Case #12-Zach Reaper vs the Koga Clan

"Wake up, Zach," Aunt Lucine orders as she kicks me in my side, causing me to roll over onto my back.

"Ohhh…" I groan as my eyes slowly flutter open. "What…happened…?" I ask.

"You passed out face-down again," Aunt Lucine answers. "But it took you five hours of training instead of four to pass out. You're growing stronger, I'm proud of you."

"Th-thanks," I awkwardly reply as I sit up and look around, finding myself sitting on the floor in the middle of the South Woods in a pool of my own dried blood, where Aunt Lucine's cabin lays.

"So what is it?" I ask as I stand up to face Aunt Lucine.

"I found this note on your bed," Aunt Lucine says as she thrusts a piece of paper into my hands.

"A letter…?" I ask as I hold the paper up to my face.

"Read it," Aunt Lucine orders as she turns around and walks away. "I don't really care about your personal affairs. Come get me when you're done, we'll continue your training."

Dear Reaper, the letter begins. I will be returning home to my clan. I have failed to kill you, and because of that, I have dishonored the Koga Clan. The letter is signed Koga, Hanzo.

My eyes widen.

"KOGA IS GOING HOME?!"

***

"Zach, did you get a letter too?!" Evelyn cries as she picks up the phone after I called her.

"Yeah, I did!" I answer. "Koga's returning to his village!"

"But why would he do that?!" Circe asks as she joins the voice call.

"It's probably because Koga has failed many times…many, many times to kill Zach," Crimson explains as she answers the phone as well. "He probably feels guilty that he's failed his mission to restore glory to his clan, and is returning home in shame."

"Do you think…that Koga doesn't want to kill Zach?" Evelyn asks.

"Why would he feel like that?" I ask. "Koga tries to kill me everytime I see him."

"Well…after you and Koga fought originally, he saw that you were too strong to kill, and kept on trying," Koga explains. "Maybe it was all just for show? Maybe you weren't too strong to kill, Koga didn't want to kill you."

"Maybe after going on case after case with us and fighting alongside us…Koga began to see us…as friends?" Circe suggests.

"Not me, at least," Evelyn pouts."

"Or maybe Koga really isn't just strong enough to kill you," Crimson shrugs.

"Friends…huh…?" I ask. "Do you think that's why Koga went home? Because he can't bring himself to kill his friend, making him fail his mission?"

"Maybe that's it…" Evelyn replies.

But then…my eyes widen.

"Oh no, this is terrible!" I cry.

"It is?" Circe asks. "I thought you didn't like Koga?"

"I didn't like Koga because he was annoying and always tried to kill me!" I exclaim. "Now that I know we're friends, this changes everything."

"That's…not how friendship works," Evelyn sighs.

"You guys do realize that Koga's always talking about how he'd bring shame to his clan if he goes home without his bounty, right?!" I cry. "Koga's probably going to go home and commit seppuku?!"

Everyone's eyes widen.

"KOGA?!"

"That's…crazy!" Evelyn cries

"We gotta go save him!" Circe cries.

"We're going to need to go to his village!" Crimson exclaims.

"Koga's…village…" I reply. And then, my eyes widen. "That's it! We must go to Koga's village and stop him from killing himself!"

"Right!" Evelyn replies. "But how do we get there?"

"Good point…" Crimson mutters to herself as she rubs her chin.

"I…may have an idea," I answer as I raise a hand.

***

"What are you doing here?" Yamata grumbles as he opens the door to his apartment to answer our knocking. "I'm not taking in a pupil, I'm not like my brother."

"No, it's not that!" I exclaim. "Remember Koga, the ninja who you fought against at the Museum of Japanese History? He's going home to kill himself!"

"So?" Yamata asks. "How is that my problem?"

"You're from Japan, right?" I ask. "Do you know where the Koga Clan Ninja Village is?"

"Ohhh…of course I do!" Yamata exclaims as he throws his airs in frustration. "Every Japanese person is a ninja, and stars in J-Pop bands, and draws manga!"

"Um…is that a no…?" I ask with an awkward smile.

"No," Yamata answers. "That is a yes."

"No as in no to what I said, or no as in-" I begin to say, but Yamata cuts me off.

"I KNOW WHERE THE VILLAGE IS!" Yamata snaps.

"Oh, really?" I ask with a beaming smile. "Will you take us there?"

"Why would I do that?" Yamata snorts.

"I'll buy you as much beer as you want," I apathetically answer.

"Deal," Yamata apathetically replies.

***

"So how did that Storm Wizard and you guys find where Mikoto and I live?" Yamata asks as he leads us out of the South Woods and to the village neighboring Nestant Town, where the airport lays.

"I don't know," I shrug. "Plot convenience."

"How come you know where the Koga Clan's village is?" Circe teases. "You're a fan of ninjas, or something?"

"All men love ninjas," Yamata answers, without even looking at Circe.

"So we're taking a plane to get to the village?" I ask.

"Yeah, it's about a nine hour flight to Japan," Yamata explains as he stops before a plane. "Alright…here we are."

"Woah…" Evelyn, Crimson, Circe, and I stare at the huge private jet before us.

