Arileo: Well, with the muse (temporarily) sated by some A-Team-
Glyph: MURDOCK!!
Arileo: Ahem, yes, as I was saying, I'm actually going to get Chapter 3 up less than a week after I said I would. The Resurrection! And what could Hidoi and Dokuonna be plotting?
Tarakudo: It's about time I got in; this is a fic about me after all.
Glyph: You're not gonna like it... (shows Tarakudo 'Leo's notes for fic)
Tarakudo: What? WTF!???! What is this? No! No way in F(%ing H377 are you doing this to me!
Arileo: Oops... RUN AWAY!!!!!!!
REVIEWS:
Queen Jade0: Don't worry; there shall be much Jade-ness in later chapters, including connections to her brief stint as Queen of the Shadow Khan. I really wished they had done more with that in the show.
Pike82: Glad that you enjoyed, and I'm honored to receive your first review.
Vampire Naomi: Honestly? The main reason I'm doing season four is 'cause I saw maybe five episodes of season three, and missed out on two all together. But I'm still very glad that everyone likes it.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own JCA; I'm not getting paid for this.
Now excuse me, I have to go hide from an angry psychokinetic floating head...
The Resurrection of Tarakudo
Chapter three: The Ritual
"Oof," Jackie groaned as he hauled yet another bag onto the plane, "Uncle, why am I the only one doing this?" he moaned.
THWAP
"OW!"
He really should have seen that one coming.
"Jack-ee! You would expect Uncle to lift heavy lugg-aaaage?"
"Ah, no Uncle, but Tohru..."
"Toh-ru must study for ritual to remove demon spirit from mask! We have little time!"
"Ya know Uncle Jackie," Jade spoke up, from where she'd been perched on a box doing nothing, "We are on a tight schedule. The half moon's tomorrow night. It's kinda funny though. Usually these kind of things are done on either the full moon or the new one..."
"Tell me again why I am letting you come with us?" Jackie threatened.
"Oh, umm... Here Uncle Jackie, lemme give you a hand with that!"
"Alright Jackie, you ready?" Captain Black called from the plane.
"Just a second!"
Capt. Black had decided to come to Japan with them in order to help bring back Tarakudo once the revival ritual was complete. Along with him was a young section 13 medical officer by the name of Sera Hannon. Dr. Hannon came along in case they need medical attention, and because she expressed a great interest in the occult. Black hoped to have her learn a bit of magic.
Jackie heaved the last bag onto the plane (with some assistance from Jade) and climbed aboard.
"All right team!" Jade cheered with her usual enthusiasm, "Next stop, Kyoto!"
"They are going to revive the brat! If they do that, we won't be able to siphon the mask's power!"
Dokuonna was livid as she paced behind a hanger. She could not attack in broad daylight, still too weak from Tarakudo's seal.
"Now, now," Hidoi lounged against the wall, "We can find a way to stop them. And even if we don't, there will always be the falling of the seals."
"I know! But then we won't be able to control which seals break when! I hate not being in control," the demoness raged. "We MUST stop them!"
"Well that's easy really," Hidoi drawled, "All we have to do is get to Kyoto first."
"Oh, and I suppose you've regained enough power to teleport the both of us across an entire ocean?" Dokuonna asked cynically, "You couldn't to that even on your best day!"
"Who said anything about teleporting. I meant we do this the modern way."
"Modern way?"
The blond Oni male pointed wordlessly to a small plane on a nearby strip, and the two young pilots talking next to it.
Dokuonna grinned.
Jackie was glad to finally be able to stretch his legs after they're flight. He was also a bit surprised. It had been a while since they'd been able to fly without being interrupted by enemies at any point before or during the flight. Now they had only to hope that they wouldn't be attacked before they left the strip. He hated fighting on airplane runways.
"All right team," said Black, "There's a van waiting for us, we'll be using that to get as close to this tree as possible. Tohru, you're our guide."
"Shotgun!" Jade shouted.
"Jade!" Jackie said in his 'don't-even-think-about-it' tone.
"Aww..."
"Relax Jackie," Black waved him off, "It'll be fine. She won't be a bother."
"Yeah!"
