Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fushigi Yuugi except for those
characters that I've come up with myself.
Summary: AU: ESP. Extra-Sensory Perception. This change to the human body has led to the evolution of a new species of humans-ESPers. Humans with ESP. As the world adapts to contain this new addition, one country faces the imminent danger of a complete downfall to its ruling system.
Beyond Perception: Intuition 1
"HOLY SHIT!"
Kou Shun'u stared dumbfounded at the tessen in his hands, not believing the fire that spat out from it was his doing. He shifted his eyes away from the fan-turned-weapon to inspect on the damage he had inflicted on Eiken and his underlings. To his relief, they were still alive, although they now looked nowhere near gangster material, with singed hair, charred clothes, shaken up faces and all.
"Way to go, Genrou! That was some fire! How the hell did you do that?!" Kouji managed to recover himself from shock long enough to knock out his own opponent whom had been just as appalled by the scene as he was, before running to where his flame red-haired best friend was and giving him an approving pat on the back. "I didn't know you knew that chant. Man, that was helluva long one. Can't believe you actually got that in your head! And I thought you really needed some help over here."
Although joking on the surface, deep down inside, Kouji had definitely feared for his dear friend's life when one of Eiken's underdogs had sneaked up behind Shun'u with a dagger just as the red-head managed to wrench the tessen out of Eiken's grip during the brawl. Kouji was about to jump to his buddy's rescue when Shun'u miraculously ejected the flames from the iron fan.
Kouji had met Shun'u two years ago when the latter had just been accepted into his gang as a rookie, brought in personally by the former leader of the Reikaku gang, Hakurou, who had chanced upon him when the then brash youngster was running away from home, claiming that he could no longer stand the women in his family and needed to get out and experience some adventure before he suffocates in the house. Both were initially at loggerheads with each other and constantly trying to prove themselves in front of the chief, but through facing dangers together, eventually became best of friends and even brothers to each other.
"Who'd be so stupid ta crack da head ta memorize a freakin' damn long chant?! The fire juz freakin' shot out by itself!" On the second comment, Shun'u waved the tessen in front of Kouji to reaffirm his point, causing his blue-haired buddy to back slightly away, both hands in front in an attempt to shield himself from any flames that might spout out from the offending object.
"Whoa, easy there, boy. You wouldn't wanna kill your buddy, would you?" The older boy protested, raising up both hands as a sign of peace and silently praying that none of the flames would get to his clothes. His leather jacket was new, after all, and expensive. "Bet you'll cry if you really did that."
"If I had this thing when I joined th'Reikaku gang," Shun'u deliberately waved the implied tessen again in Kouji's direction, this time earning a friendly punch in the head from his buddy. "I would've killed ya there and then. You were such a pain in th'ass." Regaining his composure, he reverted back to his usual fanged, lop-sided grin. "And I don't freakin' cry, ya get dat? Only girls cry. I'll giv'ya 50 dorus if I did."
"Hey, look who's talking. You were the pain in EVERYONE's ass, and I DID save your ass back then." Kouji absently touched the scar that ran vertically down his left cheek, recalling how it came about during one of their missions when he had pushed Shun'u away in the nick of time from being fatally wounded by an attacker's dagger, but not dodging fast enough himself such that he received the full blow of the blade to the left side of his face.
"Aww...C'mon, Kouji...Not again...You've said it millions o' times! And dat was so long ago!"
"Well, you'd better pray that I can find a wife with this scar. Anyway, I'll take your word for the 50 dorus..." Kouji paused briefly and quickly resumed his speech before Shun'u could take back whatever he had unintentionally blurted out. "We'll save the rest to talk about later. Besides, we've still got some things to settle here." Kouji nodded his head slightly to the right to indicate the burnt yet alive pile that was Eiken and gang.
Shun'u's attention was momentarily shifted to the people whom they had been fighting not long ago, much to Kouji's prediction and relief. Being two years older than Shun'u, and having gained more experience as a hoodlum in the Reikaku gang, Kouji was more matured and sensitive to people around him, analyzing any situation before taking action-a trait totally opposite from his younger and reckless counterpart.
Of course, he knows Shun'u's deep sense of loyalty to his friends, and that he will definitely honor his word on anything he promises, including the 50 dorus. Despite occasionally taking advantage of the younger Shun'u, Kouji, being the older the more sensible of the two, takes it upon himself to watch out for the less sensitive and impulsive teenager whom he has come to think of as a younger brother. As one of Shun'u's closest friends, Kouji affectionately calls Shun'u 'Genrou', a nickname which had been given to him by Hakurou due to his physical swiftness and speed that resembles that of a phantom wolf when such agility is put into action.
"So I see dat you're now da boss eh?" Shun'u drawled lazily, casually lifting up the tessen that was in his right hand to drape it on his right shoulder, at the same time still maintaining a firm grip on the object. "Guess it must'a been Hakurou's good ol' tessen dat got'cha this bunch of lackeys."
"Gimme back my tessen! You brats have no right to the Reikaku leader's property!" Eiken growled as he struggled to push off an unconscious subordinate that was lying on top of him, attempting to stand up.
"Oh really? And how do I suppose you're fit to be leader when you're trying to take advantage of an innocent lady in a back alley?" Kouji questioned, referring to Eiken's earlier insolent act that could have well ruined a young woman's whole future ahead of her if not for the timely intervention of Shun'u and Kouji, they themselves taking one of the many short-cuts they knew as ex-Reikaku outlaws to get to school. Fortunately, the girl had managed to flee safely out of the alley, too traumatized to even thank the two heroes who had rescued her, which was just as well since she might be even more distressed by Shun'u's sudden outburst of flaming energy. "Anyway, if I remember correctly, the Reikaku gang only robs the rich for the poor, not hanky-panky'ing around with girls young enough to be your daughter."
"It's none of your business any more! You both jolly well know that only the leader holds the secret chant to the tessen. If I weren't the leader, how else would I have been able to use the tessen?" Eiken grinned maliciously, obviously knowing that he had secretly learnt the chant when he had eavesdropped on Hakurou, then dying of illness but yet practically forcing Kouji and Shun'u to memorize the long incantation in preparation for either of them to be the next Reikaku gang leader, but ultimately to no avail.
"Yeah, and how do you suppose that Genrou was able to use the tessen, and WITHOUT chanting anything?" Kouji rebutted, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the alley wall.
"Wha-...Oh...uh...yeah. How'd ya think I managed to pull dat off eh?" Shun'u triumphantly held up the tessen, proudly displaying another one of his fanged grins. At the back of his head, a sweatdrop appeared, as deep within he was quite certain that the trick that he pulled off was purely by accident and that it would not happen a second time. [[Kouji, wat the freakin' hell ya think you're tryin' ta show?!]]
Kouji, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain a cool disposition as he battled the million and one thoughts that were swimming in his head. [[If Genrou's what I think he is, he should be able to do that trick again and we can just run and get out of here. If it's just the tessen, Suzaku save us.]]
He contemplated the possible options, at the same time observing Shun'u spouting more colorful language and madly flailing the tessen at the fallen group. If Shun'u is able to activate the flames again, scorching Eiken one more time would not only NOT hurt, but also enjoyable to watch, and taking off from the scene would not hurt them both one bit. However, if the flames were only due to the magic of the tessen, the probability of the trick happening again would be one in trillion, and this could well land them in trouble.
