Orihara Apartment: Izaya scanned through the folder, even though he didn't need to. "I've asked that very question a few times before. You know...I've never gotten a real answer." He shrugged like it was no big deal before chucking the folder onto the table. Folding his legs on top of the folder, Izaya started to spill out information, as per his job. "Shizuka Hio...like I said, she's a vampire, but not just any vampire. She's a Pureblood vampire, which means she's got abilities other vampires don't have..." He ignored Ram completely as she held zero interest for him, "Shizuka is from a feudal era Japan...she's lived that long, isn't that amazing? Unfortunately, she's been moving around a lot since she killed a vampire Hunter's family...I've no idea where she lives or currently is." Yawning, Izaya sleepily folded his hands on his stomach. "And...how to kill her?" He sniffed, roaming his eyes over Vert and her twin, "Unfortunately, that's impossible. It's a crime to their kind to kill a Pureblood. Though...if you really want to kill one...I recommend the old movie version." Noire jumped up, "A stake to the heart and cutting off her head?! That's it!? Next thing you're going to tell me she's allergic to garlic and sunlight will set her on fire." Laughing, Izaya set his feet on the ground and stretched, "No...that would be interesting, wouldn't it? As far as I know...garlic is still just a nice seasoning for her and the sun is the least threatening thing in the world." It was then that Izaya's full attention diverted from the ladies sitting in his living room to the explosion knocking down his door. Izaya perked up like a cat spotting his favorite toy that's going off making squeaking and bell noises. Vert stared at him, she could nearly see little black cat ears stand up and a thin black tail start to wave about. Noire and Gust turned around to see what had made the noise and found a blond haired man wearing a bartender uniform storm into Izaya's apartment. Spoiler "IIIIIIIIZZAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAA!" Izaya hopped up, spreading his hands in front of him with a huge grin on his face, "Shizu-chan~ how nice of you to drop by."
Orihara's Apartment: Izaya focused his gaze on Noire first, "I know who you're talking about. It's ironic really...just a few years ago I would've said you were insane asking about a vampire." Vert's sapphire gaze narrowed, "So they were vampires." He nodded, his expression turned serious and he stood, "Yes...what you met was a vampire. You mentioned another girl..." He wandered over to his desk and then to the shelf to the right of his desk and pulled down a large file labeled appropriately: "Kuruizaki-hime". "The girl you saw was Maria Kurenai. A long standing, loyal servant and distant relative of the Hio family. Kururizaki-hime...Madly Blooming Princess...do you know why she's called that?" Noire growled and opened her mouth but a sharp nudge from Vert's elbow made her shut it. "Hehe...I suppose not. It's because...centuries of years ago, from the moment she was born, she was caged like a vicious beast by her fiance, Rido Kuran. The Hi in Hio means "scarlet" and the o means "cherry blossoms". Once...she took a human that was meant as her food as a lover and turned him into a vampire. Now...I know plenty of what happened to him...but you asked about Shizuka." He sat back down with the file in his lap, "Six hundred thousand yen." Noire blanched, "What?! Are you insane?! We don't have that kind of--" "Six hundred thousand yen...previously collected, counted and now paid in full." Gust set the thick stack of bills on the table and Izaya scooped it up and chucked it over his shoulder, "Paid in full. Arigatou, Gust-chan~! Now...what kind of information are you looking for? How to kill her? Where she came from? Who her family is? How to BECOME a vampire like her?" "How do we kill her." "Where did she come from?" "Gust wants to be a vampire like her!" Tokyo Streets: Shizuka hardly registered Romero's statement. "Reward..." A slight smile fluttered over her lips, "I can give you the gift of eternal life." Ichiru flinched, "Shizuka!" "Hush, Ichiru...if what these pitiful beings want is money...they've found themselves in the presence of the wrong woman. If they decide to further their vision...they'll accept." "Shizuka..." Maria smiled as she danced around Janus and his gang, "They don't look like they can kill a vampire. Are you sure we picked the right people, Lady Hio?" Shizuka turned her gaze from Ichiru to Maria, "Shhh, Maria, dear." Turning fully to the group, Shizuka's already pink colored eyes glowed a vibrant crimson, "Kill Kaname Kuran and I will reward you with eternal life and the riches that accompany it. Do you accept?"
Shinjuku District: Orihara Apartment: Without many of the Goddesses noticing, Gust led them into a building and up a series of stairs to stand before a door labeled: Orihara. "Here we are!" Gust knocked...or more beat her gloved fist against the door until it opened. Spoiler "Is it necessary to beat on my door? I'm not so sure the poor thing can withstand any more harsh treatment." Noire's crimson eyes narrowed harshly, "This guy!? Are you joking!?" Vert patted Noire's shoulder and flung out her arm to keep her other sisters from rushing to something reckless. "Now, now... You're Kanra, yes?" Izaya smiled, "Call me, Izaya Orihara. You know me as Kanra... Little Gust knows me as Nakura. But...it's your choice to call me whatever you want. Hehehe~" Gust dug into her pocket and pulled out a flimsy piece of paper, "Here...this is what you ordered. One discount purchase of Russian Sushi's Fatty Tuna." Plucking the ticket from Gust's hands, Izaya spun in place, "Yahooo~ Arigatou, Gust-chan~! Come on in...you did say your friends wanted to ask me something..." his red-brown eyes narrowed on them and his grin widened, "For a price." Leading the seven girls into his apartment, Izaya sat them down on his black couch and sat across from them, "So? What did you want to know?" Crossing his legs, Izaya tucked the ticket into his pocket and waited calmly for the girls to ask. Vert looked to her sisters and whispered, "Be careful of how you talk to him. He's the kind of man that will give you false information if you piss him off. Blanc, dear, it's best if you don't talk at all."
Tokyo Streets: Vert and Noire changed back to normal and Gust lifted chocolaty brown eyes to Green Heart, "No way! I'm the one who introduced Vert to him, I should go too! I'll call him." Before the Goddesses could say anything, Gust pulled out a bunny-esque cell phone. "Speed dial seven, click!" Putting the funny looking thing to her ear, Gust waited for three long rings before it connected. "Hello~ Gust here, your friendly alchemist with your order! I'll come right over, okay? Okay!" She paused for a long moment and turned around, facing away from the Goddesses. "I'm also bringing some people to talk to you. Yup, they want information on a specific persons. Huh? Alright, I'll work something out. Bye-bye!" Hitting END CALL and whipping around to the Goddesses, Gust grinned, "I'm going to need to charge you for this visit. Depending on how many people..." Gust pulled out a calculator with a bunny theme to it too and typed rapidly into it before showing the outrageous number to them, "One hundred thousand yen each." (Approximately: $10,000) Noire's crimson eyes widened, "You're joking...there's no way any of us could pay that much!" "Here you are." "Unless she's Vert." Vert shrugged and handed over the bills to Gust, "I just had some extra cash with me since I figured at least once we'd have to visit him in person." Gust held out a waving bunny hand to the others, "Cough it up, cough it up!" Noire fished the money out of her pockets and sniffed a bit as she handed it over to the greedy alchemist, "I was so looking forward to using that money for something else. Who is this informant of yours anyway. Vert...you said you know him too." Vert sighed, "I might...but only in theory. We chat online. He uses the username: Kanra, so naturally I thought it was a girl..." "I had to break the news to her. For a price, obviously. He also uses the username: Nakura. I get a lot of business from him." "I wonder if he's some sort of fat, sweaty guy." Gust cleaned out each of the Goddesses and bounced down the street towards the Shinjuku district, "You'd be wrong."
