The Mediator

First Book - Fighting the Living

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They stood on the rooftop of the hotel.

"For when the Overworld and the Underworld clashes..."

"The Lord shall rule over all," Alex replied. "And his power shall extend...?"

"Over land, sea, air, and graves."

Both bowed to each other. The tall, dark man removed his sunglasses.

"You are Mr Alex Aquarius?"

"Yes."

"The radar is in your hands, then." He snapped his fingers, and two men carried a large, brown cardboard package out of the helicopter. "Finish your work as quickly as possible."

"Send my regards to Lord Babi," Alex said.

The two shook hands, and within a few minutes, the helicopter took off into the dark night. Alex opened the box and took out a large silver watch.

"And now, I have work to do," he murmured.

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Chapter IX

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"Do you think he wanted to tell me something?" Mia asked anxiously. Isaac frowned.

"I don't know. But it seems to me that your meeting today was no accident," he replied.

"You mean, he was looking for me? But why? Because I'm a mediator like him?"

"Whatever it is, do not forget that he was the one behind that attack on Yaeyama Islands. This Alex Aquarius may be more dangerous than we think," said Isaac quietly. "Be on your guard if you ever see him again."

Mia nodded.

"I'll go out and ask around. It's possible that other ghosts might have seen him. You stay here and finish your homework."

"If you have any news, you'll inform me immediately?" Mia said. Isaac hesitated, then nodded. He flew through the wall.

Mia twiddled her thumbs. She didn't know why, but somehow, she felt inclined to get to the bottom of everything. Even now, Alex's words swam in her mind, and she wanted to see him again, ask him what he meant, and find out who he was.

She continued worrying about it all through school the next day.

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"Bingo," Alex said softly. He looked up at the relatively large and modern house. With pale blue walls, Victorian gates, and an English car sitting in the garage, it gave the impression of a foreigner's home. No one would think it had anything to do with a legendary Japanese medium.

The game-controller-sized red device in Alex's hand was beeping softly. Snapping his fingers twice, he waited until five ghosts had gathered and were floating behind him. Then, holding the device with one hand, he went up to the door and pressed the silver doorbell.

About a minute later, the door opened, and a girl with dark brown hair opened the door. Wearing a dark blue sailor school uniform, she looked about 15.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Alex smiled charmingly.

"Are you the owner of this house, my dear?"

"Oh, no. Mother is. We're not selling, though," she said, folding her arms.

"That is not what I'm after. If I may come in?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he entered.

"Ah, wait!"

"Kanako, who is it?" an older woman asked, walking out of the kitchen in surprise. She stopped at the sight of Alex, and shivered.

"Hello, Ma'am. May I ask your name?" greeted Alex.

"I am Yanagizawa. And you, sir?" she said stiffly. Her grey T-shirt left both arms bare, and she rubbed them.

"Ah, the one name I didn't check, because I was sure you would have changed it. How careless of me," Alex rubbed his nose gently. "That is your maiden name?"

"Who are you?" the woman demanded. "You... the aura..."

"I want the Channeling Jewel," Alex said. "Hand it over, and I'll do you no harm."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Get out of my house," ordered the woman. Alex shook his head slightly. Behind him, one of the ghosts gestured, and the big grey iron sitting near the window suddenly rose up. It flew towards the two women, and as they stared in dumbstruck horror, the ghost clenched his fist, and the iron dropped, landing with a loud crash on the floor.

"We don't have anything like that in the house! Leave us alone!" Kanako screamed. She clutched at her mother's long apron. Alex sighed.

"Looks like we have to do this the hard way, then. Search!"

Immediately, the ghosts behind him began to flit through the house.

"What... What are you doing?!" Ms Yanagizawa exclaimed. She trembled. "You... the ghosts...!"

"Looks like you can sense them. I'll make you a deal, Ms Yanagizawa. If you hand over Kanaku's jewel, I'll leave you in peace," Alex said reassuringly. Both women simply glared at him.

"As if we'd ever do that!" Kanako exclaimed.

"Kanako! Shut up!"

"Ah, so you do know about the jewel! Then they should have no trouble finding it in your safe..."

But when the ghosts gathered, "Nothing, sir" was the report. Alex looked down at his beeping radar.

"It's definitely here somewhere. Unless..." he eyed the two women.

"If you don't get out now, I'm calling the police!" Ms Yanagizawa threatened. She strode over to the white telephone. As she raised the receiver, two spirits appeared and floated towards her.

"Ah, now, we can't have that, can we?" Alex said pleasantly.

