Chapter 11 – Entering Shin Makoku
Wolfram stared, If he had a say in any of this, he wouldn't be jumping into the over-seven-foot-deep pool before him. He'd always tried to stay away from deep water, a fountain or a bath was fine, a swimming pool? No thank you. He knew that being around Yuuri meant deep water would be a consequence because he had made a pact with the water elements, but he was still allowed to hate it. Fire and water were opposites, Wolfram didn't understand how Yuuri hadn't guessed he had a phobia of deeper water. Maybe he was starting to? Or maybe he was just wondering why Wolfram had such an uneasy face on...
"Wolf, are you okay?" Yuuri almost shouted across the room, whilst toying with his clothes nervously.
"Eh?" Wolfram looked up, temporarily distracted. "I'm fine. Why?" Yuuri stared Wolfram down. There was something about that look that made Wolfram even more uneasy.
"Tell the truth, Wolf. What's bothering you?"
"Nothing. I am telling the truth." Wolfram wasn't looking at him.
"No, you're not. I can see it in your eyes. If I've got this right, you've never lied to me, so you're not used to it. That's why you're so tense right now."
"Am not, stop caring too much. Now shush, Yuuri, there are other people in here too, you know." Wolfram replied with a finger to his lips, motioning to his mother and Bob. Yuuri nodded, but he still wasn't convinced.
It wasn't that Wolfram was lying, it was just that he didn't want to make any more trouble for anyone. Trouble was the last thing everyone wanted right now. But Wolfram should have guessed Yuuri wasn't going to believe him, Yuuri already knew that Wolfram was too stubborn to even think of telling him what was bothering him. And Yuuri wasn't going to force an answer out of him, it wasn't in his nature. That would also be going against Wolfram, and that would just make Wolfram feel awkward, having it forced out of him. If he was unwilling to say anything, let him be, that was how Yuuri saw it every time Wolfram refused to say anything.
It was weird. Shin Makoku was just a dive into water away, yet it felt much further. Yuuri looked around the room. He could see his mother sitting at the pool side with her legs kicking the surface of the water. Why was it that she wasn't going to stay with him? Was it something he'd done? Did he bring up bad memories for her? But, surely Earth would too. It would be easier to ask her, but Yuuri didn't feel comfortable with that. It was sort of obvious that she didn't want to be around him. He just didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear his mother say she didn't want him. He wanted her, and he wanted her with him.
No one had noticed Rodriguez slip out of the room. He had business to attend to. He'd packed some unsigned papers into a suitcase and hurried from the building into, back into the car he previously used and drove away. He was on his way to the airport.
He'd had a report in about a baby that supposedly matched the specified details. If the parents agreed, he would be able to take the soul extracted from the older Shibuya brother and have it placed into the unborn baby before it develop it's own soul. If that had already happened, the baby would not accept the extra soul and he'd be sent back on his hunt. He was enjoying the experience, but if he had to start again from the beginning, things would get frustrating. The lack of demon babies around was disheartening. He wasn't expecting a full demon baby - a half would be fine - but even finding a half demon baby was proving to be a challenge.
There was also the baby itself. Just because he had the parents permission, it didn't mean he had the baby's. If the baby didn't accept the soul, he'd be back to square one. That would only happen if the baby had already prematurely developed a soul or if it wasn't actually a demon. Full demon parents carry two demon chromosomes, if they reproduced with a half or none demon, there was a chance the baby would either be full demon, or half demon. But if a half conceived with a half or none demon, the baby might be a full human. They wouldn't be able to test DNA until the baby was born and then it'd be too late to remove the soul safely. A demon chromosome was hard too find too. Demon chromosomes act the same way humans do, they hold the information to create the child. The problem with that is there are only subtle differences between them that distinguish which they are. A demon chromosome could be for hair, nails, eyes, anything really. The same as human chromosomes. It was easy to tell if the baby was demon when it was born though, they came with bright coloured hair and eyes, a long with a truly beautiful body shape. As rare as full demon babies were, there should be at least three half demon babies a day. And now Rodriguez had the lead he was waiting for. And he was chasing it's tail.
'Shin Makoku, eh?' Miko thought to herself. It was a big decision. Moving away from the place you'd lived all your life to another, where they speak another language and have a completely different culture than the one you've been living in. It would be an amazing experience to live in Shin Makoku – and with her son as the king, it would be amazing to see him grow up to be a great ruler – but she wouldn't feel right leaving Earth. From what she'd heard, demons weren't so welcoming to humans, despite Yuuri's attempts to merge the two species together. Even so, she'd had so many experiences on Earth; she was born and raised on Earth, she had a family on Earth, she had so many memories of Earth.