Tokyo Streets: Spoiler Ichiru took a step back and lifted his sword higher, his grey eyes switching from Green Heart to Black Heart to White Heart. Shizuka stared at White Heart, pointedly ignoring her insults, "Why do you interfere? Go...away..." Her eyes flared a bright crimson and a strong wind whipped through the street. Green Heart closed one eye against the wind, "What are you doing, White Heart? Everyone knows you shouldn't antagonize a vampire." Black Heart lifted her hands to shield her face from the wind, "What's with this wind?! Nobody said anything about a hurricane today!" Shizuka's glare intensified and the winds grew stronger and suddenly stopped. "I have no quarrel with you. You're merely a diversion in my day. Please...stop getting in my way." Shizuka glided across the street, her bare feet moving quickly as she moved soundlessly. Maria followed after turning back to look at the Goddesses with a small smile. Ichiru turned his head, watching Shizuka move, and the bell tied into his hair rang only once. "Shizuka? What's wrong?" Trailing after her, Ichiru hardly spared a second glance at the Goddesses. Black Heart shrugged and turned her blue gaze to Green Heart. "Well? Who the hell was that?" "Um...a vampire, obviously, and she is famous." "Oh, really?" "Yes, that was Kuruizaki-hime. The Madly Blooming Princess. But...that's all I know. Information is sealed on her, but I know a guy who can get us information like that." Rolling her eyes, Black Heart glared after the set of odd vampires. "That boy...did you notice? His eyes didn't glow like theirs. Definitely not a vampire. He's our best bet when trying to reason with...I'm sure." "You'd be wrong, y'know." "Huh? Oh, Gust...there you are." "Yup. Anywho...that boy is bad news. Stubborn as a mule and loyal to that woman to a fault. Even that little girl is loyal to that woman. You're much better off talking to anyone else but that boy about her." Gust hopped out from behind a building and waved a large bunny glove at the sisters. Tokyo Streets: Coming up behind Janus, Dario and Romero, the sound of a single clear bell rang and Shizuka spoke clearly to them, "I have a job for you. Ichiru..." Ichiru stepped forwards, the bell in his hair ringing as well, "On behalf of Lady Shizuka, we have a job for you three. Since you're looking. Kill Kaname Kuran."
CPU's House: Following behind the small purple haired girl who'd so bluntly cried out for Histoire as her mom, a familiar looking blonde and ebony haired pair of girls stood in the doorway feeling rather uncomfortable. The blonde smiled, "I'm so very glad we could find the right house." The other girl, setting her hands on her hips, huffed and turned an accusing crimson gaze on the blonde, "You doubted Kei's information?" The blonde's sapphire eyes smiled at her friend, "Of course not, but it's a bit nerve wracking to come to a place we don't know. It would be scary if we got the wrong house. You don't think it'd be scary, Noire?" Noire, as the blonde addressed the ebony haired woman, shook her head, "Of course not! I'm not scared of anything. Least of all meeting....meeting..." Noire trailed off the longer she stared at Histoire, "A-Anyway...so this is...Histoire? Our mom? You're joking, she's like...ten." The blonde shrugged, "I think she's a nice little girl mom. Now, hush, Noire, you're hurting her feelings. Plus...look at Pururut, she's so happy." A familiar victory theme sounded from the blonde's pocket, startling Noire. "Vert!" Pulling the thin, green cell out of her dress pocket, Vert answered the call. "Hello? Oh, hi there Gust, how is everything? Hm? Oh, my, real vampires? How exciting! Oh, yes...very frightening...oh...okay...okay...stay where you are, we'll come pick you up." Closing the phone and putting it back in her pocket, Vert clapped her hands and bowed, "I'll be right back. Noire...please come with me. We'll return shortly." Tokyo Streets: "You're a long way from home, little one. Why don't you come with us?" "Lady Hio...? Is this okay? Ichiru?" Ichiru slid his blue gaze from the small girl a silver haired woman was holding her hand out towards to the shorter grey haired girl standing closer to him. "It's fine. Shizuka knows what she's doing." "She damn well better know how to get away from our friend!" Turning his head, Ichiru stared at Noire and Vert coldly for a solid minute. "And you are...?" Noire grit her teeth, "Stupid little...!" The silver haired woman stood, her hand on a small girl wearing a bunny hat and gloves's head. "Is something wrong, Ichiru? Is this someone from your school?" Ichiru stepped in front of the two silvery haired women with him, blocking them from view of Vert and Noire, "Yes, they are Vert and Noire...a pair of nosy girls in a few of my classes. Never mind them, Lady Shizuka." The small girl with Shizuka pouted, "Will you two hurry up and save me?! Vampires are not my specialty." Vert and Noire exchanged glances, "Alright...you asked for this." "Kick butt time!" A column of light engulfed Noire and Vert along with a digital code. When the light faded, standing in the place of Vert and Noire was their HDD CPU forms. Spoiler Ichiru tensed, drawing a katana from the sheath at his side. "I think this guy thinks he can beat us in a fight." "He is very fool-hardy, but...that look in his eyes..." Green Heart frowned,
Name: Kiba Inuzuka Description: A dog trainer with a proud and very large ego and a vivid interest in police work. Currently, he's been following Naoto Shirogane around, sniffing for leads. Occupation: Student/ policeman in-training Series Character is from: Naruto Shippuden Name: Gust Description: A travelling alchemist who knows her way around a business situation. She's generally bubbly and a happy person, but cross her payment wise...and you'll find you have a bigger problem than just her ways of making money. Occupation: Alchemist?Student Series character is from: Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 Name: Vert Description: CPU Goddess of the "other" landmass Leanbox. A committed gamer, collector of anime/game merchandise and identical twin of Vert from the original Leanbox. Vert is slightly more of a crybaby than her twin and holds no qualms about bragging about her "size". Separated at birth from her twin, Vert has the exact same tastes as her twin. Occupation: Student Series Character is from: Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Name: Noire Description: A diligent and serious almost-CPU. She's polite and respectful, putting her entire being into everything she does. Noire is very self-conscious and cares deeply about her personal image and what others think of her. Noire is exactly like her twin in personality and appearance. Having the same situation as Vert and the other CPU's of the "other" landmasses, Noire knows little about her twin. Occupation: Student Series character is from: Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Name: Rei Ryghts Description: Shy and lacking in confidence, Rei is the leader of the Seven Sages and a citizen's rights group. Rei is a former CPU but no longer admits it or uses her power. Occupation: Citizen's Rights leader/Student/??????? Series Character is from: Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Name: Croire Description: A fairy-esque tiny girl with the speech manner of a crude little boy. She was Rei's Oracle and is the polar opposite of Histoire. Occupation: ????? Series character is from: Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Name: Falcom Description: An honest person that is generally humble with a competitive side. She has a tendency to worry over her friends over the smallest things. Occupation: Student/Musician Series Character is from: Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 Name: Chika Hakozaki Description: A sassy and depending on the situation, sickly, girl who is certifiably crazy about Vert. She is the Oracle of Leanbox, and despite her obsession with Vert, does a good job of being a perfectly competent Oracle. Occupation: Student/Oracle Series character is from: Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 Name: Kei Jinguji Description: A workaholic who often stands in for Noire. Kei is a calm and very smart girl. She hates when promises are broken. Occupation: Student/Noire's Assistant Series Character is from Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 Name: Linda Description: Linda talks and acts like a male in a delinquent manner. She is generally rude and has a temper towards others. occupation: Student/????? Series Character is from: Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 Reserving: C.C. and Tekken (HDN V) (Won't use those two until further information is released on them)
