Chapter 12
"So, is this the place where we are supposed to find Shiranui?" Splash asked Doppel, who was standing next to him.
"If Drunkard didn't mistake that must be the needed place." Doppel nodded, "But this location seems strange.
"What's so strange in it?" Yukikaze looked at the battered building, which seemed abandoned.
No one was around it, even the lights in it were turned off. The weather didn't seem good, and it was just like rain was about to start, the wind only grew stronger and stronger.
"What do you think of it?" Splash looked at Hush, who was standing not far from them and was watching at the display on his hand, "Have you find something?" Hush continued to watch at the screen not reacting at all.
"How do you work with him?" Yukikaze asked Splash and Doppel, "I would drive crazy with such comrade."
"Yukikaze, it's not too polite to talk like this." Tatsurou didn't know how the metal person would react, so he didn't want to unnerve him.
"From the first sight it's unseen, but he is one of the best members in our organization. Even Commander admires him." Doppel came to Yukikaze and put her hand onto her shoulder, "You'll get used to him." she smiled then.
"Um…" Tatsurou suddenly said, "I have an idea, why you can't see anything, but I'm not sure in it."
"And what that is, kiddo?" Splash looked at the purple haired boy with hidden interest.
"Could it be possible that their base is under the ground?" he asked him a little indecisively.
"Of course." Splash hit his forehead with his palm, "What an idiot I am!"
"What a frank description." Doppel chuckled; I didn't know you think about yourself in that way."
"Just speak to me." Splash glanced at Doppel, "Damn drunkard, has he drank his brains and forgot to putdown some descriptions about each base?"
"If it's under us, your drone will be useless." Doppel turned to Hush, "The main work will be on me." Hush nodded and the drone returned onto his chest.
"Do you know how to work in dark places?" Tatsurou asked her.
"No, I have a perfect flair." she chuckled
Then Doppel stood on her four, and her body started to deform. Her limbs started to become bigger and covered with fur. Her head started to remind a dog's one, it was also possible to see a tail and a horn with grew out of her forehead. When the transformation was complete Doppel looked at Splash and Hush, both of them nodded and Doppel jumped out of their shelter.
"I've never seen a hunter turning into a demon beast." Yukikaze was surprised of Doppel's power.
"She can do more interesting things." Splash chuckled and then turned to Hush, "I'll work with kids, and you work with Doppel, they don't know how to work with so I'll watch after their first kindergarten combat." Splash smirked watching at Tatsurou and Yukikaze.
"Kindergarten combat?" both of them asked the blue haired man at the same time.
"I mean, among us." Splash corrected his statement, "You'll be able to display yourself showing everything you've got."
"By the way when you tell me about your friendship with my father?" Yukikaze got closer to him, "You promised."
"I'll tell you one story after this mission." Splash chuckled, "If I have good mood."
"Huh?!" Yukikaze didn't like the respond.
They started to argue, Tatsurou tried to cool them down, but everything was fruitless, Hush was only standing watching at them. After a while the big demonic dog returned and turned back into Doppel.
"Yes, the boy was right." she swept her uniform, "There's a hidden way, demons were entering it."
"And where is it?" Splash asked Doppel with interest.
"It's from that building she pointed at the other battered building, "They thought everything really well." she chuckled, "Not prepared hunter would be captured here." she came to Tatsurou and put her hand onto his head, "Nice work kid."
"So, the plan is next, you and Hush, start to make noise there, and then we three deal with the main crowd, do you like it?" the blue haired asked the fair haired woman.
Doppel nodded and then she and Hush jumped out of the shelter and headed to the pointed building, Hush with his riffle gun in readiness and Doppel with her bare hands.
"Doesn't she use any weapon?" Yukikaze said as the first team left.
"She can transform her limbs into needed things for fighting." Splash replied, exposing his two sided sword, "Be ready, we are to go soon too."
The kids nodded and prepared their weapons, Yukikaze her guns and Tatsurou his katana. The waiting started to become annoying, but then they heard an explosion, then another one.
"Now." Splash ordered. And they went to the needed place, which was the building in front of them.
When they came to it, they saw a bunch of demons, which left the building and continued to leave it.
"Taimanin! We're under attack!" some demons roared.
"Orks." Yukikaze mumbled, "Nothing interesting."
"Yukikaze, I'll protect you and you blast them all." Tatsurou said, Yukikaze nodded at this idea with a smile.
"Let's dispose this damn trash." Splash replied and dashed to one massive ork, and finished it with one move.
The fight began; Slash took the main forces, while Yukikaze and Tatsurou dealt with other part, which was smaller. Yukikaze was shooting her enemies with lightning bolts, while Tatsurou didn't allow to orks getting closer to her. His wind abilities were perfect for that. Splash used his water abilities perfectly too, he turned his body into water in dangerous moments and then killed his opponents with water streams. And water bullets, which he released out of his fingers.
Demons came and came. And the battle started to become a little harder for hunters.
"Man and we haven't seen the boss." Yukikaze mumbled, "What if he appears out of nowhere?"
"I'll deal with him." Splash replied, "And you two will protect my hide."
"Come on!" some demon roared, "Just kill them!"
"What a naughty one." Splash spitted after killing another demon.
One demon was about to get him, how suddenly a lighting finished him not letting to get to Splash.
"Thanks." he thanked Yukikaze and started to kill another demons.
Suddenly there was a resound of shot, and after it one demon fall onto the ground lifelessly.
"What was that?" Tatsurou was shocked of such un ordinary help.
"So he decided to leave his toy with us, I like that smartass." Splash chuckled, dodging the lunge of some ork.
The battle continued, but this time it was better, as the drone helped a lot.
"Interesting what these two are doing?" Yukikaze pondered a little about the other two comrades.
"This place is really just some stinking fund." Doppel closed her nose, "I'm envy you with body. Can this orks know what shower is?"
