Chapter IX: The Truth
"Any ideas?" asked Ban to Kadsuki while eyeing the men who were starting to close in them. "Don't you think we need back-up or something?"
"We can use one," said Kadsuki, just bringing down two robed men on his side who tried to attack him. "You want me to make a phone call? I can if you hold everyone back for me."
"Ha ha," said Ban, sarcastically, using snake bite on five men who just attacked him. More and more men were now closing in, trying to bring down the intruders. Kadsuki used his strings to bind the enemies and left them hanging on the chandelier or pinned on the wall. He was still threading six men when a fast one tried to through a spear at him.
"Behind you!" shouted Ban who was fighting eight men and got hit squarely on the face as he turned his focus to his companion. Kadsuki who was about to finish his enemies looked back and saw the spear heading his direction. He jumped over the man in front of him and did a somersault, thus avoiding the spear from hitting him and at the same time saved him time in pinning his enemy by his shirt to the wall.
"Nice one, Kadsuki-san," said a voice behind him. "You should be more alert and careful next time, though." He looked around and saw no one familiar besides his enemies until suddenly, at least twenty men fell on the floor with a bloody J behind their back. He looked at the bodies then back to the man who did the slaughter. As usual, he was greeted by Dr. Jackal with a tilt of his hat.
"Akabane-san," he muttered while jumping on the ledge behind the creepy man with a little twist, to hang the five enemies he just tied, on the chandelier above them. "Nice timing. Are you alone?"
Akabane didn't answer right away for he just did his bloody rain to clear off everyone near Ban. Bodies dropped to the floor, making loud thumps and bloody mess. When he was finished he jerked his head to Himiko.
"Poison Lady was the one who asked me to accompany her," said Akabane. "She changed her mind and said she didn't want to miss the party being held here, so I said, 'why not? I might enjoy it.' Well, I wasn't wrong. You people are clearly having fun already."
Kadsuki smiled and waved at Himiko who just gave him a wink after putting to sleep at least thirty men who tried to hack and slash her. She walked towards the two who were busy watching Ban. He was smoking a cigarette in one corner, the men before him clutching their heads. It was obvious they just had a dose of Ban's nightmares.
"You should've reserved your evil eye for Isan Eclextia," said Kadsuki who just reattached his bells on his hair, after seeing that every one of their enemies were down. "We might need it."
"He's right you know," said Himiko while putting the almost empty bottle of her Fire Fragrance behind her. "Who knows what that Ikari might do… We should be prepared. He looks tough basing on your fight last night."
Ban looked around the place, trying to find a trash can. When he found one, he threw his cigarette into it, igniting everything which was inside the metal bin. Ban walked ahead the three and started climbing the steps of the staircase leading to several rooms where Eclextia and her son were hiding.
"Whatever happens," said Ban as he removed his sunglasses and kept them in his pockets. "Don't kill the boy, especially you Dr. Jackal. For once in your life, control your blood lust OK? We can't finish the boy yet. We'll need him to cure Kaisshin."
Akabane just looked at Ban without saying anything. He wasn't flashing his creepy smile. His expression was just neutral. This was freaking out Ban again though he managed to show that he wasn't affected by his reaction.
"Don't you think we should split up?" asked Himiko. She brought out her sleeping scent again in case there were enemies lurking behind the walls at the end of the staircase. "It would be easier for us to finish our job if one group takes care of Isan and his bodyguards, and another gets back Makubex and Ikari."
"Now, the question is who gets to go with one another," said Ban. "We can't be sure if whose going to be facing Ikari or Isan so we can't decide on that."
"We can go with the group we had before we got here," said Kadsuki. "That would be easier to follow."
"I agree with Kadsuki," said Akabane who had his bloody sword drawn out. "We should hurry then. I can't wait for this party we started to get heated..."
"Jubei!" cried Rinube while knocking on the door. When the door opened, he saw Ginji was already up, sitting on the bed. There was bandage around his head and right arm. He looked fine already except for the fact that he was lonely and he looked like he was so down.
"What's the matter?" asked Jubei. "Is there anything wrong with Kaisshin?" He looked at Ginji, whose eyes were still pasted on the ground, before closing the door, locking it.
