The Crooked Silhouette

Chapter 16: The Struggle It Took

“He doesn’t want to get entailed to anyone. He prefers to move about freely,” said Yagi while he and the others were gazing at the solemn Otome. Especially The Humans, they could barely veil their blow since they never deemed Otome would decline the idea. Even Yagi’s tone slumped, signing his aversion to Otome’s resolution.

            “I have other thing needs to be settled down, so I won’t hand you Takeru.”

            As long as his plan has not accomplished yet, he must nurture Takeru by himself. Even if Takeru opted to be with Tatsu and Hikari, he would rebuff the request and abduct him away from The Humans. No matter how childish Takeru would behave, he would later turn to deaf ears and prioritize his wish first.

            The Human who has come to The Virgo Valley. He must disclose the truth behind the episode. But he was obliged to get out of The Forest of Eve first.

            “Otome, he’s our friend,” Tatsu stood up and audaciously confronted The Virgo. In spite of having features analogous to a Human, Otome was still loftier than him. “The main reason that we create the plan is to assemble us, The Humans, and come back to The Earth. We’re not meant to be here – this isn’t our place.”

            Tatsu’s appealing eyes somehow did not even flinch Otome. His quivery pupils flagged up his persistence to dispute the plan, hence Tatsu slouched even lower. He was utterly disheartened as Otome refused to return Takeru safe and sound. “We, Humans, don’t have abilities like you Zodiacs. That’s why we have to go back to The Earth. We haven’t known the procedure yet, unless through The Deity’s Gate, but firstly we must gather as a group of five.”

            “What will happen if Tsuya found out and killed our clan instead? What will happen to us, The Zodiacs, after you Humans achievably escaped from The Dimension? Think twice,” a sharp look daggers shot at Tatsu, fearlessly. “If any of us was demolished, there would be some sort of imbalance and distortion occurred upon The Earth, and presumably the whole universe. It will interrupt the gravity from within The Earth, and later the planets may collide due to the disturbance. You ever heard about gravity, right?”

            One hand stroke on Otome’s shoulder, curbing him from insinuating an assault. Hikari and Mizugame turned mute as both of them were unable to counter Otome’s logic.

            “The only remarkable sameness both Earth and Dimension procure is the gravitational force,” Otome sternly brushed away Yagi’s hand from him, “Even though the attraction degree is not the same, they still have it. And you must be aware that the stars, the planets, even the black hole, have it. Once The Dimension collapsed, the stars will interrupt the gravitational force of others including The Earth and drive those planets to crash each other as well. Everything will become a shambles and you won’t even have a second of conjuring up your own upcoming future!”

            “Otome, calm down,” Mizugame grasped both Otome’s wrists as he saw them shuddering most likely in fury. Otome was proficiently subduing his resentment but his harsh speech believably could hurt one’s feeling. By endorsing Tatsu’s gaping mouth and ogling eyes in frustration, he gulped in fear. “It’s okay if you don’t want to follow us. We will send you to Tsuya then.”

            “Are you kidding me, Mizugame?!”

            The stiffened tone by Tatsu staggered everyone there. The brutality they have endured through days in The Dimension must have adapted Tatsu from a very collected Human to an intolerant one. Mizugame was purely taken aback but he tried to stand affirm on his two feet, unalarmed by Tatsu’s lethal glower towards him. Even the stringent Otome faltered and brought his fists to his chest, preventing them from being hurt by physical oppresion or such.

            “We are Humans! We don’t belong here!” Tatsu’s thunderous utterance echoed the surroundings. “We! Must! Return to! The Earth!”

            “Tatsu, what has gotten into you?” Despite his quivering limbs, Hikari attempted on coming closer the incensed Tatsu, “Otome is right. We cannot do anything hastily. Getting stamped as incomers here doesn’t mean we can do anything we want until generating mishap to the locals. We must take in Otome’s opinion too.”

            It was brief and instant, but Yagi noticed one of Tatsu’s eyes turned blackish. The pupil diffused into the sclera and one distinct image came to his mind – Tsuya.

            A hand instantaneously smacked Tatsu, ramming him down to the ground. The situation sank because Yagi was triggered after seeing the resemblance of Tsuya in Tatsu even it was only for approximately three seconds. Yagi was about to grab Tatsu on the collar when Otome boldly barred his way.

