Disclaimer: As before, though if I were to become rich and buy out Aoki and Ayamine…
Authors Notes/ Review Responses: At bottom.
Note: Italics mean thought.
Dominus Grim
Chapter Three: The Crash
It had started, the outside world was calm for now, but on another entirely different level, a different plane all together, the intrusion had begun.
"Hmm, did you say something Maguruma?" Himiko asked. Maguruma, who up until that point had been focused on the road ahead of him, turned to his partner with an awkward glance.
"What? No, I didn't say anything." Himiko quirked an eyebrow and then looked at their third partner for his input.
"Did you say something Akabane?" the Jackal, still holding the book, responded.
"I think you are mistaken Miss Himiko, I have said nothing nor heard nothing in at least the past twenty minutes." Himiko looked at the Jackal and then turned back, going against commen consensus to actually believe him. The Jackal was many things, but he was not prone to losing focus by way of day dreams.
"Must be a little tired I suppose, I could have sworn someone said something." Jackal heard this statement and just as he did a sick sense of familiarity overcame him. Blinking once, he shook it off and instead laid his head against the metal frame of the trucks interior.
"Maybe you're having a few too many sleepless nights. Can't be good for you, you're like what, fifteen?" Maguruma asked out what was most likely professional concern.
"Sixteen, Mr. No Brake, Sixteen. I'll be seventeen soon enough." The girl, woman, called Lady Poison replied with, either intentional or not, a far off look in her eyes. The reclining Akabane regarded the pensive Himiko with a single eye, though he had worked with her and Maguruma for awhile he suddenly realized with a smile that he knew little more than the base about each of them. However, the knowledge that they in turn knew even less than base about him caused a slight unintentional increase in his own smile.
A few minutes went by, and oddly enough the traffic on the expressway began to thin out rapidly. Rising from his seat, Akabane made his way over to the front and looked out through the window.
"Maguruma, why pray tell are we on a country road?" Akabane asked, curious of the natural and purely unindustrialized surrounding the trio was currently a part of. The truck, past a few minutes ago had abandoned the freeway for a dirt path that practically doubled for foot traffic. As if recovering on an instant, Maguruma took his foot off the accelerator and lightly tapped his brake, bringing the truck to an oddly quick eventual stop.
"Shit, I don't…I don't know." The usually unshakable driver said apparently both to himself and to his passengers. Himiko not being one to miss the details found their more or less chauffeur dripping with perspiration.
"Are you alright Maguruma?" Himiko asked this time out of a genuine concern for her partner. Said driver wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve and nodded a few times, either out of answering a question or more likely out of confusion. Once more, Jackal was overcome with the feeling of previous event, long converted to memory…
"Quite interesting."
"Yes, thought implantation. It's so simple in theory yet when actually applied in practice…"
"…It can bend a mind to its' absolute brink, and if a little more pressure is applied without any physical distraction-"
"Perhaps we should get out and see where we are." Akabane stated with less than a leg still actually left in the truck.
"Akabane?" Himiko looked on, noticing that he had taken the book with him.
"Yeah, good advice." Maguruma practically stuttered following the Jackal out. Himiko stopped herself from asking a question; rather she then opted to follow her partners out into the grassy field.
The three transporters definitely all stood out in the natural tranquility of the field, more so however if one actually knew what each represented. Akabane the Jackal, the Dr. Jackal to be more precise kept a hand on the brim of his precious hat as he gazed at their surroundings, noticing nothing really but a single tree.
The Lady Poison could only herself watch the Jackal and the slowly recovering Maguruma. Looking from one to the other in slow succession, Himiko then took out one of her perfume vials and spilled its contents.
"There are better ways to recycle my dear." Akabane asked, slowly turning to face her with a smile on his face. Himiko smiled herself.
"It's tracking scent my dear Jackal, just in case." Akabane nodded in the affirmative, his smile proof of the respect he held for thinking like that. Looking to his left the Jackal assessed the recovering driver.
"Feeling well enough to not stop a truck, Mr. No Brake?" Maguruma smirked bitterly, the effect of his infamous nickname having full force. Taking a deep breath that quickly became a sigh he faced the Jackal.
"Yeah I'm fine. I just thought, no, I should say I knew I was going the right way."
