Chapter 3: 4th District Shinigami

"You who invade my sacred territory… prepare to be cut down for your insolence."

"Taro you idiot, stop trying to take his photo and just run!"

"Nobody's gonna believe this… that guy really IS a shinigami! This whole damn city's haunted!"

The footsteps of the drunken invaders faded into the night. The "shinigami" stood motionless, sword in hand, refusing to cross another step lest he pass outside his sanctuary. He felt no need to cross the threshold and pursue them, lest he interrupt his own enlightenment.

He marched back into the garden of the run down shrine, approaching its small, wooden hokora. A small, smooth, solid black mechanical box sat at the base. The wretched humans could not hear the melody that flowed from the box, its chaotic dissonance flowing through the area. As he knelt down before it in meditation, he planted his sword into the ground, clutching the hilt tightly in his clawed hands. Now that melody no longer left the area, but flowed into his sword… and into him.

The purple-haired warrior stayed completely motionless, awaiting the answer he sought to enter his mind. He had only two orders. Find Kaito. Kill anyone who interfered. The notes bounced around his mind, swearing to give him both the answer to his first order… and the means to carry out the second.

He folded his black, razor-sharp wings behind him and waited for the moment when he would have his answer and take to the skies to seek his prey.

"So ice cream can be acquired anywhere?!" Kaito asked in astonishment as Miku handed him a small cup of vanilla ice cream.

In spite of the horrible afternoon she'd just survived, she found her mood lifted by seeing Kaito at her kitchen table gleefully prying off the lid to the cup and digging in. 'Having to keep a secret like that must have been so terrible for him…' Miku thought to herself, 'No wonder he was such a wreck.'

"So you're a Cheruba…"

"Seruva."

"So where do Seruva live anyway?"

Kaito quickly swallowed his current bite of ice cream. "We live in a huge expanse of islands in the sky…" he explained, "Humans can't get there since they can't fly or wield song magic… well, normally, they can't."

Miku leaned against the counter. "Uh, we can't fly the way you guys do… but we have ways of flying."

He hesitated before his next bite of ice cream. "Right… I remember, you have those mechanical things instead."

"Airplanes, Kaito. They're everywhere too. I'll point one out next time one flies overhead."

"So are there like… ancient ruins and fantastical creatures there and stuff?!" Miku asked excitedly, her thoughts racing to movies she saw as a child of floating castles in the sky.

Kaito laughed at her enthusiasm. "Something like that!" he said.

Witnessing Kaito's light and cheerful demeanor, Miku wondered if this was closer to his true personality. "Man… it'd be cool to see something like that…" Miku sighed dreamily.

At that, Kaito shook his head quickly. "No! Humans aren't allowed there!" he said, "That's why even I can't go back!"

Miku sighed as her flying castle fantasies drifted away. "What have the Seruva got against humans anyway?" she asked, a little sour.

"OW!"

Kaito suddenly clamped his mouth shut, cringing as he held a hand to his temple. "Heh… Kaito, you gotta eat that slow, remember?"

Kaito nodded in embarrassment. Miku gave him some time to recover before he spoke again. "A long time ago, the Seruva and the humans fought a war," he said, more seriously, "The Seruva were almost wiped out. The Islands are all that's left, and even that we only got because of the power of the Spirit Callers. As a rule, even talking to humans can get you in a lot of trouble."

His eyes became downcast. "It's the kind of stuff that gets people Severed."

'Well that doesn't sound pleasant…' Miku thought to herself. Though she thought she might regret it, she pressed on. "What happens when you're Severed?"

As painful memories showed on Kaito's face, Mhe wished she could take the question back and turn him back to his happy, cheerful self from a few moments ago. "No, you deserve an answer…" he murmured, "After all, it's why I can't go home…"

When he looked at Miku again, his eyes possessed a dangerous intensity. "To be Severed means they cut off your wings."

"WHAT?!" Miku shouted, "That's horrible!"

Kaito kept talking, not stopping to acknowledge her outburst. "From that point forward, you are no longer Seruva. Val'Sharess. It means something like 'Wingless' in your language. You are cast down to the Earth amongst the humans, stripped of your name, your place in your family, and your home. Anyone providing you aid or even acknowledging you risks the same punishment."

"I'm Val'Sharess now," he finished, "therefore… I am officially no longer Seruva."

Miku was reeling from the revelation. "But Kaito, you didn't do anything! Nobody Severed you! Why are you responsible? What kind of people just turn their backs on their family and friends?!"

He seemed to have anticipated her question. "I didn't commit a crime, per say," Kaito said carefully, "but I did lose my wings. In the final days of the war, some of the Seruva split away to join the humans and as a sign of their betrayal, they cut their own wings off. There's no proof that I didn't do the same… so they're playing it safe. We… they have to. There's so few of us left."

