"Taki?" Mitsurugi spoke softly as he entered the room in which Ivy had allowed Taki to stay. "Is everything okay?"
"You can come in," she allowed, and the door creaked open.
"Any progress?" Mitsurugi asked as he closed the door behind him, locking it just in case.
"I'm cured. I know I am. She was right."
"She who?" the questioner sat beside her on the bed. She looked straight at him from against the wall.
"Viola. She said the cure would be on the top shelf ... in a misplaced red book ... seventeen from the left."
"And it's working?"
"Yeah!" Taki almost laughed, or cried. The two weren't sure which it was. "Nothing at all happened yesterday."
"That's great, Taki!" He leaned over to kiss her, and she returned it but he could still sense something was wrong. "So what's still bothering you?"
"There's something else she said, and I have no idea what she meant by it."
"What did she say?"
"That my past would catch up to me."
"Your past?"
"That's all she said. I don't know how good or bad it's going to be. I guess that's what I get for calling her a fraud. She doesn't elaborate."
"Don't worry too much. Whatever happens, happens. If you can't change it, don't dwell on it."
"Thank you," was all she said, and a knock was heard on the door. Mitsurugi got up to unlock it, and opened it to allow Natsu in.
"Are you ready to head out?" Natsu asked Taki, who had almost forgotten about their trip to the market. They had no idea how long they would remain in the area, and refused to let the stay slip through their fingers.
"Yeah. We'll be back soon, Mitsu," Taki declared as she stood up and kissed him farewell. When they stepped outside, Natsu poured her heart out to Taki unexpectedly.
"I've been thinking," she started off.
"About?"
"What if she's dead?" Natsu blurted out.
"Who?"
"My birth mother. Viola said I would learn her identity. She never said I would meet her. Why wouldn't I meet her?"
"Natsu, it's very possible that's the case," Taki regretfully stated. "I don't want to tell you to be negative, but to be realistic, don't get your hopes up. If it's true, then nothing can change that. But at least you can be satisfied in knowing that your adopted mother loves you with all her heart, and so do I."
"I love you, too," Natsu responded with a surprise hug that was returned by the older ninja, which brought their walk to a halt. "I can't help it, though. I'm a bit nervous."
"I understand the feeling," Taki told her once they resumed walking.
"Did your prediction happen yet?"
"No, and I'm not sure I want to come to terms with it if it does."
"You don't even know what it is, though," Natsu argued.
"I know," Taki agreed.
"Hey, do you see that guy over there?" Natsu questioned as she pointed to a shady area with her eyes. She saw a man standing in the shade beneath a tree, looking suspicious, but also somewhat helpless. He carried a cane and moved slowly, but had stopped where he was.
"The guy in the hat?" Taki checked without being too suspicious.
"Yeah. Kind of a creep, don't you think?"
"What's he doing?"
"I don't know..."
"Natsu! What are you doing?" Taki whispered loudly when she walked off in the man's direction.
"I'm gonna find out what he's doing," she answered.
"Get back here," she demanded, and reluctantly, Natsu returned to her. However, the man knew of her intentions.
"You don't have to be afraid to approach me. I'm only looking for someone," he called out as he stepped forward just slightly, still protected from the harsh sunlight in the shade.
"You don't seem too busy with the task," Taki pointed out the error in his logic and immediately distrusted him.
"Have you seen this girl?" he asked as he held out a painting of a girl with red hair. Taki seemed confused until she rotated it to hold it upright.
"My apologies," the blonde man felt foolish for holding it upside down, but in all fairness, only the back of it was visible to him when he held it up.
"Hey, that's!" Natsu couldn't help but speak up, but quickly cut herself off when she realized that she had made mention of Viola, which she ws instructed not to do.
"You know her?!" the man caught on.
"Well no, not really," Natsu explained. "Her face looks ... kind of familiar. What is her name?"
"Amy," he answered.
"And you are?"
"Raphael," he answered, as figured.
"I'm Natsu, and this is Taki."
"I don't care. I'm only looking for Amy," he disregarded the girl's kindness and took back the painting.
"O...kay," Natsu shrugged off Raphael's hostility and played it cool. "I know I've seen her before. Will you be here tonight? If I find her, I can bring her to you."
"You're exceptionally trusting of others," Raphael pointed out.
"Yes, she's a little too naive for her own good," Taki pretended to agree with the shady man, all while trying to not offend Natsu as it was only for show. She was convinced of the fortune teller's abilities and could not say anything that would lead to her. "We will be on the lookout and return if we find her."
Taki was glad to move away from the man. His empty gaze was haunting. He looked at her as if he did not even see her. She felt violated as the blonde man's head turned to follow the ninjas when they walked away. It wasn't her body or her face that felt violated, but her soul, as if he could see straight through her persona. She didn't speak another word until she located Viola in the same location as before.
"Okay, who is he?" she demanded to know.
"I told you, Taki. If I tell you, I put his life in danger."
"Not him. Raphael. Who is he?"
"Did he talk to you?"
"Yes, he did talk to us ... Amy."
"Sorry?" the fortune teller was legitimately confused by the name.
