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Chapter 10 – Shape Of Water

Ice, Water and Steam

All of that is the shape of water

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When Algira and Yotaka sneak into Gobi's secret mess, they are surprised because they find Hak in such terrible state there, within the dungeon down in the underground of Gobi's secret mess. Algira tries to shake him awake and he asks Hak to hold on while he will take him out of this place when Hak's awake, but when Algira tries to lift him up and attempts to carry him on his back, Hak coughs and pukes bloods before grabbing Algira's wrist.

With hoarse, tremble voice and shivering body due to lost too much blood, Hak weakly clenches Algira's wrist "in case… I can't survive… please don't tell… about what happened to me… to my companion… especially not to princess Yona… just let them all to think… that I have run off to somewhere… without telling them… to where I'll go…".

Algira shouts as his stomach churning in afraid "no, Hak-Nyan?! What do you think you're talking about?! How about Yo-Nyan? She's surely waiting for you to come back…".

Hak gulps and smirks before speaking with strained voices, even breathing takes effort for him to do with his dying state "even without me… those guys surely will protect her…".

When Hak's grip loosens and his hand drops to the ground, Algira's eyes widen at the sight of the blank looks on Hak's eyes "Hak-Nyan?".

When Algira can't find the pulse and his breath, Algira punches the floor with his fist. He doesn't know why, but he takes Hak's hand and wraps it within a bundle with intention of report this first to Kouren and Tao before asking them to give order to destroy this place. About Hak, he will discuss with Tao, she will know what to do.

After Algira comes back with Yotaka, Yona and the others feel their chest tighten in fear, mostly because Algira looks about to cry. Tao asks him to calm down and after Kouren asks about what happens, Algira stutters while uncovering the bundle on his arm "I-I'm sorry…".

It's Hak's left arm, from his bicep to his hand, with his sleeve that dirty because covered by blood.

"no… no way…", Yona shakes her head and drops to her knees as Kouren catches her and supports her, calling her name to wake her up of her shock state. Last time Yona feels so empty and despair was when she lost her father that night.

Yun inspects the hand, the blood and flesh still fresh and little warm even if it starts getting colder, before gulping and asking with trembling voice, halting his fear and tears "where… where is him, Algira?".

Algira, still in shock state, shakes his head before answering with tremble voices "sorry… I'm sorry… I can't help him…".

"why are you keeping say sorry?", Jae Ha grabs his shoulders, yelling to him in desperation "just tell us where is Hak and what happened to him, Algira?!".

"Yona, calm down?! breathe in, breathe out, slowly", Kouren grabs Yona's shoulders when Yona is hyperventilating, she never sees her like this before "though it can't be helped, I thought… she's still just a 16-years-old girl, no matter how strong she is trying to steel herself…".

After Hakuya tells them to calm down and assures them to not worry before having chat with Sakaki, Yona and the others are trying to calm themselves down even if it's hard thing to do in this situation.

"that's right. Hak will be alright, he has to…", when Yona has calmed down, she turns her attention to Sakaki and Hakuya "you're Hakuya he said… he is Lady Mulan's first husband, isn't he? but… we heard that you had passed away?".

"and don't think we wouldn't realize it. You said something about your son, Lady Mulan's reaction when Tsurara insulted Hak, not to mention your similarity with Hak and that woman named Sakuya…", Yun concludes "does it mean, you and Lady Mulan are parents from Hak and Sakuya?".

Sakaki nods his chin from Hakuya to them "well, it's nothing we should hide anymore, just tell them?".

"that's right, I'm Hakuya Yukimura, Fong Mulan's first husband. Like you already know, I'm already dead but in my case, you can say I'm still alive not as human, but as Guardian right now. I know it's rather complicated, so let's save that explanation for next time", "after what happened 17 years ago, Mulan no longer able to produce child. So, you can say that her biological children are only with me. Hak is our firstborn and Sakuya… well, she is also our biological daughter, her born rather complicated, which make her born not as human but as Demon like me. Without doubt, Sakuya is Hak's little sister".

Sakaki continues "we have no choice but to let Hak stay in Kouka and hid Sakuya's presence for their own safety, because like Lady Iguni has said, marriage couple like them, the pure-blooded Demon like Hakuya with human like Mulan, shouldn't be able to have children but they could have, with their children's fate as the exchange".

Kija furrows his eyebrow "but we thought Hak is human?".

Yun waves his hand "no, honestly he isn't like ordinary human, so it isn't too surprising to know that he is Demon's son".

Jae Ha interrupts, lifting his hand "should we only speak? We should help him first, right?".

"which that's why we should wait for Kazama and Sakuya to come back bring him here", just he finishes his speech, only Kazama come back which in result, Hakuya's frown deepens "…where are my children?".

Kazama seems taken aback with Hakuya's intense glare "well, he… disappeared".

