"It's been quite a while, douchebag."
Even before her young soft voice reached my ears, I had already drawn my attention to the girl approaching the table in the cafe we were supposed to meet.
I stared at her from bottom up. The white sneakers followed by her smooth legs, strong thighs, jeans shorts, perfect abdomen and a white cropped tank top with thin straps. At the top, an angelic feature owner of a pair of dark blue eyes only lighter than the girl's black hair. On her head, her famous gray beanie.
She liked to wear gloves unnecessarily, but this time her hands were bare. They were tucked in the back pockets of her shorts while the hybrid stared at me.
"What's up... Yuna."
At my greeting the girl lowered her shoulders. She took her hands out of the pockets and put them on her waist. Her expression was of disappointment.
"I'm disappointed." See? I got it right. "You are the worst pedophile who ever set foot in this country."
She didn't lower her voice to make that dangerous observation. Automatically, everyone in the coffee shop discreetly looked at me, probably expecting some feedback to confirm Yuna's words. And of course, Your Humble Narrator is not that kind of guy. Even though Yuna was annoyingly attractive, she was only sixteen at the time. It was difficult to walk around with the girl in public places without being judged by others, especially meeting with her at almost ten o'clock at night.
"I-I'm not a pedophile and I'm only eighteen…"
"Hmm, lying the age, you douchebag."
"What?! I'm not lying. Watch my young feature…"
"I bet you use your youthful appearance to trick younger girls, don't you?"
"No! I'm a saint!"
"Yeah, right." Her hands went from the waist to the table. She leaned forward, blocking almost all my sight. In that posture, from that angle, it was hard to ignore...
"The only pair you need to look at while I talk to you is on my face and they're blue."
I swallowed, but gazed at her pair of sapphires inches from me. Even with mischievous gleam in the eyes of a teenager enjoying my wildest desires, those eyes were incredibly seductive. It was the easiest and safest way to realize Yuna Nate wasn't human.
"Hmph." She leaned back, putting an end to my punishment and sat down on the other side of the table. She stretched her arms out on the bench and crossed her legs. The satisfaction expression on her face was undeniable.
"I hate you," I murmured.
"Well, now that I've tortured you, you little perv, you can tell me what you have to."
Ignoring all the gazes silently judging me, I settled on the upholstered bench, put my elbows on the table and being as professional as possible, I started talking:
"We located the youkai who saved your mother at the intersection that night."
As if in response to the sudden information the hanyou had to swallow, the girl's aspect became serious, totally changed.
On the mission where I met Yuna I also met her mother. My mission wasn't about the two of them, my target was only Oni. However, things got crazy. When I realized, I was already involved in that family business.
During my mission, Yuki-onna saved Oni from Mythpool's cage, forcing us to chase them around the streets of Tokyo, until Yuna showed up to settle her troubles with her mother. What happened next was the Snow Woman and her partner trapped by Mythpool and the current Youkai Slayer. With no way out besides fighting, a man suddenly appeared in a teleportation and in the blink of an eye he vanished with them both.
Yuna didn't know who it was. I didn't know who he was. Nobody knew who he was.
As time went by, after coming back from my suspension and being promoted, along with my partner Suny, we started to deeply investigate, until, the night before meeting with the hanyou…
"Mythpool! Hands where I can see!"
The sound of my cry came out right after the sound of the door being broken by Suny McSun, previously known just as agent 2k9. I kind of had a 'sincere friendship' with her when I was in training. Nothing serious. Although she's very beautiful with all her oriental features and on her fair skin, short dark hair as well as her eyes, we wouldn't work out. In my head that was it.
But my relationship with her is not important.
Professionally speaking, of course.
As the owner of the legendary Totsuka sword, I expected Suny to freak out the youkai by breaking into his supposedly illegally rented apartment. However, the supernatural remained calm and infallible like Bruce Lee.
A man with white and spiked hair like a hedgehog. Red eyes as if someone pinned a pair of rubies on his face. At that moment he was shirtless, wearing a cook's apron and red and black boxers. In front of him there was a counter, where he masterfully sliced fruits and vegetables. He didn't stop cutting. Even after our dramatic entrance.
To be honest, he barely drew his attention to us.
"Hey! Mythpool! Didn't you hear?"
