Chapter 8 No price too high

The three girls stared in silence at the shanty before them. A small tin building built into the side of the mountain. The building had no back exit, Arisa noted, one way in and one way out. A wobbly wooden chair sat in front of the door, some red peepers and a banana bushel hung from the overhang. The door was wide open but no one appeared to be home. Hana definitely appeared on edge. Her hair was standing on end from static, not a good sign.

"Hana-chan, it's alright. I'm sure Aodoriku-sama is just out collecting herbs or something. I don't mind waiting. We've come this far." Tohru spoke soothingly. She placed her hand on Hana's shoulder. Hana showed no sign of calming.

"I sense many unpleasant vibes. This place… it has a memory. I don't like being here." Hana gritted her teeth, and shifting her feet she began wringing her hands.

"Oh-ho!" Called a strangely accented voice. "I have some visitors. Tree lovely ladies come to see me in me house!" Hana whirled, dark sparks shooting from her eyes. A dark man with wild- wooly hair came walking toward them with a couple of dead rabbits in his hand. Tohru felt herself turn green as a fleeting thought of Momiji passed through her mind before she could dismiss it.

"Now missy- dey's no need for dat!" The man reached into the air with his free hand as if plucking a hair from the air. Hanajima gasped, her sparks went out. "Didjou be tinking dat an unknown power would be entering in my domain an I not be knowin' about it? Your power has no autority here!" The man walked toward his hut as if they had been discussing the weather.

"Hana, did he-" Arisa asked.

"I cannot sense my powers at all." Hanajima was slightly uncomfortable but at the same time a sense of wonder lit up her eyes. "I am… I am completely normal!" There was a note of delight in her voice. Tohru clasped her hands together.

"If he can mask your abilities Hana-chan, than I am sure he can help us with our problem!" Tohru dashed after the man.

"Tohru!" Arisa called out harshly. Tohru stopped and turned her head questioningly. "Tohru, be careful, I'm not sure I trust this guy." Tohru pursed her lips in impatience, her brow furrowing in puzzlement.

"But if I don't ask him for his help than why did we come all the way up here in the first place? Like it or not he's the only chance I have."

"I know, I'm just saying, maybe you shouldn't be so… so carefree around him." Tohru nodded and walked in a more subdued manner to the hut. She paused at the doorway knocking on the door.

"Come in Ganjame."

"H-h-hello, would you be Aodoriku-sama?" Tohru asked hesitantly. She swallowed convulsively as the dark man pulled out a wicked looking knife and hacked off the head of the first rabbit.

"Dat' I am, Ganjame."

"Ummm, I need your help." She began as Arisa and Hanajima flanked her on either side. Aodoriku smiled, his white even teeth brilliant in his black face, and he inclined his head, a gesture for her to continue. He proceeded to peel back the skin off the rabbit using the knife as an aid when the skin got stuck to the meat from the tendons. Tohru tried not to look.

"I need to be protected from someone's power, unless I have protection a man will erase my memories, and I need a way to break a curse that binds my friends to a human who is also their god." Aodoriku put down the rabbit and his knife. He picked up a piece of cloth and began wiping the rabbit's blood off his hands; his smile was gone replaced by a serious and calculating look.

"You be speaking of the Sohma curse and the memory wipe o' the Dragon."

"Yes." Tohru answered simply. Aodoriku approached her, his hands still had small flecks of meat beneath the fingernails and he had not completely wiped away the blood. He lifted one hand to Tohru's hair. With his greasy, bloody finger he pushed back a lock that had fallen over her shoulder. His eyes held hers.

"And what do ye be offerin' me as payment Ganjame?" He asked softly. Tohru wet her lips uncomfortable beneath his stare but she could not look away. Before she could answer Hanajima snatched his hand and flung it away from Tohru with surprising strength. The air hummed a little. Aodoriku looked at her in surprise.

"We have money." Hanajima said firmly her eyes flashing a warning.

