What came before: The night has fallen again, and the war between the Urban Legends and the Folklores resumes. Just as the sky grows dark, the Nura Clan's Supreme Commander's own treacherous son has all but reached his father. But while their destinies clash, other destinies clash elsewhere as well.
The Satori Clan from Chubu is preparing to face the Rurakiriba, cruel ghosts of young girls that committed a massacre over the Satori Clan. All of Satori are thirsty for revenge, with the exception of their heir, Sarutobi, who feels like there is a reason for these bloody hauntings, reasons he wants to discover… or remember…
Chapter 106 - Disgrace
Ritsura looked towards Tokyo Tower from a far distance. How? A strong blizzard of her making still enveloped the area, but the eyes of the Yuki-Onna could pierce any blizzard. So she could clearly see the flying carriage that the Nura Clan destroyed, and her brother jumping out of it.
How did he get there? From what the crows had just told her, the carriage belonged to one of the provincials, its course had been announced, and it was never said that it was stolen. Yet the only person in it was her brother. They would have to investigate later, but it was clear that someone from within the clan had aided him. And she could not think of anyone, for Rihan was not loved by anyone outside the main household, and she was very sure none of them would have aided him, not if it meant that Rihan would be helped to cross swords with his father.
Will have to think about it later. As much as she hated the idea of keeping a potential traitor loose, there were more pressing matters. Rihan reaching their father spelled trouble. So she started running in the direction of the tower, and all the Nura youkai close to her followed.
If she was to be honest, she did not want them following her. Keeping them safe from the blizzard would be taxing for her, the fight with her brother was reserved solely for his relatives, their lives were at risk, and they were needed elsewhere.
"You there!" She aimed her finger at one of them. "You take some guys and keep guard. I don't want to be attacked from the rear!" He looked distressed, but listened and took a few youkai with him.
She gave similar orders to a few others. But she had to stop at some point, because they would never let her move alone.
Just as she had entered the snowstorm, her eyes caught something: a shining red dot flying out of the tower. Ritsura stopped immediately, and gazed at it. She could feel Fear coming out of it, and she soon felt it was directed at her. Whatever that spark of red was, it hated her.
And then it moved in her direction. She jumped away, avoiding the direct attack, and the infernal explosion that followed.
Her body rolled away, and she could feel more and more pain with each roll. It was not something that should have hurt a youkai, but the heat sealed her Yuki-Onna's Fear, as evident when she noticed her bangs of hair turning brown and her kimono dark gray. Her body also hurt a bit more, and she no longer felt as strong as she usually did.
She forced herself up, and was immediately glad that she had reduced the numbers of youkai following her. Because everyone who was with her was now a smoldering corpse.
What is this? She wondered as she looked around. A crater had appeared in the spot where the dot struck, and a large inferno burning out of it, like a flame in a cauldron. The roads around it had melted, and there were flames on everything that could burn. Several explosions resounded around as well, followed by pieces of metal and concrete raining around. Sounds of further explosions bombarded the air, added to by metallic crashes of the car parts they blew off. Flung into the sky, the alloy started to rain down, back to the ground.
The snowstorm still raged though, so the whole place seemed like a bizarre fusion of infernos and blizzards. Like two hells merged into one.
She turned around and gave into the run, which was another good choice because something flew from the giant flames and destroyed the mirage she left behind. "RIIIIITSURAAAA-CHAAAAAN!" A deep, trembling voice called out to her. "I HAVE FINALLY FOUND YOU, YOU DARN BITCH!" A flaming silhouette came out of flames. It was a monster that looked like it was made of molten concrete, with bright red veins shining from the place where his 'limbs' connected. "WHY HAVE YOU DISAPPEARED AGAIN?!" It screamed, and everything around him burst into flames. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?!"
Ritsura stopped to take a breath, an action she rarely had to do when she was a Yuki-Onna. It was not made of straw, but it was a flaming doll of a kind, and it turned the bodies of her fallen comrades into flaming undead. "FIND HER! FIND HER, I SAY!" And it hated her.
It was the very youkai Kijo spoke of when she fled from Chubu. The same youkai who struck her clan, and destroyed a few others. "Hageshi Seishin (Fierce Spirit)." She whispered, remembering his name. "Well this is annoying."
She turned around and gave into a run. Her Yuki-Onna's powers may have been sealed, but her Nurarihyon's powers were strongest in her human form. Clearly even his hatred was not enough to see through it. And if it could, she did not want to stay behind and test it.
~)(~
"Today we get our revenge!"
"This night, they will sing their last lullabies!"
"Revenge for Mother! For brother! For everyone!"
They were all so very excited. All of the Satori, the mind-reading apes, were excited that they would bring revenge upon those who were behind that bloody massacre, on the day that saw much of their family killed. Even if they did not kill the Rurakiriba themselves, they would at least bring pain upon their comrades.
They were not moving together though. Each one of them had joined a group of the Nura youkai, either as a combatant or as support. The power to read minds of their enemies made, as well as of their enemies, made them formidable in their own way. Right now, they were using these powers to connect to one another's mind and cheer together. One last cheer before the battle. They were all so excited.
All but Sarutobi, son of the Satori Clan's leader, who was the only one not following anybody, instead, choosing to sit below a tree in someone's backyard.
He should be furious like the rest of them. No matter what the Rurakiriba were, and why they did what they did, he had no reason not to feel remorse for the deaths, and thus hatred for the ones that brought this death upon his loved ones.
Yet, something deep inside him, something he could not remember, made it now impossible to hate. His heart was furious, but with something else… something that his subconscious knew of, but his consciousness did not.
And he knew that his own father was the reason why he could not remember. Whenever he tried to remember, he could feel his touch on his thoughts pushing him away, sometimes gently and sometimes harshly.
It was frustrating. The answer, his memories, were so close… yet, he could not reach them.
"Tobi-kun, why are you here?" A girl's thoughts resounded close to him.
He looked up and saw the face from last night. It was a young girl, in a purple kimono with yellow flower motif. She held a bloody knife in her right hand, yet he could not feel any killing intent from her. Melancholy, that was the only thing he could feel.
"Where should I be?" He answered her question with one of his own.
"Fight against us." She opened her mouth and spoke. Only then did he notice that she had no tongue.
"I don't want to."
"Did you remember something? Your father should have made that impossible."
"I remember my feelings… but how do you know that?" He asked, and then realized. "Were you there… when he made me forget them?"
An image started appearing before him, but it disappeared and he could see her biting her lip and shaking her head. She was forcing herself to forget the image.
