Genbu spun in the water, looking around frantically for Masahiro. Being a water shinshou, he had no trouble maneuvering in the water. The current around him moved to his will, becoming his shield and spear.
Where was Masahiro?
He didn"t need to worry about Kouchin and Rikugou, they were shinshou after all and a strike like this should leave them none the worse for wear. He focused for a moment before extending his awareness beyond himself, letting it travel with the current. With the water itself as his hands, he reached forth, feeling around the muddy bottom and its many nooks and crannies, looking for the small form of the boy. He thought he had chanced upon something when abruptly, the water under his control swirled unnaturally. Baffled for a moment at the sudden disturbance, he realized with a start that the water had become warm, the strange currents intermingled with the aura of rage. He winced as in seconds, the warmth of the water crescendoed into boiling hot, bubbling with furiously with the scent of youkai.
"Touda !"
He knew that the monster fed on humans, Masahiro couldn"t be far away then.
Genbu twisted in the water, darting forth with an agility that only he possessed. It wasnt long before he broke through the impenetrable darkness of the muddy water, tumbling to a sudden stop before the limp from of Masahiro, as Touda faced off with the monster off to the side.
Momentarily stunned by the scene before him, he found his voice and shouted Masahiro"s name, his voice distorted by the churning current.
This was bad, Masahiro was unresponsive, his limp body rolled loosely with the water, anch.o.r.ed to the muddy bottom by seaweed and debris. He clearly wasn"t breathing and in the darkness of the water, his face was a pallid blue. This was terrible. A chill pa.s.sed through him as Genbu realized that Masahiro might die........ no.... he would probably die.
Genbu looked around in panic. The monster was wholly focused on Touda, who crouched before him, covered in flames that made the water sizzle and bubble on contact.
Now was his chance. He took hold of Masahiro"s limp form, pulling him free of the debris and seaweed entangled in his clothes. His frantic hands were just pulling off the last strands of seaweed when he realized that something was wrong. His awareness through the water p.r.i.c.kled and stung as he looked up frantically in time to see Touda seemingly double over in pain, as he became enveloped in a pillar of flames that lashed outward with alarming speed.
Genbu"s gasp of horror was cut short as the explosion met him full force.
For a horrible moment, he had felt as though he would be torn apart, the current sharpened by the explosion would tear him limb to limb until there was nothing left.
A hail of sand and pebbles in his face brought him to his sense as he found himself adrift, himself reeling outward on the current with the sand and rocks.
"NO!!!" Genbu felt through the darkness.... he couldnt have lost Masahiro.
But no, relief washed through Genbu as he reached toward the familiar aura and grasped waterlogged fabric.
He wasted no time as he locked his arms over Masahiro"s chest and shot for the surface. They broke surface of the water with a splash, and Genbu focused, and gritting his teeth, pushed at the water with all his strength to create a barrier, a round patch of calm in the expanse of wildly churning sea.
The barrier was completed none too soon as Touda"s pillar of fire roared to the surface, turning the surrounding water to steam as the crimson flames licked at the sky, becoming one with the last violet clouds of twilight.
Genbu winced, even within the barrier, with the distance of the ocean between them, he could feel the heat singing at his hair and eyebrows. Touda"s flames seemed to scorch the sky itself, and even with the his barrier, the water around them heated up at an alarming rate. This wont do. At this rate, the barrier wont hold and Genbu shuddered to think what would happen should they be hit with Touda"s flames.
Genbu gritted his teeth as he came to a decision, taking hold of Masahiro, he darted for sh.o.r.e with all his strength. Masahiro"s safety was his top priority, all else mattered little now.
Genbu was a shinshou of the water, but never before had he appreciate so much, the feel of land beneath his feet as he laid Masahiro on the sh.o.r.e.
The impact of the previous explosion had caused Masahiro to choke up some water, be he remained unresponsive, his face a bloodless grayish blue.
Genbu prodded him in panic, unsure of what to do, when a shadow rose from the water behind him, and he turned to see the sodden form of Rikugou rise from the surface.
"Rikugou !"