Hush replied nothing, the drone took a wing out of his chest and he fixed a riffle gun onto it. The machine quickly took wing into the air above them. And then Doppel suddenly stopped her partner.
"Two orks are not far." she only whispered.
Hush nodded and took a ball out of his belt. He threw it and then a strong explosion was resounded. They hid behind the corner, when everything got well, he looked out of their shelter and saw more demons coming he took another grenade and threw it again, killing all demons in front of him.
"Not a bad work." Doppel was glad that the plan was successful, "Interesting, how much of bad guys will get out of there?"
They were waiting for three minutes, but there were no demons at all.
"Maybe they're somewhere else?" Doppel looked at Hush, who quickly pressed several buttons on his panel and the drone flew straight to the building they were watching at not long ago, Doppel looked at the screen on his hand, "So they have gone to them." Doppel was surprised, "They thought everything well, from that way they could get us from behind, Hush got up and slowly went to the place where were the corpses of the demons, "What do you to do?" she asked the silent person.
Hush slowly came to the wall and started to knock at the wall, little by little he walked investigating it. Doppel understood his idea and didn't bother him with further questioning. Suddenly Hush stopped as he found a strange noise, it was metallic one.
"These demons are studying really well; they hide their nests better with each time." Doppel frowned.
Hush pressed his hands against the place, then a strange noise resounded out of his hands, and in no time the part of the wall was destroyed exposing a corridor to the mercenaries.
"I'll go first." Doppel said and turned into the same dog.
Doppel entered the doorway; Hush did the same after her. He exposed his blade out of his right hand and a whip out of the left one. Doppel was sniffing out something and Hush was about to use his blade to dispose enemies. The corridor was pretty narrow, so the fight in its walls was impossible for a team. Suddenly the corridor started to become wider and wider and then it became just an ordinary hall of some base. Doppel turned back into her human form and said.
"I smelled several odors, and they are orkish." Doppel frowned, "Are they fine?" she looked at Hush, Hush looked at his screen and nodded, "Good we are to help them as fast as we only can, but first we are to find their boss."
They continued the way; Doppel turned her arms into lobster's claws. Hush suddenly put his hand onto her shoulder, Doppel stopped and started to listen.
"Do you think they'll be able to stop these Taimanin?" one rude voice said.
"I think yes, if they guessed the trick with the door their asses will be quickly captured and fucked up." the other rude inhuman voice chuckled, "This base was thought really well."
"I know and what about boss? Won't he go to get them?" the first one asked the second one.
"I don't know, but he has some things to deal with, and at the same time, I think this slut must come soon enough."
"I hate this bitch, but her body is really damn sexy, I'd fuck her all up."
Suddenly they saw how something little rolled under to their legs.
"What the…?" the second one asked."
In no time, they were surrounded with smoke.
"Taimanin?!" one of them exclaimed, and then was shut.
When the smoke disappeared, the two orks were laying not showing any sign of life.
"Did you like it?" Doppel turned to Hush, "How I chopped the head of this trashy demon?" Hush only pointed the corpse of the demon, "Yes, yes." Doppel returned her hands back and put them onto the chest of the ork, she closed her eyes, and then removed her hand, "Ready." she said, Hush removed his head from the screen and nodded, "Have we got some time?" Hush nodded and then destroyed the door which separated them from the other part of the corridor.
Doppel turned into the ork she killed a while ago and Hush was walking in front of her. Their way was pretty calm, and no one appeared in their way, but suddenly they were encountered with some grayish demon, which was pretty big for a mere ork.
"Why the hell you left you post?!" the massive gray ork shouted at Doppel coming close to her, "Who ordered you to do that? And…?" he looked at Hush, "Who the hell is that?!"
"I was said to bring you one of these intruders for interrogation." Doppel replied in orkish voice with the same manner and timbre.
"Do you want to say these scums are dead?" he asked Doppel again.
"No, he was trying to sneak to the base." Doppel explained, "We captured him and I brought you him to you, Boss." she chuckled.
"I see." the ork seemed pleased, "Is he a Taimanin or what?"
"I don't know, I think he is a cyborg." Doppel replied to her target.
"If he is a cyborg, he can be reprogrammed, but why these Taimanin use cyborgs?" the ork mumbled, "They're businesses must be really bad if they do so." he chuckled, "Bring him to the mech I'll go greet our dear guests. As I was told flat chested bitch is there."
"Flat chested?" Doppel reasked the Boss, "Ah you mean, Yukikaze I hope you'll capture her." Doppel grinned, "And I'll have some time with her."
The Boss replied nothing, but only went further the corridor, and Doppel with Hush went to the side where that ork came from.
"How did I play? Did you like it?" Doppel asked Hush with the same orkish timbre, "Admit, I'm a good actress." she chuckled, Hush only nodded at this statement.
They met some orks in their way, but the number of them wasn't big, so they dealt with them fast. Hush was checking the situation on his screen; the trio was holding pretty well with the drone. Doppel didn't change her form, as it was a good effect of surprise. And Hush quickly exposed his blade to do unexpected fatal lunges.
"This place is empty." Doppel said when they examined the biggest part of the hidden base, "I don't think we will meet her here." Hush nodded, but then stopped as the door appeared on their way, Doppel knocked at the door, and an ork appeared in the doorway.
"What is Rog?" the demon asked Doppel, "What have you…?" the demon wasn't able to finish his question as the ork squeezed the color of his vest and forced him to enter the room, "The hell you're doing?!" but then Hush pressed his blade against his neck and Doppel turned back into her ordinary form of blonde lass.
"Sorry, but he feeds flies now." she chuckled fixing her hair as they were a little messy.
"Who the hell are you?" the ork was scared.
"We're after Mizuki Shiranui." Doppel said, "Do you know where she is?"
"Not here." Ork mumbled, but then felt how the blade got closer to his neck.