They piled into the van with little trouble, Black helping Jackie with the luggage this time. Black drove, with Jade in the passenger seat. Jackie and Dr. Hannon sat in the back seat, while Tohru and Uncle were in the back of the van working on spell ingredients needed for the ritual. It turned out that Jackie really didn't have to worry about Jade bothering Captain Black. After they'd stopped for a bathroom break, Jade switched with him so that she could talk to Dr. Hannon. Hannon was quite taken with the little girl, and was more than happy to chat about everything from Moose World to talismans.
"Captain Black," Tohru shouted from the back, "We have to stop here."
Black slowed the van and leaned back to look at the larger man, "How come, we there?"
"No. But this is as close as we can go in a car. From here we will have to walk."
There was a small chorus of groans.
"Stop moaning!" Uncle shouted, "We must hurry! Must get to sacred tree before tomorrow night! Is sunset now!"
Captain Black and Jackie glanced at each other and sighed. "Alright troops! Let's move out! We have 24 hours!"
Next afternoon:
"Are we there yet?"
"No Jade." said Jackie,
Ten minutes later:
"Are we there yet?"
"Nope," said Black.
Twenty minutes later:
"Are we there yet?"
"Not yet Hon," said Hannon.
Fifteen minutes later:
"Are we there yet?"
"No," Said Tohru.
Ten minutes later:
"Are we there yet?"
"Almost Jade," Jackie answered again. "We are all tired from hiking all day and having to sleep outside last night. I am sure we will be there soon."
Before Jade could start up her litany again however, Captain Black's phone rang.
"Black here," Everyone watched as the bald man's face grew dark. Whatever he was being told, it was not good news. After a few minutes, he hung up and turned to them. "Jackie, Hannon, can I talk to you for a sec?"
This made Jackie worried. "What has happened?"
"That was the agents I left at the airport. Apparently, soon after we took off, another small jet took off without clearance. They just found it a few miles from here. The co-pilot was dead, poisoned, and the pilot's in bad condition, he was cut up something awful. The best part is, he was awake for a bit, and was babbling something about a man and a woman with devil horns hijacking their plane."
"Dokuonna," Jackie stated.
"And a friend. We're gonna have to be a lot more careful from here on. And let's also hope that they don't know where they're going," Hannon muttered.
"Enough talk-iiiing!" Uncle shouted impatiently, "Sun will soon be setting! We must have ritual ready by the time the half moon can be seen through branches of sacred tree!"
"Yes Uncle," Jackie sighed.
It was several hours later when they finally had some luck.
"The grove in which Tarakudo was buried should be just over this ridge," Tohru said, looking up from his map.
"Hurry," Uncle urged, "We will have just enough time to prepare the spell."
And they climbed over the ridge.
Jackie stared in awe. In the midst of a clearing in the tall oak trees, was a lone sakura tree in full bloom. The white petals fell like snow to the grass.
"It's... beautiful, "said Hannon. "But it's not the season for that tree to have flowers. It's not natural."
"It is MAGIC!" Uncle snarled.
"And fitting as well," Tohru added, "In Japanese culture, white sakura petals are symbolic of death."
Jackie shuddered at this revelation.
"Have culture lesson another time! Toh-ru! Get to work!"
The large man mumbled an apology to his sensei and began to take various items from his pack. Jackie, Jade, Black, and Dr. Hannon sat back and watched as Uncle mixed various powders and liquids into a small cauldron, chanting under his breath all the while. Mean while, Tohru set up incense around the tree. As they worked, the moon rose overhead, split perfectly in half.
One final puff of smoke arose over the cauldron. Uncle examined its pitch-black contents, and then the moon's position.
"It is time."
Tohru grabbed the cauldron and followed Uncle obediently to the tree.
The old man gently snapped off one low hanging branch and dropped a few petals into the cauldron. He stirred them in with the branch. Then Uncle turned back to the tree. Using the branch as a brush, he began to paint a circular symbol onto the trunk that reminded Jackie of a compass. Extending from the 'south' point on the symbol was a second circle, containing what resembled a rising sun.
Completing the symbol, Uncle laid the branch on the ground. "Bring mask," he gestured to Captain Black.
Black approached slowly, holding the heavy metal suitcase he had guarded jealously the entire journey.
No one spoke as he undid the locks upon the case and held it open to the world. The wooden effigy of Tarakudo's red face stared up with empty eyes.
"Tohru, take mask and place it upon tree, over compass."
"I don't think so!"
Black barely managed to dodge Dokuonna's strike. The Oni woman bared her claws and leapt again. Jackie ran to intercept only to feel something slice across his back.
"Ah, Jackie Chan?"
