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

[AnimeKid]

Tobio shakes his head as he says, "This doesn't make any sense. Don't get me wrong Mei-chan I appreciate your support and concern but look at the ground. Something had to happen to the body because of the fine outline missing from the ice. I have a lot of control Mei, but not that much control. Plus the crates that were dropped from that Crane were my doing but I'm not strong enough physically to toss and smash those other crates like that. Those were done by those beasts that accompanied the man."

Tobio then kneels down on one knee and places his hands on Mei's shoulders as he steely silver eyes peer sincerely and deeply into hers as he says, "Please believe me Mei-chan, just like you believed that I wasn't a monster please believe that I am telling the truth. I would not imagine such a thing Mei-chan. I was stressed about the Astraphobia incident and living up to everyone's expectations in Judgement, but I wouldn't imagine this. I swear on my family name that everything I have told you tonight is 100 percent true. However I can't force you to believe something. Even I would find this strange. However even if you don't-" With that he gives her another firm hug as his eyes water a little. Even if she didn't believe him, he would know what happened to him. He would know.

While he would eventually get over it the experience would never fully leave him. "Thank you for supporting me. And for being my first friend. The first person besides my parents to care about me so much."

[Anyr]

Ishimaru Moroe was a member of Academy City's dark side. She was a fully trained operative, who'd been groomed from childhood to be a soldier in their private war. She was someone who could stare unblinking at horrors which would give any normal person nightmares for the rest of their lives.

And right now, she was shaking like a leaf. Her skin shone with a layer of cold sweat, and her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest. And worst of all, she didn't know why. Why had the scene she'd just witnessed affected her so strongly? She went over it again in her mind: A gang of thugs had brutally tortured Shougo and then dragged him away. Terrible, yes, but nothing compared to the travesties she'd seen in the past. And yet, the mere thought of what the Pure Streets might be doing to Shougo right now somehow felt worse than all of her past experiences put together.

With shaky steps, Moroe made her way over to the camera. She needed to give this to Kensuke. She needed to call him and arrange a meeting. She needed to stop the Pure Streets before...before...

Her mind went blank. From that moment on, she didn't think; She just acted.

[Mina Kobold]

Krystal waves her hand a little. The best burgers are never in fancy places. I don't really care about that.

And, do you mean weird for this city? Or just weird in general.

In a city full of ESPers, you do need to specify what degree of weird you're talking about.

Yua takes a second to reply, pondering how the overall weirdness of Academy City was not apparent to Tya before.

"A-a bit of both. It is popular outside the School Garden. A lot of different people visit and meet here."

The noticeably unnoticeable ESPer slightly shakes her head.

"But there are no mysteries or anything. Just a lot of ESPers."

Yua says, smiling slightly embarrasedly.

[Terry576]

Hajime & Shiki

Hajime moved at the speed of a bullet as the darts began to fly, slamming his charge underneath the table as he flipped it upwards, covering his position as the darts flew towards him, imbedding themselves in the table.

"O-oniichan! What're y-"

He ignored her, pulling out a battered silver case with the air of a practiced combatant, gazing upon its form for a moment.

Old, and covered in scratches, faintly glinting in the light. One scratch from a monster, two from a guard. Three from a small girl with a vicious talent in knife throwing. Every scratch had a story, and this would be but another one.

Open. Bullets. Hand ready. Whirl upwards.

Flick.

The bullet propelled itself off his hand, and he frowned slightly, staring at his hand as he did so. It felt... slower than usual, heavier as well. This did not stop it from tearing away from his palm at a speed well over 800 m/s, but it did worry him slightly, as his railgun was such a useful method of attack, and losing that would make it that much harder to operate.

He shook his head, and held a hand above him slightly, concentrating, feeling around for the lights in the room as he did so, waiting for their tingling touch to brush his mind, and then he grabbed the light, and wrenched it outwards, cutting off the power in the room in the most brutal way possible - shattering the glass and the bulbs as he did so.

"Please cease in this crude method of attack, Hajime said loudly, trying to attract attention. I will no longer restrain myself, and I do not wish to eliminate you without Master's approval."

[Anyr]

Yua takes a second to reply, pondering how the overall weirdness of Academy City was not apparent to Tya before.

"A-a bit of both. It is popular outside the School Garden. A lot of different people visit and meet here."

The noticeably unnoticeable ESPer slightly shakes her head.

"But there are no mysteries or anything. Just a lot of ESPers."

Yua says, smiling slightly embarrasedly.

"Shame. I was in the mood for a little mystery with my food. Do you think-"

Kin abruptly shut up, suddenly fascinated by something ahead: The Hongakuteki Nihon Ryouri had just come into sight. She peered at the approaching eatery with an expression that was neither good or bad, just bemused. She honestly didn't know what to make of it.

"Is...Is that the place?"

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Kensukes' phone spent a long time ringing, perhaps agonisingly so for someone in Moroes' circumstances, before he picked up. And when he did, it would be very difficult to make out what was going on; thanks largely to the obnoxiously loud music playing in the background. It would appear that Kensuke was in a night club of some sort at this particular time. And the manner in which he responded probably did not lend too much confidence, either; it sounded like he'd had a little bit to drink.

