TheShatteredRose

Next to him, wrapped up in many layers that unfortunately covered his always impressive physic, Fuji nodded, a cautious frown on his face. “Let’s move cautiously. That asshat has to be around here somewhere.”

Yeyasu nodded in understanding. “Right.”

He spent a moment to cast a glance over the rest of his companions. Suisen, Ao, and Higan seemed immune to the chill, while Pirilika and Ceefore shivered against it, wrapped so tightly in thick clothing that it may actually hinder their movements, should they be called into battle. Of course, Yeyasu couldn’t blame them.

They were, after all, heading to the legendary Ice Cave.

Yeyasu knew of an altar deep within the bowels of the ice cave. He had never ventured there himself. Appalling, he was well aware. But he knew of it through stories, through chatter, and through rumours. It was said to be a rather large altar. Obvious. Incredibly hard to miss.

That was their destination. That was honestly the only thing they had to go on and other well-known but mysterious altars had proven to be the very thing they sought.

Yet…

He didn’t find the altar within Arashiyama. And apparently, he didn’t need to. The tiny Guardian Beast had ventured to him first. Gave him the Moon Bamboo without a fuss. Considerate, since he had a major wound on his back.

The Guardian Beasts had all been…considerate of him. Likely due to his family’s name. A name they all knew.

Which was…interesting.

Yeyasu shook his head to push those thoughts aside. Instead, concentrating on leading his merry band through the twisting tunnels beneath Narusawa. He kinda knew the way as he found a map within his family’s library. It was honestly pretty simple. It didn’t need to be too complex, he supposed. Not with the bitter but still and silent cold. The type of cold that would seep into your bones slowly, quietly. Until you couldn’t move. And, boom! Hypothermia. And followed by death.

Not a fun thing at all.

He was going to need a nice long bath after this little expedition.

…Maybe Fuji could join him again?

O-ok, better not let that thought linger too long!

As they moved along the dark caves, trying their best to avoid the above freezing water droplets, Yeyasu noted that the stones beneath their feet graduated from moist and slippery, to icy and slippery. The crackle of ice crystals as they moved was somewhat satisfying. At least, to him. As they were a subtle sign that the Ice Cave was close.

Very close.

Of course, the intense cold also indicated as much.

Not to mention that the scroll, that was safely tucked away in his haori, which was buried under countless layers, trembled softly. They were heading in the right direction.

The sight that greeted them as the rounded a bend was breathtaking.

A world of ice. A beautiful deep blue in colour, illuminated with an unknown light. Icicles lined the ceiling, like spears that could at any moment rain down upon them without warning. A frozen waterfall stood majestically within the centre of the cave. And just before it, stood a large stone altar.

Not just the altar, but a tall obelisk. Pitch black in colour. With Jōdai Nihon-go sigils etched in a brilliant white.

‘Death and Life. Growth and Decay. Beginnings and Endings. Which Will You Choose?’

…Ahaha…that’s a little bit ominous.

It might prove somewhat…accurate. There didn’t appear to be a direct path to the altar. It stood within an eerie still pool of crystal-clear water. Water that had somehow not become frozen. From his recollection, the average temperature of that place was just below freezing.

He wouldn’t make it to the altar through the water. No way was he going to try.

Maybe he could get Suisen to give him a hand? He was sure Higan would be more than happy to just throw him across the water, but that was a tad too dangerous. And likely to be very, very painful.

As Yeyasu pondered about his predicament, the still waters of the icy pool rippled. Once. And then twice. His companions instantly tensed, a fair reaction to possible danger. But he felt the scroll…flicker. That was the only word he could use to describe the feeling. It resonated with the ripple.

Was…the Guardian Beast coming?

He hoped so. As the dark shadow seen rising up from the unseen depths of the pool was an absolutely terrifying sight!

Yeyasu barely smothered a shriek as Fuji instinctively grabbed him and hauled him backwards. And planted himself in front of him, one arm out to the side in a stance that revealed his protective intensions, and the other gripping Kanzan Musashi tightly.

The water rose up like a…dome, before the tension broke, and waves cascaded from the figure, rushing to the icy edges of the pool. The noise so loud within the frozen silence. And the figure continued its rise.

It…was a giant turtle. No draconic features. But a turtle. Large eyes, smooth scaly skin, a sharp beak like mouth. A surprisingly turquoise in colour. Yet, it was so large that only their head and shoulders, with a large flipper resting seemingly so casually on the water’s edge, could be seen.

He…hadn’t expected that, to be honest. And he though the three first guardians were large. He could even see the lower part of this guy. How deep was that pool of water?

Never mind. That wasn’t important.

“Easy,” Yeyasu murmured to Fuji, his hand on his back. “They’re a Guardian.”

Fuji was reluctant to loosen his stance. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Yeyasu immediately replied. And then stepped out from behind the dragon. “It’s ok. I’ll take it from here.”

