A Certain Missing Esper (Arc 4 Main Story)

Aiko's EMP had managed to disable the assailants' vision, however that had only managed to stop their assault for a moment, after which a light appeared on each of the assailants and their assault continued. Whatever the new device they were using to continue their assault was, it was probably electronic, meaning Aiko's EMP would probably be effective against it too, though the EMP required a huge amount of energy and she wasn't sure she'd be able to do it again so soon. She'd at least managed to get some sleep before the chaos had started, but she was nowhere near 100%. Instead, Aiko expanded her field to max range to get a view of what was happening.

It was difficult to tell individuals apart when sensing like this, but given his close proximity to her before, Aiko was fairly certain the person she sensed close to her was Saito. She could also sense two people close together crawling along the wall towards her. She was hoping it was Reina and Tsubasa, though she couldn't quite tell. Naoto on the other hand was plainly obvious to her. She'd been yelling throughout the whole encounter so the shape where her voice was coming from was likely her. What Aiko didn't expect however, was the Naoto eyes suddenly glowing red followed swiftly by the pasting of a whole group of the assailants.

Wait, she's skill out right? Does she have some kind of ability she was hiding this whole time?

This was followed buy the gunfire halting for a second time. There seemed to be some confusion among the ranks of the enemy. That is, until that confusion turned into renewed anger as they opened fire once more. Aiko's focus on this back and forth was pulled away however when the crawling figures had finally reached her and she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Ai-chan? Uh, Aiko. Is it you? Where's Sai-chan?"

Though the darkness would make it so Reina was unable to see her smile, her ability so see Aiko's emotions would easily display Aiko's enjoyment of her new nickname.

"Oh good, Reina, that was you. Yes it's me. I could feel a pair coming closer so I was hoping it was you and Tsubasa, but it's difficult to make out specific individuals with my ability. As for Saito, I think he's right over there." Aiko said gesturing towards Saito before realizing... "Wait, can you see where I'm pointing? Or at all?"

Their discussion was then interrupted but the voice of a boy who was laying on the ground with another person near him.

"Hey... Hey. If you can get me to a vehicle I can get us out. Can't go out the front way, but there's another route."

Finally some good news in this bloodbath.

"Sure, I can see so I can lead us out. Tsubasa, if that's you can you give him a hand."

Normally, panic was a vice. Rash action the result of failed composure. Having to adjust and reconcile, loss of superiority. But what to do if things detoured from the plan outside of the realm of expectation?

In the end, it all depends on circumstances and execution. «Fine. You do you», the voice muttered in their usual cold. No sign of any of these emotions. Just a sharp edge. «Use the tranqulisers. Then pull back.» Again, albeit there may have been resistance among the soldiers, they immediately shifted gears once more. Not lowering their rifles, they reached for an appliance they carried by their hip, removed it and attached it to their weapons. All nearly in tandem. Then without hesitation they began to fire. Not by pressing the trigger, but by pulling back the attachment’s outer shell, launching larger projectiles into the space of the underground parking lot. Small cylinders bounced off the ground and walls before landing still. When they did, they popped open, quickly releasing a thick fog into the air.

While hardly visible in the dark of the underground, the air would quickly grow noticeable heavier.

«Personal attention cannot be avoided at this stage, can it?»

For a moment Marybeth’s world had only been about that single prey and her revenge. Until something smashed into her wide open side around her hip, digging into her flesh. Shit! I got too carried away! Immediately after, building on the help of Device Echo and the presumed trajectory of the projectile, she took cover behind a nearby stabilisation pillar. And while she did, she pulled a pistol from her belt to fire a couple rounds towards the point origin of the surprise attack.

«How gutless! Can’t you see we were having a nice throw down overhere?!», she shouted in a fake jolly mood, all the while surpressing the pain that weighed onto her upon using her fingers to check on her fresh wound. Now preparing to retaliate by fumbling for her favourite tiny explosives, she noticed the change in the state of the air, followed by a rapidly increasing sense of fatigue conquering her body. The tranqulisier? You bastard, I won’t let you ruin this!!! However, it had been too late. Hadn’t the noise of her gunfire overshadowed the faint sounds of something bouncing, she may have been able to notice earlier. But now, wounded as she was, her legs collapsed under her weight as she was just about to pick out the portable gas mask all members of Thanatos had been equipped with for this scenario.


«Gas…?» Kisaragi Anko had caught on quickly as she had inhaled the harmful substance under a slightly heavier breath. Just having brought down another mercenary by breaking into their blind spot and knocking them down the body of a juicer she had flung like a flail by holding onto the cable, she had come slightly out of breath. She shouldn’t have, though. But it seemed her body still hadn’t recovered from that poisining. And it seemed that exactly that had left her in a rather sensitive state, did she feel the effects of the tranquliser immediately. Even though she had been trained to a strong resistance towards any kind of poison from childhood on, her body had grown immensely heavy from one moment to the other.

It didn’t take her any more time then a second before she ducked down to check the incapacitated mercenary at her feet for what she assumed to be among his standard equipment for this type of situation: A portable breathing mask. And another before she put it on, frantically pressing the button layout she no clue about until it somehow turned on the device.

Then, while she was at it, she’d reach for the handgun the man carried, before slowly truding onwards. «…I need…to find Kohaku…» Even as her body lost all its strength, she fought on to not miss out their rendevouz again.


When the underground parking lot drowned in a thick cloud of tranquiliser, an unseen shadow crept through the halls. While entirely invisible to the naked eye, one girl’s electron shell could possibly perceive a void zone interfering with that of her own. And when that black spot crossed over with hers, all that within it would be consumed whole yet not without noticeable static interference. In the end what the blackness consumed was the figure of a certain silver haired girl. And when it happened, Kira Kohaku would feel herself being pulled backwards and away from the injured boy, as her head was manouvred onto a pair of soft pillows, all the while something wrapped itself around her neck swiftly. When it happened, the direct contact with both gave her the familiar sensation of naked flesh and only a tad of fabric.

«Playtime is over. I will not tolerate any continuation of this mess.» A distorted, uncharacteristic voice with no fixed origin reverberated through the underground mall. Like an echo it emerged from all kinds of directions. If one paid closer attention, the actual source could quickly be identified as the small devices each of the mercenaries wore on their body armour. «Consider yourselves lucky. I will bestow upon you the opportunity for escape. If your bodies can withstand, that is.» It wasn’t expressed politely, but with a sense of cruel superiority. «I’m sure you appreciate to stay alive a little longer.»

There was no realistically chasing after him. Even so, she still tried. That tension he had emitted that moment, was a horrifying thing, but it also gave her all the more of a reason to chase after him. She had to stop him from going beyond this. If that meant pointing her remote at him, she wouldn’t have hesitated.