True, they now have the upper hand in terms of physical ability, but Eiken is no fool. With the Reikaku gang now under his control, hordes of his minions can appear within minutes simply with a few punches of his cellular phone, and things can get too tricky for the two teenagers' liking. And PRECISELY because Eiken is no fool, Kouji is worried that their façade might be discovered and unable to sustain any longer.
He was about to suggest knocking them out cold while they were still on the ground, when his thoughts were rudely interrupted by Eiken's hollering.
"You think you can fool me? Nobody can use that tessen but only ME! Blame yourselves if you can't remember the chant, you dimwits!" Eiken was pointing to himself to emphasize his point, all the while yelling with such force that Kouji and Shun'u could practically see saliva shooting out of his mouth. "Now gimme back the tessen! Or else..." His lips curled up into a malicious smile, revealing yellowish crooked teeth that gave away evidence of compulsive smoking. "...you'll be very sorry if you didn't."
Dark silhouettes began appearing from every possible nook and cranny in front and behind Kouji and Shun'u, slowly emerging from the shadows to reveal more hooligans like Eiken as they converged to surround the duo, confirming Kouji's worst fears. [[Shimatta...seems like the damn old man's fingers are faster...]]
"Chikusho..."
Kouji turned his head to his partner where the cursing originated from, all the while keeping a careful eye on the mob that was slowly forming in front of them. [[Here we go...]] "Genrou, try the tessen again."
Shun'u had also contemplated this option earlier on, and while he was very tempted to test it a second time, he knew better than to pull such a trick at that time without consideration, and a risky one at that. Now is the chance to do it. He smirked, right arm raised with the tessen in preparation to flame anything in front of him.
Seeing Shun'u's gesture of attack, the thugs paused hesitantly in their footsteps. "Wait! You're not really gonna...!" Eiken's voice was cut off by Shun'u's own as the latter brought down the tessen in one quick swing, pointing towards the direction of the majority party.
"All right, ya assholes! Take this!"
Nothing happened.
Kouji mentally slapped his forehead. [[Shit...now we're dead meat.]]
"Take this! Take this! Maha Maha Rekka Shinen!" Shun'u flapped the inert fan repeatedly as he struggled to recall the incantation that their previous leader had taught them.
On seeing that the duo had failed in using the tessen, Eiken sniggered and emerged from his hiding position behind two of his followers, all traces of fear erased from his podgy, freckled face. "So...I see that you didn't succeed. And I told you pathetic fools that you'll be very sorry if you didn't return me my fan." With this, he waved an index finger forward, gesturing for his gang to take action.
Kouji placed a foot forward, his arms fisted and held in front of his chest as he crouched slightly lower and forward in a battle stance in preparation for the impending fight, intense eyes alertly scanning anything within his vision of sight. Although the advantage now strongly favored the opposite party, the two teenagers were still fit enough to put up a good fight, save for the few scratches they had gotten from the earlier scuffle. And fighting is now the only option they are left with, given the fact that they were being surrounded from all directions. "Nee, Genrou. Guess we'll be busy for quite a while here, don't you think?"
"Yeah, why not? I can't wait ta kick more freakin' asses." Shun'u flashed another fanged grin as he took off his denim jacket to allow better movement, revealing well-toned physique beneath a loose black singlet. He moved slowly to stand back-to-back against Kouji, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the posse lest they suddenly attack.
Shun'u had long put away the tessen, tucking it securely between his waistbelt and jeans like a makeshift holder at his back. Throwing the tessen away, he concluded, would be the most stupid thing to do, since it is highly possible that Eiken would grab it back when they were too busy to notice during the fight. And besides, it was after all a prized possession and treasured memento of the late chief whom he greatly respected. Like Kouji, he also took on a battle stance, sharp golden-brown eyes staring menacingly ahead and more ready than ever to pounce on his prey. "Let's get this freakin' over an' done with."
Angry cries rang out from both parties as the two best friends charged at the same instant the gang stampeded forward, each side advancing in opposite directions. Kouji swiftly dodged a punch and returned one to its rightful owner, at the same time planting the other fist into a stray abdomen. As another attacked his legs in an attempt to trip him down, he jumped and arched backwards high-jump style to land on his hands with ease, using them to support his entire body weight as he whirled 360 degrees, legs spreading to increase attack area as he kicked down more than one opponent.
Shun'u's fighting skills rivaled Kouji's, if not even slightly better, himself having been blessed with uncanny speed and agility ever since the day he knew how to walk and run. From the beginning, he did not even give his enemies a chance to strike as he nimbly wound his way around like a whirlwind, hurling punches and kicks so fast and precise that it would need to take his opponents to regain consciousness before they even realize they had been hit. He speedily ran up the alley wall, but only scaling up till half its height before propelling himself away and turning to kick his attackers in one big swerve, bringing down a few men in the process.
Both teenagers were doing well in fending off their opponenets, but it was evident that their stamina, despite being better than most, was wavering and could not hold out any longer against the large number of ruffians. As Kouji was blocking another attack and retaliating back with more blows, he failed to notice one of them approach from behind, knife in hand as he thrust the sharp blade forward and straight for Kouji's lower back.
"KOUJI, LOOK OUT!" Shun'u yelled, realizing the scene before him when he momentarily turned to check on his partner amidst the fighting.
Kouji heard Shun'u's warning, but could not turn in time to avoid the attack. Just as the pointed tip of the blade was a mere few centimeters away from his skin, it was suddenly deflected away by the timely intervention of an arrow, or rather, ice that was shaped perfectly in the form of an arrow, itself deflecting away at contact with the knife and shattering to ice pieces as it hit the ground.
It took the attacker moments to comprehend his failed attempt at his victim's life, but that was enough to allow Kouji to seize and twist the armed hand, causing him to cry in pain and loosen his grip on the weapon, before knocking him out cold with a cutting blow to the side of his neck.
"Hey thanks, Chamka! I owe you one!" Kouji briefly smiled up at his savior balancing steadily on top of one of the alley walls, before resuming taking down more attackers, making sure that this time he will not easily leave any more openings for such attacks.
"Chamka! Man, ya came at da right time! Get your freakin' butt down here, we need some help!" Shun'u shouted at the boy, inwardly relieved that his best friend was safe from harm as he continued with the fight.
"Sorry, but I'll stay up here. It's easier attacking from above." Chamka grinned, his short-sleeved checkered shirt flapping about slightly with the wind, tanned skin made seemingly darker with the setting sun behind him. His short black hair was partially covered by a blue cap that he wore in the reverse direction, fringe falling across his forehead to end just above sharp, perfect-vision eyes. A cylindrical container filled with wooden arrows stood out prominently from behind his back, secured to his body via a strap buckled over his right shoulder and across his chest. His right hand held a long bow for shooting his arrows while his left rested on his hip. "Besides, I've brought other people to help."
"Yeah, and you should be thankful that Chamka-kun brought ME of all people to help you guys." A slightly rougher but confident voice spoke up from one area of the alley. In a few seconds, the source of the voice reappeared at a different location, this time settling next to where Chamka was standing. "You would've been dead if I hadn't helped him teleport here."
