Chapter Two: Reikibu Somenosuke Tsukuji
Boredom. That was the only thing Minato could say she felt right about
now. But then, nothing really seemed interesting if you compared it to
Natsumi Yakume. Which was what Minato had been doing, quite often in
fact.
The youngest of the Ikatsuji clan lied vertically across the simplistic
bed and bedding of her dorm room, her arms folded beneath her head, her
eyes staring straight up into the simple ceiling of the room. Ever
since Natsumi left to visit her father and sisters back in Osaka,
Minato had not really been able to focus on anything. Though Natsumi
wasn't visiting the Yakume Shrine for long, it still hurt to be apart
from her. It was something that Minato just could not put behind her.
And the blonde girl could tell that her current behaviour was worrying
Rinako. Although, Minato didn't doubt that there were things to worry
about. And not just Natsumi, either.
Ever since Rinako went berserk and nearly killed Zanga and his cohorts,
Minato had been having dreams. They were vivid enough, though Minato
could not specifically remember them when she woke from her sleep. But
what bothered her was how regular and frequent they had become. She
could roughly make out the setting, definitely ancient Japan, long
before even the Asuka-Nara period. Many people... arguing... fighting
and battling...
And the reoccurring talks of a shapeless, unstoppable demon.
Though she couldn't really say what these dreams meant, Minato could
feel somehow that it was a... a sort of message. From who or for what
purpose, that was to be unknown, but for how long?
Needless to say, Minato kept these dreams to herself. The last thing
she wanted to do was to worry about what Rinako would say about these
dreams, so she decided to keep it all a secret. At the least for the
moment. Just when Minato felt like crawling back into sleep to avoid
her impending classes, the phone on her bedside table started to ring.
{That's gotta be Natsumi!} She thought eagerly.
In a flash, the receiver of her phone was at Minato's face. "Hello?"
"It's so good to hear your voice, Mina-chan."
Minato was already swooning. "Natsumi... I miss you so much... where
are you? Are you home yet?"
"Nah, not yet." Natsumi answered. "I'm still on the train, I'm
surprised you can't hear the clattering over there."
"Is it that bad?" Minato asked.
"Well, let me put it this way. I wish I was old enough to drive."
Minato giggled. Things were always like this between the two of them.
If they weren't already a couple you'd swear they were trying to flirt
with each other. "Well, I hope you get there soon."
"Me too. So how are things back in Tomeishuu?"
Minato thought about that. "Not much has changed since you left
yesterday. Principle Yagami has been on my case again about my lateness
to class, but then he always punishes me for that, so..."
"I gotcha." Natsumi said cheerfully. "Nothing new. But as long as
you're okay, I couldn't really care about anything else."
The platinum blonde Ikatsuji sister twirled her finger around the
plastic wire of the phone. "...Natsumi... stop saying things like that.
It makes me miss you even more..."
**********
"This must be the place."
Out on the streets, in the beating heart of the Akihabara district of
Tokyo, before a tall building, erected for the purpose of a gym, was a
young girl, 16 years of age, very new to this city. She stood up
sweetly, her innocent smile radiating the pure light that shone in her
soul. Her face was framed with a long mane of pure black hair, so long
it inched its way close to her waist. Her bright purple eyes sparkled
like the finest jewels refined from the deepest caverns of the earth's
core. This girl's name was Reikibu Somenosuke Tsukuji.
Or just plain 'Rei' for short.
It was a few hours after school broke up for the day this Rei decided
to visit a new... friend of hers and young girl reflected on her past
few weeks before she entered the gym she was standing in front of. Rei
had transferred to Tomeishuu High from her previous school around three
weeks ago. Although she was very shy by nature, Rei had made fast
friends with a lot of the Tomeishuu girls, Rinako, Minato, Natsumi and
Mishizu included, but there was one person who Rei had come to value a
whole lot more. A girl who was currently training inside the gym that
Rei was standing in front of.
Ayaka Yakazaki.
She and Ayaka shared a dorm room at Tomeishuu High, so they had met
each other shortly after Rei had been introduced to the school. From
the moment they met, Rei and Ayaka became fast friends. Since Ayaka had
been a Spring Breeze Assassin of high ranking for quite some time, she
could show Rei everything Tomeishuu had to offer and more. And for the
past three weeks, the brunette had been spending much time with Ayaka.
Which was why she was standing before the gym that Ayaka trained at.
