Disclaimer: I may or may not own my soul, that's all I got to say.
"You want to put your shit up in my gallery?"
Sitting across the table, the young lady in her early twenties nodded. She looked decent in her corporate suit and pants. Someone who doesn't looked like she would give a blowjob to get a promotion. But looks can be deceiving. People do all kind of things to survive.
"Lucky you, I got a client who postponed his plans. So there is an empty slot for next week."
"Thank you sir, you don't know how much I appreciate…"
The gaunt looking gallery owner with slick back hair waved his hand to shut her up. Bitch didn't know her place.
"Did I say you can have it? Did I say anything remotely close to you putting your amateur shit posing as art in my place?"
Shizuka lowered her head and tried her best to stifle a sob. It hurts. But she had been looking for a place to sell her works. Every other art gallery wanted a fee upfront. No one wanted to do a consignment deal with a no name artist. A close friend arranged this meeting with Mr Fuyutsuki and advised her that it will be tough. She didn't have any idea about tough.
"Sir, please consider it."
"Even if you gave me a 90 profit from your sales, it couldn't cover anything. This is a loss from the start."
Kozo Fuyutsuki got up from his chair and moved around his desk. Shizuka, startled by his action, thought he was about to end the meeting.
"Mr Fuyutsuki, I will try my best. Please."
A pair of hand grabbed her shoulder, giving comfort. The tall, old man then leaned over and tickled the tip of her ear with his chin. Shizuka uncrossed her legs and sat stiff in reaction to the sudden change of mood.
"I'm sure you will my pretty. I'm sure you will.
That was the last rational words her fragile mind registered.
Shinji grabbed his white coat from the top of the TV and sighed. Why would his important battle gears be lying on top of the TV. He picked up the empty beer cans before answering himself. Misato. That woman must still be sleeping upstairs.
Shinji retrieved his Makai blade from the horizontal sword stand. That was the only piece of normalcy around here. Hell had no mercy on the person who messes with his tool of destruction. Except Misato. Though Shinji wouldn't admit it, he couldn't smack her with the back of his hand even if she puked on his sword. A small smile appeared on Shinji's face as he placed it into a holder underneath his coat. Time to cut some shit up.
Before that, he got to wake up his supposed guardian. Leave her alone and she would only wake up in time for the matinee dramas she watched everyday. Shinji wished she could clean up the place sometime without the threat of physical violence or withhold her fund for alcohols. He proceed to go to her room.
Misato hugged her pillow and moaned something as Shinji rapped on her door.
"Misato, I'm coming in," Shinji stated.
He wasn't always so bold with woman, but Misato was special case. He had seen her in her underwear, sometimes naked. Not that he wanted to, although he did ask himself this question sometimes.
It wasn't the mess of the room that got his attention. The king sized bed was empty, the futon being the preferred choice. Shinji couldn't understand. Then again, a woman who slept in a tight maid costume could be quite complex. Misato stirred awake.
"You forgot to change. That must be quite uncomfortable."
The miniskirt she wore was molded over her ass. The outer vest which wrap around her waist was pushing her breast out. It was a sight to behold.
"Master Shinji asked me to put on this uniform."
Shinji averted his gaze from certain assets as Misato met his eyes.
"Master Shinji didn't ask you to wear it when you sleep," the young knight retorted.
"But what if you asked me for a cup of milk in the middle of the night and I wasn't dressed for the job."
Shinji sighed. "Look, I got to go. I believe I will see properly prepared food on the table for dinner."
It would not happen, but Shinji could try.
Misato sat on her futon and waved at Shinji before he closed the door.
The Ikari mansion stood proudly before him, the morning sun hidden behind it. By this time, your regular corporate slave would be late for work. Not for Shinji, the protector of Tokyo-3 though. He worked round the clock, like a tax paying, law abiding vigilante, if there was such thing.
Shinji started to jog to the city center and he pondered.
"Maybe I should get a car, no, a bike. This place is huge. I can't get around it before the 5 minute ads are over. But surprisingly, Horror attacks are always centered in the city. Horrors must love the commerce area. Full of live. Money makes the world go round and I bet it's the same with Horrors. Greed, corruption, lust, you name it, and you will find it right smack in Tokyo-3."
