Ayakashi: Pt. 03

This man is mine, remembered Chiyo suddenly.This handsome, amazing man actually wantsme. It was a kind of revelation for her, and she relaxed physically as she reveled in that knowledge, opening her mouth more, letting his tongue snake deeper into her mouth, and she fanned her fingers across his back, feeling his skin. His thighs locked her legs, and she let out a squeal when she felt his grabbing her hand that was over her pussy, forcing it away.

"Chiyo... are you afraid?" he whispered into her ear.

What do I do? What do I say? She just realized now how fast her heart was fluttering. She shook her head.

"Then don't close up like that, little songbird." He pulled her onto her side, and she watched him loosen his hakama. Her hands seemed glued to his waist. Shouldn't she be doing something as well?

This all is going too fast for me,she thought disparagingly.It's too much for me to handle, I can't do this.. I'm a bad wife!

Chiyo felt his hard, warm cock against her thigh, and shivered. Takahiro noticed the expression on her face, and sighed.

"You're a very smart little bird," he said, placing a little kiss on her cheek. "Don't be afraid. This is nothing you cannot do." His hands slid over her hips, hooking around her thigh, lifting it up slightly.

"Taka-san, please..." blurted Chiyo finally.

"Please?" He stopped. "Please what?"

Chiyo looked at him. She loved him- he was kind, intelligent, supportive- it was more than she could have hoped for in a husband. She was a terrible person to ruin this night for him- for them.

"Be gentle," she said in a small voice, looking down.

Takahiro laughed. "I'll try."

She gasped as she felt him push into her, stretching and filling her pussy, forcing deeper and deeper. It felt harsh, rough, not at all how she expected. She felt herself clamping up, and he moaned, sliding out, but not all the way. He suddenly bent down to kiss Chiyo, and now she moaned as he thrust into her again. He laughed, breaking away from their kiss, watching Chiyo writhe as she took his cock in.

"I'll try," repeated Takahiro. "But you're really testing my patience here..."

"You okay, kid?" called out Zuroh. He was lounging against the trunk of the willow tree they were sitting under, stripping another rattan stem to craft into a stick. The horses ambled nearby, drinking from the lake by the tree's side.

Yue was huddled around a little makeshift fire, with a blanket upon her shoulders. She sipped the soup from the bowl, disliking the taste- she had cooked it herself, so she had to make-do with what she had. But more than hunger, she felt cold. No matter how close she got, she couldn't seem to feel warm. And she had this suffocating feeling, as though something heavy was sitting upon her back...

"I'm- I'm alright," she said, setting down the bowl, to huff and blow into her cupped hands. The coldness seemed to seep into her lungs, as though filling them with sharp icy needles that wouldn't melt away.

"You don't sound okay," said Zuroh, setting aside his work. She turned around to shoot him a look, but he looked genuinely concerned. "Now I cansee that you're not okay," he said. "Do you need to rest longer?"

"No, I can probably go on..." she replied, looking away. "We have to reach Ezo. You're right. It's better to travel at night."

After they stopped at a town and got more supplies, they were followed by a group of bandits. Zuroh made quick work of them, slicing them open like gutted fish, but he looked slightly bothered after the incident. They kept near the main highway now, since they couldn't risk being seen, nor getting ambushed.

"It's three more days until we reach the coast," said Zuroh. "Two if we go non-stop."

"Aren't you hungry?" asked Yue suddenly. "I haven't seen you eat or drink since-"

"I'm good, kid, you eat up." Zuroh stood up, and walked over to Yue. He picked up the bag near her feet and started rummaging through it.

Yue cradled the soup bowl, and looked out. A light was shining, bouncing, far away, diffused between the strands of the willow leaves. Zuroh stopped to look as well.

"Horsemen," said Zuroh, dropping the bag. "They're coming closer."

"We should have left earlier," said Yue, groaning as she also heard the hoovesteps grow louder. She got up wearily and started kicking earth onto the fire. She felt angry with herself for falling ill so quickly. She felt unsteady, tired and sick, and it all started from the day she joined Zuroh on this stupid quest she had on her mind.

