Chapitre 980: 49
Chapter Text
Arriving at the address Suzaku had given me, I'm greeted by the sight of a small, cosy family clinic -the complete opposite of the professional, expensive private facility that I had expected.
If anything, the slightly shabby exterior makes me wonder if I got the wrong location.
The clinic is the size of a large townhouse and the exterior is clean, if worn, with a simple sign indicating it as a medical practice. Overall, I would expect this to be the location of a family doctor rather than a private care facility for one of the Principal Clans; though, perhaps that is the point.
I'm in the process of pulling out my phone to text Suzaku and clarify when she steps out the front door with a relieved smile.
"Thank you for coming so quickly. I was worried you wouldn't find this place easily." A light grin is affixed to my expression as I shrug.
"No problem, It wasn't that hard to find." Suzaku leads me inside and as I close the door behind me I notice some leftover blood on my nails.
A quick flash of flame burns that away earning me a questioning look from Suzaku. "I'm sanitizing my hands, I don't want anything to infect your cousin while he has a high fever."
Technically that is the truth but it leaves out what exactly I was burning away - pieces of the accountant. Still, the grateful look she gives me makes it worth it.
She copies me and does the same with her hands, accepting my excuse easily.
Just outside the room where Tobio is resting she stops and sends a nervous glance toward my horns.
Biting her lip she tentatively speaks, "My cousin isn't exactly involved in the supernatural. Would it be possible for you to alter your appearance?"
I frown not liking the idea for a few reasons, the biggest of which is I don't like hiding parts of myself.
I don't even bother to cover up my features when walking around Kyoto so why would I do so now? I like the way I look and I'm proud of who I am, covering that up feels wrong.
If I have to I'm willing to, like when I took down the human trafficking ring or when I trained my underlings because there was a concrete reason to disguise myself in those circumstances.
Here, especially since Tobio is going to be drawn into the supernatural anyways, the request feels almost insulting.
The only fact that stops me from denying the request is that Suzaku shouldn't know about Tobio's Longinus at this point. Without that information, this isn't a futile attempt to halt the inevitable but a concerned woman trying her best to protect her family.
That isn't a sentiment I can ignore because it is something I might have done if our roles were reversed.
I half growl and half sigh as my horns, claws, and teeth disappear, my appearance turning into something more 'normal'.
I do, however, keep the tattoos formed from my body refining because I'm too proud of them to cover them up. More than anything else, they're a symbol of my hard work.
"Just this once, okay?" I say tersely.
Suzaku sighs in relief and nods quickly.
"Of course, and I'm really sorry about this. I would never ask you to change how you look normally." Suzaku goes as far as to bow in apology, showing her sincerity.
"If you're going that far I can't exactly stay mad at you," I grumble half-heartedly.
As Suzaku and I continue into Tobio's room, I get my first look at the boy, and boy is the correct word for him.
Lying on the bed, feverish, shaking and sweating he looks so young and frail compared to the image I had built up in my mind. Until this moment I hadn't thought of how much my perception of him had been tainted by the canon image of a powerful Grigori attack dog.
I had come expecting the trained fighter who held the power to slay gods, not a high school kid with a fever. The sheer disparity between those two versions of the same person brings me up short.
The others I've met that I had read about in my past life are already nearly equal to that image canon portrayed, like Suzaku or Bikou, or so young that the comparison isn't possible, like Akeno.
It's an interesting line of thought to realize that most of the main cast are in middle school or barely entering high school at this point.
Once I cross the short distance between the door and the bed, I waste no time placing my hand on his chest and focusing on his Ki.
His Ki flow is turbulent and erratic as a result of the fever, thrashing through his body like a river about to crash over its bank. Still, it doesn't take me much effort to force it back into a natural flow, the sheer disparity in both our Ki reserves and the purity of the Ki allowing me to brute force it.
I have enough skill to finesse the Ki flow back into a proper rhythm but brute-forcing it like this saves time.
This won't solve the problem behind the fever yet, only abate the worst symptoms. However, It will give me time to examine the cause of the fever.
His complexion gains some colour and his shaking lessens as my treatment continues.
I take the opportunity to glance at Suzaku.
