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Hello there my friend! |
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"Allow Me To Cut Through Those Words!" |
Akumu walked down the hall back to the main guild building, thinking over the upcoming conversation with her brother. After knowing him her entire life, it wasn't hard to determine the course of the conversation, especially considering he always found a way to make sure she controlled the direction of it. She figured it was because of how quickly she shut down when she got uncomfortable, and while she didn't like that he had to adjust to how she felt, she also didn't want to admit to all of what had happened at the resort. As she spotted Itari resting on one of the couches, she headed over to him. She stakes her claim on the other side of the sofa, resting in the corner and pulling her knees up to her chest, resting her chin over them. "Ask away, you curious devil," She states, keeping her features completely neutral to feign her indifference to the topic that lie ahead of them. Truth be told, she did want to share her trip with Itari, as she knew her own happiness would make her twin happy as well. She also knew that she would only talk about the easy going moments, so it would give her time to reminisce over the time she spent there.
Itari flashes a coy smile towards his sister, smug in the fact that Akumu always seems to indulge his curiosity, even if only for a brief moment. He could tell that she was a bit more joyous than usual, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle with hidden words, and the fact that the corner of her mouth was fighting back the slightest smile. Itari decides to play it relatively safe, wanting to get Akumu to open up at her own pace, so he just simply asks, "So what happened on your trip?"
Akumu squints at her brother's smile, not quite sure how to receive such an action. "I read a nice book on the train ride over, then had coffee and a muffin. I went for a walk along a beachside trail and had a picnic. I got a lacrima phone," She pauses for a moment, skipping over the next few events. "I went to the restaurant you told me about. I relaxed in a hot spring. Then I went to bed and read the book on the return trip." As she finished, she focused back on Itari again.
"Oh I am glad you went to that restaurant, did you like it?" Itari says with a warm tone, thinking fondly of the memories he shared with Izar on their job together. He wondering if Akumu had thought about his request to join up with Izar and create a team within the guild. Surely it would be a good experience for them, and Itari was hopefully that it would help get his sister out from behind a book and into the real world. "Wait, you have a lacrima phone now? How did you afford that? Considering I have only seen you leave the guild a handful of times."
Akumu nods to his first question. "It was quiet and the sushi was pleasant," She states, steering her thoughts away from Izar as best she could. Her trip, without Izar, actually seemed to have been rather boring, though relaxing all the same. Quite different from the emotionally taxing day she had spent there, she thought. At his next question, however, Akumu realized that leaving Izar completely out of the picture would be impossible. If she tried to lie to Itari, she sincerely doubted he wouldn't pick up on it, no matter the effort she put into it. "It was a gift," She states, which was the truth, even if it wasn't the whole truth. However, that excuse could only give her a few seconds, as she Itari's follow-up question would be, "From who?" With great hesitance and willpower, she would look her brother in the eye and tell him it was Izar who had given her the phone.
As if on cue, Itari gracefully maneuvered the conversation in the direction that would yield the most information from his sister; fueling his investigation into what has lifted his sister's mood so much. "Oh really? You must have charmed someone quite a bit if they were nice enough to purchase one for you. Who did such a noble deed, if I may ask? Think they can hook me up too?" He asked with a joke, hoping to lighten the mood and take away from the feeling that he always got when he asked Akumu how she was doing. It somehow always felt like he was interrogating her, what with her brief answers with a tone that made it sound like he was pulling teeth. He shifted in his chair as he curiously saw his sister fret over her next answer.
Akumu really didn't want to answer the questions Itari had thrown her way. And in all honesty, it probably wouldn't take all that much to get him to give it up, but that would only be a temporary fix. If she did make him drop it, it would only make him more suspicious and he would eventually spring the question on her later. "Izar," She finally announced after a long pause. "Izar gave it to me. He wanted to be able to reach me if he or I were away," She states, hoping the blush that was beginning to burn at her ears would remain there. It was silly, she knew, to be embarrassed over something so trivial, but as Izar had mentioned, it was the small things that affected her life the most. "We also talked a bit about forming a team. I think discussing it en masse would be in our best interests so that we don't rush into it," She adds a moment later, the topic change allowing her to push her feelings to the side, and hopefully any of Itari's follow-up questions as well.
Itari sits in silence as he absorbs his sisters words, a blank expression plaguing his face as his brain slowly puts together the pieces. Izar bought her a phone...while she was on vacation at a resort I just visited...with Izar...On a job where we won tickets to go back that same resort... Tickets Izar said he was going to use with a special someone... And... "Oh my gosh you're the special someone?! Woah, woah, woah!" He shouts, pushing himself up out of the chair and pressing his palms against the side of his head in order to keep the thoughts he has contained. His body shifts from side to side as he looks around the guild room, his face contorted into something between anxiety, concern, anger, and confusion. "We will get back to the team thing, but right now I need to go have a stern talking to with Mr. Cosmos here. Izar! Where are you! Izar!" He shouts out as he takes off towards the staircase. He quickly backtracks and grabs Akumu by the wrist, pulling her out of her chair. "You're not off the hook either, you have some explaining to do to. To think that you would keep secrets from me! Ah the audacity! I knew you had probably met someone new, by the whole 'happy, but I'm hiding it' routine you had; but the fact that it was someone I told you I thought could be my best friend! We jus-- Ah. Geez. -- Izar, where the heck are you!"
Akumu shifts uncomfortably in her seat when her brother falls silent, stubbornly keeping herself from picking at her skin just to avoid her brother's concern. When he suddenly shouts, Akumu scrambles up to her feet, moving to smack her hands over her brother's mouth. "Itari ple—!" She begins, though as he begins to move in place, she is not able to keep him quiet. Then he starts running through the guild building, shouting Izar's name as Akumu stands there in defeat, wishing for this all to be some strange dream. Itari latches his hand around her wrist then, pulling her along as he continues to search for Izar. "Itari, would it not be more efficient for me to just call him?" She asks, stopping and refusing to budge even an inch more. "Look, I know it wasn't right for me to keep it from you but it's not..." She trails off, trying to find words that would ease her brother's concern-fueled rampage through the guild. "We're still figuring things out ourselves. I didn't want to get your hopes up in the event that things..." She stops again, though this time for an entirely different reason. Sighing, if only to get the weight such thoughts put on her chest, off, she looks at him expectantly. "I'll give him a call in my room and then we can talk." Itari relents at that, allowing her to go back to her room to grab her phone. She took it from its spot on her nightstand and took a deep breath in as she dialed Izar's phone number. It only took a few moments before he picked up and she simply told him to come to the guild rather than try to explain the situation. She came out of her room and went back to where she had left Itari. "Please don't make a scene," She requests, though she figures its a bit too late for that at this point.
Itari stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his face wearing a scowl as he grumbles out. "Psh, make a scene...as if anyone would pay attention...No one thinks about Itari. No one pays attention to Itari. Ha, make a scene..." The rest of his nonsensical pout was drowned out by the ambient noise of the guild as Itari turned towards the door to await the arrival of his so called "best friend".
Izar sat his things down on his couch as he looked around his home which was much barer than the hotel room had been. He let out a quiet sigh as be walked to his kitchen and began rummaging through it for ingredients to make himself breakfast as he and Akumu had not eaten before boarding the train. He wondered if he should have at the very least offered to make her breakfast though, his offer most likely would have been turned down as she needed to get back to Itari, who had most likely been searching for her the whole time. Perhaps this was for the best though, their date had ended well and he liked it that way. He had just scrounged something up when he felt his pocket begin to vibrate, Hm? So soon? Izar thought as he pulled the phone from his pocket, answering it with a friendly "Hello?" figuring it would be Akumu telling him Itari was ready to discuss the forming of their team. Izar realized he shouldn't have been surprised as Itari had seemed quite excited about the idea, most likely jumping at the chance the moment Akumu agreed to the idea. Izar's smile faded as he heard the tone in Akumu's voice, it concerned him greatly, simply telling him to come to the guild. "Alright, I'll be there soon." Izar said, knowing better than to try to ask her anything. He hung up before quickly putting up the lazily thrown together breakfast he had created and racing toward the guild hall. He reached the guild in about five minutes, entering through its front doors and finding both Itari and Akumu standing off to the side, neither of them looking too elated. Izar walked over to them, "Is something wrong?" He asked.
Itari scoffs a bit at the obvious question, for anyone who could remotely read body language could see the tension held in the posture of the Renato twins. Itari steps towards Izar, as to signify his intent in this coversation. His mind was flooded with the thoughts of betrayal. The secrecy held between two people he holds dear; and over what? Fear of judgement? That he was still unsure about, but if he were to ever form a team with someone, Itari knew that honesty and open communication would be essential to their success. The fact that they have both hidden something so very important from him, put him on edge and made him filled with both shame and distrust. "You need to explain what has been going on here. What have you guys been keeping from me." His voice had a sense of controlled emotion; a calm, steady flow of delivered lines. His body, however, remained in its closed off stance, crossed arms shaking with withheld feelings.
Izar watched Itari move toward him, the mans posture was much different from the easygoing, somewhat eccentric man he had come to know. He seemed a bit on edge, something was obviously bothering him. This concerned Izar, as he figured that, of all people, Itari could keep a positive attitude in any situation. When Itari spoke, Izar felt himself tense up in a similar way that he had when Akumu had brought up his becoming friends with Itari. Izar quickly averted his gaze from Itari's , turning to look toward Akumu for any sign of what he should do. She didn't look at him either, leaving him to come up with something all on his own, Izar trained his gaze back on Itari, wishing he at the very least knew what it was Itari had already found out. Though, that didn't really matter as he highly doubted he could lie to Itari to begin with. He hadn't lied to him before, only left out key details in his story. He had spoken of a girl he cared for, and what he intended to do with the tickets the two had worked for. Izar had no right to be the one to tell Itari, Akumu had been the one who had wanted to keep it a secret to begin with, therefore it was only right that she tell him when she felt ready. Unfortunately, she was being denied that choice, Itari having somehow put the pieces together and now confronted Izar with it. He took a deep breath in through his nose before letting out a 'I guess the cat's outta the bag' sounding sigh, " I have feelings for your sister," Izar stated calmly despite the fact that his heart beat like a drum in his chest. "Over the past few months her and I have been in a relationship. We decided to keep it a secret because, we didn't want others prying in as we ourselves were unsure of exactly what we had. Don't you remember what I said, Itari? When you asked if I had a "Girl"? I told you that I would like to think so, and that it was complicated. That was one hundred percent true, I didn't know what Akumu and I were back then and to be completely honest with you, I'm still not sure. Only a week ago was she willing to call us a couple." Izar explained. "That being said, I understand that you must be hurt, to have had to figure this all out by yourself instead of being told by one of us. I'm truly sorry you had to find out this way, but I want to assure you that we had every intention of telling you before we became a team. Akumu brought it on the train ride back here, she wanted to tell you about us to avoid a situation exactly like this one."
Akumu stared down at her feet, feeling shame build up in the pit of her stomach. It was horrible of her to keep this from Itari, especially considering she knew the friendship he and Izar had. It was also horribly wrong for her to allow Izar to explain the story, as this could have been avoided if she hadn't been so stubborn and selfish in the first place. So, as Izar came to a conclusion, she decided to intervene so that the whole truth could be conveyed. "I was the one who said to keep it hidden," She states, bringing her gaze up towards the two men. "In hindsight, that was not a decision made in anyone's best interests, but, at the time, it had seemed like the right thing to do." She sighs, kneading her hands together just to keep herself busy. "There's a lot that I don't understand when it comes to what Izar and I have and share, and I didn't want to bring a third party in, even if that meant excluding you. I just wanted to figure things out on my own. I see now that I closed more doors than I opened, in the process. And for that, I hope that my apology can make up for it." She takes a deep breath in, exhaling as she silently counted to three. "I am very sorry for keeping this a secret," She states, shame, though sincerity, clear in her tone.
Itari keeps his deadpan face as he looks between the both of them, visibly seeing the chagrin flooding their eyes. He takes a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders in the process, before he speaks. "I understand that relationships can be confusing, and defining such a thing is not an easy task between two people, let alone adding others into it. But you say this was solidified a week ago? And I am just now figuring it out on my own? You can understand my heartbreak at having to deduce such an important thing on my own when there was numerous occasions you could spoke to me about it, right? I wanted to form a team because I trust the both of you. I feel I can tell you guys anything, free from the judgmental eyes of those unworthy of such confidence. But withholding something because you feel notifying a third person will complicate an intimate and personal experience between the two of you, is something I don't personally understand, but is none the less hurtful to me." His arms fall to his side as Itari begins to open up and calm down a bit.
He turns to his sister and places a gentle hand on her arm, looking her in the eyes. "I apologize for shouting earlier Akumu, I, by no means, want to throw you into the spotlight if you'd rather remain in the shadows. But there is a difference between privacy and secrecy, don't you know? You shouldn't keep something that you hold dear a secret. You should be proud of the person who holds your heart, and show them off to the world. That does not mean you need to tell them what you two do; that is to remain private." Turning back to face the two of them, he continues, "If we are going to form a team with one another we need to have open communication. Hiding things will only bring trouble down the line, and that could be the difference between success and failure. I still want to form a team with both of you, but I don't want to always be second guessing myself if there is some hidden agenda going on."
Akumu's own body loosens up when she sees Itari relax, though the guilt still stayed, tying knots in her abdomen. She found solace in her brother's honesty, and while his words did sting, she also knew he was dealing with pain. The trust he thought he could put in them had been fissured, and all for nothing in the end. She couldn't offer comforting words, she couldn't understand or even begin to compensate for what she had done. Though, she made a promise to herself right then to make sure that something like this didn't happen again.
The small, comforting gesture from Itari calms her and makes the meaning of his words much clearer. There was no need to hide the calm and sweeter parts of any relationship, regardless of the type or nature, as it simply wasn't wrong of her to feel love or affection towards someone else. She nods, slow at first then more assured, at what he says. "I won't, on Tajitu's name and grace, lie or withhold the truth from you ever again," She vows. "I want to be part of a functioning team where I can depend on, and be depended on, by you two, no matter the situation. And I would like to earn back the trust and respect that you held for me so that I can be part of a team like that."
Izar too felt himself loosen up after seeing both Itari and Akumu beginning to relax, the tense situation seemingly having been defused for the most part. He nodded as Akumu spoke, waiting for her to finish before giving his own apology. "I'd like to apologize as well. It was wrong of me to accept your friendship while going behind your back the way I did, there is no excuse for my actions. And whether or not I meant to hurt your feelings is irrelevant as that's what I ended up doing anyways. I'm sorry lying to you, Itari, and I know a mere apology cannot fully make up for what I've done. Which is why I would like to continue repairing our friendship by forming a team with the two of you. In hope that I too, as Akumu said, can be part of a team where we can depend on one another no matter what situation we find ourselves in." Izar said, extending his hand out to Itari in the offer of a handshake. " What do you say, Friend?" A friendly, albeit a bit nervous, smile adorning Izar's features.
