Chapter 23: Team Yuki's Problem
Kazuki and Kosuke were looking around the library at the books that covered the walls. Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound – it was Ayaka and Takeo falling through the floor in the kitchen.
"What was that sound?" Kazuki asked looking over the rails and down at Kosuke on the first floor.
"I'm not sure – let's have a look!" Kosuke stated rushing to the door closest to her but it wouldn't open.
"This door won't open!" Kazuki shouted trying to open the door they had came into the room through.
"Same down here – I'm going to check the other one!" Kosuke stated rushing towards the other door on the first floor.
"Me too!" Kazuki shouted rushing to the other door on the second floor.
Just as Kosuke reached the door she sensed something and jumped back. Just as she cleared the door a dark figure dropped down with some kind of blade. The blade broke a large hole in the floor and the figure looked up at Kosuke – it appeared to be nothing but a shadow. It had no features whatsoever.
"A… ghost?" Kosuke asked a little confused.
"What was that?" Kazuki asked stopping a few feet from the door when another shadow person appeared smashing into the ground in front of the door. "Kosuke, did you happen to see a ghost?"
"I don't know what this thing is – it looks like some kind of shadow!" Kosuke shouted blocking the blade of the shadow person with a kunai she pulled out as it lunged at her.
"So there's one down there too!?" Kazuki asked pulling his ninjaken out of its sheath from his back.
"Yeah – it looks like someone doesn't want us moving anywhere!" Kosuke stated pulling out another kunai in her right hand and stabbing the shadow in the head forcing it to vanish leaving only what appeared to be a dagger in its stead.
"These things aren't very good at fighting though!" Kazuki stated as the shadow person lunged at him with its blade but he moved to the side and slashed it in half forcing it to vanish leaving only the dagger in its place.
"I don't think their job was to kill us." Kosuke said walking over to the door when a slab of steel slammed down directly in front of her blocking the doorway. "Kazuki, step away from your door!" She shouted when Kazuki was about to reach out for the handle of his door.
"Why?" Kazuki responded when a slab of steel smashed down just in front of his hand. "So that's why…" He said a little startled.
"I don't like the looks of this – you should get down here!" Kosuke stated moving towards the center of the room.
"Already on my way!" Kazuki shouted as he came down directly behind Kosuke on the large circular carpet.
"I guess he's not as stupid as I thought." Kosuke thought surprised he was already coming to meet up with her. "I'm surprised – I would've thought you would be freaking out by now." She said holding onto her kunai tightly while looking around the room.
"It's basic to regroup if something like this happens and I've had to deal with something even more terrifying then this." Kazuki said remembering his fight within the Koori no Tsurugi.
The only light coming in was from the large dirty windows shining down in the middle of the room. The light was just barely coming in leaving the rest of the room hardly visible but that all changed when slabs of steel smashed down blocking the windows. The bookcases all flipped up leaving only blank walls. Kazuki and Kosuke looked around a little confused as the room went pitch black.
"Damn, I can't see a thing!" Kazuki stated squinting to see what was going on.
"I guess I've got no choice then…" Kosuke said with a sigh putting her kunai away. "Thunder Style – Lightning Spear!" She thought when her spear made purely out electricity took form in her hands lighting up the area.
"Nice one…!" Kazuki stated drifting off when he noticed what seemed like hundreds of shadows like before surrounding them.
"This is really annoying – I can trust you to keep them off my back, right?" Kosuke asked glancing back at Kazuki a little unsure.
"Yeah, I've got this. These things aren't much of a challenge anyway!" Kazuki stated confidently holding on to his ninjaken.
Kosuke rushed forward stabbing one shadow followed by another as if she was turning them into a shish kabob on her thunder spear. After a few seconds they vanished leaving only more daggers in their wake. Behind her one of the shadows were rushing at her but she didn't have time to turn and block. Kazuki came in from the side and slashed the shadow in half with his ninjaken.
"I told you I've got your back." Kazuki said with a smirk rushing at the other shadows around him.
"Not bad." Kosuke said surprised he actually kept his word. "I guess these guys aren't as bad as I had thought they were." She thought rushing at some more shadow figures when a strange sound started to come from the second floor.
"What's that sound?" Kazuki asked slashing a shadow in half while blocking another's attack.
"No idea – I'm a little preoccupied with these shadows to care what some stupid sound is!" Kosuke stated a little annoyed as she continued to wipe out waves of shadows with her spear.
"No, seriously, there's a strange sound coming from the second floor." Kazuki said starting to get a little concerned with what the sound was.
