Zinaida…forgive me Zinaida. Forgive me for dragging you into this centuries old conflict, for causing you to bear the brunt of my past actions. Forgive me for leaving you in the dark, for causing your detainment, for the chain of events I wrought that brought that vile monster, that Crow That Feasts, into your presence. I will rescue you, and I will avenge your suffering.
I caused tremendous pain in the world below, the world that Spirit World watches over and protects. I committed horrors, unspeakable horrors, and as I now reflect on the memories of centuries past, I cringe, and I lament. Regret is…
I have kept silent long enough. Today, I will confess. Given the nature of our meeting, the briefing of our three targets…Mithradata…Elder Toguro…Mirko Karapandža…it will be appropriate. If Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Botan learn and comprehend the creature known as the Crow That Feasts, then my confession would serve a nobler end…as paradoxical as it may be.
Given the presence of Koenma, and possibly King Yama himself, a confession would be all the more fitting. Poetic even.
I shudder at the thought of how my allies, no…my friends…no…my brothers and sisters in arms…how they will react when they witness the crimes I committed. My one hour, forty-three minutes, and twelve seconds. The tale of the Fox Knight, Zbigniew of House Lis, first of his name. The tale of Vladislav of House Drăculești, third of his name, and the seven men that served as knights, boyars, and royal bodyguards under his command. The reign of terror wrought on the citizenry of Wallachia, of Dobruja, of Transylvania, of Bulgaria…surrendered Turks…peasants…women still with child…walls…spears…walls of spears.
Forests of spears, each with a victim screaming for death or a corpse swathed in flies and hungry crows.
I scan the room around me…Koenma's office, the Prince seated on his chair, in his more infantile appearance. Five wooden chairs in front of Koenma's desk…golden hued, unusually soft to the touch. All five seats arranged in a row, in front of Koenma's desk. First from the left, Yusuke, dressed in black sneakers, blue jeans, a black v-neck undershirt, and a whitish yellow collared, buttoned shirt with a black flame pattern around his shoulders. To the right of Yusuke, myself, dressed in dark brown loafers, grey jeans, and a red and white checkered buttoned shirt. To my right, Kuwabara, dressed in grey fabric boat shoes, dark green pants held up by a black leather belt, and a green and white striped Celtic Football Club jersey, with the number '25' and the name 'Nakamura' spelled in white and on the back. The jersey, borrowed from Yusuke, appears a size too small, pressing around Kuwabara's body. To the right of Kuwabara, Hiei, dressed in his usual black pants and cloak attire, his white headscarf wrapped around his Jagan eye, poorly stitched holes on his pants and a mosaic of various colored blood on his cloak. To the right of Hiei, Botan, dressed in her usually adorned pink kimono.
Behind the five us, Koenma's television set, if one can call it that. I spot Jorge Saotome by the side wall on the left, his hands on his knees, as if anticipating Koenma's next command. Koenma allows his gaze to fall on each of us in turn, his hands folded, the creases on his complexion suggesting deep thought. After a pause from our earlier courtesies, Koenma says "Elder Toguro, Mirko Karapandža, Mithradata. At last we have concrete names for this new threat, names and faces. Where to start, where to start? Let's start with Elder Toguro, there is a wealth of information on this particular psychopath."
He turns his gaze to Jorge and asks "Ogre? The dossier?" Jorge suddenly blurts out "Yes, right, Koenma sir. Here is everything we have on Shirō Toguro." Jorge offers Koenma a previously hidden beige dossier about two inches thick. Kuwabara suddenly speaks "So his name is Shirō…" Koenma centers the dossier on his desk and speaks out of memory "Shirō Toguro, eldest son of Hajime and Sayako Toguro, elder brother of Kosuke Toguro. Current leader of the Apparition Gang, with the demise of his younger brother Kosuke Toguro, at the hands of Yusuke here."
Current leader? Hm? Yusuke asks for me "Wait? Current leader? I thought we wiped out the Apparition Gang at the Dark Tournament, you know, Sakyo's outfit." Koenma says "Actually, and I may have mentioned this several years ago, the Apparition Gang is a group of demon traffickers that worked for highest bidder. In the case of the Dark Tournament, and technically the raid on Tarukane's compound, that highest bidder was Sakyo. The strongest members were those you four faced at the Dark Tournament. Shirō Toguro's status is now clear. Kosuke Toguro and Karasu have been confirmed as killed. Bui disappeared to Demon World following the tournament, which puts him out of our purview."
Hiei suddenly stirs and says "I can clarify Bui's status, so long as none in attendance claims the information came from myself, if you understand what I mean." Kuwabara raises an eyebrow and shouts "What the hell are you talking about, shorty?!" Koenma asks "Does this information concern your association with Mukuro?" Hiei glares blankly and then says "Perhaps. Do I have assurance?" Koenma nods and says "Granted, speak." Hiei suddenly looks upward and to the left, likely searching his memory. After a quick pause, he says "Roughly three years ago, Bui pledged fealty to Mukuro and is attempting, rather pathetically might I add, to join her circle of 77…her elite guard. We crossed paths once, nearly came to blows. Any ties he once had to Toguro have been severed."
Koenma nods and says "Good, at least we can cross him out as a possible threat. That leaves Shirō Toguro and an assortment of humans and demons that have gone underground following Kosuke Toguro's death." Yusuke leans forward and asks "Assortment? What are we talking about here? Give us numbers, strength classes."
Koenma scrolls through the dossier, turning pages. He stops at a certain page in particular and pries it out. The page displays a table peppered with red stamps. He offers the page to Yusuke and states "Around three dozen, vast majority being below C class. On the far right, my assistants have added red stamps to members deceased or deemed dissociated, aside from Bui."
The detective hands me the list, and I scroll down. 'Shirō Toguro – A Class – Leader'. The status 'Incapacitated' has been crossed out. Underneath, 'Kosuke Toguro – Upper B Class – Leader (Crossed out) - Deceased', 'Karasu – B Class – Deceased', suddenly names I do not recall…'Miyuki – C Class – The Triad', Inmaki – Lower C Class – The Triad, Gokumaki – C Class – The Triad.' I trace my fingers on their names.
Yusuke leans at the paper in my hand and says "Those three are the Triad, me and Kuwabara took them out at Tarukane's compound…looks like the pricks survived" Kuwabara suddenly says "Those three still alive? Well, it's not like we gotta worry about them giving us problems anymore." Yusuke nods and says "Tell me bout it…aside from Shirō Toguro, the rest are a bunch of bums not even worth our time." Koenma leans forward again and interrupts "That is not…entirely accurate." He scans the five of us to ensure we have his attention. After a pause, he continues "There are two demons and a human psychic, on that list, that temporarily assumed control following Shirō Toguro's imprisonment in Kurama's sinning tree. They were upper C classes during the last Dark Tournament and our surveillance gauges their power to now be in the B class range. The first of note, Anujra, a fire demon that joined the Apparition Gang some time just before the Dark Tournament."
I pass the paper to Kuwabara, who quickly passes it to Hiei without glancing. Koenma continues "His power level is high but nothing any of your four couldn't handle. He also has the ability to absorb fire. Aside from that, he is a complete mystery, with no records concerning him. The second of note is a stag demon from the Aizbadin lands of Tourin, name is Ifrin. She is a highly talented swordswoman adept at duel-wielding scimitars, and is wanted for over thirty murders in the Human World, serving as the Apparition Gang's assassin of choice when subtlety is required. A low B class power level, but highly intelligent. Do not underestimate her as a threat simply due to her power level."
Hiei hands the list of names to Botan, who proceeds to judiciously study it. Koenma continues "Lastly, a Japanese human psychic named Nobuhide Yuji, roughly as old as Shirō Toguro himself and infamous as the Apparitions Gang's chief torturer and interrogator. His psychic territory stretches across a city block, and his talent is creating illusions capable of driving his victims insane." "Insane? How?" Botan asks. Koenma leans back in his seat and says "Psychological warfare. Those in his territory suffer from hallucinations of their greatest fears. These hallucinations have been said to be extremely realistic and are intentionally designed to break his victim's spirit and sanity. The higher the victim's spirit awareness, the more intense the hallucinations."
These three are menaces indeed, to be dealt with along with our three main targets. Kuwabara blurts out, his fists clenched "It don't matter to me what these bozos can do, I'll still cut them apart." Hiei sighs and says "Save your energy for them, your useless bravado is wasted on nobody." I expect Kuwabara to yell his usual obscenity at his brother in law and we can then move on. He speaks coldly yet quietly "I'll sleep on it." Oh dear. I study Hiei, his posture tensing up, a blank face that seems ready to shatter at the touch. I hear Yusuke mutter "Relax there big guy." I am unsure as to whom he addressed, perhaps both. Kuwabara turns to Yusuke and mutters "Hn." Oh dear.
