〄Hᴀʟғ-Bʟᴏᴏᴅs' Lᴇɢᴀᴄʏ〄 [Ch. 4 Up!]

[scmarshtacky]

Okay, so I spent the majority of the day editing the fourth chapter. XD So much editing needed...

I want to read it over one more time to make sure I didn't make anything worse with the editing and then I'll post it sometime tonight or tomorrow hopefully. ^^

[scmarshtacky]

Chapter 4 – Disney

On Tuesday, the group of five had crammed themselves into a packed subway for the trip to the amusement park. The distance wasn’t terrible, nor were there many stops, but every time they did stop, another huge crowd of people, mainly teenagers and young adults, swarmed onto the train.

By the time they reached the last station, the group was practically on top of each other. Okita was crammed against Kaito’s left side while Mika was against him on the right. Ayako was behind him, trying her darnedest not to get close enough to actually touch him. Every time she was forced to close the distance, if only slightly, she elbowed Kaito in the back and hissed, “move up some.”

After what seemed like ages – but in reality was only half an hour – the train stopped at their intended destination. The people poured out in a mob, rushing to the gates of the park. All were vying for the valuable spots at the front of the line.

The group of five didn’t bother to fight with the crowd. By the time they could even get out of the subway, the majority of the people had already formed the quickly growing line.

“Couldn’t we just go around?” Okita asked, cocking his head and pointing to the path around the ticket booths.

“If you go that way, you’re going to get stopped by the guards before you even get a step into the place,” Kaito responded.

“Why?” Again, Okita's tone displayed his utter cluelessness.

“Because,” Kaito emphasized the word, “you have to pay for these things. If companies don’t get their money, they get very upset.”

Okita’s mouth opened to form an “oh.” “But you don’t have real money, do you onii-chan?”

“No, but they don’t know that.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway since I already have these tickets,” Ayako piped up from the front of their small group.

“These ‘tickets’ let you in?”

“Yep,” Ayako said. “And we don’t even have to worry about spending Kaito’s non-existent money.”

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t say that too loudly,” Kaito said with a sigh. “I’d be willing to bet that the lot of you are going to want lunch eventually, and I have a feeling that it’s going to be me providing it. The last thing you should want is for the account to get canceled.”

“You catch on quick, don’t you Ahouji? But you have a decent point I guess.” Ayako let the subject drop and instead talked to the two other girls about the best rides.

“So? Where to first?” Kaito asked when they finally made it through the line. Glancing around, he found them at the edge of a large, bricked plaza bordered with various tourist shops. The line of stores continued down a street in front of them, and at the end of said street was the white Disney castle. Around the plaza, there were signs with arrows that read “Adventure Land”, “Fantasy Land”, and “Tomorrow Land” all pointing in different directions.

"Let’s go to adventure land first,” Ayako responded. “When I come here with my family, we always start there and work our way around.”

The group nodded enthusiastically and they all set off toward the left. The first ride they came to was entitled, “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Ayako dived for the line, and managed to secure a spot before another wave of the crowd joined in behind them.

“I guess it’s going to be a lot of rushing around to wait in lines,” Mika said thoughtfully, looking around at the curving line to the ride.

“But it’s so cool!” Okita piped up, his eyes almost sparkling with excitement.

As the line moved, they were taken underground through a cave-like passageway. Despite the area being relatively flat, it truly looked as though the tunnel was carved straight through a mountain. Pirate-like trinkets hung on the walls and a bit of music played from the speakers in the ceiling.

“Onii-chan! Is all this stuff real?” Okita asked, running his hand over the rocks and then poking at a few rusted pirate swords that hung on the wall.

“No,” Kaito answered bluntly. “I’m sure this whole cave is just covered with some rock-like material while the decorations were probably manufactured at some factory.”

“Oh? But it looks so real! Humans really are super amazing aren’t they?” he said happily as he continued touching every object within reach.

“They truly are,” Kaito agreed softly.

