Ethereal Guardians

Chapter 6: I Need Healing



Ren Aisaka stood in the middle of his late grandfather's modest home in Sendai, listening to the buzz and hum of appliances that belonged to the previous occupant—long since turned off, yet still drawing power. With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, scratching the soft patch of pink hair that resided behind his right ear. "What a mess," he chuckled softly, a crooked, melancholy smile painting his lips.

Some things he recognized—his grandfather's favorite chair, the meticulously organized bookcase filled with texts about philosophy and war. Others felt alien, like the dusty tin boxes stacked in the corner, filled with mysterious documents and letters from an unknown sender that Ren wasn't certain he wanted to see.

For an old man, his grandpa seemed to have lived a much larger life than expected. "Man... what am I going to do? This isn't my thing," he thought out loud, kicking himself inwardly when he realized that he probably wouldn't find an answer to his query.

He decided that taking a look through one box couldn't be a terrible idea. What if something of importance or value was tucked inside a container? Even something small would make his effort worth it, so why not check? He carefully opened one, revealing a collection of old photographs and trinkets. His younger self smiled back at him from a faded picture, his cheeks rounder, his hair messier, standing next to his grandfather. They were at a park—he remembered the trip now, the way his grandfather had scolded him for climbing a tree too high.

As he set the photo aside, he let out a small chuckle to himself. His fingers brushed against a peculiar stone amulet nestled at the bottom of the box, its surface etched with faded kanji. He frowned. "Never seen this before…" Before he could examine it further, he was snapped out of his reverie by the loud buzzing of his phone. The name on the screen made him groan in mild irritation. It was the Council of Veils. Reluctantly, he answered, tapping the speaker button so he could still rifle through the boxes. "Aisaka here."

Curtly, a familiar voice told him the purpose of the call: a Malignant Wraith had been causing trouble at an abandoned fish market near Matsushima Bay. If his memories served him well, there was a temple nearby, some famous place that attracted tourists, especially at sunset. Ren knew that being an Ethereal Guardian, he had an obligation to assist anyone in need of help, but honestly, the constant summons left him feeling drained, maybe a little cranky. "Can't anyone else—"

"No. You're the closest. Take care of it," the voice snapped before hanging up. He stared at the screen for a moment, his frustration bubbling up. "Great," he muttered, stuffing the phone into his pocket. "Guess I don't have a choice." He looked back at the peculiar stone, his hand lingering on it, curious. Shrugging, he took the amulet with him.

The abandoned fish market stood across from a small temple, half hidden by a cluster of weathered red columns and faded tori gates. The plentiful statues of Kompira stood like statues, the white marble faded and worn away, the only vibrant color came from the ornamental gold accents. A small path of wooden steps descended toward a shrine located to the side of the building, most likely an additional worship place to appease any annoyed kami.

Walking around a bit, Ren found nothing out of the ordinary except some ancient trash and a faint scent of stale seawater that hung heavily in the air. Even the two lanterns, shaped like the traditional tōrō, failed to bring any sort of life or vitality to the scene before him. Nothing. No people, no suspicious sounds, only the distant splish, splash of water. "Is there seriously no one here?" Ren thought, beginning to worry that they had just wasted his time for a frivolous complaint. "And a temple? Not sure how well Buddhist statues work on the local wraiths..." he mumbled under his breath.

A tiny crunch-like sound caught his attention—probably a small animal, but it was enough to convince Ren that he wasn't quite alone yet. Taking one cautious step after another, he moved stealthily around the site, eyes peeled and senses on high alert as he tried to detect anything unusual.

Suddenly, the sounds stopped altogether, and the entire area grew strangely silent, not a whisper of wind could be heard anymore, not a rustle from the nearby trees or any distant cars; nothing. Then, a blurry silhouette passed in the distance, and he was on it in seconds, his reflexes heightened from hours upon hours of training.

"Finally," Ren said, rolling his shoulders as he prepared for a fight. "I was starting to think this was a waste of time."