He rolled over to see a black-skinned, blond, male Oni standing over him.
"My name is Hidoi, and I shall be your killer for today."
"We shall see about that."
The Oni Hidoi spread his talons and struck. Jackie was able to keep up with the demon's blows, though only by seconds. A few feet away, Dokuonna tried to get her claws into Captain Black. That was when he noticed something. The grass where the she-demon's claws touched was turning brown and smoking.
"What the heck?"
"Ah, you noticed," Dokuonna grinned, "My nails are quite deadly, you see, I have a way with poisons." She opened her mouth wide, and Black saw sickly pinkish fluid drip from her overly long incisors.
"Oh that is so not attractive."
"Toh-ru! Get the mask!"
"Oh no you don't!" Dokuonna dove at Tohru, snarling and clawing. The large man blocked her with the metal case, wincing when he saw the material melt. It would not last a second attack.
"Hey ugly!"
"Huh?" Dokuonna turned just in time to receive an onion in the face.
"MY EYES!!!!!!! YOU LITTLE BRAAAAT!!!!!!" Dokuonna shrieked in agony and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Hidoi watched his companion's departure with wide eyes.
"Wanna go two for two?" Jade threatened, waving a second onion.
Hidoi shied away from the girl, "You wouldn't..."
Jade drew her arm back.
"BYE!" The demon was gone before they could blink.
"That was lucky," Jackie sighed, "How did you know the onions would work Jade?"
"Well Uncle Jackie, Tohru said that onions were supposed to ward them off, and it only didn't work on the part huma- Uncle Jackie! You're bleeding!"
"What?" Jackie asked, "Where?"
At Jade's exclamation, Dr. Hannon leapt forward, first aid kit in hand.
"Your back Mr. Chan," she said, "You've got a nice little gash across your shoulder."
Jackie remembered the feeling of something touching his back when Hidoi had pounced him. He stood still while Hannon examined the wound.
"You got lucky. Cut's shallow, won't even need stitches. Looks like Hidoi doesn't use poison like Dokuonna." She dabbed at his back with a cotton swab, and taped some gauze over it. "I'll want to take a closer look once we get back to civilization."
Jackie nodded silently. He was very glad that they'd brought a doctor along for once.
"Good! Now, we can continue ceremony!" Uncle said, "Tohru! Mask!"
Once more they gathered around the tree. Tohru picked up Tarakudo's mask gently, and placed it against the trunk as Uncle had instructed.
For a moment, nothing happened. Before Jackie could ask if they had taken too long to fight the Oni, however, the tree bark shifted. Tohru leapt back in surprise, but the mask did not fall without him holding it. The symbol Uncle had painted began to glow, and then seeped into the tree. The bark began to warp and push, as though something inside were trying to get out. Within seconds, a humanoid torso formed from the tree, the mask where the face should have been. One arm broke free, clawing the air. The bark receded to reveal a pale white hand. Slowly, the straining, silent figure pulled its way out of the sakura tree's trunk. The bark continued to peel away, showing still more white flesh covered with a black yukata. Long white hair spilled down around the mask as the last of the bark fell. The thin figure finally freed itself from the tree, and collapsed at the base.
No one moved. No one spoke. The only sound was the panting breaths of the person at the foot of the sakura tree.
Tarakudo was resurrected.
The mask was still in place, and still merely a mask. One shaking pale hand reached up and tossed it away. White hair still hid the face beneath. Slowly, he looked up at them. The hard yellow-green eyes were more than familiar, but not the face that framed them.
It was Dr. Hannon, the only one present that had never met Tarakudo, who summed up their shocking surprise.
"He can't be older than fifteen..."
END CHAPTER THREE
#Looks around cautiously# Well, three guesses why Tarakudo was pissed at me. #Evil grin#
Author's notes:
Dr. Sera Hannon is mine. It always miffed me that they never bring any sort of medic with them. She was kind of put in at the last second.
Sakura: Japanese cherry trees. They come in pink and white.
I always found it funny that white means purity in some cultures, and death in others.
Yukata: a type of Japanese robe, kind of like a knee-length kimono that's more open in the chest. I'm not really sure.
Sorry again for the delays. There shouldn't be as much trouble with the next chapter. Tarakudo the kid, and what were those seals Dokuonna was ranting about?
Glyph: Oh, Tarakudo-sama! Look! There's 'Leo!
