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Mizuki Matsuri

"Clown mask or no, the Oracle has a job to do!"

0 · 4,806 views · located in Up the Stairs

a character in “Re: Start”, as played by Spidermoon

Description

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❝If you have time to pity the dying, instead pity yourself for living. ❞
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【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FF3587 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #89CC16】

|| Devil on my Shoulder || Faith Marie ||







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{β˜› β’»β“Šβ“β“ Ⓝ⒢ⓂⒺ ☚}
Mizuki Matsuri
η‘žη₯ˆ, using the kanji for congratulations and pray, rather than swimsuit.

{β˜› β“ƒβ’Ύβ’Έβ“€β“ƒβ’Άβ“‚β’Ίβ“ˆ ☚}
Oracle - Her Title as the Prophecy's Bearer.
Mizu - Her nickname among friends and family.

{β˜› β’Άβ’Όβ’Ί ☚}
15

{β˜› ⒼⒺⓃⒹⒺⓇ ☚}
♀

{β˜› β“ˆβ’Ίβ“β“Šβ’Άβ“β’Ύβ“‰β“Ž ☚}
Girls only club!

{β˜› β’»β’Άβ’Έβ’Ί ⒸⓁ⒢ⒾⓂ ☚}
Ayumi Otosaka || Charlotte



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❝Do you see beyond it?❞
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{β˜› ⒽⒺⒾⒼⒽⓉ ☚}
4'10, if you trust the nurse didn't lie taking my height,
{β˜› β“Œβ’Ίβ’Ύβ’Όβ’½β“‰ ☚}
I'm below 100... isn't this confidential information?
{β˜› Ⓗ⒢ⒾⓇ ⒸⓄⓁⓄⓇ ☚}
It's black, like any normal Japanese person.
{β˜› β’Ίβ“Žβ’Ί ⒸⓄⓁⓄⓇ ☚}
Violet, unlike any normal Japanese person.
{β˜› β’·β“„β’Ήβ“Ž β“‚β’Άβ“‡β“€β’Ύβ“ƒβ’Όβ“ˆ ☚}
A few needle scars here and there, nothing too bad.
There's a puppet mark on my leg, but there's no light coming from it yet.


{β˜› ⒼⒺⓃⒺⓇ⒢Ⓛ β’Άβ“…β“…β’Ίβ’Άβ“‡β’Άβ“ƒβ’Έβ’Ίβ˜š }

Mizuki is someone who exists in a world of contradictions. Sometimes she's so energetic you'd swear she's the healthiest person alive, other times she's so lazy and tired that you just want to throw her out of a window to teach her how to exercise. Befitting her impish nature, Mizuki is very underdeveloped, possibly owing to her illness stunting her growth. Her eyes glow a strange violet which belie her mischievous nature, and her hair is a nice black sheen, worn long down her back, but not so long that it's tasteless. She's too thin to look very healthy, and there's hardly any musculature on the girl at all. Sometimes, when no one's looking, the clown mask drops to reveal something empty, but she hardly ever lets it down.

In terms of dress, Mizuki is usually seen in hospital gowns, which she hates. More recently she's been made to wear workcamp clothes emblazened with the Epsilon sign to signify where she belongs, but she hates that too. The devil prefers to wear elaborate bright colors and to keep up with Japan's trends. And of course, don't forget her love of cosplay, in whatever clothes the character herself wears.

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β™™So give me more of this, please!β™™
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β˜› β“β’Ύβ“€β’Ίβ“ˆβ˜š
β₯ Freedom | To be free from other's expectations and wishes.
β₯ Beds | Sleep all the time away.
β₯ Pranks | And study your victim's reactions!
β₯ Cosplay | She can pretend to be someone better.





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❝Just keep these things away.❞
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β˜› β’Ήβ’Ύβ“ˆβ“β’Ύβ“€β’Ίβ“ˆβ˜š
⌦ Herself | Who could like a monster?
⌦ Selfless People | You're either an idiot or you're lying.
⌦ Effort | Everything's better when no effort is needed!






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β˜›β“†β“Šβ’Ύβ“‡β“€β“ˆβ˜š
Head Tilt | Usually means confusion or bewilderment.
Cheek poke | One sign of her lies.
Eye Roll | It's fun?


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β˜› β“Œβ’Ίβ’Άβ“€β“ƒβ’Ίβ“ˆβ“ˆβ’Ίβ“ˆ ☚
⌦ Her Heart | A gift from her mother, she's slowly dying.
⌦ Mental Problems | A mix of PTSD and an inability to recognize her emotions.
⌦ Clown Mask | She doesn't really know how to take it off.
⌦ Paranoia | Has trouble trusting others.


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β˜› β“ˆβ“‰β“‡β’Ίβ“ƒβ’Όβ“‰β’½β“ˆβ˜š
β₯ Video Games | This includes gambling games.
β₯ Lies | Good at telling and sensing them.
β₯ Sweets | Can bake sweet things, most notably cookies.
β₯ Mentally Quick | Processes her thoughts more quickly than most.


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β˜› β’»β’Ίβ’Άβ“‡β“ˆβ˜š
Gerascophobia | Fear of aging.
Auctoritatophobia | Fear of those with authority.
Athazagraphobia | Fear of being forgotten.

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β™™Is there a real me?β™™
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{β˜› β“…β’Ίβ“‡β“ˆβ“„β“ƒβ’Άβ“β’Ύβ“‰β“Žβ˜š}
The Goddess's Notes:

This Mizuki is one of my other selves from another world. In particular, she's one of those that hasn't been a part of me when I turned evil, so the world she's from has yet to be determined. It's one of the worlds I lack jurisdiction over, though the reason for this is unknown. For a large part she remains as I was - emotionless yet maintaining a mask to protect her secret. Like many other Mizukis, she has possession of the Prophecy, but who knows if she's going to use this for good or for ill? I have attempted contact, of course, but any attempt to guide her on the right path ends in failure - likely the Ether between my universe and the one she resides in is too thick for my power to pierce. I'll just have to rely on those around her to steer her in the right direction, because as emotionless she likes to act, all Mizukis are very impressionable.

This Mizuki is an unknown - she has the potential to do great things, or she could become a villain. Because of her light transference ability all Mizukis have, there's a risk she could take the Light Seed. Despite what happened in my world, this is not a solution to the problem. The Light Seed belongs to - as much as I hate to admit it - Yui, and shouldn't be passed onto any third party. Yui is the rightful Goddess, and it should be her decision if she wishes to ascend or have it removed through K's method. Let's pray that this Mizuki is able to keep her head. She's more stable than I am - thanks to having the Prophecy, she feels she has a purpose in life, so her suicidal nature has been removed. She also seems calmer, more able to think through her decisions. Perhaps having the Prophecy so young made her think twice about her actions.

Let's hope this Mizuki follows the path of Light.




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❝How many will I leave?❞
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{β˜› ⓅⓁ⒢ⒸⒺ β“„β’» ⓄⓇⒾⒼⒾⓃ ☚}
New Tokyo City, Japan

{β˜› β’»β’Άβ“‚β’Ύβ“β“Ž ☚}
Kenshiro Matsuri | 46 | Father | Alive
Hazuki Matsuri | 41 | Mother | Died at 32
Natsuo Matsuri | 22 | Older Brother | Alive
Aria Matsuri | 19 | Elder Sister | Alive

{β˜› β’½β’Ύβ“ˆβ“‰β“„β“‡β“Ž ☚}
Born to two slaves of Prometheus, Kenshiro and Hazuki, destined to be good and obedient. But, just like Aria, Mizuki was just as bad with authority though she showed this very differently from how her big sister did. Mizuki was energetic in class and no matter how much her fellow classmate Hachi tried to calm her down, nothing worked. Mizuki was known through childhood for her boundless energy and good cheer. However, everything comes to an end and in her case, it all ended when Hazuki died and at the funeral she herself had her first heart attack and was diagnosed with the exact same thing that killed her mother. The once happy Matsuri house no longer existed, but Mizuki hardly felt the same grief everyone else did. And with all the mourning, no one was there to realize the girl needed therapy before it was too late and she invented the clown mask.

The house fell into discord, and Mizuki was made to drop out of school. Whenever she could though, she tried to keep the peace between the bickering Natsuo and Aria, and she tried to bring Kenshiro back home as well but nothing really worked for long. She noticed something though, her father was hiding something from them and keeping secrets. It was as if he was at least partly responsible for some horrible cruelty and was burdened by the guilt of not being strong enough to stop it. Making a ploy to try and bring Kenshiro back home and away from Ira Shoku's clutches, she convinced Aria to become an idol. But even so, no matter what she did, Kenshiro never accepted invites to Aria's concerts.

Her plans were put on halt then when a certain book came home. Natsuo was being shifty and just like with Kenshiro, he was being distant. Did it have something to do with Aria's abduction by Nagumo? It was as if they were getting sucked into the same cult! So she snuck into Natsuo's room and stole away a strange book that was marked with 'Keep top secret!' And that was how Mizuki became the Oracle, as she read this Prophecy she realized that she had a duty to do something - anything - it was possibly her reason for being born. That night she had her first visit from the Goddess, but despite the sense of urgency she couldn't figure out what the Goddess was trying to tell her.

One night, Mizuki broke out of the hospital. After a heart attack a message appeared in her head, to meet a certain ear-feathered girl at a specific location. This had to be a message from the Goddess! So after one of Natsuo's visits, she followed him out, eventually finding him talking to another girl, one with a railgun grafted to her arm. They were arguing about some kind of Prophecy, not that Mizu would ever let anyone know where she hid it. This turned out to be a trap and a snake-armed man nabbed her just like that. Even a visit from her Father wasn't enough to win her freedom in Shoku's eyes. Still, thanks to her father and her weak heart, she was spared extensive torture for information on the Prophecy and was instead put to labor and work at Camp Epsilon.

Two long years later, Mizuki developed a lightless mark in her leg, one of a puppet. Still interred in Camp Epsilon, the sickly girl wondered if soon it would be her turn to join the story.






β’Έβ“„β“…β“Žβ“‡β’Ύβ’Όβ’½β“‰: ⓉⒽⒺ_β“†β“Šβ’Ίβ’Ίβ“ƒ



So begins...

Mizuki Matsuri's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri
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❝If you have time to pity the dying, instead pity yourself for living. ❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FF3587 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #89CC16】

|| Devil on my Shoulder || Faith Marie ||




Another notch in the wall. How many has it been now? One... two.... ten... almost seven hundred now, seven hundred notches in the wall for seven hundred sleeps and wake-ups and still, still she's just rotting away in here. God, it's just so boring. There's no games in here, nothing to play or watch or dress up in. Even the work uniform is just the most boring thing ever. Luckily today she was spared the working - though she did manage to negotiate with the General Matsuoka that based on her health, she should be given a lighter workload. Today was one of the days she didn't even have to work. Was it pity? Who knew? Whatever it was, it worked in her favor. God, did Mizu hate doing what others told her to do.

"Prisoner E382." Matsuoka said after she finished with her breakfast in her cell. "You have a visitor, come with me." The man was big and weird looking, his face looking more like that of a pig than a human. "But that's a boring name." The sickly girl whined, standing up obediently. "Can I have a different name?" The E signified Epsilon, and the number was for a timeline on the order the prisoners were brought in. "No." He said curtly, frowning. "If I go easier on you, Shoku's going to crack down on me." According to the grapevine, Matsuoka was pretty lenient as far as Camp Directors went. Some liked to take the younger girls and turn them into pleasure slaves for the rest of the soldiers in the camp. Matsuoka here had no such desire. Well, as far as she knew, anyways.

