Eh, for the fighting, hope you know all of the Kougan Anki's six forms
well.
Ch.12: Return
So close, so close.
But yet so far away. I couldn't reach Mikagami now. The Ensui had done something to him, to make him lose his memory. I could bitterly laugh; amnesia would be very nice right now. I could forget a lot of things that I didn't particularly want to remember, mainly about the still- taller man who stood beside me now, staring down into the valley of flames like I was. I couldn't quite read his face; the expression was unlike anything I had seen on Mikagmi's face before. Restrained, it seemed. And sad. So sorrowful.
I guess I could understand that. There were a whole lot of things I wouldn't want to forget. And just one of those good memories were worth countless bad ones. I guess if forgot everything that has happened on my life so far, even the bad things, I'd be pretty sad too. All my accomplishments, what I had spent my life doing so far.all gone, unrevivable. Mikagami - in time, he'd remember what I'd done to him. And when he did, I'd say I'm sorry, and I'd make it up to him. I'd help him remember everything. That was the least I could do for him. For the first time in the last few years I swore under my breath, just a single word, but Mikagami turned to me quickly and said absentmindedly, "No coarse language, please." A few moments later he realized just what he had done, and inwardly I smiled. The old Mikagami habits were still intact.
I knew that the Ensui had given me what I wanted. I had the old Mikagami back, right? Just that he was inequipped for the war we were facing now, and that every time I opened my mouth he would stare at me and look concentrated on my voice and try to remember my name. I could still talk to Mikagami like I used to, right? There was no one to stop me now, no Academy factions that kept us apart. I could continue to adore and idolize him like I used to. We could go back to that old routine, and no one would tell us we were wrong.
It was a new chance. I think the Ensui also wanted to give me something else: a chance. With Mikagami's memory gone, I could pretend I was his lover or something. It would be deceiving, and I could always claim that that part of his memory was never revived. But it wouldn't be fair to him, especially if I wasn't the one he loved. He'd feel obligated to his past, and I was honest towards him. I wouldn't tell a lie to Mikagami, as much as it was tempting. But Mikagami was lost right now. I'd lead him home, but he wouldn't recognize it. I'd help him in any way I could, and in the end I don't know if he'd ever remember me, or anything.
Perhaps the Ensui was the answer. Perhaps it was the ONLY answer.
The valley below us was riveted with fire. The remnants of tents and sleeping bags withstood the flames with an almost godlike invicibility. I knew instantly that they had probably been fireproofed by the Tekkou, Recca's weapon. A white figure unwrapped bandages from both of his arms and shot them into the nearest tent, enveloping it into inflammable paper. One by one, the tents were put out by people visiting the stream with buckets, old-fashioned, or spraying the last of the fire extinguishers at the flames. Finally, the fires were put out, and the tents were gathered. Sleeping bags were tucked on top, and the straggling figures picked up their packs and moved on, stomping out campfires and scattering new dust over their tracks. All of this was done with the sense of resigned-ness, the feeling of an inevitable end that would come. I watched them with sorrow. Where had all the excitement, the exuberance gone?
A rustle behind me. Quickly it was blocked by Mikagami, who seemed to find his abilities for the moment, and forced the attacker back. My eyes narrowed at this intruder's eyes: they were unfocused, yellow, and seemed to be stricken by some kind of sickness. This was no human - he was some kind of possessed THING that was probably what the Terror sent to retrieve Mikagami. I smirked lightly because if this was all it could do, then the Terror, or Mori Kouran, or whatever was controlling the thing, would be nicely disappointed. If they thought that this little thing could take back Mikagami, they were wrong. A fierce protectiveness grew in me, but I leapt back when the human/thing began to glow. Stepping back, I felt Mikagami's hand behind me, almost fearfully, and on a sudden surge of affection I picked up his hand and held it to my cheek. Not quite rough but not smooth at all, it made me lean against it just for a moment. It offered more comfort than anything else, just the warmth of his skin against my cheek. Then I dropped it unceremoniously, almost as if to say "don't get in my way, okay?".
