Chapter VII: The Yin

"Oh no, that was nothing," he answered quickly, too quickly in fact that even Himiko noticed how nervous he was. She put up her hand on her mouth to suppress her laughter. She was successful because all that Ban heard was a muffled cough.

"Really. Nothing. I was just telling her to be extra careful because," said Ban now thinking of the most believable reason to escape Dr. Jackal. God please help me… "you know, we're still in the territory of the enemies. We don't know what might happen."

"I think we've clean up this place last night Ban-chan," replied Akabane. Though he didn't look like he'll attack anyone, especially him, he still had his creepy smile which was freaking Ban out. "So, I guess you won't have to worry about Isan's men to come kill us anymore."

"He's right Ban," said Himiko. "Besides, we won't be staying here for long. We'll go back to Mugen right after you leave."

All Ban could do was nod. He was lucky to be still alive after this conversation. Really, me and my big mouth. On a more serious tone, Himiko said to Ban that she'll make sure Ginji will be alright. She could see in his eyes how grateful he was, though he didn't express it in words.

"When you've come back," she continued. "Ginji will be more than better. I promise. I'll help Shido to cover up for you and Kadsuki's absence. Dr. Jackal will help too."

Ban was thankful for everything she said, except for the last one about Jackal helping him out.

"Thanks Himiko," said Ban. "I owe you a lot in just three days. Things do work out fine for a young girl like you."

Himiko smiled at him and Akabane looked at Jubei who was still tending Ginji. Ban then stepped on his cigarette and pulled Kadsuki to his side. Well, he didn't want his help of course. Honestly, if he could help it, he didn't want him to get involved in any of his affairs. He curtly nodded to the four who were left behind then he and Itomaki started to run towards the exit of the forest.

"Ikari, you shouldn't be up yet," said Isan who was seated at the window, her eyes gazing wearily across the ocean. "You need to rest. Remember, Raitei will come to get his beloved back."

"Mother, are you sure this will work?" asked Ikari while burying his head on his mother's shoulder. "Why do you need Mugen so much? Why? You have me already… Am I not enough for you?"

"Child, you don't understand," said a mused Isan. Though Ikari was already 15, his words were sometimes that of a child's. She had concentrated so much in turning him so powerful that she has forgotten to give him the love he needs, the love appropriate for someone his age.

"Eclextia is growing my son," said Isan while feeling her son's cheek. "We need to find a new place for our people. Our power should be known everywhere and besides, the power of Babylon City… I want that for you as well as for myself."

"Babylon City?" asked Ikari. "Isn't that the highest level of Mugen? I think Raitei has no power over that place."

"Come Ikari," said Isan without answering his question. She led him out of the room, down to the dungeons several floors below the manor. There was one cell that had light coming in because of the small window found in the cell. Ikari saw the boy he knocked out and forcedly dragged to the manor last night. It was only now that he realized he was just about the same age as he is though his face looked much younger. The boy was chained between two pillars. Just like the time Ban was chained back at the central chamber of the System. His head was bowed so that his face looked at the floor supporting his weight. When he heard footsteps approaching, he slowly gazed up to see who his uninvited visitors were.

"Raitei has no power over Babylon, but this boy has," said Isan who was staring at Makubex, hungrily. "He will bring Raitei to us, and Raitei will bring Babylon and Mugen to our hands."

"You're wrong…," whispered Makubex through gritted teeth, now looking at the floor again.

"We're you saying something boy?" mocked Isan. She got the keys from Ikari and slowly opened the door to the cell. "If you are, make it louder. I can't hear you…"

"I have nothing to do with Babylon City," said Makubex. "Babylon City has its own laws. I have no control over these laws. That's why you can't say I have power over that place."

"Oh really?" derided Isan who was now facing Makubex. She held his chin and made him look directly at her eyes. Makubex tried to look away but Isan gripped his jaw fiercely, making him look back at her.

"That's better," she said when he was staring at her eyes, finally. "You should know boy, that lying is a bad thing to do. What about Kagami? Isn't he from Babylon? I clearly remember you getting him to work for you."

For a moment, Makubex seemed to be unable to speak. When he felt a sweat trickle down from his back he managed to contradict Isan though he knew she was right.

"No," he said tersely. "He didn't work for me. He never worked for me."

"You've lied twice boy," said Isan, her grip starting to become tighter. "Didn't your mother tell you not to lie when you were little? Or is she so stupid to not know the difference between truths and lies?"

