Anonymous requested:How about a step back in time. Can we get a Rokkaku's days when he was Kirishima's level? With the rest of the escorts still in-training?
Anonymous requested: I want a Rokkaku in his younger days on a mission if that's ok?
Admin Notes: Welp, I had to rewrite this twice because the internet keeps restarting the page without my permission. In any case, yes, I like the sound of this prompt! As a note, it will be set as Rokkaku's first mission by himself as well and I'm going to have his weapon as a gokusotsu be a naginata because why not? :) In any case, I hope you enjoy this fic of young Rokkaku and a mission he went on! - Admin Saeki
"Haha…"
"My hand, can you reach it?"
"Why would I need to reach out?"
"To get out."
"I don't need it."
"But-"
"I DON'T NEED IT! My cries, you heard it, didn't you? I don't need it. Everyone should just disappear. Just disappear… disappear…"
…
…
…
Buzz…
Large, stiff steps made their way down the corridor that was dimly lit by the small, newly installed electric lights. The lights created shadows that dramatically danced over the demon's face as briskly walked by. His composure seemed serious and in a hurry, as if something important had to be done now.
Yet, a small drop of sweat slid down the back of his neck. Crimson eyes stared straight ahead, almost motionless aside from the occasional blinking. The demon's hand gripped tightly around the handle of his oodachi, his knuckles turning white. If anything, the young demon was nervous and more so when he made it to his destination.
He stood still as a statue in front of a particular door and his body grew hot from the tension. Nodding and furrowing his eyebrows, the demon reassured himself that he was ready for the next step as an Underworld escort. With a trembling hand, he held the door knob and turned it.
Click!
The door opens and he steps in to see a broad back facing him. There behind the desk stood a tall demon that was looking out through the window. The sky was gray with clouds and smoke, a recent fire now gone from a nearby part of the city.
"You're here, Rokkaku." The deep voice resonated through Rokkaku's body sending a chill down his spine. For a moment, he gripped his naginata even tighter.
"Sir!" Rokkaku greeted. He saluted and then brought himself to relax a little. With the initial greetings out of the way, somehow, he felt relieved. His red eyes soften slightly and he took a deep breath and he looked into the dark eyes of the demon that now turned around to look at him.
Rokkaku noted the new uniform his superior was given. It was a large green coat that buttoned across his chest. Rokkaku himself wore something similar but it was not as intricately made nor did his own uniform scream that he had much of a rank among the other Underworld Escorts. The demon before him, however, had a presence that would catch anyone's attention if he only just stepped into a room.
Bifocals adorned his squared face as well as the aging of his skin, wrinkles barely appearing on his forehead. Yet, his sharp, dark eyes sparked with experience and a power that had yet to burn out.
Calloused hands reached to the desk and picked up a small stack of papers which were then handed to Rokkaku. With his empty hand, he gently takes the papers and looks through them, reading what his job was.
"You'll be capturing a deceased one that has been recently killing not only the humans in the living world, but has also been causing havoc here in the Underworld. Ever since the change in culture when the West came, there has been a shift in what is considered to be a sin and we have had been busier than we have been in decades," Rokkaku's superior begins to explain.
"Is he the one that recently burned the north part of the city?" Rokkaku asks after reading through the documents. Apparently he was occupying an abandoned home that had belonged to a nobles at some point in time. It was deep into the forest and was north of the capital.
"It is," his superior nodded.
"The number of deceased ones have increased significantly and so we need to take care of them as efficiently as possible. Although we cannot die, it is difficult when many of the escorts get severely injured and we do not have enough demons to handle the situations across the country." The older demon places his hands behind his back and nodded at Rokkaku. "I have been watching your progress throughout the years you have been here, Rokkaku. By now, I believe you are more than capable in handling and containing deceased ones by yourself.
"The question I have for you now is this: Do you believe you are ready for this task?"
Rokkaku felt the pressure pushing at him. He had always gone with a peer for his jobs as they may be difficult for them to handle by themselves. To take a job by himself was an honor as an escort and for the world the Great Judge Enma governed. But more importantly, Rokkaku had friends he wanted to protect and a job to fulfill.
Saluting again, Rokkaku takes a deep breath. He could feel himself tremble once more but this time, he felt excited to get started. The responsibility was now all on him but he was more than ready for whatever outcome he was to be given.
"I will do my best, Sir!"
The streets were bustling with demons. Many were going to work while others were already on their feet making deliveries to and from their shops. Traffic was dense and Rokkaku followed the pace of the demons making their way around the city.
The throng of demons slowly and eventually lessened as he approached the northern part of the capital. For the most part, it was deserted as the ground was covered in ash and rubble. As a result, it cleared away the usually tall buildings allowing him to see the forest a distance away.
How was a deceased one capable of burning a good eighth of the capital?
Rokkaku walked down one of the main streets which was now covered in dirt and ashes. A confused kasa-obake hopped around with its umbrella-like features flapping up and down, possibly looking for its now burned down home.
