Inari was just boiling a large pot of what look like a bunch of twigs and herbs stirred well in the bottom like tapiocas. When the mixture, a soft green in colour started bubbling, she ladled out into four equal cups into matching porcelain tea cups and brought it into the living room, where three guys were sitting around the long wooden table on soft beanbags. The forth, Eric Marsters, had went out to get some groceries while heading back to see he could salvage whatever he could find at the debris of his shop. On the table, there’s already an opened bottle of sake.
“Here, drink this. It looks like you guys need it.” She passed the cups around and they murmured their thanks.
Currently, they are now in Inari’s shrine, one of the many Shinto shrines that is built in areas of Japan to worship the goddess Inari, The shrine that they are in right now is known as the Namiyoke Inari Shrine in Tsukiji, Chuo, Tokyo. This shrine was built on the water’s edge after the Great Fire of Meireki in 1957. The name Namiyoke literally means “protection from the waves”.
Lloyd took a large gulp of the tea. It’s bitter, but somehow refreshing and calming, soothing his nerves. “Thank you.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Inari winked, flirtatiously. “I heard from these two that the dear child in blue is taken by a red-headed boy.”
“Brainwashed, not taken.” Francis corrected.
“Hey, Inari-san, ” Glenn said. “You wouldn’t have happened to see him around, do you?”
“Well,” Inari is now setting a tray full of rice balls. “I did hear a few rumours, but I’m not too sure about the boy in red. But I’ll keep an ear out for you handsome gentlemen.” She then passed around the rice balls. “You all looked worn-out. Haven’t you all eaten anything since yesterday?”
“We only had sushi.” Francis said, biting into one of the rice balls.
“Sushi? Where are you all staying at?” Inari asked, throwing back her head and drinking one shot of sake, her golden cyan-tipped hair tumbling back over her shoulders.
“Tokyo Hotel.” Glenn replied, stuffing his rice ball into his mouth while trying to help Francis with his dressings.
“That explains it.” Inari said, stretching her legs. “Tell you what, how about you handsome gents use my place? I got a lot of rooms to spare.”
“We left our things back at the hotel.” Lloyd said, looking sullen.
“No problem.” Inari said, clicking her fingers. “I’ll get my little kitsunes to get your stuff. Does that suits you, Lloyd-kun?”
Lloyd gave her a smile while trying to stuff the rice ball down his throat. It’s not exactly his kind of food, but no matter how the food is, raw or cooked, he’s going to need to keep his strength up.
Reo was staring aimlessly at his old room ceiling. Everything is exactly the same before he left for Manhattan. The untouched Gundam models on the shelves, faded posters of Hagino Takashi taped on one wall, his old tatami mattress with the faded azure blue quilt, all exactly the same.
He never wanted to return here, but what other choice he had? Dario knew all along that he’s from the Kanagawa Prefecture, he had given his personal particulars when he was interviewed by him, but really, he never thought his Obaasan actually allowed him back here, especially when he left without saying goodbye. The others had insisted on coming here because due to a mistake between the hotel bookings, Dario had asked him, “What about your place?”
Allen had turned, looking interested. “You live here?”
Revarie had given him a cuff on the head. “He’s a Japanese, kid.”
After a heated argument in the airport, Reo had finally given in, hailed a cab, and here they are.
“Doushitanou, Reo-kun?”
That sweet old comforting voice, soft and rickety, nearly startled him off his mattress. For three years, he had left Obaasan without even saying goodbye, no note or anything, he just packed up, withdraw his savings and left. He thought she would be furious with him for leaving her. But instead, she just greeted him with her usual gentle manner. Time haven’t seemed to touch her. Obaasan Minamio, otherwise known as Ohime, is still the same as how he had remembered her. Her straight dark hair, now with grey streaks, is tied back into a long ponytail, her eyes jewel blue. Her skin has turned brown and not as smooth as before, but her warm touch is still the same.
“Nothing, Obaasan.”
“Your friends are waiting for you, chop chop.” She said, her eyes twinkling, but with the beginning of pencil lines around them.
Reo got up and went down to the living room. There they are, his allies, companions, all sitting around Obaasan’s table, all on their best behavior. Obaasan doesn’t know much about them, but as far as Reo is concerned, it’s better this way. He only fed her a few snippets of the whole truth, Dario is his employer, head of Twilight Inc., Revarie is from Italy, hired as Dario’s assistant, he in turn is hired as a secretary, and Alen, is well, the errand boy. Enough said.
“Would anyone like a cup of tea?” Obaasan asked in English.
“Yes, please…” Alen said, beaming at her. Despite the fact that he has eye shadows due from his lack of sleep, his innocent boyish features always helps him out of trouble.
“Oh, such a sweet boy.” Obaasan said in Japanese, pinching his cheeks.
