War Arc:
Chapter 46: The Two Beasts
? – Mountain?
"Nii-san!"
The young boy screamed. But no matter how much he searched, all around him was trees and deep forest without boundaries. He regretted his foolish decision to enter the mountain, despite their mother's warning. It was only a summer activity to find some insects in the mountain, what could possibly go wrong?
It was only temporary for him when he saw an incredibly beautiful butterfly. He wasn't sure where his brother took a leek and left him there, but the yellowish butterfly was so mesmerizingly indulging to watch that he followed it without hesitation. Only when he lost it 10 minutes later that he realized he may have entered too deep into the unknown territory.
"Nii-san?"
He called again, but this time weaker as he was completely exhausted from the walking. He didn't remember why he skipped his breakfast this morning, but now he hated himself for it. His stomach was grumbling, which forced him to look around for food.
Where that indistinguishable voice came from was out of his range of knowledge. Perhaps he was too young to perceive it, but among the sound, he heard a voice came from a singular direction. When he followed the sound for a while, he reached and saw a light in a queer and small temple, likely abandoned by the elders, which stationed beneath a huge, flourished tree.
Attracted, he approached the temple, and see that it had no place for residency. All it encompassed was stones and shaped rock. What could possibly be within here? There was a light, coming from a small hole at the center of the huge stone rock at the center of the temple, roughly shaped like an octahedron prism. The color was hard to describe, but it might be yellow, the same color as the butterfly he saw a while ago. He did have an odd imagination, but never to the extent of hearing a voice calling out for him. And yet, he obeyed the voice coming from the stone.
"Who are you?" The boy asked, but only an eerie voice answered.
"Come closer. I have much to offer, child."
Yu Narukami
Rainy – Morning – 26/11/2012(Monday) – Yasoinaba High, Inaba
(4 days before War's arrival)
Perhaps re-exploring the TV world had taken a toll on him. Somehow, in this class, Yu felt an unsettling sense of being watched by someone. He glanced at his friends in front and at the side of his seat, but all he saw was the tense expression to answer the paper.
However, when he peeked to the window, Yu could have sworn he saw some figure standing outside. His focus was locked on the suspicious silhouette and he felt as if he recognized the shape.
"Teddie? Or is it you, Tengu?" Yu whispered, but the figure merely raised his hand, allowing him to identify him as Tengu with his yellow hand. He then pointed his hand at a single direction, at the same time flagging a small banner written 'Good luck, Yuki-nee!' on it. Yu turned to Yukiko, sitting on her seat not far from him. It was then he realized that Yukiko was actually aware of Tengu's presence, seen as she tried to cover her face in embarrassment, at the same time trying to wave her hand to shove the bird away, but Tengu was persistent.
Out of the corner of the next window, he saw another figure. This time, he was sure it was Teddie, for the banner he held clearly written 'You can do it, Yosuke!'. He admired their persistence in supporting their friends under the rainy weather, but Yosuke pretending to ignore Teddie's supporting message should be more than enough to warn them that they were not wanted.
Eventually, both signboards crossed each other in between, making a rather loud clacking sound, catching the attention of some of the students near the window column seats. There was a murmur between the two figure that escalated to a loud argument. The moment he heard Teddie chanting his 'finishing move', Yu knew the fight had broken out outside.
"Who's out there?!" The teacher in charge shouted, silencing both figures outside the class. They both immediately fleet the scene, not before some of the students leaned their bodies to Yosuke and Yukiko's table and whispered if they knew the figures showing the banner.
"No idea," Yukiko and Yosuke both said in unison. Yu smiled, hating himself for thinking it was hilarious, but he returned to his paper and at the same time glanced at the clock on the wall in front of him.
It was a pure coincidence that the class directly above him was the class where a very important figure was sitting in his class nonchalantly answering the paper. The rest of the students in the class couldn't ignore him, seeing as he was grumbling about almost everything about everything on his seat. Clearly, the teacher disliked that he became a distraction to the others, but Sho wasn't stupid enough to overlook those stares.
"I'm done," Sho stomped the paper on the teacher's table, not wasting time to wait for the teacher's response. There was a loud cast of insult from the class he walked out from, but he ignored them and proceeded to make his way around the school.
Aigis
Sunny – Morning – 26/11/2012(Monday) – Kirijo's headquarter, Tatsumi Port Island
Aigis could see Mitsuru's pale expression the moment she and the rest of the team entered her office. What Akihiko said was brief, but apparently, Mitsuru urgently asked for a meeting for the Shadow Operative, except Ken who was unable to skip school.
"Can I lose my sh*t now?" Junpei said upon entering the office where Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Labrys waited, "You know what? I'm gonna lose it. Jesus, LITERALLY! HE'S ON A TV! And they called him Christ!"
"Will you shut up?! We know that!" Yukari scolded, trying to calm the mood. However, from Aigis point of view, it's clear that all of them were clueless about what to do, though Fuuka managed to break the mood.
"Guys, quiet down," Fuuka said, gesturing them to the chairs, "Please listen to what Mitsuru need to say."