"She's having a fit," said Rinube in an edgy tone. He was walking briskly and Jubei was having a hard time catching up with him. "I don't know. One minute she was sleeping calmly and then another she was throwing up and having a fit."
"She shouldn't be," contradicted Jubei who was looking at his watch. It was only 2:00 in the afternoon. "The medicine still has two hours to go before it loses its effect. The seed… it must be consuming the medicine, making it lose its healing effect faster."
"What are we going to do?" asked Rinube who was clutching his hand, stopping it from shaking. "Is she going to be okay?"
"I don't know," said Jubei who was starting to get infected with Rinube's panicky attitude. "Just calm down ok? Calm down… I'm doing my best to save her."
He entered the room where Kaisshin was and started to check on her. While doing so, he called Emishi who was in the room opposite Ginji's room.
"Get me the antibiotic from the cabinet," ordered Jubei. "The seed's poison is starting to secrete bacteria that can paralyze the blood cells. Hurry before it causes too much blood clot!"
"Make her drink it after taking the medicine I gave hours ago," said Jubei who was having a hard time contacting Emishi. "It should stop her from throwing up further."
It was at least a minute and three times redialing before Jubei got Emishi on the other line.
"Yo, Jubei-kun!" greeted Emishi happily. "Why the call dude? You could've given me a bang here in my room if you need help with something."
"I would if I can," explained Jubei. "Right now I'm busy with Kaisshin. I need you to go check on Ginji right now. Make sure he's still intact in his room. Whatever happened, don't let him out, or go anywhere. If he says the bathroom, don't believe him because there's a bathroom inside. Wait--- you go look now. Don't put the phone down. I'll just help Rinube here."
"Ok, ok boss," said Emishi while turning his radio and reading lights off. "Go check on Raitei? No big d…deal…"
Emishi lost track with what he was saying when he saw the door to Ginji's room unlocked and a great hole, which was still smoking, was in the place where the doorknob used to be. He entered the room and found it destroyed by electricity. The bed where Ginji was resting for recovery had thin electric currents still crackling over it accompanied by grey smoke. He looked at the mirror which was badly shattered, all the pieces scattered on the floor. Then when he got to the table, he saw a note written in a hurried handwriting.
"I'm sorry I had to destroy the place. I knew Makubex is in trouble. I don't understand why Ban-chan lied. Please don't look for me. I'll be back with Makubex. Ginji"
"That kid did it again all by himself," muttered Emishi while running towards the room where Jubei was. He didn't bother to use his cell phone again because it was now out of battery. When he got to the room, he saw Kaisshin with an oxygen mask on her, Rinube holding her hand while his face was buried near her leg. Jubei was busy preparing an injection for the unconscious girl. He approached Jubei and handed him the note. He noticed his cell phone was already off.
"You got this from his room?" asked Jubei while reading the note. He placed it down and injected the medicine on the arm of Kaisshin. "There's nothing we can do then. Oh God, Kadsuki's going to go nuts."
That moment, Shido entered the room with Win resting on his right arm. He came to check on Kaisshin. He was about to ask her condition when Emishi started talking again.
"Ban's going to kill us," whimpered Emishi while sitting on the vacant chair beside the table containing all sorts of medicine. "Wait till he sees Ginji crossing his way in the Manor."
"What happened out there?" asked Shido his thumb pointing at the direction of the blasted doorknob. "Where's Ginji? He hasn't gone to rescue Makubex in his condition?"
"Well, he just did," said Emishi dryly. "You can never stop him from doing anything he wants." He stood up and offered Shido his chair which he gladly accepted.
"Ban won't be able to do anything anymore once Ginji arrives there to save Makubex," said Jubei. "He can't keep the show all to himself. I think he'll budge along for his partner to take the center stage. He'll just have to make sure Raitei won't come bursting again or he'll lost his partner forever…"
"Hope Ginji won't drag our names to the scene though," said Emishi absentmindedly, while holding an empty bottle which still reeked like it contained foul animal excrements.
"We'll take the left corridor and you take the right," said Ban who was being followed by Kadsuki. Himiko and Akabane nodded after they were given instructions. They were about to file in the right corridor when Ban suddenly called out.
