, you know..... But
I feel so weird--- when I gave him my blood and he drank it, I felt
almost like.... I don't know; like--- I could almost hear him saying
something, something like 'I won't hurt you now, you're safe'. Is that
stupid or what?* She could feel the heavy heart beating beneath the
thick fur, hear the monster breathing; Tora smelled.... rather like
the lions at the Tokyo Zoo, dark and musky; and there were other
scents too, earth and ozone and a strange, wild tang. She had been so
*afraid* of him--- where had her fear gone? Into the bowl with her
blood? Or was she just too tired to be afraid anymore? She really was
so very, very tired..... Something had gone into the bowl besides her
blood, she was sure of that; maybe that was what the 'talk to the
elements' bit had been about--- 'making the sacrifice real.' She'd
have to ask Oji-san.....

Sleep. She needed sleep now. It was almost funny..... Here she was,
all curled up against something that had almost been her death; and
she was feeling safer than she had all night.

******************

Outside the wind rattled through the almond leaves like someone
running a stick across the spokes of a wheel; Shigure frowned, looking
from the main shrine's doorway into the darkened yard. As if they
needed somthing else, it looked as though a storm was approaching.

His steady grey eyes scanned the shadows beyond the gate: nothing, not
a trace of scarlet. Yet he could feel it, could feel the Seki Donshoku
Mono beating itself against the shrine's defenses--- it was almost
like a scent in the air, something acrid and harsh, something that
made the soul want to tuck its tail and run. Against the rising sounds
of wind the priest muttered a half-audible prayer to himself and
whoever might be listening, then slid the door closed.

He knelt by his son; the Spearbearer (it was hard to think of him as
Ushio really, looking like this; Shigure was half-ashamed to admit it,
but there it was) lay still and silent, wrapped securely in the juzu.
His chest rose and fell, his heart beat--- but where was he, really?
Inside the piece of cold, cold metal that even now lay misted with a
layer of frost, bound by the beads across the boy's chest? Shigure
shook his head and pulled his jacket a little closer around him.

Speaking of which..... if he was going to act the priest, he might as
well look the part. The older man rose and went to a closet in a small
side room, pulling out a set of robes and his priest's staff. As he
shrugged his shoulders into the robes Shigure wondered if there was
something else he could be doing----- just wrapping the boy in beads
(even *those* beads) probably wasn't enough; hmmmmmmm...... Well,
there were ofuda he could try, or.....

Oh. It was a bit... extreme... but why not? A rather grim smile
crossed his face, and he walked back into the main shrine again to
pull open another drawer in a small cabinet there. An array of small,
spiked objects lay before his eyes; nodding approvingly, Shigure
selected several and set to work. The priest chuckled a little despite
the seriousness of the matter, pushing his grey hair back from his
face; sometimes it was good to be clever.

******************

Against the walls of the Aotsuki shrine the shadows moved, questing,
sniffing like a dog. The Seki Donshoku Mono had no concept of either
time nor surrender----- really, it was a fairly simple creature.
Things broke down eventually, creatures lost their edge of speed or
power, they despaired or succumbed to the Donshoku's lures..... All
things became food for the Red Devourer's appetite. All it needed was
patience and darkness; and there were many hours yet until sunrise.

******************

"There," breathed Shigure, relaxing and wiping sweat from his
forehead. All done.

The Spearbearer still lay in a quiet heap before the shrine, wrapped
in juzu..... but now something had been added. Three bronze dorje had
been carefully hammered upright into positions equidistant around him,
outlining a square--- or they would be, that is, if a fourth one had
been placed. Instead it lay loose on the ground beside the mark that
would later receive it; the priest shuddered at the damage he had been
forced to inflict on the shrine floor, but it had been necessary. When
the moment was right he would add the fourth dorje, and Ushio would be
surrounded by the strongest protection his father could muster.

Shigure could only hope that it would be enough.

After all, there was the *other* little problem..... the Seki Donshoku
Mono had one other weapon, one that no sacred object or charm could
dispel: its effect on the human psyche. The priest closed his eyes
briefly, feeling a faint thrill of panic running along his nerves;
should he have warned Asako-chan? Or Tora-dono? It was unlikely that
they would ever be in a position to have to worry about that aspect of
their enemy--- by the time it got *that* close, it would be too late.

