Chapter 14: The Master of Irrevocable (Part 3)

"Now now, no need to go glaring at me like that, Charles."

The Vampire did no such thing, continuing his attempt at drilling a hole through Harris' brain through sheer force of his stare alone, expression carrying with it no shortage of irritation and annoyance.

"Is being quiet a completely foreign concept to you? Or are you that loud on purpose?"

Grinning like a satisfied lion the shapeshifter pulled Merlin and Robin into his side, hands gently caressing their navels as he innocently replied, "Don't worry, once you get older you'll find an entirely newfound appreciation for the kind of nightly fun we get up to."

"I know precisely what it is you're doing and simply want you to not make it sound like you're making it your life's goal to be as loud as humanly possible! Can't you fuck quietly or something!?"

Giving the utterly and completely lying features of Merlin a pointed look as the Magus hummed contentedly to herself Harris wryly commented, "Don't tell me, let me guess. Silencing wards didn't last long, did they? Or should I bother asking if they were even put up to begin with?"

"Oh I wouldn't know anything about that, after all I'm just so forgetful sometimes~!"

Both Robin and Harris rolled their eyes at the Magus of Flower's dry wit, Charles huffing out a breath in irritation as he returned to keeping a close eye on their breakfast of simmering oats and other grains that passed for a mixture of oatmeal and porridge, dried fruits and such also thrown into the nourishment.

"So your recently developed interest in our constant and wonderful sex life aside-"

That particular comment earned a sharp glare from the blood-sucking youth.

"What's everybody's opinion on our two kitty-cat stalkers? I mean we should probably get them to take part in a conversation sooner or later, otherwise we're going to have to rely on simply walking up to the capital and hoping we get let in, something I'm not in any hurry to try. A little bit of early warning never hurt anyone."

Robin tapped her lip with a finger - still wearing a contented smile from last night's activities - as she mused, "The only risk that comes from such a decision is that openly announcing we're aware of their presence might give them the wrong impression, otherwise I can't think of many reasons not to become acquainted with the locals. Our current goal is to have our arrival be known and accepted, holding off on introductions is fairly counterproductive to that."

Merlin gracefully nodded, adding, "We have little to fear when it comes to a potential battle, I see no particular reason to keep playing coy on such matters."

Gaze landing on Charles the Vampire eventually shrugged, stating, "We have the comb Akito gave us, that should count as a way in, right? If nothing else it should keep us from being reported or executed on the spot."

Closing his eyes and considering the various responses Harris eventually shrugged, indifferently commenting, "Well, no arguments here. Let's go ahead and get ourselves acquainted with the locals and see if we can earn a free pass to the target of this latest sojourn across the globe. They still in the treeline over there?"

Both Robin and Merlin nodded, the shapeshifter turning to the distant location before cupping his hands over his mouth, shouting, "Hey, Yokai! If you're interested we've got a meal we can share with you! Also we have a message for a Kitsune named Akito!"

Pleased with the directness of his message Charles merely released a long, suffering sigh while mumbling, "Is subtlety a lost concept for you?"

"I can be plenty subtle when I want to be. Remember the time I managed to completely dupe four factions that hated each other into doing what I wanted?"

"I wouldn't call that subtle so much as completely and utterly lucky and bold to an incomprehensible degree."

"You say potato, I say potatoe."

"As much as your arguments and disagreements over the vagaries of language in lieu of just stating that you think the other person is an insane one are fascinating, I do believe your shout drew some attention our way."

Harris smiled at Robin's warning, turning to a grouchy Charles as he said, "See? Told you it would work."

The group turned their eyes towards a distant figure that slinked out of the treeline, feline ears and a pair of cat tails swaying behind them as simple armor but full-body covering of cloth kept any additional details extremely well hidden, only flowing brown hair and sharp yellow eyes on display.

A minute passed as the Yokai approached, his partner remaining behind in the treeline as he came to a cautious stop a fair number of paces away from where they were seated, Harris cheerfully gesturing to the simmering pot of mildly tasty gruel as he stated, "Thanks for joining us. While it's not exactly the breakfast of champions it is filling, so there's that to consider."