"Right she does," Akihiko said, at the same time pressing his ribs in pain, "Urgh… You better give us a good reason for the urgent meeting."
Mitsuru didn't say a word. In fact, she didn't need to. Her face was pale, but there was a hint of hope in her eyes when she raised the picture. Labrys and Fuuka both smiled, waiting for them to do the same.
"We found him, the culprit behind Labrys kidnapping."
Upon those words from Mitsuru, all eyes glued to the picture, where each took their time studying the appearance of the red-haired young man.
Aigis wasn't sure why she felt it upon the images, but empathy and pity swelled in her the moment she gazed it. Almost as if there was an aspect of him that was identical to her. Inhuman? She turned to Labrys and saw that she nodded.
"Sho Minazuki…" Aigis read the name.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Labrys said, "Let's catch this guy!"
"I already did an analysis on any place where he could be," Fuuka added, but Yukari stopped her.
"Hold on. We still haven't figure out why Takaya is being hailed as a messiah," Yukari said, "Are we not going to do anything about him?"
"I did," Mitsuru answered disappointedly, "I just called the head-chief, Katsuya Suou, to send him to us. He rejected it, claiming that sending him here would affect us as well."
"But we can't just let him stay like that!" Junpei said.
"He's in jail for now, but it won't be long before we can apprehend him ourselves. Let's just leave it to the persona users in Sumaru City for now. Besides, our location happened to coincide. Fuuka, if you may."
"Oh, I don't like that look," Junpei commented, upon seeing Fuuka's expression, "As if you're going to say something really bad."
"Oh, don't tell me…" Akihiko remembered Mitsuru's word about their location being coincided.
"He's in Sumaru City. Someone filed a report of his appearance two days ago."
They turned to each other in shock.
"Guess I need to pay a visit to Suou after all," Mitsuru said.
Sunny – Afternoon – 26/11/2012(Monday) – Samegawa Flood Plain, Inaba
"Grrrr…" Teddie growled at Tengu who was walking aligned with him from the moment he exited the school. Tengu refused to take notice and continued to care-freely dangle the packet foods he brought from the cafeteria at the school. Since the school will be full in minutes for lunch break, the two mascots decided to take their leave.
Passengers were absence from the street, so none will take notice of Teddie's gawkish stares at Tengu. He almost wanted to curse, but unfortunately, he's a cute, kind, and favorite mascot of the town; as he believed himself is, unlike a certain birdie who tried to claim his place. He wondered how that bird is going to consume the food he brought with the mascot mouth he had.
"Shush! Shush! Go away! This is my food!" Tengu told him off when Teddie's face was eyeing so close.
"You disturbed my cheering session, so I'll do my best to disturb you as well!" Teddie responded.
"I came first! You disturbed my Yuki-nee's godly cheer!"
"Nu-uh, I was going to do it first, but I need the energy to fight you on our contest day!"
"Hehe! Throw all you can, but Yuki-nee's blessing will protect me," Tengu said, "I'm sure she'll love every second of me being here."
"But you don't belong here!" Teddie stopped his tracks and faced Tengu with his index finger sharp on his opponent, "You belonged to Nakat… Kuni… uh…"
"Nakatsukuni, the central land of gods. Place best for beauties like Yuki-nee!"
"O-Of course, I know that! That's why you don't belong here!" Teddie shouted. But, to his shock, Tengu responded with something he could never answer.
"You live here? Are you human among them? I thought we are the same."
Teddie couldn't flinch.
"I… I…" Teddie voiced out, but weakly, "I-I am one of them now! See, look! Tada!"
In almost opera-like style, Teddie unzipped his mascot and exposed his inner body, which he rarely did so in front of strangers. He made Tengu as his exception for this time to gain superior hand in their argument. Upon glimpsing the 'ikemen' body of the slender, blonde young man, Tengu didn't hold back the disappointing reaction.
"That is nice, but why blonde?" Tengu asked, which sparked an anger inside him.
"Because… because… people like foreigner's look!" Teddie said, "See! Hewlo, mo namu issu Teddy! I um p-pepol herr! (Hello, my name is Teddie! I am people here!)"
Tengu stared at him with a blank look, which seemed to humiliate him, although he didn't intend to.
"I'm not surprised. It's okay even if you have no human face," Tengu smile, albeit queerly that Teddie could mistake it as mockery, "I can tell. You're a shadow, but you don't know where you're from; while me, I know what I am, not just a shadow! Now, I'm a friend of the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu-sama, Yuki-nee."
Seeing the bird smiled, something went haywire into Teddie.
"At least I have a face under the mascot! I bet you have 'nobody' inside you! Open it, let me see!"
Teddie, in annoyance, jumped on the bird mascot, much to Tengu's shock.
"Fear the power of Inaba's macho mascot!"
Teddie's force sent both of them tumbling down the curved grassy land, where they wrestled with each other for some time as Teddie tried to remove Tengu's costume. Nobody was nearby to stop Teddie's enraged mode. Luckily, the zip on Tengu's mascot was tremendously tight and locked on the end with a small padlock that hidden under his fur-liked neck rest.
