The Real Me
Summary: A young man was asked by a certain authority figure to meet up in the early morning when the city was asleep. It was the same meeting like many before, until a secret came to light.
(One-shot AU)
A young man was running across the streets at a steady pace.
In the early morning, Tokyo had never been so quiet ever since a thick fog enveloped the whole city. He remembered winter had already gone by two months ago. And the weather forecast didn't mention anything about this.
Even though this part of the world was near the end of spring season, his gasps were clearly visible while he was jogging around the blocks. He zipped up his sport jacket as another gust of chilling breeze came by and gone.
It felt like the city was put under a gentle illusion.
There was still half an hour left before dawn. Hopefully the surrounding would be less gloomy by that time than it was now.
The local park was right up ahead. He closely watched the time on his phone when he finally reached the nearest vending machine and took a break.
[Let's meet again at the usual spot. I have something important to discuss with you.]
Yesterday, he received a message like that.
It had been sometime before the owner of that message got in touch with him again. And the young man was somewhat eager to see that person.
After buying a couple of drinks from the vending machine, he sat down on the bench next to it and took a sip of his hot coffee can. He waited and looked at the list of news on the phone.
Another person went missing in one of the less populated areas of the city.
Another body bag painted in red found, and this one seemed to connect with the active serial killer.
Another success for the government in an effort to strengthen the relationship between human, the elf and the demon denizens.
The screen turned off and the phone went back into his pocket. Just another day in Tokyo.
"Maybe I should have brought a book with me." He muttered under his breath.
The young man had a look around, the fog was so thick that he could barely see both ends of the street. Not even the many skyscrapers around the area was within the view.
"?"
As soon as footsteps echoed from afar, he stopped letting his mind wandering needlessly and focused on the source of those sounds.
Within the fog, a silhouette emerged. An old man in a formal business suit waved at him. He looked like the type that was past their prime and still managed a healthy appearance for the sake of his country.
"Sorry for calling you out this early, Mikazuki-kun." The old man said. "What a strange weather we have today, I almost lost my way around here. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."
"N-No, I only got here just now." Mikazuki greeted with a light bow. "It's been a while, Chief Yamamoto."
"Likewise, young man." He patted him on the shoulder. "Come, let's take a stroll."
With a nod from Mikazuki, they entered through the entrance of the park. Mikazuki didn't forget to hand him another drink that he bought beforehand.
"Thanks. I need this." Old man Yamamoto cracked the can open and took a long sip. A sigh of satisfaction echoed in the silence that swallowed the place. "I don't usually stay up this late because of works. But this is going to be a special occasion."
"Eh? You didn't sleep?" Mikazuki was mildly surprised.
"Something came up and I have to deal with it. It wasn't that much complicated to be resolved. Just took the whole team quite a while to get things under control."
"Something on the level of Haneda International Airport incident?"
"No, it's much worst. Someone discovered a new Demon Gate, pretty big one. What they found beyond that door should never be allowed to cross into our world. The media was almost on the roll if we didn't cover it up." Chief Yamamoto stated in a serious tone. "Taking a bit of caution and follow the procedure, things will calm down in the next couple days. People have enough to worry about as it is."
"Thank you for what you did."
The young man expressed his gratitude, but Yamamoto simply waved it off.
"There's no need for that, Mikazuki-kun. It's my duty." He took another long sip and the drink was empty. "Putting all that issues aside. How have you been?"
Mikazuki startled a bit at the sudden change of topic. He scratched his head and awkwardly sipped a little amount from his coffee as if he was trying to find the suitable answer among the countless thoughts in his mind.
"I'm looking for a part time job at the moment. So far, there's nothing."
"Understandable. How is high school? If I'm not wrong, this is your second year."
"There's not a lot of things I can say about my school life. The lectures are boring if you want me to be honest." Said Mikazuki as he glanced away to avoid the questioning gaze.
That was just a small part of his school life. Details such as skipping classes often and barely got a passing grades in many subjects were not worth mentioning. Actually, Mikazuki decided it was better not to let the old man know.
"Hm. Even if you decided not to share with me the rest of the story, I would eventually know when I look into your eye, young man." Yamamoto laughed. "Well, I guess this is youth."
