Later that day

If there's one thing that I have discovered, and come to find increasingly eye-rolling, about the humans in this city (it's probably the same for them everywhere) is the fascination they have with someone who is much bigger than them. Everywhere I have gone today, men have given me looks akin to seeing me in my regular form, some of them even backing away a little whenever I pass them. The women's reactions have been more … interesting, even comical at times. Most of them have been ogling at my muscular body, their eyes … - oh what's the human phrase? - popping out of their sockets - that's it! One even had the … confidence, if that is the correct word, to approach me and then quite bluntly say that she wished to "Have her way with me." I'm no expert in their expressions but her body language and the fact that she exposed half of her skin quickly informed me of what her intentions were. Such a thing was, as I mentioned before with humans, eye-rolling and, quite frankly, a waste of time.

Still, I have to say, they are also very interesting to be around. When they are not staring at me like a demigod of sorts, their ways of life, the complexities of which they carry out their daily routines, all of it is … intriguing to say the least. Not simply because of the supposed interactions between the haves and the have nots but because of the love between many people on these streets. And I'm not referring to family members and/or friends but sometimes even strangers. The way that some have the gall, or maybe even curiosity to greet and strike up a conversation with someone completely unknown to them and they could be the very best of friends by the very end of it.

Peculiar … If such a thing happened with other creatures my size, then we would be ripping each other limb from limb. Yet with the humans, they act as it is the most normal thing to them. Not all of them but its very existence even to a few is something worth considering.

And then there was this constant strange presence around me that I felt more and more as I travelled through the city. I could not place my finger on it but it is something … different, very different. If I ever came to a human settlement, which was very rare in itself, I would ever feel something like this. It had been especially apparent when I was talking to that girl with a hat earlier when I had gotten off the bus. There had been a strong feeling about her that I could sense, and I felt it eve more so when we had made eye contact, which practically confirmed to me that she was not entirely human. Then again, most of the people here did not seem to be either.

As I continue down the street, ignoring the looks of amazement sent my way, my eyes absorb everything about this new concrete jungle. Every building looked rather impressive, each seeming to be in competition with each other as to who could be the biggest, the shiniest and/or the newest, yet all were testaments to humanity's achievements; their ability to spread, colonize, even conquer whatever piece of land they could reach. Just hours ago, such things would have been like toys to me and now I was lost in the maze of human ingenuity. No wonder they seemed so able to build, and even rebuild so quickly, especially whenever disaster struck. I can recall the great ocean swell that caused much death and destruction somewhere in this land only a few years. The humans had not only survived and prevented an enormous disaster of potentially epic proportions but re-established normality almost as if nothing had happened.

As I reach a huge square section of the road (I had overheard a conversation that this was known as an 'intersection'.) with each side leading to more roads that led to who knows where, I looked up and saw the sun blazing away in the bright blue sky. It was a beautiful day. Too bad I am stuck at this current size or I would be recuperating on a nice sunny island in the pacific far from human observation. What's the human phrase? I could use a drink and … something else?

Oh no! Am I becoming like a human?

Well, at least the day is nice for a stroll. I take off my jacket, feeling a bit of a refreshing relief sweep over me, which I accentuate by inhaling a breath of fresh air. Wow! It's rather different when compared to smoke or radiation, and in a good way. Wait!

I mentally hit myself as I roll up the exterior clothing and tuck it under my shoulder. Now I am becoming like a human. Wonderful!

I see a great deal of movement all around me. People are passing and crossing the road towards the other side, another line of towering grey and glass structures and others are moving in my direction. Cars have come to a halt on the road to my right, their drivers watching the crowds move as if they are observing something natural.

I may as well join them. It's better than standing here looking like a lost dog.

As I walk towards the other side of the road, I happen to glance to the right for a brief moment to see a second car come to halt behind a first. I turn my head to look ahead of me and have to stop as a smaller man nearly walks into me. The sudden stop makes me drop my coat and he scrambles to pick it up.

"I'm so sorry!" he says, looking up at me, having to crane his neck to do so. He goes to speak further but stops dead, the look of a nervous smile quickly disappearing.

I too find myself looking at him with slight curiosity, as if there is some kind of … how to describe it? Energy? Feeling? Power? It could be any of these but the point is there's something about him that I can sense, something not entirely human. It was his eyes. Even though they were a deep sea blue, covered partially by his brown hair that hung down over his forehead, they seemed to have a fiery touch to them.

He must have realised what I had because he quickly hands me back my coat and then walks past me as fast as he could go, disappearing into the crowd as I try to follow him.

Now that is curious I say to myself. There was something about him that was especially strange.

Curiosity gets the better of me as I begin to follow the man,'s direction. After a few seconds, the brown haired person reveals himself as he moves to the side to check a small device in his hand before putting it back into his pocket and continuing on. Making sure to keep well behind him; a good forty to fifty feet. Thankfully, he does not notice me. No doubt he wanted to put as much distance between me and him as possible. Of course, like a bear or any other kind of curious creature, I feel compelled to try and uncover more.

So what are you hiding? I think to myself.

"Ao!"

