Balance
I watched as Kutsuriuri flinched slightly at the thunderous cracks resounding from the other side of the paper barrier, accompanied by the Mononoke's infuriated shrieks. Han-Lin was still cowering and screaming, his high-pitched cries irritating me. The gravity of the situation made my temper short, and I strode over to Han-Lin and lifted him up by his collar, glaring heatedly into his eyes. Astonishment and fear rendered him mercifully quiet, and it was not until Kutsuriuri placed a calming hand on my shoulder that I took a deep breath and set Han-Lin back on his feet.
"We have to take down the barrier so that I can go out–" I began.
"No. You told me I could do this on my own," Kutsuriuri interrupted. My muscles tensed, but after a long moment I bowed my head in deference to my word. Kutsuriuri gave me a small smile of thankfulness before turning to Han-Lin.
"I came to this office under the impression that you could shed some light on the murders of the girls who were recently murdered," Kutsuriuri said in a steely voice.
Han-Lin's eyes were practically rolling back in his head from fear. "I know nothing of their murders! I am innocent!" he shuddered violently.
Kutsuriuri's eyes hardened. "I accused you of nothing," he said. "Why do you defend your innocence?"
Han-Lin blinked furiously. "You were going to accuse me!" he shouted defensively.
I could practically see Kutsuriuri's patience growing thinner. "I am not one to accuse you, but perhaps the seven Mononoke hammering at your door would care to do so?" he said coolly.
He stooped in front of the crouching Han-Lin. "You know of the Mononoke; I can see it in the knowing fear reflected in your eyes. You know that they will not stop haunting you until they are satisfied, and the only satisfaction they can have is the sacrifice of your own life. Unless you start talking, you will be dead within the hour, and there will be nothing that my friend or I can do about it." Han-Lin whitened even further, silenced by the choking grip of fear. Kutsuriuri glared down his nose at the man who refused to speak. "If that's how you want it," he said.
Kutsuriuri stood up and began to muse. "The girls retain their human form, and not just any human form: they retain their form down to the garb that they wore to the fields every day. Why not the garb of their home lives? If they care for their beauty, why not a more elegant form of dress? And even then, they are not fully human; their eyes are the shadows of secrets, and their twin tongues are forked; what could these represent?" He paced back and forth, mouthing, "Katachi…Makoto…Kotowari," under his breath.
Suddenly he paused. "The snake is one of the most reviled creatures in all of creation. It is associated with deception, trickery, and lies. The forked tongue, coupled with the fact that the girls had two tongues, is symbolic of a dual lifestyle, one public lifestyle, one secret lifestyle."
"That could also explain the attachment to their work garb; it is the lifestyle that they wish to be remembered by," I supplied, following Kutsuriuri's train of thought.
Kutsuriuri nearly gave a satisfied smile, his features settling into a more relaxed set. "I know the Katachi: a life of secrecy."
Suddenly, the dragon's head of my sword opened its maw and closed it again with a distinctive chink. I glanced at it alarmingly, and Kutsuriuri was also dumbfounded at its behavior. In all my years as a warrior, never before had it behaved as such.
The Mononoke lying in wait outside the wall also stilled upon hearing the clang of my sword. The silence that resulted was deafening compared to the clamor they had been raising before. I tensed again, waiting for an onslaught, and was not disappointed; the Mononoke resumed their attacks against the paper barrier with a renewed vengeance.
"Kutsuriuri," I said urgently. "Time is dwindling. Please hurry."
Kutsuriuri's own eyes were lined with anxiety. "If I am to defeat the Mononoke, I must find the Katachi, Makoto, and Kotowari," he pleaded. I cast my thoughts back to some of our first encounters, when he was still little Aia, and remembered his desires to understand the enemy. I closed my eyes reluctantly, nodding once and preparing myself to intervene should the occasion arise.
Han-Lin's eyes were white and wide as he eyed the two of us. "Who are you?" he whispered.