"You've checked the spell structures already, right?" The question is more rhetorical than anything.
We both know that is the first thing she did.
"Yes, there were two separate spells cast on him that I could find." She frowns as she remembers the spells in question.
"They had been applied a long time ago and from what I could tell they wouldn't have caused a reaction like this." I nod, knowing his Grandmother cast the spells and having a decent idea of what the two of them are.
"There is a protection spell and a seal, both Buddhist in nature." Suzaku looks slightly embarrassed as she continues, "I wasn't able to tell more than that since our clan members are only allowed to study approved magic."
I chuckle at her response, "That would never become a hindrance, I'm sure."
Suzaku glares at me without any real heat and I continue controlling Tobio's Ki flow until it starts to stabilize itself.
Once I don't need to focus on that, I crack my neck and prepare to examine deeper. "I might be a little out of it while I examine everything since I'm looking into his soul. It shouldn't take long but I won't be able to answer while I'm focused."
I focus my soul energy -and man do I need to create a less clunky term for that- into my forehead and feel my tattoos shift as my third eye opens.
As Tobio's soul comes into view, there's a stabbing pain in my head as I turn my perception towards the sharp darkness shining from the centre.
Canis Lykaon, because what else could it be, is an inky black sphere that radiates a piercing glow in all directions. Around the orb is a circle of Buddhist prayer beads that shine a soft radiance. Through my soul sight, I can 'hear' a soft chanting coming from the prayer beads and 'smell' the scent of incense.
The extra sensory input is slightly disconcerting but considering this isn't exactly 'sight' either, I brush it off fairly easily.
Canis Lykaon seems to thrash in its prison occasionally only for the radiance to surge again to suppress it. When the radiance surges temporarily, it seems to dim each time it returns to its natural state and burst forth weaker at every resurgence.
Suffice to say, the seal is slowly failing and considering that seal is stopping him from immediately activating his Balance Breaker, that's very dangerous.
My curiosity gets the best of me and I try to pierce further into the Longinus with my sight. I catch a pair of red eyes, the scrape of claws, and the flash of a blade before I'm forced back out. There's also a stinging pain on my wrist but I ignore it in favour of the other spell structure.
The next spell that catches my eye takes the form of a plain parasol, not fancy but also not cheaply made. It feels reliable and has a homemade warmth to it. The problem is that there are tears on the parasol and the torn edges are marred in the same inky blackness as Canis Lykaon.
The most telling sign is that it seems to be fading which tells me the spell structure is collapsing from use. I doubt it was anything more than single-use protection, especially with the intent behind it being so general, therefore that isn't surprising.
It takes a while to examine it and figure out its purpose but in the end, I determine that it is some sort of Karmic protection that is meant to steer Tobio away from a dangerous fate.
The Heavenly of Alola Incident must have activated the protection but the damage caused by his Longinus tainted the spell structure, perverting the effect. The protection spell and the stress of the weakened seal must have caused the fever.
'What do you think, Byakko? This probably would have been a mild compulsion not to go on the trip, or a vague sense of unease at the prospect, right?'
Byakko rumbles as he takes a look through my eyes, ' That seems correct. The spell was likely triggered by the negative intent of the Utsusemi agency members. Covetous actions are a form of bad Karma and they coveted the students as test subjects.'
I nod along with his words, having come to the same conclusion, and pull myself out of examining Tobio's soul.
As my tattoos shift back to their base state and my third eye closes, I shake my head. Returning to the present, I'm greeted by the smell of burning flesh.
A swift assessment of my surroundings tells me that Suzaku is cauterizing my wrist, my hand has been severed and is lying on Tobio's chest, and his bed is covered in my blood.
All in all, not terrible.
"What a vicious puppy," I mutter with a wry smile, "Who would have thought that the King of wolves is such a shy little guy?"
"What happened in there?" Suzaku says, staring at me with naked concern, "You blanked out for a minute then a black blade sprouted from my cousin's chest, slicing through your wrist like it was nothing!"
"I peeked at one of the Biblical God's trinkets and it bared its fangs at me," I say nonchalantly, examining the stump of my wrist.
Even with the power of purification from Suzaku's flames, the curse from Canis Lykaon's blades is still hindering my regeneration. It's mild and not life-threatening for me yet it is the singular most impressive curse I've ever been inflicted with.
