"Well, its not really that far from here," Hazel said as the three walked down the street. "We should be there in a couple of minutes. There's not a food place there, but we just went shopping, so we have some food with us." Suddenly reaching in the bag, Hazel produced a chocolate bar. Aiba's eyes all but sparkled. FOOD!
"Thank you," Aiba smiled brightly taking the chocolate bar and making a half bow while still managing to walk.
"No problem," Hazel answered back "So are you helping your brother with the investigation?"
Aiba shook his head a bit. There is no way that I'm working with the big jerk face....Aiba thought to himself suddenly wondering what complete investigation that Nino was working on. Well... the demons from the night before... were around so.. uh...."I didn't know about the investigation until I came here," Aiba laughed sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"That's the reason me and Charleston are, here to help out," Hazel answered matter of factually. Aiba blinked and nodded a bit forcing a smile again. "Oh look! There's the hotel over there." Turning his head Aiba caught sight of a large hotel building. The dark haired boy resisted the urge to gawk at it. After a moment he looked back at Hazel and just nodded a bit.
"So let's go get the map," he said suddenly feeling a structure of determination building in him. Upon entering the hotel, Aiba looked around and found that there was someone behind the front desk. The woman who stared out from behind the desk wore the expression of one ready to leave the hell they had come into but found themselves jailed by the fact they had entered in teh first place. Blinking, Aiba was unsure of what to do around such a woman. It slightly unnerved him, to be honest. Despite this, Hazel appeared far from unnerved as she walked straight up to the front desk.
"Hello, do you happen to have a map of the town we could look at?" Hazel asked leaning over the front desk. The woman gave a nod and then gestured at a framed map hanging on the wall as if some sort of interior decorating device.
"Over there," the woman finished as if making sure that they did not misinterpret her.
"Thank you!" Hazel answered back with a smile. Both Aiba and Charleston had started over towards the map, and as Hazel came up, all three of them examined it. "So right now, we're here," Hazel pointed to a place on the map and nodded to herself. "So do you think you can find your brothers apartment on the map?"
Aiba's eyes scrutinized the page before him as he tried to find something... a name perhaps that looked familiar to him. After a moment, he suddenly blinked and nodded recognizing the street at which the apartment was on. "Right there," he pointed touching the glass on the frame and receiving somewhat of a glare from the woman back behind the desk. Laughing nervously, Aiba looked back at the map again. "So I just go this way and then that way and uh...." Aiba blinked.
"Come on it's not that hard....." Charleston said seeming to grow impatient from the fact that Aiba was taking his sweet time. Aiba looked at him and laughed a fraction sheepishly again.
"I'm not good with directions, but I'm great at everything else!" Aiba answered back all but flailing his arms as he said this. Hazel appeared to blink and resist the urge to laugh at the comical expression on Aiba's face. The dark haired boy blinked and laughed nervously again as though he were unsure of whether or not to be pleased or angered.
"Um... how about you let me put these things up, and I'll try and help you back to the apartment?" Hazel offered.
Aiba's face grew with a sudden smile of gratitude. "Thank you!" he said suddenly excited. Hazel stared for a minuted before nodding and taking her things up to the room. Aiba stood in the lobby waiting till she came down again free of baggage.
~*~
As if someone had summoned her, Emiko had appeared in the far sight of Nino's eye, and all the dark haired man could do was stare for a moment. Ohno turned his head a fraction and found what Nino was looking at with a surprised look before a light smile. "Ah, hello Em-and-M's," Ohno said in a somewhat calm but happy voice. "I didn't expect to get to meet you so soon." Moving forwards, the red haired man moved to fully view Emiko. The red haired girl appeared to back up as though not ready for some sort of confrontation on the matter at hand. However, she remained in the vicinity. "My name is Ohno," Ohno continued despite the fact he was well aware of Nino's glare. "And you look about like you got run over by a truck, too," he commented looking back at Nino for a moment.
Emiko seemed to take yet another step back away from Ohno and put her hand up to her head mumbling something to the effect of that she wasn't feeling good and just wanted to go home. Nino's eyes were now all but digging into the wall away from Emiko. He was leering at it trying to keep his attention away. The dark haired man said nothing but just stared between Ohno and Emiko. It was as if Irony had struck him across the face and expected him to just get back up again unscratched. The minute Ohno seemed to bring up Emiko, the minute she had appeared. The dark haired man was not ready to deal with the social drama again especially with Ohno around to view it.
