Chapter Six: Scattered Pieces

Souta stared up at the bright blue sky, the midday sun warming his skin.

He felt like he was freezing to death.

"Fuckin' hell," he said, rubbing his arms. "As if I didn't feel shitty enough already."

He sat leaned against a tree, his knees drawn up to his chest. Apparently it wasn't enough that his muscles were aching; now his head was congested with snot and phlegm and he could barely breathe. It seemed like the "flu" that had started all of this in the first place still hadn't cleared up yet.

He tried not to think about what that meant.

Blowing out a breath, Souta closed his eyes and concentrated on the soft chirp of birds and cicadas that filled the air. Being outdoors always soothed him, and if there was ever a time he needed soothing, it'd be now. The resident "medic" had slipped him some opium—"shit, I think ya deserve it," he'd said—and that was helping, to say the least, with the pain. But he couldn't get his damn brain to shut up.

Stop thinkin'. Thinkin' only gets ya into trouble.

Kouji had cornered him again earlier, talking some shit about how "meditation" could help ease his mind after his "ordeal"…Souta snorted. He'd always known that Anzu was slowly castrating the man, but that little spiel had taken the cake.

Souta.

His eyes popped open.

You're in danger.

It wasn't quite a voice—more like a feeling, an instinct. But he heard it loud and clear all the same. His heart started pounding. "Th' hell?"

The barrier didn't work. Someone's here. Someone who shouldn't be.

Souta clenched his fists. Should…should kashira know?

You can't trust him, his intuition told him. He's been compromised.

Fuck. Of course he had. Kashira had always been kind of soft, hadn't he?

Find the woman. Don't let her out of your sight. She's up to something. Something bad.

"It's up ta me," Souta muttered. "I gotta protect th' stronghold, if kashira can't. If he won't."

But…why him? He was one of the stupid assholes who'd gotten mixed up with the demon in the first place, although he still didn't know when or how.

But the boy freed you, didn't he? He got rid of the demon. They can't touch you anymore.

Yeah…that snot-nosed kid. Souta felt like shit now, but getting punched and kicked tended to do that to you. The flu-like symptoms he was feeling were probably just reactions to the poppy. Souta nodded to himself. He was fine. So maybe that kid wasn't so bad after all…How had he done all of that, anyway?

The boy could prove useful. But the woman is endangering him, too.

Fuck. That's all women were good for, really.

Souta jumped to his feet. "Gotta keep an eye on 'er," he said. "Find out what I need ta know, then make my move."

He hurried back toward the building.

XXXXXX

"All right, no da," Chichiri said, nodding toward the forest. "Are you ready?"

Tasuki glanced up at the barrier, shimmering softly in the sunlight, then turned back to the distant trees. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before he threw Chichiri a grin that he wasn't completely sure he felt.

"As if I'm ever not ready," he said, unsheathing his tessen. "I could really use a distraction right 'bout now, an' killin' some demon dogs is as good as any!" He frowned, his eyebrows pinching together. "But, wait…ain't it gonna be a problem if ya leave th' barrier?"

Chichiri shook his head. "No, it'll stay up regardless. I made sure to tell Kouji to warn everyone not to leave because they wouldn't be able to get back in until we returned, no da." He paused. "I think he offered to tie Taka-kun up, but I'm sure Kameyo-san vetoed that pretty quickly, no da."

Tasuki grimaced at the mention of that woman and her kid—call him petty, but he still couldn't bring himself to use their actual names—and raised his eyebrows. "An' if th' demon strikes while we're gone?"

Chichiri frowned. "Da…I made sure to check every nook and cranny. There's nothing in here that shouldn't be, no da."

Yeah, so you say. Tasuki sighed, rubbing his chest. "All right. Guess I gotta take yer word for it, don't I?"

Tasuki hadn't run into that woman since their confrontation right after breakfast, but her words still bugged him, for some reason. What the hell kind of nerve did she have, telling him, a Suzaku seishi, that he was in over his head?

He just needed to be a little more diligent, that was all. As if that would be any different than what he usually did. Hmph.

After his eyes had swept over the barrier one last time, checking its integrity, Chichiri turned to face Tasuki, his head cocked. "Is everything all right, Tasuki?" His voice was soft.

