“How did you know he would be here?”
“He told me himself,” said Adam. “Likely he wanted me to follow him here, even if he had said otherwise.”
“Why would he do that?” Dee asked.
“Revenge,” Adam answered. “He’s been a part of me all these years, and now he doesn’t have to listen to me anymore. He’s enjoying his freedom, but a part him is angry at me for getting in the way of what he wanted.”
“That’s not really fair,” said Dee. “It’s your body, what right does he have to be angry?”
“You’ve got to understand, Dee, the me that you’ve only known for the last few weeks is very different from the me that I’ve been for thousands of years,” Adam explained. “Up until a few decades ago, my personality was a lot more like the way he is now.”
“What caused that to change?” Dee asked.
“I can explain that,” the Creator said, having just finished a mouthful of noodles. “You see, when Iilil-ja was first created, he was somewhat of a monster, much as I expect his own anger has become now. As such, I instilled him with a conscience that was meant to build as he went through life and had new experiences. Of course, since most of his experiences were very similar and quite violent, the seed took a long time to take hold.”
“I suppose you could say that,” Adam said. “It coincided with me joining the Khazaki. I met someone there who gave me a new perspective, and after that the thoughts of senseless killing seemed to make less and less sense to me. Of course, that was the same time that this nagging feeling came about.”
“I imagine that as the conscience gained more control within you, it created an internal conflict that resulted in your psyche splitting into two: the Iilil-ja that you are now and your own angry alter ego.”
“That’s what made me want to get rid of him in the first place,” said Adam. “The only difference is that the angry part of me was never meant to get out. It was supposed to be destroyed after the ritual.”
“But somehow it got free,” the Creator said. “Unfortunately, we still don’t know how.”
“How it happened isn’t important right now,” Adam said. “All that matters is that he’s out there in this city somewhere planning to do something terrible.”
“So you haven’t learned anything new since you’ve been here?” the Creator asked. Adam looked at Dee, who was carefully slurping up a long section of noodles. She saw him looking at her and smiled through the food.
“Only that I seem to be much more apt to please people,” he muttered.
“At any rate, we’ve still got the problem of your other half and the people working with him to deal with,” the Creator said. “How many were there when you ran into them in Tokyo?”
“Six,” Adam said, “plus my other half.”
“And have you encountered any of them while in either city, aside from Souji?”
“I haven’t,” Adam replied.
“So there was the first gunman, who was killed by a sniper. Then there was that large man on the train, also killed. Souji was likely taken into custody, I doubt anyone else from his team had time to kill him. That leaves three more agents and the other alter ego.”
“Considering our luck so far, it shouldn’t be much of a problem taking them out before they get their plan into action,” said Mathias, who had been silently listening as he ate.
“The other three of them, maybe,” Adam said, “but my other half isn’t going to go down easily. Don’t forget he’s a Legend like I am.” There were also the element powers he had to consider, but Adam didn’t feel like sharing that fact if he didn’t have to. There was always the chance he would not learn he has them.
“Between your capable powers and my own, we should be able to subdue your other half,” New Baggins told Adam.
“Plus, in the last few days we’ve nearly cut their numbers in half,” Mathias said. “Whatever plan they may have had is probably useless with only four of them.”
“We can’t consider that those seven were the only ones involved,” New Baggins countered. “There may be others we don’t know about yet.”
“That’s very true, so we should all continue to proceed with caution,” the Creator said.
“I guess this means we’re going to be searching the city after all,” Mathias grumbled. “It’s almost as big as Tokyo was.”
“Not to mention it will be getting dark soon,” New Baggins said. “We’ll need to find lodging for an extended time.”
“Mr. Evans, where have you been staying while you’ve been here?” Dee asked.
“I’ve been sleeping outside in the mountains,” he answered. “I doubt it will be a comfortable situation for the rest of you.”
“We’ll just get another hotel suite I guess,” Mathias suggested. “It worked fine in Tokyo.”
“Actually, that won’t be necessary,” the Creator said, taking a sip of his drink.
“Why’s that?” Adam asked.
“Because, I’ve already made plans,” he answered. “We’re going to be staying with an old friend of mine who lives in the city. I spoke with her over the phone at the train station and she said she’d be happy to take us in for a few days.”
The other four were baffled. How could the Creator know someone in this city? They all stared at him, hoping for further explanation. Instead, he threw up his usual smile.
“Would anyone like dessert before we go?”
The snowstorm that had passed over western Japan as the Creator’s group travelled on the bullet train had long since ended, but the fresh snow that it dropped lay over Kyoto like a thin sheet. The busy streets saw no real change as cars and buses dusted with white powder constantly filled the black roads. The sidewalks were marked with countless footprints of those who had used them, but enough snow remained to crunch under the feet of Adam and those who had come to bring him home to Magid.
Adam shivered in the cold air as the Creator led the five of them through a more suburban area of the city. The others had all come equipped with winter clothing, while he still only had his thin blue jacket and a scarf. He kept his frozen hands in his pockets to avoid making himself seem uncomfortable to the others.