A chochin-obake flew down the street and stops in front of Rokkaku, startling him a little.
"It's bad news!" it cried as it swung this way and that. The lantern body spun in a circle several times in panic with strands of black, messy hair covering its face. "Bad news! Bad news! It's bad news Rokkaku-san!"
"What is it?" Rokkaku asks. He had helped this particular yokai once as it was stuck in a tree when the wind blew it away and since, they talked here and there if they had any news for each other. If the chochin-obake was this panicked, something was definitely wrong.
"You know little Tanizaki and little Kinoshita right?!" it began as it bounce up and down in the air in urgency. Rokkaku barely knew the two names mentioned but recognized them as two small demons that were quite rambunctious. They were never seen together often but when they were around each other, Tanizaki was always bickering with Kinoshita who only smiled and took his words lightly. Both were much shorter and did not know much about the Underworld even if they were only several hundreds of years old. They were still children and inexperienced demons who got themselves into trouble.
Rokkaku had the chance to meet them during one of his jobs as they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and almost got themselves injured with a deceased one. Having been able to protect them, Tanizaki had grown a fondness to him although they never saw each other much whereas Kinoshita was normally grateful as any other demon would be.
"I was watching them because they were nearby and little Tanizaki said that he had a feeling that something in the forest was what caused this part of the capital to burn and then he ran off! Ran off! The nerve of the child! Does he know what he's gotten himself into?" the flying lantern ranted.
"And what of Kinoshita?" Rokkaku interrupted before the chochin-obake could continue a rant that would possibly hold him back longer than needed.
"Ah! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear… Little Kinoshita tried to convince little Tanizaki not to go and that it was dangerous. He did, he did! But little Tanizaki said he wanted to help out the escorts and then ran off! He's trying to fight whatever is in the forest by himself and little Kinoshita ran after him, he did! Oh, the both of them make me so nervous! What to do? What to do?! They are in the forest now without knowing how to take care of themselves!" The yokai was now flying in circles with its speed only increasing, repeating the words "What to do?" over and over again like a mantra.
Rokkaku grabbed the rim of the lantern yokai and had its distressed face facing him.
"I understand the situation. Thank you for telling me. I'm on my way there right now as a matter of fact so I'll make sure to bring them back," he assured. Crimson eyes stared into black ones before the chochin-obake flew out of Rokkaku's hand and nodded.
He quickened his pace, not exactly happy that there was more on his plate than he had asked for. A job was a job, however, and the public's safety was important as well as the protection of the living world from any interference with a deceased one was necessary.
Smoke continued to rise from the rubble and embers could be seen still eating away at the wood before it turned to ash.
The oodachi in his hand swung with his arm as if they were one despite it's large size and weight. He clutched the black hilt of the sword to remind himself not to rush into things. Most times he kept a cool head but when the unexpected happens, he had yet to learn how to make best of the situation.
With that said, a change of plans was to be made and that was to find the small demons before they got themselves into any trouble if they haven't already.
The moment Rokkaku walked into the forest, it became even darker as trees covered any remaining light from the rays of the sun that peeked through the rising smoke. If it could become any quieter than the deserted, burned down part of the city, the forest was able to do just that.
The only sound that could be heard as he walked deeper and deeper into the forest was the grass rustling against his feet with each step he took. Occasionally, Rokkaku would also hear the low moans of haunted trees that could have been mistaken as the breeze.
A particular tree caught his attention with its winded trunk and curved branches in a small clearing. The bark was gray and dead and resembled that of a magnolia tree. A dry riverbed could be seen next to it and what once should have been filled with water, was now an empty crack to the large earth with rocks inhabiting the bottom of it.
Time passed and Rokkaku only grew more worried. The ancient Japanese home should have been seen already but the only thing in front of crimson irises were the dense foliage around him. Something was keeping him from moving forward.
For a moment he stopped and looked around him. He realized that it wasn't his imagination when he noticed the same twisted magnolia tree and the dried up riverbed before him.
"Do you want to go ahead?" a soft, feminine voice asked. Rokkaku looked up at the bare magnolia tree to see a young girl in a pale kimono sitting on a sturdy branch. She gently kicked her legs back and forth as dull eyes stared at him.
Rokkaku tilted his cap forward in greeting however he kept a firm face.
"Yes, I would like to go. It seems that two younger demons ran this way and I am on my way to fetch them and to capture the deceased one that occupies the abandoned shinden-zukuri home up ahead," he explains. He walks under the magnolia tree to meet the girl's gaze.
She blinks twice and her pale hands that steadied herself on the branch gripped the bark tightly. Her eyes however, did not falter her gaze at Rokkaku. She did not answer only continued to stare downwards while Rokkaku stared up, making the situation a stare-down and a battle of will.
Minutes passed and Rokkaku hated to wait when the situation seemed dire however if he did not win, it would only take him longer to get to the house. And so he stood still, unwavering and determined. It would only take a moment longer before a twig snapped, catching the attention of the girl and Rokkaku.