Mikagami's safety was my first priority here. We were only a little ways from the rest of the students. I wasn't sure why their tents had been set on fire but Mikagami would know to run down and get them if this THING was anything I couldn't handle. Giving a soft snarl, my hands transformed the Kougan Anki into first form. No chance of the fifth form here, a swift and painless death. Go, I felt like urging Mikagami, go and run to Raiha or Saicho or Gashakura. Get away from the danger. But I didn't say anything; if Mikagami was somehow separated from the other students by other hiding troops in these woods, then he would be in danger. I had to look after him. I chuckled lightly to myself. He probably still didn't know my name, even.
The.THING (well, it didn't have a name, so I just decided to call it 'THING' for lack of anything better) had transformed into some kind of furry, four-legged animal. A rather large change from the two feet a human was supposed to be walk on. It had a whole lot of red fur and a black mane and really, really sharp teeth and claws. Ouch. In other words, he was very, very ugly. Some kinda cross between a gorilla, a lion and a.well, I wasn't quite sure. A horse? 'Monster' described it perfectly.
I looked down at my weapon. First form wouldn't do for something like this. Quickly I twisted it into fourth form and threw the Miyazaki. It flew and nicked the side of the monster's shoulder. Apparently it had moved. I frowned; it was probably fast as well. This was becoming difficult to judge. The close woods provided no quarter - who could move against the trees with a fairly large animal blocking your way. There was no way I could use the second form or my new Amefuri, the sixth form, here because there was nowhere to swing my chain and sickle, and no place to jump up. The first form was mostly for defense, to test an opponent. It sounded like my best option for now. I transformed it quickly and waited at the ready.
The THING didn't seem to notice me at all. It paced as much as it could in the little space, and licked it paws. It looked like a very obedient dog as it scratched itself, and I imagined if it was a bit smaller and its features weren't so damn (oops, Mikagami would have my head thinking a bad word) SHARP, it'd actually be cute enough to be some stuffed teddy bear somewhere. It certainly had enough hair to last five people. And as the woods were quiet and I was concentrated on the monster and the surrounding to make sure nothing jumped Mikagami and took him down, I heard something. Like a really creaky old voice, or something along those lines. And as I tuned into it, the monster seemed to notice me for the first time. I barely had a second before its claws felled the tree behind me. I gave a weak smile that was completely overshadowed by just how TALL that stupid THING was. "Hey", I taunted, hoping it would bring the owner of that voice out into the open, "your pet sure has long nails, old man!"
A hoarse chuckle met my ears. A bent old figure stepped out into the light, and revealed whiskery brows and a beard. The hair was all white, and to me, the figure seemed to be wanting to blind me with something. I heard the old grandpa laugh again, and call out something I recognized. Quickly I turned behind me and shoved Mikagami to one side before a green ray blasted the stump of a tree behind me and turned it into miniscule sizes.
As the light faded, I glanced quickly at the staff in the old man's hands. Just as I thought. The Mugen, the Shrinker. But why would such a dangerous weapon be in this man's hands? I readied myself and Mikagami for another command, but nothing came. I straightened and used all of my strength to block a swipe from the lion/gorilla/horse THING and felt Mikagami shift to the side. Over my shoulder, I took a glance, and saw helplessly that the old man had given Mikagami a nice slash over his sword arm shoulder. Quickly I threw the THING back and examined the fallen Ensui master-no-more. Taking the ragged shreds of my jacket from my pocket, I gave shoved the blue mess into his hands, told him "bandage it" and stood in front of him protectively. I was facing a man and a beast. Which one strike first?, a fake announcer voice spoke in my head. I swapped it quickly; this was NOT some kind of talk show here.