"My partner hasn't got good patience." she chuckled, "So answer the questions or you are history."
"Why should I answer something? You'll kill me in any event." the demon grinned, "So why not to suck…"
"You don't understand." Doppel grinned too, "We are not Taimanin, and we have no codex on killing demons immideately, we can take you with us and torture you until you won't plead us to kill you."
"Ha do you want to say, you'll do the same what we do to other Taimanin?" the ork laughed, but then Hush hit him at his stomach with his leg, and then with his metal feet hit his face.
"See, I told you he doesn't like to waste time fruitlessly." Doppel sighed, "So? Mizuki Shiranui, is she here?"
"No, she is not." the ork mumbled, "She is supposed to come, but I don't know why she is not here."
"Can we find her in your other shelters?" Doppel asked him.
"I think it's possible, but still probable situation, it's impossible to predict, which shelter she visits first." the ork explained, "So you can destroy all shelters, but won't find her." the demon grinned, and then Hush cut his neck with his blade.
"Let's go to ours, they can need some help." Doppel looked at Hush and both of them run back to the corridor.
They finished the last demons on their way and went out the street through the building they found first.
"You're long, have someone grabbed you for your butt?" Splash looked at Doppel, who ran out of the opened door way.
"Very funny." she asked to Splash, who was sitting on the body of massive gray ork, "This kids could even finish this demon." he chuckled nodding at Yukikaze and Tatsurou, who were discussing something.
"Wow, you could defeat it alone?" Doppel came to them.
"Yep." Yukikaze chuckled, "We did that while the bubble guy dealt with other trash."
"You're really interesting ones." she tumbled their hair, "So, did they pass your stupid examination?"
"Perfectly, if only the boy didn't think a lot sometimes everything would be much better."
"Sorry." Tatsurou excused to Splash, "I didn't want to do that."
'Stop complaining at him." Doppel looked at her comrade, "If he thought a lot that means he thought some strategy, there people, who think everything perfectly, but not doing as the occasion will say." Splash only turned around taking his metal box and then put a cigarette in his mouth.
"Did you find anything about Mum?" Yukikaze asked Doppel.
"No, she can be in other bases and shelters." she shook with her head, "We are to continue our searching in order to find her, maybe we'll have some luck later." she sighed.
"I see." Yukikaze became upset after these words.
"Don't worry, we'll find her." Tatsurou tried to encourage her, "We've only started and the one shelter is done." he smiled to her, it's just a matter of time we find Auntie."
"Yeah, it's not the time to hang the jib." Yukikaze swept her barely formed tears.
"Now we have the same merry Yukikaze." Doppel looked at Yukikaze.
"We can check one more place today." Splash replied, "I think the next one will be a little smaller, aren't you tired, by the way?"
"No, we can go on." Yukikaze chuckled, "We had even worse trainings with our senseis."
"I think I can do one more location." Tatsurou nodded, "Some stretching won't be extra."
"I'm smoking and then move." Splash flicked ashes from his cigarette.
The weather was windy and rainy; the wind was rather similar to the becoming storm, which was about start. About four people were standing in some room one of them, who was taller than the rest, was wearing a mask on his face which closed it perfectly, brown fur hood, what gave to him an appearance of lion with a mane. He was wearing a greatcoat along with warm pants and metal boots.
The other three persons were a bit shorter than the first one. The one was a male with dark brownish hair; he was wearing a cloak with a mask, which closed the lower art of his face. The third one was the man too he had short black hair, in his hands he was holding a sickle, he was wearing the same uniform as the man with the fur mane and mask was wearing, but without a service cap. And the last one was a girl, whose face was closed with a mask too, eye and upper part were opened too, she had purple eyes, and black hair which were tied in pig tails she had a green skirt and a pretty warm jacket, her legs were closed with high heeled boots with metal plates.
"Man, when this damn commander arrives." the girl mumbled, "Will we sit in this hut till the morning?"
"We are to wait for him. The head quarter said to wait him, in order to know our other direction." the man with the mane replied.
"We can't wait, each second is important now!" the man with a sickle being irritated, likewise he hated waiting.
"The main forces are holding the borders." the man said fixing his service cap, "Right now, we have an advantage and they don't know we are included in this war, so use these minutes for resting."
"We can't rest until my country is clean of this demonic trash!" the lad with a sickle shouted.
"Cool down Stephan." the other teen with a cloak joined their talk, "This war is not for a month or a half of a year. Right now we are to wait the orders and only then we can continue to fight; only the orders of headquarters will bring us closer to victory."
"You should be more patient." the man with the mask replied, "So eagerly you'll only die faster."
The talk stopped the girl didn't join the conversation of the male part, she was only watching from the man to the boys, who were the same age as she was. The boy with the greatcoat seemed impatient and always was in a hurry, while his contemporary was more thoughtful and self-collected. They talked with each other in order to shorten their time, the man was watching at the window, which was closed right now. The girl was only playing with Rubik's cube in order to shorten her time.
"Interesting?" the man asked her, "I mean the cube." he added as she was really went in the gathering of it.
"Kinda." she replied.
"Never understood that thing." he sighed, "Didn't know such young people like to play with it."
The girl only shrugged with her shoulders, "I always liked playing with it."
Suddenly they heard a knock at the door, and a man rushed into the room in a hurry.
"Captain!" the man in the military uniform exclaimed, "We're under attack with demon forces, they're in a company with Bosnian scout squad!"
"Where is Lazar? Has he arrived?" the man asked him with a serious face.
"No, I think he won't arrive until the demons won't be killed." the man still tried to catch his breath.
"I see." the man sighed, "Are the snipers ready?"
"Yes, they have sent me to report that to you." the man replied.
"You wanted to act?" the man turned to the boy in the greatcoat, "It's you time to shine, you three get your asses up and move on to kill some demons." the boys and the girl quickly came to the man, "Tell them to protect the village." he turned to the newcomer, "We'll go ahead and start cleaning, how many of them were there, by the way?"
