Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Prologue – Their Meeting

The sunlight peaks into a dimly lit bedroom, sneaking in through the curtains. Peaceful silence reigns in the room as someone is sleeping on a futon, sheets are pulled up over their head. They continue to lay there motionless but after a moment the person stirs when they hear a woman’s voice yelling.

“Get your ass out of bed you damn punk!!!” An unknown woman loudly cries out.

The sleeping person stirs again and pulls the covers over their head as they try to ignore the screaming voice. Whoever this person is, they do not want to deal with the voice screaming at them.

“Goddammit move your lazy ass!” The unknown woman yells even louder.

“I am up you damn hag!” The sleeping girl replies in the same tone.

“Watch your mouth and move it!”

After a moment the girl stretches and stands up, her face isn’t visible and can only see her back. The girl looks in the mirror, has shoulder length brown hair and is wearing a choker. She exits the room and slowly walks downstairs. The girl reaches the bottom of the stairs and turns the corner, and she sees Seiko standing in the middle of the living room.

Seiko is dressed in her standard work attire but looks slightly different then her usual outfit. The skirt is knee-length, not as tight but she is wearing the same white blouse and black jacket. To her left is her luggage and she is looking at the girl.

“Took your lazy ass long enough.”

Seiko continues to stare at the young girl and looks exasperated with her. It’s obvious this is not the first time she has dealt with this scene and is at her wits end with this one.

“Oh, leave me alone. I only got back a few hours ago. Took forever to exorcise that kid…Which you could have helped with!”

Seiko can only roll her eyes as the girl stands defiant before her. This is not the first time they have had this conversation. 

“Why would I? It was just the spirit of the kid’s cat; it shouldn’t have taken all night. If you actually kept up with your training….”

“Do we have to do this now????”

The young girl seems to be pleading with Seiko to drop it and she reluctantly sighs as she lets it go…for now.

“Fine…We’ll talk about this when I get back.” Seiko says as she starts to walk towards the front door.

“Where are you heading this time?”

“Kyushu, some weird shit going on with the fish yokai near Nagasaki. I’ll be away for a week or two. And don’t do anything stupid while I’m away.” Seiko says as she grabs her luggage and exits the front door before turning back to the girl.

“I’m not a kid mom; I can handle myself.”

Seiko can only look at her daughter as she examines the young woman who appears to be in her late teens/early 20s. Where this girl got such an obtuse personality is beyond her. She has lost count of the number of times this one has told her the exact same thing.

“How many times have I heard that…” Seiko replies to her daughter, her face covered in a doubtful gaze.

“Would you shut up and leave you hag.”

Seiko can only roll her head in frustration as she files away this encounter for another day. She decides once again to let it go and leaves for her trip.

The daughter watches Seiko leave and waits a few minutes to make sure she is gone. She turns and walks back into the living room, stands there for a few moments and then jumps into the air.

“Peace and quiet for a week!!!”

The daughter runs to the refrigerator, opens it and pulls a drink out. With her mom gone, the girl feels as if all her worries have left with the old bag.

She walks back to the living room, sits down with her legs out in front of the TV, looking at the drink and slowly brings it to her lips but stops when the doorbell rings.

The girl sits there, hoping and praying the ringing will stop but it does not. After a moment the bell rings again and she resigns herself that her brief respite of peace and quiet is already at an end.

“Goddammit you hag, did you forget something?!?” She screams as she opens the door.

But rather than her mother, she is surprised when she sees it isn’t her but a tall, white woman with long red hair.

“Excuse me, is this the home of Ayase Seiko-san?” The woman answers back in perfect Japanese.

The sun shines into the house as the daughter looks at the woman, but she can barely make out only her lower chin.

Chapter 1 – Euphoria and….

“This place is beautiful Ayase-san, did you come here a lot?” Okarun states as he looks over a small but wide-open beach on a cloudless, sunny day.

The sounds of the waves are almost mesmerizing as they lap onto the shore. Seagulls chirp in the background as the gang looks on. Momo, Okarun, Vamola, Aira, Jiji and Seiko stare at the beach, and the kids are all wide eyed as they gaze outwards.

“It's been a while, right Granny?” Momo has a large smile as she looks over at Seiko.

“I've known this spot for a long time, used to come here with...”

And only Seiko truly knows how important this spot is to her; of the memories she made here and the people who shared this place with her. She simply stares nostalgically at the ocean as the kids start to walk across the beach.

“I wish Sakata could have come.” Vamola says out loud as she stands next to Momo.

“I'm not letting that perv see me in a bathing suit.”

“That's mean, Aira-chan.” Jiji answers back in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Shut up, you moron!” Aira yells as she kicks Jiji in the rear

Seiko continues to watch the chaos, it seems as if she is looking at the same scene from long ago.

“Now if it’s Takakura-kun….” Aira says to Okarun as she makes her cutesy face.

“What’s that???” Momo remarks as her annoyance with Aira starts to surface.

Despite all the shit they’ve been through, they’re still a bunch of teenagers and anyone else would be at the end of the rope with these fools but it’s nothing Seiko hasn’t seen before….

“Would you morons shut up and have fun!!!”

And they all deserve to unwind and enjoy the day after the latest crisis. The wind blows the smell of the ocean across the group bringing along the peace of the day. Everyone smiles and heads for the ocean…. except for Seiko.

Vamola isn’t sure why, but Seiko seems quieter than usual today. She knows Granny has her introspective moments, but this is different, not quite sad but far from happy.

“You ok Granny? You look down.”

Naturally this girl knows something is up with Seiko. She still can’t believe where the kids say she comes from, but Seiko never doubted this was a child who lost someone precious to them and needed a home…. needed another family. Vamola may not have powers but since she started to live with her, Seiko has always felt the gentle spirit within her…that spirit that can just put oneself to ease. 

But the rest of Momo’s friends are not quite so soothing…especially when they get together.

“Don’t look at us when we change you damn perv!” Aira yells at Jiji at the top of her lungs.

“What did I do? Why are you busting on me???”

“Shut up and don’t look at us you fool!”

Vamola isn’t sure if Seiko is doing any better but her heart lifts when she gives one of those rare smiles. It’s not that she never does but Granny is always putting up that front, trying to let them just be kids.

“It’s nothing…go have fun.”

Vamola walks off and joins the rest of the gang, leaving Seiko behind but she slowly turns back towards the woods, eyeing it with one of her neutral expressions.

She knows this place like the back of her hand, it’s been years since she has been back here but in her youth (and much later in life), this was one of her favorite spots. For whatever reason the spirits avoided this place, it was a sanctuary where she could rest and recharge…. a sanctuary for another group of idiots….

Thankfully the sounds of the waves lapping on the shoreline interrupt her as the kids are already screwing around in the ocean.

**********************************************************************

And just like that the day is over and dusk is descending. The kids are in sweat clothes and look tired but content as a campfire roars in the center. It was a long day, but everyone is relaxed as they eat watermelon and take in the ambiance.

“I hope you got a good look today.” Aira yells at Jiji over the campfire.

“What do you want? We’re at the beach and I wasn’t staring.”

“Good excuse…”

“Calm down leader.” Momo remarks as she looks into the fire.

“What did you say?!?”

Seiko is watching as the kids continue to playfully bicker, but she is still unusually quiet. She’s been this way most of the day and none of the kids are certain why. Although she can be hard to read, they know something is bothering her under that quiet exterior.

“You ok Seiko-san? You’ve been quiet.” Okarun gently asks her.

This kid…Seiko has known his type before, the quiet ones who are afraid of their own shadow, scared just breathing could piss off the world. But this one… there are times she thought his shadow was scared of his shadow... at least on the surface.

That was her first impression of Four-Eyes, and she had no idea what the hell Momo was doing with him. But when she saw them together that first night, when he pulled that shit with the Evil Eye and got her out of that damn trunk…that was that and she didn’t have to worry about Momo bringing home another scumbag.

“It’s fine Four-Eyes.”

No one is certain if it is fine but that’s how Seiko is, what they come to expect. They could prod her all night and she wouldn’t say any different. Pestering her wouldn’t do any good and honestly, did it matter? They’ve all had their own moments, and everyone here owes that woman something. If she says it’s fine, that’s good enough for them.

But then they are thankfully distracted as Vamola lets out a big squeal as she eats more watermelon and can simply enjoy the mood.

“I’ve missed this, it’s been a while since we could all hang out and do nothing.” Momo says to no one in particular.

“Something has always been going on Ayase-san.”

“Too bad no one else could make it.”

Aira throws some wood into the flames and looks over towards Okarun and Momo clearly enjoying being side-by-side. She seems slightly annoyed (maybe more than slightly) but it’s a passing mood.

“We’re on break, everyone has plans.” Aira continues, breaking her own train of thought.

“I wish my mom could be here, it’s so peaceful.” Vamola mentions as she leans onto Momo.

“I’m sure she will one day.” Momo says as she gives her a deep hug from the side.

And they all hope that is true for Vamola. Everyone has lost something… someone, but they know it is lost. For Vamola, the fate of her mother is a question that cannot be answered but they all hope it will be. All they can do is live in the now and forget for a moment about their collective past. 

The fire continues to crackle, the sound of the splintering wood adding to the peace of the beach. If they had a choice, this harmonious scene would go on forever….

At that moment Vamola looks at the ocean. She isn’t sure but it is, but something is breaking up the waves...heading directly towards the group. 

“What’s that?”

No sooner has Vamola finished speaking and their peaceful day is blown to hell… literally. Before they can even turn to the ocean, the beach is rocked by a series of large explosions. They have no idea what is going on as the explosions continue to cascade across the beach.

“What the HELL!!! Who’s attacking us now!?!” Momo screams as everyone starts to run from the shoreline.

The attack is continuous, and they have no time to think, just react but they notice something further out in the ocean. It’s hard to make out but several objects are slowly moving towards the beach. The attack continues and fires break out on the shoreline, but the light illuminates something which should not be there…something from before any of them were alive…they are under attack from Pacific War era submarines!

“Those look like submarines from the war!” Okarun yells as both him and Jiji guard the girls on their right flank facing the ocean.