Fuji still looked…uncomfortable, for the lack of a better word. Suspicious, cautious, protective. The usual. But there was also this…acceptance. Likely telling himself just one more trial to go and they could stop this nonsense.

Better not disappoint him.

Yeyasu moved carefully to the water’s edge. Upon a smooth stone that appeared more as a platform. He drew in a slow breath as he looked up at the towering Guardian.

“Guardian Beast of Narusawa,” he said in greeting.

And the Guardian made a small movement with their head. A motion similar to that of a light nod. “Yes, welcome, young one,” a deep voice resounded in his head, a voice that brought a feeling of fatherly comfort. “What is your name?”

“I am Yeyasu Edogawa.”

“Ah, yes, of course. Edogawa.” There was that nostalgia again. “Welcome, Shogun. I have been expecting you.”

So, the Guardian Beast do gossip with one another. If that was the case, then maybe he didn’t need to explain his motives. The Guardian should already know. Made things a tad easier, he supposed.

“You have a very beautiful shrine,” Yeyasu complimented, before his body shuddered from the icy atmosphere. “It is a shame it’s so cold.”

The Guardian Beast chuckled. A soft, knowing one. “Hm. Part of the trial, I assure you.”

Part, huh? That clearly meant that there was more to come. Alright. Time to get it over with. But…

“I am ready for the trial, whatever it may be,” Yeyasu announced, his voice revealing his confidence. Yet, he took a half step forward and gave the towering Guardian a curious look. “But before we begin…Can I ask you something?”

And he sensed curiosity from the Guardian Beast in return. “What is it?”

“Edogawa. My family’s name brings you fond nostalgia. Why is that?”

“Ah, that is simple, really.” Again, there was a sense of fondness. “An Edogawa in the past has walked this same path.”

Yeyasu perked up, his exciting growing. “I knew it. Who? Who was it?”

“Your father.”

That caught Yeyasu by surprise. “M-my father? Who was he trying to help?”

“Someone called…” the Guardian hesitated for moment. “Jigme.”

“Jigme…?” No way. Jigme? The Puppet Master? “A-are you sure? Why-?”

The Guardian Beast interrupted him when they raised their giant flipper. And placed it softly upon the water in front of him. Yeyasu instinctively knew of its purpose and immediately scrambled upon it. And crouched when the Guardian raised their flipper slowly. So that he was close to their eye. Allowing for better communicating, he supposed.

“Your father wished to help the one called Jigme,” the Guardian continued. “A man who suffered from a deadly curse. Your father passed all trials, yet Jigme wished for power and servitude. His greed forced your father to instead defeat him in battle and seal him away.”

Yeyasu’s shoulders sagged as disbelief washed over him. “When I…”

“Yes,” Guardian replied, their tone soft, considerate in a way. Like they knew the information was to be shocking to him, but they continued. For it was information he needed to know. “They…were once good friends, but parted due to a curse. A curse that Jigme had initially inflicted upon himself. Only for his thoughts to turn dark, and the desire for more power overwhelmed him.”

Yeyasu had no idea. He always knew that Jigme was once considered a special and close friend to the Edogawa family. He just never knew…well, anything about him, really. His fear and trauma saw to that.

But his father…for his father to attempt such trials and rituals, then Jigme must have been truly precious to the family once.

“Jigme…is suffering from a curse still?” Yeyasu asked quietly.

“Yes.”

“I…I see.”

Cursed…what kind of curse could he be suffering from? Why wouldn’t he allow father to help him? Did the ritual not work? Did they even try?

He…he had so many questions.

“Consent is an important factor to this ritual,” Guardian revealed, likely in direct response to Yeyasu’s thoughts. “Your father could not gain the consent needed. No matter what he did to persuade him. Jigme had gone…too far.”

Gone too far…

“Was it because of me?” For some reason, he felt guilty.

“It was for many, many reasons,” Guardian quickly replied. To comfort him in some way. They, however, sighed a weary sigh a moment later. “You were, however, the catalyst. The moment your father realised that his former friend was out of reach. Perhaps forever.”

“I see…”

He felt guilty. Why did he feel guilty?

A flicker of light from his right pulled Yeyasu from his thoughts. He instinctively stiffened and turned to look. And found a…glass jar with a black and red mushroom inside.

“You have proven worthy of the Death Mushroom.”

Yeyasu snapped his head up and turned his full attention toward the Guardian once more. And made no attempt to hide his confusion. “What? But I haven’t-?”

“You are here,” the Guardian Beast interrupted. “Despite the danger you had endured in the recent past. Your determination is powerful. And has been recognised. Yet, there is more you still need to do. One more item needs to be found.”

“What?” Yeyasu frowned. “Nothing is mentioned on the scroll.”