Their struggle eventually paused by the sound of footsteps coming from nearby. They turned to the sound and see a man in his 30s watching them. It seemed Tengu immediately recognized him as Ame Hitoshi, the older of the Hitoshi brothers that came yesterday.
But the expression on his face was indescribable. His eyes were focused, they were sure, at Teddie's human form. That moment, Ame made a word that almost made him looked possessed.
"Yamada?"
Teddie and Tengu turned to each other in confusion. Ame, paralyzed to walk at first, broke into a small run across the grassy curve of the floodplain, where he nearly leaped and reached his arms for Teddie.
"Yamada, it is really you?" Ame grabbed Teddie by the shoulder and hugged, much to Teddie's shock. Even Teddie couldn't comprehend the sudden situation. Tengu merely watched from the sideline, refused to disturb the mood of the excited stranger.
"Sorry, sir, but wrong person!" Teddie corrected him, trying to push him away but couldn't as the one-eyed man continued to hug him, despite the gentle hug.
…
What is going on?
Yu Narukami
Sunny – Afterschool – Yasoinaba High
"I am so going to pull that guy's ear when I find him!" Yosuke complained as the team exited the class, "Why would he bring that thing to school? We're not doing sport to have a cheerleader like that!"
"I can't believe Tengu did that too," Yukiko agreed, palming her face hard as the group reached the stairs, where Rise, Kanji, and Naoto stood waiting, rushing to tell something.
"Guys, you're not going to believe this," Rise began, "But we saw Teddie and Tengu along the hallway on the second floor!"
"Seems like they went to every classroom searching for you guys. Surprised us when they came to our class one by one," Kanji said.
Yukiko and Yosuke nearly pulled their hair in embarrassment, knowing that the two mascots went to almost every floor to search for them. Even though Teddie had visited their class before, the exam session forced some of the students into a different class, which forced them to search each classroom.
"That is one thing, but I found out I've got a message from Kirijo, which was when I shut off my phone. This is her message," Naoto typed something on her phone before showing it to the team.
"We found the man responsible for Labrys' kidnapping. Hope that makes you relieve, even just a little."
"That's some good news," Chie said before yawning, "Meh, I'm tired."
"Sure do, but I can't shut my eyes with all these plants swarming the town," Yosuke said, "One branch literally entered my window. Sometimes there are bugs too. What about you guys?"
"I saw a lot of flower petals on the street. Not that it's ugly, but…" Rise said, purposely clung to Yu for comfort, "It's creepy, like all the trees never stop blooming despite the season, yet they all seem to die out…"
"You're right," Yukiko choose to cling on Yu's other arm upon seeing Rise's attempt, "It's like there's a force rising in this town, following the prophecy."
"Maybe they had something to do with Marie?" Chie said, trying to push Rise aside for some space for clinging, before Naoto joined the clings, disrupting Yu's momentum as he tried to walk.
"As the goddess of the town, maybe it's conveying her emotions?" Naoto gave her opinion.
"You should let go of senpai," Kanji joined the conversation after feeling uneasy to see them crowded around Yu, "He's got a lot to think of. Marie will be mad."
When he received the sharp glares from the four, he backed away before Yosuke continued.
"Seriously, I'm worried about Marie," Yosuke checked his phone for the date, "It's been two weeks. She's so close, yet we can't do anything."
It was then Yu remembered the card Umashi Hitoshi, the psychologist, lent to him yesterday. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was early for home. Nanako should already be well fed until dinner.
"Guys, I'm sorry. But I have somewhere I need to be today."
Leaving the dumbfound teammates, Yu made his way to his destination.
"What's with him?" Chie wondered, "Is there like a… event or something?"
It was at that moment when they connected their phone to the internet, that they turned to each other with a shocked expression.
Around the world, on the internet, the image of Takaya Sasaki appeared on the screen.
Sunny – Afternoon – Samegawa Flood Plain, Inaba
"No, no!" Teddie once again tried to push the man away, "Sorry, but wrong guy! I-I'm cuter than this Yamada! Help, Tengu! I'm being violated!"
"Who's the best mascot in town now?" Tengu asked, enjoyed waiting for his answer.
"…Never mind!" Teddie kept his ego, just as his face turned away from him.
Finally, Ame released him before inspecting the confused young man for a long time. Eventually, his expression changed again.
"…Forgive me," Ame backed away guiltily, "It can't be you, even though you looked so much like him."
"Right," Teddie said, reaching for his bear costume, "I'm 'Kuma'(bear), not Yama(da)!"
"…Heh," He hinted a chuckle, eventually sat on the curved grassy lane, "I apologize once again for my action. My name is Ame Hitoshi and- Oh… (turning to Tengu) you're a friend of Dojima's nephew. Coincidence meeting you here."
"Yeah! I'm a servant of the great Amaterasu-sama, after all!" Tengu proudly introduced himself. Ame merely gave him the baffled stare before he laughed, concluded that he's joking.