“What? Why the hell are ancient submarines attacking us?!?” Aira screams as she transforms to her yokai form.

“Shut up you bastards and move!” Seiko commands them but for some reason she is looking at the forest and not the ocean.

They may not believe it but they are absolutely under attack from 80-year-old submarines… submarines which should absolutely not be here… submarines which are now firing on them with their deck guns making the situation even worse.

“Dammit, these bastards! We need to get to them!” Aira states as she uses her hair to shield everyone.

“How?! They’re too far out!” Jiji says as he stands behind Aira, bracing her as she defends the group.

“Guys! We got incoming!” Momo yells as they see dozens of wakes incoming from the ocean.

She knew things had been going too well today and of course some shit had to drop down on them. Is it too much to ask to just hang out with her friends and Granny? Just have a good time without worrying about God knowing what trying to kill them. Momo is used to her life going sideways but is one day of peace too much to ask???

“Everyone! Behind me!” Momo yells out as she extends her ghost hands in front of everyone.

And the team is ready; they see the wakes…they have to prepare…they are about to get hit…they wait and nothing happens.

The submarines have stopped firing, and they hope for the best…which does not happen as dozens of torpedoes suddenly leap out of the water, heading directly for them.

As with the submarines, the torpedoes are from the Second World War and are a mix of Type 93 Japanese Long Lance and US Navy Mark 14 torpedoes. The weapons fly through the air in ways they should not be able to…and suddenly transform…which they should definitely not be able to. And these torpedoes should not be turning into a ridiculous number of aquatic and amphibious yokai.

It happens fast but the team watches as the yokai’s bodies unfolded out of the torpedoes and crash down onto the beach. It’s hard to make out but there appear to be 6 types of yokai: Ushi Onis, Kappas, Ningyos, Heikeganis, Umishikas, and Kebōs.

“What the HELL are they!!!” Momo yells as she raises her ghost hands.

But the team has no time to think as the yokai charged hard, trying to throw them off balance. Thankfully, Aira is quick on her feet and hits them with hair, forcing the enemy back and giving them some space.

“Takakura-sama, Enjoji-kun, with me! Momo, provide support from here! Vamola-chan, protect Seiko-sama!”

Now that the initial shock has passed, the three of them move fast to counter and hit the yokai with Aira leading the way, using her noble drill and hair to cut the enemy down. Okarun is dotting in and out of the pack and Jiji is hitting with chi waves and punches. The attack isn’t sloppy, the three of them are moving in sync, covering each other and punching large holes in the ranks of the yokai.

“What are these things? The war ended forever ago!” Jiji yells as he hits a pack of Kappas.

“I wish Sakata was here; he knows his gear.” Okarun screams back as he nails some Umishikas.

“I was not inviting that Perv!” Aira yells as she lands between Okarun and Jiji.

Although they are doing well, the enemy is relentless, as soon as the team destroys a yokai, another one appears out of the ocean to replace its fallen comrade. Aira doesn’t notice but three of the yokai have jumped high and are about to hit her. She starts to turn but at the last second Momo pummels them with large boulders.

“Eyes ahead leader!”

“Don’t tell the leader what to do!” Aira yells in reply as she notices the submarines are gone.

“Where did they go?”

“We have bigger problems Aira-chan!” Okarun yells as he points to the beach.

They are holding their own but can’t keep this up. The yokai aren’t strong but they have numbers and the three of them have no choice but to fall back. Momo is watching her friends, worried as she can tell they may be in trouble, but she is busy protecting her grandmother and Vamola. She knows Seiko can’t help; this isn’t her type of battle but what the hell is she looking at? Why is she looking at that damn forest and not looking ahead?

“What the hell are you looking at grandmom?!?” Momo yells as she attacks the yokai that made it past her friends.

“Eyes forward you damn brat!”

“Shut up you old hag!”

They need to end this; her friends can’t keep this up and more of the yokai have gotten through but she crushes them with her ghost hands and Vamola smashes them with her suit.

Aira is thinking just like Momo, they have to end this soon. They are doing well but night is starting to fall and there are more and more of these things. No sooner than she says this then several of the yokai get by them. She doesn’t have time to counter but Momo and Vamola destroy the creatures.

“That’s it!!!” Aira yells as inspiration strikes her.

The yokai attack in a wave but she uses her hair to sweep them away as she shouts at the boys.

“We have to fall back to Momo!”

The three of them launch another counterattack and manage to break contact with the yokai as they make a quick dash for Momo.

Both groups regroup as everyone catches their breath while Momo covers them with her ghost hands. It’s a brief pause, just enough time to rest but Momo can sense Aira is thinking of something. These two may act like oil and water most of the time but when shit hits the fan, Momo has learned to trust her friend's judgment.

“Momo, Vamola-chan, I have an idea….” Aira says right on cue, proving Momo correct.

**********************************************************************

It’s only a few moments later but the team have a plan and launch their counterattack. Aira, Okarun and Jiji are attacking again with her to the left of the horde and the boys to the right. They are using their usual attacks, but they are moving faster than before, that brief pause seems to have been just what they needed to recharge.

“Take this you assholes!” Aira yells as she jumps above the yokai, attacking on the outside, using her hair to funnel the yokai back to the center.

“Let’s get them Okarun!” Jiji yells as he fires off a chi wave.

Okarun nods and dives into the yokai mass, hitting them with quick attacks. Jiji keeps attacking with a low power Evil Gun. They force the yokai to the center and they are bunched together in front of Momo’s group.

“That should be good enough…Momo, NOW!!!” Aira screams back towards Momo and Vamola.

And this is why Momo puts her trust in Aira when shit like this goes down. Momo can fight, no doubt there but she knows her limits. She fights with her instinct and makes those reckless decisions. They usually work out but when it comes to planning a battle, thinking ahead to counter an enemy, that’s not her strong suit. In the battle against the aliens, Momo may have destroyed the leader's suit but that was as much luck as anything. It was Aira pointing the team in the right direction and covering their asses that kept everything together.

Momo trusted her then and is damn well going to do it again. As Aira told her to, she manifests her ghost hands and sends them to the left and right of the yokai, boxing them in.

“Vamola! Hit them!” Momo yells back at her friend.

Vamola is in her suit, breathing deeply as she concentrates on the enemy. She can’t fight like the rest of them; those powers are beyond her. But this is her strength, and they are going to put them to good use! And just as suddenly, Vamola’s kaiju suit has seemingly increased in size, growing to about 15 meters in height and the tail is just as long.

Considering her first experience with this suit, it says a lot that Aira is now counting on this ability. Vamola remembers that day well, she has always felt a bit of shame but now, her heart is filled with joy that they are trusting that very ability…and she does not disappoint.

The yokai can see what is before them…they know what is about to happen…they try to break out from Momo’s ghost hands…they do not succeed.

In one moment Vamola turns her suit around, quickly lifts its tail and she smashes it downward, destroying the horde in several smacks.

Quiet finally descends on the beach as a cloud of sand is briefly hanging in the air. They aren’t sure if they won but after a few moments, the cloud clears and all the yokai are destroyed. Everyone breathes a sign of relief as Vamola’s suit returns to normal size.

“Did we get them?” Jiji remarks as the team looks over the debris.

“I think so but where did the submarines go?” Okarun replies as he stands in front of Momo and Vamola.

Right there the other shoe drops as the submarines unexpectedly surface right off the beach. The kids step back in unison as 9 submarines from the Second World War rise out of the water. As with the torpedoes, these are a mix of Japanese and American boats, four Gato-Class, four KD7s and one massive I-400 class in the center.

This was the worst time for this to happen. The kids are exhausted, the battle is over, night has almost fallen, and they need to rest. Not that the enemy cares what they think as they once again open fire with their deck guns at almost point-blank range.

“Dammit! Get behind me!” Momo yells at her friends as she once again uses her ghost hands to shield them from the attack.

Everyone moves without question as Momo protects them from the fire. Multiple energy blasts fall all around them, kicking up even more sand clouds, blocking their view. After a few moments, the fire stops but they are not out of danger. The team has no idea what is happening, but they hear a sudden loud roar as the submarines begin to transform and literally rise out of the water.

The lower hulls begin to separate and split apart down the middle, running stem to stern. What looks like ribs appear and spread out to act like legs. Behind the conning tower the hull segments and the stern splits apart, taking a paddle shape. The bow opens up into several segments from the tip running towards the conning tower, taking the form of a whale skull. The conning tower moves to where the blowhole would be and two of the torpedo tubes become eyes.

Of all the shit they have seen this is one of the craziest. None of them… and none of them thought they would end their day facing down a fleet of submarines merged with goddamn Bake-Kujiras (whale yokai).

“Dammit! We need to…” Aira exclaims as she begins to extend her hair to counter.

But as she speaks, the submarines deck guns begin to charge, readying to fire down on them.

“Goddammit!!!” Momo yells as the gun barrels glow even brighter.

This doesn’t seem like the last volley, the guns are charging some kind of energy, building up an attack.

This is bad and they need to move but if they do, the enemy may fire on them. Not to mention they are still recovering from the last attack…they need time to think which they do not have. Without any warning all 9 submarines fire off their beams, closing fast on the team.

Everyone prepares for impact, Okarun braces Momo and Aira spreads out her hair. They all close their eyes, waiting for the beams to strike…. but nothing happens. 

Momo slowly opens her eyes, not knowing what to expect but to her surprise, they are not alone. Directly in front of her ghost hands someone wearing a brown cloak stands before them, blocking the beams, seemingly protecting the team.

Chapter 2 – The Cloaked Man

The noise from the attack is overwhelming as this unknown man somehow blocks the fire from the submarines. The team isn’t sure how he is, but it looks like he is using some type of transparent, light blue shield. They can’t see any of his features, the cloak is covering his entire body but he’s tall, a little under 2 meters and looks wide shouldered.

“Who the hell is that!” Aira yells as she turns to Momo.

“I have no clue!” Momo shouts back but she notices her grandmother is staring intently at the man.