"Yes, I heard." He replied, focusing on slicing vegetables. "You guys made a lot of noise. You know this door is not mine, don't you?"
"I'd like..." Began Suny; "For you to stop cooking and notice the blade pointed at you can wipe you out of existence."
"Hmph, a little too much." Noted the youkai, still cutting vegetables. "Indeed, the Totsuka blade has an insanely magical effect, acting almost like a poison to the soul, that's true. But, let's be clear here; I was waiting for you. I know you. Suny McSun and ????. If you followed the clues correctly, you must have an idea of who I am. And most importantly, you must know you won't be able to touch me."
"So, is it really you, Tengu?"
The knife stopped moving. The vegetables were finally given a bit of benevolence.
"I... don't like the sound of that word." The youkai raised the knife in his hand, pointing it at Suny but in a harmless way. "Well, it doesn't matter." He nailed the knife into the counter and retreated from behind it. "It's not as if I stopped being something simply because of my thoughts."
"Listen, I don't know what you mean." I said, "But if you get too close, I'm gonna spread your gray matter everywhere with one of these adamantine bullets here!
"Hmph, a little too much."
"Okay, you don't seem to be hostile." My partner lowered her sword.
"Are you out of your mind, huh?" I complained.
"He left his only weapon on the counter. I'm taking the same initiative and lowering my sword. Oh, and put your little pistol down. That was kind of an order, so…"
"What? But..." I didn't want to start an argument; I lowered my gun.
As everyone made a supposed peace deal, Suny took a step further.
"I expect not to waste too much time, so I'm interrogating you right here."
"Feel free. Just don't overdo it."
"All right. First of all, were you really the one who saved Yuki-onna and Oni from Mythpool on winter break?"
"Yes, me. But I hoped it was…"
"Why?"
"Hmm... professionalism. No, that's not the word. What I mean is that co-workers help each other."
"What kind of work?"
"It's complicated answering that. We have different positions. Yuki-onna was just a helpful employee. Oni is more like a partner."
"If he's a partner, I can say you're not a member of Yakuza."
"Pff, of course not. Get involved with humans? It's worthless. Humans are complex... I admire them a lot... but I know how to split the chaff from the wheat. Youkais and humans live in different worlds, if you know what I mean."
"I know... but if you're not in Yakuza, who do you work for?"
"I work for myself, but I'm not my boss."
"And who is your boss?"
"A woman... much more beautiful than you."
"I imagine she's the reason for the calluses on your hand." Suny wasn't the type to lay low. "I only work with names."
"She doesn't have one. Youkais have no name. You're the ones who give us these nicknames. Perhaps rephrasing the question…"
"Who do you work with?" I asked.
The man's red eyes darted to me. He smiled with the corner of his mouth.
"I work with some youkais."
"How many?" I ended up taking the interrogation's reins.
"There were six of us. There were eight of us too."
"How many currently?"
"Hmm, today there are only three of us. We now value quality over quantity."
"And... what do you want? What's your goal?"
"Well, I really waited for you here to tell us about our evil plan." He was clearly sarcastic. He leaned his waist against the counter and rested his hands over the wood. "Although, you just brought me my goal."
Slightly, my partner's hand holding the Totsuka sword pressed more firmly the hilt of the legendary blade. And, if Your Humble Narrator realized that, Tengu…
"Who knew, huh?"
Suddenly, perhaps faster than the light, the youkai popped up behind Suny on a teleporter. Gently, his hand touched my partner's shoulder. In the next moment she reacted by turning her body around and moving her arm with the Katana. At the same time, in one of the quickest reactions I can remember, I caught my adamantine pistol, placing the man in the crosshairs. The trigger was pulled precisely as I did my thing. Even for someone who can jump in space-time, a shot from that distance... was completely harmless.
What happened next was magical. Something quite ordinary when it comes to supernatural creatures. Basically, the knife stuck in the counter just emerged in mid-air between my projectile and Tengu. Considering the material of the object in question, my shot would go through the knife blade and kill the youkai anyway. But what I was counting on the fact the knife was a common kitchen utensil, at most made of steel. And that prior judgment didn't get me ready when my bullet hit and stuck on the knife's blade.