Koenma mercifully ends the tension by snapping his fingers. He points toward the television and says "Turn around, everyone." The five of us oblige, and the television set activates, revealing three photographs, likely of the three remaining subordinates of Shirō Toguro worth studying. Koenma continues "On the far left, Anujra." A male fire demon, dressed in a black trenchcoat and a grey rabbit fur ushanka, the hat covering his ears and forehead. Black sideburns and a thick black moustache, a wide jaw and clean shaven chin, with a slight point at the end. "In the middle, Ifrin," a purple creased robed female stag demon with a bronze nasal helmet and deer antlers attached to the top of the helm. "And lastly, Nobuhide Yuji." A middle aged Japanese man with a moustache, bushy black hair, dressed in a light green Imperial Japanese infantry outfit, sporting thin, round glasses.
I ask "Why is Mr. Yuji adorned in an Imperial Japanese infantry uniform?" He speaks "It would be less confusing if I provide some backstory. The last Dark Tournament started on April 8, 1992. The one prior, the one in which Genkai and the Toguro Brothers won, that one occurred on April 8, 1942, in the shadow of World War II. In the years prior and the years following the 1942 Dark Tournament, Nobuhide Yuji served as an orderly in Harbin, China, as part of the staff of the notorious Unit 731."
Kuwabara mutters "Oh…shit…that thing…that thing that the teachers refused to talk about in the history books." Hiei raises an eyebrow and asks "What is Unit 731?" I answer for him, for I have done significant research on the subject "Unit 731 was a black-operations biochemical warfare and research division under the Imperial Japanese Army, headquartered in Harbin, China during the Imperial Japanese invasion of mainland China. Chinese and Russian civilians, along with prisoners of war, were sent to the facility to serve as test subjects for a variety of vicious experiments. Intentional amputations and reinsertions of limps in incorrect locations, implants of animal fetuses inside women, anthrax and bubonic plague exposure, forced STD infections, live burials, the list goes on and on. Amongst the worst war crimes ever…committed," I suddenly find myself squirming in my seat, my saliva difficult to swallow "in human…history."
Hiei simply glares and slightly smirks, as if I reinforced something he thought. Koenma speaks out "I would have shown you photographs and video footage but I fear they aren't necessary. Perhaps when Mr. Yuji visits the Gates of Judgment, I would present them to him before I sentence him." Hiei suddenly mutters "Is this Unit 731 on the Chapter Black tape?" Koenma replies "Indeed. Runs parallel to the Nazi experiments. Possibly the most evil example of human depravity in the pursuit of scientific advancement. Unit 731 served as a reminder of what humanity may resort to in the pursuit of science, when ethics are cast away." Yusuke asks, knowing the answer already "The Chapter Black tape's been missing, right?"
Koenma says "Indeed." I turn to Hiei and study his complexion. No response. Very well.
Kuwabara asks "What does Shirō Toguro have to do with Unit 731?" Koenma switches the screen to show Elder Toguro dressed in an Imperial Japanese Infantry uniform. Yusuke suddenly blurts out "Wait, Shirō Toguro fought in World War II?" Koenma quickly answers "No, Shirō Toguro hacked an infantry soldier to death in Harbin, hid the soldier's corpse under a wooden floor in a brothel, and assumed the soldier's identity so as to 'enjoy' the experiments in person. He even openly recommended experiments to the 'science teams' for his own amusement and pleasure. From our reports, Shirō Toguro regarded those years as 'the most fun he has ever had'." "That is fucking sick," Yusuke proclaims and condemns, and I concur. Shirō Toguro is indeed a vile psychopath.
Koenma adds "Toguro and Yuji came in contact during the experiments, and in that time, they learned of each other's psychic abilities. Shirō Toguro courted Nobuhide Yuji for the Apparition Gang, ultimately succeeding when the Soviet Army invaded Northern China and began to arrest as many Unit 731 members as it could capture. At that point, Shirō Toguro already became the shapeshifting demon he is known as today. Nobuhide Yuji quickly settled into his role as someone the Toguro brothers could rely on to extract information or inflict severe physical and psychological torture."
Hiei suddenly speaks out "All this information gives us nothing, Koenma. Is there anything on his location, potential safe houses, places he could have taken my sister?" I turn around to see Koenma nod. He says "Was just about to get to that. Here, watch."
The television set switches to display a video feed of Shirō Toguro entering the front of a large truck with whom appears to be Nobuhide Yuji. The two appear to be at a dockyard…I see Mirko Karapandža speaking inaudibly to Mithradata. I see a cluster of white harbor hubs, yellow shipping cranes, rolling hills lush with trees. Kuwabara asks "Where is this?" Koenma replies "Nakhodka, Russia, several dozen miles east of Vladivostok. Truck is associated with an abandoned sanitarium in the outskirts of the city, long suspected as Mr. Yuji's torture den."
"Have you tracked Toguro and the truck?" Hiei asks. I turn to see Koenma frown and say "The three split up at Nakhodka, seems they escaped Tokyo by ship. Zinaida likely was taken around the same time as the assault on the warehouse, perhaps shortly prior. We had someone from Spirit World track the ship from afar, but when they went their separated ways…we were forced to make a judgment call."
"You let Shirō Toguro…" Hiei mutters with a gallon of venom in his words. Koenma defensively replies "We had a slight idea of where Shirō Toguro would be, Southeastern Russia! Mithradata openly told Yusuke to meet him in the ruins of Persepolis, so we defaulted to tracking Mirko Karapandža! Look, I stand behind my decision, it was the best one available." Hiei mutters "Useless…"
I break the tension "Two likely locations for where Mirko Karapandža took Zinaida. Giurgiu, Romania or Târgoviște, Romania. Likely Giurgiu, that is near the site of Vladislav the Third's death." "What?!" Hiei, Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Botan all ask almost simultaneously.
Hiei follows up first "Are you telling me that you knew information about these men and you withheld it from us?" Kuwabara concurs "Seriously, Kurama, what is going on?" Yusuke asks "Who the hell is Vladislav? Romania? What's going on, Kurama?" Botan's confused face slowly morphs into shock as she mutters "Vladislav the Third… Târgoviște…oh…Oh My God!"
My time has come. My confession draws near. Centuries of regret, about to be displayed to my closest confidents, my friends…my family…my brothers and sister in arms.
The judgment of Yoko Kurama, also known as Zbigniew Lis…and Shuichi Minamino, will soon commence.
Koenma speaks out "Kurama is referring to his hundred odd years as a mercenary, knight, and a nobleman in Eastern Europe."
!
Koenma…knew…?
"You knew?!" I speak out, shocked, just as shocked as Yusuke and Kuwabara appear. Hiei simply glares at me with suspicion, likely angered that my inaction may have put Yukina in jeopardy. Ever more to add to my burdened conscience.
Koenma responds with a tone of slight offense "Of course I knew. I knew since the Sensui incident, when I requested a documentation of notorious human psychics of history's past." "And you said nothing, why?" I ask. I feel as if I have been played the fool all this time. My heart weighs heavily as my thoughts drift to the others…I fear their reactions.
What will the others think of me when they learn of the horrors I committed? What…no…no…I will divulge everything…today. No later. Now.
Koenma answers my question "Because it is your prerogative if you want to speak on that matter or not. When the Gates of Judgment welcome you as a spirit, then we will speak again of this matter."
Yusuke and Kuwabara raise eyebrows as Hiei simply glares at me. Botan glares as well, except she seems to inch away from me. Botan…
Kuwabara asks "You were a European knight? Like with armor and a steel sword?" I sigh and say "Yes." Yusuke's face evolves to an amused smile as he asks "So you were some kind of baron or prince in Romania? No way…" I frown and painfully say "A boyar…a nobleman…yes. I was regarded as a lord." Kuwabara smiles, as if my backstory has eased his fears concerning Yukina. He asks "Did you like…fight with a lance and stuff? Did you see the king?"
I fight back tears. My hands clench my knees. I sigh again.
I answer "Yes and yes. Prior to pledging fealty to my king…my voivode, warlord as known in our language…I jousted professionally. Tournaments. Mostly in modern day Poland, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine…fought as a mercenary for the Teutonic Order…a violent military and religious order that then warred with Poland over petty territorial disputes. Spoke Polish, Romanian, and Ruthenian fluently, still speak Russian fluently."
"You jousted?! Like with horses and lances?! No way!" Kuwabara asks, as if I am fulfilling some childhood fantasy of his. I answer "Yes…I jousted. I was very good at it, and made a significant amount of money doing so." Yusuke laughs and asks "And what did you spend all that money on, Ser Kurama?" "Ser Zbigniew Lis, that is what they called me," I answer, hoping to deflect the question…no, this is cowardly of myself.
