Adam was standing over a body. The man’s chest looked like it had been torn to shreds and his face had a torturous look permanently etched onto it. Adam still held his sword, covered in the dead man’s blood. His face was locked on the corpse’s, and as Dee looked closer she could see why.
Adam used a rag to wipe the blood from his sword and sheathed it. He bent over the body and reached his hand to the man’s face, taking off the pair of small sunglasses that he wore. Adam stood back up and put the sunglasses on his own face, turning to where Dee was standing. He couldn’t see her, but she felt as if his stare was burning through her. His eyes were not the ones she knew, but those full of anger and hate.
Dee’s trip into Adam’s mind was interrupted abruptly as Adam shot his eyes open. Reacting on instinct, he thrust his hand upwards and caught Dee by the throat. He pushed her back against the wall and held her there. She gasped, staring with wide eyes at him. He glared at her with the same eyes she saw in the dream.
“Get out,” he growled.
Dee’s eyes welled with tears as he loosened his grip. She broke away, stumbling on her hands at first, before throwing the door open and running out of the room sobbing. Adam’s anger faded to regret, but there was nothing to be done now. He reached his hand to the side of the bed, where his familiar pair of sunglasses was set aside from the night. In the darkness of the room, he put them on and sighed.
“A duel to the death?” New Baggins asked.
“That’s what he told me last night.”
The Creator and New Baggins sat together in the living room as the Creator ate. “It’s going to take place in six days. That is, six days starting today.”
“That would place the date at Friday, the 24th of December,” New Baggins said.
“Is that right?” the Creator asked. “The anger-form certainly has an awful sense of timing, or a cruel sense of humor.”
“Why do you say that, my Lord?”
“Because that’s Christmas Eve,” the Creator answered. “On Earth, it’s the day before the birth of Christ in the Christian religion and one of their most important holidays. Even to non-Christians, the day is celebrated as a time of good will towards others and peace on Earth.”
“Is the anger-form aware of that?”
“I highly doubt it. It’s just an ironic situation and we’ll just have to roll with it. We’ll need to keep things as low-key as possible, since there’s bound to be a lot of people walking around that night.”
“Why not take care of the problem sooner then? Is it really a wise choice to wait?”
“Honestly, not at all,” the Creator said, folding his hands. “But I want to honor Iilil-ja’s wishes in this situation. To him, it’s not a matter of whether it’s wise or not. Even though this ordeal is a matter of national, if not global security, ultimately there is so much more at stake for him personally.”
New Baggins folded his arms. “I certainly hope you are right, my Lord.”
“As do I, my friend,” the Creator said.
Chapter Twenty
The Naivety
Later in the morning, New Baggins stepped out onto the front porch. Long, slender icicles had formed along the edge of the roof and hung down above him. The air was still and quiet around him, and he took time to enjoy the momentary peace. Winter here was not that different from that in Magid, and he was quickly accustomed to the scenery that reminded him so much of his home.
He looked out over the lawn in front of him. There were two trees in the yard, both stripped of leaves and draped in snow. The yard was covered as well as the path, which he had been tasked to clear. A shovel rested on the porch, but it was an unnecessary tool for someone like New Baggins.
He held his hand out over the path and it began to glow a faint yellow. The top of the snow over the path drooped and then sagged inward as it melted away. In a few seconds, all of the snow up to the front gate had changed state from solid to a gas, disappearing and leaving the path clear. Satisfied, New Baggins returned his attention to the scenery around the house.
“That’s quite a neat trick you’ve got there,” a voice called from ahead. New Baggins looked back and saw the gate swing open as Adam’s doppelganger stepped onto the property. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about manipulating elements now, would you?”
Without a moment of hesitation, New Baggins shot his hand out and prepared to force him back with a mental attack. The doppelganger kept his cool, waving his hand in the air with a smile.
“Hold on now, no need to be hasty. I’m not here to cause any trouble. Look, I’m not even armed.” He flashed both hands in the air and exposed his sides, which held no weapons. “I just came here to talk. I’m not about to betray the agreement that I have with the fledgling.”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe that,” New Baggins replied. He had yet to lower his hand.
The doppelganger smirked, then looked around the yard. “Winter is truly amazing, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s calm and serene, like it is now. However, it can also be aggressive and downright dangerous. Blizzards, freezing temperatures, just to name a few aspects of it. Truly winter holds a great deal of destructive power beneath that seemingly calm exterior. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“What do you want here?”
“I just came to finish the conversation I started last night with your better half. I’d like to see if he’s reconsidered his offer to work with me.”
“I would never join you,” said New Baggins.
“I didn’t ask you,” the doppelganger replied. “I’m only interested in what The Baggins has to say.”
New Baggins narrowed his eyes. “The Baggins isn’t here, nor does he wish to speak with you. He’s already made his decision.”
“Has he now? So you’ve spoken with him? I was wondering if that was possible, seeing as you two share a body. I suppose it is then, unless of course, you haven’t actually asked him.”
