A Certain Missing Esper (Arc 4 Main Story)

«You must be one of the new part-timers. The VIP area needs a new ice-bucket. Think you can handle it?» Under circumstances this tense, even a simple sentence like that could cause your heart to skip a beat. Startled by the first obstacle that was the obvious super on whom she couldn’t pull her remote fast enough, Shokuhou Misaki finally gained awareness of the situation’s tension. «Yes Ma’am! ☆» But even though she did, the disguse of a charmingly cute smile and upbeat tone of voice should brush away all suspicion as she immediately headed to the bar area where she assumed she could retrieve the requested ice bucket. After all, this may have been fate’s way of sending her onto the right path.

Once she had said ice bucket, she would head to the place she assumed to be the VIP area based on the usual cliches found in dorama and movies. However, as she was about to push aside the curtain she stopped in her tracks, finally beginning to ponder. What kind of entrance ability should I do? What is it guys like that expect? Just silently and carefully? No no no! That can’t be it. What did the hostesses in that Dragon guy series do…? Realising that she had already taken far too long just thinking about her next move, the honey blonde bunny girl cut everything else short, pushing through the curtain to make up for the lost time.

And by nature of her clumsy entrance, she got her foot caught up in a random cable on the floor, stumbled and nearly crashed into the unknown territory that was the VIP lounge, barely catching herself and the bucket she held, before she’d actually fall flat on the table.

«Your ice is here», she announced wringing out a shy smile as she bowed nervously, unintentionally inviting whoever’s gaze onto that natural eye-catcher…

As if the fates were mocking her, one of the boys sitting around the TV came her way and stopped in front of her with a stern look in his eyes.

"You probably don't remember, but you gave me a hell of a beating a couple months back."

Tsubasa gulped loudly.

She did remember. She has long forgotten the reason why they fought in the first place, and she didn’t know the name of her opponents most of the time, but she did remember the faces of some of the opponents who gave her a challenge. This guy was one of them.

"You've got a pretty mean right hook."

“Eh?”, she was dumfounded.

After a long moment of silence, she realised he was complimenting her fighting skills.

“Ah! Hahaha. Right back at you~ You have a fist made of steel!”

She took the can, accepting his peace offering, and cracked it open.

“Thanks dude!”, she said after gulping down its contents.

She was now in a better mood. Grinning widely, she extended her hand for a handshake.

Meanwhile, she could hear snippets of Aoki and Kohaku’s conversation about their common friend.

‘Kisaragi Anko…’, Tsubasa searched her memories for any hint, ‘Nah, the name doesn’t sound familiar.’

But she was kind of relieved to hear that her and Aoki were simple co-workers.

Suddenly, someone emerged from the shadows behind Aoki. It was a girl with black hair and wearing a tracksuit.

‘Oi oi oi... what the hell was that? I didn’t notice her at all...’

This new person placed her palm onto Aoki’s shoulder and announced her presence to everyone around.

Tsubasa didn’t appreciate how she seemed to carry herself, as if she was above everyone. But she also, honestly speaking, did find her sneaky entry and the mysterious air around her pretty fucking cool… Talk about mixed feelings. She felt pressured to make a strong first impression as well to keep up with her. She felt an urge to impress that specific group of three.

Tsubasa told her new delinquent acquaintance that something urgent had come up and that she needed his help. She whispered something in his ear. She had a plan to put in motion.

She then approached the girls' group.

“I take it that you’re the Kisaragi they’ve been talking about?” she asked, as nonshalantly as she could.

The girl was admittedly leagues above herself. It did make her insecure about her friendship with Aoki. But she was also intrigued by her presence.

"That trick was pretty dope! Teach it to me sometime~? Just kidding. Hahahaha! But allow me to show you one of my own tricks, miladies~".

She removed her Fedora.

Suddenly, loud music could be heard coming from the home theatre sound system, and Tsubasa started break dancing. After a brief minute, the show ended. She bowed down with her Fedora in her hand and put it on when she stood back up, radiating self-confidence again. Dancing and singing always had that effect on her. As always after her shows, out of habit, she winks at the spectators right in front of her - which happened to be the girls she wanted to impress the most this time.

The atmosphere of uncertainty that had risen with the meeting between Tsubasa and her former enemy had dissolved within an instant as she accepted his offer. But no sooner had everyone dropped their guards, a new stranger had appeared, almost as if waiting for that moment of weakness.

Naoto snapped to attention upon seeing her.

What the- Her cool gray-blue eyes fixed on the newcomer. It shouldn't have been so easy for just anyone to sneak in without being noticed. Which meant this person was no average intruder.

Danger. This person was dangerous. Who?

And it wasn't only Naoto who felt that way. The startling effect of Kisaragi's arrival was like dousing the entire room ice cold water. And her dismissive demeanour did nothing to help that fact. The chilling effect was as extreme as it was sudden and an unbearable tension had everyone on edge. Reina didn't need her ability to read the room now. All eyes were on Kisaragi. No one uttered a word. Some of the Skill Out had half-risen from their seats, hands hanging towards weapons. All waiting on Naoto's signal. One wrong move and there would be violence. The sound of the television set was the only thing preventing a terrible silence. Until...

“I take it that you’re the Kisaragi they’ve been talking about? That trick was pretty dope! Teach it to me sometime~? Just kidding. Hahahaha! But allow me to show you one of my own tricks, miladies~".

What followed was an unexpected display. So unexpected that almost immediately the anxious tension in that underground lot was replaced by a bemusement. And then, as though acknowledging the absurdity of the situation, that bewildered confusion turned to relief. Who could maintain a tough exterior in the face of something like that?Whether she had meant it to or not, Tsubasa's dance had defused the situation.

That wasn't to say everyone had forgotten the source of their unease. The unknown girl still stood in the center, a foreign body whose presence was unwelcome like a splinter in the thumb.

Naoto spoke up in a clear, level voice. She didn't want to provoke things further, but she needed answers.

"Who are you." There was authority in her voice.

Reina could tell this 'Kisaragi' girl wouldn't respond well to that authority, nor the way Naoto had very clearly steeled herself, flexing her fingers casually into and out of a fist. They'd been granted a reprieve, but Reina knew that if things continued this way, the situation would only get worse. She moved to speak but her voice caught in her throat. That fear of attention, the nervousness and awkwardness that made her so quiet held her down and kept her from stepping forward as surely as any chain or rope.

But if this continued...

Even if she hated it, she needed to act. Even if she didn't help, Looking towards Tsubasa, Reina's spoke suddenly before doubt could silence her.

"Wait!" She placed herself between Naoto and Kisaragi with hurried, shuffling steps. Not exactly graceful, but grace didn't matter right now. "She's not here to fight."

"You sound awfully sure of that..." Naoto didn't take her eyes off of Kisaragi for an instant. "Unless you can read minds or something-"

"Not quite, but..." Reina trailed off before finding the words. "It's my ability. I can... 'see' people's emotions." She realised how ridiculous it sounded. It was like expecting someone to believe in healing crystals or tarot cards. "She's not an enemy."