Yusuke presses on "Alright Ser…Kurama…I ain't pronouncing that. What you spent it all on?" I resist tearing once again. I slowly, painfully say "I…spent the money…on…well…whores." Yusuke and Kuwabara start clapping and laughing to themselves as Hiei's cold stare shifts into a bemused smirk. Botan continues to stare at me with a disgusted look…she understands the implications.
Koenma suddenly interrupts "What Kurama meant to say, is that he spent his gold on sex slaves that he later raped." Kuwabara's and Yusuke's laughter immediately ceases, Hiei's smirk morphs into a blank facial expression. Koenma continues "Those 'whores' were men and women brought in to Eastern Europe by Ottoman and Italian slavers." Hiei suddenly asks with a disgusted tone "Men and women? Both?!" "Would it have been more sanitized if I chose one or the other?!" I yell. Of all the things he judged me on, he chose that…Hiei…
Hiei and Kuwabara start to inch away, out of reflex I hope…this is ridiculous. Yusuke asks "Did you…"
!
I scream "NO! NO! A THOUSAND TIMES NO! I would never think of any of you three in that matter! For a Kitsune to pursue a sexual attraction with a close friend, that is akin to incest! And no, I never harbored any such feelings for any of you three!" Yusuke frowns as if I somehow disappointed him, mockingly asking "…really? You sure?" I seethe and yell "Yes! I am sure! I just confessed my sins and yet my sexual preferences are what is being scrutinized! If this is what humanity is today, then the humanity of my past has not drifted that far away from the humanity of the present!" Kuwabara laughs and says "We know Koenma is bullshitting with that…that…there is no way…"
I feel a dagger cut my stomach. A tear falls on my right palm, another on my clothed chest. The dam is damaged, a leak sprouted.
"Oh my God…" Kuwabara mutters as Yusuke's amusement fades away like the retreating tide.
I turn to Koenma, who motions me to continue. I wipe the small welling of tears from my eyes, the pangs of guilt sieging my body. I say "Yes…the…men and women…I did as Koenma said." "And what did you do during the Battle of Koronowo?" Koenma asks, knowing the answer. The four all stare at me. Scanning me. Now beginning to comprehend the monster that I was…that I am.
I answer "I...my first military battle between two sovereign nations. The battle was a defeat, the Poles drove the Order into retreat. Myself and a dozen Silesian hedge knights, hired by the Order…we stopped by a village…no more than thirty inhabitants…Polish population. There was a boy, no older then thirteen…" "What the fuck…Kurama…" Yusuke mutters as Kuwabara says "That…that is sick…" I shake my head and clarify "No…I did not…I actually stopped the hedge knights from doing what you thought I did. I took the boy, Arkadiusz, as a squire." "And the rest of the village?!" Botan yells, accusing.
I frown and say "I did nothing." "What do you mean you did nothing?!" Botan yells.
"Christ will protect me! Christ will protect me! Christ will protect me!" the blacksmith prays, kneeling over the girl, girl no older than ten. Clothes torn…unconscious…possibly dead from blood loss, her thighs soaked in blood…her eyes rolled back, mouth frothing. Conrad puts his dagger to the man's crotch, whispering "I came here for a show, I expect a show. Do it, or I will have my friends here break your arms and force feed her to you ourselves, after I force feed you your manhood."
I answer, remorseful, my tone cold "I did nothing…while the other hedge knights burned the village to the ground…raped every woman and some of the men…I…I watched them force a man to…eat his own daughter…on pain of castration…he was beheaded afterwards. I…I…"
"That…shit man…" Kuwabara mutters in shock, his face matched by Yusuke. Hiei continues to glare blankly and Botan continues to glare in disgust.
And I have yet to even speak of the evil I wrought in the Balkans.
Koenma commands "You have started. Continue."
I reach into my wallet and open it. I retrieve my one hour, forty-three minutes, and twelve seconds. I say "This is a portion of the Chapter Black video tape." Koenma says "So that's what happened to it." Yusuke mutters "You can't be serious…" I barely catch Hiei glancing at Koenma, who glances back. Hiei smirks and then speaks out "Never thought the fox would star in humanity's greatest hits collection." I say, rubbing my forehead, feeling a sickness in my belly "Hiei…there is nothing amusing about this. Nothing at all."
I offer the section of film to Koenma and say "It would be less biased if they all witnessed what I done themselves." My voice has become that of a skeleton, a shell. I feel the color fading from my flesh.
I do not know where the tape was inserted, but the television screen shifts. Fuzz…fuzz takes form. I say "Pause." Koenma pauses the television. "Well?" Yusuke asks.
I speak "The following is one hour, forty-three minutes, and twelve seconds of the rise and fall of Vladislav the Impaler, the warlord of Wallachia and Dobruja, and the seven knights, boyars, and…allies…that he entrusted with his life. The circumstances that led to all of this began when the Ottoman Turks encroached on the modern day city of Istanbul, the jewel of the Byzantines. The Balkans were next should Istanbul, then called Konstantinoupolis, would fall. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Hungary dominated Wallachian politics. Warlords were left to choose between two domineering threats. Vladislav's father chose the Ottomans. Vladislav the Impaler, older brother of Radu, known as Radu the Handsome, was held as a hostage by the Ottoman Sultanate, along with Radu, to ensure Wallachia's continued tribute. Radu was beloved by his Turkish captors and was rewarded in kind. Vladislav was despised and tortured relentlessly, sprouting a rage that only was extinguished with his death. Vlad's father, Vlad the second of the house of Drăculești, was assassinated by Wallachian nobles…known as boyars…some time afterwards. Vladislav the Impaler's older brother Mircea had his eyes burnt out and was buried alive by the same nobles. The throne was seized by Vladislav the second of the house of Dănești."
I lick my lips and continue "Konstantinoupolis fell. Albania, Serbia, and Bulgaria were already conquered in advance. The Ottomans invaded the Balkans…Bosnia was poised to fall next. Vladislav the third was ultimately released from captivity, courted as the next warlord of Wallachia, Radu remained with the Turks, willingly. Vladislav the third quickly disconnected from the Ottomans and was given small patches of his assassinated father's land in Transylvania, and became a ward under the watch of a Hungarian general named John Hunyadi, whom also reigned as the warlord of Transylvania. The King of Hungary, Ladislaus the fifth, a Hasburg, sent John Hunyadi to reconquer Serbia in the name of the Catholic church. Hunyadi gave his blessing to Vladislav the third to revolt against the Dănești voivode, opposing the Dăneștis' pro-Ottoman policy. The two prepared their simultaneous wars. Vladislav the Impaler then sought out warriors for his cause."
"And that's when you joined?" Kuwabara asks. I nod and solemnly say "Indeed. Three Romanian knights served in Vladislav the third's retinue from the very beginning. Ser Ioan and Ser Şerban, second cousins of the Impaler, both of the house of Drăculești. Ser Petru of the house of Mușat, a then relatively young Moldavian royal house. A black sheep of the Moldavian family, whom sought his fortune elsewhere, and found it in Wallachia. Ser Stracimir and Ser Tihomir, two royal Serbians whose father fled to Hungary following the Battle of Kosovo and the collapse of the Serbian Kingdom. The two brothers were regarded as the last of the house of Dragaš, the old ruling family of Serbia. They joined Vladislav the third of House of Drăculești in the years following the latter's wardship under Hunyadi. Lastly…two hedge knights, one from Poland, the other from Croatia. Four years prior, they jousted at a tournament in Western Ukraine, in Lvóv. The two unhorsed each other simultaneously and shortly afterwards formed a…kinship…" a horrible taste wells in my mouth…"is not the correct word, something more formal then a kinship. When whispers in the wind spoke of a plot to put Vladislav the third on the throne of Wallachia, those two knights immediately pledged fealty and offered their swords to the future warlord, in hopes of being rewarded for their service. The tape initiates with Vladislav the third already claiming the throne, having placed a dagger in Vlad the second's neck, his revolt a success. In Belgrade, John Hunyadi defeated the Turks, but later died of the plague."
What kind of kinship can exist when forged from the murder of thousands at the icy touch of an impaling spear? Answer me!
"And that knight from this land called Poland…" Hiei mutters "that was you?" I nod "Correct." Yusuke asks "And this knight from Croatia?" I frown and say "Mirko Karapandža." "What the hell did you do to this guy? What the hell did you do in general?" Kuwabara asks, still stunned. I reply "Watch and judge for yourself."
The tape rolls on. The first scene.
The Easter feast.