Yamata smirks as he proudly places his hands on his hip. "Yeah…I flew Mikoto and I over from Japan with this baby." But when Yamata notices where the four of us are looking, he raises an eyebrow. "Huh?" Yamata asks. "What are you guys looking at? I'm talking about this place."

The four of us then look to where Yamata is pointing, seeing a rickety, old, run- down plan that could barely fit the five of us.

"You want us to ride in this?" I ask.

"Can this thing even fit all of us?" Evelyn asks.

"This plane looks like it'd crash halfway through our trip!" Circe exclaims.

"Trust me, this baby can fly," Yamata smirks as he peers up at his plane. "Come on, hop in."

***

And so, the five of us board Yamata's plane as he flies us over to Japan. The shitty piece of junk plan creaks and groans throughout the entire journey. During the trip, we stop to refuel a couple of times, so the damn thing doesn't crash, and then, after a day's flight…the five of us make it to Japan. We drive, we walk, and we climb, but then, soon enough, Yamata leads us to the forest where the Koga Clan's village, and we stop outside.

"Alright, here we are," Yamata says. "Let's go in."

Yamata then leads us through the forest, until eventually, we spot a campsite in the large clearing.

"Is this…it…?" I ask. "I sure did expect Koga's village to be…bigger than this…"

"No, you idiot!" Yamata snaps as he whacks the back of my head. "This is probably just a campsite of some hunter."

"Hunter…?" I softly ask as Crimson and I turn to face one another. "You don't think-?"

"No, it couldn't be," Crimson answers as she cuts me off. "How could he be here? He should be dead!"

"Um…who are you guys talking about?" Evelyn asks, but then, an arrow flies out of the bush before Evelyn, causing her to shriek as she ducks under the arrow.

"Well well well…look what we have here…" a smug voice says as a man wielding a crossbow emerges into the clearing.

"HUNTER?!" Crimson and I cry.

"Who's this goon?" Circe asks.

"Crimson and I met Hunter before our first fight against Cancer," I explain. "But… he was killed…?"

"I may have been killed…but I lived!" Hunter exclaims.

"Huh?" I blink.

"I thought I was a gooner, too, but I miraculously survived!" Hunter exclaims.

"What a shame…" Crimson sighs.

"So, um…what are you here for?" I ask Hunter.

"This forest is said to be home to some pretty interesting creatures," Hunter smirks. "So I'm here to hunt them. After I was almost killed by the bigfoot, I learned that-"

"I God," I sigh, interrupting Hunter with a face palm. "This is gonna be a long one."

"After I was almost killed by Bigfoot, I learned that I had spent almost my entire life blinded by revenge," Hunter begins his monologue. "So I decided to-"

Before Hunter can continue, a glowing orange dragon head flies out of Yamat's scarf towards Hunter.

"Woah!" Hunter cries as he drops to the ground, dodging Yamata's attack.

"Hey, why didn't we try that the first time?" I ask as I elbow Crimson's ribs.

"Yamata!" Evelyn shouts. "You can't just go around attacking people!"

"Huh?" Yamata asks in boredom as he retracts his scarf. "Why not?"

"Because…because…" Evelyn stammers. "It's not nice!"

"But I'm not a nice guy," Yamata snorts.

"As long as you're with us, you are!" Evelyn replies.

"I'm not helping you goons because I want to," Yamata sighs.

"A Reaper…a Devil…and a witch…" Hunter smirks as he looks at me, then Crimson, then Circe. "Some big catches here!" Hunter then peers over at Evelyn and Yamata. "And what…are you two?" He asks.

"I'M A HUMAN!" Evelyn snaps.

"I'M A LEGENDARY DRAGON!" Yamata snaps.

"You don't…look like a dragon…?" Hunter asks.

"REINCARNATED!" Yamata snaps.

"Oh well," Hunter smirks as he raises his crossbow at Yamata. "I guess you'll be a big catch!"

Hunter then fires off an exploding arrow at Yamata, but before the arrow can pierce Yamata, a dragon head flies out of Yamata's scarf and snatches the arrow out of the air, chomping down on it and snapping the arrow in half.

"WHAT?!" Hunter cries.

A dragon head then flies out of Yamata's scarf, piercing straight through Hunter's stomach.

"WOAH!" Evelyn, Crimson, Circe, and I flinch.

Yamata then retracts his dragon head out of Yamata, causing blood to burst out of Hunter's wound as he limply falls face-forwards onto the ground.

"AH!" The four of us cry.

"You killed him!" I snap at Yamata. "Again!"

"Meh, who cares," Yamata shrugs. "He tried to kill me first. I only finished what I started."

"Fair enough," I reply.

"I wonder…if he's dead for real this time?" Crimson asks.

"I have a feeling that he's not," I sigh.

"Alright, let's get a move on," Yamata orders, as we continue strolling through the forest towards the Koga Clan's Village.

***

"Alright, here we are," Yamata announces once he, Evelyn, Crimson, Circe, and myself are standing outside the village.

"Great, let's head on in," I say as I begin walking through the front gates of the village. But then, the second that my big toe merely breezes against the village ground, a cloud of smoke appears around the six of us.