The fire continues and the man is pushed back slightly by the attack but braces himself. He immediately counters and throws his left arm forward and to the left, disrupting and ending the attack. An uncomfortable silence descends as the man stands tall before the team. A moment later he turns his head slightly to the right, but the team can only see his chin and lower jaw.

Momo was sure they were in trouble there, that attack was intense, and she didn’t know if her ghost hands could block all of it…but how the hell did this guy??? And what the hell was that shield and how’d he block all that himself??? And how did he happen to jump in at just the right time???

“Who are you?! What’s going on?!” Momo screams at the man, but he doesn’t move.

The man says nothing, remaining silent in the same stance. Momo goes to say something, but she notices Seiko is next to her and is about to speak but the yokai attack again. Their attack seems even fiercer, and they are focusing only on the man.

And why are these things going after this guy so hard? The attack on the team was aggressive, but they are going after him with everything; beams, artillery fire and the little yokai. And if they are attacking him with this much ferocity, do they know him?

He moves off fast to the right as the artillery fire pours in towards him. The submarines also fire from their torpedo tubes with some kind of beam attack. The man dodges as the team watches him jump high into the air.

The Cloaked Man is airborne when four Kappas and two Kebōs appear and attack him mid-air. It looks like he is about to be hit when three ghostly swords suddenly emerge out of his left forearm. Each one is attached to his forearm by a tendril of energy and seem to move on their own as they cut down the yokai.

The team gets a close look at these swords…they know this feeling…they know this power… they look familiar…they look just like Momo’s ghost hands. It was not the attack, not the yokai/torpedoes, not the submarines… not even the man but this one scene…this one development has shocked them more than anything else today. 

“What the hell Momo?” Aira screams in exasperation as she points at the man.

“I don’t know goddammit!”

The kids have seen some crazy shit since the group came together but no one…anyone has had a power like Momo’s. Just who is this guy…

And then Momo sees her grandmother staring at the man and she is surprised like the kids, but there is no fear in her eyes…

“Grandmom, do you…..”

But as soon as Momo speaks, the yokai have remembered the group is there and suddenly launch an attack as 10 creatures appear in front of them. They are the bigger type, three Ushi Onis, two Ningyos, and five Umishikas but are moving fast for their size, bearing down on the kids. 

“Look out!” Jiji yells as he readies his chi wave.

At the last second, however, the ghost swords come down from the sky and destroy three of the yokai. The swords are impeded in the sand and the Cloaked Man drops down in front of them, blocking the yokai as he stares them down.

They pause for a moment and four of the yokai move on the man and jump at him. The man doesn’t move; he seems to be waiting for the yokai to come to him. Right before they hit him, the team sees a quick slash of some kind, but they can’t make out the attack. The yokai fly by the man as they break apart into pieces and fall to the ground.

The remaining three attack, but the man counters, dodging and weaving, cutting each one down individually. He stops after cutting through the last one and focuses on the submarines, positioning what appears to be a saber to his right side.

“What in the hell was that move?!?! I couldn’t see him attack; it was so fast. And what is that sword? I don’t know swords, but it looks ordinary…how did he… does grandmom?” Momo thinks as she sees Seiko slowly walking towards this man.

“Seiko-sama, what are you doing?” Aira shouts out as she readies her hair.

 “Grandmom!” Momo screams as she extends her ghost hands towards Seiko.

But before Seiko can get any closer, the man turns and looks at her. The kids can’t see his face, but they see Seiko…and they have never seen her this surprised before. Even Momo has never seen this expression. Her eyes are open as wide as they can be and her hand is over her mouth, covering her gaping jaw. The yokai open fire again with their deck guns, briefly illuminating the man’s face and Seiko reaches out towards the man, but he takes off to the left of the team.

“Seiko-chan, should we help him?” Okarun asks as the man dashes further away.

“Just stay here dammit!” Seiko screams back but doesn’t take her eyes off the man.

Does Seiko know this man? Did she actually recognize him? The team can’t be certain; events have been moving too fast to accurately process. A few minutes ago, they were relaxing around a campfire and now this shit dropped down on them, and it isn’t even over.

“Did I see that right? Does grandmom know this guy? It looked like she did but I’m not sure. And why is he covered up? Is he hiding from grandmom? I’ll ask her…we will all be asking her and him when this is done.”

But it isn’t done yet, not even close. They don’t see any of the smaller yokai, but these damn submarines are still here, and they want this guy dead. The fire they are pouring down on him is intense but it’s like they are shooting at his shadow. None of the shots are even close to hitting him…it’s almost like he is dancing through the barrage. 

The man seems to have a plan and is running down the beach towards the end of the battleline. He suddenly stops and looks before the enemy; there are two Gatos and two KD7s. Specifically, he charges the Gato-class located next to the last yokai.

The four yokai intensify their fire, doing everything they can to kill this man. They converge their fire on one spot right in front of him and there is a large explosion. The yokai stop firing, waiting for the cloud to clear but the man suddenly jumps skyward behind his ghost swords which are back in their shield form.

They target him with their deck guns but are too slow. The man quickly raises the saber above him and swings downward with the same speed as before.

“Rasoir de Veuve!” (Widow’s Razor)

The kids watch the man swing his sword and they see a ghostly outline of some kind but it’s barely noticeable. Yet nothing happens…no explosions or any sign of impact.

“What the hell? Did he miss?” Aira asks as they all focus on the man.

One moment later something does happen as the submarine begins to split on the median line down its middle. It starts slowly and then cascades as the submarine is ripped apart. Debris flies wide, slamming into the submarines to the left and right, destroying them.

Really, everyone is surprised beyond words by this technique. When they saw the ghost swords, they assumed his attacks were like Momo’s but no, this is different from anything they have seen before. But one person knows these moves…and they absolutely know who this person is…Seiko knows.

Yet before they can process anything the man charges the last submarine on this side, a KD7. They have no idea what he is going to do now and it’s pretty simple compared to the last attack…. he just runs on the water. The man moves fast and gets under the submarine, cutting the leg ribs on the port side, causing it to fall. He jumps on the stern and runs forward on the ventral surface, cutting with the saber and ghost swords. When he gets to the bow, the man stabs down into its head and the yokai immediately stops moving.

No sooner than he gets done killing this yokai, the big I-400 targets him with its deck guns. It fires but he jumps off the corpse of the KD7 as it is destroyed. He reaches the I-400 and uses it as a springboard, jumping above the four remaining submarines.

They target him but he blocks with the ghost swords. The man holds the saber blade edge up and a small ball of energy appears on the tip of the sword. He swings upward and screams.

“The Ripper!!!” (in English)

A charge of energy fires out but appears to be numerous lightning bolts. The bolts hit the submarines and the space around them. The bolts proceed to almost rip and shred literal space itself as the submarines are annihilated with just the I-400 remaining.

The man uses the ghost swords again and pulls himself back to the team. He lands in front of them, staring ahead at his last target while the team can only stare at his back and the destroyed submarines.

In the space of only a few moments, this unknown man has wiped out 8 of the yokai with seemingly little effort. The gang knew they were on the back foot, they didn’t think they would actually lose but things were tight. But this guy drops in and single handedly kills all these things…

“You!!! Who the hell are you!?!?” Aira screams at the man, asking what everyone is thinking.

The Cloaked Man just ignores her, looking straight ahead at the last submarine.

“Answer me you bastard! What the hell is going on!!!”

There is still no response from the man, Aira and the rest are frustrated but there is one enemy left. No one is sure who to focus on, the man or the yokai but Momo sees Seiko staring only at the man…not the last submarine…not the destroyed submarines…just the man. The surprise on her face is gone, she is back to her stoic exterior, but Momo knows her grandmother…

“Grandmom, who is he? Do you know him?”

But just like the man, Seiko doesn’t answer and is ignoring everyone.

“GRANDMOM!!!!”

Does she really know this guy??? But how and who??? They know she has her secrets but why is she ignoring their questions? Whoever this is seems to be helping them so he can’t be an enemy, right??? It’s crazy right now but Seiko has ignored almost all their questions. What is going on?

Before they can ask any more questions to themselves, the yokai decides it isn’t waiting any longer and lets out a loud roar. It seems to be directed at the man, and he answers the challenge, walking right towards the beast.

At this point the team believes he is going to take off and kill this thing with ease…until he does not. Rather, the man suddenly staggers and seems to be struggling.

“Shit! This shouldn’t be so goddamn hard!” The man says in perfect English.

The team can make out the man is speaking in English but that’s about it. No sooner than he speaks, the yokai stirs as its skull quickly opens into 4 segments going lengthwise from snot/bow to its mid-section. The creature stops and begins to charge energy within its gaping mouth, preparing to fire off an attack of some type.

“No choice then…” The man again says in English.

The man finally pulls off the cloak, and the kids can see his actual height. He is slightly taller than Jiji and has a wide shoulder, he appears to be red headed but they barely notice any other features.

No, their focus is directed to what is on his back. It looks like yet another sword, probably a katana and it appears to be connected directly to his back with no straps. But even the sword doesn’t get their full attention.

No, their focus is directed at what is covering the sword. They are surprised yet again today as the sword…rather its scabbard is covered almost entirely in talismans…Ayase family talismans.

“Why the hell is that covered in our talismans grandmom?!?!?” Momo screams at her grandmother.

And that is the last thing anyone expected to hear but before anyone can ask any other questions, the man takes the katana off his back but keeps it in the scabbard. He positions the katana in a thrust position with his right hand to his side. There is a burst of power from the man, and they can all feel a change in the atmosphere. It seems dark, cold and both Okarun and Jiji shiver as they feel what appears to be a curse activating.

Momo, on the other hand, keeps focused on only the katana. She isn’t an expert on the talismans; that’s Seiko’s domain but she understands them well enough and something is off with the ones on this sword. The man pulls the sword off his back fast, but she got a good look, and the talismans don’t look right. They seemed to be cracking and are discolored. There is no way to know how long the sword has been sealed but it must have happened a long time ago.

She doesn’t have any time to think anymore as the curse activation progresses further, and the talismans start to glow red. Momo quickly holds her head in discomfort, something is very wrong with that katana.