Itari looked at the gesture of the man before him with a half cocked smile, as he extended his own hand to return the handshake. After the shake, Itari's eyes light up with his usual excitement, pushing back the shaking depression he felt into the depths of his mind. A place that held all the trouble of his past and present, that he himself fears to face. With his sadness locked away again he loops his arms over the shoulder's of his best friend and his sister. "Aww I could never stay truly mad at you guys, no need to beat yourselves up about it!" He laughed out, a toothy grin painted on his face once more. "Well now that we have the air cleared, everything all out in the open and such, how about that team idea? I see you both are still up for it, so how do we go about this little shindig?"
Akumu senses his brother's hesitance, feels the too rapid shift of his emotional state. As he loops his arm around her, she bites her tongue, knowing he doesn't want to speak about it right now. So she does the best she can, tapping a quick rhythm on his hip with her fingertips. Hardly noticeable at all, and it would mean virtually nothing to anybody but the twins. Growing up, they had learned morse code so they could speak freely without having to worry about their parents' ridicule, and while she didn't enjoy having silence forced upon her, it was useful then and was still useful now. I am here, her small touches spoke, though that was all she gave him, refocusing all her attention on their small group. "Anything is alright with me," She states. "Perhaps something to tie in our balance of magics? Or the path we wish to take?"
Izar was shocked by Itari's sudden change in mood, so much so that he almost flinched when the man pulled to two of them in for a hug, such a mannerism being quite reminiscent of Akumu's. Perhaps he's more like his sister than I originally thought... Izar thought to himself as he felt the taller man's weight on his shoulders. He looked over to Akumu, who seemed to notice the all too sudden change as well, but her silence on the matter was enough to see to it that Izar would not bring it up either. When Itari brought up them forming a team and how they should go about it, Akumu was the first to speak up, suggesting they choose a name first. Izar pondered of the idea for a few moments, slipping from Itari's grip as to allow himself to think more clearly. After another few minutes he comes up with nothing. "The Guild's rules state we have to complete a job together before we can officially be recognized as a team." Izar says, "Though, I'm not sure if that rule applies to us. I mean, I've been on jobs with both of you before, and you two have known each other your whole lives. I'd say we have a pretty good understanding of eachothers strengths and weaknesses at this point." Izar continued, walking over toward the job board. "But perhaps going on a job anyways would be for the best, maybe we can think of a cool name while were out there?" Izar said looking over the jobs, "What do you all think?"
Itari's face falters when he feels the taps on his hip from his sister, decoding her message quickly. Akumu had always been one to look out for him and his well being, concerning herself with his emotions far too much. Itari hated the fact that he had burdened her in such a way, and so has done his best to always repress his emotions, only showing those people deemed favorable during his times of anguish... He quickly taps out a message on Akumu's shoulder, signaling Thank you. I'm ok. Truly grateful for his sisters concern, but not wanting to give her any more to worry about than she already had confessed to him, he released her from his grasp and begins to walk over to the guild job board. "I think a job sounds perfect. We may know eachothers strengths separately, but our chemistry as a team can't be computed by separate trials. We gotta get out there all together and put it to the test!" Itari pulls out a devious smirk, coupled with a wink. "Although I know you two have chemistry already..." He laughs out, unable to keep his amusement under control at the obvious embarrassment of his two partners.
Akumu sees the shift in his facial features, and though she quickly decodes his message, she doesn't believe the validity in the taps. However, knowing her own issues with conveying her care and the already thin ice they were treading on, she decided to drop it. She sighed softly as he lifted his arm off her shoulder and went over to the job board to survey the requests others had put up. She follows soon after, piping in a quick, "Trial and error," in response to Itari's first statement. As he continues on, Akumu wastes not a single second in punching him in the arm. Not enough to bruise him of course, but it would hurt quite a bit. "Shut up," She states, though it sounds much more like a plea than her normal demanding tone. Her ears are hot with embarrassment and she purposefully avoids even glancing towards Izar. She focuses back on the pieces of paper hanging on the wall, glancing over the descriptions. She stops on a B-Class job entitled Darkness Falls and begins reading it in detail. The name Oshibana makes her want to just forget about it altogether. However, she also doesn't want others to go without their mother. She sets her jaw and points at the flier. "I want to fix things before they fall apart completely," She states, looking towards her brother to read his reaction.
Izar's began to blush slightly at Itari's words, though he couldn't help but smile a bit at Akumu's response, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. He moves out of the way as Akumu approaches the job board, allowing her to look over the full list of jobs they had to choose from. Izar sees her reaction upon reading the flier of a B-Class job. He glances over her shoulder to get a better look at the job, doubting even the horrible events the flier spoke of would have been enough to have made her tense up the way she did. Izar's assumption was confirmed when she turned to Itari, her eyes seeming to search for a reaction rather than an answer as she pointed at small paper. "Is something the matter?" Izar musters up the courage to ask, feeling like there was something important he was missing.
Itari's rubs the spot that had just been punched in pain, laughing it off shortly. His mouth soon falls into a straight line though, as he reads the description of job Akumu suggest. The depths hidden in the back of his mind bubble up once more as he sights what caused his sister's demeanor to skip. "That's our old home town... As much as I would despise to return to such a place that houses such a horrible man, I agree that we can't let something this atrocious go on...I vote we take this one, if we leave now we can make it before the sun sets and another person is taken. What do you guys say?"
Akumu nods, feeling dread settle over her. Could she stop herself if she saw him again? Did she have it in her to leave him alone when darkness consumed the entire city? These dark thoughts threatened to consume her, and only as she looked up at the two men was she able to remind herself that staying by their sides was more important. She had no idea what kind of trials they would face on this job, but when the lights cut out, there was a chance she would be the only one able to guide them. "Let's not waste time then," She says, ripping the flier off of the board and walking over to the bar counter. After getting it approved by the barmen, the group then traveled to the train, purchased their tickets, and boarded shortly thereafter. Akumu sat near the window, slipping off her shoes and tucking her legs beneath her. She looked over to Izar then, steeling her nerves. "Like Itari said, Oshibana is our hometown and I don't have many pleasant memories of the childhood I spent there. Our father was a terrible, terrible man; He was manipulative, cruel, and there was no end to his tyranny. Anywhere we went, everything we did, was controlled and orchestrated by him. Our mother didn't care what he did, either. Most of the time she was so blackout drunk she actually forgot the horrible things he did to their children." She sighs, her hands locking together in her lap. "I hid it all, I pushed it all away. I did everything I possibly could to make sure Itari never found out about the truth of his supposedly perfect nuclear family. And it lasted for years. I took everything. I threw myself under the bus every time just to make sure Itari would keep smiling. It was all I had to keep my spirits up in the midst of a torture worse than any childish nightmare I'd ever had. And then Itari—" She cuts off, her throat closing up and her eyes welling with tears. She shuts them tight, though she can't push it down no matter how hard she tries. "I made the same mistake now as I did then. I thought hiding things would make them better but it didn't and it still doesn't. I'm so sorry." She croaks out, voice soft and low, though she's managed to keep her tears from falling. The same cannot be said for the blood that spills from her thumbs now, though, trickling down her fingers and coloring her pale skin red.
Izar turns to Akumu upon hearing Itari speak of their hometown, she stood there in silence for several moments. He was just about to reach out to her when she suddenly snapped out of her trance, quickly agreeing to take the job as she ripped the flier off the board. Izar watched helplessly as she walked away toward the bar, he didn't know what to do or even if there was something he could do. They quickly made their way down to the train station in silence, Izar switched his glances between the two of them, favoring Akumu as she seemed the most bothered by returning to her hometown. They found their seats on the train, Izar having saved her a window seat as he always did despite the fact that she rarely glanced out of it. The heavy silence remained for several minutes after the train took off before Akumu's eyes rose to meet his own and began speaking. Izar listened to her words carefully, absorbing each and every one of them as he felt his heart dropping. He gripped the arm rest to his left to the point that his hand turned white, said hand and arm shaking as a mix of anger and sadness flooded him. Izar looked back up to her when he hears her cut off before continuing to speak in a cracked voice, seeing she had closed her eyes, no doubt to hold back tears. Izar quickly glanced down at her hands, having learned of her dangerous habit yesterday. Though, this time he failed to notice it before she had drawn blood. He reaches over, gently placing his hand over top her's, wrapping his fingers around her left hand. "Hey now, it's okay Akumu. Listen to me, you're okay, everything is going to be okay. Things aren't like they were back then, back then you were just a child doing the best they could. It's not like that anymore, you don't have to bear this burden alone, me and Itari are here for you one hundred percent." Izar said in a soft, hopefully reassuring tone. "Please look at me." Izar said, waiting a moment for her to comply before continuing. "I'm here for you." He said, looking her straight in the eye before pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and offering it to her.
Akumu doesn't realize Izar's moved at all before she feels his hand envelop hers, a soft warmth emanating from his palm and into her skin. She's reluctant to allow it, and she simply stares down at the hands in her lap, ultimately deciding it isn't bad, so she won't fight it. She feels as her magic activates on its own, traveling to her wound and sealing her skin once again with sutures of darkness, which then disappear as they are replaced by her skin. She runs her thumb along the side of Izar's hand, though she convinced herself that she only did it to test the elasticity and feeling of her skin. She feels Izar's gaze on her and she feels so ashamed of how weak she is. However, when she looks into his eyes and sees the concern, pure and unabashed, that filled his gaze, she is taken aback, her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. She nods her head, unable to speak for the moment. In her daze, a few tears had slipped down her cheeks, a glistening trail across her skin. She takes the proffered handkerchief in her free hand, wiping the tears away and turning her sight away from Izar. She looks over at her brother and finds that reading his expression is harder than it normally is, which worries her to no end. She's being kept out, and while she knows she's done the same to him countless times, she can't help but feel betrayed. "Child or not, the past has already repeated itself once." Her tone is kept short and clipped, though it doesn't reflect the dread hat fills her heart when she realizes how many different ways the past could find a way to kick her while she was down. She gives the cloth back, then rests her hand on top of Izar's, squeezing his hand lightly. "I don't want it to happen again."
Itari watches the exchange, his eyes flicker with something almost demonic as he sees the tear fall down his sister's cheek. A tear of pain that should have been long forgotten, but has once again resurfaced in the face of this new disaster. Albeit it was cute to see that Izar was so kind and considerate towards his sister, and from his past time spent with him, there was no doubt that Izar was a good guy and could bring a bit of happiness into his sister's life, yet he still felt the ting of betrayal welling up inside him. He understood that it was wrong to feel such things, as the guilt his two teammates felt was enough burden for his eyes to see, but seeing history repeat itself right before his eyes left him distraught. The fact that they are returning to such a place where the pain of the world was kept secret from him from the one he loved most was ominous and left him with a sense of deja vu. Have I really done nothing to grow as a person? Am I still stuck in the body of my younger self, filled with the nonsensical naive ideals that there is light still left in this world? Am I doomed to be stuck in this repeating past because I am blind to what the world is truly like? His eyes are glazed over, lost in his own world of words, before he snaps out of his daze to hear his sister's last words. Itari nods his head in agreement with his sister; there is no way he would let such sadness plague another family if he could have any say in it. His mind was racing with possible explanations to these disappearances, but he knew he shouldn't worry over something if he didn't have all the details. He would just have to wait and see for himself; although he felt great comfort knowing that he now had Izar and Akumu by his side. "Let's go shine some light on this situation, yeah?" He says with a cheeky smile and a thumbs up, his defense mechanisms back in place as he lets out a slight giggle at his own pun.
Akumu considers her brother's emotional state, not by her magic, but by what she can see. Through everything, she thought it would be second nature by now, but Itari's gotten consistently better at layering everything. He shows only what is appropriate for the situation, keeping anything else beneath the overwhelming blanket of those emotions. He chooses to show things that cover a wide spectrum, laying it on thick to ensure nobody can read him. It's her fault too, everything always is. Had she been open and shared the burden, she wouldn't have to spend so much time just trying to understand her twin. The return of his confidence leaves Akumu struggling for something to hold on to and identify, for a truth between the others. How many situations are still left in the dark now? And how much more will we hide after this? She wonders, a scowl pulling at her features. She pulls her hand from beneath Izar's, squeezing his hand once before releasing her grip. "Hiding now will do us no good. Questioning anything in the middle of the mission can only harm us. I promise that I will be open about anything that happens after it is dealt with, not before or during. The risk is too high and the time constraint will make it even harder." Her eyes flicker between Itari and Izar, uncertainty coloring her forest green gaze darker. Hesitation would not help her but the tension she felt between herself and her twin was bogging her mind. Keep it together. Being a leader doesn't mean you have to hide the darker parts. Honesty and communication are key. She feels both her own voice and her brother's resonating in her head. He is beside her no matter what and she has to believe that, now especially, when things have gotten rocky again.
Izar moves his hand back into his own lap when Akumu moves hers away, interpreting the final squeeze on his hand as a thank you of some sort. He stared down at his hand, dried and faded droplets of her blood still present from the self inflicted wound he had been unable to stop her from opening stared back at him. While he hoped his gesture had brought her at least a bit of comfort, he hated feeling like that was all he could do. He'd never felt so useless before and it ate away at him because he was supposed to be there for her and he had no idea how to do that. Itari's obvious discomfort succeeded only in deepening Izar's feelings of uselessness as he had no idea how to help him either. He had no idea what kinds of emotions Itari was hiding away or just how badly he felt betrayed by his and Akumu's secret. They weren't even in Oshibana yet and Izar knew that taking this mission was a mistake, he should have shot down the idea the second Itari mentioned it had been their hometown. There were plenty of powerful mages in Koma who could have taken the job, feeling no pain or bad memories at visiting the town. Izar looked up when he heard Akumu begin to speak, nodding despite only understand most of what she was saying. He wouldn't speak though as he had an itching feeling that it was not his place to. Izar causally checked his watch, knowing they would arrive at the dreaded location soon as it was not far from Onibus to begin with.
Itari heeds his sister's words, nodding his head in agreement as he stretches out his arms in tune with the screeching sound of the train's brakes against the worn tracks of the station. Itari looks to his teammates who are already standing as the train halts, grabbing the quick carry on bag they managed to pack before leaving. Itari follows suit, knowing the urgency of the situation as he follows them down the traincar's hall, glancing out the window and estimating that they had only an hour or two before dusk would fall and the real trouble would begin. Hoping off the platform behind Akumu and Izar, Itari breaks their concentrated silence with a question of his own. "So what do you guys say our course of action is? Ask around? Set up an observation site? I feel either would be appropriate if we are going to catch whoever is behind this. We," He says, gesturing between him and his sister, "know this town better than anyone and I bet you we could guess the likely place any kidnapper would target."