However, when she finally had caught up, all she found was a man who had finally returned to reality, gaining awareness of his own pain. Hence, instead of lecturing him right off the bat, the honey blonde approached him slowly. «Li-sensei…» She called out his name out of loss of words and breath. Cleary, she wasn’t made for this kind of dynamic lifestyle. Surpressing the aching and soreness of her arms and legs she had flailed in that sprint, she closed in on the man, once more attempting to support him physically – no matter if he was actually in need for it – and to check on the wound his blood was visibly dripping from. «We need to get you checked up. I can see your survival ability is something else, but that doesn’t mean I can let you run around like this.» There was no need to hide her concern for the boy she had run around with all night. No, showing it openly was direly necessary.

«Leave finding them to me. The Queen of Tokiwadai will pull it off ☆,» Shokuhou overplayed her usual idol act in what was more or less a desperate attempt to calm him down. Yet still, it didn’t mean she wasn’t serious or didn’t have the means to.

After the ruthless cry coming from somewhere in this place filled the air with even more tension somehow, ordering the henchmen to deal with them, the battle became even more intense. Tsubasa, dragged by Reina, was convinced that one of them would be shot dead today. Bullets poured like killer rain, threatened to pierce her heart if she committed the smallest gaffe. Metal clunking and tearing of fabric rang in her ears whispering about the tragic fate of the other fighters nearby. Perfectly round holes she touched on the concrete wall reminded her of the nearby hand of death. The air around them became hard to breathe in, pressure on top of her chest, her lungs feeling tighter than ever.

As if on cue, the girl in front of her tightened her grip on her hand.

Right, she had to keep it together. For her "protégée"’s sake. She could read emotions after all. Tsubasa didn’t want to cause the frightened girl even more unneeded distress. In an attempt to ease her mind from any worries, she squeezed her hand back.

It’ll be okay, have faith. – She wanted to say. But alas, she couldn’t. She didn’t want to draw attention to their position until they found everyone first. Thus, she held her hand tightly. Body language is as important as verbal language.

Reina came to a sudden halt. Tsubasa looked over her shoulder to check what was the matter, only to see two shadowy figures merging with the darkness in the background, reminiscent of an ink splash on top of a black canvas.

It was Aoki and Kohaku!

They were safe!

Aoki was safe!

Safe!

If there was a god in this world, she wanted to thank him personally for this miracle.
She directed a meaningful look in the direction of Reina. She didn’t know if the girl could see her facial expression or not, but she hoped her emotions would be conveyed at the very least. They can make it through this alive. No, they will.

Now they only had to make sure the rest of her allies were okay.

Kohaku spoke to them while huffing, short of breath. Only then did Tsubasa notice the other individual with her.

"Hey. If you can get me to a vehicle I can get us out. Can't go out the front way, but there's another route."

“A vehicule? Maybe we can use the one we came in? Although I don’t have a car permit and just a bike's, I’m sure I can drive better than Kisaragi. However, how will we reach it? I can probably crawl to it on my own, but we can't as a group with an injured person in our midsts. I propose that I either carry him, as I'm the strongest, or I could go alone and then bring the van back here... Ugh, fuck it, I'll come clean. Honestly, what’s bothering me is you… Reina. Wll you be truly safe on your own…? I mean physically. Besides, even if I brought the vehicle inside the building, they’ll all just start shooting at it. Our sole means of escape will be damaged.”

Wow, I just went on a rant again, color me surprised. So much for being optimistic to encourage Reina in the face of this hopeless situation...

Tsubasa berated herself mentally. Unbeknownst to her, a certain individual lurked nearby in the shadows, ready to make their move, someone who would shift the tragectory of this tale, and ruin any hopes they might've had to escape.

It was then that she heard a creepy voice vibrating through the mall:

«Playtime is over. I will not tolerate any continuation of this mess. Consider yourselves lucky. I will bestow upon you the opportunity for escape. If your bodies can withstand, that is. I’m sure you appreciate to stay alive a little longer.»

What? Who was this?

Tsubasa, felt a sense of urgency. An eerie wave filled the atmosphere. A chill ran through her spine. She had a bad premonition about what awaited all of them. Unconsciously, she covered Reina protectively with her body.

"Aoki! Can you detect their location?!"

«How gutless! Can’t you see we were having a nice throw down over here?!»

Hirashi was not terribly affected by the mercenary’s insult. Rather than dying honorably, he’d rather live, and besides, it was her who launched this sneak attack in the first place.

But more worryingly, the sounds of bullets smacking into the concrete in front of him suggested that despite his attacks being silent, they were able to track his position.

Still having no idea where the others were in the darkness, but not wanting to expose himself in fear of getting shot by that crazy yelling lady, Hirashi hoped either Miss Scary Eyes or Hoodie Girl would give him a signal on where the group was.

Thunk thunk

This new source of noise was a change of pace from the pops of gunfire, and the hissing sounds which followed made it fairly obvious what was to come. Hirashi reasoned the gas was likely not lethal, as if they wanted to kill everything here, they would have just opened with that. Being either knocked out or paralyised is not high on Hirashi’s to-do list either, so he had to do something, and fast.

Hirashi took off his shirt and wrapped it around his face as he tried to move away from the source of the sounds he had just heard, taking his chances with the mad woman’s aim in the dark over the mystery gas. Hirashi lightly pushed the air in front of him to vaguely feel his path from the resistance he felt.

Hirashi hoped the others were also aware of this new threat, they are valuable allies, it’d be a shame to lose them now.

Malice.

A creeping shadow of cruel intent approached under the cover of darkness. Before Reina could speak to warn anyone the presence had snatched away the nurse with the speed and efficiency of a professional and the hissing static and feedback of the announcement interrupted her attempts by drowning out her small voice.

«Playtime is over. I will not tolerate any continuation of this mess. Consider yourselves lucky. I will bestow upon you the opportunity for escape. If your bodies can withstand, that is. I’m sure you appreciate to stay alive a little longer.»

Naoto had been quick to take advantage of the repreive granted by Marybeth's abrupt retreat. She moved through the darkness of the parking lot on pure instinct and memory. A dozen long strides took her to the back room where the others had been resting. Swinging open the doors to the office she called out, heedless of any enemy that might hear her.

"You lot. Get your asses moving. We're making a break for it!"

"Boss!" The boy with the injured leg, still completely unaware of what had transpired in the darkness mere inches away, responded eagerly. "Thank God. What the hell's happening out there?"

"Not the time." Naoto didn't ignore the possibility this was another trap, but she was determined to make the most of the opportunity that had presented itself. Saito's searching hand reached her as he felt his way towards the exit and Naoto spun, seizing him by the shirt and raising her fist ready to strike.