"About thirty, they all are different, there are some unfamiliar kinds to us." the soldier reported.
"Then we'll think everything on the place." the man grabbed a sword that reminded a needle with a long string, the man had an iron glove with sharpen fingers.
They left the hut, and a cold wind hit them, however the rain still didn't start, however the sky was covered with clouds and there wasn't even a single star in it. The trees were shaking pretty strong, the people on the streets of the village were in a hurry to the upcoming confrontation. The boys, the girl and the man headed to the thicket which was on their right.
"Do you remember the formation?" the man asked, the boys nodded, "Good, Haze and I will protect you from behind, and you take the main forces, her abilities and my weapon are not for opened confrontation so be careful. Haze, you protect Storm, and I'll protect Stephan, he is has a lot of nuthead, so it'll be important not to give him to do something reckless."
"Understood." Haze nodded.
"We are working with him together or apart?" Storm asked him.
"Together, you haven't grown enough to work apart shrimp." the man said entering the thicket, "They'll come from that way, so hide and be careful and undetectable." the man warned the teens.
After these words they hid behind the trees and in bushes. The night was perfect and their shelters were hid perfectly from other eyes. Storm and Stephan were hid not far from each other and could give a sign to each other, when it was a needed time to act.
They were hiding for about an hour, when they finally heard some rustle nearby. The rustle reminded some heavy steps.
'Coming.' the man with the sword thought, 'And their number is not small at all.' he spitted from the tree onto the ground, 'This battle will be pretty difficult, I hope snipers will hide us from distance.'
The first demon jumped out of the bushes, it was a small goblin with a gun, and after him was a werewolf with some lizard type demon.
"The village will be in several kilometers, it's protected not well so we'll deal with it pretty fast."
"I hope these scouts didn't mess up with data, I don't want to waste a lot of time on killing mere humies." the werewolf replied to the goblin, "I'd prefer to fight with demon hunters rather than them."
"We were ordered to fight humans here." the lizard hissed, "So we're to fulfill the orders."
"Yeah, yeah, can you change your record? I've grew tired of it." the wolf demon grunted exposing his fangs.
Several demons jumped out of the bushes too, now there were about ten of them. All of them were different.
'Shit, there're a lot of different demons, it'll be difficult to fight them all not knowing what they can do.' the man pondered, he put his hand into the pocket of his greatcoat, and took out a pretty big stone out of it.
Then he threw it at the demon.
"What the hell was that?!" the monster groaned.
When he was about to look the area around him he was attack with someone with a cloak and two daggers in his hands.
"Ha?! Hunters?" the werewolf was surprised of what he saw, "Didn't know there would be hunters."
"According the information, there mustn't be any hunters here." the goblin prepared to shot at Storm, but he was stopped with another boy with sickles, however the goblin could dodge his hidden lunge.
"And just look at them just a mere of kids." the werewolf chuckled, "Finally I'll have some good meat to have a dinner."
"In your dreams damn ugly." Stephan responded and rushed at the goblin, however the werewolf was about to attack him, but Storm didn't allow him to attack his partner.
The battle began; Storm was fighting with the werewolf, a lizard and some other demons, while Stephan took the bunch with a goblin. Haze jumped out of the shelter and joined Storm. Storm was using wind in order to leave his enemies on a distance from him, Haze on the other hand was fighting in close, and during her fight she was chewing something, like a candy or a gum. Suddenly something gleaming out of the tree brunches, when the goblin pointed his weapon at the boy with sickles. The needle pierced his head and then returned back to the brunches.
"Someone is in the tree!" the lizard exclaimed hurrying to the tree.
Then two demons rushed to the tree.
"Shit!" Stephan mumbled heading to the tree, "On my way!" he turned around and rushed to the tree too, but then saw how Storm and Haze were separated from each other, Haze had difficult moment, she released a smoke out of her mouth in order to hide herself, however her attempts didn't bring any fruits.
Stephan rushed to the girl in order to shorten the number of demons between the team.
"Damn kid!" the man shouted jumping out of his shelter, "I've told you to protect me!" he parried the strike of the werewolf, and then dodged the lunge of the other demon.
The man started to fight the demons, which number around him started to increase little by little. Stephan put his hand onto the ground and threw ground spikes finished one demon, then his sickle finished another one, when the number of them started to reduce Storm hurried to help the man. With his help the fight for him became a little easier, as the method of fighting was change from dodging to attacking.
The man threw his sword at the enemy, the demon could dodge it, but then he stretched out his arm and the sword fly after the monster, the string was bound around the leg of the demon, he pulled the string and the leg was cut off. Then he pulled it again and the sword returned to him.
'Good.' the man chuckled, 'The number is reducing.'
After some period of time all demons were disposed. And the kids could finally exhale. However Stephan wasn't able to have a rest as a strong cuff on the nape was given to him.
"I've grew tired of your improvisations!" the man yelled, "The hell you've run to help another squad, when I was about to be attacked?!"
"I…" Stephan mumbled, "I wanted to…" but he wasn't able to finish as Haze interfered.
"It was my fault I became to careless and made some distance from Storm. So it's me you're to blame in his actions."
"No, it's me I didn't notice that Haze was forced to move away of me." Storm protested, "It was my fault, so I'm the one who must be punished."
The man looked at them with a surprised eyes, he was wordless. He slowly came to Storm and gave him a cuff on the nape too, and then the same was done to Haze and again to Stephan.
"If I see that again, I'll think something else." he only mumbled, but then added, "Returning, the snipers should finish their work now too."
"Hey, Drunkard, have you fallen asleep?" the elf shook the man in a greatcoat and a service cap.
"What is it?" the man got up raised his head towards the elf.
"Nothing, I thought you've fallen asleep. Maybe you need some rest? You know you can…" the elf was interrupted by the man.
