Chapter 5
Disclaimer: I do not own, so please don't sue!
AN: It's late. I know. After many tries, I came up with this. I was kinda getting tired of all the angst and decided, or rather the story called for excitement. I hope you're not disappointed or freaked out.
Warning: There are some parts that are graphic, and also may contain some parts that are quite violent. If you're disturbed by the following sentences, " The creature howled and snarled as it struggled to get up, but the blow of the pipe brought it painfully down onto his back. There was a fine mist of blood splatter all around the two. Up, Down, Up, Down. That soon turned into a thick soupy mixture of flesh and bone spattering all around them." then do not continue. Read at your discretion. I don't want to hear you bitch and moan in your reviews that you were freaked out. Nor do I want to hear it from your parents. Thank you.
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Transience of the Yoma
Officer Muno sat at his desk tapping a pencil against his chin. He just couldn't get that girl out of his head. There was something about her. All his intuition and years of experience told him to keep an eye out for this girl, Higurashi Kagome.
He couldn't help it. He was worried.
Although his desk was immaculately clean, on the right portion of his desk was folders after folders stacked upon each other- Unsolved murders of a serial killer. These weren't your run of the mill type of homicides these were brutal. His nights were filled with all these girls' images. Haunting him, and at the same time pleading with him for justice.
He sighed and took another drink from his stale coffee.
He picked up the latest murder case, not more then a week's old. He skimmed through the details. As always his eyes were drawn to the girl's body. or what use to be a body. It took them four days to gather most of the parts up. Even the most experienced pathologist was sickened when they came upon the scene. Blood soaked concrete walls. Bone and fleshy matter embedded in the ceiling and cracks. They never recovered the hearts or the eyes. Those were always taken as tokens of the kill. Sick bastard, was all Muno could think at the moment.
Paper clipped beside it was a beautiful young girl. Dark cascading hair framed a pretty smiling face. She had the classic Japanese beauty. Almond shaped eyes with thick curly lashes, naturally ruddy lips, all proportionately place on pure ivory skin.
Her name was Yamaoka Kimi.
Kimi was going to school to become a teacher. She was renown for her kindness and willingness to help others. She took care of her grandmother and did part time work for local charities. Kimi was only 20 years old when she murdered.
Witnesses say she was helping a young man get back into his wheelchair. Others say she was pushing him to a nearby apartment complex. They heard a scream but when they arrived, only the crippled boy was there. His body lying on the ground in a pool of cooling blood. The wheels of his chair creaking as it spin idly on its side. He was alive, but just barely. The murderer gouged out the boy's eyes and split his belly. As if it were any use. The kid never got a chance to see him. The boy didn't even see the blade before he would be forever locked in darkness, and pain.
As usual, there was not a trace, NOTHING.
As a police officer, such a thing was down right impossible. There was always a trail. Signs of a struggle or bits of evidence thrown here and there. From the beginning Officer Muno knew this was going to be difficult. He couldn't get his mind around it. People just don't vanish like the killer and the victims did. In some bizarre way, he knew there was more to this. Something almost sinister.
He put the folder down and reached to the bottom of the stack and pulled out the first folder.
Narumasu Kioko. She was one of the few practicing Shinto priestesses in Tokyo. Kioko was a very reputable girl with uncanny abilities. Some said she was a true Miko in the very essence of the word. Intercomparable to all the other girls, she too was a beauty and pure of heart.
Officer Muno touched the picture of the girl. She was shining a megawatt smile as she held up her kitty to wave at the camera. "Kioko," He sighed.
Kioko was the grand daughter to the police captain Narumasu Ryu. He knew her since she was a baby and he care for her like she was his own daughter. Everyone in the police force adored her. When news of this leaked out, the media jumped all over it like vultures over carrion. For months they all talked about the Narumasu murder. They used to say it was much like the Black Dahlia headliners. Somewhere along the way the killer was dubbed, "Naru," much to the captain's and his dismay.
For a year and a half they have been hunting Naru, but never seemed to get any closer to their target. Every lead they got was dealt with the same consequences. It was the same MO. a young girl between the age of 17 and 20, with dark hair and blue eyes, with ties to religious affiliation. They were all beaten, butchered, or bludgeoned to death. The most frustrating part was that they were so close, so damn close only to come too late.
