Chapter 24: A Revenant Search, Clubs on the Move
Hiro had fallen asleep...
She felt a blackness in her dreams. It was quiet, and peaceful... Not a soul to disturb her.
She heard a maniacal laughter fill her head.
"Who's there!?" She exclaimed.
He appeared in front of her... She didn't recognAhim, but...
She was afraid. She was really afraid!
She just knew. She knew, he was death... No.
He was scarier. Scarier than death!? How did she know this...?
She didn't. She felt it.
Her body remembered what her mind could not. He was pain.
She was trembling.
"You do remember me!" He said with mock happiness.
Or maybe just a sick and twisted form of happiness...
She ran, but he moved in front of her.
He touched her throat, and it felt like hot metal was running down it.
She let out an agonizing scream.
"Stop." Said a familiar voice. "You don't belong here."
The man with the glowing red eyes, stared at Junichi.
"You... Why are you here?"
He smiled. "I would love to chat, but the young lady and I were just leaving..."
The dream turned black again, and she woke up.
She sat up, and there was a lingering pain in her throat.
It burned as she started vomiting.
She grabbed her throat painfully.
"My throat! Ughnnn... What? What just...?"
She was shaking, and tears were streaming down her face.
"Are you alright...?" Junichi asked.
She sobbed. "Yeah... I'm okay!"
He sighed. "I can't save you every time you know. You have to learn how to clear your mind, and deal with him yourself."
She froze. "B...But he's gone now, right?"
He shook his head. "No. He'll try to come back every night, until he knows you can stop him."
She sighed sadly. "I need to c!ear my mind... Or he'll come back. Isn't it already clear enough?"
He laughed softly. "That's not what I meant, but it was funny how you took that! Anyway, no. You need to clear it of thoughts, and that will disapate those dreams."
Hiro groaned. "But Junichi... I can't just stop thinking!?"
She flopped on the ground.
"I'm doomed!" She croaked.
He rolled his eyes. "My god... You're an overdramatic one... Just practice meditation. You'll be fine."
"Meditation?" She asked. "I... I don't know how..."
He smiled. "It's simple really, just close your eyes, and try to relax. Think only about your breathing."
She sighed. "Okay... Close my eyes, relax, breathing..."
She laid down, and closed her eyes.
She tried, that's for sure...
She would fidget every ten seconds, and her breathing was more often than not, an annoyed sigh.
She sat up.
"Junichi!? I'm bored. This isn't working."
She didn't get that from Linn... Linn picked up on meditation surprisingly fast. He mused on this thought for a moment.
He smiled. "Try thinking, 'In... and out...' Over and over again. Match it with your breathing."
She nodded. "Okay, I'll try again."
She laid her head back down, and she seemed to almost barely relax... Kind of. Then her fingers started twitching. She sat, scratching her arms and legs.
"Ugh! I itch now!" She exclaimed.
"Junichi, this is stupid! Can I just go for a run or something? The sun's coming up, and I'm awake. I need to move, before I go... Well, I might already be crazy. Hmm..."
She seemed to trail off.
"What a pretty cloud..." She said softly.
She seemed zoned out after that...
He smiled. That's it, that's the example he'd use!
He phased in front of her. She jumped.
"Hey! I was staring! Don't interrupt me when I stare..."
He had obviously startled her.
"What were you just thinking about?" He asked. "Describe it in detail."
She gave him the world's biggest 'Derp' face.
"Uhhh... Well, I wasn't. I was staring... Then you interrupted me... Yeah."
He laughed. "Then your thoughts were clear, right?"
Her eyes widened. "They WERE! YEAH! I am SO awesome..."
Junichi lifted a finger to speak.
"Wait, Junichi! We are in need of supplies!"
She searched her pack, and found a wallet.
"Uh, Hir-!"
"Woah!" She exclaimed. "That's sooooo much."
She read a label posted on the front.
"Hiro's emergency fund... Kuhn... And Linn? Hmm... Well, that chick's got a LOT of money!"
"Hiro, hold on a-!"
She laughed mischievously. "Well, it's mine now!"
He did a ghostly face palm.
"I guess so..."
She stood. "That's the spirit! Come on! Emergency... Hmm... Well, food is an emergency."
He nodded. "Yes, that's important."
She perked up. "Ooooh! What about some new clothes!"
"Uhhh... That's no-"
She started talking again. Ten million miles an hour...
"Oh! And new shoes! I could by like, like ten pairs! And some new dresses, and some more shoes, and food and lunch and, and I could get an awesome tatoo! Ooh what about some jewelry, and a club polisher... Do those even exist? No? Well I'll invent one DAMMIT! And then I'll buy one!"
"HIRO!? Don't you think that's a little-!"
"Oh, and I think I'll get Lo Mein for lunch! And..."
She stopped. "Lo Mein... Best... Best Lo Mein... In the resort."