"And oh, Himiko, just shout Ban-sama if you come face to face with Ikari alone, without Makubex. You can shout Ban-sensei if he's with Makubex. Got that?"
"Can I just say 'aaa' instead of Ban-sama and 'iyaaa' instead of Ban-sensei? The titles don't make sense at all."
"No," said Ban whose eyebrows were slightly going up and down while she said her last sentence.
Himiko muttered something under her breathe before she let herself be dragged by Akabane who was excited to meet Ikari, if not Isan, again.
"Ban, I think this is the room," Kadsuki said after passing several doors and finding the one with a big arch over it, containing words written in German. Ban took one of the serpent-like doorknobs and nodded to Kadsuki, gesturing him to take the other one.
"At the count of three," said Ban. "Ok… 1…2…3…Now!"
"What is this room?" asked Himiko who just entered the room of Ikari which contained several ancient and antique decorations including the Black Pearl found from the famous silver storage box owned by the Last Children, which really surprised Himiko. She was about to touch the pearl when Akabane spoke.
"We've found Makubex Himiko," said Akabane whose eyes were set on the boy who was fast asleep on the bed. Beside the bed was a high-backed chair which was facing the window of the room to the outside world. They thought no one was sitting there until Himiko tried to walk towards the bed where Makubex lay. Only then did the high-backed chair turn around to reveal an occupant waiting for his visitors.
"You can't go beyond this point, lady," said the boy sitting on the chair. "He's ours now. Only the rightful owner before has the privilege to take back what he lost."
"Who are you?" asked Himiko. "Wait a minute…You're Ikari, aren't you? You're the concealed son of Isan Eclextia."
Ikari stood and sat near the head of Makubex. He looked at Himiko while he touched Makubex' cheeks. Makubex stirred but only tilted to his side so that he faced Ikari. The other boy continued to touch the delicate skin of the boy who was deep in slumber.
"Yes. I am he," said Ikari still continuing to gaze at Himiko. "I see the Thunder Emperor is not with you. I cannot give this boy back then."
"You kid, are annoying me," muttered Akabane his hat tilted to the left so that he had a clear view of Ikari and Makubex and Himiko was blocked from his vision. "Give back the boy and we need not to resolve to killing. This room will be messy if that happens."
"I'm sorry but I really can't," said Ikari. "You are uninvited so please get out of my room. I don't want my beautiful room stained with your blood."
Ikari… Ikari... use me now… get rid of them…
"Be quiet," murmured Ikari to the locket which was around his neck. "I decide what to do with these people, not you."
"Watch your tongue, kid," said Himiko who took the Sleeping Fragrance from her back. "Watch your mouth, lady," retorted Ikari with a smile. "You don't know who you're talking to."
"Shall I?" asked Akabane, withdrawing his scalpels. "I can take a good aim from where I'm standing."
"No," she said. "Wait a minute…" Then she yelled what Ban had told her. A high-pitched Ban-sensei filled the room and since the door was opened, it echoed through the hallway, reaching the room where Kadsuki and Ban were.
"Can I now?" asked Akabane almost pleadingly.
"Of course you can't Dr. Jackal," replied Himiko. "We need him for Kaisshin. Remember the Seed."
"That's it," said Ban who was looking at the oak doors which had shut behind them. Kadsuki was trying to figure out which of the two doors lead to Isan.
"Now we know that Makubex is there with Ikari," said Kadsuki. "The only thing we have to do now is split up and meet Isan."
"Ok then," said Ban while lighting a new cigarette. "You take the left, I take the right." With that, Kadsuki nodded and both were about to open the doors simultaneously when suddenly, electric charge filled the room, causing the lights above them, which was switched off, to flicker to life, then out again, then on until they exploded.
"What happened?" asked Kadsuki who used his strings to prevent the shards of glass from hitting his head. "Don't tell me that---"
"---Ginji's here," said Ban through gritted teeth. "I told them not to let Ginji come here. He might turn into Raitei again!"
"We don't know if that really was caused by Ginji."
"Of course
"What are you going to do then?" asked Kadsuki while closing the door behind him. "Are you going after Ginji? Or you'll deal with Eclextia first?" He wanted to tell Ban that he should just deal with Eclextia first, anyhow, Himiko and Akabane are there with Makubex and if Ginji finds them, at least there are people around him who can prevent him from turning into Raitei. Since Ban looked like this was going to be a personal decision, he decided not to interfere anymore and just let him do the thinking.
