Kishi Akumu's Story

Tokyo - Capital of Japan, one of the most-advanced cities in the world, and also the city that has the highest number of Retorta Umbraes in Asia, is where our story takes place.

Millions of people called this city home. No matter days or nights, the streets are always bustling with endless crowds of inhabitants. The city itself is seemingly restless. People are always busy with their lives. They live on peacefully, they continued to hide the ugliest sides of their own behind a perfect facade that can't never be torn.

Yet, they do not know that the sources for all of their misery and sufferings, the temptation that leads them to fall so deep into depravity that they can't never see the lights of day again are lurking and swirling so, so close to them. And they're doomed to their own fates, if not for their saviors, who also live amongst them.

Within the inhabitants are six people, they're young and they have still have so many dreams to fulfilled. Yet they sacrifice it all because they're born with the gift to destroy the vicious, invisible Shades. They are the Elemental Sorcerers, and they've taken the oath to fight and vanquish the Retorta Umbraes for as long as they live. They live together as family and will always be there to back each other up.

Tonight is indeed a beautiful night. The moon is shining serenely and the night breeze slowly blew. Though Tokyo is always busy, it is somehow 'peaceful' in it own ways. Yet, in an abandoned, deserted station situated somewhere in Katsushika Ward, an intense battle is taking place.

After tracking down an S-class Shade which had eaten away its host's body and become a monster, the Sorcerers managed to lure it to this deserted station. Such a high-class monster can give any Sorcerers a hard time if they fight as individuals, but if they combined their forces, the Shade proves to be no match for them.

And this is just one of many nights when these Sorcerers have to put their lives on a jeopardy line in order to preserve the lives of many...

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It was such a peaceful and tranquil night, yet they're here, fighting against their sworn enemies, while the rest of Tokyo still lives on, unknowingly of their protectors. Their three main fighters - Takeru, Lynae and Akane, are fighting directly against the Shade itself while Hiroku, Kishi and Hana are taking care of the smaller Shades that were spawned from it.

Of course, they lived to their title as the strongest Sorcerers, so this Shade is no match for them when they fight as a team. After a while, they've taken good care of the Shade. Anticipated as the trio of fighters finished off the creature, Hiroku couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh. He had seen a person being twisted and devoured by a Shade that engraved itself inside them for thousands of times already, but he still couldn't shake off the sympathetic feeling for what once was a normal human being.

Shooting remaining lesser Shades by his pistols, Hiroku quickly finished them off, alongside Kishi. Calmly put his guns back to his their carrier, Hiroku turned to his teammates with a contented smile. "It seems that tonight's another success, guys." He said while walking to where the monster once stood and picked up what was remained - a crystal with a light yellow color. After a Shade is destroyed by the power of a Sorcerer, their bodies will be crystallized and turn into crystals like this one. They're known as Remnants.

These Remnants are collected by the Sorcerers after they've finished their missions of eliminating some specific Shades. Most of the crystals collected can be used to forge weapons, making accessories, research, etc. And the more powerful a Shade, the more valuable its Remnant. So you can say that being a Sorcerer can actually be a job with good salary.

"Well, another nice catch of the week." Hiroku said while playing with the crystal, "Looks like we're going to have a feast soon." He then stretched his arms with a yawn, "Let's go back, guys. It's been a long night."

While making their ways out of the station, they peacefully made their ways back to their apartment. Despite their outfits and all, they didn't seem to stand out much in the crowds of people. Probably because people were way too busy with their own business to have a moment to mind someone else. On their ways, they exchanged their idle talks and chats like they always did - Takeru and Lynae were having a cat fight again, Kishi and Hiroku were laughing and talking about all sorts of stupid things like the game they've just played yesterday or something like that, and Akane and Hana are in their own world, engaging in girl talks like they always did.

Well, if life can always be like this, what else could Hiroku possibly asked?

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The crisp Tokyo air was as muggy as ever, can't expect much from a big city, can you? Well, at least in this secluded area, the air was nice and the area was a bit spacious. It would have been a real nice place to hang out. Unfortunately a giant, stalky figure of a sickly visage towered over Kishi and his friends. It put a real damper on the mood, but it was the reason they were there after all. With Takeru, Lynae, and Akane dealing with the main threat, he and Hiroku alongside Hana took care of the small fries that were being drawn into the area.

The job wasn't horribly hard and thankfully no spiders really showed up, so Kishi was able to remain a bit aloof through out the fight. To lighten the dark mood of having to deal with such depressing creatures and to loosen any hold they may try to latch on to one of his teammates, he let out amusing or flustering statements.

"Hiroku, bet you can't 360 no scope that one in the doorway behind you." Or. "Hana, your hair is so pretty, like fluttering snow when you move like that. You should take up dancing lessons!"

Smacking what few shades there were with the end of his staff, he planted it into the ground and leaned into it with a content sigh.

"It seems that tonight's another success, guys."

Hiroku had spoken up, drawing Kishi's attention. He couldn't help but let out a soft smile as he listened in while closing his eyes. It seemed the job was done and everyone was alright. He opened his eyes to look at the results of the fight from the sidelines. A brilliantly yellow Remnant had seemed to form.

It was almost tragically poetic. Such horrendous creatures that tormented humans and took on unseen and grotesque forms, all tey did was hurt those around them and cause problems. However, once the problems where solved and defeated, a small and beautiful gem was all that was left behind. He smiled at that thought. He felt humans where the same way and to him it was a beautiful thought.