"You Espers and your bullshit powers..." Naoto's lip curled as she clicked her tongue. Flinty eyes looked down to Reina for just a moment. She didn't have the smaller girl's ability, so she would have to judge for herself if Reina was trustworthy or not. The silver haired girl could see the doubt play out within the delinquent. After a long few moments, Naoto responded.

"Fine. But even if she's not an enemy. What does that make her?" She looked pointedly to Kisaragi, locking stares as if daring the intruder to explain herself.

"You tense, Kenji boy?" Kazuma looked over at the boy who was hunched forward in his seat, slowly clenching and unclenching his fist around a tiny marble. IN stark contrast, Kazuma himself was lying back in the luxurious leather seat of the VIP booth.

"Why aren't we going after them?"

"Because, this is more efficient. Trust me on this. This sort of thing is my job, after all." Kazuma let his head roll back onto the backrest and tapped his feet. He glanced back to Kenji. The shaven headed boy was staring fiercely at the table. "Have a drink, it'll take the edge off." Kazuma leaned forward to pour out a glass of the expensive champagne. He nudged it across to Kenji. The boy didn't look like the champagne type, but truth told neither was Kazuma. But if he was going to enjoy an all expenses paid trip, he wanted to get the most out of it. And the bottle was the most expensive thing on the menu.

Kenji simply stared at the drink with an unreadable expression.

"It's strategy." Kazuma sighed. This way we don't waste energy and the enemy does all the work for us. We're in a better bargaining position than them, after all. They'll come to us eventually."

At that moment the curtains parted and a clumsy but spirited girl stumbled out from behind them. Kenji started visibly, clasping the marble between his fingers and fixing Misaki with a piercing look. Kazuma raised a slow hand to wave him down.

«Your ice is here»

Kazuma gestured for her to set it on the table, taking the time to admire the figure of the girl in front of him.

"Wow, Academy City really is leagues ahead of the rest of the world. Even your hostesses are top quality here!" He lounged back again.

The phone on the table rang and Kazuma tilted his head towards Kenji.

"See? They'll come to us." He picked it up and, still grinning, answered with a casual voice like he was greeting an old friend. "Hey hey! Glad you could make it. I hope security didn't give you too much trouble."

"The kid you picked up the other night. Give her back." Guy wasn't in the mood to dance around the topic.

"Straight to business, huh? Well that's fine, too." Kazuma moved to the balcony and looked over at the open club below, searching for a young guy speaking on a phone. No one. And there were only a few blindspots. Whoever he was talking to was able to hide themselves pretty well despite the surroundings. That alone told Kazuma something.

"The girl." Guy said abruptly, brinigng Kazuma back on topic. He stepped out from behind the pillar below and stared up at Kazuma. The bar behind him was stocked with empty bottles, but Guy doubted he could throw one hard enough to cover the distance.

"Oh. There you are." Kazuma raised his hand to wave down to Guy. "Why don't you come up here and we can talk about this face to face?"

"Why don't you come down here and we can talk about this face to face?" Guy mirrored his words back at him with a mocking smile of his own.

"Planning on using the lowlifes here as a shield are you? That's pretty low." Kazuma chuckled.

"What's that? Sorry, I can't hear you very well. It's pretty noisey here." Guy concluded as he ended the call. Still looking up to the VIP section he opened his arms wide as if to dare the assassin to take his shot.

«That won’t be necessary.»

Aiko let out a quick gasp of surprise as a hand suddenly found itself placed on her shoulder. Recognizing the voice, Aiko quickly regained her composure. Under normal circumstances, Aiko's ability let her sense things near her and she would have had warning of Kisaragi's approach. However, do to recent events, Aiko wasn't in the best shape and had opted to instead lower her ability for now and focus her conscious efforts on things like talking and not being too dizzy to stand.

"Don't do that Kisaragi-chan, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

«Apologies, Kohaku, I didn’t mean to ditch our rendezvous.»

Well, it seemed Kisaragi and Kohaku did know each other after all.

“I take it that you’re the Kisaragi they’ve been talking about? That trick was pretty dope! Teach it to me sometime~? Just kidding. Hahahaha! But allow me to show you one of my own tricks, miladies~".

What followed Tsubasa's words was something utterly unexpected. She removed the hat adorning her head and as if on queue, music started playing through the sound system. Tsubasa then broke into an impromptu though well performed break-dance. Aiko had been too distracted by Kisaragi's arrival to notice the shift in tone her arrival had brought to the hideout, however with the completion of Tsubasa's dance, it felt like some kind of pressure had been lifted from the room. Seeing her new friend waltz up to Kisaragi and start dance had for Aiko at least put a smile on her face and she rewarded the performance with some applause. Naoto on the other hand still seemed less than thrilled at Kisaragi's arrival.

"Who are you."

Aiko could sense the tension behind Naoto's words. Aiko and the rest of the group that were rescued were guests, but Kisaragi wasn't invited in and Aiko could tell that a wrong move on her part would bring the Skill-Out's wrath down on her. Before she had a chance to mediate however, Reina stepped in to try and diffuse the situation.

"Wait! She's not here to fight."

"You sound awfully sure of that... Unless you can read minds or something-"

"Not quite, but... It's my ability. I can... 'see' people's emotions."

"You Espers and your bullshit powers... Fine. But even if she's not an enemy. What does that make her?"

Aiko made a mental note not to mention her ability in front of Naoto. Now seemed like the time to intervene. As far as Aiko was aware, Reina didn't actually know Kisaragi so before Kisaragi could open her mouth and make the situation worse, she should probably step it.

"Don't worry about her Naoto-san. She's a co-worker of mine. If she tries to start any trouble, I'll deal with her."

Even in her best shape, there was little chance that Aiko was a match for Kisaragi. In her current condition she stood no chance. Aiko understood this and being the ninja that she was Kisaragi probably understood this too. With any luck, she'd just go along with what Aiko was saying though so things didn't have to come to blows.

But, despite Aiko’s offer, what happened to draw more attention to her was the sudden arrival—a young woman with who Kohaku had grown far more familiar than most would probably have cared to admit.

Yes, it was patently obvious who she was from her tracksuit, hair, and eyes. And if that wasn’t enough, the girl had interjected and clearly laid bare the fact that she was associated with Kohaku.

For all the uncertainty that had been going on throughout this entire incident, there was one certainty that was made pretty obvious at this one moment.

“ANKO-CHAN!”

The normally calm girl raised her hands in jubilation as she ran towards Anko and tried to give her as big a hug as possible, all the while hearing everything that was said around her but not fully taking it into account.

The girl with no sense for ambiance or the mood had simply made her beeline to hug the girl who had been separated from her for longer than she had hoped for.

