By the time morning rose again, X-Ray, Vav, Mogar, and the Supernatural Experiments met up to meet a very close friend of the original duo's. He appeared in a ton of places, but his hideout rested under the highway where the billboard that advertised Headlight Fluid was always posted. If luck was on their side, the man should be in his box and not wandering about.
"Wow, what a way to spend the search for some psycho," commented X-Ray, leaping from the bridge to the ground.
Vav said, "We go to Rusty for everything, X-Ray. He's our main source of information." He followed his friend right onto the dirt.
Shear was about to take her jump until Mogar took her by the waist and leapt for the both of them. "Oh no, you don't. The last thing you should be is filthy after that leap."
"I've suffered through worse, Mogar. Did you think I was gonna fall on my pretty face?" she replied.
A thud made the ground shake for a second or two. Runner had misjudged the distance and landed flat on his front side like a pancake. Tiny birds flew in circles around his head.
"Perhaps not as much as I was originally concerned," answered Mogar, scratching the back of his head.
Shear giggled and gifted him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't wimp out now, Bear Warrior. It's not as attractive as your defensive demeanor." Mogar slumped forward and followed her slowly as she continued to blush.
Runner Guitar returned to standing and brushed off the dirt from his outfit.
His partner floated right down next to him with the word, "Float," carrying him down next to the kid. "I told you to grab the "Float," but you decided to show off and almost commit suicide."
"I can't stand that prick. He's around our boss lady's little finger with his powerful strength, paced agility…"
"Sounds like someone's jealous."
"Jealous? Of that cream puff? I'd rather be more jealous of a dog begging for Shear's attention!"
Ghost Writer crossed his arms and glared into Runner Guitar's eyes. "Well, I know what you're thinking. You're gonna try to get yourself into sticky situations on this trip just so she can either A) save your butt or B) she can look at you like a precious doll."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he responded, "All we're doing is finding Tobukaze, so we can dump these losers and go home! The last thing we want is for Shear to get too attached."
"Or what? That Mogar guy isn't bad. You said so yourself when you scanned him. Plus, those two guys in the onesies can't even hurt a housefly if they tried. Yeah, Kermit the Frog has a short temper, but I don't think he'll hurt Shear unless he wants to at this point."
Runner gave him the death glance. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Runner, for the last time, she's a woman, and she's not going to get herself hurt again. Get over it!"
"Grumble, grumble, shit, grumble."
Vav had just knocked on the box, and it shuffled for a second or two before the human inside lifted it up from the ground to show his face. "Goddamn, still not Kevin. You guys again?"
"Sorry to interrupt your private time, Rusty," groaned X-Ray, "but we need a profile on a certain someone you might've seen lately."
Inside, which happened to be a lot bigger like the TARDIS, all of our heroes have been seated at the table as Rusty is searching for the Tobukaze profile the Supernatural Experiments need. Every time Mogar looked across the table at Runner Guitar, the latter turned away as if something was distracting him from the mission. Instead of blowing his top, Mogar kept quiet as they waited for the results.
"Hate to break to ya, guys," Rusty said, "but I haven't gotten anything on anyone called, "Tobukaze.""
Shear sat back in her chair sighed heavily. "Well, so much for that."
"Hey, cheer up, doll. Maybe he's here, but he doesn't like to be seen. I'm an investigator of the streets, you know. Nothing slips past me."
"Rusty's right," Vav intervenes, "If we can't, he sure can."
Shear couldn't help but stare down at her new gloves. Mogar patted her on the back and said, "We're not giving up yet. If this guy can't come out in the broad daylight, I can only assume he pleasures to roam at night."
"Oh yeah." Rusty recalled, "Bad guys love to cause trouble when everyone's asleep."
"We got that part down," butted in Guitar, "but we still need a plan to catch him. Tobukaze can sense your every move before you even think it."
X-Ray stood up. "But, ah, you underestimate us, young padawan. If he were a real villain, he would recognize every possibility, not just only the logical ones."
"So of course, we'll follow your stupid plans?" Writer questioned.
Vav hopped onto the table and hit his head on the light. "Ow! Exactly that! You gotta catch the fly where he won't be able to see it."
X-Ray replied, "Now, that I think about it. Before we do make it clear we own this town, we gotta make him come after us."
The sunset was approaching on the city as the groups of two, X-Ray and Vav, Guitar and Writer, and Mogar and Shear, sat on three separate rooftops to get a complete overview of the streets below them. All of them were focused at the beginning, but as soon as the sun disappeared, X-Ray and Vav were already sleeping, and Writer punched himself to stay awake. Guitar was fully awake, glaring at Mogar and Shear across the block. The two were too distracted with their conversation to notice the third wheel.