"What happened?" He asked as he rose up.
"Doesn't matter." She scowled. "It's better you don't remember." She pointed her knife at him. "Fight me."
"Well, I want to remember."
She slashed at him, and her knife cut into his shoulder.
"And I… know that I… don't mind being killed by you."
She pulled out her knife, and then looked away.
"Please…" He talked to her mind. "Open your thoughts to me… show me what I forgot!" He felt a tear sliding across his cheek.
"No."
"Please… Maki-chan." He remembered her name.
"If you know… you'll suffer. For the rest of your life."
"I don't know what the memories are… but I did not forget my feelings. So I know… I know I will accept this responsibility."
"Fine then… Tobi-kun."
She opened her mind. And by the time the visions faded, she was gone.
Be it as it may, his life had turned around… melancholy and hate were not there anymore, only shame, regret, disgust and disappointment.
~)(~
Ritsura looked at the flaming mist surrounding her blizzard with clear annoyance. She was glad that her blizzard could last even while her Yuki-Onna's Fear was contained, but she was not glad that she could not get close to it. The moment she got too close, the flames would rush at her.
Like right now. She did not even get so close as far as she was concerned, but she could once again feel the flaming youkai's gaze. Her powers of Nurarihyon were the strongest in this form, but even that was not enough to mask her from this annoying youkai. Hageshi Seishin did not go after her though, but the flaming ghouls that he had created from the bodies of dead youkai did.
Fortunately for Ritsura, they were not immune to her Fear so she was able to hide herself from them. That was not to say that they were harmless, because they were able to burn everything around them. "BY THE RED CAR!" Also, Hageshi Seishin could see her and order them where to go, so she had to make sure to get out of his field of view. She tried her luck a few times to hide herself from him, but clearly he was immune.
She was not able to destroy the ghouls either. Creating a frozen hammer and squashing them would have probably done the trick, but she was unable to do so now. Hageshi Seishin had put on some kind of curse that kept her body warm. And the more she used her youkai abilities, no matter the kind, the hotter she became. So she was unable to freeze herself and turn into a Yuki-Onna.
"Well, I can't sneak in, that's for sure." She spoke to herself as she stopped running. "Hah… hah…" Alongside being unable to use frost, she was also lacking in a youkai's constitution while in this form. And because she neglected to train her human body, she was not that impressive as a human either. The kimono did not help either, and she started questioning why she was wearing that instead of something more appropriate for fighting and running. "I'll need… to come with another plan… hah, what a bother."
Her mind started to think of possible solutions, but she was not sure what could work. A very strong youkai could probably cut Hageshi Seishin's Fear, but they were all far away, fighting in far away districts of Tokyo. This district was supposed to be her responsibility. Was she not so worried that something unexpected would come up, she would have called them up, ordered them to force their way in at all costs, and let them do all the fighting for her, a decision that she would be annoyed at once she got frozen again.
"Bah, if I can't sneak or defeat him, maybe I could attack his flames? Or lure him out? Or hurt his emotions? Or…" She raised her head up. "Ah yes, that could work! And I won't need to do any work~"
~)(~
"Stupid Monkeys, die die die~"
The lyrics sung by the Rurakiriba have lost all creativity, a fact which pleased the elder Satori. It was the confirmation of what he thought was the case: that those wretched undead girls were losing.
There were two dozen Urban Legends on the enemy side, not counting the three Rurakiriba which tried to avoid direct confrontation due to their clearly weak bodies. On other hand, there were three youkai fighting against them: Satori and two of his nephews.
When the Rurakiriba attacked them in Chubu, it was while they were sleeping and unprepared. But now the Satori youkai were not tired or in shock, but were fighting with full determination to get revenge. They may have been weak youkai and overnumbered, but the Satori were youkai that could connect their minds to others. And when Satori connected their minds together, nobody could rival their flawless teamwork. Their minds were as one, for they shared thoughts consciously and subconsciously, they strengthened one another's spirits, and they shared senses.
So when one Rurakiriba tried to sneak through the chaos of battle and was noticed by one of the monkey youkai from the corner of his eye, all three knew she was coming. All three changed their strategy to lure her out and keep her allies away. So when Satori himself pretended to lose his footing and thus created a false opening for the Rurakiriba, the other two did not flinch, they kept the other youkai away, and one of them kicked the girl with the back of his foot. Satori then sliced the girl apart, ending her ghastly existence.
"Another nee-chan dies, lalala! But we are not finished! We are not finished!" Even losing one of them did not stop the other two from singing.
Satori smiled, and though he hid his sadistic smile from his nephews, he let the remaining Rurakiriba see it.
"Ugly monkey, ugly monkey, he wants to play with us again." The girls said and split up to get lost in the groups of other youkai. "Again we shall cry, again we shall cry!"
Satori made sure to not let his thoughts from those lyrics be heard by his nephews. I see, that's why they seemed familiar…
The fight continued. The death of one of the Rurakiriba revitalized the fighting spirit in his nephews, and soon in the other members of his family that were further away, fighting youkai and the Rurakiriba in other places.
The group of youkai protecting the horrific girls grew smaller over time. Twenty became fifteen. Fifteen became a dozen. And dozen became half a dozen.
The two Rurakiriba themselves turned silent. Had he not occasionally seen them running around and look at them menacingly, Satori would have thought that they escaped. They are buying time… He could feel their Fears growing stronger. Something is about to happen.
His thoughts were relayed to his nephews, but they all were still taken by surprise. "WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…!" One of them screamed as strongly as she could. "...AAAAAAAAAAAAAA…" The scream held sadness, resentment, suffering, hatred… many strong negative emotions. It felt like the crying of an innocent child. "...AAAAAAAAA…" And more importantly, it completely destroyed the mental connection between the Satori.
An opening that the Urban Legends, who were seemingly unaffected, were quick to use. Satori remembered that dark night again when he saw one of his nephews get impaled through his stomach. Satori only barely saved his other nephew by crushing an enemy's head with his fist, after which he jumped and slashed through the remaining Urban Legends, including the impaler. He was reminded once again that without their mental link, his nephews were weaklings.
"...aaaaaaaahhh..." As for the screaming Rurakiriba, she had crumbled into dust, her screaming clearly killing all the life and will to live in her.
Now only one enemy youkai remained, and it was also the last remaining Rurakiriba in this place.
Satori wanted nothing more than to attack her, but her sadistic smiling face and the fact that she did not sing any lyrics made him cautious. As did the dark, dangerous aura emanating from her Fear. He instinctively tried to transfer those thoughts to his nephew, but he found himself still unable to establish a mental connection with his still standing nephew. Satori had to warn him in the old-fashioned way.
