Gentō:

"So... Cold..."

Baku's teeth clattered with the suffocating lack of heat typical of the Chikukei nights. No layer of clothing was left to protect his shivering skin while they wandered through the woods and fled from the authorities.

He wasn't supposed to end like this. How was he supposed to know he would transform into his dream form in the waking world!? What unfair design did Tizohi weave for his destiny?!

Well, it wasn't all negative. That Knight fool let him roam free, but not before warning them to never approach the Human girl again lest they face incarceration. He couldn't believe that the brat's pleading was actually successful.

And that was what he didn't get it. Why had Stella vouched for them? They abducted and knocked her down two times! Was she THAT grateful they protected her from the Daien?! Still, it didn't make much sense to the Baku, and it wasn't even enough for the Gunka Army to stop incessantly pursuing them.

Hanaken's sigh broke him from deliberation before a massive piece of cloth cast a shadow over him, crushing his entire body under the unexpected weight. A soothing wave of warmth blessed his skin, which would be nice if it didn't smell like a damn dumpster!

"You know, you could've asked for my pelt. Never saw you this reluctant about begging for my stuff."

His rotund head poked out of the fallen bear's skin. "Hmpf. I was too absorbed by my next scheme!"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" The tips of her tusks glimmered under the moonlight. "What's the next plan, boss?"

He averted his gaze. "I-I hadn't thought of the specifics. But I'm certain it'll be my ticket to absolute triumph!"

Kreef hovered close to him. "So, you have nothing, then."

He shook his head. "No clue where to even begin! That girl is definitely in Pantsti by this point!"

The Oni sat down, scratching her chin. "Yeah, we're screwed. The whole place is impenetrable, with that old coot guarding it all. If the rumors are no exaggeration, we'd be turned into compost in a minute."

Hanaken's chest was expanding and retracting in a pretty noticeable manner. The Baku could only fix her injuries, but they ran and fought for HOURS without much breathing room! They also carried no food, which was especially bad for someone as tall as the red brute.

Gentō gritted his teeth, his tiny fingers clutching on the bear pelt. He was livid about the possibility of never grasping his full power again. His perfect dream was shattered.

Maybe Nera was right after all...

"They won't be there FOREVER, right?" Kreef's voice cut through his reflective state of mind. "We already know the path they'll take. We only need to plan the perfect ambush!" His eyes shook with a strange enthusiasm. The Baku was taken by surprise.

However, he was RIGHT! A beacon of hope on his dreary, pessimistic mind! If there was the slightest chance to capture the Human, as long as it exists, Gentō would grasp the faint embers of destiny and achieve inner peace!

The Baku's knees valiantly supported him back to his feet, pushing against the constraining weight of the pelt. "Indeed, my friend! My ambition is not a distant dream! I've directly tasted the nectar of my hidden potential, and I intend to do it again!" He opened his arms, letting his coverings fall on the ground, much to his companions' dismay.

Hanaken covered her eyes, grunting. "Keep the monologuing for when you get some damn clothes again!"

Kreef chimed in. "I don't understand. I fly around naked all day, and you never complain about it."

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The Oni huffed. "Obviously, because you don't have two 'marbles' dangling around to cover!"

She had a compelling point. However, it was too late! Gentō was too deep in his own hype to back down. No one would cut him from his moment.

"We have come too far to back down! They may laugh at us! Doubt our capabilities! Call us freaks!"

"YEAH!" Kreef shouted. "Uh, I'm not sure about the 'freak' part, though."

The Oni rolled her eyes, an action almost invisible thanks to the pure blackness of her globes. "He won't hear you..."

She was correct, kind of. "The seeds of our hard work will flourish and grow like a mighty pego tree, making all non-believers eat their words! And their socks!"

He was running out of ammo for his speech.