"My mom used to make these cupcakes…well, not really cupcakes, but she would put sausage, cheese, just about anything in them, for lunch. We would just sit around the table and talk about our days like everybody else."
"That sounds nice," Mogar said.
Shear nodded. "Do you still talk to your mom?"
"I do. She raised me since I was a child. She made sure I learned how to survive out in the world like this. It's not always kind to you, you know."
The girl looked down at the street.
"Oh, I didn't mean to bring that to mind! I apologize if I…"
"No. It's alright. It's nice to have a mom who'll accept you no matter what comes her way."
"Shear, don't talk like that. Have you tried talking to your mother?"
She jerked her head, gifting him the death glance. "You don't know what she was like. She raised us to be the perfect kids. What's perfect about these?" With one shake, there came the claws. "She gave birth a girl, not a cat!"
"Mine didn't ask for a human child, but she couldn't care more."
Shear's eyes flickered open, her nails returning to normal. "Your mother's not human?"
"No." He stood up and presented himself. "What gave you that thought?"
Her cheeks colored red in seconds. "Oh, god! I did it again."
"Did what again?"
Shear began to tremble as if there was an earthquake. "I act like I can read people, but I can't, and I end up hurting them. I'm sorry."
Mogar knelt down to her and lifted her chin. "Hey, do not cry. It's quite a big world out here. A lot more people will accept you more than those who won't the more you keep protecting them. If you wanna get there, let's start here. I don't care about these…" He pointed to her hands. "My only cares rest in the kindness in your heart. You went so far out of your journey to get your friend back. That has to be the most heroic gesture I have ever seen in all of my years of heroics deeds even I have done. Most friendships that lead to hero/villain rivalry conclude with someone either dead or behind bars. I hope for your life and Tobukaze's that's not either of you."
Shear's face was white as a pillow sheet. Her mouth hung open, but nothing came out of it. "Mogar, thank you," she wanted to say, but she couldn't even get the guts to even do so. There was something else on her mind that overpowered that thank you. The more she stared into Mogar's bold, brown eyes, the weaker she got. Her throat closed and seemed to open if she had to vomit. She could feel her face boil like a pot of water on a fired up stove. That all halted when a gush of wind brushed her shoulders. She knew…she knew…
"Shear!"
She ducked and swords clashed right over her head. Shear looked up to see that both Mogar and Runner were pushed up against a shadowy figure with two blades. The boys pushed back with full force, knocking the figure backwards.
"Do civilians never learn not to sneak attack Mogar?" the bearman growled.
"If it weren't for my scream, hotshot, he would've killed you," hissed Guitar.
"More like scared the life out of your leader."
"Will you two stop fighting?" snapped the leader. She pushed Mogar and Runner to the side and glared at the shadow. "So you discovered us after all…Tobukaze. What took you so long?"
The shadow only got up to his knees, and his deep chuckle brought chills to every spine in the area. Once his copper, scarred face came into view, his laughing halted, and that sneaky, pearl-white grin vanished. "Ah, I knew that form was you, Sister Shear. And I see you made a new friend. A boyfriend perhaps?"
Mogar slashed his sword down on the roof and hissed, "For a man who's supposed to be her sister, you have the complete audacity to swipe at her."
"She's a danger to this world, bearman. Do you not see that?"
"Shear? A danger? Don't tell us that you think she's going to try to kill you!" snapped Runner.
"Not just her, Guitar." Tobukaze swipes his blades at him, but he dodged just in the nick of time. "All three of you. If that means your new ally include, so be it."
"I'd think twice before saying that!" X-Ray announced as he lasered Tobukaze to another rooftop. The duo landed in front of the others just as Ghost Writer appeared to find out what just happened. "If there's one thing you don't do, that's mess with my team, asshole!"
The dark one slowly sits back up and shakes his head, cracking it back into place. "Ah, the infamous X-Ray and Vav." He chuckles twice. "I've heard so little about you."
"Oh really?" mocks Vav, "You've been the talk of the town as of late, and not too bright of a conversation at that. Better little good publicity than the whole town afraid of you."
"Oh, trust me, my little Russian friend, I'll sure know what'll come to me once I rid the evil in this town. Starting with you!" Tobukaze thrashes his arm to the side, and a wave pushes X-Ray and Vav into the edge of the roof.
"Nobody calls me Russian and hits us with a weak blow like that! Take this!" Vav lifts his hands to stop Tobukaze from coming any closer, but the villain avoids the attack with ease. He glides over, yanking the blade from his side. "Whoa, he's fast!"
