YAMI NO MATSUEI – DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS

APOCALYPSE RISING

Chapter Six – The Veil

To the Readers

Some morbid and non-consensual scenes are found within this chapter. Although I took some liberalities in interpreting from the many "holes" that the manga-ka had left us fans guessing and exploring via fan fiction, I did my best not to stray too far from the series' intent. Let me know what you think, and I hope that you would enjoy this chapter as much as I have been enjoying writing this story.

For those who are not too familiar with Yami no Matsuei - Descendants of Darkness, this series is shounen-ai (boy/boy relationship or insinuations of boy/boy relationship).

Terminology

Meifu - The land of the dead where sakura trees are almost in bloom all year round. Enma oversees Meifu. It is the equivalent of purgatory.

Nee-san - Older sister in Japanese.

Primordial demons - A band of demonic beings living in the deepest regions of Hell or Makai...mostly unreachable by Hell's residents. More will be revealed about them in the subsequent chapters. As much as this term has been used from time-to-time, the characters comprising of this group of beings has been created by PJ Zatken.

Shinigami - Angels or Guardians of Death. Those who become shinigami have deep regrets and strong ties to the mortal world. Out of those who die and face judgment before Enma, the Lord of Death selects a handful to become shinigami. All shinigami are to work in pairs to prevent the abuse of privileges, since they each can pass freely between Chijou and Meifu. Each shinigami also chooses a mystical power to master, which will aid him or her during duty. Although they hold one of the most prestigious positions in Meifu, they are also unfortunately the lowest paid employees in JuOhCho.

Tsuzuki Ruka or Ruka - Tsuzuki Asato's elder sister. When she was alive, she was the only loved one who unconditionally accepted and loved Tsuzuki. Aside from the fact that she taught Tsuzuki how to dance (which he does so well) and cook (which he sucks so badly at), there was so little that we know about this character. He respected and loved his sister, and they were very close to each other. There are insinuations in the manga that he blames himself for her death. For the purposes of this fic, I took some liberalities to Ruka's character...giving more background to her story and her relationship with Tsuzuki based on how I interpret the mangaka's insinuations.

Tsuzuki bolted out of bed, jarred awake from the screams that he heard from outside his room. He looked sideways to his right, searching for Hisoka and wondering as to why the young man was not beside him. His eyes then scanned the room, his heart now racing as he just realized that he was no longer in Hisoka's apartment.

"Are you all right?"

Tsuzuki's eyes followed the source of the voice...a familiar voice that came from his distant past. His pallor turned chalk white as he looked at the feminine figure standing by the sliding door that separated the living room from the bedroom. His eyes went wider as he clutched the bed sheets, still in disbelief as the woman approached and knelt on the bed.

"This isn't real," Tsuzuki whispered repeatedly.

Once the woman's soft hand touched Tsuzuki's face, the shinigami could not help but close his eyes. He felt the warmth and love that the touch conveyed. His heart ached in joy over the privilege of enjoying the comfort and security from the one who touched him.

"You're making me worry about you, little brother. Are you all right?"

Scanning his surroundings and recognizing it as the home that he grew up in Meiji-era Tokyo, Tsuzuki stammered, "N – Nee-san? But...but how? Where's Hisoka?"

Ruka lightly laughed as she swept away the unruly hair from her younger brother's eyes. She leaned closer to Tsuzuki and planted a kiss on his forehead just as she always did to pacify him. "Meifu? Hisoka? Have you already forgotten your sister and your home because of those nightmares of yours?"

Although Tsuzuki hoped in his heart that he was not dreaming, he nonetheless mumbled as the tears flowed from his eyes, "It can't be. I'm supposed to be in Meifu. Your soul's supposed to be at rest..."

The young woman benevolently smiled at him while she wiped away the tears from his eyes, her warm brown eyes meeting troubled amethyst ones. "You're having another bad dream. You and I are very much alive."

As more tears flowed down his cheeks, a still-puzzled Tsuzuki blushed from hearing his sister's innocent teasing. "I - I'm sorry...but..."

"Shhhh... Everything's fine, Asato. You had a bad day because of those rotten neighbors but you're now safe at home. There's no need to worry," Ruka told Tsuzuki as she rested her index finger on his trembling lips.

The shinigami's amethyst eyes glistened as they mirrored the joy in his heart from seeing Ruka. He reached out to his sister and held her hands. Feeling the warmth from his sister's soft hands finally convinced him that he was not dreaming at all.