"What's happening?!" Yamata cries.

"You'll get used to it," I sigh.

When the smoke settles, the six of us find a dozen ninjas in black surrounding us, all with their swords drawn.

"YOU DARE TRESPASS IN THE KOGA CLAN'S NINJA VILLAGE?!" The ninja all boom at once.

"Woah!" I cry as the six of us throw our hands in the air in surrender. "We come in peace!" I explain. "We're friends with Koga!"

"Koga?" They ask. "We're all named Koga!"

"Oh, right," I reply. "I'm friends with Hanzo Koga!"

"Hanzo?!" The ninjas cry.

"Yeah, Hanzo!" I answer with a smile. "Y'know, the strongest ninja in the Clan!"

"KOGA THE TRAITOR?!" The ninjas roar.

"The…huh?" I blink.

"Hanzo Koga was assigned to go to Nestant Town and kill the Reaper, then collect his bounty from the Supernatural Investigators in order to return our clan to its former glory!" The ninjas explain. "However, Hanzo returned to us yesterday, saying that he's failed to kill the Reaper, and therefore, he has failed his mission. For that…he must pay the ultimate price!"

"The ultimate price?!" I cry. "What's that?! Is he going to kill himself?!"

"That is none of your business!" The ninja boom.

"But it is my business!" I answer. "I'm the Reaper!"

The ninjas pause.

"The…Reaper that Hanzo was assigned to kill…?" They ask.

"Er…yeah," I answer, and I quickly realize that I said the wrong thing.

The ninjas pause again.

And then…they charge.

The ninjas let out a roar as they all swing their katanas towards me. "Woah!" I cry as I leap backwards to dodge the ninjas' attack.

"Hellfire Scream!"

"Poison Curse Magic!"

"Reaper Whip!"

Crimson, Circe, and Evelyn leap in front of the ninjas, shielding me from their attack while also fending them off.

"Woah, thanks guys!" I exclaim. I then peer up at Yamata, who's still standing there, with his arms crossed.

Eventually, Yamata noticed me staring up at him, and peers down at me. "What?!" He snaps.

"Nothing…" I sigh. "Why would you defend me…?"

Crimson's fire, Circe's poison, and Evelyn's whip fly into the ninja, causing them to cry in pain as they're sent flying backwards.

"Woah!" Evelyn exclaims. "They're weak!"

"Yeah, especially if you could beat them," Yamata snorts.

"Hey!" Evelyn snaps.

"No wonder Koga couldn't kill Zach…" Crimson adds. "Saying that he's the strongest ninja of this clan is like calling a butterfly the cutest bug. It's still a bug. That's not saying too much."

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" A voice booms, and then, in a cloud of smoke, an old man in a black kimono appears. Even though he's not in a ninja outfit, he's still wearing a face-mask as well.

"Does everyone in this village wear a mask?" Yamata snorts.

"Who's this old man?" Evelyn snorts.

"The Chief of the Koga Clan!" The only man booms. "Tomo Koga!"

"Oh!" Evelyn yelps.

"What is going on here?!" The Chief exclaims as he looks around at his fallen ninja, who are lying on the ground and groaning in pain. "You…" the Chief then booms as he turns to face us, causing the five of us (Yamata not included) to flinch. "YOU TOOK OUT THE STRONGEST GUARDS THAT THE KOGA CLAN HAS TO OFFER?!"

"These are the strongest?!" Evelyn exclaims.

"My name is Zach Reaper," I begin to explain. "I am the Reaper who you assigned Hanzo Koga to kill."

"Why have you come here…?" The village chief growls as he turns to face me.

"I've come here for Hanzo!" I plead. "The reason that Hanzo killed me…is because we became friends! It's not fair that he should have to commit seppuku just for that!"

"SILENCE!" The chief booms as he stomps a foot to the ground. "Hanzo brought shame to the clan, and that is final! He is a traitor!"

"Where is Koga, I need to speak with him!" I exclaim.

"Come," the chief says as he turns around and begins wandering into the village. "I shall bring you to him."

The six of us turn to one another, shrug, before turning forwards and following the village chief.

"That was surprisingly easy," I say.

***

As the chief leads us through the village, I take a look around. For the most part, the Koga Clan looks like a medieval traditional Japanese village, with beautiful wooden structures and large temples. However, the other half of the village is a tourist attraction. Scattered across the village are gift shops, arcade games, fancy restaurants, and amusement park rides. Consumers run around the village, consuming all of the fancy tourist junk that it has to offer.

"This is…campy," I whisper to Evelyn, who nods in response.

"I don't know, the foam swords and ninja masks are kinda cute," Evelyn replies.

"Hanzo will be in here," the chief says as he stops before the village. "You may go in."

"Thank you," I say, as I knock on the door. "Hey, Koga!" I exclaim. "It's me, Zach!"

No answer.

"Koga?!" I ask, as I knock on the door again.

"Alright, I'm coming in!" I announce as I open the door. Evelyn, Crimson, and Circe follow me inside.

"I'll wait out here," Yamata calls to us.

