Possession 14: Battle at Kakidashi Shrine

Tenshi was back in his own body, making his way down the path that lead to the shrine of Tobias the Spiritualist. He had changed clothes from Rei’s school uniform to cargo pants and a hooded sweatshirt over a plain white t-shirt. He also carried Rei’s bokuto, wrapped in clothe. The priestess herself hovered along next to Tenshi, still faint but slightly more visible than she was before.

She could be anyone or anything, Tenshi thought to himself. He was nervous, and it showed. She could be watching us right now…

“Tenshi?”

“AHHH! Die demon!” The teenage boy spun around, slashing at the air with the covered bokuto.

The blade slid through Rei’s wispy waist. She stared at Tenshi. “I’d prefer if you didn’t do that.”

“Oh… right, sorry…”

Rei sighed and crossed her arms. “You’re likely to scare yourself to death by acting this way. Calm down. The bokuto won’t even do any damage when it’s covered like that.”

Tenshi glanced at the weapon, a sweat drop rolling down the side of his head. “Heh… I guess I’m just nervous… At least we saw the Hell Hounds coming… Kawari is… well… You can never know where she is.” Biting his lip, he began walking again, making his way towards the red arch just ahead.

“That’s why we’re going to see Tobias,” Rei said. “He can provide us with some real talismans to use against her. He probably has some sort of advice to help us as well.”

“Hopefully,” Tenshi muttered as he began the long climb up the stairs that would lead to the shrine. Birds flitted from branch to branch as he passed beneath arch after arch. He watched them with wary eyes. Any one of them could be her… A shiver ran down the boy’s back.

Rei was enveloped by her own thoughts. She also watched the animal life suspiciously. If she attacks now, Tenshi might be killed… I don’t even have enough power to fully return to the spirit world… I could never possess Tenshi and fight…

Soon enough, they crested the hill that looked down on the valley that housed the enormous Kakidashi shrine. The buildings stretched out beneath them as boy and spirit began the descent that would lead to the stone courtyard, sakura blossom trees forming a natural ceiling over the ground below. As Tenshi and Rei walked beneath them, they found the local priest sweeping the stones clean. As they approached, he looked up and smiled.

Tenshi smiled and waved. “Hello Somei-sama.”

Rei bowed in air. “Greetings once more, my lord priest.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Tobias asked gently, watching his visitors from behind his round glasses.

“We need your help with a demon,” Tenshi said as he walked over. “It’s kind of important that we take care of her as soon as possible. Do you have some parchment we could use for talismans?”

Rei followed and was about to say something when she suddenly paused. What is this feeling… a dark aura… growing… It’s Kawari! She’s not hiding herself anymore… but where… Her eyes went wide. “Tenshi, get back!”

The teenage boy blinked and turned. “Huh? What is it?”

‘Tobias’ smirked and crouched, leaping forward and slashing downward at Tenshi’s back with his broom. The boy spun around, alarmed, and raised the covered bokuto, reaching up and bracing it with his other hand. The broom-handle slammed into the covered blade and snapped in half from the power of the imposter’s blow.

The ‘priest’ immediately ducked down and shoved his shoulder up into Tenshi’s chest, lifting the teenager off of his feet and immediately sending him backwards. Tenshi hit the stone ground hard, the breath completely knocked out of him.

Rei leapt into position between the fallen boy and the artificial priest, growling. “Kawari…”

Still wearing the guise of the priest, the demon laughed. “I may be loosing my touch,” she said in Tobias’ voice. “I can’t help it though. When someone gets in my way, I just have to kill them.”

“What have you done with the real Tobias,” Rei demanded.

“He’s alright. He should be at the other end of his precious shrine by now. He should have really extended his protective spell over his courtyard. It was entirely too easy to set up a trap for you. Now, I suggest you worry about yourselves.”