"Kaoru.", came the soft, husky voice of Mikagami behind me. I whirled around, facing him. His face seemed so lost, like the time I woke up in the middle of the night to find him curled up next to me like a forlorn puppy. He seemed so much like a child, and the words brought the forbidden memory of the pagoda and all its events to mind. Half-turning my back to make sure that the two didn't make any surprise moves on me, I cut through the fabric gently and bound his shoulder with a gentleness I had kept all this last year unused, reserved only for him. I'm sure he, or maybe the memories locked inside of him somewhere, was surprised at this, because his eyes grew a little wide and clouded at this, as if he remembered something else. And as I finished, his head fell against my shoulder. I ran through my fingers through his hair slowly, savoring every bit of the connection we had: the hand that I slid over his; his forehead against my cheek, asking for comfort; my fingers stroking his hair.
And slowly, just so the dream would end gently, I put his face in my hands and leaned him against a tree and covered him with the Oboro. I said something I couldn't quite remember, something about his wound and that he should rest, and my hands found the hilt of the Kougan Anki. It felt warm, sympathetic with my position now, but it was no substitute for Mikagami. Nevertheless, I picked it up, and I turned my eyes away from him and stood in a defensive pose for whatever those bastards (again, Mikagami would have my head if he heard that kind of language spoken under HIS roof; he seemed to have cured me of my bad habits until the two months I spent alone before I found him again) had in store for me. I could feel his warm, soft gaze against my back, wondering, vulnerable, and my grip grew on my Kougan Anki in determination.
"Hmm", the old man gave a deceiving smile, "now, kill him slowly, Shiju."
The thing rushed at me, and we locked weapons. Quickly I transformed it into third form and gave a snip at the shoulder. It roared in pain and backed away again. Inwardly I smirked. There. Mikagami's wound was avenged. "Hey!", I called over to the old man, "that THING have a name? Stupid, or something?"
The old man chuckled at my intentional mistake of making 'Shiju' turn into 'Stupid'. In fact, I had heard the old man's words fine. But that last blow from the THING had taken a bit out of me, and seeing I was probably no other way, I bent the Kougan Anki into the sixth form, then quickly into the fifth form. The monster lunged at me again, and I blocked it with the golden boy. I could feel the Kougan Anki cry out under my hands; it couldn't take the pressure that the monster was forcing down on it. Give me a minute, Madougu, I urged it silently. Lend me just a bit more of your strength so I can push him back. The two of us struggled a bit more, but then, to my chagrin, the Kougan Anki began to bend under the monster's weight. Apparently whatever 'special alchemy' that it had been formed from wasn't quite as stable as before.
The old man began to laugh. I began to frown. Mikagami began to worry. Who knew what the monster was doing? Following orders, I guess.
I couldn't wait anymore. It was too dangerous. Quickly I whipped the Kougan Anki away and drew one of the red jewels from the hilt. In a flash I pierced it against the tip of the bow and threw it as far up as I could. All four pairs of eyes watched it fly up, up, up, and I prayed that it would do what I wanted it to do -
And finally, it exploded into a flare. That flare would last a few minutes, I knew, up in the air before it disappeared into the trees. The Academy students would all know what it was; I had another few on my hilt, but I had to be careful. All the Academy students had these, to call for help, or to lay a trap for the enemy by exploding it elsewhere and thus hiding their positions. It was given to all the students as they attended Strategy class, and we were all taught how to use them. They could be used to confuse an enemy if it was exploded during a battle, or if it was thrown it could blow your opponent to pieces. Literally, it was a bomb, and it was used as such.
The old man gave the tactic a chuckle, and I tensed. Was this some sort of new trick? And just as I anticipated, the THING began to glow again, and it grew sharp horns out of the shoulder joints. I shuddered. What would be modified next? A prickly tail? It was certainly possible. What, like one of those old dinosaurs, Ick-whatever it was?
"Oh, I don't think it'll take that long for me to kill you." Another finely humored laugh. "By the time they get here, you'll be dead, and Mikagami will be taken, again. What a pity he doesn't remember you."
