Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime series Hareluya II Boy or any of its characters. Nor do I own any aspect of the Cthulu Mythos. This story is a work of fanfiction. No profit is being made from it.
As usual the arcade was filled with the sounds of kids calling encouragement to their friends or yelling in frustration as they lost whatever game they were playing. The voices almost drowned out the various electronically produced sounds from the games themselves. One particularly vocal section of the arcade was a corner where a boy named Kenji was engrossed in playing one of the fighting games while his friends, Hiroshi and Isao cheered him on.
"Yes!" Kenji exclaimed as his character landed the finishing blow on the final boss. A list of high scores appeared on screen and he entered his name.
"Look at that score!" Isao said gleefully. "At this rate you'll beat Taro!"
"Yeah!" Kenji agreed. He grinned at the thought of beating the arcade's reigning champion. "So what do you guys want to go on next?"
"Aw man look at the time" said Hiroshi. He pointed to his watch. "We're gonna be late!"
"It's okay, I know a shortcut" said Isao.
"Uh are you guys sure about this?" Hiroshi asked nervously.
The three boys were walking down an alley. Despite the afternoon daylight it was dark and shadowy. The walls were covered with graffiti.
"Come on don't be a chicken" said Isao. "There's nothing to be scared of."
Just then two men loomed in front of them, seeming to step right out of the shadows. Both of them looked completely normal except for their eyes which were as cold and hard as stone. Both of them wore odd-looking bronze medallions
The boys froze in place and looked up at the men fearfully. Before they could react two more men appeared behind them, seizing Kenji and Hiroshi in an iron grip as the other two moved in to grab Isao. The boys screamed and tried to free themselves, Isao even managing to rip off one of the medallions, but it was no good. Within seconds they were bundled into sacks, then loaded into a car at the other end of the alley and driven away.
In the main hall of Live House Dali, Makoto Ichijou and his band were rehearsing a new song he had written. A few feet away Hibino Hareluya and Yamana Michiru were watching. She was smiling in delight while Hibino was feigning disinterest as usual.
When the song finished Ichijou turned to them and asked, "what do you think?"
Hibino snorted. "It was okay I suppose."
"Oh come on Hibino. You liked it too" said Yamana.
"Like I said it was okay" he replied.
Her smile widened and she laughed lightly. Hibino wouldn't admit it but she knew he was a fan of Ichijou's music.
Just then the sound of a telephone ringing filled the hall. "I'll get it" said Amamiya.
As he left to answer the call Ichijou said "I appreciate the support but I think the lyrics still need some work. I don't want to disappoint the fans."
"You won't disappoint them" said Yamana. "The fans love your music."
"Yes, if they've put up with it this long there's no reason they'll stop now" Hibino agreed.
"Thanks guys."
Amamiya came back into the hall. Everyone's smiles faded as they turned to look at him. His face was ghostly pale and drawn with anxiety.
"What's wrong?" Ichijou asked.
"That was my mom" he said shakily. "My little brother Kenji went out with his friends to the arcade. They should have been home hours ago."
They all looked at him in concern. Except of course for Hibino who just shrugged.
"We should go to the arcade and start searching for them there" said Ichijou. They all started to walk off except for Hibino who just leaned casually against a wall.
"Meh, not Ore-sama's problem" he said.
"Hibino!" Yamana said disapprovingly.
"Oh all right, Ore-sama will help" he said grudgingly. "Come on let's go."
A little while later they were all gathered outside the arcade. The owner had told them that the three boys had been there and left a few hours earlier. A few of the other kids had told them they had overheard one of the boys mention taking a shortcut through a nearby alley.
"Let's split up and search the area. Be sure to check the alleys" said Ichijou.
He, Hibino and Yamana went in one direction, his band-mates in another. After a few moments of searching they found an alley and went down it.
"Kenji! Isao! Hiroshi!" they all called, but there was no answer.
"We're probably wasting our time" said Hibino. "Kids are always late. The brats are probably already home having snacks while Ore-sama has to wander around everywhere looking for them."
Ichijou shook his head. "No. Amamiya told me his little brother's never been this late before."
"Well anyway they're not here."
"You're right. Let's try somewhere else."
As they were about to leave Yamana spotted something lying on the ground. "Wait" she said as she hurried over and picked it up.
Hibino stared at the item. "What the hell is that?"
The object was a bronze medallion fashioned in the shape of a six-eyed face with a "beard" of numerous tentacles surrounded by a pair of large leathery wings.
"Who'd wear something that ugly?"
"Someone who has no taste in jewellery" Ichijou replied. "Unlike the people who buy your work Yamana."
