"Where and when the hell did you get that?" Ryuku asked as his eyes peered upon the golden book of the Lion. The four were in Daisuke's room a couple weeks after Daisuke's birthday. Daisuke hadn't shown anybody the book or spoke about it. He wanted to see if Hakura would question it, but she hadn't spoken to anybody as of late. That fact had scared Daisuke a little. It had been a month since anybody had heard from her.
"My mom had it all along. My dad said that she wanted to give to me when I was sixteen. It was like she knew I was going to be a Demon Hunter anyway."
"Well, did look at it yet?" Yuri asked.
"No, no yet," Daisuke confessed. "I don't know why, but I just don't think that I should look at it yet."
"Have you told Hakura about it yet?"
"No, not yet. I'm not sure, but I think that I should quite tell her yet." Daisuke said, and he could see the confused look on Yuki's face. "I don't know why, but there's something about her that I'm getting a bad vibe about nowadays. I don't know why, but I really don't think she should know."
"Daisuke, you know that I've been with Hakura for a long time. I don't think I can just distrust her like that and not tell her about this. This is huge. Kagori, Hakura and the President of the DHA was looking for that book."
"That's exactly why I'm not going to show anybody outside this room. Nobody except us, my dad, and Kyutaka should know about this. I don't want anybody else to find out about this."
"Why not?" Yuri asked.
"If anybody found out about this that can't handle the abuse of DHA and Kagori, and even possibly Hakura, then they shouldn't know. I can't end up being threatened that my whole school may be killed due to my mistake of broadcasting something this big. That's just dumb."
"So, what are you going to do with it? I mean, have you even looked at it?" Ryuku said, gripping the cover, and about to open it. But Daisuke slammed his palm on the cover, closing it, and Ryuku saw the concerned look in Daisuke's eyes.
"If I end up being evil and manipulated because of that book like the others who use those books…" Daisuke left the message with images for his friends to conjure. "I can't let that happen."
"So, you have supposedly the greatest weapon in the world, something that can make you stronger than any human being on this planet, and you refuse to use it?" Ryuku asked. He shook his head as he chuckled. "Daisuke, that's something I call wisdom."
"Shut up." Daisuke protested, feeling threatened and made-fun of.
"No, no, no. I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to say was that I think it's cool that you think things over before using ultimate power. I think that's why this book was given to you. You can think before you can jump to your ideas or guesses."
"So, what are you going to do with it? You still haven't told us even an idea yet. C'mon, what's taken ya?"
"Well, I was thinking that I should just keep it away. Maybe Kyutaka can tell me somewhere to hide it. I don't know how I'm going to do this, but I'll find a way."
"Daisuke…" Yuki spoke. "Are you sure that you're not going to talk to Hakura about any of this?"
"I'm positive." Daisuke said with confidence. He then turned his voice towards a concerning tone after a couple of seconds. "Yuki, if you want to remain with Hakura, I completely understand. If you tell her, and she asks me, I won't deny it. But I just don't believe she needs to know. But if you think that her alliance is necessary, then tell her. I won't be mad, I won't hold a grudge against you, nothing. You'll be the same to me day and night."
"Daisuke, you were my friend, and my brother before I even knew who Hakura was." Yuki said with a small grin. "I'll join you always."
"Alright." Daisuke said with a nod. He knew this wasn't easy for her. But it was something they were going to go through as a team. "So we save this with our life, or die trying."
"I'm glad to see all of you," Kagori said as he dropped his bags in the DHA building. Yukin, Iro and Moku had been doing a great job of running the place. Their soldiers were ready for battle and could attack anybody, anytime. But along side those three were Ken, and Haku, Kai, and Sakura, the kids who were never introduced into the group since the book handing.
Kagori came back from America, knowing that he had some business to clean up for a bit. He needed to make sure things were going well around the old place, and he needed to talk to these six. Ever since he became in charge of DHA, things were happening, and he needed to make his speech about it, now.
"So it seems that I own DHA." He knew they had already known this, but he had some new news as well. "And because of this, we will send out final volley onto Hiromushu."
"Final volley?" Moku asked. "Have we even sent out a first, yet? What about the war?"
"The war will to bring Demon Hunters to be the top people in society. We will no longer have our secrets and we can live openly. We will own the world, and we will fight to the death. No army, no band of people will be able to stop us with this strength of ours."
"What's this volley towards Hiromushu that you're blabbing on about?" Ken asked in his accent. "I kinda want to hear about this."