I growled as Mikagami seemed to cower away from the true fact. I was torn three ways: I could take a run for it, I could stay and fight, or I could tell Mikagami to run. More than ever, I wanted to knock that old man's block off; he had pissed me off greatly. How DARE he prey on Mikagami like that. I gave a quickly glance back and immediately ducked, for that THING had just given me some trouble. Little by little, it forced me to the other side of the clearing, where the old man was waiting. I gritted my teeth; I knew what it was doing. It was drawing me away from Mikagami so some other troops could carry him off. When I snuck a quick glance back, I could see that Mikagami was gone. Damn! Already taken. And what would Raiha say?
The old man drew to the other side of me. Inside, I panicked. I was cornered in a lock against that THING and that man was looking to aim me with the Mugen. I'd have nowhere else to go! I said my prayers quickly and as the man shouted the command, I thrust the THING into the impending light of the Shrinker. As expected, the monster shrunk to an impossibly small size to see with naked eyes. Just for a good measure, I stomped down several times where I had seen it last, and hoped I had squashed it. It wouldn't have really mattered, really; even if that Shiju thing had come back to kill me, I doubt its less-than-one-millimeter nails would get very far into my skin. A pin-scrape was more like it.
But I wasn't about to get confident. This old man was good. I frowned. I wished that I had the Mirror to reflect things; that would've worked. But that girl - what was her name? - a third-year had it. And if it was coming to see me, it would've come by now. I had given up hope on the flare that had just dipped into the tree line. The Academy students could move faster than this - someone should've been here by now. My mind reeled with possibilities: could they have been so dense in foliage that they hadn't seen it? Maybe they thought it was a trap and decided against coming over here. Maybe they were too far away. One way or the other, they weren't here now.
I spoke - or rather thought - too soon, because before I could do anything, footsteps sounded behind me and a hand grabbed my shoulder and threw me behind whoever it was. My grip tightened on the Kougan Anki, thinking it was probably one of the extra troops, maybe hoping to bring me back as well as a bonus or something. But to my surprise, I found myself staring into a coat of red with a black belt and impeccably shiny shoes. For a moment I didn't recognize, but then to my utmost astonishment, I saw it could only be one person: Kurei.
The man who had separated Mikagami and I raise his left hand, and from his palm there came a magnificent dragon. I stared at it openmouthed in awe as it reared against the sky. I seemed Kurei had some pretty attacks with that thing, because after a moment it incinerated the old man. Effortlessly he called back the dragon back into him, and just stood there, as if he were waiting, waiting for something. And then, all around me, there came the rustle of leaves, the crunch of twigs underfoot, and the passing of shrubbery. All around me, the rest of the Academy students emerged, silent and fearful of the little pile of ashes that had one been the old man. A soft sound at the tree where I had last seen Mikagami was heard. I whirled around and faced nothing, but then a soft, smooth and familiar voice called out "Oboro", and the veil of invisibility was lifted. Tsukishiro was there, his hand over Mikagami's mouth to silence him, and his face pained. A closer look revealed that Mikagami had instinctively bitten into his hand.
A hand on my shoulder drew me around. A still-taller figure was there, his dark hair shining brightly in the moonlight. His other hand was drawn over his shoulder, grasping the hilt of his Madougu. He was dressed as I had last seen him, in dark clothes lined with white, but underneath I could see he still wore the customary shirt and slacks of the Academy. I seized Raiha with an embrace that no doubtedly squeezed the life out of him, though he did not complain. As I backed away, I could see the many other faces of all the people I had studied with, argued with, trained with - these were the students of the Academy students, the people who still wore the coat-of-arms that adorned the top left of the turtleneck proudly, like a medal of honor.
An indescrible happiness seemed to fill me at the moment. I felt like going to each and every one of them and hug them till they died of suffocation from being hugged so long. But I stayed there, rooted to the spot, my eyes shining with something like joyful tears, and every face seemed to soften and say "welcome back to the family, kid". Yeah, I was a kid, and I hated being called that. But, right now, I didn't really care. It sounded like an affectionate pet name coming from them now. I could laugh, I could cry, I felt like I was capable of a million emotions right now. Even Kurei's face seemed friendly under the light.