They got to the ride after about half an hour of standing, and boarded a small little boat. Ayako and Kana were in the front while Mika, Kaito, and Okita were placed in the back. The boat started off, floating through the cave in total darkness.They rounded a corner, and the ride lit up. It showed various scenes of one pirate. He would be hiding in the town, and then the next showed him in a jail cell shaking a bone, trying to get the attention of a dog holding a ring of keys.

“It’s so cool!” Mika gave an excited whisper as she watched the scenes unfold.

“The movies were based on this ride you know,” Ayako said. "I think it's kind of cool that they were able to turn just a ride into such a popular movie series."

The other two girls nodded enthusiastically. Then, suddenly the ride was plunged into darkness once more with only the sound of rushing water in front of them.

“Is it –” Mika’s sentence was cut off as she felt a sudden weightlessness. She screamed, and clung onto Kaito, who was to her left. The feeling lasted only for a second, and the ride went back to the lazy pace it had had.

“You okay?” Kaito asked, glancing at the girl who still had her arms wrapped securely around his torso.

“Uh yeah...” she said, her face reddening with embarrassment. “Sorry for screaming in your ear.”

“It’s okay.”

The ride ended with one last scene of the pirate surrounded by gold, and then they were brought back into the cavern they had boarded in. Disembarking was a somewhat painful process as Mika’s legs were still a bit wobbly from the unexpected adrenaline rush, but with Kaito's help, she managed to make it to solid ground once more.

“That was so awesome!” Okita said once they were back out on main the path. He was all but glowing with elation. “Can we do it again onii-chan?! Please!”

“Ask the instigator of adventure,” Kaito said, waving his hand toward Ayako, who was already on a mission to the next ride.

Okita gave a quick nod and bounced up to her. “Ayako-chan. Again? Please??”

“Yeah sure,” Ayako said slowly. Although she would rather keep visiting different rides and not ride the same one twice, she was trapped by Okita's puppy-dog eyes and could only agree to his request. “See that little box over there?” she pointed back toward the entrance of the ride, and Okita nodded.

“You can get stuff called ‘fast-passes’ there. It lets you get into the ride quicker later on. Go grab a couple of those and we’ll come back.”

Okita bounded over to the machine, and after fumbling with it for a minute, produced five tickets. He handed them over to Ayako, beaming in delight. “When can we go again??”

“Hold on, hold on.” She glanced at the tickets for the time. “At twelve thirty,” she said before pocketing them. “We can do it and then eat lunch.”

This was agreeable to everyone, and they moved on to the next ride: a train that went around the part of the park labelled “Western Land.” Okita was entranced by the train, but the overall ride was slow, and in Kaito’s opinion, slightly boring. Mika and Kana greatly enjoyed it though, so in the end, it wasn't a waste of time.

Thunder Mountain Railroad was the next ride. The line for this was significantly longer than all of the other rides they’d passed thus far, and it took an hour to reach the front of it. By this time, Okita was bouncing in anticipation, while the trio were utterly tired of standing. They boarded the cars in the same order they had been in last time, with Kana and Ayako in the seat in front of the other three.

After what seemed like forever boarding, the entire string of rollercoaster cars were filled with people. An attendant came around to lower the safety bars, much to Okita’s and Kaito’s displeasure, and the ride started off at a crawling pace as it ascended a steep incline.

“What is this?” Kaito muttered, straining against the black bar that forced him down. A moment later, Okita joined in the efforts to release them, and the bar gave a loud click accompanied with the groan of metal.

“Don’t break it!” Mika said quickly, grabbing Kaito’s right arm and Okita’s left – she was conveniently placed in the middle of the two. “It’ll go back up when the ride stops. They just don’t want you to fall out."

“I wouldn’t fall out,” Kaito said.

“Yes, but not everyone is you,” Mika said with a laugh.

She was prevented from saying more as they reached the top of the hill, and the rollercoaster it plummeted down on a series of curves. The group was thrown left, then right, and then up as the car ascended a small hill and then shot down it.