Akumu ponders over her brother's questions for a few moments, considering the possibilities. She doubted there would be useful information on anything since there were no visual accounts to go off and the people's other senses would be unreliable anyway, as they were untrained, in shock, and afraid. "We would be better of setting up an observation spot first. If we have time afterward we can ask around but there's a high chance we won't find anything if we do." She looks around the station, remembering the last time she had been here. She pictured the slightly younger version of herself, constantly on edge and waiting for something to threaten the fragile happiness she had found. She lightly taps her fingers on the side of her thighs to keep her anxiety at bay, taking deep and slow breaths at the same time. Leading herself through the city seemed all too impossible at this moment, let alone two other people. "Dark Moment, assuming that's the spell they use to cast the city in darkness, only covers an average of 25 feet, though when more energy is put in, more distance is covered. However, making it bigger takes more time, and therefore preparation for its casting is necessary. I know it'll be hard from a distance, but look for people with their eyes closed and with their arms held like this," She pauses to demonstrate the position, her hands shaking as she does. "The darkness blooms out from whoever is casting it, so the magical signature will be most prominent around them. They can't move for three seconds to ensure the spell is kept stable, and it stays active for fifteen seconds. Their eyes glow red, so be on the lookout for that." Her gaze flutters around the area, unable to keep focused for fear she'd be jumped or attacked or taken away. What if her father had some relation to this? What if he was doing this to ensure she'd come back? What if this was all a plan to get her back in his clutches again? Would he use her as ransom once he caught her, guaranteeing the other women's returns if he was allowed to keep her? What would he do when Itari begged to be taken instead? Her hands balled up into fists, grief and frustration building up within her. "Please promise me you'll leave if something goes wrong." She still keeps her gaze anywhere but the two people she was talking to, too ashamed and paranoid to try and look them in the eye at the moment.
Izar nods when she explains that asking around would prove fruitless. His eyes beginning to dart around when Akumu begins telling them the signs they should look out for. Considering the amount of magical power it would take to cover the entire city in darkness based on the range of the spell Akumu had described, he knew that whoever it was they would be facing would have to be very powerful to achieve such a feat. The fact that they had so little to go on worried Izar, the tension radiating off his two teammates did little to ease the stress he felt. He took calm, slow breaths to insure that he remained composed. The last thing he needed is to allow the other two to see that he was nervous as they were most likely tens times worse off than he was, having returned to the town that haunted their memories. Izar himself was unfamiliar with Oshibana, having only passed through a few times. He cursed his inexperience with the town, knowing he'd have to rely on his partners to guide him when he was unsure if either truly could without being overcome with emotion. He glanced at Itari, unable to read the blonde haired man for the life of him. His gaze then fell upon Akumu who was much unlike her normally composed self. It was as though he could cut the tension radiating off of her alone. He opened his mouth but quickly closed it, not knowing what he could say to help calm her down. He didn't want to just say something without thinking, lest she lash out at him and only fall deeper into whatever horrible place she found herself in. Izar's thoughts were interrupted when she spoke up, Izar felt his fists clench as he listened to her. What the hell are you saying? I can't leave you behind and Itari sure as hell won't either. He thought to himself, trying to figure out how to translate that into something better. "Akumu, you said it yourself earlier this morning that, and I quote. 'We'll be able to handle the challenges that come our way, we've got more than enough power between us.' I firmly believe that to be true, and I think you need to have more faith in your own words. I know things must be hard on the both of you right now, but we're all here for eachother. Leaving either of you behind isn't an option for me, surely you must know that." Izar said, moving to step into her line of sight. "No matter what happens or what stands in our way, we'll stand and face it together. All three of us."
Itari mentally scoffed to himself, Surely Akumu hasn't told you everything then Izar. Don't worry, you will learn soon enough that this spell isn't the only darkness that plagues this town. He lives here...and to us that is more fearsome than the red eyes that peer through this Dark Moment. Though he did have to shake his head in agreement that he would never leave his sister behind. Not when they were little. Not now. This is why he learned Light Magic, this is what he asked the phoenix for. He wanted the power to cast away all the darkness that lay trapped in his mind, slowly decaying and hitting him with it's toxic fumes, as if it were telling him, "I am home now. I have the power once more." It was this light that he held in his heart that he wanted to use to guide himself out of the black, so that he can shine brightly and guide others along their way as well. If he was going to achieve his desire, the one that his Master gave him the gift to achieve, he was going to need to overcome this obstacle before him. His eyes are set ablaze with determination, although the slow drip of fear and pained memories did it's best to extinguish his light. I have to stay strong. I have to be the one to help Akumu this time. I have to... He thought before letting out a heavy huff and slamming his fist into his palm. "Alright, let's get things clear here. No one is leaving anyone behind. We are a team, which means we have each others back. Got it?" He says and points a finger at his sister with a stern look on his face to help bore through the mug of self doubt and anguish she wore. Straightening back up he places his hands behind his head as he thinks of a good vantage point for them to make base. "Now there is this old church where you can get atop the walkway that encompasses the steeple's bell. That is probably the best view get an aerial of the central homes of the city, as well as the bordering suburbia. How about we go there?"
Akumu was overwhelmed with her feelings and the feelings that Izar and Itari conveyed. Both of them would probably be unaware of the minute magical signature that they exuded when they were backed into a mental corner, but it was like a flashing, blaring signal to the woman who's magic depended on and fed off of negative emotions. Both Itari's and Izar's gazes on her make it increasingly obvious they won't leave her behind, but that doesn't make her any less determined to make sure they do. "You might not have a choice in the matter." She states curtly, forcing her anxiety down in favor of covering it up with her bubbling anger. She could control that better than anything else, or at least guide it into something productive. "Don't do anything stupid for my sake. Innocent people are more important than I am," and so are you two. She wouldn't dare say the last part, as she knew neither of them would accept it and they had better things to do than argue about her worth. "But I probably can't trust you dolts to do the smart thing so I guess that means I'll just have to make sure we don't get separated." She gives them a small smile that never travels to her eyes, and she can only hope they drop the topic with the somewhat reassuring phrase. As Itari continues on with ideas for bases, Akumu pictures the church building, though that brings images of her brother standing on the walkway with it. She had excused several bruises on that walkway, mostly because her sleeves had slipped up and revealed a few that looked far too reminiscent of fingerprints. She blamed it on a typical bully at their school and she wonders if her brother had thought that was weird since every bully at their school cowered in fear when Akumu glanced in their direction. "The church would be a good place to start. The two-story cafe on the eastern side of the city might be a good option too. While we're looking one of us can ask locals for their accounts on the disappearances."
Izar gave a quiet nod at Itari's suggestion hoping that the subject of leaving anyone behind would be dropped there. His hope was shattered when Akumu spoke, telling them they might not have a say in it. Izar felt a bit of anger rise within him when she told them that others were more important. He clenched his teeth, careful not to let his anger show on his face, keeping it straight and nearly emotionless, though he had no doubt that she could tell how he felt. He again watches helplessly as she pushes down her emotions, placing a mask of a smile over her face. Regardless of how much she had tried, the mask was not a full face one. Her eyes conveying a much different emotion. Izar loved seeing her smile, it would melt his heart every time he managed to get one out of her, but not this time. The falsehood of her smile made his heart ache, It isn't real. He thought to himself as he looked at her with a gaze that clearly told her he wasn't buying it. He closed his eyes for a split second, averting his gaze from her. He wouldn't press the matter, not only because he didn't want to cause her anymore stress than she was already under, but because on the train it was agreed that they wouldn't question each other during the mission, meaning he was completely helpless to do anything but trust her and hope that she'd be willing to talk once the town's problem had been resolved. He turned toward Itari, silently telling him to lead the way. He wouldn't dare speak until he had calmed down, lest his voice crack and alert the others to his emotional state. The walk allowed Izar to calm himself. Regardless of what Akumu had said, he would do whatever he had to do to protect her and Itari. There was always a choice and he would choose to protect the people he cared about no matter the cost. Izar looked up the tall tower-like building that stood before the three of them. "Yeah, this looks like a great spot to get a birds eyeview of the town." Izar said, holding his hand up to his forehead to block out the sun that threatened to blind him. He turned to look toward the two, "You sure we're allowed up there though?"
Itari smiled towards his friend, "Of course. Akumu and I have been here many times before, sort of like our refuge.The pastor here is a kind soul and would be very accepting of our reason for being up there in case we do get caught. But the church itself isn't very active at dusk, so I doubt we will run into any of the clergymen who would question us. Now come on, it's getting close." Itari says, noting as the sky began turning into its mural of orange and yellow. The three mages walk inside the tower of stained glass and worn out stone, being met with the smell of burning candles and the tinge of musty prayer books. Itari leads them behind the pews, traveling along the wall until they reach a wooden door situated along the wall behind the grand piano. Opening up to a spiraling wrought iron stair case, they make their way up the creaking passage to the top of the bell tower. Itari steps out of the towers belfry onto the guarded ledge and overlooks the city. "This should work really well, don't ya think?" He says, his eyes flashing old memories as he looks out at each location of his hometown.
Akumu follows her brother silently, the tension rolling off of Izar threatening to crush her. She almost reaches out for his hand, but the slowly approaching nightfall stops her as her mind completely shifts to the mission ahead. As they enter the church building, which she might have considered more of a home than her actual home at some points, she begins reliving the better parts of her childhood, picturing the smaller Akumu and Itari running up the staircase, just out of reach. When they reach the top, she banishes the images from her mind, focusing instead on the landscape before them. "It will serve its purpose well," She says nearly absentmindedly as she surveys the ground, especially around the long shadows cast by the buildings. Spotting anything suspicious is nearly impossible as she is overwhelmed by images of herself and Itari running through the streets. "God dammit," She curses beneath her breath, closing her eyes tight and taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out. She refocuses back on the town, taking slow and steady breaths to keep her memories at bay and only look at what is there.
Izar follows the two up the stairs, looking around at the dusty old church that had once been the only safe haven for his two partners. His eyes wandered back forward as a ray of afternoon sun began pouring in from an opening at the top of the stairs. The three stepped out into the afternoon light. The setting sun in the distance reminiscent of an hourglass quickly ticking away the limited amount of time they had before another person would be taken. Izar began to scan the streets below, unsure of exactly what he was looking for. They had no idea what the dark mage whom had threatened the mayor looked like, or even if it was said dark mage who was causing the disappearances. The only thing they had was Akumu's ability to see in the dark, meaning they'd need to be quick when the lights went out. His ears twitched when he heard Akumu curse under her breath, turning to glance at her with a bit of concern in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated as he knew a 'are you okay?' would be a stupid question, of course she wasn't okay, she was back in the place she'd given up nearly everything to escape from. He sighed inwardly before placing a hand on her shoulder, he knew words would be usless so he hoped his gesture would be enough to quell whatever memories were distracting her. "Itari, anything catching your eye?"
Itari is a bit distracted, his mind too occupied on the strange occurrence in the town square to register fully what is going on in the visual exchange between his teammates. His eyes are narrowed in on a man in a rather dusty cloak, his features covered in a huddled stance as if he was cold. That isn't what Itari finds off about the man, recalling the homeless population that the church they were stand atop of would provide meals for on every Sunday; but what he finds odd is the rather peculiar movements he is performing. His hand was flicking back and forth in a pattern too strict to be anything like a tremor, the movements were calculated and timed, and then Itari sees it. A bright flash comes from this cloaked figure's hand. His keen vision allowed him to easily pick up on the light from miles away. A signalling mirror! Of course! Itari thinks to himself as his eyes quickly scan towards the direction in which the figure's hand is points. About twenty degrees east, Itari notices a figure in a similarly dressed cloak sitting down as if they were a beggar as well. The flash catches his eye once more as this new figure shifts his hand to reveal a compact mirror similar to that of the first figure.
Itari extends his arm and points with his index and middle finger to the two cloaked men. "There. There are two figures using a signalling mirror. I can't quite make out what they are saying, but they are definitely doing something akin to morse code..." His expression was narrowed and focused, making sure he doesn't lose sight of these suspicious figures.
Akumu flinched when Izar laid his hand on her shoulder, tensing up as she continued to scan the ground. She was pathetic, didn't deserve any form of pity since Itari was able to handle everything just fine. She grew restless, unable to focus on anything without her mind flooding with unbidden memories. She lightly shook off Izar's hand, mindlessly bending the shadows around her as she stalked over to another spot on the walkway, trying to find something out of the ordinary. Her brother begins talking, however, and she stops, directing her gaze over to where he was pointing. She watched the slight flickering movements of their mirrors, trying to keep from just racing over and ending the whole thing before it can begin. "I get the feeling the man in the center is in charge of orchestrating the blackout. Judging from what I can see of their conversation, they're waiting for at least one other person." Leaving Itari here on lookout would probably be the wisest decision, especially considering they probably need all the people in their gang to perform the spell properly. But, if they initiate it with just the two people present, then that means the other person does the kidnapping, and that leaves us with nobody to go after them but me, and I have no idea where they are. She looks between her teammates and the people at the square, trying to determine the best plan. "I'll tail them, alone. Worse comes to worse, I can absorb their spells and snag at least one of them as a hostage. You two need to focus on finding the other person. If we can at least figure out who they are and disrupt the kidnapping tonight, then we'll be able to trap them tomorrow. Hopefully in broad daylight, but if not, we'll catch them in the act." She looks between them, though by the firm set to her jaw, she doesn't seem to want to negotiate the plan at all. Something as mindless as fighting would be easy for her, especially when the people she was fighting had no clue she could turn their own magic against them, and at far greater strength.
Izar's eye and mouth opened slightly wider in shock, feeling utterly rejected as she simply shook him off and began walking away. His hand remaining in the air for a moment before he places it at his side, balling it into a tight fist as his eyes become downcast. Goddamnit! he thinks to himself, remembering the warmth of her head resting on his shoulder earlier that morning and comparing it to the cold isolation he felt from her now. Her words from the day before began clawing their way to the surface of his memory, 'you have absolutely nothing of mine while I have everything of yours. You can't hurt or help me, you can only watch me struggle.' His stomach began to ache, twisting in a way that made him feel like he might throw up as he witnessed firsthand just how true her words had been. He was utterly useless to do anything but watch her writhe in the agony her painful memories caused her, What kind of partner am I? To be so helpless when she needs me the most. I don't know what to do! He thought as be brought up a hand to wipe away a stray tear that had escaped his glassy eyes. Itari's voice snapped him back to reality as he heard him speak of some suspicious looking men. Steeling his nerves, he turned the two of them who were looking out over the other side. Izar's eyes traveled to the spot Itari was pointing at where he found the cloaked figures preparing for something. Izar listened as Akumu spoke but he didn't dare look at her. Her plan wasn't awful, but the thought of her going alone worried him. He didn't speak up to protest though, knowing it would do no good. "Just be careful. If you run into any trouble then contact us and wait for backup. Please, don't do anything reckless." He said in a low, almost begging sounding voice.
