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The echoing sound of a young girl wailing penetrated the forest on Mount Oe, interrupting a few residents during their afternoon drinking hours. Their laughter quickly died down while the cries grew louder. There was no doubt it was approaching rapidly. The small raccoon put down his jar as he turned towards the sound.
"Should we be concerned," the critter asked.
"Eh? Why," responded and irritated man with flaming red hair as he took another swill from his cup.
"Little Tanuki, we have nothing to fear when the strongest yokai around is right here with us, and he's alive and well," added the white-haired male that had mismatched red horns.
Tanuki started to chime in again but was interrupted. "I guess that's true but-"
"Then rest assured we are safe and continue to enjoy your drink, little Tanuki," responded the horned yokai with a light-hearted laugh.
Suddenly, the laughter was overpowered as the source of the cries came barreling out of the woods at an incredible speed.
"Look out!" A strange voice yelled.
In a matter of seconds a blur of green and white collided into the taller man, and promptly fell backwards with a loud thud.
"Ow!"
"Hmm? Are you alright, Young Yamasaugi," he asked as he looked over to the little girl and frog sprawled out next to him while remaining unphased by the crash.
They were temporarily dizzy, but once the little girl with bunny ears shook it off, she immediately started crying twice as hard. She kicked her feet and flailed her little fists up and down in a childish tantrum. The large frog-like creature took longer to recover but came to and nuzzled at Yamasaugi’s back, showing it’s concern.
"That's why I don't like going that fast," said the creature. He was the one who gave the warning just moments ago.
“The onmyoji yelled at me,” she whined and rubbed at her eyes.
“What’d you do this time,” asked the very uninterested redhead. There was also a familiar sign of aggravation.
“I was playing with Mouba and Bitey near the base of the mountain, near Kyoto and they said they would destroy us!”
“Did they say why you had to stop,” Tanuki questioned while carefully getting closer trying to offer help.
“They said -hic- they said that ‘you need to stop running in the streets in Kyoto or we will have to destroy you,’ but they said that back when we were in the capital, not near the capital,” she sobbed, but it seemed that she was at least starting to calm down.
The first time that they were caught racing around in human populated areas seemed to be a less emotional confrontation. They had been scolded, so it was no surprise that they got into trouble again. The thing that was surprising was that she had run all the way to find them, seemingly, on purpose. There had to be some reason for that, or perhaps it really was just by chance.
“Do not worry, Young Yamasaugi. You’re here with my friend and you won’t be bothered by the onmyoji. Just don’t go causing any unnecessary trouble for my friend or you might run into some real trouble,” the horned yokai bellowed with a deep laugh.
“Eep!” She squeaked but recoiled with the look of fear and concern.
The redhead groaned and rolled his eyes. “Ibaraki, how many times have I told you not to call me your friend? So annoying,” he mumbled with a shake of his head. “Look, bunny girl, don’t play near the humans. I want nothing to do with those onmyoji if I don’t have to.”
“Especially when it comes to Abe no-” Ibaraki started to say but was silenced by an overpowering demonic force that suddenly grew to an incredible level. It came from the irate redhead. “-Anyways, just stay up on the mountain, okay? That way you can’t get into trouble with them.”
Tanuki started to back away slowly, shivering from head to toe. It was well known how powerful these yokai were and he didn’t stand a chance against them. Merely being in their presence was difficult as it was, so to be sharing a bottle of the best sake he could find was a rare treat! The last time he tried to bring them a bottle, something terrible had gone wrong and he struggled to find them, even with the onmyoji helping.
“Why i-is it s-so scary all of a s-sudden!?” Yamasaugi’s eyes started to well up again.
“Ah! Do not worry, Young Yamasaugi! Shuten Doji doesn’t like the onmyoji either, is all,” Ibaraki laughed nervously but knew what he had done.
“Ibarakiiii,” Shuten was irked by the secret that Iba was about to share.
It was more than he should ever talk about. If he wanted people to know about his pitiful past then he would share it on his own terms. He growled as he loomed over the taller yokai, fists clenched, still radiating an intimidating aura of energy. The memory of the shabby shell he was formally would taint the image of his current powerful self. As it was, he was dethroned once already but that wouldn't belittle his grip on staying as strong as he could be.
“My dearest friend, let’s reflect on this later, when we are not being hosts for our guests,” he responded while still seeming to remain calm and unphased by the power surrounding them.
He smiled and reached out his hand to make gentle contact with his drinking partner in hopes of calming the angered spirit. As per usual, the redhead pulled away from the physical contact and crossed his arms, turning away. Just because they may be more intimate in private didn't make it socially acceptable.