“I don’t need to ask him. He would never work beneath someone like you.”
“It sounds to me like you’re the one making that decision for him,” the double said, sliding his hands into his jacket pocket. “I was certain that The Baggins of legend would never pass up an opportunity like this. Has he become so tame that he lets you order him around?”
“That’s quite enough,” New Baggins said, now seething from the doppelganger’s taunts. “Leave this place now, before I make you leave.” The doppelganger gave him a defiant glare, tempting him to act. He knew very well from the file Mr. White had passed to him that despite his incredible powers, the seal that was placed on him prevented him from killing anyone.
“Maybe I’m not ready to leave yet,” he said with another wicked smile. “Maybe I’ll go inside and say hello to that young blonde woman. I’m sure she’s missed me, because I know I’ve missed her. Not having the chance to be around those luscious curves anymore has made me feel so lonely.”
That appeared to be the breaking point for New Baggins. A wall of glowing energy rippled away from his extended hand and struck the doppelganger, forcing him back and landing head first on the concrete outside of the gate. He groaned, clutching his throbbing head.
“Don’t come back here again,” New Baggins said.
“Fine, I get the picture.” The doppelganger got to his feet and brushed himself off. “Still, you really should work on controlling your anger better. You wouldn’t want to be mistaken for someone else.”
The last comment stung, but New Baggins tried to ignore it. He kept his guard up until the doppelganger disappeared behind the stone wall. When he was certain that he was gone, New Baggins lowered his hand and clenched it into a tight fist.
On the opposite side of the house, Adam was oblivious to what had happened in the front yard. Like New Baggins, he was taking in the scenery. He had spent his first few days in Kyoto outside in the snow, but during that time he was more focused on learning how to control the elements than by observing the natural world around him. Now he had
a moment of peace.
The backyard of the Hiwatari household encompassed the traditional theme of a Japanese garden, though it was harder to see when covered with snow. A few leafless shrubs sat besides a frozen pond, both almost unrecognizable beneath the white blanket. A few short trees stuck out from the amorphous snow-shape, their thin branches encompassed with a layer of ice. It was hauntingly beautiful, Adam thought, this frozen scene of natural death.
The back door slid open behind him, but he didn’t look up to see who it was. It wouldn’t be hard to figure it out through process of elimination: Ayumi had gone to the store, New Baggins and the Creator were busy going over the events of last night, and it was very unlikely that Dee would be approaching him any time soon. That left only one.
“Yo,” Mathias said, stepping out into the cold. He felt it immediately and blew into his hands to warm them. “Man, how can you sit out here with just a thin jacket like that? It’s freezing.”
“I’ve already gotten used to it,” Adam replied, not taking his eyes off the yard.
“Fair enough,” Mathias said. “Anyway, I wanted to go over some things with you.”
“Like what?” Adam asked.
“Strategy. You’re going to need it.”
Adam grumbled. He had hoped that the Creator wouldn’t regurgitate everything he had said about the upcoming battle to the others, but that was just wishful thinking. As far as the Creator was concerned, they were all equally involved.
“There are six days between now and when you’re supposed to go fight him,” Mathias said. “That’s not really a very long time to get ready for something as important as this. You’re going to end up thinking on the fly, but you may as well have a plan to start with. You and I are the only ones with any real combat experience, so we ought to come up with something.”
Adam watched his foggy breath in front of him. “What did you have in mind?”
“Let’s not talk about it here,” said Mathias. Adam finally turned to look at him, hoping for an explanation. “Think about it. If we start planning here, those others are going to get involved in the talking. I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust Bright Boy as far as I could throw him. The Creator’s useless, too. He can organize a little rescue mission, but he doesn’t know anything about planning a fight like this. Same goes for the girl. That’s why I’m here.”
“Well what’s wrong with talking right here? We’re alone out here.”
“I just don’t want to get interrupted,” said Mathias. “The Creator’s a little nosy.”
“Fine,” Adam said. “Where are we going then?”
“Somewhere quiet, out of the way,” Mathias said. “Those guys could be watching us wherever we go. Frankly, I don’t trust them to honor the wait period. If they try something it’ll be better off somewhere away from people.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Adam said. He looked over the tree tops. In the east, the blue mountains were capped white now. “I think I know a place we can go.”
Ayumi arrived home early in the afternoon, and as promised there was a handmade bento box waiting for her when she returned. She smiled when she found it, thinking of the man in the golden mask. Their conversation from the morning played back in her head. How could someone like him really be responsible for something so terrible? How much longer would he have to be punished?
“Welcome home, Ayumi.” She turned around and saw the Creator walk into the kitchen.
“Ah, Daniel-kun, hello,” she said. “How have things been around the house?”
“Very quiet,” he said, reaching into the cabinet to get an empty glass. “I was surprised actually. This has been the calmest morning I’ve had since we arrived in Japan last week.”
“I guess that’s good.”
