Chapter 23: Evidence

Akeno is more than eager to follow my plan. Once more, that familiar sadistic smile appears on her lips, but I'm fairly used to it now. I was a little wary that she'd be apprehensive about having some Youkai probe her mind for information, but she's a lot more willing than I thought. Maybe the possibility of revenge outweighs everything else.

I'm also going to let Shikaku probe my memories. Specifically, the visions my eyes have shown me; of all the terrible things the Five Principal Clans have done to Youkai and other humans alike.

Of course, I'm not going to let him see everything. Not that Shikaku's going to be able to. He'll sooner explode his brain from all the information than learn anything about my eyes.

But I do use my eyes to learn everything about an Ungaikyo's abilities. And I'm immediately set to ease. The brain stores far too much information to handle. When used on a living being, Ungaikyos need a vague idea of the memory they're looking for, lest they bombard their own minds with too much information.

Still, Akeno and I begin making precautions in case something goes horribly wrong.

For an entire day, we prepare. Akeno may not be able to infuse her own Ofudas, but the characters she writes are perfect enough to be used. We make all sorts of Ofudas, from 'Fire' and 'Explosion', to 'Weight' and 'Invisibility', and I even make another 'Isolation' Ofuda with Kanada's help.

We spend most of the day in our room, occasionally talking and occasionally in silence. It's rather pleasant, really. It's a day all to ourselves, stuck in our room and bathing in the warmth of home.

By the time we're done, a day has gone by. And I do mean a day. We started working early in the morning, and once we opened the blinds, it's morning once more. I blink for a moment, and Akeno does too. Neither of us really kept track of the time, so this was somewhat expected.

Really, I'm more surprised at how…fine she looks. I'm used to not sleeping at all, but Akeno isn't. And yet she looks fine, as if she didn't spend an entire day writing Japanese characters on slips of paper.

I smile wryly. Primal Energy's quite the cheat too.

The household soon wakes, and we head down to eat some breakfast. And during it, I tell them that Akeno and I will be out today. "There's a new arcade game that came out." Is my excuse. A complete lie. Neither Akeno or I are interested in arcades, but a bunch of my classmates seem to be.

My parents are happy that I'm finally 'going out with Akeno'. Which…isn't wrong, I guess. We're just going out in a different sense.

Before long, we're ready to leave. With some pocket change from my parents and an entire armada of Ofudas hidden in our pockets, we leave our house in search of Shikaku. My eyes easily show me where he is, and it doesn't take us long to find him.

In minutes, I'm back to where Suou and I had fought. It looks like a perfectly ordinary area; a small field of grass lying at the outskirts of town. But I know better, and it seems Akeno does too. That psychic connection she shares with the rest of her clan knows this is where Suou perished, and the satisfied glint in her eyes is easy to see.

We find Shikaku standing there, slight frustration hidden behind his perfectly neutral expression. He's standing right atop where Suou's burnt corpse once was.

We walk closer, and soon he turns to face us. "Two kids…?" He whispers, before his eyes narrow. An odd feeling washes over me, and I frown. It isn't threatening in any way, but it feels uncomfortable. It feels like someone's staring right through me, their gaze seeing through my skin and flesh.

My Primal Energy soars. A burst of heat spreads throughout my body, and the discomfort fades as Shikaku flinches back in shock.

"Good morning," I say kindly. "Are you here in search of Himejima Suou?"

Akeno stares at me strangely, and so does Shikaku. I'm not surprised. Seeing a kid speak so formally would weird out most people. Of course, I'm doing it on purpose. I despise corporate culture, but if there's one thing I've learnt, it's that discomfort is a great way of quickly pushing people to get to the point.

Eventually his neutral expression returns, though this time with some caution. "I am." He says. "You are?"

"I'm Hyoudou Issei." I wave my hand to Akeno. "This is Himejima Akeno." She smiles politely and bows. "She was driven out of her clan, and Himejima Suou chased her here." I explain. Shikaku frowns slightly as he turns his eyes to her, before he nods.

I take a breath, and I smile. "I'm the one who killed him."

And at that, Shikaku's jaws drop. "You are…?" He asks slowly. I nod, and he stares at me for a few more seconds before he sighs. "I see. And I assume you destroyed his body?" I nod again. He closes his eyes. "A shame."

My smile turns just a little cheeky. "Why? Because you need his corpse to pull his demented soul from the netherworld?"

Shikaku stops. "How did you-?"

"I know a lot of things, Shikaku-san." I take a step forward. "Many eyes have turned to this place following Suou's death. You are not the first, and you won't be the last." My smile only grows at his rising caution, but I shake my head. "But that's not important. Himejima Suou was a threat, and so I took care of him."

I tilt my head slightly. "Can I ask why you needed him, though?" I ask, already knowing his answer.

Shikaku remains quiet, before he nods. "I'm here in search of rumors."

I blink. He's actually telling us? "Rumors?"

"Yes. The Five Principal Clans are notoriously secretive, and the Youkai fear that they've gone back on a promise their ancestors have made." He hums. "I come here in hopes of uncovering the truth, but I'm afraid that's impossible now."