“What the hell is in that sword?!?!” Momo can barely ask herself as the curse fully activates.

And of course, a man wielding a katana would manifest samurai armor as part of the curse. They see each piece of armor manifesting in midair above the man’s body and then flip into place. This starts with his shoulders and quickly cascades down his body to his feet. The helmet appears in the same manner, but it forms directly about his head and then drops into place. The team can’t see his mask but it’s a full faced Menpo mask with sword-like horns above his eyes and the typical oversized teeth. The armor is jet black and there are red highlights around each segment. 

Okarun remembers when he was cursed and he understands what it does to you. The power is immense, more than just the physical strain but the mental. Every time he used Turbo Granny’s power, he could feel that seemingly inexhaustible power right below the surface. Even though she changed when she was with the gang…her power was the same, he always felt like it was about to rip him apart.

But being cursed had one benefit…he can feel other curses and this one, whatever this guy has is beyond even Turbo Granny. All he can see as he looks at this man is a pit of darkness, and he has to look away. Okarun can sense if he looks too long into it, he will be swallowed and he has no idea how this man is able to use such a power. 

“This curse, what is going on with it. It’s overpowering…” Okarun says out loud as he holds himself.

“I know Okarun, even the Evil Eye is worried.” Jiji says as he turns to Okarun.

And the yokai can sense the danger before it as the man stands tall, the darkness of the curse pouring off of him as he challenges the creature to make a move.

The man doesn’t need to wait long as the light from the yokai intensifies in intensity, and the man prepares himself. He brings his left arm forward and makes signs with his fingers. Three objects appear out of nowhere in front of the man. It’s hard to tell from their perspective but the team can see the objects look like spiral galaxies, positioned in a row perpendicular to the ground in front of the katana.

And not long after the man creates the galaxies, the yokai fires its beam and he immediately thrusts the katana forward into the galaxies. As he does so, each galaxy spirals around the sword and he fires off his attack.

“Galaxy Drill Impact!” (he says in English but with a Japanese accent)

He shoots off what can only be described as a person sized drill. The drill is black as night and covered with numerous white dots and flies straight into the yokai’s beam.

The attacks collide and for a moment it looks like the yokai’s beam is overpowering the drill but it’s only temporary. The drill slowly but surely begins to burrow through the yokai’s attack, wrapping the beam around the drill. And a moment later the man’s attack slams into the yokai, ripping it apart from stem to stern. The creature spirals around the drill, sending debris out in a circular pattern, completely destroying the creature. One moment later the drill impacts the water, causing a large explosion out to sea.

And seemingly as soon as it all started, the last of the yokai has been defeated and the attack is over. The debris from the yokai starts to disintegrate and only the team and the man remain on a deceptively peaceful beach.

No one can say anything, everyone is exhausted but the only sounds they can hear are the waves crashing onto the shoreline. The man is in the same position as when he attacked, staring out over the ocean. Momo is about to yell out at him, but Aira gets there first.

“You! What the hell was all that?!? Who are you and what were those things!”

The Cloaked Man continues to look ahead; he doesn’t hear her or is ignoring Aira.

Naturally Aira becomes infuriated at this guy. He shows up literally out of nowhere at the same time those shits almost kill them. On an intellectual level, she understands why he didn’t say anything during the attack but that’s over. There is nobody here but them so why the hell isn’t this asshole answering her!

“Answer me you prick!”

Which he does not and keeps ignoring her. And for Aira, that’s enough and she doesn’t give a shit that he killed those things. She quickly tosses her hair at the man and just like with the yokai, he moves too fast and dodges the attack.

But as an unintended consequence, Aira did get him to turn around, and he looks directly at Momo through his mask. It’s only for a brief, momentary moment but Momo and the man do lock eyes. She isn’t sure what to think but she sees his eyes go wide as he looks into hers.

Aira is still pissed off, she doesn’t notice the moment between Momo and the man as she gears up for another attack. But before she does, Momo places her right hand on Aira, gently squeezing her shoulder.

“Aira, stop, please.”

Momo and Aira look at each other and she stops. Aira’s face is full of hesitation, her instincts are telling her to attack. This guy is too unknown, not to mention that sword and those talismans. She wants to charge him, she wants to attack, but she is no fool. Aira, like the rest, just saw what this guy can do…she may be willing to risk it, but everyone is tired and this guy isn’t attacking either. If Momo wants to talk, she can wait and see what happens. 

“If you insist Momo….” She reluctantly relents but keeps in her Acro-Silky form just in case.

Momo walks up towards the man and is still uncertain who (or what this guy) is, but she can’t deny he stopped that attack and saved them. She has so many questions, but this guy needs to start talking.

“I don’t know who you are….”

Momo doesn’t notice due to the mask, but the man's eyes quickly twitch in response to her words.

“…but thank you for saving us.”

That’s just a fact as far as Momo is concerned. She will admit he showed up at the exact right time and there was no way that was a coincidence. But those things were trying hard to kill him, if any of those attacks hit he would have been in trouble. Still, saving them is one thing but her questions about those creatures, him, and that sword are a different matter.

“But who are you? What is that sword and why is it covered in my family’s talismans?”

And even now this guy is refusing to answer. Hell, he isn’t even moving, looks like he is barely breathing and just standing there like a statue. Momo is willing to give him credit for the attack, but she is starting to get visibly angry at his intransigence.

“Would you….”

Momo is starting to yell but before she can barely form the words, her grandmother steps forward and…

“Hikaru.”

And proves Momo right, her grandmother does know who the hell this guy is. The rest of the team pretty much have the same expression, and it is here that the man ostensibly and finally relents.

He deactivates the curse, and the armor falls apart starting at his feet, working up towards his head. It finally ends and the team gets their first look at the man. He appears to be in his late 20s with that reddish hair and green…almost emerald-colored eyes. He also looks to be of mixed ancestry, Japanese and Western but his facial features seem to favor his Western half.

The man…Hikaru…slowly walks towards them, saying nothing. He finally stops about 2 meters from the group, focusing only on Seiko.

“It’s Hunter.”

These are his only words. Momo isn’t sure if that’s on purpose, but he turns and manages to look at her. He gives her what looks like a sad smile and then unexpectedly faints in front of her.

“No! Wait!”

Momo reaches out with her ghost hands and catches him, but the world immediately goes white for her and her alone.

**********************************************************************

The white fades and it’s the same sunny beach in the middle of the day.

There are four people present and one of them is a tall, redheaded white woman in the water. She looks like she is in her late 20’s and is chasing a young boy. To the side Seiko is on the beach, watching the woman as she goes after the boy.

“Hikaru! Get back here now!”

The woman is laughing as she chases him around. The boy is young, no more than 5 or 6 years old and he has the same red hair as the woman. He continues to run away from her but turns his head and it is clearly the Cloaked Man. The boy turns not to the woman chasing him but over towards Seiko and yells out loud.

“Come and get me Aunt Aki!”

Standing next to Seiko is another woman, who appears to be an average height Japanese woman with shoulder length brown hair, also in her late 20’s wearing a choker.

“You’re not getting away from me you little shit!” Aki screams out at Hikaru.

Aki chases after Hikaru, forcing him towards the woman, trying to catch him in between the two of them.

“Get him Becca!”

Hikaru tries to dodge but he trips and falls as Becca jumps on top of him.

“Ah, mom, get off of me.”

He isn’t complaining but laughing hard as Aki jumps on top of both of them. All three are laughing as Seiko watches over the little group.

******************************************************************

Momo is still in a trance; everyone is yelling at her with Okarun directly in front.

“Ayase-san, Ayase-san. Are you okay!”

“Momo, what happened!? What did that bastard do to you?” Aira is screaming as she stands next to Okarun.

Momo quickly emerges from the trance, not sure what she just saw…who she just saw…someone she has no memories of ever seeing.

“Who is he grandmom? Why were you at this beach with him? Who was the woman with them?”

Momo pauses, not sure if what she just saw was real…not sure if she can actually let herself believe what she heard and saw.

“Why was my mom with them? Why did he call her aunt?”

At this point in their adventures, the team thought they had heard and seen it all. Could anything really surprise them anymore??? Which only goes to show how young they are, that this world has limitless options it can throw at them. Because for the first time in quite some time, they can all say they are truly and utterly surprised.

Chapter 3 – Discussion

It’s the day after the incident at the beach and the kids are in the school building. Momo, Okarun, Vamola, Aira and Jiji, are in Queen-sensei’s office reflecting on what happened. The atmosphere is tense and unnerving, they can almost cut the tension in the room. Each one has been trying to wrap their heads around what happened and they just have too many questions.

“Is it okay for us to be here?” Jiji says to no one in particular.

“Queen-sensei said it’s fine and where else are we going to meet anyway?” Aira replies as they all look at Momo.

Momo is sitting on the sofa, she is unusually quiet with Vamola and Okarun on either side, trying to comfort her. And of all of them, it is Momo who has been affected the most. Really, they aren’t even sure how to approach the subject about that guy and that sword… not to mention her grandmother and…her mother.

“Ayase-san, what happened when Seiko-san took him inside your house?” Okarun remarks as he turns to her.

Momo is obviously not herself; she seems to be withdrawn with no sign of her usual self. She can’t even face anybody; her face is towards the ground as she speaks.

“I don’t know, she put him in her room and hasn’t been out since. I think she raised a barrier.”

“Why the hell did she do that?” Aira replies to Momo.

“I have no clue; she wouldn’t answer anything about that man.”

“But she knew him, called him…Hikaru?” Okarun says to the group.

“Not what he called himself. What was it…. Hunter?” Aira states, her face is full of suspicion.

“So, what’s his name?” Jiji says as he looks at the two of them.

“He looked part Western, and his English sounded American. Could be his given and middle names?” Okarun says to Jiji.

Aira is pacing around the room, her arms are across her chest as she thinks it over. Just like the rest of them, her head still can’t wrap her head around yesterday. Really, looking back on it she wasn’t surprised they were attacked. Ever since they all got their powers, it’s odd when they are not fighting some creature or asshole.

