Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark - Don't Embrace It Either

Chapter 4

Yang/Solstice appears in another room, there Garuda's paths, all except the Outer Path, Garland who was away running a personal errand, specially for him, meanwhile Garuda finds Vlad and plans to torture him both for information and his own pleasure

Yang/Solstice makes it to a room not far from where he was held by Garuda...he reaches for the door but stops as an evil grin appears on his face, he could sense the Paths were expecting him and if they thought they were going to attack him and get away with it, they were sadly mistaken

He opens the door, showing no emotion as the paths sat in the large room,munching away at several of Garuda's own men...Why?

Well, Garuda's men know a rule that no one enters a room where all or even the majority of his paths are in by their lonesome without him, many of them decided to disregard his word and try to enter the room anyway, which not just anyone could do anyway without a special magic lock held by any member of his inner circle

Garuda decides to do nothing about it, but make the Paths kill anyone foolish enough to enter their space without permission thus making anyone have second thoughts of going in there, he hasn't lost any men since then though

Solstice/Yang looked to see the Paths, one of them was missing...The Outer Path, Garland...but that didn't seem to bother Solstice as he stared around the room at each path coldly, he needed to choose who went with him to retrieve Bane for his master so he chooses them all "All of you are coming with me...to bring Asakura Bane back to Lord Garuda"

The Paths nodded to their orders as Yang took off, with them not far behind as they left Garuda's mansion

Garuda was still in the same room his new weapon left him in, amazed at something...

"It seems I've accidentally released some very well hidden power within you, Hiachi Yang..." Garuda spoke to himself, his mind reeling a bit at what he could do with Yang and what if he had accepted a part of his soul, he was cautious however and kinda glad that his offer was refused "Good thing he refused my offer though...I wouldn't want him to go around thinking he could use my power against me if Bane should somehow liberate him from my control, which is a big 'if' in and of itself"

Garuda's head suddenly jolted up "Hn? Oh, I'd almost forgotten about you...almost" he suddenly teleports away

Elsewhere, Vlad was walking through the forest since he left Bane...he seemed to be looking for something...

Vlad walked through the forest, he had an uninterested look on his face as he hated being in forests most of the time when suddenly he suddenly spun around, using gravity to crush a large boulder out of existence 'Anata wa nogashita... Kanzen'na baka' (You missed...complete idiot) Garuda says from the other side of him

"Don't you have babies to go eat or something, fuck face...if you haven't noticed, I have more important things to worry about than you" Vlad seemed very annoyed by Garuda's very existence which surprised the Dark Ghoul Lord "I don't take kindly to clowns like you taking the title of Ghoul Lord for their children's games"

Garuda flinched at that, he was pissed but responded calmly "Children's game?" He said through his teeth "I am a perfect counter to the disease of the likes of you, Ghoul Lord...and the title is 'Dark Ghoul Lord' you simpleton"

"Ghoul Lord...Dark Ghoul Lord...Scapegoat, I think you've been around people who actually care what you think for too long, King" Vlad chuckled darkly "I don't care what you call yourself, you're nothing but an ant under my boot either way"

"Okay" Garuda frowns "glad to know we think the same of each other, I'm done telling you to get out of my city...now I'll ship you out piece by piece"

"Tell me you don't think you can win this with barely more than half your soul..." Vlad frowned as Garuda replied "Who needs a soul?!"

[Screen splits showing the pissed, sadistic glares the two gave each other]

"Enough of your rambling then, Graviton Pulse!" Vlad sent a pulse of strong gravity Garuda's way, but he countered with an attack of his own "I won't fall for the same trick twice, Dark Pulse"

The two remained unscathed in the end but Garuda, of course noticed something "Great minds think alike, I don't want you here but we can work together, we are both users of Dark Magic after all"

"So is Kami and you can both use Wind and Fire magic respectively, what is your point?" Vlad was equally mad but he was making a point "I get respect through hard work though as you gain respect only though forcing other to respect you and manipulation"

"Don't lecture me like I don't know the most evil Ghoul Lord and don't play a saint for me either...even to your own colleagues, you're also a manipulative bastard...you threaten the families of those you want to work for you with torture and death...like your little swordsman you sent after my boy, Bane" Garuda snaps "You've manipulated others into being your weapon just as I have...another similarity between us or did you think I didn't know"

"So you know about Boreales...still, who cares?" Vlad charges at Garuda with a punch "Graviton Punch!"

Vlad punches Garuda, but only hits a dark magic shield as Garuda said "Dark Shield" this still rocks Garuda a bit though as Vlad was much stronger than he looked and staggered the Dark Ghoul Lord a bit "Time to put Kami's mangy little big mouthed mutt down...kneel to me like a good mutt!"

