Chapter 32
Title: Prelude To A Conflict?
You guys can support me by donating powerstones on this book
Anyways! Let's begin
◆━━━◆━━━◆
Third Person POV. -- 26th Of December -- 2415
[ Lake Kawaguchi -- Inside The Cruise Ship]
Sometimes, situations happen that one can never account for... Never able to tell something is wrong until it begins happening to them...
It is simply... Inevitable...
.
..
...
While Himiko has successfully disguised herself and infiltrated the enemy's midsts, a pair of slightly worried couple, who are guided by their instincts enter the first floor, and start looking for their child and her two friends, finding them with one missing on a side railing while they are gazing out towards the distance.
"Retsu darling, where is Himiko-chan? " Kie voices out from behind, Tetsuya beside her and the both of them walking towards the pair of Retsu and Mina near the railings.
Retsu and Mina turn around, before the taller girl opens her mouth to explain, "she went to the bathroom. Why? Did you need her for something? "
"Huh? Oh no. We just wanted to check up on you three, is all. " Kie softly says, while Tetsuya slightly narrows his eyes.
Tetsuya is a man who trusts his instincts, and despite his earlier jest about his RASS –Retsu Alert Sixth Sense– tingling and all, he had genuinely gotten a feeling and decided to check on her.
But the over a Millennium old soul isn't so easily seen through. Retsu's act could probably fool the most expert of people and let her get away with it.
Before any further questioning or proceedings though, Retsu's blood mist that she's divided into so many tiny particles that it's practically un-seeable, as well as mixing it with other biological chemicals that it's lost its scent, picks up on a familiar person walking their way.
Himiko rounds a corner and comes from behind the father and mother pair. She smiles widely and announces her presence, "YO! When did you love-birds come down? " She asks, leading to Tetsuya turning around normally, while his partner jumps up slightly from the sudden scare.
"Kya! ugh! Don't do that Himiko-chan! " The older woman chides, giving out a huff of frustration, which leads to Tetsuya and the rest smiling in amusement.
Kie though, doesn't let this pass, "what are you smiling about, Mister Hero~" She quickly turns to Tetsuya and asks, leading to the man turning his head to the side nonchalantly while clearing his throat.
"Ahem! N-nothing hun... J-just the.. W-wind is all... " He barely flushes out an excuse, which in actuality isn't a good one at all.
"Riiiiight~... " Kie says, "we'll have a private chat tonight, you and me~"
Gulp!
"Anyways, " Kie moves on, turning back to the trio and seeing them just idling around, not doing anything in particular with Mina looking out and towards the distant mountain, Himiko joining her and Retsu just gazing at them with her arms crossed.
"Right, Well we just came by to check up on you three. If there is anything you need, ask for it from the staff members, politely of course, or come to us on the second floor. " Kie reminds them again, before she and Tetsuya turn to leave, their curiosity having been satiated for now.
After they walk away, Retsu turns around to see her two friends already facing her. She gives them a side nod before they begin leisurely walking away.
"You came back fast, " Mina says after they walk to a more isolated space, looking to Himiko who has a smirk on her face.
"Yep~ it was totally easy~" The girl says with a big smile. "Those guys are so lame though~ they only had 3 other guys who looked like they could fight, and the rest were only recon and information gatherer types~" Himiko freely explains, leading to Retsu and Mina nodding to her words.
"They have no idea one of their guys is already captured by us~ it's only a matter of time before this ship hits the shore, and the awaiting Pro Heroes and police catch them all~" She excitedly explains, making Mina and Retsu nod in satisfaction.
"Good job Himi-chan, just what I'd expect from you. Now all that's left to do is hide towards the end of the ship, and not let ourselves be captured by them. " Retsu says calmly, before the trio start walking towards the back, Retsu subtly holding onto Mina's hand because she knows the pink girl is their weaker link, being the one who has zero experience in these fields.
As for Himiko? That girl had always lived for the thrill of the situation, and her mental strength was surprisingly strong even before Retsu entered her life.
.
..
...
Inside the staff member's room,
"... "
The brown haired, elf like pointy eared woman brings down her hand from beside her right ear, her eyes wide in shock as she gazes at her leader, the bushy brows man who has impersonated the real captain of the cruise ship.
"C-captain, Hugo's been captured! I just heard it from the mouth of a girl who was talking to our target just now!
They were able to defeat and somehow Impersonate Hugo! " She says to the only other occupant in the room, the others having re-disguised themselves with the help of Hans's quirk, –who is actually inside the other room beside this one, taking a nap and gathering his strength from his trip here.
The others have already went back to their normal work within the ship, only the leader of their group and the woman who can hear almost all things being said inside the cruise ship is currently inside the staff member's room.
"... What the hell... How did this happen? When did they?... " The captain thinks, and his eyes slowly widen as he pieces out the missing parts in the narrative.
"They must have ambushed Hugo when he went to check on the earlier noise you were able to hear. That's where they must have gotten him.
