♔Takakura Kanba♔

“I-..I live in the village of Valor, under cancer.” Fingers clutched onto Tama tightly, the edges of her skirt like clothing swishing with her movements. “U-Um..After I show you where your village is..d-do you want to go to Polis? It’s sort of like a super-market type place. And I haven’t eaten anything in a while, so I’m hungry.”

“I-..You must be hungry too!” She couldn’t just let Kanba go on with an empty stomach. She would feel guilty if she did. “They have good food, a-and the vendors are really nice..” A part of Yunoha was surprised that she was talking this much, considering how shy she was around new strangers. Kanba seemed like an easy going guy, so she was comforted by that. He reminded her somewhat of Andy (excluding his passion for digging holes) She let a small smile grace her lips, her gaze now breaking away from the Takakura sibling to play with the hands of her frog plushie.

Returning his attention to Yunoha, he noticed how often she stuttered. Once every sentence or so. It was amusing how well her embarrassment showed and she truly fitted the stereotype he had in mind perfectly. Once she got used to someone, she should be able to act more like her true self, he thought.

"Hah, if you want, I could accompany you to the... Polis, was it, right now. If you want to go there, then the village could wait. It's really not urgent for me and I do appreciate a good company." And in the end, if those were the key locations, then he would have to visit them all eventually. It was troublesome, but it was the only way he saw to survive in this place. Before he could be left to die, there were still so much to accomplish. For example...

Yunoha stared up at Kanba, cheeks turning red. Had he just called her cute!? “I-..I’m not..” Flustered, she pressed her face into her frog, her body flickering from transparent to visible a few times.

Why was it that random people always had to say something about her, that would make her turn invisible? It was so embarrassing! “I-..It’s nice to meet you, Kanba-san.” She gave a small bow, her frog following her example, before she straightened back up. “I..I kind of left the place I was in right now, because..” Trailing off, her gaze glanced away. Because I was being hit on by an old man. No way would she ever say that. “Do you want me to show you around..? I suppose you are new here.”

"Ahah, I'm sorry. No need for you to be so tense around me. I'd be in your debt if you could lend me a hand right now." Kanba spoke in a softer voice, just as he usually did with the girls that he met for the first time. 

So it turned out it wasn't the frog that talked, but rather the girl who could... turn invisible. A ghost? In his sixteen years, he has only met one more who had that strange ability... A man who he ended up working for. Looking at this Yunoha now, she did not seem malevolent in any way and no eerie aura emitted from her. "But yes, I've only just arrived. Village, huh? I think I heard something about that..."

After a moment’s hesitation, the girl with the faded hair quickly rolled herself up onto her feet, taking a few shy steps towards where she assumed Kanba was. “A-Are you okay? You seem..lost. Are..you new here?” Instead of seeing a cute young girl - What Kanba was going to see, was..well, a floating frog. Hopefully, he didn’t freak out like Amata had done back in Neo-DEAVA. She had no idea of what his reaction would be.

Thankfully, she was going to save him the trouble of trying to figure out what she was. “O-OH! Forgive me, I..” And it wasn’t soon after that she slowly reverted back to being visible again, half of her face hidden behind Kero’s head.

Right when he was about to walk away, a voice was heard. From... behind him? Strange. Spinning on his feet quickly, he expected to see some sort of human figure, but what he saw was far from it.

"What the..." The frog could talk? Up to this point, he was barely any surprised with seeing any strange animals with strange characteristics, but that was still rather different with what he was used to. A frog... With a raised brow, he turned back to his penguin with a 'why can't YOU talk' death stare on his face.

“So embarrassing..Ahh..I’m so embarrassed!” A frantic, but soft voice was currently muttering this to herself, face a bright red color as she ran away from Polis, fingers clutching onto a large frog plushie. Her form looked like it was flickering (like that of a light bulb) and if one looked close enough, they could see through her. Yunoha was literally trying to contain herself from turning invisible, as per habit when uncomfortable situations happened, but was failing miserably as the minutes ticked by. Why, you might ask? Because Arcadios had filthy, perverted men roaming about.

One minute she had been enjoying a delicious little cookie treat this small vendor had given her for free, and the next, a rather older looking gentleman had sauntered over, giving her a nice friendly greeting. Of course, not wanting to be rude, the petite female had greeted back, and it was only then that she realized her mistake. From then on, the man (who’s face she wanted to rip from her memory) began to ask her infinite amounts of questions, flirted with her, and touched her when she clearly was showing discomfort.

Deciding to save herself the trouble - She had given a brief apologetic bow, turned around, and dashed off. She had no idea of where she was going, but she wanted to be nowhere near Polis at the moment. A startled yelp escaped her lips as she tripped, falling face-first (thankfully) into a pile of grass. Groaning, she rolled over, before sitting up-right. Tugging Kero onto her lap, she glanced down at herself, sighing. I turned invisible again..She though, with a rather disappointing expression on her face.

Ah..well she tried at least.