"Almost as pretty as Akane, though Akane's shape is a bit livelier." He gave a bit of a wink as he pulled his staff from the ground, draping it over his shoulders.

"Well, another nice catch of the week. Looks like we're going to have a feast soon. Let's go back, guys. It's been a long night."

They all, pair by pair, began to leave the area. He was naturally found walking beside Hiroku, after all they knew each other better than anyone else.

"Oh, that game was sooo tough. After you went to sleep it took me like four hours to finally solve that one room's puzzle. I felt like such an idiot. Turns out you were right about the statues, it was just you had to move them into the right order before you tried that other bit." He made pleasant idle chatter with his friend, smiling happily. Moments like these were great.

Takeru gave off a large sigh of relief once the monster had been slain, the flames which surrounded him slowly died off as he placed his hands in his pockets. The fight lasted longer than he had wanted it to, simply due to someone getting a bit too into it, Lynae, her element being water made cooperation between the two slightly off. Dulling Takeru's flames and getting in the way of any attacks he had thrown.

Takeru looked up to the night sky, the stars where much easier to see in this secluded station, no light pollution was around to ruin the view and the atmosphere was silent of any busy civilians. It was calming, tranquil, something Takeru had forgotten long ago. Perhaps this could become a new place to retreat to, a place where nothing can disturb anyone's thoughts.

"Let's go back, guys. It's been a long night." The words of Hiroku broke the silence, these words were a little irritating. Perhaps it's because it seemed like an order more than a suggestion, something which made Hiroku seem more like the leader. Not that it mattered anyway, Takeru had already begun to walk on with the group. His small, kind smile cancelled out the natural glare of his eyes as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. As he raised one to his mouth, the end suddenly ignited, allowing Takeru to smoke away as he naturally matched his pace to Lynae's.

"You should control yourself more, Lynae. You kept dulling my flames." Takeru stated towards the blue haired girl, the oldest of the group, but also the bitchiest. Of course, these words were most possible going to start yet another fight between the two leaders.

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The giant, fox-like beast before them had grabbed every drop of Akane's attention, and she couldn't bring herself to worry about anything else during the battle. Her eyes scanned the situation and she noticed how badly Lynae and Takeru were working together, their powers snuffing each other out. Without a second thought Akane jumped in to pick up where they had left off, detaching one of the beast's legs with a powerful swing and swiftly hopping out of the way as the two continued to fight. For a moment her eyes moved to Hana, and upon seeing that she was perfectly fine, Akane returned her gaze to the monster they had to defeat. With a few more hits, the beast fell to the darkness, leaving only a crystal behind.

Akane slipped her katana into its sheath and hurried over to Hana, taking her usual place at the younger girl's side. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? I can carry you if you're tired." Akane eyed Hana from head to toe, making sure there wasn't any evidence of injury or pain.

The team made their way through the crowded Tokyo streets and Akane turned the conversation from Hana's health to less concerning topics, such as how their powers were developing and what they wanted to have for dinner. Akane had never really been one for average conversation topics and soon enough she was sliding into a rant about piano sonatas and how she almost had enough money saved up to purchase the piano she'd been wanting. She watched with silent amusement as their two bosses began arguing like usual, their opposing powers only making it more entertaining.

When the group made it back to their little suburban house, Akane couldn't help but wonder how they didn't seem suspicious to any of the other residents lining the street. They spent hardly any time in their home and yelling was constant, surely loud enough to invoke someone's frustration, yet they hadn't received any complaints from their neighbors. She shook off the thoughts and plopped down at the kotatsu table, letting out a sigh.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if we're actually making a difference. We've killed so many Shades, yet they never stop showing up..."

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The night was peaceful, but betraying to the scene that was unraveling. Hana, along with Kishi and Hiroku, was busy tending to the smaller, less troublesome Shades that had gradually flooded into the area. Akane, Takeru and Lynae however, had to contend with the larger beast not too far away; just close enough to allow the girl an occasional moment to shoot a glance at her teammates and see how they were fairing, especially her cousin, Akane, when knowing her fighting spirit all too well. Granted, while it hadn’t been the deadliest fight she had come to find herself in, Hana still gave it her all and naturally, grew a little anxious for the end result and what would come of it.

Not long after the battle had ran its course and the beast came to a swift demise, Hana allowing herself a sigh of relief, only briefly, as she observed Hiroku collecting the remnant that was left in place of the Shade. ”Oh! I’m fine Akane,” She replied, sounding somewhat surprised by the other girl’s sudden appearance at her side. Offering a light shake of her head she softly added, ”That’s alright. I’m perfectly able to walk still so you don’t have to worry just yet, alrighty?”

Moments after, the group had begun to make their way back to the apartment. The streets were crowded as expected; bustling with everyday humans going about their ordinary lives, even at this late hour, and Hana couldn’t help but wonder just what it might have been like to have such a normal existence. Not that she minded being a Sorcier, not at all, despite what such a cause entailed. Snapping her gaze back to Akane and listening, Hana offered an understanding nod now and again, when the conversation permitted. ”I’m sure you’ll get that piano in no time, and then once you do you can teach me how to play it Akane.” She said with a hint of hope to her tone; despite the pending tension she could sense from the two leaders, and secretly praying that the pair wouldn’t erupt into an argument.

Thankfully though, on the other side, Hiroku and Kishi were getting along and lost in their own boy talk. Hana meanwhile, as she spoke with Akane, could feel her own stomach rumble a little once the topic of dinner was brought up. She didn’t know what she wanted, and quite frankly Hana would have eaten anything by that point. Though the temptation to have a nice hot bath was also appealing, as well as heading straight for bed if feeling lazy enough.