Zeus can cast some pretty frightening curses, can't he? If the sealed Longinus can hinder my regeneration to this degree, the real thing is going to be frightening.
I already can't wait to fight Tobio.
The fact that it could cut through my wrist without any resistance is also impressive. My body is durable to a ridiculous degree but apparently in front of a blade that can slay Gods and Buddhas that means little.
"Please don't speak in riddles now," Suzaku pleads and I immediately feel guilty.
"I figured out the problem and I can solve it." I channel a massive amount of Ki into my wrist to overpower the remnant cursed energy and regrow my hand. "The new issue is that your cousin is irrevocably part of the supernatural now. He has one of the thirteen Longinus, Canis Lykaon resting in his soul."
While Suzaku gasps and glances worriedly at Tobio, I take the time to burn away all the blood splatter and debate what to do about my hand.
I kind of want to keep it as a memento of my first Longinus inflicted injury… I sneak a glance at Suzaku as she processes the revelation I gave her and ever so slowly place my severed hand in my pocket dimension.
She is too consumed with her own thoughts to notice me stealthily securing my treasure, thankfully. I somehow doubt she would be impressed by me planning to make a trophy out of my severed hand.
That's more third or fourth date information than pre-first date.
Suzaku is not taking this revelation well and seems to be going into a mental flat spin so I clear my throat.
"This is only a bad thing if you don't have time to prepare him for this life or aren't willing to." I cross my arms across my chest.
"You have to face the reality that he is a target and you need to do that now." Suzaku sighs and nervously twirls a stray hair.
"I know that. I do. It's just… he hasn't even graduated high school yet. He was normal, he wasn't supposed to be involved." She sounds regretful as she speaks, the past tense of her words telling me she's aware of the reality of the situation.
Even if she doesn't want to admit it yet.
"I don't know if this helps but realistically he was already a target." Suzaku bites her lip and shuts her eyes as though blocking that thought out.
"His whole class was kidnapped for a reason, and it certainly wasn't out of convenience. You don't target an entire cruise liner because it seemed like an easy score. They could have kidnapped the population of a small village instead." I've put some more thought into it since Suzaku called and only came to one conclusion.
"Those kids at his school must be prime material for whatever those people are planning. It was far too high profile for a sacrifice, and there were too many taken for any research that would kill them all off." I stare directly into Suzaku's eyes as I drive my final point home.
"Those kids are all going to be released back into the world with whatever was done to them, likely as weapons for this organization. Your cousin will end up stumbling into his friends and he will be dragged back into that mess." I point at the bedridden boy who is going to go through insane trials in the future.
Trials that he isn't ready for yet.
"He needs to be prepared for that since you can't always be there to hold his hand." The air around Suzaku shimmers as heat radiates from her body.
Her red eyes glow dangerously, "He's the only family I have left! He can't get involved in this side of the world!"
Her fists clench and her eyes glisten with unshed tears that only evaporate when they try to fall, "I can't lose him too."
"Then train him," I gently place my hand on her shoulder. "Teach him everything he needs to survive and thrive. He has the equipment to carve his own path, he just needs the knowledge."
Melancholy gives way to frustration in an instant and she flares up again, "I can't , my position is shaky enough as it is. If I try to bring an 'exile' back into the clan, Vermillion Bird or not, I'll be ousted."
She grits her teeth and continues, "The other clans are watching my every move after I removed the Elders. The other inheritors might be on my side but their Elders and Clan heads are begging for an opportunity to remove me."
A smile slowly stretches across my face as a plan begins to form. Laughter bubbles up in my throat as I glance back at Tobio.
Suzaku's eyebrows slowly raise in response, "Seriously, Ibaraki, what is it?"
"You can interact with him enough to unlock and teach him about the Himejima blessing, right?" Suzaku's eyes narrow and she nods slowly.
"Let's make another deal then!" Suzaku stares at me like she's making a deal with the devil or a normal shady businessman, "I'll train your cousin and make sure he has all the power and experience needed to survive. I was interested in his Longinus anyway so it's a win for both of us."
Her eyes narrow and she crosses her arms, "What do you get out of this deal?"
