A/N: Another long absence! Forgive me for once again disappearing to thin air, I guess now you're all seeing how slothful I am when it comes to updates, especially if I have not gained enough encouragements from my readers, in the form of reviews. E-hem, anyway, please continue reading, exciting stuffs coming ahead, though I'm still not certain how many more chapters will there be. I just know this story is approaching its end. So stay tuned.
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Disclaimer: Tactics is not my property…sigh, I have nothing else to say here…scroll down and start reading people!
Chapter 9: "Vortex"
Awakened.
He was once again awakened. He was released, unsealed, so that he could allow himself to see the world yet again. His freedom, one that he was deprived of in the past, will now be granted to him. But no, it appeared a certain human had been responsible for waking him up. Therefore, he should pay his debt of gratitude by making that person his master.
"Be proud human, you have managed to release me from my seal, which entitles you to be…my master. I was once called Onikui Tengu, however, I will no longer be called such from now on. Since you, my master, will be given the power to name me…"
The ebony-haired tengu looked down on the silver-haired lad who was staring at the former with watery eyes. Was he frightened? Or perhaps just excited?
'I have always admired you…'
"Haruka…"
'I have always wanted to see you…'
"Your name will be Haruka…"
'I have always believed in you…'
"From now on, you'll be called…Haruka…"
He locked eyes with the other's liquid scarlet one, feeling an indescribable sensation of some sort, almost as if telling him, this is just the beginning…Yes…the beginning…
"Kantarou!!"
The black-winged tengu's dark eyes were wide with fear, his arms encircled around the injured exorcist as he attempted to shield Haruka from Watanabe's canon. With a faint smile, Kantarou whispered, "I'm glad you're not hurt…Haruka…"
Guilt.
The ogre-eating tengu suddenly felt guilt dominating him, stabbing his slender body over and over again. He was supposed to be the one shielding him. He might be forgetting, Kantarou as a human is by far weaker compared to the mighty ogre-eating tengu. So how could he let this happen?
"Stay away…"
Haruka spouted the words coldly, his dark eyes struggling to overcome the shades of red it was seeing. He took another step away from the silver-haired lad, his feet carelessly crushing the fragment of the shattered glass, while behind him stood the silver-haired folklorist who was attempting to comfort the confused tengu. But with those words, it made Kantarou to stagger back, keeping his hand from touching the tengu's shoulder.
"Haruka…" Kantarou whispered, pain evident in his voice though the black-winged tengu took no notice of it.
Flashbacks of those painful moments kept on playing in his head, those visions which he can't even bring himself to forget. Maybe Sugino did have a point. He'll only be hurting Kantarou more if he stays, especially if he for some reason he suddenly transformed again, and there is no telling them when it will occur.
"Break the contract!"
Haruka closed his eyes as he continued to walk in a rather slow pace, dreading to reach his destination.
"Ask him to break the contract!"
Can the black-winged tengu do that?
Ask Kantarou to release him, to break the name bonding, and then to leave him?
Why? Why did he have to listen to Sugino?
Why did he have to obey him if it's against his own will?
"Force him to break the contract!"
It's not as if the white-winged tengu was black-mailing him, or wasn't he?
So if Haruka doesn't want to, then he could just go back home, resume his normal life with Kantarou and his job of exterminating youkai, and act like nothing happened at all. So, what could be stopping him from doing that instead?
"Or else, you will endanger Kantarou's life…"
Endanger, put his master's life in danger?
No way would Haruka allow that! Despite his cold treatment and harsh remarks to that silver-haired folklorist, deep inside, he truly does care for him! He only didn't want to show it too candidly since knowing Kantarou , ever the manipulative tactician, he might somehow use it against Haruka and if that happens, well of course, the latter will be left with no choice but to comply, like a dog in a leash would allow itself to be dragged around by its owner. Well that doesn't sound pleasant at all, degrading is what it is.
Haruka shook those thoughts away as he began to wish to stop walking and to turn back instead, but his body just can't obey what is mind was ordering for it to do. And now, as he approached his destination nearer, he found his mind at a disarray. His thoughts entangled, his feelings a mixture of various emotions, even his tongue seemed to be withdrawing itself so as not to be used later. If he continue with this state, how the hell can he face his master?