"You cursed evil brat!" But it was too late, as one of his nephews, Takumi, ran past him. "Even a thousand deaths could not redeem your vile acts!" He screamed and tried to crush her with his spear. But the girl just jumped away.
Stop, you fool! Satori tried to warn him, but again his habit made him try saying it via his thoughts, and so once again his warning could not come in time.
"An angry fool you are… serves you right, serves you right~" The girl finally sung again and her Fear no longer felt as dangerous. It was now unlikely that she would scream like the last one.
"You can't hide your plans from me!" Takumi must have recovered his ability to read thoughts. Normally, his movements would suddenly change and then result in a hit.
But instead, he stopped moving. And then he started shaking and weeping. "No… ahh… ahhhhhh…" He fell on his knees.
"Takumi!" Satori ran to his nephews and grabbed him. "What is going on with you?"
"Ahh…. hhhhhh…" His nephew was sniveling through his nose and mouth. Satori, who had recovered his ability to use his mind powers, looked into him. But all he could see was a broken mind.
"Now he knows, now he knows… our pain he knows." The Rurakiriba said and disappeared into the shadows. "Do you know our pain, Daddy? Do you dare to know?"
Satori would have wanted nothing more than to go after her, but that would have meant leaving his nephews here unprotected.
Even though he knew that he had to get rid of those ghosts before it was too late. Nothing I can do now… I will have to ask 'that person' for help.
He took Takumi into his arms, and quickly walked to his other nephew. "Uncle… how is he?" He asked, holding his bleeding guts.
"Not good." He put Takumi down. The boy grabbed his head, rolled on the side, and continued to shake and weep. "How are you?"
"It hurts, but my Fear remains strong. I'll be alright." He said and looked down. "What happened to him?"
"He read the girl's mind." Satori explained. "Not a wise thing to do when you face ghosts."
"How could he… that scream from the other girl was so filled with hate for us that… Hey…" He looked up from takumi towards his uncle. "I thought they were just enemies that were sent by Shiori… but I could feel their hatred for us… and I know it's stronger than our own. What do they hate us so?"
"Don't bother trying to understand ghosts." Satori said simply. "If you think too much about it, you will be hurt."
Some secrets had to stay buried, both figuratively and literally. And once the reinforcements arrive, Satori would personally make sure those ghosts disappear.
~)(~
"Caw! You should move east!" The annoying crow cawed at Sarutobi. "Your help may be needed, caw!"
"How many times do I need to tell you that I'll go where I want?" Sarutobi refused to do as the crow asked, and instead continued on his way of aimlessly wandering the dark streets with his dark thoughts. "Leave me alone."
"CAW! You have your duty to the clan! Go east!" The crow continued to command, and Sarutobi started to ignore it. "The bosses will hear of this, caw!"
"Haaah… that's the least of my worries." He spoke to himself while looking at the sky. Just like his father liked to repeat all the time, no stars could be seen in the forest of these concrete and metal towers built by humans.
This world felt alien, which may have been fitting as his whole world has turned upside down. His new emotions were strong, but he did not know what he was supposed to do. What he wanted to do.
"Caw!" Another annoying crow appeared on the empty street before him. It arrived much sooner than he expected. He wondered if it was bringing orders from some higher up. "He's here, caw! That's him!" The crow said simply and flew away.
"Huh?" Sarutobi gazed at the bird as it flew away. "Woah!" He got startled enough that he took a step back when he noticed that a girl appeared in front of him.
"Hi." The girl greeted him. She had brown hair and eyes, and wore a dark-gray kimono with some pink tulips, while her hand held a long sword. She seemed familiar, but Sarutobi could not ascertain from where. She felt like a human, and his senses confirmed it, but common sense reminded him that no human could just appear in front of you like that. "Sorry to intrude so suddenly, but I need you to come with me." She pointed behind her with her thumb.
"Who are you? Are you from Nura Clan?"
"I am Nura Ritsura, so that's a 'yes'."
Sarutobi scowled. "You don't look like her." He remembered seeing her from afar. Though he did not get a good look at her face, he knew that her eyes were amber and her hair was white and teal.
"You know how my dad changes when day and night shift places, right? Well, it's something like that." She said while he was confirming by looking into her thoughts. He did not need to look long to confirm that she spoke the truth. "My head feels a little violated. I want you to apologize." She demanded, but did not seem angry or in any way emotional about it.
"I'm sorry. I… don't know whom to trust anymore." He knew he was supposed to bow, but he could not force himself to.
"Well, can we get a move on now?"
"No."
Ritsura blinked twice before she talked. "Ha… this is unexpected. Others usually do their best to please me."
"I've my own problems."
"Hmmm… it's your duty to do what I want though."
"It's also your clan's duty to protect my clan, but you failed big time."
"Hmmm… hmmm… well that's a bother." She tilted her head. "But I need a strong Satori, and I don't want to ask your dad for help. Is there something I can do to convince you to come with me and do as I ask? I'll do… well, anything."
"Sorry, but I don't-" He started, but then remembered that this was not just any person that he was talking to. "Actually, there is something you can help me with."
"And then you will come with me?"
"No, maybe later… after I'm done with something."
"There's something you've to do? You looked like you randomly walked around." Ritsura scratched her brown-haired head.
"Will you help me or not?"
"I will, I did say that I would do basically anything. But what do you need me for?"
"To talk."
"To talk?" Ritsura frowned. "You need to talk to me? Not doing a favor? Or something less refined? Just talk?" She shook her head. "Boys today… is this somehow related to what you've to do later?"
"Yes."
"I know it must be something very important if you're ready to disobey the likely heir of the Nura Clan. But if you need help with making a decision…"
"No, I made a decision already." Sarutobi noticed a bench and went to sit on it. "But I am haunted by it. I guess I want to talk with someone so I can do what needs to be done without hestitation."
"Even so…" She walked to him, but did not sit down. "Having a chat with a complete stranger feels off. Couldn't you talk with someone from your own clan?"
"I want to talk with a leader of the Nura Clan. And you are the second best choice for that."
"Ah, I see… well, let's not waste any more time." She sat beside him. "So what is it that you want to talk about?"
"Well… the youkai of the Nura Clan, are quite special, aren't we? Well, nowadays we are."
"You think so?"