Well, most likely he was strictly ordered not to hurt her. If there was any hurting to be had, Shoku wanted to deliver it himself. But it was funny because even though he came to hurt her sometimes, he could never really get into it. Because while he knew she had the prophecy, he had no idea where she could have hidden it. She was the only source of information on this mysterious book, if he killed her, all leads would be lost and he would never ever find it. Instead of Shoku waiting for her in the meeting room though, it was Natsuo instead, looking strange in the uniform he now donned. "I passed the exam." He said uneasily, looking away as if in guilt. "I'm an Enforcer now." Mizu groaned, rolling her eyes. "Aww, but it's dangerous! The Freedom Fighters might kill you if you're assigned to fight them!" Did Aria really think she was fooling anyone by posing as Nemesis? "You should quit! Please? For me?"

More guilt flashed in her big brother's face. It was obvious how restricted he was. He opened his mouth as if about to say something but then shut it again. Mizu knew that look - there was a secret he wanted to divulge but it looked as if he wasn't allowed to elaborate. "I can visit you more as an Enforcer." He said at last, trying to touch her through the glass. "Most people never get visits, it's only because of Dad that I get approved in the first place." Perhaps it was lucky. Natsuo was her link to the outside world - he would tell her about progress on the warfront, of the status of the Yakuza, the HIVE, and the Freedom Fighters. Or at least as much information as the average Enforcer knew, in an case.

"Where is the Prophecy?" Natsuo asked seriously. Was he being ordered to do this? "I'm the Oracle, not you." The sickly girl said quietly. "I won't tell a soul where it is!" She grinned because she knew for sure. No matter where Shoku and his lackeys searched, they would never, ever find it. It was impossible for them to find the Prophecy, she made sure of it. The hiding place was the one place no one could steal anything from. "Big brother, stop trying to make me talk. Shoku's not a good guy, you know?" But she knew he was asking for someone else. Not really for himself, but not for Shoku either. There was someone behind Natsuo, making all of her big brother's decisions. Who could it be?

Natsuo slumped in his seat, looking as if he wished it was him interred in Camp Epsilon and that she could be free. But what freedom was there really? She only had, what? Maybe two years left? And how much of it would be spent chained to the hospital bed? "It was supposed to be me." He murmured. "I was the one assigned to take care of it." Mizu smiled as sweetly as she could, shaking her head. "No, big bro." She said comfortingly. "It's better that it's me. Shoku can't risk torturing me too much because of my weak heart! But if it was you in here, he could do almost whatever he wanted." Because she was immune, she was the perfect secret keeper. It must be so maddening for Shoku to be restrained so! "Shoku's a bad guy, and we both have our part to play to take him down."

Unfortunately, she did have a time limit on this. And no, she wasn't talking about the two years. The next time Shoku would come to see her, he'd no doubt see the strange new mark that just surfaced on her thigh, the puppet. It wasn't like other light bearing marks because it wasn't filled in with light at all. And who knew what kind of power it would hold? She needed to figure out it's secret and use it to somehow escape before the next Shoku visit. If he were to see the mark, Mizu's stay at Camp Epsilon would likely see an end, and it would be fun time in the Roppongi Building for her. If he saw the mark, he'd be able to fill it with darkness and Mizu wasn't sure if a darkened her would tell him or not.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri
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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




Yui didn't seem too concerned with the conversation going on at the table. Damian wiped up around her mouth, Yui flinching as he used a wet napkin to clean the porridge that had dripped out between her lips. "Aria, if it's too much, just say the word. We can send Yui somewhere else," Xavier promised. Would they treat Yui as well as they did here? More than likely not.
They would lock her up and isolate her, just like Shoku had. "I'll start making preparations for the bedroom, but are you sure that's where you want her? She can room with Damian until we find space." Damian slept in the master bedroom on the first floor. Why? Because his room was set up with large holo screens that kept an eye on various wards in Tokyo.

Obviously she couldn't stay in Xavier's room because well, they didn't want to traumatize the child. Him and Jenny would end up locking her out half the time anyhow. "Aria, don't be a Saint, if it hurts too much, we'll just transfer her. Hime or Raven would probably be glad to take her off our hands." He hated speaking about a person that way, as though they were a pet that could be dumped somewhere, becoming someone else's problem. Unfortunately that was the reality of the situation when smuggling light bearers.

"Yui," she said quietly, an easy sound to replicate. "That's right, that's your name," Damian said with a gentle smile. "Remember it, always." Yui nodded, it was clearly an important word. "Ah Leo, just the man we wanted to see. Anyway we can hasten the therapy?" Xavier asked while Leo made his way upstairs. Leo paused to think to himself, "If we spend more time on it during the day. Cut out the nap and work through dinner," Yui usually got tired around 2 PM and would fall asleep during tasks, but Leo could try his best to keep her going. "I think we need to incorporate food," Damian suggested quietly, standing to assist Leo in preparing the room. "She doesn't seem to understand what it's for or what to do with it." His holo would beep if there was something he needed to go look at, but honestly Damian was glad to having something to do that wasn't staring at screens and looking for trouble.

"Aria, if you'd like, you can help. Or we can go to recruitment central to assist with the interviews?" That was the only mission on the log from Hime today. If Damian spotted trouble, he would report it to them. Not all days as Freedom Fighters were fun and exciting, there was a lot of laying low involved. Yui stood, grabbing onto the IV pole she was constantly tethered to and toddling over to the window. She clambered up onto the sill, watching the snow fall. "Brr," Yui said, pointing outside. "That's right, snow is cold, brr." Leo nodded the same moment that Damian's holo beeped. Xavier stood, meandering to the round glass panel, looking at the bird on the sill that was tapping it's beak against Yui's finger. "That's a pretty bird," Xavier observed. Leo lifted Yui off of the seat and onto the therapy mat, it was time to get to work. "Brr," Yui pointed back to the window.

Damian suddenly rushed up the ladder, a bit out of breath "We've got a Code E in Akiba, looks like Enforcers are dragging a Light Bearer towards the gallows."

Public execution was one of Shoku's many fun laws where anyone proven to be a Light Bearer was killed for all to see. Of course, it was only the useless light bearer's that this happened to. The ones who could turn street lights different colors or whose spit glowed. Harmless children, men, and woman who were given a gift that they didn't understand. The useful ones were brought to him, those were the ones that had the real fun.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri
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❝Stand up, stand up, the Little Sinner stands before you now!❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#762D73 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #BF3B3B】

|| Let the Flames Begin || Paramore ||




The slave traders. Aria heard about them from Damian - the run in with them happened before Ari had joined up and was still investigating with Yurei - and once she did join she never had time to go after them because their focus was Shoku. "I might have Fox pay them a visit." She muttered, hugging Yui close. Ally decided to give a spiel then. "It's okay. We'll bounce back. I'll keep working on getting Xavier back too, we need our leader!" She paused and looked at Damian who might have been hurt. "Not to say you're a bad leader, but Xavier is more suitable for it." Damian shrugged as if he didn't care all too much. "We don't know where he is." Aria informed Yui, not wanting the fish to be lied to. "But Ally's been working on it, she's in charge of that."

When Damian showed them Yui's great escape, Aria snuggled the surrogate sister again, both in pride and in awe. "You did so well, but I'm sorry you had to, too." The idol was naturally protective, it was ingrained in her to keep bad things from ever happening to those she cared about. Funny enough, she was failing quite spectacularly at that, too. Ping looked strange and scruffy. He was a stray after all, even with the fancy VorTech collar with a camera and microphone and a GPS tracking signal. "These are proving to be very useful, actually." Damian had a half smile. "Now we have dozens of stray cat spies with these things on. We have eyes and ears through the entire city." The idol gave Ping a grateful petting session. "Welcome to the team, Ping." She said quietly.

With Yui secured, now they could do something else. It would be Aria's first time to propose a mission but she knew it was time. "Mizuki is at Camp Epsilon." She said. "I'll go and rescue her, alone if I have to. Any of you are free to help if you want." The HIVE would be joining too, Raven and Fox in particular expressed a desire in giving their assistance, in exchange for the help they gave during Setagaya. "Leo, make sure you have all the heart health stuff I wrote to you about, we're going to need them now." Two years was two years too long. It was time to take Mizu back.

----

Camp Epsilon was in upheaval. People were noticing how Mizuki wasn't put to work, how she was given special treatment. General Matsuoka, cruel and sadistic to most people, was kind to the child. Sure, they pitied her at first, they felt bad in the beginning, but resentment at their elongated capture only worsened with how cheery and unaffected by all of this the child was. While their minds and bodies were being broken, Mizuki went about each day with hardly a care in a world, at least to them. Sometimes she was even let out of the Camp and taken to the Roppongi Building where they actually had heating, something that didn't exist in the worker's barracks at any of the work camps. Even a special doctor was assigned to her by Shoku, known as Doctor Medicus. He had a son who was a resident but the son wasn't given approved access to the camps yet. Even if Mizuki told her fellow campers about the torture, with how smiley she was, no one would believe it. Maybe if she was the type to cry, but monsters don't cry, not for real anyways.

"Why do you get all the special treatment?" This wasn't the first time she was confronted and who knows? Maybe it wouldn't be the last, either. "Last time we did this the guards had to step in to protect you." The man held the butcher's knife in his hands and he was almost frothing at the mouth, Mizuki almost wanted to laugh. "But no guards stepped in when the Yakuza campers killed by sister just for refusing to date them! Why are you the only one protected?" A sickness had come and gone through the camp and in that time Mizuki was the only one put in quarantine in order to protect her from the infection. The others were simply made to work harder and hope for the best. "I guess the General likes me, then?" Mizuki smiled innocently. "Maybe because you're the type to brandish a knife in front of a little girl, maybe that's why he doesn't like you."

The man, Sato if she remembered correctly... not that she cared too much about remembering anyone here, really, he surged forward, with his friends making sure Mizu couldn't easily break out. "You with that smug smile, we're all sick of you. We thought you were a sweet kid, but you're the opposite. You're vile." So they were serious now, then? "Then let's play a game, mister! Let's play hide and seek!" If this was the only way, so be it. She ripped her pants right where her light bearing mark was, smiling like a doll would. "Just remember that I'm a light bearer, okay? Step aside or I'll kill you three." The sight of it was enough to stun them into letting her push past.

"But if you can find me, then feel free to do as you wish, okay?" This wasn't going to end up being anything major anyways. Matsuoka would find out and once again come to the rescue as always.

But he didn't. Because at the moment, a fight was threatening to break out between rescue forces and Matsuoka. The Black Reaper was back on the front lines, too. When those with a grudge against the youngest Matsuri realized that the guards weren't coming to save her, they took up arms. "Let's have a worker's revolt and break out ourselves!" An disorganized angry raging mob formed, with two goals. One, escape. Two, kill the General, the guards, and Mizuki Matsuri.

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"Men, today is when we get the Prophecy for ourselves." K said with a smile as he - he was a he today - approached Camp Epsilon. Natsuo was at Epsilon, he arrived with his squad when he heard of the worker uprising. And since he was the Bearer, Mortimer knew it was time to strike. "Let's find and take Natsuo Matsuri for ourselves, friends." This would be their first offensive against Ira Shoku. Without the Prophecy, exact method to bring the Goddess to ascension, or darkness, or even to retain her humanity are all but impossible.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri Character Portrait: Ronan Hemond
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❝Stand up, stand up, the Little Sinner stands before you now!❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#762D73 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #BF3B3B】

|| Let the Flames Begin || Paramore ||




Aria felt uneasy, she wanted Yui with her just in case because the one time she took her eye off of the fish was the time Yui was taken away. There was always a risk that that could happen again. But Hime and the Matriarch both expressed the need for Aria to be on the front lines if she wanted to rescue Mizuki in time. For some reason there was activity happening inside the camp and Aria wasn't sure what was going on, but she needed to get to the bottom of it before it was too late. She was donned in her school uniform, with a traditional-themed coat for warmth, and a mask to protect her identity. The Kasamino Academy uniform was entirely for Mizu's sake, so that Mizu would recognize her even with the mask on. "My job is to be the spear that breaks their formation." Aria was the strongest of them, she would be their wrecking ball. "I'll be at her side, naturally." Fox said, wearing his own fox mask to go with her.

