Ticking Timebomb
Chapter 63 – Eye of the Storm
. . .
Pain. Vision swimming. A distant sense of unexplained euphoria. Not the right place. Not the right time. I choked on bile and blinked to clear away the fuzziness. Yet it remained. Should I be thankful? Afraid?
I knew what I would see if I was able.
I struggled again, the harsh clink of chains and steal against stone far too loud. How had this happened?
Stupid. So goddamned stupid.
I needed to get free. I could hear Kazu's labored breaths somewhere beside me, in a corner of the room. I could smell the tang of blood and his energy was so weak that I feared for his life. I had no idea where Yusuke, Kurama, Takahiro, or Hiei were. We'd lost them ages ago. Or was it days? Hard to say now.
A shift, the scream of metal on stone. A hand at mine, reaching out, grasping with scrabbling desperate fingers. Just that slight movement made him cough until I was cringing, gripping his hand so hard I feared I would break it. Sorry Kazu. So sorry.
This was all my fault.
From newly engaged bliss to this mess. Captured. Held as hostages most likely.
Drugged at first. Left with no food or water or medical treatment. I was still in a haze. And Kazuma...he'd tried so hard to save us after I'd gone down.
I still didn't understand how.
Mikail.
He must have watched that battle with Konstantin and prepared accordingly.
My hand shook, the clink of the chains the only sound besides Kazuma's heavy breaths. I reached and wrapped my arm around him, holding him close. Don't die on me, repeated in my head like a mantra, because I could not lose him, not ever. This was my mistake and I must fix it, but nothing would matter if he died now.
I tried to tell him I loved him but my voice came up bubbly and distorted, a choking hacking sound.
"Don't talk...save your...strength."
That was when I realized...I was far worse off than he was...
And anger roared through me. Everything I did...always ended up this way. With death knocking on my door.
Not today motherfucker.
. . .
Three Days Earlier...
"It's like a ghost town..."
The city that was once so vibrant and bustling five hundred years in the past was now empty. The feeling it gave off was eerie...and the bodies piled in the streets and hanging from available posts didn't help matters.
Death permeated the air.
Not unusual for the Makai I supposed. But horrifying all the same.
"What the hell happened here?" I said, picking my way through the hordes of dead.
"A massacre," said Hiei, stating the obvious if I ever heard it.
We'd traveled from Mukuro's lands into Yomi's with an escort appointed by the lord of Gandara. Our newest demon companion kept to himself and I often wondered if he was mute. That didn't stop him from being an absolute fuck stick however.
He spent most of his time stealing and no one in the group said a word. I had a feeling Yomi wasn't aware of his underlings little habit. And I couldn't be bothered to care...until now.
I watched the little bastard loot coins from one of the bodies and just as I was about to blow my stack, Hiei clapped a hand over my mouth.
"Let him do as he pleases. If he reports back to Yomi unfavorably..."
I shrugged him off. "Yeah, yeah. It won't look good for us, I get it."
Didn't mean I needed to like it. The slimy bastard was grating on my nerves.
If only I could kill him.
But a sidelong glance towards Hiei told me he knew exactly what I was thinking and he was unimpressed. I rolled my eyes. What was one less piece of shit in the grand scheme of things?
"Umi!" Takahiro called out to me, waving me over to a body hanging in an open doorway.
I cringed but strode over to him anyway, averting my eyes towards the ground. Not a much better sight, I must say, covered in days old blood.
"Look at this," said Takahiro, reaching over to grip my chin and direct my gaze.
I turned my head willingly enough but didn't understand what I was supposed to be seeing. "What? It looks just like all the other bodies scattered around."
"Look at what he's wearing."
I sighed and eyed the demon up and down. "Armor," I deadpanned.
"Yes, armor. Mikail's armor if the brand in the metal is anything to go by."
"Wait, are you saying these are his men?"
"I observed much the same myself. Many of them are civilians but if you look closely there are many that are also clad in Mikail's armor," said Kurama as he picked his way over to us.
"Some crazy hearing you have there," I said when he reached us.
He chuckled and with a grin said, "I am a fox, after all."
"Har, har, guy's got jokes..."
"The massacre here wasn't of Mikail's doing then," said Hiei, kicking a stray body's booted foot out of his way.