"It's probably just those stupid shadows making noise up there as they move around!" Kosuke shouted kicking one in the head while leaning back and slashing around her on one foot taking down a wave of shadows.
"I don't think that's it…" Kazuki said when he took a step and he felt a splash. "Did someone knock over a vase or something?" He asked a little confused about the puddle of water as he slashed a few more shadows up.
"What are you talking about?" Kosuke asked performing a back flip running up a shadow while slashing it and coming down on another behind her spear first.
"There's a puddle of water here." Kazuki said as a group of shadows surrounded him – Kazuki waited for them to charge and jumped on one of their heads and left them all to stab one another but just as he came down he slipped on some water. "Ow!" He shouted hitting the ground and quickly getting up.
"What are you talking about? Even if there were any vases in here – there wouldn't be any water in them! Think about how this place was abandoned!" Kosuke stated when she slipped on some water. "Water…?" She asked confused.
"Then we might have a big problem!" Kazuki stated noticing the ground around them was now covered in water.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Kosuke shouted when she realized there was water on the ground. "Where is it coming from?" She asked when the shadows around them just vanished into thin air.
"I think that noise I heard from the second floor might be the water." Kazuki said when it started getting so loud that is sounded as if a waterfall was in the room with them. "I'm now very sure!" He shouted when he noticed the water level starting to rise faster.
"We need to get to higher ground!" Kosuke shouted while getting up on one of the chairs on the first floor – suddenly she lost her grip of the electric spear. "Oh-no! Kazuki, get out of the water!" She shouted as Kazuki turned around a little confused.
"What?" Kazuki asked when his eyes opened wide when he noticed the spear hit the water. "Wha!" He shouted rushing towards anything that would get him out of the water.
The electricity ran through the water in nearly an instant hitting Kazuki nearly immediately after it hit the water. Kazuki stood near the staircase leading to the second floor when he started getting electrocuted. After the spear was gone, the room turned dark again and Kazuki slid down in the water smoking.
"Kazuki, are you okay!?" Kosuke shouted jumping into the water and rushing over to him.
"Hot…it's really… hot." Kazuki said coughing up a little smoke while he laid down against the stairs.
"Just hang in there!" Kosuke stated dragging him up the stairs and on to the second floor. "He's a lot stronger then he looks – I'll give him that." She thought looking at Kazuki unconscious with smoke still rising from his body. "Now then, time to find a way out of this place. If only Kazuki was awake he could've used a water jutsu…" She said sounding a little annoyed while looking around the second floor when she noticed the door that had been locked wasn't sealed like the ones below.
Kosuke quickly rushed over to the door but just when she got within feet of the door a large body of water spilled out directly in front of her. It was as if a waterfall had just suddenly started there in the middle of the path – there was no way to get past it without getting swept away in the water.
"Damn, now the water is filling this place even quicker than before!" Kosuke shouted angrily as she moved back towards Kazuki.
"No more water, I've had enough to drink…" Kazuki said still unconscious.
"Is he seriously talking in his sleep…? What a strange guy." Kosuke said surprised by that when the water started to reach the second floor. "Damn, the books all vanished too – if it was set up like this then there must be some kind of drain…" She started to say when Kazuki's body started floating away towards the center of the room. "Get back here!" She shouted diving into the water when there was suddenly a sound of machinery moving. "What's that…?" She asked when suddenly a vortex started forming in the middle of the room.
A whirlpool was quickly created in the room as the water seemed to drain out leaving Kosuke and Kazuki to swirl around the room as the water level sank. Towards the bottom was where the large circular rug was but it was no longer there, instead it was a giant hole. This is where the water had been draining.
"Who in their right mind designed this room!?" Kosuke shouted spinning around holding onto Kazuki's body as they picked up speed swirling around. "This is really making me dizzy!" She shouted when they sank into the dark pit – the floor quickly closed up and the room quickly returned to the way it was before as if nothing had happened.
After Yuki and Masakatsu left the group they stepped into one of the long hallways. Masakatsu was standing behind Yuki holding on to his cloak and looking around frantically.
"Masakatsu, could you give it a rest? It's just a house." Yuki said starting to get annoyed with Masakatsu's attitude.
"B-but anything could pop out at us at any second! I have to keep watch!" Masakatsu stated with his voice shaking.
"Does that mean you have to hide behind me while doing that…?" Yuki asked glancing back at him.
"Of course I do! I'm watching your back of course!" Masakatsu stated nodding making up that excuse.