Upon entering Koga's home, I find that it's pitch black. "Um…Koga…?" I ask as I look around. "Hel-looo?"

"Is…Koga even here?" Evelyn asks.

"The Chief said so," I reply. "Let's look around.

The four of us then split up as we begin looking around Koga's home.

"Hey, Koga, are you in he-" I begin to say as I push a door open, but then, my eyes widen.

I see Koga kneeling down on the floor of his room, with a short knife aimed towards his stomach.

"KOGA?!" I cry.

"R-REAPER?!" Koga cries as his eyes shoot up towards me.

Without another word, I tackle Koga to the ground, knocking the knife out of his hands.

"WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I cry.

"I came back home to repent!" Koga exclaims. "I couldn't kill you, Reaper, so I brought shame to my clan!"

"What's going on in here?!" Evelyn cries as she barges into the room, with Crimson and Circe in tow. "I heard the commotion!"

"Devil Girl?! Poison Witch?!" Koga cries as he looks past Evelyn. "And…?" Koga then asks as he narrows his eyes, his voice trailing off.

"EVELYN!" Evelyn snaps.

"Where's the Storm Wizard?" Koga asks.

"He didn't care enough about you killing yourself," Evelyn shrugs, causing Koga's eyes to widen, his feelings looking genuinely hurt.

"Raiden's gonna be away for a bit!" Circe chimes in.

"Is this why you weren't here when Raiden left?" Crimson then asks. "Because you were busy coming home?"

"But Koga…you said that you wouldn't go home until you killed me?" I ask.

"I couldn't bring myself to kill you, Reaper…" Koga admits as he looks away in shame.

"What…does that mean…?" I ask as my eyes widen.

"It means…" Koga begins to say as he turns back to face me, but he pauses.

"Oh, get a room, you two!" Evelyn heckles.

"SHUT UP!" Koga and I snap as we turn to face Evelyn, before looking back to one another.

"After working together, and fighting by your side, we've become…friends," Koga finally admits, causing my eyes to widen. "And even if it's for the sake of my clan, I can't bring myself to kill a friend!"

"So you came home to kill yourself in order to atone for bringing shame to your clan?" I ask.

"Who said anything about killing myself?" Koga asks.

"Huh?" I ask as I get off of Koga. "You were aiming a knife to your stomach."

"I was sharpening it," Koga explains as he motions to the sharpening sheet lying on the ground next to his knife.

"Oh…" I reply.

"I came home to convince the village Chief to not kill you," Koga explains.

"Oh…really?" I ask.

"Yeah," Koga answers as he stands up as well. "I tried telling him about such a good guy you are, and that we're friends, but he won't listen to me. The chief is still telling me to kill you and collect your bounty from the Supernatural Investigators."

"You're wrong, Hanzo," an ominous voice says, and Crimson, Evelyn, and Circe leap away from the doorway, where the village chief emerges. "I'm no longer telling you to kill Zach Reaper," he continues.

"BECAUSE I'LL KILL HIM MYSELF."

In an instant, the chief draws a sword and charges towards me. But then, also in a flash, Koga appears before me in a cloud of smoke, drawing a knife and bringing it up to block, which clashes against the village chief's sword.

"You dare to raise a blade against me?!" The chief grunts as he struggles against Koga's blade. "I raised you as my son, Koga, for seventeen years! You're the pride of this clan, so don't throw it all away over some Reaper!"

"And during those seventeen years, I lived my life as a perfect, model student, doing everything the clan told me to do, and taking my training and the honor of the clan in more importance than my own life, never doing what I wanted to do," Koga replies as he struggles against the chief's blade. "And look where it got me? The clan that I held so near and dear to my heart has been reduced to nothing but a tourist attraction. And now…that very same clan is telling me to kill the first true friend that I ever really made."

"First true friend?!" The chief booms. "What are you talking about?! This entire clan is your friend!"

"Not my friend," Koga replies. "But sparring partners. I've only ever seen other Clan members as tools to further my own progress, and they only saw me as the star student Hanzo Koga, the one to beat, and never just the teenager Hanzo Koga."

"Koga…" I softly say.

"Get out of here, Zach, Crimson, Circe…Evelyn…this fight…is personal!" Koga orders as he turns and peers over his shoulder at us.

My eyes widen. "You…didn't just call me Reaper…?"

"And you remembered me!" Evelyn exclaims.

"Come on, let's go!" Crimson orders, and the four of us scurry out of the house.

"So we're really going to fight?" The chief asks.

"Yes," Koga answers.

"If that's the case-" the chief replies. "Then we'll settle this like men, the way the Koga Clan does things around here."

"Which is…?" Koga asks.

***

"A…tourist attraction?"

"That's what Chief Tomo said," Koga replies. "Anyways, I got to get on stage."

"Welcome, everyone, to the Koga Clan Feat of Strength competition!" A ninja announcer booms as Koga and the village chief enter the stage. The tourist crowd around us goes wild.

"Is this…how the Koga Clan settles things like men?" Crimson asks.

"Apparently…" I sigh. "Ever since the clan went-face up and became a tourist attraction, I'm assuming."

