Tokyo Ravens - Volume 12 - Chapter 4.2

Part 2 
A familiar sensation. 
The feeling of being held. "Natsume, Natsume", sounded her childhood friend from next to her ear. 
Her memories from her past life, secret memories from years ago that she had worked up the courage to say. Slightly-sweet memories that had gnawed at her in the lonely void of death. 
If she slept like this, she wouldn't need to return to painful, bitter places. 
If she slept deeply like this in warm arms. 
As she thought this, she was reached by an unexpected shout. 
...Don't give up. 
Where did the voice come from......? 
...Go, do your best. 
Why? I'm already so hurt, so why do you want me to keep going? 
...If you don't keep going, you'll definitely regret it. A regret that you'll never be able to forget. 
Natsume suddenly awoke from her slumber and ran towards the source of that voice. 
Returning to that world with only despair and frustration no matter how hard she worked. 
The voice continued to reach her. 
...You realized long ago what it was you were actually chasing after. 
...So you'll definitely keep going until the end. 
Yeah. What Natsume was chasing after was still in that world. It wasn't in this gentle darkness, but was in that pain-filled world instead. 
There was a soft feeling gently wrapping around her. 
It was...... 

......Eh? 
The first thing she felt was a fierce floating feeling. Wind howled by her ears. 
"Eh?" 
She opened her eyes. The scenery was rapidly receding. 
Then soft hair brushed across her cheek - a rabbit ear. 
"Eh!? Ah, Akino!" 
She was passing by pedestrians, vehicles, and traffic lights on the night road at an extremely abnormal speed. 
"Wait, hey, Akino!" 
Akino didn't ease up on her speed. Rather, she accelerated. She stepped on a mailbox by the side of the road, and leaped with that momentum-- 
...N-No way!? 
Carrying Natsume, Akino leaped across the busy road. The sound of wind, the impact of landing, and the blunt force from Akino's feet combined to make Natsume wake up completely. 
"Hey, Akino! Akino!!" 
"Eh? Ah, Natsume, you're awake." 
"Y-Yeah. First let me down......" 
Akino hastily put Natsume down. 
She looked around. They were surrounded by tall buildings that weren't residential. Fortunately, no one had noticed Akino's reckless way of crossing the road. 
She breathed deeply. 
It looked like there were no dangers around right now. But how? 
"Akino, what happened to the Yase Doji? What happened afterwards?" 
She clearly remembered being defeated by Yashamaru and losing consciousness as she and Akino fell from the sky. 
Of course, Yashamaru wouldn't have just let her fall and die there, but it was impossible that he would have let Akino run away with her. Akino couldn't possibly have the strength to escape those two either. So then-- 
"Natsume, your childhood friend saved you!" 
"Eh?" 
"It was that... Yeah, that guy called Harutora!" 
............ 
She thought of it. The black wing that had flashed before her eyes the moment before she lost consciousness had given her a nostalgic sensation. 
"So it was Harutora-kun......" 
"Yeah! He told me to carry you away, and then--" 
...Harutora-kun......! 
"Where is he!? Where is he now!?" 
"Ehh? H-He's back over there...... Wait, Natsume!" 
She hastily grabbed Natsume as she tried to run back. 
"Let me go! Harutora-kun's over there, right!? I finally met him again!" 
"E-Even if you say that!" 
Rationally, she knew that she wouldn't be any help now that the draconic aura was already almost depleted, but her body unconsciously rushed over when she heard that Harutora was there. 
Unsure what to do, Akino stared at Natsume as she tightly bit her lip and trembled. 
Harutora had let her escape. He definitely had his own reasons. She would just be a hindrance if she recklessly went back right now. 
......She knew that. 
"S-Should we really go back and take a look? Maybe it'll be okay from a distance......" 
Akino timidly acquiesced to Natsume. 
She inadvertently put on a wry smile. Even though it was a smile with a trace of sadness, at least she had relaxed a bit. 
"......Thanks." 
Natsume thanked her straightforwardly. 
"But never mind. Even if I went back right now, I wouldn't be able to do anything for Harutora......" 
She couldn't do anything for Harutora. 
Though she said it herself, it stung her heart. 
She had hidden herself, run away, and worked hard until now, but still ended up like this. How comical. How pathetic. Even she felt it miserable. She wanted to cry. 
That being the case...... 
...That was why she was able to continue on. 
"......Akino, along the way, wasn't there......" 
"Eh? What?" 
