Yusuke
The Next Day
It was a weird feeling—returning to life, that is. He hadn't really thought it would be weird but, then again, he hadn't really thought much about what it might feel like at all.
Only a split second ago he had been flying through the air, praying that Keiko had made it in time. And then, a split second later, he was back in his body. He hadn't really felt himself be sucked in or anything, he just… was there. He was just back.
And god damn it all if he didn't feel heavy and solid as hell.
His senses began to return to him, pulling him out of the darkness—Keiko was crying. He could hear it—hear it with his ears. And her tears were soaking through his bed sheets—he could feel that, too.
While on the one hand he wanted to revel in the wonder that was the human sensory system, on the other hand he knew he should probably let her know everything was alright.
So, he began to pry his eyes open, feeling as the crust around them tugged at his eyelashes, and he forced his bedsore muscles back into action, pulling himself into a sitting position.
"Nice kiss," he laughed, cocking a half smile which exploded into an ear-to-ear grin of joy as Keiko looked up at him. Then, she suddenly leapt from the floor, wrapping her arms around him tightly and barreling full force into his chest.
He was back.
He was alive again, and though he knew he really had Koenma to thank for that, he also couldn't help but be thankful to her too. After all, it was nice to be back in his body, but even more than that, a kiss and hug from a beautiful girl in his bedroom was the best possible way to come home.
Kurama
"It's natural for someone of my size to walk that loudly!"
"Is it also natural for you to shout, or is that a choice?"
"If you wanna put this on hold and fight it out, little man, I'm game!"
Kurama snapped his head back at the bickering pair, raising a finger to his lips to quiet them. They obliged, though they seemed unhappy about it, but that was enough. He wasn't going to allow his last resort to be ruined by petty arguments, though he could understand Hiei's frustration.
Gouki had so far proved not only useless, but a threat to the entire mission. His footsteps were loud and his grunting and heavy breathing was louder. He had repeatedly exposed them to the enemy, resulting in more casualties than Kurama would have liked, and whenever they happened to be in a hall free of guards, Gouki took it as an occasion to talk, and to talk loudly. Kurama had wondered to himself on more than one occasion of he even understood the concept of thievery, as it was obvious that he didn't understand its practice.
Now Kurama understood why the mission had been so contingent upon his participation, and why the two had been willing to postpone until he agreed to go. Gouki was by far one of the worst 'thieves' Kurama had ever met, and, as much as he hated to say it, Hiei was rather hopeless as well. To be quite honest, Kurama was positively baffled as to why the two would even plan to do such a thing in the first place.
Once he had agreed he had learned just how unprepared the two were—though they knew that Enma would be away when they attacked, that was quite literally all they knew. They had no idea as to the layout of the palace, nor did they know how to get there in the first place. Luckily, Kurama had studied the methodology for robbing the Reikai palace on more than one occasion back in his older days, and though he had never actually gone through with a mission there he felt well familiar.
Kurama utilized a smoke screen down the next hallway that had been infused with a plant oil known to, for lack of a better term, make those that inhaled it rather high. Similar to marijuana of Ningenkai, but with effects much stronger. Instructing the others to hold their breath, they ran through the last stretch of hallway unseen, while the guards posted at its end fell into fits of confused giggling.
Down a flight of stairs, the fourth flight they had taken downwards since their arrival, they reached the vault. It was guarded by only two ogres, who stood in Reikai armor. He signaled for them to remain behind the wall as cover and reached into his pocket to find another smoke concoction when suddenly Gouki ran towards the guards, shouting a battle cry as he went.
"Idiot," Hiei stated simply from Kurama's side. Gouki was quick to dispose of the first guard, grabbing him by the face and lifting him off the floor. The other one, however, managed to reach the alarm in time before Hiei cut him down.
Kurama, irritated, joined the two in front of the vault and opened the door using the control panel on the side. The alarm blared as he approached, signaling their presence to the palace at large, and Kurama had to try his best to not destroy Gouki then and there for letting their position be known. Yes, he had planned for such an occasion, but that didn't detract from his frustration at Gouki's failure.
"That's enough, Gouki," he began, trying to keep his annoyance out of his voice. He would have time later to berate him for his folly. "We are short on time, it would seem. Be quick about it."
The vault was small, and contained nothing but the three items they were seeking, so at the very least it wouldn't take them much time to obtain what they had come for. Before them lay a podium and on it the three items were displayed plainly—the gakidama, the kouma sword, and the ankokukyou.
Kurama's reasons for taking the ankokukyou were obvious—it was the surest way to ensure his mother's survival and recovery. However, he couldn't help but wonder why Gouki and Hiei sought the other two items—though they held a particular power, there was a reason that these three were called "dark".