Now Miku found herself near tears again. Such a cruel practice… she couldn't imagine losing her feet for committing a crime. She couldn't imagine being thrown out of her own society for losing a foot either. No wonder Kaito was so upset the last two days. She didn't know how he was holding himself together right now.

"Kaito… you can stay here as long as you need, okay?"

"…thank you," he said softly, "I don't wish to take advantage of you… but I guess I'm a little more… out of my depth… than I realized."

Miku happily snapped her fingers. "Don't worry, I'll give you human lessons!" she declared, "You'll fit in with us in no time!"

He seemed somewhat pleased with her suggestion. "I'm sorry I made such a mess of things with your friends…" he said.

"No, no, no! I told you, it'll be fine!" Miku insisted, "Before you see them again, we'll work on a new history for you, okay?"

She laughed. "I knew you weren't from around here, but I didn't know how far away you really came from…"

Far more relaxed, Kaito returned to happily eating his ice cream. "We'll have to start by pointing out Kyoto on a map…" Miku mused aloud.

Her mind drifted back to her friends. She'd gotten a text from Luka on the way home, suggesting Miku bring Kaito to Vocaloid practice. She still felt a little nervous having him meet them again.

"Oh wow, I can't believe I forgot to ask!" Miku continued, "All that magic you were using… how does it work? I mean, I could hear you singing but your lips were closed the whole time…"

At that Kaito nearly gagged on his ice cream. "You HEARD me?!" he asked aloud, his face revealing shock.

"Um… I wasn't supposed to?" Miku asked.

Kaito shook his head again. "Seruva cast magic with songs. Some of them are simple – a shield is just a few notes. But a more complicated spell requires that I be able to constantly sing to maintain it. We'd be utterly useless if we lost the ability to talk just to cast them. So we all have a power that lets us sing and speak at once… we call it our 'second voice.'"

This was not clearer. "Kaito, you're not making sense…" Miku said.

Kaito seemed to know he wasn't being clear, but struggled for the words. "I can start a song… use my voice… but still have my voice. Since I'm using magic to create the other song with the other voice… I don't use my 'real' voice."

He looked to Miku in curiousity. "What I don't understand is how you could hear it! The second voice should be beyond human ears! A talented Seruva can even hide their other voice from other Seruva and cast spells without being caught! How can you do that?"

Miku held up her hands. "Don't look at me!" she said, "At least now I know why that Big Al jerk didn't hear us… you just made us invisible…"

Kaito nodded his head. "I was really impressed with how brave you were with the both of them…"

Miku felt herself blush. "You actually tried to protect me even though you knew how strong they were… if you hadn't distracted them, I never would have gotten that spell off…"

"You don't think they're looking for you, do you?"

She saw Kaito's expression grow more tense. He looked away from Miku and his precious ice cream entirely. "Miku, I didn't come to this world, or this city, on my own. I was kidnapped from my people, by humans that somehow made it into the Islands. Even with all my magic, they were able to subdue me and drag me here… they took me to a lab and… and…"

Kaito's voice trailed off and Miku recognized him slipping back into that fearful state she'd found him in at the hospital. After a few moments of silence, Miku finally gave him a break. "Kaito… if you're not ready to talk about what happened to you… I understand…"

Though his fingers still showed tension as he pressed the tips against the table, he nodded his head. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay… this all just happened… I'm just glad you survived it…"

Kaito looked back to Miku, his expression far sadder than before. "I just want you to know… I really was about to die yesterday…" he said softly, "I didn't know if I'd cast a healing ballad fast enough… If you hadn't tried to keep me alive… I…"

Miku tried to shift the topic to something less grim. "So you can patch yourself up with just a song?" she asked, trying to sound more cheerful.

"Apparently my healing ballads have always been more potent than most," he admitted, rubbing a hand on the back of his head, "This time even I was surprised it was so thorough though!"

"So if I scrape my knee, you'll patch me right up, right?"

Miku winked at Kaito. The blue-haired man chuckled in response. "I guess it'd be the least I could do for you…"

Kaito spent a few hours that night and the next morning working with Miku on the gaps he still had on how to pass as a human. As he walked down the street with her, she was still drilling him to make sure he could answer the questions.

"Where did you grow up?"

"Minami-ku, near the industrial wards."

"Why are you in Tsubasa City?"I

"I took my inheritance to try and get into Tsubasa City University."

"And why aren't you there yet?"

"I'm studying for the entrance exam in the spring. My relatives and I are on bad terms because I didn't take over the family business. I'm staying with you until I start school."