A tear slipped. "Wh-Why am I crying...? Lo Mein is a good thing..."
"What do you remember?" He asked.
"I don't know..." She said. "It's all fuzzy..."
She shook her head. "Well, in any case, I'm getting Lo Mein for lunch, and some shoes!"
She ran off.
Junichi sighed. "Oh brother... Why do I even bother!?"
...
Kuhn and Linn were searching hard for Hiro. Everyone was with them, even Kahn.
He was silent, though none of them blamed him. He had to be taking this hard...
Kuhn glanced over at Shisuta. She had looked down since she'd come back from talking with Kahn...
I wonder what happened?
What did he say to her to make her so...?
"Wait!" Said Eiji.
They stopped.
"What is it!?" Linn asked.
He pointed at the ground.
"She's been here, there's some loose paper from her note pad, and... She kind of has a bad stomach at night, because of nightmares... "
Linn looked at the paper.
"Those lines... Where do I remember..."
Her brother used to make her write twenty to fifty sentences on parchment when she'd messed up. They were never hard ones, but those were the same kind of lines he would make for her.
The page was neatly torn out.
He was giving them clues...
"Guys... This paper..." She began.
They all jumped as it abruptly lifted in the air, folding into an arrow that pointed north east of their location.
Kuhn nodded. "Looks like we've got a lead!"
They all ran forward, hoping to run into her soon.
...
Hiro was walking into a suspicious looking pub, and Junichi stopped her at the door.
"Hey! What the hell!" She exclaimed.
"Hiro, this place is shady at best! You won't find anything here..."
She rolled her eyes. "What, are you a chicken ghost now? Come on, everyone knows that pubs are a prime source of information! Besides! I have this club... I killed some wicked bitch with this earlier, I'll be fine!"
He sighed. "And you don't think a map? Or maybe a book could help? Those have information too. Let's look for one of those, I'm sure we're close to a town..."
She groaned. "Out of the way..." She walked in.
He phased next to her.
"Hiro, I'm telling you! This is a bad idea!"
She ignored him.
He groaned with annoyance.
"Uuuughhh... Not this again..."
She walked to the bar counter. The man standing behind it grinned.
"Well... Aren't you just a cute little angel? What can get you, hot stuff?"
Angel... Not like that, but... Hmmm...
She cleared her throat. "I was wondering if there's a town nearby? I need some new supplies, and I'm not sure where to look..."
A man sat next to her.
"Aw, I think the little Angel's lost her way..."
He wrapped his hand around her lower waist, and nuzzled her neck.
"What's that club for...? Oh, I see... So you're that kind of whore..."
She lifted her club, and swung at him.
She wailed on him, crushing him to a pulp.
"Don't TOUCH ME!" She screamed.
She was shaking. The men were backing up in their seats.
She laughed darkly... Then maniacally.
"Who wants to play with THE QUEEN OF CLUB'S!" She yelled.
"She's still hungry..."
...
They were running to where the arrow had pointed, and ran straight into a pub.
Kuhn shook his head. "Of course."
They opened the door, and were shocked by what they saw.
There were holes all over the floor and walls. Blood caked the room, and the remaining scattered body parts were strung across the floor and counter... A single man was left there, shivering and bloody."
Kuhn and Linn walked up to him. Chihiro and Haku were trying to convince Eiji not to go in.
Everyone else waited outside.
"What in the hell happened!?" Linn exclaimed.
The man was still shaking as he spoke.
"A... A little girl... She... She tore up the place! We just wanted t-to have a little fun, I-I swear!"
Kuhn froze.
Then snapped. He grabbed the man by the throat, and slammed him against the wall.
"I have NO SYMPATHY FOR YOU! Now tell me... Where the HELL, IS MY DAUGHTER!?"
He looked away. "Oh shit! Look, I didn't know you were-!"
"I BET YOU DIDN'T!" He yelled, slamming his head.
"A-A-Alright! I'm SORRY! Just... She went that way!"
He pointed directly North of here.
Kuhn looked at the direction and nodded.
He then slammed the man into the ground at least fifty times.
They walked out.
"Hey Shisuta." Said Linn. "Give me some of that exploding mushroom stuff."
"But, why do you wan-!?"
Linn grabbed her pack, and pulled out what she needed.
She pulled out a vial from her pocket.
"Where did you get that!?" Shisuta exclaimed.
Linn smiled. "Oh, I've stocked myself up over the years."
She dropped half the bottle on it, then threw it into the pub.
It blew to pieces, leaving no trace of anything, but the flames on the ground.
"You never know when we'll need a good explosion!"
Shisuta gaped. "You know? I would be incredibly pissed... But that was the best explosion I have ever seen one mushroom produce..."
She hugged herself happily.
"I love alchemical explosives..."
Linn sighed. "Damn... That felt good..."
