Chapter Six

When they got back to the Green Drugstore, Kakei (or Hisui?) told Kazahaya to take a shower. "Get clean and freshened up," he told Kazahaya. "Make it a quick shower though, because there's no time for a bath."

Kazahaya glanced at Rikuou, who was seated on the couch of the store's backroom. They had hogtied one of the cult members, who was currently on the floor. Without his mask he looked very nondescript, but very angry.

I-Is that why I thought the people of the community were expressionless? Kazahaha wondered. They wore Noh masks around us?

"Maybe Rikuou and you should take a shower together to save time!" Kokuyo (or Saiga?) laughed loudly.

"I-I'm going!" Kazahaya shouted, hurrying for the door.

Rikuou started to rise from the couch, but Kakei/Hisui gestured for him to sit back down. "Let him go. We've reinforced the barrier to maxmim power. Kudo-kun will be safe to go to the apartment for a quick shower."

"So you do want to join him!" Saiga/Kokuyo laughed. Rikuou glared at him.

"You're next, though," Kakei/Hisui told Rikuou. "Before then, we need to finish healing your wounds. We'll need you at full strength for what's to come."

Kazahaya turned the water too hot and it nearly scalded his skin, but he didn't care. He had quickly scrubbed himself down before the shower, but there was still traces of blood on his hands. he scrubbed his hands with soap hard, and under the hot spray his hands started to turn red, but he barely noticed. He couldn't stop seeing Rikuou's blood. He couldn't stop smelling Rikuou's blood. Blood and pain. Blood and pain.

"DAMN!" Kazahaya shouted, slamming his fist against the tiled wall. He dipped his head into the shower spray and squeezed his eyes shut. His scalp started to tingle from the hot water. "Why…Why did they do this?!

Ship of the Moon. The cult that raised Kei and him. The cult that built a town on a mountain far away from civilization just for themselves, where they kept Kei and him isolated from the world for most of their lives. They had used them as tools, but also held them with—reverence. They had been necessary to the community, but Ship of the Moon wanted them under their control at all times. And because Kei broke away from their control…

They believe Kaguya-hime is our ancestor. They consider Kei and I to be her son and daughter. They wanted—They have used us for their agenda. The people who kidnapped Kei…THEY probably thought that we were "children of Kaguya-hime" as well, which is why they took her. But…But we CAN'T be children of Kaguya-hime! We just can't!

"We're more frightening than that."

Kazahaya opened his eyes. "…What the hell am I, then?!" he whispered.

There was a sharp knock on the bathroom door. "Oi, don't use up all the hot water before I get a chance."

Kazahaya's head snapped up and he looked towards the door. "Rikuou?!" he shut off the water and grabbed a robe. He was dripping water but he didn't notice as he hurried to the door and threw it open. He was about to speak but the words died in his throat when he saw the other young man standing before him.

Rikuou was filthy, but his bandages were gone, his posture was straighter, and both eyes were staring at him with their usual narrow smugness. "If you're done, I call dibs," Rikuou said, folding his arms over his chest.

Emotions flooded Kazhaya's body. All the times he had seen Rikuou recoil with pain that night, collapsing and helpless and almost being shot in the face. Seeing him now fully healed—as though he hadn't just been near death hours earlier—overwhelmed Kazahaya. He pressed a hand over his own heart, suddenly feeling exhausted. "A…Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

Rikuou's expression softened. "I'm better now," he said, also softening his tone. He reached out and took hold of Kazahaya's hand. Kazahaya saw that his skin was still red. "What were you doing, trying to cook yourself in there?"

"I-I needed it hot," Kazahaya said, ducking his head. "The blood…it wasn't washing out."

Rikuou didn't say anything for a moment. He turned Kazahaya's hand over so that his palm was facing up, though Kazahaya was clenching his hand in a fist. Rikuou gently pried at his fingers, forcing them to relax and straighten so that his palm was now visible. "Hmm," Rikuou hummed softly. He traced Kazahaya's palm vertically with his index finger. "I don't see any blood there. I think you've washed it out."