Tenshi stood up, coughing. He grabbed hold of the wrapping around the bokuto and tore it off. He was shaking, but he tried to make himself sound confident. “Why not fight us in your real form? Or maybe you’re too afraid to.”

Kawari laughed again. “Afraid? Never. You must earn the right to behold my true beauty.”

Tenshi shifted into a defensive position, one Rei had taught him. How am I going to do this? Rei never taught me how to really fight with a bokuto. He glanced at the priestess’ fuzzy image. I don’t know, but something tells me that Rei is too weak to possess me… I think I’m on my own for now…

 “You dared to threaten me,” Kawari said.  “Let’s see you follow through on that promise.” Grinning, she held out one robed arm to her side. The forearm began to melt and shift together, stretching out, coming to a point. It thinned as it reformed, solidifying in a long blade.

Rei swallowed hard. Tenshi gaped. Kawari lunged.

“AHH!” Tenshi raised his weapon as his opponent swung her weapon at him. The blades met and flashed, sending sparks flying. Oddly enough, Kawari’s steel blade could not cut into the wooden bokuto.

The demon scowled. “A blessed weapon…” She took a step back and raised her blade, slicing it downwards. “No matter! You could never possess the strength to defeat me!”

Tenshi gripped the blunt edge of his weapon near the tip and held the bokuto up, blocking the blow again. She’s right! All of her attacks send shocks through my arms! I can’t keep blocking!

Kawari fell back and lowered her blade-arm, stabbing forward. Tenshi let out a startled gasp as he spun to the side, the blade slicing through his sweatshirt. The teenager then quickly slashed at Kawari’s side, but she nimbly danced to the side and avoided it. She countered by lashing out with her arm again, forcing Tenshi to fall back once more.

Rei watched helplessly. I need to help somehow! But how? I’m too weak to possess Tenshi and he doesn’t have any talismans of his own to use! Kawari has the advantage in speed and strength, not to mention skill… If I don’t do something, Tenshi might lose his life!

Meanwhile, Kawari was striking blow after blow at her opponent. Tenshi was barely able to block the attacks, his reactions too slow to forge an opening. Before he realized it, Kawari had changed her method, sweeping up now rather than slashing down. Tenshi ducked to the side, but the blade caught his left arm, leaving a shallow cut in it. He had never been cut like that before, so the sudden stinging pain forced him to cry out.

The demon laughed. “Is this it? Is this all you can do?” She glanced over at Rei, peering over the edge of the glasses she wore on Tobias’ face. “What about you, priestess? Didn’t you threaten me with your own body?” Watching Rei’s worried reaction, the truth dawned on her. “I see now… so you don’t have your own body after all… you merely used his in combination with some spell.” She chuckled. “And to think that I was actually worried.”

She turned her attention back to Tenshi and was actually surprised to see him dashing towards her, blade first. She smirked. This little weakling has guts, I’ll give him that. With speed so fast she almost seemed a blur, she spun to the side as the boy ran past. She then raised her blade and plunged it towards her opponent’s unprotected back. “This is the end!”

Rei’s eyes widened. “TENSHI!”

Time seemed to stop.

A flock of birds flew from the nearby trees.

Kawari’s eyes narrowed, her smirk turning into a snarl, lip twitching.

Rei was frozen in air, eyes staring ahead in disbelief.

Tenshi let out a shuddering breath. One foot had been planted in front of him, stopping him almost immediately in his charge. With speed rivaling his opponent’s, he had switched his grip on the bokuto, swinging the blade backwards over his shoulder. Kawari’s blade pressed into his weapon. The boy had blocked the demon’s deadly attack.

Before his opponent could react, Tenshi made his move. He lifted his blade upwards, freeing it from beneath Kawari’s sword and twisted, slashing downward into her unprotected side. The bokuto bit into her flesh.

