The rest of winter passed by, filled with fun, laughter, priestly duties, and the occasional training session. Spring carried on rather uneventfully, as well. Summer had finally arrived, warmer than usual, and Hao was traveling to his next job.
The previous ox led cart had been gutted and refitted with the interior of one of the lavish carts that Emperor Ichijo was kind enough to give the priest, and was now traversing down one of the city's streets, the summer sun beating down. Jiro and Taiki were drudging ahead of the cart, shoulders slumped.
"It's...so hot..." the two guards murmured.
"But, you know...there's...something I hate more...than this heat..." Taiki stated.
Jiro's eyes perked slightly, although it didn't help their droopy appearance. "What? What could possibly be more unbearable than this?"
"That damned cat!"
Jiro chuckled. "Oh, him." He though for a moment. "I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but he's been in such a rage today."
Taiki touched the scratch marks on his left cheek. "Yeah, I know all about it."
Inside the cart, Matamune was going frantic. He rushed across Hao's lap from side to side, staring out the window and hissing, his fur standing on end.
The priest watched the feline with amusement before following his gaze out the right window. He finally caught sight of what had been causing the cat's alarm.
"Haha, I see what it is now," the Onmyoji said to his friend.
Both he and Matamune had spotted a demonic ogre looking creature, sitting in front of an estate, holding an upright kanabo. It sported a seemingly bucket helmet, bearing star shaped eye holes, and a single spike protruding from the back.
"That is a goryoushin," Hao told the feline. "You must have seen them earlier, as well. This has been your first time of seeing them, isn't it? I've become so used to seeing them that I didn't think to bring it up earlier."
The creature eyed them coldly, standing defiantly as they passed by.
"They are a special type of spirit employed by us Onmyoji to guard off oni and other beings that would wish to harm us," the priest continued. "A spirit that guards another spirit is known as a gonryoue. As such, when they guard a shaman, they are known as a goryoushin."
Hao sighed slightly. "When it all comes down to it, you will lose your body when you die, and go on to the afterlife as a spirit." His eyes became softer, showing a bit of sadness. "If, at that time, we are still friends..." he started, "I hope that you will become a goryoushin and protect me."
Matamune's eyes widened, struck by Hao's words, as the priest scratched behind his left ear.
The Onmyoji silently reached up to his neck, untying the necklace that rested there. Sliding it up from the v in the kimono under his snow white kariginu and jo-e, it was revealed to have three black bear claws hooked on the string. He clasped his hand around it momentarily, focusing on the grooves and curves of the claws.
"Believe it or not, this bear claw necklace possesses the ability to cross the worlds, both this one and the afterlife," Hao said, "I'd like for you to have it." He continued to say, "I've concentrated a part of my furyoku into the claws. This way, that furyoku of mine will be able to flow into you. When you die, if you have kept the necklace and accepted my furyoku, you will be able to live on as a goryoue forever."
The feline's eyes grew even larger as he processed the information he had just been given. The priest sat, staring at his friend as the cat gazed over the bear claws dangling from his furry neck. Gleaning Matamune's thoughts, Hao smiled greatly. Though he couldn't understand the words, he felt the emotions easily conveyed their meaning to him.
"I will always protect you, Lord Hao."
Traveling onward, Hao requested Jiro and Taiki to bring the cart to a halt. The priest could hear a commotion carrying on up ahead. Pushing the blind obscuring the right window up, the Onmyoji poked his head out, seeing what was going on.
Up ahead, three men were attacking another man against the wall of a building, not quite in the middle of the street, but still in the way. The man was doing very little to defend himself, simply trying to walk away, which did him little good. Every move he made to walk off was rewarded with being shoved against the wall again and dealt a blow to the stomach or across the face. As the man sank to the ground, his assailants began kicking him, stomping him into the dirt.
Hao hurriedly stepped out of the cart, rushing towards the group. "Now, gentlemen, I'm sure that whatever this man has done this type of punish-" He was stopped mid sentence when the closest man hit him with the back of his fist, knocking him to the ground.
"Stay out of this, priest," the man grunted before turning back to his previous occupation. As the man prepared to kick the man on the ground, Hao reached out, grabbing him by the ankle. As the thug looked down at him, the priest glared. "I said this isn't necessary," Hao said to him scathingly.
"What the hell's his problem?" the man's voice echoed in the Onmyoji's mind. "What an idiot."
