THE NIGHT OF THE TENGU: PART 2
A/N: Takasugi's nickname is "The Black Beast of Edo".
"Decay Heat" is the sequel.
XXX
"He's not going to remember anything when he wakes up."
Rizou hurriedly carried Takasugi's unconscious form up the sloping path behind the temple while Gintoki ran at his side. They both snickered mischevously. After climbing up a few terraces, Rizou threw Takasugi's prone body in front of a tightly packed cluster of tombstones and panted heavily. The sun shattered behind russet maple leaves, gushing a fine spray of blood-colored light upon the three children. The lichen covered rocks glowed vermilion and a faint rosy mist rose visibly upwards into the chilly, overcast sky. A strip of faded silk was tied across Takasugi's eyes and wrists. One cheek rested on a piece of moss so he looked like a Kyoto doll with a toothache. It was easy to imagine him peacefully asleep except for the fiery, menacing aura that radiated from his small form at all times.
"Where shall we put him?" Rizou asked, between huffs. His temporary partner-in-crime grimaced as he scanned the hillside. They were now mid-way up the cemetery and had passed by certain spots that just felt…eerie. Sometimes they could spot those places -- where trees grew ancient and twisted, tombstones slept overturned and odoriferous humidity wafted with the breeze. Anyone would know not to trespass those places. But it could happen anywhere, even in seemingly bright spaces, they might walk into a patch of ground that just felt like a nest of dirty, smelly, "cobwebs." "Kisama!" Rizou cursed as some sticky "cobwebs" clung to him again. He felt a palm clap over his mouth. "Kusoyaro! No cursing in a graveyard", Gintoki hissed, face twitching uncomfortably. "But we can't leave him here…plus I can't stand the aura around here a minute longer! Shall we go higher?"
Both kids automatically ran higher up the ridge. The air became fresher.
"For a small guy, he sure is heavy…"Rizou protested, resting again, but quickly resumed his hike. "Want my help?" Gintoki asked. Rizou looked startled, then refused. Maybe it was loyalty, or maybe Takasugi's stubbornness had rubbed off on him, but he just couldn't…if he accepted Gintoki's help…did that mean he would have to be… f-friends with Gintoki? The thought irritated him. No, this way was better. Gintoki shrugged and ran on ahead. He ran past the pagoda and up a few more terraces. He saw something at the top that made him shout and wave to Rizou. "Wow, check this out!"
There was a clearing in the forest that only had one grave under a slender, still-growing cherry tree. The tombstone was not the conventional cenotaph or pedestal, but an odd-shaped, raw uneven stone on which a word was written. The kanji was carved deep into the stone as if by embedded by the weight of the brush-stroke and painted a lustrous black. Gintoki stared at the word in amazement. Was that the word for F --? The tomb looked freshly swept. In the green bamboo containers placed in front of the tomb, someone had recently dedicated red roses, white dahlias and yellow chrysanthemums. "This is the coolest tomb that I've ever seen!" Rizou gasped. "Whose is it?" Gintoki stared at the stone. Besides the "F" word, there were no other inscriptions. "No name. Maybe no one's buried here." Rizou gratefully placed his burden down. "It's so peaceful here…Hehe…Takasugi should be safe then." The two quickly tied up Takasugi's ankles, placed him inside a burlap bag and attached him with a rope to the tombstone. They stood up and stared blankly at the bag, which snoozed slightly.
"What should we do now?" Rizou asked. "Should we stand guard? In case something really comes?" Gintoki spared Rizou a doubtful look. Rizou countered. "No, its not like I want to…but what if- what if something bad really happens to him? You felt it too…something's here!" Gintoki smirked. "Well why don't you give him some of your karma? Have you done anything good to someone else recently?" Rizou just gaped.
"Uh, I gave Matoto a pen I stole from another student."
"That's not counted."
"Um…I beat up Takasugi a couple of times when we were sparring. He said he enjoyed it."
"That's more like it. Let's say we're doing both Katsura and Takasugi a favor by tying Takasugi up. Two birds with one stone."
"Is this ok?" Rizou asked. He started to look guilty.
Gintoki's eyes suddenly became furious. "Look, Takasugi has had this coming to him for months. Ever since he joined our school, he's been trying to form some kind of …cult around him. If he can't take the hint then I'll have to drive the point home."
"Yeah…" Rizou admitted.
They sat down beside the tomb and watched the sky turn blue with twilight. Takasugi stirred. Nizou shivered. "Shh – he's waking up! Let's hide! If he sees me, I'll die!" They ran down several terraces, down to the biggest retaining wall and hid behind the stone pagoda. "Should we watch from here?" Rizou asked. In the silence, no sounds were heard except for the cries of nightbirds and insects. It appeared to be a false alarm."So what's up with Takasugi?" Gintoki asked as they sat down on the pagoda steps. "Why is he such a brat?"