"There's Kurama…decked out in some armor. Looking sharp there, fox boy," Yusuke speaks out. Sigh. I am seated to the right of the young warlord Vladislav the third, Mirko seated to the left of the warlord. To my right, Petru, then Tihomir, then Stracimir. To Mirko's left, Şerban, then Ioan. All seven of us wearing lamellar armor, only our heads and our hands bare so as to feast and pay respect. A fact that I recall left many boyars uneasy. Vladislav himself only just begun to grow his thick black moustache, still a thin strap of hair.
Koenma speaks out "The television automatically translates to a preset language. In this case, for your convenience, Japanese." "Alright," Kuwabara mutters, as I feel a chill take over the room. The Easter feast. It is coming back to me now. Oh dear.
Our 'gracious' voivode Vladislav rises from his seat, golden chalice bespecked with rubies in hand. He sips from the chalice of red wine and nods at the applauding boyars and their families, the lot of them seated on two separate long tables stretching as far as the eye could see. Us eight, the seven royal guardsmen, and the warlord himself, we are seated on an elevated table, facing the rabble in highborn cloth.
I look down at my dinner for this lovely evening. A pink salad of carp roe drenched in oil and bespecked in steamed onions, assorted bread rolls and plates of brynza cheese to spread on the rolls, and a roasted duck stuffed with wild mushrooms, rice, and orange slices. My stomach pangs for food, Vladislav tends to frown if food is left on the table, considers it an insult to his hospitality. As he has promised to reward me with land and title, I believe it best not to test his temper. As such, I fasted for the day.
I reach for my silver chalice, let my lips wet themselves on the red, an imported Venetian vintage. Mirko prepares to rise, Vladislav motions for him to remain seated. As such, I do not stir. And instead, I await my 'liege's' words.
He speaks, his voice nasally, his tone deliberate "We have been gathered today, to celebrate the resurrection of our great Lord Jesus Christ, and also, perchance, celebrate the resurrection of the rightful dominion of House Drăculești." An elderly boyar yells out "Hail the true voivode! Hail Vladislav the third!" The hall erupts in sycophantic cheer "HAIL VLADISLAV! HAIL VLADISLAV!"
The boyars and the other highborn stomp their cups against their spots on the table, as if to display the extent of their support, or perhaps to cow the young voivode and make clear that they grossly outnumber him. Difficult to tell with this lot of bastards.
Vladislav motions all to quiet down. He sips from the chalice and speaks "Eight years. Eight years since I had my seat ripped out of my grasp by Turkish hands. Eight years of Dănești yoke, poisoning this beautiful kingdom. Come to think of it…eight years, quite a short reign. The eight year warlord."
The hall erupts in laughter, everyone chanting "THE EIGHT YEAR WARLORD! THE EIGHT YEAR WARLORD!"
Vladislav the third smirks and scans his audience. He speaks "Come to think of it, my father's second reign lasted only four years…and the one before only eight as well." And suddenly the sycophants all lost their tongues.
He suddenly asks "Boyars and merchants, you alone, not your families, answer me…who here has lived through the entirety of my Dănești predecessor's reign." They all remain silent. "Answer me..." Vladislav speaks with serpentine venom "your…voivode…commands you." They all murmur 'Aye'. Vladislav yells "Speak up! This is a celebration!" "Aye!" every boyar and merchant yells, and every boyar and merchant fidgets in his or her seat.
Vladislav continues "All of you. Indeed. And my first reign? My month long reign?" "Aye," they all solemnly say. "And Vladislav the second of the Dănești, his first reign?" "Aye." "And my father's second reign?" "Aye." No one has shouted nay yet, for a naked lie will result in a flayed boyar.
"And Basarab the second? And Mircea the second?" Going back only fourteen years. They all say "Aye." "And my father's first reign?" "Aye," they all say. "And Alexandru Aldea?" I overhear a few nays. Vladislav laughs and speaks "Twenty years. Seven reigns in twenty years, and you lot survived us all! I find this most amusing…let us continue. Those that would say nay, remain silent. Now, let us proceed with this amusing game. Dan the second? His fifth reign." "Aye," the highborn speak with fear in their voices, the 'ayes' almost as prominent as when this game started. "Radu the second, his fourth reign?" "Aye," the ayes slightly decrease.
Vladislav laughs and speaks "For the sake of brevity, let us skip the swapping of thrones between Radu and Dan. I ask now, Radu the second, his first reign." Half the hall says aye. Thirty-five years, more than a dozen reigns, and half of this sycophantic lot of sunken cunts survived them all. Amazing. Vladislav continues "Dan the second, his first reign." For the first time, it seemed as if less than half of the hall spoke 'Aye.'
"Mihail the first!" Roughly a dozen say 'Aye'. "Mircea the first! His second reign!" three elderly boyars say aye, their faces as white as their beards. "The entire reign?!" Vladislav asks, sounding very surprised that there are men in his court that survived fifty-nine years of assassinations, courtroom intrigue, and voivodes dropping like flies.
"Aye," two boyars speak, one standing corrected.
Vladislav proceeds to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. His laughter so infectious, we of the seven start to laugh in turn. He turns to us seven and nods in approval. The entire hall starts to laugh, nervous laughter in their case. Vladislav continues to laugh as well, his laughter turning a menacing note. He motions the lot to cease their laughter, and continues "Twenty years, seven reigns, and every single highborn of boyar or merchant status survived them all. So many reigns, and you lot survived them all. So many princes, so many voivodes, and you lot survived them all!"
A middle aged boyar, thick and black of beard, rises up and shouts "My lord, your grace. I humbly ask for what the meaning of this is." Vladislav whistles, and his men descend from the shadows, restraining the hundred of boyars and the hundreds of family members of said boyars. Women shriek, men draw swords, I watch a few boyars cut through the navel, through the spine, but the majority surrender when they realize their wives and children and grandchildren are held at the edge of a sword.
Vladislav shouts "You all survived while royal blood wetted Wallachian soil! Perhaps you lot are the curse, the devils that crucified our lord and plunged the hot poker of Dănești…oh I meant the spear of Longinus…into his chest! Guard, separate my usurping voivode's family from the rest of the lot! Keep them here! Send the rest to the dungeons! Let them celebrate our Lord's resurrection like the swine they are!"
My voivode turns around and says "Tihomir, Stracimir, Zbigniew, Mirko, Petru, Şerban, Ioan, be my guest!" The seven of us stand up, as we size up Vladislav the second's immediate family…his wife, his sister, his eldest son, his middle son, his youngest son, his daughter, his favorite niece, his two grandsons and his two granddaughters. The bulk of the guard has now taken the bulk of the highborn out of the dining hall, likely wondering how they would fit all those pompous sycophants in the few empty cellars we have left.
My voivode yells "Guard, separate the grandchildren from the rest!" The women shriek and the youngest son shrieks, the grandchildren cry. Vlad the second's wife yells "You cannot do this, we are kin! We are Basarabs! We are of the same blood!" Vladislav laughs and speaks "Ahh, it's the ones closest to our blood that seems so keen to spill it. SPEARS!"
Seven slightly sharp and freshly oiled spears arrive, brought by the guards. Seems my voivode planned this well in advance. The spears are arranged horizontally along the right dining table. The sister yells "You can't! No…no, you can't! God will punish you for this! You can't! YOU CAN'T!" The eldest and middle sons remain silent, pale of face. The eldest suddenly yells "Please my Lord! Forgive us! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I beg your forgiveness. I will renounce my name, renounce my title, spit on my father's grave! He was an usurper indeed!" "Die with honor you fucking coward," the middle son swears.
My voivode ignores the Dănești and speaks "My royal guard, pick one for yourselves. Tonight, we shall dine with entertainment!" Mirko immediately claims the eldest son, he always loved torturing the fearful. As for myself, the niece seems silent enough, does not matter to me. She will do.
Two guards each restrain one of the seven condemned Dănești, as the grandchildren watch and plead for us to stop. I grasp the shaft of the spear with my right hand. Earsplitting screams penetrate my brain.
"That…holy fucking shit…" Yusuke mutters as Kuwabara glares on with a ghost white look on his face, Hiei with a blank look on his face, and Botan glaring at myself with a violently scornful look on her face.
"What…the hell did you do? Oh God…" Kuwabara asks. I answer, tears rolling down my cheek, my hands in my hair "Freshly oiled spear…inserted through the anus…until it exits out the neck…or the shoulder blade. Spearhead intentionally dulled…so as to not kill immediately. Four inches through…then the spear is set vertically…the victim's weight forces them down."
Botan speaks "That girl…that niece of the dead king…she could not have been more than twelve…how could you do such a thing? HOW YOU COULD CALL YOURSELF A DECENT HUMAN BEING AND DO SUCH A THING?!"
The dam collapses, I burst into tears, my face running red. I feel a pat on my right shoulder…I do not deserve this.
