[4k word]
As Rikuo sank into his shadow, he could barely see his surroundings. It was as if he were at the bottom of the ocean, where light could no longer reach. The darkness resembled a thick, viscous liquid, with the only light coming from the opening above him.
Am I about to drown?
The thought sent shivers down his spine as he looked toward the things that had dragged him down here. What he saw was the same youkai whose clone had stolen the scroll—the one he had been chasing.
Seeing them swim through this environment toward him, Rikuo's instincts took over. With his limited swimming ability, he tried to swim toward the light above, but the youkai weren't giving him a chance. Their pace quickened, and they were now hot on his heels as he desperately swam upward.
Barely escaping their grasp, Rikuo reached the light and burst out of the shadow.
He landed violently, coughing as he struggled to catch his breath before looking around.
Rikuo found himself inside a large warehouse, its shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling. However, it wasn't the shelves filled with various items that caught his attention. It was the pairs of glowing eyes watching him from the shadows between them.
In the next moment, the warehouse lights flickered on, revealing the owners of those eyes.
It wasthe same youkai he had chased earlier that day and the one who had tried stealing the scroll. But there wasn't just one of them. There were dozens.
*Ching, ching, ching*
Still on the ground Rikuo turning his head toward the noise, he saw a pile of coins that had formed a small hill. Sitting atop it was the same youkai that surrounded him, though this one had one key difference: a mark running from the top of his head down to his cheek.
"Damn, I was only able to get the kid. Compared to the scroll, I've suffered a loss. Mhh, should I just kill you? You don't really have any value, after all."
Stepping down from the pile, Ryūzaburō walked toward Rikuo. As he approached, the coins scattered beneath his feet and one of the object within the pile seem to have shook and began glowing a light shade of pink.
Rikuo felt a shiver of fear run down his spine as the figure, nearly his own size, approached him. Despite their similar heights, the youkai's presence seemed to grow larger with every step, and a chill began to surround them.
Now only a foot away from Rikuo, Ryūzaburō bent down and sniffed the air around him with his animalistic nose.
"A human? No, you have a faint youkai scent. Hmm, are you a hanyō?"
Staring up at Ryūzaburō, Rikuo knew he wasn't bluffing. The eyes staring down at him held not a single spark of compassion.
******************************Earlier*******************************
While Ryūzaburō was still sitting atop his collection, his vision suddenly shifted from examining a ring one of his clones had brought back to viewing a building overlooking a dead-end alley.
As his vision adjusted to the sudden change, Ryūzaburō looked down at the cat and boy standing below.
His clones wouldn't share their vision unless they had found something interesting or something they had been specifically instructed to look for. It seemed that this time, it was the latter.
Looking down at the boy speaking with the nekomata, Ryūzaburō examined his appearance. The boy had short brown hair, brown eyes, and looked as though he were just about to enter his teenage years.
The boy's appearance matched the description Ryūzaburō had received from his subordinate before the latter went missing. However, the miasma the subordinate had said clung to the boy was nowhere to be found. Could this really be the person they were looking for?
Sharing more of the clone's senses, Ryūzaburō began listening to their conversation.
'Oh, so one of my clones stole something from him, and now he's looking for me. Hmm, and did that nekomata just say 'Kurotabo'? Do they know him?'
Hearing the name of their Young Lord's target come from the pair's mouths immediately caught Ryūzaburō's attention. Even if the boy wasn't the person Muchi's subordinate had been searching for, the fact that they knew Kurotabo changed everything.
Ever since the night of their attack, they had received no information about Kurotabo's whereabouts. Failing to obtain the scroll that night had already been a loss, but failing to even kill Kurotabo—the target they had been assigned—was an even greater failure.
Now that Kurotabo knew he had been betrayed, he would be wary of sending any information back. If he had managed to recover the scroll, his best option would be to head to the Spirit World and make his way to the main sect.
Fortunately, the Young Lord had already taken control of the northern section of the city, which contained the city's only entrance to the Spirit World. Kurotabo couldn't simply escape through it.