Note to self, put out want add for new muse and go buy some onions.
Glyph: MURDOCK!!
Arileo: Ahem, yes, as I was saying, I'm actually going to get Chapter 3 up less than a week after I said I would. The Resurrection! And what could Hidoi and Dokuonna be plotting?
Tarakudo: It's about time I got in; this is a fic about me after all.
Glyph: You're not gonna like it... (shows Tarakudo 'Leo's notes for fic)
Tarakudo: What? WTF!???! What is this? No! No way in F(%ing H377 are you doing this to me!
Arileo: Oops... RUN AWAY!!!!!!!
REVIEWS:
Queen Jade0: Don't worry; there shall be much Jade-ness in later chapters, including connections to her brief stint as Queen of the Shadow Khan. I really wished they had done more with that in the show.
Pike82: Glad that you enjoyed, and I'm honored to receive your first review.
Vampire Naomi: Honestly? The main reason I'm doing season four is 'cause I saw maybe five episodes of season three, and missed out on two all together. But I'm still very glad that everyone likes it.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own JCA; I'm not getting paid for this.
Now excuse me, I have to go hide from an angry psychokinetic floating head...
The Resurrection of Tarakudo
Chapter three: The Ritual
"Oof," Jackie groaned as he hauled yet another bag onto the plane, "Uncle, why am I the only one doing this?" he moaned.
THWAP
"OW!"
He really should have seen that one coming.
"Jack-ee! You would expect Uncle to lift heavy lugg-aaaage?"
"Ah, no Uncle, but Tohru..."
"Toh-ru must study for ritual to remove demon spirit from mask! We have little time!"
"Ya know Uncle Jackie," Jade spoke up, from where she'd been perched on a box doing nothing, "We are on a tight schedule. The half moon's tomorrow night. It's kinda funny though. Usually these kind of things are done on either the full moon or the new one..."
"Tell me again why I am letting you come with us?" Jackie threatened.
"Oh, umm... Here Uncle Jackie, lemme give you a hand with that!"
"Alright Jackie, you ready?" Captain Black called from the plane.
"Just a second!"
Capt. Black had decided to come to Japan with them in order to help bring back Tarakudo once the revival ritual was complete. Along with him was a young section 13 medical officer by the name of Sera Hannon. Dr. Hannon came along in case they need medical attention, and because she expressed a great interest in the occult. Black hoped to have her learn a bit of magic.
Jackie heaved the last bag onto the plane (with some assistance from Jade) and climbed aboard.
"All right team!" Jade cheered with her usual enthusiasm, "Next stop, Kyoto!"
"They are going to revive the brat! If they do that, we won't be able to siphon the mask's power!"
Dokuonna was livid as she paced behind a hanger. She could not attack in broad daylight, still too weak from Tarakudo's seal.
"Now, now," Hidoi lounged against the wall, "We can find a way to stop them. And even if we don't, there will always be the falling of the seals."
"I know! But then we won't be able to control which seals break when! I hate not being in control," the demoness raged. "We MUST stop them!"
"Well that's easy really," Hidoi drawled, "All we have to do is get to Kyoto first."
"Oh, and I suppose you've regained enough power to teleport the both of us across an entire ocean?" Dokuonna asked cynically, "You couldn't to that even on your best day!"
"Who said anything about teleporting. I meant we do this the modern way."
"Modern way?"
The blond Oni male pointed wordlessly to a small plane on a nearby strip, and the two young pilots talking next to it.
Dokuonna grinned.
Jackie was glad to finally be able to stretch his legs after they're flight. He was also a bit surprised. It had been a while since they'd been able to fly without being interrupted by enemies at any point before or during the flight. Now they had only to hope that they wouldn't be attacked before they left the strip. He hated fighting on airplane runways.
"All right team," said Black, "There's a van waiting for us, we'll be using that to get as close to this tree as possible. Tohru, you're our guide."
"Shotgun!" Jade shouted.
"Jade!" Jackie said in his 'don't-even-think-about-it' tone.
"Aww..."
"Relax Jackie," Black waved him off, "It'll be fine. She won't be a bother."
"Yeah!"
They piled into the van with little trouble, Black helping Jackie with the luggage this time. Black drove, with Jade in the passenger seat. Jackie and Dr. Hannon sat in the back seat, while Tohru and Uncle were in the back of the van working on spell ingredients needed for the ritual. It turned out that Jackie really didn't have to worry about Jade bothering Captain Black. After they'd stopped for a bathroom break, Jade switched with him so that she could talk to Dr. Hannon. Hannon was quite taken with the little girl, and was more than happy to chat about everything from Moose World to talismans.