With a sigh, she laid back down on the floor of the ring that stood about half-way up the enormous Nana-Gou, staring at the sky with a longing gaze. She wanted to somehow go up there and disappear from the world, from her problems and troubles. Maybe waiting for them to go would be the best thing. That was what she had been thinking of doing for the past few days. Heck, maybe there was a Yokai somewhere in Sakurashin for that. She should just go and find them now and-

No! Don't be stupid! I can't just up and leave everyone, even if Hime is basically making me the black sheep of the group.

That was all she could think of, and had done since she had gotten back this morning. It always what Hime wanted to do! It really annoyed Ao sometimes, which probably explained why her boss had few staff working with her. She knew that the others felt the same about her sometimes too, not because of her ability to hear their thoughts but because of their expressions and the feelings of tension that seemed to rise whenever she entered the room. Obviously recent events were lessening that to a degree but still …

I mean, what does she expect me to do?! It's my brother we're talking about here! Not some criminal! She mentally said to herself.

The sound of footsteps hitting metal gradually began to grow louder, telling her that Akina was nearing the top of the ladder. Great! Here comes another cliché lecture of "Oh, we can't give up on the others!" "You have to believe in yourself!" Ao sighed heavily,just wanting to be invisible or have some kind of power to make Akina go away.

"She needs to listen to me! She'll probably rebuff me but I need to try." Ao heard by listening into Akina's mind. Yep, her predictions were coming true.

A few metres behind her, Akina reached the top of the ladder and pulled himself up, looking over at the form of his colleague and friend lying on the metal surface. Seeing her like this did nothing to ease his concern, especially when she had left the 'office' not long after they had returned from Tokyo. Hime had questioned her and Ao responded by saying something halfheartedly such as "Going for a walk." Hime had then gone to argue but Kotoha and Akina had stopped her to stop another fight from occurring. Akina had decided to go out after her but she had been quick to elude him, no doubt knowing he would do something like that, again thanks to her mind-reading abilities.
"Ao!" he called to her.

She did not respond but instead brought her hand up to her head. She dragged her thumb and finger across her eyebrows, bringing them to the bridge of her nose where they came together in a pinch of frustration. Please leave me alone! Undeterred, or unaware, Akina walked towards her.

"I know you're here to keep an eye on me, Akina," the cat-eared girl told him, her tone one of annoyance, rejection at the presence of her friend (and even this she was beginning to doubt given all that had happened). "I'm not going to leave or disappear, but I can't say it had crossed my mind." she added.

"Ao, c'mon!" he said, walking over and sitting down next to her. "We need to talk about this."

"And make me out to be the bad guy?!" she asked him incredulously, emphasising herself with a tone that highlighted her growing frustration. She sat up and draped her legs over the edge of the platform. "I didn't ask for this, Akina. Hime wouldn't understand how I feel."

He nodded. "You're right, she doesn't. Regardless of how she tries to act like she does."

Now that took her by surprise; then again she had not tried to read his mind in the last few seconds. She gave him a look that was torn between puzzlement and surprise.

"I know, you're thinking that I'm crazy but I'm being honest, Ao." he told her, meeting her gaze. "Even the others can get frustrated with her. But the point is, we all want what's best."

Ao looked away from him back at the city below, taking in the skyline as the sun began to set in the far-off distance. Normally, such a scene would be both breath-taking and stress relieving. But to Ao it was nothing more than uncertainty, a cliff-hanger over what might happen the next day. It left her with questions: What was going to happen tomorrow? Will the others, or more appropriately Hime decide not to kill Gin? How are we going to stop him before he does something else?

For none of them did she have the answers.

"Look, Ao, I get that you don't want to see your brother get hurt. I'd feel the same as you. It's just right now nobody knows what to do." Akina told her.

"No, it's because we've only been seeing ourselves and them as black and white!" she replied angrily. "Maybe I'm saying that because we've never had to deal with someone like this before but still! Besides, Hime isn't the one who's fighting her brother."

Akina did not answer her as his cat-eared friend brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hugging them close. He had to admit to himself that Ao was right. She was the one who was experiencing the effects of this dilemma the most; none of them had to fight their own family. He could not in any way feel what she was even to a minute level. Still, the desire within him to try and do what he saw was the right thing wanted him to drive on, to push onwards and to find a way to stop this situation from getting out of hand.

"Akina, I know for a fact you're trying to keep us together, and I'm grateful for it but this time we can't just treat him as another enemy, or an even worse enemy." She said. "Hime needs to see that, and so do the others."

Akina sighed. "You two aren't so different in this case. You both want what's best, but you just don't know how to get to it." he spoke as he glanced down at the ground far below.

"Yes, but I want us to consider another way of dealing with Gin, not just trying to kill him!" Ao exclaimed. "Is that so much to ask?!" No reply and she looked at him. "Akina?!"

She saw him looking at the ground far below and her eyes followed his, quickly growing wide and her mouth fell open.

