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Chapter XI Nico
We have switched buses three times since we left Kagoshima. After our first stop Tsuna got us a map and gave us some sort of idea of where we are and where we were going. According to Tsuna, we were now in the middle of Kyushu, outside the city of Hitoyoshi. The bus was going through a really forested part of the island. The trees looked really old. After being in a city like Kagoshima, it's like I was in another time…again.
Tsuna marveled at the woods. He said that they reminded them of Washington, just grander. He even went on to call it a perfect blend of modern humanity and the raw beauty of nature. He looked really happy, and that made me happy. Tsuna saw me smiling and smiled back. I blushed and turned to look away.
Stop. I have to stop this. It's not right for me to feel like this. Tsuna's my friend. My best friend. I don't want to ruin it by making my feelings obvious. That's why I haven't told Percy how I felt about him since I first met him. I can't even accept myself, how could they accept me? And my feelings for Tsuna just started. I don't believe in love at first sight. I just started having these feelings for Tsuna as we got to know each other. We had a lot of things in common and…STOP IT!
"Nico, your lip is bleeding." Tsuna pointed out. He must have seen me bleeding in the reflection of the window. I brought my hand to my lip and he was right. I guess I was unconsciously biting my lip to block my feelings. I wiped my sleeve across my mouth to wipe away the blood.
"Thanks Tsuna." I said. I could still feel my lip bleeding and I could kinda taste the copper like material, the currency of the soul. Tsuna wanted to use some bottle water to heal me like he did my bruise, but I pushed him away. The farther away he was from my lips the better. I need to distance myself from both of them and keep my feelings for the two of them in check.
It was early in the morning now and it was just the three of us on the bus. Even with the snow blowing all around, I could see a fog clinging to the ground. The wind was howling. It was so strong that the bus was shaking. Something that I kinda liked about this bus was that it had a TV system built into the ceilings. It was playing this weird show about a costumed superhero riding a motorcycle and fighting monsters with magic. I actually liked it more than I thought, despite not understanding a word of what was being said. Tsuna was taking a little nap, so he wasn't going to translate (though I wouldn't ask him to translate the entire show) and Percy was just staring out the window.
The sky lightened up a little bit, so that must mean that the sun was rising. After watching a few of the show's episodes, Tsuna woke up. At that time a similar show came on about a team of five, multiple color heroes. Tsuna said that it must be something called Power Rangers. It was really kiddy and I liked the other one better. It was a lot more serious.
"So we still don't know where we're going?" I asked.
"Yes Nico, we don't know." Tsuna said, rubbing his eyes in frustration. I guess I was finally annoying him. It hurt me inside that I was now bothering him, but if meant we still friends while keeping my feelings at a distance than that's okay with me.
"What about the prophecy?" Percy asked. He was absentmindedly doodling on one of the spare maps we got with Riptide in its pen form. The ink from his drawings glowed like the Celestial Bronze blade. "Does it say anything? They usually do."
"I've been going over it in my head since we left camp." Tsuna said. "I can't figure it out. It has no clues. But it said that the three of us were to come to Japan, and we did. Something will happen sooner or later."
"At least we have a nice view." I said as I watched out the window. Watching shows I couldn't understand got tiring after a couple of episodes.
"Yeah, an early morning snow storm is a fantastic sight to see." Tsuna said. Jerk.
"Maybe to you, but since I'm in the Underworld most of the time, anything up here is nice to see." I said irritably.
We rode for several hours. The snow was blowing stronger and getting thicker. I started thinking if this was Zeus's doing. The storm I mean. He was upset that Shinto deities coming to America, but did he really have the power to make a massive snow storm this far from the States? But even if he did, how much could he do in another pantheons domain? As we were driving the bus driver screamed and slammed on the break. I braced myself as we skidded to a stop. Tsuna through his left arm over me like a safety by while supporting himself with his other arm. The bus swerved on the road, but it stopped and nobody was hurt.
