(Book 2) Neferpitou and the human Royal Guard

Chapter 18 Sewer-side Squad!

(Despite the name of the title, don't expect any references to Suicide Squad, I never actually saw the movie, and I don't really plan to :P)

When the smoke finally clears, I look around me and notice we're in some weird long room with a mix of wood and concrete floors, pipelines going along the concrete walls, on the wooden walls both behind us and ahead of us having a makeshift wooden door, the sound of running water bellow us. It quickly becomes clear we are now in a boarded up sewer when I take this all in. Thankfully it doesn't have the awful stench one would assume it would, guess the wood walls cover a lot of it, thank god.

"Hey wait a minute... this place looks like my secret bunker back at the castle..." Hina pipes up.

"You had a secret bunker?" I ask, completely unaware of this.

She nods in response. "Yep, but those mafia ants found it and broke in yesterday! So now it's all ruined..." Hina says, a little down now.

"Make yourselves at home." Yiga interrupts. "We're probably gonna be down here a while."

"It's not the most pleasant of spaces, but it's the best we can do for now." Sheikah adds.

"Hope you don't mind eating rats. It's the only reliable source of food in the sewer. Don't worry, Teuchi makes a good rat roast. The man's cooking is legendary, his prowess as a chef is the pride of our village. The survivors here can attest to that." Yiga boasts.

"Heh, hopefully we don't end up with any diseases from eating them." I joke.

Sheikah then states "Actually, you don't have to worry about that, Teuchi's 'Sanitation Roast' hatsu gets rid of any parasites and diseases in it's flames. He can make just about anything edible."

"Oo! Do I get to finally try some human food now?!" Hina asks, now ecstatic.

Smiling I chuckle and pat her on the shoulder and say "Sounds like it, princess. Why don't you go with one of these to see this Teuchi, see if his cooking is as legendary as Yiga claims."

"Don't have to tell me twice! C'mon Yiga, lets go!" she exclaims before grabbing Yiga's hand and dragging the big red ninja off through one of the doors.

Sheikah and I both stand silently at the amusing scene, the silence only being broken by my inquiry "Are they even going the right way?"

He shakes his head in response. "No, but she's bound to realize that eventually... Hopefully."

"Heh, sorry if she causes you two any trouble later, she's a bit energetic."

Sheikah chuckles at my apology and states "Don't worry about it lad, the folks down here could use a cheerful spirit like hers around. The place is a bit morose, given the circumstances. Besides, I bet little Gon would like a friend around here who can match his energy."

I feel my heart momentarily stop upon hearing that name again, not sure if I even heard him correctly. Did he just say... "...Gon?"

"Yeah, little spiky haired kid who helped us gather some of the survivors during the initial chaos. He's been a real godsend for moral." Sheikah explains.

My heart stops again. Surely this is just a coincidence, what are the odds of him being here to?

"Hey, you alright? You're looking pale."

"S-sorry... This Gon, his last name wouldn't happen to be Freecss, would it?" I ask timidly.

"Lucky guess. You met him before?"

"Yeah, last I saw him was in East Gorteau... Wasn't sure he was gonna make it."

Sheikah seems to have taken notice of my discomfort on the topic and decides to shift the conversation a bit. "Anyways, I think your little... friend?... younger sister?... daughter?... The little girl you brought with you will get along well with the lad."