"I'll pass but surely, you don't think splitting your soul up...fragmenting it...so much doesn't come without at least some consequences?" Vlad said as Garuda suddenly held his chest and closed one eye, this only started three years ago but the limit to how far away his paths could be from him became shorter during these rare attacks of magic poisoning...a non deadly (as in no one has actually ever died from it) and curable condition that usually never bothers him, why he pays little mind to it, but flares up randomly and it made his body, specifically his heart, hurt enough for him to be out for days...it was also harder to keep control of his only path that was still a living breathing person, Garland who regains his will and most of his memories at this time, causing the other Paths to have to hide Garuda and themselves from the not at all too pleased former Orc Chief's rampage

Garuda's pain only lasts a few minutes though as he rises to his feet, his eyes burning with anger and hatred as he raised his finger, as a small yellow Rasengan appeared abobe his fingertip before he floats up above the trees before it quickly grew to an unfathomable size as he poured Dark magic into it, turning it dark purple 'Dākumajikkuāto: Biggubanrassengan' (Dark Magic Art: Big Bang Rasengan)

Vlad's eyes widen as he raised one hand, halting the attack between the two of them as Garuda also pushed it down "Ah, Solstice should be back in the city with my paths by now...I hope you enjoy my little 'welcome to the neighborhood' present, Asakura Bane"

Garuda frowned for a second as he knew Vlad disappeared through a portal (Kaguya Otsutsuki style like in Naruto Shippuden) after simply letting the attack overwhelm him as another portal open right next to Garuda and he throws another punch with extra gravity

Garuda was waiting this time, in fact he was almost certain that Vlad would do this with his ability to see the future...a sort of precognition that he can control though he never usually uses it to see very far as he caught the fist without looking

'Wantorikkuponī... Hontōni onaji torikku ni futatabi ochiru koto o hontōni kitai shite iru to ittehaikenai... Anata wa hijō ni chitekina gūru no omode wa nai yo ne?' (What a one-trick pony...don't tell me you really expect me to fall for that same trick again...you're not a very intelligent Ghoul Lord, are ya?) Garuda caught the fist with a monstrous grip without even looking as he grabbed the portal itself and starts ripping it open wider, dragging the Ghoul Lord out without an inch of grip lost on his fist as he spun him like a rag doll before trowing him down again, only for another portal to gobble him up again as Garuda continued peering around his environment but not moving an inch "I can do this all day, Vladamir-san"

He was serious about doing it all day too, as most Ghouls would already be dead or very close to dead if they split up their soul as much as Garuda has but he was very special as he still had full control of the parts of his soul within his paths, some of which need it either to be alive in the first place while others needed it to be subservient to Garuda...Garuda wasn't the most liked Ghoul even while growing up but it doesn't matter to him as long as he has respect and power, something some would say he has far too much of, his nine Outer Paths were only half of all his paths but the strongest due to his soul residing within them, his Inner Paths were scarcely known and not as powerful but still very close to his power, earning the name Nine Devils as he only used them when feeling particularly sadistic and could summon the anywhere, at anytime...making them all the more dangerous as their personalities were a sadistic version of themselved mixed with a seriously sadistic Garuda

Back in the city, Solstice and the Paths of Garuda have indeed just arrived, he looked around as did the Paths, all in different directions with their Kakugan's activated

"Find him..." Yang/Solstice orders the paths as all their yellow eyes glowed to life, they were also linked to each other and to Yang, so whatever they see, he will also see as they head closer to where Taeger lives, but their family owns two homes in the city, one on both the Binge Eater side and the non-Binge Eater side "Make your presence known, if you must..."

The Paths nod once and separate, looking everywhere in the city and converging on Taeger's house in one of the least populated areas of the city, where the plan was to search there last

With Bane, the arrival of the Paths didn't go unnoticed...they sensed someone far stronger than the Paths but they don't know that it's Yang

Bane couldn't move...no one in the house could as the shocked looks on their faces said it all, Garuda's Paths were in the city and there was someone else was with them, not Garuda but someone still far more powerful than they are

"Garuda..." Abel snarls through his teeth, but Bane didn't think it was Garuda whose magic was reaching out to him as he said "Father..."

All the Ghouls went out to the front of the house, with their Kakugans they saw that each of the Paths...five of them...were at key points in the city where they could see one place, their location

"Wait...where's that sixth path...and Garuda?" Dartz asked with a feeling of dread he was sure everyone was feeling

As soon as one of the Paths looked their way, Abel used Dark Magic to telekinetically push Bane, Yukio and Tsume into the house, locking them in "Shit..." As soon as one of the Paths looked right at him, he knew he couldn't let them find the Asakura family, under any circumstances

As far as Garuda was concerned, Yukio was a kill-on-sight target, as he's been a thorn in his side for years with the interference he's determined to cause Garuda despite Yukio not living here in Tokyo, Tsume was as much an obsession as Bane was as he wanted to make sure she was married, to him or anyone who were most likely just as evil as him and he wanted Bane's power, constantly testing his resolve and just how resistant he was to Garuda's brand of torture and Dark Magic in general, all of which revolve around the fact that Bane was a Hybrid, something Garuda aspired to become as nothing mattered to him but how much power he had and ruling the world, the exact opposite of Kami...he was very power hungry and the stronger an enemy tended to be than him, the crueler he was to them

The Paths were suddenly right before them as they prepared for the worst...they didn't attack however, merely wore sick grins on their faces as if they knew something no one else did...everyone's faces turned to either horror or rage as Yang/Solstice walked into their view slowly with his eyes closed as he asked "Where is my son?"

"Y-Yang..." Alphonse Taeger says before coming to the very quick conclusion that this was not Yang "No...you're not Yang, how about you give us back our friend first!"

"Your friend...is gone, only Solstice exists" Yang/Solstice grinned maniacally as he opened his yellow on black eyes, he narrowed his eyes and growled as the wind around him became destructive but he doesn't attack as he already knows Bane is here

Inside the house, Yukio consoled Tsume who could barely contain herself at the sight of her beaten until he was near unrecognizable husband, while Bane outright refused to look out

Bane hated...HATED...seeing his mother crying, even more that his father was responsible and against his will at that "I'm going out there..." He said but Tsume refused to let any of them go whispering "No...I won't lose both of you..."

