the eyes and the teeth

A/N: I think this is an appropriate time to say that I have little knowledge in actual rituals. Whatever information or detail you see about the deities and rituals in this universe is based on whatever online reference I could find, mainly and Wikipedia.

As always, feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!

"In jujutsu fights, it's always a matter of who's the bigger monster."

A curse is exorcized and a domain is made. Between that, a funeral is held and a promise is broken.

The ghost of Ibaraki Doji stands in front of you.

No, this isn't Ibaraki Doji's ghost, but it is a portrait of her hanging in lieu of curtains in this room at an inn at the foot of Mount Atago. Kyoto's atmosphere is far from the noise and bustle of Tokyo and closer to your hometown of Date. You like Kyoto the way it is. You like the greenery. You like the temples. You're starting to consider moving here after everything.

The ghoulish face of Ibaraki Doji stares at you, and you're starting to believe what your other relatives have said about cities dense with cursed energy. They're never good for onmyoji like yourselves. That's the primary reason why the rest of your family is stationed outside the Tokyo Metropolis, and why they gifted you totems and images imbued with more blessed energy than usual.

Kyoto seems like a nice enough place, you think, to set up. The neutral energy that flows through this place is like a cool breeze, and you're starting to imagine setting up a flower shop at the foot of Mount Atago.

[Don't forget to bring back some Kyoto delicacies!]

Satoru's last message to you before leaving Tokyo is a comfort, considering you still went ahead after he told you:

"You can't handle that alone."

And you told him:

"I have… whoever god is available to help me."

And he laughed and replied:

"I'm not part of that list, am I?"

And you laughed too, and joked:

"At top of it, but crossed out from this one."

He smiled at you.

"You know how to reach me, kouhai."

And you smiled back.

"And you know where to find me, senpai."

Tokyo is ways away from Kyoto, and Satoru is at the top of your favorite contacts, but this one is yours. Ibaraki Doji is yours. The Jorogumo is yours. And if this really is the feared right-hand of Shuten Doji, then you will have proved yourself at least one god of favor, maybe even Amida Butsu himself. So this is completely, utterly yours.

"Selfishness has never bode well for those who sought the power of the gods."

You remember your mother telling you that as you swept the steps of Amida Butsu's temple. There have been far too many of your kind, onmyoji and sorcerer alike, who have sought the powers of the gods, who had sought to become gods in the most inhuman ways… And whoever could have manifested Ibaraki Doji's Cursed Arm in the middle of Tokyo might want the same thing.

But who would want to become a god if even the gods can't resurrect the dead?

Your grandmother had asked you before:

"Tell me, why do people come to our temples?"

You answered her:

"Because they want to receive their blessing."

And she looked at you and pushed it further:

"Besides that."

"Because they have a problem and they can't find a way out of it."

"What else?"

"Because they…"

You wanted to tell her then that it's because people don't have a choice. If they don't worship and venerate the gods, who will?

"Because they want to be like them," your grandmother answered, "there is a part of every human on earth that wants to be a god."

Then she frowned at you, "And before you start talking about your non-onmyoji friends and that boy, there's a part of them that wants to be a god too, or at least like us."

And then you frowned back at her, "Tatsuya's not–"

"He's a gardener, isn't he? He works with plants, tends to them, makes them bloom, before cutting their stems and replanting them somewhere else. He gives life, transfers it, ends it, brings it back. It's exactly like a god."

You didn't think of it as just a passing comment even back then. Tatsuya the gardener, the florist, the cutter of weeds, the trimmer of leaves, the planter of seeds… He was almost like a god in how he brought plants to life, how he himself brought bare rooms and spaces to life. And he was better than a god when it came to loving–

No, you should stop thinking about Tatsuya and start strategizing on how to deal with whoever attempted to summon Ibaraki Doji in Tokyo. If your hunch is right, then that person will definitely come to Kyoto to go after the real thing. But who could it be? None of your relatives seem interested in summoning untamable yokai and none of them would go this far. Neither you nor your family have enemies as far as you know, and quarrels and rivalries in the family are quick to be put out. There are more than enough gods for generations to come, and an overflowing number of spirits, so there is no reason for anyone in your family to do this.

Your phone starts to ring.

"Hello?"

"You aren't going after Ibaraki Doji."

"I'm not, Grandma," you're almost relieved that she's worrying about you, "I'm going to seal it where it lies."