"Yes… Chubu is filled with youkai of all kinds. And I myself have been many times outside Chubu, and visited both the Nura lands east and the rivals in the west. The Nura Clan is the only clan that not only lives alongside humans, but also respects them. And protects them, which is very unlike most youkai. Right?"
"All guilty as charged."
"But why do you do so? Father constantly gives us lessons on why youkai should not be like that. In my heart I know I disagree with him and I know I am with you, though I myself never knew why I felt like that."
She smiled. "There's much to say here I guess, but can I give my own opinion?"
"That's what I want."
"It's pretty simple." She looked up. "I go to school with humans, and spend every day with them. I like them, and I feel like we are very much alike, no matter what some old geezers like to say. And I know I would be very sad if something happened to them." Ritsura threw a glance at him. "I don't want anyone, human or youkai, to suffer. To me, that's all the reason I need. I honestly don't care about other philosophies or opinions."
"Even though we youkai are beings that feed on human fear? Many will say that we youkai are creatures of evil, yet…"
"As if humans are any better. Just Japan was a small few centuries ago a land where humans killed one another every day. But humans of Japan have changed, and while their world now is not perfect, it's still much brighter than it used to be. But they too had old men claim that they could not change, that it was not in their nature. But they were wrong, and my Father and Grandfather proved that youkai too can change, that all this talk that youkai are unable to change is bollocks." She pointed at Sarutobi. "So are we youkai creatures of evil? No, we're not. We're what we choose to be."
"So you follow your father's beliefs?"
"There's quite a few things we disagree on, and some things we would act differently on. But I choose to be like him."
"Unlike your brother?"
Her face seemed to have slightly darkened. "Yes, unlike my brother. He chose a different path, though I know he holds no ill will towards humans." She said, and Sarutobi could both see on her face, and on the hinged of her thoughts, that she still loved him dearly.
"You still care about him."
"We have different opinions, but he is still my dear little brother. I love him no less than before." She looked down. "Even if we are enemies now."
Sarutobi let the silence hang for a while. He had one more question, but he was not sure how to ask it correctly.
Ritsura quickly got tired of it. "If that's all-"
"Suppose that you learned that your brother has changed. Suppose that he relishes in torture, that he is a rapist and a murderer, that he had left behind a trail of vilest sins that you believe are unforgivable, and that he has zero regrets about it, that he thought of himself as justified."
The calm and composed face on this girl changed to one of shock. "My brother is not that kind of man, nor would he ever be."
What a naive girl… but who am I to blame? "I never claimed he was. Just that you suppose that someone dear to you, someone you loved and cherished, was like someone I just described." She was still agap. "Just so you know, this is not about you, or Rihan. I just want to know what you would feel."
"I… I'm very glad that I don't need to make that decision. I don't even want to think what it would be like."
"Even so, I want a real answer."
She looked to her front in silence for a while. Then she finally spoke again. "I would, at best, love the boy he used to be." She put her hands together and looked at him. "Why would you even come up with such a question?"
"Everyone will know tomorrow." Sarutobi said and rose onto his feet. "That is, if I don't fail."
"You need help?"
"No, this is something I've to do myself. Something the Sarutobi Clan needs to do itself."
"It would inconvenience me if you broke our agreement." She jumped up as well. "I'll come with you."
"Fair point… but with one condition."
"Another condition?"
"Yeah… please make sure that the rest of the clan doesn't meddle. I don't even want crows to be there."
"You know… I'm starting to get a bad feeling about where this is going…"
~)(~
Satori had managed to find a desolate street where he believed he would be free of prying eyes of other youkai. Humans were not much of an issue this night as the enormous amount of Fear on the streets forced them all home. Still, Satori used his mind powers to check if there were any thoughts, be they of youkai or humans, before relaxing.
Satori hated everything that normal humans made, and anything that reminded him of the modern humans. That was why he felt utter disgust at himself for keeping this little device on his person all the time. He did not know what it was called, but a tech-savvy human would recognize it as an MP4 player, grey in color. Satori did not even know that it was an antiquity at this point.
He looked around once more, both with his eyes and thoughts, before clicking the big button on the device. It started playing eerie music recorded on a piano, and soon after, Satori could feel Fear other than his fill the area.
"Ah, Satori-dono! My old friend!" A voice spoke, and it was hard to describe, but his voice and the music sounded like two parts of one whole. "After what my rebellious niece did to your clan, I feared that you would never talk to me again." A transparent image of a man formed itself in front of Satori. It was a man in a lavish purple suit, with a black top hat on his head, and with an eerie smiling mask hiding his face.
Satori did not know his name, but he knew he called himself The Pianist. He also knew that he was a human, though Satori forgave the fact for this one because he was unlike the soft, wretched men that infested the world nowadays. As a matter of fact, there was nobody whom Satori feared more than this man, whose heart was darker than any youkai's that the former had known or had heard about. For a true youkai like Satori, that was worthy of admiration.
He also knew that the Pianist was part of the Hyaku Monogatari, an enemy to the Nura Clan and Rikuo. But only his loyalty to the First Commander made him feel some regret for affiliating himself with them. He was a traitor, both to the Clan, and to his co-conspirators as well were they to know, but as far as he was concerned the Monogatari understood the true heart of youkai better than the Nuras did. And in times when Satori was torn apart by his misplaced loyalties and his nature, this man was there to save him from losing his way.
"I don't blame you for it. I know that this little bitch is your enemy as much as the failure of the commander is to me."
"It warms my heart to hear you say that, my dear friend." The Pianist said with a hand on his chest. Satori knew that there was no sincerity in his words, that all his words were just like a musical arrangement to him. But it did not matter. "But what do you need from me? I do not think this is the place or time for friendly chatting."
"The Rurakiriba. They are youkai created by that bitch Shiori, right?"
"Yes, I do think I remember some poems that might have created them. They brought a lot of pain to your beloved family, I hear."
"They sure did. And I believe you know whose ghosts they are." Satori struck his hands. "I need them dead, and I need you to make sure that I destroy them as soon as possible!"
"Hmmm… you know that I can't just bring you victory. That's not how it works…"
"I know, and I don't need you to do my work. Just make a tale or whatever that will force them to meet me on the field of battle. I'll take care of the rest."
"Ah, I do so love when people ask me for a chance, not for a cheat. That's why I like you so much, my good friend. But there's no need for it."
"What?"
"Shiori has already decided that there is to be a climatic fight for you. Even without my help, you won't need to wait long for this story to come to its climax!"
"I don't like the fact that I'm supposed to play on her terms."
