Hello Everyone, Reader Here! Nothing much to say here. On with the story!
There is a new poll up on my profile, vote on it if you want to see a new story!
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN MAHOUKA KOUKOU NO RETTOUSEI
Italics = Thoughts
(Japan - Miyuki) = Place and P.O.V
*BANG* = Action
Act 1: Brave New World II
(Last Chapter)
"Nice try kid, but this is the end of the line for you" he said as the rest of the gangsters pulled out their guns and took aim. For the first time that day did he experience an emotion that he hadn't had in his short life so far.
Fear.
As the gangster opened fire he closed his eyes and held his hand in the air, waiting for his end to come...
(Tatsuya - Tokyo - Afternoon)
...but instead he felt nothing. There was no feeling of bullets piercing his body or pain. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked down at his body. Confirming that he wasn't injured he looked around and saw the gangsters staring at him in shock.
"What...What the hell?!" the leader panicked as he fired the pistol again. Holding up his hand again, the bullet sped towards him, but quickly disintegrated as it came close to his body. All subsequent shots mad eby him and the other gangsters were met with a similar result.
A small grin appeared the boys face and he let out a short laugh. Not wanting to lose the advantage of surprise, he quickly reached for his own pistol and fired at the group in front of him. He put down the leader and a few others in front of him before he ran up a nearby wall to dodge a hail of bullets from behind. Jumping backwards, he aimed directly at the group and fired off the remaining bullets in the magazine. The few gangsters fell dead and wounded as he landed on his feet. The remaining gangsters, terrified by the seemingly unbeatable boy, fled the scene with a wail of terror. After a few moments of standing still, he looked down at his hands and pondered what just occurred.
He had somehow created a protective field in front of him where the bullets had disintegrated by holding up his hands.
'Very strange...' he thought.
He unloaded the magazine and put in a fresh one while he walked towards the corpse of the leader. Bending over the corpse, he reached in his pocket and grabbed the mans wallet and a small scratch of paper.
"Deal with the brat before returning to the base. When your back, we've got something we need you to do." was written in plain but neat writing.
"Maybe I should pay these guys a visit..." he said with a thoughtful look. Surely whoever hired this guy certainly had money, and currently Tatsuya was certainly in a lack of it. Hearing a noise, he looked backwards and spotted a wounded gangster attempting to crawl away from the scene. Tatsuya stood up and slowly walked up to the man and stomped heavily on his leg. This stopped the man in his tracks as he howled in pain.
"Tell me everything I want to hear. Don't, and I will kill you as slowly and painfully as possible. If you do, I'll let you live" he said passively. The man nodded slightly as he roughly breathed in and out.
"Good. Where's your gangs base of operations?" said the black haired boy.
"There... there are multiple bases and hideouts across the entire city of Tokyo. But there are three main bases, all lo...located in separate areas of the city. The first and closest to here is warehouse number 79, which located in the waterfront district, the second is an underground bar and strip club that goes by the name of Stars in the red light district. The last, and probably the largest, is a rented skyscraper in the business district known as the Fukashinji building" he said. After he digested the information, the boy hesitantly lifted his foot and took a step back.
The boy stared at the man with astonishment in his eyes. The man before him just gave him the location without putting up much a fight. Almost as if he was purposely giving him false information...
"Just to ask, you seemed pretty open to spilling the beans on your gangs secrets. If this information is invalid I'll-"
"Its all the truth" the man interrupted but flinched as the boy sent him a glare, "I planned on bailing from the group for while now. You appear to be quite capable, and I have confidence that will be able to wipe them out, which will leave no one to hunt me down"
Tatsuya stared at the man before nodding. What the man said was logical in his opinion. This gang obviously wasn't doing to well if they couldn't beat a child like himself, and they would probably be quite an easy prey.
"Well, If you'll excuse me..." the man said with a pained voice. He watched the wounded gangster limp away from him and as the figure fully retreated from his sight, he himself walked out of the bloodied alleyway and onto his first target.