Zuroh pushed the bag onto her shoulders, steering her gently away from the fire. "I don't think that would help," he said. "Go hide." Too weary to rebel, Yue listened to him, slinging the bag across her back and shuffling away, to lean behind the tree. She slumped to the ground. Maybe if she closed her eyes...

"I know you're there, Ayakashi," called out a man. "Come out and fight like a man!" His booming voice was joined by mocking laughter- there were other people with him. Zuroh watched their silhouettes quietly, as their horses trotted around the curtain of willow leaves.

"What's your problem?" said Zuroh finally, placing his fingers around the hilt of his katana. They were probably all going to attack him at once.Should I use two swords?

"I am the samurai Ieyoshi Taro. I've come to avenge my brother!" said that voice again. "Ieyoshi Jiro! You remember him?"

"Your brother was an idiot," replied Zuroh, following their movements slowly. "There's no use of avenging an idiot. Are you one, too?"

"Mock me all you want, I'm not leaving without your head!"

"Nor will I," said Zuroh, slashing his sword across just in time to parry the man that attacked him. He quickly rolled under the horse, and saw two more mounted men ride towards him.

The man on top of him thrust down his sword, but Zuroh dodged it, instead stabbing his own sword deep into the horse's thigh above him. The horse's hind legs buckled, and the rider yelled as he slipped off the horse. Zuroh straightened up, kneeling on one knee, and looked at the other two riders approaching him

He gripped his sword with both hands and held his stance. "Pathetic," he snarled, looking at them head on.

The horses suddenly reared in fright, moving away chaotically. The men tried to control their horses, veering them back towards Zuroh. Behind him, the man jumped in to take a swipe at Zuroh's shoulder, but he dodged it.

"You are an idiot, trying to attack me like that," said Zuroh, facing him as they circled each other. "Do you know who I am?"

"I do, but you have met your match in me," said Ieyoshi.

They ran towards each other, and their swords clashed, swinging to and fro like a game of arm wrestle. Ieyoshi was as tall as Zuroh himself, but bigger where Zuroh was leaner. Zuroh jumped back suddenly, letting the man tumble along his own force, and kick him on the head as he fell. He stumbled to the side, coughing blood. Looking aside, Zuroh noticed the two other men had returned without their horses, drawing their swords as they approached. Ieyoshi was getting up, and the three surrounded Zuroh, closing in on him slowly.

"You're going to die tonight, Ayakashi," said Ieyoshi, wiping the blood away from his mouth. "Do you recognize this blade? This is one of the 21 demon blades of-"

"Just attack already," said Zuroh, irritatedly, stabbing his sword straight backwards into the unsuspecting man behind him. He shivered, feeling the blade's resistance as it pierced through his victim's body. Unfortunately, the other man took this chance to swoop his sword across Zuroh's shoulder, sinking through his robes and skin. Zuroh winced, turning to face the man who cut him. It was a bad, bad cut, and he had been caught completely offhand-

Their eyes met, and Zuroh's hand grudgingly wrapped around his other blade, knowing he would not be able to shake off the dead body that was now impaled upon his first to counterattack-

"Aaaaarghhh!"

All three pairs of eyes turned to see Yue charging at them, sword raised. Zuroh's attacked jumped away from him, and looked at Ieyoshi who was standing a few feet away, just as shocked as him.

"He has a second?" asked the other man to Ieyoshi, as he surveyed Yue cautiously.

"Doesn't matter, kill him too," he replied, turning towards Zuroh again.

Zuroh stood still, looking at the ground, breathing heavily.I'm getting old, he thought, but still felt like he was making up excuses for himself. It was a deep cut, and he felt angry with himself for slipping up so badly.

He glanced at Yue- she was dodging, her movements more erratic than usual due to her condition, but luckily the man did not seem to want to kill her. However, Zuroh did not believe in luck, and believed that Yue could be stabbed any moment now. He then looked at Ieyoshi, who still stood watching him.

"Ah... so the famed Ayakashi now needs a helper to fight his fights," he said with a mocking grin. "Getting soft, I see..."