Itari nods his head along with Izar's words, noticing a rather defeated stance emanating from him. He turns to his sister and speaks with a soft tone, "I trust you..." He starts. "Remember though, we are in this together." He know his sister if a far better tracker than any of them, and her ability to consume darkness magic is of the most use, so it really is a brilliant plan. But Itari knows the pain his sister is hiding, as he was busy keeping his own walls fortified from the rage and sadness flaming within him. So he worries from the idea that his sister will be alone with something as strong as their childhood memories haunting over her. And with no idea what amount of power the enemy holds, let alone how many there truly are, it can be seriously dangerous to not have a clear head during this job. "Izar, I will keep watch on the two I have already spotted and try to figure out their message, you scan for any others while Akumu heads down to trail them. Sound ok? Although we should probably get a move on, because if they are signalling one another, it means something is happening soon." Itari says as more of a question towards the group at their makeshift plan.
Akumu grits her teeth, ignoring the crushing feeling of Izar's emotions as they rolled off of him in waves. The frustration and dejection hollow her out but she couldn't move to make it better either. She knows she can't fix it with a simple gesture at this point, it's built up too far for that, and she's far too unstable on her own to try and talk it out with him. So, she decided she'll focus on the problem that she can solve, the one involving bashing bad guy's faces in and forcing everything down until it eventually needed to bubble over again. She almost retorts that she never makes stupid mistakes or that she's never reckless and that she knows she's not alone but the nagging voice just tells her to keep her mouth shut, nod, and fulfill her mission. It worked before for so long, so it could work for these few hours. She steps over into the shadow cast by the steeple, breaking her body down into the darkness and peering through with eyes of ruby-red.
She quickly adjusts to traveling in this form, finding where where she needs to go and begins traveling along the shadows until she gets to where the men are. She hides in the other man's shadow, though it seems he senses it due to their similar magic practices. Just as he turns around to check, she flies over to the shadow of a tree. He turns back to his friend and continues to message, and Akumu returns to her corporeal form. "Darkness Phoenix's Tail," She whispers, a long tendril flowing out from her palm. It slides along the ground and wraps around the man's leg. She retracts it rapidly, knocking him face first into the concrete. He raises up to his knees and shoots a ball of darkness at her, but simply raising her hand is enough to ensure the projectile does nothing. She retracts the tendril again and his head hits the ground once more. "Don't move," She demands as she walks towards him, though he's so close to unconsciousness that he couldn't if he tried. She bounds his hands and feet together with a tendril. "Try and manipulate them and I'll impale your head through your eye," She states. The man he had been communicating with looked to be frozen with shock, and she lifted her hands. The shadows he hid within were manipulated to her whim and collapsed onto him, crushing him with an intense weight. "I have more than enough nerve to crush every bone in your body until it gives out on you, but as long as I get the information I desire, I might let you off with a broken spine. Who the hell do you work for and what are they trying to accomplish?" She asks, her anger causing the men's constraints to tighten around them. "Go to hell," he states, his face contorted in clear discomfort, if not pain. "Already here. Now where the fuck is the person you work for? Or will I have to kill one of you before I finally get what I need?" He still doesn't respond, and Akumu uses the shadows to throw the him against the wall. "Fine. Stay quiet then. Maybe you'll take my partners more seriously. Regardless, we'll get what we want and you will be lucky to survive the night." She walks over to the guy, smashing her fist into his temple, knocking him out instantly. She does the same to the other man before wrapping them up in cases of darkness. She sighs, sitting down on the ground and tucking her kness up to her chest, resting her forehead on them. The mournful voices of those who had lost their wives, mothers, and daughters had invaded her mind the moment she became a shadow and it took quite a bit to remain in that state for even the few moments she had used it to travel. It took even more magical strength than normal to use it against the people who had caused it, and while she wasn't drained, she didn't want to do it anymore. "I'm sorry, Taijitu. You wanted me to use your strength to guard against sadness and pain and I'm too afraid to do it. Please forgive me." She rises back to her feet, lifting the men through her umbrakinetic connection, carrying them back to the church where Itari and Izar waited.
Back up on the church tower, Itari had his eyes focused on the men, ensuring that they stayed in their position while Akumu moved in close. Once he saw his sister within range he cast his gaze towards his purple haired friend. He opens his mouth to say something, wanting desperately to cheer up his teammate, because after all, it wasn't his sadness to bear. Itari knows that Izar cares deeply for his sister, and just wants to help, but burying himself in her pain will just make them both suffocate... and what's worse is Izar is probably clueless as to the whole situation! Itari wants to clear the air; give his friend some knowledge so he can at least fight against this darkness with the women he loved dearly, but Itari was struggling himself talking about the pain of their past. He voice finally croaks out an inaudible sound, getting the attention of Izar, before speaking, "H-hey man...listen, I know what's going on here is probably the worst possible thing to have be the first job of our team," He forces a quivering smile and a small laugh, trying to ease his nerves. "But you really can't beat yourself up over what Akumu is feeling... Now I know from what you've said that you don't really have any idea why this place holds such bad memories for us...so I just w-wanted to give you some heads up; ya know, so you don't screw things up with my sister." He nervously laughs again, letting out a long staggering sigh, his breath hitching in his throat.
"So Akumu and I grew up in a very strict house. Get good grades, respect your elders, use your manners; that kind of household. But our parents...they were... they were a bit more... more strict than other kids parents were. Well I guess it was mostly our dad. Makes sense why our mom left, ya know..." Itari starts as he casts his eyes down, rubbing the back of his head as a nervous habit. He lets out a small huff, "you know for a while I almost thought my name was 'worthless leech'...has a ring to it, huh? Well Akumu had the worst part of it...she was always sticking up for me. Taking my chores when I was running late, explaining to dad what happened, always covering my back in school and stuff...she is really great, ya know?" Small drops begin staining the ground on which Itari was standing on, "Well one day I was coming home from a run to the grocery store and.. and I go into the house... it was dark, and I... I could hear noises from his room... and so I peek in and I see... I see... I see our dad s-s-slap Akumu straight across the face." His voice cracks as he sniffles; the tear stains on the ground becoming more and more frequent from Itari's hidden face. "And, I didn't know... I-I-I didn't do anything... she told me later all the th-things he had done... worse things... And I didn't know...four years! Four years she had endured this pain! This pain f-f-for me! Because I couldn't be the good kid I was supposed to be..."
Itari covers his face in shame at his inability to control his own emotions; the wall he had been building starting to leak at this moment. He wipes tears away with his hand, his breathing rapid and shallow. He does his best to compose himself, his swollen red eyes glancing up to meet the gaze of Izar. "That is why this place is hell. Our own personal hell... the man who caused her so much pain still lives here... and I'm sorry Izar, I can't tell you exactly what she is feeling, she barely tells me. But I can tell you that the guilty, depressive, spiteful, inexhaustible rage I feel for that man after what he did to Akumu is nowhere near the emotions she is feeling right now..."
Izar listened to Itari's words, about half way through he found himself shaking in a mix of anger and sadness. He wasn't sure what Itari hoped to accomplish by telling him these things, the knowledge of exactly what he and Akumu had endured only making him feel worse about not being able to be the pillar he needed to be to help bear their burden. But Itari didn't seem to understand that it wasn't just how she was acting today that was causing their problems. It was something he had been noticing lately, her tendency to bring him in only to push him away. The kiss on the cliff side followed by their argument in the hot spring, their interaction this morning followed by the cold shoulder she was giving him now. It was a cycle that scared him to death. One in which he felt like a yo-yo being pulled in only to get tossed back out, holding onto a thin string for dear life until she pulled him back in again.
Izar shook away his thoughts, knowing they were for him and Akumu to discuss some other time. Right now he needed to focus on the mission like he had promised to the both of them. He swallowed his emotions and put on a soft smile, looking up at his friend who too was doing his best to stay strong. "Thank you, friend. I'm sorry for making you talk of those things you'd rather not remember. I'll do my best to see to it that the knowledge you've given me is not wasted. I'd like you to know that just because I have feelings for Akumu does not mean I'm not here for you as well. You're my friend, Itari, and you mean a lot to me. I know this entire situation must be painful for you as well, and I know you're doing your best to hide it. I want you know that I'm always willing to talk if you feel ever need to. Don't ever hesitate, I have all the time in the world." Izar said, turning to see Akumu heading back toward the church. "It looks like Akumu brought us something, what do you say we go see what it is?"
Itari nods his head and puts his hand on Izar's shoulder as a thanks for his support and understanding. His eyes are shut and lips are sealed in order to prevent any other sadness from potentially leaking out as he fixes the walls he built up. His thoughts are disrupted as he hears a rustle near the church's steeple.
Akumu stops in the space between the church and the building next to it, allowing the caskets of darkness to fall away from the criminals as she leans against the wall. She tries to make it casual, but her sagging shoulders seem to tell a different story. As Izar and Itari come up to view the two she had captured she stares hard at the motionless bodies, not daring to look either of her teammates in the eye, at least not when she still heard every wail and sob echoing in her mind. "They're as useful as a bag of rocks," She states, keeping her tone as closed-off and clipped as it had been before she went off to capture them. Forcing the rising bile down, she addresses them again. "Spot anything? I tried to coerce these two into talking but they were stubborn. If I just had better—" She stops, her hands balling into fists. "The people are all in fear; they're angry and sad and hurting but most of all they're very scared. If I could just control myself, I could use it to fight the people who had caused it, but it's like trying to use dry brush to put out a fire. It just feeds more negativity, in me, in the atmosphere." Night had finally fallen over the city, and while Akumu should feel at her peak, she feels like she's hit a whole other level of rock bottom. Perhaps it was just a mental thing, and she just couldn't bring herself to use other people's emotions so flippantly, but whatever the case, trying her magic again was the farthest thing from her mind. "With two of their guys out of the picture, I doubt anything else will happen tonight. We need a place to rest and plan." She knows sleep won't come easy, for any of them, so even mentioning the word is pointless. However, staying outside is just ridiculous and there's no way she can operate without laying down for a few hours, even if that's all she's able to do. They also need a place to deposit their two captives, as holding them out in the open like this most definitely won't appeal to any passerby.
Izar stops himself from trying to console when he sees how pained and distressed she was. It hurt him dearly to see her this way but he knew no matter what he did he would simply be brushed off as he had earlier. They would talk another time and fix things, that was a hope he held onto dearly. That once this was all over they would talk and make things better for both of them, but for now, the mission took top priority. They had stopped the darkness from taking someone again tonight but their mission was far from over. So long as even one of the kidnappers were at large the town was in danger. Izar nodded when Akumu suggested they find a place to stay, knowing it was for the best for them to regroup and plan out their next move.
"Well, why don't we head to a motel? There is that one that is only a few blocks back near the station. We can probably get something there for cheap for the night while we see if we can get any info from these guys when they wake up." Itari says as he motions to the two men in Akumu's custody. Itari motions for the other's to follow him as the group walks towards their temporary home for the night. His heart was a bit lighter knowing that they saved families for at least one night, but his sister's well being was still casting a shadow on his soul. He vows that he will continue to fight for his sister's happiness, for its the least he can do for all that she has done. Itari talks to the concierge as they check in to the hotel, learning that there is only a single room left in the hotel. So they grab the keys and head to the third floor to their single bedroom. Itari gets his own signature smile back on his face, "Well sorry guys, this was all they had left. Don't worry, you guys can have your own time together...Guess I'll kick it on the floor with our two new friends." He laughs out and plops on the floor.
When they entered Izar took at seat at the small desk near the corner of the room where he turned to face his two teammates. It warmed his heart to see Itari smiling again though in the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder if it was real. Itari being much better at lying that he had originally thought the man to be. He playfully shook his head at his friend's words, "I don't think you need to worry about sleeping on the floor, Itari. I doubt any of us will get much sleep, not with those guys here." Izar said, pointing at the two unconscious men in the room. Izar felt his stomach rumble, at which point he realized he hadn't eaten anything all day. He had no doubt that it was the same for his two friends, "I think I'll go get us all something to eat. Akumu, would you mind showing me to the nearest store?" He asked, adding a cheerful tone to his voice in hopes of lightening the mood that hung over all of them.
Akumu stared at the single bed with indignation, Itari's words fueling the slight anger such a sight instilled within her. She doesn't bother trying to argue the point, instead just looking down at their captives and considering unleashing her anger upon them. It wasn't as though they didn't deserve it, but it would be pointless to waste her energy on them when it wouldn't actually help her situation at all. She turns to Izar at his request, bringing the destination to mind before nodding to him. "We'll be back soon. Hold down the fort," She says, picking up the keys to their room before she left, Izar trailing behind her. As soon as they were downstairs and out of the building, she glanced at him, sighing dolefully. "I'm sorry," She starts, trying to gather her thoughts as she made her way towards the grocery store. "I can't see beyond my own nose most of the time and I'm not considerate of what you want or need. Every time things get difficult I reject you and your help even though I probably need it. But right now, I really don't think I can stand on my own. I can't do much with my magic without feeling like I'm going to be crushed or get sick and I can't think straight with everything that's going on. So, if you could please extend your hand again, even after I've pushed it away so many times, I would greatly appreciate it." She keeps her voice steady despite the tribulation that weighs her shoulders down, and once she makes her final statement, she lightly bumps her hand against his.
Izar glances over to her as she begins to speak, his eyes avoiding hers as she continued. He was ultimately unsure of how to feel, his heart raced with both nervousness and fear. Utterly terrified that this would simply be the start of the cycle again. That she would simply push him away again later. No matter how scared he was he couldn't very well push her away when she reached out to him. No matter how contradictory her actions were, he loved her and wanted nothing more than to ease the ache in her heart. His gaze finally rises to meet hers when he felt her hand bumping against his. He takes her hand within his own, lacing their fingers together and smiling gently as he does so. His smile wavers a bit as he turns back to watch where he was going as the two walked hand in hand. He takes in a deep breath before slowly exhaling it through his nose, "This all must be really hard on you. I just wish there was more that I could do to help. What you said yesterday is still bothering me, I don't want to be helpless to watch you struggle anymore. I know you're strong but I'm just so afraid that it's too much for you bear alone." Izar said, gently squeezing her hand.
