"Where am I, what's going on?" Ikkou mumbled.
When his eyes snapped shut, he found himself inside dark chamber. Fira and her guards watched Ikkou as he was chained to the wall, awaiting further torture. "You have caused our mistress a great deal of trouble, brat." Aroma reminded holding her knife to Ikkou's throat.
Feared of the blade, Ikkou struggled to get free from the shackles that bind him. Like a wind chime, the chains rustled the more Ikkou had moved. Dark fog covered the arena like thick smoke. He was pinned to a corner with no exit in sight.
Fira approached him, "I may not be able to make you my servant so easily, but I can at least bide my time in your destruction." She whispered in Ikkou's ear. The tips of her finger nails raced down his spine. It gave him tingling sensation almost to point of awakening. She also whispered an ancient incantation as the servants tapped their spears.
As Fira pulled back, Ikkou discovered ancient markings now etched on his back like tattoo. Fira had now placed a deadly curse on Ikkou Satonaka body.
"There you go." She said. "With this seal, I will break Arayashiki's power. The more you awaken the faster it will grow, and by time it covers your whole back, you will be mine Ikkou Satonaka, Body and soul. I can hardly wait." She laughed echoing through his head and demons rushing through his veins.
It had been weeks since we came back from the Amazon Jungle in South America. Now the questions have been answered of who those lunatics were supporting all along. But now that someone above their power had been resurrected it was only a matter of time. What will happen to us now?
While the girls were in the showers I kept watch on Ikkou sleeping peacefully, no doubt drained after a long hard day. As I seen his sleeping face, it almost looked like he was in a coma. After hearing of our failure Jotoku had made constant visits to the Head temple consisting of morning to night.
A knock came at the door, "Satsuki." It was Chitose holding a face of worry. "Is Ikkou okay?"
"Well he's breathing well, so I'm sure he will be." I answered. "Besides, with all the beatings you girls give him, he's pretty good survivor in my book."
She wiped off tear from her eye and gave a faint smile. "Yeah I guess you're right."
"Get some rest Chitose, I'll keep watch on him for tonight."
"Okay, good night." She nodded.
"Fira!" Ikkou exclaimed waking up so suddenly, luckily his voice wasn't that loud.
I held him back. "Ikkou, take it easy man. Are you okay?"
He was sweating badly as if waking up from terrible nightmare. He looked around to discover he was back at the temple. He titled his head back in forth, panicking fearing he was still in enemy hands. I clapped my hands in front of his face hoping to bring him back to reality.
"Take a deep breath dude." I ordered. "Don't worry about it just get some rest man. Everyone is worried about you, especially Chitose even if she doesn't show it." I pushed Ikkou back into his futon.
When I was gone Ikkou took off his robe to check his back, and to his surprise the markings were on his back, as his dream stated. It made his body shake deep down as he feared for the worst. "What's happening to me?" he asked himself.
"She has awakened once again. And it was all because of you incompetent Shamans. For all we know, you could be in league with her." a monk exclaimed at the Shamans.
The Shaman women shot back. "How dare you accuse us of cooperating with that demon witch?"
When news about Fira spread, the arguments stormed the Head Temple, now that they were informed about Fira being resurrection. They were like little children fighting over favorite play toy. So far they were at bad start of establishing a treaty to work together, because of their past unfriendly encounters. Just like war time.
"You Shamans doomed us all!"
"And you monks are just as arrogant as ever to point fingers!" they continued to fight with one another.
The Head Priest tapped her staff hard on the wooden floor that echoed through the temple, and then he shouted out. "Enough!"
"Your piety squabbles are irrelevant!" he yelled calming them down. "I have called them here because our strength will not be enough against the necromancer and we share the same goal in mind. She is a powerful foe who is death herself. So it would only makes sense to work together to put a stop to her terror. Nothing will not change the past outcomes of our, encounters, but right now no one is an enemy here." The Head Priest took a deep breath. "So I beg you all to help to see to it that our friends, families and allies have a proper resting place to keep from her hands. For the sake of this world, we must save it together."
Jotoku announced, "All in favor!"
With glance of uncertainly, they were still skeptic, by deep down they knew the Head Priest was right about their objective. One of the Shamans held out their hand for the monks, trying form a peaceful relationship for whatever battle awaits them.