"Hello? Who's this?"

There was a small chorus of raucous laughter on Kensukes' end.

"One of your girlfriends callin' ya again, Ken? Eiko-chan's gonna be heartbroken, haha!"

"Yeah man, that's what I am, a real heartbreaker!"

There was the muffled sound of shuffling as Kensuke apparently made a good deal of effort to get out of the noise. This probably took a little too long for Moroes' liking, but she really wouldn't be able to hear anything distinct with the level of noise in present. After a painfully long pair of minutes, Kensuke finally made his way out into the open.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Who's this again?"

__________________________________________________ __________

"You are very welcome, Tobio-kun."

Mei hugged Tobio back tightly, a little tension apparent in her tiny back. While she didn't believe that Tobio was intentionally telling a lie (After all, the information that he presented was sound, and she truly believed that Tobio simply couldn't), the lack of ...Direct evidence...Was unsettling. Maybe Tobio was just stressed out. Or maybe he wasn't, and this man of his had apparently found a way to disappear even in death. Regardless, asking him to see a telepath to gain a greater level of insight as to what he saw would probably not be very effective at this point of time as he was still wracked with nerves, which generally tended not to be too conducive for extracting clear memories. When he had calmed down more, she would request one for him.

In any case, she did not want to linger in this area for much longer; not only was it dark, there was also a good chance that one of those ...creatures...that had been abducting people had been out, and she for one did not want to go missing. She didn't to go home early and get her overprotective father all worked up at Re-(No, she thought to herself, she would not even think about the dumbass's name). And it was likely that Tobio, if sent home, would agonise over what he had done, or imagined he had done, the entire night.

"Ne, Tobio-kun? Do you...

She pulled away from him gently, trying to calm her breathing. While she didn't like him like that, it still struck awfully close to what she had been trying to ask ...Someone...Not too long before (and so what if that had been by text!?). It was nerve-wracking, and she wished, once again, that she had Kimikos' confidence.

"Do you want to watch a movie with me? We can forget about all this for now, and deal with it in the morning when we're all calmed down, okay?"

[AnimeKid]

Tobio looks at Mei surprised as he lets her go from the hug. After half a second his brain processes the request/ He is silent for a moment before...wait where was his, ah there it is! The famous Tobio Ishida luminescent blush. Tobio's face was practically glowing as he said, "A-Ano, a m-movie. Well I-I would like to. T-Thanks for t-trying to h-help me w-with this. T-Tell you what since y-you asked m-me I-I'll buy the p-popcorn and d-drinks. I-It's the l-least I could d-do."

He twists the the front fringes of his light blue hair that keeps his eyes hidden from sight. Well he was taking his nervous traits back up, that was a good sign. It meant he was at least a little less distraught at the moment and that as far as Mei knew she was doing a good job in trying to achieve her agenda. "S-So, what movie did y-you want to see?"

[Anyr]

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Who's this again?"

"I've got the camera. Shougo's been kidnapped. We need to move now."

Moroe was proud of herself for saying all that without a single stammer. Right now Shougo's life might depend on her ability to communicate clearly and concisely, despite feeling like she was one step away from total meltdown. It really was amazing how strongly this was affecting her. Her hands still hadn't stopped shaking. Did caring about the victim really make this much of a difference?

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

"Hmmmm..."

Mei didn't really know. She had ...Well, kind of picked a romantic movie to watch with ...err...Nobody, but that obviously wouldn't be appropriate for a situation like this. Not that she didn't think Tobio wouldn't be a good boyfriend-He would, but he really wasn't her type.

"Well, um, let's talk about it while we walk, hmm?"

She then bit her lip, trying to think of a good movie to watch that was entirely platonic in nature as she got up and started talking to the movie theaters. A few minutes later, after listening to Tobios' suggestions, she thought of one that both of them might enjoy.

"Well...What about...The Avengers? I heard that's a good movie, even if it's from America and in English."

__________________________________________________ _______________

Kensuke went dead silent at this, before speaking a low, serious voice, any traces of his inebriation vanishing in a flash.

"What? The camer-Oh...Kouta's case?"

He paused, trying to think on how to explain his situation.

"Look, I'm currently in District sixteen, on the other end of town. You should call Kouta, he'll know what to do. Shougo was the kid whose dad was murdered, right? What do you mean, kidnap-Bah, you really have no time to waste. I'll be over there as soon as possible, you just call Kouta!"

He then hung up, and Moroe would have noticed a text message sent to her in the middle of the call from Fumiko. Its' contents would have been written simply, merely 'BLOCK 404A, DISTRICT 19. NEAR BORDER OF 6. IN ALLEY BETWEEN OLD VIDEO STORE AND GARAGE. HURRY.' No doubt she was referring to Shougo, but how had she known all of this information?