It was killing him too. Officer Muno hardly slept anymore. His dreams filled with blood soaked scenery and agonizing screams. Sometimes Muno could have sworn he could hear each and every shriek these girls made as they were hacked to bits. He had no appetite as well. Every thing tasted like ash with a touch of metallic foulness. Each day, just barely functioning. It was the drive to catch this bastard that kept him from slitting his own throat.
A rather shocking thing if anybody knew. He was the best damn officer in his district.
But apparently not good enough so long as Naru walked free.
What kind of beast was this? He thought. So willing to mutilate such beautiful creatures, and to snuff out their precious light. All for what? Through all the forensic photos, these girls were torn to bits. as if. the filthy bastard was looking for something. After all, who would spend this much time- not to mention the insurmountable fury- to keep attacking their bodies long after they were dead?
The old ache had returned. How many more would have to suffer before they caught him? How many more had to die! Officer Muno bit down the rage that swirled around in his gut. He ran a hand through his thick hair to calm himself.
Kimi, the 16th victim.
16.
That was just too many.
Officer Muno couldn't shake the feeling that Kagome would be the 17th victim if he didn't do something quick. After all, she fit all the other categories perfectly. It would be a mistake to over look her candidacy to be murdered. Since he wasn't getting anything accomplished by seating at his desk and moping about, he grabbed his coat and walked out the door. By all means necessary he wasn't going to let her die. Not by a long shot. He wasn't call hellhound Muno for nothing.
The underbelly of edification-
"Were going to be late!" Hojo said that as he half dragged half pulled Kagome through the crowds. It was the start of rush hour. Mindless, tired people filled the sidewalks and streets. They all carried that look of complete deadness. Every once in a while someone would get upset from being pushed aside but the majority didn't care. They brushed it off as they trudge home.
"Hojo!" Kagome yelled angrily. She was stuck with dragging the large shopping bag. He didn't make it easy for her by yanking her through the crowd. "Hojo slow down!"
"The movie starts at 7:30, so we better hurry." Hojo said merrily back, completely oblivious to the situation.
"I know that! Look it's only 6.00, well get there in time." Kagome snapped.
"Not at this pace in the middle of the business district. So hurry up," He said way too cheerily.
"So what if we miss the previews." Kagome yanked back her hand. She shook her arm to get the joints back into place. It felt like he was seconds off from ripping off her arm.
Hojo lurched forward, propelled by his own speed. He came to a skidding halt before looking back. Like a well-trained puppy, he ran back to her side. 'And if he were a puppy, I bet he be wagging his tail 100 mph right now,' Kagome mused.
"Come on Kagome we're going to be late!" He whined.
"Gee, If I had known you wanted to see Mega booster 2 that much I would have suggested taking the subway." Kagome said as she spotted a bench to sit down. She rubbed her hands and the red marks that developed when the plastic handle on the bag kept twisting around her fist.
Hojo sat down beside her. He looked at her. He could careless about the damn movie. The fact of the matter was that all through out high school he never got the chance to see a movie with her. On their dates, they never made it to that point as some "emergency" threw everything off track. So the idea of actually completing what happen so long ago got him all excited. He couldn't help having a goal-oriented mind. All his focus was spent on trying to complete the mission.
An idea popped into his head. There was an alley not to far off, which headed straight to the Theatre. Instead of fighting traffic, and waiting at stoplights, they could take the shortcut. Although that alley was rumored to host a wide variety of unscrupulous characters, like drug addicts and weirdos, he didn't think they would be too much of a problem. After all, the really freaking ones only come out at night. It was still day, so the lot were probably passed out. Hojo puffed up with the knowledge that if anybody tried to do anything, he could protect Kagome.
He waited a few more seconds for Kagome to rest up. He offered her a hand and guided her, slowly this time through the crowds.
"Where is it?" He mused out loud.
"What are you looking for?" Kagome asked curiously.
"Here it is!" Hojo pulled her into any alleyway. It was like stepping into another world. From bright shining skyscrapers to this decrepit piss hole. It was almost pitch-dark here due to the tall and barely toughing buildings. They both wondered when the last time this place saw any sunlight. By the looks of it: never.
Kagome made a face as a huge rat skittered behind filthy dumpsters. "What the hell are we doing here?" She covered her nose as they past by a drunken homeless person. He reeked of cheap whiskey and vomit.
"It's a shortcut." Hojo simply said.
"Where? To Hell?" Kagome quipped. Hojo gave her a pointed look.