Now she has finally hit a nerve…

"Don't you dare involve my mother in your foul talk!" glared Makubex. "Who are you to judge my mother? You don't even know who she is or if she---"

"---exists?" supplied Isan with an evil smile playing on her lips. He tried to steal a glance at her son who had an unexplainable look on his face. He wasn't enjoying this but he didn't pity him either.

How did she know?

"From the very moment I set eyes on you, I knew that you're not a normal boy. I even doubt if you exist in the first place. That's how I knew."

"You can read minds?" asked Makubex with surprise as well as anger. Suddenly he started laughing. He was emitting the aura he again had the night Raitei called the 4 Volts King for a meeting.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Isan, unnerved slightly.

"You talk about my being a not normal boy when you yourself are abnormal," laughed Makubex. He didn't know why he was doing this. All he knew was that the more he laughs, the more she gets intimated and the more she'll get rid of him. Is this what he wanted? Well, if this was the only way to save Raitei…

"Shit," glared Isan, wiping the laugh off Makubex face. This time however, a smirk was present in his lips. She can read his mind. She knows he wasn't focused. This was just a sort of diversion. Again, for the second time, she forced him to look at her eyes. As he did, his feeling wasn't the same anymore. He was the one being freaked out now.

Her eyes… there's something wrong with her eyes…

"Of course," whispered Isan, pulling Makubex' face closer to hers that his nose was half an inch from hers. "If Mido has the ability to make dreams, then I have the ability to make nightmares."

When he heard this, he right away tried to look anywhere else besides her eyes but he seemed to be unable to move his gaze away. All he knew he was staring, staring and staring… If her eyes were deceiving him… He saw hands reflected in her blood red pupils. There was a figure being formed within them… He saw his mother… for the first time… he knew it was her. Her nose, mouth, ears, and cheeks were his, except for her eyes. She didn't have the azure ones like his instead, she had…red colored eyes? It can't be…

Suddenly, Isan held him close to her and gave him a mother's hug. She was slowly running her long fingers on Makubex' silver hair. Ikari saw Makubex' face be suddenly filled of tears.

"Don't cry boy," whispered Isan. "If you let me, I'll let you feel the warmth of a mother's touch… a mother's love… something you haven't experience since you were a baby."

"Stop… please…" Makubex pleaded. "Stop using my… my mother…"

"Your mother? I am your mother Makubex," brainwashed Isan. "Yes… you'll gain your freedom and power… something you never achieved in Mugen only if you join us."

If he knew, the boy was shedding tears, not of joy, but of confusion. His mother was succeeding in her plan. She was slowly overcoming Makubex. She was good at controlling other people's emotion… Her words… Stares… there was something quite disturbing about them that made him feel uneasy. He knew he had a share in this abnormality since she was his mother. He moved towards Makubex' chained hands and touched the cold shackles.

Cold they were… just like his hands… He felt as though no blood ran through is veins… As he touched the shackle, he took hold of this chance to touch the boy's delicate skin.

Heat… this was something that made this boy alive… If he has this… his mother has this… what is he then? A living corpse? Breathed in by his mother… given him life to prove how powerful she is. It comes again… the word power… it makes him sick…

As he ran his cold finger over the bare skin of Makubex' hand, he felt the boy shudder under his touch. When he was freed, his hands fell limply to his side. Makubex was still shedding tears. But he could already see, no more pupils… no more azures… just plain gray eyes. She had done it… He was now under her control. With a flick of a finger, Makubex fell unconscious. He might have fallen head first on the cold stone floor beneath him if it weren't for Ikari's outstretched arms wating behind him.

"What are you planning mother?" asked Ikari while carrying Makubex back to the floor upstairs. Isan was beside him, her arms around his son's waist.

"You'll see my child," said Isan slyly. This is power Taki… He and my son will be the key to Babylon City… I have the Emperor of Mugen around his neck now… I'll never need your help…

As she thought these words, Ikari looked out on the window and saw a very small red object glittering on the sands. It looked familiar… The blood red color… it was his right eye… just like his right eye… He looked at the boy he was holding. As he did, he felt strong emotions running within his veins. This was his weakness… their weakness… both of them are easily overcome by their feelings. Like him, he also has feelings. Well, he wondered why, when in the first place, he wasn't supposed to have any. His mother has taught him nothing about this though for the past few days, she was showing this to him already. To clear his thoughts, he decided on something. If the boy wakes up, he'll need to talk to him… Ask him what it's like… to have feelings… how come it's so powerful… to become human…

He didn't realize his mother's eyes were already on him. He tried to look away and stare at where they were going when Isan touched his cheek and ran her fingers over his deep azure hair.