Footsteps behind him, an unfamiliar presence intruding, a diabolical force of some sort, Haruka felt it somewhere close to where he was standing. A stalker perhaps? How brave of that person to follow him boldly like this without even trying to conceal himself? Haruka, feeling so fed up of such games, stopped and concentrated on pinpointing the stalker's exact location. But before he could even do so, silence was shattered with the next sound he heard, a very familiar laughter…of a woman. Turning around he came face to face with the blonde woman with bright amber eyes who has been haunting his dreams recently. Haruka could only stand there in shock, dark-eyes wide, his body stiffening.
"You…"
The slender woman only smiled in that trademark coquettish manner of hers, with a hint of malice and malign, her bright amber orbs held boundless abyss despite its radiance.
"Yes…Me…"
--
"H-Haruka? I-Is that really you? You came back…I knew you would! I've always known Haruka won't desert me."
Kantarou ran towards the stiff ebony-haired tengu, unaware of the metamorphosis his companion had undergone. He then clutched Haruka's arms tightly, his face tilted up to look the latter straight in the eye, and that was when it hit him. This man standing in front of him, was a mere shell, which held no soul, no emotions, simply put, empty, his dark eyes now darker than ever that Kantarou could practically feel the coldness radiating from the tengu's eyes. Disappointed, the silver-haired folklorist stepped back, removing his grip from the ogre-eating tengu who still remained in that stagnant position.
"H-Haruka? What happened to you? Why did you go and leave without any explanations at all? And now you came back like this?"
Haruka only continued to stare at him, as if a lifeless statue made to stare at one point, and can only be shifted once its position was moved. Kantarou was on the verge of tears but he swallowed it back forcefully, putting up a strong front. He can't yield now, not in front of the very embodiment of his strength, he can't. He'll solve this puzzle and return Haruka back to his usual self no matter what it takes! Haruka is his only family after all . Apart from Youko, let's not forget her.
"I have come to ask you to break the contract, Ichinomiya Kantarou…And I am not taking no for an answer."
Air, the silver-haired lad needs air as he suddenly found it hard to breathe. Unconsciously, his hand had traveled up to his chest, slowly clutching it as if for support. Did he hear it right? Is Haruka actually asking for him to break the contract? This can't be happening, can it? What made him say that all of a sudden? He was acting funny. That night, as they were celebrating, Reiko-san, Youko-chan and even Haruka were having fun, weren't they? That night, was it possible that the reason why Haruka left without a word back then and now came back acting bitter like this was because the tengu was forced yet again to take care of a drunken person? Or maybe, with the silver-haired folklorist's intoxicated state, he unknowingly said some terrible things which infuriated Haruka? But no, it can't be that shallow, can it?
As Kantarou managed to recover from his daze and realized that the other was waiting for an answer, he lowered his eyes to the ground, unable to meet Haruka's dull and almost lifeless ones. No, he won't agree, he can't break the contract, he doesn't have the strength to do such, how can he when Haruka is all of what was left to him?
Lifting his chin and fixing his gaze on the ogre-eating tengu's face, Kantarou firmly spoke in a strong tone. "No, I will not. I will never break the contract Haruka."
As expected, the stoical tengu was still able to keep a straight face, despite the fact that his insides weren't as calm and composed as his outside.
"Then I'll make you…" was the tengu's cold and monotonous reply, his gaze, transfixed on his master, his facial expression, dead serious.
Kantarou meanwhile, simply smirked in response amidst the tense atmosphere, his scarlet eyes still retaining its brightness. He wasn't the least bit alarmed upon hearing Haruka's statement. That was to be expected, judging from his pride and his 'I-shan't-be-defeated-because-I-am-the-strongest' attitude, or simply put, the type who doesn't accept defeat. Oh, how he'd love to see just how Haruka will react to this next response though, as he too, got the perfect answer to block that statement, not to mention the exact attitude to match that of being persistent and of not surrendering.
Taking a deep breath, the silver-haired lad, with his flaming scarlet orbs, determinedly locked eyes with the ebony-haired tengu as he gave a rather unexpected out of the blue suggestion, or more like command.
"Then kill me."
--
"You did a splendid job of convincing him, my darling Sugino-sama. Now this will speed up the happenings and add spice to our dull and boring life, don't you just agree?"
Black-haired Sugino opted to stay silent, allowing the shapeless figure to get on with its usual monologue as a form of its emotional outburst. It was apparent this certain being carried a lot of burden locked up inside of it. And now was the only time that it was able to release its complaints. Unfortunately, no one was interested to hear its dramatic life story or to even hear out its opinions or perceptions. Even the birds refused to lend their ears to this pitiful whining creature. Truly pathetic indeed.
