喰霊－ 零－
Will you kill someone you love, because of love?
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Disclaimer: Segawa Hajime, the creator of Ga-Rei and Kadokawa Shoten, the company that serialises it, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera. However, some of the titles are mine, as are most of the events so hah!
A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. I have been working on my other fiction, as well as this one, while being weighed down by several other things I won't bore you lot with. Let's just say I think I overdid it. ^_^;;;
In any event, this chapter will finally commit itself to what I changed about the plot and continue into the tragic ending. I've also expanded the role of the Isayama clan, not just for Mei, but just to see how much character I can afford to those minor characters that barely received any proper mention before they were Mitogawa'd.
Speaking of which, for those that were keeping up, this past month, the final chapter of Ga-rei was translated and released on , finalizing the fates of all its characters. Some have voiced complaints about it, but I feel as though it was a decent ending and that some factors played to making it a very welcome story to what has been made as of late. I wonder if Ga-rei Zero's release helped in how Segawa-san ended the story, but I would've hoped for it all the same.
Now, on to my reviews:
To Ominae: Haha, I know what you mean and I'll try to incorporate more of the MOD to my fiction, though you can be assured that the Tokusen Shikai are going to play a larger role than the simple canon fodder they were in the original series.
To depression76: Well, the original had its moments, which is why I haven't changed everything and gone a complete tangent from the established events, but I did strongly feel that there were a few characters that could have been given larger roles, which could play on the tragedy even more, which is what I'm going to do here. I hope you'll enjoy my fiction enough to seek the original for a comparison. Haha, it might sound daft of me, but you may just find reason enough to crossover the two similar universes for a third story of your own.
To MaesLawliet: Yes, that's why I did it. Those two episodes really didn't hold much value and I didn't understand why it couldn't have been made into one toss-away episode to show how Yomi and Kagura used to be at the best point in their lives. It just didn't seem to need so much emphasis. Likewise with Mei, I felt as though her character was developing so well and then they just stopped to build the Mitogawa plot. It felt like a waste which is why I've changed it, and yet kept it in the same vein as you'll see in this chapter.
Now, without further interruption, I present the next chapter of Ga-Rei Zero,
罪螺旋－つみのらせん－
GAREI -ZERO- episode 06
Butterflies fluttered about a darkened and dreary rooftop on this calm, cool evening. Their wings gave off a cerulean lustre, glistening against the light down below and the stars shining above. As Mitogawa Kazuhiro looked down at the crowded streets below, rocking himself back and forth, he entertained himself with their day-to-day actions, the comings and goings that they all took for granted. Mitogawa knew he used to be one of them, too, sadly going about a mundane existence totally oblivious to life's wretched reality. It changed for him that day, on that trip. He'd lost his parents, particularly his treasured mother, and knew from then on what life was really about. He knew how the world worked and paid a heavy price to learn it.
"But now things work according to my design, or rather, I'm finally on the side that works for me and you my little ones all march along in line with my unspoken orders. How foolish." He purred to them, "I didn't even lift a finger yet and already things couldn't be going more my way. Greed, envy, and all those delicious little ambitions of yours have given me the keys to your soul and you gave them to me so willingly, I could never have guessed my good fortune."
It was true. Humanity was filled with selfishness, hate, and from that, it connives amongst one another to ultimately destroy their competition, though in the end, that competition is still part of humanity so they only harm themselves in the end. Just like those people who his parents had trusted, who his father reassured were the best and would most definitely keep them safe. So much for that.
"Now you can trust in me, dad. You can rest assured that this world has seen nothing yet of its true colour and I'll be the one to show them in definite severity. And I just might some fun in between." With that, Mitogawa's Sesshouseki glowed bright and he was gone, leaving behind a single butterfly wing.
Naraku carefully examined the reports as he sat at his desk. Yomi and Kagura had gone off to shop for groceries, which left him enough peace and quiet to go about his researching. The surges in spiritual activity weren't forming naturally. While it wouldn't be so easily deciphered by others, his experience showed him that the recent series of anomalies had been completely out of place and out of character. He couldn't figure out what or who was behind it, though, but he knew some artificial device was at work and this would disturb the balance of the kami. If it wasn't put to a stop, a most disastrous event would eventually follow.
"I want to eat cream croquette, nyan." Yomi purred in literal fashion as she and Kagura walked down the aisle of the supermarket.
"That's really complicated to make." Kagura replied, looking at her sister as she continued to push the cart to her intended destination.
"Well, it's Kagura who's making it so that's fine, nyan." Yomi mused, her arms tucked casually behind her head.
"Eh? Me?"
"Apprentice obeys her master, nyan."
Kagura sighed, hanging her shoulders down, "Yomi used to insist on making anything for me before."
Rolling the cart to one of the freezers, she selected a frozen package of said snack and put it in the cart. Yomi was taken aback by it, considering how much worse the quality was with frozen compared to freshly-made with some tender love and care. It was safe to say master was not pleased. However, Kagura returned her complaints with ease.
"Don't be so picky. Mother is a very busy woman." She stated proudly, putting the package into the cart much to Yomi's dismay, "What's next?"
"Buy snacks!" Yomi chirped, cutely raising a hand up in the air.
"Mother approves!" Kagura responded, doing likewise.
The light atmosphere, however, would abruptly come to an end there. While Yomi browsed through the selection, Kagura came to a stop, her eyes staring at one of the items on the bottom shelf she was currently kneeling in front of.
"Hey Yomi," She began, "Am I useful?"
"What are you saying?" Yomi asked incredulously, "Is this about the Shiryo?"
With a very slight nod from the little one, Yomi knew she needed to offer some comforting words to lift her spirits, "No worries. That's not one of the things in Kagura's control."
"I guess so."
"We're back!" The girls chimed in unison once they arrived back home.
Naraku had just chosen to get some air when they returned and was contented with their youthful presence, saying a hearty "welcome home" before asking if Kagura had seen her father as of late. If not, it would behoove her to do as such. Garaku had recently returned from an exhausting mission and could use his daughter's support.
