"What's there to like?"

Nothing. But that, if anything, was self explanatory. "What the hell are you lookin' for anyway? We're not fucking ghostbusters, you know."

"I never said we were looking for ghosts, General," replied Tenpou, trying to pad up the edge in his voice but wavering. "I distinctly remember telling you that we were going down 'to look.' But if you're scared..."

"Cut the crap. All I'm goin' to say is that I had better get good compensation for being made to work off duty."

Tenpou decided to play along. "I'll talk to Goujin about giving you a short vacation in a century or two. Not now though. Busy times."

"Idiot." That wasn't the type of compensation he had been asking for. "Well, since you were the one who dragged me down here, you have to give the compensation, not Goujin." He shuddered at the thought.

"Now that you put it that way," the field marshal replied. "I'll give you a..."

He paused.

Kenren pushed him to continue, a little hopefulness in his voice. "A..."

"A hug." replied Tenpou with simple decision.

"A...hug." Kenren was incredulous.

"Or is that too intimate?"

"A hug."

"What did you think I'd give you?"

Fine, if the marshal wanted to play the damn innocent, he could very well do it. Kenren had threats. Very good threats.

"I..." the raven-haired general stated with obstinate resolution, wishing the loudness of his voice (and the provocativeness of the thought) would banish that eerie gut feeling he was getting from this place . "WILL get something VERY, VERY GOOD from you TONIGHT because I ain't prancing around in youkai guts for NOTHING. And you had better promise me something VERY, VERY GOOD or else I'll take you right here and now...on the damn FLOOR and I won't give a damn if the whole western army came in looking for us and found me screwing you senseless. You'll like it so much you won't even see the cadavers when I'm through."

"Well, if you put it that way, I guess I'll have to..." but his voice faded when he caught sight of a faint glow coming from a far off room. It disappeared. "One moment, please." And he quickened his pace to a slow jog until he reached the decrepit door which housed the "mysterious glowing thing." Farther behind him, he heard Kenren cursing as he smacked his own face with consternation.

"Dammit Tenpou!"

"Don't worry, General." he called over his shoulder. "You'll receive fair rewards for your efforts."

Kenren grinned and vowed to make sure that Tenpou lived up to his word. 'Rewards' not 'reward.' Tonight...will be a very very fine night indeed. Taking the time to make short celebration of this little victory, he lit a cigarette and posted himself outside the door, gun ready, while Tenpou foraged inside. "Hurry up Tenpou, this place is really too fucking creepy. I'm gonna have nightmares."

"Didn't I say that I'd help you deal with that?" he heard the voice mix with sounds of wooden boxes being open and shut, open and shut.

Drawers opened and shut, opened and shut.

Shelves being moved. "You're telling me now, and I'm gonna remember it." Books being opened... "And don't tell me you came here looking for books, dammit!"...and shut.

But Tenpou didn't answer. After two minutes of random treasure hunting, he found the rumored relic. Supposedly something that one of the demon king's spies stole from heaven years ago.

So much for border security.

From beneath a silken cloth, he found a mirror, and upon exposing its pristine surface, he nearly stumbled back from shock. The reflection he saw was not of himself...or it may have been...or might have not...

His same hair, only shorter. His same face, only kinder. His same ears, only with cuffs. His same eyes, only...with a monocle? His same lips, but instead of the grim line of abject horror Tenpou knew he wore, his reflection simply...smiled.

It followed his movements...just like any obedient reflection, but the eyes he saw were not obedient eyes.

"Oi, Tenpou, what's takin so long?"

He didn't hear Kenren's voice, only a little hum ticking the back of his mind, saying...

"A pity isn't it? That this isn't hell..." Tenpou whispered the words to himself.

Then behind his reflection, in the mirror, was a shadow. A specter, hazy and shifting. Tenpou glanced over his shoulder, but there was nothing. He looked back at the mirror. Definitely...something. So he approached the glassy surface, touched its coldness and looked deeper. Into his own strange eyes, but also into that shadow which seemed to move and take shape until his reflection wavered, melted, split like lava prying through the earth's cracks, only to meet the coldest day of winter. There were claws now...teeth so sharp that he could taste the blood they drew from his tongue...