Forbidden Awakening
'Natsuki Amon...' Ryuuho droned lazily, 'You're saying he holds the key to this battle.'
'Yeah.' said Shido. 'What's been passed down to Amon is the key to the resurrection of the Kiryuudo Leader, Kabuto.'
'So we got a leader who wants eternal life somehow? That's crazy!' Gokudera cried. 'Nothing is eternal! Even styrofoam will rot in a couple hundred years!'
'Well, he doesn't believe that, does he?' Shido scoffed and continued his tale. 'I only heard the story from one of our elders so its not the love story you think, Tsunade.' he said wryly as Tsunade stuck her tongue at him petulantly. 'Even if he's over 200 years old, not even he's seen it so nobody can confirm the truth. So in a sense you're right that the truth is buried under many guises. That's how old the tale is.'
'Before that storytelling, we scram.' Tsunade told him urgently as she felt alarmed by somethng. 'One of us is in grave danger. We have to make it on time.'
'Lead the way!' Shido barked as they booted it as Tsunade barked orders for Gokudera to burn things for them.
They arrived in a castle where Himiko was fighting alone with two warriors.
'There! Haruki-dono, save that man on the floor, we got thirty seconds left!' Tsunade cried. 'He's with us! Hayato, burn the whole room for two seconds! There's invisible butterflies here! Get them outta the way!' she barked out orders frantically.
'Alright!'
'Hai, hime-sama!'
'Wha?!' Himiko, Ageha and Murasakimaru gasped at the arrival of a large group.
'Shit, more of them are here!' Ageha gasped out as to their horror, all Shiki are here with dangerous individuals and there's just two of them here now that Hakumon was killed by Miyama after being given a fatal blow.
'Don't mind us Himiko! You got the power to defeat them both singlehandedly!' Tsunade barked. 'You can do it!'
Emboldened by the confidence of Tsunade's Sky Charisma, Himiko did just that with a new perfume...a Red Death Scent.
'What about Miyama-san?' she cried frantically as she saw him being tended to by a woman in a rabbit-eared hat. Ginji and Gokudera are horrified that she's damn topless and quickly looked away. She knew that things will be alright, considering who they got with them. Tsunade who could sense anything going right and wrong for them, and now a healer woman to her luck.
'He would be alright...we barely made it in time.' Kaoru told him.
'...I never thought a Shiki would be willing to help much less touch me.' said Miyama Genshuu, one of the Kiryuudo 7.
'One of us sensed that you are now with us and insisted we help you...though we'd like the story behind that.' said Ryuuho sternly.
'I asked Himiko-dono to save us all.' said Miyama softly but weakly. 'We prospered for centuries because of powers but it is also a curse that we'll never know when we will succumb to our Karmic Burden.' he said. 'Himiko-dono has the power to save us...she can erase the insect within us. We're humans and yet Kabuto is telling us to do battle as insects.' he said angrily. 'We're not mere worker ants to protect the queen yet everyone else forgot we were humans the second our ancestors got these powers. But my tribe and I wish for this no longer...its either death or salvation yet one came before us...Himiko-dono is more important than my life now if it meant she can save us.'
'So the Beetle Tribe defected for Himiko-san is it?' Gokudera mused as Miyama nodded.
'We can't lose her...a chance like her happens almost never.' he wheezed out. 'They know full well to protect her and fight by your side regardless of whether I live or not.'
As if as one, they looked at Tsunade who gave a thumbs-up.
'Well, we'll rest for a bit here. Can I continue my tale now?' said Shido wryly.
'Yup, no bugs here.' said Gokudera. 'I felt I burned over a hundred just now and hime-sama placed a flame barrier on this place.' he said. 'As a precaution I burned the three bodies Himiko-san just killed.'
'Alright...'
Long ago, the Mariudo and Kiryuudo lived together in the Black Forest, protected by the mist of Yomi Lake within the Insect and Beast Palaces.
The tribes were originally one people.
They were united under one god and were given the Heavenly Chimera Heart that divided their tribes.
Thus the one who has it was meant to lead both tribes.
The conflict began when a foolish choice was made, that a foolish man named Kabuto was chosen as the next leader.
Because Kabuto got dangerously ambitious beyond what a Leader is meant and supposed to do, the Mariudo Elders of long ago stole and hid the Heart that was the cause of a centuries-old conflict.