Suddenly, a black hole opened not far from them as Boreales stumbled out, his own sword running through his chest as he fell over on his side, looking right at the two with a deathly gaze

"You again...?" Bane looked murderous as life sparked into his eyes again "This was the only way...I could control my own body again...kill me, I beg of you to release me from these curses!"

"Curses?" Bane asks as there was a curse on his body to obey any command given by Lord Vlad, but there was another much more dangerous curse that gave him distinct black fire like tattoos when active that was inficted much earlier and was designed to kill him, once his family was dead and he had nothing left to live for anyway, Vlad made sure he could be useful and more importantly, unable to take his own life while making him pay for betraying him at the same time until Vlad himself decides that he's of no further use to him, hence why a lot of people, including many Clan who go out of their way to have assassins kill him if he oversteps his boundaries, want to hurt the Ghoul Lord, even kill him especially if they're a member of the Kurosaki Clan due to how he find any and every reason to bad mouth the Clan, who don't like him anyway

The Kurosaki Clan were never killed off, but they were very scarce aside from the Clan representative, Ryuzaki 'Blazebit/Fire Eater' Kurosaki who was always busy at any given time and unconcerned with picking fights with everyone over insulting his Clan, he was prideful about it like all Kurosaki's but too busy to care despite his potty mouth where Garuda and especially Kami was concerned, going as far as wanting Kami to be removed from being a Ghoul Lord due to his past actions, especially recent ones concering his need for a bride but most women being afraid of his very cruel nature to ever love him unless he forces them to...there were many other representatives for other Clans like the Uzushio and Asakura and even some for specific persons like Garuda as well as Shin and Yakuzo from the Crypt...yes, Garuda had representation on the Council as he may be evil and had a hair-triggered temper but he didn't intentionally last out at everyone like Kami did, he was determined to be the opposite of Kami as far as how he is viewed by the public eye calling it practice for when he rules the world and enact a llan he calls the One-Mind Plan, where basically everyone on Earth becomes as subservient to him as his Paths, abolishing all individuality

"I'll be happy to take your life..." Yukio said but Bane saw things differently, now that he knew Boreales wasn't inherantly as evil as Kami or especially Vlad "No...I want your help first to help free my father...think of it as a sort of redemption"

Bane got closer to pull the sword out of Boreales' chest as their eyes were locked...Bane may want to help him, but they don't trust each other and Boreales doubted they ever will, as Bane took hold of Boreales' sword, slowly pulling it out of him as the pain was on his face as he looked like he was wincing but he was so defiant, stubborn and hard headed that this happened often enough that he was ignorant to the pain most of the time as he usually had to do this and everything himself as anyone back home who decided to help him nd make Vlad aware of it would be branded a traitor by Vlad and have who knows what done to them and their loved ones, he decided from then that he wanted to be Ghoul Lord, a dream his late daughter also had and would torture Vlad day and night personally for everything he'd done to him and others, he would be the tyrannical ruler Vlad was

Boreales nodded...for the first time, his vengeance not taking the forefront "I'll do what I can to help him, but I want something from you in return, boy..." Boreales said with no emotion as Bane began cheching himself, hoping to have something of value to the Swordsman "Can I get you a new sword?"

"No...my collection is vast enough, you cannot afford my quality of weapons either and we both know it" Boreales says, already getting to his feet, he had a very strong healing factor compared to other Ghouls as Bane quickly slides his sword away from him when something catches the Assassin's eye as Bane presents a silver gem worth one hundred million dollars he found with a few old but good Darkness, Wind and Fire elemental forging gems around the house "Will this suffice?"

"For now...a pleasure doing business, now who dies first?" Boreales asks as Bane says "Take down Garuda's paths but do not kill them, especially my father"

"You do realize I am an assassin and it's in my job description to go after targets with full intent to kill, right?" Boreales said through his teeth before he sensed that the Paths weren't alive to begin with, aside from Yang, who was not a path to begin with as he magic was nothing like Garuda's "So be it...I will do as you ask, though the only one of them still actually living is that one" he points at Yang

He raises his hand as his sword returns to him, he halts as flame like markings painfully sear themselves into his entire body (like Sasuke's Curse Mark in Naruto) but struggles to make himself not fully succumb to it as he opened the door and went out to kill the Paths, the Curse Mark ate up his magic like it was crazy and has left him near death many times but he was figuring out how to make it do the opposite, force the Curse to submit to him

"You have been marked for death...drop like flies" Boreales shot past Dartz and the others before giving the Paths wounds that would otherwise kill them, if they weren't already dead but Yang/Solstice used his Wind Magic to block his attack as their eyes met

"Y-you again?!" Dartz was very angry that Boreales showed his face here

No one was angrier than Abel though as he was so pissed that his brain probably short-circuited "Oy...what the hell were you doing in my house?!" He pointed at the Swordsman as he shook, evidently mad that this stranger appeared in his house uninvited "break my property and yer payin' for it..."