"Welcome home", Raiha said softly, and I smiled through happy tears.
Ch.12: Return
So close, so close.
But yet so far away. I couldn't reach Mikagami now. The Ensui had done something to him, to make him lose his memory. I could bitterly laugh; amnesia would be very nice right now. I could forget a lot of things that I didn't particularly want to remember, mainly about the still- taller man who stood beside me now, staring down into the valley of flames like I was. I couldn't quite read his face; the expression was unlike anything I had seen on Mikagmi's face before. Restrained, it seemed. And sad. So sorrowful.
I guess I could understand that. There were a whole lot of things I wouldn't want to forget. And just one of those good memories were worth countless bad ones. I guess if forgot everything that has happened on my life so far, even the bad things, I'd be pretty sad too. All my accomplishments, what I had spent my life doing so far.all gone, unrevivable. Mikagami - in time, he'd remember what I'd done to him. And when he did, I'd say I'm sorry, and I'd make it up to him. I'd help him remember everything. That was the least I could do for him. For the first time in the last few years I swore under my breath, just a single word, but Mikagami turned to me quickly and said absentmindedly, "No coarse language, please." A few moments later he realized just what he had done, and inwardly I smiled. The old Mikagami habits were still intact.
I knew that the Ensui had given me what I wanted. I had the old Mikagami back, right? Just that he was inequipped for the war we were facing now, and that every time I opened my mouth he would stare at me and look concentrated on my voice and try to remember my name. I could still talk to Mikagami like I used to, right? There was no one to stop me now, no Academy factions that kept us apart. I could continue to adore and idolize him like I used to. We could go back to that old routine, and no one would tell us we were wrong.
It was a new chance. I think the Ensui also wanted to give me something else: a chance. With Mikagami's memory gone, I could pretend I was his lover or something. It would be deceiving, and I could always claim that that part of his memory was never revived. But it wouldn't be fair to him, especially if I wasn't the one he loved. He'd feel obligated to his past, and I was honest towards him. I wouldn't tell a lie to Mikagami, as much as it was tempting. But Mikagami was lost right now. I'd lead him home, but he wouldn't recognize it. I'd help him in any way I could, and in the end I don't know if he'd ever remember me, or anything.
Perhaps the Ensui was the answer. Perhaps it was the ONLY answer.
The valley below us was riveted with fire. The remnants of tents and sleeping bags withstood the flames with an almost godlike invicibility. I knew instantly that they had probably been fireproofed by the Tekkou, Recca's weapon. A white figure unwrapped bandages from both of his arms and shot them into the nearest tent, enveloping it into inflammable paper. One by one, the tents were put out by people visiting the stream with buckets, old-fashioned, or spraying the last of the fire extinguishers at the flames. Finally, the fires were put out, and the tents were gathered. Sleeping bags were tucked on top, and the straggling figures picked up their packs and moved on, stomping out campfires and scattering new dust over their tracks. All of this was done with the sense of resigned-ness, the feeling of an inevitable end that would come. I watched them with sorrow. Where had all the excitement, the exuberance gone?
A rustle behind me. Quickly it was blocked by Mikagami, who seemed to find his abilities for the moment, and forced the attacker back. My eyes narrowed at this intruder's eyes: they were unfocused, yellow, and seemed to be stricken by some kind of sickness. This was no human - he was some kind of possessed THING that was probably what the Terror sent to retrieve Mikagami. I smirked lightly because if this was all it could do, then the Terror, or Mori Kouran, or whatever was controlling the thing, would be nicely disappointed. If they thought that this little thing could take back Mikagami, they were wrong. A fierce protectiveness grew in me, but I leapt back when the human/thing began to glow. Stepping back, I felt Mikagami's hand behind me, almost fearfully, and on a sudden surge of affection I picked up his hand and held it to my cheek. Not quite rough but not smooth at all, it made me lean against it just for a moment. It offered more comfort than anything else, just the warmth of his skin against my cheek. Then I dropped it unceremoniously, almost as if to say "don't get in my way, okay?".