Kouji and Shun'u looked just in time to see a slightly older teenager manifest himself out of nowhere to stand beside Chamka, one arm resting on the younger lad's shoulder. On each ear hung a large gold ring, and probably the only accessory that could be found on his body. His silvery white hair, like Shun'u's own flaming-red, is the first thing that would catch anybody's eye, probably due to his particularly tanned skin that is even darker than Chamka's. His skin contrasted even more against his white hooded long-sleeved pullover and loose white pants as he smirked down at the duo, short silver-white hair flying in the wind and hawk-like eyes curiously assessing the both of them.
"Lanva, you sure know how to flatter yourself." Chamka laughed lightly, nudging the older one next to him, before turning serious. "But thanks, really. I wouldn't have known what to do if we hadn't gotten here sooner."
"Damn you ESPers!" Eiken spat loudly, his already ugly face even more contorted with anger. ESPers. Individuals gifted with ESP, or some say supernatural. Individuals with unique abilities that a normal average person like Eiken cannot perform. And individuals whom Eiken wished not to appear at such time. Earlier, he had been standing cowardly in a corner watching the fight, confident that the teenage duo would soon be subdued. But now with the arrival of two ESPers, things are definitely turning against his favor. He turned to a bunch of his underlings who had just regained consciousness. "You idiots go get the two up there!"
Eiken's subordinates, although fearful of what the ESPers might be capable of doing, obeyed their chief's orders lest he got the tessen back to later find themselves under the flame's torture. Hahm Lanva raised an eyebrow at the group rushing towards him and Chamka. "I see we've got some opponents for ourselves as well."
Chamka held up his bow, taking aim. "Just as well. I need some targets to test my arrows on anyway." As he pulled on the bowstring with his index and middle finger, an ice arrow immediately took form between both fingers before he fired into the crowd, hitting spot on at a target in the leg, causing his victim to fall and scream in pain. Without hesitation, he created another ice arrow before expertly sending it into another's shoulder.
Lanva had disappeared from where he was standing, but not long before reappearing amongst the group of hooligans, his large golden earrings now much enlarged weapons in his hands, their outer diameter having turned into sharp bladed edges as he skillfully weaved his way among them through teleportation and taking them down one by one, taking care not to kill any in the process.
Appalled by the rate at which the number of his men is dwindling fast, Eiken took to his heels away from the fight, abandoning his subordinates and even the tessen, his main concern now being not to get caught. And especially with that white-haired boy around, escaping would prove to be even more difficult if he stayed any longer, as he looked back to make sure that particular ESPer was still kept occupied.
"Going somewhere?"
Eiken gasped and stumbled as he halted, turning his head back to see Lanva up ahead, the latter's arms crossed in front of his chest, and two discs in one hand. A cocky grin was plastered to his face.
Eiken had to use his last resort. "You leave me no choice," he grunted as he reached for the pistol hidden in the inner pocket of his coat. Before he could take proper aim at the front, it was instantly knocked off his hand by a gold disc. Lanva appeared next to Eiken to reclaim the disc before it touches the ground and promptly placed it next to the gang leader's neck, its sharp blade threatening to slice skin upon the slightest movement.
"I can see that you're gonna get into a lot of trouble with that thing," Lanva said nonchalantly, indicating the pistol.
Realizing that their leader had been caught and having decided the futility of staying back, the band of ruffians ceased all fighting and started dispersing in all directions, fleeing from the scene.
"You idiots! Come back here!" Eiken shouted in vain for his followers to get him out of the mess that he had landed himself in, not that their staying back would help much anyway.
"Save your voice for later, old man. You might need it to defend yourself later at the station," Chamka jumped down the wall before landing gracefully next to Kouji, who made no move to stop the fleeing group except maintaining a firm grip on the now unconscious teenager who earlier attacked him with the knife.
"Hey, da rest are gettin' away!" Shun'u grabbed a frightened yob by the collar as the latter pleaded repeatedly to let him go.
"Don't bother about them. They can't do much harm without the boss. If they're wise enough, they should know better than to mess around again." Lanva wore back his earrings, which had shrunk to their original sizes, and took out a pair of hand-cuffs with which he secured around a reluctant Eiken's hands by the back. "Besides, he's who we're after for the moment. Had his fun long enough. Thanks." He said gratefully as Kouji brought his unconscious attacker to him before helping him haul the boy onto his shoulder.
Shun'u unwillingly let go of his victim, giving him a warning in the process, not to mention adding a few words of foul language into his speech. Kouji sighed and shook his head before turning to Chamka. "Hey kid, I haven't thanked you properly for knocking that knife off, so... thanks." He said, putting an arm around the younger boy and drilling a fist playfully into his head, which Chamka desperately protested.
Lanva looked at the trio with amusement before continuing. "Well, guess I'd better report these two back to headquarters. This boy's better off with some counseling as well." He continued, indicating the one on his shoulder, who looked no more than fourteen years old. "Too young to know the consequences. Chamka, looks as if you know these two, so I'll leave you here to explain the rest. Jaa ne."
The three of them watched the white-haired boy give a wink and casually salute them with a flick of an index finger before disappearing into thin air, bringing the two with him.
There was a brief moment of silence when Shun'u spoke up. "Who's dat fella, Chamka? He looks freakin' strong." He said, pointing at the location where Lanva last performed his vanishing act.
"Yeah, he definitely is an ESPer. Is he in the police academy like you are?" Kouji inquired.
"Yup, he's also a cadet there, but more senior in rank than me. In fact, he's my assigned mentor, apart from training another fellow junior cadet." Chamka replied matter-of-factly. "He's here on another assignment. We've got news that a lady reported a fight here, so Lanva-san was dispatched to check it out. I tagged along 'cuz I wanted to try out my ice arrows." He held out his bow proudly.
Chamka came from a nomadic tribal family, traveling as licensed hunters for a living in jungles all around the world before his family finally settled down as Shun'u's neighbours, taking up decent jobs after pleasantly discovering that he was an ESPer. His ESP ability was first triggered when he, having run out of wooden arrows during a hunting trip in the jungle outskirts, had unwittingly created and shot his first ice arrow in a desperate bid to save his father from being mauled to death by a grizzly bear.
That happened a year after Kouji and Shun'u left the Reikaku gang and went back to school on a more regular basis (both still occasionally played truant, though), themselves having nothing else better to do, and also partly by order of Shun'u's mother. Not that Shun'u minded anyway, so long as he could stay out of the house as much as he could. Nevertheless, both families got along well, and Chamka consequently became fast friends with the other two teenagers, but not without some initial hiccups, thanks to Shun'u's smart mouth and slightly arrogant behavior.
"So, I see that you've mastered it to perfection, huh?" Kouji raised an eyebrow, smiling approvingly at the grinning boy. "Good for you, bro. Having an ESPer friend sometimes comes in handy, I guess."
The sixteen-year-old smiled sheepishly. "Nah, I've only perfected it a few days ago. Normally out of 10 arrows, I could only create six on average. In fact, that shot just now was my first ever since the day I mastered it, eh heh."
"Man, dat was a cool one, Chamka! Don't think I can ever see dat again. Next time when yer on another mission, tell me ya hear?! Let's go an' celebrate our victory at Pubber's Tavern! I'm cravin' for beer now!" Shun'u gave Chamka a solid pat on the back which made the poor boy cough a little, while Kouji stood behind them with a large sweatdrop on his head and muttering something about thanking Suzaku for blessing Chamka with that precious shoot, be it first or last.