The wraith was neither big, nor terribly frightening. Its skin was wrinkly, covered in patches and boils with bulging eyes and an elongated nose, more repulsive than gruesome. Ren observed the creature and finally noticed a weak spot; the only spot where there seemed to be no skin at all; its armpits.

That, coupled with the long, pointed feet that ended in sharp, claw-like claws, was an indication that it might prove a little more of a challenge than first assumed. "Gross," he muttered, bracing himself for impact.

The wraith charged forward, arms held wide as though in some deranged hug, claws out and mouth twisted into a terrible sneer. Ren pivoted at the last minute and sidestepped, hands out and prepared to strike the vulnerable, paper-thin skin and he lunged forward in an effort to deliver a well-aimed punch. The demon skidded and wobbled as it nearly fell over from the sudden dodge; however, it managed to stay upright and had quickly recovered, bouncing excitedly on those long, nasty toes like a rabbit ready to flee the second it was required.

The smile never wavered, even as the creature flew at Ren again and grazed his arm, leaving several red gouges across his forearm. Ren clutched at the wound, biting back the most vulgar of slurs as he pushed away his instinctive recoil. Malignant Wraiths were nothing new for him, and yet, every single time he felt the sting and burn, there was still some part of his human side that baulked at the sight of blood and gore; a sick, unsettling feeling lodged firmly inside his chest, filling it to the point where it was a struggle to simply breathe.

Ren didn't waste his energy, however. Instead, he waited until the second attack, when the wraith attempted a repeat maneuver, before sidestepping once more. This time, instead of launching himself and his good arm in the wraith's direction, Ren was able to sidestep far enough and quickly land a direct punch to the armpit.

There was a high-pitched scream, followed by a few strained wheezes and what could only be described as a laugh, right before the beast went poof and all that remained were tiny flakes of black soot suspended in a column of brilliant blue. Ren grimaced in disgust at the acrid smoke smell left behind, then he sighed, relieved to see that his attacker was vanquished.

A trickle of blood ran down his bicep and dripped onto the stones below.

"Wonderful," he grumbled. It didn't feel deep, nor were they long scratches, though they could benefit from a bit of cleaning and a dressing. "Come on," he commanded, willing himself to put the irritation aside. The gushing stream of blood that ran from his arm stung when he wrapped his hand tightly over the wounds. "Shit..."

The thought of asking Mizuki on such short notice left a pang deep within his gut. It was definitely going to require medical attention, judging from the flow of the blood, so there was really no choice at that point. With great reluctance, Ren punched Mizuki's number and pressed the phone against his ear while he squeezed his arm hard.

It took a few rings, but he eventually got the call through. A surprised voice answered, followed by, "Ren? What's up? You okay?"

"Ah. Well. Uh..."

"Seriously," she urged worriedly.

"Sorry. Just a little bit of a scratch," he conceded, trying his damnedest not to wince. He almost could've sworn he felt her roll her eyes over the line. "No, no, it's really not bad. I don't want you worrying," he offered, attempting to sound more jovial than pained. Cradling his aching arm gently with one hand, he ripped a piece of his own clothing with the other to tie around his bleeding wound. "Mizuki? You there?" he asked, wincing when he shifted his grip on the wound.

The line was quiet for a second, and then he heard it—a gasp. Muffled, like she was trying to hide it. "I'm here!" Mizuki said quickly, her voice a little breathless. Ren didn't catch wind of it, but Mizuki was still in the middle of spending some time with Kaoru. His head was plunged between her thighs, his face buried deep and nuzzling as his tongue teased her most intimate spots.

"You sure?" Ren frowned. Her tone was off, but he chalked it up to concern. "Listen, it's nothing serious, okay? Just a scratch from a wraith I took care of by Matsushima Bay. You know, in Miyagi Prefecture." There was a pause on the other end, followed by some rustling noises. Ren pressed the phone more tightly to his ear to hear, finding himself trying to eavesdrop on the other end.

To no avail, unfortunately, as all he could make out were hushed whispers too faint for him to grasp anything. Mizuki's voice came back, steadier this time. "Wait, Matsushima Bay? That's… far from Tokyo. Almost four hours by train."