Aiko, Tsubasa, even Naoto’s own objections. None of those mattered in the face of the calm, yet amiable girl who ran over in a way that almost could be mistaken for separation anxiety. And after she did, she simply did one thing.

Extending her arms, she simply embraced Anko, placing her cheek against Anko’s.

“Welcome back, Anko-chan.”

However, as she heard Reina trying to toss her defense towards Anko’s side as well as Aiko’s from a coworker’s perspective, Kohaku simply said one thing as she scanned the girl in her embrace for any injury.

“What does that make her?” The girl smiled as she looked at Naoto. The answer was quite simple for Kohaku. Though she may have pulled her into this, she was more than an acquaintance or colleague. “She’s a friend.”

To say things had become turbulent was an understatement unlike any other. Hell, even for someone who actually lit the fuse to this bomb, it was impossible to follow along, let alone muster a perfectly fluent response to everything that went on. There was this weird breakdance, the clearly competent and hostile cap lady’s attempt to feel her out, the mind reader, Aoki Aiko, and, of course…

«ANKO-CHAN!»

That hug and included cheek to cheek press became a sledge hammer that easily shattered all of the kunoichi’s credibility. With it went the chance to gain and uphold the upper hand she direly needed amid that fortress, a possibly hostile force with seemingly over a dozen of people. Not to forget her credibility in front of her coworker.

Hence, left with no other choice and overtaken by teenage embarassment, Kisaragi followed her instincts, blushing like a peach while hastile attempting to push the all over powering hug away from her. «Shtwop it, Kohaku! Not in front of them…!!!» But with her strength failing against the force of friendship all she did was struggle in vain and pain. Yes, overwhelmed as she was, suddenly the deep roots the many years of hard training to become a professional assassin had grown left her entirely, making her succumb and flinch due to the unhealthy amount of pain caused by her still existant gunshot wound. Another thing she woud have preferably kept for herself.

Still, a proud warrior wouldn’t just leave things on this notion. Thus, all the while losing the battle against that hug, she would still stand up for herself, shouting: «DWON’T LISHTEN TO HEA!!! I’M NWOT YOUR FWIEND!!! AW NWO KWOHAKU LEAVE ME SOME SPWACE!!! YOU GUYS, WE MWIGHT BWE ALLWIES AT BWEST!!! BUT FOR THAT YOU NEED TO PWOOF WORTHWHILE FOR AN ALLWIANCE!!!» Yes, cuddles were where all dignity came to an end.

"Don't worry about her Naoto-san. She's a co-worker of mine. If she tries to start any trouble, I'll deal with her."

“She’s a friend.”

"In my opinion, Kisaragi is a pro, leagues above any of us guys, so if she wanted to harm us, she wouldn't be standing there. And, AND, just look at how cute she is~!!! Getting hugged so affectionately by Kohaku like that, she can’t be a bad person! Besides, didn’t you all see her amazing stealth entry?! I think she is an ally. Who knows, maybe she had been helping us from the shadows this whole tim—”

With those glowing endorsements to allay her fears, Naoto begrudgingly put aside her suspicions, but the other Skill Out about her did not mistake her subtle looks. Keep an eye on her. They said. She trusted the others because their actions earlier that night had made them enemies of her enemy. But this girl... she was something else altogether. It was an unconscious decision, an impression that had formed based purely on a hunch, but Naoto had always believed in following her instinct.

Kisaragi Anko was definitely trouble.

Someone had once said 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'. Naoto thought that sort of Art of War bullshit was fortune cookie nonsense designed to sound deep and wise, but she could see the sense in it this time. No point stirring up more trouble. She'd let this girl stay and keep her under watch. If anything happened, she'd be right there to deal with it. She considered making use of the syringe in her pocket just in case.

"Fine. Just... get some rest or something." Naoto nudged one of the Skill Out in the ribs as she passed him. "Tell the guys on look out to shape up. Don't let anyone else in."

***

Rachel tried to keep her nerves in check as the 'guard' approached. Natsume grabbed his attention with an innocent souding plea and now, as the sullen looking youth approached the other girl's bed, Rachel waited for the signal.

The boy grumbled as he sedated Natsume as he had been shown. Too much and she'd be unable to move, the researcher had told him. Even more and she might even be 'rendered useless'. The boy didn't know what that meant exactly, but he could guess. He unfastened the cuffs holding her to the bed.

The girl coughed twice.

That was their signal. Rachel concentrated, pushing through the mental fog. She'd never tried to 'throw' her sounds, even when she was in top condition, but she supposed that wasn't necessary. All she needed to do was get his attention. The sound was sharp and shrill like a shriek of feedback in a microphone.

The boy turned and Natsume made her move.

Rachel couldn't see what the other girl did, but she heard the effect. The heavy thud of the boy falling to the floor.

"Come on." Natsume's voice was a little slurred, sleepy sounding. The drugs were kicking in. She sluggishly unfastened the plastic cuffs holding Rachel to the bed and slumped against it, eyelids already drooping. "Let's go."

Rachel nodded. Time to move.

***

Kazuma gestured for Kenji to follow him down to the ground floor. It was time to get a good look at their enemy.

The pair stopped some 7 feet from Guy, exchanging glares across the crowded dancefloor. Kazuma raised the phone to his ear and Guy did the same.

"So. Here we are. You wanted to say something?"

"10 years old. Foreign. Blonde hair. Attitude problem. Hand her over." Guy said wearily like he was tired of having to repeat himself.

"And what do I get if I do?"

"You get to walk away." Guy said with a sort of finality.

"Oho. Bold. Come on. The sort of person who causes all this mayhem isn't the sort to let me just walk away. What were you really planning?" Kazuma was calling his bluff.

"Yeah, you're right. Once I'd made sure she was safe I was going to beat the shit out of you anyway." He admitted.

"And now that I'm refusing? What's the plan now? Were you going to fight your way out of here, too?" Kazuma's eyes flickered towards the bouncers standing by at the exits.

"Something like that. I was going to skip straight to beating the shit out of you. I'll figure out the rest once I'm done." Guy rolled his head around slowly to follow Kazuma's gaze.

"Nice. But here's the thing, mr red shirt. You haven't got what it takes."

"Guess we'll see. That's your final answer?" Guy sounded resigned.

"That's my final answer." Kazuma ended the call.

Beside Kazuma, Kenji reached for the pistol tucked into his belt. Pulling it swiftly free he levelled it at the boy across the dancefloor, heedless of the bystanders standing between them. Kazuma rolled his eyes with a sigh.

“ANKO-CHAN! Welcome back, Anko-chan.”

Though she had mentioned already that she was looking for Kisaragi, Aiko was still surprised at the amount of enthusiasm Kohaku displayed for their reunion.

«Shtwop it, Kohaku! Not in front of them…!!! DWON’T LISHTEN TO HEA!!! I’M NWOT YOUR FWIEND!!! AW NWO KWOHAKU LEAVE ME SOME SPWACE!!! YOU GUYS, WE MWIGHT BWE ALLWIES AT BWEST!!! BUT FOR THAT YOU NEED TO PWOOF WORTHWHILE FOR AN ALLWIANCE!!!»