"I'm going back," said Ban. "Isan can wait for all I care but Raitei can't." Ban ran towards the exit of the room without even looking at Kadsuki. He was right. He understood why Ban made that decision. Himiko and Akabane were different people. Ban was the only one who had the ability to restrain Raitei. He was about to follow Ban outside when the Jagan user looked at him and smiled.
"Remember, Kadsuki what Ginji said?" asked Ban while holding the doorknob of the big oak door. "Getbackers can't be Getbackers without the 's'. 'S' stands for always together. If he's going to get back Makubex, then I should be with him. He's a getbacker, and so am I. He needs me. He can't act cool all the time and do the retrieving all by himself. I also need to get in the picture, right?"
With that Ban left Kadsuki with a smile on his face. He looked at the two doors which they were about to open a moment ago. "You're right Ban. Getbackers can't be Getbackers without you." He then opened the left door and disappeared into the darkness.
"Oh, Poison Lady is it?" asked Ikari while running his fingers over the outline of Makubex' face. "Let doctor Jackal do whatever he wants for all I care. I doubt if he could even give me a scratch." As he said these words, the red locket of his necklace glowed brighter.
Himiko didn't talk but instead she stood near the fireplace, ready to back up Akabane in case things go the way they shouldn't be. She looked at Akabane who withdrew his scalpels, and hiding his bloody sword. She gave him a short nod and Akabane who was more than willing to kill the boy, did his thing. Without the slightest sign of movement, Dr. Jackal tried to attack and wound the boy. Like any other enemy, after given the J treatment, they were expected to drop dead face down with a big bloody J etched on their back. Akabane already finished his J treatment but Ikari remained seated without the slightest movement. Himiko was waiting for him to fall down but it didn't come. It was at least a minute before Ikari talked again.
"Is that it?" he asked. "I didn't feel anything. You don't seem to have 20-20 vision Akabane-san…" He touched the curtain behind him which fell to the floor cut into a fine J. "Next time, make sure you aim at your target. The only time I'll be nervous is when you're aiming at the vase beside me or this table at my back."
Akabane didn't answer back at this comment made by Ikari. Instead, he attacked and attacked until Himiko asked him to stop. She was starting to pity the state of the room. Slashes were everywhere and there were holes on the floor as well as the ceiling. The only part that remained unscathed was the wall behind Ikari and the bed where Makubex was laying.
"You're boring me," replied Ikari with a yawn. "Let's see how good you really are." He raised his arm and chanted something the two could not hear. He closed his eyes and made the room dissolve. Himiko and Akabane saw nothing but blackness until Ikari snapped his fingers and the room became more visible. The room looked just like the one they were in minutes ago, except that there were no more furniture and the antique decorations have been covered with nothing but ice. The floor became stone cold but the walls, which were once made of oak, were now wallpapered with live fire licking their surroundings. To their surprise, the fire didn't melt the antique decorations which were surrounded with ice though they themselves felt like they were being melted.
Himiko and Akabane ignored the heat and started to look for Makubex but the bed was no where to be found anymore. Then after several seconds, they spotted him. He was standing in front of Ikari who had his hands around Makubex. He was whispering something to him.
"We can't launch any attack," said Himiko. "We can't risk hitting Makubex." She started to open her sleeping scent when Akabane stopped her and gave her one of his most dangerous smiles. At once, Himiko realized what Akabane was thinking. It was outrageous.
"Bloody rain!" said Akabane, with hands pointing at Ikari. Many scalpels fell down like drops of rain but they were all deflected by electric charges. Akabane, Himiko and even Ikari, who stopped whispering, turned towards the source of the attack. Himiko sighed as she saw who stopped Akabane's attack. His timing was just right. She thanked all the gods for his sudden arrival.
"Ginji-kun, what a nice surprise," said Akabane with a smile. He didn't even seem to care if he stopped his attack from hitting its target. He just looked at Ginji who was eyeing Ikari.