"Ha ha, very funny. Less talk and more moving." He admonished. He was beginning to have second thoughts about this place. It was worse then the rumors said it was.
They quietly jogged over trash and who knows what else that filled the path. The sounds of outside civilization were buffered out. Not even the wind seemed to flow through here, much to Hojo's and Kagome's displeasure. The smell alone could kill.
It was quiet.
Something in Kagome began to freak out about that. Silence was never good. It was a prelude to danger. There was no sound what so ever, beside that of their breathing.
"We should turn back," Kagome whispered. She felt funny talking, as if the very act was forbidden. Like nails scraping across a black board, her intuition was screaming for her to get the hell out of there. It wasn't the place that was getting to her, it was what was in there that did.
She didn't know how, or why but she knew something evil was in there, waiting for them. It pulsed in her mind like a canker sore.
So silent.
They came to a stand still. The two teenagers were suddenly caught up in the feeling of dread. There was no sound except for the sound of blood pounding in there ears. IT was almost deafening.
Tink, tink tink.
The two teenagers both spun around. There was nothing there except a can that fell over. 'But how? Kagome thought before she felt rather then heard Hojo slam up against the wall. There was a sickening crack as his skull knocked against the rough concrete. Kagome turn around again only to come face to face with a young man with a blood red trench coat. His head was tilt downward so she could see only the lower portion of his face. He was looking at her through his disheveled bangs.
"Ka.Ka." He kept saying as if he were trying to speak.
Kagome jumped back, and with out her acknowledgement she pulled loose a rusted pipe from along the wall. She gripped it with both hands, holding it in a defensive manner.
"Stay away from me!" She growled. The adrenaline pumped furiously through her veins. Kagome was amazed she wasn't panicking. Stranger still was that she knew how to retaliated if he tried to attack.
The young man stopped trying to communicate. Instead he slowly reached up as if he wanted to touch her. Doing so also made his face tilt upward.
'That face!' Kagome thought. Wild white hair, puppyish pout, and dark burgundy red eyes. 'No. the eyes are wrong. There supposed to be gold.' Kagome shook her head to clear her thoughts. She eyes darted over to see Hojo. He slowly sat up with his hands holding his head. Blood was flowing freely from the gash on his temple. Not good.
"Kagome run!" Hojo pleaded. "Just run!"
Upon the mentioning of the name, the attacker eyes turned blood red and he snarled. In all the excitement, Kagome failed to see the Machete that was stealthily kept near his side. He bolted in the direction of Hojo.
CLANG!
She didn't have to think about what was happening. She was merely reacting. She ran and with the steel pipe she successfully deflected the deadly blow to Hojo's defenseless form.
She took advantage of the attackers surprise. With her body still in motion, she whipped the pipe around smacking it against the base of the young man's skull. The force of the blow should have been deadly.
Now it was her turn to be surprised. Black putrid liquid seeped out of the wound and dribbled at the corners of the creature's mouth. He snarled as he took a couple of steps back. He stretched his neck from side to side. The loud popping indicating he was resetting his spine back into place. He looked at her. She could only see pure chaos in his eyes.
"Ka. Ka." He kept trying to say something. Slowly he raised the blade. The tip grated against the wall. Chips of cinderblock flew off like sparks in its wake. He slowly advances on them, the horrible sound of screeching blade and they're ragged breathing.
Apart from fear, there was a touch of anger. Kagome drew up the pipe like she did before. Although he had the face of the man in her dreams, she knew this was some sort of abomination. What ever he was, she was going to send him straight back via Mister pipe.
"Ka. Ka." He muttered with more force, so desperately trying to convey something.
She was so wound-up, she practically snapped. "What! What the hell do you want!"
He stopped, and smiled, "Ka. go. me."
The sound of her name being spoken like that made her ill. The animalistic desire and need scared her more then the Machete. Like a shotgun he pounced. Kagome dodge but she wasn't quick enough. The blade ripped through her shirt. Kagome rolled away clutching her side. Distantly she heard Hojo screaming her name like some god-awful mantra.
Everything slowed down. What seconds was now turned into hours. Like a slow motion movie, Kagome pulled her hand away from the wound. She saw the thin layer of skin and the yellowish white fatty tissue before the blood welled up in the wound and soaked her clothes.
In such situation, one's mind will make inane observations. In that darken alleyway, she was surprise to see that her blood wasn't red. In the muted light, her blood looked almost black. As it free flowed from the gash, the sensation of warmth soon turned cooler, and then cold.
