Genbu
The green dragon sat in the middle of the room, waiting. The right head stared longingly at a suit jacket on a nearby hanger. The left head regarded her with irritation as her talons rhythmically drummed on the cold marble floor, while the center head looked down at the other two with benevolent amusement.
"Hello, earth to Junrei," growled the left head waving a claw in front the right head.
"Stop teasing your sister Kanan," suggested the middle head.
"Why not?" asked the left head angrily, "She's a space cadet anyway!"
"I think it's cute," said Shuko indulgently, "Our sister's first crush."
"Crush?" gaped Kanan, "I think I'm going to be sick!"
"Now don't be jealous," admonished the center head with a wink. Kanan fumed as the double doors opened with a creak.
"Chris?" inquired Junrei, snapping out of a daze. They saw a medium sized creature with shaggy red fur, curly ram's horns and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Junrei and Kanan sighed in disappointment.
"What am I, chopped liver?" snarled the creature.
"I apologize T-chan," said the center head, "We were expected someone else."
"Well excuse me ladies," sniffed T-chan, "I just thought you could tell me something."
"Tell you what?" hissed Kanan between clenched teeth.
"What the hell is going on?" he shot back, "All the pets are going nuts!"
"It's the reunion," said Shuko, as if she were addressing a simpleton.
"The four sacred beasts," added Junrei helpfully, "I gave my treasure to Chris."
"Not that Chris." asked T-chan with a look of frozen horror. The doors swung open again and Chris stormed in, followed closely by the Count and Pon-chan.
"You can't just go out on your own!" protested Pon-chan.
"I'll just get my jacket and then…," began Chris. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the dragon girl sitting on the couch talking with a surly looking man with yellow eyes and long flaming red hair tied into a ponytail. He was dressed in baggy white pants and a golden vest over his bare chest. A necklace made of teeth that Chris hoped weren't human hung from his neck.
"Oh crap," said T-chan.
"Nice to see you too," said Chris with a lopsided grin. T-chan strode over and stared at him appraisingly.
"You sure did a lot of sprouting kid," said T-chan, noting that they were now the same height.
"Just call me Chris," he replied with a sigh.
"Um, Chris," stated Junrei shyly, "I mended your jacket." Chris picked the dark blue jacket off the hanger and noted the bright green patch sewn clumsily over the shoulder.
"Thanks Junrei, you did a great job," he said, patting her shoulder. Honlon shifted to an angry expression.
"Do you know how long you kept us waiting?" demanded Kanan huffily.
"A lot has happened," said Chris quickly. Pon-chan inspected the patch on Chris' jacket.
"What's with this?" she asked.
"Just a bullet hole," said Chris dismissively. Pon-chan clutched his arm possessively.
"Oh you poor thing!" she said consolingly.
"Get away from him!" roared Kanan, "He's our master, not yours!"
"Chris, why don't you tell us what happened between Mister Moody and yourself," suggested the Count with a long suffering sigh.
"Alright," said Chris, "I was called in to negotiate a stand off with the police."
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Agent Howell was smoking one of his noxious cigarettes when Chris approached the tent. He was pouring over a map with several other agents and law enforcement types.
"There you are Chris," said Howell not looking up, "We've got the house cordoned off and snipers on the surrounding buildings. He pointed to several marked areas on the map.
"He's got a hostage," said the sheriff, "A little girl named Katharine Simmons."
"Moody wants to negotiate her release," added Howell, "He specifically asked for you Chris." Chris blinked as he donned a black bulletproof vest.
"Why me?" he asked. They all looked at him expectantly.
"You tell us," said the sheriff, "You have any run-ins with this hood before?" Chris shook his head.
"Agent Howell and I were running a federal investigation, but we've never met," he said coughing slightly. Howell sighed and stubbed out his cigarette apologetically. Chris never knew why he liked that brand so much; it made his clothes smell of sweet smoke.
"You sure about this Chris?" asked Howell with concern, "We have a trained negotiator." Chris smiled nervously.
"If there's a chance we could end this peacefully, I'll take it," he said.
Chris walked out of the tent past the parked police cars and swat team vans across the street. The neighborhood was nice enough: rows of residential houses on grassy lots. Many of the buildings looked somewhat neglected, but Chris wouldn't have minded living here. Anything beat the apartment he lived in. He approached the front porch of a sagging three story white house with all the shutters closed and shades drawn. He raised his hand to knock on the door and it opened halfway.