He had no idea where the Creator was leading them, nor did he know what “old friend” he could be talking about. He had disregarded Master M as an option, seeing as how the exile’s tiny, cluttered apartment would never hold six people comfortably. But he knew of no other options. As far as he knew it, the Creator hadn’t left the Other Universe before. His memory was not of any help, as he had no recollection of his life before he was split from the Creator. This person could have known the Creator for eons for all he knew.
The five of them had been travelling for half an hour since they left the noodle shop by the train station, first by bus and then by foot. The Creator carefully read over his handwritten note as he eyed the houses on his right. A stone wall as tall as a man lined this entire neighborhood, making it a bit difficult to see the houses behind it. As they passed by a wrought iron gate, the Creator paused. He examined the sign on the wall, tracing the kanji characters that appeared with his finger.
“Hiwatari,” he said slowly. “I believe that this is the place.
The five of them approached the gate and looked through the bars. The house was large, only a single story but wide and probably long in the back as well. It was constructed in the traditional Japanese style, consisting of a mostly wooden structure. The tiled roof was covered with snow, but the ornate trim along the edge was still noticeable. The house’s front showed two windows and a door and a long porch extending a few feet outwards. In front of that was a path, still covered with snow from the storm but currently being shoveled by the home’s only occupant.
The Creator approached the gate, taking hold of one of the bars. “Is that you, Ayumi?”
The girl on the path stopped shoveling, lifting her head up to spot the source of the sound. She heard the Creator well enough despite the wool hat and earm
uffs that covered her ears. When she saw the Creator, the girl’s eyes lit up and she cried out in joy, throwing the shovel aside and running through the snow to the gate. She raised the hatch and flung the gate open, jumping at the Creator and wrapping her arms tightly around him.
“Is it really you, Daniel-kun?” she said happily. “I never thought I’d see you in person!”
The Creator returned Ayumi’s embrace as the other four looked on in confusion. No one was more bewildered than Adam, who in his head imagined their contact to be some millennia old sage with a flowing gray beard. Instead, he was looking at a teenage girl.
“Wow, it’s been years!” the girl continued. She was native to Japan, but despite her young age her English seemed fluent, if only touched by an accent that was to be expected. Ayumi separated from the Creator and inspected him up and down. “I expected you to be taller, and a bit older, too. You weren’t lying to us about your age back then were you?”
“No, no,” the Creator said with a laugh. “I’ve always looked young for my age. Oh, I can’t be rude now. Please let me introduce you to my acquaintances. Everyone, this is Ayumi Hiwatari. She and her brother were my pen-pals of a sort many years back.”
Ayumi smiled and made a peace sign with her gloved fingers as she was introduced. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all, friends of Daniel-kun.”
The Creator gestured to each of them. “This is my assistant, Dee Gatti.” Dee didn’t mind that the Creator was using her more familiar name with the girl, as he probably figured that Diatyallah would be difficult to remember.
“This is Mathias Albright and New Baggins, both of whom are helping with me with my business.” Mathias waved his hand while New Baggins bowed slightly. The Creator turned to Adam next. “And this is—”
“Hey, I know you!” Ayumi cut in. Both the Creator and Adam were surprised that she had said this, fearful that perhaps she may have mistaken Adam for his other half.
“I saw you downtown a few days ago,” Ayumi said. “You were with another foreigner. I recognize your jacket.”
It all made sense to Adam now. She had been on the street the day when he first arrived in Kyoto and met Master M while looking for food. Quite a coincidence, he thought.
“Say, Daniel-kun,” Ayumi continued. “Your friend looks a lot like you. Actually, you two look exactly alike.”
“It’s a funny story, actually,” the Creator said. “Adam and I are twin brothers, you see.”
“But you told us you were an only child.”
“Well, I thought I was,” the Creator lied. “I found out some years ago that Adam and I were separated at birth and grew up in different households. That also explains why we have different family names.”
Adam gave the Creator a sour look. There was no way she would believe something that stupid.
“Wow, that’s so cool!” Ayumi said. “Long lost brothers, united after years apart. That sounds like something they could make a manga about.”
The Creator smiled, happy that his little white lie had fooled the girl. He’d rather be open with her considering she was offering her home to them for an undetermined period of time, but some things would have to remain hidden. Adam was more concerned with how easily the Creator was able to spin such a story and have it be accepted without question.
“So you’re Adam-san, then?” she clarified. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you all. So Daniel-kun, why did you say you were in Kyoto again?”
“Just a bit of business,” the Creator said. “But I couldn’t pass up the chance to see you while I was in the area.”
“Aw, that’s sweet,” Ayumi said. “But you don’t have to try to flatter me, Daniel-kun. I already agreed to let you and your friends use my house. Dad and Shuya aren’t here anyway, so the house is empty. Come on in, you guys must be tired from your trip.”
“She doesn’t know the half of it,” Mathias mumbled to the Creator. As the group walked towards the house, Dee stayed close to the Creator.
“Sir, what’s this all about?” she whispered to him. “Who is that girl? Why does she keep calling you ‘Daniel-kun’?”