Tasuki waved his concern off. "Fine, fine. Jus'…ugh, this whole thing just reeks, ya know? First it was Dokuro, then all that shit with th' Seiryuu seishi, then Tenkou…" He scoffed. "Jus'…when th' hell do we ever get a break, huh?"

Chichiri chuckled. "We're Suzaku seishi, no da! This is our whole reason for existing."

"Yeah, yeah," Tasuki grumbled. "But I ain't been able ta go inta town an' take a load off fer ages. Promise me after we kill this thing, you'll give me a pouch full o' money an' ask no questions while I make an ass of myself in every bar I can find."

"Deal, no da!" Chichiri bowed low at the waist, gesturing toward the barrier with a flourish. "After you!"

Still muttering under his breath, Tasuki stepped forward and slipped through. He shivered as the warm energy passed over his body, giving him a bone-deep sensation of safety and warmth; he emerged on the other side feeling utterly exposed. As Chichiri stepped into the clearing beside him, Tasuki glanced around with his tessen raised, ready to start chanting at the slightest disturbance. But the forest was quiet and calm, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves as the sun beat down on them.

"So where to?" Tasuki asked, frowning as he lowered the tessen reluctantly.

"I'll try to focus on where the dark energy originates from," Chichiri said, closing his eye. "And then we'll head in that direction."

"Peachy."

Chichiri lifted two fingers to his lips, his shakujou jingling in the breeze. Tasuki watched a faint red shimmer appear around the monk, and then Chichiri pointed off to the right. "That way, no da. Whatever is causing this has been through here recently." He opened his eye. "You remember what I taught you, right?" he asked softly.

Tasuki grunted. "Yeah, I know. Deep breaths, intentional thoughts, blah blah blah."

Chichiri chuckled, gently brushing a fern aside that loomed over the path. "Your dedication to the discipline is astounding. I think you may have been a monk in a former life, no da."

"Hmph. Smartass."

They fell into a companionable silence as they trudged through the thick underbrush and down the craggy slope. Chichiri's staff announced their arrival to the wildlife, and twigs snapped around them constantly as little animals scampered away. Tasuki glanced at a fat brown rabbit perched on its hind legs near a tree, its nose twitching. He smirked as he watched it bound away; yup, that one was going to be something's lunch pretty soon. "Why're we walkin', anyway?" he called to Chichiri, who had moved ahead of him as the path dipped precariously. "Can't we jus' teleport there?"

"We could, but we might miss some important details in between destinations. Kameyo-san mentioned something about demonic auras, no da—I want to make sure we keep a lookout."

Tasuki glanced up at the treetops, the leaves lined with golden light that cast speckled patterns on the forest floor. "Everythin' 'round 'ere seems fine ta me."

"Looks can be deceiving…no da." Chichiri ducked under a naked, low-hanging branch and then stopped to look back at Tasuki. "So, how is Taka-kun adjusting? …It's weird to call him that, no da. I can't help but think of Tamahome's reincarnation."

Tasuki smirked. "Oh yeah, I guess yer right. Didn't even notice. I was too busy thinkin' about how he has the girly-ish name possible…and that he kinda reminds me of…"

Hmm. Should he even say it?

"Chiriko, no da?" Chichiri finished for him.

"Heh. Yeah," Tasuki said, ducking under the same branch and moving to walk beside his friend as the ground evened out. "He's the same age as Chiriko was back then. Definitely not as smart, though."

"But it seems that he looks up to you in the same way. I recall that you were really fond of Chiriko, no da."

"…Yeah." He flicked a beetle off of his arm. "Can't believe it's been four years since he an' th' others died." He looked up to meet Chichiri's gaze. They shared a moment of quiet reflection, and then Chichiri smiled slightly.

"Mm," he said. "By the way, I've heard Mitsukake has already been reincarnated."

"Really? Well, that makes sense. Ya think Hotohori and Nuriko will be turning up soon too, then?"

"Hard to say. It's possible they'll be reborn all at once, or staggered like we were originally, no da. But Mitsukake was born to a nice family of farmers. Maybe we could go visit them, no da?"

