Guardians of the Light [Chapter Seven] Born in the Earth
CHAPTER VII - Born in the Earth
It was the early morning of December 6. The four men were awkwardly standing before each other. Yuto stood in front of Ryutaro while Keito was beside him and across Yuri. It seemed like they were measuring up on each other before Keito broke the silence.
“So what do we do know?”
Yuto glanced at him and withdrew. “I - I just want Raiya back.”
“I understand.” Keito nodded and then turned to Ryutaro.
“I - I don’t know. I think I can’t handle that kind of responsibility. I’m too young.”
“But if we don’t do this, there won’t be a world to live in.”
The three stared at Keito.
“I agree.” Yuri stated. “And since my life’s a bore, I’ll join in.”
“Really?” Keito asked.
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Okamoto-san.” Yuri quipped, flashing a wicked smile.
Keito fell silent and shifted towards Ryutaro and Yuto.
“Ne~ Morimo-chan, why don’t you help too?” Yuri beamed.
“EH?! Morimo-chan?” Keito stared in disbelief. Yuri shot him an I-will-kill-you-if-you-open-your-mouth glare and he fell silent again.
Yuri came closer to Ryutaro and suddenly clung onto his arms. The latter was taken aback that he just stood and stared at the little guy on his arms.
Keito moved near Yuto and nudged him. “Sorry about your brother, but we’ll find him for sure.”
“Thanks, Sakamoto-san.”
“It’s Okamoto. But you can call me Keito.”
“Oh, right. You’re Okamoto Kenichi’s son.”
Keito huffed. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”
“Huh?”
“The you-are-Okamoto-Kenichi’s-son thing. It’s pretty annoying sometimes.”
“Sorry.”
“Nah. I said sometimes, not now.”
Yuto smiled.
“You look better when you smile.”
“So, you believe all those things they said?”
“Actually, no. I just hope I made the right decision. And maybe, in time, I’ll understand. I also want to prove something.”
“That you are not just your father’s son?”
“Wah? Can you read minds?!”Keito’s eyes widened.
“Yeah.”
“Seriously?”
“Just kidding. It’s not hard to tell.” Yuto giggled lightly.
They both looked up when Ryutaro and Yuri came closer.
“So, when do we start?” Yuri asked eagerly.
Yuto and Keito stared.
“You mean-?”Keito pointed at Ryutaro.
“Took me long enough to convince him but yeah, he’s in.” Yuri flashed a devilish smile and Ryutaro blushed.
“That’s good.” Yuto said.
They eventually turned to the Triad who were sort of meditating around the pentagram. Toma opened his eyes and smiled.
“Thank you, young ones. But this I say to you; the journey is dangerous, you will have to sacrifice a lot on the way to achieve our goals. Be cautious and prudent in every decision you make.”
They nodded.
“The sad thing is that there are only three days left before December 8.” Kazuya said worriedly.
“Why? What’s going to happen?” Ryutaro asked.
“History will repeat itself…” Keito murmured.
“Yes, Okamoto-san. The Hollow will once again wreck havoc on earth, just like what happened in Pearl Harbor-”
“So, we should go to Hawaii?” Yuri said with much gusto.
“No. Since the Hollow was suppressed in Japan, it’s ‘substance’ might still be here. And more or less it would take revenge at the place where it suffered much shame.” Jin answered.
“Bummer…” Yuri sighed.
“More or less, the Hollow may be around Nagasaki or Hiroshima. Or it may have moved, slowly gathering forces trying to strengthen itself again.”Jin continued. “You need to defeat the Hollow before midnight of December 8, or else, all your efforts will be put to waste.”
There was an awkward period of silence.
“Wherever it may be, we’ll put an end to it.” Yuri quipped, waving his fist. The other three agreed.
“You really are the sons of the earth…” Toma whispered, a smile marking on his face.