In reality, he knew Garaku had wanted to teach Kagura about the inheritance of the Tsuchimiya family, the sacred Ga-rei, Byakuei. Meanwhile, Naraku himself had wanted to get Yomi alone to speak to her about recent events. Something was amiss and he wanted to discover the facts before it was too late for the country to recover.
When Kagura reached her house, it was already dark. The dimly light streets echoed her present state of mind as she thought on how hard her father had been fighting and honouring the Tsuchimiya name while she still couldn't bring herself to perform a simple exorcism on those Category Ds. She was ashamed of her easily exploitable weakness and afraid to face her father because of it, but she knew she would have to eventually. The only ray of hope left was that her father could forgive and look past that flaw in light of Kagura eventually overcoming it. She just needed time to cope with what she was doing.
Sliding open the door to her father's room, Kagura saw that he was in the middle of tending to a new wound sustained during his missions. From what she could see, there was a large gash down his left shoulder, so deep she feared his arm could detach at any time. She gasped, this allowing Garaku to notice her presence.
"Kagura?" He grumbled, continuing to tend to his injuries.
"Yes, I've returned home." Kagura spoke solemnly, entering the room and sliding the door shut, "Let me help you with that."
Garaku nodded, placing a piece of gauze he had just unrolled onto his shoulder and handing Kagura the bandages to hold it in place. Kagura wrapped her father's injury quickly and silently, not once daring to look into his eyes. Instead, she took to focusing on the bandage she was wrapping her father with, slight shivers crawling down her spine each time she had to see that awful wound.
"Are you alright?" She asked her father.
"As long as it isn't fatal," Was his reply, "I can let it utilise the Sesshouseki's power to heal itself. Do not worry."
"But it looks like it hurts."
"That's also part of the responsibility we shoulder. What happened with your leg?"
"A few days ago… during a mission…"
"That was careless."
"I'm sorry. I'll be more mindful in the future."
Garaku got on his shirt, sighing before telling his daughter that, "In the future, you'll eventually have to inherit Byakuei. If you don't have a thorough awareness in your tasks, you'll never be able to inherit it properly."
Standing up, he took another breath and kept his back to Kagura, "Uniting with a Ga-rei provides you with Byakuei's spiritual power. It is a wild beast that can and will completely engulf any dense miasma from either personnel or surroundings. Our ancestors fused their very own souls with it as a means for assimilation and thus used their own body as the spiritual seal for Byakuei. Accordingly, generation after generation, we continue to maintain the seal on Byakuei. Releasing the seal frees it to attack for us and use its might as a powerful spiritual beast for our purposes in slaying. However, once a person's soul has been bound to Byakuei, it can never be freed. If one should desire to break the bond, it would mean that one's soul be forfeit. It would be the end of that person's life. Remember this well, Kagura."
Opening the door, he made one final and exceedingly painful statement, reminding Kagura what she had most not wanted to think about, "Grow stronger." Then, he was gone, leaving Kagura feeling broken inside, further doubting herself in her path as a slayer.
After Kagura left for home, Naraku put a gentle hand on Yomi's shoulder and guided her to his office. Inside, he walked to the window while a puzzled Yomi wondered what was troubling her father. For a while, neither spoke, Naraku content with looking outside at the setting sun, trying not to think about what he had to do in the near future. He only hoped Yomi was strong enough to carry on when he retired, which would regrettably be soon.
"Father?" Yomi finally spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Yomi, I wanted to ask you about the recent missions you've been on with the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division." Naraku responded, a grave tone about his voice as he continued to look outside.
"Yes?"
"There have been a great many incidents in recent times. How are you faring?"
"The evil spirits seem to be growing in number and strength, but other than having more trouble in exorcising them, nothing else seems odd. Maybe it's just a bubble."
Naraku turned to Yomi, a worried look in his eyes, "Yomi, we both know the epicenters of all these recent events are not normal. Surely I've taught you better than this."
"I didn't want to alarm you, father. Yes, these recent anomalies are very strange and seem to be occurring much more clustered and in random orientation than previously monitored. What do you think might be going on?" Yomi replied, "Could it be pollution or an imbalance in the Spiritual Matrix?"
"Both. It feels like it's both, doesn't it Yomi?" Naraku said, a furrow placing itself upon his brow, "Curious. Yomi, what have you seen of Mei?"
Upon hearing the question, Yomi's violet eyes immediately lit up, "Mei is so amazing! You heard about how she single-handedly defeated a horde of Ushi-oni without breaking a sweat, right? And on our last mission, she saved Kagura from a Category A: Futabi. Even Nue and I couldn't get to her in time because we were having trouble exorcising that other Category A: Hitobi. And she helped me take care of that thing, too."
At this point, Yomi had her hands behind her back, almost swooning over Mei's immense skill as she gazed out of the window. Naraku looked on with concern for his surrogate daughter. She was not reacting to Mei's upscaling her in the way he had hoped she would. On the contrary, the girl seemed quite taken by this tale of bravery and skill that Mei was suddenly demonstrating following Yuu's attempt at replacing Yomi with her as heir to the head of the Isayama clan. He was a bit disappointed that his daughter who had been trained well to decipher subterfuge when it occurred would be so steadfast in falling in line with Mei's turn to formidable slayer.
Taking a sigh and looking downward, Yomi's expression became more sober and solemn as she continued on, adding, "I have to admit, at first, when she scolded me about Nue in the Yamabiko mission, I was upset, but after she selflessly saved us from the Sazae-oni after already facing that powerful Shinryu, I felt ashamed for those ill-feelings towards her. She was only teaching me how to be a better slayer."
Naraku sighed grievously, the furrow in his brow creasing ever more as he watched the girl he raised since infancy suddenly become so gullible to the obvious deceits of her elder sibling. Isayama Mei had to be up to something. Days ago when she reacted so positively to being rejected the prospect of inheriting the coveted title her father fought adamantly to gain her, he had already known something would start. It had to be Mei that was causing this. A simple Kameosa filled with a sampling of weak miasma would be all she needed to throw the spirits off balance and create those bizarre signals.