As he has expected, Sakaki snaps "what do you mean with he's disappeared!?".

Kazama explains when they find him, looks like it isn't going very well. Long story short, he and Sakuya have found Hak but well, he's dying and Sakuya finds the main culprit who has claimed Hak's hand in that room. Not only they have ripped one Hak's arm off his body but they are also the main culprit that given order by Gobi to tell them information that they need to know about Yona and Four Dragon Warriors. Because Hak refuses to tell them, they use what they can to make him spill the secrets. With torture him.

"and yes, as stubborn as you and your wife, he didn't tell them anything even if they tortured him", Kazama points Gobi's mess "you know your daughter, she wouldn't just let them be so right now… well, with intention to not kill them, she is still 'punishing' those two bastards who had tortured her brother with intention to send them to your wife".

Sakaki cracks his knuckles, clearly mad "may I join your wife?".

Hakuya scowls "you can do as you please, I have done my part with tearing their bodies apart but I guess Sakuya has put their bodies back?".

"no, she just used her eyes, sir", back to the subject, Kazama continues "and like you said, his seal is broken so he was starting to re-awaken now. We want to stop his transformation to his Demon vessel but he's disappeared. So, while I'm trying to look for him, Sakuya still finishes her business with those bastards".

"and I'm done, it's mother's turn now, or maybe Uncle Sakaki wants to join mother too?", Sakuya appears in front of them, sauntering while bringing two man who has tortured Hak that she has tied with chains, dropping the chain to the ground after she dragging them from inside and covering her left eyes "I heard mother will come here, she hasn't arrived here yet? the one who can detect brother's presence only you and mother, father. Can you help me? I can't find him even if I use my eyes, like the transparent filters exist and bugs my sight".

"after he disappeared, we haven't able to find Hak because that place is also fulfilled with Darkness that cause difficulties for them to just come inside that place", Kazama explains that neither he or Sakuya can come inside again "unfortunately, only someone with protection upon Darkness element because they have made the pact with Darkness mythical creatures like Lady Mulan who has made the pact with Yuki Onna, Demon like you and Ouga, or someone with high divine protection like Princess Setsuna, who can come inside that place".

"I only know one person who can do that, he using the Darkness to disguise himself like your brother did. The different is, your brother right now isn't on his right mind, he only following his instinct and he does it without thinking", Hakuya glares to somewhere "get out, I know you're watching and you've stayed to corrupt my son ever since you helped them to catch him, you bastard".

"oh, come on, brother. By no means I will kill my own nephew, what's more the one who really resembled with my beloved older brother. I only helped to make him become pure-blooded Demon like you and since he will re-awaken as Demon, you can see him right away with your eyes, after his resurrection is success, though…", brown-haired man approaches them before stomping on Gobi's body "human is so weak… just because of his legs were taken, he's dying due to blood lost? You're really sadistic and merciless towards whoever dare to hurt your family, older brother".

"do not call me that, Ouga", Hakuya lifts his chin up nonchalantly "I don't think of you as my little brother anymore, not after what you did to father, my wife and my children".

"so, it's really you, Ouga…", Sakaki lifts his hand up to the front before his scythe appear from the thin air "you again, huh? 17 years ago, you barely killed Mulan and their children. If not because of Hakuya who implanted his Hearts with his life at the stake, Mulan and their children surely would die?! I will not let you hurt them again this time, so prepare yourself?! Help me, Hakuya?!".

Hakuya scratches his neck "hell yeah, I really want to help with what I can, though… looks like I can't do anything for a while".

Sakaki snaps his head "WHAT!? WHY!? when you're the most reliable at the time like this?!".

"I just able to get out of my son's body and go back to my body after my soul stayed within my son's body for long time to seal his power, right now I'm still too weak and it's my limit to use this human form, besides they're coming this way", after remind them about Setsuna and Mulan's arrival, Hakuya lifts his forefinger up "one thing you should remember, Ouga, don't underestimate Woman or you will regret it. Mulan and Sakuya aren't sort of woman you'd ever be able to kill".

Not long after Hakuya's human form turns back into White Tiger, his Beast form, Mulan and Setsuna arrive.

"step back, daughter", Mulan lands and lifts her hand to the side, shielding them from Ouga "when children can't handle things, it's my turn as parents to handle it".

Like Mulan does after they landing, Setsuna straightens her wings "so I heard".

Sakuya exclaims "mother?! big sister?!".

Sakaki can't help but feels sorry for Mulan because he can't tell Mulan about Hakuya's emergence like always "what a flashy encounter, Empress, Princess".

Ouga claps his hands "Lady Fong Mulan, your snow and your wing is beautiful like always, but your snow is too cold and your wings with smell that has mixed with Heaven's guardian spirit is disgusting for me".

