Chapter 6: Demon Parade

"Mmnn..."

Takaharu groaned.

Rubbing at his pounding head, he winced as pushed himself to sit up. The ground beneath him felt cool to the touch and unfamiliar. He jerked his hand off the ground, nearly falling onto his back, fearful at the alien sensation.

'W-what am I sitting on?!?' 

Quickly, Takaharu rose to his feet, the speed of his action making his head spin for a second. He shut his eyes due to the dizzying, after his body stabilized, slowly, Takaharu opened his green eyes at the new environment that surrounded him. The ground he had been sitting upon was a sheer white like cloud, it was near transparent in appearance yet Takaharu could see no end at the bottom of it. Even through his padded shoes, he could still feel its coldness. Though, it didn't make the air around him cold. Looking around to see whatever else he could discover, he quickly spotted bamboo trees growing in abundance, stretching out in the distance. The sky was different here, a beautiful water color gradient of greens and blues and pinks, like an old school painting of sort. Just where the hell was he? Gazing up, a beautiful pure white crane trailed across the sky, leaving behind a trail of white streaks. Takaharu was lost in it, a bell sounding chirp emitted from its throat. 

The sudden strumming of a shamisen from behind jerked Takaharu from his bird watching, quickly turning around to face the sound of the string instrument.

"W-what the..."

Hundreds of yokai had manifested in the distance behind him. 

Their chanting, jingling of bells, and playing of instruments louder than their footsteps as they danced.

"A hyakki yako?" Takaharu eyes flickered up to the sky. There were no stars, no moon, no symbolism of night. Only the swirling of the watercolor painting of the sky and the streak left behind by the crane. He wasn't on the human plane from what he could tell, so how could they be possibly marching here?

He was pushed aside forcibly by a massive figure, nearly stumbling over his feet and collapsing. In his time of gawking, he had never noticed the otoroshi that had been leading the fray or how loud their singing and chanting had become. Yokai of all sorts passed by him the ones in the forefront carrying massive paintbrushes and smearing black ink upon the ground. Takaharu witnessed how the black ink changed from black, to white, then to assorments of all colors. After decorating the ground, others threw out confetti, rice, and petals of flowers. Takaharu shielded his face as he was pelted by the festivities.

"We announce the return of the oldest and the most ancient. 

He, who even us of the most wicked and the most innocent bow to.

The hour we walk is the hour that he awakens.

Pulled from our shadows and our light by the Sons of the Cauldron and Time.

We announce the return of the master, the oldest and the most ancient!"

Takaharu took a step back, frightened. Who the hell were they talking about? If anything, he needed to get back home and tell Mitsuaki what he was witnessing and quick. He began running the opposite way of the parade, but as he did, they swarmed him, pushing him forward like a tidal wave. Quickly, he became consumed in the sea of yokai.

"You were chosen to be apart of the parade," shrilled a yaotome in his face, the crane appearing demon jiggling its bells loudly next to his ears. "He wants you to meet him and therefore you cannot go. Not until the parade is finished." 

"E-eh?! Who is 'he'??" Takaharu cried out, next thing he knew, he was lifted into the air, riding a top of a narigama. He was roughly sat atop of its burning head kettle, the flames that usually burned out from underneath it replaced with dripping paint that ran down its dark, hairy body, coating it. As it danced and hopped side to side, Takaharu hanged on tight, the paint flinging all around, the sound of a beautiful loud clanging echoing from its cauldron head.

"Oii!! Is that the brats little brother?" 

Takaharu's eyes swirled from the movement and pandemonium occuring all around him. What the heck was going on? Once again, he was being forcibly transferred, this time he attempted to resist, even though he was a kin for some reason he couldn't beat such minor spirits in strength. 

"Are you really the brats little brother?" The voice asked him loudly in his ear. Takaharu was forcibly sat atop another massive demon, this time he didn't even try to see who it was because the person yelling in his ear was obscuring his vision. "You two look barely alike! You're far more handsome than he is and your hair isn't as long!"

Takaharu smacked the hands that lifted his chin and was running its fingers through his hair.

His sudden new 'friend' hands belonged to a tan skinned, red head. His red hair faded into orange and then ended in a beautiful yellow. His slit eyes were silver and the folds of them blinked over it as he tilted his head at Takaharu, a big fanged grin of amusement on his square, handsome face. 

