Chapter Three
Shuten growled as he slowly woke up. 'Man, what did Arago hit us with?' he
wondered as he looked around. Looking down, he saw he was still in his armor and smirked.
'Well, Arago-sama covered all the bases...now where are those morons?' he looked up, eyes
narrowed as he looked for the other Masho.
Rajura sighed as he moved and sat up slowly. "Where are we?" he asked and Shuten
snorted as he shook his head.
"Isn't it obvious we aren't in the Youjakai or in the mortal realm, Rajura?"
Naaza asked snidely as he adjusted his armor.
"Well, then where are we, snake?" Anubis asked as he stood up and looked around.
Shuten frowned at them, then de-armored. The others watched him warily, then followed
suit, albeit reluctantly. They all looked around at their surroundings. A feral growl
escaped a large...creature. It resembled a wolf of some sort, but was easily twice as
large as any wolf. Its yellow eyes flashed, the fangs bared as it growled at the
strangers. Four pairs of eyes snapped over to where the growl had issued and four cruel
smirks appeared on their faces.
"Well, look here. A new pet for you, Anubis." Shuten said
snidely and Naaza chuckled cruelly.
"We should make sure it's...housetrained." Rajura said with an evil glint in his
eye. Anubis smirked as he looked at the dog. Snarling, the beast pounced, tackling Rajura
to the ground. It was as if the animal understood his words. Its white teeth glinted, a
snarl dripping out as its teeth came perilously close to the Masho's neck.
"Ashitaire!!!! Where are you, damnit?!"
Rajura snarled as he slugged the beast off of him, then stood up, wiping his mouth. The
other three Mashos snickered as Anubis said, "Gee Rajura...you should watch your
words." Rajura glared at the Yami Masho then directed his glare at the dog.
"That dog is meat." Rajura snarled out as he brought one of his blades out. The
large animal bristled, its hind quarters up, poised to attack.
A young boy, no older than fifteen ran through a nearby clump of trees. He had short blond
hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore an orange and blue outfit reminiscent of ancient
China. At his hip was a pair of spheres on a long string. He stopped, staring at the
animal and the man. Or rather, men. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ashitaire!"
The dog turned its head and bounded over to the youth. It snuffled the hand the boy
reached out with.
The four Mashos glared over at the youth. "If that is your dog, don't expect it to
live for much longer." Rajura snarled out as he moved to stalk forward, but
Shuten's hand on his arm stopped him.
Shuten stepped forward and said with a cruel smirk, "Tell us, boy. Where are
we?"
"Boy?! I ain't no boy you asshole!" The youth snarled. He had a disdainful look
on his face at the others. "And Ashitaire ain't my dog! He's a seishi for crying out
loud!" Ashitaire woofed then bowed his head. A blue light flowed over him and in the
place of the dog, a large man stood. He was easily 7' maybe 8' tall. A long scar from his
left temple, over his eye and down his cheek was displayed prominently by bushy eyebrows
and a face that could stop a clock.
"Look Shuten, you have a friend now." Naaza said snidely and the others laughed
derisively.
Shuten smirked at the youth and the man-dog and said, "And where is here, BOY?"
Smirking as he put emphasis on the derisive name.
Snarling, the youth had had enough. Pulling the rope with the spheres, he whipped it out,
sending it soaring through the air. One of the spheres's slammed into the earth right in
front of Shuten. The youth smirked. "One more step and it goes in your heart."
"Shunkaku, what is going on here?" Another youth, identical to that of the
hotheaded one, emerged. At his side was a wooden flute.
Shuten looked down at the spheres with an amused smirk, then looked up at the two boys.
"Come now, boy. Do you really think you can defeat a Masho of the Youjakai? We are
invincible!" he said snidely, then kicked the spheres away from him. The other three
snickered maliciously as they glared at the three.
"Why you!!!" The hot-headed youth snarled, looking to make a dash at the
red-haired man.
"Suboshi. Hold."
The twins stopped, turning back to stare at a tall man approaching. He wore the armor of a
shogun, his blue eyes cold. Long blond hair fell around his shoulders as he gazed at the
newcomers coldly. The Masho met the cold gaze with cocky assuredness; cruel smirks a
permanent fixture on their faces. "And who are you, stranger?" Naaza asked
coldly as they watched him.
"Yes, do you come now to take care of these boys?" Rajura asked snidely,
smirking at the twins.
The shogun narrowed his eyes. "Ashitaire! Back inside, now!" Pulling out his
whip, he cracked it across the wolf man's back. The man howled, but did as he was told.
"You two. Inside to your quarters. Now."
The rash youth bristled, but stayed near his twin. "But Nakago-sama..."
"Now, Suboshi."
"Come on, Shun-chan. Let's go." The elder twin put his arm around his brother's
shoulders, eyeing the foreigners warily as he led his brother away.
"Now that they're out of the way, who are you and what are you doing here?"
Smirking up at Nakago, Shuten stepped forward. "We, small man, are the four Masho of
the Youjakai. I am Shuten, their leader."
