Episode 6: Cold Snap
"Sense the killing intent behind my attacks and then dodge them," Hikari pointed a wooden sword at him.
"Got it," Daisuke readied his own wooden sword.
She yelled and lashed out at him. Daisuke blocked the oncoming strikes occasionally retaliating with his own. Hikari expertly blocked and twisted around him, forcing him to fight her off in every direction. Daisuke sidestepped another attack and countered with his own. They locked together in a power struggle that resulted in a stalemate. They pushed each other away neither of them making a move. Hikari reared back her arm for a more powerful hit.
'This is it!' Daisuke thought.
She jumped at him and Daisuke waited for the right moment to react. Just when she was about to make contact, Daisuke slashed upwards hitting her hand. Her mouth gaped open in astonishment. Daisuke had knocked her weapon out of her hands. A swift kick to the chest sent him tumbling on the ground and Hikari reclaimed her sword. She was standing over him pressing the sword to his pulse before he could even stand up.
"I yield," he said.
"You shouldn't have lost your focus back there. An enemy can still fight without using a weapon," Hikari said with a scolding tone.
Daisuke groaned as he sat up.
"Sorry," he rubbed his chest.
"Still, you did good knocking my sword out of my hands. That should be good enough for tonight," she turned away to leave.
"Wait. Not yet," Daisuke got to his feet.
"Hmm?"
"Again. I saw your killing blow that time," he stood at the ready. "I'm starting to get it now."
Hikari nodded at him pointing her sword at him once again.
"I'll include more killing blows this time."
She dashed toward him with an overhead slash.
The hooded stranger stood on a water tower watching over Sazuraku Town.
"Belial has failed. Just like the other eight akuma Lords miserably failed in the war," he ground out.
"He was merely bait to me. A pawn in a much larger game. Those two Reikon Kensei are quite powerful. Continue your duties collecting dormant souls. Destroy those two if you get the chance," a disembodied voice said to him.
"Yes master."
He spoke a strange incantation and a white pulse emitted from him. As he looked down on the town below many dormant souls responded to his own. A grin on his face reached from ear to ear.
"May I please have everyone's attention?" the teacher said amongst the louder students.
The loud classroom settled down to hear what their teacher had to inform them about.
"This week is the Sazuraku Town Festival," he said.
The class rung out once again with cheers and whoops.
"I said quiet down!"
They fell silent once more.
"Now for the Sazuraku Town Festival classes will be canceled in order to prepare for them. The class presidents for each year will explain your tasks. With that said, good luck, have fun, and I'll see you all next week," the teacher said leaving the classroom.
The class president took the place of the teacher and began to inform the class of what they would be doing for the Sazuraku Town Festival. Kasai had grabbed a hold of Daisuke after class had ended.
"Yo Daisuke, are you planning on going this year?" the redhead asked.
"Yeah, Saru wants me to go shopping with her for new yukatas later today," Daisuke answered.
"I've got an idea! Why don't we all go shopping together? You can even bring Hikari too."
"What?" Daisuke coughed.
"Yeah. Why not Daisuke?" Saru added from behind him.
"Saru? When did you get here?" Kasai said.
"My class finished up with what we need to know for the festival," she sat down on Daisuke's desk. "We really should invite her along. I need a girl's opinion anyway."
Saru had zipped her way over to Hikari sitting alone staring out the window. She felt a strange presence in the town. It felt like an akuma yet it wasn't.
"Hikari?" she said.
She broke from her thoughts to face Daisuke's older sibling. She and Saru had become friends since the incident in their home. Hikari didn't have what she would consider friends after devoting her life to hunting down akuma. Her days were spent training hard and fighting until her last breath.
"Wanna go shopping for yukatas for the Sazuraku Town Festival?" Saru said a smile working its way on her face. "Kasai and Daisuke are going too."
She planned to say no so that she and Daisuke could focus on training although Saru had different plans.
"All right! Great! Make sure to stop by our house after school."
Then Saru was out the door before Hikari could object. Daisuke about faced in his desk.
"Its best to just let her have her way rather than fight her on this," he said.
"Eh?" her eye twitched.
"And besides if the two of you actually fought…I don't know who would win," Daisuke added.
Both of them shuddered involuntarily. Hikari recalled the memory of witnessing the might of Saru's ungodly sized mallet. She never ever wanted to be on the business end of that. A second shudder took her over.
"Are you two all right? Coming down with a fever?" Kasai asked.
"Nope," Daisuke said.
"Just a bad feeling," Hikari said looking to the window.