As for the one who impersonatedhim and came to the earlier meeting, it must have been another impersonation type quirk. Thankfully we didn't give them any useful info, and the stuff they heard and know now is things we can work around with. " The leader tries to placate the situation, trying to find a solution, but the next piece of news he hears from the woman beside him leaves him speechless.
"What?! You're saying there are Pro heroes and law inforcement waiting for us on the shore? What the hell?! When? How?!? " He demands.
"I don't know how! I just heard the brat who infiltrated us mention it to the target!
Aghhh what the hell are we supposed to do now! And we were so close to finishing the mission and going back home too! " The woman says, frustrated and holding her head with both hands.
"Hey! Hey! Calm the fuck down! We still have our trump card that we can escape with! " The leader says, beads of sweat already falling down his own face.
Just then, a door leading to this room opens, and in walks Hans, massaging his forehead while having worn better clothes. "What the hell is all this noise about? What's going on? " He walks out while massaging his eyes, having woken up from his nap by the frantic noises he heard from this room.
"Hans, the situation is dire, " The leader says, and after explaining the situation again, it leaves Hans panicking too.
"What the hell?! How did it come to this! I was already supposed to be on my way out of this damn country! why did I have to stay behind too!" He yells out,
"I-I... T-this can't be happening! I can't! I have to return home! My poor daughter is waiting for me! I haven't seen her in ages! " Hans begins to panic, and his unstable eyes turn to the people inside the room.
"I-its all you guy's fault! If you hadn't taken me away from my home, none of this would have happened! " He yells out, standing up and ready to pounce on the hairy man before him.
"Careful now. Remember, your daughter's life is still on the line. I don't usually like this troupe, but if you want her safe and out of this, you'll cooperate with us. " The leader calmly explains, his eyes bored but fierce, leaving Hans to find back his bearings and hold back his words, though he still gives the man and woman infront of him the narrowed eyes.
"Regardless of the situation, it seems our plans aren't ruined completely yet. Our objective is putting the target in the way of the other group sent here. They'll be able to handle her, so our situation hasn't changed that much.
The only thing that's changed is the timer we have. The other party is ready and waiting for our end, so we'll just quicken the process.
The ship will be docking in about half an hour, so we have about 30 minutes to send the target in their direction. " The leader finishes, before he looks to Hans, "you will hide in your room, the info you have will be as much valuable as the info inside the USB drive you brought, so look out and, if the situation gets worse, try and slip out discreetly by transforming yourself. "
"Yeah but you know if I do that, then the transformations on you guys will become undone. " Hans explains again.
"Yeah I know. That's why I said to look out, and if the situation got worse, leave us behind and get the hell out of here. Go and try to find the second group, they're near Mt. Fuji itself last I checked on them. " The leader finishes before turning his gaze to the woman.
"Shila, go and gather the others back, except the imposter of course. I'm forwarding our schedule and ending this mission in the next 30 minutes. We'll either walk to jail or go home victorious. " He finishes, before gesturing to Hans, who walks forward and puts his hand on Shila's face.
Shila's face and her physical characteristics slowly begin to change. A faint, blue glow envelopes her form while her face loses its foreign features and dons a more Japanese look, her form's height and proportions slightly altering with her mutation of pointy ears receding.
After its done, Shila exits the room as a changed woman, looking just like the staff member who's currently unconscious and tied up on the first floor.
.
..
...
As the pieces begin to move, the enemy starting to gather and ready to strike at their enemy, they fail to understand one major thing.
That it is futile to attempt to plan against an over a millenia old soul, someone so experienced, that they may as well have dictated your entire operation without you having no knowledge of it.
.
..
...
But you know, sometimes even those said old souls won't see stuff coming until it's too late...
.
..
...
[15 minutes later]
"You sure that worked? " Himiko says, bored out of her mind while sitting in cross style on a makeshift metal bump that works as a chair on the back of the ship, her hands are under her chin and her eyes half litted.
"Yes, have some faith in me would you Himi-chan? " Retsu plainly says, her arms crossed and her eyes closed, her back to the metal wall as she puts her concentration on the untraceable blood mist surrounding the vicinity.
She's improved this ability since before. where in the past it would leave a bloody scent and be visible in the atmosphere in the form of a red mist, now it's both un-seeable and untraceable through scent.
Himiko straightens, her smile returning as she gazes at Retsu, "but I'm always faithful to you, Re-re~" She cutely says, smiling widely with her eyes closed.
Sigh...
Retsu gives a sigh while shaking her head, her smile growing too as she amusedly thinks of the meaning behind Himiko's words.
"I still hope you guys reconsider this, " Mina chides from the side, her arms crossed but her form slightly shaking, the girl clearly out of place for this kind of operation.
"You can't become a hero like you wanna if you play scaredy cat all your life~" Himiko playfully says, making the pink girl turn and give her a narrowed eyed look.
"I'm not scared! I'm just... I'm just- ughhh! " Mina gestures up with her hands, "Is it so abnormal that I think we're too young to be handling stuff like this!? " She turns her gaze to Retsu next,
"I followed your lead and didn't tell Uncle and Aunt earlier about this, but I'm slowly starting to think I should have... " Mina holds her fisted left hand with her right to her chest, "I'm scared... Okay?... I don't think we should be doing things like this... We're not ready... " Mina's voice slowly lowers as she explains her deep fears, the poor girl too immature and inexperienced in situations like this to think rationally.
"Maybe we should have left her with Uncle and Aunt, right Re-re? " Himiko idly says from the side, her words may sound harsh but her intention isn't.
Retsu suddenly stands and closes the distance between herself and the scared pink girl, bringing the shorter girl into a hug. "It's okay to be scared... I may have no idea what it truly feels like to be scared of conflict, considering that you guys know I live for the thrill of it since my whole life,
But you know what? It's okay to be scared, Mina-chan. But don't worry, " Retsu softly takes hold of the shorter girl's cheek and makes her look up, "Because I'm here. " She calmly says,
And just like that, the magic is done. The short, pink haired and pink skinned girl wipes the little tears beside her eyes, her mind calms down along with her heart as she gazes at her reliable hero that's before her.
'Back then it was like this too, ' Mina thinks, remembering the incident with Gigantomachia those few months ago, and how this same brave, glowing girl stepped forward and saved her two classmates, while she got paralyzed and got cold feet during the confrontation.
'In a way, me and Kirishima-san from class D are kinda similar huh... I was scared to move back then too, but she wasn't. ' Mina looks at the kidly smiling face of the girl she's come to idolize as both a friend and a hero.
Mina, without her young mind realizing it, have already put Retsu on a high pedestal inside her mind. Whether this is a good thing or a bad one, only time will tell.
.
..
...
As Retsu finishes with calming down her more emotionally submissive friend, her detection ability finds upto six humanoid figures heading their way, her analysis quickly making mental pictures of the approaching assailants and the surface knowledge regarding their abilities.
"They're here. Himi-chan? " Retsu says, while giving Himiko a look, who smiles brightly before walking and standing beside the tall girl, gazing at her side profile while Retsu looks ahead.
"There is a hiding spot to the side. Mina-chan, I suggest you hide because I know you can't handle these people. " Retsu warns, while a litre of blood exits her facing up palm and takes hold of the pink girl's form, beginning to guide her away from the conflict and staying with her in order to protect her.
After that, a little more of the red liquid exits her palm before it's healed, the blood hovering before Himiko's face who smiles brightly.
"Your blood tastes the best, you know that right Re-re~? I love it the most among everyone's I've tasted!~" Himiko says while bringing her face close, sucking on the hovering blood and quickly swallowing the liquid with visible delight.
After she's ingested it, her body begins expelling grey sludge like substance, and her form begins to change under it, starting to grow taller and with more proportions.
Clothes also begin to materialize over her new form, and when it's all done and dusted, her new looks become visible.
Midnight black and silk like straight hair that reaches all the way down to her waist. Sky blue eyes that's on the darker sheen, and a straight nose with a round like facial feature. A straight and slightly pointed chin that makes her new visage look sharp, with her new sharp eyes that widens slightly for distinction.
All around a perfect replica of the person standing beside her, clothes and everything else involved.
Toga Himiko! Quirk, Transform! By injesting someone's blood, she's able to temporarily transform into them! Clothes and everything else they're wearing during that time included! The amount of blood she drinks dictate for how long she can keep up the form and shape!
After her transformation, Retsu brings a hand on the now transformed Himiko's shoulder and concentrates,
She concentrates and, like a dam breaking, or like a lock on a door breaking apart, she destroys the metaphorical lock she had placed on Himiko's physique, letting it operate at its currect permanently augmented limit.
The form she's taken also helps with this, considering Retsu's current normal physical strength is at the peak of human physiology, and subtly hitting on the realm of the superhuman strength that a quirk would give.
"Remember our training, and try to not hurt them too much. " Retsu half mindedly reminds her replica, the one who has half the strength she has in her augmented form.
"No promises~" Himiko, with Retsu's voice playfully says, a tone of voice that you'd never hear from the old soul except for maybe when she's in the high of battle.
As they finish with the preparations, the party slowly comes to them, the 6 people Retsu sensed rounds different corners and appears around the duo of calamities, ready for the slaughter.
'This is going to be fun~/ I hope they can bring something interesting to the table. '
.
..
...
Author's note/ CLIFFHANGER-KUUUUUN!!!! YOU SANOVA BIIIIIIIIIIISH!!!-
Waida minute, I'm the author here!
Ahhhhhh, whoops?
Sorry guys but this is where I'm cutting it, let that ominous massage at the start haunt y'all until the next chap too! Muwahahahahaha~
Ahhhh I'm so evil...
Anyways! Thank you for reading my story! Have a great day/night, and I'll see ya guys in the next chappy! Peace!