I pout, offended, "I can't do things out of the goodness of my heart? The magnanimity of my character?"
" Ibaraki ." She bites out sharply.
I grin, ignoring the shiver I get from her saying my name like that, "Two things; first, you don't object to how I train him or the nature of his combat experience."
"I can't agree to that unless you're more specific." She retorts not wanting such an open-ended deal.
" Well , I'm about to start a gang war with the Fallen and Devil gangs in Kyoto and figured, what better time to get experience out in the field." I shrug with the same cheeky grin.
Suzaku pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head, "You aren't using my cousin to fight your war for you."
"Hold on a second, you didn't even hear me out! I'm not going to throw him at the leaders of either gang, just the fodder, and only after I teach him the basics." It's a perfectly reasonable plan.
He won't even see combat until he can match Akeno in a spar, or at least not get destroyed by her. With this, I'll get to add training a Longinus wielder to my list of achievements! This is the best plan I've had yet.
"Do you promise that you aren't treating him as an expendable pawn or coveting his Longinus as others will?" Suzaku speaks concisely and with conviction.
"Of course." I wipe the grin off my face and reply with equal seriousness, "I promise I'll take great care of your cousin. I'll treat him like family."
A sly smirk graces my features, "He might be family eventually. It won't be a problem to just start treating him as such now."
It takes Suzaku a second to parse that statement but once she does she blushes, "Ibaraki, please don't tease me right now. You haven't even told me your second condition."
"That is a lot simpler, I want a second date." She blushes even harder, hiding her face in her hands.
"I hadn't thought you were serious about that." She mumbles.
"Dead serious." She groans in response and goes to punch me in the shoulder when we both hear laughter.
Turning we see Tobio chuckling from his position on the bed. He's still pale, though his complexion is far better than when we arrived.
He coughs while smiling weakly, "Don't mind me, you can continue flirting like I'm not here."
I laugh, already liking him even as Suzaku alternates glares between the two of us.
"Nice to meet you Tobio, my name is Ibaraki. I'm your… doctor for the moment." I get a doubtful look from him as I neither look nor am I dressed like a doctor.
"Odd name, is that your first name or last name?" I place my hand on his chest again and start pumping purified Ki into his pathways to bolster his vitality.
"First name. I don't actually have a last name." My eyes dance with mirth as I whisper conspiratorially to him, "Though maybe Suzaku will let me share hers."
He laughs causing him to cough again, "I'll be the first to welcome you to the family then. It's just the two of us so we're an exclusive group."
Well, he definitely bounced back from the fever fast if he's up to joking around.
He groans suddenly, "Damn, I missed the trip, didn't I? Sae will be so upset."
I glance at Suzaku not feeling like I should be the one to open that can of worms. She shakes her head minutely and makes a small clockwise circle with her finger.
I take that to mean that she will explain everything to him later.
Tobio's Ki reserves are now overflowing with purified Ki which will wipe away any remaining symptoms over time. He may experience minor increases to his Ki reserves but nothing impressive.
With regards to this fever, everything I saw indicated he would have been fine even without my interference, especially with foreknowledge backing that assumption. This, however, makes sure he will be back to normal by the end of the day.
It shouldn't return either because the spell won't be able to activate again.
"It looks like you're in the clear, Tobio." He glances at my hand, clearly wondering how I could have possibly divined that.
Still, he rolls with it easily. "That's great news, thanks. I never want to experience that bad a fever again."
Stepping back from his bedside, I realize that I probably don't have a reason to stay anymore. Suzaku and Tobio need to have a serious conversation, one that I would be the third wheel for. Besides, they deserve a moment to talk without me awkwardly standing in the corner.
I take a couple of quick steps toward Suzaku and give her a peck on the cheek. "Send me the times when you're free and I'll plan our date.
I laugh as she freezes and make my exit before she recovers, "See you later, Suzaku~."
With Tobio healed and my business with Suzaku finished, I'm left with a couple of hours in the afternoon and multiple options to entertain myself with.
I could go back to the Golden Boy and continue planning for the gang war with Kintoki. That option is tempting because I want to get to the fun part as soon as possible. The odds of Kintoki attempting to fulfil Yaeko's request of having a kid is too high for me to risk returning, however.