Regardless, it looked like Moroe did not have much time to lose-The partygoers appeared to be reentering the house with varying degrees of confusion. It was still quite likely, however, that she could simply sneak out whilst pretending to be one of them; there was no dress code for this particular party, so Moroe would not particularly stand out. It did, however, mean that calling Kouta openly in this house might present some problems in the form of people overhearing her conversation-One had to keep in mind that although the majority of the kids here were in fact ordinary kids, a good number of them were still Pure Streets and loyal to Daisuke.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio held a hand to his chin for a moment in thought. He had heard a few good things about it in the halls of Onizuka about it. Plus mabye seeing a hero flick would get his mind off of things. He nods his head at her in agreement as she pays for the tickets. As agreed He paid for the popcorn and sodas. As they head towards the right theater room with their purchases he says to her, "Ano, I'm sorry that the person that you were expecting didn't show up Mei-chan. D-Don't worry however, my mom says that sometimes things have a funny way of working out.

Also Don't let this just be about me. I could tell that you were sad that whoever you were waiting for didn't show up. So while we're here I am your personal pair of ears. Any troubles that you have feel free to tell me. After all, I can help too!"

[Anyr]

Moroe almost made the mistake of trying to slip out amongst the crowds. Thankfully she caught sight of her reflection in a polished surface, and realised just how badly that attempt would have gone. She was in no condition to bluff anyone right now, even if she found a cloth to wipe the sweat from her brow. Instead, she decided to leave the same way she'd entered: Using the cable from the balcony. Only this time, she'd be doing it while making a phone call.

With a speed which bordered on panic, Moroe extracted some sticky (and possibly toxic) goo from her bag. Then she dialled Kouta's number and, before he even answered, stuck the phone to the side of her head. The sight would have been rather comical even to her, if it hadn't been part of a desperate attempt to save someone's life. She then shot out the window and started working her way along the cable, with all the speed she could muster. Assuming that Kouta answered his phone, Moroe would repeat the same words she'd said to Kensuke, with the addition of the newly found address; And if he didn't answer...Well, then she was in trouble, because she wouldn't be able to redial until she'd finished crossing.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

It took only about ten seconds for Kouta to answer.

"Hello? Who is-"

He was cut short by a torrent of information on Moroes' end, and spent a little time digesting this information.

"You have the camera, and you suspect Daisuke is going to murder Shougo at that location? Understood. I'll inform Anti-Skill and we'll be there as soon as possible."

There was a heavy, tense but rather relieved sigh on Koutas' end-The case that he had been pursuing for over a month with little to no headway was finally and rather serendipitiously about to come to a close. Then he could finally put a stop to all this 'Pure Streets' nonsense, and the blatant abuse of Level 1s and 0s. All he had to do now was save someone from a fatal beating, and all would be finished.

"Please, stay calm. I won't ask you not to go to him, but please, do not engage the Pure Streets. I don't think he'd want you getting killed, too."

He then hung up, already yelling at his compatriots to move.

__________________________________________________ _______________

"Thank you, Tobio-kun. I'm okay, he's probably just...Busy, is all."

Mei sighed, grateful for Tobio being so willing to listen, but still frustrated-And unwilling-To admit who it was that she had tried to ask to him as they walked towards the theater room. Even admitting it to herself had been hard, and her father had only gotten it out of her through nigh-endless persistence and the infamous 'tickle attack'. To be honest, she didn't really know why she'd decided, virtually on the spur of the moment, to ask him. She supposed it might have had something to do with the fact that Daisuke had invited her personally to some inane, probably puerile party held in District Six somewhere. The place, the time and the reason held little importance to her-The simple fact that Daisuke was there was enough to deter her. And while ...He...certainly had his faults, she was glad, for one, that he was no Daisuke.

Though they used to be friends, a long time ago...Something...Changed, in him. Yes, childhood friends-And good ones. She remembered those days fondly, when Daisuke used to be a cheerful and earnest, if a little pompous boy. Those days when they used to laugh and run under the sun and play pretend, and not have a care in the world. Those days when he promised he'd marry her when they got older, and be the prince to her princess. Those days when she'd say yes and giggle, and say they'd have a big happy family together.

Those days, long gone by. About five years ago, Mei moved away for a couple of years, thanks to her father being shifted to a department in Tokyo. When she returned...Daisuke...Had changed, and not for the better. He rarely smiled and laughed like he used to, and when he did, it was always tinged with bitterness and cruelty. He ceased showing kindness to others without some kind of hidden agenda. He took solace in the suffering of others, and he became consumed with power and the wielding of it. Mei didn't like the new Daisuke. Later, she found out that his mother had died in an incident involving gangsters. As Mrs Ashikaga had been rather close to her, she had also been devastated by the loss, and had tried to approach Daisuke with it.

But he had pushed her away, unwilling to discuss the matter with her and open up his heart, which she felt had become terribly cold. And yet, he still pursued her, and swore to make good on his promise to marry her and become her prince. He made the same advances upon her as they did when they were children...But they were no longer pure, no longer innocent. This was not the Daisuke she knew. And in those new, hard eyes, Mei had seen a monster. She fled.