"Ikari…" said Isan with a smile. "You're starting to get vulnerable."

"No mother."

"You're starting to sound like that boy you are carrying," laughed Isan.

"Definitely not… mother"

"Make sure of that Ikari," his mother said with a tone of warning in her voice.

"I am sure, mother."

"Remember, curiosity killed the cat…"

Ikari entered the room where he was resting before he went to his mother. He looked back and saw his mother smile at him before closing his door. He didn't like the tone of her voice. He laid down Makubex on his bed and sat near his feet. He looked out at the window and saw again the red glittering object. He looked at his hands and ran them through his hair. Slowly, the cool wind swept past his cold face, making him close his eyes in relaxation.

"Hmmm…," Ikari said to himself. "Curiosity killed the cat… You shouldn't be the one telling me that mother."

He looked at Makubex who was still unconscious. He again felt that same dangerous flow of emotions on the boy.

"Ch, I should be the one throwing that at you…"

He was about to get off the bed when a hand held his loosed sleeve. He looked at his bed and saw that Makubex' hand was now over his own hand. His eyes contracted a little but then he relaxed when he saw that the boy was still bleary. He surely was not capable yet of launching a surprise attack if that what he was thinking. He was about to tug his sleeve when the half-awake boy whispered something.

"Don't go away," said Makubex. Ikari wasn't sure if he knew that he was his enemy. Maybe this was the effect of his mother's evil eye. He could not see the color of the boy's eyes for they were still half-opened. If they were grey in color, he could at least calm down but if azure or any other color then he must keep his guard up. He continued staring at Makubex, waiting for him to say something else.

"Please, stay with me," added Makubex whose free hand was clutching his forehead. "I'm scared. I don't want to see those… those eyes anymore. Please. Stay here."

Ikari was feeling that again. Why can't he overcome it? Then he remembered. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He can finally question him freely now that he was away from the prying eyes of his mother.

He did the most unlikely thing he could ever imagine. He placed his hand over the boy's hand, and gave him a weak smile, accompanied by a nod.

"I will," whispered Ikari back. "I will stay here. Don't worry about Eclextia. She won't harm you anymore… for now. I'll… make sure of that."

Makubex gave back his smile and slowly closed his eyes again, losing himself in a slumber. It was his first time to see a smile… a real smile other than that forced smile of his mother's. As he continued to stare at Makubex' face, he was lost in thought. It was like… like only him that mattered. There… was something special about this boy.

At that time, all that mattered was Makubex, and his mother. Even the red shining thing that he saw earlier on the sands was totally erased from his mind.

"Hello?"

"Hevn! It's me, Shido!"

"Beast master!" gasped Hevn while getting off her seat. She looked out at the window and saw the sun almost above her. She glanced at her watch and saw the time. It was already 10:00 in the morning.

"What took you so long?" she asked anxiously. "Is everyone alright? Where are you now?"

"No time to explain," he answered. "Where are you now?"

"I'm at Honky Tonk. Natsumi and Paul are outside doing something. They asked me to come over to look after the place if I wasn't doing anything, so I came. I've been waiting for you for almost 5 hours for God's sake!"

"We're sorry, still you shouldn't have left the place, I mean Mugen!" replied Shido who was wiping a sweat from his temple. The taxi they were riding on was fast alright but the air condition wasn't on and the driver didn't want the windows rolled down. He didn't want air pollution entering his well-ventilated taxi.

"I left Emishi to watch over," she said. "He has my other phone. If you want to know about the Nuclear Power plants, they were already taken cared by his men and the people. If you want to know the current situation back at Mugen, call him. For now, the nearest place to go is here."

"Ok, I understand," said a resigned Shido on the other line. "Ginji's with us right now. He's fine for the time being, though unconscious, so he needs to be brought to Mugenjyou to recover right away, so with Kaisshin here."

"Kaisshin?" asked Hevn who walked to the windows of the store to put down the blinds. "Who is she?" She sat down at the table near the window and directed the air conditioner at her.

"She's one of Kadsuki's men," supplied Shido while looking behind their taxi to check if the cab where Jubei, Rinube and Kaisshin were was still on the right track.