Mikagami's safety was my first priority here. We were only a little ways from the rest of the students. I wasn't sure why their tents had been set on fire but Mikagami would know to run down and get them if this THING was anything I couldn't handle. Giving a soft snarl, my hands transformed the Kougan Anki into first form. No chance of the fifth form here, a swift and painless death. Go, I felt like urging Mikagami, go and run to Raiha or Saicho or Gashakura. Get away from the danger. But I didn't say anything; if Mikagami was somehow separated from the other students by other hiding troops in these woods, then he would be in danger. I had to look after him. I chuckled lightly to myself. He probably still didn't know my name, even.
The.THING (well, it didn't have a name, so I just decided to call it 'THING' for lack of anything better) had transformed into some kind of furry, four-legged animal. A rather large change from the two feet a human was supposed to be walk on. It had a whole lot of red fur and a black mane and really, really sharp teeth and claws. Ouch. In other words, he was very, very ugly. Some kinda cross between a gorilla, a lion and a.well, I wasn't quite sure. A horse? 'Monster' described it perfectly.
I looked down at my weapon. First form wouldn't do for something like this. Quickly I twisted it into fourth form and threw the Miyazaki. It flew and nicked the side of the monster's shoulder. Apparently it had moved. I frowned; it was probably fast as well. This was becoming difficult to judge. The close woods provided no quarter - who could move against the trees with a fairly large animal blocking your way. There was no way I could use the second form or my new Amefuri, the sixth form, here because there was nowhere to swing my chain and sickle, and no place to jump up. The first form was mostly for defense, to test an opponent. It sounded like my best option for now. I transformed it quickly and waited at the ready.
The THING didn't seem to notice me at all. It paced as much as it could in the little space, and licked it paws. It looked like a very obedient dog as it scratched itself, and I imagined if it was a bit smaller and its features weren't so damn (oops, Mikagami would have my head thinking a bad word) SHARP, it'd actually be cute enough to be some stuffed teddy bear somewhere. It certainly had enough hair to last five people. And as the woods were quiet and I was concentrated on the monster and the surrounding to make sure nothing jumped Mikagami and took him down, I heard something. Like a really creaky old voice, or something along those lines. And as I tuned into it, the monster seemed to notice me for the first time. I barely had a second before its claws felled the tree behind me. I gave a weak smile that was completely overshadowed by just how TALL that stupid THING was. "Hey", I taunted, hoping it would bring the owner of that voice out into the open, "your pet sure has long nails, old man!"
A hoarse chuckle met my ears. A bent old figure stepped out into the light, and revealed whiskery brows and a beard. The hair was all white, and to me, the figure seemed to be wanting to blind me with something. I heard the old grandpa laugh again, and call out something I recognized. Quickly I turned behind me and shoved Mikagami to one side before a green ray blasted the stump of a tree behind me and turned it into miniscule sizes.
As the light faded, I glanced quickly at the staff in the old man's hands. Just as I thought. The Mugen, the Shrinker. But why would such a dangerous weapon be in this man's hands? I readied myself and Mikagami for another command, but nothing came. I straightened and used all of my strength to block a swipe from the lion/gorilla/horse THING and felt Mikagami shift to the side. Over my shoulder, I took a glance, and saw helplessly that the old man had given Mikagami a nice slash over his sword arm shoulder. Quickly I threw the THING back and examined the fallen Ensui master-no-more. Taking the ragged shreds of my jacket from my pocket, I gave shoved the blue mess into his hands, told him "bandage it" and stood in front of him protectively. I was facing a man and a beast. Which one strike first?, a fake announcer voice spoke in my head. I swapped it quickly; this was NOT some kind of talk show here.