"Worry not, even she is not allowed to guarantee a victory. But because you were always such a good and loyal friend to me, here's a little boon for you." The Pianist put an index finger in front of the smiling mouth of his mask. "Their tale is anchored on one onee-san. If she goes away, the rest of Rurakiriba will follow. If you do it soon enough, then you'll make sure that this tale has a happy ending… for you, that is."
"Anchored on one of them…" Satori thought about these words, and wanted to ask who that was. But then he remembered that one of them was older than the rest, the same one who murdered one of his brothers while he and his clan were fleeing their ancestral home. "Yeah, I know her…"
"Good good… and here's another boon!" The Pianist's transparent finger touched the music player in Satori's hand. "Just in case you're already too late, you may need some encouragement to win this fight." The music player turned black. "If you're ready to sacrifice everything and fully offer your heart and soul to Sanmoto Gorozaemon, then press the button right of the big one. Then accept the music into your heart." The Pianist pulled his hand away, and started fading out. "Fare thee well, good friend, and may luck be on your side!" He disappeared together with the music that stopped playing.
"Hmph, and I wondered when you would make this outrageous offer." Satori looked at the device, now black in color. Part of him screamed to him that he ought to destroy it, that his honor was defiled when he was told to seek help from the likes of Sanmoto Gorozaemon and his minions.
But he doubted that the Pianist would have made such an offer unless he was certain that Satori would need it. And the fact that the Pianist thought that there was a need for it unsettled Satori.
~)(~
Sarutobi finally managed to contact his father with his thoughts and made his way towards him.
Nura Ritsura was supposedly close by, but due to her power to hide her presence, it was hard to know. She was supposedly unable to move as fast as a youkai so she was very likely left behind, though he was sure that she would catch up to him eventually. Sarutobi would not be surprised if she was watching him now from a flying carriage that she hid with her Fear.
He saw his father from afar, facing the opposite direction, and Sarutobi's body froze.
He thought he was resolved, but now he was getting cold feet. No, he did not want to turn around and leave. He did not intend to change his decision. But doing something uncomfortable, and doing something that would turn his and the lives of others, was even more terrifying than it seemed at first.
Yet when his father turned around and looked at him, the emotions inside Sarutobi defeated the fears inside him.
"You're alone, Father?" Sarutobi said instead of a greeting. He expected at least a few other Satori youkai with him. Still, him being alone would make things simpler.
"Yes, there is too much ground to cover." His father told a lie that Sarutobi would call believable. "Also, the accursed Rurakiriba are too strong for the others. It's easier if I fight alone and don't need to protect anyone."
Had Sarutobi not known the connection between his father and the Rurakiriba, he would not have noticed that it was a lie. He was surprised just how good his father was at lying. "Well, I am done on my end. I'll be with you now." His own words were not a lie, but after saying them he felt like they shone with insincerity.
And when his father frowned, for a moment, Sarutobi thought that he had seen through it. "No, quite a few of our clansmen have been wounded." He turned around. By the looks of it, he was frowning because he was trying to find a reason to keep Sarutobi away from here. "The Rurakiriba will no doubt try to attack them while they are down, there needs to be someone to keep the others safe."
This time it was not a lie. It was a manipulative truth. Before he said the rest, Sarutobi scanned the area around for thoughts. "No, I don't think they will attack them. They all seem to be nearby." He looked towards his father. "Near you."
His father slowly turned around. He was starting to connect the dots. "Sarutobi… is there something you want to tell me?"
For a moment, he felt like a child again. The tone his father right now used was a threatening one… it was the tone of a monster that hid underneath his false, friendly exterior. Only now did Sarutobi know that it was the voice of his true self, and that was the true reason why it was so terrifying.
"I noticed that you are too calm Too calm towards these little shits that killed everyone." His father continued, and Sarutobi could feel his father checking his emotions. "Now I do feel contempt in you, but not towards them."
"The only wretched monster here is you." Sarutobi's words came out by themselves.
Now even the look in his father's eyes changed, and Sarutobi felt like he was ready to attack his son's thoughts with all of the might of his Fear… just like so long ago, when he forced Sarutobi to forget what he once saw.
But he would let him do so again. He was no longer a child, and it was about time for this charade to be put to an end. "The Rurakiriba are vengeful ghosts. They are looking for you, and a certain few other members of our family."
"Are you saying they are justified?"
"After what you did to them, I can at least understand them." They killed many who were innocent, but Sarutobi could not expect those ghosts to be merciful.
Not after all the humiliation and death they suffered. So many innocent little girls, during so many centuries.
"What I don't understand is what drove you all to such wickedness."
"Wickedness? Did the Nuras brainwash your head that much?!" His father's emotions exploded. "We are youkai! We feed on human fears, on human suffering! And those humans have proven themselves to be nothing more than pests! No, they are cancer that kills our world!"
"These were innocent children. They were-"
"They were entertainment and snacks."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing…" Sarutobi shook his head. He expected, or hoped for, at least some guilt in his father. But to say there was none was an understatement. This youkai was proud of what he had done.
"No! I can't believe what you are saying, boy. There's nothing wrong here, no matter what the Nuras claim. Not that I don't understand you somewhat. I told everyone to stop when it became clear that the Second Commander would not approve of our actions."
"Stopped? I saw the thoughts of these girls, your abductions just became rarer. And I know that one happened almost in front of my eyes." His friend Maki became a victim during the Second Commander's reign.
"What? Did one of those girls actually… ah wait, now I remember who that oldest girl was. She was that friend of yours, whom you brought to our clan many, many years ago." His father made a cruel smile.
A cold chill went through Sarutobi's body. Yes, he was the one who brought her to the clan. He was a boy, she was a girl who became his friend, and he wanted to show his friend where he lived.
He was completely oblivious of the fact that, by taking her to the Satori village, that he signed her death sentence. And for things worse than death.
"I was proud of you back then, son. I thought that you brought home a meal or a pet. And then I was disappointed that you actually saw her as a person. It hurt me that you could not understand, that I had to lock your memories."
"That's nothing compared to what I think about you."
"Hmph… ungrateful brat. So, what do you intend to do anyway? Now that you know about this… what would you call it? Sin? Crime?"
"You've to answer for your crimes."
"Hahaha… answer for my crimes. Oh, how bold coming from you… and then what? You know I'm not alone in this. You know we'll continue to do what we always did."
"No, you won't. Come next morning, I'll let the entire clan know of what you did."
His father no longer looked entertained. "Boy… do you understand what will happen if that fool of the commander hears about it? Many of our clan will be forced to commit seppuku. Other clans will treat us with disdain, even if only to show they are unlike us. The name of the Satori Clan will be blemished, and we will be kicked out of the Nura Clan, and lose our ancestral lands in Chubu forever."