It seemed bizarre for Kaito to have to invent an entire fake life for himself. But he didn't have a choice. For all intents and purposes, he was supposed to be human now. At least now he had Miku helping him.

Apparently when the group gathered for Vocaloid practice, they tended to wear their individual character costumes. Hence Miku wore a grey sleeveless blouse with a teal tie, matching her hair color, a pair of long bell-shaped arm warmers, black skirt with teal trim, and tall black boots. She had a headset on, as well as two odd looking hair pieces holding her pigtails together.

"Where's your phone?"

"Lost it on the train over."

'So many little intricacies to pay attention to…' Kaito thought to himself. Seruva were hardly uncivilized, but their level of technology lagged behind humanity. Of course, many of the needs humans had for technology the Seruva simply used magic for. Even so, he noticed humans in particular owned far more possessions and placed a greater deal of importance on them.

He heard an odd buzzing sound approaching him. He tried to remember why it was familiar before he realized it was that "scooter" device Miku had told him about. In particular, the one she'd held him on as they rode to the hospital.

Upon hearing the noise, Miku appeared to prickle, then turned to him with a look of panic. "That's Gumi! We've gotta hide!"

"In plain sight?" Kaito asked, "Is she dangerous?"

Miku let out a groan. "She might be… she won't stop asking about you and… wait! You can do that thing you did yesterday!"

Kaito glanced around – he didn't see the scooter yet. "Just stick close to me," he said, "And keep quiet."

His song could only alter Gumi's perception to miss himself and Miku – he couldn't actually make them invisible, so disappearing in front of her wouldn't work. He summoned his second voice from the depths of his heart and began the melody of concealment. He accounted for the extra person next to him, allowing his notes to wrap around the both of them.

He watched as a green-haired girl on an orange scooter flew past him. As the scooter veered down a side street at top speed, he waited a few moments before ceasing his melody.

"She's gone… thanks Kaito…"

Miku looked relieved to not engage this "Gumi" person, though Kaito had yet to meet her. He possessed a greater sense of charity toward her given her role in preserving his life. But if she was nosy… he wasn't quite ready to handle a barrage of questions when he still needed to remember that he was a member of the choral club at Rakunan High.

"It was fun to spin aimlessly, and I wanted to stay that way…"

As he and Miku passed into a small park, a woman's singing voice drifted past his ears. He spotted Luka standing in front of a boom box, twirling around on her heels with her arms extended. She wore a sleeveless black shirt over a sheer black undershirt, black skirt slit up her left thigh, black stockings, and gold boots. On her right arm, she wore a gold sleeve, matching Miku's.

"If I kept on spinning aimlessly, I believed something could come of it…"

"That's Luka for you!" Miku giggled, "She gets here super early and starts practicing until we get here."

Something about her voice made Kaito's heart nostalgic. Perhaps he'd heard this song before? But that would be impossible, given that he'd never met Luka before. Maybe it was just the melancholic notes he heard woven into her singing voice.

"Sempai! We're here!"

Miku had finally told Kaito that "sempai" was a title Miku and the Kagamines gave her back in school when she was an older student and mentor to them. As they still respected her now, they'd maintained the tradition.

Upon hearing Miku's voice, Luka's grace was shattered as she tried to come to a stop. Tottering on her heel, she steadied herself before toppling entirely. She switched off her music as Miku skipped over to her. "You've gotten so good at your spinning!" Miku said, holding her arms out and trying to twirl herself, her pigtails encircling her as she spun.

"You think so?" Luka laughed, "I'm hoping to get to the point where I can twirl through the entire song!"

She approached Kaito and deeply bowed her head. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable yesterday," she said, "I want you to feel welcome among us."

While many times when Luka spoke, Kaito detected conflicting melodies in her voice, this time she sounded steady and strong. "It's fine," he said, "I didn't mean to worry you all yesterday…"

"I'm glad the two of you weren't caught up in that accident on the wharf!" Luka continued, raising up again, "I heard on the news that a lamppost fell over and did all kinds of damage!"

Kaito swallowed, trying to cover the dissonance in his voice. "R…Really? Miku and I didn't even hear it..."

"Sempaiiiii!"

Kaito turned to see Rin and Len approaching the amphitheater, Len walking at a steady pace while Rin was running down the grassy hill as fast as her legs would carry her. They each wore white and black uniforms, highlighting both their similarities and their differences. Rin wore a white shirt with a black sailor's collar and yellow sash, a pair of small black shorts, and black arm and boot covers. Len wore a baggier shirt and pants, his own sash in the shape of a tie.

Rin practically leapt towards Kaito. "Kaito, I'm so happy to see you again!" she said with a big smile, "Did Miku make you join Vocaloids yet?!"

