The city streets were lively, flourishing with tourists and concession stands at every corner. Flocks of families and couples roamed left and right, indulging in a night full of loud fun. Street shows ranged from wrestling robots to betting on aero-dancers outdancing one another. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the popular tourist districts of Osaka. All night, the stores were filled with all sorts of vibrant personalities, foreign and native. The bright lights of hover-cars stopping to pick up passengers matched the many phones that illuminated the crosswalks.

Thousands, all blissfully unaware of the sinister happenings occurring around them. Those activities usually occurred in dark neighboring areas, where victims unsuspectingly roamed right into traps, after a long night of drinking and other shenanigans. For some, there are protectors assigned to every district and neighborhood. It’s up to neighboring Ikigai Setsu to safeguard all humans from becoming food for the monstrosities that roam the night, seeking easy meals.

On this particular night, Ikigai Pack Four was tasked with patrolling the Ibaraki area, which was much less busier than Dotonbori or Minami. A perfect place for a Shiki to hunt without disturbance. All throughout this specific night, Shikis were picked off silently. Everything went well, until Ikigai Packs Six and Nine received a call from Pack Four over the appearance of something terrifying. They needed assistance with one that was different than the majority they had slain that night.

“Zayasu, do you read me? Pick up, you lazy prick.”

“Hm? Potato breath? I’m sorta in the middle of patrolin’ here.” Zayasu yawned, rubbing his eyes slowly as he laid back against a lamp post, overseeing the city skyline. The central curly strand of his hair flicked around lazily, keeping track of the vibrations that pulsed through the pole he was on. The rest of his purple hair waved with the calm breeze that swept the night sky. He could see an irregular cloudy storm in the distance.

“As if you’ve been patrolling at all… and it’s Aiko! You and the good for nothings from your clan are all the same! Wake up! The rest of Pack Six picked up on the Hercules Shiki, is it nearby? HURRY UP AND CHECK!”

“What? Don’t group me up with that bunch. And you’re giving me a migraine with all that yelling of yours, mind speaking lower?” Zayasu rubbed his eyes, stretching his back, each twist created a popping sound until he finished loosening up.

“The Shiki that’s been causing trouble! The one that’s responsible for all the disappearances over the last week…” Aiko waved her wrist around, trying to speak louder.

“Quiet down, you’ll give up our position,” Shosa Vasco warned her, with an irritated look that shifted to him tearfully glancing away. “Had to put those two in my pack… Mara, what were you thinking?”

Aiko nodded at Shosa Vasco’s request, feeling his killing intent fizzle out of him, knowing full well what’d follow. She looked back down to her watch, only to see that Zayasu was sleeping again. Completely forgetting she was supposed to keep quiet, Aiko yelled out, “Zayasu!!! YOU SLEAZY SLOTH!” That scream woke Zayasu up, causing him to fall over as he said “I’m trying to pick up on its location, I can’t do that with all your yelling!”

Shosa Vasco facepalmed himself.

“Oopsies!” Aiko’s braids swayed over and she laughed, pressing her small hands to her mouth. “That’s right, that’s how you track… sorry!”

Shosa Vasco paid no mind to Aiko, glancing down to his reports instead. “Targets are primarily female, though footage at different points has revealed it’s gone for males on two consecutive nights. It seems smarter than regular Shikis, especially in the way it evades capture. It’s speculated that this Shiki is taking the victims to a territory it’s set for itself, though there hasn’t been any confirmation due to how fast it disappears.”

“Today’s mission is to follow it to the rendezvous point,” Vasco telepathically told the pack. Another Setsu swooped down, joining the two.

“That’s why they’re having three packs hunt it tonight, huh?” Gale added, glancing down at the report. “It’s because there are Strays making it harder to capture that Shiki. Their numbers are really growing here…”

Shosa Vasco double tapped his watch. A hologram of a worm sprouted out and he instructed it to “give them the lowdown on the target again.” The worm swirled over and opened its mouth, as a robotic voice started speaking.

“This Shiki is classified as a dangerous Rank B that requires a cautious capture protocol. Note, the surveillance cameras that have captured this being have malfunctioned shortly after it passed by. This is likely due to the irregular vibes it exerts. This Shiki has been nicknamed Hercules for its muscular physique and messy locks of hair. Height, 6’11. Its face is constructed like a bear’s, and its powerful jaws are to be avoided due to its preferred tactic of stretching its neck out at long distances.”

Elsewhere, Pack Four finished listening to the worm relaying the same information. “That’s all for the report, are you all ready?” Naomi turned around to see members of her pack. She lowered the report she had been reading and swatted the holographic worm away from her watch.

“Yes ma’am, all prepared here,” Halse replied, having finished preparations for the night’s hunt. The Setsus saluted their Shosa in response and hopped onto the ledge of the building they were on.

