Daisuke here. Last time we met I joined a secret organization of exorcists who hunt down evil monsters which are disguised as regular animals. My training was going great until a super powerful fox monster attacked and my teacher tried to kill me. Now my friends and the organization are accusing me of being a monster in human form, but that can’t be possible, can it?
Chapter 11
Akito was trapped between a rock and a hard place, or more precisely trapped between my sister, Nina's brother, and the exorcist organization. The organization still called on a weekly basis to check up on me, and Nina's brother often made threats about telling Shinta the truth. Sis in return often made threats about smothering Nina's brother in his sleep, but Akito refused to follow through with her plan. Having to pacify all three of them was taking its toll on my teacher. He'd also been wearing the same clothes for a week and grown an inch long beard.
To make matters worse, most of his scriptures and materials had been shredded by the fox monster, so he had to painstakingly tape them back together one page at a time.
I decided that the best way to help Akito reassemble all his stuff (and uncover the origins of my awesome powers) would be to ask "are you finished yet" every time I saw him. I thought it was a great way to motivate him to finish faster, until Akito snapped and slammed his study door in my face.
Sis suggested that it would be better to sit down and help him, but I was too busy hanging out with my friends and testing my new powers. Akito also seemed to be doing fine on his own. He'd taken to multi-tasking, and could be seen taping his files back together while watching everyone train, while holding meetings, and while eating breakfast. Sure his face looked tired and joyless, but Akito was always stern so I couldn't see much of a difference.
I watched him tiredly tape a page back together at lunch, and I took a seat at the kitchen table opposite him. Akito liked to eat sugar with his cereal, but that afternoon he reached for the sugar bowl and poured the whole thing into his cornflakes without noticing. He then began to slowly munch on it without any reaction.
"Jump! Jump!" Cried Taisei next to me as he frantically tapped his cell phone screen. As the oldest in the group and Akito's assistant, he was supposed to be helping our teacher repair his materials, but Taisei had quickly taken advantage of Akito's sorry state to return to his cell phone.
I thought Taisei had always been obsessed with his phone, but recently he'd become even more addicted. He could be seen playing it at every meal, and I could even hear him shout out in joy from the bathroom every time he leveled up in a game.
Kurumi looked annoyed at his recent behaviour, and I could see her rage begin to build from across the kitchen table. She'd tried several times to engage in conversation with Taisei, only to receive a short "yeah" in response. I could see her trying to enjoy her toasted cheese and ham sandwich, but Taisei's constant commands to his game were more than she could take, and with a huff she got up from the table and stormed out of the room.
I thought this would have been enough to get Taisei's attention, but he continued to stare at his game completely transfixed. I heard that he even spent money to get special items.
Akito, Taisei and I were the only ones left in the kitchen. I sighed and started polishing my medal. When they handed me the trophy at school assembly I'd naturally assumed that I could keep it forever, but apparently it was only for pictures and I wasn't supposed to take it home. They forced me to return it and it had to be kept in the school trophy cabinet. I thought I'd been cheated, but that did explain why all the past winners were engraved down the side.
I complained to the school principal about how he'd deceived me, and he fished out a dusty gold metal from one of his desk drawers. It had 1995 women's volleyball championship written on one side, but I was sure that my future decendants wouldn't pay attention to such minor details when remembering what an awesome person I was.
"It's here!" Shouted Akito and I jumped in shock. My teacher lept from his seat and furiously pointed to a taped up sketch of my back. "This is clearly the seal which is suppressing all your past memories. If we were to move this seal, even slightly to the left, then it should be enough to release some of your memories!"
He then reached out and grabbed Taisei's shoulders. "Did you hear that Daisuke?" He said as he began shaking Taisei ecstatically. "That means we are one step closer to figuring out who you really are!"
"What are you talking about?" Taisei protested. "I'm not Daisuke!"
Akito then turned to me and blinked like he was trying to figure out who I was, and then he pounced. His face was inches from my own and I could see deep lines around his eyes that I'd never noticed before.
"Daisuke," he said. "This may hurt, but I promise that it will be over soon."