Kaito rubbed a hand through his hair. Of course he and Miku had discussed this topic, but…. "I… I really just wanted to see what you do first…" he stammered.

Rin started clapping her hands together. "Len, we should totally go first!"

Len held a hand to his chin with a cocky smile. "I think Miku should go first…"

"EH!? What's that tone about, Len?!" Miku huffed.

Len leaned back on his heels. "How do we know you weren't wasting all your time goofing off with Kaito instead of practicing?!" he teased.

Before Kaito could protest that he had in fact seen Miku practicing, Rin butted in. "Hey, that's right!" she said, "You were the most out of practice last time! So you gotta go first this time!"

"Awww, come on guys! You know I take Vocaloids super, super serious!" Miku squealed.

She looked to Luka for support. "Sempaiiiiii…." she whined.

"Miku, if you practiced, then going first shouldn't be a problem," she said in a stern tone.

Her battle lost, Miku waved towards the benches. "Kaito, just grab a seat," she said.

"The…the hands of time will continue kicking… until they demolish…"

"Come on Miku, that's not even close!" Len scolded.

"You guys are just making me nervous!"

"From the top, Miku!" Rin chanted, "It's just going to be more stress in front of a crowd!"

The rest of the group sat back, being both Miku's greatest supporter and her harshest taskmaster. Kaito thought they considered this "fun", but the amount of dedication they put into their singing… this was far more for them than just a hobby. He watched as Miku tried to co-ordinate an elaborate dance, moving her hands as though she were tossing objects through the air and skipping along the stage.

"Reach towards the opposite end of the prism, I can't wait! Weekender Girl!"

Watching the bubbly girl in motion, he could practically imagine her throwing around shapes and lights. For Miku, her notes flowed freely and lightly. Song wasn't just a means to an end for her, but an escape. Even Kaito understood what that meant…

"Okay Miku, you're off the hook!" Len said.

"Your dancing is getting really good!" Rin cheered, "How's that new song coming?"

Miku took a sip from her water bottle as she wiped sweat from her forehead. "Still working on it…" she grumbled, "Luka, did you finish the pansy pattern?"

Luka smiled and held up a sketch pad. In perfect detail was a picture of Miku wearing an elaborate dress with a skirt shaped like a pansy blossom. "How long did it take you to come up with that?" Kaito asked.

The pink-haired woman laughed. "Just a few nights of work after Miku gave me the concept!" Luka said, trying to be modest in spite of the proud notes in her voice.

Rin grabbed her brother and skipped as she dragged him to the stage. Where Miku seemed to be nervous about her performance, apparently at least one of the twins was far from it. Rin always moved and spoke like she had endless waves of energy and joy. Len seemed more cautious – maybe he was used to being the counterbalance to his boisterous sister.

"Even when we are apart, we are still the opposite sides of a constellation soaring in the sky…"

As the twins began their song, something about the way their voices blended together struck Kaito as unusual for a human. He tried to listen more carefully…

"Be it a boisterous day or a sorrowful night, we are still Gemini, attracting each other across the sky…"

"They sing as one."

Kaito glanced over and realized Luka had been speaking to him, very quietly. "They possess a most beautiful harmony," she enthused.

"Harmony…" Kaito repeated.

"Be it a numbing cold morning or a lethargic afternoon, we are still connected by this sound…"

Amongst the Seruva, those who could unite their hearts and songs in perfect harmony could produce unfathomable magic. But he'd never seen it performed and he gathered it was quite rare now. Yet even the way the Kagamines danced appeared as though two souls were in perfect sync. If humans could wield song magic… Rin and Len would be dangerous people indeed.

Kaito was still turning this thought over in his head as the twins finally finished their song. "Wow, you two pretty much have that one down, huh?" Miku cheered, "Len, you were about ten seconds behind Rin at the end though."

Kaito heard a few sour notes slip through Len's response. "It wasn't a big deal…"

Finally Luka took to the stage and returned to her endless twirling. Kaito sat mesmerized her graceful movements. The way the woman glided across the pavement, it was as though she were, only for a moment, flying.

"What do you think? If my former self could see me now, would she be proud?"

Thoughts of flight still bothered him. Permanently grounded for three days, Kaito still longed for the freedom of the sky. For just a moment, he tried to recall how it felt to leap from the ground and leave it behind…

"Kaito?"

He blinked as he realized Luka had long ago finished. "S…sorry…" he apologized, "I was just… you were really good, Luka."

She smiled proudly at him. "I'm still a little dizzy though… but I'm glad you liked it."

"Okay Kaito, so now you know what we do here…" Miku said, extending a hand to him, "If this is something you want to do, now's the time to show your stuff."

