"... Ryo!"

"Wake up!..."

"Ryo..."

I felt something press against my lips and air filled my lungs. The feeling left my lips and a weight fell down on my stomach pushing down. Something from behind my throat surged up and I choked, coughing out warm liquid.

"God dammit..."

The sensation touched my lips again and air breathed in. Again it left my lips and weight fell down on my stomach. I choked as the nauseous feeling of water forcing its way out from behind my throat came again. Warmth began to spread across my body and I could feel a figure towering above me.

"Ryo..."

I saw a pair of vivid emerald eyes blinking at me. They emitted an unnatural glow and it almost seemed blinding in the dark. The eyes hovered in the dark looking down at me and then it slowly came closer till something touched my lips. Air flowed through my mouth filling my lungs and I choked.

Suddenly I was aware. My consciousness came back in a wave, everything flooding back as though a tsunami had finally hit. Memories flashed in my head and I saw myself falling down Mayu's apartment. She had jumped with me and I had caught a glimpse of her but my mind had only concentrated on stopping myself from falling.

There was pain all in my entire body and everything hurt. I felt like I had bruises everywhere, from my toes to my head. The feeling of intense dizziness came afterwards and I realised my vision was completely blurry. Then I felt something building up against my throat and I pushed the figure off me.

She fell off with a cry and I rolled over as an ejection of vomit forcefully propelled itself from deep within my stomach.

"Ugh..."

It didn't come out easy and I couldn't breathe for several seconds as the contents of my stomach threw itself out. I heaved and for a second I thought I was dying. Then the ordeal was over almost as sudden as it begun and I heaved again, panting for air. I felt sweat dripping down from my chin and I looked up at the figure standing over me.

"You ok?..." Mayu looked at me with a worried face.

"Yeah..." I said.

I was lying down on my knees and palms on the concrete in the walkway of the sewers. The water seemed to have pushed us pretty far down the sewer system but luckily we had jumped into the river where the clean section was. There were dim lights across the sewer but the place was still dark.

Mayu looked unconvinced and I watched as she bent down to take a closer look at me.

"Here." She said. Then suddenly she pushed my lungs with a hand and I felt water choking up my breath. It forced itself out from my mouth and I moved away from Mayu as water spilled from my lips.

"W-what was that for?" I coughed as water came spluttering out.

"You should feel better." Mayu answered. "There was water clogging up your lungs."

I looked down at myself, feeling my body. I did not realised it but now my breathing had become clear and the pain in my lungs subsided. My body was sore from colliding with the water but I could think properly now. "Y-you're right..."

She smiled at me and tilted her head. "Let's go, Ryo." She reached a hand out towards me and I looked at it unsure. I still had doubts about whether Mayu was simply using me to anger Luna... but she was the only person I could trust right now. I grabbed her hand and she pulled me up.

I saw her wincing as she pulled me up and I noticed the blood flowing down her arm. I suddenly remembered the bullet that she had taken for me and I felt guilty. "Are you ok?"

She nodded weakly. "It's only a bullet... My synthesis is already repairing the wound."

Her eyes flashed a eerily dark emerald in response to her words and I saw the blood slowing. She gripped my hand and pulled me with her as she started walking. She had a blank look on her face with those glowing eyes.

"What is synthesis?" I asked watching the back of her head.

"It's an ability we Ashens share." Mayu replied as she continued walking. "A neurological state achieved by the complete disconnection of emotions. It allows the Ashen to enter a state of enhanced awareness and peak physical ability."

She turned back to look at me. Her face was completely empty. "So all the abilities that come with being an Ashen are heightened to a new level."

Then her eyes flashed, losing its brightness. She winced closing her eyes. I saw her looking away from me. "But every Ashen has their limits. I cannot use synthesis for long, the strain it puts on the mind and body... it's excruciating. It's powers differ with every Ashen."

I felt myself hurting at the sight of Mayu's pain. She had taken the bullet for me after all, but yet she was the one dealing with the bullet wound. It made me feel pathetic.

"You know that man you saw." Mayu said. "He took away my synthesis for a moment..."

"Daike." I said remembering the man's name.

Mayu nodded. I could recall in my memory how he had glared at Mayu and made her lose her synthesis. There was something about the way he looked and talked that was weird but I didn't really think about it. I could tell the girl called Kaori was definitely an Ashen from the familiar glow of her eyes but Daike's eyes had been pure black, unlike the eyes of an Ashen.

"Is he an Ashen too?" I asked Mayu.

Mayu shook her head. "Daike's not an Ashen... he's a humanoid robot designed to disarm and combat Ashens."

Mayu winced and stumbled slightly. "He disrupted my synthesis and my body is weakened because of him..."

"How does he do that?"

Mayu looked at me with a bitter look. "It's hard to explain without going into scientific detail but quite simply put, there is a large generator built inside his body that is capable of emitting and directing powerful electromagnetic fields. The frequencies are not designed to affect a normal human's brain but to an Ashen, the intensity of these fields are enough to disrupt the functionality of our brains..."

She paused then turned her head back at me again. "You know how every Ashen has healing capabilities superior to a normal human?"

I nodded slightly.

"That's one of my weakness." She said. My eyes moved to the blood flowing down her arm, it was quickening. "I can't... heal my wounds as fast as the others... and it's worse without synthesis."

She had a painful look on her face but she smiled at me weakly. "But of course, it's still faster than a normal human."

"Are you going to be alright?" I said worried.

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"It should be fine. We're almost out anyway..."

Mayu paused suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

I looked at her questioningly. "We're almost out?"

"No..." She looked behind me.