"Well, if it weren't for the rules, I would've shown you more," Chamka explained, indicating the one common law regulation that all ESPers have to abide by regardless of age, gender, race or religion-Strictly no display of any ESPer ability outside ESPer premises, unless authorized. "And go away, Genrou. You know I don't drink."
"Hmm.there's something I can't quite figure out," Kouji mused, finally regaining strength in his voice. "If you can now create 10 arrows out of 10, then why are you still carrying that thing?" He pointed at the cylindrical container of wooden arrows behind Chamka's back.
"Oh, that. Eh heh heh...bad habit. Guess I still can't get used to going around without them," Chamka scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. "Besides, just in case I can't create any ice ones, you can always count on these whenever you're on an assignment."
"Anyway, I guess that lady DID thank us by way of calling the cops. In any case, she managed to save us indirectly by sending you and what's-his- name...Oh, Lanva here." Kouji pondered, trying to recall the white-haired teenager's name when Chamka reminded him.
"Feh! We wouldn't freakin' know if it's da same onna. Anyway, we wouldn't be in deep shit if this thing did spit fire when I tried again," Shun'u held out the tessen from behind his back, thrusting it in front of Chamka's face.
"Hey, don't do that!" Chamka instinctively backed away, slightly surprised and annoyed. Actually, Lanva and I weren't here only for the gang leader."
Shun'u blinked, obviously unaware of the purpose. "Huh? Then wat else're ya here for?"
"Hmm. just as I guessed," Kouji stated as Chamka walked away from Shun'u, stopping a distance away before turning around to face him, bow in hand and ice arrow drawn before shooting at his intended red-haired target.
Shocked but still alert, Shun'u skillfully dodged the arrow, but not long before finding the next one coming after him. "Oy, what da fuckin' hell are you doing?! Ya outta yer mind?!"
"Use the tessen, Genrou," Kouji yawned.
"I can't use it, godammit! This thing ain't spitting out nothin' an' ya saw it!"
Chamka continued directing his shots at Shun'u, taking care to avoid any vital points on his body. "Hey, Genrou! Guess you're not as strong as I thought. I guess Kouji should be better!" With that, he directed his aim at Kouji, who stood unmoving and nonchalant, and fired. He inwardly frowned. [[Kouji, you'd better be able to dodge if Genrou can't save you.]]
Kouji also had his worries. After having escaped death once, he wouldn't want to face it again a second time, let alone in the same day. [[Genrou, you'd better be able to do it.]] He braced himself for the dodge if Shun'u still couldn't activate the flames from the iron fan.
"KUSO------!!!"
Flames erupted from the tessen and instantly melted the ice arrow just inches away from Kouji's shoulder. Kouji and Chamka both heaved a sigh of relief while Shun'u slumped to the ground exhausted, staring stupidly at the fan in his hands.
He looked up at the both of them. "I...ain't said nothin'..." he stuttered. "Juz like da first time...fuckin' nothin'...an' I thought I was lucky when it fired..."
"You're an ESPer, you dense baka," Kouji finally declared, having concluded that Shun'u's head was too thick to realize it himself.
"My, my, you really need someone to tell you straight in the face, don't you? But at least it's confirmed that you're the one we're looking for. We received a signal from the headquarters that directed us to your location."
"The headquarters? Signal?" Kouji wondered. "But how?"
"It's their ESP sensor," Chamka paused before continuing. It detects any ESP movements anywhere, so that new ESPers can be located easily and quickly. Same for those who misuse their abilities. I thought it was one of those goons earlier, but none of them retaliated with anything near ESP level when we attacked. And boy, am I glad that it's not Eiken either. So that leaves the both of you, and when Shun'u mentioned the fan, well..."
"Yeah, an' when I mentioned da tessen, ya had ta fuckin' shoot my butt...an' ya even tried ta kill Kouji!" Shun'u hollered.
"Hey, watch your mouth! I didn't try to kill Kouji, and I made sure I avoided all the critical areas! And I HAD to confirm that it was YOU who's the ESPer! Chamka rebutted, trying to defend himself and at the same time insulted by Shun'u's accusations.
Before the two could enter into another one of their many arguments, Kouji being the mediator as always, tried to divert the subject. "Maa maa, cool down you two. So our Genrou here has ESP, but seems like it doesn't always work, does it?" He chuckled. "What say you, Chamka?"
"Well, obviously Mr. Dense Baka here," Chamka explained, ignoring the threatening glare and an 'Oy!' from Shun'u, "has ESP in fire-manipulation, but only through a certain medium from what I can see. And it's quite common for ESP to not always work in the beginning, especially when you've just become an ESPer only a few hours ago."
"Juz go straight ta da point, will ya? Why be an ESPer when I can't shoot fire anytime I want?!" Shun'u exclaimed, his earlier thrill of having an ESP ability now killed by Chamka's statement. "An' I thought things're gettin' fun here."
"Dig your ears, ahou." Chamka chided as he crossed his arms. "I said it doesn't always work IN THE BEGINNING. This happened to me as well when I first discovered my ability, and until now it's taken me almost a year before I finally perfected it a few days ago."
"A YEAR?!?! WHAT THE F-Mmph....!"
Kouji immediately silenced Shun'u by cupping a hand over his mouth, before turning to Chamka. "I realized I've never asked you before, but I've always been wondering...how do you ESPers generate your abilities?"
"Well actually, each and every human being is born with ESP. It's just that most of the time it remains hidden and undiscovered even until death. I only learnt about this after entering Konan Gakkou." The young archer answered as he relished watching Shun'u turning purple from suffocation when Kouji forgot to let go of his hand.
"It's like having the right key for the lock. And mental aptitude and ESP propensity, apart from other things, are a few important factors to releasing such ability." Chamka thought for a moment. "Hmm...but seeing this dense baka having such ability, I'm beginning to doubt its logic. Hey Genrou, get your butt off the ground. I gotta report you back to TESPO."
Kimirei's Comments:
Okay, just want to add some comments to the story. Some of the information of this story is taken from the FY Gaiden series, mainly Genrou Den, since that's the only one that I read. You can find the translations for Genrou Den and other Gaidens at Tasuki No Miko's Translation Collection at . I really applaud her for her superb translation and her efforts. Also, this story was inspired by another anime series called E's Otherwise. Other than the ESPer idea, I've not taken anything from the series.
You'll also notice this phrase "Maha Maha Rekka Shinen!" that Shun'u was blabbering about earlier. The actual incantation was supposed to be "Mahariku, Maharita, yamubara, ya ya ya, Rekka Shinen", the spell that actually activates the fire from the tessen. Again, I got this info from Genrou Den. Do check it out if you want to know more.
Lastly, this story is also based on extensive internet research on FY, especially on the Genbu and Byakko characters and their seishi abilities, and there're many homepages that I've visited but too many for me to list as credit acknowledgements. Really sorry about that. Also, I have no clue as to whether the seishis' real names/ages/abilities are totally accurate, so if you think I've taken something which you've uniquely come up with, please inform me so that I can put you under my acknowledgements. If you're really pissed off about me taking your idea, inform me and I'll take it down immediately, even if it means changing the whole storyline.
Last of the lastest, since italics can't seem to be shown on fanfiction.net, I'll have to settle the character's thoughts with [[blabber]]. Just note that. Okay, on with the next chapter.
