Chapter 10 – Prince and pauper

A day later Alkan was busy talking with Kazuma about Ayano while having coffee in a café. Alkan asked, "So, what do you think about Ayano in terms of ability?"

"Hmm, all I can say is that she has potential to become stronger. Give it a few years and she may be able to match us." Kazuma said. Alkan added, "She'll need to learn a number of strategies too. He fighting style's good but it's a bit simple for my taste."

"That Alkan, we can agree on." Kazuma said. Both of the smirked at the thought as they drunk their coffee. Meanwhile at Seiryo Academy, Ayano sneezed out of the blue during one of her classes. She was a bit puzzled by the sudden action and wondered if someone was talking about her.

After they talked Alkan and Kazuma parted ways with each other. Kazuma told him that he and Ayano were on another job together and he complained about the cold weather. Alkan didn't mind it so much since he preferred cooler temperatures over the hotter ones. The last thing he said to Kazuma was, "Well, good luck on that job Kazuma."

Alkan spent the day roaming around Tokyo. He went to Akihabara to check out what was out and to get a few Japanese-only products. Then he did a little sightseeing, checking out various places that were said to be good places.

Now it was around sunset and Alkan felt exhausted. He was thankful that his body was in good condition, even though he activated his contracts within a few days of each other. Normally he would be bedridden for a few days for each contract activated, since he felt like that the first time he activated each of them, but figured that his powers were stabilizing over time. Alkan sighed and thought, 'Now what to do now?'

In the end, Alkan just wandered around the neighborhoods for a bit trying to remember the layout. It was nighttime now and he felt tired walking around all day. As he was walking he heard a girl's singing coming from somewhere. It sounded quite beautiful and so he followed the song to a playground nearby.

Alkan was about to enter when he saw Ren standing there looking at the girl singing like he was in a trance. He laughed to himself understanding the situation; it looked like a love at first sight type of scene. When the girl snapped Ren out of it he decided to show himself, so he walked up to them shouting, "Hey Ren!"

The girl looked scared at first but Ren assured her, "Don't worry, he's a friend of mine." Ren turned to Alkan saying, "Alkan-san, what are you doing here?"

"I was just wandering around a bit." Alkan turned to the girl and asked, "So, who's your friend here?"

Ren didn't know the girl's name so she introduced herself to them, "Um, my name's Ayumi, and it's nice to meet you." Ren turned to her saying, "My name's Ren, Ayumi-chan." Alkan was the last to say, "And I'm Alkan, it's nice to meet you."

'Alkan? That name sounds familiar…' Ayumi thought to herself. She brushed the though aside as she said, "Do you want to play Ren?" Ren was stunned that he couldn't say anything. Alkan smiled to himself as Ayumi said, "That's a no then?"

Ren snapped out of it as he said, "Oh, I mean, y-yes! S-sure I can, let's play!" Ayumi seemed happy as Alkan told them, "I'll watch you guys from there." He pointed to the benches. As he walked over he said out loud, "The moon sure is beautiful tonight." Both Ayumi and Ren looked at each other agreeing with Alkan's words as the two went off to play.

As Alkan watched Ayumi and Ren he couldn't help but remember the past. As memories came back Alkan watched as Ren gave Ayumi his coat to keep her warm. Alkan smirked as he thought, 'Those two sure are brothers. I'm quite positive that Ren's going to be quite popular with the ladies when he get's older.'

A yawn came out of Alkan as he watched the two head for the swings. That's when he had a strange feeling in his gut when he looked at Ayumi. He couldn't figure out what the heck it was about but the feeling told him to be on guard. Alkan figured Ayumi was harmless and that Ren was alright, but he sharpened his senses just in case.

That was when he heard a whisper that said, "Excuse me Alkan-sama." He looked over and saw Tierria by his shoulder. Alkan said, "You…you're that Fairy Gnome, Tierria right?"

"I'm glad you remember me Alkan-sama!" Tierria said happily. Alkan looked up and saw that Ren and Ayumi were having too much fun to notice anything. He said, "Stay behind me alright?"

"Sure thing." Tierria flew behind the bench so she wouldn't be seen. Thankfully the bushes behind Alkan were tall enough that no one would notice. Then Alkan asked, "So, is there a problem Tierria?"

"Yes, well…" Tierria sounded unsure of herself which made Alkan wonder what she wanted to say, "Actually, the elders sent me to ask you something."

Tierria fell silent and Alkan pressed her, "Okay…so what is it?"