'So in a sense, its true that the Mariudo started the conflict but this wouldn't have happened if Kabuto didn't get too drunk with power.' said Shido. 'Or rather, his predecessor should have made a better choice than Kabuto otherwise this war would never have happened. I understand back then that its the turn of a Kiryuudo to be chosen but really, the predecessor should have picked a better candidate among them.'
'Kabuto? Isn't he the name of Miyama-san's leader?' Himiko gasped out.
'Er, is the name hereditary or he's just damn stubborn to die?' Gokudera frowned. He really threw common sense out the window because really, the supernatural is involved! UMAs? Aliens? UFO? They got no shit on what he had to put up with!
'He's not alive...he's also not dead either.' said Ryuuho.
'He's a being who transcended life and death.' said Kaoru. 'He is merely now a strong desire to live. He no longer even has a body.'
'But he's possessing Madoka like Miyama-san told us earlier.' Himiko revealed that earned her Shido, Tsunade and Ginji's horrified looks. 'Even I saw it when I pretended he recruited me and Kagami to the Kiryuudo side! She was there!'
'He did what?!' Shido's nostrils flared in shock.
'Yes...he possessed the girl's body.' Miyama admitted. 'I was surprised too. All I know is that she was a hostage and next thing I know when all of us are summoned with our armies to the Palace, she was within the King's Cocoon, his voice coming out of her lips. It was Saicho's idea.'
Shido and Tsunade's anger couldn't be calculated. They were that furious.
But Shido's emotions shifted to desperation.
'We have a rather difficult goal...but are we certain Madoka-san's soul is safe with that parasite in the driver's seat?' Gokudera asked as Tsunade touched a tree in her full form. She synchonized...with the whole forest.
'Unbelievable!' that power was clearly felt by them...what more about the whole forest?
'Don't disturb her now.' said Shido. 'She's reading the whole territory.'
'...her soul is safe.' said Tsunade to their relief. 'She wasn't destroyed but dormant. We really should worry if Kabuto has the power to destroy souls...'
'He can't if he still wants in her body.' said Kaoru. 'Her soul is most likely an anchor to stay inside. But he really can devour souls for power.'
'We'd rather not wait for him to change his mind!' Ginji cried, horrified at the idea.
'Yeah...there's two ways to get her back.' said Shido. 'By giving up the heart, or...'
His lips moved but the words that came out, shocked them all.
xxx
Later, Yomi Lake...
'You guys are late!' Ban scolded as he was there with Kagami and Fuuga.
'Excuse us for being late!' Ginji whined. 'At least we're all here you know!'
'Anyway Akabane, this dude's waitin' for you.' said Ban as not far from them was Kanade.
'Oh my, perhaps you won't flee this time, Semimaru?' Akabane asked him, getting his sword ready.
'Not this time.' said Kanade. 'Last time was on orders but now, things are different.'
'Everyone can go on ahead, I shall catch up by myself.' said Akabane. 'For this is a battle between only us and longtime coming.'
'Alright...we'll begin as well.' said Tsunade. 'Three at a time people and not exceeding 200kg please!'
'OK, let's state our weights and do the math from here so it won't go beyond Tsunade-chan's limit.' said Kazuki. 'I'm 59.'
Ban: 52
Ginji: 62
Shido: 72
Kagami: 78
Himiko: 48
Juubei: 82
Uryuu: 89
Gokudera: 54
Kaoru: 53
Ryuuho: 90
Miyama: 110
The first to go is Miyama and Ryuuho who are exactly 200kg together.
Next is Ban, Gokudera and Kaoru who are 159kg together.
Next is Juubei and Uryuu who are 171kg
Next is Kazuki, Ginji and Shido who are 193 together and to Kagami's delight, he and Himiko go last together, much to Ban and Himiko's chagrin.
Once the trips are done, Gokudera graciously dusted Tsunade's back off of footprints.
'That took a while.' said Agi.
'Yes but far safer...had you removed your spell the insects will be on us like starved cats over a single fish.' said Tsunade. 'This is far safer albeit time-consuming...it doesn't help that Bakagami is singing Aladdin's Theme Song on my back...' this earned Kagami comical annoyed glares from the Shinjuku residents.
'I can't help it, she really is a magic carpet ride, its wonderful and romantic!' Kagami squealed while glomping Himiko who freaked out.
'I'll have you know I'm not a carpet...' Tsunade grumbled in a huff.
'Get offa her ya playboy!' Ban seethed as he knocked him off Himiko.
'...this is normal too?' Gokudera asked Tsunade who sighed.