Mikazuki coughed into his hand to shake off the hot feeling lingered on his cheeks. The old man with years of experience saw through him.
"Anyway, about the message. You said you wanted to discuss something important with me. What is it?"
He raised the most crucial question. It was the only reason why they were here in the first place. Chief Yamamoto rubbed the beard under his chin, thinking of a starting point.
"Indeed. What I'm about to say next is part of a bigger picture about our origin. How should I begin to make this easier for you to understand?"
"Our origin?"
They stopped in the middle of a bridge that built on top a small lake.
"Yes. Aside from working as a government official, there's another side of me that I haven't told you. In fact, this is something I'm sure you're desperate to know too, Mikazuki-kun. It is the answer to the question you've been seeking for a long time."
"I'm…" Mikazuki trailed off, uncertain. "…..not sure what you're getting at, Chief."
"Don't worry. One step at a time."
Yamamoto leaned against the rail, hands clasped together. His expression was as calm as the water surface underneath their feet.
"Thinking back. It's been years since we first met here in Tokyo. How nostalgic. The city used to be such a dark place."
Hearing that, Mikazuki closed his eye and stared back at the memory lane. In the past, the city was on the verge of becoming a tragedy similar to Amidahara due to many conflicts between human and the demon. An awful war was so close to happen since both sides reached their breaking points.
"Do you remember that one night when an explosion occurred in the outskirt of this city? It was the first spark of conflict between us and the demon."
"Yeah. I remembered. It was a terrorist attack."
He recalled an evening night filled by the burning heat and adrenaline rushs.
"I arrived on the scene with my colleagues as soon as possible to start the evacuation. Back then, you were there. You were just a child caught up in a horrible situation." His voice shifted with a solemn expression. "And you were also the first person to run up to me and pulled my arms non-stop, desperately asking me to help the people trapped in the conflict despite the injury on your head. You cared less about yourself and paid attention more to others. We don't normally see that in a brave nine years old child."
"Thanks to you, Chief Yamamoto." Mikazuki recalled that too. "If you weren't there in time, many could have been in danger."
Lots of lives were saved in that incident. Only a small amount of casualties was reported. It was the first sign for the inevitable war. So they thought.
Thankfully, the conflicts later subsided and a collaboration were established between both parties. The public didn't know why that event reached such an abrupted end. Many assumptions came about and put on debate. Regardless, it was peace that reached Tokyo instead of bloodshed. It might not be a perfect one as the darkness still existed, lurking around the lives of citizen and denizen.
Mikazuki then opened his eye. The answer that made such a thing possible was right before him.
"I had just got promoted to my current position in the Ministry of National Affair and Public Safety, doing my best to clean up the mess our seniors left behind. A heavy burden but it was one opportunity that's worth everything for our kind to step up in a difficult time."
Chief Yamamoto told the story as if the memories had trapped him in his own world. The one who had pulled this city up from a nearly bottomless abyss stared at his own reflection on the lake.
"My friends called me a reckless fellow, it maybe true. But sometime, you have to use the right strategy to set up the stage for your own advantage. They can see far more into the matter than I could ever have with my own lacking vision. However, other than that, they can never make the rightful decision."
That was true.
In that light, it would have been more accurate to describe Chief Yamamoto as a man with strong confidence. Reckless could be easily mistook as a behavior when it came to him. He knew his way around every problem. Despite being a government official, he was standing in public without the need of bodyguards by his side. In his case, it wasn't reckless. It was one of his abilities to read and analyze the situation.
"You helped this city back on its feet. I don't think lacking vision is a problem to begin with."
Chief Yamamoto chuckled at Mikazuki's words.
"You're right. One of these days, giving myself some credits after all the hard work is not a bad thing. But I prefer to pave the way for younger generations such as you, Mikazuki-kun. You have more potential than the people of my time."
Mikazuki sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and found himself looking down at his face on the water surface.
"I don't think I can amount much to your expectation, Sir. I'm just a normal high school boy you can find anywhere."
"Heh. I know what I said." Yamamoto smiled. "Trust me when I said there's potential in you. My eyes never lie to me."
"I have a feeling you've already said that to others before me." Mikazuki replied with a little doubt.
"Only the one that I can trust with my well-being."
"I've never done anything to earn that trust, though."