"Captain Black," Tohru shouted from the back, "We have to stop here."
Black slowed the van and leaned back to look at the larger man, "How come, we there?"
"No. But this is as close as we can go in a car. From here we will have to walk."
There was a small chorus of groans.
"Stop moaning!" Uncle shouted, "We must hurry! Must get to sacred tree before tomorrow night! Is sunset now!"
Captain Black and Jackie glanced at each other and sighed. "Alright troops! Let's move out! We have 24 hours!"
Next afternoon:
"Are we there yet?"
"No Jade." said Jackie,
Ten minutes later:
"Are we there yet?"
"Nope," said Black.
Twenty minutes later:
"Are we there yet?"
"Not yet Hon," said Hannon.
Fifteen minutes later:
"Are we there yet?"
"No," Said Tohru.
Ten minutes later:
"Are we there yet?"
"Almost Jade," Jackie answered again. "We are all tired from hiking all day and having to sleep outside last night. I am sure we will be there soon."
Before Jade could start up her litany again however, Captain Black's phone rang.
"Black here," Everyone watched as the bald man's face grew dark. Whatever he was being told, it was not good news. After a few minutes, he hung up and turned to them. "Jackie, Hannon, can I talk to you for a sec?"
This made Jackie worried. "What has happened?"
"That was the agents I left at the airport. Apparently, soon after we took off, another small jet took off without clearance. They just found it a few miles from here. The co-pilot was dead, poisoned, and the pilot's in bad condition, he was cut up something awful. The best part is, he was awake for a bit, and was babbling something about a man and a woman with devil horns hijacking their plane."
"Dokuonna," Jackie stated.
"And a friend. We're gonna have to be a lot more careful from here on. And let's also hope that they don't know where they're going," Hannon muttered.
"Enough talk-iiiing!" Uncle shouted impatiently, "Sun will soon be setting! We must have ritual ready by the time the half moon can be seen through branches of sacred tree!"
"Yes Uncle," Jackie sighed.
It was several hours later when they finally had some luck.
"The grove in which Tarakudo was buried should be just over this ridge," Tohru said, looking up from his map.
"Hurry," Uncle urged, "We will have just enough time to prepare the spell."
And they climbed over the ridge.
Jackie stared in awe. In the midst of a clearing in the tall oak trees, was a lone sakura tree in full bloom. The white petals fell like snow to the grass.
"It's... beautiful, "said Hannon. "But it's not the season for that tree to have flowers. It's not natural."
"It is MAGIC!" Uncle snarled.
"And fitting as well," Tohru added, "In Japanese culture, white sakura petals are symbolic of death."
Jackie shuddered at this revelation.
"Have culture lesson another time! Toh-ru! Get to work!"
The large man mumbled an apology to his sensei and began to take various items from his pack. Jackie, Jade, Black, and Dr. Hannon sat back and watched as Uncle mixed various powders and liquids into a small cauldron, chanting under his breath all the while. Mean while, Tohru set up incense around the tree. As they worked, the moon rose overhead, split perfectly in half.
One final puff of smoke arose over the cauldron. Uncle examined its pitch-black contents, and then the moon's position.
"It is time."
Tohru grabbed the cauldron and followed Uncle obediently to the tree.
The old man gently snapped off one low hanging branch and dropped a few petals into the cauldron. He stirred them in with the branch. Then Uncle turned back to the tree. Using the branch as a brush, he began to paint a circular symbol onto the trunk that reminded Jackie of a compass. Extending from the 'south' point on the symbol was a second circle, containing what resembled a rising sun.
Completing the symbol, Uncle laid the branch on the ground. "Bring mask," he gestured to Captain Black.
Black approached slowly, holding the heavy metal suitcase he had guarded jealously the entire journey.
No one spoke as he undid the locks upon the case and held it open to the world. The wooden effigy of Tarakudo's red face stared up with empty eyes.
"Tohru, take mask and place it upon tree, over compass."
"I don't think so!"
Black barely managed to dodge Dokuonna's strike. The Oni woman bared her claws and leapt again. Jackie ran to intercept only to feel something slice across his back.
"Ah, Jackie Chan?"