She smiled. "Thanks Ichijou."
He also smiled for a moment then his expression grew serious again. "We should consult Mitoguchi ji-san. He'll probably know what it is."
Hibino nodded grimly. "And when we find the owner of that thing we'll find the boys. Ore-sama is sure of it."
They met up with the others at the arcade and told them what they'd found. Amamiya had to go back home to console his distraught mother but Ichijou promised they'd let them know as soon as they found Kenji and the others.
Once he'd left they made a phone call to the museum and the curator agreed to meet them right away. "Good thing he's friends with my old man" said Hibino smugly.
Soon they were in Mitoguchi's office with the medallion placed on his desk. The bearded kindly old man studied it with an uncharacteristically grave look.
"I'm afraid this is very serious my young friends" he said. "This symbol is worn only by members of the Cult of Cthulhu."
"The what?" Hibino asked.
"The Cult of Cthulhu" Mitoguchi repeated. "They believe that an ancient being arrived on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago and still exists today, slumbering deep beneath the ocean in the sunken city of R'lyeh, waiting for the stars to align so that its followers may release it from its tomb to rule the world."
Hibino threw back his head and laughed loudly. "That is the dumbest thing Ore-sama has ever heard in his life!"
"Maybe so but I assure you the cult exists" replied Mitoguchi. "Its members will do anything to hasten Cthulhu's return, including human sacrifice."
They were shocked and alarmed to hear that, even Hibino. Then a thought occurred to him.
"Wait, do these cultist bozos wear red robes with hoods?" he asked.
"Yes that's right."
Hibino grinned. "Ore-sama was riding his bike around some warehouses a few nights ago and there were some guys dressed like that hiding there. They thought I hadn't seen them but no-one fools Ore-sama."
"What! Why didn't you say anything before?" Ichijou yelled.
"Because Ore-sama didn't remember until now!" Hibino yelled back.
"How could you forget something like that you…?"
"Ichijou stop" said Yamana firmly. "This is no time to argue. We have to get to that warehouse right now."
"You're right" he said contritely. "Sorry Hibino."
"Apology accepted" he replied smugly. "Let's move!"
"Be careful!" Mitoguchi called after them as they rushed off.
"We will" Ichijou called back.
Left alone in his office Mitoguchi knelt upon the floor. He closed his eyes, lowered his head and pressed his palms together.
"Lord please watch over them and keep them safe" he prayed.
The sun had set by the time they arrived at the warehouse. Hibino brought his bike to a halt some distance away and got off. Ichijou's bike parked behind him.
"Is that the place?" Ichijou asked as he and Yamana climbed off the bike.
"Do you question Ore-sama's judgement or his memory?" Hibino snorted.
"He's right Ichijou" said Yamana. She pointed at the building. "Look, there's light in there."
"Precisely" said Hibino with a grin.
They warily crept up to one of the boarded-up windows and peered inside.
The empty chamber was lit by numerous braziers and torches, the flames casting flickering shadows. The walls were adorned with tapestries depicting the same monstrous face they had seen on the medallion. In the middle of the room was a wooden altar with four metal bracers bolted to it.
Over a dozen people were gathered in front of a raised platform. As Hibino had said they were dressed in deep red robes with hoods that concealed their faces. A single figure stood on the platform next to a podium. Unlike the others his robe was black. His hood was pulled back just enough so they could see that he wore a green mask with a mass of tentacles beneath two black eyepieces. He held a black wooden staff tipped with a bronze octopus-head.
On the podium was a statuette of dark green stone that could only be Cthulu itself. It was humanoid, with a bulbous octopus-like head and leathery wings folded close to its body. The creature was squatting on a rectangular pedestal.
All of the cultists were chanting in low voices, "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."
"What the hell is that crap they're saying?" Hibino muttered.
"How should I know?" Ichijou replied.
"Whatever it is it's creepy" Yamana said.
"Definitely" they both agreed.
The black-robed figure raised a hand and the chanting ceased. "It is time" he said, his voice distorted by the mask. He pointed at three cultists. "Bring the sacrifices."
"Yes high priest" they replied emotionlessly as they left.
"As soon as they bring the brats out we'll charge in and beat them to a pulp" said Hibino gleefully.
"Hibino we can't be reckless here." said Ichijou. "We need a plan to…"
But Hibino wasn't listening. As the cultists returned, each of them holding one of the missing boys by their arms, he smashed the board covering the window with a mighty blow and leaped through.
"Idiot" Ichijou muttered crossly as he climbed through the window. Yamana was right behind him.
"All right you morons, let's get something clear" Hibino boomed. "No ugly squid-thing is going to rule the world. Ore-sama is!"