The Creator lifted the tap and filled his glass with water. “I was a little surprised. Iilil-ja, rather Adam, and Mathias stepped out a little while ago to look around the city. New Baggins has been taking care of housework, and Ms. Gatti has been reading in your room all morning. Very quiet here, almost boring.”
“Well you know, Daniel-kun, you could be finding things to occupy your time. You should follow Baggins-san’s lead and do some housework. The carpets need to be vacuumed and the laundry done.”
“I suppose so,” the Creator said. “Though I figured I would leave the laundry to you, considering.”
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Considering what?”
“Well, I imagine that the laundry that’s built up is all yours since you’ve been alone. I thought you might feel a bit strange if I was sorting through and folding your clothes. All of them.”
Ayumi blushed, and broke her eye contact with him. “Alright, I see your point. Still, you can help out here and there. You may be some kind of god, but while you’re here you can still pull your share.”
The Creator smiled. “I would never think otherwise, Ayumi. I’m glad to do what I can.”
“Good,” she said, eating a piece of sushi. “Wow, this is pretty good. Has Baggins-san made a bento box before?”
“No, this was the first time.”
“He’s really very talented. You know, I don’t like to pick favorites but I think I like him the best out of your friends.”
“He is rather amicable,” the Creator said, “so long as the sun shines, at least.”
Ayumi lowered her head. “Daniel-kun, why does he have to share his body with someone like that?”
“It’s his responsibility, Ayumi. It’s a part of his punishment for causing that war.”
“But it’s not fair. So maybe he was responsible for making that guy, but he didn’t actually do any of the bad things. That would be like punishing you, because you’re responsible for making him.”
“Don’t misunderstand, Ayumi,” the Creator said rather sternly. “I’m responsible for a lot of life in my universe, but I did not create him. Nor did I create his other half. He’s a product of science gone awry.”
“Then why not punish the people who made him? And aren’t you responsible for them? It just doesn’t make sense, Daniel-kun.”
“It’s complicated,” the Creator said. “And it’s not something that can be easily changed.”
“Well why not? I thought you were the most powerful being in your universe. Why can’t you just undo whatever curse was put on him?”
“Because those are the terms of the punishment that were laid out for him. I will vehemently defend that ruling and see that the punishment is carried out in full.”
Ayumi brought her head back up slowly as the fact of the matter sunk in. She stared at her old friend with wide eyes. “Daniel-kun,” she said, “Was it you? Were you the one who gave him the punishment?”
The Creator took a drink of water. “Of course I am. Who else would be able to stop a monster like that?”
Chapter Twenty-One
The Failure of Conscience
It was late in the afternoon when Adam and Mathias reached the foot of Mt. Higashi. They had made the long trek from Ayumi’s house on foot to avoid having to pay for transportation, something they couldn’t afford on their limited budget. Not to mention that avoiding busy public transportation would prevent innocent civilians for getting involved if there was another attack. Up until now, things had been quiet.
“We’re going up the mountain?” Mathias asked.
“It’s not too much farther, maybe ten more minutes of walking until we get to the spot. There’s a clearing up there where we can talk uninterrupted,” said Adam.
“Lead the way,” Mathias replied. Adam started along the snowy path up the mountain with Mathias close behind. The recent snow had filled the path in and went up to their knees.
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” Adam said. “The snow’s much deeper than it was the last time I was here.”
“Come on, you’re not afraid of getting your feet cold are you? It’ll be fine.” Fueled by Mathias’ persistence, Adam pushed onward through the path. They had to lift their legs complete
ly out with each step, slowing them down immensely. The ten minutes of waking turned into twenty before the two reached the spot.
With the new snow, Adam almost didn’t recognize the place. Only the roof of Master M’s rock shelter sticking out like a half-buried body in the snow confirmed that this was where Adam had gone through his training.
“It took longer than I thought to get out here,” Adam said. “We won’t be able to stay out here long before it gets dark.”
“What’s the rush?” asked Mathias. “You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”
“With the current threat, I’d rather not be travelling at night, especially so far from the others.”
“I hear you,” Mathias said. “Since we’re gone, the girls and the Creator are going to be all alone with Bright Boy.” He looked up over the trees to the sky, where the sinking sun made the sky a beautiful painting. “Sure is nice out here this time of day.”
“I hope you didn’t want to get away because you wanted to look at the scenery,” said Adam.
“Of course not, I’m just thinking about security. I’m a bounty hunter, remember? It’s my job to make sure every situation runs smoothly and safely.”
“I suppose,” Adam said, turning his head towards the sky as well. “But that’s not often the case when you’re going after a target, is it? Something usually goes wrong somewhere or something comes up that you didn’t think to plan. It’s not an easy job.”
Mathias smiled. “It’s easier than it looks, especially for somebody really skilled like me. Even tracking down some hard to find bounties. You see, the trick is to monitor your target for a while. Get to know his routine, figure out his patterns. That way you know when the best time to make your move is.”
The Kyoto Ordeal (Tales of the Other Universe Book 1) Page 18