Dororo and Koyuki Present: The Human Mind, The Ultimate Battlefield! (De arimasu!)
Chapter 5
by TheAngryTaco

A/N: Behold, the triumphant return.

Sorry I haven't touched this story in a while; I kind of ran into a wall with it. But that wall has been demolished, so it should be smooth sailing ahead from here on out.

Here we go.

Mandatory notes: I still don't own this franchise. Text formats remain the same.

Sadly, no one is hiring a narrator this days. Well, I have to pay the bills, I suppose.

...

All right. We're rejoining Dororo and Zeroyasha as they explore the palace. I wonder what kind of memories this girl has, though I suppose with it being Koyuki's mind, they're all happy and fun.

Let's see, shall we?

Dororo followed Zeroyasha through passage after passage. It truly seemed like the palace was endless, though he supposed it had to end somewhere. He tried several doors as they passed by, but all of them were locked tight. "Are these supposed to be inaccessible?" he asked the dog after the ninth try.

Zeroyasha barked several times in response. "I guess that makes sense," Dororo said slowly. "But what if she's behind one of those doors?"

The dog cocked his head, giving the frog a quizzical look. The ninja returned the look. "It's possible," he pointed out.

A soft bark indicated that his companion disagreed with him. Then Zeroyasha gave him a gentle nudge with his nose, pushing him onward. "All right, all right!" Dororo said. "I can keep going on my own."

The dog swatted him with his tail, then retook his lead position. Dororo just shook his head. He then noticed Zeroyasha's ears start to swivel as he walked. "What is it?" he asked. "Do you hear something?"

He didn't answer, choosing to continue walking. Odd, Dororo thought. Is there something he doesn't want me to find?

That's when he heard the screaming.

His head snapped around as he tried to zero in on the source, his hand tightly gripping the broom handle. His feet appeared to grow wings as he raced down the hall, listening through each door that he passed. It grew louder as he rounded a corner. His eyes found another door, then locked on as he realized that it was emanating a pulsing, dark aura. Another piercing cry came from behind it, and he raced for the handle.

A powerful force knocked him over before he could reach it. He rolled several times before he could get back on his feet. When he looked up, Zeroyasha was standing in front of the door, growling at him.

Well, this is unexpected.

Dororo stared at his friend in shock. "Why did you do that, Zeroyasha?" he asked. "Someone's in trouble!"

The canine refused to move, growling loudly at the blue frog. Dororo gripped the broom handle tightly. "Please don't make me fight you, Zeroyasha," he pleaded. "I'm here to help; I have no quarrel with you. But if that's Koyuki, then I must get past!"

Zeroyasha lunged at Dororo, his jaws narrowly missing the Keronian. Praying that he would be forgiven, Dororo swung the wooden pole at the dog. The canine moved quickly to the side before going in for another attack. The frog swung it again, managing to strike Zeroyasha on the nose. The dog ignored the attack completely, grabbing the handle in his teeth as Dororo pulled it back. They both tugged hard on the pole, trying to wrench it out of the other's grasp. Zeroyasha met Dororo's gaze, and the frog could see the firey determination in there. The dog was not going to back down.

Quick as a flash, Dororo dropped the handle and leapt over his former friend. Before the canine could respond, the Keronian had opened the door and vanished inside.

As the door slammed behind him, Dororo could see nothing. He could hear someone crying, but it faded before he could pinpoint it. For a moment, all was silent and still. Then, all around him, the darkness began to fade. Trees began to sprout. The Sun appeared in a beautiful azure sky, warming the summer day below. Buildings built up to the sky. Grass sprang up beneath him. The sounds of laughter, car motors, and bird songs filled the air. Within seconds, a small town had fully appeared.

Dororo looked around carefully, trying to determine where he was. He was standing in the front yard of a small house. Toys were scattered around the yard, including a doll that had somehow landed in a tree. It didn't look like anyplace around Tokyo, and he didn't recall Koyuki describing a place like this before. Deciding he needed a better look around, he leapt into a nearby tree.

Soft footsteps came from nearby. Dororo looked down to see a young woman looking up at the branches. He immediately retreated into the shadows as the woman reached up towards the stranded doll. She tried several times to grab it, even trying once to knock it down with a stick, but with no success. She sighed. "I can't get it. I'm sorry."

A protest came from below. The woman knelt down, and Dororo saw for the first time that there was a child with her. She was a toddler still, with dark hair tied with a large, pink ribbon. Dororo's eyes grew wide. Koyuki? Is that you?

The child's teal eyes looked up at the doll. "Why, Mommy?" she asked.

"It's too far for me to reach, and the ladder's still being repaired," the woman explained. "Maybe this will teach you to treat your things better."

The girl looked indignant at the comment. "She wanted to fly!" she protested. "I had to help!"

The woman shrugged. "Some things aren't meant to fly, Kiyoko," she replied.

Kiyoko? Was that her name before she lived in the ninja village?

A man stuck his head outside. "Better hurry up!" he called. "Lunch is almost ready!"

The woman nodded in reply, then glanced back at her daughter. "Now, pick up the rest of your toys and come inside," she ordered. "And quickly."

She walked away, leaving Koyuki alone. Dororo felt a pang of sympathy as he watched her sigh unhappily, then obediently start picking up her things. He silently leapt down through the tree until he reached her doll. Gently, he picked it up, then jumped down to the grass. He placed the doll down where she could find it before preparing to jump back up. Then he heard a small gasp. Turning back around, he saw the little girl's wide eyes fixed on him. He froze, unsure what to say or do. She looked from him, down to the doll, then back up at him. "You got her down?" she asked.

Dororo nodded. Koyuki slowly walked over, her expression unsure. He picked the doll back up and held it out. She gingerly took it from him and carefully examined the doll. Then she smiled. "Thank you, sir!" she cried, launching herself at him.

