YAMI NO MATSUEI – DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS

APOCALYPSE RISING

Chapter Thirty-Six – The Search for Closure (Part Three)

Meifu

The Gushoshin Twins were busy manning the library, the infirmary, the Request area, and the entire office while Konoe and the others were away. The siblings would normally grumble about being left behind to carry such a heavy load but in light of the terrible circumstances before them each one had no choice but to brace what was given to him. They were just busy.

So busy that neither one did not know what was going on at the infirmary...

Rui remained unconscious as she stayed on the road between the living and the dead.

Nagare, however, suffered a crueler fate.

For nearly thirty minutes, Nagare's body arched and writhed in pain as his skin became scalier than ever before. He heard a voice inside his head hiss...

"You are the last of your kind. Once you die, Nagare, I shall rise again. So why do you not give in? Let me comfort you...have your body merge with mine and give in? You desire pleasure as well, do you not...pleasure that only I could give you

"No!" cried out Nagare, his body jerking as Yatonogami materialized.

Once again, the large serpent god began ravishing Nagare's body. It unraveled the elder Kurosaki's loose clothing as if it was unwrapping a long-sought present. It slithered and wrapped its multiple appendages all over Nagare's arms, legs, and torso.

Nagare closed his eyes and cringed as he felt that slimy ooze coat his abused body once more. Tears of pain streamed down his cheek as he spat through gritted teeth, "You're not going to win, Yatonogami! I won't let you!"

Yatonogami chuckled, tightening its grip around Nagare's waist as a tentacle entered inside his long-time slave. He knew fully well that Nagare was disgusted every time that his happened between them. "Fool... Once you are dead, I rise. Your son will make sure of that. Did you not beg him for death when you first saw him?"

"That was you! I would never beg for death! You tricked Hisoka!"

Manhandling Nagare in a rougher fashion to prove its point, Yatonogami said, "Yes, exactly my point. You fall deeper into my clutches every single day. You are losing grip of your faculties as well as your sense of right and wrong. It took years, yes...but I am a patient god. All I asked was a sacrifice each year and that wretched man - your ancestor - started this chain. I do not have regrets. As much as I love our nightly tryst, I do want to return to the land of the living. It would be another good form of revenge - having your son kill you."

"It wouldn't be Hisoka's fault. You think that I'm going to curse my son? You're badly mistaken..."

Then after a long period of silence, Yatonogami inwardly laughed. "Maybe after you are gone, I will go for your son. He would probably be a more gracious and willing host. Or maybe I would do things to make sure that he stays by my feet and worship me before he and I move on to more interesting matters."

The elder Kurosaki struggled, hissing in more pain as he yelled, "Don't you dare touch my son!"

The serpent god let out a rich, dark laughter as it brought a naked Nagare inches away from its face. It tightened its hold on Nagare, the latter totally wrapped around its many tentacles and dripping in its ooze. "You have no choice in the matter, Nagare. Do you think that you ever had a choice night after night for as long as you could remember?"

As Yatonogami shoved one of its many appendages deep within Nagare and elicited a scream from the latter, it added with a malevolent chuckle, "I think not..."

And so the daily and near-ritualistic abuse that Nagare had been subjected to continued with Nagare's screams of pain and disgust...his screams traveling down to the empty halls of the Shokan Divisions. The bloodcurdling screams from Nagare were loud but nonetheless left unheard as the Gushoshin spent time at the basement gathering more data for tonight's meeting.

Osaka, Japan

Tatsumi crouched before one of the many dying ones. An orb of light floated and glowed a few inches above his open palm, the mystical silver thread still connecting the orb to the body of a seven-year-old girl.

The girl should be dead by now if it were not due to Enma's absence from the Judgment throne in Meifu. She and the others, however, now suffer in pain after incurring fatal injuries from the series of earthquakes that hit the area. She was one of the many sea of faces that Tatsumi visited today. The lower half of her body was crushed, irrepairable.

