"...Uh, hello?" What does one even say in this sort of situation? Kasai isn't sure. A bunch of both men and women stand welcomingly in a semi-circle around the door she just entered. How long have they been standing here like this?
"Welcome to hell!" A woman who looks to be in her early thirties bows. "Where we will never deny a guest even the most ridiculous request!"
"Hey, what's up." The Batter is noticeably more flippant about the whole situation. "Uh, we're looking for two people. One of them's got blue hair, about yea tall, the other one's… also got blue hair, but about yea tall."
"Uhm… how about a deep cleansing herbal bath?"
"We're really fine." The Batter raises a polite hand. "We're kind of in a hurry, you see, so if you could please just move–"
The Batter tries to push her way through the crowd but the moment her hand makes contact with one of the attendants, they flinch. "Is... is that blood?" The attendant gulps.
"Er… yes?" The Batter tilts her head curiously.
"They're… not yokai." The semi-circle of people starts to break as people back away warily.
"Er…" The Batter scratches the back of her head. "Boo?"
"THEY'RE NOT YOKAI!" They all scatter into the depths of the bathhouse. The choir of screams and yells start to get louder as more and more people are drawn into the panic.
"Guess we're doing this the hard way." Kasai claps The Batter on the shoulder. "You search the right side, I'll take the left side–"
A sliding door suddenly opening interrupts The Batter mid-sentence to reveal a woman dressed in quite a lot of leather and two katanas at her hip. "Hey now, ladies. What exactly is it you two think you're doing in my bathhouse?"
"We're looking for two people." Kasai raises her hands to show that she's harmless. "Are you perhaps… in charge of this whole operation?"
"Why yes, yes I am!" For some reason, the woman's eyes perk up. She takes a step backward and bows. "My name is Calamity Jet! Keeper of this Hell! State your name and business here before I cut you down with my blade."
「Calamity Jet」- Keeper Of Hell
"Kasai Ryusei. I'm looking to retrieve my sister's soul." Kasai bows courteously.
"The Batter. I'm also looking to retrieve my sister's soul." The Batter does an over exaggerated, mocking bow.
"Excellent. Now for my favorite part!" Calamity Jet places her hand on the handle of one of her blades. As she does so, she whispers under her breath. "「Iaijutsu - Juuchi Yosamu」" Deep purple miasma begins to emanate from the sheathed blades.
"It seems we use the same kind of jutsu." Kasai places her hand on the handle of her own sword and whispers. "「Iaijutsu - Juuchi Yosamu」" Blood red miasma begins to emanate from her own sheathed sword.
Calamity Jet's eyes widen. "My own technique being used against me? My, it seems that my students have kept busy."
"'Your' technique?"
"Of course. I invented Iaijutsu, after all. " She raises her sword
Kasai raises up her own blade and is about to approach when the Batter places a hand on her shoulder. "Get some rest. I got this."
"..."
"Trust me."
"..." Kasai slowly sheathes her sword and backs away.
"You would deny me a duel with my own living legacy?" Calamity Jet tosses her head back as she smiles darkly. "Ha! I'll be sure to honor you with a speedy duel."
"I'm honored."
"On three…"
"Mm." The Batter merely grunts in agreement.
"One…"
"..."
"Two–!" Violating her own rules, Calamity Jet steps forwards and brings her sword in a lightning quick vertical slash. The bat falls to the ground, along with the fingers on The Batter's right hand.
"Rule number one of Iaijutsu, prey should never trust a predator–"
Whatever it is Calamity Jet was about to say vanishes into the wind as The Batter brings up her left hand and punches her across the jaw. She folds. Both literally and vernacularly. At the very least, she was right, it was a speedy duel.
"Rule number one of Taijutsu." The Batter spits on Calamity Jet's body. "Go for the head."
"You…" Calamity Jet jolts awake. "You sneaky son of a bitch–"
"Yeah yeah whine and bitch all you want, just tell us where our sisters are before I turn your head into a bloody paste."
"Big sis, Yuki, what's happening?" Shosuko holds on to Yuki's neck as she carries her on her back.
"I don't know but we need to get out of here right now." Yuki squeezes through the crowd, trying to squirm her way through wherever she sees the tiniest gaps.
"Why?"
"To get our old lives back!"
"Why?"
Yuki pinches her nose bridge. Jeez, was she like this to her own older sister as well? Wait, older sister? Since when did she have an older sister? Whatever, she'll deal with that later. For now she has to focus on escape.
"Just cause, alright? We're gonna get our old lives back, whatever those were like."
"Oh okay." Shosuko rests her head on Yuki's shoulder.
"Yuki!"
Yuki hears a voice come from behind that's followed by a chorus of yells. The crowd doubles their pace. She flits her gaze over her shoulder, expecting a monster of some kind, and is instead met by a flood of memories. They slam into her like a tsunami as she stares at the red haired girl.
"Kasai?" Like an unmoving rock in a tidal wave, the crowd passes over Yuki.
"Yuki!" Kasai runs up to Yuki and wraps her in a tremendous bear hug. "Oh my goodness, I've missed you so much!"
"I… I have too, I think." She hugs her back. It finally dawns on her just how much hell has taken away from her. Her memories and all the love they had with them, only now are they returned, and only now does she wonder how she survived without them.
"I promised you, didn't I? Everything's going to turn out alright. That was a Kasai promise."
"Yo." Kasai's partner walks up to her. Upon closer inspection, she actually does remember her somehow. She's The Batter, the head of the Umi Alliance… back when it still existed, anyway.
"Ah, miss!" Yuki bows on instinct. "It's been a while!"
"Aha, no need, Yuki." The Batter scratches her head awkwardly. "Sorry for leaving you with the Umi Alliance in your hands, by the way. I… had some personal business."
"It's fine. I understand. And I'm sorry as well for… y'know…"
"Being a spy?"
"Yeahhhh…"
"Water under the bridge." She claps Yuki on the shoulder. "And, uh, who's your little friend?"
"I'm Shosuko! Shosuko Kuze!" The little girl pumps her fist in the air.
"..." The Batter's stare lingers on Shosuko. "Really?"
"Yep! That's my name! Don't wear it out!"
The Batter looks at Yuki and is met with a confused shrug. "This is… what my sister's soul looks like?"
"Sister?" Shosuko looks around. "I'm your sister?"
"...Apparently so." The Batter seems just as confused as Shosuko.
"And… that also makes you my sister, right?"
"Yes."
"Yay! I have two big sisters now!" Shosuko extends an open palm. The Batter takes her hand and stares into her eyes. And any doubts she had about this innocent-looking girl being her sister are dispelled. These are definitely Shosuko's eyes.
Kasai places her hand on The Batter's shoulder. "I hate to interrupt such a touching reunion but we should probably get going before the I-C's get here."
"The what?"
"We'll explain on the way." The Batter's face turns from wistful to serious. "For now, let's get out of here."
"We can't. They put these… things on us to keep us here." Yuki reaches up to her neck but the vice doesn't materialize. "What the–?"
"Don't worry, we made a deal with the keeper of this place." Kasai pats Yuki on the head. "She agreed to let you go in exchange for her life. Now c'mon, we've got a lot of catching up to do."