On the other side of this battle between projectile and blade, my partner was unable to wound Tengu with her sacred sword. The youkai, with his superhuman reflexes took a quick step back, making Suny's blade just leave a cut on his apron and in void.
She got ready for the second blow. I got ready for the second shot. However, Tengu teleported back to his previous spot. Leaning on the counter, his hands resting on the wood, the youkai smiled at us.
It was all very fast. Insanely fast.
"Who knew," He began, "That the receptacle for the Magatama jewel would be someone with such smooth skin. Maybe you're the reason for the calluses on my hand."
"Tsc," My partner took a combat posture with her Katana and squinted at the youkai. "If what you want is the jewel, don't miss the opportunity."
"Hmph, a little too much. If we were after the Magatama we would've already pulled out of that white belly of yours. The truth is we gave up on Magatama. For us, it's not useful."
"So," I began, "Whatever it is, it's a collective ideal?"
"Yeah, let's say…"
The oven sound interrupted the youkai. Dinner was ready. He watched over his shoulder, not worrying at all about having his guard down. Suddenly, Tengu emerged in front of the oven. He opened it and with his bare hand took what was being cooked. As taking it off, the image was recorded in our minds.
The real apartment owner's cooked head was hanging from the youkai's fingers. I don't know Suny, but my stomach flipped when he raised the raw skull like a waiter raises his tray.
"Would you like to try it?" He smiled, unbelievably inviting.
At that attitude, Suny clenched her teeth in fury. I barely had time to say anything to try to stop her. My partner launched herself at the youkai, jumping over the counter with her surreal agility. The legendary blade was already beginning to divide the oxygen particles, initiating a blow that would surely decapitate the Tengu. However, as expected...
"He ran away," said Yuna. "He snuck out."
"Exactly."
Upon hearing the facts, the Youkai Slayer leaned her head back, pointing her sapphire eyes to the roof of the cafeteria. She seemed to be lost in daydreams. And if I had a camera at that moment, I could have recorded a video to make a compilation in the future, called: What's up with Yuna Nate.
"Half a million yen."
"What?"
The hanyou quit contemplating the ceiling and drew her attention to me.
"That's what you heard, douchebag. Half a million yen and I'll help you with that."
"Wait, will you charge for it?!"
"Uh, of course. I don't rub someone's face on the asphalt for free. Unless I'm on a mission, which is also paid for."
"But I didn't ask you to kill anyone."
"It was very good to see you again, douchebag." Yuna stood up and put her hands in her pockets. "Good luck with the cure for cancer and the missiles in Cuba…"
"Wait, wait, wait! Let's negotiate."
"We have nothing to negotiate, pedophile. If you don't need me to kill anyone, you don't need me at all."
"But I need you. Suny and I couldn't handle a single youkai, imagine three."
"You douchebag, you're making me confused. Do you or do you not want me to kill someone?"
"You don't have to kill them. We are going to arrest them."
"It's not a matter of need, it's a matter of wanting. And just arresting them is no use. Don't you remember what my mom did?"
"Yes, true… but... hey, if you want to kill them, why are you charging for it?"
"That's simple. I will kill them anyway, sooner or later. If someone needs me to do my job sooner, I need to be paid with interest. And it's not like I'm a genocide... I mean, it is, but... it's complicated." She sat back on the upholstered bench.
"Listen, Yuna, killing them is only a last resort. If it's really necessary. Especially because the mission is to find out what they want and prevent them from achieving it."
"And you already have something in mind? Do you have any idea what they might be searching for?"
"Well, I have a theory."
"Spit it out."
"I wonder if they want the Kagami shield."
"Kagami...?"
"Yes, this one. Considering what Tengu said about the Magatama jewel, it's very likely they are after another of the Three Imperial Treasures. That is, the Kagami shield".
"And why not the Kusanagi blade?"
"Well... according to Mythpool files, the real Kusanagi was stolen by a demigod who disappeared. Clearly, it's not something exposed to the public. The Kusanagi replica is still in the palace. But the truth is the sword is still missing and they might be very aware of that. Especially if you consider the youkai had an adamantine knife. You can't do that at any convenience store, so he must have contacts in the underworld."
"Yeah... it makes sense. But, why do they want the shield?"