“Because it is information only we Guardian Beasts can reveal.”

No, yeah, that made perfect sense. Likely only to be revealed after all the trials were completed. To stop anyone from trying to cheat, he suppose.

“Alright, I understand. What else do I need to find?”

“A chalice. An ancient relic that is the base for the ceremony. Yet, it is a relic that is crucial to many rituals. A relic that is highly sought after.”

Yeyasu should have known. “S-sought by thieves and treasure hunters, huh?” And a few bounty hunters, too, because why not? Still, he was not deterred. “I understand. Where do I need to go?”

The Guardian Beast hesitated. “…Goryo Shrine.”

Yeyasu all but stopped breathing. “…What?”

The Guardian Beast sighed quietly in his head, pity well and truly evident. “Goryo Shrine holds many secrets. Much of them attached to the one called Jigme.”

“Goryo Shrine…”

That place…why that place? The chalice…was Jigme after it, too?

Yeyasu was pulled from his thoughts once more, but this time when he felt the flipper beneath his feet shift and move. He instinctively grabbed a hold of the Death Mushroom and clutched it against his chest. The Guardian was considerate of his small stature, and it took them a moment to lower their flipper into the water and near the shore.

Soon, the flipper laid still upon the water and Yeyasu stood up. His legs were surprisingly a little shaky as he moved. Fortunately, Fuji had stepped forward and reached out his hand to him. A hand that Yeyasu promptly took, allowing the protective dragon to help him upon the rocky edge once more.

“You…ok?” Fuji asked, almost cautiously.

“I, ah, yeah, I’m ok,” Yeyasu stuttered in return.

Fuji, however, arched a sceptical eyebrow. “Yeah? Then why are you so pale?”

“I-I’m always pale, what you talking about?”

“Shogun, may I offer a piece of advice?”

Yeyasu instinctively stiffened and tightened his hand around Fuji’s, who for some reason continued to let him clutch his hand, and snap his head up to regard the Guardian Beast once more. “Wh-what is it?”

“To move forward, to ensure the success of the ritual, it would be best to deal with the chaos surrounding the Puppet Master. Learn what you can. What you need. Information only you can discover, Shogun. Push aside your fears and seek the truth.”

That…that was solid advice.

“…I understand.”

The Guardian Beast gave a slow nod of their head and slowly began to resubmerge into the water. “I do wish you the best of luck, Shogun Yeyasu.”

Yeyasu regarded the Guardian gently. “Thank you.”

He felt the Guardian’s presence leave his mind and he remained silent as they disappeared back into the icy depths of the Ice Cave. They were so in tuned with their surroundings that the waters soon became still once more. Smooth like glass.

…The Guardians were more than protectors of the materials.

A soft tug on his hand pulled Yeyasu from his thoughts. It was a motion that brought him back to the reality of the situation. To why they were truly there. Why he was truly there. They got the last material.

But unfortunately, they were far from done.

“Yeyasu, what happened?” Fuji asked. “What did that thing say?”

“We heard father and Jigme mentioned,” Suisen revealed. “Also, Goryo Shrine. Why?”

Yeyasu looked at his companions. He had a lot to tell them. “Let’s…let’s speak back on the Nethership. It’ll be warmer there.”

… … … … …

Fuji wasn’t pleased with what Yeyasu revealed. Not entirely, at least. He was grateful that the five trials were finally over and Yeyasu got the five materials he had so desperately sought. But the true trials were far from over. Not only do they need to find a secret sixth item, but they, rather Yeyasu needed to return to Goryo Shrine.

Jigme’s hunting ground, apparently.

Fuji was more than happy to return to hunt the bastard down himself. He would take delight in it, even. But Yeyasu needed to return to find the chalice (one that added yet more trouble for them) as he was the only one who could find it.

But Jigme had proven to be a slippery bastard. It was highly likely that the piece of shit was waiting at the shrine for them to turn up. With a bunch of puppets to attack. A bunch of new puppets.

Yeyasu seemed to think that the asshole was testing himself. Testing his skills, to find out what he could really do. And Fuji had to admit that his skills were impressive. The guy could control numerous puppets in different locations. Arashiyama was testament to that.

…Argh, just thinking about the asshole pissed him off!

With everyone safely back in the confines of the Nethership, Fuji went in search of Yeyasu. After he had explained everything he had learnt, he wandered away. To his corner of the Nethership. To come to terms with his own feelings, Fuji hazard a guess.

It didn’t take Fuji long to find the demon in question. He stood before a wooden railing, his arms folded atop of the fence as he stared out into the dark Netherverse far beyond. Fuji didn’t say anything as he approached him. He simply moved to stand next to him, his arms also folded atop of the wooden barrier.

Yeyasu wasn’t surprised by his presence. He was caught up in his own thoughts, yet he didn’t appear completely oblivious to his surroundings. At least, he wasn’t unaware of him. So, they just stood in silence for a moment, side by side.