"Yep, I know."
"You dare to bring that upon us?"
"I will make sure that the victims can rest in peace! I'll make sure that no more victims ever come to be! I don't care about all these repercussions or politics or ideals! The Satori have to take the responsibility. The sinners, those who knew and kept quiet, and the ones like me who were too foolish to see what was happening in their backyard! These children had suffered enough, everything but what brings them justice is trivial!"
"You darn fool." The elder Satori took a step forward. "I won't let you destroy the legacy of our great clan for something that stupid."
"And I won't let you stop me." Sarutobi's grip on his spear strengthened.
"The only one thing I ever thought was good about you was your Fear, your strength. But it's still nothing that can rival me, who have fought in more battles than you hairs!"
"Yeah, I can't do much. But we can."
"What are you-"
"Time has come, time has come~"
"Time for sleeping, to put the bad man to sleep~"
Songs of children resounded around them, and one by one, morbid figures of little girls with small knives appeared all around them.
"An eternal sleep, that's sure~"
"Then we can rest too~"
The elder Satori has lost his composure at the sight of all these child females. Sarutobi was sure that he could defeat Satori alone or all these girls alone, but with them fighting together was less certain.
"I have a question." The oldest girl, Sarutobi's old friend, appeared beside Sarutobi. He tried not to look at her, for that reminded her of his failure. "Half of the girls here have been killed in the last fifteen years."
"What?" Sarutobi did not know this part.
His old friend looked at him. "The Satori Clan became even more brutal than ever before. I want to know why." She explained.
"Because my eyes were opened by new friends… and a newer, worthier master." The elder Satori, who seemed as if he had suddenly regained composure, spoke up. Sarutobi could, however, feel like something was breaking inside of his father.
"A new master?"
"Yes. Only now am I ready to admit it to myself, but I gave up on the Nura Clan. It's clear that the Second's corruption has reached not only his son, but his grandchild as well." Satori took out something very unusual for him: an electronic device. For him, who hated electronics of all kinds, this was extremely out of the ordinary. And now he looked down at it with affection. "So I found salvation in a new master, who understands what youkai are supposed to be like. Who will make the world right again." His eyes, which now seemed desperate, focused on Sarutobi. "You… you are the proof that the Nura Clan is a force that needs to be destroyed at all costs. What they did to you… they will pay for it."
"Who is this master?"
The elder Satori just smiled, and then clicked a button on the device.
And horrible, blood-chilling music started playing.
Sarutobi felt like the very sound of it defiled him, and the world around it.
"Sounds like some unnatural piano piece." His old friend spoke to him. "Did you know Tobi-kun… that some people in the west believe that the Devil is a pianist?"
Sarutobi did not answer this question. Even if he planned to, the appearance of a dark silhouette just above his father froze him.
It looked like a giant skeleton merged with tentacles, and with organs that somehow felt alive themselves. He heard of this youkai from stories told by those who fought in Tokyo over twenty years ago. "The Maou, Sanmoto Gorozaemon."
"Aaaahhhhh!" His father screamed as Maou's tentacles wrapped around him, and the Maou's bones dug into Satori's body. He let the device fall to the ground yet it did not stop it from playing this cold, horrible tune. Sarutobi gazed in shock as Sanmoto Gorozaemon defiled his father's very body, changed him into something else.
When it was all done, when Sanmoto's figure disappeared, the thing that used to be his father looked at Sarutobi. The music was still playing, but now it was slower.
This creature was twice as tall as his father used to be, and its fur was black and spiky. His hands had claws, and two large fangs were protruding from his upper mouth. And his eyes were shining blue.
Also, there was a monstrous head on its chest. It had thin black eyes, and tentacles growing from underneath those eyes.
"Arghhhh yesss!" The creature screamed. "I thought myself as strong once… but this… THIS!" Neither of its two heads moved as it spoke. Words resounded in Sarutobi's very head. "What a worm I once was! This is true power… a power coming from a true god!"
"You're happy about this?" Sarutobi shouted at him. "Look at yourself! You always blabbered so much about youkai and nature, but you look neither like a Satori, or any youkai, or anything natural!"
"Huhuhuhu… what does it matter? What matters is Fear! FEAR!" He shouted with stretched arms. "Look at them! Look at these brats! Look at how they are no longer singing. Look at how terrified they are! They used to die with smiles on their lips, but now they are more like before… yes, I remember each one's face now, and the delicious horror on their faces."
And then the tentacles on his chest's head moved, and a third of the girls started screaming.
"AHAHAAHA!" The creature laughed while the girls screamed and bled black blood. "Yes, this is true power! I can show them even worse horrors than what they once suffered! And I can enjoy every little scream they make!"
"No… you can't… STOP IT YOU MONSTER!"
And stop he did, and how his upper head finally looked at Sarutobi. The boy's blood froze when the creature smiled. "Come then… didn't you say that you will make me pay for all my crimes?"
Sarutobi clenched his teeth and raised his spear. He was ready to take down his father. And this creature was not even his father anymore. So he rushed forward.
But then an extreme headache struck him and he fell onto his knees, his spear rolling away from him.
"FOOL! You can do nothing to me anymore!" The creature's voice spoke right into his head. "The Pianist said that if I hurry and kill that girl who leads the Rurakiriba, that I would get the happiest ending. Did he know that the girl already did the deed and cut that ending away from me? Well, it doesn't matter. This music had changed me…"
A spike in the intensity of the headache struck Sarutobi. "GYAAAAAAH!"
"I no longer feel any empathy for you… or for anyone. Pure, undiluted Fear… now I am a pure, perfect youkai."
"You are- UAAAAGGHHHH!" Sarutobi could not even talk back at him with his thoughts. The creature had such a strong grip on his mind that he could easily cause pain in his very head.
"I realized something very funny, Sarutobi." The creature spoke. "I no longer need to convince anyone of anything. Because I have gained the power to bend minds to my will." Suddenly, it felt like something was digging right into his very mind. "For example… I can shape you into a perfect son with this new power! In a few seconds, I'll change your mind into someone who will love me, who will understand me, who will put all these girls in their place. You will become… how would you say it… ah yeah, the worst of us!"
"No…" Sarutobi rejected such a disgusting idea.
"How delicious your defiance is. Your suffering feeds me. As will your horror as you change. But don't worry, you will soon feel only pleasure."