"Maybe he's already dead then..." I said. Avoiding the confrontation would be best.
But a cold feeling twisted in my stomach. I could feel eyes on me, and not the sightless ones encased within the rotting corpses surrounding us, no, something more sinister. Whoever killed all these people, probably.
"We should move on," murmured Kurama, a tension in his shoulders that told me he was feeling much the same as I was.
He went off to gather up Yusuke and Kazuma, who were poking through some abandoned market stalls in the hopes of finding supplies. I counted everyone...making sure the group was all together. And that was when I realized Yomi's appointed escort was missing.
"Hiei...where the hell is that jerk Yomi sent with us?"
He looked up from his examination of some sword he'd found lying on the ground, already beginning to rust from being coated in someone's blood. He cast his gaze around the empty buildings and dilapidated stalls. When he came up with nothing, he tossed aside the sword and pulled the cloth from his jagan.
"His energy is gone," he said after a moment.
I rubbed my fingers into my temple, a headache already forming. Chronos whispered something there, far off and nearly unintelligible. She'd seen something I hadn't.
"Dead," she breathed. "Dead just as the rest."
"How didn't anyone notice him wandering off?!"
"My guess is he didn't want us to," said Takahiro.
We searched as a group for awhile, hoping to find something that would lead us towards where the fool ran off to. When darkness drew near we retreated to the outskirts of the city to make camp, far enough away that we would not have to sleep beside so many dead, but close enough that Yomi's idiot escort could still find us.
I prayed what Chronos said was not true. That he was just looting the empty houses and would return to camp with his spoils. Because if Yomi found out...he would never believe that we were not the ones who killed him.
The next morning we awoke to the smell of blood, far too fresh and close to our camp to be coming from the city.
The escort was flayed open, laid upon a boulder just on the outskirts of camp. It was a warning. A warning and an all too obvious threat. Hiei burned the body, discussing with Kurama on the best way to explain this unfortunate turn of events to Yomi.
The reality of things was rather dire, however, because I doubted Yomi would listen to reason. Not with his city in such a state. And after musing over the the fact more than half the bodies seemed to be Mikail's own men I was ninety percent certain that the old armorer wasn't behind this. Which meant god only knew who was.
I was more worried about the fact that who ever had done this was able to sneak within a few feet of our camp to strategically place the body. No one noticed or heard a thing.
What were we dealing with, fucking ninjas?
Needing to keep myself busy, I gathered up our canteens. I planned to fill them at a nearby stream that both Hiei and Kurama had deemed safe to drink from. I thought I could slip off unnoticed but should have known better when Kazuma caught me.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and asked, "Where you off to?"
"Water," was all I said, holding up the empty canteens.
"You shouldn't go off alone, Kas. I'll come with you."
I knew arguing would be fruitless, so I just nodded and handed him a couple of the canteens to carry.
The walk was short and silent, almost uncomfortably so, because normally Kazu was loud and boisterous. Here...he was different—vigilant and observant. Even now I could feel the subtle hum of his spirit energy, as if he was constantly on guard.
We reached the stream without issue, but Kazuma still never let his guard down.
"Do you sense something I don't?" I finally asked.
"This place just gives me the willies," he said.
But I knew Kazuma was a lot like me; the ability to sense things that you couldn't see a prominent part of his life. There was no need for him to pretend just to protect me.
"There's no need to shield me anymore, Kazu. What I went through...in the past...well, its desensitized me, we'll just put it that way."
"Will you...tell me about? When you're ready, I mean."
"Yusuke didn't tell you?"
"He told me some things...but kept a lot of things to himself. Told me I should hear it from you if I really wanted to know."
I hummed softly to myself, not yet willing to go into detail about what happened. Only Hiei knew all the particulars...and I thought it was better that way. No need to hurt Kazu by telling him all those horrible things.
We lapsed into silence again, both kneeling at the bank of the stream, dipping the canteens beneath the waters. Even the rustling of the leaves on the trees seemed to be too quiet. No bugs or birds or beasts.
It sent a chill down my spine.
"So," started Kazuma, "a little bird told me something interesting."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Something about someone getting married."
I choked on a sip of water I'd been taking from one of the canteens and started coughing. Kazuma whacked me on the back a few times until I was able to clear my throat. When I managed, I turned to him with a look of pure guilt.