"That an English accent ya speakin'?" Sakura questioned in a tone that had sounded a tad bit flirtatious.
"No, actually. People have always thought I had an English accent. I'm sorry, it's more of a formal Australian."
"We're off topic," Kagori said. "The volley towards Hiromushu will be at this tournament."
A screen had fallen behind Kagori. The lights were shut off, and a projector had started to show clips of the arena. It had been an entire acre, made out of firm marble in the center, but had all the elements to fit in the rest of the placement.
"This is going to be the arena where you five are going to kill Hiromushu in a week. It's going to be a fight that you will win in sheer victory."
"Whoa, there." Kai said with a suspicious tone. "What makes this battle so incredible that we'll win, and the others had fallen so easily? What do we have that they didn't?"
"There a matter of couple things that makes this battle much different then the ones the others have fought. One: I have your homework for your enemy already done. You will know all four of their weaknesses. Two, you all have mastered your books, am I right?" Kagori got a response of nodding heads and he grinned. "Well, then I fail to see the problem."
"You said a week, did you not?" Iro, the demon, asked.
"Yes." Kagori replied straight-forward.
"So, I'm taking that this whole battle will be a public humiliation for Daisuke? Why else would you have him fighting in the tournament?"
"That, and because the different elements on this battle field will allow the five to be able to fight in different conditions. More promising conditions, if you understand my meaning."
"So, this whole thing is public?" Sakura asked. "How public are we talkin' here, because I a'int gonna fight if it's just gonna be some small crowd."
"Oh, quite public." Ken said with a grin. He already knew the whole plan for Daisuke's death. "Every major name in the world will be there. Big name bands, movie actors and actresses, politicians, corporate workers, every big person you can think of from around the world."
Sakura grinned. She liked what she was hearing. As her friends always said, she was addicted to attention, and she knew that was true. She was a stage hog at times, and she very little enjoyed in sharing the spot light. Either way, she was a great fighter, and her rowdy language usually showed people that. She didn't know why, but she liked the whole "gangster" kind of accent.
Had you ever seen Sakura for the first time, you wouldn't have thought of her as a fighter. She usually just wore black long shorts, black T-shirt and a black sweatshirt. Her shirts usually consisted of Coco Cat from Hello Kitty, the black cat. Her hair was short in the back, but the bangs and the sides had been long, and sometimes covered a large majority of her face. When she fought, she simply put on a pair of gloves. With all the black she wore, people thought she was a punk rocker, but never a fighter. And being only five foot one, people were surprised when she had been in a fight and actually won.
Haku was an average Japanese kid who had just wanted to get through things in life. He was a little lanky, but he wasn't weak. He usually was quite, and a good kid at heart. But with his recent parent's divorce, he was confused by life in general, and didn't believe that anything he thought was true existed. He wore average T-shirts and jeans, and he wore his hair down for the most part, and he was just a plain kid all around.
Kai was a little cocky. He always wore a grin on his face, and he always believed that people were less important than him. In a sense, he was the very definition of conceited. His hair was strangely a bright orange, almost strawberry like. It spiked out, and he was very lanky. The skinniest on the entire team. He always, no matter how cold it got, preferred shorts.
"So, this tournament? What's in it for us?" Sakura asked. "What's this whole thing have in for us, huh?"
"Well, for one part, the entire six of you will have you own continent to rule, if that's what you wish." Kagori answered.
"Not a bad price at all." Kai said with a grin. "I've got my haughty little eyes set out for South America."
"Why South America?" Haku questioned. "What's there?"
"Open beaches, sparkling waters, jungles, and nude women at all of those spots. You can miss out in a place like that."
"Any other questions?" Kagori asked as he looked at the group.
"What exactly is this army for?" Haku asked. Nobody knew that Kagori planned on killing even innocent, and that's exactly how Kagori was going to keep it.
"That concludes our meeting." Kagori said, starting to walk out the door with his bags. "Enjoy your stay here, and prepare for the fight in a couple of days." As he left, nobody knew whether is neglecting attitude was something positive or negative.
"Happy Valentines Day!" girls voices exploded with glee all around the entire school, The whole school was decorated for the occasion with hearts, pink and red. Everything was everywhere. But Daisuke hadn't understood why people had decorated the school red and pink with hearts. It was Valentine's Day, not White Day (In Japan, girls give guys the presents of Valentine's Day, and guys return the favor on White Day, exactly a month later).