But then again, wasn't that the same for Yuuri? He had a family on Earth, he was born and raised on Earth, he had a family on Earth...and yet... She didn't understand how Yuuri could make the decision for her to move over there. Wasn't that a bit selfish of him? Well, it may have been, but wasn't she being selfish by not staying with him. He'd be in Shin Makoku, so she wouldn't have a family on Earth any more. He'd be in Shin Makoku, so even with the old memories, she wouldn't be able to make any more.
Should she reconsider?
"Now, Yuuri, I'm going to tell you how this will work. Your powers may be unique to you, but you're not the only one who has been able to travel between worlds. I have created several ways. My ancestors linked this very water so closely to Shin Makoku, that when a powerful demon touches it, the way you do when you are travelling , they will be sucked into the current and taken to the Demon World. Lord Bielefeld and yourself must touch it at the same time. Your maryoku may be powerful, but his is too. Remember that I never said the person travelling had to make a pact with that element. Lord Bielefeld would even be able to make it to Shin Makoku alone by touching this water. But you have to be very careful. I can't control where you're going to end up. You will have to do decided the location between you, your mother and Lord Bielefeld. Do you understand so far?" Yuuri nodded. It was a lot to take in, but he'd learnt from Günter's lessons that breathing isn't always necessary for some and that when learning new things, there really is a lot more to do with one subject than you think.
"Also, if, by chance, you end up in the wrong place, I cannot help you from Earth. I can assure your safe arrival, but that is it. If you and Lord Bielefeld were to think something different, you will ether end up separated, or end up an equal distance away from both locations." Yuuri gave Wolfram a reassuring look, but he didn't seem to notice. It didn't look like Wolfram was even paying any attention, but Yuuri knew him better than that. Wolfram had probably heard everything better than he had. "Are you all ready to leave?"
Wolfram stood quickly, hurrying over to Yuuri's side as soon as he'd heard the word 'leave'. Yuuri gave him a look, but once again, he didn't seem to notice it.
"Wolfram, we have to think where we're going to end up."
"The castle, of course." Wolfram said with an underlying tone of 'you idiot'. But the look on Yuuri's face stopped him from saying anything more. Did Yuuri intend to lead them somewhere else?
"Wolf, maybe we should try somewhere else...The temple maybe?" Yuuri said nonchalantly.
"...Why?"
"Um, well maybe the castles not that good of an idea. What'll happen when we end up in the bathroom with two..." Yuuri stopped, but Wolfram knew what he was talking about.
"Don't worry, we'll explain- I'll explain what's going on to the guards. They'll understand."
"...Wolf."
"Hey, just because you're king doesn't mean you're the only one who can order the guards around. They're my subordinates too."
"...No, Wolf. I meant to say thank you."
"..." Wolfram blushed a bit. "...You keep saying that today..."
"That's because I mean it."
"Hm. I'll believe you. Okay, so where should we think of?"
"...That, I don't know. If we travel to the temple, the Great One might interfere. We don't have Murata to distract him either. Ah, this is harder than I thought it'd be."
"Nothing new about that, Yuuri." Wolfram replied mockingly. "Anyway, I have an idea. How about..."
Murata stirred in his sleep. He wasn't comfortable at all. The bed was cold, the room was too light because of the moon streaming through his black curtains and he hadn't changed for bed. He opened his eyes slowly and tried to wake himself up more by sitting up. It worked for a few seconds, but he really did feel oddly exhausted. He turned his head to face his alarm clock. It wouldn't go off for another 6 hours. How convenient. He'd woken up at 1am. He stared out of the window towards the end of his bed. The full moons rays beamed down into his room through them. He'd forgotten to close them before going to sleep.
"This is troublesome. Now I'll never get any sleep." Murata swung his legs off the side of his bed. His parents had left earlier, and by the quiet of the house, it didn't sound like they'd returned. Where had they even gone? I must've been something important for them to need to rush off like that. And without his consent too – not that he controlled them, but he would like to think they'd listen to their son. He'd liked to think that, but that didn't make any difference to the reality that he was currently living. His parents were scared of him, he'd figured that out. They always seemed to be hiding what they really though of him, and they'd never get too close to him. It was as if he was...dangerous.