Now crying more freely, he wrapped his arms around his sister. This was something that he wanted to do since the fateful night that he went insane. As his embrace prolonged and tightened, the sting from that nightmarish event was slowly being washed away by his tears. His voice was reduced to a near-whimper as he begged, "Nee-san...please don't leave. Stay with me."

Minutes later, Tsuzuki found himself laying in bed with his sister. His head rested close to her chest like a child would do with his mother.

Feeling a comforting sense of peace that he had not experienced for nearly eight decades, his heavy eyelids finally gave in. He allowed his body to sink in sleep as Ruka wrapped him in a protective one-armed embrace. He slipped back into the world of slumber as he heard Ruka whisper to him, "We're together now, Asato. I'll never leave you and you'll always be safe as long as we're together."

Tatsumi stirred from his slumber. Still half-asleep, he reached out and patted the right-hand side of his bed. Noticing a significant absence and forcing his brain to recover quicker from its sleepy haze, he bolted out of bed and grabbed his glasses by the nightstand. His frown deepened as he just confirmed his suspicion.

Watari was not beside him. Instead, a reddish moonlight seeped through his bedroom window.

"Yutaka?" called out Tatsumi from bed, sensing for any movement or response. He rose from bed and walked towards the bathroom, hoping that his lover was there and was all right. Slowly pushing the door to the master bathroom, he peeked inside. He then turned on the light and scanned the surroundings for a second time.

The bathroom was unoccupied.

Worry filled Tatsumi as he turned off the bathroom light, his eyes once again acquainted with the crimson-veiled darkness that filled his apartment while musing, "Where could he be? He hasn't been feeling well with those headaches of his."

Just as he finished his pondering, he heard soft weeping coming from his living room. As his curiosity pushed him to take each intent step towards the living room, a colder chill traveled down his spine as the sobbing became louder. The sorrow and anguish conveyed from those sobs further penetrating his entire being.

He then took the first step to enter the living room. His eyes widened when his bare feet made contact with the floor.

The customary feel of the cold wood against the soles of his feet were replaced with the eerie sensation of viscous liquid underneath and surrounding each step that he took. As he gasped from surprise, his head and heart pounded from inhaling the pervading stale smell that now filled the living room. After taking more steps leading towards the heart of the room, something blocked his path.

He stumbled and fell face down on the floor, petrifying him as he made direct contact with the thick liquid flooding his wooden floor. The feel, touch, and taste of blood made him sick to his stomach.

The scarlet moonlight's rays streamed through the window. They became brighter for each passing second and flooding its eerie light in the entire room.

A nauseated Tatsumi forced his head up, his eyes further widening as he saw the crimson scene before him as well as the source of the weeping.

In the middle of his living room was his mother, sobbing uncontrollably as she held his dead younger sister. Surrounded by a multitude of mutilated bodies and a pool of blood, his mother reached out for him.

As the last ounce of physical and inner strength left him, all that a quivering Tatsumi could do was fall down on his knees in the crimson pool that used to be his living room floor...shocked, helpless, and guilt-ridden as his weeping mother begged to be released from her torment just as she did during his lifetime.

It had been almost ten minutes since Troy arrived at Chief Konoe's house, asking for help in the most cryptic of ways.

As suspicious as Konoe was of his newest subordinate, he nonetheless relented as he felt that Troy's intentions for this visit were honest. When he heard that his men were in danger, he put aside his questions as to how Troy knew about his special powers. The elder man had never used his powers in their fullest extent since the fateful night that changed Tsuzuki's life forever.

There would come a time for questions and clarifications later….

For now, Konoe would trust the young man before him. He was more worried about not saving everyone rather than endangering his welfare. In the back of his mind, the elderly chief was ready to counterattack in case Troy chose to betray him...although his mystical skills have not been put to constant use for decades.

The two men now sat akimbo on the hardwood floor, eyes closed and focused inward to draw out their respective strengths.

A huge hexagram encased the two men...creating a link between them and allowing them to merge their powers. The hexagram's outer inscriptions and the two triangles that formed the symbol spun furiously, reassembling and unlocking the Seal of Abigor before it restored itself.

Blinding light filled the entire living room, making Konoe flinch even though his eyes have been shut all this time.

Minutes later, Konoe opened his eyes as the light surrounding them died down. What he saw before them was a confirmation that the incantation that he and Troy invoked had worked...