Summary: AU: ESP. Extra-Sensory Perception. This change to the human body has led to the evolution of a new species of humans-ESPers. Humans with ESP. As the world adapts to contain this new addition, one country faces the imminent danger of a complete downfall to its ruling system.
Beyond Perception: Intuition 1
"HOLY SHIT!"
Kou Shun'u stared dumbfounded at the tessen in his hands, not believing the fire that spat out from it was his doing. He shifted his eyes away from the fan-turned-weapon to inspect on the damage he had inflicted on Eiken and his underlings. To his relief, they were still alive, although they now looked nowhere near gangster material, with singed hair, charred clothes, shaken up faces and all.
"Way to go, Genrou! That was some fire! How the hell did you do that?!" Kouji managed to recover himself from shock long enough to knock out his own opponent whom had been just as appalled by the scene as he was, before running to where his flame red-haired best friend was and giving him an approving pat on the back. "I didn't know you knew that chant. Man, that was helluva long one. Can't believe you actually got that in your head! And I thought you really needed some help over here."
Although joking on the surface, deep down inside, Kouji had definitely feared for his dear friend's life when one of Eiken's underdogs had sneaked up behind Shun'u with a dagger just as the red-head managed to wrench the tessen out of Eiken's grip during the brawl. Kouji was about to jump to his buddy's rescue when Shun'u miraculously ejected the flames from the iron fan.
Kouji had met Shun'u two years ago when the latter had just been accepted into his gang as a rookie, brought in personally by the former leader of the Reikaku gang, Hakurou, who had chanced upon him when the then brash youngster was running away from home, claiming that he could no longer stand the women in his family and needed to get out and experience some adventure before he suffocates in the house. Both were initially at loggerheads with each other and constantly trying to prove themselves in front of the chief, but through facing dangers together, eventually became best of friends and even brothers to each other.
"Who'd be so stupid ta crack da head ta memorize a freakin' damn long chant?! The fire juz freakin' shot out by itself!" On the second comment, Shun'u waved the tessen in front of Kouji to reaffirm his point, causing his blue-haired buddy to back slightly away, both hands in front in an attempt to shield himself from any flames that might spout out from the offending object.
"Whoa, easy there, boy. You wouldn't wanna kill your buddy, would you?" The older boy protested, raising up both hands as a sign of peace and silently praying that none of the flames would get to his clothes. His leather jacket was new, after all, and expensive. "Bet you'll cry if you really did that."
"If I had this thing when I joined th'Reikaku gang," Shun'u deliberately waved the implied tessen again in Kouji's direction, this time earning a friendly punch in the head from his buddy. "I would've killed ya there and then. You were such a pain in th'ass." Regaining his composure, he reverted back to his usual fanged, lop-sided grin. "And I don't freakin' cry, ya get dat? Only girls cry. I'll giv'ya 50 dorus if I did."
"Hey, look who's talking. You were the pain in EVERYONE's ass, and I DID save your ass back then." Kouji absently touched the scar that ran vertically down his left cheek, recalling how it came about during one of their missions when he had pushed Shun'u away in the nick of time from being fatally wounded by an attacker's dagger, but not dodging fast enough himself such that he received the full blow of the blade to the left side of his face.
"Aww...C'mon, Kouji...Not again...You've said it millions o' times! And dat was so long ago!"
"Well, you'd better pray that I can find a wife with this scar. Anyway, I'll take your word for the 50 dorus..." Kouji paused briefly and quickly resumed his speech before Shun'u could take back whatever he had unintentionally blurted out. "We'll save the rest to talk about later. Besides, we've still got some things to settle here." Kouji nodded his head slightly to the right to indicate the burnt yet alive pile that was Eiken and gang.
Shun'u's attention was momentarily shifted to the people whom they had been fighting not long ago, much to Kouji's prediction and relief. Being two years older than Shun'u, and having gained more experience as a hoodlum in the Reikaku gang, Kouji was more matured and sensitive to people around him, analyzing any situation before taking action-a trait totally opposite from his younger and reckless counterpart.
Of course, he knows Shun'u's deep sense of loyalty to his friends, and that he will definitely honor his word on anything he promises, including the 50 dorus. Despite occasionally taking advantage of the younger Shun'u, Kouji, being the older the more sensible of the two, takes it upon himself to watch out for the less sensitive and impulsive teenager whom he has come to think of as a younger brother. As one of Shun'u's closest friends, Kouji affectionately calls Shun'u 'Genrou', a nickname which had been given to him by Hakurou due to his physical swiftness and speed that resembles that of a phantom wolf when such agility is put into action.
"So I see dat you're now da boss eh?" Shun'u drawled lazily, casually lifting up the tessen that was in his right hand to drape it on his right shoulder, at the same time still maintaining a firm grip on the object. "Guess it must'a been Hakurou's good ol' tessen dat got'cha this bunch of lackeys."
"Gimme back my tessen! You brats have no right to the Reikaku leader's property!" Eiken growled as he struggled to push off an unconscious subordinate that was lying on top of him, attempting to stand up.
"Oh really? And how do I suppose you're fit to be leader when you're trying to take advantage of an innocent lady in a back alley?" Kouji questioned, referring to Eiken's earlier insolent act that could have well ruined a young woman's whole future ahead of her if not for the timely intervention of Shun'u and Kouji, they themselves taking one of the many short-cuts they knew as ex-Reikaku outlaws to get to school. Fortunately, the girl had managed to flee safely out of the alley, too traumatized to even thank the two heroes who had rescued her, which was just as well since she might be even more distressed by Shun'u's sudden outburst of flaming energy. "Anyway, if I remember correctly, the Reikaku gang only robs the rich for the poor, not hanky-panky'ing around with girls young enough to be your daughter."
"It's none of your business any more! You both jolly well know that only the leader holds the secret chant to the tessen. If I weren't the leader, how else would I have been able to use the tessen?" Eiken grinned maliciously, obviously knowing that he had secretly learnt the chant when he had eavesdropped on Hakurou, then dying of illness but yet practically forcing Kouji and Shun'u to memorize the long incantation in preparation for either of them to be the next Reikaku gang leader, but ultimately to no avail.
"Yeah, and how do you suppose that Genrou was able to use the tessen, and WITHOUT chanting anything?" Kouji rebutted, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the alley wall.
"Wha-...Oh...uh...yeah. How'd ya think I managed to pull dat off eh?" Shun'u triumphantly held up the tessen, proudly displaying another one of his fanged grins. At the back of his head, a sweatdrop appeared, as deep within he was quite certain that the trick that he pulled off was purely by accident and that it would not happen a second time. [[Kouji, wat the freakin' hell ya think you're tryin' ta show?!]]
Kouji, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain a cool disposition as he battled the million and one thoughts that were swimming in his head. [[If Genrou's what I think he is, he should be able to do that trick again and we can just run and get out of here. If it's just the tessen, Suzaku save us.]]
He contemplated the possible options, at the same time observing Shun'u spouting more colorful language and madly flailing the tessen at the fallen group. If Shun'u is able to activate the flames again, scorching Eiken one more time would not only NOT hurt, but also enjoyable to watch, and taking off from the scene would not hurt them both one bit. However, if the flames were only due to the magic of the tessen, the probability of the trick happening again would be one in trillion, and this could well land them in trouble.
