Chapter 10: Missions

Zeke shivered from where he stood next to Ayame, the two of them wrapped in layers of winter clothes and staring at the large fortress in front of them. Two weeks as Shibusen students and boring lesson upon boring lessons finally led them on their own mission. Ayame had been more than excited, practically announcing it to the entire school that the two of them would be off to New Zealand to look into some ice monster mystery. Their mother's had assisted them in packing for the trip, seeing as they were still going through the process of moving into their own place and had no idea what they were getting themselves into. He never imagined traveling would be so boring. He had sat through the plane ride with head phones on and eventually an overly anxious Ayame sleeping against his shoulder. Once they finally reached the snow covered country however, she wasn't nearly as excited. He glanced to the side at his partner, as she shrank down into her scarf, face red from the chilly air. Neither of them was too used to such weather and that definitely reflected in the girl's mood. "Let's find this thing so we can go." She grumbled irritably, stepping forward and pressing the intercom button on fortress wall. A strange accented voice responded, causing the pair to stare owlishly at the speaker. "Ah… um… we're from Shibusen?" Ayame started uncertainly.

"Shibusen?" Almost immediately the doors began to drag open and the duo was greeted with the sight of a small village.

"It's an entire community." Zeke chocked out, eyes widening in amazement. There were mothers chastising rambunctious children while carrying shopping bags and there were houses and shops spanning out in front of them. Far out into the distance a wooded area could be soon. Zeke wondered how exactly they managed to build a fortress and encased a forest, but he supposed that wasn't the issue.

"Hello, hello!" chirped a voice. The pair turned to see a small, round old man and a taller, young man coming towards them. "You're the pair they sent from Shibusen?" The old man asked.

"That's us!" Ayame answered brightly, swelling up. The old man's smile widened.

"Bit young looking, but I'm certain you'll do fine!" Zeke blinked in confusion, exchanging a look with Ayame who gave the old man an indignant look. The young man that came along had smiled apologetically at them.

"He means no harm. We're not too used to youngsters coming out to help here." He informed and smiled a little, waving them on to follow him. "My name's Joseph. For the past few weeks people have been claiming there's a strange sound coming from the forest.

"What kind of strange sounds?" Zeke asked, jamming his hands deeper into his jacket pockets. He gave a smile to the people who were eyeing him and Ayame curiously.

"Kids say monster sounds," Joseph explained. "But the older people in the village think it's more like moans."

"Monster sounds and moans are two completely different things." Ayame countered, frowning at the older boy. "Don't tell me we were called all the way out here on a rumor." Glancing at her, Joseph smiled faintly.

"You think it something else? Teenagers having a little fun maybe?" he asked. Ayame blinked in confusion at the change in the older boy's tone. There was something about the look in his eyes and the drop in his voice. Flustering, she faltered, only for Zeke to take a slight step ahead of her and take over the conversation.

"We were told that people have been going into the woods and going missing."The white haired boy spoke up, his eyes narrowing. "If this is a joke…"

"It's not a joke." Joseph countered. He stopped and pointed ahead to a path leading into the woods. "It's that way. The people that have gone missing have yet to return. We're pretty certain a demon has taken them or worse." The two boys stared at each other hard. Glancing over his shoulder at Ayame, Zeke nodded.

"Let's get going then." He shot one last look at the watching local before transforming, landing easily into Ayame's grasp. Joseph raised a brow and gave an impressed whistle.

"He's a scythe. That's quite the weapon for a girl your size, no?" he asked. The young meister eyed the local suspiciously. His personality had taken an interesting change from when the old man had been with them.

"I can handle him just fine. Don't underestimate me." She answered before huffing off with Zeke in hand.

"That guy was a total weirdo." Her weapon grumbled. "As soon as we get this kishin lets go home."

"We'll have to get it before the sun sets," Ayame responded, looking at the sky. "They said at the station that transportation stops after sunset." She her an annoyed grunt.

"Couldn't we have gotten a cooler assignment?"

"What's wrong with this one? We're going after an ice monster!" Ayame announced.

"It's freezing and we're probably going after a couple pranksters." Zeke answered. "C'mon Aya, let's be real. That guy was kinda hinting at something weird for a moment."