Daisuke walked down the halls, trying not to bump into banisters that hung too low due to the somewhat low ceiling and rushing attitude you could see in the effort in the project. If Daisuke could guess, he thought it might have taken them about four hours to do the entire school, every…single…room. A lot of rushing.
"Daisuke, my man!" Daisuke heard Ryuku's voice from behind. When he turned around, Ryuku's arm was already wrapped around Daisuke's shoulder, and the two were walking down the hall. "How's your Valentine's Day going?"
"We just got to school. What do you mean, how's it going?"
"Well, I got a couple of chocolates from some of our history class girls, and some more in my math class."
"What about Yuki?"
"What about me?" Yuki said, popping out of nowhere with two boxes. One was a dainty little box, chocolate enough to last a couple of seconds, while the other box seemed to be made for a years worth of chocolate.
"Well, well, well… who's that for?" Ryuku asked, playing innocent.
"Well, if you must know, one is for you, and the other is for Daisuke."
"Me?" Daisuke asked.
"Yeah. You're my brother, so I thought it would be nice to get me something. Just don't forget me on White Day." She handed Daisuke the skinny box, and Ryuku the big one.
"Yeah, I can see how big family means to you." Daisuke said mordantly.
"Well, you how it is. Daisuke, you and I will be forever, while me and Ryuku will end up only a couple of days until I get tired of him." Yuki teased.
"Hey!" Ryuku protested.
"Eat your chocolate." Yuki commanded, saying that she didn't want to bring up a real argument over this.
"Do you think a giant, delicious, moth-watering-for-the-next-five-days pieces of chocolate will keep me silenced from the emotional abuse that you've just delivered."
"Is that actually Ryuku talking, or is it that 14th century person?" Daisuke asked.
"Both. Why do you ask?" Daisuke swore he heard two voices coming out of Ryuku's mouth.
Daisuke shook his head at the thought. There were some other things he needed to get done.
"Have any of you guys seen Yuri? I was hoping I could surprise her."
"Surprise her, huh?" Ryuku asked, just his voice alone. "With what?"
Daisuke pulled out some cards and chocolate of his own. But the brand of chocolate was the most expensive the area.
"Why are you giving Yuri presents? It's Valentine's Day, not Whites Day."
"I know. But I'm giving her presents of both days. In America, you give anybody and everybody presents on Valentine's Day. So, I thought I would do that."
"Well, sorry, but we haven't seen her." Yuki said plainly. "Have you checked any of her classrooms?"
"Not yet. Thanks, though."
Daisuke started to trot off, when the two had watched him leave view.
"Okay, Yuri." Yuki called out. "You can come out now. He's gone."
"Thanks," Yuri said as she stepped out of her locker. "I didn't want him to see me."
"Why is that?" Ryuku asked. "It's Valentine's Day. Why wouldn't you want to see your boyfriend?"
"Because, I'm not sure if my present's any good." Yuri said, not hiding the fear in her voice of rejection.
"Oh, c'mon. Daisuke's not going to care what your present is. Knowing him, he'll literally think that the thought is what should count."
"But what if he just masks his feelings and hates what I got him?"
"I really think you should see him," Ryuku instructed like a parent to a child who got invited to the nerd's birthday party. "Maybe he'll surprise you."
Yuri took it as he would actually like it, possibly love it, when in all reality he was referring to the present that Daisuke had for her.
"I don't know," She said, still doubting.
"C'mon, Yuri. We leave for the tournament tomorrow." Yuki put the emphasis on "tomorrow". "You can't just sit there on our last day before we ship out, can you? What if he gets killed, huh? He'll die thinking that you never got him a present. Is that something you want to live with."
"I didn't know you could handle melodrama, Yuki." Ryuku teased.
"I'm capable of more emotion that people think." She said, back in her dry plain tone.
"Wait," Yuri said, just getting Yuki's message processed. "The tournament's tomorrow?"
"Don't tell me you forgot already?" Ryuku said, slapping his forehead gently. "We take off tomorrow and fight after two hours of being there. The winners get a night there, and the survivors are sent home the next night."
"And if you don't give Daisuke his present, he's just going to get more presents from everybody else first, making your present looking worse and worse."
Yuri didn't think about it like that. She always figured that she would eventually run into him and be forced to give him the present there. She didn't think that she would have competition over present giving.
"Well," Ryuku said with a grin. "What are you going to do? Just sit there, or give him your present?"
