El Hazard: The Magnificent Sequel Chapter 6 Katsuhiko Jinnai was sitting on a sofa licking some vanilla ice-cream. His cousin was Konoha Haida was also sitting on the sofa and both of them had just finished playing some video games. Konoha Haida absolutely worshipped Katsuhiko. In her mind, he was probably her favorite relative; so much better than his sister, Nanami. And of course in her childish innocence, she swallowed all of Katsuhiko's tales of a far-off land called El Hazard and a race of insects called the Bugrom; no matter how absurd these tales may seem. Katsuhiko Jinnai had been staying at her place for these past few days now. Her parents had been gone these few days for "business trips" and there had only been a servant to help around; one who thought it wise not to ask his mistress about the loud-mouthed obnoxious guest who kept talking about how "he was destined for greatness and power if not for his greatest nemesis called Makoto Mizuhara." Presently, the conversation had turned to the issue of Japanese politics. "You know Katsuhiko, our current Mayor of Tokyo is such a bumbling idiot. Rumor has it that he is always on the take. Allegations of corruption haunt him. Heck, I bet you could blackmail him by recording his illegal activities." Corruption? Record? Blackmail? "Hmmmm..." Thoughts were busy forming in his head as Katsuhiko Jinnai was lost in deep thought. "Of course, Konoha. You're a genius! Errr...think I can borrow your videocamera?" ********************************* "What's this? The kitchen is in a mess! There's dirt all over! Rats are scurrying everywhere! I am afraid we are going to suspend your business license!" The health inspector (who was actually working for 'Tanaka')hollered at the restaurant owner who cowering with feat in the corner. Conveniently, the Mayor of Tokyo walked in. "Hmmm...seems like we have a little problem. You know, I always have the interests of my constituents at heart...." He started to straighten his tie. "...but I think we can easily take care of this small problem if you uh....know what to do.." He finished with a smug smile on his face while the cowering restaurant owner promptly got up to the cashier's table and passed him half a million yen. Smiling, the mayor walked out. He hadn't noticed a young Japanese man hiding outside the restaurant who had been busy videotaping the entire incident while grinning to himself.... The mayor was going to visit a certain neighbourhood. Almost a week ago, it had been slightly damaged by an earthquake. The mayor had made sure that electricity and water had been quickly restored to that area. Of course, he made sure that the press (or at least newspapers favorable to his political party) were there to cover that. He was busy thinking about his family. Of course, he loathed his shrew of a wife who was constantly nagging him and therefore he was seeking the solace of various women outside his family. Of course, he had married THAT woman who was the daughter of a powerful man years ago to consolidate his political and business position. *Pity. Diva would have been a good conquest.* He noticed an eight-year old girl crying. She was looking at what used to be her home but it had been damaged by the recent earthquake. *Children...aah, I love children. I would spend anything for my beloved daughter, Aya. This girl reminds me so much of her.* Taking 5000 yen out of his pocket, he smiled at the girl and gave the money to her. "Go ahead and buy yourself a nice little doll," he said as he patted her on the forehead. Walking into his office later, the mayor noticed young-looking stranger with a smug expression on his face. Before he could ask who he was.... "Hello Mr. Mayor. How are you doing?" "Who are you and what do you want?" "Well if you must know, my name is Katsuhiko Jinnai and I am here to do a business transaction with you." "Why should I do any business with a little punk kid?" "Hmmm...then maybe this videotape should interest you." Saying that, Jinnai popped the video tape into the VCR player that was in the mayor's office. Drops of perspiration started to form on the mayor's forehead as he saw some incriminating evidence on the television screen. "How the hell did you get these?" "How I got them is not important. What matters is that if this information was leaked to the press, it would cause you great inconvenience during election month." "You little s-" "But the deals I make are flexible and for a little gratuity, I'm sure we can make a reasonable business transaction." "You're not going to get away with this, you punk." Shaking with anger, the mayor handed a suitcase full of money to Katsuhiko Jinnai who cooly left the room without even glancing back. ****************************************** It was a good day for Kauru Taurus. Today, she had been able to get out of her job early and she had decided to explore a Shinto temple nearby nad buy one of the lucky charms that many Japanese girls had. Actually, she initially thought it was rather strange that Japanese girls would like such trinkets but out of curiousity she decided to purchase a few. Actually she had upset Nanami more than once with the way she budgeted everything: having spent quite a sum of their hard-earned money on new clothes and assorted shoujo manga. Nanami had decided to accompany Kauru, saying that "I need to make sure that you don't overspend." The two young girls climbed up the long stairs just to see a long path to the actual shrine. They finally dragged their feet to the table with the charms. Someone was sitting there. Someone with red hair....someone who looked very familiar.... "Shayla-sama!" "Huh?" Shayla Shayla looked at the two girls for a while. It took a moment for her to register in her mind who the two were. Kauru Taurus? Nanami Jinnai? Normally Shayla Shayla wouldn't be too pleased to see these two girls. Who could blame her? After all, these two were her main rivals for Makoto's affections. But today was different. With an unnatural intensity, Shayla Shayla rushed up and gave the two girls a warm hug; almost knocking them over with her intensity. *************************************** "Okay, I've told my story. Now you tell me yours." After a few drinks at the Tamaneko bar, the girls were now feeling more relaxed and more communicative. Shayla Shayla had been recounting her experiences since arriving on Japan; starting from her arrival at the Temple to when she met Afura and the rest. Kauru and Nanami had been unable to meet Palnus and Afura at the temple as the two were not around. Nanami began to tell her story of what she and Kauru had been doing. She hadn't gotten too far when Shayla Shayla interrupted; "But you have parents; you have relatives. Haven't you contacted anyone?" "My whole clan is crazy. Just look at my brother Katsuhiko. Then I have this annoying cousin, Konoha and granduncle Matsuda....... Shayla Shayla began to wish that she hadn't interrupted. After a few more drinks, the girls were getting tipsy. Kauru and Nanami seemed interested to hear that Shayla Shayla had met Makoto. They kept prodding her about him and his whereabouts but... "Face it girls. We all lost. We had plenty of chances in El Hazard but...hic...great sake...we never made the right moves and...(Shayla gulped down another bottle of sake)...none of us had the guts to be direct about it...(Shayla's face was flushed as she drank more sake).... Shayla Shayla continued. "Anyhow, Makoto's hopelessly in love with Ifurita and I don't think either one of us has a chance to come between them and...besides it doesn't seem right. Care for another bottle, Nanami?" "Sure. Whatever." Nanami slowly gulped down more alcohol. "But if ever Makoto loses interest in Ifurita, you know that I will be the first in line. (winks) After all, we both go all the way back, you know." "Grr...what...why you. It will be me...oh...my head's getting dizzy. Too much sake." Shayla Shayla passed out and the other two girls had to help her back to the temple. ********************************* Lagus was pacing up and down the floor in the mansion that he was in. The place served as a convenient base of operations. Things had been going well for him recently. The Mayor had just informed him about meeting Diva and Katsuhiko Jinnai. Through his spies, he had also uncovered the whereabouts of Makoto and Ifurita. He walked into a room. He looked at the ancient El Hazardian device lying in the corner. He had found it in the ancient tomb where he had unsealed the second Kalia, The Kalia demon goddesses were hard to control but with his sorcery he had put this Kalia to work under him. However what was more important to him was not Kalia's power but the power of that ancient device besides him. It was full of inscriptions, and what particularly impressed him were the words "He who controls this controls the world..." Very soon, everything he had planned for would happen. He motioned to Kalia and few of his henchmen headed by Akira. "It is now time to proceed to the next phase of our plan..... ************************************* "Diva, you ended up hitting one of the clients and you're still one of the most popular hostess here!" exclaimed one of the other hostesses. "Never underestimate the power of a smile, my dear," Diva answered, as she drew on her fishnet stockings. "Of course, when that fails, there is always muscle." Her mouth quirked upwards, as if she just made a secret joke. "Anyway, you do understand that I am a mother. Whatever job it is that I have to do, I will do it for the sake of my daughter." Diva finished strapping her high heels when the door in the dressing room opened and five burly men stalked in, their eyes hidden by their tilted fedora hats. "Who are you?" Diva demanded. "Mr. Igarashi would not allow you back here." "Time's up," the first one whispered. "You there" He motioned to the other hostess. "We don't need you. You are not involved. Get out before we change our mind." She hurriedly left the room. Turning back to Diva, he spoke again. "Out the back way." The men were carrying their jackets over their arms, and something dangerous-looking pointed from under each one. "Kalia!" Diva tensed when she saw a svelte, short-haired woman stepping in, carrying the staff of a demon god. Diva had been inching towards a nearby mirror. Suddenly without warning, the Bugrom Queen hurled the six-foot pane