Now, hearing his name from the nekomata and learning that the pair could "ask him when they reached home", Ryūzaburō realized that if he wanted to find Kurotabo, all he had to do was follow them and confirm whether the person they were talking about was indeed the assassin monk of destruction.
'I could send one of my clones to the Young Lord and tell him I might have found Kurotabo, but where's the fun in that? Besides, what if Kurotabo has already recovered the scroll? If he has, all I have to do is steal it from him, sell it, and get the hell out of here before the Young Lord notices.'
With that thought, Ryūzaburō's clone sank into the shadow beneath its feet and began following the two.
Following Ryūzaburō's commands, the clone kept its distance as it traveled through the shadows cast by the buildings. Moving from the densely packed high-rises into the suburban area filled with homes, it followed the pair without either of them noticing.
Eventually, they reached their destination and passed through a large wooden gate before closing it behind them.
Unwilling to follow them inside and risk being spotted by Kurotabo, Ryūzaburō sent the clone to the roof of a nearby house. From there, it could watch the yard the pair had entered.
Focusing his gaze through the kitchen window, Ryūzaburō watched Rikuo and Kenjiro enter the house and rummage through the kitchen.
However, what caught Ryūzaburō's attention was the figure sitting on a couch beyond the kitchen, their back turned toward the window.
Even from behind, Ryūzaburō easily recognized the person.
It was Kurotabo.
Back where his original body sat, the wound on his right arm—the one he had received from Kurotabo that night—began to burn as he stared at the monk's back.
Kurotabo wasn't the only one who had been left with wounds that night. Many of those involved in the ambush had been severely injured or killed. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Ryūzaburō was one of the few among the higher-ups who had survived with an injury, unlike Senji, who had died a dog's death.
Rubbing the arm that still stung, Ryūzaburō continued peering through the window as Kurotabo turned around to speak to the two still in the kitchen.
Seeing the monk's face only confirmed his suspicions.
'It really is Kurotabo.'
As Ryūzaburō continued peering through the window, his clone's eyes suddenly widened as it saw what Kurotabo took out of his sleeve.
It was Akumu no Yurikago—the scroll their Young Lord was looking for, and Ryūzaburō's meal ticket.
'I was right after all. He did recover it. I made the right choice by not sending my clones to the Young Lord.'
Watching the scroll spin in Kurotabo's hand, Ryūzaburō became even more determined to get it. However, he considered himself someone who wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Ryūzaburō knew better than anyone else in the Shikoku Hachijūhakki Yakō how powerful Kurotabo was. After all, they were similar youkai, both capable of using shadows, and the reason for Ryūzaburō's wounded arm was his attempt to travel through Kurotabo's shadow.
Ryūzaburō rubbed his arm.
As such, if he truly wanted to obtain Akumu no Yurikago, he needed to target not only the scroll but the boy as well. After all, would a hero of children simply stand by and watch one of them get kidnapped?
Thinking this, Ryūzaburō began forming a plan as he signaled half of his clones, which were working throughout the city, to gather at his location.
As his clones began appearing around the house, they kept their distance, ensuring Kurotabo couldn't sense them. Waiting for the command, all the clones remained still as the one sharing its senses with Ryūzaburō slowly moved forward through the shadows of the walls until it finally reached the veranda.
And so, the events began to unfold as before.
As the first clone jumped out of the shadow, the others followed, rushing through the shadows and entering the house. Just as planned, they targeted both the scroll and the boy.
Switching his awareness to another clone as the others were struck down, Ryūzaburō moved around the room. Taking advantage of Kurotabo's distraction while the other clones pinned down the boy, he jumped out of the shadow.
Drawing the dagger concealed in his cloak, Ryūzaburō's clone stabbed Kurotabo in the same arm that bore his own wound and twisted the blade.
Grabbing the scroll Kurotabo had let go of, Ryūzaburō switched his awareness from one clone to another. As Kurotabo cut down his remaining clones, the one Ryūzaburō was controlling finally caught the scroll.
A grin formed on the clone's face, but it quickly faded as Kurotabo disappeared from his spot. In the next moment, the clone Ryūzaburō was controlling was impaled and forced upward out of the shadow into which it had been submerged.