"I thought he was just being a pervert." Ayame muttered, leaping up into one of the trees and scowling as Zeke transformed back, standing next to her with ease on the branch, but not looking at her.

"You need to stop rushing into things and be more observant." He informed in a low voice. Ayame blinked in confusion and let out a squeak when she was lifted into his arms and he jumped up, just as ice spears came flying at them.

"What the hell!" she screeched as Zeke smirked at the white clad individual standing a few branches away.

"This should be fun."

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"Wah! You have to taste this!" Aiden gushed, handing a plate over to his far too serious partner. "Come on, just one bite!" Glancing at his seated partner, Gabe grimaced slightly. Aiden had taken too easily to the small town's hospitable ways and seemed to have lost focus. His meister wasn't entertained to say the least. He had gotten into it with Evans before dispersing on their assignments and as a man of honor he wasn't going to come back unsuccessful because his partner was being spoiled by the local girls who found him attractive.

"You have such an appetite!" One of the server girls giggled. Gabe glowered as Aiden beamed back at the girls.

"Well we had a long travel here. Guess breakfast wasn't enough." He answered as the girls giggled and blushed back. If it was anyone else, Gabe was certain he'd be glowering and muttering under his breath, but instead, he rested his chin in his hand as he leaned on the table and fixed his partner with a look as the girls vanished to get them dessert.

"Those girls were flirting with you." He deadpanned, spooning some of the food in front of his mouth nonchalantly while Aiden blinked at him in return.

"Eh, what do you mean? They're just being nice." He informed, pushing his now empty plate away from him. "People can be nice you know." Gabe snorted.

"Well yeah, but there's a difference between the nice that they are and the nice someone like Aimee is." Gabe answered, perking up slightly when he realized there was no exaggeration at the quality of the food. Aiden had wrinkled his nose in confusion as he sat with a straw between his lips sipping on his drink.

"Eh, but those girls are also Shibusen girls. They're on a different level." He informed. "You don't see them giggling after anyone… Besides, Aimee's older and she has a boyfriend." At this, Gabe rolled his eyes. Reaching across the table, he flicked his partner's folder.

"Where is your brain?" he asked. "Anyway, girls aside, we need to be keeping a look out for anyone who looks suspicious! This is a special kind of kishin we're after you know. Get on the ball." Aiden gave a short nod, pulling his goggles down over his eyes

"I already scoped out the area." He informed easily as he leaned back into his seat. Gabe held back a knowing smile. He knew why he and Aiden had gotten this assignment. Despite being new at this whole kishin hunting deal, there were a certain set of skills that each team had that put them ahead of another. He and Aiden were able to resonate outside of weapon form so long as they were in tune with one another. With that, and magic from Gabe, Aiden was able to spot instability in a soul by way of his goggles. The only problem was their resonance wasn't always perfect when Aiden wasn't in weapon form.

"What've you got?" Gabe asked, slowly opening his eyes and placing his glass on the table when he felt a jolt in his partner's wavelength.

"Its… one of the waitresses." Aiden whispered. Sitting up straight, Gabe turned his head swiftly as the group of giggling girls made their way back over, one hanging back.

"Here's your desserts! Special made by Mary." One of the girls said brightly. Aiden gave a warm smile up at them from his seat as he lifted his goggles from his eyes, but Gabe's eyes narrowed at Mary, who was hanging back.

"Why didn't she bring it over herself?" he asked, catching the girls by surprise.

"Oh… well she's a little shy, you see." One of the older waitresses answered. She was fidgeting uncertainly with her apron. "Is something wrong?" Turning his attention from the now frowning waitress in the distance, Gabe gave a charming smile that caught the young women by surprise.

"Nothing at all." He answered and stood up, brushing past them and walking over to Mary.

"Hey!"

"Wait-" He ignored the orders and stopped in front of the woman, cocking his head to the side. Her glare she had once been sending his direction had faded into a shocked expression. Aiden could be heard reassuring the others in the small café that everything was alright. He probably should have been ordering people to evacuate if this woman was who they thought she was.

"So how long do you plan on keeping up this appearance, Mary?" A twisted smile crossed her face.