(20 Minutes Later)
Walking around the streets of Tokyo was uneventful and quite boring for energetic assassin. The flow of people walking along the sidewalks remained steady, the working class people leaving their jobs to go drink their sorrows away or return home to finish off the days monotonous cycle. He attempted to look as inconspicuous as possible among the crowd of adults by removing his gun holster and hiding the pistol in his pocket.
Most kids his age would be at home studying or relaxing, not walking by themselves around the streets of Tokyo. Using his special vision, he periodically checked his general vicinity to make sure he would not run into any police. He had taken to calling the ability Third Eye.
Skyscrapers turned to warehouses at the waterfront district of Tokyo. Ships entered the harbor as self driving forklifts and cranes moved the cargo to and from the vessels. From what he read, much of the port was fully automated, allowing it to run 24 hours a day with little human interaction. This lead to to this district to being very sparsely populated with only maintenance crews or security guards, an airy silence with the sounds of moving and creaky machinery.
He wrapped his hand around the pistols grip and is finger was on the trigger, scanning each an every warehouse to determine the one that housed the gangs base.
Suddenly he heard the sounds of footsteps and took cover by a nearby crate. Readying his pistol, he peaked around the edge of the crate and scanned the area. Walking toward him were two men dressed in shabby clothing.
"Wonder what's taking that Matashi so long. Said he was just gonna go off that kid he roped into killing that CEO then return to base. Fuckin prick" said the shorter of the two in an irritated tone.
"Probably won't see him till later. More than likely he went out drinking with his goons. Boss will probably kick his ass when he gets back though" he said as they walked passed his hiding spot. He rounded the corner and stealthily approached the two from a safe distance.
"Did you hear about the boss did to the Juumonji clan?" spoke the shorter man. The taller man shook his head with a confused face.
"According to one of my sources, he and couple others robbed a transport of C.A.D's that was coming in from Takoya Industries" he said as the taller man raised a brow.
"Sounds like some deep shit. I heard that company is the premier of the C.A.D industry and development in Asia" he said.
"Yeah, and that's not even the half of it. Apparently he even snagged one of those ancient relics from the same truck" the taller man whistled loudly in response.
"Damn, those things go for one hell of a pretty penny. But I'd doubt those blockheads would let something like that to fall into our hands that easily. Hope the boss just keeps us commoners away from that big dog stuff. Got enough shit to deal with already, don't need to have the Juuomonji clan breathing down our necks as well" he said as the short man nodded in agreement.
The two stopped in front of the warehouse with the illuminated blue numbers '#73', along with multiple warning signs and security cameras.
"Bingo" whispered the dark haired boy.
The short man walked up to he keypad and swiped a card and typed in a set of numbers. After a few seconds, a small peephole opened for just a moment before being shut. The large metal doors slowly creaked open and a man armed with an assault rifle appeared.
"Evening gents. Any of y'all hear back from that rat Matashi yet?" spoke the man as the door slowly opened fully. The two men shook their heads and he just sighed in response.
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
Tatsuya fired three shots at the man with the rifle, all of them hitting his chest as blood splattered across the wall nearby and he fell to the floor. Before the two men could respond, Tatsuya pressed his pistol against the tall mans back and a knife at the short mans. They raised their hands and surrender as he could visibly see the short man shaking in fear.
"What...What do you ...?! Look, I'll give you anything, just don't kill me!" the short man said with tears in his eyes. The taller man seemed more calm and composed as he remained silent.
"I've overheard you two talking about some sort of artifact. Where is it?" he spoke in authoritative voice.
"Lo-Look, I don't know about where the boss puts his shit-" he paused when the boy pressed the guns barrel against his back with a stronger force,"B-But I know someone who does! Lieutenant Arato knows where it is!"
"What does he look like?"
"He has brown hair and blue eyes, and wears a white coat with a small bear pin on it. He should be in his office at the moment!" he said frantically. The boy processed the information for a moment before he twisted the gun around smashed the handle of the gun against their heads, knocking the two men out cold.