***

"For our first competition, we have the Hammer Swing!" The announcer booms.

"You're going down Hanzo," the chief smirks, causing Koga to shrug.

The chief raises a rubber mallet high into the air, before slamming it down onto a target, causing the weight that the target was attached to to fly upwards and lightly ring the bell.

"A perfect score!" The announcer booms. The crowd goes crazy.

The chief smirks as he spreads his arms out wide and struts across the stage, tossing the hammer over his shoulder and striking an audience member behind him, who yelps and falls to the ground.

"You aren't taking this seriously," Koga says.

 "I am," the chief answers with a smirk. "But I'm performing, as well. Rather than assassination requests, this is how the Koga Clan makes money now"

Koga sighs as he picks up his own hammer, before raising it above his head. Koga then swings the hammer down with all of his might, causing the weight to fly up the meter and blast straight through the bell, flying into the air.

"Did I…win?" Koga asks.

We then heard a whistling noise come from above, as the bell then begins falling, conking the awestruck village chief in the head, who's too in shock to flinch.

"And the winner is Koga!" The ninja announcer booms, and the audience goes crazy.

***

"Next up, we have the frisbee toss!"

"RAH!" The village chief shouts as he flings his frisbee forwards, which flies for a bit, before landing to the ground at the fifteen hundred foot mile.

The audience goes crazy.

"That's…greater than the Olympic record…" Evelyn comments.

Koga looks down at the frisbee in his hand, then back up at the long distance ahead of him. Koga then stomps a foot down and spins in a circle, flinging the first forwards. In the blink of an eye, the frisbee disappears from Kong's hand, sending shockwaves of air flying everywhere. Koga then slowly lifts a hand up again, as the frisbee flies back into it from behind.

The chief's eyes widen.

"He…threw the frisbee around the entire planet?!" The announcer cries.

The audience is damn-near shitting their pants.

***

"Weight lifting!"

"Tug of war!"

"Bull wrestling!"

"Hog wrangling!"

"Hot dog eating contest!"

"Glorb snorting!"

The contests go on and on for hours, until…the village chief falls to the ground, gasping for breath.

"I can't…go on…" he pants. "I'm too old for this…"

"So do you admit defeat?" Koga asks as he stares down at the head of his clan.

"Yes…" the village chief pants. "You win."

And there you have it, folks!" The ninja announcer booms into his mic. "Hanzo Koga is the winner!"

The audience is ecstatic.

"Alright, Koga!" My friends and I cheer as we throw our hands into the air.

"So we get to go home now?" Yamata sighs.

"But Koga…before you go home, there's just one more thing that I need to tell you…" the village chief continues as he weakly lifts a hand.

"Which is?" Koga asks.

The chief opens his mouth up to speak, but before he can say anything, his eyes close as his hand limply falls to the ground.

"Chief?" Koga asks, but the village chief is silent.

The audience's cheering stops.

"Chief?!" Koga asks again, louder this time.

The audience is silent.

"CHIEEEEEEEF!!!!!!"

"Well that's it for toast, folks…" the announcer nervously laughs into his mic. "But before you leave, I must urge you to check out the-"

***

"It's just exhaustion," the doctor says as they exit the room, causing everyone to let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Ain't that a relief, Koga?" I ask the ninja with a small smile.

"Yes, it is…" Koga answers, and I swear I can see a small smile behind his mask.

 "Would you like to go in now?" The doctor asks.

"Yes," Koga answers, before turning around to face me. "Zach, I'd like for you to come in with me."

"Are…are you sure?" I ask.

"Yes," Koga answers. "I think the Chief has something to say to you."

***

"Chief, I'm coming in," Koga says as he enters the hospital room, finding the village chief laying on his back on his bed, staring wide-eyes at the ceiling.

"Hanzo…" the chief says, without even looking.

"How are you feeling?" Koga asks as he takes the seat at the chief's bedside. I remain standing, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"I've been better," the chief answers, followed by a weak cough which causes me to cringe. I can't help but to think that it's all my fault that the chief of the Koga Clan is like this right now.

"Chief Tomo…I'm sorry," Koga apologies.

"For what?" The chief asks.

"For putting my own personal desires before the good of the clan," Koga answers. "If I didn't do that, then you-"

The chief cuts Koga off. "No, Hanzo," he says. "I should be the one apologizing."

Koga's eyes widen. "Chief…" he softly says.

"I'm sorry that I tried manipulating you into killing your friend, Hanzo," the chief apologizes. "I truly am." The chief then looks past Koga to me. "And you've made a good friend."

"Thank you…" I nod.

"Chief, if it's alright with you…" Koga begins to say. "I'd like to…continue hanging out with Zach. "There's…something that I need to finish with him."

"That is quite alright, Hanzo," the chief replies, causing Koga to smile. "Go do what makes you happy."

Koga's eyes widen and I can see his beaming smile from behind his mask. "Thank you, Chief!" Koga bows.

***

"So that's it?" Evelyn asks as she, Koga, Crimson, Circe, myself, and of course, Yamata stroll out of the Koga Clan's village.