Staring plankly his mouth a-gaped the clones eyes looked to the side where Kurotabo was now with the scroll back in his hands and was no longer paying attention to him but was now focused on the boy who was nearly submerged in his shadow.
*Tch*
Clicking his vision faded as his senses returned back to his original body.
"Even when poison he is still that strong. If i want to steal that scroll am going to have to use everything i got"
Saying that a figure popped out of one of his clones gasping for air as he struggled to prompt himself up. It was the boy he had seen back in the alley and the one his commanded his clones to kidnap but at this point Ryūzaburō did not care as he slowly began to walk down his pile toward him.
**********************Flash back ends******************************
Looking down at the boy lying helplessly on the ground, Ryūzaburō raised his arm, preparing to take the boy's head off. However, just before bringing it down, he suddenly stopped, leaving his arm hanging in the air.
'No, it would be a waste to just kill this kid. Why not use him like we did with that girl and lure Kurotabo out again? If he was willing to be poisoned for a little girl, then what about a kid he seems familiar with?'
Thinking this, Ryūzaburō stared down at Rikuo, whose breathing had grown even more ragged. A grin spread across Ryūzaburō's face, twisting his bestial features as he looked down at the boy.
"Kid, you know what? You still have some value. Even if Kurotabo doesn't come for you, I hear the market for hanyō organs is doing pretty well right now. Of course, your value is still less than Akumu no Yurikago but hey if I can't get it by myself i can just tell the Young lord Kurotabo has it."
Rikuo still on the ground was only partly paying attention, already exhuasted and tired and with the preasure he felt from the youkai infront of him it was already a surprise that he had not fallen unconsious. Even so even with mind being exhausted something had caught his half close eye on the hand that Ryūzaburō hung in the air was a platinum chrim ring with gold inlace on the inside spelling out a name.
As Rikuo tried to read it Ryūzaburō's arm still hung in the air, but the threatening presence he had exuded earlier began to fade. With a quick swing, he brought his arm down, striking Rikuo at the neck and causing him to lose consciousness on the spot.
Getting to his feet, Ryūzaburō stepped back and summoned several clones from his shadow.
"Take him to the eastern section. Once you're there, keep watch over him and investigate any suspicious sounds. I don't know if that nekomata who was with them can teleport, so stay alert."
As Ryūzaburō finished speaking, the clones beside him quickly approached Rikuo. Dragging him across the ground the two left as they did the object in the pile shook once more. Ryūzaburō watched them leave before turning his attention back to planning his next move, careful not to attract the Young Lord's attention.
'I'll make sure Kurotabo can't escape this time.'
....
....
....
....
....
...
As the sun sank toward the western horizon and the sky took on a tint of orange, Rikuo slowly awoke from where he lay curled up on the ground. Groggily opening his eyes, he was immediately blinded by the light shining from the ceiling.
Instinctively, he raised his hands to shield his eyes, but something stopped him from moving them freely. Frowning, Rikuo tried again, only to feel something rough digging into his wrists. Turning his head to the side, he saw the ropes binding his hands together.
Now that his eyes had begun adjusting to the brightness, he could finally make out his surroundings.
He was between two large shelves that reached all the way to the ceiling, each lined with open boxes containing various objects that poked out from their tops. Looking ahead, Rikuo saw row after row of shelves stretching into the distance, so far that he couldn't even see the wall on the other side of the warehouse.
'Damn, I really got kidnapped, huh? And just when I heard the good news about the Shikoku Hachijūhakki Yakō staying in the north section of the city.'
Twisting his body to the side to avoid the gaze he could feel upon him, Rikuo pretended to still be unconscious as his mind raced. How long had he been out? Did Kurotabo and Kenjiro know where he was? And why had he been kidnapped in the first place?
As these questions raced through his head, he began to hyperventilate, remembering the final few seconds before he had lost consciousness. Biting his tongue, Rikuo forced himself to calm down and steady his breathing.
