Froggy Business
The city of Youdu holds many stories. Some sweet, some bittersweet. Some sour, and some spicy. But not all stories are the same. Some stories are strange... and helmed by characters that not many would expect. This one is the tale of a soul with a sour, unsavoury exterior... and the sweetest interior imaginable by the senses.
Day was starting to break in Youdu, the City Between. The red sun rose over the clouds, signaling the start of a new day. People went about their business: so many lives, so many stories to tell, all just as exciting and breathtaking as the next, or perhaps even more. And the start of this day signaled a new step in the life of one of the city's strangest souls.
Walking the crowded streets of Youdu was a hard task for Jakunatori. Not because he had any trouble walking -- his huge, razor-sharp wings could help him lift off at any time if his raptor-like feet ever got tired -- but because of the looks. Looks of horror and disgust from ordinary people who, in reality, couldn't be blamed for reacting that way.
"Mommy! There's a big monster... I'm scared!" Cried a little oni girl, as her mother shielded her from the sight of the feathered creature. "It'll go away. Mommy's here." The mother's soothing tone couldn't entirely hide the underlying fear in her voice as they both trembled.
Jakunatori only gave a passing glance, as he didn't even stop to listen -- but he heard. A strange feeling of betrayal struck the tengu's heart. This was not an uncommon thing for him to feel... but it never got easier. The long-nosed kabuki mask hid any and all emotion that Jakunatori could possibly display.
Suddenly, Jakunatori's sense of hearing was struck by something else. A voice, coming from that weird artifact that Mika-oneesan gifted him.
"Hello, hellooooo~? You there, Tori?" The voice was youthful and cheery. Jakunatori grabbed the small radio from the back of his sash, and fiddled with it for a few seconds as he tried to remember how to work it. The voice sounded frustrated while dhe was forced to wait. "You theeeere? C'mon, give me a sign!"
"Sorry, Kaguya..." Jakunatori finally worked the radio and spoke into it, pretty much almost putting it in his large, salivating, toothy maw. The tengu's voice was deep and gravelly, but with an overly kind flavour. "Me forgot the button to work the thing."
Kaguya seemed pleased. "Okay! Listen up! You may have bodyguard duty today, but remember -- an Overseer's work is never done! Mika told you to keep the radio after all, so don't wait for our next patrol to use our line! Call in if you ever see trouble, understood?"
"Me no see a line. This thing works with magic, yes?"
"It's... not a literal line. Just talk into the radio if you see any trouble! And... call in BEFORE you do anything. I make that mistake sometimes."
Jakunatori responded to each sentence blankly with an "okay", which made Kaguya wonder if her new tengu coworker was properly understanding the whole instruction.
"Uh... well, that's all then! Keep an eye out for any trouble, and remember -- we stick together! For JUSTICE!"
"Justice! Me like justice..." Jakunatori sounded happy, and Kaguya seemed satisfied with the tone of the conversation. "Great! See you tonight, then. Maybe we can grab some food before patrol! I know you love steak. See ya!"
"S-Steak?! Me want steak! Gimme! GIMME--" The radio went silent before Jakunatori could obtain his desired steak. The tengu pouted with an audible "aw", his mouth already watering at the thought of some amazing steak, and he proceeded on his way after putting the radio under the waistband of the sash once again.
The markets of the city bustled with sounds of jubilation and satisfaction as merchants sold their wares, and citizens bought whatever they needed. However, one particular salesman seemed nervous while setting up his spot for the day and laying out his wares. A frog man, he looked around as if suspicious of something... or someone. He mumbled to himself, croaking on occasion. Much to his amazement, someone did indeed creep up behind him, casting an ominous shadow over the diminutive frog man... The sound of steps behind him made him jump with a yelp, before turning around to face the dealer of his jumpscare. There stood Jakunatori, who stared down at the salesman with a curious, tilted head.
"Guh... it's you. The bodyguard I ordered, yeah?" Jakunatori nodded. "You Gekkou-san, yes?" The frog man was still startled, but he seemed to be calming down. "Sheesh, they weren't lying when they said you were the scariest thing in town... that's good. That's exactly what I need. Let me pay you the first half of the day in advance..."
As Gekkou-san rummaged through his pockets, that same feeling of betrayal struck Jakunatori again. His new customer's words struck the tengu like a dagger. No matter how deadpan Jakunatori looked most of the time thanks to that expressionless mask, no matter how much he wanted to be numb to the pain -- it hurt the same way, every single time. Jakunatori did not quite have the words to talk about it, so he could only look down and think in silence until Gekkou-san called him over.
"Here's your first half. Remember to cash it in, alright?" It was a check. Jakunatori took it, didn't quite know what to do with it, and kept it under his sash, where it would surely get quite crumpled. "All you have to do, tengu, is stay right here and not let a soul touch me. Understood?"
Jakunatori nodded, and he stood firmly at the spot the frog man pointed at, right beside his mat, where a bunch of nondescript artifacts and trinkets were laid out in front of the sitting salesman. "Good!", croaked Gekkou-san. "We're in business."