"Eh?!" He wasn't used to being put on display so quickly.

"Come on Kaito, I'm sure you can do it!" Rin cheered, "I want to hear your voice!"

Kaito rose to his feet, walking forward. Obviously whatever song he chose would be without accompaniment. He turned to face the waiting eyes of Miku and her friends. He wasn't used to an audience… but if he couldn't release himself through flight anymore, he did have one last solace open to him…

"Alone in the illustrious street, the time forgotten one leans against the crimson stained wall…"

Kaito's heart recalled a popular ballad amongst his people. A remnant of the war that separated his race from the humans. The irony of him singing a remembrance to the dead Seruva to the descendants of those who likely killed them wasn't lost on him.

"The sunset and the red moon raised sadly left forgotten by time, the night comes and goes…"

A sad song about the sole survivor of a company of Seruva warriors who, lost in his own sorrow, fruitlessly waited for them at a wall until dying from heartbreak. The loyalty of the warrior in the ballad pained him as Kaito remembered the man who taught him this ballad. A dear friend he would never see again.

"I've lost, seeking something very important: the reason that I am here…"

'Gakupo would have waited for me for the rest of his life…' Kaito lamented, 'I wish I could at least tell him what happened… so he can move on.'

"Without anyone noticing, forgotten by time, I wait for them…"

As Kaito ceased his ballad, he let the melancholy of his thoughts leave him. He looked to the faces of Miku and her friends. The twins each looked surprised. Miku had a knowing look on her face – of course she already knew what sort of singing voice he had. What surprised Kaito was the hints of tears in Luka's eyes, though she quickly moved to clear them from her eyes.

The four Vocaloids turned to each other, discussing something in low voices. Kaito's ear itched as he tried to detect what sort of tones he could make out, but the cacophony of voices was far too messy for him to work out. Finally, they split up. "Okay Kaito, you can join up…" Len said, trying to sound authoritative, "BUT! You have to pass the initiation!"

"Initiation?" Kaito asked. He hoped this wouldn't be something painful…

"You have to come up with your reason to be a Vocaloid," Miku explained, "Every one of us is singing here because we have something we intend to gain from it. That's why we work so hard."

"Most of us," Len teased.

As Kaito began to think of why he would be there, Luka interrupted his thoughts. "We're meeting for practice again tomorrow, but we'll give you until next week, okay?"

A reason? For him, right now it was to give him some sense of belonging in a foreign world. Not that he could confess to that…

Miku grabbed her duffle bag. "Okay, I think that's it for today! Let's break!" she said.

The four friends placed their hands together. "Vocaloids!" they shouted.

'Humans are so… emotional.'

Miku continued to skip down the street with Kaito a decent pace behind her. "Sorry I didn't think to get you a song to work on," she apologized, "But you did so well… is that a Selleba song?"

Kaito chuckled. "Seruva," he reminded her, "It's a warrior's ballad. Most of us learn it at some point."

"THERE YOU ARE! Traitorous foe of the free press!"

Almost immediately, Miku found herself back in Gumi's strong grip. "Whoa! Let go of me!"

The green-haired reporter had Miku's wrist in her hand, her angry glare actually managing to surpass Sweet Ann's crooked smile for fear value. For a few moments, Gumi just stared at Miku before letting out a sigh.

"Whatever, you're boring now."

She released the girl and soon her eyes were on Kaito, who took a few tentative steps backwards just from the force of the girl's stance. Before Miku could stop her, she saw Gumi whip out a piece of paper and thrust it into the blue-haired man's hands. Gumi turned to Miku and gave her a copy of the same flyer. Miku could barely make out the image of a man dressed like a samurai with glowing eyes, long purple hair, and what looked like… either dark wings or a dark cape. At the top of the page were the words "WANTED: 4th District Shinigami!"

"Look, I'll let you off the hook for your 'cousin' here if you tell me who this clown is!" Gumi said, "Guy's been scaring the crap out of the drunks in 4th district for a week now. Nobody wants to set foot near the Midori Street Shrine with this nut on the loose!"

Miku peeked over the top of the flyer and nearly shrank back at Gumi's hungry look. "Come on, it's important!" she insisted, "What if he snaps and kills someone!?"

"I swear, Gumi, I really don't know who this guy is…" Miku said honestly.

"It… it can't be…" Kaito whispered.

Kaito's mistake in vocalizing his concerns quickly became obvious as Gumi practically backed him into a wall despite him easily having ten centimeters on her in height. "Finally! So… friend of yours? Or some kind of genetic rebel! Or even… dare I hope… a Big Sweet conspirator?!"

Kaito tried to gather himself as the smaller woman pressed up against him. "He's a street performer!" Kaito gasped out.