"No need." Drunkard rubbed his nasal bridge with eyes, "Just pondered a little about personal."
"Not about Mizuki Shiranui?" the elf poured the glass with some liquid and stretched it to the other customer.
"How she relates to me?" Drunkard nodded at the bottles, which were on the shelves behind the elf, "Like always."
"You should spare you liver, it won't be able to fill all alcohol of the world." the elf chuckled, but still went to the shelves.
"I didn't order your lectures." Drunkard grunted, "Are there any news about her by the way?"
"No, Splash, Doppel and Hush are looking for her right now, but I don't know, could they found her or not."
"The answer is too evident." Drunkard accepted the glass with some liquid and put it next to his hand, "She is one of the best Taimanin, I don't think they'll be able to catch her, that easily."
"And what about Hush? I think he can oppose her." the elf pondered.
"Two whisky please!" someone came to the counter; the elf quickly poured it and gave it to the man, who quickly left then.
"Hush is skillful, but sometimes even he does some mistakes." Drunkard replied, "They had battle with her and they let her go, how do you think will they have an opportunity to capture her or not?" he took his glass and dried it fast.
"And what are your suggestions on capturing her?" the elf chuckled.
"First thing is strategy." Drunkard exposed his indicative finger, "They must know how to fight stronger opponent, if they would fight Mystic or Igawa herself, they would be dead, don't know about Hush, but these two would be." he exposed another finger, "They should make a good ambush or must have the effect of surprise over her." he pointed to his glass again, the elf nodded and filled it again, "And the last thing is that they should coordinate their team work. Splash is a hot headed so he can do lots of stupid things, Doppel works with Hush a lot so the better team is these two."
"Hearing that, I don't understand, why won't you join them? With you they could get her much faster, then without you."
"What I'll get with it?" Drunkard looked at his interlocutor, "I won't be paid for that stupid work."
"You and Haze are really the same." the elf sighed, "Always think about money. Haven't you think about your comrades? As I remember her husband was one of them."
"On words." Drunkard took the glass and started to watch at the liquid, "But not in paper."
"Does it change something? For example, have you had even a single mission with him?" the elf looked at the man.
"Yeah, and I almost said goodbye to my life there." Drunkard replied irately, "It was one of the most reckless people I knew in my life."
"But not all of you are reckless? I mean Cyclops, Splash, Hush even Kangaroo is a reckless one, but you never tell anything bad about them." Drunkard didn't replied, "If Yasuhiro was the member of your division, you would do everything in order to save Shiranui, you would turn the hall Tokyo Kingdom upside down." Drunkard didn't reply again, "So, why won't you do that for not official member?"
Drunkard was only watching at the glass, 'Interesting, what would Haze or Sewer what do?' he thought, 'Mystic would help to his comrades.'
"What were the bases of that Incubus?" remind me, he drank the contents of the glass.
"Have you decided to help them?" the elf was surprised of such sudden change of the mood.
"I'll be able to take Splash's money for interrupting my work, at the same time, I'm only a scout and rarely go to battles it'll be a good period to stretch my limbs." the elf stretched the map, to the man, "Do you make their copies?"
"I know you can lose something not important so I prefer, to have extra copies of some things." the elf chuckled.
"Well, I was there." Drunkard pondered, "Fine I'll go there." he pointed at the red circle, which was not far from the Easter district, "Is it protected well?"
"As I heard, no, but it's a special location." the elf replied, "It's not far from NOMAD's shelter, I can be wrong, but they can have something there."
"I see." the man nodded, "So we have about fifty percent that Mizuki will be there." he got up and put his hand inside of his, greatcoat, and took out one hundred dollars.
"You didn't order for that much." the elf replied him.
"For you lessons of moral." Drunkard chuckled and waved to the elf with his hand not turning around, 'There also an opportunity to teach these three noodles how to work together.'
"Phew, that hike was pretty long." Yukikaze tried to catch her breath, "Do you always walk on such far distances?"
"You'll get used to it." Doppel chuckled as she turned into human back.
"It's easy to say that when you have four legs you fully metal." Yukikaze didn't like the advantage of her new comrades, "And still you didn't tell me anything about your adventures with my father." she looked at the blue haired man.
"When this location is cleaned, we have a break for a day and I'll tell you one or two stories." he threw away the remnants of the cigarette.
"I've heard that." Yukikaze wasn't glad with the answer.
"I've heard that too." Doppel nodded too.
"Me too. Tatsurou wasn't sure was it a good idea to join female part or not.
"Fine, fine." Splash grunted, "I'll tell you all it if you want." then he turned around, "Now about the business, we must be careful here, there's a shelter of NOMAD not far from us. So try not to fail and stick at them."
"Got it." Tatsurou and Yukikaze replied.
"Well, about formation." Splash pondered, "This time, I'll work with Hush, Doppel you'll patrol around, you kids have a rest and then join us or Doppel, depend on our further situation."
"Is it really goo to split in that way?" Tatsurou wasn't sure in that plan and feared it wouldn't work.
"Don't worry, I'll be wandering not far from here." Doppel calmed him down, "So I'll be able to check you and help when it needed." she smiled to him.
"I see." Tatsurou removed his eyes from her face.
"Ready?" Splash looked at Doppel and Hush, both of them nodded and rushed to two directions.
Doppel headed to the left turned back into the dog, and Hush with Splash headed to the building which was in the middle of little ones, at the same time leaving young Taimanin alone to have rest.
"Hey Tatsurou." Yukikaze turned too him when their teammates left from the sight, "Did you like to work with them?"
"Yes, but still kinda exciting I must say. It's really thrilling to work with mercenaries, who are supposed to be bad guys." Tatsurou replied to her.
"I don't know, but I have such a good mood right now." Yukikaze looked at the building, which wasn't far from them, but still not close at the same time, "I have a thought that with them I'll finally be able not only to see mum, but will be able to bring her back home."