"Perhaps it's a source of magic like the Magatama jewel."
"Hmm, I don't know. It seems to me very little. I remember I studied about the treasures at AAA, but it's not clear to me. Anyway, it's not my mission. And if you don't pay the seven hundred thousand…"
"What?! Did you increase the price?!
"Of course, douchebag. Now the Kagami shield is involved, I had to raise the price."
"Your mercenary."
"Not at all, that is just in your head" She smiled.
"Tsc... I can see there's no way..." My cell phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Suny.
"3k1, can you hear me?"
"Yeah, yes... what happened?"
"Didn't you say you were going to meet that girl?"
"But I have her here, right in front of me…"
"Don't lie, ????! The hanyou is making a mess on a golf course!"
"Golf course?"
"Yes, the one next to the bridge!"
"But how...? Okay, I'm going there."
+++
Well, there's this theory that in the whole world there are two or three people who are exactly like you. Extremely similar. Practically the same. I don't know if this is exactly the hypothesis. In fact, I barely know if this theory really exists. It seems to be just something I read online and took as a very well-grounded and argued theory. However, as a Mythpool agent, I affirm the existence of Doppelgangers, the supernatural duplicates that show up around and end up burning your name.
At that golf course near Dragon Bridge, the case was practically about a Doppelganger. But it was not a Doppelganger. I didn't know exactly what it was about, but standing on that lawn was a perfectly identical girl to Yuna. Every surgical trace of the hanyou's body was feet ahead of us.
First, as soon as we arrived, I noticed the golf course was the same one where Yuna beat her mother up, Yuki-onna. A few months passed and of course Mythpool cleaned it up alright, so I was not surprised to find no trace of the battle between mother and daughter.
What I also realized was that Suny lied, or exaggerated things a lot. Nothing was happening on the golf course. In addition to a girl identical to Yuna standing on the lawn, there was no sign of uproar in that place. It was calm and peaceful like a golf course should be at eleven thirty at night.
Except for our presence, that place was a peace and quiet spot in the middle of one of the most bustling metropolises in the world.
"Tsc."
"Yeah... she resembles exactly like you…"
"Tsc."
The Youkai Slayer clenched her fists at my side. Her features were darkly oozing anger. She was possessed and didn't take her eyes off her clone. Of course, it's not like Yuna has a fragile expression, in general. She had very feminine and attractive features, but most of the time she was intimidating. Even with her youthful beauty, she was naturally intimidating.
Your Humble Narrator has already witnessed the hanyou's expression of disgust and repulse, so I confess I didn't expect to see a similar gaze coming from her, in front of her clone. The last time I saw that expression the girl was in the presence of Snow Woman.
"Tsc... I didn't imagine it was serious."
A couple feet ahead of us, the other Yuna, the duplicate, was dressed differently from the real one. She wore a long red basketball jersey covering half her thighs and white mid-high sneakers. The gray beanie on her head was the same.
Besides her clothes, which also set her apart from the real Yuna were her eyes. Like the hanyou's they were dark blue, but you didn't see the sparkle and beauty as in a pair of sapphires. It was like comparing original jewelry with replicas.
"Tsc. I thought the 'Jedi in spare time' was just jealous and wanted to keep you from me."
"Suny? Jealous... of you?"
"And which woman wouldn't? I know that between me and her you would choose me."
"Don't you think you're being a little self-confident?"
"I'm just being realistic."
Yuna said all those things gritting her teeth in anger. She couldn't take her eyes off her clone, which was still standing at the same spot, also glancing at the Youkai Slayer.
Finally, Yuna took a step forward. Then another, and another and another.
"Hey, you charlatan, I'm gonna be straight with you! I don't like people walking around this city with my face on them! Since you don't seem to have done anything to give me a headache…"
"Oh, I sure did." The clone replied. Even the voice was the same. It was an almost perfect cloning. "If you need an excuse to kill me, you should know I've done things against you that you'll never know."
"Well, in that case," The hanyou stretched out her hand towards her duplicate and...
"You should know you can't freeze me, Youkai Slayer."
I swallowed. Did that clone have the same powers as Yuna? Although it was likely to be true in the case of a copy I couldn't believe it, even though I was witnessing the failure in Yuna's attempt to freeze.