“Scatter,” Naomi ordered, swiping her hand up. All five dropped from the ledge, while one remained. “Sho? What’s the matter?” she questioned him, then felt her phone buzz. Naomi stuffed her hand into her coat and dug around, then pulled her phone out to check who was messaging her. The light of the phone made her pale cheeks visible when they grew pink. “Ah, I just wanna get this over with…” When she opened her messages she glanced at the profile. Seeing the scruffy orange hair and wide smile instantly made her smile and her heart leap.

Sho recognized the glint in her eyes. He let out a low chuckle. “I was about to ask if you’re going on a date with the Lord himself. I have a favor to ask of you, hehe.”

“Favor?” She looked at him.

“For keeping your secret! Seems it’s true, but you ought to focus on your duties first! We can talk later!”

“Sho!” Naomi called out, but the boy stepped off of the ledge too quickly, taking off onto a nearby tree. Her phone continued to buzz, prompting her to glimpse at the messages sent.

“I know you’re still out kicking ass but gotta ask,” the first message read. “Date tomorrow afternoon? Or later tonight? I have great news babe! Shoot me back or call when you get home and stay safe.”

She instantly remembered when she had been over at his place weeks prior, they hadn’t gotten time to meet due to having so many watchful eyes on them. He was sleeping on her lap, as she had her face snuggled into his orange ruffled hair, but she had to leave when she got the call. She quickly began typing, planning to ask if he heated up the dish she had made him, but then erased her message.

“Wait… should I? I’ll respond after the hunt.” She giggled thinking of his goofy laugh. Speaking of a date reminded her of the first one she had went on with Yoshigawa.

“A Setsu of a lower clan mingling with a lord is forbidden and punishable by death if it gets discovered…” she recalled telling him. The sun shined into the shade she found herself under in that memory. She could picture his chiseled chin vividly and could feel her back against the bark of a tree. The pressure of the entire situation. “Will he get upset if I stop seeing him? I just can’t risk my family’s safety,” she thought as Yoshigawa stared at her. She held her breath as a siren of an ice cream truck masked the seriousness of the moment. Then, she caught the scent of oranges flowing into her nose when he moved down to get a taste of her ice cream, ignoring what she said. His curly orange hair brushed across her nose, causing her to giggle.

“What are you laughin’ at?” Yoshigawa leaned back, revealing that he had vanilla ice cream along the tip of his nose. A refreshing breeze passed them. “Your hair, it tickled me…” She set her hand to her chest and tippy toed up, licking the ice cream from his nose. Yoshigawa snickered and out of nowhere brought up a topic they had discussed before. A topic that he hadn’t replied to, until that moment. “You really are the silliest girl to ever exist. I didn’t answer you before, so I will now.” Yoshigawa swiftly scooped her hand up.

“If I’m the lord, you’ll be my queen and if that’s not possible, I’ll write the rules myself. I’ll be the first to change the Tensei with my charming charisma and you as the motivation!” Yoshigawa put on a huge smile to cheer her up. “No one should have a say in what happens between us, so I’ll kill anyone who gets in our way if necessary.” The confidence in his eyes weakened her knees. She wasn’t used to feeling that way. “Yoshigawa… don’t say that.” Just as Yoshigawa was moving down, she found herself staring at his lips. The sun momentarily reflected past his shoulders leading her to shut her eyes.

“We went on one before! Is he trying to get us in trouble?!” Her thoughts went to when both of them had to hide from his watch dogs. The two hid behind a pair of clowns, then slid into a passing crowd. “I can’t believe he asked me right before a-” She paused, as her small pigtails swung around while wiggled in place. “I wonder where it’ll be.”

The Hachi emblem on her forearm started to blink, signaling that her unit was in place. She slapped her cheeks together and slid her phone into her jacket. “Now’s not the time to think about any of that! Please don’t be mad at me for answering late, you know I’m working now.” Naomi pouted internally, before switching to a more serious demeanor. She whipped her link phone from her belt and as it came down, she flicked it on and spoke through.

“Unit Four in position. Unit Three, are you active? We’re moving in,” she relayed the message, as the intercom sparked and she stepped off of the ledge. Her cape whipped back and she glided down. Naomi landed on top of a lamp post and hunched over, scoping the area. She turned the link phone on again as the others reported their positions. A brown cat scurried across the street suddenly, and her sights quickly went to it. The vibrations in the air were high, emanating from the long stretch of road.

A rank B Shiki was something she had never taken on before, but as a new Shosa, she couldn’t show nerves. The others of her pack were counting on her. She had to be strong and keep her cool for the others who relied on her to lead and assist the other units in this hunt. Moving stealthily across rooftops, the small unit of Setsu dashed along, running adjacent to the Neyagawa Highway when Naomi signaled to advance.