"I feel the same." Tatsurou nodded, "And, I don't know how to explain, but with them I feel like I'm becoming stronger."
"What do you mean? Do you want to say Sakura and Murasaki's training were nothing for you?" Yukikaze looked at him.
"Of course not!" Tatsurou protested, "I want only say that with them, I'm working for one hundred percent! Maybe it's because of you?" Tatsurou looked at her too.
Yukikaze's cheeks became red, "I still can't belive you became so bold Tatsurou." Yukikaze mumbled too, "Leaving village made you really a little bolder."
"I hope sit is so." Tatsurou sighed.
"What a loud guests, we have." they heard a voice behind them.
The young Taimanin quickly turned around exposing their weapons. Behind them was standing a man with a service cap and a greatcoat, which was buttoned.
"Has someone decided to go for a scouting?" the man said again.
"Who the hell are you?!" Yukikaze pointed her guns at the man, "And what are you doing here?!"
"My business is none of your business small fry." the man spitted onto the ground, "The most interesting thing is, who you are." he took out a flask, opened it and did several sips out of it.
Yukikaze quickly shot two lightning bolts at him. They stroke the place, where the man was standing.
"It's impolite to interrupt people from drinking" the man said as he appeared behind Yukikaze.
Tatsurou didn't wait for long, he quickly stood between his girlfriend and the man, and did a lunge, bt the man could dodge the lunge.
"Well, quite slow I must say." the man chuckled, "Is that everything you've got?" he opened his greatcoat and took out two sickles, and clashed them with Tatsurou's katana.
'What a strange weapon.' Tatsurou thought, he pushed the man, and did a strong swing with his katana releasing a wind blade.
The man only hit the ground and a stone wall protected him, from the fatal blade.
"Ground ability?!" Yukikaze exclaimed, "I hate that!"
Then the wall was cut and the boulders were sent at Yukikaze and Tatsurou. Both of dodged them in order not to be smashed with them.
Then the man quickly jumped and hit Tatsurou again. Yukikaze tried to help him, but her strikes were failed, as the man was pretty fast. And used ground walls in order to protect himself from her lighting. The man didn't seem to attack seriously, but only checking their abilities, the man didn't allow the kids to scratch him.
"Now I see." he chuckled, "Your strategy has nothing unique, just a mere shoot and protect, it'll be easy to deal with it." he clashed his sickles with the boy's katana and then hit Tatsurou at his stomach, then he hit him at his arm, falling him onto the ground.
"Bastard, you'll pay for that!" Yukikaze shouted, as she released about four lightning bolts at the man.
A ground platform grew under the man's legs and uplifting him he jumped and was about to strike Yukikaze, when something blocked his sickles.
"What the…?" the man in the greatcoat was surprised, he quickly jumped out of the newcomer, "The hell you're doing here Doppel?"
"I should ask that question Drunkard." Doppel pointed with her grasshopper hand at the man, "And why do you fight our comrades?"
"Comrades?" Drunkard looked at Yukikaze then at Tatsurou, "I don't remember these kids being our comrades."
"They've just became them." Doppel replied, "And what you're doing here? I thought you're supposed to get information on 'The Third Law'."
"Just decided to warm up in a fighting mission." the put his sickles back and took out a flask, he did several sips, and added, "Who the hell are these kids?" he pointed at the Taimanin.
"Tatsurou and Yukikaze, the daughter of Shiranui." Doppel acquainted them.
"The daughter of Shiranui." the man chucked closing his mother with the fist.
"What's so funny?!" Yukikaze didn't like the reaction she saw.
"The size is pretty different." he pointed at her chest, "Where are the boulders?"
Yukikaze squeezed the hilts of her guns, "I'll burn you with my lighting!" Yukikaze wanted to shoot Drunkard, who still was laughing, but Tatsurou tried to stop her.
Suddenly Drunkard turned around, and started to watch ahead.
"What is it?" Doppel asked him, "Do you sense something?"
"I sense disagreeable." he frowned, and then quickly pushed Doppel at the left and himself jumped aside in order not to pierced with a gleaming object.
"What's now?!" Yukikaze turned around and saw several demons around, two of them were succubus, and.
"You were chased idiot!" Doppel exclaimed as she got up and turned her hands into the limbs of mantis.
"It you, who were observed." Drunkard spitted.
"My, my, we've met again." they heard a female calm, but still merry voice, "What an interesting coincidence." they turned around and saw Mizuki Shiranui herself in her lecherous black and white outfit, "Me precious daughter, with Tatsurou-kun and the woman I've seen not long enough."
"Mum." Yukikaze whispered.
"Aunty." Tatsurou did the same.
"Well we have some troubles, haven't we?" Drunkard fixed him service cap, he looked at Doppel.
"I'll deal with succubus, will you be able to fight her?" Doppel asked him.
"Don't worry about her. Hey kids, help Doppel with other trash, I'll deal with mummy." Drunkard took out his sickles.
"What an interesting plan that mean you're not from weak ones." she chuckled exposing her spear, "Do you think you'll be able to deal with me alone?"
"I fought lots of strong enemies in the past, so just a big titted chick is not an exception." he chuckled.
"I'll join you too." Yukikaze ran to the man, "This is my fight too!"
"Do as you wish." Drunkard was spinning his weapons with his fingers, "Then you help her." he ordered to Tatsurou.
"Yukikaze, are you going to fight mummy?" Shiranui chuckled, "How about to join her and be a happy family again but with Master Kuroi?"
"We'll be." Yukikaze smiled, "But only when I bring you back to the village."
Drunkard dashed to Shiranui and clashed the blades of the sickles with the hilt of her spear.
"You're really a fast one." Shiranui chuckled, "But let's see how fast how you can move now." she pushed him and attacked.
