The dragon sat on the roof of the Kirigakure administration building. In one hand he held a book and the other a dim lantern. For the hundredth time he watched the scene in the brewery through his minds eye. Manaka lifting the weapon and firing at Kirei , the initial explosion which threw the boy across the room. The following explosions as they sent burning alcohol across his form. And then tonnes of masonry falling to crush the youth. Even before this Kirei had not been in good shape. The pair had done some dangerous things during their crime-fighting escapades and it was clear Kirei was reaching the end of his threshold.

Di had been sure the boy was dead. No human youth could survive three impacts of that magnitude coupled with a wash of burning gunpowder and alcohol even if Mochiko the rice kami had been quick to remove the rubble from him. Di was growing unusually quickly and he felt much stronger than when he had arrived from the seas. However if his human form had been subjected to that much punishment as soon as he emerged from the ocean he would likley be dead. Di had been filled with anguish at the loss of his new friend but to his surprise and delight the boy was alive.

Kirei had lived. Was it a miracle? Di almost felt elated enough to not question the event lest it generate a curse and reverse the outcome. But Di was a detective. He needed to find answers and there was something here he was missing. So Di had purchases several volumes on the nature of the human use of chakra. Among the dragons there was a vague notion that humanity had started to use chakra on their own somewhere around 1500 years ago. It was not totally surprising that humans had progressed to learning magic on their own. Plenty of other species had done this before.

But Kirei had been utterly exhausted and struck out of the blue. It was no spell or working that saved him. There was a fortitude there that the old humanity had lacked. And then Di had come across it while reading the origins of chakra. Apparently this genesis coincided with the arrival of a being known as Kaguya Otsutsuki. The records of her abilities had been disturbing to Di. Limited control over the Dao through both Yin and Yang, the ability to summon and command aspects of King Yama , even a degree of manipulation over the tapestry of Samsara itself.

That sounded an awful lot like a god. Not a minor Kami like Mochiko either but one of the mid level players like Ne Zha who had given even Di's family no end of grief. Di had never heard of an Otsutsuki before and was sure that none of the other dragons had either. Very strange for beings that had access to the realms of the living and dead, heavens and hells. It got weirder too. It seemed that Kaguya had mated with humans and this pairing had been the origin of their supernatural talents.

This in and of itself was not particularly strange. Gods , demons and even dragons had bedded humans and birthed offspring with supernatural gifts. These traits were lost in successive generations though. It appeared that Kaguyas inheritance had permeated the entire genetic code of mankind. This had even caused massive amounts of genetic diversity creating 'clans' each of which developed abilities that would classify them as completely separate species were they not not able to interbreed so freely with others.

Di stared at the picture in his book. The plate showed a tall being with long pale hair and horns. At a guess Di would estimate that she was around seven feet tall despite her obvious femininity. What was the most striking feature was the third eye displayed right in the centre of her skull. It was crimson in hue and bore a distinctive pattern reminiscant of those manifested by his friend Kirei.

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For many children there comes a time in their lives when they discover that their parents in their wisdom are neither infallible or omniscient. For humans this can occur anywhere beteen early childhood up till the beginnings of puberty. With dragons this may not happen till far later in their lifespans. After all an adult dragon is ranked among divinity and easily eclipses those around them with wisdom and power. But this week had taught Di that his kind were not infallible. They had missed something that he believed to be of great import. Humanity were after all the heirs to the world in much the same way that dragons were it's keepers.

It was unsettling. To learn that there were major things that could totally blind-side you like this. It also meant that stories of individuals like Ayakashi and her peers might well be true. With the blood of the Otsotsuki running through their veins humanity could pose a grave threat to him even within his dragon form. Di wanted to talk to Kirei about this. Share with the boy his concerns. But then again to Kirei this would be normal. He had known since the early days about his extraterrestrial nature and from his comments about his father he was surely aware that the man had plenty of faults.

Suck it up, Di chided himself. Did Di-Renji or Zhong Kui have supernatural advantages over everyone else while going about their business? No they simply used their intellect and wits in order to make the best of whatever situation they got themselves in. Di wouldn't forget the fact that the world was much stranger than he had first believed but he also wouldn't let it dominate his thoughts either. Add it to your calculations and then move on with your life – that is what he would do.

Hearing Kirei's words Di replied.

“I'm good thank you. I was just thinking through some things when I arrived. I guess I was having a small bout of what you might call culture shock. Regarding Yatagrasu I agree. One of the reasons I came here was to carve out a legacy for myself. Yatagarasu has become something of a cultural phenomenon in Kiri. Their murders have embedded themselves deep into the public consciousness enough that they are now iconic. If we are the ones to take down the killer our names will be recorded in the annals of history.”

Di's expression tightened with resolve.

“This won't be easy though Kirei. This killer is on a level far beyond any we have pursued before. Whoever they are, they are damn cunning able to create elaborate crime-scenes without leaving any clues as to their real nature or whereabouts. This will likely play out much like a military campaign with multiple crime-scenes being studied before we can win a 'battle' and then get on their trail proper. In the second stage of the investigation Yatagrasu will no doubt become aware of our presence and start to openly hinder our efforts. Things might get dangerous and for that I am glad that neither of us have family in the immediate vicinity. Our lives and the lives of the people we know could be at stake. The killer has only attacked targets perceived as criminal before but that behavior could change as we close in.”

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Kirei's words rang true, what Yatagarasu practised was a form of tyranny. While the killer may target those who had committed prior sins they did not follow any law save their own. Many sages had warned against such despots as their own short-sighted justice could harm the common man and even in severe enough cases defy the will of heaven bringing down divine misfortune. The land of the 'bloody mists' was brutal enough in their punishments already – what Yatagarasu did was an exercise in sadism.

The personal renown won by the pair for taking down such a vicious killer would be grand but Di mustn’t lose sight of the true reason for the hunt. For all their tainted morality Yatagarasu was evil and meted out something too wrapped in fear and suffering to be considered justice.

“You are right, Kirei. If we can strike a blow at this symbol we can influence the hearts and minds of a people that have in many ways become complacent. While Kiri's government is strong the citizens of the nation have grown to accept outlandish acts of violence as the norm. I haven't been here long and I have only read some of the lands history but even in the recent past the Seven Bells war and the destruction of Yuki are events that hinge on mass slaughter. This is not a normal state for things to be in and it is dangerous for people to live in a society where this is normalized.”

Di's clenched his fist and it was clear that his body radiated with loosely held tension.

“We can't heal the scars of the past age but we can show that lashing out from the darkness is not something that is tolerated among society. Knives in the dark only serve to fester more hatred and cause more strife as we have seen with the various killers who have been inspired by Yatagarasu's example. Our war is against the normalization of these acts and even if Yatagarasu is merely a symptom of the times they must be taken to task for their actions.”

A detective, fulfilling their proper role was much like a good weapon – a deterrent. By the simple act of existing and being visible in the community potential criminals would think twice before going onto whatever nefarious acts they had dreamed up. It could possibly be Yatagarasu's intention to scare others out of committing crimes with their depraved executions but in reality all it meant was that there was a criminal out there who could escape the justice of Kiri. Di knew nothing about Yatagarsu's true identity but at the moment he was sure that the killer knew nothing about Kirei or himself either.

The murderer fashioned their persona after the messenger of the gods but their mission was anything but holy. It didn't matter – not even Yatagarasu could hide their tracks forever and when they inevitably slipped Di and Kirei would be there to give them their own taste of divine retribution.

Exit Thread.


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