The sound of someone panting came from the bushes. Rokkaku's eyes widened when he saw a small child with a shaved head and purple eyes stumbled out. Sweat was dripping down his face and his eyes were unfocused. There was a large gash across his left arm which was dripping with blood, his right hand squeezing it tight in hopes to slow down the bleeding.
"Tanizaki!" Rokkaku called in a panicked tone.
"Rokkaku-san!" The small demon boy was shocked to see who was in front of him. A part of him was relieved as sharp, purple eyes softened slightly but then they narrowed and looked down at the floor as if in shame. Tanizaki gritted his teeth and his body trembled slightly.
Crouching down, Rokkaku set his oodachi down on the earthy ground and gently placed a hand on Tanizaki's shoulders.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a low and gentle tone. Rokkaku waited patiently for Tanizaki to regain his composure where he was no longer shaking terribly and was choking back what could possibly be tears.
"I…" Tanizaki paused then took in a deep breath but did not look up at Rokkaku. Slowly, he told Rokkaku how he had ran into the forest after seeing a mysterious figure disappearing into it only to be stopped by Kinoshita who tried to convince him that it was best to tell the escorts about it. Ignoring the advice, he ran into the forest anyway with Kinoshita trailing behind. When he had finally stopped running with no idea of where he was with Kinoshita next to him, they were attacked a tall man in tattered attire.
Tanizaki with a thick, broken iron rod had been able to fight back and escaped with only the gash on his arm and some bruises but Kinoshita, however, had ran in only to try and get Tanizaki out and so was left defenseless. With an arm ripped off, Kinoshita was then dragged into shinden-zukuri.
"I'm sorry Rokkaku-san…" Tanizaki began to tear up, the pressure and weight of the situation finally making him break. "I - I thought th-that I could help out but I o-only made it worse for you, didn't I?" The grip on his arm over his gash only tightened. Tanizaki's body began to curl and silent tears dropped onto the ground.
Rokkaku had very little experience in dealing with children in general. It wasn't that he was bad with them, it was more of the fact he was new to it all, even when he was alive. Feeling awkward but in the need to do something to comfort Tanizaki, he reached out a hand and gently placed it on the back of Tanizaki's head and pulled him into his chest.
"If you're worried, you should worry about Kinoshita. This is a job I have to do and I will fulfill my role as an escort to contain the deceased one. There is also no point in beating yourself about making this. If we make a mistake, we learn from it and not to do it again." Rokkaku smiles gently as he let's Tanizaki go and pats in him on the head as reassurance. The small demon sniffles as he looks up at Rokkaku with reddish eyes and water-stained cheeks.
"Now let me look at that gash," Rokkaku then says as he gently lifts Tanizaki's arm to inspect it. Blood had gotten everywhere on the boy's arms and clothes but the wound had seemed to stop bleeding itself and was beginning to heal.
"You look fine," he commented and looked Tanizaki in the eye with a reassuring smile. "If that's the case, you'll need to come with me so that we can get Kinoshita back."
Tanizaki stood up straight, his purple eyes widened in surprise.
"I can come? But… what if I slow you down or get you hurt that you can't fight anymore?" Tanizaki looks down again with a feeling of insecurity and hesitancy as he clenches his fists.
Rokkaku places a hand on Tanizaki's shoulder.
"Look at me, Tanizaki." Hesitantly, Tanizaki lifts his head to meet Rokkaku's gaze.
"You saw the direction in which Kinoshita was taken, correct?" Tanizaki nodded in reply.
"Then you can lead the way and plus, we don't know if the deceased one went back out and is lurking through the forest to drag anyone else in. And if anything happens to me, I can count on you to help me out."
A soft gasp was heard from the small demon and Rokkaku smiled. Hope began to shine in Tanizaki's eyes making them sparkle like jewels.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Sir! If I can help out, then I'll do my best!" Tanizaki exclaimed in excitement as he saluted in an exaggerated manner, probably from watching the escorts do so with their superiors.
Rokkaku felt himself sweat and gave a nervous chuckle.
"I'm no there yet…" He tried to imply to Tanizaki he was no where near a high ranking but the radiating eyes that look up to him seemed not to understand.
He then nodded and stood up, giving Tanizaki one last pat on the head before picking up his oodachi and turned around to see the girl in the magnolia tree gone and instead, stood on a pathway that was not there before. She stood there for a second longer and then disappeared.
He held Tanizaki's hand and led him to the path where he could now see glimpses of a traditional Japanese house with its long hallways and decaying floors. He continued walking even when the girl's voice talked that he could only hear. Tanizaki only looked straight ahead as he pulled Rokkaku along to where he remembered where he last was before he ran away.
"The man you call a deceased one is ahead. He had a twin and both were deemed as accursed leading to both their imprisonments. Both depended on each other for their sanity. They would escape around midnight for only an hour before they went back to their cells as they knew no other place where the could go. One day his twin was killed for seducing a noble and from that news, the man went mad.