"Who exactly are you? Are you a dragonlord.. Of sorts..??" Takaharu asked, struggling to maintain balance on the monsters back he rode on.

The red head pouted, turning his head and closing his eyes in dismay. As he crossed his arms, Takaharu noticed his glimmering iridescent red scales that crawled across them and across his bare body. "You don't remember me? I was there for your 100th birthday! I can't help but be hurt that you only recall me as a Lord. I'm jealous, I bet its because that old watered down man keeps you all to himself." 

"Old..Watered down... You mean, Lord Kunio?" 

The red headed lord sucked his teeth. "Lord Kunio," he said his name in a mocking, sing-songy tone. "Who else got the grossest nickname in the world?"

Takaharu bit his lip, he never thought it was gross..

"I didn't mean to.. Offend you. I guess, it has been a while since then and I was really young back then." Besides, he barely recognized Takaharu himself.

He ruffled Takaharu's hair, making it even more messy than it already was. 

"Don't worry! I guess this whole parade going on will help you remember me, won't it?"

"I.. Guess. But, why exactly is a demon parade happening right now? Are we-or- Am I in the human realm? If so, older brother is going to kill me when he finds out."

"A demon parade is happening in a random area you have no clue of knowing about and you worry about that brat scolding you?" The red head raised his eyebrow at him. "What sort of big brother is that?"

"I assure you its because he's worried. Big brother isn't a bad guy, he's just.."

"What? Abrasive? Crude? Rude? Uptight?"

Takaharu grimaced at the list of words.

"I can keep going if you want me to. I sat up all night once thinking of things to call him, oh, I even came up with new ones!"

"Dragon Lord, can you please just.. Tell me why this parade is happening?"

"Ah. I've got a keen eye, I must be making you feel your true emotions about your brother. Stuff you don't want to feel, right?"

Absolutely not. Takaharu loved Mitsuaki. They were all they had left - including Kikyou. 

"Its not that, I just.. Really want to get out of here, I don't know why I was dragged here to begin with."

"Hmm." The older figure tilted his head at Takaharu, his slit eyes scanning over him, trying his best to read him. "Alright then."

"I guess I can jog your memory at the same time too then. No festival, whether it be a birthday party to a demon's parade can happen without my presence. I am Keiten - Dragon Lord of Celebration. You want a good time? Leave it up to me. Since I like you more than the other sperm cell that managed to reach the egg in time, I'll give you extra details. I think this old guy's kin is doing something a little unlawful, if you catch my drift."

"Unlawful? You mean the parade? You preside over it, don't you? Can't you just stop it?"

"Absolutely I can, but the one who got me to even power this thing up for them offered me something I couldn't resist. Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Okay, but, if it's unlawful - why exactly shouldn't this person even be holding this parade?"

"Something about awakening the 'Old True One' before his time. His other two siblings got onto him about it, started saying he was whacked out of his mind for pulling this stunt. Apparently, the demon parade is only to happen at a specific time for whoever this person is holding it for."

'IF HES THE DRAGON LORD OF CELEBRATIONS SHOULDN'T HE KNOW WHO ITS BEING HELD FOR?!?!'

"Okay, Lord Keiten. If this parade should not be happening at this time, it MUST be stopped! Who knows what awakening this being can cause to not just the mountain but other realms!"

Keiten whistled. 

"Mmmmm. Yeah, but unfortunately, its a risk I'm willing to take. I cannot turn my back on someone giving me a prized offering. What sort of Dragon Lord would I be then, you know?"

"What exactly are they offering you? I'm sure my big brother can get something twice as - no - thrice as better than it!"

"Well.. They got me.. Really good pineapple juice." Keiten said, coughing into his hand as he averted his eyes.

.

.

.

.

"YOU'RE ALLOWING A BEING YOU DON'T EVEN RECALL BE AWAKEN BEFORE ITS TIME OVER GOOD PINEAPPLE JUICE?!"

"The mountain doesn't grow any pineapples! It can only be given from travelling to a certain time and at a certain place in the mortal realm!"

"My big brother was right, you guys are idiots! I need to get back home! I have to tell him what's going on!" 

Takaharu made the move to get up when Keiten hand shot over and yanked him back down. A vice grip around his wrist. Takaharu winced in pain from the power of which he held him.

"L-Lord Keiten..!"

"Like I said, I can't go back on what has been given to me. Sorry, Takaharu. But, I can't let you return."