The bell had rung ending classes for the week in preparation for the festival at the end of the week. Saru dragged Daisuke home post haste to get in as much shopping time as possible. Kasai agreed to meet them later at their home. As for Hikari, well what was she going to do? Hikari stopped at the school entrance gate. She knew she had to investigate whatever this presence was that had arrived in town as a duty to her mission. Yet also she had to go yukata shopping with Saru as a duty to be a friend. Hikari looked to her left, a street that would lead to Daisuke and Saru's home. The right street would take her to whatever this bad feeling was. A chuckle rumbled through her. This reminded her of the Literature class earlier this morning. What was it the teacher said? Something about coming to a crossroads and making a choice and the effects of it. Pretty ironic in her situation now. This was going to be a hard choice. Hikari took a deep breath, exhaled, and closed her eyes. Then she took off running.
"Hey Daisuke, where's Hikari?" Saru asked.
"I don't know. I guess she's not coming," he answered.
In truth, he really wanted her to come. She needed a break from fighting akuma.
"That's too bad," Kasai shook his head. "You could've seen Hikari in a yukata, you could've seen her in-"
Heat flooded Daisuke's cheeks as a mallet came crashing down on Kasai's head flattening him to the floor with a shout.
"No you wanted to see it!" Saru loomed over Kasai who clutched onto his bruised head.
"Yes Kasai. Tell me. What did you want to see?" a fourth voice entered the room.
"Hikari! You came!" Saru said happily.
Daisuke was bewildered. Did the door even open? Kasai seemed to recover quickly and jumped to his feet. Hikari smiled warmly to Saru before glaring daggers into Kasai.
"Ah! What I wanted to see was that new movie that came out recently. What was it called again? Senshi Suimin? We could go see that after we finish shopping," he nervously scratched his hair.
"Hmmm," Saru narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Fine. Hikari? Daisuke?"
They answered with a nod as Kasai breathed out in relief. He had gotten let off with a stroke of luck this time. Saru slipped a handbag over her shoulder and headed to the door.
"All right let's go!"
Shopping bags full of items cluttered to the ground with Daisuke and Kasai collapsing to the ground panting. Their trip to buy yukatas for the festival had gone completely awry for the two boys. They had walked past a clothing store and Saru had promised not to buy anything, That had gone down the toilet when she saw a dress that she had to have. It went the same way for the new shoes. And the perfume, and the numerous other lady oriented products. Daisuke was no less than furious. The department store they were heading towards was still a good 3 blocks away and Kasai and he would have to carry the bags all they way there.
"Ah that was such a beautiful dress and now its mine," she rifled through the shopping bags and looking at it with a dreamy smile,
Then she looked at the boys on the ground.
"Get up you two, you're embarrassing me."
"And you're killing us," Daisuke retorted.
Seriously, Hikari's training was less brutal than carrying those bags.
The two went on back and forth before Saru silenced him with a whack from her mallet.
Hikari sweat dropped.
"Don't sweat it, this happens a lot in public," Kasai rose to his feet brushing himself down.
"Yeah," she said unsure of how to respond.
After the mini dispute was resolved they continued their trek to the department store. Hikari was still sensing that mystery presence and that feeling still had not subsided.
"Daisuke," she said in a hushed voice.
He slowed his stride to match hers.
"What's up?" he said.
"Do you feel that strange presence around here?"
"What?"
"Focus."
He focused his sixth sense and immediately felt it.
"Who the hell is it?" he asked. "An akuma?"
"I don't think so. I think its following us," she answered.
Daisuke's eyes traveled to Kasai and Saru walking ahead of them. They were in danger here.
"Let's go and take-,"
"No," she cut him off.
"But-
"We can't leave without your sister and Kasai noticing," she cut in again.
Daisuke fell silent.
"Let's entertain it for a while."
Daisuke nodded to his superior.
"Think of this as a training lesson. One way to lure out a enemy in hiding is to appear defenseless. Just when they reveal themselves, you crush them," she clenched a fist in demonstration.
They had come up to the entrance of the department store.
"No wasting time let's get you in a yukata!" Saru pulled a surprised Hikari by the arm into the store.
"Hehe women," Kasai looked over his shoulder to Daisuke.
They walked through the entrance. The two found the fitting room where the two girls would be trying on multiple yukatas. Daisuke saw Saru carrying a large bundle of yukatas back to the rooms.
"Saru, I don't think you need to try on all of them. You only need one," he grimaced.
"You can never have too much, besides a girl needs some variety!" she argued.
Daisuke left it at that and went to find his own yukata to buy. He viewed one in particular that caught his eye before Saru dragged him away.
"Come here," she tugged a little more forcefully.
"Hey don't rip my arm out of its socket!" the younger brother yelped.
She let him go once they were in front of a fitting room.
"Oh she got you too?" Kasai rubbed his shoulder.
He got the same treatment as well.
"Okay Hikari you can come out now," Saru called out.
