Chapter Text
“Huh? What nonsense are you spouting?” The demon king of Mount Oe asked a girl of average height. Her hair tied in twin braids to the front, while letting the other parts loose behind her back. She donned a white outfit, laced my red threads on their hems. On her chest, she bore a small house, and on her hand, a walking stick, which seemed like a tree branch. The demon king rolled his eyes. “Look, young lady, this is not a place you could casually walk to.”
“I know! I am fully aware of that!” She beamed at him. “But look! Your red string is already connected to someone!” She pointed at the supposed “red string” attached to the man’s little finger. Sadly enough, she was the only one who has the ability to see them; unless, the bond between the two is already blooming.
“Yes, I can see them on your head too.” He took the red string tied to the girl’s hair, and twirled it in a mocking manner. “So you put this to bind people? Pathetic. Demons like me do not need a bond. Those are for the weak.” He released her string and sat down on his throne, with yet another cup of sake.
“No! It’s really there! On your pinky!” She pointed repeatedly to the demon king’s hand. She went forward to the king, attracting the attention of several yokai who were present at his makeshift court. From what everyone knows, only two people in Mount Oe could ever do that. No one casually walks up to the Demon King without getting their hands burned.
“Hm… now that I got a closer look, its color does seem to fade a little bit…” She brought her face closer to his hand, earning an annoyed look from its owner. “But it’s still shining subtly… looks like the one on the other end is making efforts to express their love towards you.”
The demon king’s face grew red at the comment. “S-Shut up! You don’t even know who I am!” He withdrew his hands from her grasp, causing the girl to drop her walking stick. He then rose up to his full glory; all demons present bowed before him and his majesty. Blazing flames rose from the crevices of the mountain, telling stories of the greatness of its ruler. “I am the Demon King, Shuten-Doji! Know your place, mere—“ his speech was cut when he found the other girl on his other hand, examining a, from what she can see, a faded thread. Its red color was now dyed gray, and was already hanging from his fingers.
“What are you doing!” He took his hand again, wary of the girl. “I just told you; I am Shuten Doji! Do you not know fear, spirit?” He said, furiously. At the mention of the word “spirit”, the girl fumed, took her walking stick and struck the ground with it. A small, gentle breeze resounded from her, a sweet, rosy scent entering their noses.
“Well, know that I am Enmusubi no Kami. And I am a goddess.” She said, taking a step closer to Shuten Doji. “And by my decree, I will not leave this place until I have connected your other end.”
While she earned everyone’s stares, the few moments of silence turned into a burst of laughter from all the demons present, and even from the demon king himself. He wiped off a few tears from his brown eyes, and looked at the self-acclaimed “goddess”, who was pouting at him.
“Listen, girl,” he started, lifting his cup of sake, “there’s no such thing as a ‘goddess of marriage’.” He took a sip, and satisfied, he stood up and walked past her. “Hmm… but you’re an interesting one. Fine, I’ll let you stay here in Mount Ōe. Your shelter and food will be accommodated, and rest assured that no demon here will harm you.” Before completely leaving the court, he whispered into her ear. “Prove your power.”
With that, he left the plains, with the eyes of all the demons, including hers, trailing behind his steps.
***
“I AM the goddess of marriage!” She pouted to the person next to her. “Why doesn’t anyone believe me?!” She took a piece of apple and bit it. She chewed quickly, swallowing it immediately before taking another bite. “Can you give me a cup of water? Sorry to bother you…”
The white-haired boy beside her sighed. “Alright. But please, do eat slowly. We can’t risk you choking because of an apple.” He poured water from a vessel and handed it to the girl, who chugged it down in one go. “Goodness, you could compare yourself to Ibaraki Doji when eating.”
“Thanks for the water, Hoshigumi.” She bit and chewed her apple again, happily munching the two remaining pieces left. “But who’s Ibaraki Doji?”
The boy chuckled. “It’s Hoshiguma. Hoshiguma Doji.”
“Ahh, sorry, my bad.” She scratched the back of her head.