After a moment, he simply closed his eyes and looked mildly defeated. Seeing this shift in faze in Nino, Ohno said nothing for a moment but looked back at Emiko. So she's the new Twilight vessel... Aiya such drama I can see already being worked up... I hope Sho-o-Oh is alright... "You might want to lay down, you know," Ohno continued talking to Emiko. "You don't look as though you are feeling to well...."
"Ohno...." Nino said looking at the ground now with a dark eye. The red haired man turned his head and smiled lightly for a split second.
"Yes Nina?" he asked with a grin.
"Go, away," Nino said darkly back at Ohno. The red haired man made no reply back to this but simply sighed outwards shaking his head and then stepping a few feet away from them. He didn't want to push the dark haired irritated one too much, there were always too many consequences dealing with Nino's mood. Crossing his arms, Ohno took a few more steps away.
"Fine, I'll talk to you later then," Ohno finally answered back. "Bye Nina. Bye Em-and-M's." With that, the red haired man turned and started walking away up the street again.
Nino stared at Emiko. Emiko stared back at Nino. Neither one said anything. After a moment, Emiko half leaned against a wall still holding one hand to her head. "I'm sorry..." she sighed as if more to herself than to Nino. The dark haired man simply turned a fraction and said nothing. "I said I was sorry!" Emiko all but shouted it at him. The dark haired man sighed and turned around again. "I... need it to go away.... the voices... I need them to go away... I can't... take it...."
Nino stared darkly back at her before stepping forwards. Emiko stepped back involuntarily. However, after a split second, she took another step forwards instead. Suddenly, Emiko seemed to fall straight forwards as though defeated by something in her own mind. Nino's eyes grew as the dark haired man lunged suddenly forcing himself to catch her. Breathing out, the dark haired man stared down at the unconscious girl for a moment before shaking his head.
"Nino," a voice said darkly from the alley way. Sho Sakurai walked forwards causing the dark haired man to turn his head caustically to him. However, the brown haired man stopped after a moment.
"Go away, Sho," Nino threatened darkly. "Don't make me fight you."
"You look like death, Nino," Sho answered back. "I'll have Ohno take Emiko home. Go back to Aiba and Matsu and go to bed."
"No...." Nino's voice all but broke in that minute causing Sho to raise an eyebrow. "I'll take her home."
"Do you even know where she lives?" Sho challenged back.
"And I'm guessing you do?" Nino answered.
Sho was silent for a moment before sighing. "I will walk with you to her house," the brown haired man sighed. Nino's dark eyes closed a moment before he pushed upwards and set Emiko on his back. The dark haired man's thin frame looked almost obscure with the girl on his back, yet Sho said nothing and simply started walking.
~*~
"It's your turn to deal with the kid," Vaporaii's voice rang out causing Ryoen to jump somewhat startled from the hammock he had been laying in. The space between them was vast, yet Ryoen had haired the call. Stretching his shoulders, the red haired Demon Lord let out a yawn.
"And when is it your turn, Vaporaii?" he challenged causing the water Demoness to turn from the pool of liquid she had been looking in to stare back at him. Seeing the leer, Ryoen sighed outwards. "Alright alright," he sighed putting up a hand. "I'm goin' I'm goin'." With that, the red haired Demon Lord disappeared and found himself standing to the back of the silver headed kid. Ugh... so much for my nap.... Ryoen thought to himself as he felt the sharp emotion out of Ryuu. Resting his arm and a considerable sum of his weight on the boy's shoulder, Ryo sighed outwards receiving all the information he needed on the case just by the action.
“It was a good thing she pulled you off of Sho before you did something stupid.” the red haired Demon Lord sighed outwards wondering what the murder charge was for humans now a days. Ryuu turned his head back and seemed to leer at the red haired Demon Lord. However, Ryoen made no move to challenge the look. It would be too childish even for him. “Sho is much stronger then you think…" he answered the look aloud. Sho Sakurai was Solute's vessel, and the parallelism that man Demon Lords found with their vessels was astounding to say the least... "Come on.” Ryo ordered.
“Where are we going?" Ryuu questioned back turning sharply around again as if ready to fight to stay where he was. Ryoen simply sighed back at him and then forced a smirk on his face.
“You’re going to blow off some steam," the demon answered back holding out a hand. The slate haired boy seemed to look back for a moment but turned again and took the hand. A;most instantly, they were back in the demon world. However, none of the other Lords were around. These were Ryoen's private training grounds.
What would shift time sharply a few hours was training. Ryoen pushed the boy to the limit, yet he was not overly cruel as Noiren would have been. Instead, he tried to make it more fun for the kid and simply continued to push him onwards. Time pushed again and soon enough, Ryuu was laying on the ground panting.
“Get up Ryuu.” Ryoen ordered “You’re going to keep going until you can get it right.” The demon lord crossed his arms and waited for the boy to get up.
Ryuu breathed out for a minute and appeared to not want to get up. However, a few seconds later, Ryuu was pushing himself upwards again as if in slow pain. Ryoen waited a fraction of a second longer before moving straight forwards and starting to attack the boy with punches again. He had been lenient enough not to use his hammer, but he was still not going to hold back that much on Ryuu. Ryuu dodged and jumped out of the way. However, at the last second, Ryoen reached forwards, seized the boy's leg, and slammed him to the ground again with a simple and fluid motion. Ryuu's eyes were suddenly large before they closed and the sound of coughing hit the air. Ryoen simply crossed his arms and stood over the boy.
“Ryoen maybe you should let Ryuu rest.” Asa's voice rang out causing the Fire Demonto look upwards and find the features of the calm Twilight Demon staring back. Wondering how long Asa had been watching the fight, Ryo simply sighed outwards again.
“He hasn’t gotten it right yet," Ryoen answered back taking a side step and breathing out.
“He is a growing boy he does need his rest," Asa answered back causing Ryoen to all but roll his eyes.
“…Fine…we’ll continue tomorrow.” Ryoen sighed outwards before forcing the slate haired boy's body up and transporting him back into the front of his house. Turning back, Ryoen stared at Asa. Asa stared at Ryoen. Neither one said anything for a minute.
"Ryo!!!!!!" Aeirin's high pitched voice all but cried out causing the Fire Demon's head to turn as the childish Air Demon leaped in the air and then all but tackled the red haired man to the ground. "I'm tired of you playing with Ryuu!" Aeirin sobbed. "I want to play with you!" A crackled laugh seemed to spring out of Asa, but as Ryoen turned his head to face the Twilight Demon, Asa was looking away as if he saw nothing.
Aeirin snuggled into Ryoen move and continued to cling to him before finally releasing him and jumping backwards. "Let's play air tag! Or something fun like like like...." she said suddenly getting impatient with herself. "Air tag!" she finished suddenly rushing forwards and poking Ryoen in the arm. "You're it!" Suddenly Aeirin was running and all but gone.
"She is very attached to you, Ryo," Asa half smirked looking at Ryoen who simply shrugged his shoulders back.
"She's also the youngest Demon Lord ever to have existed," he smirked back.
"True.... and probably one of the most powerful, in the end of things," Asa sighed outwards causing Ryoen to laugh back.
"I wouldn't doubt it," he smirked back. "I really wouldn't doubt it."
~*~
Matsu sat on the leaning over with his elbows on his knees and his face resting in his palms. Emiko had left after taking a few bites at least trying the rice, yet neither Nino nor Aiba were home yet. This had greatly worried the white haired man and all he could do was sit there for one reason or another. Suddenly a knock came on the door, the white haired man all but jumped up with a sudden light smile on his face. One of them was home at least. All but rushing to the door, Matsu opened it quickly onto to find the stern face of Noiren staring back at him. Matsu's eyes grew as he suddenly stepped back. However, it was too late, the dark haired Demon King stepped forwards seizing the white haired man by the throat. And with that, Matsu was gone.
________________________________________________________________________
Oh no! What's going to happen? We have a still lost Aiba, a weirded out Nino, and a captured Matsu! What will happen now? Will Noiren keep Matsu alive? What are the dark Demon Lord's intentions? Why am I being annoying and asking rhetorical questions? Find out next time on Paranormal Researchers *is shot*
KC
PS: No one try to save Matsu k thanks~
