Shiro: 004

Tetsu Tetsuya, known as the Untouchable Assassin, was practically a machine of mass destruction in the field of supernatural murder. At Mythpool, he was well known. In fact, most believed he was a legend. The few who believed in his existence were brutally mocked. I'll be honest with you; I was one of those who didn't believe in that legend. I know it is weird, a Mythpool agent, whose payroll depended on the confrontation with mythological creatures, saying he doesn't believe in anything fantastic. And when I found out that Tetsu was the same guy who I thought didn't exist, I felt like an atheist experiencing the Apocalypse.

He practically organized my thoughts on what to do in the situation we were in.

First, Oni. I called Mythpool and gave the exact location of the youkai's body, which we gently placed into the temple. Then Yuna. She was a fugitive from Mythpool, like it or not. She had killed the director. Although I confirmed their suspicions about my boss's murder, the hanyou coldly killed a human after being classified as trustworthy. Mythpool didn't know I released her, and that was thanks to Suny. My friend with benefits from the internship time said I spent the night at her apartment. Her voice in the organization was very powerful. Just so you know, if I had murder Director Tanaka and she denied it, I would hardly be questioned about it. Even so, she didn't clear it all for Yuna. And then, we carried the fainted girl and Tetsu brought us to a room with his teletransportation.

It was the hanyou's room.

We were at AAA.

I put the girl in my arms on her bed. The pattern on her sheets was Goku's Super Saiyan 2. Why level two? I also don't know, I thought only Gohan was funny with this transformation. The wall beside the bed was glazed. The one behind the bed had a shelf with some books like Noel Kyle and The Gorgon Hunter. The wall across the room, a bookshelf with a thirty-two-inch TV, a Playstation 3 console, and an Iron Man poster.

"In the end, she's a normal girl who has a hot for Robert…"

"What are you mumbling over there, commoner?"

"Oh, no, nothing."

He sighed.

The Untouchable Assassin vanished and reappeared in the room with two chairs. One was upholstered and apparently very comfortable, the other was all made of iron, with no upholstery. It goes without saying, the upholstery one passed right through me, right?

We settled on our seats, even though mine wasn't very comfortable and we watched Yuna asleep. After ten percent of an hour, I turned to Tetsu.

"Don't you think we should wake her up?"

"She's recovering, mutt. At least be patient. Since I was very entertained over there, this is my way of thanking you. And if you keep questioning it all, I…"

Yuna coughed. Our attention turned to her and then we froze, waiting for the girl's next reaction. She frowned. If she was having some kind of dream, I bet they weren't good images her brain projected. Her eyes started to open and she huffed, as if she'd run half a marathon.

"Are you ok?" I asked, since Tetsu didn't seem too worried.

She turned her face slowly to me.

"Pedophile? My room...? What're you doing in my room, douchebag?"

I sighed relieved. She was fine. A little stunned, like she was waking up from a tense situation, but she was fine.

Yuna turned her face to the initial position and rubbed her hands over the face as she stared at the ceiling. The hands raised, crossing her bangs with her fingers and …

"Where is it?"

"What?"

"Where's my hat?"

The hanyou was taken by the Wolverine effect. She, who was speaking as if she had bronchitis and acting slowly, suddenly jumped out of bed and sprinted to the corner of the room where there was a box. She rummaged, rummaged and rummaged, until she finally pulled a gray beanie with pom-pom from inside the cardboard cube. She put it on immediately.

"You ... brat! I thought you were dying!"

The girl turned around and showed me her tongue, closing her left eye, hands on her hips. After that playful expression, her facet got back to seriousness, staring away, like meditating on something very important.

What kind of psychological damage Yuna must have is unknown till today. Earning the respect of her mother who's been neglecting her entire life must have traumatized the young hanyou. Following her supernatural nature, she set out on the voracious path of monster killers, and strengthened both sides of her being to show her worth to the one who gave birth to her. But, thinking about it now, she coldly slaughtered Director Tanaka. Okay, he tried to kill her first, but still... it was so brutal. Even though the director was a member of Yakuza and murdered my boss, did she need all that violence? What part of Yuna acted out when she did what she did?

The question is: Would Yuna Nate be a villain?

To me, good and bad are vague concepts. The world is made up of ideals, and ideals change. It's about people choosing paths, those paths crossing more paths, and creating new ways for new people. If we just stop and analyze it using the logic of the Butterfly Effect, or Chaos Theory, a bad attitude from a person here in Tokyo can do something good for someone in London. Following this thought, is the person in Tokyo good for the person in London? Did Yuna Nate killing Director Tanaka cause anything good for anyone somewhere?

"Hey, commoners, this silence is bothering me."

The hanyou gazed back at him.

"I thought you had a life, douchebag. I assumed you'd only take us to Kinkaku-ji and then disappear."