What followed was something Aiko couldn't help but laugh about. The great assassin Kisaragi reduced to a blubbering mess buy the affection of a young girl.

“Well, I don’t know Kisaragi like the rest of you. However, if she wanted us dead, I can tell she has the skill to have just done so as soon as she came, without even bothering talking to us. I can tell, that was pure physical skill and talent, not a cheap esper power. I personally wouldn't have been able to react at all. And I am one of the best physical fighters among the people present here. In my opinion, Kisaragi is a pro, leagues above any of us guys, so if she wanted to harm us, she wouldn't be standing there. And, AND, just look at how cute she is~!!! Getting hugged so affectionately by Kohaku like that, she can’t be a bad person! Besides, didn’t you all see her amazing stealth entry?! I think she is an ally.”

"That's quite the glowing review for someone you've never met."

"Fine. Just... get some rest or something."

"I think that'd be a good idea. Besides doctor Kohaku over there prescribed me some rest for my head and I may as well do that. I'm she she and Kisaragi would like some quality time together as well."

With that Aiko walked over to one of the cots and proceeded to pass out almost instantly. Aiko truly had the makes of a top tier dark side agent, falling asleep in an unknown location surrounded by people she didn't know.

«I hear things at that warehouse didn’t go that well, heh?» Asking this, Marybeth wore big fat grin on her face, fed solely by schadenfreude. And much like her, the comrades tightly packed around her boasted the same kind of nonchalance. Why it mattered? Because the other end of the conversation wasn’t in the same room as them, but only accessible via the encrpyted digital transmitters each member of Thanatos wore at their collar.

The setting was obviously the back of one of the armoured cars the mercenaries kept using to transition across the city and serving as their makeshift base of operations. That way they could be anywhere at any time, all the while not becoming an easy target to potential enemies. However, even with tightly armoured men and women, machine guns, pistols, and all other kinds of high grade military weaponry stashed into this minimal space, the mood wasn’t tense at all. If at all, it fit the backing track – a classic jazz number with vocals sung by a famous diva. Yes, things were that relaxed. Well, nearly, maybe. As the other side did not share their grade of amusement.

«Unfortunately: No.» Their handler’s followed in the same undefineable voice as before. Devoid of any indicator of anything whatsoever. Yet, exactly that was where the one eyed lady drew her amusement from. «Ahahaha, see I told you relying on some dumb thugs like that Skill-Out trash would only make things worse. What’s the guy’s name? Karumu? Kurayami? I don’t care, but people like that shouldn’t be trusted with the important jobs.» The concept of hiearchy no longer mattered to the mercenaries. In fact, it had never really. Hence, they felt entirely in the right to make jokes on behalf of their supposed superior. Especially towards this one. However, there was one thing none of them had foreseen. Instead of cutting back to remind them of their place, they audibly sighed in annoyance. «Let me be honest to you, Marybeth: I am tired of playing around. As you said, involving lowly thugs does not lead us anywhere anymore. This cannot continue this way.»

That had come truly unexpectedly. So much so that even Marybeth needed a moment to come up with a reply. «So why didn’t you take care of shit from the beginning on? I mean, you’re the boss aren’t you?» It was then that they fully broke their supposed role. «You’re wrong in assuming that. These people do only work with me, not for me or those above me. In fact, my role in all of this was never to dirty my fingers. All I was supposed to do was ensure things went smoothly and to assist in the upkeep of the prevailing order. My employer’s interest isn’t in the goods or anything in the first place, but in sustaining what had been in place to prevent unnecessary attraction from other players. However, these disturbances hurt that necessity. Hence, I am tired of letting things go on like this.»

The point of their declaration was clear as day. They would take the reigns and begin to impact the momentum. Instead of lurking in the shadows and watch things unfold they would stir the wheel themselves. Thus, amusement was coming, right? «Sooo~? Does that mean you’re finally stepping out into the warzone? Join us? Run alongside us? Die alongside us? Become our brother…sister…uh whatever you are in arms?»

«No. I don’t intend to fall that low.» Or so they had thought. Instead it was coldly shot down. «Clearly, you have forgotten the line drawn between the two of us. I command. You will deliver. That is your role in the food chain. Whatever I do is none of your business. Don’t forget that, will you?»

Still, nothing she couldn’t offer a rebuttal for. «Awwww, you’re such a tense bastard, aren’t you? Of all the stiff necks I’ve dealt with in the past, you’re clearly high up with the stiffest~!»

Only to be replied with by radio silence. The connection was cut.


All that was left of Kisaragi in face of that never ending stream of humiliation was an empty husk, writhing for some kind of redemption. Anything would do as long as it could help her regain her reputation and composure. Anythinggggggggggg!!!!!


A single push of a button can turn reality upside down. And it did.

Within a split second something tore through the air at impossible speed, down into the underground parking lot and by the time it had reached its very centre, it would blow up. Not like a firecracker but a full stack of C4 it was meant to emulate. It easily tore apart any peaceful notion and awakened a world of flames, spread by a heavy shockwave that’d shake the fundament of the entire structure, forcing it close to the point of collapse.

In tandem to the bell being rung, at all exits the boys and girls standing guard would find one or two of their comrades collapsing before finally the truth of the new reality would catch up to them: They were under attack.

From the shadows of the night, the enemy emerged, organised into groups of three, each member being clad in black military grade armour, carrying top modern assault rifles. Driven by cold precision yet concealed by supresssors integrated into their guns, the soldiers would fire ahead, aiming to swiftly end the lives of anyone in their sight. And see they would, given that each was equipped with Tiresias V1 electron goggles, one of the Iwakura Corporation’s most recent developements created to emulate an Electromaster’s view on the electron spectrum. Accordingly, with the lights out due to the power being cut by the rampage of the explosion, they would hold the upper hand.

«Fucking Skill-Out trash. Serves you right~!» Still wearing that same old grin, Marybeth tossed aside the device she had used to remote control the kamikaze drown, lifting up the rifle of her own as she jumped from the armoured car to chase after her friends. «Guys, don’t keep the fun to yourselves~!!!» Ah, what fun she always had with a good massacre in the evening.

“...”

Hirashi groggily looked through squinted eyes at, Mad Biker? Dancing?

“Am I still asleep…”

Hirashi pondered as he pinched himself repeatedly, but suddenly, his eyes settled on a certain walking trauma and wiped all traces of sleep from his system.

"Who are you."

The hat wearing girl questioned Miss Scary Eyes, her voice was tense and on edge. Hirashi did not catch what Miss Scary Eyes did, but whatever happened certainly did not go down well with the Skill Outs. From the fact that Baseball Cap did not know who Miss Scary Eyes was, and that they were supposed to be in a “safe”house, Hirashi had pretty much put two and two together.

“It's my ability. I can... 'see' people's emotions."