"Kaoru.", came the soft, husky voice of Mikagami behind me. I whirled around, facing him. His face seemed so lost, like the time I woke up in the middle of the night to find him curled up next to me like a forlorn puppy. He seemed so much like a child, and the words brought the forbidden memory of the pagoda and all its events to mind. Half-turning my back to make sure that the two didn't make any surprise moves on me, I cut through the fabric gently and bound his shoulder with a gentleness I had kept all this last year unused, reserved only for him. I'm sure he, or maybe the memories locked inside of him somewhere, was surprised at this, because his eyes grew a little wide and clouded at this, as if he remembered something else. And as I finished, his head fell against my shoulder. I ran through my fingers through his hair slowly, savoring every bit of the connection we had: the hand that I slid over his; his forehead against my cheek, asking for comfort; my fingers stroking his hair.
And slowly, just so the dream would end gently, I put his face in my hands and leaned him against a tree and covered him with the Oboro. I said something I couldn't quite remember, something about his wound and that he should rest, and my hands found the hilt of the Kougan Anki. It felt warm, sympathetic with my position now, but it was no substitute for Mikagami. Nevertheless, I picked it up, and I turned my eyes away from him and stood in a defensive pose for whatever those bastards (again, Mikagami would have my head if he heard that kind of language spoken under HIS roof; he seemed to have cured me of my bad habits until the two months I spent alone before I found him again) had in store for me. I could feel his warm, soft gaze against my back, wondering, vulnerable, and my grip grew on my Kougan Anki in determination.
"Hmm", the old man gave a deceiving smile, "now, kill him slowly, Shiju."
The thing rushed at me, and we locked weapons. Quickly I transformed it into third form and gave a snip at the shoulder. It roared in pain and backed away again. Inwardly I smirked. There. Mikagami's wound was avenged. "Hey!", I called over to the old man, "that THING have a name? Stupid, or something?"
The old man chuckled at my intentional mistake of making 'Shiju' turn into 'Stupid'. In fact, I had heard the old man's words fine. But that last blow from the THING had taken a bit out of me, and seeing I was probably no other way, I bent the Kougan Anki into the sixth form, then quickly into the fifth form. The monster lunged at me again, and I blocked it with the golden boy. I could feel the Kougan Anki cry out under my hands; it couldn't take the pressure that the monster was forcing down on it. Give me a minute, Madougu, I urged it silently. Lend me just a bit more of your strength so I can push him back. The two of us struggled a bit more, but then, to my chagrin, the Kougan Anki began to bend under the monster's weight. Apparently whatever 'special alchemy' that it had been formed from wasn't quite as stable as before.
The old man began to laugh. I began to frown. Mikagami began to worry. Who knew what the monster was doing? Following orders, I guess.
I couldn't wait anymore. It was too dangerous. Quickly I whipped the Kougan Anki away and drew one of the red jewels from the hilt. In a flash I pierced it against the tip of the bow and threw it as far up as I could. All four pairs of eyes watched it fly up, up, up, and I prayed that it would do what I wanted it to do -
And finally, it exploded into a flare. That flare would last a few minutes, I knew, up in the air before it disappeared into the trees. The Academy students would all know what it was; I had another few on my hilt, but I had to be careful. All the Academy students had these, to call for help, or to lay a trap for the enemy by exploding it elsewhere and thus hiding their positions. It was given to all the students as they attended Strategy class, and we were all taught how to use them. They could be used to confuse an enemy if it was exploded during a battle, or if it was thrown it could blow your opponent to pieces. Literally, it was a bomb, and it was used as such.
The old man gave the tactic a chuckle, and I tensed. Was this some sort of new trick? And just as I anticipated, the THING began to glow again, and it grew sharp horns out of the shoulder joints. I shuddered. What would be modified next? A prickly tail? It was certainly possible. What, like one of those old dinosaurs, Ick-whatever it was?
"Oh, I don't think it'll take that long for me to kill you." Another finely humored laugh. "By the time they get here, you'll be dead, and Mikagami will be taken, again. What a pity he doesn't remember you."
