Chapter 5: Twin Bonds
I
They made their way outside of the jungle without incident. Though what disturbed them was how quiet everything seemed. No bird song, no squirrels, no snakes writhing underfoot or in the vines and no predatory cats like jaguars or cheetahs within. If something as fearsome as those animals weren’t around, they must’ve fled to somewhere else if there was no incident in the jungle. Keisuke needed rest however Natsumi and Toshirou did as well, as they stopped to pause to make a small campfire, though there was a chill wind that soaked them down to the very marrow of their bones.

“So tell me about yourselves,” Keisuke said while they stopped for camp at the night.

“We’re a brother/sister team that has been fighting demon hordes since we were young,” Natsumi said, and Keisuke cocked his head to the side.

“How old are you?” Keisuke said, before Natsumi nodded. Natsumii

“Our original bodies died when we were seven, but really, a Shinigami can project any image that they want,” Natsumi said. “Some of us can make ourselves look more idealized than our original earth selves, you know. But if you must know, we were reborn again in new bodies, and we’re currently fourteen.”

“Of course, my sister and I were natural beauties,” Toshirou said with a grin. “There wasn’t much to change.”

“My my, Toshirou,” Natsumi said with a giggle, and Keisuke cracked a smile too, because that’s the first time that he’d seen Natsumi smile ever since that incident with the Oracle. He wondered how Natsumi felt towards him, especially since she seemed so devoted to the Oracle and now would serve a new Master instead, which is Keisuke. She seemed lost without the Oracle, though she handled it with admirable stoicism that was expected of a Shinigami, he supposed.

“So I can imagine myself anything I want to be, huh,” Keisuke said, though he couldn’t imagine himself as anything else except what he looked like before. He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he had a certain aesthetic appeal that people liked in a neat groomed look of a boy who kept a meticulous appearance. His sandy brown hair became dewed with water droplets from the rushing river and mist that surrounded the jungle.

“Keisuke-kun,” Toshirou said, showing a grin despite the hard times that befell upon them. “We’ll find a way to reincarnate your soul into the next life while keeping your safe. We promise.”

“How are Shinigami made, by the way?” Keisuke asked, while Toshirou and Natsumi pondered in thought.

“Well, you know, about that, Toshirou said while adjusting his glasses.”Souls have the ability to nurture the magic from their environment. Even you, Keisuke, can use magic if you so wished, as long as you concentrated and focused on an emotion as your focus. But anyway, souls are made into Shinigami or death gods when they are given valor for noble deeds that are aligned with God’s blessings. The Oracles are conduits of God, basically.”

“So what are Witches and Witch Cultists, then?” Keisuke said. “Are they liked aligned with demons or something like that.”

“That’s pretty sharp thinking, Keisuke-kun,” Toshirou said with a grin. “Witches are conduits for enemy of humanity, which is known as the Overlord. He reigns supreme over demons and whatnot, and the Witches.”

Keisuke nodded. It made sense.

“You’ll need to teach me about using magic,” Keisuke said, before he went to the campfire and warmed his hands. “You’ll also need to teach me how to use the magic that you use.”

“The basics are usually visualizing something that you see in your mind and then projecting it forth into reality,” Natsumi said. “Usually with an emotion. It doesn’t matter what emotion it is, but you need to have feeling in it. There is no apathy in using magic.”

Keisuke tried to wonder what he felt. Was that why he couldn’t use any magic? Because he couldn’t feel anything properly at all? What kind of emotion was he feeling right now? Sorrow? Anger? Guilt?

“I don’t like these feeling inside me,” Keisuke noted, before Natsumi put a hand on his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t shy away from your emotions,” Natsumi said in a soft tone, before Toshirou pointed a finger somewhere in the jungle. “I see lights! I think someone is heading towards us.”

They stood at the ready, guarded, wondering if it were friend or foe that were approaching. However, when the person made their way towards the campfire, they saw uniformed Shinigami approach.

Toshirou and Natsumi appeared relieved at first, but that quickly disappeared when the Shinigami that approached saw Keisuke.

“What are we to do with you,” one of the muttered, a black haired Shinigami with crimson eyes. “It seems that you broke one of the regulations, Toshirou Miyazawa. And Natsumi Miyazawa, I only assume that you’re an accomplice to your brother’s shenanigans and responsible for the demon rampage.”

“It was a desperate situation, Sir,” Toshirou said. “I felt that it was within my judgment to preserve all the lives we can after the demon took the Oracle’s soul. We couldn’t save the Oracle, but we at least kept Keisuke alive, and that was our mission.”

“So you currently serve under no Oracle now,” the Shinigami said with a shake of his head, looking disappointed.

“We understood what that meant,” Natsumi said in a firm tone as she looked towards the black haired Shinigami in uniform. “If you’re going to banish us from the Capitol of the Shinigami world, we undestand. But we have a greater objective than just following the protocol, and that is the demon that we’ve unwittingly created after trying to save Keisuke from the Lake of Sorrow.”

“You’ll be coming with us, understand,” A blonde haired Shinigami noted, and Toshirou frowned.

“Shouldn’t Keisuke be given instruction on how to train his powers?” Toshirou said, before the black haired Shinigami gave Toshirou a steady look.