Slowly she raised her eyes from the wound to look into the face of her attacker. He was grinning like some insane beast. He gripped the handle of the machete, raised it but before he could strike her. Hojo barreled his body into the creature to throw him off. The blade nipped her shoulder. This new pain seemed to snap her back into reality.
She was shaking badly.
Even so, she had enough wits to pick up her weapon and help her friend. The creature was sitting on Hojo's chest and was using his balled fisted to beat on the young man. Hojo's arms were bloody from trying to protect his face. Hojo writhed as he desperately tried to twist away. The previous head injury making him sluggish.
"Get away from him!" Kagome used the pipe as a bat and swung at it's head. The head twisted to the side at an unnatural position. The white haired man slumped to the side as he woozily moved away. He growled, fangs shining even in this darkness. He grabbed his head and corrected the problem.
Frustrated, Kagome ran up to him before he could fully recover. She began beating the other with all the rage she could muster for her petite frame. With each hit, she accentuated it with "Why," BASH, "Won't," SMACK, "You," CRACK, "Just," SNAP, "Die!"
Hand over head attack. She raised the pipe far over her head and brought it down maliciously. Up, down, Up, down was the current battle technique. The creature howled and snarled as it struggled to get up, but the blow of the pipe brought it painfully down onto his back. There was a fine mist of blood splatter all around the two. Up, Down, Up, Down. That soon turned into a thick soupy mixture of flesh and bone spattering all around them. Kagome didn't care if she was covered with the stuff, she was more intent on killing the bastard. Up, Down, Up, Down.
The muscles in her arm were wearing out. She didn't know how long she could keep this up. Even with the extent of injuries the creatures had, he still struggled. His ribcage along with it's organic machinery was exposed. The rusted jagged end of the pipe tore chunks out. Sanity was pushed to the back of her mind. A mental defense mechanism to shield her from the carnage she was creating. In its place a rather mechanical approach developed. It move, she hit, it struggled she crush. It was just like counting.
Even after the body grew still, Kagome was still hacking at it. Hojo sluggishly stood up and staggered over to her. He had to physically grab her and pull her away. Kagome was lost in a trance. She clutched the bloody, slightly bent pipe close to her. She was shaking badly. Hojo was worried she was going into shock.
"It's okay," Hojo pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's okay, Shhh." He rubbed her back.
"Is. Is it dead?" Kagome was still shivering uncontrolably.
Hojo chanced a glance. The body was still. "Yes, he's dead."
"Are you sure?" Kagome clung to Hojo for more then just support. She needed reassurance. "Are you sure? Did his body turn to dust?" Kagome asked.
Hojo frowned. Did Kagome totally lose it? "Kagome calm down. He's dead."
Kagome pulled away, her grip on the pipe tightening. "No. No. He's not dead. His body has to turn to ash. It's the only way to be sure." Right now, she couldn't explain how she knew that. That creature, with the face of her beloved, was an Oni. He was an evil monstrosity. Only way to be sure they killed it was the body had to turn to dust.
Even as she spoke this, the body twitched. Hojo and Kagome's eyes widen in terror. Hojo had lost a lot of blood, and Kagome was exhausted, there was no way they could fight, or retreat. Hojo's hand found Kagome's and both stared wide-eyed as the body began to regenerate.
'I should have went for the head,' Kagome thought as she watched the creature stood up.
Seeking sanctuary-
Officer Muno and his partner Yukuto rushed through the crowds trying to catch up to the two teenagers. After he left his office, he got a call that from the Behavioral Science department. He heard some really strange things from the report. But what struck home from the psychological profiling were the chances of the perpetrator striking soon. Maybe even tonight.
Quickly he got on the band and asks a few of his agents to tell him where Kagome was. He got the direction and quickly headed in that direction.
Which led him up to the present. Out of no where the two kids disappeared. A cold sweat broke out. He could feel it drip down his back. There was something in the air and he didn't like it.
"Shit! Where they go?" His partner Yukuto got on his tip toes to peer over the crowd.
"They couldn't have gone far," Muno reasoned. "You stay and search this area." He pointed to the Hotel that had a nice open balcony he could see from. "I'm going to see if I can locate them." His partner nodded, and the two split up.
Muno took the stair two at a time and ran to the railing. He looked down at the mass of people. It was the peak of rush hour, and looking for two kids was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The task was down right impossible. He tried in vain anyway.