Hmm, useful information. Hirashi noted, now back to his usual self. This may be a bit troubling. Outward acting was easy, but needing to hide one’s inner emotions too…

Gown Girl managed to convince the two girls to not start fighting then and there, although with no small display of displeasure from Baseball Cap. Tensions were still high, but then-

«ANKO-CHAN!»

. What happened next can be described by Hirashi as “incredibly embarrassing”. As least Baseball Cap seemed to have backed down for now, the two girls settling into an uneasy truce.

Hirashi continued to look at Miss Scary Eyes, she appeared to be slightly worse for wear. He wondered what had happened after they parted at that mall.

---

Aaaand suddenly, explosions.

Hirashi really should not be surprised at this point, of course nothing ever goes to plan.

The lights flickered and died out, plunging everything into darkness. With his ears still ringing, Hirashi failed to discern the sounds of the quiet pops of the assailants' suppressed  weapons. That explosion was powerful, but the fact they were still alive indicated they did not know exactly where they were. Hirashi had assumed there would be follow up, likely boots on the ground to make sure the job was finished.

Now crouched behind the cot he was sleeping on a moment ago, Hirashi tried to make out the locations of his companions. Without his nails, Hirashi used  his hands to feel around blindly for pieces of concrete, mapping their shapes to use as potential weapons.

"That's quite the glowing review for someone you've never met."

Tsubasa could only laugh at this statement.

"Hahahaha! Yeah, well, maybe? Hmm, could it be... you're jealous~? Don't worry Aiko-chan! You're my number one friend~!", Tsubasa declared playfully.

"Fine. Just... get some rest or something."

"Woohoo!", she yelled enthusiastically, uncharacteristic of someone supposed to be about to go rest, "we get some rest! Gonna watch some TV."

She hopped on the edge of the sofa and snatched the remote control from whoever had it in their hand. However,

'The fuck? How does this work?'

She couldn't understand how to switch channels: "Dude," she called out to her Skill-out acquaintance. But before she got the chance to ask him properly, she heard a deafning static noise as well as heavy rumbling.

'Earthquake?'

It wasn't only the ground that was shaking however. The whole building was in shambles. She ducked to avoid any falling concrete, but due to the dust of the aftermath of the explotion, she couldn't see much. Her body moved on reflex, but her brain took a dozen more seconds to catch up to what is going on. They were under attack.

«Fucking Skill-Out trash. Serves you right~!»

"W-----", Tsubasa tried to ask something, but as soon as she opened her mouth and breathed in athe air around, her windpipe started to burn and her eyes reddened. She couldn't talk.

*cough cough cough*

She needed to find Reina-chan and Aoki. But where could they be?

Before she could even grasp the ongoings as the passive bunny girl onlooker she was, the situation escalated beyond her expectation. It was only then that she realised she never got the opportunity to learn why they had come to this club in the first place. That’s why she hadn’t caught on immediately when that phone call happened. That’s why she was a step behind the pair to react before they moved out of the VIP lounge and onto the normal floor.

However, when she finally understood, one of the men had pulled a gun on Li-sensei.

Those people were the enemy. Not the bottom goons but likely as high up as they could be. Still, this didn’t make things easier. In fact, everything had become far more problematic as it stood. This wasn’t a situation they could easily escape from. This wasn’t a situation they could even hope to get the upper hand on. The boy had a gun, the other was overly confident but in a way that wasn’t reckless. To make matters worse: They were amid a pool of civilians. Whatever happened, there would be colleteral. So what to do?

Having tailed the pair all the while blending into the crowd perfectly due to her disguise as simple albeit eye-catching clerk, Shokuhou Misaki was about six metres away from them. Enough of a distance to get a good shot in, but not enough to get caught right away. In an act of haste she pulled the remote she had hidden amid her amply exposed chest, pointed it at the boy with the gun – the only she had a clear sight on – and pressed the button not wasting any time on a better plan than this:

«Category 112: The fixed target of all your attacks is the ceiling!»

The surge of pressure from the explosion sent a chalky cloud of concrete dust and fragments swirling through the underground parking lot, filling that space with a dense, blinding curtain. Naoto recovered her senses after a moment's shocked hesitation and threw herself to one side, landing behind the parked van.

She was no battle hardened veteran or well-trained prodigy, but her judgement was sound enough and her nerves steely enough to overcome the momentary disorientation and mental whiplash of the abrupt surprise. She called out to the others.

"Takahata, Junpei! Exits, now!" They had their orders, and the boys she trusted as her left and right hand were quick on the draw. They moved swiftly through the scramble of chaotic violence.

As if they hadn't planned for this. They'd be foolish not to. This and every eventuality. Raids by Anti-Skill, attacks by vengeful espers, assault from enemy gangs and yes, even squads of 'laundry men'. They may have only been kids, but that didn't mean they'd get caught flat footed. If need be, they'd go down fighting.

The alarm rang as sthe fire exits sprung open. The rolling shutter of the entrance snapped up and within moments drivers were at their vehicles. Not clean and not precise, but they all knew their part to play.

Naoto felt the long metal cylinder between her fingers. She regretted not trusting her instincts and taking a dose before things had gone wrong. Jabbing the injector into the side of her neck she felt 'it' awaken.

Her gift.

***

Kenji's hand flew skywards at the same moment his finger squeezed around the trigger, releasing the bullet into the ceiling at an angle with a loud crack. The young man with blood red hair beside him shot Kenji a puzzled expression like a double-take.

For a second nothing happened, as if a gunshot hadn't just occurred in a crowded nightclub in one of the world's safest countries. But then, madness. Screams and the sound of trampling feet roared loud, drowning out the thudding bass of the music. People scattered.

Guy broke to his right, dashing low past the bar. Kenji tried to track him, bringing his pistol to bear on him once more and pulling the trigger. And again his aim jumped upwards. A third snap shot missed and he growled in frustration, glancing at the firearm with betrayal in his eyes as he slipped it back into his belt.

Kurama moved forward calmly, sliding between the panicked evacuees with a casual stride he reached into his jacket and pulled free a long, polished sliver of metal. As though testing its weight , he flipped it in his fingers before catching the blade and tossing it plainly towards the yougn man in red. The knife slammed into the the mirrored wall behind the bar just a split second after Guy vaulted it and dropped behind the counter.

After what she had been through recently, the simple cot Aiko was laying on felt like heaven. Even if it was nothing special, it was definitly better than the floor of a moving vehicle. Aiko was asleep almost the second her head hit the pillow. However, after what could be described as not enough rest, Aiko was awakened by what felt almost like an earthquake. Aiko opened her eyes just in time to see the lights flicker and go out. Not an uncommon occurrence for an earthquake, however the sound of something that had recently become all too familiar to Aiko banished any thought that this may be just an earthquake. The sudden darkness was followed swiftly by the sound of gunshots filling the air. The whole base had erupted into chaos.  