"When a soldier had come to give him scraps of food one night, he grabbed the soldier and began biting him, tearing the soldier's flesh apart until he died. The man then escaped and continued to kill the other people of the house until there was no one left and then he killed himself."
Trees became less and less as the shinden-zukuri came into view. The estate extended for as far as the eye could see. The stone walls that were once there were broken down allowing anyone to step in. Small stones were scattered across the ground as Rokkaku and Tanizaki stepped over them.
"Hmm… When I was here with Kinoshita, it looked more like an entrance. This seems to be like the side of the building," Tanizaki comments as he climbs onto the outside hallway of the building. He looks to his left, and then his right, and back to the left as if to decide which way he should go.
Rokkaku watches with slight amusement while also taking in the details of the old building. The wooden planks Tanizaki stepped on creaked beneath his feet. Dust was practically everywhere and many of the paper sliding doors were either intact or completely torn and ripped off the wall.
He stepped onto the wooden floor and peeked inside the dark rooms of the ripped doorways. Some were untouched as tatami maps were covered in a layer of dust and futons were folded up and placed aside. There was a pile of books on a small table in one room and some toys slightly scattered around in another.
Then there were the rooms that were a wreck. Clothes were scattered across the rooms, futons ripped, and blood stains on the tatami mats. There were scratches on the wall and holes in the floor.
"Let's go this way Rokkaku-san!" Tanizaki called as he points to his left. With a nod of approval from Rokkaku, he runs against the aged flooring and turns at the corner. Rotting pieces of wood from the ceiling fall and lands on Rokkaku's shoulder. He brushes it away with his hand and pokes his oodachi against the ceiling.
The wood bends from the slightest of pressure from the oodachi. It was only a matter of time before it collapses. Rokkaku keeps this in mind and then walks in the direction Tanizaki headed off in.
"Don't go off to far," Rokkaku cautioned. He heard a 'Yessir!' and a pause of footsteps from Tanizaki before he rushed off once more, stopping only every now and then to make sure Rokkaku was following behind.
They made there way to what looked like a garden that had long since been taken care of. Weeds surrounded statues like a wall, covering it from sight unless one looked closely enough into it. Trees that had been planted were dry and were empty of leaves and what must have once been grass was now only rocks and dirt.
A lake resided in the middle of the garden. Rokkaku peered into the murky water and could not see the bottom. Usually, it should be devoid of life but Rokkaku could sense the presence of something in it. He felt as if he was being watched.
Wilted stalks of bamboo emerged from the water that had grown almost taller than the bridge that crossed over from one end of the lake to another. Tanizaki tests the bridge's durability by carefully taking a step onto it. He places his other foot on top and bounces slightly. Seeing that the bridge carried his weight, Tanizaki walks up to a tall and dry bamboo plant and looks at it with curiosity.
"There's something here, Rokkaku-san," he notes as he looks up at it. Tanizaki tries reaching a hand to what he was looking at but couldn't seem to reach.
"Let me get it," Rokkaku says as he walks next to Tanizaki. He sees what Tanizaki pointed out, a small, shiny object that was hanging from a thin twi that extended out of the bamboo. He hands his oodachi to Tanizaki who gawks at the largeness of the gigantic sword and stumble backwards from its weight and size.
Carefull placing a hand over the railing, Rokkaku grabs the small object and brings himself back to just standing on the bridge. He opens his palms and shows the small object to Tanizaki who gazes in wonder.
"It's a key," the purple eyed demon observes. "What do you think it opens, Rokkaku-san?"
"I don't know but we'll probably need it to unlock something later. I don't think it would be on a bamboo on purpose though, even if it is well hidden. It must have been thrown away." Rokkaku examines the key closer and recognizes the old design.
"I haven't seen something this old in a long time," he notes as he takes his oodachi back from Tanizaki. "Back in the day, keys were made in different shapes to identify different parts of the house. That or they were written on to make sure where it came from."
"So does the key unlock anything?" Tanizaki asks. Rokkaku gives him the key to hold on to.
"It's a pretty common shape for a key but I can make out part of the engraving on it. From what I'm understanding, it might be fore a cellar or storage room of some sort. So we're probably looking for another building…" Rokkaku looks around the garden and does not see anything remotely resembling another building of any sort.
Swish.
Rokkaku looks at the water, large ripples and the sound of something swimming catching his attention. The murky water only made it hard to see and so he leads Tanizaki away from the lake. He keeps a tight grip of the hilt of his oodachi in his right hand and the handle of the sword with his left.
They make their way around the lake and to a part of the garden where dead trees stood in bountiful rows making it probably an orchid. In what looked to be a center of the orchid was, to Rokkaku's surprise, was a medium sized building. The exterior was made with stone and a wooden door at only one end, making it the only entrance and exit of the building.
