"STOP THEM!" Tojo said throwing out his hand to add emphasis to his command. All Jipnas and spirits who had possessed bodies jumped at their leader's order. However, the task was not so simple. Their targets were elusive and most were able to escape. One of them was almost through the arch but was grabbed by Asaka in his monster form and hurled back into the energy wall. The spirit was forced out of the body but the body itself was vaporized by the wall's energy. Those that were able to escape emerged from the dark forest and headed for Tokyo.
"Who were they?" Tojo asked.
"Unknowns," Tachibana said. "They weren't any of ours."
Tojo strolled next to the energy wall watching the spirits roam around inside. He stopped when he noticed Konishi was in his monster form holding a woman who hadn't yet been possessed. He nodded to his general who tossed the woman to the ground. Her head shot in all directions as she saw Japan's evil past in human form. Frozen, she could only watch as a spirit emerged from the wall and enter her body. Her skin burned as it transformed from what she was to her new identity.
Once the transformation was complete a new entity stood in the woman's place. All the generals took a step back and reached for their swords. This woman didn't wear the military attire of Imperial Japan. Her clothing dated further back than that. However, they didn't recognize her and expected her to make a run for it like the others. She looked herself over and then to those around her.
"Identify yourself!" Asaka said stepping toward her. She eyed him curiously in his twisted corrupted version of a military uniform with traditional Japanese elements that fused with his monstrous features. Armor plates are jagged and covered with foreboding symbols. His right leg was mechanical. It emitted an eerie metallic sound as he walked.
The woman sprinted past him and touched the tree transforming into her monster form, her eyes pierced from the darkness that surrounded her face. The elegant yet sinister robes that covered her flowed with black, purple and midnight blue.
She drew her sword and attacked Asaka. Her attack was blocked but she recovered and continued her attack. Neither one could land a hit and they continued blocking the other's attack until Tojo ordered both to stand down and go back to their human forms.
Both monsters touched the tree again and returned to their human forms. Asaka glared at her until Tojo stepped between them focusing on the woman.
"Who are you? How are you in my army?"
"Your army?" the woman asked. "I never agreed to such things.
"Conscription never needs permission."
"You think you can just pull me into your ranks? I was the wife of the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate."
"I see." Tojo said walking away. "That means you're Hojo Masako."
The izakaya Haruka often visited had been closed for a few days without any reason. The old man running the place hadn't been heard from in a while. The last time she talked to him was when she split from her boyfriend.
Haruka approached the closed down izakaya wondering what happened to the old man. Even his house that was attached to it was dark. Usually, there's a note to let people know of a situation such as being in the hospital or going on vacation. Even closing down permanently would prompt a notice but there was nothing at all.
A police cruiser pulled up behind Haruka and a woman stepped out from the driver side. Haruka recognized her as the cop from the school.
"Are you the one that called for a welfare check?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Is this person a relative?"
"No, but I come here often. I haven't heard from him for a while and he never closes down for such a long time."
Wakana approached the door noticing it hadn't closed properly. She turned back to Haruka. "Did you go inside?"
Haruka shook her head. "No. I assumed the door was locked. Is the door open?"
Wakana nodded as she turned back toward the door and put her hand on her gun. Her other hand slowly pushed the door open. The fresh air rushed in and battled the stale air that hovered in the room. The light from Wakana's flashlight crept around the room looking for signs of life that may be lurking in the darkness.
Haruka stepped in after her looking around the darkened room. Haruka felt uneasy seeing the room dark. It was always bright with noise from the TV and other customers talking along with whatever noise the old man was making while preparing orders.
Wakana continued deeper going past the long curtains that divided the business from the house. She held out a hand to stop Haruka from following her. The officer's eyes darted around the room. It looked as though someone was still living here. There were no signs of a struggle, a break in or anything malicious. That didn't mean she was allowed to drop her guard. The last time she did that it...
A vicious, sinister cackling echoed throughout the house with no discernible source. Wakana darted back to Haruka who was just as confused by the laughter. They ran outside and the it was quiet again.
"What was that?" Wakana asked. Haruka was about to answer but her eyes widened as she stared past Wakana. The officer looked behind her to her cruiser to see it was streaks of red all over it. Gripping her gun, Wakana approached her cruiser hoping it wasn't blood.
Haruka held her rekinchanger waiting for a monster to attack. She heard the faint sound of chimes. The last time that happened a monster attacked.