"Who knows…he has dark stuff in his past…no one knows."
"No?"
"Nah…Takasugi's weird. He'll ask you all kinds of questions. Before you know it, you've poured out your soul to him but you realize you know nothing about him, and you don't dare to ask."
"You don't mind that grouchy look on his face all the time?"
Rizou snorted. "Nooo, I like it. I like to see him intimidate people. Heck, I hang out with him because I want trouble!" He laughed childishly. "But the thing about Takasugi is that he just doesn't know when to stop! The more power he has, the more he wants! He just keeps getting worse and worse!"
"So why don't you just break up with him."
Rizou didn't know what to say. He had no other "friends.""Or do you hate freedom?" Gintoki commented sarcastically.
Both kids snickered.
They noticed the lights of the entertainment district of Kyoto begin to twinkle in the distance. "Hey…isn't that the candlelight of Gion? Geishas, Maikos and fan dances!" "And ice-cream!" Gintoki added, then snuck Rizou a sly look sideways. "Wanna sneak out and explore? Since we're already outside." Nizou licked his lips, tempted. "It's not like I enjoy your company – I much prefer to have fun with a pretty Geisha, but what if something comes after Takasugi? I just want to scare him, not have him possessed by a ghost!"
"Don't worry. I heard the "witching hour" is between midnight to 2am. Why don't we have some fun then come back and pick him up at like 10pm? Everything will be ok."
"Heh. You're so smart, Gintoki."
"Um…thanks."
"Let's hurry then. It takes one hour to walk to Gion."
"Walk?" Gintoki said then suddenly turned pale. "Ughhh, I can feel something cold behind me…and what's that eerie sound?! Lets get the fuck outta here!! KYAAAHHHHHH!" "GYAAAAAHHH!" The two pre-teens succeeded in scaring themselves and screamed like retards as they shot down the stone steps.
Takasugi stirred, eardrums irritated by the racket. He cracked open an eyelid, which weighed a ton. He found himself in a fetal position and was unable to move, making him almost faint from fury and frustration. He had overheard Gintoki and Rizou talking, briefly, before he passed out. Rizou betrayed him! He knew it. No matter how many "friends" he made, he would always be completely alone again. He couldn't trust anyone. So much for Shouyou-sensei's high ideals. Meet fear with love? Do you think I've never done, that, Shouyou-sensei? Tried to tie others to me? But they always leave in the end. That's why I want power….the only way to tie people to me is by power…
Worship power, and it will eat you alive. Welcome to hell.
Something resembling a black, feathered beast stood in front of him. Takasugi saw a ruby red light, and a dark, baritone laughter resounded within his skull. His harsh breathing and pounding heartbeats sounded as if a mask had been placed over his senses, and he couldn't move. Was this a nightmare? Takasugi screamed mentally. The voice in his head replied. I don't think your friends betrayed you, since you're the one who started this karma. If you listened to Rizou and decided not to prank Katsura in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. You played the game, and you lost. Takasugi had to admit, the black beast was right. Somehow, even in his ugliest moments, Takasugi had battle honor. May the best man win, and he lost. Fair's fair. What's there to be sad about?
That I'm so, so lonely.
Takasugi cried.
The Tengu grinned. Making human beings go crazy is…a riot!
XXX
4 hours later, 9:15pm
Rizou and Gintoki arrived back at the temple after having fun sneaking in and out of the teahouses of Gion. They split. Rizou ran to meet up with his gang behind the biggest temple, while Gintoki went to look for Katsura. "You're late." Henpaitai said, putting a hand on Rizou's shoulder. "But Takasugi's not here yet! Should we still carry out his plan?" "Have you started looking for him?" Rizou asked nonchalantly. "No …we're afraid he'll scold us if we left and he thinks we're late." "Well, where's Katsura? He's the last guy we saw talking to Taka – speak of the devil. He's here."
Katsura showed up, holding a book in his hand. "What's going on? Are we having a party?"
"Katsura." Nizou blurted out. "Have you seen Takasugi?"
"No…but he told me to meet him here at 9:30pm. He said he wanted to discuss Bushido. Why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong?"
"Maybe…maybe not. We haven't seen Takasugi since this afternoon."
"Really? Have you searched the temple grounds? Shall we do that? I can help." Takasugi's gang members looked at one another with unspoken irony. "What's there to think about? " Katsura continued. "We have six people here so why don't we split into three groups of two? Let's divide up the temple into three parts, the North, East and West. I'll go with Gintoki…we'll take the north."
XXX
"Hurry up, Gintoki. Don't stroll like this. Something bad may have happened to Takasugi." Katsura scolded his slack-looking friend.
"Forget it, you won't find him on the temple grounds." Gintoki replied smugly.
