Chapter 4

When Keisuke woke up, Zen threw water over him.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,” Zen said with a nasty smile towards Keisuke. “Your Trial awaits you.”

“Will you go easy on Natsumi and Toshirou-san?” Keisuke asked.

Zen paused.

“Why should I?”

“I don’t know what kind of past or history that you guys have, but you should try to get along,” Keisuke reasoned. “There’s a horrid demon on the loose, and all the shinigami need to band together regardless of their feelings.”

“What you say is admirable but impossible,” Zen said lazily. “Besides, there is a matter of providing for you. Whether you prove a burden or an asset is to remain to be seen. But we’ve gotten an Instructor for you to train you in your abilities at the Capitol…as long as you do something for me at the Trial.”

Keisuke’s heart thumped in his throat. “What?”

“Pronounce Toshirou’s incompetence got the Oracle killed, and Natsumi was thinking of throwing her life away after she failed to protect the Oracle,” Zen said.

“And why should I do that, when I owe them my lives?” Keisuke said.

“It’s very simple, actually,” Zen said. “I could always send Toshirou on a suicide mission and Natsumi will bawl her eyes out for her dear brother when he’s gone.”

Keisuke’s hands clenched into fists. “You would make Natsumi-san cry?”

Zen sniffed down at Keisuke. “You understand nothing, boy.”

“I guess Natsumi-san is a good judge of character. She knew she wanted nothing to do with you.”

Zen snarled and held Keisuke by the cuff of his shirt. “And you’re just a paragon of virtue, aren’t you?”

“I’m not a despicable human being like you!” Keisuke said, before Zen let out a tch.

“You may be useful, but I don’t like you, Keisuke Akimoto,” Zen said with a promise in his voice. “See you at the trial…and do hope that we don’t cross paths while on the battlefield. My sword may accidentally slip and slit your throat.”

Keisuke said nothing, but as soon as Zen departed Keisuke made his way towards the Trian Court Room, where several shinigami overseers were looking at him. Natsumi and Toshirou stood in one booth, and Keisuke headed over there.

“You don’t look well, Keisuke,” Toshirou whispered, and Keisuke lied.

“Got a bit of a stomachache from the watery soup and stale bread,” he muttered, and Toshirou didn’t look entirely convinced but they ended up silenced when the head Shinigami went through with the procedures.

“As Officer Zen reported to us, the top shinigami Toshirou and Natsumi Miyazawa have allowed the Oracle to fall,” The Head shinigami said, and there were murmurs across the room of shock. “We are now facing an Overlord, a problem of vast proportions.We’ve already coordinated a team to help take care of the problem, and a proposal about the deviants Natsumi and Toshirou Miyazawa have been stated. They, along with Keisuke Akimoto, must help our team fight against the Overlord or else their souls would be shattered. Do the defendants have anything to say in their case?”

“Your honor,” Toshirou began, bowing his head reverently. “I apologize for my actions. I don’t regret saving Keisuke Akimoto, who in turn saved my sister. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t save the Oracle, but Natsumi and I will be willing to lend our hand in the defeat of the Overlord.”

“See to it that you do,” the Judge said, and Zen sent a surreptitious smirk towards Toshirou’s direction. It was then that it was realized—that they were all being sent on a suicide mission. The authorities didn’t want to dirty their hands fighting against something that could potentially threaten all of the shinigami world. They needed fodder, and the three of them provided for it nicely. They didn’t state a specific deadline, but all three of them could probably feel the steel vice grip of time gripping against their necks. More lives would be lost. More destruction, more death, if they didn’t do something about it. And Keisuke and probably Natsumi and Toshirou felt it their sworn solemn duty to protect the realm from threats. Keisuke wondered what he should do, though. How was he going to be able to train to fight against that monstrosity? Surely they woudln’t expect him to fight against it without preparation, would they?

“I do have one request,” Natsumi said. “And that is to give Keisuke the proper preparations needed to use his magic against the monster. I feel that he will be a great aid in our battle—but throwing him in unprepared would not be in our best interests.”

The Judge leaned back and Zen frowned at Natsumi. However the Judge seemed to be willing to listen to Natsumi’s proposal, and Keisuke felt his heart clench fiercely when Natsumi vouched for him.

“Your Honor, he went and saved my life,” Natsumi said. “So the least I could do for him is to help him prepare for this battle. I say three weeks training should be enough preparation for us.”

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“I will accept so long as you battle on the front lines,” the Judge said thoughtfully. “You’ve been very faithful to us and your services have been useful. However, this accomodation has been generously handed to you only because of your service to us. Under ordinary circumstances, we would’ve stripped you of your rank and title, but since there’s an Overlord to be dealt with and you three have some experience fighting it, well, you are valuable assets that we can’t afford to lose.”

Natsumi bowed her head. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Dismissed,” the Judge said, and he knocked his gavel down on the desk in front of him. The people left in a hush, and Natsumi, Toshirou, and Keisuke left in silence.Once the crowd parted, Natsumi turned to Keisuke.

“Keisuke-san,” Natsumi said. “I am grateful to you. I truly am. However, I’m afraid that Toshirou and I must report to the Officers for our duty. You will most likely be given a training instructor to help develop your magic.”

“I want to fight with you guys, though,” Keisuke said.”It doesn’t feel right to abandon you guys and leave you by yourselves against that thing.”

