Well isn’t this a fug tragic shitshow? Keeping her face impassive, she exged a look with Trey, who nodded, showing he agreed with her. Of course he does. Shit, that worthless shitbag, getting children involved in this mess… she hadn’t approved of her new boss training such young children, although she agreed it was good to grow strength when young, but even he wasn’t dumb enough to take them anywhere dangerous…

  After getting frantic calls from that girl Kana, and his sister Aiko, she and Trey had started tahings. Manx and Travis had apahe old man from the shrine and that weird androgynous shing towards the hospital, and she had impressed ohe seriousness of the mission. Apparently another kid is badly hurt. Shit. Anyway, it’s lucky we were all in a restaurahe Pace so it only took us mio get here.

  Ihe room, the sister was in versation with a girl who didn’t seem to be Japanese, and ohat Aliyah didn’t reise. She’s pretty enough, but why is she here? The crazy maid was here too, fussing over the slumped bodies of Akio, Eri and Shaeu, while several other of the trainees were huddled in one er, terrified.

  “Damn, what the hell is my bro doing?” His sister, Aiko decred suddenly. She’s damn cute, but… no time for that now, this is operation time. trary to eople thought, when it was time for focus, Aliyah could be as stone-cold as it gets, though somehow not when Akio was involved. He … annoys me. Smug bastard. I ’t help but feel like I lose every time we csh. Even so… Aiko was kneeling down beside Eri, his woman, as suddenly the strange clothing she was wearing, that arently some sort of Japanese religious garb, darkened. It was hard to see her blood on the red cloth, but the white… that turned crimson quickly as a long wound had suddenly opened up on her body. “Shit, Eri’s hurt. If she scars, I’ll never five you bro!” she ched her fist, emotions surging.

  Shit, it sure is crazy seeing that. It’s been one shock after another retly. Another world, crazy monsters… her gaze went to the hulki oddly handsome bald brute in a suit that had apahem back. A troll, supposedly. A fug troll. Worst thing is, that my brother thinks he’s hot…

  “Hyath, Grul o know what has happened!” the brute rumbled, his dirty yellow eyes furious. “Why did you call us back?”

  “Master Akio needs help!” the maid decred, her face twitg, her body trembling with supressed rage. The blonde monster, Shaeu, she too was starting to ma wounds, and as bruises and cuts opened on her pale skin, and the young girls that had e with them, who were watg from one er, were terrified. This is why kids shouldn’t be involved in stuff like this!

  “Marika, my darling, are you all right?” her mother rushed to her, scooping her into a hug. The young girl ale-faced with a green, sickly pallor, her usually serious eyes brimming with uears, but she managed a nod. The other adults were likewise ing over.

  “Eri, my little Eri… what’s this blood? Ugh, do something!” her mother, who was a fine-looking womae her age, Aliyah had to admit, anig at the blood leaking from her daughter. Her husband was trying to sole her, while the parents of my new boss were looking around with grim expressions.

  “I would if I could. Shit, I don’t know how to use Ether Healing on a myself.” Aiko said, her expression twisted into one of mog self-loathing. “Do you, Hyath?” she asked.

  “Ether Healing? What’s that?” the blonde fner with the magnifit twin-tails asked curiously, seemingly unphased by the mood of the room and the invisible violence.

  “Well, you take aether and pour it into the body.” Aiko said, her hands wet with the blood of her best friend. She bli them, before her expression ged, being one of helplessness. “But I only do it on myself and even that’s rgely instinctive.” She shook her head, blue eyes damp. “Shit. I should have trained harder, better. Hyath, you do healing?”

  The crazy maid shook her head. Aliyah was always wary around her, as the look in her eyes sometimes was … well, I’ve seen those eyes on missions. Eyes that are willing to it any atrocity if required. Damn, I barely follow what most of them are saying, though I’ve picked up a little Japanese here and there. But I don’t o uand to get the gist of it. Fuck, this is grim. “Nooo, I ot heal, Hyath is useless. I shooould have learoo, but…” the maid looked furious, suddenly. “If mistress Eri and mistress Shaeu are hurt, then master Akiooo will be furiooous!”

  “So, that makes me wonder…” the blonde said, seeming to pletely ighe mood. I exged a look with Trey, and nothing o be said. She’s another dangerous one. A girl her age who looks like a sheltered princess shouldn’t be able to remain calm when all this is going on… “…are you like us, Aiko? That’s cool, I hought I’d meet any in Kyoto, let alohe one boss was talking about. He’s pretty handsome, I agree, but… she’ll be heartbroken when she finds out what a pyboy he is, a cheater.” She giggled, tossing her now-spent lollipop stito the trash. “She be really scary when mad!”

  That girl Eri was maing bruises on her face, one cheek id bare to the bone, and her mother let out another piteous wail, while Emily, the mother of Akio, that smug bastard, was angry, shaking off her husband’s hand, kneeling beside the unscious girl, heedless of the blood getting oight jeans. I have to say, looks run in his damn family…

  “I’m going to give Aki a piey mind when they get back.” She looked at Eri’s mother, a solemn expression on her face. “… and they will be back. Aki won’t… he won’t let Eri die. But… letting a girl get scarred like this. It’s lucky they are already getting married, or else he’d have to take responsibility.”