"I'm here Ikari," said Ginji, electricity crackling over him. He was starting to worry how long he could control his anger. "Give me back Makubex now!" As he said this, a bolt of lightning struck the place Ikari was, before he disappeared then reappeared with Makubex a meter away. Ginji continued doing this until he was breathing hard and smoke was coming from his body.
"Mido-san must've been a bad influence, Ginji," said Ikari with a fake concern on his face. "You're getting impatient. We haven't even begun."
Ikari waited for Ginji to shout at him or say anything. When all he heard was Akabane withdrawing more scalpels and Himiko removing the cover of her fragrances, he continued with his talking.
"Ok, why don't you take Makubex with you?" asked Ikari. He slowly pushed Makubex towards Ginji. Makubex, whose eyes were covered by his bangs, walked towards Ginji and stopped when he was only two meters away from him. The mere sight of him calmed Ginji down and he ran towards Makubex in his child-like manner.
"Maku-chan, thank heavens you're safe," Ginji said happily. "I'm here. We've come to save you… to take you home."
He didn't notice Ikari was behind Makubex, his arms crossed and a smirk was being displayed on his face. Makubex was still looking at the floor. Then suddenly, he batted away Ginji's hands which were on his shoulders. This took Ginji by surprise. It was very unlikely of Makubex to do such thing. He then slowly raised his head and Ginji felt something different with the way his friend looked at him.
"I am home," said Makubex whose eyes were not azures but pure red, just like Isan. He pushed Ginji on his shoulder, making him fly across the room, landing on the other side of the room. He could've broken his back if he didn't land on something soft. He looked at his landing cushion and saw the person he really wanted to see. It was Ban. He could've been happier only if he was smiling. He wasn't in this case.
"What are you doing here?" asked Ban helping him up. "You ran away from Jubei and Shido again, didn't you?"
Ginji scratched his head and gave his partner a weak smile. "I knew you weren't telling the truth, Ban-chan. I also want to save Makubex so I came here. Now, my problem is, he doesn't seem to want to come back with us anymore."
"That's because of a spell, Ginji," Ban said while walking towards Ikari. "This boy is using the red jagan to manipulate Makubex."
He was passing Makubex when suddenly, he felt an arm hold him. Though clearly under the influence of Ikari's jagan, Makubex still managed to overcome it for a short period of time. He whispered something to Ban without letting Ikari realize he was not under him for a moment.
"D-don't h-hurt Ikari," he said. "J-just destroy the l-locket. I-it's controlling h-him. He's h-harmless w-without that p-pendant."
"Are you sure?" asked Ban, barely opening his mouth. "What about Isan?"
"As long as y-you manage t-to destroy the pendant, Isan will also lose her dark side because the c-curse will take effect," said the boy. "S-sorry Ban… I c-can't fight it anymore. D-do it n-now."
Ban nodded and gestured at Ginji who was following Ban from the behind. As they ran towards the boy, he whispered to him what Makubex said during his short back-to-himself moment. He also remembered the three curses Ayo had set upon the whole Eclextia family.
After several whispers of strategies, together, they attacked Ikari. During their first attempt, Ikari bounced them off using the ice floor below him. Only now did they realize that Ikari was also using elemental magic. Though, a little bit unprepared for this kind of ability, this still didn't bring down their hopes on saving the boy, Makubex, as well as, Isan.
Ikari was still smiling when he suddenly ordered Makubex to attack Himiko and Akabane. The boy was already weak so he could not fight the spell directly anymore.
"Dr. Jackal," said Himiko. She was trying to slip the Sleeping fragrance under Makubex' nose for him to smell but she only ended up rather unsuccessfully and being hit on her left arm by one of Makubex side attacks. "Don't attack him. He's under the control of Ikari. Ban motioned that the only way to stop him was to break the pendant which was also controlling Ikari.
"Ok then," he answered tersely, while easily evading Makubex' physical attacks. Only when he used his virtual techniques did Akabane have harder time eluding him.
Makubex knew that his reflexes, joined with the manipulation of Ikari's jagan, were very hard to deal with so the only thing he could do to lessen his attacks, since he couldn't directly fight Ikari, was to try and miss his targets on purpose. Since Ikari was also fighting Ban and Ginji, he wouldn't have so much concentration on him at the moment.