The other two had taken notice. "Oh, he wants to take a share, too, eh?" the first man inquired.
"Seems like it," the second replied.
The third man continued kicking the priest in the stomach as the other two stepped over, the first grinding his face into the dirt with his heel and the second stomping on his chest. Jiro and Taiki came running over, swords brandished, ready to cut down the attackers.
"What do you want to help a freak like this anyway?" the men shouted. "He's a demon! Why help him?" they added, taking out their frustration on the priest.
Just as Taiki was about to split the first man's head in half, the three thugs were lifted from the ground and tossed a dozen feet away. Hao's guards stared in amazement. They knew their lord was renowned for his abilities, but they had never seen them up close before.
The men scrambled to their feet frantically, visibly alarmed. They looked around with puzzlement at first. "What was that?" the second man asked the rest, even though he knew they were just as confused as he was.
Realization spreading across the third man's face, causing him to look back at their victims, of which the priest was now standing, gazing at them with an annoyed look. He pointed at the Onmyoji. "I-It was you, wasn't it?"
"He's just like that other freak!" the second exclaimed.
"Help! Someone help! These two are not men at all, they're demons!" the first man shouted as he ran down the street, the other two following closely behind.
Hao watched them run away with scorn as the man slumped against the wall began to chuckle weakly. As he slowly stood, albeit with the priest's aid, he grinned. "Persecuted just because I can see spirits. It's no different from home..."
The man finally raised his eyes, immediately noticing a pair of demonic looking ogres, one blue, the other red. They were obviously what had launched the three men across the street. Knowing that they did not belong to him and the assailants' parting words clicking together, he gaped at the priest. "Hey, you can see spirits too!"
The Onmyoji smiled at the man. "Indeed I can." Extending his hand, the priest introduced himself. "Hao Asakura."
Engaging in the handshake, the man flashed a rogue smile. "I'm Gang. Gang Tao."
The priest looked over the man. He wore a simple sleeveless cloth tunic of a dark blood red color. His black pants were somewhat baggy, ending just below his knees. The cuff of his pants were met by his tall white socks, the likes of which were so dingy, they appeared to have a yellow hue to them. On his feet were black cloth shoes with white soles. His clothes, though still held together, were quite tattered at the fringes, and his shoes appeared as if they were about to burst at the seams, minor holes already worn in them.
"You said the way those men were treating you was no better than at home," Hao stated. "I assume that you are not from Japan."
Gang nodded. "That's right. I hail from the land of China," he said with another chuckle.
The Onmyoji took a second glance at Gang's clothing. "And, pardon me for asking," he started, "but the material your clothing is made of doesn't seem like something a commoner would be able to afford."
Gang smiled at him. "Haha, you're very observant, Hao. Well, the Tao family is...somewhat wealthy, I suppose."
A puzzled look crossed the priest's face. "I don't claim to know a great deal about China...but the Tao family is one that I've never heard of. I mean no offense, of course."
The man held up his hands. "None taken. It's...somewhat of a long story."
Understanding, Hao turned to walk towards his escort. "Oh, I see."
Placing his hand on the priest's shoulder, Gang turned him around. "You didn't let me finish. I'll try to make it a short story," he said, smiling. "You see, a hand full of centuries ago, we Tao used our abilities to help establish the Qin Dynasty. We prospered greatly as a result, enjoying the greatest of luxuries in the Imperial Capital. However, roughly three centuries ago, the Tang dynasty grew tired of what they called our 'charades, and false magic,' and exiled us into the wildlands. Many were hunted down and mercilessly slaughtered for heresy, until the family used the wealth it had accumulated to construct a palace high in the mountains, hidden from the rest of the world. Now, the family is just building up power, waiting for the chance to prosper again."
The Onmyoji scratched the back of his head. "Um...this sounds rather secret, so why are you telling me this? I was content with just 'it's a long story,' you know."
Gang shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't feel like going through all the training and protocols they had laid out for me. I'd rather just take it easy, get stronger on my own time, and live my own life, you know?" Hao nodded. Gang grinned. "Well, they disowned me."
The priest frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."
Gang simply waved him off. "It's no big deal. At least I can live like I want, right?" he said, his grin widening.
Hao chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so. But, is it really worth living like this?" Gang shrugged once more.