"What in Dad's name happened?!" I asked.
"I'll go check." Percy said after he stood up and making sure nothing was broken (I don't know why though, because he has the Curse of Achilles.) He walked to the front of the bus and checked if the driver was alright.
"I wonder if he plans on talking to the driver." Tsuna said.
"Percy doesn't think things through sometimes." I said
"I can see that." Tsuna said as he watched Percy try to talk to the driver. He was even attempting to use charades.
"Uh, guys!" Percy yelled after he looked through the front window. "I think you need to see this."
We walked to the front of the bus where Tsuna asked the driver if he was okay. While Tsuna talked I looked out the window and saw what got Percy's attention. There were animals crossing the road. A lot of animals. There were birds, deer, pigs, and other small animals. I saw that some of the small animals were riding on the deer. From the looks of things they were running away from something.
"That's weird." I said. "Do the animals here usually do that?"
"I'll ask." Tsuna said. The driver spoke and Tsuna translated. "He said that they never do that. This is weird."
"I wonder what's causing them to do that." Percy said.
"Noroi, tochi wa norowa rete iru! Mori wa nanigoto ni tsukete mo okotte, ikatteiru!" yelled the driver.
"What is he yelling about?" I asked.
"He-he's saying something about how this forest is cursed." Tsuna translated. He looked in the direction the animals were coming from. Then he opened the bus door and walked out.
"Tsuna, where are you going?" Percy asked.
"I don't know." Tsuna said out in the snow. "I just have this weird feeling."
He started walking into the forest. We called after him, but he kept walking. After telling the driver thanks we ran after Tsuna. As we walked Percy pointed out that the sky looks darker. I've noticed this since we came to Japan. What does it mean?
"Tsuna come on!" I said. "We're in the middle of nowhere."
But he just kept walking. It's as if he was in a trance. When another herd of animals came by, Tsuna ran in the direction they came from. Percy and I ran after him, but he was really fast. He jumped over roots and ducked under branches with ease. I was tempted to Shadow Travel after him, but I wasn't sure if it would have really helped.
"Gods he's fast." Percy said when the two of us stopped. He was leaning against a tree while we caught our breath.
"What got into him?" I asked.
"I don't know." Percy said. "He's been acting weird since we got here."
"Weird as in what?" I said. "Other than running off?"
"Well, there's the Japanese he's been speaking and reading." Percy said. "When we met, and his first day of school, he told me that he doesn't read or speak the language. He even said that he makes sure that all of his anime that he watches is in English so he doesn't have to read the subtitles. Then as soon as he met Mr. Umo he was able to understand Japanese and when we get here he slips into it and speaks it like he's speaking English."
"Maybe Japan is having an effect on him." I said. "Maybe the magic of Japan is like seeping into his brain, allowing him to know the language."
"That's an interesting theory Nico, but it's ridiculous in all honesty." Tsuna said from somewhere.
"Tsuna?" Percy asked. "Where are you?"
"Over here." Tsuna said. He raised his arm, showing us that he was on the ground.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Shhh." He said, putting his finger to his lips. He motioned us to lie down, which we did. He pointed ahead of us and motioned us to look.
There was a group of animals around. Mostly deer and birds. But standing on a log, above the others was a small silver fox. It would have blended into the snow if it didn't have black paws and a black nose. But then I saw that it had not just one tail, but three.
"A…Kitsune?" Tsuna looked at the fox questioningly.
"What's a Kitsune?" Percy asked.
"A mythological fox, usually with nine tails." Tsuna explained.
"You read that in your book?" Percy wondered.
"Yes." Tsuna said. "But Kitsune are often used in anime. When I was younger I always asked mom to buy me one, cause foxes are my favorite animals. She, she even took me to the zoo once and her friend who worked there allowed me to pet and feed with the foxes for a bit after their health checkup. But to see a real Kitsune…I wonder why it doesn't have nine tails."
"Wareware wa tatakau hitsuyō ga arimasu!" the Kitsune said.
