Author's Note: Warning, profane ritual coming. Despite the fact that I hate most horror I'm actually obsessed with blood. You have been warned. I don't think it's too bad, but there it is. Thought I'd shift the story a bit to something more closely resembling Raidou's day to day, though still above his average day, to help establish him. I tried several ideas for the section of the story, and I think this is the one which works the best. I may not be writing as often, but the character is just a strongly in my mind as ever. Hoping writer and readers can get more into it.
The thumping below had to be Narumi-san banging on the ceiling downstairs. The weight on his chest, which included four small sharp zones, had to be Gouto.
"Are you awake?" the black cat inquired irritably the moment Raidou opened his eyes.
"Have you asked that before?"
Gouto hopped off.
Raidou rapped his knuckles on the floor. A moment later the banging stopped. He slowly sat.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I went to sleep way too late last night," Raidou replied. He tapped his phone to show the time. Six thirty in the morning. No wonder he felt exhausted.
"She didn't up and smack me…"
"So you have time to wash up," Gouto finished.
Raidou nodded. Gouto's presence, however unobtrusive it normally was, comforted him immensely. Gouto had been there nearly his whole life and he never wanted to lose his companion. He scrounged up enough energy to hop to his feet so he could get cleaned up and dressed.
"Know the occasion?"
"Not exactly, but she's been communicating with the police."
"An investigation then?"
"Likely, and by the sounds of it a murder."
"Heh. Have had one in a while."
"Raidou?"
The young man tilted his head to the side to express that he was listening.
"What are you going to do about that Shadow of yours?"
He shrugged.
"You can't just leave things the way they are."
"I know."
"Then what are you going to do?"
Raidou shrugged again.
"You need a plan."
"Hmm. What do you think?"
"You have to get rid of him."
"How?"
"I suppose you'll have to beat him down."
Raidou paused in buttoning his shirt.
"I know it's hard, but if you get stronger…"
"Wrong."
"Pardon?"
Raidou resumed with his shirt. "He'll still be there. Just hidden."
"You can't accept him."
"Why?"
"He's like a rebellious teen, desperate for revenge, the power to accomplish it, and his own freedom. You're Raidou Kuzunoha."
Raidou smiled sadly. Gout had him nailed pretty well. He just hadn't connected it to why Raidou Kuzunoha the Fifteenth could never beat Akira.
He adjusted his hat. "Let's see what the police want this time."
Gouto let out a strange mew, his version of a sigh, but followed Raidou downstairs.
Three police cars and two queasy rookies marked the otherwise simple home as the crime scene. Raidou and his bike jointed them.
A rookie hobbled towards him as he got off. "Sorry, sir, but -"
"Raidou Kuzunoha the Fifteenth." He hauled out a simple badge. "I work with Detective Iguchiya."
"I-I see...still wouldn't go in."
"You don't have to," Raidou gibed, striding into the home.
"That's a little harsh," Gouto reprimanded.
"I don't have time for rookies," Raidou responded
He could hear movement and some talking in the room ahead and to the left.
"...expert coming."
Daisuke's voice sounded awfully ragged from the other room. He probably hadn't gotten much sleep either. Raidou walked up to his companion.
"Impressive."
"Disgusting," Daisuke corrected.
"Smelly," Gouto added with a wrinkle of his nose.
Raidou sniffed the air. Yeah. Something had definitely been burned in this room. Incense? Maybe, but not one a person would burn to clear out a bad smell. Had a ritual taken place?
Looking at the bloody strips of flesh, the strewn entrails, and the four carefully placed heads,, three smiling, he could believe some attempt at 'dark' magic had taken place.
He took a step back, taking in the image of the room as a whole. Something seemed off. There was clearly some sort of pattern here. The strips of flesh, the strewn blood, the entrails. They seemed to form something.
Now he shifted his gaze to the rest of the room. A counter separated the living space, where the murder had occurred, from the kitchen. Raidou moved over to clamber on top.
"What are you doing?"
"Perfect." He pulled out his phone and took a picture of the scene now below him. "Narumi-san," he said into a small mic, "can you take a look at this?" He quickly sent the image.
"We already sent your agency the images," one of the detectives remarked. Tamaki, wasn't it? Yeah, he was Daisuke's partner. Why did they insist on detectives working in pairs anyway?
"She would have noticed this."
Daisuke clambered up beside him, though with quite a bit more noise and at least one cracking joint. "Tamaki, why didn't you sent them up here?"
"Should I have?"
"It's a picture," Raidou replied. "Looks like it starts to the right, furthest away from the grotesque head."
"They're all grotesque, Raidou."
"You know what I mean. You just need to look at this as an image. It's actually kind of artistic."
"What is it?" Tamaki snapped.
"A cherry blossom tree."
"What?"
"He's right." Daisuke pushed himself down. "The heads are viewing the tree, and they used the natural layout of the room."
"Who would do that?"
"That's easy; a murderer who likes art. Would doesn't matter." Raidou hopped down beside Daisuke. "Why are three of them smiling?"
"We believe chemical substances were involved."
"Drugs?"
"Likely."
"Hmm."
"Do you think it's a demon?"
Raidou shrugged.
"No human could do something like this," Tamaki pressed.
For a moment Raidou's ability to breathe just stopped as he choked back on laughter. Had this guy ever met humans?
"We don't know that, Tamaki," Daisuke scolded. "You alright, Raidou?"
The devil summoner waved a hand in Daisuke's face to indicate he was fine, coming up for air just a moment later. "Sorry. Been stressed."
"What?"
"Go check on the rookies, Tamaki."
"Yes, sir," Tamaki grumbled in response. He did head outside though.
"You really should be more considerate," Gouto berated.
"Sorry," Raidou responded aloud. "What do you think, Daisuke?"
"Well, I wouldn't call you if I didn't think it was demons."
"Or if you were out of leads."
"I still wouldn't call you this soon."
Raidou smiled slightly. Even with all the gore in front of him things just felt normal and pleasant being with Daisuke and Gouto, Narumi-san listening in over the microphone.
"Alright. Any ideas as to why?"
Daisuke shook his head. "Nothing. This seems to be isolated, so it's hard to draw conclusions. Unfortunately, cases like this don't tend to stay isolated." He looked directly at Raidou. "We need this solved fast. If word of something like this gets out, especially if it happens again, there will be panic."
"Three smiles," he mused, "one terror."
"We should have the test back soon. Not enough for detailed evidence, but enough to know if there were under the influence of any substance."
"Something burnt?"
"I can make sure they know to look out for that. You think it was something inhaled?"
"I think something was inhaled," Raidou corrected. "Don't know if it's a drug."
"I see. Should I clear out and let you bring out your friends?"
Raidou nodded. Raiju and Moh Shuvuu would be able to find things a human couldn't, but he disliked bringing his demons out with other people around. Mostly because they disliked being ignored.
"I'll get one of the rookies to grab us some coffee."
"Tea," Raidou corrected.
"Yeah, yeah," Daisuke muttered as he left the house.
"It's amazing how he always think of you as a coffee drinker," Gouto remarked.
"Let's just get started," Raidou grumbled, pulling out a tube.
Author's Note: The first Raidou game is on the PSN! If you haven't played it yet you should go fix that. It's not great, but it's a lot of fun and I really enjoy the setting and the cast. Anyway, as usual please review. I really do appreciate it.