"You found me." She sang. Gabe's eyes widened and he felt his body be pulled back as Mary's eyes instantly flashed red. He stumbled, falling to the ground, but Aiden was standing over his, eyes narrowed.

"So she was the kishin after all…" he muttered.

"Guess it's hard to find someone whose face always changes, huh." Scoffed Gabe, eyes falling on the scar that wrapped its way around the seething woman's neck. Pushing himself to feet, Gabe smirked, ignoring the screams that were echoing around the café as plates and glasses began to shatter. "Going around snatching people's faces certainly sounds like a nasty job, but I guess its ok until you find what best fits you best, no?"

"It's a lovely face and all, but we can't have any more people suffering because of you." His partner spoke up. Gabe held out his hand, allowing Aiden to transform in his grasps.

"Bloody Mary, in the name of Shinigami-Sama, we're here for your twisted soul!"

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Rion wrinkled his nose in disapproval while Ava bounced excitedly beside him, hanging slightly over the side of the ship they were on. He never really liked large bodies of water. He had his reasons, but Ava was more than excited about the sea air and being under the night sky. She said it had a mystical feel. He felt more nauseated than anything however. Who gets a mission on a cruise anyway? He grimaced slightly. "Rion?" Snapped from his thoughts, the golden haired boy looked up at his partner, who had a concerned look on her face. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine." He answered easily, pushing his back from the railing and turning fully around. "I don't like oceans so much that's all." He answered, frowning at the dark mass that spanned out in front of him. He felt a shiver go up his back. He didn't see the smile that crossed his partner's face.

"Is it cuz you can't swim?" she asked, a hint of teasing in her voice. Feeling his cheeks heat, Rion glowered and crossed his arms childishly.

"It's more than just that!" he snapped and frowned when he heard her giggle. "It's not funny. I've never had to deal with swimming… The only time I've really been around the ocean is travels and when Black Star and Death Scythe took us to the beach." He muttered.

"How can you travel by sea and not know how to swim?" Ava asked. At this, Rion lowered his eyes.

"It's not so hard to figure out if you know how I was treated." He answered quietly. "I don't like this ocean so much anyway…" Ava quirked her head to the side, watching him thoughtfully. She then reached out and pulled his hat from his head. "HEY!" The boy yelled while making a grab for the hat, which was held from his grasp as his partner beamed at him teasingly.

"How old are you again, Ri, cuz you act like a complete grandpa!" she giggled, placing his hat on her head. "Live a little! We've got the best mission of all! Pirate hunting!" she informed, climbing up onto one of the bars of the railing, pointing out into the night sky. "We live for today! Taking out the enemy with our undying spirit and dominating souls!" she called, a sparkle in her eyes and smile that rivaled their assassin professor's confidence.

"Pirates aren't real…" Rion muttered, trying to fight back a smile at his partner's free spirited ways. Ava pursed her lips down at him from her perch, loose locks of her hair blowing around her face from under his hat.

"How can you say that?" she asked. "Especially with that coming at us." She turned again and pointed ahead. Confused, Rion moved forward, squinting into the darkness. He was certain that his partner might have lost her mind until he saw what looked like the outline of a ship.

"What the hell…" he choked, eyes widening. He looked up at Ava, who wore a mischievous smile on her face.

"Tell the snobs to find a nice place to hide or they want to get off this ship with their lives. Blackbeard's on his way!"

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Liam was watching Aimee quietly as she sat beside him, humming and filing her nails as she stared out their train window. She had been a bright mood for the better half of the day and aside from chattering on about how fun it would be if they could all go on a mission together soon, she had been left to her own thoughts. He assumed she was musing over her new found boyfriend, causing the young Shinigami to grimace and slouch into his seat. He didn't really like that Marc guy. And what was the use of a boyfriend who lived three hours away any way? "Hey Liam, I think our stop is coming up."

"Uh huh…" he answered distractedly, closing his eyes and gathering his thoughts. He had to keep himself composed. The only people to ever see him act out of character were Ayame and Zeke and they were enough.

"Hey," he opened his eyes and glanced at his frowning partner. "Are you alright? You seem to be thinking pretty hard about something." She said, leaning closer to him with a raised brow. Flinching, Liam leaned back and turned his gaze away.