A girl sat at the desk in her room examining the two crescent bracelets. They were black with gold and dark blue accents. They were a gift from her grandmother saying they were an heirloom. They didn't look old enough to be considered an heirloom.
The girl's grandmother said they were given to her shortly after her father died in the war. A friend of her father came to the house to deliver them. The mystery behind them was the man said he'd return if something terrible happened but he never came back. The family had no idea what he meant by that. That was in April of 1943 after her father died when his plane was shot down on some island in the south Pacific. The family thought the terrible event was two years later when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed. Many believed all of Japan would be lost and forgotten to time because of America's new weapon.
The girl was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She gently set the bracelets down on her desk before getting up to answer the door. She wondered why they didn't use the doorbell. She didn't think she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear it. She opened the door realizing the outside light wasn't on. Before she could turn to flip on the light, a hand shot out grabbing her by the throat. She wasn't given time to scream as she was pulled out into the darkness.
Taiga, Shiori, and Renka entered a restaurant called Shin Snack Gon. Despite being relatively new, it was designed to look like an old fashioned café from the 70s with a bar and a few tables. The owner stood behind the bar and served a plate of curry to an older man at the bar. The older man rubbed his hands together with a smile on his face as if he was a child opening a box of toys. He had no trouble putting down that plate of curry. What surprised the three rekingers was that he asked for more.
"Is the curry that good?" Taiga asked.
The old man looked at him still keeping the smile. "It's the best."
"Then I'll take one. What about you two?"
The two girls shrugged and also ordered. The owner nodded and started preparing their plates.
"Hey, do you like riddles?"
"Daita, don't bother the customers," the owner said.
Taiga laughed. "It's okay. Uh, I'm not very good at them but I like to try them every once in a while."
"Okay," Daita said. "A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and rode out on Friday. How is this possible?"
"Daita, I just told you that one before they walked in," the owner said.
"I know, Taro-kun. It's as good one."
Taiga put his hand to his chin as he thought about it. He repeated the riddle to himself. He looked to the girls. "Any ideas?"
"Friday is the horse," Renka said.
"Hey, you're pretty good," Daita said. He went back to his curry still smiling.
"Here you are," Taro said putting out three plates of curry. The three took their first bites of the curry and were instantly in love. They now understood why Daita asked for more.
"That's a terrible thing to happen to such a cute girl," Daita said.
The trio's attention went to the screen of the TV hanging from the ceiling in the corner. It was a news report about a girl and a supposed suicide. An old house down a dead end narrow street was surrounded by police. The cameras couldn't get close to the building. They filmed from the small park across the street which was as close as the police would allow. All that could be seen was whatever was lit up by the flashing red lights of the white and black police cruisers. It was hard enough to see anything as the video was recorded during the night, perhaps last night or the night before.
Information about the victim was displayed on the screen. Nishikawa Mizuki, a seventeen year old high school girl.
"Wait, Mizuki is dead?" Shiori asked. "Why would she commit suicide? That doesn't make any sense."
"You knew her?" Renka asked.
Shiori nodded. "We went to the same junior high school together. She got good grades and could get into any high school she chose. She had a good family life and friends. She didn't seem like the type."
"Do you think the Teikurosuna did this?" Taiga asked.
"Maybe but it doesn't seem like their style," Renka said. "Why would they make it look like someone killed themselves when they never cared before?"
Renka slid her phone across the table to the other two. "Look. People are talking about the incident and they're saying the house is cursed."
"What makes them say that?"
"They're all saying that was the house where Furuta Junko was murdered."
"Who?" Taiga asked.
In hushed voices, Renka gave him the run down of the brutal incident. Taiga sat back in his chair as he processed all the unspeakable horrors done to that girl who was their age at the time.
"This alone destroys the theory that she killed herself," Shiori said. "Mizuki doesn't live near Adachi nor is her school near there. She had to have been murdered."
"So, people are saying Junko's ghost did this?" Taiga asked.
Renka shook her head. "I'm not sure. They're just saying it's cursed. Some are even saying it might be the actual guys who murdered Junko."
"Something doesn't sit right about this," Shiori said. She leaned back in her chair with her hands in her blazer pockets. "What do you think, Boss? Should we go investigate?"
Renka nodded seeing the look in Shiori's eyes. "Yeah, let's go."
The three got up and headed for the door.
"Be careful out there," Daita said. "The world is much darker these days."
While the trio thanked him, the way he said that made Renka wonder if he knew who they were.
