Balance
"Aia, run!" I hissed frantically. His eyes widened at my knowledge of his name, and his face set into a stubborn scowl.
"How do you know my name?" he asked. I groaned in frustration and grabbed him by his thin shoulders.
"I promise I will tell you. But for now, you have to get away from here! There are Mononoke coming!" I cried, gently shaking his shoulders for emphasis. His eyes widened even more, but he shook his head obstinately.
"No!" he cried out. "I may not want to be one, but I am a warrior! I can help you!"
"Aia, there is no way that you can help me! You would be defenseless against them!" Fear crept into my voice as the Mononoke steadily came closer. It was too late to run away from Aia; the Mononoke would want to know why I ran so suddenly from where I was and would possibly come here first. My brain raced as I tried to think of a way to save Aia.
Meanwhile, Aia slipped out of my grasp and fished around in his basket. Finding what he wanted, he pulled out a stack of what appeared to be wafer-thin papers, each with a large closed black eye on them. Keeping them in his hand, he reached back into the basket to pull out the scales, throwing them into the air to settle on the ground. The bells tinkled urgently and the scales all tipped in a westerly direction, the exact direction that my inner eye sensed the Mononoke coming at me. He divided the pile of papers evenly between his two hands before looking at me once more, determination set in his blue eyes. Tucking his wayward wheat-colored hair behind his ears, he said, "I want to help. I've had this warrior training, now let me use it!"
With a sound like rushing wind, the group of Mononoke crossed over the rim of the far side of the valley; they would be upon us in less than a minute. My sword was already awakening, hissing gently with the bell clinking. I reached into my waistband, pulling out the vial of crystals. I quickly sprinkled some in a circle around Aia before capping it and returning it to my waistband. "Stay within the circle; it will help keep you safe," I pleaded with him. His nostrils flared in indignation, but he did not question my judgment and nodded. Feeling slightly better, I slid my sword from its sheath and mentally prepared myself in the seconds remaining.
Rushing towards us with a wind that whipped our hair into a frenzy, the group of twenty Mononoke crested the ledge and circled around us, panting slightly. These Mononoke were all within the visible spectrum, and took the forms of humans with animal heads. Aia muttered something under his breath; all I caught was "Katachi: the form of a beast," over the occasional howls the Mononoke released. The Mononoke must have heard him too, for it was only then that their attention shifted to him.
"A mortal!" they hissed collectively. I stiffened and edged protectively towards Aia. His icy eyes were wide and fearful as he surveyed the spirits around us.
"What is your business here?" I spat, gathering my energies around myself like a cloak. The gold paint on my arms was nearly blinding, and the dragon's maw was nearly fully open.
"We come to eradicate you," they answered menacingly. "We do not need you meddling in our unfinished business. Also, we can eradicate the witness after we finish with you." I snarled at them for threatening Aia.
With that, I launched myself at the Mononoke, striking one on the head and another on the shoulder as the ones closest to those two scattered away from my sword. The two spirits I had struck exploded into a rainbow of fragments and I charged at the next group of Mononoke that had leapt at Aia. Luckily my crystalline barrier kept him safe, and the Mononoke rebounded off of an invisible barrier, howling. I wasted no time in eliminating them, regaining my balance and whirling to face the remaining eleven Mononoke that had regrouped by the edge of the clearing. I gave another feral snarl and leapt at them, striking two in a complicated twisting move. I instinctively ducked as one dove at my head, and I rammed my sword into its belly as it passed over my head. Returning to my post in front of Aia, I dared them with my gaze to come at me and challenge me.
Growling, three of the Mononoke rushed my weak side while two more rushed my strong side. At the last moment I backflipped over Aia, and their momentum brought them into contact with the barrier I had placed around Aia. Quick as lightning Aia brought his hand outside of the barrier and stuck one of his paper strips on the Mononoke. The black eye opened and turned a violent red. An unearthly shriek resounded from the contact, and the Mononoke – it must have been a weak one – dissolved into the telltale myriad of colored particles that meant that he was defeated. I left no room for my astonishment – I would have to ask Aia about it later – but launched myself at the other Mononoke that had been stunned upon contact with the barrier. Without stopping to think, I rushed the six remaining Mononoke. Twisting in their midst, I brought my sword in contact with four of them.
Suddenly, Aia cried out. I looked at him in time to see him throw a handful of the papers at me. The black eyes turned red and opened wide as they formed a wall at my back, and it was only when I heard an enraged howl that I realized that Aia had just saved me from a surprise attack. I whirled and, upon seeing an opening in the wall large enough for my sword, plunged it through the hole and slaughtered my attacker. Aia must have gestured, because the wall of papers fluttered behind me back towards him to give me an unobstructed view of the final Mononoke. I took my stance in front of it, keeping myself between it and Aia.
The Mononoke's animal face twisted in rage. "You will never stop us!" it shrieked. My inner eye told me that this Mononoke was the strongest of the bunch. As I watched, it swelled in size before disappearing with an evil cackle and a popping noise. Alarmed, I lunged at it, but it dissolved too quickly for me. I stayed with my sword arm extended, panting, as the realization that one had escaped me settled in. I hung my head in fear and shame; word of Aia would be spread. I had put the boy's life in danger by returning to him. I slowly walked back over to him, leaving my sword on the ground to continue channeling the Mononoke's essence into the afterlife.
Scattering the crystals that had saved Aia's life, I crouched down to his level and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I have put you in danger by returning to you. You piqued my curiosity after you recognized what I was that first time I met you, and I returned to spy on you. Now that the Mononoke have knowledge of you and of your connection to me, no matter how small that connection is, they will come after you to get back at me. I'm sorry," I repeated, hanging my head again.
Suddenly I felt thin arms wrap themselves around my broad shoulders. I froze, slightly alarmed at the contact. In my observations of the human race, I had noticed that humans would perform this action – a hug, I believed it to be called – to show affection or to provide comfort. I could not believe that Aia was hugging me; me, who had put his life in mortal danger and who had no business to be with him. Sensing my inner turmoil, he only hugged me harder, bringing me closer to his small body. Reluctantly at first, but then more confidently, I brought my arms around his tiny torso, returning his hug. I do not know how long we stayed that way, but when we finally released each other, I felt more calm and at peace with myself.
"I do not blame you for what happened," Aia said to me. "I would have gone searching for the Mononoke myself, and I would have encountered this situation eventually. And before you tell me that I would have had no idea what I was getting myself into, it is what I want to do with my life. The only direction from here is forward. Either you can teach me to protect myself for when the Mononoke return, or you can leave me to my death."
I did not care for the boy's blatant logic or his seemingly nonchalant attitude towards the gravity of the situation. But I knew that I had a duty towards the boy. Even though I barely knew Aia, I felt a fierce protectiveness of him. Grasping his shoulder, I said, "I will teach you, and I will always be here to protect you."
So I really couldn't wait to get this part up...sorry for the wait! Finally, some action! Please R&R!