Boreales ignored all of them however as he gave the paths a true taste of the truly sadistic side of him he never shows even during his usual contracts, making all but Yang/Solstice hesitate "Come...and die!" He attacks the paths head on, almost impailing Yang before taking out two paths, they showed no emotion from being partially dissected as Yang was the only one actively trying to avoid getting hit by him, proving that he was the only one of them alive

Yang tries to make a run for it, but Boreales quickly slams him and pins him to the ground as his body seemed to be so accustomed to fighting that it seemed almost like he was on autopilot slashing down any Path that got within reach, they simply put themselves back together with a metallic substance that made wires that can rejoin, bring any severed body part back together, making them be able to return even from being cut in half, the metal was recognized immediately by Boreales as he's mined it for years back home with his father and later his master who he oddly still doesn't know the identity of because he was told that he had to earn the right to know who he is, he raised him ever since his parents were murdered by Vlad when he was young but not young enough to forget...it also seemed to be extremely sensitive to Dark Magic, something that was rare in Russia despite the Ghoul Lord and Boreales himself being users of it, Boreales also used Water Magic, which was used by the majority where he's from, and Wind Magic, his personal favorite element that was learned by choice to the point where he was undefeated while using that alone

"Hedonite...reminds me of home" Boreales said, noting the metal smelled exactly like Iron tasted and while it was usually as soft as Aluminum, without being in a liquid state, it was also almost as strong as Adamantium when in its most hardened state that it was usually found in due to how cold Russia's winters are, it was highly toxic to Ghouls and Humans during any melting process, so for these Ghouls to have it in them meant they were definitely dead

Yang smiled in a manic manner as he looked at Boreales between his fingers "You...Vladamir's pet, I think it'd be fit that I kill you...seeing as Milord Garuda is currently taking that clown Vlad apart as we speak"

"Do I look like I'm here on that monster's behalf or I care what he's doing?!" Boreales snapped as his eyes looked very delirious "Killing is my profession and I love it...anyone who gets in my way from this point on...is dead!"

Boreales stabs Yang but it ends up being an afterimage as he looked across from him and disappears, catching Yang again and slamming him against a tree "No...you're not going anywhere, my friend"

"Wow...he's pretty fast" Abel says but he's still pissed that he was in his house uninvited as they worried about the other paths, one teleporting in and grabbing Bane only to have Abel take some of his frustration out on him "Hands off...I guess hidin' ya was pretty pointless, eh, kid?"

Bane became a bit shy as he nodded "but what about father...?" Bane looked at Yang as Boreales used Dark Magic to bring some rope to him to tie up Yang which he reinforced with magic to make certain he was never breaking free before dragging him and dropping him at Bane's feet

"You said you were an assassin...how are we gonna pay you?" Tsume asks as she looks Abel and Dartz who were both still glaring coldly at him

"The likes of him still ain't welcome in my house...Hell's gonna freeze over and start celebratin' Christmas before he gets my money too" Abel said as Dartz said "No..."

"So...you'll help me, Dartz?" Bane says brightly before Dartz shot him down immediately "Throw him out...of course, Pay him outta my pocket...Hell...freakin'...NO...my old man would tear me a new one once he found out and he WILL find out, don't ask me how"

"I have no wish to be friends...believe me, boy...they're only a liability and an annoyance to me" Boreales tosses Yang to Alphonse's feet as he slung his sword over his shoulder with an emotionless but cold look "I'll take my leave...you can find me when you're ready...I will not charge you this once, my jobs usually take longer than this and I know where I'm not wanted"

"Stay...if you know how to free him, do it" Bane runs out and grabs Boreales' arm as he looked at Yang then to Bane "What makes you think he's worth saving anymore?"

"He's my father and I'm not giving you a choice" Bane says as Boreales seemed unwilling to do as he asks "In exchange...help me save milord, not from Kami but from himself and if we have to kill him, doesn't matter so long as he isn't disgracing both the Ghoul Lords and his family's name...I will train you to fight his magic, I will allow no one to take my vengeance from me however, you're allowed to fight him but not kill him"

"What do you mean from himself...it's quite obvious and a well known fact that he's a worse Ghoul Lord than Kami or J'onn...if such a thing could exist" Alphonse says as Boreales nods "Yes, but his hatred and jealousy of your Ghoul Lord may be a part of that and his pride is his biggest downfall despite how he insults how prideful the Kurosaki Clan is...but telling him that anyone, especially his so-called ally, Kami of the Kurosaki Clan is better than him makes him maddeningly enraged, taking it out on anyone near him, ally or otherwise...but sloppy despite the very real danger his power still poses."

"Sloppy...?" Bane says as he sensed Garuda and Vlad suddenly in the same place "If he plans on facing Garuda on his own, Garuda is one to take full advatage of such a weakness...or so he seems to me"

"Oh, he is..." Dartz confirms "I don't know how, but he only watched me fight once in his Lion's Den...the first time I personally met him, not knowing he'd even be there and after I won all ten fights, he had the nerve to commend my fighting style while pointing out how I would've lost every single fight and what mistake I would've made...he's a very nice person to those who does as they're told to the letter and follow the one and only rule in his Lion's Den...that there aren't any, so long as one Lion dies...all participants are called Lions, by the way"

"Now ya get the point...those three, Vlad, Kami and Garuda...are a dangerous combination, especially when all in one place, eh?" Boreales remarks, believing this to be the biggest group of idiots he's ever met "as if being too dangerous to be left alive isn't enough for them"

"Too dangerous to be left alive?" A man asks as Yamamoto appears on the roof, a shorter man with white hair in a ponytail and bright golden eyes, Bane noticed a huge pair of scars on his body, a large one on his forehead and only part of a larger one on his chest...and he knew that Bane noticed as he remained crouched "Hn...the same can be said for you, outsider..."

