The Crooked Silhouette

Chapter 6: The Attacking Lion

            “Hikari!”

            “Tatsu! Mizu! Run!”

            It has not been long since Tatsu and Hikari reconciled as someone – or something – leaping from Hikari’s behind. He pounced on Hikari and grappled to lock him down. Tatsu was utterly petrified as Hikari, his friends, was assaulted right before his eyes. Comprehending them being on The Dimension, he was fully aware that he could do nothing but gape. Nevertheless, the one who was being preyed was his best friend – one of the four who he has been looking for from The Forest of Eve on The Earth.

            “Hikari!”

            Enough with contemplating, Tatsu ran to the struggling Hikari and the unidentified creature. He was almost reaching them as a hand grabbed him from his hind. He attempted on releasing himself but to no avail.

            “Let me go!”

            “You shouldn’t!”

            Yagi’s strong arm was a bad match to Tatsu’s slender body. No matter how hard he punched and slapped, Yagi did not even wince. He strengthened his grip as Tatsu did not seem to stop. He could see Tatsu wanted to try saving Hikari, his friend, but he could not let him do so very thoughtlessly.

            “Mizugame!”

            The loud effortful scream from Hikari startled the scared Mizugame. He shivered as he watched how perilously pitiful Hikari was as the creature pinned him. It had almost the same height as Yagi with fur covering his whole head to the clavicle. His broad chest broadcasted his strength and power, plus his hands were altered into paws with sharp claws. Looking closely, Mizugame was so sure who it was.

            “Shishi,” he mumbled yet audible to Tatsu and Yagi.

            The Human they were watching rolled himself on the ground but the creature did not seem to spare him. He continuously roared and haphazardly scraped but luckily none of the claws scratched Hikari. Hikari was fortunately untouched but he feared of being killed under Shishi’s nose. He was still young though, and dying in The Dimension was not enlisted in his future plan.

“You moron!” Yagi pissed off as Mizugame remained unmoved while Hikari – The Human under his surveillance before surrendering him to Tsuya – considered a prey to the creature. At any time he could be the first Human to be killed by Shishi. Yagi shoved Tatsu to Mizugame and rushed to the scene, coming to the rescue.

            The creature constrained Hikari until he panted. He could not even lift his hand up, begging for help. Yagi’s silent step helped successfully in his ambush as he swung a kick right at the head of the creature. The creature fell onto his side, unconsciously freeing Hikari from his beneath. Yagi swiftly dragged Hikari away from the scene but the creature pounced on him instead.

            “Tsk!”

            A pair of horn materialized on Yagi’s head as he was terrorized to get slayed by Shishi. Shishi hoisted his paw in the air, and the claw was dangly aimed at Yagi’s eye. Ferociously Yagi severed one of his horns and thrust it towards Shishi’s claws, resulting them to snap. The bellowing Shishi infallibly resonated up till they could perceive the land underneath was quaking.

            “Run!-”

            Yagi’s voice ceased as he witnessed Mizugame’s enormous vase with the mouth directed to them, held in both of his hands. He gritted his teeth, and alongside Mizugame’s loud shout, water streamed out of the mouth of the vase. It was likely a fake river flowing off it and hit the creature without simply touching Yagi. It ran vigorously until the grass flaked off the ground and jumbled in the fluid. The creature was overturned and thrown further from Yagi, then he groaned painfully.

            “It’s hot! Hot!!” the creature yelled in the water. Bubbles of variety sizes came out of his mouth which indicated his breaths.

            Yet the artificial river did not seem to stop soon. Mizugame controlled the running water from inside of the vase. He has targeted the water to only engulf the rampaging creature thus form a ball. The water, fully commanded by Mizugame, manageably entrapped him despite his reluctance.

            “Let me free! Let me go!” the creature who Mizugame has recognised him as Shishi thumped everywhere in the watery ball. “It’s hot in here! It burns me!”

            Shishi was right. Everyone could witness his skin slowly peeled off the muscle and immediately dissolved in the liquid. He desperately punched every part of the ball he could reach to puncture it, but he broke down right away. Being compressed in a tight ball lessened the oxygen inside the body and principally carbon dioxide increment would contribute not only in energy depletion – his sanity might be ruined as well. Losing nerve, too, was not an option.

            Judging from the colour and the effect it left on Shishi, Tatsu straight away identified. The water Mizugame garnered was from The River of Adam – the bank which almost charred his own hand too. The pain from getting one’s skin toasted to crisp was unbearable even to Dimensionals.