“Ibaraki Doji is Shuten Doji’s best friend. They’ve been together for… no one knows how long, not even I.” He said, shifting his seat next to her. “When Shuten was captured and lost his memories, it was Ibaraki who rescued him and nursed him back to good health. Ibaraki even lost his arm because he went after Shuten’s killer. After that… Ibaraki tried his best to cheer his friend up, even if he doesn’t remember. He asked him for a challenge, and was planning to lose deliberately in order to proclaim Shuten as the strongest demon.”
“So he might be the bright string.” Enmusubi thought to herself, her bite-and-chew process seemingly slower than before. “But who’s the faded string then?”
“It didn’t help that Shuten wallowed himself in wine. You see, he fell in love with a maple spirit by the name of Momiji. But this woman was in love with a human named Abe no Seimei. However, both were unrequited. You could imagine what happened when the two met.” He sighed more. “At least, right now, he’s happier than before. He regained more of his strength, he developed a friendship with the humans, and he is also on good terms now with his killer.”
“Wait… he fell in love… that could also be the bright string…” She closed her eyes to think closely. “If he still loves her until now, that is.”
“Oh well… so much for stories.” He stood up and took a pitcher with him. “I need to feed those hungry demons now. Call me if you need anything, don’t be shy.” He smiled, and waved farewell to the girl, who responded with a “Yes! Thank you, Hoshiguma!”
She stayed in her seat, watching several rowdy yokai chat and rumble about in the fairly small tavern. Some were even wrestling with each other. To add, the noise they produce is unbearable.
“Hmm… a good night’s walk will help me think about it.” She sighed and rose up from her seat to walk the paths of Mount Ōe. Hoshiguma did mention to her to only walk along the paths where there are onibi; otherwise, she might get lost. She followed the trail of the blue flames which led her to the darkest paths of the mountain. It was desolate of most greeneries; only a few to name, while most are wilted trees and dusty rocks. “He’s reluctant to admit his feelings… the other person did something for him, but he doesn’t remember…” She reminisced about the old couple she helped back in that village. The pure thought that she helped them made her smile; she wasn’t just about to disappear like she thought she would.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the bell on her wrist shook. It pointed its tassel towards a path unlit by the onibi. “Huh… who goes there?” She asked herself, reluctant to follow the bell. There was no onibi to light that path; she solely had to rely on her luck and footing. “Yosh! If it’s for a bond, then I’ll do anything!” She happily dashed through the dark path, leaving the trail of onibi behind her footsteps.
From the deep wood, she can hear weird sounds; like it was someone practicing martial arts. Enmusubi peered closer to the source. There was a cave adorned with golden ornaments, a single lamp blazing a purple flame. “Who lives there…?” She asked herself. She was scared that it would be a monster, but the king promised her that her safety is given a premium… she was not sure if she could trust his words, but her bell’s tassel pointed into the cave. Its vibrations are much stronger than usual. “It’s alright. I’ll just yell if I’m attacked.” She told herself. “And it’s not like I can't defend myself.”
She slowly made her way into the cave, toes tipped. She held her bell in her hand, afraid that the sounds it would make will alarm whoever was dwelling inside. She could hear echoes of soft humming from inside. ‘Who could that be…?’ She thought, taking another step— tip toe, in this case— towards a source of light deeper. She noticed that the humming was a deep voice, yet it was calm and gentle. It reminded her of the old man’s son. Although his words defy it, his heart is pure.
She stopped when she saw a bookshelf. It was carved directly through the wall of the cave. It contained scrolls and writing materials. There were also paints in the other cells, and luckily enough, there was a lamp burning the same purple flame she had seen by the entrance. She took it to enhance her field of vision, and admired the several paintings she just had seen now. They were depictions of war and violence, the power of demons and… one painting looked peculiar. It was subtly sad, yet cheerful at the same time. It was a portrait of what she knew was Shuten Doji. Hoshiguma did mention how he looked like before, and how he acted rashly. The painting depicted him fighting a man clad in white, an iron breastplate, with a gentian flower pattern in the middle. The man was wielding a sword which, impressive enough, reflected his luscious white hair. The details of the portrait was so great, that it rivaled those she saw in some shrines she visited before.