“You know, I’m just…surprised that dad had also tried the Purification Ritual,” Yeyasu admitted quietly. “And that I’ve been walking the same path as him.”

Fuji couldn’t say he was surprised that Gachiyasu had tried the same ritual to save another. And that Yeyasu unwittingly followed in his footsteps. He was more like his father than he would give himself credit for.

But that piece of information also revealed another troubling aspect. “So, Jigme is cursed, too, huh?”

Yeyasu nodded his head, his gaze becoming downcast. “That’s what the guardian says. They didn’t say what or how, though. Only that I should search for information on Jigme before moving forward with the ritual.”

“It would be best to deal with that dipshit first,” Fuji added.

Unexpectedly, a half-smile appeared on Yeyasu’s lips as he closed his eyes and tilted his head in his direction. “I’m sure you’re just dying to punch him in the face.”

“Oh, I’m going to do a lot more than that.”

That drew a quiet laugh from Yeyasu and Fuji felt a sense of relief when he saw the tension fade from his shoulders. Yeyasu continued to look passive. Contemplative, even. His eyes actually quite beautiful under the soft lighting of the Nethership.

That serene look, however, soon faded into worry.

“I just wish I knew why he was after me,” he admitted.

Fuji nodded his head idly. He wished he knew, too. So he could use that as motivation to beat the shit out of Jigme. He had a couple of theories, really. None of which he liked. “…Do you think the reason why Jigme is after you is because he thinks you can somehow interfere with his curse?”

That seemed to have caught Yeyasu completely by surprise and he turned to look at him. “Huh?”

Fuji turned to face him, his arm resting casually upon the wooden barrier. “It’s just, if Jigme placed that curse upon himself, then it’s likely in the desire for power and strength. He may think that you Can help his power grow further.”

He obviously believed Yeyasu would be useful to him, somehow. If this obsession he has was any indication.

Yeyasu shook his head in stubborn disbelief. “There are hundreds, even thousands of others who would be more useful than me.”

It also rankled Fuji somewhat whenever Yeyasu was so disparaging of himself. “You have more power than you think.”

Yeyasu, however, just shook his head and turned his gaze back toward the dark Netherverse. And he sighed aloud, his elbow planted on the railing as he rested his chin in the upturn palm of his hand. “I guess we really do have no choice but to try to find information on him. But that isn’t going to be easy. Pii-chan couldn’t find anything, and he could find everything. Apparently.”

“You’ll be able to find something,” Fuji found himself insisting without much thought.

Yeyasu tilted his head toward him, his gaze slowly shifting to stare at him. His red eyes vivid under the light. Like…rubies, in a way.

“Yeyasu, you sure about this? It could be another ambush.”

Yeyasu turned his gaze away from the foreboding and eerie entrance to regard the man next to him. His eyes lingered on Fuji for a moment, catching his subtle but intense gaze of concern before he glanced toward their other companions.

His brother. And his daughter.

He felt a prang of guilt, knowing that the possibility that he was leading them into danger was extremely high. Yet again. “I know. But I need to check something.”

Suisen, thankfully always observant, caught onto his worries and nodded his head. “That has been one of my concerns, too.”

Their family’s tomb.

Yeyasu gave his brother a small smile before he turned and headed straight into the cemetery. As he took an all too familiar path through the tombs and monuments, he noted that a few appeared…disturbed in some way. The marbled headstones were unmarred and intact, yet the ground, even the concrete it some places, had obviously been disturbed recently.

It was, well, disturbing. To stay on theme here.

He filed the information away for the time being, promising to return to give a proper inspection later, as he continued to lead the small group to a familiar corner of the cemetery. His heart began to race the moment he laid eyes on the towering catacomb, his gaze studying it quickly for any obvious signs of disorder or damage.

Yet, it appeared unchanged. The black marble pristine, if a bit of green-emerald moss around the base. Nothing was disturbed. The ground, the paving stones, the altar. Perfectly intact.

Yeyasu had never felt so relieved.

“Dad’s grave and memorial is ok,” he uttered around a sigh as he ran his fingertips across the newest name etched into the headstone. Gachiyasu. A man who died far, far too young. “If Jigme was here, I’m pretty sure he would have done something.”

“Yeah, that would make sense,” Fuji commented as he joined him before his family’s grave. “He was the one who defeated him in the past.”

Yeyasu nodded. “Yeah.”

Yet, the guy was still around. His father’s battle, it was not an easy one. Dangerous. Bloody. Tragic, even. Dad was so sure that the guy was gone.

What happened?

“Let’s take a look around,” Fuji suddenly suggested. “See what that bastard was looking for. If he was here at all.”