            “I saw Tsuya. I saw him!” declared Yagi. While he set his eyes on Otome, his hand was reaching out to clutch the stoned Tatsu on the ground. Tatsu’s cheek was bluish and about to swell thanks to Yagi’s impulse put in his smack. He swung his hand to launch another slap when Hikari clasped his sleeve.

            Nothing extraordinary one could observe on Hikari, yet he successfully obstructed Yagi’s hand from hitting Tatsu for the second time. The main witnesses at the moment were Mizugame and Otome, which both immediately gaped in dubiety. The Zodiacs have already acknowledged The Capricorn as the most durable Zodiac featuring the big stature and martial art he mastered for combat. None of the Zodiacs could conquer him – not even Otome which understood more types of martial arts than him – yet this one frail Human could halt his swinging palm abruptly.

            “S- Stop it, Yagi. He is Tatsu. He’s not Tsuya,” The trembling voice could not mask Hikari’s shammed courage but he ought to evade Yagi from impairing Tatsu. Even from the fleshly figure, he knew Yagi’s brawn was far more superior to other Zodiacs, plus his skills in skirmish was a characteristic he could not abandon.

            That shaking voice justified how terrified Hikari was. However, the unnerved Human could hindered Yagi almost effortlessly. There was no sign of veins arose in the skin and no sweat beads trickled down the chin. Hikari must have leapt without considering, yet he manageably saved Tatsu from receiving Yagi’s brutality.

            “Hikari, you-“ Mizugame could not veil his astonishment. “What are you, actually?”

            A brisk jolt by Tatsu finally brought Hikari back to the reality. Only then he realized he has done something too great to overlook. He dropped Yagi’s arm and distanced multiple steps away from The Capricorn. The blackened eye Tatsu possessed for three seconds has completely cleared and it became normal again.

            What was that?

            “I don’t know, I don’t know,” said Hikari still with his shiver.

            How could I stop Yagi like that?

            Otome drew himself closer to the panicked Hikari. With his eyes glaring into Hikari’s, he mumbled. “You Humans are surely not ordinary Humans.”

            Perhaps they are not even Humans.

            “You can’t leave us, Otome,” Mizugame spoke up his anticipation, “You can read mind, unlike me. I can only do telepathy, while you are able to read and control others’ mind on your own accord. Your ability is powerful compared to mine. It should be better if the three of us are together. Plus, if you are breaching the mission, doesn’t it make you one of us too?”

            “I may seem similar to you but my goal is different, so don’t you ever dare to equate me with you!”

            But we need you, Otome!

            “How can I hear their intuition?” Tatsu murmured while the scene was becoming haywire. Of those creatures bickering before his eyes, he noticed Yagi has not budged from watching him too keenly. Ever since he smacked him, Yagi has not shifted his view from Tatsu. “Yagi?”

            One word from Tatsu startled Yagi from his overthinking. He composed his palpitating breath and pulsating heart due to an overwhelming fear engulfing him for a moment. Mizugame and Otome’s debating gradually penetrated his eardrums and he finally shifted to them.

            You better watch out, Yagi.

            That final intuition Tatsu heard was distinct, as if it sounded in his head. Judging from the tone, he could figure out it was Yagi’s, warning himself to be more cautious of the current.

            “Otome!”

            A loud shriek came from Takeru. Otome swiftly turned to the spot to see Takeru was choked by something he loathed. Takeru was hoisted in the air by the creature he despised almost as much. The creature guffawed, rejoicing his triumph in capturing the second fled Zodiac and his Human.

            “Ite!”

            Otome leapt hugely towards the spot without hesitant. He has not even moored when Ite caught him on the neck, strangling The Virgo to restrain him from attacking. Takeru in his another grasp grappled to free himself. In comparison to Hikari, Takeru’s struggle was in vain. None of Takeru’s random punch and hit affected on Ite. Otome tried to tug Takeru’s arm or at least the shirt, but his sight could not estimate the length well that he failed to grab even Ite’s hand underneath his chin.

            “Let- Otome go!” Takeru yelled as loud as he could – at least to his own auditory. He wanted to attract anyone’s attention so that anyone or anything could come to the rescue. “You are- Tsuya’s spy- right? Just take me and let him go!”

            “Oho, what a brave Human!” Ite giggled at Takeru’s blurting out. He tightened his grasp on Otome’s throat, “For your information, this Zodiac has played truant. So I must give him a lesson or he won’t learn.”

