《Niko and the parade of shadows》


 Prologue: The knight, the priest and the princess

    Facing the young girl kneeling on the ground, the priest raised his palm to the sky as if in prayer.


    \\\''To die honourably would be to die in a magnificent way, thus...\\\''. The ground began to glow as the priest thrust his palm to the ground as if pulling something down from the heavens.


    Right infront of the girls eyes, something that could only be called a demon rose from the cracked ground as if ascending from the depths of hell.


    The giant demon slowly rose up as it pulled back its gigantic fist. Anything hit by something of that of that size would undoubtedly be smashed like glass. A magnificent way to die, or so thought the priest.


    The girl closed her eyes, still kneeling in the same spot. Her legs were shaking as she knew that she couldnt run even if she had tried. Her expression full of painfull regret at her current situation.


    \\\''Surely if it was still like before, this could have been avoided\\\'' The girl thought to herself. Surely if i still had the power i had before. Surely...


    But she did not have any power to speak of, all she could was to silently accept her fate.


    Her fated end however, did not come. Instead of experiencing the pain of death, the girl instead heard the sound of a deep drum echoing all around her.


    She opened her eyes and saw two giants- two demons. One of shining metal, the other of crumbling rock. Fighting each other as they traded blows that could blow buildings into pieces if they missed their target even once.


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    The ground shook and broke as the demons stamped their legs into the ground in order to keep their balance, causing cracks to form.


    In the middle of the epic battle, the girl still kneeled, confused and afraid.


    She could feel something on her shoulder. Someone had placed their hand on her shoulder as if to reassure her that everything was alright, And althought She felt like laughing at that idea, strangely enough, she did feel calmer.


    The owner of the hand walked up infront of the girl. Shielding her from the sight of the battle.


    Thats when the girl realised. The person infront of her was a knight, a knight that was her shield and protected her from the demons.


    The knight drew his sword, a magnificent black blade, and pointed his blade towards the figure dressed in red robes.


    The priest that had called the demon, wearing crimson robes that seemed covered in others blood.


    Before she knew it, the knight had disappeared from infront of her. Appearing in the sky, like a bird of prey.


    As the knight fell from the sky towards the blood priest, he raised his blade high above his head, preparing for his first and final attack. The priest smiled and raised his right hand towards the knight. A sudden flash of light prevented the girl from seeing what happened next.


    Her mind drifted away, her last thought being of her knight.

 Chapter 1: An unfortunate revival

    Red and blue lights flashed through the streets, pushing their way through the sea of bright neon lighting the night sky and outshining the stars, making the moon seem that much smaller compared to the glow beneath it.


    The repeated noise accompanying the lights made sure that no one was unaware of their presence as they made their way through the windy streets, appearing form every possible direction.


    Their destination a glowing pillar standing above the the city, as if looking down onto the rest of the city.


    --


    Running along a small cramped corridor, seemingly devoid of light except for the flashing red coming from overly ecstatic alarms. A figure was hastily making its way down the hall whilst clumsily crashing into seemingly everything in its way, shattering vases and anything else in its way, luckily the sound of shattering was covered up by the loud screech of the alarms going off all around.


    The figure that was the cause of the mess paid absolutely no mind to it, as other things were on their mind right now. One of such things was the sound of the bullets whizzing past the figure, their sound glass clear compared to the alarms, which seemed to melt into background noise after a while.


    A door leading to the roof of a certain building suddenly burst open, with someone bursting through it as fast as they could,colliding in the process with the metal railings covering the edge of the rooftop.


    A few seconds later several suited men ran in after the figure. Positioning themselves so that the only exit was inaccessible.


    The figure slowly got up, the lights from the city below casting a dark silhouette of an obviously masculine nature. Holding onto the railings for support as he got up, the man held his jaw in one hand as he spat out a mouthfull of blood onto the dark grey floor.


    One of the suited men put his hand on his ear as he muttered something in a low tone. Seconds later a helicopter had showed up seemingly out of nowhere, hovering just above the rooftop, before abruptly turning on a large light in the direction of the man, almost blinding him.


    Now lit up by the light coming from the helicopter, the figure was visibly wearing black skintight clothing, with a big shoulder bag at his side, and black gloves.


    "H-Hey, how about...i just give you back whats in my bag and maybe we can pretend this never happened?"


    The black clad man said as he patted his bag


    "Hey i''l even give you the bag, as a freebie, its a nice bag you know, its a good deal, right?"


    He tried again, but slowly sighed as the suited men continued to slowly advance towards him.


    "Hey, you dont want to come any closer than that, i have a black belt in..Taekwon..kendo..judo..jutsu!"


    He proclaimed as he quickly did a demonstration of what he thought was a skillful display in martial arts.


    The suited men, glanced at each other, as one of them shrugged and took out a large pistol from his suits inner pocket., with the other men nodding and bringing out their own weapons, which varied from pistols to rifles, which were all somehow cleverly hidden in their clothing.


    "Uuuu..nevermind..forget that, i dont have a black belt or anything..so.. put those away?"


    He pleaded, which only caused the suited men to aim directly at his head.


    The black clothed man swiftly pulled out a small object from his bag and started to wave it around infront of him. Not as a weapon, but simply to get the armed mens attention.


    "If you dont back off right now, i''m going to have to throw this all the way down!"


    He waved the object over the edge of the building.


    "Drop it and we drop you."


    The pistol wielding suit quickly pulled out another pistol with his other hand, both aimed towards the black clothed mans head.


    "Ok..but.. i''m guessing that you''l drop me down either way, i think.. in that case...i''l just have to drop... myself before you drop me!"


    The man swiftly did a backflip over the railings, as gravity pulled him away from the bullets flying above his face, seemingly in slow motion, making him think of a certain movie.


    "Hahaha! The great Niko escapes once again!"


    He took a moment to admire the sea of red blue light beneath him, before he quickly started to rummage through his bag,windows flying past him faster than he could notice.


    "Where is it, WHERE IS IT" His search grew more desperate and frantic with each passing second, until he finally realised.


    "...I forgot to pack my paraschute..."


    He cursed as the ground below him quickly grew larger, the powerful wind robbing him of his last words.


    Clutching the object he had waved around earlier, A golden fist sized ball engraved with runes, and the cause of his current predicament, he closed his eyes and prepared for his fate.


    A second later and it was all over. The body, or atleast what they could find of it was quickly covered with a blanket as the police were finishing up with their investigation. The only thing still intact was the golden ball the man had been holding, which was still held tightly in his hand, even if that hand wasnt attached to the rest of the body anymore.


    A few parts of it seemed to have somehow gotten loose, which snapped back together when the investigator touched it, he naturally assumed it had something to do with it being broken from the fall, and it quickly got filed away with the rest of the evidence.


    --


    A police truck carrying evidence from a certain crime scene made its way past a small hospital towards its destination.


    One of the pieces of evidence acquired was a golden ball that was made up of several different parts, almost like a spherical puzzle, each part had various different runic symbols inscribed on it.


    A few parts had somehow gotten loose during the trip, the symbols glistening lightly. As the truck slowly made its way past the hospital however, the different pieces began to be pulled back towards the sphere, as if drawn by a magnetic force, before settling into their respective places, completing the spherical puzzle.


    --


    Niko slowly opened his eyes as he was awoken by the sound of people walking and talking somewhere nearby. His still half asleep brain struggled to get its gears going, as he slowly noticed that he was inside of a small plain hospital room.


    He sleepily looked around and found that there were several machines connected to him, monitoring his current status.


    "Heh i have yet again miraculously survived!"


    "Huh, my voice sounds wierd.. i guess i really did a number on my body this time.."


    "There''s no one around..the fools, despite how wounded your opponent may be, never let them out of your eyesight!"


    He looked around and smiled as he quickly unhooked the iv drip and the rest of the monitoring equipment.


    "Huh.. my arms look so thin and dainty,oh my poor little attack dogs are now nothing more than little puppies..."


    "How long have i been asleep to have lost this much muscle.."


    "Guess that just means i have to put in more hours at the gym.."


    He sadly squeezed the muscles on his arms as he tried to stretch his muscles.


    As he got up and started to look for any proper clothes other than a medical nightgown, he noticed that there was a mirror in the corner of the room. Which he quickly approached to see what his body looked like after being splattered into a pancake.


    The sight infront of him shocked him, Instead of seeing a rough 20-something year old man, what he instead found was a dainty looking cute young girl, around 10-14 years old, looking back at him.


    Startled, he quickly looked behind, finding nothing but empty air, he turned back towards the mirror again, carefully studying the girl portrayed in it.


    The girl had a very slim, slightly waifish build. She had brilliant green eyes, and slightly messy brown shoulder length hair. Noticing that the girl was only wearing a very revealing white medical nightgown, made Niko''s ears hot, as he noticed the girl in the mirror was blushing cutely as well.


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    He slowly lifted his hand towards his own face, and saw the girl perfectly mirroring his action, lifting her small petite hand towards her daintly flushing face.


    "N-No way.." He, or rather she, muttered quietly to herself.


    "How is this possible, no this cant be true, this is a wierd dream brought to by my own desperate libido...or something!"


    She muttered quickly before giving herself a rough pinch on the cheek.


    The girl in the mirror did the same, and her eyes quickly started shedding tears due to the pain she caused herself.


    "E-eh you okay?"


    Niko reached out a hand towards the mirror.


    "No wait, that IS me, stupid"


    "No wait, i mean Thats NOT me!"


    "Gahh which is it!"


    She held her head in a troubled manner as she argued with herself.


    "Okay, lets calm down.. i should calm down and think this through..."


    "Ok..i pinched my cheek and didnt wake up... so this is not a dream..probably...could this be a hallucination?"


    She quickly gave her groin area a careful pat.


    "Yup...its gone...Niko''s little Niko is gone...my little guy is gone.."


    She said with a resigned tone.


    "Okay..so i am not hallucinating..okay..fine..this is me..but how did this happen... what did they do to my body, this cant be real!"


    She said as she punched the floor.


    "Ow...." Niko''s eyes teared up as she held her hand in pain.


    "This is like some sort of bad fantasy or sci-fi story... GAH anyway!"


    "I can figure this out after i''ve gotten away from here!"


    Just as Niko had finished her sentence, the door to the room opened and a young woman came in carrying a small basket filled with various fruits and a ribbon, which immediately fell out of her hands when she noticed Niko standing in the middle of the room.


    "Alisa!"


    The woman said as she jumped forward, giving Niko a strong hug, that almost resulted in Niko''s suffocation.


    "W-what?"


    Niko coughed out as the woman quickly released him.


    "Oh i''m so sorry, you must still feel pretty weak, but look at you, you''re awake,And... you''re standing!"


    The woman started to tear up as she looked at Niko.


    "Uh..excuse me miss. Are you alright?"


    Niko coyly asked, unsure of how to react to the womans behaviour.


    "Alissa, its me, your big sister!"


    "Oh maybe you dont recognise me because of my new haircut, look its me, Hannah!"


    She laughed as she lifted a bit of hair that was covering her eyes.


    "Sorry miss, but i have no idea who you are?"


    "Alisa..." The woman named Hannah started to tear up as she suddenly approached Niko and gave her another hug, this one much more gentle than the last one.


    "H-hey, why are you hugging me, not that i''m complaining..hehe..besides my name is Niko not Alissa." Niko answered as she pushed the woman named Hannah away as best she could with her new weaker form.


    "...Huh?" The woman looked at Niko through her still wet eyes with a confused expression on her face.


    --


    "W-what is this, let me out, i demand to be released now!"


    Niko screamed while being strapped into the bed by several large labcoat wearing doctors.


    "Now now, this is just a precaution so you dont run away and hurt yourself, after all waking up from such a long coma may have messed up your memories a bit, a little girls body is quite fragile after all, Alisa"


    One of the doctors explained as they finished up securing the straps on Niko''s body.


    "My name is Niko dammit, NIKO, and i am NOT a little girl!"


    Niko yelled into the doctors ear as he was finishing securing Niko to the bed, causing him to hold his ear in pain.


    "Alright, now you are going to stay here for a while, while we decide if you are in need of any medication, ok?" The doctor said as he and his companions left the room, locking it behind them.


    "Ugh..That damn woman, she didnt believe anything i said, and she had the audacity to say that this was for my own good"


    "But...atleast now i know what happened, i think..this body doesnt belong to me..obviously!"


    Niko muttered whilst she tugged on the straps to no avail .


    "So that means.. that i have to escape from these idiots, and find my real body, perhaps then i can go back to normal..."


    "Now lets see...these straps...if i just keep tugging at them in a certain way..."


    Niko muttered as she started to tug on the straps covering her arms and legs.


    "They..will..become..loose...enough..AHA!"


    Niko smiled as she succesfuly freed on of her arms, before quickly unstrapping the rest of her limbs.


    "No prison keeps me the great Niko locked up for long!"


    Niko said as she made a heroic, yet ridiculous looking pose.


    "Although this is a hospital..whatever!"


    "Now, first things first... i cant run around in a loose hospital gown..."


    After looking around a bit, Niko had found that there was a bag underneath the bed, in it were a few pieces of clothing, Which Niko hurriedly put on. The clothes were of course meant for the girl whose body he was currently borrowing. Which meant that she felt very embarassed putting them on.


    After Niko had finished donning his new attire, she quickly gave himself a quick look in the mirror. A Cute brown haired girl with green eyes looked back at Niko through the mirror. Luckily for Niko she was wearing very generic clothing which were just a pair of pants and a shirt, although they were still tailored for a girl, the fact that she didnt have to wear a skirt, made Niko sigh in relief.


    Niko stood still for a moment, mesmerized by the sight before her, before she quickly shook her head, as she tried to concentrate at the task at hand.


    "But seriously...how the hell did i end up like this.." She sighed "I have to get to the bottom of this." Niko said determinately.


    "Hm..well the door is locked.."


    She concluded after giving a few pulls and pushes.


    "And the window...well its not locked...but im not doing that again, ever, heights are a big no-no"


    She concluded, without giving the window a second glance.


    "So that means... i have to somehow unlock the door...or..have someone else do it for me..." Niko thoughtfully muttered to herself.


    --


    An hour or so later, the door unlocked and slowly opened, as the doctor from earlier entered the room.


    "Okay Alisa, time for your medecine, it''s going to help you-"


    He stopped talking as he noticed the empty bed.


    "What the, where is she?"


    He frantically looked around the room, his gaze resting on the open window.


    "Oh god, what is that girl thinking, She''s going to hurt herself!"


    The doctor quickly took a look outside the window before running out, presumably to whatever floor that he thought was accessible from that window.


    A few moments after the doctor was gone, Niko slowly made her way from under the bed and dusted herself off.


    "Heh, oldest trick in the book"


    Niko smiled and ran out the door, her hair fluttering behind her.

 Chapter 2: Cab ride fare

    Easily slipping out from the hospital, Niko made her way through the city, eventually being met with a large abandoned building infront of her.


    It was a fairly tall building that was probably intended to be used for office space by some company before being abandoned.


    However it seems that the building was never finished, as it had several large holes in various places, with metal bars sticking out menacingly like fangs, as if threatening to bite.


    The space around the building had various weeds that were starting to grow all over the place. Various building materials, metal bars, wooden planks and similiar items were scattered all around, rust and rot having already made their way through most things.


    Over all, the place had a very depressing and creepy atmosphere, a perfect place to shoot a horror movie.


    "Ah home sweet home"


    Niko said as she took a deep breath of the slightly damp air.


    "Nothing beats coming home to a warm welcome, isnt that right?"


    She gave a nearby shrub a poke as a greeting and headed inside through the doorless opening in the building.


    The inside of the building looked much worse than the outside, various graffiti covered the walls, with trash filling every corner of the inside space. A family of rats had decided to make this place their home, and by family, it meant close to hundreds of the little bastards.


    "Geez damn kids littering on someone elses property" Niko sighed.


    "Well not like i particularly care about it, aslong as they dont enter my bat cave, although it technically would be a Niko cave, nyahaha!"


    Niko chuckled as she ascended down some stairs leading to the basement of the building. The door to the basement was a heavy steel door, covered in chains and locked with a combination lock. The eery look of the door kept unwelcome visitors at bay.


    "This is such a pain..i should just hire a guard to keep people out, or atleast a dog, even a chihuahua would be nice"


    Niko muttered as she took off the lock before wrestling the chains to the ground as if they were a particularly aggressive snake.


    Behind the heavy steel door was yet another door, this one a chrome door without a handle.


    Niko put her thumb on a small barely noticable space on the door. A loud beep echoed through the corridor,as Niko realised what she had done.


    A hole at the top of the ceiling opened up, a large black turret peeking through it, with a laser sight making a very apparent line towards Niko''s forehead.


    "Oh crap, ehm..Code, password, password override!"


    Niko nervously yelled at the turret as she tried to remember the password, which she usually didnt need to use.


    "Uh.. Niko is better than Lupin!"


    The turrets laser sight slowly faded from Niko''s forehead, as the turret disappeared back into the wall.


    "Phew...I forgot i wasnt in my real body right now, that could have ended badly.."


    Niko braethed out as the chrome door slowly opened.


    "I should be more careful..easy to forget that i''m currently in the body of this young girl...damn cheeky brat.."


    Niko said as she pinched her own cheek, like an annoyed parent.


    "Did i just call myself a cheeky brat... but this isnt my real body so its ok, right..?"


    Niko scratched her head and shrugged, before entering through the now open chrome door.


    The room inside had a fairly low temperature compared to outside . Even the walls were covered in slightly light blue metal plating as if to accentuate the cold.


    An old looking brown sofa rested in the far corner of the large room, Other than the sofa however, the room was completely empty.


    "WHERE''S ALL MY STUFF!"


    She yelled, making her words echo in the now empty room, ''My stuff, my stuff, stuff, stuff, tuf..''.


    "How ironic...i have been robbed... such bad irony.."


    She cried out, before getting a thoughtfull look in her currently large and cute eyes.


    "It can''t be a robbery, i''m sure no one should be able to find my hideout, and the locks werent broken or anything, thats right, no one except me should be able to come in and out of here, yea, me and..and..my lawyer."


    Niko scratched his head thoughtfully.


    "No that cant be, he may be the scum of the earth, but he relied on his credibility, without it he has nothing... then what..."


    Niko groaned in annoyance over her current predicament, before noticing something shiny underneath the sofa.


    "Hm, whats this..."


    Niko quickly went up to the sofa and picked up the shiny object. It was an old laptop that Niko had presumably dropped down there and never bothered to pick up, which was probably neglected by whoever robbed this place.


    "Perfect, i can check if they managed to steal any of my money.."


    Niko said as she started up the laptop and began typing away on it. A few minutes of frantic typing later and Niko was on her knees in shock.


    "Its gone..all of it..all of my hard earned money..my hard earned millions..gone from each and every bank account from every corner of the planet..all of it..HOW!"


    Niko yelled out at the injustice that had befallen her.


    "No, it cant be, no one should be able to steal all that money, atleast not from every single account, thats just wierd.. The only possible reason that would happen is if.."


    Niko stopped herself as a sudden realisation hit her. Her things disappearing, her money gone from all of his accounts. It was certainly something she had talked to about with her lawyer before.


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    "Of course..i had arranged to have all my things sent out to a random charity when i died, i mean i certainly had no use for my money when i was dead, but i''m not dead, i''m still here, wait that cant mean.."


    Niko quickly went online onto the website of the cities newspaper. There, in big black stylised letters, it read: ''ROBBER DEAD AFTER DESPERATELY TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM A 100 STORY BUILDING''.


    Underneath was a photo that a journalist had taken just as they were covering the body. The face of the vitctim, although blurred, was undoubtedly his.


    "This cant be...I''m...dead...?"


    --


    An eerie laughter echoed in a certain underground chamber, flowing through the corridors and somehow managing to squeeze outside, into the ears of some passerbys, who promptly ran away from the creepy abandoned building.


    "But seriously..i''m dead..i knew it would happen eventually but i didnt think i would be there to witness it..my own death.."


    Niko smiled sadly, a sad smile which made her small petite female body seem very fragile and delicate, which would make any man feel the need to comfort the small pitiful figure.


    That illusion was shattered instantly as Niko stood up in sudden realisation.


    "I''m here to witness it, i''m not dead, not really, i''m still me, its a shame that my body is gone with all the work i put into shaping it, but thats a small price for being alive, and now i can continue spreading my legend, the legend of the great Niko, its not like i need my old body to do that, a perfect thief is never seen, so no one would even know about me looking any different, its perfect, what was i even worried about!"


    Niko blabbered quickly to herself, as her natural optimism dragged her out of her sudden despair and into a happy enthusiatisc, and even slightly excited mood.


    "But all my money is still gone.."


    As if hit by a hammer, her mood instantly plummeted down back into depression.


    "Well i can just go visit that damn lawyer, and get my money back, and also see if he can figure out what the hell happened to me, smart thinking Niko!"


    Niko spoke to herself while laughing, which would normally make anyone observing assume that she was somewhat strange. Currently however, Niko resided in the body of a cute young girl, which made her otherwise odd actions seem ''cute''.


    "Now then, off to see that damn idiot of a lawyer, ah but i dont have any money to buy a train ticket or get a taxi..."


    Niko muttered after she was out of the abandoned looking building and standing in the middle of a fairly busy street a good few meters away from the space around the building.


    "Ah excuse me mister, could i borrow your phone real quick, i dropped mine and really need to call home"


    Niko called out whilst approaching a fairly young looking man wearing a business suit, most likely a newly hired office worker or some such, Niko figured.


    "Come on, i really need to get home or else my parents are going to be angry, it would mean alot of you just lent me your phone for a second~"


    Niko continued in a slightly cheeky voice, which made the man blush slightly and agree while quickly fumbling around for his phone.


    "Thanks i''m gonna be quick i promise~"


    Niko quickly grabbed the fairly compact smartphone, quickly pressing a few buttons as if dialing a number, before putting it up to her left ear, so the man couldnt see it.


    "Ah yes, hello, yea it''s me-"


    Niko pretended to be talking while her fingers which were holding the phone swiftly clicked away at the screen with Niko only occasionaly giving the phone a glance when the man wasnt looking.


    "Ok here you go, thank you for lending it to me, bye bye"


    Niko quickly returned the phone and walked off towards a bank office.


    "Hehehe...too easy.."


    Niko smiled as she entered the bank office and talked to one of the employees about how she had lost her bank card, and was looking to get a new one, which she got after a few questions and confirmations.


    Niko spun the card around in her hand as she walked out, the card was connected to one of her spare bank accounts that she had created just incase, for keeping money to be later moved. It was empty of course, like the rest of her accounts, but as of 10 minutes ago, it had a fairly large sum of money on it.


    Niko didnt specialise in computer hacking and she disliked acquiring money that way, she considered it boring and uninspired. During her younger years, however, she usually had to resort to such petty methods, such as acquiring bank info from someones computer after sneaking into their house.


    Nowadays however it was much easier, due to everyone having a small personal computer on their person at all times, all she had to do was get a hold of someones phone for a few minutes, and all their accounts were mysteriously emptied to a strange bank account, which upon contacting the bank company in order to cancel out the transfer, find out that its too late and that the money had already been transfered to yet another account and that the previous account had been deleted.


    "Too easy, too boring, well not like i plan to do this stuff for a living again"


    Niko spoke to herself as she looked at her new card, luckily none of her bank accounts were connected to any specific person, so she could easily get her bank card by just pretending that it was some kind of problem on their end for deleting her personal information.


    Niko quickly waved a cab over and paid with her new card. Normally she would transfer the money over to another account and so on to avoid having the money being tracked and retrieved, but right now she didnt particularly care as the bank card and money she just acquired were simply for paying her cab ride. Completely disposable.

 Chapter 3: Devils advocate

    Loud laughter echoed inside a large brightly lit office. The room was well lit enough for it to be mistaken for some kind of theater room. Especially due to the fact that all the lamps were positioned to mostly light up the the back wall of the room, where an antique wooden desk with a large padded black office chair and two smaller chairs stood.


    Pacing around in the middle of the room, was a middle aged, worn out looking man, wearing a very neat blue suit, and holding a phone to his ear.


    The man spoke loudly into the phone using an overly cheerful tone as he glanced over a small mirror on the wall, combing the remains of his hair with his free hand.


    "You know its like i always say, if you dont have any rights then lets make you some!"


    He stood back after looking at the mirror as he admired the large image painted on the majority of the walls surface.


    It was an image of the man himself, wearing a familiar blue suit as he was in the middle of fixing his tie. A speech bubble appearing from his mouth that had some words flashing on a weak blue neon light tha read:


    ''Did you know you have rights? Well i say you do!''


    "Yes well you know how it is, i do love helping people, its my greatest weakness!"


    The man kept talking as he admired himself in the wall painting, and failed to notice when the door to the room opened and closed as someone entered his office.


    The man finished up his conversation and sat down into his large office chair, throwing his phone onto the table as he pressed a button on the chair, causing it vibrate as he slowly sunk into it with a sigh.


    "So how''s business lately Gary?"


    A young femenine rang out, making the man wake up from his already half asleep state on the vibrating chair, as he noticed a young girl sitting in one of the chairs infront of his desk.


    "Uh, sorry didnt see you there, little miss, did the secretary let you in, where are your parents or legal guardian?"


    "I came here on personal business, Gary"


    The girl stared him in the eyes, like a snake hypnotising its prey.


    "Right on, little lady, its never too early to hire Gary, you know its like i always say, you have rights, and if you dont, then lets make you some!"


    Gary said as he took out a laptop and turned it on.


    "So what manner of business does the little lady have with me?"


    "My business is the several millions that went missing from Niko, universes greatest thief"


    "Hey how do you know about that!"


    "Wait.. dont tell me you''re his daughter?"


    He asked but tried again when he saw the little girl raise an eyebrow.


    "His lover then, damn didnt know that guy was into little girls, that sick bastard-"


    He was interupted by the girl kicking him in the groin from underneath the table.


    "No you idiot, its me, I AM Niko!"


    The girl sighed and gave him another quick kick.


    --


    "Wait wait, so what you are trying to tell me, is that you, a girl thats barely hit puberty, is that same Niko?"


    "Yes, yes i am"


    Niko had told Gary everything that had happened up to this point, starting from the moment everything went down hill. She did however exclude the part about the woman who called herself her older sister.


    "Sorry kid, come up with a better story, i dont care whether you''re Niko''s duaghter, sister or lover, the guy''s dead and his contract didnt say anything about anyone to pass down any inheritence to, so you''re all outta luck"


    Niko''s eye twitched slightly as she opened her mouth.


    "Behind that mirror on the wall is your secret safe containing all your money in neatly arranged gold bars, the number to the safe is ''93415'', among the gold bars which are fake decoys is a small tablet containing the only access node capable of transfering money from that bank account to anywhere else, the password to the tablet is ''IhaveNopubes''.


    "H-hey how do you know that! I mean thats a lie, that password is obviously a joke!"


    "Did Niko tell you, that bastard, even in death he still is a thorn in my behind!"


    Gary looked really flustered as he wiped some sweat from his brow.


    "Idiot how many times do i have to tell you, i AM Niko"


    "One time you tried to buy a book about how to attract women, but accidently bought a porn book, upon realising that you had bought a porn book, that wasnt even that good i might add, you got annoyed and threw it, but you threw it too hard and it hit someone in the head, that someone was a famous transvestite, who was also a proffesional wrestler, you ended up being chased by that person throughout the entire city-"


    Niko was about to keep going but was rudely interupted by the now panicking Gary.


    "OKAY OKAY STOP, i believe you, i believe you, dont say anything more, i dont want to be reminded of that ever again..." He shuddered.


    "You never change Gary, even after your best client supposedly died"


    "Hey i will have you know that i personally saw to it that a grave made of gold was put up on a hill in switzerland, just as requested, well it was stolen the next day though"


    Gary gave an awkward laugh as he wiped off even more sweat threatning to flood his eyes.


    "But really kid, now that i know it''s the real you, thats some major surgery you got there, never thought you were into that kinda stuff"


    "It wasnt surgery Gary, didnt you listen to my damn story!"


    "Oh right, so the story was not something you pulled out of your ass then"


    "No it was not, sadly.."


    "Well..cheer up kid, i''m sure we can think of something, besides it''s not a bad look you got there"


    Gary reassured him, as he admired Niko''s new body, which earned him a stare cold enough to freeze fire itself.


    "Yes. We CAN think of something, we can start by getting all my money back since i am obviously not DEAD"


    "Uh..About that..Well i mean, technically you are dead, but even if i were to try and get your money back i wouldnt really be able to.."


    "..Surely you can just ask the various charities to give the money back, i''m sure most would be willing to if you come up with a good enough excuse"


    Gary began to visibly sweat as he continued, his suit looking drenched "The thing is...The money is not with the charities.."


    "What do you mean its not with the charities, where the hell is my money Gary, what the hell did you do with my hard earned millions"


    Niko said as her voice changed from a cute young girls to a hiss like rasp, similiar to a snake preparing to lunge forward.


    "Well..i mean..you were dead, and you didnt have anyone that would come asking for the money, and the charities are ripoffs anyway, you know, they''re all conmen i hear..so i kinda..."


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "...What did you do..?"


    "I kinda used all your money to pay off my various debts.."


    "YOU SON OF A-"


    Niko stopped herself and slowly breathed in and out.


    "Fine... what about the rest of it?"


    "The rest of what?"


    "The rest of my damn money, surely you didnt spend several millions on just your DEBTS?"


    "I...kinda did"


    "How, do you MANAGE to rack up that kind of debt!?!"


    "Hey, Aiming to become the best lawyer in the world aint easy you know, most of the time i accept a case i''m actually losing money, even though i always win in court. You know how it is, paying off this guy to dispose of the evidence of the clients messy crime, or paying off that guy to make sure the jury sees our case in a better light, you know how it is"


    "No Gary, I do not know how it is, what i do know is that you stole all my money and then wasted it, you do realise what will happen to you right, i will make sure your dreams change from best lawyer in the world to best doormat in the world, im sure you know i''m capable of doing that, since i know a few people here and there myself"


    Niko gazed directly into Gary''s eyes, causing him to somehow sweat even more than he already is, making a small puddle of sweat at his feet, or atleast Niko assumed it was sweat.


    "N-now, wait, i''m sure we can figure something out...uh..how about all my services from now on are completely free of charge!"


    Gary offered, putting up a generous face whilst giving his best smile, which looked really creepy on his sweating nervous face, and only earned him an eye twitch from Niko.


    "Ok ok, how about that and also..you can have access to all my current and future assets, that must be good enough right?!"


    "No, i want all that and i want one more thing." Niko hissed.


    "Sure, sure, Niko best bud, my partner in crime, my non-blood related brother, or in this case sister!"


    "I want you to help me get to the bottom of this...whatever it is that has happened, and see if i can get some kind of semblance of dignity back"


    "Of course, What are friends for, right!"


    Gary accepted Niko''s terms with a natural smile, whilst shedding tears in his heart, trying not to think of how his life is going to be just a bit more miserable from now on.


    --


    "Alright listen, i''ve phoned around and asked various sources, and no matter how much any of them investigated or asked around, there really was nothing special about what happened after your meeting with lady gravity courtesy of mr. Newton, may his soul rest deep underground under the pull of gravity. I even got a guy who worked the morgue, and he said your body seemed perfectly normal, the brain and the rest of the organs were all there and fine, well except for being dead and smashed into mush that it, and yes you dont have to ask, you can trust my sources, after all they were bought with good money, and not a small sum you know!''


    "yea, MY money."


    A few hours had gone by since their last talk, and Niko had taken a nap in Gary''s office while he called various soruces. Niko was currently seated in Gary''s large office chair with her feet resting on the desk while Gary himself was sitting on one of the small chairs infront of his desk.


    "Well you''re still a few million short of paying me back atleast"


    "But anyway, so you mean you couldnt find anything strange at all, not a single clue!?"


    Niko inquired, making Gary sigh while beind his neck to the side slightly.


    "Well kind of, except there is one other strange thing other than your miraculous survival that is slightly strange, the cute girl you''re currently possessing like some kind of evil spirit, was in a state of... well she was basically a vegetable, her brain was completely dead, apparently she electrocuted herself in the head somehow, which completely fried her marbles"


    "I see.. that still doesn''t tell me anything, what is this Gary, is this all you could get, you know maybe you''re losing your touch, if you had any to begin with" Niko smirked at him.


    "Hey give me a break here, i''m a lwayer not some glorified supernatural detective, i mean you dont see me driving around in a 1967 chevy with my brother, god bless his soul"


    "Your brother is dead?"


    "Eh, he majored in philosophy, which is basically the same thing. But anyway, i actually did get something else, now it''s a longshot but hear me out, apparently one of the things that were found with you upon your death, were various small artifacts. Which i am sure you know about, most were fairly standard stuff, old rusted spoons, jewelery, and other good stuff, but one of the things found was some kind of sphere that according to legend is suspected to be one that was made by a certain god or the other, basically the nordic equivalent of the holy grail. But less popular and not as fancy"


    "Yes i know about that, why do you think i happened to be at that exact place at that specific time?" Niko muttered.


    "Alright alright, dont have to rude, but thats not all, apparently this thing is suspected to have roots in some kind of ressurection ritual"


    Niko''s eyes lit up like a cat that had seen its prey upon hearing that last part, But she quickly lost motivation again after she thought about the whole thing for a few moments.


    "Magic..really, come on Gary i''m not five, surely you can do better than that?"


    A feminine eyebrow was raised towards the nervous lawyer.


    "Look kid, i''ve done all i could, this is the only lead we have, we have nothing else to go on, i mean look at you, you''re a little girl, if thats not SOME kind of magic i dont what is!"


    Niko''s face contorted as her eyes filled with a low fiery glow.


    "I am NOT a little GIRL"


    Niko spat out as her eyes almost seemed to give off smoke.


    "Alright alright, calm down best bud, you''re the manliest thiefer and heister i know, i was just making a joke, a simple joke, haha.."


    Gary quickly said as he tried to withstand the effects of the gaze that light start fires.


    "I am the ONLY thief you know, honourable one atleast.."


    Niko sighed as her gaze died down to normal.


    ''Damn.. didn''t know girls this young could already be obssesed with growing up...''


    Gary muttered to himself.


    "What was that?"


    Niko asked as his gaze flickered red.


    "NOTHING!"


    "Anyway, shouldn''t we look into this, and do things the way we do them best?"


    "Oh fine, not like we have anything else to go on, besides it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to leave a prize unclaimed"


    "Excellent, i will make some quick calls, be right back!"

 Chapter 4: Attire befitting the king of thieves

    "Ok here''s the thing, i know where it is, but....it''s currently being held in an evidence locker at the Police department"


    "Great... that place has more security than a bank vault" Niko sighed.


    "Well, you can always try to sneak in as a cop?"


    "Are you kidding me, maybe i could before, but no one is going to believe me when i dont even look old enough to drink"


    "Fair point, how about drilling a hole into the vault from the roof or underground?"


    "The vault is surrounded by layers of thick steel from every possible direction, and even if i could somehow manage to drill through it, it would take too long and make too much noise to work.."


    "How about just doing a hit and run, some explosives to tear down the wall from the outside, that would be both quick and easy, maybe i could have been a thief if i werent so honourable!"


    "Gary, you are so much worse than a thief...anyway, an explosion strong enough to take down steel that thick would probably also destroy most of the things inside, and not to mention that an explosion would draw too much attention. No, we have to do this without getting found out, doing things loudly never works out... as i have recently found out.."


    Niko raised her palm over her face as she observed it closely while thinking through all of the possible options.


    "Hm.. you know, the answer might actually be much simpler than i thought.."


    "You got an idea then, thats why you''re the expert, do share!"


    "No, it''s not that great of an idea, i was just thinking, we dont really have to steal it from the evidence locker..."


    "What, you''re giving up already, come on Niko, this isn''t like you buddy!"


    "Well my body is also not like me, but thats beyond the point, i am not giving up, i was just thinking.. we can wait until its out of the police department, after all it is an extremely valuable artifact, so someone will come along to take it back, and thats when... the snake will strike it''s prey!"


    Niko finished the sentence by clutching her hand infront of her, whilst Gary clapped earnestly.


    "Brilliant, i will call my friend over at the police department so he can tell me the moment someone comes along to claim it"


    "Great, but before that, lend me your card"


    Niko asked, and upon Gary''s confusion continued.


    "Your bank card, i need to go buy myself some clothes that fit, after all you did sell all my stuff the moment you thought i was dead"


    "Ahaha..yea..here.." Gary timidly gave Niko one of his cards.


    "I''l send you my new number when i buy myself a phone, i''m counting on you Gary, dont disoppoint me!" Niko yelled as she ran off.


    "Dammit..Niko is still Niko after all, atleast his appearance is easy on the eyes now.."


    Gary muttered to himself as he took out his phone, letting out a long sour sigh, before quickly putting his a smile on his face as his call was answered.


    "Hey there old buddy-"


    --


    "Let''s see... so now that i have bought myself a fancy new phone, the only thing that remains...is clothes"


    Niko casually walked through the shopping mall whilst messing with her new phone.


    "And done, now it should be incredible difficult for anyone to access my phone without my fingerprint and password, these new phones sure are neat~"


    Niko looked around for a second before quickly walking towards the clothes store that was obviously the best one out of the rest, based on one simple reason. It being the closest one.


    "Hello miss, do you need any help?"


    A young woman who seemed to work at the store approached Niko, who was uninterestedly looking around the store.


    "Ah, yes actually, can you bring me several full outfits, i need a new wardrobe, preferably something easy to move in"


    The woman looked at Niko and nodded with a smile before heading off into the depths of the store to presumably find something that fit Niko.


    Niko sat down on an empty chair, already tired from being in a clothes store for longer than a few minutes.


    "Guess i''m still a man after all" Niko laughed to herself.


    The woman returned a short while later carrying a large bag filled with colorfull neatly folded clothes, which Niko gratefully accepted, relieved at not having to travel around this maze of a store.


    "Alright i''l take it"


    "Excuse me?" The woman raised an eyebrow.


    "I said i''l buy them, where do i pay?"


    "Little miss, i am afraid i cant do that, as an employee of this store, it is my duty to make sure that all the clothes you purchase fit and suit you, so please come along!"


    The woman said as she dragged the protesting Niko behind her towards the changing rooms.


    "Look, lady i appreciate the effort, but i really do not care about if my clothes fit me or not..."


    Niko complained, but the woman continued to drag her against her will.


    The woman began to undress Niko after she had dragged her to an empty dressing room.


    "H-hey stop it!"


    Niko called out, although they were both women, Niko was still extremely embarassed to be seen naked by a woman, since his mind was still that of a man.


    "No can do little miss, i have to make sure that out customers have the best experience at our store, i am sure your mother will be delighted when she sees your new clothes!"


    ''This is hardly an enjoyable experience'' Niko thought to herself.


    "Now lets make sure you have some suitable underwear, a young girl like you should already be old enough for a bra, it can be painful to not wear one you know!"


    The woman said as she took out some white panties and a white bra from the bag, both of which were adorned with a small pink ribbon on the front.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "No no no, i am not wearing that, get me some normal underwear damnit, some trunks or something!"


    "Look little miss, Girls your age have to wear proper underwear or else its going to be very embarassing for you in the future, i should know i was a tomboy once too!"


    The woman continued as she dressed Niko up like some sort of doll.


    "Ha..Whatever..."


    Niko sighed as he felt that he had abandoned some shred of his masculinity that he could never recover by wearing those underwear.


    After the underwear the woman had taken out a few more pieces of clothing, and after a while of playing dressing up, during which Niko felt his soul trying to escape his body, they were finally done.


    Niko stood infront of a tall mirror in the dressing room, she was wearing a short white dress, coupled with some simple black stockings and some pink sneakers with flower designs. True to Niko''s request, the clothes were easy to move around in, ''But at what cost..'' Niko thought.


    The dress was short enough to be called a shirt and had a small print of a flower in the middle, with only the stockings providing protection from any prying eyes.


    "Hope you had fun, please come again!"


    The woman waved after Niko, who was leaving the store, her eyes glazed over and something similiar to her soul trying to escape from her mouth, she stumbled out of the store with a bag of strange clothes that the woman had somehow managed to sell her.


    --


    Niko was laying down on a large queen sized bed, taking a long overdue nap at a hotel room she had rented with Gary''s card.


    Her nap was rudely interrupted by the loud buzzing of Niko''s new phone.


    "What.. whatever it is you are selling i am not interested"


    "Shut up..."


    "Go away.."


    Niko kept muttering to herself as she tried to cover her ears with the large pillows, but only succeeded in almost suffocating herself. Finally giving up, she tried to reach the phone that was only just slightly out of reach.


    Not willing to get up from the warm and soft bed, Niko attempted to stretch herself as much as possible towards the small table, upon which the still buzzing phone sat, moving about slightly due to the vibrations from the call, as if impatient to get answered.


    "Just...a bit...more.."