"Remember, Yui." Aria warned before she left to the front. "If we lose you, I'm flushing Ping down the toilet, so you better not get kidnapped again."

Luckily Ally would be right there at Yui's side. In the past week, when Ally wasn't in dreams or bugging cats, she was training. Training to be strong - probably never as strong as Jenny, but strong enough to be worth her own salt. The girl was learning guns, though she didn't want to kill so she had tranquilizer darts in her custom-made gun instead, thanks to her father's genius engineering smarts. Her aim was above average for beginners, so hopefully she and Yui together would be a good duo for the evacuation squad. Aria stood at the forefront with Raven in her new baby, raving to go. Fox was with her as well. The three of them were the front line, with HIVE agents and secondary freedom fighters from Hime's undersea base assisting from the sides.

Facing them was the famed General Matsuoka, one of Shoku's more decorated allies. This man fought and defended them from China's attack in the Chinese-Japanese war of 2030, around ten years ago. He definitely had experience against China's mech suit armies, but was he prepared for light bearers and an army of criminals bearing military-grade arms stolen from Setagaya? Not to mention the Ionic Tank Raven created, it was finally ready for action. Raven took the microphone, grinning from ear to ear.

"People of Camp Epsilon, rejoice! Your saviors are here to save the day!" She shouted as the twin dragons of fire and wind rose up into the sky as a symbol of rebellion. "After all these years, it's time to stand up and fight!" The dragons burst forward, rushing right at the military battalion where the General stood like a shield wall to guard the camp. "Go." Raven said to Aria and the Fox. "I'll command the troops, you guys do your thing." The Black Reaper was here too, eager to get a piece of the action. Don't engage was Hime's order, but Raven wasn't under Hime's jurisdiction.

So she fired a railgun shot from her tank right at the Black Reaper who blocked it with his blood tails. "Idiot, it's electricity, blood conducts electricity too!" Not as well as seawater, but better than water because of the iron. The Black Reaper got a taste of electricity but somehow he seemed to shrug it off. It was enough electricity to take out a bull, so how was he still standing? "Shoku must have taught you well, then." She opened the top of her tank and glared at him. Aria and Fox were directly engaging the General, so it was up to Raven to handle the Black Reaper.

"It's been a long time, brother." She whispered to herself, thinking of days long past, of days that could have been. "I'm your opponent today, Reaper. Just try and kill me." And so Raven flooded Ronan's mind with seeds, each one screaming at him to obey her and shed the shackles that bonded him to Ira Shoku's control.

Someone was knocking on the door. Who could it be, who was banging? Mizuki sadly, wasn't burnable like a book so there was no such thing as a perfect hiding place, but the girl's bathroom was as good a place as any, right? Even if someone came in they'd have to check every stall and by then she could sneakily escape while they're busy distracted by the stalls. The knocking grew more incessant but then the door was blown down. Someone entered and then Mizu had the strangest feeling. So she peeked out from the top, standing on her tippie toes on the toilet seat.

That wasn't an labor slave at all.

"Natsuo?"

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Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri Character Portrait: Ronan Hemond
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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




"Yui will be safe!" She promised, giving Aria a thumb's up and a grin. The little fish dug into her pocket, taking out an envelope and pushing it into Aria's hands. "Luck," Yui said quietly, the severity of the situation hitting her hard. The Meiji Jingu had, had a box full of those lucky envelopes. Yui had only gone there once, but hadn't returned due to the aura surrounding it. She felt as though she didn't belong in someplace so holy. Her, a street rat with only a rag-tag group of stray cats to call her friends. So Yui had stayed away after taking two lucky envelopes, knowing that if she ever opened them, they would no longer be lucky. "Um, Yui is going to... protect! Yui will protect friends." They would be rescuing whoever they could out of the labor camp but that didn't guarantee that they could save them all. Even the runt understood the severity of breaking into a place like this, especially with the Black Reaper present.

Her's and Ally's jobs were mainly by the gate, away from the fighting. They were to protect those the HIVE and FF saved from the Enforcers and round them up onto the buses. Yui's heart raced as she thought about the implications of being seen, what could happen if any of them were taken. Not only as light bearers, but as law breakers. They would be punished heartily, Ira Shoku would not hold back his rage. Yui swallowed hard as she clambered into the car, leaving Ping behind to guard the house. Damian gently helped Yui put on her gloves and she wiggled her fingers, not liking how confining they were. "Remember what Leo said," he whispered. Leo had gone to work this morning of course, he had a real life and a job with obligations to the hospital as a future Doctor. Just like his Father, Leo was going to go into General Surgery, an intensive, high demand career.

The gates slowly opened, Yui stood outside in the howling snow as the sun began to rise, casting shadows across the ground. She shivered, glad that she would not have to go inside of the camp and see what conditions these miserable labor slaves were living in. Ally stood beside her, gun cocked and at the ready. Yui had her blood sword, although she didn't anticipate needing it. Ally wore a rabbit mask, one that only covered half of her face, obscuring from the nose and up. Yui did not wear one, her sensory issues did not allow it and so she donned a medical mask that covered her nose and mouth, hiding at least some of her identity. It was one of Ally's cosplay tools really, Yui was just borrowing it for the mission.

It didn't take long for the refugees to begin pouring through the gates. They stumbled over themselves, some bloodied due to the riot they had thrown, others carrying weapons to defend themselves from the enforces. "Remember what we're supposed to say?" Ally inquired, giving a shove to a boy that had fallen. "Come on, keep moving, the bus is that way," Yui yelled it over the crowd, her throat scratching after what seemed like the thousandth time. "The bus is that way! Bus that way! The bus is that way!" Most listened, others were simply cattle following the crowd.


Ronan could sense her, he could feel the girl the same way that she most likely could feel the pulsating of blood in his veins. His plasma cried out for revenge, but his orders were strict. Ronan had a mission of course, she would have to wait until the hour was ripe for the picking.

Like calls to like.

He speared three pesky humans before the real meal came. The gates were shot down and standing before him was a tank with a girl inside. She shot something at him, but it hardly tickled his senses. Ronan's nostrils flared, his eyes becoming consumed in a ring of red. He turned towards the girl, feeling something in the back of his mind. "Stay out of my head!" Ronan growled, tails lashing similarly to whips overtaken by the wind. Ronan lunged, an animal like roar in the back of his throat. His tails lashed out, but it seemed the girl was smart and retreated to the inside of her tank. Ronan's collar buzzed in warning, he couldn't afford to let anymore tails lose, lest he wanted to pass out. So he pulled back, just a little bit, going for those that surrounded the tank. He split them in two, unraveling their innards like jump ropes as he threw them at the tank. Ronan grinned a sickening grin, "You won't win!" He cackled, "not against me!"

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Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri Character Portrait: Ronan Hemond
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❝Stand up, stand up, the Little Sinner stands before you now!❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#762D73 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #BF3B3B】

|| Let the Flames Begin || Paramore ||




Natsuo was here. Why was her big brother here? "Mizuki." He breathed, relief coming on his face in droves. Mizu opened the stall door and stepped out. She had already stolen someone else's pants so that her mark wouldn't be visible, thankfully. "I'm here. What are you doing here?" She flashed a silly little smile. "This is the girl's bathroom, silly, you should leave!" Natsuo wasn't going to laugh at her amazingly genius joke though, how lame was that. "Don't you hear? There's a riot, the slaves are fighting back." He looked pale, and Mizu could smell the smoke coming off of his gun. "I'm getting you out of here, and then I'm going to take you to the Freedom Fighters. We're going to find someone named Hime, she'll be able to protect you." He paused in consideration but then continued. "Aria's there too, she's been a Freedom Fighter this whole time."

Well, naturally that was the case. Why else would she have never visited this whole time? Mizu had already guessed her big sister joined the rebellion, so this wasn't news to her. The riot, however, was. "An outbreak? They wouldn't be this reckless, Natsuo, that's just dumb." There have been previous attempts but Matsuoka always ended them with force before the slaves could become any danger to anyone. This time that wasn't happening. "So the Freedom Fighters are here." She shook her head then. "I'm the Bearer, Natsuo, if I'm with the Freedom Fighters, won't that put them in danger?" The girl was a strategist, unlike Aria who held the title simply for respect purposes, Mizuki was an expert thanks to all of the games she used to play. Well now she'd have two years worth of games to catch up on. "Shoku will probably focus on the Cocoon first."

Cocoon was the official title for the ear-feathered girl, because she was just a cocoon which would one day hatch and give birth to something greater. Of course, only Mizu knew the exact steps to make it work. Shoku had a good part of it done, but if he didn't want to screw up the Ultimate Weapon idea, he needed the Prophecy. At this point Yui hadn't awakened, so if she ended up dying again there was a risk she would simply die and the Light Seed would go dormant until another fated person was set to be born. "This jailbreak was a dumb idea. The most important thing is to protect the Cocoon!" Well, right now wasn't the best time to discuss things anyways. So Natsuo picked her up like a sack of potatoes. "We can continue this later, but for now, we have to go." Gun in one hand, sister in the other, Natsuo got to work.

Until another gun showed up right next to his face in the dark hall of the abandoned barracks. It belonged to a very feminine looking man with teal hair. "Hello, Bearer." He said in that silky voice of his. Natsuo raised his gun but then there was a very threatening click. "Why don't you come with me, and no one has to get hurt." K said, crinkling his eyes in a genuine smile. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to that sister of yours, do you?" Mizu knew it was best not to reveal that she was the real Oracle. She could, however, do this. "I'm a light bearer." She tore a hole in her new pants with a sad sort of sigh, revealing the dim glow of the Puppet. "If you don't want me to show you my power, let me and the Oracle go."




The flames were clearing a path, though the camp was already alight and it wasn't because of the Fox. The campers themselves did this, burning up Camp Epsilon in a blaze of rebellion. "Down with Shoku! "The armed ones cried. "We won't live oppressed any longer!" They were fighting carefully, only shooting from behind cover against the few guards still in the place. The main military force guarding Camp Epsilon was stuck outside, dealing with the duo of Aria and Fox as they fought to gain access to the camp proper. "We gotta go fast, Fox, I don't want to do all this just to find a burnt corpse for a sister!" He nodded, flicking a finger to generate a wall of flames at General Matsuoka. "Please excuse us, we have more important things to do than to play with you."

"I assume this is about Mizuki, isn't it?" Matsuoka grinned, already ordering soldiers to extinguish the flames set up by Foxie. "Well, you should know that she's very safe under my care." A perverted look rose on his face, the depravity of General Matsuoka finally showing through. "For being so underdeveloped, she is very attractive, I must say. Do you want to see the images? There's her first period, or when she changes, or when she's peeing..." Fury rose up in Aria as if she were a madwoman and she lunged and then almost instantly was caught in an electric net. What an idiot to have fallen into a trap. She hissed, screaming and raging against the net but to no avail. Fox growled, ready to attack but Matsuoka's grin only widened. "Don't have any funny ideas. Surrender now or I'll raise the voltage so that the bird will never fly again." What could he do? What could he do?




This time, Raven wasn't able to be the one to jump in for the save. No, she was busy dealing with the Black Reaper himself, to keep him from targeting anyone that might not be able to handle him. "You will obey my commands, Reaper." She yelled from the tank, a speaker transmitting it so that he could hear. "Don't think you stand a chance against me." This tank was built to assault the Roppongi Building, so what did the Reaper think he could do without mass explosives to fight back? Blood? Maybe against unarmored humans, but against a giant metal tank? He could just kiss his hopes goodbye.