"Your name is Amy, correct?"
"I told you, I don't remember my past. Is that how he referred to me?"
"Are you sure he was referring to you to begin with?" Natsu had to question.
"Yes, of course. I saw it. He showed you a painting of my face, but with red hair, right?"
The conversation came to an abrupt halt as a man approached Viola from behind. He was buff and carried a sword on him, with unkempt hair. His arms wrapped around her and he kissed her on the cheek. "How is work going?"
"Z.W.E.I!" she called out, hurrying to find a way to not give out his identity as the one responsible for Taki's malfestation. "This is Taki. She's malfested like us, and doesn't remember how it happened. And this is her apprentice, Natsu."
"Why are you introducing me to your customers?" he questioned as he sat down.
"There's always a reason," she reminded him.
"Boyfriend?" Natsu assumed.
"Uh..." Viola blushed, not sure how to answer.
"She's too stubborn to allow it," Z.W.E.I joked, but the girls could easily pick up on Viola's uneasiness.
"For all you know, I could be married," she told him in a whisper. "Let's not do this now."
"Yeah, maybe Raphael is her husband," Taki agreed.
"Raphael?" Z.W.E.I questioned the name, scratching his head in deep thought.
"I had a vision that a man named Raphael would seek me," she explained.
"The things you tell strangers before you'd tell me," he complained with a shake of his head.
"Are you interested in ... maybe, meeting with him?" Natsu prepared the plans as quickly as possible.
"Yes," she answered quickly.
"Are you nuts?" Viola's companion asked. "What if he's crazy? You're not going alone."
"You're jealous. That's adorable," Natsu teased, but quickly silenced herself when he gave her a death glare. She then turned to Taki and gossipped right in front of the man. "This guy is way cuter than that creep. Too bad she's not going for him..."
"We'll be back later," Taki put an end to the interaction, turning Natsu by the back. When they were no longer within earshot, the apprentice spoke up.
"I don't understand ... she's been right about everything else. But look, it's almost sunset."
"When you least expect it, Natsu," Taki repeated Viola's words.
"But now I'm expecting it," she argued with a laugh.
Immediately after the chuckle, a child's voice was heard, "Watch out!" The warning was too late, and Natsu suffered a head injury from a flying ball that caught her off guard and pushed her into the concrete portion of a fountain in the middle of the town square. Fortunately, her extended hands saved her face but the concrete still made impact with the rest of her. The rough cement ripped through the elbows of her clothing, but she paid no mind to this. "Ow."
"Natsu!" Taki called out, only milliseconds too late.
"I'm okay... just annoyed." When she pulled her hands from her sides, Taki noticed blood seeping from the torn sleevs of the young girl's clothing, but Natsu still did not.
"Doesn't that sting?" Taki questioned.
"What?" oblivious Natsu responded with a strange, numb look on her face.
"Asphalt. You're bleeding," Taki pointed out. Natsu looked down and immediately felt it.
"Oh, ow, now that stings! Why did you point that out?"
"I thought you felt it already," Taki answered, pulling the girl to sit on the fountain's edge to assist in rinsing her off. "Let's get that cleaned up."
"Man, new suit and it's totally ruined," she complained after noticing just how big the rip was.
"I'll sew it up later," Taki promised before removing the girl's arm protection to get to the rest of the sleeve, which she ripped apart completely. She exposed the wound by moving the two sides of the sleeve out of the way. She paid no attention to it as she rinsed it off in the fountain, soaking the rest of Natsu's sleeve. While Taki rubbed some of the blood off from Natsu's arm, she became more gentle and slower in her efforts, despite the fact that her wound wasn't perfectly cleaned yet.
"You have got to be kidding me," Taki mumbled as she noticed something unusual on Natsu's arm. When Natsu realized what it was that Taki was staring at, she yanked her arm away, feeling self conscious.
"I was born with that," she told her master, and continued cleaning her own wound.
"I know you were," Taki calmly spoke up.
"I'm not dumb. I know when people stare at it. That's why I keep it covered. Please stop looking at it like that."
Taki couldn't help but stare at it. It was the elephant in the room, or more precisely, the thin line of birthmark that traveled down her arm.
"No ... no, that's impossible," Taki was almost on the verge of laughter as she looked at the mark.
"Would you please stop, already? I don't want anybody else staring," Natsu made her feelings perfectly clear to Taki, who immediately broke down and cried, squeezing the soaked ninja in her arms. "What are you doing?"
Natsu could hear Taki's unsteady breaths. Her inhales and her exhales both shook with emotion as she held Natsu close to her.
"Master ... are you crying?" Natsu observed. "Why are you crying? Please stop or I'm gonna cry, too."
"This isn't happening. This is actually happening," Taki rambled on. "I could never forget that birth mark, even after all these years."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your birth mark. I know who your birth mother is, Natsu." The girl's eyes widened and Taki could not even finish her thoughts. She only smiled at her, stroking her hair and cheeks, hoping she would be able to read her emotions. Alas, she could not. "How could I not have known? Oh, I feel so foolish! Look at you. My baby girl. All grown up."