At this part Tierria was nervous and she stuttered, "T-the elder-rs want you to k-kill the Behemoth!" Alkan coughed a bit at that shocking news. Ren and Ayumi looked at him and he assured them that he was fine. Then he whispered, "What?! Why? Anyone should know that's something one shouldn't ask lightly!"

Tierria flinched at the sound of Alkan's voice and explained, "You see, even though the Behemoth stays sealed under Mt. Fuji, it's influence has started to leak recently. The elders believe that the seal that the humans known as the Tsuwabuki use on it has started to become ineffective. They've also heard about your 'exploits' on a matter similar to this from the other spirits and think you're able to do it."

Alkan had a lot to think about after Tierria had finished her explaination. Even as an Elementalist with the Spirit Princess contracts, taking down something as powerful as the Behemoth would be extremely difficult. By himself there was a 50/50 chance of dying trying to take on a youma like that. Even if he had Kazuma by his side, the odds weren't much better anyway.

Before Alkan could say something he saw Ren and Ayumi approaching the benches. He whispered to Tierria, "Get out of here, I'll tell you my answer later!"

All he heard was a simple pop and when Alkan looked, Tierria was gone. Ren saw Alkan looking around the bench and asked, "Is something wrong Alkan?"

"No, everything's fine." Alkan told him smoothly as he turned his head to them. The two sat down on the bench next to his as Alkan asked, "So, you two have a good time?" He laughed mentally, since he sounded like a parent just now.

"Yes, it was fun playing with Ren!" Ayumi told him. Ren turned red and said, "Uh, really?" Ayumi nodded happily, "It was fun playing with you Ren."

Ren had a smile on his face as he suggested, "Well, if you don't mind, I can hang out with you anytime." At that Ayumi was happy but then her face faltered and she said, "Oh, thank you Ren, but…"

Alkan wondered what was with Ayumi when he suddenly felt something. He put his hood on so his face was hard to see, and then he jumped up behind the bench as a van suddenly screeched in. Then a bunch of men in suits came rushing out of the van and made their way to where Ren and Ayumi were. One of them brushed Ren aside roughly while another grabbed Ayumi and pinned her down on the ground in the same manner. One of them tried to go after Alkan, but he dodged the attempt and made his way over to Ren.

When Alkan reached Ren he got down and asked, "Are you alright?"

Ren picked himself up and said, "I'm fine." When he saw Ayumi pinned on the ground he shouted, "Ayumi-chan!" One of the men said, "We captured the target. We'll transfer it right away." Alkan thought, 'It?'

Alkan was trying to figure out what the heck was going on when Ren suddenly jumped and knee kicked one of the men on the head. Before any of them could react Ren kicked the guy pinning Ayumi off of her and he grabbed her saying, "Ayumi-chan!" The two started to run but one of the men fired a shot from his gun.

As Alkan walked up to Ren and Ayumi the man said, "Sorry to ruin your hero moment, but we're not doing this for fun either!" That was when Ayumi said, "Ren, Alkan-san, please get out of here! They're serious about this!"

Alkan saw Ren let go of Ayumi's hand and he said, "Then I guess there's no need for me to hold back!" Ren gathered fire spirits and raised his hand to the man holding the gun. At that instant the connection between the gun and silencer melted, causing the silencer to fall to the ground. The man was surprised by this as he said, "What the?! Y-you're an Enjutsushi?!"

That was when Ren declared, "My name is Ren Kannagi!" This stumped Ayumi and the men in suits, as Alkan had a smile on his face wondering what was next. Ren continued, "If you know what that name means, leave here right now!"

The man that held the gun smiled and said, "Who would've thought that we'd get to meet a member of the Kannagi in this place. In that case, we should introduce ourselves as well." The man declared, "We've been sent by the Tsuwabuki family!"

Alkan's eyes narrowed at that while Ren was surprised saying, "Tsuwabuki?!" The man told them, "I'm sure you're very aware that your recent actions could create a serious conflict between our families. It seems that you're misunderstanding the situation, but that thing was the property of the Tsuwabuki to begin with."

At that Ren was disgusted by how they were referring to Ayumi as. Alkan too had a look of disgust on his face as the anger inside of him grew. He saw that Ren was trying to figure out a way to get out of this and decide to intervene. When Ren closed his eyes trying to think Alkan put his hand on his shoulder and Ren said, "Alkan-san…"

"You don't mind if you let me handle this for a bit, Ren?" Alkan asked. Ren looked relieved as he said, "Please do."