For a long time, she lived in fear of him and his constant pleas, overtures and propositions, as he hounded her every minute of her free time to be with him, even when she thought she had made it clear she did not wish to. To ensure that she was busy and consequently had no time to spend with him, she had joined Judgement. When he heard she had-And it was soon-He too decided to join, and Mei was terrified that she would end up with him as a partner. She couldn't have that.

But she didn't. She got Ren, that idiotic, brave, magnificent dumbass who, upon hearing that Daisuke had refused to leave her alone, promised that he'd take care of it. And he did. Working together with her brother, they had managed to pester and curtail Daisuke, inside the law and outside it, to the point where he did finally seem to understand that Mei was not going to spend any time with him as long as she could help it.

"Ren..."

Oops!

She'd accidentally said his name aloud, and her face flushed furiously, even redder than Tobios', and she eep'd loudly in embarassment. While she knew that Tobio had most likely heard it, she sorely hoped that nobody else had. Nobody needed to know this. She didn't even like him, honest! She just...Just pitied him, that was all! After all, he had so few friends, girls generally avoided him and he wore the ugliest clothes when not in uniform! And she swore he'd starve to death before he noticed he was hungry, he had so few brain cells. He was lucky that she was her partner.

She then took a deep breath, desperately trying to think of a way to recover from her recent debacle.

"Ren, he's ...A dumbass, yeah!"

It took her awhile to realise that she had been standing in front of the ticket-taker, who had her eyebrow raised at the apparently daydreaming young lady.

"Your ticket please, miss?"

Mei flushed red again and handed her her ticket, muttering sheepishly as they were allowed entrance into the viewing room.

[Mina Kobold]

"Shame. I was in the mood for a little mystery with my food. Do you think-"

Kin abruptly shut up, suddenly fascinated by something ahead: The Hongakuteki Nihon Ryouri had just come into sight. She peered at the approaching eatery with an expression that was neither good or bad, just bemused. She honestly didn't know what to make of it.

"Is...Is that the place?"

Yua nods while trying to hide a smile. Almost disappearing before remembering to stay noticeable.

"Yes."

This was looking to be an amusing day indeed.

[Anyr]

It took only about ten seconds for Kouta to answer.

"Hello? Who is-"

He was cut short by a torrent of information on Moroes' end, and spent a little time digesting this information.

"You have the camera, and you suspect Daisuke is going to murder Shougo at that location? Understood. I'll inform Anti-Skill and we'll be there as soon as possible."

There was a heavy, tense but rather relieved sigh on Koutas' end-The case that he had been pursuing for over a month with little to no headway was finally and rather serendipitiously about to come to a close. Then he could finally put a stop to all this 'Pure Streets' nonsense, and the blatant abuse of Level 1s and 0s. All he had to do now was save someone from a fatal beating, and all would be finished.

"Please, stay calm. I won't ask you not to go to him, but please, do not engage the Pure Streets. I don't think he'd want you getting killed, too."

He then hung up, already yelling at his compatriots to move.

Moroe didn't feel at all relieved by this promise of action. She'd never had enough faith in the police to draw any comfort from them. But right now, their past record didn't matter. If the help of those blundering fools increased Shougo's chances by even 1%, then calling them had been worth it. For the sake of stacking the deck in her partner's favour, she'd bow down to Kouta, Kensuke, Ren, and anyone else who might have a shot at helping him. There had even been a moment when she'd seriously considered calling GATE for help; If that didn't brand her as desperate, nothing would.

She sprinted down the apartment building's stairs two at a time, stabilising her headlong descent with one hand, while the other tried to pry the phone off her face. No matter how fast the world blurred around her, it felt as if she was barely moving. Each step she took wasn't a step closer to her goal; It was just another moment spent not reaching that goal. Didn't this worthless world understand that she needed to be there right now?!

In defiance of her wishes, time continued to pass. The seconds ticked by as Moroe ran out of the building, down streets and across roads. Her bag of tricks was long gone, thrown aside for slowing her down. Her lungs burned for air, but she refused to oblige them. And within her long leather coat, a loaded gun still waited for its chance to shine...

[AnimeKid]

Tobio does indeed hear Mei utter Ren's name and his eyebrows raise in recognition. He nods as the head into the the viewing room and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder as says in his usual supportive tone, "Don't worry Mei-chan, your secret is safe with me. Plus worrying about it will only make you even more nervous. Trust me I know. If you just let things flow I'm sure things will work out. After all, that's what I did and now I have you, Sojiro, Ren, and other friends that I can count on."

As they take their seats Mei might see that by trying to help her Tobio was helping himself. She could possibly decipher that Tobio was the kind of person that would always put other people before himself. His face had left it's horrified look at the docks and was focusing on her. It was almost like he lived to serve. "Plus even if things don't work out however you want them to. You always have your friends to count on. And I'll tell you now Mei-chan your stuck with me, like glue." He finishes his message to her with a smile and turns towards the screen as he takes a seat and watches the previews.

__________________________________________________ ____________

Crocell sighs as he quits a Mahjong round for the first time. He must have really been not getting what he needed. With a sour look on his face he watchs the rest of the round in silence. It then becomes apparent that he was really relying on instinct instead of strategy as starts watching the game very closely, apparently trying to pick up strategies.