Yamamoto looked straight into the young man's eye.
"That is entirely a matter of perspective. In your case, you put yourself under the impression that you haven't done anything to help me because of your own circumstance." Mikazuki flinched much to his amusement. "You did something good before, it just wasn't there in your memory. And I'm not talking about what happened when we first met."
Mikazuki blinked in confusion.
"I'm sure you had tried. Yet you couldn't remember anything while you were living with that elderly couple as their adopted son."
His breath hitched slightly. The left eye went wide at Yamamoto, who seemed to know many things about his own background.
"Chief, do you….?"
He couldn't finish that sentence. As if he was worried something would change. It might be the world around him.
"Are you prepared to hear about your own past?"
Yamamoto's question emphasized the point of this whole meeting. He wanted to see if Mikazuki was ready to face the blank gap of his life.
With a gulp, Mikazuki slowly nodded.
"No need to tense up. This is something you've been looking for." He reassured and gave the young man a gentle pat. "Is there something else you would like to ask before we begin?"
"Why did you wait until now to tell me about this?"
"Because I believe now is the right moment to help you make a fresh start."
Yamamoto took his arms off the rail and pointed at his side of the bridge, wordlessly indicated that they should continue the walk. Mikazuki obliged and followed the seasoned government official. Their reflections on the lake disappeared as they left.
"I still remembered the day when your foster parents passed away. After that, you've always lived alone."
Mikazuki casted his gaze to the ground, thinking about the family. His parents were good people, so kind and heartwarming that they were willing to adopt a child aimlessly wandered the street because that child couldn't remember who he was.
"Then I started into reading books. Because I felt like it's the only one thing that can help me move on from that lost." Mikazuki added with a little smile. "Sometime, you even sent me a whole stack of books as a gift to keep me busy."
"Ah yes. That too." Yamamoto chuckled. "Whenever I recommended something for you to read, you always rush to the book store to find it immediately. Then you sent me a picture of that title the next day just to show me you bought it."
Mikazuki went silent for a moment and scratched his cheek. He used to be a kid with that kind of spirit.
"The novels you recommended were really good. Most of them."
"I see. That's good to hear."
The conversation stopped. They walked a good distance in the mist that still held the city in a deep slumber. Chief Yamamoto shot the young man a glance and his gaze didn't shift to anywhere. Mikazuki was fully aware of the look. Those eyes filled with expectation. He was waiting for his respond.
Mikazuki inhaled the cool air, let out a soft sigh and turned to Yamamoto.
"Chief, I'm ready."
Yamamoto's expression brightened in return of that determined voice.
"Good. Let's make this clear and simple."
He reached into one of the breast pockets inside the suit and took out an envelope.
"Here. This is for you." Said the Chief as he handed it over to the young man.
Mikazuki accepted it with both hands and examined it. Nothing was written on both sides. But there was a seal stamp. It had a symbol he didn't recognize. Mikazuki opened it, and before he could pull out whatever within, Yamamoto raised his hand, telling him to leave that for later.
"You can see what's inside after we parted way. For now, just hold onto it. Since the envelope contained a confidential information, you should try to memorize it. It can only be read once."
"Once? What happened after that?"
"You will know soon enough."
That made him even more curious. Mikazuki sneaked a peek at the content inside before he put it into his pocket. It was a folded paper, some sort of document that contained the answer to fill in the blank of his memory.
"What's in here?" Mikazuki couldn't help but asking. He wanted to know. It would be great even if a little hint was given.
"You will know soon enough when this meeting comes to an end. Now, back to the main topic. Mikazuki-kun, in our previous meeting, I lent you a book. Have you read it?"
"Eh? Y-Yes, I read the whole thing. But what does it has to do with this?"
"A lot, I assure you. Tell me, what do you think of that book?"
The Chief's intention raised confusion in Mikazuki's thought. He decided to shrug it off and went along with the flow of the conversation.
"The story is really interesting, I think. I like how the plot built up to the climax with the confrontation between the shinobi clans and the otherworldly beings. Other than the protagonist's point of view, the story doesn't focus a lot on the other characters though. I want to know more about them."
"That's good. Did you notice anything else about the book?"
"I did."
Yamamoto observed the young man's reaction with a knowing look.
