神の妖怪

God’s Youkai

九

The man walked up on the shady stairs. The condition of this building was so bad, that it was a miracle how it was still standing. No one should be allowed to enter this place. The God did not enter. He stopped at the entrance, hidden in the shadows, only to make a quick look. On the worn-out futon, with no pillow, covered only by a torn blanket, Minami was sleeping curled into a ball, knees pressed against the chest. The boy’s eyebrows were just a bit frowned, but eyes and cheeks were messed in bright red as if he cried himself to sleep. His right arm fell off the futon slightly shivering.

On the moldy wooden floor, just next to the boy’s hand Ryou’s eyes halted, spotting a short, but slimy three-headed serpent coiled on the youth’s wrist, all three pairs of its venomous fangs sucked deeply in the boy’s hand, draining his blood, energy… his life.

Gods don’t really feel. They are good at controlling themselves, hiding emotions, shutting them down if needed. A God would never lose himself in a moment. Creations of the light and heaven, they don’t know the sense of darkness within. Ryou’s jaw became painfully tense, as he ground his teeth. Shadows underneath him grew larger as the God felt blood boiling inside. The void in him, filled with the strong sense of the most primitive emotion. Even Ryou’s eyes drowned into a darker shade of night blue, filled with the untold pain, wrath. The man’s face darkened with a range of emotions from sadness to overpowering rage. It was the first time in his existence Ryou had such a blast of emotions floating through him at once, for a moment there he forgot that the anger was human’s weakness. All he could think about was that disgusting Youkai hurting the boy.

No matter what those low beings, that barely could be called creatures, didn’t have any rights. Ryou fought against Youkais all his long life, but now he didn’t want to just finish them off. At this exact moment, the only thought he had was for them to vanish off this very ground. All of them, so not a single one could ever get near the boy again. He would never be able to feel anything more than hatred towards Youkais.

“Get lost.” He groaned at that pathetic thing, watching how shadows took over the snake and it vanished into thin air, like dust scattered in the wind. Until this moment, Ryou wasn’t even aware that he had such powers, to destroy them without any weapon, only with the pure energy floating from him.

Ryou gazed at Minami’s bleeding hand for a bit longer before leaving. What happened, would probably leave marks on his wrist too. Ryou didn’t want the boy to find out that he was here that night, but there was still something he had to fix.

“Ryou-sama..? What… How can I help you at this late hour?” The high priest opened the door from his room, but definitely wasn’t expecting to find the God standing behind them. His fake polite expression soon changed into a completely petrified one.

“Take all your belongings and leave my shrine.” Ryou forced himself to keep a polite voice, but his aura was threatening enough for the man’s bold head to cover in sweat. “Now.” He added because the man didn’t seem to understand from the first sentence. He was standing frozen.

“Bu-t… Ryou-sama… I don’t… understand…” The man stuttered, nervously rubbing his hands. “Did something happen…? I’m sure we can find---”

“You dare to ask… after everything you did or should I say, didn’t do? Get out.” The God slowly placed one word after another. “Don’t make me repeat myself....”

Ryou glared at Kusou one last time, making the man sure that he was not changing his mind. Leaving him there stiffened in great shock, Ryou went through the hallway, knocking at the last door.

“R-ryou… sama.” Jirou opened the door drowsy, yawing so badly that the God’s name got lost somewhere in the sound. “Is… everything alright? I’m not in the mood for drinking. This old man needs his rest.” He slowly blinked, rubbing his face with his hand.

“You’re taking the high priest’s position from tomorrow… today.” Ryou quickly changed the word at the end, realizing they would need him for the morning’s ritual.

“Excuse me…?” Jirou’s face froze in yawning, and now he just stared at the God with an open mouth and wide eyes. “But… e-h… what? What happened to Kusou-san?”

“Gone.” Ryou gave a clear hint that he was not really in the mood for further conversation now.

“I suppose it was about time…? But…” Jirou began to mumble, still completely lost in the situation, but Ryou was already walking away. “But… I want that big bedroom with a comfortable bed!”

Ryou only waved for him not really giving an answer, but finally, after many years he felt that he did something right for this shrine. For its future.

Maybe… for Minami as well. The God could never admit it, that he wouldn’t have done this nor would he have cared enough, if not that human boy. Seeing him in that old, dusty, and crappy storage room, sleeping on ripped tatami… Youkais, sucking his bright spiritual energy. Not only Kusou didn’t notice what kind of potential Minami had, but he also left the shrine unprotected, letting Youkais get in. For years Ryou saw Kusou leading this shrine in the most selfish and greedy ways and he didn’t even move a finger to do something about it. And now, only because of this one boy… What was happening to him??

“What are you doing here?” Ryou opened the door from his bedroom just to see his messenger rolling in the bed back and forth on his back, playing with the sheets.

As soon as the God spoke, the tiny dragon jumped in the air, turning around himself a few times, then hid behind the pillow, staring at Ryou with a pair of wide shining golden eyes. This creature, his messenger from TEN, followed him down here to the shrine as always, even though the God didn’t ask for his assistance. After centuries of being stuck with him, Ryou got used to his never-ending energy, even though he never gave any attention back to him. He wouldn’t have said anything, but that Youkai in his shrine really ruined the man's mood. The hatred for those blood-sucking monsters was set deeply in the God.

“Hush now, just find yourself a place and stay there before I sent you back.” He warned the dragon quietly. The little one blinked a few times before quickly disappearing under the sheets.

After what happened tonight, for sure, he shouldn’t interfere more than he already did. He should stop. And yet, something inside scratched annoyingly telling that he couldn’t.

Ryou shut the door a bit louder than he had to.