It was Yusuke. He says nothing, just stares at me…a shocked look on his face. Hiei asks "Interesting…how long does impalement last?" "INTERESTING?!" Botan yells in shock. I answer, slowly "It…can last for days." Kuwabara asks "How long did it last for them?" I cry through my tears "Days!"
I compose myself and continue "We…feasted to the sound of their screams, the smell of their bowels collapsing. The next day…everyone above the age of twenty-five, boyars, merchants, and their families, were impaled in the same manner, all along the walls of Târgoviște." Yusuke asks "What happened to the rest?" I say through my pain "The rest were enslaved and sent to rebuild one of the Impaler's castles by the Argeș River. There…they worked until they dropped dead or until they bashed their skulls against stonework to end their own suffering."
"Shit…" Kuwabara swears. Koenma says "There is more on this."
The television set continues its footage. The dining hall again…three days afterwards…when the eldest son, the last of the seven, finally departed from the Human World.
Vladislav, standing by the eldest son's impaled corpse, laughs and bites into an oiled pork chop. Swallowing it, he shouts "Vlad the Dănești, the man that murdered my father, buried my favorite brother alive…they are smiling from above now. They are smiling at what has become of your House! You are dead, your wife's impaled, your sister's impaled, your sons are impaled, your daughter's impaled, your lovely niece's impaled, your grandchildren will lay the stonework of my new castle until they die of the starvation…and now I rule Wallachia. Mirko…Zbigniew…or should I say Yoko Kurama? Bizarre moniker, might I say." I kneel alongside Mirko and say "Yoko Kurama, your grace, is a personal name of mine…if it pleases you I am still Zbigniew Lis." Vladislav laughs and says "Nonsense…'Yoko Kurama.' As far as I see, I considered you, and Mirko, as brothers in arms to me, and instrumental in the ushering of my new reign. I find it only fitting to reward you two for what you done for me."
"Oh thank you, your grace," Mirko says, his head bowed at Vladislav's feet. Vladislav says "For your service and your loyalty, and your wise council, Mirko of House Karapandža, I grant you Bran Castle and its associated lands, and name you captain of my royal guard." "Thank you, your grace," Mirko says, his smile beaming. Vladislav turns to me and says "And for you, Yoko Kurama, Zbigniew of House Lis, I grant you the Lordship of Giurgiu Redoubt and the position of Vice-Captain of my royal guard." I nod and say "Thank you."
Vladislav reaches for a jug of wine and pours three silver chalices until they brim full. He motions us two to rise and take one each. Cradling the chalice in my right hand, I listen as Vladislav proclaims mockingly "To the House of Dănești!" Mirko smiles and replies "Forever the spear swallowers." I nearly choke on my wine as my voivode chuckles in amusement.
Hiei chuckles with Vladislav and my past self on the television screen. I sigh heavily and say "I was granted a fortress to serve as my badge of office, and shortly afterwards offered the hand of the Lord of Giurgiu's younger daughter, Alexandra. Her older sister, Bogdana, remained heir of Giurgiu. Later, you will understand why I explained this."
The five of us proceed to watch Vladislav's reign of terror, with myself appearing every second or third scene, regurgitating another suppressed memory that now haunts me once more.
"That's…that's fucking evil man..." Yusuke mutters as we watch Mirko impale a pregnant Wallachian though the belly…her only crime…being the wife of a merchant Vladislav deemed worthy of execution. Occasionally, I hear Botan shout condemnations. Hiei barely stirs, perhaps amused that humanity could cause so much destruction to its own self, perhaps amused that I am playing a significant role in that destruction. Kuwabara glares on in shock…and Yusuke…
Yusuke. He places his hand on my shoulder as I tear in disgust of the monster I was. Of the monster I am. Yusuke…
We watch a woman being skinned and her genitalia…removed…for 'immodesty'…Mirko, Şerban, and myself…assisting. I grit my teeth and mutter "I think…she was executed for wearing ragged clothing with holes in them…the holes caused from age and poverty. Vladislav the third followed insanely puritanical beliefs concerning women, concerning every facet of life for that matter. Or perhaps his 'beliefs' were an excuse…Mirko always took…pleasure…in these vile executions. Would dine with Vladislav and the other boyars while…these executions would unfold…"
"Worse than Toguro…" Kuwabara mutters. Worse…who…Mirko…Vladislav…
Kuwabara glares at me…his eyes…fear…disgust…Kuwabara…Kazuma…oh dear. Dear oh dear.
My body shakes, my hands shake, my breathing hyper ventilates. I suddenly feel Yusuke's hand on my shoulder. Why…why did…I ever…even demons understand compassion…why…how could I…
I burst into tears again. What have I done…what have I…
The weight of my sins finally bears down…and I feel my body crushing.
Ever since…ever since the day Shiori taught me what love and compassion is…ever since…everything. Kuronue…Yomi…Gandara…Mirko…Vladislav…Romania…Arkadiusz…Poland…
What in God's name have I done?
"I'm sorry…I'm deeply, deeply sorry…" I sob through my hands. Yusuke's hand on my shoulder, silence…nothing…without condoning or condemning…silence.
Yusuke…
I turn to Kazuma, who simply looks at me with a blank look on his face. Hiei does the same. Botan slams her right fist down on her right thigh and yells "Tell that to the dozens…hundreds…how many did you even kill?! Do you even know?!" "I…I…" I struggle to say.
Koenma speaks "Two thousand, two hundred, and seventy-three. Excluding soldiers killed in open warfare, including those whose executions you ordered." Two thousand…two hundred…seventy-three. "You had two thousand, two hundred, and seventy-three people killed…like that…? What the hell did they ever do to you?!" Kuwabara yells.
I cannot speak…another wail of tears. I hear Yusuke mutter "Kuwabara…shut up." Koenma suddenly speaks "Of the number I given, the vast majority were Turkish soldiers captured as prisoners of war…according to my dossier on you and Mirko…yes, one thousand, nine hundred, and forty three of the executed or murdered were Turkish warriors." "And the rest?!" Botan yells, on the verge of joining me in tears, for completely different reasons. Koenma answers "Wallachian and Bulgarian citizenry mostly…"
"More than three hundred unarmed people…" Kuwabara mutters…as my hands shake once more.
I speak "We…were on orders…to purge the old boyar nobility…at the root." The screen now shows myself proceeding over the blinding and prolonged disemboweling of a...Wallachian male. Young…may have just reached his twentieth birth date.
"What did he do?" Kuwabara asks. I…I…I remember.
"He…his crime was fabricated. I…I would occasionally…have traveling merchants…or peasantry arrested, charge them with crimes they…did not commit…espionage was a common charge. I would modestly bribe others to vouch for their…guilt…and after execution…I would seize their property to fill my treasury…" I mutter…shocked and disgusted at myself. At what I done…my…greed.
Hiei glares at me, his blank face turning slightly scornful…matching Kuwabara's.
Another thirty-five minutes of reliving the nightmare of my past. Nearing the end…the end.
Bogdana…her room in the Giurgiu magistrate keep. Tower…far above the wall…I scaled it in…fox form. Shifted back to Yoko Kurama, at the window.
"The fourteen year old girl inside…is Bogdana…the older sister of my bride to be."
"Fourteen…" Yusuke mutters. I frown and say "People in that era considered those aged eleven to already be adults. Average lifespan was barely past thirty…"
Botan yells "Did you drive a spear through her shoulder blade too?!" "No…" I mutter. "No…" my thoughts drift to that day. I close my eyes…I do not need the tape to remind me.
I crawl through the keep window, brushing the silken covers aside. I am clothed only with my long white hair, the moonlight on my naked back. She stirs and smiles, reclining back in her bed, as if she just wished for my arrival mere seconds ago. I smile back and approach, whispering "Close your eyes little dove…" She obliges, a broad smile on her face. I climb onto the bed, letting my hands travel to her neck…"
I hear gasps…shudders.
Kuwabara mutters "You…you strangled her…why…why the hell did you do that?" I remember her face turning red, then purple…then white as death…frothing at her mouth…
I say "Her…younger sister…Alexandra, I was betrothed to her…it was on Mirko's suggestion…his idea…Vladislav the Impaler seldom had an idea that Mirko did not whisper into his ears. The arrangement of spears…upside down impalement, impaling the pregnant through the womb…all his idea. And so was his idea for me to…oh…oh dear…" I cry yet again, ashamed at myself…at my past. Yusuke mutters "You killed her to get her father's land…" "Yes…yes…my Lordship of Giurgiu…the very inheritance stained in the blood of a little girl…"
Botan speaks "You are an absolute monster, Kurama…a vile, disgusting monster. You should have died at Karasu's hand all those years ago!" Oh...oh…Botan…
I hear Yusuke yell at the top of his voice "BOTAN SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I never recalled Yusuke speaking in such a manner to Botan…I look at her face…she seems completely taken aback. She yells "YUSUKE, IF YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO DEFEND KURAMA FOR THIS THEN YOUR SOUL IS JUST AS FOUL AS HIS!" She glares at us both with scorn…silent, hellfire scorn.