Tokyo Streets: "Corrosion Style: Quicklime Congealing Jutsu!" A blast of grey quicklime splattered all over a black haired man wearing a white mask. He looked down at the substance and the black haired woman hopped down from the building rooftop, "Water Style: Water Trumpet!" Lifting her hand to her mouth, a jet of water shot down, mixing with the quicklime and instantly hardened. "Got you now, you slippery punk!" The man shrugged as if she'd asked him a question and she frowned. "You...!" Electricity surged around his body, giving off sparks. Shielding her eyes, when she looked back the man had wiggled and broken his way out and was now running down the street. "Dammit! Get back here!" From behind a building, a smiling man with pointed ears and a short cut head of red hair waved to the fleeing man, "Over here, this way, please." Pausing for a brief second, he bolted towards the man and nearly ran smack into a huge pack covered with masks. Veering around it, he ran down the alley way and a frustrated Kurotsuchi was left behind. Leaning on a wall, he waited. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" He jumped at the sound of the mask wielding man that had helped him. "No, I'm just--" "You're looking for someone. I can help you...if in exchange you sell me the mask you're wearing. It's the source of your power, isn't it." He frowned underneath his mask, "It's not. Who are you?" "Me? I'm the Happy Mask Salesman. Just traveling through, looking for rare and exceptional masks. Might I ask your name?" Feeling rather cornered and reluctant, he shook his head. A minute passed and the Salesman didn't say a word...before he ceased smiling, grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him roughly, angrily frowning, "What do you mean no! If I don't get your name how will I contact you again for a price on that mask! You can't own a mask like that!" Letting him shake him, the man set a pair of black gloved hands on the Salesman's arms, "Alright... You can call me Hei, now keep it down before that woman finds me."
Kakuzu's House: Spoiler Kakuzu glared quietly at the sleeping Tobi on his couch, the snoring Kisame in his chair and the still flipping channels Gin. If he turned his gaze slightly to the right, he could make out Zetsu's merged body within his wall. He'd sent Fuu to bed and Hidan to an unconscious sleep in his own room. Nobody liked Hidan when he was sleepy...his foul mouth only got worse and his snoring was unbelievably annoying. Throwing a blanket over Tobi, he turned his green glare to Gin, "I take it you're all intending to stay the night since you haven't left yet." Gin nodded and Kakuzu left his guests. Bathing, Kakuzu chucked his shirt, counted the cash he stored in his safe in his room, and climbed into bed with a calm mind. Kumo Residence: Spoiler "We're back!" Cee called into the house. It was a 3DLK (three bedrooms, dining room, living room, kitchen) so finding the rest of their roommates wasn't hard. Karui and Omoi were lounging on the couch, watching the WVBA. Darui exited the bath, rubbing a towel on his hair, "Yo, so you guys are back." Samui clicked her tongue at the sight of the messy kitchen, "What did you guys do in here? Murder a cat?" Yugito stopped mid-stride and turned her gaze towards Samui. Everyone's heads turned towards Samui as she made the careless comment. Samui blanched, "Sorry...that wasn't cool. But look at this mess!" Omoi sunk down into the couch, trying to hide from Yugito's fury. His thoughts traveled the usual progressively worsening path. 'What if Yugito gets pissed about Samui's comment...and then she beats her to a pulp...and then transforms into the Two-Tails and destroys the house. Then we'll have to live on the streets and get garbage thrown at our faces.' Cee shook his head as he helped Samui clean the food covered kitchen. Darui jerked his chin at Karui and Omoi and they left to their rooms with Yugito. He leaned against the fridge and watched the pair that had gone to the meeting with the Gray Order. "How was it?" Cee turned his head slightly, "Informational. Lethellan is a skilled woman with a colorful past. She knows how to play her cards and the others on the team work well together. But she's never fought against shinobi...so progressing past this first step is going to be difficult for her." Samui ran a few dishes under the tap and sighed, "We've never fought Madara Uchiha before...I doubt he'll take her opposition lightly." Darui nodded slowly and wandered off towards his room. As it was only a three bedroom apartment, the girls shared a room, Darui and Omoi shared a room and Cee, who insisted he couldn't sleep with all the noise, had the third room. Samui yawned and rubbed her shoulder. Keeping his gaze on cleaning the counter, Cee spoke, "Samui, why don't you get some shut eye. I've got a few more things to do before I go to sleep so I'll finish up here." Nodding, Samui set the dry dishes onto the shelf and set the dish towel on Cee's shoulder, "Don't stay up too late. Tomorrow we've got to investigate that lead we found." Konoha Residence: Spoiler Yawning, Anko tapped a finger on Kakashi's headband, "Are you going to sleep any time soon?" Kakashi opened his eye; he'd already been asleep on the couch for hours, "Hm? Oh...yeah, I guess I'll go now." Genma leaned on the back of Sai's chair staring at the food Sakura had placed in front of him. Neither of the boys wanted to eat Sakura or Anko's cooking, but if they had to choose...it would be Anko's that was better, if incredibly sweet. "Just eat it already," Genma nudged Sai and received a worried stare from the emotionless Foundation shinobi. "I don't think I should..." he mumbled. Raido shook his head and scooped up the food, eating it without a complaint, gaining a smiled from the candy haired Sakura. "Raido likes my cooking," Sakura lifted her chin and glared at Sai. Genma made a face at Raido as he walked by, "Raido has no taste buds." Yamato chuckled from a chair in the living room. It was nice to see everyone acting carefree after watching the events during the WVBA. He worried Kakashi-senpai was taking the events harder than the others. The door flung open and Hayate and his fiancee, Yugao, entered the apartment. Yugao blushed, her cheeks turning crimson and Hayate smiled. Genma straightened and waved to his friend, "You two are back pretty late. How was dinner?" Hayate nudged Yugao towards their room and took a moment to pat Sai's head, "It was a nice change of pace. Thank you for suggesting it, Sai." Sai pulled out a book titiled: 'How to Keep Your Woman Happy'. "I read it in this book...I'm glad it worked. Sakura never seems to be very happy with my suggestions." Slamming her fist down on the table, Sakura smiled with unbridled hostile intent towards Sai, "Sai...!" Hayate laughed and started to cough, "Thanks anyway, Sai. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Ame Residence: Yahiko stared in awe at the TV as he watched the WVBA. "What...was that? Hey, Nagato did you see that?" Nagato rolled his eyes, helping Konan with the dishes, "No, Yahiko...did someone you like do something cool?" Yahiko snorted and trudged into the kitchen, "No, Mr. Smarty-Pants. Something really weird happened. These guys just broke into the ring and completely knocked out Sandman and Mac. Oh, man, it was weird." Konan and Nagato exchanged baffled looks and shrugged. "Yahiko, it's time for bed. Come now... Nagato, will you finish drying the dishes?" Nodding, Nagato hugged Yahiko tightly and mumbled his good nights to his friends. Kiri Residence: Yawning as they returned home, Mei watched Yagura hustle off to his office and frowned. She turned her sorrowful expression to Chojuro, "I feel terrible that we kept you from school today. Even with the invasion...I still feel like you should've had that first day experience." Chojuro waved his hands in front of his face, "N-No, it's fine! I-I would much rather spend my time making sure you're safe, Lady Mizukage." Smiling, Mei hugged her young bodyguard. Chojuro overheated instantly, his face turning a bright pink. Sending him off to bed, Mei steeled herself and followed Yagura. Watching the short Mizukage tirelessly plug away on his computer and scribble things down on paper, Mei knocked lightly on the frame of his door. "Yes?" "Lord Yagura...is everything alright? Is there nothing I can help you with? You seem..." "Not at the moment, Mei. I'll call you when I require your assistance. Head to sleep...I won't stay up much longer." Quietly, Mei closed his door and went to her room. Gray Order Residential House: Spoiler Sheena lifted and carried Colette to her bed, followed by a half asleep Marta still complaining in murmurs about how she should be sleeping with Emil. Judith kicked Yuri's leg and he shifted his gaze from the TV to Estelle sleeping in a chair. "Yeah...I got it." Lifting her, Yuri groaned, "Jeez...for a princess, she sure is heavy." Emil, Lloyd and Raven sat at the smal table not far from the living room. "What was that about? Are those guys with those invaders?" Lloyd asked. Emil frowned, "I don't think so..." "Now don't knock it outta the park just yet. We have no idea who the invaders were in t he first place. I'm still not convinced that it is the aliens," Raven said, rubbing his jaw. Sync followed the conversation thus far until the door opened and Arietta and Ion returned. "Pfft, it's about damn time! I texted you hours ago! What the hell have you been doing?!" Ion smiled nervously and Arietta chucked her orange headed doll at Sync's green haired head. "You shut up! Master Ion was with a friend. Don't start yelling at him!" Her eyes welled up with tears and Ion rubbed her head, "Don't cry, Arietta...it's no big deal. Sync's always yelling. I'm used to it." "You may be used to it, but it's time for bed. We have resting people here, so keep it down, please," Judith said, leaning on the hallway wall, her arms folded over her chest. Synch growled and stormed off towards his room. Raven sighed, "Hey, Judy, what do you think of those guys?" Judith shrugged, "I'm not sure. Ba'ul doesn't have much information on what doesn't exist where we're from. Whatever they are...they're not human like you guys and they're definitely not Krityan." Yawning, Emil stood, "I don't know...I just don't know. I'd ask Ratatosk but I really don't want to play mental tug-of-war this late at night." Ion smiled, "Good night, Emil. I'd really like to talk to Ratatosk tomorrow too, if you don't mind." Lloyd snorted, "You can try talking to that guy...but he's so stubborn it's nearly impossible to get one idea out without him crushing it completely." Frowning, Ion was led by the hand to his room leaving Lloyd and Raven in the kitchen. Raven stood and stretched, "Well, this old man can't stay up much longer. These old bones need a good twelve hour rest before they get up again." Nodding, Lloyd hurried to his room before Emil fell asleep. Kuran Estate: Spoiler As night fell, Kaname opened his eyes to the scent of a fresh breakfast and blood tablets. Senri yawned as he snacked on the pockie sticks, watching Haruka made breakfast. "Just watching you do that makes me tired." Haruka laughed, licking egg from his finger, "Usually I cook, so don't worry about it not being edible." A beautiful woman swished into the kitchen, her white dress fluttering around her as she walked, "I hope you're not saying bad things about my cooking again, Haruka!" Senri's blue eyes moved to the woman and Haruka smiled, "Evening, Juri, I didn't think you'd be getting out of bed any time soon. Is Kaname coming down for breakfast?" She shrugged and flopped down in a chair, "Kaname hasn't opened his door in a while." Padding into the kitchen, a girl who looked exactly like Juri wrapped her arms around Juri's shoulders and kissed her cheek, "Morning, Mother." The girl quickly padded to Haruka and kissed his cheek, "Morning, Father." Juri and Haruka smiled, "Morning, Yuki." "Yuki, dear, do you think you could get Kaname to come down?" Yuki frowned at her mother, "Kaname hasn't been down already? There's a light on in his room."
Reserving: Juri Kuran (Vampire Knight Guilty) Yuki Kuran (Vampire) (Vampire Knight Guilty) Yugao Uzuki (Naruto Shippuden)
Orihara Apartment: Izaya touched the tip of his index finger to Ram's staff and narrowed his red-brown eyes, "You really think something like that would work in my house? Sorry to burst your little bubble, but I'm not as stupid as you think." Izaya pushed the staff down and ruffled Ram's hair. Rolling her eyes, Mairu forcibly shoved herself between Izaya and Ram and turned the young girl around, leaning down to mumble in her ear, "You'd best be careful what you say around Niisan. He's one of the guys in all of Tokyo that you most definitely don't want to piss off. Listen to me...this is Izaya being nice, just take it at face value and let it be. I don't feel like walking home in the dark and my sister and I don't hold any of Izaya's power, even if we're related." She glanced behind her as she pushed Ram towards the stairs to the second level and watched Izaya wander over to his computer, type a few things and lose his eerie smile as he sat down and rifled through some papers. "Going to bed soon, Niisan?" "Hm? Why...are you concerned about me? Don't worry yourself, I'll sleep later." Kururi and Mairu escorted the young twins upstairs and into their room. It was a rather bland room with newly pasted up pictures of Yuuhei Hanejima. Kneeling as she pulled out two extra futons, Mairu sighed, "Poor Yuuhei... If only Shizuo would let us meet him. How many times have we told him, we'd gladly throw Niisan under a bus if he'd keep his promise." Kururi nodded with her sister. "Shizuo doesn't keep promises regarding Yuuhei. Oh well...Mai-nee...I'm gonna use the bath first, okay?" Jumping up, Mairu held her sister by her shoulders and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Okay!" After she finished setting out the futons, Mairu untied her hair from its braid and changed. The pair operated flawlessly together. Kururi left the bath and Mairu entered. Kururi handed the young twins a pair of pajamas for them to wear and Mairu pulled her sister into the single bed they had in the room. They curled up together and Kururi pulled off her sisters glasses, setting them on a night stand beside the head of the bed. "Night, you two!" "Sleep well..." It wasn't long after the twins had fallen asleep that Izaya yawned and headed up to his room. He bathed sleepily and unlocked the door to his room, locking it behind him. Kazekage Bank & Accounting: Spoiler Purely enraged, Temari stormed the house/business front until she found her youngest brother quietly eating his meal and occasionally glancing at the TV. "Gaara! I can't believe you'd take off from school like that! Do you have any idea what could've happened to you? It's my job as your older sister to take care of you." Kankuro followed his sister slowly, pulling off his Puppet Master's hat and wiping off the make-up from his face, "Give it a rest, Temari. He's safe, just like I told you he would be." He gave a worried glance towards his younger brother still and his shoulders dropped, releasing the tension that had built at the base of his neck, "Still....you did have us worried, y'know. I wish you'd have taken me along, wherever you went." Gaara slurped a noodle from the ramen he kept receiving from Naruto and mumbled around it, "My apologies, I didn't think it was something that needed your strength." Temari growled back at him, "But it needed yours?!" He nodded once, "Yes. I was trying to divert the attention of the invaders...but nothing we did seemed to work." "We?" Kankuro questioned as he took a seat at the table beside his little brother. "Yes, Kratos Aurion, Utau Hoshina, Nero our night guard and myself headed out before the school was alerted to attempt to make them leave. They weren't very interested in us...but most of my attention was focused on keeping the others from destroying the ships and harming the women inside. It's difficult to gauge whether or not they had occupants to harm...but I didn't think taking the chance was worth the risk." Pakura appeared kneeling on the floor beside Gaara, "My Lord...I have prepared the bath and your bed. It's time to turn in for the