'It's okay. I'm still alive. As long as I can think, I can still find a way out of here. Knowing Kurotabo and Kenjiro, they're probably looking around for me at this very moment.'
Slightly turning his head, Rikuo glanced into the distance, where he could now see what had been staring at him. Two clones had turned their heads back after hearing him wake up, but upon seeing that he wasn't moving, they turned away again.
Seeing it brought back memories of what had happened just before he fell unconscious. He also remembered the words spoken by the youkai who had knocked him out, as well as the ring he had seen on its finger. There was no doubt about it: the ring belonged to Rikuo's grandfather. However, the ring was the least of his concerns right now.
'Kurotabo, Kenjiro, please hurry up and come get me. I don't want my organs ending up on the market.'
Watching the two clones, Rikuo realized just how similar they looked to one another, as well as to the youkai that had attacked him and the others earlier. It was as if they were all copies of the same individual.
As that thought crossed his mind, he remembered the face of the youkai who had knocked him unconscious. It had looked exactly like the others, but unlike them, it wore jewelry rather than keeping it hidden beneath a cloak. And unlike the rest, it could speak.
'Could he be the original, with all the others being nothing more than clones?'
Thinking this, Rikuo continued staring at the two clones before finally turning away. Now was not the time to be fascinated by shadow clone jutsu. He needed to find a way out of here before that trafficker came back.
Glancing around, Rikuo searched for anything he could use to cut himself free from the ropes. As he looked, he noticed something flashing inside one of the boxes on the lower shelves.
Focusing his eyes on it, Rikuo saw that the box was filled with colourful keychains. Hanging from them were cute decorative plushies, charms, and metal collectibles.
However, what caught Rikuo's attention was the item sitting on top of all the other keychains: a multifunctional Swiss Army knife with a knock-off Miku design and its scissors sticking out.
Seeing it, Rikuo let out a sigh of relief, only to realize that the box was halfway across the entire shelf from where he was. Looking ahead, he could still see the two clones standing at the end of the shelves, but their backs were now turned toward him.
Seeing this as his only chance, Rikuo began to worm his way forward.
Squeak!
One of the clones sharply turned its head toward the movement. Rikuo immediately stopped, lying flat on the ground and pretending to be unconscious.
Unlike his motionless body, however, Rikuo's mind and heart were racing. His heartbeat was so loud that it seemed to ring in his ears, and he feared the two clones ahead might be able to hear it as well.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Rikuo remained completely still for a full minute.
"....."
Seeing that Rikuo was still unconscious, the clone slowly turned its head forward again and resumed watching the distance. Rikuo let out a soft sigh as he felt the clone's gaze leave him.
'Okay, let's take this slowly. All I have to do is reach the box before they spot me.'
Waiting another minute to make sure the clones were no longer paying attention to him, Rikuo began crawling forward at a snail's pace. He inched closer and closer to the box until the same clone from earlier turned its head around again.
Rikuo immediately stopped moving and played dead.
The clone tilted its head, a puzzled expression hidden beneath its cloak, before eventually turning away again. After waiting another minute, Rikuo resumed his journey.
Like a game of red light, green light, the clone turned its head back every few seconds to check on Rikuo. Whenever it did, Rikuo would stop moving and wait for it to look away again.
This little game continued for nearly half an hour until Rikuo finally reached the box.
Even then, he remained motionless, only turning his head toward it as he considered how to retrieve the Miku Swiss Army knife.
'Damn it, this would have been so much easier if they'd tied my hands in front of me. I'm just going to have to gamble and grab whichever one I can reach.'
Taking a deep breath, Rikuo focused his eyes on the top of the box and prepared to move. To give himself the best chance of success, he waited until the clones had turned their heads back toward him as they usually did. The moment they turned forward again, Rikuo leapt up with all his strength, twisting his body so that his tied hands could reach inside the box.
*Clink!*
*Clink!*
*Clink!*
Rikuo's bound hands rummaged through the box as he desperately tried to grab a keychain that felt like the Swiss Army knife. The keychains clattered against one another, their noise echoing through the otherwise quiet warehouse.
