"It appears that you are not performing as well as I thought you would, Moonstone. Do you perhaps want me to increase the device's output, my dear?" A deep, sinister voice asked from the shadows, the question aimed at a little girl, looking to be around 13 years old, wearing a full-body combat suit kneeling on the ground, her short and formerly neat platinum hair a disheveled mess, partially covering her teary turquoise eyes as a light on the metal circlet around her head dimmed.
"No, please… I'm sorry… I…I can't handle anymore…" The girl replied in a shaky voice as she struggled to stand up, her legs visibly trembling.
"You are simply not trying hard enough, dear." Frustration could be felt in the voice's tone as it spoke, a hand emerging from the shadows with strange-looking gold-rimmed black rings on all fingers, with the exception of the thumb.
"Now, we're going to start the test over again, and if you do not meet with my expectations, we will do this over and over again until you do, is that clear?" He raised his pointer finger up, causing the ring on it to glow a cyan hue, the environment around the girl starting to change into a dark forest.
The girl wiped the tears from her eyes as the forest took form, sniffling as she warily scanned the area. Eerie noises filled the air, causing her to shiver and breathe rapidly as she caught sight of several pairs of glowing scarlet eyes in the darkness, revealing themselves to be Ursa as her eyes began to adjust to the low-light conditions of the forest.
"S-stay away..." Her stuttering voice called out as the pack of hulking bear-Grimm inched closer, causing the frightened girl to jump back while the Ursa pack began to surround her, baring their teeth.
Her trembling hands began to emanate a pink light as she raised her hands in front of her face in a defensive position. Tears began to well up in the girl's eyes again as she looked around her to see the Ursa closing in on her, seemingly growing bigger with each step they took. The light from her hands had spread to her entire body in response to the approaching Ursa, coating her in a sort of shield, crackling with energy.
"I SAID STAY AWAY!" She yelled out, a burst of energy exploding from her body, repulsing the pack of Ursa in various directions, tearing down several trees, exposing the earth of the dark forest to the sunlight.
The girl dropped to her knees in exhaustion as the light around her began to fade along with the forest around her, reverting back into a cold and dark metal room. The circlet around her head made a beeping noise and released, the light on it a bright green.
"These results are still not at all what I expected, my dear. I suppose I should increase the out—"
"That's enough, Arthur!" Another voice cried out in the darkness, a warmer and more comforting voice than the other.
"I do not have the results I require yet, Ichabod. I'm afraid that is not possible." The sinister voice replied, as the ring-wearing hand appeared again.
"You aren't going to get any better results if you keep pushing her like this. Any more than this without any rest for her, and you won't get any results at all."
"…Fine, I suppose you're right. Go on then, take her. Let her regain her strength. I will proceed to the next test subject." The hand disappeared back into the dark as a door opened behind the girl, bright light shining on her. A man emerged from the light, his pale white hair was in a ponytail, and he had a goatee upon his bespectacled face. He was wearing an orange turtleneck sweater underneath his white lab coat with some black pants, his loud footsteps making it evident he was wearing leather shoes.
The man put his gentle hand on her shoulder, making her wearily look up at him with her still-teary eyes. The man gave off a comforting atmosphere, like that of a father comforting his hurt child.
"Are you alright, Luna?" The man asked, his tone of voice soothing to the ears.
"My head really hurts…" The girl struggled to speak as her body collapsed into the arms of the lab coat-wearing man. "I… don't want to do this anymore…"
"…Me too, Luna. Don't worry, I'll make sure you won't have to… you, and the others."
"Really…?"
"Yes. Hold on until then, okay?" The man smiled as he gave her a pat on the back, the warmth and soft feeling relaxing her, as her vision faded to black, while a voice in her head called out to her.
"Luna…"
"Luna…"
"Luna!"
"Hya!?" The girl suddenly straightened her back up as she awoke from her dream. She quickly looked down on her body. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She wore a leather inventor's tailcoat with a buttoned up blouse with rolled up sleeves underneath. Her lower half had a red pleated miniskirt with thigh-high socks, with a pair of leather high-heeled boots. Her left arm was distinct, as it was covered in a deceptively heavy-looking dull gray-colored mechanical gauntlet, while her bare right arm simply had a finger-less leather glove. Luna was dazed for a while as her mind slowly adjusted to reality, until she noticed the boy's hand on her shoulder.