True, they now have the upper hand in terms of physical ability, but Eiken is no fool. With the Reikaku gang now under his control, hordes of his minions can appear within minutes simply with a few punches of his cellular phone, and things can get too tricky for the two teenagers' liking. And PRECISELY because Eiken is no fool, Kouji is worried that their façade might be discovered and unable to sustain any longer.
He was about to suggest knocking them out cold while they were still on the ground, when his thoughts were rudely interrupted by Eiken's hollering.
"You think you can fool me? Nobody can use that tessen but only ME! Blame yourselves if you can't remember the chant, you dimwits!" Eiken was pointing to himself to emphasize his point, all the while yelling with such force that Kouji and Shun'u could practically see saliva shooting out of his mouth. "Now gimme back the tessen! Or else..." His lips curled up into a malicious smile, revealing yellowish crooked teeth that gave away evidence of compulsive smoking. "...you'll be very sorry if you didn't."
Dark silhouettes began appearing from every possible nook and cranny in front and behind Kouji and Shun'u, slowly emerging from the shadows to reveal more hooligans like Eiken as they converged to surround the duo, confirming Kouji's worst fears. [[Shimatta...seems like the damn old man's fingers are faster...]]
"Chikusho..."
Kouji turned his head to his partner where the cursing originated from, all the while keeping a careful eye on the mob that was slowly forming in front of them. [[Here we go...]] "Genrou, try the tessen again."
Shun'u had also contemplated this option earlier on, and while he was very tempted to test it a second time, he knew better than to pull such a trick at that time without consideration, and a risky one at that. Now is the chance to do it. He smirked, right arm raised with the tessen in preparation to flame anything in front of him.
Seeing Shun'u's gesture of attack, the thugs paused hesitantly in their footsteps. "Wait! You're not really gonna...!" Eiken's voice was cut off by Shun'u's own as the latter brought down the tessen in one quick swing, pointing towards the direction of the majority party.
"All right, ya assholes! Take this!"
Nothing happened.
Kouji mentally slapped his forehead. [[Shit...now we're dead meat.]]
"Take this! Take this! Maha Maha Rekka Shinen!" Shun'u flapped the inert fan repeatedly as he struggled to recall the incantation that their previous leader had taught them.
On seeing that the duo had failed in using the tessen, Eiken sniggered and emerged from his hiding position behind two of his followers, all traces of fear erased from his podgy, freckled face. "So...I see that you didn't succeed. And I told you pathetic fools that you'll be very sorry if you didn't return me my fan." With this, he waved an index finger forward, gesturing for his gang to take action.
Kouji placed a foot forward, his arms fisted and held in front of his chest as he crouched slightly lower and forward in a battle stance in preparation for the impending fight, intense eyes alertly scanning anything within his vision of sight. Although the advantage now strongly favored the opposite party, the two teenagers were still fit enough to put up a good fight, save for the few scratches they had gotten from the earlier scuffle. And fighting is now the only option they are left with, given the fact that they were being surrounded from all directions. "Nee, Genrou. Guess we'll be busy for quite a while here, don't you think?"
"Yeah, why not? I can't wait ta kick more freakin' asses." Shun'u flashed another fanged grin as he took off his denim jacket to allow better movement, revealing well-toned physique beneath a loose black singlet. He moved slowly to stand back-to-back against Kouji, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the posse lest they suddenly attack.
Shun'u had long put away the tessen, tucking it securely between his waistbelt and jeans like a makeshift holder at his back. Throwing the tessen away, he concluded, would be the most stupid thing to do, since it is highly possible that Eiken would grab it back when they were too busy to notice during the fight. And besides, it was after all a prized possession and treasured memento of the late chief whom he greatly respected. Like Kouji, he also took on a battle stance, sharp golden-brown eyes staring menacingly ahead and more ready than ever to pounce on his prey. "Let's get this freakin' over an' done with."
Angry cries rang out from both parties as the two best friends charged at the same instant the gang stampeded forward, each side advancing in opposite directions. Kouji swiftly dodged a punch and returned one to its rightful owner, at the same time planting the other fist into a stray abdomen. As another attacked his legs in an attempt to trip him down, he jumped and arched backwards high-jump style to land on his hands with ease, using them to support his entire body weight as he whirled 360 degrees, legs spreading to increase attack area as he kicked down more than one opponent.
Shun'u's fighting skills rivaled Kouji's, if not even slightly better, himself having been blessed with uncanny speed and agility ever since the day he knew how to walk and run. From the beginning, he did not even give his enemies a chance to strike as he nimbly wound his way around like a whirlwind, hurling punches and kicks so fast and precise that it would need to take his opponents to regain consciousness before they even realize they had been hit. He speedily ran up the alley wall, but only scaling up till half its height before propelling himself away and turning to kick his attackers in one big swerve, bringing down a few men in the process.
Both teenagers were doing well in fending off their opponenets, but it was evident that their stamina, despite being better than most, was wavering and could not hold out any longer against the large number of ruffians. As Kouji was blocking another attack and retaliating back with more blows, he failed to notice one of them approach from behind, knife in hand as he thrust the sharp blade forward and straight for Kouji's lower back.
"KOUJI, LOOK OUT!" Shun'u yelled, realizing the scene before him when he momentarily turned to check on his partner amidst the fighting.
Kouji heard Shun'u's warning, but could not turn in time to avoid the attack. Just as the pointed tip of the blade was a mere few centimeters away from his skin, it was suddenly deflected away by the timely intervention of an arrow, or rather, ice that was shaped perfectly in the form of an arrow, itself deflecting away at contact with the knife and shattering to ice pieces as it hit the ground.
It took the attacker moments to comprehend his failed attempt at his victim's life, but that was enough to allow Kouji to seize and twist the armed hand, causing him to cry in pain and loosen his grip on the weapon, before knocking him out cold with a cutting blow to the side of his neck.
"Hey thanks, Chamka! I owe you one!" Kouji briefly smiled up at his savior balancing steadily on top of one of the alley walls, before resuming taking down more attackers, making sure that this time he will not easily leave any more openings for such attacks.
"Chamka! Man, ya came at da right time! Get your freakin' butt down here, we need some help!" Shun'u shouted at the boy, inwardly relieved that his best friend was safe from harm as he continued with the fight.
"Sorry, but I'll stay up here. It's easier attacking from above." Chamka grinned, his short-sleeved checkered shirt flapping about slightly with the wind, tanned skin made seemingly darker with the setting sun behind him. His short black hair was partially covered by a blue cap that he wore in the reverse direction, fringe falling across his forehead to end just above sharp, perfect-vision eyes. A cylindrical container filled with wooden arrows stood out prominently from behind his back, secured to his body via a strap buckled over his right shoulder and across his chest. His right hand held a long bow for shooting his arrows while his left rested on his hip. "Besides, I've brought other people to help."
"Yeah, and you should be thankful that Chamka-kun brought ME of all people to help you guys." A slightly rougher but confident voice spoke up from one area of the alley. In a few seconds, the source of the voice reappeared at a different location, this time settling next to where Chamka was standing. "You would've been dead if I hadn't helped him teleport here."