"A demon, a warrior and an angel descend upon me at me home an I am to grant them powerful magiks for money. No, I tink' not."

"B-b-but, if not money than what?" Tohru stuttered in a panic.

"Forget it Tohru." Arisa began. She moved to place her arms around Tohru but Tohru flung her arms away violently.

"No!" She cried. She threw herself at the feet of the mystic and bowed her head.

"Please! Please, Aodoriku-sama, I do not know what the price will be, but no price is too high. Yuki and Kyo and Momiji and maybe even the others, they are counting on me. I made a promise. When someone makes a promise they have to do everything they can to try to keep it. And so, I want to keep my promise that I made. If it is in my power to grant it, I will pay your price. So please, Aodoriko-sama, please help me break the curse that binds my friends to Akito. Help me protect my mind from Hatori-san." Aodoriku stared at the girl at his feet a self-satisfied grin curling across his face. He could smell the innocence on her. Many powerful members of the demon world traded on mortal innocence. This girl was purity incarnate. He opened his mouth to speak when there was a flash of lightning. He froze and a chill slid along his spine.

Thunder roared a warning right before an arc of lightning slammed into his house. It split his roof and sent the table where the dead rabbits lye splintering into pieces. The smell of burnt wood and charred flesh rose from his home. He stared in shock. So did Arisa and Tohru.

"I will pay your price mystic. Give Tohru what she needs and I will pay the price in her stead." Hanajima's voice was hollow and calm. Aodoriku stared at the raven-haired beauty. His banking of her powers had vanished as if it were nothing, a destructive power rolled off her in waves. His eyes lit with a greedy hunger and his hands trembled. Even more than mortal innocence many demons lusted for channels into the human world, they desired vessels of power. This girl had both innocence and power.

His voice trembled with excitement, "A year of service. You will be mine; you will do all dat I command. Agree aloud and my help is hers."

"No! Hana-chan, I will pay whatever he asks, it is not for you to pay this price!" Tohru was beside herself with guilt. It had never occurred to her that the mystic would want more than money. Hanajima's eyes never left the mystic's face when she replied.

"No Tohru. This is my gift to you. You will accept it."

"But Hana-chan-"

"I will not serve you. Not until Tohru succeeds. I am sworn to her side until her quest is complete. Can a bargain be struck?" She regally questioned. Hana's back was ramrod straight as she glared icily into the eyes of a man who desired more of her than mere service. What he wanted she knew not but whatever his dark purposes she would never let him get his hands on Tohru. When he looked at Tohru with such a light of cunning malice in his eyes Hanajima knew she had to help Tohru or something dear and precious inside her would be destroyed.

"I be taking a huge risk letting you go. Even with my help there is no sure ting dat your girl here will succeed."

"If she fails then your help was worthless." Aodoriku was silent for a moment.

"De deal is dis. You will return within one year. Whedder she succeed or fail you return in one year. If she fail in dat time you are free but if she succeed or still in de process of her quest you will belong to me for one year. Agree aloud an the spirits are witness to your oat'!"

Tohru was uncertain about what exactly Aodoriku wanted from Hana-chan but she knew it was not good.

"No! I reject this payment! I will pay for my own aid or not at all!" She rose to her feet, her hands fisted at her side. "I will not allow Hana-chan to do this for me."

"I agree." Hanajima intoned. There was a clap of thunder. Pebbles lifted and danced on the ground as the earth beneath their feet shook.

"It is done!" Aodoriku proclaimed.

"No!" Tohru cried. "I said I do not accept this! I won't accept your aid then!" She cried.

"Fine but in one year dis girl be mine Ganjame." Hanajima grabbed Tohru by the arm and pulled her to the side.

"Tohru, I know you do not understand what it is that I have just done but please! Take all the help you can get from him." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Do not let my sacrifice be in vain." Tohru jerked away from Hanajima, hurt sparkling in her eyes.