"Are you sure you haven't noticed anything else out of place with these surges in spiritual activity?" Naraku asked again, hoping Yomi would confirm his doubts.
"Nothing besides the abnormally high concentration of them. I'll keep an eye out for anything strange next time. I'm sure it's probably just a random bubble and with Mei around, we'll pop it in no time." Yomi answered with a whole-hearted smile.
In typical circumstances, seeing his daughter's smile would have been enough to shed away any troubles he had, but this was no ordinary worry. Naraku could already see the bleak outcome of this "bubble" as Yomi put it. Evil was at work, evil none of them could possibly prepare for. Mei, regardless if she knew it or not, was aiding this evil in fulfilling its goal, playing her part in its schemes. Furthermore, evil like this was dangerous; it was dangerous beyond expectable bounds and Naraku knew he wanted his daughter to have no part in it for fear of her safety. Powerful and clever she might be, but he was still her father and could never bear to send her into harm's way. No, this time was a time for the head of the Isayama clan to return to active duty. This was a mission only suitable for him and no other.
As such, he made this request of his daughter: "Yomi, tomorrow is your day-off from your duties at the Ministry of the Environment. I want you to leave Shishio at home and spend the day like a normal girl your age. It's bad enough you have to travel into the worst areas of this country; I don't need you training during your brief moments of recess. Perhaps you could spend the day with Kagura and just have some fun. Is that understood?"
Yomi was quite beside herself, "Father, what do you mean? I usually just patrol a little when I get bored. There's not that much to do around here and Kagura still has a lot to learn. May-"
"You mustn't forget about your rest. Kagura, as well. There are two pieces to training: One is to hone your skills and to develop through practice. However, there is another side to training. Haven't I said this to you before?"
"Yes, another part of training isn't physical but conceptual. Sometimes fatigue makes it impossible to complete a new form and the only way to overcome it is to relax one's mind, ease a bit back, and let go of one's competitive nature in desiring accomplishment."
"After your mind has been cleared, purged of frustration and doubt, you may find your solutions much more quickly and thus develop faster than if you stubbornly forced your way through." Naraku finished.
"I understand. Still, I don't think I have anything I'm confused about."
"Yes, but Kagura does and she needs her big sister. She needs you to help her understand how to surpass the drawback she has when dealing with Ningen no Shiryo."
"Understood. I guess I'll just leave Shishio in my room then." Yomi accepted, "Tomorrow, I'll take Kagura to the city center and do a little shopping to take her mind off of things."
Naraku nodded his approval and dismissed Yomi from his den. Looking out of his window again, he concentrated on the next tasks at hand. This situation would be getting worse before it could get better.
"So much for shopping." Yomi sighed as they faced-off in the park.
Yomi's eyes were trained to the point of her mokuto, which preceded her against her opponent. Though they were fixed to one spot, her mind scanned for any slight movement within her range of vision or any vantage point she could exploit. Kagura, too, followed in this fashion, looking to see any weaknesses in her sister's stance. For a while, neither moved, each calculating the mistakes the other could make.
Without warning, Kagura burst from her spot, lunging for Yomi with her own mokuto. Casually, Yomi stepped back, taking the strike into her weapon, pulling close before spinning to strike Kagura in the back of her neck. The other girl ducked the attack, turned, and stabbed upward, catching Yomi's weapon and sliding across it while she stood. Unlocking weapons, they clashed a few more times, first to Yomi's left, then down at the waist, then back up near Kagura's neck, each strike failing to meet its mark as the other's defensive prowess was perfectly matched. Purposefully, Yomi slid her left foot back and displayed an easily advantaged area on her left. Kagura, taking notice, struck forward, placing her mokuto in a killing position right beside her sister's neck.
"Very graceful," Yomi declared, closing her eyes to take a breath, "but not worth the price."
As she pointed out, her own mokuto had already broken through Kagura's defence and was already in killing position before she set up her own at Yomi's neck. In an actual battle, this would have resulted in Kagura's death. She had become careless at the first sign of a vantage point.
"In a match, if you receive two grave hits, you lose." Yomi pressed on, "Don't use sacrificial or suicidal tactics to win your battle. Instead, think through your moves to defeat your opponents without taking damage to yourself."
"Okay."
"Still, you've really grown stronger." Yomi added, smiling at the progress her little sister had made, "Just before, using only counters, it took a long time to bring out that lure style to get to you."
Kagura's face abruptly became melancholic and her voice lowered, as well, as she murmured, "Yomi, can I really keep going on like this?"
"Kagura…"
"In the beginning, I didn't really understand what this role was about. Seeing Yomi's tremendous spiritual power made me want to be as strong, too. I kept thinking that stopping evil spirits to protect everyone was a very cool thing to do. But… now… I'm not sure anymore."
"Kagura." Yomi muttered, great concern for her sister enveloping every fiber of her being.
"What should I do?"
To this, Yomi thought of a good response, perhaps one that could help the girl out, saying, "Well, I don't know. I can only say a few 'ganbare' to cheer Kagura on or I can tell you to give up. However, in the end, it's only Kagura that can make up her mind just what she should do. Right now, whatever's troubling you, forget what anyone tells you and listen to your heart. Believe in yourself to find the answer to your question. At the very least, this is how I made it this far."
"Yomi…" Kagura said, her eyes starting to light up.
"Stop worrying about what the final result might be. As long as Kagura is the only one doing what Kagura wants for herself, I'll always be by your side."
Seeing Kagura's smile, Yomi returned it with one of her own, "Yes, always at your side."
"Thank you, Yomi." Kagura said, rushing into her sister for a hug.
As the younger girl sobbed gently in her embrace, Yomi felt the warmth she had received from her father when he gave her the same answer years ago offered to her little sister now that she had one to give it to. Yomi made a promise to herself that she would watch over Kagura before and now she'd done just as her father before her. It was a wonderful feeling to have someone in your care, dependent on you but growing stronger each day. She hadn't understood why her father felt the way he did about Yomi's successes and failures, but she felt she could now that Kagura was there.