"Yesterday you said you didn't want to be alone. You don't have to be alone, you don't have to bear it all by yourself anymore. I want to be there for you but that can only happen if you let me. I know you still don't understand your feelings, so I want to let you know that it's okay if you don't love me. It's okay if you never do because I still want to be there for you regardless of whether or not you can return those feelings." Izar said as the two reached their destination. He stopped and turned to her, bringing his other hand over so that hers rested in both. He brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it ever so gently. "All I want is for you to be happy." He says before he turned away, letting their hands fall back to their original held position as they entered the store.
Akumu allowed Izar's words to settle in her mind, fully taking into account what he said. She wasn't taken aback by anything he said, it all made sense and given her prior time spent with him, it certainly didn't contradict anything. She knew that all the confliction came from herself and the things she did, but years spent keeping everything and everyone else out had made just changing what she did so much harder. But, Izar wasn't asking for a miracle either. He didn't expect her to just drop her walls and spill every frustration and agonizing moment she ever experienced to him. He just wanted a way in so he could ease her pain and make the days go by a little easier. Progress reaps results, not the other way around. She just needed to get better, not be the best, though she hoped that she would eventually be the person that deserved such unwavering faith and love. "I don't ever want to make you feel helpless again, that was horribly wrong of me to tell you that. I want to mend everything, right the wrongs so it's not a one-way street anymore. I want to be able to share the happiness and burdens. I want to keep trying." As they walked into the grocery store, Akumu holds Izar's hand a bit more firmly, the feather-light feeling of his lips on her skin lessening the pressure to be stronger and better. "I think it might be best to just get some fruits and vegetables. We can't cook anything and they'll provide the most energy in the long run. Sound good?" She asks, grabbing a hand basket and glancing around the store. Since her time here, the store had all been rearranged, so it took a few moments before she was able to identify the fresh produce section, which was now hidden in the back corner of the store.
Izar felt a bit of weight lifted off his chest as she spoke, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief as her words reassured him that both of them were still trying. Izar knew he would just have to remain patient. The two of them would work together, support each other whenever they needed it. After all, as Akumu had said a week prior, they were a couple. He nods, "Right, we're in this together." He said, a genuine smile appearing on his face as the two entered the store. He feels a deep warmth in his chest when she tightens her grip on his hand and he returns the gesture as she recommends that they grab some fruits and vegetables, "Mhm, that sounds great." He said as the two made their way toward the back of the store where Akumu had spotted the fresh produce section. When they arrived he was disappointed to see such a small selection. While the store itself was not large he had figured that it would have more than it did. While there wasn't much to choose from the basics were there. Apples, oranges, grapes, carrots, broccoli, bananas, spinach, the works. Izar began racking his brain in an attempt to remember the different benefits each of the different produce in front of him provided. "Apples and oranges will probably give us more energy in the long run. They tend to ration out energy rather than give a sugar rush. Celery and grapes are good for staying hydrated. If you want to get something with protein, Peanut butter would go great with the apples and celery. What do you think?"
Akumu nods assuredly. "Together," She repeats, a soft smile lifting her features. As they head back to the produce section, Akumu listens as Izar explains the nutritional value of each fruit and vegetable. She nods to what he says, staring at each of the mentioned foods. "Sounds good," She says as she passes the basket over to Izar and begins unraveling a few of the translucent green bags. She mentally rations out the food for the three of them and selects a few of the best-looking pieces of fruit she can, adding a head of broccoli into the mix as well. She then inspects the bags of grapes and celery and adding them to the basket once she chooses them. "Peanut butter," She mumbles, glancing at the signs hanging between the aisles until she finds the one that fits their category. She heads over to that aisle and grabs a jar of peanut butter before heading to the check-out lines. She pulls out her wallet, inspecting the meager supply of jewels she has. Luckily, she knew she had enough to cover what they had bought, but just barely. Good thing she was on a job. After the cashier rings all their products up she hands over the money, then grabs the bags, handing one over to Izar and taking the other one. They leave the store and head back to the hotel in relative, but companionable, silence and Akumu was able to sort out her thoughts a bit better. She couldn't push the mournful voices away for good, but she allowed them to fuel her resolve to save the town and rescue the women and girls who had been taken. She gave Izar's hand another squeeze, then slipped her hand from his, entering the hotel and pulling their room key out as they waited for the elevator. Once they entered and the doors closed behind them, Akumu was relieved to see they were alone. Before their time faded away, she turned towards Izar and pressed a soft kiss onto his cheek. "Thank you," She says, "for everything. I know none of this is ideal and it's very stressful, but I'm glad I have you to keep things sane." Her gaze was open, unguarded and warm, hoping that she was able to convey her appreciation and affection in her gestures and words.
They purchased their items and walked back to the hotel never uttering a word to each other, something Izar was okay with, simply doing his best to enjoy the warm night's air despite knowing that a dangerous kidnapper was out there. He pushed those thoughts aside, knowing there was nothing they could do right now until the other two Akumu had captured were willing to speak or until the following night when they would have a chance of catching the criminal. Akumu released his hand as they entered the hotel, making it to the elevator. Akumu pressed the button to take them to their floor and thirty seconds later the elevator door closed. Izar's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected feeling of her lips softly pressed against his cheek, their warmth lingering for a few moments after they were gone. He turns to her to see the captivating look on her face, that coupled with her words made the tips of his ears burn a light shade of red that quickly found its way onto his cheeks. The look she gave him was a rare one indeed, one he wouldn't take for granted. His chest tightened as his eyes met hers and he smiled happily, overjoyed be her kind and loving gestures. "I'm really happy to be the one to get to stand by your side." He said a fraction of a second before the elevator dinged, before opening on their floor. They made their way down the hall and back to the room, stepping aside he allowed Akumu to unlock the door so that the two could enter. "We're back, sorry we look so long. I know you must be starving. We got some pretty tasty snacks, so I promise it was worth the wait." Izar said with a smile, hoping his blush had died down as he held up the small bag of fruit he carried. "Any new developments with tweedle dee and tweedle dum?"
Itari twists his head towards the sound of Izar's voice and the sound of crinkling bags of food. He gives a coy smile as he motions his head towards the two groggy men leaning against the hotel wall. "Well, you missed the rise and shine of our two friends here. Haven't gotten them to form coherent sentences yet; you really gave them a good hit sis." Itari says as he slaps the cheeks of the taller man lightly to get his attention.
Akumu stares at the two men who are propped up against the hotel wall, and she quite easily gathers that they more than likely have a concussion. "Well, I had assumed they had no brains to scatter, but I suppose I was wrong." She sets her bag down on the ground and walks over to them as her brother rouses them from their daze. "Hey, no rest for the wicked. Time for you to spill the details or else I'll remove your toes." They simply grumble in response, something that sounds similar to Fuck off and a bunch more of incoherent mumbling. "Alright, I warned ya," She states, yanking off one of the guy's shoes and then placing her hand on his skin. She released some of her magic energy, which then formed into an illusionary spell. This made it appear, at least to the two of them, that she was actually yanking his toe right out of his foot, though Izar and Itari would be quite aware that nothing of the sort occurred. "Sorry, I'm hard of hearing. Wanna try that again?" He stares down at his foot in horror and his "friend" quickly pipes up to avoid such torture. "The person we work for! Th-they are in hiding right now, we don't even know where they go after they kidnap the women!" He explains, his eyes wide with fear. Still, Akumu doesn't really care for the lack of information that he has and does the same thing to him, once again placing him under the illusion that his toe was being yanked out. "Where are the women then?" She asks, and the other one talks this time. "An abandoned house towards the outskirts of the town. He keeps them all in the basement that he closes off with some sort of rune magic." She sighs, contemplating fake removing their toes again. "Which abandoned house, dunces?" She asks, and they share a glance. "If you fucking lie to me I swear on your insignificant lives you won't see tomorrow's sunrise," She spits, which is enough for the second one to start talking. "975 Pine Road. It's a one-story building and a dirty tan color." He says, and for all the pain and fear he must be feeling, he manages not to squeak like the other guy had. "Alright, well, goodnight then," She states, before aiming another well-placed hit to each of their temples, knocking them out again.
"Well, that was... that was easy, I guess. They're pretty stupid and magically weak since neither of them could see through such a flimsy illusion." She raises back up to her feet and grabs the grocery bag, handing it over to Izar. "If you wouldn't mind," She states, though she moves over to the bed, clearly demonstrating that she wouldn't do it herself. She sits down on the mattress, tucking one of her legs beneath her and staring blankly at the ground, trying to determine the location of the house they were supposed to find the captives in and a way to get around the rune magic that was mentioned. Simply breaking a hole through the floor might work, but that runs the risk of the debris falling on someone and injuring them, so she wouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary. And the runes may prevent something like that anyhow. If the captor was just as stupid as his employees were, she imagined that they would have left the outside entrance unprotected, though she didn't want to count on that either. She continued to run plans in her head, occasionally mumbling a few things beneath her breath which were no doubt connected to what she was thinking.
Izar watched the exchange, a bit surprised by her brutality. Though, this surprise was short lived, remembering that she once said she rejected men by punching them in the face or kicking them...there. He was suddenly very happy he hadn't ended up on the wrong end of one of those "Future generation preventing kicks". Regardless of how some might view her methods, they would have to admit that it got results. The men had spilled everything they knew, including the location of the women. After witnessing her once again render the men unconscious, he had expected Akumu to want to rush over to the location right away, so he was again surprised when she moved to sit on the bed. He was glad she hadn't though, they weren't sure what they were up against and all of them were a bit worn out from the days events. That being said, he had no doubt her mind was racing with plans they could follow once the time for them to take action did finally arrive. He looked at the bags in his hand and nodded, walking over to the desk and pulling out the fruit they had bought. He rationed it out among them, giving Itari and Akumu their portions before holding out the peanut butter to no one in particular, just letting them know it's there if they wanted it. "There's also this if you all want any," He said, sitting it on the desk before sitting down next to Akumu. He bit into his apple, listening intently to her mumbles. While they were too few and far between for him to get a picture of what she was thinking he had no doubt it was important. "Jewel for your thoughts?" he asks, hoping she'd let them in on whatever plan she was thinking up.
Akumu took the offered food, quietly munching on it as she continued to run through various plans. When Izar inquired on her thoughts, she takes her gaze off the floor and directs it towards the wall so her voice will project to Itari and Izar. She goes through her previous train of thought to relay it to her teammates. "We have to assume the enemy has a good head on their shoulders and that they would take several precautionary measures to ensure their only leverage isn't taken away. Brute force won't work in this situation. There's too much that could happen if we try to muscle our way through the runes, and it could end up hurting the people we're trying to rescue. If we could find even the slightest of cracks in the house, we can pass through utilizing our body spells, but we still won't have a way to get the women out unless we find a way to get passed the runes too. I don't know how to rewrite them and I doubt we could find the information or tools necessary to do so in the given time slot. We could scope out the area and try and catch the person going in and demand they release the women, but they might not go back since two of their men have disappeared and I doubt even these imbeciles have ever gotten lost on the way to their paycheck." She pauses, going over the information she has just relayed. "If one of us were able to go in and protect the women, then the other two could work on just bashing through the floor or something. However, if the runes are somehow connected to the women it could end up indirectly harming them like I said before. We need to find out the rules of the runes before we try anything or else I could just end up overestimating the enemy and wasting precious time and energy that other people don't have" She stops again, her brows furrowing in frustration and her hands clenching into tight fists.
"I hate weak people with dark hearts; they hide behind innocent bystanders so the good guys have no choice but to bend over backward to keep them safe. If they just grew a goddamn spine and saw things as they were instead of the convoluted reality they thought they lived in everything would be fine. But no, 'poor me, I didn't obtain the shit I wanted through illegal methods so I better try more illegal methods.' They are good for nothing spoiled brats who got their hands on a little too much power and now everybody suffers just because of somebody's unsatiated lust for power, money, fame, or whatever the hell else stupid people want." She stared murderously at the wall across from her, her rageful tangent having done nothing but get her more worked up. "No matter what we do they're always there. And now we're stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to get rid of one bad guy all because two of us have a personal vendetta against this city and families that are torn apart for one reason for another."
Itari sits on the carpet nodding his head as he mindlessly plays with one of the loose strands on the carpet. Akumu is right, we can't do much if we don't know the construct and rules of the runes. If we walk in aimless we may lose the lives of the hostages... Itari's eyes flicker between scenarios in his head of the potential number of hostages are there, as well as the number of enemies, each one ending with more violence than he wished the group to encounter. "Well from what I have come across in my time, if we defeat the caster of the Jutsu Shiki he won't be able to supply magic to keep the runes in place, making it possible for escape or entrance dependent on how these men are set up." Itari comments, leaning over in an ungraceful manner to steal the peanut butter from Izar to dip his celery into. With a swift crunch of the vegetable, he continues, "If we can potentially scope out this place to determine their numbers we can decipher what the appropriate method would be to tackle this. Ya know? Split up or stick together. That way we can make sure we cover all areas, should the caster of the runes be hidden far away, or safely indoors." Itari finishes his celery stick and looks to his sister and her boyfriend for any sign of agreeance or refusal, as plans didn't really seem to be his thing. But he was willing to try anything to get out of this place and get a light back on in his sister's heart.
Izar nods in agreement with most of Akumu's words but voices his opinion at the end. "You're right, It's an endless cycle and a losing battle but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We may not be able to stop every bad thing from ever happening but we can stop this. Regardless of how tough things seem right now I honestly believe that we're a hell of a lot closer to figuring this thing out and rescuing those women now than we were when we first arrived, Izar said, peeling an orange and popping one of the wedges into his mouth before he listened to Itari's plan, taking a moment to fully absorb it before speaking. Swallowing the piece of orange before speaking, "I think we should check out the place they are keeping the women together first thing in the morning. I doubt we'll be able to sense their magical signatures while they're protected by the rune, meaning we won't be able to predict how many are inside that way. I think our best bet is Akumu's ability to sense negative emotions. I'm not exactly sure how it works, so I'm not sure if the rune would effect it." Izar said, taking a moment to regather his thoughts before continuing.
"There's also the possibility that she won't be able to tell the difference between the kidnappers and the women. The place is likely to be a slew of negativity." Izar started up again before turning to Akumu, "Like I said, I'm unsure of how that ability works, so I don't know if you also have the ability to determine which of the negative emotions you are sensing. The kidnappers will probably be radiating malice of some sort while the women will most likely be afraid. Even if you can't tell the difference we could probably determine it by comparing the number you sense with the number of women who have gone missing. The number you sense minus the number of women will be the number of enemies we will have to subdue." Izar said.
