Secrets And Sea

It was colder outside than Xiomazu had remembered. His body shivered in her comforting hold, a hold that kept him on his feet as he felt exhaustion begging for him to fall over.

Surrounding them was destruction of what was once a natural attraction, now covered in a light sheet of snow.

The warming sun shined on them both as Akuma led him on a walk.

“What you experienced was an awakening. It is a process every student undergoes in order to properly begin the changes your body will take in. When I cut you that night many nights ago, it was not a trivial shed of blood, but rather forceful possession.”

She stopped for a minute, holding out a hand that flames flickered from once, materializing her familiar tanto dagger, and its attached fox symbol.

“These symbols attached to every Daimyo’s weapon are ancient relics of the past. Each of the four contain a unique yokai, bound to its symbol for eternity. So when I cut you, I also allowed a small fragment of it to enter your bloodstream. A piece of this symbol’s yokai shall forever dwell within you now, Xiomazu.”

He looked at his palm to see the wound had completely healed since then. They both resumed walking.

“What kind of possession?” he asked.

“There are three types. The first of which is rejection, in which you fail to contain the yokai’s ki energy, and your body explodes.”

Xiomazu began to cough, amazed at how she could say that so casually.

“The second is inheritance, which you have achieved. Your body now contains the good and bad attributes of the yokai, and each of the four yokai symbols offer different attributes to their host. In our case, we lose dreams, blood relations, and emotions, in exchange for instant sleep, and quicker mental movement. These may appear as miniscule gains, though they are merely the catalyst towards the third type of possession. Domination.”

Up ahead was a small camp, complete with a tent and blazing campfire outside it. Akuma helped Xiomazu to a small log near the fire, leaving afterwards to return with a coat she placed over him.

In his hands she gave him an MRE, (meal ready to eat), which he devoured with ease. It was a tasty chicken, with rice and vegetables.

“Before you describe that, how do I lose my emotions?” Xiomazu asked as he whipped the food off his chin. “I still feel hate and sadness.”

“And joy for a proper meal,” she said light heartedly. “Those, and many others, are diminished, but never truly fade away. You’ll find yourself able to express any feeling easier through simple posture, or slight changes in facials, rather than energetic outbursts. An overall calmness that suppresses fiery emotion.”

“I see…” he pondered outloud, recalling the sudden calmness he felt earlier.

“Domination is as it sounds. When you become Daimyo, you and the yokai coexist together as you’ve grown. If you wish to use its true powers, you close your eyes, and let go.”

“It has control, like a parasite then,” Xiomazu said simply.

“Not quite.” She held out her hand to demonstrate.

“With prowess over one’s emotions and mental fortitude, that power can be wielded as if you were dreaming lucidly. The yokai will aid you through the darkness, and you can see everything.”

Akuma removed her mask, and closed her eyes; A steady flame grew and danced in her palm.

“If you don’t open your heart to its aid, then its power will be much weaker, but you will have more control,” she said as she opened her eyes, watching as the flame shrunk in size, but she could control which ways it fluttered, even if she held her palm upside down.

“Or, you can give in entirely, and let the yokai take over. This of course means you understand it will do whatever necessary to accomplish its own goal, whether it aligns with yours or not. This state can be very dangerous, moreso to those around you. Eventually the yokai will give in to fatigue, as it still possesses a human host, and you will retain control.”

Xiomazu waited to see the fire grow, but Akuma gave no demonstration of this, and instead placed her mask back on. He assumed this meant he would be at risk if she demonstrated it.

Then he thought of Daimyo Donburi, Tuff Buff’s brother. Buff had said she blinded him, and yet it seemed Donburi held no grudge when he arrived to help in Chūbu.

Had Akuma blinded him in rage as the yokai took over?

“Can you tell me what exactly happened to me today? There was this white circle that grew, killing everything inside it touched except for me. Is that connected at all to the yokai?” Xiomazu asked.

“The power we wield can be categorized as nimble speed. It is said that we have the potential to move fast enough that not even we know where we’ll go, which is why you must have strong mental fortitude, and plan in advance. That white circle was my scarf, appearing stationary, but constantly moving. Inside the boundaries I allowed my yokai to run my body freely, burning everything it touched.”

Xiomazu glanced over at her, observing the simple piece of fabric gracefully twirling around her neck in the wind.

Normally he’d have audibly been in awe of this finding, and yet he was relaxed.