The highway was relatively empty at this time with only the highway light beams providing a view of the highway for hover cars. It was here that Naomi and other Ikigai packmates spotted their quarry jogging loudly. A massive beast with disheveled hair running over its massive shoulders lumbered around the central barrier of the highway. The creature was humanoid, almost eight feet tall, but its nose frame was similar to that of a grizzly bear’s. It was exactly like the previous reports stated. Its messy hair seemed to thicken when it was under the streetlights, and its grey skin darkened when the moonlight stopped shining onto its seemingly luminescent body.

One of the Setsu inched through the bushes he was positioned in and caught sight of the yellow eyes. They glowed, piercing through the darkness that the buildings provided. The Shiki halted and sniffed the air, then hunched over and sniffed the ground, considering the paths it could take to avoid any Setsu.

“Shosa, the target has stopped. Shall we proceed?”

“Keep track of it and approach cautiously,” Naomi replied, checking on the location of the second pack unit. The group nodded, as all but one of them jumped down to a closer ledge from the building that was right behind the Hercules Shiki.

One Setsu remained in place. While the rest of her group were wearing white owl masks with blonde feathers across the cheekbones, this Setsu wore a black owl mask with two purple slashes across its right cheek. The hair flowing around her mask barely reached her shoulders. A faint violet glow emanated from the mask’s small eye slits as she stared down toward their prey. Besides her mask, she wore a skintight black tactical mock shirt, revealing her petite stature. She also wore a Yori belt harness, gloves, and black cargo pants tucked into tactical boots, just like the other packmates. She was in charge of this second unit.

“Tell me, did the brats fall asleep?” Chinatsu questioned about the young Setsus near the Hachi Estate.

Kitan landed beside her and responded, “Yeah. All covered at home.” She recalled that before the pack had left, Keichi was trying to get them into bed.

“Great, then let’s get this done.” Chinatsu reached down into the harness, her gloved hand pulling out a cellphone which she tapped and held up to her ear.

“Naomi, you prepared?” Chinatsu tapped the ridge of her earpiece. There was no response, prompting Chinatsu to speak up. “Little sis?” She was met with silence again. “What’s up with her? I get that it’s your first time as a Shosa, but come on.” Chinatsu sighed.

“Well, it isn’t easy. Imagine having to take on a Rank B in your first hunt. Anyway, they’ve sort of brought it to us, so let’s continue, Shosa.” Kitan glanced up, then adjusted his mask. His purple eyes glimmered in the shade. He looked down to the Shiki and lifted his blade up, signaling the Setsus to prepare to come down.

Chinatsu got a call from Shiro and gave him the lowdown. “We have our sights on the target, and it doesn’t seem to have noticed us yet. Everyone is moving into position accordingly.”

“Good job, Chinatsu. Drive the Shiki to Kiku and they’ll secure the two humans. It’ll be driven towards Mt. Ikomura, so intercept it on time and bring in the catch safely.” Shiro adjusted himself up on the bed with Miyumi delightfully snuggled on his lap as he fiddled with her hair. “That Shiki, it’s not like any other. Maintain order, do not show fear. It may lead you all to its territory where there may be other Shikis.” Shiro slumped over, fixing his composure on the bed. He lifted up a holo-pad and turned it on to check on a file he had received. “Be on the lookout, but most importantly, do not fail.”

“Yes, moving in to engage,” she responded with a low growl. She detested the fact that Shiro was supposed to be with them after his long absence, yet didn’t show up. “Bastard is comfortable while the rest of us have to come out and risk our lives for mere humans,” Chinatsu thought as she ended the call, looking ahead to the skyline.

With the target moving once more, she dropped from her perch, landing on a lower wall. Chinatsu front-flipped down onto the empty street lane and took off, while the other Setsus continued to dash from rooftop to rooftop, maintaining the coordinates of the Shiki that still hadn’t noticed their presence. However, the lights of a car moving into the park startled it.

It weaved, and crashed through a tree and leaned down to smell a random trash bin after going down the incline, then snarled at the scent one of the Setsus gave off when a turbulent breeze passed them. The Setsus landed and ran over to the building that was just behind the Shiki. They hid behind the corner as the Shiki took in the empty road behind it. When it saw Retsu circulating into five humanoid forms near the building, it instinctively turned over, smashing its feet into the pavement below and used the power stored in its chunky calves to explosively sprint off.

“It spotted us!”

“And the other targets?” Chinatsu questioned. Senri, who was one of the three behind the corner, peeked through and confirmed their other two targets. “Secondary target is an unconscious woman. The database is saying she’s…” Senri gave his mask a moment to pull up the information. In a blue flash, it appeared on the screen within his mask. “Ms. Hoshigaki, a teacher at Hotaka Elementary. There’s a male, too.” He answered as the other two Setsu that were beside him left their position and ran ahead to keep in pursuit.