"No I don't want to," her voice faltered.
"Oh you WILL come out. Everyone's here to see you," she ventured into the room.
There were sounds of cluttering and bumping, a few curses and out stumbled Hikari.
She bounced on the balls of her feet.
"So how do I look?" she nibbled on her fingers with heated cheeks.
Hikari's yukata was a black one with small white stars spotting it all over. Over her heart was a shining full moon. It made her silver hair seem a little brighter and that in turn brought out her chocolate brown eyes. She was nothing short of beautiful. Hikari was nervous since Daisuke hadn't said a word yet. Was there something wrong with her?
"You can pick your jaw off the floor now," Kasai jabbed his friend with an elbow.
Daisuke seemed to wake from a trance.
"You look amazing Hikari," he smiled.
Her face seemed to heat up even more before she vanished into the fitting room once more.
"My work here is done," Saru brushed her hands off with a proud look etched on her face. "Now its my turn."
Saru walked into the fitting room as Hikari came out dressed in her school uniform face still red. Saru came out a few minutes later.
"How do I look?" she twirled around.
Kasai froze on the spot. Saru wore a bright yellow yukata with blue floral patterns throughout and a larger blue flower covered the back. The color went with her blonde hair and blended well with her emerald eyes. She was stunning. Daisuke elbowed him this time.
"You left your jaw on the floor."
Kasai coughed.
"You look absolutely beautiful."
Saru's face became a tomato.
"All right its settled we'll buy these Hikari," she went back into the fitting room to change.
Daisuke and Kasai went back to find their own yukatas and after many minutes of Saru complaining about their choice they finally bought them. Daisuke settled on a white yukata with flames rising at the bottom of it. Hikari laughed at him and said it was nothing. Kasai chose a blue yukata with white snowflakes decorating it. The group had purchased their festival yukatas, grabbed the bags from Saru's earlier splurge and made their way to leave. Daisuke and Hikari stopped in their tracks.
"That presence, its here!" Hikari shouted.
Suddenly the front of the store exploded. Kasai held onto Saru protectively as the force sent them sprawling backwards.
"Is everyone all right?" Daisuke groaned as he got to his feet.
"No I'm perfectly fine. An explosion in my face doesn't hurt too much," Kasai replied sarcastically.
"Daisuke," Hikari said.
He looked to her. Nothing else needed to be said.
"Owww, what was that?" Saru said.
Screams from other people caught in the blast filled the air. A fire was spreading. Others began to run frantically to get outside. Saru and Kasai needed to get out now. A ring of flames was slowly closing the door on their escape route in front of them. Suddenly a hooded figure stepped before them. Hikari knew it was this person who was giving her such a bad feeling in her gut. Daisuke stepped in front of Saru to shield her if need be.
"Kasai, take Saru and go," Daisuke said.
"Wait, what about you? I'm not leaving you to die," Kasai called back to him.
"Remember what you promised my dad?"
Kasai wanted to speak to found no words. Saru couldn't either.
"Come on Saru, let's get out of here," he helped her to her feet and they started running.
The ring of fire closed up as they left. The hooded figure reached a hand towards them.
"Who said you could leave?" he said.
"Who said you could chase them?" Hikari shouted.
Amaterasu came flying at the outstretched hand and he retracted it before it could be lost. As it came back she caught it with relative ease.
"Hmmm. Those two got away. No need to worry. I'll get their Reikon Kensei when I'm done with you," he said folding his arms.
"You touch her and I'll destroy you," Daisuke pointed Hiryuu at him.
"I won't even use my weapon," he teased.
"Daisuke don't fall for his-" Hikari began to say
Daisuke ran forward slashing vertically but the man caught the blade with one hand. Daisuke was nothing short of astonished. He must've had some amazing strength to stop Hiryuu's weight. The hooded man ripped Hiryuu from his grasp and tossed it into the air. Then he thrust his palm forward hitting Daisuke in the center of his chest. The force knocked the wind out of him and sent him tumbling back to Hikari's side. Hiryuu impaled the ground next to him.
"What have I told you? Remember your training," Hikari got into a defensive stance.
"Yeah," he coughed up a little blood while picking up Hiryuu.
"Next," he beckoned over to Hikari.
Hikari tossed both her glaives at the man who caught them but they blocked his view. Before he knew it Hikari darted up to him with a menacing kick. The foot sent him sliding across the ground dropping Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi in the process.
"Enryuu!" Daisuke threw the wave of fire.
The man quickly recovered and leaped over it. He rushed over to Hikari who swiped at him but countered by grabbing the offending arm and tossing her over his shoulder. She dropped her weapons in the process and he took the chance to throw one of them at Daisuke. Tsukiyomi clipped his shoulder, fresh blood leaking out.