"Who told you that?!"
"Yukina," he said simply.
"I should have told you, but—"
Whatever explanation I was about to give cut off abruptly. I felt it before I saw it, the rush of Yusuke's energy and the subsequent spirit gun blast I witnessed fly up through the trees. All thoughts of filling canteens were gone. Kazuma and I were up and running without even a spare second to stop and think of a plan.
Before we could break through the treeline we were blocked by a group of soldiers. Or, at least that's what they looked like to me. Clad in armor from head to toe, swords and shields in hand. Some carried maces or javelins, where others had bows strapped on their backs and knives in their hands.
Each set of armor was emblazoned with a crest—Mikail's, just like a good portion of the bodies back in the city.
"There aren't just demons here," Kazuma observed. Humans permeated the troop too.
Humans who I knew must have once been slaves. Seemed Mikail never stopped freeing them, even here in this time.
We were back to back now, surrounded on all sides. It was too close quarters for me to use my bow but I still carried several knives, a dagger, and a sword at my waist. It was new, a reformed and shorter blade, made from the pieces of the dragon bone blade I'd asked Takahiro to craft rings out of.
"I'm worried about the others," I said.
"No time for that now."
The sizzling sound of Kazuma producing his spirit sword zinged through me. I pulled my own blade, taking a stance, prepared to fight my way out of this. "You ready?" I asked.
"Always."
Kazuma was the first to charge, striking one of the soldiers before he had time to react. His energy blade sliced right through the metal of the armor, leaving it molten and glowing. The soldier fell dead to the ground.
As if this was a call to action, they all move at once. Kazu and I stayed together, rotating, turning, striking at every open opportunity. I dodged a javelin that was thrust towards my abdomen, then shot out a hand to grab its shaft. I pulled the man behind it forward and sunk my blade between where his chest plate ended and his leather pants began. Hot blood coated my hand.
I kicked a second man away from me, blocking the strike of his sword with my own, and then pivoted to save Kazuma from another that tried to blind side him. He called out a, "thank you!" before continuing to fight.
Each one we struck down more came to take their place.
"There's too many!"
"Where the hell did they all come from?! How the did the manage to sneak up on us?"
I had no answers for his desperate questions. All I could do was fight—fight until I was covered in blood and bruised and breathless.
I heard Kazuma swear and felt his energy flare up. He was struck in the side but I could not let my attention from the enemies waver to see how badly. The swinging of his sword never faltered, if anything he fought harder, his battle cries pushing me to strike harder, to take down more of them. As many as I could.
The others weren't here to help, they were in trouble too. We needed to pull our own weight. The only two fully human members of the group, I'd be damned if we ended up the weakest links.
"Kas!"
His shout made me turn to look over my shoulder. There was a hole in the forces there, a beacon of hope. I grabbed Kazuma and forced our way through it. If I could just get far enough...
I ran, dragging him along behind me, faster than he was. He kept up, his breaths heavy in my ears and his stamina draining fast. When I thought we were a good enough distance away, I skidded to a halt.
The sound of my energy was like music to my ears. I produced my bow, arrows appearing already in place and ready to be fired. I shot off four arrows that broke into eight. Several were dodged, but three hit their marks, killing the soldiers instantly. I kept firing, feeling my energy cut through my fingers because of the rapid fire pace.
When the last soldier fell dead to the ground, only then did I take a second to breathe.
Just a single second. And then I turned to Kazuma and pulled up his shirt. He yelped, slapping at my hands, but I ignored him.
"It's not too bad," I said, "but it'll need stitches."
Kazu just chuckled and then placed one big hand over the slash in his side. His palm glowed a bright orange and I watched as the wound scabbed over.
"Don't worry, Kas. I've got some tricks up my sleeves too."
It left me a little breathless and whole lot of stunned, because Kazuma...Kazu was strong. He didn't advertise it like the rest of them...but he was definitely an S class too. And it showed in the way he currently held himself, in the feeling of his energy washing over me and though he was dirty and winded, not an ounce of his power dwindled.
"I can protect you just as well as the rest of them," he said, as if he could hear my thoughts.
I just grinned. "I don't need protection, but thank you my friend."