A purification and seal fortification ritual won't be too difficult, will it? After all, you're more than prepared to spend an entire day and night awake as a conduit for blessed energy. You're been trained for this. You've been brought up exactly for this. And while resealing Ibaraki Doji is by no means easy, you can do it, can't you?

"Be sure to pray to the deities in Atago Shrine before you do."

"Of course, Grandma."

"All of them," she reiterates, "and no shortcuts! Else Izanami will smite you where you stand."

You don't think the goddess would, but you never know if your grandmother has conversed with the highest of deities before. Perhaps she had done the highest of the highest rituals. Perhaps she had been conversing with Izanami all along. Perhaps she had been able to converse with even the kotoamatsukami–

"I know, Grandma," you tell her, "no shortcuts or rephrasing, each deity is a separate entity."

"Each deity is a separate entity," she repeats, "and your mother will pray for you."

"She always does."

"May Amida Butsu guide you."

It's your grandmother who ends the call first, but you can't help but feel like you're trying to prove yourself too much.

You look at the image of Ibaraki Doji and wonder what she would say about all this. Isn't her legend almost the same as what's happening to you right now? You've come to Yokohama to avenge Tatsuya's death at the hands of the Jorogumo. But you're no haunting presence or gloomy shadow, you're…

Now, come to think of it, leaving the lights off during the day as you stare at Ibaraki Doji's portrait does make you seem gloomy.

"You never got your revenge, did you?"

You stare at Ibaraki Doji's face and imagine what her reply would be.

You stare at the torii leading to Atago Shrine. The location itself is nothing secret and the buildings are not at all imposing. It evokes a feeling of calmness and warmth, much like the temples in Hokkaido and nothing at all like the spiking energies in the temples in Tokyo. The feeling makes Kyoto an even more tempting place to stay after the Jorogumo is finally slain and everything is laid to rest. You don't need velvet tapestries of all the gods or golden statues of all the bodhisattvas, what you have is enough.

You prepare the ritual seals, flipping them in your hands like a thick stack of cards, and worry about which deity to first pay homage to. The priests and priestesses of Atago Shrine are all aware of what you're doing here so early in the morning, and all the enshrined deities are polished and clean, ready to be offered gifts and praises. However, only the head priest is aware of your true intention here.

Only the head priest knows where the locked room where Ibaraki Doji's Cursed Arm is sealed away, but the head priest doesn't know how to remove the seal. Rituals like that are secret and forbidden. Rituals like that are basically impossible for a single human being to do. Unless that said human is aided by something much more sinister, or perhaps it wasn't human at all, but something else entirely.

You don't feel a hint of cursed energy, and refrain from thinking the Jorogumo is nearby. Yokai like that prefer the crowded cities and know when to avoid confrontations with yokai that are more powerful. You wait for the head priest to greet you at the torii but no one comes. Dawn comes and sunlight breaches the trees surrounding the shrine, but no one comes. You start to get worried. You think about proceeding with the preparations as planned, whoever was supposed to greet you will only greet you and guide you through the shrine as you venerate the deities. Still, you worry something's happened.

But you almost instantly stop worrying when someone approaches.

"The onmyoji from Tokyo."

Of course, your grandmother would tell others that's who you are. The Onmyoji from Tokyo has a mysterious air to it, an almost imposing energy around it. You are different from everyone else because you are an onmyoji in Tokyo, the worst place to be for any practitioner of onmyodo.

"I am."

You introduce yourself to the young priest, who introduces himself as Baku. You explain to him your purpose here, to pay respects to the enshrined gods and to discuss something important to the head priest.

"I'm afraid the head priest has fallen ill," he says, "he is currently bedridden."

"Oh," you didn't think the elderly man who spoke jovially on the phone just yesterday would be quick to fall sick, "I hope he feels better soon. But can I at least talk to him?"

"Don't worry," he smiles, "I am informed of what it is you will do here."

Cryptic, you think, almost threatening. No one else is supposed to know what you really are doing here–

"The head priest had entrusted this task to me," he continues, "and I am quite excited to assist an onmyoji."

He speaks so formally but you don't think he's any older than you, and you don't sense a hint of cursed energy in him so this should be alright. This should be fine. He will just lead you through the shrine and all its deities and he will… help with setting up the barrier seals.

"Well," you look around and think of where to start placing the seals, "first things first, we secure the perimeter."

