Chapter 2: Human heart
Ten years was a long time. Chuuya had matured into a fine adult. Now at age twenty-two, his abilities had grown beyond his expectations. With the level of his combat abilities and spiritual strengths, he was feared by hellhounds and demons who feed on human's malice and drive them insane. Kuranosuke, the divine deity of the Inari Shrine had grown attached to the Chuuya, once an innocent young child who was adored by spirits and deities.
One of Chuuya's favourite hobbies was drinking his morning coffee at his usual coffee bar few blocks away from the shrine. He was dressed in simple black coat with a plain dress shirt underneath and slacks. He donned the police military hat, in poor attempts of hiding his striking ancestry from public eyes. A youth found himself sighing for the umpteenth time. The pair were calmly enjoying their coffee. The young man had pitch-black hair and black eyes in contrast to Chuuya's golden characteristics. Since they were young, they had accompanied each other like this before classes starts in the afternoon. He enjoyed the time spent with his childhood friend, Chuuya's disguise was ridiculous.
Renjo Shuusei. He was Chuuya's childhood friend. They grew up like brothers. Shuusei was the only son of the Chief Superintendent of Yamazaki town's police force. The close connection between two best friends had restrained the wild hellhounds lurking in the shadows and taking advantage of human weaknesses. These devils are dangerous. Chuuya and Shuusei had witnessed its influence first-hand. They penetrate through your inner self and negatively influence humans, depriving them into the world of darkness.
Chuuya and Shuusei were catching up on some reading materials they have left behind. Halfway through the next chapter, the windows and lights burst into shards. High-pitched shrills and shrieks echoed. In the middle of the café, was a woman. She was lightly dressed in a one-piece sundress. Her long hair was dishevelled and was bare-footed. Chuuya and Shuusei frowned. They anticipated the next move she would do. Five seconds was all it took to erect a barrier.
"Escape quickly!" he urged the customers. Even normal humans could tell. Something was very wrong with her. The culprit of these phenomenon. The dense influence of negative energies stuck to her like a second skin.
Shuusei bit his tongue. "Tch. What a pain in the ass."
Spectators and bystanders have accumulated outside the shop. Although helpless, they were curious how two boys could subdue a monstrous situation. That woman was another victim of the darkness. There has been no cure for it. The host hungered for destruction. It rampaged, reducing the shop to debris. It was retribution. To get back at the person who turned her life upside-down.
The owner of the coffee bar was crushed under the rubble. The host had broken through Chuuya's barrier and stand before the owner. Chuuya and Shuusei were perplexed. Humans who were possessed by hellhounds do not retain their reasoning. All they have is the desire to destroy. But this human host was different. She had the sole desire to destroy this man, the owner of this shop alone.
"Dai-cchi…" she growled. The owner squeaked in fright. At the bridge of death, the sword in the woman's hand was the executioner's scythe. The harbinger of death.
"Wake up, you dofus." Shuusei fired three shots at the human host. He had whipped out his weapons from its holsters. The safety lock had been released.
"She's no grim reaper. She just a Etherius's pawn. Her spirit is gone." Chuuya had grabbed the host and tossed her to the ground. The host growled. Uttering words that does not make sense. "It's just a shell."
The host twist and turned in agony. Its movements were clearly inhuman. The joints were deformed distorted. It ghosted over Chuuya and Shuusei. It recognized the pair as threat. The woman's hands had transformed into blades. She was hovering in the air. With the intent to kill, she charged at Chuuya and Shuusei.
A sword materialized itself in his delicate hands. Shuusei fired at the woman. The bullets he used were special. It has the power to subdue and cause damage to an Etherius's host. Chuuya's sword was a long single-edged sword. It has incantations inscribed into the blade.
"Please…. help her! She…Haruna is still my most important person!" the café owner pleaded. Chuuya sighed.
"Chuuya. Don't tell me 'I'm going to save her' again, right?" Shuusei glared at his childhood friend. Chuuya grinned. Bingo.
"My, Shuusei. You know me too well." Chuuya teased his best friend.
"This is not a joke, you reckless idiot!!!" Shuusei yelled. Chuuya was talented. Shuusei acknowledged his extraordinary strengths. Sometimes Chuuya's crazy antics drives him up the wall. Shuusei could clearly distinguish the obvious traits he inherited as part of the Hattori clan. It makes people wonder why he was abandoned by his own parents. Leaving Shuusei with no choice, he clocked his guns. To push Chuuya forward, Shuusei was his backup.