Akito then pulled a knife from a tub of butter on the kitchen table and advanced towards me. But I refused to let any man who had spent the last thirty minutes eating cereal with a fork to come anywhere near me. I jumped onto the table and tried to fend him off with my foot as Taisei laughed. Fortunately my friend was kind enough to take pity on me (after filming a ten minute video) and kindly pushed Akito towards his study and bedroom.
"Kiyori," said Akito while looking at Taisei. "When did you lose so much weight?"
"Look Akito, it's your bed," said Taisei as he unfolded Akito's futon and laid it out on the floor. "Don't you just want to sleep here for at least eight hours or so."
"I can't sleep in the middle of the day," yawned Akito. He ignored Taisei and sat down at his desk. He pulled out a draw which was full of shredded pieces of paper and began to forage through them with glazed over eyes. "Headquarters can't function unless I pay attentio-" He said before he passed out in his chair and began snoring.
Akito gathered everyone in the living room soon after his nap. He had also showered and shaved, so he looked more like my teacher instead of a crazy hermit who lived in the study.
Akito still planned to use a knife to loosen the seals on my back and unleash my hidden memories. He made me kneel down shirtless on a large piece of paper which was covered in a circle of painted seals. Akito claimed they were there to act as a barrier in case he screwed up and I suddenly went nuts, but he decided to make everyone come watch just in case it failed.
I know this should have made me nervous, but I was just ecstatic that the whole monster thing would finally be cleared up. I couldn't wait to see the look on Akito's face when he realised that I'd been right all along. I even asked Taisei to record the historic moment on his phone to show Shinta and all his minions at the organization. I was pretty certain they'd come begging me to be one of their super special agents or something. It wouldn't be long before they sent me on top secret missions to exterminate dangerous monsters. Maybe I could even get revenge on the fox monster for forcing us to rebuild the living room.
"Just you wait guys," I said confidently. "Soon you're all going to regret ever accusing me of being an Obake!"
"Just you wait," said Nina's brother. "You'll be eating those words soon enough, right Hugo?"
"Yes, whatever you say Akito," said Hugo who was too engrossed in his phone to notice anything going on around him. Apparently he'd discovered a new app to help meet local girls.
"Don't worry Daisuke," said Souta with a smile. "We have your back. If you start trying to attack any of us, I'll shoot one of these charms through your heart before it's too late!"
"Thanks, I think," I was unsure if I was supposed to be happy or terrified.
Itsuki was also prepared with a handful of charms, but unlike the others I'm sure he was hoping I'd go crazy so that he'd have an excuse to get rid of me. I'd grown used to having Itsuki as an arch nemesis, but I decided that I was willing to let him be my friend again if he did the right thing and groveled.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Asked Nina who was the only one in the room looking nervous. "What happens if he turns strange like before and starts destroying things again?"
"Then we use this opportunity to destroy Daisuke and return to headquarters victorious!" Said her brother.
"You're terrible," said Nina. "No wonder father doesn't want to talk to you."
"Don't worry Nina," I assured her. "Last time I didn't have control of my powers, but this time is different."
"Yes, hopefully it won't fail this time," said Akito as he squinted at an upside down taped up photo of my back.
"Make sure to film the part where he turns nuts," I heard Kiyori whisper to Taisei.
"This may hurt a little," said Akito as he hesitantly held the knife against my back. I winced when the blade hit my skin. I expected it to be painful but it just felt like a needle prick.
"Do you feel anything?" Asked Akito as he slowly moved the knife.
"No," I said. "I guess this isn't going to work-"
There was a searing pain in my back, and all of a sudden my vision went completely black.
When I opened my eyes again I was no longer at headquarters, but staring into darkness. I wondered if Akito had screwed up and blinded me, but I couldn't hear the others and I felt like I was somewhere else. It was difficult to explain in words, but it was a place I'd been a long time ago, but forgotten like awaking from a dream.
I could hear the faint sound of a breeze, and slow methodical dripping water like someone had left on a tap. My eyes soon adjusted to the darkness and I discovered (or remembered) that I was in a cave. I could feel the uneven stone beneath my feet, and the iron chains that were cutting into my wrists and ankles. They hung from the roof of the cave wall and forced me to stand.
