A PRESENT FUTURE
CHAPTER 3: DISCOVERY OF A REALIZATION
by SHIN-CHAN
Grey clouds passed over Tokyo, a lazy spring day. At Sengoku University the clock tower of the main building struck the hour. The campus was silent; most of the students were in their classes. Only a few students were about, walking from one building to another, their dark blue blazers buttoned high due to the damp breeze. In the distance, toward the east, thunder rumbled.
* * * * *
It was late June. Shivering in the cold air, Arial zipped up her baby pink jacket and peered into the sky, up at the low menacing clouds. They were tinged with red, an eerie sight. Flashes of red light danced within the clouds, and a cold wind blew her short wavy hair out of her face.
She breathed in deeply. Despite all that had happened in the last few months, some things were the same, like the sweet scent of the oncoming rain on the wind. As far as she could tell, it would be raining, and soon. Storms these days were violent and destructive. They would need to find shelter.
Arial turned around, and instantly her face was full of wind-blown hair. Absently she tucked it behind her ears. On small, silent feet she walked over to the stoic figure sitting on a rock. He was absently staring across the valley, blank eyes seeing nothing. The little girl came to a stop next to him. "Daddy?" Arial took the sleeve of his jacket in her hand and tugged on it. "Daddy?" Arial asked more urgently. Nothing. He was lost in a world of his own making. And it was a world that did not seem to include her.
Stubbornly she stuck out her bottom lip. Purposely she walked away from him to their small camp. She was a big girl after all; she had just turned five years old. She would do the packing. First she packed her small bag and tied her rolled up blankets to the top. Then she packed her father's bag. It didn't take long. They lost most of their belongings when they had fled from doomed California. Once both bags were ready, she dragged them over to her father.
He was still staring across the land, oblivious to his surroundings. Arial stared at him for a moment; then placed a cool little hand on his. She looked up into his blank lavender eyes. "Daddy," she pulled on his hand, "we have to go now. Daddy!"
His head jerked back slightly, as he belatedly realized that he had not been paying attention. "Arial, what is it?"
"A storm is coming." She looked up at the approaching clouds, and he joined her. "It's going to rain soon."
"Yes," he murmured softly then smiled down at his daughter. "You are right. And we should be looking for shelter."
Arial stepped back, allowing her father to see that the bags were packed and ready to go. "I am ready Daddy. I did all the packing."
He stood up and placed a hand on her golden head. Smiling down at her with a now rare smile, he ruffled her golden hair. "You are such a good child. I don't know what I would do without you." She smiled up at him, her purple eyes shining at the praise. Her father hadn't been paying much attention to her, or anything for that matter, since her mother died.
Thunder rumbled noisily, all but drowning out ones own thoughts. Red streaky lightning shot across the horizon. "We should be going."
Her father let his hand slide from her head, and he picked up his bag. Calmly he swung it over his shoulders. "Come Arial, let us leave."
Arial grabbed her bag and started after her father, struggling to pull her bag over her shoulders as she scrambled to catch up to him . . .
* * * * *
"Mew?"
Arial's eyelids fluttered. "Hmm?" she murmured sleepily. After blinking a couple of times, her surroundings slowly came into focus. Vibrant green leaves against a dark background. She looked around, a bit disoriented. She was sitting in a tall oak tree. Between the branches she saw a low building made of brick. Oh yes, she was on the University's grounds.
"Oh," she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "I must have dozed off." In the distance, thunder rumbled. Arial looked eastward, toward the main storm. It was raining on Fujiyama.
Arial drew up her knees and rested her head upon them. The thunder. That must have triggered it. Her dream. It had been a memory long forgotten, but one she cherished still.
This had been happening frequently these past two weeks. Ever since she had run across them. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Shuten. Damn him to the depths of hell. May his afterlife be cursed for all eternity for what he had done. He knew. From what he had said she knew that he had to have known where he was sending her. He had to have known what she would find, whom she would find . . .
"Mew!"
She jerked her head up, startled. She turned and looked to her right and up. Hanging from a branch was her daypack. A small furry face with yellow eyes was staring at her, a cross expression on its feline face. Again it meowed at her.
At that, a soft smile played across Arial's lips. "Ah, so it was you who woke me Haato." She smoothly stood up and walked the short distance to the bag, balancing on the branch with no problem for her. The kitten quickly climbed out of the bag as she approached. Arial reached forward and picked him up, cuddling him under her chin. Haato began to purr happily.
"Got tired of watching me sleep, hmmm?" Fondly she snuggled her face in his sweet-smelling fur, then let him climb onto her shoulder. Once her hands were free, she pulled her bag down and shrugged it on.
She turned her head slightly and looked down at the kitten. "Best if we were leaving now, shh shh." Haato rubbed against her face, then crawled back into the bag. When she knew he was safe inside, she leaped out of the tree and lightly landed on the ground below.
Earlier that morning, when she first arrived on the campus, she had quickly realized that there would be no way she could walk around freely during her search. Not without drawing unwanted attention to herself. All the students were wearing dark blue uniforms, and she was wearing a T-shirt with a long sleeved mens shirt thrown over it and a pair of jeans. She would be too conspicuous.
