Chapter 57: The Shrine
Cerberus pursued the fleeing bikers. His powerful legs propelled him forward. Cerberus closed the distance and fired fireballs from his left and right mouths. The fireballs struck the bikes, causing them to explode.
Cerberus skidded to a halt, his three heads looking at the fires. A red flash started to appeared from the Ultimatrix symbol on his chest. A burst of light then followed and James emerged from the transformation.
"Looks like I'm back to myself," James remarked. He remembered He thought when he was Cerberus, he could smell something horrible and evil of them. He could not let them live, he thought.
"James!" Saeko shouted, sprinting toward him, her strong legs propelling her forward with impressive speed.
"Saeko," James called back.
Saeko reached him, slightly out of breath. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," James reassured her. He looked at smoldering piles of debris.
"Why did you chase them?" Saeko questioned as she looked at the fire, blazing in the background.
"I could feel they had done horrible things," James replied, his tone firm. "I couldn't let them live," he stated. Saeko had a feeling, he was right. They did not seem like good people, especially after their last encounter.
"Plus, I smelled a group of people approaching us and one of them smelled like Saya," he added.
"So you knew?" Saeko remarked.
"Yes," James confirmed with a nod.
"Should we head back to them?" Saeko asked, glancing in the direction of the others.
"No, they'll be fine," James assured her. He turned to her and smiled. "Let's go and explore your dojo," he added.
"But," Saeko began to protest.
A guttural voice interrupted her. "Uuuurrrr," the voice echoed.
"Looks like they're coming," James said, urgency in his voice. He grabbed Saeko's hand, pulling her into a run. Saeko couldn't help but think how bold he was.
They sprinted down the streets as several zombies emerged from the alleys. Saeko released James's hand. She gripped Slasher tightly and charged towards the nearest zombie, slicing it down with a swift strike. Without pausing, she pivoted and slashed through another. The zombie went down.
Saeko then leaped back gracefully, her blade cutting through a third zombie mid-air. A smile spread across her face as she landed. She could feel the blade's hunger for more, mirroring her own hunger.
James watched as Saeko darted around. Her blade, Slasher, cleaved through a zombie, splitting it in half with a single, powerful stroke. He thought the upgraded bowie knife was powerful. Saeko lifted Slasher above her head and brought it down with force, obliterating another zombie.
Suddenly, two more zombies appeared, shorter than the others. One wore a raincoat, and the other had a teddy bear strapped to her backpack. They were children, transformed into the undead. Saeko froze, her usual confidence replaced by horror. The sight of the zombie children paralyzed her, fear and sorrow evident in her eyes.
"Saeko, snap out of it!" James shouted, his voice cutting through her shock. However, she was frozen. James knew in the story this also happened.
Seeing the urgency in the approaching horde, he grabbed her hand and pulled her away, sprinting down the streets. "Let's go," James urged, glancing back at the child zombies. "We can't stop now," he added.
They sprinted down the streets, Saeko still lost in her thoughts. James noticed her distracted state but carried her on. After running for ten minutes, they reached a grand staircase. The wide, white stone steps ascended upwards. "I think we are here," James remarked. Saeko has snapped out. She saw the stairs. Saeko gripped his hand.
They walked up the stairs and saw a shrine on top of the hill. At the top of the staircase stood a torii gate. It was in a vivid red paint. A stone path lined with bonsai trees led to the shrine's main building. It was a rectangle building. Paper lanterns hung from the beams, gently swaying in the breeze.
"Let's go in," James said.
"Sure," Sakeo replied. They walked hand in hand into the shrine. James opened the door and saw it was recently abandoned. He smiled. The inside of the shrine had many vases placed along the wall. There were two sheeted swords in front of the place.
Sakeo walked into the shrine. James closed the door behind and locked it. He saw the large piece of wood acting as a lock and thought this was old.
"So Saeko, what happened?" James asked.
Saeko took a seat on the ground. She was holding her arm. James walked over and put his hand on her shoulder.
"We can talk if you want, when you are ready," James said as he sat down.
James smiled and looked at Saeko. "You are beautiful," he commented.
Saeko looked back and smiled. "You never miss a chance," Saeko giggled.
"I aim to please," James replied.
Saeko smiled and looked. Her facial expression changed. "James, I want to say something," she said.
James nodded. "I recalled when I was last so afraid," Saeko said.
"The children?" James asked. He knew that was not the right answer but he played along.
"No, it was not that," Saeko said. "Although that was terrifying," she added.
"It was four years ago," Saeko began, "I was training with my sword when a man attacked me at night. I defended myself." She paused, the memory clearly weighing on her. "I broke his shoulder blade and femur," she continued.
"The police understood the situation and took me back in their car. But then, they might have thought I used excessive force," she said, her voice dropping slightly.
She took a deep breath before confessing, "I enjoyed it. I lured him in, pretended to be vulnerable, and struck without hesitation." "I truly enjoyed it," Saeko added. Her eyes widened and looked crazy. "That is my true nature. The true nature of Saeko Busujima," she continued.
"The thrill of killing, the power you have," James commented.
"It is thrilling, I was born with it," Saeko replied.
James grabbed her hand. Saeko blushed. "Everyone has their dark secrets," James said. He firmly held her hand. "I will always be with you. I will support you. I will help you be you," James stated.
Saeko looked into his eyes and got closer and closer.