"I actually looked it up online. From the way the book wrapped up the story, I though there would be a sequel. But it doesn't. There's nothing about the book. The title and the author's name doesn't seem to exist. It wasn't even mentioned in any archive."
"That's because it's not one of those regular books you always see on top the shelves in any book store or the libraries. To us, we deem it as a top secret information."
"Eh?"
Mikazuki turned to Yamamoto with a wide eye upon the reveal. The little smile on the Chief's face remained unchanged.
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you. It's the reason why we are here. That book I lent you contained the unspoken history hidden from the world. It is something normal civilians should never know or be aware of it."
He blinked at the sudden reveal. More question circulated in his head.
"Why gave it to me?"
"Because those secrets are important to your life. In the past, you were involved with them."
Mikazuki nodded slowly, feeling somewhat skeptical.
"Then….." He spoke. "Everything in the book is real."
"It is. I assure you the main character of the book, Igawa Hasera, is a real person, who once lived in the ancient time, as much as the rest of the details written in the book. And so are the shinobi clans over the course of history. The Fuuma clan, the Igawa, the ill-fated Koukawa and many, many more."
Yamamoto let out a soft laugh and turned to Mikazuki.
"The same goes with my former occupation. Since you read it, I supposed you've already known what to call us."
A single term appeared in the young man's thought. A one word that sum up the existences hidden from the definition of a normal world.
"Taimanin." Mikazuki muttered.
And Chief Yamamoto nodded his head in delight.
"Yes. That is who we are."
The old man in the formal business suit stretched his arm and stopped before Mikazuki's chest, pointing at his heart.
"That is the answer to your question, Mikazuki-kun. The real you."
Lost in thoughts, Mikazuki was almost speechless. He quickly regained his composure after realizing the back of Chief Yamamoto was moving further away in his line of sight. Mikazuki had stopped moving for a while.
The young man started picking up the pace and caught up with Yamamoto, who stood before an empty street obscured by the heavy mist. He spun around to look at the exit sign hanging by the sidewalk. They were no longer in the park.
"Chief Yamamoto, did yo-!"
"I knew."
A whirlpool of emotion hit him, Mikazuki nearly raised his voice. But those firm words successfully cut him off. The old man, who knew a little more than him, spoke up first.
"I didn't realize at first, however. It took me quite a while. It was until a few years back that I began to recognize you with the help of a certain friend. She was able to identify you at first glance."
Suddenly, columns of light beamed through the fog, along with the faint noise of a car engine. A dark limousine appeared, steadily torn the cool air as its wheels rolled.
"You have your answer, Mikazuki-kun. I will stop here for today. You can know the rest of the details once you have gone through the envelope. Take your time to gather your thoughts." The car halted before them. "Contact me when things are clear to you. Everyone is looking forward to see you again."
"Everyone?"
The driver seat door opened. A beautiful young woman wearing a butler suit stepped out from the car and made her way to the front passenger seat. She gave Chief Yamamoto a light bow before opening the door for him. Yamamoto nodded back in return and proceeded to get in the limousine.
"One last thing, Mikazuki-kun." He looked over his shoulder and said. "How is your other eye?"
Mikazuki froze. He seemed to startle for a second. Right hand instinctively brought up to cover the eye that remained shut the entire time.
"It's…." The young man's voice trailed off under the watch of Yamamoto and the butler. "The same as usual."
"Is that so?" Yamamoto smiled at the respond. "Well then, we will meet again. Let's go, Amane-kun."
"Yes."
Yamamoto's figure finally left his view behind the front seat door as the young woman named Amane closed it. Before she returned to the wheel, her eyes met him. Mikazuki bowed his head to greet her. Without a warning, and without a word, a kind, gentle smile formed along that wistful gaze.
"It's been a long time, young master." She spoke. "Tokiko, Saika and I will be waiting for your return at home."
Young master!? A bewildered Mikazuki had so many questions for that. He wanted to say something back, anything. Yet, the sudden way of addressing she was using choked the air in his throat.
"With this, I can finally have the chance to express my gratitude to you for saving me."
This person knew who he was before he ended up here in Tokyo. But he didn't get it. The meaning of her words didn't make much sense since there was a gap in his memories. Mikazuki felt some more pair of eyes watched him closely behind the dark windshields.