After realizing this, she went through her options. She only had two that she would consider. She could borrow one of the uniforms, like she had the cloths she was wearing, and then go about freely without a worry. The problem with that idea was that she would have to take the uniform off of one of the students. Arial had taken the clothing she was currently wearing from various clotheslines. Her second option was to wait until the campus was relatively clear of students, then go exploring. Arial had decided the second was the best option. She would wait until the students were engaged in their studies, then go looking. After all, how many places could the statue be?
She had awoken that morning with the knowledge that it was here, in Tokyo. A faint gripping sensation in her chest, squeezing her heart, a strange tingling sensation running through her blood had awoken her early that morning. After several frightening moments of not knowing what was happening to her, she remembered what her aunt had told her. She had gotten dressed, and took to the rooftops, eventually arriving at the University. Now all she had to do was search the campus, and the first statue would be hers.
Arial glanced around, getting her bearings. She silently nodded to herself. North. The statue was toward the north, and not too far away. With determined strides, she headed toward the statue.
* * * * *
The fire alarm unexpectedly went off twenty minutes into the third period at the Collage of History and Mythology. Nasutei immediately sat her text down and walked to the door, her freshmen class watching her intently. They knew that no fire safety tests had been scheduled for today.
There was quite a bit of noise outside the door, quite chatter, shuffling feet. Nasutei slid open the door and glanced out. The hallway was full of students evacuating the building.
"Class," she turned and faced them. "Gather your belongings and quietly exit the building. Class is over."
A quiet shuffling filled the class as the students quickly gathered their belongings and exited the class, joining the throng of students already in the hall. The last student to leave the class was Touma.
"Nasutei," he said in a low voice as they walked down the hall together. "Something is wrong."
She gave him a fond smile. Trust Touma to state the obvious. "Touma, the fire alarm went off. Everyone is exiting the building. That is a sure sign that something is wrong."
"No," he shook his head, "not that." He turned and looked back the way they came, a frown on his face. "It is something else." Absently he rubbed the back of his neck. "There is something here Nasutei." He turned back to her as they exited the building.
"What do you mean?"
"I . . . it is hard to explain. But . . . something seriously wrong is happening here."
* * * * *
On the other side of the building, Shin and several of his classmates watched as a dark oily cloud rose into the overcast sky. In the distance were the faint sounds of sirens racing to the scene.
A young lady with short cut curly brown hair turned away from the building. "Has anyone heard anything about what happened?"
"Come on Miki," Ryuji casually draped his arm over the girl's shoulder. "We can figure that out for ourselves. The building is on fire."
She rolled her eyes and removed his arm. "What caused the fire, moron?"
"Shin," the fourth member of the small group, Chieko, looked up at him. "What do you think caused the fire?"
"I'm not sure," he murmured, not noticing Chieko's pout as he stared at the building, paying it more attention than her. There was something wrong going on here. Something very wrong.
The smoke was acting peculiar. It was rising in a column straight into the sky, despite the light breeze that had been blowing all day. And as for the smoke itself, it was a thick, heavy oily smoke, black in color. It was the kind of smoke that one usually associated with oil or chemical fires. Not wood, which was what the building was partially constructed from. He took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh sent of freshly fallen rain; no hint of acrid smoke flavored the air. And, his eyes narrowed, during all the time they had been standing out here, he had not heard one person mention seeing the fire, only smoke.
A cold prickling sensation formed at the base of his neck and worked down his spine. Sharply he spun around, causing his three friends to stare at him. Something was out there, in the surrounding trees. Something dark. Watching them.
"Shin?" Ryuji clasped Shin's shoulder. "Is something wrong?"
"I . . . am not sure," he answered evasively as he continued to carefully scan the surrounding area. "Have you guys noticed anything . . . strange?"
Miki gave him a puzzled look. "You mean besides how you are acting? No."
"No, not that. I feel like we are being watched."
He didn't notice that his three friends gave him a searching look, then looked around. There had to be more than two hundred students milling around. Of course some of the students would look their way. They looked at each other, then at Shin.
"I don't see anyone looking at us, what about you girls?" Miki and Chieko shook their heads. "Maybe it is your imagination . . . " Ryuji's voice faded off as they watched Shin suddenly stiffen.
There. Shin's eyes narrowed as he watched something dart from behind one tree to another. What is that? A moment later he got a clearer look as it darted to a third tree, slowly making its way away from the building. Tall. Blackish skin. It was defiantly not human.
"I have to go."
Ryuji, Miki, and Chieko watched in bemusement as their friend ran off toward the tree line with no explanation.
* * * * *
"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" Arial swore from tightly clenched teeth. She was too late! "I can't believe it Haato," Arial looked behind her at the little kitten. "They beat me to it. A few minuets earlier, and I would have been here. I have already blown it! Oh!"
Tears of frustration filled her misery-clouded eyes. She quickly rubbed them away. Tears would not help matters any. They never had before. "Come on, we should get . . . " a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. "What was that?" She stared at a tree, and watched as a tall dark form ran from behind it to the cover of another tree. A grunt! Her heart started to beat faster. There would only be one reason for a servant of the Shadow Lords to be here. The statue.