"That's what you get when you have been cursed!"
From his left side, Runner Guitar kicks Tobukaze away from X-Ray and Vav with force and pins him down to the rooftop. "If you're gonna use wit and speed as tools, Tobukaze, you better think again."
He cringes at first, but seconds later, he begins to snicker. "Actually, no. Considering it's you, Runner, I knew you were going to do that, so…" Tobukaze pushes his old friend's rear end towards the northern end of the platform, which leads to Runner tripping and managing to grip onto the ledge before the downfall.
"Well, this is shit," is all he can say.
His opponent approaches him again and marks his foot on his right hand. Runner wants to let go, but his life depends on him holding on for dear life. "You can't hold on forever, old friend. I can squeeze even harder if you want the challenge!"
"I don't understand, TK! I'm your best friend! Why do you want me to suffer?"
"Oh, believe me, RG, I don't, but it's all for the sake of the world. With how you guys are handling things, you're only going to destroy it."
"We're heroes! We don't destroy the world. We help it!"
"Exactly my point." He presses on the hand even harder until Runner can't hold on with it much longer. His left still grips in the balance.
Shear screams, "Runner! Keep holding on!" signalling that Mogar is going to help him.
"I don't need help, boss lady!" he snaps, trying to dismiss his rival. "I need to concentrate!"
Tobukaze laughs. "Still stubborn as the usual, Runner. Too bad that's going to kill you in a few seconds." He almost has his foot stamp on the other hand until Mogar charges at him from the right and knocks him over. "Ow! My ribs!"
Mogar snatches Runner Guitar's hand from the ledge and pulls the boy back onto the surface. "Next time, don't be a fool," is all the bearman can say about the predicament.
"Runner, are you okay?" Ghost Writer and Shear call out.
"No!" Runner snaps, "I think my right hand is broken."
"This isn't the last you've seen of me," Tobukaze growls. "You might have won this battle, but the war for justice will be mine in the end, so don't get in my way unless you want me to kill you, too." With that said and done, he zooms up and into the sky until he can't be seen again.
"Yeah, that's right, asshole!" shouts X-Ray, crawling over to the others, "You better run like a coward!"
"Oh, he'll be back, guys," Shear informs. "If there's one thing I know about him, he doesn't quit so easily."
"Well, if one thing is certain, he's a fast thinker," replies Vav.
"So, dumb one, did you get the information we need to beat this guy?" Mogar questions to Guitar.
"I would've if you didn't charge in and act like the know-it-all of combat!" he hisses.
Ink stamps the word, "Smack," on his forehead as Ghost Writer whips the pen at him. "Look," he mandates, "I want the both of you to stop it. Arguing about who is the better fighting is going to solve absolutely nothing. Clearly. Tobukaze knows more about X-Ray and Vav than we thought, so, X-Ray, your dumbfounded schemes to beating him better work the next time around."
"Oh, trust me," X-Ray groans, clutching onto this side, "I have plenty in store for him. As soon as we meet again, I'll beat his ass until there's nothing left of it."
Shear can't help but stare into the distance. I don't understand, she says to herself. He looked so happy to almost destroy us. Have his powers consumed him that much? Has he finally reached the point of no return? Tobukaze, no…
A hand touches her shoulder, and she turns to see Mogar also staring out into the distance. "Do not fear, Shear," he says deeply, "He won't get away with his behavior. Once you show him the light, darkness will be corrupted under our shoes."
Runner tags the other side. "Yeah, and he'll be normal again like us. Darkness won't…win."
X-Ray and Ghost smack their foreheads in embarrassment.
"You're right, you two. We need to help Tobukaze, not hurt him." Shear starts cracking her knuckles. "We need to get into his head out of all things…My only concern is how. I haven't been the best speaker."
Vav taps his chin and starts shaking. "I know a person, but we might regret it in the long wrong. The last time we saw him, he almost tried to destroy the city."
X-Ray snaps, "There is no way we are going to be allowed to see him again, Vav!"
"Maybe not us, but these three are newbies, and clearly, they won't fall for any of Tobukaze's logic. This guy will be the ultimate test."
Runner leans his upper body to Shear and mutters, "Do you have any idea what these two are talking about?"
She can only shrug.
"I do a little too well of their person, and as much as I hate to admit it, he is the only person who can teach the art of getting into someone's head."
"Who is he?" she questions.
"As soon as you see him, Shear, you have to call him, "Your Majesty." You have to get him on his good side, for if you do not, he's the least of help you are going to get."