How… how could he do that, Rei thought in disbelief. He didn’t even see Kawari make her move! He acted completely on instinct…

Kawari’s eyes were wide as she left out a scream of pain and rage. The wound at her side blazed with light caused by the bokuto. She quickly pulled herself free, stumbling backwards in shock. That… That wretch! He cut me! He cut ME! Kawari stared in disbelief as Tenshi turned to look at her. The boy’s face had changed. There was a grim expression on it, and his eyes…

A moment later, it was gone. Tenshi blinked and stared at the bokuto in his hands. “Whoa… did I do that?” He looked up the wound he had inflicted on the demon.

Shock turned to rage as Kawari recovered from her daze. With a growl that led into a roar, she suddenly charged at Tenshi, blade raised, too fast for him to react. He stared helplessly as the blade swung down towards him.

“LIGHTNING!”

Kawari’s attack missed, cutting deep into stone courtyard as her back lit up with golden light. Electricity raced along her body, sending her into convulsions. Her sword-arm dissolved, becoming normal once more as she staggered forward, spinning around to see what had struck her.

The real Tobias stood at the entrance to the shrine, a smoking talisman held up in one hand, three more at the ready in his other. Blue eyes were narrowed with anger behind his round glasses. “You have defiled this holy ground, Hell spawn.”

The demon glanced between the priest and Tenshi. She grinned. “Catch me if you can!” Turning on her heal, she dashed towards the stairs.

With a flick of his wrist, Tobias sent another talisman through the air. It struck Kawari’s back just as she changed into the form of a crow. She squawked in surprise, but it merely turned to dust. With frenzied flapping, she began to rise.

“I’ll go after her,” Rei shouted, taking off after the bird.

“Don’t waist your energies just yet, Lady Kodama,” Tobias said in a gentle voice. The priestess stopped and looked at him as he made his way over to Tenshi. Raising a hand to the boy’s arm, Tenshi’s cut began to glow softly before healing. “You’ll have to go after her… I placed a tracking talisman on her. I’ll give you a scroll that lets you follow her.”

“Thanks for saving me,” Tenshi sighed. “I guess I’m not much of a fighter…”

Tobias chuckled. It surprised both Rei and Tenshi at how soon he had become soft and caring from the grim façade he had worn just moments before. “You know enough to defend yourself. The shape shifter is just stronger. You can’t get close to it, else you’ll be destroyed.”

Rei drifted over. “How can we defeat her then? We have no talismans, and yours won’t work for us.”

“May I see your bokuto, Tenshi?”

The teenager blinked. “Um…sure… Here…”

Tobias took the wooden sword as it was handed to him. He began to slide his hand along its smooth surface, pausing at the spot where it had cut into Kawari’s side. “This is an excellent weapon… but its true power remains concealed.” He smiled. “‘When it is time for the warrior to strike, his sword will sing, and the blade of the Kodamabatsu will reverberate.’”

Rei blinked. “That’s an excerpt from the myth of the Sword of Echoes… how do you know that…?”

“I read a lot,” Tobias said.  “It passes the time.” He held the sword back out to Tenshi. “And it isn’t just for the Sword of Echoes. The Kodamabatsu were famous for creating weapons that could harness the power of the wielder’s spirit, but only when the he could sync himself with his spiritual rhythms.” The priest pulled a scroll from his robe and handed it to Tenshi. “This scroll will reveal a map that you can follow to Kawari. I trust you can handle her.”

Tenshi frowned and took it. “Hopefully…”

“Have faith. If you’re in doubt, look into her eyes, and you will see your answer.” With a mysterious smile, he turned and headed back into the shrine.

Tenshi blinked. Look into her eyes? What does that mean? Shaking his head in confusion, he turned towards the stairs. “Come on Rei… we have the chance to stop Kawari… She can’t sneak up on us as long as we have this scroll.”

As Tenshi headed towards the stairs, Rei watched Tobias walk away. How do you know so much about my clan, Somei Tobias? You’re not even Japanese… So how can you know all this? With new thoughts to dwell upon, she turned away and hurried after Tenshi.