She watched closely as it ran to another tree, and saw that it was holding a small cloth wrapped item. It had the statue! She still had a chance!
"So that was how they gathered the statues, piece of cake." Silently she started to follow it. A grunt was something she could take care of easily. It quickly headed away from the building, and the crowd of students around it. That was just fine with her. She would wait until she was a safe distance from them before attacking. There was no reason to involve innocents in this.
A few minutes later they were at the far side of the campus, next to a large undeveloped plot of land intended for future development. Several dirt tracks were worn into the grass, this was a popular area for students to have lunch as it was near the campus buildings, but gave the impression of being a large park. The grunt gave a fugitive look around; then stepped out of the trees.
Shin stepped out from behind a tree as well. They were now at the Lawn, as the students called it, and standing underneath one of the few freestanding trees was whatever he had been following.
"What the hell . . . " He had been right. Whatever it was, it wasn't anywhere near human. It was humanoid in form, standing more than six feet tall. Its skin was black, a shiny, rubbery skin. It was totally hairless, and had a dark-brown loincloth wrapped around its hips. Cradled in one arm was a cloth bound object.
The creature was looking around, seeing if it had been followed, and saw Shin at the edge of the lawn. It hissed at him, displaying a formidable set of fangs and began to approach.
"Watch this!"
A knapsack hit the ground next to Shin and a girl sprinted past him before he had a chance to do anything, her long braid of blond hair nearly striking him in the face. After one startled moment, he gasped. It was the girl from the alley! She was dressed differently, but it was she!
Arial sprang past the young man, who in their right mind would go chasing after a grunt unarmed? (And why the heck was he doing something that stupid anyway?) She stretched her arm into the air above her; a soft silvery glow surrounded her hand, elongated, and then faded away, leaving a long silver blade in its place. The grunt hissed at her threateningly, clutching the cloth wrapped item tight to its chest.
She stopped her advance twenty feet from the demon, they had learned the hard way that grunts were more dangerous than then seemed, and brought her sword out in front of her.
"You fail here demon," she murmured in a soft voice, then attacked.
From the sidelines Shin watched the fight in amazement. The girl, whomever she was, had summoned a sword out of thin air. Not a normal trick. It was apparent to him that she knew exactly what she was fighting. The creature, she had called it a demon and he had no reason to doubt her, was holding its own against her. It had no weapons per se, but upon her attack the claws of its free hand had extended into foot long talons. Not something he would want to fight without armor.
After a minute, his eyes narrowed. The demon was not attacking the girl. Strange. He continued to watch, a frown coming to rest on his normally pleasant face. The demon was neither attacking nor retreating. Suddenly he gasped. It was a delaying tactic. It had to be. Rapidly he looked around, if he was right the demon was waiting for reinforcements.
Seemingly right on cue, toward his left and behind the girl, a dark distortion appeared in the sky twenty or so feet above the ground. Out of it jumped two more demons just like the first. They landed heavily on the ground, and their gazes swept toward the girl. They hissed at her, and leaped.
"Behind you!" Arial leaped into the air the moment she heard the yelled warning. She twisted in the air, saw a dark blur move out of the corner of her eyes, and landed ten yards from her starting point. Two more grunts. The warning had come none too soon.
Shimatta! Should have known it was up to something. All it was doing was dodging. She turned her head, focusing speculative eyes upon the first grunt. I have to get that statue. Problem is, if I attack him, the other two will attack me. If I attack them, the one with the statue will get away . . . She broke off her thought as the new grunts rushed her. Arial tightened her grip on her sword and readied herself.
Shin sat his book bag down next to the girl's backpack. She had acted immediately at his warning, and was now facing off against two demons. The other one had started to slink off.
"Enough with watching. Busso, Suiko!"
A fragrant swirl of pink cherry blossoms appeared around him, and a moment later he was in the ornate armor that Suzunagi had given him the year before.
"Busso, Suiko!" Arial spun around and stared at the young man. A cherry blossom petal absently fluttered past her, riding on the breeze.
"Shin," she whispered softly under her breath. That young man, it had been Shin. He was in his sea armor. She had watched him die in that armor. "Gods . . . " Involuntarily she stepped back a pace. She was not ready for this. Not to face him.
Distracted, she did not notice that the grunts were now watching her again. The one nearest to her growled deep within its throat, and attacked.
"Huh?" Arial spun her head around at a sudden internal warning called out to her. She had lost focus! Arial ducked and the grunt sailed over her. She was on her feet before it touched the ground, and ran toward it. It did not have a chance. Grunts had never adjusted quickly to unexpected attacks. Arial ran her sword through its chest before it knew what was happening. It reached one taloned hand to the silver sword protruding from its chest, then fell forward. A smile flashed across Arial's face. One down, two more to go.
The demon attacked Shin the same moment its companion attacked the girl. He had managed to see her duck out of the way before he had to defend himself. The demon's first strike was easily blocked with his staff, and he leaped backwards out of the way at the second. He landed fifteen feet away and aimed his spear at the demon.