But no, it’s that guy…. that damn guy who has her on edge. His timing was too perfect, and his attacks were to clean, like he knew exactly how to fight those things. He knew what was coming, that’s the only way to explain being there.

“Doesn’t matter, we were attacked by whatever the hell those things were and then he just showed up. No way that’s a coincidence.”

“We don’t know that for sure and he did save us from those things.” Jiji replies with some bite to his words.

“He could have caused that you fool!”

“That’s just you projecting.”

“What the hell does that mean!”

“Both of you, stop it!” Vamola yells at the two of them as she comforts Momo.

Aira and Jiji pause, and they see Momo, she is still looking down looking at the floor, trying to block out the world. The two of them stop arguing, each slightly ashamed of their behavior.

And Vamola understands that everyone is on edge, but they can’t afford to be fighting. The man is still here, and they don’t know if there are any more of those creatures. They’ve only survived disaster after disaster because they were together.

“Ayase-san, did you see anything else when you touched him?” Okarun says as Vamola holds Momo.

Momo doesn’t answer for a moment as Vamola squeezes her lightly. She would like to forget what she saw to be honest. It’s not that it was a terrifying scene…quite the opposite. Three people running around having fun together, of all the shit that has popped into her head, this was one of the most pleasant. But no, it’s not the image that has her rattled but the person who was there. 

“No, it was just the four of them, grandmom, his mom…I think her name was Becca, him and…..my mom.”

“Are you sure it was her?” Okarun gently replies to her.

It’s not that he doesn’t believe Momo but in all their conversations, her parents…her mom has barely come up besides that first night. The truth is that they all saw Seiko as Momo’s mom to be honest…it was all too easy to forget about her actual mother. It’s never been out of spite, but Seiko has been that motherly presence in really all of their lives and to have Momo’s mom suddenly part of their lives…her life is hard to get used to.

“Of course I am!”

Momo stops and notices that she has yelled and immediately feels like shit. She is pissed off; she gets that but the last people she wants to take her anger out on are her friends…on Okarun.

“I’m sorry Okarun, didn’t mean it.”

Okarun reaches out and holds her hands, he gives her a gentle smile and nods. He doesn’t need to say anything to her, just being by him is enough to give Momo the strength to try to face this mess and her history.

“I haven’t thought about my mom in years. I mean…really thought of her. Yesterday was the clearest I’ve ever heard her voice.”

“I don’t know much about your mom Ayase-san.”

Momo can only let out a small laugh, as the irony of his remark sets in. Looking back on it, the two of them probably know the same amount about her mother…about Ayase Aki.

“Honestly, I don’t know that much either. I was 2 years old when she passed, grandmom said it was an accident overseas. It’s always just been me and grandmom for as long as I can remember…never really thought about my mom…But this guy shows up…..”

Who is a stranger to her…. but her grandmother knows him…and he absolutely…

“But he definitely knew her, they seemed like they were close…. really close. She called him a little shit.”

And for some reason Momo can’t fathom this makes her smile but she has no idea why. She has no memories of her mother; her earliest memories are all of Granny. Her mom was a blank, she was never part of Momo’s life, and it just turned out that way.

But there was more…so much more and her grandmom seems to know all of it.

“His mom seemed close to mine…really close.”

“I saw Seiko-san when he attacked. She was surprised at first but definitely knew those moves and those swords.” Aira mentions after a moment.

“And the curse…right Okarun?” Jiji replies.

“You’re right, Turbo Granny was bad but that curse….”

“Even the Evil Eye was worried. He was full of hate but the curse that guy has…”

“I felt like it was going to crush and rip me apart. I have no idea how he was able to control it.”

“Did he? He staggered and passed out. Plus, that katana and those talismans.”

“Those are Seiko-san’s, right Momo?” Aira remarks to her.

And that is the other piece of the puzzle. It would be one thing if it was just Hunter/Hikaru and Momo’s family but what was that sword? During the fight, he only used it at the end, but that attack was intense. But why is it covered with talismans…talismans they have only seen Seiko use.

“More like the family’s, grandmom said we’ve been using them for generations.”

“And that sword was covered in them.”

“It’s sealed too, I’m sure of it. There is something powerful in that sword, I felt it when he attacked.”

And what the hell does that mean? The last time they dealt with a sword…well that was not a pleasant experience. But that thing was a tool, it wasn’t sealed.

Mystics only seal shit when they have no choice…when whatever is in it is too dangerous. But seals are usually fragile and although she didn’t get a good look, those seals were falling apart. And if they fail…what comes out???

“So, what do we know?” Aira asks as she moves to the center of the room.

“We were attacked by whatever those things were.” Jiji responses back first.

“And then that man conveniently shows up.”

“Aira-chan….”

Aira simply waves Jiji off and looks over at Momo.

“Seiko-san knows him, and he is…” Okarun says as he looks from Aira to Momo.

“…connected to her and my mom, so is his mom and that sword.”

“We need to be careful, this feels dangerous.”

“When hasn’t it been dangerous Aira-chan?”

“Think bigger you fool…. or smaller.”

Aira is focusing just on Momo, worried about what her friend is thinking. They’ve had enough experiences together that Aira usually has a pretty good idea what Momo is thinking but right now, she has no idea. Momo is upset…pissed but past that, Aira just doesn’t know, and it is bugging the shit out of her. 

“This feels more personal… Momo, don’t do anything without us.”

Aira looks at the group and sighs. Her arms have been folded across her chest, but she does open them wide towards the team, willing to relent at least one point.

“I’ll admit that he probably saved us but that’s all we know. I still think it’s too much of a coincidence he showed up but he did kill those things.”

“Momo, are you sure you never saw him before? If he was close to Granny and your mom…” Vamola asks her as she is also holding her hands.

Momo looks at Vamola and pauses. She reaches back to hold the back of her neck and just isn’t sure. He’s a stranger, she’s sure of that so why…why was something about the three of them so familiar???

“I don’t know…that red hair, it seemed familiar, but I can’t remember.”

“We need…you need to talk to Seiko-san and him.” Okarun responses.

“That’s not going to be easy, we know what Auntie’s like.”

Aira huffs and rolls her eyes, she is obviously annoyed. At this point they all understand what Seiko is like but they don’t have the luxury to indulge her.

“That’s her problem! And if that asshole doesn’t talk, we’ll make him!”

Chapter 4 – Disharmony

Someone stirs themselves awake in a dimly lit room, appearing to be late in the afternoon. The person sees the ceiling above them and slowly sits up on a futon. They move slowly as they scan their surroundings and eventually look out the window. They turn in the opposite direction and look into a mirror…it is the Cloaked Man…Hunter (or Hikaru?).

He gets up and looks around, but he is not surprised where he was sleeping. Hunter smiles as he scans the room, he has been here before. On the other side of the room the katana and saber are standing in the corner. He picks both of them up, holstering the saber on his left waist and attaches the katana directly onto his back like at the beach.

But as soon as he does so, Hunter’s expression turns somber as he stares at the door, dreading what is on the other side. He continues to hesitate, but he slowly opens the door and walks forward down the hallway. He reaches the end but hears chopping sounds and boiling pots. Once again, he stops, the dreadful look seems to get more pronounced and he places his right hand on his chest as he looks down to the floor in shame.

Hunter stays in the same spot, unmoving for a few minutes, almost in fear. It’s hard to believe this is the same man who killed 9 giant yokai and numerous smaller ones single handedly. That man showed no fear in his actions but this one, he seems to be afraid of his own shadow. Yet he can’t stay here and works up the courage to turn that corner.

He isn’t sure what to expect but as he does, the man sees Seiko in the kitchen with her back turned to him. She is at the counter, prepping and cooking dinner as Hunter stares into her back. But before he can say anything, Seiko points to her left with a kitchen knife. Hunter pauses but walks over and places the swords next to the table.

He stands next to her, sees there is food to be prepped and smiles. Hunter immediately begins to help with the food prep; he has clearly done this before… in this house… and with Seiko. There are no words between them, each working separately on their portion. If one didn’t know what happened at the beach, the scene would seem completely ordinary, just two adults preparing dinner.

Both finish as Hunter sets the table and again, he knows exactly what to do, no questions asked. Him and Seiko bring the food over and it’s a typical Seiko-style meal but pared down for two people. Hunter looks down on the meal and starts to eat but Seiko interrupts, speaking the first words between them today…

“Forgetting something?”

Hunter pauses and nods, he makes a prayer sign over the meal.

“Thank you for the food.”

He takes a large bite, his eyes go wide and there is a large smile on his face, it is a look of remembrance. Without a doubt he has eaten many meals made by this woman. Whatever fear he had has disappeared as the two of them silently eat the meal.

Hunter reaches over and touches the table; he has the same nostalgic look he had in the bedroom. And although the food is the same and the house looks the same, it is not.  No sooner than he touches the table but part of it changes into an oddly shaped bowl.

His eyes are wide in shock as he sees the bowl which has somehow emerged directly from the table. But that’s not what shocks him, he’s seen weirder shit. Rather it’s this bowl and like this house, he has not seen it in a long time, and he remembers eating at this table as a young boy with his mom, Aki, and Seiko.

“What the hell?”

“The whole house is made of this shit. It’s supposed to be alien but a Kappa I know delivered it.”

“Alien? Kappa?”

What kind of shit this could be is beyond him, but he has better things to worry about….and the biggest is sitting at the end of this table not letting any emotions seep through that face.

“I guess a lot has changed.”

“You were away long enough….”

If words could actually chill a room, then the ones just said by Seiko would have literally frozen the air. On the surface, it seemed like a simple comment, 5 small words but for Hunter, they made his blood run cold.

“You know why I didn’t come back.” He answers in reply.

But although his words carry the same ice as Seiko’s, they do not have the same effect. If anything, they make her blood boil and only her years of experience are keeping her emotions in check.

“You’ve been everywhere else…Black Swordsman.”

Compared to her last remarks, these words are more pointed. If words could actually cut, Hunter would be covered in lacerations right now and he knows it. But rather than respond, he can only relent and slowly lays his chopsticks on the table.

“I so hate that damn name, everyone calls me that everywhere.”

“I’ve never called you that…Hikaru.”

