[Rail IC] Academy City II: Electrokinesis Is Love~

[Anyr]

The rope snapped, the crates fell, and the enemy was crushed. As it turned out there had only been one pursuer; Tobio got a quick look at its snarling face before it was buried under the avalanche. However, the danger was far from over. A low growl from behind told him that the first creature was recovering from its dose of cold; And judging from the strange, animalistic noises that were now coming from around the area, these things (whatever they were) hunted in packs.

----------------------------------------

Those who knew Moroe's true profession might have been disappointed by her room. For the most part it was an ordinary, everyday living space, with no real surprises. There was a bed, a couple of chairs, a desk, etc; All the things one would expect a normal Academy City student to have in their room. Well, almost all. If Shougo looked carefully, he might notice a lack of...history...in Moroe's home. The furniture was nice and comfortable, but it was all brand new. There were amusing toys and gadgets, but nothing that looked like a treasured memento from days passed. And there were absolutely no photos of family or friends, nor anything else that seemed like it came from a loved one.

Moroe, seeming perfectly content with this state of affairs, walked over to a shelf and extracted a device. It was a pair of attached cylinders, that looked a bit like an old-fashioned ornamental scroll. She placed it on a table and pulled the cylinders apart, to reveal a thin, transparent sheet. This was one of Academy City's flexible, 'unfurlable' screens, and with just a few taps she had it displaying a map of the area which Shougo had requested.

"There you go. Just draw on it with your finger to plot a route, or pinch with two to zoom in and out."

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Even a simple set of instructions like those utterly confounded Shougo, who began pressing and shaking it frantically, somehow nearly breaking it in the process. After a rather amusing and clumsy minute or so, he finally admitted defeat, face flushed red at the shameful display.

It really was quite frightening how inept he was around technology, especially for a boy who grew up in the 'Future City'.

"Senpai...I don't know how to make this work...Please help me? It is four blocks north-east of here, District Six, block 13a. It's across a bridge over a large storm drain. There's a balcony on the top floor, facing the west, that you can leap on, if you climb the apartment complex next to it and hug the wall till you can descend via cable and drop down onto it. It should be pretty easy; there were vines there the last time I checked. "

If Moroe had decided to help him, he'd have looked up and noticed the lack of personal mementos; and he would not have said anything. He'd been around enough delinquents and Skill-Outs, albeit rehabilitating ones, for long enough to understand that sometimes, one wanted to keep away from one's family for awhile. It was a feeling - a pain - that he had not personally experienced, nor truly understood, but it was one he knew would be resolved when it was ready to be resolved. Until then, he would do his best to support her; it was a lonely and painful life without the love of a family. That much he knew and understood. He did, however, note the newness of the place; eventually concluding that whatever happened between her and her family must have happened rather recently, and that they were still sending her money, if not their love.

He did, however, after an awkward moment, manage to spit out what had been bothering him the entire time, presumably while Moroe was looking at the mapped route (which, fortunately, was fairly simple).

"Uh...Ishimaru-senpai...I've been meaning to ask you this...Do you..."

He gulped, nervous about upsetting her or appearing like a fool-Both seemed likely, to be honest, but if his suspicious were true, the chances of their mission succeeding would have increased tenfold. That, and he felt like he just had to know; how had he known where he was earlier today?

"Do you have control over machines? As an psychic power?"

[Anyr]

A flicker of uncertainty passed across Moroe's features. Why would Shougo be asking that particular question? Clearly she'd made a mistake somewhere along the line. If he'd somehow found out about her drones, then there'd be some very awkward questions to answer soon.

"...No. No, I don't. To answer your next question, no, my ability isn't anything that would be useful to our mission; If it was, I'd have mentioned it earlier."

[AnimeKid]

Tobio curses under his breath as he fears were confirmed. There were more of these things, and judging from what he was hearing a lot more. Well, no more holding back then. Tobio hearing the beast behind him recover skates over to a few crates and hops in top of them to get to higher ground. He gets to a group of higher up creates, about three crates high before he goes to work. First he focuses on the beast that he had hit before with his powers. He hits it with a full blast of his power(-100 degrees celcuis) and uses his power in a way that he has desperately tried to avoid before. He visualizes the targets inner body as he uses his power. After taking care of that he would use his perch to spot others of the rabid animals and repeat the process.

[Duos]

The duo continue eating, and Yori might notice that the boy looks oddly... familiar, despite his now messy hair and suit. It's his eyes, the distant emptiness that dwells in them. They have no soul, and he glances right at Yori as he takes his next bite of noodles.

His eyes do not widen with recognition, but the slight incline of his head imply that he has seen Yori, but doesn't deem him a real threat. The slight twitch of his lips as the man stares down him and his charge vanishes as he turns back to her, taking another bite, looking with disinterest as she babbles on.

"Oniichan, can we go to the arcade after this?? Or how about going to the movies before we go back to see oneechan!! It'll be fun!"

She's an innocent little girl, untouched by the ravages of human nature. Her head tilts to the side as Hajime stares at her blankly, his head leaning on one of his hands, and she pouts at him.

"Stop ignoriiiiing meeeeee!"