Small windows were high on the wall and was the home of many rodents and critters Rokkaku saw crawling about. After inspecting the outside that seemed to have no more openings other than the actual entrance, they walked to the door and tried to open it.
"It's locked," Tanizaki says as he gives the handle a few tugs.
"There's no lock outside… So is it locked inside?" Rokkaku questions as he hears chains rattle as Tanizaki pulls the door. "Maybe I can ram it open," Rokkaku then suggested as he places a hand over the door. He could feel every crevice and crack that traveled vertically on the door underneath his skin, as if to find a place that he might be able to break open.
"That could work," Tanizaki agrees as he stands back, giving room for Rokkaku to run into the door. "The door looks pretty old so - Rokkaku-san! Watch out!"
Rokkaku turns around quickly and sees a jaw with sharp fangs open and aim towards him. He jumps then barrel rolls out of the way as a long and scaly creature crashes into the stone building.
Rokkaku narrows his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows as he sees a gigantic snake backing away from the door. It was practically the size of half the stone building and was longer… than the lake.
Yet, Rokkaku noticed the small water droplets sliding down the dark green scales of the reptile. If any logic could be applied, Rokkaku guessed that the lake was much deeper than what it seemed to be.
He unsheathes his sword and steadies himself as the snake slowly began to face him. Eerie yellow eyes stared at Rokkaku intently and a long tongue extended out of it's mouth and hissed. The large reptile raised it's head and slightly opened its mouth to reveal its fangs.
"-re!"
"I…som…re!"
Rokkaku noticed Tanizaki turned around, possibly also hearing the voice. He blinked and moved his eyes in the direction of the sound and yet, for that single moment, it became an opening and the snake came striking down at Rokkaku, jaws now wide open.
He jumped back and mouth of the snake bit into the ground, picking up dirt and gravel along with it.
"Is someone there?!" Rokkaku heard the familiar voice clearer than before and Tanizaki seemed to have heard it too.
"It's Kinoshita!" Tanizaki yelled. The snake opened its mouth to let go of the earth and hissed loudly and in a venomous manner. Tanizaki looked at Rokkaku, unsure of what to do.
"Find him and get out of here!" Rokkaku replied as the snake came crashing down again. This time, the crimson eyed escort stepped aside and stabbed the snake's thick scales and skin. The oodachi barely went through, causing barely any pain as the reptile shook off the sword and Rokkaku.
Rokkaku then slashed down at the snake under its neck where it seemed it's scales were thinner. The creature hissed in pain causing drops of its saliva to fall from the sky.
From the corner of his eye, Rokkaku made sure Tanizaki was okay. He seemed to have found a hole and was letting a rope go down. Kinoshita must be in there.
Focusing his attention back to the snake, Rokkaku saw blood dripping down its underside from where he slashed it. Angry eyes glared down at him and something like a growl sounded from its mouth before slamming it's body onto the ground and slid it towards Rokkaku, knocking him into one of the orchid's tree.
His oodachi flew out of his hand and when fangs were bared at him once more, he grabbed them with his bare hands as they tried to bite him. The force of the snake on him was like when he had trained and was fighting back against a
Rokkaku pushed back, his feet digging into the earth. The moment he felt like he had a solid footing, he pushed against the snake and threw it away from him, breaking one of its fangs in the process?
The reptile took a moment to recover from the sudden force that pushed it back and to realize something felt wrong with its mouth. Rokkaku took the snake's confusion as a chance to strike the top of its head with his fist. He then jabbed the snakes neck near the area he had slashed it before.
Blood was wheezed out of the snake's mouth and spilled out of its gash, pooling onto the ground. Once more it raised its head, this time slowly as if it was in a daze. Once more it bared its fangs, this time with its own blood dripping from its mouth. Once more did it try to strike Rokkaku, this time more sloppily as it failed to have control of its own body.
Even if the snake was going to miss Rokkaku by many, many centimeters, it never got that chance to as an axe was swung and stabbed its eye. A loud screech disturbed the air, startling birds within a kilometers radius and made them fly away.
Rokkaku took note of a heavily panting, tall boy with vibrant green eyes who stood in front of Tanizaki as he ran to obtain his own sword that laid on the ground.
The snake wriggled about violently form the pain in its eye, trying to shake off the axe in desperate, rash motions. The reptile only screamed louder when it felt something impale its heart.
Rokkaku pushed the oodachi into the snake's body even deeper through the thick, scaly hide. When the sword was in, hilt deep, he pulled it out with all his might in one, swift motion and watched as blood spurted out like a fountain from the wound. He backed away and motioned for Tanizaki and the boy with green eyes to come closer to him to avoid the thrashing of the snake.
They watched in silence as the reptile's life slowly seeped out of him with the blood continuing to flow out of its body and the body becoming tired out from all the moving. They watched in silence as the snake eventually became still, its sharp and keen eyes became unfocused and dull.