The Yakazaki girl was a pretty good martial artist; some said that she
was on par with Izumi herself. And because of this, she had to keep her
skills at there best. Ayaka wasn't like Rinako and Ayane. Although they
trained just as much as she did, fighting was almost second nature to
those two. For Ayaka, fighting was much more new, uncharted territory,
since she had only started training a year ago. And so, Ayaka stopped
over at her gym on a very regular basis. So Rei decided to pay her a
visit.
The young girl stepped through the unmarked door to the upstairs gym,
climbing up a long set of stairs with all the effort her legs could
muster. Soon she reached the door that truly led inside into the gym,
pushing it forward. The equally unmarked door (albeit a few scratches)
swung open to reveal a large upper room, filled with lots of curious
machines for a powerful workout- and the burly, muscled men who worked
out on them. The young innocent Rei suddenly felt very small and very
insignificant as many of these chiselled giants eyed her over with a
mixture of contempt, humour and a little curiosity.
Rather than think about and acknowledge the grunts and moans she was
hearing around her, Rei timidly made her way through the gym in search
of Ayaka before some questioned her.
Too late.
A large man, around 35 in age, wearing only shorts and a sports shirt
turned a darker colour from the sweat of his tested body. He inspected
the young Rei with his probing black eyes, knowing that he had never
seen her before.
"And who might you be, little girl?" He asked. "This gym is membership
only, I'm afraid. Besides... this might not be the best place for such
a pretty little thing."
Rei blushed a little, take the opportunity to look away. "I-I'm just
here to see someone. I don't want to join this club..."
"Well who do you want to see?" He asked.
Someone else answered that question. "She's here to see me."
Both Rei and the gym member looked behind them as a voice called out to
them. It was a young blonde woman, shimmering blue eyes and a
surprisingly feminine physique, despite the fact that she was in such a
place. Rei could only smile as she saw her. "Ayaka..."
Ayaka Yakazaki swiped the sweat off her forehead with her towel as she
stepped forwards, and let it rest around her shoulders. Before long she
was at Rei's side, wrapping a protective arm around the shorter girl.
"She's with me, Yuzunosuke-san." Ayaka commented. "Don't worry about
it, I'm leaving in a few minutes."
Yuzunosuke nodded. "There's no rush. If that girl's an acquaintance of
yours then I can't kick her out, can I?"
Ayaka grinned as she walked with Rei into a separate room. "I should
think not." Her attention turned back to Rei. "Are you okay? Those guys
can be pretty intimidating."
Rei just nodded, smiling up at the taller girl. "I'm okay. Especially
since you're here."
Just for a few seconds, Ayaka had to look way to keep herself from
being blinded by Rei's billion-yen smile. She suddenly regretted
putting her arm around Rei. The closeness between the two of them was
something that bothered Ayaka to no end (even though it was her fault).
Truth be told, Ayaka just wanted to send a signal to the younger
members of the gym that Rei was *not* going to be the next target for
their wedding tackles. She did *not* like the looks that Rei was
receiving from her weight lifting peers either. Even though the two had
known each other for only a few weeks, Ayaka was VERY protective of
Rei. So much so that Ayaka had sworn to cripple anyone who tried to lay
as much as a finger on her. The innocent Rei had a way of working a
spell on people. And Ayaka was apparently the latest victim. Though she
was unnerved by the closeness of the beauteous Rei, Ayaka just let
herself enjoy it for the most part. It wasn't that she wanted space
from Rei, far from it. She was worried about what secrets her heart
might reveal if they got too close...
The two young women walked up into a separate room, many windows
abound, a few tatami mats laid out across the floorboards. Ayaka
reluctantly removed her arm from Rei's shoulder and walked to the other
side of the room, sitting down on one of the mats. Rei stood by the
doorway, watching Ayaka spread out her legs to stretch before she begun
her katas.
Without looking back, Ayaka called out to Rei. "Something wrong?"
Rei shook her head. "N-No... not at all. I'm glad you invited me here.
I've never been to a gym before."
"Really?"
Rei nodded sweetly. "Uh huh."
"Well, I'm glad you don't mind dealing with all this." Ayaka began to
stretch, still talking to Rei. "I'm sorry Yuzunosuke gave you the third
degree. He was like that with me at first, but when he started to train
me, his views changed. It won't happen again."
"It's okay, Ayaka. I don't mind."
Ayaka grinned. "Yeah? Well I do. But it won't be happening again. So
what do you want to do when I'm finished here? Would you like to head
down to Shinjuku and catch up with some of the other girls?"
