Deep within an active volcano, BlackStar sprints along-side steaming lava, jumps from one boulder to the next, and skilfully dodge all obstacles along the path. 'Nothing' he thought hopelessly.
"BlackStar, are you in here?" a soft female voice that sounded like Tsubaki asked from one of the tunnels he just passed by.
"Tsubaki?!" immediately he sprinted to the sound.
"Where are you BlackStar?" the voice asked.
"I'm coming! Don't be scared, I'm right here!"
He made it to a dead end, "what the?"
"BlackStar…." The voice came from another direction.
"This heat is giving you illusions BlackStar; and on top of that, I know you have yet to sleep." Kid on his skateboard stopped in front of the little assassin. "Com'on, we're all looking for her too, so why don't you take a little break? You've been running around for nearly three days."
"Tsubaki, I will not rest until I find Tsubaki,"
"Maybe she left like Soul said," Kid thought aloud to himself.
BlackStar simply stared at him, thinking over the possibility. 'Could that be true? Were you unhappy as my partner?' he thought about all the times he claimed all the credits and the few times he actually congratulated her. All those times he dashed off carelessly, leaving her behind. 'But, she always followed. She did!' this is the one time she actively left without telling me, 'I failed to follow' his head bend forward.
"Hey, BlackStar there's something I want to tell you," Liz sidestepped her way around to get to them.
"Yeah? What's up?" he asked,
"Um, remember a few nights ago when we ran into you outside the lobby!"
BlackStar was getting a sickening feeling already,
"I do remember seeing something a bit… Odd," she said nervously,
Kid and BlackStar focused on her face, taking in on her uneasiness,"
"Whatever it is Liz, please tell me. I must find Tsubaki and find out if she's alright," BlackStar said softly, making the guilt that she was already feeling close to unbearable.
"Along the side of the building, just before you came by that night, I…" she stuttered, "I-I remember seeing three people going through what looked like a portal."
"I suppose that could mean that other students from the academy are on a trip too but what does that have to do with-" the horror on BlackStar's face was heart wrecking, "what do you mean by 'odd?'" he asked, having that sickening feeling again.
"It was odd because, the third person seemed to be carried into the portal." She finally admitted. Since this morning, Liz had remembered that scene and was ashamed of herself for forgetting what might have been an important piece of information.
"I'm so sorry BlackStar" she sobbed softly.
Except he was already gone. Sprinting at top speed to get to the side of their hotel.
Back in the caves, Liz continued to sob softly, desperately trying to stop the tears and her trembling body.
"It's alright, you should feel better now that that's out of your chest," Kid wrapped his arms around her shoulder.
"This is my fault!" she wailed, "How could I forget something so important such as that? Tsubaki must be hurt or frightened somewhere and it's all my fault!"
"Tsubaki is more than capable of taking care of herself," he reassured.
"B-but"
"No buts," he said, "everything will be alright."
It was nice to hear someone saying that instead of her always having to say it. Back on the streets, she had to comfort Patty often, and now. Hearing those same words being said to you feels…. Nice.
Through her sobs, a small smile formed on her lips.
"Shhh, everything is fine now. I'm right here,"
For once in her life, she'd borrowed into someone else's shoulder and simply shed tears.
"Crona!" one of the Hawaiian girls tackled him, "Where were you yesterday? We've been looking all over," she whined.
"Sor-sorry we were, we were busy looking for someone," he said while trying to untangle himself from her.
"Crona!"
"Crona!"
"Honey!"
The same girls and seemingly others that he didn't recognize from the day before charged at him.
"We've missed you," one of them pouted,
Another pointed a finger at Patty, "you got to have him all to yourself yesterday, so it's our turn!" She yelled.
Crona wasn't flinching too much nor was he backing away from anyone like the first time.
Patty waited for a sign from him, anything that indicated discomfort. He wasn't reacting much, instead he stood there watching her decide what to do. Feeling torn but too prideful to show it, she smiled her usual cheeriness and laughed as she walked away.
If you laugh real hard, no one could ever know.
Or so she thought, Crona observed her form carefully. She really is a great actress. Even he would've fell for it had he not seen the look in her eyes. Her eyes, which she always closed when laughing like that, before her lashes blocked his view he managed to make out a small glitter that reflect from the light and the moist in her eyes.
Crona felt ashamed, because unlike him she wouldn't let a soul know when she was afraid or in pain. She simply laughs.
'I can sense the portal that Liz mentioned…..' BlackStar sniffed the air and observed his surroundings. 'Right around… Aha!'
He focused on the two sets of footprints printed side by side, 'they went that way' he ran a few feet and stopped abruptly in front of a small space between the trees. 'It was here' he sensed the faint lingering of a portal from several days ago. Closing his eye, he holds out his palm and concentrated on summoning the portal. "Portal Transport" he yelled and successfully brought it forward.
He looked inside and spotted a small village seemingly to throw a party. Women and children were dressed in nice kimonos with simple patterns while the men and older boys wore black ninja suits.
A figure covered in white robes climbed out the back of the window of the biggest house, BlackStar just about glanced away until the figure slipped out of the ropes and was now wearing her usual black fitted leggings and an off-white tank.
"Tsubaki!" he jumped through the portal.