Although he lets Seiko’s “Black Swordsman” remark slide, he is visibly annoyed at her calling him that name…

“It’s Hunter dammit.”

“Not the name your moms called you.”

“My mom and Aki-sensi…”

“Don’t give me that shit! It’s Hikaru and they were both your….”

“Just STOP!!!”

And it is here what civility existed between these two is shattered. Whatever history between them is long and seems to be boiling to the surface as an uncomfortable silence descends on the two of them.

But Seiko isn’t giving Hunter any space as she stares directly into him. What courage he had worked up is long gone as he keeps his head down to avoid those eyes.

“That’s not who I am now.” This is all Hunter can say as he weakly replies to her.

“No shit, the boy I knew would kick your ass.”

“Sorry to disappoint you…”

Although the power of words has a definitive and tangible effect in their word, there are limits. You can’t actually kill a person if you tell them to die (usually). The same is true with verbal spats, no matter how heated the conversation gets, the actual temperature of a room doesn’t change.

Which is for the benefit of the house because if words could do so, the exchange between these two is rapidly changing from icy tension to a raging, burning fire.

“Dammit, I wanted to avoid this shit.” Hunter remarks as he continues to avoid Seiko’s glare.

“You had 14 years to avoid this shit, you dumb bastard.”

And after all that time he shows up at the beach at the exact same time all hell breaks loose. She hasn’t heard shit from him in forever and…

“And you show up out of nowhere. Are a total mess and the seals are about to break on that sword.”

Usually, Seikio’s voice is pretty even keel and even now she is keeping the same tone but no, Hunter is fully aware of what is going on here…what she is throwing his way and all he can do is avoid looking at her.

“And my grandkid and her friends were almost killed because….”

“I stopped that before…” Hunter manages to say in reply but even now, he cannot look at her.

“Bullshit! You dropped in, caused a huge ruckus and couldn’t even talk to me or Momo.” Seiko drops the even keel voice, her anger over the situation starting to leak through.

Seiko points her chopsticks at him and for Hunter, it seems as if the entire world is pointed directly at him.

“And now Momo is wondering who the hell you are?!?”

“Well, who kept that a secret from her?!?”

“Don’t put this on me asshole! I didn’t hide across the ocean! You’ve had plenty of time to make this right HIKARU!!!”

Here is where Hunter finally loses it with Seiko and this shit. He wants to yell at her, scream at the top of his lungs…but he can’t as soon as he sees those eyes. Those eyes he hasn’t seen in so long and as soon as he does, his heart breaks.

“It doesn’t matter; it's been too long…way too long.”

There is only one thing he really needs from this woman…once that’s done he can leave here and never come back…finally leave everything behind. He tells those lies to himself as he points the katana at Seiko.

“Just put some new seals on this and I’ll get out of here.”

“Just going to keep running you little bitch?”

“Why not? It’s easier that way.”

The silence that falls on this room, well, it wouldn’t be accurate to call it silence. It’s more like a black hole for sound, nothing can be heard, not even the sounds of the house. All which exists here are these two and for Seiko, her disappointment is beyond measure with this man.

“I take it back; your mothers would kick your ass, you weak bastard.”

And for Hunter, this is the last straw. He knows what he did…he knows what he didn’t do…he knows he is disappointed in himself…he knows he disappointed them. The last thing he needs is to be reminded he disappointed everyone…that he disappointed this woman.

All these thoughts shoot through his head as he jumps to his feet. But in that moment, as soon as he goes to yell at Seiko, his rage collapses as soon as he sees her face. The man can simply stand motionless in front of the table, looking straight down at his feet.

“Can’t say anything you shit???”

Seiko looks him up and down, it seems like he is trying to escape into his own shadow. She went too far there, she understands but dammit, there is truth in her words. This man…this boy she hasn’t seen in years but has never forgotten…. this is not the boy she knew. Seiko tries to remember and speaks softly, trying to connect to him once again.

“Hikaru…. What happened to you?”

Hunter continues to stand in one spot and is holding the katana in front of him vertically and has it pressed up against his body. He wants to escape into his own shadow, pretend everything is just fine and is waiting for the hopeful tomorrow to come but that is all bullshit.

“Nothing, I just made some poor choices.”

He knows everything Seiko has said is true, but he needs her to fix this sword…it’s his only hope he tells himself as he again holds the katana towards her.

“Please…”

Seiko focuses on his eyes, they are full of fear, regret and sadness.

“…please help me fix this.”

Seiko continues to look at Hikaru as he pleads for her help…. help he could have received at any time. She wants to yell at him but those eyes…. those eyes she has not seen in so long…those eyes that look the same as they did on that day.

“I know you are not that dumb. You…we are way past seals you fool. And those things yesterday, you know who sent them.”

“So, help me fix the seals and I’ll finish it!”

“You’ve had 14 years to do that, moron! Don’t think you can just try to avenge your moms…”

Of course, at that moment the universe decides to throw a wrench into the works. These two are barely communicating but maybe, just maybe they can figure something out. But this is not just their crisis and maybe the most important player enters into play as Momo storms into the room.

The world seems to slow down, and everything stops in place. Seiko and Hunter both have turned towards Momo as she stands there, staring him down. 

Chapter 5 – Confrontation

If before there was a blackhole, Momo’s arrival feels like a supernova about to explode. The tension is palpable as everything freezes in place. To say her arrival added fuel to the fire would be an understatement by many orders of magnitude.

And Momo is well aware something is up here, something was being discussed that she has a right to hear and she stares directly into this man. He looked at her at the beach; he should be able to again but as Momo watches him, he refuses to do that now. 

“What the hell is going on!?!” Momo screams in anger at the two of them.

The silence coming in response is deafening. They were chatting (or yelling) at each other before Momo entered but now, it seems like they have taken a vow of silence. And Seiko…Momo really didn’t expect this guy to start talking but she figured her grandmother would say something, but she just stares ahead, not looking at her. Why the hell did they both clamp shut when she showed up???

“Who the hell are you? How do you know my family, my mom? What the hell is that sword?!?”

If anything, Momo’s justifiable outburst only causes them to dig in even more, refusing to answer her. What is so important they can’t talk…was it about her…that sword…. her mother???

“GRANDMOM! ANSWER ME!!!” Momo yells and is getting more and more upset by their obstinance.

It’s only been a few moments since Momo entered the room, but it feels like it has been hours for her. The incident at the beach only happened yesterday but since she saw that image of her mom and this guy…of her mom playing with this guy, it feels like everything has slowed down and a weight is dragging at her heels…a weight she didn’t know existed from before she was even born.

And the answer is standing in the middle of the room completely avoiding her.

“Hunter…or Hikaru, whatever your name is! Why did I see you playing with my mom!?! Why did you call her aunt!?!”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Momo’s questions but this is top of mind. At this very moment, she doesn’t care about those creatures, that sword, why this guy has ghost swords like her hands, none of that matters. All that does is why does this man who she has never seen before knows her family…her mother so damn well.

But Hunter refuses to answer…or more he doesn’t know how to. His mind is racing as this girl…this girl who reminds him of another is demanding answers which his mind wants to give but his heart and soul are refusing to answer.

“Answer me you SHIT!!!” Momo screams out, her frustration rising with every denied response.

But for Hunter he hears not Momo, but the past. He hears another Ayase woman calling him a shit, she yells at him with that same voice and his head spins. The past comes rushing back to him as quickly as the floor does as he drops to one knee as a panic attack starts to overtake him. He fought a horde of yokai and never faltered but a few words from a 16-year-old girl is breaking him.

Only Seiko and him know the history, the history unknown to Momo…the history of him, his mom and her mom….

And it is at this moment that things get worse as he touches the floor and thinks of the past. He remembers the beach and those two…he remembers what they looked like as the nanoskin transforms and two objects start to rise.

But rather than a long-forgotten bowl rising out of a table…two life size replicas of Aki and Becca rise out of the floor and things get decidedly worse.

For Hunter, his heart is full of sadness as he sees these two again in person for the first time in 14 years. But for Momo, she is full of shock and horror. Not because the replicas are deformed or perverted, but because they look like normal people. One is a woman she didn’t know existed but the other…her mother is here before her. Before her for the first time, staring down at her with a smile from decades before.

If Momo was furious before, her emotions now are at a different level. One wouldn’t say she is calm, but her anger is at such a level she is almost in a state of nirvana. Her emotions are so out of balance that really, her only option is to calm down.

“What the hell you bastard.” Momo replies calmly but it is obvious she is far from calm.

But Hunter can’t take anymore and has to leave. Seiko…the house…the food… Momo…seeing those two…it’s too much as he continues to panic. His mind is blank and talking to his girl is impossible. He needs to flee and grabs both swords, heading for the exit.

“Get the hell back here you son of a bitch!!!” Momo yells at him as the calmness she had is shattered.

Hunter completely ignores Momo, blocking her and everything else out. Fleeing is his only option he tells himself as he heads for the courtyard. But no, it will not be that easy for him as a wall of hair stops him in his path. As much as he wants to get away, Momo’s friends have different plans.

He may have saved them yesterday (Aira still has her doubts) but that was then and they all have questions for him now. There are way too many unknowns, and he is the key to it all. They rather not fight but each one of them has decided he is not going anywhere until he gives them answers.

That said it seems as if a fight is going to happen. Both sides are staring at each other down as Momo stands in the house behind Hunter, looking out towards the group. Aira is in the center, Okarun and Jiji on either side and Vamola in the back.

“Get out of the way kids, I don’t want to hurt you.” Hunter yells as he tries to put up a tough front but that’s all it is.

“Shut the hell up! You’re not going anywhere until you answer Momo’s questions!” Aira screams back at him as she extends her hair.

“Sorry, I don’t answer to brats…now MOVE!!!”

“You’ll have to make us asshole!”

Both sides are only a few meters apart, but the kids are worried. They saw what he did yesterday with those swords and that curse. Those were the moves of a pro, and they’ve seen enough to not underestimate him. But they’ve fought plenty of assholes before and this shit isn’t going anywhere.