"Do you at least have a place to stay?" the priest inquired further.
The man shook his head and pointed at the sky. "But the view is amazing at night."
The Onmyoji's head slumped forward as he sighed. Perking up, he looked at Gang with a smile. "Well, then, I suppose it's settled." Gang looked confused. "You can live at my estate. I have more than enough room, so you won't be a bother," Hao clarified.
"Ah," the man started, "that would be nice," he finished, not protesting in the least.
Walking side by side with the priest towards the waiting cart and guards, a highly audible clang sounded out from withing Gang's pants. His eyes perked as he realized what it was. "I suppose I can take these out now," he said as he reached beneath the waistband of his pants, producing two straight swords, one from each pant leg. "These aren't illegal here, are they?" he inquired of the Onmyoji.
Hao shook his head. "Not that I know of, but...what are they, exactly? It's obvious that they are Chinese blades, but I've never seen them before."
Gang held the two swords up. They were nearly identical, both being slightly over three feet long. The only difference between the two was a result of their respective colors. The left sword was predominantly white, carrying the color on it's sheathe, handle, and cord tied through the end of the hilt which, along with the hand guard, seemed to be made of gold, same as the right. The right sword, however, was mainly black, bearing the color in its own sheathe, handle, and attached cord, creating a stark contrast to its gold hand guard and hilt cap.
"Swords such as these are known as jian," Gang replied. "I forged them myself. That was before I was kicked out, of course." He held up the left jian. "I call this one dàn," he announced. "This one is huì," he said, motioning towards the right sword.
"I take it you use them as a medium?" Hao asked.
"That's right."
"Speaking of which," the priest said, looking around, "where is your guardian spirit?"
"I'm not sure." Gang gave another nonchalant shrug of his shoulder. "Eh, I'm sure he's out somewhere."
The Onmyoji chose not to question the answer as they came to a stop in front of Jiro and Taiki, who were eyeing Gang suspiciously. Hao raised his hands in an effort to calm them. "Taiki, Jiro, this is Gang," he said, pointing at the man. "He's going to be staying with us."
The two guards looked at one another momentarily, showing little interest, before Jiro spoke up. "I'm guessing he has abilities such as yours, right, Lord Hao? Is that why you took an interest in him?"
"Something like that," Hao replied. "That, plus, he has no where else to go." Gang shrugged as the two guards looked at him.
The two men climbed into the cart, sitting on opposite sides, as the guard coaxed the ox into moving again. Not recognizing the other man, Matamune dived behind Hao's legs, only chancing a peek around to let out a hiss. Grabbing underneath his forearms, the priest lifted the cat up to face the man.
"This guy here," Hao started, "is Matamune, a very close friend of mine" As the cat dangled helplessly from the priest's hands, he stared lazily at Gang.
Gang reached out his right hand to lightly shake the cat's paw. As he did so, the feline wiggled his paw as best he could, producing his claws and scratching the man across the index finger.
"Eh...nice to meet you, too," Gang chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with his left hand, as Hao gave an apologetic smile.
The cart came to an abrupt halt in front of an estate on the other side of town. Having made a couple stops along the way, the daylight had been burned, and night had fallen.
Hao stepped out, the Chinese shaman following closely behind. "So, is this your place?" Gang inquired, looking around.
The priest shook his head. "No, this is the last stop beforehand. I have something to take care of here." He shrugged when Gang gave him a questioning look. "It's part of the job. I hope you don't mind."
"Ah, that's right. Your priestly duties." He shrugged. "Well, it's really no big deal."
Hao walked forward, heading towards the building. "Ah, alright. Thank you for understanding. I won't be very long."
Gang rushed up to walk beside him. "Well, the least I can do is help you out, you giving me a place to stay, and all." He turned back to watch Matamune claw his way up Taiki's leg, who was howling out every obscenity that came to his mind. "Plus," Gang started, "I don't want to have to put up with that while you're gone."
The Onmyoji chuckled. "Fair enough. Things will be completed twice as fast this way."
The two of them carried on towards the mansion, engaging in small talk along the way. As they passed through the building's gate, both noticed a man standing in the yard, dressed in the same attire as Hao, staring at the estate. They approached him.
The two of them stopped in their tracks as the man turned around. He had an overall normal face, hazel eyes with sharp features. What struck the two as odd was the nose the man sported, being long and crooked.