Makubex lunged for Himiko who shove again the sleeping fragrance but almost getting the same treatment, this time it was her right arm that got caught by the attack.
"Give it up Ikari," said Ginji who was currently dishing out almost a hundred percent of his energy to break the pendant. "We know you're being controlled by that pendant. And Isan, I know you can hear us. After everything that happens today, you'll finally seek the peace you are longing for your system. I'll erase all the hate and anger you are feeling if that is what I have to do to end the war between VOLTS and Eclextia!"
Isan, who was watching the happening from a monitor in her main room, felt something she was trying to avoid for so many years. This was the something that surfaced during her brief moment of motherly care towards Ikari. It was love. She knew she wanted revenge but deep deep down inside her, she also longed for care and protection which she found in her son. Only then did she realize how horrible she had been to herself and to Ikari.
As she looked at her son, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at her side and saw Kadsuki smiling at her.
"Eclextia-san," he said, while handing her his hand. "It's about time."
"Yes," said Isan, turning off her monitor. "Finally, it's time."
"That's it partner," smiled Ban. "We're finishing this once and for all."
He grabbed Ikari's necklace when the boy was busy blocking Ginji's attacks. Ban tried to crush it using his snake bite. As he did, he could hear the screams of Taki Eclextia emanating from the locket.
Stop that you imbecile! Curse you! Curse you! Return me to the boy! Re---arrrgh!
He used his full power, turning the cursed locket into dust. The only thing that remained after what he did was the chain of the necklace and the base of the pendant which was made of silver.
After the locket was destroyed, they saw Ikari suddenly stop with his attacks, and was clutching his head, while Makubex slowly lost consciousness in the other side and was caught just in time by Himiko before he hit the ground.
The figure of Isan suddenly appeared before Ikari who was at that time in confusion. Her hands were wide open, welcoming him into her care but Ikari didn't like to go near his mother. All he did was stay on the spot he was standing on until he kneeled down in pain and agony.
"I c-can't take it any m-more!" screamed Ikari in between his gasps. "D-don't…"
"Then stop doing it," said a voice behind him. He looked back and he felt the hug of Makubex meet his cold body. "Stop fighting yourself. Stop blocking yourself from feeling your emotions. Don't worry, your mother is ready to accept you for who you are."
"No, she d-doesn't," said Ikari who didn't realize he was already shedding tears. "She d-doesn't care about me. All she w-wants is power, more power… I want to become d-different but I have to keep up with her. I love her so m-much I don't w-want to disappoint her. I'll d-do whatever it takes to make her h-happy, e-even if this does not include my own happiness."
"Ikari, listen to me," said Makubex while releasing him from his hug. "Your mother wants nothing more now than your happiness. She will accept you for who you are because she loves you. Now she has realized that, your happiness is her happiness… There's no reason for you to remain in the darkness anymore, Ikari."
Behind him, he felt the warmth of his mother's embrace and he felt tears fell on his shoulders as she buried her face at the bottom of his neck. She was crying. He wasn't accustomed of seeing her cry that he felt his heart break as she did. Now he knew the truth. Everything Makubex said was true.
"Ikari," said Isan while turning him around, making him face her. "I'm sorry. I've never been a good mother. I promise that from the moment everything is over, you'll experience all the things that a good son like you should've deserved in the first place."
After she said this, she hugged him again. Ikari buried his face in his mother's shoulders as he placed his arms around her back. This was the truth he was seeking… the truth he was longing for… It was his truth… The truth of his existence… And it has never felt better than ever… It was the best experience he has ever had in his entire life…
"I love you mother," came the words for the first time from his lips. Now I don't feel pain when I say these words anymore…
He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling as his mother gave back the words to his ears. So this was how it felt to become loved by someone. He was happy now… That's what mattered to him. He opened his eyes and saw that he was back, sitting on his bed again, his mother sitting at the foot of the bed, Makubex sitting beside him and the other retrieval agents standing in front of him. Ban lit a cigarette and threw an arm around his shoulder.
"So tell me," he said while sitting on his left. "Did you have a good dream?"
Ikari wiped his eyes with his sleeves and laid his head on Ban's shoulder while looking at Makubex and his mother.
"Yes. In fact, I think I just did…"
To be continued…