But her soldiers were dying, and that was bad. If she lost too many men, she wouldn't be able to stand against her, well, her other enemies besides Ira Shoku. She needed to preserve them, somehow. So Raven stepped out of her tank, waving her railgun. "Stop massacreing the weak ones." She said flippantly, aiming the weapon right at her target. "You should focus fire on me instead." So the Black Reaper charged and this very well would mean death. But a vine suddenly tripped him up and some of the smoke cleared to reveal Tsukasa, with Midori on his back. "I'm only here to repay a debt, Raven." He growled, holding up a slew of heavy duty weapons like the crime lord he was. "So don't think we're allies here." Midori giggled despite her fear of the Black Reaper.

But even then, he was still too strong. Even like this the Reaper could slaughter the three of them. But it wasn't just the three of them, there was still someone else. With a resounding crack someone seemed to materialize right behind Ronan, landing a sharp kick right to the back of his head. Xavier, wearing a mask that made him look like a wild beast looking to kill. "That was for Jenny." He yelled, kicking again. "Die, just die!" But this was precisely what Raven was planning for. As Xavier pummeled the now unconscious Ronan, Raven stuck him in the back with a syringe stolen from her very own mother's stores, sending Xavier into a slump. She dialed up Damian. "The plan worked. The package is secured." She sighed, slightly surprised she was still alive. "I don't know how you knew he'd show up like this, Damian, but good job."

The brief distraction of tranquilizing Xavier was enough time for a blood tail to snake up and skewer her through the gut, intestines spilling out her front. The Reaper wasn't asleep, and even if all the bones in his limbs were shattered, his tails were lethal enough to still get his target.

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Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri Character Portrait: Ronan Hemond
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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




It seemed as though all of the refugees were out, but Yui didn't see Aria and she hadn't seen the little girl that Ari had described. "Yui go in!" Ally nodded, "I'll come too." Together they made their way past the fires and into the burning building, splitting up. Yui headed to the left, running down the hall, past dead Enforcers and prisoners who hadn't made it out. Yui urged them to leave, feeling nauseous at the sight of all of the bodies. The child shook her head, needing to find that little girl. Several gunshots rang out from across the way, Yui assumed that was Ally and hoped that she wouldn't encounter any trouble. She turned a corner, coming across a scene that Yui wouldn't soon forget.

It was the girl, being held by an Enforcer, who was being trapped by K. Silent as a mouse, Yui tip toed up behind the purple hair figure, recalling how they had threatened Yui and her family before. She used the blunt side of her sword to hit against the pressure point in the neck, watching as K crumpled. Yui knew this man, she wasn't sure from where, but this enforcer was familiar. It struck her then that he looked similar to Aria. "Brother? Aria brother?" She asked, trying to sound threatening and mysterious but through the mask her voice came out a bit muffled. "Yes, I'm on your side," he nodded and Yui ushered them to follow her, ear feathers glistening in the low light. Yui grinned, feeling victorious. She had gotten the girl! Aria was going to be so very happy! Yui shook her head, she had to focus and get them out of here.

A few more twists and turns and after fending off a few Enforcers, Yui brought them out into the open, where Damian was waiting with a getaway van. "Good job Yui," he gave her a high five and offered a wave to Mizuki. "Hello there, remember me? I'm Damian, one of Aria's friends." Natsuo placed Mizuki inside of the maintenance truck, which was quite large and had plenty of room for them plus the equipment. "Damian," Natuso nodded, Damian waved and silently the boy went. Yui removed her mask, breathing in relief at the feel of the cold on her skin. She returned her sword to her body and wiggled her gloves off, offering a hand to Mizuki to shake. "Hello, Yui is friend Aria." She attempted to explain, doing her best to be friendly. Would Aria still want Yui around? Would she still consider the little fish family if Mizuki was here? Yui hoped so, she didn't want their nightly snuggle tradition to be impeded, it would be lonely.



Several gunshots rang out, deafening even with all of the fighting going on outside. Matsouka dropped like a rock as the tranquilizers deposited into his bloodstream, enough to put out a moose. Surely it would be an overdose, but Ally didn't consider these things when she saw Aria trapped and the Fox in no position to help. "Surprise," Ally said, receiving the signal from Damian that it was time to go, they couldn't afford to be here any longer, soon the back up Enforcer's would arrive in droves and when they did the Freedom Fighters would be cornered. "We got them all out and Yui went to check for stragglers." Ally said, seeming cocky as she slung her gun over her shoulder, squealing like a child when she accidentally hit the trigger.



Ronan was angry. His bones hurt, his body ached, but still, his fury permeated the air, spearing Raven through the stomach. Unfortunately for him, Raven's genetic signature was still programmed into his collar and therefore, Ronan could not hurt Raven without consequence. He choked as he felt the piercing in his neck, the stab that meant he had done the wrong thing. Ronan let Raven drop and his tails went mad, lashing at anything within five hundred feet of him. He clawed at the snow, attempting to rise, but Xavier had beaten the bloody hell out of him and combined with the hallucinogen, Ronan was at his most helpless. So his tails protected him, forming a barrier around his body that nothing would be able to get through. "Die," Ronan managed to hiss before he passed out.

"You never learn, do you?" He awoke to lights shining in his eyes. Ronan did not cower despite the claw that reached down to grab him from the snow. It carried him up into the helicopter and deposited him on the ground. Shoku wasn't there, but his voice was, a holo eyeing Ronan with clear disappointment. "The camp is in ruins Ronan and I only asked one thing of you. You let your rage get the better of you again." He was shoved onto a stretcher between several enforcers and a paramedic, who strapped him down. Ronan swallowed, feeling the weight of the electric cuff on his arm. It would heal him, but not without consequence. "I did... what you asked," Ronan panted, struggling to breathe with the straps holding him down. He felt claustrophobic, as though he was back inside of that cage.

"You could have killed her!" He was talking about Haruka of course, the daughter he loved despite the fact that she despised him. "I implanted... the tracker," he heaved. Ronan had even used some bodies as paint, turning her tank into a bloodied mess. "You've failed me once more Ronan, I can't let this go unpunished." Ronan closed his eyes, he knew it was coming, he knew what was coming.

There was a chill in his bones despite the warmth. The enforcers lifted the stretcher out of the helicopter and began rolling it into the elevator of a nondescript building. Down several levels they went, until they were beneath the ground. Ronan swallowed hard, opening his eyes at the familiar room. "Open your mouth," Shoku ordered and Ronan obeyed, the chalky taste of the pill left on his tongue. The enforcers shoved Ronan to his feet, bones still on the mend, and chained him to the ceiling, his arms hanging above his head. "You earned this Ronan, just remember, every time you cross me, you earn another strike." Ronan hung his head, his clothes were removed, everything aside from his trunks gone. He felt the sting of the whip on his skin, another lashing, the scars on his back still raw from the last one. "Let's make this more fun, maybe now you'll learn your lesson."

He felt the pinch of a needle and his world swam. A hallucinogenic had been administered, ensuring that he would be having an awful night.

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Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri Character Portrait: Ronan Hemond
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❝Stand up, stand up, the Little Sinner stands before you now!❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#762D73 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #BF3B3B】

|| Let the Flames Begin || Paramore ||




The battle was all but over, with Yui, Ally, and Damian being the last minute heroes when all looked to be lost. The Freedom Fighters were taking Mizuki with them, and the sickly girl was glad to take Yui's hand. "You're Aria's friend? My name is Mizu, I'm her sister!" She took a quick mental note of the ear feathers. This was the cocoon then? This was the one they had to protect if they wanted to defeat Ira Shoku? She had discussions about the Cocoon with Natsuo before, and Hime was sure to through Natsuo let Mizu know just how important the Cocoon was. The way Hime and her brother referred to her sometimes Mizuki questioned if the Cocoon was just an inanimate object or something. Who would have thought she really was a tiny little thing? "Let's be friends!" She didn't recognize the fancy looking girl but she definitely did remember Damian. "Sorry for all the trouble my sister no doubt caused. She's such an idiot, seriously!" Aria scowled in the corner as field medics tended to her many burns from the net. "Shush." She grinned, the tears already spilling. "Welcome back, little sis."

The truck was moving and now the HIVE was packing up to go. Raven was in tatters, she failed in her plot to have the Black Reaper abducted and taken away. If he was stolen, then Raven would have gone forward - but no, he had to have gotten away safely. But still, time was running out. Something had to be done to change the playing field, or else the Freedom Fighters would always be stronger than the HIVE. "Fox. Do it." Raven whispered as she was taken away to have her stomach fixed. "I know it hurts... but it's time. Do as I order." Raven knew who the Prophecy's Oracle truly was, she knew that little girl with the stunning violet eyes was the one. And Yui was right there as well. Both pieces to the puzzle of divinity, just waiting to be taken away

The storage van was implanted with explosives. Small ones, not enough to kill anyone inside. Fox felt like a terrible person inside, betraying his girlfriend like this. "Remember what I said before." He said, holding a locket with pictures of the two of them together within. "No matter what happens, I still love you, Nemi." But duty came before love and so he pressed a button, blowing up the wheels of the storage truck. It skidded and crashed, the occupants no doubt stunned. Donning a black outfit to obscure his identity he moved in. There were two targets here - Mizuki and Yui. It was time to fulfill his master's orders.

At the explosion Aria's first instinct was to grab Yui and hug her, shielding her with wind and holding her close. It was entirely based on habit, and she wasn't in the habit of having to protect her sister too. So when the black figure lifted up Mizuki she didn't know what to do. She couldn't move, they needed to wait until Hime's truck realized what had happened. "Don't! Don't take her!" The unknown man couldn't bear to look at the woman he loved like this. Orders were to fight and take Yui but he couldn't, not like this. Raven would have to come up with another plan to take her. "You better leave now." Mizu said quickly. "Or else Nemi will kill you, whoever you are." Being taken away again, what a surprise. She was used to this, though.

Hime made sure Mizu knew that in the occasion where both she and the Cocoon were in trouble, her job was to give herself up to protect the Cocoon. As an agent of Prometheus, she would fulfill her duty. "You can have me, but please don't hurt them." The Fox hesitated but then he nodded. "Don't touch her!" But she couldn't move, even though she heard Hime's truck returning to check on them she couldn't move, her leg was trapped and she was almost delirous. "Don't take her from me!" The sickly girl grinned and wiggled her fingers. "See you later." She whispered as she was whisked away by the strange man, taken away to be a prisoner of the HIVE.

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Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri Character Portrait: Ronan Hemond
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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




So this was Mizu? Yui was so glad! Aria was going to be so happy! "Yes, friends!" Yui agreed, clasping Mizuki's hand in her own. The door to the van opened and Ally came tumbling in with Aria, who was so happy she cried. It was a great reunion and Yui sat next to the window with Aria between her and Mizuki as they meandered back towards the base, Xavier sound asleep in the back. Yui was feeling sleepy, she had hardly gotten any sleep last night and would take a nice nap when she got back. Damian was sitting in the front with the driver and Ally was in the back, already fast asleep. Yui was listening to the sister's catch up, "Yui did... good?" She asked through a yawn when the tires blew out and her world flipped upside down.

The air did a moderate job protecting her, but even with it, the seat belt snapped, inflicting a cut on her neck. Blood trickled down her kin as the car landed upside down, Yui hanging from the seat. The door was thrown open, the cold air blowing in. "No!" Yui screamed, struggling against the seat belt that had locked. No! Yui had worked so hard, Mizuki couldn't just disappear now! The stranger disappeared, taking Mizuki along with him. Yui was feeling more tired by the second, no doubt suffering with a mild head injury. Her eyes closed and she drifted off as Hime knelt in the snow, pulling them out of the overturned car herself.