    Niko had succesfully reached the table. Only barely however, as it was only her right hand that had reached it, whilst her right foot was the only part of her still touching the bed. Causing Niko to look like an unstable bridge.


    Niko, not willing to give up and touch the ground just yet, attempted to reach the phone with her left hand.


    "Almost..there..."


    Only a few centimeters away from her prize, Niko attempted to reach the phone by using her fingers to drag her whole body forward bit by bit, like a small spider pulling a wagon. It worked somewhat, but the phone was still just out of reach, and Niko couldn''t risk dragging her body towards the table anymore, as doing so would probably cause her to reach zero stability and fall into the lava, er, i mean, the floor below.


    Luckily, just as Niko was about to give up, the phone vibrations had moved it enough towards the edge that she was able to just barely touch the ''Accept call'' button.


    Niko quickly pressed the button, and smiled triumphantly.


    "Hello? Hello? Niko? Are you there?"


    A familiar voice resounded from the phone.


    "You will have to speak up Gary, i''m trying to not touch the floor!"


    Niko yelled towards the phone as she tried to slowly make her way back to the bed without falling.


    "What are you talking about,whatever, listen, the artifact, some guy has checked out the artifact from the evidence locker!"


    "What!"


    Niko, upon hearing the news, lost concentration for a single moment, which caused her to lose her balance. A moment of comically flailing in midair later, and she crashed face first into the floor. Her hand that was still clutching the table, tried to hold on in order to stop the fall, but it was too late, and all it did was make the table tumble backwards, causing the phone to slide down onto Niko''s head with a thud.


    Niko lay still for a few seconds, making a pose similiar to an egyptian dance on the floor, with Gary''s voice screaming from the phone resting neatly on Niko''s head.


    "I''l be right there..."


    Niko slowly answered as she turned off the phone and got up, her face red from the fall.


    --


    "Ok, i''m here!" Niko said as she burst into Gary''s office.


    "What are you wearing, You look amazing, glad you''re this accepting of your new self!"


    Gary praised as he saw Niko''s new attire.


    "Look i didn''t choose these clothes, they were chosen by the person who worked at the store, it would have been rude to decline!"


    "Yeah sure Niko, glad you''re having fun with your new body atleast"


    "I''m not, damnit!"


    Niko blushed as she awkwardly adjusted her new clothes.


    "Ow..whatever, so what about the artifact!" Niko snapped.


    "Right so a man had arrived at the police station about half an hour ago, and requested to retrieve the artifact, these things take time with paperwork, so he should be leaving the police department with the desired item, right about...now, you should hurry!"


    Gary looked up from his watch and noticed that Niko had already left before he had finished his sentence.


    "Atleast listen till the end dammit. Cute girl or not, Niko is still Niko..."

 Chapter 5: A priest a traitor and a thief

    "Alright this took longer than expected, i hope this is the right place.."


    A large building stretched down half of the street covering a large portion of the sky as if imposing itself on anyone who laid eyes upon it.


    The building had a large symbol of a blue badge with the words "NYPD" written on it in bold letters. Several people wearing blue police uniforms were moving about in and out of the building, with several police cars parked nearby, indicating that this was, without a doubt the place Niko was looking for.


    Niko took a seat on a nearby bench and waited patiently while trying to look as inconspicous as possible. whistling nonchalantly, Niko took out her phone and pretended to be observing herself in it, whilst using the camera to get a better look at the police stations doorway.


    Sure enough, a few minutes later, someone who didn''t have the typical blue colored uniform walked out.


    The figure was tall and most likely belonged to a male. The face was covered by a hoodie which the man was wearing under a black trench coat. Something round could be seen inside the mans coat pocket, as it was slightly too large for the pocket to properly hide.


    "Thats probably the guy, alright, this shouldn''t be too hard.."


    Niko quickly took a quick picture of the man with her phone before stuffing it down her pocket and running after the man.


    Niko kept a safe distance of several meters away from her target while tailing him. Far enough so it wouldn''t be too suspicious, but close enough to keep a close eye on the target.


    Every now and again the man would suddenly stop for no reason before looking over to the side as if he was remembering something, or perhaps noticing something in the distance.


    Whenever the man would stop, Niko would hurriedly pretend to be interested in something at a nearby shop, take up something from a nearby stall whilst pretending to observe it, or simply hide behind a mailbox, which would have looked terribly comical if anyone was paying attention.


    Luckily it was the middle of the day on a work day, which meant many people trying to get places that they didn''t have alot of time to get to. No one would have probably looked twice if someone was mugged right infront of them. Such is the life in a blossoming metropolis.


    An hour or so of walking later, the man suddenly decided to make a turn towards a large street, which had several other smaller streets going through it. Which meant that people were flooding in from almost every direction, making the people density higher than iron.


    Niko, who was already out of breath from that short walk, didn''t notice anything strange about the mans action as she was trying not to throw up while breathing heavily.


    "Uh..if it was my old body..huff huff...i could have ran a marathon without breaking a sweat...huff huff.."


    Niko finally caught her breath, but upon looking up, noticed that the man was gone from her view, leaving only a wall of people infront of her.


    "Wha, where did he go!"


    Niko blurted out as she frantically looked around for the man.


    As she was about to lose hope, she noticed a small sound. It was a sound anyone else would have definitely missed, especially in a city where angry drivers yelling at each other replaced the pleasant songs of birds in the morning.


    Niko however, was a professionaly trained thief and con-man, or con-woman as of now, and she was also self trained, but that is beyond the point. The point is that Niko is an expert, and as far as experts go, she was the best at what she did, or so she liked to think.


    The sound that caught Niko''s sharp ears, was the sound of quick but soft steps, hidden among the heavy sea of footwear hitting ground.


    It was something that Niko had learned to notice when she used to rob thieves. Which was quite a profitable market, the original thieves would have already done the hardest and most risky part, after that it was a simple matter of no honour among thieves. That was how Niko earned her first million when she was still a young man.


    "Good times.." Niko recollected.


    The sound of someone not using the sole of their feet when running, of all things, was something akin to noticing someone who wasn''t talking at a party where everyone was shouting, you would think not talking would make people not notice them, but it instead had the opposite effect.


    Niko concentrated and erased her mind of anything and everything other than the sound of the soft foot steps.


    As if using some kind of magic, the figures of the people and things around Niko slowly disappeared, leaving only the figure of the man quickly walking away in the distance.


    "Found you!"


    Niko exclaimed as she dashed forward towards the man. What followed afterwards was a loud painfull sound that made everyone around glance at Niko, who was laying on the ground, painfully holding her head as a large bump slowly appeared on it.


    The effect of everything except for the man seemingly disappearing, was of course simply due to Niko''s overactive imagination.


    She had focused so hard on trying to find the mans sound that it gave the illusion of everything else disappearing as she wasnt paying attention to the rest of the world.


    Which in turn resulted in Niko trying to headbutt a lamp post.


    "awawawa...i hope my brain isn''t damaged.. i need that.."


    Niko quickly shook the tears away from her eyes and ran after the man, this time paying special attention to her surroundings in order to avoid any further battle damage.


    --


    "Aha finally you''re trapped, thought you could escape from me, did you!"


    Niko faced the hooded man with a grin, whilst the man faced a dead end consisting of a large brick wall.


    Slowly the man turned around to face Niko, whilst taking a slow step backwards, brushing the wall with his back.


    "Afraid are you, well you should be, after all this is the great Niko you are facing, master of all forms of combat!"


    "So if you value your life you should just obediently hand over the-"


    Niko got interrupted by someone putting a hand on her shoulder as she got pushed away to the side.


    A man wearing dark red and gold robes walked past Niko, the man had long fire red hair that reached up to his waist in a disorderly manner.


    Behind him were four other similiarly robed men. Their faces however, were covered by their large hoods that seemed to block their vision.


    "Out of my way girl"


    The red haired man muttered as he and his companions walked past Niko.


    "Shoki, i knew it would come to this, i never trusted you from the moment you showed up"


    The red haired man said, directing his speech towards the trench coat wearing man, who he called Shoki.


    The man named Shoki stayed silent, his gaze fixed upon the red haired man.


    "No last words, no begging for your life?" He shrugged "Fine then, get me his head!"


    Upon finishing his sentence, the red haired mans hair flowed forward, as a gust of wind appeared from the spot where the other robed men stood only a moment ago.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The robed men suddenly appeared infront of Shoki, holding peculiar shortswords that were etched with various strange symbols all over the blades.


    The four robed men swung their swords simultaneously towards Shoki''s neck. However, none of the four swords managed to reach his head, suddenly stopping a few centimeters away from his face, causing a small gust of wind due to the amount of force put into their swings, making their robes flutter slightly and causing the mans hood to fall back, revealing his face.


    The man had a slender yet hardened face, like a hardened blade, short black hair covered his head, barely covering his dark blue eyes that seemed to accentuate his cold demeanor, dark rings rested underneath his eyes, hinting at many sleepless nights or a generally stressful life.


    The man was holding out his hand infront of his face, holding a thin but folding dagger (Folding knife).


    His hand was shaking slightly due to the incredible strain of holding off four swords at once with a small knife.


    The robed men jumped back and took up their battle stances, a typical knife fighting stance, where the left hand protected the chest and neck, whilst the right hand held the knife infront of them.


    Except instead of a knife, they used full sized swords, which was not that strange considering that sword fighting was barely used in the current age of powder and electricity powered firearms and concealable weaponry.


    The red haired man stepped forward, as he motioned for the other men to back off.


    "Yes, skillfull as ever i see, that however, wont be enough this time, not against me atleast"


    The red haired man slowly combed his hair out of his face with his left hand.


    "I have been waiting so long for this moment, you who has abandoned our cause would never understand the joy i get from taking care of traitorous rats like you"


    The red haired man smiled.


    "Sorry Shoki, but your end will be my new beginning!"


    The red haired man dragged his foot across the ground, taking a stance as if he was about to lunge forward, causing dust to rise from the ground in a dramatic fashion.


    "Save me a seat in hell, although you will be waiting a fair-"


    The red haired man was rudely interrupted by something hitting the side of his head, cutting his obnoxious speech a bit short and making him fall forward face first into the ground.


    Behind him, stood Niko, holding a loose plank she probably found lying on the ground.


    "Hey, stop ignoring me you bastard, I''m the main character here, not you!"


    Niko yelled at the red haired man, who twitched slightly on the ground.


    "Besides he is my prey not yours, i saw him first!"


    Niko looked back towards the man called Shoki as she threw the plank to the side.


    The man called Shoki stood infront of several robed men who were currently laying still on the ground, as he quickly pocketed his knife.


    "Damn that was fast, but it''s still not enough to defeat me!"


    Niko said as she took a pose that only someone who knew nothing about fighting would take, whilst holding her fists up menacingly, in her current form however, it looked more like a puppy trying to appear threatening.


    Shoki glanced over at the red haired man and dashed forward, grabbing Niko as he ran past her, hauling her like a sack of potatoes.


    "H-hey w-what, put me down!"


    "What are you doing s-stooooop, fight me like a man you coward!"


    Niko desperately yelled from across his shoulder.


    "Be quiet, girl, or they will find us"


    She could hear Shiko say as he continued to run through the crowded streets, making everyone look at the strange pair.


    "I''m not a girl, and we are not that hard to find when you''re so obviously kidnapping me!"


    Niko yelled whilst repeatedly hitting his back.


    "Ah of course, sorry"


    He apologised as he put Niko back on the ground.


    "Now what the hell was that for!"


    "I was just returning the favour"


    Shoki replied as it it was obvious.


    "What favour, what are you talking about!"


    Niko looked as if she was about to explode from irritation.


    "You just incited the anger of those people back there, they wont stop until they find you, but by angering them you also gave me a chance to escape, so i owe you"


    "W-what, dont tell me they''re from some scary organisation!?"


    "I guess you could call it that"


    "Damnit, it didn''t end well the last time i angered a weird organisation..."


    Niko sighed.


    "Anyway, give me the sphere, and i will forgive you for getting me dragged into this mess"


    Niko declared as she thrust her hand forward with an open palm.


    "Sorry, cant do that,but we should keep moving"


    Shoki said as he grabbed Niko''s hand and dragged her through the crowd.


    "The hell, let me go!" Niko yelled "And give me the damn thing!"


    Niko tried to pull her hand free, but it was firmly grasped in an iron grip as she was dragged forward.


    The pair suddenly stopped in their tracks, which caused Niko, who had gained a bit of momentum, to slam in Shoki''s back.


    "Ha, what now, hurry up and give me the thing if you understand!"


    Niko curious as to why they suddenly stopped, looked over Shoki''s shoulder with an annoyed expression, and found the red haired man standing there, the crowd making a wide circle around the strangely clothed man.


    "Good try, but not good enough!"


    The red haired man thrust his hand onto the ground underneath him, causing it to shake and split open, as something slowly crawled out from the crack, while a strange looking circular drawing seemed to float just above the ground, similiar to a hologram.


    A large humanoid figure stood up infront of the pair. shaped out of concrete and with several road signs poking out of its back, it looked like the spirit of the street itself had come to life.


    "...T-the great Niko will allow you the honour of having this fight...so you deal with it...."


    Niko mumbled as she stared at the thing infront of her with wide eyes with the color draining from her face as she pushed Shoki forward.


    <hr />


    To anyone who cares about how often i will release new chapters. I had written up to around chapter 5, so from now on the releases are probably going to be fairly slow (since i am busy with stuff), i will try to release atleast one chapter per week if i can.


    Hope youre having fun reading~

 Chapter 6: Suddenly, a battle!

    The concrete monster slowly walked up to Niko. The creature was atleast 7 meters high, or more. To Niko however, it''s height seemed much higher that.


    As the creature towered over Niko, it was hard for her to not panic as the creatures size covered up most of the sky as it faced her.


    The creature lifted its fist high above its head, its enormous figure creaking as small pieces of concrete fell off the joints in its body as they moved.


    Before the creature could lower its giant boulder of a fist onto Niko however, it was stopped by something smashing into its head, causing large pieces of concrete to break off and scatter in the air, forcing Niko to close her eyes.


    Niko tried opening her eyes after the rain of concrete and dust had lessened to some degree.


    The sight before her was something that was made even more amazing by the fact that she was so close whilst witnessing it.


    Infront of Niko, Stood the large concrete creature, pushing its massive fist towards its new opponent.


    Behind Niko, a large humanoid shape stood straight, still holding its fist infront of itself from its initial punch, the dust still flowing slightly from where it had struck the creature, like smoke.


    Instead of a monstrous malformed appearance like the concrete creature, this one was of an obviously more elegant yet very efficient design.


    Niko recognised it as a ''Bomber5'', a large robot used for the disposal of high grade explosives and potentialy nuclear devices.


    It was a large tank like robot, covered in various militiary grade plating to protect it from any blasting, although that kind of protection only worked against smaller explosives, thus it was decided that instead of a mech it would be a self controlled robot, in order to lessen any casualties.


    "But what is it doing here of all places..?"


    Thought Niko as another loud impact noise echoed through the now emptying streets.


    The concrete creature had delievered a sloppy yet powerful punch to the main body of the Bomber5.


    The Bomber5 was slightly pushed back, but largely unshaken, its heavy plating taking the brunt of the force.


    What followed then was something akin to a boxing match, each side trying to outlast the other.


    The concrete creature was weaker than the Bomber5, its body easily crumbling with each punch that was recieved as it slugishly attempted to dodge.


    The Bomber5, whilst holding an advantage in the fact that it was structuarly stronger, still lacked any decisive advantage, as its attacks were extremely weak compared to the heavy punches of the concrete creature as it had been designed to withstand blasts, not cause them.


    Overall it was a very even match, and the ground shook as their battle intensified, each side trying to find the others weakspots.


    Niko was somehow avoiding being squashed (again) as the two giants danced around her, barely missing her every time they took a step.


    BOOM!


    Niko was roughly pulled back as Something suddenly exploded at the space Niko was at, only a mere moment ago.


    Suddenly the loud sound of police sirens could be heard all around, which Niko noticed came from all the police cars that blocked off any exits from the street, with riot gear equipped policemen taking cover behind the safety of their bullet proof cars.


    Niko blinked her eyes in confusion, as she only now noticed anything other than the two giants.


    Shoki walked up from behind her, his small blade in hand. Completely ignoring the gaint''s fight happening just a few meters away from them and the guns pointed at him from the police taking cover all around them, his attention was focused on the only other figure that seemed as confident as him.


    Standing on the other side of the fighting concrete creature and the Bomber5 still trying to take each other down, was the red haired man, lightly chewing on a matchstick that he held in his mouth.


    Shoki''s figure disappeared and reappeared in the air above the concrete creature, giving it a quick kick to propel himself forward.


    He flew towards the red haired man with his knife drawn back, ready to be thrust forward.


    The red haired man looked up, not bothering to move, he took out the matchstick he had in his mouth, and lightly flicked it upwards.


    The matchstick spun past the still falling Shoki, who seemed unaware if its presence.


    Just as Shoki was about to fall past the still spinning matchstick, the red haired man took out another matchstick which he put in his mouth, and snapped his fingers.


    BOOM!


    A large explosion, originating from the matchstick that the red haired man sent spinning, consumed Shoki in a cloud of black smoke and flame.


    Shoki appeared from the black mass of smoke that had yet to dissipate, holding his arms infront of his face as he continued to fall, causing the black smoke to swirl downwards with him.


    His clothes were burnt and his hair was smoking slightly, but other than that he seemed completely unharmed.


    "Neat, you survived a small firework, then how about something a bit more...flashy!"


    The red haired man pulled out a box of matchsticks which he opened and casually threw towards Shoki, who was still half kneeling on the ground, coughing out smoke.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.The matchsticks scattered out of the flying matchbox, flying into various locations around Shoki.


    While the matchsticks were in the middle of falling down, the red haired man snapped his fingers again, this time with a bit more force.


    BOOOOM!


    This time instead of an explosion that could potentially kill if it hit right, it was an explosion that took out a huge chunk out of the street.


    It also happened to be in the space where the concrete monster was standing, breaking off a large chunk of its leg, causing it stumble slightly, which gave the Bomber5 an opening for a well placed punch.


    "GO GO GO!"


    Someone wearing a police uniform was motioning broadly as armored policemen started to run in from every direction, all the while they were pointing their rifles towards the red haired man.


    Looking around, the red haired man noticed that Shoki and the girl that was with him were no longer there.


    "It seems escaping is about all you properly do, no matter, Vali''s sword will find your neck eventually.."


    He muttered as he spit out the matchstick he was chewing on.


    Bits of concrete started to rain down as the concrete monster was starting to fall apart upon recieving a last few well placed punches from the Bomber5. Which triumphantly stood over the remains of the concrete creature, the sun reflecting off  its metal plating.


    As the fog of dust from the falling concrete eventually settled, all that was left were pieces of concrete and a crater from the previous explosion.


    Leaving the Police in confusion over the sudden inexplainable disappearance of the red haired man and the two others that were with him.


    --


    "Search the area, they can''t have gotten far!"


    The loud rough voice of an authoritative man could be heard in the distance.


    "You know...i can walk on my own..."


    Niko sighed as she dangled over Shoki''s shoulder.


    Rooftops were briefly exchanged with large drops as Shoki jumped over several rooftops, with Niko over his shoulders like a rolled rug.


    "This should be far enough.."


    Shoki muttered as he dropped Niko down on the ground while looking around.


    "Hey, be more gentle damnit.."


    Niko stood up while patting her behind in pain as Shoki started to walk away, preparing to jump to another rooftop.


    "Wait a second here, where are you going!?"


    Niko Yelled as she grabbed his arm.


    "Look, girl, my debt is paid, you saved my life, and now i saved yours, so if you would excuse me, i''m going to leave now.."


    He coldly answered as he shook her hand away.


    "Oh no, you are not getting away until i get that sphere, so give it!"


    "You do not even know what it is, and i have actual need for it"


    "Look we can split the money after we sell it, i can find you a good buyer, or something, so come on, give it~"


    Niko begged as she shook him slightly.


    "My need for it is much greater than just mere currency."


    He sighed as he tried to leave.


    "Oh really, as it so happens, its the same for me, you seem to know alot about it, and i am curious about whatever the hell just happened, so i will have YOU tell me all about it!"


    She pointed at him dramatically after taking a few sudden steps back.


    "Again, why should i do something that trouble-"


    He stopped talking as he noticed what Niko was holding. He quickly checked his pockets to find them empty.


    Niko grinned as she twirled something in her hand, a golden sphere with a variety of runes inscribed in it.


    "How did you..." He started.


    "i''l do anything so please~"


    She teased with exaggerated movements.


    "Too easy, now unless you want this smashed to many pieces on the ground, you will listen to me"


    She said as she took a more serious tone.


    "Fine! what is it you want girl"


    He asked with an obviously annoyed tone, his eyes never leaving the sphere.


    "First of all, i am not a girl, so do NOT call me that, i am the great Niko, surely you have heard of me!"


    "...Never heard of you" He replied.


    "What, impossible, have you been living under a rock, the great Niko, you know, the disappearance of the statue of liberty, that was me!"


    "Ah..is that so..neat i guess, now what is it you want?"


    "Ah damn ignorant brat..dont appreciate true art..."


    She muttered as she sighed.


    ...Haa.. fine, first of all, lets go back to a safe place, then you can tell me what i want to know, and then maybe we can discuss the ownership of the sphere~"


    Niko smiled mischieviously.

 Chapter 7: First member, GET!

    "Hey welcome back, how''d it go?"


    Gary welcomed Niko enthusiastically, as she entered his office and sank down into the sofa.


    A few minutes went by, with Gary standing around nervously, while Niko seemed to slide further and further down the sofa.


    "So..you gonna tell me about your new friend?"


    Gary glanced sideways towards Shoki, who was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room, waiting patiently


    "Oh..right..i forgot about that.."


    Niko slowly sat up on the sofa, letting out painful groans in the process.


    "Alright Shoki, now that my lawyer is here, we can discuss things"


    Niko took out the golden sphere and placed it between her legs in order to keep it from falling, unaware of the two men trying not to stare at her unconsciously provocative pose.


    "Ask me what you want, aslong as you give me back ''Nannas comb''"


    Shoki took a chair from around the desk and placed it near the sofa, and sat down on it, arms folded.


    "Right, Gary be sure to record everything that he says"


    Niko said as Gary hurried around searching around before taking out his phone and setting it to record.


    "Now, what is this ''Comb'', you mentioned?"


    Niko asked, causing Shoki to raise en eyebrow.


    "You mean you dont even know its true name...."


    He sighed, and pointed towards the golden sphere.


    "That, is called Nannas comb, the outside round parts are just there in order to seal and control its power, without being sealed, the comb would release its energy all at once leaving the comb useless"


    "Release all at once..would that cause it to accidently revive someone?"


    "No, it would most likely just destroy everything around it, how it would do it, i do not know, but it would cover a fairly large area, at best a street, at worst a whole city"


    "EH"


    Niko''s eyes went wide as she felt relieved over not throwing the golden ball to ground when she threatened Shoki.


    "You said revival, so you do know something, tell me, how did you find out about its true purpose"


    Shoki asked, eyeing Niko suspiciously.


    "Ah..well, Gary did some research on its history, oh Gary is my lawyer, this worthless guy here"


    She pointed at Gary who standing idly by, carefully listening to their conversation.


    "Hi, i''m Gary, aiming to be the world''s best lawyer, i can guaran-"


    "Save it for someone who cares Gary"


    Niko interrupted Gary before he he got too absorbed into his speech.


    "Anyway...also.. i was revived with it, probably?"


    She said, tilting her head as she contemplated whether what happened to her could be counted as a revival.


    "Are you sure!?"


    He frantically asked, and continued after Niko nodded her head.


    "If what you say is ture, then my gamble may have actually been worth it... tell me exactly what happened!"


    Shoki said, his eyes wide, and his voice unnaturaly excited.


    "Hm..well i died, then i woke up in this body, which is not mine, so it kind of transfered my mind somehow, or something?"


    "Transfer..that means..it probably transfered..your soul.."


    Shoki said, his voice lowering to a barely audible level.


    "My soul huh, i dont really believe in that stuff, but i guess that stuff doesn''t seem as crazy with all thats happened..?"


    Niko said as she tentatively touched the runes etched on the surface of the ''Comb''.


    "But anyway, what the hell was that before, that giant stone monster, those strange cult people, and the guy with the exploding matchsticks, what was all that about!?!"


    "Those were the followers of Vali, they follow the god of revenge, everyone who joins, likely has something or someone they want to avenge, alot of them are insane, willing to throw away their lives in order to have their wish fullfiled.."


    "Hmm..is that why you joined them?.. i remember the red haired guy saying something about you being a traitor?"


    "Like everyone else who joined i had my reasons, but i quit once i found out about the Comb, but from what you say..it seems the comb is unable of true revival, only the transfer of the soul to another body...and without the soul..revival is impossible.."


    Shoki finished his sentence with downcast eyes and a low voice, causing a dark aura to surround him.


    "Ahaha...well i dont know if we can say that for sure...but i guess it makes sense.."


    Niko awkwardly laughed, trying to dissolve the dark clouds surrounding Shoki.


    "Ehm...but anyway, that monster thing, and the matchsticks, no explosive can be that small and release that much energy, i should know, i am an expert in over 20 types of explosives!"


    She blatantly bragged.


    "Ah..he probably just infused some power into the matchsticks, which is where that extra energy comes from, as for the monster..that was a golem, you can create golems out of virtually anything aslong as you know the correct method to distribute your power in the desired material"


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "..power..you mean like...magic or something?"


    Niko asked, doubt obvious in her voice.


    "I guess you could call it that, although its a bit more realistic than that"


    Shoki shrugged.


    "Wait, does that mean i can also do cool things like that if i learn how? teach me!"


    "It''s not that simple, normal humans dont have any power other than the bare minimum needed to sustain life, that bastard was just borrowing power from his god, Vali, basically aslong as what you are doing is to the gods liking, he will be willing to lend you a small amount of power, which you store to use later, like a battery but in your heart"


    He explained, giving the left side of his chest a few taps.


    "Hooo i see, i want to do that stuff too, i want to follow a god, how do i do that, show me, come on!"


    Niko urged him, her eyes filled with obvious excitement.


    "As i said, it''s not that simple, i couldn''t get them to show me the ritual no matter how hard i tried, and i was with them for years, the ways to borrow power from a god are secrets that are hoarded greedily by the higher ups of each organisation"


    "Buu..thats boring, but how did you get the police to help you out, they even brought out the Bomber5!"


    "I didn''t, they probably showed up on their own due to reports of the priests, they are notorious terrorists after all, especially that matchstick bastard.."


    "Ah that makes sense, it is kind of hard to hide large explosions like that after all~"


    Niko laughed, as Gary spoke up from the side.


    "Look kids, i have no idea what you are talking about, but don''t tell me you were at the site of that bombing that happened earlier today?"


    Gary asked, causing Niko and Shoki to nod simultaneously, as if to say, ''yea so what?''.


    "Ah, i really hope they didnt see your faces, do you know the amount of rumours i would get if they caught two terrorists at my office, my reputation would be in ruins, oh all my hard work-"


    "Gary, be quiet."


    Niko snapped at him causing him to shut up.


    "Is he always like this..?"


    Shoki asked, glancing at the heavily sweating Gary who was nervously pacing around the room.


    "You would think he would get used to harbouring dangerous criminals after a while, but every time.."


    Niko sighed dramatically and shrugged.


    "Anyway, i dont know about all of this magic nonsense, but i am looking for a reliable partner to assist me, since i cant really accomplish too much in my current state..."


    She sighed as she looked at herself.


    "So, how about it, want to become my underling?"


    She asked, wearing an honest smile that spoke her true intentions without holding a single shred of insincerity.


    "The ''Comb'' was my final hope..without it..i have nothing to strive for..so i no point in joining you."


    "Well, since you have nothing to strive for, why don''t you aid me, in my quest to get my former body back (and also acquire some magic crap, because that sounds amazing), maybe we can even find a way to revive the person you care about, who knows~"


    She smiled as she offered her hand to Shoki.


    "Well..i have no other leads for revival powers..aslong as you lend me the sphere to study and make sure that true revival is truely impossible with it, then i wouldn''t mind helping you out"


    "Knew you would come around and see my greatness, of course i would be willing to lend you the sphere, i am a generous leader after all~"


    Niko laughed triumphantly.


    "You realise i could simply take it away from you in the blink of an eye now that i know that you do not know how to use it"


    "Wa..really..? then why are you okay with joining me?"


    She asked, honestly confused over his peculiar reasoning.


    "Well..like i said, if it turns out that the sphere truely does not have the power for true revival, then i would be out of leads and out of a job, besides, you seem like an interesting person, you have odd sort of charm to you.."


    He said as he grasped her hand.


    "I know, i am a truely charismatic leader arent i!"


    She smiled, happy for the compliment.


    "More like the charm of a clumsy princess that needs to be protected than a great leader..."


    Shoki said, low enough so Niko could not hear.


    "Great, now let''s drink to celebrate, Gary, bring out your sake, i know you have some around here!"


    She yelled over at Gary who was still pacing around the room, startling him.


    "Aren''t you a little too young to drink...especially sake?"


    Shoki asked, raising an eyebrow at Niko''s odd choice for a celebration.


    "Didn''t you listen, i was transfered to this body by this ''Comb'' of yours, i''m actually a 29 year old man~"


    She answered as she and Shoki were taking a sip from the sake Gary had brought out, causing Shoki to choke and spit out his sake as she laughed.

 Chapter 8: Overflowing Sake

    "So..how exactly... do we find more magic artifacts...?"


    Niko spun an empty bottle of sake as she looked over at the pair infront of her.


    Shoki was still slowly sipping on his small cup of sake, while Gary had taken out a bottle of whiskey which he was now chugging, trying to forget Niko and all the trouble she drags his way.


    "Well...Honestly speaking, a magical item can be anything aslong as it is filled with a certain degree of power. only someone who uses power frequently could tell the difference, and we don''t seem to have anyone like that"


    Shoki answered, taking a thoughtful sip of his sake.


    "I..certainly didn''t think this far ahead..."


    Niko muttered, flushing red with embarrassment.


    "It would appear so... Never mind that for now, you seem to still be fine after drinking a whole bottle of that terrible stuff, you must be an experienced drinker?"


    Shoki''s eyes widened slightly with respect.


    "Pff of course i am fine, i am the great Niko after all!"


    She exclaimed with a smile, her face flushing even further.


    "Honestly... i must be the most amazing person on this planet, i mean look at my juggling skills!"


    She picked up the empty bottle and The golden sphere, as she began to juggle them.


    "Hey, maybe you shouldn''t do that..what if you drop that...?"


    Shoki eyed Niko nervously as he only now began to notice that Niko''s flushing face wasn''t due to embarassement, her eyes hazy and out of focus, and her movements sluggish and slightly odd.


    She was drunk.


    "Ok.. Niko, put that down..."


    Shoki slowly stood up, careful not to startle Niko.


    "Haa..sit dooown... i''m juggling here~"


    She continued to juggle with increasing speed, as she did, the bottle accidently slipped from her hand, crashing into the floor with a loud crash, startling Niko and causing her grip on the golden sphere to loosen.


    "We are DOOMED!"


    Gary yelled as he clutched his head, falling to the ground.


    "Not yet!"


    Shoki jumped forward, and clutched Niko''s hand that was still holding the slipping sphere, making sure it stayed in her grip.


    As he did that however, it seems the alcohol had gotten the better of Niko and she started to fall, which forced Shoki to grab her with his other hand at her waist.


    "Heeeey...Shooooki...I''m not into men you know...but i''l make an exception for you.."


    Niko drunkedly whispered, causing Shoki to blush lightly at the sudden intimate action.


    "Fool, you are drunk, you do not know what you are saying"


    He hurriedly said, looking the other direction as he let go of Niko and grabbed the sphere out of her hand.


    "Oooonly joking~"


    She said as she slumped down onto the sofa.


    "Jeez that Niko, i thought we were doomed, i don''t much fancy being turned to dust anytime soon..."


    Gary muttered as he got up from his fetal position on the ground.


    "Well...the chance that anything would happen if she dropped it was very low..."


    Shoki tried to reasure the disheveled Laywer.


    "But it was still a chance, no?" Gary sighed "I would rather not take any chances when it comes to Niko, that bastard always causes trouble when you least expect it..."


    He said as he glanced at the soundly sleeping Niko who was clutching another bottle of sake like a pillow.


    "Indeed, this girl certainly seems to have her fair of strangeness, she seemed oddly relaxed even when she found out about the existence of power and cults..."


    "Well she did used to be a man before, although she was very eccentric even as a man..."


    "Oh i do not doubt that"


    Shoki smiled as he sat down and poured himself a glass of Gary''s whiskey.


    "Ooh a Whiskey man, huh, thats a man i can respect!"


    Gary poured himself a glass of whiskey as well, and sat down next to Shoki.


    "Yea..i do not really get the taste of things like sake, i only drank it to be polite.."


    "Well you know, i''m actually not a big fan of the stuff either, i just always kept some around, cause Niko would always come over and complain when he couldn''t find anything good to drink at my expense..."


    Gary sighed, smiling fondly as he somehow could never get himself to truely resent that carefree attitude of Niko.


    The rest of the night flowed by with the two men chatting idly about this and that, with Gary mostly complaining about Niko as she snored away on the sofa.


    --


    "Uhh..my head..."


    Niko slowly got up to the sound of someone typing away at a keyboard, her head throbbing with pain.


    "Mornin Niko, guess you can''t drink that much anymore, huh, you went out as a light yesterday after only a single bottle, you''re losing your touch!"


    Gary greeted Niko from behind his laptop screen.


    "I havent...it''s just that this body isn''t used to drinking...ah..my head hurts...Where did Shoki go..?"


    She asked as she rubbed her temples.


    "He should be back any minute now, he went to clean up and have some breakfast"


    "Oh..ok.."


    Niko slowly sat up in the sofa, too tired to do anything, she tried to wait for her headache to subside first, which it eventually did, only to be replaced by another uncomfortable feeling.


    "What''s wrong, need some pills to help settle your stomach?"


    Gary asked, slightly concerned over Niko who had already spent half an hour clutching at her stomach with a pained expression.


    "N-no..i''m fine.."


    She muttered, sweating slightly.


    "Well you dont look fine, so just tell me what''s wrong and i''l get you something to relieve the pain, i always keep a ton of pills for every occasion, which is actually my secret to success, no disease can ever get the best of me thanks to the miracles of modern drugs!"


    Gary blatantly bragged.


    "...Toilet..."


    She quietly muttered.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation."Huh, toilet, you know where it is, not like you need to ask me for permission, you never did before anyway...treating this like your own house..hah..."


    He sighed loudly.


    "Y-yea..but not...as a girl..."


    She muttered, still holding her stomach in great pain.


    "Oh...OH!"


    Gary suddenly exclaimed upon realising what she meant.


    "Uh..i''l...oh yea, let my secretary handle it!"


    He quickly said as he pushed a button on his desk.


    A few seconds later, and a tall rough looking woman with a mean look in her eyes entered the room.


    "Hey Janice, you''re a woman right?"


    He asked, wearing his usual charismatic smile.


    "...Last i have heard, yes."


    She answered with an unamused look on her face.


    "Well you see, my friend here, needs to use the little ladies room, so i was wondering if you could..?"


    The woman looked around the room, and noticed Niko who was clutching her stomach in pain, and her eyes naturally softened.


    "Come on, i''l show you there"


    She kindly said as she helped Niko to her feet, giving Gary an ice cold stare as she left the room with Niko.


    "Have fun, Haha..."


    Gary laughed awkwardly, mostly to himself.


    "I swear to god..that woman wants to murder me..."


    Niko came back a few minutes later, with a smiling relieved expression on her face as she entered the room.


    "So i assume it went well?"


    "Shut up, i feel like i lost yet another shred of my soul that i will never get back!"


    She snapped at Gary, her expression instantly becoming annoyed.


    "Call it whatever you want, i''m happy aslong as you dont ruin my sofa..."


    Gary said with a smirk.


    "Treating me like a dog...Maybe i should go tell your mother about that transvetite chasing you through town..."


    She started but got cut off as soon as she began.


    "No no no, i''m sorry, wont happen again!"


    Gary quickly pleaded.


    "Humu...well aslong as you understand.."


    "So...what is this about..?"


    Shoki chimmed in from the side, which was when Niko and Gary became aware of his presence.


    "Nothing!"


    They both chimmed at the same time.


    "Sure..?"


    "A-anyway, let''s get started, how shall we find someone who knows how to use magical artifacts..?"


    Niko awkwardly said, trying to steer the coversation somewhere else.


    "Hm..i can sadly not help with that, the only ones i knew with any connection to that world, were the Vali cult, and i doubt that they would be willing to help us out, especially since they now know that you are with me.."


    Shoki shrugged.


    "Hey, I am not with you, it is YOU who is with ME, you are my underling remember!"


    Niko corrected him, causing him to merely shrug again in obvious melancholy, causing Niko''s hair to stand up in annoyance.


    "Well, since we don''t have any leads, i had decided to look through my old contact list, and i found someone who might be of help"


    Gary cut in between them.


    "Oooh, as expected of Gary, tell us, tell us!"


    Niko cheered.


    "Well, it''s an old crone that people call ''Evileye'', She always wears heavy clothing, and the only thing people see is her left eye, which is why they started calling her that, and also due to the fact that she likes to glare at people alot.."


    He explained.


    "Really Gary..Crazy homeless people...next you''l say that we should visit a hermit in the mountains.."


    Niko sighed.


    "Well i do know this one guy..."


    He started, but stopped as he saw the look in Shoki''s and Niko''s eyes.


    "Look i know it sounds crazy, but when i was searching through the databases or whatever you kids call them-"


    "It''s called the internet"


    Niko interupted.


    "Whatever, i was looking through that, and i remembered an article i read about this woman, the things she spouted sounded an awful lot like that stuff Shoki talked about before, so i would say that she atleast knows something on the matter."


    Gary continued, turning over his laptop which had an old newspaper scan on it, showing the article he was talking about, with a person in robes that covered every part of her body, stood on a small podium, and talking to a crowd.


    "Ha..well you were right about the golden sphere before, so i guess we could atleast give her a call or something"


    Niko shrugged and took out her phone.


    "Ah here''s the problem, She only talks to people face to face, apparently she doesn''t trust technology, thinks it will steal her soul or something.."


    "Like the indians thought cameras stole their souls, this just sounds more and more like a crazy homeless person...but fine, where is this person so we can talk to her and get this over with..."


    Niko rolled her eyes and asked.


    "Well she seems to live in japan at some temple..."


    Gary said as he looked her up on his laptop.


    "Is that so, that is a considerable distance away, that is definately more effort than it is worth, we should probably concentrate on this-"


    Shoki was rudely interupted by Niko slapping his back.


    "Shoki, we are going to japan, land of sake here i come!"


    She said with hungry, excited eyes.


    "But surely we should look through the local areas first before jumping to another field-"


    Shoki began again, but was quickly stopped by Niko.


    "Shoki. Land. Of. SAKE. We are going, i can let you play around with the sphere during the plane ride, Gary get us some tickets, we are going to the land of flowing sake and hot baths, or maybe baths full of sake!"

 Chapter 9: Bitter rain and second member get?

    "Please, have you seen this girl anywhere?"


    A woman was saying this as she was handing out what looked like some sort of photos to everyone who walked past her as she repeated that same line over and over again, only to be met with a casual shake of the head everytime.


    The woman had long blonde hair and she was wearing tight jeans with a long white blouse. Her eyes had deep dark rings resting under them, threatening to take over her slightly distraught face.


    After handing out the photos for about an hour, she walked up to a nearby trashcan and opened it.


    Inside the trashcan, lay most of the photos she had been giving out. Some were crumbled up or torn, but some were in pristine condition, as if they had just been thrown in there.


    The woman sighed and picked up all the photos that she could salvage, giving one of the cumbled ones a brief look before she closed the trash can.


    On the crumbled photo, was an image of a young smiling girl with brilliant green emeralds for eyes and slightly messy brown hair. The girl was standing in a small forest, wearing a white sunflower dress, as she did a peace sign with her hands towards the camera.


    "Alisa...i can''t stand to lose you again...please..come back.."


    The woman said quietly with a deeply pained voice, as it slowly started to rain, dark clouds covering the sky in an ominous way.


    The woman looked up at the sky, rain drops sliding down her face, some of them making their way to her mouth, except that some of them.. tasted like the sea.


    The woman slowly made her way back towards her spot, and continued to give out the photographs to whoever would accept them.


    Several hours later, when it had long since passed the time of day when it was safe for a woman to be outside alone in this part of town.


    The woman was still there, giving out photographs.


    Even when the photos people recieved were crumbled up and thrown away immediately without even glancing at them, or when people told her that what she was doing was meaningless and it was better to give up, the woman kept going, never faltering, never stutering, always standing in that same spot, no matter how hard it rained, she never moved, other than to get more photographs.


    Always saying that same phrase over and over again, only to be met with the same response.