Okita was laughing, Mika was trying not to scream, and although Kaito remained quiet, his eyes held a glow of elation. Too soon the ride had ended and they disembarked.

“That was so much fun! Again! Again!” Okita said.

“We’ve already got tickets to go again on the other ride,” Kaito said. “What if there’s something even more fun than that?”

“But...” Okita’s eyes glimmered with hope and Kaito was forced to look away before he gave into his brother's demands.

“Maybe if there’s enough time later, we can go again,” Ayako reasoned. “But for now, this way!”

They traveled around the rest of Westernland, looking at the shops available and taking a small ride on a ferry boat. By this time, the tickets for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride were valid, and they were able to skip the lines to ride it again.

As soon as they were done there, Ayako started off on a mission to the other half of the park.

“Ayako, can we get lunch now?” Mika asked, interrupting her friend's beeline to Tomorrow land. “I’m really hungry.”

“Oh yeah. I did say we would get lunch after that didn’t I? Where do you guys want to eat?”

They scanned the small map that they had gotten at the entrance. Ayako suggested a small, traditional Japanese shop, but Mika and Kana turned it down, wanting something a little more exotic.

“What about that?” Kaito suggested mildly pointing to some Italian restaurant not too far from where they were.

“That sounds quite nice,” Kana said. “It’s not very often I get to try Italian food.”

With that, they set off. The group was halfway to their destination when a certain individual caught Kaito’s eye. Why in the world is she here?

He subconsciously shifted his position in the group from the left side to the right, forcing himself between her and Okita’s line of sight. Mika didn’t miss this movement.

“Kaito? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he answered, though his voice held a gruff tone that indicated something was definitely up.

Mika couldn't help but look around, trying to find the source of his discomfort. It only took a moment to catch sight of the girl sitting on the bench. “Saya?”

In that moment, Ayako noticed her as well, and simultaneously, Saya locked eyes on the group. At that point, it was impossible to avoid a confrontation; Ayako was already jogging in her direction.

Kaito gave a mental groan. “Oi, Okita. Don’t go off saying anything carelessly to that girl alright?” he hissed to his brother.

“She smells –”

“I know, and that’s exactly why you need to keep your distance and your mouth shut.”

Okita nodded slowly, and they shifted in Saya’s general direction.

“We were just about to get something to eat. You want to join us?” Ayako was saying.

Saya shook her head slowly. “I can’t. I’m searching for something – someone,” she corrected quickly. “A strange coincidence that we’d run into each other here.” Her eyes flickered over the girls and then to Kaito and Okita.

“Yeah, it is isn’t it?” Ayako said with a laugh. “How long have you been sitting here?”

Saya contemplated the question for a moment. “A few hours? I’m not sure.”

“You been sitting here for that long!? You should just leave the person and enjoy the park. Kaito's treating us for lunch," Ayako glanced in his direction with a sly smile, making sure that he hadn’t forgotten this fact, "so you should come!”

For a long moment, Saya was silent, debating over her different options. The quiet growling of her stomach made up her mind for her. "Perhaps... I will join you.” And with that, a sixth member was added to the group.

“So, Saya, who were you looking for?” Mika asked as they went.

“I don’t know,” she answered back.

“You don’t know...? How were going to find them then?”

“I would recognize them if I saw them.” As she spoke, her voice remained monotone, and she displayed no emotion on her face at all. This slightly irked Kaito as he had no way to determine her thoughts. Still, he could guess who, or rather what, it was she was looking for.

As if echoing his own thoughts, Mika cast a glance in his direction. “Are there demons here?” she whispered so quietly that even Kaito had to strain to hear her.

He gave a slight shake of his head. Thus far, he hadn’t sensed or smelled anything abnormal in this area, though that didn’t mean there weren’t demons hiding somewhere around here. With the scents of so many people, it would be easy to cover up their own.

The group reached the restaurant, which thankfully wasn’t too busy, and had their food within a few minutes.