night. If you don't get the required amount of sleep...you'll be sluggish in the morning and miss your appointment with Neji Hyuuga in the morning." Nodding, Gaara left his empty bowl and headed for the bath, leaving his dumbfounded siblings to head to their own rooms in a daze. Late, Yashamaru discarded his things into a basket and headed straight for his brother-in-law's room. Yondaime had a lot to explain. "Kazekage-sama...I've been told you dropped several clients. I...it's none of my business really, but I'm worried about you...your company...and Gaara-sama. If you begin to fail to provide for him, I..." "Relax...I have it under control. This little punk won't buy me out completely. Children weigh themselves on a rigged scale of worth... I suggest you stop thinking of Gaara and his siblings as children. Gaara is slowly succeeding me and soon he'll take over the company. Temari and Kankuro will stand beside him faithfully and Pakura has always been with our family. Why must you always question the way things are going, Yashamaru?" "I... Never mind, Kazekage-sama...I'm just worrying." "All that worrying will turn you prematurely grey." Senju Residence: After being delayed home for several hours by the rather annoying Izuna Uchiha and listening to Yagura Mizukage's paranoia, Hashirama immediately fell into his bed and fell asleep. Rolling her eyes, Mito did what he failed to do...changed his clothes, threw the dirty ones into the wash and brushed his hair out. She did the same for herself, carefully undoing the tight buns and setting the tags and many clips and hairpins on her nightstand. "Honestly, Hashirama...you clash more than enough with Madara...I don't want to see you begin that kind of relationship with Yagura too." She cast a weary glance out the door and watched Tobirama stumble towards his room, his hair dripping wet. "The both of you...I swear, neither of you want to maintain a healthy relationship with the Uchiha's or within your own bodies." Half standing, Mito called out the door after her husband's brother, "Please remember to dry your hair thoroughly before you fall asleep, Tobirama." He grunted in response. After waiting a few minutes and not seeing Tobirama return to the washroom for the hairdryer, she quietly crept into his room and found him sound asleep with the towel resting on his hair. Drying it for him, Mito pursed her lips in disappointment. It was no wonder she wasn't going to have another child...Tobirama and Hashirama were worse than children themselves. She had no time for another baby. Returning to her room after tossing the towel and Tobirama's clothes into the wash, she found Hashirama awake. "You're up still?" She lifted her chin, "Unlike you, I'm conscious of my heath and the risks of casually falling asleep without taking care of myself." He laughed and beckoned her to him. Climbing into bed beside him, Mito gave him a defiant glare, "You should take better care of yourself." "Yes, I know, love," he chuckled and placed a kiss to her temple. Uchiha Residence: Chucking a priceless relic at the wall and shattering it, Madara fumed in his own little world. Shisui sighed, "Is this really happening right now? Izuna...can't you do something?" Izuna ducked as a plate came rocketing over his head and crashed into the wall. "What do you expect me to do about it? Why don't you use Kotoamatsukami to calm him down?" Izuna smirked at Shisui's uncomfortable expression. "You know I can't use that ability freely." Madara pulled back his arm, holding a vase above his head, and suddenly stopped. "That's it!" Izuna and Shisui stared at him for a minute before Izuna leaned his cheek on the palm of his hand,"What's it, brother?" "Our abilities... I'll destroy that damn woman with the power of the Sharingan and the Rinnegan." Izuna shot a pointed glance at Shisui and the younger Uchiha flinched. "Go ahead...say it, Shisui." "Madara...sir...please don't abuse our clan's power for...something that's beyond your power." Izuna whistled and turned his gaze to his brother. Madara set his hands on his hips and sighed, "It's not abuse, Shisui. And I started this clan...I'll do what I want with our power. You should be thankful I'm not forcing you to help me. Kotoamatsukami would be very useful against this woman." Feeling his stomach begin to ache, Shisui stood and fled the persistent gazes of the leading Uchiha's to his room. Izuna cracked a smile, "Nice...frighten the little kitten off with threats. Don't give this woman too much of your time, brother. She's clearly not worth it." Madara snorted and sent his brother off to his room with a wary glare before heading to his own room.
Island of Thor: Yuan had followed closely as Cid Raines flew the rather horribly rude pair to the island. Even as a child, Yuan seemed to still have all his spells, skills and the unbearably hilarious fact that he was still a Cruxis Angel. He landed where he found the first entrance and headed inside, taking in the rather familiar feeling of being underground in a place that held an opponent he would destroy. All the water reminded him of the time at the Human Ranch where Botta, his loyal friend, sacrificed himself to save those kids. "No point in dwelling in the past." Realizing he wasn't exactly alone, Yuan smirked at Luke, Van, Rita and Cid and whoever else was there. Leaving his heavy great blade attached to his back, Yuan held one hand in front of him, "At least I don't have to worry about being hit in the back of the head by some idiot." A magic circle formed below his feet, glowing a dark purple. "Martel...guide me. Oh...you guys might want to duck." The area wasn't as wide as he wanted it to be and casting a large spell like Indignation was bound to hit a large area. "I call upon thee from the land of dead to unleash thy fury of thunder. Indignation!" A large bolt of lightning struck down from the ceiling incinerating at least four monsters in the blast. Exhaling, Yuan leaned against the wall, "Whew...takes a lot more out of me than it used to. I should stick to low level spells at the very least..." Yuri Lowell, having followed Rita, since she was the only one he knew well, he figured out he gist of why she didn't respond. She doesn't remember me...it's like she's from a different time than I am or somethin'. This is going to be a pain... Watching Yuan cast his spell, Yuri flinched at the light, "Hey, watch where you're casting that! Jeez...talk about as reckless as a certain mage I know." Even though he said that, Yuri patted the young Rita's head as he walked past her. He'd folded, tied up and made things word with his clothes so they wouldn't get in his way as he fought. Yuri had fought Flynn enough times with a sword the same size as the one he held that it wasn't a huge problem for him. "We'll have to break through those monsters to get to Chronos. I've got this completely under control." With that, Yuri dashed off towards the monsters, sword held loftily in his left hand. Castle Baron: Martel nodded quietly to Luneth's suggestion. She, being the summon spirit she was, sent him a jolt of her own power, forming a pact with him through the tree he was connected to. Luneth would be able to move through, touch and use any cursed object and endure negative spells with her protection. If Luneth had the ability to...he could also summon her, but Martel wasn't a fighting sort of summon spirit. Turning to her new friends, she set a hand on Zidane's head and smiled down at the young ones. "First we will head to Mt. Gulg to meet with another who will help us on our journey. Then we head to the Island of Thor. Don't worry on a way to cross...my power should be sufficient enough." It was strange to her to not be able to age like the ones around her. As they got smaller...she would not be affected by the change...but the Great Tree would. Being ten years old made the tree smaller and the amount of mana it produced much more taxing on the young sapling. Tightening her grip on her staff, Martel's gentle eyes changed to those of one who'd seen war enough times to know how much pain would be inflicted. "I will protect the tree... Agrias, you proclaimed yourself a summoner. I ask you form a pact with me." She held out her hand to Agrias, "I don't require a display of your strength. All I ask is that you do not breath the conditions of this pact."