Hiei simply smirks and says "It seems the fox is no different than the typical ilk I grew up with…after all. And here I thought you regarded yourself above us…what is the word…uncivilized demons." Kuwabara mutters "There ain't anything civilized about this shit…Kurama…"
I heave a sigh…the only glimmer of reprieve is that the worst of my sins have been shown. The rest…Vladislav's war with the Sultanate…the forest of impaled Turkish warriors…our night attack on the substantial Turkish army…our ultimate retreat and escape from Wallachia…Vladislav's arrest by Matthias the first, Hunyadi's son and King of Hungary…his gentle detainment…Mirko offering him small animals to torture during his arrest…our lobbying of his release...Stephen of House Báthory, the new warlord of Transylvania, supporting Vladislav's reconquest of Wallachia, Vladislav's third reign…the Transylvanian retreat from Wallachia…the opportunistic Ottoman reinvasion…the ambush…the end.
We watched up to the point of the ambush of the Ottomans, I occasionally speaking of Mirko's tactics, Mirko's psychic abilities…courtroom politics. I feel that, aside from possibly Hiei, the rest have become relieved that they no longer see my past-self impaling peasants, merchants, and prisoners of war.
I hear Botan mutter "When Seaman spoke of horsemen trampling villages and singing war songs, I'd have never thought that horseman to be you…you brutal disgusting creature…look back at them! All of them! Their blood is on your hands!"
I speak…meekly, feebly, my eyes sore from my tears, my cheeks damp, my breathing labored "I…would say that I remember every one of their faces…but that is a lie…a bold faced lie that I cannot dare myself to speak. I…struggle to even remember all…I…have carried this in my heart for decades…imagine. Botan, Kuwabara…everyone. Imagine yourself in my position, devoid of emotion, of understanding…imagine you were the horseman because being the horseman is the only path you knew! Imagine that one day…centuries later…you discover such emotions…love…compassion…family…and your entire life has been a vile disgusting nightmare…a cheap thrill that now sickens your very core…a wild mushroom sweet to the taste…that centuries later churns your insides to a pulpy mass! I have waited years to finally confess this…since I was a little boy…since Shiori cut her own flesh to save me from broken glass…a nagging scratching pain in the back of my mind, whispering in my head that I am living a lie…that I am the devil in disguise!"
Botan yells "Well clearly the evidence supports that!" Yusuke climbs from his seat and scornfully speaks "Botan…please…let him finish…"
I sigh and look down, saying "Thank you Yusuke…I do not deserve your support…but thank you." Before anyone could say any more, I speak "Eight years prior…a year and a change after the second Makai tournament…I received a message wrapped around a dead crow…carried by a demon messenger. I…was…not gentle to the messenger…but he spoke nothing." "I still don't see why Mirko got it out for you. I mean, you both did some seriously fucked up things, but not to each other…" Kuwabara asks. I frown and say "He holds me responsible, by some twisted logic, for what happened at the end…which we are approaching soon. The Turkish ambush…in the forest between Giurgiu and what was then the town of Bucharest. They outnumbered us twenty to one and still were terrified to face us in open combat…you will see."
Hiei yells "You knew about this threat for eight years and you did not say anything?!" I say "I planned to leave the rest of you out of it, for your own safety. This was my crime…I did not want anyone to suffer for it." Hiei replies "Well congratulations Kurama, your plan failed. And now my sister is being held by a shapeshifting psychopath that now knows the fundamentals of impalement and medieval human torture. And now we are not even quite sure where she may exactly be. Well done, Kurama, I applaud your foresight." His tone venomous and biting, his words sharp as daggers twisting into my chest.
I say "Koenma, you may resume."
And we resumed. And we saw.
We saw them all, the five knights and the warlord, fall one by one. Ioan first…then Stracimir, then Tihomir…Şerban's suicidal berserker charge, and then Vladislav himself…killed by an arrow through the neck…the source of which remains a mystery to this day. I immediately fled afterwards on horseback, hacking away at a unit of sipahis during my escape, I later realized that Petru was following me in my rout. His fall…Mirko's disappearance. Vladislav's corpse being decapitated, as if to ensure he remains dead…and the film concludes.
I rode…as far away from that battle, that vile pit of hell, I rode as far as I could…all the way to Gandara…never to return to Human World again until that fateful day that I was cornered by Spirit World's SDF.
It has concluded…my confession has been made. Now I await the judgment from my friends…I already know Botan's response. Forgive me…forgive me most dearly…for I cannot forgive myself.
"And so it ended," I mutter, the last of my tears dropping on the floor. My eyes have gone dry…my voice hoarse…I turn to Yusuke.
He puts his left hand on my shoulder, stares blankly. "I'm not going to say anything," he says…his tone neither scornful nor approving. Yusuke…
I turn to Kuwabara. He speaks "I ain't gonna lie…that was a side of you I never expected to see. I should have known though…bit naïve maybe…always thought of knights and samurais as these heroes following rules…men of honor, chivalry. And all that talk about you being a bandit in Demon World…well, I never really thought much of it. And you...I know you are a scary guy and you could be vicious to those that fuck with us…but that…all those people who did nothing…I did not expect that. Sorry man, I don't know what to say." Kazuma…
I turn to Hiei and Botan. Botan simply shakes her head, refusing to say anything, as if my gaze repulses her. I turn to Hiei…his face blank…a slight frown at the corners of his mouth…as he was when Kuwabara told Hiei he would 'sleep on' Hiei's remark.
His mouth stirs, I await his response. Amusement, smug vindications? Just say it.
"I should have slit your throat when I first met you," he hisses.
I am taken aback…why? Why would he care? Why would he judge? A rage fills inside me…a cold rage…"Hiei…you lived your entire life pillaging on the outskirts of Tourin and Alaric…by what right do you, YOU, of all people, have to judge me? You spoke of my past crimes as if it was an amusing game to you…why now? Why?! Why does the Jaganshi judge the Kitsune?!"
Hiei grits his teeth and speaks "I refused to believe it…I justified it every step of the way but it is all clear to me now. You are a traitorous leech…you have been your entire life. Mirko, Yomi, Kuronue, myself, Yomi again! You betrayed every single person you partnered with!"
I stand up, defiant. I am many things but I am not a traitor. I am not a traitor. "I am not a traitor! I never betrayed you, I disassociated from you and then aided Yusuke after the fact! I had Yomi's assassination ordered for the sake of my own men that he was killing with his reckless behavior! I…disassociated from Yomi following Raizen's death for the sake of realm…for the sake of Yusuke! And don't you dare speak of Kuronue! I made every effort to rescue him…the man BEGGED me to leave, BEGGED me to live…and I respect that man and his spirit and will continue to until the end of time. Don't you dare insult my honor!"
Hiei stands up, dwarfed by my height. He laughs and speaks "Insult your honor? It is quite difficult to insult something that does not exist!" "Hiei…" I speak coldly…more than a decade of our friendship flashing in front of my eyes. He continues "Justify Mirko! Justify this! The human is notoriously violent, I understand that, but he was to you as I was to you. Help me here, the lines of our…'friendship'…are becoming a little less clear now." "Was? Hiei…" "Justify it! My sister is held captive because of your actions centuries ago! And your inaction years ago! Justify it!" "The man is a vile, psychopathic monster…no different than Elder Toguro!" "And no different than yourself, it quite so seems, and yet here you are, a 'man of morals'." He proceeds to walk in circles around me, his hands in his cloak. The man has the nerve to say "Tell me…were the screams of these humans you impaled for a pinch of gold…were they on your mind when you abandoned your brother in arms to die? Or was it some other juvenile fantasy that you wished to pursue? Answer me, fox."
"Hiei…Hiei," I seethe, and then immediately gag on the aftertaste of hypocrisy. My anger dissipates, all I can do is stare at him, at the man I called my friend, my trusted ally, for so many years. He 'Hns' and moves to his seat. With a tone colder than the homeland of the Koorime, he speaks "As far as we are concerned, you are dead to me."
Yusuke yells "Hiei, don't you fucking say that!" Hiei stares blankly at Yusuke and casually speaks "Why not? It is the truth. Aren't we all confessing today?" Hiei…
I sit down, dead. A shell. A hollowed, broken shell, with a damned soul and a rotten corpse. I feel nothing.
Nothing.
A rise of bile touches my tongue. I lean forward and vomit all the remaining secrets I have.