"Who is this Yamada?" Teddie, after noticing the situation had calmed, decided not to hide his curiosity.
The topic appeared more sensitive than he thought as he read the man's expression.
"W-What I'm saying is this Yamada must be super handsome to look like me!" Teddie took Tengu's hand and ready to run away, "Come on, Tengu! Let's not bother this nice man again!"
"Wait."
Teddie and Tengu froze in place before they could escape. Teddie turned to Tengu and miming his lips to say 'Is he angry?', while Tengu responded by shaking his head.
"Come here, I hope you won't get bored with my story," Ame invited them without showing the slight hint of anger. Teddie and Tengu turned to each other for a while before, politely, they obeyed and sat next to the man.
"You want to know who's Yamada?" Ame said, suddenly rested his hand on his blinded eye as if remembering something horrendous before he began.
"If you don't know the history about Inaba, let me tell you that this town was built on the land of coals. Miners' frequent travels to this place finally established the town it is today. To be honest, Inaba wasn't that old, but our technologies made us seemed like a ghost town, although it is relaxing to some people. It's the kind of place where you expect to go when you visit your grandparent's village. After all, it's all reeds across the border.
"My father was a miner. Digging caves was his everyday job. You may not know this, but some of the elders still mining during my generation. Then, one day, a foreigner came to Inaba, and my father fell in love almost instantly with her. She would become our mother.
"He never thought such town could give happiness until that woman chose to remain and said yes. I came first, then my brother Umashi two years later. Father's mining, mother's housekeeping; our quiet family was averagely grateful to have.
"Except that one day, my father never came home. I don't understand how he died, but they said something about getting caught in the bombing of a cave. Not many dared for another mining operation since. I was six, my mother had my second brother in her belly that time. Raised with no father, my mother had it rough…
"Upon listening to my stories, my brother Umashi frequently climbed the mountain; said he can somehow bring our father's home. Since our house was nearby the border of the forest, let's say we know almost every path in the wild. It was at that time, our remained family of three became four."
Yu Narukami
Sunny – Evening – Hitoshi's residence
"…Wow."
Yu gazed in awe at the old but cleanly kept house. The wooden house composed by only one floor, but the pots of flowers aligned outside made it appeared refreshing; the perfect place to leave the long, stressful daily work behind and enter a peaceful realm. Umashi certainly picked his home well, or was it renovated?
Reeds covered most of the yard inside, thus Yu choose to proceed cautiously and reached for the door, where a button next to the door was seen, obviously doorbell.
It took Yu quite momentarily before he pressed it. The time gap between the press of the button and the turn of the door knock was suspiciously short.
"Ah, I've been expecting you," Umashi Hitoshi welcomed him, "Come now. Your seat is set."
The interior was astonishing. Minimalist and lack of furniture certainly cleared his mind of terrible thoughts. Many framed pictures were hung, mostly old pictures of the family which obviously belonged to the psychologist. There's also curiously pictures of forest and seaside taken at a professional angle. Did psychologist travel much to take these images for his patients, or was it camera one of his hobby?
"You took a lot of pictures," Yu commented, which seemed to compliment Umashi.
"I'm glad you enjoy it as intended. My mentor, a psychologist himself and a wise man, always told me that the world itself are the best place to calm your mind and heart. After all, the world we lived in is but projectile of our mind."
He decided to remain silent instead of encrypting those deep words. Averting his attention away, Yu's eyes tracked the entirely of the pictures before, with a sense of curiosity, one picture captured his eyes.
"Is this your family?" Yu paused at the hallway, stopping Umashi at his track. Umashi searched for Yu's point of interest and was rather proud to show off the images of a family of four. There was a man, a woman, and two young boys, but toddler might fit one of them. The father was fully bearded, appeared middle age, darkened skin probably due to sunray, and massive build that dwarfed the woman sitting next to him. The woman, sitting on a wooden chair and groomed herself in a white gown, appeared foreign and smoothly light peach skin, long hair, blue eyes and beautifully mascaraed eyeliner; though the vintage quality certainly halted the true beauty of it. The younger boy, standing in front of the father, was probably Umashi, hinted by the brownish hair similar to his father. The last of the four, roughly 5, was the older of the two boys, but Yu failed to recognize him, due to him having blonde hair and blue eyes.
"That's Ame, my brother," Umashi said after reading his eyes' movement. Yu was clearly stunned to hear it, that he examined the picture a few times to confirm his words. Ame Hitoshi's first impression was not how he imagined it. The blind eye of his was not from birth? Why was his hair grey now? Was he originally blonde?
"He's not…?" Yu spoke of the difference, which Umashi seemed to understand instantly.
"Long story. I'm sure you have better things to at work, so let's not waste time on our session."
It was then, he also noticed that the woman in the images had a visibly large abdomen.
"Did you have other siblings than your older brother?"
Umashi's pace towards the session room paused. This time, the session was put on hold to answer Yu's curiosity instead as he noticed Yu's eyes focusing on the motherly figure.
"Yamada," He answered, "Yamada is his name."