When Yui awoke once more they were back at their base in Odaiba, the injury around her neck wrapped. There was a cool cloth on her forehead and she was in her pajamas, as though this morning had all been a bad dream. At least Yui had gotten in a nap?
The fish sat up, realizing that she was on the couch. They were all laying around in the living room, the Doc attending to all of them. "Oh, look who's awake," he said in jest with a gentle smile. "Mizu?" Yui asked, but the Doc only shook his head. "She was taken, I'm afraid." He replied sadly, kneeling down to tend to Aria's burns. Whoever had put the bandages on had neglected to clean the burns first. Yui felt her heart clench painfully, Aria wasn't going to be happy when she awoke. After so long, they had been able to reunite for less than an hour.

Yui managed to squeeze her way onto the couch next to Aria and she lay there, hoping that it would help ease whatever pain Aria was in. Ping came to visit, sitting on the pillow beside Yui's head. His tail swung lazily and he watched them keenly, a great big yawn coming from the very small cat.

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Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri
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❝Lalala! Ahaha! Am I humaning right? ❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FF3587 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #89CC16】

|| Devil on my Shoulder || Faith Marie ||




Just behind the tree stood a certain evil genius, armed with a syringe and a bundle of warm clothes to snuggle in because of how cold the weather was. With Ira Shoku no doubt playing with his new you to try and figure out what he knew, there was no better time to do this. Yes, it'd be better if her plan to capture Ronan had succeeded, but still. She couldn't wait anymore, not with everything that was at stake. It had been time to act and the Fox performed adequately in capturing the Oracle. And sure enough, Loretta showed herself. Or, Yui, if that was what she preferred being called. "Ah, there you are." Raven smiled and who knows? Maybe it was genuine. "Let's get moving, we don't have time to waste." The Matriarch managed to fix her up, though she had to admit, she was still smarting from being skewered like a shish kebab.

But still it was fine, pain didn't matter as long as her plan could continue it's progress. "Thanks again for coming." She wrapped an arm around Yui as they went back to the Fox's car for extraction to the Ikebukuro Base. "I really appreciate it Yui, you have no idea." Because really, the doll had absolutely no idea what was in store. "Here." She winked. "Take my hand and let's begin." She took Yui's hand and squeezed it tight and the next moment her other hand moved in to put Yui to sleep. "Good night." It was pure brutal efficiency at play here, there was not a moment of hesitation. Of course, she wasn't a barbarian. Yui wasn't going to be locked up or anything. But until she found the Prophecy's location from the Oracle she couldn't work on the Ultimate Weapon.

But she could use her seeds to try and unlock Yui's missing memories of Loretta, couldn't she?




These dreams were always very strange. Why was a doll here sitting in the hospital room with no exit door and a window that showed only a crude painted image of an outside? Why was there an indistinct puppet in her hospital room? "Why can't you show up as human?" Not that there was ever an answer. There was probably a message here but it never came through, no matter what the Oracle did she didn't understand what her Goddess was trying to tell her. "Maybe if you tried harder. You're a Goddess, you're supposed to have limitless power." In fact, why couldn't the Goddess just wave her hand and fix everything, anyways? Why was the Cocoon relegated to the destiny of becoming a Goddess? If that was the case, and if Yui was still very much in the Cocoon, who was this and why were they here?

Well, whatever.


Mizuki yawned, bored. She just didn't know what to do, really. Maybe she'd get a heart attack so that at least something interesting would happen. Teasing Aria and Damian would be much more entertaining than sitting around a base full of people with seemingly no personalities beyond serving a certain someone. It was almost as if someone had wiped their minds except for one task - to obey. "Maybe if you let me play games I'll tell you where the Prophecy is." She grinned wickedly at the Fox. They knew each other before this, long ago. She in fact had searched him out specifically to scout Aria and transform her into the Little Sinner. So it was very strange to be here with him. "Come on, don't be stuffy. If I'm gonna be here, might as well have fun doing it, right?"

The Fox shuffled uncomfortably. Out of everyone here, it seemed he was the only one with his mind intact. "Not without permission, I can't do that." He said, stiffly, hands in his pockets. So subservient to the little Mistress wanting to be a Matriarch. "Just behave at least." But that was boring. She wanted to cause trouble at the very least, or maybe even be tortured because at least then she could give silly mindgames to her captors. But they wouldn't even do her that kindness. And then the door opened, Mizu craned her neck to look.

"Why did you let her out of her room?" Raven asked her only sane soldier. Mizu giggled, glad to see the Fox writhe in discomfort. "She wouldn't stop, um... touching herself. In front of me. This was the only way." He was very much not interested in the body of an underdeveloped sickly fifteen year old. "What? I was bored!" The Oracle declared defensively to the captor. "And stripping bothered him so I figured why not annoy him? At least it's something." She noticed the Cocoon was here. So she'd really have to play this carefully instead of screwing around then. If none of the Freedom Fighters were here to protect the ear-feathered girl, it would have to be up to her, wouldn't it?

Give yourself for the cause, Hime had told her. The Oracle exists to serve the Cocoon, and if need be, give up her organs to save the Cocoon's life in an emergency. They were a match and according to Mayumi, it was as close to deliberate as possible. The Cocoon was here. It was time to play chess with Raven, then, wasn't it?

Setting

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Character Portrait: Aria Matsuri Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri Character Portrait: Ronan Hemond
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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




Raven smiled and Yui, being naive as she was, believed it to be genuine. "Mm!" Yui agreed, there was no time to waste, they had to go save Mizuki and Damian from whatever brute had taken them away. The two girls walked towards the car that was parked somewhere on the other side of the street, away from the view of the Odaiba safe house. "Yui will always help," the light bearer said, smiling and taking Raven's hand. Goodnight? What did that mean? Yui felt a jab in her thigh and her head grew light as the anesthetic entered her blood stream. She fell to her knees and if Raven hadn't been there, would have face planted with the snow. "Raven?" Yui whispered, her world full of light quickly becoming dark.

When Yui awoke she was in a strange place. Her shoes were removed, as was custom inside of buildings, but her coat remained. The light bearer winced when she reached back into her mind, trying to piece together how she had gotten here. She was sweeping the floor and then... and then she fell in the snow? And now she was in this strange place with. "Mizuki!" Yui scrambled to her feet, tripping on the carpet while she ran. "Yui found Mizu!" Her eyes sparkled at her accomplishment of finding Mizuki a second time. Aria was going to be so happy! And just on time for her birthday too! Now all Yui had to do was find Damian. Somehow, the troublesome situation completely evaded the little fish and if she knew that it was Raven who had drugged her and brought her here, well, Yui would be none too happy.

Still, she always had her abilities that she could rely on if something happened. Just like the first time Yui was kidnapped, all she had to do was use her blood bending and she could escape. Of course, Yui didn't want to end up on the streets again so this time she'd be sure to steal a map if need be. Yui turned, someone stepping in front of the door. Fox? What was he doing here? Had he been the one to take Mizuki? Why would he do that? Unless he had saved her and brought her here? Perhaps he would be bringing Aria here later to take both girls home? Yui looked the other way, seeing Raven and her confusion grew. "Raven... knew Mizuki here?" Yui scrunched up her nose as she thought of the words she needed. Had Raven rescued Mizuki?



So, the beast had a real name? Damian could have laughed if he weren't in such a terrible situation. He swallowed hard instead, his mouth awfully dry. "Ronan," Damian tried, the boy turning towards him with a brow quirked. "You don't have to do what that man says."

"No, I don't." The beast repeated, "I want to." Ronan's eyes glinted cruelly and Damian cried out in pain. His body burned, even the whisper of the drafty room making it feel as though needles were digging into his skin. "What did he give me? What was that drug?" Damian inquired, eyes wide, clearly frantic. Ronan took his time answering, slowly pulling off his jacket and squeezing on a pair of gloves. "It enhances your senses, something like adrenaline but a side effect is the amplification of pain." Ronan grinned, leaning down. He sucked in a breath, letting it out in a puff on Damian's face. The Freedom Fighter bit down on his lip to keep from whimpering, his own action causing the pain to spike. "Please, don't," Ronan reached down, grabbing Damian's ankle and digging his nails into the bandages.

"Where is she?" Ronan asked, "where is the girl?"

"Who?" Damian replied, feigning ignorance and stupidity. "What girl? I know many girls." Ronan flicked the bottom of Damian's foot, causing the boy to jolt and cry out. "Tell me where she is and I'll stop," Ronan moved, grabbing Damian's hand and pushing his finger back. "I can stay here all day," he whispered, licking his lips in a way that made Damian distinctly uncomfortable. "We'll start with an easier question then. What's your name?" That was something he could answer, because his name was distinctly American but his last name was Japanese. It was something he wasn't afraid to give away. "D-Damian,"[/color] sweat beaded his forehead, Ronan released his finger. Could he tell if Damian was lying or not?

"Damian," Shoku's puppet repeated, he slammed a hand against the table, making Damian jump. "Why did you take her?"

"She's just a child!"

Ronan's laugh was cruel, "you keep saying that. She's almost 15," Yui was that old? Damian realized something in that moment. He could benignly get information out of Ronan, he could state facts that were wrong and Ronan would correct him. Damian knew that this theory needed to be tested, however, before he acted on it. "The girl... her eyes are green right?" Ronan growled, grabbing his finger and pulling it back.

"Her eyes are blue!"

"She's tall?"

"I'm the one asking questions!"

When Ronan was done, Damian's fingers were all broken, he was bruised and bloodied and crying for it to stop, but he had given no information away. In fact, Damian had gained two important facts. Yui was almost 15 and Ronan had a weakness.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri
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❝Lalala! Ahaha! Am I humaning right? ❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FF3587 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #89CC16】

|| Devil on my Shoulder || Faith Marie ||




This was supposed to be easy for Raven. All she needed to do was seed her two prisoners and then everything would solve itself. But for some reason she couldn't quite bring herself to do it, at least, to the extend that would require it. Yes, Yui's mind was seeded but only a little it. Only to hopefully open the door to memories locked away. As for Mizuki, well, perhaps there was something in those sharp violet eyes that she just couldn't bear to destroy. The way Mizuki challenged her, the way she refused to give everything up and also refused to let herself be affected, it was no wonder Ira Shoku had never ended up trying to corrupt her. There was something very strange about this girl, but she couldn't quite piece it together. A true intellectual challenge; was that why she couldn't seed her and be done with it?

"What are you doing?"

Wasn't it obvious?

"I'm playing with my fingers." The Oracle said from her room. "It's more entertaining than doing nothing." So then Raven tried strapping all of her limbs to a bed so that she couldn't move. And yet Mizuki was still looking as if she was enjoying herself. "Why are you smiling?" The Oracle giggled. "I'm playing an RPG game in my head, this is fun. I just saved the game and am making good progress." How did that even make sense? "What's wrong with your mark?" She asked and Mizuki shushed her. "I'm playing, isn't it rude to interrupt?" Was this what Ira Shoku had to deal with? And yet instead of frustrating her, Raven felt something warm in her chest, something she didn't know how to explain.

It was time for Yui to wake up then, and just on time, she did. "Yes, I rescued her and brought her here." She said. Mizuki laughed then. "No, she kidnapped me. You shouldn't trust her, um, ear-feathered-girl. Yuki? I think you said Yuki?" Raven gave her a look and the Oracle giggled again. She was being very inappropriate for a prisoner, that's for sure. "Yui, do you know a Loretta?" Raven asked, putting her hand on Yui's lotus blossom. "Deep inside of you, please look." She asked another question, this one perhaps more pertinent. "Do you want power? Enough power to take away all the bad things in the world? To stop evil people like Ira Shoku?" She flitted her finger to Yui's heart where she imagined the Light Seed was hidden. "Do you want the power to save the world?"