Alternatively, I could head to Urakyoto and see how Yasaka has been doing. I remember being promised Kenmyoren before my trip to Crucible village and she might have gotten ahold of the blade from those monks by now.
Again, tempting but that sly fox will probably rope me into some sort of task while I'm there. Yes, that likely means combat which I'll enjoy but it also means more to worry about. I would much rather have a new set of problems piled onto my lap on a new day.
Another option is wandering Kyoto, whether for leisure, scouting the other gangs, or just looking for trouble. This is the least attractive option yet since it's a lot of effort for a low chance of pay-off. It is highly unlikely that every time I walk down an alley I'll find something interesting and shopping by myself isn't appealing.
I want to update my wardrobe soon but I'd rather ask my mother to make the clothes than buy them pre-made. She'd love the opportunity to use me as a model so it's a better choice for both of us.
This brings me to the option I end up choosing, heading home.
Based on the time of day, my sisters should be having their lessons right now. In fact, they should be finishing up for the day soon. This works perfectly because I've only had a couple of opportunities to interact with the Zen Master.
Zen Master Jun is still something of an enigma to me. I don't understand why he specifically is tutoring my sisters. Any monk would have been fine for the job or really any literate scholar. His position in the hierarchy of Japanese Zen Buddhism is too high for this job.
Being the personal tutor for Kunou is different because she is the daughter of Yasaka, the leader of the West Yokai Faction. When Zen Master Jun started teaching my sisters, I wasn't someone with enough influence to justify his presence. I didn't have that kind of pull.
Now I do, considering I have the interest of multiple Kami and the tentative interest of some foreign deities. That doesn't retroactively justify things, however.
This train of thought stumps me even as I walk through the front door of my home.
My mother still isn't back from work and sure enough, my sisters are out in the courtyard; therefore when I mutter 'I'm home' it is out of habit more than anything.
I head straight for the courtyard, hiding my presence to not interrupt the lesson, only to be greeted by a strange sight.
Everything is normal at first glance, the Zen Master is lecturing about Japanese history at the moment and Akeno and Shuten are diligently taking notes while they follow along. A light breeze is flowing through the courtyard, the scent of nature in the crisp air. Knowledge is imparted to the youths of the next generation.
An idyllic outside lesson by all indications.
The thing that breaks the image for me is the dragon listening with full focus as though he's going to be tested on this. The worst part is the Zen Master is making intermittent eye contact with Gator to make sure the dragon is following along.
…Why doesn't the world make sense?
In this state of bafflement, I wait until the lecture is over, not really listening to the content. If I didn't know how well I was hidden I would think I was being pranked. Gator never once shifts his attention away from his tutor, seeming like a diligent student by any estimate.
Once the lecture is complete, the Zen Master ushers his students out of the courtyard after saying his goodbyes and telling them the subject of their next lesson.
After collecting his materials he looks me dead in the eyes, seeing straight through my presence concealment and smiles. "Greeting, Ibaraki, you look well today. Your absence served to lighten your burdens, it seems."
I startle when he speaks, not having anyone notice me before in this state. He smiles wryly, "This one apologises for startling you. Your technique is quite impressive, if not for the enlightenment this one gained recently, you would have remained hidden from sight."
"No, it's fine." I shake off my surprise, "There's a first for everything, I guess."
He dips his head in acknowledgement, "A wise conclusion."
"On the topic of this one's enlightenment, this one would like to extend his thanks." The Zen Master places his hands together in a gesture of prayer and bows to me. "Your gift in the last conversation we shared illuminated the path."
"Gift?" I mutter with a raised brow, "What, the calligraphy?"
"Indeed, your understanding of nothingness was quite profound. Your interpretation of violence and battle being a part of the Buddha-nature was also helpful." I don't remember any of that… I mean, I do remember it but this isn't making any sense to me despite that.
"That's great?" I'm still off-balance from my presence concealment being seen through and he's normally hard for me to deal with so this is a struggle.
"This one has reached the anivartana stage and is now on the cusp of Buddhahood." I nod and smile as though that means anything to me.
