Future Crisis: Chapter 3
"Checkmate."
Akuhei was at gunpoint. His own weapon was also pointing at his opponent, but he knew that his shot was much slower and he would probably die should he act rashly.
"Fire your weapon," said Mizushima. "Though it won't do you too much good. Look at yourself, human. Just the sight of this little toy is enough to make you tremble. Your race is a pretentious one," he said. "You insist on resistance, but in battle you all cower in fear. The only exception I can think of is the samurai, who you pretty much wiped out long ago. The last shred of honor in your race is nearly extinct. And here we are, having this conflict. Isn't it all pointless? Power down your weapon." He gestured with his gun downwards.
Akuhei released the handle of the weapon and turned the barrel knob; the barrel opening of the weapon closed up. Mizushima smiled and dropped his own gun.
"I sense the Shikon no Tama in the device on your waist," said Mizushima. "It's been centuries since I've seen the Shikon no Tama. You must have taken years to gather enough energy necessary to create a machine like this." These words made Akuhei tensed up. "Don't worry," said Mizushima. "Your effort will not be in vain. I will not alter your work in any way; but I will use it as I please." He opened his hand as if to beckon Akuhei to give the cylinder.
Instead, Akuhei spat on the hand. "Don't give me that crap," he said. He raised the barrel and reactivated the weapon, but Mizushima's face was suddenly an inch away from Akukei's. "Foolish human," he said.
Mizushima's hand grazed Akuhei's shoulder; ribbons of blood scattered out of it. "Your judgment is clouded," he said. "If you handed over the weapon, I would have let you leave here in peace. You can start a new life somewhere outside Japan, with my permission. But you chose to resist… so I have you die in a peaceful way." He picked up the pistol and pointed it at Akuhei. "Goodbye, Akuhei. There's always nirvana to look forward to."
He forgot that Akuhei's finger was still on his own trigger, and the much larger, much more dangerous gun (at least to youkai) was still activated. A beam of gray light suddenly erased Mizushima's trigger hand, and the gun bounced on the floor. Akuhei took this chance to set his machine at full power, and took aim to kill the emperor; however, the weapon sparked and malfunctioned.
Water flowed out of Mizushima's sleeve and formed a hand. "Too bad," he said. "You missed your chance. Now that you're disarmed, human, you're weak again. There's nothing stopping me from killing you." He picked up the pistol again and took aim.
"As you have realized, I can kill you without trying. You're an interesting human, Akuhei. The only other one that I've seen with a spirit like yours was a miko hundreds of years ago. That was the scariest time of my life – I wasn't even able to touch her. Without the power of the fountain of youth, I would have lost that fight. Yes, now that I think about it, there was also a hanyou with her: the bastard Inuyasha. He prolonged the fight to an unimaginable length… six days, we fought. On the seventh day, I finally took his life."
Akuhei's eyes widened at the mention of Inuyasha's name. "Inuyasha? You met him in the past?"
"Yes, but I digress." Mizushima gripped the pistol more carefully. "Die now."
Mizushima finally pulled the trigger, and Akuhei was knocked back by the impact of the bullet that was shot. His finger slipped down on the dials of his machine, which reset the weapon. Mizushima looked down at the corpse of Akuhei, and pulled out a lollipop from his robes. He unwrapped it and stuck the tip into Akuhei's mouth.
"Enjoy the afterlife… human."
Mizushima saw the cylinder on Akuhei's belt. "I can use this later," he said to himself. He bent down and reached for the cylinder, but gray light took away his arm, along with all but his left arm and parts above his stomach.
He growled and flew backwards. The tiny wings on the top of his head started moving slightly, and Mizushima was floating. Water streamed throughout where his body was supposed to be, holding the robes up.
"A bulletproof vest?" said Mizushima.
Akuhei coughed and smiled cynically. He bit off the candy on the lollipop and threw away the stick. "Humans don't need to mutate to adapt," he said. He raised the barrel of his weapon. "And now, it's your turn to die."
Mizushima gritted his teeth. "You will regret this," he said. "Soon, the youkai will devour this world. Even if you kill me now, there's nothing you can do to stop me from realizing my goals. This has been going on since hundreds of years ago. I will be the final piece of the puzzle: a martyr. Go ahead, human. Kill me."
"You're a joke," said Akuhei. "You didn't fight seriously because you couldn't, am I right? The miko who fought with you scarred you on the inside. That's why there's water always flowing inside you, preventing you from making any real movement. And as for your plan, there's another solution. The miko who wounded you will help me; so will the hanyou. All of you are responsible for this, and you all will die."
Mizushima's eyes widened. "How can she be still alive right now? She can't help you." A moment later, his face twitched.
"You know the Bone Eater's Well, then?" asked Akuhei.
"Impossible! I am sure that I destroyed it!" shouted Mizushima. The water in his body began to form the shapes of limbs.
"There's always a way to reconnect time," said Akuhei. He pulled the trigger, sending Mizushima into oblivion. His robes fell onto the table, and not a trace of Mizushima remained.
"Glad that's over with." Akuhei pulled the bullet out of his chest and smashed a window with his weapon. He jumped out and fell three stories before his jet pack activated.
"Here I come, Inuyasha." Akuhei faced his next destination and sped towards it. The people in the refugee camps below him looked at him in awe, as they could not believe that a man could fly out of the tower alive.
Akuhei eventually arrived at a run-down shrine with the sign "Higurashi". He navigated through the rubble and found the room of the Bone Eater's well. Akuhei pointed the gun into the well and pulled the trigger.
Back in the emperor's room, a droplet of water fell from the chandelier…
End of Prologue