The gakidama was an orb that allowed one to steal a soul from a body. For a demons like Gouki, the benefits of such a device were obvious. However, it was also quite renowned as a rather treacherous tool—though it allowed one to steal the souls of others, it had its own price. For every soul taken, it would chip away a piece of the user's. Naturally, this was a dangerous side-effect, and very few would be foolish enough to think the benefits of such an item outweighed its ill effects.
Hiei's kouma sword was even worse—every person it cut would be turned into a mindless slave of the user, but in exchange the user would become a mindless slave of the sword. Of the three items, the kouma sword was the most notorious—numerous human samurai lords had once possessed it, assuming it would lead them to power, and all of them had fallen mere days after obtaining it. It enslaved the user, casting a spell of obsession upon them and transforming even the most skilled strategist into a blundering fool.
How the two could know of the item's existence and not know about their side-effects, Kurama wasn't sure. However, he had no intention of telling them—he was here for his own benefit, and had (wrongly) assumed he needed the other two in order to achieve his goal. What happened to them once his objective had been met didn't matter, as far as he was concerned.
So, he took the mirror from its stand, and remained quiet, purposefully choosing to not warn his new companions about the dangerous effects of their own prizes. Once he had the mirror he also took to removing the security tapes located in the room—a task that his companions seemed to overlook completely. Even if the alarm had sounded, if he took the videos then presumably Reikai would be unable to identify the culprits.
Perhaps they would eventually figure out who had robbed them, but so long as it took them longer than a week to do so, it was fine. He only needed to use the mirror once after all—what happened after that really wasn't his concern.
Shinobu
So they're the first line of defense?
Not very remarkable, to be sure.
Please though, be careful!
Oh shut the fuck up.
Shinobu stood, arms at his side and wind rustling his clothing, staring down the first two opponents that had dared to meet him since he entered Tarukane's compound. Already he and Itsuki had cleared a considerable amount of ground and had met no one on their journey. At first he had figured that maybe he and Itsuki had taken Tarukane unawares, but judging by how his two newest opponents stood—relaxed, prepared, and unafraid—he was beginning to think they had allowed him this far on purpose.
"We've been expecting you," one of the two said, confirming Shinobu's suspicions. He was the larger of the two, though he looked undoubtedly younger—tall, muscular, and wearing dark sunglasses that obscured his eyes. Perched upon his shoulder was a much older, much uglier creature with stringy black locks and a wicked stare. Though they both appeared a bit out of the ordinary and undoubtedly possessed demonic energy, there was something remarkably human about their spirits and the very scent of it made Shinobu sick.
"You knew we were coming and still you two are the best that monster could provide?" he mocked calmly. Truthfully, Shinobu himself wasn't so keen on aggressive mockery before a fight—but this wasn't Shinobu right now. It was Katsuya, the brash and aggressive man that had taken up residence inside Shinobu nearly ten years ago.
"Careful," the young human man mocked back to Katsuya. "My ego is very fragile."
"I bet your bones are too."
Really, Katsuya, cleverness is not your strong suit.
Shut the fuck up and let me handle this.
Well stop making us look bad.
Fuck you.
Suddenly, Itsuki's voice cut through the arguing inside of Shinobu's head.
"Wait," he said, his golden eyes scanning the scene carefully.
Shinobu, or rather Katsuya, turned on him quickly and snapped. "Why?"
Itsuki paused, his eyes narrowed slightly. "I suspect we may be misreading this situation. I don't think these men came here to fight."
The young human before them then began to chuckle darkly. "Unfortunately, we didn't."
"Ah well, that's too bad," Katsuya began, wringing his fists. "Because I did come here to fight. So, which one of you wants to die first? You, that man on your shoulder… or the one hiding in the bushes over there?"
Neither of the two fighters before him seemed surprised that he was aware of their third, and a moment later the man who had previously been hiding stepped out from behind his tree. He was finely dressed in a black suit with long black hair and a single scar across his right eye. Though neither Shinobu nor Katsuya nor any of them remembered the man, it was easy to tell what he was.
"You could sense me?" the man laughed as he emerged, puffing lightly on a long cigarette.
Itsuki scowled. "It's your stench."
"My apologies."
Oh my god, it's one of them… it's one of those club members.
Stop fucking crying!
I just… I just don't want to see them…
Neither do any of us. That's why we're here, isn't it?
"I'm not much of a fighter myself, and I have a tendency to forget what people like you are capable of," the man laughed, walking past the two fighters and approaching Shinobu and Itsuki's position.
"Take another step and I'll consider it an invitation," Katsuya growled.