Rei slowly started to walk over to the tatami mat that Ayaka was
stretching on. "Well... maybe, but... I..."
A kink from Ayaka's neck was removed with a small snap as she held a
firm hand in massage to it. "What's up, Rei?"
Rei took a seat next to Ayaka. "Well... you know a lot about this...
martial arts stuff, right?"
"Yeah..."
"And... pretty much anyone could be a martial artist if they wanted to,
and if they put enough energy into it... right?"
Ayaka didn't really see it that way, but... "...What's your point, Rei?
Is there something you want to know about?"
The dark haired girl nodded. "...Y-Yes..."
"Well, what is it?"
Rei took a deep breath. "...Will you teach me how to be a martial
artist?"
Ayaka instantly stopped stretching. "What...?"
"Well...?" Rei questioned timidly. "Will you?"
"You want to learn martial arts. *You*." Ayaka said sceptically.
Though Ayaka meant no harm, Rei was a little thrown by how surprised
she was by this. "...Don't you think I can do it...?"
Ayaka preferred not to answer that. "Why would you even want to learn
this sort of thing?"
Rei's eyes darted away from Ayaka's blue gaze. Soon she was racked with
thoughts of her older cousin... "I just... it's important to me,
Ayaka."
"Rei... it's dangerous." Ayaka said. "Not only will you need to work
hard... you could get hurt... I can't take that risk with you."
"But Ayaka-"
Rei was sharply cut off. "No, Rei. I'm sorry. I won't do it."
"Oh." The disappointment in her voice was clear. So much that it
concerned Ayaka. But Rei didn't let it dwell on her. There were other
options... "I... understand Ayaka. F-Forget I mentioned it..."
**********
{This is it. I'm home...}
It was around 9.00 in the pitch of night that the shrine priestess
Natsumi arrived back at the Yakume Shrine. Her home. It had been so
long since she had been here... nearly four months in fact. But here
she was, and the place still looked as it had done when she had left.
Natsumi had to admit; she was worried about how the shrine would cope
after she left. Her father, Tetsuya, was not the type to maintain
organization by himself, he was much more concerned with the ceremonies
and such. Natsumi's sisters, Tomomi and Yuri, they were very much the
eye of an average teen. Between the two of them, Tomomi and Yuri's
thoughts were centred on three things.
Boys, boys and boys.
Still, everything was in order. The shrine steps were nicely swept, the
surrounding statues were untainted, and nothing seemed out of the
ordinary. Natsumi smiled a little as she began walking up the steps to
the shrine's innards.
"So they managed to keep this place in one piece... I'm actually kinda
impressed. The only other thing that would prove I'm home would be the
squealing of Tomomi-"
"NATSUMIIIIIIIII!!!!!"
Natsumi squinted as her younger sister, Tomomi, came charging down the
steps to hug her big sister. The dark haired woman was nearly thrown
off her feet as Tomomi hurled herself into Natsumi's arms.
"Oh, Natsumi!" Tomomi said excitedly. "I'm so glad you're back! It's
been a nightmare without you here! Daddy's been making us do all your
chores and everything! He won't even let me date anymore! So how have
you been? Did you meet any cute guys in Tokyo? What was Tomeishuu High
like? Can I go there? Did you miss me?"
Natsumi sweatdropped from Tomomi's innocent tirade of questions. "Hold
up there, Tomomi! Gimme a chance to breathe first, okay?"
Tomomi reluctantly released her tight hug around her older sister.
"Sorry, Natsumi. I'm just so glad to see you!"
"I know. It's nice to see you too." Natsumi said, ruffling her sister's
hair. "So how is Yuri? Is she alright?"
Tomomi nodded. "Uh huh. She's fine. She went out shopping in the market
to pick up some stuff for Daddy; I dunno what he needs it for though.
He said that he wants to talk to you as soon as you got back, as well."
Natsumi's gaze became distant, as she thought about what might be going
through the mind of her father. The current threat remaining with
Aerolust... it had to be dealt with. Natsumi knew this for sure.
"I better see father then, Tomomi." Natsumi said, stepping up the steps
again. Before she could get too far, Tomomi scampered up alongside her
in pursuit.
"But we NEED to talk, Natsumi!" Tomomi said eagerly. "I wanna hear all
about your times in Tokyo!"
"Later, Tomomi."
Tomomi stood in place and watched her sister enter the shrine. Natsumi
had suddenly become distracted and distant, just like her father had
been acting just recently. Though Tomomi was young, even she could tell
when something was up. There was definitely something going down.