This was an unnecessary but old habit that had been ingrained on him when he wore the Suiko yoroi. The energy of the five mystical yoroi was focused in their weapons for their attacks, in his case his yari. His new armor had no special abilities, this time the magic was his, but he was still use to focusing on his spear.
A soft blue glow surrounded the spear-point, a glowing ball of soft, shimmering light. Unaware of the danger it was in, the demon crouched in preparation to leap at Shin.
Shin shook his head, "Not today, Mizu Hashira!" The blue glow solidified and transformed. Under the control of Shin's mind, a surging pillar of water shot forward and swallowed the demon. It didn't make a sound. He lowered his spear and looked at the tar-like goo floating on a puddle of water, it was the only thing that remained of the demon. Nasty. He turned away in disgust and looked around to see if the girl was all right.
She was standing over a similar black puddle. Apparently she had done just fine. She was not looking at it, or him, however. Her gaze was focused on the distant tree line, a small worried frown on her face. The third demon had disappeared.
"Dammit!" Distress filled eyes searched the clearing. The grunt had vanished without a trace. She had failed.
"Excuse me miss?" She stiffened. "What is going on?" Slowly she turned around. Shin. He was still here. Without realizing what she was doing, she started to step backward away from him.
Shin sighed to himself. Here we go again. Just like the last time. The wide-eyed stricken look was the same look he had seen on her fact two weeks ago. Her next actions were predictable. If I make a move toward her, she'll bolt. If I do nothing, she will continue to back away and leave. Either way I won't find out what just happened here.
"Miss?"
Arial halted under a tree, tensed for flight. He hadn't made a move toward her, what was he planning?
"Please don't leave." He cautiously took a half step forward. She continued to stand in place. "I just want to know what is going on. What were those things?" The girl did not answer, just gazed at him, face pale, with wounded dark purple eyes locked on his face.
He looked into her eyes, really looked this time, and gasped. Her eyes . . . What has happened to her? He had never seen such pain in a person before, not even when he had seen her before. Shin continued to stare into her eyes, unable to turn away, his entire being focused on her pain. For some reason, he wished that he could take it away. She was just a child. Someone so young should never have known such soul-searing pain as he was seeing in her eyes.
So old, her pain, he thought to himself in sudden, unexplainable realization. Built up over a lifetime. Deep emotional pain. He took a deep breath, and brought a clenched fist to his heart. His chest . . . burning . . . so tight, it hurt . . . I feel . . . her pain? He shut his eyes, breaking the unexpected empathic contact. Soul deep pain of loss. My presence brings it back to her, why? And how could I feel it?
A small branch snapped, a near imperceptible sound, and all his shinobi instincts screamed at him. His head whipped up in the direction the sound came from, the tree the girl was under. She hadn't heard; still lost in her pain. A branch quivered, a shadow moved. And Shin came to a horrifying realization.
"MOVE!" he yelled and lifted his spear up over his shoulder, aiming it at the shadow. The last demon sprang out of the tree toward the girl.
Arial turned at Shin's yell, and gasped. She brought her sword up in an effort to protect herself as she threw herself away from the demon's outstretched claws. Arial felt the tips of the grunts claws rake across her forehead, seconds too slow to completely avoid the attack, and she fell to the ground, striking her head hard against the ground. Still in shock from her encounter with Shin, she felt nothing of her injuries, or of hitting the ground. Only the warm sensation of her blood flowing across her chilled skin from the two deep slashes registered with her. Her ears began to ring; a distant, buzzing sound, and her vision began to gray around the edges. Before she realized what was happening, she slid into unconsciousness.
Shin rushed forward. His spear had struck the demon the exact moment it had reached for the girl. His aim had been true, the spear had pierced the demon's chest and heart, but the demon had wounded the girl. His armor disappeared in a fall of cherry blossoms and Shin fell to his knees next to the girl. She was lying on her side; her face turned away from him apparently unconscious. Slowly he placed his fingers under her chin to turn her face toward him. His fingers encountered a warm stickiness. Blood.
Swallowing past the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat, he slid his other arm around her and turned her to lie on her back. Blood was everywhere. Flowing across her cheeks, into her hair, running from the lacerations on her forehead and into a puddle under her head. Frantically he pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it to her forehead. He had to stop the bleeding!
"Damn." In a matter of seconds the cloth was stained crimson. He lifted his head and looked around the clearing. No one was in sight. Apparently no one had noticed what had been happening here. He closed his eyes. What to do? The girl was seriously hurt. She needed someone to tend to her. He thought for a second; then made a decision.
He looked back at her. "I can't take you to the hospital, too many questions." With his free hand he began to unbutton his blazer. "Then there is that little problem of the APB that Date-san has put out on you. Someone would be sure to recognize you." He shook his arm out of the blazer's sleeve and then placed his free hand on the handkerchief, freeing his other hand. "I don't know of any place to take you where someone can watch over you," he finished taking off his blazer and arranged it over the girl, "except my place."
That meant teleportation. There was no way he would be able to carry a blood-covered girl home without drawing unwanted attention to himself and her. Besides, there was no way he could carry her on his motorcycle. "Poor child . . . " Gently he lifted his hand, removing the now red handkerchief. The bleeding seemed to have stopped.
