Chapter Text
"Pardon, but am I at the residence of the Amawaka family?" Dark, gloomy blots one would associate as eyes darted down to see a minuet woman standing barely at five foot, in the respectable position for greeting, as she was bent down and bowing before his very eyes. Although it wasn't like he's seen this everyday as his father has temporarily demoted him to guard duty for just this month, it still shook a few bones within him at the sight. Especially as the woman fashioned a traditional tsunokakushi as if it were an accessory piece.
Yet, the most bizarre thing about this mystic woman was the fact that once she turned her head up a bit more, he got a glimpse at her profile.
"...Yes, but what is your business here?"
The woman stood there for a moment, the rain's pitter-patter against the shingles of the roof drowning out the silence. Her head was tilted back down, as if she was thinking crucially on her words. She knew this man wasn't stupid and would not dare let her step foot within the mansion, even if she professed that she meant no harm. Of course she'd say that...they all would.
But why on earth, would a low-life creature such as herself dare ask for entrance into the abode of beings who are against her very existence? This, is what peeked Seigen's interest.
"I wish to speak to Shigen-sama regarding fallen kegare." That very sentence pulled him in even more, his grasp on the sword he had embedded into the earth tightening at the request.
"Why are you concerned with fallen Kegare?" The woman looked up, her face in utter shock—as if she didn't expect him to question her involvement or should I say fascination for the creatures. But, as he waited for her to respond, another voice, lithe yet harsh spoke fourth.
"My lady only wishes to reunite with her husband." Seigen looked up from the bride, and to a slightly taller woman who was dressed in what a geisha would normally wear. Even her face was blanketed with powder as to complete and sell the look to anyone she walked by. But Seigen could tell, as her right eye showed the indication that like the other smaller woman, she was a denizen of Magano.
But, Shigen could handle himself in case things went south. Seigen didn't need to question these women more than he should, even if his main job was to exorcise her and her people. If they wished to go straight to death row, that's fine. Atleast he doesn't have to deal with her for a while until called.
"...Fine."
Still he doesn't understand fully why he agreed to walk them through the narrow hallways. Why did he decide to go the long route, where they could have instantly killed him if they wanted to. Why hasn't she lifted that uchiwa from her face? These questions came and went as he guided them through the Amawaka estate, the same ground his great grandfather had walked through... and his great grandfather's grandfather, and his grandfather...and so on. Almost like a simple wave that came in and went out, sometimes rough and sometimes slow and mellow.
"We are here. Watch your language, basara, there are eyes all around." He soon lifted his index finger up, and spun it around in a circle. The two...no three as he had just noticed halfway to his father's quarters women looked to see the glow of talisman doing plastered around the very walls. "Clearly the work of exorcists," said one of the geisha women who was to the left of the short woman.
"Just make sure to watch your step. You wouldn't want to have a fight breakout...would you?" He questioned, quirking his eyebrow now so that his right eye widened whilst his left eye closed slightly. Despite the expression, the same geisha Kegare grinned and bared her teeth at him.
"Why would I pass on a little rough housing if my lady allows of it?" Seigen slightly declined back at the words, making sure that as they walked through the sliding doors he bound the doors with a curse that would make sure they would never be able to get out. If they were capable of doing so they would find themselves in a never ending maze, and one of the Amawaka guards would dispose of them once the alarm was raised. For now they all were still monitoring the three women from afar, unaware of their true intent.
The three basara women soon entered Shigen's study, and by surprise...he wasn't there.
"He lied to us, my lady." The short woman sighed, bringing her hand to her chin before going onto think. This wasn't that much of a surprise if she was to be truly honest with herself, she actually anticipated this to happen more than meeting master Shigen.
"Yes...he did, Nariko." The geisha woman to the left of her, who was named Nariko, stood for a while before exhaling hard. A groan left her as she soon stomped her foot in frustration.
"They have some sort of headache inducing spell in here. Their trying to make us unconscious. Since when were humans so heartless!"
"Dear sister, exorcists aren't human." Nariko's twin, Tsukiko said as she still stood adjacent showing no true feelings towards the entire situation. If one were to stare her down, her light blue eyes would freeze them in place from her stoic profile. Then again it could just be the curse she inherited as becoming a monster human, no one truly cares...she's just a monster at the end of the day.
Her twin was the opposite, inheriting a name meaning "Thunder Child" as her red and yellow eyes radiating a murderous and vexing aura. Completely two split opposites that pair well together.
"Oh yeah...forgot about that part...Lady Kiyomi, how are we to find Master Sakanashi now?" The two geisha twins looked down at their lady, completely silent as they gave her over three minutes to process the matter over.
"Ladies, look at where we are."
"In a stinky exorcist house—"
"What? No. We are inside of the grand Amawaka head's study. He keeps valuable information here. Coordinates to this place and that regarding the kegare. We will know exactly where Sakanashi is if we can find a scroll leading us to the last location he was found."
Nariko and Tsukiko paused. The short woman chuckled at their sudden realization.
"Maybe sometimes you two should be more quiet like me, figuring things out in silence is better for the mind. Unless you like to work under pressure?"
"We're inside of one of the Twelve Heavenly Guardian's estates, and we were just greeted by him. Of course we are under pressure, Lady Kiyomi!"
Kiyomi now turned her head all the way up, a frown forming on her face. At that, Nariko backed down.
"Now, you two will look through every cabinet until we find something on Sakanashi."
"If we don't?"
The short woman, who had turned her back on them slightly angled her head to where they could see her impurity eye.
"We'll search the next Heavenly Guard's abode. All until we end up at the Tsuchimikado's estate." A sigh came from behind, which had Kiyomi fully turning her head to reveal a face that truly meant "I won't hesitate to knock you out first before these exorcists arrive."
"I won't rest until I am reunited with my husband once more."
—
Sakanashi stood at the edge of a rocky cliff, overlooking the hot magma spots that appeared almost frequent within this layer's terrain. Not to mention lava lakes that would seem peaceful if you were equipped with a special talisman. Lucky for him he has such a charm, the impossibly hot temperature not even having him flinch in the slightest. As he surveyed the land, small footsteps sounded from behind him.
"Yuzuihara, do you have the specimen?"
"Yes, Sakanashi."
The older basara turned around to see an almost fresh human corpse laid out before him, that's if you count out the spell Yuzuihara had to use to keep it fresh while inside this literal furnace. Some of the body had already been damaged as it took quite a while for a girl of her stature to make it all the way down here by herself.
"Did Gabura help you this time?" Sakanashi asked as he bent over to examine the corpse, checking for any remnants of yang energy before carefully opening the subject up.
"No...he did not."
"I see. Get Shiromi here as soon as possible, we can't delay on taking this human's heart out. It's the key to preforming this ritual."
"As you wish Sakanashi." And soon, she walked off. Once the silver-black haired basara was alone a sigh came from him.
"Why did I agree to him...and how could I have let such a thing happen?" Sakanashi soon stood up to his full height, casting a stronger variant of the spell Yuzuihara used on the body to preserve it's prize organ.
"I'm trapped inside of this wasteland that most call Magano, but us kegare call home...yet they don't truly realize that some of us were human at one point."
"It stinks here...There is no appropriate entertainment here unless watching lower level kegare rip themselves to shreds from the voices that ring within our conscience count...of course not what am I thinking."
"That's why this world needs to burn."
"This is why those exorcists must feel our pain."
"We can't work things out anymore...I feel no pity or feeling towards that pitiful disease called human."