"And yet Kyoto is about three hundred miles in the opposite direction we had been going in, right?" Maguruma nodded, his eyes widening a bit. Himiko too was under a little surprise as the Jackal once again showed off his great deal of knowledge.
"I see. Then that would mean-"Akabane ran his index finger down the spine of the Dominus Grim and along its closed pages as well. In a flash the book was off his hands and into the flow of the breeze along with the rest of the dust. Raising the brim of his hat with the scalpels of his right hand, Dr. Jackal looked off. Off in all senses of the word.
Though Himiko and Maguruma were both professionals and while they both knew that Akabane was practically the zenith of professionalism, neither of these facts did much to stop their eyes from bulging to out of their skulls.
"What the hell!? Jackal, what's the matter with you!?" Maguruma yelled.
"Akabane, I realize the money isn't important to you, but this is just insanity!" Himiko chimed in. The target of their shared wrath turned once more to face them.
"Hmm, did I do something not to your liking?" Akabane smiled again with full knowledge that he was tempting the two too far. In fact he swore he could have heard a vial being popped open. Taking a few moments for the two to calm down so he could explain, the Jackals trademark smile decreased. First into passiveness, then down a little into indifference, and finally resting in the "grave" position. "That book was a fake."
"A…fake?" Himiko stated, not understanding just how such a standard job could have already crossed over into Get Backers level oddity.
"Yes, a counterfeit Dominus Grim. The switch was most likely made sometime when we were on the road." Maguruma looked over at the truck and then back.
"How? We were driving the whole time, and no one dangerous even came near the truck."
"We were just led to think that there were no threats. Probably from the time we disconnected with the Get Backers until just…about…now." Jackal said this with no doubt in his voice regardless of the ridiculousness of the statement.
"Jackal what do you mean? You're not making any sense." Himiko said chancing a few steps closer to him. Jackal looked down at the shorter woman and made slight head motions left and right, akin to very slight nodding with his smile. Himiko extended her hand slightly towards the Jackals shoulder, then stopped, considering for a moment before-
"Maguruma, I know where the book is. Not too far, lets go." The Jackal began the trek back to the truck until he was delayed.
"Jackal, please explain to us what happened, I mean…something is wrong here, even you're a little off." Himiko stated crossing her arms with a questioning expression adorning her features.
"It's simple Miss Himiko; some little devils just like me have taken our parcel." Akabane said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Waiting for a response from the quietly surprised woman, the Jackal, finding none, craned his eyes towards the unstoppable Mr. No Brake. "Maguruma, the truck is ready no? I know where the book is, drive us where I tell you and then circle the standard express way routes until you see me outside the designated area." So quickly did Akabane reappear in the truck while stating this order it was nigh impossible to tell if he was even outside the truck when he finished it. Maguruma trusting the Jackal as much as any professional would, did as he was told and got into the drivers seat with the blinkingly confused Himiko close in tow.
Already when they had entered the truck the Jackal was exercising his precisely tuned fingers with a device uncharacteristic of him: a pen. Similar to a human copier the man in long black churned out the exact destination they had to be, relative of course to their current location. Placing the paper down with a controlled force on the dashboard, the good doctor then retired to his usual spot in the back of the truck.
"This is Kobe, Akabane." Himiko stated, a tad frustrated at being led around without a single clue as to why. The Jackal looked over at Himiko with one open eye and stated, this time with no smile apparent something that would end any debate.
"I know." The look even with just one eye showing along with the cold inflection of his voice was enough to chill Himikos blood a few degrees. Sitting back down, Himiko did something out of tune for her personality.
"S-sorry…Akabane." She said her eyes downcast. Maguruma meanwhile ignored their exchange as he did all their others. Rather, he focused on driving to the destination given to him.
With one partner in confusion and slight regret, along with another in complete focus on getting to their destination; this left Kuroudo Akabane in thought about the events.
"It's bait, such obvious bait. Then again I suppose Luther was never known for subtlety…they want me, or maybe they're making fun?" With this thought Akabane smiled again, though it was a smile out of place and maybe even out of time here.
"Miss Himiko?" Akabane spoke bringing said girl out of her own thoughts.