"Hey Yomi?"
"Yes?"
"So much for Uncle Naraku telling us to have a normal girl's shopping spree, huh?"
"I like the clothes I have already, anyway."
Kagura chuckled, "Well, you'll eventually wear them out."
"When that happens, I could just go out wearing them ripped."
"I think you might attract the wrong kind of evil spirits then, Yomi."
"I think you're right. Well, it's still early. Do you want to, I don't know, go to one of those salon things?" Yomi suggested, "I heard they're supposed to be relaxing."
"Haha, you need to pamper yourself more, Yomi. I went with Yacchi and Mikuru just last week."
To that, Yomi turned away in mock indignation, "My natural beauty makes up for anything they could do to me there!"
"Tell that to your split ends." Kagura giggled.
"Hey, I use conditioner!" Yomi spat back.
Just then, Kagura's phone sounded to show her she'd received a text. Taking out the device, she noted the message was from Yacchi. She and Mikuru were at the local shopping center waiting for her. Yacchi even said she was buying, which obviously meant the Apocalypse was near. Kagura couldn't pass on that opportunity.
"She a friend from school?" Yomi asked.
"Yea, Yacchi. She said she's paying so I should hurry."
"Oh, so you're good friends then?"
"I guess so."
"Did you tell her about what you do then?"
"Sort of half and half."
"That's good enough. You should value your friendships." Yomi suggested, putting her hand on Kagura's arm, "Hurry up then!"
As her sister left, Yomi took a breath as she saw her off. It was something she herself had no luck in, having been home-schooled and being best kept to herself. She wasn't very easygoing when it came to making friends and she shied away from regular people for fear they would reject her as a slayer. It was this that made it important for Kagura to have the friends she did.
A blip on her radar made her turn around to see the lone Kuda-gitsune perched on a nearby post. Nori wanted to see her and had sent her another little messenger. Since there was plenty of day left, she happily followed the little creature, wondering what the boy had in mind.
Naraku had a ploy in mind when he invited his brother and Mei to the house. He had taken out his will and would announce to both of them that he was resigning early, which, though to be used as a way to draw Mei out, was also honestly what he had been wanting to do since seeing how fit Yomi was to take on the responsibility of leadership. He had no doubt that whether or not he was actually at his end, Yomi would be more than capable of carrying the mantle as head of the Isayama clan. In all respects, she was a much stronger and smarter slayer than he, with a powerful resolve and talents far outmatching any other that he'd seen, possibly only matched by the uncanny lineage of the Tsuchimiya clan itself.
"You wanted to speak with me, Honoured Brother?" Yuu inquired of his elder.
"Yes and actually, it is in regards to the matter of letting Yomi take over." Naraku pointedly stated, "I'm wondering if I should expedite the process."
Yuu was visibly and truthfully concerned, "Honoured Brother, it can't be that-"
"No need for such concern. I'm not dying just yet. However, in keeping with that, there's no predicting what could happen at an age like mine. I figure while I still have the strength left, I should abdicate the title as head of our clan just to be safe." Naraku explained, loud enough for both parties to hear him, his eyes gazing at Mei every now and then.
"I see."
"I want to officially announce my retirement and Yomi's promotion at the next meeting of the families." He continued, his eyes never leaving the girl as he spoke on Yomi's ascension, "Yuu, I want you to prepare the ceremony, understood?"
"Understood." Though Yuu said it with a heavy heart indeed, he accepted his appointed task and turned to his daughter, "Mei, as your Uncle just said, I want you to help me with the preparations."
"Yes." Mei replied, though her eyes told Naraku everything he wanted to know.
She stared into him, underlying hatred, resentment, and fury buried under crimson irises. Though Yuu having rejected the training and enduring none of the hardships of the rest of his slayer bloodline could not see the line being drawn, both Naraku and Mei were just then naming themselves one another's enemies. Naraku saw in Mei a darkness he had never cared enough to realise in the girl, but now that he had, he distasted it. There was no cause for her to feel she had any right to the title when she, herself, had not done anything of mention as a slayer and had only done so in recent times due to unspeakable deeds, completely in conflict with her heritage. If Yuu had only been more attentive to his duties as a member of the Isayama clan, his fathering Mei should have taught the girl some honour and morality so she'd have known better than to poison the world with all these heinous uprisings in malignant spiritual activity.
"Mei, this should be a joyous occasion for you. Was it not your who said my Yomi was a far superior candidate than you? Now that she's fulfilling her purpose as your leader, you must be ecstatic for her." Naraku venomously stated to the girl who had, as yet, not removed her vicious scowl from her visage.
"Yes, Uncle. I am thrilled to see that Yomi will be leading our family now and doing so following your excellent teachings. I am sure she will not let our family's name be tarnished or otherwise ruined by failure." She almost hissed at him, her form holding steady despite the tone of her voice obviously angered beyond bounds.
Unfortunately, her father, Yuu, was still ignorant of this, sighing for both of them as he was more than candid about showing his disapproval of Yomi's ascension. Naraku chose to dismiss them right then, passing an undeniably vivid glare at his niece just as she turned to leave. He wanted her upset. He needed her to be off her normal calm as he was no longer the youthful and powerful slayer he once was. Now, he was an aged and nearly crippled, daft fool who only hoped the leverage of Shishio would be enough for what was to come.
Mei stormed onto the roof of her house, slamming open the door and slamming it shut. Heaving and burning mad with rage, she stalked up to Mitogawa who had been waiting for her. Casually flicking back a few strands of hair from his face, his eye fell upon the girl and brought a smug grin to his features.
"Trouble in placid waters?" He asked her.
Mei was beyond seething, her hands trembling as if ready to throttle some unfortunate soul within range, "That bastard of an uncle! How dare he look past my accomplishments! How dare he allow that urchin to rise to the top of our family!"
"So I see you haven't gotten your treasured promotion."