“Konno, Niikura… you’re tasked with starting the retrieval process!” Chinatsu ordered from her aerial position, as Senri observed the two tailing the Shiki, when it suddenly vanished.

“Turn your visuals on,” Chinatsu told the two Setsus, well aware of what the Shiki had done as she watched from a holo-pad. They flicked on their vibe vision goggles that assisted in seeing the hidden Retsu trails that Shikis leave behind, even when they attempt to go invisible and mask themselves in the night. The Shikis imprints were all over the ground. It left behind a sloppy trail of its sweat and Retsu. The two released a series of bats into the sky to keep eyes on the Shiki from above.

“What a filthy smell,” Niikura commented, turning the corner onto the next road, as a massive hand reached out, grabbing his head. The beefy fingers constricted Niikura’s head with bone-shattering pressure that only allowed Niikura to let out a single scream as the Shiki slammed him into the pavement and flung him aside.

“Niikura!!!” Konno screamed in shock after seeing the Shiki rip into Niikura’s shoulder. It took a few bites before heading towards him. Konno stumbled backwards on his own feet, as the Shiki locked eyes with him. Blood dripped from its mane as it took a step forward. Konno couldn’t help but shake and close his eyes. The sound of the Shiki taking steps towards him abruptly stopped, followed by the sound of something exploding. When he opened his eyes and looked ahead, he saw a rod had been shot at the Shiki.

Senri doubled over and arched his back, throwing a third miniature rod from the dozen he had in his bag. The weapon slashed across the Shiki’s forearm. A chilly vibe was cast on the ground when he shot a fourth, which tore into the ground and released a vibe that forced the Shiki to take off once more.

“THAT THING TOOK A CHUNK OUT OF NIIKURA’S SHOULDER!!!” Konno slid over and tried to suppress the blood by taking out a black Woshu cloth and setting it over the open gap along Niikura’s shoulder. The blood splurged on the concrete ground, spreading all over Konno’s gloves.

“Calm down, Konno! Which way did it go?!” Chinatsu urged him to speak quickly, linking the channel over to Kiku.

“I-It’s headed towards the Ishikiri Station!” Konno relayed while Senri leaned down beside the pale Niikura. He urged Niikura to relax, as he was twisting from the pain.

“Onishi, Kudo, you know what to do. It’s headed your way!” Senri addressed the Setsus who were positioned between the road and the station. The two Setsus gripped the metallic fence and prepared to jump over. The Shiki rampaged through, causing the ground to quake, setting fear in Kudo and Onishi, who hesitated after hearing its unnatural hair-raising roar echo through the entire area.

Kudo and Onishi turned to each other and waited for the Shiki to pass. After the shaking of the fence stopped, the pair jumped over the fence they had been hiding behind. “You’ll cover me, I’ll cover you got it? No running in alone or we won’t stand a chance.” Onishi turned away and landed at the center of the road, as the Hercules Shiki increased its distance from them quickly.

“Yeah, I’ve got you covered. Let’s go!” The two reached down and tapped their thighs twice, activating their accelerators. This caused purple mist to form and spread down their thighs to a lower compartment that sucked up the mist like a vacuum. The mist swirled within the bottom of the boots and suddenly rose up as a dark purple substance formed into wheels that made the boots resemble skates. Kudo picked his leg up and kicked it down causing the wheels to flicker on and activate. The two leaned down, getting into position.

“Not gonna say ‘go’?” Onishi joked, as Kudo rolled her eyes at the sheer corniness. She sighed and said “Go,” triggering the system. A series of particles accumulated behind their boots and propelled them down the empty street. They whipped their arms to the side and twirled in one full rotation as they linked arms briefly and slid along a curve, now on route.

“Pack Five, already in motion,” Kiku relayed. Three other Setsus observed the Hercules Shiki run along the wiring above the empty highway. They got into position and when it ran past them, they moved in. The Shiki hadn’t noticed them, only realizing their presence after they were right behind it.

Onishi nearly managed to grab the hand of one of the passed out captives, but wasn’t fast enough. He was losing speed while Kudo passed him. She twirled her saber up and in a clean slash, tore the saber up across the Shiki’s back. Being struck from behind, the creature nearly dropped the two humans it held captive, but balanced itself and continued straight towards the young bloods that nervously remained frozen in place.

“It’s coming straight for us! SHISU, DO SOMETHING!”

“I can’t move!”

“I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF INSTEAD OF COMING HERE!”

All three of the newbies screamed at once, as the one at the center and the female to his left soiled themselves. They felt a strong gust rush over them like a flying jet, tipping them off balance. “Dougo, Shisu!” One of the three, reached out to the other two as his knees gave out while his hands uncontrollably shook. The Shiki had flown right over them and disappeared into the mountain side that was below the highway.