"What did it say?" I asked.
"He said that they need to fight." Tsuna translated. The other animals chirped and grunted in reply to the Kitsune.
"How do you know it's a guy?" Percy asked.
"How did you know about Blackjack being a guy?" Tsuna countered. "The voice is young, but it's clearly a boy."
"Hey, look at its leg." I pointed out. The Kitsune was trying not to put its weight on the leg. The burn was really red, and looked painful. "The hind leg is hurt."
"We need to help it." Tsuna said.
"Shikashi, soreha watashitachi no iedesu! Gādian wa, komatte iru!" the Kitsune argued with the animals. They grunted back at him.
"Something about their home." Tsuna said. "I think their home is in trouble, and so is their Guardian."
"What do you think we should do?" I asked.
"Let's just listen for now." Tsuna said.
"Onegaishimasu! Watashi wa jibun jishin ni yotte akuma to tatakau koto wa dekimasen!" The Kitsune begged.
"He's begging them to stay." Tsuna said. I saw sadness in his eyes. "He needs their help to fight some demon."
The animals grunted again, then turned and left. The Kitsune was alone in the clearing, looking sad. It even started crying. Tsuna stood up and slowly walked up to it. Percy told him to get back down but he didn't listen. The Kitsune even didn't notice Tsuna until he was a few feet away. As soon as it saw Tsuna it went into a defensive stance and growled, showing its teeth and puffing out its fur.
"It's okay." Tsuna said. He shuffled a bit closer, reaching his hand out to the Kitsune. "I'm not going to hurt you."
He was really close to the Kitsune now and he was about to touch its head. But when he was close enough the silver fox bit his hand. Tsuna yelped in pain and tried to pull his hand out, but the fox kept a hold of.
"OW!" Tsuna yelled. "Let go! Get off!"
Percy and I ran to help him, but he signaled us to stay back. He tried pulling him off, but from the way Tsuna grunted the fox just bit down harder. He then knocked his fist on the Kitsune's head, making it let go. It landed on its paws, and then rubbed its head.
"Wa! Sore wa kizutsukeru!" the Kitsune said.
"That hurt?!" Tsuna asked. "You bit me!"
"Anata wa watashi no ryōdodeatta!" yelled the silver Kitsune.
"Sorry, I just thought we could help!" Tsuna explained. "We're the good guys, heroes!"
"Eiyūna no ka Tsugini, anata wa tasukeru koto ga dekiru! Watashi ni shitagatte kudasai!" exclaimed the Kitsune. He darted off to the left, leaving the three of us by ourselves. Tsuna was rubbing his hand, smearing his blood all over it.
"You okay?" Percy asked.
"Yeah, it just stings a bit." Tsuna said and shook his hand fast.
"Do you want to use some Ambrosia?" I asked.
"No, that's for emergencies." Tsuna said. "A simple bite is nothing."
"What did the fox say before he left?" I asked.
"He said to follow him." Tsuna said. "But he ran off."
"How can we help him?" I asked. "And aren't we on a quest?"
"We don't have any leads though." Tsuna said.
"And it wouldn't hurt for us to help." Percy said. Of course he would say that, he's a natural hero.
That was when the Kitsune came back. It said something in Japanese, which Tsuna translated and said that it told them to hurry up. We walked in its direction, keeping it in our sights. I saw that it was limping and I whispered it to Tsuna. We caught up to the fox, which was drinking water out of a crystal clear stream that only had snow on it. The three of us bent down and took long drinks. The water was so cold that it hurt my teeth.
Tsuna then dunked his hand in the water and it was healed when he pulled it out. The Kitsune was next to Tsuna, still drinking. I saw that Tsuna was looking at the fox's hurt leg. The burn looked worse up close. It would have made my stomach curl if Dad didn't take me on strolls through the Fields of Punishemt. Tsuna placed his still wet hand on the burned leg, causing the fox to jump slightly. But it soon relaxed and smiled. When Tsuna removed his hand, the burn was healed.