The tengu stood in silence, staring into the nothingness as Gekkou-san waited for customers. "Best wares in tooown! We've got gifts to spare! Who'sits and what'sits galore! All at Gekkou's Gold and Silver!" The frog man would shout every once in a while, trying to attract sales. But to his chagrin, no one was biting today. Absolutely no one. People passed by, maybe some would stop for a second... only to leave shortly after.
An hour passed. Then two. Then three. Jakunatori did not move from his spot... and no one stopped to buy anything. Clearly frustrated, Gekkou-san opened a bag and scarfed down on a rice ball, making Jakunatori stare with intensity. He wanted one too... but he was told not to move from that spot!
"What's goin' on today?!" Moaned the annuranian peddler. "Normally I would've made a pretty penny by now! Am I out of touch?"
"Me don't know. Sorry." The tengu replied in a dejected, sad, child-like voice. Gekkou-san connected the dots. "It's YOU, isn't it?!" The salesman proclaimed in anger. "You're scaring off the clientele with your stupid, toothy grin! And your big muscles, and your talons and your wings and -- WHO CARES?! I don't pay you to sell shit for me. I pay you to protect me."
One dagger after another. Each stung more than the last. Jakunatori was left speechless, with no retort. He felt like he had failed at something. The tengu never meant to upset his client, he did everything as told! What could he have done wrong?!
Jakunatori didn't have much time to think about it before the frog man suddenly shrieked. A tall, poorly dressed, lanky fox man with three tails was in front of Gekkou-san, threatening him with a machete.
"Gimme all your shit!", the assailant shouted. "You BETTER have the good shit! You frog folk make this too easy!"
"T-TENGU!" Gekkou-san cried, shuffling in fear. Jakunatori returned to the moment, walking up to the mugger. The three-tailed fox man could swear the tengu's eyes flashed red for a moment.
"Go away." Jakunatori's voice was low and gravely, with an immensely threatening aura -- not out of intimidation, but rather from how grotesque he was as a creature to begin with. The assailant flinched for a moment, before pointing the machete at Jakunatori instead.
"I-I'm not scared of you! Come at me!" He cried, but the criminal was already stepping backwards. Jakunatori was ready to draw the sword at his side, until someone else's prying eyes were felt by all three.
"My cue!" A sultry, feminine voice rung in the ears of those involved as a dark-haired woman in a white gi jumped out of a nearby merchant stall, knocked out the fox man in a single well-placed, speedy blow to the solar plexus, and sent him flying. It was Madoka, the mysterious, three-eyed stalker!
The shadowy woman stood in front of Jakunatori, her third eye flashing with excitement, before turning to the salesman, who was cuddled into a fetal position.
"You!" She accused, pointing at Gekkou-san with a wicked smile. "So you're the one I was tailing all this time... selling mortal world trinkets after dark, are we? Naughty, naughty, naughty~!"
"I-I... I have NO IDEA what you're on about!" Gekkou-san croaked in panic. "TENGU!" He pleaded, commanding his bodyguard cruelly and absent-mindedly like some kind of soldier or slave. "GET HER!!!"
Jakunatori stepped in front of his client, as he drew his sparkling jade 7-bladed shichishito. "Go away", he growled once again. "Me can hurt you good."
"I'm not scared of a little fight," Madoka declared. "If you think you can give me a run for my money, ugly..." She stepped into a practiced, narrow stance, as she gathered her Aura. "...go for it."
With a flash of light, Jakunatori gathered his own aura, and they both dashed for each other. As he did, the magatama and prayer beads around the tengu's neck began to glow, transforming into black samurai armour that was magically equipped on Jakunatori's body.
Gekkou-san hid behind some debris as the echoing blows struck the whole market street, spreading the crowds away. The frog man began packing his wares, with some difficulty -- many of the gizmos were quite large -- in an attempt to make an escape.
Madoka was the more trained, more sharpened of the two. Her third eye glowed white as she bobbed and weaved, dodging every single sword slice from Jakunatori, no matter how fast or precise the blows were. The tengu wondered if she could possibly know what he was going to do before he did it, with how exact and calculated her dodging was. The stalker didn't miss a beat retaliating -- a series of well-placed punches, palm strikes and finger stabs struck the tengu's armour, pushing him back slightly with every missed sword slash. However, Madoka's patience was waning. How resistant was this thing?! He was taking all these hits like a champ!
Sparks of lightning began to flicker around Jakunatori, who suddenly became more vicious,
more unhinged in his swordplay, faster and sharper in his footwork. Madoka's Ronin Eye wasn't enough to keep up anymore -- despite knowing what the tengu was about to do, her visions came to pass as her opponent struck riskier, wilder attacks that she didn't expect. The curious rogue was resistant in her own right, as each of these slashes simply stung her skin and left superficial, yet important wounds, diminishing her offense.
"Not bad, you dumb thing!" She spoke. "You can keep up! Let's have some more fun, birdie~!"