"Hn."

"Is that a yes? Oniichan, is that a yes?"

"Hn."

She glares at him, annoyance visible in her eyes as she humpfs and crosses her arms.

As the girl pouts, waiting for an answer, Hajime notices that the diner is quiet, his sharp senses noting that it's entirely empty-no patrons clinking glasses and chatting, no waitresses calling orders, no sizzle from the grills in the back where the cooks should be. It's just him, the girl, and the man who is busy staring him down.

Yori's eyes narrow as he stares down the boy. He could feel it. He'd be trouble if they ignored him on the grab; a predator's instincts in such matters were rarely wrong. He reaches into his pocket and pops in an earpiece, the quiet chatter it's feeding him growing in volume as he stands up from the table.


Never taking his eyes off his prey, he waits and listens. There's a quiet, muffled *tump* from the roof, and the shift of gravel outside. Yori clears his throat, then speaks clearly into his headset.

"Incapacitate the boy first, then grab the girl. Go."

After the briefest of moments, as his words hang in the air, The diner erupts with noise, glass shattering inwards as heavily armored men in dark red ballistic armor smash inwards through the windows, and the doors burst off their hinges as more pour in from the street and the diner's kitchen, dangerous looking weapons trained on the pair seated at the table.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

"Ah."

Well, that didn't explain really explain anything. How had she managed to find out that he was gone earlier today? And for that matter-At least, from what he had read on her face, how had she expected Kouta and Kensuke in his hospital room? It didn't really make sense-Unless she could somehow remotely view areas, there really was no way could have known what she did. He also remembered that she had somehow managed to stop Daisuke from paying him a visit not too long ago. Truly, Moroe was mysterious and someone to be feared. He wondered if he was slowing her down; the efforts of a more-or-less ordinary teenage boy like him couldn't really compare with someone with the level of prodigious talent that she apparently possessed. The thought of this left Shougo silent for a moment, pondering his next words.

As he did so, Shougo glanced at the clock, and realised with a twist of anxiousness in his stomach that the time for action was close at hand-It was 7.10pm. Before the night was over, the war with Daisuke and the Pure Streets would be over, and his father could finally rest in peace.

"Well, senpai-It's nearly time. Are you ready?"

He only wished he'd been able to get his fathers' tool-Thus far, all he'd managed to bring was a black shirt and his fathers' long red scarf; not exactly the ideal set of gear for a mission like this.

[Anyr]

Moroe relaxed a little when Shougo accepted her answer; Well, perhaps 'accepted' was too strong a word. He probably still had a ton of questions that he was too polite to ask, and would no doubt have a ton more after she said this:

"Almost. We still need to check with our friendly neighbourhood hacker, and, of course, pick up the equipment. I assume I'll be supplying that? I've got cables, grappling hooks, glass cutters, lock picks..."

She tried desperately to sound casual while rattling off this list; And failed; Miserably. Hopefully Shougo's sense of courtesy was very deeply ingrained, or she'd have a lot of fast-talking to do after all this was over.

Tobio curses under his breath as he fears were confirmed. There were more of these things, and judging from what he was hearing a lot more. Well, no more holding back then. Tobio hearing the beast behind him recover skates over to a few crates and hops in top of them to get to higher ground. He gets to a group of higher up creates, about three crates high before he goes to work. First he focuses on the beast that he had hit before with his powers. He hits it with a full blast of his power(-100 degrees celcuis) and uses his power in a way that he has desperately tried to avoid before. He visualizes the targets inner body as he uses his power. After taking care of that he would use his perch to spot others of the rabid animals and repeat the process.

The beast which had begun this whole encounter fell once more to the ground, this time for good. With a last, half-numbed groan, its life was ended by Tobio's all-out attack. Its comrades, enraged, let out howls of their own. Now that Tobio had a better vantage point, he would be able to see them moving all across the area. In the evening light, though, their forms were hazy and indistinct; They moved in and out of his vision, threading their way between crates and boxes, so that they were never in sight long enough to target with anything more than a light cooling. Then, gradually, another shape made itself known: A thinner, taller one, which walked on two legs. Apparently Tobio wasn't the only human being wandering these docks tonight. Then the figure spoke, in a voice which cast that assumed humanity into doubt.

"gOOd, GooD. QuiTe A deCeNT PeRForMaNce."

That wasn't the voice of a human being. The figure (whatever it was) brazenly stepped out into the open, seemingly unafraid of Tobio's power. Though still cloaked in shadow, this...thing...was now in range of a quick, freezing death, should Tobio choose to deliver it. Heedless of this, it spoke again.

"MoSt pEOple paNic. WHen fAcEd wITh sucH SiTUatioNS, THEir rAtiONaL MiNDs AbANDon Them. thEY do not TaKe advaNtAGe oF tHeiR avAIlAbLe OPTIons, aS YoU HaVe dOnE. yOu aPpEaR to bE an UnUsUally cOoL-hEaDeD ({HA))] PerSoN, iShIda tObiO."