Then I heard it. It was a faint sound, so quiet it could almost be mistaken for the water surging past our feet. It was a footstep.

The noise erupted and I turned back to see a figure lunging towards me. Mayu pushed me out of the way, her shoulder getting caught in the process. Blood flew in the air and Mayu whipped her dagger out from behind her back slashing at the attacker. The figure ducked under Mayu's dagger and slammed Mayu against the walls with a sweep of something in her hands. It caught her by the throat and Mayu was held against the wall by the figure.

Azure eyes flashed in the darkness, glowing unnaturally and the figure rose slowly from her crouching position with the rod still held firmly against Mayu's throat. I could see the outline of Kaori's face in the darkness.

"Mayu." She spoke, there was not a single tone in her voice. Her hair was wet from jumping down to the sewers after us. "Why are you helping Luna?"

Mayu flinched under the relentless pressure of the rod pressing against her throat. Her eyes were flashing rapidly, struggling to stay in synthesis. They burnt out and on repeatedly but Kaori didn't loosen her hold. Kaori looked at Mayu with sharpened eyes but there was an eerily blank look in them. "You hate her."

Her grip loosened slightly just enough to allow room for Mayu to gasp. I could see Mayu choking for air, she had both her hands pushing against Kaori's rod but she was not strong enough to push away the rod. "None... of your business..." Mayu said between breaths. Her face was white. Kaori was silent for a while.

"You think that because you know where Luna is, I won't kill you." Kaori said slowly. "But you're forgetting that there are other ways to force a person to talk."

Kaori retracted her rod and grabbed a fistful of Mayu's hair. Without hesitating, Kaori pulled Mayu's head down towards her leg and Kaori shot her knee up. Mayu's skull made a cracking noise as it collided with Kaori's knee and Mayu cried. Kaori pulled Mayu's head back up revealing her swollen face. Dark blood was dripping down from her head and there was a sharp cut on her lips. I could see bruises forming on her face and her eyes were half-closed, dazed from the hit.

Mayu looked up from behind her hair, her emerald eyes now dull and lifeless losing the once eerie glow that it emitted. Her lips were shaking involuntarily and she opened her mouth slightly, struggling to find her voice.

"Tell me." Kaori said.

"N-no..."

The rod hanging loosely onto Kaori's hand suddenly extended making a loud clinging noise. Kaori pushed Mayu back up against the wall with a single hand and before she could move, Kaori jabbed the rod down at Mayu's knee with all her strength. I heard Mayu let out a scream and her body dropped into the water running past our ankles. Her leg appeared to be bent the other way.

Kaori looked down at her with a relentless look. Her entire face was dark, save the glowing azure of her eyes, and there wasn't the slightest resemblance of emotion on her face.

"Are you ready to tell me now?" Kaori asked.

Mayu was breathing in gasps, her eyes were closed tightly and there was an expression of utter pain on her face. She had sweat all over her body and her injured leg was shaking uncontrollably. She couldn't respond. Kaori kicked her in the stomach and she lost her breath. Mayu vomited in the running water and whimpered, curling up in a ball.

Kaori turned her glowing eyes at me and my heart jumped.

"Pick up her body." Kaori ordered.

I did as she told me, taking careful measures to not cause Mayu any more pain. I winced at her broken leg and was thankful that Mayu had fallen unconscious. Her eyes were closed but her face was still swollen and bloodied from the assault. I looked back up at Kaori bitterly. How could she do this to another human being?

"What do you want me to do?" I asked. Kaori looked at me with her glowing azure eyes, silent. She seemed to study me for a bit before she turned around.

"Follow me." Kaori said as she lead the way. I hesitated for a second staring at her back as she began walking. In my head I was trying to think of a plan to escape from Kaori.

"You won't be able to find an exit on your own." Kaori said without looking back at me. I tried to act unmoved.

"I wasn't going to." I said but she didn't say anything.

I had no choice but to follow Kaori and she led me towards the path that Mayu had been taking me before. It wasn't long before we reached a clearing in the sewer tunnels. This was where all the tunnels were connecting and led to a waterfall sort of pipe system. On the side there was a ladder that led up above.

"Give me Mayu." Kaori said. "You won't be able to carry her up the ladder."

I nodded unwillingly and handed Mayu over. Kaori wrapped Mayu to her back and motioned for me to climb first. I went on the ladder and started climbing. Kaori followed me on the ladder, one hand holding onto Mayu's arms that were wrapped around her neck and one hand to climb. When I reached the top, I pushed open the exit and climbed out of the sewers.

It was midnight and we were in an alleyway. I looked to my side at the entrance of the alleyway and realised we were at a red-light district of Tokyo. The streets outside were still alive with masses of people moving around.

Kaori lifted herself out of the sewers with Mayu on her back and walked up to me.

"Carry her." Kaori said.

I lifted Mayu off Kaori's back and placed Mayu behind me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I could feel Mayu's warm breath against my ear. Kaori started walking out of the alleyway and into the district outside so I followed after her.

When we were out of the alleyway, Kaori stood silently, her glowing azure eyes observing the environment. There was no emotion on her face but I could tell she was confused from the crowds of people scurrying the streets and the amount of interaction going on around us. I remembered how Mayu had been confused by using chopsticks to eat. Kaori was probably like Mayu, she didn't have much interaction with the rest of society.

"Hey, you guys!" A voice called out.

I turned to the source of the voice and came face to face with a middle aged man dressed in a sleezy outfit.

"Looking to have some fun?" He smiled, he indicated at a building behind him. "Want to come visit our host club?"

"Uh..." I looked at Kaori but her face was blank.

"Come on!" The man insisted.