Instead of looking at the face, his peripheral vision noticed something. Off to the left of the last place they saw the teenagers was near a crack in between buildings. He never noticed that before. The highly stylized glam of the building and impromto gleam of business made it hard to notice small imperfections like the back street. Muno squint his eyes. Could they have slipped through there? He did a quick scan of the crowd. Nothing.
Muno was willing to bet they had. It was a gut feeling. He called his Partner on the cell and directed him to the byway. With out thinking twice he jumped the rail and landed gracefully. He did startle a few onlookers, but right now he didn't give a damn. He rushed through the crowd and dodge through the traffic. His heart was pounding with a mixture of dread, the hunt, and expectancy.
Even with the head start, Yukuto was lagging. He caught up to Muno just at the entrance. "He's here. I can feel it." Muno deadpanned. Yukuto didn't even question that statement. His partner was 45 years old with the veteran knowledge of one that was twice that age. He simply took the untold command to get ready. Something foul was a foot.
The previous sweat turns cold. Muno wiped his brow with his handkerchief and took a deep calming breath. Both officers readied their guns. Cautiously they entered. Just like the first two in here, they were bombarded by the silence. Quiet but quickly they entered. They heard a skirmish just ahead of them. Both men both sprinted over.
Just as they were about to come upon the scene, the alleyway was flooded with a brilliant light. The two officers were stunned. If the light took them by surprise the wave of power knocked them flat on their ass. It was a tingly type of sensation.
"Are you okay?" Muno asked his partner, yet as he was still in the process of checking himself. Yukuto nodded and hopped to his feet. It took a little more time for Muno to get up. Both had their guns drawn and were ready to fire at anything that looked suspicious.
What they came upon made them speechless. A blood soaked girl let the heavy machete fall from her grasp. The clatter of the weapon was unimaginable loud. She still had her hand up in a position that said, "Don't come any closer!" Many yards away was a chard body of what used to be a man. It was black and still smoking.
They snapped out of their reverie when Kagome collapse next to her friend.
"Call an ambulance, quick!" Muno ordered. Yukuto was already in the process of dialing.
Muno was almost sure the girl was dead. So much blood! Just like the others! His premature mourning was cut short when he saw the steady rise and fall of the girl's chest. He had deduced that all that blood was hers, so he was greatly pleased to learn that it wasn't. He quickly checked on the boy. He had a nasty looking head injury, and his fore arms were badly bruised. Other that he was okay.
Muno turned his attention back to the girl. Carefully he laid her on the ground. He pulled out a spare handkerchief and began to wipe some of the gore off her face. He was startled to see Kioko splitting image. He didn't notice it before since the last time he saw Kagome was in the hospital and she was covered head to toe in bruises.
"Damnit!" Yukuto growled. He flipped the phone shut. "They can't get back here."
"Calm now," Muno said. "You get the boy. Careful of his head."
He picked up Kagome bridal style. He shifted so that her head rested on his shoulder. Yukuto helped Hojo up. He was still conscious and was able to walk with assistance. Hojo had enough presence of mind to grabbed Kagome's shopping bag. So the movie was a bust but that didn't mean that Annual meet and greet would be. His vision blurred.
Maybe he did lose a lot of blood.
They all careful treaded through the debris of the passageway to the awaiting crew.
Kagome opened her eyes to see the blurry face. She began to panic but when she didn't see any white hair or red, she calmed down. Instead what she saw was long black hair framing a very masculine face. What she then noticed was the bright blue eyes and that she felt safe. Her facial features softened when Muno looked down at her.
"Daddy?" Kagome murmured before falling unconscious.
He continued to stare at her. He smiled, suddenly the awesome awareness that she was alive hit him. Kagome was alive!
As they were walking away they didn't see the body had begun moving. It slowly crawled along into the deeper shadows using it own blood to slither along. The sound of skin crackling and the heavy breathing as it inched closer to healing darkness. If anyone were to see Naru now, they would have laughed and said this is what he deserved.
The dreaded killer was reduced to a bleeding burnt husk. With a frightful face that match his atrocities. Naru stared straight ahead. He had no choice, his eyelids were burnt off along with his lips and ears. Truly a monster now.
Unfortunately, this was not going to be the last time Kagome saw him. He would return.
"Ka. Ka."
"Ka.go. me."
To be continued.
Review! Please?
Tell me what you think. Did I over do it with the dark undertones?