When they reached their home Hana hurried in after Akane, stretching her arms out wide as a light yawn escaped her suddenly. Then, when hearing the other girl’s comment, she spoke up to add, ”Don’t feel down Akane, you made a big difference. I mean, think about how many people will be a bit safer now that you’ve taken down that Shade, hm?” Beaming a smile at the black-haired girl, Hana tried to remain positive over the issue. With that said she made her way over to one of the windows and peered out at the dimly lit street. Removing her hat, Hana hugged it tightly in her arms and against her chest, nuzzling her chin down into it for reassurance while remarking to the group, ”Anyway, it’s been a long night, so let’s not dwell over it while we have some time to ourselves for once.”

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Unlike most who took such a tranquil night to be enjoyable, Lynae found it aggravating mostly from what she was doing at the particular moment. Narrowly avoiding a flying appendage that the blue haired woman assumed was the work of Akane. It was quite troublesome dealing with this Shade since Takeru and her kept cancelling each other out. The fact this kept happening almost every time they fought alongside each other was really starting to get under her skin.

Lynae flicked the Shade with the tip of her saber, inflicting a sever case of frostbite onto its skin. She had been doing this every chance she got as it was one of the few things she could do that wouldn't be rendered pointless by Takeru's own attacks. However it was about time they wrap up this fight. Being careful to stay out of Takeru's firing range, she formed a large spear of ice and launched it at the Shade. For once her attack fully pierced the area around the Shade's neck and shoulder, causing it to cry out in pain and stumble. After a few more attacks from the others the Shade finally fell.

She had been on top of the Shade, which she realized wasn't the smartest idea due to what happens when they die. Jumping down from her now gone perch, Lynae rolled forwards to lessen the impact and stood back up. Brushing herself off, she sheathed her saber and placed it back at her side. Lynae watched Hiroku pocket the Remnant with keen eyes. This one had a light yellow tint to it. When she thought about it Lynae found it interesting how one could utilize what was left of something so foul for better purposes. It's quite ironic isn't it. she thought to herself.

Hiroku's words raised an alarm in Lynae's mind. For a moment she wanted to do the exact opposite of what he has said but she convinced herself it was only a suggestion, not some order from a child. It wasn't like Lynae was that much older than he was but she was the oldest of them all. The thought was a bit upsetting since she has heard Kishi call her old before. She retaliated by treating him like the child he was.

Regardless of whether the teams gunslinger was suggesting they go home or ordering them, Lynae began the trek back. As usual the Sorciers settled into pairs with Hiroku and Kishi holding up the back, Hana and Akane the middle and of course Takeru and her led. The two immediately matched their paces and the first thing that came out of Takeru's mouth was something of a complaint. "You should control yourself more, Lynae. You kept dulling my flames."

Her face set into a scowl upon hearing him. "Really now? You should watch where your flames go Takeru. They kept melting my ice and the little water I could draw from the air evaporated before I could even use it." she said harshly. One thing that was notable about Lynae that made her words sound harsher then they really were was her voice as it was a bit raspy.

Silence ensued between the two long enough for Lynae to glance around. Like the others she did wonder how no one paid them any mind as they walked through the bustling city that was Tokyo. Not being a native to the small island country, Lynae was always surprised by the things Japanese people did. Now that that moment had passed, Lynae continued. "You really should keep in mind that your flames will render my attacks useless. It's no wonder it took us so long to take down that shade." Not that was blaming him specifically but it'd be good for him to be aware of how others powers worked.

"I'm not like Akane where you don't have to worry about getting in her way. . . Hmm actually even then you would. Fire is a light source. It's a wonder Hana and Akane get along so well or how any of us get along." Her criticism ended up going nowhere but it didn't matter really as they had arrived at home.

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As all of their gang made their ways back to their apartment, their conversations between them seemed to be going on well. It's already late in the night already, but the streets in Tokyo are still bustling with people moving back and forth. It almost felt as if it's a restless city. But of course, to the six of them, they didn't only see the people, the tall buildings and all the colorful lights.

All kinds of Shades, range from as small as a rat to as big as a giant blue whale, are swirling amongst the streams of people. Well, although the Shades will not attack the Sorcerers first as long as they didn't use their elemental powers in front of them. But Hiroku has to admitted that it was kinda eerie, not knowing that there's thousands of creatures coexist right beside you. He was scared of his gifts at first, all of them were, but in the end, they managed to live with it after all.

Hiroku chuckled as Kishi talked about the game which they played the other night, "I see then. So I suppose you haven't encountered the boss yet? If you met him you can ask Akane on what to do, she's really good in dealing with bosses. Tell me when you've reached the last dungeon."

And after about 15 minutes of walking, they finally made it back to their apartment in Minato ward. Their apartment is a rather large one, since six people are a bit crowded. The renting money every month was paid by the organization, but any other living expenses had to relied on the money they got after selling the Remnants to the Sorcerers who are interested in experimenting or crafting them - these people are known as Merchants. Or finding an extra job if they can managed to. Because the six of them mostly targeted A-class Shades to above, and some of them are taking on a second job besides being a Sorcerer, you can say that they're quite wealthy in comparison with other teams around Japan.