I growled as Mikagami seemed to cower away from the true fact. I was torn three ways: I could take a run for it, I could stay and fight, or I could tell Mikagami to run. More than ever, I wanted to knock that old man's block off; he had pissed me off greatly. How DARE he prey on Mikagami like that. I gave a quickly glance back and immediately ducked, for that THING had just given me some trouble. Little by little, it forced me to the other side of the clearing, where the old man was waiting. I gritted my teeth; I knew what it was doing. It was drawing me away from Mikagami so some other troops could carry him off. When I snuck a quick glance back, I could see that Mikagami was gone. Damn! Already taken. And what would Raiha say?
The old man drew to the other side of me. Inside, I panicked. I was cornered in a lock against that THING and that man was looking to aim me with the Mugen. I'd have nowhere else to go! I said my prayers quickly and as the man shouted the command, I thrust the THING into the impending light of the Shrinker. As expected, the monster shrunk to an impossibly small size to see with naked eyes. Just for a good measure, I stomped down several times where I had seen it last, and hoped I had squashed it. It wouldn't have really mattered, really; even if that Shiju thing had come back to kill me, I doubt its less-than-one-millimeter nails would get very far into my skin. A pin-scrape was more like it.
But I wasn't about to get confident. This old man was good. I frowned. I wished that I had the Mirror to reflect things; that would've worked. But that girl - what was her name? - a third-year had it. And if it was coming to see me, it would've come by now. I had given up hope on the flare that had just dipped into the tree line. The Academy students could move faster than this - someone should've been here by now. My mind reeled with possibilities: could they have been so dense in foliage that they hadn't seen it? Maybe they thought it was a trap and decided against coming over here. Maybe they were too far away. One way or the other, they weren't here now.
I spoke - or rather thought - too soon, because before I could do anything, footsteps sounded behind me and a hand grabbed my shoulder and threw me behind whoever it was. My grip tightened on the Kougan Anki, thinking it was probably one of the extra troops, maybe hoping to bring me back as well as a bonus or something. But to my surprise, I found myself staring into a coat of red with a black belt and impeccably shiny shoes. For a moment I didn't recognize, but then to my utmost astonishment, I saw it could only be one person: Kurei.
The man who had separated Mikagami and I raise his left hand, and from his palm there came a magnificent dragon. I stared at it openmouthed in awe as it reared against the sky. I seemed Kurei had some pretty attacks with that thing, because after a moment it incinerated the old man. Effortlessly he called back the dragon back into him, and just stood there, as if he were waiting, waiting for something. And then, all around me, there came the rustle of leaves, the crunch of twigs underfoot, and the passing of shrubbery. All around me, the rest of the Academy students emerged, silent and fearful of the little pile of ashes that had one been the old man. A soft sound at the tree where I had last seen Mikagami was heard. I whirled around and faced nothing, but then a soft, smooth and familiar voice called out "Oboro", and the veil of invisibility was lifted. Tsukishiro was there, his hand over Mikagami's mouth to silence him, and his face pained. A closer look revealed that Mikagami had instinctively bitten into his hand.
A hand on my shoulder drew me around. A still-taller figure was there, his dark hair shining brightly in the moonlight. His other hand was drawn over his shoulder, grasping the hilt of his Madougu. He was dressed as I had last seen him, in dark clothes lined with white, but underneath I could see he still wore the customary shirt and slacks of the Academy. I seized Raiha with an embrace that no doubtedly squeezed the life out of him, though he did not complain. As I backed away, I could see the many other faces of all the people I had studied with, argued with, trained with - these were the students of the Academy students, the people who still wore the coat-of-arms that adorned the top left of the turtleneck proudly, like a medal of honor.
An indescrible happiness seemed to fill me at the moment. I felt like going to each and every one of them and hug them till they died of suffocation from being hugged so long. But I stayed there, rooted to the spot, my eyes shining with something like joyful tears, and every face seemed to soften and say "welcome back to the family, kid". Yeah, I was a kid, and I hated being called that. But, right now, I didn't really care. It sounded like an affectionate pet name coming from them now. I could laugh, I could cry, I felt like I was capable of a million emotions right now. Even Kurei's face seemed friendly under the light.
"Welcome home", Raiha said softly, and I smiled through happy tears.