"It's nothing… I was just wondering how Ayame and Zeke were doing on their mission." He answered. Aimee perked up at this.

"Oh yeah! They got to go super far for their mission! I think that's so cool." She hummed, leaning back into seat and staring back out the window. "I suppose to would make since for you to worry about them. They're you're best friends."

"They're more than that to me." Liam murmured, sitting up straight as the train began to slow. Aimee had turned her attention back to him curiously. "They're my family." There was a silence between the two as the exited the train, Aimee stretching with appreciation while her partner eyed the crowd filling the station.

"Will you be able to focus?" The red head spoke once again. Liam glanced at her. "I mean, not being with them and worrying about them like you are?" They stared at each other in silence, Liam more confused than ever. While, yes, he was worried about Ayame and Zeke, he knew they were more than capable. As for his weird, or stand offish behavior, he didn't have it in him to tell her it was because of his annoyance about her boyfriend.

"I'll be fine." He answered easily. "We need to focus on our own mission." He informed, leading the way out of the station. Aimee grimaced when they walked out into the town and her eyes fell on what looked like a scene from a western movie. The small sand breezes didn't make her any happier. "At the end of town is an abandoned manor that people recently reported as haunted."

"How do you recently report something as haunted?" Aimee grumbled, pulling her hair up into a sloppy pony tail and muttering under her breath about the need to wash her hair multiple times after their trip.

"People who have entered it have been going missing the past few days." Liam answered, leading the way and ignoring the curious looks of the town's people. "We're simply supposed to go and reveal whatever it is."

"I thought we were looking for a kishin." She asked, fanning away the heat with her hand while taking in the scenery. The town was a lot quieter than either of them would have though considering the amount of people that had gotten off at the station. It was eerie in a way.

"We are," Liam answered, folding closed the sheet of paper he had been reading and tucking it into his pocket as they came up to a large gated off area. "And if the report is correct, he's right in there." Down the path, passed the gate was an elegant manor, green grass that stood in complete contrast to the western movie scenery just on the other side to the gate. Aimee hummed in appreciation.

"Who is the guy?" she asked, leaning into the gate, trying to take in more of the scenery.

"Dr. Carl Tapma…" Liam answered, taking Aimee by the wrist and pulling her back as the gate began to open. "He's the owner of this place. He was taking in patients for years but suddenly got ill and vanished." He explained, releasing his partner and leading the way down the now welcoming path.

"If that's the case, then why are we here?" Aimee asked.

"Because," They stopped outside the manor's doors, Liam pushing open the slightly opened entry. "All of a sudden appointments were being made and people were reporting here and never returning." He explained, the pair standing in the foyer of the manor, Aimee taking a step back at the crimson stains on the ground that looked like they were splattered and even dragged across the floor.

"What the hell have we walked into?" she chocked, clenching at her chest. Glancing at her, Liam narrowed his eyes cautiously. He noticed her breathing had become shallow and she looked far more panicked and unnerved than he expected.

"Aimee, are you alright?" he asked cautiously, not noticing the door behind them creaking closed. Aimee was shaking her head, wrapping her arms around herself and closing her eyes.

"No, I don't like this…" she whispered. "I don't like this. I don't like this. I don't like this…" She kept whispering to herself, dropping to her knees and clutching her head. Liam rushed to her.

"Aimee!"

"Is she ok?" Snapping his attention from his shaking partner, Liam peered into the darkness ahead towards the deep voice. He could make out the outline of a body.

"Who's there?" Walking from the darkness was a tall, thin man dressed in profession attire and a doctor's lab coat. His dark eyes fell lazily on the pair. His eyes lingered on Aimee for a moment.

"She looks like she's in pain," He said in a hushed voice before a twisted sneer split across his face. "I can easily fix that for you!" Liam's eyes widened as he watched a large blade slide from the man's hand. "Life is so much easier when you're dead."

Author's Note: I'm taking a poll on Devart so I'll add one to my profile here as well. I've been busy. Final semester in college! Woot! But yeah, i want to know which characters you guys want to know more about, read more about, or even see a lot more of! Check out the poll, vote and even state so in the reviews that I love so much!