"Um….."
When he managed to utter something, he heard Amane's voice echoed in the gust of growing wind as she went back to the driver seat. Something along the line of "until next time."
The engine started and the car moved, driving into the mist ahead.
Mikazuki stood behind, one of his arms reached out as if urged by the swelling emotion inside. The left eye followed the sihouette of the car. He kept looking on until it finally disappeared from his sight.
Taking a moment to let everything sink in, he found a bench to sit back. The envelope taken out from his pocket. Mikazuki unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck, a little act to calm himself as he tried to process what happened. It was a struggle to think straight while the truth constantly caused a mess in his mind.
This whole meeting, from the confidential book to the existence of the Taimanin, everything was planned out beforehand. Chief Yamamoto carried out his strategy on the stage he had prepared to help Mikazuki connect with the missing fragments of his childhood.
Mikazuki let out a sigh. A dried smile showed on his face. He felt like a bomb was dropped on him, getting an unexpected truth. At the same time, his body felt light like something had been lifted off, the question that weighted him down for years was about to get gone for good.
The document inside the envelope was the last step. It contained the past of a young man named Mikazuki.
"The real me."
The seal on the envelope popped by the flick of a finger. He pulled out a single folded paper. His only opened eye went wide at the picture of a young boy fixed neatly on top the sheet.
Dark blue hair. Olive skin tone. Amber colored left eye revealed while the other one was closing shut.
It was his face.
His breath stopped midway and he didn't seem to care. He was completely focused, putting all his mind into the truth displayed before his very eye for these information can only be read once.
Born into the Fuuma clan of Gosha Village on 2066. Joined the Taimanin trainings at the age of six.
Performance Evaluation: Average. Unable to use the Taima Particle.
Abilities: None.
Mikazuki frown at the next part of the description.
Undergone one surgery. The right eye was permanently blinded due to a fatal injury received during a mock battle. At this point, Mikazuki touched the closing eyelid. A faint jolt just resonated from deep within the socket. These were awfully specific details.
The young boy's current status was unknown. It described he went missing after the Black Flame incident at the Fuuma Estate.
"Black Flame….." He whispered and continued. "Eh?"
That was it. The description stopped there.
Mikazuki flipped over the document to see if there was something else on the back. Much to his wonder, there was none. Something was missing. The last important detail that should have been here to clear off the blurry view of his past didn't seem to be anywhere on the paper.
Mikazuki was somewhat perflexed. Then, it came to him. He saw a couple strokes of a characters stuck out underneath the picture. Without hesitation, Mikazuki peeled it off.
Finally, he reached the truth. Right there was the name of the young boy.
His name was Fuuma Kotaro.
Inside the car, Yamamoto leaned back into the comfort of his seat and fixed his necktie for the next schedule.
"I wished you all could have at least spoke a few things to Mikazu….no, Fuuma-kun for a bit like Amane-kun did since you came all the way here with me. But I guess that will probably make him confused even more. So, how is everyone feeling after seeing your precious student again?"
He turned his head to look at the group of people sitting in the back seats.
"It's good that he is doing alright on his own after all these years, I'm truly glad. With this, all we can do now is to wait for Fuuma-kun to make a call." Igawa Asagi, replied with a little smile.
Next to the leader of all Taimanin was one of her best friends and currently, her most trusted advisor.
"Indeed. It's about time we welcome him back to Gosha Village with opened arms. I wonder what kind of reaction Yukikaze and Rinko-chan will make when they see their dear childhood friend again." Mizuki Shiranui playfully said and let out a soft giggle.
"…"
There was another person. No word came from their lip as they seemed to be lost in thoughts while looking at the tablet in their hands.
"What about you, Tokiko-kun?"
Fuuma Tokiko, currently the acting head of her clan, didn't react to Yamamoto's question until Asagi gave her shoulder a pat.
"Tokiko?"
"Eh!?" Tokiko startled.
"You were spacing out. Is something troubling you?"
"N-No. It's nothing! I'm happy to see my master again. It's just…." She trailed off for a moment before voicing her thought. "When I looked at him, I couldn't help but remembering that night again. If I hadn't listened to him and left his side, maybe he wouldn't have ended up like this."