It’s pretty much a standoff at this point, neither side is backing down, ready for the other shoe to drop. Aira, Jiji and Okarun are just waiting for that moment, but Vamola is standing in the back, worried about her friends…and the man.

She isn’t certain why but when she saw him smile at Momo yesterday and saw his eyes, she sensed something was different. Really, she’s been trying to explain it to herself but that face and that smile, it was full of so much pain. She remembers seeing the same pain…being surrounded by that pain on her dying homeworld. Their species are different but one thing she has learned from her time on Earth is emotions are the same everywhere and for this man…Hunter, she can see his sorrow.

For the rest of the kids, however, all they can sense is danger as the man prepares to make a move.

“Shiratori-san, Jiji, be careful.” Okarun says as he moves to Aira’s right side.

Hunter just does not have time for this crap. He came here to deal with the seals, not fight a bunch of kids…kids he risked too much to save yesterday…kids who remind him of a bunch of other kids, but he can’t stay here…. he just cannot stay at this house right now with her behind him.

“Don’t blame me then.” Hunter says as he tries to prepare himself.

Hunter reaches for the saber, grabs the hilt but hesitates and doesn’t draw it. He says he can’t stay…he says he needs to leave…he says he has to fight these kids…he says this as he sees 5 kids of the same age…he cannot fight these kids. He begins to take his hand off of the hilt.

Although he may not, the kids have separate ideas and Aira’s hair is heading his way fast. As soon as he put his hands on the saber, the course was decided, and he has to dodge fast to avoid Aira storming in at him.

Hunter dodges but Aira is worried…she almost got him. She knows her speed and she's fast but after seeing him yesterday, she was worried. Not that they couldn’t get him, but it would not be easy. Yet she almost had him there…so how?

But Hunter is aware of what's going on. The kids saw a pro yesterday, but it was more bluster and luck than anything. Those yokai were slow as shit and he didn’t have to think much to kill them. But he had to use the curse and right now, he’s paying the price against these kids.

The price continues as Okarun comes in with a kick and he just manages to sidestep and dodge the attack. But his senses are shit and he doesn’t see Jiji in his blind spot or the shot he takes right to the stomach. And of course, Aira follows that up with a kick to the chest and he goes flying and lands close to the shrine. Just like that it’s over and Hunter is on his back, not moving and seemingly knocked out.  

The team have surrounded Hunter but aren’t advancing. Their senses are telling them something isn’t right with him. 

“What’s going on Okarun, he’s nothing compared to yesterday.”

“I don’t know Jiji…and why hasn’t the curse activated.”

Aira agrees with them of course. That was way, way too easy, he has to be up to something. But for what reason? She couldn’t even see him swing that sword and he ran on goddamn water! So why in the hell couldn’t he just dodge a simple punch and kick…but this is their chance.

“It doesn’t matter, get him!!!”

And they all move in fast at the same time. He may be faking it, but they have to take the chance, he looks down and it’s now or never…which was a mistake. They are only about 2-3 meters away when those damn ghost swords come flying out, heading right for their heads. This was the speed they were worried about; the swords are almost on top of them and they have no time to dodge. Aira sees the ghost sword directly in front of her, heading right for her head…about to strike…until it does not. 

Somehow all the swords have stopped in mid-air, hanging in place. Aira sees that Hunter is on his feet, but he isn’t attacking them. Instead, he has wrapped the ghost tendrils around his right forearm and is holding back the swords. He is covered in sweat and appears to barely be holding it together.

“What the shit is wrong here!?! I shouldn’t have any trouble with these damn brats. And the swords almost…. FUCK!!!”

This is why Hunter didn’t want to fight; he didn’t want to hurt these kids…he didn’t want to get his ass kicked by them. And he can only laugh at himself at this absurd thought. Of all the shit going on a grown ass man is wasting his time worrying about getting beat up by kids. Not what Momo is thinking…not that he refused to answer her questions…not that he almost killed these kids with the swords…no, this fool is worried about getting beat up by kids.

Thankfully those thoughts pass by quickly as the swords disappear, and Hunter falls to his knees in exhaustion. For the moment it seems to be over, but Aira doesn’t take her eyes off of Hunter. That was too close, and they cannot let up the pressure.

“I knew it, this ass is dangerous, we need to stop him now!”

This is her chance, and she isn’t going to pass it up. She shoots off her hair again but suddenly stops at the last second as Vamola is unexpectedly standing in front of him, blocking her attack.

“Vamola-chan, move it!” Aira yells at Vamola.

“Get away from him Vam-chan!” Jiji pleads with her.

“Vamola-chan, that’s dangerous!” Okarun finishes.

Now this catches everyone off guard, none of them expected Vamola to jump in like this right now. And what the hell is she stopping them? Those swords almost got them.

“Stop it! All of you!” Vamola screams at the top of her lungs.

And this is a rarity, none of them can honestly remember the last time Vamola really, really screamed. There’s still a bit of a language barrier, but you don’t need to speak the same language to see how happy she has been. This is a new side, and they aren’t sure how to react.

“Did you forget he saved us yesterday? We would be dead if he hadn’t helped.”

“We don’t know…” Aira screams back at her.

“Yes we do!” Vamola yells in reply, she is pleading for them to stop.

She doesn’t want to fight with her friends, but this is quickly getting out of control. They saw him at the beach, saw him fight and saw him save them. Fighting isn’t going to help, and Hunter can’t right now…or doesn’t want to fight. She saw him from the back and saw him take his hand off the sword.

“And look at him, he can’t do anything right now.”

But he is doing something, but Vamola isn’t sure what. He’s on his knees and speaking English so she isn’t sure exactly what he’s saying. It’s just bits and pieces but she knows he doesn’t want to fight.

“We wanted to talk to him so let’s talk. Right Momo?”

Vamola looks at Momo, pleading with her to agree. Momo has to make this call, this is her family’s history, but Vamola wants her to talk to Hunter.

“So, let’s all….”

Yet as she speaks, Vamola can sense a presence behind but isn’t sure what to make of it. Her friends are all ready to jump in as Hunter towers over the girl. But as she turns and looks up to see his face, she can sense no danger or any fear. Rather, he looks down on her as he gently rubs her head and gives a thankful smile.

“Thanks kid.”

He keeps giving her that same smile but for a moment she can see the sadness in her eyes, a look she is all too familiar seeing in her people. She goes to reach out but he disappears before her.

The kids are all stunned as he is simply gone. How the hell did he pull that off? A minute ago, he moved like shit. They don’t have time to think as they hear movement behind them, and he is walking away down the road. Really, they have no idea how he so easily made it past them.

“What the hell? How did he…” Aira says to herself.

“Was he faking before? Was that the curse? No, something different?” Okarun wonders as he looks over towards Hunter.

They don’t have time to think as they start pursuing Hunter but stop dead in their tracks as they hear Momo yelling at Seiko…. yelling in a way they have never heard before.

“Answer me grandmom! Who is that bastard? How did he know mom?”

This bastard knows her mom all too well. Those replicas…the nanoskin is incredible but she’s never seen Sakata make anything that lifelike. They look like they could start to move and talk and the features on her…. on her mother were clearer than any picture. She needs her grandmother to answer now!

“Momo, this isn’t your problem. Let the adults handle it.”

And instead of talking, Seiko does the opposite as she walks slowly away from Momo. She retreats to her room and raises a barrier, leaving Momo alone in the room with the replicas and with nothing but questions. 

“GODDAMMIT YOU OLD BAG!!!”

Momo starts to cry like never before. She’s been sad like any other person but right now, she is feeling something akin to loneliness and disappointment. It was only a day ago that she could talk to her grandmother about anything but now, there is a literal wall between them, and she is standing in an ocean of questions.

For Okarun and her friends, they are as lost as she is, their lives have been turned upside down and things appear to be getting worse. And for Okarun, all he can do is hold the girl he loves as her world is falling apart around her.

Chapter 6 – Walkabout and Reflection

Hunter is near the fields, walking towards the town as night begins to fall. In his mind all he can think of is the events that just transpired. The events keep playing over and over. The fight with Seiko, the fight with the kids, how close he came to…..the look of anger on Momo’s face, the rage she was giving off wondering who he was. And…and that girl who stood up for him for God knows why...that girl who’s face gave him a moment of peace. A moment which was broken as he heard Momo screaming bloody murder at her grandmother…screams she should have directed at him.

The now is a mess thanks to him but as he looks over the fields, he remembers a much better then. He sees himself on this field as a 6-year-old. The boy he was is standing in front of an orange-haired girl, about the same age. The girl's eyes are full of fear as she stays behind him with the monsters before them. The monsters being a group of 3 older boys. They have beaten up Hunter pretty good, but surprisingly, they look far worse off.

And Hunter rubs the back of his head as he views the same field; he recalls Becca and Aki smacking him on the top of the head as they bow and apologize to an orange-haired adult woman with the little girl to her side. He smiles as he recalls the day and keeps walking through the fields.

*****************************************************************************

While Hunter tries to escape to the peaceful oasis of the past, the kids are stewing in the disaster that is the now. If feelings could emit literal pressure then everyone here would be crushed. They’ve faced plenty of trials before, but this is different.

Seiko has been that rock for all of them, guiding and providing comfort for anyone. They never had any reason to doubt her; the woman was an absolute paradigm of trust. But now in just one day, that foundation has been rocked and they aren’t sure what to believe.

Their collective mood is in the gutter but for Momo, it is so much worse. For her, Seiko is more than an adult they can trust…Seiko is the adult she can trust, and it is all falling apart.

Okarun is in front of her, unsure how to comfort her. They’ve been through a lot since they met but he has never seen this side of her. He goes to say something, but Aira interrupts the silence.

“What the hell was that bastard doing? Making those things.” Aira says to no one in particular.

“And what was with him? Can’t believe he was so weak compared to the beach.” Jiji says in reply.

“But that move at the end, I couldn’t see him.” Okarun states in response.

“He’s a lying asshole.” Aira notes.

“But the curse didn’t activate, right Okarun.”

“That move wasn’t his curse; it was something else.”

What though? Who is he and what is going on with his abilities? If he could move like that, he could have slipped away no problem. And does any of that tie back to Seiko and Momo’s mom?