    "Please, have you seen this girl anywhere?"


    "No, sorry i havent"


    "Please, have you seen this girl anywhere?"


    "No, Get lost."


    "Please, have you seen this girl anywhere?"


    "NO, stop bothering people, some people have no shame at all!"


    "Please, have you seen this girl anywhere?"


    "No, she probably ran away when she got a good look at you!"


    "Please..."


    She tried to speak, but she seemed to have no more strength to spare for even a single word.


    And just like that, once she lost her voice, she lost the last thing that had been keeping in motion.


    As if she was a doll with her strings cut, she slumped down to her knees, her clothes getting covered in mud and dirt.


    Just as she was about give up, she saw a familiar face walking through the crowd that was staring at her.


    --


    "Jeez... Forging documents should not take several days..back when i had my old body, people would just send me fake passports for free so i could advertise their services to other people..good times..what happened to those kind of services.."


    Niko muttered to herself as she walked down the street towards a nearby mall.


    "Which was kind of wierd..i guess forgeries are still a business after all..well whatever, lets see..somewhere good to eat..."


    She looked around for any noticeable signs that indicated a restaurant.


    "He could have just let me order delivery to his office...that stingy bastard...i dont make THAT much of a mess when i eat.."


    She continued talking and muttering to herself.


    "Hm..? what''s with this crowd, is there something interesting over there?"


    Niko looked over at the small crowd surrounding someone as she tried to get a better look.


    In the middle of the crowd, a young woman was kneeling in a puddle of mud holding some photographs that Niko couldn''t quite get a good look at.


    ''Hm..she looks familiar somehow..do i know her..?''


    The womans eyes suddenly went wide once she saw Niko, causing Niko to feel slightly uncomfortable.


    "...Hi?"


    The woman shakily stood up, her legs wobbling slightly, as drops of mud slithered down her clothes.


    The woman walked up to Niko, who was now slowly backing away from the strange woman.


    The woman suddenly leapt forward and grabbed Niko into a deep strong embrace that Niko couldn''t escape from, no matter how much she struggled.


    "Alisa..Alisa..i''m sorry..you dont have to go back to the hospital..please come back...i''m sorry.."


    Now that the woman was so close to Niko, she could finally get a better look at the photos the woman was holding.


    The photos in the womans hands were of Niko, albeit a slightly younger version, Niko''s current body that is.


    Niko slowly stopped her struggling as she noticed that the woman was now sobbing into her shoulder.


    That was when she remembered the woman at the hospital. The womans face looked atleast 10 years older and her clothes were filthy, but it was undeniably the same person.


    "Look..miss..i wont try to run away, how about we get you cleaned up, sit down and talk through some things?"


    Niko patted the womans back as she slowly ceased her sobbing, looking up at Niko with slightly red, tear filled eyes.


    "R-really?"


    The woman asked, her voice slightly hoarse through her sobbing.


    "Yea.."


    Niko gave her a kind smile as she led her towards a bathroom to clean up her clothes.


    The woman silently followed Niko, always keeping an unusually close distance to her, as if afraid she might run away.


    Once they were at a public restroom, Niko wet some paper towels and started to wipe down the mud from the womans clothes.


    "Miss, could you lean down a little bit"


    Niko asked the woman, as the woman was a fair bit taller than her.


    "...Hannah...it''s Hannah..."


    The woman muttered sadly.


    "Alright Hannah...i think thats most of it!"


    Niko said as she threw away the last paper towel.


    "You really have forgotten about me..haven''t you.."


    Hannah said in a low voice, tears peeking at the edge of her eyes.


    "..Look..Hannah, i haven''t forgotten about you.. It''s just that i have no memory of you to begin with..."


    Niko tried to explain in a way that the woman would understand.


    "What do you mean..Alisa..how could you forget your own sister..."


    Hannah sobbed.


    "No..no..look..i''m not really Alisa, that''s why...you know everything i said to you at the hospital, that was true.."


    Niko tried to explain again, a troubled look on her face.


    "Please stop lying!"


    Hannah yelled, causing Niko to flinch.


    "If you forgot about me, then fine, but please don''t lie to me, please...it hurts..you know.."


    Hannah said with a voice filled with such deep pain that it made Niko''s heart ache.


    "No..i''m not lying..i can prove it to you...if you come with me, i can show you?"


    Niko asked and started to lead Hannah out upon recieving a very small nod from her.


    --


    "Gary, i''m back!"


    Niko yelled at the top of her lungs as she burst through the office door.


    "Well that was fast, i thought you would take your time as usual, oh, yet another friend?"


    Gary greeted Niko from behind his computer screen.


    "Alisa..why have you brought me here?"


    Hannah asked as she reluctantly looked around, and frowned upon noticing the large wall painting of Gary.


    "Welcome, welcome, Gary at your service, i hope that my first impression is good enough for you to trust me with all your legal troubles!"


    Gary stood up as he greeted Hannah.


    "Alisa..how do you know this kind of third rate con-man...i thought i taught you not to talk to suspicious people.."


    Hannah lectured Niko, not even bothering to greet Gary.


    "Hah! i guess people really do see you for who you truly are!"


    Niko laughed at Gary, who was wearing a bitter smile.


    "Hannah, this is my laywer, Gary, and this is my current body''s sister, Hannah"


    Niko introduced them.


    "Since when did you get a lawyer, Alisa, you are way too young to hire a lawyer, did he trick you!?"


    Hannah looked over at Gary with a furious gaze.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Hey hey, i didn''t trick anybody, Niko was the one who found me!"


    Gary lifted his hands infront of his chest in defence.


    "Niko..who is this Niko, i am talking about Alisa here!"


    Hannah exclaimed angrily.


    "That''s me, I am Niko"


    Niko pointed at herself.


    "The best thief that ever lived, and the best damn sake drinker there ever was!"


    Niko continued, with a puffed up chest.


    "Alisa, Stealing is wrong, and i hope that you were joking about drinking alcohol!"


    Hannah exclaimed in a surprised but stern manner.


    "Haa...Shoki!"


    Niko sighed and called out to Shoki, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere.


    "Yes?"


    "Have you figured how to use the sphere yet?"


    Niko asked.


    "Not really, the most i can make it do is float for a while, but i think thats mostly due to the residual power left over from-"


    "Yea yea spare me the details, just make it float!"


    Niko rudely interruped Shoki with a wave of her arm.


    "Alisa, be more nice to your elders!"


    Hannah said as she pulled on Niko''s ear.


    "AW aw aw aw, ok, ok, i''m sorry, stop!"


    Niko begged for mercy as she tried to escape the older womans grasp.


    "Look, see that, its floating!"


    Niko pointed over at the sphere which was now floating freely after Shoki had released it.


    "Alisa, i dont really care for magnetism tricks or whatever it is..."


    Hannah sighed and shook her head.


    "No, just touch it and you''l see!"


    Niko pushed her forward towards the golden floating sphere.


    Hannah reluctantly approached the sphere and picked it up, surprised over the weight of it, and the fact that it didn''t seem to be held up by any magnetic force, which she would have definately felt.


    Instead she felt absolutely no resistance other than its weight when she picked it up, as if she had just picked it up from a shelf.


    "How..strange..."


    Hannah muttered as she released the sphere and gave it a light push, causing it to lightly float away from her as if it was not affected by gravity.


    "You see, that was the thing that transfered me into your sisters body, tell her Gary, Shoki"


    She looked over at the pair.


    "AH, yes, the artifact here is supposed to be some kind of revival object, which transfered Niko''s mind into your sisters body. I also didn''t believe it at first, but her personality and the things she knew, were things only Niko would know and do, i am convinced that the person before us is Niko, if not in body then atleast in soul."


    Gary said dramatically.


    "Whilst i do not know if the person in question is your sister or Niko, since i have not known Niko before, i can however confirm that this is indeed a powerful artifact that can be used for reviving people, which i assume is done by transfering their soul into a new vessel"


    Shoki explained, with his usual monotone voice.


    "I..still dont quite believe all of this.."


    Hannah muttered in a low voice.


    "Well how about this, ask me anything that your sister would never know, and see if i can answer it"


    Niko propositioned.


    "I dont really have any good questions that i can think of..."


    Hannah sighed.


    "Well then how about i just tell you a bunch of things that your sister would never know, lets see.."


    Niko began and explained the process of how to construct a small bomb efficient enough to direct its force into one direction and blow open an opening, in great detail, starting from how to acquire all the materials without having to buy them and leaving evidence and ending with how to safely set it off from a safe distance.


    She also explained several methods of how to incapacitate people with a light blow to various parts of the body, one of which was the groin area.


    She continued to explain the various ways to acquiring peoples valuables when she was stopped by Hannah.


    "Alright..alright..i believe you..my Alisa would never even attempt to learn such vile things... and it is true that your personality is very different from my Alisa''s...Who are you..really..?"


    Hannah asked, her face slightly pale from seeing her sister explain such things in detail.


    "I am Niko, a proffesional thief, and master of shadows, pleased to meet you"


    Niko said with a smug smile as she did an elegant bow.


    "I am Shoki, i am currently assisting Niko in her quest to acquire her former body back"


    He said as he did a light bow, copying Niko.


    "And i am the great Gary, best FIRST rate lawyer that you will ever lay your eyes and hands on!"


    Gary exclaimed while doing a very dramatic but silly looking bow, and pretending to take off a non-existant hat.


    "Right..i am Hannah, Alisa''s sister..tell me, if you are not Alisa..then where is my Alisa..?"


    She asked, her eyes full of suspicion.


    "Well, i have a theory as to why Niko ended up in your sisters body, we came to this conclusion after me and Shoki discussed this for a bit."


    Gary began, and Shoki continued where he left off.


    "The only reason that the sphere activated so fluidly without anyone using it, is probably due to an empty space that it could easily place Niko''s soul in, without an empty space it would have probably been very difficult even for an expert to use it to transfer a soul into another body"


    Shoki stopped, and let Gary continue.


    "Yea..and the only way to explain such an empty space is..."


    "Is if the person is dead..correct..?"


    Hannah finished their sentence for them.


    "Ah..you catch on quick..correct, that is only a theory however, it is quite possible that you sister is still alive-"


    "No...it''s fine, the fact is..i already knew..that my sister was dead..she had already been dead for a few years now..her mind atleast.."


    Hannah said, her voice lowering, and her speech stuttering slightly.


    "Thats why.. i was so happy when she woke up.. i thought..maybe..she was back..but i knew..that even if she did come back..it wouldn''t be my sister anymore...but still.. i hoped.."


    Hannah began to tear up, but she quickly wiped her tears off on her sleeve, and breathed out.


    "Fine then, now that i know that you are not my sister, i want you to give me her body back!"


    She resolutely announced.


    "Ah..i would love to, but there really isn''t anyway to do that..since we dont know how to use the sphere yet"


    Niko explained with an awkward laugh.


    "Yet...So you mean you are looking for a way?"


    She asked.


    "Yea, we are looking for a way to maybe transfer souls or to revive people, the reviving people part is mostly for Shoki, but if it is possible i might be able to revive my old body or something like that"


    Niko scratched her head and shrugged.


    "Reviving...?"


    "Yea.. well originaly we thought that the sphere revived people, but now we found out that it can''t really revive people if you don''t have their soul, probably, so people who have been dead for a while dont really work, since their soul is gone to whatever place souls go to, but if we find a true revival method maybe we can reconstruct my old body and get the soul of the person Shoki is trying to revive as a bonus, makes sense?"


    Niko explained.


    "So you are looking for a way to revive people...does that mean...Alisa..the real Alisa..could be revived too?"


    She reluctantly asked.


    "Well i mean, from what Shoki tells me, i guess?"


    Niko shrugged again.


    "In that case, i''m joining you in your search."


    Hannah decided.


    "Eh, look i know you want to revive your sister and all that, but if we ever find a revival method, i''l just call you, ok?"


    Niko smiled and waved her hand.


    "No it''s not just that, i also need to keep an eye on my sisters body so she has a healthy body to come back to, which means i''l come along too"


    "Look i know you care about your sister, but you should really leave this to proffesionals-"


    Niko was interuppted by Hannah pulling on her ear.


    "Awa awa aw aw aw, what are you doing!"


    Niko yelled in pain.


    "I''m teaching a little girl to respect her elders, i''m coming and thats that!"


    She said as she tugged on Niko''s ear.


    "OK ok ok, i''m sorryyyyyyyy!"


    Niko cried as she relented.

 Chapter 10: No flying after dinner

    "...Why did i also have to come along..."


    Shoki muttered as he set up forks and knives on the table with a slightly annoyed expression on his face.


    "Hey cheer up, atleast we get free homemade meals made by a beautiful woman!"


    Gary said excitedly as he hurried to prepare the table with Shoki.


    They were standing around a large family sized table in a very neat living room that looked obviously lived in by a woman, as the furnishings, carpets and wallpaper were all obviously carefully picked out.


    The sound of clanking metal and things falling could be heard from beyond a nearby door. Beyond the door, Niko was currently being lectured by Hannah in the kitchen.


    "Why should i have to help out in the kitchen, i have never even cooked before!"


    Niko complained as she tried to walk out the room, before being grabbed by the ear, making her stop in her tracks.


    "If you can''t cook then i will just have to teach you, a girl should know how to cook for herself!"


    Hannah said as she put an apron on Niko.


    "But i''m NOT a girl, and even if i was i wouldn''t bother learning how to cook, i have always survived on fast food, cooking is unnecessary!"


    Niko tried to wriggle her way out of the apron as she complained.


    "Look young lady, you either help me out with the cooking or i will have to teach you some manners!"


    Hannah declared as she folded her arms.


    "Oh please, what are you going to do, spank me?"


    Niko said as she laughed sarcastically.


    Hannah simply stared at Niko, her arms folded, making Niko feel somewhat uncomfortable.


    Hannah continued to stare at Niko while being silent, Niko starting to feel an increasing weight from her gaze.


    Eventually, when Niko felt like she would be crushed by the pressure from the womans gaze. Hannah stepped forward, making Niko jerk back unconciously.


    "W-where should i start!"


    Niko suddenly exclaimed, new fear and respect forming for the woman whose gaze could make a child cry.


    "Glad you''re so enthusiastic about it, Alisa!"


    Hannah smiled.


    "It''s not Alisa, i''m Niko remember..?"


    "Oh right..sorry about that, little Niko"


    "Don''t call me little..."


    Niko sighed as she got to work helping Hannah.


    --


    A while later, all four of them were sitting at a large table in Hannah''s living room, various foods covering the table.


    "Ohoho, it''s been so long since i last ate a home cooked meal, it looks deliii-cious!"


    Gary laughed as he took up his fork and picked up a small looking vegetable with it.


    "Oh, the vegetables were made by me, you better clean your plate you fat bastard"


    Niko said as she noticed Gary already starting to eat, Which caused Gary, who was about to put the food in his mouth, stop suddenly.


    "Ah i just remembered i had a large breakfast today so i sadly can''t eat anymore..."


    He quickly said as he put down the fork.


    "Oh come on now, Alis- i mean Niko has done her best to cook that, shouldn''t you alteast give it a try?"


    Hannah encouraged him innocently from the side.


    "No, really i''m completely full..."


    "Come on..say aaaah~"


    Hannah picked up his fork and held it up to his mouth.


    Gary, who had spent spent most of his life single, Couldn''t resist being fed by such a beautiful young woman, and instinctively ate the food on the fork, quickly realising what he had just done.


    Suddenly, His eyes went wide, as foam started to form around his mouth, and his eyes rolled backwards.


    "WELL, how was it?"


    Niko asked impatiently.


    "It..it was..delicious..."


    Gary muttered out between his spasms.


    "Good!"


    Niko said with a very innocent and content smile on her face.


    "How about you, Shoki?"


    She asked him.


    "...Not bad"


    He said as he casually chewed on his last piece of vegetables.


    "How...are you..still alive..."


    Gary coughed out as quietly as he could.


    "Poison resistance training..."


    He answered as he kept chewing contently.


    "I see.."


    Gary muttered as he fainted, his head resting on the table.


    They quickly finished their meal, Hannah and Niko apparently not having added any of Niko''s cooking to their plates, and thus avoided certain demise.


    "Sorry about forcing you to have dinner with me, shall we have a chat about what you guys are planning on doing next?"


    Hannah asked, as Gary slowly recovered from his purple state.


    "We... are going to Japan!"


    Niko exclaimed excitedly.


    "Yes...but we have to wait for Niko''s new passport to arrive so we can actually leave the country...bluh!"


    Gary said as he tried to keep himself from barfing all over the table.


    "Well, can''t we just use Alisa''s old passport?"


    Hannah asked, tilting her head.


    "Well, we would if we could, but we dont even know where her family keeps thos-"


    Niko began before suddenly stopping, slowly turning her head to look at the now smiling Hannah.


    "I have all of Alisa''s papers with me, so shouldn''t it be fine?"


    Hannah said, with an expression that said ''of course i would, i am her sister''.


    "Well that issue is solved then, Gary how quickly can you book us a flight to the land of raining sake?"


    Niko asked, poking the half dead Gary with a fork.


    "Uh..i could get you a flight for a plane tommorow morning, i know a guy who works at the booking deparment..."


    He said, clutching his stomach.


    "Not for me, for us, you are coming too, Gary!"


    "What, why!?"


    He sprung up, his previous pain suddenly gone.


    "Because, you offered me your sevices free of charge, remember? and one of those services is you acting as my personal lawyer, lawyers are always useful things to have!"


    Niko explained.


    "Things...i am flattered, but do you realise how much work i would be abandoning if i just left the country-"


    He started before getting interupted by Niko.


    "Don''t care, either that or give me back my money!"


    She said as she thrust her open palm towards him, as if asking for change.


    "Kuh..fine..although i hope you realise that you are dooming my business..."


    He relented with a deep sigh.


    "Oh please, most of your business is handled on your computer, you will be fine~"


    Niko waved her hand dismissively at the now grumbling Gary.


    "I probably better go pack some things while i still have time!"


    Hannah said as she got up.


    "Wait what, you dont have to come, you would just be in the way"


    Niko said with an annoyed expression.


    "Alisa, i mean Niko, i told you already, i coming with you and thats that!"


    Hannah said with an authoritative tone that made Niko remember the painful ear pullings.


    "Yes ma''am.."


    Niko quickly said, before casting an annoyed look at Gary who quietly snickering at Niko.


    "Hah..whatever..well then we should be leaving now..."


    Niko said as she, Shoki and Gary stood up and prepared to leave.


    "No, no, You are staying with me!"


    Hannah said as she grabbed Niko.


    "Eh, why!?"


    Niko exclaimed, struggling to free herself from the older womans grasp.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Because, i need to make sure you dont just leave without me, and also to keep watch over Alisa''s body!"


    "Uh...fine.."


    Niko sighed, as she was dragged away by Hannah, while Shoki and Gary left, with Gary giving Niko a departing wink which caused her eye to twitch in annoyance.


    "Alright now first lets get you into some pajamas"


    She said as she undressed Niko.


    "Hey wait, what are you doing, i can dress myself!"


    Niko complained, as Hannah ignored her.


    "There we go, much better!"


    She stepped back, giving Niko a look over.


    Niko was dressed in a simple pink pajama, that was decorated with small hearts and stars.


    "Uh..didn''t you have anything else..?"


    Niko complained.


    "These are Alisa''s so they are the perfect size, since it IS her body, so don''t complain, now go brush your teeth, i don''t want you getting bad teeth!"


    She said as she pointed towards the bathroom.


    After Niko had brushed her teeth, she was dragged out by Hannah into her bedroom.


    "Alright now we should go to bed early since we want to be prepared for the trip tommorow, so come on"


    She said, patting the bed spot beside her as she entered the bed.


    "Look i can sleep on the floor or something, i can''t really agree with sleeping in the same bed as a woman that i-"


    Niko was interrupted by Hannah pulling her into the bed by her arm.


    "Wait, stop it!"


    Niko complained, but quieted down once she felt Hannah hugging her from behind.


    "Hey.. what are you doing..?"


    Niko timidly asked.


    "I always used to hug Alisa like this when she wasn''t in the hospital..."


    She answered quitely as she squeezed Niko lightly like a soft toy, causing her to yelp out in surprise.


    "D-dont do that..."


    Niko said, embarassed by the wierd sound she made.


    "Sorry, you''re just too cute~"


    "...I''m not..."


    Niko knew that she lost the battle, and so decided to just try and get some sleep, while attempting to ignore the woman treating her like a plushie.


    --


    "They sure are taking their sweet time, damn that Niko, having fun with an older(?) woman, i''m so jealous..."


    Gary complained to Shoki, who looked completely uninterested in Gary''s ramblings.


    They were both standing outside of a crowded airport, Gary carrying a compact briefcase that looked like it could only fit his laptop, and Shoki carrying a small sportsbag behind him.


    Soon enough, they could see two familiar figures approaching from the distance.


    Niko was currently attempting to run forward towards the airport, but was held back by Hannah who had a steady grip on her hand, like a parent making sure their child didn''t accidently run over the street.


    Hannah had a large carry case on wheels that she was dragging behind her, while she held Niko with her other hand.


    "Let me go, damnit, we are going to miss the plane!"


    Niko yelled as she attempted to run forward only to be pulled back again by Hannah''s grip as if she was tied to her.


    "I just want to make sure you don''t get too far away from me, and we still have time before the plane departs"


    Hannah calmly explained as if talking to a child.


    They slowly approached the other pair, Niko trying to escape Hannah''s grip the entire time, as Gary gave her a nasty smirk.


    "Oi what are you laughing at!"


    Niko yelled at him as she was still shaking her hand trying to get Hannah to release her.


    "Nothing, Nothing, we should get going now, the plane leaves soon, and i got us first class seats!"


    Soon enough, they were all boarded, Niko''s papers not causing any problems as they were all genuine.


    They were all seated on the same row, With Niko quickly taking the seat closest to the window, and Hannah taking the seat beside her, While Gary and Shoki sat near the edge.


    The several hour trip consisted of Gary messing about on his laptop which seemed to have satellite internet connection, which he used in order to continue his work even on the plane, muttering things like "The monkey is in the banana patch, this case is mine.." Which Niko knew to be cryptic descriptions of what he was doing, but to everyone else sounded like an insane mans ramblings.


    A waitress would occasionally come over and try to get Gary to turn his computer off and to not be so loud, but she eventually gave up, only giving him an annoyed look when she would pass by him.


    Shoki was busy fiddling with the Golden sphere, rearranging the various runes and documenting what happened.


    "Are you sure that''s really a safe thing to do on a plane?"


    Niko had asked him.


    "Yes, i am currently only moving the runes which have not given me any reaction before so it shouldn''t give a reaction larger than a spark at best-"


    He explained as the sphere suddenly shook and gave off some sparks, the plane mirroring it''s movements, making all the bags fall from the overhead holding places and into the small corridor and narrowly missing all the passengers heads.


    "...I suppose i can watch a movie or something instead..."


    He quietly said as he slowly put the sphere away, with Niko smiling awkwardly as she observed him.


    Hannah spent the entire trip messing around with Niko, either trying to change Niko''s hairstyle while Niko tried to avoid anything wierd being done to her hair, Or trying to teach Niko things about cooking and clothing, which Niko tried to ignore as best she could.


    "We are here!"


    Niko exclaimed excitedly as she smooshed her face on the window.


    "Hehe..a new city to spread my legend in..."


    Niko laughed in what she thought was an evil way, but instead look incredibly silly to anyone looking at the strange girl who was mashing her face into the window as she laughed in a strange manner.


    "You really are a child at heart aren''t you~"


    Hannah smiled as she petted Niko''s head.


    "Hey, i am not childish, damnit!"


    Niko complained.


    "Oh please Niko, you''ve always been childish, remember that time when you wouldn''t accept that one job even though you were offered several millions, just cause they tried to hire another guy before you?"


    Gary said with a wave of his hand.


    "Well, he was being really arrogant, acting as if i was just the second choice, screw him!"


    Niko complained, Gary giving her a look that said ''Like i said'' as he shrugged.


    "Well you can be even more childish than me, remember that time when you spent a whole week trying to make that one woman fail her courtcase just because she said something about you wearing a wig!"


    Niko retorted with a smug face.


    "Hey, i do NOT wear a wig!"


    He complained.


    Gary and Niko continued to fight loudly, causing the other passengers to sigh in annoyance, With Shoki putting the volume on his movie a bit higher, as Hannah tried to get the pair to quiet down.


    All the while this ruccus was going on, the plane was slowly flying through cloudly sky, a shining city of skyscrapers and billboards visible beneath it. The billboards so bright they could be clearly seen from the plane.


    The Speakers in the plane announcing that they would be soon arriving at the Tokyo airport.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Sorry if you notice any mistakes in the writing, i often make spelling mistakes or forget to write some words down which makes it wierd, do tell me if you notice anything like that and i will make sure to fix it as soon as i can!


    Hope you enjoy reading this, and do leave any recommendations for future chapters i will be sure to consider them~


    If you didn''t enjoy reading this, or did and want something else that is similiar, kind of, try out "Alice tale",  "She proffesed herself the pupil of the wiseman" and "Daybreak on hyperion". I don''t remember the links, just google the name and they should come up, have fun~

 Chapter 11: Winged Yakuza

    "We''re heeeeeeeeeere!"


    Niko yelled at the top of her lungs, causing the people around them to glance at her.


    "Now wait, Niko, we need to go put away our luggage before we do anything, so let''s find a cheap hotel first"


    Hannah said while keeping the overly excited Niko from running off on her own.


    "No need for any fancy hotels when you''re with me, i actually own an apartment in Tokyo!"


    Gary said from the side.


    "Wait, what, you have lived in Tokyo and never told me!?"


    Niko exclaimed in shock.


    "No no, i have never been here before, it''s just that one of my clients couldn''t pay me, so i took their apartment instead. Figured it wouldn''t be too bad to own something in Japan, might come in handy someday, and as it so happens, it did, Aren''t you glad you don''t have to pay for an overpriced hotel now!"


    Gary smiled and folded his arms proudly.


    "Yea, good for you, i would have had you pay for our hotel anyway so it doesn''t really matter"


    Niko shrugged.


    "...I guess, let''s take a cab there, i heard the trains around here are always crowded,it would be a pain to do that while carrying bags"


    Gary sighed as he hailed a taxi.


    As they were all entering the car. Shoki stopped before entering, Suddenly turning his head to the side as if he had noticed something, But simply shook his head slightly and entered once Niko began to complain that he was being slow.


    Gary turned to the driver and said something in japanese, and they drove off towards their destination.


    "Wait, what was that, Since when do you speak Japanese?"


    Niko asked, furrowing her brow.


    "Oh it''s just something i picked up from having to deal with so many Japanese business men, you''d be surprised at how much you learn just from that"


    He bragged.


    "...You learned it from those Japanese cartoons didn''t you?"


    Niko said with a blank expression.


    "W-what, no, i already told you, it''s from dealing with Japanese customers, what would a proud middle aged man like me be doing watching cartoons, don''t be ridicilous!"


    He laughed it off whilst waving his hand dismissivly.


    "Yes, indeed, what would he be doing that for"


    Niko said again with a blank expression, which made Gary sweat slightly.


    "Alright look, i watched some of it, but only because the women in those shows have large TITS!"


    He said, trying to come up with a believable excuse.


    "Watch what you say infront of a child!"


    Hannah exclaimed, covering Niko''s ears.


    "O-oh sorry.."


    Gary apologised to being scolded.


    "Again, i am not a child, you seem to forget"


    Niko shook Hannah''s hand''s away from her ears.


    "Oh right, sorry about that"


    She patted Niko''s head before moving her hands away.


    "And Gary, don''t worry, i won''t mention anything about your large collection of certain Japanese pornography on your computer that you seem to think you have hidden, since we are in the presence of a genuine woman after all"


    Niko smiled cruely, as she said that loud enough for Hannah to hear.


    "Damnit Nikoooooooooooooooo!"


    Gary screamed in despair, making the Taxi driver shake his head at the strange foreigners in his car.


    --


    They eventually arrived at a quiet neighborhood at the outskirts of the city, that was populated mostly by various villas and houses.


    The Taxi stopped infront of an average looking house and let them off.


    "Hey, i thought you said it was an apartment?"


    Niko looked over the house with a raised eyebrow.


    "Well, it''s as big as an average apartment by our standards, so don''t get your hopes up, and since it is my house, you guys will be sleeping on the floor!"


    Gary declared.


    "Gary, you''re sleeping on the floor, the bed is mine"


    Niko said from the side as Shoki helped Hannah get her bag out of the Taxi.


    "But it''s my damn house, damnit Niko, the bed is mine!"


    "Gary. The bed is mine."


    Niko narrowed her eyes as she looked Gary in the eyes.


    "No, damnit, i''m not gonna back down this time!"


    Gary returned the look and stared into Niko''s eyes with determintion.


    "Ah let''s see, You know, my favourite one from the Japanese videos on your computer was the one where this black haired girl with pigtails stood up and-"


    "Ok ok, you can have the bed!"


    Gary quickly relented as he realised what Niko was going to say.


    "Damn right, you expect someone like the great Niko to sleep on the floor, ridiculous, Kings do not sleep on the floor!"


    Niko announced as they entered the house.


    "Niko, for you, it would be Queen"


    Hannah corrected her from behind her, making Niko sulk slightly.


    The inside of the house was made up of a kitchen, a living room and a single bedroom.


    "Alright, let''s go have fun!"


    Niko said excitedly as the bags just touched the floor.


    "Now, Niko, we just arrived, shouldn''t we rest up a bit before we do anything, it was a long trip after all"


    Hannah said with a slightly tired voice.


    "Yeah, Niko, You may be a kid now, but i''m almost an old man you know, i need my rest!"


    Gary laughed, and held his back in mock pain.


    "You ARE an old man, Gary"


    Niko retorted, causing Gary''s smile to turn upside down.


    "Come on, you can rest when you sleep, let''s go, better to do something sooner rather than later!"


    "It''s all about catching the day!"


    "Squeezing all you can out of today!"


    "Starting now, means not giving up later!"


    "Oh come on, lets goooo!"


    Niko complained loudly, causing Gary to sigh, Hannah wearing an awkward smile, and Shoki raising an eyebrow.


    In the end, they had relented to Niko, and made their way towards the Shinjuko area in tokyo, which was well known for being a popular tourist spot due to it''s many malls and retsurants, Niko being most excited for the latter one.


    "Why are we going to a tourist spot..weren''t we supposed to be here to meet ''Evileye''?"


    Gary asked as he realised where they were going.


    "Oh come on, we can''t do work on the first day here, fun first, work later!"


    Niko patted him on the shoulder excitedly as they sat on the subway train headed for Shinjuko.


    "Alright, let''s go, I know exactly where we should go!"


    Niko said as she stood at the forefront of the group, holding a very large map infront of her.


    They slowly made their way through the crowd, getting lost several times on the way, which was definitely not due to Niko not being able to read maps very well, before they were stopped by someone yelling something at them in japanese.


    Walking towards them was a tall Japanese man wearing a very loose fitting Kimono, his exposed chest covered with various tattoo''s.


    The man had a mean smile on his face as he adressed Gary, to which Gary responded with his usual cheery business tone, although Niko could tell that it was slightly strained.


    "Look, kimono man, we are on our way somewhere, so could you please not bother my walking piggy bank?"


    Niko said, feeling slightly annoyed over the delay.


    "Oya? What this, you have fun with family? How nice, Gary-san, sorry Ojou-chan, i need to talk to your oOtou-san about some very IMPORTANT matters, is that not correct, Gary-san?"


    The Kimono wearing man who was wearing a slight grin. said with a heavy accent.


    "Right? well have fun Gary!"


    She said as she quickly put her hand into Gary''s pocket and took his wallet before walking off with Hannah and Shoki.


    "Hey, wait, damnit!"


    Gary complained, although he didn''t bother to resist, since he knew that it would be useless against someone like Niko.


    "Haha, Quite interesting family you have, Gary-san!"


    The Kimono man laughed as he slapped Gary on the back and (literally) dragged him off into a nearby bar.


    Soon enough the group, minus Gary, found their way to their destination.


    A large restaurant that was obviously high-class, stood infront of them with it''s impressive ancient looking architecture, the smell of delicious food quickly dragging them in before they realised it.


    A Kimono wearing woman led them to an empty table, before starting to take their orders.


    "I want this and this and this"


    Niko quickly chose the most expensive dishes they had without bothering to look at what they were.


    The woman looked slightly confused and said something in Japanese that Niko couldn''t understand, making Niko scratch her in confusion as she tried to explain what she wanted to the woman by pointing at the things she wanted.


    Hannah quickly read the menu and said something in Japanese to the woman, Shoki took slightly longer to choose, but similiarly also ordered in Japanese.


    "W-what is this, you guys can speak Japanese too!?"


    Niko exclaimed in Shock.


    "Ah yes, i studied abroad in Japan for two years during College, it was part of an exchange program, so i learned it during my stay here, it was very interesting to learn a new language"


    Hannah smiled as she explained.


    "My grandfather is Japanese"


    Shoki said without bothering to go into details.


    "Nooooo...Now i''m the only one who doesn''t speak Japanese, Shoki you traitor!"


    Niko cried dramatically.


    "Right..."


    Shoki raised an eyebrow at Niko''s over the top reaction.


    "I''m the only one who can''t order properly..."


    Niko sulked.


    "Oh, i can just order for you Niko, just tell me what you want!"


    Hannah tried to reassure Niko as she patted her head.


    "Well..i want this, this, this and this!"


    Niko quickly regained her vigour and started to choose the most expensive looking dishes.


    "Hm..alright..but Niko this is alcohol you know"


    Hannah said as she pointed towards the first thing Niko had chosen.


    "Well of course, no meal is complete without some sake, and i heard the sake here is the best!"


    Niko explained like it was obvious, her mouth obviously watering at the thought of sake.


    "Niko, you can''t drink alcohol"


    Hannah frowned.


    "Hah, what, why not?!"


    Niko asked, complete confusion obvious on her face.


    "Because you are not old enough, of course!"


    Hannah shook her finger at Niko.


    "I''m older than you damnit!"


    Niko retorted angrily.


    "No, you are not, so no alcohol for you!"


    Hannah declared, and ordered for Niko.


    While the other two were enjoying their food, Niko was sulking, quietly sipping on her apple juice.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Wow, Niko, you were right, they really did have the best food i''ve ever tasted!"


    "Indeed"


    Hannah said with a smile, her cheeks full of food, as Shoki agreed with her.


    "It was ok i guess.."


    Niko muttered quietly.


    "Are you still sulking because of that alcohol, you know you''re too young, and besides it would have just made the food taste worse!"


    "I''m not young, and the food tasted bad without any sake.."


    Niko sighed and continued to chew on her food as if it was completely tasteless.


    "So, where do you want to go now Niko?"


    Hannah asked as they exited the retaurant after having paid the bill with the help of Gary''s wallet.


    "Somewhere with Sake..."


    Niko muttered to herself as her shoulders dropped slightly, whilst she looked at the map.


    As they were busy discussing where they would go next, the door to the restaurant opened as someone exited it from behind them.


    "Ahhh that sure hit the spot, that sake was so great, maybe i should have ordered more..."


    Someone muttered with a delighted tone from behind them.


    Niko turned around upon the mention of Sake, happy to see someone who shared her taste, only to be shocked by the sight infront of her.


    "You!"


    "YOU!"


    They both exclaimed simultaneously as they pointed towards each other.


    Two figures stood infront of Niko, one of them was a man dressed in pitch black robes that covered every inch of their body, so it beacame difficult to even tell if it was a man or a woman. The other figure was someone Niko could regonise fairly well by now, and Shoki even more so.


    A man with long red hair that wore peculiar dark red and gold robes stood infront of them.


    "To think that a fellow sake lover would be someone like you, are you trying to ruin the reputation of my dear sake!!"


    Niko exclaimed in anger as she waved her fist at the man.


    "Whilst i hadn''t expected to run into you so soon...it''s only a good thing, now i don''t have to look for you, Shoki...and strange little girl.."


    He muttered the last part whilst his hand unconciously moved to rub the back of his head.


    "Forget it, Bonefire head, last time Shoki easily handled you, so you better run along and not piss me off too much or i will send Shoki after you!"


    Niko tried threatening him, standing her ground with her hands on her hips.


    "From what i remember, it was you who ran off, but no matter, this time i won''t let you run away!"


    The red haired man snapped his fingers, and the robed figure behind him burst forward towards Shoki, who was already in a ready stance holding his dagger.


    Instead of using a sword like the previous henchmen that were with the red haired man, this one used their fists and nothing else.


    The black robed figure was blindly rushing forward and throwing punches left and right with no consideration to any defencive maneuvers whatsoever.


    Normally, Shoki would take this obvious mass of openings to land a quick killing blow, he was however too busy trying not to get hit himself, as the speed of his opponent surpassed anything he had faced before.


    And by the large holes of where his opponent had missed a punch which ended up in a wall, their strength matched their speed.


    "W-what''s going on, Niko, who are those people!?"


    Hannah asked with a confused and slightly frightened tone.


    "Some cultists or something, i don''t remember, ask Shoki later"


    Niko said as she glanced over at the fight before turning her gaze back towards the red haired man.


    "Now, before i move in and help finish off that traitor, i might as well take care of you while i''m at it, don''t worry, death is just the beginning and i will make sure to make it quick and painless!"


    The red haired man started walking towards Niko and Hannah with an ominous smile.


    "....You!"


    Hannah pointed at the red haired man.


    "Me?"


    He asked, a confused expression on his face.


    "That''s your friend, right?"


    She asked as she pointed towards Shoki''s opponent.


    "Hm..a friend..i guess you could call it that if you want"


    He shrugged.


    "Then tell your friend to stop, what they are doing is not particularly propper, they could get hurt, and it''s bothering the people around them, Shame on you for not having propper manners, didn''t your mother teach you any!"


    Hannah continued to scold the confused man.


    "That''s good, keep him busy, i have a plan!"


    Niko whispered to Hannah, before running off to find Gary.


    A few minutes later, Niko had made her way towards the bar that Gary was dragged into.


    Niko quickly entered the bar, and was met with glares from dangerous looking Tattooed men that were talking loudly among themselves, the bar thick with smoke from their cigarettes.


    Niko spotted Gary at the back of the room, being squished between the Kimono wearing man and another large man, who were merrily chatting away, with Gary nodding occasionaly, his usual smile now obviously strained.


    Niko quickly walked up to their table, Gary instantly beaming up when he noticed Niko.


    "Niko, you came to save me-"


    He began, his eyes tearing up.


    "Shut up Gary"


    Niko interrupted him and turned towards the Kimono wearing man.


    "Oya oya, what is ojou-chan being here, is bad place for child"


    The Kimono man looked over at Niko, who was staring at him.


    "You''re part of a Yakuza gang, aren''t you?"


    Niko asked with a blank serious face.


    "Oya oya, ojou-chan, i never would talk to such evil people"


    He denied her claim.


    "Just answer me, yes or no"


    Niko pressed on.


    "Humu..what would you do if i said yes..?"


    He asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.


    "Gary owes you alot of money, right?"


    She asked.


    "Hoo, ojou-chan is sharp, but that is not true, it is not money he owe, but honour"


    The kimono man shook his head as he finished his drink.


    "Honour?"


    Niko asked, slightly confused.


    "Yes, Ojou-chan maybe is too young to understand, but your Otou-san made it so we were kicked out of Yakuza, we technically not Yakuza anymore, although we always are in soul"


    He said as he showed of his cut off pinky.


    "They cut off your finger?"


    Niko felt slightly disgusted by that and looked away.


    "Yes, Yakuza is not easy to escape, even if you don''t want to, they cut off finger to prove that leaving is bad, even if we do not want leave, don''t worry ojou-chan, like this i can do cut off finger trick much better!"


    He laughed as he tried doing the finger magic trick with his non-existent pinkie.


    "Ok, so how about this, if you help me out, i will offer you to join a group much better than any Yakuza group, sound good?"


    She propsitioned.


    "What kind of Group you are talking about, we have high standard"


    "Well, if you help me out, you will see that the group is defintely worthy of Ex-Yakuza like you, and it will also serve as a test to see if you are actually worthy of joining it"


    Niko said, trying to ignite the competetive spirit that she knew every man possesed.


    "A challenge? We will not back down from challenge, we will help and then we see if we join group or if we break neck of Gary-san"


    He laughed and gave Gary a strong pat on the back, which made him cringe slightly.


    --


    Hannah was still yelling at the red haired man, with Shoki and his dark robed opponent seemingly dancing around. The robed figure trying to get a hit on Shoki, but always missing with a few centimeters, making their actions look like some kind of interpretive dance, that was sped up ten times.


    "-And you should also cut your hair, it''s not good to have long hair, it can get stuck, which is quite painful, and why would you colour your hair, do you realise that it destroys your hair!"


    "ENOUGH!"


    The red haired man yelled, fed up with the strange womans ramblings.