“We know that you’ve come from a disastrous situation and you’re obviously distraught, but…we have suspicions that you’re in alliance with the Overlord.”

Toshirou paled.

“What.”

The black haired male continued on. “You summoned the demons to the Lake of Sorrow near the Spawning Pool of Souls, and then you deliberately let the Oracle be devoured by one Demon to become a Demon Champion and create an infestation of the horrid things to eventually rebel and overthrow Shinigami society. That sounds about correct, doesn’t it?”

“We didn’t do anything,” Natsumi said with a flush, her cheeks red with embarrassment and perhaps a tinge of anger. “Do you realize what a serious accusation that you’re making here?”

“It’s unfortunate but that’s what the evidence points too,” the black haired Shinigami said with a greasy smile towards Natsumi. “Of course if you have evidence pointing to the contrary, then perhaps we will drop all charges. You may have some chance of redemption if you find a way to eliminate this beast that you’ve unleashed along with our team of Shinigami, though that doesn’t mean that your charges will be completely dropped. It just means that dear Natsumi and Toshirou won’t be exiled and banned and stripped of their Shinigami privileges and Keisuke-kun, here, I believe, won’t be imprisoned for the rest of his life or possibly destroyed.”

“You’re thinking of destroying Keisuke?” Natsumi said, obviously flustered now. “It’s a sin to destroy a soul that could possibly become part of the Shinigami force against the demons.”

“But the demons were drawn to him,” the black haired Shinigami said with a snap. “Who says that he’s not possibly aligned with them and the demons? Or that he’s the mastermind that is stagnating the death and rebirth of all souls?”

“We’ll cooperate with you,” Natsumi said in a dangerously low voice. “But we won’t be friends.”

“The feeling is mutual, Miss Natsumi,” the black haired Shinigami said, and Toshirou narrowed his eyes towards him.

“Oi,” Toshirou said. “Don’t you think that you should apologize to a pretty lady for being so uncouth?”

“Ah, Toshirou,” the black haired Shinigami said, his smile turned even nastier towards him. “Well, I’ve never liked you personally. Your sister I could’ve, perhaps.”

“Even if she would’ve accepted your wedding proposal, which she didn’t, I still never would’ve approved,” Toshirou said with a frown.

“How unfortunate,” the black haired Shinigami, known as Zen, said. “However, I hold considerable force and sway in the police force of the Shinigami. You should do mind that I could have you all executed for treasonous behavior…hmhm.”

Natsumi clenched her hands into fists, but said nothing. She didn’t like seeing her brother sighted, but she knew that Zen held power over them and they weren’t in a good position to begin with. However, despite the twins’ ties to Zen, Keisuke found that he didn’t quite like Zen either. Something about him seemed lazily arrogant, as though he were superior to everyone around him. The blond haired Shinigami possessed that same superiority, and it was this very Zense of superiority that they held in high regards and probably propelled their magic. Keisuke could Zense their auras and it was a very slimy feeling Zensation that slicked over the body like writhing snakes. Keisuke shivered.

The blond haired Shinigami finaly spoke. “Sir Zen, we’re to escort them back to the Capitol and we’ll provide a ‘fair’ trial. Depending on what they say.”

Keisuke wanted to knock some Zense into them but said nothing. Saying anything here would be dangerous. However, when Zen poised his gaze onto Keisuke, there seemed to be a flash of anger and uncertainty in his eyes. As though he didn’t know what to make of Keisuke. Whether or not Keisuke was someone that he should be spitting upon or possibly deferring to, though his pride probably wouldn’t allow him to do so, most likely.

“Well,” Zen said as he put a hand on Natsumi’s shoulder, patting it absently. “Miss Natsumi, you will do well to follow the rules, hm? I could alleviate your trial, perhaps…if you gave me compensation?”

Natsumi gave a look of disdain.

“You’re terrible.”

Zen laughed. “I know. But we all know how you followed the captain of the Shinigami force like crazy. You wouldn’t stop talking about him…My brother, Shen.”

Natsumi said nothing, though a flush came to her cheeks at the mention of Shen.

“Stop it,” Toshirou said in a low, dangerous voice.

Zen looked towards Toshirou with disdain. “You’re acting as though I did something unsavory to her, Toshirou, or spat upon your mother’s grave.”

“Let’s just make our way back,” Keisuke said with a sense of unease. He sensed the demon coming closer. But how? It was far off in the distance, but he could feel its aura…quite faintly. But he felt if he mentioned this in front of Zen and the other Shinigami,that would make them look even more circumspect. “We’ll go to this Trial, I would like to have it done and over with as soon as possible.”

“I don’t see why we should follow protocol even during this time,” the blond haired Shinigami complained. “There is a demon on the loose, a powerful one at that, but the stupid rules say that we should hold this trial because we can’t have internal affairs messing up the bigger affair of the demon.”

“Let’s go,” Zen said harshly, before he ushered all three of them towards the Capitol, where he put them into a stall and provided measly bread and watery soup for sustenance. Hardly the welcome that Keisuke would’ve expected, but then he supposed that they were criminals, even in this desperado situation.

Keisuke wondered what tomorrow would bring. Whether there was any hope. He rested his weary eyes and dreamed a dreamless sleep.