Rokkaku pulled out a cloth from his pocket and wiped the blood of the snake off his blade and picked up the sheathed it. He gently poked the snake with the oodachi and confirmed its death with its lack of movement and the lack of air breathing in and out of its nostrils.
He then turned to the boy with green eyes and softened his eyes.
"It looks like you got your arm back Kinoshita. How do you feel?" Rokkaku asks as he walks up to the boy.
Kinoshita smiles and gives a nervous chuckle as he holds onto his arm. "Well, the deceased one through my arm back at me since he seemed angry at something or someone when he threw me in that hole and he just left. Its healed for the most part but I think it could use a little more time for all the muscles and ligaments to actually connect again."
"Take it easy then. That axe, was it with you down in that hole?" Rokkaku asks.
"It was. When I heard all the noise, above, I had a feeling that I might need it," Knoshita answers as he looks into the direction he had come from.
"I see. You did well in striking the eye. I think the battle might have lasted a little longer if you didn't come in," Rokkaku comments then turns to face Tanizaki. "You also did well Tanizaki. Where did you find the rope?"
Tanizaki rubbed the back of his head and smiled bashfully. "Thank you Rokkaku-san! Ah, but I found it by the building. I'm pretty sure it wasn't there before though when we checked it out earlier."
Rokkaku's interest peaked and he turned towards the stone building which was partially damage at the roof, otherwise, was still intact. Much of the orchid was also destroyed from the snakes thrashing. Trees were broken at its trunk and branches that were snapped off and covered in blood.
He catches a glimpse of a pale kimono disappearing behind a tree that was still standing. Taking it as a signal, he walks up to the door of the stone building and grabs the handle.
"I thought the door was locked," Tanizaki comments. He walked to Rokkaku's side, his purple eyes widening as the door easily opened as Rokkaku pulled the handle with ease.
Chains and a lock laid on the ground before them as did many prison cells before them that were made from long, thick pieces of wood that ran vertically and horizontally.
"What an old looking cellar," Kinoshita observes as he steps into the building. Rokkaku sniffs the air and feels his stomach churn a bit at the rotten scent. He sees in the very back a prison cell with what looked like a pile of decaying meat. Flies swarmed around the pile in a frenzy.
He decides to check the other cellars first, many of which were locked and a few open. One particular cell that was open, however, seemed strangely build. The dirt floor at his feet did not feel like they were stepping on anything hard.
Rokkaku taps his boots against the ground and hears an echoing sound from below.
"It sounds hollow," Kinoshita says and taps his own feet against the floor. "Now that I think about it, the hole that was dug was actually quite big in the bottom. I stayed in one place though because I couldn't really see. Maybe there's a door here that leads to that hole."
"I think this might be it," Tanizaki points out as he brushes off dirt from the corner of the cell, revealing a wooden door that lead underground. He pulls at the small handle but it did not budge. The small lock that hung at the side caught Tanizaki's attention and is reminded of the key he and Rokkaku found earlier. He uses it and to his luck, the door opens.
Rokkaku looks around and notices a lantern hung up on a wall. He takes it down and with some matchsticks he takes out of his pocket, lights it.
Kinoshita opens the door and Rokkaku holds the lantern over the opening. An old, wooden ladder appears at the side of the hole , possibly attached to the wall.
Kinoshita visibly gulped. Seeing this, Rokkaku breathed out a sigh and faced Tanizaki and Kinoshita.
"I have to thank you for helping me out this much," he starts to say to Kinoshita's and Tanizaki's surprise. "As a result, there's no need for you to be here anymore. As an escort, it is my duty to contain the deceased ones and protect both the Underworld and the living world under the word of Lord Enma."
"But-" Tanizaki begins but then is cut off by a hard gaze of Rokkaku's that silences him. Sharp, menacing, red eyes glared down at Tanizaki that caused both the smaller demons to shiver.
"This is something that I have to do and to also to prove myself to the rest of the escorts. I must do this alone. And if you insist on helping with anything in the near future, I suggest training to become an escort yourself. Otherwise, you are still civilians and I cannot endanger you any further."
There was a moment of silence. Rokkaku holds his oodachi like a cane as he places it standing upright, his hands folded over the handle and his legs apart. Kinoshita gazes at Rokkaku for a moment and the nods.
"Let's go, Tanizaki. It was our fault that we meddled in the first place. I think it would help Rokkaku-san if we stand out of the way," he explains. "I'm more than sure Rokkaku-san can handle the situation so let's go."
Tanizaki nods hesitantly and he and Kinoshita make their way out of the stone building.
"Remember the way we came in, Tanizaki?" Rokkaku then asks however did not face the small demons.
"I do…"
"Use that way and quickly get out of here. I don't think this place will last by the time I leave."
Tanizaki pauses at the entrance and looks at Rokkaku's back. He then nods and then leads Kinoshita out.