Yeyasu nodded his head idly as he turned his gaze toward their dark surroundings once more. He found himself wandering toward the graves that caught his attention earlier. A row of headstones, close to the path. He crouched down before one of the graves. There was a fresh scent of dirt. One that could only occur with recently upturn soil. Yet, there was another scent. One undeniably that of rot and decay.

Whether it was Jigme or not, someone had been trapezing around the cemetery and messing with graves.

He raised his head and cast a gaze around him. More graves disturbed, yet the tombs and headstones were not. It was not an act of vandalism or for shits and giggles. But purposeful.

“Quite a few graves have been disturbed,” Suisen commented as he joined him. Fuji and Ao within sight of them. “It appears as if someone had attempted to…dig up whatever was buried.”

Yeyasu could only nod as he pushed himself to his feet.

“There is something strange going on here.”

Yeyasu immediately turned his attention to his brother. “Did you have a premonition?”

Suisen gave a slow shake of his head, his lips downturned into a subtle frown. “Not entirely. But there is some shadowy force here.”

“It’s Jigme,” Yeyasu stated firmly. “It has to be.”

“At this point, all we can really do is assume anything untoward happening in Ewwdo is due to Jigme,” Suisen replied, and it brought a small, wryly smile to Yeyasu’s lips.

No way to argue against that. But what was he looking for?

More…puppets?

“Yeyasu?” Suisen’s voice pulled Yeyasu from his thoughts. “Have you…been taking care of yourself?”

Yeyasu looked toward his little brother and tilted his head to the side in mild confusion. “Hm? What do you mean?”

Suisen didn’t reply at first, his fingertips passively trailing along the horn sprouting from the middle of his forehead. His expression was stoic, as per usual in that unfortunate body, but Yeyasu still picked up a sense of contemplation from him.

“You’re been acting…differently, I suppose,” Suisen finally said.

That made Yeyasu feel even more confused. “Huh, am I? How so?”

A small smile appeared on Suisen’s lips. “It’s not a negative observation. It’s just…you remind me of how you used to be before…everything.”

Before everything…

Before everything changed forever.

Was he really acting like how he had been before? He…would like to go back to that. To have that confidence. That innocence. That security.

A nice thought. Maybe he could…try? Getting past that overly confident, play boy façade was going to be difficult. It got him through a lot, after all. But he would like to try. To go back to how his was. To…make his father proud. And be the big brother that Suisen deserved.

“Really? Well, I guess it’s because I don’t have to…put up a front, anymore.”

“Indeed.” Suisen’s smile quietly faded from his lips as he tilted his head questioningly to the side. “But there’s something else. Isn’t there?”

That wasn’t exactly a question. Hah, take it to his thoughtful little brother to be so observant. But it was not something he wanted to burden Suisen with. Not with the whole Puppet Master debacle still going on.

And with the souls that also inhabited that mechanical body of his, Suisen had enough to deal with.

“…I just have a lot on my mind,” Yeyasu replied, dismissive, but light in tone.

Unsurprisingly, Suisen caught onto his reluctance easily. And mercifully did not push him. “Of course.”

He was always so considerate of him. But Yeyasu supposed a disrupted graveyard was not the best place to have a heart-to-heart conversation.

The smile suddenly returned to Suisen’s lips and he tilted his head to the side. “I must admit that I find it surprising that Fuji is allowing you to be Ao’s mother.”

That drew a chuckle from Yeyasu. “I know. I am, too. I’m still waiting for him to gut me or something.”

He was also still surprised that Ao chose him to be her mom, out of everyone she knew.

“Hey, found anything?”

Speaking of the father-daughter duo.

Yeyasu turned to welcome the duo as they joined him and Suisen. “No, afraid not. Only a bit of disturbed dirt.”

Fuji frowned as he trailed a fingertip along the hilt of Kanzan Musashi. “Yeah, us too.”

More disturbed graves, huh? They weren’t dug up in a hurry or flurry, but upturned, the dirt remaining within the vicinity. It was oddly…clean, in a way. Some of the paving stones and cement of the pathways had been damaged, but it was not in a wilful or destructive manner.

That was some…consideration involved.

A sudden realisation caused Yeyasu to frown and scan their surroundings once more. “I can’t see any masks littering the place.”

Like the report said.

The furrow in Fuji’s brow managed to deepened further, suspicion plain as day on his face. “No, neither can I. Maybe the report was false. Someone else could be using the existence of the masks to their advantage.”

Yeyasu bit back a wryly smile. An assassin, huh? He couldn’t say he was surprised. Once upon a time, he may have welcomed it. But circumstances had changed.

Yeah, things had changed.

Something tight suddenly encircling his right ankle ripped Yeyasu from his thoughts harshly. The thing around his leg was tight, painful as it latched onto a previous bruise. The strength similar to that of the chain that ensnared him at Arashiyama.

Yeyasu immediately snapped his head down, his eyes wide as they landed on the sight of a green, gnarled, and obviously decaying…hand.