Tasuki tried to hide his grimace, but groaned when Chichiri's eyebrows shot up in response. "I…I don't think I'm ready for that yet," he murmured, rubbing the back of his head. "Jus' 'cause they're reincarnated don't mean they'll be exactly the same, ya know? It jus' seems weird ta mourn them one minute an' then change their diaper the next. 'Sides, they deserve a break. They don't need ta remember an' be dragged back into seishi problems."

Chichiri smiled, the corner of his eye crinkling. "Mmm. That's very mature of you, no da."

Tasuki scoffed, folding his arms. "Gee, whatdya know? It's almost as if I'm an adult with working brain cells."

"I'm not a doctor, no da," Chichiri said with a shrug as he continued walking. "It wouldn't be fair of me to comment either way."

Tasuki nodded. "Yeah, yer…" He stiffened. "…Hey! Yer makin' fun o' me again, ain't ya?"

"Not at all, Tasuki," Chichiri called over his shoulder. "I just don't have the medical expertise necessary to determine the state of your brain, no da."

Tasuki stopped walking to glare at him.

Chichiri cocked his head. "Something wrong, no da?"

"…I really hate ya sometimes, 'Chiri."

Chichiri chuckled. "I love you too, no da!" He glanced down at the ground between them and his smile fell, replaced with a troubled frown. "Da…" He pointed, and Tasuki followed his gaze to a haphazard trail of pale brown spots, about as wide as an adult's palm, in the dirt that extended as far as the eye could see in front of them. Grass and plants flourished as normal outside of the tainted soil, but anything that had grown in those spots had withered and died.

"Demon toxin," Tasuki muttered, shaking his head. A shiver ran up his spine.

"Hai," Chichiri muttered, rubbing his chin. "But if I hadn't been looking for it…"

"Yeah. Well, at least that means it's not as bad as it could be, right?"

"Maybe…let's follow the trail, see where it ends…no da." Chichiri's fist tightened around his shakujou. "I can already feel it getting stronger."

More and more of the strange spots mottled the ground the farther down the mountain they went, and it was definitely not Tasuki's imagination—there were huge gaps in the canopy, now, bare branches jutting into the sky like ragged, broken teeth. He watched Chichiri's posture gradually stiffen as the evidence piled up; his own heart ached at the sight of all the damage one demon had done in a single night. What the fuck was going on here?

"Tasuki, look over there, no da."

Tasuki followed Chichiri's gaze to a pile of moss-covered rocks adjacent to the main mountain trail…or at least, they had been covered in moss the last time Tasuki had seen them. Now, everything—rocks, ground, shelter, and all—were a dull, lifeless brown.

The same brown as those weird spots.

"It's dead," Chichiri whispered as he approached it, his voice stunned.

"What do ya mean, 'it's' dead?" Tasuki snapped. "What's 'it'?"

"The shrine," Chichiri said, turning to look at him. His eye was wide. "There's supposed to be a thread of ki going through it…but there's nothing here, no da."

"So…what? The demon killed it, is what yer sayin'?"

"Close your eyes, no da. Listen to the pulse of the mountain."

Tasuki scowled, but he did as he was told. He focused on the ground beneath his feet until he felt the dull electric hum that flowed up from the sacred mountain's core. He cursed.

"Hey, 'Chiri…" Tasuki said, opening his eyes to glare up at the sky. "Do ya think…?"

"Yes, I sense it, too. The barrier's even weaker than it was yesterday, no da." Chichiri stroked his chin. "You know where all the mountain shrines are, don't you?"

Tasuki shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, I guess."

"Let's head to the main one, no da. I…have a hunch I'd like to explore."

The "main" shrine was really a large cave that opened up near the mountain's peak, not far from the stronghold. Its mouth was a black, gaping hole guarded by a torii, with shide hanging from carefully arranged posts wedged into the rock above it. Although anyone could pay respects and leave tributes at the entrance, legend had it that only the purest of souls could actually enter the cave and return unscathed; as far as Tasuki knew, no one had ever gone in and come back to tell the tale, so apparently such a soul hadn't revealed themselves yet.

Tasuki sure as hell wasn't going to try his luck.

