The ox-pulled cart came to a stop in front of what was once a mansion. Now, it was nothing more than a hull of its former self, run down and overgrown with weeds of varying types. Opening the side door, Hao stepped out into the night.
His newly acquired companion, Matamune the cat, attempted to follow.
The Onmyoji turned to his friend and smiled. "No, I believe it's best if you waited in here. Inside those walls is certainly no place for you."
As he started up the splintered wooden steps leading up the embankment, he turned back, looking at Jiro and Taiki. "You two will take care of my friend, correct?"
The two had been loafing around, but immediately snapped to attention. "U-um, yes, y-yes, m'lord! Of course we will!"
Hao smiled. "Good."
Midway up the hill, the steps stopped at a flattened area which had been cut into the hillside. On the far side of the area, where the steps continued, an old monk was standing. The man's lavender robes were practically tattered rags, showing his longtime dedication to the area; the monk's mustache and beard had grown long, vaguely reminiscent of the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his head was completely shaved though, with his age, it wouldn't grow back anyway.
The Onmyoji greeted the man with a smile. "I can only assume that you are the guardian of this building, correct?"
The old man bowed as well as he could, the years not having been all that kind to him. "Yes. And there's no mistakin' it. You have to be that legendary Onmyoji I've heard about. I'm honored that you have come...and, to be honest, I really didn't think you would answer my lord's call."
Hao continued smiling. "Why, I am but only a man. Plus, I couldn't simply leave a fellow monk in distress, now could I?"
The old monk chuckled, his breath raspy.
Hao gazed up to the mansion. "So, you said you had a 'problem' here?"
The aged man followed the monk's gaze, nodding solemnly. "That's right. It started...oh, I'd say about three weeks ago. People said they'd been hearin' some strange wailing comin' from this old place." The old man flicked his nose with his thumb. "Heh, I figured it was a bunch of kids causing trouble, so I came up here to straighten the little hellions out."
Hao nodded, listening to the story intently, enjoying the aged monk's country speak.
The old man sighed. "But...I can't even get into the place. I'm not sure what it is, but if you get close to the mansion, some force just...kinda stops ya. I tried talismans and everything, but they just don't work. That's when I called on you."
The Onmyoji gazed back up to the building. "I wonder..." he thought before turning to face the monk. "Ah, I see. I believe I'll go have a look for myself."
As Hao moved across the area to continue ascending the stairs, he could hear the old man shuffling behind him. He decided not to question it.
Upon reaching the building, the two men stopped at the edge of the front yard.
"Now see, watch this..." the old monk commanded as he walked briskly towards the mansion.
"No, wait, there's really no nee-" Hao attempted to protest.
It was of no use. Marching a few paces from Hao, the old man came to a dead stop, the front of his body appearing flattened as if he'd met a wall head on. Hao noticed the area the monk had hit shimmer, as if reality itself was distorting. Energy taking the form of electricity forced the old man back, knocking him to the ground.
"Ah, a barrier," Hao observed before hurrying over to help the monk.
"Are you alright?"
The monk stood shakily. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I may be old, but I'm not that old, yet."
The Onmyoji smiled. "Ah, that's good."
He turned and reached out towards the barrier. When he felt it's resistance, he continued to press forward until his hand was flattened against it. Not even a second had passed until the energy repelled him.
"Hm..." he mused.
"What? What is it?" the old man inquired.
"Not a thing," Hao replied. Seeing that the monk was fine, he stepped forward. Feeling the resistance of the barrier, he pressed on until it seemed as though all of reality was warping around him. He could feel himself permeating through it until the resistance gave way, allowing him to pass through. "Just as I thought. It was made of furyoku..."
The old man was dumbfounded. He reached his hand out, still feeling the invisible force there, yet the young man was on the other side. "H-how did you do that?" the old monk asked.
Hao turned back. "Hm? Do what?"
The monk had both hands pressed to the barrier now. "Get passed this thing," he said while pushing against it.
The Onmyoji feigned a slightly puzzled look. "I simply walked forward. You saw me."
The man's puzzled look never faded, but his simply shook his head. "I guess that's why he's called the legendary Onmyoji..." he thought.