"You promised me I'd have what was rightfully mine! I did the unforgiveable because you said I could have justice from it!"
"Yes, and you almost had it, didn't you? Your hatred and resentment, jealous and desire, they nearly gave you what you deserved, but somehow you fell short. What could it be?" Mitogawa mused.
"Yomi… I want you to give me something that can kill her! We're going back to my original plan! Yes, a slayer's life is a difficult one and you never know what can happen in the future. Just because she's heir now does not make her heir forever and I will be next in line afterward." Mei raved, clutching Mitogawa's vest tightly.
Easily shrugging, Mitogawa waved it off with a, "Sure. But right now, that's not the only thing you want, is it? Whatever. I can get you what you want since you'll be getting me what I need. Shall I create a ruckus?"
Calming herself, Mei realised what she had been saying, turning away from the boy to regain composure, "A usual wave, just like before. Send in stronger spirits wherever Yomi is. I don't want her to suffer, just to be out of my way and that of my family's."
Mitogawa's eyes narrowed with malevolent glee, "As you wish."
As the sun began to set, Yomi found herself at the park in the company of her fiancé, Nori. They had been there since he called for her with his little kitsune messenger. For the most part, they spoke on work, having had every aspect of their lives revolving around it. Yomi's parents had been murdered my malicious spirits before she was adopted into the Isayama family by its head, Isayama Naraku. All through her childhood, she had had to keep with the par of her peers lest she want their ire that she was simply an outsider, a vagrant whose fortune granted her the mercy of an Isayama. And she did strive and she did advance, her struggles going so far as to making her the most formidable slayer in the family. However, that was the only life she'd known. Likewise, Nori was born to the livelihood of a slayer, son of the head of the Izuna family, Izuna Norisada. Even so, both of them were content to have this life bestowed upon them as, without it, they would not have each other. Conversations like these naturally progressed to Yomi's pupil and charge, Tsuchimiya Kagura, particularly in Yomi's case.
"I guess it let's me have a small sense of reassurance." She was saying.
"What does?" Nori asked, not quite sure what she meant considering she'd been switching topics mid-sentence at times during their discussion.
"That Kagura is becoming better."
Nori gave out a light chuckle, "Your head is only occupied with thoughts of Kagura, isn't it?"
"That's because she's just like me."
"Like you?"
"Family killed by evil spirits, adopted into another family to be trained in the art of the slayer, yea, I'd say so." Yomi replied, casting her eyes downward, "I don't want that girl to have a painful history like I do. I'll protect her. I want to protect her always and forever."
To that, Yomi suddenly looked off to the side, her tone of voice also becoming more sad than stern as she had been declaring her role of protection for Kagura, "But it's almost time for that to end."
"Eh?"
"Kagura doesn't seem to need me anymore. She's been able to learn, in an instant, skills that took me years to perfect." Yomi continued, "It's not long before she'll have surpassed me."
"Says a lot about the quality of her training then, doesn't it?"
"No, that's not quite right. It's more about her blood. She's the next generation of the most powerful family of spiritualists, next in the line of the Tsuchimiya clan. In terms of exorcising, few can match up it their prowess. They're just born with a natural affinity for it. Kagura has the capability to advance in things I could never hope for."
"Yomi…"
"Even so, that kid actually feels confused and lost because of her lineage." Yomi mused to herself, finally turning to Nori to say, "How ironic, right?"
Nori didn't want his fiancée feeling this useless, especially since none of her statements accurately described her immense talent, refuting Yomi by saying, "You've already made a big effort for the sake of inheriting the head of the Isayama clan and have if not the best then one of the best sword arts in exorcism. You've grown up to be a considered a prodigy by everyone."
"Even if that's the case, there are still people who don't think I quite make the cut."
"Nobody can honestly criticise who you've become. Just keep following your path."
Yomi felt a blush creep up to her cheeks at his kind words, "Noriyuki."
"Anybody who says different with have to deal with me."
"But the worst is you, Noriyuki." Yomi purred, starting to grow mischievous.
"I guess I'll have to do something to remedy that then." He responded gently, moving closer.
Yomi blushed as Nori approached, but made no move to resist. As their lips inched closer and closer, she felt as though she could be content with her life for once; never mind the family politics or her maturing sibling. It was fine because she had someone when it was all said and done. She had someone to look after her and to care for. These emotions she felt were relayed to Nori through just the look in her eyes. Closer and closer and… ringtone.
"Hello?" Yomi greeted, picking up her phone, "Oh really? Everything going okay?"
It was quite safe to say, Nori was a bit peeved. It was such a perfect moment before and she had to receive a call? Lovely swears bubbling about his mind didn't begin to express his chagrin, but what was a man to do?
"Yomi? Hey, I'm with Yacchi and Mikuru right now." Kagura spoke into her mobile with a giggle, "Originally, Yacchi said she was buying, but after I lost at cards, she made me buy."
"Oh?" Yomi said on the other end, smiling.
"I wanted to ask if you had any plans for tonight. Yacchi wants us to go to the pool after this."
"That sounds like fun, but you guys go on ahead."
"Okay, but dinner's on you!"
"Really? Well, maybe I'll try to make the last few laps then."
"Yomi will still be making dinner for coming late." Kagura teased.
"Fine fine, but I'm making only what I like and there'll be no co-" Yomi said, her final words seemingly trailed off.
"No problem! After all, I like anything Yomi likes anyway. Later then!" Kagura chirped into her mobile, ending the call after.
"Kagura!" Yacchi greeted, plopping down on Kagura with a hug.
"Ooh, Yacchi, quit it!" Kagura groaned, pushing the other girl off.
"Is everybody ready? We should get going." Mikuru asked.
Meanwhile, what had cut Yomi off before was Nori, having grown weary of the sisterly bonding during his intimate moment, decided to take matters into his own hands. While she was still in conversation, he stood and walked to her front, planted both hands down on either side of her, and leaned in. The kiss took place mid sentence, but as it happened, the word "complain" coupled with the loud joking manner in which Yomi had tried saying it, had her mouth wide open for attack. Yomi never saw what hit her and struggled valiantly to shake him loose, but to no avail. It finally took taking her mobile to his skull to get him off.