"She already has it, though?" Mizuki interrupted. Wait, how was she here in the room with Yui, how did she get out? The Fox was there, looking very guilty. "Sorry." He stammered. "She beat me at 'Guess what number I'm thinking of in my head." He was the number maker and Mizu guessed it in two seconds flat, out of 100 numbers. "We all do, because we're all light bearers. We already have the power to save the world." She smiled sneakily at Yui then, walking right up to her. "Don't trust anyone but me." She whispered to the Cocoon. "Look at the random staff, do you sense it? How their eyes are empty, how their movements are all the exact same?" Stripped bare of everything that made them individuals, now they existed to obey the orders of their master.

Raven scoffed. "Stop telling her nonsense." She urged. "I clearly don't have a light bearing mark." If she wanted to bring back Loretta, she needed to retain Yui's trust, she couldn't have Mizuki spoil everything. "But you do, don't you?" Mizu giggled knowingly. "Some kind of mind power, I'm guessing?" Maybe her words were of warnings but the Oracle's demeanor was all fun and games, it must have been a strange mismatch to be sure. "The Goddess has spoken to me, her Oracle, and she decrees that you must taste good." Who knows? Maybe it really was a message from the original Mizuki, or a transmission of her love for her Raven. So Mizu took Raven's finger and licked it, cheeks flushing pink. Raven, for all of her plans and intellect, had no idea how to handle this ball of chaotic energy named Mizuki.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri Character Portrait: Ronan Hemond
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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




To say Yui was confused would be an understatement. The little girl blinked, looking between Mizuki and Raven. If Raven had saved Mizu and brought her here, why didn't she just take her to the base in Odaiba? Perhaps so they could find Damian and rescue him first? "Yui is Yui!" The girl corrected Mizuki; her name was not Yuki, although it was close to it. Yui looked back up at Raven when she asked her a question and shook her head in response. "Yui no know," the fish scratched her cheek, trying to recollect if she had ever met a Loretta. Raven placed a hand on Yui's stomach, over her light bearing mark and Yui squirmed, wondering what Raven was doing. She placed a hand over Yui's heart, asking if she wanted power.

Yui considered the offer, on the one hand, she wanted to be able to protect everyone, but on the other, she was afraid. What if she had more power? What if it changed her and made her into someone like the Bad Reaper? Yui shook her head once more, she didn't want more power, she just wanted to be stronger, to have the chance to prove herself and protect those she cherished from the bad things. "Yui no want," she whispered, taking a step back. Yui didn't care about the world quite yet, she was still learning about everything and what she had seen so far was ugly. When she was on the streets in Shibuya, no one had offered to help her. Then again, what about how much fun she had, had at Disneyland? It had been a beautiful day despite the fact that the Bad Reaper had come to ruin it all.

Yui was going to change her mind, she was going to accept Raven's offer when Mizuki began to speak. Yui already had the power, she said, they all did. Mizuki leaned in, her whisper tickling Yui's ear. Yui was feeling rather queasy, her uncertainty written across her face. Why couldn't she trust Raven? Wasn't Raven one of the good guys? Yui reached out to try and feel the blood of those in the building and realized that their rhythms were all the same. It was as though they were all calmly going about their day, but the child had become highly suspicious. She stepped away from both girls, confused and frightened. A blood knife formed in her hands and Yui backed away, towards the door. She didn't like this situation, she wanted to go. Yui would run and tell Aria where Mizuki was so that all of the Freedom Fighters could come and save her. Yui couldn't do it on her own, as much as she wanted to, she wasn't strong enough yet.

Raven was a light bearer? No, there had to be someone else behind all of this. Raven was just a normal girl!



When Ronan returned it was with a tray of food and a bundle of clothing. "Get dressed," Shoku's lackey said, undoing the straps so that Damian could tug the white shirt and drawstring pants on. It was odd, for a man who loved darkness to have surrounded himself in the purity of white. Damian fumbled, his fingers wrapped and buddy taped due to the fact that they were now all broken. "Give me that!" Ronan snapped, "you're taking too long." He placed the shirt over Damian's head and despite his brutishness, was oddly gentle. Damian's meal was, he noticed, completely nutritionally balanced. It seemed that Shoku wanted to keep his light bearers in top shape. "What does he want with me?" Damian asked between a mouthful of food. He hadn't realized how starving he was until the smell of food had hit his nose. It was good, distinctly bland, as though the maker had put no heart into it, but better than what he had been expecting. Ronan did not answer his prompt, perhaps he did not know what Shoku wanted with him? Or maybe he just liked knowing that he had more information?

Considering the condition they had found Yui in, who had been on predigested formula for who knows how long, Damian had been afraid that all of his meals would be coming in via protein shake. "Don't move," Ronan warned when Damian was done. Damian froze instinctively, not wanting to be hurt again. Ronan undid the straps around his ankles and lifted Damian as though he weighed nothing, dumping him unceremoniously in a wheelchair and strapping his wrists and ankles down. "You don't have to do what that man says," Damian spoke quietly as Ronan wheeled him out of the room. Where were they going? Damian looked back at Ronan and blushed, noticing the delicate curvature of his chin. "If you escape, you can come with me, you'll be free." Ronan grinned, Damian had only just noticed the bandages peaking out from underneath Ronan's shirt.

"I don't have to do anything, I want to." The pills made him obedient. The pills made Ronan's mind a blur. They repressed his feelings, they scattered his memories, preventing Ronan from lashing out against his master. Despite his words, Damian could tell that Ronan was thoroughly beaten, perhaps suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Ronan laughed, the sound cruel and grating. "I have everything I could ever need or want. Food, clothes, power." He cracked a knuckle, causing Damian to jump. They had reached their mysterious destination and Ronan placed his finger on the reader, the door opening. He wheeled Damian in backwards, going down a slight incline and into a narrow hallway with doors lining either side. Damian swallowed hard, wondering what was in store.

When Ronan opened up the last door on the right, it was revealed to be a room fashioned into a medical office, a tray of tools laid out on the table. "Have fun," Ronan snickered, turning around. He ran a hand through his short hair and Damian could have sworn he caught a glimpse of a bar code on his neck, the same place where Yui had her's. Is that was this place was? Was Damian going to be receiving the same treatment?

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Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri
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❝Lalala! Ahaha! Am I humaning right? ❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FF3587 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #89CC16】

|| Devil on my Shoulder || Faith Marie ||




Raven sighed at Yui's preparation for the attack, the blood sword was out. But she didn't want to have to collar this girl, that wasn't it at all. Her enemy, Mizuki, hardly seemed bothered by the sword. Was there just something wrong with her head? "Good Yui, don't trust her." The violet-eyed girl said with a sly grin. "Let's be a team and get back to big sis Aria!" Judging at how Aria was so protective of Yui during the truck crash, no doubt Aria and Yui had a special bond. So naturally Mizu would use that as a wedge to get the door to Yui's friendship open. Raven wasn't going to let that happen. "Fox, take her away. Now." He bowed and then took the sick girl by the wrists. "Don't hurt her, please." Mizu sounded like she wanted to cry now. "She's just scared, okay?"

Once the cute enemy nuisance was removed, Raven turned back to Yui. "You have amnesia, you forgot who you were before Yui." She was stating it as a fact, because, well, it was. Raven sat down slowly, raising her hands in surrender to show that she meant no harm. A gentle approach, not something like what Ira Shoku or the Matriarch would do. "We're sisters, Yui. Your name used to be Loretta. It's okay if you forgot Loretta, I just want to build that bond again with you, is all." Did Yui need evidence, was that what would have to happen? Oh, if only the adorable violet-eyed girl insufferable Oracle hadn't raised Yui's suspicion, this would all be easier. Wasn't the orders to expressly keep her in her cell? And yet she was able to make the Fox let her out.

Well, the data was on her holo and Raven brought it up for Yui to see. An old picture of her, Loretta, and Ronan together in the Shoku manor. This was after the deaths of the Hemonds. The three were children and they got along in the brief time Shoku allowed her to meet them. "I am Ira Shoku's daughter." Raven announced, knowing she had to reveal it. "Shoku killed your real parents and took you in as his child. Ronan, the Black Reaper, is your brother, and he was taken too." She grimaced, looking away. "I tried, but we still haven't been able to save him yet." Ronan had been corrupted, that much was obvious. Loretta probably had too, but at some point Haruka hadn't been allowed to continue seeing her.

"When was it? Maybe four years ago, when I found out what my father was doing to the two of you, I couldn't just let it continue." The story of how she shed the Haruka name and became Raven. "So I helped you and Ronan to escape to safety, because I didn't want him to turn the two of you dark." With a heavy sigh Raven raised her sleeves and pant legs, revealing many, many scars. "I got caught and, well, I was punished for that." Not many people noticed because of how she liked to ride her tank in battle, but her hip had been damaged during the torture and it healed badly, causing her to have a bad limp when she walked. "The Matriarch helped me escape, and then for two years I developed a plan."

A long extensive plan to free Loretta and Ronan and have them join her. But the Matriarch, no matter how thankful Raven was for saving her, she was an obstacle on the way to defeating Shoku once and for all. Only with full control of the HIVE would she stand a chance. "About two or three months ago, with my plan, we managed to save you before Shoku could turn you into his White Reaper." She didn't need to say that Yui already was the hidden Reaper, Yui didn't need to know about that. "I just want us to be sisters again." But then she was interrupted by someone laughing. When had Mizuki come back and why was she here?

"Aww, that's cute. But Yui still wants to go back to the Freedom Fighters!" She grinned devilishly and Raven grimaced. "Why are you even here, I thought I had you sent away." The tease pest giggled again. "Oh, I just told the Fox that I loved him and he didn't know how to respond, so I ran away." Her eyes narrowed dangerously then. "Let me room up with Yui or I'll keep causing trouble, okay?" No, Raven really didn't want that. But as much as she hated it she knew she was going to need this girl's cooperation too, if she wanted the Prophecy.

"Only if Yui wants that." The evil genius decided. Well, it was fine. The Freedom Fighters still had no idea who had taken them. As far as Aria and the others knew, Shoku had all three of Damian, Yui, and Mizuki. She was still counted among their friends for now.

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Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri
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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




Mizuki was led away by Fox, who begged for Yui not to be hurt. Why would Yui be hurt? Raven wouldn't hurt her! Unless she was the enemy? Yui held her sword out, her body rigid, her expression pained, as though she didn't want to make this decision but had no other choice. She turned towards Raven when the older girl began to speak, her hands shaking while Raven slid into a seat, the black haired girl's hands raised in a show of peace. Slowly, as Raven spoke, Yui became curious. She inched forward, sword held out in front of her in case Raven made any sudden moves. When it became evident that she was not a threat, Yui lowered her sword, allowing her blood to flow back inside of her. She stood, however, her hands balled into tiny fists, looking completely non-threatening despite the fact that she was completely capable of holding her own.

"Sisters?" Yui repeated, slightly baffled. Raven was her sister? Yui looked down at her hands, then back up at the almost-leader of the HIVE. How could they be related? Raven looked nothing like her! Then again, Aria and Mizuki didn't exactly resemble one another either. "No! Bad Reaper is no... is no Yui's brother!" She protested, shivering at the thought of that maniac being related to her. Raven typed something into her holo, an image popping up of the three of them. Yui gasped, taking a step back. That didn't prove anything, they had all been captives of Ira Shoku, that was the only explanation her mind was able to comprehend. Yui shook her head, "no true! Raven lies!" The girl stuttered in broken Japanese.

Raven had the scars, she had that photo. Yui took another step back, her heart clenching painfully in her chest. Raven's own father had turned against her, so she had developed a plan but it ultimately had failed. Yui hugged herself, feeling suddenly cold. If Raven was her sister and the Bad Reaper was her brother, what did that make her? A monster? The White Reaper? Her fear was evident on her face, Yui didn't want to be anything like those people. She didn't want to be bad! She wanted to be good! She was a Freedom Fighter, an agent of the light!