The sound immediately attracted the attention of the two clones ahead. Both turned their heads toward Rikuo.
Seeing the supposedly unconscious boy sitting up and hearing the noise coming from behind them, the clones quickly began walking toward him.
Meanwhile, Rikuo frantically continued searching for the Swiss Army knife.
The distance between them shrank quickly. Before long, they were only five metres away.
Realizing that his time was up, Rikuo grabbed the first object that felt like the knock-off Miku Swiss Army knife and quickly stuffed it into his back pocket just as the clones arrived in front of him.
"I need to use the bathroom. Could you—"
The clones completely ignored him. Grabbing him by the shoulders, they turned him around and began dragging him back toward the other side of the warehouse.
They had only been given two commands: make sure the boy did not leave this section, and investigate any suspicious sounds in case Kurotabo had somehow found a way to sneak in without the original noticing.
Whether the kid pissed himself or not was none of their concern.
Rikuo didn't struggle as they dragged him away. Since they hadn't even tried speaking to him after he woke up, he began to suspect that the clones weren't as intelligent as he had initially thought. If they were, surely they would have noticed him sneaking around much earlier.
Now sitting with his back against the wall, Rikuo let out another sigh of relief as the clones returned to their original positions.
It seemed they hadn't noticed—or, more accurately, hadn't cared—that he had been rummaging through one of the boxes.
They had simply returned him to the spot where he had woken up.
'I guess I was right. These guys really are clones. They don't talk, and they look exactly like the youkai I saw before I fell unconscious. If that's the case, they're probably weaker than the original. That's why he had to send a group of them to attack us earlier.'
Thinking this, Rikuo reached into his back pocket and pulled out the keychain he had grabbed.
Pushing it aside to get a better look, he realized that he hadn't picked up the knock-off Miku Swiss Army knife at all. Instead, he was holding a flat, rectangular iron box.
Rikuo stared at it with a blank expression. Slowly, he looked back toward the box on the shelf. The Swiss Army knife was still sitting on top of the other keychains, right where he had first seen it.
'Maybe I should just wait for Kurotabo and Kenji to come rescue me. At most, six hours have probably passed since I fell asleep. They might already know where I am by now. And if there's one thing I learned from being a Boy Scout, it's that when you're lost, you should stay where you are.'
Rikuo shook his head, trying to get that thought out of his mind.
He wasn't some damsel in distress who needed saving. He was a grown-ass man in distress who needed saving. As such, he should at the very least fail to escape once before truly giving up.
Even if he'd picked up the wrong keychain, perhaps he could still find some way to use it to get rid of the ropes.
Looking down at the keychain again, Rikuo examined it more closely. The flat iron box resembled a cigarette case, with intricate designs of flames flowing across its surface. A sharp seam ran horizontally around it, separating the top from the bottom.
'Huh? Why is the seam horizontal? Wait, could this be a lighter?'
Examining the iron box more carefully, Rikuo noticed a hinge that appeared to let the lid open upward, much like the Zippo lighter his grandpa once owned.
Wanting to confirm his suspicion, Rikuo picked it up again and opened it before turning it to the side for a better look.
Seeing the flint and steel inside, Rikuo's hopes rose. Although it wasn't the Swiss Army knife he'd been hoping for, a lighter could still be useful. He could burn through the ropes around his hands and figure out his next move afterward.
Turning his body to the side Rikuo quickly picked back up the lighter and laid on his side so the clones ahead could not see what he was going to do next.
[A/N: Well here you go your weekly chap all be a short one i was planning for a 6k work but i am not going to do that if it means i go over two days of monday. Anways sorry if the chap is mostly a recap but i wanted to give a voice to ryuo i am not just going to focuse on the mc when there are many interesting people in this world especially since currently the mc is a bit plain i know and i am trying to fix that with each chapter showing more of his personality with having to make yall read a wiki about him.
Finally if you see any misspelled word incorrect grammar or weird sentences that sound off PLEASE POINT IT OUT I only proof read where important information is written or fights also am not gonna start writing the next chap till friday since i got a exam tmwr.
anyways later and see yall next week.