"Arigatō." the Kitsune said.
"You're welcome." Tsuna said. He reached to touch the fox again. The Kitsune sniffed his hand, and then nuzzled it. Tsuna petted and scratched its head. "Say, what's your name?"
"Kurama." the fox said.
"Nice to meet you Kurama." Tsuna said. "I'm Tsuna, this is Percy and Nico."
"Naze karera wa watashi ni hanashi o shinai?" Kurama asked. Tsuna chuckled.
"What did he say?" Percy asked.
"He's wondering why you two don't talk to him yourself." Tsuna explained.
"We didn't know he wanted to talk to us." Percy said. He reached forward to pet Kurama. Kurama sniffed his hand "Hi Kurama, it's nice to meet you."
"Ha ha ha." laughed Kurama childishly. He hopped to Tsuna's shoulder. "Anata wa umi no yōna nioi. Dakara Tsuna wa arimasen!"
"We smell like the ocean." translated Tsuna. Kurama looked at me now.
"Hi…" I said. I reached to pet him and he sniffed me. He said something in Tsuna's ear.
"Kurama, that's way too dark." Tsuna said. Tsuna looked like he was kinda mad.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"He said that you smelled like a freshly dug grave." Tsuna said. "I don't think it was a nice thing to say though."
"Don't worry about it." I said. "Percy says that Blackjack and the other Pegasi say that I smell like a corpse, so if I smell like a grave I guess I smell a bit better."
"It's true." Percy said. We all looked at him. "I mean about what Blackjack said."
"Y'know, I've heard of animals not liking serial killers, but Nico is just the Son of Hades." Tsuna said.
"I'm used to it." I said.
"Right." Tsuna said. "Kurama, take us to where you need help."
Kurama nodded and jumped off Tsuna's shoulder. He led us through the forest. The closer we got to where we were Kurama was taking us, the warmer is got. The snow was even melting and there was a whole lot more green plants. It looked like we were slowly walking out of winter and heading closer to summer. Kurama came to an abrupt stop, his ears pointed and his head cocked to the side.
"What is it Kurama?" Tsuna asked. Kurama ran to the side, and listened.
"Kakusu!" Kurama yelled.
"Hide." Tsuna said. We then heard a dull buzzing noise. "Hide!"
We dove to the side and hid in the bushes. The buzzing got louder and louder, till it was right over us. Kurama climbed to the top of my head, pushing my chin into the dirt, and watched. I looked up and saw large wasps, about the size of Kurama. They had huge red eyes and a large, sharp, stinger.
"Saimyōshō." whispered Kurama.
"Hell wasps." Tsuna translated.
"What are they?" Percy asked. Kurama started to explain, so Tsuna translated again.
"They're minor demons who are more of a threat as a swarm." Tsuna said. "They… they... Slow down Kurama! Okay, Kurama says they died out decades ago, and that he hasn't seen one since early last century."
"Last century?" I asked. "How old are you Kurama?"
"He says he's a little over three hundred years old." Tsuna said.
"You're that old?" I wondered. "You don't look it."
"Anata ga mitame yori toshiue no kaori ga shimasu." Kurama whispered after sniffing my hair for a minute.
"He said that you smell older than you look." Tsuna said. "I guess that's what happens when you're displaced in time."
I felt bad when Tsuna said that. I didn't like being reminded that I was forced into the Lotus Hotel. I glared at Percy because he must have said something about the Lotus Motel. I wanted to tell Tsuna myself. Tsuna saw that I looked sad so he apologized. After the Saimyōshō buzzed off, we crawled out of the bushes and continued to follow Kurama, who was giving verbal directions while he was on my head. While it was uncomfortable, he was warm. More and more snow was melted and it was getting really warm, like summer. The more we walked, the more I noticed that there were silver stings hanging from the trees. From the look of it, it looked like silk.