The Nekomata didn't respond to the shapeshifter's comments, merely letting his gaze flicker between their various forms as a soft but firm voice inquired, "Why are you here, in these lands? We have watched and ascertained that your actions are not that of villainy or ill-import."

The man's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Although seeing as how you were aware of us it is not outside the realm of possibility that you were merely aiming to deceive and misdirect."

Merlin pleasantly smiled, chirping, "Oh, quite the cautious ones, aren't you~? Well there's certainly nothing wrong with being a bit on the careful side, I suppose."

Harris didn't openly comment, instead reaching into his travel pouch and taking out the ornamental comb that Akito had given to them so long ago, tossing it to the ninja-esque Yokai who deftly caught it out of the sky, examining the object with keen attention-

-and stiffened after just a few seconds of examination, offering a short bow to the seated group while stating, "Our apologies, we were not aware that the honored guests who aided the Crown Prince all those years ago had arrived in our lands. No offense was meant."

The quartet gave each other surprised looks, Harris blandly asking, "By Crown Prince you mean Akito, right?"

"Who else would have gone by that title?"

The confused Yokai blinked, realization dawning upon him.

"You were not aware that Prince Akito was who he is? And rescued him regardless?"

The shapeshifter shrugged, bluntly replying, "Hey, I just thought he and Charles here were cute kids in a rough situation, I didn't know anything about him being royalty. Although I'm not complaining, that honestly makes our journey and introduction to the capital that much easier, doesn't it?"

"In one sense it does, yes. Although many will be curious as to your motivations in carrying out such actions when there was no admitted recognition of the prince's identity."

Robin adopted a wryly amused look, commenting, "And no doubt there will be much wariness and suspicion since the idea of someone doing a good deed simply for the sake of the deed itself is a rather foreign one, isn't it?"

"...You speak the truth."

Yet again unconcerned with the Yokai's slight reticence Harris lazily waved a hand as if to dismiss their words, explaining, "Well I'd be lying if I said I was being completely altruistic."

A smug grin adorned the man's features.

"Wiping out Gastofield and making Beelzebub out to be a fool was cathartic to a very entertaining degree."

The Nekomata didn't make any visible or audible response to that statement and instead commented, "All the same, many among the court will be eager to hear your recounting of events, as well as the motivations behind them."

"Understandable. I take it we're cleared to visit the capital without fear of finding ourselves on the wrong end of a line of spears, then?"

"Yes. Word will be sent to those that patrol these lands and the Crown Prince will be informed of your approach. Follow this road and Nagaoka-kyō will welcome you without undo conflict."

Nodding in understanding as he accepted the ornamental comb from the Yokai Harris languidly asked, "And will Amoghasiddhi be receiving the same warm welcome as we are?"

What cautious amicability there had been vanished like so much dust in a strong gale, the Nekomata inflectionlessly stating, "We are not at liberty to say. Follow this road and you will arrive in good time. Do not dally overmuch."

"Roger that, we'll do as you say."

"But only if you let me pet your ears."

Fighting back the urge to utter that last bit - because god DAMN did those twitching ears look fluffy - the Nekomata merely nodded, returning to his distant partner before they no doubt pretended to leave, instead observing them from father away.

It never hurt to be too careful, after all.

"So it sounds like there's some trouble happening between the two factions. And of course you want to go where there's trouble."

Harris chuckled at Charle's wry words, teasing, "You're not fooling anyone, you're just as excited to see how Akito has been doing after all this while, kiddo."

"Guh?!"

Pointed ears twitching in dismay the shapeshifter took no shortage of petty pleasure in shutting down any early onsets of sass-

"Oh my, taking pleasure in a young one's dressing down? Master, I thought better of you."

-and instead brought on a whole new deluge of verbal sniping courtesy of Merlin and a grinning Robin, the male settling himself in for an extended stay in the house of salt and vinegar.

Ah well, it's not like he wasn't having the time of his life. And the capital of current day Japan was shaping up to be quite the fun time indeed.

"This reminds me quite a bit of Chon'sin, actually. Albeit a bit smaller but the aesthetic is quite on the nose."