    "I let you talk since you seemed to pose no danger, but you are simply too annoying to leave alive, Don''t worry, the traitor will be joining you soon anyway"


    He took out a match stick from inside his robe, and flicked it towards Hannah.


    Hannah observed his strange action, thinking that it was rude to throw random trash at people.


    "Die, annoying woman"


    He muttered and snapped his fingers, the matchstick starting to light up in midair.


    Before it could properly get ignited however, the end part of the matchstick, which contained the chemicals that ignited it, was somehow detached from the rest of the matchstick, causing it stop igniting.


    Hannah looked at the man that now stood infront of her. The man was wearing a very loose kimono and had a heavily Tattooed body. But the most strange thing about the man was that he was holding a japanese sword, that he had drawn at some point.


    The sword was obviously of very high quality as it seemed to be well taken care of as it perfectly reflected the sun in it like a mirror. The sword had a plain wooden handle, and a simple wooden sheath that the man was holding in his left hand, the featureless wooden parts were most likely made that way due to the fact that they were for storing the sword when it was not being used.


    "Phew, we made it just in time!"


    Niko breathed out as she ran up to Hannah, with several other Tattooed men following her from behind, these ones not holding swords, but instead simple baseball bats and brass knuckles.


    "More annoying pests...and who the hell are you?"


    "Zatoichi... Ojou-chan is this what you need help with?"


    He looked at Niko who nodded slowly.


    "Men, you go help knife kid there, i will take care of fancy hair here"


    He nodded towards where Shoki was fighting the robed figure, the men quickly starting to make their way there.


    "You seem to be taking this very lightly...in that case, since you will all be dead soon, i will bless you with my name, they call me Skuld, and now i will make you wish you never heard my name..."


    The red haired man named Skuld, said as he took out a match box, putting several matchsticks between his fingers on both hands, and he held them up to both sides.


    "Since i have now told you my name i have to make sure you all die...so observe, no one has seen this attack and lived, ELDR VAENGR!"


    He announced, as the matchsticks between his fingers lit up.


    Instead of blowing up however, the matchsticks started to slowly release flames, almost like small flamethrowers, except instead of shooting the fire straight forward, the fire seemed to be waving together on both sides, creating something very similiar to pair of large fiery flame wings.


    "Ojou-chan...if this is just a test for joining group you mention..i do not want know what group deal with usually..."


    Zatoichi the Kimono wearing man said in what sounded like a nervous tone, but when Niko looked up at him, she noticed that he was smiling, grinning even, and she realised that what she heard was not nervousness but simple excitement.


    "I will slice your flames, AKUMA!"

 Chapter 12: Sake saves the day, again.

    "This..is not... going to... end ....well... for me.."


    Shoki breathed out inbetween dodging the dark robed figures wild attacks.


    Shoki was starting to get tired out. His breath was heavy and his body was starting to sweat as it overheated.


    The dark robed figure on the other hand, showed absolutely no signs of fatigue, or even slowing down, always maintaining the same ridiculous speed it had from the beginning, not giving Shoki a single opportunity for any attack, or even a chance to catch his breath.


    "Out of the way, Knife boy!"


    One of the several men who were running at Shoki screamed, holding his Baseball bat high like some sort of banner.


    The men that were running at him were wearing shabby suits that looked well-worn. Two of the men were holding Baseball bats, while the rest had golden brass knuckles on each hand, and all of them were yelling some kind of war cry as they slowly ran forward.


    "We will get him down, one on the head and one in the legs, then the rest finish him off!"


    One of the men who held a baseball bat yelled, with the rest yelling out an affirmativly.


    The two men with bats ran up to the dark robed figure ahead of the rest, and simultaneously swung at it, one of them aiming for the figures head, the other at it''s legs.


    "You''re done, robed freak!"


    Instead of cracking bones however, what followed next was the sound of splintering wood, echoing in the mens ears, one of the baseball bats cracking, while the other broke in half, splinters flying across their vision.


    The men froze in their tracks at a loss for words, staring wide eyed at the figure that hadn''t even flinched upon recieving two heavy blows that would even make a bear cry out in pain.


    The figure stopped its attacks on Shoki, slowly moving its head to the side, as if it had just noticed something.


    Shoki, finally heaving a break from dodging its attacks, jumped forward, ignoring the heavy weight of fatigue pushing his body down, he swung his knife at the figure, putting all of his strength into that single attack, knowing that it might be the only attack he would get the chance make.


    Instead of the familiar feeling of penetrating skin and muscle, what he instead recieved was the feeling of hitting a hard object. His knife scraping across the figure''s chest, creating small sparks from the friction.


    "Dammit, body armor!?"


    Shoki cursed at his poor luck, wishing he had chosen a better area to place his strike. As it was, the fatigue from having to be on edge for so long was finally getting to him , both physically and mentally, which made him attack without thinking, which was uncommon for him.


    The figure didn''t even bother looking back at Shoki, instead choosing to keep still, as if thinking about it''s next course of action.


    --


    "Begone, AKUMA!"


    Zatoichi yelled out towards the figure clad in wings of flames, resheathing his sword and fastening it at his belt.


    "Begging for your life will do you nothing, for you are already as good as dead!"


    Skuld yelled, his wings of fire crackling loudly, the flames rising whenever he spoke, as if resonating with his voice.


    He held back his giant wings, as if ready to take off flying, and flapped them, causing wind to rush forward at Zatoichi who stod infront of him, Niko having already led Hannah away behind a corner so they wouldn''t get in the way.


    "I not begging, i simply warning..."


    Zatoichi held up his sheathed sword slightly, and rushed forward, he face sweating more the closer he got to the flames.


    Skuld put his hands together infront of him, the wings folding together to form one large flaming wing, and pulled the wing to his side, the wing on its side, as if he was preparing to strike with a sword.


    As he was running, Zatoichi unsheathed his sword, drawing an arc over his head with it, the sun reflecting in its mirror-like surface, causing Skuld to close his eyes for a moment at the unexpected light.


    When he opened his eyes again, Zatoichi was gone. Skulds eyes went slightly wide as he quickly looked around for his opponent.


    That one moment was all Zatoichi needed, as once Skuld had finally gotten sight of his opponent, he had already managed to get to his right side. Which now didn''t have the protection of one of the wings and was thus wide open.


    Skuld didn''t have time to react, Zatoichi already having made his attack, his sword already on it''s path towards him, all Skuld could do was watch the shining metal as it slashed through the robes that were his pride, and into his body.


    "NOT UNTIL I HAVE HAD MY REVENGE DAMNIT!"


    Skuld yelled out as he moved one of the matchsticks that he held inbetween his fingers.


    Skuld knew that messing around with a powerful technique was not something you did without several other people assisting. It was especially not something you would try in the middle of a battle. He had no choice however, as he had to choose between being slashed to death or the possibility of being blown to pieces.


    He much prefered the latter, since it was more spectacular.


    As he spun one of the matchsticks, the flames at his side became obviously unstable, flickering wildly from weak to skin metling hot. The matchstick he had spun had already lost most of the flames it was spewing, so he resorted to borrowing some power from the other matchsticks, causing their flames to go beyond what was considered unstable, and now entered the zone of ''run away immediately''.


    The flames that he borrowed form the matchsticks were then all poured into that single matchstick all at once, causing the matchstick which was now pointing to the side of his hand, to spew out a large pillar of fire, which would have resulted in a large explosion if he had let down his concentration for a single millisecond.


    All of this happened in the span it took for a skilled swordsman to swing his sword.


    As Zatoichis sword was already almost touching at his robes, seemingly moving in slow motion, Zatoichi suddenly looked behind Skuld, at his flickering flames, his instincts told him that something was wrong, but his mind was telling him that it would be foolish not to finish an attack, what could possibly happen in the few milliseconds it would take to finish a swing.


    Zatoichi trusted his insticts that had saved him countless times in the past, and thus chose to ignore the sound advice of his mind. Pulling his sword back as he jumped backwards.


    Not a microsecond too soon and a giant pair of wings had suddenly appeared at the spot Zatoichi was just at, a strange pillar of flames appearing for a moment where the wings were at just less than a moment ago.


    Skuld breathed heavily as he observed the wide eyed swordsman. Creating enough propulsion with a controlled almost explosive force was not something he had learned from the priests he studied with or from any book he had read before. It was something created out of panic and desperation, and the fact that it actually even worked, amazed even Skuld himself.


    Not willing to waste another moment and give the swordsman a chance, Skuld jumped forward, swinging his combined wings like how one would swing a broadsword, the flames making heavy ''Fwoosh'' Noises with every swing.


    Zatoichi slowly backed off, avoiding each attack. He was wary of the demon he was facing, he thought he could finish this off with his signature move, blind his opponent and get a clean strike, but it seems that he had underestimated his opponent.


    Zatoichi chose to focus on defence and observe his opponent for now, to see if the attack he just saw was something the demon could use at any time, and if it was, then it would probably be best for him to start thinking of an escape plan.


    --


    The robed figure stood still, unable to decide who it should go after next.


    "He''s bluffing, he probably can barely stand now, get him!"


    One of the suited tattooed men screamed, running and giving the robed figure a hard punch to the face with his brass knuckles.


    The sound of metal breaking and bones cracking filled everyones ears, the mans brass knuckles breaking into pieces with the mans hand following after, all of the bones in his fingers breaking into bits, the robed figure still unfazed as before.


    The man who had launched the attack flew backwards, hitting several of the other men, which did not decelerate his flight, causing the men in his way to be flown back alongside him and into a faraway wall, the sound of splattering and crushed bones audible even from this distance.


    "Fuck this, this isn''t worth-!"


    One of the men exclaimed in horror, turning around away from the robed figure. Before he could take a single step however, his words were cut short, an explosion of gore splattering to all sides from where he head used to be.


    Standing behind the man, with their hands in a clapping position, was the robed figure.


    The figure slowly turned its head, looking at the rest of the men, it bent its head to the side, as if trying to decide something.


    "S-spare us!"


    The men begged, falling to their knees.


    The figure started to step forward, but stopped once it finally noticed something.


    The figures robes were quickly getting cut up, causing bits of cloth to fall down, piece by piece.


    The figure looked back, observing Shoki who was restlessly cutting away at it, trying to inflict any kind of damage.


    "Go, you are only in the way."


    Shoki said to the remaining men, who stumbled up to their feet and ran away whilst letting out small sounds of terror.


    Giving the figure one final slash across its neck, Shoki jumped back, now ready to be on the defencive as the figures full attention was on him now.


    The figures robes fluttered in the wind slightly, causing what remained of the robes to fall down, revealing the figure beneath them.


    What stood infront of Shoki was a figure that had no eyes, no mouth, or anything else that you would find on a normal human face, what instead looked upon him was a blank almost smooth surface, seemingly made from some sort of rough rock.


    The rest of its body was very much the same. Made up from the same rock material, and without any special features to describe it other than a slightly glowing green symbol on its chest, that looked like a sort of cross inside of a circle.


    "That explains it...a golem..."


    Shoki muttered in realisation.


    "So annoying...that means i can''t kill it..."


    Shoki sighed, the golem rushing towards him, not giving him a moment to finish his thought.


    --


    "Stop...dodging...you...BASTARD!"


    Zatoichi jumped as Skuld swung the pair of wings horizontally, the wings flying by underneath him.


    "I have had enough of you running about!"


    Skuld yelled and jumped back, detaching the wings from each other so they were once again two separate wings.


    "Let''s see how you run without being able to breathe..."


    Skuld bit his lip in concentration, the fires of his wings growing hotter and hotter, threatening to scorch anyone who was close to it, other than their creator.


    Skuld began flapping the wings as hot air, heated by the wings, started to flow through the small street that was now devoid of people, who had ran away at the first sight of danger.


    Zatoichi started to cough, breathing quickly becoming difficult due to how hot the air around him was becoming. It was so hot that he thought he could smell his own hair burning.


    Zatoichi tore off a a piece of his sleeve, wrapping the cloth around the lower part of his face, in order to avoid having to breathe in the hot air directly, which helped slightly. He knew that he was running out of time before the entire street became unbearably hot, which didn''t mean that it would just be the end for him, but also for the Kid with the knife that was also still fighting nearby.


    "I told you that this is the end for you, if you don''t die from burned lungs then you will die from being burnt to a crisp, and if you hoped that you could outlast me then think again, i am completely immune to any heat that i directly create!"


    Zatoichi tried to advance towards the winged demon, but taking even a few steps caused his eyebrows to burn off, any closer would mean certain death, but staying like this would mean death either way.


    For the first time in his life, Zatoichi felt stuck, he couldn''t attack, and he couldn''t possibly flee, he could never let such a demon live, it was against his warriors pride.


    Suddenly, something flew in from the side, exploding in a small ball of fire upon hitting Skuld in the back, causing his robes to get slightly burned.


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    "What the!?!"


    Skuld and Zatoichi looked around, confused at the sudden appearance of a possible new opponent.


    Standing at the entrance to the restaurant was Niko, holding above her head a bottle of some sort.


    "Uuu.. good bye...dear friend..."


    Niko cried as she looked at the bottle.


    "Just throw it, Niko!"


    Hannah yelled at her as she appeared from inside the restaurant carrying a box filled with similiar looking bottles.


    "I will avenge you, my friend, go,ULTIMATE SAKE ATTACK!"


    Niko throw the bottle as she screamed dramatically, the bottle spinning through the air, getting closer and closer to Skuld, who simply cut the bottle in half with one of his wings, causing the insides of the bottle to spill out and immediately get set on fire, some of the flames getting a bit too close, causing Skulds hair to smoke slightly.


    "What is the meaning of this!?!"


    Skuld exclaimed, staring at Niko with a furious gaze.


    "You know the thing you said about fire created directly by you not hurting you, i figured fire created from another source would hurt you, and it worked, i''m a genius!"


    Niko laughed as she picked up another bottle.


    "And now that i know that it works...hmm..something dramatic sounding...aha, LET''S FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE!"


    Niko exclaimed after a few seconds of thought, pointing a bottle at Skuld.


    "...How stupid..."


    Skuld sighed, not bothering to say anything else.


    "Go, my children, ATTACK!"


    Niko yelled as she started throwing bottle after bottle at Skuld, who simply kept cutting them in half with his wings before they had a chance to reach him.


    "Samurai man, take this!"


    Niko yelled out inbetween throws, throwing a slightly different bottle at Zatoichi, who swifly caught it.


    "What this..water...i not thirsty..OH!"


    He quickly realised what Niko wanted him to do and quickly poured the contents of the bottle all over himself so that he was fully drenched.


    Skuld, who was busy observing the bottles that were getting turned into small balls of fire above him, paid no attention to Zatoichi, thinking that he couldn''t do anything even if he wanted to, due to the heat of his wings.


    "Foolish girl, this accomplishes nothing, just accept your fate and DIE!"


    He screamed, making a large swipe with his wings that took out several bottles at once, causing their meager flames to disappear into his massive wings.


    "I already accomplished what i wanted, stupid!"


    Niko taunted him as she pointed behind him.


    "...What?"


    Glancing back, Skuld noticed a figure of white jumping towards him.


    ''No it''s not a white figure...it''s..steam!?!"


    He thought as he realised that Zatoichi was gone from where he stood, instead appearing right next to him clad in steam.


    ''I see, he poured water over himself so he could get himself close to me for a moment...clever...but not clever enough!''


    Instead of swinging his wings like before, now that his wings had reached a high enough level of heat, he could just concentrate a small amount of the flames to one side without any danger.


    Causing one wing to decrease in size while the other suddenly grew twice as large, causing the heat emitted from it to increase further.


    "Damn it!"


    Zatoichi coughed out as he was about to swing, the heat causing his skin to start melting as his consciousness started to fade midswing.


    "You did well samurai man"


    He could hear Niko say, which made him confused, as the whole plan of Niko distracting the demon so he could get a chance to attack failed.


    As he was about to close his eyes that he felt would evaporate at any moment, a sudden explosion of fire engulfed Skulds head, setting his hair and clothes on fire.


    "Clean strike, alright, i knew trying to become an axe throwing champion would pay off someday!"


    Niko laughed and did a victory pose where she held out her hand in a peace sign.


    --


    "Damn it..this is not good..guess i won''t have to revive you after all huh...since we will meet soon anyway.."


    Shoki muttered to himself as he barely had any strength in his legs left, jumping and running to avoid the golems attacks that were always beyond peak human speed finally making their way through his stamina.


    His legs wobbled slightly, and he fell backwards, too tired to even move, he lay there, observing the golem that was running towards him with both its fists in the air, and closed his eyes.


    "AAAAH HELP ME YOU DAMN GOLEM, HELP DAMMIIIIT!"


    He opened his eyes upon hearing that strange scream and saw the golem freeze in its tracks.


    The golem gave Shoki a last glance before starting to run off in the direction of the restaurant.


    Shoki slowly stood up, his legs making weird creaking noises in protest and slowly hobbled after the golem, knowing that he couldn''t just leave it alone while he sat and rested.


    --


    Niko laughed at Skulds pain filled screams, as he ran around, his wings now gone, with his head and most of his robes on fire, occasionally falling to the ground to roll around in a futile attempt to extinguish the flames.


    "Not so cocky now are you, bonefire head!"


    Niko kept taunting him as he screamed.


    Zatoichi slowly made his way to Niko, his body full of burns and clothes heavily charred.


    "A feint withing a feint...very clever for your age"


    He praised Niko, trying not to cough.


    "I''m older than i look you know~"


    Niko winked at him, still smiling at the sound of the screams filling the street.


    "Shall i finish the Akuma?"


    He asked, giving his Sword a testing swing.


    "No, let him suffer a bit more, then we can put out the flames and ask him some questions~"


    Niko smiled sadistically as she observed the scene.


    "I see, smart for such young ojou-chan, information is king in battle"


    He nodded thoughtfully.


    Suddenly they could see someone or something running towards them.


    Niko recognised it as a golem as it was something that looked slightly similiar to the one she had met before, except this one was smaller and much faster than the previous one, so fast infact that after a moment from noticing it in the distance, it had already managed to make its way towards Skuld.


    "HELP ME DAMNIT!"


    Skuld screamed at it, causing it to look at him quizzically.


    "EXTIGNUISH THE FLAMES!"


    He yelled again, the golem turning its head to look at some of the random things burning all around them.


    "THE FLAMES DANCING UPON MY BODY DAMNIT!"


    The golem finally seemed to understand as it started to try to extinguish the flames by patting them, but seeing as that didn''t work, it stood up and seemed to think for a while, its master squirming on the ground beneath it.


    Finally the golem seemed to decide on something, lifting its fist into the air and swinging it down much faster than any human could see.


    It''s punch causing a huge crack in the ground, which it grabbed a hold of, pulling the concrete layer up and throwing it off to the side, revealing pipes and wires that went underneath the road, quickly punching them, the wires and the pipes broke, causing water to spill out of the pipes, and small arcs of electricity to appear from the wires.


    The golem grabbed the still burning Skuld and threw him at the pipe.


    "Wait, no, you idiot, that wire still has current going through it!"


    He tried to stop it, but it was already too late as he was flying through the air, landing in the puddle of water near the pipe, finally extinguishing the fire, but not a moment sooner and he started to squirm around for a different reason, the current flowing through the water, whilst weak due to going through the water, was still strong enough to cause a fair deal of pain.


    "Aw, aw, G-golem, we are l-leaving, carry me off!"


    He said to it, trying to get control of his spasming muscles.


    The golem jumped down, picking him up into a princess carry, and started running forward away from Niko and Zatoichi.


    "This was not the end, you were lucky this time!"


    He weakly yelled at them as he was being carried off.


    "No, take the roads, TAKE THE ROADS!"


    Skuld yelled as the golem ran straight through a wall whilst still carrying Skuld, disappearing from sight.


    "That was....certainly...unique..?"


    Niko said at a loss for better words.


    "Shall we try to catch?"


    Zatoichi said as he prepared to sprint forward.


    "No, no, you are almost dead so leave it, besides i think we taught him a lesson he won''t soon forget"


    Niko smiled.


    "Oh there you are, Shoki, how did it go?"


    Niko asked as she noticed Shoki who was hobbling towards them.


    "...Could have gone better..."


    "I see, well i have good news, not only did we beat that bonefire head again, but we now have a new member~!"


    She cheered loudly.


    "Samurai man-"


    "Zatoichi"


    He corrected her.


    "SAMURAI man, has passed the test, so he is now a member of our team!"


    She said as if it was obvious.


    "What test..?"


    Shoki asked, a confused look on his face.


    "Oh you know, Shoki, jeez did you forget, the test that you go through to join our great group, obviously!"


    She laughed with a stiff smile.


    "Right..?"


    "By the way, what is name of this great group i am joining, they must have legendary name if something like this is only test!"


    Zatoichi asked, still trying not to cough in order not to show any weakness.


    "Oh..name..uh..right...people call us...the league of.... shadows?...no wait that''s something else, just a joke..haha.. our actual name is....the parade.. thats right, The parade of shadows!"


    She finally exclaimed after quietly muttering to herself for a bit.


    "Oh Parade of shadows, must be amazing clan indeed, how many members it has?"


    Zatoichi asked, a proud look in his eyes.


    "Oh..you know...thousands...THOUSANDS, the great Niko would never settle for any less of course!"


    She laughed loudly to cover up for the fact that she feared she might be sliced in half if Zatoichi found out that there was no actual clan to join.


    "We might want to leave now, police probably here soon, unless great clan has contacts in police so it is no problem?"


    He asked.


    "Oh, of course we do... but we wouldn''t want to bother them too much...right..so let''s leave now!"


    --


    "Ha...Skuld is as clumsy as ever...this is why you shouldn''t send juniors to take care of business...."


    A quiet feminine voice came from a shadowed corner of a nearby rooftop, two golden eyes observing Shoki and Niko, slowly moving their attention to Zatoichi.


    "This should be a nice way to kill some time..."


    The voice giggled lightly as it closed its eyes, its presence disappearing completely.

 Chapter 13: Training and the new boss

    "Phew, that was close!"


    Niko breathed out, the sound of sirens echoing in the distance.


    "But yet again, the great Niko escapes the pursuers, disappearing silently into the night!"


    She laughed triumphantly.


    "...You just followed Zatoichi''s lead..."


    Shoki sighed.


    "Well, i brought him so it was only because of my actions that we escaped as well as we did!"


    "Then that also means it was because of your actions that we ended up in this mess, if we had just rested for the day instead of running off maybe we could''ve avoided this whole scenario"


    Gary added, attempting to straighten his suit.


    "...Did you want to be left over at that bar with those thugs?"


    Niko smiled at Gary, a smile too wide for his comfort.


    "No, no, good job Niko, disappearing into the night and all that..."


    He said with a low tone, too tired to argue.


    "Perhaps we should head back, instead of lingering in the open..?"


    Shoki suggested.


    "Thats right Niko, we are going home, that is enough playing around for today, i will have you explain to me why such scary people were after you when we get back!"


    Hannah grabbed Niko''s hand and started roughly dragging her along despite her protests.


    "You have impressive skills with tiny blade, from what little i saw, you have spirit of samurai, although should probably use better sword than kitchen knife, small blade can''t reach akuma like mine did!"


    Zatoichi said to Shoki, who was about to follow after the group, Gary snickering quietly at Niko who was being scolded by Hannah.


    "Too bad your blade didn''t reach anything then...since it seems it was Niko who placed the finishing blow"


    Shoki said as he eyed the burned samurai before him, his blade still somehow in pristine condition, despite his clothes and body being scorched everywhere.


    "Hooo, that is good spirit you have, young man, now that i am in Parade of shadows, i will make sure you grow into full potential so you become great swordsman like me!"


    Zatoichi declared with an excited look in his eyes.


    "No thanks, i prefer self-study.."


    Shoki turned away and started walking away.


    "I will come to you at the rise of sun to start training!"


    Zatoichi shouted after Shoki.


    "So annoying..."


    Shoki sighed, not bothering to shout back at the man.


    The group slowly disappeared into the distance, leaving Zatoichi standing in the middle of an empty dark street.


    "Parade of shadows...I will do my best to be worthy of such great clan...now what to do with burns on body..."


    He muttered to himself as he took out a phone from within his burned Kimono, taking a deep breath as he dialed a number.


    "Hello, it is me, oh i see, yes, well, i call this time because i need favour again, yes, yes i cannot go to hospital, they ask questions, well, i burn whole body"


    Suddenly, ear deafening masculine shouting began to erupt from the phone, causing Zatoichi to pull the phone back from his ear until the shouting subsided.


    "Yes, No, it is not those bad friends of mine, they kicked me out, remember, these are new friends, very nice people, yes, yes i will be there soon, yes...Love you too, mother."


    He quickly muttered out the last few words and turned off his phone with a tired sigh.


    --


    Niko woke up to the sound of something crashing and someone yelling.


    "Uh..What is it Gary...so annoying...guess i have to go help you then..since i am so reliable..hehe.."


    Niko muttered, still half asleep, attempting to rise up from the bed, only to realise that she was unable to move her limbs.


    "Wa, what is this, was i captured!?"


    Niko''s eyes suddenly widened, the adrenaline flowing through her instantly rousing her from her sleepiness.


    "What is this!"


    Niko tried looking around, but all she could see was darkness as something blocked her vision, two things infact. The two objects that covered Niko''s vision were very soft, making Niko want to snuggle up to the two pillows, which she tried to do, but stopped suddenly, once doing so caused someone to groan lightly as Niko was pulled in even further towards the two objects.


    "Can''t...breathe..."


    Niko moved her face around some more, trying to get a general feel for what the soft pillows infront of her face were.


    "Ehehe..."


    Niko suddenly stopped struggling and relaxed her face into the two pillows once she realised what they were, her face slightly flush, with small drips of drool escaping her mouth.


    "No... at this point i will end up dead...but is it really such a bad way to go....NIKO CAN''T DIE YET!"


    She tried to push herself off the pillows, but was suddenly pulled in towards them even further, smooshing her face into them.


    "...ahh..."


    Niko sighed, her mind blanking out momentarily.


    "No, damnit, i am not this weak, neither mentally nor physically, damniiiiiit!"


    Niko pushed back with all her might, and after what felt like an eternity, she suddenly flew back, hitting the wall behind her, while still on the bed.


    "Awawa..."


    Niko took a deep breath as she held her head in pain, her eyes spinning around, causing her vision to become blurry.


    As her vision slowly returned to normal, she finally saw the trap that almsot killed her. Laying on the bed next to her, was a beautiful woman wearing nothing but a half open blouse that somehow managed to cover all of her important parts.


    Niko gulped, her breathing becoming heavier, her hand slowly reaching forward.


    Right before her hand reached the two globes of gold however, she suddenly stopped.


    "Oh..Alis- Niko, you''re already awake..?"


    Hannah slowly opened her eyes, and looked over at Niko''s outstretched arm.


    "Oh, were you planning to wake me, that''s not very nice, older people need more sleep than kids, so you should let me sleep some more.."


    Hannah yawned, and grabbed Niko''s arm, quickly pulling her into a close snuggle, something soft squishing against Niko, causing her to gulp as she quickly risked a quick look, before looking away pretending she was admiring the wall.


    "Hmm...?"


    Hannah looked at the suspicious looking Niko that was trying not to look at her.


    "It''s okay, yours will be like mine once you become an adult.."


    Hannah tried reassuring her after figuring out Niko was trying to avoid looking at.


    "W-what, n-no they wont!"


    Niko stuttered.


    ''Of course they won''t, i don''t want them to, i''m a man after all!"


    She thought to herself, thinking that having something like that in a temporary body would be quite annoying, and not to mention would hurt her masculinity.


    "It''s okay..even if they don''t, once you find someone special to massage them for you, they will be even bigger than mine, so don''t worry too much!"


    Hannah resassured her again whilst giving her a close hug, misunderstanding Niko''s thoughts.


    "W-w-wha, w-why would i want someone to m-m-massage them!"


    Niko stuttered in surprise, her face flushing.


    "Maybe you''re too young to think of stuff like that... you will probably be interested in that kind of stuff soon though, so be sure to ask me for tons of advice~"


    Hannah teased her.


    "I-i wont.."


    Niko pouted, giving Hannah an annoyed look, only to find her snoring again.


    As Niko was being currently used as her fullbody pillow, and she didn''t want to wake Hannah again, she decided to sleep a while longer, snuggling close to Hannah, dreaming of visiting an island that consisted only of the sweetest melons, and where the rivers flowed with sake.


    --


    "Come! your posture weak, which mean your attack weak!"


    Zatoichi yelled out, the sound of wood striking wood echoing in the backyard of the small house.


    ''So annoying..how did i even end up in this situation...''


    Shoki sighed as he raised his wooden sword high for another strike.


    Gary watched the pair spar for a while, before scratching his head and heading back inside, giving the doorway to the backyard a tired look.


    The door way was empty, the door lay on the ground infront of the doorway, small cracks apparent where the hinges used to be.


    "He could have knocked, now i have to pay for this as well..."


    He breathed out heavily, and went through the cracked doorway, muttering things about ungratefulness.


    "Haa..i need some coffee...."


    --


    "Damnit...so noisy again..."


    Niko muttered as she was awoken again.


    "Hm..Hannah..?"


    Niko looked around, only to find that she was alone in the room.


    "Where is everyone..?"


    Niko wondered, having quickly exchanged her pajamas for her usual clothes and heading to the living room, where some futons were neatly piled up in a corner.


    "And what is that annoying noise..!"


    Niko muttered as another series of sounds came from outside.


    Niko quickly headed outside, giving the unhinged door a curious glance.


    "What is this!?"


    She exclaimed at the scene infront of her.


    A mass of people had gathered in the backyard, all of them cheering incomprehensibly at something in the middle of the crowd.


    Niko quickly made her way through the crowd to see what the hell was going on.


    In the middle of the crowd, was a big empty circle, inside of which two figures were going at each other with wooden swords.


    One of the figures was a heavily bandaged man, holding the sword infront of him in two hands, like how one would hold a Japanese sword.


    The other figure, Niko recognised immediately as Shoki, who wasn''t wearing his usual trenchcoat and hoodie, but instead just a simple shirt and pants, the other figure wearing similiar clothes.


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    Whilst the bandaged man seemed to be using proper techniques, and held a steadfast stance, Shoki held his sword in one hand, his stance undetermined, changing wildly with each step.


    Confused by what was happening, Niko looked around in an attempt to find someone who didn''t only speak japanese, as whenever she tried to adress someone from the crowd, they would just look at her with a confused expression.


    Among the front rows of the crowd, Niko spotted Gary and Hannah cheering with the crowd, whom she headed towards.


    "Go Shoki, show that bastard!"


    Gary cheered.


    "That''s not fair, Zatoichi helped us out alot yesterday, so we should cheer for both, Go Zatoichi, and Shoki!"


    Hannah cheered for both of them energetically.


    "GARY, who are all these people, what is happening?!"


    Niko ran up to Gary and dragged him down to her level by his tie.


    "Oh hey there Niko, i don''t know who the other people are, they just kind of showed up after a while, but those two have been at it for almost an hour now, GO SHOKI SHOW HIM IT''S NOT ALRIGHT TO JUST BREAK MY DOOR!"


    Gary cheered after a particularly close miss in the fight.


    "Wait, who''s the mummy looking guy?"


    She pointed over at Shoki''s opponent.


    "Thats that samurai bastard, Zatoichi, first he makes me pay for their drinks at the bar and now he breaks down my door, unforgivable, show him hell Shoki!"


    He quickly explained and continued cheering for Shoki, with Hannah trying to cheer for both.


    "I don''t-"


    Niko began but was cut off by someone talking loudly next to her.


    "What a close miss, but the duel continues, at first glance it would seem like the black haired boy has the upper hand as his opponent seems to have recieved some kind of injury, but Zatoichi stands strong, not being affecting in the least!"


    A young man with styled hair and a suit, stood at the front of the crowd, a cameraman filming the fight with a large camera as the man spoke into a microphone that he excitedly held with both his hands.


    "We have never seen a duel such as this, ladies and gentlemen. Oh wow, it appears the great Zatoichi almost miscalculated his strike, his opponents unconventional style throwing him out of his comfort zone. While it would seem that Zatoichi has the upperhand in terms of technique and style, it would appear that his opponent that seems to use no specific style has an even larger advantage, each attack unpredictable, and each stance giving alot of obvious openings, is it a trap, is it just a terrible stance, it is impossible to tell, ladies and gentlemen, this might be a battle for the histoy books, oh my, it would appear as Shoki has finally started to tire, how will it go for-"


    The Broadcaster continued with his commentary on the fight, as the fighters in question completely ignored both the broadcaster and the crowd cheering for each of them, concentrating fully on the opponent infront of them.


    "What the hell is going on!?!?"


    Niko screamed out, her voice lost among the cheering of the crowd.


    --


    "You fight well, but believe me, with more training you become even better than me!"


    Zatoichi said, breathing heavily as he sat down on the ground.


    "No. More. Training."


    Shoki breathed out, as he lay on his back, his arms and legs splayed out.


    The backyard was now empty except for Niko and her companions, the crowd having dispersed once the fight was over.


    "Damnit, Shoki, i was cheering for you, i thought you were our ace, but you can''t even defeat a heavily injured punk!"


    Gary complained


    "...Never asked you to cheer..."


    Shoki muttered.


    "And who you call punk, even if ojou-chan pay off debt by letting join clan you still owe"


    Zatoichi added as he adjusted his bandages.


    "I don''t owe you anything, i didn''t before and especially not now that Niko let you join our so called clan"


    Gary continued to complain.


    "Shut up Gary, you''re too noisy"


    Niko interrupted him as she escaped from having to help Hannah clean up after the crowd.


    "Atleast i earned some money from the bets, good job on winning samurai man!"


    Niko smiled as she flaunted a bundle of bank notes.


    "You can use this for your damn door, so stop crying about it!"


    She threw the bundle of money at Gary, which hit him in the face as he tried to grab it.


    "It''s not just about the money, it''s about principle, and about the fact that you can just knock instead of breaking doors!"


    He said as he gave Zatoichi an annoyed look, stuffing the money into his pocket.


    "Whatever Gary, so where should we go today, maybe the pachinko parlour, or maybe the arcades, or maybe we could even go to that one place where they have alot of those Japanese cartoons that you like, Gary!"


    Niko suggested, her gaze filled with excitement.


    "As nice as that does sound, shouldn''t we start doing what we came here for in the first place?"


    Gary said, attempting to guide Niko away from money sucking activities and instead into something that will get Niko off his back sooner.


    "That''s right, having fun is fine, but we should also do some work, if you do a bit of work then a bit of fun, and then a bit of work, you will finish before you know it!"


    Hannah placed a hand on Niko''s head, talking to her as one would to a child, ruffling her hair slightly.


    "Stop that, jeez.."


    Niko complained and pushed Hannahs hand away.


    "But i guess what you say does make sense.."


    Niko could only relent at the indisputable logic.


    "Fine, let''s go find this old witch, whatever her name is!"


    "Evileye, atleast remember the name of the person you''re looking for..."


    Gary sighed.


    "Yes yes, Evileye, Evilnose, whatever, where do we find her?"


    Niko put her hands at her waist and asked.


    "Well i have a possible adress that might be her house or atleast somewhere she visits often, so we should start there, probably"


    Gary suggested, holding out his phone which had an adress written on some sort of occult forum site.


    "Gary...don''t tell me you believe in that kind of occult nonsense.."


    Niko looked at Gary with pitying eyes.


    "So what if i do!" He exclaimed "Besides with all this magic and gods nonsense how could you not!?"


    "Fair point..."


    Niko scratched her chin with an awkward smile, remembering that they were on the hunt for witches and magic items.


    "Ah, ojou-chan, do you mind telling what next goal of clan is?"


    Zatoichi stood up and walked over to Niko.


    "Ah, right..you don''t know yet, well we are looking for this person, who can maybe help us use a certain powerful artifact and maybe even find more artifacts of the same nature"


    Niko explained, not bothering to go into detail.


    "Hoo, i see, finding artifacts to slay Akuma, truly noble cause, i will do my best to help!"


    He held up the wooden sword infront of him dramatically.


    "Also, who is head of clan, i must pledge allegiance to head before i am true member, no?"


    Zatoichi asked, looking over at Niko and Gary questioningly.


    "Well, obviously, it can be no one other than the great Ni-"


    Niko began, but couldn''t finish her sentence, as she was interupted by Hannah who had lightly struck her head in a mock karate chop.


    "Niko, you haven''t even washed your face yet, go do that, and then come have breakfast, i made some pancakes earlier"


    She said to Niko and pointed inside the house.


    "But, who cares, we can just eat something-"


    Niko began but stopped once she saw Hannahs eyes.


    "Now. Young lady."


    Hannah said in a commanding tone, her eyes flaring red for a moment.


    "I''m not young..or a lady..."


    Niko mumbled to herself, obediently walking inside.


    "And Gary, i made some coffee for you, you better get it before it gets cold"


    She said to Gary, who lit up like a bulb upon the mention of coffee, quickly heading inside.


    "And Shoki, you better go take a shower before breakfast, it''s not good to eat directly after working out!"


    She yelled over at Shoki who was still on the ground a bit away.


    Shoki slowly stood up on shaky legs, and headed inside, following Gary.


    "I put a towel there for you to use, it''s the blue one!"


    She yelled after him as he entered. Shoki lightly bowing his head in thanks, too tired to say anything.


    "Hoo, such amazing leadership, they obey every command without question, amazing, truely what one would expect from such great clan!"


    He said in amazement after observing Hannah.


    "Great leader of Parade of shadows, will you grant me entry to assist such a great clan?"


    He asked as he sunk to one knee, his sword stuck into the ground infront of him.


    "Oh,of course you can have some pancakes as well, training with Shoki must have made you hungry, i was about to invite you in"


    She smiled kindly at him.


    "Hooo, i will do my best, Ane-san!"


    He exclaimed, hitting his chest a few times before heading inside.


    "Of course, eat as much as you want, i have made plenty"


    She smiled as she went in behind him, picking up the door and covering the open doorway with it.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I hope you thought this was fun to read, if so then maybe you could try leaving a comment withwhat  you liked and disliked, and what you think i should change, in order to improve my writing and make it more not as crap~


    Also, Bonus shitty drawing of Gary and Shoki :


    http://imgur.com/a/fPqTY

 Chapter 14: The witch and the blushing maiden

    "It seems...alot of people are looking at us...?"


    Niko looked around, commenting at how everyone slowly backed away from them.


    "Well..it''s probably because these guys look like Yakuza, oh wait they ARE Yakuza!"


    Gary exclaimed as he raised his arms, pointing at the group of twenty or so tattooed thug looking men in suits walking behind them, with Zatoichi leading them at the front, one of his hands out of his sleeve and resting at the front part of his Kimono.


    "Oh...right.."


    Niko remembered, stopping and giving Zatoichi a stern glare.


    "Look here, Samurai man, we are going to find a certain person, we don''t need a whole caravan for that, so you take your friends and go somewhere else"


    Niko sternly pointed her finger towards Zatoichi, making several of the men frown in annoyance at how rudely this strange little girl was talking to their boss.


    "I have gathered these men to assist, if something go wrong, we will have advantage this time, if enemy appear again, we will not suffer damage like before!"


    Zatoichi loudly declared, gesturing towards his bandages. The men behind him giving a loud battle cry, which made several people run away in fear.


    "Look, i understand that you are trying to help, but you see-"


    Niko started, but stopped once Hannah put her hand on Niko''s head.


    "It might be more efficient if we split up, that way we won''t waste any effort, and we can just give you a call if something happens, no?"


    Hannah said, giving Zatoichi a warm smile, which made the men behind him nod without realising it.


    "Hm..i see, what Ane-san says makes much sense..then we shall entrust the locating of woman to Ojou-chan and strange looking salesman, i trust you take good care of little girl, youngster?"


    Zatoichi nodded as he looked over at Shoki, who nodded whilst rolling his eyes.


    "I am not a little girl Damnit, Do not call me that or i will have you kicked out of our amazing clan founded by this great Niko!"


    Niko threatened him, causing him to chuckle slightly.


    "Yes, yes, ojou-chan is like strong adult!"


    He smiled kindly at Niko, who huffed in annoyance.


    "Listen here, Wannabe samurai, i know i let you join us, but you better show some damn respect or else i will- Ow!"


    Niko cried out as she looked back. Hannah standing behind her with her hand oustretched in a Karate chop motion.


    "Niko, be more respectful to your elders!"


    "He''s not my elder!"


    Niko complained but quickly stopped once Hannah pulled on her ear, causing her to cry out in pain.


    "Me and my friends try and assist as much as we can, we will try to find Akuma, also items to help fight Akuma, we will search whole city!"


    Zatoichi declared, raising his arm in the air, the rest of the men grunting affirmatively.


    "Yea yea, that''s great, go away now before someone calls the police, thinking we are starting a gang war or something."


    Niko waved her hand dismissivly.


    "Before we leave, Ane-san, i cannot entrust Ane-sans protection to anyone else, i ask you come with us, is safer when more bodyguards than just knife boy"


    He said, dropping to one knee.