My whole body hurt like I had been beaten, but I still struggled against the chains. They clanged like rusty metal and I could barely move an inch.
I was trapped.
I let out a growl of anguish and yanked at a chain with all my strength, which was a mistake. A shock wave hit my body and I screamed out in pain.
I collapsed and allowed myself to lifelessly hang there. My chest heaved up and down and I struggled to breathe through the agony.
"Those are anti-monster weapons," said a voice from within the darkness. "You'll find that even with your powers, you won't be able to break them."
I knew that voice.
There was no mistake.
I turned to find my adopted grandfather standing behind me.
His hair was tied back, and he was dressed in a black robe which resembled the one Akito wore when attending to the shrine. His face was serious and stern like the times when he would scold me for being a naughty child.
Except only this time I didn't feel any affection towards the man who raised me as his son.
This time I wanted him dead.
I wanted to rip him limb from limb and make him suffer and scream. I lunged out towards him but the chains sent another shock through my body and I collapsed.
"You shitty old man," my voice was deep and rougher than usual. "How long do you intend to keep me here?"
"Hopefully not much longer," he said. "I think I've found a way to make you do what I want."
"You," I laughed. "You know nothing-" I said before I lunged towards him and the chains zapped me again. I felt like they were rendering me weaker with every shock. I glared at him with loathing and hate, but my vision became hazy and I began to feel powerless.
I saw a stack of charms and seals behind Kousuke Matsumoto, and when I looked down I noticed that the cave floor was covered in my blood.
I gazed through half closed eyes to see that he had pulled out a knife, and I screamed in agony when he dove it into my back.
I screamed. I screamed in pain and terror and no matter how much I tried I couldn't make myself stop. Before I knew it the sensation of stone beneath my feet was replaced by paper, and I could feel someone frantically shaking me awake.
"Daisuke!" Called the voice of Akito. "Are you okay Daisuke?"
I cracked my eyes open to find that I was no longer standing in a cave with my crazy grandfather. I had instead collapsed in the middle of the living room and fallen face first onto Akito's paper seal. I could see the symbols softly glowing under my fingers before they flickered and turned back into paint. My body felt heavy like someone had punched me in the stomach, and I barely had the energy to move. I lifted my head up slightly to see everyone staring at me in shock, and even the usually witty Kiyori had nothing to say. Nina's brother was also holding Itsuki back like he had tried to take a shot at me while I was down.
"Let me go," said Itsuki as he struggled against Nina's brother's grip, but the older exorcist refused to let him go. "You can't possibly ignore that!"
"Just calm the hell down," said Nina's brother. "You just can't go around breaking rules whenever you feel like it. It'll make me look bad!"
"What the hell was that?" Asked Kurumi.
"Hey Daisuke are you alright?" Asked Mana as she slowly approached me. "You were screaming so much."
"Mana get awa-" said Itsuki before Nina's brother put his hand over Itsuki's mouth to silence him.
"Yo! Daisuke, what did you see?" Asked Taisei as he shoved his phone in my face. "Feel free to describe it all to the camera."
"Was it depressing?" Asked Hugo.
"Did you go into a super exorcist trance?" Asked Taisei.
"Maybe it was just a fit," said Nina to her brother. "I've seen it on TV."
"How come he isn't saying anything?" Asked Mana.
"Maybe Akito killed him," said Kiyori.
"No way, he's breathing," said Mana.
"Daisuke?" Asked Akito as he gently shook me. "Did you remember anything?"
"Yeah, Daisuke hurry up and say something," said Taisei. "My battery is about to die."
"Daisuke?" Asked Mana.
Daisuke, Daisuke, Daisuke, Daisuke was all I could hear as they crowded around me in a circle. The pressure was overwhelming and sweat began to pour down my forehead. They all expected me to explain what happened, but I couldn't open my mouth and tell them what I saw. They would reject me if I told them the truth about what happened in that cave.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I fled.
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