"I might as well get up now that I'm awake," Murata sighed to himself. "Um. Something to do to kill time...? I could always go back to- No, I can't leave Mayumi here alone even if she's asleep. And I know by now that they wont be back for a long time. Every chance they get to leave, the don't hesitate to spend as much time away as they can get. They know I'll take care of Mayumi on my own, because I can. Well, if that's how they feel," Murata smirked to himself. "Then I'll just have to take her with me."
Murata left his room the way it was and opened Mayumi's door slowly. He didn't want to wake her up, but he knew he'd have to.
"May..?" Murata stepped in and stealthily glided across the carpet. He knew there was no point in being immensely quiet, but hey, it was fun. "May..? You awake?" She turned over to face him, her eyes wide.
"I knew you'd come back here. I was waiting." She smiled in a way that looked like Murata so much it surprised even him.
"May, it's creepy when you look like me, stop it." He laughed. He had to love his little sister, she was just too amazing. "Besides, I have somewhere I want us to go. We'll be away from home for a while, but don't worry, we wont miss anything." And neither will our parents. Mayumi kept the look on her face.
"Where? Where are we going? We cawn't go anywhere at this time, it's too early." She shook his finger in front of his face. "We'll be told off if we're found."
"Haha, since when were you worried about getting in trouble?" Murata ruffled her fringe. "We won't get caught, trust me. In fact, we won't get in trouble either." Because where we're going, I'm in charge.
Mayumi nodded, jumped off her bed excitedly and ran over to her drawers.
"May? We wont need a change of clothes, just follow me."
"Bu- You said we'd be away for a while, down't tell me you lied. I don't want my clothes getting all smewy either." She sniffed at herself to get her point across.
"They'll have stuff for us there, don't worry about it." Murata motioned for her to follow him as he left the room. She raced behind him and caught up as he reached the bathroom.
"Well, if you need to go first, better to be safe than sorry. I'll wait for you he-"
"No, May. I said follow. If I needed the bathroom, I wouldn't need you there to help me." I'll explain this to you one day, but right now, we just need to get away from here for a while.
"Oh..." She ran past Murata into the bathroom, and even though she wasn't expecting anything, she had to admit that not seeing anything out of the ordinary made her feel a bit stupid for being excited.
"Don't run around in the dark. It's not safe." Murata said as he turned the lights on. "Come on, May. Help me fill the bath." She shot him a confused look, but turned to face the empty tub with a nod. Murata knelt by her side and turned on both taps.
Wolfram was looking at Yuuri and Yuuri was looking at him.
"Why there?" Yuuri asked. It didn't sound like a bad idea, but it was a bit too far away, right?
"Well, it's not that far from the castle. We walked there once, remember? Also, it's safe there because it's in the mazoku lands. We'll be fine if we wait there for the soldiers to arrive. We wont get ambushed in a wide open place, every good strategists know that it's riskier for the offending to do that. We'll be safe as long as we stay there." Wolfram replied, returning Yuuri's curious glances.
"Won't it get cold?"
"What are you worrying about that for, you wimp? Shin Makoku will be in spring about now. And from personal experience, I know that it's colder here than it is there." Wolfram scowled. That was a petty thing to get worried over. Though he had seen the effects of Yuuri in the cold earlier. He classed that as an exception in his head though because Yuuri wasn't completely dressed. They'd been up in the snowy mountains to find the cure for the miasma before and he was fine then, so it was probably just his failure to cover up properly.
Yuuri inwardly cringed. Wolfram was easily annoyed, especially when people around him acted stupid. He didn't appreciated being treated like a fool, or hanging around them. Yuuri had tried to steer clear of saying something that would put Wolfram in that mood, but it seemed anything could trigger that sort of reaction. And when he got annoyed around Yuuri, it made him feel stupid. Wolfram shouldn't be allowed to make him feel like that, what gave him the right?
Yuuri could actually hear Wolfram's ever qualifying, snappy comeback of 'You're my fiancé' And as much as that was true, it was an accident. Yuuri had given him the right when he slapped him. What was this, payback? Was the comeback because Wolfram still felt embarrassed about being engaged to him?
Yuuri looked at Wolfram. He was playing with the laces on the pair of shoes Miko had given him. They belonged to Shouri. They used to belong to Shouri. Yuuri turned away. It still hurt him inside. He knew Shouri would be angry to know someone had borrowed his shoes. He wasn't one to fight with his mother, but Shouri had hated losing his things. He'd hated the alien feeling of when someone had worn them and they'd stretched or shrunk to fit their body shape instead of his. Why did everything remind him of the things he wanted to forget most? It was easier to think that he'd hit his head and he'd wake up from a horrible dream, or that Shouri and Shoma would wake up any second.