"That's it," Koga answers. "I am a free man, now. I no longer have to focus on killing the Reaper, and now, I can just relax and go on cases with the rest of you."

"So…no more trying to kill me everytime we meet?" I ask.

"No more trying to kill you," Koga answers.

"Are you going to finally start calling me Zach instead of Reaper?" I ask. "I'm not even a Reaper anymore! Nor is that my last name!"

"And me by my name instead of Devil Girl?" Crimson asks.

"Yes," Koga answers. "Zach, Crimson."

"Are you going to remember me?" Evelyn asks.

"Who are you?" Koga asks as he turns to face Evelyn, causing her to growl at him. "Yes," Koga then says, causing Evelyn to perk up and smile. "Evelyn."

"Should we…call you Hanzo from now on?" Circe asks.

"No," Koga answers as he smiles from behind his mask. "I still want to respect my clan. You may continue calling me Koga."

"Hanzo!" A voice calls from behind, and the six of us pause, before turning around to where we heard the voice, seeing the village chief as well as the rest of the clan hustle over to Koga.

 "Yes, Chief Tomo?" Koga asks.

"You've taught me something very valuable during our battle, Koga," the chief begins to say. "I'm too old to continue working as a ninja…but I'm not too old to be a performer! I think…that acting on stage has become my new passion."

"A…performer…?" Koga asks.

"Yes!" The chief answers with a beaming smile. "The Koga Clan is moving out! From here on out, we…are a circus troupe!"

The rest of the clan cheers.

"Oh…my…" Koga replies. "And this is the clan that I was fighting for…?"

"Still want us to call you Koga?" Evelyn smirks, causing Koga to sigh.

"Oh, and one more thing?" I ask as the six of us turn around again and begin strolling away from the Koga Clan's village for good. "Are you going to officially join Reaper's paranormal now?"

"I don't know," Koga replies, and in response, Koga disappears in a cloud of smoke, before reappearing before me with a knife pressed to my throat.

My eyes widen.

Koga smirks

"I still haven't killed you yet."

***

"Ow!" Agent Sniper winces as he drops down to one knee, clutching his chest. 

"Colt, careful, you shouldn't be walking by yourself yet!" Agent Kardos cries as she helps her partner to his feet.

"I'm alright, Kardos," Sniper grumbles as Kardos helps him walk to a nearby bench, and the two collapse on top of it. "And besides, you're just as hurt as I am."

"I'm not nearly as hurt as you," Kardos replies as she motions to Sniper's crutch and cast. "You fought Sagittarius."

Sniper winces as he clutches his eyepatch-covered left eye.

When Kardos notices this, her eyes widen. "You used the eye?!" Kardos cries as she jumps up, causing Sniper's own eyes to widen as he clasps his hands over Kardos' mouth.

"SHHH!" Sniper hisses. "No one except for you and Chief Faustus knows about my eye!"

"Ah, sorry!" Kardos quickly apologizes.

"So what did you do about Virgo?" Sniper asks.

***

"Chief…Faustus…" Kardos grunts as she enters the chief's office.

"Yes, Agent Kardos?" Faustus asks as she turns around, but once she sees Kardos carrying the bloody Virgo into her office, Fautus' eyes widen. Kardos then collapses to the ground with Virgo.

"Where…did you find the surviveor of Project Ogvir?! Fautus cries as she rushes to the door of her office and slams it shut.

"This is…Virgo, of the Twelve Zodiacs," Kardos pants as she lifts the uncnious Virgo onto one of the seats in Faustus' office, then sits down as well. "Colt told me… everything about her…"

"I see…" Faustus sadly replies.

"So why did you do it?" Kardos asks. "Are the Supernatural Invetsiagtros so weak that you had to destory the life of this little girl in order to make us stronger?!" Kardos then stands up to face her Chief. "HOW MANY LIVES WERE LOST THANKS TO PROJECT OGVIR?!"

Faustus' eyes widen. "No, it wasn't me!" Fautus answers. "The Chief before me …he was the one to begin Project Ogvir, without my knowing. He then told me about him when he planned to dispose of Virgo, despite my protests. I had thought…that Virgo had died."

Fastus then takes a few steps over to Virgo and kneels down befor her, causing the bandaged girl's eyes to widen as she recoils from Faustus.

"I won't…hurt you…" Faustus sweetly says with a soft smile.

Virgo whimpers.

"I wan't…to help you…"

Virgo's eyes soften.

"It wans't…you…" Kardos asks.

"No," Fautus answers as she peers over at Kardos.

"Oh, thank goodness…" Kardos replies with a sigh of relief. "So what do we do now?"

"I'm going to run some tests on Virgo, to measure her mental capacity and stability," Fautus answers as she stands up. "And then…we're going to put her through rehabilitation. In order to make up for the Chief before me's sins."

"That's good…" Kardos replies with a small smile. "That's good…"

***

"The Chief…is going to help Virgo!" Kardos answers with a small smile.

"I see…" Sniper replies as he stares at the ground as well.

"I'm worried about you, Colt…" Kardos says.

"How come?" Sniper sarcastically asks.