Kazahaya swallowed thickly and looked up, but Rikuou reached out and gave him a push back into the bathroom. "You're dripping water everywhere. Go and finish your shower and then I'll go."

"W-Will you be all right?"

Rikuou smirked. "So, Saiga was right? You do want to shower with—"

"I-I'm going!" Kazahaya snapped, hurrying back into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him. He leaned back against the door and pressed a hand to his face. His heart was pounding in his ears. I…so much is happening all at once! The cult found me, Kakei-san and Saiga-san aren't human, and Rikuou…

His heart-rate accelerated and he suddenly felt dizzy. Kazahaya shook his head and stripped off his now wet robe. No. There's no time to think about it. If everything is moving quickly now, that means we can settle everything quickly now!

Kazahaya waited for Rikuou to finish showering before leaving the apartment. Rikuou left the bathroom after his shower wearing nothing but a towel tied around his waist. To Kazahaya's great embarrassment he felt heat flood his face when he saw the other young man's very fit but nearly naked body and turned away from him fully, covering his face.

"Kakei…Hisui—whatever his name is—told us to dress warm and pack overnight bags," Rikuou told him nonchalantly. "Are you ready?" If he had noticed Kazhaya's reaction he didn't mention it, which surprised Kazahaya.

He usually teases me if he catches me staring at him, Kazahaya thought. "I-I'm fine," he stammered, briskly closing his curtain behind him. He was dressed in a white sweater and black jeans, but he grabbed a duffle bag from underneath his bed. He didn't have many clothes but he packed another pair of jeans and two long-sleeved shirts. He glanced up and saw that the window was still open. Cursing under his breath he climbed onto his bed and slammed the window shut. I don't want anything else flying in here.

"Ready?" Rikuou called again.

"Yeah," Kazahaya said, swinging his duffle bag over his shoulder. He pushed aside the curtain to see Rikuou waiting at the door with his coat on and his own duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He tossed Kazahaya's jacket to him. "Whatever happens, stay with us and follow whatever—they say," Rikuou said. "Don't ever go running off by yourself like that again."

"I'm not a child," Kazahaya huffed, dropping his duffle bag on the floor to put his jacket on.

Rikuou swept down to pick up the duffle bag, swinging it over his other shoulder. "No, but you're too important," he said tersely. Then he turned and walked out the front door and down the stairs.

Kazahaya stood there stunned for a moment. He idly glanced back into the apartment, wondering if he may see it again. Which felt strange, seeing as just an hour earlier he had tried to flee the apartment.

But I can't flee. I WON'T flee. Whatever happens…I'll see it through.

He headed towards the door, taking another glance around him one last time. When his eyes fell on Rikuou's bedroom area he stiffened with surprise. The curtain that Rikuou had around his area—identical to the one Kazahaya had around his bedroom area—was hanging in the same position it had earlier that morning, before Rikuou had returned nearly dead. The realization that dawned upon him made heat flood his face once more.

Rikuou got changed without pulling the curtain closed.

Kakei/Hisui and Saiga/Kokuyo were still standing in the back room in their angel and demon forms when Kazahaya and Rikuou returned. "Kakei-san," Kazahaya said. "A-Ah, I mean—Hisui-san?"

Kakei/Hisui smiled serenely at him. "How about for simplicity sake that when you see us in these forms you refer to us by our true names, and when we appear in our human forms you refer to us with our human names? Would that be all right, Kudo-kun?"

"That sounds good…Hisui-san," Kazahaya said. "A-And then, to be fair you can call me by my first name. We've known each other for over a year now, after all. If that's fine with you—"

"I would love to, Kazahaya-kun," Hisui said cheerfully.

"I'm still going to call you "boy"!" Kokuyo laughed.

"A fallen angel and a demon of Hell. Of course you would want to claim a child of Kaguya-hime for yourself!"

The four turned towards the cult member on the ground. His teeth were gritted and he was glaring at them. "You can't stop us," he snarled. "Ship of the Moon has power beyond you two! We will seize the Heavens and seize the Earth! It is our destiny to—"

Kokuyo leaned over him and open-palmed slapped him hard against his forehead. "Sleep."