[Anyr]

Yua nods while trying to hide a smile. Almost disappearing before remembering to stay noticeable.

"Yes."

This was looking to be an amusing day indeed.

Kin disentangled herself from the walking hug, since it would be hard to get through the doors in such a state. She suddenly felt very out of place. Going from the refined surroundings of the School Garden to...this...was something of a culture shock. Still, she didn't want to bring down her companions' moods, so she put on a brave face and forged ahead into the eatery.

"Quite a place. Very, er, unique."

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Perhaps much to Moroes' surprise, Koutas' crew and Anti-Skill were already there by the time she reached the address that Fumiko gave, if not by much. There were already two paramedics assisting what appeared to be Shougo, and Kouta was there in person, still dressed in his rumpled, coffee-stained suit. When Moroe approached, however, he did not request for the camera immediately, merely angling his head towards Shougo.

At least...One would assume it to be Shougo, for the figure lying face-up in a small puddle of blood was beaten so badly as to be almost unrecognisable, every exposed piece of flesh beaten blue-black, eyes gummed shut and every parcel of clothing at least splattered with blood. Even from a good distance away, Moroe would be able to hear him struggling for every breath even as the paramedics were checking for wounds. But when Moroe finally spoke-He interrupted her, in an uncharacteristically raspy, gravelly tone which still carried an incredible sense of relief even through the pain.

"Ishimaru-senpai...Is that you? You're...Safe...It worked. What a relief..."

He coughed once, a small shower of blood rising into the air as he attempted to rise. The paramedic pressed him down immediately.

"Mr Nimori, please do not move. Your injuries are stable, but they are still quite severe."

Despite their haste, however, they were unable to catch the Pure Streets in the act, them having left the scene mere minutes before they arrived. And while the beating was certainly brutal, the Pure Streets certainly knew how to clean up after themselves. If it were not for the camera that Moroe currently held in her hand, there would be very little solid evidence to suggest that the Pure Streets was even involved in this little endeavour.

__________________________________________________ _______________

Mei sighed again, smiling gently and patting Tobio on the head.

"Thanks again, Tobio-kun. I've ... I don't know. I just feel like something important is about to happen. And you're right, I do, and I am. Que sera sera, as they say, right?"

She turned to the movie screen, the show just beginning to start.

"Let's just watch the movie now, hm?"

[AnimeKid]

Tobio merely nods as he watches the movie with avid attention. As it plays out before there eyes, he sees his ideal. Heroes, people who sacrificed their lives to better the lives of others. Tobio would always smile when watching them. He had the power sure, but what he dreamed of was using that power to help people. His reasons for joining Judgement flash to his mind as he watches what is probably his favorite hero, Captain America, fight against their enemies. He did what he did not for glory, not even from the start. It had always been about helping people and bettering lives.

He looks down at his own hands partway through the movie to reflect. In a way he had been living his dream. He was helping people, admittedly it was limited but it was still something. His mind then flashes back to his first kill as his body almost jerks in his seat. He manages to stabilize the popcorn he was holding and keep any from spilling. He pants a little in his seat as he things about how he could ever be a person who helped others if that kill kept haunting him. He put it out of his mind for now as he finishes watching the movie.

As it ends Tobio exits the viewing room with Mei as he says, "Well that was fun. Heroes have always been a favorite for me. Don't laugh but they are kind of a source of inspiration for me. I've always wanted to be like them, using my gifts to better the lives of others. what did you think of the movie Mei-chan?"

[Anyr]

When Moroe first arrived on the scene, all the relief that she'd refused to feel before washed over her like a tide. He was alive; Her partner was alive. After so many disappointments, the police had finally redeemed themselves. They may not have caught the Pure Streets in the act, but they'd prevented the murder of a noble, wonderful person. And thanks to the evidence that was clutched in Moroe's hand, Shougo would finally be safe from the Pure Streets forever.

And then she saw him.

Without making any conscious to decision to move, Moroe was suddenly kneeling by his side. She tried to speak, but he cut her off...by expressing his relief that she was safe. Even now, he still refused to put himself first. She forced herself to keep looking at his battered form, despite the horrible feelings it invoked. Again, why did this particular person's pain make her react like this? She still didn't know the answer.

"Don't move. Don't speak. Just live."

When she spoke again, only a change in tone indicated that she was now speaking to the paramedics who attended Shougo. Her eyes didn't leave him even for an instant.

"Can you fix him?"

[Duos]

The armored soldiers dive for cover as the spray of magnetically accelerated bullets shoots out from behind the table. One of them is knocked over a booth as a bullet obliquely impacts his tactical vest and ricochets, grunting as the kevlar and advanced ballistic plate absorb most of the impact, and a second, less-lucky grunt drops like a sack of sand, a wet, unhealthy-sounding gurgle erupting from his throat as an unfortunate bullet creases his neck, a spray of blood splashing over a nearby poster.

