+----+ Chapter 2: Reikai Tantei Sign-Up! Meet your Teammates, Shinrai +----+
It had been nearly two weeks since Shinrai won the title of 'Strongest Martial Artist in the World' and been given a job offer by Koenma, but he hadn't heard anything. Shinrai lived in a modest five-room apartment in Tokyo, and it was filled almost to the brim with martial arts training equipment. Hundreds of pieces of paper littered the floor, each describing some new technique or discipline. The walls were dry and cracked, the floors covered with mud. But there was one room that Shinrai made sure he kept perfectly clean - his training dojo. Laying in his must-covered bed, Shinrai drifted between being asleep and being awake.
It was just when he'd drifted off to sleep that Koenma appeared, crying out, "Wake up! You've got work to do!"
Shinrai woke with a start, jumping to attention so fast that Koenma (who was floating directly above him) had no time to react before being head-butted across the room and into the wall. After realizing what had happened, Shinrai leapt out of bed and ran for Koenma, who had just managed to stand up (albeit with shaky legs).
"Ugh.... You have the hardest head I've ever met, kid.... With one possible exception," groaned Koenma, grasping his head in pain.
"Sorry, Koenma-san. But it's your own fault for waking me up like that," said a still-groggy Shinrai. Koenma grumbled something under his breath (it sounded like a threat), and then spoke up again.
"Ahem. As I was saying," Koenma said, "you've been accepted into the Reikai Tantei and your placement is determined."
"Placement?"
"Ah, yes," said Koenma, shaking his head, "I forgot you don't know about these things. Anyway, the Reikai Tantei are split into several different units, each lead by a senior Reikai administrator. These units each watch over a certain area of their country, protecting the locals from any demons that happen to come their way. You've been assigned to the Rikutsu Unit, which watches over central Japan, including Tokyo. You're to meet with your teammates in the Shinjuku district and await further instruction. Got it?"
".... I think so. I'll leave right away."
"Good," Koenma said with an uneasy grimace, "because this is an especially important mission. Now GO!" With that, he blinked out.
Without a moment's hesitation, Shinrai headed out, locking the door on his way out, and ran towards the heart of Shinjuku. When he arrived there, there was nary a person to be seen - a strange sight at this time of day, Shinrai thought. But when he looked harder, he saw a fairly young man in glasses, taking a sip from a large jug. Without any other leads, Shinrai just shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the man.
The man seemed generally handsome, around his mid-20s, with short blond hair and thick glasses. His sky-blue eyes sparkled underneath his glasses, full of mischief and trickery. He was also drunk out of his mind.
Stumbling, the man staggered towards Shinrai. "Hey, hey kid.... Hiya, how're 'ya doin'?" he spoke in a slurred, monotone voice, the smell of alcohol fresh on his breath. Shinrai simply stared, slightly taken aback - was this one of the teammates Koenma was talking about? But wait.... Something isn't right, thought Shinrai. And he was right - the man suddenly and swiftly shot a punch at Shinrai.
With great difficulty, Shinrai managed to catch the man's fist before it connected, but was greeted by a knee to the gut. He fell to his knees, grasping his stomach and gasping for air. The strange man stood straight up, apparently sober now, and spoke again, "Not bad. You blocked that first punch like an expert.... You'll make a fine student. I can train you up to some awesome skills.... Graah!!" Shinrai had suddenly delivered a punch of his own as he cried out, "Reikou Shou!" The powerful uppercut sent the man flying into the air, landing several yards away. For a few moments, images of people crossing the streets of the city flickered in and out of sight. The man sat up, groaning heavily. His glasses had been shattered completely, and he now had a large red bruise on his chin where he'd gotten hit.
"Watch it, will 'ya? The barrier that keeps us hidden is connected to me. Can't risk people hearing 'bout demons and such, can we?" the man said, still moaning lightly. From out of the shadows, a faint voice spoke out....
"God, Taisho. You call yourself a Tantei when you couldn't even see that move coming?"
A beautiful young woman stepped into view, her long brown hair flowing in the breeze. On her back was a thick, metallic staff, inscribed with various symbols that Shinrai assumed were used to enhance its fighting power. Eyes as black as coal stared at Shinrai, and the young man couldn't help but blush slightly at her beauty. She walked towards the two men, shaking her head slightly.
"You, on the other hand...." she spoke, "You were feinting injury the whole time, weren't you? Faking being hurt to throw Taisho here off-guard?" Shinrai nodded slowly, and the man called Taisho's jaw dropped at the revelation.
"W-What?!" cried Taisho, "I'm a master fighter! I can tell when someone's feinting, and that kid wasn't feinting!" The young woman merely sighed, muttering something about the stupidity of male pride, and turned around. Suddenly, the wind stopped entirely. Storm clouds filled the sky, and thunder could be heard.
"What's.... going on?" asked a confused Shinrai.
All that the girl could say was, "They're here."
And with that, all hell, it seems, broke loose. The sky split open, a red rift tearing through the air. From out of the mysterious gateway, a horde of winged creatures swarmed out. They looked almost like lizards, but with a feral and deadly look about them. Green, sparkling scales covered their entire bodies, and huge black wings fluttered to support the huge beasts.
Shinrai stared, wide-eyed, at the spectacle, and Taisho chuckled, turning to face Shinrai, "Looks like the invasion force has arrived.... Get ready! We fight!"