"Everything will be fine now," whispered Tatsumi with such gentleness to the girl, a soft smile escaping his lips.

"Will you take me to Mother and Father, Mister Angel?" said the girl to Tatsumi, still managing to reciprocate Tatsumi's smile even though it pained her to do so.

The secretary nodded, this time unable to have a couple of tears escape from him.

The smile from the girl's face became warmer, the tears of pain mixed with gratitude as she told Tatsumi while wiping away the tear which streamed down Tatsumi's cheek, "Don't cry, Mister Angel. Thank you for taking me to them. I'll see you in Heaven. Please help me. It hurts..."

Tatsumi gave the girl a tightlipped smile as he nodded. "What is your name?"

"Yuka... My name's Yuka..."

"Be at peace now, Yuka," Tatsumi softly whispered.

The girl then closed her eyes, fully entrusting her life to Tatsumi.

A second later, the silver thread of life which linked the orb of life to Yuka's mostly-crushed body was now severed. Once that happened, she took her last breath.

The orb of light disappeared before Tatsumi's eyes, the soul now in his custody along with more than a hundred others that he had retrieved since early morning.

Tatsumi rose from his crouched position. He straightened his glasses as he looked at the crimson horizon and set his sights at a now-wholly-decimated Osaka. Everything was so surreal to him as he looked at the area that proved special to Watari - not just due to the fact that Watari grew up in this area but also because this was Watari's area of jurisdiction as a shinigami.

The Kansai region had been mostly destroyed due to earthquakes, with it being left with no Osaka to be proud of anymore as well as half of Kyoto destroyed. Along with the destruction came the many individuals begging for death.

For more than fifty years of being a shinigami, this was the first time that Tatsumi felt the strain that Tsuzuki had been dreading as long as he had known his ex-partner. There was so much who needed relief, but he wanted to give each one even a few minutes of comfort before he took his or her life...to let him or her know that there was a kind soul who was with them before death...

Tatsumi had received the rare blessing of being comforted by someone before he passed on to the next life, and he wanted to give that to those he encountered. To him, that was the right thing to do.

As time went on throughout the day, the strain proved to be too much for Tatsumi. His agonized scream broke the eerie silence of what was once Osaka. He fell on his knees, his tired and sleep-deprived body quivering.

And for yet another time...something that he had found that he had been doing more recently...Tatsumi sobbed...

"I'll take you to Heaven, Yuka. I'll take you there and I'll get Yutaka and Wakaba-chan back. I promise this to the three of you, even if I lose myself in doing it," thought Tatsumi as he stared at his now-empty right hand, his body shaking from exhaustion in all aspects of his being.

As Tatsumi allowed himself to drown in his emotions, Kinu floated above him. The figure watched him in silence as if he was scrutinizing or sizing up what Tatsumi was made of.

" But the two of you…do you two remember who you used to be?"

Kinu's eyes remained transfixed on the secretary as he recalled those words coming from Tsuzuki. He felt an emotional pinch ghost over his cold and unfazed demeanor. He looked at Tatsumi with a smidgen of fascination. Watching Tatsumi all this time touched something in his heart that he never thought he had.

Moments later, a startled Tatsumi looked up as he saw a figure fly with such speed towards him. The one observing him all this time then stayed suspended a few feet above the ground before him.

Tatsumi was startled. He recognized Watari, but his sixth sense did not read Watari's presence within Kinu. He did not know how to react. Should he be happy to see his blonde-haired lover risen from the grave? Should he give the one before him a hug as he would tell the other how empty his existence had been since death parted them? Should he even assume that the one before him was still Watari?

Yet Kinu's cold and expressionless eyes warned Tatsumi to withhold any feelings of joy. He had no choice but to quell any sort of happiness or hope. As much as it pained him, his pragmatically-inclined mind kept reminding him, "This is Kinu - not Yutaka."