Finally seeing that the man wasn't diseased, Gang gave a small wave. "Hey." The man scowled at him.
Hao gave an apologetic smile to the other priest. "I'm sorry for our rudeness but, um, exactly why are you here?"
The man scoffed. "My name is Kenta Sato. I was hired to exorcise a demon in this estate. It was apparently a haunting so bad that the family was forced to flee the mansion."
"I'm Hao Asakura, and this is Gang Tao," the Onmyoji said, extending his hand. Kenta made no effort to shake it. Seeing the second priest wasn't going to return the gesture, Hao lowered his hand. "I don't understand. I was contracted to perform an exorcism here, as well."
Kenta turned his curved nose into the air, causing Gang to cringe slightly. "Well, you're wasting your time here. I will be the one to finish the job here, so you can just go home."
Hao stepped passed the man. "No, I believe I'm going to do the job I was hired to do, if that's alright with you."
The man walked forward, slamming the shoji open. "Fine! Do as you please! You can go ahead and waste your time, I'll be the one to succeed! Just stay out of my way!" The Onmyoji could hear the man's thoughts. "I'm sure he's just a fake wants to loot the place. Heh, well, that's too bad, because I'm going to be doing that, heheh..." The man finished by stomping into the mansion.
"It looks like you've got an enemy now," Gang chuckled.
Hao stood in the doorway, frowning. "He just seems to be...er, a go getter. Coming?" He stepped inside.
With Gang catching up, the priest looked around the interior. Though the building was not run down like the old mansion Hao had visited the previous fall, as this estate was far more new, but it had its flaws. Someone had lit lanterns throughout the house to illuminate it. As far as the Onmyoji could see, the mansion looked as if a typhoon had weeded its way into the estate and went to work, taking care to leave the building standing. Many things had been turned over, thrown to the ground, and broken, while most of the washi of the inner shoji used as room dividers had been ripped. If the demon was this powerful, it was a small wonder that the residing family was forced to flee.
Somewhere, in another area of the estate, Hao thought he could hear Kenta rummaging through the mansion's various items. The Onmyoji and Chinese shaman decided it was best to check the other side of the mansion. They would deal with the fake priest later.
Turning left, the two traversed hallways that all looked the same, save for the directions they eventually bent in, until they came to the heart of the complex. At the very center of the mansion, a garden had been constructed, not completely unlike the one in Hao's own courtyard. This one was, however, larger than his, with sand covering a larger area, more sitting rocks, more trees planted, and a mid sized fishless pond in the far right corner. The "typhoon" had left this area untouched.
"Get out! Get out! No one invited you stooges here!" The voice echoed throughout the garden, giving no hint of its origin. The voice followed with a menacing chuckle.
The body the voice was attached to made itself known. Gang rolled forward, narrowly dodging the large fist attempting to smash into him. Hao was forced to sidestep the one coming at him.
As they both turned back, they realized what they were dealing with. The creature was rather diminutive, slightly over half the size of Hao. It had a demonic figure, gray in color, its appearance being similar to that of an oni. The most striking feature it bore was its arms. Though its upper arms were relative proportional to its size, the forearms were massive, ending in the large hands that had attempted to crush them.
The Onmyoji looked interested. "Ah. You're an amanojaku."
The creature gave a toothy grin. "Oh, so the priest has heard of me. That's correct." Upon looking at Gang, the amanojaku's grin broadened. "Hmm...you want to be able to bring honor back to your family, even though they cast you out, don't you, little one?"
"I don't really think it's your place to call someone 'little,' just so you know," Gang scoffed in reply. "But...how could you know about that?" he added, puzzled.
"You know, I can give you the strength you need to accomplish your goal. You will become so strong that your family will once again rise to prominence. The people of your nation will easily recognize your power and would do nothing to oppose you. So, you see, you won't even have to resort to violence."
Gang was intrigued. "And...and how would I get this power?"
The amanojaku's grin became menacing. "Why, all you have to do is kill the priest," he said, pointing a Hao.
The Chinese shaman smiled. "Ah," he started, drawing his twin jian, much to the demon's delight, "too bad." He pointed the swords at the amanojaku. "That's just too much of a deal breaker."
The priest smiled, his two shikigami appearing beside him. "An amanojaku can read your deepest desires and claims to be able to make them come true. Of course, it's something that the creature doesn't intend to follow through on. Good thing you didn't give in."