You hand him half the stack of seals and tell him to place them on the trees around the edge of the shrine, spacing them evenly. You each take half of the perimeter, and when you meet at the other end, he asks you:

"And this will keep cursed spirits out?"

You tell him, "Yes, and any kind of unwanted yokai."

In truth, the seals won't really prevent all kinds of cursed spirits out because they're made to keep whatever is inside. So Ibaraki Doji herself can come rampaging through the torii gates, but she will never take her arm out of Atago Shrine. These seals are built to trap and cage rather than keep out, so if something else springs out and wants to rampage outside, well… it can't.

"How interesting," he muses aloud, "it creates a place of peace."

You don't really call it that, after all that's not what it's intended to do, but you nod all the same. Well, you and this young priest, essentially, are both trapped here until the seals are released.

"Would it be alright if I observe what you do?"

You almost ask, "What, venerate the gods?" but refrain from sounding arrogant. He's just a young priest and this is probably his first time meeting an onmyoji. You're a representative of your entire lineage! So you have to make a good impression. You have to do things right. You have to do things properly. Your grandmother won't have it if even a young priest from Atago Shrine thinks badly of your family.

"Of course," you smile at him and he smiles back.

You think he's starting to look cat-like.

You stare at the enshrined Atago Gongen before clasping your hands together and murmuring the preliminary. It's a little awkward with Baku standing behind you, muttering the same thing and not fully knowing what's going to happen. You don't really expect him to follow so closely, and even join in when you do begin the ritual. But any help is welcome, and the more venerations the better.

"May all those who preside over warriors be my vanguard."

You end the preliminary by murmuring the secret mantra to Jizo, to begin opening your body to the Samadhi state to see further, to become further, to allow your body to be a conduit for all the blessed energy you will call forth from the deities in Atago Shrine. This mantra is secret, this mantra is in a simple language, but not anyone can do this. You wonder what the priest Baku thinks of this now. The Samadhi state does not show outwardly and it does not change anything outside of your body.

The Samadhi state simply allows you to see what the normal eye cannot, and though this is not the first time you have entered this state in practice, this is the first time you are actually doing it on your own.

You wonder, briefly, if what you see in the Samadhi state is what Satoru sees every day. All energies and their flows. The physical appearance is overtaken by the lines and currents channeled between objects, the energies in different shapes and colors. In the distance, underground, you see something dense with cursed energy. And Baku–

You're shaken out of the Samadhi by some unknown force– And you stumble backwards towards the idol of Atago Gongen. You've forgotten that the longest you've stayed in the Samadhi state is a mere five seconds, just a fraction of what your older relatives could do. But this is enough, you know where the arm is now.

"Are you all right?"

Baku is gentle with his tone, almost reverent, and you wonder if he was affected by the same thing you were.

"Yes, thank you."

You don't take his hand, instead you steady yourself on your own feet, remembering that you're the representative of your entire faction in this very moment.

"Shall we continue?"

Baku smiles at you, cat-like, and you're reminded of the maneki-neko that greeted the customers of Tatsuya's– No. No, stop thinking about him.

"Please," you clear your throat, "lead the way."

And so he leads you through the different deities in what you think is a normal order. You start with the lesser deities, the elemental deities, and each prayer and each offering is different. But when you raise your hands, when you clap your hands, whatever you do, Baku does the same. Of course he does, he's a priest of this shrine, he is a keeper of these gods. But he stays behind you, like he is observing you, like he is seeing if something will go wrong. So perhaps the unknown force had affected him too. Maybe he is looking for the source of that force.

Could it be the Cursed Arm? Could it be Ibaraki Doji trying to manifest here?

But nothing happens, no lick of cursed energy surges forward. Instead, blessed energy continues to flow through you and the air around you. The other priests and priestesses have begun their duties, greeting you and Baku quietly with a nod of their head.

The last deity, the highest deity, is of course Izanami. And her idol is nothing short of imposing and powerful. The mother goddess stands tall in her shrine, surrounded by offerings and prayers, but for some reason she feels… Cold. Alone. Empty. Perhaps your grandmother was right, perhaps the goddess is going to smite you–

"Is there anything wrong?" Baku asks, noticing that you've stood quiet for far too long.

"Nothing," you lie, "I just need to gather my energy."

"You must be tired then," he muses, "after praying to all the others."

You wouldn't really call it tired, and you wouldn't call any of those gods "others". They are all equally important. They are all equally required in order to make this as effective as possible.