The apartment has a nice, cozy living room with all the stuffs in a normal house like a TV, a set of speakers, a kotatsu table etc. There are four bedrooms, in which two are bigger than the other so Hiroku and Kishi stayed in one, Akane and Hana stayed in the other, while the remaining smaller ones are, of course, stayed by Lynae and Takeru. There are a bathroom in each of the room. The kitchen is also equipped with all necessary utensils and stuffs. Quite a normal living place for the Sorcerers, isn't it?

Upon entering the house, Hiroku stretched his arms and exhaled a relief breath, "Ah, finally we didn't have to see the Shades again." Because Hiroku has set up a system within the house's walls, using the combined elemental powers of the six of them, the Shades won't be able to enter their house unless their classes are above S-class. It was nice knowing that there's still a place to go back where you didn't have to catch sight of the detestable creatures.

They then exchanged a few more conversations before Hiroku looked at his watched. It's already 11:30 PM. "Well, it's already late so I'm going to bed for now. Coming along, Kishi?"

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"Good night." Akane said, waving lazily to Hiroku and Kishi before leaning her head on her arm and sighing loudly. "Does anyone else wonder how those two aren't a couple yet?" Brutally honest, as always. Not bothering to wait for an answer from her comrades, Akane stood and let out a yawn before walking into the kitchen. What should I make? Looking at what groceries they had, she made a mental note to go shopping the next time she had a day off. She ended up pulling out some leftover takoyaki and reheating it, splitting what was left into two servings and grabbing a can of iced coffee before returning to the living room. "Hana." Akane patted the seat cushion next to her and gestured to the plates of takoyaki.

Akane ate rather slowly, ignoring the steaming temperature of the food and burning her mouth on several occasions, meanwhile attempting to make conversation with Hana. A multitude of topics popped up as they ate and she couldn't help but be serious about each one, treating every sentence as a debate. It wasn't long before the food was gone and Akane became bored almost immediately after their conversation stopped. "Hana, you look tired. You should get some rest." Akane picked up the empty dishes and headed off to the kitchen to wash them, returning with another coffee.

Her abnormal - and rather unhealthy - sleeping habits were not secret, and though she suggested sleep for her cousin, she knew that she wouldn't be getting any herself. Plopping down at the kotatsu, Akane grabbed the TV remote and flipped through channels while sipping on her iced coffee.

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The young boy let out a long yawn, almost unhinging his jaw in the process. He was clearly tired and the fact he had school the next day didn't help matters much.

"Neh, sure thing. I'm going to be up for a little to finish my homework though. Didn't get much of a chance today."

He rose to his feet, having been sitting cross legged on the floor. He outstretched his arms out to the others in a rather boisterous fashion. "Lovely princess Hana, her gorgeous knight Akane. Lord Takeru, Old hag. Good night everyone! I'm off with prince charming to bed, so don't stay up too late!" He gave a cheerful wave and turned on his heel, trotting over to one of the larger shared rooms.

"GYAAAAH!!!!!" A rather 'manly' and high pitched shriek echoes throughout the compound as the pinkette had vanished from sight. He shot out backwards from his open door, his lower back colliding harshly with the doorknob on the opposite room door. The door fell open, causing the boy to fall even further back and for him to tumble right into Lynae's room. He could be found upside down and propped up against the end of her bed. "Hng...!" A pained whine, quiet compared to his earlier shriek, whispered almost silently from his lips.

The most terrifying thing known to man kind rested on a back pack that had been casual dropped off in the room in haste. It's eyes shown a dull black, it's long front legs rubbing against each other like a crooked man would rub his hands at the sight of a lot of money.

It was a spider.

Yes.

A spider.

The boy had caused a huge ruckus, nearly broke his back and neck, invaded a woman's room. All because he was scared of a spider.

He forced himself to sit up right, slightly pained as he gave the insect a troubled look. Kishi had had a pretty bad history with the presence of spiders, suffering thanks to something similar for a long time. "...."

Takeru gave off a cocky smile as Lynae went off on a small rant. It's more like picking out reasons to start a fight, something both irritating and amusing. If he could, Takeru would set fire to the bitch right now. Although, he would've done so back when they first met, she really did mess up her first impression. Although, strangely enough, the surrounding citizens of Tokyo didn't seem to pay any heed to the argument as the group walked through the streets. It would make sense for a few stares to occur due to the peculiar dress sense of everyone, along with the raised voice of the bitch. Not like it matters, Takeru was used to being invisible to society, as if he was one of those 'shades' no normal person acknowledged him. Only the weirdos.

"Really now? You should watch where your flames go Takeru. They kept melting my ice and the little water I could draw from the air evaporated before I could even use it." Her words were slightly harsh, as if trying to intimidate. Like that would ever work on Takeru, the only thing that her words did was ignite the small spark in Takeru's mind of arguments.
"You really should keep in mind that your flames will render my attacks useless. It's no wonder it took us so long to take down that shade."

"Listen here, woman. You don't seem to realize the simple idea of teamwork. If you left me target the head while you give it's balls frostbite or some shit like that, then we wouldn't have this problem. Your powers are even worse to my attacks, the only reason your 'air water' kept evaporating was because I had to increase the temperature, just to keep my flames alight." Takeru answered back, his voice monotone and calm as he spoke, although it was obvious to the others that he was annoyed. The way his cigarette was quickly burning away was a major pointer.