"Great." Percy said after seeing a large clump of silk. He reached to brush it out of the way. "More spiders."
"Yamete!" yelled Kurama. He jumped from my head to Percy's shoulder. He bit his sleeve and made him pull his arm back. "Shiruku wa hi no yō ni moeru!"
"What do you mean it burns?" Tsuna asked. "Is that how you got that burn?"
Kurama nodded. He said something, and Tsuna told us that the silk came from something much worse than a spider. A moth. I don't know how a moth was worse than a spider, but I have seen weirder things since I found out I was a demigod. I mean, don't spiders eat moths?
The silk was getting thicker and thicker as we walked. It was so thick that we had to use our swords to cut our way through. We then arrived in a clearing, which was when Kurama told us to duck. A whole bunch of Saimyōshō passed by us, then a group of lizard like creatures that Kurama identified as minor demons passed us as well.
We crouched and walked around the clearing, following the demons. They were all gathering around an old shrine that fell apart ages ago. Sitting on the broken down shrine and covered by silk was a really large bird, that had dusty red feathers. It looked like it was in pain.
Standing in front of the bird was a man. I could immediately tell that he wasn't human. Maybe it's because I could see past the Mist a little bit, seeing his true form. But even with the Mist hiding his true self, I think he took on his current appearance to look out of the ordinary. He has two long, red antennae which protrude from the top of his forehead. Below these he has two vertical stripes which point inward towards the center of his brow. He also has a light purple area of skin surrounding both of his red eyes. His blue-green hair is kept neatly behind his ears, with only two thin tufts hanging down in front of either of his pointed ears. With his pale skin and long teeth, he looked like a vampire.
He was also wearing weird clothes, almost like armor. It is a mixture of dark-green and blue, with various lines of gold. The poleyn-like skirting of his armor has alternating blue and green stripes, giving off a look reminiscent of an insect's abdomen. To add on to the bug appearance, the cape is hemmed at the edges, and split down the middle, strongly resembling insect wings.
"Ue ni kite, sudeni suitai suru. Watashi wa minami no aratana kōken'nin ni naritai." the man said impatiently.
The bird didn't respond. The moth guy tossed some green needles at the bird. It didn't even groan in pain. With a grunt of annoyance he pulled out a sword and went for the kill. Kurama saw and ran to the bug like man. We all tried to stop him, but he was too fast. By the time we stood up Kurama had already chomped on the bug guy's ankle. With a grunt he kicked Kurama off and stepped on his tails.
"Kurama!" I yelled out.
This caused all the demons, Saimyōshō, and the bug guy to turn and look at us. There was no going back now. We stood up and ran to help Kurama. We sliced and stabbed any demon that we got in our way, turning them to dust. Well, in my case, their life essence was absorbed into my sword. I saw Tsuna get separated from us. He more than likely went straight for Kurama.
A couple of the lizard demons clawed at Percy, but they only ripped his clothes. He should thank me for giving him the idea for the Curse of Achilles. With a swipe of his sword the demons turned to dust. Percy and I regrouped and fought our way to Tsuna. Percy kneeled down and picked up Kurama who had moved away from the bug guy. Tsuna himself finally got to the bug guy. He swung his sword, but the bug guy blocked him with his own sword.
"Oh, it's you." I heard the bug man say in perfect English. From his tone he sounded like we wasn't impressed with Tsuna. "I didn't expect to see you Umi no Musuko."
"You know me?" Tsuna asked.
"How can I not?" said the bug guy. "You're all Shojobo talks about. If I take you there now, then I will be in his good favor."
"Menōmaru wa chūi shite kudasai! Kare wa hontōni tsuyoidesu!" Kurama yelled at Tsuna.
"Whose good favor?" Tsuna asked, getting into a defensive stance.
"No one you want to get angry, trust me." Menōmaru said while he flicked his hair. I heard more buzzing and from under his cape moths and Saimyōshō came out. The swarmed around the entire clearing. "Get them."
