Author's Note: Okay, it's been a while since my last update, I'm sorry it's taken so long.

The Story So Far: Sena's out cold, Yukmitsu knows what the building they are trying to get into looks like, and Hiruma's status is still unknown. Somehow they've managed to survive a train ride with a mass murderer and had some random girl from Liverpool join their group.

Hidden

By: Bar-Ohki

Chapter 23: Doburoku, Knowing Elder

"What the hell did you do to that squirrel!?" The blond girl squeaked, mortified by what she was seeing.

"I asked it if it's seen my friend." Yukimitsu answered her. "It had."

"You're all freaks, aren't you?" The girl pointed an accusing finger at everyone there.

"No, I'm normal." Musashi corrected her.

"What's with the clothes you were wearing!?" The girl demanded.

"It was an American Football uniform." Juumonji told her simply. "We all play American Football."

"American Football?" The girl blinked once. "Then what were you doing on that train?"

"Trying to get to rescue our friend, he got taken by other 'freaks' if you will." Musashi explained.

"Oh!" The girl suddenly seemed to understand. "So you guys are good freaks and the people who have your friend are bad freaks?"

"Well, not all of us are 'freaks', but yes, that's true." Mamori nodded.

"The building we're trying to get to I think has a stucco exterior," Yukimitsu described, "seven main floors, there's a clock tower on top, with two copper domes on either side. Uhh… I think there's a Pegasus on top of the clock tower."

"…I think I know what you're talking about…." The girl admitted, looking confused. "Why would you want to be going there?"

"That's a really dumb question." Juumonji observed.

"It's a court building." The girl explained. [1]

"The hell?" Musashi muttered.

"You okay?" Zork asked, looking confused.

"The Elders in Japan use a court building too…." Musashi muttered, awed.

"…The guys in Southern Europe started that fad." Doburoku explained. "Not that it matters particularly."

"…Could you show us the way?" Shin asked the girl. "We're in a hurry."

"…I don't-" The girl was staring at Zork, as was Mamori.

"…Cute." Both girls muttered and started giving Zork hugs.

"Huh?" Huh!?" "Huuuh!?"

"I didn't want to do this…." Zork muttered, embarrassed.

"…What did you do!?" Monta gasped.

"Incubus and Succubus have the natural ability to lure in prey," Kurita explained, "by appearing extremely attractive to them. I think Zork's using it right now."

"But he comes off as 'cute' rather than 'sexy' because he's only a child." Doburoku explained.

"…You can make females find you adorable at will?" Togano wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Yeah." Zork sighed as Mamori began to brush his hair with her fingers. "Ma'am, could you please direct me to that court building thingy Yuki-san was talking about?"

"Anything for you sweetie!" The girl smiled, trying to hold back squeals.

"What's her name anyways?" Kuroki couldn't help but to wonder.

"What's your name, ma'am?" Zork asked the girl.

"It's Rae." Rae answered, still smiling. "Come on, it's this way."

Navigating Liverpool proved to be unexpectedly difficult; the same power Zork used to keep Rae interested in helping them attracted a lot of unwanted female attention. Getting through crowds of females proved to be annoying and difficult.

"Zork, why don't you see if we can get a ride from one of these ladies?" Doburoku asked after about five minutes of being trapped in the female horde.

"Can me and my friends get a ride!?" Zork called loudly into the crowd.

About twenty minutes later they found themselves on a bus, being driven directly to the court building.

"What's the address of the building?" Doburoku asked Rae as they sat on the bus. Rae answered.

"…Hmm, they didn't change it." Doburoku observed.

"You knew where it was all along!?" Kurita gasped, stunned.

"Not exactly," Doburoku corrected Kurita, "I didn't know whether or not they took Hiruma there, and I didn't know if they changed which building it was."

"You know the interior." Shin pointed out bluntly.

"Assuming they didn't change it." Doburoku frowned as he thought for a minute. "Zork, could you get Mamori to give up her clipboard?"

Zork demonstrated that when you were irresistibly cute, you can get girls to do anything for you easily.

"…Do you think you could Rae to take off her shirt?" Kuroki asked suddenly, stunning everyone.

"And the point of that would be?" Zork asked, looking confused.

"…There isn't one." Musashi told the boy simply.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to do it." Zork answered.

"Make Mamori take hers off!" Monta demanded.

Cerberus growled loudly, startling everyone.

"N-no." Zork looked a little scared.

Doburoku ignored the antics of the perverts as he began sketching down various things on the clipboard.

"What's that?" Yukimitsu asked as he tried to get a better look.

"A map." Doburoku answered. "I think this is where they'd be keeping Hiruma."

The room in question was located in the bottom of the building in a particularly isolated corner.

"If for some reason Hiruma got out, he'd cause the least amount of damage this way," Doburoku explained, "and it would be easier to contain him."

"…That's morbidly appropriate." Musashi agreed, looking at the map.

"Also this happens to be their magical containment wing," Doburoku explained, "they keep all sorts of strange things down there that can't be contained with normal magic."

"If they haven't changed it." Juumonji pointed out.

"Doubtful," Doburoku shook his head, "some of the things there can't physically moved without tearing a hole in reality, even if they changed building this part of it would still be under their watch."

"…Would they keep an Incubus down there?" Zork asked after a long pause.

"…I'm sure this is where they kept Dalboz prisoner." Doburoku answered.

"Dalboz?" Togano recognized the name from somewhere.

"Ah ha ha!" Taki announced. "Dalboz was young Zork's uncle!"

"…He was my father you idiot!" Zork hissed at Taki.

"Impossible!"

"Your father?" Musashi blinked.

"…The Incubus clan that Zork is from had a long conflict with the Elders of Southern Europe," Doburoku explained, "Dalboz had come Upground to negotiate peace and the talks went horribly…. Dalboz was taken prisoner in the end and died under the care of the fools here in Northern Europe."

"They killed him?" Juumonji gasped.

"The same way you kill a pet bird, by not taking care of it properly." Doburoku explained. "Incubus need to eat souls to survive, if they don't get enough or too much of the wrong kind, they get ill and die."

"Not just souls, we need meat and plants too." Zork explained.

"There are different kinds of soul?" Shin asked, curious.

"Yes, that's what you See." Doburoku explained to Shin. "Sensitives' souls are poisonous to Incubus."

"…You mean they mis-fed Dalboz to death?" Kuroki looked a little disgusted.

"And they wouldn't let us have his body." Zork sounded upset by this.

"…Incubus, like many of the people that inhabit the Underground, their bodies have special properties usually. Incubus bones turn into very potent Mediums without much work. And their blood can neutralize any acid."

"So they hacked his body apart and used it for their own purposes?" Kurita looked ill.

"Its like skinning an animal you killed," Doburoku explained, "the Elders don't see the people of the Underground as anything more than monsters. It doesn't surprise me they mistreat the dead like that."

"…If it's possible," Zork asked, "could we find Dad's remains and take them home?"

"Of course!" Monta exclaimed. "Those bastards don't have a right to do that!"

"Yah!"

"…Thank you." Zork smiled.

The bus stopped, they had arrived.

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This chapter didn't want to come, please comment!

[1]- The building is from a picture I found on the internet of an actual building in Liverpool. Unfortunately I don't know its actual use, so I'm just guessing.