  “Well, if it’s just scars, bro fix them. But… he didn’t wao go. We talked him into it.” Aiko shuddered, guilt gnawing at her. “Eri had been training so hard, even though she’s just ordinary, like me. So she wao be useful. Even so…”

  “It wasn’t your fault.” The fn girl said, surprising me. “I mean, I get it. It’s just like a storyboht? A God es, gives you power, and you feel like you do anything. Poor old Daizen thought the same, but…” she shuddered. “… anyway, you never answered me.”

  “No, Eri and I aren’t like you.” Aiko shook her head in denial. “We’re ordinary schoolgirls you find anywhere. Well, we’re certainly cuter than average, but…” she said weakly. “My bro, he and Shaeu help us reach our full potential. And so Eri… she wao prove it’s been worth it. And I wanted her to. We’re both idiots.” Tears were leaking freely from her now, and Aliyah felt sudden ahat stupid bastard. Making his sister and his family cry like that. When he es back I have a good mind to punch the fucker in the mouth. But… not now. Now it’s time to work. Trey and I, we were tasked to keep his family and friends safe. And that we do. Words aren’t needed for that, instind alertness is.

  She and Trey, along with Travis and Manx, they had been training ever sihe surgery, no… Chirurgery, to grasp the rength they were given. It wasn’t like she uood the expnation very well, though Trey cimed to, though she guessed he was bullshittio look good. But what she did know was that she had rgely mastered the increased speed, strength and reflexes. I have to admit, there aren’t many of those in the busihat could match me now… Her capacity to learn had also increased, which was a blessing, being in a try where she didn’t speak the nguage other than a few basic phrases.

  “Grul should go.” He rumbled, looking at the se. “Grul will help and crush strong foes.”

  “Hyath wants to go toooooo, but… I ot leave them unprotected.” Her expression was ft, her face a mask, and Aliyah could feel her boiling rage. It was then the door burst open, and in came a man with the air of someone important, used to being obeyed. “Akio-san, you shouldn’t throw your weight…” his words trailed off as he saw the age room, eyes going wide…

  ********

  “This is a grim day.” The man, Gin Saionji, was saying. Other important people had been summoned, including apparently an actual, hoo goodness Princess, atg with a sorrowful expressioo a woman who was pletely covered in veils and robes like one of those Middle-Eastern women from the desert tries, only in white, not bck.

  “Yes, to think Yamato-kun would do something so foolish…” additional bodies had been moved to the room, though calling them bodies roblematic. After all, there are real dead bodies. Shit, some of those fug kids are in middle school, what dumb fucker takes kids to a warzone? No, I know the ao that… Aliyah made a face of grief, one mirrored by her brother. She and Trey had seen a lot of fucked-up sights iime in the field, child soldiers, child victims, but for a civilised try like this to… fuck. She ched a fist, but even so, her other hand was on her bat knife, atention was on the whole room, in case aempted to make a hostile move.

  As the dead were carried out, the others were being put down alongside the sleeping Akio, Eri and Shaeu. They had all accrued more injuries, though Akio’s body was barely bruised, pared to Eri, who more cruel wounds. The amount of blood she had lost was w, but her strength seemed to be holding out, as she was still breathing steadily. Even so, her mother had fainted, and was being cared for in the er.

  “Where’s Ren? Where’s my son?” Hiroto Hikawa was saying, panicked. And no wonder. His daughters, a pair of young twins, had been brought in, atose. They were still alive at least, but their wounds were grave, the sort that could cripple a strong soldier, let alone a frail young girl, and even if they survived, it was likely that their life would be very different iure. “And what the hell is Oshiro-san doing? Why isn’t… why…” he was g, and a man tried to sole him, before he shook the arm angrily off. “Get the fue, this is your son’s fault! Why would he take… take them to such a pce?” Yeah, tempers are bound trief and anger quickly turn to bme and hatred. Trey and I have seen it all before, too many times.

  “Ren-san’s fine.” Aiko said with a sigh. “Well, not fine, but my bro did first aid, he’s heading to the hospital. He… he fix…” her eyes wavered, and she swallowed, seeing the sheet-covered bodies in gruesome states being taken out, blood seeping through the linen. “… well, as long as there’s life, there’s hope. Bro nning to move heaven ah to improve his healing for that Shiro girl, anyway, so…”

  “Oh, so sweet. To think the boss is so well loved.” The blonde girl, who had insisted she anese girl named Suzu, had said, but Aliyah was sure she was Ameri, a runaway, maybe. “Now I’m really curious. I’d like to see him in a. You wao go with you?” she gestured.

  “No. Having an unknown like you in the mix would be irey said, surprising everyone, as the two of them had been guarding the se silently, following the versations via non-verbal cues such as body nguage, tone and facial expressions. “Unknows, even ones with great ability, are more dangerous than an avowed enemy.”