Akumu presses her palms flat against the bed, pushing down on the mattress to attempt to relieve some of her tension. "I prefer to think of it as an endless war rather than a continuous battle. We win battles all the time just to be blindsided when they get new troops and knock us on our asses. We get so close to the end of it and then it flips on its head, leaving us all scrambling to find a way to fix things again. We could stand by the light our entire lives and never see it. We're too damn busy looking for the next looming darkness." Her tone is bitter and cold, her anger subsiding as resentment settled in.
As Itari and Izar begin discussing their plan of action, Akumu waits until they wrap up to interject. "My sensing ability doesn't work unless they release some sort of magic signal. When casting magic, your emotions end up tied in the bunch of Magic Origin and eternano and it sticks to your Magic Aura until you cast another spell with another emotion tied to it. I can pick up on and differentiate between magic cast with "dark" intents, such as fear, jealousy, or malevolence, just as easily as a Water Mage could sense a body of water. If the women are stuck beneath the runes, that will overpower anything they are releasing as I imagine they're all either unable to use magic, or very bad at it. Otherwise, they would've escaped by now. I doubt the people defending the women are under the effects of the runes, and if they are, they will probably overpower it anyway. So, I agree with that plan of action. However, we have no idea what kind of magic we will be facing even if we figure out how many of them are there since I'm not capable of something like that. Regardless, they're probably all cannon fodder with no brains between them so a few well-placed attacks and they'll be just as useful as our friends over there. We can bet on the ring leader being there, or not, but I'm sure one of them is bound to know where they are if they aren't. There are plenty of torture methods tinkering around in my head to pretend implement on them or we could just ask nicely, whichever one gets them to squeak first." She runs over the plan in her mind a few times to make sure everything will work out how they plan. "The women take top priority, as I'm sure you are aware, but time is of the essence. Wounds will heal faster than the time it takes for you to wake up. So don't go doing anything stupid, got it?" She says, addressing both of them with a hard glare.
Itari nods his head, giving a salute with a slight chuckle. Always one for the direct approach, never one to ask nicely, so we know that is off the table. But I do admire your logical way of thinking, you do make some good points... Itari thinks to himself, trying to deduce what he would do if he was the leader of this shadow gang. He would probably hide inside his own runes, knowing that he would be able to sense any disturbance of his jutsu shiki and be able to rewrite it quicker if he was already next to the barrier. He shakes his head, finding only wasted effort as there is no way to plan for every situation. Besides he had Akumu and Izar there to help him if things get rough tomorrow, and despite all that has happened this past day, he trusts them with his life. He finishes off his vegetables and hops up to his feet, going to stare out the hotel window down upon the city. "Well guys, we should probably get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow after all." He turns his head towards their two "friends" against the wall. "I'll watch over our friends for the night, I'm a light sleeper, and I'll probably be awake before you guys, so I can handle anything these guys try...but we should probably figure out what to do with them tomorrow after they help lead us to the base."
Izar made a mental note as Akumu explained how her ability worked, storing that information away to recall another time. She continued on to explain her thoughts on how they should handle the situation, finishing by telling them not to do anything stupid. Izar nodded, "Of course, but the same goes to you. Don't do anything reckless on our account" he said, fighting her hard glare with a friendly smile. He turned to Itari when he began speaking, suggesting that they rest for the rough day ahead. Izar checked his watch before nodding in agreement, "Alright, sounds good. We should probably take them to the rune knights, they'll take care of them." Izar said, getting up and stretching a bit before turning back to Itari and requipping a large blue backpack. "Since you seem adament about sleeping on the floor you should at least do so comfortably. I travel a lot so having a sleeping bag at the ready is a must," he said, sitting the backpack down next to Itari before turning back to Akumu. He leaned forward, returning her gesture from earlier, kissing her on the cheek. "Try to get some rest, we've got a battle to win tomorrow. We can worry about anything else after that," he said in a soft voice before moving over toward the door to turn out the lights. He then took a seat at the desk, lying his head down on the wooden surface, "Goodnight." He stated, speaking to the dark as he could no longer see the two in the blackness of the room.
Akumu nods. "Of course, I'll be careful. There would be no point in getting on your case about it if I were to just turn around and do the same thing." She climbs further onto the bed, pushing the blanket and sheet down so she can get under it as Izar hands over his sleeping bag. She fights down her blush as Izar presses a kiss to her cheek, hardly hearing what he said afterward with the focus it took to do so. She nods anyway, hoping it was a statement she could respond to so simply. As he turns the lights off, her eyes quickly adjust to the darkness and she sees him walk over to the desk, settling down on the hard surface. "Oh for goodness' sake," She grumbles, grabbing one of the blankets and pillows and sliding off the bed and stepped over to where he planned on sleeping. She wraps the blanket around his shoulders and hands him the pillow, briefly considering making some sort of comment before deciding against it, as nothing even remotely relevant or intelligent came to mind. She settled with a quiet goodnight and returns to the bed, slipping beneath the remaining sheet and closing her eyes. While her she was tired, both body and mind, sleep stayed just out of reach. She didn't toss or turn, not wanting to wake Itari or Izar if they had better luck falling asleep than she did. She slowed her breathing, and after a few moments of the perfectly spaced out breaths, she found her frantic train of thought had stopped altogether, which allowed her to get the precious shut eye she needed.
Itari was the first to wake, as the sun begins to peaks through the window. He glances at the two bodies who are still passed out against the wall. The sound of his stomach growl commands him to search through the bag of vegetables and fruits from the prior night, only to find it empty. Itari contemplates his options and feels that he should go and get some food for the group so they can leave first thing towards the base camp of their foes. He tightens the bindings on the two mages, ensuring their hold in case the two decide to wake up. He decides that it would be best to jostle Izar slightly awake, telling him he is going to get food and he will be back shortly. He grabs one of the room keys and begins heading down the familiar streets towards the corner marker, his mind flooding with images and memories of time's past. He does his best to focus on the task at hand, hoping to occupy himself with finding suitable food to get them through what he knows will be a tough day.
"Goodnight, Akumu," Izar says as she begins moving back toward the bed after having given him the pillow and blanket. He placed the pillow on the desk and proceeds to lie his head down on it. Sleep didn't come quick, though, he was unsure if it was because he was worried about tomorrow or if it was the two unconscious men they had tied up in their room, Perhaps it was both. Regardless of what it was Izar eventually drifted off to sleep. He slowly opens his eyes when he feels someone's hand on his shoulder. He glances up to see Itari standing over him, looking as though he had just woken up himself. He nods in response when Itari tells him he is heading to the market to get them all something to eat. He sits up when he ears the soft click of the door closing, popping his neck before covering his mouth with his sleeve and yawning. Looking over to the two men he wondered if Akumu had hit them a little harder than she needed to, but he simply shrugged, knowing that if anyone had a right to vent their frustrations it was her. He turns toward the bed to see her still asleep, a bit surprised considering what an early bird she was, though, She had been under a lot of stress the other day and more than likely had worn herself out worrying over it all. He would let her rest, knowing the day ahead would most likely be a tough one. Besides that, she looked really peaceful when she was sleeping, no one would ever expect she'd be capable of busting a man's face in with a flick.
Akumu heard the click of a door closing, though the sleep that continued to slow down her thoughts didn't let up, and it took several more moments after that for her to realize that somebody had left the room. Her eyes flew open and she jolted up into a seated position, her gaze instantly going to the still unconscious men laying against the wall. She breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes as she waited for her pulse to slow down again. Her next realization was that Itari was gone, though with Izar awake and calm a few feet away, she assumed she had nothing to worry about. "Good morning," She says, her voice rough with the morning grogginess. She clears her throat, pulling her hair up into a bun to keep her hair away from her face. "Where'd Itari go?" She asks, stretching her legs out in front of her before reaching forward and grabbing her foot so she could begin stretching.
Izar jumped a bit when Akumu flew up out of bed, "Good morning, I hope you slept well." he said with a smile, "I see you're trying to give me a heart attack today," He said playfully before turning toward the door. "Itari said he was going to grab breakfast, he should be back soon." He said before his gaze fell back to her, "Once we get these guys to show us the exact location of this house they were talking about I say we take them to the rune knights. No sense in keeping them around once they've served their purpose. If you're worried about leaving the place unguarded while we take them in then one of us could stay behind. Preferably you or me since we have a way of communicating with one another fairly quickly." he said, requipping his lacrima phone. "Anyway, we can talk about those kinds of things once Itari gets back, since we'll need his opinion before we finalize any plans we come up with. For now, are you feeling any better than you did yesterday?" He asked, sitting forward in his chair slightly.
Akumu rolls her eyes, sliding moving to the floor so she could stretch a bit easier. "The feeling was mutual. I woke up to the sound of the door closing when we've got two stupid, though still dangerous, people in our possession." She says, turning her gaze towards the mentioned captives. "Though they are still very unconscious." As he began explaining the plan, she continued to stretch, moving almost mindlessly so she could focus on whatever he was saying. "The rune knights sounds like a good plan. I would rather that all of our focus be on getting the women out, but if you think safeguarding this place is important than we can bring it up to Itari." She takes a few moments to think about the question, before nodding. "I'm alright. I'll be better once we leave, but I'll survive until then. How are you?"
Izar chuckled a bit, "Sorry, Itari tried to be as quiet as possible but I guess it wasn't enough to sneak past you." He said. He nodded when she said she was doing alright, "I'm glad to hear that, if all goes well we'll be out of here by sundown, not a second too soon I might add" he said with a smile, confident that they will be able to handle whatever awaited them at the house. "I'm doing well, I don't have the crick in my neck that I thought I would. That's most likely thanks to you giving me that pillow, thank you for that," he says as he gets up and begins stretching as well, popping his back and then going down to touch his toes. He moved over to the window, opening up the blinds slightly to see outside. The people were going about their business as usual, whatever dark cloud that had been hanging over the town had been lifted and the people seemed a bit more cheerful. This was most likely due to the fact that they woke up to find that there hadn't been a kidnapping the night before. Regardless of how happy it seemed to be now he knew that not only had the dark cloud not been lifted from them, but that it wasn't lifted from his two friends either. He let out a semi-pleasant sigh as he closed the blinds and returned to his seat at the desk. "The weather is nice out today, clear. No sign of clouds."
A faint click could be heard as the keycard unlocks the hotel room and gives way to the sound of crinkling bags and a whistling blonde haired man. Itari smiles at the sight of his two friends awake, his spirits a bit more lifted at the sight of the sun on his walk back towards the hotel. No matter what was going through his head, or what darkness plagued his heart, the feeling of the sun against his skin had an ability to calm him down and allow him to forget the troubles of the world. Only allowing him to focus on the warmth raining down on him, making his skin feel tingly as it warms up, as if he were the champagne glass catching all the bubbles that stick to the slim flute. Although his bones were aching a bit from the stiff floor, he felt refreshed. His walk giving him the clarity and time to sort through his feelings a bit more, stuffing down the ones that weren't needed at the moment, and focusing on the ones that gave him the confidence to take on the challenge they had in front of them. "Good morning guys," he exclaimed, setting the bag down on the desk next to Itari's 'bed', "I went ahead and got some food for us, mainly stuff that will allow for quick energy that will sustain us for what will hopefully be a quick battle. Let's see here, I got some yogurt, blueberries, raspberries, almonds, wheat bread, these pre hard boiled egg things..." He said pulling out each item and setting them down,"Oh! And bananas to help prevent cramping." He cast a wide grin at them, hoping to win them over with his selections, thinking that they can always combine it with the leftover peanut butter for a more complete protein. He grabs some of the fruit, mixing it into his yogurt, as well as one of the half dozen eggs in the package and goes to plop down on the bed next to his sister. "So what's the plan? We going to go turn these guys into the Knights straight after breakfast?" Itari asks towards the two, although his attention was focused on his sister, offering her a quick spoonful of his yogurt.
Akumu nods, pulling her legs up into the butterfly position. "Just stay focused on the task and everything should turn out how we plan." She says. "And the pillow was no problem. I didn't need it, you gave up your sleeping bag, and I was the reason you had to sleep like that anyways. Furthermore, it's my responsibility and hope that as your teammate and partner I am able to ease your burdens, even if it's just making sure you don't have a crick in your neck." The young woman contemplates whether such a forward statement was wise and the faint blush that tickles her cheeks pink tells her that it might have been too much. She turns her gaze away from Izar, wondering why she had even admitted that in the first place, though she knew it more or less had to do with the fact that she had lost any and all emotional control she had once had. However, she didn't try to cover her words up, knowing full well doing so would be the equivalent of lying to him. Luckily, her brother came in a few moments after that, a chipper good morning filling the room as he did. She hoped the color in her cheeks had at least died down a little by that point or that he was too preoccupied with explaining the items in the bag to notice. "Sounds great Itari," She says, watching as he began mixing the fruits in his yogurt before settling down beside her and offering her a bite. She took it, standing up afterward and moving to prepare her own breakfast. She put the smaller foods in her yogurt like Itari had done, lit a small white flame on her fingertip to toast the bread, and then cut an egg into thin slices, placing them on her toast. As she does, she explains what she and Izar had agreed on a few minutes before. "We would like them to show us the location before turning them over to the rune knights." She sits back on the bed, taking a few bites of her toast as she waited for Itari's opinion on the matter.
Itari say the logic in such a matter, yet felt the need to publicize his one worry, "I think that's a good idea; but are we going to have them show us the location and then we would leave to go turn them in? Because if they lead us there, in our hopes that they hadn't tipped anyone off of our location or lead us to a trap, are they going to have sit by while we fight? Seems a bit dangerous if one of their men were to free them, giving them more men to fight and perform a greater spell Like what they did on the city, ya know?" He spoke hypothetically, yet had s good feeling that that would be the potential outcome, always weary of trust an enemy to lead them anywhere. He was not one to usually think of a strategy, yet his insight into how people functioned and his ability to read them, made him feel like he did have something small to contribute to this team at least.
Izar was indeed surprised by her words, regardless of her straightforward approach, the feelings conveyed within them were spoken loud and clear. He smiled happily with a nod about to speak as Itari entered the room, causing Izar to look over toward him. "Welcome back, Itari, Goodmorning." He said as he moved over a bit to let him set the things on the desk. He listened to his teammates speak as they ate their breakfast, Akumu suggesting the plan they had spoken about and Itari voicing his own concerns over it. Izar nodded when Itari finished, "I was thinking that either Akumu or I would stay behind while two of us took them to the rune knights since we can communicate with one another quickly if anything happens,"He said, pulling his phone from his pocket. "That way we could keep an eye on the place and get these guys put in a cell where they belong," Izar continued, pointing at the two unconscious men.