Finally, the group had made it back to the apartment. Hopefully allowing the argument to dull down, even for a little bit. It's much more silent within the apartment, it was nice. Much better than the confusing noises of the outside world. As Hiroku and Kishi decided to head off to bed, Takeru took his place on the couch. Leaning back with his arms held across the backrest. He gave off a large sigh of relief and comfort as his body slowly slumped down into a comfortable position. "Yeah, night you two." Takeru replied to the guys as he headed off to their room, of course Kishi had to make the highligh of the night as he bid everyone goodnight; "Old hag", it was pretty obvious who this was directed to...

"Heh, 'Old Hag'" Takeru repeated as he turned his face towards Lynae, a small annoying grin placed across his face as he did so.

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Hearing both Hiroku and Kishi heading for bed, Hana turned to the pair and offered a simple smile and wave to them both. ”Goodnight both of you.” She said while unable to stifle a giggle towards the younger ones comment, though quickly brushed it off all the same a moment or so after. With that thought in mind the young woman was contemplating making a retreat to her own bed just then, feeling a sense of fatigue overcoming her gradually. But just as the possibility had come and gone she heard her name; shifting her gaze immediately onto Akane, who was sat and gesturing for the girl’s presence next to her.

”It smells nice,” Hana quietly commented when settling down and picking up a bowl, though the girl almost always loved whatever her cousin offered regardless, and seemingly cleared her plate by the end of every meal. ”Hey Akane, maybe next time I’ll try and fight too, well, at least more than what I already do.” She piped up a little unsurely, as if still debating her words in her head. It was true that the girl wanted to fight; to try and do more for her team, however, lacking the know-how and perhaps the physicality, Hana knew it was an uphill battle in more ways than one, so to speak. Not long after, and with the meal done, Hana gave another stretch of her arms while Akane took away the empty dishes.

”Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Not really in the mood to whine over it, Hana got to her feet and gave a nod upon the other girl’s return. ”I’m heading for bed so I’ll most likely see you in the morning? I know how pointless setting out your bed is,” Despite sharing a room it was not often Hana would find her cousin asleep in their quarters, and although believing the older woman knew better out of the pair, Hana did not entirely approve of her unusual sleeping habits. ”Still, if you get tired enough you can always share my bed, alright? You know I don’t mind.”

With Akane preoccupying herself with the TV, Hana spared a moment to look to the two leaders before heading off. ”You two better get some rest as well, so don’t stay up too late, got it?” She lightly joked with another smile, ”And don’t listen to them Lynae, you might be old but you’re not that old!” With that said she finally took her leave of the area and began to make her way to her own room.

However, her attention was quickly placed onto the youngest member once more, as she gave him an odd, yet curious stare. ”You ok, Kishi?” She hadn’t seen what the boy had clearly seen; though found his behaviour a little odd. ”It’s pretty late and you have homework to do, right? Better get it done or else the teachers will have you for breakfast; as well as Lynae if she spots you in her room. Anyway, I’ll see you pair in the morning.” With a quick bow to both the pink-haired lad and Hiroku, Hana hurried off to her room to begin getting ready for bed.

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Hiroku chuckled as he listened to the pink-haired boy saying goodnight to everyone as they also told them to sleep tight, in which he secretly felt grateful that he was able to stay alongside and have such quality times with such precious comrades like this. In the past, he's never even wanted to change himself, but now, he's happy that he's taken this direction. At least, there's still something Hiroku thanks for the Shades is that they've brought them together.

Hiroku nodded to Kishi and the rest of the team, "Please rest well, everyone. We never know what will be waiting for us so it's best that we're ready all the time." He said to his team before heading into one of the bigger room that is shared by him and the pinked-hair boy. Since their room is quite spacious, they divided the room into specific spaces with all sorts of things you could find in a boy's room.

They shared the same wardrobe and pretty much share any other furniture in the room together, they also slept at the bunk bed in the corner. The only things that are distinguished for each of them are their desks. While Kishi has a smaller one that is suitable for normal high school students, Hiroku got the big one where he put all kinds of stuffs like his computer, printer, scanner, and other gadgets.

Stretching his arms again, Hiroku went and put the Remnant they've collected earlier on his desk. He can go and trade it with a Merchant who was his acquaintance first thing tomorrow. Well, he was pretty much the one in charge of keeping and managing all the income, after all. He then went to the wardrobe and took out some of his casual clothes. "Hey, Kishi. What do you wanna have for tomo-" Just as Hiroku was taking his shirt and jacket off, his question was interrupted by a shriek from the younger boy who was standing across the room as he ran out of the room as if it's almost the end of the world.

Sighing, Hiroku figured that there's only one reason explaining this. Walking towards the schoolbag that Kishi dropped during the process, he could clearly see that a small spider was crawling out of it. Created a gust of wind, Hiroku threw the spider outside of the window before closing it shut. Shaking his head with a chuckle, Hiroku made his way out to the hall, still half-naked, only to find his roommate lying on the floor in Lynae's room bed in a rather hilarious position.

"Really, how bad could your phobia get?" Hiroku said as he helped the boy to stood up. Hana also happened to pass the room at that same moment, in which Hiroku giggled with the white-haired girl, "It's the usual Kishi whenever a certain of eight-legged thing came into his sight." She then said goodnight to the pair of them, in which he nodded, "Yeah, sleep tight, Hana-san." Then he turned to Kishi, "Let's get outta here before Lynae turn you into a snow cone." He teased slightly as they both went back to their room.

Hiroku then proceeded to change his clothes as he put the clothes he wore earlier to the basket at the corner of the room. He then made his way up to the top bunk of the bed, "You'd better finish your homework soon. And don't crawl deeper into your blanket when I call you tomorrow, kay? Oyasumi."