The dream stealer stretched his tiny arms to the Moon with a clenched, shaking fist. "Hear me, Weaver of Shadows! For us, the Trouble Troop shall make our mark on the annals of his-"

A chill crept down his spine. A female voice soon echoed in his mind.

"Oh my. What a rousing speech you have wasted."

Gentō's eyes turned to his comrades for support, but he was met with the same apprehension and confusion he felt. Not even the fearless Hanaken could maintain her composure, and Kreef even less. His pincers snapped tens, maybe hundreds, of times per second, his pupils darting to every corner with paranoia.

Worst of all, the paralyzing cold returned, threatening to consume his limbs permanently. He quickly returned to the safe and smelly embrace of the heavy bear blanket.

"You do not need to wonder where I am. Look at the sky."

Gentō was fearful of what he'd find. He stubbornly refused to comply with the voice's wishes.

That was not the case for the rest. "F-Fuck..." Hanaken's voice slightly cracked, making the stubby Monoke vibrate with cold and dread. The only sound his ears were picking up was of his drumming heart. For those agonizing moments, he thought that'd be the end of his pathetic life.

"Baku. LIFT. YOUR. HEAD."

The calm yet authoritative voice pulsed through his brain in violent bursts. Each synapse flared with electricity, followed by a chilling ice burn, threatening to tear his head apart.

He finally glanced back at the Moon. This time, a frightening silhouette hovered above them. Her open arms were not a gesture of reception but to convey how she saw the three. Inferior creatures, not worthy enough for her to consider as a threat.

As the woman gracefully landed her bare feet on the grass, her features were no longer smothered by the moonlight. Her pale skin, the bony protrusions on her cheeks, the lack of lips and nose, the bulged eyes, fixated on the Baku's.

A Yūrei. And from her blue, graceful kimono and the effect she had on the temperature, Gentō recognized who their unwanted visitor was...

What could Yuki-onna want from them?

"What a colorful trio you are. So amusing." Her unblinking eyes shift toward his companions, oozing a predatory intent like a vigilant hawk. "But not as amusing as how you protected a Human child..."

That chill again...

As intimidating as she was, Gentō was ashamed of his unsightly lack of garments in front of a lady. He acknowledged the ghostly Monoke could be attractive to him if not for the first impression.

"Truth be told, I am surprised you three were capable of besting my associate. I suppose I must take these nuisances with my own hands."

Her bony fingers curled as if she were squeezing an invisible object. And it turned out to be the Baku's brain once again. He grasped his head, falling to his knees. All connections between his neurons were freezing, then slowly drifting apart. After a few seconds, he wasn't sure about his own name.

"Ma'am, what're you doing?! K-Knock it off!"

"Wench! If you don't stop hurting him RIGHT NOW, I'll tear you apart!"

A couple of such familiar voices, yet he couldn't place how he knew them. Acquaintances? Minions?

The baritone one roared. "STOP TORTURING MY FRIEND!!!"

Friend... He had... one?

"Argh! You asked for it!!!"

Two?! That was two more than he expected to have!

Wait, why was he so surprised?! Of course, he had comrades! He was the mighty Gentō, after all!

Gasp! That was his name! The name of a Baku who was on a mission! To find the place where he belonged!

And no skeleton in a skin suit would take it from him!

The coldness freezing his mind melted rapidly while the familiar, burning feeling of his hidden power coursed through his veins. He thought it was gone after losing his dream form, but perhaps there was enough left in the tank.

"You assumed you could barge in and stop me." The Baku grinned, his eyes closed. "I don't think you know who I am!"

The boundless energy from earlier felt more malleable. Saniya was practically an invisible river inside each being's body. If its course was unorganized, it would lead to the user losing their energy too fast or much, much worse.

Now, the river still raged inside Gentō. However, it followed the metaphorical course with few imperfections.

It was more than borrowed Saniya. This power was now his to command.

His eyes opened, revealing a crackling purple light!

"FEEL THE WRATH OF THE MIGHTY GENTŌ!"