Yamasaugi watched with confusion and curiosity. “Why don’t you like them, Shuten Doji?”
“That’s a story for another time, Little Yamasaugi. Why not run along and find your dear friend, Mouba,” Ibaraki suggested while visibly trying to calm the fiery redhead that was clearly getting more irritated.
Tanuki took that as a cue, and quickly did his best to encourage the little bunny and the frog to leave the area. Even though he had a bit too much of his bottle, he was putting in his best effort to guide them out of there while the intoxicating liquids had worked its way into his bloodstream, impeding on his motor functions. Unfortunately, the little girl had a different idea. She wasn’t going anywhere, despite the fact that Ibaraki was practically restraining Shuten as best as he could with one arm.
“No! I want to hear why! I want to know what happened! I’m not going anywhere until you tell me,” She plopped down on the ground, crossed her arms and pouted.
Tanuki stared at Ibaraki, scared, confused, worried and unsure of what to do. The mountain frog was just as terrified as the raccoon spirit. They shared frightened glances as panic ran through their minds. If something didn’t change fast then the inevitable fight could break out at any moment. It wouldn't have gone over well with three of them being inebriated. Despite the hindrance of their senses, the high tension was easy for everyone to feel, except maybe the ignorant child.
“Hmph!” responded the irritated redhead before he also planted himself back down on his seat, holding up his cup for refills. “You really are a bratty kid, aren’t you?”
Ibaraki was quick to respond to Shuten’s silent demand and chuckled. “Ah yes. It seems that this is quite a difficult situation, but nothing is too challenging for you, my hegemonic leader!”
Shuten rested his head in a clawed hand as he lazily drank his fill of the alcohol that Tanuki had brought for them. “Of course not! If she wants to hear the story, then fine. I'll tell her since it's my story to tell. Maybe I’ll be able to forget it if I finish off the raccoon’s offering.
“Abe no Seimei somehow brainwashed the woman I love, simple as that. When I see that guy again, I’ll defeat him,” Shuten spoke with a matter-of-fact tone before he finished off another cup.
There was a strange atmosphere after Shuten's admittance of love and inevitable combat. It was further reflected with awkward glances. Ibaraki withdrew from the topic for the moment, seeming to make an attempt to relieve himself of stress and his own frustration. He refilled Shuten's cup once more with a forced smile.
Ibaraki released a heavy sigh, breaking the peculiar silence. Below the quiet composure was the suggestion of an internal struggle that remained hidden. After he psyched himself up, he sat upright, filled with determination and spoke clearly against what he found refutable. The response held a tone that was pained and undeniably from the heart. It seemed painstakingly thought out as if it was a phrase that had been carefully articulated from years of contemplation and calculation. Perhaps it was with the relaxing effects of the alcohol that helped coax out the words that were always restrained within.
"My dear friend, you will absolutely defeat anyone that stands in your way, but it is best you forget that troublesome woman, once and for all. She is not worthy of your affections or your constant effort to chase after her. Please, my wonderful friend, pursue another that is truly deserving of your heartfelt dedication," he replied with an uncharacteristically gentle voice, his hand placed over his own heart. "There is no doubt that there is another that may be worthy enough for you to love and be loved in return."
“Ehh? I’ll do as I please,” Shuten Doji glanced over at Ibaraki Doji but waved him off and distracted himself with his cup once more.
Tanuki cleared his throat, attempting to build up his own courage to talk. “Anyways, Yamasaugi, why don’t we go get Mouba to play with, hm? How does that sound?”
“No!”
“No? Why not,” he asked, stunned by the short response.
“Because I want them to come with me," she added, pointing at the two taller yokai.
Tanuki was dumbfounded, desperately looking for help from the other guys without exchanging a word. Unfortunately, Shuten didn’t even look over, still fuming about the whole bothersome ordeal. At least he was attempting to remain calm. Ibaraki chuckled and shook his head. He was in the middle of a response when another spirit jumped in.
"While it would be helpful to have more eyes to look, I do not believe that-"
"Yamasaugi! I'll save you! Stay away evil doers. Bitey, let's go," cried another determined young girl.
"N-no! Mouba don't! They're not bad guys," Yamasaugi called out as she mounted the frog, attempting to impede their brash attack.