If the clone had the same powers in the same magnitude, that golf course officially became the most dangerous place in the city for a mere Mythpool agent.
But the hanyou reacted to that situation very peacefully. She'd already been through a similar situation against her mother. Technically, she knew how to act. However, that time Yuna was wearing a mystical basketball jersey that turned into a crimson spear. This time, she barely had any clothes to take off. Still, she remained calm.
"You douchebag…"
"What?" At first, I thought she was talking to me, but she was addressing her clone.
"It's not the ice you're immune to," She smiled. "And you don't have the same powers as me. After all, you're not even a clone of mine."
"What?" I was confused.
"Even if you resemble me, impostor, you don't have my mother's genes, so you could never have the same powers as me. The only reason I'm unable to freeze you is the oxygen molecules in your body are coated with an energy much like human chi, but denser."
I don't know if it was a scientific or mythical explanation. I don't know if scientific laws apply to Yuna. Sometimes I wonder if even the mystical arts laws apply to her. The important thing is she deciphered her enemy in her first move. The next step was...
"To test her strength," said the hanyou. "I don't know who you are, but it's time for me to test your strength."
Yuna said that passively. It was like a nurse saying to a child 'it won't hurt at all giving you an injection.'
With all that, the clone remained placid. She stood steady like a mountain.
So, the Youkai Slayer got ready. An ice spear emerged in her right hand along with a drifted polar breath blow. She spun the icy weapon in her hand, moving her body to take a somewhat eccentric combat stance. The right leg a little further, the left a little further back. With the ice rod being held at the blade's opposite end, Yuna placed her weapon behind her head making it lie on her left arm stretched diagonally with her open hand, as if it were a slide. In that position, she resembles an arrogant snooker player who decided to show boldness and joy in one of her strokes. However, it was undeniably cool.
The posture, although eccentric, was of elegance and mastery.
The slightly puffed chest protruded her breasts. The stretched-out abdomen emphasized her doll silhouette. Just as her stunned steps outlined her high school strong legs. And it's not like I'm trying to sexualize the girl's combat pose. That image before me should be carved out of marble, like a statue of a goddess. An ice goddess.
As for the copy she remained at ease, even facing that pair of dark blue eyes shining with excitement in any battle, whether on a golf course or on the sordid plains of the underworld.
"So, what's gonna be?" This used to be Youkai Slayer's last warning to her victims.
"Do your worst, freak…"
Those words had barely reached Yuna's ear channel when she moved. And in that sudden movement her clone showed a small reaction. Perhaps the hanyou's accelerating force which exceeded sound speed, crashed that duplicate's expectations. Whereas mine dropped from my chin. Not considering Yuna's supersonic sprint but because the track she took towards her target.
It was an arched run.
She darted down the right flank, drawing an arc on the lawn to her clone. This trail allowed me to identify the girl's route, since I miss her walking on it. It was too fast for my eyes to follow. When I realized, Yuna was already striking diagonally with her spear, as if she had pulled a sword from her back. The movement was dry, even though it was a spear, however, probably due to the poor balance of that type of weapon, the blow didn't have the proper strength to destroy the ribs of her clone. But the cut appeared to beed very deep and painful.
Certainly, even without the right grip, the wound would've been much worse if the clone hadn't jumped to her side in an attempt to dodge it. The duplicate didn't stagger when her feet touched the ground. She firmly landed, as if she hadn't been bruised. However, she didn't stop facing down quickly to check her wound's condition.
Yuna pulled her right arm back and caught with her left hand a spot closer to the tip of her icy spear, thus gripping her weapon in the best way taking the classic position of a real lancer.
In response the duplicate also raised a spear in her hand, which seemed to be made of shadows. As if her appearance wasn't enough, she also copied the Youkai Slayer's combat position.
"I accept your challenge."
"It's not like I need your approval."
With that, the copy and the original launched into a one-on-one duel with their spears. The following combat movements were faster than the hummingbird's wings flapping. For my mortal eyes, even the shapes the shafts drew in motion were hard to follow. However, I've seen Yuna move faster. There was no riddle to say the hanyou was holding on.
Something that didn't last long.