A hand had shot out of the dirt, from the grave that he had previously inspected.

A loud shriek immediately escaped from Yeyasu’s lips as he tried to pull his head out of the disgusting grip. “Eeeeeeeek! Something’s got me!”

Just as those words left his lips, just as Fuji and the others jumped in surprise, a rotting corpse erupted from the grave. A zombie. And it wore a magically crafted war mask.

“Now now, Shogun,” an unfortunately familiar voice resonated from the mask, the zombie somehow tightening its grip around his ankle. “You mustn’t forget to look beneath the surface.”

What…? What did that mean?!

Before Yeyasu could demand his voice to work again, Fuji unleashed Kanzan Musashi in one swift, perfect movement. And sliced the mask clean in half. That demonic blade the surest way to severer the magic strings that controlled the puppets.

“Beat it, asshat!” Fuji snarled.

The moment the grip around his ankle loosened, Yeyasu jumped back. He winced when he placed his foot on the ground. A streak of red-hot pain erupted from his ankle and seemed to travel all the way up his leg to his head. That grip…no doubt it was on purpose. To cause him yet more injuries.

To stop him from running away.

“They’re appearing from under the soil!” Suisen suddenly exclaimed.

Yeyasu gingerly placed his foot on the ground and skittishly scanned his surroundings once more. And, unfortunately, his brother was right. Zombies, all with detailed and specially crafted masks on their faces.

Under the ground…? Wait-wait-wait, was Jigme digging up graves to place masks on zombies and then reburying them? Just to create zombie puppets?!

Not even the dead was safe from this asshole!

“Yeyasu!” Fuji was suddenly by Yeyasu’s side, and startling him greatly, slipped his muscular left arm completely around Yeyasu’s waist. And pulled him abruptly against him. Leaving Yeyasu’ no choice but to slip one arm around Fuji’s shoulders and press his other hand against Fuji’s very taut and well-built chest.

“Hang on,” Fuji gritted out as he raised Kanzan Musashi in front of them in a defensive stance. “I can’t afford to have that bastard separating us again.”

W-well, Yeyasu wasn’t about to argue!

Yeyasu tried to ignore the heat of Fuji’s skin against his palm. “Zombies? Fuji, I can’t use Tokugawa Tenge against them. They don’t have a consciousness. Jigme is able to control zombies, too. He can literally control anything with a mask.”

“I’m not surprised.” Fuji tightened his arm around Yeyasu’s waist just a little, readjusting his grip so that Yeyasu’s feet no longer touched the ground. “The guy is powerful; I’ll give him that. But he’s also a damn coward. And unfortunately for him, Kanzan Musashi can cut through anything!”

With a wide arch, Fuji wielded Kanzan Musashi and sliced through several masks in a single move. The wooden masks dropped to the ground in two pieces, with the zombies themselves joining them soon after. Proof that they were indeed just corpses. No consciousness in any of them. Just dead bodies.

That was so twisted, even for a demon.

The fallen zombies barely settled upon the disturbed ground before more zombies revealed themselves. And with them, masks. War masks. Held in place by an unseen magical force.

“Damn,” Fuji suddenly uttered as he tightened his arm around Yeyasu’s waist, nonchalantly taking a step back to avoid the flailing of a zombie.

“What?” Yeyasu asked, confused as the horde, though numerous, wasn’t a major threat to someone like Fuji.

Fuji sent him a pointed look, his brow furrowed in mild annoyance, once again carelessly taking out a nearby zombie. “Have you lost weight? You’re skinnier than before.”

Yeyasu spluttered and felt himself flush with indignation. “Wh-what? I’ve always been slender and delicate, ok?!”

Fuji snorted as he delivered a kick to the hollow chest of a masked enemy. “Not this scrawny, Princess Brittlebones.”

“Why do you always come up with the worse nicknames for me?” Yeyasu groaned in frustration.

Shogun Stupid and now Princess Brittlebones? What’s next? Couldn’t he at least think of a somewhat patronizing nickname that insinuates how cool he really was?

Yeyasu instinctively pressed himself further against Fuji’s chest with a wince as a zombie reared from Fuji’s left. Only to receive an attack from the demonic blade, immediately dropping it. Yet, more zombies appeared, unfurling from the upturned soil like rotten and deranged daisies.

It was…strange. The masks usually instilled dread in Yeyasu. He had endured nothing but pain and terror from them. But as he clung to Fuji, watching as he nonchalantly, but with obvious annoyance, as he sliced through each mask, severing the strings, the usual fear was absent.

Another strong feeling took it’s place.

“You know, I think I’m beginning to hate these masks rather than fear them.”

That earned Yeyasu a laugh disguised as a huff from Fuji. “Good. Show that bastard you won’t be intimidated.”