It had been nearly two weeks since Shinrai won the title of 'Strongest Martial Artist in the World' and been given a job offer by Koenma, but he hadn't heard anything. Shinrai lived in a modest five-room apartment in Tokyo, and it was filled almost to the brim with martial arts training equipment. Hundreds of pieces of paper littered the floor, each describing some new technique or discipline. The walls were dry and cracked, the floors covered with mud. But there was one room that Shinrai made sure he kept perfectly clean - his training dojo. Laying in his must-covered bed, Shinrai drifted between being asleep and being awake.
It was just when he'd drifted off to sleep that Koenma appeared, crying out, "Wake up! You've got work to do!"
Shinrai woke with a start, jumping to attention so fast that Koenma (who was floating directly above him) had no time to react before being head-butted across the room and into the wall. After realizing what had happened, Shinrai leapt out of bed and ran for Koenma, who had just managed to stand up (albeit with shaky legs).
"Ugh.... You have the hardest head I've ever met, kid.... With one possible exception," groaned Koenma, grasping his head in pain.
"Sorry, Koenma-san. But it's your own fault for waking me up like that," said a still-groggy Shinrai. Koenma grumbled something under his breath (it sounded like a threat), and then spoke up again.
"Ahem. As I was saying," Koenma said, "you've been accepted into the Reikai Tantei and your placement is determined."
"Placement?"
"Ah, yes," said Koenma, shaking his head, "I forgot you don't know about these things. Anyway, the Reikai Tantei are split into several different units, each lead by a senior Reikai administrator. These units each watch over a certain area of their country, protecting the locals from any demons that happen to come their way. You've been assigned to the Rikutsu Unit, which watches over central Japan, including Tokyo. You're to meet with your teammates in the Shinjuku district and await further instruction. Got it?"
".... I think so. I'll leave right away."
"Good," Koenma said with an uneasy grimace, "because this is an especially important mission. Now GO!" With that, he blinked out.
Without a moment's hesitation, Shinrai headed out, locking the door on his way out, and ran towards the heart of Shinjuku. When he arrived there, there was nary a person to be seen - a strange sight at this time of day, Shinrai thought. But when he looked harder, he saw a fairly young man in glasses, taking a sip from a large jug. Without any other leads, Shinrai just shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the man.
The man seemed generally handsome, around his mid-20s, with short blond hair and thick glasses. His sky-blue eyes sparkled underneath his glasses, full of mischief and trickery. He was also drunk out of his mind.
Stumbling, the man staggered towards Shinrai. "Hey, hey kid.... Hiya, how're 'ya doin'?" he spoke in a slurred, monotone voice, the smell of alcohol fresh on his breath. Shinrai simply stared, slightly taken aback - was this one of the teammates Koenma was talking about? But wait.... Something isn't right, thought Shinrai. And he was right - the man suddenly and swiftly shot a punch at Shinrai.
With great difficulty, Shinrai managed to catch the man's fist before it connected, but was greeted by a knee to the gut. He fell to his knees, grasping his stomach and gasping for air. The strange man stood straight up, apparently sober now, and spoke again, "Not bad. You blocked that first punch like an expert.... You'll make a fine student. I can train you up to some awesome skills.... Graah!!" Shinrai had suddenly delivered a punch of his own as he cried out, "Reikou Shou!" The powerful uppercut sent the man flying into the air, landing several yards away. For a few moments, images of people crossing the streets of the city flickered in and out of sight. The man sat up, groaning heavily. His glasses had been shattered completely, and he now had a large red bruise on his chin where he'd gotten hit.
"Watch it, will 'ya? The barrier that keeps us hidden is connected to me. Can't risk people hearing 'bout demons and such, can we?" the man said, still moaning lightly. From out of the shadows, a faint voice spoke out....
"God, Taisho. You call yourself a Tantei when you couldn't even see that move coming?"
A beautiful young woman stepped into view, her long brown hair flowing in the breeze. On her back was a thick, metallic staff, inscribed with various symbols that Shinrai assumed were used to enhance its fighting power. Eyes as black as coal stared at Shinrai, and the young man couldn't help but blush slightly at her beauty. She walked towards the two men, shaking her head slightly.
"You, on the other hand...." she spoke, "You were feinting injury the whole time, weren't you? Faking being hurt to throw Taisho here off-guard?" Shinrai nodded slowly, and the man called Taisho's jaw dropped at the revelation.
"W-What?!" cried Taisho, "I'm a master fighter! I can tell when someone's feinting, and that kid wasn't feinting!" The young woman merely sighed, muttering something about the stupidity of male pride, and turned around. Suddenly, the wind stopped entirely. Storm clouds filled the sky, and thunder could be heard.
"What's.... going on?" asked a confused Shinrai.
All that the girl could say was, "They're here."
And with that, all hell, it seems, broke loose. The sky split open, a red rift tearing through the air. From out of the mysterious gateway, a horde of winged creatures swarmed out. They looked almost like lizards, but with a feral and deadly look about them. Green, sparkling scales covered their entire bodies, and huge black wings fluttered to support the huge beasts.
Shinrai stared, wide-eyed, at the spectacle, and Taisho chuckled, turning to face Shinrai, "Looks like the invasion force has arrived.... Get ready! We fight!"