Sunny – Afternoon – Samegawa Flood Plain, Inaba
"Yamada resembled our mother the most compared to us with his blonde hair and blue eyes. It was the last gift from our father's spirit to our mother. He was astonishingly stubborn, but actually very fragile and lonely. Without us by his side, no one would take care of him. No friend, no acquaintance to meet; it's like he doesn't exist.
"Eventually, he became our new 'routine'. Isolated from the rest of the town, we're the only things he got, and we make sure we kept our promise. But…"
Ame's face darkened.
"Yamada was five when it happened."
Teddie and Tengu leaned closer before he continued.
"He never returned home from the mountain that evening."
"!" Teddie found himself thrown aback by the statement.
"It was summer, bugs in the forest were too plenty to be ignored. He begged me to follow him. Umashi, my other brother, was bedridden with a sickness that time, so I had to follow. I still remembered that day so vividly. I only left him just a while. I was careless, I shouldn't leave him alone. I held this regret for as long as I can remember.
"I searched for him everywhere. The day's approaching dusk, but he was not at sight. We don't have those phones this generations had, so I can't inform anyone of the issues. The thing was, I started to feel like I've lost too, until…"
Ame suddenly paused. It was clear that he remembered something horrible.
"Alright. I'll skip the complicated part," Ame finally said, "Anyway, by some miracles, I survived the forest; It took the rescue team three days to find me. But I got injured with my left eye. How I received such injury that blind me is not something you want to hear; too gore…"
Teddie and Tengu shuddered upon those words.
"Nobody found my brother or even the remains of his. My brother wasn't well known in the town, so you can guess that nobody talked much about him to mourn his loss. But to us, to me…" Ame swallowed his saliva, "I want nothing more than to undo that moment. Especially during my time in hospital-"
Teddie and Tengu remained silent by his sides as he abruptly paused before slowly lifted himself up and dusted away the grasses on his suit. He turned to the two mascots with a smile.
"That's enough. Thank you for listening. Don't let me stop your game now."
'Game?' Teddie wondered before he remembered he and Tengu wrestled a while ago and finally understood.
He left the place, but Teddie knew, from the moment glance, that he felt an odd connection to the man. Something about him felt… familiar and disturbingly uncanny whenever that one eye of his made contact with him. As if he was watching him, from the farthest corner of his mind.
Did he really resemble that brother of his? What's his connection to him?
Meanwhile, Tengu remained quiet as he watched the man faded into the fog that began to thicken around Inaba.
Yu Narukami
Evening - Hitoshi's psychologist's residence
"He reminded me of a friend," Yu said, pointing to one of the framed pictures presented by Umashi. The man didn't doubt him but wondered greatly of the acquaintance that could remind him of a young brother of him with foreign looks. But to Yu, he almost worriedly curious about the resemblance between the two despite the huge age gap.
"Narukami, it wouldn't hurt to hurry our session? As much as I love to show you around, I'm rushing my schedule," Umashi said, tapping his finger on his watch.
"Oh, forgive me. I'll be there soon."
Yu entered a decoratively minimalist room, almost too simple and lacked the patterns needed to impress him, probably just as the room intended to avoid distracting the patient. He saw the signature white chair where he will need to lay his body for the session.
"Are you ready?" Umashi asked as they both entered the room. He remembered Marie, but the expression of joy failed to paste on her. She seemed so far out of reach. If this is the only way, so be it.
Rainy - Evening – Amagi Inn
"Did you hear about it? Everyone's been talking about that guy!"
"Dear me! Is he a messiah?"
Yukiko overheard the worker's conversation about the top figure in the media currently. Takaya Sasaki, the man responsible for the tragedy of Inaba, was at the place where no justice could touch him. There were rumors of him being behind the bar by the hands of the police force, which she found out was the Suou brothers, but there's no way he'll remain there.
Yu was out of reach, no matter how many times his phone was dialed. But she and the rest of the team wasn't concerned, for Yu sent a quick message to them about his wellbeing. Perhaps there was nothing to worry about, but a false messiah should be more than enough to alerting their sense of insecurity of their surroundings.
But there was another thing that made her curious and wary of every step taken other than topics regarding Takaya Sasaki. Tengu, ever since the bird entered the inn after waiting for her outside, couldn't stop smelling every part of the path they took. When asked, he merely said he smelled something, or someone, familiar. Though curious, Yukiko put aside the matter when she saw two workers arguing about something.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Yukiko asked.
"It's that one last-minute guest. He wanted the hot spring for himself and kick everyone's out!" The first worker said.
"Please do something, Yukiko-san! The other guests are complaining! But that young man has a venomous tongue, nobody can stand his scolds!" The second worker said.
Yukiko was reminded of a young man that arrived yesterday, where he answered Yukiko's welcoming service with a discomforting scold. Somehow, she knew it would be him causing troubles for her inn. Unbelievable, such customer registering into her inn was considered the unlucky draw among guests. Knowing that the prophecy was ongoing, this case is the last thing she needed currently.