And that using his people, past and present, would not go unpunished.

“Right.” Yeyasu removed his hand from Fuji’s chest, clinging to him with his right draped over his shoulders, and raised his hand out in front of them. “Let me make things a little easier! Giga Star!”

A magic circle appeared before his palm, a bright white in colour. A mere moment later, powerful magic in the form of stars manifested, several in number. Each star appeared over the horde of zombies. And pressed them into the ground, the heavy gravity of the attack keeping them pinned. And prevented them from moving.

A smirk appeared on Fuji’s lips as he slid his right forward. “Not bad!” he said as he quickly dispatched their enemies with a single slice of the demonic sword.

As broken masks littered the ground, covering the soil and the headstones, Yeyasu could not help but frown. Thankfully, Fuji, with Suisen and Ao, were being considerate of the graves. Aiming only for the masks, each attack purposeful and précised.

He was thankful that Higan was not with them. Who knows what kind of damage that battle-mad woman would do.

Yeyasu unleashed a few more star attacks, close to him and Fuji, and others toward his brother and daughter to aid them, too. They were purposely keeping him away from danger, dispatching any mask that got too close promptly. Yet, he still couldn’t help but frown.

“Jigme is awfully quiet today,” Yeyasu murmured as he pressed his hand against Fuji taut chest once more.

“He’s probably just fuming that he can’t separate us again,” Fuji replied.

That sounded plausible, yet Yeyasu knew that Jigme had to be plotting something. There…didn’t appear to be any point to these zombies. And a troubling thought suddenly concerned him. “Do…you think this is a distraction for something else?”

The wrinkle in Fuji’s brow furrowed further and his jaw tightened. “…In that case, let’s end this bullshit now! Blazing Stampede!”

Yeyasu closed his eyes and unconsciously pressed himself further against Fuji’s chest, an attempt to prevent himself unintentionally interrupting Fuji’s attack. The last thing he wanted to do was to interfere or even distract Fuji in the midst of battle.

The flames of Fuji’s attack were surprisingly comforting, peaking intensely before slowly waned, the searing heat turning to a subtle warmth. A sure sign that the attack had been unleashed, completely and successfully.

And that made Yeyasu breathe a sigh of relief.

He opened his eyes and idly inspected his surroundings. Zombies littered the grounds, like some horrifying carpet. With them, however, were masks. Sliced in half, others obliterated into pieces. All of them broken beyond repair.

Better yet, no more zombies appeared to replace them.

And the cemetery itself was in a relatively good state. Only a few scratches and black soot smears on the headstones.

Still, it was…a strange battle.

A slight stirring of movement from the piles of corpses caused Yeyasu to wince and pushed himself firmly against Fuji’s chest in the quest for more protection. Something he needed when a mask, with a large chunk of it missing, lifted into the air. Nothing accompanying it. No zombie. No cloak.

Just a mask, with its left eye missing, floating midair.

“Attacking your own people, I see,” Jigme’s voice echoed from the battered war mask.

Fuji uttered a low growl as he tightened his arm around Yeyasu’s waist, holding him closer. Purposely positioning himself before the mask. “Oh, you’re a chatterbox now, huh? What other bullshit are you going to vomit out?”

“Zombies,” Jigme began. Despite being only a wooden mask, Yeyasu felt an intense stare directed toward him. “Some of them possess a deep-seated need for revenge. I was simply giving them that chance.”

Yeyasu stilled. “To attack me?”

The malice from the mask intensified. “As I said, I’m doing them a favour.”

“Bullshit!” Fuji suddenly lashed out with Kanzan Musashi, slicing the mask in half. It dropped to the ground with a muted thud and remained silent and still.

Despite the threat being dealt with, with the battle finally over, Fuji remained enraged.

“Argh, that damn bastard pisses me off! Come out and fight me already, you coward!”

Yeyasu couldn’t help but smile as Fuji flailed the demonic sword in a truly irritated stance. “He would never do that. He knows you would just beat the tar out of him.”

That seemed to calm Fuji down somewhat, but he still muttered a few colourful threats under his breath. After a moment, he finally sighed and unfurled his arm around Yeyasu’s waist, allowing him to place his feet back onto the ground.

And for Yeyasu to feel a sudden feeling of…disappointment. Not to mention a strange sense of coldness. Emptiness, even. Something that grew more noticeable as Yeyasu himself took a step back, putting a reasonable and expected distance between them.

Did the temperature suddenly drop? He felt so cold.

“Ao, Suisen, you two ok?” Fuji called out, promptly pulling Yeyasu back to the reality of their situation.

“Ao’s fine, Dad,” Ao immediately replied.

“Yes.” Suisen’s answer promptly followed, the two joining them quickly. Suisen, however, frowned as he trailed his mechanical fingertips long his horn. “It seemed that the masks today weren’t as…intense as previous battles.”