"Wait!" Reina, who was now pressed tight to Tsubasa's back, called out to stop her. It was enough to stay Naoto's heavy punch. She paused for a moment, as if deciding if she trusted the voice or not.

"You can see!?" Naoto turned her head even though her eyes couldn't pierce the blackness surrounding them. "That's some convenient power, alright. Soesn't anyone where have a torch or a damn phone?" She was admonishing herself more than anyone. Feeling her pockets she realised her lack. "Whatever. Stay close and we'll make it through this." She tried not to allow her own doubt to sound in her voice.

"Boss. I'm hit. You think you can give me a hand?" The boy chuckled humourlessly. Naoto grabbed him roughly by the collar, only now releasing Saito from her grasp.

"Always making trouble for people..." She admonished the injured boy with a friendly jab.

***

«We need to get you checked up. I can see your survival ability is something else, but that doesn’t mean I can let you run around like this.»

Hauling himself up to his feet took a great deal of effort even with Misaki's help. His body slumped, instinctively trying to relieve the pressure on his injured side. He let his hand fall from the knife. Better to leave it in for now. Until he could find a way to staunch the blood at least.

"It's fine. I can deal with this much." He said with unnerving certainty as he staggered for the wall taking deep breaths through gritted teeth. Misaki could only support so much of his weight, after all. "The club should have a medical kit. These sorts of places always do." The crowds had dispersed already. No one wanted to risk hanging around for the chance at being shot. Guy directed Misaki to check behind the bar. "It'll be obvious when you see it. Look for bright colours and a cross." He felt the door to the back rooms. Locked. With all his strength he threw his shoulder against the door and it gave way with a crash. He swept the break room's table clean and braced himsefl against his makeshift operating table.

What followed would not be pleasant.

At once, all the enemies stopped firing. Watching them carefully, Aiko saw as the reach down for something each of them carried, affixed it to their guns, and launched what seemed like small canisters into the room. This was followed by the sound of gas escaping from a container which signaled to Aiko that the room was about to be flooding with gas. What that gas did she had no idea but that fact it was being used on them meant it probably wasn't anything good. Like Saito, Aiko also quickly took off her shirt and wrapping it around her face to use as a make shift gas filter. The concern of future embarrassment was far less then breathing in this gas, thought how effective the shirt would be had yet to be seen, but it was probably better than nothing. She then made her way over to Tsubasa who seemed to be in a bit of a thought spiral and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Tsubasa. Just stick near me and I'll lead us out. I can see just fine."

Her voice was a bit muffled because of the shirt wrapped around her mouth, but hopefully it had the calming affect she'd intended. Before she could check on the rest of the group, a voice began to echo throughout the room.

«Playtime is over. I will not tolerate any continuation of this mess. Consider yourselves lucky. I will bestow upon you the opportunity for escape. If your bodies can withstand, that is. I’m sure you appreciate to stay alive a little longer.»

"You lot. Get your asses moving. We're making a break for it!"

As Naoto called out to everyone, it seemed like Saito had managed to crawl over to the group and bumped into her. Before she delivered a swift blow to the boy however, Reina called out to stop her.

"You can see!? That's some convenient power, alright. Doesn't anyone where have a torch or a damn phone? Whatever. Stay close and we'll make it through this."

Aiko then moved over to Naoto to assist with everyone's escape.

"Naoto-san, I can see as well. Just tell me where we need to go and I can lead us over. I'm also making sure they can't see us so we should be able to move at a good pace."

Into the known unknown. Kisaragi, having inhaled the gas for too long, could only muster enough strength to push forward slowley. The gun in her hand at the ready, she felt as though she had completely lost all connection to the world and her own pride. But desperate times required desparate measures. Still, even though she could hardly make out anything anymore with the thickness of the cloud and her own dizziness, the likeness of familiar voices served as her guide forward.

Those were their…allies. Those who had been right by their side only a moment ago. The group who understood the topology of this environment. Surely, they would have pulled Kohaku along.

«You guys. Wait for me…!». Thus, in the end she, too, would connect with the group of the fleeing.

Having followed the instructions the older boy had given her, Shokuhou Misaki all of a sudden found herself in a situation no teenage girl in her prime would ever imagine to experience, let alone hope to do so. «A…are you sure about this? I…I don’t think my medical knowledge ability is sufficient to do this…!», she stummeled in face of the absurd obstacle placed before her. Extremely shyly hesistant in face of the bloody boy on the table before her, she could feel her heart nearly jump out from her chest.

But even as her legs shook like a pair of trees during a typhoon, she recalled that for once in her life nobody would come to her aid. Instead, she had to act entirely on her own strength. Therefore, gulping down the little quarter of her overflowing concerns she could, the honey blonde opened the first aid kit with trembling fingers all the while pointing one of her remotes at Guy.

«Category 061: Your sense of pain is lowered by 95%.»

Against all odds: It was time to get to work. If that was what it took, then so be it.

Tsubasa had noticed Aoki approaching her. She was contemplating what she ought to say to the girl when she felt a reassuring hand on her shaky shoulder.

"It's okay Tsubasa. Just stick near me and I'll lead us out. I can see just fine."

Tsubasa nodded, tension easing from her face, her body muscles relaxing. She chose to place her trust in her friend.

As the group were conversing, someone new had shown up. Naoto raised a fist briskly to strike whoever had run against her. Moments before the clunched fist hit its intended target, Reina stopped her. This new person appeared to Saito. Gratefully, thanks to her powers, Reina had interjected in time to prevent an unpleasant turn of events. Tsubasa grew keenly aware how much those powers have proved to be so handy. Reina was genuinly a resourceful girl. Nevertheless, those powers came in clutch during every pinch they had encountered today, everytime the rest of them were powerless, including the powerful espers. Kind of ironic.

A familiar voice snapped her out of her reverie. «You guys. Wait for me…!»

"Kisaragi! You're here too! Oh yeah, I forgot. Hello there Saito. Sorry, I was distracted. Man, so good you're both alive!", Tsubasa beamed. She leapt energetically next to the boy, hitting him repeatedly -rather forcefully- on the back. She gestured to the mystery ninja girl to hurry up.

"You lot. Get your asses moving. We're making a break for it!"

Hirashi recognised the voice, it was Baseball Cap from earlier. Now with a direction, he moved faster than before to avoid getting left behind. As he got closer to his destination, Hirashi instinctively pulled back when he felt a sudden rush of air heading towards his face. But thankfully, Gown girl’s interjection saved Hirashi from further pain from Baseball Cap’s fist.

Hmm, so Gown Girl’s power allows her to see in the dark.

Hirashi filed that information away in his head while taking inventory of the group. It seems everyone is here besides Miss Scary Eyes and Silver Hair. Hirashi was not overly concerned for the duo though; Miss Scary Eyes is certainly capable of handling herself in a fight, and that Silver Haired girl seemed to be her friend of sorts, so she was also probably doing fine by proxy.