"Scar..." Yang says as the scarred Ghoul glanced at him but didn't acknowledge him "strong kid for Kami and Garuda to be ready to bite each other's throats out, eh Yang...is it yours?"

Solstice was feral by this point, but Boreales' binds weren't budging as Scar said, tilting his head to Bane "This is Garuda's doing...he's pretty obsessed with this Asakura/Uzushio Ghoul/Mutant Hybrid thingamajig he and Kami are so willing to kill for...especially where each other are concerned"

"Can I help as well, boy?" A voice says as Bane suddenly felt a large, ice cold hand reach around and touch his face from behind...it was Shin and his partner, Yakuzo who was a man at least half his height and size but always had a very strong but well controlled intent to kill...he is known to crack Ghoul skulls with his bare hands why no one allows him to grab them by the face, he was also the only one able to stop an angered or enraged Shin "Overpower his mind with enough dark magic and that should free him from Garuda's control...without killing him, but it'll sting a lot"

"Do it..." Bane nods as Shin steps forward, he did not trust Boreales and seems to have met him in the past...he saw Vlad, the Ghoul Lord he now no longer probably serves retreating from the Binge War with the body of someone he held dear and loved, his only friend as he got right in his face

'Anata wa subete-banashi o shite iru to itte watashi o semenaide kudasai, shikashi, anata wa kare no jidai no mottomo sensō-tekina gūru no omodearu kami to taisen suru koto o keikaku shite imasu... Soshite sore wa nanika o itte imasu... Homunkurusu to anata wa sorenitaishite katsu koto ga dekiru to omoimasu ka?' (Don't blame me for saying you're all talk but you're planning to go against Kami, the most warrish Ghoul Lord of his time...and that's saying something...and Garuda, the closest thing we Ghouls have to a Homunculus and you think you can win against THAT?) Shin says 'Yūki to tada no oroka-sa, kodomo to no ma ni wa hosoi sen ga arimasu... Shikashi, kore wa anata o omoitodomara se tari, kibun o kae tari suru yō ni wa miemasen ka? Kore wa watashi ni kyōmi o sosorimasu... Watashi wa kōkishin no tame ni anata o tasukemasu' (there is a thin line between bravery and just being stupid, kid...but this doesn't seem to deter you or change your mind, does it? This intrigues me...I will help you, for curiosity's sake)

Yakuzo then grabs Yang by the face, pinning him to his spot with little effort "Stay..." He says as he grins, he may not be as excited as Shin to cause others pain but he was still looking forward to Yang being in pain "Pain is a part of life...embrace it...count the dead as lucky, their pain is over while yours is only beginning"

Yakuzo nodded to Shin as he, Alphonse, Abel, Boreales and Bane (tapping into his Dark Bane powers) placed a hand over Yang's chest without touching him or each other, Shin followed by Abel then Alphonse followed by Bane as the Dark Magic users poured magic into Yang, earning him to scream as he was kept in place with one hand from Yakuzo

Yakuzo watched Bane closely as he tries to resist the power...Dark magic is one of the most misunderstood elements as it revolves around knowledge, opposite to Light Magic revolving around power, it can make the weak minded drawn to it as well and only very strong willpower and resolve can prevent someone from being corrupted

Bane sees a vision as he seemed to now be looking down on Garuda being blitzed from every direction by Vlad but holding his own better than Bane expects with how fast he probably wants to kill him and get this over with

"Oh my God..." Bane says as Garuda's head suddenly jerked in his direction as Bane put his hands over his mouth, Garuda seems to have heard him but not see him yet, Vlad could see and hear him too though as they weren't able to interact with him, seeing as he wasn't anywhere near there physically

As sudden as it happened, Bane was jerked back to his body by Yakuzo who tells him "Don't get yourself too drawn in or you'll regret it...you can sit this out if it's too much" Bane wasn't planning to do so however as he was face to face with Shin "No...I'm fine, I saw Garuda and Vlad though...and I think they saw me too"

"Calm your mind, boy...you can't be drawn in if you have no strong emotions, you're weak if you do...and you'll lose him" Shin gets straight to the point "Are you a weakling, Bane?"

"That's a bit too blunt, ain't it?" Dartz asks as Shin says "Shut up, Dartz-san...I don't care what he thinks or how he feels about it, I won't sugar coat it or treat him like a child either...he wouldn't still even be in this city if he was just some cowardly brat and he wanted to help, he wasn't forced into anything" he glares at Dartz "He has almost more magic in that frail body of his than most adult Ghouls, almost half of yours or mine though his control of that power is not very good"

Yang finally returns to normal as Yakuzo's iron clad grip frees him, Rei appears at this time as Yang squirmed over to his feet in fright as Rei looks down at him then to the others "What did I miss here, mates?"

"What the hell happened to me?" Yang says before becoming enraged and hissing through his teeth "Garuda..."

Rei grabs him by his hair and drags him to his feet "Get ahold of yaself, Hiachi..." He tries to free him but couldn't as he sees Boreales "Ye entertainin' this garbage in yer yard now, Taeger? Free him...now" he ordered

Boreales swings his sword, tearing the bindings apart like paper as Shin says, sensing his curses "You and your curses are next, swordsman..."