Zuroh furrowed his brows. This one is even more annoying than his brother. Pointing his sword tip towards his opponent, he attacked. They fought almost evenly, Zuroh parrying the man's attacks, while keeping an eye on Yue's fight, slowly moving towards them. Multiple times, his opponent's blade had almost nicked him- but he himself couldn't find such an opening.

"What's wrong, Ayakashi, you haven't even landed a hit on me yet!" cried Ieyoshi, delighted at Zuroh's incompetence. "And they call you a master swordsman?"

Zuroh stepped backwards, his back hitting Yue's. He felt her lean heavily against him, slowly sliding down. Jiro's brother looked past Zuroh to his partner, who was facing Yue, and gave him a small nod. He then looked at Zuroh. Zuroh gave him a grim little smile.

"A master swordsman isn't someone who can cut everything and anything," said Zuroh quietly. He extended his arm to hold his sword straight, pointing it away from them. The blade reached till the trailing branches of the willow, hovering unsteadily between the strands , due to Zuroh's ragged breaths. His opponent froze, confused as to what Zuroh was meaning.

"A master swordsman only cuts what he wants. And I want to cut- nothing."

And with that, Zuroh swung his sword. The willow strands dragged smoothly over his katana, leaving every single leaf unharmed.

Ieyoshi frowned, and then smiled, noting how weak Zuroh seemed. "What a poet. You can't even bear to cut leaves-"

A black line suddenly appeared midair between them. Like the jaws of a hungry monster the void became wider and wider. Zuroh grabbed Yue by her waist, sheathing his sword, and looked around for their backpack. The two men bewildered by this phenomenon, scampered away from the gap as quickly as they could. Suddenly, pink vines shot through the void, wrapping their tendrils around the two men, biding their arms and felling them to the ground.

"What is this?!" screamed Ieyoshi , as the vines dragged him along the ground, towards the hole in the air. A spasm of pain racked his body, and he smelled burning flesh. He looked down and realized his skin was melting. The pink vines had grown tiny little suckers, and they were draining the liquid flesh away, little by little. His comrade was unluckier- the vines were wrapped around his face, muffling his screams as his face was crushed like an eggshell by the ropes.

"This?" said Zuroh, picking up their backpack. "This is what happens when you cut nothingness itself." He nonchalantly grabbed a vine, and let it wrap around his arm. He turned to face the hole, maneuvering Yue onto his back. The wide gash on his back was gone.

Ieyoshi had given up all pretense of pride. "Stop this!" screamed the man, clawing the dirt. "Stop this! Ayakashi! I don't deserve this!"

"Maybe you don't. Maybe you do. But you know what? I'm not the one to decide." Zuroh jumped into the tear, as the man was dragged behind him.

The darkness disappeared and now Zuroh could see the roots of the monster plants floating among the clouds. These things lived in the void between the two worlds, and fed on fear, grabbing any unlucky victims that may happen to be around whenever a portal was opened. The men's bodies would probably lie suspended among the plants, to be shared between them.

Zuroh exhaled deeply, still keeping a tight hold on Yue, and the tendril around his arm unraveled. He felt that he was falling, but before he knew it, he landed with a painfulthawck onto the rocky ground.

"Fuck!" he screamed, absolutely sure that he had broken some ribs at the very least. He took deep breaths, trying to regain his composure, focusing his mind on the areas that were probably damaged. He winced slightly as he felt the bone shards fit back into their place. He then gently rolled Yue aside, and tested if his back muscles were working.

Good, good, he thought, now turning his attention to Yue.

She was absolutely still. Just before he jumped into the rift he could hear her mumble incoherently, but now-No, there is a pulse, he thought, feeling her wrist.

Tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk...

Absolutely fantastic, thought Zuroh.That's the last sound I want to hear around here! Pulling out both his katanas, he blocked the claw of the monster attacking him, just in time.

The monster was twice as tall as Zuroh. It had the upper torso of a rotting man, supported upon claw-like limbs that balanced the body like a hammock tied between the four appendages. Its head rolled freely upon its long neck, making an eerie clicking noise every time it opened its mouth. Its thin skin hung loose over its frame, like moth-eaten cloth. Jagged pieces of bone stuck out of its skin. Each of its limbs tapered to a sharp tip, like the blades of a sword.