He rolled over to see a black-skinned, blond, male Oni standing over him.
"My name is Hidoi, and I shall be your killer for today."
"We shall see about that."
The Oni Hidoi spread his talons and struck. Jackie was able to keep up with the demon's blows, though only by seconds. A few feet away, Dokuonna tried to get her claws into Captain Black. That was when he noticed something. The grass where the she-demon's claws touched was turning brown and smoking.
"What the heck?"
"Ah, you noticed," Dokuonna grinned, "My nails are quite deadly, you see, I have a way with poisons." She opened her mouth wide, and Black saw sickly pinkish fluid drip from her overly long incisors.
"Oh that is so not attractive."
"Toh-ru! Get the mask!"
"Oh no you don't!" Dokuonna dove at Tohru, snarling and clawing. The large man blocked her with the metal case, wincing when he saw the material melt. It would not last a second attack.
"Hey ugly!"
"Huh?" Dokuonna turned just in time to receive an onion in the face.
"MY EYES!!!!!!! YOU LITTLE BRAAAAT!!!!!!" Dokuonna shrieked in agony and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Hidoi watched his companion's departure with wide eyes.
"Wanna go two for two?" Jade threatened, waving a second onion.
Hidoi shied away from the girl, "You wouldn't..."
Jade drew her arm back.
"BYE!" The demon was gone before they could blink.
"That was lucky," Jackie sighed, "How did you know the onions would work Jade?"
"Well Uncle Jackie, Tohru said that onions were supposed to ward them off, and it only didn't work on the part huma- Uncle Jackie! You're bleeding!"
"What?" Jackie asked, "Where?"
At Jade's exclamation, Dr. Hannon leapt forward, first aid kit in hand.
"Your back Mr. Chan," she said, "You've got a nice little gash across your shoulder."
Jackie remembered the feeling of something touching his back when Hidoi had pounced him. He stood still while Hannon examined the wound.
"You got lucky. Cut's shallow, won't even need stitches. Looks like Hidoi doesn't use poison like Dokuonna." She dabbed at his back with a cotton swab, and taped some gauze over it. "I'll want to take a closer look once we get back to civilization."
Jackie nodded silently. He was very glad that they'd brought a doctor along for once.
"Good! Now, we can continue ceremony!" Uncle said, "Tohru! Mask!"
Once more they gathered around the tree. Tohru picked up Tarakudo's mask gently, and placed it against the trunk as Uncle had instructed.
For a moment, nothing happened. Before Jackie could ask if they had taken too long to fight the Oni, however, the tree bark shifted. Tohru leapt back in surprise, but the mask did not fall without him holding it. The symbol Uncle had painted began to glow, and then seeped into the tree. The bark began to warp and push, as though something inside were trying to get out. Within seconds, a humanoid torso formed from the tree, the mask where the face should have been. One arm broke free, clawing the air. The bark receded to reveal a pale white hand. Slowly, the straining, silent figure pulled its way out of the sakura tree's trunk. The bark continued to peel away, showing still more white flesh covered with a black yukata. Long white hair spilled down around the mask as the last of the bark fell. The thin figure finally freed itself from the tree, and collapsed at the base.
No one moved. No one spoke. The only sound was the panting breaths of the person at the foot of the sakura tree.
Tarakudo was resurrected.
The mask was still in place, and still merely a mask. One shaking pale hand reached up and tossed it away. White hair still hid the face beneath. Slowly, he looked up at them. The hard yellow-green eyes were more than familiar, but not the face that framed them.
It was Dr. Hannon, the only one present that had never met Tarakudo, who summed up their shocking surprise.
"He can't be older than fifteen..."
END CHAPTER THREE
#Looks around cautiously# Well, three guesses why Tarakudo was pissed at me. #Evil grin#
Author's notes:
Dr. Sera Hannon is mine. It always miffed me that they never bring any sort of medic with them. She was kind of put in at the last second.
Sakura: Japanese cherry trees. They come in pink and white.
I always found it funny that white means purity in some cultures, and death in others.
Yukata: a type of Japanese robe, kind of like a knee-length kimono that's more open in the chest. I'm not really sure.
Sorry again for the delays. There shouldn't be as much trouble with the next chapter. Tarakudo the kid, and what were those seals Dokuonna was ranting about?
Glyph: Oh, Tarakudo-sama! Look! There's 'Leo!
Note to self, put out want add for new muse and go buy some onions.