"I am Anubis."
"I am Rajura."
"I am Naaza."
The other three Masho named themselves off proudly and Shuten looked at the man on the
horse. "And who are you and what is this place?" he asked coldly.
"You are in Kutou-koku. I am Nakago, the shogun of Kutou and you will watch your
tongue foreigner." Nakago replied levelly, his eyes darkening. "I know nothing
of this Youjakai of which you speak, but you are in my territory now." He eyed them
carefully.
Snorting in disdain, Rajura stepped forward. "And you have no idea who you are
dealing with, boy. You can not defeat us," he said derisively.
Naaza watched the blond beneath hooded eyes, and then looked over at Shuten. "Perhaps
we should consider the fact that we are in another world and consider joining forces with
them," he said cautiously and Shuten frowned slightly.
"Hmm...You may be right, Naaza. Perhaps we should...consider an alliance." he
said softly and looked the blond up and down.
"An alliance? And what do you have to give me that I should want an alliance?"
Nakago replied coldly, getting off his horse. He crossed his arms, staring at them
intently. After a moment, he nodded. "All right then. Come with me to the
palace."
Anubis snorted and rolled his eyes. "Do we really have to do this?" he asked as
he glared at the blond.
"Yes, because you are forgetting one important fact, Anubis. The Troopers."
Naaza said with a glare.
"Hmm...Almost forgot about those blasted runts." Rajura said as he looked at his
armored hand. Running it through his white hair, he smirked at Shuten. "This may be
more fun than we realized." he said and Shuten chuckled evilly.
"Hm yes indeed. Those blasted boys will pay for bringing us here. And all of their
allies will as well." Shuten said with a cruel smirk. Nakago said nothing, merely
indicated for them to precede him. He had no intention of letting them out of his sight.
Perhaps they would help him keep Seiryuu no Miko in line. Frowning in distrust, Shuten
stepped forward, followed reluctantly by the other three Mashos.
"Nakago-sama." A long red-haired woman replied, bowing as the group approached
the doors to the palace. She was stunning, dressed in a demure kimono. Her eyes fell on
Nakago, and then turned to frown at the others. "Guests?"
"Hai. Arrange a meeting with the miko and the other seishi." Nakago replied,
taking his gloves off. He never even seemed to notice the look the woman was giving him.
"I...hai, Nakago-sama."
Shuten watched with a smirk as Rajura stared at the red head female. 'He always did have a
thing for the red heads.' he thought to himself wistfully, remembering a few of their
'encounters'. Looking over at Nakago, he smirked leeringly. 'But who says this time will
be anything but fun.' he thought to himself as he looked the general up and down.
Naaza snorted as he crossed his arms. "Females are always so disgustingly low."
he said rudely and Anubis snickered softly.
"Oh really..." The young woman turned an icy glare onto Naaza and Anubis. She
waited patiently until Nakago had passed by then smirked. Snapping her fingers, a bolt of
lightening fell from the sky to land squarely on the two snickering Mashos.
Blown back by the shockwave, but unharmed, they both glared at her. "You filthy
bitch! How dare you!" Naaza snarled as he lunged at her.
Rajura smirked though and stopped Naaza. Looking at her, his smirk grew. "I like you,
woman. Not many can distract those two," he said softly and Naaza snorted in disgust.
The young woman, Soi, smirked. "Never underestimate your opponent, foreigner. We are
not all soft." She effectively ignored Rajura. She had no interest in such a person.
"Now I suggest you behave yourselves in the presence of the miko. She is a young,
naive girl. Do nothing to disrupt Nakago-sama's plans."
Shuten smirked as Rajura frowned darkly. 'And I like a woman who won't be deterred. Too
bad I'm not into them.' he thought viciously as they followed Soi into the palace.
"This girl you speak of. Is she from this realm?" Naaza asked as they walked
into the palace. All of the Mashos looked cautiously around them, searching for signs of
trouble subtly.
"The miko? Of course not. She comes from another world Seiryuu-seikun has
chosen." Soi snorted disdainfully.
"Well, well...if it isn't Nakago's errand girl."
Soi narrowed her eyes hatefully at the kabuki-decorated man before her. "What do you
want, Tomo?"
Tomo shrugged. He had an elaborate headdress on, long feathers trailing behind his hair.
He wore a multi-colored pattern of make-up on his face, his garments elaborate.
"Nakago says we are to report to the shrine." Naaza cocked an eyebrow as they
all stared somewhat at the elaborate get up. Anubis chuckled derisively behind his hand
and shook his head, while Shuten looked heavenward. Soi said nothing, as she felt the
answer was obvious. Tomo rolled his eyes and swept past the group.
The small group came to a pair of double doors, which opened as they approached. A small
group lay within. The twins stood to one side, one fidgeting, and the other calm. Nakago
stood at the front, next to a young blonde girl. She was dressed in the attire of a junior
high student. She had short blonde hair and sad blue eyes. The youngest of the twins
always seemed to look in her direction, but would quickly return to the floor. Tomo stood
near Nakago, watching him.