"Your body was destroyed during that fight, and using your eye drains your life force," Kardos explains. "If you continue going after the Reaper…it'll kill you…"

"The Reaper and I…teamed up to fight Sagittarius," Sniper replies, causing Kardos' eyes to widen.

"You did?!" She asks.

"Yes…" Sniper answers. "And he might not be…such a bad guy…"

A small smile spreads across Kardos' lips. "Yeah…" she replies. "And the Devil doesn't seem too bad either…"

"Brandish…" Sniper then says, causing Kardos' eyes to widen. Sniper has never referred to Kardos by her first name before.

"Yeah…?" Kardos asks, as she looks up at Sniper.

"Have I ever told you…why I became a Supernatural Investigator?" He asks.

"No!" Kardos answers as she furiously shakes her head.

"Well then, sit down," Sniper orders. "I have a story to tell you."

***

"Ewww, what's wrong with your eye?" One kid asks as he shoves a young Agent Sniper to the ground

"Hey, quit it!" Colt wails as he curls up into a ball on the floor, the other kid begins stomping on him.

When Colt was young, this happened every day-re relentless bullying and relentless beating. The other kids at school were always afraid of Colt and hated him due to his eerie left eye.

***

"You got into a fight again, Colt?" Colt's mom sighs as she presses an alcohol rag to his swollen left eye, causing Colt to wince.

"It wasn't a fight, he just beat me up," Colt mutters to himself as he crosses his arms.

And why did this boy bully you?" Colt's mom asks.

"He said it was because of my freaky eye!" Colt shouts. "I hate this eye, why do I have to look like this! I wish it was normal!"

"Oh, honey!" Colt's mom sobs as she wraps her arms around her son and buries his face into her chest. "I don't know why your eye looks the way it does, but I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm here for you, honey! Supernatural eye or not, you're still my son!"

 Colt's eyes then widen, and then…he begins crying, tears streaming from both of his eyes.

***

One day, when Colt was a teenager, he woke up in the middle of the night due to some commotion coming from his mom's room.

"Mom?!" Colt cries as he barges through the bedroom door, and then…his eyes widen. Colt sees a man wearing a black cloak weidling a giant scythe. Colt's mom has a bloody hole in the middle of her stomach, where the man sticks his hand inside.

"WHAT ARE YOU DONG?!" Colt cries, causing the man to jump and turn to face Colt. Quickly, the man rips his hand from Colt's mom's chest, and in his palm, is a ghostly blood orb.

"What…is that…?" Colt gasps.

The man then stuffs the orb into his messenger bag and leaps out the window, but when Colt rushes over to the window, the man is nowhere in sight.

"MOM!"

***

"Is this the man who killed your mother?" A police officer asks as he slides a phonograph across the table towards Colt, sounding annoyed.

"No," Colt answers as he crosses his arms and remains staring out the window, not even bothering to look at the picture.

The cop sighs. "Listen, kid!" The cop snaps. "This is the man who killed your mom! His DNA perfectly matches the DNA that we found on the knife lying on the floor of your mom's room that was used to kill her!"

"I told you, it wasn't him!" Colt roars as he turns to face the cop and bangs both fists onto the table. "The man I saw had bright blue eyes and white pupils, he had black hair, carried a giant scythe, and wore a cloak! This guy looks nothing like that!"

"There's not many scythe-wielding murders out in these parts, kid," the cop sighs.

"I know what I saw, dammit!"

***

Years later, Colt became a police officer. But even then, Colt's teasing didn't stop. The second that someone saw Colt's eye, they would cringe or shout or laugh. It didn't take long before Colt found that no one wanted to be partnered up with him. But that didn't stop Colt from becoming the best cop that he could be, cleaning up the streets so that what happened to him and his mother would never happen to anyone else. But then one day, Colt became a dirty cop.

"Tough work out there, aye Officer Sniper?" A fellow cop asks Colt in the locker room.

"No kiddin'," Colt replies with a small smile. "But as bad as the streets are, I can tell that they're getting better."

"Yeah, you can really see it getting better, can't you?" The cop asks, getting some laughs and cheers from the fellow cops. Colt says nothing as his smile turns into a frown.

"I'm sure Officer Sniper has a clear vision of the future!" Another cop chimes in, earning hom some laughs as well.

"Guys, don't bully Officer Sniper! He might not have the foresight to understand that we're joking!" Another cop adds, and the rest began to laugh again.

Colt doesn't reply. Instead, he just gets undressed and sighs to himself as he opens up his locker.

And a bag of drugs falls out.

Colt's eyes widen.

The entire locker room goes silent, and now…all eyes are on him.

"Why...is this in my locker…?" Colt asks as he picks up the bag.

"Sniper, why do you have drugs…?" A cop asks.

"I…I don't know!" Colt answers.

"What do you mean, you don't know?!" Another cop roars. "You must have stolen it from the evidence locker!"

"But I'd never do such a thing!" Colt cries as he spins around to face the other cops. "Right, guys?!" The other cops are silent. "Guys…?

Although no one admitted it, Colt knew. Those drugs were planted in his locker as a setup. Someone was scared by that creepy eye, or wanted to tease Colt for it by getting him fired. It didn't take long before Colt was fired and forced to give up his dual revolvers and his badge. Colt was arrested and thrown into prison for a five year sentence.