Kouji and Shun'u looked just in time to see a slightly older teenager manifest himself out of nowhere to stand beside Chamka, one arm resting on the younger lad's shoulder. On each ear hung a large gold ring, and probably the only accessory that could be found on his body. His silvery white hair, like Shun'u's own flaming-red, is the first thing that would catch anybody's eye, probably due to his particularly tanned skin that is even darker than Chamka's. His skin contrasted even more against his white hooded long-sleeved pullover and loose white pants as he smirked down at the duo, short silver-white hair flying in the wind and hawk-like eyes curiously assessing the both of them.
"Lanva, you sure know how to flatter yourself." Chamka laughed lightly, nudging the older one next to him, before turning serious. "But thanks, really. I wouldn't have known what to do if we hadn't gotten here sooner."
"Damn you ESPers!" Eiken spat loudly, his already ugly face even more contorted with anger. ESPers. Individuals gifted with ESP, or some say supernatural. Individuals with unique abilities that a normal average person like Eiken cannot perform. And individuals whom Eiken wished not to appear at such time. Earlier, he had been standing cowardly in a corner watching the fight, confident that the teenage duo would soon be subdued. But now with the arrival of two ESPers, things are definitely turning against his favor. He turned to a bunch of his underlings who had just regained consciousness. "You idiots go get the two up there!"
Eiken's subordinates, although fearful of what the ESPers might be capable of doing, obeyed their chief's orders lest he got the tessen back to later find themselves under the flame's torture. Hahm Lanva raised an eyebrow at the group rushing towards him and Chamka. "I see we've got some opponents for ourselves as well."
Chamka held up his bow, taking aim. "Just as well. I need some targets to test my arrows on anyway." As he pulled on the bowstring with his index and middle finger, an ice arrow immediately took form between both fingers before he fired into the crowd, hitting spot on at a target in the leg, causing his victim to fall and scream in pain. Without hesitation, he created another ice arrow before expertly sending it into another's shoulder.
Lanva had disappeared from where he was standing, but not long before reappearing amongst the group of hooligans, his large golden earrings now much enlarged weapons in his hands, their outer diameter having turned into sharp bladed edges as he skillfully weaved his way among them through teleportation and taking them down one by one, taking care not to kill any in the process.
Appalled by the rate at which the number of his men is dwindling fast, Eiken took to his heels away from the fight, abandoning his subordinates and even the tessen, his main concern now being not to get caught. And especially with that white-haired boy around, escaping would prove to be even more difficult if he stayed any longer, as he looked back to make sure that particular ESPer was still kept occupied.
"Going somewhere?"
Eiken gasped and stumbled as he halted, turning his head back to see Lanva up ahead, the latter's arms crossed in front of his chest, and two discs in one hand. A cocky grin was plastered to his face.
Eiken had to use his last resort. "You leave me no choice," he grunted as he reached for the pistol hidden in the inner pocket of his coat. Before he could take proper aim at the front, it was instantly knocked off his hand by a gold disc. Lanva appeared next to Eiken to reclaim the disc before it touches the ground and promptly placed it next to the gang leader's neck, its sharp blade threatening to slice skin upon the slightest movement.
"I can see that you're gonna get into a lot of trouble with that thing," Lanva said nonchalantly, indicating the pistol.
Realizing that their leader had been caught and having decided the futility of staying back, the band of ruffians ceased all fighting and started dispersing in all directions, fleeing from the scene.
"You idiots! Come back here!" Eiken shouted in vain for his followers to get him out of the mess that he had landed himself in, not that their staying back would help much anyway.
"Save your voice for later, old man. You might need it to defend yourself later at the station," Chamka jumped down the wall before landing gracefully next to Kouji, who made no move to stop the fleeing group except maintaining a firm grip on the now unconscious teenager who earlier attacked him with the knife.
"Hey, da rest are gettin' away!" Shun'u grabbed a frightened yob by the collar as the latter pleaded repeatedly to let him go.
"Don't bother about them. They can't do much harm without the boss. If they're wise enough, they should know better than to mess around again." Lanva wore back his earrings, which had shrunk to their original sizes, and took out a pair of hand-cuffs with which he secured around a reluctant Eiken's hands by the back. "Besides, he's who we're after for the moment. Had his fun long enough. Thanks." He said gratefully as Kouji brought his unconscious attacker to him before helping him haul the boy onto his shoulder.
Shun'u unwillingly let go of his victim, giving him a warning in the process, not to mention adding a few words of foul language into his speech. Kouji sighed and shook his head before turning to Chamka. "Hey kid, I haven't thanked you properly for knocking that knife off, so... thanks." He said, putting an arm around the younger boy and drilling a fist playfully into his head, which Chamka desperately protested.
Lanva looked at the trio with amusement before continuing. "Well, guess I'd better report these two back to headquarters. This boy's better off with some counseling as well." He continued, indicating the one on his shoulder, who looked no more than fourteen years old. "Too young to know the consequences. Chamka, looks as if you know these two, so I'll leave you here to explain the rest. Jaa ne."
The three of them watched the white-haired boy give a wink and casually salute them with a flick of an index finger before disappearing into thin air, bringing the two with him.
There was a brief moment of silence when Shun'u spoke up. "Who's dat fella, Chamka? He looks freakin' strong." He said, pointing at the location where Lanva last performed his vanishing act.
"Yeah, he definitely is an ESPer. Is he in the police academy like you are?" Kouji inquired.
"Yup, he's also a cadet there, but more senior in rank than me. In fact, he's my assigned mentor, apart from training another fellow junior cadet." Chamka replied matter-of-factly. "He's here on another assignment. We've got news that a lady reported a fight here, so Lanva-san was dispatched to check it out. I tagged along 'cuz I wanted to try out my ice arrows." He held out his bow proudly.
Chamka came from a nomadic tribal family, traveling as licensed hunters for a living in jungles all around the world before his family finally settled down as Shun'u's neighbours, taking up decent jobs after pleasantly discovering that he was an ESPer. His ESP ability was first triggered when he, having run out of wooden arrows during a hunting trip in the jungle outskirts, had unwittingly created and shot his first ice arrow in a desperate bid to save his father from being mauled to death by a grizzly bear.
That happened a year after Kouji and Shun'u left the Reikaku gang and went back to school on a more regular basis (both still occasionally played truant, though), themselves having nothing else better to do, and also partly by order of Shun'u's mother. Not that Shun'u minded anyway, so long as he could stay out of the house as much as he could. Nevertheless, both families got along well, and Chamka consequently became fast friends with the other two teenagers, but not without some initial hiccups, thanks to Shun'u's smart mouth and slightly arrogant behavior.
"So, I see that you've mastered it to perfection, huh?" Kouji raised an eyebrow, smiling approvingly at the grinning boy. "Good for you, bro. Having an ESPer friend sometimes comes in handy, I guess."
The sixteen-year-old smiled sheepishly. "Nah, I've only perfected it a few days ago. Normally out of 10 arrows, I could only create six on average. In fact, that shot just now was my first ever since the day I mastered it, eh heh."
"Man, dat was a cool one, Chamka! Don't think I can ever see dat again. Next time when yer on another mission, tell me ya hear?! Let's go an' celebrate our victory at Pubber's Tavern! I'm cravin' for beer now!" Shun'u gave Chamka a solid pat on the back which made the poor boy cough a little, while Kouji stood behind them with a large sweatdrop on his head and muttering something about thanking Suzaku for blessing Chamka with that precious shoot, be it first or last.