[AnimeKid]

Tobio almost killed the bipedal being. However he stopped once it started to speak. He kept his face in a neutral expression while on the inside his mind was moving at a mile per minute. He could only try to reason with this person and try to knock them out if they insisted on a confrontation. After all it was one thing to use his power to kill the beasts threatening him, it was another to kill a human(?) being with them.

"By panicking you allow yourself to lower your chances for survival. However this is the first time I've ever seen you or these beasts around the docks. Who are you and what do you gain from the assault of these beasts? Further more how do you know who I am?"

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo only nodded as she continued down her list, her every word only proving his suspicions correct in his mind; that she had been a gangster or a criminal of some sort in her past, which would explain her lack of closeness with her family. The thought that she was a criminal still sent shivers down Shougos' spine; he dearly hoped this was not the case, for it would pit his debt of gratitude towards Moroe against his fathers' teachings. The fact that she did not seem comfortable assuaged his fears somewhat-At least she recognised that being the possession of such tools was neither normal nor really acceptable.

"Alright. To be honest, though, senpai; I don't think we'll need them, except maybe a lock pick. I've gotten onto the balcony before; it's not hard. It might even be open."

He took a deep breath, looking out of the window as the dark of night set in.

"Tell me when you're ready."

__________________________________________________ ________

Elsewhere, a certain tiny Tokiwadai student was tapping away irritably on her phone as she walked down the street, paying no mind to the dark produced by the recently set sun.

"Where is that dumbass...? Why isn't he responding?"

[Anyr]

It didn't take Moroe long to prepare. The first step was making a quick call to Fumiko. Then she gathered together a few of her most useful tools, which had served her well on many an occasion. Shougo had said that they wouldn't be needing much, but Moroe had seen that sort of thinking kill people. On missions like this, she barely ever ended up using more than 10% of the things she packed; But there was no way of knowing which 10% it'd be until the moment came.

Soon enough she walked back into her room with a fully charged phone in her hand, a bag full of useful things slung over her shoulder, and a gun in her coat...just in case.

"Ready and waiting."

Tobio almost killed the bipedal being. However he stopped once it started to speak. He kept his face in a neutral expression while on the inside his mind was moving at a mile per minute. He could only try to reason with this person and try to knock them out if they insisted on a confrontation. After all it was one thing to use his power to kill the beasts threatening him, it was another to kill a human(?) being with them.

"By panicking you allow yourself to lower your chances for survival. However this is the first time I've ever seen you or these beasts around the docks. Who are you and what do you gain from the assault of these beasts? Further more how do you know who I am?"

"i aM nOt HeRE to aNSWeR YouR qUeSTIOns. I StEpPed OuT for oNLy onE REaSon:"

Here the figure started walking back into the shadows. If Tobio wanted to take a shot at this target, it was now or never.

"I wANTeD to sEE if YOu wOULd kIll me."

Crocell indeed had not read the discards well, if at all. His instincts had given him some insight into the players but not into their playing styles. Crocell only had one open meld of 4 bamboo and had been trying to obviously go for another. However it seemed that his luck had been a little sour so far. He knew that the player Jirou was watching was close to winning, he just didn't know how or why he was taking so long. Content to capitalize on hi opponent's apparent waste of an advantage he drew from the wall and withheld a smile as the tile he drew completed another meld, this one of 7 Kanji, and discarded his north wind tile.

Jirou made his own discard without thought or hesitation. Now that he was just bailing, he could almost let his brain run on autopilot. For the rest of the round he'd sit back and wait for the conclusion, whatever that might be. Maybe Crocell would deal into the hidden hand; Maybe the trapping player would draw the winning tile on his own; Or maybe the turns would simply tick down until they were left with a draw. Only time would tell.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio held his hand up in a stopping motion as he stood in place almost paralyzed. He was getting away! If he didn't do something then this person could live to strike again, and his next victim might not be as lucky as Tobio. But... to kill this person? To take another's life? No no he couldn't! He...he just couldn't.

He...he...he could restrain him, yeah! Just a liberal application of Cryokinesis and with the large amount of humidity in the air due to being right near the water he could probably freeze the persons legs. But the beasts that still surrounded him. If he did that he would have to deal with them, allowing this person to get away. He...he...he......

Tobio's brain seemed to stop functioning. He couldn't think! He couldn't seem to do anything. His mind was shutting donw as his only option seemed to be murder. Something that repulsed him, but it seemed to be the only way. why, why, why, why, Why, WHy, WHY, WHY,...."WHY!!!!!!!!!!!"

With that cry like a wounded animal. Tobio, just let go. There was first a sense of quiet, and then it happend. Crates started freezing over as ice covered them and start spreading creeping rapidly along any surface it could touch. Tobio's head was hung, his light blue hair covering his eyes as he says, "How, many people? How many people have you killed and hurt... FOR THIS STUIP SH*T!!!"

With that he leaps from him perch diving for the person the ice seeming to creep faster as if following him, like the eye of the storm as he lands and skates towards the person to try and tackle them. His eyes were practically shining with anger.

(How is this? I like to think that I portrayed Tobio's character and his reaction fairly well.)