Masamune sighed when he heard the least wanted voice in the virtual world. Parrying a frantic strike from his opponent, he lobbed off his hand at the wrist and shrugged, "I do wish you'd stop calling me handsome. I don't like you...you're not my type. Waaaay too over confident...and red hair is a complete turn off for me." The rest of what Inferna said caught his attention more. "Hmm, and what PoH likes...I love. Isn't that the rule?" Dispatching his opponent, Masamune turned a bored gaze to the rest. Bandits always traveled in groups... Rubbing the back of his head, Masamune made a habitual flick of his tongue across his lips and his hand wandered down to his pocket. "Your boss is that Alpha fella, isn't it? Not a very subtle fellow. But, heh, I'm not either. Sure, let's go...in three seconds." Red-brown eyes glinted as he smiled at the remaining three men, "You guys...are so lucky you don't even know how lucky you are." One... He vanished, putting his maxed out speed to the limit and impaled the first man on his sword. Two... Disappearing before the man could drop to the ground, he sliced through the second man's chest. Three... He shifted only slightly and decapitated the third man in the blink of an eye. As all three of them shattered into pixels, his habit returned and his hand touched his back pocket again. "Let's go. I don't have all the time in the world. There are seven more of these lug heads that I need to eliminate before the day is over. So let's move, girly." "I'm sorry... Oh! You're..." With a single flick of his fingers, his outfit changed to a pure black outfit with a string of yellow daggers latched onto a small belt on his pocket. "Miss Star, I'm so glad I found you. Not that I was purposefully looking for you specifically... I need to know if you've seen a man named Masamune." He pulled up a message sent to him and flipped the screen to show the small group gathered in front of him, "Masamune is a wanted man. The Knights of Blood have requested I, specifically, find him." The message consisted of exactly what he said but left out whether or not to take him in or kill him on sight. "I've read you have had contact with him in the past. You, your husband and Miss Mya here. You know him quite well, if I'm not mistaken."
Being transported around annoyed the hell out of Masamune. He enjoyed Kayaba's discomfort at the sign of a hack. "It'll be a lot more trouble for you if I get my hands on that thing. With a hack like that...I can get rid of little Miss Beater and her self-rightous Knight in-not-so-shining-armor with ease." He should've done it the second he had the chance. Instead...he'd grown soft. Back in the field he was standing in before Kayaba had chosen to bother him, he glared at the Bandit Job Class Players as they were placed exactly back where they deserved to be...in front of his sword. "Unfortunately for you...I was in a good mood earlier...but not anymore." Spoiler Running through the last city that stood in his way, a blonde haired man still wearing a kimono bumped past several people on their way back to Mya's shop. "Sorry...excuse me!" Kayaba's words worried him and despite the repeated attempts to get in touch with the misguided creator, Minato had failed. Akihiko...why won't you let me help?! Why does everything have to be done on your own!? Almost on purpose, he bumped into and probably knocked over Star, the young female who'd he'd kept one of his many watchful eyes on.
Kakuzu's House: Spoiler Kakuzu, absolutely infuriated by the lack of a declared winner, grabbed Hidan's throat and proceeded to bang his head into the wall, "What is this!?" "Ow, ow, ow, ow...Kakuzu...that hurts. Ahah...but y'know it's so funny watching you freak out over your lost money." Kakuzu growled down at his hysterically laughing roommate. "Whoa...I never saw that coming. Ooooh, how much I love suspense movies~! Don't you love them too, Mr. Zetsu?" Zetsu rolled his yellow eyes, "I don't think that was part of the show...and it's not a movie, you idiot." Orihara Apartment: Mairu and Kururi leaned forwards, slamming their hands onto the table in front of them and stared at the screen. "Those bastards better not do anything funny to Yuuhei!" "Don't worry Rom, I'm sure it's just in the script...uh...Niisan?" Izaya had returned a few minutes before the events started to play out. He stood staring at the screen, grinning happily, "My, how scary~. Scary violence~. I never thought it would be done so publicly. Goodness, this is why I enjoy this kind of thing." He curled his hands over Rom's shoulders and spoke close to her ear, "If something like this frightens you, you're not a very good CPU Canidate, are you? What will you do when they come after your friends, hmm?" Yuuhei, being present at the WVBA, was ushered out of the building by his manager and the camera crew quickly, ending the filming of the show abruptly. Pushing Izaya back, Kururi wrapped her arms around Rom, "You can stay in our room for the night. I wouldn't trust Niisan to bring you home safely." Hyuuga Estate: Neji successfully beat down Lobomon until he turned back into Koji, but he was growing tired. "Let's call it a night, Koji. I have to be up early tomorrow for training with Hiashi-sama. You should also get some sleep and reflect on what you learned today." Koji panted, wiping sweat from his face, "R-right...I know. I'm just...going to..." He passed out in the dirt and Neji sighed heavily. The kid had no stamina for drawn out battles that required intense concentration. "Alright, but just this once..." Picking up the boy, Neji set him on his back and carried him to a guest room inside the estate. "Sleep well, Koji." Trudging to his room, Neji changed, undid his hair and washed the sweat from his body before checking the news highlights and watching as reporters played back again and again what had happened at the WVBA. "What on earth... That glow..."