Gang shrugged. "Well, I didn't really intend to listen to him, anyway. I'd prefer to meet my goals with my own ability." He then turned to face Hao. "How exactly do you know so much about this thing?"
It was the Onmyoji's turn to shrug. "It is required to have knowledge of various creatures when studying the onmyodo arts. Not to mention, I took special interest in this creature, as I have an ability that is somewhat similar to his."
The Chinese shaman gaped. "You can see people's desires?"
Hao shook his head. "Not quite. I have the ability to read not only others' thoughts but, more importantly, their hearts. Though, my ability comes and goes as it pleases; I can't activate or deactivate it at will." He smiled. "I'm afraid I can't grant any desires, either."
The demon chuckled its menacing chuckle once more, as a metal staff assimilated into its left hand. "Oh well, if the two of you are finished, I'd like to get around to killing you. You see, I was resting pleasantly until you two showed up."
The amanojaku's speed was great. In the span of a second, the demon was able to close the short distance between itself and the two men, swat the Onmyoji to the side, and lash out at Gang with his staff.
Instincts kicking in, the Chinese shaman crossed his blades in front of himself, allowing them to absorb the force of the blow. The impact was still great enough to send him sliding backwards until he used the resistance caused by sticking the swords in the ground to stop.
Zenki and Kouki moved in immediately, each attacking from a different side, ready to annihilate the creature. The amanojaku, however, had not forgotten about the ogres, using each end of its staff to trip them up, causing the two shikigami to crash into one another.
Standing just as quickly as he had fallen, Hao reentered the fray. He made an attempt to use a binding spell on the demon, but it was to no avail. The creature lashed out with its staff to interrupt the priest's casting.
At the same time, Gang and the shikigami had redoubled their efforts into attacking together. The demon caught on, rapidly spinning its staff in front of itself, repelling all attacks made against it. The creature followed its efforts by holding off the two ogres with its staff as it planted its oversized left fist into the Chinese shaman's stomach, sending him reeling backwards.
"Come on, now. Can't any of you do any better?" the demon taunted. The group launched another joint attack only to be deflected again.
"Hey, Gang, tell you what, I'll reinstate my offer from before. Just kill the priest and his shikigami and you won't have to waste anymore energy on attacks that won't work," the amanojaku jeered.
"Hmph. I've already turned you down once," Gang retorted. "Plus, I wouldn't stand a chance. In case you haven't noticed, my companion spirit is, eh...somewhere..." he added, slightly embarrassed.
"Have it your way."
The demon unleashed a barrage of attacks against the Chinese shaman. With his hands going numb from the shocking vibrations, Gang's grip on his swords slipped, causing his guard to lower. The creature delivered a crushing stomp kick to the man's chest, slamming him to the ground. Meanwhile, Hao and his ogres had positioned themselves to attack from the right side.
Catching the assault at the last second, the demon swung its staff out with all of its strength. The end of it caught Zenki in the head with a resounding clang. The shear power behind the blow was enough smash the ogre's head in half.
Due to putting all of its strength behind the attack, the demon was left wide open, a fact Kouki capitalized on. Striking downward with its ax, the ogre cleanly cleaved off the demon's left arm at the shoulder. Screaming out in both anguish and rage, the amanojaku retaliated by driving the end of the staff that had decimated the first ogre through the second ogre's chest, following up by tearing out the shikigami's left side with it.
As Kouki faded away, the demon grinned maliciously at the Onmyoji. "Now, it's your turn." Hao's face remained serene.
Realizing the priest wasn't going to be intimidated, the demon angered even more. With a sharp thrust, the amanojaku slammed the tip of the staff into the Onmyoji's solar plexus, causing him to gasp for air and slump forward. Smiling at the perfect opportunity presented to it, the creature slammed the staff down onto Hao's right shoulder, forcing him to the ground.
The demon had raised the staff over its head, preparing to smash the priest's head like a melon when a blade pierced his arm, lodging through it.
"I'll...need that...back...you know," the sword's owner stated. With narrowed eyes, the demon first glanced over the black handled straight sword sticking through its arm, then at Gang, who was grasping his chest, struggling to breathe.
"You humans are beginning to become intolerable," the amanojaku said scathingly. "To think, I just wanted to be left alone until you showed up."