Rokkaku lets out a breath he was holding in. He ties the oodachi and lantern around his waist and begins to climb down the hole without a second thought. The deeper he went, the damper it became and a smell of fungi that was once faint, grew only stronger.
He reached the bottom of what he figured was an underground cell. He unties the oodachi and the lantern which lights up what now appears as a very large room with walls and floor and ceiling as dirt.
Roots would sometimes extend out of the ceiling and walls that touched the ground. The soil was damp and the shape of his boots made imprints into the ground. Mysterious looking mushrooms grew from the walls with their oddly wide and round shapes.
Rokkaku goes to one wall to inspect it. Crimson eyes widened slightly as he notices what looked like to be an engraving of some sort. When he looked closer, the engravings were of two small children holding hands.
He brings the lantern closer to the wall and sees more carvings in the dirt wall of two people always together. Some of the carvings were of them smiling and laughing. Others would be if they were crying or in physical pain of some sort. Both figures wore ragged clothing and seemed to keep growing in each drawing he saw. This continued on down the walls until Rokkaku sees two large drawings on the ground.
The first one was of a girl in with her hands raised up to the air as if reaching for something and she wore a beautiful kimono, her eyes seemingly bright and happy where as the other figure, this time a young man, looked down at the ground, still in tattered clothing. His eyes dull eyes showed no emotion, devoid of life and passion.
The second drawing… well, it wasn't much of a drawing. It was only scribbles that seemed endless and without peace. The carvings seemed to go deeper into the soil unlike the delicate lines drawn in the other engravings. They seemed to have been done in faster, more panicked strokes.
Rokkaku kneels down on one knee and gently places a hand over the scribbles before standing back up and walked over to the drawing of the girl in the kimono. Her face and kimono were practically recognizable and he narrowed his eyes.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" a voice then asks, breathing against his nape.
Rokkaku turns around quickly only to see nothing but the room.
"She was beautiful but a fool." Rokkaku looks to his left. He catches a glimpse of a thin figure but then it moves away quickly and into the shadows.
"Once upon a time a noble family gave birth to twins, a sign of a bad omen. As a result, they locked them away since childbirth. They grew up only knowing each other and the very few interactions they had with the guards outside that gave them scraps of their food. They only learned how to read and write from a maid who was also taking care of them but died because she was teaching us." A large shadow was casted on the wall in front of Rokkaku of what looked like a man with long, shaggy hair.
"One day, a noble from another house came to look around the house out of curiosity and found us one day. Enamored by the girl twin, he promised her freedom and that she could bring her brother along.
"The brother, however, refused, saying that they would only suffer more if they left. He refused his sister's reached out hand and so she left. Do you know what happens when she left? Do you? You should because it seems you met her. She's beautiful, isn't she? Very, very beautiful and very, very kind. She was very beautiful, yet she was very much a fool. Haha… Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…."
Rokkaku slowly turned around and saw a skinny man laugh hysterically. His bony arms covered his face as he laughed and laughed. His legs were shaking uncontrollably and his hair went in all directions as it hung over his face.
"She died, didn't she?" Rokkaku asks, following along the man's story.
"Oh yes… Oh, yes. Yes she did. She died she did. She died and died and died. She followed the nobleman to the gate but then they were shot down by the family we were born in. They figured it out. Oh they figured it out, they did. She died and was bloody and she died.
"And you know what I did after that? Do you? Do you know Mister? Do you?"
Dull, yet, crazy wide eyes stared at Rokkaku with curiosity. He felt himself sweat and placed a hand on the handle of the oodachi.
"Did they all deserve to die?" Rokkaku asks instead of answering the deceased one's questions.
There was a pause and a sudden bland, and unamused look showed on the deceased one's face. He then places his hands on his neck and began to squeeze tightly.
"Oh yes… Yes… They… THey ALL dEsERveD To DIe." His voice became distorted and he began clawing at his face, tears beginning to stream down his face. He then began to sob and curled up into a ball, rocking himself back and forth.
"BUt… bUT… I WaS THe OnE tHaT… ThAT…"
Black goop became the skin of the man as he continued to rock back and forth in his fetal position. Rokkaku unsheathed the oodachi slowly and steadily and tied the lantern to his belt. He blinked once only to be startled by the deceased one suddenly in front of him.
"What are you doing?" he asked, it s black gaze staring at him blankly.
Rokkaku swung his sword at the man only for it to be caught in his hand.
Despite the deceased one's hand on the blade, it did not hurt him one bit. Rokkaku lets go of the oodachi and makes a fist out of one hand. He aims his fist at the deceased one's stomach.
The deceased one, thinking he could also catch Rokkaku's fist, placed a hand over his stomach only to receive a blow that threw him to the wall. He lets go of the oodachi and Rokkaku catches it. He then takes a large step forward and brings the sword over his head before he slashes it down across the man's chest.
A loud shriek came from the deceased one. He covered his chest with his thin, now black dripping arms.
"It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts." The deceased began pulling at his hair and thrashed about in that one spot like a child with a tantrum.