"Maybe it is not as bad as I . . . oh . . . " His voice faded off as he saw the girl's injuries. Two long, deep cuts running clear across her forehead and into her hairline, bone showing through on one of them. "Oh my God . . . " he whispered in shock and brought searching fingers to her brow. It was worse than he thought. Both cuts would require stitching. "But the bleeding has stopped?" he murmured. With cuts that deep and wide? Strange. But then, what wasn't about this girl?
"Okay miss, lets see about getting you out of here." He glanced down at the handkerchief. What was he going to do with it? After several moments of indecision, he placed it back across the cuts. The bleeding had stopped, but the wounds still needed covered. He got to his feet.
Rapidly he jogged over to where his book bag and her bag were. "How am I going to carry . . . " He reached for the knapsack. It wouldn't be any problem to place his bag in hers, and his hands would be free. "Okay then," he started to unzip the bag.
"Mew?" A small feline head poked out of the bag and looked up at him questioningly. Shin blinked at it uncomprehendingly for a moment, then smiled as he recognized it.
"So she kept you, hmmm?" He reached out and rubbed the kitten's head. It closed its eyes blissfully. "Cute." He lifted the kitten out and placed his bag inside. He zipped up the knapsack and swung it over his shoulder, the kitten cradled against his chest, and walked back to the girl.
"Now lets get you out of here." Shin sat the kitten on the ground and started to bend down, then noticed a smallish cloth wrapped object lying near the base of the tree. It was what the demon had been carrying.
"Better take that as well," he absently murmured. "If it was important enough for that thing to take, it is important enough for me to take." He stepped around the girl and picked up the object with one hand. "Hmmm . . . " It was rather heavy for such a small item. He swung the knapsack off his shoulder and unzipped it. There was just enough room for it in the bag. He placed it in; then began to zip it back up.
"Mew!" The kitten suddenly jumped onto the bag and blinked at him owlishly.
"I take that to mean that you are riding there?" The kitten gazed up at him innocently. "And I can't believe I am holding a conversation with a cat." Shaking his head, he pulled the knapsack on without dislodging the kitten. It was apparent to him that it was use to this mode of transportation.
Shin walked back over to the girl. She hadn't moved. She looks so helpless . . . He bent down and removed the cloth, tucking it into his blazer's pocket. He would deal with them later. Carefully he placed his arms under her shoulders and knees, and lifted.
So light! He looked down at her in amazement. She is all skin and bones. He thought back to when he first saw her. She had looked delicate then, and even more so now. He gently pulled her closer, and the movement caused her head to roll so that her cheek came to rest softly against his shoulder. He took a deep breath. She looked so fragile. So delicate, so innocent even in the mess she was in . . .
Beautiful . . . The unexpected thought sprang into his mind. A second later he realized in shock what he had done and shook his head to rid himself of the unwanted thought. Baka! Just what are you thinking? he castrated himself. She is a child. A hurt little girl. Thinking about her in such a way . . . Just even thinking about her, what is wrong with you?
In self-disgust he looked away from the girl's face and looked around the clearing. He had everything, and no one was in sight. Once he was absolutely sure no one was watching them from the trees, he closed his eyes and concentrated, willing himself to his apartment.
Teleporting. He wasn't really quite sure how it worked. When he had the Suiko yoroi he drew on the armor's mystical abilities to transport himself to a specific location. His own abilities, while similar in some ways to his old armor's, were vastly different.
The yoroi were originally made in a demon world, the Youjakai, by a demon for the purpose of destruction until the one yoroi was broken into nine by Kaos. Infused with dark power and magic, the five the Samurai Troopers wore could draw energy from the five elements of the Earth.
It wasn't like that any more for him. Suzunagi had shown them the truth before she went to her rest. They had never needed the yoroi, not truly. They had been bound to their particular armor because each mirrored their own natural abilities; elemental abilities that had started to awaken with the awakening of the yoroi.
His element was water. It was his to manipulate and control at whim. The flow of the sea was in his blood, the language of the creatures of the oceans his by birth. Even before he gave up Suiko he had been using his own abilities. Touma had once theorized that if they had not lost the yoroi in Tanzania, they would have eventually been destroyed by their wearer's own energy.
But still, he had no idea how one with elemental abilities could teleport. Several months ago, Touma had tried to explain to them a theory he had come up with. It went right over their heads. It had gotten to the point that Shu had even asked Touma to wait until they had graduated from the University to try to make them understand. Shin did not hold out much hope for that happening.
A soft cool sensation swept over him, and he opened his eyes. They were in his bedroom. He quickly approached his bed and laid the girl down. He removed the blazer and threw it on the back of a chair, then stripped off the knapsack, setting it next to the nightstand. For a moment he gazed down at her, then exited the room.
Shin returned moments later with his first aid kit tucked under one arm, a basin of warm water in his hands, and several towels tossed over his shoulder. He sat the basin down on the nightstand, placing the first aid kit on the edge of the bed. He took one of the towels and dipped it in the water, then rang it out. Gently he began dabbing at the girl's face. With great care he washed away the blood, and then studied her wounds.