“Ryce, report!” Naomi called over the earpieces. All three remained frozen before Ryce stood up and ran over to the railing to see if he could spot where it had gone, but he couldn’t see it.

“Useless, stand aside!” Kiku dashed past them, leapt onto the ledge, and front-flipped off in pursuit. Four others jumped after her as one stayed back, covering his nose in disgust. “Ryce, go take your teammates back to headquarters, they both need a change of clothes.”

“Ye-Yes Kitan, sir,” Ryce saluted, watching Kitan disappear into the trees below the bridge. Onishi and Kudo both sighed, going over to the three. “Shosa Naomi’s not going to be pleased.”

“That thing… I can’t do this. It’s not for me, I want to go back to Kobe.” Shisu slumped to her knees, pressing her gloves onto her pelvic region. “I wanna go home, too.” Dougo moved over, feeling uncomfortable as Ryce took a hold of his shoulder.

Having swooped down, Kiku landed on a tree branch with a soft thud. A slumbering cuddly creature became startled and nearly fell over, but was caught by another Setsu who stepped onto a lower branch. She spun over and hopped off, landing on another branch with her sights dead ahead. Her light violet eyes grew brighter through her mask, as the creature’s negative Retsu poured out of it. Flocks of birds soared into the skies up ahead, indicating that the barbaric creature wasn’t too far. It tore through all of the trees in its path and crashed down, creating a cloud of debris that blew back towards the Setsus. Like a wild beast, it frantically did anything it could to escape.

“Kitan, Juro, you take the right flank! Mao, Osamu, you come with me while Sho and Chinatsu go through the left and force it to head to the right! Go!” Kiku spoke into the earpieces, and the Setsus got down to it.

Sho and Chinatsu went ahead faster whilst Kiku fired a sonar wave that sent terrifying ear-raping vibrations toward the Shiki. The ripples forced it to turn away and take off towards the right when suddenly, out of a tree line from above, Kitan came down slashing towards it. He had cut into the creature’s left thigh, but the shock did not slow it down in the slightest, as the Shiki returned a blow. The attack embedded Kitan into the side of a tree, while the other Setsu continued on in pursuit. As Kiku helped pry him out of the tree, Kitan smirked as the upper portion of his mask cracked.

“Knocked out from that little hit? Aw, poor little baby needs some milk,” Kiku mocked, glancing down at him and then in the direction the other Setsus went.

“Real funny, Shosa,” Kitan said as he spit out some blood, setting his hand back against the tree’s surface for support. He caught his breath and wiped the blood from his lips. Kiku lifted her long lance-like blade and hopped up onto a thicker tree branch and took off. In front of her, the beast turned its head back and forth in a craze. Its sight darkened and it grew disoriented. Jumping out of some leaves, it crashed down in an open field with an unconscious girl tumbling down with it. Like a gorilla, it defensively dragged both of the humans by their feet on its back, and looked ahead as grass fluttered in front of it. Juro, Osamu, Chinatsu and Mao flew out of the same treeline looking ahead at the Shiki, quickly catching up with the beast.

The Shiki snarled, as saliva flew out of its mouth and landed a few feet away from Mao. They were headed towards a small open space known as the Enzuigiri Shrine, a rocky clearing that once held a Shinto temple. Now, only half of a torii gate remained due to erosion, as a single pillar was left standing. The rest of the pack leapt out of the other side of the clearing, weapons drawn, as the Shiki roared and slowly spun around. The pack surrounded it, and as they slowly inched forward, the Shiki pressed back against the broken gate.

The creature grinned at its pursuers, holding out the girl as if silently taunting them with her safety, causing them to stop their advance. Suddenly, a flash of orange blotted out its vision, causing it to blink and wipe away liquid, only to see that the girl was no longer in its grasp. Peering down at its arm, it saw a gash from its upper shoulder all the way down to just below its elbow. The creature’s arm hung limp, as Kiku stood, saber-lance in one hand, and the girl in the other.

“Now!” Kiku spoke as the rest of the Setsus moved in, lifting their gauntlets and aiming it at the Shiki. Harpoon tipped hooks attached to cables shot out of their mechanisms, one of them striking the creature in the chest, another on its back, and the back of the knee. The Shiki tried to pull away from their grasp, but as more and more hooks fired at it while the setsus pulled it in different directions, it found itself unable to move. The Setsus dug their booted heels into the earth and pulled back, keeping it from moving in any one direction.

Handing off the unconscious girl to Sho, Kiku quickly landed in front of the Shiki, with a four feet long curved blade in hand. Being sure to avoid its saliva, she placed the cold blade against its throat, digging in as a small trail of the Shiki’s bright orange blood began dripping out of the nick. A small growl came out of the monster, which buffed up, hardening its skin in an attempt to keep the blade from slashing further.