***

"Colt Sniper, you have a visitor," a prison guard sighs as he leads a woman up to his cell.

"Who are you?" Colt grumbles as he pauses his push-ups, and looks the woman up and down.

"My name is Sage Faustus," the woman smirks as she flashes Colt a badge. "I'm from the Supernatural Investigators Agency."

Colt raises an eyebrow at Faustus as he takes a seat on his bench. "Supernatural Investigators Agency…?" He asks. "Never heard of it."

"Tell me Colt, do you believe in werewolves or vampires or ghosts or any of the sorts?" Faustus asks.

"Um…no," Colt answered. "I've never believed in the Supernatural."

Faustus turns to face the prison guard behind her. "Bring it in," she orders.

"Er…right," the guard replies, before hustling away.

"Bring what in?" Colt asks as he grabs the bars of his cell.

"You'll see," Faustus answers as she turns to face Colt with a smirk.

A moment later, three guards return, and dragging them, is a humanoid figure covered in brown fur with the head of a wolf, snarling, and lunging at anyone who gets too close. The feature lunges at Colt's cell, causing him to yelp and fall backwards.

"What the Hell is that thing?!" Colt cries as he scrambles to the back of his cell.

"That is a werewolf," Faustus smirks. Faustus then fits a hand and snaps her fingers, and the three men struggle to drag the werewolf away.

"How the Hell did you get a thing like that in here?" Colt asks as he stands up again.

"Oh, the Supernatural Investigators Agency is a federal agency working for the government, so we basically are free to do as we please…so long as it's reasonable," Faustus explains.

"Reasonable?!" Colt cries. "You call a bringing a monster like that in here responsible?!"

And then, the werewolf lets out a roar. It breaks free from its chains, knocking the guards that were holding it to the ground, and charges Faustus.

"Look out!" Sniper shouts.

Swiftly, Faustus spins around and brandishes a silver trigger, pressing a button on the trigger. As she does, a bright blue blade of energy flies out of the trigger. And right before the werewolf could pounce upon Faustus and sink its fangs into her, Faustus slices the werewolf's head clean off, dousing the surrounding area in blood, as the werewolf's body limply drops to the ground. Faustus' blade of energy then dissipates, as she slides the trigger back into its holster at her hip.

"If it's to recruit you, then yes," Faustus answers as she turns back to Colt, causing his eyes to widen.

"Just…what are you…?" Colt softly asks as he narrowed his eyes at Faustus.

"The Supernatural Investigators is an agency made up of people who wield powerful plasma weapons in order to slay supernatural creatures, such as that werewolf here," Faustus explains.

"And why were you looking for me?" Colt asks as he grabs the bar of his cell and leans in close to Faustus.

"Because I'm interested in that," Faustus answers, as she points to Colt's left eye. "Your name is Colt Sniper. Your mother is a human, but your father is a Demi-God who took the form of a human male to mate with your mother. You were born with the left eye of Garuda, an eye that can grant you miraculous power if you tap into this potential."

"A…Demi-God…?" Colt softly asks as his eyes widen.

"But when you were young, a human intruder killed your mother," Faustus continues. "You then barged into your mother's room, where you found a man wearing a black cloak, and mistook him as the murderer. When in actuality, the man that the police showed you was the murderer. The man that we saw that night…is a Reaper. Supernatural Creatures who reap the souls of dead humans so that they can move on to the afterlife."

"So…I was right…?" Colt asks.

"You were," Faustus smiles. "Now, Colt…will you join me? Will you become a Supernatural Investigator to avenge your mother?"

 "Are you serious?" Colt answers, a fire lighting up in his eyes. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Great," Faustus replies as she hands Colt a paper bag. "So here you go."

 "What's this…?" Colt asks as he opens the bag, and when he does, his eyes widen. Within the bag, lies two revolvers, which Colt used during his time as a police officer.

"Those are your old guns, correct?" Faustus asks. "I had them modified so that they can use plasma bullets as ammo, which are the only weapon that can kill Supernatural Creatures."

***

"I know that Zach Reaper didn't kill my mom, and I know that he didn't reap her soul, either…" Sniper sighs. "But when I saw another Reaper running around town, just like the one who killed my mom, I couldn't help but to think of how another kid would feel if he walked into his mom's room and found a Reaper reaping her soul. It was…traumatizing. So, I took out all of my frustration on Zach Reaper, and decided…to kill him. I thought that if I could purge this world of Reapers, when no one would have to die…I was foolish…"

"Colt, that's horrible…" Kardos gasps.

"Yeah…" Sniper answers. "But I'm alright now. That was years ago…"

Kardos then throws her arms around Sniper and buries her face in his chest, causing his eyes to widen.

"What are you…?" Sniper begins to say, but Kardos cuts him off.

"I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm here for you, okay?" Kardos asks as she looks up at Sniper, tears in her eyes. "Supernatural eye or not, you're still my partner and friend!"

Sniper looks down at Kardos with a sad smile.

"And I'm here for you…"