"The mother goddess deserves all her praise," he continues, "and all her gifts and all her devotees."

And yet, you think, why does her idol feel so empty?

"Why do you think people pray to them?"

What?

"Because people don't know where else to turn," he continues, staring up at the goddess, "people are so helpless, after all. It's just their nature."

"Their nature"?

"They look towards gods and idols for answers to their problems," he turns towards you, "when they can turn to people like us instead."

What does he mean by that?

"You onmyoji act as conduits towards the gods, jujutsu sorcerers act as exterminators for evil spirits, and us priests act as keepers and protectors."

It does make sense, you think, but you wouldn't be able to fully function without the gods themselves. Without the gods, you wouldn't be able to do anything. Without the gods, you wouldn't be able to help anyone.

"People should turn to us," he turns to you then, "people should worship us as well."

"I don't think the mother goddess would agree to that," you try to divert the conversation.

But he brings it right back, "Where else can the gods be if not in their temples?"

You don't know how to answer him. Such a question never crossed your mind. You never thought the gods would only be able to manifest and be seen in whatever temple they are enshrined in. The gods are gods in a way that they can exist in multiple places at once, in all the places at once, in the entire world all at once.

"The temples are just stations," you reply, "the gods can appear wherever they want."

"And however they want," he notes.

"They are not just simply… tied to their shrines or temples," you think on your feet, "it's us people who are tied to these places of power."

He stares at you and the air feels cold. Where is the mother goddess?

Still, he hums in agreement, "This has been very enlightening. Please, go ahead with your prayers."

It seems he doesn't want to push the conversation further, so you go ahead, you move towards the idol and begin the prayer. Izanami's stare still feels cold and you think this is the mother goddess disapproving of you, urging you on to do something that will garner her approval. The highest gods are always the most difficult to please, as was what happened when you almost, almost had to sacrifice your arm in order to channel the powers of Amida Butsu.

What will happen if you do the same thing now?

Still, you continue the prayers. You continue the veneration. You continue channeling what energy is being given, no matter how cold, no matter how empty. You perform the hand sign to complete the ritual and murmur:

"All hail the radiant divine all-illuminating light, bursting and streaming forth in all directions."

And then the next hand sign:

"Glory to Divine Perfection."

And then the final hand sign:

"All hail! Arapacana."

You repeat and repeat and repeat until you think Izanami is satisfied. And then you continue it, until the air starts to warm, until you feel your body sweat, until you feel that there's something in Izanami's idol that shakes and rattles and makes itself known.

And the sound that comes is a loud, loud boom that freezes the air, rattles the temple, and makes you cower. It's a language ancient and powerful, something you have only heard once, when your grandmother showed you how to call upon the powers of a high god.

This is Izanami recognizing you.

This is a god recognizing you.

You didn't think it would feel as suffocating as this, as heavy as this. And when the weight is lifted, when your lungs finally give out, you think this is the opening ritual completed.

"It's done," you exhale shakily, "it's… done."

You turn to Baku, who looks at you as if you've done something completely unexpected. But what he does next is equally unexpected. He doesn't say anything, he doesn't make any movement as if he's still in shock, and he should rightfully be. What you did was something you have never done–

"Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

You look towards the area where you saw the dense mass of cursed energy.

"Nothing more," you say, "I'm sorry to keep you from your duties."

"No," he smiles, "I am grateful to bear witness to such a great feat."

Baku bows deeply for a goodbye and you do the same, watching him as he makes his way towards the smaller temples, likely to tend to them and prepare them for the coming visitors. You head towards the area quietly, still feeling the sheer presence of Izanami flowing through you.

Now for the difficult part.

The location is sparse from vegetation, and seems to be buried within the year. The ground is solid, but you feel the small rumble of cursed energy beneath you. You prepare the seals and the ink, and begin the ritual.

"Shirokaki."

The ink from your body flows into a circle on the ground. You begin the movements, making the ink seep through the ground to where you think is the cursed arm. You try feeling with the ink, try searching for something dense and solid–

There it is.

You continue the movements until the ink spreads around the container. You can't dig here, you can't reveal where this is. This is perfect timing to repair the container, to fortify its seals again.

"Mawatadekubi wo Shimeru."

The constriction is a difficult process because it feels physical. The weight is heavy around you, especially your arms. The arm itself is powerful enough that it will take considerable time and effort to do this properly. So you concentrate. The ink seeps through the gaps in the wood, through the hinges, the nails, and the original seals themselves, until they're enveloped the container completely.

