Fuzen had no more hope, but to run away. The problem was, the only way to escape was to run past a bloodthirsty creature of myth. That, and Fuzen wasn't exactly the most healthy person alive, and he didn't know how fast a Kappa could run. Nonetheless, standing there stupidly wouldn't do him any good. Fuzen took a deep breath, hardened his heart and made a break for it. Running at the edge of the alleyway and hoping he could slip past the Kappa was the best plan he had with adrenaline coursing through his body and his mind stifled by fear.
Fuzen tried not to look at the beast. At out of sight, out of mind. When he got back home, he would take a swig of Sake and pretend none of this ever happened. Alas, it was not meant to be. A huge clawed palm slammed into his chest knocking him three feet back. He landed harshly on his back. Fuzen's body was shaking from the in-pact, but he wobbled back to his feet. The Kappa just stood there, looking at Fuzen as if he had found a fun toy.
"Damn thing," Fuzen cursed, "Just let me through." The kappa didn't take his words to heart and just slowly walked towards Fuzen like crawling death. Fuzen stood up and ran right towards the creature. Right before he reached the creature, he dove straight between its legs. Since its gait was wider due to the extra mass of its shell, Fuzen decided if we couldn't go around, he would go through. The Kappa, noticing this, kicked forward with his foot. A sharpened toenail caught Fuzen in the abdomen and the force flung him through the air causing him to roll across the ground and slam into a wall.
Bleeding, Fuzen looked up at this scaly menace and made a decision. He pulled out a fruit drink bottle and began to indulge himself. He laid bonelessly against this wall waiting for his fate. The Kappa looked at Fuzen in derision. It approached him and raised its claw to give the final blow, however, just before he could, Fuzen spit Sake in its face. Its eyes were stinging, and it began to sweep its claws around randomly. Fuzen dodged to the said and began to run around the creature covering it from head to toe with Sake while avoiding its claws that would certainly spell certain death.
When the creature was fully coated, Fuzen took apart his E-cigarette and smash it against a wall. He pushed the exposed coils into the Kappa a lit it. Whoosh, The damnable beast turned into an inferno Its bestial howls almost deafened Fuzen. He escaped to a corner and held his. The creature continued to screech hysterically as its flesh melded to its bone and tuned black. Ten minutes later, and the smell of burnt turtle flesh pervaded through the now quiet alleyway. Fuzen held the wound on his stomach. It had bled for so long, that he was starting to feel lightheaded. Just as he started to push himself up off the wall, he heard soft footsteps and a quiet clapping from up ahead where the Kappas had come from.
Fuzen's vision was blurry, but he could still make out the figure of a middle-aged man in a black trench coat approaching him. Half the man's face was frowning, while the other side was smirking. His face was clean-shaven and his hair was cut short. Fuzen could see a suit and a tie, from underneath the trench coat as it swayed with the man's steps. When the man spoke, it was hard to tell his emotions, not because there weren't any, but rather there were too many. They weren't mixed either, they were all conflicted with one another, each fighting the others for the privilege of being on his face. Sometimes happy would win, sometimes sad, or angry. Regardless, none of them lasted long before they were replaced by another.
Fuzen couldn't really tell. The man spoke as he took a wisp of some strange energy out of his pocket. It was white like smoke, amorphous and fluid, moved around wildly as if it were alive, However, even though it just lay in the man's palm it didn't leave or couldn't
The man held the wisp up next to his nose and sniffed. It instantly stopped moving as if frozen in fear. He smiled broadly at Fuzen, all other emotions swept away like they had never been there, he began to speak. His voice was cold, but soft,
"Just a shard of soul, isn't it cute?" Fuzen could just vacantly nod, the man looked at him, his eyes seemed venomous. As if looked into them for too long would poison your soul. The man laughed, he looked at Fuzen and said,
"I've seen many break the bounds of the material and glance into the spiritual, but they are usually old mystics or from ancient bloodlines, to think you would make the leap at such an unfortunate time, not by being spiritually aware, but by being materially deficient. What I don't get is if you are not attached to life, why do you fear losing it so?" He looked towards Fuzen with curiosity and threw the wisp at him. Fuzen caught it by reflex. The man smiled, and said,
"To the victor go the spoils,” he pointed at the dead Kappa that lay by the door, and continued, "That's what they were fighting over." He cast his glance over at the burnt Kappa and sighed, "Their king really needs to teach these little things a lesson. He couldn't keep a good thing and had to just taunt the first little saint he saw." He looked back towards Fuzen and his smile became more cunning,
"If you haven't noticed," His smile crept up further on his face, almost splitting his jaw, "You're dying." Those words shook Fuzen from his revelry. He didn't know what was happening, all he had done was go out for a smoke, and he was attacked by a monster now this crazy bastard was talking nonsense. He didn't want to have anything to do with him, but he needed help, eventually forced out the words,
"Can," He began coughing violently shaking body and causing it to ache, "Can you take me to the hospital." The man's eyes danced as if he had just heard a good joke,
"That won't help," the man shook his head and put his hands in the air as if there was nothing to be done. "You're more ghost than man right now, if you could get someone to see you, I would even be willing to recruit you." The man laughed. Fuzen stubbornly got up and started walking down the alleyway. If this dude didn't want to help him, then so be it! He would make it back to the hospital just so he can gloat to this psycho's face! He couldn't go straight back to the hospital as the door was blocked by the Kappa still. The man in the trench coat followed him as he made his way to the main road. When he saw the people walking to and frow his heartfelt light. He didn't know what exactly was going on, but if he could get to the hospital he might make it out of this situation yet. He yelled for help, he opened his shirt and showed his wound. However, no one helped, no one looked it him. It was as if he was not even there, hope turned to despair and the man in the trench coat whispered into his ear with no lack of pride,
"See, I told you they couldn't see you. Ah, to die so young, how unfortunate." He grabbed Fuzen's shoulder and spoke softly,
"Do you want to live, I can make you live, it just comes at a small price."
