Disclaimer: Anything remotely familiar probably isn't mine.
Chapter 7:
When he stumbled towards his house, the lights went on and Mrs. Musashibo rushed out the door in nothing but a robe to meet with him, "Hikaru! What in the world were you doing out!?"
His expressionless face really troubled her. His clothes were a mess, his eyes glazed and exhausted. If she were honest she didn't want to know the details. She folded her arms, clutching her robe tighter around herself.
When Hikaru finally took a good look at her face, he never felt so horrible in his life. Dragons and people being crushed did not give him the same dread, the same crushing feeling as seeing that Mrs. Musashibo wasn't angry. That look of disappointment, that lost expression like she had failed in something so important, made Hikaru want to break down once again and weep.
He wanted to tell her that she didn't fail. It was his fault. He was a bad kid. A troubled kid not worth a glance. He wished he could tell her to kick him out of her home.
Mrs. Musashibo took a deep, deep breath, "Hikaru, I decided you are coming straight home after your appointment. You aren't going to that festival tomorrow. I expect you home by eight tomorrow. Gods help you if you are a minute late."
Hikaru had a feeling that all this caused her to come to that decision. It was a punishment he couldn't begrudge. He opened his mouth to give a futile apology or even explain his actions. If he did, she'd think him crazy and kick him to the curb for sure. A dragon destroying the coast guard station. No one in the world except for the survivors would believe. He could only hope that the government and U.S military would silence themselves no longer. He needed a whistleblower to tell him he wasn't insane.
Mrs. Musashibo was having none of it, and stopped him before he even started, looking pained and furious, "DON'T! Just...don't. Get inside."
Hikaru obeyed seeing with great pain, Mrs. Musashibo wiping tears that were threatening to escape her eyes.
The wee hours of the morning as the sun finally rose showed the full extent of the damage done to the coast guard station. Of course it was blocked to public view. As far as the surrounding town knew it was a regular ship rescue. Inside, the U.S. military had sent more and more of its superior officers from Okinawa to investigate. U.S. soliders were killed and that was the primary concern.
Captain Ryoshiki stared at the scene before him, American military medics crowding the scene trying to save the what remained of the survivors. He was numb, despondent even as the medical officers examined him and patched his wounds up. With heavy eyes, he saw his subordinates lying in body bags, all in a row, feeling a great guilt. Why had he succumbed to pressure? He should've just let the military clean up their own mess. He should never had allowed his boats to recover that ship. The...monsters. The horrors from the deep would have never set foot on land.
"Captain Ryoshiki."
He turned and saw a patched up Lieutenant Adelwell approaching him. Beside him was a serious-faced black man wearing a uniform decorated with a series of medals.
"Captain Ryoshiki," the uniformed man saluted him out of respect. "I am Admiral Washington. I am here to inform you that the United States Forces is taking full control of any further operations regarding the UFA reported last night."
"UFA?" the captain said meekly.
"Unidentified Flying Animal. As...odd as it sounds."
Ryoshiki nodded, scratching at the bandage on his cheek, "Please...tell me you didn't know about all this."
Adelwell and Washington glanced at each other. "Sir, we only knew of our reports of a USO-Unidentified Submerged Object-and were investigating the reports before the carrier was reported missing. The claims have been unfounded...I suppose until now."
"Then what is going on here?!" Ryoshiki's voice was shuddering with rage and frustration.
"We wish we knew," Adelwell said, his eyes purposefully looking away from the dead bodies of his own troops. "Regardless we would appreciate your full cooperation. If there are any survivors you need, please let us know."
Survivors. Ryoshiki's eyes went wide as he frantically looked around. "A kid. There was this kid in lock-up for trespassing. Please tell me he survived."
Washington's mouth set in a grim line. A child dead in the midst of all this was definitely not good for public relations should everything get out. Plus, if the boy knew and survived...
"There have been no reports of a young person among the dead or survivors so far."
"He's...he's tall, kinda big, Caucasian," Ryoshiki informed. "A friend of mine is taking care of him. I have to know whether he's living or dead. I pray for the former."