Hao smiled at the man's thoughts. The puzzlement was familiar, but at least he hadn't been called a freak or "demon-child."
He continued pacing towards the mansion, taking its short set of steps two at a time. Reaching the veranda and, without turning around, Hao spoke to the old man. "You don't have to stay there. Go down to the bottom of the hill. My escorts are waiting there. They shall keep you company."
The old monk's raspy chuckle echoed around the area as he sat down in the yard. "I'm a grown man. I think I'll be alright out here in the dark. 'Sides, least I can do is offer my prayers to the Buddha. You be careful in there, y'hear?"
Hao waved over his shoulder. "I certainly will. I shouldn't be long, so I'll not keep you waiting."
Hao slid the shoji shut behind him. Even if the place was deserted, he still had manners.
The inside of the mansion was just as bad as the outside, if not worse. It was dingy and dank everywhere the Onmyoji looked, and the entire area he was in was in disrepair. He assumed the rest of the building could not be much different. With parts of the roof having holes in it or having simply caved in, the moon offered a little visibility for him, and he could see that various lichen were growing on the inside of the mansion, and much of the wood had dry rotted from the years of harsh weather. Hao would have to watch his footing. To top it all off, each step he took kicked up a choking cloud of dust, forcing him to cover his mouth with the sleeve of his pure white jo-e at times.
Taking a right from his entrance, the Onmyoji found himself walking down a darkened hallway. Sliding his hands along the walls, he could sense the residual traces of furyoku. "So there is something here..."
Rounding the corner of the hall, he noticed a set of stairs. As he tentatively placed his foot on the first step, he could feel it sag with only the slightest bit of pressure. Not wanting to chance it, he decided to try an experiment. Searching around, he found a cracked cast iron urn in an obscure corner of the room, nearly hidden in the darkness. Physical strength not being his strong point, he was forced to drag the urn over to the steps by its top. Using all the power he could muster, he swung it around, releasing it in time for it to land in the middle of the staircase. At first, it seemed as if the wood would hold, but it was not to be. After bouncing once, the wood began to splinter under the weight of the object, and it smashed through the steps, lodging itself into the floor underneath. "Won't be taking that route, then," Hao thought with a grimace.
As he stepped left into the adjacent room, he stopped. He believed he had heard the pitiful sound of weeping. Glancing around the room, he attempted to deduce where the sound was coming from. "There's no way that's coming from a human...probably a ruse. Hm...alright, I'll play along."
Wandering through rooms and corridors, he searched. "I know it didn't sound as if it came from above, so it isn't on the upper floor. I couldn't get up there, anyway."
As he felt he was nearing the heart of the building, the crying returned as something behind an ajar shoji caught his eye.
Peering into the grand room, he could see a young woman at it's center, far away from him. As best he could see, her back was mostly turned to him, so the most striking feature that he immediately took notice to was her flowing black hair, which came to a stop just above her waist. She had a light pink kimono draped across her shoulders, and the red and brown flower symbols gave the hint that she came from an upper class family. She had her face obscured behind her hands and her shoulders were heaving.
"Ah, I found you. Time to get to work."
Sliding the door completely open, he stepped inside. "Excuse me, miss, but I overheard your weeping and couldn't help but see if there was a way for me to help you."
Her voice was as soft as velvet. "Why, that...that is very kind of you..." she said through her sobs as she stood.
The Onmyoji enveloped his hand in furyoku as he walked up behind and reached out, gently grabbing her shoulder. "Now now, just turn around and I'll see just what I can do. The least I can do is hear your story, right?"
Her sobbing had subsided. "Oh, you're so kind...you must have the heart of a saint."
The slight smile Hao showed quickly faded as she turned to face him. When her face was revealed, there was barely a face at all. It was similar to looking at a blank canvas, the Onmyoji thought. The only feature the creature bore was its gaping mouth, bearing dozens of blackened needle like teeth. As the creature turned, it planted its right fist into the priest's stomach, sending him reeling backwards.
"An ohaguro-bettari..." he choked out, still trying to catch his breath.
"Heh heh, so, you know about me, do you, little man?" the creature chuckled.
"Well, I've never actually encountered one of you before, but yes, I've heard of your kind," Hao politely replied, breathing normally again.