"No!" Yui shook her head, in clear denial. "Bad Reaper no Yui's brother!" Being sisters with Raven, Yui could handle. After all, Raven wasn't a bad person, she just wanted them to have the bond that the two had previously shared. It was the other part the little girl was struggling with, the fact that Ira Shoku was her Father. Not by blood of course but that was something that Yui couldn't understand yet.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Mizuki arrived, having come to save the day. "Yui want Ari," her voice trembled, it was clear that the poor thing was on the verge of tears, barely able to comprehend what anyone was saying. Mizuki was the closest thing to Aria right now, so Yui ran to her, clinging to her, Mizu's scent similar, although her blood pattern was vastly different. "Yes," Yui whispered, voice hoarse from yelling. "Yui stay with Mizu." It was in that moment that one of the seeds Raven had planted attempted to niggle into the depths of Yui's mind, to return the memories that were gone. Yui's grip on Mizuki lessened and the light bearer slipped to the ground, the seed inducing a seizure.

It hurt.

Her chest burned, her back arching painfully while her hands clawed for purchase against the tiled floor. It felt as though Yui couldn't breathe, her blue eyes rolled up into her head while her muscles contracted, a tonic-clonic seizure induced due to the misfiring of the seed in her brain. A puddle of yellow formed beneath her and Yui managed to choke out a single word.

"Help."



Damian had been moved from the wheelchair to a metal seat, the steel cold and hard against his back. He shivered, watching the Tech prepare tools for something sinister. The Tech turned, wearing a medical mask and holding a scalpel wrapped in blue plastic. "Hold still," the man warned while unwrapping the scalpel. Damian held his breath, the tiny knife digging into the flesh just below his wrist, where the ID chip every citizen had was implanted. "No," Damian whispered, knowing what this meant. They were erasing his existence, erasing the evidence that Damian had ever lived. "No!" He yelled once more, louder this time. Blood dripped down his wrist as the Tech dug into his wrist with a pair of tweezers, then sewed up the small incision with stitches that would dissolve over time. "Stay still," the Tech grumbled, tossing the scalpel into the bin of used medical equipment. Damian slumped over, wondering if them removing his chip meant that he would be untraceable.

The Technician then took out a pair of scissors, snipping at Damian's hair, pushing his head this way and that until his locks were regulatory length. He reached for a syringe with a rather large needle, a tiny chip floating in the liquid within. The man pushed Damian's head down, swabbing the spot with alcohol before shoving the metal underneath his skin of the back of his neck, Damian's new chip anything but regulatory. The final step was a small laser engraving a bar code over the spot where a droplet of blood dripped down his spine. When it was done, Damian was breathing hard, his skin burning, his wrist throbbing. The door slid open, a terrible voice filling his head. "How is the new recruit coming along?" The Technician removed his gloves and mask, disposing of the apron to reveal his uniform. "He's done Sir," Ira Shoku grinned, flashing a menacing row of gleaming teeth.

"Perfect. Ronan!" The beast stepped inside of the threshold, glowering. "Yes Sir?" He inquired, his expression relaxed but his posture rigid. "See to it that the new recruit settles in nicely." He squeezed Ronan's shoulder, taking a device out of his pocket and scanning the bar code on the back of Damian's neck. "Break him in, he'll learn his place soon enough." Ronan grinned a wolfish grin, dropping Damian into a wheelchair and removing him from that awful room. "Yes Sir," Ronan took the handles and took them down another set of confusing hallways until Damian realized that they were in an elevator. The doors opened to reveal a comfortably furnished room with a view of New Tokyo. "Where are we?" Damian asked, looking down at the city from a height he had never been.

"My room," Damian could hear the menace in his voice. "Why are we here?" Ronan undid the straps binding Damian to the chair. "Because," he said, dropping the boy onto the bed. A fire was crackling warmly in the hearth. "I'm going to break you in." Damian swallowed hard, a terrible feeling filling him with dread.

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Character Portrait: Yui Character Portrait: Mizuki Matsuri
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❝Lalala! Ahaha! Am I humaning right? ❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FF3587 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #89CC16】

|| Devil on my Shoulder || Faith Marie ||




Well, Raven's story sure was interesting but that didn't change this situation of them being held prisoner. Raven had something planned, Mizu knew that much. She wanted the Prophecy, she wanted Yui to become a weapon to win against Shoku. In a way it made sense. If Yui could be used to end the war many lives would be saved and perhaps the endless winter would finish. But on the other hand, the puppet knew that it was her holy duty to protect Yui from those who would use the Prophecy to manipulate her. Before finding the Prophecy she had been severely suicidal, wanting to end it just to have an end to the boring meaningless marathon called life. The emptiness was overpowering. But now that she had meaning, she was okay.

Something was wrong with Yui, she was having a seizure. The Prophecy did mention that the Cocoon was a body that was unstable and this was just further proof that Yui had something inside of her with infinite potential. But it was her job to let Yui have the choice on what to do with that potential. "Ehehe, looks like something's wrong." She smiled at Raven who clearly had more of a stake in the matter. "You should have someone hold her down so she doesn't hurt her head." Mizu might have offered but well, she probably didn't have the physical strength for it anyways. "Fox, get the doctor to give her medicine." The Oracle giggled. "I suggest Lorazepam, but I'm not a doctor."

Once a doctor came to calm Yui down, Mizuki continued to speak in as calmly a way as she could, to Yui, of course. "You're a Cocoon." She explained, reciting the words of the Prophecy. "People will want to break open your shell to get at the power inside the Cocoon." She slid her hand fondly on the Cocoon's hand, squeezing it. "But your Oracle will protect you until you're ready to hatch and become a beautiful butterfly." That night Mizu had her visions again, although this time things were very strange. She saw conventionally horrifying things, mostly shapes in the shadows. And they were all shapes of herself.

The shape of her hanging herself upon a rafter. The shape of her slitting her throat and then waiting for the blood to pool. The shape of her throwing herself off of a bridge. The shape of her freezing to death in a blizzard. The shape of her shooting herself with a railgun. So many different deaths and all of them by her own hand. Was it hints of possible futures, or residual thoughts of who she was before becoming the Oracle? "I have a purpose now." The puppet said softly, shutting her eyes to prepare to sleep. When it seemed no one was looking in the dark of the night, Mizu allowed herself a small, maybe even human smile. "I won't do something stupid like that." Despite being an inhuman monster, she felt warm in her purpose. In a life that was once cold and meaningless, she had a mission. She was needed. She had a duty that only she could do.

...

That night Ally decided to try to snake into Yui's dreams to contact her and find out where she was. The Odaiba base was no more, they had evacuated away from it and all of their old memories of Jenny and a happy household and were now in the Taito Ward, close to the Ueno subway station. "Please be dreaming, Yui." Ally whimpered, holding her hands close as if in prayer. "Please let me in so I can help." Her powers had to be good for something, right?

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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




Why wasn't anyone helping her? Why wasn't anyone making it stop? Yui didn't understand why the hurt wouldn't go away, images flashing before her eyes that made no sense. She felt a jab in her thigh and slowly, it became easier to breathe, her muscles no longer contracting. Tears leaped into her eyes as Yui struggled to figure out what had just happened. Mizuki's voice permeated her thoughts ever so quietly, whispering words that were no doubt intended to be soothing. For all Yui knew, Mizuki could be speaking in a foreign tongue for her words made no sense to the little girl. "H-help," Yui panted, feeling weak. "Yui is... Yui is hurting." Raven had placed Yui's head in her lap, she was stroking the little light bearer's hair out of her eyes, attempting to be soothing.

Raven lifted her, carrying Yui down the hall to the bathroom. She ran the tub as Yui undressed, the pretty lolita outfit soiled. Her jacket was ruined as well and Raven had Fox burn the two to dispose of any evidence of Yui being in her possession. Yui scrubbed her skin with water, feeling dirty. A streak of darkness had shot through her light bearing mark, her fear and doubt easy to manipulate. Raven had set out a relatively normal set of clothing for Yui to change into, which were waiting inside of what was normally a towel warmer. Yui glanced at herself in the mirror, recalling the first time she had ever seen herself. She looked different now, her face fuller from eating right, her hair just past her shoulders. Yui clasped her hands over her chest as she meandered through the halls, finding where Raven and Fox were taking dinner.

"Yui, come here," Fox beckoned to her in a most welcoming manner. Yui hesitated, like a shy little kitten, standing just inside of the doorway. "Here, we have food." Her stomach growled, Yui hadn't eaten since breakfast after all. Ever so slowly she walked inside, clambering onto a seat where a tray of food was waiting. Fragrant stew, fresh bread rolls, and plenty of desserts were on the table. It was French inspired, since Raven's chef liked to dabble in the cultures of other countries. "Is good," Yui said as she dipped a bit of the bread into the stew, finally having graduated from just liquids to soft foods. "Try the cake," Fox encouraged and Yui took a slice, taking a few bites. "So good," she chirped, rather enjoying herself. For the time she had forgotten about the danger, feeling happy once more.

"Yui sleep with Mizu?" Yui inquired, Raven's face falling ever so slightly. She nodded, leading Yui to where Mizuki was. Yui crawled into bed beside her, wondering if she really was a butterfly.

The sky stretched out for miles, the ocean going even further. Waves lapped gently at her toes in what Yui thought it would have looked like. With a sudden shift, Yui was no longer on a beach with Aria and Jenny, but in a white blank room with only two chairs, a table, and- "Ally!" Yui ran towards her, throwing herself into Ally's arms. Ally smiled, seeming relieved. "Yui, where are you?" She asked, holding her close. "Yui is saving Mizu!" The girl replied, beaming. "Raven is helping Yui!" Because after tonight's dinner, Yui was convinced that Raven was still on their side, that she was still one of the good guy's. Ally breathed a sigh of relief. "You need to tell us next time you run off," she said, tears springing to her eyes. "I'm so glad you're alright."



Turmoil had been released in waves inside of him. Ronan was attractive, his physique in stellar form. He had no interest in bedding Damian, the captive soon realized. No, the Monster had more fun toying with his emotions to draw information out of him. Was it relief or disappointment that filled him? Regardless, Ronan had used these methods of making Damian feel good to get him to talk and Damian fell for it. He gave no vital information, instead, talking about his inner demons. How he had been unable to save his family, how he failed his best friend and felt a strange attraction towards him. Ronan listened, sometimes even offering advice, then getting mad as he realized that he was supposed to be making Damian give him information, not his sob story.

And then he kissed him. It was tender and lust filled and wild, full of an anger that Damian had never experienced and Damian found himself ensnared in the monster's trap. Ronan grinned, trailing kisses down Damian's neck until he reached his navel and then stopped, standing, going to the window. Damian, confused, was left panting on the bed. "Is this what you want?" Ronan asked, taking a drink from the water bottle on the desk and Damian practically screamed. "Yes!" It was what he wanted, so lonely and desperate for comfort, for someone to listen to him, having exposed his inner most demons to a demon himself.

And then his scent filled Damian's nose, intoxicating like pine and freshly driven snow. Ronan's arms encircled him, strong, steady, sure, and Damian was no longer lost in the sea of emotions that threatened to drown him. When it was over, he was panting; hard. Ronan had hardly broken a sweat and redressed Damian, taking him back down to the sub levels of the mysterious building. Damian, in his confessional, had forgot to look for familiar surroundings to orient himself. How could he have been so stupid? He bit down on his lip so hard that the taste of iron tingled on his tongue. "Don't kid yourself," Ronan said quietly and Damian could hear the Cheshire smile tilting his mouth upright. "They're never going to save you. You said it yourself didn't you? Weakest link."

Damian gasped and Ronan yanked his head up, their mouths meeting once more and Damian was hungry and desperate, so desperate to feel loved that he kissed back.

