-Sorry, I know I've been writing less and less but I get distracted by my tumblr now and I do art and orikero stuff there when I can. I'm also binge watching One Piece to catch up with my friends. Please forgive me -
Aliens to monsters:
Giroro- Ganrougel
Keroro- Kurse
Tamama- Taiki
Kururu- Krueger
Dororo- Aldmora
Mois- Molioke
Krueger led the group down a series of halls. He leered through every door he passed and snickered every now and then to himself. No one wanted to ask what he laughed at and instead focused on looking out for their friends and hopefully Natsumi. After Krueger's mutterings and laughing suddenly quieted Taiki bumped into him.
"Hey what did ya stop for? We gotta hurry up and find Mister K!" Taiki looked ahead and noticed the undead soldier standing frozen before Krueger.
"So you were hiding over here?" Krueger chuckled menacingly. His eyes glared down upon the trembling man. "Good, I didn't have to wait too long."
Krueger swiftly grabbed the soldier's shoulder and threw him into the nearest room. He stomped in after him, slamming the door shut and secluding the two from the group.
"What the hell?" Garuru pushed against the door but it wouldn't budge. "He jammed it!"
"What was that about?" Aki asked still wide eyed in surprise.
"I guess he doesn't like that zombie very much." Koyuki suggested, just as lost as everyone else.
"Does he think we're just useless?" Garuru growled.
Everyone stopped speaking once they heard struggling behind the door. A loud assortment of clattering and smashing erupted from the room. It wasn't much longer before screaming startled the small group. Garuru tried opening the door once again. He barreled against it with his shoulder but couldn't get it open. He stopped only after the screaming whispered down. A soft crack was heard followed by a subtle shuffling. The door snapped open, breaking the jamb.
Krueger stepped out, readjusting and tightening the straps that held his limp wings to his back. A small spatter of blood slowly dripped down the side of his face as he smiled to everyone else. "We can move on now. He won't be getting in the way."
"Are you always this reckless? What if he got the upper hand on you and we couldn't help you fight him?" Garuru barked.
Krueger dropped his smile and glared his dark eyes onto Garuru. His voice grew cold and steady. "No one... gets the upper hand on me."
He quickly turned and continued down the hall. Garuru sighed and rested his rifle against his shoulder as he followed.
The group walked on now finding small creatures skittering over the floor and snickering from the corners. Most flitted away before they reached kicking distance of the strangers. Others became too confident and were either crushed under Krueger's and Garuru's boots or sizzled under the purification of a talisman.
"I feel like we came over prepared for this." Aki frowned as she watched another spirit screaming and phasing away from them through the ceiling.
"You can never be too prepared but this does seem really easy doesn't it?" Koyuki agreed.
"That's because I know exactly where to go, ku." Krueger whistled as he walked on casually. His bad mood exchanged for an eerily chipper stroll. "I'm avoiding the big baddies so we can get this done quicker."
"Oh I see. You didn't beat that man back there for some psychotic episode, you were getting information out of him." Garuru nodded his head in approval.
"Don't let my smart move for info downplay how badly I wanted to kill him." Krueger grinned and chuckled. His glasses seemed to crack under his shrill tone.
"Why did you want to kill him then?" Koyuki asked with a sad and innocent look in her eyes.
"Because he hurt something of mine." Krueger answered vaguely and continued down the hall.
"I guess it was personal." Taiki chimed. "Mister Kay said that that creep will take things to an extreme but only when he cares enough."
"Hurry up, we're here." Krueger ordered from further down the hall. He faced down around a corner and once the others caught up they saw a glass box.
Inside it sat Kurse whittling away at pieces of wood. His hands looks bruised and shook as he sloppily hacked away at the wooden chunk. Tears had stained parts of his work and stung in his wounded fingers. Around him broken toys, wood splinters, and rusted metal hinges littered the dirt floor.
"Oh sugar smacks." Aki whispered as she frowned on the poor ghost.
"M-mister Kay?" Taiki knocked against the glass. Soft taps echoed around but Kurse didn't seem to hear.