"Yo, Nakahara! What the hell was tha-" spoke a random gangster as he entered the scene. Tatsuya quickly reacted and opened fire, the mans body collapsed onto the ground before he even realized that he was dead. He walked over the bodies, the crimson blood splashing across his shoes and and lower pants. He reloaded the magazine in his pistol and proceeded to advance into the warehouse.
The building seemed to very modernized and surprisingly clean for a gang hideout. The only thing that symbolized a large flag that was strung up loosely on the wall. Approaching a door at the end of the hallway, he readied his gun and pressed the button that opened the door.
Walking inside, sets of gazes instantly went towards his direction and the gangsters quickly readied themselves for combat. On a nearby catwalk one opened fired with a sub machine gun, while others on the ground and on the various crates opened fired with pistols. He dodged the hail of bullets and took cover behind a crate himself. Waiting for a break in the shooting, he activated Third Eye and counted how many enemies were in his vicinity.
He counted 7 enemies in front of him, 1 on the catwalk and 10 that were quickly approaching from another room. His sight was drawn to the overseers office, where he spotted a man on the phone who had a pistol like object in his hand.
"That man must be that lieutenant Arato that guy was talking about...but what is this sensation I'm getting from this him?" he thought as he felt a strange power-like feeling from the mans aura, something that didn't feel correct and something he certainly hasn't felt from those he had sensed before.
"I'll need to be careful around that guy... but first..." he spoke aloud as his mind returned to the situation at hand. He took a deep breath and vaulted out of cover to begin his counter-attack.
Tatsuyas first shot went straight between the first mans eyes, then he aimed to the left and fired a few more shots and another gangster fell dead. He bolted to a nearby pillar to avoid another barrage of gunfire. The bullets ripped the sides of his pants and shirt sleeves and ricocheted all around him.
He peered leftward of the pillar and fired multiple shots at the man on the catwalk. The bullets hit their mark as the man groaned in pain and fell backwards over the rail. His body hit the ground with a loud thud as Tatsuya reloaded his pistol.
He heard the sounds of a door opening and the shuffling of feet entering the room. Glancing sideways at the incoming attackers, he noticed a man armed with a grenade launcher.
"Oh sh-" he paused mid-sentence to dodge the incoming grenade. The grenade exploded on impact and the pillar collapsed, bringing down the entire catwalk, which collapsed onto he gangsters below, crushing them to death.
Dust and debris covered the entire room in a hazy mist. Using Third Eye, he determined where the remaining criminals were, and picked them off one by one until none remained. Navigating his way through the debris, he found the door that the gangsters entered from. He pressed the touch pad and the door quickly opened and he entered.
"So you must be that little shit Matashi was talking about. You're pretty good, for a little twat like yourself. But I'm gonna have to end this little charade right here" a lone man said in a condescending tone as he entered into view. Standing on the railing in front of the office, the man he assumed was Lieutenant Arato stood arrogantly with a gun-shaped object in his hand. Tatsuya looked at him with a stern and somewhat blank expression.
Before Tatsuya could respond, the man pulled the trigger and time seemed to slow down while a series of letters and numbers flashed across his eyes in an instant. Before Tatsuya could process this, however, the man seemingly teleported in front of him and he was forced to dodge a fist that nearly collided with his face. He pulled out his knife and attempted to attack, but the man pulled the trigger again and another set of numbers flashed across his eyes and he was sent flying backwards by a large gust of wind.
He pulled out his pistol and fired of a few rounds at the magician. The man dodged to the left and pulled out his own pistol and retaliated. One bullet pieced the young assassins arm while the others whizzed past him. He yelped as blood began pouring from the wound and an excruciating pain was instilled in him. He rushed to a nearby concrete pillar and took cover. Reloading his gun, he rounded the corner and began shooting at the man again. He ducked as a blast of wind went straight at him, tearing his shirt before it exploded as it smashed into the pillar. A large slash went across Tatsuya's chest and he was forced to he ground by the power of the attack as bits of concrete and dust covered him.