The boy had messy black hair, and his eyes blood red in color. There were several stains of various origins on his Aegis Academy uniform, which looked to be oil and grease as well as some burn marks and soot.
"Oh, it's just you, Grigoriy..." The girl spoke in a sleepy tone, looking at the boy who had a concerned look on his face.
"I think you need to get some rest, I'll take over your R&D stuff for now." He said in a reassuring tone. "It's not healthy to stay up so late at night, you know?"
"I know, I know... But I have to make sure their weapons are in top shape, or it's going to cost them their lives."
"That may be, but if you're exhausted, then it means you work less efficiently, doesn't it? And besides, you could just ask me to help you out." He smiled at the girl, and she let out a little giggle and smiled back in response.
"... I'll keep that in mind, next time." She stretched and yawned as she stood up from her seat, taking her leather pouch and glasses on the table while she left her mechanical arm with the boy as she made her way to the door.
"If you need me, I'll be in the library." She stated as she walked out of the room filled with mechanical contraptions and into the hall, the click-clacking of her heels on the metal floor being the only sound that could be heard.
After a few minutes of walking around the halls, she reached the library. There wasn't anyone there except the librarian, but considering this was so early in the morning, that wasn't surprising.
Going into a secluded corner by a window, she went and sat down in one of the many bean bag chairs in the library, staring out into the distance. The silence reminded her of the events that had transpired in her dream. Though, it was more of a memory than a dream.
The silence reminded her of the cold metal room that she slept in whenever she wasn't getting tested on. It didn't have any windows , nothing but a mirror, a toilet, and a bed. It was more akin to a jail cell than a room. She felt lucky enough just to have those basic facilities, although it still felt miserable.
She shivered at the thought of going back into that cramped and bleak space, hated how the silence reminded her of it. She was slowly getting more and more disturbed even while sitting in such a comfortable position in a just as comfy chair.
"I... I need some fresh air... Some noise would help, too." Luna thought, as she uprooted from her spot after spending only a few minutes in the library, deciding that taking a walk in the nearby city would be the best course of action to clear her head.
The girl walked out of the library and headed to the main entrance, humming the tune of the song "Walk Me To The Sun" as she stepped out of the academy courtyard, sunbeams shining on her fair skin, some light reflecting off of her platinum hair as she strolled through the courtyard's gardens, and out into the short dirt path that led to the town.
It was still fairly early in the morning, but the city already looked quite busy with merchants at their carts on the sidewalks, criers yelling at random people passing by to visit the shops that they were advertising. And then there was the the section dominated by neon signs, housing the nightclubs and the other shady businesses. It never really seemed to run out of patrons to serve no matter what time of day it was, arguably making it the most interesting section of the city.
The hustle and bustle of that place was a comforting noise to the platinum-haired girl. Although the catcalls and the looks that people gave were less than desirable, she felt better with the noise rather than deafening silence.
In the middle of her stroll, she noticed a small crowd gathering in front of a bar, prompting her to take a look, only to see an orange haired man who looked much like a gangster with a cane get tossed out through the glass double doors in a violent fashion, landing face-first in the ground, followed by a large, hulking beast of a man with a buzz cut, wearing a casual-looking combat outfit going through what was left of the doors.
The hulking man gave off a familiar feeling to Luna, as if she'd seen him somewhere before, specifically around the Academy.
"Had enough yet, Matchstick?" The hulking man asked to the gangster on the ground.
As the man stood up and dusted himself off, he simply tipped his hat towards the 7 foot tall giant and bowed. "My apologies Mr. Colossal, but as much as I would like to continue cracking my skull against yours, my part of the contract ends here. Ta-ta!" he said in a cheery, mocking voice as he tapped his cane on the pavement.
Two petite women suddenly leaped from the crowd, one wearing a risque-looking cheerleader outfit with green eyes, half of her hair a minty green and the other half a chocolate brown in the style of twin-tails, while the other was wearing a white tail jacket, dark chocolate-colored pants along with a corset that exposed her hips, and white high-heeled boots. Her shoulder-length hair was a mix of pink and brown with some streaks of white, bringing to mind a well-known brand of ice cream. The same went for her eye color, which switched between brown, pink, and cream every few blinks.
Both stood beside the orange-haired gangster and bowed alongside him, a smirk adorning both their lips as the hulking man before them lunged in for the kill, raising his fists up and slamming it down on the gangster's head, only for him and the two women at his sides to shatter into small shards of glass.