Later on that day, me Ikkou and Haruka were assigned to exercise a ghost hidden in a markup studio. And while Haruka was narrow minded at times, she was in no way clueless about ghost presences. Behind her gentle smile, she had great intuition.
"Do you think this looks good on me boys?" Haruka inquired with a straight dress.
I folded my arms and turned my face ignoring her, but Ikkou was speechless. No doubt he was thinking something dirty again, but it was no surprise to the only girl at the temple with big breast. "Anything will look good on you Haruka!" Ikkou exclaimed blushing hard.
She turned her attention towards me. "How about you Satsuki, what's your take?"
"Please leave me out of this."
Haruka twitched her fingers trying to detect the ghost haunting the place. I brushed my chin firmly trying to sense the ghost. We kept a sharp eye nonetheless on the environment of people and the store. We could have not been given a false lead. Even I could not tell if the ghost was harmless or not it must have been Fira's influence affecting spirits.
Haruka turned to face us. "Ikkou, Satsuki, lets come back again tonight."
As we were told we came back to the place, not crowded with people to investigate further. With our flashlight we searched all over the building for any spiritual presence lurking in the darkness. We haven't thought of the possibly of Fira striking us right now, so we kept it to a minimum.
"Oh my, what do we have here?" the ghost appeared before us to our surprise it was a shy and timid worker from the makeup polar. He float there with little smile and hand on the back of his head.
"Hello there, we are here to see to it that you have proper resting place." Haruka said.
"Uh thank you, I, um appreciate your help." He muttered slowly.
Before we could get close, he easily pushed us away with strong wind. With struck of the hands, he released massive barrage of attacks against us. "You'll never take away my life's works. Never."
"Great, another crybaby ghost, what next." I said.
"He must be laid to rest. I'm sorry but that's the way it has to be." Haruka interrupted.
The ghost salesmen didn't listen as he continued to attack seeing us as a potential threat. He power grew so much that even I was reaching my limit on how much I could hold them off with my power. My attacks only bounced back off of him.
"This guy is persistent." I said saving Haruka from the attacks.
Haruka grinned without care as she said, "It looks like we have no choice."
"Wait you don't mean?" I knew what was coming as if I needed to bother asking.
As usual with flash of Haruka's big breast, Ikkou struck like fire as he awaken to his form once again. As soon as he was done and returned to normal, he came at compete standstill. He felt his body shake all over especially his backside.
I waited and waited for the right moment to strike, but it never came. It was usually minute or even second before the perverted rebound. I rushed to his aid and found him instead of thinking of perverted thoughts; he lied there collapsed and tired.
I touched his shoulder, "Hey Ikkou, you okay man?"
Ikkou coughed and said, "Yeah, I'm fine Satsuki. I guess I used a little more power than expected."
"What? No perverted rebound this time. I'm impressed." Haruka complimented putting her hand around his shoulder. I'd be lying if I said I was also curious too.
I wondered through the hallways of school the next morning. Before I could turn the other direction, Ikkou pulled into bathroom. I quickly put on my guard up in fear an enemy was trying to ambush me. Ikkou held his hand to my mouth before I can curse. "What is going on man? What's with the cold shoulder?"
"Satsuki, I have problem." Ikkou said.
I shook my head in disbelief. "Don't you always?"
My mouth dropped opened when he showed me the markings on his back. "When did you get the tattoos?"
"Believe me it wasn't my idea." He replied. "Fira came to me in a dream and somehow cursed me when I awaken."
"That's rough man. It seems like she is plotting in the shadows. Do they know?"
Ikkou shook his head. "No, but I want it to remain that way. Look Satsuki whatever you do, don't tell Chitose or the others about this. It's no big deal."
"Dude. It's a huge deal. Your life is on the line. This isn't another one of the typical beatings you get from the girls."
"I don't want trouble them anymore then I already have, okay."
I signed, "Fine Ikkou, but sooner or later you're going to have to come clean or else you'll be from a hospital bed into your grave. I just hope you know what you're doing."
"I hope so too Satsuki." Ikkou replied seeing Fira reflection through the bathroom mirror. Even if he couldn't see her, she was mocking him elsewhere. It was far from over.