They could feel the melancholy within the tone of her voice. She was talking about the day Fuuma Kotaro went missing.
"You were only following his request. It's not your fault, Tokiko. I feel that way, too." Amane said. "At least now we know our young master is safe."
"The Black Flame incident, huh." Yamamoto folded his arms and titled his head in a wondering gesture. "What a mystery. After years have passed, we still don't know how it happened or who caused it. The traps around Gosha didn't activate. No sign of inflitration. The only clue we got is the pictures taken from security cameras."
That evidence alone wasn't enough to help advancing the investigation. No new information was found on the scene.
"Everything we know so far is a huge fire burned the entire estate to the ground and it didn't stop there."
That fire had an abnormal pitch-black color. They had tried to put it out. However, normal means of extinguishing didn't apply to it.
"Good thing we managed to control the collateral damage by cutting off the burning area from the rest. Or else the whole village might have shared the same fate."
"There is the issue with Fuuma Danjou and his attempt to start a second revolt. So far, his scheme remains as an assumption ever since his disappearance on the same day." Asagi reminded. "We have no trace and clue as to where he was during that time and after it. Absolutely nothing. Even the informant in Amahara doesn't have any information on his whereabout."
"Yes. That too." Yamamoto nodded in agreement. "Then here we have Fuuma Kotaro ended up in Tokyo with amnesia."
A whole cluster of question marks. One popped up after another. None of it made sense.
"In the mean time, we will continue to watch over Fuuma-kun from the shadow. Until he is ready, we'll assign one of our people to escort him back to the village." Asagi explained the next step of the plan and turned to her advisor. "Shiranui, is there any active Taimanin stations closed to his apartment?"
"Let's see." Shiranui wiped her finger on the tablet, going through the list of reports. "Currently, we have no one working in this area. But there is an ex-Taimanin living in the same apartment complex as Fuuma-kun. I'll show the info on the monitor."
The screens turned on, displaying the picture of a short purple haired woman and her background information.
"Her name is Yoshizawa Kana, she retired early and got married a few years back. Oh my! She is the one who helped Karin-chan cracked those missing cases. They saved a lot of other former Taimanins who were captured by a demon group. However, the investigation reached a dead end since the culprit has escaped and is still at large."
"I see. That's good enough. We'll contact her and see if she's willing to offer her help to our request."
"But she's already had a family though. Returning to work as a Taimanin again may be difficult since she also has a child to look after."
"I understand your concern, Tokiko. In the case she agrees, the request is only temporary. We only need her to watch over Fuuma-kun for some time until he finally comes to term with his old self."
"Ara~, you mean something like a friendly neighbor lady next door." Shiranui giggled, she caught up with Asagi's intention. "If my memory serves me right, Fuuma-kun used to have a thing for older women."
"Eh?"
"Ah, this. I can confirm." Chief Yamamoto chimed in. "There was this one time he made a silly joke about failing to raise a flag on the housewife's route or something along the line."
"Eh!?"
"Fuuma-kun is certainly at that age." Asagi sighed. "It makes me wonder how he will react when he see us standing together with Tokiko."
"Now that's an interesting thought, Asagi-chan~. We might end up under his radar way before Tokiko-chan managed to do something."
"M-Master is not the kind of person to do something like that! Or rather, I have all the skills a housewife needs!" Tokiko flinched at her own words and blushed. "I mean…...I…"
"Tokiko, they are messing with you." Amane decided to lend her a hand. "It's better if you don't think about it."
"What about you, Amane-chan?" Shiranui switched the target. "How do you feel if Fuuma-kun has his eyes on me or Asagi-chan?"
"Regardless, my feeling toward young master is the same. I won't give up so easily even if my rivals are the two strongest Taimanins." Amane declared so.
"Ah, such is youth." Yamamoto chuckled.
"By the way, Chief Yamamoto." Amane turned to him. She had a question. "Why did you ask young master about his right eye?"
The conversation stopped for a moment. They all went silent and stared at the Chief, who was rubbing his chin while he watched the blurry red traffic light in the distance. The car began to slow down and stopped at an intersection.
"Well, I have this hunch, you see. Throughout the years of working in my field, meeting with demons and all kind of people taught me a way to read the intention in-between. I asked Fuuma-kun because of the same reason. I have the feeling he hasn't told me everything."