"I never asked you to do this!" She cried softly.

"You never would." Hanajima answered with a soft smile. "Dear Tohru, what is done is done. You made a promise. We must free Kyo and Yuki. You cannot bear to live in a world without your Sohma's. I cannot bear to live in a world where my Tohru is not safe and happy. The day Kyoko died Arisa and I made a vow to protect you and look after you. You have made your promises and I," She cupped Tohru's face in her palm, "I have made mine."

Tohru sniffed, but nodded. Arisa remained silent, her entire body was tense and strained, she was clearly uncomfortable with all the magic.

Tohru turned to Aodoriku and in a hard voice that slightly shocked her friends demanded, "What have you got that can help me." Aodoriku laughed.

"To break de bond and de curse you will need powerful magic. To sever de bond would only kill your friends. The bond must be transferred or de curse made more bearable by changing de nature of dey God. I do have something dat may help but how will depend on you." Aodoriku pulled down a gourd that was lying on a topmost shelf in the back of his hut. It was about the size of a liter bottle of water and a waxy brown color.

"In here I have an ancient spirit. She will merge wit you. However you will have to fight for control. If you do not have de will den she will own you and your personality may be gone. Dey is much danger involved." A black bolt of lightning arced from Hanajima to Aodoriku's chest sending the dark man flying into the back of his shack. A plume of dust rose from the debris he landed in.

"This was not part of our deal. I will not allow Tohru to be harmed!" Her eyes were dark and dangerous as she advanced on the man. Aodoriku raised a hand in protest.

"What you ask for is power, no power can be attained wit' out great risk. Dis' be her best chance. Also wit' de Jinn as a part o' her De dragon will no be able to erase her memories. In order for his gift to work it must lock on de mind o de personality he be trying to erase. Wit' two in Ganjame's body he will no be able to hypnotize and erase the mem'ries o' de one because de 'oder it will take over."

"How will this jinn help me break the curse." Tohru asked firmly.

"You cannot take de' bond it must be freely gi'ben to you. Dis' be not easy. De' God o' de Zodiac, he can be cruel and de' Juunishi will still lub' him. Each cursed member in life must transfer dey loyalty to you. If dis' es not possible den de God must be de one to change in order to relinquish de hold on de' cursed ones. De jinn can help you as it chooses, but you get tree wishes. Howeber, none o' de wishes can directly affect de God. So choose carefully. After tree wishes de' jinn will be free and you will no longer have its protection."

"Tohru!" Arisa cried, "don't do this, he's saying if you take this thing inside you that it could destroy who you are."

"If I don't," Tohru began, "then Hana-chan will have made a huge sacrifice for nothing. Hatori will erase my memories, and Kyo will be locked up. Forever." Arisa swallowed. Hanajima said nothing. They both knew what Tohru would do. Her choice had been made from the moment they set foot on the mountain. Tohru would do what she had to in order to free her family. Just as Hanajima had done what was necessary to protect Tohru.

There was no price too high.

Tohru accepted the gourd.

"You must open it up and drink down its contents." Aodoriku said.

Tohru did as instructed.

In a single moment everything changed.

Authors Note: Sorry about the badly written accent. I was hearing the principal of the highschool on Ranma 1/2 english version. Picture Sebastian the crab if the ranma reference is unclear. I'm not explaining his origins because its unnecessary. People cross race lines and make babies all the time I just picture a Jamaican voo doo doctor fell in love with an Asian priestess or something. Ganjame references Ganja root, weed to the uninformed as in Tohru was smoking or good enough to smoke or so smoking fine she got him high.

I apologize for being a review whore. If I know people are reading I am motivated to keep going. Also If you could mention just a one liner something you liked or didn't like as opposed to simply write more. Or you like it. I want the story to be good, to be enjoyable. But writing Tohru is hard, she is so… good… and humble. Anyway please review the story. I will write faster with reviews than I will without them.