“Whoever made this must be blessed with two creative hands.” She said as she touched it… and immediately regretted it, since it was still wet. She smudged some paint in the part of Shuten Doji’s robes, making them look more dull and distorted. ‘Oh no! I destroyed a work of art!’ She panicked to herself, wanting to run frantically outside. However, she froze in her place when she felt a menacing aura behind her. It felt… strangely demonic.
“First of all, the one who made that painted it with only one hand.” A deep voice behind her thundered. “And second… you dare intrude the lair of the second most fearsome demon in Heian-Kyo?!” The nether force in the air fluctuated, a blast of demonic power emitted from behind her. She turned slowly, fearful of what the demon will do if she, indeed, dared to look at it.
“Prepare yourself! You distorted the divine image of my friend!” A burst of demon force followed his shrill voice. “Witness the power of Ibaraki-Doji! Perish, intrude—“
He was unable to finish his speech. The sudden outburst faded into thin air, the strong nether force nowhere to be felt. The demon turned his head to see the girl with his left hand and seemingly dangling an imaginary thing inches away from his pinky. “What are you doing?! First you intruded, and second, you dare touch me?!” He roared, but it merited nothing but ignorance from the goddess. She continued examining his hand, as well as the air around it,
“Hmm… the string… it’s glowing…” Her eyes grew big in happiness as she exclaimed her next words. “You… It’s you! You’re his predestined partner!” She squealed in happiness, frantically jumping around the cave (while making sure she no longer compromises Ibaraki’s equipment). She took one last look at the demon’s hand. “Listen, Mr. Ibuki, you’re—“
“Ibaraki.”
“Okay, Mr. Ibaraki, you’re tied with Mr. Shuten Doji! I can see it, it’s glowing very bright!” She squealed. “Just a few more pushes, and—“
“You… how did you know my friend?” He took a closer look at the girl. “Perhaps, could you be the fake goddess he mentioned? The weird one who can supposedly see strings—“
“Hey! I am a real goddess!” She pouted, her previous smile turning into a scowl in a fraction of a second. “Anyway, listen, you’re in love with Shuten Doji, are you not?” She pointed at him. “The problem is, the end of Shuten’s string is dull. It means, he is having a hard time reciprocating your love.
Ibaraki looked away. Even when he faced the other direction, that feeling of sadness can never escape Enmusubi’s sense. “Just… leave. I’ll let you pass this time. Just… leave.” He walked towards the chamber right next to the cave. As much as she would like to just obey his command, she needed to know why. On Ibaraki’s end, the string was bright. But on Shuten’s end, it was less luminescent, and it looks like it’s fading. She followed him to the chamber, where she saw Ibaraki frowning, cuddling a small plushie on his hand.
“I thought I told you to leave?” He looked up at her, who simply pouted.
“Not without answers.” She sat beside him and took a look at the plushie on his hand. It looked like a plushie of the Shuten Doji that Hoshiguma described; the same one on the painting she saw (and destroyed) outside. Albeit a few missed hems and improper stitches, it was still admirable, especially when he did it with one hand. “That’s cute… if only he’d notice. Why? Why does he not notice?”
Ibaraki sighed. “Why’d you want to know?” He tucked the plushie in his breastplate and faced her. “It’s not your business.”
“The mere fact that you’re in love means it’s MY business.” She smiled. “Anyway, I won’t stop bugging you until you tell me why.”
“It ain’t nothing but a heartbreak.” Ibaraki eyed a certain chest sitting on the corner of the chamber. He stood up. Opened it, and took a scroll from within. Enmusubi stared at it before Ibaraki asked. “Promise me you won’t tell him. Not even Hoshiguma.”
“I promise.” She smiled and raised her pinky.
“Uhh… What am I supposed to do with that? Break it?” He stared.
“What? No, you take your own pinky and entwine it with mine.” She instructed, using her free hand to raise the demon’s hands. Ibaraki was reluctant to do human customs, but seeing her persistent personality beforehand, he sighed and succumbed to the so-called ‘pinky promise’ .
“Thank you for trusting me.” She smiled at him widely, before her big eyes turned into deep ones. “Okay. Now, spill the tea.”