Then I was grabbing his hand and running again. The sound of fighting could still be heard, the cries of battle and multitude of energies that swirled together into a giant jumble of color and sound and light.
When we broke through the treeline it was to find utter chaos. I watched as a massive plant with a giant mouth and teeth sprung from the earth and swallowed a group of soldiers in a single gulp. A spirit gun blast ripped through not only the demons but anything that stood in its path. And then there was the fire and the flash of metal as my soon to be husband tore his way through the hundreds of men amassed around what was once our camp.
"How the hell did this happen?" Kazuma hissed.
I didn't have the time to stay and contemplate this with him. I left in a rush, headed for the tallest tree that was nearest the battlefield. And Kazuma, content knowing I wasn't so close to harm's way, ran off to join the others.
I would be left to wonder for a long time after this day how an entire army managed to sneak up on us. And actually seemed to be giving the team trouble.
I climbed the tree, searching for a tall branch that would give me a decent view. Once I'd found one sturdy enough to hold my weight, I balanced on it, slowly making my way further down the branch. I needed to see and this position would give me the best advantage against our enemies.
I scanned the battlefield, eyes skipping over my fighting teammates in search of the only person who was missing.
Takahiro was nowhere to be seen, as if he'd just vanished. But something deep within my bones told me I needed to be where he was. That it was more important than this fight or finding Mikail or fixing the wrongs in Yomi's city.
"You can feel it can't you? The roiling power in the air? You can practically smell it."
Chronos was right. I could sense it and it made goose flesh rise on my skin. A bad omen. Far too much death hung in the air that day.
I would have to look for him later, I thought, right now the boys needed me. So I pulled forth my bow once more and played the role of cover fire. I shot down enemies before they could reach my friends, saved Yusuke from taking an energy blast to the back, and helped Kazuma take out two of the four men he was in the midst of fighting.
Kurama, having noticed me before the soldiers, called forth vicious looking thorn walls around the tree I was standing in. But that didn't stop any of the aerial fighters—demons with wings and claws and clad in lightweight armor covered in protective runes.
I shot down what I could, not stopping to watch as they fell to the ground below. By then the army had grown wiser and now a unit was separating from the main fight—headed straight for my encampment. A firestorm burnt them to cinders, leaving twisted molten metal in it's wake; once the proudly worn armor of Mikail's.
I cast my gaze to my would be savior and a blood covered face with fierce red eyes greeted me. He nodded once, before flitting off again to help Kurama. He was trusting me to fight for myself, to continue offering them support and protection from above. I felt a swell of pride rapidly build in my chest.
There were still far too many soldiers left on the ground, even as I struck down the ones above. It was hard to judge energy levels with so many to concentrate on, but I could tell that they were all strong. Perhaps A levels, some B...a few S class spread out between them. Too many. The situation was dangerous and dire without the added addition of S class demons.
Where the hell was Takahiro?! There wasn't a chance in hell he'd been captured. So where...
I scanned the field again...and then beyond, towards an open expanse of wilderness. Tall grass and deadly looking terrain and plants stretched as far as the eye could see...but there! Near the farthest edge I could see two silhouettes. One tall and thick as a tree trunk...and the other...
My blood ran cold. How hadn't I sensed him before this?!
I looked down, seeing Kurama's thorn walls still holding strong, and then decided jumping was out of the question.
So I called forth the power of the god and let my body be engulfed in golden, pearlescent light. I would reach them faster this way anyway.
I never stopped to think or consider the consequences, that I was acting with a carelessness that all my comrades would disapprove of. But my anger far outweighed my worry of being punished. I let all thought on it flee as I felt the crushing weight of Chronos' ability swallow me whole and then spit me out some hundred yards away from Takahiro.
A darkness passed over the sky; clouds that are not natural for the Makai. Black and smelling thickly of ozone.
I knew I was about to be caught up in a fight I had no business being in quite yet. But I couldn't let Hideki get away, not again. I couldn't let Takahiro or Hiei or Kazuma or even Yusuke and Kurama, fight my battles for me.
Thunder boomed across the sky, shaking the earth, and then came the lightning.
Takahiro held power over storm. His gift from his godly father. But his human half held spirit energy as well, a deep blood red in color, and just as much of a maelstrom as the rest of his abilities.