"You've got a strange way of watching people's backs… you know that, right? Besides, I don't remember you watching my back like this when we went out on all those missions…" Yuki said shaking his head when he suddenly stopped.
"Well excusing me for…!" Masakatsu started to say when his face slammed into Yuki's back when he suddenly stopped. "Why did you suddenly stop!?" He shouted a little annoyed.
"Genjutsu…?" Yuki asked quietly.
"Genjutsu? What do you mean?" Masakatsu asked confused as to why Yuki was saying that.
"The hallway is too long and we've been walking for a while now." Yuki said looking around suspiciously.
"Are you sure? Maybe we turned and neither one of us realized it." Masakatsu said trying to make sense of what was going on.
"I doubt it – unlike you, I would've noticed us turning because I've been paying attention to where were going instead of what's around us." Yuki said sounding concerned when he put his hands together. "Dispel!" He said making the hand seals Horse and Tiger but nothing seemed to change. "Damn, this must really be some strong Genjutsu if that didn't dispel it." He said sounding even more annoyed.
"That can't possibly be it – there was no one here when we entered the place, remember?" Masakatsu asked looking at Yuki now standing next to him.
"Even if you say no one was here, we didn't check all the rooms." Yuki said while turning to Masakatsu when something caught his eye. "Masakatsu, get down!" He shouted tossing a kunai down the hall behind Masakatsu after he ducked.
"What?" Masakatsu asked while slowly standing back up and looking the direction Yuki threw the kunai.
Down the hall was a dark figure – it was different from all the ones before though. It appeared to be two to three feet off the ground and it had skeleton-like hands sticking out of some torn dark cloth that was covering the figure. Its head was covered by the cloth but it had a dark opening which it seemed to use to look at them. Just as the figure seemed to hover there, the kunai that Yuki threw went directly through it doing no damage at all.
"Tch, it's an illusion!" Yuki stated frustrated when he looked to his left side to see Masakatsu had vanished. "Masakatsu, where did you go!?" He shouted when he felt something behind him.
"T-that thing is Death itself! It's a Shinigami isn't it!?" Masakatsu shouted terrified so much his entire body was shaking as he hid behind Yuki.
"It's only an illusion! Get a hold of yourself!" Yuki shouted smacking him around a few times when the figure slowly made its way towards them. "Look for yourself, this thing is nothing but an illusion created by the Genjutsu!" He stated walking up to the figure as it pulled out a scythe from its torn up cloak.
"L-l-l-let's run for it!" Masakatsu shouted trying to run away when Yuki caught his shirt and held him from moving.
"This thing isn't real – besides, there's no such thing as Shinigami!" Yuki stated when the figure swung its scythe lightly catching his right arm – the small scratch started to bleed slowly as Yuki turned and looked. "Oh, it's bleeding." He said looking at his arm.
"Not 'oh it's bleeding'! Time to run!" Masakatsu shouted grabbing Yuki and dragging him away just as the figure swung the scythe again just catching a little of Yuki's hair and cutting it.
"What an amazing level of Genjutsu – these things can actually hurt you while you can't do a thing to them!" Yuki stated surprised by the dark figure and starting to run on his own behind Masakatsu.
"Whoa, hold it!" Masakatsu shouted stopping suddenly with Yuki bumping into his back.
"What is it now? We're still being chased by…" Yuki started to say when he noticed another figure in front of them. "Quickly, in here!" He shouted dashing into a door next to him with Masakatsu right behind him.
"That door isn't enough!" Masakatsu stated pushing a dresser in what appeared to be a bedroom blocking the door.
"There's no other way out… the window!" Yuki stated when he noticed the only way out of the room other then the door was the window.
"What are we waiting here for then!?" Masakatsu shouted rushing for the window when suddenly a slab of thick metal came down sealing off the window.
"Was this a trap!?" Yuki shouted when suddenly there was some shaking from below them. "There were more traps…?" He asked looking around the area for another way out.
"What's this…?" Masakatsu asked when he noticed a painting seemingly out of place. "This painting is upside-down…" He said flipping it around when suddenly a door opened below him dropping him down nearly instantly.
"What was that Masakatsu?" Yuki asked turning around and noticed Masakatsu had vanished – the painting was back to being upside-down as if no one had touched it. "Did he find a way out…?" He asked looking around the area he last saw Masakatsu.
Yuki looked around the area but didn't find any switches or any clue of how Masakatsu left the room. Just then the door started getting slashed by the two Shinigami that were outside the room. Yuki stepped back with the bed in the room clipping his leg forcing him to fall back on one side. The bed then twisted into the ground dumping him into what appeared to be a hole.