“Momo, what did you hear when you walked in? It seemed important.”

But not important enough to continue the conversation with her? No, it was important to them and only them. It didn’t matter what she wanted. No, it mattered they were talking about her mom…it mattered grandmom kept saying they were his moms…it mattered so much that they shut the hell up as soon as Momo barged in. 

“Grandmom…she definitely…absolutely knows him. Said he had been away for 14 years.”

It doesn’t take long to do the math, and they are all thinking the same thing…the same potential truth.

“Ayase-san, didn’t your mom die 14 years ago?”

And that is the truth…a truth from the past unspoken and the truth from a past that is reaching out to them and Momo especially.

“She did…..and he knows what happened. That sword with the seals is connected, I’m sure.”

At this point Momo has no idea what to think. Did Granny keep it hidden on purpose? If so, why did she? How could she not know anything about this guy?

“What the hell, I’ve never seen him or his mom.”

Vamola hears this and the light goes off in her head as she remembers! She jumps up and runs to the back of the house before anyone can say anything.

**************************************************************************

A dreary overcast begins to build overhead as more and more clouds cover the sky. It is almost as dark as night and feels like a hand is pushing down on the town. For Hunter though, he doesn’t appear to care or notice as he continues his own exploration of the past as he visits familiar locations.

He stops in the middle of the block and stares at an ordinary convenience store, but he suddenly smiles. Rather than the modern store, he sees an old, almost run down antiques store. He’s about 7 and is with Aki and is jumping in the air as she buys him a wooden sword.

Hunter smiles and keeps walking, but he takes on a sullen expression as he sees an empty lot. But he sees a vegetable stand and is about 10, buying food with Seiko. He is laughing like an idiot while she seems annoyed but gives a barely noticeable smile.

Then he remembers their reunion and their argument. He remembers the disappointment on her face, and he remembers trying to disappear into his own shadow. He remembers wanting the world to swallow him whole to avoid that gaze.

And the world grants his wish as the sky opens up and a downpour envelopes the town.

******************************************************************

The kids hear the rain begin but barely notice. They are in their own little world as Vamola runs back to them as she tries to catch her breath. None of them have any idea what is going on but she is holding a small envelope tightly to her chest.

“Vam-chan, what is that?” Jiji asks as she opens the envelope.

“I found this a few months ago when we were cleaning. I asked Granny and she said it was nothing...I think she said it was an old friend, but I completely forgot, we’ve been so busy.”

They have all surrounded her, curious as to what is inside that envelope.

“But those replicas… his smile…I just remembered.”

Vamola takes something out of the envelope, and everyone is astonished. Momo is still sitting in the same spot; she seems to be in her own world.

**********************************************************

Hunter is continuing his walkabout, oblivious to the downpour hammering him and the town. But as he turns a corner, he immediately stops in his tracks in front of a well-maintained Western-style restaurant. Even though it is raining, the tears he starts to cry seemingly match the intensity of the storm. He looks through the window and sees himself as a 14-year-old eating with his mom. They are both smiling and laughing, not a care in the world.

He walks further into town while the rain bombards the town with an unceasing pressure.

*********************************************************************

But Hunter isn’t the only one exploring his past. The kids (minus Momo) are in a circle looking down at the floor and they can’t believe what they are seeing. On the floor there are 6 pictures of Hunter and in each one he is with Aki, Becca and/or Seiko:

                        *newborn Hunter with Becca holding him

                        *4-year-old sleeping in Aki’s arms

                        *First day of kindergarten with Aki and Becca

                        *8-year-old with a wooden sword sparring with Aki

                        *10-year-old with Aki, he is holding a staff attacking a bag

                        *14-year-old with Hunter, Aki, Becca and Seiko in the courtyard, looks like a selfie taken by Becca

Of all the things they expected to uncover, none of them believed this is what they would find. Yes, Hunter was in some way connected to Seiko and Momo’s mom but that could mean anything, a family friend or some type of acquaintance. But what they are seeing here, what these pictures represent…him and his mother were far more to the Ayase’s.

“What the hell? How long was he here?” Aira asks as she turns to Jiji.

“Don’t look at me, I met Momo in elementary school.”

Momo is away from the rest of them, almost in her own little world. She saw him at the beach as a kid but that could have been a one-time thing. Sure, the three of them looked like they were close, but it could have been just a happy memory….one single memory…not an entire childhood of memories.

And Momo has to see these pictures…she deserves to see them.

"Ayase-san, I think this is important, you should see these.”

Okarun reaches out and Momo looks up to him, giving her a gentle smile to try to encourage her forward. She takes his hand, knowing she has to take that hand.

Momo looks at each photo and is just as stunned as everyone else. But for Momo, this runs deeper and more personal. These are pictures of her mother…the woman who birthed her…the woman who had to have loved her…the woman who was not there for her childhood...the woman who was in the childhood of a complete stranger.

“These were definitely taken…” Momo says as she looks at the picture of Hunter with the staff.

*************************************************************

It is a sunny day in the courtyard; it looks like a typical and ordinary day. In the middle of that courtyard, Aki is training a 10-year-old Hikaru, as they are facing the Torii Gate. The greater world may be sunny and peaceful but the small one between these two is far from tranquil.

“Come on you little shit! How many times do I have to explain names to you?!?”

“Maybe actually explain what you mean you hag! What the hell does names mean?!? That doesn’t help!”

“Don’t call me a hag you bastard! Not my fault you can’t figure it out, you worthless apprentice!”

“Well, you’re the sensei who can’t teach you stupid sensei!”

“That does it asshole!”

Both of them are winding up to attack each other when they are each struck by some type of light-based attack. It knocks them both to the side and they turn back to the house, they know who hit them.

They each see Becca and she appears to be beyond exacerbated with the two of them. Her eyes are closed, trying to keep her own emotions in check while Seiko looks on, not interfering.

“I swear, you two just don’t stop…”

Becca says through closed eyes, not knowing what she will do if she actually sees these idiots.

“Aki, you know he’s just being an ass. And Hikaru, would you stop acting so dumb.”

Someway, somehow she actually manages to get the two of them under control. They turn back to the bag but each appear to be properly admonished.

“Fine! Hikaru, look at the bag and focus on it. You know what words and names can do.”

Hikaru simply nods and turns back to the bag, not wanting to piss off his mom again. He is holding a staff but drops it and picks up a wooden sword. Hikaru gets in front of the bag, bringing the sword behind him to thrust. He closes his eyes and concentrates as Aki notices a change in the atmosphere.

Hikaru opens his eyes and quickly thrusts the sword forward.

“Gojira!!!!”

The sword hits the bag, and it explodes as debris flies to and through the Torii Gate. Seiko just watches and smiles while Aki and Becca are both stunned yet look proud at the same time.

“Why you punk…and it’s supposed to be Godzilla!” Aki yells at Hikaru as she tries not to smile.

“Na… Gojira’s cooler.”

Hikaru smiles at Aki and puts the sword on his shoulders.

**********************************************************************

“Ayase-san! Ayase-san! Listen to me!” Okarun says as he yells her name.

“Goddammit, not again!” Aira follows up as well.

Momo snaps out of the trance, gets up, and runs directly towards Seiko’s room. She notices the barrier is down as enters but Seiko is gone. Momo just stands in the room as Okarun slowly enters behind her.

***************************************************************************

At this point Hunter is just wandering through town, appearing listless and is completely drenched from the rain pours. People are avoiding him, but he doesn’t notice; he looks dead in his eyes and not even aware where he is.

But as soon as he turns a corner, he suddenly stops when he sees an old, small store. The dead eyes disappear and seem to spring into life, not believing where he has found himself. He is so focused on what is ahead of him that he doesn’t notice someone coming up behind him.

“Hikaru-chan???”

Hunter hears his other name from a voice he hasn’t heard in 14 years…a voice that was always there for him as a kid…a voice he could never forget. He looks behind him and there is a small, ordinary looking elderly woman and she appears to be in her 80s.

And the woman slowly approaches him, looking like she is seeing a ghost, not believing he is before her.

“Hikaru-chan, is that you?”

Hunter can only manage a simple smile as his strength gives out and he faints again. The old woman is screaming his name as the darkness descends and envelopes him.

*****************************************************************************

Yokai/Torpedo Types in Chapters 1 and 2

-Ushi Oni

     *Combine with Type 93 Long Lance torpedo

     *Six legs are folded along its body and are compressed within the torpedo’s hull: the legs fold outward, and the warhead transforms into its head, 2 horns also fold outwards

     *The torpedo expands outward and segments to reveal the yokai’s body

-Kappa

     *Combine with Type 93 Long Lance torpedo

     *The yokai is laying within the torpedo like in a coffin and when it transforms, the torpedo’s hull plating attaches to the creature like a European knight's armor, the warhead becomes a helmet and the aft         portion with the propeller becomes a small tail cone.

-Ningyo

     *Combine with Type 93 Long Lance torpedo

     *Arms are folded to the side of the body in the torpedo

     *When it transforms, the body extends and segments and it stands vertically on its tail; the end of the torpedo compresses and then forks into the tail

     *The end of the creature appears from the stern of the torpedo, and the forward section spreads wide to expose the chest

     *Creature moves on the land by running with its arms

-Heikegani

     *Combined with US Navy Mark 14 torpedo

     *Transformation is similar to the Ushi Oni

     *Legs are folded under the body and pincers at the front

     *Body expands width wise, and the creature rears on its four legs to expose a mask on its carapace

-Umishika

     *Combined with US Navy Mark 14 torpedo

     *Entire body segments lengthwise and doubles in length

     *Antlers are folded backwards along the top of the torpedo and extend upwards; the four legs are folded underneath the body like a cat laying down

     *Tail extends far to its back, and the neck and head extend from the front

-Kebō 

     *Combined with US Navy Mark 14 torpedo

     *Is position lengthwise in the torpedo and its four legs are pressed together at the end stern, arms are pressed to its side

     *When it transforms, the torpedo goes vertically, the legs spread out, the arms extend, and the warhead becomes its head