3 miles later and he reached the city park. The senior citizens were engaged in healthy exercise. The child they brought was not playing in the appropriated place for it was hogged by some juvenile deviants. Shinji wished those school punks were utilizing their time in videogame arcades or drug shacks instead of abusing public amenities. At least, that will have them end up with the authorities and safely put away in a detention camp. Worst case, those fools will be tempted by Horrors and meet their end at his Makai sword. Either way worked for Shinji. This was a problem for the elected government. His sword was not meant to cut social illness.
As Shinji was casually walking across the park, he witnessed a supposed criminal being chased by 2 cops on foot. The man, in his early thirties, was charging straight at him. Shinji could have stopped him flat. The Makai knight decided to let him go free. Last time he uphold justice with a flying kick, he ended up with legal issues. The rational side of him told him to stick with slaying Horrors.
The cops stopped in front of Shinji, panting. From the size of their waist, the two cops must be having gaijin breakfast of McDonald's or donuts instead of healthy Japanese food.
"Why didn't you help us?" The spectacled one spoke. Beads of sweats rolled down his sunken cheek.
Shinji shrugged. "I wouldn't know if he did anything wrong."
The cops breathed down Shinji. "Obviously!"
Shinji left the scene. The cops were still there, talking with the radio.
" I sense Horror," the ring on Shinji's hand spoke.
The Makai Knight cocked his head to the left and noticed what Zaruba was not referring to. Three obscenely fat chicks on their way down to Gothic Loli Anonymous; or the slaughterhouse. Shinji grunted at the waste of pretty clothes. Don't they have laws on social decency or something?
"That's some horror, alright. Is there any provision for a Makai Knight to cut down human who smells like undead?"
"Fortunately, no, sir. The Makai realm rulers do not wish for unnecessary genocide of the human race due to slight indifference to hygienic practice. You see that would cause…"
"Okay, I got it. You can stop now."
Zaruba was a magical ring crafted in the image of a human skull. They are sentience and imbued with demonic knowledge to aid its user. Shinji didn't know if it comes in various colors but these magical jewelry sure packs an attitude. In a lesser term, one could call Zaruba a sidekick to a Makai knight. Zaruba provides information on their enemy, the Horrors, and also highly attuned to sensing them. To Shinji, Zaruba was a valuable ally and partner.
Shinji brought Zaruba up to neck level. "So where's the Horror?"
A few schoolgirls were giggling at Shinji. He wasn't particularly self conscious but they were definitely making him the butt of some lame jokes. He wished there were more crazy cosplayers around the area so he wouldn't be the focus of all the attention. Wearing a white coat over black leather protective gear wasn't everyday work clothes. But it was his work uniform.
"That large enclosed white building over there."
Shinji ignored the schoolgirls and diverted his attention to his target. A white, three storey building. A black Mercedes was pulling out of it. Probably a rich customer or the owner.
"Fuyutsuki Gallery, huh?"
Shinji stepped over the welcome mat, expecting a rush of evil aura to envelope him as he entered the den of demons. There was not even a sense of uneasiness. Well, except the creepy looking statue which looked like a penis ravaged by chainsaw with flowers sticking out of it. The person must hate penis. A lot.
"Foreboding sense of doom, yeah right." He wondered where on earth those scary movie makers got their ideas from.
"I'm certain it came from here," Zaruba whispered.
A Makai knight could sense a Horror if it was radiating a lot of evil energy. If the Horror has taken over a host and not in the middle of sucking the soul out of its victim, there were virtually undetectable. A Horror in human form may surrender if you capture them and subject them to all sorts of unusual punishment. Though, no Makai Knight has ever done that successfully.
A young receptionist came over. Shinji casually moved his hand into his pants pocket.
She bowed. "Sir, welcome to Fuyutsuki Gallery."
"Can I speak with Mr Fuyutsuki?"
"The owner is not available at the moment. May I know who's looking for him?"
"Saejima, Kouga." Shinji lied.
Shinji left her and proceed on his own. The price tag on some of the pictures reached millions of yen. He couldn't understand for his life on what criteria the pricing was based on. He moved on from one drawing to the next. Shinji was no different than a small child in an art gallery. This was nonsense and he had no patience for it. He looked around for visitors.
"Zaruba, you sense anything?"
"Some of the arts are tainted by Horror's aura."
"But ugly is not here, is he?" Shinji sneered.
Zaruba was about to answer when Shinji turned around violently. His left arm was raised in a guard position, his right was ready to strike down the intruder. It was really careless of him to allow someone to get so close to him.