Gang scowled. "Well, you ran the family who lives here off. It's Hao's job to get rid of pests like you and, well, I'm just here to help."
"Hmph." The creature dashed forward, striking out with its staff once more. Being reduced to only one of his swords, Gang found difficulty in blocking, the blade of his jian not suited for the task. He used the acrobatic ability his training gave him to dodge and weave, dance and parry when necessary, occasionally landing light blows with the dull sword. Try as he might, however, without his companion spirit, there was no way for the Chinese shaman to stand up to the onslaught the demon presented.
The barrage proved to be too much. Gang's grip progressively weakened to point of being unable hold his weapon. With the last strike of the staff, the Chinese shaman's sword was sent flying out of his hand. Sweeping Gang's feet out from under him with its staff, the demon placed its left foot on the man's head, slowly applying more pressure.
A rattling behind them caught the demon's, and everyone else in the area's, attention.
The amanojaku snarled as it looked back. Standing on the veranda was Kenta, legs trembling furiously. His kimono was bulked out greatly, various items he had pillaged jutting out sharply. "Th-th-there really is a m-m-monster here!" the monk shouted. Unable to control his shivering, the items he had stolen clattered loudly to the floor as he ran away, clumsily tripping over his feet in the process.
The moment of distraction served as a trump card. Unaware of its surrounding and annoyance taking over, the blade split it down the middle before it even realized it. The long handle of the blade traced back to its wielder, Hao. In the moment of confusion, he had proceeded to summon Kouki and transplant the ogre's energy into its ax, forming the weapon into a naginata in the Onmyoji's left hand.
The naginata disappeared as the priest grasped his injured shoulder, wincing in pain. Limping his way over to Gang, he gradually helped the Chinese shaman to his feet, albeit with slight difficulty. Gang dusted himself off, offering a small chuckle. "So, is that it? I've had about enough of 'priestly duties' for one night."
The priest forced a smile through the aching in his body. "Yes, yes, I do believe that is all for tonight."
"Tell me, why did you feel the need to kill my beloved pet?" A female voice came from directly behind them.
Before the two could even turn, they were launched across the garden. Fortunately for them, the sand they landed in made for a somewhat soft landing. It wasn't completely painless, however.
"What the...?" Gang murmured as he stood, rubbing the side of his head.
"I SAID WHY THE HELL DID YOU KILL MY PET?"
The Chinese shaman's mouth gaped slightly when he beheld the voice's source. The only thing "female" about it was its voice. If comparable to a woman, the new creature's face was haggish at best. It bore many characteristics that were telltale of the thing not being human. Most striking were its reddish colored skin and eyes, incredibly long nose, being longer than Kenta's, pointed ears, and twin fangs jutting out of its mouth.
"Um...hey, Hao, what exactly is this thing?" Gang inquired. He wasn't given enough time to receive an answer, as a gust of wind blew him to the other side of the garden.
"Watch your mouth, you whelp!" the creature cried.
Regaining his footing, Hao's eyes widened upon seeing what stood before him.
"T-The tengu goddess A-Amanozako?"
She smiled at him. "That's right, dear. And might I know the name of the handsome man who comes to pay me tribute?"
The Onmyoji smiled. "My apologies, but I'm not here to worshi-" was all he got out before she sent a blast of air his way, as well. The force was so great that it lifted him off the ground, sending him backwards, until he was driven through the opposing wall.
"YOU INSOLENT FOOL!" the goddess shrieked.
"Ugh...temper...temper," Gang announced, a trickle of blood streaming down the left side of his face. The goddess rounded on him, glaring. He had picked up his dàn, using it to split the gust Amanozako sent at him.
Infuriated, the goddess rushed at him. Extending her talons, she nearly had the shaman in her grasp when a white blur slammed into her, sending her sliding across the ground. At the last moment, Hao had manifested Zenki's shield onto his left arm and, bracing himself behind it, jettisoned himself into the goddess.
The priest immediately followed by summoning his red ogre, reforming his previously held naginata.
Picking up the black handled jian, Hao tossed it to its owner. "You should run, Gang," he said. "Amanozako is a powerful goddess with an amazing temper...which I'm sure you've noticed by now."
Spinning his two blades, the shaman stood beside the priest, chuckling. "Yeah, she does seem to get pretty angry, but I don't feel like going anywhere. This is actually entertaining."