"Ow! Don't hit me with the corner!" Nori complained, rubbing his scalp.
"Do that again and I'll shave you bald next time!" Yomi threatened.
Calming herself, she decided it would be best to turn the phone off. She knew Nori's intentions were good and a man was still just a man. He had needs of his girl and, as a loving, albeit ill-tempered girlfriend, she wanted to try her best to accommodate him.
"Is that okay?" Nori asked of her, knowing the kinds of calls they were prone to getting.
She paused a bit, but nodded, "Yup, after all, it is my day off."
Turning to Nori, she leaned in, this time intentionally. Nori gazed into her eyes and moved in until their lips met, sharing the moment he had wanted with her, together against the setting sun.
"Why are we here?" Mei asked her company, "This is just a school."
"Well, it isn't just any school, but more on that some other time." Mitogawa replied, "This is where you can start. I'll send you a signal to mark your route each time you're done. That should give you reason enough not to be there for Yomi and there's a double bonus of giving you more reputation. You'll eventually reach Yomi after she's been dealt with."
"Thank you." Mei said uneasily, still wary of the boy and already regretting her earlier outburst.
"Oh, no thanks necessary. We should all get what we deserve, after all."
After Mitogawa departed with his swarm of butterflies, Mei sensed the approach of several Category Cs. It had begun.
Elsewhere, Naraku had sensed it as well. There was a massive surge in spiritual activity and his body trembled at its evil. Shishio in hand, he set off in the direction of the strongest one. It had begun.
"It has begun." Mitogawa whispered, gleaning with joy as he faded.
Giggling, Yomi slapped Nori on his chest after the scene that just took place. A few children had been playing catch near where they were sitting and the ball ended up flying towards Nori. Being a trained slayer, he sensed this and caught it easily before it made contact with his head. However, with his fiancée beside him, Nori felt a need to show off and decided to play their game of catch with them for a while, starting off with a few light passes to demonstrate what a caring man he could be. Seeing as Yomi had worked with him for this long, she wasn't concerned with believing him. She already knew he was full of it. Leaning her cheek against her fist, she made a casual yawn, teasing him that she was bored of his ploys. Naturally, this urged the man onward and he decided to really show off.
"Hey kids, let me show you what a real pitch looks like!" Nori exclaimed, backing up.
He stepped back a few steps, winded up his arm, backed up a bit more, focused his energy, backed up some more and made sure to step over the fence he had reached, prepared for the pitch, and slipped on a patch of grass, pitching the ball straight up and back down onto his daft little noggin. The children all burst into wild laughter, grabbing their torsos and collapsing on the ground with big grins cast upon their faces. Yomi, too, had no chance of containing her glee, from her bored position to leaning over the bench she had been sitting at, trying desperately to catch her breath from all her giggling.
And that's where they were, Yomi still trying to calm herself after his brilliant maneuver of daring and dashing manliness and Nori hoping and praying to regain his dignity. Eventually, he would succeed and changed the subject to their future, which Yomi was less than ready to discuss. They settled for being content in one another's arms before the last rays of light, the sun having just about set.
Suddenly, a tremor alerted them to an approaching horde of nasty spirits. Yomi ordered everyone remaining in the park to flee and thought to use Shishio, but remembered she'd left it home as per her father's request. Instead, she turned to Nori who released his Kuda-gitsune, sending them darting all around the park, scanning for any movement. For the longest moment, there was nothing to be seen, only felt. The atmosphere reeked of the creature's foul odor, the air driven warm by the gusts it produced. It was odd that none of the Ga-rei could find it, as even in a starless night sky, they were usually capable. Looking around, Yomi continued to feel the gusts, as if they were showering down on her from above, but what evil spirit was capable of that? None of the wind-based creatures she knew of could create warm gusts of air, which smelled so disgusting, so much like bad breath. Actually, the entire gust, smell and all, felt like someone's breathing.
Looking up, Yomi knew why there were no stars tonight, pointing for Nori to see, "Category B: Okubi!"
Nori turned up to see it, as well, the enormous face blotting out the sky. It was a creature of bad omens, a large face of a hideous woman, eyes blazing. Lurching forward with its great tongue, it pierced into the grounds of the park, licking apart the asphalt that encircled the fountain at the center. The air was turned noxious by its breath and Nori called on his Ga-rei to wrap themselves around their faces, one for Yomi, one for himself. The properties of the creature's fur allowed it to purify jyaki, or otherwise filter the air for the two slayers. Yomi quickly sped in, taking advantage of the creatures exposed tongue and cast a Houjutsu spell to sever it. With an angry wail, the Okubi loosed its hair, which fell in great pools down at the ground. As the strikes created tremors, Yomi's close proximity unsteadied her, rendering her unable to dodge. Nori had to dive in to take her out of the crash point of another bundle.
"Thank you, Noriyuki." Yomi said while they were both on the floor.
"Be careful, Yomi. This Okubi's stronger than normal."
Nodding, Yomi stood back up, readying Shishio, "What could this mean?"
From the bundles of hair, the Category C, Kama-kiri began to pool out. One of them managed to climb onto Nori, snipping away a lock of his hair before Yomi exorcised it with an ofuda. Together, they began taking down each of the annoying bear/crow beasts, all the while dodging the advances of the Okubi.
"Where are you going, Tsuchimiya?" Yacchi asked, chasing after her on her way to the showers.
"Well, thanks to you, my bandage is soaked so I need to get to the nurse's office for new ones before she leaves." Kagura replied, skipping off.
