Ren sprinted down the overgrown path that led to their dormitory. The mission was scheduled to begin in 45 minutes, Kurokawa had given them free rein until then. Kaen and Gin were playing a game of catch in the nearby woods. Their smiles seemed genuine, but Ren had a feeling it was just a facade hiding their true emotions underneath. He pushed open the sliding door and walked toward his and Kaen’s room. Inside he swiftly made his way toward an old wooden wardrobe. The door was hanging on its side, the rusty metal hinge holding on for dear life. He slid the door open, careful not to break it. On the dusty floor stood a worn leather bag, still it looked expensive. Ren reached in and pulled it out, feeling the familiarity of the smooth surface under his fingertips. He sat the bag on the floor and knelt beside it, opening the flap to check the contents. Inside, neatly arranged, were his spare clothes, a small first aid kit, and a notebook. However, these were not the things he was looking for. Ren’s fingers traced the bag’s interior until they found a small, hidden compartment. No one who wasn’t looking for the pocket would ever find it. He unlatched it carefully and pulled out two items. A silver pendant, its delicate chain leading to a large blue lace agate crystal. His sister had given it to him, it was supposed to relieve stress and anxiety. Ren didn’t believe in stuff like that, but what harm could it do? Besides it was the only thing that could remind him of his sister now. The other thing he pulled out was a torn photograph. Ren softly traced the figures in the picture, every time he went over someone’s face he would remember their laughs, something they said. He went over his mother’s face, it was beautiful. Her big blue eyes and her shining white hair. Ren tried seeing it like that, not covered in dark crimson blood.
For a long time, he just sat there, on the floor. Staring at the picture, he went in a circle. Aunt, uncle, cousin, father, sister, mother. He wanted to see them happy again even if it was just like this. He wanted to see them alive again. Ren was snapped out of his trance when he heard footsteps in the hall. He quickly put the bag back in its place and put the picture in his pocket. Ren stepped out of the room and was met with Kaen and Gin who had come back from the woods. They had sticks in their hair and dirt on their faces. However, as he caught sight of Ren, his brows furrowed in concern.
“What is it?” Ren asked confused, but Kaen simply shook his head and brushed it off.
“It’s nothing, just a nice necklace,” he said with a smile as he gestured towards the pendant. Kaen walked towards the bathroom to wash off the dirt. Ren couldn’t help but smile as he gently touched the pendant. “Kaen, how did you know I needed to hear that,” he murmured, before walking outside.
* * *
Kaen watched as the streets passed him by in a blur. The first time he had ridden in a car he was going to prison, the second time he was riding with a strange man to god knows where. This time he was cramped inside a minivan with 5 other teenagers who were very loud, well Gin was loud no one else was. She must’ve ridden in a car before, at least when she was going to prison. But that didn’t stop her, from pressing all the buttons and reverting her seat back and forward. She also screamed whenever they were going down a hill like she was riding a roller coaster or something. Well, Kaen had never been on a roller coaster but he imagined this is the reaction someone would have. He regretted his decision to sit next to her instead of Yuukie now. He didn’t want to make her feel awkward or uncomfortable. Plus, he and Gin were friends, so it would be strange not sitting next to her.
“Oh my god, can you like shut up for one second!” Kenzo screamed from behind him.
“Yes please,” Kaen groaned in agreement. Gin didn’t listen, though, and just continued. For the next 30 minutes, Gin continued to climb around the car like a toddler who had too much sugar. She changed the temperature setting and tried fiddling with the radio but Kurokawa gave her a stern look that made her sit back down. She leaned over Kaen in an attempt to open the windows, but Kurokawa was quick to lock them shut. Kaen put his head against the cool glass of the window. They were going to the human city above the Iwaori district, they had a tunnel down to the underground from there. Kaen had never actually seen what the tunnels looked like since he’d been in a box the time he went to the surface. It felt weird going back down there now, weird not having the sky above him. Even though that was the opposite of what he thought before. But after the mission was done he would at least see the sky one last time before going home forever. Wait? Home? He had been so occupied the last couple of days with training and preparing himself for the mission, causing him to completely forget why he was even there in the first place. To find Asahi. If he was going home after this it would mean he had no way of finding him ever again. Kaen knew Asahi had been in Kenbiro, but after that, he had no idea. What was he going to do now? He thought about it, if something went wrong during this mission he wouldn’t even be able to go home. Let alone find Asahi, so he needed to concentrate right now. This was his first priority, and Asahi was the second. After the mission was done maybe he could pretend to go back home, but instead continue searching. It was a good, but very risky idea.
“Alright, everyone out,” Kurokawa said as the car came to a stop. Everyone climbed out of the vehicle. Then another van pulled up beside them, this one was larger and more imposing. Kaen almost jumped as it parked beside him, he had never seen such a large car before.
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Kurokawa headed towards the massive doors at the rear of the van, he motioned something to the driver and the doors slid open.
“Here ar-,” Kurokawa began before getting interrupted by Gin. She screamed with happiness and ran straight toward the car. She pulled something that looked like a plank covered in cloth from inside.