Akumu nodded, setting her food aside to grab her phone out of her bag and slipping it into her pocket before returning to her spot on the bed. "I would like to volunteer for delivering them. While I would like to say I could wait for you two to return, I sincerely doubt I could when the real thing happens." She continues to munch on her breakfast, mulling over the very limited information they had on the group. As such, she didn't have much to mull over at all which quickly led to her overthinking every possible detail, her brows furrowing deeply in thought. She bit into her toast with far more force and vigor than necessary and had to restrain herself from snapping the spoon in her hand, the plastic beginning to show signs of pressure where her hand was bending it.
Itari shrugs his shoulders, seeing as he was going to be the one on the duo to help turn in the two mages regardless of what they decided. He makes a mental note that he needs to save up money for a lacrimal phone so that he can get ahold of them quickly. He hears a rather loud crunch and click of teeth upon on another, and turns to Akumu at his side, slightly elbowing her a few times. "Well, nothing like turning in a few criminals to allow for some brother-sister bonding time, eh Mu-Mu?" He giggles, slightly bracing himself to be slapped like usual. He was actually quite happy that his sister volunteered to turn in the prisoners with him, as it would give him some time to see how she is doing; although the night seemed to have calmed some of the bitter memories, for himself included. "So do we have the basic steps all planned out? I feel like we will need to see what kind of base we have to get into before we waste brain power on figuring out plan of attack, ya know?"
Izar nods at Akumu when she volunteered to help Itari take the criminals to the Rune Knights, he notices her seeming to become a bit distraught as she at her breakfast, the look in her eyes clearly showing that she was deep in thought. He was about to say something when Itari playfully elbowed her in the side a few times, teasing her a bit. Izar couldn't help but crack a smile in an attempt to hold back a chuckle at the nickname Itari had decided to give her. He let out a pleasant sigh before standing and dusting off any crumbs from his shirt, listening to Itari mention that they should wait to come up with a battle plan until after they've seen the house. "Yeah, I think that'd be for the best. Now that we have everything planned that we can plan here I think it's time we wake these two up and have them take us to that house, what do you all say?"
Akumu's hand snaps to her side, grabbing Itari's elbow before it can bump into her for the third time. The ridiculous nickname he had assigned to her since childhood caused her to release his arm, only to jab her fingers into his side a moment after. "What possesses you to use such a ridiculous nickname or any nickname at all for that matter? A~ku~mu~ It's very simple, though I suppose your magic is the only thing that makes you bright." She says, a slight smirk on her lips to show she was only joking. After Itari continues on with how they should move ahead with their plan, she nods along, setting her empty bowl aside and stepping over to the men and crouching down in front of them. "Wake up boys, time to be useful for once in your miserable lives." She says, lighting a blue flame in her fingertips and holding one hand over each of their necks over their pulses. Soon enough, the drop in temperature woke them up. "Alright, take us to your leader or whatever the hell you consider the miserable person who has made you commit heinous crimes against people who have done nothing to you at all." She hooks her hand underneath their arm and yanks them up to their feet, darkness crawling along her hands to theirs and linking them together as makeshift handcuffs. "Shall we?"
With the two dark mages bound once again, they seemed to comply with their captors, as they lacked the strength to take on the three mages of the unnamed Koma Inu team. Itari checked them out of the hotel, while Akumu and Izar snuck the two men past the concierge desk, the hotel staff distracted by the flashy light show Itari was putting on in his “subtle” diversion techniques. After that, it seemed as if it was smooth sailing, a feeling that raised some sort of suspicion for the times to come. The cloaked mages began leading the three lion dogs out into a nearby forest on the outskirts of town, one Itari and Akumu were rather familiar with, as it was along the path they traveled when heading for what they now call their home. Although this part of the woods hand never been explored by the Renatos. The woodland floor bursting with a million hues of brown and green from the fallen foliage. Mingled in are a variety of stones and tiny creatures, adding to the mosaic beneath their feet. They approach a hill, the dense blanket of trees masking what lies behind it, but upon arrival at the top of the mound, the mages can see off in the distance of this shallow valley what seems to be an abandoned building. The chalky paint seemed to fall in fragments of what appeared to be an old safe house, leaving the building looking splintered and bare. The hinges and fittings had turned to rust from the ages, and the ivy seemed to gnarl its way up and around the house, searching desperately for a crack to expand its reach. What made it stand out, however, was the presence of a rather prominent barrier about forty feet from where they were surveying. It was in no way trying to mask it’s presence, giving a hint that the mage casting it was not very experienced in the way of concealment. “Th-there it is…Now c-can you let us go? We promise we won’t go back there, just please don’t send us to jail!” One of the cloaked mages asks as he points to the safe house, falling to his knees as he begs for his freedom.
"It looks like it'd crumble to dust if we looked at it too hard," Izar said in reference to the house's decaying state. He had no doubt whoever cast the barrier around the house was inexperienced meaning there was a chance that the barrier was weak, but that was impossible to know until they started trying to bring it down. Regardless, he doubted he'd be able to use his magic once they got inside. His magic wasn't meant for indoor use and would probably end up being the straw that broke the camel's back in bringing the house down, meaning he'd have to rely on his friends and possibly a sword from his armory. He pulled his gun from his belt, checking to see that it was loaded before sliding it back into its holster, turning to his friends, "I'll stay here and watch the place. I'll be sure contact you if anything happens before you all get back." Izar said before hearing the two criminals begin to complain, "shut up, you made your choice and now you have to face the repercussions. If you truly regret your actions then become better people once you get out of jail," Izar said before turning back toward the house. "We can come up with a plan of attack once you two get back."
Akumu looks down at the state of the home and their enemies' base, her hand tightening into a fist. "Why would they choose some stupid rickety building?" She grumbles, wondering just how easily she could send the building down if she "accidentally" threw someone into a wall. The barrier around the house is not very concerning to Akumu, finding a weakness in its structure couldn't be too hard if the thing was this poorly hidden. She turns her gaze to the two lackeys, staring at the pitiful sight and resisting the urge to just kick them down the hill. Izar's words serve to keep her grounded and remind her that sending them to jail would probably be worse to them than crushing their bones beneath her feet. She waves her hands upwards, causing the restraints to jerk upward and force the man back up to his feet. "I will show you the same mercy the people down there show those women. I will laugh in your face as you beg for freedom and deny you any basic human rights as I drag you to a personal hellhole and maybe then you will understand just how horrible you were for assisting them. If I hear so much as another peep from you again, especially something in search of pity, I will personally ensure that you never forget my face because it will be the very last thing you ever look at." She turns to her brother, her expression decidedly less intimidating though no less stern. "Let's go," She says as she begins walking forward, her finger twitching to force the two into motion before they began moving on their own.
Akumu and Itari return sometime after, without their captors. On their return trip, they had discussed possible ways to get through the barrier, ready to share their ideas with Izar upon their return. As they approach the valley again, Akumu steels her nerves, biting back any desire to charge in guns blazing in the theoretical sense. "Izar, your black hole thing could get us through, right? It beats trying and possibly failing to find a way to beat the barrier and alerting them to our presence and allowing them time to prepare." She says, hardly even glancing at the aforementioned man before focusing on the house. "And then from that point, its probably going to be a battle of fists since the building is so old and overgrown. In any case, I'm sure we can handle what can be no more than a dozen grunts and the leader, who's probably got very little going for him in such an enclosed space. We just have to make sure they don't use any of the women against us, so finding the entrance to the basement should be one of your top priorities, right below not dying. That's all I've got tactics wise." She finishes, turning to her teammates so she can fully listen to their thoughts and any additions they can make to her not-much-of-a-plan plan.
"And from what I was thinking," Itari starts, following up on his sister's plan, "is the entrance to the basement is probably when the foliage is least dense, or doesn't follow the pattern of the other dirt surrounding the house. I mean think about it. If they were to be using the basement as hideout, there would be foot traffic that isn't easily hid in the dirt without revealing swipe marks of trying to hide it. And they would have had to have had cleared off the vines and such to allow the basement bunker door to swing freely. Shouldn't be too hard to find, right?" Itari says with a beaming smile, his body rather opposite in that it was buzzing with the intent of beating these low lives to a pulp for tearing apart the families they have.
Izar thought over Akumu's idea for a moment, biting his lip as he ran through the statistics in his head, "That's not an easy question to answer, I've never transported living creatures through it before. To be completely honest, the force of gravity within a naturally occurring black hole is strong enough to bend space itself, anything I send through it should theoretically be torn to shreds, but for some reason they're not." He thought out loud wondering if trying it was worth the risk, "I'd say it's worth a shot, but I think it would be safer for the two of you to cross while in your respective elemental bodies," Izar said, turning to face the house. He stared at the decaying structure for a moment, "I'm all for a fist fight, I just hope the asshole's in there are smart enough to stick to their fists as well," He continued before readying himself to cast his spell. "Once you two are through I can warp through the barrier and meet you on the other side," He said, a few beads of sweat forming on his brow, "This is really dangerous, elemental forms or not, you're still living beings. I just think it's best that I warn you all and to say that you don't have to do this, in case you think it'd be better to try to find another way."
Akumu nodded, trying to weigh the pros and cons in her head. Yes, they would get there faster but they may end up dead, which was the one and only she hadn’t wanted to happen. “The chances that we’ll get through the barrier before they discover us are so slim otherwise. We should probably take the chance when we have it. Worse comes to worse, we have a week of stagnation and I don’t think they’ll be able to take any more women with the other two out of the picture.” She worries at her bottom lip, knowing if they couldn’t take any more that they could simply harm the ones they already had custody over. In any case, she was positive that she would be the first to test out the possibly lethal transportation method, as there was no way in hell she was letting Itari jump through the potential suicide portal if he didn’t have to. “They jeopardize everything if they let that building collapse. Once it’s down, there’s nothing holding us back either, and so long as the floor of the building doesn’t break, we’ll be fine. That being said, don’t break the building in case the ceiling is too heavy for the floor to support and be aware of if or when the walls give in so we can prevent the floor from collapsing.”
Akumu took a deep breath in, transforming her body into that of darkness, nausea washing over her as the dread and malevolence from the nearby people all collapsed onto her. It took several seconds longer than it normally did for her to get to this state and a few more seconds to forcibly shove any outside influences out and just have the spell rely on her own Magic Origin instead. It was rather stupid and a complete waste of energy but she couldn’t afford to be distracted by anything, her shadowy state being mixed with shades of burgundy as her magic took on the properties of her nearly unbridled rage. “On we go,” She states, finding it increasingly more difficult to remain calm though managing for the time being. Izar prepared the spell and as soon as he gave the good to go, she went. She appeared through the second opening a few moments later, landing hard on the ground, not that she would feel it given her intangible state. She quickly let her spell drop after that, feeling the pain of the transportation hit her suddenly. She stumbled up to her feet, Itari appearing beside her a few moments later in a similar state, though he seemed to be unscathed. “Internal wounds then. Lovely,” She grumbles, beginning to circulate her magic through her body to make the healing process faster, knowing she couldn’t make use of any spells in this situation anyway. Breathing was difficult but not excessively painful, so she assumed she had bruising near her ribs but thankfully, they weren’t broken, so she would be alright within a few minutes so long as she sustained no further injury to the same area. The rest of her body felt stiff and heavy though the extra eternano moving through her served to continuously lessen the strain. “We’re alive, breathing and functional,” She mumbles, sounding a bit surprising as she flexed her fingers.
Itari having stood up next to his sister to assess the damage, found an unimaginable nausea coursing through his body. He leaned over a bit as he tried to choke back the uncomfortable feeling coursing through his being. His eyes were feeling strained, as if he had been wearing someone else's glasses for hours, and his throat felt raw and burned every time he swallowed. He was thankful that no real damage came to his form, and that he didn't have any extra limbs or things where they shouldn't be. As that thought passed quickly through his head, his face washed over with a panic as he pulls at the seems of his pants and boxers, letting out a sigh of relief as no precious cargo appeared to be damaged. He glanced to check that both Izar and Akumu were okay, as he took in the surroundings; his eyes not being able to make out much past a dozen feet or so from the strain caused to them in his travel. It appeared to be more of a storage area, boxes stacked upon one another that were free of dust; a characteristic that could not be said for the rest of the area. He went over to examine the contents of one and found a great deal of canned goods and non perishable goods. He examined the sell-by date of some of the content, realizing it was a few weeks in the future, meaning this food was gathered recently. "They've been stocking food up...and if all these boxes are filled with the same stuff, seems like food for a lot of people." Itari croaks out, his voice scratchy from the damage.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his two friends appear on the other side seemingly unharmed, quickly warping past the barrier to join them. "I'm really glad you all made it okay, but let's try to avoid that method of transportation unless we absolutely have to," Izar said in a hushed tone as the people within the house were no doubt within earshot of them. He heard Itari speak about the boxes around them, "That's strange, it could mean a lot of different things, both good and bad, but I don't think we have the time to worry about that right now, we can return the food to whoever they stole it from once the women are safe." Izar said, touching one of the boxes before carefully looking around for an entrance to a basement or cellar of some kind. He kept an eye out for the signs Itari had mentioned to him, following a trail of dirt that looked freshly stepped in down a narrow hallway that ended nowhere but a barely standing wooden wall. Confused, Izar looked down to the dirt covered ground and retraced his steps, only having to walk a few feet back before noticing the large square in the floor colored by a dirty green cloth of some kind. He pulled out one of his knives, cutting the cloth away to reveal a small cellar door similar to the drop down attic doors he's seen before. He reaches for the handle when suddenly he stops, turning toward his and motioning for them to join him, knowing that this would be their final assualt. He pointed down at the door to alert them to it's existence, "I think we should stay hidden for as long as possible, no point in going in guns blazing if we don't know what's in there," He said, only half his words being verbal and the others simply mouthed.