On the receiving end was a red headed girl lying on the floor. Shinji figured he must have knocked her side real hard for she was holding her left arm tightly. She was a tough girl. No girly crying or anything of that sort. Shinji ignored the weak kicks she launched in vengeance.
"You asshole. Look where you're going!" She swatted Shinji's hand away as she pushed herself up.
The Makai knight made a mental note. Somehow, he always encountered demanding, unreasonable and beautiful woman.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry, my ass. Just fucking die," she thanked Shinji.
Shinji stared as the red head stormed out of the gallery, leaving some of the tourist stunned. There were times he wished he was a real hero like Captain America or Jack Bauer. If he was fighting for freedom and democracy, he wouldn't get this kind of shit. People respect you when you fight evil in forms they could relate to, like terrorism and fascism. Cutting up monsters which were as real as the boogeyman hiding in your closet was not action worthy of nation wide approval.
"We will come back later."
You don't learn useful skills like how to deal with a supposed pervert who could get things done for you. Not in college or public universities. These were issues you couldn't call up a peer and ask them for advice. You could call up a friend and bitch and whine about your ex who dumped you but you could never ask if dressing up in a sexy red dress and seducing an old man with the powers to give favors was the effective thing to do. Not, right or wrong, just a simple question if that tactic could work or not. Most people would feed you morality bull and cock story. Try to persuade you to do the right thing.
"Come. I got something to show you," Fuyutsuki beckoned, his voice like candy to a child.
Pulled along by the gallery owner, Asuka unconsciously pulled the back of her skirt down as she increased pace. The choice of clothing was hers to make and she wasn't about to regret it. Tonight she would achieve what she set out to do.
Two corridors and a right turn later, Asuka figured she was at the storeroom. The old man fiddled with a bunch of keys and unlocked it. She looked out the window facing the east. She could see some purple lighting from nearby shops. Three storeys down, that's at least 40 feet. It would be the old man doing the dive if he tried to touch her.
Fuyutsuki slipped the keys back into his pocket. He stood up straight and cocked his head to the doorknob. He wanted to give Asuka a surprise it seemed.
"It's here." A small smile crept in.
"If this is a retarded plan to lure me into a place where you can rape me at your own convenience, then I suggest a change of plan," Asuka issued a challenge.
She figured she got nothing to lose and all to win. Confident in her strength and wits to overcome problems. The old man was a real pervert and she was about to witness it first hand.
"You insult me, Miss Sohryu. Can't you see that a man of style like me would rather prefer to drug a lovely lady like you than resort to brutality to get what I wanted? Ah, you couldn't imagine the pleasure it wrought to slip on a piece of pretty dress on my unconscious bride and play with her. It's like playing with a doll."
Fuyutsuki bended his left arm at his torso, pretending to carry a large doll whiles his free arm caress a phantom length of hair. He was like a child in a pet shop, beady eyes glazing over the selection of puppies.
A loud 'ahem' aroused Fuyutsuki from his revelry.
"My apologies. I'm in the middle of writing this book on how I would murder my ex-wife and kidnap the young bride of my own son, which is totally fictional because my ex-wife accidentally misplaced her bottle of cancer drug with an illegally obtained bottle of cyanide. Oh my, you couldn't believe those days when I have to convince the police that my ex-wife was sleeping with this drug dealer which, despite having absolute no evidence that this man exist, sold her the bottle of cyanide; which was actually meant for me according to her blog entry which was written after her death. Can you actually believe that evil ass bitch?"
The world revolved around Fuyutsuki for a moment.
Asuka grunted impatiently. The nerves! She was expecting him to grab her tight ass and brush against her pert breast. Things that regular pervert do. Not feed her with stories straight out of your bizarre reality tv drama. The torture she put herself to get booking for the gallery was getting ridiculous.
"Let's get this over with," the red head exclaimed loudly.
Asuka stormed the door and found her wanting to empty her stomach.
"Trespassing, break in, and assault on an unsuspecting guard. That's three count of felony you have there," Zaruba made a verbal account of Shinji's noble act.
Shinji finished dumping the guard behind the reception desk. The knock on the guard's head should keep him out until tomorrow morning. The Makai knight gave extra attention not to go overboard since the guard was quite the senior citizen.