The figure then turned on its other prisoners, crystallized prisoners that is, and gave them a diabolical grin, its white teeth showing a stark contrast with its black figure.
"And now to the two of you, wait patiently for your turn, you'll soon be in the spotlight my dear low-level youkai schleps. As soon as you've served your purposes, you shall be disposed of in the quickest way possible. And as bonus, I'll try to make it painless for you."
The figure then turned to face the moon, marveling at its perfect round shape.
"Now, all that's left would be to wait for him, the main actor of this tragic play…"
Already assuming its victory, the figure released another grotesque and spine-tingling laughter, however, Youko and Moo-chan were devoid of reactions as they were crystallized. Despite being in that state though, the two were still perfectly aware of what was happening and both were dreading the worst.
--
"I have awakened…my memories…I think I got them back somehow…"
"Good for you, Onikui Tengu, you'll have to thank me for that, won't you?"
Haruka removed his hand from his forehead as he gradually felt the sensation of dizziness leaving him, only then did he became aware of what awaited for him next. Yes, his payment.
"What…do you want me to do?"
The black-winged tengu seemed to have lost his courage to face the very person responsible for giving back to him everything he had lost. It was because he could sense what was coming next. Freedom, what a joke. Even now he was still bound, forced yet again to do something he doesn't want to.
"Bring him to me…that is all I ask of you Onikui Tengu…and I shall deal with the rest."
The figure, which had now taken the image of the familiar blonde woman with a slender body and bright amber eyes, placed herself in front of the tengu to lock eyes with him, light versus darkness.
"Why…Why do you despise him so much? What has he done to deserve your wrath?"
"Why? Why must you know, is the question that I should ask of you, Onikui Tengu. Perhaps it won't be too late for me to warn you to mind your own business. Don't get yourself involved else you may just regret it. Believe me the show ends here for you, you've done your part well, now just be a good spectator and don't even think of interfering. Really, don't tell me you still have some concern left for that loathsome human even after regaining your past memories? You must be a lummox then, which only proves how my judgments have been right all along."
She leaned closer to the tall man, her index finger pointed at Haruka's chest.
"You weren't frightening to start with anyway, so what should I expect from a weak creature like you? Legends are just plain lies and bluffs, fiction interwoven with facts, distorting the truth and making it all the more twisted than it already is, made to scare people, to conquer them through the means of fear. To be honest, I didn't buy any of those rumors about you even before, the first time I have heard of it from him. I was actually hoping to duel with you someday, to prove that the said strongest of all youkai, the mighty, legendary, unbeatable, invincible, fearsome and all those sycophantic words of rubbish accompanying your name, is actually the opposite, a falsity. Oh don't get me wrong, I don't wish to gain fame by defeating you, I was just so fed up of feeding people with lies and unreliable false information that I—oh but never mind that now, as of the moment, my one goal remains my top priority. And as for me, there can only be one top priority. And that is to seek revenge…how common and cliché you say? As if I would………."
The woman's nonstop ranting was blocked out by Haruka's ears as he too, became engrossed with his own thoughts, to sort out his feelings and to determine of which side he'll choose.
'Ichinomiya Kantarou…somehow, something seems to be telling me to seek revenge on you…but why…why am I hesitating? What might be keeping me from—'
"And that was my whole plan, splendid and carefully thought of, wasn't it? Don't I deserve applause?"
Great. Haruka has just missed the opportunity of hearing the enemy's plan. Well, as if he could do something with that knowledge. Right now, he is just as helpless as his comrades are. Sugino, Moo-chan, Youko…They are all under this figure's control, even Haruka.
--
"Then kill me…"
Glare, the pale-skinned Kantarou only received a deadly glare from the black-winged tengu who made no move to follow. Of course, Haruka won't kill him, yet, especially since his master still refused to break the name bonding.
"What? Kill me, why don't you?! I'm not afraid to die…I'm not and I won't ever be, especially if it means escaping the pain of losing you…Besides, why should I allow myself to continue living if my existence bothers everyone so much? More importantly, why shouldn't I allow myself to die if there is no one for me to leave behind? Youko-chan…Haruka…You were all that I have left, and now that you were all taken away from me, what's the point of living?"
He can no longer hide his pain, his loneliness, he can't put up with his strong façade anymore. He was on the verge of breaking down, while the ebony-haired tengu only remained staring at him, unaffected by the other's words. With that impassive expression on his face and the dull and emptiness in his dark eyes, he looked down at the silver-haired lad with nothing but pity, cold pity that is.