“What’s that?” Kaen said puzzled. She didn’t respond, instead, she ripped off the cloth to reveal a contraption that resembled a skateboard. However, it didn’t have wheels, rather it had two weird exhaust pipes on the back. And instead of being made out of wood, it was made of metal. Kaen had always found Gin to be, well a bit peculiar. She consistently wore black cargo pants and a matching jacket, which in itself was fine, but they were covered in patches of pink, purple, and blue colors. Seemingly covering all the holes. So now when she pulled out a metal skateboard Kaen wasn’t all that surprised.
“The heck is that?” Kenzo said, very confused.
“You’ll see,” She snickered, putting the board on the ground. Gin placed the skateboard on the ground, a wide grin playing on her lips. The others watched puzzled, as she stepped onto the board. She balanced on the metal surface, then leaned down and pressed a small, barely noticeable button on the side of the skateboard. There was a brief, almost inaudible whirring sound, and suddenly, from the edges of the skateboard, two metallic buckles shot up and wrapped around her ankles. They tightened securely, locking her feet in place. The unexpected motion made everyone take a step back, including Kurokawa.
“What is she doing?” Ren said, chuckling at the very weird stance Gin was standing in. But before anyone could react further, the skateboard began to hum, the exhaust pipes at the back flickering to life with a soft blue glow. The board slowly lifted off the ground, hovering a few inches above the pavement. Kaen’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the strange scene before him. The others appeared equally taken aback, except Kurokawa who had a small smirk on his face.
“Is this for real?” Kaen muttered, eyes fixed on the floating contraption beneath Gin’s feet. Gin’s grin grew even wider. She didn’t say a word as the board suddenly jerked forward, zooming a few feet ahead before stopping abruptly. The wind from the sudden movement ruffled her hair, but she seemed unfazed, simply adjusting her stance. Then, with a small chuckle that quickly turned into a full-blown laugh, she twisted her body and shot upward, the board following her commands with an agility that defied logic.“How the hell!” Kenzo screamed as Gin flew right past his head. The only thing Kaen could do was laugh, he had certainly made some strange weird in the few days he had been here. Gin finally slowed down, the board coming to a gentle hover a few feet above the ground. She released the button, and the buckles around her ankles loosened, retracting back into the board’s surface. She hopped off, her boots clanging against the pavement once more.
“Cool, huh?” she said with a grin as if she hadn’t just defied the laws of physics.
“That was awesome! I wanna try,” Kaen exclaimed, reaching for the board.
“No, I’m gonna try,” Kenzo said as he stepped forward and pushed Kaen aside. Kaen scoffed; he didn’t have the energy for an argument right now, so he just stayed quiet. Even Yuukie, who had been quiet the whole time, seemed to want to try as well. Before Gin could answer, Kurokawa said, “I hope you haven’t forgotten why we are here,” Everyone turned to face him. “We don’t have time for pleasantries, let’s go,” With that, he turned his heel and started walking toward a big metal door that led into the ground. Kaen had been so occupied he hadn’t even seen it, that was the thing separating humans and demons? They followed the man, Kenzo seeming grumpy at the fact he hadn’t been able to try Gin’s flying skateboard. The path leading to it sloped downward, disappearing into the earth like a maw ready to swallow them whole. As they approached, the sheer size of the door became apparent. It was big—big big—as if it was built to keep something far more powerful than humans at bay. Which it was in a sense. Kaen glanced at Yuukie, who was walking beside him. Her face was pale, her eyes wide as if she’d just seen a ghost. Kaen hesitated for a moment, then reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. This time, she didn’t flinch away; instead, she just kept staring ahead, her breathing shallow and quick. Kurokawa stopped in front of the door, the group halting behind him. He turned to face them, his expression unreadable. Kaen’s heart quickened, he was basically just returning home. Then why was he so scared? He didn’t know.
“It’s time,” Kurokawa said, his voice carrying an edge of finality. With that, the enormous door began to groan and creak, the sound reverberating through the air as it slowly started to open. The metal slid against metal, revealing a dark, foreboding path that led into the underground. The group stood there for a moment, staring into the abyss. Kaen’s heart pounded in his chest, but he kept his gaze forward, trying to steady his breathing. He noticed Kurokawa’s expression—there was something almost sad in his eyes, a fleeting glimpse of something that made Kaen’s stomach twist with unease.
“Good luck,” Kurokawa said softly, his tone laced with an emotion Kaen couldn’t quite place. It was unsettling. With a deep breath, Kaen took the first step forward, the others following suit. The darkness swallowed them whole as they began their descent. The air grew colder, the faint echo of their footsteps the only sound accompanying them as they moved deeper into the underground.
They walked for a while, the darkness pressing in around them, making it difficult to see anything beyond a few steps ahead. The tension in the air was palpable, every creak of the tunnel walls making Kaen jumpy. He kept his eyes forward, trying to focus on the path ahead rather than the suffocating blackness around them.
Suddenly, a loud, booming sound echoed through the tunnel, causing everyone to spin around in alarm. Kaen’s heart leaped into his throat as he realized what had happened—the massive door was closing behind them, sealing them in. He could see the last strands of sunshine gleam in through the cracks of the door, before closing. After that they were plunged into total darkness.