"If we find anything more, we'll be sure to let you know," was all Adelwell could promise.
That afternoon, Hikaru did as he was told and drove downtown to his appointment. The appointment was held in the Neurological Center of the local college campus downtown that was a branch of the esteemed Tokyo University. Most of the time the center was used for intensive research, but because they needed voluntary subjects for students the rate for examinations were cheaper than in the private sector. To make things better, Dr. Shizuke was in the top of her field in sleep therapy and neurological activity in the brain during sleep.
The only problem for Hikaru was parking. Campus parking was impossible, so he had to resort to parking in a residential area and taking a bus to campus. He entered the Neurological Center and told the front desk of his appointment. He was instructed to wait in a small sitting area. He was the only one there as he was the last appointment of the day.
The office door opened and a tall woman in her 30s peered out and called in a very stagnant voice, "Hikaru?"
He stood and nodded, catching Dr. Shizuke's eyes widening seeing him stand at his height. Clearly, she hadn't seen anyone like him in person. She kept the door open and allowed him in. She closed the door behind her, "Go ahead and sit on that chair." Dr. Shizuke pointed to a rather "office shique" chair. He sat down, watching her sit on a stool, and flipping through papers on a clipboard. "So you haven't been able to sleep very well."
Hikaru nodded.
"Do you feel drowsy during the day?" she asked.
Hikaru shrugged, "Not really. But there seems to be this big concern."
Dr. Shizuke leaned forward and pulled out a small light and shined it directly into Hikaru's eye. The doctor watched as the pupil's reacted, but, apparently, something seemed odd to her as she watched the color of his blue iris constrict, the pupil shrinking.
"Hmm..." she hummed. "Do you get migranes?"
"No ma'am. I do get light headed every so often, but not a lot."
"Every so often is a lot more than what is normal. Having you been doing cram school?"
Dr. Shizuke turned off her light and held up her pen.
"No. I don't go to school. I'm in the construction trade."
Dr. Shizuke wrote something down in her notes, nodding along. She didn't seem at all bothered or surprised that Hikaru wasn't in school. "Most students who do cram school suffer from sleep deprivation. When they finally can get normal rest, their bodies are so used to being rest deprived that they can't get to sleep normally. But if you're in the work trade, you may be susceptible to a lot of trouble if you can't react normally."
She held her pen out in front of her, "Follow the tip of my pen."
Hikaru did so, following with his eyes as the tip of the pen moved left and right. Dr. Shizuke seemed pleased as she wrote in her notes once again. "Your reflexes seem okay. Do you know when this all started?"
Hikaru shrugged. "I guess I've been having some really strange dreams-"
"And you don't want to go back to sleep when you wake up from them," she finished.
Hikaru thought about it. Some were nightmares and he didn't like sleeping knowing that they would return, but after a while he became immune to them. Still they disrupted his sleep.
"For a while yes. But after a while I just slept and woke up in the middle of the night after having them. I'd fall back asleep eventually...sometimes."
"Okay..." she mused, writing more down in her notes. Finally she let out a sigh as she moved forward with her conclusion, "Hikaru, we may want to make another appointment in a month and do a small sleep study session to moniter your heart-rate, brain activity, and other body activity to see if we can't find if your problem is physiological. Are you taking sleeping pills?"
"Over the counter ones. Yes. They don't work very well though."
"Well I'm going to give a perscription for a mild sleep medication for now. It'll be a little stronger so you may want to dedicate a full eight hours when you take them."
Dr. Shizuke wrote on a small pink pad and ripped the sheet out and gave it to Hikaru to take to a pharmacist. He felt a little dirty. Maybe it was the word 'drugs' that made him feel a little hesitant to take them. But it sure beat popping pills that don't work.
Hikaru scheduled his next appointment with trepidation. He honestly had no idea what he was thinking or doing in making another appointment. Perhaps a part of his mind thought it wasn't worth the struggle. After seeing what he thought was a dragon last night, everything else seemed trivial.
Of course he went through the day thinking, forcing himself to believe everything he was going through was a dream. Nothing was real. He was caught by the coast guard and released, which explained why Mrs. Musashibo was so angry with him.