    "Oh my...well i suppose shopping for items can be a little tiring for most men? so i suppose i can help you out"


    She agreed after giving it a quick thought.


    "Good, that way you won''t get in the way of my fun!"


    Niko looked to Hannah, smiling to herself.


    "Now now, Alis- i mean Niko, i can''t always be with you, so bear with it, and i''l make you some apple pie for dinner"


    Hannah said, making Niko''s eyes light up at the mention of pie.


    "Alright Niko, be good now, and don''t cause any trouble for Gary and Shoki, i will be going with Zatoichi this time, but next time i''l go with you"


    She patted Niko''s head, and headed off with Zatoichi and his men, causing Niko to frown in annoyance.


    "What, you annoyed cause your big sister won''t be with you?"


    Gary patted Niko''s head from behind, as he teased her.


    "She is not my sister, you below average salesman!"


    Niko turned towards him, biting his hand hard enough for a few drops of blood to slip.


    "GAH, it was only a joke, just a joke!"


    Gary jumped back, holding his hand in pain.


    "Let''s just go already!"


    Niko snapped and headed off ahead of the rest.


    "Jeez..didn''t expect Niko to get attached to her this quickly...although i guess it makes sense, considering.."


    Gary muttered to himself, a serious look in his eyes, causing Shoki to raise an eyebrow at this strange shift in attitude.


    "Well, let''s just go before Niko gets her panties in a bunch!"


    He laughed lightly his cheerful attitude back again,as he ran after Niko.


    "Indeed.."


    Shoki nodded, slowly following after.


    --


    "I think this is the right place"


    Gary looked ahead before turning his head back.


    "Ha..ha..."


    Niko breathed heavily as she climbed the last bit of stairs leading up to where Gary stood.


    "Damn..this...untrained...body..."


    Niko collapsed on the ground once she finally made her way up the stairs, Shoki slowly walking up from behind her.


    Infront of Niko stood a large temple, two stories high and built in the traditional japanese style of housing, two large statues of asian dragons standing at the sides of the temple, ominously glaring at them.


    A large courtyard stretched infront of the temple, someone was sweeping the ground in the distance.


    "Phew...let''s get going then, where is this evil witch?"


    Niko slowly stood up and asked, looking around expectantly.


    "Well honestly, i don''t know, from this point on it''s your expertise, legendary con-artist thief"


    Gary bowed dramaticaly towards Niko.


    "I am not a con artist as that would be you, but i appreciate the compliment"


    Niko nodded approvingly and headed towards the temple, noticing someone sweeping nearby.


    "Hello, excuse me, i have a quick question"


    Niko approached the sweeping figure, which upon closer examination turned out to be a young japanese woman wearing a shrine maidens outfit.


    "Hai?"


    The young woman wearing a shrine maidens outfit looked at Niko questioningly.


    "Do you know where i can find this woman called Evileye?"


    Niko asked, but all she recieved was a confused gaze.


    "Uhh..Evil..eye!"


    Niko pointed at her eye and scowled.


    The young woman nodded after a moment, and gestured for Niko to wait there.


    "What''s taking so long.."


    Niko sighed after having waited infront of the temple for half an hour.


    "She probably didn''t even understand what you meant, and ran to buy some eyedrops or something"


    Gary shrugged.


    "Well maybe you should have asked then!"


    Niko snapped at Gary, attempting to kick him in his shin.


    "Well it was more fun to see you struggle OW!"


    Gary and Niko continued to bicker while Shoki observed them with an indifferent expression.


    The shrine maiden approached them a few minutes later, carrying a small piece of rolled up parchment, which she handed to Niko.


    "What''s this...?"


    Niko rolled out the parchment, revealing a traditional japanese painting of a temple that looked similiar to the one before them.


    "Hmm..what''s up with this, Gary?"


    Niko looked at Gary, only to find him gone, looking around she couldn''t neither him nor Shoki.


    "Hey, where did you guys go, we don''t have time to be playing hide and seek damnit!"


    Niko said loudly enough for her voice to echo in the courtyard.


    "Did they run inside while i was distracted...could have waited for me.."


    She mumbled in irriation as she headed inside the temple, past the twin dragon statues guarding the entrance.


    "Hellooo, Shoki, Gary, Evileye lady, anyone here?"


    Niko called out inside the temple, the inside of which was mostly covered in darkness, as there did not seem to be any windows or entrances except for the large sliding doors that Niko entered through.


    "Hnn...this better not be a prank, Gary!"


    Niko said as she headed into the darkness, which disperesed immediately as lanterns started to light up the further into the temple Niko got.


    "Automatic lighting lanterns huh...they could have just used normal lightbulbs...so overly dramatic..."


    Niko shrugged as she kept going, the painting still clutched in her hands.


    Her footsteps were muffled due to the tatami mats covering the entirety of the floor, causing an eery silence to surround Niko, the only audible sounds being her soft breath and the low crackling of flames inside the lanterns dimly lighting her way.


    "Uuu.. i don''t like this...dammit Gary..i''m going to kick you in the groin when i find you..."


    Niko whispered to herself, as talking any louder than a whisper caused her voice to create eery echoes.


    Soon enough, after what felt like an eternity, she arrived at a room that was not completely empty.


    The room Niko stood in was well lit, and three Buddha statues protected each wall other than the one behind Niko.


    The two buddha statues on each side of Niko were of a darker colour, most likely made of copper or painted wood, the Statue that stood opposite Niko however was of a bright, almost shining golden colour. Its hands positioned in the familiar ''Dharmachakra mudra'' gesture infront of its heart.


    "I wonder if it''s layered with a thin outer layer of real gold..."


    Niko approached the statue, her Thief senses tingling.


    "It is made purely of true gold, if that is what you are wondering"


    A thin hoarse voice echoed in the room.


    "Wa, who''s there, Gary is that you!?"


    Niko looked around the room, unable to find the source of the voice.


    "I am right here, dear"


    The voice echoed from behind Niko, making her turn around in surprise.


    Infront of Niko stood a short figure, from her voice Niko figured it was an old woman. It was however hard to tell as the womans body was covered with grey cloth, covering every single inch of her body.


    "Uh...are you...Evileye?"


    Niko asked as she took a wary step back.


    "Some choose to call me that."


    Evileye nodded, or atleast Niko thought she nodded, as it was hard to tell what was happening under that pile of grey cloth.


    "Well, don''t just stand there, sit down already dear, it must have been rough climbing those stairs"


    Evileye said, gesturing for Niko to sit.


    "On the floor?"


    Niko asked, trying to remember if it was customary to sit on the floor in Japan.


    "No no, dear, there are some who like to sit on the floor, but i myself prefer to sit on a nice cushioned stool"


    She patted her back with her cloth covered hand.


    "Well, sit down already, that chair looks lonely without someone in it"


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    She gestured behind Niko.


    Niko glanced back and found that just behind her was a nice dark wooden chair, which had some cushions with floral designs on them.


    "What the, when did this get here!?"


    Niko looked back at the woman, and found that she was already sitting on a wooden chair of her own.


    "What the, when did-"


    "Sit down already dear, you look silly just standing there"


    She lightly tapped the arm on her chair impatiently.


    Niko looked back at her chair again, and found that it had changed, instead of a wooden chair, it was now a simple wooden stool without any cushions.


    "Sit down now or i will make you sit on a box"


    The woman warned lightly, Niko quickly sitting down on her stool, trying not to overthink what just transpired.


    "Right well that was kind of strange..?"


    Niko looked at the woman and noticed that the statue behind her was giving Niko the peace sign.


    "Uuu...anyway, where''s Gary, and Shoki?"


    Niko asked as she rubbed her head that was slightly overheating due to the confusing things going on around her.


    "Ah, those two, they are waiting for you outside"


    "Hm, that''s good, well then i''l just cut to the chase, can you use magical artifacts and do you know how to find any?"


    Niko asked with a serious expression.


    "I assume you do not mean something abstract but the more...direct items, yes?"


    "Yes, god power, powered, that is borrowed from gods..or something!"


    Niko rubbed her head as she tried to remember what Shoki explained.


    "Well, i certainly know how to locate such things, but using them... well that depends"


    She shrugged.


    "Depends on what?"


    "A variety of things, that i can''t really explain as that would take mpre patience that either you or i have. you have to understand that these...artifacts as you call them, do not function on similiar laws, each law for each item is...well it depends"


    She shrugged again, not bothering to finish her sentence.


    "Hey, you were about to explain, but you got too lazy and just finished the sentence with ''it depends'' didn''t you!?"


    Niko pointed at the woman, accusing her of laziness.


    "You got me, but i doubt you really care about my explanation, am i right?"


    "Well, you''re not wrong...but still!"


    Niko folded her arms in annoyance.


    "No matter, why do you ask such questions, what is it you wish to accomplish with these items?"


    The woman asked, her voice colder than before.


    "That''s my business, not yours"


    Niko squinted at the woman.


    "If you are unwilling to speak, then i must simply take more direct means..."


    The woman put her arm over her face, before quickly pulling it away, revealing a part of her face.


    Nikos eyes widened at the sight of the womans face, but before she could say anything she had looked into the womans left eye, robbing her of her words and thoughts, and leaving her drooling as she looked further and further into the womans eye.


    "I see..how..unusual.."


    The woman muttered to herself, quickly covering her face as Nikos eyes started to regain their focus.


    "W-wha..t..ha..ppened..."


    Niko slowly spoke, her words becoming less slurred as she talked.


    "Nothing special dear, i just needed to make sure...but it seems i hit upon something more profitable than just doing someone a favour...Niko my dear"


    Niko shivered at the womans smile. Niko couldn''t see her face of course, and what she thought she saw was somehow gone from her mind, but somehow she could tell that the woman was smiling at her, causing the air in the room to feel colder than usual.


    "You wish to attempt to accquire your old body back and also make some profit on the side, no?"


    The woman asked, as if she already knew the answer.


    "Well..yea..how did you know?"


    Niko asked timidly, feeling a lot more meek than she did just a moment ago.


    "I have my ways of seeing into peoples memories, it is something you learn once you get to be my age"


    The woman shrugged as if it was no big deal, making Niko wonder just how old the woman before her was.


    "I am willing to tell you a way that you can acquire your old body back...for a price"


    "How much?"


    "No no, i am not interested in money, what i want is that Orb you have, it is quite interesting...yes..."


    The woman rubbed her hands underneath her clothes.


    "Right...well i''m sorry but i can''t give it to you, it could prove useful...once i learn how to use it.."


    Niko shook her head apologetically.


    "Of course, of course, no one would want to let go of such an interesting item, i am not asking for you to part with it forever, simply..lend it to me for a while, and i will give it back the next time you drop by"


    "Well..i don''t know..."


    Niko hesistated, the woman seeing her chance, acted immediately.


    "Don''t worry, i can just write up a special contract, it will result in my death if i disobey it, sound fair?"


    Niko looked at the woman and saw that a piece of paper was hanging in the air infront of her.


    "There you go, simple contract, just sign with blood below my signature and it''s done"


    Niko looked at the paper and saw something she couldn''t quite make out written in what appeared to be blood, the rest of the contract was written in normal ink, which she could read wihtout any issues.


    "Let''s see..said item must remain in the possesion of the borrower for alteast seven days and seven nights and may be retrieved at any time afterwards.. bla bla bla...haa..should have brought Gary along..whatever, sure looks fine!"


    Niko stopped reading and signed the contract with a pen that happened to be floating nearby, Niko looked at her signature and saw that it was similiarly written in blood.


    "Uh..did i have to write it with my own blood, looks like there was already some blood in the pen...?"


    Niko asked, putting the pen back in midair where it floated away.


    "No no, it''s just a figure of speech, it''s not really blood, it''s just red ink, writing in blood would be barbaric"


    The woman took the contract and shoved it underneath the rags she wore.


    "Good, and now for my part of the bargain..."


    The woman took something out from underneath her clothes and handed it to Niko.


    "What''s this?"


    Niko asked as she examined the item given to her. A small white wooden box as big as a matchbox rested in Niko''s palm, it had small engravings on it in a language Niko didn''t recognise.


    "Open that box when you wish to know if an item is of the unnatural sort."


    Niko quickly put the box into her pocket.


    "And as for a way to get you your body back...well i have heard of the lost art of attempting to recreate human life...last i have heard it was a man called Hermes Trismegistus, one of the last good men that was...well if anyone knows anything about those arts it is him, he is probably dead by now though"


    "Well a clue is better than nothing i suppos... want me to go fetch you the Orb, since i don''t have it on me?"


    Niko asked as woman shrugged after finishing her sentence.


    "No need, i have that already taken care of"


    The woman said in a tone that implied that she was smiling, making Niko feel slightly uncomfortable.


    "Do you still have that painting?"


    The woman asked, making Niko glance at the parchement she was still clutching in her hand.


    "Oh yea, that the shrine maiden gave me it?"


    Niko looked up and noticed that she was now alone in the room.


    "Rip the parchement once you are tired of looking at the statues, oh and remember, some arts are lost for a reason..."


    The womans voice echoed in the room as it grew weaker and weaker as if she was getting further and further away.


    "Rip the paper...?"


    Niko looked at the parchement quizzically, shrugged and ripped it in half.


    Next thing she knew, Niko was outside looking at the temple.


    "Hey Niko, that was rude, i know you didn''t want that painting but just ripping a painting given to you by a cute girl is just wrong!"


    Gary complained from the side.


    Niko blinked her eyes a few times and looked around. Gary and Shoki were standing in the same places they did when Niko had first recieved the parchment from the shrine maiden.


    The shrine maiden that was still standing infront of Niko smiled and took the ripped parchment from Niko, before running off towards the temple.


    "Ah, she ran off, how are we going to find Evileye now, good job Niko!"


    Gary sighed and shook his head.


    "It''s fine...i think...we got what we came here for, also..Shoki, do you still have the Orb?"


    Niko looked over at Shoki, who reached into his pocket, his eyes widening slightly in panic.


    "It''s fine Shoki, i know where it is, man that was wierd..."


    "What was wierd, what are you talking about Niko?"


    Gary asked, with an annoyed expression.


    "It''s fine i''l tell you later, let''s just get away from this temple first, it makes me slightly uncomfortable..."


    Niko started walking backwards away from the temple, intent on keeping her eyes on the temple as she expected something strange to happen if she looked away.


    As she was slowly stepping backwards, she felt one of her steps sink further down than normal, making her stumble as she started falling backwards.


    ''Ah, that''s right i forgot about the staircase!''


    "...Be more careful, Niko..."


    Niko opened her eyes and saw Shoki looking intently at her, which is when she noticed that she was currently in his arms after he had presumably stopped her fall.


    ''Wa...he''s so cool...like my dream prince...''


    Niko thought as a soft blush covered her face.


    Niko shook her head and pushed Shoki away as she slapped herself.


    "W-what the hell,, damnit, i''m a man, damnit, A MAN!"


    Niko punched her head repeatedly.


    "Bad thought go away, go away!"


    Her punches were suddenly stopped as she couldn''t move her hands anymore, making her look up.


    "Niko, do not cause unnecessary damage to yourself...it will ruin your face.."


    Shoki said as he held her arms in his grip.


    ".....Ok..."


    Niko felt her face becoming hot as she looked down at her feet.


    ''D-damnit..what is happening to me...''


    --


    A woman dressed in grey rags that covered her entire body sat in a dark room observing a golden orb that was floating infront of her, suddenly stopping as if remembering something.


    "Ah...perhaps i should have told her about opening a passage between her memories and her current body''s memories when i looked into her mind earlier...Hm...it will be fun to see what happens.."


    She smiled as she chuckled, her voice echoing ominously, and continued the observations of her newest acquisition.

 Chapter 15: Im a man!

    ''Uuu..it feels really awkward to even look at Shoki...no, i am a man, i must overcome any difficulty with guts!''


    Niko Clenched her fist infront of her, silently walking at the front of the group.


    "So, you gonna tell us what happened at the temple, or what?"


    Gary asked, walking up next to Niko.


    "Look i don''t know, some magic crap, either way i got what we needed, i''l explain it later, for now let''s just...go and have some fun, have some sake!"


    Niko proposed, trying to find something else to focus on.


    "I suppose we finished off that errand faster than we thought, so a few drinks wouldn''t hurt...although i''m going to be the one paying aren''t i...?"


    "Naturally, who else?"


    Niko looked at him with a smug smile, causing him to sigh in resignation.


    "Fine, fine, anything for the spoiled princess i guess.."


    He lazily patted Niko''s head as he laughed.


    "H-hey, I''m not a princess, and don''t touch me so freely!"


    Niko moved away from his hand, her face slightly red.


    ''Damn it, now i even feel weird with Gary....am i sick..did that damn witch do something..?''


    Niko thought to herself as she faked a cough in order to change the subject.


    "Uhm, a-anyway, let''s go to a sushi place, one with the moving sushi!"


    Niko suggested, remembering something she heard concerning special sushi restaurants.


    "Niko...i know sushi is eaten raw..but sushi that still moves...i don''t think that''s really safe to eat?"


    Gary said with a slightly disturbed expression.


    "...I have eaten living fish before..the trick is to not eat the internal organs..."


    Shoki commented from the side, causing both Gary and Niko to stare at him with wide eyes, their conversation halted for a moment.


    "No, no i didn''t mean it like that, i meant the restaurants where they have rolling bands that they place the sushi on, eating living fish is gross!"


    Niko burst out, slightly disturbed at the mental image of Shoki grabbing a fish out of an aquarium and biting it''s head off.


    "...I only ate living fish in desperate situations...i was also used to it so i didn''t get sick...eating is neccesary to survive..."


    Shoki sighed, the edges of his mouth contorting into a an almost invisible frown.


    ''Ah, oh no..i shouldn''t have said..he looks sad.."


    Niko thought, noticing the slight change in Shoki''s facial expression due to closely observing him when he wasn''t looking.


    "Ah, no, i mean..it''s not gross or anything..i was just surprised you know, ahaha.."


    She laughed awkwardly while scratching her head.


    "Niko, you sure nothing is wrong, you''re acting stranger than usual, more...humble?"


    Gary raised his eyebrow, slightly wary of what Niko might do next.


    "What do you mean, so you''re saying im usually strange, is that it?!"


    Niko snapped at him, a vein popping on her head.


    "Yeah that''s exactly what i''m saying"


    Gary shrugged as if to challenge Niko.


    "Fine, then i''m going to order only the most expensive dishes and sake today, just for that!"


    She smiled and folded her arms.


    "You were going to do that anyway, so you''re going to have to try better than that, Niko"


    Gary shook his head with a small grin, having already expected the worst possible scenario.


    "Is that so..then i will help myself to a bottle of 500 dollar sake, i''ve always wanted to try one of those, or maybe even two..?"


    Niko smirked as she walked off, pretending to ponder on how many bottles she should get.


    Gary slowly walked after her, a single tear running down his face, as he mentally prepared himself for the ordeal ahead of him, or rather, ahead of his wallet.


    "...Although i dislike sake, i have always wondered what that specific sake tasted like..."


    Shoki mumbled as he passed by Gary.


    "Fine, i''l get you one too, i might as well get myself one too, although i will puke before i finish it, who cares right!?!"


    Gary laughed eerily, his pupils slightly dilated, and arms outstretched to each side.


    "...Very kind of you to offer, then i shall accept.."


    Shoki nodded towards Gary before heading off after Niko.


    Garys face drained of all colour as he sank down to his knees, looking up at the light blue sky.


    "God! this is a test isn''t it, damn you god, i''l fucking sue when i get up there!"


    He yelled at the top of his lungs.


    "Shut up Gary, we all know lawyers don''t go to heaven!"


    She yelled at Gary from the distance.


    "...Well that''s true i guess"


    Gary stayed still for a few moments, his arms still outstretched, before shrugging with a sigh, standing up and brushing the dust off his knees.


    --


    "Auuu...why are there so many Shokis...there''s like..nine..ten..eleven...eleventyone Shokis!"


    Niko babbled drunkenly as she was being carried on Shokis back, Gary walking behind them, stopping every so often to apologise for the disturbance to the people that were coming up to complain.


    They continued to walk through the quiet neighborhood, only the sound of cats audible in the distance, and Nikos babbling of course, which melted in with the noise of the cats.


    "Damnit, Niko, shut up already, you''re way too damn loud!"


    Gary ran up to Shoki and Niko after apologising several times to an annoyed old woman.


    "Nyahaha, Gary is maaaad, too bad you had to pay for like...this many bottles!"


    She laughed loudly and showed Gary both her outstretched hands, causing her to almost fall backwards from Gary''s back.


    "Careful, Niko, make sure to hold on, or you will fall..."


    Shoki had somehow caught Niko before she completely fell backwards, pushing her back up with one arm.


    "...Kay~"


    Niko grabbed onto his neck, letting out sounds of snoring only a few seconds later, drool running down Shokis neck, causing his left eye to twitch slightly while he sighed.


    "Hey atleast it''s a fairly cute girl that is drunkenly drooling on you and not one of your old fat business partners!"


    Gary felt goosebumps travel up his back as he remembered something he did not want to recall.


    "Sounds...unpleasant.."


    They arrived to their house soon enough, where Niko was plopped down on the sofa, where she continued to sleep after having drenched Shokis entire shoulder with drool.


    "Honestly, Niko should already know by now that her alcohol tolerance is completely different now, well whatever, atleast i get some peace and quiet now"


    Gary stretched and sat down infront of his laptop, attempting to get some work done. Just as he sat down however, the front door suddenly burst open, causing Gary to jump in surprise.


    Several tattooed men came in carrying bags and boxes filled with various things.


    The loud noise of the door bursting open and people walking about, causing Niko to groggily wake up, slowly rubbing the drool off her face.


    "What''s going on...?"


    Niko observed the pile of bags and boxes with lazy eyes, her head throbbing and floaty still.


    The pile soon stopped growing as Zatoichi and Hannah came through the door, closing it behind them.


    "We have acquired items, that maybe help against akuma!"


    Zatoichi declared as he strode in, as Hannah started to sort all of the boxes and bags.


    "Wa...akuma..what are you on about, samurai twins..?"


    Niko muttered, her slightly out of focus eyes causing her to see double.


    "You no remember? We went searching for items to fight more akuma like we fight before, while you go find woman to help or something, i do not know"


    "Niko dear, don''t you remember, we went out shopping for useful items, which is why i couldn''t go with you"


    Hannah explained as she started to take out random items from the boxes, which ranged from ornate dishes to small trinkets and knives.


    "We try to buy old items related to akuma, who knows, maybe is magic?"


    "Well, i atleast managed to haggle the prices down to manageable levels, but i have no clue if any of these are going to be helpful or not.. i kind of lose track of stuff when i shop"


    Hannah smiled embarrassedly, drawing out a large sword from the pile of boxes and holding it above her head, before slowly putting it back down.


    "Riht right...i just have to check if any of these are useful and then i can go back to sleep?"


    Niko asked while lazily rubbing her eyes, fumbling about before taking out the small white wooden box and opening it with a flick of her wrist.


    "Magic box...go do your thing!"


    Niko commanded the box, which remained unresponsive.


    "What the hell, did that witch trick me!?"


    Niko brought up the small box to her face, and looked inside with one eye.


    Just as she looked inside the box, something shone from inside the box and flew out, colliding with Nikos eye.


    "OW, what the hell was that!?"


    Nikos eye teared up as she rubbed it in pain, when she noticed that something was flying around the room and giving off a silvery light.


    "[Detected]"


    The flying glowing thing spoke, a small ray of light penetrating the pile of random items in the middle of room, before stopping as quickly as it had started, the flying thing suddenly getting sucked back into the box, which closed by itself with a small ''klunk''.


    "Great, that was that so i''m going back to sleep..."


    Niko fell back into the sofa and she closed her eyes.


    Hannah quickly rummaged through the pile and found something that was giving off a faint silvery light.


    "Ah, it''s a ring, it looks cute too!"


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Hannah held up a small white ring, which gradually started to lose the silvery light coming from it.


    "Well, now that''s done, please remove all this garbage from my house!"


    Gary looked at Zatoichi, piercing him with his angriest gaze.


    "Ah yes, come boys!"


    Zatoichi clapped his hands as several men came in through the door and carried all of the items away in one go, alot less careful this time as they knew that the items were now useless.


    "Hm..i suppose Niko should have this, it fits her!"


    Hannah put the white ring onto one of Nikos fingers before gently patting the still sleeping Niko on the head.


    "Seems she had a long day..she''s sleeping so peacefully...."


    Hannah smiled as she rubbed Nikos head, giving her a soft kiss on the head.


    "Hm..what''s that smell...?"


    Hannah inched closer to Nikos face, trying to find the source of the smell, which happened to be Nikos mouth.


    "This smells familiar...is it...alcohol!?"


    Hannahs eyes widened in realisation as they slowly turned into an ominous red mass..


    "Niko......"


    She loudly said through her teeth, standing up above Niko.


    "Hmn...what...give me five more minutes..."


    Niko mumbled in her sleep.


    "NIKO!"


    Hannah yelled into Nikos ear, causing her to jump with a surprised cry.


    "W-what''s going on, are we getting raided!?"


    She frantically looked around, noticing Hannahs glowing eyes.


    "W-what''s wrong...?"


    Niko asked with an awkward smile, confusion apparent on her face.


    "You drank alcohol didn''t you, even though you are too young to be doing that!"


    "W-what, no i didn''t, i mean i did, but i''ve been old enough to drink for years, and even if i weren''t, who cares it''s not that big of a deal"


    Niko shrugged and smelled her breath.


    "You were a bad girl, Niko...punishment is in order..."


    Hannah slowly inched closer to Niko, her eyes red, steam rising from her mouth.


    "W-what are you doing...don''t get any closer...no..no...NO!"


    Niko''s terrified screams filled the living room, followed by echoing sounds that caused Gary, who was standing in the kitched, flinch each time he heard the sound.


    "I would normally laugh at Niko, but this is just too terrifying..."


    Gary shivered, his back against the well, as he looked over to Shoki who standing next to him.


    "There is nothing more terrifying than woman anger"


    Zatoichi added, sitting at small chair in the kitchen.


    "....Indeed...."


    Shoki nodded, making a mental note to not anger any female opponents he may have in the future.


    --


    "So humiliating...i don''t deserve this..."


    Niko rubbed the tears out of her eyes as she rubbed her backside in pain.


    "You deserved it, next time think about what you do, now apologise!"


    Hannah stood before Niko, her arms folded and her eyes slightly glowing with the embers of the previous fire.


    "But i didn''t do anything wrong...."


    "Now."


    "Fine..i''m sorry for drinking alcohol..."


    Niko sniffed as she tried to wipe her face.


    "Good, now let''s go get you cleaned up before bed"


    The embers in Hannahs eyes were now fully gone. back to her usual cheery self as she dragged Niko towards the bathroom.


    A while later they were all sitting in the livingroom. Niko now wearing her pink pajamas while standing, as sitting down was currently impossible for her.


    "So, shall we go through what we have accomplished today?"


    Gary asked, as he recieved a cup of tea from Hannah who was handing everyone their own cup.


    "Yea..well, about using actual magic items, that was a fail...Evileye didn''t know any specific method"


    Niko looked at the ring she was now wearing, spinning it it around on her finger, curious as to what it could do.


    "But from that strange glowing box you had, it looks like you didn''t leave empty handed, right?"


    Gary asked as he typed away at his laptop, attempting to get some work done on the sly.


    "Oh yea, she gave me this box that tells you which items have power in them, but it''s pointless if you don''t know how to actually use whatever it is you find..."


    Niko shrugged and kept playing with her ring.


    "Oh and also, i got a clue from her about someone famous who might know the art of revival!"


    "That''s great, who is it?"


    "Uh...it was...shit...i forgot the name...it was something like...hermy...magistus...or something like that?"


    "Niko, that doesn''t sound right, there''s no one i can find with that name, so they aren''t that famous"


    Gary looked over at Niko from behind his laptop screen after doing a quick search.


    "Look, i don''t know, it''s hard to think when it hurts so bad.."


    Niko rubbed her behind with a pained expression.


    "Ah, Niko come here, i have this salve that should help against the pain if i spread it on"


    Hannah offered to help and she started to get up.


    "N-no, i''m fine, i''m fine, don''t come!"


    Niko nervously said whilst holding her behind.


    "Well alright, but if it hurts too bad, let me know"


    She smiled at Niko, who gave her a nervous smile.


    "But, why we looking for revival stuff..?"


    Zatoichi asked, not understanding how reviving works in with their goal of defeating demons.


    "Oh, uh, we need it...incase one of us dies, of course, we have to..uh..prepare for the coming fights of course..of course!"


    Niko gave him a stiff smile, unsure of how long she could keep up her lie.


    "Oh..make sense, i will help as much as able!"


    Zatoichi nodded, with an enlightened expression. Niko sighing in relief, thanking whatever gods there were for the fact that he was so easily fooled.


    "Oh...i remember now, it was ''Hermes Trismegistus''!¡±


    Niko suddenly remembered.


    "THE Hermes Trismegistus?"


    Garys eyes widened with shock.


    "What, you know him or something?"


    "Well, no, he was one of the worlds most famous philosophers and alchemists, well i only know this because of my brother, the one who studied philosophy, but yea this Hermes fellow was a big deal, too bad he''s been dead for who knows how long"


    Gary closed his laptop with a sigh.


    "Really...wait, if he''s been dead for a long time, then how old is that damn witch if she actually knew him..."


    Nikos eyes widened in realisation before she quickly dismissed it as the woman being delusional from old age.


    "If the philosopher is dead, then what of his texts...?"


    Shoki asked as he took a sip of his tea.


    "Yes, of course! all alchemists and philosophers write down their thoughts and discoveries, then that means, somewhere among this guys texts, is our recipe for revival, soon my body will be revived and i will be free of this curse!"


    Niko laughed and struck a victorious pose on the table, tearing up and biting her lip due to the pain of moving her behind too much.


    "Original body and curse..what you mean?"


    Zatoichi asked with a confused expression.


    "Oh, nothing nothing, it''s just codewords for stuff, you know, clan stuff!"


    Niko laughed it off as she wiped the sweat from her brow.


    "Well, there are no original texts left it seems, but alot of other famous philosophers seem to have made copies of his texts, ah this one seems good... it''s being kept in a museum in...Japan, looks like it was sent to japan for further translations, how convenient...i''l try to look up some info on it"


    Gary looked at his laptop screen as his fingers moved so fast they were hard to follow.


    "Great, then this shall be the first quest for the Parade of shadows, we will get the texts and i will be...a man yet again!"


    Niko stomped her foot on the table she stood on dramtically, causing the table to tilt slightly, and as Niko was already standing at the edge of the table, that small tilt was all the table need to begin falling to one side, causing Niko to flail around helplessly as she was pulled down along the table.


    "...Niko, you''re clumsy..."


    Shoki muttered as he caught Niko in one arm, somehow appearing right next to Niko although he was on the other side of the room just a moment ago.


    "S-shut up, i''m n-not!"


    Niko stuttered at him, her face flushing a light shade of red.


    "Niko, you look red, perhaps you have a fever?"


    Shoki asked as he pulled his face closer to Nikos and he observed her brightening skin.


    "J-just put me down already!"


    Niko complained and looked away as she was put down.


    "Jeez..what are you doing infront of other people!"


    Niko huffed, her cheeks still red.


    "....So it''s okay if it''s not infront of other people, huh?"


    Gary smirked as he typed away at his laptop, Niko giving him a sharp glare.


    "Uhm, Niko, i know that at your age you might start getting interested in such things, but try to restrain yourself, a girl should be modest after all!"


    Hannah coughed awkwardly and lectured Niko.


    "N-no, you all got it wrong, i''m a MAN, DAMNIT!"

 Chapter 16: Museum Heist

    The noise of night life filled the streets, not bothering to adhere to the fact that night time usually means silence and tranquility.


    The streets that were most popular to visit at night were located in areas that were somewhat below ground level, several other streets rising towards the sky like giant stairs.


    This pecualiar method of building streets underneath and above other streets, and creating an almost mall-like city was popular in certain areas of giant metropolises.


    It was especially popular in areas where a high concetration of people tended to gather.


    The streets were filled with people sitting outside, either drinking or just simply chatting, enjoying the pleasant warm summer night, and admiring the few stars that were still shining in the night sky despite the walls of elevated streets and buildings planning to overtake the sky.


    One of those stars that were almost invisible unless one squinted, was shining much brighter than the rest, and upon closer inspection, one would notice that it was infact moving. Which led most people to believe that it was some kind of satellite or possibly a plane.


    Both conculsions were wrong. The thing flying through the sky, was infact neither a plane, a bird or a satellite.


    A low faraway noise reached the streets bustling with activity in a desperate attempt to be heard, Which was ignored among all the other hundreds of noises filling peoples ears.


    If anyone could hear the noise, they would be able to hear a feminine young voice, filled with shock, surprise and confusion, but most of all they would be able to hear the pure terror of someone experiencing something they wished to never have anything to do with again.


    "How did i end up like this again!?"


    A blurry figure yelled as it flew downwards through the air, uselessly flailing its limbs.


    "I...FUCKING....HATE...HEIGHTS!"


    --


    "Is everything set?"


    Niko asked, looking out at a wide building with a dome portruding out of its center filling the view from the window.


    "Should be all green, let me do a second check real quick"


    Gary''s voice came from a small device attached to Niko''s left ear. The device was both a phone and a camera, often used by proffesional atheletes or sports enthusiasts who wish to broadcast and commentate while their hands are busy. The device was small and colored a deep chrome colour, discreetly hidden behind Niko''s long hair.


    "Alright, but do it quick, our timeslot is nearing.."


    The sound coming from Niko''s ear disappeared as the connection was severed.


    "Hello, Agent Z, come in"


    Gary''s voice emanated out of a pair of large headphones.


    "My name is Zatoichi, not playing stupid spy game with you, what is it?"


    Zatoichi spoke into the large microphone portruding from his old looking headphones, still wearing his bandages and loose kimono and standing in a dark small alley.


    "Fine, fine, is everyone at your side in place?"


    "They have been alert ready since morning, do not worry"


    Zatoichi spoke with a bit of pride in his voice.


    "Oh, there''s no real reason for them to have had to start so early but whatever, ok great, you know what to do if something happens, Good bye"


    Gary''s voice disappeared from Zatoichi''s headphones.


    "Shoki, you there?"


    "Yes..."


    Shoki spoke into a small walkie talkie, upon hearing Gary''s voice coming from it.


    "Everything still alright?"


    "Yes..It appears the guard is getting restless, he will probably head over to the bathrooms soon.


    Shoki said into the walkie talkie. Looking through a window located beneath him, through which one could see a small desk with a monitor, a single man in a blue uniform lazily spinning around on his office chair.


    "Good, tell me immediately the moment he starts moving"


    "Naturally..."


    The Walkie Talkie went quiet, and Shoki continued to closely monitor the man beneath him.


    The device attached to Niko''s ear suddenly came to life again, emanating a familiar voice.


    "Alright Niko, be ready any moment now"


    "Yup"


    "By the way Niko, i know you''re the expert in this and all, but why the hell don''t we just have Shoki do it instead of you, i mean he did have the speed to climb up to the roof of that heavily monitored building without being detected, wouldn''t that be much easier?"


    Gary asked, his voice more curious than annoyed.


    "Like you just said Gary, it''s because i''m the expert, Shoki may be much faster than me, but he doesn''t have the skills to do this quietly if he can even make it inside, which i doubt, He wouldn''t be able to get what we want without breaking the locks, or triggering any other soundless alarms that might be put in place."


    Niko explained with a bit of arrogance in her voice.


    "But then couldn''t we just have him do it loud but quick enough so it wouldn''t even matter?"


    "W-well...yea..i guess, but that would be risky, yea, and it would be a thorn in my pride as an honourable thief!"


    Niko hmphed and looked to the side, although she was currently alone.


    "Niko, the guard is moving, go now!"


    Garys loud voice shook Niko slightly, causing her body to move automatically.


    Niko quickly and soundlesly opened the small window infront of her, quickly climbing through it and escaping the dark room she was in, entering the moonlit night.


    Illuminated by the soft moonlight, Nikos figure was now visible. She was standing at the outside edge of a window located several hundred meters in the air.


    She was wearing skintight black clothing, made from waterproof material, a small pink heart in the middle of her chest. Her hands were covered in leather gloves, whilst her feet were carefully tucked into some pink ballet shoes, in order to make her footsteps as quiet as possible. Her shoulder length hair was bound in a ponytail behind her, which swished around in the wind, giving the impression of a dogs tail.


    "Dammit Hannah, how am i supposed to be a shadow with this.."


    Niko sighed as she glanced down at the pink heart and her pink shoes.


    "Well, here goes nothing!"


    Niko tugged on her small bag that hung tightly to her side, attaching a small metal contraption with a wheel to the long electrical cable that connected the building she was currently standing on to the museum near it.


    "Ok...don''t look down.."


    Niko breathed in, holding the metal contraption with both hands, before lightly moving her feet away from the window she was standing on.


    Niko desperately held on to the metal contraption with both her hands, knowing that if she fell it would be over, all over again for her. Niko slid along the long cable downwards, gravity doing most of the work, the small wheel in the metal contraption spinning wildly as small electrical sparks appeared between the cable and the metal parts of the contraption.


    "Almost there..almost there...oh hey there''s Shoki!"


    She glanced to the side of the museum and saw Shoki crouched over on the roof, observing something very intently below him.


    A few moments later a loud splatting sound echoed around the museum, causing Shoki to look around before looking back to his target who was happily whistling in the bathroom.


    "Niko, what was that sound, Niko?!"


    Garys voice came from Nikos earpiece.


    "...It''s nothing...i just got...distracted.."


    She groaned, her voice slightly muffled due to the concrete that covered her face.


    She quickly shook her head and climbed up the ledge that was right above the cable, her red face glowing faintly in the dark.


    Looking around, she quickly made her way across the roof, towards the large dome in the middle of the museum that was made up mostly from glass.


    "Alright...now for a bit of Jewelery thief movie action.."


    She rummaged in her bag a bit before taking out a rubber handle which she attached to the glass, the handle staying in place thanks to small suction cups on the backside of it.


    Making sure that the handle was secure, she took out another tool, this one looked like a metal pen, except instead of a metal or graphite end, it had a small crystal piece which glittered slightly.


    Taking the strange pen, she started drawing a circle in the glass around the handle. Low scraping noises making Nikos eye twitch slightly.


    "Niko, the guard is coming back, you only have a few seconds left!"


    Garys voice suddenly burst through the earpiece, causing Niko to flinch, the pen now making an imperfect circle.


    "Damnit, Gary...now i have to start over!"


    Niko snapped at him loudly, or as loud as you can get when you whisper.


    "Be quick!"


    Niko began anew, drawing a new circle, this time she ignored the now loud scraping noise as she attempted to increase her speed.


    "Five seconds, Niko!"


    Niko started to sweat, her hand moving as fast as she can. A camera ominously fixing her sight on her from behind her, it''s lens focusing and readjusting.


    "No time left, He''s back, Niko!"


    Gary yelled through the earpiece, as in another part of the museum a cheerful guard was just sitting down at his desk, looking up at his monitor as some movement caught his eye.


    Looking at the image showing on the monitor, the guard frowned, before shrugging, thinking it was just a bird that flew past the camera.


    Niko breathed heavily as she sat on the head of the large statue standing in the middle of museum, depicting a certain king or another. The statue was so large that one couldn''t help but wonder how they managed to even get the statue inside.


    She wiped the sweat off her forehead, looking up at the hole in the glass ceiling above her, smiling before making her way down the statue, carefully enough to not make any noise other than her small heavy breaths that she let out as she overexerted her small body.


    Finally down on the floor of the museum, she looked around, nodding at the familiar scenery that she had studied through photos of the museum she found online.


    "The ancient litterature section..should be this way.."


    She muttered to herself as she walked through the large domed room that was almost as large as a football field. Stretching wide enough that one would wonder if so much free space was really neccesary.


    Finally having made her way across the giant room, she was met with a normal glass door, a small keypad covering the part of the door where the handle would usually rest.


    "Hmmm..one of these huh, they are surprisingly old fashioned.."


    Niko muttered to herself, before pressing a button on her ear piece.


    "Hey, Gary, any way you can get me the code to the doors inside here, or am i just going to have to do it the old fashioned way?"


    She began to take out various small screwdrivers from her bag, and a small wire clipper.


    "No no, that won''t be a problem, please don''t touch anything, i know how it ends when you play around, these locked doors are nothing special, the personel at the museum are really aloof, they just type the code infront of anyone if they say they need to use the bathroom, the code is 1845, the year this museum was first built"


    "Tch...i was hoping this would be more of a challenge..."


    Niko shrugged and typed in the code.


    "No no no, this isn''t supposed to be a challenge, we''re just here for the texts and then we leave, okay, don''t do anything stupid again!"


    "What do you mean, again?!"


    Niko snapped, quickly covering her mouth as she realised she had unconciously raised her voice.