"No… No I will not change." Sarutobi felt like worms dug through his brain, but he fought back. He was a Satori, a youkai that could use mind or psyche-influencing powers. If anyone existed who could resist this creature, it was him. "You won't change me, you monster."
"What… how can you…" The creatures' irritation reached all the way to Sarutobi's mind. The creature pushed more intensively, but so did Sarutobi push harder against him.
I can win this. If this was the limit of his power, then victory was still in sight. I can-
"Hmph, to think I'll have to go all out." The creature's Fear grew stronger. And it kept growing. If he put all this Fear into his mind control, then no amount of defiance could stop him. Only an extremely powerful youkai could do something like that. "I'm impressed, but it's still futile. You will-"
Sarutobi was not sure what happened. At one moment, he was looking at this creature all ready to erase him. And the next moment, the creature was on its knees in a pool of its own, black blood. Its eyes were gouged out, and Sarutobi could see that it had large wounds around where its tendons were.
And there was a girl standing beside him, holding her long sword in her left hand and knife in her other. Nura Ritsura said nothing, she just looked at the creature intensely, all while sweating for some reason.
Yet, Sarutobi could remember what happened. While the creature was attacking his mind, Nura Ritsura appeared and slashed him all over his body and head with her knife. He bled, his eyes were dug out, but he did not realize it until the second eyeball hit the floor. This girl, somehow, managed to make them both not pay attention while she did such things.
"YOUUUSSH SHJAABBBBN DHFUFJHRNT TOTOOO MEEE!" The creature showered their minds with thoughts that could not be understood. Basically, it was so angry that it could barely think straight.
But it was not to last. "I do not need eyes to watch!" His arm grabbed Ritsura by her neck. "And pain means nothing if I can make myself unable to feel it!"
Once again, the creature turned the tables on them. But Sarutobi did not despair. While the creature's attention was away from him, and while it was still afraid, he rushed, grabbed the spear from the ground, and went for an attack.
The creature that once used to be his father noticed him. And it struck his mind. But Sarutobi could not let this small chance given to him by Ritsura go to waste. Though it was no longer worth calling a youkai, the creature was still a being made of Fear and answered to the same rules as a youkai. While it was afraid and startled, it was vulnerable and its attacks were weaker. Sarutobi could not falter even for half a moment. He had to strike before it got its wits back.
So he invaded the creature's mind, found what he needed, and pulled away. He was horrified how easily it came to him, but that was what he hoped for and something he would put to use. He put all his strength, resolve, regrets, disdain, and hope into this attack.
"Gyaaaaarghh!" Sarutobi cried and slashed at the creature's body with his spear. The spear broke into pieces, and left behind only a small wound
But Sarutobi's true attack was not at the creature's body, but at its mind. It was one short attack, but an explosive one, he believed.
"Ahhh… what…" The creature spoke, this time with its mouth. It let go of Ritsura, and its psychic powers no longer reached anyone.
"I destroyed everything you knew about how to use your powers." Sarutobi explained without turning back to look at the creature. The Satori were experts at reading thoughts, but their ability to affect minds was much weaker. But this creature could do it perfectly, and Sarutobi read from him how. He felt defiled by the fact that he learned this skill from it, but he did what was needed. "Now you're nothing more than just a big lump of… something."
He did turn around, and saw the creature that was unable to move. But he did not turn around to look at it. "Ritsura-sama, are you alright?" He knelt in front of the girl.
"I am… but my neck hurts."
"You were cut by his claws it seems. A little, but it's better if we go and disinfect it." He said and helped the girl stand up. He threw a glance at Maki, and the other Rurakiriba that were now moving forward. Two nods were all he and his old friend did in order to communicate. He then pulled Ritsura away.
He also noticed the black music player on the ground, that still played a tune. He made sure to crush it.
"Oi… Sarutobi…" The creature called to him as the ghosts of the girls got closer to it. "You don't intend to… you can't… you can't leave me alone with them. I'm your father! You can't- AGHHHHHHH!"
The screams started, and would last for quite a while.
~)(~
"You don't approve of it." Sarutobi noted while looking for a bin to throw the towel into. "You don't think I should have left him at the mercy of the Rurabikira."
"I don't know, but I do feel a bit uncomfortable at how easily you just shrugged it off." Ritsura said while looking around the store, her hand rubbing the small wound on her neck. "I'd have expected at least a grimace from you. You used to see him as a father once, if I got it right."
"You're right." He looked through the window of the liquor store, which they broke into to find something to disinfect Ritsura's wound with. With her being a human at the moment, that might be needed. Of course, the real reason was that Sarutobi did not want to watch the gruesome show that transpired. The screams had stopped, but he still felt the creature's thoughts from afar. "But I looked into that girl's thoughts too far. When you do that, their feelings seep into you. So I feel as much hate for him as those girls do."
"Oh? I didn't know that the Satori could be affected by looking into other people's thoughts."
"Only when you look too deep. It's one of the few risks that our powers bring. That's why we prefer to stay on the fringes of people's thoughts." He frowned. "Though if you had a black heart, I guess you could look deep and be fine."
"So what happens now? I reached you just in time to hear that you intend to reveal all of your clan's secrets."
"Then you know it all. I don't intend to hold back anything, we've to take full responsibility."
"Yeah, I got that. But what happens to the Satori now?"
"I dunno.." He shrugged. "Those who were in it with Father will have to answer with their lives. As for the rest… I guess many will scatter into the wind, find home somewhere far away. Others may restore the clan, but will probably leave Kantou and Chubu far behind."
"And what about you?"
"Well, I won't be part of the clan anymore. They'll have all the right to hate me, and I don't think I want to be with them anymore, not after all I learned. So I guess I'll scatter to the winds."
"Then I'd like to make you an offer." She leaned against the wall beside him, and offered him a cup with sake. "Make an oath with me."
"...huh?" it was not something he expected. "Are you… serious?"
"A yakuza doesn't joke with this kind of thing. Being one yourself, you know this." She looked away, her face darkened. "I spoke so much about my clan and how great it was earlier, but I learned today that there is still much, much work to be done before we change the people in it… well, much more than I thought earlier." She looked at him again. "I believe that with your help, that will be much easier and quicker."
"I'm disgraced. Not only because of my clan's sins and my father selling himself to Gorozaemon, but also because I am basically a kinslayer and a traitor to my own clan. Having me by your side would bring you dishonor."
"Let me worry about that. All you have to do is follow my lead and do as I say." She pushed the cup forward. "Well, if that's your only issue with this, then I take it that you want to make the exchange."