And now he had to go home.
Hikaru shoved the prescription in his pocket and boarded the bus as soon it stopped in front of him. By then the sun was setting, lights of the buildings and houses lighting up against the darkening sky. He was so caught with watching the landscape, he didn't notice the bus stop in front of the chemistry building. A man with a little five-year-old girl stared at the bus driver as he opened the door.
"Evening, doctor." The driver said with a smile.
"Hey, Hideki. Could you keep a close eye on Ayame please? I have to stay at the office."
"No problem."
The girl cautiously boarded the bus, obviously nervous about being in public transportation without her guardian. Thankfully, most of the riders were students, and the bus driver kept his gaze on the girl, practically glaring at each person she passed, daring them to do something fishy.
Most of the students didn't pay her no mind, they were busy reading their textbooks or texting. The girl tried to find an empty seat and stopped by Hikaru who had an empty space beside him. He didn't pay any attention to her, not realizing she was there until she asked, "E-excuse me?"
Hikaru silently glanced over at her, moderately surprised to see a young girl.
"Can I sit here?"
He swallowed and hesitated, but shifted over, "S-sure."
The girl sat down, placing her bunny backpack on her lap in front of her. As soon as the driver saw her safely sit down, he started the bus down the road.
Hikaru could hear the girl breathe in deeply and speak once more, as if she were reciting instructions, "My name's Ayame and I'm five."
Hikaru's tongue held back in his throat, not sure how to respond. But the girl, Ayame, stared up at him with wide eyes expectantly.
"Hi, Ayame, I'm Hikaru."
The girl's eyes sparkled, pleased to have a pleasant conversation with this stranger.
"Are you scared?" he asked calmly.
"A little. My house isn't far."
"You'll do fine then."
The girl seemed so at ease around him, smiling as she rode. In truth, if there ever was something that made him feel better about this miserable week, it was the fact that this girl trusted him enough to let her guard down.
Regardless, she still made a point to point out his odd appearance, "You talk funny. Are you a foreigner?"
Hikaru swallowed but forced a laugh, "I suppose I am."
"It's okay. You hide it well," she beamed. Obviously she was lying, but Hikaru appreciated her effort to make him less self-concious. At that moment, he caught a young lady, most likely a college student, glance over at him, smiling. She must've enjoyed seeing him do so well with the young girl.
At that point, the bus turned onto a short freeway bridge that lead towards student and staff housing. It was dark. Too dark.
"I know my mama's waiting for me," Ayame said shakily, her hand grasping his, possibly unconsciously.
A few of the other students seemed to look up from their devices in confusion at seeing the darkness. Hikaru even heard the driver mutter something about the timers on the street lamps being off and he switched on his high beams. Hikaru flinched when he heard a roar and ducked. The others looked out the window looking for a sign of a low flying plane, and were greeted with the dark shadow soaring overhead into the darkness. Most assumed it was some fancy military plane. Hikaru on the other hand felt a dread strangle his spine and he solidified his grip on Ayame. The girl seemed to feel his discomfort and remained still, mimicking his worry.
The driver sighed, his eyebrows raised just slightly, as he returned his focus on the dark road.
But then, quite suddenly, as he was about to cross the bridge to the neighborhood, he realized a black mass was in front of him, two large blue eyes staring right at him.
"Shit!" the driver roared over the passengers' screams as he veered away and off the bridge.
Hikaru immediately flung his body over the young girl as the bus tipped off the bridge, his back hitting the window painfully. He felt gravity shift again as he hit the ceiling and felt the body of a male student land on top of him. He couldn't gather what occurred next as his consciousness slipped upon impact.
He lost consciousness only briefly. When roused, a few of the hurt students were slowing gathering themselves. Hikaru didn't want to know what happened to the few students who weren't moving.
There were frantic and confused mumblings.
"Did you see that? What was that?"
"What the hell happened?"
"Is everyone alright?"