Staring around at Nagaoka-kyō with blatant curiosity and interest Robin made for quite the country girl visiting the big city stereotype, even if the city in question wasn't quite as mind blowing as the one Harris remembered from the future. Hell, it wasn't even as big as a medium-sized town from the 20th century. But that in and of itself was interesting to the male, seeing what changes had been wrought over the passage of centuries and what a larger population as well as massive industrialization could do to humanity's ability in enacting gargantuan construction projects.

Hell, when he stopped to think about it maybe that explained a LOT about the Supernatural's image of Humans. When one of their biggest, most important places of residency was barely larger than a few city blocks and had practically nothing larger than a two-story building to show for it - and you were kicking back in some crazy fortress of metal like Gastofield that was just rolling in magic - it wasn't too hard to imagine that your opinion of Humans would be something along the lines of 'oh, what cute little monkeys'!

But Nagaoka-kyō definitely had it's unique charm to it, a special air that the orderly rows of buildings and residences lent the location as a steady stream of people went about their business, barely giving the new arrivals - disguised and concealed as they were in simple peasant disguises - more than a second glance.

And perhaps it was just a result of his increased power and subsequent sensitivity to magic but there was a definite sense of supernatural to their surroundings. Kappa posing as turtle figurines, Nekomata as house cats. That sort of thing.

"So do we want to take in the sights or get right to our next destination? Thoughts?"

Merlin and Robin glanced Harris' way, both agreeing to his unspoken plot with a rare showing of taking his side, the Magus of Flowers tittering, "Oh, I suppose a little tour around the city wouldn't hurt. Perhaps even stop for a bite to eat? That would truly hit the spot, now wouldn't it?"

Robin nodded, adding, "And spending a night in a local inn would make for quite the interesting experience. Perhaps see if any of the local merchants have wares or trinkets we could make use of?"

They gave voice to their thoughts, proposing ideas and possibilities...all while Charles looked as if he was one second away from blowing a gasket, staring at the palace with longing as he turned to face them with clear irritation-

-and noticed the collection of smug grins and smirks sent his way, the Vampire scowling as he muttered, "Making fun of me, then? How responsible and mature."

"Only because your desire to meet with your friend is so adorable and admirable, Charles. Have you missed Akito that much?"

Merlin naturally took Robin's comment the extra mile, dramatically placing a hand against her forehead and swooning, "Ahh, such a young and fiery love! Brought together in the crucible of shared adversary and then forging a bond that transcends station and species!"

Face turning an entertaining shade of red Charles protested, "It's nothing like that! We just connected far more easily than we, well...expected to."

Mumbling that last bit in an adorable showing of true embarrassment Harris smacked Merlin on the ass in playful admonishment, stating, "Now now, let the poor boy have his moment. I can't imagine it was easy to admit his deep, throbbing desire to be reunited with an old flame from so long ago."

Charles' eye predictably twitched, Merlin cooing, "Ooh, I have indeed been a bad girl...maybe an extra spanking or two would convince me to behave better~?"

"Yeah, like that has a chance in hell of working. And we're in public right now, nothing that would cause the locals to go grabbing their torches and pitchforks."

"Oh that's no fun."

Robin chuckled at the interplay as the Vampire led them towards the distant palace without a backwards glance, clearly expecting them to follow now that the fun had come and gone.

He wasn't wrong, the trio keeping pace as they eyed the distant capital building...or rather, what they could sense was hiding within, behind and around it.

Just because the Human side of things wasn't too impressive meant that the Yokai had followed suit, Nagaoka-kyō practically reeked of concealing magics and wards that kept the more esoteric side of things under wraps so that the local Human populace was only as aware of them as they wished. It certainly had Harris wondering at just what was being squirreled away so jealously.

They made it to the front entrance in good time, a pair of guards affixing them with neutral gazes-

-and eyes glazed over as one of them dreamily pointed to an unmarked side door that looked more like it served as a servant's entrance and exit than it did grand entryway.

"Well, looks like we're being gifted the VIP treatment here, aren't we?"

"Indeed, what's next? Tea in the latrine? Perhaps a massage on a bed of nails?"

Robin huffed, commenting, "We're not being sent this way because we're strangers, this is obviously just the proper way to enter the Supernatural-oh for the goddess's sake, you two."

Harris and Merlin grinned, their faux indignation causing Robin to roll her eyes, complaining, "Honestly, the pair of you are bad for the diplomacy business."