"Well, here ya go," he said, gesturing to the cave. "If yer gonna actually step onto th' rocks in front of it, yer supposed ta take yer shoes off first."

"Hmm…" Chichiri waved his hand in front of him, feeling for the invisible energy surrounding the area. "This shrine is covered by a secondary barrier, no da. It's much stronger…as strong as or even stronger than the original one that covered the mountain, no da." He took a step forward, then cried out as a loud Bzzt! sounded in the air. "Ouch!" He rubbed his arm. "Da…guess we can't get to it, no da."

"Eh? Why in th' world would th' shrine be protectin' itself from us?" Tasuki put his hands on his hips. "I've been livin' on an' protectin' this mountain since I was a kid. An' this is th' thanks I get?"

"Well…you make a good point. Maybe you should try, no da."

Tasuki glared at him. "Oh, sure…admit it, ya jus' want ta hear me make a girly scream like you jus' did."

"That wasn't a scream, no da…I was just surprised, that's all. But if the mountain is in trouble, it would make sense that it would try to keep out any random person that came here." He pointed at the tessen in Tasuki's hand. "But that means you've been chosen, right? So maybe you'll be able to make it, no da."

Tasuki frowned. As Hakurou had put it, the tessen had been passed down for centuries to the rightful leader of the Reikaku bandits of every generation—no one else but the one true leader would be able to make it work. But obviously that wasn't quite true; Eiken and Anzu had proved that pretty soundly. And it was even more complicated since Taiitsukun had transformed the iron into diamond—supposedly that meant only Tasuki could use it, but again, Anzu had kind of disproved that theory.

Jus' like a woman, makin' things complicated when they shouldn't be.

Tasuki grunted. "All right…I'll try it. But I hear a single snicker outta ya when I get zapped, I'm kickin' yer pasty ass right down th' hill."

"I have no doubt, no da."

Taking a deep breath, Tasuki closed his eyes and walked forward. Goosebumps prickled on his skin as a cool veil fell over him. He opened his eyes. He was standing in front of the mouth of the cave, staring into the darkness. Somewhere, deep down below, he could hear the sound of water, like a babbling brook. He grinned.

"Hey, whatdya know, 'Chiri?" he called, his voice echoing off the cavern walls. "Guess yer right—I am special after al—"

Kou Shun'u.

Tasuki jerked as a deep voice echoed in his mind. He whipped his head around. "What th—"

It Is Time To Choose. Who Deserves Your Loyalty?

"Oi, 'Chiri," Tasuki called, backing up, "what th' fuck is goin' o—"

A sharp electric jolt smashed into Tasuki's chest, and he let out a startled gasp as the energy pushed him out into the opening. His foot caught on a loose stone and his body pitched backward.

"FUUUUCK!"

He tumbled down the hillside and crashed into a heap at the bottom.

"Tasuki!" Chichiri peeked down at him from the top of the hill. "Are you all right, no da?"

Tasuki spat out a leaf and let out a long string of curses as he pulled twigs out of unmentionable places. "What th' fuck jus' happened?" he yelled, sitting up and flinging a twig. "An' who th' hell was talkin' ta me?"

Chichiri frowned as he peered down at him. "…I didn't hear anything, no da."

"I heard a voice in my head. It said, 'It's time fer ya ta choose who yer loyal ta.'" Tasuki gestured wildly with his hands. "What th' hell does that mean?"

"I don't know, but obviously the mountain doesn't trust you fully because of it."

"What? It's a godsdamn mountain! What th' hell business does it have, bein' possessive like that?"

Fuck, weird demons, a disappearing barrier, and now this? Was the entire world out to get him today?

"I have no idea, no da. But seems like we'll have to figure it out if we want to help restore the barrier." Chichiri glanced back at the shrine. "I can't blame the mountain for being suspicious—whatever demon this is…it's been by here, I can feel it. And I also have a feeling this stronger barrier is an attempt to keep it out, but at the cost of the protection of Reikaku as a whole, no da." Chichiri drew a symbol in the air and then brought his fingers to his lips. "The demon's probably destroying the smaller shrines to try and make it easier to take over the whole mountain, no da."