"... Figures." The man pulled out a cigar, lighting it and glaring at the crowd, making them disperse quite quickly, leaving only Luna, who approached the man shortly after, his face being quite familiar.
"Is that you, Mr. Big?"
The man turned to her with an eyebrow raised, smoke blowing out of his nose as he did. "And who are you, little missus?"
"It's Luna, from the R&D section?"
The expression on the man's face changed from one of suspicion to calm as he blew out a puff of smoke. "Ah, Miss da Vinci. My apologies, didn't recognize you. You don't appear to have your robo-arm, either."
"Well, it'd be strange if I brought it out in public, sir. But, um... what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be back at the academy?" The girl asked in curiosity, as she never really saw the hulking man outside of academy grounds. Usually he would stick to the training room, sometimes paying a visit to the R&D section to work on his weapons, but he was mostly present when she typically wasn't around.
"Went here to get a few drinks, but a little Roman candle interrupted my R&R by trying to rob the place." He said in a gruff, mocking tone. "Now, my turn to ask... what are you doing in a shady place like this? Not planning to sell your body here, are you?"
Her face went beet red as the question reached her ears. "W-what? No! I-I'm doing nothing of the sort, sir! I'm just taking a little walk to clear my head!"
The man chuckled at the girl's reply and puffed out another cloud of smoke. "I'm just messin' with ya, kid. I know you don't have the guts to do that kind of thing."
"I-I suppose you're right with that... It'd just be the same as when I..." Her dream flashed back in her mind for a brief moment, causing her to pause for a few seconds.
"Miss da Vinci? Are you alright? I hope I didn't bring something sensitive back up. But if I did, I apologize."
The girl regained her composure as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "It's fine, sir. Just need to clear my head a little bit more. Maybe grab a bite. I haven't eaten my breakfast yet."
"Well, we can't have that, can we? I know a nice little family diner a few blocks away from here, you wanna tag along, kid?"
"That sounds quite nice, actually. I'll take you up on that offer, sir." She replied, a hint of cheerfulness in her voice as she followed the man.
Although something bothered her on the way.
She felt uneasy, a hair-raising feeling keeping her on edge. It was like a chilling wind washing over her. She couldn't tell where it was coming from, and it definitely wasn't directed at her.
The sense of unease lasted the whole trip, but she managed to hide it fairly well. Fortunately, it seemed to somewhat subside when they arrived.
The diner was covered erratically in neon lights and signs on the outside, and the interior was somewhat similar, giving off a sort of old-school casual ambiance, complete with a jukebox, disco ball, even the few waitresses that were present were wearing skimpy Mistralian-style sailor uniforms with roller skates. It was also fairly noisy, but not as much as the city's busy streets, though most of the noise came from the jukebox which continually played music.
"Well, here we are. Since it's pretty early, there are barely any people here. Lots of leg room." Mr. Big said as he and Luna took their seats near the window, passing by a strange hooded man, majority of his face obscured by shadow, only his wide grin visible. He gave off a strange vibe, similar to the sense of unease she felt, although it wasn't directed at anyone in particular.
The girl shook her head and dismissed the feeling as simply a product of her tired mind as she picked up a menu, and started scanning it. "I have to ask, sir... but what's a family diner like this doing so near the shady part of the city?"
"Probably placed here for the potential customers after their sessions of... uh, intercourse and alcohol. People usually get the munchies after that kind of shit, yeah?"
As soon as Luna placed down her menu, one of the waitresses skated over, a rainbow trail streaking behind her. She had a cheerful expression on her face, with several other notable features such as a pink cat's tail poking out of the rear of her outfit, and a white cat-bell collar, while her hair was red-orange with several blue streaks in her bangs.
"Hello and welcome to Katt's Kitchen, where our service never misses a beat! I'm Neon Katt, and I'll be your waitress for today~!" She spoke in a tone just as cheerful as her expression. "In your case, though, Mr. Big, welcome back! Now, what'll it be?"
"I'll have the usual, Miss Katt." The gruff man replied as the bubbly waitress scribbled down his order on her notepad, quickly turning to Luna as she finished. "And you, miss?"
"I'll take some hotcakes, extra syrup, please."
"Alrighty then, anything else?"
"W-well, I would've liked a milkshake too, but I probably don't have enough money for one." The bespectacled girl meekly replied.
"Don't worry, kid. This one's on me." Mr. Big then pulled out his wallet, bringing out several Lien cards in various colours, handing them to the cheery waitress.