Yeyasu wasn’t surprised that Suisen noticed. Despite the disturbance of the graves, Jigme almost seemed…hesitant to battle within the cemetery. Why? It wasn’t out of respect, surely.

His gaze suddenly drifted toward the corpses that littered the ground and a tightened of regret and guilt appeared in his chest. A literal pile of bodies. Pulled from their graves and used as mindless little puppets. All because of Jigme.

All because of him.

“Ao will search for any more.”

“I will do a patrol, too. There’s something I wish to inspect.”

“Right,” came Fuji’s voice as he regarded the two younger appearing demons, “we’ll wait here.”

Yeyasu forced himself to remove his gaze from the chaos around them and watched passively as his brother and daughter walked away, each one taking a different path as the focused on their own goals.

As he watched them, guilt swamped him again.

That battle…wasn’t difficult. Barely caused the two any trouble. Barely broke a sweat. But maybe, next time…

“Don’t listen to that bastard, Yeyasu,” Fuji practically ordered, his firm voice immediately pulling Yeyasu from his thoughts. “You know by now he’s just trying to mess with you.”

Yeyasu turned his gaze toward the dragon and gave him a slight half smile. “Yeah, I know. Kinda. But…I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the dead hold grudges against me. Heck, I probably got countless assassins out there. Waiting for their chance.”

And he wouldn’t blame them.

Yeyasu slowly shifted his gaze to his right. Where his family’s altar stood within sight. Untouched, far from the battlefield. But he still looked for any damage. Any disturbance. For another realisation horrified him.

“If my father became a zombie, one controlled by Jigme, I don’t think I’d be able to battle against him.” He turned back toward Fuji. “How did you battle against your own dad?”

“Easily. I hated the bastard.”

A quiet laugh escaped Yeyasu’s lips before he had the chance to reconsider. Fuji was so firm, yet nonchalant with his answer. No hesitation whatsoever. “Yeah, I guess so.” That smile quickly disappeared as his thoughts drifted toward his beloved father once more. “But, you know, I love my father very much. I still miss him.”

“Yeyasu…” Fuji looked unfairly guilty and apologetic, the emotions obvious on his usually confident face. “I’m sorry.”

Despite the tears that stung his eyes, Yeyasu shook his head. “No. Nothing is your fault.”

No fault rested on Fuji’s shoulders. He may have suffered the most out of them all. No, he had suffered the most. Yeyasu may have found a way to push back the Empathy Killer curse with tonics and potions, but Fuji still suffered from it.

And that wasn’t fair.

His father would agree.

“You know,” Yeyasu began, slowly, almost cautiously, “I’m glad that Ao wants me as her mom. It’s given me the chance to do the same things that my father did with me. It hurts, sometimes. Not being able to share everything with him. But by being Ao’s mom…it makes me happy.”

A…second chance of sorts. But was he…allowed such happiness? After everything that happened?

Yeyasu peered at Fuji, his voice unexpectedly shy, startling even him. “Is that ok?”

Fuji’s eyes…softened. Warmly. No irritation. No wrinkle in the corners of his eyes to signify anything negative. His gaze was tender, in a way.

“Yeah,” he said as his hand sought his, his rough and battle-hardened hand also gentle, considerate of his own. “It’s fine.”

Yeyasu’s heart fluttered. Just like he imagined would happen whenever he encountered such a phrase in his readings. It brought tears to his eyes once more and he curled his fingers around Fuji’s. “Ah, I’m relieved.”

A happy little family. Despite all the trouble and chaos.

“Dad, Mom, Ao found something.”

Their daughter’s voice seemed to jar the both of them of the strange revere they were isolated in. Simultaneously, the turned to regard the young appearing demon that stood before them. Ao did not appear happy, however. A slight wrinkle in her brow indicated that she was concerned. Or, perhaps, she was confused.

“What you got?” Fuji kept his hand around his, unexpectedly, even as he retrieved the parchment from Ao. He glanced at it for a moment before he frowned. “Damn it, I can’t read it.”

Yeyasu stepped closer unconsciously, his own gaze focused upon the note. “Let me see.”

He had to admit he was surprised to find ancient Jōdai Nihon-go written hastily across the frail parchment. A piece of paper that appeared ripped from a book of some kind.

But it was the words that caused a strange feeling to wash over him – confusion and intrigue, yet also concern.

“’Blood of the Undead’,” he murmured as he translated the words. “Needed for Occult Vessels? What does that mean?”

“Nothing good, obviously,” Fuji replied, his hand seemingly unconsciously tightening around his. “Maybe it means the zombies?”

Yeyasu stared at the parchment. It was Jigme. That had to be his writings. He could read and write Jōdai Nihon-go, too. And that…was concerning. He wasn’t sure why, but it bothered him greatly.

“Blood of the Undead. He…must be testing a few things.”