"Then where could he have gone…? Don't tell me he went into the cemetery?"
"Yep."
"No way! Is he crazy?"
"He's not crazy, it's karma."
"What happened?"
"Takasugi, the beast, he wanted to trap you. But his plan backfired. One of his guys talked and so we went up and tied him to a tombstone instead."
"You what?! How could you do that, Gintoki?" Katsura turned angrily to face his friend, fists clenched. "He's going to be so frightened!"
"Hey, hey! Just a second. He would have tied you up and left you there! I'm helping you, can't you see?"
"What! The bastard! And he told me he wanted to talk about Bushido with me…I thought he wanted to be my friend! OOH NO…I can't let him get away with this."
Gintoki smiled. "No, he won't forget this lesson. He's been up there for 4 hours already."
"Hmmm…. Bastard. 4 hours may not be enough for him…I have a wicked idea." Katsura grinned and whispered into Gintoki's ears. The kids ran to Gintoki's room to get torches, a knife and…a prop.
XXX
As Gintoki and Katsura headed north, Nizou raised his hands. "Guys, guys. I have a confession to make. I tied Takasugi to a gravestone at the top of the cemetery." He decided it wasn't neccessary to mention his partner-in-crime's name for Gintoki's own protection."Why did you do that for?" Matoto shouted. "Hey, hey, hear me out! Have I ever disobeyed Takasugi before?" Rizou glared so angrily that the other guys calmed down. Actually, they knew about how Rizou felt. They felt the same way too. "I'm like you guys. I like to fight. But what Takasugi is doing is way out of my league! I don't want to start a war with all the other cliques in school! I've had enough of living each day like its do or die for nothing. What are we really fighting for anyways? To get stronger? Or to feed Takasugi's black beast? It never ends!This has to be done, or he'll never know when to stop."
XXX
Rizou, Matoto, Bansai and Henpaitai were holding torches. They marched as far as the middle of the cemetery before none of them could go any further. Fog seeped out of the gravestones and bubbled into the grey sky, from which a hideous halo of the crescent moon was faintly glowing as if through the smoke of an invisible battlefield. The group was enveloped in the humid, suffocating smell of rotting corpses. The smell crept into their noses, their clothes, their minds. No two ways about it. They all felt a strong presence of evil, even though it wasn't even 10pm at night. They tried pushing forward, but the fog repelled them like a fuzzy mirror, reflecting their torches but exposing no more then three feet of ground in front of them. Strange, dangerous shapes formed and dissolved in the mist, like predators lying in wait.
At that point, they saw torches appear from behind them. It was Gintoki and Katsura.
"Why are you stopping? Let's go." Katsura said. Gintoki's face was noticeably green and clammy.
"C'mon Rizou!" Gintoki said, pushing Rizou in front of him.
"Huh?" Rizou replied, pouring sweat. "You go ahead. I forgot where we tied him up." "The top…the top!" Gintoki managed, trembling.
"Why did you have to tie him up so high?" Katsura complained, feeling nauseous and also feeling cold sweat pour down his shoulders and back.
"Its safer there…its h-here that it's the most dangerous…" Gintoki replied, looking anxiously into the fog. "GYAAAAH!! I CAN FEEL HOT BREATH DOWN MY NECK!!"
"It's just Rizou…" Katsura muttered.
"But I'm here!" Rizou said. Katsura ignored him and forced himself to pick out the path in the fog and started walking up. The group began to form a caterpillar, with Katsura in front.
"But I'm the last in line!"
"Guys move up. I'll protect the rear."
"Shit…what are these glowing orbs, they weren't here before…"
"If you're so scared, hold hands." Gintoki said.
"Don't fear. If you fear, then the Tengu will get you…"
"Hurry up. Let's move." Rizou growled. "Oww! I hit a tombstone!"
"Quick, apologize!"
"Sorry! Sorry, forgive me brother." Rizou hastily repeated. "Gintoki, why are you grinning like that?"
"Gintoki, who's Gintoki?" he said in an eerie voice.
"Don't joke at a time like this! Hurry up I wanna pee."
"Ah, its not the witching hour yet. We're early." Gintoki said.
"Don't make me cut you." Rizou replied.
XXX
Takasugi panted raspily. He was flat on the ground, having sparred with the Tengu for hours, in a place beyond time and space. The pain he was in was worse than the worst beating he had ever taken, yet he wasn't dead yet, due to some sinister magic. His body had been broken and crucified a hundred times until even his spirit collapsed. He was completely alone.
Shouyou-sensei, he sobbed.