"Oh, and one more thing, is this your first time here, miss?"
"Y-yes, actually."
"Well, first-timers get their first meals for free, you know, so don't worry, this one's on the house." Neon replied as she handed several of the cards back to Mr. Big, who tucked them back in his wallet.
"O~kay! I'll be back in a few minutes with your orders, folks! Sit tight and if there's anything you guys need, don't hesitate to ask!" The cheery waitress then sped off into the kitchen, a rainbow trail in her wake.
The sense of unease that Luna had felt earlier still remained. Even as the delicious smell of food being cooked in the kitchen had reached her senses, she still kept her guard up, not knowing where its source was.
Her face wore a tense expression, her eyes started darting around left and right, trying to look for something, anything that could tell her where it could've been coming from. The hulking man noticed this, and posed a question in concern.
"Hey, kid. What's wrong?"
The man's rough voice brought her back to her senses as her shoulders slumped down, sighing.
"Something's off. I can feel it."
"So, something went bad in the kitchen? That it? Or is it something else?"
"No, no. It's a strange feeling, like a cold wind. Small knives piercing my skin that I can barely feel, but it's there. I don't know if it's because of my 'gift' that I can feel it, or if I'm just tired and hungry..." She groaned as she rubbed her eyes, looking out the window, a noise that sounded like a faint maniacal snicker reaching her ears, drowned out by the loud stereo music coming from the jukebox.
"Did... did you hear that…? Sounded kind of like a laugh or something... Might just be hearing things..." The girl spoke groggily as she closed her eyes for a moment, another faint sound reaching her ears, like a sharp dagger flying through the air being caught.
"...Yeah, I heard it, too."
Luna's eyes shot open in surpise at the reply, beholding the sight of Mr. Big grasping a large stinger, inches away from his neck. It had looked to be that of a scorpion's stinger, with the rest of the tail appearing to come from the strange hooded man sitting behind her. And it was there that she realized what that strange feeling was…
Bloodlust.
"W-wha—"
"Oh, it seems that this big fish fights back! And there I thought you'd be a bore like all the other Aegis huntsmen... color me impressed then, Mr. Day-koo!" The hooded man said in a whimsical, psychotic voice, followed by an insane cackle, only to be cut off by Mr. Big tossing him out of his seat and onto the floor by his tail.
"So, you're the shrimp that's been killing my buddies..." Mr. Big said in a menacing tone as he and Luna got up from their seats and cracked his knuckles, the hooded man standing up and getting into a fighting stance, the hidden bracers on his arms opening into blades, resembling pincers.
"Right you are, my dear fellow! Now, how would you like to join them?" He stated with a wide grin on his face, his once-yellow eyes turning purple while he lunged at the hulking man after he finished his sentence.
Mr. Big stood his ground, unfazed by the psychotic killer's statement, raising his arms in front of him to block the attack his opponent feinted, stabbing his arm-blades into the tiled floor as his stinger tail jabbed forward, attempting to sting him again, only to be blocked by a metal tray, levitating off the ground with a faint pink light around it.
"Eh?" The killer's eyebrow raised as he retracted his stinger and leaped back a short distance, turning his attention to the girl standing behind the large man, a faint pink glow fading from her raised hands.
"Tut tut, don't be such a spoilsport, my dear. You do know that it is quite rude to interrupt an argument between grown-ups?" The scorpion-tailed man remarked, shooting off a menacing glare to the girl while still maintaining his psychotic smile.
"I'd rather not have you get involved in this, kid. This shrimp isn't your run of the mill criminal." Mr. Big spoke to Luna as he grabbed a nearby chair, wielding it like a blunt weapon.
"A little too late for that, Mr. Big." replied the platinum-haired girl as her hands began to glow once again, a two-headed curved dagger rising from her leather pouch, a similar light surrounding it as it floated alongside her.
"Tch, fine then, kid. Your funeral." The hulking man roughly replied as he dashed towards the psychotic killer, chair raised, bringing it down on the scorpion-tailed man as soon as he got within range.
Pieces of wood scattered everywhere as the scorpion blocked the chair with his bladed bracers, managing to land a hit on Mr. Big's abdomen, somehow slicing through the aura, a flickering purple light around his blades.
"Where are your manners, Mr. Day-koo? Don't you have any respect for the owners of this establishment?" The psychotic killer cackled loudly again as he continually slashed at Mr. Big, who raised his arms to block the attacks, trying to look for an opening to strike back.