Before he could react, the girl wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him as hard as she could. "You saved her!" she gushed. "You're nice! I like you!"

He stiffened for a moment, taken off guard by her reaction. Then he relaxed and returned the hug. "You're welcome, little one," he said kindly. "I'm glad she's safe again."

She giggled merrily. "What's your name, mister?" she asked. "Mine's Kiyoko!"

"I'm Dororo," he replied, smiling.

She tilted her head and blinked. "That's not a real name," she said.

He playfully returned her expression. "It is too," he replied. "It's my name."

"You're weird," Koyuki replied bluntly. "You want food? We're gonna have lunch, and my little sister's asleep, so she won't make lots of noise!"

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea," Dororo replied. Then he paused. "You have a sister?"

Koyuki nodded. "Her name's Hotaru," she explained, looking excited. "She was born a little while ago. She's cute, but she cries a lot."

Odd...Koyuki's never mentioned a sister before...

I hope this isn't foreshadowing or anything.

He thought it over a moment, then shook his head. "I still don't think it's a good idea," he decided. "Thank you for the invitation though."

She looked disappointed. "Ok," she said. "Thanks again, mister!"

"You're welcome."

Dororo made sure she was safely inside the house, then turned and began to walk down the street, looking for a way back to the palace. "There has to be a way out around here somewhere," he muttered. He wandered down the sidewalk for a bit, looking for anything that could be an exit, but a loop around the entire block proved fruitless. He sighed as he returned to Koyuki's house, wondering what he was missing.

Then he paused, sniffing. Smoke? Why is there...

A cold sense of dread shot through him. Snapping his head around, he spotted the clouds of smoke leaking out from the basement of Koyuki's house. Without hesitation, he zipped across the lawn toward the house. Before he could get there, Koyuki's mother burst outside, clutching the girl in her arms. Dororo hastily hid in a bush as the woman ran across the street and put her daughter down on the sidewalk. "Now, Kiyoko," she said hurriedly. "You need to stay outside, ok? No matter what, don't go back inside!"

"Ok, Mommy," the girl said, coughing loudly.

The woman nodded and raced back to the house. Koyuki sat down on the sidewalk, a scared expression on the child's face. She glanced to the side as Dororo slipped over to her. "Dororo?" she asked. "Why are you back?"

He stayed silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain himself. "I knew something was happening," he said finally.

The girl coughed again. "There was so much smoke," she said tearfully. "Why did she go back in?"

Dororo took her hand gently, guessing the answer but not wanting to distress the child further. They waited together in agonized silence, Koyuki growing more and more distressed as the fire became bigger and bigger. "They're not coming out," she whimpered. "They have to come out!"

His heart sank as she burst into tears again. "I'm sorry, Koyuki," he quietly. "I'm so sorry."

She looked up at him, bewildered. "Who?" she asked.

He silently cursed himself. "Nothing, I'm sorry," he said.

Her eyes became hard as she stared at him. "Do something!" she snapped, the tears falling without restraint.

"What?"

"You saved my doll!" she cried. "Save them! You have to!"

Dororo knew he couldn't say no to her. "I'll try," he promised.

The girl's expression became hopeful. Dororo groaned inwardly, then zipped across the street and into a tree near her house. He studied the burning building quickly, trying to determine if he could land safely. He spotted a place that looked relatively safe, and made the leap across. As soon as he touched the roof, he knew it had been a mistake. The heat radiating from the building was unbearable. He gritted his teeth, knowing it was nothing compared to what his friend was feeling, and made himself keep going, searching for an open window or vent.

He finally found one around back. Black smoke was billowing out, but he couldn't detect any flames in the immediate area. He slipped inside and got down at once, crawling toward the door. Once out in the hall, he could easily hear the loud crackling. He coughed hard as he moved forward, searching for Koyuki's family. Finally, towards the end of the hall, he found an open door. Bracing himself, he went inside.

Oh...no...NO.

He stood there for a moment, his heart heavy as he took in the scene. His eyes closed before he offered the three a silent salute, knowing that no words were needed. Then he raced back down the hall and out the window, smoke stinging his eyes and filling his throat.

When he returned to Koyuki, he could hear sirens rapidly approaching. He managed to hide in a bush near her as they rounded the corner. The little girl saw where he went and followed him, no longer looking hopeful. "They aren't with you," she stated.

"No, they aren't," Dororo replied softly.

"You didn't save them."

"No, I didn't."

She stood there in silence for a moment, just staring at him. Then she collapsed onto the sidewalk and started screaming as tears streamed down her face. Dororo recognized it as the horrific scream he had heard back in the hallway. He ran over to the grieving child and wrapped his arms around her. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest. "No! It's not fair!" she wailed. "Why?! Why?!"

"I don't know," he whispered, tears spilling from his own eyes. "I'm so sorry..."

He held the girl close as she cried louder, knowing there was nothing else he could say to her. His hand gently stroked her back as he struggled to keep his emotions under control, knowing if he lost his cool, it would cause her even more pain. He continued to wait with her as the firefighters finally arrived and began to extinguish the blaze, then as one man came over to talk to Koyuki, and finally as the little girl was officially declared to be an orphan. Then all around him, the world began to fade away. One by one, the buildings and plant life and people all began to vanish into darkness. His eyes widened. "What?" he yelled. "Now?!"

His arms closed completely, and he realized that little Koyuki was gone as well. Everything around him darkened until he was back in the dark room, the door just to his left. He went through, finding Zeroyasha sitting patiently in the hallway. The dog looked at him with disgust, then walked away. Dororo just stood there for a moment, then slid down against the door, tears spilling from his eyes once more.

...I seem to have quite a bit of sand in my eyes. Please, excuse me.

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