“Always making trouble for people…”

Baseball Cap finally released her grip on Hirashi and the group headed out, Hirashi was still unsure of the new changes in the situation, but being in a group helped relieve his worries.

"Naoto-san, I can see as well. Just tell me where we need to go and I can lead us over. I'm also making sure they can't see us so we should be able to move at a good pace."

"We keep spare vehicles on the upper floor. If you can get us up there in one piece we're as good as out of here." Naoto said while slipping under the injured boy's arm. She allowed Reina and Aiko to take the lead. Between the two they had a working pair of eyes that could navigate the blanket of darkness. Reina put a hand on Aiko's shoulder and took Tsubasa's wrist in the other to form a chain with Saito and Kisaragi taking the back. It was sort of like Elementary schoolers walking to school, she thought. She probably would have found the whole thing amusing had she not been keenly aware of the threat of death looming over them all.

With Aiko's guidance they reached the staircase at the rear of the parking lot, but before she could open the door, Reina squeezed her grip tighter

"Wait." She said with a hushed urgency. "Not that way." Behind the door a lurking aura was approaching with a rapid pace.

"Another door, North East wall." Naoto issued quiet, clipped instructions. A moment later Reina tugged both Aiko and Tsubasa downwards, crouching low to take cover behind a car. The scraping shuffle of another enemy's footsteps passed by close enough that Reina held her breath instinctively. Waiting until they had passed she gave Aiko's shoulder another squeeze to urge her onwards.

Opening the door to the North East stairwell felt like breaking the surface of the water after a long dive. The relief was an almost physical sensation. With no enemies nearby, Reina gave the all clear and the group sped up the stairs to the 2nd floor.

"You still got your keys on you, I hope?" Naoto heaved the boy up the concrete staircase and out into the upper parking lot, nearly falling into the side panel of another van. They were above street level now and it only now occurred to Reina that they would still need to get past the wall of gunfire that had torn the other vans apart.

"How are we-"

"Just get in." Naoto cut her off. "You guys did you part, now let us do ours." Loading the boy into the driver's seat, Naoto hopped in beside him. The engine roared to life with a turn of the key and the van swung out of its space rapidly to face the concrete barrier that opened out onto the empty air beyond. "You see, we figured there was a chance the groudn level routes could be cut off if someone tried to corner us." Naoto explained. "So we keep some of the cars up here just in case. Reinforced the chassis, too."

The van's engine revved loudly, the wheels squealing, speed building behind engaged brakes.

And it dawned on Reina what their plan was.

"Hold on tight." Naoto told the passengers behind her.

The brakes released and with a sharp jolt of acceleration the van rocketed forwards. The barrier crumbled like paper, the impact rocking Reina about the interior despite the fierce grip she kept on the back of the driver's seat. She let out a sound somewhere between a scream and a squeak.

And for a moment they were weightless. The moment didn't last long as another, far more violent impact shook the carriage. The bottom of the van scraped noisily along the asphalt as their trajectory levelled off and, barely losing speed, they took off down the street.

***

«A…are you sure about this? I…I don’t think my medical knowledge ability is sufficient to do this…!»

"Don't worry. I can handle the rest." Guy took the flat slip of metal in his hand and exhaled.

«Category 061: Your sense of pain is lowered by 95%.»

He felt his consciousness flicker for a moment. Like his awareness had been turned off and on again in a sudden power cut. He didn't pay it any mind and keeping his eyes facing forwards, unfocused on the table, he uttered a quiet 'thanks'.

He pulled firmly and slid the blade out to the sound of his unsteady, shuddering breath. The now open gash bloomed with a thick welling of blood and he clamped his hand down over it, tossing the knife to the floor. Even with Misaki's help, the pain was immense. The strange disconnect between what he saw and what he felt gave him a peculiar feeling of disassociation for a moment, as if he was watching himself from somewhere beyond his own body. He snatched the disinfectant from the medical kit and went to work. The sting was distant but it brought his thoughts into sharp focus.

To somewhere... else...

***


"Hey mister!"

The girl had black hair tied up into small buns on the top of her head. Guy had thought at the time it reminded him of a mouse's ears in a strange way.

"What do you want?" He'd replied sullenly, shoving her out of his way with a dismissive wave of his hand as he staggered towards the door.

"I'm bored!"

"Go find someone else." He muttered. It took him several attempts to find the slot of the lock with his key. His hands were trembling slightly and numb from a day of drinking. He forced the door open when it stuck. The old hinges rasped as rust ground against rust.

"There is nobody else." The girl replied, following him inside faster than he could slam the door in her face. Her eyes widened at the sight beyond. Inside the bare and run down apartment empty bottles and cans littered the floor. There wasn't even a mattress to lie on. “You're still young! You can't throw your life away and fall into this kind of lifestyle so early!”

"If you care so much then you do something about it. I'm fine with it like this." Guy lowered himself to the floor to lie in the empty patch of floor and closed his eyes.

"Hey hey." A finger prodded his bearded cheek but the yougn man's eyes, heavy with dark bags and bloodshot, didn't even open as he swiped at the hand blindly. "If I clean up in here can we play?"

"Sure. Whatever. Just don't make a racket." Guy grumbled.

***

The hooked needle pierced flesh, the sharp sting was muted as Guy's trembling hand guided it slowly around the wound and out the other side. He pulled and the suture worked its way through the pinprick hole in his abdomen.

"Sorry you... had to see this." Guy grit his teeth and gave the suture another slow tug before plunging the needlee back into his skin. He would pause occasionally, taking a few seconds to inhale deeply and mop the sweat fro mhis brow before continuing. When the blood became too thick he wiped it off with an alcohol soaked cloth.

***

His apartment had been clean when he awoke. Well, cleaner. The bottles and cans were gone and the floor was still wet where it had been wiped down.

That night, when he returned home, the mouse was waiting for him again as always.

"Hey mister, I didn a good job, right?"

He grunted non-commitally as he nudged her aside. He didn't bother trying to close the door this time. She was too fast.

"Now you've gotta play with me like you said."

He grunted again. But he didn't say no.

***

Guy pressed the dressing to his side and looped the bandage around his side to hold it in place. With this, he was done. Tying off the length of material he finally let his body relax and lay back onto the break room table.

"Okay. Not perfect, but it'll do for now." He said breathlessly. "Give me a second..." He braced himself to stand up. Hazy thoughts returned him to that place.

***

He couldn't say exactly how long had passed, but he knew that every day the little mouse would be there to greet him when he returned home. She was his next door neighbour. Her family all worked and she didn't go to school. Her favourite colour was purple and thanks to him she wanted to be a cleaner when she grew up. These were things she had told him in their one sided conversations. She'd mentioned her name, as well, but he couldn't remember it now.