Takakura Kanba shut his cellphone and slid it right back into his pants pocket. Obviously, there was no signal and just looking at the now useless device boiled him in anger. Why did it have to be now, in the middle of an important mission, he thought. If the man he was targeting escaped while he was sent to this place, then who knew what repercussion that would cause to the organization...

In any case, he had other matters to attend to for the moment. He looked all around him and found a town shaded in the red of sand, not exactly the sight one usually expected when abducted. Was this another representation of his subconscious or was this the land of dreams? Then what about Himari... or Shoma?

With no one else watching, he couldn't help letting his worries show on his face. What course of action should he take next? How will he assure his siblings' safety? In an act of anger, he kicked the ground, sending a cloud of dust and sand into the air.

Strange...ly enough, a vague silhouette appeared in front of him...? Confused, he turned back and there, Penguin n°1 was still trailing behind. Ffor certain, he saw a silhouette, but as he turned back, the dust dispersed and the form slowly faded.

“What I want? Surely, you don’t believe that it’ll be this simple. After all, everyone has ulterior motives. At least I’m honest with mine.”

A soft hum tuned off of her lips, antagonizing the red haired male.

“Hold on, one moment.” Masako spoke honestly as she took a step forward. There was nothing in her hands. No memory-ball slingshot, no night vision goggles.

“You, please grab the camera.” Masako mentioned to a nearby worker who would happily search for the camera.

Esmerelda was already off antagonizing the pervy penguin. A soft chu chu escaping it’s rounded beak as it backed the creature up into it’s master’s legs.

[really don’t have a better esmerelda icon but ok]

Her eyes focused back on the two brothers, coming within two or so feet of them. “There are reports of hunters who end up feeling sympathy for their prey. After spending days, weeks, maybe even months searching for their target… they gain a bit of respect for the lifestyle their prey lives. Predators, survival instinct, morality… What truly separates man and beast is nothing more then simple genetic coding. They end up regretting their hunt.”

The camera was already aimed at the group as Masako stood between Kanba and Sho, keeping her distance as she glared towards the camera.

“Unfortunately, that is not the case in our situation. Let us enjoy tonight; remember it. For tomorrow, this is my hunting ground.”

Poor Shoma still not knowing WTF is going on.

Tugging the collar of that jacket closer together, he hugged his arms to his chest and and scowled as the bitter air nipped at his exposed ankles. Predators, morality..

After a third perplexed ‘huuuhh..’ that burst of light sent a hand over his eyes. Though he wasn’t part of the spotlight (so to speak) it was still blinding, especially when after being shrouded in darkness. His knuckles rubbed at his eyes before returning to his torso to salvage whatever warmth he could.

"If you're looking for a Stockholm syndrome, that won't be happening either."

In another territory, his feeling of unease never left him. He had to focus on one, his brother; two, Masako; and three, the servants. Any of them were possible of lighting any dangerous sparks and his current state of mind, he wasn't confident in how well he would be able to kill the flames. The only viable solution was... to flee from the scene, as sad as it might sound.

The sudden flash of light blinded his vision for a short instant, but while waiting for the next part to happen... nothing in particular happened. Was that it? Did Masako only intend in taking a picture with him and his brother? And to what purpose would that serve? It all seemed so incoherent to him.

At Shoma's interrogation, Kanba could not bring himself to answer in any way. Were he to give a vague answer, there was the possibility that Masako would rebut right away. Were he to not say a word, then the girl could easily fill in his silence. He took grip on the twin's coat by the elbow, preparing to pull him away to leave the mansion's yard but he feet could not move. It had little to do with No.1 gripping so hard to his master's leg as support for the trauma.

The public display Masako was putting forth was a security clause. Her name, her legacy, and her face sent out to the masses. This was a simple tactic to push the boys, but keep them from being pushed over the edge. One simple threat seen by the public would put their ‘rivalry’ in top regard.

If the boys were smart, they’d continue to act civil.

Masako and Esmerelda acknowledged the males and their invisible penguins with a nod.

One of the workers moved past them, bringing a marble statue to lay in the central courtyard. Esmerelda would soon follow, pushing a penguin-version of the statue. Sadly, they both struck a harsh similarity to Kanba and his perverted pet.

“Where would the fun be in that? I wanted to see that gleam in your eyes. That longing. You’ve missed me, I know you have.”

Taking a soft breath, she took a step or two forward. A security team had begun to disperse the crowd, leaving the two boys in her company — a bit more private then previously.

“However, you both are on my property now. You’re my guests. How utterly rude of me.”

A snap of her fingers and her faithful servant was here as well! Quick with her cup of black tea, a tray was offered to the boys as well.

“You do take your tea black, do you not? It matches your heart so well, Kanba.”

Narrowing her eyes, she looked to Shoma.

Somewhere between racing downstairs and actually reaching the outdoors, Sho made use of that coat without falling on his face and ending up concussed somewhere.

Dipping into the chill of the night, he was too distracted by the statues and trucks to return Kanba’s gaze. His penguin seemed just as confused as it’s owner, watching Esmerelda with that vacant look he usually seemed to carry anyway. “Isn’t this—”

Masako spoke of things that he wouldn't want Shoma to hear. It really was inevitable for her to reveal anything about him, about them to his siblings. The reason why he insisted in bringing Shoma to face the girl this once was so he would be able to clear any misunderstandings about their relationship from the get-go and to warn about the falsehood of any secrets that she might reveal in the future. Ironically, Masako's words were sure to weight more in truth than his.

She was the type to be straightforward with her goals and he still had too many secrets to hide. The only criminal here really was... Kanba.

"Save your efforts. I... We're not here to stay." Without making any unnecessary gestures, he declined her offer. "We've only come to acknowledge your presence. That's only what you want, right? Now that we've greeted the neighbors, I'll bid you goodnight right here."

But everyones weird—maybe you more than most.

Fuck that shit, I’d rather be cool.

Tch, and not everyone can be cool.

The girl overwatched as the crew continued to pile her belongings inside. In and out, new and old, they all had importance in her life.

However, the reason she chose this position? This mansion? It wasn’t for the history it held. Oh, no.

Turning her vision, there was one particular window that stuck out amongst the crowd of panels and panes. If Kanba and Shoma were lucky enough, their vision would see a darkened smirk. She knew they were there. She now knew they were watching.

“Someone’s moving something…” His ambiguous report closed with a yawn, and he moved his head a little, offering some space for Kanba to have a look.

…What.

Including Masako.

"I was at my part-time-- Come on." Seeing how reluctant his brother was, Kanba grabbed the other by the back of the collar and pulled him to the door. A vague excuse was given, just to be spared from any of his second mother's incoming nagging about his bad habits. Before closing the door behind him, he made sure to grab the coat he left hanging on his chair to give it to the half-asleep Shoma.

Now outside, the Takakura brothers joined the short crowd who were also up to see what the commotion was about. Without looking too far, the heiress of the Natsume clan was already in sight, looking quite welcoming already.

There was a small, secluded estate west of the central dormitories. A mini mansion, if you would, that acted as a spot for fund raisers and private events. It was a way for the school to make money, allowing political functions and the above mentioned events occur. In short, it was rental property.

However, the revving of loud moving trucks would easily wake any slumbering students. Ten of them, all suited with strong buff men parked outside of the estate in hopes of moving all the contents within the mansion tonight.

For anyone who had known of how empty the estate was, it would most certainly bring a buzz around it. Who was moving in? What was being moved out? What was going on?

No one knew.

20 or so minutes passed until a large, stretch limo would join the caravan of moving trucks. The shiny black gloss paint almost blended in with the night. As soon as the limo was parked, the driver would hop out to open the back door.

At first glance, amber tendrils of curled hair flowed down a flawless and cold face.

Natsume Masako, the grand daughter of the original owner of this luxury estate had transferred in to claim it as her own. The ‘invisible’, black penguin known as Esemerelda would follow suit from exiting the car.

“Yes, you need not to worry. Your information was correct; the estate lies mere yards from the dormitories. That’s quite satisfactory.”

Masako spoke in a toned voice over her cell phone. Stepping towards the blackened steel gates that kept a divide between common-folk and the wealthy, Masako simply chuckled a bit as she continued her conversation.

“I assume you’ve also taken care of my registration? Hm, yes. Every class Takakura Kanba is in, you heard me correctly.”

Pause.

“No, I don’t care if I took that class already. I’ll take it again and crush it.”

But the rumbling engines were no match for his subconscious. At first, the noises were simply accepted as noise and he wasn’t awake enough to establish a source or cause. But as the fifth or sixth truck made it’s way through, Shoma’s eyes blinked open. The first thing they found was his assigned baby chicken (since recovering it, he wasn’t letting it far from his sights..) but his drowsy gaze found the window soon enough, inwardly deciding the sound was from outside.

It was a wonder how he didn’t panic immediately, given the school’s reputation.

“Jeeze…” It sounded like they were doing construction work out there. He sat up, straightened out his collar, and closed an eye as another truck rumbled along. Maybe someone was leaving for the holidays…? What stupid timing.

Pushing the blanket from his legs, Bluebro finally rose from bed to have a look outside. His best view only offered slivers of what was going on. It wasn’t construction at all, as he figured, there were trucks moving through but he couldn’t determine their cause. Something like Na—ume was written along the perceivable side?

When his brother walked up to the window, he made it his cue to finally get up and get an answer to all this ruckus. Resting his arm on his shorter brother's shoulder, Kanba moved the curtains and watched the scene. There were too many trucks around and most were parked right in front of the unused mansion. How odd.

But then the most unexpected word appeared in his vision. It couldn't be. Now completely awake, he slid the window open and squinted his eyes to focus on the name written on the trucks.

Natsume.