The monster stepped back, and opened its mouth again, blowing out a foul, grey colored gas at Zuroh. Zuroh ducked, dragging Yue along with her. The gas dispersed, but the damage was done- Zuroh's mind was clouding, his limbs were getting heavy...

The creature's head spun round and round, as it opened its mouth. "Tkkkkkkt- tktktkt-kekekekeke..."

"Go fuck yourself," muttered Zuroh. In the distance, Zuroh spied several more of these creatures approaching closer, all clicking away, bringing a cloud of noxious grey gas with them as they came closer.

The creature in front of him fixed its eyes on Zuroh, then at Yue, scuttling side ways. Zuroh moved along as it circled them, ready with his swords. Suddenly it jumped, landing between Yue and Zuroh, balancing on one claw. It bent backwards, ready to sink its remaining three claws deep into Yue's body . Zuroh jumped in time, deflecting the claws with one strike. To his frustration, his sword did not even break the skin of the monster. The monster cartwheeled on its limbs, then got on all fours again. It opened its mouth wide, as if grinning, and flashed its long, yellow rows of teeth.

Zuroh felt his legs give way, yet he held on to his swords, holding them up in a cross in front of his body. If he couldn't attack, he could at least defend...

"Tckik-tckik-tktk-tkkkkkt.." it sang from its throat, straightening its neck to look down at Zuroh.

"I'm not sharing anything, you piece of shit," growled Zuroh.

The monster ambled up to Zuroh, and pinched his two swords at their intersection with its claws. Zuroh struggled, trying to force the pincers apart. However, as he felt his katana slip from his hands, he knew the gas had done its job- Zuroh fell backwards into the sand, next to Yue.

"Tk-tk-tkt-tk..." it commented, swinging a blade-limb high.

Zuroh watched the blade points shoot towards him.That's it, I'm dead...

Die.

And just like that, the creature fell backwards, dead. Zuroh felt a shiver go down his spine, as he watched the monster's legs curl up under itself and spasm, choking on its own black vomit until it lay motionless. A strong gust of wind blew across the desert, partly shrouding the creature under the sand. The grey gas cleared away, and pain shot across Zuroh's chest.Ah. I'm getting my senses back, he thought, closing his eyes and savoring the feeling, masochistically.

Poor Jiaksha... I always told him to play nice...whispered a soft, sweet voice. He could hear it as clearly as if it were in his own head..

Oh no, thought Zuroh. His eyes shot open as he recognized the voice. He looked around. The remaining creatures had rolled onto their backs, holding their limbs up together like dead spiders. Yet they were very much alive, shaking silently, as though begging for penance.

It isher, thought Zuroh, trying to suppress the shiver of fear that now ran down his spine. He dragged his swords to place them in front of him, and turned to lay flat on his belly with his face in the sand- that was all that was possible from him now.

Even the air felt still. When their Mother spoke,everyone listened. They all lay quietly, awaiting further command.

This realm is your playground, lamented the voice.You can be good children, or bad children, but you are all my children, whom I Iove so, so much... and my children love and obey me in return. Jiaksha did not obey me. And now, he is gone...

Zuroh suddenly felt a sudden heaviness over his back, threatening all the air out of his lungs. He gasped, looking aside, and noticed all the spider-people were lying spread-eagled on their backs, now howling and chattering for mercy.

Don't ever cause this kind of pain to your mother, my little hatchlings...

And just as fast, the pressure was lifted. Zuroh lifted his head onto his elbows and inhaled deeply, listening to the clicking of the spider-people fading away into the distance, as they ran away. Zuroh's heart was in his throat by now.

Is... is that really you, Zuroh? Let me see you, my poor baby...

"Yes, Okaa-sama," said Zuroh, finally managing to get up. He wearily pulled Yue's lifeless body upon his shoulder again. "I'm here."

*****

A/N: Hello all. Sorry I hadn't updated in a while, got caught up in work. I think I should find a beta-reader, it would make my writing process much faster.