"You thought wrong, sucker. I don't mean to get involved in your mission, but as I'm benevolent today, I decided to help you once again."

"Hm... Yeah, right. In that case, go to Tokyo and bring me some candy, energy drinks and some cool new game. I plan to stay the weekend locked up here in this room just like those brothers from No Game No Life.

"What?" The blonde guy was surprised.

"What?" And me too.

"That's what you heard. I'm going to stay locked up in here, walking around with just panties from side to side, playing a lot of Masochistic Combatants and fueling myself with energy drinks."

"For real, can you skip the otaku sexual fantasy part? But wait ... wouldn't it be right for you to play Street Fighter here in Japan?"

"So it was you who snatched my Masochistic Combatants?

"You are changing the subject, you douchebags, let's talk about the mission."

"What? You're the one who started talking about locking yourself up!"

"I want my Fighters back."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Why are we silent?" I commented.

"I told you this silence bothers me, didn't I?"

"Well then. I'm giving up the mission."

"We're back to that? For real?"

"I don't wanna kill her anymore. Maybe she's right. Maybe someone like me doesn't need to live. What have I ever done for anybody? I've only slaughtered creatures, even people, all because of the selfish crave for approval I sought from my mother. I spent part of my life wishing I was stronger and to prove that even though I was a mistake, I had my worth, that I could be relevant ... that I could be better than her. So, I'm going to lock myself up in here and see what …"

What I am going to report here might cause me a sue, but throughout Yuna's speech, I got up from the chair and took a long step towards her and what ceased hanyou's words was the snap my hand made on her face.

It mustn't have hurt. She had supernatural endurance. However, the incredulous expression she adhered to, showed that the blow had hurt her emotionally.

"Really, you are a murderer. You're not human but look like one. Not a youkai but acts like one. And this is confusing. I don't know how many creatures or people you've killed. But I know that you saved my life that night against Oni. I know you spared the lives of those two girls, who can be as guilty as Director Tanaka, but you let them live. You said you were planning to kill your uncle in Kinkaku-ji, but in the end, you just knocked him down. Did you rip his arm off? Yes, but you still left him alive and kept me going too. I believe that you are only a troubled and lonely child who wants to prove your worth at any cost to your mother. What I'm going to tell you is wrong, but if there is anyone to blame for the deaths you caused, that person is Yuki-onna. And what I'm about to say now is even worse, but between the non-existence of you and your mother, I prefer the Snow Woman to disappear."

...

Yuna wiped the beginning of her tears with her forearm.

"Besides being a pedophile, you're a masochist, huh?"

"Even after this incredible speech of mine you throw a joke like that?!"

She smiled. How could Yuki-onna call that imperfection? How could Yuki-onna call Yuna Nate defective? To this day, it doesn't go down my throat. The Snow Woman denied her daughter's existence with all her strength, and that left me speechless.

"Do I deserve a hug?"

"Don't push it, douchebag."

"Do you wanna see me throw up, mutts? Let's move on with this crap and decide what to do."

The hanyou took a deep breath, putting herself together.

"First we need to know her location."

That's true. Last time, we came up with the theory Oni wanted the Magatama jewel, and based on that, we got an initial location with Suny, which turned out to be very successful. But now, we had no clue where to look. Yuki-onna turned into snow and flew off northeast. Except there is a lot in Kinkaku-ji's northeast. She might've gone anywhere. After all, what does Yuki-onna want? Based on the attitudes I witnessed I can tell she did not come with the intention of killing her own daughter.

Perhaps, yes, but it wasn't her main goal. Did she come to help her brother to get the jewel? But her brother is now in prison and she left him there after being defeated by Yuna. So, maybe she wasn't working for him. Maybe they were together. Or is it Oni who was working for the Snow Woman? What if the one who wants the jewel is youkai and not her brother? She could use it, even so she is more powerful than him, Oni himself admitted that. But if so, for what purpose does the woman want the jewel?

"Tetsu. You know about the Magatama jewel, don't you?"

"Yes."

"So what's its special power?"

"Don't speak as if it were one of those jewels of the comics books in your country, commoner. The Magatama jewel is an immeasurable source of mana."

"Okay, but what can this source of energy do?"

"Hmm ... many things."

"Like what?"

"Hmm …"

"You douchebag, why are you talking like you're on a brilliant line of reasoning?"

"Because that's exactly where I'm at."

"Well, the jewelry, if worn by the right person, can pulverize things or even go back in time. But the user would have to have knowledge about centuries of magic."

Honestly, I stopped listening to it at back in time. Time travel. Back in time. What would Yuki-onna go back in time for? She's not the kind who set things on fire, her powers are ice. So, going back in time is her goal? If so, I have a duty to stop her. As a Mythpool agent I know that time travel is the second most serious crime among mythological creatures, only behind manipulation of reality or the multiverse. As a Mythpool agent, it was my duty to not let that happen. But ... Why would she go back in time?