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Isaac stopped. He looked around. Somewhere, something was calling.

'Help me... please... He's coming...'

What was that? Isaac thought. He could feel a weak source of energy pulling at him. A few layabout ghosts hanging around seemed to sense it as well, and they looked about uneasily.

Only one way to find out. He started to fly towards the direction of the energy. The voice was still rather weak, echoing softly in his head.

'Please... he's coming... Help me... please... he's coming...'

"Who is it?" Isaac said aloud. Then the voice became stronger.

'You must help me.'

A feeling of dread came over Isaac, and he frowned, increasing his speed. He soared over the rooftops of Odaiba, past confused ghosts.

'You must help me, Isaac.'

"Wha?!" Isaac halted abruptly. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

'Quickly. To my seal. I will explain there. Quickly!'

Something pinged inside him, and the energy source began to beckon. Closing his eyes and focusing hard, Isaac allowed the voice to pull him. Floating through buildings, underground, through pipes and soil...

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in an underground shrine. The walls were made of yellowish grey stone, with ancient Japanese carvings and paintings on them. He could feel quite a few ghosts and spirits somewhere around, but what caught his attention was the large purple gemstone sitting in the middle of the shrine.

It was about the size of a volleyball, held in a large grey chalice, engraved with many unknown symbols. Thin silver ropes were wrapped around the chalice and jewel, holding them firmly to the small yellowish stone altar. The jewel sent out a strange wave, and Isaac felt something in him echoing the wave.

Then from the jewel, a hooded spirit rose, glowing white. She was robed in lilac, with a hood of white, and though her hands were wrinkled, her voice was steady when she spoke.

'Isaac. You must help me.' Her lips were still as she spoke.

"You speak in the ancient language of the Ryukyu clans. Who are you?" Isaac asked.

'I am Yanagizawa Kanaku. I am the maker of this Channeling Jewel,' came the telepathic reply.

"You are... a spirit?"

'No. My soul is no longer in this world. This is merely... a memory. Left with the seal I placed upon this jewel. But the seal will not hold against him. You must help me.'

"How? And why?" Isaac demanded. What was he supposed to do?

'He is after my jewel. This powerful, cursed jewel. Nothing good will come of anyone possessing it. You must not let him break my seal, Isaac.'

"I..."

'Please believe me, Isaac. He...'

With a loud crash, one of the walls came tumbling down. Isaac whirled around, and through the debris, two spirits emerged, looking rather grey. Patchs of dark grey filled their forms, and they stared at the unharmed Isaac in disbelief.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" one of them demanded. English? Isaac blinked.

"What's the matter?" a smooth voice asked in Japanese, and a third figure stepped through the debris. He stared at Isaac, as Isaac stared back at him.

"A spirit?"

Blue hair! Alex Aquarius? Isaac clenched his fists slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get," Alex pointed at the jewel, "that. Are you another trap that we have to pass?"

"Trap?"

'My shrine is filled with traps that can destroy souls, but the ghosts of this ruthless mediator have taken the blows. You must stop him!'

"Oh dear. That is Yanagizawa Kanaku, I presume?" Alex asked, sighing. He smiled at Isaac. "Old women tend to get so agitated. I just want to borrow that pretty jewel for a while, that's all. I swear I won't harm any humans. Will you let me pass?"

'You cannot!' Kanaku flew forward. 'The Channeling Jewel is cursed! If you use it, it'll...'

"It'll be fine. We have the best scientists in the world to work on it. So you can just move on to your next life, and stop worrying about something you left behind, all right?" Alex raised a hand, and an Energy Blast appeared. Kanaku disappeared as it passed through her, and headed towards the jewel. Before it could explode, Isaac had cast a large barrier of protection over the altar. The Energy Blast was absorbed, and the barrier disappeared.

Alex blinked in surprise. "You... you are good. I could use you on my team."

"Your team of ghosts and spirits? Who keep on doing harm to the other humans? What are you after?" Isaac asked warily.

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked. "Have you ever seen me do anything to hurt..."

"You went to Yaeyama Islands a few days ago, didn't you?" Isaac said coldly. "Amasawa Daisuke, wife and son. Yamazaki Sayako and Miyako. Masaaki Yujirou. You had a hand in everything."

Alex eyed him gravely, his face losing its easygoing smile. "Then you are the spirit who appeared on the Yaeyama Islands. With Mia."

"You're planning something," Isaac accused. His blue eyes grew even darker and colder. "I won't allow you to hurt any more innocent humans."