As the group of armed and armored thugs move to suppress the boy and his young charge from behind whatever hastily acquired cover they have, Hajime speaks, warning them away. Ignoring him, they re-converge on the flipped table he's hiding behind-and then the lights blow. There's the sound of shattering glass, and then silence and darkness, interrupted only by heavy breath behind ballistic masks and the crunch of glass shards underfoot as the soldiers freeze. Then Yori's voice cuts through the silence, disdain dripping from his tone.

"You're adorable. This is why I hate kids-you're surrounded by heavily armed men, and you think it's a good idea to threaten them? Congratulations, you're a moron."

There's a creak of leather as Yori gets up from the booth he's been sitting in. He lets out a sharp *tsk*.

"Thermals. And feel free to use something a little stronger that the tranqs, I think the brat's earned it."

A second later, there's a rash of muted *clicks* as goggles are turned on, and the crunch of glass under boots resumes, the soldiers fanning out to surround the boy and girl as they crouch behind the table in the dark.

Then the beanbag rounds start tearing into the makeshift shield that Hajime has erected, the heavy bags slamming into the flipped table and shredding the cheap plyboard and plastic it's made of. Yori shouts over the din, his voice sharp and harsh.

"You should just give, kid. We really only need that girl. I'd rather not have my men waste any more ammunition than they need to."

[KerfuffleMach2]

Kin disentangled herself from the walking hug, since it would be hard to get through the doors in such a state. She suddenly felt very out of place. Going from the refined surroundings of the School Garden to...this...was something of a culture shock. Still, she didn't want to bring down her companions' moods, so she put on a brave face and forged ahead into the eatery.

"Quite a place. Very, er, unique."

Krystal smiles at Kin's reaction. It amused her.

Kinda reminds me of a restaurant I used to go to a lot back home called Country Boy. That place had awesome burgers.

She gives a reassuring smile to Kin. Come on. You'll like the food.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo did not respond. It would take a few moments for Moroe to realise that he had just passed out. As she did so, the paramedic pressed his hands together, having finished his field inspection of Shougos' wounds. He looked at her, staring her straight in the eye as his colleague trotted off to grab a stretcher.

"We'll do our best, miss. He's pretty beat-up-He's got several broken bones, a shattered rib, one of his kidneys has been ruptured and both his knees are gone. He has a large compound fracture in his skull, and we fear that he may have..."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. In the background, his fellow paramedic worked with a Skill-Out officer to gently lift Shougo and carry him to the waiting ambulance.

"We fear he may have sustained some brain damage. To be honest, I don't know how he'd managed to stay conscious for so long; by rights, he shouldn't have been able to take half of the things he did and remain conscious, but he did..."

He looked away, adjusting his glasses.

"He was calling for you the entire time we were with him. I assume you are Ishimaru? You must have been very important to him...We'll take him to the hospital, and we'll do our best. We really will."

He then got up and walked to the ambulance. As he left, Kouta approached, viewing the situation dispassionately as he adjusted his tie. The smell of energy drinks was still strong on his breath, even through the powerful scent of blood in the alleyway.

"Quite a mess. It's lucky we got here when we did...May I request the evidence, now? We won't have it entirely ready to present to the court till tomorrow...But I have a feeling that you've probably got more pressing issues to attend to tonight."

He pointed a finger at the ambulance.

__________________________________________________ _______________

Mei nodded. It really was a rather good movie, even given the rather over-the-top premise. Well, then again, she chided herself, she didn't really have much right to say that, coming from a city which produced children whom effectively had superpowers. If there was ever a place where superheroes could truly exist, here would be the place.

And she agreed with Tobio-Heroes like that really could be inspirations, even if they were fictional. And to use one's strength to better the lives of others was a noble goal, even if it was dreadfully difficult and seemingly fruitless at times.

"Mmm, it was a good movie, Tobio-kun. And you're right-We really should. Even if we don't have superpowers, if everyone worked the same way they did, the world would be such a wonderful place."

She then yawned, looking at the clock-It was getting late, nearly 11pm. And she still had school tomorrow-If she were late, she would no doubt be punished heavily. After all, she was a Tokiwadai student and she had a reputation to uphold.

"It's getting late...We really should be getting home, ne?"

[AnimeKid]

Tobio nods as he says, "Yeah, I need to get home too. While there won't be much happening at school I'm on duty for Judgement tomorrow. Should I walk you home Mei-chan? I mean my conscience would be screaming at me if I let you walk back home by yourself in the dead of night. Though if you don't want me to don't hesitate to say so."

Tobio himself would be probably meditating throughout the night so that he could train while he rested. Of course he was sure Mei might not take that very well so he kept quiet about it.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

After a moment of consideration, Mei agreed.

"Alright. Thank you again, Tobio-kun...You really are a wonderful guy. I don't live far from here..."

She left the cinema, yawning gently, and an errant thought popped into her head-She wondered what it would have been like if Ren were here, and he were indeed a perfect gentleman as Tobio was. The thought was quickly quashed-She didn't even like Ren! Well...Not that much, she admitted. Nevertheless, she was glad that she had someone to spend tonight with; Mei was a self-confessed social animal; she didn't handle being alone very well.

In any case, the walk back to Meis' place wasn't very long and after what had happened earlier tonight, it was pleasantly uneventful. Curiously, Mei turned to Tobio after she was some distance from her place, just out of identifiable sight from a window at her house.