"Get inside!" barked a harsh voice. Chris walked through the door and found a hand pushing him flat against the wall as the door shut behind him. He was quickly frisked and felt his pistol pulled from its holster.
"Turn around with your hands up," ordered the voice. Chris slowly swiveled to face the thin man with the gun. Scott Moody was dressed in his shirtsleeves, the exposed flame tattoos crawling up his arms. His face lit up with a strange glee as he inspected Chris' face.
"It really is you Orcot!" said Scott looking relieved.
"You can call me Chris if you like," he replied uneasily. Scott waved Chris pistol in the general direction of the carpeted stairs.
"After you Chris," he said. As Chris climbed the stairs he noted the complete lack of furnishings in the first floor; just bare walls. At the top of the stairs he saw only one door was shut. The other rooms were similarly unoccupied. Chris walked towards the door and glanced at Scott who nodded slowly. Chris turned the knob and entered through the door.
The room beyond was lived in. A mattress rested on a metal frame against one wall while a desk was placed against the opposite wall, a disassembled gun resting on the blotter. Several locked metal cabinets lined the remaining walls. On the floor lay ten year old girl who was drawing a picture with colored pencils. She wore a tee shirt and shorts and her auburn hair was tied in two braids. She was humming quietly as she added a detail to the lower corner.
"I brought a friend Kathy," said Scott. She looked up.
"Hi there," she said.
"Hi I'm Chris," he responded, "Are you Katharine Simmons?" She nodded as she took a sip from a glass of milk next to her.
"Almost done with the picture?" inquired Scott.
"Can I see what's you're drawing?" asked Chris. She shook her head vigorously.
"Not 'til I'm done, okay?" she said sternly. Scott tapped Chris shoulder with the barrel of the pistol and nodded to the desk.
"Have a seat," he said. Chris carefully walked over and sat in front of the desk. Scott walked past him and slumped behind the desk. He placed the pistol on the desktop, far out of Chris' reach and returned his attention to reassembling his own gun.
"Why did you ask for me?" asked Chris finally. Scott began loading bullets into the clip.
"You've been to that shop Chris," he replied simply, "The one run by that creepy vampire."
"You mean Count D?" gulped Chris, "Is that what this is about?" Scott violently slammed the clip into the gun and looked at him with eyes that looked like they had gazed into the depths of hell itself.
"That shop was your playground when you were a brat," said Scott with eerie calmness, "So I know you'll understand about his pets." Chris paled.
"How did you know that?" he gasped. Scott tapped the barrel of the pistol against a metal cylinder dangling around his neck by a fine metal chain.
"Suzy told me," he stated hollowly, "They're having a reunion soon."
"Who is?" asked Chris, puzzled. Kathy yawned.
"Scott, I'm sleepy," she complained. Scott walked over and picked her up, carrying her to the bed. She rubbed her eyes as he pulled the blanket over her.
"I've called your grandfather," he whispered, "He'll pick you soon."
"Thanks Scott," she murmured, "Hope you like the picture." Once she was fast asleep Scott pulled the picture from her grasp. He burst out laughing when he looked at it.
"Oh Suzy I'm sorry," he said plaintively, "I couldn't save you." Chris got to his feet uneasily as he glanced at the empty glass on the floor.
"What was in the milk Scott?" he asked nervously.
"A mild sedative," he said as he wiped away a tear, "I don't want her to feel a thing." Scott gently placed the muzzle of the pistol behind Kathy's ear and cocked the hammer.
"No!" screamed Chris as he ran towards them. Scott turned and fired a shot that grazed Chris' shoulder and sent him flying back against the desk. Chris frantically scrambled for his own pistol still on the desktop and fired two shots. Scott went reeling against the back wall and slumped to the ground, a look of stunned disbelief on his face. His left hand unclenched and a dozen small bullets spilled out across the floor. Chris raced over and pulled the gun from Scott's weakening grip. The clip was empty; the bullets that were supposed to be inside were scattered around the room. He looked down at the pair of blood stains spreading across Scott's shirt.
"You set me up you bastard!" shouted Chris. Scott opened his eyes and chuckled weakly.