"Go back to your work, I'll handle this," Yukiko volunteered and dismissed the workers as she made her way to the hot spring, where she will face the man and cleared this problem once and for all.
She reached the front of the changing room and saw much of the women waiting outside, seeing as it was supposed to be female's session based on the schedule. One of the women pointed towards the hot spring, where actively there was only one man occupying the place. Yukiko, after apologizing to the poor guests, prepared herself and entered.
The hot spring room was fueled with mist too thick to see through. Let's not forget the massive roots that seemly sprouted through one of the hot springs after the 'transformation' on Inaba, which seemed to drain the heat from the water and turning it lukewarm. With one of the hot spring out of service, this stranger just made it worse.
Finally, inside the pond of hot spring, one figure, fully submerged his torso into the water, rest without caring at one corner of the pond. He seemed unaware of Yukiko's approach towards him from the back until she was a foot away from his resting spot, where his arm relaxingly laid on the surface of the polished tiles.
"Excuse me, Mr… Sho Minazuki?" Yukiko tried to memorize the name that she read yesterday, "In case you didn't notice, now is female's hour. You should wait for the next two hours before you can get in."
Finally, the man turned to face her. It was then she noticed the red hair, 'X' mark on his face, and a pair of menacing blue eyes staring deep into her. But Yukiko managed to keep her composure.
"And who are you to tell me what to do?" The young man said. From his voice, she realized that he might be the same age, if not younger than her. With this information, she felt superiorly challenged.
"You may say that I'm the supervisor of this place," Yukiko answered confidently, "If you violate any rules, I have the right to kick you out."
"Don't you dare."
Feeling threatened, the man stood up and grabbed Yukiko's hand, much to her shock. He resurfaced his body while tightly gripped Yukiko's wrist. The man was disturbingly fierce in his approach, till Yukiko was momentarily paralyzed before she could regain her composure.
Until her mentality broke apart again when she realized the man was full bare without a single cloth, naked from toes to head. There was an uncountable number of scars on him, but as she followed the scar all the way down, she saw something beyond imagination.
She saw 'it', that dangling thing.
"AAAAHHH! AAAMATERASU!"
Halfway losing her mind, she accidentally landed a big boot on his face, kicking him into the water.
"AAAAHH! B*TCH, YOU- BLUGGGHHH…"
When Tengu, after overhearing Yukiko's scream, came to the scene. The bird mascot saw Yukiko was half- conscious due to falling from the recoil from breaking free from the man's grip. The man himself, which he suspected to be the main cause of the disturbing smell, was almost drowning in the hot spring.
Yu Narukami
Hitoshi's psychologist's residence
"Alright, very slowly, I want you to listen and follow the sound of the ticking clock next to you. Don't open your eyes. Just think and think of what you want to find."
Yu obeyed and empty his mind, focusing on what he needed to know.
"Is there someone you want to meet?"
"Yes," Yu answered.
"Then imagine that person's face and figure, then a place where you feel most comfortable to talk to her. Oh, don't forget the sound of ticking clock. Alright, now soften your footstep and imagine yourself walking into that room…
"Did you see it yet…?"
…
…
Umashi's voice somehow grew dimmer. Did it work? It's the same feeling of falling asleep without being aware of it. Yu listened to the ticking clock and somehow imagined it as a staircase, leading to somewhere.
…
He found himself lost in the dark, and beneath the abyssal sky, each step he took temporary erase his mind of his exit path. He didn't remember how he reached there or of the Hitoshi's therapy session, or even his origins. There was only a long, rocky staircase leading to somewhere on that very small hill.
Then, he saw a temple with a huge jagged rock at the center of it. Behind it, he saw a house, a classic Japanese house with candles acted as the lantern for the darkness that filled around it. He saw through the tatami walls a shadow of a feminine figure illuminated by the candles inside the house.
Yet, he felt no fear from such presence, only longing and comfort the more he approached the house. He saw the female figure move and standing up, possible detecting his presence. As he nearing the small staircase to the house, the figure reached for the tatami door and opened it.
"…Yu?"
Yu examined the face of the black kimono-wearing girl and saw that it was none other than a girl too familiar to him.
"Marie?"
Evening – Central Shopping District
Teddie took a long time to reach Yosuke's home. The face of the one-eyed man was lingering in his mind. 'Yamada'? Who is this boy that reminded that man of Teddie? Sure, it might be nothing crucial, but there was something terribly unsettling that prompted him to think of it more than he should.
After all, all that he knew of himself was a lonely shadow.
"*sigh* Poor Hitoshi-san…" He lamented before, as he locked his gaze on the ground, heard an indescribable noise from somewhere in front of him. He gazed forward to see and saw a familiar door, but he could never recall where he had seen that blue door before.
Then, from the inside of that door, a figure, probably a man, due to his height and size, exited the room. He was wearing an odd mask with a hood, but he could sense that the man was staring at him. Saw him as no one but a stranger, Teddie tried to walk away and averting his eyes.
"You still failed to remember, about what you are? No, perhaps you have nothing to remember."