"Very well. George, Lenneth, forward!" Alex ordered. Shouting, the two greying spirits charged. Isaac held out his hands, and both of them froze. Having spent most of their power on the traps in the shrine, they were helpless against Isaac's Energy Blast, and they collapsed to the ground in zero state.

Alex smiled slowly. Without warning, he suddenly ran forward, moving at a speed that was just slightly above human capabilities. He raised his right arm and swung. Taken by surprise, Isaac could only dodge sharply to the left, and Alex's clenched fist rammed into his right arm.

Gritting his teeth, Isaac flew backwards, putting distance between him and Alex.

"What are you?" he demanded.

"A mediator. But you should know that. Unless dear Mia hasn't figured out how to use all her abilities?"

His arrogant voice, coupled with the dig at Mia, made Isaac turn on his offensive mode. The spirit raised both arms sideways horizontally. Cracks appeared in the floor and walls, and the stone broke. As Isaac brought his hands together swiftly, each piece rose and homed in towards Alex.

Alex gave a cry of alarm as the stone pieces crushed him, rendering him immobile. Isaac held his hands together, until only Alex's head was unconvered by stone. The mediator scowled.

"I'll let you go if you swear not to come near this house anymore," Isaac said. "Do I have your word?"

Before Alex could answer, there was a loud crash, and the ceiling came crashing down. A dozen souls came flying in, one of them holding a red device. They aimed energy blasts at Isaac, who was forced to erect a large barrier around himself and the jewel. His hold on Alex loosened, and the mediator escaped from his stony prison.

"We're causing too much disruption here. The radar! Quickly!" Alex cried. He grabbed the device and pressed several buttons on it. A bright light surrounded him, and he eyed Isaac.

"I look forward to seeing you again."

A flash of bright light shone, and he was gone.

"He... teleported?" But for humans, even a mediator, that should be impossible!

"We have the best scientists in the world to work on it. " If that were true, was it technology that enabled him to teleport away?

More importantly, why did he have the best scientists on his side? What were they after?

'He has returned for reinforcements. You must get help.' Kanaku had reappeared, much fainter than before. 'All those blows have weakened my seal. It will not hold much longer. Hurry, Isaac, before he comes back. Go for help. Find a mediator.'

Again Kanaku disappeared. Isaac stared at the loosened silver ropes on the Channeling Jewel.

Find a mediator? Could Mia do anything about this?

But what if I put her in danger?

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They stood in a small room, examining the map that Alex had drawn out.

"We will raid the place tonight. Get the ghosts ready to help," Alex ordered. Nodding in obedience, the spirits left the room. One of them remained.

"What if that spirit reappears, Master?" he asked.

"We will be able to take him down. One spirit alone cannot fight against a dozen ghosts," Alex said.

"But in doing so, our ghosts might disintegrate," the spirit said. Then he raised an eyebrow. "And that is what you are after, is it not?"

"You are too suspicious, Benjamin. Why would I want to destroy my men?"

"Most of them do not know what Lord Babi is after. But I was with him. I know what the Barrier Generator is for. Once it is complete..."

"Benjamin. Do you know why I asked for more ghosts to be in this mission, instead of spirits?" Alex asked, closing the door.

"Because spirits are rare, taking a hundred years to form. Yet our power is invaluable to you. So you would rather let a lot of ghosts die for their work, then send in a few spirits that might be lost."

"You are very sharp. I didn't choose you to be my trusted assistant for nothing."

"Master Alex, you are cunning. How do I know if you will not destroy me the minute that Channeling Jewel is in your hands?" Benjamin demanded. He seemed confident, but greyish shoulders were shaking.

"Ah, but you don't. You just have to trust me. And remember that I have the ability to send you to the Underworld whenever I wish to," Alex whispered. Then he smiled. "But Benjamin, if you trust me, and work with me, you will be able to stay with your wife and son for as long as you want to."

"But the other ghosts?" Benjamin persisted. Alex raised a hand.

"That is their business, not yours. Will you meddle in their afterlives, and thus bring harm unto yourself?"

Benjamin opened his mouth to reply, then thought better of it. He stared at Alex silently for a while.

"Do you promise that you will not destroy me? Send me to the Underworld?"

"I promise that I will not disintegrate you, or exorcise you," Alex said readily. "Now, go make preparations for tonight. You will be in charge."

Benjamin bowed, then exited the room.

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Mia bit her lip anxiously. "I... really don't know what I can do to help. Are you sure Ms Yanagizawa wanted me to go?"