They hadn't started bleeding again. In fact, he brushed his fingers across them, it seemed as though they had already begun to heal. At a pace that was unusually rapid. More evidence that this girl was not normal. To be on the safe side, he applied an antibiotic and dressed the wounds.
"Now about your cloths," He stood up and walked to his dresser. Her cloths were a wreck. Torn, covered with blood and dirt, they needed to be changed. "Hmmm . . . " He opened one drawer and pulled out an oversized T-shirt he had received as a gift the year before.
"This should work nicely." He held up the shirt. It was a size too large for him, the perfect thing for the girl to wear. It would cover her almost to her knees. Shin closed the drawer and turned back to his bed. He casually tossed the T-shirt across the footboard of his bed and went to stand next to the girl.
It took only a moment to slip off her slippers and to unzip her jeans. Carefully he slid them off of her, absently noticing how slender her legs were as he did so, and dumped them on the floor. "Now for the shirt." Shin sat on the bed and gently lifted the girl so that her slender, prone body was leaning against his. First he peeled off the loose long-sleeved shirt she was wearing. Then looked down at her. He took a deep breath, this next part was not something he was comfortable with, and took the hem of the T-shirt in his hands.
Okay, he took another bracing breath, you can do this. He started to lift the shirt over hertorso. Get this off of her, put the other one on and tuck her into bed . . . Oh . . . My . . . "God . . . " he finished in a strangled whisper. His eyes dilated in shock and a deep, burning red flush crept up his cheeks. The T-shirt fell from numb fingers to fall limply to the floor. The girl was not wearing anything under the T-shirt. And she was most definitely not a child.
* * * * *
"No one has seen him since third hour." Nasutei informed Ryo, Seiji and Shu as they entered the faculty lounge with her. Touma, the only other person present, was already sitting. "Some of his classmates said they saw him run off toward the Lawn. That was the last anyone has seen him."
"After hearing this I went to the Lawn looking for him, and found something rather disturbing." They turned to Touma.
"What?" Shu asked.
"Three black, tar-like puddles of an unknown origin, several nearly dry puddles of sea water," he gave his friends a bleak look, "and an area of grass stained with what looks to be blood."
Seiji slowly sank into a chair. "Blood?" he asked numbly. "What happened?"
Blue hair went flying as Touma shook his head. "I have no idea. I believe that it might have something to with the supposed fire today and related incidents." The three young men gave Touma a confused look. They had heard about the fire, everyone on the campus had heard about it, but that was all they heard about.
"Professor Kanzaki is dead," Nasutei said in a low voice. "His private office was torn apart and," Nasutei gave a slight shutter, "so was he. Everything inside was covered with an oily residue that no one can account for."
"Could it have been caused by the fire?"
"What fire?" Nasutei rubbed her temples. "There was no fire, not one that anyone could find. There was only smoke. The fire officials can't make any sense of it."
"What about Shin!" Shu demanded. "Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?"
"We didn't know he was missing until a little while ago," Touma informed Shu. "Haruika Chieko came up to me an hour ago asking if I knew where Shin was. I told her I didn't, and then she told me what had happened. In detail." Touma closed his eyes momentarily as he recalled the conversation. Haruika-san was such a dingbat! Getting trapped in conversation with her was like spending quality time in purgatory. "I told Nasutei, then went to the Lawn."
"If something was wrong, why didn't he contact us?" Ryo looked at his friend's faces. None of them had any idea why he hadn't. A muffled ringing noise suddenly filled the room. Both Nasutei and Seiji reached for their cell phones.
"It is mine," Seiji announced as he pulled his phone out. "Moshi moshi. Date speaking . . . Shin?!" Everyone jumped to his or her feet.
"Here," Shu rushed over and grabbed for the phone. "Give!" Seiji moved the phone to his other ear and glared at Shu.
"Where are you? Home? Shin, what . . . " he paused to listen to what Shin was saying. "Okay, that will not be a problem. Yes, Nasutei is with us right now . . . Yes, I will tell him." Seiji folded the phone and tucked it away.
"Well?" they chorused.
"Shin is apparently fine," Seiji said casually. "He is at home, and he wants all of us to come over. He has something he wishes to show us."
"What?" Ryo asked. Seiji shook his head.
"Shin would not say. He said it was something he could not explain over the phone, only in person."
Shu bounded toward the door. "C'mon then. What are we waiting for?" Seiji stood up and straightened his blazer.
"Shu."
He froze in the act of opening the door and looked at Seiji. "What?" he asked a bit impatiently.
"Shin asked if you would ride his motorcycle to his apartment. He said you know where the spare key is."
"Hold on," Ryo held up his hand and turned to Seiji. "He left his cycle here?" Seiji nodded. "How did he get home then?"
* * * * *
Shin answered the door on the second ring, a faint cross look on his face. "Hi everyone." He stepped back, swinging the door open wide enough to let everyone pass through.
"Okay Shin," Shu announced. "What is going on . . . what is that?" he demanded, giving Shin's right shoulder a pointed look.
Shin's eyes slid to the right. "A right proper pest," he grumbled. Sitting on his shoulder was the kitten.