It was a few seconds before the girl disarmed her clone, hitting her opponent's spear with her own. The copy's weapon, which was thrown aside and stuck in the lawn, began to evaporate in a strange black smoke. It was something Yuna didn't notice. She was focused on her next move, chained to the disarm, the Youkai Slayer crossed her duplicate's solar plexus, suddenly increasing her strike speed to surprise her clone and prevent her from getting away as before.
Now the duplicate was impaled on Yuna Nate's icy stem.
"You are the most shameless copy I've ever seen," Said the hanyou.
At the blow, the clone didn't react painfully or miserably.
There was also no blood running down the wound or wetting the ice spear. That's pretty much what Yuna tried to say. That copy wasn't a clone, but a disguise. A mirage.
"So, are you going to reveal who you are?" Asked the girl.
Exercising her right to remain silent, the duplicate didn't answer, or perhaps, what happened moments later was one. The spear wielded by Yuna going through her clone's body began to be taken by darkness. It was as if bathed in oil, painted by shadows. And that gloom ran down the shaft in the direction of hanyou's fingers, who instinctively dropped her ice gun and took a step back.
After the spear was completely engulfed in darkness, as well as the weapon the clone wielded earlier, she began to fall apart in an obscure steam.
On the clone's skin there was no more injury. Both the ribs wound and the solar plexus' crack were regenerated, although neither I nor Yuna noticed the moment when it happened. It just showed we didn't know the opponent on that golf course so well.
In the end…
"Who are you?" Yuna snarled, showing herself more impatient than she already was.
"Don't you see? I'm Yuna…"
"Oh, you…"
The hanyou clenched her fists ready to beat the shit out of her clone. But between thought and action of the Youkai Slayer, something came up in a smoky shape next to her duplicate.
Not something, no. Somebody.
Someone with ruby-red eyes and white hair like moonbeams. Shirtless, wearing black sweatpants and a silver chain around his neck.
I've seen that man.
The night before in a fancy apartment.
He pulled a woman's head from the oven. There was no way to forget that.
What I didn't know was...
"Good evening, daughter-in-law." Tengu said to Yuna, astonishing me.
The hanyou freaked out when seeing the youkai. She appeared to be seeing a ghost. Her behavior was of someone coming across an acquaintance presumed dead. Her clenched fists ready to attack relaxed, and her fingers dropped motionless. She even took a half step back, but suddenly hesitated. As she remembered her fate as Youkai Slayer, Yuna's expression of bewilderment modified into a more determined feature.
"You...!" With grinding teeth, a dozen ice spears emerged around the hanyou, targeting the two in front of her. From that distance, even for supernatural beings it would be practically impossible to get out unscathed.
However, Tengu had his tricks.
He touched Yuna's duplicate shoulder and as if by magic, it was Your Humble Narrator who was beside the youkai. He switched my position with the hanyou clone. He teleported the duplicate over there and put me next to him.
As seeing this Yuna hesitated again, but didn't break the solid state of the water spear a dozen sharp, icy tips were aiming at us.
"A little too much," Tengu teased. "All these weapons pointed at us but you're too afraid to use them. Come on, shoot."
"Do you think I care about him?" She said, and I prayed it was a bluff.
"Of course, you don't. Aren't you the icy heart, the cold-blooded half-human?"
"I..." Yuna lowered her shoulders. The spears crumbled into snow around her. "I... I'm not like my mother."
"True... you're just my son's bitch, aren't you?" The youkai smiled to his own words.
"Tsc..." The hanyou just glanced away, expressing shame for the first time in front of me.
Yuna was offended. Tengu's words embarrassed her, almost as when her mother grabbed her beanie in Kyoto. Watching that little upset aspect, I couldn't help but feeling anger growing on me.
On the left side of my waist, I had a combat knife hidden; useful to get out of some common risk situations in my work area. I pulled it out with no discretion, moving with the intention of stabbing the youkai beside me. However, as expected, he teleported.
He popped up where I was before his dirty trick of taking me hostage. Next to Yuna's duplicate, he touched her on the shoulder and finally the two disappeared from the golf course.
Without a trace.
Then...
"Yuna…"
"I'm in."
When I drew my attention back to her, the Youkais Slayer was already staring at me with her dark blue eyes.
"How?"
"I'm gonna help you, douchebag. I will be your sword."