But before she could even respond, she was already running down the hall. But while she was searching for Daisuke, Daisuke had already been stopped by the other girls in the cafeteria.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" they cheered as he walked in. Daisuke hadn't noticed it before, but the cafeteria was a lot like their hangout at school. It was probably because of Momo.
Daisuke smiled as he was crowded with the group around him, shoving gifts left and right.
"Hold on, hold." He said with a chuckle. Presents rained onto his lap, and in his hands. After burying him with presents, the girls stepped back and waited for him to open up his gifts. Daisuke chose Momo's first, which was a large box full of toast and jam. Not the usual Momo gift, but at the same time, the only gift you could guess was from Momo.
"Thanks," Daisuke said with a nervous chuckle. "I didn't think I'd be having toast anytime soon."
Next was Raine's gift. It was normal for anybody. Just a journal with a couple of pens. But both of the items had been high quality, and probably cost her around 5000 yen (approximately $45).
"That's for when you go to America. You can't go a day without writing in it. We expect you to give it to us when you get back so we can read it. Don't put anything too personal in there." Raine's voice sounding threatening.
"Will do." Daisuke said with the same chuckle as he gave Momo, due to the threat.
After that was a gift from Deíji. It was just a book, nothing more nothing less.
"I couldn't find anything else that you might like. If you've already read it, the receipts in there. Or if you want to return it or something."
"No," Daisuke said with a normal smile. "I like it. I've heard it's good. It's something to keep me busy for a while."
The last gift had been handed, and Daisuke wasn't sure what to expect from Kori. She was crazy at times, and there was no telling what her gift would be. Something that would either hurting him or disgracing him sometime in life. As Daisuke looked at the present, it was a T-shirt she made by herself. In the front was a printed chibi picture of Kori's head, smiling and with a peace sign hand. Under the face, it read: I Chill with Kori. On the back, however, was a chibi picture of Yuri, her eyes like X's, death signs, and her tongue sticking out, saying: But I Sleep With Her Best Friend.
"Promise me you'll wear this in America. It took me an entire five minutes to make that shirt. It's the best one I've ever made."
Kori makes T-shirts for a hobby? Daisuke thought. Kinda weird, but then again, so is Kori.
"Thanks, you guys." Daisuke said. "I'm sure I'll use every single one of your gifts. Well, most of them." He said, looking at Kori, who gave him the same look as she had on the shirt. "But I really need to find Yuri. Have any of you guys seen her?"
"I'm right here." Yuri said, winded, and holding a wrapped box. She stared at the girls, and they began to leave. Knowing the look in her eyes, she wanted the two to be alone when the gift was given. When the group left, Yuri looked at Daisuke.
"I've been looking for you all day." Daisuke said as he took a step closer.
"Yeah, I know. I've been avoiding you." She said. Daisuke stopped moving forward, but continued to look at her.
"Why?" he asked, his voice sounding a little hurt.
"I didn't think you'd like my present, and then I thought that everybody would give you a better present then me, and –"
"You thought I wouldn't like your present? It's the thought that counts. I don't really need anything else around."
"Yeah, I know. Yuri and Ryuku told me that." She said sheepishly. "I just didn't think, that's all. I was too worried about the present, and not who I was giving it to."
"Well," Daisuke said with a joking grin as he stole the box from her hand.
"Hey!" she protested as she hit Daisuke gently with a fist. "I'm suppose to give it to you."
"I know, but it's in my hands already, so why wait? Steal first, ask later."
H opened up the box, and he saw a fattened Gi, lying down as he picked his teeth, chocolate completely gone.
"Gi!" Daisuke said, angrily, picking up Gi like a mother picks up a kitten, again. "What are you doing!?"
"Well, I saw some food, so I thought I'd eat. Hey, later, I'm going to try and get drunk again, want to come?"
"You idiot! You ruined Yuri's Valentine's Day present!"
"Hey, if it makes you feel better, I ruined yours too."
"You ate the chocolate I bought her! That was Masaki chocolate! What are you thinking!"
"You bought be candy? On Valentine's Day?" Yuri asked I curiosity. Then her voice changed to heart-felt. "That's so sweet." She kissed Daisuke with a peck.
"Really? You're not mad that Gi ate your chocolate?"
"Like you said, 'it's the thought that counts.'"
And with that, the two had kissed once again. Even with all the chaos, there was no way to dampen the spirit of love.