__________________________________________________ ___________

Crocell looked to be not having much more luck. He could just not get the tiles he wanted as he discarded more and more tiles. Dragons, dots, Kanji, and bamboo tiles kept getting discarded as Crocell's expression getting more and more sour as time went on. He wasn't winning this round.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Fumiko was indeed ready; in fact, she sounded like she was at the party already. From the noise in the background, it sounded fairly rowdy, and the night was only just beginning. Moroe would be able to hear Daisuke shouting something in the background, and karaoke music was audible. At one point, someone yelled something drunkenly at Fumiko, slurring his words to the point of incoherence. All-in-all, it sounded like a bunch of fifteen-year olds being entirely irresponsible with alcohol they weren't even supposed to have, and in all honesty, that was probably what it was.

Well, it didn't sound like it'd be too difficult to infiltrate Daisukes' penthouse-The current inhabitants appeared to be too preoccupied with partying wildly to pay much attention to any attempts of subterfuge. The commotion was so loud, in fact, that even Shougo could hear it from where he was, a look of relief coming over his face as he did. When Moroe had finished preparing herself, Shougo spoke in a voice taut with both nerves and excitement.

"Alright. Let's go, senpai."

And so they set off.

__________________________________________________ _______________

Compared to Moroe, Shougo looked woefully underequipped, his sole concession to preparation being a long-sleeved black shirt (that was worn over his school uniform, no less). After a moments' hesitation as they left the house, he had decided not to wear his fathers' long, red scarf, choosing to stuff it in one of his pockets instead. As much as he loved his father, he had to concede that that particular piece of clothing that he was so fond of was not particularly practical, especially not on such a delicate mission as this.

It did not take very long to get to Daisukes' penthouse, which was visible even in the distance, distinguishable by its' bright lights, loud music and a significant crowd of visibly drunk teenagers hanging about its' courtyard. Just as Shougo had said, it was next to a rather large storm drain (that the partygoers were already throwing empty bottles into) and a tall apartment complex to the west. There was a cable, barely visible in the darkness, linking the apartment complex and the penthouse together which did indeed drop onto what appeared to be a balcony on the third floor. There were a handful of people drinking on it.

The problem was, however, the fact that this cable began six floors up, and was only accessible by a very narrow ledge that circled the perimeter of the apartment complex. It would not be a easy climb-A single mistake could see one slipping and falling to their death. It was also quite convoluted. Shougo, however, did not look particularly bothered by this, springing up and down on the balls of his feet and pointing at the apartment complex in question, then at the balcony of the penthouse.

"There it is, senpai. I can see people there, so the door should be open when the fire alarm activates."

He looked at Moroe and her bag curiously and with a little bit of worry in his eyes.

"Will you be able to make it across with those, senpai?"

[Anyr]

Moroe rolled her eyes. This never-ending barrage of concern was starting to try her patience. Sometimes, Shougo seemed to care more about her life than his own. She ignored him and started fishing around in her bag for something to help with the ascent. Ah, there it was: A set of adhesive climbing gloves and shoe attachments. In less technologically advanced areas, these would have been suction cups; Academy City, however, preferred nano-enhanced masses which moulded to perfectly fit the surfaces they encountered as their users climbed. Moroe knew that, without this advantage, Shougo might well be a better climber than her; But with it, she could easily equal his years of hard work and training. Yet again the march of technology outpaced the efforts of ordinary, hard-working humans. Ah well, such was the price of progress.

Moroe really, really wished that she had a spare set to give to Shougo. Much as she hated his constant worry, she knew exactly how he felt; Because the thought of him climbing, unprotected up six stories sent a whirlwind of butterflies fluttering through her stomach. She wasn't accustomed to having a partner on these missions; At least, not one she wouldn't want to see falling to their death. As she finished putting on her gloves, she told herself to stop worrying and focus on the task at hand.

"I'll be fine. Let's do this."

----------------------------------------

No beast moved to challenge Tobio as he leapt down from the crates. Not one of them charged out to meet him in combat. They simply retreated into the shadows, away from the ground which was freezing beneath their feet. Of all the enemies on the field, only their master dared stand his ground. He turned to meet the charging Esper, alone and unprotected by his creatures, but unafraid. Even the darkness had abandoned him, because, for the first time, Tobio was able to see this man's true face; and with it, he perhaps found the reason why his enemy did not retreat: Because, with a form so grotesquely distorted, perhaps even death would be a blessing. It was hard to imagine what accident of nature could have produced such a freakish visage.

The monstrous figure attempted no defence or strategy; He simply spread his arms wide, as if in welcome, and smiled.

"tHeRe He iS. THERE HE IS! thEre'S tHe mAn wE waNtED to mEEt TonIghT! it WiLL bE a PlEAsUrE tO DIE by YoUr hANd, IshIDA tObIO!"

[AnimeKid]

Tobio didn't even have much of a choice in the matter. When he had tackled the man to the ground it was over. Tobio's powers were out of control, and he couldn't concentrate long enough to pull them back under control due to his anger. As he laid atop the man's body, trapping him, the ice had caught up to it's eye of the storm. The man's body started freezing over as ice covered him. The very cold that was emitting from Tobio's body was seeping into his very bones. As this happened a image burst into Tobio's mind. The image of the frost white wolf with a snakes tail that Ryu drew for him.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo looked at Moroe curiously, then pointed upwards.