"You are Tatsumi Seiichiro, are you not?" asked Kinu as his piercing golden-brown gaze was transfixed on the shadowmaster.

The secretary looked at the angelic-like figure that was once Watari Yutaka, a chill travelling his spine as the less-logical and still-grieving part of his being wanted to believe that the one before him was indeed Watari. He answered in a somber and tightlipped fashion, "Yes, I am..."

Kinu then asked Tatsumi in a unemotional tone that expressed curiosity, "You went against Enma-DaiOh-sama during the Inquisition yet you reap these souls to bring to Meifu. You know that there might not be a Meifu or any realm save for the Pits of Hell in the next couple of days yet you spend time on these dying people as if the time with them would matter. Why?"

"Because these lives do matter," was Tatsumi's reply as he met Kinu's gaze, his heart clenching over the fact that there was no presence of Watari within this angelic-looking being before him. He tried to make the distinction that this was Kinu before him and not Watari, yet as the minutes passed it was harder for him to make that distinction.

And so Tatsumi temporarily avoided gazing at Kinu and began closing his eyes tightly as a last-ditch effort to hold on to the last bit of composure left within his being.

"Your peer told Gyokuto and me that you knew people who resembled us. Is this true?" was Kinu's question, the "golden bird" not understanding the inclinations behind Tatsumi's subtle avoidance in eye contact and acceptance of the facts.

But hearing Kinu ask the question made Tatsumi look at Kinu. It pained him to see his lover before him but not feel that comforting essence. "You and Gyokuto don't resemble Watari and Wakaba. You and Gyokuto are Watari and Wakaba. I just do not understand why you and she would cause so much devastation. Such actions are against the essence of your predecessors. Such actions are also against who you and Gyokuto should be."

A light yet taunting smirk escaped from Kinu's lips. "You and the rest have been believing in sanitized myths about Gyokuto and me. That is what makes humans weak. Your race tends to dilute the truth because it is too much to bear. It is just unfortunate that even one of the primordials fell into such human flaw. Gyokuto and I have awakened to do what this world needs. This world needs to be cleansed...purified..."

"You can't do that," was Tatsumi's words, his eyes glistening in held-back tears as the righteous indignation rose within the core of his being.

The smirk from Kinu's lips became more twisted. "Tsuzuki Asato begged a three-day reprieve, shinigami. You are fortunate that you are spared from my wrath."

Tatsumi's eyes narrowed, his emotions becoming more clouded and constricted. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be afraid of me. Enma-DaiOh-sama is absent from his throne, so all his shinigami are just mere humans. You would not stand a chance against me. Are you willing to sacrifice your flimsy existence to prove your erred truth?"

Clenching his fists, Tatsumi declared with quiet conviction, "I'm not afraid of you. You wouldn't hurt me because I know Yutaka's still within you. Human beings are not as flawed as you think they are."

"Do you dare to take that gamble after tomorrow night, shinigami?" asked Kinu as he stared at Tatsumi as if he was going to melt the secretary with his gaze.

After Tatsumi took a subtle yet deep breath, he replied, "Yes, I will. If I lose, you will destroy me. If I win, you and Gyokuto must stop all destructive actions. You two will also bring back our friends Yutaka and Wakaba-chan."

An inwardly-chuckling Kinu said with a snort, "Such a tall order. You sound as if you have as much right over us just as Enma-DaiOh-sama, the Five Generals, and the primordials do. Such audacity but yes, I accept your challenge. Gyokuto and I, however, have no control over your friend's essence. They are non-existent to us. I can also only promise on my actions. Gyokuto must be challenged the same way that you are challenging me and lose to that individual. If you win, I will stop the devastation that I could cause. I cannot give you back your friend because there is nothing to bring back. Do you still challenge me knowing what you now know?"

Hearing Kinu's certain-sounding words burdened Tatsumi's spirit yet he said, "Yes, I do."

"You should have remembered that my very power comes from the very things that renders you most weak -- light. How could you command your shadows against a being of pure light such as Gyokuto and me?"