"What? You're joking, right?" Boreales asks as he backs away from Yakuzo who smiles "No...serious as a heart attack...the same process can free you from your curses as well"

Yakuzo throws him against a tree as he quickly gets behind the tree and grabs his torso around the trunk, lifting him off the ground easily and almost uprooting the tree as Shin begins the same thing he did with Yang...Boreales tenses and raises his sword to cut the Wardin down but he catches the blade with two fingers "Big baby..." He grinned evilly

Ryuken and Yamamoto quickly grabs both his arms as Shin sticks his sword in the ground near him, as they did something similar as he screamed as well but felt the seals fade from his body, which made him way happier than usual

Boreales refused to drop to one knee "I've been through worse..." He grabbed his sword as everyone was ready "Find Vlad and Garuda...tear them and any Path a new asshole!"

Everyone went in seperate directions from there...Alphonse, Abel and Scar going to hunt down the paths and make them pay as Yakuzo, Shin, Bane, Boreales and an exceptionally angry Yang goes to find Garuda, Yang wanting to make them suffer

Tsume, Raimundo, and Yukio as well as a few of Scar's Hunters went to find Titus, given he's not dead yet

"Do we really have to go find Garuda's long lost psycho?" Rai gripes as Tsume looked at him sternly "Yes...I still owe him for saving me"

"Heh...yeah, after he tried to slice us open with that meat cleaver he calls an axe" Raimundo says as Yukio said "then helped us ward off Garuda...not that I trust him any less than you do...he was raised by Garuda, after all to be a killer...people like him don't change overnight, even though he's no longer needed or wanted by the man he supposedly calls a father"

"Wow...even crazy people hell bent on ruling the world and killing anyone and EVERYONE who stands in their way must be really shitty parents" Raimundo says "this guy is ruining my sense of humor"

"What sense of humor?" Yukio says as Tsume stops him from punching Rai in the mouth "Garuda threaten any person or clan that threaten his rule...that includes the Kurosaki Clan and mine...maybe even the Sabaku Clan you hail from if you watch good enough"

"Oh, he has no chance of threatening the Sabaku Clan...THAT, I'm well aware of" Raimundo said jokingly, but the two could sense that this was no laughing matter to him "No one knows what specifically happened but we, my twin brother Tsujin and I, were brought here and Kami allowed us to stay...I've only met Garuda himself a handful of times but he treats us like living trophies and won't kill us or try to control us, but is vicious to ANYONE who tries to do so...he treats us as living trophies, as we're supposedly the last of a Clan that was twice the size of the Kurosaki Clan or bigger and went down to two literally overnight...our parents included who Garuda knew since childhood, way long than Kami did" Raimundo explains "We're special too...as our Clan knows Wind Magic like it was second nature and Earth Magic...though Tsujin and I both don't know any Wind Magic, which is pathetic...I know...and Tsujin can manipulate sand which earned him a really bad nickname as a kid that lives on to this day and I can manipulate metals...I guess that's not as awesome as manipulating sand though since the desert was once our home"

"There's not much metal where we're going, Raimundo-san" Yukio warns as Raimundo smiles "Oh, that's not a problem...there's bound to be Earth, unless we're going to another planet or something, I can make my own metal...don't underestimate me"

"No one is underestimating anyone, Tsujin-san...you worry about that too much" Yukio says "I would love to see this power in action though"

Elsewhere, Titus could have seen better days after Garuda's attack on him as he was unconscious for several hours...

That was no mere punch Garuda hit him with...was Titus' first thought as he was conscious but not enough that he was aware that he was even still alive or that someone had found him and had the nerve to be dragging his body off somewhere

Garuda has actually hit him before, but to have betrayed him to his face when he had Bane right in his clutches may have struck the wrong nerve a little too hard, he wanted to take his head off with that punch, that's just how pissed Garuda was

Surely...Titus was well aware of what he could and couldn't survive...and very few could survive a very infuriated Garuda when he decides to lash out and anyone dumb enough to be close to him, enemy or ally would end up in the crossfire

Titus saw that this person was dragging his Death Axe by a thick rope '... Kore wa shigo no sekai... Koreha... Dō yatte shinu no?' (Is...this the afterlife...is this...how I die?)

The man seemed well aware about him, that no one was to touch his Death Axe...Titus began tearing up as the figure turned his head slowly to look at him...he was barely audible but clearly heard as these red eyes held no compassion whatsoever

'Mā, sore wa anata ga sore o dō miru ka ni yotte kotonarimasu yo ne? Kudaranai shigo no sekai, anata ga watashi ni tazunetara' (Well, that depends on how you look at it, doesn't it? One shitty afterlife, if you ask me) the man says as his face was half hidden by a dark purple mask and he wore a hood over his daytime clothes, black with purple trim "Don't worry...you're not dead just yet, but you're lucky to have survived in the first place...looks more like someone has tamed the mighty Animal of Garuda"

Titus looked like he'd seen a Ghost, his mind was reeling as surely everyone knew this man, if not by name then by his somewhat nasty reputation...he was someone Titus secretly idolized as well and wished to become even though he wasn't very interested in being a Bounty Hunter