"Such a learned monk," the monster retorted. "So sad that you'll become a part of this house forever!" it shouted as its arms shimmered and extended, snaking their way towards the priest, talons pointed at him like spearheads.
The Onmyoji stood firm, smiling at the creature, not making a single move to defend himself. With the ohaguro-bettari's hands making contact with the monk, a brilliant flash of light erupted, filling the room.
Feeling the resistance given by making contact with the man, and not waiting for the light to disperse, the ohaguro-bettari shouted with glee. "Hahaha, little man! At least you knew there was no point in trying to run! Now, your soul will feed me, just like those ignorant children who came before. Haha, I can't wait to see who enters next! I'll just keep gaining more and more pow-"
The creature stopped in mid sentence as the light faded. The priest was still standing before it, the smile still gracing his lips.
The ohaguro-bettari was baffled. "WHAT? How did you live? You should have been skewered!"
Hao continued to smile, and spoke politely. "It's called furyoku nullification."
The creature's bafflement became mixed with rage. "Don't toy with me! I've never even heard of that!"
The Onmyoji nodded. "I'm sure you haven't. In fact, most never have. Therefore, I'll keep this brief. Those with...abilities such as mine are known as a Shaman. In short, we enact with the spirit world. You see, upon dying, you become a spirit, but you already know about that." The ohaguro-bettari scowled.
"A spirit has an inherent energy, known as reiyoku, just as a Shaman's inherent energy is known as furyoku. However, through exerting force, the energy generated from a spirit's attack, like what you just did, is a form of furyoku."
The creature was outraged. "That still doesn't explain anything!"
The priest continued to smile. "That because you haven't allowed me to finish," he said pointedly.
"I have trained extensively for many years, since I was a child. Though I really didn't know much at first, I have grown to understand the five fundamental elements that compose the cosmos. This understanding allows me to read the very nature of furyoku used against me and determine its course. That knowledge allows me to disperse it, without ever being harmed."
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" the monster spat. "Not that it matters! For years and years have I trapped souls here; my power is unlimited! There's no possible way for you to 'nullify' an attack using all of that energy!"
The walls themselves seemed to come alive. They rippled and convulsed as numerous grotesque forms emerged, some serpentine in appearance, others impish, humanoid, and unrecognisable.
"Now priest, let's see how you handle this!" the ohaguro-bettari screamed as the entire ensemble of spirits launched themselves at the priest.
Hao tried to keep the onslaught of thoughts out of his head as best he could, but some were still able to penetrate through.
"Why did she leave me?"
"I miss my mommy."
"Take whatever you want, just don't hurt my wife!"
"I've heard this place is haunted..."
"Someone help! There's a fire!"
The memories continued to pour in, forcing the Onmyoji to clasp his hands to the side of his head in an attempt to regain his composure. The monster's harsh laughter wasn't helping matters, either.
As the yokai closed in, Hao never noticed the two glowing paper talismans fall from his left sleeve, or the subsequent flash of light they produced. Still struggling against the invasion of the thoughts, his eyes remained closed to the events that followed. He believed he could hear various ripping and tearing sounds, and the clang of metal, but they all seemed miles away to him.
The cacophony of voices stopped abruptly. Sweat pouring down his face, the Onmyoji opened his eyes, looking around him. Standing in front of and guarding him, were his two demon shikigami, Kouki and Zenki. The last of the spirits, a serpentine one, was left. Zenki had blocked it with his shield and Kouki took the opportunity to split it in half with his poleaxe.
"W-what are those things?" the ohaguro-bettari, the only spiritual creature, save for the shikigami, left, stammeringly demanded.
The humble smile and politeness returned to the priest. "These are my two shikigami..." he stated, and pointed to the blue one, which bore a single horn on its head and two downward pointing tusks, "Zenki and..." pointing to the red one, having two horns and two upward pointing tusks "Kouki."
Hao frowned slightly with his next words. "I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this...Zenki, Kouki...take care of this."
The monster had no time to defend itself as Zenki's shield crashed into its face, knocking it off balance. Kouki followed up by cleaving through its torso with his ax. The death wail rang in the Onmyoji's ears even after it had ceased.