of glass towards the intruders. There was a terrible crash as the yakuza toppled like dominoes, momentarily throwing Kalia to the floor. Diva leaped over the fallen gangsters and dashed down the main hall. ******************************************* In the plush. luxurious main salon, amidst the dim lighting and crimson draperies, Tetsuya Kumamoto smiled admiringly at Kaori Morisaki. "If I may say, ma'am, your disguise is wonderful. You don't look at all like an ace reporter." Kaori grinned. "And you don't look like a detective. Are your men in position?" "Of course." "So are mine." She shook her head at the decadence around her. "And this is only the lunchtime crowd! What's it like in the evening?" "You don't want to know. But we figured that they'd never suspect a raid at noon." "No wonder you rose to be a detective. Thanks so much, by the way, for giving me this tip." "My pleasure. What that low-life Igarashi and his clientele fear more than anything else is publicity. And the six o'clock news is about as public as you can get!" "That's for sure." Kaori noticed Igarashi by the bar, chatting with a pretty waitress. "He'll never know what hit him." Tetsuya gave the silent signal to his men. Kaori's reporters got their mikes and camera ready. The detective prepared to shout out his orders. They never came. Suddenly two of the baize doors burst open and a tall foreign-looking woman charged out, knocking waitresses onto the sofa and sending drinks spinning though the air. Five men burst after her, while clients and hostesses scattered like fragments of a bursting bomb. Kaori's men were on their feet, filming and cheering. The reporter grinned, and Tetsuya noticed how her freckles made her look ten years younger than she really was. "Looks like they stole your thunder, Detective." He laughed. Then "this is a raid," he roared into the din, and his plain-clothes policemen stormed into the fray. Diva had momentarily slipped and fallen, but she arched up and bit one of the yakuza on the thigh. He was very lucky that he was wearing a pair of big, loose pants - her fangs missed his flesh but caught the material of his pants and ripped out a chunk the size of a washcloth. The man screamed and scrambled backwards, straight into the arms of the police. The reporters were having a field day. One cameraman chased Kaori as she skipped nimbly through the struggling bodies. "There goes Koichi Igarashi, Ladies and Gentlemen! But don't worry! TV Asahi is on the job!" She hurried after the bar's fleeing owner who was huggin a black briefcase as if it held the crown jewels. Diva had grabbed one of the gangsters by the tie and had slung him into the ornamental fish pond, when Kalia sprang behind her and held her power staff to the base of Diva's skull. "Let's clip your wings, butterfly," she murmured, as a short, swift jolt of power crumpled the Bugrom Queen. One cameraman had been watching them but had not seen Kalia's move with her staff. He assumed that the woman who fainted was merely drunk, and the men who lifted and dragged her away were working for the bar. Then he heard Kaori calling. "Over here, quick!" In the club, Kaori waved her hand in triumph. "Ta da!" she exclaimed. The detective gasped. Before them was another vast room, complete with roulettewheels, backgammon tables, slot machines - the works! "Gambling without a permit!" he gasped. "This might was well be Las Vegas!" One of the officers brought over a smug Igarashi. His hair was barely mussed. "I have powerful friends, Detective," he purred. Tetsuya grabbed the briefcase. "And powerful enemies too, I've no doubt. I think that they'll be glad that we have these, Mr. Igarashi. The Dream House has just had a very rude awakening. Take him away." As the officers dragged him off, Tetsuya impulsively grabbed Kaori by the arms. "That was a stupid and dangerous thing to do! Wh-what if you had been hurt?" She looked down at his arms and he immediately released her. "Would that have bothered you?" she asked. He didn't meet her eyes. "You're a civilian. It's my duty to protect you," he muttered and hurried off after his men. **************************** Akira's men looked over at Diva, still unconscious in the back of the big sedan. "So what do we do with her?" one of them asked. "The Kanda river is nearby, if we need to..." "No!" Kalia's voice was firm. "I overheard her. She's not enough on her own. She has a daughter. And she can lead us to more of our enemies. We take her back to the boss." "You heard her. Now do as you're told," ordered Akira. Suddenly, the car lurched for a moment as the driver screamed and momentarily let go of the wheel. Akira quickly grabbed it and righted them. "What happened?" Kalia demanded. "A damned bee!" snarled the driver massaging his hand. "Flew right in here and stung me - it was like an attack!" Suddenly, they noticed more bees hovering besides them. "Roll up the windows," Kalia demanded "And speed up!" The big sedan picked up speed. Several of the bees kept pace with it, while a smaller group peeled away, in the direction of a quiet Tokyo suburb... ******************************************* Kaori Morisaki had a very keen sense of observation. That