Gumi fell back. "Aw, come on!" she growled, "That can't be all he is!"

'Wow… go Kaito!' Miku said, wanting to cheer for him.

The older man nodded his head. "I… saw him on television… a few days ago…"

'Wow! He remembered what the TV does!' Miku thought, beaming with pride.

Gumi continued to stare at him, as if hoping the intensity of her glare might further loosen Kaito's tongue. She finally broke away from him. "I better not find out you're lying to me, 'cousin.'" With that she stalked off and a few minutes later, the familiar buzz of the scooter indicated her departure.

Once Gumi was clear, Miku approached Kaito. Speaking in a quiet voice, she asked "Is that a Seruva?"

"That man… he was my bodyguard. But something's wrong… he didn't look like this!"

Kaito looked pale, his hands creasing the flyer from his tight grip. "Where is this place?"

"You want to go looking for him?!" Miku asked in surprise.

"He would do the same for me…"

Though Miku did not want to run headfirst into danger, she also didn't want Kaito chasing his friend down alone… "We should probably go down after dark… Less people. They'll be at the bars."

"Miku… You don't have to come with me…"

Miku tried her best super hero pose. "I told you… no matter what, I'll always protect you!"

Kaito glanced back at the flyer with worry. "I can't imagine what he's been through…"

As darkness fell, he remained entirely still, refusing to break out of his meditation. For this night, none had disrupted his sanctuary, though he occasionally heard the sounds of human voices echoing around him. He longed to cut down the vile creatures, but he remained steadfast. His orders were ironclad. Find Kaito. Kill all who interfere.

At the heart of the discord, he finally heard the jagged whispers of what he sought.

"Kill the Imposter and you will find Kaito."

Without questioning the discord, he rose to his feet, attempting to sift through the many melodies encircling his shrine. Only two approached the shrine. He readied his sword for blood.

"Find Kaito. Kill all who interfere."

The familiar silhouette of the old shrine rose over a rundown stone wall. Twenty years earlier, the shrine was constructed to bring spirituality to a young Tsubasa City, but after its priest died several years ago, the grounds laid empty. Rumors of the grounds being haunted kept most people out.

'Perfect for a Shinigami,' Miku thought, gulping.

Kaito hadn't told her that much about this "Gakupo" person she was searching for. She guessed his emotions were in conflict. Meeting his dear friend again meant being seen by someone he cared for without wings. Kaito believed rejection was perfectly normal, but Miku couldn't imagine sitting back and letting a loved one turn their back on Kaito after his suffering. If this "Gakupo" person did that… well, Shinigami or not, she'd have her piece with him.

As the two passed under the arches and began to climb the steps into the shrine, Miku felt uneasy the deeper she went in. She glanced over at Kaito, who seemed further and further unnerved. At the top of the steps, he stopped walking entirely, giving the grounds a cursory search. "Even you can feel it, can't you?" he finally said.

"Is this magic?" Miku asked nervously.

"Of a sort…" he explained, "The closer we've gotten to this district, the more intense the discord is…"

Kaito's body seemed to tense up as he took a few steps into the grounds. "Maybe it's too quiet for you to hear it, but whatever is causing it… we're close. This is the power of Noise…"

Before Kaito could elaborate, Miku heard the flapping of enormous wings behind her. Instinctively she leapt through the air – just in time as she heard the violent sound of metal slamming into pavement. She whirled around to the spot where she would have stood moments earlier to see a man with long purple hair and massive crow-like black wings lifting his sword back up. As he raised his head so she could see his face, she gasped as he laid his wild red eyes on her, his face streaked with raised red markings, like face paint. He wore odd white clothes, though they bore some resemblance to a traditional samurai's hakama and jacket.

"YOKAI!" she shouted, jumping to her feet, rushing to Kaito's side in fright. This dangerous creature even had long, sharp purple talon-like fingernails, just like a tengu…

She looked to Kaito but while he had horror in his face, he didn't seem afraid of the yokai as Miku was. "Gakupo…" he whispered.

"That tengu is Gakupo!?" Miku said in shock.

Upon hearing the name of Kaito's friend, the "tengu" turned his gaze towards Kaito. For a moment, he seemed to recognize him. "Kaito?" he asked, his voice possessing a ghostly quality.

'No wonder people thought he was a Shinigami!' Miku thought to herself, her heart about to pound through her chest.

"Gakupo!" Kaito pleaded, "Please, tell me what happened to you! I'll find a way to change you back, I promise!"

The moment of recognition faded, replaced by anger. "You! Val'Sharess! Kaito would never fall so far!"

"It wasn't his fault!" Miku shouted.