"What kind of bed was that?" Yuki asked getting up from the dump ground.
"Yuki, is that you?" Masakatsu asked sounding if he was a few feet down from Yuki but it was too dark to see.
"So this is where you went. Where are we?" Yuki asked looking around trying to look around when suddenly some torches lit near them revealing where they were.
It appeared to be some kind of escape route or something from the mansion – the walls were made out of stone and were just high enough to stand. It looked like some kind of dungeon out of an old video game with moss on the walls and moisture still present.
"They just lit on their own!" Masakatsu stated freaking out with the torches lighting up on their own and running behind Yuki.
"Really, Masakatsu! It must've been set up to do that when someone triggers some switch around here!" Yuki stated sounding a little annoyed with Masakatsu.
"That would explain that strange stone I stepped on that dug itself into the ground!" Masakatsu stated realizing where he had activated the torches.
"Seriously, have you lost your mind? Let's just get going." Yuki said shaking his head as he walked down the path he was facing.
"Wait up for me!" Masakatsu shouted looking behind him running after Yuki.
Elsewhere in the darkness of another dungeon-like place, Takeo and Ayaka were walking around in the darkness until suddenly the torches started lighting up.
"Was that you?" Takeo asked glancing back towards Ayaka.
"No, it wasn't me but now that I can see this place – I don't like the looks of it." Ayaka said looking at the moist walls.
"Why do you say that?" Takeo asked while they kept walking.
"These walls… they're moist." Ayaka said sliding her finger across the wall.
"So, a place like this looks like it would have some moisture in the air. You can even feel it in the air down here… along with that bad smell." Takeo said looking around the walls while watching his step as he stepped forward.
"Yeah, I would understand that but there's also moss on the walls." Ayaka said looking closer.
"Like I said, it's really damp down here so of course there would be something like that down here." Takeo said starting to sound annoyed.
"You're still not getting it – this moss looks well watered as in there was a lot of water here until recently." Ayaka said when Takeo suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Are you saying this place could've been underwater until recently?" Takeo asked looking straight ahead.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, which is why I don't think being down here is a good thing. We have to find the exit." Ayaka said sounding a bit worried.
"You're right, if we stay down here too long we might…!" Takeo started to say when a loud sound started to come from behind them.
"Don't tell me…!" Ayaka stated turning around to see torch after torch go out.
"Water! We have to hurry; none of our jutsu's can do anything against it!" Takeo shouted as the two of them started running as fast as they could.
"Why did we have to be the ones that looked in the kitchen?" Ayaka shouted running behind Takeo.
"Look, there's light!" Takeo shouted pointing at what appeared to be a clearing up ahead.
"You're right; maybe it leads to the outside!" Ayaka shouted as they rushed for what appeared to be an opening.
A few minutes earlier at another location, Kazuki and Kosuke were washed out into yet another part of the dungeon-like area. Kosuke looked around as the water level around them dropped from her knees down to little puddles around the area. Then suddenly the torches came out of the wall and started lighting up revealing what the place looked like.
"What a creepy place." Kosuke said looking around.
"Uhh, what was all that? I feel like all my insides were thrown around in a tornado or something." Kazuki said slowly getting up off the ground.
"We were flooded and dropped in here. We should probably get moving soon." Kosuke said sounding serious for once.
"Yeah… right." Kazuki said surprised by her change of tone.
"But doesn't this place look cool?" Kosuke asked sounding a bit more cheerful now.
"She's back to normal now…" Kazuki thought shaking his head. "Let's just get going." He said when there was a sound similar to what Takeo and Ayaka heard.
"What's that sound?" Kosuke asked turning around and seeing torches go out at a distance.
"Whatever it is; it's nothing good! We have to hurry!" Kazuki stated when the two of them started running the opposite direction.
"I know! It's water!" Kosuke said after hearing the splashing from it hitting the walls.
"Water? More!?" Kazuki shouted starting to get sick of water.
"Yeah but at least it's not as bad as it was before!" Kosuke stated a little happy about that point.
"Not if we don't have anywhere to go! We could be running down here for who knows how long!" Kazuki stated feeling like they would be trapped down there.
"You mean like that?" Kosuke asked pointing at what looked like an exit.
"Yes, exactly like that! Let's hurry!" Kazuki stated as they sped up running as fast as they could towards the light.
Another few minutes earlier, Yuki and Masakatsu were slowly wondering around the dungeon-like place with the lit torches lighting the area. Masakatsu kept jumping at the smallest sounds while Yuki just kept getting annoyed.