With that said, Hiroku laid himself against the soft bed as he tried to put himself to sleep. It's his turn to make breakfast tomorrow so he had to got up early.

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The young boy let out a deep sigh, rubbing his now sore back. That was the cool and collected Hiroku for you, whom was also half naked in the hallway. Though a guy being topless wasn't as dramatic as if it were a girl, one could suppose. Though there wasn't much of a difference in Kishi's eyes. He gave Hana a sheepish wave as she passed by and looked around him as if he had been suddenly teleported to some strange land. A girl's room. He accepted the elder's hand in helping him up, his crimson face looking to the side. Man oh man, just how uncool will I be in front of this guy before it's enough??

He closed the door to the rather fearful woman's room, walking along with Hiroku to their own. He glanced at his bag carefully before picking it up with a careless hand and bringing it over to his small desk. Clicking on the dim desk lamp, he pulled out his school work.

"You'd better finish your homework soon. And don't crawl deeper into your blanket when I call you tomorrow, kay? Oyasumi."

"Neh, yeah yeah." He gave a casual laugh, clicking his lead pencil. "I will, oyasumi." He returned the casual goodnight, growing quiet as to let the other rest.

---

Headphones on, papers neatly organized on the desk mostly completed, and an unconscious Kishi resting his chin on the palm of his hand. Stirring from his 'nap' at about two in the morning, the pink haired male looked around the room sleepily. He felt a soft pang in his head, placing a hand over his forehead. A grim look was on his face as he rose quietly to his feet to change. He'd have to go to the hospital soon, probably the next day even. He was due for a treatment soon, but going to the hospital was rarely pleasant. The sterile environment left nothing for the young man to use as a weapon, and hospitals were the perfect dens for shades. He normally kept these visits a secret, though naturally Hiroku had eventually figured it out a long time ago. To the rest of the group, these days where just out of town visits to friends from school.

Dawning pink plaid pajamas, a pun gift meant to mock his hair color, he flicked off his dim light before laying down for the night.

---

"Neh... Ten more years..." The youth was not very interested in rising from his sheets, too exhausted to even think about lifting his head. He burrowed into his covers despite the warning he had received the night before.

It was six in the morning in the sorcerer's apartment. Takeru was lying on one of the brown leather sofas in the living room, the TV had already turned itself off after being left on all night. A small glass with a little whiskey was left lying on Takeru's rising and falling chest, held in place with his hand as he calmly snored away. The morning sun relieved Takeru of his peaceful slumber as it's bright rays managed to find their way through the open window, beaming straight onto Takeru's face, causing him to groan slightly as he writhed a little in annoyance. That was when the uncomfortable sleeping position kicked in, forcing Takeru out of his sleep as he slowly opened his hazel eyes. With another groan, he arose from the sofa, repositioning himself to sit slumped over, the glass of whiskey still in one hand as the other one rubbed his slightly hungover head.

"Fuck sake..." He mumbled, his eyes still becoming adjusted to the bright sunlight before he looked around the empty room. An empty bottle of whiskey still lay on the coffee table situated in front of the sofa, the neck hanging over the edge as a single drop fell to the floor. This reminded Takeru of the last bit of alcoholic drink he held in his glass, allowing him to quickly gulp down the last of it before placing the glass on the coffee table and standing the bottle up on its base in one swift movement.
"What day is it?" He questioned himself as he pulled his android phone from his pocket, glancing at the wallpaper which showed a gothic girl with long white hair, staring blankly towards Takeru. "Thursday"

Thursday was obviously an important day as Takeru quickly stood with sudden realization, wincing a little with another surge of pain from his head, causing him to hold his hand to it once more. Without a single word, he head off to the bathroom where he started up the shower and began washing himself.

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It feels as if the night had just passed in within just minutes after Hiroku laid his back against the soft sheet of his bed. The night quickly moved away as the very first light of dawn began to shine through the whole horizon. With him, he felt as if nothing has ever changed even after he'd awoken his power and become a part of the Sorcier Elementaire, but he can't deny the fact that now a huge responsibility is placing on top of his shoulders, as well as his comrades', but they've made it this well so far, so nothing could really goes wrong, right?

Hiroku is known for rising up from his slumber the same moment with the sun, so it's no surprise that he's already awoken at 4:30 AM. This is usually the time when he got up to do his usual exercises and jogging everyday. He's told himself that he needs to always be in his tip-top self, so he took a lot of working-out. Even though he's not very muscly, he's a lot tougher than he look. And as usual, he jogged all the way from their apartment to a park in Setagaya ward and do some working-out there for about an hour. Well, exercising in the middle of a sea of Shades was really something, but he got used to it.

After he's finished with the morning exercise already, he took the water bottle inside the bag he carried with him and took a sip. It's still only 5:30 AM and he figures that everyone probably isn't up yet, with the exception of Akane since he knew that she's not much of a sleeper. And because it was his turn to cook today, he has to stop by a supermarket to buy some ingredient. But before that, there's a place he needed to head to first.

Carrying his bag from where he left it, he made his way to Shibuya ward which was happened to be nearby and entered a rather deserted alley. After a short while walking, he reached a bar with the 'Close' sign hanging over the entrance. He then proceeded to knock the door in a special pattern, and immediately after that, the door was opened by itself. Upon entering, it was seemingly a normal bar like any other bars around the city. Well, its owner wasn't.

"You're up early again, Hiro-chan." A rather feminine voice of a male spoke up.