The opening he was looking for came shortly after, Luna's dagger flying through the air, the scorpion trying to parry it with his tail, not expecting for the dagger to split into two, causing him to cease his attack rush to block the flying blades.
Seizing the opportunity, Mr. Big quickly delivered a powerful punch to the psychotic killer's stomach, sending him flying backwards into several tables, smashing them. Though, it wasn't long before he was back on his feet as quickly as he was knocked down.
"You know, it would take a lot more than that to do me in!" He spoke as his bracers suddenly sprouted gun barrels, taking aim at the two and unleashing a spray of bullets, the hulking man overturning a nearby table to use for cover.
"What is with all the noise?!" A familiar, bubbly voice shouted as Neon emerged from the kitchen, letting out a surprised squeak as the crazed killer scorpion's bullets flew past her. "W-what's the big idea, huh?! You guys trying to wreck my family's diner?!" The bubbly girl complained as bits of wood and glass scattered across the floor.
"S-sorry, but that crazy scorpion guy started it!" Luna replied, closing her eyes, arm outstretched, her daggers flying back to her, reforming in her hands.
"Well, either way, someone's going to have to pay for this damage!" The bubbly girl glared at the hulking man beside the bespectacled girl.
"I think it'd be best not to worry about something like that right now, Miss Katt. Worry more about what would that little shrimp do to you if he managed to kick our asses." Mr. Big menacingly replied, the Faunus flinching as he leapt from cover, rushing towards the scorpion-tailed man, the barrage of bullets failing to deter him as he tackled the killer into the ground.
"Gah! You little—"
"I'm not gonna be done in by your shitty little BB pellets, shrimp!"
As the two men brawled, the platinum-haired girl felt an immense pressure coming from the outside. It was the uncomfortable feeling of little knives piercing her skin. A glint caught her eye as she looked through an unbroken window. The flash of light seemed to have come from the second floor of a ruined building parallel to the diner.
"W-what…?"
A wave of blood-lust passed through her as she looked at the building again, spotting something, or someone peeking out of a window as she grabbed a shard of glass from the rubble. It looked to be figure holding a rifle, angled at the diner. That was definitely the source of the pressure. It was the same exact feeling that had been bothering her on their way to there, and like earlier, the blood-lust did not appear to be directed at her.
The shard of glass began to levitate, a faint pink light surrounding it as it flew towards the abandoned building. Luna swore she could hear a feminine voice curse as glass made contact with the would-be assassin, sinking into her arm, causing the figure's grip to tighten on the rifle, which then fired, shattering the window in front of Luna, who raised her arms, shielding herself from the broken glass. The rifle then dropped onto the pavement, the sniper growling under her breath as she retreating into the shadows.
Seizing the opportunity, Luna acted quickly, emerging from cover, ignoring the increasing pressure as she ran across the street and into the ruined building, only stopping in her tracks when she spotted several droplets of blood, forming a trail that lead to what once was a bathroom.
As the bespectacled girl neared the end of the trail, she heard heavy breathing, and it appeared that her suspicions were confirmed. Readying her dagger, she quietly stepped towards the doorway and peeked in, finally managing to get a clear view of the would-be assassin's appearance.
The sniper wore a fairly simple attire. A dark red tracksuit that made the blood stains look inconspicuous paired with a black beanie hat that hid her hair, while her face was half-covered with a bandana. A pair of dark sunglasses that were supposed to conceal her eyes was currently raised on her head, revealing her scarlet irises. On her waist, a belt that had several pouches, appearing to have several utilities that Luna could not determine. She also had a fox's tail poking out from her rear, making it evident that she was a faunus.
In front of her was a broken sink, and inside the sink, a bloodied shard of glass, Luna assuming it was the same shard she threw at the said sniper earlier, who now had a disgruntled look on her face as she inspected her injury using the remnants of a mirror, while a faint golden glow surrounded her wound, slowly healing it.
"I should probably call for help first... But... Damn it, no time for that, I guess I'll just have to deal with her myself..." Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the bathroom, her eyes began to glow a faint pink, the dagger rising from her hand and cutting through the air, grazing the sniper's cheek, then impaling itself into the wall, which elicited a surprised squeal from her target. Startled, the sniper quickly reached into one of her pouches, producing a small object that looked similar to a small canister, tossing it at the platinum-haired girl's feet as she yanked Luna's dagger out of the wall.