Forcing himself up, the man again teleported in front of him and he had to dodge another punch, his bullet wound inflamed and he fell in pain. The man kicked away Tatsuya's gun and punched him straight in the face. His vision began to fade as more and more blood spilled from his wounds. He heard the sounds of the man speaking but the words were slurred and he couldn't hear them fully.
"Combat capabilities below acceptable levels...initiating regrowth..." he heard in his mind. His body felt like a feather and his vision was reduced to a flashing set of number and letters like what he had witnessed before. After a few moments a tremendous amount of pain washed over him like a violent wave crashing onto the shore. The glow around him faded and everything returned to normal. Looking at his shoulder, he was astonished to see that not only the wounds on his body were healed, but also the spots where the bullet and slash wound had cut his shirt were restored as well. It was as if nothing had happened.
The once triumphant man appeared to be as stunned as he was. The boy shook himself out of shock and raised his hand to grab the grey colored pistol. The two struggled a bit, pulling and pushing eachother to try and gain control the weapon, until Tatsuya reached down and pulled his knife from his pocket and stabbed the man in the gut. The man grunted and his grip on the gun wavered, the raven haired boy took the initiative and ripped the pistol out of the mans hand while he aimed it directly at him before he squeezed the trigger.
Instead of a bullet, a bright blue flash came out the end of the guns barrel. In a flash, the man disappeared, only to replaced by a small blue flame and a swirling amount of dust and wind. Looking around the room he could spot no living persons. He used Third Eye to scout out the area to insure that there were indeed no living souls other than himself. After confirming that no one remained, he let out a loud sigh and and looked over the 'gun'. On its side was the label, "Takoya Industries: C.A.D Model #3" in large writing.
"So this must be one of those C.A.D's that guy was talking about earlier..." he said aloud. Placing the gun-like object in his pocket, he walked over to the managers office and entered. Inside was a simple set up, a desk with stacks of tablets, books and various office supplies with a few paintings on the wall, a small couch and a large metal safe in the corner of the room.
He pondered over the events that had just transpired as he searched. In the few seconds, he was able to to essentially delete a person from existence. At least, that what he assumed as represented by the pile of ash that laid where the man once stood. That would mean that he was also a magician as well, though as to the ability, could recall no recollection as to what is was or its nature.
He remembered from the alleyway, where he was able to block the incoming bullet from hitting him by placing his hand in front of him. He wondered if that same ability was the one he had just used now were one and the same. A word seemingly popped int his head as he pondered over the subject.
"Decomposition..." a womans voice said in a hushed voice.
At that moment, a mind numbing pain rapidly spread through his mind as the image of a blurred out women with jet black hair and a sinister smile flashed through his mind. He supported himself by grabbing the nearby desk with one hand while the other was held against his head.
"Ugh..." he winced as the pain slowly faded away and he regained control over himself.
Who was that women? From his past life perhaps? Maybe the one who dropped him in that deserted alley? Whoever she was, he needed to focus on gaining as much intel and resources from this place as he could before more would show up. Walking up to the safe, he wanted to try and use the ability he had used on the lieutenant before.
He pulled the C.A.D from his pocket and aimed it at the safe while he concentrated. The boy squeezed the trigger and a flash of blue light engulfed his sight while the safes door vanished in a puff of smoke. Reaching inside, he rummaged around the safes interior until his hand grabbed a rod-shaped object. Tatsuya pulled it out and examined the strange object in his hand.
Like it felt, it was in the shape of a rod and had spiraling grooves down its side, and a light blue light emanated from them. Feeling the similar strange sensation from before, he activated Third Eye and what he saw surprised him. A light blue aura surrounded the object, similar to what he saw with the magician from earlier.
"Interesting... I'll have to examine it later..." he thought as he mindlessly stuffed it into his pocket and resumed to scavenging from the safe. Other than a few blocks of cash and a fancy watch, there was nothing being out of the ordinary. He gathered everything he needed and exited from the decrepit building.