“So Saya, you haven’t been on any of the rides right? You should come with us,” Ayako invited, but Saya only shook her head.

“I can’t. I’m –”

“Yeah, I know you’re searching for someone, but it might be easier to find them if you move around some. Maybe you could spot them on or near some of the rides.”

“I’ll consider it,” she answered after a moment. Her blank gaze shifted over them once more, and stopped on Okita. “I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Tsubayoshi Saya.”

“Ah hello!” Okita said. “I’m Kaito’s twin brother. You can just call me Okita.” He gave her a joyful smile, which seemed to throw her off slightly. Gratned, Okita's over-the-top cheerfulness would likely startle just about anyone.

“You two don’t look very much alike,” Saya ventured.

“We’re fraternal twins,” Kaito answered for his brother. “Okita takes more after our mother, and I, my father.” His voice was clipped, clearly displaying his desire to drop the subject, but Saya continued to press them further.

“Are you from around here?” The question was directed at Okita, but Kaito once again interrupted the conversation.

“Our background is European. I moved to Japan a few years ago. Okita is only here for a visit. Incidentally, his Japanese is not that refined,” Kaito added as an afterthought to explain his answering for his brother.

“You’re quite fluent if you’ve only been here a few years,” she prodded lightly, turning her emotionless gaze to Kaito.

“I pick up on languages fairly quickly.”

“Hey guys, are you done with your trays?” Mika broke into the conversation in response to increasing tension. “I’ll take them for you.” Without waiting for an answer, she scooped up the trays containing the plastic dishes and moved off toward the return area.

As soon as she sat down at the table again, she saw Saya stiffen and cast a distance gaze out of the window. “Is something the matter?” Mika questioned, looking but seeing nothing. Her gazed traveled to Okita, who was slightly tense as well, to Kaito who remained motionless.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Saya answered after a moment. “I need to go to the restroom. I’ll be back.” She grabbed up her bag and hurried off toward the back of the shop.

“Kaito?” Mika’s gaze turned to him.

“It’s nothing.” He answered shortly.

“But Onii-chan –”

“Just leave it alone Okita. If you tried to interfere, it’d be a dead giveaway. The girl can do it on her own if she wants to.”

“You mean she found the demon she was looking for?” Kana spoke up.

Kaito merely nodded. He wasn’t sure how the little hunter managed to be so perceptive, but he had caught its scent just a moment before she had sensed it as well.

“Well we can’t just leave her. What if she needs help or something?” Ayako said, turning around and darting from the shop before anyone could stop her. After a second of hesitation, Kana and Mika followed her.

Kaito gave a low groan at the girls’ impulsive actions before paying for the meal and following after him. By the time he and Okita had gotten outside, the trio had joined Saya who had already taken care of the minor.

“I told you I was just going to the bathroom... Why did you come out here?”

“Well obviously you weren’t just going to the bathroom,” Ayako responded with a smile. “Besides we were done eating and no one wants to waste too much time just sitting around in a restaurant when there’s all this stuff to do,” she gestured around at the rides and shops.

“I could’ve gone for a smoothie,” Kaito ventured lightly.

“Oh be quiet Ahou-,” Ayako, luckily, cut herself off before she finished the word, though that didn't stop Kaito from shooting her a glare. With a huff, she turned back around to the girls. “So, where to next?”

“I want to go ride the Mountain Railroad of Thunder again!” Okita shouted excitedly, bouncing up and down while waving his arm in the air to get their attention.

“Space Mountain is a lot like that, but in the dark with flashing lights and stuff,” Ayako replied. “We could head over to Tomorrow Land and ride it.”

“Yay!” Okita bounded forward to get to the front of the group, and immediately started up a conversation with Ayako and Kana.

Kaito couldn’t help but be amused by Okita’s enthusiasm. He was glad that he could get his brother out of the apartment, and even though Saya’s appearance was unexpected, it seemed to be okay for the time being, as long as Okita didn't go saying anything carelessly.