Walking to the office, she knocked and excused her intrusion, noting that the nurse had been filling out some paperwork. She had come before, each time some fool's errand of Yacchi's had forced her to get new bandages. Again, the nurse scolded her about her carelessness with her injury and again, Kagura apologised for it. The nurse would then remind her that she was a girl and a scar resulting from a wound like hers would be unbecoming, something for which Kagura nervously apologised again, having explained several times before that she had received the injury via accidentally and carelessly scraping her leg against a jagged wall and not that she had gotten it from a spinning umbrella of death with a penchant for mayhem. When the bandage was done, Kagura thanked the nurse, excusing herself again when she felt a presence on the roof and outside, all around the school actually. Excusing herself haphazardly a third time, she darted out the door and sped up the stairs to the roof.
"Category C: Bakezori!" She proclaimed, unleashing Michael 12 upon her foe.
Meanwhile, Yacchi had returned to the pool after Kagura left, spending a few more laps trying to whittle down her time by that one pesky second. All the while, the day wasn't getting any longer and as night fell upon the school, Mikuru began complaining about the girl.
"Geez, Yacchi, it's already a complete blanket of black out there." She whined as the girl drifted casually to meet her by the showers.
"I know I can get that second down with just another minute of practice." The other girl noted.
"Just for that one second, I don't think you need to be so diligent about."
"Ow, bleeding."
In surprise, Mikuru quickly turned off the water, coming to her friend's aid. Grunting in pain, Yacchi noted some idiot had dropped a hairpin on the floor. The sharp metal edge of it had caught her softened skin and cut her, which wasn't being helped by all the chlorinated water about them. Quickly, Mikuru helped her get back to the locker area, where she cleaned the wound as best she could using only a paper towel and some hand soap, then wrapping it up with a little toilet paper, padded by another sheet of paper towel. Naturally, that wasn't a very permanent solution, but as Yacchi would note, did offer them an excuse for other fun.
"Let's go ambush Kagura at the nurse's office." She suggested.
"Shouldn't she be back yet?"
"Her loss." Yacchi replied, grinning mischievously as the two continued walking down through the corridors toward the nurse's office.
"It's already so late; shouldn't the nurse have gone home by now?"
To that, Yacchi grew curious, but her playful demeanor couldn't help itself, "Don't you ever feel that the school's different at night? A little scarier?"
"Stop that." Mikuru whined, covering her eyes.
"It reminds me of those stories about an old student at this school who killed himself and came back as a ghost without a head." Yacchi joked.
"Stop it." Mikuru whined again, shaking her head a little as they both laughed.
Just then, a body came flying toward them, plopping itself dead on the floor in front of them. A woman, blood trickling down her face and wielding an iron bar began approaching, the white lab coat she wore stained in the blood of her victim.
Both girls screamed and made a run for it, turning the corner and hiding in a nearby classroom's closet. Mikuru covered Yacchi's mouth and hugged her close to stop both of their shivering, but the slow tapping of the woman's heels drawing nearer made that impossible to stop. As she entered the same classroom, she drifted right past them, then again after she had inspected the room. Lured into a false sense of security, Mikuru made a move to leave just as the closet came under attack. Using the iron bar, the assailant bombarded the steel closet with blow after blow, crushing it with her uncanny strength. Eventually, the distortions and misshaping of the closet jarred the door loose.
"NO!" Both girls screamed, preparing for the worst.
However, just as the assailant's hand reached to grab them, it was severed by someone's blade. Turning awkwardly, she moved enough for the girls to see it was Kagura, armed with what looked like a katana.
Kagura's Michael 12 made quick work of the attacker's arm, but upon closer inspection, she saw that she had just cut off the arm of the school nurse whom she was just speaking with only minutes before. Having felt malevolent spirits around the school, she had gone to the roof to exorcise them, only finding a few stragglers, namely the Bakezori from before. She must have missed one back downstairs, which had found the nurse and…
"No…" Kagura gasped, holding her blade unsteadily against the nurse who was already nothing more than one of her dreaded Category Ds, "Stop. Don't come any closer. Please. I beg of you. Stay back!"
Awkwardly, almost drunkenly, the nurse stumbled toward her, her appearance different to the slayer's gifted eyes. She could already see the Akureika embedded in her skull, forcing her cold limbs into
motion. Backing away towards the door, with her friends still too terrified to leave the closet, she found herself with very little options.
Kagura began repeating to herself, "As slayers, it is our job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world. It is our job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world. It is our job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world."
Still, the nurse wasn't relenting and continued her slow and drawn-out approach. Inch by inch, she drew closer and inch by inch, Kagura knew there had to be resolution.
Yomi's Houjutsu made quick work of the remaining Kama-kiri, though some had still managed successful snips of their hair. They were minor losses, nothing a good stylist couldn't fix, but that didn't stop her from exorcising them with extreme prejudice. In the meantime, Nori had purified both the Okubi's breath and hair with continuous bombardments by his Kuda-gitsune, forcing the enormous creature into retreat back further into the sky. That is, until Yomi's ofuda trap sealed it in position for Nori's final attack. Summoning all his kitsune together, he loosed them straight up into the creature in one final surge of spiritual power, obliterating the creature completely.
Exhausted, Yomi fell to her knees with a gasp. Nori immediately rushed to her side, offering a hand to help her up. Looking around, it seemed the danger had past, but it was a very confusing incident indeed.
"Yomi, are you alright?" Nori asked.
"I'll be fine, but what was that?" Yomi replied, "Why weren't we warned?"
Just then, Nori's phone sounded. Kiri was on the other end, telling them about a massive wave of signals all across the board. The notable one had been in her area, but there were collects of others, most of which were being handled by Mei, but one in particular…
"And there's the school, but we believe Kagura is at that location." Kiri finished saying.
"Kagura!" Yomi's eyes went wide, rushing off toward the school without a second thought.