With that he reached behind his back and pulled out a wooden plank from thin air. He hurled it through the air to crash right into the three cultists holding the boys and knock them over. The boys scurried away as the holds on their arms slackened.
"Stop them!" the high priest roared.
The cultists pulled wavy-bladed daggers out of their robes and charged. Hibino laughed out loud as he easily dodged their attacks and countered with powerful punches. One cultist after another fell before him.
Meanwhile Ichijou and Yamana hurried over to the boys. "Follow us" he said.
The boys were scared but obeyed without question. They shepherded them over to the window and helped them climb through.
Two cultists saw what was happening and rushed them. Ichijou ran to intercept them. He dropped into a crouch and took out the first one's legs with a low sweep. He fell to the floor and Ichijou finished him off with a solid punch. The second tried to run past him but he sprang up, seized the cultist and hurled him through the air to crash into a group of his fellows.
He glanced over and saw that all of the boys were out. Before he could determine anything else he was confronted by three more cultists. However these were more cautious than their fellows had been. They advanced carefully, making quick jabs with their daggers. Ichijou was forced to back away until he came up against a wall. The three of them surrounded him and attacked with renewed intensity. He twisted and turned, barely dodging their blades.
Yamana pulled one of the tapestries from the wall and flung it over a cultist's head. He cried out in alarm as everything went dark and the other two glanced over at him to see what had happened. The brief distraction was all Ichijou needed to knock out first one, then the other. The third managed to get the tapestry off just in time to see a fist hurtling towards his face.
Hibino took out another cultist with an uppercut and spun around to find himself facing the high priest.
"Fool! You cannot defeat me! I am the high priest of the Great Old One Cthulu!"
Hibino's grin broadened. "You say that like it should mean something to Ore-sama."
The high priest swung his staff at his head. Hibino ducked then jumped over a swipe at his ankles. His opponent had clearly been well-trained as he twirled his staff in dizzying patterns and attacked with thrusts and swings, making full use of his weapon's range.
"Not bad" Hibino admitted as he ducked another blow aimed at his head. "But Ore-sama has a big stick as well."
He pulled out a baseball bat and used it to block an overhead strike. He then went on the attack, forcing the high priest back as he desperately tried to fend off Hibino's blows.
A cultist tried to sneak up on him, dagger raised, but without even looking over his shoulder Hibino drove a back kick into his groin. He dropped to the floor whimpering in pain.
CRACK! An overhead blow from Hibino broke the staff in two. The high priest stumbled back holding two broken ends.
"This cannot be! Great Cthulu I…"
A final blow from Hibino knocked him out cold. As he hit the floor his mask cracked and broke into pieces.
"So much for the great squid-face" said Hibino with amusement. He looked around to confirm that the rest of the cultists were also out cold. "Right, let's get the brats home."
The next day Hibino, Yamana and Ichijou were at their usual hang-out, the okonomiyaki restaurant. Hibino, as always, was gobbling down a huge pile of food. He paused in his eating as he noticed the odd looks he was getting.
"Something wrong?"
"We're just surprised that you ordered squid after that whole mess with that cult" Ichijou replied.
"Why? Seeing all those squid images left Ore-sama with a bit of a hankering."
"We should have known nothing could put you off okonomiyaki" he admitted.
"Exactly!"
As Hibino went back to stuffing food into his mouth Yamana said, "well at least everything turned out fine. The boys are back home, the cult is out of business and Mitoguchi oji-san has a new relic for his museum."
"I'm a little surprised he wanted that gross statue" Ichijou admitted. "If it had been up to me I'd have just smashed it."
"Oh no Ichijou we couldn't do that" she replied. "People need to know that cults like that exist so they won't be able to hide."
"You're right" he agreed.
"And besides, without proof who would ever believe something so ridiculous?" Hibino added as he finished eating. "A bunch of people thinking that a big squid monster will rule the world" he laughed out loud. "This world will be ruled by Ore-sama!"
"Perhaps you should consider making a statue of yourself Hibino" said Ichijou wryly.
His eyes lit up. "That's not a bad idea. In fact why only one? Every city in the world will have a statue of Ore-sama at its centre!"
Ichijou covered his face and groaned while Yamana just laughed lightly.
Author's Note: The appearance of the Cthulu cultists and the high priest were based on the "Legends of Cthulu" action figures by Warpo. If any Warpo guys are reading this, thank you very much and I hope you don't mind.
The medallion worn by the cultists is based on a design available at cryptocurium dot com. Likewise if anyone from that site reads this thank you and I hope you don't mind me borrowing it.