He suddenly stands up, his red pupil surrounded by black glaring at Rokkaku.
"You should disappear. Everyone should disappear. They killed my sister. They killed her. I killed her! I should have stopped her! She shouldn't have gone. It was too good to be true. She died! Go die.. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die."
A gust of wind mysteriously appears and blows in Rokkaku's direction, forcing him upwards and crash through the ceiling, putting him in a daze.
Rokkaku's focus came back when he noticed he was now above ground, the sun now beginning to hide under the horizon.
The deceased one shoots up from the ground as begins to fall down, and in a blur passes him and cuts his side.
"Ah!" Rokkaku screams from the pain. It had hurt worst when he landed on the ground as the impact opened the wound even more. Blood spills onto the floor from his side. He lifts himself up with one hand and places the other hand on his cut. Rokkaku feels something lose around his rib cage and grimaced. He must have broken a bone or two from the fall.
He stabs his oodachi into the ground and uses it as support to stand up. Rokkaku notices a bright, orange and red light beginning to spread towards the shinden-zukuri and notices the lamp missing at his waist.
He hears a gust of wind coming from behind him and he turns around. Rokkaku swings his blade despite the pain that shoots to his cut and watches as an arm of the deceased one came off.
Rokkaku swings again but this time, the deceased one dodges. With his attached arm, the deceased one swipes a hand upward, scratching Rokkaku's face and grabs his left arm that had been primarily holding the oodachi when sheathed. He squeezes the dark skinned escort's arm in hopes of breaking it only to be disrupted when he saw he was kneed in the stomach. He then feels a fist upon his cheek, punching him into the ground and making him release his grip on the arm.
Rokkaku stabs his oodachi into the ground and walks toward the deceased one. Flames made their way from the lantern to the shinden-zukuri that was now beginning to burn down. Fire and wood crackled, spreading embers across the estate to also catch on fire. The evening began to glow red and orange, mixing in with the barely visible evening sky as more smoke rose to cover the light from the sun and peeking stars.
"Just because one family destroys their own," Rokkaku begins as he grabs the deceased one by the collar of his shirt, "doesn't mean you can get other people involved!" He lands a direct hit to the deceased one's face and then knees him once more.
"That also doesn't mean that massacring everyone will solve any problem!" Rokkaku delivers punch after punch and the deceased one struggled less and less.
"Under the rule of Lord Enma, you are hereby taken in to repent for your sins."
Rokkaku lets go of a now dazed monster who could barely stand on its own two feet. He pulls his sword from the ground and pauses a moment to catch his breath before he aims the oodachi to the deceased one's chest and charges forward.
He watches as the blade pierced through the man's chest but then feels it go through another body. Rokkaku steps back for a moment and saw the girl in the pale kimono with her chest also impaled.
She smiles despite the sword that impaled her chest.
"You accepted help and protected the people around you. You have succeeded in what my brother and I failed to do," she says as tears began streaming down her face.
The deceased one stood their, listless and limp as he slumped onto his knees. His skin returned to a more natural color and dull eyes returned. The girl in the kimono smiled and hugged the man from behind, resting her cheek against his back.
"I will always be there for you… brother."
Flames roared nearby the orchid, setting it on fire. Rokkaku watches as both the man and the girl in the kimono closed their eyes and stayed that way. He kneels down and sees the sheath of the oodachi next to the girl in the pale kimono.
Silently, Rokkaku thanks the girl for the help before he sheathes his blade and slings the body of the girl and the man over his shoulders and began to run out of the estate.
Rokkaku sits in his office as he stares out at the evening sky, clear of any smoke or flames. Red and orange painted the vast sky above as he smokes his pipe. He spots a magnolia tree a distance away, pale buds decorating its branches.
"Is something wrong, sir?" Saeki asks as he enters the office. He comes in holding a stack of papers to his chest then places it on the desk for him to work with.
Rokkaku sighs staring at the paperwork.
"I was thinking about the past," he explains. He picks up a piece of paper and then another, skimming through the paperwork.
"Is that so?" Saeki asks.
There was a moment of silence as Saeki waits for Rokkaku to say something.
"Hmm…" Rokkaku continues to look through the paperwork but then asks, "What do you think if I brought my oodachi down from the attic? I think it'd be a good training practice for all of you."
Rokkaku didn't notice Saeki shiver slightly at the thought as he continued to look through the papers until he finished skimming and puts them down. He looks at Saeki with a curious eye.
"Well, I think Kirishima would like to have the experience of fighting another swordsman although, I'm not sure how Kinoshita and Tanizaki will deal with it…" Saeki vaguely but honestly explained.
"I see," Rokkaku says as he contemplates the idea. "It'll do them some good to fight someone different. We'll start the training tomorrow. Inform them of this now."
"Yes sir…" Saeki walks out of the office and sighs the moment he closes the door behind him.
Rokkaku smiles to himself as he felt a rush of nostalgia go through him.