was important to her otherwise she would not have become a top-notch reporter for TV Asahi. In the confusion, she had noticed some suspicious-looking characters carrying away an unconscious female from the scene. Excusing herself from Tetsuya, she got into her Toyota and quietly followed them from a distance while making sure that they didn't know that they were being followed... ********************************* Akira's car was covered with a swarm of bees. It had happen almost without any provocation and had caused the car to spin out of control and hit a tree. Akira and his men had opened the doors of the car and had dived into the nearest ditch. Strangely, Diva was not hurt and she seemed to be communicating with the bees. Kalia was standing by the roadside looking calm. "You are forgetting something. I am a demon goddess. Insects like this won't harm me!" She stepped calmly into the approaching swarm. Having the power to absorb attacks and reproduce at greater strengths, she decided to use the power of the wind which she had acquired in an old battle with Afura's predecessor. She pointed at the bees and a strong wind blew them away from the car. Calmly, she pointed her power staff at them and fired a chi blast at them, thus destroying them. She smiled a smile of satisfaction. Kaori Morisaki who had been following Akira's car had been hiding behind some bushes and watching all of these happen with a wide-open mouth. *Are these people aliens from outer space? Darn! If only I hadn't run out of film, this could be a sensational scoop.* Kaori wearily sighed as Kalia went back to Diva and the car while Akira and his men were cautiously peeking out of the ditch. ******************************************* Lagus parked his car outside a small-scale medieval European castle, painted shocking pink. He shook his head as he got out and stared at the grotesque building, plopped like a giant wad of bubble-gum amidst the ramshackle alleyways of Tokyo's East End. But if one wanted privacy, there was no other place like a Love Hotel. He went and spoke his name into the microphone beside an opaque glass booth. A soothing voice told him his room number, and he made his way through the dimly-lit halls to find Kalia outside the door, waiting for him. "She's waking up now," the demon goddesss informed him. "A pity. I would rather have done it while she slept. But she's no more human than the locusts that devour the crops, and the only way to destroy the Bugrom is to destroy their queen." "Master, there's something that you should know. Queen Diva has a daughter." Lagus stopped. It was a full minute before he spoke, and when he did his voice was low and shaking. "Impossible!" "I heard her tell someone. Why would she lie?" "But the Bugrom are hybrids! She has to mate with a human male, and no human would dare to cross the Holy River of God!" "One did. One lived with her and became her champion." Lagus' eyes narrowed, and he smiled grimly. "Of course - Jinnai, the brother of the witch who exposed Galus. So, he found a way to ingratiate himself with the Bugrom Queen forever, and bring forth devoted hoardes of Bugrom to be his servants! And produce a future Queen." He took a deep breathe. "He would lead his armies to victory over our people, and one day his daughter will rule in his stead. Kalia, if we kill Diva, we only stop the evil of the present. To save the future, we must kill Jinnai and the child." Kalia nodded briefly. "I will make Diva lead us to them." "Kalia, Kalia!" Lagus caught her arm, shaking his head. "You are a demon-goddess. You know nothing of motherhood. There is no torture that would make Diva betray her child. She would rather die first." "Then-" Kalia hefted her staff. "So we must convince her to trust us, and lead us to them. Then we will dispatch all three. Come." He turned and walked with quiet dignity into the room, Kalia following behind. ******************************************* "Bargain?" "Yes, Queen Diva. You and I have a common purpose. We could help each other. All I ask is that you listen to me." From her half-sitting, half-reclining position on the huge, heart-shaped bed, Diva leaned back against the curved headboard. The movement shook the chains that fettered her wrists to the wall. "I don't appear to have a choice, do I?" Lagus waved his hand slightly. "My apologies. But you are unusually strong, and my men are not." "Hey! Speak for yourself! I ain't afraid of no dame!" "Me neither! Say, Boss, why do we have to wear this crazy get-up anyway? It itches like hell!" The yakuza slouching on the velvet chairs scratched and wriggled. They wore long sleeves and pantlegs, high collars, thick gloves rolled up over their cuffs, and hats with fine mesh netting drawn down over their faces. They looked as though they were about to go on a safari. Lagus never lost his quiet smile. "Our guest has a way with...bees, gentlemen. We thought you might be safer this way. But this was all a misunderstanding, Queen Diva. You and I are strangers in a strange land; we must be very careful. Especially you, with a future queen to protect." There was a pause. Diva's eyes darkened. "She is my daughter, Lagus. Remember that." "And