"Her descendants would like to keep this quiet, without letting the police or the rest of the world know. But Alex will definitely return soon. I can't let him hurt them," Isaac said. He looked into Mia's worried blue eyes. "It will be dangerous, maybe more than we can imagine."

"In spite of that, you are determined to go?" Mia hesitated. Closing her eyes, she murmured something, then steeled her chin. "I will go with you."

Isaac smiled. Somehow, he knew she would say that. "But you must keep yourself safe, all right?"

"I will if you will," Mia said, smiling back at him. "But I have to eat dinner first. We'll leave after that."

"Alex might return before..."

"He did say they were causing too much disruption. I don't think he wants to let the rest of the world see what he's doing. So it is more likely that he will strike at night, right?" Mia said. Isaac sighed.

"Very well. But hurry, all right?" he said. Mia nodded and left the room.

He would not mention it, but she knew that he needed time to regenerate his Soul Energy. Their only chance of winning a fight would be starting it at full strength.

The sky had darkened when they finally flew out of the window towards the Yanagizawas' house. Mia clutched the silver marker inside her pocket.

Yet for some reason, part of her didn't want to fight. That part of her wanted to talk to Alex, to ask him for an explanation. He had seemed so familiar, so warm, so friendly... she wanted to give him a chance to explain his actions.

If he had the best scientists on his side, it is possible that there was a large organisation behind it. What was that organisation, and why was Alex involved in it?

Mia suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, as Isaac turned sharply, avoiding an Energy Blast flung at them.

"What-"

"We're being ambushed! When I land, head for cover immediately!" Isaac cried. He swooped around several more Energy Blasts, causing Mia to grab his shoulders more tightly, before he could land behind a large tree. Mia slipped off his back, and Isaac flew back into the air.

Twelve ghosts were floating around, casting small Energy Blasts at him. Each one was large enough to hurt to a soul, yet small enough to cause no visible damage to the roads and buildings. Isaac gritted his teeth and held out his hands, stopping them in midair. They struggled in vain to free themselves, when three spirits appeared and flung more Energy Blasts at Isaac.

He dodged them, and recognising one of the spirits, he called out in English. "Where is Alex?"

Mia blinked. Isaac speaks English?

"The Master does not need to deal with you personally. I will destroy you," the spirit replied in the same language.

I was right. Most of them are English-speaking. That is probably where their group resides. "I do not wish to fight with you. Please, tell me. Why are you helping him?" asked Isaac.

"That is none of your business," the spirit replied roughly. "You must be dealt with at once."

He raised his hands and formed large Energy Blasts.

Mia gasped. "Isaac! The other humans!"

Before the other spirit fired, Isaac dove downwards into the earth and disappeared. Roaring, the souls followed him, disappearing into the ground.

Mia looked around desperately, until she saw a flash of ghostly light shining from a single house. She ran to it, and pushed the unlocked door open. A woman and her daughter were conversing rapidly in low voices as they stared through a hole in the floor, and they jumped in fright when Mia entered.

"Is that... Are you the descendants of Yanagizawa Kanaku?" she asked.

"What do you want? We don't have anything here!" the girl cried. The woman stood in front of the rectangular hole.

"Leave at once! We've had enough trouble here!" she exclaimed.

"No, please, wait. I want to help you!" Mia explained. "Yanagizawa Kanaku, she... she called for me."

They both eyed her suspiciously. Before they could say anything, a loud explosion sounded through the hole, and pieces of broken debris came flying up. The two women dodged, screaming.

"Get away from here, quickly! Find a place to hide!" Mia cried.

"But the jewel... we have to keep it safe!" the woman protested, as her young daughter tried to drag her away, crying hard.

"I'll do my best. But you have to run! Quickly!" Mia insisted. The ghost was lying on the wooden floor in zero-state, and she leapt through the hole, hoping that Isaac was still all right.

She landed safely after a few feet, and ran down the long passage before her. There were holes, rocks, and pits all around her, but all the traps seemed to have been activated, so Mia continued running forward, up the stairs and down the ladders, until she came to the final room, where Isaac was fighting eight ghosts and three spirits.

It seemed totally chaotic, each of them moving at high speed, firing Energy Blasts in all directions. Mia wanted to help, but she knew that if she missed, Isaac might take the blow instead.

Hopping first on one foot, then the other, she decided to get the jewel first. Racing past the battling souls, ignoring their cries of surprise, she hoped that Isaac could handle them for a little while more.

Mia grabbed the Channeling jewel with both hands, then let go immediately as a voice sounded in her head.