"Haruka?" Kantarou attempted again, though he was only met with a harsh outburst, tone dripping with venom.
"Don't call me that!"
The tengu's loud and booming voice almost shook the whole residence as it reverberated all throughout the place. It was a miracle the neighbors didn't seem disturbed by the commotion considering the time, rather, they were completely oblivious and without a care.
Kantarou, still determined to bring Haruka back, stood up and approached the stiff tengu who made no move to back off. With a tear in his scarlet eye, the silver-haired lad reached up to caress Haruka's cold cheek.
"Come back…to me…Haruka…"
…
As if scorched by the folklorist's mere touch, Haruka swatted Kantarou's hand away violently, almost like a reflex, and he was even fighting the urge to push the lad away.
"I said, don't call me that…"
Finally, Kantarou was forced to take a few steps back, away from the still and motionless tengu, his hands slightly shaking, the soft sound of his socked feet having contact with the wooden floor, permeated the silent atmosphere, which was his only response to Haruka.
"I'll ask you again, Ichinomiya Kantarou…break the contract…"
'Or I'll make you…', was what Haruka would have said, however, he knew deep down that he wasn't capable of such so what was the point in saying it? Kantarou didn't notice that small detail though.
After a few more minutes of silence and merely staring at one another, Haruka decided to leave. He turned on his heel and headed for the door. But before his feet could even start walking, a pair of slender and milky arms imprisoned him, preventing him from leaving his spot. The black-winged tengu's eyes instantly went wide, his hands hanging limply on either side, confused of how to respond.
"Haruka, please stay here…Why…Why did you suddenly comeback like this? Won't you even care to tell me? Where is Youko? Why did you two leave like that? If you're somehow doing this to protect me—"
"Don't pride yourself into thinking I'd do something like that for your sake, Ichinomiya Kantarou. Now release me before I hurt you for real!"
"No I won't Haruka!"
Kantarou buried his face on the ebony-haired tengu's back, his hold tightening, his response an indication of his stubbornness as he disregarded what cold and hurtful words the tengu has uttered.
"Stay…away…"
Cold, empty, threatening, violent.
Kantarou could hear and feel it with the way Haruka pronounced every syllable, that he was forced to let go. Is this it? The end? The final goodbye? An eternal farewell?
Nothing.
Kantarou was left with nothing at all, as he watched Haruka disappear from his sight, the black-winged tengu's scent, his smile, his voice, his warmth, his presence, all fading away now.
"Haruka!"
The silver-haired lad ran to the doors when he suddenly felt a searing sensation on his chest, followed by a vibration which seemed to knock him out of air. He stumbled forward and fell, diving head first onto the soft mushy ground, his face now caked with mud. No wonder it felt cold a while ago, Kantarou failed to notice that it was actually raining, a downpour to be precise. Clutching his chest, he leaned on the wall for support, panting hard, his hair and his clothes dripping wet. If only he could somehow reach the door, then he could call out Haruka's name one more time.
Yes, one more time, it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?
An evil presence, Kantarou can feel it and his scar confirmed it as well. Who was it? Could it be the person responsible for Haruka's uncalled for awakening?
'Haruka—', was the folklorist's last thought before dropping to the ground, unconscious.
--
"He was pretty tough after all. I expected for him to do as you'll request Onikui Tengu, but it seemed as though I have underestimated the filthy brat. Never mind, I still have a back up plan anyway, as I didn't trust you would come out there successful."
The ogre-eating tengu growled, his hands showing his claws ready to slash the annoying woman. Yes, her insults have gone too far already, this is his pride they're talking about now. He can't afford to let it be trampled with for the second time.
"Oh my, and you even dare to think of taking me down? How ungrateful of you! Well, what's done is done, let bygones be bygones, let us just start anew again, shall we Onikui Tengu? Be thankful I even allowed you to live. Then again, you'll just be put to waste if disposed of now. I can see you might come in handy for the days to come. As they said, why not recycle a trash? Looking at you my dear, I can tell you haven't lost all your importance yet, so I may just as well keep you…for now…"
'Trash, eh? So you only see me as a mere trash.' Haruka thought with disdain, as he threw a look of pure venom and disgust to the laughing psychopath in front of him. If only looks could kill. Yes, you have probably heard of that statement a zillion times already, but that was what's inside the infuriated tengu's mind. That and nothing else.
Next chapter, the action starts. More drama, more anguish, more pain and torment, and definitely, more BLOOD...see you next chapter! As always, I would appreciate it if you voice out comments through reviews! Thanks!