the daughter of your beloved general, who has been seperated from you. It must be worrying to you, thinking of him lost amongst his enemies." "This is my lord's home. He can take care of himself. But since when are you so fond of my lord and my child..and me?" "Since we both have a common enemy." "What? Who?" "The Roshtarians, and their earther friends. Do not think that you can trust them, Queen Diva, or the humans. They have proven dangerous to both our peoples." "No more dangerous than you have to us. I would not trust you even if you were sitting there in chains, instead of me." "Diva, hear me, I can protect you-" Diva laughed, not kindly. "You bore me. Not only a liar, but not even very good at it! I know why I am here, and what you want from me! The Phantom Tribe have always hated the Bugrom. You too sought to destroy us, to drive us out of our fertile lands! And not even by honest warfare, like the Roshtarians, but by trickery! There never was a Phantom tribesman born who had a shred of honor! Galus, for one -- a madman who would have destroyed my children! If not for my lord's courage--but the gods saw that Galus died the shameful death that he deserved." Control vanished with the vision of his brother's body lying broken on its bier, Lagus's voice was a strangled whisper. "You..deluded whore! Your lord's courage? He is the madman, Diva, and your hoarde are no innocent children! They are blood-sucking parasites, feeding off the labor of others! They are reavers and slayers!" "What? Slayers? Blood-suckers? We are vegetarians! We live from the nectar of flowers and and from vegetation that abounds the kingdom!" "You, Diva? With your fangs?" "They are for defense only. The Bugrom grow what they need. But the Roshtarians feared us, and forced us into the Badlands where the soil is barren and the rivers acidic. A full-grown Bugrom must eat ten times its own weight each day in order to suvive! Do you know how much food is required to feed a Bugrom nation! But with our knowledge of the rhythms of nature, we eked out a living even in the Badlands! No - we built a civilization!" Her eyes flashed. "You and the Roshtarians are alike - you see us as monsters, because we are different! But we are not like the Doralye, who only lived to plunder and destroy! We are farmers, builders, inventors! What we could have taught the Roshtarians about agriculture, architecture and technology, if they had only let us!" There was a pause, as Diva's words hung in the air. For a moment, Lagus could almost have believed her. Then he thought of the spider, who lured its prey into the center of a beautiful web... "I will find Jinnai and your brood without your help. When your champion comes to rescue you, I will be waiting. And do not think that your bee servants will help you again. My men are well-protected. And if Kalia so much as hear a buzzing noise, she will blast your little spies to Kingdom Come," Lagus said softly, and rose to leave. "Come, Kalia. We need to move on to the next phase of our plan." He rubbed absently at his sleeve, and stalked out. Kalia remained for a moment, gazing at Diva with cold, metalic eyes. Then she too left, leaving only Diva and the two henchmen. Diva leaned back against the headband and appeared to relax. One of the henchmen chuckled. "Heh, heh. Bees. Little spy bees. Did ya ever hear anything so crazy?" Neither he nor his friend was aware of the little conversation taking place. "Seek out my daughter, my other children, and my lord, and warn them! Find them, reach them any way you can! And as for these--" her eyelids lowered slightly. "Harrass their...flanks. Be careful that they do not become suspicious!" "Very good, your Majesty!" One of the henchmen took a drag on his cigarette. He scratched absently at his thigh, accidentally pulling up his pantleg and revealing the hairy leg beneath. For all their bundling, the men had forgotten to tuck in their pantlegs. He tapped out his ash on the floor and noticed something wrong. "Somebody musta been eatin' rice crackers in bed," he muttered. "Why?" asked his friend. "Ants." He scratched his leg again. Diva smiled. **************************** Inari was sitting on the floor of Ifurita's apartment. Ifurita was not home and Inari was all alone or so it seemed. "Googoo Gaa Gaa" Inari was playing with some ants. Her fingers were sticky with the remnants of cake which she had eaten recently. The ants tiptoed gentlyt across Inari's chubby hand. She had been crying before they came, anxious for her mother, but the moments the ants touched her fingers, she had seen a vision of her mother smiling at her. And now there were more visions crowding in; visions that a baby could not possibly understand: A great purple bugrom playing with a little girl, always looking anxiously towards the city. A green-clad woman reading a book on a temple porch. A super-strong alcoholic teacher sitting in his apartment with his wife, wondering where all their friends were. And a young dark-haired man with maniacal eyes laughing wildly after blackmailing the Mayor of Tokyo. As soon as her visions had appeared, they began to disappear quickly. Without her mother beside her, Inari began to whimper.