    "Never mind, let''s just get this over with.."


    Niko sighed and took out a spray bottle out of her bag, spraying the now open doorway, not expecting anything to happen, but doing it mostly out of habit, but the result she got surprised her.


    Infront of Niko, covering the doorway, several dark lasers were now visible due to the spray from the spray bottle hitting them, causing a shadow to form in the spray mist.


    "Interesting..so the door was just a trap, and this is the real security...not too shabby, most people would probably fall for this, especially if it''s connected to a silent alarm..too bad i''m not most people, i am the great Niko!"


    She smiled and took out a small tube looking device, which she put over one of the laserends in one swift motion.


    "The great Niko prepares for every scenario!"


    She smiled triumphantly as she crouched down and walked through the bottom laser which she had attached the small device to.


    "What, the alarm didn''t go off!?"


    Niko could almost hear Garys gasp through her ear piece.


    "Well yeah, since i just took care of the bottom laser, these types of alarms are quite simple really. One end shoots the laser, the other end recieves the laser, if the recieving end of the laser doesn''t detect the laser anymore it triggers a circuit which causes the alarm to go off. What i did was quite simple, i just replaced the laser signal, now instead of the laser coming from one end of the doorway, it instead detects my own laser which comes out of my small homemade device over here, which means that the real laser is just useless now. Also my homemade device is just a laser pointer with some some tape on the button so it continiously shoots out lasers, simple but effective, as expected of me, the great Niko!"


    Niko grinned to herself as she walked off through the corridor.


    After walking for a while, She suddenly Niko stopped, Becoming really quiet all of a sudden and taking a few slow steps backwards.


    "What is it Niko, what did you see?!"


    Niko could almost hear the sweat dripping down Garys face as he spoke.


    "It''s not about what i saw...it''s about what i didn''t see..."


    Niko whispered in a barely audible voice.


    "Have you noticed that the corridor and the large domed room all had very comfortable soft carpeting..?"


    "Well yes, as you would expect from such a fancy museum, it must be a pain to clean it though"


    "Exactly, and you know what i didn''t see down that corridor..carpeting.."


    "What does it matter if there is any carpeting or now, they probably got lazy or cheap and decided not to cover the whole damn place in rugs!"


    "This could be true if it was just a small museum, but this is the largest one in the country, i doubt they would have any trouble covering the entire street outside the museum in carpets..no the only reason i can think of for suddenly removing the carpet..is because they absorb too much sound.."


    "Absorb noise...?"


    "Yes, which means...motion detectors..most likely ones that use accoustic sensors.."


    "Can''t you just be very, very quiet then?"


    "No, it doesn''t work like that, if i had the carpet then maybe..but now every step i take will echo...and i will have to move very slowly in order not to activate it..by the time i get to the other side it will be probably be day..."


    "Yikes, then what do we do!?"


    "There''s only one thing we can do.."


    Niko slowly turned around, taking out a small knife from under her clothes.


    "Niko...are you sure this will work...?"


    An uncertain voice came from Nikos ear piece.


    "It''s fine, i''ve done this before, trust me, i''m an expert!"


    A muffled voice reached the ear piece.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Niko stood with her arms at her side, proudly looking ahead into the corridor.


    Her entire body was covered in velvet carpet like an animal suit, except for two small holes for her to see.


    "With this, the carpet should absorb all the sound and i should be able to walk through undetected!"


    A muffled laugh came thorugh the walking mountain of ripped out carpet.


    "Ok..here we go.."


    Niko began to slowly shuffle her way through the corridor, not managing anymore than a penguin waddle due to being restricted by the carpet.


    Sure enough, she made it through the corridor, finally letting the carpet drop now that she had reached the part of the corridor that was covered in familiar velvet carpet.


    "Childs play for the great Niko, the best thief this world has ever seen"


    She kept walking confidently, while she wiped away the sweat that accumulated due to being covered in layers of carpet.


    "Yes..you''re the best Niko..."


    Gary awkwardly agreed, trying his best not to laugh, knowing that irritating Niko would probably lead to triggering several alarms.


    "Now if you turn left...there, do you see it, Niko!"


    "Target locked, acquiring visual!"


    Niko put her hands infront of her face like a pair of goggles as she squinted.


    Several large glass cabinets stood against the wall of the long, slightly wider than average corridor. Through the glass, one could see all manner of various ancient writing equipment, small bones and deteriorated texts.


    Niko swiftly moved towards the cabinets, quickly looking through their contents without touching them.


    Among the various deteriorated texts, a large tome stood atop a small pedestal. It looked in rough condition, the cover was torn and heavily weathered, and the pages looked like they had been dipped in water, but compared to the texts near it, it practically looked in pristine condition. A small plate underneath read ''Hermes Trismetgistus, A collection of collected tales and theories''.


    "That''s the one Niko, let''s get it and get out, before the guard decides to take a stroll around the museum!"


    Garys slightly staticy voice buzzed in Niko''s ear.


    "Right, i think this should work~"


    Niko hummed to herself, clearly enjoying herself as she took out a pair of small lockpicks from her bag, and getting to work on the small lock that kept the cabinet closed.


    It barely took Niko a few seconds, before a distinct clicking sound indicated the opening of the lock.


    "Aw..i didn''t even get to enjoy myself.."


    Niko sighed, opening the cabinet door with slow and careful movements. The cabinet door opened soundlesly. The small hinges clearly well oiled as it was probably used often to take out texts for translation and study.


    "Just making sure here.."


    She quickly sprayed the tome with her spray bottle, observing that no strange lights or shadows came to view. She took out a small mirror from her bag, slowly positioning it around the small pedestal that the tome stood on, making sure there werent any hidden switches.


    Finally deducing that it was just an ordinary pedestal, Niko quickly picked up the tome and placed it inside a water sealed plastic bag, before stuffing it into her bag.


    "Perfect, great job Niko, now you just have to make your way back again and we should be golden!"


    Gary cheered excitedly, as Niko smiled with pride and slight disoppointment in her face.


    Just as she was about to turn and start walking back, she noticed something glittering at the far end of the corridor.


    As if entranced, Niko slowly moved towards that glittering point, her movements slow, and her eyes slightly dilated as if in a trance.


    "Niko, what are you doing, we are done, that''s the wrong way, Niko?"


    Garys complaints went through Nikos ear and out the other as they were completely ignored.


    Niko finally came close enough for the camera in her earpiece to focus on what she was entranced by.


    A large pedestal, almost as large as Niko, stood tall infront of her. Made of white marble, and carefully sculpted in the shape of swirling dragons and fish that moved up the pedestal.


    But what Niko was focused on wasn''t the masterful elegance of the pedestal, but rather what was atop the angel white pedestal.


    Behind a small globe of glass that sat atop the pedestal, was something that made Nikos eyes shine a devilish red, and causing her breathing to became rough and heavy, her fingers twiching restlessly.


    A deep blood red Ruby the size of a grown mans head sat proudly atop a white frilly cushion. It wasn''t just a normal large Ruby however, it was masterfully sculpted to resemble the figure of a chinese dragon twisting around what looked like a small blade, all made up of the same large ruby, the detail work on the figures was so intricate and realisic that if it werent made from a blood red rock, most people would assume it to be a very real breathing small dragon.


    "Shens Heart...."


    Niko swallowed her saliva with a loud ''gulp''.


    "Yes, it''s very pretty Niko, but we got what we wanted, leave already"


    Gary sounded slightly annoyed, but the undertone of his voice was filled with worry as he knew what was going through Nikos head. Or rather, he knew what WASN''T going through Nikos head, and that was anything other than the glittering object infront of her.


    "I''ve always wanted to steal it...but those damn chinese museums didn''t even put it up on display..but now it''s here..how come i haven''t heard of this..this could be my only chance..i must have it!"


    Nikos eyes filled with obvious desire and greed. Not the kind of greed that most people would have, wanting something in order to use it or sell it, this was the sort of greed that brought men to their unsightly end, the greed associated with what most men called pride.


    "With this my reputation as a shadow thief will rise through the roof..!"


    She excitedly began to take out various tools from her bag and positioning them on the ground infront of her.


    "No Niko, don''t risk it damnit, just leave, we got what we needed!"


    Gary yelled at Niko, but he knew that it wouldn''t do any difference once Niko became like this, so all he could give is a half hearted attempt, similiar to stopping the sun from going up by yelling at it.


    Niko completely ignored Gary. No, it wasn''t that she ignored him, she simply couldn''t hear him, as her mind was completely erasing anything other than the prey infront of her, focusing solely on the blood red gem infront of her.


    She began by carefully studying the pedestal the gem sculpture stood on, carefully observing it from every possible angle.


    "Hm.. it doesn''t seem to be connected by any cables.."


    Niko muttered to herself as she concluded that the pedestal was one giant slab of independent rock. She knew however, that the pedestal was not just ordinary rock, the top part of the pedestal was set to be pushed down once introduced to a certain amount of weight, causing it to look like one giant slab of perfect stone.


    Niko was no amatuer however, even among experts, her eyes were often called silly names such as ''Demon eyes'' or ''The all seeing eyes'', because once Niko really wanted something, her eyes would always see every possible detail concerning her objective and only her objective.


    This was not due to the fact that Nikos eyes were somehow better than anyone elses, in fact if that were true, it would mean that her eyes were now completely ordinary as her former body was gone.


    The reason for her strange eyes, is due to the massive amount of willpower and concentration she puts in, which completely denies her the ability to concentrate or even think of anything else, giving her the infamous ''Demon eyes''.


    What Niko saw was a small line going all the way across and around the pedestal, it was made so that it would fit into the design of the pedestal, seamlessly melting in, making it incredibly difficult to notice unless one used extremely precise equipment to measure and scan the surface of the pedestal.


    Niko however, saw it in a matter of seconds, her face making an expression that seemed to say ''As expected'', as she quickly took out a radio looking device from her bag.


    "Since the pedestal isn''t connected to anything..but it still has a security measure..that means that the signal it uses to activate the alarm doesn''t go through any cables or wires, But is wireless!"


    Niko smiled triumphantly and pressed a small switch on the radio looking device, activating a small red light that seemed to indicate that it was working.


    "Tsk tsk, whilst wireless traps are much harder to detect, disabling is as easy as pressing a button!"


    Niko smiled softly patting the small radio looking device, which upon closer inspection had a small label glued to it, which read ''Signal Jammer, portable, v212''.


    "And now..all i have to do is just take my prize!"


    Niko quickly lifted the glass globe covering the gem, putting it carefully on the floor, before slowly taking the gem from atop the pedestal, sliding her fingers all across its surface, as she relished in the smooth feeling.


    "I did it, Gary!"


    "Gary, hellooo?"


    "Oh right..signal jammer.."


    She laughed awkwardly a she realised that she had cut off the signal when she activated her device.


    She quickly turned around to walk back, accidently stepping on something in her panic. Looking down, she noticed her Signal jammer, which now had small pieces of plastic and cables sticking out from underneath her foot.


    "...Woops..."


    Niko carefully took her foot off the signal jammer in time to see the little red light slowly die down.


    Niko quickly turned back to look at the pedestal, not noticing anything different about it.


    "Damnit...i set off a silent alarm, i just know it, i need to get out as soon as possible!"


    Niko began to run back the way she came, not bothering to take any countermeasures against the sound triggered alarm, who similiarly stayed silent.


    Finally arriving at the domed giant room in the center of the museum, she noticed that it was too late, all other entrances and exits were covered in a sheet of heavy metal, and all the windows were similiarly covered in cage like metal.


    "Damnit..i wasn''t quick enough!"


    "Niko, Niko, the police are here, there''s atleast five cars, you have to get out of there, quick!"


    Garys staticy barely audible and panicked voice came through Nikos ear piece, causing Niko to bite her lip.


    "I know!"


    She rummaged through her bag, taking out a bundle of thin looking wires. Quickly climbing atop the giant staue, she threw the wire, which had a small metal hook attached at the end towards the caged window, which succesfuly wound itself around one of the small holes in the caged window.


    Niko took out a large Epipen looking device, which she held with her mouth as she used both her arms to climb up the thin wire, which would have cut deeply into her hands if she wasn''t wearing any gloves.


    Finally managing to climb up towards the window, she took out the Epipen looking device from her mouth and pressed a small button on the end of it, heat and light beginning to form on the other end of the device.


    The device began spewing out flames and dripping a red glowing liquid, Niko making sure none of the liquid landed on her. She pointed the device towards a part of the window, the flame from the device making short work of the windows steel, like that Niko managed to create a hole large enough for her to crawl through. After making sure the windows metal had cooled sufficiently, she threw the device down and climbed up through the hole.


    "Thermite sure is useful sometimes, good thing i thought of everything, the great Niko sees all possible futures!"


    Niko ran across the rooftop, her bag swishing behind her, heavy with the burden of loot.


    Niko arrived at the edge of the roof top, looking down to make sure no was underneath her, she jumped away from the rooftop, towards a streetlight, barely managing to grasp it with her small hands, and started to slowly slide down the streetlight, before finally arriving at the ground.


    She frantically looked around, the sounds of sirens already audible. Finally she found what she was looking for, an old black van with tinted windows, stood at the side of street, its engine still on and rumbling.


    Niko quickly opened the side door of the van and climbed in, getting into the drivers seat and hitting the gas, the van beginning to move with a heavy rumble.


    She slowly drove the van away from the museum, having to drive past the entrance first before being able to get to the main streets.


    She noticed several police cars parked outside the museum, several loud tattooed men arguing with the policemen about something trivial, doing their best to keep them busy.


    "Un, good job Zatoichi!"


    Niko smiled and continued driving slowly, trying not to make any suspicious actions as she drove past the crowd.


    Suddenly one of the policemen stood infront of the car, gesturing for her to stop, probably to ask a few questions.


    Niko knew that if she was stopped, A suspicious looking person like her would be searched, so instead of stopping she instead pushed the pedal to the metal, the policeman diving to the side as the Giant black van rushed past him.


    Before she knew it, Niko was in an intense car chase, between her rundown van, and several sportscar looking police vechicles.


    The van swerving madly, whilst the police cars kept a slight different as they pursued her.


    The police cars were quickly surrounding the van, the speakers yelling things in japanese that Niko couldn''t understand.


    Niko tried calling Gary on her ear piece, but couldn''t get a signal through it him, the operator saying that the line was busy.


    "Damnit Gary, now is not the time to be ordering room service!"


    She knew she was surrounded and that her van would stopped sooner rather than later. Luckily Niko had prepared a special backup plan just for that. It was a backup plan that she was looking forward to.


    Niko took a brick that was laying inside the van and put it on the pedal, securing the driving wheel with some wire so that it would keep the van straight.


    Now that the van was effectivaly driverless, She walked into the back of the van, grinning excitedly.


    All of the policemen gasped in surprise upon witnessing something that they had only seen in western movies.


    The backdoors to the van opened suddenly, revealing a grinning face, and whilst the van was still going at its top speed, something roared and flew out of it.


    A black motorcycle, upon which a small figure sat upon, flew out of the back of the van, landing squarely in the middle of a policecar.


    Niko turned the handle on the bike, causing it to roar and spin its backwheel even faster, cracks spreading across the front window which was now covered in the back tire of the bike.


    Laughing like a maniac, Niko turned the handle on her bike, and drove off from the police cars, landing off the policecar and onto the road without any difficulty as the policemen were still gaping without properly understanding what had just occured.


    By the time the police got themselves together, Niko was already far gone, her bag of goodies safely secured on her back, and her ponytail swishing wildely behind her.


    "Hah, no matter what cars you have, the great Niko''s vechicles are always greater, why, because they are piloted by the great Niko of course!"


    Just as Niko was starting to relax, and thinking about where to stash the motorbike, a sudden bright light filled the bikes rearview windows, blinding her momentarily.


    Behind Niko another, motorcyclist had appeared. It was not a police motorcycle, but the driver of the bike was clearly attempting to catch up to Niko.


    "Ho...a challenge huh...fine by me!"


    Her eyes filled with a competetive look, as the adrenaline from the car chase was still keeping her high on the action.

 Chapter 17: Strange feelings and strange threats

    Nikos motorcycle roared as it increased its speed to the point where it appeared as a blur to anyone actually managing to notice it before it was already long gone.


    She glanced at her rearview mirror, not expecting to see anything other than the blur of streetlights.


    Instead she saw a black motorcycle, covered in lines of gold and yellow lights covering the sides of the wheels, that gave it a regal appearance, despite just being a common motorcycle. The driver was wearing fullbody motorcycle gear with a large yellow helmet on their head.


    What surprised Niko the most was not the motorcycles appearance however, but the fact that the motorcycle was there in the first place. Whilst Niko often boasted of her skills as the worlds best thief, one of the skills that not too many knew Niko possesed, was exceptionally good driving.


    As any (ex)man, Niko was very fond of various toys, one of Nikos favourite toys were her many motorcycles, which she spent riding most of the time that she wasn''t sneaking around museums or international gold desposits.


    Which is why Niko was slightly surprised by to the fact that there was a motorcyclist that was actually able to keep up with her without being scared off.


    "Hoo..seems this one actually has some skills..but let''s see if you can keep up after i take it up a notch!"


    Nikos motorcycle braked, black smoke coming off the tires, as Niko pushed with one arm and pulled with the other as hard as she could, causing the bike to slide to the side and change direction.


    Just as soon the bike was facing to the side, her motorcycle roared and flew off at a great speed, not bothering to accelerate properly, which made her bike groan in the form of small clicks and barely audible cracks.


    She looked at the mirror, and as expected, the mysterious golden driver was still right on her heels, or wheels.


    Next Niko attempted another extreme turn, this time she didn''t even bother to brake, instead choosing to turn her bike as she leaned over to one side, her bike leaning dangerously close to the ground as she gradually turned to the side whilst still at max speed.


    Nikos turning was succesful only by a hair breadth, her bike managing to complete the turn only by the time it almot drove into the side of a building as she drove on the pedestrian walk. Her bike leaned far enough to the side, that parts of her foothold were ground away by the friction from the ground, sparks of hot metal flying off behind her.


    Finally having made the turn, Niko gradually leaned the bike back to its normal straight up position. Feeling slightly relieved over the fact that there were no people walking on the pedestrian crossing this late at night in this part of town.


    She once again looked into the mirror, feeling slightly smug over the fact that she succeeded in her bike turn that no sane person other than Niko would even think of attempting in a normal street.


    What she saw next caused her to almost crash her bike, as her eyes went wide while being unable to look away from the mirror.


    Instead of the golden biker slowing down to turn, or even attempting to do the same as Niko, which Niko was sure would fail and result in the biker crashing miserably, the biker instead did something that went against all the laws of known physics.


    Niko saw the golden biker driving straight ahead, in the direction that Niko was heading before, then suddenly the biker turned their bike sideways and continued to drive towards Niko, as if nothing had happened. She did not do a simple turn or a complicated turn or a dangerous life threatening turn, she simply turned, while driving at top speed, and made a 90 degree turn as if it was nothing, continuing to drive behind Niko.


    "T-this...this isn''t just some biker punk looking for a race is it...?"


    She gulped as she thought of any other ways to escape from this strange biker, her thoughts not getting anywhere as everything she thought of was shot down by the fact that her opponent was even capable of doing something like that physics defying turn.


    "Correct~"


    Niko turned her head to the side and saw the golden biker driving right next to her, her head turned towards her as she wasn''t even paying attention to the road. While they dodged passing cars, the golden biker still casually at Nikos side despite Niko doing her best to drive through the small opening between cars or underneath large trucks or doing other various kinds of things in order to shake the other bike of her side.


    "My, am i that unpleasant?"


    The mysterious biker spoke, in what Niko now recognised as a high pitched feminine tone.


    "Who are you, what do you want!?"


    Niko glanced over to ther side before giving the road her attention.


    "Me? I''m just the one who''s going to kill you and all your friends~"


    The biker giggled lightly and swerved around Nikos bike.


    Niko suddenly felt an enormous sense of danger from the mysterious biker, causing her to almost crash into a passing car.


    "My, my, you don''t have to be so nervous, i won''t do it yet, i rather enjoy myself for a while longer, now why don''t you stop, before i have to knock you off that little bike of yours, dear~?"


    Niko had a feeling in her gut that told her this strange biker was best to not mess with, and seeing her earlier capabilities, Niko didn''t question her ability to throw Niko off her bike.


    Niko slowly slowed her bike and parked at the side of the road, not daring to get off her bike.


    "That''s good, children are cute when they''re obedient~"


    The biker stopped behind Niko, getting off her bike and slowly making her way towards Niko.


    It was hard to see before, since the biker was on her bike, but this mysterious scary biker, was quite short, even shorter than Niko infact, who was already quite short due to her young body.


    The biker took off her helmet, wiping some sweat from her brow, and winked at the still confused Niko.


    "A..child?"


    Niko blinked a few times at the creature standing before her. Infront of her was a young, short girl, with long golden blonde hair, roughly 8-10 year, even younger than Niko, Nikos current body that is.


    "My, my how rude, do you realise that i''m your elder, child?"


    The young girl spoke in a haughty tone, unsuited for her appearance.


    "No No, no matter how you look at it, you''re a child, right?"


    Niko waved her hand, quickly relaxing now that the mysterious scary person was just a child.


    "I could snap your neck right now if i wanted to, girl.."


    The young girl grabbed a nearby sign, bending it sideways as if it were made of paper.


    Niko began to visibly sweat upon this display of killing power.


    "Now, now, you don''t have to be so worried, i have no interest in killing weak little girls~"


    The little girl smirked at Niko, who didn''t even bother to correct her when she said ''little girl''.


    "Now, i didn''t just stop you here to chat, i want you to deliver a message for me, to those cute friends of yours, that Samurai looking fellow, and that cute looking young boy~"


    "...Zatoichi..and Shoki?"


    "Yes yes, i want you to tell them that they should probably increase their skills a bit, or else they won''t be able to stand a single seconds against me, which would be quite boring~"


    She winked at Niko and put her helmet back on and headed back to her bike.


    "And be careful with that cutie of yours, i might just take him away from you~"


    She giggled as she jumped onto her bike.


    "W-what, Shoki and i aren''t like that!"


    "Oh~ but i didn''t say that i meant Shoki, hmm well either way it will all be pointless since you will all die sooner or later, but not before giving me my fun~"


    The young girl drove away, her bike silently driving off into the distance as Niko listened to her giggle which disappeared as she got further away.


    "What was that...even.."


    Niko glanced at the bent metal sign, feeling slightly relieved that the strange creature that looked like a little girl was gone.


    Her relieved face was soon replaced with one of worry, as she noticed the blue and red neon lights in the distance, quickly approaching her.


    "Ah crap, i''ve lingered here for too long!"


    Niko quickly started up her bike and drove away, her bike hiccuping every now and again, the abuse Niko had dealt to it earlier having taken its toll.


    She tried to get away, but her bike was having a hard time, as it would randomly stop, causing Niko to consider simply abandoning her bike and running away on foot.


    "Tch, i can''t do that, i already stick out like a sore thumb the way i''m dressed as i''m pretty sure they got a good look at my clothes when i drove by them..."


    The blue and red lights were gradually getting closer as Niko stood still and bit her nails, thinking of her next move. Before she had noticed, the lights that were coming towards her increased in number, and were now coming from seemingly every street, surrounding her from the distance.


    "The hell, how did they even.."


    Muttering in confusion, Niko glanced up at the sky, hoping a sudden idea would hit her.


    A hundred or so meters above her head, hovering silently, was what looked like a small multi propeller powered device.


    "A drone, of course...just my luck.."


    Niko was no longer surprised at how the cops had figured her location out, they must have sent out several drones to patrol, and this one must have caught sight of Niko.


    "Damn surveillance machines..stupid kids and their new toys.."


    She muttered ironically enough as she was currently a young girl herself, which made her sound slightly silly, if anyone was listening.


    Finally She looked around at the cars that were quickly becoming bigger in the distance all around her, trying to think of how she could talk her way out of this, when she noticed something.


    Just beyond the long line of blue white cars ahead of her, she saw something large raised in the distance, giving her the perfect idea.


    "Come on...just another five minutes is fine..come on.."


    She twisted the bikes handle repeatedly, the bike making an almost whimpering noise.


    "Just fucking work you piece of scrap!"


    She snapped at it, kicking the bike in the side. Somehow her anger must have done the trick, as the bike suddenly roared again, its engine coming back to life.


    As soon as the bike had made the noise Niko was looking, she had already began moving towards the long line of cars that were giving off red and blue lights, her target being the large object in the distance.


    "Once i get there, this will be easy, if i can get there"


    She continued to drive straight towards the line of cars. At this point in a few seconds time, it was going to end up with Niko crashing into one of the cars, which both Niko and the car infront of her knew.


    The driver of the police car,however , didn''t feel threatened as he was up against a motorcycle whilst he was inside a heavily fortified police car, so even if they did crash, he would be in no large danger.


    Thus the driver had no hesitation in his eyes, not wavering a single bit as he continued to drive towards Niko in this silly game of chicken.


    "Don''t underestimate Bikes, you bastards!"


    Just a second before the inevitable crash of the two vechicles, Niko pulled herself back, putting most of her weight on the backside of the motorcycle, whilst pulling the handles back as she did so.


    What resulted was Nikos bike standing up, its front wheel suspended in midair as its back wheel continued to propel it forward.


    The driver didn''t get any time to react before his vision was filled with a large tire, which threatened to make its way through the front window.


    Niko could very well have put enough force to slam the front wheel into the window and crack it open like an egg, Her goal however, was just to get past the car, not destroy it, so she opted for simple lowering the wheel on the window, the back wheel keeping the bike moving forward, causing it drive over the car, and past the line of cars that covered the entire road.


    The line of cars stopped and began their clumsy attempt of turning their cars around, which resulted in them bumping into each other-


    "Hah, fools, The great Niko doesn''t let herself get captured that easily, uh, i mean himself!"


    She looked ahead at the target infront of her, a large bridge, which was currently standing up and open, presumably to let boats through underneath it.


    "And it''s actually already up, how lucky!"


    Nikos bike increased in speed as she prepared herself.


    Nikos bike creaked slightly as it suddenly started climbing an almost 90 degree angle upwards at great speed.


    Niko looked back at the police cars which now stood at the edge of the bridge, the police men slowly coming out of their cars with confused looks on their faces.


    "Hah, you might think this kind of jump is impossible for people like you, but not for the great Niko, this much is nothing, see you on the other side losers!"


    She tightened her grip around the bikes handle, the last part of the bridge quickly coming to an end, to be replaced with nothing, as Niko was now riding through empty air.


    "Alright..now to land this perfectly, i need to brace myself just before the impact on the other side...Hm...other side..where is the other side..?"


    She looked ahead, and instead of being met with the second half of the bridge, a great scene unfolded beneath her, streets that were descending downwards appeared from under her, descending down hundreds and hundreds of meters like stairs, lit up by various store and street lights.


    The entire scene almost looked like glowing stairs leading down into hell.


    "W-w-w-w-where''s the other part of the bridge!?!?!"


    She looked back desperately, noticing something strange about the bridge. It did not look well used like other bridges, and it was also seemingly made of the same material all around, even the screws and street lights on the bridge looked to be made from that material, which looked alot like copper.


    That was when Niko realised, it wasn''t a real bridge, but some sort of realistic statue of one.


    She glanced down, realised that there was no way she could make a safe landing. If it had been a real bridge, even if she had failed the jump, she would still end up safe in the water, but this was something she did not account for.


    "Stupid artists, who the hell makes statues of bridges anyway!!?"


    She let out her frustrations as she was still flying forward, her momentum still having an effect on her fall.


    She let go of the motorcycle, as it was now useless to continue holding it.


    "Why didn''t i pack a parashute or a glider...you''d i would learn from my previous mistakes.."


    She sighed as she slowly began to fall downwards.


    "Maybe the golden orb, ah right.. i don''t have it right now.."


    She sighed again, now out of options, she resloved herself to her fate, not particularly saddened by her situation.


    "I mean..i should already be dead, and i got to live a bit more, and have fun with Gary"


    Putting her hands behind her head as if she was relaxing, she continued to fall down at an ever increasing speed.


    "And i got to meet some neat people too, Ah Hannah, those globes were quite glorious, and Zatoichi, that is one crazy samurai fanatic, too easily tricked though"


    She smiled as she recalled herself resting her head in Hannahs chest and tricking Zatoichi with lies that a five year old could see through.


    "And also...Shoki..He''s always cold to everyone, not showing any emotions..how lonely...it would have been nice to see him smile..."


    Niko felt something twist in her chest.


    "Ah..what''s this..what a wierd feeling...i don''t get it..."


    She wiped her face in order to calm herself, it was best to die calmly, that way she would be remembered as a fearless thief.


    "...Tears...why am i crying..not like i feel sad about dying..i was prepared to die all along since i chose a dangerous job like a thief..so why..."


    The teardrops floated up due to her body falling faster than her tears, creating small orbs of glittering water all around her.


    "Stupid Shoki... didn''t you promise to be my partner until we reached our goal!"


    She let out a pathetic cry, as more beads of water flew down her face.


    "...I did!"


    Niko looked up, and saw Shoki''s figure right above her, flying down towards her.


    "W-what are you doing here, You''re going to die too, what good is that!?!"


    She cried at him, attempting to hit him with her small fist.


    "...I won''t...and you won''t either.."


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "What the hell are you saying, you didn''t even bring a paraschute or anything, stupid, stupid, stupid!"


    "It''s fine..."


    "What do you mean, it''s fine, you stupid Shoki, it''s not fine, you should have just let me be, now you''re going to die!"


    "I said..It''s fine!"


    His intensity caused Niko to shut her mouth, surprised at the fact that his voice actually seemed to carry emotion, even if it was annoyance.


    The emotion that Shoki felt however, was not annoyance, as Niko thought, but determination.


    Niko felt his arms wrap around her, as she was held up firmly to his chest.


    "H-hey, w-what are you doing..i know we''re both going to die..but..i''m..a..man.."


    Her words became more and more distant, until she silently burrowed her face in his chest, afraid to look anywhere else.


    "It''s fine, we won''t die."


    Shoki spoke as if it were a commonely known fact.


    As they were falling down, Shoki skillfully made his fall deter to one side through twisting his body in the correct fasion as one would do when skydiving. Causing him to get next to the giant wall which was underneath the bridge statue, and seemed to be some kind of natural cliff face, which was artifically flattened for aesthtetic reasons.


    The wall stretched from the bottom of the bridge statue and down several hundreds of meters.


    Taking out a small knife from his pocket, he thrust the knife into the cliff face, making sure only the handle stuck out, whilst the rest of the knife was burried in rock.


    Still clutching Niko with one arm, he used the other arm to keep hold of the knife above himself as he dragged the knife down through the rock with his and Nikos momentum, gradually slowing it down.


    The effect was significant, as their speed slowed down quite a bit, The knife however, was almost at the end of its durability, cracks beginning to spread through the blade, causing Shoki to frown in annoyance over the weakness of his tools.


    Looking down, his eyes were drawn to the large collection of caffes and restaurants underneath him.


    Choosing the perfect landing spot, he let go of his crumbling knife, kicking himself and Niko to the side with one foot, towards the center of the street.


    He quickly spun in midair, making sure Niko was held above him as he faced the ground with his back.


    --


    An old man was casually sipping his tea underneath a large colourfull tent.


    The tent was ususally used during the day by people who wished to escape the sweltering sun. The old man however, liked to sit there even during the nights as there would be less people there, giving him his beloved peace and quiet.


    Just as the old man was about to get up to get a refill, something smashed into his table infront of him, ripping a hole through the top of his tent, and crushing the frail wooden table into mere splinters.


    The first thought that came to the old mans mind was aliens, but after quickly realising how silly that was, his mind instead turned to thoughts of war. ''Have the americans began another attack'' He thought.


    His worries were unnecesary, as after a quick glance, he saw that instead of a bomb, it was infact just a young girl and a young man, that were laying ontop of each other.


    "Uh, young people these days.."


    The old man muttered to himself and headed outside, thinking it wasn''t his problem.


    Niko slowly opened her eyes, as she slowly awoke.


    The first thing she noticed was the fact the she was desperately clutching onto Shokis chest, which made her quickly jump back in confusion, before remembering what had happened only a few seconds ago.


    Looking up, she could just barely make out the statue of the bridge in the distance, only visible as a small dot from this distance.


    "We..fell..from up there!?!"


    Niko quickly ran up to Shoki, checking his vitals.


    "Pulse okay..but..no breathing?!"


    She panicked unsure of what to do.


    "Shoki, wake up, breathe, breathe, BREATHE!"


    Shokis body was shook as he was desperately yelled at.


    "No no, this isn''t good....what do i do...oh right..i need to get air in his lungs again..right..mouth to mouth!"


    She took a deep breath and moved her face close to his.


    "Ah, no i can''t, i can''t!"


    She covered her face and moved away.


    "Eh..why can''t i..we''re both guys, so it''s fine right..?"


    She pondered.


    "No, no, it''s because we''re both guys, right..but i''m not a guy right now..but i am inside..GAH i''m confused!"


    She shook her head as she suddenly remembered that Shoki was dying.


    "No, whether it''s okay or not doesn''t matter, i need to make sure he doesn''t die!"


    She resolved herself, taking another deep breath and moving her face closer to his and closing her eyes. Closer and closer, She inched her face forwards, until their lips were almost touching.


    Suddenly she felt something covering her face, and she opened her eyes, seeing a hand covering her mouth as she was pushed away.


    Looking past the hand, she saw that it was infact Shokis hand and that he was awake and breathing.


    "Sh-Shoki, you''re alive!"


    She hugged his outstreched arm, before suddenly realising what she was doing, quickly letting go.


    "......Some..how..."


    He muttered as he slowly got up in an awkward fashion.


    "Wow, even a fall like that was nothing for you, you''re amazing Shoki, let''s go, before the cops get here!"


    She started moving out the tent, Shoki slowly following after, his body abnormaly more stiff than normal.


    --


    "That was way too risky, i couldn''t even contact you because you messed up all your electronics with that signal jammer!"


    "Ehhh, who cares, i succeeded, didn''t i?"


    The house shook with loud activity, which made it literally, Shake.


    The main source of the noise in the house however, was a loud argument between two people, their different distinct voices making the neighbors assume that it was some sort of argument between father and daughter.


    "Why did you even attempt to steal such a useless thing anyway!?"


    Gary stomped his foot onto the ground, forcefully enough to shake the floor slightly.


    "You should be gratefull, i was going to give it to you, since i know you were running out of money, and we need funds!"


    Niko similiarly stomped her foot, her force however, was much smaller, making her look even more small than she already is.


    "Well, thank you, but still, you could have died, AGAIN, damnit Niko, if Shoki wasn''t there, you really would have died, did you ever think what would have happened if you actually died!?"


    "Well, you would go back to being a shitty lawyer, so wouldn''t that be good for you atleast!?"


    Niko huffed and turned her head to the side, pouting.


    "That is true, but you do realise that i would feel terrible, do you really think i would feel fine after my best friend just went and died, especially when i could have prevented it, and think about Hannah, it''s her sisters body you got there, how would she feel if her sister just went and died becuase of your stupidity. Zatoichi too, that bastard although i hate him, he would have to go back to his shitty gang, and that life that is lower than a street thug, and did you even bother thinking about Shoki, he was the one who saved you, he risked his life, for someone just willing to risk their life for some stupid rock!"


    Niko had never seen Gary so angry in the many years she had known him. The Gary who would normally just shrug or sigh and do as he''s told when she complained too much was gone, instead replaced with a slightly nostalgic figure, full of anger, not the bad anger, but the soft anger one feels when genuinely concerned about someone close to you. Faced with that kind of Gary, Niko could only lower her head in defeat and shame.


    "...Sorry..."


    A small, barely audible word, escaped her lips, causing Gary to stop his speech, the anger seemingly evaporating from him.


    "Look, Niko, i know that this is your thing, i know that you have to do this kind of thing, but please realise, that the present you, is not capable of just doing whatever. If it was the old you, it would have been fine, you could always escape somehow, but now...Ah whatever, you won''t listen to me anyway, just do what you want!"


    Gary threw his hands in the air, giving up on trying to lecture Niko, and turned to leave.


    "I''m sorry...don''t be mad.."


    Gary stopped once he felt something tugging at his sleeve, turning around he found Niko tightly clutching his sleeve.


    "I''m not mad, besides what do you care if i''m mad, don''t you always try to get me mad anyway?"


    Shrugging, he sighed and turned to leave again, but stopped once he noticed something strange about Niko.


    Small droplets of water were making their way down Nikos face, making Gary confused.


    "Niko, are you crying, what''s wrong, did you get an injury earlier?"


    Gary crouched down, attempting to see if Niko was bleeding anywhere, But looking up, he saw something that caused his heart to turn and writhe in pain.


    Niko was quietly sobbing to herself, attempting to clean the tears off her face with the back of her hand.


    It was a face he had never seen Niko make before, a face he believed someone like Niko was incapable of making, a face full of sadness, confusion, amd most of all, fear.


    "Niko..what''s wrong, are you alright?!"


    He asked, slightly startled at how Niko was behaving.


    "..Don''t hate me..please..Father..i''m sorry...i''m sorry..."


    She continued to sob, her figure now looking less like Niko and more like a small confused girl who was just scolded by her father.


    "What Father, what are you talking about, Niko, Niko!"


    He shook her slightly, as she looked up at him, her eyes now filling with light again.


    "...Huh... I never said anything about a father..?"


    Confusion filled her eyes, before she slowly touched her cheek, wondering why it was wet.


    "Did you spill water at me, Gary..really..that''s something a girl would do!"


    She wiped her face with her sleeve, the strange feeling surrounding her earlier now completely gone.


    "What..but you were..you were acting weird just now, crying and saying something about your father?"


    Gary stood up, observing Niko, wondering if Niko was trying to play a trick on him.


    "Hah, cry, why would i cry, you''re not making any sense, You sure the stress isn''t just getting to your head?"


    Gary was given a look filled with amusment, and slight worry.


    "No, no, never mind...i guess?"


    "Well, whatever you say, let''s go celebrate, i''l leave the gem statue for you to sell, and since i''m the one who got us our lousy book and some extra payday, you will be the one paying!"


    "Ah...sure, another restaurant?"


    "No, no, we are going for Kareoke night, i''l go tell the others!"


    She ran off out of the kitchen, and into the living room where the rest sat.


    "That was weird...am i just seeing things..or is Niko acting really weird recently..?"


    He shrugged and went into the living room behind Niko.


    "Hey, guys, we are going for Kareoke, so get prepared, let''s go!"


    She urged everyone with an excited smile.


    Zatoichi who had only just come inside,late due to having to deal with distracting the police, earning him a scolding about interfering with police in the future, was sitting at one end of the sofa, chatting away with Hannah, who was sitting next to him in a comfortable manner.


    "Ah, a night out with comrades after well done job is very good indeed!"


    Zatoichi happily agreed to Nikos suggestion and got up from the sofa.


    "Niko, shouldn''t you rest for today, and maybe do that tommorow, i''m sure everyone feels very tired and it''s almost morning"


    Hannah said with some concern in her voice.


    "What, and spoil the good mood we have, no no, we are going now, while the night is dyill young, or atleast before the sun is up!"


    Niko declared with determination.


    "Oh well i guess it''s fine just this once, since the job went so smooth this time, but remember stealing is bad, doing just this once is fine since we really needed it, but at other times its bad okay!"


    Hannah nodded determinedly, almost as if she was trying to convince herself.


    "Went smoothly?"


    Nikos eyebrow was raised in confusion.


    "Ah yes, of course, i already told her all about how it went, it went really smooth, right, in and out without a problem, right Niko!"


    Gary ran in behind Niko, talking quickly, and giving Niko a strange stare.


    "Ah...yes of course, it all went smoothly, couldn''t have been easier for the great Niko!"


    "Great, great, so shall we head off!"


    Gary attempted to change the conversation as subtly as he could, which was not very subtle at all.


    "Ah, but where''s Shoki, i haven''t seen him since we came back?"


    Niko looked around, making sure Shoki wasn''t hiding in some dark invisible corner.


    "Ah, you go ahead, i will find and tell boy to come"


    Zatoichi gestured for them to go ahead as he slowly headed into another part of the small house.


    "Okaaaay, don''t take too long"


    Once they were all gone out the front door, Zatoichi made his way towards the bathroom, slowly opening the door.


    "You in worse shape than i thought, boy"


    He looked over at the pile of bloodied towels laying on the floor.


    "...I''m..fine..this much..is nothing..."


    Shoki breathed out as something cracked in his chest, he took out his fingers from inside a large wound in his chest that he seemed to have inflicted upon himself with one of his knives.


    "Such sloppy work to set rib, boy you should go to hospital if you so hurt"


    "....No need...it''s fine...i''m already..done.."


    He swiftly sewed up the wound, and shifted his attention to his leg, which he held between his hands, giving it a swift twist, a disgusting cracking noise filling the bathroom.


    "All...done..."