“Obaasan, could please leave us for a moment?” Reo asked quietly in Japanese.
“Alright, I’ll be outside if you need me…”
“She’s a very good lady.” Alen said, sipping his cup of tea.
“Any news on Guy yet?” Revarie asked.
Dario drew out his cellphone and checked the screen. “No, he did not call or leave a message.” He then turned to Alen, “What did you find?”
Instead of Alen answering, Mind’s Shadow loomed over and said, “There’s not much to salvage. But just to let you know, I saw that Marsters boy poking around the rubbles. But enough of that, I found out something interesting…”
“What is it?” Revarie said, tending to his burns, which are glowing a blister red.
“It seems that that Marsters boy had told them something… About Guy and that girl, in Suruga Bay…”
Dario glanced at each of them in turn. “ Gentlemen, I think we know where we are heading next.”
Reo went over to an ancient cabinet and brought out a huge roll of paper, it looks like it at first, but then as he unrolls it, it’s actually a map of Japan, with details of the road and tracks of the train routes.
“Suruga Bay is at the South.” Reo said, tracing the route. “We can use the Shinkansen to head there.”
Dario nodded and went up to pack the equipments that they will be needing. Looks like this’ll be a long journey.
And, the thought makes him smile, he might be able to see little brother again…
“Those freaks thrashed my shop.”
Eric had come back, dumping whatever he could salvage from the debris. Some photos that are still alright, though they need to be dried because they’re very wet from the water, some Eric Clapton’s vinyl CDs, a very old vintage camera, and miracles of miracles, a photo album, which is bound in worn out leather and peeling gold letterings.
“What’s that?” Lloyd asked, his interest piqued.
“That? That’s my dad’s photo album.” Eric picked it up and shook it hard. “It’s a miracle it managed to survive in the debris. Otherwise, Dad would’ve haunted me.”
“May I?”
Eric shrugged. ”Suit yourself. I’m going to dry the photos… Just don’t tear it apart, it’s very old. Is there any place where I can dry the photos, Inari-sama?”
“There’s a room in the back that you’re welcome to use.” She said, gesturing at the back, drinking her fifth shot of sake, not even looking drunk at all.
Lloyd held the photo album in his hands, which feels very fragile in his hands. He flicked the album open, with Glenn and Francis beside him. The photos are many years old. Each of them have a description scribbled beside them, all in English and Japanese. Nearly all of them are boring, but it was the last one which caused Glenn to go, “Hey, wait a minute!”
Lloyd looked up and Glenn jabbed a finger at the last photo. It’s a photo of a very familiar looking face peering out at them. The description besides reads, KAGEROU TAISHII .
“Is that what I think it is?” Francis said, looking awed.
“Suruga Bay.”
Eric had came back out of the room, taking a sip of his cold green tea.
“Er…What?”
“Suruga Bay.” Eric repeated. “The old army base is there. The Japanese Army, I mean. My dad went was there. He managed to take a shot of Taishii, but he also claimed,” His gaze met theirs. “He saw a devilishly pair murdering all of the soldiers in mere minutes, not one was even left alive, both sides suffered a major loss. I thought he was making a wise crack joke before you guys came along with that video and the girl’s photo.”
“I’m going.” Lloyd nodded, making his decision.
“Say what?” Francis yelped. “We are?”
“Of course.” Lloyd was suddenly determined, all weariness and relaxation had wore off. “At least, that’s where Guy might’ve headed. And if we’re lucky, we might run into Dario and his allies.”
“And just how are you going to take them on?” Eric asked, calmly sipping his tea. “You got those pair to worry about with their crazy killer hair, and now you got those freaks on your back as well. Muri desu.”
“Well, what about you?” Lloyd said, glaring directly at him. He don’t need a translator to understand what’s muri means. His expression says it all. “You just sit back sipping your tea while Guy and V.V. are heading further and further with Guy leading the killing spree.”
Eric put his cup on the table and stood up, jabbing Lloyd’s forehead with two fingers hard. It was enough to cause him to stumble back.
“Baka, you’re just going to rush in there without a plan?” Eric said, his voice deadly serious. “Let me tell you something, my dad was a war correspondent for that war, I was one of the witnesses who saw that incident. I was only a kid at that time but I remembered it.” He pulled back the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing to reveal a large scar on his forearm, the shape of a crescent moon. “I got cut by the boy, you know. He nearly got my arm back then, if a soldier haven’t sacrificed himself to save me, I would’ve lost this arm.”
Lloyd looked away, fuming with frustration.
“He’s right, you know.” A girlish voice said. Inari is lying down on the wood floor, circling the rim of her tea cup. “You can’t rush in there without a plan, those boys might rip you before you even find the dear child.”