Although Troy sat a few feet before him, Konoe focused more on what was happening behind the young man. He tried to reach out, unable to bear witness to Hisoka's agony as Muraki violated him repeatedly. He called out for Tatsumi to snap out of his nightmare, as he saw the grisly scene that his secretary had to endure. His heart broke as he saw a teary-eyed Tsuzuki falling asleep in the comfort of Ruka...knowing that the amethyst-eyed shinigami always yearned for the day to be reunited with his sister.

"Where's Watari?"

Troy gave the elderly chief a probing gaze. "Muraki has the primordial demons' powers at his disposal. They trapped our friends' souls inside this world of illusions. The longer that they stay here, the harder it would be to save them. Once they lose their sanity or will to fight off the illusions before them, they'll remain prisoners of this realm forever. As to Watari-san, his predicament is much different from the others."

Konoe's worried-filled eyes went wide at first, and then narrowed as he strengthened his resolve. "Let us get them out of here. After this, we'll find Watari."

After responding with an affirmative nod, Troy closed his eyes...placing his hands before him in a meditative stance and uttering another incantation in the demonic dialect that he knew so well.

A flood of mystical light showered above and around them, energizing the two men and merging their psychic gifts.

Eventually, the incantation lifted the thin veil that separated reality and illusion.

As the hexagram shone brightly, Konoe followed suit. He focused all his energies to transmit his psyche into the illusory worlds that his men were trapped in. His heart raced as he pondered, "Please let us make it in time..."

Normal Disclaimer

Yami no Matsuei - Descendants of Darkness and the series' characters belong to Matsushita Yoko.

This fanfic, KFR, and their original characters (Tsuuri Troy, Chief Satori, Doctor Kawasawa) belong to PJ Zatken. The depiction of Ashtarote in the series belongs to Matsushita Yoko. The depiction of Abigor in KFR and this fanfic belong to PJ Zatken.

Review Responses for Chapters 5

To Everyone - I hope that you guys aren't mad at Tsuzuki anymore...or at least not as much since you now all know what truly is going on. Through the reviews and the emails that I got for the past week, many readers were upset with Tsuzuki. I wouldn't be surprised if the dude took out his depression from eating more than his share of apple pie. He kept muttering, "You're so mean, Zatken" until I finished writing this chapter (lol). Nonetheless, the reactions that I got about Tsuzuki's behavior/action or lack thereof tells me that I succeeded in what I wanted to accomplish...although Tsuzuki-san isn't very happy with me right now.

Kyra Rivers - I'm sorry for making you nervous, although I'm happy too because it's a good sign that I'm getting the effect that I want from the readers. There's a lot more that will happen...and last chapter is just the beginning...

RubyMoon17 - Ah, MurTsu...there'll be a time (or times) for MurTsu. Just wait and see, and I'll do my best to make it worth the wait ;-D.

Ralanya - Ah, Enma's characterization. The manga depicts Enma as a cold-hearted and manipulative being. The most that we readers see of Enma is a translucent silhouette of a dragon in one of the manga volumes. However, even the most cold-hearted and manipulative people can love in their own cold-hearted, possessive, and manipulative ways. There is a lot of nostalgia and history between Troy and Enma...much, much more. The last chapter gave many hints about them, how much they mean to each other, and what happened between them that caused such distrust and hurt. The story of all that are involved in this fic will go even deeper as the mystery unfolds.

Starflyer 1 - Thanks for your objective views. I love it when I learn more as a writer ;-D I agreed with your observation and did my best to fix that part where the petals combusted in Troy's hand. I think that the attempt is somewhat better, but I still feel that it needs work. I will be working on it until I am satisfied. Thanks again, and I hope that you'll keep on reading and reviewing ;-D

MikaSamu - Welcome, and thanks for the review. I hope that you'll keep reading, and I'm so glad that you like the pairings involved...although Muraki's floating around in the mix. And thanks for wishing me well in the CPA exam. I'm slowly but surely gearing up for it ;-D

SN 1987A - Hi, Luna-chan ;-D I'm working on Chapter 4 to clarify how many DNA samples there are. I agree with you...it needs to be clearer. Ah yes, Troy and Emrys...I guess they'll always have similarities but I think Troy has more of a heart than Emrys would ever have until Emrys learns her lesson...and even at that point, Troy will still be ahead.

Another similarity is their use of pentagrams and hexagrams to conjure spells. This has something to do with the world that they'll revolve in once my original fic project kicks in.

In addition, I couldn't help but laugh when you called Tsuzuki a "dead and noisy pig."