One night he'd heard a knocking on his door and a quiet voice.

He hadn't answered.

No one had seen it happen, but he pieced together enough from the other residents of that old apartment complex to figure out that the local gangs had paid the complex a visit that night. The apartment next to his had been cleared out.

From that day on, the little mouse wasn't there to greet him.

***

"Hey Misaki..." His voice was weak. Exhausted. "What would you do if every choice you made turned out to be the wrong one?"

Kisaragi had remained tense throughout the entire escape. While she hadn’t been a friend of cooperation with amateuers, just this once it was quite appreciated. In the end, even with her skillset an escape from the seige was a deed that wasn’t easy to say the least. Not to forget that her world was still clouded by the poison’s heaviness. She couldn’t deny that that and her already damaged health made things quite difficult. As such, her tension and focus were forced to maximise upon their escape route, even with their guides in place.

A single slip up could be lethal, after all.

Having hidden in the shadows on any occasion, always remaining prepared to strike down an enemy if necessary, she, too, ultimately made it past all the looming threats until they arrived at the escape vehicle that Skill-Out leader had organised for them.

Normally, she would have questioned their plan for escape given that any other attempt at breaking through to the outside of the garage had been answered with ehavy gun fire. But this once, Kisaragi Anko would just drop herself onto the backseat of the car, no questions asked, sprawling and fading out. The kunoichi really had been at her limits here.

«What the fuck? Who told you to interfere!? We had them!!» Marybeth’s shouting was clearly audible across the entire parking lot, even as the breathing mask she wore dampened it. However, her anger only met deaf ears with the shadowy figure that had meshed with the darkness and the thick fog. «You didn’t have anyone. This is a mess. If at all, you were about to stack another failure ontop of your track record. What I did was deescalate the situation and create an opportunity.» Their reply was scalm and collected but with an unhealthy sense of superiority. «They may be running now, but they learned their lesson about messing with us. That is nothing they will be able to shake off next time they come for us. And I made sure that this time we will control the board.»

Without any further ado, the gloomy shadows all of a sudden retreated further back into the hall, revealing only the silver haired girl, no one else. «Take care of her. She’s going to be our bait.»

Stepping up towards their newly acquired hostage, the one eyed mercenary still was little amused by the circumstances if anything. «You’re kidding, right? We’re killers, not babysitters! Why don’t you do it yourself?» But only the noise of heavy gunshots in the distance remained. The source of the voice must have been gone by now.

«Fucking asshole.»


Like pounding drums, the noise of bullets crashing into the asphalt echoed through the empty night time streets. While the bullets had the force to tear the streets open, they still bounced off the surface of the vehicle, if they even managed to hit it. It was too fast, too slick, too unpredictable even for an AI. Still, even if some of the bullets did bounce off, an occasional clean hit could dent the shell of the car.

It was the pounding of such a clean hit that shook Kisaragi back to consciousness. Only for to run her eyes across her companions and realise in shock: «Hold on…where is…Kohaku…?»

"We keep spare vehicles on the upper floor. If you can get us up there in one piece we're as good as out of here."

With Aiko and Reina leading the group as well as Naoto's directions, it wasn't long before party had reached the stairwell. Another quick warning from Reina allowed the group to dodge what could have been an unfortunate encounter and they were redirected to an alternate staircase. Opening the door to the second floor of the parking garage felt as if a hanging sense of claustrophobia had been lifted as Aiko was once again able to see the lights of the city. Now safe from the gas of the lower floors and eager to no longer be flashing people now that some measure of vision was restored, Aiko quickly unwrapped the shirt from around her face and put it back on.  

"You still got your keys on you, I hope?"

"How are we-"

"Just get in. You guys did you part, now let us do ours. You see, we figured there was a chance the ground level routes could be cut off if someone tried to corner us. So we keep some of the cars up here just in case. Reinforced the chassis, too."

As Aiko hopped into the van, happy to finally be in a relatively safe place, it donned on her just what Naoto's plan was going to be.

"Hey Naoto... I still have a concussion right now so maybe..."

"Hold on tight."

It was too late. The van took off at the accelerator was floor and smashed through the structure as if it were paper. For a moment Aiko felt weightless as the van hung in the air before the inevitable landing knocked the wind right out of her. As the van now free of the garage sped away down the road, Aiko heard Kisaragi's voice.

«Hold on…where is…Kohaku…?»

Looking around, Kohaku was nowhere to be seen. They must have been separated at some point but with so much chaos and the fact that Aiko was already pushing herself she'd failed to notice. Given the way they'd escaped as well, there was no chance of being able to go back for her. All Aiko could do at this point was hope that Kohaku had managed to somehow escape as well.

"So Naoto-san, where are we heading?"

As the group made their way upstairs in the darkness, Hirashi could do nothing but be led forward and hope everything turned out okay. This sense of powerlessness seemed to be the running theme of the month.

After a brief exchange the group hopped into the parked van nearby and shut the doors, muffling the pounding of gunfire downstairs. The group seemed to be dead tired, even Miss Scary Eyes was half-lying, half-sitting in the backseat. Hirashi was not faring any better, all the running and chasing was making his head fuzzy and he was having difficulties thinking straight.

A few moments later, the van sprung to life with Baseball Cap at the wheel. The sound of the revving engine and squealing tires cut through the fog enveloping Hirashi’s brain, it was at this point Hirashi realised what Baseball Cap’s plan was, but it was too late now.

"Hey Naoto... I still have a concussion right now so maybe..."

As Hirashi was silently fumbling around with a seat belt, the van leapt forward and dropped down to the streets below.

«Hold on…where is…Kohaku…?»

A quick glance around the van confirmed that the Silver Haired girl was missing. Hirashi was not optimistic about her situation. Judging from the professionalism (bar one screaming lady) and getup of the attackers, at best she would be captured and at worst…
Hirashi observed Miss Scary Eye’s reaction discreetly. she seemed to be quite attached to that girl, if she was to run off and tried to rescue her, the group could potentially lose a valuable asset.

Shokuhou Misaki allowed a heavy sigh escape her lips as she collapsed against a wall. To say the past few minutes had been difficult, was’t cutting it at all. Thankfully, she was not the kind of person to let these kinds of things get to her like that. Not with all she had seen in her own life. «Don’t push yourself just yet…», she spoke in a voice lowered by her own exhaustion as she hazily attempted to respond to that fool of a boy.

The blood tainted bunny girl needed a minute for herself, yet she still didn’t allow her eyes to trail off her patient. After all, she couldn’t be sure about her own performance here.

«Hey Misaki...What would you do if every choice you made turned out to be the wrong one?»