"It's cute Shin." Nasutei walked over and scratched under its chin. The kitten immediately began to purr. "When did you get him?"
"Today."
Her fingers crept up and Nasutei began to scratch behind the kitten's ears. "Can I hold him?"
"You are more than welcome to try."
She gave Shin a strange look, and then reached for the kitten. The moment she started to lift him, he dug his claws through Shin's shirt and into his skin. Shin hissed in pain and Nasutei immediately released it.
"Uh," Ryo glanced around the apartment. Everything seemed normal. "You didn't call us here about that cat, did you?"
Shin shook his head. "No, follow me." He turned and walked through the family room and down the hall toward his bedroom. The rest of them gave each other a puzzled look and quickly followed. Shin waited until they caught up to him; then silently pushed the door open.
"Shhh . . . " he whispered, then motioned for them to look.
The five of them peered into the dimly lit room. "At least turn the light on," Shu complained. "Can't see a thing . . . " He narrowed his eyes, trying to see in the darkened room. They widened a moment later as he watched the covers on Shin's bed move. Nasutei gave a slight gasp, and they all turned to Shin.
"That's a girl!" Shu hissed. "You have a girl in your bed!" Shu's voice began to rise, and Shin swung the door close.
"Well now," Seiji gave Shin a curious look, one eyebrow arched, "that is something I would never have expected of you Shin." Ryo snickered and Touma gave them all a puzzled look. "I believe you told us that you were not planning on having any type of relationship with a girl until after you graduated."
"Cute, Seiji. Really really cute," Shin said sarcastically, his cheeks turning faintly pink. "I don't suppose you recognize her?"
Seiji, with a slight smile on his face at Shin's reaction, turned to the others. They all shook their heads. "Have we met her before?" Touma asked.
"Not formally." Shin gave each one of them a searching look, and began to smile. "But I am sure you all remember her. After all, how many girls have you met recently that can jump five story buildings?"
"That's her?!" Ryo gasped and turned back to the closed door.
"Where did you find her?" Nasutei asked.
"And why is she in your bed?"
"Shu . . . " Shin growled warningly. Shu promptly clamped his jaws shut. "If you would care to follow me back to the living room, I'll explain everything."
* * * * *
". . . after I got her safely in bed I came out here with the knapsack." Shin reached down next to the easy chair he was sitting in and pulled out a cloth-wrapped object from the bag. "This is what the demon was after." He stood up and handed the object to Nasutei. "Do you recognize it?"
She reached out and took the cloth wrapped object from Shin. "Should I?" He shrugged and she turned her attention back to the object he had handed to her. Silently she unwrapped it, and gasped in shock as she saw what she held in her hands.
"What is it?" Ryo leaned forwards and looked at the statue she held.
The statue was small, not over eight inches tall, its head and body resembling a sitting lion in general appearance. That was where the similarities ended. On the statue's head was a set of long spiral horns. Instead of normal lion legs, the statue's front legs resembled a bird's, down to long talons on scaled feet and the back legs had cloven hooves like those of a goat's. Even its tail was different. Halfway up its length, the tail split into three, with the center tail sporting a scorpion-like stinger. It was carved out what appeared to be a solid block of dark blue jade, making it as beautiful as it was alien.
"It's one of the Statues of Amaterasu." Nasutei whispered in wonder. "It has been said that they were the source of Empress Himiko's power. Professor Kanzaki told me last week that a collector was donating one to the University under his care. It arrived at the University this morning."
"It would have been in his office then," Touma murmured. He raked a hand through his hair. It stubbornly fell back across his forehead. On Shin's shoulder the kitten's eyes locked on Touma, the black tip of his tail twitching. "The demon knew where it was, and was willing to kill to get it."
"The girl was after it as well." All attention turned to Seiji. "From what Shin said he saw; it is apparent that she knows what is going on."
"Fine." Shu sat up from where he was slouching on the sofa next to Nasutei. "As soon as she wakes up, we ask her what's goin' on . . . "
"That won't work." Ryo turned to Shu. "Remember last time. She took off once she saw us."
"She was backing away from me earlier as well," Shin reminded Shu softly.
"But she did pause when you asked her to," Nasutei pointed out. "It might be best if you were the one to initially talk to her."
"Yes," Touma said, giving a slight nod. "That would be a good idea."
"Mew!" Suddenly the kitten jumped off of Shin's shoulder and landed on the sofa. Shin clutched his wounded shoulder and watched as it ran across Shu and Nasutei's lap to reach Touma. Before anyone could move, it had sprung up onto his shoulder and began to bat at the lock of blue hair that hung down to his nose.
"Hey!" Touma grabbed the kitten before it could protest and dropped it on the floor. "Crazy cat."
The kitten stood up, shook himself and gave Touma a cross look. "Mrrr . . . " Touma glared back. The kitten then gave him a curious look, and turned away. He bounced over to Shin and gave him an enquiring look.
"Mew?"
Shin glanced down at him. "No, I am not picking you back up. Why don't you go find some nice corner to curl up in and take a nap?"
The kitten blinked at him, then started to bat at his slacks' cuffs. "Mew, me-ew!" He looked up at Shin again mournfully. "Meeew?"