«Fucking Skill-Out trash. Serves you right~! Guys, don’t keep the fun to yourselves~!!!»

An unfamiliar voice reached Aiko through the screams and, though at this point it was unnecessary, confirmed that fact that the base was under attack. Despite not being "Skill-Out trash" Aiko doubted voicing this to the assailants would do her any good. Luckily for Aiko, fighting in the dark was a kind of specialty for her. Using her ability Aiko expanded her field out to it's max range to try and get a sense for the situation on the other side of the partition that separated the cots from the main area. Aiko's perception within the field wasn't perfect, objects and people basically looked like fuzzy outlines so telling specific people apart was difficult. In the amount of chaos that was happening right now, it was nearly impossible. That is, if the assailants didn't have one thing that made them stand out among all the other people in the base. Each of them was wearing what appeared to be some kind of hi tech device on their faces. Aiko had heard rumors of darkside group buying up a new type of "Night Vision" headset that replicated the electron perception of electromasters, though without being able to get a good look at it herself, she couldn't be sure if that was it or not. Either way, she assumed this was letting them continue their attack in the darkness so they had to go.

Shifting her field to inferred, Aiko stepped out of the cot area and into the main base. If the goggles their foes were wearing were electron vision, her field should look like a wall to them. If they were inferred night vision goggles, her field would still look like a wall so either way, Aiko assumed this would be the best was to throw them off for a moment while she tried to get into position in the middle of the room. Once there, Aiko contracted her field and for a moment began gathering energy before shifting her field to a gamma field and rapidly expanding it to function as an EMP to attempt to disable the attacker's headsets and rob them of their advantage.

«Annnd I’m blind~!»

And just like that the world became a dark place again. Amid their slaughter of the not-all-that-defenceless Skill-Out thugs, suddenly all the mercenaries lost their vision and were plunged into the same darkness they had exploited themselves. Talk about the tides being turned. In tandem to that the noise of engines howling and shutters running open reverberated through the pitch black surroundings. However, that did not suffice to make them fall into despair. No, the darkness was a world they had been all too familiar with. Besides, they had not been robbed of their ears.

«Remove the goggles. They’re useless now. Don’t break position. Execute B.»

That undefined voice resounded from each of their communicators. Yes, while the goggles had been single-purpose devices their comlinks had been designed to adjust to any and all situations you would find not only in military combat but general espionage. Technology unlike the Iwakura Corporation’s usual production lines, emerging from a wholly different sector of the Dark Side. One far more secluded.

Yet, that wasn’t all. «Based on the engine noise, in about t minus 10 seconds the first exits will be crossed. Drones, ready, set, fire.» They spoke further, addressing the backup group that had remained behind in the armoured vehicles parked outside the under ground parking lot. These men and women, surrounded by all kinds of remote technology had been placed in charge of Thanatos’s very favourites, the KS Damocles-22, a drone model equipped with all kinds of target assistance software and stabilisation technology. To underline its nature as the perfect long distance sniping device, its fire power was capable of piercing even sturdy vehicles like tanks in a range up to two kilometres. Hence, their onslaught on the fleeing vehicles would come with pure ill will.

«Now what are you waiting for? Commence plan B. Activicate Device Echo.» «Heh, you got it all worked out, don’t you?» Chuckling in even more amusement, Marybeth would fumble around the portion of her bullet proof vest where a body camera had seemingly be installed. However, after a quick press of the button and a few barely noticeable flashes of green light, a tiny green dot was all that would linger on her chest. Similar dots would appear all on all of Thanatos’s members chests.


What now? Its gotten oddly silent… Leaning against a stablising pillar, Kisaragi Anko had come to absolute still-stand. She wasn’t moving, she had caught her breath, and forced her heart to slow down close to a stand-still. With her eyes shut, her entire focus was on her ears. She could hear it all. The strange ongoings of the facility. She had heard it all. The explosion, the barely audible footsteps of the stealth professionals, the supressed gunfire, the clumsy movements of her acquaintances, the chaotic but also well-organised quick escape of the Skill-Outs, and – last but not least – the heartbeat and possibly agitated breath of Kohaku, whom she currently held closed pressed against herself , carefully covering her mouth and nose with her hand. «Something has changed about the enemy. This might be our chance. But we mustn’t be careless just yet. Can you hide on your own for a bit? Just until I figured them out and created a window for our escape?» The kunoichi knew she was asking a lot and she couldn’t hide that fact from her voice. But that wasn’t wrong. In fact, it was better that she openly shared her concern. After all, it was the basis of trust.

Something had changed about the mercenaries. Their advance had slown down decisively, but not come to a halt. If at all, they had grown more careful. And more precise, as became evident when a Skill-Out boy about seven metres away was shot immediately in an attempt of changing covers.

Surely, whatever had set them back, they must have found a way to retaliate. The question was: To what degree?

Hirasahi felt his hair raise and a tingle washed over him as Hoodie Girl got up to her tricks again. But despite Hoodie Girl’s efforts, it had seemed their mysterious attackers were still very much a threat. As gunfire continued popping and bodies carried on dropping, Hirashi stayed hunkered down behind the cot, finishing up the preparation for his new projectiles. Hirashi also tried again to push out with a wave of telekinetic force like he did back in the tunnel, but the chaotic movements of the skillouts made it impossible to discern any meaningful information.

Worryingly, Hirashi’s first thought was to look for Miss Scary Eyes and regroup, but quickly discarded that idea. Miss Scary Eyes was certainly a valuable asset, but Hirashi doubted he had the ability to find her unless she wanted to meet him. That leaves Hoodie Girl, Mad Biker, and Gown Girl. Hirashi did not want to make any noise or draw attention to himself, but how else will he grab his companions’ attention?

After some thought, Hirashi decided to go with one of the oldest tricks in the book. Taking one of his rocks, he lobbed it over his cover with assistance from his telekinesis and observed a satisfying crack as it impacted the beam a few meters away from him, showering the ground below it with debris. Hirashi hoped for some reaction from their assailants, to clue him in on their new targeting method, or maybe even some response from his companions.

Reina scrambled from the couch where she had been quietly dozing in front of the TV. The disorienting cacophany around her had startled her body into moving well before it had woken her and by the time she came around she was already huddling behind the old sofa with her hands covering her head. Bleary eyes shot about to catch her bearings when a wall of expanding black plunged her into blindness. It took her a moment to realise the source. It must be Aiko, the thought.

All around her, piercing the black veil, shapes of dull colour darted and tumbled about. Almost like...

Of course. Her ability wasn't reliant on light. Whatever 'signal' she was able to pick up from those around her, it wasn't a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Reina's mouth let out a dry, shaky chuckle as she looked about. She'd expected vivid colours of fear and anger. But instead all she saw were dull, muted shades. Shock and numbness had taken hold of most of the others around her. That helped, in a way. She could distinguish more easily between those who were calm and collected, the attackers, and those who were reeling from adrenaline.