"blame my late husband, your older brother, Hakuya for resurrecting me back from Heaven. I'd supposed to die 17 years ago but he sacrificed himself", Mulan touches her heart and her stomach where she still has the scars that she has gotten from that incident which make her must have separated from her children and lost her husband "not only giving his immortality as Demon to bring me back to life, in order to give me and my daughter back to life, he implanting both his hearts to save my life and our daughter who still in my womb".

"right, as Pure-Blooded Demon, we have three hearts. Heart as Human, Heart as Demon and Heart as Beast. We can change our form into Human, Demon and Beast. Just because you were dying and pregnant of his second child at that time, he gave his Heart as Demon to your daughter and his Heart as Human to you. As if not enough with that, after that he lost his soul that he transferred along with his Thunder Beast into your son's body to protect your son's soul from Darkness Dragon, leaving his body turning into Beast with pathetic form such as that White Tiger that can't even communicate with us. For me, he's already dead?!", Ouga shakes his head with forlorn smirk before snaps her "it's all your fault?! If not because of you, my brother wouldn't leave our Kingdom and passing his throne as next Demon King to me and he wouldn't die such low life as human like that?!".

"then, why do you not die and just follow him to another world?", Mulan unfurls her Raven enormous wings "I thought I told you before, it's up to you if you want to hate me or do whatever you want to me as you please but do not touch my children? but looks like you really want to die, huh?".

"big sister in law, unfortunately I am not the one who captured your son. That mad priest is the one who had captured your son and kept him as hostage", Ouga lifts his thumb to Gobi "don't worry about your son. Instead, I tried to help him to get out of this place with his own strength. I have given Pure-Blooded Demon's bloods to him to release his seal".

"you… gave my son Pure-Blooded Demon's bloods?", Mulan gasps and stutters in disbelief before snapping "do you realize what you've done to my son?! With giving Pure-Blooded Demon's bloods to half-blooded Demon like my son, you will make him become Pure-Blooded Demon like you and my husband!?".

"yes, with you as human and my older brother as Pure-Blooded Demon, your son still only half-human and half-Demon. Thanks to Yuuda Clan who has researched about Pure-Blooded Demon's bloods can do, I know that if I give Pure-Blooded Demon's bloods to half-Demon and half-Human like your son, he will fully become Pure-Blooded Demon".

"where is my son?!".

"I hide him under my Darkness barrier till his transformation is over. You're supposed to give thanks to me because as firstborn child, he will give the back our family's honorary".

"only for you", Mulan snarls but realizing the sudden movements beside her, looking down to Setsuna who drops to her knees with Yona and Sakuya supporting her "Setsuna, what's wrong?".

Setsuna doesn't answer her, instead she rises from her seat before lifting her hand. Enormous fireball is created upon her hands, she throwing that fire to Gobi and his two subordinates who laying on the ground near Ouga. Ouga dodges that fireball but because Gobi can't walk with his legs that no longer on his body, either two other man who can't wake up because they are still under the influence of Sakuya's illusion, they can't run from that fireball. Mulan orders Sakuya to stop that fireball, thus Sakuya half-heartedly shielding them from Setsuna's fireball, using her power to control water to make the barrier upon those three mans.

When Mulan halts her, Setsuna cries "let me kill them, mother?! how dare he… not only he captured and kept Hak as hostage, he also ordered his subordinates to torture Hak to make him spill out the information about Four Dragons?! Because Hak didn't say anything, they gave many kinds of tortures to Hak?! I won't forgive them, ever?!".

"neither do I, sweetheart, but I wouldn't want to let you dirtying your hand with their blood", Mulan kisses Setsuna's eyelids before reading Setsuna, Sakuya and Yona's mind. She asks Yona to take care of Setsuna "I see, I understand now… Sakaki, create the barrier", Mulan rises with murderous intention surroundings her body "looks like they really want to die".

Setsuna tugs Mulan's sleeves "at least, let me to take that mad priest's arm first?!".

Mulan shrugs her shoulder "okay, you may take one of his arms but make sure he's still intact before I send him to hell with my own hand".

Setsuna claims one of Gobi's hand, ripping it apart with her fireball that burning one of Gobi's hand like how those two torturers have sliced one Hak's hand off his body. Like what Mulan has instructed, Sakaki creates the barrier to keep Yona and the others safe as long as Mulan fights against Ouga.

Surprisingly, Sakuya steps in front of Mulan "mother, let me".

"Sakuya, no", Mulan grabs her bicep "you can't, let me finish him off—".

"mother", Sakuya releases her patch-eyes to reveal the scar that slicing through her left eyes "you don't forget that uncle Ouga… he is not only father's little brother, he was the one who has screwed up our family till we were separated from older brother and lost father, but he also the one who keep me away from you for years, hiding me to only make me become his guinea pig until uncle Zeno freed me from him and brought me back to you. He is the one who had made this scar to my face. I wouldn't be able to get rid of my nightmare if I were not able to get rid of him".