This was the type of power he could obtain, and suddenly his training had begun to make sense, with conditioning for stamina, and a period to experience his rawest of thoughts

And yet something still bothered him.

“What was the point? Why run around me?”

He tried to sound polite, but annoyance clearly was on the tip of his tongue.

“Were you afraid?” she simply asked, reminding him of when she first asked him before training had begun.

“I was, but not for myself, rather for those around me instead. Nature, wildlife, people, all things in danger. That’s the reason I ran, to at least make an attempt to prevent harm.”

Akuma stepped to his side, and placed her arm on his shoulder.

“That is the marking of a true disciple of Inari. Selfless, ready to run when told for the sake of others.”

“Many have come before you, and many have succumbed to their lust for power’s alluring capabilities. I needed to see what you would do in the face of the unknown, and perhaps make sure you were doing as told.”

“But what if I crack once I get a taste of power?” Xiomazu asked.

“This can still happen, but without proper training you will quickly be devoured by the yokai, and most certainly die, which solves the problem itself of rebellion.”

That must be what happened to Tsunami. A man that has fallen into the deepest depths, and will never return the same. Xiomazu could still see the powerful ogle Tsunami had as he swung his sword around.

Xiomazu would never become that.

The question was, how he would obtain the strength to challenge Tsunami.

“Before you ask any more questions, I would firstly like to see you sleep,” Akuma told him as she removed her arm. She sat cross legged atop a log directly across from him.

She then tossed up a clump of cloth, which expanded into a blanket and landed over him.

He laughed lightly, adjusting it so that it was comfortable.

“As tired as I am, I don’t know if I can sleep on command, especially if someone wants me to.”

“You can,” Akuma said.

She was right.

Against the tree, he fell asleep in an instant.

Here he would do the same thing, mimicking her motion with crossed legs.

His eyes shut to the crackling of fire on logs, breathing out once, and focusing on the sounds around him.

Then his eyes opened quickly, and his heartbeat was fast.

Now it was dark, and the stars were out. It all happened in an instant.

An owl hooted. 

Across from him she still sat Akuma, who was now fiddling with her dagger.

Xiomazu had done it.

Before he could speak, she tossed him an apple, which he caught and took a bite out of.

“At what point do I have a chance to fight my enemies with speed like yours?” he asked.

“We will continue your training for now, running and resting, until I deem you ready for the next trial.” She then tossed him several more fruits, which he caught all of at once, prioritizing those closest to the ground first.

“Your mind is already thinking faster. To do more, you need to be mentally capable of achieving more in rapid succession. What disciples of Inari lack in strength, we make up for in our speed.”

Over the course of the next several months, from August until December, Akuma trained Xiomazu.

He would run, but no more than 21 miles throughout the course of a day.

Then he would practice sleeping and waking up after a specified amount of time passed.

She would train his eyesight to follow quick motions, such as with the cup and ball game, or tossing him fruits to catch all at once without dropping. They also sparred with wooden swords.

Xiomazu would learn. He’d become better at predicting, having his hands ready where she would throw the fruit, or knowing where the ball would be before she stopped moving it.

He could sleep specifically for 8 hours, even in cold rain.

He could swing his sword with precision in any direction, deflecting Akuma's in any place.

Even after 21 miles, Xiomazu would be ready for another 21. Faster and faster without becoming winded as easily.

December 31st. New Year's eve.

In celebration, there would be no training today. Instead, they would travel together to the Kanto region’s capital, Tokyo, for a reason Akuma would not say.

By bike, Xiomazu “drove” while Akuma leaned back behind him and enjoyed the ride.

Xiomazu’s apparel had adapted gloves and a black scarf for the cold journey.

It had been awhile since he’d seen his mother, or his friend Kazue, or Tuff Buff. He wondered what they were doing now, even if it had only been a few months.

By now Saeko’s mother would have heard the news that her daughter was dead.

He could only imagine her sadness, giving him motivation that what he was doing was right.

With Akuma’s help, Xiomazu would become strong enough to avenge Saeko Nagata, and all those wronged by Tsunami.

It was late afternoon when they stopped along Tokyo Bay. This was to visit a torii gate that had been sticking out of the water nearby. On the beach just before it, there were large deployable lights set up to shine on the torii gate. Oddly enough there was also a car flashing its light, with all its doors open on the beach as well, but nobody was in sight.

“We’re quite early, so let’s investigate this scene,” she said.

It was strange to be visiting a beach in the winter, but Xiomazu hadn’t minded. Torii gates were said to bring good tidings afterall.