Shuusei fired another round of bullets. The bullets pinned the woman to the wall. Her movements were restrained by the special bullets. Levitas, bullets specializing in movements. This was a promise made between the pair. They swore to each other, to regain corrupted power and control over the town overrun by Etherius lurking within the unseen shadows. They were partners, and each other's half.
"Funeral Bell, Purification." Chuuya pointed his sword at the restrained host. The silver white sword transformed to his black form. A defensive form. Grabbed the hilt, Chuuya pierced the sword through the host's body.
The hellhound manifestation within the host was dragged out. The hellhound screeched. "This technique…... are you from the cursed Hattori clan?! Descendants of Zess!"
"Too late!" Chuuya and Shuusei launched their offensive attacks. Chuuya's sword had changed to its offensive form. The silver white sword that brings judgement in name of God. The ability to perform purification. The Hattori clan was feared by the Etherius, residents of Infernus.
"Return to dust."
The woman collapsed after the devil within her was exorcised. The owner of the shop was extremely relieved. "Haruna!" he had wept. "Forgive me!"
Chuuya and Shuusei sighed. Despite everything, to see people finding happiness was rewarding. The pair of students smiled. "Take good care of her," It was time for them to leave.
The owner bowed in their direction. "Master exorcist, thank you so much!"
The spectators and bystanders were astounded. They were intrigued by the strange powers they possessed. They were being stared at until their figures vanished from their range of sight. Shuusei's cell phone buzzed loudly. Both had sighed seeing the caller ID on the screen. Putting the phone on loudspeaker, Shuusei put the phone away from his ear.
"HEY YOU STUPID SON! WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BOTH OF YOU!��� A male's voice screeched from the phone's speaker.
"Father…" Shuusei had a slight apologetic tone. It was clearly not their fault when an Etherius possessing a human host and attacked them. "Yes…we'll be right there."
One of the reasons why the pair were often left behind in their studies of this. They were extremely occupied with their family businesses, mainly the purification assignments and to flush the mastermind who was behind the schemes. They were essential protectors against residents of Infernus.
No one knows when, it was a millennium ago the town was plagued with Etherius. Unknown illness. Disasters. Drastic changes in behaviours. Increase in crimes. There were too many factors to be considered. At that time, humans did not possess the right knowledge to arrive at the conclusion. One day, a traveller stumbled upon the land and revealed the source of change. He declared it was the work of evildoers. He purified the land and placed his descendants to protect the land in his place. That man was the founder of the Hattori clan. It was a tale, foretold and transcends its descendants. The land later gained independence and was known as Yamazaki.
Chuuya made a face at the picture book. He did not like the idea that the Hattori clan was portrayed as heroes and protectors. It was as if they were cursed and bound to the land. Everything in that tale sounds like crackpot. The people hailed the clan as a clan loved by Heavens. Chuuya and Shuusei arrived at the ARCANA quarters twenty minutes after they were yelled for being tardy. A child of seven years old held the infamous picture book in her hands.
"You're here again. This isn't a nursery, Grand Elder Kouji." Chuuya muttered under his breath.
A gruffy voice laughed. "Well! Sorry for that. You see, my wife went on a two-day trip. I can't exactly leave my dear child alone at home." The grand elder's lame remark was often the cause of Chuuya's many problematic behaviours. And Grand Elder Kouji found joy annoying Chuuya. After all, both were offensive types. They refuse to admit defeat.
Shuusei cleared his throat. The dispute between the Chuuya and the grand elder came to a pause. It was the same squabble each time. The officers at ARCANA Headquarters wondered how they never got tired of it. "Grand elder, where is my father?"
Grand elder Kouji pointed to the door behind them. "Same place as always, son."
Chuuya clicked his tongue. "Tch. Should've told us right from the start, stupid old man. Stop getting me into stupid quarrels! Gah, so infuriating!" He started pulling and messing with the roots of his hair in exasperation.
"Because you're so easy to tease." Shuusei and Grand Elder Kouji chorused.
Chuuya quivered. In pure amazement of being played by these idiotic people. He stared at these people in disbelief. "You bastards!"
"Chuuya." Shuusei strict voice reining his childhood friend's uncontrollable outburst. Pulling himself together, Chuuya and Shuusei walked through the door. It was a wooden door with a restricted sign nailed into it. Only certain personnel with special permission are allowed to enter that room. It was the ARCANA Special Investigation Department Chief Superintendent Renjo's office. That man was the polar opposite of his son.