            “Mizugame, stop it!”

            He grasped one of Mizugame’s fore arm, unknowingly crippling the formation of the ball. Mizugame could not grasp his vase properly hence it crashed onto the ground. The pieces of vase vanished in thin air together with the encaging watery ball and the fake river. The ground was practically cluttered. Shishi collapsed onto the ground, severely burnt and speechless.

            “Tatsu, what did you do?!” Mizugame frantically scolded Tatsu for his mischievous deed. They were just fortunate because Mizugame did not misguide the vase to Yagi instead of Shishi. “Did you know how dangerous the situation could be? You just gave me heart attack!”

            “I’m sorry!” Tatsu bowed at Mizugame several times until Hikari told him to desist, “I don’t have the heart to watch Shishi getting digested in there!”

            The horn on Yagi’s head perished concurrently with the one he employed to snap Shishi’s claws. The horns were credited as Yagi’s optimal power, like Mizugame forging a vase to flood the milieu.

            “But he was running amok just now!” Mizugame half shrieked while his hand uncontrollably flapped. His throbbing heart has not calmed down yet. This Tatsu was really something he should not take on lightly.

            There was a lying Shishi on the soil, unconscious and wounded. Hikari tried getting up and dragged his feet to Shishi even though Mizugame and Tatsu have hindered him from moving aggressively. He assured them with a thumb up, parted lips as he smiled, and knelt right beside Shishi. Faint smoke leaked everywhere from Shishi’s singed skin, and it was purely horrid to look at. He was still breathing normally which meant the burning impinged upon only his physical appearance.

            “Mizu, can you help him?” Hikari gestured his hand, signalling Mizugame to draw himself closer.

            Mizugame crossed his arms, refusing to concur. Hikari ogled at him.

            “But he hurt you first!” Mizugame pulled a pout.

            Yagi and Tatsu furrowed, enduring irritation and cringes. Since when Mizugame transformed as a spoilt little kid? The Zodiacs were fully aware that Mizugame avoided war and fighting so much but they did not believe him as a weak Zodiac. However, his encounter with a Human unpredictably reversed his maturity. Hikari was a pretty boy – having girlish face, thin body and slender limbs. But in comparison to Mizugame, he seemed much sturdier than The Aquarius. They believed that Mizugame has become clingier than before. Yagi hissed at the latter, disapproving his rejection. He eyed him more intense when Mizugame turned his back towards Hikari and the passed out Shishi.

            “All right, all right. I get it.”

            No time gap since Yagi entrusted Shishi to Mizugame. As Mizugame made his way to Shishi, Shishi’s body glowed and raised itself in the air. He shockingly opened his eyes, at first giving them the sight that he has woken up from his faint. He ducked his head while Yagi and Mizugame sped to the stoned Hikari. The Human shivered too much that he could barely speak to try talking with Shishi but he still could meet Shishi head-on.

            A hand reached out to get Hikari, yet Mizugame quickly pushed it away in order to avoid any contact with the weirdly behaved Shishi. Shishi used to be so daring and strict without applying violence in his attitude, but he has changed to a very negative Zodiac that night. He was about to attempt on touching Hikari when Yagi stood before him, veiling both Hikari and Mizugame from his view.

            “I’m sorry for hurting you, dear Human.”

            An apology from Shishi certainly surprised them as they thought Shishi was not behaving as his usual self. It turned out that he implied politeness over savagery. However, the blacking sclera and the low-pitched tone he was having substantiated his anomaly.

            “I don’t mean to hurt you in person. I just want to be kind to you because I know you are afraid since the moment you were abducted here. However, I guess this Zodiac has quite a bad temperament that instead of accosting you normally, he attacked you.”

            “You’re not Shishi!” Mizugame cried from Yagi’s hindrance, “Who are you? What happened to Shishi? Did you possess him?”

            The grinning Shishi while guiding his eyesight towards Yagi, Mizugame and Hikari really terrified them all, including Tatsu who meters behind the three of them. Shishi shifted his gaze from Yagi to Mizugame, Hikari and finally Tatsu who just caught up.

            “He wasn’t possessed. I used him as a medium,” Shishi patted his chest. “I see you guys have kidnapped – Human-napped – two Humans here. Hopefully you bring them both to me soon.”

            “You must be the one who shan’t-be-called,” Yagi gritted his teeth, “Tsuya.”