Weasley House: Ion stretched his arms over his head, "Sure...I'd like you to meet my Guardian too. She's an interesting girl, to say the least." Ion waited with Ron at the front of his house. Quietly enjoying the cool air before a large monster dropped down in front of the two. Ion didn't flinch and examined the monster. A giant bird monster...the Garuda, significantly weak against a dragons claw. "Hello there." Spoiler From the bird's back a pink haired head poked up and smiled happily, "Master Ion! I was so worried when you didn't come straight home after the school was excused." She pouted and dropped off the bird's back. "I'm sorry, Arietta...I met someone and decided to pursue what Sync and I were talking about yesterday. OH...Arietta, this is Ron, the boy I met at the school. Ron, this is Arietta, my Guardian." Arietta stood a foot shorter than Ion and far shorter than Ron, she was, after all, just a child. She gave Ron a once over, "Thank you for taking care of my Master. I am Fon Master Guardian and God-General Arietta the Wild. This is Gerald." She patted the Garuda's stomach with one hand and with the other, reached out for Ion's hand and clutched it tightly. Ion smiled fondly at her and patted her head, "Thank you for coming to retrieve me, Arietta. Thank you for having me, Ron." Shirogane Estate: Naoto nodded and said her farewells to Yu before he hung up. Closing her phone, she sighed and changed quickly. Heading back down the stairs, her phone still clutched in her hand, she felt it buzz and start to ring. Checking it, the number wasn't one she knew. Narrowing her blue eyes at the screen, she answered anyway, "Who is this? How did you get this number?" Listening, Naoto resigned herself to simply answering the questions that were being asked. "Yes...I don't see how that matters...no, I do-- Not Tokyo's police but...what? Alright, I'll take you up on that. The address?" She scribbled down a strange address on a notepad and frowned into the phone, "Why do you want me to go there? Hey! Wai--" Listening to the dial tone, Naoto scowled at her phone. What kind of trouble had she found herself in now? WVBA Match: Yuuhei hadn't kept quiet throughout the program at all. When intermission came, he grinned at the camera. "Intermission time, folks! Looks like our hero Little Mac is still raring to go and our defending Champion, Mr. Sandman, has plenty of energy left. Let's hope for a good second half of the fight!" Going to commercial, Yuuhei sighed, his expression became emotionless and he checked his phone, staring at a picture of a cat. Yuuhei's cat was named Yuigadokusonmaru... Looking over his shoulder at the tired fighters, he was reminded of Shizuo Heiwajima. He wondered when the next time he'd be able to see him again. Hyuuga Estate: "Eight Trigrams Air Palm!" "Uaaah!" Sliding along the ground, Koji came to a stop at the steps leading up to the walkway of the house. "Ugh...you're completely hopeless. Are you even listening to me at all?" Pushing himself up, Koji growled, "Is it my fault I don't have chakra?" Neji narrowed pale eyes on his student, "What you have or don't have doesn't matter. You fight with what you have and make the full use of it." Grinning, Koji pulled out a small hand held device, "If that's the case... You won't mind if I Spirit Evolve and kick your sorry @ss." Falling into his Gentle Fist stance, Neji exhaled slowly, "Be my guest. It won't help." "We'll see about that!" Spoiler Spoiler Shielding his face from the harsh light, Neji stared at what had become of his student. "What is that?" "Lobo Kendo!" Koji's threat level had jumped drastically up the scale as he drew out a single blade of shinning light and launched himself at Neji. Leaping out of the way, Neji resisted the urge to really hurt the child under all that armor. "Not running away, are we, Sensei?" "Rgh...so this is the power you were talking about. Fine...like I said, it won't help." Gathering chakra into the soles of his feet, Neji dashed towards Lobomon, striking an open palm to his exposed flesh on his arm. Chakra, like unseen needles, shot through Lobomon's muscle straight to the nerve and forced him to drop his Light Sword.
It had been hours... Luce didn't feel tired at all. Despite the little demon snoring softly in her lap, she was brimming with energy. Her wounds had closed and just that had her full of questions. Was the his blood that fueled her regenerative powers? It wasn't like before at all. She felt like if she moved even a finger she'd break something else without trying. Already the room was trashed from her new telekinetic strength slipping out of her control. Nervous shivers rolled down her spine and she buried her fingers into Gaara's hair. This kid...this tiny being...was a demon? He didn't look like the demons she'd seen before. But... Remembering a few hours earlier, Luce recalled Gaara's odd form of punishment. One Hour Earlier~ "You...want to what? Run that by me again." He didn't smile, "The stove works fine...and you'll heal right away. There shouldn't be a problem." Her stomach twisted, "Y-you just said you want to..." "I"m going to punish you, Lu. The good old way they do it in Hell. What's a little hot metal anyway?" That wasn't the frightening part. "Wh-where?" Walking around her, he stood on his tip toes and smacked his hand in the center of her back. "I'd much prefer everywhere but...we'll start with here." She was forced to her knees, the heavy weight of his telekinesis pushing her to the ground. Thankfully, her leg had healed so the jarring action only served to make her feel self conscious. He had her kneel in the kitchen on the dirt covered linoleum floor as he heated a chef's knife in the open flame from one of the burners on the stove. "Don't worry...it'll only hurt for a while. Of course...we could avoid this situation altogether if you'd just let me be with you forever." She knew what he wanted... "I told you...we all had that mark tattooed on our skin from the day we were found. There's nothing I can do about it now." Whether out of frustration, anger or denial, Gaara growled and slapped the bright orange, heated blade to her skin. Luce screamed until tears fell from her eyes. Bouncing around to stand in front of her, the little demon pressed an open mouthed kiss to her lips. He continued his form of punishment until there was a perfect circle of arrow shaped burn marks surrounding the Devil's Trap tattoo on her back. Of course, being kissed that many times by a little boy made her sick to her stomach. He sat back, rocking on his heels as he crouched in front of her, watching her regain her ability to speak. "Is it bad because I'm like this? You know I'm older than you in reality. Would it be better if this body were an adult? Would you like it more then?" "That's not...I...m-maybe..." she managed to whisper. Currently~ 'If he was an adult...I guess....it would be a bit more okay, but still...a demon's a demon.' Shaking her head, she lifted her hands to cover her face. A busy feeling pressed into her head. Her back felt better...but now... 'Adam...Scott...' What would her brothers say when they found out she'd spent a day with a demon and drank his blood? She could hide it from them but... "Lenny will know...he'll find out the second I step through the Roadhouse's door. I... Am I scared? What's to be afraid of, Luce? You've become the monster you wanted to be." A light flashed through the window and a mixture of dread and relief washed through her. They'd come for her... Gaara's eyes opened and he stared at her, "They'll come in here...with their guns and their knives...with that stupid meatbag and they'll destroy everything. I don't want to leave you..." Pursing her lips, she lifted him to set him on his feet, "Adam's not going to have mercy on a demon. You caused the accident...you took me from my family...kept me here...but...you've given me the power to destroy Azazel. For that...I thank you. I think you should leave while you still can." "Leave?! But if I disappear...you won't get the amount of blood you need everyday! I cannot enter that place again! It took everything I had just to enter it for a few minutes without them noticing. I can't do it again! Lu..." "I'll make due! Idiot, if you don't get going you're going to be history! If I have you to back me up...I know I can find and kill the Yellow-Eyed Demon. Please...for me." He gave her a regretful look before kissing her again, despite how awkward it felt, and left out the back door, vanishing into the darkness and the trees. 'And I'll do this for my mother. Mom...I'll kill him!'