It was easier to run.
Murata swirled his finger in circles, creating small ripples in the water. The bath was almost full and he was more than convinced that they'd be back in time for their parents return. Mayumi was staring into the water as if there was supposed to be something in it. Why would Murata drag her here if there wasn't some kind of catch. There was nothing special about the bathroom, it had a toilet, a sink, a bath – which was now full – and a shower. It was just like any other bathroom. And the bathroom wasn't such a good idea of a place to spend a 'while' at because people would get ideas. Which left Mayumi even more confused.
Murata turned to look at her. He could practically see the cogs in her head turning rapidly as she tried to figure what Murata was doing. Murata has a past of playing cruel jokes on people, but Mayumi had always been watching them. She'd never thought he'd turn on her.
"May. When you're ready, we need to jump in. Hold my hand." He held his hand out to her, but she only stared, a puzzled look draped across her face.
"Kenny, we're fully dressed. We can't jump in, we'll get wet. You're so silly. Why are we jumping in anyway? I know it's fun bu-"
"Didn't I already tell you we'll get a change of clothes when we get there? Also, we're not just jumping into a bath...well we are, but you'll see." She took his hand hesitantly. She trusted him, that was true, but she also doubted anything would happen. Murata pulled her closer to him, picked her up and climbed into the bath. Before she knew what was happening the water started the swirl into one large whirlpool and they were taken with the current. She wanted to scream, but the laughter came first as they both disappeared into the water, leaving just their echo's in the empty bathroom. The only sound to be heard was the dripping of a tap that hadn't been turned off properly.
"If that's where we're going, the should we tell them we're ready to go?" Yuuri stretched his arms as he stood, yawing at the same time. Wolfram copied him, standing and getting ready to tell Bob that everything was sorted.
"Yeah, we should. You'd better not make any mistakes here. I don't want to end up somewhere we don't know about." Yuuri smiled.
"That's unlikely Wolf, I trust you." Yuuri started to walk away whilst Wolfram stood with wide eyes. He knew Yuuri trusted him, but he'd never said it out loud before. He didn't follow until Yuuri's conversation with Bob was well under way, and even then he wasn't completely paying attention. 'It's no good getting distracted' Wolfram looked towards the floor. Even if Bob made it sound easy, hadn't the Great One already said that a fire mazoku travelling through water was going to be exhausted after the ride? Well, he had Yuuri. The Great One said it would take a toll on his body if he went alone, so he'd sent Murata with him.
Yuuri spun around quickly, not expecting Wolfram to be there.
"Wolf, we can go now. Bob said everything's ready." Yuuri said, with a huge grin. This was it, he'd go back home. His new home...Where his family were...
Except his mother.
Yuuri's expression fell and Wolfram noticed it before he replied. But before he could reconsider what he was going to say Bob was ushering them towards the pool side. Miko too.
"You all have to jump at the same time. As long as you're in the water, you'll be transported." Bob said whilst lining them up properly. Yuuri gave a firm nod. He grabbed his mothers and, and Wolfram's and squeezed them. Wolfram squeezed back. That was reassuring. It meant Wolfram was nervous too. It calmed Yuuri down slightly. Wolfram understood. That's what gave Yuuri hope that everything was going to be okay.
"Ready?" Yuuri asked above the silence. He didn't need a reply though. "3...2...1!"
They jumped, and Miko – being the tallest – hit the water first. It wasn't until Yuuri and Wolfram – who were almost the same height. - came crashing down into the water that the current appeared. It tossed the three of them in all sorts of directions before sucking them into the large, black hole in the centre of the pool.
Gwendal groaned. This soldier before him was demanding he head over to he Great One's temple immediately. It wasn't a request. Why now, of all times? Clearly the king wasn't around to do his work and it had all been piled on him. It was a nuisance.
"Why am I required?" Gwendal was close to yelling and his irritation was growing quickly. It didn't matter though, he was still scaring the soldier. He was a lot smaller than Gwendal. By far.
"A-ah, yes! Well, Lady Ulrike has requested yourself and Lord Weller to be present, your excellency." The soldier couldn't look him in the eyes. Gwendal sure was scary. It was a wonder how his scowl managed to dig into his head as much as it did. His eyebrow twitch wasn't too inviting either.
"Yes, very well then." Did he ever look happy? "Tell them I shall be there shortly." No, he didn't. The soldier obeyed and left the room in a hurry. Gwendal rose from his seat. 'What was going on now? It'd better be something important. If it isn't...' Gwendal shook his head. It didn't make any difference and he didn't need a reminder of what happened when you didn't go with the Great One's wishes. Even if it was Ulrike who requested him, the Great One would actually be the one expecting him to show up.