A shadow stretched out below, its form immense and dark as if it were some kind of living creature. For a moment, the pair thought it was and sprang to their feet, thinking that something had managed to sneak onto the city. From their vantage point, they could see a row of spikes that were just visible on and behind what appeared to be the head. Two huge muscular arms stuck out of the sides of the main part of the shadow. It lumbered from side to side as if it were the projection of the real thing before them. They looked ahead but, to their surprise, saw that it was completely devoid of anything of that size that would cast that kind of shadow. What the hell?

"Ao, look!" Akina said, pointing down at the ground.

She looked and saw a dot of a man from her perspective atop the walkway around the Nana-Gou. As the sunshine reached him, the shadow of the great beast moved forward, arms swaying a little as he approached them. Now this was peculiar; how could this … this man have the shadow of a huge monster? How could it be? Was he a Yokai? She tried to focus on him with her mind, hoping to pick up something that gave a hint of what he was like.

There's something … yeah, it's … rage? Fiery. Power. Uncontrolled maybe. Yet, he isn't letting it loose. No … No, this can't be a Yokai. At least, not a real one, or at least one we've faced before.

"Ao, what do you hear?" Akina asked her with an urgent tone, rising to his feet.

"There's something about him." She replied, not taking her eyes of the form as it approached them. She too got up and muttered: "We need to get down there, fast!"

Without another word, the two ran over to the ladder and were climbing it as fast as they could go.

Now this was strange. In fact, strange was a word that was insufficient in this case; it was just completely otherworldly, yet extraordinary at the same time. Never have I felt something like this in the human world, and if I am honest I never thought I would. Well, there is a first time for everything.

The huge cylindrical object that stood before me must have been over a hundred feet tall, maybe around two hundred. Looking off to the left I saw another a few miles away, and the top part of a third to the left of that one. Each had exactly the same height, look and shape. They were definitely smaller than me in my original form. I could see a metallic ring around the half-way mark, possibly to enable people to look at the surrounding cityscape and mountains. It was typical of someone of their kind, to be fascinated by something that enabled them to have a chance to gawk at what they perceive as beautiful. Yet, I cannot deny I wouldn't be like that as well if I were in their position.

What drew me to them was the power I could feel emanating from them, like a sort of Pandora's Box, a feeling that I many mysteries were locked within them, yearning for exploration and analysation. Unfortunately, there was no 'key' to them. And I doubted that even in my original form I would be able to topple them. Being small compared to me, there was no question about the potential destructive power they could bring; I could feel it from a mile away (or at least to my original form it was a mile).

I need to stop mentioning what I have currently lost. It's probably because of the huge shadow that I (in my original form) was casting over the object like a piece of my past and an outward revelation of my true self to the world, both formed to mock me into oblivion because of my current human form.

As I reached about one hundred feet from it, my eyes fell on two forms climbing down the side of the object using a ladder. For a moment, a feeling of amusement fills me. Maybe they saw my form and were terrified and trying to run. Ha! At least I still have some of my terrifying charm. Maybe I should start roaring and …

Wait! I looked over to the figures as they reached the bottom of the ladder and began making their way over in my direction. There was a growing feeling inside of me that told me there was a power in these beings. I looked at them with greater scrutiny and instantly recognised them; the girl in particular.

"Excuse me!" She called, slightly raising her arm to emphasise her attempt at getting my attention.

I turned to face them, quickly reminding myself that the two only came up to my chest, her male friend especially even though he was recognizably taller than her. I had to lower my head considerably to meet their eyes.

"Hello again," I replied to her. "We must stop meeting like this."

She did not reply straight away, though I saw her mouth open but the words got lost in there. Her friend stepped forward and asked rather bluntly: "I think she, or rather we would like to ask who you are?" he told me.

I was rather surprised by his question and found myself unable to answer for a moment or two. A mental slap put my mind back on course and I spoke:

"Well, I think I cannot hide that from you even if I tried. And seeing as this is our second meeting, I think it's time we introduce ourselves." I replied.

The girl spoke up. "Why don't we take you to the mayor?" She suggested. "She'll need to meet someone like you." She added matter-of-factly.

Her friend nodded and, seeing as I felt obliged to join them, and was also partly driven by curiosity, I agreed with them.

A few moments later, the three were heading back into Sakurashin with Ao and Akina leading the way and their human acquaintance following close behind, wondering who these people would be when he met them.

Unbeknownst to them, standing nearby in an alleyway was Akiro, his deep blue eyes nervously watching them go. He had managed to lose the man on his way here but now he had walked off with two people he hoped to speak with. Damn! He was stuck. There was nothing he could do for the moment for the person, if he dared to even call him that, was something very powerful, he could feel it and he was certain he felt the same way towards him [Akiro]. He could be unpredictable, and most of his kind were.

I need to get to them somehow, or at least find a way to stop this. He mentally said to himself. Whatever I do, it needs to be quick. We're running out of time!

Author's Note: Hey fellow FF readers and writers.

Now yes, I can understand some of you will be disappointed that this has not been updated for a few months. I have had no time to work on them as I am continuing to work full time now. Rest assured, I have not abandoned this idea but it will just take longer than I expected to finish. I'm hoping to finish working on it by the end of this year or the early stages of the new year.

Take care everyone and I wish you all early holiday happiness.