Hunt Begins

The masked one vanished into the abyss, yet its words hung heavy around me. It was as if the storm had left, but the adverse energy still lingered, the aftershock of extreme weather. Emiko remained frozen in place, her heart still pounding in her chest. She had made her decision — she turned down the deal — but an ugly tension twisted inside her.

"Did I… make the right choice?" she whispered, her voice so low I could hardly hear it.

Kaito didn't hesitate. "Yes." His tone was firm, absolute. He met her gaze, silver eyes unblinking. "It wasn't giving you salvation, that thing. It was offering control. You don't need that kind of power, and I refuse to let you be a pawn in their game."

Emiko swallowed hard and nodded. She wanted to believe him. She needed to believe him. But something about what the figure said gnawed at her.

"You will be hunted."

A chill ran down her spine.

Before she could speak again, Kaito's head jerked toward the entrance of the warehouse. His whole body tensed, the hand migrating to his sword out of instinct.

"They're coming," he repeated under his breath.

Emiko's breath caught. "Who?"

Kaito didn't respond immediately. He fixed a piercing stare on the darkness beyond the shattered windows. It felt like an unseen weight and danger and pressure and shame all cracking in and around their skin.

Then, they appeared.

Twelve shadowy figures materialized outside the warehouse. Their silhouettes loomed in the night, their eyes burning like embers in a dying hearth. All three possessed a weapon — a sword, a scythe, a spear, each radiating a sinister spiritual energy.

Shinigami.

Emiko stumbled backward, fists clenching. "There's… so many of them."

Kaito exhaled sharply. "I expected this. That bastard in the mask made sure of it. They know you now, Emiko. And they want your life."

One stepped toward them, face shadowed by his hood. He was taller than the rest, his very presence exuding pure authority. When he spoke, his voice was low and powerful.

"Ryūzaki Kaito," the leader said. "I am done with your abuse of the natural order. You were given a choice. Serve or die — Find a master. You have taken a third path, one contrary to everything we stand for."

Kaito grinned as he took on a combat pose. "Yeah? I really didn't care about rules."

The leader brushed him aside, glowing eyes drifting to Emiko. "And you," he continued. "You are unworthy. But you became tethered to a rogue Shinigami. That is a sin in itself."

Emiko recoiled at his words, but before she could say anything Kaito blocked her, standing in front of Emiko, protecting her from the murderous energy in the air.

"Enough of this talk," Kaito said icily. "If you want her, you're going to have to go through me."

The leader sighed. "So be it."

Before I knew it, the first enemy charged.

He ducked left, and a Shinigami with twin daggers tore through the air where Kaito had been, a flash of movements obscured by the speed of its strikes. Kaito charged toward him, blade glimmering as he deflected the attack. Their blades clashed with a shower of sparks, and the shockwave knocked dust from the rafters of the warehouse.

Kaito spun out of the way, avoiding a second blow and retaliating with a swift cut that he aimed for his opponent's torso. The enemy barely made it back in time, but Kaito was unyielding. In an instant, he closed in his distance, his sword a silver streak of light.

As the dagger-wielding Shinigami barely had time to raise his weapons, Kaito's blade found its mark. With a sickening crunch, the Shinigami staggered back, blood spurting from a deep gash in his chest.

One down.

But there was no time to celebrate.

Three additional enemies poured in together, their weapons glinting in the dim lighting. A spear-wielding Shinigami drove straight through Kaito's heart, his attack swift and merciless. Kaito turned his body just in time, avoiding getting impaled.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw another enemy coming toward Emiko.

His chest tightened. She wasn't ready to fight.

"Emiko, move!" Kaito shouted.

From her frozen mental state she jolted as a sword came slashing toward her. She ducked instinctively, the blade grazing six inches over her head. Her blood ran cold with panic, but she fought against it to continue moving.

Kaito made his move.

Digging deep, he threw himself at Emiko's attacker. His sword found its intended target, penetrating deep in the enemy's flank. The Shinigami wheezed a shocked breath before dropping to the ground.

Kaito glanced at Emiko, his expression pointed. "We have to get out of here. Now."

"But—"

"No buts. We're outnumbered. We must withdraw and reevaluate." Come on!"

Emiko paused for merely a moment before giving a nod. She had never run away from anything in her life — but this was different. This was survival.

Kaito had smirked as he struggled reaching for her wrist with a firm but not painful grip. This time, he dragged her behind him as she ran — a lethal blur, ducking, dodging, leaping between foes, who sliced and lunged at them. Kaito's sword never ceased to swing, slicing through whoever approached too closely.

But the Shinigami never gave up.

Just as they reached the exit, Kaito was blindsided by a sudden, huge force to his back. He was hurled into a stack of metal crates: pain exploded through his body.

"Kaito!" Emiko screamed.

Dazed, Kaito tried to push himself up. His vision blurred, but he made himself focus. Now the leader of the enemy Shinigami was standing in front of him, his weapon glowing with the dark energy.

"You're strong, Kaito," the leader confessed. "But you are alone. You can't protect her forever."

Kaito gritted his teeth and stood himself up. Blood dripped from his mouth, but he cared not. He held up his sword, his determination unyielding.

"Alone?" Kaito snorted, wiping blood off his lips. "You really don't know, do you?"

The leader tilted his head. "Enlighten me."

Kaito snickered and looked at Emiko. "I'm not alone."

An impulse of energy exploded outward from his body. His silver eyes were aflame and his spiritual energy was ferociously swelling like an unbounded storm. The air crackled around him in anticipation of the next clash.

The battle wasn't over.

It was just beginning.