Chapter 96

6 “Hold on a moment, you two!” Milo ground to a halt in a cloud of dust. “Lord Yokan, the path ahead, it…” “…splits in two, I see. We don’t have much time. If Amakusa gets away, this will all be for naught.” Yokan placed his chin in his paw and pondered the problem, his furry face illuminated by the light of the torches. “We must split up,” he said. “Is that okay with you, Akaboshi?” “Sure. C’mon, Milo, let’s go!” “Okay!” “Beware Amakusa’s magic,” Yokan warned them. “Do not let down your guard!” Bisco and Milo took the left path, and Yokan disappeared down the right. After a few minutes, the two boys found that the walls and floors were beginning to be replaced with gold that glistened in the torchlight. “This must have been the right way,” said Milo. “You’ve got good instincts, Bisco!” “Must be ’cause I’m half cat. That’s boosted ’em by thirty percent.” “Still, this Amakusa sure has some odd taste. Everything’s all gold; it’s so flashy! See, if it were me, I would—” Suddenly, the two boys stepped on one of the gold flagstones (or flagmetals, I suppose), and there was a great rumbling! “Bisco, the ceiling’s caving in!” “Behind us, too. We’re trapped!” The tight quarters left no room to dodge the falling rubble. The two boys went back-to-back and, with surprising calm, each drew an arrow from the other’s quiver. “This must be one of Amakusa’s traps,” said Milo. “And we just walked straight into it.” “Works for me,” replied Bisco. “This should take us right to the lion’s den.” “Or the cat’s den, as it were.” “We’ll regroup at the bottom. Remember to land on your feet!” The rumbling magnified as the tunnel tore itself apart, thrusting Bisco and Milo into an interminable darkness. However, their eyes glimmered green and blue, showing no sign of fear in the face of the encroaching threat. Gaboom! The clamshell mushroom exploded to life, quelling the speed of Bisco’s fall. He rolled along the floor, finally coming to a halt when he collided with a rock formation sticking straight up out of the ground. “Ow. Tch…” Usually, Bisco’s hunter’s garb would absorb the shock of impact, but with what he was wearing now, he felt every bump. It was their signature cloaks that Mushroom Keepers used to control themselves in the air, and Bisco’s kimono just didn’t catch the wind the same way. …Milo! Bisco looked around for his partner but found nothing. Knowing the enemy could be watching him, he was wary about calling out Milo’s name. Still, it’s Milo we’re talkin’ about. There’s no way he’d mess up…is there? Bisco couldn’t see a thing, but he sensed the presence of a mysterious being in the dark expanse. It felt as if it were watching him. What’s goin’ on? If you wanna fight, just show yourself already! “Hee-hee-hee…” “!” Bisco spun toward the source of the sound and saw the outline of a little girl, silhouetted in the gloom. It was as if her body itself emitted a faint glow. “That’s my big brother,” she said. “The wild senses of an animal. A far cry from the languid beast of the past year, I must say.” “Amli…?!” She smiled. Her unblinking glass eye peered into Bisco’s soul. “Even when surrounded by death, your eyes burn with life. Isn’t that what you fell in love with, as we all did? Take us with you, Mr. Bisco, sir…” Shwoof! Bisco’s kick tore through Amli’s head, reducing her to a mist of golden dust. A spectral chuckle echoed off the walls of the cavern, and the dust reformed, this time adopting Chaika’s form. “Ouya!” she cried. “You don’t hold back, do you? As you shouldn’t. Never give up your freedom, saushaka.” “These cheap tricks ain’t gonna fool me. Don’t think you’re hot shit just ’cause you got a peek at my memories!” “We are how you really feel; can’t you see that?” “If I wanted counseling, I’d go see a shrink!” Clanggg! Bisco’s shortsword was caught by the Lion’s Crimson Blade. Its golden glow illuminated Chaika’s smile, and she slowly morphed into the weapon’s true wielder, the king of the Benibishi. “Superb, Brother. I can feel the life within you. Why do you deny yourself? Why do you not free yourself from the black snake’s coils that bind you?” “What are you talkin’ about?” “Like that woman, for instance.” Shishi’s voice was an emotionless void. Bisco felt a chill run down his spine. “You don’t need her. You’re better off without her. You are not meant to live bound by the rules and structures of mankind. You are a cat. Wild and free, like us. Join us, and—” Just then, a blue spark flew over Bisco’s shoulder, piercing “Shishi” in the head. The apparition bent over backward but did not die. Instead, it chuckled in Shishi’s voice. “…It seems your partner was quicker to break free than you,” it said. “Sorry about that,” answered Milo. “I guess I’m just less emotional.” “Heh-heh…” The specter dissolved into golden sand. Milo watched until the last of its glow faded, then helped Bisco to his feet. “Bisco,” he said quietly. “Cough, cough. Sorry ’bout that, Milo, guess I shoulda expected somethin’ like this.” “There’s something you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?” “Erk.” Milo’s unusually clammy voice caught Bisco off guard. He grabbed Bisco by the back of the neck, like a cat, and glared at him. “Something’s up, Bisco. Illusions normally wouldn’t faze you. What did you see? Tell me.” “Wh-why don’t you tell me what you saw first?” “What?! Why’s that?” “It’s only fair.” “Fine. It was super sexy. There were all these naked people.” “Naked—?!” It was true that the dashing Dr. Panda was well-versed in matters of the flesh, or so he claimed. Bisco struggled to think of any method of seduction that would sway Milo’s path at all. Milo, meanwhile, grabbed Bisco by the lapels and swung his forehead into his partner’s. “Look at me, Bisco! Your willpower is your greatest strength. It’s all you’ve ever needed to defeat everyone in your way. But if it wavers…we’re lost! We can’t even beat a pack of sewer rats without it!” “Rgh…” “I’m here,” he stated clearly and concisely. “So it doesn’t matter what you do!” Then, nose to nose, Milo screamed into his partner’s face. “Don’t let anybody tell you it’s wrong! Only you get to say what’s right! If you want to end the world with mushrooms, then I’ll tell you that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard! I don’t care what you choose for us, even if it kills me! I’d follow you into the deepest pits of hell, Bisco!” Their hot brows touched. In the dark cavern, two pairs of eyes gleamed, azure and jade. The light of devotion ensconced in the former slowly passed to the latter, reigniting the flame that had once been lost.