Mouba instructed Bitey to jump over them to try to silence Tanuki, Shuten and Ibaraki. However, before the purple, mouthy bowl could land, a massive ghostly hand caught them in mid-air. Ibaraki had summoned his missing arm to prevent the attack. As the hand quickly faded away, Mouba and Bitey were safely placed back on the ground. The horned yokai stood upright, sporting his own mild irritation.
"We are not fighting Young Yamasaugi, Little Mouba. How dare you make a poor attempt to attack my dear friend! I will not allow you to hurt him," Ibaraki exclaimed and swiped his large claw harmlessly through the air as a warning.
"Mouba, it's okay! They're helping me," she pleaded for her ally to stop again. "I was trying to find you."
"Is this true?" They needed. "Oh, I see. Well I guess that it's okay. I won't make you drink my special tea then," responded the embarrassed musician. "Thanks, I suppose, for helping my... friend."
"We really are friends?!" Yamasaugi smiled wide.
"Ah-! I-I-," Mouba sighed and looked away. "Anyways, why don't we hurry up and get back to our race?"
"Yeah, I'd love to! But wait," the little rabbit girl started to say then grew quiet and withdrawn. "I don't want to get destroyed by the onmyoji. Especially not that one with the scary face."
"Eh?" Shuten Doji was quickly getting fed up with the interruptions and sat up, looking extremely irritable. "Listen little girl, we already told you, just have your race here on Mount Oe. Don't go near the human populated areas and you'll be fine! They won't destroy you for playing here! Now knock it off and go away!"
"Ah!" She squeaked, hiding behind the frog's horn.
With a gentle laugh, Ibaraki chimed in. "Young Yamasaugi, everything will be fine if you listen to my dearest friend, Shuten. He is powerful but he won't attack unless provoked!"
"I understand it now," Shuten exclaimed as an epiphany came to him. "You're so scared that you came to the most powerful yokai you could think of to feel protected from the onmyoji, didn't you?"
Yamasaugi gave a series of intense nods as she came out of hiding, still seeming quite frightened, and on the brink of tears. Shuten stood up and approached her. His shadow consumed the tiny spirit, causing her to slide down the frog's back. A toothy grin flashed wide as the redhead looked down.
"I'm a lot scarier than that scary onmyoji. You stay in my turf and if anyone bothers you, it'll be handled," Shuten's grin grew as he finished off the last of his cup.
"Eep!"
Ibaraki bellowed from behind him before refilling the cup and stepping between them. "Miss Yamasaugi, Young Mouba, you should go now and have fun! We would also like to get back to our own activities. Shuten Doji, why don't we go finish off our sake and have a good spar! Doesn't that sound good?"
The man's golden eyes gestured for the petrified Tanuki to escort them back into the forest. The poor thing wasn't paying attention to anything other than Shuten. If he needed to stay in this guy's presence any more like this, he would surely be killed! At least that's what his imagination was saying. After a few more subtle attempts, Iba got the message through and the raccoon's wobbly legs finally started to move, shaky but fast enough.
"Ah! Right, right! Come on guys, let's head back! Haha," Tanuki laughed nervously and tried to direct the two on their mounts to the nearest pathway back into the woods.
"Alright, fine! I guess I'll go, but only because Shuten is really scary!" Yamasaugi whined.
"What? Are you serious? Ibaraki could have destroyed me in a flash!" Mouba argued.
"They're both powerful and we would like to keep them as allies! So let's go have fun elsewhere! We've been troublesome as it is," Tanuki pointed out, trying to be the peacekeeper.
"Okay, okay!" Both girls responded.
Their voices and idle chit chat faded away, leaving the two men alone. It was finally much quieter and less chaotic. At least, they thought so, for a fleeting moment. Ibaraki turned to see Shuten glaring at him. Ibaraki was clueless as to why. He looked quite baffled and glanced over his shoulder, in case he had failed to notice the arrival of someone different. When the lack thereof was confirmed, he checked back only to be face to face with the redhead. They were mere inches away from touching noses. Ibaraki wasn't prepared for that. His heart began to race and he felt a sudden nervousness ball up in his stomach.
"Are we going to fight or what?!"
"Ah, yes! Of course, my friend," Ibaraki exclaimed as he jumped up to his feet, ready for a scuffle.
"Stop calling me your friend! You're so annoying," Shuten yelled while rolling his eyes and summoning his gourd to his side. "Alright! Let's do this!"
While the men fought and drank merrily in diminishing irritation, the two girls played in the woods, undisturbed. Tanuki headed back to the village he had previously been visiting, disguised as a beautiful woman, in hopes of getting his paws on another delicious bottle of sake. Things were prefer again in Heian-Kyo for the time being.