Upon hearing those words, Teddie turned to the voice, but the man and the door were nowhere in sight.
Yu Narukami
Yu's Dream World
"Is it really you?" Marie said with a shocked expression but quickly dismissed her thoughts, "No, that's not possible, this is my dream. How did I sleep this deep?"
Yu immediately ascended the stairs and reached for her, which seemed to greatly startle her that she almost lost her balance.
"How did you enter my dream?! That's not possible!" Marie half screamed, "Nononono, justadream, justadream! TheresnowayYuwouldbehereforme-"
"Okay, okay. Calm down," Yu gripped her hand tightly and brought her into the house, "I actually thought I was dreaming myself, but those continuous, rambling words; that's got to be you."
"Yu…" Marie took his hands and gently pulled herself into Yu's chest. He could hear Marie's quiet weeping as she covered her face with her long hair. Yu, affirming himself that he had found Marie, tightly returned a hug to her.
"He sent me off…" Marie whispered, "He wanted me to do it, the accursed ceremony…"
"What? What ceremony?" Yu asked, still found himself unable to begin his own question.
"The wedding ceremony… I am to be a bride during Strife's arrival. I am to be his sacrifice, while Adachi as his vessel."
"W-Wedding?" Yu pushed her forward to see if she's jesting with him, but those serious eyes proved him wrong, "That's a little too much, isn't?"
"I'm sorry, I must have hurt your feeling. Trust me, I only have eyes on you."
"You don't need to be sorry, I'm not that hurt- Ouch!"
He felt his arm was pinched by her hand with her eyes glowing fiercely.
"What do you mean you're not hurt? Don't tell me you're okay with me getting married off to someone else? That is if you love me…"
"That's not what I- Ouch! Okay, Marie, you can let go now! What I mean is, why wedding ceremony?"
"I… I don't know," She responded, "I guess this is my sins, trapped in this town…"
"…Sins?" Yu replied, at the same time pulled her gently to the soft mat on the floor while he sat next to her, "You didn't do anything wrong, Marie. You did nothing sinful."
"You didn't know," She answered, "That's because you didn't know the whole story…"
"Nothing would be horrible enough to allow such fate on you. We'll save you. Just tell us how to get to you. Where are you?"
"…" Marie remained silent, almost wanting to avoid that question at all cost.
"Marie, come on," Yu shrugged her shoulders, "Tell us, what do you want to tell us, or me?"
Was it guilt in her eyes when she uttered his name?
"Yu… I'm sorry…" Marie apologized, "It's something I did not tell you, something that my 'Izanami' form has done…"
Yu sat for a while, waiting for her answer. But she then bit her lips hard, struggling even to expose the truth.
Then, his vision faded. The link, the emotion tying them had loosened. It seemed Marie sensed it too, for panic overtook her expression.
"He noticed us, the Black Horsemen! Yu, find my temple! In the mountain on the west side of the small hill! You need to find out the truth-"
Hitoshi's psychologist's residence
"AH!"
When he opened his eyes, he found himself returning to the therapist room, with Umashi guiding closely at the side and seemed startled by his sudden shriek.
"How was it? Did you meet the one you wanted to see?" Umashi asked before Yu suddenly lashed out and nearly jumped on him.
"I was so close!" Yu half-screamed, "She wanted to tell me something! Why did the link got broken?"
"Hmmm… Well, I guess that might be because she denied your approach and break the link. Maybe she doesn't want to see you?" Umashi tried to calm the frustrated Yu, which seemed to be successful but did not dismiss his disappointment.
"It's not. Someone else breaks the link. Dammit, I was so close…" Yu clenched his head, recalling the words from her.
'Marie's temple… The truth about what?'
Amagi's Inn
Yukiko woke up to find herself treated with care by Tengu by her side, which she responded with grateful smile. Her room was mostly packed with worried staffs that awaited her recovery from the incident. She remembered vaguely the incident with that rude guest. It appeared that an hour has passed since that incident, but fortunately, she didn't receive any major injuries.
"Oh, Yuki-nee! I'm so worried!" Tengu hugged her, which Yukiko embraced willingly, "Oh, I should have come sooner to stop that vile man!"
"That man…" Yukiko remembered his wild expression before lifting her body from her bed, "What happened to him?"
Tengu hesitated for a while, but eventually answered, "He's been treated in the guest room, and…"
She was shocked to hear it. Despite his rudeness, it's impossible not to sympathize with him after hearing his condition. It's a sign of abuse, or maybe torture to the point that nobody wanted to sit next to his treated body for even a second.
She saw Sho Minazuki was struggling to break free from the servant who tried to apprehend him before Yukiko decided to involve herself as she entered the guest room.
"What the hell do you want, 'mistress'?" Sho responded rudely.
"A few broken ribs, lack of blood, and lots of needles injuries on most of your body; that's not the kind of injury you get from brawl fight," Yukiko said, "Why didn't you go to the hospital?"
"Why do you care? Besides, wasn't your hot spring can 'heal' any fatigue and sickness?"
It sounded like a mockery.