Hikaru felt something shiver against his chest. He shifted to his side and looked down at the girl in his arms. Ayame was clutching his shirt, eyes closed, shaking in silent sobs. She seemed semi-conscious, but unhurt. Just in shock out of immense trauma.
Turning his head, and looking upwards through the windows at the sky, seeing a dark massive creature fly across his field of view.
No, no, no! It can't be! What's going on!?
It wasn't a dream then. Or he was still in a horrible horrible nightmare.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard glass shatter. The driver started shattering the glass of the windows and was working to opening the emergency exit door, "Come on, if you can get out."
Hikaru looked over when he felt a pat on his shoulder. The college girl who was staring at him earlier nudged him, her eyes pained. She had a gash above her brow that looked to need immediate treatment.
"Is she okay?" she asked weakly.
Hikaru nodded, staring at her wound. He glanced back at the exit, before shifting, his back scraping against the wall of the bus. He gently and carefully placed Ayame in the college girl's arms, "Take her out first please."
She nodded and Hikaru climbed over the seats to allow her to maneuver with Ayame ahead of him. Hikaru found the little girl's bag and followed them out of the exit. He was greeted with night air, eyes scanning the sky, his head pounding. He glanced over at the southeastern skyline were the remaining lights of the town were lit up. Then, dread filled his chest as he thought of the festival Yui invited him to. He had to tell her. To warn her.
There be dragons here.
Hikaru paused to briefly help a young man whose leg was broken out of the bus, before giving the bag to the young lady holding Ayame. He handed her the bunny bag, and said in a low voice, "Can you make sure she gets home okay?"
"Yes, I will," she replied.
Hikaru turned and began to run on foot towards the parking lot where his truck was parked.
"Hey!" the bus driver called, "What're you doing! You have to wait for the ambulance!"
Hikaru ignored the driver's calls and sprinted up the hill in the direction of his parked truck.
The festival was in full swing. It was getting dark enough for all the lanterns to light the sidewalks and pathways in between the booths set in the park. Yui's family wandered together, passing out wish papers to fold and set a float on the water.
Yui glanced around, hoping to find Hikaru. Perhaps Mrs. Musashibo didn't allow him to go. Or he had work. Both were understandable, but she was at least moderately disappointed. She followed behind her brother and was starting to lag behind.
Yui turned abruptly when she heard a loud noise. She saw a familiar truck zoom right up the side of the gravel pathway in the park, screeching to a halt. Stunned she watched as Hikaru barreled out, not bothering to stop the engine.
"Hikaru!" she called excitedly, but seeing the panicked look on his face a few bruises on his arms, she quickly silenced herself.
"Yui!" he yelled breathlessly, "We have to get everyone out of here!"
"What-!?"
Before either of them could finish a loud crash rang out overheard. Both glanced up to see, to their great horror, a giant winged creature perched on the side of a now broken ten-story building.
Screams of horror rang out as the people panicked running all about at seeing such a monstrosity. The monster's blue eyes stared right through Yui and Hikaru. Rather than sticking around, Hikaru grabbed Yui's hand and pulled her into his truck. He busied himself buckling her up, prepared to push the truck into full throttle.
"M-my parents!" Yui managed between unshed tears of horror and panicked breaths.
Hikaru glanced quickly over his should, finding Yui's family gathering themselves after seeing such a monster. They were helping Jun and Mrs. Kusanagi up, who went prone amidst the chaos.
"Stay here," Hikaru said as calmly as he could and ran towards Yui's family. Intent on pulling them safely into his truck. But before he could reach them the creature landed right in front of him, shuddering the ground, blocking his path to the Kusanagis.
The dragon's blue eyes were on him. Directly on him, and Hikaru was rooted to the ground in terror.
"Ljósfeddur..." it growled, the word ringing like a volcanic eruption. The words, though Hikaru didn't know the language, were quite clear in his head.
Light-born...
Hikaru took one step back, eyes still on the dragon, fearing for his end.
"I have finally found you..."
Hikaru was inching to make a break for the truck, but surely with the size of the monster it could destroy him in one second.