Kiku smiled, leaning down and whispered in its ear, “Uncomfortable? Don’t you worry your pretty little head. When we’re done with you, you’re going to have a whole new understanding of that word.” The monster snarled again, struggling to unbind itself. “Not feeling very talkative tonight, are we? That’s fine. We have ways of getting it out of you.” The Shiki swung its head to the side, snapping its teeth at Kiku’s face, just barely missing her nose underneath her mask. Kiku chuckled and dug the blade a bit deeper when suddenly, an ear piercing scream echoed through the area.

Kiku turned around just in time to witness a Stray, its features disguised by a hood. “Crap! He must have concealed his Retsu and followed us from the highway. We were careless!” Mao announced.

The being already had its arms wrapped around Naomi. With a maniacal look glinting in its eyes under the hood, the Stray’s mouth opened inhumanly wide, before snapping down on the side of Naomi’s neck, tearing half of her head off in the process. Her brief scream was silenced as soon as it jerked its head back, as blood sprayed across the grass, gushing down her uniform. Her arms contorted before falling limp, dropping the gauntlet. The other Setsus of her pack yelled out in terror.

“SHOOOSAAA!”

“YOUUU BEASSST!”

Two Setsus rushed in, forcing the Stray to step away and jump over them. With quick twists and turns, it maneuvered past the Setsus attempting to strike it and advanced straight towards Kiku, before stopping to lower its hood and reveal itself.

“Jeel the Sitter! HERE TO EAT YA!” Jeel reached out to take Kiku’s ankle, but she dodged his grab, jumping away as Jeel hopped onto the Hercules Shiki’s shoulder. “I’d love to devour each and everyone one of you, but whatever. In time, I’ll taste you all one by one. I can only hope that you’re as delicious as the one I just had, hahahaha kekekeke… woahohoho, I can already feel her heart gem!” Jeel proclaimed with a grizzly laugh, infuriating the Setsus that surrounded him and the Hercules Shiki.

The two white rows of teeth on Jeel’s visible chest opened wide, letting out clumpy long tubes that shot out to grab the Setsus. They all avoided as dozens swirled around him, forcing them to move away. Two Setsus got caught and were immediately brought right into Jeel’s chest. The teeth clamped down, shredding them as their screams were killed off instantly, leaving nothing but a bloody mess on his torso and an arm sticking out.

That distraction gave the Hercules Shiki time to regain strength in its arm and upper shoulder. With its left arm no longer being held in place, the Shiki swung it backwards across its body. The knuckles of its massive fist struck Kiku directly in the face, turning her mask into powder, and sent her flying across the clearing until she collided with Osamu, sending them both rolling across the grass. With two of the harpoons no longer securing it, the Shiki began yanking at the remaining pack members who were trying to restrain it. Using its herculean strength, it heaved the ones who held on high into the misty sky.

Slowly, Kiku rose to her feet, as blood streamed from her forehead and obscured her vision. She tried to wipe it away, barely making out the scene in front of her, as the Hercules Shiki grabbed Kitan by his leg and repeatedly smashed him against a black pine tree as if it were beating the dust out of a rug, before slinging his limp body into the far woods. Turning around, the Shiki grabbed the fleeing Juro, before breaking his back with its knee.

Clenching her fist around her saber, Kiku charged toward the Shiki, but Jeel intercepted her and struck her aside with a single flick of his tail. He then used this chance to run to the Hercule Shiki’s side again. The remaining Setsus regained their bearings and surrounded the two. The Sitter reached into its coat, pulling out a pair of red gem-like objects, dropping the one in his right hand. As it fell to the dirt, Chinatsu instantly recognized it, and turned around, warning the Setsus, “Flashbang! Cover your eyes!”

However, it was too late, as Kiku’s eyes were enveloped in white. A loud bang made her ears ring with excruciating pain, as the entire pack dropped to the ground in fetal positions, screeching in pain. Their heightened hearing and sight had now turned against them.

After what seemed like hours to Kiku, her vision finally began to return; Chinatsu knelt beside her, shaking Kiku’s shoulder. “Chi… ugh, our target.”

“We still have the girl. That Shiki got away with the Stray. For some reason, they didn’t grab her while we were down.” Kiku rubbed her eyes, not wanting to lift herself from the cool earth beneath her as the massive cut on her forehead had begun to heal. “Where’s the rest of the team?”

Chinatsu frowned, looking down at the grass. Her voice cracked as she was hesitant of what she’d say next. She forced herself to gulp in order to get her voice back, then answered. “Osamu and Sho are over by the Torii.” Chinatsu pointed off to their right, with Kiku’s head following as she spotted the two of them standing over the others, her vision still somewhat blurry. As she looked back up to Chinatsu, she noticed tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

“Kiku, they… they’re hurt bad. Kitan hasn’t regained consciousness yet, Juro had 12 vertebrae shattered, and Nao…” Chinatsu looked away, powering off her Setsu sight. At this point, the tears were streaming down her face. “That bastard took half of my sister’s head!” Chinatsu struggled to contain every bit of anger that filled her emotions. “No amount of Setsu blood transfusions can save her if we don’t get the other half of her heart gem back in time.” Chinatsu clenched her fist.