Automatically, when asking this question to myself, I turned my head and looked at Yuna over my shoulder. I swallowed. It was just a theory, but it made so much sense it scared me, like when I faced Oni for the first time. Yuki-onna, the Snow Woman, wanted to go back in time and prevent her daughter from being born.

"Your mother is a monster…"

"What? Are you ok, douchebag? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No ... nothing. Actually, I think your mom is looking for the jewel, I mean, the real one."

"And you don't know where the real one is?" Asked Tetsu.

"No, we don't know. The only one who knows is a colleague of mine, but Yuki-onna wouldn't reach her easily, and even if she did, she'd still have to confront her. I also doubt Suny would say anything to her."

Speaking of which, I just remembered for some reason when I grabbed my coworker's breasts hours ago. It was a good memory. So, connected to this reverie, I also remembered when Yuki-onna sniffed the forearm I had touched, as if my hands were soiled by radiation. She said something about mana, didn't she? But I had only touched Suny's boobs. What does magic have to do with …

"Damn it!"

"What is it?"

"Shit!"

"What is it?"

"What the..."

"What is it, mutt?"

"The jewel is with Suny!"

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and searched for Suny's name on the contact list. I sent a message ... then another ... and then another. I decided to call ... and rang and rang ... and rang and rang ... voicemail. I called again. Again, voicemail.

"Do you think my mother ...?"

"Don't even think about it!"

I opened the maps app and found the location of my coworker's apartment. I almost rubbed the image on Tetsu's face.

"Can you take us there?"

"Hmph, who do you think I am? Of course I can. Get closer, commoners. I could even go with you, but ... I don't want to."

The assassin touched our shoulders and the thud put me back into a moving psychedelic tunnel, whose colored rays moved like bullet trains around me. It was the journey from one point to another that would put us in the wanted place.

We emerged on the staircase in Suny's building.

Spitted out of a space-time gap that built itself and faded like cosmic smoke, Yuna showed up with her feet firmly on the ground. But me...I fell flat on my face.

"That's what you get for spinning around in teletransportation."

"Bite me!"

The hanyou sniffed the air and touched the wall.

She also licked it.

"What the hell? What are you doing? You're gonna catch some disease."

"My immunity is quite high. Ha! my mom is here."

"I already suspected that …"

"It's dangerous. This mission is mine alone. You came unannounced, don't you think it's best to leave this to me?"

"No way. Now I'm also involved in this, especially if she did something against Suny. I won't forgive your mother, with all due respect of course."

"It doesn't offend me in any way, douchebag."

She smiled. A shy and graceful smile.

"So, let's do this, Yuna. She must be in the apartment."

"No. She's not in the apartment. She's on the terrace."

At that, we began to go upstairs, spiraled through the floors looking like there was no end. The hanyou sprinted in front of me, I followed right behind two steps away. Her emanating energy changed when she decided to face her oppressive mother. When she began to go up the stairs, she knew she was going inside a hidden cave, a path of no return. Even so, her aura, if I can call it that, was bubbling with the heat of her determination. Actually, aura is just the best way to express myself in this case. The girl's body was not enveloped in golden light, as if she had transformed into a Super Saiyan. What I meant was It could be felt in the air around her all focus and concentration, all the preparation to make her heart cold enough to slaughter her own mother.

Perhaps Yuna could have ended Yuki-onna there on the first encounter at the intersection during the escape with Oni. But perhaps she lacked coldness. This is also true for Snow Woman. The problem with the girl who drops ice by the hand is not the ice blows temperature, but the temperature of her heart.

However, the moment she ran up that staircase, as in a scene from The Knights of the Zodiac, I could bet she'd found the answer to her problems, and was determined to do what had to be done.

BAM! The door between the terrace and the staircase was kicked open violently. With no discretion, Yuna Nate took her first steps at the top of that building. And like a shadow, I was right behind her.

"3k1! Run!"

It was Suny's voice. A desperate cry. A voice tone I never thought I'd hear from that person.

Your Humble Narrator and the hanyou turned to the left, from where the sound of agitated alert came from. And then, we glimpsed an image, which for me, explained the reason for those anguished words.

Yuki-onna and Suny McSun were face to face. The deadly struggle was already half done. How did I figure it out? Judging by the expression of youkai's anticipated victory, staring at her prey who in this case was my co-worker. Suny was wearing gray sweatpants, which the bottom half of the left leg was completely torn, showing a bloody wound on her calf. At her upper body there were cuts in several places on her arms, and the left strap of the black tank top she wore was also gone. In hand, was the legendary Totsuka sword.

"They arrived."

Yuki-onna said to us, but kept her eyes on Suny. I noticed on her arm there was a cut bleeding a little.