All eyes fixed on him in puzzlement. He rolled up the sleeve to check the time. The sun was about to rise for a new day.
"Shiranui-kun, it's time to dismiss your ninja art."
Snapping out of her own questioning thoughts, Shiranui made a seal with one hand and mumbled a single word.
"Release."
He watched the sun rising in the distance
The heavy fog was gone. The quiet Tokyo city was about to become busy at the beginning of a new day.
The document in his hand now became nothing more than a blank sheet. The words printed on it all faded away after he finished reading everything. If he had to take a good guess, the cause would be the doing of a ninja art.
Now he knew a little more about himself. All this time, Mikazuki was Fuuma Kotaro.
A Taimanin. That was who he was. That would explain everything.
The last piece of the puzzle finally fit in together with the rest to form a completed solution. The gap was not fully filled. Nothing had come back to his mind yet. But there was this reminiscent emotion he couldn't let go. He probably never wanted to.
Just like the Chief said, he needed to take some time to think about this.
"What the heck."
He wasn't trying to complaint. On the contrary, he smiled. His feeling was neither sad nor happy. He was just uncertain of what to come next. Regardless, deep down, that was the only expression he couldn't suppress at the moment.
Still, the information was outdated, he admitted.
Mikazuki…..no, Fuuma Kotaro carefully observed his surrounding. As he confirmed no other presence but him was in the area, he brought up the paper that once contained the top secret information to face-level.
Left eye closed.
And very slowly…
Right eye opened.
A tiny spark flared up at the edge of the object. It happened as if the sunlight heated up straight away and caused a fire. But it wasn't the sun's doing, this was different. It consumed every material faster than the speed of a normal fire without a high concentration of temperature. Despite the paper was burning, smoke didn't come out. It didn't emit heat.
It was too abnormal to be described by the definition of a fire.
It was too ferocious to obey the rule of nature.
It was the epitome of darkness that will never let anything extinguish its existence until nothing is left.
The Black Flame.
He let go of the document, leaving the rest devoured in the extremely raging existence that later vanished into thin air when there was nothing left to burn. Not a trace remained. Not even the ash was spared.
Left eye revealed in the morning light while the other one closed back in the shade of his bangs.
Kotaro dusted off his hands and walked away, continued the jogging on the route which led back to the apartment. He still got sometime to make breakfast and re-read the book Chief Yamamoto lent him.
"Right. I skipped classes yesterday, too." Kotaro suddenly recalled.
After that, he should go to school. That was a good idea. Yesterday was the fifth time he didn't show up this month. The homeroom teacher was probably annoyed a lot because of his attendance record.
Kotaro increased his pace and made a full sprint. He got to hurry up back home and not to be late again. Another detention was the last thing he needed.
[?]
Two figures, one with a real body and one was an illusion, watched the event unfolded from the shadow.
"Interesting. Instead of the Eye of the Demonic Gate, this version seems to possess a different power compared to the others."
"You think this version of that human is interesting? What can a puny dark flame possibly do against immortals like us?"
"Let's not jump into conclusion just yet. We haven't seen the full potential of that power, you saw the way he used it with such ease. There should be more lying dormant beneath that eye. Something that has an equal footing with the epitome of darkness."
"Hmph. That human is not even a full-fledged Taimanin, he's disconnected from his root for years. Oh very well, I'll simply view him as food just like the rest. You know I have zero expectation to mere lowly existences."
"Hah, understandable."
"What are you planning to do? Continue to observe this world?"
"No, this is enough. The co-existence of both human and demon here doesn't cause enough conflict for the world to provide a worthy vessel for you. But I will look forward to the grow of this version of Fuuma Kotaro."
"It's seemed like you want to visit here again."
"Yes. I want to find out how vast the potential of his ability and everything about it. A unique power like that can even possibly destroy the concept of immortality. To us, it could become a minor hindrance."
"I believe you are overestimated that human, Black. How about we switch and I'll give him a chance to demonstrate? We'll see just how far he goes with that flame."
"Hm, that wouldn't be ideal. Perhaps, I could be wrong. We both know that is not always the case. Nevertheless, this is very interesting."
After the short conversation, they merged back together as one united being.
And disappeared from the world.
/