The office was cold and gloomy. Chief Superintendent Renjo was seated at his table. The office was filled with shelves of case reports. Chuuya and Shuusei were specialists deployed by ARCANA. Without specialists like them, the town were bound to collapsed from overrun by Etherius. Chief Superintendent Renjo was shamed and disparaged by executives of law enforcement establishments. Despite that, he has the ability to bring incidents under control.
Shuusei did not care if his father was sacrificing his own son for the country. He knew better than anyone, what kind of person his father was. Chief Superintendent Renjo loved the country more than anyone else. That was how he expressed love. The traumatic experience of watching his wife, and Shuusei's mother tortured to death at the hands of a high-ranking Etherius had left a huge hole in his heart. The final realization that it was human arrogance vulnerable against monsters who lurk in the darkness. Believing in the legend and the almighty clan loved by Gods, he reconnected the bridge between Renjo and the Hattori clan. Vowing to seek revenge, ARCANA Investigation Unit was born.
"This is your next assignment." The chief superintendent gave the pair their next request. The documents consisted of past case reports with victims lost their lives in similar manners. One thing for sure when ARCANA specialists were deployed: it was the exploitation of hellhounds and devils. The work of demons. "Compared to your flashy entrance this morning, this should be kid's stuff."
Urk. He knew. Both exchanged glances. Nothing goes under his radar. Sometimes they wondered how many eyes he has watching on the town. His network was impressively appalling.
"Sleeping beauty? What a load of bogus." Chuuya raised an eyebrow. Shuusei concurred with Chuuya's statement. The victims were high school female students. Many of them had experience of unrequited love. The police were unable to determine the cause of death. One thing they had in common: they were frequent customers of Maria Counselling Centre. They had psychological problems in school and was referred to the counsellor by their schoolteacher. This is the seventh case.
"If this requested our assistance, I think you'll know what to do. Shuusei. Chuuya." The chief spoke. Chuuya and Shuusei nodded. It was apparent. The manifestations of negative influence. "Get going, both of you."
"Yes, sir." Chuuya and Shuusei saluted and left Chief Superintendent Renjo's office in a timely manner.
Chuuya and Shuusei are both college students at Yamazaki Academy. They were old alumnus from elementary. They are both sophomore students from the faculty of business and arts. Chuuya is a student from language literature, and Shuusei is from criminal studies. Although enrolled in different programmes, they were stuck to each other like glue. Besides attending lectures, they waited for each other and completed their reports together. They even have lunch together. They were inseparable. Their eccentric behaviours had often caused their teachers' distress. Their classmates and peers had teased them for being married to each other.
After the visit to the ARCANA Headquarters, Chuuya and Shuusei obediently attended their lectures without excuses for the first time in a long time. Most of their peers were Yamazaki alumnus, just like Chuuya and Shuusei. They made guesses and deductions among themselves at the returning sight of Chuuya and Shuusei. Although the students comprised half of the students from Yamazaki, there are students from the outside. These people were fascinated and enthralled at the mesmerizing form Chuuya and Shuusei possessed.
They are not to be blamed. Chuuya has an irresistible and bewitching beauty that attracts people to him. He was admired and loved by both males and females of his class. Chuuya was pure and innocent. With Shuusei by his side, he was like a watchdog that guards his princess. Many were defeated by Shuusei's intimidating stare.
"No, no, no. We can't have that." One of Chuuya and Shuusei's old classmates advised. "Chuuya is Shuusei's."
Their peers who joined them as freshmen for college were puzzled. Both were always seen in matching clothes. A black coat with a plain shirt underneath, black slacks and black boots. A black patrol cap which had the ARCANA crest embroidered onto it. The hat had obscured portion of their expressions and features, their peers were certain Chuuya has golden hair.
Chuuya was a delicate individual with golden hair that reached his shoulders. He often wore his hair in a ponytail. The last time their peers had seen Chuuya without his hat was during their elementary years when Chuuya had just arrived Yamazaki so many years ago. With striking blond hair and irises, no one could question his heritage. Chuuya is, without a doubt, a descendant of a Special-Talented clan, the almighty clan loved by Gods, the Hattori clan.
Bearing the sacred Hattori bloodline, Chuuya was often absent because of his duties as a member of the Hattori clan. Chuuya and Shuusei's bonds were unconventional and were extremely obsessed with each other. Their peers remembered once when Chuuya was badly injured from an assignment they were involved in. Shuusei's world broke, violent and out of control. He caused a scene of madness.
Since that day, there was an unspoken rule. Chuuya was off-limits. They would not be surprised if both families had matched them together for greater opportunities as ARCANA specialists.