Alkan took off his hood revealing his face and addressed them, "Tch, you people disgust me, calling someone a thing." He raised his hand and brought it down, sending a blast of wind at one of the men, sending them flying. Ayumi and the men were shocked at the display. One of them shouted, "Fujutsushi?! Are you Kazuma Yagami?!"

Alkan, and even Ren laughed at the accusation as he sent a water blast at one of them, then raising a few shaking pillars making some trip, and lastly a fireball that knocked the wind out of another. The one that had the gun was the only one standing as he said, "What the?! Wait, it can't be…?!"

The men got up and tried to attack them as the man tried to stop them. Alkan was ready for another round when a wall of fire appeared between them, stopping the attackers. Alkan turned around and saw that Ren was the one that put up the firewall. He looked serious as he said, "You have two choices. Either you get out of our sight right now or get eliminated by the two of us."

A smile appeared on Alkan's face as he said, "Oh, if you men are going to leave, which I highly think you will, tell the Tsuwabuki this: Alkan Hosenkou will come after them if something like this happens again!"

Both Ayumi and the man were stunned, finding out about Alkan full name. The man spat and both he and the other men got up and ran back to the van saying, "Tch, y-you're gonna pay for this! Retreat!" The three watched as the men retreated back to the van and shortly after, it drove off quickly. After they were gone Alkan sighed and said, "Are you two alright?"

Ren said, "I'm fine Alkan-san." Alkan told him, "Great save Ren, I'm sure Kazuma would have been proud of that moment."

As Ren smiled at the complement Ayumi went up to Ren and said, "Ren…so you're a member of the Kannagi family." Ren replied, "S-sorry, I've must've scared you just now." Ayumi shook her head as she addressed Alkan, "And you're Alkan Simure Hosenkou, the Elementalist." Alkan just nodded as he sighed.

Then Ayumi asked, "But…was that the right thing to do, you two?" Ren was the one to answer that replying, "It'd be pointless to have this kind of power if I couldn't help a girl from trouble, you know? Right Alkan?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself Ren." Alkan told him smugly. Ayumi smiled and said, "Thank you," Then her expression faltered a bit and she said, "Ren…please, will you do me one more favor?"

"Ayumi-chan…" Ren said. He thought about it before he nodded, and turned to Alkan asking, "Alkan-san, will you please be our bodyguard?"

Alkan was surprised by the request and he sighed. He gave a small smile saying, "Okay, just tell your father to pay me for this when it's all said and done." Ren was happy that he accepted that he didn't mind if he demanded payment. Alkan held out his hand and said, "Lead the way you two."

Later Alkan was following the two through the city as Ren and Ayumi held hands. Alkan couldn't help but think that the two looked quite cute together, since he found it kinda funny how this looked like some kind of elopement. Then he turned his thoughts to the deal that Tierria told him. He wondered just how on earth he would pull it off if he accepted, to get to the Behemoth he would have to go through the Tsuwabuki to do it. If he did that he would definitely not have enough strength to destroy the Behemoth, much less hurt it.

'I might have to call in Kazuma for this. He kept going on about how he wanted to utterly destroy the Tsuwabuki back in the past, maybe he'll take the job for a nice price.' Alkan thought to himself. Suddenly Tierria's voice was in his head saying, 'Alkan-sama, Alkan-sama!'

Alkan looked around slightly as he thought, 'Hmm? Tierria, where are you?'

'I'm flying overhead, and don't worry, regular humans can't see us unless we reveal ourselves to them.' Alkan looked up a bit and true enough, he saw a ball of golden light above, and yet no one seemed to notice. Tierria asked him, 'So Alkan-sama, do you have an answer?'

Alkan was quiet for a moment trying to reach a decision. He made a turn as he saw that Ren and Ayumi were heading for the nearest train station. Alkan answered, 'Ugh, I'm probably gonna regret this but, I'll take the job Tierria.'

From the sound of Tierria's voice she sounded quite happy as she said, 'Oh, thank you very much Alkan-sama! I'm sure the elders are going to be quite please with this!' Alkan looked up and saw the golden ball fly off into the sky pretty quickly. That's when Cui-Ling's voice came up and said, 'Are you sure about this Alkan?'

Alkan nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. Instead he quickened his pace so that he was closer to the two. He thought, 'I don't know, the last time I accepted the job like this one I wasn't able to move for a week. But you know what a Taisai is right?'

Cui-Ling replied, 'Yes, I do.' Alkan told her, 'That monster needs to be destroyed. The Tsuwabuki think that the Taisai ritual is the right thing to do. I think differently due to what I think about seals in general: that they are temporary solutions, not permanent ones.'