"Yes Dr. Jackal?" she asked, forcing down the fear in her throat with the iron coldness of a professional.
"If you don't mind I'm going to have to ask you for your assistance in getting the book back." Himiko nodded once expressionless, though her mind on the other hand was buzzing with questions. All of said questions circled around the Jackals odd behavior and how again oddly enough for him how he was acting normal…for Kuroudo Akabane anyway.
0000000000
"This it Jackal?" Maguruma asked, pulling the truck on the outskirts of a populated city, towards what looked like a giant tourist trap/exhibit of some kind.
"Yes, this is it, keep driving as I said. This shouldn't take that long." As was his nature: the Jackal, slowly almost daintily made his way out of the truck. Of course this belayed his true physical nature. Himiko stepped out slowly behind, and couldn't help but rub her bare arms from the chill breeze. Maguruma, waiting for the go ahead saw this and felt slightly odd.
"No breeze." He thought. Seeing the nod from Akabane, he snapped himself out of it and drove off, casting a less than professional look of concern to his two partners. Time in all of its rudeness, continued to pass and Himiko kept feeling the chill, though oddly enough it had ceased being a physical chill. Rather it was now like her mind was cold, or more precisely being touched, prodded and probed by icy cold fingers.
"Well now Miss Poison, shall we venture a look inside?" Himikos' breath nearly caught
"Damn, was I really that out of it? What's going on with me is it…this place?" Lady Poison queried in her mind with some effort, like the thought itself was being put through a screen. Finding that Akabane had already begun walking towards the door, Himiko hustled to catch up. About to venture a question as to just what was going on, Himiko was cut off by the good doctor taking out one of his scalpels along with one of his gloves. With morbid curiosity the young girl watched as The Jackal cut a small eclipse on his ring finger and dotted the doorway with his blood. Waiting for something to happen, and when nothing did, the Jackal pushed the decorated stone door open.
"Jackal?" Himiko asked. Akabane turned to his smaller companion with his grave look, which quickly turned to a smile.
"Theatrics my dear, had to break out of that little stupor you were in." again, Himikos breath caught. The Jackal continued, "I need you at your best my Lady, truth be told." He said walking with her a few steps behind into the lightless dank interior.
"Thank you…for putting that much faith in me Akabane. But, what is this place…is it…to you…?" seeing and hearing her trail off, Akabane looked to her, though with his eyes oddly "open".
"Mugenjou was Gin-Kuns' cradle, yes?" Himiko nodded. "Well, this place was sort of like some late schooling for me." With a smile and turn, Kuroudo Akabane grasped the brim of his hat and walked into the darkness. Himiko having long assumed she would never learn anything of the Jackals past was flabbergasted. Looking behind her a moment, she then followed.
Somewhere, a chain was being dragged.
To Be Continued
Authors Notes/Reviews Response: Took a while to get that one out! Hope you enjoyed it, and don't worry some good old dark angst action is on the way. Now to the reviews:
Sylerna: Once again, thank you for the review and I hope you enjoyed this one. Also, some aspirin for that Maguruma head ache would do some good…never mind, I'm tired, forgive me.
Rabid Lola: Well Jackals not really averse to death huh? I'd say the Grim Reaper kind of complements his image. As for what Ban said, well, the clues are there, I'll tell you next chapter if you want. For a hint I'll just say it involves teams. To the grammar and punctuation mistakes never my strong point. But I will try to improve as I go on so my stuff is at least legible, kind of anyway. For the Judas thing, its seemed kind of right to fit him into a Get Backers story somewhere, I mean its been done once already.
Atropos' Knife: Happy New Year to you to! And everyone else who read this or reviewed. Again, I apologize for my less than stellar grammar and punctuation, and I intend to take your advice to the best of my brains capability. Wish me luck!
Tysoyo Kalli: Thanks for reading and it really matters to hear that my words are fun to read. Funny thing, Akabane is pretty easy to write; maybe because I'm a guy my Himiko is a bit off. Note that I will try to improve that in the future, also bare in mind though Ban could make anyone, let alone Himiko a little pissy. On the last thing, your question regarding the action or lack of, trust me, some dark "stuff" is about to happen.
Well, that's all for now, see you all when I see you!