"This is not a sickness! Our water can't heal everything! *sigh* You know what? I'm calling the hospital. If this case turns out too big, I might need to involve the cops-"
Somehow, it made him retaliate.
"Screw the cops! I just want my freaking rest!" Sho shoved aside his small blanket and a few bandages on his torso, "I'm the guest of this Inn, I'm the customer, so I'm the king! So leave me and my sh*t alone! Not like I want this hellhole anyway…"
Yukiko, clearly pissed, was trying to withhold herself from laying a finger on him.
"We never asked you to stay here! If you want to stay, then behave yourself and don't cause trouble to our other customers! If you hate it, I'll gladly pack your luggage and send you away!"
"…Cheh!" The man, in anger, removed himself from the bed and pushed Yukiko aside, "I'm going back to my room. You guys are freaking noisy…"
And so, he left, until seconds later, Tengu chased after her with heavy panting.
"Y-Yuki-nee," Tengu said, "That boy, he smells weird."
"Yeah, he's weird alright," Yukiko answered, "Giving him a helping hand, and he spits on them. Why does he have to be such a jerk?"
"No, no, Yuki-nee, I smell that he had the same smell…" He whispered, "…The same smell as Tsukiyomi-sama."
She widened her eyes. Many thoughts crossed her mind, baffled and surprised to know an enemy is literally sleeping so close to her. The wisest choice of action would be to inform the Investigation Team about him and discussing what to do with him.
Yet, when she saw the bandage belong to that man, there was an odd sense of sympathy towards the man.
"Tengu," Yukiko said, "Please help me watch over him."
Tengu, loyal as he is, nodded and followed the man.
Late Evening - Hitoshi's psychologist's residence
Umashi was seen packing some clothes and tools into his small briefcase in his room. His face was upmost serious, and his face appeared fierce like a beast because of the dim lighting in the room.
Suddenly, he heard the front door being opened. When he listened to the slow, creaking footsteps, however, he recognized it as his brother's.
"I'm here," Umashi said, "Watch out for the stuff on the floor."
Ame entered the room, with eyes so pale he looked worse than sickened patients. It appeared that he had just returned from a long, tiring work. Even Umashi couldn't help but surprised.
"How far did you scout this time?" Umashi said, almost pitying him.
"I was right," Ame said, "Everything in Inaba has already been enveloped by the roots of the 'forest' here. Izanami has prepared, all we need is Izanagi to complete the second half."
"And… about that boy… and Yamada…" Umashi started, remembering the news Ame brought to him on the phone earlier.
Umashi paused him when his phone was ringing. The expression on both of their face indicated that they knew the caller without answering the phone firsthand. Umashi checked his phone and answered. He turned to his brother and put it on loudspeaker mode.
"You have a lot of- One moment… *sound of bag unzipped* YOU HAVE A LOT OF NERVE IGNORING ME, YOU TWO IDIOTS!"
"You can't possibly want us so soon, Professor Juugo," Ame said, approaching Umashi's phone in case he failed to hear it.
"YOU SLY CREE- Hold on… Sorry, I had the wrong hat there," The tone of joy overtook the mood, "As you know, Messiah had already done his part of the team. But~~, Babylon had some struggle that requires your presence as soon as possible. We need more, always."
"I think you had something to say first," Umashi said.
"Hoo… I'm not sure which one. Hehe…"
"That you had to hide the fact that that 'bear' might be our brother's shadow?" Ame voiced his dissatisfaction, which surprised him that he had to change his hat over the phone.
"Oh, so you already knew?" Juugo said with the now curious manner, "But it matters a little, isn't? A villain will always be a villain. Are you two not, Beast of the Earth and Beast of the Sea, the follower of False Messiah?"
Umashi clenched his fist, watched by his calm demeanor brother.
"What do you want us to do?" Ame asked.
"One of you, go to Sumaru City as soon as possible. Shadow Operative caught wind of Sho Minazuki's trace. So, go there and 'take them out'… Eh, you know what? I don't think Ame should go. It won't be good if you're not holding back, Ame."
Umashi noticed the small smile of defeat on his brother.
"Just my luck…"
The conversation stopped there, but it's clear that there's still more question in their mind.
"Hey, we… did the right thing, right?" Umashi asked. But Ame remained silent, almost as if he's dozing off to his own little world.
"This may sound cruel, but our choice is genuine," Ame moved his hand to his chest, "After all, this is the only way for us to grant her wish…"
A/N: First of all, I sincerely apologize for the extremely late update. Just entered the adult, working world for the first time, so my spare times are greatly limited to write the new chapter, or perhaps to continue this fanfic. Don't worry, I will not abandon the story, but my update speed will be the slowest as I can be.
But let's ignore that and focus on the little background for Teddie and the mysterious Hitoshi brothers. 'Beast of the Earth' and 'Beast of the Sea' are two figures that appeared in Book of Revelation. What does the Hitoshi brother have to do with this? What is the secret behind Izanami's temple? Will Yukiko exposed Sho Minazuki's location?
Please wait for the slow update.