But still.....

Shigure sat down crosslegged on the smooth floor, watching the
candleflames flickering; he could hear the first patterings of rain
against the tiles of the roof. The storm would be here soon. He
sighed, thinking back to what he had been told about the Donshoku. As
a soul-eater, it was attracted to *strong* personalities, powerful
minds and emotions; and as such it was equipped in its own unnatural
way to deal with the natural defenses of said personalities.....
through their dreams.

It seduced; it promised, lured, cossetted and persuaded, with never a
word said (or so the old stories told). When it found prey that it
could not digest, it lulled them into unconciousness and entered their
dreams, offering them *everything* they could desire---- all their
fantasies fullfilled. Oh, not necessarily the fantasies of the body
(though those were certainly offered), but the also the *little*
things, the moments of instant gratification: a spiteful co-worker
reduced to humbleness, an unwanted rival disposed of, one's personal
gloriousness recognized by one's peers..... all the momentary wishes
that occur in the heart that are dismissed as petty, unworthy. But
they still occurred----- and every wish, every desire was a door for
the Donshoku. And it was *particularly* good at finding the doors that
weren't shut *quite* as well as one might wish.

And then it HAD you; your longed-for beloved would hold out her hand,
spurning your rival---- and you would take her hand in your dream, and
find yourself in the worst possible of hells.

The priest looked over at his son; the Spearbearer's eyes were closed,
his face oddly empty and vacant. For a moment Shigure's heart wrenched
in his chest, the anguish of a father for his son breaking through his
priest's detachement; but..... only for a moment. Then his eyes
cleared, his face calmed; panic was only food for the Donshoku. He WAS
a priest, after all; he could at least pray......

And as the wind outside whipped sharp gusts of rain against the thin
walls, he did just that. After all, what else could he do?

******************

The darkness could feel something..... slipping. There was a gap
beginning to open----- it surged forward, hungry and red-----

----- as the wind pulled a single ofuda from its staple over the gate;
the shred of white disappeared into the shadowy sky like the last
spark from a dying fire.....

******************

Asako started awake, feeling something warm and furry move past her;
she slid bonelessly back and thudded onto cold stone---- *what the----
Oh; ohhhh......* and all the events of the past evening came flooding
in. NOW what?..... what was that *noise*?!?

It hurt the ears; a painful, shrill multi-tones whine, rising above
the rattle of windborn rain like some horrible siren. The girl shrank
back, covering her ears as the tones swept all of sleep's muzziness
painfully away; where was Tora?----- There, moving through the junk
and debris, knocking everything aside in his rush; she could hear the
low, eager rumble of his growl even over the hideous whining sound.
Asako clambered stiffly to her feet; her side was numb where it had
been against the cold stone for--- how long had they slept? Never
mind. She staggered forward, her footsteps faltering at the sound of
Tora's sudden, furious roar........

******************

Shigure jumped; had he drifted to sleep, sitting there at his prayers?
The priest gripped his staff and rose to his feet with a fluidity that
belied his years, thudding across the floor towards the shrine
entrance. Merciful Buddha, what was that *noise*?!?-----

He slammed open the door, nearly shivering the wooden tracks into
splinters---- to look upon a scarlet, many-mouthed Nightmare.

The Seki Donshoku Mono had come, and all Hell was breaking
loose...........

************************************ **********************************
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Heh heh heh...... yet another cliffhanger. Get used to it! But I'll
make it up to you; guess what? You can find the Ushio & Tora manga
STATESIDE at www.planetanime.com for pretty cheap. Does that help? My
friend B-ko found 'em there! Stay tuned for our next exciting
episode..... where you'll learn the origin of the Beast Spear,
straight from the manga's mouth (as well as finding out whether or not
Our Heros get to be Dish of the Day. Filet of Soul,
anyone?)............. Evil Ysabet

P.S.: Oh yeah, one last thing, for those of you who are esoterically
minded--- the 'calling on the elements' bit. That's not a goof, my not
using the usual Earth, Air, Fire and Water; in most Asian philosophies
there are FIVE elements instead: Wood, Water, Fire, Metal and Stone. I
chose to follow that instead, for purposes of anal
retentivity............. Picky Ysabet