    He breathed out, most of the colour in his face drained.


    "Boy, that was big fall, you not done, why try to keep secret.."


    Zatoichi asked with deep concern, he knew that even if one was victorious in battle, one could still die a horrible death due to the inflicted wounds, no matter how small, either due to infection or internal bleeding. Luckily in this day and age, such deaths were uncommon, as one could easily get treated with a quick visit to the local hospital.


    "...i don''t want..Niko to find out...she would most likely feel responsible for my wounds...however.. i need her to be in her best condition..in order to quickly find out a way to resurrect...someone.."


    He said with a weak voice as he quickly cleaned up all the blood in the bathroom and splashed water onto his body in order to clean off any obvious blood.


    "Is that really all that is to it, you only want help girl because she useful?"


    "That''s...all there is to it.."


    Shoki said, his voice weak but determinned, Zatoichi however, was used to having these kinds of talks with his previous members of the Yakuza after they would have a fight, and he knew that there was more that Shoki wasn''t letting on, but he chose not to prod any further, as doing so is not true to his samurai conduct.


    "I understand, come boy, girl and rest are going to kareoke, they waiting for us"


    Zatoichi waited until Shoki had dressed himself again, making sure to add an extra layer of clothing in order to hide any obvious wounds from where he cut himself in order to get at the bones inside or any swellings caused by him freely setting his bones back in place without any medecine.


    "...I''m done, let''s go"


    Shokis face was back to his usual noncaring look, although if anyone would look closely enough, they would see that he straining himself.

 Chapter 18: City of the Dead

    "Why do we have to go back already! we still had five more hours we could have used up!"


    Complaining loudly, Niko turned towards the group slowly walking behind her.


    "Niko..We''ve been in there since morning, and now the sun is setting, and how come you''re still so energetic, even though all of us haven''t slept since yesterday!?"


    A loud groan emanated from Gary, his knees buckling with prolonged fatigue.


    "Whaaaat, you''re tired already, youre such an amateur Gary, but since you look so pathetic, i''l teach you my amazing trick that lets you stay awake for however long you want, even making you feel better the more tired you would otherwise get!"


    "There''s an amazing trick like that!?"


    He gasped dramatically


    "With something like that... i would be able to get so much work done..."


    He thoughtfully scratched his unshaven chin, focusing back on Niko, his eyes glowing with the fires of an eager businessman.


    "Tell me the trick, Niko!"


    "Okaay, the trick is....Food!"


    "...Food?"


    "Yes, food, you see, whenever you eat food, your brain releases alot of dopamine, and as you might already know, dopamine makes you happy, and energetic!"


    "So i should just be a glutton...?"


    "No no, but kind of ,well, you see, if you keep eating the same food over and over again, the brain will release less dopamine, since our bodies have evolved in a way that makes us crave different foods, thus our release of hormones like dopamine will decrease in order to encourage us to eat different foods."


    She took a deep break before continuing.


    "Which means that you would have to eat alot of different foods in order to keep up your dopamine levels, which is very hard and annoying. luckily, there are certain types of food that contain special carbohydrates that the brain never seems to tire of, and keeps releasing dopamine at max levels everytime you eat it, these carbohydrates are called Monosacharides, and they are the secret to staying awake and energetic!"


    Finishing her short lecture at an incredible speed, she quickly nodded several times, a satisfied smile on her face.


    "Uh..that was a great explanation and all, but what you are basically saying is...that i should eat alot of foods with...sugar...?"


    Gary looked questioningly at Niko, who was facing away from him, busy fumbling with something that sounded like a wrapper.


    "Niko..?"


    He walked over to Niko, glancing at her hands.


    Not taking any notice of Gary, Niko was too preoccupied with unwrapping a chocolate bar, that seemed to have tricky packaging.


    "Stupid...wrapper...get...off..already!"


    She attacked the troublesome wrapper with several well placed bites, that seemed to do nothing but mush the desired object inside of it.


    "Niko, that''s enough for you, young lady!"


    A feminine hand snatched the chocolate bar out of Nikos mouth, which she was attempting to bite through.


    "Hey, give it back, you Thief!"


    Niko turned around , Ironic anger aimed at whoever had the audacity to steal her chocolate.


    "No more sugar for you!"


    Niko was met with a light Karate chop to the head, which immediately blew the anger out of her eyes.


    "B-but, i need it!"


    "No, Alissa also had a problem with sugar, and i know how she can get, so no more for you, young lady, and that''s final!"


    Hannah declared with authority, placing the slightly sticky bar of chocolate into her pocket.


    "Guuuuuuuuuh, i neeeeeed it, pleeeaaaaase!"


    Niko begged, tugging at Hannahs dress like a needy child.


    "Niko..."


    Gary looked at Niko with slight pity at the state she was currently in.


    "It''s always hard to let go, but you have to...for the people around you!"


    He looked up at the sky, dramatically clenching his fist infront of himself, the painful memories of how he had to quit smoking flashing quickly before his eyes.


    Niko was completely oblivious to Garys dramatic flashback and continued to beg, which earned her a flick to the forehead from Hannah.


    Eventually, Niko gave up, and they continued walking back to the house. Niko still full of energy, whilst The small group consisting of Gary, Hannah, Zatoichi and Shoki, slowly trotted along behind her. Everyone except for Shoki slightly slumped over with heavy bags under their eyes.


    "I not get how you not tired, especially when u not healed yet..."


    Zatoichi whispered to Shoki, low enough so that no one, even him, could hear what he was saying. He knew however, that Shoki would be able to hear him, he sensed that the boy had superb observation skills.


    "...It is not about not being tired, i just simply do not pay attention to it..."


    Shoki kept walking, leaving behind him a concerned Zatoichi.


    "Hey guys, we can take a rest here for a few minutes if you''re so tired!"


    Niko waved over at them enthusiastically from a bench near a childrens playground.


    "Huh, you can be thoughtful sometimes, Niko"


    Gary groaned appreciatively, slumping down onto the bench, Zatoichi and Hannah sitting down next to him, whilst Shoki unsurprisingly chosing to keep standing up on the side.


    "But why the sudden thoughtfulness, Niko?"


    Not recieving a response, Gary looked around him, discovering that Niko had run off somewhere.


    "Where the hell did Niko run off to now, i hope it''s not another expensive restaurant that i will have to pay for..."


    He mentally prepared himself with a small sigh.


    "...Niko is nearby, just over there.."


    Shoki pointed over at the small childrens playground, Niko standing in the middle of it, making her slightly difficult to see due to the slides and swings blocking most of their vision.


    "What is she doing...?"


    Gary squinted as he attempted to see what Niko was fumbling with.


    "Another candy bar?!"


    Hannah stood up, alert and ready to enter her lecturing mode.


    "...No, it seems she is attempting to use one of the playgrounds toys...."


    Shoki calmly observed, his gaze not having left Niko.


    "Niko, what are you doing over there!"


    Gary shouted, not bothering to stand up from the bench, resolving to simply turn to the side so he could see around some of the obstacles.


    Niko stiffened upon hearing the shout, turning back to look towards the group, a slight embarassed blush covering her face.


    She was half straddling a puppy shaped riding toy, that was stood upon a large spring, which would cause it to move when ridden. It was a ride that most young children enjoyed, and was not designed to be ridden by anyone over the age of five, which caused Niko difficulties when attempting to mount it.


    http://i.imgur.com/zcRDrG3.jpg</a>


    "I''m just going to pretend i didn''t see that, keep doing whatever it is you were doing!"


    He shouted at Niko again, in a slightly tired tone, Not wanting to make an issue out of it so he wouldn''t have to get up form his comfortable seating.


    "W-what, i didn''t want to particularly r-ride it, i was just curious if i could, and i thought it was a bit c-cute, so don''t you dare make fun of meeeee!!"


    She shouted at him with a stiff and awkward smile, still straddling the toy puppy, both her hands resting atop its colourful plastic head.


    "Hey..don''t you think Niko has been acting kind of...odd, recently?"


    Gary looked over at Hannah and Shoki who were on his side.


    "...I''ve never been a good judge of people, so don''t ask me..."


    Shoki shrugged.


    "I have not known girl for long, so i not notice anything"


    Likewise, Zatoichi shrugged.


    "Hmm... well it''s true that She has been acting slightly weird recently...i guess?"


    A slightly thoughtful voice came from the young woman sitting next to Gary.


    "Oh, so you noticed it too!?"


    He beamed, glad to have found someone who agreed with him.


    "Tell me what it is you''ve noticed!"


    "Well...it''s not really something weird...but Niko has been acting kind of similiar to...Alissa.."


    Hannah glanced worriedly at Niko, slight longing flickering across her face.


    "Similiar to...what do you mean by that!?"


    "Like earlier, when Niko became obsessed with candy, Alissa used to have a problem where once she would start eating sweets, it would become very hard to stop her"


    "And remember how once it was Nikos turn to sing at the kareoke place, she chose that really strange kids song?"


    "Oh yes, i remember that, it was the opening theme song to ''love love princess'', the main characters designs were a bit shallow, but the art was very pretty and-"


    He soon trailed after noticing the strange looks he was recieving from everyone, even Shoki was glancing at him from the side.


    "Ah, i mean, i have heard of it before...ahaha.."


    Garys eyes were glued to the ground, his awkward laugh slowly becoming more and more quiet as it eventually died off.


    "....Right, well anyway, i remember that song was from an kids show that Alissa used to watch when she was younger, and Niko seemed to know all of the lyrics perfectly.."


    Her face filled with worry, her gaze flickering from Gary to Shoki, seeking their advice.


    "Yeah, and Niko really doesn''t like any Japanese shows, i''m pretty sure of that, and she also called me father at one point, but didn''t seem to remember anything about it when i asked her.."


    "She called you father...You do kind of remind me of my father, he used to wear sloppy suits and had a similiar build to you, does this mean, my Alissa coming back!?"


    "I..really don''t know, i don''t really know anything about this kind of stuff, my speciality lies in law"


    The lawyer shook his head and uselessly held his hands infront of him.


    "...If that is the case, then we best find a way to stop her from coming back..."


    A quiet voice blew across the cold breeze, causing everyone to look at the source of those cold words.


    "What do you mean stop her from coming back!?"


    Hannah stood up and stood infront of Shoki, her eyes filled with a strange seriousness that was unusual for her.


    "...If this Alissa starts to come back, then we should make sure she doesn''t succeed...is what i said..."


    He calmly repeated himself, his eyes never leaving Niko, who was messing around in the distance.


    "What i''m asking, is why we should even attempt that!?"


    She said impatiently, straining herself in order to keep her voice down.


    "...If Alissa comes back, there is a chance that Niko might be pushed out...the only reason for me assisting Niko as her partner, is due to her skills at retrieving things, and her mass of useful contacts..."


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He glanced over at Gary when he mentioned ''contacts'' before quickly moving his gaze back towards Niko.


    "...By assisting Niko, i will be able to reach my own goal, without Niko, i would lose momentum, which would make reaching my goals much more....difficult..."


    His voice trailed off, seemingly tired of explaining something that should be so obvious, his face never changing from that blank bored expression he always wore.


    "You mean that i should jsut give up on my sister, just because you want to reach your stupid goal, something tha selfish, how can you even say something like that!"


    She sounded terrible, her eyes filling with tears, her voice desperate and filled with grief.


    "Do you even understand, how painful it is to watch someone you love, just slowly wither away infront you, while you can do nothing but stand there, would someone like you even begin to understand how that feels. If you even partially understood, then you wouldn''t be saying such terrible selfish things!"


    Shoki moved his gaze away from Niko, looking deep into Hannahs tearful angry eyes, small droplets of water making their way down her smooth face. Her lips quivering slightly in the cold, her long eyelashes becoming slightly coated in water, giving them an almost glowing nature.


    He looked deep at that face that no man could ever say no to, speaking in a low gentle tone.


    "...I have experienced that similiar pain, more than you can ever imagine...."


    Hannahs face lit up slightly through the tears, at the fact that someone who understood her pain stood infront of her.


    "....And i still don''t give a shit about you."


    His experssion changed only for a single moment, before he quickly controlled himself, sinking back into that melancholious expression he normally wore.


    But that one moment was more than enough for Hannah to see his true expression, the true feelings that he felt at this moment, directed at none other than her.


    What she saw was a face filled with deep Disgust, the kind of Disgust one would feel when looking at a particularly disgusting insect.


    With eyes so cold they momentarily stopped her heart.


    She sank to her knees, her heavy breathing audible enough to be called coughing.


    "Ane-san, You okay!?"


    Zatoichi was instantly at her side, helping her up, with a confused expression on his face.


    Gary likewise stood up, confused at her sudden collapse, as their angle made it so none other than Hannah could see Shokis face.


    "Shoki, what happened, why did she suddenly collapse!?"


    Gary asked with a frantic expression, taking out his phone, ready to call for an ambulance.


    "...Who knows..."


    Shoki walked past the still kneeling woman, slowly making his way towards the carefree Niko.


    "...Niko, we should probably go now, it seems Hannah is feeling unwell..."


    "Oh, she''s probably tired from singing that much, well let''s go back and get some....hwah...sleep.."


    Yawning lightly, Niko followed Shoki, completely unaware of what had just transpired only a few meters away from her.


    --


    "Fwaaah..."


    Niko stretched herself like a cat ontop of hers and Hannahs bed with a large yawn.


    "Hmm..where''s Hannah gone again..?"


    Muttering to herself, she entered the living room, still in her pajamas.


    "Ah Niko, come sit next to me!"


    Hannah patted the seat next to her on the sofa.


    "Morning Hannah, Morning Shoki.."


    She lazily added as she sat down next to Hannah, nodding at her and at an odd corner in the room, which made Hannah jump as she realised that Shoki was standing there, closely observing them.


    "Ah...didn''t see you there..Shoki.."


    He recieved a stiff smile from Hannah, which he didn''t bother acknowledging.


    "Good news, everyone!"


    Gary stormed into the room, breaking the awkward silence that Niko seemed unaware of.


    "Oooh something good?"


    "Yes, the text that you acquired, i found out what language it''s written in, it''s a form of latin often used by merchants, so it''s fairly obscure, but should still be readable to anyone who knows a fair bit of latin, i had to send some images to that dear brother of mine, as he was quite interested in old philosofical documents"


    "That''s great, let''s go find someone who knows latin!"


    "...No need, we have someone who can speak latin right here...i''m sure she was simply too modest to admit it, though..."


    Shokis eyes fixed themselves onto Hannah, who stiffened up slightly, looking up at him with a slightly sour expression.


    "Yes..i did mention that i studied Latin back in college.."


    She admited through her teeth.


    "...Then do translate...if you please.."


    He gestured towards the Text that Gary held in his hand.


    "Of course, of course, just one second, i need to get my reading glasses"


    She walked towards the kitchen, walking by Shoki in process.


    "...Yes, we need to make sure you don''t mistranslate anything..."


    He looked into her eyes as she walked by, causing her to halt slightly, before shaking her head and continuing.


    A while later they were all sitting in the livingroom, except for Shoki, who opted for standing as usual.


    All closely observing Hannah, as she read the last bit of line on the text.


    "Phew...that was quite a read, haven''t had to read like that since preparing for exams way back when"


    She stretched herself, letting the text slide onto the table from her legs.


    "How old are you exactly..?"


    Niko asked, curious over how long back ''way back when'' meant.


    "Niko! It''s rude to ask a lady her age, you should learn that as a young lady yourself"


    "I''m not a woman, never was, never will be, so what did it say in the text?"


    Niko pouted and tried tried to change the subject from the irritating s ubject of her being female.


    "Hm, a bunch of written down debates centering around theories of life"


    "Like reviving...!?"


    "No...just things like how one should live their life, and about human mortality, and how tragic it all is, and so on, and so on, it was almost more of a poem than anything else, the most useful thing i found, was about how your blood would turn into gold if you lived your life correctly...which is not that useful i figure?"


    "No...damnit, i thought we really had it this time, are you sure you didn''t miss anything?"


    Niko looked disoppointed, her eyes still filled with a glimmer of hope.


    "...Yes...are you sure you didn''t accidently...miss something..."


    Shoki leaned in close in order to look at text laying on the table, whilst in reality glancing over at Hannahs face.


    "Of course, i read through all the chapters in this book, i haven''t missed anything!"


    She looked slightly offended, and looked at him as if to say, ''I wouldn''t do something so lowly''.


    "I mean the only thing i haven''t read are the authors afterwords, which i can just quickly glance through"


    She quickly picked up the book and skimmed through the small paragraph at the last page.


    "Huh...it says that the author found and transcribed these texts from stone inscribings when he was traveling through Thinis...where he apparently met a lunatic claiming to be able to reanimate the dead, among other supposedly heretical things..."


    She slowly closed the book.


    "Hm...that''s strange, if i remember correctly, Thinis is a supposedly lost ancient city, in Egypt..."


    "Thinis..? let''s see here, Thinis..lost egyptian city..one of the largest civilisations...city of the dead?"


    Gary quickly typed away at his laptop as he read out his findings.


    "Well, too bad, since it''s a lost ancient city, it seems we will have to give up on this and start over somewhere else!"


    Hannah smiled brightly and put the book down onto the table.


    "...Not yet...read through it again...this time read everything outloud..so everyone gets a chance to find any clues..."


    Shoki put his hand underneath the book, stopping Hannah from placing it on the table.


    "Fine.."


    She sighed and began the slow process of live translating the entire book.


    A few hours later, she breathed out and relaxed her muscles, finally done with the tedious task of translating an entire book.


    Gary was quickly finishing off typing in the last sentence she said, now having the fully translated copy of the text on his computer.


    "See, i told you, nothing there except strange poems and phylosofical discussions"


    "Wait, let me see!"


    Niko ran over to where Gary was sitting and snatched the laptop away from him.


    Scrolling up on the small laptop, she finally seemed to find what she was looking at.


    "Here it reads ''How magnificent the red sands glowed as we spoke of our lives to the people of the city''"


    "So what?"


    "So, sand isn''t usually red, which means it was most likely crushed up rocks that had been dug up to be used for buildings, so it''s somewhere with good mountains to dig from"


    "That doesn''t exactly decrease the area that much..."


    Gary sighed, but Niko continued once again.


    "Maybe not, but look here"


    She scrolled up some more, finding another paragraph that contained another hint.


    "Here it reads, ''The journey across the white desert was long and tedious, but it was all worth it in the end in order to acquire true enlightenement from experts of the way of life''"


    "Aren''t deserts usualy yellow though..?"


    "Exactly, Gary, look for anything connected to a white desert in egypt, it could be a dried up sea so they meant salt, or maybe it was some kind of rock formation, so marble or chalk"


    "Ah, you were right, a white desert, a desert dominated by large formations of chalk, it''s called the Farafra"


    "Great, now look for any nearby mountains, and that should be our destination"


    "Nearby mountains...yes, crystal mountain, apparently it''s a true desert, but there''s a small secluded village where nomads usually stop by for rest, they have no real name, so they call it the crystal village"


    "Then that is where we should head off next, first crystal village, next, the city of the dead!"


    Niko declared, Causing Hannah to sigh in obvious displeasure, whilst Shoki nodded in a pleased fashion.


    "I hope there will be alot of ancient tombs to rob...and i also want to ride the camels, and maybe touch a real mummy!"


    She jumped on her seat with childish excitement.


    "Uh...i really hate warm places..."


    Gary complained, but quietly went online to order some plane tickets.

 Chapter 19: Decayed memories

    The yellow sands glowed, hot enough that they distorted the air above them, making it appear as though the sands danced in the distance.


    Everywhere where the sun could touch, was only quiet and stillness. Whatever few creatures could survive in this sort of habitat have long since hidden themselves underground, away from the deadly heat.


    Amidst the scalding sands, and silent winds, a distinct loud sound filled the silence, causing the sands to shiver slightly.


    Making its way through the golden sands, and leaving a deep trail in the sands behind it, was a large loud Jeep.


    Or rather, it wasn''t the Jeep that was loud, it was the people riding inside the Jeep that were creating most of the noise.


    "But i wanted to ride the caaaamels!"


    A high pitched cry caused everyone onboard the jeep to flinch slightly, covering their ears.


    "Now Niko, i doubt even the camels could handle this kind of heat, we can look at the camels when we get back, for now how about we focus on this..let''s see..adventure!"


    Hannah rubbed Nikos back as she consoled the crying child.


    "You honestly thought we would ride on camels, through the desert, in this heat?"


    A lawyer clad in a business suit which looked very strange during the current circumstances, chimed in, adjusting his tie uncomfortably.


    "This isn''t some terrible biblical movie, we would all dry up and shrivel up, and not to mention my suit would get sand all over it!"


    He complained, wiping the sweat collecting on his brow, knowing fully well that his actions were completely useless as more sweat would just collect there a few moments later.


    "Gary, you''re an idiot"


    Niko said offhandedly, touching her large safari style hat that covered most of her face in a pleasant shadow.


    Nikos clothes, and everybody elses for that matter, except for Gary, were made of very thin material, and covered most of their body, so as to protect the wearers skin from the extreme sun.


    Niko was wearing a long white dress that covered most of her arms, and reached down to just slightly over her knees.


    Niko had wanted to wear the full Safari set, with the brown pants, yellow coat and iconic hat. But was forced to settle for just the hat after Hannah gave her a harsh scolding about how that kind of clothing would do more harm than good in the heat.


    Hannah was wearing a simple white blouse, with loose long pants, and a summer hat on her head, which she had to hold onto as it would blow away in the hot wind if she let go.


    Zatoichi was driving the Jeep at the front, still wearing he iconic loose Kimono, which fit remarkably well in the desert, as it was made of both thin cloth and loosely covered most of his body.


    Shoki sat beside him at the front, his clothing has similiarly changed to a loose shirt and a pair of loose pants, with the exception of his black trenchcoat, which sat loosely around his shoulders, like a cape, as he hadn''t bothered with the sleeves in this heat.


    "How am i an idiot, it''s not my fault that the damn desert is so hot, and that they don''t have Jeeps with good air conditioning!"


    He huffed and continued wiping his face with a tissue, causing it to become soaked almost immediately.


    "You could have just, you know, worn other clothing, you suit wearing monkey!"


    "Are you joking, i am a lawyer most and foremost, without my suit, i''m just another middle aged guy!"


    "You mean you''re not..?"


    "I''m not damnit, i will be the best lawyer you''ve ever met!"


    "Whatever you say, best lawyer that has ever sweat"


    "Damnit Niko, want me to throw this wet tissue on you!?"


    "No wait, get that away from me, no, gross, noooo!"


    The back of the jeep shook violently, Zatoichi trying his hardest to not get distracted while driving, remembering that he was driving in the desert, and that there was absolutely nothing he could collide with.


    "Hey, be calm back there, if you jump much, then car will flip, then we stuck in desert, that not good, ok?"


    Zatoichi looked back through the window sperating the back seats from the front seats in the Jeep.


    He slowly turned his attention back towards the "road" with a sigh.


    Niko was crying in the corner of the Jeep, with a small wet tissue resting on her head, as Hannah consoled her, quickly removing it from her head and throwing it over Gary, Who was laying face down on the floor, a large glowing bump on his head.


    "This clan so strange..but not bad strange"


    Zatoichi sighed with a smile, Shoki abscent mindedly, his mind focused on something else entirely as they neared their destination.


    --


    "Come on let''s go, you''re taking way too long!"


    Delighted laughter pierced through the shining rays of the summer sun.


    "Alright alright, just calm down, i''m sure the bus will wait a moment if you really wave your arms around"


    A stylishly dressed man walked up from behind the curtain of light, a black coat jacket tied around his waist in a fashionable manner.


    He adressed the person infront of him, walking at a pace between a half run and a leisurly walk as he attempted to catch up without putting too much effort into it.


    "You really think i would do that, i would look silly!"


    The person infront of him said in a shocked manner, her voice unmistakenably feminine.


    "Oh, it seems as though the bus is leaving"


    "Huh? No, wait, WAAAAIT!"


    The man approached the figure that was now coming to a stop, tired from running and waving around her arms, attempting to catch the attention of the driver.


    "Ahhhh, look we missed it, i told you we should have just ran!"


    The woman collapsed on the grassy ground, next to the small platform with a bus sign attached to it.


    The woman was wearing a sunny white dress, with small sunflower patterns all over it, that reached just over her knees.


    Her long bright hair that was carefully combed, now lay scattered around her head, almost in the shape of a halo, now that she was laying down on her back.


    "Well, guess there''s nothing we can do except wait for the next bus, which arrives in around an hour"


    The man sat himself near the woman, a melancholic expression on his face.


    "You just didn''t want to go home yet, so you made us miss the bus...and wipe that fake bored look off your face, i know you''re enjoying this, ahh..now i''l miss my favourite show..."


    She complained, uselessly flailing her arms above her.


    "Atleast the weather is nice..."


    Looking around, the only things surrounding them was the bus sign with the small platform, and endless plains of lush green grass, that seemed to stretch past the horizon in all directions.


    The grass shifted slightly, a slight gust of wind making the man shut his eyes.


    "But you know, there could be worse ways to spend an hour.."


    Opening his eyes, again, he was met with a warm smile, warming him more than the soft summer sun ever could.


    "Yeah, it sure is nice out today.."


    Smiling back at her, he grabbed a fistful of grass from around him, scattering it in the light breeze, the torn strands of grass floating softly along the wind in calming patterns.


    The grass petals darkened, gaining a terrible glow, becoming embers of light, that scorched the earth slightly as they lost their heat into the ground.


    The grass fields were replaced by barren land, scorched with flames and decay. Whatever plantlife left was painted with a sickly grey as they rotted atop ground, the very earth itself refusing to accept the decay that has Penetrated them.


    The man stood up, shaken at the sudden change of his surroundings, and the contrast between the two.


    Looking back towards where his companion was laying down only a moment ago. Instead of his companion, what he instead found was a pile of maggots in a loosely human shape, thrashing wildely about, fighting over access to something beneath them.


    "YOU FUCKING BUGS, GET AWAY FROM HER!!!"


    Attempting to swipe the maggots out of his way, for some unknown to him reason however, his limbs would not obey his will.


    "WHAT, NO! MOVE DAMNIT, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOOOOOOVE!"


    His mad yell filled the dead silence, the only other source of sound being the countless maggots squirming infront of him.


    Yet no matter how hard he yelled or strained, his limbs would not move a single inch.


    The maggots slowly began sinking into the dead earth as he struggled, taking whatever was underneath with them.


    "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING, COME BACK, NO NO NO, DAMNIT, STOP SINKING, STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"


    His desperate cries were not heard, the maggots quickly descending into the earth as if sped up many times over.


    Only once they and whatever they were surrounding were completely submerged in dirt, only then was he able to move.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    All he could do however, was helplessly sink to his knees, desperately clawing at the dirt infront of him, digging frantically.


    "If i just dig enough, then i can...yes then i can..."


    His fingers turned grey with blood and dirt which had mixed together, covering his hands in dried mud.


    After what seemed like an eternity of digging, he finally came across something, a single piece of cloth, no larger than his fist.


    It was dirty, making it hard to see its colour, but one could still see traces of a large symbol of a sunflower covering most of the cloth.


    The cloth looked like it had been decayed out from the rest of the dress, rather than torn away.


    The mans face was covered in shadow as a sudden glow from behind him came to life.


    "Yet another gone, and another one to join the masses"


    A raspy voice filled the place of the mans frantic digging, which had now stopped.


    "You shouldn''t have done that you know, some things are best left alone.."


    The voice sounded sincere and even slightly apologetic, as the man felt a hand extended towards his shoulder.


    "Don''t touch me.."


    He stood up, the dirty cloth clutched tightly in his hand.


    "...You tricked her...of course she couldn''t resist, her lifes work revolved around you..."


    The mans voice was devoid of any emotion, an almost robotic and eery sound, that made the owner of the raspy voice hesitate slightly.


    "Trickery is such a harsh word, she simply wanted to learn the secret of the dead, running all around, poking her nose where it didn''t belong, so instead of her messing up, i simply offered her a chance to learn whatever it is she wanted. She naturally accepted my generous offer"


    "...Generous...offer...?"


    "Yes, generous, she wanted to learn the secret of the dead, so what better way to do that, than to become one of them, hahaha!"


    The raspy voice cackeled wildely and ominously, the air crackling with energy.


    "Why don''t you also accept my generous offer, it''s a two for one deal, and you get to be with your beloved, for a veeeery long time!"


    One could almost hear the crooked smile in the raspy voice.


    "...Sure...i''l accept..."


    The man slowly turned around.


    "Good choice, now just take my hand and-"


    The owner of the raspy voice was cut off as the man leaped forward, a small penknife in his left hand, aimed towards the source of the voice.


    "You honestly thought that would work?"


    The man looked around, noticing that the owner of the strange voice was nowhere to be found.


    "You fool, you just wasted your single opportunity at being together with your beloved, but if you still want to be together with her, you are welcome to come find me at where the dead meet, and i''l happily give you another try, maybe then you won''t be as rude!"


    The voice flickered like an old recording and disappeared, leaving the man alone, a single piece of torn cloth in one hand and a tiny useless knife in the other.


    --


    "Shoki, Shoki, Shoooooookiiiiii"


    Shoki was awoken from his daydream by Nikos incessant screaming, normally he would feel slightly melancholic and nothing else when he woke up. This time however, he looked visibly relieved as his thoughts were gratefully diverted to another task.


    "Shoki..you alright, you seem tired?"


    Niko asked with some concern in her voice.


    "...I''m fine...simply had sand in my eyes..."


    "Ah sand, that''s pretty annoying, whenever i get sand in my eyes i always just blink really hard over and over, and that does the trick, maybe you should try it?"


    She suggested whilst demonstrating, blinking wildely at Shoki.


    "...Yes, i will try that..."


    He rubbed his eyes, not because he had gotten actual sand stuck in his eyes, but in an attempt to get the last of his nightmare away from his eyes, the visions of the sinking maggots still replaying infront of his eyes, over and over again.


    --


    "Well, we''re here, did anyone bring an English to Arabic wordbook?"


    Niko asked, stretching herself whilst stepping out of the jeep.


    "No worries, i''ve got that covered!"


    Gary stepped forward, approaching a nearby Nomad, who was busy feeding his camel.


    Niko used this opportunity to look around the place, burning all of the details into her memory. Not that there were many details to begin with, which made her job that much easier.


    The small collection of nomad tents that passed for a village, was just that, a small collection of tents stood in the middle of the desert, the only difference that made this spot have any value over any other spot in the vast desert, was the fact that this one contained a single needed resource.


    It contained a small water hole. Which meant that the nomads were able to let their camels replenish their water supplies, and the people themselves could relax and fill their supplies back up as well.


    Not finding anything of any particular interest, Niko decided to snoop around the nomads tents, looking for anything useful, although she was doing it mainly to alleviate her boredom and as a warm up.


    "Let''s see here..."


    Muttering to herself she sneaked into a tent she suspected was currently empty, the soft sands covering her footsteps combined with her natural sneaking abilities making her virtually invisible.


    The Tent was very similiar inside to how it was outside, with sand covering the ground inside as the tents were simply erected atop the spot with no serious consideration to any insulation or good footing.


    All around the inside of the tent lay sacks of various sizes, which Niko immediately began riffling through.


    Most of the items she found were completely useless to her, coming across items such as spare robes or ropes, Food and equipment that was seemingly glued together, letters and sweaters, as it can get quite cold during the nights, candles and a mass of strange handles.


    ''Wait...Handles?''


    Looking closer at the handles that she had taken out of a particularly lonesome looking sack, she discovered that the handles were made out of various kinds of wood, which was strange considering that were barely any trees around, especially with that sort of exotic variety.


    The handles seemed to be made with the intent of being slotted inside somewhere, and all had various texts snaking their way around each handle.


    Nikos treasure senses were tingling, making her quickly stuff one of the peculiar handles inside her pocket before quickly placing everything back so it seemed as if it were never touched, which was quite easy for Niko, who had actually bothered to memorise the entire image of the room when she first came in. Again, not that there was much to remember either way.


    She made her way back towards the rest who were resting near the jeep. Hannah had folded out various blanket onto the sandy ground upon which she sat together with Zatoichi. Gary being busy speaking with the locals, whilst Shoki was being Shoki.


    "Where have you been, young lady, i was all over looking for you!"


    Hannah immediately stood upon noticing Niko approaching in a half crouch from the side.


    "I..uh...was just looking around, since i got so bored"


    "Well no more looking around, something bad could have happened to you, we are in the middle of the desert, after all!"


    She grabbed Niko and sat her down infront of her, like how one would normally do with a small child.


    "Well might as well relax..."


    Niko sighed, drifting off into a light slumber.


    "Alright, i''m back, i found out where we should head to next!"


    Gary loudly announced, causing Niko to turn in her sleep.


    "Shhh..she''s sleeping, she hasn''t had any rest since she was so excited so don''t be too loud!"


    Hannah whispered as loudly as she could.


    "Oh sure, sorry, anyway we should probably head now if we want to make it before sunset, unless we want to spend the night here"


    Gary lowered his voice into a whisper as well, motioning towards the Jeep and the dirty tents.


    "Let''s stay the-"


    Hannah was interrupted by Shoki who picked up the still sleeping Niko in his arms.


    "...We should not waste time for no reason...


    He muttered, closing the case as he secured the sleeping girl into the back of the truck, securing her safety belt and putting a light blanket over her body.


    "Guess that''s settled then, let''s go!"


    Gary clapped his hands, before remembering to lower his voice.


    Hannah sighed in defeat as she packed up the Blanket with the help of Zatoichi.


    The jeeps engine came to life, Nikos body shaking slightly in rhythm with it, as they set off towards the mountain.

 Chapter 20: Temple of the end

    "Niko, wake up Niko!"


    Letting out a soft yawn and slowly opening her eyes, Niko found Hannah close enough that she could smell her faint sweet perfume.


    "Huh..what is it..?"


    She looked around, slightly confused at the sudden change in her location.


    "I don''t remember getting inside the car..?"


    "Oh yeah, Shoki carried you in when you were asleep, we didn''t want to wake you up"


    Gary passed by the the open side door of the Jeep, carrying a small bag that most likely contained his Portable computer.


    "Eh...Shoki carried me..?"


    She felt her face redden slightly at the thought of Shoki carrying her sleeping unaware self.


    "Niko are you okay? you look a little red, the heat is probably getting to you, you should drink some water!"


    Hannah immediately took out a water bottle from nearby and force fed Niko as one would a small child.


    Niko was unable to resist due to being fairly unprepared to have a bottle of water stuck in her mouth, forcing her to reluctantly drink the water.


    Quickly realising that she was indeed quite thirsty, she began to drink more obediently, until her thirst was quenched.


    "There you go, that''s a good girl, now put your hat on, we''ve arrived at the base of the mountain"


    Hannah unbuckled Nikos safety belt and headed towards the front of the car.


    "Wait, we''re already there!?"


    She hurriedly plopped the nearby safari hat on her head and jumped out onto the soft sands.


    The entire area they had stopped at was covered in dark shadow, so much so that Niko almost thought that it was night.


    The enormous shadow was created by the setting sun hiding behind the large single mountain standing in the middle of the desert.


    The Mountain was a single giant rock that seemed as tall as a common skyscraper. Certain parts of the mountain were made up of some sort of slightly red coloured rock, whilst the rest of it was generic grey stone.


    The most impressive thing about the mountain was not its height, nor the fact that it stuck out as a sore thumb in this empty wide scenery, but the fact that the side of the mountain which was facing them contained a giant rectangular hole, where an entire building seemed to have been sculpted out of the mountain itself.


    The carved building looked somewhat similiar to a church design, with a single tower in the middle, and a short building supported by pillars around it.


    It was however difficult to tell, as the building seemed to have eroded with time, with the edges and details of the building being filed away by the sand carried in the strong winds.


    "Well, this is pretty fancy for a shrine..."


    She stood in momentary awe, before regaining her wits and walking towards the rest who stood infront of the car, similiarly observing the sight infront of them.


    "This quite impressive, almost as beautiful as temple back in Japan."


    Zatoichi nodded thoughtfully to himself, observing the sight infront of him with great interest.


    "It''s really pretty..."


    Hannah stared at the mountain with the awe of a tourist.


    "This is...weird...i can''t find anything about this building being here...nothing on it at all, almost like the nomads were the only ones who knew about it...."


    Gary sat on the front of the car with his computer infront of him, frantically typing away as he usually does.


    "No, the weirdest thing is that you can actually get a signal around here..."


    Niko looked at him with doubtful eyes.


    "Sattelite signal Niko, i can get a signal anywhere as long as i''m outside, try to keep up with the times, would you"


    He looked up form his laptop for a single moment before continuing to type away.


    His comment was rewarded with a swift kick to his shin, his computer almost falling out of his grasp as he yelped out in surprise.


    "Damnit, Niko!"


    "Hmph, but what you did say was kind of weird, if you really can''t find anything about it, maybe it was hidden away by the goverment of Egypt for some reason..?"


    She attempted to rationalise how such a large landmark could go undetected except by a small group of nomads.


    "...If that were true, then they would attempt to establish some sort of security incase someone did come across it..."


    Niko jumped at the sudden voice coming from behind, now noticing the previously missing Shoki behind her.


    "Ah, yea, that''s true..."


    She nodded quietly, before shrugging.


    "Well whatever the reason, it doesn''t matter to us, since we''re already here, so let''s go inside and find the recipe for reviving my greatness!"


    She declared and headed towards the large opening in the mountain temple.


    Gary quickly packed up his computer and headed inside with the rest, his suit getting increasingly yellow with sand.


    Whilst Zatoichi mostly worried about the sand getting into the scabbard of his sword, trying to cover his sword with his kimono as much as possible as he walked thorugh the sands.


    --


    Light footsteps echoed through the empty hall within. Each and every miniscule sound getting deflected back by the thick walls that were part of the mountain itself.


    The darkness was pushed back by a dim lightsource, revealing large pillars inside the strange structure.


    Niko was holding her phone out, attempting to illuminate her path with the help of the dim lighting it provided.


    Fortunately enough, the rest had managed to catch up with her, providing much needed noise and lighting, which this place seemed to have a dreadful need for.


    "Niko, don''t go running off like that, it could be dangerous!"


    Hannah grabbed Nikos hand, preventing her from escaping further into the building.


    "Nooo, you guys are too slow!"


    Complaining, she attempted to escape from Hannahs iron grasp.


    ".....We should look around without rushing into things... otherwise we risk missing an important detail...."


    Shoki added from just outside the area illuminated by the group.


    "I guess you''re right..."


    She sighed, letting Hannah have a proper grip on her hand so as to make sure she never left her side.


    "Well, shine your flashlight onto the walls so we can see better already!"


    Niko snapped at whoever held the flashlight, causing the light to shakily shift towards a nearby wall.


    "...I have no idea what this says."


    Her face was blank as she attempted to desipher that strange symbols.


    "Well luckily, i did remember to download a beginners guide for ancient hieroglyphics"


    Gary took out his portable computer with pride.


    "Damn geek..."


    She scoffed at him.


    "Damnit Niko, i''m trying to help and all you do is make fun of me!"


    He complained, beginning to type away at his machine.


    "I''m just messing with you, where would we be without our head nerd, but do you really think you can translate all of this with just some guide you found online..?"


    She looked over at his screen, observing the incredibly simple translation guide, that seemed inadequate compared the to the large walls filled with symbols.


    "I guess i can help too, i did take some courses in ancient scripts back in the day"


    Hannah offered her help, which was gratefully accepted by the already confused Gary, and together they began the slow process of translating the walls of the building.


    "Ok, Zatoichi, you stand guard here, whilst me and Shoki go explore further inside"


    She whispered to him, low enough that Hannah could not hear, not that she would be able to with how absorbed she seemed to be in her and Garys translation.


    "Hm, if you want alone time with boy, only ask and i will make sure no one bother"


    He nodded towards her with a kind smile, leaning down slightly in order for his whisper to not reach the two who were busy translating.


    "Wa- N- No!"


    Her face turned beet red as her stammering grew worse.


    "No no no, it''s not like that all!"


    She forcefully denied it, her eyes wide with panic as her blush reached her ears.


    "I- i mean, how could you say something like that, i don''t consider men attractive anyway, so it''s not like i can like a man, and even if i did like men, i wouldn''t like him, i mean he did save me a few times, and he always helps me when i''m in trouble, and he''s kind of charming in his own special way...but, but it''s not like that okay!"


    She threw out excuses and denials that seemed to do the opposite for Zatoichis opinion of the situation.


    "Yes, yes, of course, i will keep secret, you go explore with boy!"


    He walked further in towards the entrance of the building, patting Nikos head as he walked off.


    "It''s not like that, geez!"


    Pouting, she turned around to head further inside, causing her to bump her face into Shoki who was standing right behind her.


    "...What is not like what..?"


    He asked, looking down at her short figure with melancholious eyes filled with a slight curiosity.


    "N-nothing, i just said to Zatoichi that i thought he should wear his sword on the other side, but he didn''t agree with me, so that''s what it was, yea!"