"We won't have to climb all the way up, senpai. We can just take the lift to the sixth floor. Then we'll hop over the barrier and hug the edge to the cable."

[Anyr]

Moroe had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Er, right, yes. The lift. Of course."

After putting away her tools again, she marched off sheepishly towards the apartment building. Maybe all this high-tech gadgetry really had dulled her wits...

Tobio didn't even have much of a choice in the matter. When he had tackled the man to the ground it was over. Tobio's powers were out of control, and he couldn't concentrate long enough to pull them back under control due to his anger. As he laid atop the man's body, trapping him, the ice had caught up to it's eye of the storm. The man's body started freezing over as ice covered him. The very cold that was emitting from Tobio's body was seeping into his very bones. As this happened a image burst into Tobio's mind. The image of the frost white wolf with a snakes tail that Ryu drew for him.

The man's twisted features were even more disturbing close up. He gazed at Tobio with eyes that didn't quite match, and a smile that stretched too far. But even so, this was no mindless beast; It was a living, breathing, human being, with a mind of its own. As the torrent of ice started draining the life from him, he managed to summon up the last of his strength, to choke out four words:

"hOW...DoEs...It...FEel..."

And then he died. His body succumbed to the inevitable, and became nothing more than a corpse. Those horrible eyes continued to gaze into Tobio's own, but now they were just spheres of glass.

Ishida Tobio, officer of Judgement, had taken a life.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

It took Shougo a few moments to contemplate on an elevators' use, but he paid it little mind, more pressing thoughts occupying his head for the moment.

"Now would be a good time to get your friend to trigger the alarm, senpai."

It was a short ride to the sixth floor of the apartment, and a quiet one, too; nobody appeared to be up and about. When they reached it, Shougo immediately performed a short running jump up and over the rails, hanging onto the tiny ledge, perhaps no wider than an inch, with ease. Without hesitation, he began moving around the buildings' exterior, pressed tightly against its' walls. In very little time, he made his way to the cable, where he waited for Moroe to approach, noting with interest her high-tech equipment. When she got there, he took a deep breath, steadying himself. By now, the penthouse was visibly emptying, the fire alarms faintly audible at this distance. The crowd, looking rather displeased, was beginning to gather in the street. Ahead, the balcony was not only empty, the door to the inside of the house was open, the blinds flapping loosely in the wind.

"Aright...Five minutes."

And then he leapt up onto the cable, running along its' length for a good distance before dropping down, hugging it whilst climbing outside down and rolling nimbly onto the deck in a display of acrobatics that really did deserve the title of 'ninja-esque'.

[Anyr]

Moroe didn't have time to sit around admiring Shougo's agility, impressive as it was. She followed him with the aid of her enhanced boots and gloves. She could certainly have made it across without them, but even so, it wouldn't have been with even half of her partner's grace.

Moroe paused for a second when she hit the balcony, in order to check for lingering guests. When she was reasonably sure (there wasn't time to be completely sure), she smoothly slid past the open door without touching it. Then she whispered to Shougo.

"Didn't you say that you knew about a good place to look? If you try there, while I check some other likely places in the same room, we can hopefully be out of here before the two minute mark."

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo shook his head, a trace of worry entering his voice.

"No, I did not. However, the top floor is not large-We should be able to find it relatively quickly."

And it really wasn't-There were no more than four rooms visible on the third floor-Two on the corridor on the left, and two on the right. Various paintings from notable artists tastefully adorned the walls, and a picture frame with an unfamiliar woman sat upon a small table. A flight of stairs lay just ahead. The music was still playing loudly, as were the fire alarms, and nobody appeared to be around. If Moroe had bothered to check her gamepad, she would have found that, yes, all electronic devices were, true to Fumikos' word, rendered inactive for the time being.

"You take the right, senpai? I can take the left."

[AnimeKid]

As the life left the man's eyes, Tobio's senses seem to return to him. His eyes widen in horror as he pulls his power back under control. He crabwalks rapidly away from the body as he runs over to the pier. Holding his head over the edge he hurls his recently eaten dinner into the water.

He pants as he starts to calm himself. "He, he won't be able to hurt anyone ever again. He was attacking for a reason that few would give him. He would have kept going and killing and hurting people. I had to do it. If I didn't he would have kept going until someone else did. The result would be the same. Yeah." He shakily pulls himself up and looks around for the beasts as he leave to make sure he isn't attacked. All the while his mind replays his killing of the man in his head.

[Anyr]

Moroe tore through her allotment of rooms with practised speed. She checked behind pictures and hangings for hidden safes, rifled through desks and checked each and every cupboard or box in sight. This sort of thing was second nature to her, thanks to her experience. Even during her early training, there had been ample...incentives to treat each test as if it were 100% real. She could only hope that Shougo showed the same level of diligence on his end, because she couldn't afford to go and hold his hand this time.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

A soft song, beautifully sung, broke the silence surrounding Tobio and his recent mortification. It was faint at first, but quickly grew in volume as the singer, tiny in form, approached Tobio, apparently unaware of the horror that had recently transpired in the area.