Jakunatori was left confused by her banter, an opportunity that Madoka took to land a couple of good blows. The adrenaline rush was starting to fade for Jakunatori, who growled in pain every once in a while, and took to the skies in a quick dodge as Madoka failed one last punch in her sequence. The tengu rose above her opponent, opened his mouth and gathered a great amount of pooling aura above him, manifesting as a large, red shining sphere.
"Woah... no way you're gonna shoot that here, huh? Most bystanders already left... whatever! Let's go!"
With a crazed growl, Jakunatori angled his head downwards and launched the sphere, aiming to strike Madoka head-on. The stalker jumped high in the air, and delivered a powerful kick to the meteoric blast. The result was an immense mid-air explosion that burst with flashes of colour.
Both combatants returned to the floor, winded and tired. It was this short respite that allowed the tengu a moment of clarity -- he hadn't called Kaguya on the radio! A charred and smoking Madoka took a break from panting from exhaustion to witness Jakunatori fiddling with what looked like an Overseer radio.
"W-What... are you doing...?" She asked in disbelief. Said disbelief then turned to amusement, which gave way to laughter. Madoka had to hold herself as she howled with it, clearly amused by the prospect of Jakunatori's radio. "Wait. NO WAY! Don't tell me you're an OVERSEER! Haha... HAHAHAHA!!! This is TOO GOOD!"
Jakunatori stopped dead in his tracks, like a fish out of water, as his long-nosed mask turned to Madoka in complete confusion. She chuckled, finding the situation absolutely hilarious.
"Okay, okay. Truce! Don't you know you're protecting a criminal, dear?"
"...me is?" Jakunatori asked in shock, clearly having been fooled by the merchant.
"HAHA!!! I escape death once again!", celebrated Gekkou-san, as he carried a comically large bag over his tiny, green back. "And at this rate, I'm gonna escape having to pay that stupid monster the rest of his salary too. Total win for MEEE---"
The tengu and the martial artist returned to the scene right as an unsuspecting Gekkou-san proclaimed his victory. Wide-eyed, he stared at Jakunatori and Madoka, unable to comprehend why they'd both work together.
"Wha--?! HEY! Tengu! Didn't I tell you to get rid of her?? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Yakunatori shook his head, and took out his radio. "...Kaaaaguuyaaaaa? Can you come help...?"
The pitiful frog man couldn't believe his luck... or rather, lack there of. "What the FUCK?! I-I-I didn't
know you were an OVERSEER!!!" Jakunatori growled, scaring the tadpoles out of Gekkou-san. "...my friends will come soon... me have to look at your stuff."
Around ten minutes passed. With Madoka's help, Jakunatori -- who would normally have no idea what these illegal items even were -- managed to find the smoking gun(s) on Gekkou-san's person. Hidden amongst ordinary wares taken from random detritus and debris, were several electronic devices from the mortal world. Jakunatori had no idea what they were for, and Madoka might have had an idea... but she was rather coy about not disclosing it.
Soon enough, Kaguya and Mika arrived at the scene. They took the evidence and arrested Gekkou-san formally.
"Nice work, Tori!" Kaguya gave the tengu a playful elbow, which Jakunatori did not react to. He looked downwards, hunched over and dejected. "Hey... what's wrong?" Kaguya asked, noticing her partner's bad mood.
"...me had to protect him. And now he's gonna go to jail..." he said, in a pouty voice. Mika patted the large yokai's shoulder in a kind gesture. "You did well. Both as a bodyguard, and an Overseer."
"Sure did," piped in Madoka. "You gave me a good workout, birdie."
"Speaking of... I'll have to take you in for questioning as well. Don't mov--"
Before the accomplished Overseer could speak one more letter, the Stalker was out of sight. Mika sighed with disappointment, but quickly returned to her more confident demeanour to turn back to Jakunatori.
"Listen, Jakunatori... you made sure he was okay. That's all you had to do, and you did it well. If your client got himself arrested... that's not your fault."
"...me not guilty?" Jakunatori asked, tilting his head with curiosity.
"No, no. You did your work as an Overseer well too. You found the evidence, and called us in to arrest this Gekkou fellow. Odds are, if so many criminals are after him for his contraband, he might even be more safe behind bars."
"But wouldn't that leave him at the mercy of the prisoners?" Asked Kaguya. Mika shook her head. "It's not the criminals who are in jail that you have to worry about, Kaguya... it's the ones who don't stay in."
Jakunatori's spirits seemed to have lifted to a degree. He looked over to both of his partners and stood more upright this time around. "Steak?" He asked, with childlike wonder. Mika looked to Kaguya, who nodded intently, and back to Jakunatori, with a coy smirk. "Yes, steak. Let's celebrate before our patrol." The tengu clapped with joy. "WOOHOO!!! STEAK! ME HUNGRY!"
"M-Maybe try to calm down a little...!" Mika demanded, readjusting her hat and shades after hearing the tengu's booming voice.
Elsewhere...
"Chaaaaat... where did KeroKeroKosher go??? He was one of my BEST donators!!! It's been WEEKS since he showed up, and even WORSE, since he DONATED! MOOOOODS!!! If he EVER comes back, LIQUIFY HIM FOR DARING TO UPSET ME!!!"