Space Mountain was set in a large white dome building that looked almost like a UFO. It seemed quite fitting for the name of the ride.

As soon as they entered, Kaito sensed it immediately. Another one? Judging by Okita’s posture, he had also noticed the demon hiding somewhere within the structure. The walk down to the ride was beautiful, with space games and 3-D images of galaxies to occupy one’s attention if there was an incredibly long line, but Kaito barely noticed it. They boarded the ride with him still unable to tell were exactly the demon was hiding out.

The rollercoaster car seated six people with one per seat. Ayako was at the very front, followed by Kana, Saya, Okita, Kaito, and Mika at the back. The ride started off and they plunged into the darkness.

“Okita, you can feel it can’t you?” Kaito whispered, leaning forward so that his brother could hear him over the screams of people in the distance and the rushing of the wind.

Okita nodded. “It smells sour, like rotting meat.”

It was a good indication that the demon had been hiding out here for a while and had probably found a source of food in the form of a human or two.

“Can you tell roughly where it is?” Kaito prompted. He himself could sense it below them and off to the right, but that was about it in the darkness. He acknowledged that Okita’s perception was a bit more acute and precise than his own.

Okita gave a small nod.

“Can you hit it, without getting her attention?” He lifted his chin to indicate Saya, who was fully focused on holding onto the ride. He figured she was probably aware of the demon's presence as well, but like himself, couldn't pick out it's precise location. Even if she could, she was in no position to do anything about the matter.

“Maybe, but onii-chan, I can’t shoot very well like this,” he pointed down to the safety bar that held him to the chair. Kaito reached over him, and put his hand on it. Using a bit of electromagnetism, he sprang Okita from the restraint and then released himself.

“I’m giving you thirty seconds,” Kaito said softly. “Try to do it in that time.” With that, he moved his right hand to the side of the rollercoaster car, and sent a large shockwave of electricity through the circuits. He was lucky in that the entirety of the ride ran on just a couple of systems and everything was connected. The disruption in the circuit slowed the rollercoaster car and killed the few flashing lights.

Okita shifted himself to face out the side of the car, and closed his eyes as he mentally honed in on the location of the demon. His bow and an arrow - already nocked to the string - formed in his grasp as he summoned it. He released the arrow the moment the weapon had fully solidified, and the demon's presence disappeared.

A few seconds later, the rollercoaster returned to it's normal speed and the lights resumed their bright flashing.

“That was really cool,” Mika said, as they pulled up to the platform to get off. Her body was wired from the adrenaline rush, and her legs felt incredibly wobbly, but it wasn't a bad sort of feeling.

“It was!” Okita said, bouncing around the lot of them. “Again! Again!”

“It’s one of my favorites too,” Ayako agreed happily. “Although the part with the slowing down and utter darkness was new. Maybe they changed it a little since I last came? Anyway, what’d you think Saya?” She turned around to glance at the girl, who was staring at the ground lost in thought. “Oiii, earth to Saya. You okay?”

“Hm? Oh, my apologizes. It was a good ride indeed,” she said, though her tone of voice didn’t back up her words. As they walked out on the moving platform, she kept glancing back at Kaito. Something about him didn’t quite seem right in her mind.

The problem was that she couldn’t pin down why. He didn’t feel like any sort of demon that she had ever come across, but for a moment, during the ride, she could’ve sworn she saw him moving around, facing the direction she had felt the demonic presence. Though that on its own couldn’t be used to indicate much.

Then there was the matter of his brother, who was the complete opposite in his mannerisms and appearance, yet had a similar feel. Saya wanted to chalk it up to them just being foreigners, but Kaito seemed so familiar with Japan and its customs that she had a hard time believing that he was a foreigner at all.

“Did you want something?”

Kaito’s cool voice broke through her concentration. She hadn’t even realized that she’d been staring at him for too long now, and Kaito, unable to ignore her gaze any longer, forcibly brought her attention to it.

“No. It’s nothing.”