    She blurted unconsiously, coming up with an awful excuse due to her surprise.


    "...I see...it is best to wear the sword where it is more comfortable not where it seems best..."


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    He adviced, reassuring Niko of Zatoichis supposed choice to wear his sword as he does.


    "Ahaha, of course, of course, you''re right, well let''s go see what''s further inside!"


    She attmpted a hearty laugh, which came off fairly awkwardly, as they headed further in the dark stone corridors.


    Niko walked slightly infront of Shoki, so as he would not see her face, which was still flushed, although now at a less obvious pink shade. Her thoughts filled with what Zatoichi had said earlier, robbing her of her ability to concentrate.


    ''He''s just being funny, i''m a guy, no way do i think of stuff like that, i only chose to go with Shoki becuase he''s the one i''m more comfortable being with, i mean he never bullies me, and i can always count on him to drag me out of trouble, that''s why, i''m sure thats the only reason!''


    She attempted to convince herself internaly.


    The light from the entrance grew darker.


    --


    Niko and Shoki slowly explored the insides of the large mountain stone building. Their only source of light being a small flashlight that Niko had snatched from Gary, which was Shakily moving around the place as Niko attempted to illuminate everything at once.


    Shoki had no need for any sort of light source as he was used to operating in the dark. Removing your enemies sight by destroying the light source was an effective strategy, but ultimately useless if one was also robbed of sight.


    The walls further in were no different than the ones near the entrance. They were all covered in Ancient writing, strange symbols, and strange drawings of men being killed in various ways, anything from getting slashed with a sword to being fed to hungry rodents.


    The graphic peculiar drawings of men being killed was not the strangest part of the drawings however. It was the fact that all the men who were killed in the drawings seemed to be wearing a serene happy smile, as if they were finally recieving a well awaited reward.


    "Uuuu...."


    Niko quickly pointed the flashlight away from the disturbing images, instead focusing it on the ground infront of her.


    As she pointed the flash light down onto the ground infront of her, she noticed something that they would have most likely missed, laying in the middle of their path.


    It was a simple brown metal plate. In it lay various dried fruits and meats, accompanied with a the rare glitter of a coin.


    Nikos eyes were immediately drawn towards the glittering inside the plate. Upon closer inspection, she found that it was a golden coin, printed with the faces of unknown kings, in an unknown language.


    She quickly pocketed the coin, her inner instincts getting the better of her.


    Looking up from the plate forced her to fall onto her behind, letting out a fairly embarassing scream.


    "Kyaaa!"


    "...It is fine...it is simply another..... drawing..."


    His words trailed off after he got a proper look on what Niko was surprised by.


    A few meters away from where the plate stood, the corrider ended in a smooth wall.


    The wall itself was made up of the same material as the rest of the walls. This one however was much smoother than the rest, as if extra care had been dedicated to it.


    The middle of the wall was covered with a large drawing of a woman, with a headdress in the shape of a small house with a basket resting at the top of the house.


    The painted woman looked the very definition of beauty, as she stood, facing serenly side ways in the typical egyptian style of drawings.


    Around the woman, the image of each and every man who they had seen in the previous drawings rested at the feet of the woman. Their bodies seemingly withering the closer they got to her.


    What surprised both Niko and Shoki, was the fact that these dead men, were not simply mere paintings, each and every one of them had very real eyes embeded where their eye sockets would be.


    The reason they knew that they were real eyes was simple.


    The eyes were following them, blinking and twitching at certain intervals.


    "S-Shokiiiiiii..!"


    Scrambling back, she hid behind Shoki, who was strangely calm, even calmer than he usualy was.


    The eyes stared at them, their glare painfuly obvious as what little light Niko had, reflected off their glossy eyes, causing them to shimmer lightly in the dark.


    "W-we should go back and come back with the rest...yeah...let''s go Shoki..."


    She tugged at Shokis sleeve from behind him, attempting to catch his attention.


    He was however completely entranced by the sight before him. Not the living eyes embeded in stone paintings.


    He was mesmerised by the sole Drawing that did not posses anything strange about it. The image of the godess who stood in the middle of the horde of painted men.


    "Shoki, let''s go, this is getting weird, Shoki, something weird is happening, let''s go Shoki please, Shoki!"


    Tugging harder and harder still, she began to get desperate as the scene before her began to change.


    The Painted mens eyes began to move more eratically, Looking in random directions as if searching for something, before their eyes rested upon the simple plate that still lay in the middle of the corridor.


    "Uhm...you hungry for some dried fruit..?"


    She peeked from behind Shoki.


    She accidentally locked eyes with the horde of painted men, feeling slightly light headed as she felt she couldn''t look away from within their bloodshot eyes.


    Everything except the eyes became blurry and insignificant.


    Gathering what little willpower she had left, she slapped herself as strongly as she could, her eyes watering in response.


    She was succesful however as she was now able to look away from the strange eyes.


    Daring a small peek back at the wall, she made sure to not look upon their eyes.


    The wall was completely empty except for the drawing of the godess woman, whom Shoki seemed unable to look away from.


    Blinking a few times, she began to see the images of strange withered men with bloodshot eyes begin to slowly become more visible around her, as if she had simply failed to notice them earlier.


    Glancing upon the strange men, she realised that all of them had various wounds all over their bodies. Wounds from either heavy cuts, crushed limbs or whole bitten off chunks of skin and flesh.


    All of the wounds were fresh, and they were all bleeding profusely, causing the ground to become coloured red in a matter of seconds.


    "W-w-w-w-w-w-wwhat is this!"


    She stepped back, before looking upon the strange bleeding men again, and hiding behind Shoki.


    "T-the great Niko can easily h-handle scum like you, s-so you better go back to being weird paintings or i''l...i''l make you wish you hadn''t m-messed with me!"


    She attempted to intimidate the strange bleeding men infront of her. But alas, she held absolutely no persuation power as she stuttered from behind Shoki, not daring to even peek from behind him.


    "Tsk-Tsk...."


    One of the men with a crushed right hand tsked towards her, waving his disgusting strangely bent pointing finger to each side, making uncomfortable cracking noises with each movement his hands made. Before pointing towards the small plate on the ground.


    "E-eh...is this about the coin..i''l put it back, i will, i''l even put in some extra, more valuable currency, so please...go away!"


    She begged them, clutching tightly onto the uresponsive Shoki who still had a blank look on his face.


    The same man gave Niko a crooked smile, saying something in a tongue Niko had no understanding of, yet she somehow knew the exact meaning of his words.


    "Too late"


    Some of the men took out the various weapons embeded in them, such as daggers, swords and short spears, and brandished them sloppily towards her and Shoki. Whilst the rest of the men simply opted to cracking their jaws, green saliva flowing out of their open mouths as they did so.


    They began to inch closer and closer towards them, cutting off Nikos escape route as they surounded them.


    "Shoki come on, do something, please, Shokiiiii!"


    "...Hey...You''re blocking my vision...."


    He nodded towards a nearby man who was standing infront of him. He was more muscular than the rest, and brandished a heavy rusty looking sword, which he swung around whilst he yelled loudly, blood gushing out of his open wound in his side. The rest of the men joining in with their own Howling and laughter.


    "....So annoying...can''t concentrate..."


    Shokis eye twitched, which was the last thing Niko saw before she was pushed away by Shoki.


    Hitting the floor hard, she was forced to momentarily close her eyes due to the pain.


    Upon opening them again, Shoki was already putting his knife away, a pile of cut up bodies lay around them in an arc.


    "Wh-whaaaaat..."


    She gasped in amazement, the bodies slowly beginning to disappear, along with their blood, as if they never existed in the first place.


    "H-hah! T-thats what you get when you mess with the great Niko, and i''l keep this coin for myself, because you guys suck!"


    She showed her tongue to the last disappearing figure, which groaned in annoyance before they vanished.


    "Good job Shoki, that was good thinking of you, to wait until they lowered their guard to attack, you almost had me worried for a second there-"


    "Be quiet."


    Niko shut up upon hearing Shokis unusual forceful tone.


    Walking up to the painting of the woman, he began to observe every detail of it, as if he was looking for something.


    "Shoki...what are you looking for...?"


    She whispered to him, afraid to anger him.


    "Anything."

 Chapter 21: The other side

    "Niko!"


    A familiar feminine voice called out through the slowly brightening stone corridors.


    "Niko, are you okay, Niko!?"


    Several hurried footsteps approached where Niko and Shoki stood, who were still observing the stone painting.


    "Yeah, i''m fine, i''m fine!"


    She was embraced by a heavily fretting Hannah.


    Gary and Zatoichi approached gingerily from behind her.


    "You ran off without telling me, and then we got attacked by those weird painting people, i thought they would attack you too. I''m so glad you weren''t!"


    She held her embrace whilst speaking in obvious relief.


    "Oh, yeah we were attacked by those too, but Shoki took care of them in less than a second flat. He was awesome!"


    A proud smile covered Nikos face, as if she had been the one to accomplish the task herself.


    "What!? Are you okay. They didn''t hurt you, did they!?"


    She was touched and observed from every single angle by the overly worried Hannah, who checked for any possible injuries.


    "It seems you weren''t injured atleast..that''s good.."


    Hannah sighed in relief and stood up.


    "I guess i should thank you for saving little Niko, so thank you.."


    She unwillingly adressed the man who was too busy closely observing the painting to take notice of their presence.


    "Ah, don''t bother talking to him, he''s been obsessed with that painting since we first found it....Maybe Shoki really likes architecture?"


    Niko explained in wonder.


    "I''m glad ojou-chan is safe, good thing you were with boy, even for me handling strange demons was not easy"


    Zatoichi cracked his neck whilst holding out his sheathed sword with his left hand.


    "...Really? because Shoki killed them all in the moment it took for me to blink!"


    Niko bragged again.


    "Yes, yes, your boy is very good, is good that he protected you"


    He patted her head, and continued towards Shoki.


    "What you looking for, boy?"


    Zatoichi was completely ignored by Shoki, who seemed to be almost in a sort of trance, watching the stone drawing, attempting to figure something out.


    "Uh...anyway...me and Hannah managed to translate some of the texts before we were interupted"


    Gary opened up his laptop, which Niko assumed was the first thing he saved when they were attacked.


    "It said something along the lines of.. Ascend and descend: descend with nephthys, sink into darkness with the night-bark. Ascend and descend, ascend with Isis, rise with the Day-bark.


    He read out the small sentence they had managed to translate.


    "¡­Nephthys....¡±


    Shoki muttered whilst moving his fingers over the large stone drawing.


    "...hmm?¡±


    His fingers stopped over a particular spot, where the womans left hand was seemingly curled into a fist.


    "¡­.There is a slot here...?¡±


    Niko overheard the mutterings of Shoki, and ran up to him, looking around him in order to see what he was observing.


    "Oh, that slot, maybe...?"


    She took out the small strange handle she had ''acquired'' earlier, and pushed it into the slot.


    "...What are you doing!?¡±


    Shoki grabbed her hand, but it was too late, she had already slammed the handle into the slot.


    The painting infront of them began to crack.


    No, cracking was the wrong word, as the crack that appeared in it was long and extremely straight, going right through the middle.


    The now separated stone wall infront of them began to split even more, the ground vibrating with power, and the ceiling raining down small pieces of stone and dust.


    Eventually, the wall stopped moving, and now where once there had been a painting, lay an open square hole with a large staircase leading downwards.


    ¡°Niko, good job, what did you do!¡±


    Gary clapped her on the back, causing her to almost fall forward.


    ¡°A thiefs secret!¡±


    Gary received a mischievious smile from Niko, whilst they both admired her work.


    ¡°So, shall we head inside..?¡±


    Niko asked, turning around to observe everyones expressions.


    Zatoichi nodded confidently, his hand on his sword.


    Gary was nodding eagerly, looking forward to finishing up and getting back to civilisation.


    Hannah was looking reluctant but more or less willing.


    Whilst Shoki was as usualy...gone?


    ¡°Shoki, where did you go?¡±


    She looked around, expecting him to pop up from some corner as he usually does.


    Light footsteps could be heard from beyond the staircase.


    ¡°That bastard, he went without us, lets go catch up!¡±


    Niko turned and headed down the stone staircase, expertly dodging Hannah who attempted to stop her.


    Her footsteps echoed as she got further and further, the footsteps of everyone else barely audible behind her.


    ¡°What''s this..?¡±


    She stopped infront of a faded wall that seemed to contain some sort of painting.


    ¡°Shoki..?¡±


    Looking around the small space, Shoki was nowhere to be found, which was strange even for Shoki, who was an expert at evading peoples eyes at the most awkward moments.


    Due to the space below the staircase being quite narrow and cramped, causing any attempts at blending in with the dark quite useless.


    ¡°Where the hell did he go!¡±


    Looking around frantically, her eyes were naturally drawn to the only object of interest in this narrow space, the old wall with the faded painting.


    She held her flashlight with one hand, whilst holding her hand infront of her so at to not trip, getting closer to the wall.


    Upon closer inspection, the painting still looked as faded as it did before. It was more blurry than it was faded however, as if it was covered by a thin sheet of water.


    Niko attempted to dust off a certain part of the painting in order to get a better look at it.


    She expected the feeling of cold stone and dust covering her fingers. What she instead received was the feeling of cool water covering her fingers.


    Surprised at the unexpected sensation, she reflexively attempted to pull her fingers back.


    Her fingers refused to move.


    No matter how much she struggled, she could not pull her fingers away from the painting.


    Infact, it seemed her fingers were actually slowly sinking into the painting, small ripples appearing around her fingers as if the wall was made of liquid.


    ¡°What the...Guys, Guys HELP!¡±


    She pulled at her stuck hand with all her might, yelling as loud as should could.


    ¡°Niko, what''s wrong?!!¡±


    Gary appeared from the staircase, Zatoichi closely behind him.


    ¡°I''m stuck, it''s sucking me in, help!¡±


    She pointed towards her immobile hand, whilst pulling with as much strength as her meager muscles could.


    ¡°What the hell? here grab my hand!¡±


    Gary reached out towards Nikos free hand, grabbing and pulling as hard as he could, but he quickly stopped once Nikos arm began to make strange stretching noises.


    ¡°That hurt...¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    She looked at him through teary eyes whilst making sure her arm was not broken.


    ¡°Sorry..but who cares about that, how did you get stuck in the first place!?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, I touched this wall, and it started sucking me in!¡±


    ¡°What the hell!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and it still hasn''t stopped, help me! Please! Before it sucks all of me in!¡±


    They attempted pulling with their combined strength once again, to no avail.


    ¡°It''s now up to my elbow...¡±


    She gave her slowly disappearing arm a frightened look.


    ¡°Ojou-chan, am sorry, if we cannot pull out, it best if we cut before pull in rest of you.¡±


    Zatoichi who had stayed quiet up until now, spoke up. Slowly drawing his Japanese sword, and brandishing it above himself.


    ¡°No, No, NO!¡±


    Hannah finally appeared from beyond the staircase, grabbing a hold of Zatoichis ready arm, preventing him from finishing his strike.


    ¡°Uuu...If Shoki was here, he would know what to do...¡±


    Niko looked helpessly around, hoping to find Shoki standing around somewhere, in his usual melancholic manner, ready to help at a moments notice.


    ¡°Where is Shoki anyway, maybe if he was here to help us, with our combined strength, we could pull Niko out!¡±


    Gary looked around, obviously frustrated and extremely concerned for Niko.


    ¡°Isn''t that his footprint over there..?¡±


    Hannah pointed at a nearby footprint in the dust covering the floor.


    ¡°Yeah..i''m pretty sure that''s the type of shoes he wears..wait..why is half of the footprint gone into the wall..?¡±


    Niko muttered to herself, slowly realising what that meant.


    ¡°Shoki was sucked into the wall!?¡±


    Niko immediately began to walk into the wall, causing more than half of her body to go beyond the wall.


    It felt cool and relaxing, similar to a warm bath, if one could get the same effect from cold water.


    ¡°Niko NO!¡±


    Everyone grabbed onto the half of Niko that had yet to be sucked in, preventing her from going further in.


    ¡°Stop it, let me go, I need to go help Shoki!¡±


    She attempted to struggle against them, but the combined strength of the three were far superior to her inferior childs body.


    ¡°I have to go save him!¡±


    She continued to struggle, aware of the fact that it was useless.


    ¡°Niko, what the hell, he could be dead for all we know, who knows what happens when you get sucked in!¡±


    Gary scolded her, his grip on her strengthening with the strength of his rising emotions.


    ¡°Yes, He right, is still chance, if we cut off arm and leg, you still survive¡±


    Zatoichi was grabbing onto Niko with one arm, whilst brandishing his sword in the other.


    ¡°No, NO CUTTING HER, and NO going into the wall either!¡±


    Hannah was adamant about not following either of those options, wanting to bid her time until they figured out another solution.


    ¡°Look, guys, there''s no other way, the wall is already sucking me in, and seems like i''m not able to pull myself out again, so I have only once choice.¡±


    She attempted to reason with the frantic worried adults before her.


    ¡°We can just wait until we go back to the city and get someone who can help!¡±


    Hannah said, her voice betraying her doubts.


    ¡°With how quickly it''s sucking me in, we wont have time for that, so it''s better if I just go fully in, and try to help Shoki on the other side!¡±


    ¡°Fine, but if you''re going, then i''m going!¡±


    Gary released Niko and walked forwards towards the wall.


    ¡°Gary, stop it, what if something bad happens, you still have your career that you worked so hard for, stop being silly, you''ve watched too many drama movies¡±


    Niko dismissed his actions, with a casual wave of her free arm.


    ¡°No, I have decided, I don''t care about that, if you die under my watch without me doing anything about it, it means I lost a client, and I swore to never lose a client on my path towards being number one. And I also swore to never lose my best friend again.¡±


    Niko received an unusualy serious and determined look from Gary, causing her to swallow all her words. As Gary slowly reached out and placed his hand upon the wall, it too beginning to suck him in.


    ¡°If there something beyond wall, you need someone who can fight against Akuma, incase boy not there, so I go too, for glory of clan of parade of shadows¡±


    Zatoichi also stepped forward and placed his palm onto the wall.


    ¡°T-then me too!¡±


    Hannah stepped forwards, but was stopped by Zatoichi.


    ¡°Ane-san, is best if you stay here, we need someone on this side if things go bad and we stuck underground. You find someone to break wall, while we go with girl, Ok?¡±


    He explained his plan to her, which she reluctantly agreed to, nodding slightly.


    ¡°Okay...But take care of Niko okay..?¡±


    ¡°Of course, girl is safest when with me.¡±


    ¡°And take of yourself too..¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    With that she turned around and walked up the staircase, unwilling to look upon their disappearing forms.


    ¡°Hey, don''t I get any dramatic goodbyes?¡±


    Gary complained from the side, receiving a swift kick to the shin from Nikos still free leg.


    ¡°They were having a moment, idiot!¡±


    Niko snapped at him, before looking over at Zatoichi to see if he heard them.


    Zatoichi looked unaware of their little comedy act, and turned towards the both of them.


    ¡°So let''s go?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let''s go find Shoki!¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure..¡±


    And with that, the three of them began to slowly push themselves into the wall, the feeling of relaxing cold water overtaking their senses the further in they went.


    Niko took a huge breath upon pushing her head beyond the wall.


    She quickly ran out of breath however, and upon exhaling, realised she could breath fine underneath this strange water.


    Looking around she saw the faded painting that stood upon the wall.


    She attempted to walk back towards where she came from, but realised there was nowhere else to go besides the faded painting infront of her.


    Slowly inching closer towards it, She felt as thou she was walking through water, the painting slowly got clearer and clearer, the fogs surrounding it fading away, getting replaced with details and colour.


    And as the painting infront of her finally completely filled with colour, she saw a sight that would make even the most magnificent sights of the world combined, pale in comparison.

 Chapter 22: An overly polite horror.

    A wide open sea of blue stretched across the sky. The sky was the sort of blue one often sees in paintings that were considered the best of their kind.


    Yet the sky was not fully saphire, the further away one looked, the more clouds gathered. until it reached a point where the only visible parts of the sky were a few rays of sun escaping the embrace of the dark grey clouds surrounding the sun.


    The Grey still clouds would occasionaly light up the dark lands beneath them with flashes of lightning, which one could not hear from this distance.


    The landscape was filled with greenery and various forests seemingly melded into one, which stretched as far as the eye could see.


    One particular spot however, was free of any forest of greenery. A single large pyramid stood in the middle of that spot, two smaller ones on each side, seemingly guarding it.


    The grey clouds were surrounding the Giant pyramid, which seemed large although being an undeniably long way away.


    Something Glowing was stood upon the top tip of the pyramid, glowing an ominous red, as small strands of grey entered it from the clouds.


    Niko looked around, still slightly dazed.


    Various sounds were filled her head as she was coming to.


    The grunts, squeeks and roars of various animals could be heard in the distance.


    And the load cawking of birds flying above them.


    Some of the birds looked to be covered in something other than feathers. As if clad in fur or hard looking leathers.


    A few Fur clad birds were circling above, observing silently.


    "Uh...those birds sure look weird..."


    Rubbing her head as she got up, Niko observed the strange birds circling above her in the distance.


    "Wait..birds? Aren''t we supposed to be underground?"


    "And what is up with all this forest in the middle of the desert?!"


    "Gary, Zatoichi, where are you guys!?"


    Niko looked around for her companions, finally catching sight of something lying a bit away, a few curious birds surrounding and nipping on something in the middle of them.


    "Hey, shoo, shoo!"


    She quickly shooed the birds off, to reveal the still sleeping figures of Gary and Zatoichi, who had somehow managed to get into quite the awkward sleeping position where both of them were using each others feet as pillows.


    "...I should take a picture first"


    She quickly snapped a few quick pictures with her phone before waking them.


    "Hey, wake up, where the hell are we!?"


    "Mm....tell the client i have it all under control...and tell him his sack of money smells funny..."


    Gary was muttering in his sleep as he was hugging Zatoichis feet like a pillow.


    "Hm..foul akuma...you use poison gas...it not work, i kill you before i die...."


    Zatoichi muttered as well, wrinkling his nose and slashing the air with his empty hands.


    "God damnit, just WAKE UP!"


    She kicked both of them in their crotch.


    Both of them suddenly stood up, before falling back down again, clutching their crotches in great pain.


    "Oh god the pain!"


    "Akuma found my only weakness...."


    "Guys...look around"


    They both shakily stood up, slowly looking around.


    They were all standing on the side of a cliff, overlooking the large forest and the large pyramid.


    ¨C


    ''Oh god, oh god, where the hell are we, are we dead, is this heaven or hell, is this another magic thing, illusion maybe, am I dreaming, or maybe I ate something bad and I''m getting weird visions, yes that must be it...it was that sushi I ate before...my mother always told me to only eat properly cooked food...''


    Garys thoughts were all over the place as he took in the sight around him.


    ¡°So...what do we do now....?¡±


    Gary turned towards Niko, doing his best to pretend that the strange sight infront of him did not exist, whilst being covered in cold sweat.


    ¡°We must find, and slay, all Akuma in this realm of Akuma!¡±


    Zatoichi declared, glaring at the pyramid and the strange birds flying around them.


    ¡°No, we came here to find Shoki.¡±


    Niko looked deteminedly at the both of them.


    ¡°And then after we find him, we can maybe stop by that most likely unexplored pyramid and see what is inside it...¡±


    She added, her eyes glittering slightly, revealing her obvious greed so much, that her eyes almost turned into dollar signs.


    ¡°That''s right...where is Shoki anyway?¡±


    Gary looked around, there was no visible trace of there being anyone other than them.


    ¡°Damnit, Shoki, we came all the way here for you and you''re not even here!¡±


    She stomped angrily, a small fog of dust rising around her feet.


    ¡°He can''t have gotten that far, it hasn''t been that long, so maybe he went looking around for an exit?¡±


    Gary suggested.


    ¡°I really don''t know how Shoki thinks sometimes, but let''s look around for him I guess...¡±


    Sighing lightly, Niko and the rest began to explore the strange cliff they were standing on, eventually locating a small path, leading down into the forest.


    ¡°He must have taken this path, let''s hurry so we can catch up to him!¡±


    She urged the other two, whilst running down the forest path.


    The path cut through the jungle of strange plants and vines, obviously recent slash marks apparent on the leaves and various vines.


    ¡°Boy must have cut jungle to make path, to cut through thick jungle so fast, boy nevers stop impressing.¡±


    Zatoichi observed one of the large cut leaves, nodding in appreciation.


    ¡°Samurai idiot, less talking more walking, and Gary, try to keep up already!¡±


    Niko looked back from her half jogg, snapping at them with an irritated tone and slightly stressed tone.


    ¡°Alright, alright, woman become annoyed without man, is best to not let couple be seperated for long.¡±


    Zatoichi muttered to himself smugly, whilst walking after Niko.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Huh? What was that?¡±


    Gary breathed heavily from behind him, the short walk through the forest already taking his toll on him, his blue suit covered in dark wet patches of sweat.


    ¡°Nothing friend, now hurry before ojou-san get angry¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah..¡±


    Gary nodded, wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and continued.


    They kept walking like this for almost an hour, with Niko urging them to go faster, whilst Gary ended up being supported by Zatoichi.


    ¡°What is this..?¡±


    Zatoichi suddenly stopped, dropping Gary whom he was supporting, causing him to plopp down like an unwanted towel.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell!¡±


    Gary complained as he painfully got up, brushing the dirt off his already dirty suit, which essentially made no difference.


    ¡°A scream...and loud growl...in the distance...someone attacked by Akuma!¡±


    Zatoichi looked to the side, jumping into the shrubbery and disappearing into the forest.


    ¡°Wha, wait, Idiot samurai, where are you going!?¡±


    She shouted after him, recieving no response other than the rustling of leaves in the distance.


    ¡°Damnit, let''s go Gary!


    ¡°Oh can''t we just have a break while we wait for him to come back....¡±


    He complained, leaning against a tree.


    ¡°No! Now move it!¡±


    She began dragging him off into the direction where Zatoichi had ran off to.


    ¨C


    ¡°Zatoichi, Zatoichi, WAIT!¡±


    Niko ran up to Zatoichi, almost falling over the many vines and roots covering the ground.


    Gary running after her as best he could, which was not very good.


    ¡°The screaming, come from here...i heard!¡±


    Zatoichi was frantically looking around for the source of the noise he supposedly heard.


    ¡°What noise, there was no noise, right Gary?¡±


    Niko attempted to convince him.


    ¡°I didn''t hear anything atleast...but I was too busy trying not to faint..¡±


    He breathed out heavily.


    A high pitched scream filled the already loud forest with even more sound. Causing several nearby birds to fly up into the sky in response.


    Zatoichi immediately began to dash towards the source of the scream. Niko and Gary reluctantly following after him.


    They came out to a small clearing in the forest, where a small field of grass was slowly spreading its way through the forest.


    The leaves of a nearby bush rustled ominously.


    ¡°Stay behind me.¡±


    Zatoichi said as he drew his blade. The other two slowly backing up behind him.


    The rustling of the bushes got more wild and intense, and before they realised, something was out of the bushes, running straight towards them.


    The first thing that they saw was a face one usually sees in museums. The dead, dried face of someone belonging in a tomb. The face of a Mummy.


    The only difference being, that this one was running straight at them, and the face was moving, making terrifying expressions.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaa!!?!¡±


    Both Niko and Gary screamed, hugging each other in fear.


    Zatoichi instantly raised his blade, but before he could execute his blow.


    ¡°AAAH, PLEASE HELP ME!¡±


    The terrifying mummy cried desperately, falling flat on its dried face in a comical manner.


    ¡°.....huh?¡±


    The trio wore blank expressions, unsure of how to react to this unexpected spectacle.


    ¡°PLEASE, IT IS AFTER MINESELF, THOU HATH TO SAVE ME!¡±


    The Mummy continued crying, begging on its knees.


    The sound of rustling leaves filled the gaps between the Mummies crying, as the bushes began rustling again.


    This time, instead of a strange Mummy, what instead came running out, was a large boar.


    Except unlike a normal boar, this one had a mouth full of shark like teeth, and angry large reptile eyes.


    It growled and opened its jaw wide, as it ran towards them.


    ¡°Pork Dinner.¡±


    Zatoichi slashed its head off with one swing, The cut so clean, it seemed to be made by a proffesional butcher.


    ¡°Now..to slay Akuma...¡±


    He raised his sword again, looking at the Mummy.


    ¡°Oh I must thank you dearly for saving mineself, that beast hath been chasing mineself through the forest for quite a while now, I thought I was done for!¡±


    The Mummy stood up, and spoke in a very formal but cheery tone.


    ¡°I do not know how I could ever repay thou for such a service, hm..art thou perhaps lost? Mineself can begin repaying thou by showing thou the road back to the city?¡±


    The Mummy suggested, whilst dusting off its clothes.


    The Mummy looking creature, was wearing a slightly dirtied suit with a puffy collar, which gave off the impression of an 18th century fashion sense.


    In its hand, it was holding a simple black umbrella, that he seemed to be using as a cane. Its head was adorned with a fashionable black tophat, which it was now holding in its other hand.


    The Mummy bowed elegantly, making sure to hold its hat off to the side, and moving its arms behind its back, in a formal bow.


    ¡°Mineself am pleased to meet thou, Mine name is Henry the foruth, may I ask the names of mine saviours?¡±


    Zatoichi looked slightly confused at the strange respectful behaviour of the one he was about to slash down. And slowly sheathed his sword, looking at the other two for advice.


    ¡°....Did you say you knew the way back to the city?¡±


    Niko asked, walking up the strange creature, her previous fear completely gone, now replaced with a slightly smug and confident smile.

 Chapter 23: Carnival masks and lizards

    "Ojou-chan, stay away from Akuma!"


    Zatoichi moved infront of Niko, who was approaching the strange well behaved Mummy infront of them.


    "Oh come on, Idiot samurai, look at him, he''s harmless, and he was going to show us the way, so move out the way"


    She waved her hand dismissivily at Zatoichi who refused to move.


    "Hm..I am not quite sure why thine impression of mineself is so negative, but mineself hath no intention to harm any of thou, especially not since thou art mine saviours."


    The Old suit wearing Mummy bowed again, holding its umbrella behind its back.


    "See? now move out the way, so i can have a normal conversation!"


    She snapped, making Zatoichi move reluctantly to the side, and letting her advance towards the Mummy.


    "Niko! What are you doing, Niko!"


    Gary whispered loudly at her from behind Zatoichi, With Niko completely ignoring his angry and concerned whispers.


    "So, you said you knew the way to the...City?"


    She asked after approaching closer to the creature, keeping a safe distance of 2 meters away from it.


    "Why yes indeed, young miss, i would gladly begin to repay mine dept to thou by guiding thou all back to the city!"


    The Mummy answered cheerfully.


    "I must say, tis strange how thou could get lost so far away from the city, very few dare to venture this far away, and those that do, do it in groups."


    The Mummy scratched the dried up skin of its chin thoughtfully, creating a slightly disturbing sound of paper rubbing against paper.


    "Right? Before that though, can i ask, what are you...?"


    Niko looked him up and down, trying to determine something with her brief examination.


    "Mineself? Why mineself am the fourth heir to the Menxson family, well, mine house is a small one, but tis still a noble house, so thou can ask for anything from a great variety of things and favours as thine compesnation. A gentleman like mineself would do his outmost best to repay such an important debt."


    The Mummy babbled on, casually spinning his umbrella in his left hand.


    "So youre a gentleMAN, a male huh..?"


    "Why of course, i do not look like Gentlewoman do i? I only dress like that in the confines of mine own chamber, Hohohoho!"


    Henry the Male Nobleman mummy laughed at his own joke. Holding his stomach as laughter echoed out of his dried but still lively lungs.


    "Pfft...you''re funny, i like you, Henry!"


    She giggled at his terrible joke, nodding in acceptance.


    "So, can you show us the way back, to the uh...city?"


    "Why of course, right this way!"


    Henry the Mummy immediately began leading them through the forest.


    Twirling his umbrella around in one hand, and moving leaves out of his dried face with the other, whilst whistling a cheery tune.


    --


    "Niko...we''ve been following this...guy? For hours now, who knows where he''s leading us.."


    Gary breathed out heavily from behind Zatoichis back, as he was being given a piggy back ride by him, to Nikos amusement and repeated snapping of pictures of them.


    "Indeed...cannot trust strange Akuma, even if behave well..could be trick..best slay now, and not regret later."


    Zatoichi nodded, moving his Sword up with one leg to emphasise his intentions.


    "Oh come on, he seems like a nice guy!"


    Niko dismissed the two, moving towards the front, where Henry the fourth, more specifically the mummy, was busy hitting plants out of the way with his strangely pristine umbrella, like some form of crude machete.


    "So, Henry, you know when we''re going to get to the ''city'' yet?"


    "Oh? But hasn''t thou noticed, we have already arrived!"


    He responded with a last bash to a nearby vine, which caused a large shrub to tumble out of the way, revealing a large open space infront of them, with something shining in the distance.


    "Is that it...in the distance?"


    She squinted, unable to see that far.


    "Why yes, is it not obvious, from here on out, we art able to travel by normal road, if we simply travel down this hill, we should be able to make our way towards a nearby small road, leading directly towards the main entrance of our dear city!"


    Henry pointed a beef jerky looking finger down the hill they were standing on, a small road, indeed visible in the distance below.


    They slowly slid down the hill, Henry doing it in an elegant motion as if he was ice skating, whilst Niko and Zatoichi were forced to keep their balance by placing their hand behind themselves, sliding slowly. Gary tumbling down the hill past them, reminicent of a loose barrel traveling down the road.


    "Uh...I hate nature...."


    Gary muttered as he was getting up and dusting off his torn and dirty and suit.


    "My, My, it seems thine suit hath become ruined during thine travels, worry not, i shall call the finest seamstress to repair and upgrade thine suit so that it shall be greater than it ever was before, we shall embroider it with golden silk and silver buttons!"


    Henry popped up next to Gary, almost scaring him to the point of getting a heart attack.


    After calming down a bit, holding his hand over his heart, Gary asked.


    "Wait..youre going to pay for my suit, and get it stitched with gold?"


    "Why yes indeed, tis the least mineself could do for mine saviours!"


    Henry took off his hat in a light bow.


    "Well why didn''t you say so sooner, let''s go, what are we waiting for!"


    Niko and Zatoichi were getting pushed forward by an overly eager Gary.


    "Alright alright. Geez you do love your suits"


    Niko commented whilst getting pushed forward.


    "Well after all a Suit is a gentlemans first sign of dignity!"


    Gary and Henry spoke in unison, getting surprised whilst giving each other strange looks.


    "You know, Henry, I like you, you got style, i''l give you that."


    Gary said while nodding continuesly with an approving expression.


    "Why, i must also say that thine tastes art quite impressive as well, dearest saviour"


    The rest of the walk to the city was spent by Gary and Henry chatting away happily about suits and various other ''gentlemanly'' things, Garys fear of the mummy person long forgotten as he chatted away like to an old friend, which caused both Niko and Zatoichi to frown in annoyance, lagging behind a bit in order to avoid the full brunt of their conversation.


    "Geez, that Gary..."


    Niko smiled with a sigh, Zatoichi giving her a dirty look.


    "Is best if do not trust Akuma so quick. Maybe show us way, but could be trap, or worse, seems old Zatoichi has to be moral compass as they say."


    He mumbled to himself, slightly upset with the situation.


    "Oh cheer up, worst case scenario, i''l have you chop everyone up, after all isn''t that what you''re here for?"


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "I will slice all Akuma, when danger presents, i will slay all danger, until only dust remain."


    "Whatever you say, buddy.."


    She patted him on the back with an awkward smile, as they were nearing the entrance to the ''city''.


    --


    A white wall covered their view, circling all the way around the city, a large heavy metal gate stood inbetween them and access into the supposed city.


    The gate was filled with markings and writings winding around it in spirals, if one stared too long at the texts on the gate seemed to almost move on their own, shifting from side to side as if bored.


    "Oh dear, they seem to have shut the gate again, although mineself always says to hold it open until mineself returns, how disheartening.."


    A heavy sigh came from Henrys direction, all eyes resting on him, waiting to see what would happen next. Zatoichi ready to slash him down at a moments notice.


    "Oh worry not, this simply means i shall have to unlock the gate on my lonesome, which is an irritating but fairly manageable task, if thou simply excuses mineself for a moment."


    He gave a light bow, before continueing towards the gate.


    "Oi there, do wake up, mineself am in dire need of passing through"


    He said to no one in particular whilst gazing at the gate.


    "How rude, do wake up, sloth filled one!"


    He tried again, this time thudding the gate a few times with the tip of his umbrella.


    After the fourth thud upon the gate, the writings carved into it began to...shiver, for a lack of better words.


    As the writings were beginning to shiver frantically, Henry stepped back, his task seemingly complete.


    The gate began to move in motion with the writings, shaking slightly in the process.


    The carvings on the gate began to look smaller and smaller, as if they were getting further away, yet they were still etched onto the gate.


    The gate, as if lagging behind, quickly moved as well, and as it did, the carvings seemed to regain their original size, as if the gate was catching up to them from far away.


    A few seconds of such motions later, and the gate was now fully open.


    Niko and Gary had already forgotten about the strange gate upon seeing the sight beyond it.


    Whilst Zatoichi was wearing a serious and nervous face, his eyes jumping all over the place in his attempt to keep an eye on everything.


    "Well here it is, Welcome back home!"


    Henry motioned past the now open gate dramaticaly.


    The streets were filled with buildings built so closely together they were but only a hairbreadth away from each other.


    All built in completely different designs and sizes. Ranging from 1800th century european mansions to small medieval huts, chinese mansions, Japanese towers, and anything inbetween.


    The entire architectural situation of the city was a complete and utter mess.


    Even though it was utterly strange and unfitting, it somehow still had some sort of charm. All the buildings did not look like some sort of recreation whether cheap or expertly built. All the buildings looked like the read deal, authinticity seemingly bleeding from their every crevice.


    Other than the strange buildings, the streets were littered with lamps of every possible sort, hanging on the outside of every building. From Asian paper lamps to robust steel oil lamps.


    The most strange thing about the place, other than the building. Were the people.


    They all wore clothes as varied as the buildings they lived in. From dirty rags that were no more than potato sacks, to modernistic suits and everything inbetween.


    Another striking feature of the inhabitans of this strange city, was that almost all of them wore Masks, full face carnival masks that covered most of their heads. And there seemed to be atleast a few traders who were selling masks at every small corner of the street.


    Those few who were not wearing masks, looked pale and slightly sickly, as if they had been avoiding the sun for a bit too long.


    "Oh excuse me, i almost completely forgot!"


    Henry snapped his fingers, remembering something.


    He quickly dug out a small mask from within his suit, and put it on.


    The mask was a small black mask embroidered with gold lace, that only barely covered his eyes, leaving almost all of his dried shrunken mummy face unprotected.


    "There, wouldn''t want to flaunt mine beauty to all the less unfortunate would we, Henry thou art a kind gentleman indeed!"


    He praised himself as he adjusted his minimal mask.


    "Right..."


    The trio looked at him with blank eyes, and awkward smiles, unsure of what to say to his statement.


    "So...is this some sort of carnival?"


    Niko asked Henry as they all got inside.


    "Hm...Carnival?"


    He looked back wuth a raised nonexistant eyebrow.


    Just as he did so, a small carriage drove past, carying barrels of various goods, surprising them.


    What surprised them wasnt the wagon itself, but rather what was pulling the wagon.


    Pulling the wagon was a large lizard standing on its hindlegs, its small arms covered in small feathers. Its Large jaw filled to the brim with obvious sharp teeth was held closed by the leather strap binding it to the wagon.


    The wagon slowly rolled away, as everyone in the group other than Henry looked at it disappear in the distance.


    "A...dinosaur...?"


    "Akuma...!"


    "What have we gotten outselves into..."


    They muttered at the same time, each pair of eyes filled with different emotion. Curiousity, Hatred, and Worry.


    "What is wrong, mine saviours, shall we head towards mine mansion now, and get ourselves cleaned up, i assure, mine servants shall make sure thou art sparkling clean by the time dinner is ready!"


    Henry motioned them forward, as they slowly walked towards his mansion.


    "Henry?"


    Niko asked.


    "Why yes, what is it, thou wishes for me to hire a carriage, stead of walking..?"


    He began to call one of the nearby dinosaur driven carriages, motioning for it with a hand wave.


    "Ah no, i mean, Yes that sounds amazing!"


    She agreed to Garys and Zatoichis dismay.


    "But i have a few questions other than that, that i need to ask"


    "Why of course, but say you we wait until we art sitting at the dinner table and we shall discuss as much as thou wish, for now, relax and let us enjoy a warming bath as soon as we arrive!"


    He smiled kindly, his dried face creating wrinkles where no wrinkles should ever be.


    "Oh sure i guess"


    She shrugged and relaxed into her seat ontop of the fancy Lizard driven carriage.