One aura close by was easy to identify. Reina reach for Tsubasa's hand and tugged her towards the other familiar colours.

"This way. I can still see. Kinda..." Groping through darkness for walls she could only scarcely place in vague memory, Reina headed for Aiko and Saito.

***

The first vehicle through the open shutter was torn apart by high powered gunfire, the reinforced metal plating of its sides punctured with so many holes that they ceased to be holes at all. It was more accurate to say that it had been vaporised. The remaining frame of the vehicle swerved and plowed forward, slamming into the barricade and bursting into flames as its fuel tank erupted.

"Kitahara!" Naoto's voice roared a blend of shock and outrage as she witnessed the destruction. Any hesitation melted away.

The pinpricks of red flared in her pupils. Even in the artificial darkness where light and even radio signals were cancelled out, that light burned like embers.

The floor about the soldiers began to pull them down. It was as if the sky had become an ocean bearing down on them. The pressure of a thousand fathoms crushing them into the floor.

The rear guard were rendered into a fine red paste in an instant.

***

A weak groan found its way to Kohaku through the darkness. The strangled sound of someone stifling a cry of pain through gritted teeth. Scraping pebbles and rustling clothes. Someone was crawling with great effort, clawing at the ground. They stopped after only a few feet and the moans and gasps turned to exhausted panting as they sucked in deep, desperate breaths. The storm of bullets that had torn through the garage had struck one Skill Out in the thigh, ripping away the flesh and rending a deep gouge. It was a graze, but a deep one. Unable to see the wound, he clawed at it with his hand and tried in vain to pull himself up the wall onto his feet.

***

Guy stood up from behind the bar, hurling his arm over his head like a pitcher throwing a ball. The heavy bottle in his hand tumbled end over end towards Kazuma. Ducking to avoid the blade slung his way in retaliation he snatched a glass from below the counter and then another, tossing them with as much force as he could muster as he made his way towards the exit. One after another Kazuma smashed the projectiles aside with his free hand, each time launching another knife towards the young man in red.

Reaching the end of the bar, Guy stood and plucked one of the blades from the wall. Seeing his chance, Kazuma flicked his wrist. The sliver of metal whipped through the air with a whisper as a small tilt of Guy's head saw the edge score a thin line of red across his cheek. Without a pause the teacher replied in kind. The knife spun past Kazuma, who followed its trajectory with a wide, merry grin.

That was when he saw the white clad bunny girl. He spared a quick glance back towards Guy and, as if putting two and two together in that instant, changed his target. Lifting his arm, Kazuma held back for just a moment.

And just as he'd hoped, Guy lunged over the bar, bringing his body hard into Misaki's side as the silver knife whistled towards her.

Dark, it was so dark. Tsubasa was starting to get nervous. She couldn't find any of her friends. This was bad. What if they were burried by some rocks. What if they got shot? What could she do from here? She didn't know where anyone was. She couldn't see anything. She felt powerless once again. Was there anything she could do? Her physical prowess were useless if she couldn't even see where the enemy was!

Just as she was about to panic again, she felt a petite hand touching her own.

Who was it? She couldn't tell. Tsubasa was startled. Her shoulders shook as she was about to pull her hand away. But she heard a familiar voice before she could do so:

"This way. I can still see. Kinda..."

Ah...

It was Reina. Tsubasa felt a huge wave of relief wash over her worries. Reina was tugging her towards the others. Tsubasa understood that much. She was grateful.

"Pfft...", Tsubasa chuckled quitely and smiled, "Reina-chan. You've become so reliable lately. Thank you... for helping me."

The power of Device Echo should have become the gateway to triumph. While it was far from as useful as the goggles that had granted them the power of clear sight in the darkness, it did give them a sense of position. After all, as the name implied, the device would allow them to perceive any physical body in their closeby and mid-distant surroundings by means of ultra sonic waves emitted in a 360° area.

Unfortunately, that gatweway was to be blocked immediately.

The mood had shifted once again as the underground parking lot took another dive into pure silence. A silence even more ominous than the previous one. A testament to true horror.

«Shawn? Jinny? Spike? Answer me! Hey, answer me!» Losing her composure following the odd disturbance that had raced across their intercoms, the disappearance of a three tiny light dots and the everlasting static filling all channels, Marybeth halted her onslaught for a moment. But not only her, the entirety of Thanatos fell silent for a moment, reucperating in their own ways. After all, they had most certainly lost their comrades and by the sound of it, not to a pleasant end.

«So the rumours prove to be true? Fascinating.» However, there was one among them who was barely impressed by the gruesome nature of loss. That voice continued to word itself in a very calm and collected manner as it analysed the circumstances of the situation. «The Skill-Out leader with the capabilities of rivaling a Level 5 Esper. I did not expect us to encounter them here, but this changes the rules of the game. Very well. Get yourselves together, Thanatos.» «Shut the fuck up. Can’t you tell we’re grieving?» Still, Marybeth didn’t share this kind of mindset. She wasn’t someone who would or could remain calm and collected in moments like these. There was no gain in losing lives. There was no gain in drawing positives from it. No, that wasn’t respectful of the dead in the first place.


Having overheard everything, Kisaragi Anko saw an opportunity to make her move. While forced to grit her teeth by the unpleasant noise of flesh and bone being squashed by super human power, she was long since past the point where she let herself fall to such distractions. Instead, she could exploit their distraction to circle around a pack of mercenaries nearly unnoticed.

And from there she would…


Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

Marybeth having aimed her assault rifle towards the point origin of the red eyes opened fire, pressing the trigger down for each of the shots in a gesture the accentuate her lethal intent. Each shot symbolising the woman’s pure wrath at the enemy who had dared to crush her friends. «This one’s mine! You guys deal with the others! Don’t let a single one of them escape in one piece, you hear!?», she’d quite openly scream for everyone (not only her comrades) to take note of; her voice even more bloodlusty than ever before.

«What the hell are you doing?! You need to fall back and switch plans as a unit. Alone you won’t stand a cha–» «Oh shut up. I got this.» Cutting off connection to the channel their handler occupied, Thanatos’ leader made the enemy ahead the single target fo her attention.


… jump over a nearby couch to take cover before even more gunfire erupted upon her. What are these people? How can they be so affected and cold at the same time? Cowering on the ground, Kisaragi Anko was forced into a state of utter disbelief at the continuously shifting behaviour of these men and women. However, much like them she didn’t have time to let herself be startled. Thus, driven by the objectives of her own she would pick up a sealed can of tinned food that had been knocked off a nearby shelf, roll it across the floor and then run. Run like a madlady towards the next stablising pillar, loudly, carelessly, intentionally. Immediately invoking a reaction by her chaser who was forced to adjust the path of movement, take a few steps, accidentally place their foot atop the can and trip. However, while it was enough to make them lose balance temporarily, it wouldn’t send them onto the floor. Still, by the moment they had regained solid footing, the kunoichi’s knee would already greet their face in a fast charge, knocking them over in a swift and perfect K.O.