Gwendal took a deep breath. When did people start making life more difficult than it had to be?
"Fetch a guard!" The Great One's eyes snapped open. 'Ulrike shouting? That must mean there's an emergency.' He sat up straight, looking bored...Until he saw her expression. Her eyes were wide and she was physically shaking. It was possible that she hadn't noticed him yet. He watched as a soldier hurried his way into the tomb, panting as he thrust the doors wide open.
"Lady Ulrike, what's going on?" The soldier asked, when he'd caught up with his breath.
"Fetch me Lord Weller. And Lord von Voltaire if possible." She said sternly, slightly rushing her words. Because of that, the Great One could tell she was panicking. Having known her for over 800 years, he hadn't seen her like this often.
"Looks like she's having trouble with something."
...! The Great One jumped. Since when had the Sage been back? Was she panicking over that? But if he hadn't noticed, Ulrike wouldn't have.
"She sure does!" A young girls voice?... There were no young girls in the shrine and nobody was allowed to bring outsiders in even if they were girls without permission. Who was she?
'...The Great Sage's daughter?'
"M-my Sage? When did you return?" this was fun. It seemed the sneaking up on the Great One did work after all. It felt great to see the expression of obvious surprise on his face. Tormenting him was the best. This was a rare moment.
"A few hours ago, actually." Murata replied smugly. "Sorry, but you're not my number one priority right now." The Great One's mouth fell to the floor. Any further and it would've snapped off. Murata was enjoying himself. 'Not me...But then...her? Is she his daughter? Do I no longer matter?'
"So then, my Sage. Tell me, who is this beautiful child?" Murata was holding her hand tightly. She didn't seem to mind either. 'They're already that close? Well, I mean, of course. If that is his daughter...And their resemblance is rather uncanny...They'd have to have known each other for some time. That's only natural...But where did she come from?'
"This would be my sister. Say hello to the Great One Mayumi. Great One, this is my sister Mayumi." 'Sister! Yes..that does make more sense...'
"Aha, of course she is. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you. My Sage has never spoken of you, sweet girl."
"Kenny is amazing!" She giggled. "The shrine maidens towld me everything! This is the Shin Makoku that he's always telling me stories about!...I'm just trying to find out which part everyone played." She grinned at him. It actually surprised him how much she looked like Murata.
"It's an honour to know that he's spoken of us. Now, why don't we have someone show a beautiful girl around a beautiful country?" The Great One watched her gasp in excitement before gesturing a maiden over and asking her to show the girl around. He introduced her and then watched as the two left the room through the adjacent doorway, Mayumi was practically jumping with happiness. He was beginning to like her.
"Stop getting stupid ideas." Murata's dig had caught him off guard. "If there was someone else, would I still be here by your side." Murata continued before slipping out of the same door the two before had leaving a wide-eyed Great One alone.
"Forever the mind reader." The Great One laughed quietly. "Nothing gets by you, my Sage."
it was at that moment Lord Weller made his appearance. By the way he'd lost his breath, anyone could tell he'd not taken his time getting there.
"Lady Ulrike. Tell me." He stopped for few breaths. "What's the problem?"
"His majesty is on his way back. He's not alone and it appears as though there is some rather heavy items with him."
A/N
Finally. This would have been up sooner, but I wrote it on paper and had to type it up. Sorry for making you wait.
First thing, in the next few chapters starting from this one I'm going to be putting lines into this story from a certain anime. You just have to guess what it is. If you're right...I'll dedicate a chapter you. It's just for fun, and I want to know how many of you are up to the challenge. I'd love to see someone get it from just this chapter.
Anyway.
Yeah.
Review, or don't. The doors that way.
Review Replys.
Miyuki Meiru.
Well, just thought that Murata needs someone he's close to on Earth. It's not fair that he's always alone.
And Miko...she's having mid-life crisis?
Rinoakim
Thank you! :D Welcome to this kind of story. ^^ And I'm sorry for making you cry! My bad, but that was the aim...
Murata needed something to tell her. And she likes that one... She chose it.
I'm blushing. :) Thank you so much.
Kriter
Thank you! Gahh, I really want to put an exclamation point after your name. When I say it, it just feels like I should. X3
Micro Chibi baka-san
Thank you :D I'm glad you like it.
Random Life Lesson : Purposely ignoring the obvious is like walking backwards toward the enemy.