Akumu glances over as Izar appears near them, nodding her head to what he says, not desiring to go through the black hole again anytime soon. She follows Itari’s line of sight to the boxes and listens to the two men speak. “Izar’s right, but we should take this as a precautionary sign. We know for a fact there are twenty-one women based on the time frame and pattern but they obviously weren’t planning on stopping soon. They probably have a handful of mages to replace the ones we apprehended in case anything happened.” The possibility she’ll have to absorb the entirety of Dark Moment spell is gut-wrenching though she does well to steal her nerves, keeping a tight-lipped frown on her face, thinking only of how the eternano will restore her reserves so her body can continue to heal. She begins looking for the basement door as Izar does, though he’s the first to spot it and she follows after him when he motions for her and Itari to join him. She considers his words, nodding a moment later. Going in guns blazing would run the risk of injuring the women and that would only further complicate their rescue mission. “I could hide among the women and keep them safe while you guys dispatched the people. They probably wouldn’t realize anything was amiss until it was too late.” She suggests, and doesn’t necessarily look for a yes or a no as she starts to run figures in her head. The door to the basement is opened, Akumu descends silently, her eyes rapidly adjusting to the dimmer underground as she stuck close to the walls to avoid being seen. A watchman was there, but the only thing he was watching was his eyelids and Akumu was able to knock him out with him being able to alert anyone at all. Locating the women was no problem, as they released a continuous wave of despair that wasn’t easily ignored. The basement had a closed-off floor plan, the room they were currently in was long and narrow, two doors on the left and three on the right. The women were located behind the second door on the right, both doors on the left seeming to hold a few men behind their doors. The first door on the right had almost nonexistent traces of eternano and the last door had the highest amount. “All doors are a threat except for middle right,” She whispers to her partners before she moves towards the door, moving as silently as she can. She moves her shadow so it doesn’t give her away, the door locked from the outside so unlocking it is simple, and slips into the room. She finds it filled with women who she quickly counted to ensure none were missing or there were others in their midst. After confirming the twenty-one, she stepped further into the small room, sitting down on the ground and facing the door. She manifested a shield of darkness to span from wall to wall then waited. “I’m here to rescue you. Please don’t make any noises, as it will alert the people who kidnapped you to our presence and make our job much harder. Two men are with me and I will alert you when they come in here so please don’t freak out or at least try not to, even if it turns out to be someone we cannot trust. It disrupts my magic.” She says, keeping her voice low to prevent being discovered. The emotional stress within the room lessens considerably at Akumu's words and Akumu relaxes somewhat, glad that she was able to alleviate the concern and fear they were feeling.
Itari watches as his sister disappears into the room suspected of holding the captives as he signals to Izar to take the left side, while Itari moves to the doors on the right. He couldn’t sense much hiding behind the first door he approached, unlike the remaining third door, which he assumed was a larger congregation of mages that was his best bet of finding the caster of the barrier. He decides that he should probably scope out the more unsuspecting room, as he probably wouldn’t be able to silence all the mages in the third room before they shouted out for help and made Izar’s job more difficult on the other side of the hallway. Itari slowly opens the door to the first room on the right, noticing that it was rather dark and the air was stale with a chemical scent. God what is that smell…smells like a smelly smell that smells…smelly… Bleach maybe? Oh god, what if this is where they keep the bodies?! And the bleach is there to clean up all the blood! Oh gosh, please no! He thinks as he begins to slowly inch forward, his foot hits something hard along the ground and he reflexively holds up his hand, coving if with a light to defend himself as a small *thud* could be heard. Itari hadn’t realized his eyes were closed, dreading the sight that he might see, but upon slowly opening up his eyes he is met with the terrifying, horrific, absolutely fear inducing sight of… a utility closet. Itari breathes a sigh of relief, finding comfort in the fact that his biggest enemy was a box of gloves that he had already kicked over onto the floor. Turning around in this small unoccupied space, he dismisses the light on his hand as to not draw attention to his approach as he silently made his way to the third room.
Itari paused by the outside of the door, crouching down with his hand resting of the door handle. He could sense maybe ten or so mages within the room, but their constant stirring made it hard to trace them without giving away his position as well. He figured his best bet would be to rob them of their senses first, and take away their ability to call for help. Raising his finger up, Itari generated a small orb of light, it’s glow casting shadows into the cracks of the dim hallway. He slowly brought his finger down to the crack underneath the door, sliding it through, and releasing the small orb of light. Concentrating hard on its location, Itari used his photokinesis to bring the orb up to eye level and then expanded it with great force. Itari could hear a great deal of mumbles behind the door as the orb of light took over the room and effectively blinded his opponents. Without wasting any time, Itari quickly opens the door and shuts it behind him, seeing his opponents clear as day in the bright light as they clutch their eyes in pain. He then coats both hands in his Orange Fire, the flames being of a sticky construct and perfect for sealing off the mouths of what he now sees are nine cloaked men. With a swift move of his arms Itari throws the sticky flames at the faces of his enemies, the orange fire sticking to the lower side of their jaws and leaving them muffling for an explanation as the light in the room dims back down. Itari shifts his flames into that of a golden light, generating a Hyper Fist, as well as covering his feet in his Light Phoenix Talons. His attacks illuminate the room as the cloaked men recover from the photo-bleaching that just happened, still seeing a few spots in their eyes. “Let’s shed some light on this darkness, shall we?” Itari jokes to himself, as he smirks at their futile attempt to rebuttal his rhetoric question. The two closest to him attempt to jump and restrain him, a move Itari easily ducks to dodge, showing that these mages really don’t have a whole lot of fighting experience. From his prone position, Itari sweeps the legs of the one on the right, causing the cloaked man to fall on his back, allowing Itari to give a hit to the throat. Itari then punches the left one in the gut with his luminescent attack. The force of the punch causes Itari’s opponent to bend over, giving the Light Phoenix the perfect opportunity to raise up and bring his knee into the nose of bent over mage, effectively knocking him out.
Creating two whips made out of light he flicks them towards the next approaching mages, wrapping them both around the neck, as Itari crosses his outstretched arms to bring the two shadow mages heads together in a strong headbutt. He feels a strong pain travel through his right shoulder, as he sees a few black projectiles coming towards him, deducing that one must have managed to graze him. “That wasn’t too bright of you.” Itari says through gritted teeth, transforming his body into light to speed over behind the one who shot him and clap his hands on both sides of the mages head, the force coming extremely close to busting his eardrum if not for the restraint of the Phoenix. A quick elbow to the face of a mage who tries to pounce him from behind is all it takes to put him out, and three out of the five remaining mages seem to back away in fear, getting on their knees with a pleading expression. Itari turns his attention to the two other mages, “Well, what’ll it be?” His eyebrow cocks up, gesturing to the position of the three mages pleading on their knees, or the four mages knocked out. A mage steps out in front, cloaking his fists in a fiery shadow, charging at Itari with his arm cocked back. Itari brings up his arm to block, getting punched in the gut by the shadow mage’s follow up. Itari doesn’t wait for him to catch a breath as he retorts with a knee to the groin, and an uppercut to the jaw, channeling all the light from his limbs into the strike. The mage goes flying back, landing against the wall will a loud bang. Itari finds only disappointment, for the remaining mage was nowhere to be seen, probably having transverse through the shadows to a safer location within the building. Itari mentally hits himself for not seeing the diversion sooner, and binds the hands and feet of the surrendering mages in his sticky flames before he races back in the hallway to inform his teammates of the missing mage.
Izar watched Itari silently move toward the door Akumu had stated to be the most dangerous of their choices. He knew that, while Itari might require assistance with clearing that room, the chances of their plan being a success would increase if they were able to simultaneously clear the two rooms. After all, the last thing they needed was the people in the room across the hall to hear them combating their allies and come to investigate, potentially surrounding them. So, with that in mind coupled with his faith that Itari could handle whatever lied beyond that door, Izar crept over to the door with the weakest magical signatures behind it. He cracked it open to see two men inside, facing away from the door. They seemed to be looking over something on a desk, not that it really mattered what that was at the moment. He pulled his gun a crept quietly into the room, grabbing one of the men when he got close and putting the gun to the man's head, "move and I swear you'll be dead before you heard the gun shot," Izar threatened, "same goes for you, I promise I could get a shot off before you could cast a spell." He continues.
Less than a second later he hears commotion from the other room followed by the creaking of the house, I thought we agreed not to use magic?! Izar thought as he snapped his fingers, casting a cosmic shield around the room Akumu and the other women were in to protect them in case things began falling down around them. In the moment it took to concentrate on casting the spell he felt an elbow to his gut, forcing him to lose his grip on the man and be pushed away. He quickly aimed the gun at the man's knee, pulling the trigger and releasing an impact round that completely shattered his kneecap and forced him to fall to the ground. Izar sensed the shadow magic forming behind him and quickly requipped a shadow round into his chamber and aimed at the shadow that the mage had thrown at him. The round disappeared into the shadow, reappearing from the dark corner of the room behind the mage. The shadow struck Izar in the shoulder, sending him backward to fall flat on his back. The shadow bullet also struck the mage, doing as it was made to do as it formed into a giant net which began to tighten around the man until he passed out. Izar quickly got to his feet, feeling the bruise on his shoulder but quickly shaking it off.
He took a moment to stare down at the man with the broken leg but quickly decided that he was incapable of doing anything. He quick went over to him, kicking him in the face as to just be sure he wouldn't try something stupid. Leaving the two unconscious men in the room, he made his way to the hallway where he met up with Itari who told him that one of the mages had escaped from the room. He quickly cast Divine protection over the house. Trapping all of them inside until he was either killed or until he brought the barrier down himself. He knew that there was no way he was in the room with Akumu and the women as the shield followed similar rules to his barrier albiet the shield was a bit weaker, "Let's search for him. I have no doubt he's still in the house, no way they'd come this far just to run away. I've put up a barrier of my own so he's stuck in here until it's game over for either him or us." He said as he moved toward the middle door where Akumu and the women were at, knocking twice to get their attention, he waited a moment before speaking, "I've put up a barrier to protect this room in case the house starts coming done, I can bring it down temporarily if you want to join us in hunting down this last asshole, Akumu?"
Akumu listened to the creaking of the house, moving to further protect the women before the Cosmic Shield is cast around them, keeping her from having to do so. Akumu tightened her hands into fists, the sounds of nearby fighting not helping her to stay calm at all. “Whatever happens, you are not to leave this room until we say you can. I understand you yearn for freedom but you mustn't leave prematurely or you risk being captured all over again.” She says, and the women say nothing, and Akumu hopes she can take the silence as agreement. As Izar comes up and knocks on the door, she rises up to her feet. “Yeah, the more people the faster we can get this done,” She says, waiting for a moment before Izar took the shield down, allowing her to leave the room. He reseals the door with his shield and Akumu goes to the stairs, taking them two at a time to get to the top faster.
Once she reaches the top, she looks around the house, taking in the surroundings as she tried to find the barrier mage. She used her magic signal to try and find them that way, and she found him trying to break through Izar’s shield on the opposite end of the building. “Flank him? Izar right, Itari left, and I’ll take the center,” She suggests, and after gaining their consent, the group carried through with the plan, remaining undetected in the man’s frantic desire to get past the Cosmic Shield. Akumu took control of his shadow, causing it to rise, encompass and then smash down onto him as she severely increased the gravity within the shadow. He crumbled to the ground, still conscious though unable to move a muscle against them. She steps up and kicks him in the temple, the rapid jostling of his head knocking him out, the Jutsu Shiki barrier fizzling out as he was rendered unconscious. She released her hold over her spell then turned back around, heading back into the house and then the basement, waiting until Izar lifted his shield before entering the room again. “You’re alright now, you can go back home,” She says, and the women all sigh in happiness, following after Akumu as she led them back upstairs.
“What are your names?” A woman asks, and Akumu introduces herself and her teammates. “Thank you very much for helping us. If there is anything we can do to repay you for your services, please do not hesitate to ask,” She says, and Akumu ponders over the offer for a moment before nodding. “Actually, yes, there is something we needed help with. Our team still needs a name so if you have any advice, that would be very helpful.” The women appear to ponder, whispering to each other about this and that as the trio of mages lead them back to the city, Akumu having encased their captor in shadows and having him trailing along. As they reached the edge of the forest, one of them pipes up. “Caelisti Ortus,” She says, adding, “Thy Heavenly Origin,” as an explanation. “You have saved us from a hellish nightmare and only those of true intents and hearts would do that. For that, we believe the name is fitting,” She says, and Akumu nods, looking to her teammates. “Caelisti Ortus does have a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you agree?” She asks.
"Sounds like a good one to me!" Itari says with a wide smile, giving a cheesy thumbs up to his sister. His heart was a lot more steady now that they had rescued the women behind them, and captured the mages responsible for harming them. He could tell his sister's heart was calm as well, probably soothed by the thought that they will be heading back to the guild soon. He was excited to go back to the guild and relax a bit, he was emotionally drained, but he realized that he really needed to hone his skills to be able to keep up with the level Akumu and Izar were at... he clenched his fist in determination, for as soon as he was well rested once again, he would surely start training day and night to catch up to them. He turns to Izar, "Well what do you think buddy? Think we have a name to tell the master?"
Izar thought for a moment over the strange name as he was unaware of its meaning seeing as how it was neither English nor the language of his homeland, Despite this he nodded in agreement, knowing that they didn't have any other names to choose from and that the name in question did sound cool. "Yeah, I like it. It's interesting, once we get back we'll be able to call ourselves an official team," Izar said with a smile as they made their way to the Rune Knights both to hand over the criminals and see to it that the women were taken care of. They said their goodbyes and parted from the women and headed toward the mayor's office to claim their reward, splitting it up between the three of them. Being that none of them wanted to spend any longer than they had to in Oshibana, it was quickly decided that they would return home.
The three of them made it down to the train station where they purchased their tickets and hopped on the train that would take them home. They took their seats and began their short ride back to Onibus knowing that, despite how tense things had been at times, they had done something good and would be remembered by those people for some time to come. Now that they were finally on their way home he could feel himself relaxing a lot easier, no longer burdened by the constant weight of their mission on his shoulders. He stretched his arms up into the air before letting them fall back to his side, "All things considered, I think we all did well. All the women made it home to their families safely, those bastard criminals will spend a good long while in jail, and we were able to complete our first job as a team." He said, looking over to his two friends, "I think all of that is worth celebrating. So, what do you all say? Dinner on me tonight?" He asked before raising an imaginary glass into the air, a victorious smile on his face, "to Caelisti Ortus!"
Akumu moves through the motions as they wrap up their mission, keeping her mind on revising her strategies to keep other thoughts away as much as she can. There were many things she needed to improve on, the main one being her control over her emotions, as that had made magic casting much more difficult. As they boarded the train, Akumu sunk down into the seat, wanting nothing more than to simply shut everything out and stare out the window for some indiscernible amount of time until they rolled to a stop at Onibus. Izar, however, broke the silence with his triumphant take on the mission overall, and Akumu agrees, for the most part, nodding along to what he says. She feels a sense of calm and anxiety for the road ahead as a team, knowing it is indeed a step forward but not quite sure if she trusted how steady the ground was once she reached it. “It would be nice to celebrate,” She says, features relaxing as she allowed herself to simply enjoy the moment for what it was; they were going home, where that four letter word actually coincided with others ones like safe and love. She raises her “glass” and says, “To Caelisti Ortus,” her silent observation pulling the beginnings of a smile onto her features.