Hikaru barely turned when he heard a screech behind him. Two riders on one bike swerved right next to him. The driver wearing purple and the other, latched behind the driver, was big, tall, and wearing a suit coat and baseball cap. Hikaru recognized him from the diner weeks before.
The driver removed his helmet, revealing his smooth pale skin and an abundance of rich red hair, most of it tied in a braid in the back.
"We got this," the red-head said angrily as he put himself in front of Hikaru, facing the dragon. He removed his jacket, as if he were preparing for a fight. At that, the bigger gentleman rushed forward and pulled the red head back, stopping him from going after the dragon.
"Loki! What're you doing? You can't reveal yourself here!"
"Thor!" the red head yelled back, annoyed, "There is a giant dragon in the middle of the city. I highly doubt that you or I transforming isn't going to much more of a shock to these humans."
Balder sniffed, staring at the two strangers, dumbfounded.
The dragon bellowed a roar that made Hikaru dizzy and sick, his ear drums threatening to bust open.
The red head, named Loki turned to Hikaru, "What're you doing!? Grab Kusanagi and run!"
He didn't need to be told twice, but in the moment, the red head changed. Horns protruded out of his head, his clothing gone with only black leather clinging to his small body and a long fiery boa wrapped around his strange form. The taller man no longer wore his hat, his coat or anything, but was dressed an a mess of fur, covered in tattoos.
In the truck, Yui could see everything. The dragon poised to attack, the two figures transforming into something...inhuman. In a burst of adrenaline, she flew over to the driver's seat, not bothering to adjust the seat or pull on the seat belt. She stretched her legs as far as she could an pushed on the throttle and sped to Hikaru's direction.
Yui stopped the truck abruptly right behind him, shoved open the driver's door. "Get in!" she yelled. Hikaru leaped into the truck right as she shifted to the passenger's seat, slammed his foot on the accelerator and sped as far away from the mess of monsters as possible.
Through his rear-view mirror, he saw the two figures exchange attacks on the giant dragon, but it was clear that the dragon was powerful. Then...silence. Silence that bothered the dragon, as if the universe stopped.
A flurry of black birds circled and flocked behind the dragon. It turned and became visibly upset, its scales on its neck raising like hackles as it hissed and roared as it backed away, agitated. The swirling, crowing, flapping birds formed a dark mass that grew and grew, before revealing a tall giant man, with a big muscular body, black as pitch hair and beard, a skull, horned helmet and one ice blue eye-to Yui, the eye of Mr. Wotan. To Hikaru, the eye of the bedraggled stranger- the other eye, a bright blank flame of a thousand suns. In his hand was a giant silver spear.
Hikaru flinched as he drove, that silver flashing spear painfully familiar to him.
The giant's great chest expanded and he bellowed out a long thunderous roar that rivaled any dragon's, any monster. The giant was a god. A king of gods and that sent fear through the dragon's scaly spine.
Mrs. Musashibo had been waiting and waiting, caught between anger and complete concern. She had to have dialed Hikaru's phone a million times and the boy still didn't answer. She held the reciever to her ear once again, now caught in the grips of worry.
"C'mon Hikaru. Please pick up."
As she waited, something on the television in her living room. It seemed to be a news broadcast, the image shaky as if it were recorded through the camera from a phone. Mrs. Musashibo had to double check to see if she was really watching a news broadcast because in the image of darkness and flames encrusted landscape of down town there was a giant flying monster attacking a strange figure so large he had to be twice, if not three times the size of a normal bigger man.
The camera cut away to show the giant grabbing onto the monster's wing as it swarmed down at him. With a mighty tug the giant peeled the attacking monster off of him. The footage cut again to show the monster flying away, the next cut showing a tornado of ravens filling the scene.
The phone slipped from Mrs. Musashibo's frozen grip and and she didn't flinch when it clattered to the floor.
A/N: More Kamiaso characters enter the foray. I'll be honest this is getting really hard to write. It's fun to write, don't get me wrong, but trying to describe the things I want to convey is really really hard for this story.
I do want to thank the people who follow and review this story. I'm sorry I'm not the type to name-drop as most people are, but know that you guys do help me work through these things.