Hao sighed. "Fine, but at least stay out of the way. You know that those weapons aren't going to be able to do much." Gang reluctantly nodded.
The goddess had clawed her way back to her feet and, shrieking in rage, readied to blow the two men completely through the mansion. Hao charged. Using the jet streams she had created, Amanozako formed a spear of sorts, thrusting it at the priest. He managed to throw up his shield just in time, barely warding the weapon off, having a large scar cut across the surface of his defensive item in the process.
The combatants continued this dance for some time, the priest dodging around or attempting to block the goddess' strikes while lashing out with his own weapon when he got the chance, which seldom presented itself. Each block, though overall successful, left large gashes in the shield to the point of having the item near shattering. When the Onmyoji was fortunate enough to land a blow of his own, it only left a small scratch, which only served to fuel Amanozako's rage.
With a powerful quick thrust, the goddess shattered the priest's shield like ice. In a desperation move, the Onmyoji thrust his own weapon, lodging it in the goddess' left shoulder. Raised to new levels of anger, Amanozako launched a flurry of attacks on Hao, inflicting wound after wound on the priest, finishing the onslaught by grasping his head, slamming him into the ground.
Amanozako reached up, grabbing the shaft of Hao's naginata, and snapped in half. She followed up by quickly pulling the blade out of her shoulder, throwing it at the house. It faded away before hitting the wall. The goddess' glare then turned upon Gang, who raised his weapons, preparing for the worst.
"Hey, Gang, in trouble again, are you?" a deep voice inquired.
"When am I not?" he shouted back.
"Looks like you need my help again."
"It would've been nice to have had that earlier today!"
A large, brown, serpentine dragon melded up from the ground around the shaman. "Well, it's so nice of you to finally catch up, Ti-Lung," Gang sarcastically said.
The Chinese dragon feigned a frown, which wasn't very hard to do, the twitching whiskers at the corners of its mouth making the action believable. "I told you, this land has some very appealing soil..." The dragon noticed the many wounds on the man, some of them appearing slightly older than the freshly bleeding ones. "Gang, what happened to you?"
Gang scowled in response. "And I told you that your help would have been greatly appreciated earlier."
Ti-Lung lowered his head only slightly. "Ah, I see. My apologies."
The shaman chuckled. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm still standing and breathing, so it's fine." He pointed at Hao. "And it's all thanks to him, so I owe him."
The dragon stared at the priest. "Is he dead?"
Gang shook his head. "No, I don't think so. He's a lot harder to kill than you'd think."
Ti-Lung perked up. "Oh, you mean he's a shaman, too?"
Gang grinned. "Mm-hmm." He grew serious. "He's in pretty bad shape, though."
"WILL THE TWO OF YOU SHUT UP?" Amanozako was furious, sending a gale at the two. The dragon coiled itself around the shaman to protect him. The wind slammed into Ti-Lung's rock hard scales, flowing around it harmlessly. When the dragon scoffed at her, she unleashed a barrage of air blasts against him, all of them being ineffective.
When the goddess relented, Gang seized the chance, sheathing his white jian. "Now, Ti-Lung!" he exclaimed, holding out his now free hand as the dragon compressed itself into a glowing sphere in his palm. "Hyoui-gattai, Ti-Lung!" he shouted, inserting the orb into his black handled sword. "Sǐ wáng de shì!"
A golden hue surrounded the jian as rocky scales began to encase Gang's arms, his fingers ending in sharp talons. Both the top and back of his head had become covered in stone, Ti-Lung's horns sprouting from behind his ears. Standing on only his right leg, the other bent, foot resting on his knee, he pointed the sword at the goddess.
She screamed in fury at his insolence, calling forth her wind spear once more. The two rushed one another at the same time, clashing violently upon impact. Neither gave any signs of slowing, following each strike with a progressively faster one. Breaking apart, the two stared, Gang grinning, Amanozako glaring.
"Ah...thanks...Gang..." The Chinese shaman turned to see Hao standing weakly, legs shaking. "...gave me...enough time to...regain...consciousness, heh..." The shield and naginata appeared to each side of the priest before colliding into one another, forming a ball of light, which hovered over his left arm. The light expanded and dissipated, revealing a large spiked shield on his arm, a long blade jutting from the front of it, over Hao's hand.