Gakupo took on a sword stance, clearly unmoved by any further dialog. "You are the Imposter I must slay!"

Without warning, the warrior charged forward with blinding speed. Miku watched as Kaito rushed to put up another shield of light. "Gakupo, no! It's really me!" Kaito protested, "Please, listen to my voice!"

If Miku thought Sweet Ann and Big Al could move quickly, Gakupo had them both beat. Kaito was just barely able to keep up with the hurricane of sword strikes aimed at him, any one of which looked powerful enough to take his head off.

"I followed the notes of discord to this sacred ground!" Gakupo shouted, "I've achieved enlightenment at the Shrine of Discord in order to complete my task!"

Miku continued to hear Kaito's frustrated, short songs as he continued to repel the warrior. She felt locked to the ground as she watched them, not sure how to break them apart. She had no weapons of her own. She wanted to run and hide, but not while Kaito was fighting for his life.

She saw a burst of light and Kaito leaping out of it. He rushed to Miku's side. "You need to run! I'll… I'll handle him myself… somehow!"

"I won't abandon you!" she found herself saying.

Miku faintly heard Gakupo's voice in song and too late realized as a Seruva himself, he could of course cast sound magic. His strong notes were followed by a powerful shockwave, flinging Kaito and Miku far away. "Dark Notes… there's Dark Notes here… somewhere…" Kaito groaned, trying to get back up.

"What are Dark Notes?!" Miku asked.

Before he could answer, Miku heard Kaito chanting as an arrow of light formed over him. He flung it towards his friend, breaking another of Gakupo's charges. He pulled Miku to her feet and this time before Gakupo could stand and fight him again, Kaito had formed a thick, protective dome of light around himself and Miku. 'I see… he needed time for something like this…' she thought to herself as she heard his complex melody.

Gakupo began to fling himself against the barrier as Kaito kept his hands outstretched to maintain the barrier. "The Dark Notes are the product of an evil force called the Noise…" Kaito explained, his teeth clenched, "You felt them trying to frighten you when we came to the shrine… and somehow, they've changed Gakupo in this. Something in this shrine is spreading them everywhere."

"You think if we stop whatever is creating Dark Notes, we can save Gakupo!?" Miku exclaimed.

Kaito fell silent. "I don't know…" he said sadly, "But-"

Cracks began to form in Kaito's barrier. "He's breaking through it! Miku, I'm going to detonate this barrier and keep him distracted! Please, find out where the Noise is coming from!"

As another loud cracking sound caused the barrier to shudder, Kaito's song ended with a loud note and a blast of light and energy expanded around him. "Miku, go!" he shouted.

As she heard Gakupo's enraged battle songs begin again, Miku distanced herself from the warring Seruva and tried to determine where to even start looking for this "Noise generator." The faster she found it… the faster she could save Kaito. 'What did Gakupo say?!' she thought to herself, 'He said something about a Shrine of Discord! Maybe it's there?'

Miku looked around her and let out a frustrated growl. "ARGH! This IS a shrine! That won't help out in the slightest!"

She saw the battle moving closer to her as Kaito continued to lose ground against Gakupo's fury. Her eyes scanned the grounds when they rested upon a hokora. "A Shrine… ahhhh! He didn't mean the building!"

Miku took off in a dead sprint towards the hokora. As she got closer, even she became aware of the faint, discordant notes in the air, clawing away at her emotions and heart, trying to drive her back. 'I won't let you do that!' she thought, 'I'm going to stop you!'

She searched the small structure for anything odd or out of place. To her luck, she spotted a large, black mechanical box. It appeared far more recent than the decaying hokora. She wrenched the strange device free. Just holding it in her hands made her feel sick – as if the wretched "Noise" Kaito told her about were trying to infest her own heart. She tried to ward off the chaotic melody invading her mind as she looked for an off switch. Yet the surface, aside from a speaker, remained smooth. "Crap, this might be remote activated!" she grumbled, "Arrrrrgh! You stupid thing, fine! I'll MAKE you turn off!"

Miku began slamming the box into the ground with all her force, denting the metal. She felt the melody distorting, letting her know she was having some success. Unfortunately, she hadn't anticipated that her actions would not go unnoticed by the person she was attempting to disrupt. A shockwave came flying towards her and she clung to the box tightly as she flew backwards into a wall.

"MIKU!" she heard Kaito shout.