'Mediator... destroy the jewel, now... before it is too late...'

"But, how?"

'Release the seal. Attack it with your Soul Energy. Once the seal breaks, you must destroy the jewel immediately! Only you can...'

The voice trailed off. As even more explosions and yells sounded behind her, Mia gripped the silver ropes tightly.

"Attack with Soul Energy... attack with Soul Energy..." she muttered. Not knowing how to control it, all she could think of doing was repeat the words over and over again, willing and wishing with all her might.

And it seemed to work. Familiar golden streams of energy began to flow into the silver ropes, and they gleamed brightly, before breaking with a loud snap.

That was easier that I expected, Mia thought in surprise. Lifting the jewel from the chalice, she turned to run, but one of the spirits was blocking her way.

"Mia! Get away! Quickly!" Isaac cried. His voice was strained, and even though there was only the three spirits and two ghosts left, Isaac seemed to have used up nearly all his Soul Energy.

The spirit reached out for the jewel, and Mia shrank back. Raising a hand, she fired an Energy Blast at him, and he dodged backwards. Hissing, he raised his hands to form Energy Blasts, until Mia lifted the jewel in front of her.

"Don't move!" she shouted in English. "If you attack, this will be destroyed!"

She had guessed correctly; they had been ordered to bring it back in one piece. The souls muttered among themselves worriedly, and Isaac flew towards her.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"The voice told me to destroy this. Only I can do it, she said. But they don't know that," Mia whispered back, holding the jewel like a shield before her. The souls continued talking to each other, staring at the jewel warily.

"What do you intend to do now?"

"I... I don't know. I'm hoping to stall long enough for the two Yanagizawas to escape from here," Mia said worriedly. "I don't have a plan, but..."

"Hey, you! The mediator!" one spirit called. "If you hand over that jewel, we'll let you go."

"And if not?" Mia said, breathing hard, though she already knew the answer.

"Not even that old spirit beside you can save you. He's near zero-state. Now be good. Hand over that jewel."

"They're safe," Isaac murmured. "They left on a vehicle just a few minutes ago. I felt their presence leave."

"Good." Mia raised the jewel. The souls cried out in horror as she dropped it. It landed with a clatter on the floor, before the souls could use telekinesis on it.

It stayed on the floor.

Unharmed.

Mia widened her eyes in disbelief. "How... I was supposed to destroy it!"

"Well, too bad!" the spirit sneered. He waved his arms, and the Channeling Jewel began to fly towards him. Isaac flung out a hand to stop it, and the jewel floated in midair, advancing first to one side, then the other.

The other souls grabbed the spirit's hand, adding their Soul Energy to him, and the jewel began to move steadily towards them.

"On my count, attack them with the largest Energy Blast you can conjure," Isaac muttered. "Ready?"

Mia nodded, then raised her hands behind her back.

"One... two... THREE!"

Isaac released his hold on the jewel. The force of the other souls energy sent them plummenting backwards, the jewel flying towards them. It landed at their feet, and the next thing that came flying was a large Energy Blast the size of a horse.

The spirits leapt to their feet, but it was too late for them to do anything except pull the ghosts in front of them. The Energy Blast exploded, and bright light filled the entire room. The walls began to crumble, the stone floor broke. Isaac pulled Mia out of the way, soaring up the passage and to the house so swiftly that Mia could only choke and splutter.

When she opened her eyes, they were standing outside. What was once a beautiful house was now a block of fallen ruins. Dust filled the air, and the three spirits could just be seen floating upwards. All three were dark grey, nearing zero-state, as they floated to a car humming quietly at the side.

"The jewel!" Mia gasped. She tried to move towards the car, but collapsed on the ground instead. Beside her, Isaac groaned. Someone in the car took the jewel from the spirits. As they watched, sparkling golden dust filled the air and flew towards the car. Some of it was absorbed by the three spirits, the rest entered the car by the window.

As Mia tried to stand, Isaac grabbed her arm.

"Don't. We'll never stop them now."

"But-!"

"If we go after them, you might get killed."

"I don't..."

WAAAAAWWWWWAAAAAWWWWWWW!!

"The police! We must go, quickly!" Isaac said. He struggled up and gestured to his back.

"I can't... You're going to hit zero-state again!" Mia protested. Isaac grabbed her arms and hoisted her up.

"It doesn't matter. I can't let you get into trouble here." Without another word, he flew upwards.

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This wasn't so excellent. In fact I think there were places a little odd... But I can't for the life of me think why.

Daidairo
3rd April 2008