"Sorry~!" The sniper said in a playful, almost sultry tone, flipping down her sunglasses before the object at Luna's feet activated, a loud BANG momentarily deafening the platinum-haired girl, a bright flash of light overwhelming her sense of sight at the same time. She stumbled backwards, gripping the ruined door frame to regain balance, only to be dropkicked out of the bathroom by the sniper, causing her to slam into a wall, her body seemingly stunned by the pressure the sniper's blood-lust was giving off, unable to get up.
"I did tell you to get out of the way, girl... but I suppose you can't hear me right now. Well, If you don't mind, I'm going to borrow your little knife, okay~?" The voice was muffled to Luna, though its playful tone was still evident. She turned her head to the source of the voice, her vision somewhat clearing, to see the blurry form of the sniper jumping out through a broken window.
Clutching her head with one hand, she sat up, trying to stand up as the ringing in her ears faded. "...Damn it, she caught me off guard , but I can still-"
"Miss da Vinci!" A gruff voice called out, cutting off Luna's train of thought, Mr. Big's loud footsteps echoing throughout the building as he rushed inside, helping the girl stand up. "You alright, kid? What in Ozma's name were you thinking, running off all alone?" the gruff man spoke with a stern voice.
"Ugh... S-sorry, Mr. Big, but I'll explain later... I think that scorpion guy... wasn't alone..." She groaned, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Yeah, I could tell. That little shrimp wriggled out of my grip and bolted right after some bullet grazed my shoulder. Saw that rifle outside on the street, too." Mr. Big scoffed. "We should probably get going before the local cops come in and- Huh? Hey, kid!"
Luna shambled back towards the bathroom, where she grabbed the bloodied shard of glass from the sink, while Mr. Big raised an eyebrow, not knowing what the platinum-haired girl was doing.
"What might you be doing, Miss da Vinci?" Mr. Big inquired, Luna's eyes closing as she held the bloodied shard of glass in her hands. "Tracking her down before she can cause any more trouble for anyone…" A vibrant fuchsia light suddenly began surrounding her hands and the shard.
"My semblance... it allows me to see through someone else's eyes. I have to be holding something of theirs, though..." She explained, her eyes shooting open, now sporting the same color as the sniper's was.
A place with a large number of people. Neon signs are plastered everywhere. The person whose eyes she was looking through was managing to blend in well with bystanders going about their day. She was walking at a relatively calm pace, even taking an occasional look at some things for sale on snack stalls.
"Crowded place... Looks like the entertainment district...? Neon signs and stuff, definitely the entertainment district... but where...?"
Something familiar popped into view. A bar that had broken doors, the one where she encountered Mr. Big earlier.
"Alright... That's all I need…"
She closes her eyes, and her vision fades to black.
"... I found her. She's near the bar you were in earlier, Mr. Big." Luna spoke as she tossed the shard of glass back in the sink, hurriedly walking off.
"Way ahead of you, kid. Come on, I know a shortcut. Should be near a café close to here." Mr. Big said as they both exited the ruined building. Luna took a quick glance at the diner, spotting the bubbly waitress that had taken their order earlier, Neon, with a broom, doing her best to clean up the mess the brawl had made, along with the few waitresses that miraculously somehow missed the brawl by virtue of slacking off from work. Several police officers were also there, questioning the waitresses as they cleaned up.
"Alright, next left! We should get there in no time!" Mr. Big told the girl running beside him.
"Um… sir? If this shortcut was here the whole time, then why didn't we use it?"
"Sometimes I like to take the scenic route and take things slow. That was earlier, though… Right now is definitely NOT one of those times!" He exclaimed as they ran through an alleyway, slowing their pace as they approached their destination.
As soon as they emerged from the alleyway, Luna had spotted their target, the fox faunus sneaking into another alleyway relatively close to where the platinum-haired girl's vision ended.
"She went through there!" Luna yelled as she hurriedly ran after her, Mr. Big nodding, following closely behind.
Once they had entered the alleyway, Luna's expression quickly changed to one of shock, surprised at what she was seeing.
It wasn't just the fox faunus that was there in the alley. In fact, there was another fox faunus of identical figure, even down to the clothing.
"T-two of them?!" She yelled loudly in her head, backing away, her foot accidentally hitting a bent tin can, causing the two fox fauna to turn towards her and Mr. Big.
"You didn't say there was more than one, Miss da Vinci. Not that it matters." Mr. Big remarked as he cracked his knuckles, a menacing look on his face.