Kutsuriuri's icy blue eyes settled on him. "We are the warriors against the Mononoke." I drew myself up to my golden height next to him, towering in stature and bulk and sending Han-Lin into an even smaller ball.
Kutsuriuri resumed pacing back and forth. "So, according to the Katachi, each girl led a secret life in addition to working here, at this factory. Perhaps it is safe to assume that this secret life was also the regret of the girls? And in which case, what other life would be so shameful that the girls would even alter their Mononoke form so as to hide and forget about it?"
"Perhaps espionage? Thievery?" I suggested.
Kutsuriuri looked at me amusedly. "Though the last one is a good contender, I was going to suggest prostitution." I flared my nostrils in distaste and in embarrassment for not thinking of such an obvious answer.
"The Kotowari is a life of prostitution," Kutsuriuri said with confidence, and for the second time in as many minutes, the dragon's head of my sword opened and closed, though the distinctive chink was somewhat louder this time. I shook my sword irritably, annoyed and worried at its acting up.
"Would it not be ironic if each reaction meant that I was right?" Kutsuriuri raised an amused eyebrow at me. My features softened, though the tension remained in my muscles.
"Assuming that my assumptions about the Katachi and Kotowari are correct, I must now unravel the Makoto, or the truth." Though I listened to Kutsuriuri's words, I noticed that the din of the Mononoke had faded, and that the papers were dulling from glowing red to their normal black. "Why is it that the Mononoke have targeted you?" Kutsuriuri fixed Han-Lin with a cold gaze, as if to freeze the lies in Han-Lin's throat.
"Maybe they were dissatisfied with my management?" Han-Lin said weakly. Kutsuriuri shook his head, and I almost wondered if he and I should leave the Mononoke to just kill Han-Lin.
"The seed of their hatred lies much deeper than a simple dissatisfaction," Kutsuriuri replied with a vehement edge. "Did you know these girls outside of work? Perhaps in their separate careers?"
Han-Lin was already shaking his head, though I could practically smell the slime dripping from his lies. "I didn't know they were prostitutes before you said something! Though it certainly figures," he said, a sneer forming on his face. "They always did seem like the type to whore them-"
A ringing slap echoed throughout the room as Kutsuriuri lost his composure and backhanded Han-Lin across the cheek. I reached out and grasped Kutsuriuri's wrist, bringing his gaze to my own amber one, tempering his frosty glare with my silent composure. As if he had read my mind, Kutsuriuri took a few calming breaths, closing his eyes and releasing the tension from his shoulders. I gently dropped his wrist, and he opened his eyes with a renewed determination.
"We will start from the beginning," he said, and his voice was surprisingly empty, a fact for which I was quite thankful. "When did you begin to employ the girls?"
Han-Lin was beginning to develop his snide authority in place of the sniveling coward he had been reduced to. "I don't have to tell you anything," he replied condescendingly, a somewhat malevolent glint in his eye. "I'm going to string you up for attacking me like you did just now! No one can get away with assaulting me like that! And no one will get away with accusing me of murder!"
Kutsuriuri's nostrils twitched. "Once again, I did not accuse you of anything," he said emotionlessly. "This is twice now that you have slipped." He took two steps forward so Han-Lin had to crane his neck to look up into Kutsuriuri's face. "I will ask you once more: what is your connection to these girls outside of this establishment?"
A sudden wail broke through the barrier, but it was not the wail of the Mononoke. It was a human wail, a cry of grief and horror, and in that moment, Kutsuriuri and I knew that Han-Lin alone was not the target of the Mononoke.
Um...hi all. I refuse to offer any excuses this time as for why I'm such a horrible updater, because there aren't any good excuses. I ask for your forgiveness as a reader for my lack of punctuality, and I am going to try to stick to a schedule of updating every Sunday from here on out.
On a happier note, we finally got to the good stuff! The Golden Warrior's sword is beginning to behave as we know it, and Han-Lin's going to get his butt kicked in the next few chapters (man I hate that character, and I even came up with him! Necessary evils and all that jazz). Thank you all for your patience with me, and I hope you enjoy the rest of our ride!