“I’ll explain later, Ms. Gatti,” the Creator said. “It’s a long and uninteresting story.”
On the other side of the city, Thomas Abernathy reclined against the wall deep within the building his group had chosen as a headquarters. As usual, he was bored. For over a week now he’d been sitting around while he waited for orders from his direct superior, Mr. Black. These orders were supposed to be concerning the mission his team was here to complete, yet so far all he had been saying was “Find Adam Evans.” Abernathy determined that was a waste of energy and left that tedious task to his teammates.
The skinny blond man focused his energy polishing the golden disk sitting in his lap. It was already polished enough for him to see himself through the bright amber metal, but he didn’t feel like wasting his energy doing anything else. How terrible, he thought, that his time and talents were being misused on such a useless mission.
Suddenly the dullness was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Abernathy looked up from his disk and saw Friedrich Gien coming down the wooden hallway. The chirping noise made by the floorboards was a sound he had gotten used to since his time spent in the building.
“Welcome back, Gien,” Abernathy said. “Did you bring me anything back from Tokyo? Any news from Hyogo or the kid?”
Gien ignored him, moving around the corner towards the main room of the building. Abernathy snorted and returned to his polishing.
“Whatever, not like I give a damn.”
Gien reached the end of the hallway and slid open the door into the main room. He stopped, startled by what he saw. The room was much more barren than he had expected, with only Viktor Serbanescu and his direct superior present. More disturbing to Gien was the leader of their group, whose appearance had changed dramatically from when he last saw him in Tokyo. His hair had faded to a snowy white and his eyes were still bloodshot from the day before.
“Get in here, Gien,” the doppelganger barked. He noticed Gien’s shock upon entering the room, realizing immediately what was bothering him. “I’d forgotten that this is the first time you’ve seen me like this. Get used to it.”
“There’s a problem,” said Gien.
“I know, it’s all over the news,” the double said. He pointed to the battery-powered television at the front of the room, which showed a news broadcast of the incident at the station. It also made references to the attack on the bullet train, establishing a likely connection between the two.
“Do you realize how much of a problem this is going to be for us?” the double continued. “Not only did all of this get out, but Okita was captured alive. Not to mention that those other two are dead. How are we supposed to get through this task with the little manpower we have left?”
“I was going to ask you that myself,” a voice from the hallway said. The doppelganger, curious, stood up and walked towards the door at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Gien stepped aside as two figures turned the corner where Abernathy was sitting and approached the main room. The first wasn’t visible too him, covered in black robes. The other was a man in his early twenties with white hair trailing down past his shoulders. His tight body was well accented by an impressive three piece suit and a wool overcoat, too flashy for the doppelganger’s tastes. Without removing his sunglasses, he approached the door and addressed the leader of the dwindling group.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Black,” the man said. “We meet at last. You can call me Mr. White.”
“Funny,” the doppelganger said. “I imagine you’re with the higher ups then. Who’s he?”
The taller of the two said nothing. “This is Spartacus, my bodyguard. I assure you he’ll do no harm to you if you behave yourself.”
“Well then, Mr. White, what is it you want? I’m a little busy and I don’t like interruptions.”
“Oh, you’re busy?” said Mr. White. “I couldn’t tell, considering you
haven’t made any progress with your assignment since you arrived in Kyoto. I arrived to check up on you and I come to learn that three of your men have been either killed or incapacitated and you haven’t even begun to start the mission yet.”
“Something else came up,” Mr. Black said.
“You mean Adam Evans and the group that came here to bring him back to Magid? From the reports I’ve received from Gien, they have made no attempts to interfere with you. Every attack was made by you.”
The doppelganger glared at Gien. There was no way he would allow himself to take the full blame, especially since he hadn’t authorized the initial attack on the Creator’s group. Granted he ordered those of his men left behind in Tokyo to kill Adam Evans on sight, but the mistake that Sgt. Rogers made was out of his hands.
“I’m losing confidence in you, Black,” said Mr. White. “Honestly, I don’t understand why Benedict was so interested in you at all.”
“Did he send you here?”
“No, I wanted to see what you’d gotten done, although I can’t say that Benedict isn’t worried.”
“Well what does he want me to do about it?”
Mr. White stepped closer to the doppelganger, getting only inches away from his face. “Listen closely, Black, I’ll only tell you this once. We are responsible for your existence. We created you, we own you. You are our property, and you will follow our orders without question. Is that understood?”
Mr. Black glared at his aggressor, whose eyes remained hidden behind the dark sunglasses. He felt the sudden urge to tear into him, ripping through that expensive suit and shredding his flesh and organs. In a rare pensive moment, he steadied his rage. Killing this man would do nothing but gain the ire of a much larger threat.
“Understood,” he said. “Is that all?”
Mr. White reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small folder, handing it to the double.
“This dossier contains information pertaining to the group who came with the Creator,” said Mr. White. “Look over it, use that information to find a way to stop them.”
The Kyoto Ordeal (Tales of the Other Universe Book 1) Page 14