"Oh my, you actually caught up to us… How troublesome~" One said in her playful tone, a hand on her hip.
"Well, this won't do, now would it~?" The other piped in, her tone of voice essentially a perfect mimic of the other, both of them pulling out daggers that looked exactly like the one that one of them had taken from the platinum-haired girl.
"My dagger! So that must mean her semblance is—!" Her train of thought was interrupted by her dodging of the two fauna lunging at them, the blade of her own weapon nearly slicing her head off, while Mr. Big attempted a counterattack, grabbing a piece of rusted metal pipe from the wall and using it as a club, swinging it at one of the fauna as she landed, only for the pipe to be sliced in two, inches away from the girl.
"Tch, guess brute force won't work on these bitches, huh…?" Mr. Big sighed as he tossed what remained of the pipe aside, the bespectacled girl glaring the two fauna down.
"Ohoho~ Still alive, are we? Not many could survive that little combo, I'll have you know." One taunted, her unseen mouth curled up in a smirk.
"If you're that persistent, then how about a little test of endurance, yes~?" As soon as she finished her sentence, the two fauna ran in opposite directions, one managing to slip past the two, going deeper into the alleyway, a laugh echoing in her stride, while the other ran out, into the crowd of bystanders in the entertainment district. "Come and catch us, if you can~!"
"Oh for the love of—!" The platinum-haired girl yelled, irritated, as she bolted after the one who slipped past them. "Mr. Big, I think we're going to have to split up for now!"
"Alright, but try not to get killed, Miss da Vinci!" He yelled back, running after the fox that ran out into the crowd.
As Luna chased down the faunus, she found herself getting more and more confused by the layout of the alleyway. "Are we going around in circles?" She thought to herself, noticing that the fox was making repetitive movements. Left pathway, right pathway, right again, then left again. It seemed that the faunus was trying to confuse her, and it didn't help that she had already tired herself out running to the entertainment district in the first place, even if she did take a shortcut. It seemed as though she was playing right into the fox's jaws.
In her exhaustion, she failed to notice that the fox had suddenly disappeared from view, and that she had just arrived at a dead end.
"H-huh…? Where…? I lost her…?!" She spoke in an exasperated tone as she looked around, slamming her fist against a nearby wall in anger. As she prepared to go back, the fox faunus suddenly leaped out of the shadows, tackling her, pinning her against the wall, holding the girl in a choke-hold.
"Nothing personal, sweetie… But since you got in the way and made me miss my shot, I'm going to have to deal with you, too. You weren't even my target to begin with." The faunus spoke unflinchingly in the same playful tone. "And don't even think that your aura can save you now. I've taken the liberty of giving your little knife a little aura-ignoring boost." The fox continued as she pulled Luna's dagger from seemingly nowhere, the platinum-haired girl feeling the pressure getting stronger as the faunus's blood-lust rose.
The pressure caused an intense emotion to build up inside the platinum-haired girl. One she was all too familiar with.
Fear.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Her hands balled up into fists as a pink light enveloped her entire body, along with the familiar crackling of energy. The faunus did not relent, however, tightening her grip on Luna's neck as she raised the dagger, a faint golden aura surrounding it.
"And yet you still persist. I suppose it must really hurt to be killed by your own weapon. How sad for you… But for me—" The faunus's blood-lust had reached its peak. "—this is going to be oh so pleasurable." The fox whispered, the dagger thrusting into the girl's chest, killing her …Only it never even reached its target.
The pink light surrounding Luna burst forth in a powerful energy blast, knocking the faunus into a wall, while her dagger fell on the ground, the golden aura surrounding it fading. Luna dropped to the ground on all fours, nearly passing out in the dark alley, until she heard the faint echo of footsteps, and someone calling her name.
"Miss da Vinci!" The voice called. It was Mr. Big, looking no more worse for wear, once again running over to help her up.
"I'm… I'm alive…?" She spoke weakly, breathing heavily as she leaned against a wall for support, her skin incredibly pale.
"Looks like it, kid. Seems that you handled her pretty well on your own, too." He remarked, giving her a thumbs up. "And it feels like you might have the real one, here. Mine just went up and turned into a damn ball of purple fire and flew away right after I gave it a damn good beating." He commented, looking over at the unconscious body of the fox faunus, face down on the ground.
"I… didn't really do anything…" She tiredly replied, the color returning to her cheeks.