"That's far enough. Thank you, Tobio-kun, and goodnight."

She bowed slightly in gratitude and continued homewards, humming a song softly under her breath.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio bows in return as he says, "The pleasure was all mine. I really did have fun though. And thank your for trying to help me get mind off of things. Well ja ne! Mei-chan." With that he turns and starts walking way from Mei's home. AS he doe so he unzips his backpack and takes out he skates and re-straps them to his feet since he had to take them off in the theater.

As he skated home Tobio though to himself that Ren was a pretty lucky guy. Maybe he could help Mei the next time she asked him to the movies? After all Mei helped him in his most vulnerable moment, the least he could do was be her wingman.

When he reaches his home he slides his key into the lock to unlock the door and go inside. He locks it back and heads out into his backyard once again. He sits in a crosslegged position and steadies his breathing. As he slips into his meditative trance he puts all of his concentration into freezing and unfreezing his pool at faster intervals and at higher intensities to try to increase power and mostly control. After all his power required immense amounts of it.

His father reccomended that he not use this technique for more than 5 days straight. That would hopefully be enough time for the horrible incident at the docks to fade from his mind. That way he wouldn't have to worry about the nightmares that would surely come.

[Anyr]

"Quite a mess. It's lucky we got here when we did...May I request the evidence, now? We won't have it entirely ready to present to the court till tomorrow...But I have a feeling that you've probably got more pressing issues to attend to tonight."

He pointed a finger at the ambulance.

Moroe handed the camera over, as her eyes followed Shougo's journey into the ambulance; And then, suddenly, she froze. The instant that that camera had changed hands, a little chime had rung in her brain. On the mental screen which only she could see, a message appeared: It said 'OBJECTIVE COMPLETE'.

Ah yes, of course. It was over. Her little mission for Shougo had just ended. She had helped him to bring down the Pure Streets, just as she'd promised. Time to move on.

"Yes, I do have pressing issues. So many issues."

She didn't really sound as if she was talking to Kouta. It was more like she was trying to convince herself of something. Then, in defiance of her own words, she took a single step towards the ambulance.

"There's a little girl who wants my help in fighting off 'bad guys'. She has the power to have me killed if I stall for too long."

Another step.

"There's a newborn soul whose entire existence revolves around me. He needs guidance to help him break his programming."

Then another. She was walking now.

"There's a criminal with the ability to warp space on the loose, enacting some sort of plan. He seems too dangerous to leave alone."

Her pace increased. The ambulance was right in front of her.

"There's a worthless, corrupted girl who is risking the life of a sweet, noble boy, for her own selfish reasons. She needs to get out of his life right now, before she destroys him."

...And then it was behind her. She'd walked past it. Without even a backward glance, Ishimaru Moroe disappeared into the night.

[Terry576]

The armored soldiers dive for cover as the spray of magnetically accelerated bullets shoots out from behind the table. One of them is knocked over a booth as a bullet obliquely impacts his tactical vest and ricochets, grunting as the kevlar and advanced ballistic plate absorb most of the impact, and a second, less-lucky grunt drops like a sack of sand, a wet, unhealthy-sounding gurgle erupting from his throat as an unfortunate bullet creases his neck, a spray of blood splashing over a nearby poster.

As the group of armed and armored thugs move to suppress the boy and his young charge from behind whatever hastily acquired cover they have, Hajime speaks, warning them away. Ignoring him, they re-converge on the flipped table he's hiding behind-and then the lights blow. There's the sound of shattering glass, and then silence and darkness, interrupted only by heavy breath behind ballistic masks and the crunch of glass shards underfoot as the soldiers freeze. Then Yori's voice cuts through the silence, disdain dripping from his tone.

"You're adorable. This is why I hate kids-you're surrounded by heavily armed men, and you think it's a good idea to threaten them? Congratulations, you're a moron."

There's a creak of leather as Yori gets up from the booth he's been sitting in. He lets out a sharp *tsk*.

"Thermals. And feel free to use something a little stronger that the tranqs, I think the brat's earned it."

A second later, there's a rash of muted *clicks* as goggles are turned on, and the crunch of glass under boots resumes, the soldiers fanning out to surround the boy and girl as they crouch behind the table in the dark.

Then the beanbag rounds start tearing into the makeshift shield that Hajime has erected, the heavy bags slamming into the flipped table and shredding the cheap plyboard and plastic it's made of. Yori shouts over the din, his voice sharp and harsh.

"You should just give, kid. We really only need that girl. I'd rather not have my men waste any more ammunition than they need to."

Hajime was moving before the man even began to speak, his body twisting into a corner as he pulled out more rounds of ammunition, grasping one in his hand. He slowly turned, facing his opponents, and let off one, the bullet flying through the air at the speed of sound itself, ripping apart the fabric of the wind as it sliced towards his opponents.