Before he could traverse another step, a void trap triggered and covered the whole floor in darkness. A low level void trap would only create illusions which make for good themepark attractions. However, a powerful void trap could prove to be treacherous to even a veteran Makai knight.
Six piece of art stood atop nothing in the darkness. Shinji could recognize one of it. A picture of sunflowers. Was it Van Gogh or Michael Bay? He forgot the name of the artist.
Shinji allowed his blade to do the art appraisal for him. He was executing a horizontal slash on the third piece before an apparition stopped him with a direct spear thrust. The Makai knight gave no quarter and moved in before the black figure could crawl out of the picture. An enemy appeared from his side and made an attempt to remove his leg. Shinji leaned forward and dived, the broadsword cleaving emptiness.
Putting strength into his hips, he spun in mid air and destroyed the Horror familiar while it was still stuck in the picture. Shinji stabbed the floor for extra braking power and slide across the floor. In void dimension, physic is optional.
Two assassin ran on what was theoretically the ceiling and charged Shinji. The Makai knight took them out with a wide slash. Then gravity woke up and their corpse dropped to the floor like two slab of meat. Black goo dripped from the Makai blade.
"You took all of them. So I guess its time for a miniboss or something?" Zaruba quipped.
Shinji raised the sword and slide it over Zaruba's metallic jaw. Only a blade forged in the demonic realm could slay a Horror. It would also get dull from killing Horrors or its kin.
The young knight could feel it. A pinch of sand sprinkled into clear water would create a bloom of dust. It was the same with the killing aura of a demonic being. It invades your inner peace like a good friend turned insurance salesman. Except that, an insurance salesman does not usually wants you dead before you sign up.
Shinji stabbed blindly at his back. It was a risky move, hedging his bets on his skills and instinct only. A satisfied smile appeared as he felt resistance as his sword plunged right through some mushy substance and hard matter.
The knight removed his sword and realized what an idiotic move he pulled. A tear appeared on the side of his coat where his sword went through.
"Dammit."
Shinji ventured upstairs without resistance. It was rare for a Horror to have henchmen. It could mean a few things; a Horror has taken residence here for sometime, keeping itself under the radar; or it was a high level Horror.
"You can feel it too, right?" Zaruba warned.
Shinji grunted in acknowledgement. If aura of evil could be translated to smell, then the stench coming from the door was much like a pit of dead hookers roasting under the hot sun. Shinji could actually imagine maggots crawling out from the space between the door and the carpet.
"Perhaps you should go in armored."
Zaruba advice was swatted down in a rage of justice.
"And cut the Horror down before it could explain its plan to exterminate human beings and create hell on earth by implementing government subsidized healthcare and legalize weeds? Never!"
"But why would a Horror implement free healthcare and legalize recreational use of drugs if it planned to commit genocide on human beings?
Shinji barked at his ring.
"That's to keep to population happy and docile. It's a vast conspiracy and it's already happening now. There are probably Horrors in human form serving as senators right now."
A high pitched scream broke the debate. In act of desperation, Shinji cut an X on the door and kicked it in. A move he didn't realize as pure foolishness as it was unlocked.
A young girl was standing on her toe, she was tied up with her hands behind, and leg tied to the ceiling in some crazy ballet bondage style. Her decency was protected only by a pair of black bra, which Shinji was trying to get a good look at as an old man was in his line of sight, performing what seemed like complicated surgery with his hand. Shinji figured he must have forgotten to read the manual to operate a high-end vibrating dildo.
"Doesn't Horror has tentacles or at least, a much more effective organ created for the pure purpose of defiling young maiden in this kind of situation?" Zaruba quizzed. He would have raised an eyebrow if he could.
"That's what I thought too." Shinji creased his eyebrow as normalcy eluded him again.
Authors note: You got all kinda superheroes crossover with Eva. So here's a tribute to Japanese sentai/tokusatsu genre. For those unfamiliar with GARO, please checkout garoguide dot blogspot dot com. Spoilers abound though for it is full episode guide.
2 freaking years has passed since I last write anything. Wanted to pull another chapter of Paper Angel but has forgotten what I wanted to write about it.
Kudos to all the writers still in the scene and everyone who read my stuff.
Chapter 2: Can Shinji cut shitty cliffhanger ending with his blade? Will Asuka be tentacle raped? Find out in next week Super Hero Time! (they really say that at the end of Kamen Rider Kabuto)