One down, two to go! Not slowing down from her speedy charge, Kisaragi immediately moved onto the downed mercenary’s squad mates. They had stepped away only for a few metres, thus given her speed and now once more stealthy movement, the threat in red would have an easy game closing in before they could adjust. Whatever devices they carried must have warned them, as they turned slightly faster than expected, but still not fast enough. Ducking underneath the enemy’s rifle’s nuzzle, Kisaragi would dodge the follow-up barrage of gunfire, step forward grab the bottom of the gun from below to push it up while using her momentum and body-weight to knock her target over. Then, immediately after she would reach for the combat knife she had seen all of Thanatos’s members so far carry, unsceathe it and toss it towards the third in the party, perfectly aimed for where their head was thought to be given the location of that green LED light.

Shokuhou Misai was at her limit. Neither in her role as the Queen of Tokiwadai nor with the power of Academy City’s #5 did she have anything more to throw onto the table. Clearing the room and robbing one of the opponents of their fighting capability had been the limit. The rest just wasn’t anything she could even hope to catch up with. Therefore, all she’d been left with was stand frozen and powerless at the sidelines while the mad dance of the two fighters commenced. This wasn’t her world after all.

Until it suddenly became hers.

Before she – the unpracticed fighter that she was – could even catch up to reality something was lunged at her at immense speed. So fast, her initial and only reaction was to clench her eyes shut by natural instinct. And before she knew it, she found herself be knocked aside and over to the floor in an aprubt but not as painful fashion as the certain death she had just escaped. Only after that, when she had finally caught on, she began to scream in terror.

«…I could have…», she muttered in the process of catching on. And when she had begun, she was capable of processing the full order of events. «No…Li-sensei!? Are you alright?» That was why, without any hesitation or care to sustain her anonomity she immediately crawled over to her saviour in spe to check on him with both her eyes and hasty touching across his body.

The line between idyllic peace and a hellscape was razor thin. All it took was that explosion—a single momentary introduction of chaos to shut out all sense of calm and throwing their small section of the world into an indelible chaos.

It was one of those things that made Kohaku regret letting go of Anko. It wasn’t like she could hold onto her indefinitely, but she was still in danger considering the situation she was pulled in had yet to be resolved. Kohaku may have had her pride, but she still knew when to defer command to someone who knew better than her.

And among the chaos, she had no place as she stood within the darkness trying to figure out what was going on.

But as she did, a groan reached her ears. As she turned to see the source, she found one of the Skill-outs trying to force himself up a wall and onto his feet.

“Stop.” She ran to the source of the groan as she put a hand on his shoulder and another to his head to keep him from going further up. Though she was hardly an athletic person, she was confident she could keep a person who was on the verge of losing consciousness from pain from getting up.

As she looked to his leg, she didn’t even need her ability to check how bad it was.

No spurting blood. No pulsations. He’s lucky he didn’t get any arterial damage.

As her ability confirmed what she had seen, she used a piece of sharp glass to cut at the bottom of her top, leaving her belly exposed. Using the piece of cloth she had torn off and subsequently rolled off, she pressed it against the open wound. It may have been deep for a graze, but it was still manageable.

“We can stop the bleeding with a little pressure, but you need to rest the leg so once we stop the bleeding and wrap it a bit, don’t force yourself back onto the leg.”

Hirashi’s testing with his projectiles earlier did not pay off, there was neither response from friend nor foe. Oh well, at least it confirmed his calibrations were correct. As he confirmed the hits, Hitashi also caught a glimpse of Baseball Cap, illuminated by her now glowing eyes, quite literally flatten a squad of enemies in a fit of rage.

«This one’s mine! You guys deal with the others! Don’t let a single one of them escape in one piece, you hear!?»

The sentence filled the room, carrying with it its owner’s madness dyed in bloodlust. This puzzled Hirashi; from the efficient and planned attack, it had seemed their assailants were professionals, but this? This was anything but.

This was no place to ponder though, Hirashi shelved the information he just gathered and worked on a more pressing matter. Although their assailants’ weapons and movements were quiet up until now, the shouting gave Hirashi a much needed bearing of the battlefield. Hirashi zeroed in on the voice’s location and started shooting the chunks of debris in that direction. They were not the nails he was used to, so Hirashi could not be very accurate with the hits, not like it would matter anyway due to the darkness. Hirashi would instead send the projectiles into the area in a methodical grid pattern. There would not be any noise from the origin of his shots, and if he kept up the volume, he’d surely hit something eventually.

Reina led Tsubasa by the hand towards the gathered auras she'd identified as Saito and Aiko. In her hurry she bounced off one of the walls and edged along it towards the door to the office. Her grip tightened around Tsubasa's hand as the shooting grew more intense. Somewhere nearby the bullets were slamming home into walls and tearing apart furniture. Close by the rich, thick aura of fear and despair was enveloping the slouched form of someone leaning against the wall. Another figure was crouched beside them and Reina could hear their measured, yet urgent tone as they tended to the fallen.

Reina reached out, tapping Aiko on the shoulder and whispered.

"Ai-chan? Uh, Aiko. Is it you?" Her voice cracked a little into a squeak. "Where's Sai-chan?" She slipped into the casual nicknames she'd labelled them in her head.

"Hey." Kohaku's patient breathed heavily. "Hey. If you can get me to a vehicle I can get us out." He groaned, attempting to rise to his feet once more before the limits of his strength stopped him. "Can't go out the front way, but there's another route."

***

The bullets meant for Naoto never reached her. the twin embers flared brightly and the girl clenched her fist reflexivelyas the bullets curved past her by the narrowest margins, pushed away by the distortion of gravity around her gaunt frame. Gritting her teeth, Naoto prepared to return fire. She would stand and face this enemy, even if it meant her own death. They would pay.

"Nao!" A hand on her arm pulled her back and she staggered. "Nao. Get your shit together. We're leaving. Plan B." The girl with tanned skin and bleached blonde hair turned before Naoto could give her answer.

"Plan B." Naoto echoed. The words would jar her from her bloodthirsty fixation. Revenge had to take a back seat to saving those who could still be saved.

***

Guy stood, shrugging off Misaki's hands. He didn't hear her voice, didn't see her face. He could no longer see anything but his target. He marched after the man with red hair, snatching up one of the knives from the wall as he passed. Out the door. His pace increasing.

The squeal of tyres spinning on the ground. He was already sprinting. The cold night air chilled his lungs. The black car pealed off into the distance, leaving him behind. But he didn't stop running. Only when it had been lost in the night did he start to slow, never taking his eyes off the car.

Only now did he feel the stinging sensation in his side. Touching his abdomen his hand came away wet. Sticky blood coated his fingers. The metal slip of a knife still protruded from his torn shirt. Guy cursed under his breath and dropped to his knee. Fatigue caught up with him as the fleeting rush of adrenaline faded. A flood of pain greeted him.