"That's for me to worry about, Kinu," Tatsumi deadpanned, his anger as well as his desire to get Watari back doing their best to provide a boost to Tatsumi's sagging hope.

"Two evenings from today, shinigami. You shall meet your doom two evenings from today."

The subsequent seconds between the two were spent in silence, the two exchanging meaningful glances. Each one was intent in winning over the other.

Kinu then waved his hand and broke the silence between Tatsumi and him with a knowing smile, "Until we meet again, shinigami..."

Tatsumi then saw Kinu's angelic wings of gold and white spread fully before him, the latter opening a wormhole for exit. His jaw and fists clenched as he saw the beautiful monster that his lover became disappear before him, thinking, "Two evenings from now. I won't lose to you, Kinu. For everyone's sake, especially Yutaka's, I won't lose to you."

Meifu - less than an hour later

After a long day of retrieving countless souls, an exhausted Hisoka walked in silence towards the infirmary. Although he was nearly as objective as Tatsumi normally was in terms of retrieval, the multitude of retrievals and the pitiful state that each retrieval was in changed his overall demeanor about being a shinigami.

That temporary change in viewpoint was more than enough for Hisoka to understand what agonized Tsuzuki so much over these years of being partners with the senior shinigami.

And now, Hisoka was approaching the second reason as to why he recently began questioning the purpose of his work as an angel of death. Strangers were one thing, but ending a parent's life - let alone both parents - was another matter.

Hisoka's eyes went wide as he saw Nagare's clothing unraveled, the latter's body naked and covered in slime. It was hard for him to walk inside the infirmary, let alone approach and touch his father since he picked up so many emotions coursing throughout his father's being.

There was excruciating pain that made Nagare's body tremble.

And then there were other murky emotions that Hisoka picked up from Nagare...

Guilt... Fear... Doubt... Anger... Disgust...

Those emotions along with a gamut of others all wrapped up in a near-undecipherable plea...

The younger Kurosaki then got a basin of water, diligently and patiently cleaning up Nagare's body as he thought, "I'm sorry, Father. Would it be a blessing or a curse if I give you rest? Would it be a blessing or a curse if I want to spend a little more time with you before I do so?"

Nagare was rendered speechless due to the pain.

Hisoka worked on slowly but surely moving Nagare to another bed with clean and dry sheets. He moved the two beds close to each other and then edged Nagare towards the cleaner bed. Towels were spread over the clean bed, each one being taken away as Hisoka gave Nagare another sponge bath.

Eventually, Hisoka helped Nagare into a clean yutaka as the latter lay in bed. He gave his father a poignant smile when he heard Nagare tell him, "Thank you, Son. I'm sorry that you have to -"

"No, Father. I'm glad that we have this time together. I'll do my best to help you get well."

The elder Kurosaki said, "It's already too late, Son. You know that. There's not much time left for your mother and me. It's a miracle that we still have this time together. But it's borrowed time...time that should be returned to the gods..."

Hisoka bit his lip, remaining silent as he held back his tears. His heart felt heavier as he heard his father say, "The gods heard our prayers, Son. You have the power to give us rest. Please..."

After the long period of silence between father and son, Hisoka replied, "But..."

"Whatever happened between us, Hisoka... I'm sorry. I should've been a better father to you. However, I just want you to be the best in what you do. Please forgive me. I pass on to you everything that I have...whatever that would mean to you..."

The younger Kurosaki became somber. His tears quietly fell. "All is well between us, Father. Please don't worry."

"Thank you," said Nagare as he closed his eyes and fell asleep. His body, mind, and soul were exhausted - all of them controlled by something much greater than he could possibly handle.

As Hisoka watched and waited for the others to return for the meeting, he stood up and went to Rui's bedside. His thoughts ran as if she was awake and that he was talking to her, "I'm sorry, Mother. We haven't had much time together. Please rest in peace. Please forgive me if I needed to be the one who'd cut your life. I... I love you. No matter what happened in the past, I love you and Father."