After an hour of rest following my confession…and the cleanup of the mess I made, I find myself back in my original seat. Botan and Hiei both refuse to so much as look at me. Kuwabara wills himself to look and speak…but I can sense the discomfort in his tone.
Yusuke remains silent unless he deems it necessary. I bless you Yusuke…I do not deserve this gesture…but I bless you for it…for what good that may do.
Koenma speaks "Well, now that we are briefed on the backstory of Mirko and Toguro, I can conclude what we know. Mirko was seen carrying a large piece of luggage with him on the runway of Vladivostok International Airport. He snuck onto the luggage compartment of a Boeing 767 with the large trunk in hand…granted this was in the wee hours of the morning. Our tracker identified the plane and found its destination to be Bucharest, Romania, though Kurama already knows that."
I turn to Kuwabara and Hiei, the former grimacing and the latter staring into space. Yusuke asks "And Mithra-Mercury? What about him?" Koenma sighs and says "I recall you telling me that he asked you to meet him in the ruins of Persepolis." Yusuke nods and says "Yeah…where the hell is that? In Arabia?" "A little to the east. Southern Iran. The capital of the old Achaemenid Empire, a vast empire that stretched from Northern India to Greece to Egypt. And…that's all I know about him."
Yusuke bangs his fist on his chair and yells "You got to be freaking kidding me! You are the son of King Yama! How do you not know?!" Koenma glares annoyingly at Yusuke and says "This man predates my birth. That is saying something." Yusuke sighs and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and speaks "I need a smoke, my nerves are on the fritz and today has been way more bullshit then I expected to step in. Want one, Kuwabara?"
Suddenly, Jorge Saotome, from the far wall, forgotten for so long, speaks out "Wait, Mr. Urameshi…you can't smoke in here." Yusuke offers Kuwabara a cigarette and speaks "Why the hell not?" Jorge points at a spot high above Koenma's desk. The five of us, Yusuke, myself, Kazuma, Hiei, and Botan, look up and find a large 'No Smoking' sign with what appears to be a translation of the phrase in every single language known in the Human World. I have never noticed that sign in all the time I was here.
"You shitting me..." Yusuke mutters. Jorge beams and says "I personally lobbied for it myself. I worked so hard to rock the vote at our last collective bargaining session, and I'm proud of that sign." Kuwabara suddenly laughs and says "You guys are unionized?!"
Koenma sighs and says "Indeed, sadly. Twenty some odd years ago, the ogres had their most recent strike…the pile of paperwork I had to stamp once that was resolved, I still have nightmares of it." Yusuke starts to laugh, his laughter rejuvenating ever so slightly what little life I have left inside of me. Yusuke speaks "Spirit World is unionized, no wonder everything's so screwed up down below."
Koenma buries his head in his arms as Jorge says "But Yusuke! Think of the benefits! Free dental!" He smiles widely to show pristine white teeth. Kuwabara proceeds to chuckle slightly as Koenma tosses the dossier on Toguro at Jorge's head. Kuwabara pockets the cigarette and says "So, we at least have some idea of where the three assholes are. Mithradata in Persia, Mirko Karapandža in Romania, and Shirō Toguro somewhere in Southeastern Russia."
As soon as Kuwabara finishes his sentence, I sense a great power, spirit energy in fact. We all turn to the wall where Jorge Saotome is standing by.
It is him.
King Yama materializes through the wall, Jorge immediately falling to his knees and bowing in reverence. Botan shouts "Mighty King Yama sir!" She bows her head as Kuwabara mutters "So…you are King Yama." "Show some respect, Kuwabara!" Botan shouts, as Kuwabara suddenly fidgets in discomfort, smiling nervously.
Hiei simply glares at the King of Spirit World. I do the same.
Yusuke smirks and casually speaks "Hey King Yama, long time no see. Gotta say, I never got the chance to thank you for lifting that whole kill order on my head." "Yusuke!" Koenma shouts, and then blankly stares at his father…the Prince's confidence grown much in the past decade.
King Yama adjusts his eyeglasses and coldly says "If life is too dull, Yusuke Urameshi, I could accommodate you by reinstating the kill order." Botan glares nervously as Koenma joins Kuwabara in his fidgeting and nervous smiling. Yusuke simply snickers…the implications all too real. For several years, all four of us surpassed the King in spirit energy level. Even today, we are all likely equal. This makes the strength of our opponents, and the fact that all currently walk in Human World, all the more worrisome.
King Yama scans the room, silently suggesting that he acknowledges each and every one of us. He speaks "I listened closely to this briefing…these three threats. One name beckoned my attention. I know of this Mithradata."
"Hh!" We all mutter, our faces likely uniform in our shock. Yusuke asks "What do you mean you know Mithradata?" King Yama calmly answers "I resurrected him." "WHAT?!" we all shout in unison.
King Yama steps in front of the television screen, each step causing the ground under us to shake. He turns to us and speaks "Mithradata, in his first life, lived as a young warrior under the command of the Achaemenid king Artaxerxes the second. The Old Persian-speaking Achaemenid Empire endured two claimants to the Persian throne. One claimant, by their rights the true heir, was Artaxerxes the second. The other claimant was Artaxerxes' younger brother Prince Cyrus the Younger. The two claimants raised armies against each other and brother clashed with brother."
He pauses for a second, and then continues. "By the banks of the Euphrates River, two armies met bronze with bronze in turn. The battle raged on to a draw…however the war ended long before the warriors put down their spears. Cyrus charged his brother's personal guard, attempting to slay Artaxerxes then and there. A young peltast warrior, armed with javelins, threw one that punctured directly through Cyrus' nose, and thus fell the Younger. That warrior is Mithradata."
Yusuke prepares to say something. I place my right hand on his left shoulder, perhaps it is best to let King Yama speak at his own pace. He nods and remains silent. King Yama continues "Artaxerxes showered Mithradata with the finest garments in the Empire, the most brilliant gems, the most prized of wines, all Mithradata would ask for, Artaxerxes would provide. And immediately, then and there, Artaxerxes forced Mithradata to lie that Artaxerxes himself threw the javelin that slayed his younger brother, and that Mithradata simply unhorsed the claimant from his mare. And thus, Artaxerxes reinvented himself as a warrior of skill, and Mithradata became a celebrity within the Empire."
Another pause, and he continues "Mithradata himself was invited to a feast in Persepolis, surrounded by eunuchs that pledged loyalty to both Artaxerxes and Artaxerxes' mother, the latter in a rage that her youngest son was slain." Yusuke suddenly interrupts "Hold on…sorry." Botan and Koenma stare nervously at the detective. King Yama simply glares at him. Yusuke scratches the back of his head and asks "What's a eunuch?" King Yama sighs and speaks "A eunuch is a male that was cut, at least at the root, if not the root and stem together." Yusuke raises an eyebrow as Kuwabara suddenly groans and shifts his hands to his crotch, as if to ensure his roots and his stem have not been plucked. I speak "King Yama is referring to castration." Yusuke turns to me and says "Ohhhh…okay…yeesh shit was bad in the olden times."
King Yama sighs ever slightly and continues "The eunuchs of Persia were, through their position as guards and men of wisdom, capable of attaining great influence in political court. Their cut nature ensured that they would be unable to influence dynastic bloodlines. As such, the nobility grew to trust these men. Mithradata trusted them, drinking and dining with them as they prodded the peltast about his newfound wealth and his new status and of the battle itself. And they continued to dine him and drink him until the young Persian became dangerously drunk. And in that moment, he spoke the truth, that he, not King Artaxerxes, slew Cyrus. And the eunuchs of both loyalties informed their respective benefactors. And thus Artaxerxes was exposed as a liar, and Mithradata as a doomed man."
He draws in air, exhales, and continues "Mithradata's death was exceptionally brutal, even for the era. The Ancient Greeks termed it scaphism. The condemned would lie back first on a wooden boat, and then a second boat is nailed above the first, holes cut in the second boat so that the man's hands, feet, and head insert through the second. The rest of the body is pressed just enough to restrain without causing injury. Honey and milk would then be poured down the mouth until sickness takes the condemned, smeared on the feet, smeared on the hands, smeared on the ears, smeared on the eyes. The condemned would then be pushed out into the Persian swamps and be swarmed with flies. When Mithradata refused to eat, they threatened to cut open his eyeballs. He would then be cast away for a day, in the sunset, to be visited by hungry insects, defecating inside the boat. The insects would then feast on the feces and breed. The day that followed, Mithradata was fed once again, and the sunset that followed, the flies feasted again. And so on the third day, and the fourth, and fifth, and as the days turn to night and back into days, the flies would feast away at Mithradata's eyes, his ears, his hands, his feet, and his stool, burying themselves within his flesh, within his bowels, breeding, replicating, consuming. He suffered for eighteen days. When the Persians pronounced him dead, his entire corpse was a nest for hundreds of flies, sprouting out of his flesh, out of his entrails."