"Yeah, so it's not like I can just swing by or anything," Ren muttered. "But, uh... the bleeding's kinda annoying. I was wondering if you could…" Before he could finish, Ren heard something else—another muffled sound, but this time, it was deeper. Familiar. "Was that—"

"No!" Mizuki interrupted, cutting him off in a way she had never done before. It actually shook him for a brief instant. "I mean, no, it's just—uh, background noise. Probably the TV."

Ren narrowed his eyes at the phone. Something wasn't adding up. But he let it slide for now. "Look, if it's too much trouble, don't worry about it. I can manage."

"No, no, I can help!" Mizuki said quickly. There was another rustle, followed by a muffled protest that sounded suspiciously like a man's voice. Ren's stomach twisted a bit; she wasn't alone. Even if she was with someone, he had no right to get upset—she could date anyone she wanted. Still, though he shouldn't have been, he was pissed off and strangely irked. "Maybe I could call Tenmei-sensei and ask if he could teleport to you? He can bring me, and I can patch you up properly."

"Is he there right now?" His question threw Mizuki in for a bit of a loop. When he realized he may have come off a tad ruder than intended, he grimaced. "Never mind. Ignore that. Yeah, that could work." He started to feel bad for forcing her hand, especially since his injury wasn't actually serious enough to warrant such extreme measures. It would hurt like hell and take a week or two, but there was nothing a bandage and time couldn't cure.

"Oh...okay then. Just give me your exact coordinates and, uh… maybe thirty minutes?" Ren hummed plainly in agreement, scratching behind his left ear, as he stood awkwardly next to the abandoned fish market. His lips felt dry and cracked, his forehead uncomfortably damp from the sun's heavy glare. He made haste and sent over the exact coordinates before hanging up and slumping onto the ground.

"Ugh," he groaned, leaning back against a pillar. The surface was covered in a thick layer of moss and tiny insects, yet he remained perched against it, refusing to budge, lest he risk causing further injury to himself. "Damn," he said under his breath when he saw the blood-soaked rag he tied around his arm had soaked through. "This might be worse than I thought."

On the other side of the line, Mizuki lowered her phone, her cheeks flushed. She turned to Kaoru, who was kissing the inside of her left thigh tenderly. Her breathing had grown heavy, and a few strands of sweat-soaked hair clung to her forehead, creating a faint sheen beneath the afternoon sunlight that peeked through the office curtains. "Let me guess," he drawled, raising an eyebrow. "He thinks I'm here."

"Well, you are here," Mizuki shot back, slapping his shoulder lightly for emphasis.

"You didn't deny it very convincingly," he teased, with a wide smile and sparkling white teeth. Mizuki scrunched her nose in response. Although he didn't want to stop, Kaoru began pulling away from her center and sat up straight, running his hands through his hair to flatten some errant strands. With his muscles straining from exertion, a few veins popped out near the neckline. "How bad do you think it is? The injury, I mean."

"Does it matter? He needs me, so I'm going."

Kaoru huffed out an exasperated sigh and picked himself off the couch, wiping his mouth clean. "Alright. I guess I do have an obligation to my students, former or otherwise," he commented in mock disdain. He stretched out the soreness in his back, feeling it crack as he stood tall. Then, he reached over to Mizuki, offering a helping hand. "Come on. Let's get moving."

She didn't hesitate, pulling her leggings and panties up underneath the skirt as she stood. The fresh dampness along her thighs squelched softly against the tight spandex fabric. Kaoru smiled to himself, feeling his ego swell briefly, and couldn't help taking a peek to see the small puddle form and soak the crotch of her tights. "What? Don't look at me like that," Mizuki snapped, rolling her eyes. "Let's just go."

"Right, right." He grabbed her small frame firmly and held her in a bridal-carry position. "I would cover my eyes if I were you. And try not to wiggle around too much. Wouldn't want any accidents happening during the process."

"Wait. What—" He cradled her head, muffling her voice, and activated cascade as a protective measure, just in case. Within the next few seconds, they were gone within the blink of an eye.


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