Standing behind the counter and cleaning the glasses and wine bottles is a man with an appearance that matches his voice. The owner of this bar, an Earth Sorcerer, a well-known Merchant amongst the Japan division of the organization, and a close friend of Hiroku since he was a trainee. "Well, you know me, Asuka-san. I couldn't possibly sleeping in for long, am I?" Hiroku responded with a smile as he went to sat down at a bench near the counter, "How's business?"

Asuka shrugged, "A lot of guys from all types have been hanging around recently and certainly this is something I personally enjoy." Then he suddenly set his gaze on Hiroku and said in rather flirtatious fashion, "But I could only be happy if my adorable Hiro-chan could stop by more often to have fun with me ~"

Hiroku chuckled, "I think I'll pass." He knows that the guy plays for that team and ever since they knew each other, Hiroku has always been his favorite 'boy toy'. But Asuka is always a mature person whom Hiroku can turn to for a piece of advice when he didn't want to bother his teammates. "Sometimes just having that cool look on your face all the time is sinful." Asuka grinned mischievously before getting straight to the point, "So, what have you guys harvested already?"

Hiroku then showed the Remnant to Asuka. He held the Remnant in his palm and examined it for a while. "A daemonium vulpes, huh? It's rare. But this one is still a little too easy for your team to handle, am I right?" Asuka said as he put the crystal into a box, "Still, lucky for you, I'm currently looking for these things, and for my cutie Hiro-chan, they go for no less than 250 000 yen, how does that sound?"

"Well, I certainly couldn't bargain with you, could I?" Hiroku shrugged. Asuka nodded with a laugh as he pulled out an envelope that is packed with money and passed it to Hiroku. He opened and checked before putting it back into his bag. "Say, why don't you tag along someone in your team next time you come here? Especially that pink-headed who often follow you. I'm sure he'll attract quite some attention if I had him as my boy." Asuka said with yet another devious grin.

"Kishi? Well, if you can stand him going around and breaking things, and if you can make sure that there are no spider-type Shades around then I'm sure there's no problem. And he's still underage, mind you." Hiroku said as he carried his bag, "I'll see you around then."

"Take care, Hiro-chan." Asuka winked to Hiroku and blew him a kiss as he made his way out of the bar. Pulling out his phone to check the time as he made his way to a supermarket nearby, it shows that it's 5:45 AM and more people are starting to crowd the street. The sky is also clearer and the sun is shining more brightly. And of course, the Shades are still active as ever.

After buying some ingredient, Hiroku began to walk back to their apartment. As he opened the door and enter, he saw that Takeru has already woke up and Akane was sitting on the couch, watching the Shades passing by on the streets. "Ohayo, Akane-san." He greeted the older girl then made his way into his room. He took the money out from the bag and put them into a drawer where he put all the money into and locked it. The pink-haired sleeping beauty is still in his slumber. Slightly chuckling, Hiroku called forth a gust of wind and blew the boy's blanket away.

"Hey, get up already or you'll be late." Hiroku said to the drowsy boy who's just seemingly woken up thanks to him. "I'm going to make breakfast now, so hurry up if you don't want to have nothing left to eat."

With that said, Hiroku changed from his working-out attire to his usual clothes at home and went to the kitchen. He took a bento box which he made yesterday and put it into the microwave to heat it up for Kishi, as this is going to be the boy's lunch, then proceeded to make some omelettes, bacon and sausages. I wonder if anything interesting is going to happen today.

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The night had passed by quickly; almost too fast it felt like, especially for Hana as the girl slowly stirred from her pleasant slumber. Eyes lazily propped open and met with the sun-filled room, immediately she wanted to fight the thought of having to get up, and instead, bury her face back into the pillow completely and tightly shut her eyes all over again. But alas it was already morning and she could not, whatever the actual time was escaping her. Oh well.’

Sometime after, and once up and moving around albeit somewhat begrudged, Hana gradually moved herself around the room gathering clothes and other bits and pieces. Honestly, she felt too tired to get dressed, yet knew that it was wiser to be ready in case of any sudden emergencies or need to dash from the apartment. The others are probably already up by now.’ She thought with a faint sigh leaving her, Well, everyone besides Kishi, heh.’ Vaguely amused the girl went about getting dressed and whatever else, most likely forgetting something or another as the girl slightly rushed herself about the room.

”Aw, they’re already beginning to wilt again?” Bearing a light frown, Hana noticed the few plants sat by the windowsill already drooping to one side; for whatever reason unbeknownst to her, or perhaps just down to plain poor luck, the medic of the group could not keep any flower alive despite her best efforts. ”I guess I’ll just have to get more whenever I’m next out. That or consult some excellent gardener for advice.”

Slipping out of the room and closing the door, Hana made her way towards the kitchen. On the way there she spotted Akane sat gazing out the window, and she vaguely heard someone already in the kitchen ahead of her. ”Morning Akane!” Beaming a smile to her cousin, she quickly headed into the kitchen area and noticed Hiroku there. ”Oh, good morning to you too Hiroku! Heavens, I hope I’m not the last one to get up.” Figuring that Takeru and Lynae were already awake and doing their own thing, Hana could only wonder if a certain pink-haired lad had already stirred before her. ”Well, if you need any help just let me know ~”

Shrugging off the thought Hana wondered over to the fridge and peered inside, before taking out a bottled milkshake and then returning back to the living room. ”Did you get any sleep?” She curiously quizzed Akane, and raised an eyebrow. Despite already knowing the answer the girl couldn’t help but sound concerned, but she didn’t want to press the matter too much either in fear of becoming too annoying first thing in the morning. ”Hm, do you think we’ll get a mission today? I sort of wanted to go out at some point, get out the house, you know.” Sitting crossed legged along the floor and gulping down some of her cold drink, Hana titled her gaze slightly back towards the kitchen as she smelt the beginnings of breakfast.