"If only Grima was here to see his avatar fret over societal norms and basic courtesy...ah, imagine the amount of rolling in his grave."

"And imagine Arthur seeing that even after you were whisked an entire universe away you're still the unrepentant troublemaker you were back then."

The Magus of Flowers favored Harris with an affectionate hug, chirping, "Only because our dearest master desired me as such~!"

"A decision I come to regret more and more, day by day."

A sharp, playful slap to his groin had the man wincing even as an amused grin tilted his lips upwards, the unremarkable door sliding open with a simple push-

-and a rush of ambient power doused them like a warm shower, simple wood floors and modest walls shimmering and fading away to reveal the true nature of Nagaoka-kyō's capital, the seat of power of both Shinto and Yokai manifesting before their eyes.

"Wow. They're really trying to impress, now aren't they?"

And he was indeed impressed. Instead of the confined and simple hall of the city's capital building they were inside of a grand courtyard adorned with countless varieties of flowers, streams and ornate statues that were surrounded by walls of red and white construction that doubled as a palace, the slanted and sloped Eastern aesthetic clear to see on all nine of its levels as a calming night sky - at odds with the currently shining sun in the Human realm - twinkled with stars.

"Yeah. If you could do this Humans would look pretty shit by comparison."

Harris snapped himself out of his musings as the sound of heavy footsteps approached, a pair of imposing figures marching their way as Harris' mind instantly recognized them from scattered bits of history and mythology study.

Oxe-Head and Horse-Face, or Gozu and Mezu as they would be know here, serving in the Japanese mythology. Or was that a further point of contention between the Chinese and Japanese? Only time would tell.

The quartet politely waited for the loincloth-clad duo to arrive at their position - Charles nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot - as they discarded their disguises as a showing of good faith...or something like that. Subtle gestures and power plays were something Harris was intimately familiar with but long experience had left him with the mindset that trying to read too much into gestures and assumed body language was a dangerous game to play. Better to just act and listen without judgement instead of trying to piece together a hobbled puzzle from a thousand discordant pieces.

"So you are the ones the Crown Prince speaks so highly and enthusiastically of."

Oxe-Head gazed down at Harris with an inscrutable expression, voice surprisingly light and cultured for such an imposing presence.

"You're scrawnier than he made you out to be."

"Well Akito was rather tiny when I first met him, makes sense that he'd see me as being larger than I actually am. Or maybe it's just because you're freakin' massive in comparison."

Horse-Head was next to speak, his speech a great deal more imposing than his counterpart's.

"He spoke true of the eccentricity and variety of your companions, however. A Vampire, the famed Magus herself and another we do not recognize but who bears the characteristics of a Dragon?"

A quizzical tilt of the equine head.

"If such a combination has occurred throughout our long history, I certainly have not caught wind of it outside of silly tales and fabrications."

Harris merely smiled, joking, "I know, I'm lucky they keep me around."

The two Yokai didn't visibly respond to his lackadaisical words, instead motioning for them to follow as they lead the way deeper into the depths of the palace seemingly doubling as a fortress, Oxe-Head casually remarking, "So we hear that you went ahead and snubbed Beelzebub instead of doing the smart thing and running. You're still alive so obviously it-"

"You're here!"

A youthful, baritone voice that was honestly hard to find any fault whatsoever with sounded out, the sound of footwear rapidly clattering across wood and stone greeting their ears as Horse-Face huffed out a sigh that was more neigh than any kind of Human exhalation, grumbling, "Honestly, the two of them are-"

His muttered complaint was punted aside as the towering Yokai performed a swift sidestep, revealing a somewhat familiar face flanked by a pair of armed and armored Tengu.

Familiar enough, in fact, for Harris to offer up a lazy wave and broad grin, stating, "Well what the hell, kid? You sure grew up nice."

Akito bounced forward, his two guards stiffening at the familiar motion as he grabbed Harris into a tight hug, three fox tails and ears twitching excitedly as he stepped back a moment later, both males sharing a happy reunion.

Gone was the adorable little boy and in its place stood a young man on the cusp of true adulthood, appearing in his late teens and adorned in finely spun robes of red and white while golden hair spilled attractively across his shoulders.