            “No! Just don’t!”

            “Ite, take me instead! He’s innocent!”

            The Sagittarius appeared out of nowhere and immediately caught Takeru when he noticed Otome’s absence. It was a golden opportunity he must not waste, plus Takeru was one of The Human Tsuya has desired to meet. “Both Zodiac and Human are so brave, but why did you run away from the mission? Oh, I see!” Ite drew both Otome and Takeru closer, “It was because you’re too brave that you decide to prioritize your own lust first!”

            Yagi and Mizugame were about to rush to the scene when Shishi surfaced from a thickening fog in the air and seized them from behind. Hikari was too petrified that he squeezed on Tatsu’s arm.

            “Shishi!”

            Shishi, in his ordinary form, shoved Yagi and Mizugame away from facing towards Ite, Otome and Takeru. Tatsu could feel his heart throbbed hard that dizziness hit him too, but he could not do anything to contribute. 

            “Congratulation for victoriously found Otome and The Human,” Shishi announced and simultaneously altered one of his hand into a lion’s front leg. The size was big enough to block both Yagi and Mizugame from running to the scene. “I’m sorry for not being able to provide you gifts since you are going to surrender yourselves like them too. The only difference is you’re going to pay Tsuya a visit, while these insolent Zodiacs are going to him as prisoners.”

            “Please don’t torture them, Shishi. Please tell Tsuya to spare The Humans as well,” Mizugame was more to pleading.

            There were too many unresolved uncanny commotion they have encountered since the first day they have arrived at The Earth and returned back to The Dimension. Shishi grinned ear to ear while looking intensely at the infuriated Yagi and the cowardice Mizugame. Yagi was not really angry, and Mizugame was not actually a wimp to be exact.

            It was actually response from the incident they spectated right before the arrival of Ite and Shishi there. Yagi witnessed Tatsu’s murky eyes, while Mizugame was fazed by the nerve Hikari suddenly picked up until The Human was able to stop Yagi from running an amok. Both incidents triggered them to experience inferiority towards The Humans whereas neither Tatsu nor Hikari were aware of it.

            “Let- Takeru- go,” Otome’s mumble was gradually faded. He could not breathe in relax and he eventually could not sense his limbs too. His disability to even hold on Ite’s hand elevated when Ite enforced his grasp, suffocating both of his victims concurrently. “Please- do not- hurt him.”

            “Please inform that to Tsuya once you meet him later.”

            Without delay, Ite and his prisoners vanished in thick fog, almost the same like how he appeared last time. Nothing else left except Shishi and those four.

            “NO! Takeru!!”

            It was too late to rewind the time. They could never persuade Otome to follow them. He and Takeru have already fallen into Ite’s palm and later, they would be delivered to Tsuya. The only Zodiac which possessed mind reading ability has practically gone. The chance to construct much better strategy to encounter Tsuya has slipped right away. Yagi had to detain Tatsu from behind since he has been tackling to swoop on Shishi.

            “You! Return back Takeru to us!” roared Tatsu while Yagi was narrowing his grip. “Takeru is our friend! He shouldn’t get caught by the likes of you!”

            “Tatsu, calm down!” Even if Tatsu enabled to deposit a punch or two on Shishi, it would not bring Takeru back to them. Otome, too, would not reoccur just as straightforward. “We can’t do anything, basically.”

            “There must be a way. There must be a way!”

            An anonymous boldness led Tatsu to nudge hardly on Yagi’s diaphragm. The exertive force dragged him to bow and groan in pain, thus released Tatsu from his hold. The granted opening then was employed by Tatsu to actually leap onto Shishi despite the larger body The Leo owned compared to a Human like him.

            One minute was enough. Shishi’s altered arm was totally vanquished by Tatsu. In one minute worth, Tatsu laid a greatly potent strike on Shishi’s side of head and booted right at the abdomen. A loud detonating fracture astounded the spectators. The Leo huffed and could not inhale as much when Tatsu, while still floating in the air, swung another kick and hit exactly at Shishi’s face. Just by three direct hit from a mere Human like Tatsu, blood spurted off the mouth and bruises emerged on the skin. Shishi collapsed onto the ground, catching up dirt onto his attire and finer dust contaminated the fresh air.

            The view was absurd. Shishi was already passed out and he literally paralyzed until he has recovered the injury in his diaphragm.

            “Tell us! How can we get out of here?!”