"Daisuke, we'll have to come at him together," Hikari staggered to her feet calling her glaives to her hands.
"Got it," he replied weakly.
He hoped they could win the fight before he succumbed to blood loss.
Meanwhile…
"Come on Saru, we gotta move it," Kasai said.
Saru was heavily gulping up much needed air from running for so long.
"I…can't run…anymore Kasai," Saru breathed out.
Kasai groaned and looked back to the department store. He was worried about Daisuke and Hikari. He didn't know what the hell was going on but he hoped they were all right. He hated the thought of leaving his friend alone but he had to honor his promise to Daisuke's father.
'I will protect you Saru,' Kasai thought.
"Saru, go on home. I'm going back for Daisuke," Kasai was about to head off.
"Wait, Kasai. Be careful.," Saru said.
"Aren't I always?" he said with a smile and left.
Daisuke was yet again knocked to the ground by a powerful hit from the hooded man. Hikari followed him soon after. They were hopelessly beaten.
"Weaklings. I won't waste anymore time with you. I'll take your Reikon Kensei," he grabbed Daisuke by the neck.
"No," he said feebly.
"Die," the man reared back his free hand.
"Hey asshole!"
A burned mannequin arm collided with the back of the man's head.
He turned his head to see Kasai armed with another mannequin arm primed to throw.
"Kasai!" Daisuke shouted now trying to free himself from the man's grip despite his wounds. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Saru!"
He needed to fight back to save Kasai before he got himself killed.
"Don't worry she's safe," Kasai said.
"Ah you've saved me the trouble hunting you down. Thank you for coming back so soon," the hooded man said.
"Put my friend down," Kasai ground out.
Daisuke was unceremoniously dropped to the floor greedily sucking in air.
"Daisuke, we…can't let…him take Kasai's…soul," Hikari painfully winced.
"I can't move," Daisuke tried his hardest but his wounds wouldn't let him.
"Kasai run!" Hikari yelled out.
"Relax, I've got-" he was cut off.
The hooded man now had his hands around Kasai's throat choking away his life. He thrashed around in the man's iron grip. Then he reared his free arm back. Kasai suddenly felt cold amidst the burning and demolished department store.
'Is this what dying feels like?'
His eyelids felt heavy and his arms did as well and his body couldn't handle the lack of oxygen. Daisuke was crushed. He had lost his best friend because he couldn't muster enough strength to save him. Then he felt the temperature in the room drastically drop. It was cold despite them being in a burning building. The hooded man also could feel it too. The arm holding Kasai's limp form was freezing over. Daisuke and Hikari were able to stand on their knees. A howling chilling wind blew through the store. Kasai's hand clamped down on his captor's arm.
"Let go," he said stoically.
As Kasai's grip tightened ice began to form over the arm and their hooded enemy dropped Kasai so it wouldn't be completely frozen. He jumped far away from all three teens. Only half of his arm had been frozen. Kasai stuck his hand out and the cold winds blew around him and gathered into his hand. The winds turned blue and began to form a spear. Hikari and Daisuke were stunned. Kasai had just summoned his own Reikon Kensei.
"Aisuryuu!" he spun it around in his hands like a master who'd been training for years.
Aisuryuu had a long blue pole with blue tassels at the end. The cobalt blue blade took the shape of a dragon's head and radiated with cold energy. The hooded man made a move to attack but stopped in his tracks.
"Yes. Yes master. I understand," he seemed to be talking to no one.
"Who the hell are you talking to?" Kasai called out.
"Well it seems that my master has called me for something far more important. Daisuke. Hikari. Kasai. Its been fun," he began to vanish in a swirl of black flames teasingly.
"Where are you going?" Kasai held Aisuryuu in a throwing stance. "Gungnir!" he let the weapon leave his hands and it hit the spot the man previously occupied.
"Kasai," Daisuke said.
"Daisuke? What was up with that guy?" Kasai said running to his friend's side. "Damn you guys got your asses kicked."
"Shut up and help me up," his friend replied.
Kasai helped Daisuke to his feet. Then Daisuke helped Hikari stand.
"Just what are these things?" Kasai asked holding his Reikon Kensei in his hands.
"We'll talk later. First we need to get out of here," Hikari said limping while holding onto Daisuke for support.
The three began to make their way out of the perilous building out the back entrance.
A/N: And that concludes Episode 6. That was terribly long 14 pages of work there. I'm trying to set myself on a constant updating date. It seems that it sets itself on a Monday every other week. It takes me a week to write since I type up one page a day and I do also have work. The longest you'll have to wait is the Tuesday following the day that I am supposed update this story. Thank you for reading and I hope you continue to read and enjoy this story.