I can understand that he is a step away from becoming a Buddha, maybe even a half-step, but the words themselves mean nothing to me. I suppose there is a reason I'm not enlightened though.
"Congratulations, Zen Master." I truly mean it too since I can understand the magnitude of the achievement if not the minutiae of it.
"Many thanks, Ibaraki." He smiles gently as a proud parent does to a child.
It kind of irks me.
"Congratulations are in order for you as well." I tilt my head in response, "Your performance at the Dragonslayer festival has become quite the hot topic in our society. A hero saving the damsel in distress after rallying her companions."
He closes his eye and smiles brightly, "An inspiring tale of young heroes showing their prowess and the brightness of the future that comes from harmony among people."
I blush in embarrassment at the sudden praise.
Worse, he continues the assault, "You've made strong Karmic bonds and your Karma itself is slowly edging towards good."
His smile turns playful, "Despite your best efforts to darken your nature I might add."
It's like he knows I just got finished torturing someone and is trying to guilt-trip me. Too bad for him I don't feel guilty at all.
I enjoy my work, thank you very much.
I still scowl as he continues, "Your disciple is increasing your Karmic merits even now."
I perk up at the mention of Takehiko as Zen Master Jun plucks at an invisible string connected to me. "His resolution to be a hero shined so brightly when we met. This one recognized the link to you immediately. His values reflect well on your character."
I'm able to feign disappointment well, though I doubt the Zen Master is fooled by it, "I tried to dissuade him from that waste of time. Sadly he's too stubborn to realize this isn't a fantasy world."
He chuckles lightly, "A shame indeed."
A beat of silence passes then I take the opportunity to ask the question that has been bugging me since I got here, "Does Gator actually understand what you're saying?"
"The young dragon?" Zen Master Jun says in surprise, "Of course he does, why wouldn't he?"
The question baffles me, "He's days old and an overgrown lizard. A hatchling by any metric, no matter his pedigree. Why would he understand you?"
"Dragons are creatures of wisdom as much as they are creatures of power. Draconic knowledge, draconic magic, both are common phrases though their meanings change often." He transitions into full lecture mode on me, "The basic principle, however, remains the same. Whether it be intelligence or wisdom, dragons excel in both from birth. The more potent that draconic nature is, the greater this truth is embodied."
"Beyond that, dragons also possess the Buddha nature within them. The Lotus Sutra says that the dragon king Sagara's daughter was able to reach enlightenment and become a Buddha. Understanding and balance are not outside the reach of any living creature." He concludes the statement with a whispered prayer.
"Huh," I say unintelligently. "So can he talk too?"
He looks at me strangely, his eye squinting in confusion. "He's a hatchling, how would he speak?"
I groan at the ridiculous double standard only to catch the glimmer in his eye. He made a joke!
"Truly though, he cannot use human language yet. He speaks as a hatchling does but that will change in time." My shoulders slump as my hopes are dashed again.
"Is teaching him fine though? He wasn't part of the original arrangement." I cross my arms prepared for negotiation but one doesn't come.
"An extra student is no burden. This too is fate." I bite my lip to stop myself from groaning. This kind of overly reasonable person is difficult for me to deal with.
Every time we interact I remember exactly why I don't interact with him often. Show some avarice and worldly desire, I can pay you!
Either that or fight me.
Wait, is that an option?
I glance at him tentatively trying to gauge whether I should ask or not.
In the end, I might as well go for it, "Hey, Zen Master? Remember when you said earlier that violence was also part of the 'Buddha-nature'?"
"Why don't we put that to a test?" A feral smile slips onto my face as my Touki pours over my body. "Let's spar, right here and now."
His teaching equipment vanishes in a soft golden glow and he clasps his hands in front of him. The same golden glow begins to pour off his body until he resembles a golden Buddha idol, "Very well, let us have a discourse this way. This one is yet uninitiated in combat so please be moderate."
A multitude of arms constructed from his energy unfurl behind him like a peacock's feathers and he starts to grow back to his full size.
By the time he's finished, he towers over me, his waist at equal height as the surrounding roof of the house. I feel giddy at the prospect of fighting him here but realize that the house will probably get destroyed.
Therefore, there is only one thing to do.
Placing a barrier around the courtyard, I unleash my domain.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone