Sector 27: Nursery [22:25]
The small infant that Arisa carried in her arms was a light purple color and had small yellow patches over its face. After crying for several hours, the small mazoku had finally tired itself to sleep and was breathing softly. With a soft sigh, Arisa laid the small baby into the cot labeled: Sector 17-Hatched-unnamed , alongside the other sleeping infants in the nursery. She did a quiet walkthrough to ensure the others were still asleep. The infants in this room were all mazoku babies rescued from hospitals or homes and were to be raised by MRPA. If these children chose to stay with MRPA, as many of them would, they would be given a number just as she, Kei, and Aku had.
Before exiting the room, she dimmed the lights low and flicked a switched that covered each cot with a protective shield. Many of these babies have not yet had their mazoku abilities fully developed or tested so the shields were a protection method.
Arisa let her body fall into the small chair in the office that was connected to the nursery room. For the first time since her meeting with Hong, she had nothing to do. And so her mind raced with all the thoughts and feelings she had pushed away. Her chest felt heavy. She didn’t care about the promotion, or getting scolded by Hong. Her thoughts were consumed with Kyoushirou. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Kyou’s glare. She heard the venom in his voice when he spoke to her. She had wiped tears from her eyes the entire shift, and yet they kept coming.
“Agent 00!”
Arisa turned her head to the girl who whispered, “Ah, Nell,” she greeted as the girl walked into the office room, “You taking over the night shift?”
Nell was a shorter, plump girl with short green hair. Her cheeks were red, “Mhm...” she smiled brightly, “It was amazing...what you did today...catching Masahiko with Agent 014 even though it went against orders….” she looked at her feet, her voice suddenly shy, “I think it was amazing...”
Arisa smiled, “Word travels fast…thanks Nell. I think I did the right thing but getting in so much trouble was kind of hard...and now I have to stop taking MS for good and-” she stopped short, unsure of how to continue.
“You take MS??” Nell seemed surprised, “Why would you do that?”
Arisa sighed, “Sometimes I shift uncontrollably...”
Nell looked at her worried. They made eye contact for a moment and Nell looked away, her face slightly flushed, “Well I hope the MS situation gets settled soon anyway...”
Arisa nodded, “Me too,” she patted Nell on the shoulder lightly, “Watch out for Nagim, he’s been trouble all day apparently,” she smiled.
Nell smiled, “I like that name for him, did you pick it?”
Arisa’s smile fell slightly, “Yeah, I’ve given them all nick names I guess…” she opened the door and waved at Nell, “I’ll see you around.”
Nell watched her as she left and let out a nervous sigh once she was gone. She held her hands to her flushed face.
[22:40]
Keiko was at the front of an empty training room sitting on the ground. Normally, she would have been training the future agents of MRPA, but since training had been canceled, she took the time to work on her own abilities. She hadn’t trained with air in such a long time, she knew she was weak with it.
Keiko sat cross legged on the floor and closed her eyes. Her control over air was all based on her breathing and the strength she channeled through her diaphragm. She took a strong, deep inhale and pushed her body off the ground by a few inches. She would hold this floating position as long as she could.
As the minutes passed by, Keiko slipped into a dream-like state. Images flashed in her subconscious. Starting with her state earlier that night. Desperately breathing and collapsing in a building. It was unusual for her to need retrieval and she relayed the events in her head to ensure next time, she would not be put in that situation.
She saw Arisa from a year ago waving her acceptance letter to Tenno Academy- the best in Japan. She had applied secretly even though Hong forbade her. She had begged for Keiko to go with her so that she would be allowed.
She saw many years ago when Ojii had trained her. She worked hard to impress him and to be strong.
She jumped far back in her memories. To when her and Arisa were kids. Keiko showed off her Earth ability while Arisa cheered for her. Arisa had looked different back then, she couldn’t control her shifts at all at that age so her appearance shifted and morphed regularly. In this memory she had feathers instead of hair sprouting from her head. Keiko remembered how Arisa’s skin was rough like sandpaper on that day.
Then came a memory she didn’t remember- from before she had been taken in by Hong. She was in a dark house with clean furniture. Keiko was holding wooden blocks that were smoldering in her small hands. Keiko the child turned around suddenly, tears welling her eyes.
The image changed again, not to a memory, but to a deep fear. A fear that filled her so strongly she gasped at the image, faltering slightly in her hovering. It was Arisa, the form she now used regularly for her mazoku identity. She laid gracefully in Kyou’s arms. She was perfectly still with a smile stuck to her face. Kyou pulled her body closer to his and brought his mouth dangerously close to her neck. He brushed against it softly. That’s when she saw Kyou’s lips move. She couldn’t hear his voice, but she read his lips: A- ri- sa.
Keiko’s eyes shot open and she fell to the ground with a thud. Her body was covered in a slight sweat. She took a deep breath and wiped her face. She rolled over and blinked to bring up the time in the omnibook display. It was nearly midnight. She let out a shaky breath and slowly got to her feet.
Sector 1: The Girls’ Apartment [5 September 00:34]
Arisa had come home before Keiko and Aku. Finally alone, and safe- she collapsed in her bed, and the tears immediately poured from her eyes. Her heart ached, her head hurt. Her emotions were all over the place. Had she done the right thing? Had she done something wrong?
She gasped for breath, clenching the blanket of her bed and the tears continued. She realized she was hated. Kyoushirou hated her true self. He hated the mazoku she was. She cried out the more she thought about his face- the hatred he showed her.
She pictured his face, the hatred he had stared at her with, and felt her hands go ice cold. Her throat seized up and the tears dried up. She looked at her hands and saw them shake. I’m afraid. I’m terrified.
She tried to think of the Kyoushirou she had known before. The one who smiled at her warmly and called her by her name- but nothing helped. The tears overflowed from her once more.
She continued to cry and gasp. She curled into a ball, I wish I were normal...I wish I were the human you knew- I wish I wasn’t your enemy.
Sector 1- Tenno Academy [5 Sept- 9:00]
"Oh, Keiko, where's Arisa?" Shou leaned on her desk and smiled at her.
"She said she wasn't feeling too well," she responded plainly as she unpacked her bag for their next lesson.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"Ohhhh, does that mean you will be taking notes for her?" he asked playfully, "Think you can stay awake today?"
She chuckled in response, but turned when Seiji’s voice cut through her laughter.
"Oh, poor poor Hiroto, got beaten by the elementalist huh?" Seiji grinned as he poked at Hiro.
Hiro sighed and laid his head down on his desk, "Speak for yourself, you've never beaten her either,"
"What did you say to me?" Seiji growled angrily, "Don't forget who is a higher rank than you,"
Hiro shifted his head to glare at Seiji, "What rank? You're a disposer just like I am. Don't get so full of yourself,"
Seiji grabbed Hiro to pull his face in line with his own, "Watch your mouth third rank,"
"Hey, hey, Seiji come on. We're in class right now huh?" Shou laid his hand on both of their shoulders, "Let's play nice here hmm? Especially since people are watching," he whispered to Seiji who immediately let go and turned his head around to see Keiko staring at them.
"Kuma Keiko?" Kyoushirou walked in, sparing a glance at his subordinates as he walked over to Keiko. He spoke plainly and with distance- he felt awkward speaking to the sister of Arisa, "Akumako and your sister are absent today?"
Keiko nodded up at Kyoushirou, "Arisa wasn't feeling well and Akumako took the day off to take care of her. Since her and I are in the same class I'm taking notes for her,"
"Ah, should I give you notes for Akumako?"
"I'm sure she would be happy to have them,"
"Ok, I hope Arisa feels better," he turned to leave the room but was pulled into Shou's arms.
"Hmmm you just hope she feels better?" he teased, “Do you want to visit her with some soup after school??” he teased.
Kyou's face turned red as he nervously looked back at Arisa's protective sister, "Sh-shut up! w-why would I do that?" After pulling away from Shou he quickly stumbled out of the room.
Seiji snorted out a laugh, “Our great leader s-s-st-t-t-tuttered!!!” he blurted mockingly.
Shou too was laughing, “Did you see how red he got???” he took a shaky breath, “How does it feel know the Rank 1 of STAM has a crush on your sister?”
Keiko shot a glare at him, “He can feel whatever he wants,” she bit down trying to compose herself.
Shou felt his throat close up at such a strong response. The hairs on his neck stood up and he felt frozen.
The bell chimed, snapping him from his state and let out a shaky laugh, “Typical No Touchy…” but as he made his way back to his desk he couldn't shake the feeling weighing on him- the familiar sour taste forming in his mouth.
Sector 1: The Apartment [9:10]
When Arisa finally woke up she could feel her face was morphed strangely. She always woke up shifted when she was restless the night before. She shifted herself comfortably into her human Kuma Arisa form that she was so used to and went to the kitchen to make some food for her and Aku. There was a small sticky note on the counter in Aku’s handwriting, “Running an errand. Let me know if you need something while I’m out- Aku”
Arisa sighed, “I guess it’s just me for a little while...” as she turned from the kitchen she felt the bubbling on her feet and froze. It’s just a shift. I can control a shift. She glared down at her feet and took a deep breath. The bubbling across her feet subsided, the shift had only changed the color of her skin. She grinned, “See, I can handle this. I’ll have you under control in no time.” She effortlessly shifted her feet back to normal and sat on the couch.
Sector 1: Thrice Inc [9:30]
Aku stood in front of the large, grand building and walked in casually. Most buildings in this Sector were made of clean steel and glass, but the inside of this building was all white and black marble. The lobby was filled with smooth “clean” plants and their bright green colors were in such contrast to the white walls that she couldn't resist looking at their radiation free beautiful forms and smoothness.
She was by far the youngest there but it didn’t seem to matter as everyone was too busy to give her any notice. She opened the door to the stairwell, immediately jumped into a shadow, and arrived at the top floor stairwell. She walked out into the dark hallway and headed straight for the overly large doors at the end. She knocked once and the door opened for her.
“You called for me Uncle?” she bowed deeply as she walked in.
“Ah!! Akumako, my favorite child,” Mr.Black swiveled in his chair to turn to see her and immediately frowned. He was a thin man with frizzy brown hair held tightly in place with gel. His bones sharply poked from his face and his skin just barely showed the signs of aging. His eyes were sunk slightly into his face and those near black disks seemed to burrow through her, “Well we can’t do anything with you in that dreadful shell of yours..Chihiyo?”
From the corner Chihiyo stepped forward. She was thin and elegant with white skin that held no imperfections. Her hair seemed made of silver but her pale eyes were sharp and cold. Aku was covered in a thick black cloud, when it dissipated her human shell was gone.
“I need that! How am I supposed to walk around like this?” she pointed at her white hair and her red eyes, “STAM is right across the street!”
Mr.Black waved his hand, “When you come back Chihiyo will give you that horrible shell back hmm?” he slid a manila folder across his desk the tab reading BROWN, Yong Guk, “He didn’t take our little threat very seriously…”
Aku sighed and took the folder from his desk, “Time limit?” she asked dully.
Chihiyo answered for Mr.Black, “2 hours is the window,”
Aku nodded, it was plenty of time.
The Apartment [9:40]
Arisa sat on the couch with her arms wrapped around her knees, she felt so useless just sitting at home. She felt useless at MRPA as an agent. Just as her thoughts started to overwhelm her, they stopped short at the familiar bubbling feeling spreading up her hands. She glared at the shifting fingers. I’m so sick of these little shifts. She took a deep breath and the bubbling stopped short before any shifts really started. She smiled triumphantly, “That’s right! I can handle these little baby shifts!”
She got to her feet and went to the kitchen to grab a drink, “Maybe I really was using MS as a crutch. I guess I haven’t really needed it…” she took a sip from her drink, “I guess Hong and Kei were right about one thing….” her eyes moved along the countertop to a small stack of papers sitting on the counter. “What?” she snatched them up and groaned, “I asked her to do one thing for me and she doesn’t!” she quickly ran from the kitchen and into her room, “Mr. Clive asked me specifically to make sure it got turned in today!” Without giving herself more time to think about it she grabbed the stack of papers and left the apartment.
Tenno Academy [9:50]
She walked through the gates to Tenno Academy and stopped. Was coming here the right call? I wouldn’t be here if Keiko would have brought these like I asked. Besides, these shifts have been small. Even if something does happen I should be in and out before anything goes wrong. She walked through the courtyard and opened the doors to walk through the halls. She climbed the stairs to get to the second floor and made her way to the end of the hall where the teachers room was. I'll just pop in and be out in a hurry. I can even stop by the classroom and grab my math book to get some work do-
It was in that moment that she felt it, that horrible bubbling feeling crawling over her back. She immediately stopped moving, her heart pounding as she shut her eyes completely, It’s ok- it’s just a small one. I can handle this. I just need to breathe….For a moment she thought that maybe it would go away, that her body would not shift in the way it usually did; but then it erupted. The small bubbling became boiling. Her entire back erupted in the uncontrollable shift. No! I can’t I- She bit back a scream as she felt her bones grind against one another.
She dropped the papers and ran to the restroom, tears falling from her face that had shifted into feathers.
The Nurses Office
Kyou mumbled to himself as he left the nurses office and made his way back to class.
As he turned the corner his thoughts were cut off by the mess of papers in the hall. He looked down at them, Arisa? What are these doing here...his thoughts got silent as he saw the trail of feathers. They led from the mess all the way to the girls bathroom. Feathers? He looked down the hallway in both directions to make sure no one else was around, could there be a mazoku here? In this school?
Making little noise he walked slowly, pulling out his dog tag in case a mazoku had made its way inside. He looked around to make sure no one was looking and poked his head into the girls bathroom. What the hell is that? He could only see her back as she bent over the sink, her fingers white from the force she held to it. Her shirt had ripped and from it there was a giant, gray wing.
There’s no way!! A mazoku- here?!
The girl lifted her face to the mirror and he saw her, Arisa?! There were tears streaming down her face and she was biting into her finger so as to not make a noise. The wing on her back started changing and pushing back into her skin and from her mouth a small cry fell out. Her legs gave out and she fell to the ground on her hand and knees as the wing slowly pushed back into her body. The tears were now streaming off her face and pooling below her.
As Kyoushirou watched he felt a stinging pain in his chest. She was in so much pain, she was crying. He felt tears well in his own eyes and wiped them away. He couldn't watch anymore, he wanted to help her...but how could a STAM agent help a mazoku?