The four Mashos sauntered in confidently, smirking as they took in the group. Shuten
sneered at the younger of the twins who was fidgeting. "Well, it would seem that the
children have come to play with the grown-ups." he said softly to the other three and
they chuckled maliciously. Suboshi looked and glared hatefully at Shuten. His brother,
Amiboshi, held him in place, shaking his head.
The young girl turned, frowning. "Who are these men, Nakago?" The four Masho
stood before her and relaxed a bit, showing a modicum of respect for her. Yui stared at
the four Mashos, frowning. "You seem familiar somehow..."
Shuten frowned as he stepped forward. "We are not known to you, child. But, we are
here to discuss a possible.... alliance." he said as he tossed his red hair over his
shoulder. Anubis snorted softly and crossed his arms, displeased obviously, but Rajura
glared coolly at the Yami Masho.
"No...I have seen you before. In Tokyo." Yui frowned, ignoring his remark about
an alliance. "I was with an...old friend at the time. You were dressed differently,
but I never forget a voice."
The four Masho looked at each other in annoyance. 'Another one had escaped. Master Arago
will not be pleased.' Shuten thought in annoyance, then looked back at the girl. "I
am.... sorry, but we do not recognize you. Perhaps it was someone else." he said
softly.
Narrowing her eyes angrily, Yui came up to confront Shuten. Placing her hands on her hips,
she glared up at the redheaded Masho. "I am not mistaken. You were fighting five
other boys. Miaka and I saw you. You had some kind of armor on. What are you doing here?
Trying to take over Kutou like you tried Tokyo?!"
Smirking down at her, Shuten said, "If we were...do you think you could stop
us?" An evil smile spread on his lips and the other three Masho chuckled evilly.
"Myself? No. But I am Seiryuu no Miko. Once I summon Seiryuu, nothing could stop me
from hurting /you/." Yui replied coldly.
A soft chuckle left the red haired man's lips as he smirked at the girl. "Go ahead
and try, small one. But, for now we shall work together." he said softly and
dangerously.
"Nakago, why did you bring them here?" Yui demanded, turning from Shuten.
Nakago bowed. "I have reason to suspect that their...enemies are with the
Suzakus."
"What?! They're helping Miaka?!" Yui bit her lip, anger gracing her features.
"It would appear so, Yui-sama."
The Mashos all smirked at each other. "The Trooper brats are with the enemy.... how
convenient." Shuten said softly and they all chuckled.
Suboshi, unable to hold it in any longer, ran over to the others, putting himself in
between Yui and the Mashos. "You'll have more respect for Yui-sama!!!!"
"Suboshi!" Amiboshi and Yui said at the same time.
Shuten chuckled darkly as he glared at the boy between himself and the one name Yui.
"You don't learn, do you boy?" He said snidely, and then brought his hand up.
Swiftly, he smacked the insolent boy across the face, sending him flying. The other Masho
chuckled softly as they watched.
"Suboshi!!!!" Yui cried out, unconsciously running to him. She lifted him into
her lap, stroking his hair gently.
Amiboshi growled, bringing his flute out. "No one hurts my brother and gets away with
it..."
Shuten smirked at the other boy and the other three chuckled. "Come and stop me, boy.
If you think you can." he said derisively, sneering at the blond.
"Fine. It's your death." Amiboshi snarled. Lifting his flute to his lips, he
began to play. The notes that filtered out began slow and peaceful. They gradually grew
into a searingly painful melody.
"Gah what is that hideous noise!" Naaza cried out as they all put their hands
over their ears and tried to block out the noise. Rajura growled, then brought up his
hand. Nunchukus flew out as he threw them rapidly at the boy, striking the flute from his
mouth and hand and sending the boy flying.
"ANIKI!!!!!!"
Amiboshi held up his hand, stopping any move Suboshi might have made in his brother's
defense. He eyed the other man as he put his hand to his swollen lip. "Not bad. Just
remember. Next time I'll split your skull open before you have a chance to move."
Snorting in disgust, Rajura glared at the youth. "You'll be dead before you can do
so." he said angrily. The other Masho added their own glares as they looked at the
boy.
Shuten looked up at Nakago and said dangerously, "If this is how you treat allies,
I'd suggest you guard your backs. Now, we request rooms."
"Oh, we do. And I don't call anyone who attacks my brother ally." Amiboshi
glared, turning from them to see to his brother.
Nakago shrugged. "They are young and untrained. Given time...perhaps they will do
better. Which reminds me...Suboshi! Amiboshi!" The twins looked at Nakago warily. He
smiled coldly at them. "Show our guests to their rooms."
Shuten chuckled very softly and the other Masho smirked as well. 'A sense of humor as
well. I like him even more.' Shuten thought to himself as they looked over at the twins;
smug smirks a permanent fixture on their faces. Amiboshi ground his teeth, but nodded.
Taking his brother by the arm, he led the group out of the shrine.
+ Book I : Chapter Two +
+ Book I : Chapter Four +