Had the treatment and pain made him sentimental all of a sudden? Or had the near death experience sparked his memory center? Whichever it was, the queen of Tokiwadai had already shifted into some kind of auto pilot. «I wouldn’t stop trying to make things right. Even whatever path you’re led down leads into a bottomless pit, you shouldn’t forfeit your belief ability.»

At the edge of her own concsciousness, the honey blonde reached between her blood smeared chect pulling out the pendant of the necklace she’d been wearing the whole time. «No matter how high the odds keep stacking up…never give in and make it right. Don’t let your messes win.» As she spoke with hopeful melancholia in her voice, her eyes were solely focussed on a simple plastic whistle she’d always carry wih her. «That’s what that girl would do, too.»

Even knowing the capabilities of the van's reinforced shell, the sound of bullets ricocheting across it set Naoto's hair on end. But the thrill and elation of their narrow escape kept her normally stoic expression fixed in a lunatic grin.

"Where to, boss?" The boy in the driver's seat asked.

"For now just keep driving. Anywhere will do." She responded, turning her attention to the bewildered passengers.

«Hold on…where is…Kohaku…?»

"If she's not with us, we have to have faith she got out with one of the others." Naoto said with such unerring confidence that she almost convinced herself. The truth was, she had no idea who else had managed to escape. They might be the only ones...

The grim thought lingered just long enough to give her pause. Thankfully, Aiko's question gave her something else to occupy her mind, at least momentarily.

"So Naoto-san, where are we heading?"

She took a moment to consider the options.

"Right now we can't be sure if any of our safehouses are secure. If that scum are working with Kurama they could have a list of every hideout we own in the city." The seething hatred in her voice crept through for just a moment. "If you've got anywhere of your own to lie low for a while, that'll be your best bet." Her shoulders sank a little. The entire purpose of their group had been to offer refuge to those who needed it. Only now they were the ones who needed an escape. "Wait for this to all blow over, maybe..."

"No." Reina spoke up. The soft voice of that girl was firm and resolute. "I've had it with running away. I've had it with being afraid." Small hands clenched into fists. "And I've had it with other people being dragged into my problems." The expression on her face was ill suited to her soft, doll-like features. It was as fierce a glare as that face could offer. "Those guys..." Reina felt anger and frustration that had been simmering for the past few days finally boil over. First Tsubasa, Saito and Aiko, then Naoto and her friends. All of them had been caught up in this because they'd tried to help her. Because she was too weak and too afraid to fight her own battles. She was done with it all. Even if she lost her freedom, even if she died for it. She wanted to fight back. Even if it meant doing it alone."...I wanna kick their asses."

***

«I wouldn’t stop trying to make things right. Even whatever path you’re led down leads into a bottomless pit, you shouldn’t forfeit your belief ability. No matter how high the odds keep stacking up…never give in and make it right. Don’t let your messes win. That’s what that girl would do, too.»

Lying there, with his eyes slowly focusing and unfocusing in a haze, he heard a confirmation of what he already knew. If he didn't act, there was no chance of a good outcome. But if he did act...

Even if the odds were astronomically low...

Even if he had to do the unforgivable...

He had to keep going.

A voice echo from long ago echoed in his head. Giving in is what kills people.

Giving in wouldn't do anything except make defeat certain. The only rational choice was to resist until the end. Give everything. Down to the last drop of blood in his body.

"It's fine." He said, pushing himself up off the table with considerable effort and a groan. It was very clearly *not* fine.

"Misaki. You said your contacts might be able to track down that car..." He clenched his jaw. Pride could wait. Rachel's life, and who knew how many others, were on the line. "I'll count on you for this one." How many more times would he have to rely on someone else to make up for his shortcomings?

"Right now we can't be sure if any of our safehouses are secure. If that scum are working with Kurama they could have a list of every hideout we own in the city. If you've got anywhere of your own to lie low for a while, that'll be your best bet. Wait for this to all blow over, maybe..."

Aiko could feel pain in Naoto's words. Both hatred and defeat. She'd just lost a lot back there so it was perfectly understandable. Before Aiko could chime in however, Reina spoke up again. The events of the past few days seeming to harden her resolve.

"No. I've had it with running away. I've had it with being afraid. And I've had it with other people being dragged into my problems. Those guys... I wanna kick their asses."

A smile crept onto Aiko's face as she put a hand on Reina's should.

"I agree. I don't want them to get away with what they've done. For right now though, Tsubasa has a place that we've been using as a makeshift base that I think could work. Everyone here could probably use a rest. Gather our strength to take the fight to them."

Aiko provided Naoto the location of the base they'd been using before meeting up. Then, while they continued to drive, thought it'd be a good idea to update Guy on their status. Aiko sent Guy a series of texts detailing the events that transpired since they parted ways as well as the location of the base they'd be staying at in case he wanted to meet back up. Then to let him know she was still in good spirits capped of the text with an It'll take a bit more than a militia with machine guns, poison gas, and collapsing buildings to kill me!

For once she had gotten carried away by her sentimentality. A crack in her perfect facade she wouldn’t usually tolerate in front of others. But Shokuhou Misaki could make an exception every now and then, couldn’t she? Especially, if it helped bring someone back onto their legs. Metaphorically, not… «Wait no! Don’t get up just yet! Keep resting! Li-sensei!!», she shouted frantically attempting to push him back into his lying position. Of course, this wouldn’t help his case either. But whatever.

«Misaki. You said your contacts might be able to track down that car...I'll count on you for this one.»

Just for a tiny moment she found herself taken aback by his request. While she hadn’t been entirely useless on their journey through the night, the last few hours had given her more of that feeling than she was willing to admit. Thus, she’d gladly take up any opportunity to improve their situation. «Leave it to me. The network ability of the Shokuhou Clique should resolve this in no time ☆» The honey blonde’s declarataion came with her usual vibrant energy and her usual type of cutesy pose.

Proceeding without any breaks pulled, she fumbled her phone from her cleavage and called the number one number from her quick dials list. «Hokaze-san, I have a jo–– […] I’m fine! I’m fine! No need for concer– […] Just listen already, will y– […] Hooookaze-san!!! Listen!!!! Your queen is in a pinch and needs your help!!!!» Having eventually overcome the struggle to jump to the actual issue, the blood smeared bunny girl could finally, finally get to the point. «There is a vehicle that I crossed paths with about an hour ago at a the address I’ll send you in a minute. Please ask the girls to use their tracking ability to find its current whereabouts and report back to me immediately. […] I can’t exactly tell you that right now. And I would prefer you don’t know. […]Thank you. I’ll be back soon, I promise.» As the conversation proceeded, their chatter had lost its colourful tone and become more serious and sterile. A sign that both sides had come to a mutual understanding about the circumstances. Naturally, that, too, was part of that clique’s nature.