“I asked you this before, but I’m going to ask you again.” Eric locked gaze with him. “Do you think you can save her from that killer state?”
“And my answer is still the same, I will save her from that state, I have to try.” Lloyd said. “Sometimes, you don’t need a plan of action. You just have to go with the flow.”
Glenn and Francis stood in between, their expression nervous. No one dared to breathe, no one dared to spoke.
A girlish silvery laughter broke the silence, they all turned to see Inari laughing so hard, tears of laughter streaming her eyes.
“Why bother to ask, he’s a real man alright. Oishii.” She giggled, throwing back her hair and straightening her kimono. “Fine, I’ll take you there myself.”
Eric gave a sigh and said, “Looks like you win, Anderson. So, when do we leave?”
**********************
Far away in the sea, a ship set sail for its destination, looking like any perfectly normal ship, except there is something wrong, terribly wrong. The deck looks quiet, and the usually noisy atmosphere is eerily silent.
A figure appeared on board, wearing a blood red hakama which matched his hair. He’s carrying the body of a dead man as though he’s lightweight, despite the fact that he’s just a teenager. Looking unconcerned, he flung the dead man’s body overboard, which went crashing into the sea with an almighty crash.
“That looks boring…” Guy said, staring at the sea below. “I thought the body would be crushed by the water pressure, not just drop like a dead weight.”
He turned, staring at the mangled bodies all over the deck, all covered in blood. Some limbswere cut off, some had deep cuts and slashes, and some had injuries that made the corpse unrecognizable. They are all the old crew of the Japanese Army, all about to set sail to the sea for a short cruise trip when the boy in red suddenly launched himself onboard with his hair and-
Guy turned back to the sea, the wind blowing his hair. Their creator wasn’t among the dead though, all the dead men had pleaded for their life but none of them could tell where did Professor Taishii went, nor had they heard any news about him ever since he ran off.
Whatever, he shrugged. It’s actually all thanks to him that he was given the ability to be alive… Humanity for the demon essence that now stirs in him.
A shadowy blur suddenly whooshed past him, causing him to look up jerkily.
“What was that?”
A pine cone-like object rolled near his feet. At first, he couldn’t recognize it, then as his eyes widened-
BOOM!!!!
An explosion of orange fireball appeared.
**********************
Inari the fox soared in the air, carrying Lloyd, Glenn, Francis and Eric on her back. It was Eric who had threw the hand-grenade with pin-point accuracy at the kid in red, whom Lloyd had explained, “That’s him, the psychopath kid.”
Eric tucked his revolver and a long katana in his waist belt, saying, “Do we jump, or what?”
Lloyd strapped his Zanmato safely and said, “We jump.”
Glenn checked his Sauer one last time before tucking it back into his waist band. Besides that, he had armed himself with stakes, sharpened to a point so that it looks like a spear, and strapped to his back, the revolver which belonged to the late Erica Giovanni . The special blessed holy bullets are still in them, but there’s only enough for 5 shots. He cannot waste them. “You do realize that if we jump we might not make it back alive?”
“Don’t say that.” Lloyd said, gritting his teeth. “We got to think positive.”
“If we do not make it alive though, then we’ll set history in Columbia-U, right, Glenn?” Francis pocketed bottles of holy water into his pockets, some stakes which he slipped into his back pocket, and some of them strap to a spring mechanism in his arms, which is hidden by his long sleeved coat, but his most deadly weapon, his bare fists and legs.
“If you all do die though,” Inari said, circling lower the ship. “Then you’re all welcome to be my fox spirits.”
“Gee, that’s comforting.” Lloyd said sarcastically.
From the thick smoke, long red hair-like serpents emerged out from all directions, each tip like a snake’s head, all wide open to reveal jagged fangs. Without even hesitating, Inari’s nine tails glowed and blasted nine huge blue fireballs at the hair serpents. Some of them caught on fire and burned, while others evade as quick as a serpent.
“Jump, now!” Lloyd shouted.
They needed no more orders, they all leapt into the air and onto the deck, with Inari landing gracefully beside the guys in her human form, but with her fox ears and nine tails glowing brightly in gold and cyan, brimming with ancient magic.
“I should’ve know it was you guys again….”
The smoke had cleared and Guy looked unharmed , except there’s dirt and soot on his clothes and slightly charred hair where the fireballs had burned them.
“We’re here to take back V.V., Guy Moon.” Lloyd said, Zanmato out.
“Heh, why don’t you just ask her yourself?”
The soft sounds of bare feet walking towards them made him turn and he felt his heart plummet.
There she is, wearing a plain white yukata robe, her face looks deadpan, but she looks the same as ever. Her face made no recognization even as she saw them.
“V.V…..” He whispered.
No comments:
Post a Comment