"Good lord, Akito. Been hitting the gym and protein shakes?"

The Kistune shook his head, happily replying, "Still using those terms we don't understand, I see. But no, once I arrived back home after my capture, well…"

He humbly gestured to his third tail.

"I decided being as helpless and vulnerable as I once was a poor state of affairs to keep, so I decided to better myself. And grew up quite well in the process, if I do say so myself."

Merlin squealed and skipped forward, pinching the boy's cheeks and pulling them to and fro as the Tengu guards almost leapt into action, the pair of towering Yokai motioning for them to stay put.

"Oh you most certainly did~! Why, gone is the tiny little cutey and in its place is a blossoming hunk good enough to eat!"

"Hands off the poor boy, Merlin. We save that for behind doors."

Firmly prying off the excited woman's hands to a grateful Akito's relief he gave Robin a friendly but obviously curious look, commenting, "I don't recognize this latest companion of yours, Harris. Considering who Merlin is should I assume she's just as terrifying? And where are my manners? Akito Eiichi, it is my most humble pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The pale-haired woman responded with a picture perfect bow, stating, "The pleasure is mine and you may simply call me Robin. And I wouldn't consider myself anything special, just a simple tactician with a penchant for working with troublemakers."

Harris fondly ran a hand through her hair, teasing, "She's also part Dragon-God. Brains and brawn in one stunning package, isn't she?"

"How graceful of a descriptor, Harris."

Akito tilted his head, the accompanying Yokai seeming dubious as the Kitsune remarked, "I would laugh at your joke regarding a Dragon God, but I doubt you are."

He moved on, facial features lighting up as he finally arrived at a quiet and abruptly shy Charles, the Vampire shifting his weight in sudden awkwardness as the disparity between their appearances became quite pronounced. While he'd gotten older the Vampire still appeared to be in his young teens, head only coming up to the base of Akito's sternum as the two fast friends stared the other down-

-and the Kitsune pulled the Vampire into a twirling hug, laughing merrily as the bloodsucker turned an interesting shade of red, wheezing for air as the fox merrily stated, "It's good to see you again, Charles! You were so quiet I almost didn't notice you! Are you still sane after having to deal with all of them for so long? What were you busy with these past few years, I wasn't sure if you were even alive!"

"I-I-I'm fine, just put me down-"

The Kitsune did no such thing, continuing to embrace the Vampire for a good minute - the Tengu guards NOT looking pleased at how royalty was acting so frivolously - before setting the coughing youth down, tails lashing with happiness as he turned to Harris, asking, "So what finally brings you here, to this humble palace of ours? I'd like to think it was purely a social call but as short as our time spent together was I don't think you're the type to travel merely for one reason only."

"You'd be quite right although we did want to see how you were doing. And how you planned to handle Amoghasiddhi's visit, I imagine your moving of the capital is causing all sorts of fun beef."

Akito gave the shapeshifter a wry look, the other Yokai stiffening at his offhand comment as the Kitsune dryly said, "I would really like to know how you become aware of such incredible and relatively secret events, Harris."

The man offered an unrepentant grin, simply replying, "Magic," and leaving it at that.

"Not even sure why I asked. Well, no matter. I'm sure you'll cause all manner of trouble regardless so why not-"

"Brother, have you greeted the guests yet?"

A young, spritely voice suddenly interrupted the proceedings, a blonde and fairly tiny missile impacting Akito's midsection as he caught the projectile with clear ease of practice, another pair of Tengu guards quickly arriving on the scene as he admonished the excitable girl with, "Sister, ignoring our guests when you are so excited to meet them is a rather rude display, don't you think?"

Golden fox ears and a pair of tails twitched in confusion, equally golden eyes turning the quartet's way as Harris yet again waved with a friendly motion.

"EEP!"

Just like a startled fox the girl dressed similarly to Akito darted behind the taller Kitsune, peeking out from behind him as he sighed in resignation, stating, "Well, another round of introductions are in order. This excitable young lady is my younger sister Yasaka Eiichi, who was to be the Crown Princess while I was captured."

Harris merely stared at the adorable little fox, thinking, "Huh. Didn't see this one coming."