            “That’s so uncool of you. Please award me much cooler nickname,” Shishi chuckled as Yagi has already flared in madness. “I just want to tell you bad news. I’ve sent five Zodiacs to The Earth in order to get five Humans, including the one I supposed to meet in The Dimension,” arms crossed against the chest, “Regrettably two of you bolted the mission and another one has not returned yet. I wonder why, fufufu.”

            The annoyance from Shishi’s hasty invasion has not demolished yet this Spirit really pissed them off with his jeer. Sticking out his long red tongue, Shishi tilted his head to left and right as an act of psychopath.

            “Then, what’s with it?” Yagi sent off death glares at Shishi. He acknowledged the Shishi before them was surreal, but he could not help from not getting angry at Tsuya. Tsuya really played them all like a puppet he owned. “They fled, and so what? Should we celebrate and toss a party?”

            In split seconds, Shishi’s clawed finger pointed right before Yagi’s eyes. Yagi was too petrified that he froze on the spot. Mizugame readied to be offensive while Tatsu and Hikari concealed themselves behind the two Zodiacs.

            “I assign you, Yagi The Capricorn, and Mizugame The Aquarius, to find them alongside the two Humans with you,” Shishi’s soothing gaze transformed promptly to merely portray his authoritarian, “Find them, properly confirm their job well done, and bring them to me. As soon as possible.”

            “You must be kidding me,” Yagi brushed Shishi’s hand away from his face. “Don’t you have psychic? Find them yourselves then.”

            Tatsu and Hikari were truly clueless as The Zodiacs quarrelled amongst themselves. However, they could grasp the fact that it was not the actual Shishi floating in the view of Yagi and Mizugame. They stayed close to each other, not wanting to let each other go. It was tremendous enough to find only Hikari, and based on the news Shishi – presumably Tsuya – has divulged just now, another three Zodiacs who were given the same task as Yagi and Mizugame have gone astray. They were reckoned escorting The Humans as well.

            “Tsuya,” Tatsu uttered thus shattered the built stillness, “How can we- find the three Zodiacs? As you can see,” he delayed as he sensed every pairs of eyes pinpointing him, “Hikari and I are Humans. I followed Yagi to look for my friends. For now, I’m able to find only Hikari, and I believe another three are with the missing Zodiacs.”

            It was not too obvious but it was still visible. Shishi’s stunned expression intrigued them as he stiffened with his fixated vision on Tatsu. The trembling finger he bore specified at Tatsu alone.

            “You. Who are you, dear Human?” Shishi inquired, shivery tone delivered together.

            “Me?” Tatsu ogled at Hikari as he nodded, “My name is Tatsu.”

            There was merely five seconds pause as Shishi loosened his tense. “So, you are Tatsu, huh?”

            Yagi backed Tatsu up as he could envisage Tsuya was smirking at no one while utilizing Shishi as his middleman. Tatsu, too, shuddered because of Shishi recognising him as one remarkable Human.

            “I would like you to find them instead of me, Tatsu,” Shishi’s gentle voice penetrated into Tatsu and the other three. “I believe they would bow before you soon after they saw you. So, I entrust you this assignment together with your friends Hikari and The Zodiacs Yagi and Mizugame.”

            Shishi gestured his hand towards Tatsu and Yagi and drew himself nearer to them. Yagi fathomed out, blocking Shishi from making any contact with Tatsu. Tatsu hid behind Yagi’s broad body.

            “Tsuya, I would like to make a deal with you.”

            Mizugame, Tatsu and Hikari abruptly turned to the convinced Yagi. His throbbing heart caused him dizziness but his mind supplied the fortitude. With his arms still obstructing Shishi from grabbing Tatsu, he stepped forward.

            “Tsuya, I eventually discover one thing of The Humans,” Yagi’s voice echoed, “Tatsu is your weakness. Am I right?”

            “Yagi!” Mizugame clasped Yagi on the forearm, stopping him from blabbering unnecessary topic, “You will anger him.”

            “I don’t think the other three have met Tatsu somewhere else. Mizugame and I were the best example on the reaction when we first time saw him,” Mizugame’s hand was driven away from his limb.

            The atmosphere grew into cumbersome. Shishi beamed staggeringly cheery.

            “You may be right, you may be wrong, Yagi the Capricorn.”

            The four of them could not apprehend as white fog discharged from both of Shishi’s palm, shrouding his entire body and instantly vanished before they could even blink.