"Masakatsu, do you really have to jump at every sound?" Yuki asked starting to get even more bothered with it.
"I can't help it…" Masakatsu said when there was suddenly a sound like the others heard before, the wall of water. "Now that was a different sound." He said looking around.
"You're right, that sound is different from the others." Yuki said looking behind them when he spotted the water. "Masakatsu, it's time to run."
"What do you mean by that?" Masakatsu asked as Yuki ran past him.
"Don't ask just run!" Yuki shouted when Masakatsu spotted the wall of water coming their way.
"Whoa, that's a lot of water!" Masakatsu shouted running after Yuki.
"I told you to just run! You should've just ran instead of standing there!" Yuki shouted with Masakatsu a few feet behind him.
"Well excuse me for not realizing! Why can't you just freeze it?" Masakatsu asked slowly catching up to Yuki.
"Masakatsu, did you forget I can't use my ice jutsu's inside buildings or caves?" Yuki asked sounding annoyed.
"Oh, that's right! You can't use the atmosphere to freeze the water…" Masakatsu said nodding his head.
"Seriously, what have you been doing all this time? Losing your mind?" Yuki asked while running a little faster.
"Yuki, look!" Masakatsu shouted pointing ahead at what looked like an exit.
"The best thing I've seen in a while!" Yuki shouted as they continued running.
"Right?" Masakatsu asked slightly laughing.
The two of them finally reached the opening and stepped out to see a large room. The opening lead into what looked like some kind of channel that went into at least five other openings with a seven foot wall in the middle leading to a flat surface. It was a large island with a small bridge leading to a staircase going up to a door. On the outside of the island were large ledges about five feet wide. Yuki and Masakatsu quickly scaled the wall and got on the island just as the water rushed into the large channel.
"That was close!" Takeo stated breathing hard.
"Takeo?" Kazuki asked turning around.
"Kazuki?" Ayaka asked looking at them.
"Man, that was too much." Masakatsu said falling over in the middle of the island.
"So you all made it as well?" Yuki asked looking around noticing everyone was back.
"More or less." Kosuke said sitting down as all of them were exhausted from all the running.
"Not bad for thief's, I never would've expected you all to come this far." A Man's voice said coming down the stairs that lead to the only exit.
"Who's there?" Takeo shouted when they all turned towards the stairs.
"Me? The name's Shane Hawthrone and this is my house." Shane said revealing himself in the light that lit the room – he had dark brown hair down to his shoulders, blue eyes, with an anchor styled sideburns that went across his face – he was wearing a black dougi or Gi.
"Your mansion? We were told this place was abandoned." Yuki said looking at Shane suspicious.
"You must've heard wrong but now that I can see you all closer – you're all ninja or rather shinobi. Though, why do you all have different symbols? I was sure that shinobi from different countries didn't travel together." Shane said looking at all of them as he reached the bridge.
"That is none of your concern." Yuki said starting to feel agitated.
"Be that way then but I cannot allow you to leave here knowing what you know. My name and location must not leave this place or it'll jeopardize my goals." Shane said getting ready to fight.
"And I can't allow you to hurt my students." Yuki said stepping forward.
"Yuki, what's with you?" Masakatsu whispered after getting up and standing behind him.
"There's something strange about this guy." Yuki said when he threw three kunai at Shane and he didn't even bother to dodge.
"You want to play with those toys, huh?" Shane asked catching two of the kunai in his left and right hand with the third hitting him in the chest.
"Sorry it had to come down to this but I cannot die just yet nor can I allow you to harm my students." Yuki said figuring that was the end of Shane.
"I'm sorry but I have something I must do as well." Shane said pulling the kunai out of his chest as if it was nothing. "That did sting a bit though." He said as the wound started to heal nearly instantly.
"What kind of jutsu is that?" Kosuke asked surprised.
"I assure you, this is no jutsu – it's a curse!" Shane stated leaving them all surprised.
"Don't tell me you're a…!" Masakatsu shouted sounding as if he figured it out.
"Masakatsu, you know something?" Yuki asked looking over at Masakatsu with a surprised expression.
"There were rumors I heard while traveling about a man that couldn't die and who was seeking death. Is that man, you?" Masakatsu asked looking at Shane.
"That man was me but I've found something else that I must do and I can't have you people ruining it." Shane said about to charge forward.
Author's Notes:
I've been too busy to work on this due to the fact I've been working on another story over on called "A Shinigami's Story". I may end up working on that more but I'll try to get another chapter of Yuki out when possible since the other story is currently a higher priority.
-Steve Masters