"She got terribly wounded during the battle so we can't bring her either to Honky Tonk now. You'll just have to stay on standby. Wait for Ban or Kadsuki's call. Don't ever leave without any call from either of the two. When you come back to Mugenjyou, Ban and Kadsuki should be with you already. Got it?"

"Ok. Ok. Got it," replied an irritated Hevn. "Take care of them guys, especially Ginji. Is Poison Lady with you? Dr. Jackal? If yes, say hi to them for me."

"Got it," replied the Beast master before cutting the line. "She says 'hi' to you two."

"She knows us?" Himiko asked unbelievingly. "I thought Ban never told her about us?"

"I was the one who told her about you," explained Shido. "We couldn't stand the risk of freaking her out when she suddenly sees two Eclextia members walking in Mugenjyou or Honky Tonk with us."

"You've got a point though," said Himiko who rested her head on Akabane's shoulder. The older man did not move or slash her. He just stood there as though her head was not on his shoulder.

The negotiator put down her cell phone and thought for a moment before storing it inside her storage compartment.

"Why are they giving me too many orders?" she muttered while taking a sip on her lemonade which was half empty and putting it down with a sigh. "And to think that I won't even get paid for this job."

"You're awake, finally," said Ikari while bringing Makubex food cooked by his mother. "I thought you'd be down at least for several hours more. It's ok… You don't have to stand yet. You can just sit on your bed."

He approached the bed where Makubex lay and brought down the tray on the covers. For the first time that day, he was able to look directly at his eyes. He didn't believe what he saw. Makubex' eyes were not grey anymore. They were once again azures. This time, they were cold. Cold stares were meeting his same cold mismatched eyes. He didn't know what the boy did to overcome the spell but surely, he isn't under his mother's jagan control anymore judging by his eye color alone. Though surprised he was, he did not show this to Makubex who might get suspicious again.

Ikari was about to feed Makubex when the boy suddenly stood and tried to escape from the room. In the process, he knocked over the food, spilling everything on the floor and bumped on Ikari's shoulder as he ran towards the open door. Before he could get through it though, Ikari raised his hand and made the door shut on his face, locked. Makubex tried to turn the knob but to no avail did not turn or even budge.

"Let me out," whispered Makubex hoarsely, eyes still on the doorknob and his back on the boy who was with him in the room.

"No," was the only reply he received. He looked at the boy who refused to let him go and saw that his eyes were mismatched. Though unusual, it did not freak him out the least. He just kept staring at them as they stared back. No one said anything for about a minute until Makubex ordered Ikari again.

"I said let me out."

"You're not going anywhere until I have had my say," Ikari said his hand still directed to the door causing it to remain locked. "You're staying until Eclextia tells you to do so."

Makubex smirked at him and said, "Who are you to tell me what to do? I'm leaving this place and when I say now, now!"

Suddenly, he lunged towards Ikari who was caught off guard by the boy's abrupt movement. He was pinned to the floor by Makubex who was trying to hit his face with his knuckles. Ikari wasn't given enough space to cast a spell on him so all he did was block the punches Makubex made. He only had the chance to get him off when Makubex tried to give him a high punch. He kicked the boy's stomach, causing him to hit the wall opposite them. Makubex was still trying to recover when Ikari kneeled before him with hands directed towards his heart. It was over. If Makubex tried to attack him again, this time, he had his hand towards him, making it easier for him to block the boy's movements.

He saw how hard he was breathing, and so was the boy. There was anger in his eyes and he was sure that if only he had the ability to do so, he would have crushed him with his stares. Too bad he didn't.

"Listen to me," said Ikari. "You should know who's in power right now. Ok, first thing, calm down."

Makubex held Ikari's hand and raised an eyebrow. "You have your hand pointed towards me and you want me to calm down? I don't even know who you are and where I am and you're asking me already to trust you or something like that. Tell me, how is that possible?"

"Stop asking, just listen will you? And don't try to do anything funny or you'll wake up in the next world" snapped Ikari while withdrawing his hand. "And don't even try to escape through the door because I assure you it's locked."

He pulled the boy up and made him sit on the bed again. He placed his hand over the spilled food and in a flash of silver light, everything was gone and the floor was free of food spill. He averted his eyes to Makubex whose hands were already crossed. Though he didn't know the boy well enough, he felt he could share with him the thing called "feelings" and "emotions". If he did, maybe he'll be able to get rid of it totally and become the dark and powerful boy his mother wants him to be. If not… he didn't know… he would just have to take his chances.

To be continued…