Tales Of Ayakashi

CHAPTER 14

The conversation went something like this.

Genryuu:"Oi! You!"

Ayakashi:"Me?"

Genryuu:"Do you see anyone around here, bastard?!"

Ayakashi:"Ah...My bad. How can I help you?" 

Genryuu:"Who's strongest person in the ninerealms?" 

Ayakshi:"Strongest person, is it? Then that would be the Heavenly Sovereign" 

Genryuu:"Where can I find him?" 

Ayakashi:"In Heaven realm, of course! I'll give you the address,"

That innocent conversation led Genryuu straight to Heaven Sovereign's doorstep, while Ayakshi himself slowly sneaked away from the scene. 

This, followed by the tragic set of defeats made Genryuu so mad that he made everything Ayakashi's fault. When he thought about the clueless, innocent expression that white fox had on his face...

"Ahhhh!!! That damn fox! Wait till I find him, I'll skin him from head to tail and wear his skin as a scarf! Yes! A scarf! If I don't then my names isn't Genryuu Hayate!"

Listening to Genryuu's rants, Rensen sighed. The maiko beside him filled his sake cup again, and he momentarily let his gaze drift towards his companion, who was seated to his left.  

Senryo Kasame. Dressed from head to toe in a black outfit, he seemed to blend into the shadows if one took their attention off of him for a second. Only his face seemed to be in contrast with the rest of his body, of which the upper half was covered by a white mask.

The design on the mask was intricate and delicate, and through the eye-holes of the mask a pair of violet eyes observed the room, impassively.  The only thing that partially lifted the veil of mystery over his appearance was the lower half of his face. It was smooth and chiseled, revealing sharp cheekbones, and a pair of lips that looked as if could seduce the world with a  simple smile. His pitch black hair was tied into a tail and was carelessly thrown over his shoulder, with a few locks of hair falling over his eye. 

Added to that the lean figure that was hidden under the tight black ninja -suit, it was obvious the man was no more than a youth in his early to mid twenties. But here, in the ninerealms, appearance is rarely reliable to judge a character's age and strength. 

The more younger one looked, the more wary one should be. That was most common policy to follow when travelling the Ninerealms. 

Even a toddler who looked no more than a year old could be a thousand year old monster in disguise. You can never rely on appearance to tell a person's real strength. It was often misleading. And such a misunderstanding can only lead to one outcome: Death. 

Rensen smiled wryly. If anyone dared to mistake the 'devil draw' to be a mere newbie then they would regret it for the rest of their lives. Not that they would live to regret, though. 

Kasame dealt with trouble-makers as harshly as he dealt with himself. The guy was like a block of wood. And his manners were impeccable. He's inept but there was no one more reliable than him to have your back. 

Thinking that Rensen smiled. He raised his sake cup towards Kasame. Kasame was just about to bring his cup for a sip when he paused. He looked from the extended sake cup to Rensen's face. His eyes behind the mask gentled. He tapped his cup to his returning his goodwill. 

Most of the gathered people here were regulars at this inn,  and they more or less gathered together to discuss the latest happenings in the ninerealms and alleviate their boredom. 

Once, Ayakashi Ninetails had been a hot topic in their discussions but as times passed, more and more interesting news popped up and the demon fox was soon thrown to the back of their minds. 

Now a string of murders have been occurring around the Underworld, and the people naturally couldn't stop themselves from wondering about the long forgotten tyrant of the realm.  

The room was lively with laughter and cheer. A geisha was performing a graceful dance accompanied by soothing music. Rensen listened to the guqin, his eyes closed. The aftertaste of the sake was still fresh in his mind, so the effect was extra calming for him. 

Genryuu who had just gulped down another cup, slammed it down on the table with a THUMP!

"I'm telling ya! Once I get my hands on that damned fox-" Rensen rolled his eyes at Genryuu's drinken ramblings. 

"If you're so hellbent on going, I can give you a hand," Rensen said nonchalantly. 

"Wha-t was'sat?" 

Renryuu squinted at him through a half opened eye. "It's gonna cost you though," he said. As a yokai of misfortune, Rensen's power mostly came from greed for riches. In the Underworld, he was known by the nickname, "Rich moneybags,"

But there was not a single one in the ninerealms who was foolish enough to bargain with him. 

Genryuu also noting this, paled then waved him away nervously. "No need, no need. I can handle it on my own,"

Laughter followed and everyone cracked a joke at how the mighty Genryuu was afraid of owing debts. 

Rensen listened to the banter, the looked towards Kasam his expression grave. "These murders; what do you think about them?" he asked. 

Kasama pondered for a moment. "Unusual," he said curtly. 

Rensen's expression turned grim. "What I thought as well. Do you think-?" he started to asked, then stopped afraid to consider what he had been suspicious of all along. 

Kasama eyes gleamed under the lamp light. "Without hard evidence, it'll be tough to prove it. Just voicing out suspicions of such conducts is enough to warrant a death sentence so we mustn't speculate so freely," 

Turning his head, he gazed down at his sake. Just what the hell is your clan up to?  Rensen frowned. 

In his mind an image of a figure appeared, wearing yellow and black robes, his long, spiky hair waving behind him in a long trail. The nine tails that sprouted behind him was thick and evil qi was surging from the surroundings and was wrapping around the figure in thin tendrils. 

The white fox mask was placed on the left side of his head, and his red eyes were filled with madness, elegant lips pulled back into a wide smile, revealing sharp canines. 

Ayakashi!