The man fell unconscious almost immediately. Hisui turned to Kazahaya. "I'm sorry to ask you this Kazahaya-kun, but—"

"You want me to see his memories to locate Tsukiko-san?" Kazahaya quickly asked. Hisui nodded and Kazahaya nodded in kind. "I'll do it."

"Didn't you find her?" Rikuou asked.

"We had a general idea of where she was at, but not a precise location," Kokuyo said. "Hopefully the boy will be able to see—"

"I just—I don't get it!" Rikuou suddenly burst out in anger. He wrung a hand through his hair in frustration. "How is it that neither of you have been able to find my sister up until now?! A-Are you telling me that the people we're dealing with are stronger than an Archangel and the Son of Satan?!"

"Yes," Hisui said sadly, ducking his head forward. "We may have great power, but…as we are now, there are limits to our power."

"How?!" Rikuou demanded.

"I am a fallen Angel, Rikuou. I still have wind powers, but I do not have the light of Heaven."

"And I may be a demon spawn of Satan, but Earth is not my dominion," Kokuyo said. "Were we in Hell, I would be at maximum power. But as were are on Earth I cannot use my full strength."

"There is…other matters as well," Hisui said.

"Other matters?" Kazhaya had been kneeling in front of the cult member but he paused and looked over his shoulder.

Kokuyo shrugged and pulled Hisui into his arms. "The first time we made love, we "tainted" each other."

"EH?!" Kazahaya cried out.

"The natural darkness inside of me spilled into Hisui and put out his "light"," he murmured, nuzzling the back of Hisui's neck. "And the natural light inside of Hisui spilled into me and purified some of my "darkness". We have "tainted" each other with our essence—"

"Okay, we get the idea!" Rikuou interjected. "Kazahaya, are you able to check that asshole?!"

"Yes," Kazahaya said. He turned back to the man laying unconscious on the ground. "You will show us where she is," he growled, and reached out and touched his cheek.

The memories flooded his mind, along with bright white. He blinked, and suddenly found himself in a dark room. He could sense people around him, voices overlapping. He looked around, but only saw people of various ages dressed in black, wearing Noh masks. He turned forward, and he saw a dark-haired woman. She was sitting propped against the wall, her hands bound behind her back. Her head was ducked forward obscuring her face, but Kazahaya knew who she was. Tsukiko-san!

The woman raised her head, and stared right at him. It was Tsukiko, and Kazahaya became furious when he saw bruises covering her face. But she smiled when she saw him, and her lips formed a word that she spoke wordlessly to him. "…Ya…ma…"

Kazahaya gasped, and he felt his body flying backwards. He slammed into a soft but sturdy surface, and arms circled around him. "Kazahaya!"

Kazahaya wheezed as he came back into himself, and he grabbed Rikuou's sleeve. "I—I know where Tsukiko-san is!" he shouted breathlessly.

"You do?!" Rikuou exclaimed.

"Then it's as we thought," Hisui said. "Kazahaya-kun…Tsukiko-san was taken to your village, wasn't she?"

Rikuou gasped in alarm. Kazahaya felt tears sting his eyes and he nodded jerkily. "I…I saw it. She mouthed the word 'yama' to me."

"Yama," Kokuyo said. "Japanese for "mountain". Then it truly is Kazahaya's former home."

"S…Son of Kaguya-hime."

Kazahaya quickly looked towards the cult member, but Rikuou shoved himself behind him. "The gig is up," he snapped. "We're going to your compound and we're going to tear everything down!"

"I'm surprised he woke up so quickly," Kokuyo said with genuine awe.

"It must have been all the chants he had been doing up to now," Hisui said.

The man didn't appear to have the strength to raise his head, but he no longer looked angry. He looked…forlorn. "K…Kudo Kazahaya…We only wanted to…Kaguya-hime—"

"I've told you once and I'll tell you a million times!" Kazahaya shouted. "I'm NOT a child of Kaguya-hime!"

"The boy is right," Kokuyo said, standing over the man. He grinned with surprising sadistic glee. And what he said next nearly made Kazahaya faint from shock.

"Your little Ship of the Moon cult has really been worshipping children of Karasu-Tengu."