“It’s weird. This late, (it was nearly 7pm,) with nobody around this car. If someone left, it would be to get gass, or maybe it involves some sort of emergency,” Xiomazu said.

The beach was like any other aside from the emerging torii gate from the bay. Lots of rocks to see and collect, and the odd tree growing here and there out of the sand.

“Right presumptions,” she agreed with him, approaching the vehicle.

Inside on the seats and floor of the car there were traces of sand grains, along with a large beige backpack that was overturned. Inside were several rusted items, such as an anchor and two yellow coins.

There was also a small oxygen tank that appeared empty as Xiomazu examined it carefully. The canister was wet.

“A scavenger then,” he claimed. “Kind of traditional when there are tools nowdays that can detect an entire beach’s hidden contents.”

One of the tools he spoke of was called a RadarScope. You would insert four weighted spikes into the entire surface area of the beach, and it would send a pulse down through the sand. Up above would be a blue radar and red flashes would appear where things of interest were located.

Next to the wheel were a few documents Akuma had begun to rummage through, when suddenly a woman’s voice cried out for help behind them from the water.

“It’s near freezing out there,” Xiomazu thought, turning to see a girl rising from the waves.

She wore a skintight diving suit, and over her face was a snorkel, while behind her were two large oxygen tanks attached to her back. She ran towards the two of them in flippers.

“HELP!”

“Calm down,” Xiomazu said as he stepped towards her, gesturing to her to relax with his arms.

Behind her then out of the water came three more shirtless men, each wearing long pants. On their chests Xiomazu could see their veins all swollen, pressing against their skin.

Each of the men carried a harpoon gun.

He turned to see Akuma withdrawing her normal sword, which had almost become common now.

She would surely kill them, just as she would with anyone in her path.

“Let me handle them,” he said with courage, hoping Akuma would permit him. “This could be a true test of my abilities.”

She nodded once, and holstered her blade.

“If things go wrong, she can just save me. I hope so, anyways…” he thought to himself.

The snorkling girl hid behind him.

“Please! Those men keep claiming they own Tokyo Bay, and want me to pay up!” she said to him.

“You’re fine now,” Xiomazu said to her.

“Be careful. I’m pretty sure they are Junkies,” she said in return, watching as he walked forward towards them.

“A better test then,” he said out loud.

“Who da hell ‘re yah?” one of the shirtless brigands shouted.

They were clearly junkies, unable to stand in place, and constantly moving.

As they got closer, Xiomazu could see a blue pulsating blur behind their chests.

“I’m just here to make sure you find a less violent solution,” Xiomazu said back.

“HUH?! YOU HEAR DIS KID?! BAHAHAHA!” the brigand roared back.

“Look kid! You probably ain’t from ‘round ‘ere, so I’m gonna be real nice with yah. Me and my boyz here are the Eels! Buncha Junkies that like tah do whadeva we want, whenever we want, but by the water. CAUSE WE’RE WHAT BOYZ?”

“CAUSE WE DA EELS!” the other two shouted back.

“DAZ RIGHT!” The man dropped the harpoon gun, and held out his right arm so that Xiomazu could get a closer look.

There was a window where a static-like lightning bolt buzzed in his arm.

Xiomazu nodded his head, pretending to be impressed.

“These guys aren’t going to back down. They are high, on what? I don’t know, but they’re pissed and want to fight.”

Odds were the man would probably swing with the other arm, since that one was for show, and was most likely fragile.

“Now that female specimen behind you upset me and the boyz, cause she thinks she can just swim and pull out crap without paying our toll. We got a special rule of thumb that just means we deserve a cut too, real simple. She ain’t payin up, so we gonna do business our way.”

“How about my way?” Xiomazu said.

“You beat me in a fight, and I’ll pay double whatever you think she owes you. If I win, you guys don’t own this beach anymore. Real simple right?” he said with a smile.

The brigand raised an eyebrow.

He then spat in his right hand, and reached out to shake Xiomazu’s hand.

Xiomazu met this, feeling a slight tingle throughout his arm.

The brigand pulled him close to his chest.

“What’s dis about a better test you was sayin? The brigand said in Xiomazu’s ear. His breath smelled of the sea.

“Thinkin the eels boyz ‘re some kinda pushover? Boy, I’mma make you into some nice chum for the sharks!”

Xiomazu was smiling lightly as the brigand said this, unphased by his first challenge.