  “Oh so you do speak? English, huh?” the girl, Suzu said, sug on another lollipop. “Well, I get that, but…”

  “Wait, they’re waking up!” someone shouted, and one of the twins opened her eyes, a bubbling scream tearing from her ragged throat. She blinked as her father rushed over, reag for her, but she shied away, blood dripping fred flesh.

  “Father, no. I… there’s no time.” She coughed, and her spittle was red. “Sister…” she mourned her more-wouwin, who despite haviurned was unscious from the pain of her wounds. “We could get out, Akio-sama, he… he was angry, and the Oni died, the one who imprisoned us there is dead too. She…” she Eri, the movement bringing her pain. “… finished her off. But the barrier… it broke, and was ged to a curse on them.” Anirl was g out, her eyes destroyed, beating at the floor with her small, dark fists, heedless of her own injuries.

  “They ’t leave, and… the unholy parade, the Parade is ing!” she finished. “Send… send help, they… Akio-sama, Shaeu-sama, Mori-sama… and Yamato-sama…” her expression twisted.

  “My son, what about my son!” the man who Hiroto had brushed off before rushed to her, only for Aliyah to block him. “Out of my way!” he snarled, words she could uand by their tone alone.

  “Calm. The. Fuck. Down.” Aliyah decred, aone brooked nument. “She’s hurt, you jackass. Don’t scare her.”

  “I…” he said in passable English. “… I o know about my son. Yamato, he’s the hope of Susanoo, the hope of the faith…”

  “He’s hope?” she replied incredulously, gesturing to the bodies being taken out, the floor spttered with blood. “He’ll be lucky if I don’t put a bullet in his head for this when he wakes up. ake kids or uninvolved women to war. It’s the job of adults. Fuck.” She was furious, but her mind was still on the job. “Now. Sit dow her speak.”

  “Doctors are on their way.” Aiko said, firming. “Kana- reached the hospital okay, so…”

  “Yamato-sama… he too is trapped there.” The twin muttered, exhausted. “… his foolish pride. I think… he wao show… he was as good… as Akio-sama…”

  “Don’t speak, my darling daughter! Doctors will be here soon, and… you and your sister will be fine.” Hiroto was sobbing. Other adults dressed in the peculiar clothing that these religious people wore were also arriving, seeing their dead retives and breaking down. The atmosphere was hellish, and it could spiral out of trol at any minute. Wailing, shouting, denials, grief. Someone o take charge, before this p blows.

  “All right. Shut up!” Aiko cpped her hands, scrubbing at her tear-stained cheeks. “Shut up. Listen to me.” She said, this time in English, for her be, Aliyah imagined.

  “My bro, well, looks like he got there a bit too te.” She swallowed, her face grief-stri, before she forced herself to recover. “So here’s what we do.” Surprisingly, the blonde runaway, Suzu, was transting into English for them, so Aliyah and her brother could follow along. “My bro asked for, but…” she eyed the hulking, oddly-handsome brute. “… I don’t think that’s going to be enough alone. Hyath, you…” she lowered her voice, as if afraid to tinue, before making up her mind. “… you do that, right? It might e down to it, so…”

  That? I wonder what she’s talking about. Though if that crazy maid do it, it ’t be anything good.

  “I dooo that, though I promised master I would nooot use it carelessly.” She decred. “Even sooo, Hyath wishes to go, but I must proootect you and the others. If you are hurt, master will cry and se!”

  “You don’t have to trahat stupid drawling she does with her o’s.” Aliyah grumbled, but Suzu just giggled.

  “Well, I still want to go. But since you won’t let me, I stay here and guard?” Suzu piped up. “It’s a bit silly leaving your body unprotected. He’s a bit careless. I wouldn’t want the boss to find out I left her beloved like that.” She giggled. “She’s pretty, but I don’t wao eat me. It would be the end of my idol career!”

  Yes, he is. And this is the result. As for you staying, I don’t think…

  “I shall remain too…” the god-damned Princess said! As Aliyah and Trey reeled in shock, the robed and veiled woman said something that seemed to be agreement, and others volunteered as well.

  “Fine. In that case, Hyath, surely these people won’t turn on bro and us, right? Besides…” Aiko called a ball of fme on her hand. “I’ll deal with any problems.”

  She’s bluffing, but… Aliyah’s hand was on her bat knife again. In a room like this, they’ll uimate us, since we don’t have these strange powers. But… if it came down to it, ohrust to the throat or at the base of the ribs, or a cut to the armpits or ihighs… It might not work on Akio, that tough bastard, but these… it didn’t matter owers one had, when bleeding out, everyone died, just the same…

  Trey nodded, signalling his agreement. The maid protested a little more, before she and the troll y down, and their bodies were suddey, lifeless husks, not evehing. There was a sound like breaking bone, and Aliyah winced as she saw that Shaeu’s still body was now sp a very brutal broken arm. Shit. Akio you fucker. You’ve told us you want to protect those you love. So why are you barely hurt and yirls are suffering? If they have any scars, I’m going to find a way to beat you the hell up, I swear it!

  ShipTeaser