Shortly after those poignant thoughts, Hisoka willed for the orb of life representing Rui's life to float before him. Once that had happened, he closed his eyes and offered a prayer to the gods. "Please give them the peace that they never had, and please forgive me for being the very vessel to bring them to your arms."

Then Hisoka absorbed the orb of light with his outstretched hand, the thread connecting the orb to Rui's body severed. He bit his lip as the light and the silver thread's luminous glow died down before him, especially when he saw Rui take her last breath.

Many minutes of silence which were merely disrupted by Hisoka's soft sobs, Nagare calmly said, "You did the right thing, Son. Mother is thankful to you."

Hisoka read Nagare's thoughts...thoughts that told him that his father wanted the same end to his suffering. There was something, however, that felt off to the young shinigami. He then dismissed those thoughts as he felt via his empathy that Nagare was in such pain, the latter's plea for his life and suffering to be cut short much more dire than it had ever been before.

And shortly thereafter, Nagare lost consciousness.

The younger Kurosaki stood up and then went to Nagare's bedside. He swept away the unruly strands of hair from Nagare's face. He then whispered in-between silent tears, "I love you, Father. Maybe, just maybe, you'd tell me what those words meant once you join Mother in the afterlife...those words that you told me before that fateful night that changed everything for me... That, along with the fact that all is well between us..."

The orb representing Nagare's life then materialized before Hisoka, the sphere of light along with the connecting silver thread floating before Nagare's unconscious body.

Hisoka waved his hand, letting the orb rest in his hand. There was an element of reservation brewing within him - something that nagged deep inside him. He then opened his eyes and gazed at his father's face.

Nagare, although still handsome, looked so battered. Although he was still the ever-proud and mighty warlord and head of the Kurosaki clan, there was something so poignantly pitiful about his current state.

And it was something that Hisoka knew his father would not want to be subjected to.

As the dutiful son who wanted to do something for his father at this last opportunity, Hisoka said, "Forgive me, Father. Please rest in peace, even if it means that we might not see each other again..."

Then Hisoka tightened his hold on the orb of light, absorbing its energies and thereby severing the thread attaching it to Nagare's frail and battered body...his tears flowing more generously as he saw Nagare's eyes widen in fright and the latter's body tremble in pain...

A moment later, Nagare took his last breath...his body resting on the bed...

Hisoka then broke in a fitful sob, his body sliding down on the bed. He then fell on his knees and cried, his head resting against the bed. His body quivered as he did his best to make sense of the emotions coursing and clashing inside him.

As Hisoka cried, he did not notice the dark mist that escaped from the dead Nagare's slightly-opened mouth...the mist forming into Yatonogami - the serpent god now slowly but surely materializing and becoming corporeal.

Hisoka then looked up, feeling a disturbance through his empathy.

Before his eyes could fully open wide in shock, Hisoka found himself crashing full-force against the infirmary walls as a malevolently gleeful Yatonogami let out a yell and slapped him with its mighty tail.

End of Chapter Thirty-Six

Terminology

Abigor - Demonology books differ in interpretation about Abigor's position in regards with Ashtarote. Some books say that Abigor is a higher-ranking demon than Ashtarote, and some say otherwise. The books, however, agree with the fact that Abigor is a demon commander, a war strategist, a seer, and the ruler of 60 realms in Hell. For the purposes of this fic, I used the interpretation that Abigor ranks higher than Ashtarote. I also took liberalities in fleshing out a background story for him.

Chapter Eight revealed that Abigor, whose seal has been mysteriously appearing in Kyoto Files Revisited, is none other than Tsuuri Troy. For the purposes of this fic, Enma, the primordial demons, Ashtarote, and the other demons will call him Abigor. Tsuzuki, Hisoka, Tatsumi, Watari, Konoe, Muraki, and Troy's loved ones will call him Troy or Tsuuri-kun. Troy, by this time, is used to being called by either name.