"I'm sick of the two of you," Amanozako started. "SO NOW YOU'RE BOTH GOING TO DIE!" she screamed, summoning a small cyclone to engulf her. Smaller cyclonic tendrils extended from the main whirling entity, carving their way towards the shamans. They pressed forward.
Though the waters were rough, the overall sailing was smooth as the two shamans, blades seething with furyoku, were easily able to dispatch the mini tornadoes. Things changed upon meeting Amanozako's wind barrier. Hao braced himself behind his shield as Gang crossed his arms in front of him, taking the smallest of steps to move ahead.
"GIVE UP! THERE'S NO WAY FOR YOU MORTALS TO BREAK THROUGH! JUST DIE!" the goddess shrieked at them.
Manipulating his energy, the Onmyoji allowed most of the spiked protrusions on his shield to break free, falling into the vortex. Both he and Gang jumped backwards, out of the maelstrom, as the shear speed of the wind caught the barbs, spinning them faster and faster. Their speed became so great that they turned the cyclone into a giant blender, slicing up the tengu goddess, her scream piercing the night.
When the wind faded away, the two leaped forward, Hao on the left, Gang to the right. They both slashed out with their blades at the same time, cutting through the goddess, forcing her to elicit a louder shriek than before.
"D-DAMN THE TWO OF YOU! DAMN YOU TO HELL!" she cried, hovering in the air. When the shamans attempted another attack on her, the goddess rose higher and higher, out of their reach, until she was floating above the estate. She gave one last shrill shriek of rage before flying off to the West at a blinding speed.
Gang raced forward, dragon features fading away, to catch Hao as he fell, succumbing to his wounds. Gang was struggling to stand, as well, his cuts and scrapes not completely without damaging him. "Well, I...certainly hope that's...the end...for tonight. I don't...think that I can...take any...more..." the priest weakly stated.
The Chinese shaman grinned slightly. "So...with overtime like this...you should get paid...pretty well...right?"
Hao glanced around the area. The damage was extensive. Most of the trees had been uprooted and overturned, and practically all of the sitting rocks had been rolled or thrown far from their initial places. The sand, initially covering only one third of the area, had been scattered everywhere, the small fishless pond nearly filled with it, and large gashes had been carved into the ground. On top of that, many of the surrounding walls were damaged, both from the winds and Hao flying through them. The items Kenta had left on the veranda had been scattered around, most of them broken.
"I'm not sure," the Onmyoji sighed.
"I think I may owe them."
I know that including a member of the Tao family seems lame, but here's my reasoning: later in the manga, when the Asakuras and the Taos have their "meeting," both families seem quite standoffish towards one another, even though the Asakuras seem to be more trusting. That led me to think that the families had known each other long before Yoh and Ren fought. I decided to make Gang the polar opposite of Ren to avoid the whole "all you did was write Ren into your story" thing. Plus, I needed a "main" supporting character.
The jian is a Chinese straight sword. I'm sure that most of you have seen one. The names for them, dàn and huì, mean "day" and "night" in Chinese.
I'm not sure if an amanojaku is a singular demon in Japanese mythology or if there are many of them. I decided to go with the latter. The demon supposedly does indeed have the ability to see into peoples' hearts, so I thought it would make an interesting opponent for Hao.
Amanozako (no relation to the amanojaku that I know of) is an evil goddess in Japanese mythology. She's apparently pretty bad, as the two sets of characters used to write her name translate to "heaven opposing everything" and "tengu deity." She was supposedly created by Susanoo when he let his violent spirit build up inside himself. It got so bad that he vomited, creating her. I never found anything about her being associated with wind, but I found out that she can fly for thousands of miles at a time so, associating her with air was my idea.
Ti-Lung is a name for the dragon of earth in Chinese mythology. This word is the Wade-Giles translation. Its pinyin is Dilong.
The phrase Gang said when using hyoui-gattai, "Sǐ wáng de shì," was my attempt at a Chinese phrase. Since I don't speak Chinese, nor have I ever studied the language other than my attempt at putting that phrase together, I have no idea if it's correct or not, so feel free to criticize if I got it wrong. It's supposed to mean "death form" since he placed Ti-Lung's soul into huì, the black handle jian that has been sharpened, but again, the sentence structure and word usage could be wrong.
And, as a final a/n, the pond in the garden is not a koi pond. Koi were not introduced to Japan until around the 1400s.