"......No, nothing." 
She couldn't think of it. The voice she had heard in her dream just now, had it been...... 
Suddenly, Akino's ears stood up straight and she looked in the direction they had come from. 
...A pentagram of light was drawn in the sky there. 
The Yamantaka method. 
"W-Why did that magic seal appear!? Is it the Exorcist Bureau?" 
"I-Isn't that the place we came from......" 
Natsume's expression changed. 
...Harutora-kun......! 
"As I thought, we should go back!" This time it was Akino pulling Natsume to urge her on. 
"......No. We can't go back right now." 
That was definite. Since Harutora decided it, all I can do is trust Harutora. 
...He would definitely be alright. 
Suddenly, a motorcycle stopped about ten meters ahead of them. 
"As I thought." 
The man on the vehicle spoke in surprise. 
"Is it...... Natsume?" 
"Kogure!?" 
Natsume's body stiffened. 
His current pallid expression was scarier than the Kogure she had seen a long time ago. But the eyes looking their way were the same as always. 
...Not good! 
Kogure currently belonged to the Mystical Investigators, and Natsume was being chased by the Mystical Investigators. 
It wouldn't be strange for him to strike out with Unmoving Golden Chains right now. Should she run? But Kogure was riding a motorcycle and had the four crow tengu shikigami. She couldn't escape over any terrain. 
But unexpectedly - Kogure didn't move. 
A stalemate. 
Dozens of seconds felt as long as several hours. 
What broke this silence wasn't Natsume, Akino, or Kogure. 
"Water, obscure! Order!" 
The three of them were surrounded by a sudden fog. 
The voice chanting the incantation just now was very familiar. 
A large vehicle appeared on the fog-covered road alongside loud engine noise. 
A Hummer plated heavily like an armored car. The brown-haired girl leaning out the window cut through the fog. 
"Hakuou! Kokfuu!" 
"Kyouko!" 
Natsume cried out. Right as the words left her mouth, the knight-shaped 'Type M2 Yaksha', Kyouko's defensive shikigami Hakuou, was summoned behind her. 
Just as Kogure was about to turn around, the other Yaksha Kokfuu blocked his way with spear in hand. 
"Kyouko!" 
Leaning her body out, Kyouko looked back over at Natsume and put on a shaky smile. 
"Yeah, Natsume! Are you alright?" 
Leaving Kogure behind, the Hummer drove through the night, departing at full speed over the road. 

The black Yaksha also dematerialized after the Hummer left. 
Should he pursue? With the crow tengus' speed, even a Hummer was catchable. 
But Kogure didn't give any orders to pursue. 
"......Natsume-kun." 
Of course, he knew that Natsume had been resurrected with the Taizan Fukun Ritual, but having someone who had died before standing before him was still an unimaginable shock. 
As he thought, a large van pulled up next to him and a voice shouting for him came from the driver's seat. It was Kogure's current teammate, Yamashiro of the Twelve Divine Generals. 
"What are you spacing out about!? Officer Miyachi's magic activated a long time ago!" 
Ten minutes ago, Kogure's team had received the report of Tsuchimikado's capture. Needless to say, Natsume wasn't the Tsuchimikado they were baiting out. Their true target was Tsuchimikado Harutora. 
Right now, Harutora was bound in Director Miyachi's long-range magic. This was an incredible opportunity to arrest him. 
But, 
"......Miyoshi." 
Kogure called out to his teammate in the backseat of the van, the Special Sensor with the nickname 'Heaven's Eye' - Miyoshi Tougo. 
"What?" 
"Can you understand the situation on scene from here?" 
"Well, it's certainly not easy to 'see' with Officer Miyachi's magic - but judging by what it looked like a moment ago, it's undoubtedly Tsuchimikado Harutora, Hishamaru, and Kakugyouki who were captured. The aura is the same from that time at Seishuku Temple." 
...Natsume-kun had been here just now rather than at the scene...... 
It was very difficult for the Yamantaka method of General Onmyoudou to hit a moving target. If Harutora had been searching for Natsume, he would definitely have been constantly moving, and couldn't have gotten hit so easily. They had needed Natsume as bait for this...... But in that case, why was Natsume here......? 
"......Miyoshi, are there Mystical Investigators on the scene?" 
"......None nearby." 
"But there were people there, right? The people fighting with Tsuchimikado Harutora." 
"That's wrong." 
"Hah?" 