It was a familiar voice, perhaps vaguely so in Tobios' situation-But he would have remembered it. It was a voice that was more famous for its' yelling than its' singing-But here it was, a clear, perfect tone breaking through the quiet.

"Itsuka kuru hi ha, ichiban no omoide wo shimatte-"

The figure stopped suddenly under a street light, a note of wariness entering its' voice.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Ah, yes. Kamakura Mei. That was her name. Strangely, it appeared that she had recently gone through the effort to dress up as though going for an important outing of some sort, sporting a black dress and various hair decorations. Closer inspection would reveal that she had also put a considerable degree of makeup on, which was slightly smudged underneath her eyes.

Curious.

__________________________________________________ _______________

The first room Moroe would have went into was decidedly unimportant; merely the bathroom, although a rather lavish one at that. It did not hide anything of particular value. The second, however, was locked-A problem which was no doubt quickly resolved by Moroe. Once this small problem was dealt with, the contents of the reasonably large room inside were...Strange, to say the least.

The walls were utterly littered with pictures of a woman, one woman, taken during various stages of her life. Some were fairly old and others reasonably new; the newest, however, was dated no less than five years back. In many of these pictures, there were others present. Closer inspection would reveal that many of these contained a younger Daisuke, usually smiling and laughing happily. The older gentlemen would presumably be his father, Ashikaga Yoshiharu; the three appeared to be the very image of a happy family. And that would make the woman in these photos his mother.

And in the middle of the room, on a small wooden coffee table was a makeshift shrine to said mother behind an assortment of...Well, what appeared to be random items. Leather jackets, scarves, a handful of rings, lengths of chain, a scrap of red cloth and more, they were all apparently offered up to a picture of his mother.

Searching this room would reveal very little, apart from the odd memento every now and there; an old blanket, a toy, a small violin. Looking back towards the door, there was a sign above it, in stark, bold kanji, which read - "NEVER FORGET THE REASON WHY."

Before Moroe had time to contemplate the meaning behind these words, however, she would have heard the thump of unsteady feet ascending the stairs, as well as the fire alarm being turned off. These were accompanied by a set of muffled curses, which became legible as they got closer. And close they were indeed-It was difficult to hear them with the loud music.

"-sure you saw something, Hei?

"Yeah, swear I did, Daisuke-sama. There was definitely someone up 'ere. I may 'ave 'ad a bit to drink, but I can still sense 'eat signatures."

There was a sigh, followed by a deep, sober voice.

"You are very drunk, Kazamidori. You probably saw the hot water cylinder or someth--Why are those doors open? They're not supposed to be open."

The group suddenly fell silent, the tension in the air suddenly growing so thick you could cut it with a knife. And there were quite a number of them; just over half a dozen, just by counting the voices. If these were Daisukes' men, they would no doubt be powerful Espers-Assaulting them head-on would be suicide. Fortunately, the heat-sensor was apparently more than a little inebriated...And the room that Moroe was currently in had plenty of cover in the form of curtains, blankets and tables in every part of the room.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio tries his best to smile at her. He remembered her. She was one of the first people that he considered a true friend. However his smile comes off as strained. "Konichiwa, Mei-chan. Your singing voice was quite beautiful. Probably so it can match the girl. So what lucky gentleman is escorting you tonight Mei-chan?"

If she was observant enough Mei would be able to understand that Tobio was trying to divert her attention from his state and to his words. There was also an undertone of concern in his voice that shows that he really does care about her wellbeing.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Mei suddenly pouted, a note of hurt entering her voice.

"....He didn't show up."

She then shook her head, involuntarily wiping her eyes.

"And thank you, Tobio-kun... But what are you doing out here on your own?"

She walked closer, sensing an unusual atmosphere surrounding him. Something was wrong, she realised-Though she could not put her finger on just what it was. And she was worried, because she did genuinely like Tobio.

"Tobio? Is something wrong?"

[AnimeKid]

As she asks her question Tobio's eyes widen and start glistening with unshed tears as his mind fully replays his encounter with the mysterious man. He then starts crying fully as he hugs her tightly and says, "I'm a monster Mei-chan. I'm a monster." He then relays what happened to her. About the man that attacked him and others with lethal force to find someone to kill him. About how he lost control and gave the man his wish.His frail emotional state and the fact that she was his first friend getting the information from him rather easily.

He sniffles with his head on her shoulder as he says, "They'll kick me out of Judgement Mei-chan. They'll lable me a a criminal. I won't be able to help people anymore. My...my family, what will they think? I don't know what to do Mei-chan. I'm a monster."

[Anyr]

Moroe didn't panic; Not this time. She well remembered the first time that something like this had happened, way back when she was first starting out. Actually, it couldn't have been that long ago, could it? Well, the memory felt old. Back then (whenever it was), she'd clung to her mission parameters like a safety railing; And as soon as that railing had broken, so had she. Now, though, things were different.