Subsequent chapters of Apocalypse Rising will explain more about his past, how he fell from God's grace, how he obtained his powers, how his relationship had been with Enma, and why he became involved with the Shokan Division. The depiction of Abigor in this fanfic belongs to PJ Zatken. Tsuuri Troy wholly belongs to PJ Zatken.

Ashtarote – The Grand Duke of Hell or Makai. He has been eyeing on Tsuzuki to replace Sargatanas as the Brigadier Commander of the demon army since Sargatanas has been vanquished in The Devil's Trill manga and anime story arc. The series itself refers to Ashtarote, and the depiction of Ashtarote in the YnM series belongs to Matshushita Yoko.

Enma – The Lord of Death. Aside from passing judgment on a soul for deeds (or misdeeds) done during that soul's mortal existence, he also spearheads JuOhCho and EnmaCho.

EnmaCho – The Cho (or division) that Enma spearheads. Also known as the Judgment Bureau.

Father Lorenzo Opava - A minor original character (OC) created by PJ Zatken. A good friend and advisor to Tsuuri Troy, the priest also has psychic abilities. He can see spirits and demons. He can also heal the sick.

In chapter one, Father Opava is maimed by someone. In a later chapter, Troy and Tatsumi retrieve Father Opava's soul. The mystery gets even more complicated when Hisoka's empathic powers pick up that Troy - or someone who looks like Troy - is the one responsible for the priest's assault.

So far, Troy is still implicated in Father Lorenzo Opava's assault.

Golden Emperor – The ruler of Gensoukai that has gone missing for ages. Before war erupted in Gensoukai, the Golden Emperor had a plan to save Gensoukai and ensure its existence by destroying Chijou and humanity. As a result, a civil war erupted which pitted Sohryu against Kurikara – the two being long-time friends. Sohryu supported the Golden Emperor and Kurikara took a stand for humanity. The Golden Emperor lent his powers to Sohryu, which enabled Sohryu to banish Kurikara and seal him at the far corners of Gensoukai. Up to the last book of the manga, the Golden Emperor has not been found.

Genbu – the Guardian God of the North. He appears as a short and wise old man. He is Rikugo's teacher and mentor. His true form is a turtle.

Gushoshin Twins – The bird-like creatures that are the librarians and chroniclers for the Shokan Division, EnmaCho, and Meifu. They also assist as needed on research and cases.

Kinu and Gyokuto – Golden bird and jade hare respectively. Enma mentions these two names in the Gensoukai/Kamakura story arc. It is insinuated that Enma refers to Watari as Kinu when Watari and Tatsumi "break in" JuOhCho's mother computer. Apparently, the manga-ka's insinuating that Enma has plans for Watari since he talks about Kinu and Gyokuto coming together to fulfill his goals.

Makai – Hell, or the equivalent of Hell.

Meifu – The land of the dead where sakura trees are almost in bloom all year round. Enma oversees Meifu. It is the equivalent of purgatory.

Kacho – Chief. Another name called for Konoe since he is the Shokan Division Chief.

KaGanKokuShunGeiKuro - roughly translated as red-eyed black lion. This is the parasitic shikigami that shares Terazuma's body and takes control when Terazuma is touched by a woman. Watari endearingly calls Terazuma's shikigami as Kuro

Kurikara - A fiery dragon / shikigami introduced in the Gensoukai / Kamakura story arc. The manga-ka has left fans hanging for more than a year, so there is no canon resolution regarding the outcome of Hisoka's quest...as to whether he "won" Kurikara as his shikigami. For the purposes of this fan fiction series, the Gensoukai / Kamakura story arc is over, Hisoka wins Kurikara, and he is Hisoka's most powerful shikigami to date.