I dodged lighting bolts in my pursuit of the two men, feeling my hair raise with each strike of electricity and thanking the heavens that my powers coincided with Takahiro's as well as they did. I brought up my reiki to cover my skin, protecting me from the heat and flying debris of each near death experience. One slip up and I was toast—literally.
I was close enough now to see the two of them clearly...and while my uncle looked ready to tear Hideki to shreds...he only stood there, waiting. But for what?
The eye of Takahiro's storm swirled in the sky above them, as if it were waiting too.
Close, I was so close. I was about to call out to him when any sound I might of spoken became lodged in my throat. I came to a grinding halt, skidding in the grass, and then ducking so I was hidden. My heart was somewhere in my throat.
Hitomi.
Hitomi stood in Hideki's shadow, hidden against his side. I had not seen her, not until now.
It explained why Takahiro hadn't made a move yet.
And also why I should never have chosen to interfere. Why was she here? Had she run off to him? Was she fighting against us now?
No...that wasn't right. It couldn't be.
I pressed a hand to my mouth, trying to quiet my breaths even though it was pointless. The thunder was enough to cover up any noise I might have made.
I ran several scenarios through my head, listening to Chronos add in her input. She refuted all but one and then laughed at the final set of options.
"You'll get yourself killed if even a single thing goes wrong."
"Lend me your strength," I breathed. "Lend me all of it."
We were long past the point of Chronos taking control of my body, but I still had not absorbed her or been able to use the entire arsenal of power she was able to offer. To try it now was foolish and reckless, but there were so few options, I was left with little choice.
"That could kill you too, idiot."
"Then give me what you think I can handle."
"What you've already stolen is what you can handle. Do you want to rip our body apart?"
"How long would I have before that happened?"
She went silent, thinking, contemplating. "Ten minutes, if I push you past the limit your body has set."
Ten minutes. Always a race with time. But it would have to be good enough.
"Do you accept?"
"Yes."
I knew it was too much the instant it hit me. It burned and tore and stung. It was the same but also somehow wholly different from when the seal on Chronos was first released. I felt my skin crack and tear, as if bursting at its seams. Blood dripped to stain the yellowed grass beneath me red.
"Go. Now!"
I let instinct take over. Thousands upon thousands of years of pure instinct instilled within the God's power.
My vision blurred behind my contacts, a slight disadvantage but one I would have to work around. My body would give out soon.
Nine minutes remained.
With the element of surprise working in my favor, I used my teleportation ability to fall right in the midst of the three of them.
Hideki did not even hesitate. I would think he'd known I was coming, if I wasn't absolutely certain I had not attracted their attention.
Eight minutes remained.
He pulled the sword at his waist and sliced it through the air. I was quick to dodge around it, pulling the dagger from my belt and swiping it at his midsection.
He stepped back, an elegant dodge, and then punched me straight in the face. My nose cracked, blood sprayed across his hand and through the air. I didn't relent in my assault. I just took it in stride, not even feeling the pain.
Even though I moved so fast...he was still faster. It was like trying to fight a ghost.
Six minutes remained.
The whole plan was to retrieve Hitomi. Whether she be my sister or a clone or an act of a holier power, I didn't give a shit. She was mine. My flesh and blood. A part of me. I wouldn't let him hurt her.
I tried to position myself between Hitomi and Hideki, but he read all my moves, dodged all my attacks. It was like I was an open book, even with Chronos' added help. Toying with me, I realized. Showing how far the gap between our abilities really stretched. It was as if I were standing across a massive chasm, Hideki at one side and I at the other. Would I ever become a match for him?
The heart. I needed the heart. That would be the only way.
No time to think on that now. Hitomi. I needed to save Hitomi.
I received another punch to the face as a reward for my inattention.
Four minutes remained.
It was as I pulled my own sword that Takahiro grabbed me around the waist. He ripped me back, hiding me beneath the lapels of his trench coat. An energy blast gathered in his hand and he released it, blowing up the ground where Hideki once stood.
Three minutes.
"What the hell are you doing?" he growled.
When I opened my mouth to reply only blood came out, so I snapped it closed and shook my head. He continued to fire off energy blasts, great balls of ki that struck the ground but never seemed to harm Hideki.