Mulan doesn't have many choices left, so she nods her head, letting Sakuya to fight against Ouga.

Ouga snickers mockingly "what? you let your daughter that a mere half-human half-demon to fight against me?".

"don't you dare to insult my daughter", Mulan taps her daughter's shoulder lightly before she joins Sakaki to strengthen the barrier "prove to him that you can do it, Sakuya".

Sakaki furrows his eyebrows when Kazama stands outside the barrier "err… Kazama, what are you doing?".

"watching my fiancée and in case she needs it, I will help her", Kazama embeds his sword on the ground in front of him "not that I don't believe her but I still want to help her with what I can".

"that's really sweet of you… I love that part of you, Kazama", Sakuya smiles fondly before she changes her human form into her Demon form. Her legs turn into fish tail with Jade green scales with bluish speckled, membranes like fish fins in between fingers on her hand's, fish fins on her earlobes and water tubes wrapping itself securely around her waist as her cushion "Leviathan?!".

Yun agapes when they witnessing what happen "what is that?".

As Sakuya lifts her hand and calls one of her Guardian, gigantic blue serpent with thunderbolt surroundings its body appears, emerging down from the sky that splits apart like surface of water has divided into two, flash of lightnings shout by turns. That gigantic serpent enlaces its body into Ouga's, wrecking his body before attacking him with his thunder. Ouga dodges the thunder with his Darkness barrier and lunges into her, ordering his own Guardian, Dark Beast to fight against Leviathan. Sakuya stretches her hands to the side, revealing other fish fins on her forearms that sharp as sword, she using it as her sword to fight against Ouga.

Mulan explains to Yona and the others that every Pure-Blooded Demon can have Guardians to protect them. Normally, one Demon only able to possess one Guardian that will make the pact with them once they born. If they want to have two Guardian, they must do the ritual and fulfill the condition and make the pact with their Guardian, where Guardians usually divide into two, Guardian from 'Light' side or you can tell them as Holy Creature, such as Holy Beast like Phoenix, and Guardian from 'Darkness' side such as Youkai, mythical creatures who walking under the darkness from underworld like Snow Woman. Usually, their Demon form and their power are influenced by their Guardian who have stayed by their side since their born. It explains to Yona and others, why Hakuya has White Tiger form or why Sakuya has the unique Demon form like mermaid and can control water.

Mulan smirks "but not only that what make Sakuya is different".

In the midst of the fight, Sakuya calls her other Guardian after somersault herself backwards "bite him, Fenrir?!".

This time enormous wolf with silver furs appears from behind Sakuya, jumping and landing on top of Ouga's body. Before Fenrir is able to devour him, Ouga orders his Dark Beast to come to defend him and throws his sword to Sakuya, but Leviathan protects Sakuya when Dark Beast and Fenrir wrestle on the ground.

"if you think it will still the same with 17 years ago, you're totally wrong and you've made a big mistake, uncle?! Artemis?!", another Guardian, woman cladded in white robe appearing to her side, stretching her bow.

Ouga stares to her incredulously "no way… how could you able to call them all and have more than one guardian?!".

"you know that I and my brother aren't normal, right?", Sakuya shrugs with amused smirk "the answer is simple, because since the first time, I haven't made the pact with them, at all. I only call them one by one so I can make a friendship with them, so they are who befriend with me, agree to lend their power to me in case I need them, like right now".

So this is what Mulan has meant with Sakuya is different? She isn't like ordinary Demon who make the pact with their Guardian, but she can communicate with them and make them as her friend thus far those guardians who have been befriending with her, willingly to protect her.

At the same time as Artemis's arrow lands on Ouga's heart, another arrow lands on Ouga's back, it coming from Yona, surprising them all. Using this as advantage, Mulan launches the last blow to Ouga, uttering the incantation as she putting her palm on his chest. Ouga coughs, puking bloods and wondering what kind of attack that she has launched to him.

"what, you think I can control a mere ice? You're wrong, because what I can control is not only the shape water but also to move their 'time' as long as their soul haven't left their body. I just make all of your hearts to be rotten", Mulan smirks apologetically to Sakuya who pouts, she gesturing to Sakuya to understand, as a mother she doesn't want her daughter to kill any other life, just let her to handle the killing. Looks like Sakuya catches her message and after Ouga's body totally turns into ashes, Mulan brings up her hands into praying position "Wish to God".

Sakuya lifts her head up as Kazama carrying her bridal style on his arms after wrapping her bare torso with his Haori "mother, can you hear it?".

"yeah, I can hear it clearly… till it really feels heartbreaking for my heart, to hear my son's cries in pain and despair", Mulan whispers weakly. Ouga's dead that mean he no longer able to keep Hak hidden.