“Don’t worry,” Toshirou said with a grin. “My sister and I will be fine. IF you don’t train in your powers, you will only prove to be a liability in the end. So you’re helping us by training and practicing in your powers.”

“If you put it that way…” Keisuke said with a furrowed brow, before he shook hands with first Toshirou, then Natsumi. “Good luck out there, you two.”

“We’ll be fine,” Toshirou said, and Natsumi nodded in response to Keisuke’s heartfelt gesture.

“Well, I’ll suppose that we’ll see you then,” Toshirou said, and Keisuke grasped Toshirou’s hand within his own in a firm handshake.

“Survive till then,” Keisuke noted seriously, to which Toshirou grinned.

“Hey, we can amke it through anything as long as we’re together,” Toshirou said as Natsumi nodded.”See you, Keisuke!”

When they departed, Keisuke made his way through a terminal and went to find his personal instructor for magic training. He wondered who he or she would be.He didn’t think it would be someone as cute as Natsumi or maybe even Toshirou, maybe, but who knows. He started to miss the Miyazawa siblings, and wondered what he should do for his next course of action. He had a decision to make after all. There was no other choice, was there? That he needed to bring down the creature that got the Oracle’s soul. He had a clue to it’s weakness, maybe, if only he could find out what it is. Maybe he needed to fight smaller demons first and study them. There was a library in the Central City, wasn’t there? He was sure that he could read all the demonology lure that he could, but the most important part was finding the most significant books and up to date information. Oh crud, what was he thinking? There probably wasn’t enough time to just read and idly sit by while everyone was fighting for a mistake that he made. So Keisuke decided that he would find his instructor and try to get better at his magic.

“Visualize what you can, and name an emotion,” Keisuke said as he tried to figure out what emotion would best project his magic. He felt a myriad of them, though the most prominent one was…anger. Anger at Zen. Anger at himself. Anger at his cicumstances. He didn’t ask for this, did he? But he was plunged into this other world without any preparation whatsoever and he had to survive an ordeal that got his only friends in this world in trouble. He had to repay back the debt somehow. They saved his life—he will save theirs.

I’ll come back for you, Keisuke promised inside his mind.

When Keisuke made his way to the Grand Central City, he stared at the place in awe. So many majestic buildings that combined Tokyo’s sleek modernity and ancient hodgepodge of the ancient temples and shrines that populated the area. Keisuke wondered whether he lived in Tokyo or something in his previous memory, or else why would this place evoke that emotion in him? But he didn’t think about it for long, as his Instructor came up to him and gave him a firm handshake.

“My name is Sumire,” the sultry Instructor said. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Keisuke Akimoto,” Keisuke said with a nod, before he glanced at the redheaded Instructor with yellow tips at the ends. “You found me quickly.”

“I can sense Auras,” the woman explained, and Keisuke wondered if this was a similar ability to what he had, which was sensing the demon that was further away in the jungle and stalking them. He didn’t sense it’s presence now, thank goodness, though Keisuke had an uneasy feeling that it was biding its time. But for what?

“I understand that you’re to be trained in your powers?” Sumire said, while Keisuke nodded.

“I’m sure that Toshirou and Natsumi told you the basic of basics, right?” Sumire said. “That you imagine the effect in your mind and then hold onto an emotion that powers it?”

Keisuke nodded.

“So?” Sumire said as she put one hand on her hip. “What can you show me?”

“Right now?” Keisuke said in surprise, before teh instructor sent a blast of fire his way. Some if it singed his hair, though Keisuke instinictively knew to doge out of the way with his superhuman reflexes. He supposed that training began now, though he didn’t know how to summon his emotions or powers because the attack was so sudden and didn’t give him time to think of feel. Keisuke jumped back quite a distance and crouched, wondering what move she would throw next. She lashed out with a whip, ensnaring him and drawing him closer while the flames trickled at the beginning of the whip and started to make his way towards him. He was trapped!

Keisuke, without even thinking, thought of the will to survive. When he thought desperately of surviving the flames, the flames that touched his skin didn’t burn. He thought it was odd, perhaps it even tickled a bit, but the flames tickled for a moment before they dispersed completely.

The Instructor nodded in satisfaction.

“So that gives me an idea of what kind of magic that you have,” Sumire said with grudging approval.

“What is it?”

“It’s not time to tell you yet,” Sumire said as she unbound the whip from Keisuke’s body. “It could be a fluke. But if you are what I think you are—then you are far more dangerous than I would’ve suspected.”

“What just happened?” Keisuke asked, wondering why the flames didn’t burn like he initially thought that it would.

“Come,” Sumire said, and Keisuke followed like an obedient dog at her heels.

“So Sumire,” Keisuke said. “What do you think of Natsumi and Toshirou?”

“I’m grateful for you for coming back to save Natsumi,” Sumire said softly, a chink in her normally tough and brave facade. “However, I don’t completely trust you yet.”

“I see,” Keisuke said as his shoulders sagged. It seemed like Natsumi and Toshirou were his only friends in this world, and they were gone on the frontlines to fight against the demon that he created. “What kind of powers do I have.”

“If I’m correct,” Sumire said. “You seem to have powers of nullification.”

“That means?”

“You can cancel out magic,” Sumire said simply, and Keisuke stared at her in wonderment.

“So what are those kinds of people called?” Keisuke asked.

“Catalysts,” Sumire said simply, while Keisuke nodded along with her.