"Sorry Chris," he admitted, "You're the only one who could help me."
"You could have surrendered peacefully," said Chris as he ripped up strips of the bedsheet to stave off the bleeding.
"What's the point?" he asked as blood trickled out of his mouth, "I told her I wasn't worth it." He pulled on the cylinder with a bloody hand until the chain broke.
"Give Suzy back to that damn vampire," he instructed as he pressed the cylinder into Chris' hands, "He'll know what to do."
"Wait!" cried Chris as he shook Scott's collar. But his head already slumped forward at an odd angle. Chris numbly stood up and felt along Kathy's neck and found a weak pulse. Gingerly he picked her up and carried her down the stairs, out of that house into the sunlight.
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Junrei was trying unsuccessfully stem the flood of tears, which made T-chan roll his eyes.
"How perfectly awful," breathed Pon-chan with a gloved hand to her face. Chris shrugged and noticed the Count was lost in thought.
"What's wrong?" he inquired.
"Katherine Simmons purchased a pet from my shop recently," he admitted, "I can now see that Suzaku arranged for the three of you to meet."
"Why us?" demanded Chris.
"Can't you guess?" suggested the Count.
"You, Scott, and Kathy were each the master of a sacred beast," stated Shuko quietly.
"Who's the fourth master then?" asked Chris, "There are four sacred beats, right?"
"You'll have to ask Byakko when you see him," replied the Count, "Now go quickly." Chris opened his mouth in protest but decided to go along with the Count this time.
"Alright, I guess it's time to meet Kathy's grandfather," he said as he pulled out his car keys.
Half an hour later he pulled up in front of a large mansion in an upscale neighborhood. The evening light bathed the brick house in fiery colors. Chris strolled up to the white double door and pulled a chain, causing a bell inside to ring. A few moments later he saw an elderly man with a neatly trimmed goatee and wearing a brown and gold silk robe.
"Agent Orcot, what a pleasant surprise," he croaked, "I suppose you're here to see how Kathy's doing."
"Not exactly," said Chris rubbing his head awkwardly, "I'm looking for her pet." The old man gestured him to step inside. As he closed the door behind him, Chris noted incense burning in a bowl by the front door.
"She bought a tortoise named Genbu from Young Master D," explained the old man as he led Chris into a back study lined with ornate old books on shelves.
"May I see this Genbu?" asked Chris, "It's very important."
"Easily," replied the old man with a twinkle, "I would be this Genbu." Chris bowed stiffly to him the way he had been taught.
"Forgive me for intruding," said Chris hastily, "I need to know what will happen with the reunion." Genbu nodded and retrieved a small cloth bag from his pocket and held it out. Chris reluctantly took it.
"I sense you are pure of heart young human," said Genbu, "Give this treasure to Young Master."
"So you want the reunion to take place?" suggested Chris anxiously.
"We must decide the worthiness of humanity," stated Genbu gravely. They heard a door opening and turned to see Kathy in a nightgown and rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Hi Chris!" she said brightly, "How's Scott?"
"He got badly hurt," began Chris evasively, "I'll go back and check on him soon."
"Okay," she said, "Did he like the picture of Suzy?"
"Yes he did," said Chris with an empty grin. A long silence filled the room that was broken by a loud ringing sound. Chris frowned apologetically and pulled out his cell phone.
"Are you dead or something?" demanded a gruff voice on the other end, "Where the hell is Moody's body?"
"Sorry Agent Howell," said Chris quickly, "I've just been following some leads."
"What have you found out?" he asked. Chris walked into the front hallway to get some privacy.
"Mainly that there are four sacred beasts the Count sold to customers," he began, "And they are getting together soon."
"So this Suzy that Moody was babbling about wasn't his girlfriend?" inquired Howell.
"Suzy was Suzaku the phoenix," explained Chris, "And I just met Genbu the tortoise."
"And the other two are Seiryu the dragon and Byakko the tiger," finished Howell. With that Chris realized why Junrei had been carrying a treasure.
"You know about Byakko?" he asked eventually.
"Yeah, I've been following this Count for years now," stated Howell with a chuckle, "Meet me at the shop in one hour."
"What?" asked Chris, taken aback.
"I've been waiting long enough," he said grimly, "We'll end this tonight."