First she took a moment to survey the room again. Any time gained by rushing to a hiding place wouldn't be worth the penalty for picking a bad one in haste. Then she made her way calmly and quietly over to her chosen spot: On a sill, behind a set of curtains. She assumed a comfortable position there, one which could be held without a problem for long periods. And finally she slowed her breathing and settled in to wait. There, a perfectly composed reaction, executed exactly as usual, with no reason to pani-

"SHOUGO!"

Then she remembered. It wasn't just her this time. This time Shougo was with her. Would he be all right? Her breathing quickened for a few seconds, before she managed (with difficulty) to get it back under control.

"Calm down, calm down. No reason to assume the worst. Nimori's been trained in this sort of thing. He'll know what to do. He'll be fine. He'll be fine. He'll. Be. Fine."

She hadn't been trained for this. She wasn't supposed to have comrades who she actually cared about. They were supposed to be blank faces; NPCs. Moroe had a feeling that this wait was going to seem a lot longer than usual...

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

The floorboards creaked ominously as the suddenly wary boys reached the top of the landing, the sudden abrupt of flames and the rather clumsy drawing of a sword audible to Moroe hiding in that strange room full of pictures. Fortunately, if Shougo had noticed their sudden intrusion; which, knowing Shougo, he no doubt had, he was doing a good job at remaining utterly unseen and unheard. And fortunately, save for the foreigner, they all sounded rather inebriated.

"Fan out, search everywhere."

And they began to do so. A head peeked into the room where Moroe was-A face she remembered well; Mogami Jounouchi, who scanned the room and turned back to Daisuke, not having seen anything. Strangely, he didn't look too bothered by the oddness of the room-He'd clearly seen it before.

"Nobody here, Daisuke-sama."

"Hm... Hei, can you...Sense anything else?"

There was a pause, and then a startled response.

"I see them! They're right-Argh!"

The hall suddenly erupted with noise, someone leaping out of a wardrobe and ambushing the search party, beginning to kicking Hei forcefully down the stairs. It had to be Shougo, and judging by his thuds and the whimper of pain at the end, it was clear that he was, at the very least, stunned. The drunken partygoers, taken by surprise, looked like they were on the losing side, the air being filled with the sound of muffled grunts of pain and fists striking flesh. Daisuke could be heard yelling in pain and shock.

"Daisuke! You bast-"

And Shougos' assault promptly went downhill from there.

"No."

Then there was the sound of someone being thrown so forcefully into a wall that Moroe could hear the wood splintering, quickly followed by the sound of what appeared to be sizzling flesh accompanied by the sound of agonised screams, quickly warping as the larynx they emerged from was flash-boiled. And then it stopped-Moroe would be able to hear Shougo-Whimpering, for once, in pain as he forced himself to take breaths through a severely damaged windpipe. With a horrified gasp, Jounouchi staggered backwards across the open doorway, mortified at this casual act of brutality and gagging from the smell of evaporated human flesh.

The above all happened within the span of six seconds.

And in a moment of weakness, in the fear that Moroe no doubt had for Shougo-A flutter across her mind was felt. Jounouchi knew she was there, and for an instant, she would be staring at him staring at her. But he did not give her away. In fact, she felt a whisper tug at the edges of her mind, barely audible(?).

"You can't save him! Please, please, don't do anything stupid!"

Before she would have had time to really contemplate what Jounouchi had said (or thought), Daisuke spoke after spitting out what was presumably blood. She would practically be able to hear him grinning smugly.

"Well, look what we have here...

A disgusting little ruffian."

He kicked Daisuke in the gut a few times, a low growl entering his voice.

"How dare you attack me! In my own home! I should have known better than to trust scum like you to live and change your ways...Age doesn't really make a difference, once a criminal, always a criminal."

Shougo managed to croak a weak reply, which stopped the kicking, but produced a roar of fierce, unexpected rage from Daisuke.

"Cr...iminal? You're the murderer here...You...You killed an innocent man...For no reason..."

"Innocent!? INNOCENT!? Your father was a disgusting ruffian, training other ruffians how to pick on the weak and the innocent! Wasn't taking my mothers' life enough for you trash!? Haven't your kind done enough damage to the world!? You...You..."

He managed to calm himself down, although Moroe would be able to tell he was still quivering with rage.

"No, Nimori. It was not for 'no reason'. I killed him to clean up the streets, to make them pure again, so that nobody would ever have to lose another loved one to filth like you."

A strange, hacking noise rose from Shougos' throat-It would take a moment to realise it was laughter, coming from his ravaged throat. In spite of the pain, and in the face of what was probably his imminent death, he was laughing.

"P...Protect...The...Weak and...The innocent...? Don't...Make me laugh...It has always...Been about you...When was...The last time you...Actually...Protected...Someone...You...Murde rer...?"

The question stopped Daisuke, unable to find an answer, dead in his tracks. Shougo continued laughing, wheezing and coughing in the process.

"That's...What I...Thought....My father-"

Shougo was silenced by a boot in the face, courtesy of a red-faced, furious Daisuke.

"Enough! Did you come alone!?"

Shougo did not answer.

"Mogami! Tell me if he came alone!"