Oriya Mibu or Oriya – Muraki's long-time best friend, the friendship starting at least during their high school years. He is a master swordsman and is the proprietor of the Kokakuro (a restaurant which is also a brothel in disguise for influential clients). He is referred by many as Wakadanna (young master) by his clients and his women.

In the anime and manga, the Kyoto Files Arc, Oriya challenges Hisoka to a duel.

Our beloved manga-ka had done two side-stories which involve three characters – Oriya, Ukyo, and Muraki fairly recently. The stories pick up from after the Kyoto incident where Oriya and Ukyo wait for Muraki's return. I just read the scanlations a couple of days before this chapter posted on

In the stories, the three characters have been friends since their school days. In their earlier days, Oriya constantly wonders as to whether his two friends are a couple. Eventually, the truth comes out and their friendship has endured throughout the years.

In these side-stories, it seems that Oriya is not only fond and loyal of Muraki but also of Ukyo (which gives me the hint that Oriya may be bi). He had been friends with Muraki since high school while he became classmates and close friends with Ukyo during his university days.

You have to read them. Do a Yahoo or Google search on Oriya and Ukyo. I stumbled on them when I was looking for the Tatsumi side-story. The stories, as usual in true YnM style, are adorable.

Major hugs to famous YnM fanfiction author Lyrebird and group for giving the rest of us fans this wonderful treat. Visit Lyrebird's profile for more information.

Primordial demons – A band of demonic beings living in the deepest regions of Hell or Makai. The region where the primordial demons live is mostly unreachable by Hell's residents. There are eight primordial demons – each one representing a point of a Chaos star and all of them drawing powers from Chaotic sources.

Scroll down for further information about the primordial demons. More will be revealed about them in the subsequent chapters. As much as this term has been used from time-to-time, the characters comprising of this group of beings has been created by PJ Zatken.

Rikugo – one of Tsuzuki's twelve shikigami He appears as a handsome man with long hair and an attitude to match Watari's. He is the astrologer shikigami and Genbu's student. He is easily recognized by the extra pair of eyes in his forehead and an eye in each hand

Shikigami – Mystical servants who take on the shape of animals in their battle form.

Shinigami – Angels or Guardians of Death. Those who become shinigami have deep regrets and strong ties to the mortal world. Out of those who die and face judgment before Enma, the Lord of Death selects a handful to become shinigami. All shinigami are to work in pairs to prevent the abuse of privileges, since they each can pass freely between Chijou and Meifu. Each shinigami also chooses a mystical power to master, which will aid him or her during duty. Although they hold one of the most prestigious positions in Meifu, they are also unfortunately the lowest paid employees in JuOhCho.

Shokan Division – The summons sections of EnmaCho or the Judgment Bureau. Their agents, known as shinigami or angels of death, retrieve souls of those who appear in the list but have not faced judgment before Enma.

Sohryu – The guardian of the East, one of Tsuzuki's shikigami, and the Golden Emperor's representative. He is the acting leader of the shikigami. He appears as a tall and handsome man with light-colored hair. In his true form, he is a powerful water dragon.

Terazuma Hajime - He is Wakaba Kannuki's senior partner in the Chugoku area. Although he has pointed ears and dark marks under his eyes due to his parasitic shikigami, he is handsome in his own right and bears a strong resemblance to Tsuzuki. A former detective of the Hiroshima Prefecture Police, an excellent archer, and a current shinigami, Terazuma's motto is efficiency and utilization of strength. He despises Tsuzuki because he sees his senior colleague as a "waste," not only due to Tsuzuki's lackadaisical attitude but also for the latter's possession and almost non-utility of his Fuda and shikigamis' powers. He avoids women and physical contact with women since he turns into his shikigami form with a woman's touch. Hisoka, too, also has the same effect on Terazuma. Although he avoids women, he welcomes Wakaba's presence for more reasons other than his partner's ability to turn him back into his human form.

Almost everyone calls him Terazuma, and Wakaba calls him Hajime-chan. Terazuma Hajime belongs to Matshushita Yoko, the manga-ka.