Although Ayako was babbling on about other rides and gift shops, Saya felt as though a heavy silence had settled over the group. She was discreetly watching the twins, Kaito was blatantly staring at her, and Kana and Mika kept glancing out of the corner of their eyes at the three as if waiting for something to happen.

She wanted to observe them further, but the sun was already lowering in the sky and she was expected to report to their temporary base before dark.

Once back outside, she murmured an excuse about being busy tonight to the rest of the group and bid them farewell.

“Do you think she found us out?” Okita whispered once Saya was out of sight.

“No,” Kaito answered slowly, “but I don’t think she trusts us either.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Saya joined the night patrol with her father and Ryuusuke - a highly skilled hunter as well as a friend of the family - as soon as she’d returned to the hotel they were temporarily staying in.

"Is Seijiro coming?" she asked as they headed out into the cool night.

Her father shook his head. As usual, he was wearing his large, tan trench coat packed with every weapon a hunter might need. His gray hair, which was just barely long enough to pull back, was tied up in a tight pony-tail. He also sported a wispy beard that followed his jawline. To Saya, he looked more like he belonged in 18th century Europe than present day Japan.

"That useless boy has run off again. I swear if he doesn't get his act together soon...." The threat hung in the air and Saya dropped her head slightly. For a couple of years now, her kid brother had been quite the handful. Skipping missions to do whatever he liked. He often came home in the very early hours of the morning slightly bruised and in a terrible mood. Occasionally he wouldn't come home for days.

"Calm down old man," Ryuusuke spoke up. "He's just a 14 year old kid. He's at that difficult stage in life."

Ryuusuke was the total opposite of Saya's father. His unruly, spiked hair, dyed a bright red, drew the attention of everyone in the area. His black pants and hoodie contrasted the brightness of his hair, which only served to draw even more attention to his face. He was twenty years of age, and handsome in a bad-boy sort of way.

“Forget Seijiro. Did you find anything of interest at the amusement park?” her father questioned as they wove their way down dark back alleys and around the outskirts of downtown.

“Yes,” Saya answered promptly. “I found two demons. One of them I was able to kill easily. The other’s presence disappeared and I was unable to find it.”

Her father rounded on Saya, “Why didn’t you scour the area and find it?!”

“I sensed it briefly while on a ride, and could not get off to further investigate. Also...” Saya paused as the two twins came to mind.

“What?” her father prompted.

“No, it’s nothing.” She didn’t have enough evidence to back up anything regarding Kaito and Okita. She still couldn’t even determine if they were demons or not. Objectively, it seemed rather unlikely, but she couldn’t shake off the strange feeling that ran up her spine when she looked at them.

“We can always investigate the park again,” Ryuusuke said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“This area is relatively quiet isn’t it?” Saya ventured after a few minutes of silence. It was the perfect spot for a demon, easy to catch humans since it bordered the residential area, and the alleys provided the ideal hiding spot.

“That’s why we’re here,” Ryuusuke said. When Saya cocked her head, he elaborated, “It’s too quiet right? There’s this weird perimeter around here where we haven’t found any activity at all. The old man thinks there’s some stronger demon chasing the others away, but we haven’t caught wind of anything unusual.”

“Hm,” Saya responded. Glancing around the area there wasn’t much of interest. There were many smaller rundown business buildings, and a few neighborhoods off in the distance. The highlight of the area was a rather tall apartment building, but it didn't seem particularly special either.

An hour later, after finding nothing of interest, the small group called it a night. Saya took a shower and dressed mechanically as her mind drifted back to this afternoon. She fell asleep that night still thinking about the two strange boys.


A/N~ Finally done editing this one. It took way longer than I expected. Mostly fluff, but I did want to try building on Saya just a little bit. She's not super exciting as a character right now, but she'll get there eventually. Of course I wrote this based on my recent experiences in Disneyworld, and although I'm sure the Japan version is different in some ways, it's probably not that different. Anyway, hope you all enjoy~

<== Chapter 3