"Hang on. Cover your eyes." Koyuki gestured for everyone to step back as she pulled out one of her kunai blades. She drew her arm back with the blade braced in her hand. In a swift motion her arm was suddenly in front of her and the blade pointed towards the glass. Koyuki exhaled and watched cracks slowly crawl through the glass. She tapped it with her fingertip, knocking the glass shards to the floor.
"Nice job." Garuru complimented.
"Did you have to be dramatic? I wonder if any guards heard that mess." Krueger mocked.
"That looked so cool Koyuki." Aki smiled.
"It was nothing." Koyuki giggled.
Taiki ran to Kurse's side. He looked up to the ghost's empty eyes. He forced his childlike smile hoping he could cheer up Kurse. "Mister Kay we got you free. It's ok you can forget about those now."
Kurse didn't react to him and hacked off another sliver of wood. Taiki frowned and tried not to cry. Soon a shimmering figure walked over to them. It was an older man with a toothbrush mustache. He growled and kicked at Kurse's back. "You stupid boy! You still can't make anything?! How did I end up with such a useless son?! DO IT ALL AGAIN!"
Kurse froze under the words and endured the kicking to his spine. Taiki didn't know what to do in that moment. His eyes widened in fear. Once the man disappeared Taiki grabbed Kurse's hand. "Mister Kay that man isn't really here. None of this is real."
Kurse slowly looked away from his work to the small Taiki next to him. "It... it isn't?"
"Nope, you were free of all of this years ago." Taiki couldn't help a small smile when Kurse finally acknowledged him.
"He's right hun." Aki smiled kindly. Kurse glanced at everyone else, his eyes glistened with more tears. He dropped the wood toy and tightly hugged Taiki close. He sobbed as quietly as he could into Taiki's shoulder as the imp tried to wrap his arms around Kurse.
"It felt so real again." Kurse muttered softly where only Taiki could hear.
"I know. I'm sorry." Taiki's voice trembled. He could hear Kurse's fear and pain from his cracked voice. He could even feel Kurse shudder slightly under his touch. "Just... remember one thing ok? If you can see me or hear me or e-even hug me, you're free. I don't care what I have to do to make sure you know that."
"Really? You'd do that for me?" Kurse slowly pulled away and looked into Taiki's eyes.
Taiki smiled with a soft blush to his cheeks. "Of course. Anything you want."
"This is all terribly sweet but we should move along." Krueger teased with his most unsettling voice.
"He's right. We still have three missing." Garuru nodded. He moved on through the glass room and kicked the wall on the other side. The glass shattered to the ground. "Let's go."
"He may have been leader in his soldier days but he doesn't need to act like he knows where he's going. I'm the one with the intel and if he goes on he's just going to create trouble." Krueger muttered to himself, his eyebrow twitching.
"Is he even going the right way?" Koyuki asked.
"He's lucky he is." Krueger crept over the floor, following Garuru.
Aki watched him easily maneuver with his five legs. "I wonder if I can use these guys for inspiration at work. Might make a super cool horror manga."
"Hurry up we have a long walk till the next destination." Krueger glanced over his shoulder with annoyance.
"Did that guy give you the whole layout of this building?" Koyuki placed a finger to her chin as she walked alongside Aki. Taiki and Kurse followed behind them as they caught up to Krueger and Garuru.
"Only enough to locate two of your friends." Krueger explained. "The idiot was too low on the ranking to know where the deer is being kept and there's no telling where Natsumi ran off to."
"I'm not gonna complain with that good of a head start, and I trust Natsumi can handle herself. She's a strong and independent young women who is geared to the teeth with her father's weapons so I doubt she'd get in too much danger." Aki smiled.
"Such confidence in a 16 year old girl who had a fling with a much older man and got knocked up." Krueger mocked.
"Judge all you want but at least she knew better to have a fling with someone she loves and not some teenager who would have taken advantage of her and leave her to raise the kid on her own." Aki spoke confidently. Krueger clicked his teeth and kept his thoughts to himself.