"I wouldn't say so, Shikaku-san." Akeno finally speaks up. "You are an Ungaikyo, right?" She asks. He frowns, probably wondering how she knows that, before he nods. "You should be able to view memories of the living." She smiles. "Then I volunteer."

He frowns. "What?"

Suddenly, the wind washes past me, and I turn to see a pair of black feathery wings magically sprout from her back. "I am a Half-Fallen." She explains, eyes downcast. "I was driven from my clan due to my race. If it means exacting justice on what they've done to me and others," She smiles coldly. "Then my memories are yours to watch."

"So are mine." I join in, giving Akeno a small smile as I pat her shoulder. She smiles back as her wings disappear. "I can't explain too much, but I too have seen some things that the Five Principal Clans have done." I shake my head. "It isn't pretty."

Shikaku is silent. "...are you sure? Sharing one's memory with another is…" His words trail off as he sees our determined gazes, and he sighs. "So young." He softly laments, before he gently tugs his tie. "Very well. Which one of you wants to go first?"

I turn to Akeno, but before I can say anything, she's already said, "I will." And she steps towards him, her hands discreetly holding an Ofuda in her pockets.

Shikaku nods, and he then places his hand on her forehead. Once more, that weird feeling I felt comes back. But it's not so uncomfortable now. It feels prodding still, but it almost feels gentle. Less forceful.

As he does that, I quickly use my eyes to see what's going on.

My eyes are more than happy to feed me with information.

A Youkai's powers come from all sorts of sources, whether it be curses or mana or even faith. But among those sources exist one exclusive to the Youkai.

Senjutsu. The control of life energy, or better known as Ki. It's a powerful source of energy, existing in everything that thinks and lives. It's similar to my Primal Energy really, except Primal Energy comes from the earth itself while Senjutsu is a technique that manipulates the Ki that exists in all conscious beings.

Or, in other words, Primal Energy exists in all living beings. Ki only permeates the body of those with consciousness, no matter how limited.

Right now, Shikaku is using the technique exclusive to his race, reading through Akeno's memories of her childhood by infusing some of his Ki into her brain.

The man is not pleased, and it shows. Over the past minutes, his expression has turned darker and darker. I don't bother using my eyes to see the memories he's seeing; the silent anger boiling in his eyes is more than telling.

Eventually, Shikaku pulls his hand back, and he lets loose a tired sigh. "This is…infuriating." He says through grit teeth. "I am sorry for all you've gone through. Himej-, no, Akeno-san." He says softly.

Akeno stares with wide eyes, clearly not expecting such a heartfelt reaction from someone who's essentially a stranger. "I…" She shakes her head. "No, thank you. For getting angry on my behalf."

She steps back, and I walk forward in her stead. "It's my turn now." I say, before I frown. "Are you sure you want to do this now?"

He nods. "Yes. I must." He says curtly as he places his hand on my forehead. "Please close your eyes, Hyoudou-san."

I do, and I feel that discomfort spread through my body. I can feel my Primal Energy trying to fight against it, but I do my best to calm myself down. Soon, I feel a pull on my head, and through my eyes, I can see Shikaku begin to dig through the sights I've seen.

And he sees it all. Every human and Youkai tortured and humiliated, every person they mutilated, everyone they killed in the name of 'purity'. Death after death after death. Shame after shame after shame.

It ends in barely a minute. The discomfort fades, and I open my eyes to see that Shikaku's taken several steps back. But I don't say anything, nor does Akeno.

Because both of us can see the barely contained rage. His scowl is deep, and the anger in his eyes is deeper. His hands are clenched tight, and his shoulders are tense.

We let the man stew for a few minutes, and as he does, I slowly walk back to Akeno. "Are you alright?" I ask gently. Akeno makes a slow nod. "This is just the first step." I remind her. "The Youkai will know what your clan has done, but it isn't over yet." I give her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "But I'll be by your side until their justice is served."

Akeno smiles silently.

Eventually, Shikaku manages to calm himself down. And when he does, he turns to us and bows. "Akeno-san. Hyoudou-san."

"Yes?" I ask.

"Please come with me to Kyoto." Shikaku says, and I smile. Bingo. "The Youkai must know of their transgressions, and I cannot convince the others alone."

My smile grows. "When should we leave?"

"As soon as possible." He quickly answers.

I hum. "Well," I turn to Akeno and grin. "What'd you say? Wanna go on a little field trip?"

Akeno smiles back. "I'm more than happy to."

Shikaku nods. "Then I will prepare. Please wait a few minutes." He says, and he quickly begins working, drawing a magic circle of chalk upon the grass. It's actually similar to the array Suou used to teleport here. Which isn't surprising. Both arrays are essentially the same thing, just with different destinations.

It doesn't take him long to finish. "Please, step forward." He says.

I quickly use my eyes to determine whether it's a trap or not. It isn't. "Let's go." I say, and Akeno nods as we step into the array. Shikaku nods, and with a breath, he snaps his fingers.

The circle below us lights up in a brilliant show of blue and white, and I close my eyes as the world fades around us.