The enigmatic, greedy Bounty Hunter...Kakuzu

"Ka-ku..." Titus could barely say his name in his condition, this man demanded respect and was pretty much self made as he had the entire city's respect as a Binge Eater, having started the building blocks for his own Bounty Hunter's Guild from the age of six...rising to greatness when older Guildmasters with more experience than him were doing bad, he earned whatever respect he got because there were very few jobs he or the members of his Guild, Akatsuki, would take and even got the respect of Ghoul Lords, who would also hire him from time to time as his jobs may not come cheap but they were always completed partially due to those in Kakuzu's guild being terrified of failing him or worse, lose out on something that could make them money, earning his nickname of the Sin of Greed, due his greedy nature and his eye for making money over anything else

Kakuzu was planning to take him to the Crypt, but as he got near the prison, he could sense that no one was inside and waiting for him was Lord Kurosaki...the Ghoul Lord liked giving Kakuzu something that kept him on his toes and he wasn't bothered by it, what did bother him even though it was none of his business were rumors that Kami and another Ghoul Lord had began taking over parts of the city that by right weren't theirs and has been labeled traitors who were merciless to any who stood in their way, Kurosaki has also been hiding a lot recently

"Lord Kurosaki...to what do I owe the pleasure?" Kakuzu spoke calmly, he was in no way intimidated by Kami as he looked up to the taller man from a distance as Kami said "Kakuzu...hand that man over to me, now"

Kakuzu's mind seemed to be doing a double-take at that, he took orders from no one and Kami even sent his parents away from him for their own safety, as he replied in a little Italian 'Scusami?' (Excuse me?)

"I said, hand that thug over to me...I don't like repeating my-" Kami was about to finish when Kakuzu said "No...unless you have a goddamn good ass reason why I should do that, then go to hell...nothing personal"

Kami scowled a bit, he hasn't been seen since Rei and his sons found Tsume in the forest where Garuda left them, when J'onn appeared...he doesn't know what he was doing there but he will kill him the next time they meet

Kami has been busy however, he needed to steal something from the old Codexes of the Kurosaki Clan to find one of the Clan's most sacred swords that was only permitted for use by the main family, the Izanagi, a blade said to be forged from the same metal as the Kusanagi Clan's famed Kusanagi blade

"I won't ask again..." Kami says as Kakuzu lays Titus down and faces the Ghoul Lord "...and I won't answer again...NO still means NO, your legendary Izanagi doesn't scare the likes of me"

"You seem displeased with me, Akatsuki Guildmaster..." Kami says sarcastically as Kakuzu pulled out a simple pocket knife and pointed it at Kami "Why would you think that...you don't think I'm stupid enough to get myself involved in an argument between you and Lord Garuda? You know political affairs aren't my forté, find someone else to use to spite him"

Kami walked towards Kakuzu, his eyes as glowing blue orbs in the darkness of his black hair as he didn't move in any way besides to raise the knife defensively "Defiant little...I said hand him over, don't make a mockery of this legendary blade by defending yourself with a mere pocket knife"

Kami came down with a downward slash, but Kakuzu's knife stopped the sword whereas the blade should've been in pieces "Nonsense...if anyone's makin' mockery of anything here, it's you insulting one of your clan's sacred treasures, I thought you had an abhorrence to swords anyway and would've come at me with a dagger, which best suits your fighting style so much better than mine...it'll be madness to think I can break that sword which is pretty much priceless compared to my 50 buck pocket knife but that wasn't my intention when I can easily break the body holding it...that is expendable"

Kakuzu disappeared as Kami reached for Titus, he quickly jabs the sword over his shoulder, impailing Kakuzu without harming his hearts while narrowly dodging a stab to his neck however...Kakuzu may not have been too pleased about this, but showed no emotion

"You're good, Ghoul Lord..." Kakuzu commended his eyes widening then narrowing ever so slightly "but you technically missed, as you didn't hit my 10 hearts or any other organ, for that matter"

"Looks like Kakuzu The Avaricious is growing a real flesh and blood heart...caring for someone other than himself who he can't gain anything from" Kami mocked as Kakuzu raised his head and smacked it hard against Kami's skull, drawing blood as he let him go and he tossed the sword to his feet after removing it

"Avaricious? Me?" Kakuzu asks "Coming from the Sin of Lust himself, I think I'm flattered...it's a bad idea to target a fellow Sin for elimination, y'know...especially Greed for something he already deems his"

"Lust...why not Wrath?" Kami asks as the two clash at speeds faster that most Ghouls can see as Kakuzu was becoming rather vexxed by the look on his face 'Anata wa chōrō no ichiin, Asakura, uzu shi o, sabaku no ichizoku nado no Kurosaki ichizoku no menbādesu... Anata wa tokubetsuna hitode wa arimasenga, anata wa watashi ni sore o iu hitsuyō wa arimasen, anata wa?' (You're a member of one of the Elder Clans, the Kurosaki Clan among the likes of the Asakura, Uzushio and Sabaku Clans and many others...you're not THAT special, but you don't need me to tell you that, do you?)