Kiku gave her a somber look as she tilted her head back up, eyes facing the night sky as Chinatsu sat on her knees next to her, sobbing loudly. As she silently sat there staring up at the stars, Kiku eventually brought her hand up to her earpiece. Chinatsu angrily punched the ground. “What’s the point of saving a few humans if we lose our own in the process?! I’m tired of this!”

Kiku didn’t respond. Instead, she turned away and spoke into her earpiece, “Kiku reporting… the target has been rescued, but the Shiki has escaped. We have heavy casualties, sir.”

“This is Alto reading you clearly. That is… very unfortunate, young miss. How did it escape? Who did we lose?” Alto’s bushy mustache furrowed.

“A Stray rescued it. The Stray wasn’t like an ordinary one. I’ll fill you in later. As for the casualties…”

“Naomi…” Kiku rubbed the center of her nose to keep herself from crying. Behind her, Chinatsu continued to repeat, “Why?!” louder and louder until Kiku yelled, “Chinatsu!!! Get it together! This is no time for negativity!” Kiku kicked a rock next to her as she laid there.

Alto sighed deeply in response. “Unfortunately, we still have a mission to complete. Bring those school teachers back to us, and see that your fellow packmates return home safely.”

Looking up at the dark rainy sky, Kiku momentarily recalled having yogurt with someone she cared deeply for. They walked out, hopping on his ride and went out to the outskirts of Osaka. That sunny day was the last day she had seen her beloved Hiiro.

She recollected his voice, as he sat by her side. After assisting a lost tourist and resolving an odd report of a fisherman going deranged, the pair bought a bag full of yogurt from a nearby store and decided to enjoy some time together before heading back to the Ikigai’s headquarters. Kiku delightfully ate up two cups of yogurt as they were sitting. She watched Hiiro fiddle around with the contents of the cup, finding it cute the way he tilted his head over.

“What’s wrong with the yogurt?” she asked Hiiro, after seeing him try to taste the yogurt. Instead, he slid the spoon back into the cup.

“Yogurt’s too cold for my fangs. I should have asked the clerk to microwave it,” Hiiro murmured.

“Microwave yogurt? Never heard of that. Uh… let it settle in the sun then,” Kiku suggested, raising her sights to the bright sky. She raised her hand over her eyebrows. At her suggestion, Hiiro nodded. He placed the cup down, where the sun would shine on it and then looked over to the horizon. Off in the distance, tints of black were mixed in with the oceanic view. A variation of different hoverboats scoured the seas, headed to the different docks littered along the coast.

“Thanks for the idea. It’s really hot out today… wish I could remove the jacket, but we’re still on duty.” Hiiro glanced down to the shining Hachi emblem on the forearm of his jacket. He then gave her a nod and turned his attention up to the sky. The sunlight shined down, warming up his pale cheeks. “On second thought, this weather is perfect.” Such admiration brought with it the realizations he too often lost himself in. “Sucks to think it may not be around one day, if nothing is done overseas. Osaka and Japan will be next. You’d be next.”

“I’ve gotta look after everyone, but that’s impossible. I have a bad feeling about the lord’s leaving, and Fushigi Yugi of Kyoto could be waiting to try and invade Osaka,” Hiiro spoke, concerned for those the two knew. He stared at the grass between his lap, noticing a small snake slithering in a circle.

Kiku shook her head. “There you go again. We’ll be perfectly fine. You’re overthinking it, Hiiro. Caring too much can be destructive, you know?” Kiku fiddled with the grass at her side. “And it’s my job to remind you when you hug too tightly, so you can balance it. It’s like that in a sense with your desires. You can’t worry about every little thing, Hiiro. Worry about yourself for a change. Enjoy this moment here, with me.” She faintly gave him a smile, as she slid her hand to his, while he observed her soft smile. The glimmer in her eyes made Hiiro blush. Kiku set one of her legs over the other, snuggling into the grass.

“If it’ll make you worry less, I’m going to play my role a thousand times better, so that we can all have more days like these,” Kiku declared.

“Never thought I’d hear that from you,” Hiiro said, laughing faintly. “But you’re right. Realistically, we can’t protect Japan alone. Not with all the division. Me worrying about the current affairs between the families won’t solve anything. I can only hope that the families all come together one day.”

“That seems unlikely.”