"They weren't human, they were shikigami. I can't spot the aura of a master. Incidentally, they also fought with Tsuchimikado Natsume before Tsuchimikado Harutora arrived." 
"Wait." Yamashiro was confused. "You mean Tsuchimikado Natsume's also there?" 
"No. After the fight, her presence vanished...... Probably left with some other shikigami." 
Miyoshi stared at Kogure as he said this instead of looking at Yamashiro who had asked the question. 
"......Are they Mystical Investigator's shikigami?" 
"Who knows......" 
Kogure thought rapidly. 
They had been able to stop Harutora, Hishamaru, and Kakugyouki, and had successfully led them into Miyachi's magic. In other words, they were shikigami serving the Exorcist Bureau or Onmyou Agency. 
He knew a number of shikigami that could satisfy the first condition. But to simultaneously satisfy the second condition...... 
Even the Divine General Kogure didn't know whether he could oppose Hishamaru or Kakugyouki. As for an Onmyou Agency shikigami......? 
Kogure and the others hadn't been called over to 'engage', but to help 'capture'. Just as a means of insurance. And for Harutora...... 
"......Oh my." 
Miyoshi suddenly spoke up. His voice was very flat, but when Miyoshi spoke up on his own, it meant something abnormal was happening. 
"What happened?" 
Kogure asked. 
"A new force has appeared. It's unfortunate, but we should go back for today." 

"Damn!?" 
The bout with Yashamaru had been at most a skirmish, and he hadn't thought of a powerful magic like the Yamantaka method. It was a great magic that usually needed a number of people...... No, dozens of people to cast, and now there was only one caster. The practitioner possessed that level of strength. 
"The Divine General Miyachi Iwao...... How powerful!" 
Though he had heard rumors during his hiding, only now that he was experiencing this superhuman spiritual power first-hand did he recognize that they hadn't been lies or exaggerations. 
He could only maintain the barrier resisting the Yamantaka method because he had Kakugyouki with him converting spiritual power into magical energy to maintain it. 
But that Kakugyouki was showing a fatigued expression. 
"......Hey, this is bad." 
"I know that!" 
They might be able to escape if Kakugyouki got serious. It wouldn't be hard for the ancient oni with one of the three strongest spiritual powers in Japanese history to oppose the 'Fire Demon' controlling this at a range. If he broke through the barrier with all his power and whipped up a storm of spiritual power, Harutora could escape with magic. 
But...... 
"H-Harutora-sama! Please don't mind me!" 
Hishamaru was down on the overpass gasping on one knee next to Harutora. With her unstable spiritual power and after having suffered the Yamantaka method attack, the current Hishamaru would be unable to safely avoid an explosive storm. But if this deadlock went on, they would eventually be worn down. 
He could take off the Raven's Wing and give it to Hishamaru, but the Raven's Wing was Harutora's shikigami in the end, so it wouldn't be a very effective defense for the fellow shikigami Hishamaru. 
Damn. Harutora regretted. 
Had calling Hishamaru back been a mistake? 
Thinking about it now was useless. The important thing now was to think of how to break through this quandary. 
But, 
...How would he break through it? 
No matter how he thought, he couldn't find any ways to break through. Also, during the short period of time that Harutora was inactive, Kumomaru had taken new actions. 
He had circled around both ends of the overpass, setting three charms on each side to surround Harutora and company. Able to guess Yashamaru and Kumomaru's trick, Harutora inadvertently gulped. 
"The Eight-Point Barrier! Damn, they're really doing it......" 
The next moment, the six charms linked with Yashamaru and Kumomaru by pale blue lines of magical energy. The Eight-Point Barrier, a technique used against spiritual disasters. The spell originally required eight people to cast, but the other six were being replaced by charms. It was weaker than the true barrier, but was strong enough not to be easily broken through from the inside. 
"......Harutora!" 
"I know!" 
If the barrier were completed, they would be doomed, trapped inside the barrier even if Kakugyouki broke through the Yamantaka method. Even if they stalled for time, it would just invite more Independent Officers. What could they do-- 
"...Order!" 
A charm that flew over from somewhere cut apart the spreading lines of magic, wrecking the almost-formed Eight-Point Barrier. Yashamaru and Kumomaru who had been focusing on the spell moved back in a panic. 
Three figures appeared below. 
A seductive woman, a short, fat man, and a figure with a cane. 
"Ohtomo-sensei......" 
"......Yeah. I'm finally able to see you, Harutora-kun."