They weren’t just a social construct of losely related people, after all.

“If that scum are working with Kurama they could have a list of every hideout we own in the city."

Hirashi suspected a traitor when the safehouse was hit, the assailants were too well-organised and equipped for the attack to be spontaneous, it must have been planned beforehand using leaked information. Even without Baseball Cap’s comment, Hirashi would not want to be in another safehouse affiliated with her.

Now that the situation has calmed down, Hirashi began processing the information he “filed for later” during the attack. The reason for Gown Girl’s capture was still as hazy as ever, but at least now Hirashi knows she had a power, and it allowed her to see in the dark. Hirashi paused,  but it can also be another sensory enhancement or a new sense altogether, similar to how he “feels” his surroundings with this telekinesis. It might not be simply night vision. Hirashi frowned slightly, this had not been as useful as he had first thought. However, the next bit of information was a lot less cryptic; Baseball Cap, despite being affiliated with Skill Out, had powers. Just like Blondie, not only do they have powers, they were extraordinarily powerful. This makes Hirashi worried and hopeful at the same time. Maybe this means they are secretly working together but this is now his only lead after losing the warehouse, perhaps Baseball Cap can point him to the origins of this power and who Blondie was working for.

Outwardly, Hirashi kept cool. They were at a huge disadvantage, they did not know anything about their enemy except for the fact they have much, much more firepower than them.

"No. I've had it with running away. I've had it with being afraid. And I've had it with other people being dragged into my problems. Those guys... I wanna kick their asses."

"I agree. I don't want them to get away with what they've done. For right now though, Tsubasa has a place that we've been using as a makeshift base that I think could work. Everyone here could probably use a rest. Gather our strength to take the fight to them."

Hirashi was glad Hoodie Girl was not carried along by Gown Girl’s fiery energy. They were playing from behind, a proper chance to rest and resupply is needed if they wanted to succeed.

“I appreciate the energy Reina-chan, but I agree with Aoki-san, we do need a breather. Also, I figured it would not hurt to ask, does anyone has any ideas who those people were?”

«If she's not with us, we have to have faith she got out with one of the others.» That wasn’t enough. Hope and faith were fantasy castles people built to cling to a sense of security, but they didn’t amount to anything in reality. «Listen. You need to turn back. Now.» Kisaragi’s nearly whispering voice may have been weak, the threat in her undertone was still there, overflowing with killing intent as the visible consequence.

Kohaku’s safety had to be ensured. That was all the kunoichi cared about.

Not that of the others’.

Not the declaration they made about facing off against the enemy.

Not their plan to move to a new hideout.

Someone else, however, did care. Enough so, to finally reveal themselves. «Pardon the intrusion, but those are inherently stupid ideas», the voice of a young man cut in. There was no physical presence. Instead, its origin was Kisaragi Anko herself, or rather the choker she wore around her neck. «Heading back is effectively suicide, no matter how you would put it. They would just tear you apart in a minute. Especially, in the state you are in right now. Keep running for now.» The man’s sense of superiority was clearly audible, even as he tried to speak as coldly as he did. For that alone, the kunoichi hated his guts. But at the same time, she had begun to understand her place. Not that did hold her down in any way. «They’re going to kill her…!» «They won’t.» He immediately cut back, crushing her concern with his factual voice. «She is too valuable for that. They have already taken losses. They have already had you slip away from them twice. Consequently, they need more chips to bargain. It’s obvious they will take her hostage, to regain control. That is also why going back will just kill you both.»

Only now, the tracksuit kunoichi finally fell silent. It took her a moment to process, but she couldn’t deny his claims. Her body was exhausted. The gas, the injuries, the poison from that incident, they all wore her down right now. Yet, even at full power, these circumstances were nothing she could easily overturn.

«As for your hideout: How do you think they found you last time? Because of Kurama sharing his knowledge? No. Most certainly not. With clumsy you are, the more likely option is that they tailed you right to it. Kisaragi-san, managed to do that, too. On a bicycle no less.» With the tencacity of running through a checklist, the man attempted to ground the group more into reality. «Still, the problem is the how. As I helped Kisaragi-san keep track of you, I relied on a couple of sources, including surveillance camera footage and satellite imagery. Going through these, I did not spot any pursuers. However, their attack seemed to be quite organised. That raised the larger concern of ‹how did they do it and won’t they do it again?›»

And then, he finally moved on the last bullet point. «They are a group called ‹Thanatos›, also previously known as ‹Odd Wolf›. A band of mercenaries that made a name for themselves for being both extremely ruthless and lethal. They are the kind of unit usually sent out on missions normal units wouldn’t pursue. Recently, they have moved to Academy City to serve as a weapons’ testing unit for a larger corporation that collapsed the other day. From there on they were likely absorbed by another organisation; now doing their dirty work. As for who stands above them: I have an idea, but I would like to confirm that first.»

They had successfully fled that morbid, vile place. It was wretched, with all the crimson red blood covering its walls, and all the agonizing screams reverberating everywhere. Tsubasa would have been utterly swamped by it, if not for Reina and Aoki's pacifying presence. Thankfully, they were now far, far away. Whilst it was a relief to feel safe, honestly, she acknowledged that she needed to get a grip. She was growing to become a hindrance to the group, even a bit too dependent on the aforementioned girls. It was very uncharacteristic of her. She must detach herself psychologically from the current events if she wanted to be efficient. She knew that should she let herself be invested emotionally, she would only hamper her ability to function properly, yet she ended up doing exactly that.

Today is not treating you well at all, right, Tsubasa? No worries. Everything can be salvaged still.

As if the fates were mocking her, it turns out that they've forgotten about Kohaku and left her behind. Things were even bleaker than she previously deemed.

"What?!" Tsubasa was left agasp.

Almost everyone voiced their disapproval of Kisaragi's suggestion to go back and save her, opting for the safer plan of finding a hideout. Reina was the only one still wanting to fight.

"I know this might sound weird coming from me — and trust me I hate leaving Kohaku behind too — but I have to agree with the others here, sorry Reina-chan, Kisaragi-san. We do need to regroup and think about our next move," Tsubasa said as she ground her teeth. She loathed every word leaving her lips. However, she needed to vanquish her hotheadedness and be a more practical ally to the others.

An unfamiliar voice started talking out of nowhere, explaining a lot of details about the current situation. Tsubasa had no idea where it was coming from at first. Only after looking around flabbergasted and bewildered while it was speaking did she notice that Kisaragi was wearing a choker. After the weird voice thingy finished its long discourse, she decided to elaborate further on some points.