Kakuzu was smaller than Kami but he was also faster that he was...even if Kami defended himself with Amaterasu as all he wanted now was Kami to leave him alone as he goes all out for only a short time, getting past Kami's flames as soon as they are sent his way

"Eight Gates - Shatter Palm" Kakuzu snarls as Kami only notices the attack until the palm was inches from his face, sparking with silver bolts of Lightning Magic...having a heart from a user of each element - Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light/Lighning and Darkness - made Kakuzu an unpredictable opponent no matter what element he may face off against as the explosion of the attack can be felt and seen by the dust in the air from the whole area they were in, this attack also brings out the strongest attack of any element of his choice, except the heart controlling that element stops for a while...leaving him unable to use that element until the heart starts beating again, weakening but not killing him or stopping his assault as Kami is knocked through the forest

Kakuzu caught up to him but Kami open his eyes "Time to sharpen my fangs..." He says sadistically as he creates and explosion between the two of them, blowing off the right side of Kakuzu's mask and burning Kami's hands and right leg...nothing either of them can't recover from, Kakuzu uses the explosion as a distraction to get away though

The left half of Kami's face is hidden by smoke, his eye only shown as a blue orb "You can run, but you can't hide...let's see who gets blown apart first, my favorite game" he fades like the smoke as well

Elsewhere, Garland had left the city and had made it miles from the city by now...alone

Garland made it to the Coast of Japan very quickly, suddenly his expression changed from the usual blank expression anyone under Garuda's conrrol had to a more firm one, the fire in his eyes ignited like his anger

He looked around the open, empty ocean as if looking for something but he grinned...not because there was nothing here but because there was nothing here yet

Garland's last remaining son, Voorhees had been named Orc Chief the very second Garland was no longer among the living...he was a little more than 800 years old...once Garuda revived him to become his path and that was almost the same amount of years ago

Garland turned to leave the coast, but from in his first step...he felt an indescribable set of emotions...pure rage that he let himself die in the first place, solitude that he may end up on the end of that stick again, pride that he may die by the hand of the last surviving son, Voorhees as well as gratitude that once he does die, he'll be free to go back to the afterlife from Garuda

The strongest emotion however...was his bloodlust, he was exhilarated and could feel bits of Voorhees' bloodlust before he even reached here, despite him being in the middle of the ocean, nowhere near here yet...he plans to drown every sinle Orc on those ships...especially Voorhees, for the sheer thrill of it and not for Garuda

He wanted to lose though, so they could remove everything Garuda put inside him...despite him being easily the hardest to kill compared to Garuda's other denizens and didn't need to be pumped full of metal with his naturally hard to pierce skin and speed that made him even harder to touch even if you could penetrate his skin

Garland turned back to the sea as he made a Glyph under where he stood and prepared himself as it charged before he shot off, flying across the ocean for what seemed like hours before he lands on the main ship among thousands

Before Garland were other astonished and mostly very scared Orcs...he wasn't kind to any of his kin, as he was very easily bored and turned the Horned variety of Orcs against the Bald, hornless variety at one point, almost causing a huge war but it never happened since the two side were already breeding together

Before him was the new Chief...his son...Voorhees, who say in the back of the ship watching him, expecting him

"Son..." Garland couldn't help but grin uncontrollably

"Father..." Voorhees replied "Something's funny...care to share the joke?"

"The joke is what I'm looking at...are you going to Japan to get me?" Garland asks but only laughs when Voorhees retorts "Wasn't that obvious?"

"I'll take care of these walking corpses for you...but you're coming with me, preferably alive...untainted" Garland says as Voorhees says "No...I think you misunderstand...I'm going to Japan to invade it...not for an ideal vacation spot"

Garland appears to be shocked but this wasn't something he didn't already know "With this tiny army? Oh, you'll need at least three times the ships you have here, all filled to capacity with your...walking corpses...to stand anychance against Garuda"

"I will let no one stop me...not even you, Garland" Voorhees rose to his feet "Surrender isn't an option for me or you"

"Agreed...I'll be damned if I don't put up a fight this time before you kill me again" Garland said drawing his sword with a sadistic grin "Time to get the dried blood off this thing...I'll give it to you, should you - any of you - slay me, how 'bout that?"

Voorhees stood and drew his own dual swords as Garland's eyes widen at the swords as he said their name "Hyorin...Seissho, legendary Orcish Weapons like mine, are you trying...to scare me, Voorhees?"

Garland was impressed that the ever so impotent, but smart and powerful in his eyes Voorhees found these swords but having them in his possession wasn't scaring Garland in the slightest...it did the opposite actually, he was even more excited in fact

"MwaHA HA HA!" Garland suddenly cackled maniacally, scaring every Orc here shitless but his son "What're ya waiting for, come and die...feed my hungry blade with freshly spilt blood!" He was still giddy that he was far out of Garuda's reach here in the middle of the ocean "Anyone who thinks they'll jump ship to avoid me...be warned, the danger you'll face won't be a shark...it'll be me!"

Now Voorhees came with 100+ ships in what he considers a 'little' invasion force, each boarded by thousands of Orcs, most of which were nothing comared to The Orc Chiefs as silence fell over the waves, everyone gauging the other as Voorhees has proven he was more than able to kill Garland, as he was the one to kill him in the first place before he was dug up by Garuda who watched him die

A/N - With Garland (in control of his mind and body fully) stumbling upon his son, of all people, with a huge army going to kill Garuda and just about everyone else, how will it end? Meanwhile, Bane and the others attempt to track down Garuda himself and Vlad before they kill each other, with Yang somewhat free from Garuda's control now and how long can Kakuzu avoid Kami getting his hands on a gravely weakened Titus before he gets killed? (Kakuzu is too smart to get killed very easily by Kami anyway)