"Over my dead body, it will!" Tasuki snapped, jumping to his feet.

"This is very odd…" Chichiri murmured, but his voice carried on the wind. "What's so special about Mt. Reikaku? Why this mountain? And why attack the Reikaku bandits, specifically?"

Tasuki dusted himself off as he trudged back up the small hill. "Well, if th' Reikaku bandits are th' protectors of th' mountain an' th' demon wants ta take over…seems pretty obvious why we're on its hit list. But how come th' shrine let me in, only ta reject me? Obviously it's gotta know I'm only tryna help!"

"Hmm. Well, there's not much else we can do until we learn more about this demon. Let's head back to the stronghold…I should talk to Kameyo-san now, I think."

Tasuki groaned. "I still say we shoulda kicked 'er out. She's gonna be trouble, I can tell."

Chichiri grinned. "You said the same thing about Anzu-san, no da."

"Exactly my point! An' I still mean it, too!"

"Hmm…but as I recall, you're the one who was talking about building an extra wing…most likely so Karin-san would have somewhere to stay if she wanted to visit, no da."

Tasuki jerked away, his face heating up. "H-How…I never sai—"

His mind raced; he didn't think he had ever said anything to anyone about that—hell, even Kouji didn't know, and he'd never let Tasuki live it down if he did. But now Chichiri was chuckling softly at him.

"Da…Tasuki, we've known each other for over four years now, you know? I've learned to read your body language, no da."

He scowled even as a rapid blush heated his face, and he turned away from the monk's knowing look. "Fuck off, I ain't interested in no woman stayin' here an' never have been! An' th' 'trouble' is exactly why!"

Trouble always finds you eventually, his subconscious muttered. He imagined himself throwing it off a cliff.

Chichiri shook his head, still smiling. "I know I give you a hard time, but…you know, it's okay to be honest with me about how you feel. It's not a bad thing, no da. You're only human. It's all right ta admit you ca—" He ducked Tasuki's swinging arm. "—Stop that, no da!"

"Anzu would be gone tomorrow if it were up ta me," Tasuki grumbled. "Which it should be."

Chichiri's lip twitched. "If you say so, no da."

"None of that matters now, anyway. She's with Kouji, they're happy, an' th' idiot is prolly gonna ask 'er ta marry him soon." He sighed. "Then I'll never be able ta git rid of her."

"Do you really hate Anzu-san that much, no da?"

Tasuki paused. "It's…it's not that I hate her…jus'…things were a lot less complicated when it was jus' me an' Kouji."

Like runnin' a bandit stronghold, for instance, he thought with a scowl.

Chichiri cocked his head. "Da…don't tell me you're jealous, no da."

"Am not!" Tasuki snapped.

"No one could replace you, no da," Chichiri said, clapping him on the back. "I think that's pretty obvious."

"Yer messin' wit me again, aren't ya?" Tasuki grumbled.

"No, no da. Everyone who knows you turns out to like you…for some reason." Chichiri turned toward the shrine again. "Anyway, I put up a ward to supplement the barrier—just because the shrine doesn't like me doesn't mean we can't help it out a little, no da. Unfortunately, I can't fully protect it and the stronghold at the same time."

Tasuki nodded, rubbing his sore arm. "Don't think anyone expected ya ta. But hey, it's been pretty quiet since this mornin'. Maybe whatever attacked that lady an' her kid went on ta greener pastures."

Chichiri made a noise in the back of his throat. "Or it's just waiting for the perfect time to strike, no da."

"Ya couldn't even let me dream fer one minute, could ya?"

"Sorry, no da. Let's use the animal trail back. We could find something else to help us piece things together."

The animal trail was even more unstable and rugged than the one used by humans. By the time they had finally made it within sight of the stronghold, Tasuki's shirt and vest were damp with sweat, and his injuries from last night made his joints ache. "Fuck," he moaned, stopping to perch on a large rock, his head bowed forward. "Ya think Mitsukake had his powers as a baby? Maybe we should see him after all."

"I still have his holy water, you know. If you really need it."

Tasuki shook his head and wiped his brow. "I have a feeling I'm gonna get my ass kicked a hundred times worse by the time this is all over," he deadpanned. "Better save it."