Kuhn smiled at her. "Yeah... It sure did... I wish we could watch it burn..."
He looked north. "But Hiro's still out there!"
They ran after her again.
No-Face shivered. "Ah... (Remind me to NEVER piss Linn off... Holy shit!)"
Boh grimaced. "You can say that again!"
...
Hiro had ran after she'd seen what she had done.
Shje wasn't even looking where she was going...
She ran head first into a tree.
She'd dropped her club, and sat up, rubbing her head.
"Oooowww... That really... ?"
She looked on the ground, and saw the tooth that had fallen out of her pocket.
She grabbed it, and clenched it in her fist.
She felt anger, and pain rise within her.
She stood, and punched the tree, tooth still clenched in her hand.
"DAMN YOU!" She screamed, the tree was being blasted into splinters by sheer force! Junichi wondered how much damage she could do with his training...
"You! YOU KILLED HIM! You're trash! You HEAR ME!? TRASH!"
She fell to her knees, and started to sob.
"Why...? Why am I so angry!? Who am I SO MAD AT!?"
The Leviathan's surrounded her.
She looked up, and froze.
"Mistress Hiro!" Said one. "Where is Max? You ran from us..."
She looked down.
"Max..."
She held her head.
"Max... I know that name! But HOW!? WHY!?"
She sobbed.
"Why does it make me so sad...?"
They all sat, and seemed sad.
"Then he's dead." He said.
They all let out agonizing screams...
Hiro got scared, and tried to run.
"No Mistress!" He exclaimed. "Please don't leave... We've lost Max, we can't lose our Mistress!"
She felt her knees grow weak, and fell.
She wailed. "Why!? Why does this cause me so much pain!? WHHHYYYYY!?"
They all surrounded her, comforting her as she wailed.
"He was your friend too..." Said another. "I am sorry."
She didn't know why yet, but this made her cry even harder.
She looked at the tooth...
"You said I could eat Lilith, and I will. I'll even save you some teeth!..."
No... Not him...
"Make me necklace out of it. And make it shiny, please."
Not Max!
(There's no other Leviathan I'd rather have by my side...)
"Me too Mistress!"
"MAAAAAAAAAXXX! NOT HIM! NOT MAX! NO! NOOO!"
All of her memories came flooding back to her.
"Best Lo Mein in the resort..."
Mom...
"You're like an angel, in a universe full of demons..."
Eiji!
"I love you... I love you so much!"
DAD!
"Good girl..."
Not Rokuro...
"And this page, and this one! Ooh, that's my favorite one! There's more explained on page 4523!"
Oh Shisuta...
"She's just so amazing! Did you know she has violet eyes!? I think she has the nicest eyes!"
Karo...
"And that's when Shisuta... Karo, not now I'm... Karo really!? Fine. Fine I'll help you..."
Haruka.
"Hey, that's my...! Kid, that's my HAIR! Let go!... Oh man, did I make you cry? I'm sorry... Fine, you can swing on it, but just one more time... Hey! OOW!"
Boh... What a champ.
"Ah..."
That's all he really ever says...
"I hate to say this... But we should restrain him until..."
You... You horrible woman.
"You are all champions!"
Liar! You horrible LYING COW!
"Die! Die! Die! DIE!"
Nooo! I HATE YOU! If I could kill you again!? I'D DO IT A THOUSAND TIMES SLOWER!
THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!
"Hiro...? Hiro, are you okay!?"
She looked over, and saw the others. Eiji ran up to her.
"Hiro! Please, tell me you're still there! Please!"
Her lower lip quivered.
"Eiji..."
He wrapped her in a hug.
Her parents ran up to her, and also hugged her.
"Hiro... Where were you!? Don't do that to us again..."
"M-Mom!" She wailed. "I missed you guys!"
"We missed you to..." Kuhn sniffed.
"Don't scare me like that!"
He sobbed. "I couldn't go on if you were gone! You're my entire world! Do you have any idea how... I love you! I'm so happy you're safe!"
It was a bittersweet reunion...
They had finally stopped disappearing, and came back to life...
They stood.
"Let's go home." Said Kuhn.
Everyone mumbled in agreement.
They started walking home.
Hiro spoke. "Hey Dad? Um, I was wondering if when Eiji and I get back We could-"
"No." Said Linn.
She scoffed. "But you didn't even let me finish..."
Linn smiled. "I didn't have to, because when you get home? You're grounded."
She gaped. "What!? But-!"
Kuhn laughed. "Oh no! Not this time young lady! You're in for two months."
Eiji gaped. "But, but that's not-!"
"Don't think you're getting off the hook." Said Haku.
"You're in for three and a half."
"This is so unfair..." He said, sulking.
Chihiro smiled. "Well, what you two did was also unfair. So deal with it."
They both sulked as much as they could on the way home, showing how much this displeased them...
...But on the inside? They were just happy to be going home.