I finally managed to choke out, "Hitomi..."
"Hitomi is fine. She knows what she's doing, has all along Umi. You shouldn't have interfered."
Two minutes remained.
I accumulated as much of Chronos' power as I could...and fed it to my uncle. I heard him gasp, the rush unexpected and probably unwelcome. But his hold on me was too strong and he had no plans on letting me fight. I needed to help where I could.
One minute.
I was covered in my own blood, could feel the cracks and crevices in my skin—great gouges that would kill me long before Chronos' energy did. She began to draw back the power, the accelerated healing she once provided useless in this situation. I could not rely on it or expect it.
Time was up.
I collapsed against Takahiro, a lifeless doll clutched at his side.
I heard him swear, before he jumped into the air, a cloud gathering beneath his feet. He released another bolt of lightning as a distraction, I could hear when it struck the ground, just as loud if not louder than his thunder.
The storm cloud carried us away from Hideki, but couldn't carry two people for long. He set down amongst a group of ruins, a place long abandoned and being reclaimed by the wilds.
"Wait here," he said, as he bundled me in his trench coat and hid me in some fallen pieces of stone wall.
I could not nod or speak, so I just blinked once as a sign of confirmation. He was gone soon after, just a bolt of lighting and the scent of ozone remaining in his wake.
What felt like an eternity passed. Rain came pelting from the sky and I worried for my friends. Stupid. I was stupid again.
Hiei would be so disappointed.
The sound of cruel laughter through the storm made me stiffen, sending a searing pain through my bones. I gasped, too loud, too obvious.
"What do we 'ave 'ere boys?"
Five of them, tall and stupid. Clad in the same armor as all the rest of the soldiers. Two with wings, claws bared and the others with swords drawn. One of them pointed their blade towards my throat, using the tip to bat Takahiro's trench coat out of the way.
They all chuckled some more, the kind of laughter that made your stomach twist out of revulsion.
The sound of a scuffle behind them made them turn around as a unit. A sixth came around a bend, dragging a length of sturdy rope behind him...and attached to that rope...
I lurched forward and regretted it immediately afterwards. Oh god it hurt. The pain was unlike any other, it outweighed the torture and the feeling of Hiei's sword slicing through my flesh. Yet I was still awake, still alert and unable to move or do anything. Essentially trapped in my own body.
Kazuma. Kazuma was tied up and being dragged through the dirt and over the stones like a hog that was caught for slaughter.
How? How did this happen? Where the fuck was Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama?!
He spotted me and struggled at his bonds, screaming through the cloth tied around his face. He was kicked in the side for his efforts, grunting in pain.
"Shut up back there, ya big bastard."
"Look it what we found, Mason."
The demon holding Kazuma captive leaned over his comrade's shoulder to get a better look at me. "Anotha redheaded bitch. Must be the one Mikail wants. Tie 'er up."
Kazuma's screaming resumed and he struggled harder. For a moment, as I watched his muscles bulge against his bonds, I thought he would surely break them with brute strength alone. But one of the sword wielders stepped forward...and stabbed him in the side. Blood stained his shirt and the cloth at his mouth, choking gasps muffled by the cotton.
No! Please don't hurt him anymore!
I wanted to scream, to rally against them, to save my friend.
But the butt of a blade connected with my forehead...and I was out cold before I was ever even given the chance to try.
A day later I awoke in a cell, cold and hungry and in searing agony. My mind was fuzzy and disoriented. Drugged? It felt that way, at any rate. But could just be from the loss of blood. Or my utter lack of anything remotely like spirit energy.
Kazuma was beside me, out cold on a damp bed of straw. I recognized this dungeon just from the smell alone. And memories came rushing back to blind me. I was horrified to be here again—trapped in Konstantin's keep.
Trapped in the place I'd been cruelly tortured. Trapped where I'd been forced to murder other humans for sport. Trapped where I'd once massacred more than fifty men in cold blood.
And now Kazuma was here too, suffering just like I had.
This was all my fault.
. . .
A/N: Thank you all so much for your continued support of this story! I'm so sorry its taken so long to get this chapter out but I was suffering from some major writer's block and had I really hard time with it. As you call know, action scenes are not my forte, but I hope this chapter came out alright! Please let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!