(2 Hours Later - Unknown P.O.V)
A man with a small frame stood staring out a large window that overlooked almost the entire business district of Tokyo. He had jadded green eyes and had graying white hair, alongside having many wrinkles on his face and dressed in a luxurious suit. The graying man looked with boredom at the sunset when a loud beeping noise caught his attention.
He leaned over his desk and pressed the touch that was installed within.
"Hello? Yes it's me..." he said with an agitated tone, "I thought I told not to...wait...WHAT?! What do you mean the warehouse was attacked...? Everyone's dead!? You can't find Arato?! Shit...looks like the Juuomonji clan might be on our scent...this isn't good...", he said as a visible sweat went down his face. He wiped it off with his sleeve as he tried to regain his composure. He took a deep breath and exhaled before he continued to speak.
"Ok just... just get out of there before the police arrive. Don't want to throw ourselves further down the rabbit hole than we already are, yes?" he said as he sighed loudly, "Return to the tower as soon as you can and make sure no one follows you here?
There was a quiet 'Yes sir' on the other end of the line and the connection was cut. The man stood in place for a minute before he sat down and pulled out his data pad.
"This is going to be one long fucking night..." he irritably whispered in a hushed tone filled laced with fury before he began typing away at a furious speed.
(Streets of Tokyo - Tatsuya)
Tatsuya kept his head down as he wandered the now empty streets of the night time capitol of Japan. He had been trying to gain as much possible information on the wold as he could. He had gone to a few public libraries and internet cafes around the city and read books or articles about magic and the 10 masters clan, specifically the Juuomonji clan as he had heard earlier, and breezed over the other ones he saw.
The Ten Masters clan was a group set up that was made of the most powerful mage families in Japan. Most, if not all, were a by-product of the 10 major research institutes set up by the Japanese military to research magic of magic after its widespread discovery. These clans have a great deal of political power and are known to be able to circumvent the law when they wished to, only being stopped if it was a serious crime that would bring great controversy to the government. They are the countries main supply of powerful magicians, along with the 18 assistant houses, the hundred families and the extras.
The Juuomonji's were specifically one of the more powerful clans in the 10 masters clan, standing at the top three along with their allies, the Saegusas and the... the Yotsuba...
"Yotsuba...why is that name sound so... familiar?" he said audibly only to himself. There were few people still left out on the streets as it was starting to get late into the night. He crossed the street and walked down a random sidewalk as his mind returned to the topic at hand.
Those three clans were the pinnacle of Japanese magical power, and so that power was directly transferred into heavy political and social advantages. Although these clans were supposed to focus strictly on military affairs or research, many of them dabbled in business and the more shady portions, like the Yotsuba, were known to preform assassination, espionage and many other illegal activities as well. Each clan also specialized in certain areas of magic that were researched by the 10 magical research institutes. Like the Juuomnji's main types of magic were based of defensive magic spells, and the Yotsuba were known for their mental interference magic, while the Saegusua's were known for being perfect 'jack of all trades' type mages.
But when he had first read about the Yotsuba, it felt like something was pulling at the back of his mind, as if possible memories of his past life were just there, but when he tried to reach them, he was met with painful headaches and even more questions. For the time being, he had given up on trying to remember as there was two more places he needed to deal with before moving on.
The assassin pulled out a tablet he grabbed from the warehouse and pulled up a map of the city. He zoomed in on the red light district and where the strange man said where a club by the name of Stars was located. He mapped out where he was currently and he began making his way to where he first regained consciousness just a few days ago.
(To be continued...)
Thanks for reading! Thanks for all the kind reviews, I'm glad y'all are enjoying the story! It will continue as time goes on, I'm usually lazy with updating and add on college stuff makes a perfect recipe for long wait times for updates. Just for future reference, this story will be mostly AU stuff, although major events like the Battle of Okinawa and others will be included but heavily modified. That's everything I've got to say. Thanks, and have a good one!
Public Service Announcement: Looking for beta readers. If your're interested, send me a PM!
Next Chapter: Brave New World III