Shaking in horror, Jounouchi complied, kneeling over to touch Shougos' forehead. A moment later, he inhaled slightly, air hissing through his teeth as he pretended

"Yes, Daisuke-sama. He came alone. He was here to take revenge."

An outright lie, but Daisuke snorted in response, not knowing this.

"An astoundingly stupid plan, even for a worthless scoundrel such as himself. But I suppose I should've expected as much...Well, Nimori. You love your worthless father, don't you? Well, tonight...Is your lucky night. "

With a drunken giggle utterly inundated with sadistic glee, Daisuke kicked Shougo again, earning a muffled grunt of pain.

"You'll get to meet your father again! And I'll send you off in the same way I sent him off! Boil! Put him in the van!"

He clapped his hands twice, chuckling maniacally as he did so. The foreign boy, loyal as always, obeyed without hesitation, shouldering a battered Shougo as he descended the stairs. The rest of his crew however, looked and sounded terrified of the sudden change in their beloved leaders' persona. Daisuke, caught up in the moment, did not notice this and followed Boil down the stairs, motioning them to follow, which they did after a moments' hesitation.

And when they had left, and when Moroe finally left the strange room full of pictures, she would have been greeted with a scene of carnage. The broken remains of a table. A smashed wall, wooden debris lying haphazardly everywhere. Copious amounts of blood. The stench of cooked flesh hanging in the air. And a bestickered chrome blue Nikon video camera, discreetly sitting on a pile of clothes in the wardrobe.

It had been recording everything.


((OOC: If you want to interrupt at any point, feel free to do so, Anyr. I will modify as needed.))
__________________________________________________ _______________

Mei blinked as she took in Tobios' story, patting his head softly to comfort him. While the story sounded utterly outrageous, she knew that Tobio was not the sort to lie. And while she had a hard time believing that he had actually killed somebody, even if it were true, she did not believe he was a monster; far from it. If the man he was describing was the same one she thought it was, Tobio was not a monster-He was a hero. But she had to make sure.

When Tobio had finished crying into her shoulder, she released him gently.

"Tobio-kun, you aren't a monster. Don't worry. Don't worry. It'll be alright."

She took a deep breath, a little shaky now that she thought about it; if this was the same man she was thinking of, it could be quite dangerous to go investigating in the dark, even if he were dead. But if she did not, the chance to confirm her suspicions might well pass her over, and Tobio would not be able to sleep easy for a while. As his friend, she could not let this happen.

"Although...Could you show me to the body? I need to confirm something..."

Was this the one behind the mysterious disappearances lately? While she didn't know if a human being was behind it all, she conceded that, given Academy Citys' science and level of technology, it was not out of the question. She had seen her fair share of unstable people in her time in Judgement, and while the thought of a mad scientist creating horrible monsters was normally horribly cliched, if there was one place in the world where it could happen, it would be Academy City. At least, she hoped it was a mad scientist. The thought of a fleshwarping Esper, told only in horror stories, sent shivers down her spine.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio nods to Mei as he wipes his eyes, apologizing for getting her dress wet. He leads her solemnly to the area of the man's demise. As he does so he picks up his backpack that he had left there and puts his Tonfas back inside. While they walk he turns to Mei as he says, "Ano, Mei-chan? Thank you for believing in me. Still, my power ran amok. When you see the body, please remember that I usually can control my power."

He then leads her to the exact location. As they get closer Mei would notice that the ground was iced over along with a good deal of crates. She would then find the body of the grotesquely disfigured person that Tobio killed. His body was unnaturally stiff for someone who was dead. She would then see that this was because the body was frozen in a layer of ice. Tobio's head was bowed down in shame with a small hint of fear as he allowed Mei to look at it. He could only hope that here convictions in him would hold.

[Anyr]

He then leads her to the exact location. As they get closer Mei would notice that the ground was iced over along with a good deal of crates. She would then find the body of the grotesquely disfigured person that Tobio killed...

No, she wouldn't. There was no body; Not any more. Oh, the ice was still there, along with the wreckage. But in the spot where the corpse had lain was nothing more than a pile of dust, which was even now being scattered by the winds. If the two Judgement officers were fast enough, they might be able to find a stray finger lying nearby; But they really would have to be fast, because in the space of a few seconds that too would disintegrate and be lost forever. Somehow, Tobio's opponent had managed to acquire an extremely advanced 'dead man's switch', used by Academy City as a last resort to prevent their secrets from falling into enemy hands. Whoever that lunatic had been, he had obviously planned his death carefully.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

"Huh?"

She turned to Tobio, looking a little confused, even as she scanned the area for signs that the body had been dragged away. There were none. What had happened here? Clearly, the ice and the smashed crates was Tobios' doing, but the lack of ...Well, anything, worried her a little: especially since she had read Tobios' evaluation sheet before. She knew that he was a nervous sort, and feared for his mental health.

"There isn't a body here, Tobio-kun...Are you sure you're okay?

She looked at Tobios' face, likely filled with disbelief at the disappearance of his prior target.

"I know the past few days have been stressful for you, with the Astraphobia business and you just joining Judgement and all, Tobio-kun...You really don't need to take so much responsibility on yourself."