"Hmm…I can't tell if you're being pragmatic or overly defeatist, no da."

Tasuki groaned. "Do me a favor an' stop fuckin' analyzin' me? Pretty please?" He rolled his shoulders and glanced to the left, toward the stronghold. Some odd lump was laying on the ground. "Hey, 'Chiri?" He pointed. "What's that?" Chichiri shrugged, then waited for Tasuki to ease to his feet before they walked over, together, to inspect it. When they did, Chichiri let out a soft, mildly distressed noise that probably mirrored the expression Tasuki was wearing on his face.

A fat brown rabbit lay in the path just in front of the stronghold, dead.

Its head had been ripped from its body.

"M-Maybe a hawk er somethin' came through 'ere," Tasuki said, glancing around, but he raised his tessen anyway.

Chichiri turned his head, and whatever he saw made his eye narrow and his mouth flatten into a grim line. "…Did the hawk do that too?"

Tasuki glanced over his shoulder, then let out a cry and slapped his hand over his mouth. "H-Holy hell…"

Something—he couldn't tell what, maybe a deer—had been ripped apart, its bloody entrails strewn in sopping heaps in the grass. Blood splatters covered the nearby trees, as if the demon had slit the poor creature open with large swipes of jagged claws.

On the moss-covered tree trunk right behind the carcass, someone had used its blood to paint the words:

ALL yOur GOds wiLL DIE

Tasuki wanted to vomit, but the words triggered a niggling memory in his mind…

"Th' age of gods is over," he murmured. When Chichiri stared at him, he said, "That's what Ken—no, the demon—said yesterday. I thought it was just gibberish, but now…"

Holy fuck. What the fuck—

"I…think it's time I pay a visit to Taiitsukun-sama," Chichiri said. The man rarely became visibly unsettled, but Tasuki would be able to recognize that stiff set to his shoulders anywhere. He stared up at the canopy, his eye focusing on something only he could see. "…No da."

Tasuki shuddered. "Y-Yeah, I think that's a really fuckin' good idea right now. I'm cringin' jus' thinkin' 'bout her face, but anythin' would be better than this shit."

"Well, this does settle one thing for you, no da."

Tasuki inclined his head. "What's that?"

"Whatever is going on here," Chichiri said, shaking his head in disbelief, "right now, the safest place on the mountain—next to the main shrine, which we can't get to—is in that stronghold, no da. Which probably means it's not wise for Taka-kun or Kameyo-san to leave anytime soon, at least not until I can talk to Taiitsukun-sama and find out how to use their magic to help keep that demon at bay—"

Great. Just great.

"—otherwise, we risk the demon toxin spreading even farther, no da," Chichiri finished.

Tasuki swore. "Jus' what I need, another meddlin'…" He paused as he reviewed Chichiri's statement again in his head, and then he gritted his teeth. "Wait. How far, exactly, are ya thinkin' this could go?"

"This mountain is a major artery through the region. All sorts of merchants travel through here; people get their water and produce here, no da. You say something made the other bandits sick, which led to them being possessed. For all we know, it's the demon toxin that started it, no da." Chichiri made another sign over his chest. "Let's just keep this hypothetical, and say that those people Kameyo-san spoke to weren't imagining things, no da. The water really does tastes differently, which means it's been tainted by demonic energy, which also means that if you drink it…"

Chichiri trailed off. He didn't have to finish the thought; they both had already begun to imagine a hundred different, horrible scenarios for how this could play out. Tasuki's eyes went wide.

"Reikaku water feeds straight into the cities," he muttered.

"And whatever isn't ingested directly goes into the soil, and the plants. Which we also eat," Chichiri said, eyebrows furrowed. "But the barrier is still up, which means it's helping fight off most of that, I think, no da. That, besides the personal vendetta, is probably why so far only the bandits have been affected, because they spend the most time up here, no da. Even now, the sacred energy is much stronger than the demonic, as a whole. At least, as long as the mountain doesn't lose any more shrines.

"But if we can't figure out how to stop that demon from getting stronger," Chichiri said grimly, "everyone within miles of this mountain could die…or worse."