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❝Lalala! Ahaha! Am I humaning right? ❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FF3587 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #89CC16】

|| Devil on my Shoulder || Faith Marie ||




It was time for beddy bye. While Yui was allowed out for dinner, Mizuki had dinner served to her. Now it seemed as if Raven had wizened up to her because no matter what Mizuki said, the mindless slaves wouldn't respond. Like puppets with their strings cut, they couldn't dance to Mizu's tune at all. Yui was stabilized now, so at least that was good. It was the Oracle's job to oversee the Cocoon's growth and ensure she matured to the point of making her own decision regarding her power. This job would be a lot easier if Raven really was as benevolent as she wanted everyone to believe she was. The evil genius clearly wasn't, however, and that was quite obvious. Still, as the Oracle, as an emotionless monster, it meant she was one step above all the humans. Why else was she able to play with most of their strings?

But in her role as the Oracle, it meant no one else stood on the same level. There was Yui, who was another level above, there was the Stars who no doubt wrote the Prophecy that stood even higher. And then the Light Bearers were below her, and the lowest level of all were the normal mundane faceless humans that existed purely for their vices. Yui was returned to her then and Mizu nodded. "It's more fun when you or Yui are here." She said with a cool smile. "The others don't really respond, it's almost as if their minds were wiped." Raven clearly was a light bearer with some kind of mental ability. The only problem would be determining exactly what it was. "Here, your medicine." Raven held the pills in her hands. "I'll give these to you if you tell me where you hid the Prophecy."

Aha, but Raven was such a silly puppet, it would be easy to have her hand over the pills. "Because we're all such good friends, you'll give them to me regardless, right?" She giggled, a bandaid over the threat. "You wouldn't want my heart to give out, would you?" She could almost see the puppet Raven twitching as she tried to resist the pull, but alas, there was nothing she could do. "You're right." She forced a smile. "Here, the pills." Because Raven was trying to cultivate a good bond with Yui, any antagonizing could not be done in front of the Cocoon. With Yui, Mizu was safe. How obvious could this so-called evil genius be?

If everyone else is just a puppet that had no will other than to react to the strings playing them, did that mean they didn't have minds either? Like how Raven controlled her slaves, was there someone above everyone else, too? Did she as the Oracle have strings as well that only someone on a higher level could perceive? It seemed like that was the case, that's for certain. Then, was she real? Did she have any will? Or was all of this just pre-determined, a game among those in the Stars to watch unfold as they wrote this entire scenario? Was she just a character in someone's story, for someone else to enjoy? Was someone dictating her very thoughts now?

Well, even if that was the case, what could she do but fulfill the purpose set out for her? "Don't worry, you'll be my sleep buddy, Yui." She stuck out a triumphant tongue at Raven in victory and then cuddled Yui to a restless sleep.

....

"And this is why you're stuck with me." They were at the Odaiba Base, or what was left of it. The building was demolished, what was once a happy home, destroyed into bits and pieces. Fragments, destroyed chunks of a past life that couldn't be returned to. It was morning and Raven needed to have Yui dependent on her, to rely solely on her. "The others are gone, it's just us now, Yui." She didn't know about Ally and the dreams. If she did, perhaps her plan would have been different. "No matter what, I won't leave you. I'm your sister, so I'll protect you." She had removed the Loretta seeds, given that the ear-feathered girl believed her now. The memories weren't back, but the knowledge was there and that was enough for now.

The ruins of the Odaiba base was probably a little painful to look at. "Let's go back to Ikebukuro now. It's open daylight, so if you want to cry for your old home, you should wait until we're safe in our base first." She smiled gently, flicking her finger to signal the driver to step on the pedal. "I'll always be the shoulder you can lean on, Yui. Please let me support you." How much of it was real, and how much of it was manipulation? Probably equal parts both, really. They had to move quickly because Sanctum was on the search for Yui and K was the one leading the hunt. Her railgun would always be at the ready.

"Please don't hate Ronan." She said quietly, remembering how much Ronan had loved and cared for Loretta when all went to hell. "He's being controlled by the darkness. Once we save him we can help him heal and he'll be good again." She paused, thinking sadly about what Ronan had been made to do. "It wasn't him that killed Jenny. He was just the gun, with Shoku being the shooter." Ronan didn't have a mind of his own, not anymore. But she already had a plan to get him back, to take him and put him in safety. "I'm sure the brother trapped inside of his head was crying as his body was forced to do that horrible thing."

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[❝In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#50A6C2 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #388E8E】

|| Never Enough|| The Greatest Showman ||




When morning came, it was time to go back home. Yui was happy, she missed Aria and Ally, she wanted to see them again and continue her lessons with Leo and her sparing with Ari. Yui clambered into the vehicle and sat beside Raven, her eagerness to leave apparent. Yui babbled about them her whole way home, talking about how Leo was was teaching her to read and how Ally didn't like it that it took so long for Yui to try to piece together sentences. Yui smiled the entire way, her heart singing, her light bearing mark shining once more. When they pulled in front of the Odaiba base, Yui scrambled for the door, sliding across the seat and looking outside the window. Her face fell in confusion. Where her happy home had once been there was now nothing but a smoking husk, the foundation cracked, the walls crumbling. "Home?" Yui inquired, feeling a stab in her chest.

"No," the whisper inched its way painfully out of her mouth. Yui reached for the door handle, but it was locked. "No," a bit louder this time. Raven was by her side, comforting her, drawing Yui into her warmth. Her family was gone; but hadn't Ally had come to her just last night? Hadn't Yui seen her in her dreams? Perhaps it had happened after that, sometime between REM and morning? The child's body trembled, tears slipping down her cheeks, absorbing into the cloth of Raven's coat. Yui curled up on the seat, her head in Raven's lap. She didn't wait until they reached Ikebekuro to cry, Yui broke down right there in the car. She sobbed into Raven's legs as the older girl attempted to soothe her, stroking her hair and mumbling something about Ronan.

Yui suddenly made a grab for the door, pulling at the handle to try and get it unlocked, even while they were moving. There was a stab in her thigh and then Yui felt strangely calm, her head spinning. She sank back in her seat, her body slumping against Raven's arm since she wasn't quite tall enough to reach the other girl's shoulder. Yui wasn't listening to what Raven said, she didn't care, her whole family was gone, the only home she could remember in ruin. It was as if a void had opened up in her chest and her light bearing mark grew a tiny bit darker. Yui wrinkled her nose, her face scrunching up as she tried to think. If Ally had contacted her last night, they could still be alive. Perhaps they were hiding, biding their time, they'd get Damian and then come get Yui? Yes, she thought, that was what was going to happen. With that in mind, Yui was able to console herself, but the sedative made her feel emotionally spent.

"Yui... tired," she whispered, smarting at the hoarseness of her voice. She lay her head down in Raven's lap, falling asleep until they reached Yui's temporary home. The child sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes. The cold pierced her skin while they walked between the car and the building and Yui shivered. Once inside, she removed her boots and looked up at Raven, her eyes red and puffy. "Yui want learn speak," the lessons that Leo had been trying to give her, Yui wanted to continue them so that when she was reunited with her family, she could surprise them with full sentences.



Damian had really done it now. He had accidentally let slip something that had tipped Ronan off. The house in Odaiba, it had a view of the sea, the only house on that abandoned road. It was late last night when Ronan set out and by the time he returned, the house was no longer recognizable. There, now Damian really had nowhere to return to. "Where were you?" Shoku inquired when Ronan returned and the boy grinned. "Hunting," his collar went off, the electricity coursing down his spine. Ronan fell to his knees, gasping and choking. "What have I said about separating yourself from your job?"

"Don't become emotionally invested." Ronan panted from the floor. "Good boy, now, open your mouth." Ronan did as told, swallowing the awful pill that left the taste of chalk on his tongue. "Go get cleaned up," Ira Shoku smiled in that way that made others distinctly uncomfortable.

"I've found my precious puppy." Shoku entered Damian's room while Ronan went to get dressed and briefed. "Enjoy last night?" He asked, scanning the back of Damian's neck. Damian's cheeks flushed bright red. "There's no point in fighting, you may as well tell me everything."

"I'd rather die before betraying them."

"That can be arranged." Damian swallowed hard, noticing the handful of syringes that Shoku pulled out. Damian was strapped down once more, but still he tugged at the binds, uncomfortable as Shoku stuck the needle in his arm, drawing out blood. "Dehydrated," he noted from the color, taking three phials before injecting Damian with two different colored serums. "What are those?" Damian asked, feeling his palms grow sweaty. "One of these is liquid adrenaline, the other is a hallucinogenic of my own creation." In truth it was his wife who created it, but she was kind enough to share her recipe. "Have fun," Shoku left, figuring that by the time it was over, Damian would have no fight left.

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❝Lalala! Ahaha! Am I humaning right? ❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FF3587 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #89CC16】

|| Devil on my Shoulder || Faith Marie ||




The whole trick of letting Yui go home worked and the girl was sobbing, in tears, knowing that her only place to return to now was Ikebukuro. Raven hadn't done it, but she had spies keeping an eye on Odaiba. Usually it was just in case Enforcers were on the attack so she could warn the Freedom Fighters but this time she let it happen, curious to see what the Black Reaper would do. Xavier managed to get everyone out safely, though her spies said that it was legendary to see an all out fight between Ronan and Aria as she bought time for Leo to transfer all of their equipment. Yui seemed to try to escape out of despair but she wouldn't, Raven wouldn't let her. "I'm your only safe space." She whispered into Yui's ear. "Only I will protect you now." There was no one else, why couldn't Yui see that?

After they were back in Ikebukuro and Yui recovered from the mild sedative, she expressed a desire to learn how to speak. "Let me do it." Mizuki said with a strange, unreadable smile. "I'm sure you have other things to do." No, Raven wasn't just going to let her cutest prisoner this infuriating girl control this. She was a prisoner and she needed to learn her place. "I can teach Yui. I have formal education as a student of Saint Lucia's Academy." Yet the Oracle wasn't phased in the slightest. "Yes, and you also have duties as one of the leaders of the HIVE." The Oracle glanced at her for a moment and nodded knowingly. "The fact that Yui's still here means that the Odaiba base is for whatever reason unavailable. That probably means Enforcers, right?" She was smiling at the news? "Shouldn't it be your job to try and contact the Freedom Fighters and locate them to make sure they're safe and okay?"

Once again Raven was left with no choice but to dance like a puppet whose strings were being pulled. Maybe ten minutes later mindless slaves brought a book of phrases for Mizuki to read to Yui, as well as a pen and paper. "Let's learn our own way, free from a book." Mizu smiled, taking scrap paper and she began to neatly write kanji on it, sounding it out for Yui to hear. "Repeat after me." She instructed. "A puppet dances to her master's strings." She enunciated everything slowly and deliberately to let the Cocoon hear how everything was supposed to be worded. "Who's there, the person asked, are you there? Do you hear me?" Her violet eyes were fixated on Yui as if carefully watching for her reactions.

"Two people in a world full of puppets." She continued, inscribing the kanji as she spoke. "Help, do you hear me? But the puppets could not respond as they have no mouths to speak with." She wasn't sure how far along Yui was, and she wasn't entirely sure the correct way to teach someone to speak, but hopefully this would work. "Sometimes doesn't it feel like we're the only ones here, without strings on our limbs?" She stopped writing, a signal that she wasn't in teacher mode and wanted to talk. "Big sis Aria is strong." She said gently. "In fact... Fox, what are you doing tomorrow? Will you be here?" Raven's second in command looked startled as he was called out to. Orders were to ignore the violet-eyed girl but he couldn't do that, for some reason he felt compelled to answer.

"Aria has a concert at the Budokan." He said evasively. "But don't try, Raven really won't let you both go." Mizu ignored that last part. "Let's ask Raven really nicely to let us go. I'm sure if she really cares, there's no way she would say no!" And hopefully once there she could signal to Aria that they needed a rescue. Then she winced and put a hand to her heart, feeling a familiar yet painful twinge all the same. It was only small but she made sure to have emergency pills in her pocket just in case.