"Ah, then I suppose I'll stop here," the man conceded, still with a smile on his face. "As you correctly guessed, we were hoping to avoid a conflict. If you'll allow me to live just a few more minutes then perhaps I can explain why."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but charity ain't my thing," Katsuya barked back. However, before he could move to pulverize this man into the dust, Itsuki stepped in front of him, placing a single cold hand on his chest to slow his attack.
"Let's listen to what this man has to say."
"Excuse you?" Katsuya replied, the disgust apparent on his face. "You may be able to order around those other assholes, but you can't tell me what to do!"
"I get the feeling that what this man has to say may be worth our time," Itsuki replied smoothly.
"Well I certainly hope so," the man replied, equally as soft. All this fancy speaking was starting to get on Katsuya's last nerve. However, despite what he had claimed, Itsuki really did hold some sway over even him, and he relented somewhat as the man continued on. "You see, I was hoping we could come to a bit of an agreement—"
"—Unfortunately for you, we don't make deals with your kind of trash," Katsuya shot back.
"Black Book Club members?"
"Humans."
"Ah, I see…" the man laughed. "I had heard you weren't a fan of our organization—you're rather famous among our ranks, as it were—but I didn't know you held such a hatred for all mankind."
"Of course I do—they're a sickness."
"Indeed."
"You agree?"
"Whether I agree or not doesn't matter—all that matters is that I'm happy to hear you say that."
"And why might that be?" Itsuki inquired. "What sort of 'agreement' were you looking for?"
"Well, you see… I have a project in the works and I think you may like it."
"What sort of project?"
Though Itsuki seemed interested, neither Katsuya nor Shinobu held the slightest desire to hear this man out. Whatever horrible project he had come up with was undoubtedly cruel and none of them wanted any part of it. However, once the man spoke, a soft and sadistic smile upon his lips, even Katsuya began to reconsider…
"A tunnel," the man stated simply with a puff of smoke. "To the Makai. I was hoping you'd be willing to help me construct it. Interested?"
Everyone went silent, and the man's smile widened.
"I'll take that as a yes. Now, if you'll allow me yet another five minutes of life, I can explain further what I have in mind… and why I need your help. Will you grant me that?"
Itsuki turned to him, his face unreadable. "Will we?"
And the internal struggle began.
A tunnel? As in, one that would allow demons free passage here?
I've heard of holes, but never of tunnels. I don't think it's even possible.
It must be! Otherwise why would he say it?
People lie, Naru.
But surely not about something so important…
Reikai will stop them. Reikai always stops them—and they use people like us to do it.
"Or people like Hotaru," Itsuki added.
The man on the other end of the field turned curious. "Pardon? Did you say something?"
"It was nothing…"
Hotaru? You think that's why she called us here?
She works for Reikai, doesn't she?
Yes, but she's hardly dedicated to them, in case you forgot.
Of course I didn't forget…
She called us here to save that girl! We can't forget about her!
Of course not, but don't forget- Hotaru mentioned this tunnel too.
You think it's a coincidence?
I think it's a lie.
Itsuki placed another hand on Katsuya's shoulder- his arm had taken to twitching as the conversation inside his head grew more intense, but the tension dissipated at the other man's touch.
We can't be certain of her loyalties, which means we can't be certain why she called us here.
She's used us before…
And she's using us now… like tools. Like weapons.
Well we are fucking weapons.
We're sick.
I realize that—
- Do you? Because I for one am not eager to leave this world with my last accomplishment being some order from her.
Me neither.
Then we'll do it?
No harm in considering it, is there?
Like hell I'll work with one of them! Now all of you shut the fuck up so I can finish this fight!
Slow down, Kazuya. You can't simply make decisions for everyone.
Yea, well I'm in control right now, so just try to stop me.
If that's the way you feel about it…
The strong voice of Shinobu—the leader—cut through the pack then, and with this voice came an overwhelming sensation throughout the body. Katsuya struggled to not lose control—to take at least a few more moments to strike down this man and his two companions before the others could force him into doing something he didn't care to do. However, he wasn't strong enough—no one was strong enough to argue with Shinobu when he wanted to take control.
"We are very interested. Please, tell us more," came Shinobu's voice—calm and collected, as it usually was. However, to the others inside his head, something seemed different… It sounded like Shinobu, it felt like Shinobu, but Shinobu hadn't taken control. He was still with them, locked back in the recesses of the mind. This was someone knew.
Who are you?
Where the fuck did you come from?
Is this some kind of trick?
A shudder ran through the body—brief, and hardly noticeable, but still there none the less, and each space allotted for the six was made slightly smaller. A seventh presence had arrived, and as he spoke to them, the body smiled a new type of smile that had never been present on the face before.
My name is Minoru. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.
Thank you to everyone reading, and to my new followers. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and the next will be out soon!
Reviews are always welcome! :3