'Professionalism aside, maturity tends to go see-saw up and down.'
"And a twenty-something guy is crushing on a fifteen years old girl." Gokudera thought in a deadpan. "Coulda waited for her to be legal..."
Then again in Mugenjou, anything goes.
To quote his charge, the saying was, 'you threw us away or rejected us so why should we care what you think and feel, prissy proper outsider?'
'Er anyway, move on?' Kazuki reminded everyone what they're actually here for that got the others recovering from their bickering.
They ran straight because it IS a straight road...
'Hey, I feel a presence up ahead!' Ginji cried.
'It's a friendly not a foe at least.' said Tsunade.
'Friendly? Who else could be here but us?'
'I DID call Emishi but he's taking his sweet-ass time! This could be him!'
'It had better be! He left ahead of us but the last to join us!' Juubei swore but when they got to a certain point...what was that on the floor?
A long white line written with GOAL! in capital letters.
/There it is! A new Japanese Record!/ Emishi called out like a race announcer with a megaphone. /The winner of the Hell Valley race is Juubei, warrior of Mugenjooouu!/
Juubei, annoyed, flung needles at him.
'It was a joke!' came the whiny wail. 'Can't you grow a sense of humor?'
'T-that was a joke?!' Juubei sputtered incredulously and turned to Kazuki. 'Kazuki, that's really a joke isn't it?' Kazuki looked utterly deadpan. Uryuu was sporting hitodamas.
'Kakei...'
Well, he was joke-training in Mugenjou and gawd, its SO BAD he was WORSE than Emishi but sadly, they can't shut him up because he was genuinely trying to be funny when Makubex complained he can't make a joke.
His training sessions are the best torture mankind can come up with.
He inwardly blamed the boy-king for their 'despair' in VOLTS base.
'Ohhhh nice to see ya Shido-han! How's it hanging?' Emishi greeted happily and jovially with needles still sticking on him. 'Feels like been waiting for ya forever!'
'Er, you should take those out of you first...' Natsuki Amon, the last of the Shiki deadpanned.
'Amon...' Shido croaked out, seeing the blonde dressed in a tiger-stripe shirt.
'So you're here now Emishi.' Kazuki smiled. Indeed, Tsunade called all who was available. 'So he must be...' his gaze fell on Amon. Yup, he's the last Shiki.
'I'm Natsuki Amon! Nice to meet you pretty lady!' Amon greeted cheerfully as he took Kazuki's hand. 'May I kiss your...'
Cue Juubei flinging a needle at his forehead. Well, he accidentally learned the Comedic Timing schtick. Then Amon saw Kazuki's adam's apple...
'Whaaa?! A crossdresser?!' Amon wailed as Kazuki looked pissed as he has a dark smile on his face while raising a bell with a shaky arm. 'Dude, you coulda told me sooner!'
'I wouldn't mess with Kazuki-han, you don't wanna piss off Juubei's lover.' said Emishi conspiratorially.
Cue strings lashing about.
'Eek! Kazuki-han its a joke! You get jokes right?' Emishi wailed as he literally danced to dodge.
'Emishi! Insult Kazuki and you die!' Juubei roared.
'Fu...' Gokudera turned to Tsunade who was blushing hard at the show and nosebleeding.
'H-hime-sama?!' he squawked, slowly edging away in fear as he knew...
He knew.
He knew.
She's into THOSE!
At first it was closeted but now, it came out FULL FORCE!
'T-this is...this is...' Tsunade has a really weird smile on her flushed face.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The others winced as they heard that dreaded fangirl squee.
Their youngest member was squealing...while blushing and nosebleeding.
'I found my reason to live!' she gushed out, hands tightly clasped together.
'Then why the hell is your nose bleeding?!' Ban yelled while creeped out by her expression. 'Oi! Wonder Gut!'
'...I have a feeling I don't want to know.' Himiko sweatdropped as she could GUESS.
'Er, can anybody explain?' Shido asked helplessly. 'She went weird on us!'
'Trust me, you don't wanna know!' Gokudera moped.
'My oh my, someone went to the dark side...' Kagami was nervous as well...with good reason.
'Tsunade-chan, are you OK?' Kazuki fussed over her.
'Oh I'm quite alright!' Tsunade chimed happily while drowning in her fantasies. 'I just got inspired!'
'...huh?'
Poor Kazuki.
He just doesn't know what Amon's antics caused to awaken and poor Kazuki is the center of it.