This is the nail on Ibaraki Doji's coffin, you think.

"Nagasu: Yaku wo Otosu."

And this pouring of ink is the shoveling of soil to bury it. The ink seeps and flows into the space, drowning the arm in its blackness. Now, the space is dense with ink, the container is wrapped in ink, and you are the vessel from which blessed energy will flow and purify this cursed object.

When you raise both hands to call forth blessed energy, you half-expect Ibaraki Doji herself to manifest and shove you aside, forcing you to call forth a destructive power instead of a purifying one.

But nothing comes.

You dig your foot deeper into the ground, and nothing comes.

You spread open your palms faced towards the sky, breathe in deep, and still nothing comes.

Here it goes…

"Come warriors, fight as one, ready in formation," you feel the energy building up in your hands, "line up and take position in front."

You move your body quickly, pressing your hands to the ground while keeping the one foot firm.

"Destroy!"

The energy that flows through and out of you is blessed. It's hot and cold, searing and freezing. It flows through and out of you forcefully. In this moment, you are the only one making this possible. In this moment, you are the only one who can make this successful–

The final bit of energy that escapes you hits so suddenly and so strongly, forcing you off the ground and onto your back. You stare up and pant at the light that is seen through the trees above you.

Is it done?

You expend the last bit of your energy to bring yourself back to the Samadhi state. You get on your knees and place your hands back on the ground, you have five seconds to see if every last bit of cursed energy has been expelled from the arm.

It's gone.

The arm, now radiating neutral energy, is suspended in blessed energy, and this will last for… maybe four years until it's time to purify it again. You wish you could take a snapshot with your eyes and send it to your grandmother to show her just how far you've come.

Look at me, Grandmother, I've purified Ibaraki Doji's Cursed Arm.

Your stomach grumbles and you close your eyes, appreciating the brief silence.

The next day, before you head back to Tokyo, you decide to drop by the head priest's quarters, hearing from another priestess that he's gotten better. You tell him the ritual was successful and that you'd like to extend your thanks to the priest who assisted you.

"Baku?" He asks, "I don't think there's a priest here who goes by that name."

"Oh, he's new to the temple, I think."

"Perhaps, I haven't had much opportunity to interact with our new members lately," the head priest ponders, then smiles, "nevertheless, I am glad your mission has been completed without any issue."

You bow in thanks and he does the same. You think it must be so lucky to have new members in the sect. You haven't heard of any new member to the onmyodo sects in a while. Maybe because you've been kept out of the loop on purpose, you went to Tokyo and played pretend human until… You should stop thinking about it like that, nothing good will ever come out of it.

"Keep safe, onmyoji."

The head priest bids you goodbye and you think about coming to Kyoto more often… even if only to find out who exactly that Baku is. You asked one of the priestesses on your way out of Atago Shrine, and she said she'd never heard of any new initiate by that name.

Hm, perhaps I heard his name wrong?

But no matter, you think, Ibaraki Doji's Cursed Arm has finally been purified. Kyoto is beautiful and peaceful, but you're needed where you're needed, and Tokyo is overflowing with cursed spirits and the Jorogumo is still running rampant and hungry.

A/N: …I think we all know who Baku is, right?

…I think we all know who Baku is, right?

Atago Gongen - image of Jizo who is enshrined in Atago Shrine and is worshiped as a protector against fire

Samadhi - a state of meditative absorption (I'd interpreted it as a state of being able to know what goes on beneath the exterior)

"May all those who preside over warriors be my vanguard." - Taoist version of what the nine-cuts mudra mean

"All hail the radiant divine all-illuminating light, bursting and streaming forth in all directions." - mantra for the retsu seal of the nine-cuts mudra

"Glory to Divine Perfection." - mantra for the zai seal of the nine-cuts mudra

"All hail! Arapacana." - mantra for the zen seal of the nine-cuts mudra

Shirokaki – preparing a rice field for planting by flooding it and tilling the soil

Mawatadekubi wo Shimeru – to drag things out, to strangle slowly with a silk cord

Nagasu – to drain, spill, wash away, exile

Yaku wo Otosu – to exorcise, to escape evil

"Come warriors, fight as one, ready in formation, line up and take position in front. Destroy!" - Japanese version of what the nine-cuts mudra mean