"I… I don't…" He muttered, but in the end accepted the offered cup.
~)(~
"It's over." Sarutobi declared while sitting at the cashier's desk.
"Really?" Ritsura, who had turned to playing with glasses, asked.
"I can't hear him anymore. Either he is dead, or his mind broke beyond saving. Either way, it's done."
"Well finally. Those girls are pretty brutal for taking so much time."
"They are murderous spirits out for blood." Sarutobi sighed and then arose from his seat. "There's one more thing I've to do, and then I can finally fulfill my promise to you." He said and started walking towards the doors.
"Hey, wait." The girl called him, and Sarutobi turned around to see what she needed. He was startled when he saw something flying at him, but he managed to catch the thing. "Take that with you." The girl said just when he realized that he was holding her sword. "I don't need to read minds to understand what you thought about. Your face speaks it all." She weaved her hand and turned away on her seat.
Though she did not look at him anymore, he nodded to her and left.
He exchanged sakazuki with her, and was now sworn to serve her. He still believed that it was a mistake on her part, but she spoke with such determination that he could not but believe her words. He might come to regret it, but now he had so many regrets that it did not really matter if he added one more to the heap. Maybe he would have thought it more clearly any other day, but not so much now that his head was filled with more serious matters.
He did not need to walk all the way. All of the Rurakiriba came to him. He was saddened by how many of them were there.
"I came to say my goodbyes, Tobi-kun." His old friend, Maki, spoke to him. "But I see… that this would be a different type of goodbye."
"Yes." He nodded, and scanned the minds of the girls around him. "You got your revenge, but your bloodlust is none the weaker."
"What did you hope for?"
"I hoped that you would be satisfied, and pass away in peace."
"There are still others."
"I won't let you get to others. You'll have to be satisfied with my father." He unsheathed the sword and threw away the scabbard. "And even if I did let you, it's clear that you would not pass away. You are spirits that will seek blood for as long as you exist. But I won't let you take more lives… and I won't let you blooden your hands any further." He pointed the sword at her. "I'll put you to rest."
Maki smiled. "I see… you're no longer the boy you once were… but I do like how manly you are now." She pointed her finger at him. "Go."
All the girls, but her, ran at him. They were fast, he had to give them that..
He took a breath in, and read each of their minds to foresee their movements.
And then he slashed. He felt the sword's power, how it cut through these spirits so easily, as if it only cut air. And how it struck right into their Fear rather than at their bodies. Death was instantaneous. Sarutobi made himself scan their final thoughts, and was glad to see that they were finally at peace, finally freed from their suffering.
He continued taking down the others, each swing of the sword putting three of them to rest. Just as he took care of the last of the small girls, the eldest one swung at him, a blow he blocked with the sword.
He pushed her away and then thrust forward, impaling right through her chest.
"Heh… you sure did not want us to stay, huh Tobi?"
He felt a tear go down his eye, and embraced the girl with his free hand so she would not see it. "I'm sorry…. I'm sorry for taking you there, forgetting about you..."
"Don't fret. Everyone makes mistakes."
"Mine are not something that can be forgiven…"
"True I guess…" She returned the embrace. "But thank you, Tobi. Thank you for taking care of us… for letting us have our revenge… and for being my friend." She then disappeared. "Bye bye…"
He looked at his hand. "Bye bye… sleep well, Maki-chan."
~)(~
Rihan walked softly while his sister's snow blew as if it was fighting against him. But of course, it could not stop him. Not while his sister was away.
He threw another glance towards the top of the tower. He saw his father look down at him, stern in both face and posture. This was the Lord of Pandemonium, the strongest youkai in Japan. The worst possible opponent one can cross swords with. And Rihan was now going to face him.
"You can win." The Koshin's words whispered to him. "Every King has to fall eventually, and make place for a new King."
Koshin's words made him wonder about the morality of all this. He remembered how he viewed the world before, when everything was black and white. At his childish beliefs that everyone was a hero or a villain. And he thought he would be a hero.
Yet, it was his father here who was the hero. He was the shining beacon of youkai honor and chivalry. He fought a Lord of Pandemonium of old, and the two Maous, one of which could move planets. And he destroyed all of them. And he inspired the youkai to change. He was the hero.
"But with your Fear, my Fear, and Gorozaemon's Fear, he shall fall."
Then what was Rihan? He did not view himself as evil, not truly. But he was not the hero by any means. He fought for a selfish reason, to save the person who is supposedly going to bring darkness upon the youkai and humans. His allies right now counted fewer honorable and chivalrous youkai, and more creatures that were literally horror stories. He was the villain.
"That's your destiny. And it's destiny you relish."
Rihan did face many dangerous enemies himself, but none as powerful as his father's. And in all cases, they were the types whom he identified as evil villains. That made it easier to cut them.
"No, it's your own heart that made it easy. Your own strength."
But his father was no villain, Rihan was not that lucky. He had to face a youkai of immense power, a youkai who fought to protect, a youkai who defeated youkai whose powers Rihan was not sure he could imagine.
Even so, he would not falter. It just meant that he would have to give his all if he was to accomplish his goal.
And pay any price needed.
"Only those ready to pay with their soul can achieve true power."
I-I-I-I-I
Author Notes
After a long while, the new chapter is finally here. Once again, I apologize for how late I am.
- before we see the climactic fight between Good Father and Misguided Son, may as well have a fight between an Evil Father and a Just Son
- originally, I planned to have Ritsura have a chap fighting the Flaming youkai, and a chapter revolving around Sarutobi and the events of this chapter. But I failed to find good ideas for Ritsura's fight, and I felt like Sarutobi alone would be annoying for readers because he is a brand new character. Throwing Ritsura in should, I hope, make his story feel less out of place
- since it takes so long for new chaps to come out, some probably forgot about the Pianist. He appeared several times during Otone's arc, and it was implied that he was responsible for the real Furuta Hikari going onto the path that would see her become Sanmoto Otone. So yeah, he is one very villainous fellow
- even easier it is to forget how strong Ritsura's powers of sense deception are in her "human form". After all, she properly used them only once, and that was basically in the first arc many, many, many years ago
- though events of the past are very important here, there are no flashbacks in this chap, which might be unusual coming from me. Reading Manga and watching Anime a lot can create a feeling that flashbacks are a norm, but reading Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn has shown that sometimes the story works as well, if not better, when they are not present. Though I'll very much still use flashbacks a lot in TSS, I did try to avoid it here as I felt it was not that necessary. Even without them, I think you can see what Maki's story was like