Drunkard could protect himself from the blade of her spear, then he dodged next lunge and attacked her again. Both of them moved fast and Yukikaze didn't know when to strike, as they were too quickly for her. The attacks they exchanged were strong. Water attack of Shiranui were fast, while Drunkard's stone were effective in protection.
Tatsurou and Doppel focused on her aid, the fight wasn't difficult for them, as the demons weren't too smart and Tatsurou perfectly protected the woman, with his wind ability.
"Splash we needed you!" Doppel said in her communicator, "Shiranui is here, we're busy with her."
"We're busy too." She heard a respond, "There more demons than we thought, can you deal with her or not?"
"We'll try, Drunkard is here, so…" she wasn't able to finish as she dodged the strike of one succubus, "Later, it's pretty hit here."
"Come on!" Drunkard shouted to Yukikaze when he could make Shiranui to stumble for a second.
Yukikaze nodded at shot her lighting at her mother, she did a bird, but then Shiranui turned into a puddle and the other one jumped out of a stone wall.
"You've became stronger Yukikaze." Shiranui looked at her daughter, "With him you can give me some troubles."
"I've trained a lot for that day." the girl replied, "These years I was only dreaming to see you again, and today my dream comes true!"
"My, my, what a good girl you're." Shiranui grinned.
"Let's not chat." Drunkard came to Yukikaze, he looked at Shiranui, who started to make clones out of the water, which was around her.
"Now? What will you do?" her grin became more dangerous as the clones started to surround the two.
"Two can play this game." Drunkard only smirked and quickly the ground under him, several rock grew out of the ground and then started to turn into humans, then they took the shape and then appearance of Drunkard, there were less clones of his than Shiranui's ones, "The difference between our clones is that my are firmer than yours."
"Mine are quickly." Her clones rushed at him.
There were four clones of the man against six clones of the woman; the battle seemed quite fair as Yukikaze helped the man from time to time. However the lack in powers was noticeable. Yukikaze felt how felt it first as two clones focused only on real Drunkard, while the main one tried to deal with the clone, which protected herself.
Suddenly Shiranui could make a good faint and then she could destroy the clone, which turned into a pile of stones. Then she quickly dodged to Yukikaze, with her spear to hit her not critically.
"Finally you're mine." she licked her lips.
Yukikaze's eyes became widened, she involuntarily exclaimed.
"Mother! Please, don't!"
Suddenly Shiranui's hand trembled and she missed her target, that fail let Doppel to grab push Yukikaze aside along with herself.
"Are you alright?!" Doppel looked at Yukikaze.
"Yeah, kinda." she still was shocked.
"Dammit." Shiranui mumbled, "Do you still resist?" she watched at her hand moving with it.
'Could it be…?' Yukikaze watched at her mother.
"Hold them!" Shiranui ordered to the rest of the demon and to her clones to deal with the team, whilst he turned around and started to flee.
"Mum!" Yukikaze quickly got u and tried to catch her mother, but her wrist was squeezed with Doppel's hand, "Let me go! I must catch her up, she must be there somewhere!" Yukikaze didn't stop to pull her hand out of her grip.
"Yukikaze!" Doppel shouted, "If you follow her, we won't be able to fight this crowd! And nothing good will happen to you!"
"But?!"
"We'll get her, but next time!" Doppel said trying to get up, but this was difficult for her, "Damn succubus's poison." she gritted thorough her teeth.
Tatsurou headed to help Doppel with Yukikaze, Yukikaze started to fight demons with gritted teeth, while Doppel tried to get up. Drunkard dealt with the last clones of Shiranui and with succubus demons. Which started to narrow the Taimanin.
"Where these two stuck?" Drunkard mumbled when the last demon was killed.
"I don't know, but these were busy too, when I tried to contact with them." Doppel replied, "Hush even didn't send his drone that means their situation is neither good."
"Yeah, your truth." Drunkard looked at her, "Where is the wound?"
"Here." she pointed at her thigh, "I was a little careless."
"Let me check it." he squatted next to her leg and looked at the scratch, "he pressed his lips to it and started to suck and spit the toxin, when he did the last treatment he took out his flask and threw it to Doppel, "Drink it, I think it'll help."
"So kind of you." she smiled gently, "You never show so much courtesy."
"Just drink." He looked at her then at Yukikaze, who was sitting in the ridge of the roof top along with the boy and was slightly sniffing.
"I wouldn't wish to someone to be on her place." Doppel said as she did the last sip, "She must feel messy right now."
Drunkard responded nothing he only was watching at Yukikaze and Tatsurou.
"At least she has someone she can rely on, so that's what important." he took the flask and chugged to it too.
After some minutes Hush and Splash arrived to them.
"You're quite long, what made you so late?" Drunkard came to Splash with a grin.
"None of your business." Splash grunted, "If Shiranui is not here that means she could escape, I'm not surprised, the main puzzlement is how you could lose her." he looked at the man with a service cap.
"I'm puzzled too, how a bunch of mere demons could kick your ass?" Drunkard replied to Splash, "Were they that strong that you couldn't deal with them?"
"As I remember you proclaim yourself as the most strong member of our division, am I not right?" Splash got closer to his interlocutor.
The boy and the girl turned around, as their argument became louder and louder.
"But at least, I'm not put on semblance of a bitterly resentful one." Drunkard replied, "What was your point of joining us? Oh, yeah the government sent you to the ass didn't it?"
"Just a single word and I'll…" Splash squeezed tightly the hilt of his sword.
"Or what? Will you send me to your sister?"
"I warned you!" Splash did a swing with his sword and hit he sickle of the man.
"Stop you two!" Yukikaze and Doppel shouted at them, Hush ran to Splash too and quickly grabbed him, "I know you're upset, because of the leaving of my mom, but it's not the time to be so." Yukikaze wiped off her tears, "We're to work as a team if we want to find her and not let her escape, and at the same time…" Yukikaze smiled, "She is somewhere there, deep inside, but still there."