Rikugou peeled the wet hair from his face before turning to look at the pillar of fire on the horizon that linked the sea and the sky. Behind him the sea still churned with unearthly rage. He had found himself fortunate enough to be bypa.s.sed by the flames. He wasn"t sure if he would have survived had he been caught. Touda"s seal had been broken, unleashing his full strength power that even he himself was hard pressed to contain. Unsealed, he was the strongest, most aggressive of the shinshou, none of the others even came close to his power. His was a power that few could even dream of, h.e.l.lish flames that would incinerate anything and everything in its path, unchecked and inextinguishable, swallowing everything in its path to expand endlessly with Touda at its center. The ability to turn entire civilizations into expanses of scorched earth was beyond the imagination for most, but that was Touda"s reality.
Rikugou and Genbu both turned their eyes from the ocean as Taiin and Narachika appeared at the edge of what remained of the sand bar, their gaze locked in horror on the pillar of fire in the distance.
"Did you catch the last monster? " Genbu asked.
Taiin couldn"t peel her eyes away from the horizon and simple nodded numbly..."um...yeah......... yeah........ what is that? "
"IS THAT TOUDA !?!" Narachika choked out in horror as Rikugou and Genbu solemnly nodded in response.
The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, yet the pillar of fire stained the sky a b.l.o.o.d.y crimson, burning brighter than the sun ever did.
Gou Ookami had a sudden realization of horror that he had perhaps bit off more than he could chew before the fire engulfed him, turning his long dark for to ash in seconds before his now denuded body was enshrouded in the flames of h.e.l.l. His mind reeled with the possibilities. Where had he gone wrong? His manipulation of souls and memories had never in the past elicited a response such as this. But he had no time to complete the thought as his flesh peeled away from his bones, his claws, hands, and limbs falling away to ash until there was nothing left. And the flames shot past the place he stood seconds ago, as if he had just been another blade of gra.s.s before their relentless advance.
The flames continued to burn, turning the water to steam as it expanded in a wide circle around Touda"s crouching form. His mind spun with endless shards of memories and concepts, as the world outside himself seem to fade away. So absorbed was he that he hadn"t even felt her touch.
Kouchin gritted her teeth and pressed forth into the flames, taking Touda"s trembling form into her arms. She was a shinshou, but even her own barrier did little to protect her against his flames, and she desperately fought against the pain as the flames lashed and cut into her flesh. Her own power was only comparable to that of Touda"s when he was sealed, without the seal in place, her power, like that of the other shinshou did not even coming close. The monster was dead, but Touda"s flames showed no sign of stopping, but burned with greater ferocity with every inch gained.
"Touda!!"
In her mind, Kouchin could still hear his screams when so many years ago, he had unwittingly brought harm upon Seimei. He had confided in Kouchin then, "If..... If... this ever happens again..... please PLEASE.... stop me.... even if you must kill me...... please stop me....."
But Kouchin lacked Suzaku"s ability to kill other shinshou, but there was something else she could try.
The flames had sliced into her body as she first dove fearlessly into their path, the lashing flames opening long b.l.o.o.d.y cuts across her face, on her forehead, her arms, hands and shoulders. She smiled sadly, "So this is your power Touda? To ruin the looks of beautiful women? You know that comes at a terrible price right?"
She placed her hands against her barrier as Touda"s plea once again rang in her ears. Kouchin squeezed her eyes shut, hesitating, denying with her life, the feelings she had for him. Touda had once said to her, that if he could not be stopped, then he should be killed.
"But even then...."
Seimei had said that under no circ.u.mstances, should Touda be killed. Masahiro too, would wish that he not be harmed. He had once said that it was useless to recall and dwell on painful memories.
"But there are somethings that should be remembered no matter how painful they are, that should not be forgotten even if it tears your heart to pieces. The last thirteen years changed you, but your heart remains cold becasue you do not remember this. That child too, lives with the wounds in his heart that he hides from the world. Seimei would be so disappointed in you, if he saw you now. If possible, I still wish to avoid taking up arms against you............"
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Within the cacophony, the child"s voice called to him, a shrill desperate cry.
Where?............ Where are you?.......... I had promised to stay by your side.......... I had promised....... I had promised that........ that I would stay by your side no matter what, even if it tore me apart.......... Where was the child now?........The child....... No...... I knew his name........ I could never forget his eyes..........filled with strength and determination...... his smile.... the one that had the power to put anyone at ease..........His life, his energy, and the eagerness with which he undertook any task.
He had a name for me....... one that only he used..........
........Mokkun..........
.....that"s right.......
.......................
Touda slowly opened his eyes...... the golden light returning in his gaze, growing stronger with every beat of his heart......
.....The child"s name........
.... Masahiro.......