Todoroki - The chief of the Peace Preservation Bureau. Chief Todoroki is one of Chief Konoe's fiercest enemies, and is an unseen character in the series.

I know. I know...what's Chief Satori doing in the story?

When I was doing my research on the series, I thought that the chief of the Peace Preservation Bureau is un-named. After doing more research for the purposes of this fic, I found out (much to my embarrassment) that Todoroki is the name of the chief. So for less confusion (and in an effort to save face), this is how the story goes...

The Peace Preservation Bureau has two chiefs - one handling internal affairs, and the other managing affairs outside affairs. Chief Satori handles internal affairs, and Chief Todoroki is in charge of external affairs. Although the two of them have different responsibilities, they have equal power and they have their respective staff. At the same time, both of them are thorns in Konoe's side.

Chief Satori is a character created by PJ Zatken, and Chief Todoroki is a creation of manga-ka Matshushita Yoko.

Ukyo / Ukyou / Sakuraiji Ukyou – A young lady from Sakura Pharmaceuticals, a leading drug manufacturer. She is an important woman in Muraki's life. Two years younger than Oriya, they became acquaintances in the university. Together with Oriya, she is anxious about Muraki's fate. In the side-stories, it turned out that Oriya took pharmaceutical sciences with Ukyo at the university.

The excerpt above comes from Lyrebird's site. Many thanks to her and her team for bringing this to life to us who don't speak or read Japanese.

For the purposes of this fic, Ukyo died and Muraki had just found out about it upon his recent return to see the two.

Wakaba Kannuki - She is Terazuma Hajime's partner in the Chugoku area. A Fuda user, she is the only one who could control Terazuma when he changes into his shikigami form. She looks like a pretty and bubbly high school girl in a shaded sailor uniform with long wavy hair entwined with ribbons. Aside from having a sweet disposition, she is an awesome cook and a wonderful baker who spoils Tsuzuki and the rest of the Shokan Division with her pastries.

Her partner, Terazuma, calls her Kannuki. Tsuzuki affectionately calls her Wakaba-chan. The rest of her peers call her Wakaba, and she belongs to Matshushita Yoko.

And a Guide to the Primordials (list will be added as they appear. All that appear in this section are original characters created by PJ Zatken except for Tsuzuki Asato, of course. However, the depiction of Tsuzuki's primordial character is mine.)

Caer – the first of the primordials to have awakened. He is the one who saves Muraki from the fires in Shion University at Kyoto. He appears at the Inquisition Hall to lay claim on Tsuzuki. He bears a grudge against Enma for taking Abigor away from him.

Ruen – the second primordial introduced in the story. She knows Abigor very well and has chatted with him in the past. Do not let her warm sisterly side fool you. She has powers as dark as Caer and knows how to set up chain of events to manipulate those around her and her primordial siblings.

Dymion – the third primordial introduced in the story. His powers have influence over the moon, its appearance, and its phases. He also has other powers that will be revealed as the story unfolds. An excellent archer and gifted mystic just as his siblings, he uses his powers to create havoc. He has a more down-to-earth attitude than most of his siblings yet his temperament is also one of the most volatile.

Lumys – the fourth primordial in the story. He is the most cerebral of the eight siblings although all eight of them are intelligent in his or her right. His mind registers information quickly as well as holds vast amounts of arcane secrets

Mirmi – the fifth primordial introduced in the story. He was the warrior and shape-shifter among the eight siblings. He was responsible for maiming Father Lorenzo Opava – a long-time friend and mentor to Tsuuri Troy. His business is war and destruction. His deceivingly-handsome looks hide how cruel he could be

And remember that the remaining two have been awakened already. The two just have not been introduced yet. The eighth primordial is Tsuzuki Asato and he definitely needs no introductions :)

Normal Disclaimer

I do not own Yami no Matsuei and its lovable characters. However, I do own this fic and its original characters.