Yusuke mutters "Oh shit…well literally. That's a rough way to go." Suddenly, Kuwabara speaks, his tone in wonder and in fright "That…yeah that's worse than Toguro." Another pang of guilt strikes my chest…at the very least Kuwabara does not regard me as the same as this…Artaxerxes.
King Yama continues, appearing slightly perturbed by the interruption "On the third day, Mithradata begun his prayer, his prayer to Ahura Mazda…one of the Zoroastrian personified deities. This was in fact a sacrilege, for the Empire mandated that no prayer may be spoken without a priest present, but the young peltast prayed without constraint. One the fifth day, I listened. His prayers were not for relief, nor for vengeance, nor for any materialistic wants. He simply prayed, if you four could comprehend."
King Yama adjusts his glasses and continues "I awaited the moment when his prayer would cease. Yet, every day, every sunset, every sunrise, he prayed to Ahura Mazda. And every day, I listened. And he prayed, up until his body expired, on the eighteenth day, and his spirit walked the Earth, without direction to the Gates of Judgment."
King Yama turns his gaze to Yusuke and says "Once his corpse was abandoned by the Old Persians, I restored it with my powers, and I restored Mithradata's soul to its vessel, and I granted Mithradata great strength in body and in spirit, and I offered him the opportunity to take vengeance on the Empire that caused such suffering for the sake of such vanity."
"And I'm guessing he took it," Yusuke blurts out. King Yama simply shakes his head and says "No, he did not. It is as if his resurrection brought incredible wisdom to him, an enlightenment, if you will. He accurately predicted that an empire built on such excess and vanity would someday collapse, either under its own branches or at the spear of an outsider. Seventy-one years later, Alexander of Macedon extinguished the Achaemenids and tore the Empire asunder. Mithradata simply drifted, traveled the Human World, traveled to the Demon World. His strength grew exponentially, and his mind developed a unique psychic power. Perfect memory…he recalls every detail in his two thousand and three hundred year life. Once he drifted to Demon World, he was lost from my gaze forever, until now. For what reason that compelled him to attack you, Yusuke Urameshi, I do not know. It seems, however, that an adjustment must be made, for Mithradata returned now as a threat if he is in alliance with the Crow Knight of Bran Castle and the shape shifter of the Toguros. That is all I know of Mithradata. I suggest caution, for his strength is surpassed only by his intelligence."
Yusuke says "So you resurrected some old Persian a long ass time ago, and he did nothing, and he then went to Demon World, and you didn't care. You resurrected me, in a way, I nearly died, multiple times, saving the world, never went to Demon World aside from that Maze Castle bullcrap, and you put a hit on me, because I'm half demon. Right, makes a lot of sense."
Botan shouts "Yusuke will you shut up for once?!" She shouts as if she is returning in kind Yusuke's swear from earlier. King Yama simply 'Hns' and departs, disappearing through the wall.
Jorge, Botan, Koenma, and...Kuwabara? They all breathe sighs of relief. Kuwabara says "Koenma, your dad is scary. And Yusuke, you are a crazy man." Yusuke smirks and says "All part of the charm. I guess we now really know what we are up against."
Kuwabara nods and says "Yeah, we gotta draw up a game plan, cause we have to split up to face these guys. Let's start with Shirō Toguro."
Hiei immediately speaks "He is mine. Given the fact that Yusuke is occupied with the thug from Persia, and Kurama now revealed himself as the honor-less, traitorous bastard that he is, I believe I will go alone." I clench my fists…tightly. His words wound like needles under the nail. Hiei…
"Aren't you forgetting someone?!" Kuwabara shouts, indignant. Hiei turns to Kuwabara, snorts, and says "Who? You? I spent half my battle with Shirō Toguro trying to keep my sister's doofus husband alive out of respect for her wishes…not an easy task to do, physically and emotionally. No, I will pursue Yukina alone." Kuwabara climbs off his seat and steps within an inch of Hiei's face. He yells "She's my wife, Hiei! I'm going to Russia, with or without you, I'm going!" Hiei sighs and irritably replies "Fine. Get in my way, and I will strand you there with no legs to stand on." "Done," Kuwabara angrily replies, returning to his seat.
Koenma sighs and says "Alright, that takes care of one. And the other two?"
I speak "Obviously, I will pursue Mirko Karapandža on my own accord." Yusuke speaks "Kurama, Botan told me about your fight with him at the warehouse. We all saw the video, what the guy could do. Fucking with everything within a three foot radius, turning stuff invisible, reacting to blood like it's cocaine…I can't let you go out there alone." I weakly smile and say "I appreciate your concern, thank you." Yusuke says, a worried look on his face "Kurama, that ain't enough." I nod and frown, saying "I know, and I know whose help I must request. It pains me to involve someone in my ordeal, but Zinaida's life and safety is paramount. Yusuke, Koenma…I need Asato Kido."
Kuwabara blurts out "The shadow guy from the Sensui case?" I nod and say "The very same. His psychic ability to immobilize others regardless of power level, it may be the only way to end Mirko. And his injuries with 'Doctor' kept him away from the case, and thus, likely away from Shirō Toguro's ear, and therefore, in turn, away from Mirko's ear." Koenma nods and says "I will have Botan contact him." Botan speaks "I will do it, for Zinaida's sake. Not for yours, Kurama. Hn."
I frown and heave a sigh. A glimmer of hope, should Kido accept my request.
Yusuke speaks out "What about Yana? Can he help?" Kuwabara frowns and says "Yana is going to make sure I have a job when I come back...I'm supposed to give advanced notice when I use vacation days. And trust me, he doesn't want to get involved. When Yana and I met Hiei at his apartment, and when that guy attacked you and Kurama, he didn't look like someone that wanted to get involved in this stuff again." Yusuke nods and says "Alright, I get it." I speak out "Perhaps Yu Kaito could assist. I remain in contact with him, his psychic ability of taboo could be the answer to Mithradata's brute force." Yusuke nods and says "Yeah…yeah that would work. Give him a call, tell him I'd front the yen for the ticket to Iran."
Kuwabara mutters "One more thing, Botan, actually two more things. First, I find it weird that the barrier got cut when both Mirko and Mithradata were human like Sensui, and all the demons they got were below B class." Botan nods and says "Agreed." Koenma speaks "The breach was not a clean cut…not like Kuwabara's Jigen Tou. Hmm…if anyone finds out who cut the barrier and how, tell me. It could help reinforce it in the future."
I watch Kuwabara nod, I nod as well. Kuwabara then says "One last thing, and it's a favor I need to ask of you, Botan." Botan turns to Kuwabara, doing her best to avoid eye contact with myself, and says "Yes? What it is Kazuma?" He speaks "I need you with us, Hiei and I, to verify that Toguro is dead. I don't want any more surprises like in the Dark Tournament." Botan nods and replies "With Koenma's permission, I will accompany you." Koenma quickly speaks "Permission granted." Koenma then addresses us all "Everyone, good luck."
"Thanks," Yusuke replies, cracking the bones in his knuckles. Kuwabara and Hiei turn to each other and mutter something incoherently, perhaps inaudible even to each other. I rise from my seat and say "Very well. I will be with Shiori…I await word from Asato Kido. We likely will reunite at Narita International Airport, make any preparations necessary. Please do hurry…I fear for Zinaida and Yukina with every passing minute."
Hiei 'Hns' as Yusuke says "Yea, I hear you."
I proceed to walk toward the exit, beginning my return to Human World, in solitude. I hear Yusuke speak from behind "Kurama, don't torture yourself over crap that happened a long ass time ago." "Yusuke…" Botan sneers, her tone disgusted.
He follows me to the exit, suggesting that he will return with me. I speak "Someone must…if not me, then who? Who will bring justice to the lives I destroyed? If not me, then who? We must be held accountable for our actions. Soon, I will."
We exit the facility, staring at the long, narrow, winded bridge in front, golden clouds floating just below it. The others still inside, us two alone. Quiet.
Yusuke speaks "Fox man, you saved my ass more times than I could count. Look down below the bridge Kurama, think of that green ball we call Human World. That green ball of shit? It would still be on fire, to this day, had you kicked the bucket in that Romanian forest, all those freaking years ago. Never forget that."
He smiles and puts his right hand on my left shoulder, nodding, gesturing for us to return home. I force myself to smile feebly in kind. I speak.
"A crow feasts on death
A fox consumes the living
All comes in order
And all kneel to nature's wrath
And of dust we go to dust."
AN: Unit 731, Vladislav the warlord of Wallachia, and Mithradata the Persian warrior executed by scaphism, are all real.