“It does…” Hiiro dropped his head down in disappointment. “Seems the other regions are still being hit hard by Shiki swarms. With the absence of the lords, it’ll be harder looking after Osaka. We can’t keep everything in line without Alessandro.” He sighed, as Kiku observed him quietly. Hiiro folded his hands, setting his elbows on his knees and watched the snake wiggle its tail in the air.

“I agree that we need Alessandro, but like I said, you can’t worry too much. We’re supposed to be unwinding yet we’re still talking about work.” She gave him a frown. “The Order will handle everything else. We’ll focus on our tasks when that time comes.”

“Yeah, but…” Hiiro interjected, but Kiku patted his shoulder, continuing what she was saying.

“You’re no help if your mind’s everywhere at once; we’ve gotta do our job here first. Otherwise, we won’t be able to defend ourselves if Shiki swarms make their way to this region.” Hiiro became visibly uncomfortable at what Kiku said.

“Not if… it’s a matter of when. I know some Strays have already infiltrated the borders. I thought it’d be a good idea to take a break today, talk about it with you, but now I feel worse. I just want to keep searching. I can’t let another human down.” Hiiro looked out to the different children playing along the rocky formations that lead towards the sea, then faced Kiku.

“I don’t feel like having yogurt anymore. Here.” Hiiro took the yogurt cup he had placed at his side and handed it to Kiku. “It already melted that fast?” he thought to himself as droplets from the cup’s surface wet his hand. A low grumble came from Hiiro’s stomach, embarrassing him.

“Doesn’t seem like your stomach agrees. I’ll tell you now, you’re missing out! It tastes really good, try it.” Kiku scooped a spoonful and tried to feed him, but he avoided the spoon each time, turning his face away from her. Kiku got on her knees and tugged at the top of his hair to keep him from moving his face.

“H-Hey, I said I don’t want an-” Hiiro protested, as a shadow drew over the pair.

Kiku swirled the melted yogurt in the cup before jumping at the sight of a seagull flying onto Hiiro’s lap. It had suddenly swooped down near Hiiro’s crotch and pecked at the snake that had been wiggling around. The surprise made Kiku spill some of the yogurt on him as he quickly staggered to his feet.

Hiiro tried to swat the seagull away, but the single slap he gave across it’s noggin only infuriated it. “What’s wrong with you?!” Hiiro shouted at the seagull. The seagull turned its head over and glared at Hiiro while maintaining the wiggling snake between its beak. He reached down to grab it by the neck, but it quickly took off through the grassy ocean plain. “Great, now the yogurt spilled. Next time we come here, I’m bringing an umbrella.”

“Don’t forget repellent, those seagulls are really getting out of hand around here.” Kiku glanced over to some of the children near the rocky shores feeding seagulls. For a moment, Hiiro stared off at the seagull that had taken the snake away into the distance. “Shawn… I know you’re somewhere.” His attention soon returned to Kiku when he heard her speak up in surprise.

“Ah, I didn’t see! That seagull freaked me out when it flew in. Sorry Hiiro, I got some on you.” Kiku pulled a cloth from her pocket to wipe off some of the yogurt that spilled along his pants, but then, a smirk crept across her face. “Maybe if you ate the yogurt earlier, I wouldn’t have to-”

“It's fine, we'll do laundry when we get back to the esta-” Hiiro froze, as she licked a bit of the yogurt off of him with the tip of her tongue. “Quit it! We’re in public!” Hiiro avoided the seductive look she gave him. He quickly yanked away from the hold she had on his leg and took off towards the commercial path that’d lead to his ride. Two old drunk men sitting on reclining seats laughed, taking swigs; suddenly, Hiiro front-flipped over them, surprising the pair.

“Hiiro! Wait up!” Kiku shouted, following after him as the two laughed.

“Shosa Kaiser, are you there?” Alto’s voice over the earpiece snapped Kiku’s attention back to the current reality. Thunder erupted for a second, making the destruction of the abandoned temple visible.

“Ye-Yes, I am. Sorry about that.” Kiku glanced back to Chinatsu, who became completely silent ever since Kiku raised her voice at her while tears continued streaming down her face. In the time Kiku zoned out, the other Setsus gathered the injured. “I’ll have the report ready by the time we arrive.”

Kiku turned away and watched the other Setsus stand around Naomi’s maimed body. Each Setsu helped out in lifting her cautiously onto a flat board. Kiku observed Naomi’s pocket buzzing, seeing the light from her phone as the phone slipped out and hit the hard bedrock. The call had the image of an orange-haired male smiling cheekily.

Kiku went over to pick up the phone and after doing so, looked around the landscape. The last she saw of Naomi was the scaly flat board wrapping itself around her, closing at the top. A simmering orange glowed along the exterior of the flat board, releasing steam. She tightened her fist as the swampy area around them continued to steadily fill with more water from the downpour.

“Again, someone precious…”