"Well, either way, now we have a source of information on who's been killing Aegis huntsme— What the…?" Mr. Big looked over again at the unconscious faunus, or at least what was left of her, as a ball of purple fire manifested, the body disappearing and leaving its clothing on the ground as the flickering flame flew into the sky.
"… Huh. Guess that wasn't the one, either." Mr. Big sighed and scratched his head while Luna picked up her dagger from the ground.
"This whole stroll was maybe a bit too… exciting for my taste…" The platinum-haired girl remarked as she placed her dagger back into her pouch and dusted herself off, blushing as a loud growl resounded from her stomach. "Oh, right… Breakfast…"
"Well, considering that Katt's Kitchen is pretty wrecked right now, I doubt that we'll be able to get the meals we ordered earlier… I know another place, though."
Luna let out a little giggle as she rubbed her stomach.
"…Can we just grab a bite back at Aegis?"
A lone woman, sitting all alone at her table on the 2nd floor of a café, a fox's tail sticking out the rear of her elegant white sundress, a matching white sun hat on the table beside a tea set. Her silky hair was a pale pink, contrasted by large, fluffy looking fox ears, while her eyes were a deep scarlet, further accentuating her sadistic gaze. She silently sat there, taking occasional sips of her tea as she read her magazine, until a wisp of purple flame suddenly descended in front of her, flying in through an open window.
Putting down her magazine, she opened her hand. The wisp landed in her palm, dissipating as she closed it. "Hm. That's disappointing…" She frowned, taking another sip of her tea. "So, Mr. Daku'Fir does live up to his reputation…" The irritation in her voice was not evident, but she was definitely irked. "I'll give you that, Faustus. I suppose you were right about him, but it would be fair to say that girl was a wild card in this situation. Neither of us appeared to have accounted for her."
A man emerged from the shadows, taking a seat beside the woman. He was wearing what appeared to be a long ebony long coat that concealed most of his body. His long flowing silver hair and fierce golden eyes were his most defining features, as they would be the first thing one would see when you would look at him.
"One could say the same for that little psychopath, Mr. Callows. I'm surprised he even went along with your plan rather than go on some killing spree all by himself." He spoke in a commanding tone, giving off the impression that he should not be trifled with.
"If the mission is instrumental to the resurrection of our goddess, then of course I would act accordingly!" A whimsical voice exclaimed.
The two turned to the source of the voice, to see the psychotic visage of Mr. Callows, hanging upside down by his scorpion tail in front of the window.
"Speak of the Archgrimm…" Faustus remarked as the scorpion climbed inside, a wide grin still on his face.
"And just how long have you been there, Tyrian?" The fox-tailed woman asked with a smile, pouring another glass of tea, handing it to the psychopath.
"I've just arrived, Madame Kyuubi. While that plan was quite a disappointing failure, no offense meant, I will still be quite happy to serve you so long as it is for the benefit of our dark mistress, yes?" Tyrian replied, downing the entire cup of tea in one go.
A glare was sent Tyrian's way by Madame Kyuubi as he returned the cup. "Hmph. Well then, what might be our next course of action, O' great Faustus?" The fox girl mockingly spoke as she and Tyrian turned to the silver-haired man.
"The seeds of chaos have been planted, but they are yet to bloom. I think it would be best to leave it be for a while and let it grow."
A frown appeared on the scorpion-tailed man's face as he heard Faustus's words. "So you're insinuating that we… do absolutely nothing?!"
"Of course, Mr. Callows. Seeing as that Aegis has begun to take notice of our activities specifically targeting them, it would be best for us to keep our operations… concealed, no?
"… Fine. I suppose I'm going to have to find something else to keep me occupied, then? How does knitting sound?" Tyrian jokingly asked.
"If it keeps you entertained for more than 5 seconds, then I'd be glad to help you with it." The fox faunus sarcastically replied.
"Oh, perfect! I knew an old hag like you would know a thing or two about tha—"
"Watch your tongue before I tear it out, Callows." Madame Kyuubi replied, her usual calm tone replaced by a deeper, more menacing one.
"…I think that should conclude our business here, then. I think it is time for me to take my leave." Standing up, the silver haired man snapped his fingers, causing a small, black portal to open up. "Do take care."
"Hey, wait for me, Lord Faustus! I'd rather not be stuck with this old hag!" Tyrian cackled as he followed the silver-haired man through the portal, leaving the fox faunus by herself once again, nothing else for her to do than to sit and watch the day go by…
"What a boring existence…"