So… are you going to join me or not? The Tengu's deep baritone echoed menacingly in his mind again. This is the only way you will be able to gain power. You'll gain power, but you'll lose yourself. How about it? Takasugi gritted his teeth. He was going to die. His mind was being absorbed by the Tengu, in exchange for his lust for power. For the sake of power. I'll do anything, right? Takasugi thought. What kind of power will I be able to have if I can't even live through the night? Fuck Edo, fuck everyone. I will be strong and come back and crush you!Tengu… Just as he wanted to give in, a stubborn voice told him he was up for another round.
"No, I won't do it! Come and get me, Tengu!!"
XXX
"That's Takasugi's voice!" Katsura shouted. He dashed madly up the slope, all fear forgotten. Takasugi was in danger! "Takasuugiiiii!!"
XXX
Takasugi knelt on the ground, defeated. His soul was almost completely eaten by the Tengu. No! I don't want to become a Tengu! Save me, Shouyou-sensei! Tears poured down his face, but it was no use. The evil was too strong. This was it. Even if his body survived, he would have lost himself. It was too horrifying even to imagine what entity he would become, it was impossible to imagine himself as just a pure lust for power and not a human being with unique perceptions. But it was too late now. Everything in his life had lead up to this moment. He had no one but himself to blame for his hate, his jealousy and his pride. His utter foolishness. But in the end, he only had one last regret. Takasugi clasped his hands together and said his last prayer. Shouyou-sensei...I'm going to die now. Thank you for everything and I am sorry I couldn't live up to your expectations. I hope to do better the next time round. Good-bye, Shouyou-sensei. You're the best thing that has ever happened in my life. Thank you...
A cold wind brushed his skin…
A glowing white light enveloped his spirit…
A sense of peace washed over him…
Suddenly, Takasugi heard a deep, mysteriously familiar voice within his soul. Leave him alone and pick on someone your own size, Tengu!
Eerie laughter filled Takasugi's skull. Who is he to you?
He's my enemy's student. And my enemy's student is…my student.
He felt a bright flame whoosh over his head.
Fire!
A knife was cutting through Takasugi's bonds, a bag was opened and being pulled off his head. He couldn't see through the burning, cracking, smoking flames of bright torchlight…but in front of him was…another Tengu! Another Tengu?! It didn't look like the one he met. It had a red painted face, bulging eyeballs with hole-like pupils and a long bulbose nose. Wait… red paint?! The Tengu grabbed Takasugi and embraced him tightly. Takasugi closed his eyes…the Tengu…smells so good. It smells as clean as a pine forest on a snowy winter day. I didn't know the Tengu's body feels so thin and bony underneath that thick cloak. Sensei…thank you, Sensei, thank you...
Takasugi finally recovered his senses and looked at the person in front of him. It was a kid with a pale, serious face, big brown eyes and long black hair –"It's you…Katsura?!" And he saw his gang arriving onto the terrace, out of breath. They rushed to embrace him. Takasugi sank to his knees, defeated again. His heart was so overwhelmed he did not know if he was dead or alive or dreaming. Big drops of tears flowed spontaneously down his cheeks. Even then, he still had his damnable honor which simply wished he could go somewhere and kill himself. He deserved to die, for all the evil things that he had been thinking about, only 4 hours ago and for all the dark thoughts that possessed him for the past 12 years of his life.
"I'm so ashamed. Tie me back up Katsura. I don't deserve this."
"What are you talking about? After we tried so hard to rescue you?"At that moment, Takasugi could not meet Katsura's eyes, he only stared at Katsura's feet, at the frayed ends of his straw sandals. He stared at Katsura's soft pink nails. If the feet now walked away from him, his heart would be broken. If Katsura would always walk with him, then he would be saved.
To his shock, Katsura also sank to his knees. He stretched out his hands, not even with a trace of mockery.
"Tie me up too."
"Why?" Brilliant black eyes stared into clear brown eyes.
"You're my classmate, Takasugi. I can't let you stay out here alone. If you want to face the darkness, then I'll face it with you."
What is this feeling? That he'll always stand by me and never let me feel lonely? Why does this place feel like a light is shining in the dark? And what have I just said? Why did I say that to him? I can't believe it! No, take it back! But it was too late, as Katsura had already replied. Takasugi? Why are you asking me to be your friend? You've always been my friend! But Takasugi's pride overcame him once more -- You're only saying that out of pity, he thought. I can't take this kind of friendship. Never! -- Takasugi tried to stand up and push Katsura away, but his legs would not obey. So he covered his face with his hands and pushed Katsura away with his heart...
.... which turned out to be a mistake.
Fin.
XXX
... was there too little "Tengu"? Not scary enough? Let me know...
In case you're wondering the Tengu's abilities are something like Itachi Uchiha's "mangekyo sharingan". He is a master warrior able to create realistic illusions in your head. Days of torture pass in what seems like minutes. He has wings but doesn't really fly so much as teleport. That's all I know. There's a cute Tengu anime called "Tactics" if you want to find out more.
"Reviews are appreciated", really. :)