The two shikigami returned to their guardian positions, on each side of their master. The ohaguro-bettari had vanished, replaced with the maiden who served as its core soul. Her energy spent from her attack and taking the brunt of the shikigami's attacks, she was slowly fading, still glaring at the priest with contempt.
Hao returned her look with a serene smile. "I know about your past...Chiyoko Misora."
The girl's eyes widened at his words.
"I know how you were mistreated by your fiancee, and then he left before you were wed. In your grief, you decided that dying was the answer. However, in your despair, you became an ohaguro-bettari, and began to take these souls of those who entered this mansion to fuel your hatred. You even took the spirits of those two children who disturbed you three weeks ago."
"I'm...sorry. I'm so, so sorry," the maiden choked out, first to Hao, then to the numerous souls spread throughout the room, tears streaming down her face.
Hao continued to smile. "I'll not lie to you. Because of your transgressions, your journey will be a hard one. However, I believe the Great Spirit will be understanding. You will find happiness on the other side. I'm sure of it."
She at last halfway returned the priest's smile. "Thank you," she sincerely stated before fading away. The surrounding spirits, no longer tied to the world followed soon after.
Stepping out onto the veranda and sliding the shoji shut behind him, the priest chanced a look at his clothes. They were absolutely filthy. It was hard to see that they were supposed to be white from the dirt and grime caked onto them from his wanderings within the building. Hao frowned slightly.
"Hey, young fella! You make it back alright?"
He glanced up to see the old monk waving at him across the yard. Chuckling slightly, he assured the man. "Yes, yes, I seem to have made it back in one piece."
The man rushed up to the base of the steps. "You were in there so long, I thought I was going to have to come in there and get you!"
The Onmyoji's eyebrows perked and he looked up at the sky. The moon was still looming in the sky, but he could see the onset of dawn on the horizon. He raised his hand to rub the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. "Heh, I suppose I was in there a little longer than I had expected."
"You're darn straight you were!" the old monk shot back, before glancing around. He had finally taken notice as to just how close to the house he actually was. "Wait, that wall's gone! You took care of it?"
Hao nodded. "Of course. I had no intention of walking out of that building unless I had succeeded."
They had walked back down the hillside in relative silence. It was silence on Hao's part, at least. The old man was content to talk of his service to the area and how it had changed greatly since he was younger, even though it was still heavily rural.
Reaching the foot, the Onmyoji was in the process of saying goodbye to his colleague when he heard a wail ring out.
"You damned demon cat! Get off me! AHHHH, THAT HURTS!"
While their lord had engaged on his excursion, Jiro and Taiki had taken the liberty to free Matamune from the cart, and now Taiki was paying for it. At first trying to break away from the two escorts, the cat was blocked by Jiro so, seeing it as his only option, the feline, in a burst of energy attacked Taiki. The cat had run up the man's leg and was sinking his pointed teeth into the escort's face when the Onmyoji walked up.
"And just what exactly are you two fools doing?" Hao inquired with a sigh.
The two immediately bowed, Matamune still dangling from Taiki's nose. "I-it's nothing m'lord!"
"Ah, of course. Just put Matamune back where he was, alright?" he commanded with another sigh.
"Oh, make sure you collect your pay. My lord said he was going to pay well for removing this nuisance to his villagers," the aged monk reminded Hao.
Jiro and Taiki's eyes lit up at the sound of payment. "Oh? Is that so, m'lord?" they inquired.
Hao closed his eyes. "You've only heard as much as I. I know no more than you do."
The two of them grinned. "Boy oh boy, a handsome reward!" Jiro exclaimed. "It'll make the hell that cat put me through worth it!" Taiki added.
Hao bore an exasperated look. "I can still hear you two..." The two bowed once more.
"At any rate, the first place we are going is home." He looked at his clothes once more. "I'm in no presentable shape to a lord and, quite frankly, I'd like to go to sleep," he announced as he clamored back into his cart. Hao waved a farewell to the old monk before sliding down the blind on the window.
Feeling the cart lurch forward once again, he leaned his head back, resting it against the cart's wall, as Matamune reclaimed his comfortable bed in his master's lap.
I know that an ohaguro-bettari typically just scares people as opposed to killing them, but I decided I would take a few liberties with the creature, this being my fanfic and whatnot.