"I believe the hideout that Aizawa has for us is pretty secure and well guarded by many personnel. However, this is going by normal society's criteria of security. You know, like, being used for protection against persistent journalists, stalkers, angry mobs of fans, that kind of stuff. So I wouldn't know its efficiency against a professional mercenary organization — if we can trust the authenticity of what we just heard. I also think they can tack us there using footage of security cameras in the city. So, what should we do? Do you think the hideout would suffice in this case? You've been there before, most of you."

The more level-headed council of Aiko and Tsubasa did little to quell the rising determination in Reina. But it did at least temper her impatience. Aiko was right. They needed a plan. No more reacting. She listened carefully to the interruption from the woman in red and the mysterious voice of her patron.

"Then we'll head back to Aizawa's." Reina looked to Tsubasa for confirmation. "If you don't mind. Please lend me your help one more time." She would have bowed her head as etiquette demanded, but she was already thinking of the next step. "Miss..." Reina addressed Kisaragi. "You're tough, aren't you? If you're on our side we can help you get your friend back. I know Ai-chan and Tsu-chan and Sai-chan are strong too, even if they don't realise it." Her gaze flickered towards Saito unconsciously for a moment. "But we could use all the help we can get."

"Naoto-san. It sounded like you know something about the person behind this. Is there anything you can tell us about this Kurama you mentioned?"

"Yeah. We Skill Out tend to keep tabs on each other. I can probably help you narrow down where he's at. But if you want to know more about that guy, you should ask the person who knows him best." Naoto folded her arms and her lips narrowed to a grim line.

***

"We'll drop you off here and make a few random moves. Might help throw off anyone on our tail." Naoto opened the van door to let her passengers disembark. The narrow alley was just large enough to let the vehicle pass through and Reina had to squeeze out between the side and the wall of the adjacent building. It was one of the few 'blindspots' Naoto knew of close to Aizawa's location. There weren't many places in the city not covered by surveillance, but they existed in patches. "Best of luck. Let us know when you make a move. We'll be ready." She said, offering a terse salute before slamming the door and riding off into the night.

Walking to the hiedout took longer than normal, looking over their shoulders and huddling in cover every step of the way but at length they made it to the now familiar building.

Reina paced over to the couch and sat pensively. Something about what Naoto had said bothered her.

The person who knows him best.

The name she'd mentioned. Somewhere deep in the foggy recesses of her memory there was something known to Reina.

"Doctor Marcus Reiner." A foreign researcher and psychiatrist specialising in troubled children. He had been working on rehabilitating Kurama after some childhood trauma or another. Naoto had suggested that they pay the doctor a visit if they wanted intel on their target. And if he wasn't willing to talk... maybe they'd be able to get the information they wanted from his private files. Between Aiko and Kisaragi, a little espionage might well be the quickest path forward.

***

Keep resting, Misaki had said. the words slid off Guy like rainwater.

"I'll take a breather while you get changed." He said, quickly correcting any assumptions she might have made. "No offense, but walking around like that will attract even more attention than usual." He wasn't just referring to the skimpy outfit, which alone would draw unwanted gazes from anyone who saw it, but the blood smeared about it...

He retrieved a glass from behind the counter and shakily filled it with vodka from a fresh bottle. Might as well make the most of the opportunity while he was here. And he could always say it was for the pain once Misaki's conditioning wore off. The phone in his pocket rumbled for his attention.

Aiko. It sounded like her group was also having a rough night. He replied with his own update.

"Glad you're safe. Don't go acting hastily. Situation keeps getting worse. Got stabbed but okay now." He realised how absurd that sounded on the face of it. " Misaki's tracking down a lead. Will let you know what's up." He signed off with a stark warning. "If you see a guy with red hair, back off. He's not a normal enemy. Don't be a hero. Just run."

“I appreciate the energy Reina-chan, but I agree with Aoki-san, we do need a breather. Also, I figured it would not hurt to ask, does anyone has any ideas who those people were?”

"I know this might sound weird coming from me — and trust me I hate leaving Kohaku behind too — but I have to agree with the others here, sorry Reina-chan, Kisaragi-san. We do need to regroup and think about our next move,"

It seemed to be the group consensus that going back to try and save Kohaku now would be suicide and that heading back to the hideout would be the next move. Even Kisaragi's weird talking choker agreed going back now would bad plan, much to it's wearer's chagrin it seemed. Though in the back of her mind Aiko wondered if that choker had been watching them all the time. It was a bit disconcerting.

---

After a bit of a winding drive, Naoto dropped the group off and they made their way back to the hide out. Stepping through the doors into the studio that was their makeshift hideout felt like a large weight had been lifted off of Aiko shoulders and she collapsed into the chain by the computer. Before leaving, Naoto had given them the name of one 'Doctor Marcus Reiner'. Searching him up, he seemed to be a researcher and psychiatrist in the city, and according to Naoto, had worked with Kurama. Naoto had advised they either talk with him or dig up his files so the first thing to check was his location. Finding the facility he was currently working at wouldn't be too hard, though given what time it was and that this was basically a group of children, Aiko doubted they had any reasonable chance of just speaking with the guy. Which left breaking in and stealing the files as the other option.

"Kisaragi and I could probably manage to sneak in and steal the Dr. Reiner's files on Kurama. It wouldn't be our first time doing something like this. What do you say Kisaragi... and I guess Choker-san too. If you can hear me."

The rest of the car ride had been rather silent from Kisaragi’s side. Not simply because of the high level of fatigue she had reached, the embarassment that man’s interference had put her through and the loss of Kohaku, but also because of that other girl, Reina’s, request. While she had established eye contact with her for a moment, she had never given her the response she had asked for. Instead she had just faded out back into black…

Down into the world of her mind.

Even when they had finally left the car, she hadn’t spoken a single word to the others, blending into the background as much as she had when dodging unwanted attention in public.

A routine she kept up until the groups’ strategy meeting in the new hideout. There, standing in the corner of the room, when Aoki Aiko had addressed her directly, she finally spoke up. Showing the hand she had hidden all along. «No. I’ll do it alone», she declared in a sharp voice. «You people will stay here for a bit, then switch hideouts. I know a guy, his name is Komaba. He can probably provide you with some more.» The expression she wore that very moment was stern, cold and very clear. She had absolutely no intention to work with any of them any further than this. «This has nothing to do with you anymore. And all you will do is drag me down. Don’t be mistaken: I appreciate the hand you’ve given me, but that’s as far as I can let you go. You people are weak. Frail. Breakable. It’s a miracle you survived this far. And it’s obvious you’re not going to make if you keep trying to bite more than you can chew.» Each word was spoken like a fact, boundless and without hesitation. All to cruelly draw a line between them and her. A line she was clearly convinced divided them by a long distance. «So stay out of my way.»

However, there was something else, not visible to the naked eye. At least no ordinary eye. A different eye, with a different perspective on the world could see it.

Colours of regret and grief.