Natsumi plied through room after room of the cavernous Yakume Shrine,
until she finally reached her own room. Nothing had changed here
either. All her posters of the Gentatsu boys, Yusaku Kudo, and the
Eight Dragons were still up on the wall. All her miniatures were in
tact and all her books were unmoved. Home sweet home. The Yakume girl
didn't bother to think any more about this though, and threw her
suitcase on the bed. She'd unpack later. As quick as lightning, Natsumi
was out the room and heading towards the main hall. She was sure that
would be where her father was.
And sure enough, she was right.
Natsumi's eyes narrowed in on Tetsuya as she stepped up to the door to
the main hall. It was night right now, so the lights were on in the
shrine. She could clearly make out Tetsuya's silhouette in the hall.
Natsumi took a deep breath and slid open the door, walking through
slowly. Tetsuya was sitting in a cross-legged position, his arms
crossed and his back facing the door. He was obviously meditating. In a
slightly odd position, none the less.
Tetsuya didn't bother to wait for Natsumi to introduce her own arrival.
"Welcome home, Natsumi."
"Father..." Natsumi breathed. "Did you sense my presence?"
Tetsuya sweatdropped, coughing into his fist. "No, I... heard Tomomi's
scream of joy..."
Natsumi chuckled a little. Things at the Yakume Shrine were never easy,
but she missed it sometimes. Sure, she loved Tomeishuu, and all her
friends, and her girl, Minato, but this was where she grew up. All her
memories were here and they would always hold a special place inside
her heart. The young woman stepped forward to be face to face with her
father. As she reached him, she crouched down, tucking her feet beneath
her body in a traditional Japanese sitting style. Uncomfortable as all
hell though.
"Should I start from the beginning?" Natsumi asked quietly.
Tetsuya nodded. "I would appreciate it if you did."
"Okay... well, I went to Tomeishuu High as you requested... and I
observed Ayane for a while, to see if our suspicions were correct. She
showed no signs of possession, and for the majority of my first three
weeks there, nothing happened. However, the Shunshibaru crystal reacted
to the girl, Rinako Ikatsuji."
Tetsuya's eyes widened. "Stop right there..." He said. "...Rinako
Ikatsuji? Is she related to Genzo Ikatsuji, the current master of Rai
shou en ken?"
"Yes." Natsumi said humbly. "She is one of his... daughters."
"He has another child then?"
Natsumi nodded, blushing a little. "Yes. A really great girl named
Minato... Minato Ikatsuji."
Tetsuya continued on. "So these two practice Rai shou en ken just as
Ayane Yosukube does?"
"Nah, only Rinako. Minato is not a martial artist."
Tetsuya thought for a second. "I see. Well, regardless, continue."
"Okay. The crystal started to glow when she and I... exchanged words.
So from then one I assumed that Rinako was the seal child. Then there
was the incident I told you about. During a battle, Aerolust possessed
Rinako... but she somehow managed to shake off the grip it had on her.
She has shown no signs of residual possession thus far, but I still
kept my eye on her. My search for the seal child has also left us with
nothing. I have no leads now. So... that's what I have to tell you."
Tetsuya thought to himself again, shutting his eyes for a brief second
to get this all into his head. "So... Aerolust has scattered. The
ancient scrolls state that Aerolust needs to recover after being
expelled from a mortal body. But they speak nothing of the time it will
take Aerolust to recuperate. This is a good thing... but that incident
was three months ago, yes?"
Natsumi confirmed that. "Yes."
"Hmm... Aerolust is aware of the strength of Rinako... that probably
means that it will come after her again. If she is not protected, then
the beast might possess her once more. And if it takes full control...
then there is no telling the damage it could do. We must find the seal
child at all costs, Natsumi."
"I understand that." Natsumi uttered. "But I'm telling you, my search
has come up with nothing. The Shunshibaru crystal doesn't react to
Rinako anymore either. My search has come up with no results."
"Damn... If only we could-" Tetsuya cut himself off when a new thought
came to mind. "Wait a minute... the crystal stopped reacting to the
Ikatsuji girl? And it did so at the beginning? Is that what you are
telling me?"
Natsumi nodded. "Yup."
"Hand me the Shunshibaru crystal, Natsumi."
Without a second thought Natsumi stuck her hand into her pocket and
fished out the Shunshibaru crystal. Natsumi presented the shining white
jewel to her father, who instantly took it into his hand.
"Hmmm..." He mused. "...Natsumi... I think we may have misinterpreted
the scrolls somehow..."
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