"Well, if it weren't for the rules, I would've shown you more," Chamka explained, indicating the one common law regulation that all ESPers have to abide by regardless of age, gender, race or religion-Strictly no display of any ESPer ability outside ESPer premises, unless authorized. "And go away, Genrou. You know I don't drink."
"Hmm.there's something I can't quite figure out," Kouji mused, finally regaining strength in his voice. "If you can now create 10 arrows out of 10, then why are you still carrying that thing?" He pointed at the cylindrical container of wooden arrows behind Chamka's back.
"Oh, that. Eh heh heh...bad habit. Guess I still can't get used to going around without them," Chamka scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. "Besides, just in case I can't create any ice ones, you can always count on these whenever you're on an assignment."
"Anyway, I guess that lady DID thank us by way of calling the cops. In any case, she managed to save us indirectly by sending you and what's-his- name...Oh, Lanva here." Kouji pondered, trying to recall the white-haired teenager's name when Chamka reminded him.
"Feh! We wouldn't freakin' know if it's da same onna. Anyway, we wouldn't be in deep shit if this thing did spit fire when I tried again," Shun'u held out the tessen from behind his back, thrusting it in front of Chamka's face.
"Hey, don't do that!" Chamka instinctively backed away, slightly surprised and annoyed. Actually, Lanva and I weren't here only for the gang leader."
Shun'u blinked, obviously unaware of the purpose. "Huh? Then wat else're ya here for?"
"Hmm. just as I guessed," Kouji stated as Chamka walked away from Shun'u, stopping a distance away before turning around to face him, bow in hand and ice arrow drawn before shooting at his intended red-haired target.
Shocked but still alert, Shun'u skillfully dodged the arrow, but not long before finding the next one coming after him. "Oy, what da fuckin' hell are you doing?! Ya outta yer mind?!"
"Use the tessen, Genrou," Kouji yawned.
"I can't use it, godammit! This thing ain't spitting out nothin' an' ya saw it!"
Chamka continued directing his shots at Shun'u, taking care to avoid any vital points on his body. "Hey, Genrou! Guess you're not as strong as I thought. I guess Kouji should be better!" With that, he directed his aim at Kouji, who stood unmoving and nonchalant, and fired. He inwardly frowned. [[Kouji, you'd better be able to dodge if Genrou can't save you.]]
Kouji also had his worries. After having escaped death once, he wouldn't want to face it again a second time, let alone in the same day. [[Genrou, you'd better be able to do it.]] He braced himself for the dodge if Shun'u still couldn't activate the flames from the iron fan.
"KUSO------!!!"
Flames erupted from the tessen and instantly melted the ice arrow just inches away from Kouji's shoulder. Kouji and Chamka both heaved a sigh of relief while Shun'u slumped to the ground exhausted, staring stupidly at the fan in his hands.
He looked up at the both of them. "I...ain't said nothin'..." he stuttered. "Juz like da first time...fuckin' nothin'...an' I thought I was lucky when it fired..."
"You're an ESPer, you dense baka," Kouji finally declared, having concluded that Shun'u's head was too thick to realize it himself.
"My, my, you really need someone to tell you straight in the face, don't you? But at least it's confirmed that you're the one we're looking for. We received a signal from the headquarters that directed us to your location."
"The headquarters? Signal?" Kouji wondered. "But how?"
"It's their ESP sensor," Chamka paused before continuing. It detects any ESP movements anywhere, so that new ESPers can be located easily and quickly. Same for those who misuse their abilities. I thought it was one of those goons earlier, but none of them retaliated with anything near ESP level when we attacked. And boy, am I glad that it's not Eiken either. So that leaves the both of you, and when Shun'u mentioned the fan, well..."
"Yeah, an' when I mentioned da tessen, ya had ta fuckin' shoot my butt...an' ya even tried ta kill Kouji!" Shun'u hollered.
"Hey, watch your mouth! I didn't try to kill Kouji, and I made sure I avoided all the critical areas! And I HAD to confirm that it was YOU who's the ESPer! Chamka rebutted, trying to defend himself and at the same time insulted by Shun'u's accusations.
Before the two could enter into another one of their many arguments, Kouji being the mediator as always, tried to divert the subject. "Maa maa, cool down you two. So our Genrou here has ESP, but seems like it doesn't always work, does it?" He chuckled. "What say you, Chamka?"
"Well, obviously Mr. Dense Baka here," Chamka explained, ignoring the threatening glare and an 'Oy!' from Shun'u, "has ESP in fire-manipulation, but only through a certain medium from what I can see. And it's quite common for ESP to not always work in the beginning, especially when you've just become an ESPer only a few hours ago."
"Juz go straight ta da point, will ya? Why be an ESPer when I can't shoot fire anytime I want?!" Shun'u exclaimed, his earlier thrill of having an ESP ability now killed by Chamka's statement. "An' I thought things're gettin' fun here."
"Dig your ears, ahou." Chamka chided as he crossed his arms. "I said it doesn't always work IN THE BEGINNING. This happened to me as well when I first discovered my ability, and until now it's taken me almost a year before I finally perfected it a few days ago."
"A YEAR?!?! WHAT THE F-Mmph....!"
Kouji immediately silenced Shun'u by cupping a hand over his mouth, before turning to Chamka. "I realized I've never asked you before, but I've always been wondering...how do you ESPers generate your abilities?"
"Well actually, each and every human being is born with ESP. It's just that most of the time it remains hidden and undiscovered even until death. I only learnt about this after entering Konan Gakkou." The young archer answered as he relished watching Shun'u turning purple from suffocation when Kouji forgot to let go of his hand.
"It's like having the right key for the lock. And mental aptitude and ESP propensity, apart from other things, are a few important factors to releasing such ability." Chamka thought for a moment. "Hmm...but seeing this dense baka having such ability, I'm beginning to doubt its logic. Hey Genrou, get your butt off the ground. I gotta report you back to TESPO."
Kimirei's Comments:
Okay, just want to add some comments to the story. Some of the information of this story is taken from the FY Gaiden series, mainly Genrou Den, since that's the only one that I read. You can find the translations for Genrou Den and other Gaidens at Tasuki No Miko's Translation Collection at . I really applaud her for her superb translation and her efforts. Also, this story was inspired by another anime series called E's Otherwise. Other than the ESPer idea, I've not taken anything from the series.
You'll also notice this phrase "Maha Maha Rekka Shinen!" that Shun'u was blabbering about earlier. The actual incantation was supposed to be "Mahariku, Maharita, yamubara, ya ya ya, Rekka Shinen", the spell that actually activates the fire from the tessen. Again, I got this info from Genrou Den. Do check it out if you want to know more.
Lastly, this story is also based on extensive internet research on FY, especially on the Genbu and Byakko characters and their seishi abilities, and there're many homepages that I've visited but too many for me to list as credit acknowledgements. Really sorry about that. Also, I have no clue as to whether the seishis' real names/ages/abilities are totally accurate, so if you think I've taken something which you've uniquely come up with, please inform me so that I can put you under my acknowledgements. If you're really pissed off about me taking your idea, inform me and I'll take it down immediately, even if it means changing the whole storyline.
Last of the lastest, since italics can't seem to be shown on fanfiction.net, I'll have to settle the character's thoughts with [[blabber]]. Just note that. Okay, on with the next chapter.