Shin hung his head. "Excuse me for a moment." He swept the kitten up and quickly disappeared down the hall. Everyone in the room was silent as they stared down the hall. A door opened and closed, and a moment later Shin returned, minus the kitten.
"Uh Shin," Ryo gave him a worried look. "Are you sure you are feeling okay? You didn't get hit on the head or anything?"
Shin gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"
"You were talking to that cat." Shu pointed out. "That's a bit strange."
"That kitten is strange," Shin corrected.
Nasutei decided that it would be a good idea to change the subject. "Shin," she placed the statue down on the coffee table. "Why did you wait so long to contact us?"
"Ahhh . . . " A sheepish look passed across Shin's face. "I fell asleep." Everyone turned disbelieving eyes to Shin. "I closed my eyes and the next thing I knew, it was after three."
"You took a nap?" Shu asked in disbelief. "With everything that is going on, you took a nap?!"
"Shu," Nasutei admonished. "He has had a hard day."
"Well yeah, I guess so." Shu crossed his arms and slouched back against the sofa. "So what do we do now?"
Everyone was silent.
"We have to find out what that girl knows." Ryo finally said. "Until then, our hands are pretty well tied."
"I wouldn't go that far," Nasutei stared at the statue. "We can research the statue. See what we can find out about it."
"And why it is so popular," Touma added.
The others nodded in agreement.
"I can check out what is in Grandfather's library. He and Professor Kanzaki had been friends since they attended the University together. I am sure he has something about it in his notes."
"I will help you," Touma volunteered. "I have nothing planned for tonight that won't keep. Besides," he gave the statue a thoughtful look. "I am curious."
"So'm I, but I got homework waiting for me." Shu propped his fist under his chin and looked over at Ryo and Seiji. "What about you guys?"
"My father is in town for a couple of days. We were going out to dinner tonight."
"I have a date . . . " Five sets of eyes swung to Seiji. "What?" he asked defensively.
"Who are you going out with?" Shu asked stupidly. "I didn't think you were talking to Katlynne yet."
Everyone gave Seiji a nervous look as he glared at Shu. "What do you mean by that?" he asked dangerously.
"Uh, err . . . " Shu blubbered. Oops. Open mouth; insert both feet. "Oh, you've gotten back together? That's great!"
"Shu . . . " Seiji growled.
"Jesh!" Shu jumped up. "Just look at the time! It is almost six. I have got to be going!" The others looked at their watches as well. None of them had realized how late it was getting.
"Six?" Seiji shook his wrist and peered down at it. "I have a quarter to five." Curiously he tapped the face; then brought it up to his ear. "It stopped," he said in surprise.
"Guess you will have to buy a new watch then." Ryo stood up as well. "Sorry Shin, but I have to be going too. They closed the University for the rest of the week, to investigate what happened." He turned to Nasutei. "Meet at your place tomorrow?"
She nodded, her eyes lifting from the statue as she looked over at Shin. "Do you mind if I take the statue with me?"
"No, not at all." Shin watched as she lifted the statue off the table. This would be the perfect time to ask her. "Nasutei . . . "
"Don't worry." She smiled at Shin as she wrapped up the statue, misunderstanding what he was about to ask her. "I'll take good care of it."
"Oh, I am sure you will," Shin quickly replied, his voice starting to sound a little strained. No one noticed. "But I wanted . . . "
"Hey Shin, see ya tomorrow." Shin looked over at Shu. He was standing in front of the front door, his hand on the knob. Shin watched in growing despair as the others joined him.
"B-but . . . "
"See you tomorrow." Touma said softly. "Keep an eye on the girl. We don't want her disappearing on us again." He pulled the door closed behind him.
"Guys . . . " Shin's soft wail filled the room. He brought a hand to his temple. "Damn." Slowly, reluctantly, he turned away from the door and walked down the hall. He paused for a moment in front of the door to his bedroom in silent contemplation; then reached for the knob. The door silently swung open. Of their own accord, his feet brought him to the side of the bed.
She was peacefully sleeping, the kitten curled up into a tight little ball against her neck. Shin studied her face. Her skin tone had improved dramatically since he put her to bed. If it weren't for the bandages, one would think she was just taking a nap.
Shin bent over and on an impulse, lightly brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. It was so soft. So warm . . . He jerked his hand back as though he had just burnt it. Maybe he had, for it seemed he could still feel the warmth of her skin against his fingers.
"Nasutei," he murmured to himself softly. "I wish you hadn't left so fast." There was a slight rustling of the bed sheets as the young lady shifted. A gentle smile came to her lips, and Shin's heart began to beat faster. Sharply he spun and all but bolted for the door. He quickly shut it, as though he could trap what he was feeling behind it.
"They didn't even think twice about leaving her here." Shin closed his eyes and brought his forehead to rest against the wooden door. "They probably think it's best that she stays here, that I am the best person to watch over her." Normally, they would have been correct in their assumptions. "But she is different. She makes me feel different. I'll protect her," his voice dropped to a mere whisper, "but who is going to protect me?"
(to be continued . . . )
=^._.^=
* * * revised 2003 * * *