'I understand. Let's just hope that this one goes better this time around.' Cui-Ling told him. Alkan laughed mentally and said, 'Don't hold your breath Cui-Ling, considering how strong that spawn was, the real thing is crazy strong.'

***

At the Kannagi residence Ayano and Jugo were going over the situation. They got a call from the Tsuwabuki that Ren and Alkan had committed a robbery, that they stole a treasure. Honestly they couldn't believe that the two would do such a thing. Ren was unreachable and Jugo tried calling Alkan but found that his cellphone must be off, since the calls weren't connecting. Ayano said, "There's just no way those two would do something like this. Alkan's loaded from what I hear and Ren isn't like that."

"I know Ayano," Jugo told her, "But the Tsuwabuki clam that Ren and Alkan robbed their treasure from them and escaped. They also mentioned that in the worst case scenario, they'd have to kill Ren and that we have to understand the circumstances."

"Alkan wouldn't let that happen, if he did, the Kannagi and Kazuma would be after his skin." Ayano told him. Jugo agreed saying, "I know, let's just hope he can handle the situation until we can find them. I've already asked Detective Tachibana to look for them."

"That woman?" Ayano asked with a hint of distaste.

"Is there a problem?" Jugo asked her.

Ayano looked away as she mumbled, "Not really…" Jugo then said seriously, "Ayano, I need you to be ready. As soon we get their location I need you to head out."

"I understand." Ayano got up and was about to leave when Jugo asked, "Are you sure you couldn't get in contact with Kazuma?"

Ayano told him, "I've already told you this, if you can't reach him then I definitely can't!" Jugo pressed on, "But the two of you were working together earlier…" Ayano looked annoyed and told him, "I don't know! I left right after the work was finished!" Ayano was about leave when Jugo asked, "But don't you have a way to contact him for emergency or private purposes?" Ayano spat out, "I don't know!" and slammed the door shut. Jugo sighed as Ayano murmured, "How am I supposed to know where he is?!"

***

Kazuma was busy staking out the Tsuwabuki estate. He was told the details of what he was supposed to do by Tiana and now he was trying to figure out what's going on. He was surprised to hear that Alkan was somehow involved in this, and before he could get anymore Kureha somehow found out that he was there and brought him down.

Eventually Kazuma managed to get out of it after a bit of acting using Tiana and was now looking over Mt. Fuji from a distance. Kazuma was starting to relish the fact that he had the chance to destroy the Tsuwabuki. Since Alkan was involved he figured that this just got a lot more interesting. As Kazuma was laughing Tiana asked, "Hey, who's Alkan?"

Kazuma looked at Tiana with a raised eyebrow and asked, "You don't remember? He was the other guy with us back when we met." Tiana tried hard to remember until she said, "Oh yeah that guy, he has the power of wind too right?"

"He's an Elementalist, for a proper term." Kazuma told her. Tiana just looked like she was hit on the head by a hammer as she looked on to Mt. Fuji.

Meanwhile Ren, Ayumi, and Alkan were at the train station getting their tickets. The man at the booth wondered about Ren and Ayumi, but when Alkan came up and told him that they were with him. The man nodded and gave Alkan three tickets as he paid for them, giving a comment that Alkan should take care of his brother and sister.

Ren and Ayumi looked at each other as Alkan laughed and humored the man. Now they were waiting for train heading for an urban part of the city near a beach. Apparently Ayumi asked Ren to take her there so that she could see it. Alkan had watched Ayumi's behavior from the time back at the park and he wondered, 'How the heck did the Tsuwabuki treat this girl? It sounds like she's some kind of low-class servant, but that contradicts what the man said, about her being a treasure.'

He saw that Ren was looking around and Alkan told him, "Don't worry Ren, we weren't followed. I'm quite sure about that."

As Ayumi went up to Ren and the two started talking Alkan leaned on the wall and thought, 'Damn, I managed to come up with a plan but there are certain parts of it that I don't like, but to get to the Behemoth without plowing thought the Tsuwabuki I'll have to do this. Ren might hate me at first for this but it's the only way.'

Alkan looked on as Ren and Ayumi talked together. Alkan felt really guilty but promised himself that he would make it up to Ren, no matter what the cost.

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Note: I just want to say, please tell me if there's a problem with the story. There hasn't been many reviews so I've been just writing what I think. Thanks to Mephiles666 for reviewing, since it made me review Alkan's character again. Let's just say I haven't shown all of Alkan, since more of him will be revealed in later chapters.