As per Mitogawa's direction, Mei followed each of the clusters of spiritual activity and cleared the area of whatever was there, helped along the way by Mitogawa's mystical assistance. Eventually, this brought her to an empty and abandoned warehouse, one of the locations en route back towards the park where Yomi's body would hopefully be. Entering the darkened structure, Mei found she could not sense anything, not even the faintest trace of miasma. For a moment, she feared the worst, knowing full well that if Mitogawa had failed and Yomi did best her target, she could have easily received reports of these other anomalies and come to investigate, thereby defeating the entire exercise, as well as, possibly figuring out the truth behind it all. In Mei's mind, the only one powerful enough to stop Yomi would probably have been Mitogawa himself, which the boy could have been foolish enough to do. If Yomi somehow overcame him, she could've used her vast knowledge of Houjutsu to bind him and torture him for information regarding the recent abundance of malicious spirits. With hardly any sense of loyalty, so far as Mei perceived, it would have been a simple task of name-dropping her and sending the entire Ministry of the Environment against her and her father, exiling them from the Isayama clan at best, outright executing them should they see fit to be cruel.
As she continued to walk, she grew more and more anxious, looking about herself every so often to see if Yomi was mounting an ambush. Already, she was regretting she callousness and cursing her tactless frustration that led to such a plot. It would not go well for her; it couldn't. In the distance, she
began to see a faint glow, a sort of blueish-hue, too dim to be an actual light, but luminous enough that she knew it couldn't have been of ordinary manufacture. From the corners of the warehouse, she sensed a distinct yet faint laughter, echoing chuckles of psychotic glee at her present predicament and reeling from the doubt it sensed in her mind. Mei took a few more steps forward and it became clear what the glow came from.
"Shishio…" Mei gasped, arming herself with her halberd.
"Mei, what have you done?" Her uncle, the head of the Isayama clan, Naraku asked of her.
"I didn't mean for this, Uncle Naraku! Honestly! I-"
"Enough. You've poisoned this world with malice and discord." Naraku stated in a stern tone, "You are no better than the beings you slay and, as a slayer, it is my job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world."
Readying Shishio, he lunged for his niece and struck. Mei managed to block the aging man's attack quite easily, his slacking skills making it difficult for him to maneuver with the ease of the young slayer he faced. After a few trades, his weak leg gave way and he collapsed of his own accord, rolling away to safer ground. Heaving and trying to regain his focus, Naraku knew he was no match for Mei in his present state. With a heavy heart, he called forth the Ga-rei, Ranguren, from his sword, evoking its Houkoha upon his niece. With wide eyes, Mei knew she was dead. The attack had come too suddenly and at far too close a range for her to dodge in time. Shutting her eyes tightly, tears of fear and regret freeing themselves from them, she screamed at her impending death. This, only to be averted by a swarm of butterflies, disintegrated after absorbing the attack for her. As Mei opened her eyes once more, trembling in terror, she came face to face with Mitogawa, his eyes blazing madly at her before turning to the elderly slayer.
"Not a very benevolent uncle, are you? So much wrath for a man to unleash upon his only niece. Tsk tsk, you are too much." He mused.
Grabbing some of Nue's fur, Naraku pulled himself back to him feet, holding his ground even against two opponents. Breathing heavily with fatigue, his heart pounding in his chest, and knowing his spiritual energy alone would only take him so far, Naraku braced himself to accomplish the impossible, and struck. Mitogawa summoned his centipedes to his aid, the larger counterparts of the insect crawling in to ensnare the slayer, but to no avail. Despite his age and regardless of his waning stamina, Naraku was still a veteran slayer, one who knew just how to wield the Shishio effectively. Slicing down the length of the insects rather than their width, he destroyed every segment, preventing Mitogawa from reanimating the broken pieces to further the attack. Following this up, he called on Ranguren to fire another Houkoha at the boy, while he himself suddenly shifted direction and went back after Mei. Surprised again and caught off guard, Mei could only block with the staff portion of her weapon, leaving her in a compromised position and vulnerable to Naraku's parry. Tripping after having her weapon forced down, Mei could only look up as Shishio bore down on her. Suddenly, more butterflies coated the sword and its wielder, swirling about him while Mei was allowed the chance to regain her footing.
In the meantime, Mitogawa had vanished, confusing Ranguren with unending appearances of hornets and mosquitoes, the Ga-rei forced to using its claws without its master's authorisation to use its Houkoha. With the beast effectively neutralised, Mei was free to concentrate on her uncle, who had focused his spiritual energies to locate Mei despite being blinded by the butterflies. This further drained him and each succeeding strike became sloppier and, coupled with the butterflies now landing on the blade itself, made him prone to counterattack. Confused, frightened, and overwhelmed, Mei began recklessly deflecting her uncle's moves, not realising in her panicked state, just how little he had left in him. With one final parry, Naraku stumbling forward towards Mei, she drew back in fear and stuck her halberd forward, catching him in the neck with the blade.
Horrified, she felt tears streaming down her face as she could only look on, her uncle falling limp upon her weapon, the sharp edge of it slicing through his flesh, decapitating him. As the body lay there, pooling crimson ponds around itself, Mei discovered far too late what her actions had done. And now there was no going back.
次回、喰霊-零-:
呵責連鎖－かしゃくのれんさ－
GAREI -ZERO- episode 07
Translations:
罪螺旋 － つみのらせん －
Spiral of Crime
kami – God/The gods
~nyan – This is not a proper title and was said only because Yomi's Yomi. =p It's the Japanese for meow.
Ushi-oni – Ox ogre
Futabi – The Two-Tail
Hitobi – The One-Tail
Yamabiko – Spirit of the Mountain
Sazae-oni – Turban Snail Ogre
Shinryu – Divine Dragon
Kameosa – Long Bottle
Ningen no Shiryo – Deceased Human Souls
mokuto – Wooden training sword
ganbare – Expression: Go for it!
Kitsune – Fox/Fox Spirit
Okubi – Giant Head
Houjutsu – Spiritual magic wielded by slayers
Kama-kiri – Hair-cutter
ofuda – Buddhist scriptures that are believed to ward off spirits
Bake-zori – Living Scandal
Akureika – Evil Spirits
次回、喰霊-零-:呵責連鎖－ かしゃくのれんさ－
Jikai, Ga-Rei Zero: Kashaku no Rensa
Next Time on Ga-Rei Zero: Chain of Blame