While showering, Takeru could hear both his comrades and room mates moving and talking around the apartment. Obviously, it meant that it was time for everyone to wake up and grab breakfast. Shit. This also means that Takeru was running late for his important 'appointment' he had every Thursday. Of course, no one else knew what he does and where he goes for these appointments, just that he disappears for most of the day, returning drunk in the mid evening.

After a few more minutes, Takeru turned the shower off. He dried himself and proceeded to change while in the bathroom, he had already grabbed his clothes before anyway. He clothed himself in his usual attire, but his jacket seemed to be more new and looked after when compared with his usual jackets. If he dresses well for an occasion, then it must be something very important.
Once dressed, he left the bathroom and headed straight for the front door. "Sorry, Hiroku, can't have any of your breakfast. I gotta go." He called out as he left the apartment in a rush, lighting up another cigarette in the process.

Once out, Takeru walked off into the city sticking out like a sore thumb as usual, while the rest of the public paid no heed for his presence. This kind of ignorance never phased Takeru, he was used to being ignored, invisible. It was just the massive amount of shades present in the area which always kept Takeru on his toes. However, his intentions, his mood, the reason to his quick 'appointment' gave off some strange aura. Something which caused the shades to keep their distance, opening up a path for Takeru almost automatically. They all seemed too scared to get close to the sorcerer...

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The moment they arrived home Lynae has gone straight to bed. Although she would have loved to have frozen Kishi’s ass for his comment on her age and for being in her room, she held back. Like Hiroku she would be getting up rather early in the morning. Certainly not at the crack of dawn but before the others would normally rise from their slumber.

Next morning

After Hiroku, Lynae was the next person to get up. Taking her time, she took a cold shower, ate a quick meal and was out the door within the hour. Lynae checked her watched and saw that she would be arriving a bit earlier than expected. With that in mind she decided to take a detour to a little known coffee shop. The morning had a light cool nip to it so hot chocolate was definitely something worth getting for them. Upon entering the shop, she received a few stares. It wasn’t all too surprising as she was wearing a pristine business suit despite the occassion. Her heels hit the tile as she walked to the counter, ordering five cups of hot chocolate and an iced coffee for herself. Taking the cup tray in hand, Lynae left the coffee shop for a place that was quite familiar to her.


It took almost an hour to get to her destination but that mattered little to her. With a soft and rare smile on her face she walked up the steps of the building. She rung the bell and as she waited Lynae took note of the many shades that had gathered around. Many were merely curious but she gave them an icy glare which sent some scurrying away. The idea of them crowding around the entrance did not sit well with her. Finally the latch clicked and she pushed the door open with her arm. Entering the cozy compound, the door shut behind her with a click as it locked itself.


Lynae set her coat down on a chair that sat alone in the entrance hallway. It was unusually quiet but the moment she glided into the main foyer a series of footfalls could be heard coming down the stairs towards her direction. The smile from before grew wider as five pairs of arms clung onto her. “Big sister! You came!” Hurriedly setting the drinks down on a nearby table Lynae returned the hugs in kind, giving her younger siblings each a peck on the top of the head. “Yes big sister is here.” Placing the youngest, Anastasia, back on the ground after twirling her around the room. It had been a while since Lynae had visited her brothers and sisters. They haven’t been in Japan as long as she had but after having hounded the higher ups, she was finally able to get them to live here. Although they weren’t as close as she had wanted them to be, the walk here didn’t take very long.


When she thought about it a bit further she doubted the others would have wanted five young ones running around. The eldest of the group, Aleksandra, was 21. Then there were the twins Alexei and Alisa who were seventeen. Afterwards was Sasha who was sixteen and lastly Anastasia who was fourteen. They always joked about how Sasha and her were the only ones who had been named with different letter unlike the rest of them who all started with A’s. Lynae didn’t mind it too much as she knew her late mother loved the first letter of the alphabet with a passion. Thinking about it made her laugh a little. Turning her attention back to her siblings, she gave each of them their hot chocolate and followed them into the dining room to talk.





After a teary goodbye with Anastasia, Lynae smiled at Aleksandra. “Do watch over them Aleksandra. And keep up your studies everyone.” With a smile she shut the door behind her and began the hour long trip back to her own home. The shades were still present but there was definitely fewer than there were earlier. Glancing at her watch, it seemed about time that everyone would be getting up. “I should hurry if I want some breakfast.” Still speaking in her native tongue, she noticed that had received one or two stares from passersby. Lynae glared at them and they hurried along a little faster. “These people are so ignorant.” And they were as they walked right on by the many shades that littered the streets.

Eventually her own home came into view. Still in a rather good mood, she pushed the door open and was greet not by hugs but by the familiar scent of breakfast. “I am back.” Realizing she had spoken in Russian and not Japanese, Lynae repeated herself but in the tongue they all knew and spoke. Placing her things on a coat rack, she walked into the dining room and said good morning. It was actually rather obvious that she was in a good mood although knowing these people, she actually doubted it would last very long.

Is everybody still here?
I've been pretty busy so I haven't got a chance to peak in. My apology :(
Are you guys still up for this?