"Maybe one day, we will see her casual smile." Tatsurou took her hand in his and added, "I hope it'll be pretty sooner than we think."
Drunkard looked at them and spitted, "What a snivel."
"No one asked you opinion." Doppel finally got up and came to Taimanin, "You think right." she put her hands onto their shoulders "I belive in it too."
Hush only nodded, Splash turned away as he wasn't interested in that.
"Well let's return to the base, we have to rest and continue our searching, when we arrive I'll tell you several stories about you dad." Splash finally responded, "Are you with us?" he looked at the other man.
"How do you think?" he only retorted.
The team reached the base pretty fast, on their luck there was no one right now here and they quickly went to the dining room. Yukikaze took curry along with Tatsurou, Doppel decided to have some salad with mushed potato. While Drunkard and Splash preferred not to eat at all. When they finally sat Splash said.
"Well, I'll tell you about our first mission." Splash chuckled, "During it your father became one of the best friends of our organization."
"I wouldn't say so." Drunkard interrupted the blue haired man with goggles, "It was rather your fail than his invitation."
"I didn't ask your point of view." Splash parried quickly, "If you don't want you can follow Hush." Drunkard replied nothing, so Splash decided to continue, "Well, it was the second time I've met your father, but it was along with her." he nodded at Doppel, "And some other member of our organization. We were to take down one organization, and your father has a mission to find them."
"Do you want to say, my father didn't know about this organization?" Yukikaze put a spoon of curry in her mouth.
"Of course not." Drunkard interfered again, "You Taimanin know everything last." Doppel hit him at his side as she was sitting on his left.
"Yeah, it was something like this." Splash replied, "We were hired by other criminal organization, and we've already knew each detail. But one thing we didn't know was the number of people there. And we were stuck there quite well."
"Yeah, it was a really difficult mission." Doppel nodded, "There also was some powerful demons, which were too dangerous."
"And when we had some problems your father was nearby, to save our heads. Damn, if not him we wouldn't be here today." Splash raised his head.
"If you would take me that day, the mission could be finished, before Yasuhiro's arrival." the man took out a flask and did a sip out of it then stretched, it to the story teller.
"Wow, never wait something like that from you." Splash was surprised of such move, but accepted the flask.
"Can I ask you a question?" Tatsurou suddenly said not with an excited voice, "How many of them do you have?" Drunkard exposed three fingers and turned to the teller.
"So what was next?"
"The next thing was our acquaintance." Splash squeezed his face, "What swill do you drink? That damn elf has much of good drinks and you drink that?"
"I'm sorry, it wasn't liked to your noble ass." Drunkard took his flask back.
"Well, after this mission we brought him to the base, as he decided to know about us a little more." Splash continued his story.
"Was it when Yukikaze was born?" Tatsurou asked him.
"Yes, as I remember you were a child then." Splash nodded, "I can't forget the face of our previous boss."
"Yeah, it was really funny to see that, how he almost destroyed the base." Doppel even laughed, "I still can't forget how he blustered to send you to the hell along with Yasuhiro."
Splash laughed too, "Yeah, we barely could calm him down, however, when he knew your father would join us."
"Though, he decided to join us on words." Doppel wiped tears of joy from her face, "If not Cyclopes don't what the old man would to do."
"Hey, boy you have a familiar face." Drunkard suddenly looked at Tatsurou, "You remind me someone I've seen before." the man was watching at Tatsurou carefully.
"Um, sorry?" Tatsurou didn't understand the question.
"Remind me, who are you?" Drunkard asked him.
"Akiyama Tatsurou." the boy replied.
"Akiyama?" the man's eyes became widened, "The son of Akiyama Minori?" the boy nodded.
"My sickle into my ass." the man was surprised a lot.
"That's where I've seen these features."
"What do you mean?" Doppel looked at him.
"Long ago we tried to recruit your mother in our organization it was when you still were just an ordinary member." Drunkard looked at the man, "She kicked ass to the old man, and since then he hated Taimanin."
"Do you know my mother?" Tatsurou asked him with a hope in his voice, "Do you know what happened to her?"
"I've met her only twice in my life, and in the second time, I almost said goodbye to myself." Drunkard rubbed his chest, "If not my trumps, I don't think what could happen with me." he grinned, "If your mother join us, we would became one of the most powerful organizations, but she was too loyal to her Taimanin friends, and didn't follow us." he looked at his flask, "I've heard about her disappearance, but where she had gone, I don't know."
"I see." Tatsurou sighed, 'Thanks for some information about her."
Drunkard looked at the boy, "I think you would like to hear about her too?" the boy looked at him, "Well, she was strong, smart, dangerous. She was one of the most powerful opponents in my life and in fair battle I don't think I would win against her."
"But you fought my mum." Yukikaze interfered, "And fought her very well, I think…" she wasn't able to finish her statement.
"Minori was proclaimed one of the most powerful Taimanin, a Goddess of swords was her nickname. And there were some gossips that she was much stronger than Asagi herself, and there was a gossip that she was the one, who supposed to be a leader of Taimanin."
"I didn't know that." Tatsurou was wondered, he was stumbled of these words.
"But at the same time I saw warmth, kindness in our fight, desire to protect her friends, that what I've seen in your mother." Drunkard added after a pause, and then he did three sips out of the flask.
"I also didn't know about that." Yukikaze was surprised of these words too, "I've never seen your mother, so I know nothing about her."
"Yeah, I also remember almost nothing about her." the boy sighed.
"Don't worry, after we save mom, we'll definitely find something about her." Yukikaze put her hand onto his shoulder, "That's a promise."
"Thanks for encouraging." Tatsurou smiled to her.
They continued talking Drunkard and Splash decided not to argue in front of the kids, but still the aura of disliking was around them.