Weasley House: Ion was surprised at Ron's words but he'd half expected it. Ron wasn't a revered person in his society of magic as Ion was in his own. "I understand Ron...I won't bring it up again, but I'm not going to stop thinking about what you said. I think it'll be a great help to me." Happily smiling, Ion rocked back on his heels as he watched Ron work, "I'm very glad I got to meet you...even if it was by accident." His phone buzzed once and started to ring with an eerie ringtone, "Oops...I guess I'm in big trouble now. My Guardian will be coming by soon to pick me up. Even so, Ron, someday I'd like to meet your friends." Shirogane Estate: Naoto listened as Yu described what had happened at the school and was thankful she hadn't gone the first day. "I see..." The sound of the people with abilities different from their Persona's sounded interesting. "Those people...I'll have to do some more investigating into the background of the school and its faculty and students." Unbuttoning her shirt to change, Naoto half listened to the sound of Yu's voice before his words sank in. Meet up tomorrow? "Yeah, sounds like a plan. It's been a while since we've met." It wouldn't be the same as when they had the entire gang together...but she'd gotten to know Yu quite well before he left and if she was being honest with herself... Shaking her head, Naoto let her shirt fall to the ground and reached for a fresh one, "I'll be in town early tomorrow to begin my investigation. The library is where I'll be most likely. Feel free to come by when you have time. Of course with school cancelled for the next three days, I suspect we've got a lot of free time now."
Shirogane House: Sighing, Naoto's embarrassed smile vanished and she became all business, "No, they haven't. As far as I know they've decided not to pursue investigations. I don't know what they're planning...but I'll look into it more in the morning." Walking up the stairs of her Grandfather's mansion and entering her bedroom, Naoto stripped off her jacket, "I don't suspect this has much to do with the TV world this time. The regular police aren't giving me any leads either...which leads me to suspect that they don't know anymore than I do." Weasley House: Ion gasped and lifted his head, "W-with...your own hands?!" Looking outside, Ion watched the sun begin to set little by little. "Is that even possible? To do things with your own hands...how would I...?" Tokyo Streets: Neji and Shikamaru waved goodbye to Peach and headed on their way towards their own individual homes. "Hey, Neji..." "I'm sorry, Shikamaru, but I have to hurry home. Hinata-sama might be there already and I must make sure Hinabi-sama is alright." "Uh...a-alright." Running down the street, Neji dashed off towards the Hyuuga Estate. "Well that was weird. It sounds more like there's something else waiting for him than just duty." Sighing, Shikamaru refused to think about it anymore as he headed for home. Hyuuga Estate: Neji flung open the gate and gently slid open the main door. With any luck Hinabi was still staying with a friend and Hinata had done the same. "I'm ho--" "Welcome home. You're late." Turning his head and looking up, Neji found the familiar black haired young boy who'd texted him earlier. "For someone who's my student, you certainly lack a sense of dignity." The boy frowned and hopped down from the low roof he'd been couching on. "I do not lack dignity. Anyway, you promised to teach me taijutsu." As sad as it sounded...it was true. "I remember, Koji. Now come on...we'll train until you've had enough." Grinning happily, Koji followed Neji into the estate and stood across from him in the center of the training field. Spoiler Spoiler Neji slid into his battle stance and a hesitant Koji mimicked his action. "Even without chakra, anyone can learn the basics of taijutsu." Sprinting straight towards Koji, Neji smacked his open palm straight into Koji's shoulder, knocking him back. "The first strike is critical. Where you place it is important enough to keep the battle in your favor." Pushing himself to his feet, Koji brushed off his pants and charged at Neji, throwing his fist towards Neji's stomach. Moving his body, Neji dodged the punch and grabbed hold of Koji's arm, pulling him forward with his own momentum and swept his feet out from under him. Letting go of his arm, Neji grabbed his hand trailing behind him as he fell and halted his fall inches from his face hitting the ground. "But constantly being on the offensive can tire you out quickly and make your moves clumsy." Koji glared at the ground as Neji slowly let go and rested him on the ground. "Why do you insist on fighting anyway? You have your own way of fighting." "I can't rely on that alone. If the power of the Spirit ever failed me...and I couldn't Digivolve...I'd be left defenseless. I'm already good at kendo, why can't I learn taijutsu?" Folding his arms, Neji smirked, "Kendo, huh? Hmph...again." Standing, Koji nodded, "Right." Orihara Apartment: Kururi turned her gaze back towards where the girls sat and back to Izaya's game was and responded to Ram and Rom's comment about it, "Who knows. If you want to learn about it...ask Niisan. I'd rather not try to learn the rules of his freaky game." Twirling the piece she'd taken from the board, Kururi placed it carefully back where it was and returned to her seat. "You could always call him if you really want to know about his game. Niisan tends to keep it in his room...I'm surprised it's even out here." "Mmm...maybe he was playing before we got home."
Running down the streets, through the jumble of buildings and over several fences...followed by skirting around angrily barking dogs poorly chained to a post. Ash kept running...since the sirens behind him kept growing louder and the calling voices kept following him. Or...was he following them? Shaking his head, Ash whined aloud, "It's too hard to tell who's following who! Stupid cops!" Or was it 'whom'? Grammar wasn't his thing...especially when he was being chased. Running face-first into a chain-link fence, Ash proceeded to climb over it. Dropping down on the other side, he sighed heavily. "Not again...what's with people and their crazy dogs? I seriously think the people in this city think they should just have random junk everywhere and a few mean dogs guarding it...and a fence to keep people hoppin' into their yards." Of course his logic made zero sense...but that hardly mattered at the moment. Three pairs of beady, rage filled eyes glared at him. Three sets of slobbering, sharp, pointy, nasty, mean dog teeth gnashing as the owners of those teeth barked at him. Two were a nice chocolaty brown and the other black with a patch of white on his chest. Their chains looked long...and rusty. Taking off across the yard, Ash scrambled for another fence on the other side of the junk yard. Leaping up on top of a broken down car, he turned in time for one of the dogs to jump up and latch pointy teeth onto his forearm. "Yikes!" Worry filled him as he stood there with a rather hefty brown dog gnawing on his arm. "Are you okay, little doggie? Seriously...don't bite too hard...I wouldn't want you to break your teeth biting me. There's not a whole lot of meat on my arm if that's what you're looking for... You should try a thigh." Wait...why was he offering parts of his body to the dog again? Patting the dog on its head, he gave it an apologetic smile and forcefully flung the poor canine off and away from him. "See ya later pups, maybe then you'll give me more of a workout." A dull ache throbbed in his arm and he prayed the beast didn't have any diseases he could catch. Climbing another fence, Ash felt a tug on his leg. Glancing down, he groaned inwardly. Another heavy dog hung from his leg. It was the black one...how cute. Eh....cute? Shaking his head, Ash wiggled his leg, willing the dog to lose his grip and just fall off....but he held on tight. Ash's pant leg caught between yellowing canine fangs. "Cindy's not going to be happy if I come back smelling like dog. So just leggo." "This way...I hear dogs barking. If it's not our guy then we've caught an intruder all the same." Ash's sapphire eyes darted towards the street. Any minute now and he'd have cops on his hand too...and he was willing to bet they knew what he looked like. "Dammit...sorry, but I don't have time for these shenanigans." Kicking the dog from his leg, and regretting it, Ash jumped down off the fence and ran for the street.