A few years ago, Tasuki might've responded with irritation, disbelieving that anything could be worse than death.

Now, he knew better. There were things that were much, much worse. His gaze flickered to the mutilated corpse, and he shuddered.

"Get to Mt. Taikyoku," Tasuki commanded. "I've gotta lock this whole fuckin' place down."

Chichiri nodded. "I've spelled the barrier to let you in, no da. I don't plan to be gone long, but whatever you do, do not let anyone go outside."

Tasuki jerked his chin. "Right."

With a flick of his wrist, Chichiri threw his kasa into the air. A flash of red light, and then he was gone.

XXXXXX

Not far away, a pack of wolves snarled and snapped as they circled their fallen pack mate, which gasped as it struggled to breathe through its shredded throat. The cloud floated soundlessly above the ground and watched.

"If you can administer that sort of savagery to each other," they murmured, "then surely you could've done the same to the seishi."

The largest wolf among the pack—a stocky, charcoal black animal with piercing yellow eyes—sneered, its yellowed teeth coated with slick, oily bile. Disgusting.

The injured wolf on the ground let out a strangled yelp as one of its pack mates ripped at its tattered haunch. The wolf trembled; bile coated its fur like tar as the animal slowly bled out, but death would not come easily—it never did, for a yokai, even one as weak and pathetic as these ones. The cloud longed for their bandit vessels, however pitiful they may be. At least humans could attempt some form of higher intellect.

"A woman and a boy are one thing," the alpha wolf snarled. "One seishi killed a dozen of us. But two…"

Another wolf, this one brown, pulled away from its impromptu feast and licked the gore from its face. "The monk is too powerful," it whispered. "To attack him would be suicide."

The cloud scoffed. "What makes you think I care in the slightest what happens to the likes of you?"

The alpha flattened its ears against its head, a low rumble vibrating its chest. "You said you would not interfere."

"I said I would not cut you down where you stood," the cloud clarified. "I said I would not attempt to keep you from hunting on this mountain, despite the fact that you owe your new free rein to me. What I didn't say, however, was that you would not still be indebted to me for my kind concession."

"However true that may be, we have no use for your grudge against the seishi," the alpha declared. "We wish only to feed. And the ningen that travel through here are more than enough for us."

The cloud hissed. "You will touch not a single human until I command it so."

The pleasurable growls that had accompanied the wolves' cannibalism died away. As one, they lifted their heads and stepped away from their meal—now reduced to a carcass with glistening flashes of bone revealed—and formed a disciplined line in front of the cloud. It was almost laughable, the cloud thought—that they could be so prideful and so stupid at the same time.

"We do not answer to you," the alpha snarled, triggering an answering wave of threatening growls from his subordinates. "You are not our master."

The cloud grunted. "The only reason you have any power here at all is because of me. I would think my requests are perfectly reasonable, no?"

The wolves didn't agree. They snarled, baring their disgusting blackened fangs again.

"Poor little demon, without a body," the alpha said with a raspy laugh. "You are owed no deference." It grinned. "Tell me: Who did it? Who destroyed your mortal form?"

The cloud swirled, a red, shimmering haze pulsing from it, stronger with each passing moment.

The alpha laughed again—a harsh, grating sound. "That's it, isn't it? You were once a yokai? And then someone much stronger than you put you in your place." It snickered, turning to its pack mates. "A formless specter has even less station in this realm than we do. And yet it dares to command us to do its bidding?

"You have no power that was not stolen from someone else," it said after returning its attention to the cloud. "Why should we bow to you?"

Unbidden, decades of memories filtered through their mind—memories of pain, humiliation…betrayal.

Kill them, their other sides whispered ferociously. Kill them all.

But death is too good for them now, they decided.

They had been proud once, too, but right now, power was what they needed most. Sacrifices had to be made.

"I was never a yokai," the cloud said simply.

The wolves laughed. "No?" the alpha said.

"No. I was, and always will be, a god."

The laughter quickly died away. The steady pulses of energy emanating from the cloud grew hot, stifling, until even the demon wolves gasped out in surprise as the stale air coated their mouths and throats.