Miku saw the tengu fly towards her. One of Kaito's shields began to form in front of her, but the warrior moved so quickly and with such force he shattered it. Miku had nothing to defend herself with… except…

Before the warrior could impale her, Miku thrust the box in front of her body. She felt the impact of the sword on the box in her arms, yet it stopped a fraction of an inch from her heart. Gakupo yanked his sword back, only for the box to explode right in front of him, catching both of them in the small flames and debris…

Kaito immediately felt the melody cease in the wake of the explosion. Miku had succeeded – she'd destroyed the source of the Dark Notes! Now he only hoped Gakupo was well… he knew how dangerous Noise was, but he'd never encountered someone corrupted by it…

Kaito approached his friend carefully, watching Gakupo staggering around. He still retained his "tengu" features. Kaito began to fear that perhaps the Dark Notes had permanently harmed him. "Gakupo…. I promise you, I'm the real Kaito. I'll save you from this horrible power, somehow."

When Gakupo turned to him and Kaito still saw the glint of violence in his eyes, he tried to react as he saw the sword raising up again… only to hear a female voice before a burst of pink light entrapped Gakupo within a sparkling dome.

He knew this song… this was a binding song… but he wasn't casting it. More importantly… he knew this voice. He'd heard it today.

"Sem… sempai… why are you here?!"

Miku sounded disoriented from the explosion, but her eyes were on Kaito. Or rather… behind Kaito. He slowly turned to see Megurine Luka, her lips motionless but her second voice still maintaining the incantation. He heard Gakupo banging against the tiny field of light keeping him away from Kaito, but he was far more distracted by the realization that all this time, hiding amongst a crowd of humans…

… was someone like him.

Val'Sharess.

"Kaito…" she said softly, "You must cast the song of purification on him. You're the Spirit Caller, if it comes from you, it should work."

He didn't know if he could trust her – Luka had been concealing this from him so readily that surely she must have been a Severed criminal. But… she was trying to protect him. To save Gakupo…

"Luka… I never learned that song…" he admitted, "Do you know it?"

Luka looked quite surprised. "Surely they should have taught it to you of all people!" she shouted, "Then in that case… a quick lesson."

Luka closed her eyes and a soft melody flowed from her lips. The lyrics were in another tongue – the language of his people. He heard Gakupo's struggling against the barrier growing weaker as she sang for Kaito – even coming from Luka, it bore some effect on him.

The Seruva could quickly learn any song on only one performance. Kaito committed the melody to memory and faced his friend. He prayed that Luka was not misleading him, but he would try anything to save Gakupo from such a wretched fate.

Kaito's second voice began to sing the same melody as Luka had. He kept his eyes trained on Gakupo as the song continued, looking for any signs of him finally becoming the man he once was. The first sign of success was the red markings vanishing from his face. Kaito's heart grew more hopeful and his melody far stronger at seeing this little success. Soon Gakupo's claws shrank into normal fingers again. His eyes lost the violent red hue, returning to a soft blue. Finally, his crow-like wings brightened to the purest white.

Gakupo began to collapse to the ground inside the barrier. Kaito ceased his melody, rushing to his friend's side as Luka's barrier vanished. Gakupo lay on the ground, unconscious but breathing steadily and looking surprisingly peaceful. Not a trace remained of the 4th District Shinigami.

Kaito smiled in triumph. He had won.

A/N:

Finally feel back in my element writing all these fight scenes. See, I don't always write Kaito as a fragile puppy ;) But oh wow, I've been anticipating Gakupo's entrance into the narrative, and here he is folks.

So here's a bunch of culture notes that I pulled from that might need some explanations.

In Japan, there is a great deal of superstition about the number 4 and death, hence when Gakupo showed up in a "4th District", they might just think he's a straight up death god.

A hokora is a small shrine. You'll find them all over Japan – sometimes they're in temples, sometimes they're freestanding in gardens, streets, and other places. I deliberately used the Japanese word to cut down on the number of confusing sentences (i.e. "The small shrine in the shrine"), but even Miku had some trouble with that apparently ;)

"Yokai" covers a whole class of powerful demons and monsters in Japanese folklore. I tried to model "Shinigami" Gakupo after a tengu, a bird-like yokai with black wings and long claw-like fingernails. They also normally have super long noses or beaks, but I kinda thought he might look silly like that. But henceforth, I shall nickname him "Tengupo" ;)

Kaito's fake backstory references actual places in Kyoto, Japan (even the high school is real!) "Minami-ku" is actually the home of Nintendo's world headquarters. I worked out that the fictional Tsubasa City is off the coast from Nagoya, which is itself within an hour's train ride of Kyoto. I suppose none of this is really necessary to understand the story, but when I set a story in a real world location, I like to get as accurate as I can.

Song Credits: Miku performed Weekender Girl again (and mangled it). Luka performed Double Lariat (GOSH I WONDER WHY). Rin and Len performed Gemini. Kaito got coaxed into Time Forgotten One. Yet again, I make him sing a downer song.