He did not wait though - he turned, and shot off a second shot, this one aimed at the wall, a grim look of determination on his face as he watched, semidetached from reality, the bullet arcing towards the wall and tearing the poor thing into pieces, wood and glue flying through the air. He grabbed the girl, and jumped, falling through the air downwards as he exited the building, and stopped his momentum with a third shot, this one aimed at the ground, the explosion tearing away at the concrete as he plummeted, a massive shockwave of energy halting his speed as he entered the explosive zone, and landing gently on the ground.

Then he ran. There was a place - one he knew of, from his short meeting there - where his Master would eventually show up. It was the only place he could think of that would allow them to converse, even if it was for naught but a short time, and he sighed slightly as he moved closer and closer towards it, thinking of his Master once more, wondering if she would be there, with her annoyed eyes and her half-hearted smile.

[Anyr]

{OOC: For the sake of getting the new day started, could we say that Hajime went straight to Moroe's house? It's not a stretch to think that he would have been told the address at some point, even though it technically didn't happen on-screen.}

Ishimaru Moroe trudged steadfastly up the stairs that led to her room. The journey had been exhausting to both body and mind; It felt as if she'd been fighting herself every step of the way home. There was a part of her (a big part) that was still telling her to turn around and go back. With what felt like the last of her strength, she walked the last few steps towards her bed and collapsed onto it, without even bothering to get changed. After gulping down a handful of sleeping pills, she soon entered a deep, dreamless sleep.

Wednesday

Moroe awoke much slower than usual. She blinked groggily in the morning sunlight, then stubbornly threw the sheets over her head to try and block it out. It couldn't be morning already, could it? She barely felt any more rested than the night before. There was still a weariness in her bones that the drug-induced sleep had done nothing to dispel. She could feel her stomach rumbling in complaint, but she ignored it. Breakfast would have to wait.

[Duos]

Yori sips his coffee irritably and shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable on the bench as the vehicle lurched gently down the road. It had been a long night, and the scant few hours of sleep he'd managed to catch in the back of one of the armored vans had not made it any easier. He turned to scientist on the steel bench opposite him and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So, you're saying this one is important. Big deal, we've had other catches slip away. We can always find another healer, right?""

The balding man shook his head and turned a clipboard towards Yori.

"Sorry sir, but not one of this magnitude. We need that skill if we want the units to be able to exist outside of storage for more than a day or so; they're too unstable right now. One of the SURTR units actually MELTED while it was in the lab a few days ago. just a *SPLOOP* and then a pool of molten metal and tissue. With her regenerative ESPer skill, we'll finally have self-sufficient product, and we'll be able to move onto the testing phase."

After carefully poring over the charts the scientist had handed him, Yori slumps down onto the bench, tapping his fist over his mouth thoughtfully. He turns to one of the quiet men in body armor next to him.

"We still have the trace on the girl, right? Transponder's still good?"

The soldier nodded curtly.

"Yessir. I'll admit, we were caught off guard when the boy keeping an eye on her blew the wall out of the diner, but Kei managed to tag the girl with a chipper before they got away. Great shot, too-maybe seventy, eighty meters. The subdermal tracker it left her with should still be live for another few days."

"So we can move on her then if we need to."

"Yessir, if need be. Now?"

Yori spares a glance down at his right wrist, and the air around it bubbles as a watch surfaces on the shifting skin.

"No, leave it for later. The city is too busy right now, and I need to crash for a few hours of rest. Also, I want time to pull together a slightly more focused task force. 'Surprise, my bodyguard is a high level ESPer' only happens once. I should have seen that coming, too. I knew the brat looked familiar-I saw the boy when I had that swap with doctor moron. I made sure to double-check the city recods on all those kids just to be on the safe side, and he didn't turn up-I had to do some of my own digging, although the whole 'clone' thing seems kind of obvious in retrospect since he's almost an exact match for the guy."

Yori takes another pull on his coffee before tossing the empty cup and leans forward, steepling his fingers.

"I want this to go off without a hitch tonight. Bring your best men; I want as little mess as possible. Sanitizing that diner last night was a nightmare, You can only stretch 'gas main explosion' so far before people wonder where the craters came from. So no mistakes tonight; in and out, grab the brat. I'll clear us for lethal munitions if you think that will make it easier. Are we clear?"

The armored mercenary bobs his head.

"Yessir. Crystal."

Yori allows his eyes to drift shut as he folds his arms over his chest. Good. Maybe tonight something productive might get done, for once.

[Terry576]

{OOC: That was the implication there Anyr. The plan was for it to smoothly integrate into that old episode that I accidentally dropped because I AM A BORING IDIOT ;__;}

Wednesday

Hajime awoke at 6:00 AM sharp, and immediately awoke, ignoring the tweeting of birds and the muttering of the small girl sleeping near him. He proceeded to dress himself, wearing the clothes that he had been forced into buying yesterday, and entered what he believed was the kitchen, beginning to cook.

Hajime had never cooked before in his life. He remembered things filled with emotion, albeit detatchedly, from Souji's life. Souji could cook. Souji could cook very well.

Hajime was not Souji.

Acrid smoke flew from the kitchen like ravens in the small apartment, the loathsome stench entering the nostrils of the other occupants. One small girl slept through it with ease, while the other...