"Have you noticed, handsome young man? My beauty was tainted by the sacred blade. Just observe the condition of this human. Do you have any feelings for her? You should know that she has something I need, and she will certainly die in case she does not hand it to me."

"Leave her alone, mother!" Yuna took a step forward. "If the jewelry is what you're looking for, come on, it is with me!"

"You lie to protect a human, who by the sword she wields is clearly your natural enemy. I know the jewel is with her. The scent is strong."

"What do you want with the jewelry?"

"Daughter, do you really think I will reveal my evil ambition as a theater character? You are naive. You have been naive to believe that I will accept you as such a freak."

"Tsc....You're also naive to believe you can change my mind using force. My pride is unshakable. I have no hope at all, mother. Someone with an archaic mentality like yours and the attitudes you have only deserves the death penalty. Yes, in the end it was always that I believed in. That has moved me until today. Mother ... or better, Yuki-onna, this is the last day of your life."

"It looks like you finally made up your mind, daughter ... or rather, Yuna Nate."

The air temperature started to drop. Mother and daughter. Daughter and mother. They no longer saw themselves as parts of each other, as a family. Now they saw themselves as a hunter. Predator and prey.

"Hey, girl" Suny called. "You also have ice powers, don't you?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because ice is the only advantage she holds against me."

It was an observant comment about the combat, which at first, I did not understand. Unlike hanyou, who put her hands on her hips and smirked, nodding.

"Yeah, I've got it."

The girl's sentence seemed to sound like a royal decree to Suny. Then everything went very fast. She turned and launched her blade in the direction of Snow Woman. However, showing no reaction or any kind of effort, the youkai simply brought up a wall of thick ice ahead of her that would visibly block the sacred sword. At that moment I understood what my colleague meant to Yuna. Also showing no reaction or effort, as if it was a divine will, a hole was made in the middle of the ice wall, just where the Totsuka was going to stick. The sword passed by Snow Woman's defense, who in reflex took a step to the side, avoiding a lethal knock.

"How dare you? How dare you manipulate my art? Your existence alone is not offensive enough?"

"You can throw a tantrum, exhibitionist. Even if I can't turn you into an ice statue, I can still manipulate the ice you create. But I think you already knew that, didn't you?"

The youkai clenched her teeth.

"You still have that advantage, mom. Being half human, I can still be transformed into a popsicle, but for that you need to have physical contact, since the power of the eyes can be nulled in the same way I manipulated the wall you created. So, if you want to kill the freak here, you'll need to try a little harder than usual."

And the youkai clenched her fists.

"So, Yuki-onna, what will it be?"

In response to Yuna's question, the Snow Woman, who was raging all over her body for being confronted so directly by the dark-blue eyes of her offspring, relaxed her shoulders. That reaction was surprising to the three of us. Except that even more surprising was her next reaction.

She laughed. Beautifully and gracefully. A contagious laugh that spurted happiness. The eyes closed. One hand brought her little finger to her mouth. The other one touched her belly. She laughed with pleasure, tilting her head back slightly, pointing her face at the cloudy sky. She really was beaming. She was really happy about something.

"Why are you laughing, huh?" The hanyou was more confused than irritated by that scene.

Gradually, Snow Woman's attack of laughter gradually diminished.

"Do you know how to play Gin?"

"What?"

"It was a joke, douchebag."

Finally, her laughter stopped. She glanced her face at Yuna now. The blue eyes almost shone with joy.

"You finally have delivered me some type of joy. At last, you have earned a smile from me. You have confronted me in the same manner that your father performed in the past. That nostalgia warmed my heart and you made me smile. So, Yuna Nate, I thank you for that."

"Tsc. What's your problem?" The comment came from Suny.

"Are you still here?" The youkai turned her gaze at my colleague.

"Well, circumstances have changed, Adam's rib, you will no longer be needed."

Yuki-onna reached out to Suny, who was totally helpless without her sacred Totsuka sword. My colleague sobbed fearfully and took a step back. I was also in fear. The gesture was the same as Yuna did against Oni on our first encounter, and I don't even have to say how fatal it could be for an ordinary human.

However, Suny was not killed. She was saved by the hanyou. The girl acted out while the woman paid attention to my colleague, launching herself as she should in a situation like that, with her feet together in a flying kick.

However, the hanyou did not hit the youkai. Yuki-onna shredded into snow cubicles and the girl just hit the vacuum.

"A bluff?"

Yuna Nate activated the trap card face down her mother. The floating snow cubicles flew towards me, surrounded me while spinning around like an albino tornado. The snow overwhelmed me and took me off the ground. I was unable to do anything, and even if I tried, I was going up too fast. By that swarm of white bees, I was carried across the sky, as if lying on a gurney. Moving my eyes, I could see the hanyou jumping from one building to another while she chased me and the Snow Woman. However, the albino bees were faster and gradually, Yuna was decreasing with distance.