Reikaku's pulse was a tiny drumbeat that vibrated in the ground, the water, and even the air. But it was weaker now—just weak enough that suddenly possession wasn't their only recourse in their time of need…even if the vessel they truly wanted was still far from their grasp.

The wolves flattened their ears and backed away. All except the alpha, who kept its ground despite the hackles raising along its ridged back.

"Would you like to know the story?" the cloud whispered. "Of how I lost my mortal form?"

The alpha bared its fangs, but its gaze had dropped to the forest floor.

"I was betrayed," they continued. "I killed her, but she still managed to destroy my body before she died. But the essence of who I am—the essence that still makes me an incredible threat to pathetic wastes like you—that still remains." They paused. "I want you to convey another message."

Another pulse of energy burst from the cloud, finally pushing the alpha wolf back. It remained silent.

"Tell the other yokai on this mountain…no, this entire region…that the age of gods is over," the cloud told them. "Tell them that the North Wind has come to claim what is rightfully theirs, and that if you want to live…you will align with their just cause."

"Ridiculous!" the alpha spat. But uncertainty had crept into its voice.

"And for those of you who I allow to live…" The cloud laughed. "I want you to tell tales of what I'm about to do to your alpha most of them all."

Killing was an activity that used to send pure ecstasy coursing through them. But when a lesson needed to be learned…well. There were fates must worse than death.

"How dare you challenge me?!" the alpha snarled. Its head whipped from side to side as its pack mates slunk away, tails tucked between their legs. "What are you all doing? How dare you abandon your own leader?"

"Souls are so fragile," the cloud whispered, their voice a cacophony of indulgent purrs and threatening growls that fought for dominance. They drifted closer to the wolf, claw-like appendages forming in the smoke. "So precious. And yet, with just a tiny prick…"

The smoke slammed into the wolf, who let out a high-pitched yelp as they seeped inside it. The wolf's soul, tinged a bright, noxious yellow, lashed out, trying to force them out of its body. The cloud chuckled to themselves. It didn't stand a chance.

The cloud sunk their talons into the wolf's soul and filled it with their dark energy.

You are mine, they whispered. You are done.

The wolf continued to fight, foolishly so, lashing out in every feasible way trying to break free. On the inside, there was only abstract chaos. On the outside, however, millions of razor thin cuts had appeared on the wolf's body. It yelped and stumbled before righting itself, black bile oozing from its wounds as they overpowered it. Another sharp tug, and the wolf crashed to the ground, writhing onto its back. They pushed the wolf to the brink of death—their power was almost too much for it—and then melded its mind with their own.

You are mine, they repeated. Forever.

A vestige of that former ecstasy, that power, surged through them as they tussled inside the wolf for dominance. Flashes of the wolf's innermost thoughts and feelings seeped into their awareness: Pain. Stop. It hurts. Please. Don't.

I'll do anything.

They merely laughed and absorbed it all—every thought, every feeling, every weakness, every strength—until not a single fragment of the yokai's original consciousness remained.

They opened their eyes—their eyes, not a vessel's—and stared at the other wolves, who had crept to the far edges of the trees, their wide yellow eyes anxiously tracking their every move.

"Oh my," they whispered, testing their paws on the loamy soil. "It seems I am in charge now, after all."

The wolves glanced at each other. Flattening their ears to their heads, they prostrated themselves.

"Good," they said, baring their teeth in a grin. "You will call me Master now."

"…Yes," the wolves agreed.

The alpha shook their head. "No…Master is too dull. I think it is time for me to reclaim my proper name." They advanced on the wolves, licking the demon blood from their maw. "From now on, you will know me as…Fujin."

"Yes…Fujin-sama."

Pleasure coursed through them at the acknowledgment. This body was too small, too tight—they would need to absorb many more demons before they were strong enough. Their eyes must've glimmered with their bloodthirsty intent, because the wolves backpedaled farther.

But if I am to destroy the warrior and Reikaku, Fujin thought, this won't be enough. I need to absorb more power. I need to get past that barrier.

Luckily, there was a bandit who could help them do just that.

But first…

"Follow me," Fujin snapped, veering off toward the trees. "I think it's time to pay my respects to Reikaku-zan."